#and she said 'I'll live with my parents and scroll on my phone every day even when i'm 40' i'm being so fucking serious

[hairtusk]

also if you're ever wondering why we as a society are descending into lunacy, it's because children no longer care about the real world because their entire lives exist exclusively online

[lesbojournals]

Hi Liz! I’ve just read your poly!marauders pregnancy fic and I love it! Your reading is stunning!

I’m here with a special request… I was wondering if you could write a poly!marauders x fem!reader where reader is acting weird and distant and the boys are worried and at the end she was hiding a huge secret, a pregnancy. She was scared they wouldn’t want a baby but they all ended up really happy about it? Just some slight angst with happy ending. ❤️

a/n: hi anon! i did put a little bit of my own twist to this, hope that's okay!

Poly!Marauders x Pregnant!Reader

It had only been two days. In fact, it was only the beginning of the second day. 

One full day and some hours since you found out you were pregnant.

One full day and some hours since you started ignoring your boys.

What else were you to do? It was a complete surprise. You'd never even discussed having a baby together, let alone if they even want children.

After taking your pregnancy test, you bolted out of your shared flat with no explanation, driving yourself to the beach so you could have a long cry.

Each boy texted you separately and called you separately, various times. You ignored every call.

I'll be home soon. Staying at my parents for the night. is what you texted in your shared chat. 

You weren't lying…yet. Just withholding information.

As you had driven up to your parents house you felt the tears all ready to burst. The shocked look on your mom’s face when you were at the door was enough for her to bring you in and comfort whatever you were going through. You had told her your secret, and she admitted the boys reached out to her in concern. You fell asleep on your parents’ couch in distress.

One day and a few hours is when you woke up. You scrolled through your phone. Missed texts from Remus, missed calls from Sirius, voicemails from James. 

“You're going to have to tell them, you know.” Your mom entered the living room with a cup of tea for you. 

You gratefully took it and sat up, shaking your head. Your hand went to your stomach without thinking. 

“I know,” You said, starting to feel worked up again. “I know.”

It was an hour or so later of your mom giving you the confidence to tell your boyfriends that led you to dial Remus’ number. 

“Honey?! Oh, my love, are you okay?!”

“Is that her??”

“Give me the phone!!”

The voices of your boyfriends rang through the speaker, and you sighed with a shaky voice. 

“Can you guys meet me at the beach? We need to talk.”

It was James that broke the silence that took place after you spoke. 

“Yea, of course darling. Be there in 10?”

You felt tears dripping down your face. “Mm-hm. Love you. Bye.”

Three “Love you”s chorused through the phone. You hung up quickly and held your face in your hands as you cried. Your mom rubbed your back encouragingly.

“Love, it'll go okay. And if it doesn't I'll be right here for you.”

That brought you to arriving at the beach. Your mom drove you because of how emotionally distressed you were, not being able to control your tears. 

You saw James’ car in the lot and took a deep breath as you rubbed your eyes. 

“You got this sweet pea.” Your mom gave you a shoulder squeeze.

You hesitantly exited the car and watched as the boys did the same. 

They looked broken. Remus was unusually dressed in sweats and one of Sirius’ shirts and looked like he hadn't slept. James eyes were bloodshot and cheeks pink. Sirius, on the other hand, had a dangerous look on his face, borderline between looking like he'd scream or cry.

“Where have you been?!” He came off intimidating, eyes glossy. You flinched at his tone, leading Remus to step in front of him.

He grabbed your hands. “Dovey, why did you leave?”

You looked up at his hazel eyes, noticing James holding Sirius in a side hug behind Remus. 

“I…I…” Your voice cracked and you felt hot tears slide down your cheeks. 

Remus rubbed your hands gently with his thumbs. 

You let out a desperate cry and looked down at the ground. “I'm pregnant. I’m keeping it.”

With that Remus let go of your hands, and you felt your world collapse. You started to cry harder, about to bring your arms around your body to hug yourself before a body slammed into yours, grasping you tightly.

“Oh, love…” Sirius spoke into your neck. 

You looked up in shock at James and Remus, both looking utterly surprised. 

James stuttered as he spoke. “I, you, we are going to have a baby?”

“You guys are staying with me?” You asked, uncertain.

Sirius whipped from the crook of your neck to grab your face with both of his hands. 

“Is that what you thought dolly? That we wouldn't stay with you!!” He almost seemed hysteric at the thought.

You shrugged. 

“Oh sweetheart…” Remus spoke quiet. 

Before you knew it Remus and James both joined you in your hug, holding onto you tightly.

James was the one who broke it apart. “I just, I can't believe it.”

He grabbed your shoulders and gave them a gentle shake. “We’re going to be parents!!”

You blinked and James had you up in the air, swinging you around in a circle as Remus fretted and Sirius laughed. “We’re gonna be parents!!!”

[itspbandjellytime]

The Assistant [Hailee Steinfeld x Fem!Reader] - Chapter 1

Plot: Y/N Waldorf is fresh out of college and her first job is being Hailee Steinfeld's personal assistant, but what Y/N doesn't know is that Hailee is hiding a huge secret from the general public and from her, as her assistant.

Notes: This is a multi-chapter fic, you can also read this on wattpad under the same username "itspbandjellytime". This fanfic is also going to contain NSFW themes in the near future, so if you're under the age of 18 please don't read this. Thank you!

Word count: 1.5k words

[Y/N's POV]

My name is Y/N Waldorf, I am 21 years old and I live in Seattle, Washington, and I just graduated from college a few months ago. After four gruesome years of this course that I didn't like, I am finally free and I get to choose what job I'll have in the future since this is America and it's a free country after all. I got to say College was mentally challenging, but it was worth it after all and I got my degree, which I will probably never use in the future.

My parents, are real estate brokers and they were high school sweethearts. But they're not your typical high school sweethearts where one is a football player and the other is the girl next door, my parents were a bunch of nerds who fell in love and gave birth to two girls. I am the youngest and my sister Kelly, is the eldest. 

If I can talk about their reaction to me graduating college, all I can say is that they were happy that I finished college after ranting to them I want to drop out every five seconds. However they have been bugging me for months to get a job which is annoying at first but I manage to get used to them bothering me at 3 in the morning to get one which I have- well had. I told my parents I've been working at the coffee shop somewhere in our local town, but they told me to get a PROPER job, a job that can pay me well and can give me money to support myself. As if the job at the coffee shop didn't support me when I was in college which it did for some time, I quit my job at the coffee shop a few weeks ago and now I am scouring the internet for a job.

My eyes start to hurt from staring at the screen of my laptop way too long, scrolling through countless job hunting websites, my ears start to hurt as well from the headphones I am wearing and blasting out my playlists as I look for the said job. I start to slowly give up at this point and start to overthink about my life choices until I was on the verge of tears, when all of a sudden I saw something that says: "Urgent! In need of a Personal Assistant, please contact Laura McKinnon." along with her details. I was skeptical at first when I saw the advertisement, I am fully aware about the scams happening which leads to people being in very life threatening circumstances. But with a quick google search, I realized that she works as a talent manager and she's based in California, I feel like this is also a sign from God at the same time. I immediately typed down her e-mail address and sent my resume to Laura, hoping for the best and I don't get scammed.

A few days have passed, I've been checking my e-mail almost everyday to see if I get a word from Laura which I did. According to the E-mail I sent, I am scheduled to have an interview with her via. Zoom the next day. The next day arrived and I was interviewed by Laura through Zoom, once the interview concluded she told me she'll contact me again once I get the job or not. I waited and waited, day and night for a response from Laura. I was desperate to get this job that I started to go to church almost everyday, I was religious for an entire week basically.

One day, while I was in a middle of a run just to count my steps in and getting my blood pumping, my phone starts to ring. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and answered the call from an anonymous number "Hello?" I spoke, panting and catching my breath "Hello is this Y/N Waldorf?" The person asked, the sound of the person's voice sounded sweet, feminine, and had a valley girl accent. 

I furrow my brows, checking my surroundings before speaking "Yes, who is this?" I asked.

"This is Laura McKinnon, from the office of Hailee Steinfeld. I am just here to inform you that you got the job as Hailee Steinfeld's personal assistant." Laura said, hold on... Did she say Hailee Steinfeld? Like... THE Hailee Steinfeld?!? I get to work as Hailee Steinfeld's personal assistant?!? I tend not to freak out in the middle of the street knowing I am gonna be a part of Hailee's team. I've looked up to Hailee since I first saw The Edge of Seventeen for the first time and I never looked back since, she is also the reason why I am into women and met one of my closest friends, Jackie.

"Miss Waldorf? Are you still on the line?" Laura asks me, I snapped back to reality and stammered for a bit to find words "Uhm... Yes. Sorry, I was distracted." I responded, chuckling nervously.

"It's all good Miss Waldorf, anyways you will be starting next week. I know you are based in Washington, but if you have any associates around the Los Angeles area, you can stay with them." Laura told me, all did was respond with a nod and a smile on my face "Yes... I will do that, thank you so much." I said as Laura ended the call.

After my run, I headed straight to my apartment and called up my bestfriend Jackie, I know it's crazy that I am calling my internet friend before my parents who have been bugging me to get a proper job. I met Jackie through our shared interest and love for Hailee Steinfeld, thanks to the website "Twitter", I was blabbering about Hailee on the site as usual and then she asked if we can be mutuals on that site  and we have been inseparable ever since also Jackie lives in Los Angeles around West Hollywood so I can crash at her place. 

"Jackie!" I said with a proud tone, running around my apartment like I am a dog who just got the zoomies. 

"Y/N/N! Hey, what's up?" Jackie asks me, I settle down on the couch and clear my throat. 

"Girl guess what?" I ask her, I cant contain my excitement as a huge grin forms on my face.

"What?" She asks me back.

"I got a job!" I exclaimed, not telling her what my job is and who I work for just yet to build the suspense.

"No way, congrats girlie! What job?" Jackie asks.

I clear my throat again, a smirk forms on my face "Personal assistant." I confidently say.

"For?"

"Hailee Steinfeld." I responded, giggling like a teenage girl. I heard Jackie scream on the other line, causing me to laugh at her response "Yes, I am being serious Jackie. And I need to crash at your place." I told her.

"Oh my God sure, you are free to stay at my place... holy shit... You bagged a good job." Jackie compliments me and all I can do is laugh.

"It's insane, I know." I said, smiling "I start next week, and I gotta tell my parents about it as well." I added.

"Well you better tell them, girl." Jackie encouraged me, I can tell that she's leaning against a wall and smiling with her phone on her hand.

"Of course, I'll tell them and I will drive by there tomorrow." I said, ending my call with Jackie.

I told my parents about the job that I got, their reactions were positive and they supportive of me moving from Washington to California the next day. But my grandparents are huge conspiracy theorist believers, they start to talk about random things about the entertainment industry and my parents just shook their heads and told me to ignore them and enjoy my job. And in the words of my mother, she told me that this job is a once in a life time opportunity and I should savor every moment. Which I will, cause I have a feeling that working with your idol will be one of the best experiences I will have in my life time.

I spent the entire day packing my things for California, and It's a good thing that my sister, Kelly is down to look after and live in my apartment for the mean time. I love my sister, I would die for her. 

The next day, I finally left Washington and headed to California. I decided to take my car and drive, it feels like a road trip with yourself and it's very therapeutic. I suggest that you try it, I spent the entire road trip blasting out Taylor Swift, eating convenient store food, sleeping in my car in empty parking spots. 

The trip lasted for 17 hours, and 17 hours later I arrived in sunny Los Angeles. The last time I was in Los Angeles was when I was 15, when I first met Jackie and we saw Hailee live when she opened Charlie Puth. I took time to look around the surroundings as I drove to where Jackie lives, a smile forms on my face and it made me realize that this will be the start of a new chapter of my life and I hope this one will never end.

[butchsunbear]

Full Moon Heat (Butch4Butch sub Werewolfx dom human)

Slight tw: Pretty graphic descriptions of a werewolf transformation

Kinks: Monsterfucking (obviously), Furry stuff (Also obvious), slight petplay? (Idk the werewolf gets talked to like a dog), dumbification, transformation.

Sylvia scrolled aimlessly on her phone, sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office while she waited for her girlfriend, Hannah, to be done with her checkup. Every month, at least a day before the full Moon, Hannah had to have exams done to check that her lycanthropy is mostly under control. They were cutting it close though, the full moon is tonight. Eventually, Hannah came out of the room. She looked uncomfortable, like way more uncomfortable than normal after one of these appointments. Sylvia stood up from her seat, placing an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders.

"Hey...what's up? You look upset." She asked softly, pushing some of Hannah's long, black hair from her face. Her girlfriend was pale, with pronounced eye bags, and big brown eyes that always looked kind of sad. Hannah looked down at her nails, and her voice went barely above a whisper.

"I'll tell you in the car. It's embarrassing." Hannah gripped her partner's hand, and Sylvia felt her stomach turn. Embarrassing how? Is she gonna be like a xoloitzcuintli dog and lose all her hair? Does she have rabies? No, she had her rabies shot last month...

It's not like Hannah hadn't been transformed in front of her. They'd been living together for three months. Her mind ran a mile a second as the two walked across the parking lot. Once they were in the car, Hannah gripped the steering wheel and looked at her feet for a moment with a giant sigh.

"Alright, so there's this thing that can happen with my transformations and stuff. If you know like how a lot of mammals go into heat? That kinda happens to me..." Hannah laid her head on the steering wheel, and Sylvia could hear the click of her eyebrow piercing as she made contact with the wheel.

Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried it was something huge. Hannah continued,

"It's likely gonna happen tonight. I'll transform, and even though I basically lose all my IQ points, I'll still know you're my partner. The thing with this is that I'll be pretty convinced we're gonna have pups. I might be a lot more clingy, try and make a 'den' for us out of like blankets and stuff, and...well, you can kinda pick up on other stuff." The poor butch was pink in the face and looked like she wanted to be sucked into the ground, "Look, I don't expect you to do anything different. If you wanna go stay with your parents or something for tonight, I get it. Just make sure the door is locked so I don't run out and get ran over by a car or something." She sounded almost sad, she had that quality to her voice but Sylvia could tell she was embarrassed.

Sylvia smiled a little at Hannah, "That's it? I don't mind staying at all. Why didn't you tell me about this, though? We've been together for nearly four years." She tried her best not to upset Hannah, but she did feel a little hurt that she was never told. Hannah had seen her in much worse states, and she didn't even get a cool wolf form!

Hannah sighed, sitting back up and playing with her hoodie strings. "It hasn't happened since we moved in together, and usually I'd be at home and just make a little den in my closet. My mom said I'd get really antsy after we'd gotten together and tried looking for you. It's just really embarrassing."

Sylvia placed a little kiss on her cheek, tipping up Hannah's head so she'd look at her. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about babe, and I'm staying with you tonight." She gave her girlfriend a hug, letting Hannah start the car and drive them home. "Also, that bit about you looking for me is really fucking cute."

Long after they arrived home, the two were hanging out in their bedroom. Sylvia had Hannah laying on her lap but noticed her squirming. She looked up from her fanfiction and found Hannah pulling at the hoodie she was wearing.

"You okay darling?" She asked, running a hand over Hannah's hair, and she looked up at her with an uneasy expression.

"I-I need to get up. Is it getting dark out?" Hannah stood up, pulling off her hoodie. Sylvia looked at the scarred, pale, gangly butch in front of her.

Hannah's ribs easily poked from her skin, the lycanthropy burns off fat fast, and the constant shift in muscle mass didn't help. She had massive scars down her sides, Sylvia remembered the day Hannah got them. She had been trapped in her clothes mid transformation and ended up clawing off her shirt. Hannah's jagged top surgery scars were on display too, a transformation had burst the stitches, causing them to heal strangely. Her legs were covered in bruises, but those could barely be seen past her body hair.

"It is, fuck!" She saw the moon coming into view out of the window. She pulled off her shorts, afraid of her clothes being destroyed or trapped on her. The first patches of black fur coming in up her spine. Sylvia got up, placing a hand on Hannah's back. 

"Baby, baby it's okay. I've got you." She said quietly, her lover's mouth and nose elongating and her teeth growing large and sharp. Hannah's muscles thickened as she keeled over onto the floor, Sylvia getting down to her level. There were groans that escaped her mouth like a wounded animal as her muscles tore and replaced themselves. Hannah's nails grew large, turning thick, black, and sharp. Her height increased to around seven feet, her now pointed ears would brush the ceiling if she stood at her full height, each new inch accompanied by pops from her joints as nearly two feet were added. "That's it, good girl, you're doing so good." Sylvia kept cuddling her love, Hannah groaning and howling as her legs stretched out, knees twisting and popping as her hands and feet grew paw pads as they morphed into paws.

"H-hurts..." She groaned, hiding her face in her girlfriend's shoulder. A tail inched itself out of her back, covering itself in black fur.  Her back hunched and cracked, the rest of her body covered in thick fur. It was done, and Hannah looked like she was on the verge of fainting. She looked up at her girlfriend with big brown eyes, her tongue poking from her mouth. 

"There we go, it's all done. You did so good Hannah." Sylvia cooed at the wolfified Hannah. The wolf butch started pressing her snout to Sylvia's lips, as if trying to kiss her. "Aww, you want kisses pup?"

"K-kiss..kiss!" Hannah's voice was scratchy and groaning, and her words were unnatural sounding. Sylvia kissed her deeply, Hannah's tail wagged like crazy,  her nails scraping down Sylvia's back and tearing her shirt.

"Ahh, careful with those claws baby~" She cooed, gently pushing the werewolf back a little. Hannah looked at her with big puppy eyes, clinging onto Sylvia and licking at her torn shirt and the exposed skin. She then rubbed her big ol head on the shaved parts of Sylvia's head. Sylvia chuckled a little, petting her head and standing up out of her girlfriend's grasp, "Now, I'm gonna grab a new shirt from the laundry room okay, can you be good for me?" She explained in a soft voice, scratching behind Hannah's ears. Hannah nodded, climbing up on the bed and stretching out. "Oooh biig stretch!" Sylvia praised as she stepped out of the room. 

Sylvia sorted through some clean laundry, grabbing and putting on a new thick shirt, then pulling on a leather jacket. "That should stay in one piece!" She thought out loud, though she may be thinking of leather armor from minecraft. Upon returning to the bedroom, one thing was wrong, she couldn't see Hannah. "Shit! Hannah?!" She called out, the blanket was off  the bed, along with a few stuffed animals and a pillow. She turned to the closet, and there was a big ol wolf head poking out. 

"Made...made nest!" Hannah grabbed Sylvia's sleeve with her teeth, pulling her in the closet, "Keep Syl-Sylvia safe!" Sylvia went inside, sitting between her girlfriend's legs. Hannah sat with her back against the wall, her tail thumping against it. 

"Thank you sweetie, you're such a good girl." Sylvia gave Hannah a little kiss on her neck, which caused her to grab Sylvia tightly. "Oh my, someone got a bit excited from that~ Do you need me baby?" She asked teasingly, Hannah grabbed Sylvia's arm and put it between her thighs. "Someone's forward~ Poor baby, can't take care of yourself huh? Big sharp claws~" She cooed, petting her lover's head. Hannah hid her face with one of her big handpaws. 

Hannah whined, trying to rub herself on Sylvia's hand. "Need Sylvia.." Sylvia's heart nearly melted at that, and how could she say no to that sweet little face? She slowly starting running her fingers up Hannah's warm slit. Hannah's maw opened, revealing two rows of impossibly sharp teeth and a long, dripping tongue. A small yip and whines coming out of her as she was rubbed. "Rrrgh~ Need. Need~" 

"Shhh, it's okay. Just let me take care of you darling." Sylvia whispered, her fingers tracing circles around Hannah's clit, feeling her shake and twitch in her arms. "Good girl, such a good girl for me~" She slowly moved her middle finger down, pushing it inside. Hannah gripped her tighter, luckily she wasn't shredded due to the jacket and big shirt. "Oh dear, you really need me bad huh?"

Hannah's tail was wagging up a storm, and she shoved her snout into Sylvia's neck, her nose cold and wet against her skin. "Love...you, love Sylvia!~" She started licking her neck, her sharp teeth rubbing against Sylvia's skin.

Sylvia slowly curled her finger inside, focusing on her girlfriend's special spot. Hannah let out a loud whine when she found the right spot. Using her free hand, Sylvia scratched behind her ears. "Oh, you're such a sweet puppy, taking me so well~ You're so cute~" She couldn't help but praise her.

Hannah whined louder, as though she was trying to speak, but her transformed state and Sylvia's fingers inside her made it hard to say words.

"It's okay baby, no more thoughts~ You're just a cute, dumb puppy♡" Sylvia slowly slipped in a second finger, laying kisses on her girlfriend's snout. "Poor baby, you just want me in you forever, huh? Just full of my fingers like the dumb puppy you are?" She teased, scratching just the right spot behind Hannah's ears to cause her jaw to drop open and any thoughts to drain from her head.

"Haah~" Hannah could only make noises at this point. Her brain turned to mush as she got closer and closer to orgasm. She kept wagging her tail, tongue hanging from her mouth as she was talked at, barely processing a thing said to her.

"You close baby? You gonna make a mess of yourself?" Sylvia teased her. The big, strong werewolf a whining mess in her arms. "You gonna cum for me darling?"

Hannah tensed up, her tail going stiff and straight as she came all over Sylvia's hand, howling and moaning as her claws nearly pierced her girlfriend's jacket. She started drooling a little, letting out a low growl. "Haah~ Feel good~" She groaned, her tail wagging weakly. 

Sylvia laid a little kiss on Hannah's nose, then spread her fingers to show how wet they are. "How about you clean up your mess sweetie?" She cooed, Hannah leaning forward and licking Sylvia's fingers clean. "Good puppy, thank you baby." She cooed, scratching under Hannah's chin.

Hannah pulled Sylvia in, holding her to her chest. Sylvia snuggled into her fur, sighing contently. "You're so soft honey." She could hear Hannah's heartbeat, she nearly fell asleep it was so relaxing. 

Hannah hugged Sylvia tightly, her tail beating off the floor. "Happy..." she cooed, licking her girlfriend's neck and head. 

"I love you baby~" Sylvia said, and Hannah's tail could bore a hole in the wall with the speed it was hitting.

I'm copying this and later another story from my wattpad, if you got monster requests let me know.

[heavyhitterheaux]

Hear My Heart

AN: everyone deserves to be loved no matter what

Synopsis: You've had a disability since you were eight years old and never knew if true love would ever exist for you until you met someone named Jack

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Hearing Impaired!Reader

Requested by: my ✨️ anon 💖

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

You were startled by your manager Denise tapping you on your shoulder as you were trying to make sure everything was ready for the night for whoever the guest performer was. You didn't bother to look at the flier or any of the advertisements, but everyone seemed to be excited. Scrolling through your phone an hour ago, you saw that the performer would be Jack Harlow and he would have a mini residency for the next three weeks in Miami.

You were excited and didn’t stop talking your ear off to your best friend McKenzie ever since you found out.

Of course she looked at you dumbfounded but remembered that you had been living under a rock for the past two months. 

As you looked up, Denise's mouth was moving, but when you didn't respond, she immediately rolled her eyes and that's when you turned your hearing aids back up to hear her.

"Pumpkin! You have got to stop turning down your hearing aids!" She exclaimed while throwing her hands up in the air. 

This wasn’t the first time and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. 

"It was getting too loud." You said while shrugging as you looked around at multiple people who were also setting up for the night.

"You do realize you work in a nightclub, correct? There's bound to be some type of noise. And what if there is an emergency when you do that?!"

Denise was your Godmother and your mother's best friend and the two of you were inseparable just how they were when they were younger. Your parents were hesitant about you leaving home in Georgia and living on your own in a completely different state and environment and only allowed you to go if you lived near your Godparents and worked at their nightclub.

The parents were not taking no for an answer

You knew to be careful, you felt like your hearing was fading by the day and soon you wouldn't be able to hear at all.

Doesn't really work out well for people who dream of being a performer.

So this is the closest that you would get to making that a reality.

You were a local favorite who would perform covers as well as original songs every Friday. Everyone knew you and loved your voice and it took your mind off of the reality of what was to come. It had been awhile since you did it, but was thinking of getting back into it soon.

Besides, you didn’t know how much longer that you would be able to hear. 

But day in and day out, you would stress your Godmother out to no end and she never let you forget it. 

"I'll keep them turned on for the rest of the night to make you happy." You answered while being sarcastic.

"Y/N, I'm serious. If something happens to you, your parents will kill me."

"I'm 23 years old and I am tired of being treated like this little fragile thing! I'm an adult and I have a disability that I have had to adapt to and be okay with since I was eight years old but I'm NOT helpless!" You said placing the last box on the table and making your way out of the room with Denise calling after you.

"Pumpkin! Baby girl! I didn't mean to upset you… I just…"

You quickly made your way to the bathroom and dabbed at the corners of your eyes to catch the tears in order for you not to mess up your makeup.

This was the argument that would happen between your parents and now your Godmother at least once a month. You understood why they were so protective over you, but you almost felt as if they were suffocating you. 

You thought the move to Miami would be refreshing, but you were quickly growing tired of it and was deciding if you were going to pack up in the middle of the night and disappear. 

All four of them would have the FBI looking for you within an hour.

Your Godfather David was a bit more lenient and understanding when it came to you and that had been the case ever since you were little.

When you came up with an idea of wanting to try something new, he always had to talk them into letting you do it.

You just sighed while fixing your dress and looking at your phone.

It was now getting close to 10 pm and people would be arriving soon since Jack was due to perform around 11. 

The only highlight about your night was that you got to see Jack Harlow and then you would be able to go home and stuff your face with pizza rolls.

Until then, you would just hang out at the bar with your best friend McKenzie who you had convinced to make the move with you.

The two of you had known each other since you were six years old when you shared your 64 pack of Crayola crayons with her and wouldn’t let anyone else touch them.

Inseparable ever since.

She helped you through your diagnosis when the two of you were only eight even if she couldn’t quite understand what was happening and never left your side.

You made your way over to the bar to see her already starting to mix drinks for eager customers. After she had finished serving them, she turned to you.

“What’ll it be, bestie?”

“Anything to take the edge off of wanting to jump off the nearest cliff.”

“Pumpkin, come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“But it is Kenzie! They never allow me to do anything and I’m just so tired of it.”

“I get it, but they want to protect you.”

“I can be protected without being smothered and I can literally feel her eyes in the back of my head right now.”

Sure enough when Mckenzie looked up she saw Denise looking at you with concern in her eyes.

“They love you and only want the best for you just like I do. I mean I did move to Miami for you.”

“You moved to Miami to be close to the beach and find you a girlfriend so please stop lying and telling me that you did this for me because I will turn down my hearing aids and it’ll be like you’re talking to a wall.”

“PUMPKIN! DO NOT START!”

“Too late.”

Mckenzie just rolled her eyes before setting an amaretto sour in front of you which you slowly started to sip on.

“Appreciate you.”

“Bitch, where the fuck is my tip?”

“Up my ass, now give me another one.”

All McKenzie did was raise her eyebrows at you.

“PLEASE.”

“Thought so.”

Just then it was announced that Jack would be coming to the stage and you decided to turn up your hearing aids a little bit higher and McKenzie noticed. 

“Oh, so you can turn them on for Jack, but not your best friend?”

“You started to annoy me so I turned them down. Jack doesn’t annoy me.”

“I’m going to kick your ass once we leave here.”

It was the middle of Jack’s performance when McKenzie had nudged you and you turned to look over at her.

“Hmm?”

“He’s staring at you.”

“Who?!”

“Jack is.”

“No he isn’t…. Wait…. Is he really? Is there something on my face? Did one of my lashes fall off? Is there something in my teeth?”

“No, you look gorgeous as always. I just feel like he’s been looking an awful lot in your direction during his set, truth be told since he hit the stage.”

“McKenzie, did you smoke without me today? Because it’s giving delusional.”

“No, because I didn’t buy anymore since we smoked it all last night and it’s true!”

“Hmm.”

“But you’re off limits anyway.”

“Says who?!”

“Says me. No one is going to get to you without those two approving anyway and he’s doing a residency here?”

“Kenzie, I’m a grown ass woman who is able to make decisions for herself.”

“I completely agree so this leads into my next question, how much do you want to bet that by the end of the night he’ll ask you for your number?”

“Kenzieeeee!”

“What?! Come on 50 dollars! You can bet me 50 dollars!”

Jack’s set had been over for about fifteen minutes when you suddenly felt someone sit down next to you at the bar. You didn’t pay it any mind until McKenzie looked up from wiping down the bar and her eyes went wide. 

You looked at her dumbfounded until you heard his voice and immediately stopped your movements.

“What are you drinking, pretty girl? Mind if I buy you another one?” You turned to see that Jack was in fact talking to you and you felt your heart speed up at a ridiculous rate.

“Um, amaretto sour.” 

He simply handed McKenzie his card while not breaking eye contact with you.

“So does the pretty girl have a pretty name to go along with it?” Jack curiously asked you and you were doing everything in your power in order not to look crazy in front of him. You felt like you were about to have a heart attack at this very moment.

“Y/N. But my friends call me Pumpkin.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N, I’m Jack.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Couldn’t help but to notice you over here during my set and I wanted to get to know you better if you’d let me. Since only your friends call you pumpkin, I want to be able to call you that too and maybe more.”

McKenzie was watching this entire exchange unfold and she was hoping that you would say yes while trying to also not mess up anyone’s drink order.

Your last relationship didn’t end well and you had just about turned into a hermit ever since which bothered her to no end. As much as she wanted for you to get back out there, you refused. 

“I’d like that.”

The two of you exchanged numbers with Jack promising to text you before the night was over.

You turned back to McKenzie and she eagerly smiled at you and slid your drink towards you. 

“You owe me 50 dollars.”

You and Jack had been getting to know each other just about every day he didn’t have a show and it was a breath of fresh air spending time with him. It was almost as if the two of you didn’t just meet, but had known each other for years. 

The two of you were now at your favorite hole in the wall taco place and you put your curly hair up into a ponytail so that nothing would get into your food.

This was the first time that you thought Jack had noticed your hearing aids and you could tell he was looking over at you with curiosity as you took a nacho into your mouth.

“So, are you going to ask me?”

“Ask you what?” Jack responded while stealing one of your nachos.

You simply pointed to your hearing aids and Jack simply shrugged.

“You’ve been staring at me since I put my hair up. Aren’t you curious? It seems like everyone is when they see me with them.”

“I'm staring at you because I think you're pretty and why does it matter? I figured you would tell me when you were ready to and besides I saw that you had them when we met. Still didn’t stop me from wanting to talk to you and it doesn’t now.”

“I didn’t think you did.”

“I’m very observant. Especially when it comes to things that I like.”

“Oh, and I’m guessing you like me?” You asked while fluttering your eyelashes and Jack couldn’t help but to do anything but laugh.

“This is our fourth date, isn’t it? That should tell you something.”

“It is. And good because I like you too.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before you continued to talk.

“I started losing my hearing when I was eight. Different doctors, different specialists, no one could do anything about it. And they told me it would get to a point where I wouldn’t be able to hear at all anymore. Kind of sucks for a girl who wanted to be an entertainer, but my parents set me up with learning sign language then because eventually I’ll have to use it. I do that as a side hustle, signing for people at different events around Miami.”

“Thank you for telling me that, I know that it has to be difficult at times.”

“It is, but I have an advantage that not a lot of other people have. When I’m tired of listening to the outside world, I simply turn them off.” 

“If we ever get into a disagreement, I take it that would be your go to strategy?”

“No, I think you’re too cute for me to stay mad at. My parents on the other hand are a different story.” 

—

“So, your new girlfriend is deaf?” Urban asked while looking over at his best friend.

“No, she can hear but she told me it almost sounds like background noise so she can't distinguish who's talking, but she wears hearing aids to help. But doctors have told her that eventually it will get to the point where she won’t be able to hear anymore. And she’s not my girlfriend, not yet anyway.”

“I definitely noticed that first night how you kept staring at her. And the two of you have gone on like six dates, what’s the hold up? Does she know sign language?”

“Just want to take my time and get to know her and she does.”

“Hmm, I wonder if she can teach me how to cuss people out.”

“URB!”

“What?! What I say?”

“You wonder if who can teach you how to do what?” Neelam asked while coming into the room and looking at the two of them. 

“Jack’s new girlfriend is deaf and knows sign language. While partially deaf I should say. You know short girl with the curly hair who he has now been spending more time with than me.”

“Damn, Urb just throw the whole damn tree at this point with all the shade.” Jack said while laughing.

“Urban, you are already a menace, she doesn’t need to teach you anything. And don’t you think Jack gets tired of looking at your ass all the time?”

“WHY NOT?! AND NO I’M NOT! AND NO HE DOESN’T!” Urban exclaimed and Jack stifled a laugh. 

“Knowing her she would probably do it too. She already turns down her hearing aids if her parents start to get on her nerves, godparents included.” Jack added while shaking his head.

“So, when am I properly going to meet her? Her godparents own the club, right?”

“They do and you can meet her tonight. She’s just about always there.”

“Her friend she’s always with is cute too.”

“And her friend is also a lesbian so keep it moving.”

“Oh, I respect it. Does she have any more friends?”

“I’ll ask.”

Jack sent you a quick text to let you know that Urban wanted to meet you. He figured that he would start with him first before introducing you to the rest of PG.

Curly Haired White Boy- Y/N, my best friend wants to meet you tonight

You- if it’s Urban tell him my requirements are for him to bring a blunt to share

Curly Haired White Boy- Why am I not surprised? Lmaooo

You- I mean that’s the only proper way to meet someone right?

Curly Haired White Boy- Since when?!?

You- idk since forever?

Curly Haired White Boy- I’ll be sure to tell him. He’s excited to meet you. Also wanted to know if you had any other friends besides McKenzie?

You- I have associates. Closest one is Camille, however she has baby mama drama. The other is Alexis. She sells drugs.

Curly Haired White Boy- Wait, what!?

You- She was with this girl, they got married, had a kid with a sperm donor that she carried, now going through a divorce when she realized she wanted her wife’s boss who is a guy. Oh and he’s the actual baby daddy because she cheated. Sperm donor my ass.  I would never subject your best friend to that dumpster fire on wheels. Oh and Alexis is a pharmacy tech. She sells drugs the legal way. He might like her. I’ll put in a word for him. 

Curly Haired White Boy- Oh, um okay then

You- Can’t wait to see you tonight, I’ll be sure to wear your favorite color

Curly Haired White Boy- Can’t wait to see you

You got to the club a little later than the time you told Jack that you would be here, but when you were finally in his line of sight, he made his way over to you with who you assumed was Urban in tow.

And as promised, you were wearing one of your newest dresses that happened to be a deep purple along with a simple pair of black heels. 

“Hey babe. You look gorgeous.” Jack greeted you as he leaned down to kiss you and you quickly hugged him.

“Hey, thank you, sorry I’m late, misplaced one of my hearing aids and it had actually fallen in the trash can in the bathroom and took me about 45 minutes to find so yeah but I’m here and oh you must be the infamous Urban that I hear so much about?”

“Wait, how did you lose them?” Jack asked while looking at you and you just shrugged.

“I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached. Kenzie yells at me all the time about it.”

“The one and only. He’s only told you good things, right?”

“Define good things.” You said as you raised your eyebrows before laughing.

“HEY! I did only tell you good things!” 

“He did, Urban, you have nothing to worry about. But for now, I actually have to work as much as I don’t want to so head on over to V.I.P. and I’ll come find you later.”

“Okay, don’t work too hard.” Jack said as he leaned down to kiss you once more.

“I promise, I won’t. Besides, if they start to get on my nerves, I’ll just stay in V.I.P. with you the rest of the night.”

“BABE!”

“What?! They better be happy I don’t turn off my hearing aids.”

“You have got to stop doing that.”

—

You and Jack had now been together for one year and counting and you honestly could not have been happier.

Your parents as well as your godparents absolutely adored him and he was honestly the first boyfriend of yours that they actually liked. Which was surprising. 

And his parents adored you right along with his younger brother Clay.

The long distance did get you sad sometimes, but it would instantly go out of the window when Jack would surprise you when he had small breaks in between appearances. He always told you that you were more than welcome to come with him any time you wanted and that you didn’t have to pay for anything. 

This time, the two of you were laying in Jack’s king sized bed in his house that he just purchased in Louisville. You were convinced that the bed was going to swallow you whole or that you were going to get lost in it because it was so big.

No one told your boyfriend to be 6’3, but here we are.

“Baby girl?” Jack said as he leaned down to kiss your nose.

“Hmm?” You muttered while your eyes were still closed, but held onto Jack tighter. Your flight had gotten in extremely early in the morning and all you wanted to do was sleep. You had been on overdrive the last few days being at the club and also being an ASL interpreter for small events around Miami. 

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, what’s on your mind?” You said while opening your eyes and looking at him.

“I want you to teach me sign language.”

“Really?” You asked excitedly while getting the biggest smile on your face.

"Well, yeah. I want to always be able to tell you I love you even if it isn't with my voice. I don’t want a day to go by that I’m not able to tell you how much you mean to me."

Your eyes immediately watered and you couldn’t do anything but eagerly nod your head yes.

“Of course I will and I love you too.”

“I just thought about how neither of us know how long you’ll still have your hearing and I want to be prepared.”’

“Thank you for thinking of me.” You quietly said as Jack had wiped away your tears.

“Always, a day never passes when I don’t.”

“I’ll go easy on you to start and then we’ll get into the more complicated things. We’ll start with the alphabet first.”

“Oh, and I should warn you, Urb wants you to teach him cuss words.”

“Shit, say less. But, why am I not surprised?” You said while laughing.

“Can you imagine? Me and Urb going back and forth and only you would know what we were saying?”

“That is about to be hilarious and I cannot wait. How much longer do we have until we go see my parents?”

“Yeah, the parents that love you more than their own biological child.”

“Stop being dramatic. I mean your mom did say she wishes she had a daughter and was very excited that I was dating her big headed son.”

“She did NOT say that last part!” Jack looked at you dumbfounded, but all you could do was laugh. 

“How much you wanna bet!?” 

“Anyway we have about three hours.”

“Oh, I have to start getting ready.”

“Babe? You need three hours to get ready?” Jack asked while pinching your cheek and you immediately swatted his hand away.

“Unless you want us to be late, I suggest that you unhand me.”

“Why do I have to unhand you when we could just save water?”

“Jackman, no funny business.”

“I don’t know what you mean, my love. What is this funny business that you speak of?”

“Knowing you we won’t meet them in three hours, but in six.” You responded while rolling your eyes. 

“And? I don’t see the problem. Just let me put the tip in.”

“Bye, Jackman.” You said while turning away from him and then standing up from the bed.

“So? Is that a yes?”

“It’s ‘a you better come on before I change my mind’.”

“Shit, don’t have to tell me twice. Start the shower and do NOT have it so hot it’s like we’re at the gates of hell like you did last time.”

“Jackman, I will make you shower by yourself if you don’t shut up and stop complaining.”

“Babe, come onnnnn. You were lowkey trying to burn me.”

“I was NOT!” 

“I beg to differ.”

Both of you were now sitting at the dinner table in Jack’s parents house along with Clay and you were excited because Maggie had told you that she bought a new red wine that she thought that you would like.

Brian just finished asking you how you liked Jack’s new house and you said that it needed a few splashes of color and that you would add your touch to it while Jack was rolling his eyes and  you noticed Maggie eyeing you as you started to take a sip of your wine.

“Ma, why do you keep staring at Y/N like that?” Jack asked before laughing.

“Because there’s something different about her.”

“Different how? I changed my hair since the last time you saw me.” You asked as you continued to sip on your wine.

You would definitely be taking the bottle home and would thank Maggie for getting it for you.

“I noticed that when we talked on facetime the other day, not your hair. You’re pregnant.”

“WHAT?!” Jack exclaimed and you immediately got a confused look on your face while Clay simply looked between the two of you.

“No, I’m not.” You said unsure of yourself as you stopped drinking your wine and set the glass back down but not before pouring the rest into Clay’s glass since you were now nervous. 

“Are you sure? The glow is definitely there that people talk about and I can see it. I also had a dream about fish last night. I don’t want to scare you, just a thought.”

That was when you tried to remember when your last period was and you were coming up short. You didn’t even want to look over at Jack at the moment. 

“Sooo, yeah I’ll be back.” Jack said getting up from the table and grabbing his keys while you just sat there staring off into space.

“If you are, I’m glad it’s you that he got pregnant and not his ex-girlfriend because she was a piece of work.” Maggie tried to whisper to you, but of course Brian and Clay heard her.

“MAGGIE!” Brian exclaimed while looking at her but he just shrugged while Clay was laughing. 

“What? I’m telling the truth!”

Curly Haired White Boy- Babe, I’m going to get a pregnancy test for you, I’ll be back

You- Um yeah good idea

Curly Haired White Boy- Don’t be scared baby girl, you have me and I’m not going anywhere

You- Love you big head

Curly Haired White Boy- Love you more

When Jack came back in fifteen minutes, you immediately ran to the bathroom to take the test while Jack was pacing outside the door.

“You’re going to put a hole in the floor if you don’t stop.” Clay said while not even looking at his older brother.

“Can you blame me?!”

“Yes, I can blame you. You were the one who knocked her up.”

“Cut the shit, Clay!”

“I was just saying!”

You had been in there for at least twenty minutes and as soon as Jack was about to knock on the door and see if you were okay, you opened it.

“Baby? What did it say?”

“Looks like we’re about to be somebody’s parents.”

It had been about two months since you found out you were pregnant and you really weren’t showing yet. At first you were excited, a little scared, but excited nonetheless and now reality was setting in. 

Jack had asked you to move in with him and you quickly agreed and of course McKenzie moved to Kentucky right along with you.

Since apparently now her and Urban were a thing.

After she swore off men for the rest of her life, here she was. 

She was convinced that wherever you went, she had to go too.

And you were not going to put up a fight about it either. It helped having her close to you and served as having a little piece of home. 

You made sure to tell your parents as well as godparents what was happening when you had touched down in Kentucky when all of your things were fully moved into the house so they didn’t have anything to say about it or put up a fight.

What were they going to do? Come and get you to bring you back?

They just thought you were visiting Jack more often, but what you were really doing was moving in. 

As of right now, the two of you were in London and Jack had just gotten finished one of his performances and you were in the bathroom doing your nightly routine in order to get ready for bed while Jack was in the bedroom pacing back and forth and debating whether he was going to ask you or not.

Ask you to marry him that is.

He had mentioned to Urban about three months ago about wanting to ask you and he told him to go for it knowing that you weren’t going to say no.

Now every time Urban saw you, he would look at your ring finger, notice it was bare, and then look at Jack and roll his eyes because he was taking so long.

The door was slightly ajar and he could see you so he figured he might as well get it over with before he talked himself out of it.

For the fourth time in the past week. 

“Baby, I wanted to ask you something, but I just want you to listen for a minute. You came into my life when I least expected it and now that you’re in it I can’t see myself without you. When I first saw you, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you and I’ve been obsessed ever since. From the way you laugh, our shared love for pizza, the way you care about others, while also taking time to care for yourself and loving me through everything that has happened in the past year. I know that no matter what happens, you’ll always be by my side and that is all I could ever ask for. I just want to make this official and don’t want to wait any longer. So, Y/N Y/M/N, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

At this exact moment, Jack was down on one knee and you fully opened the door, saw the ring and immediately slammed the door while trying not to have a panic attack.

You figured this was a good time to turn your hearing aids back up.

“Baby!” Jack said while coming over to the door and trying to open it and failing. 

“I… JACKMAN! Are you serious?!”

“Did you not have your hearing aids turned on!? YES I’M SERIOUS!”

“No! I took them out to clean them and I just put them back in!” You exclaimed a little upset because you had missed everything that he said. 

“So, you didn’t hear ANY of that?!”

“No! But, you’re really serious?!”

“Yes, I’m serious! Baby, open the door!”

You did as you were told and opened it to see Jack staring down at you.

“No bullshit?” You asked as you could feel your eyes welling up with tears. 

“No bullshit, I want to be able to call you my wife for real.”

“Like seriously?”

“Yes, baby girl. I’m serious for the third time and have been thinking about asking you for a while.”

“So you really love me?” You asked and Jack looked at you in disbelief. 

“Y/N, I just asked you to marry me, did I not?”

“Oh, well I guess that’s true.”

“Baby, are you going to give me an answer? Low key panicking over here.”

“Well duh!”

“Duh what?!?”

“THAT I’LL MARRY YOU BIG HEAD!”

“Usually people say yes, not duh!” Jack exclaimed while you were still trying to make sense of everything. 

“Well I’m not people! I’m Y/N!”

“What am I going to do with you?” Jack jokingly asked as he slipped the ring on your finger and all you could do was smile and admire it.

“Nothing, now because your ass is stuck with me!”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jack answered as he leaned down to place several kisses on your lips.

“You just don’t know how much I love you. I never thought in a million years that this would be a reality for me.”

“And you just don’t know how much I love you too. I’m happy that you let your guard down with me and let me love you the way that you deserve.”

You finished putting your hair up and laid down next to Jack while you moved over to lay on his chest and he quickly embraced you.

“Your heartbeat calms me and I love laying on you and listening to it when my mind is running 1000 miles per hour.” You said and Jack leaned down to look at you.

“What are you thinking?”

“What if she’s deaf?” You quietly asked.

“So, what if she is? That isn’t going to make her any less perfect. She’ll be perfect because we made her.”

“I would never forgive myself for it. I want her to be able to experience all of the things that I couldn’t do.”

“Whatever happens, she is going to live a full life and we’re going to make sure of it. You need to stop blaming yourself.”

“Easier said than done. I never saw myself becoming a parent so this has unlocked new fears for me.” You quietly confessed. Your biggest fear was passing on your disability to your offspring so you had it made up in your mind ever since you were fourteen that unless you found the person that you wanted to spend your life with, you weren’t about to have any kids. 

Well, then Jack came into the picture. 

“Of course we’re going to have them because she’s literally ours. That goes through every parent’s mind. But remember we’re a team and we’re doing this together.”

“I know. You’re right.” You were so excited when you saw the positive pregnancy test and now all of the fears that had been in the back of your mind are making themselves known. 

“Still won’t make me love her or you any less so you can get that out of your mind right now because I know that’s what you’re thinking.” Jack said as he tilted your chin to make you look up at him. 

“I can’t help it. I just…”

“I love you for making my life complete and now we're about to add our little girl to that." 

“And no matter what happens, she’ll be perfect because like you said, she’s ours.”

It was around 3 in the morning when Jack woke you up by placing several kisses on your cheeks because you had to catch a flight to Sweden for the next show, you lazily got out of the comfortable bed and started to get ready. 

“Come on, mamas. You can sleep on the plane.”

“Only if I get cuddles from you, otherwise, I’m not moving.”

“Babe, you know you can have all the cuddles you want and you know that you never have to ask.”

“Is this how it feels being with a morning person because this is downright ghetto. It is literally three in the morning.”

“Congratulations, you learned how to tell time.”

“I will kick your ass, Harlow. Watch it.”

“Hmm, you sure about that?”

“Better, yet, I’ll tell Maggie.”

Jack immediately stopped his movements to look over at you and all you did was smirk.

“That’s what I thought.”

As you were getting settled on the plane, Urban did a double take as he looked down at your finger.

“FUCKING FINALLY!”

“Urb, shut uppppp. It’s too early!” You exclaimed while burying your face deeper into Jack’s hoodie that you were wearing.

“So, he did it last night?!”

“Did what?” You asked, looking at him confused. 

Urban gestured to your ring finger and all you did was smile and Jack came and sat next to you.

“I did it and she heard absolutely none of the speech I prepared beforehand because she took out her hearing aids and failed to tell me.”

“Damn.” Urban said as he grabbed your hand to look at your ring.

“At least your man has good taste. Or was it me?”

“Sorry about that. And Urb did you help him pick it out?”

“Urb helping was him asking Kenzie and then reporting back to me and she was sworn to secrecy.”

“I still get my credit though. I did help.”

“And then she proceeded to slam the door in my face because I startled her and I was on one knee with the ring when she fully opened the bathroom door.”

Urban busted out laughing while shaking his head.

“You scared me. Completely caught me off guard.”

“Then proceeded to ask me if I was serious and if I loved her multiple times even though I most definitely had just asked her to marry me.”

“I had to be sure! This is a big decision.”

“I told you she wasn’t going to say no.”

“But it took her almost fifteen minutes it seems like to give me an answer.”

“I wasn’t that long!”

“Speak for yourself! Had me up there sweating and panicking!”

“I’ll make it up to you later once I get some sleep.”

Once all of you had landed and gotten to the hotel, all you did was take a shower and hopped in the bed to get ready to go back to sleep and was whining that Jack had a few interviews and wouldn’t be able to lay down with you and that was when your notification for instagram went off.

1 New Message from BadGalRiRi

Hey, Y/N, I see that you’re a well known ASL interpreter around Miami and I would love to work alongside you for when I do the super bowl in February. You let me know and I can send over the setlist so we can get started.

You let out the most ear piercing scream known to man startling Jack and him looking over at you confused.

“Uh, baby? You okay over there?”

“NO! YES! NO! I DON’T KNOW!”

“I have no idea what that means so start explaining.”

All you did was shove your phone towards Jack so he could read the message and his eyes went wide.

“Not my baby being asked to perform at the super bowl with Rihanna. You better say yes.”

“I.. I don’t even know what to say.”

“YES OBVIOUSLY!”

“ I AM JACKMAN! I MEANT IN GENERAL!”

“I’m so so proud of you.” Jack said as he leaned over to kiss your temple. 

“Oh….”

“Oh what?”

“I have to pick out my outfit and I’m about to be VERY pregnant come February.”

After you had responded to Rihanna, someone on her team had gotten in contact with you and sent over the setlist. It helped that you had about a month and a half to prepare and that you were a big fan and familiar with her music. 

Every single time you practiced, Jack was just sitting there watching you in awe and the one time that you caught him, you couldn’t help but to get a startled look on your face.

“Yes, Jackman? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“So, I need a reason to be able to look at my girl now?”

“No.”

“I’m looking at you because I love you and admire you.”

“Cut it out before I start to cry. These hormones are no joke, sir.”

“I’m just being honest.”

“I know you are and I love you for that.”

“When are you actually going to run through the entire performance with her and everyone else?”

“A few days before the show. It helps that I already know all of her songs and that I know them well.”

“And I’m still struggling to learn the alphabet.”

“It takes time and it doesn’t come overnight, babe. You’ll get there.”

“Wait, babe, teach me how to sign bring that pussy over here.”

“JACKMAN THOMAS!”

“What?! I thought I’d ask since you’re teaching Urban cuss words!” 

“Remind me why I said yes to marrying you again?”

“Don’t start!”

“You started it, I’m just the one finishing it!” 

You let out a sigh of relief as Rihanna’s halftime performance had just ended and you couldn’t wait to take the heels that you were wearing off. You were only six months, but you felt as if you were about to pop any day now.

Jack had helped you down off of the platform that you were standing on and immediately hugged you and kissed the top of your head.

“You did amazing, baby. Very proud of you.”

“Thank you boo. I’m just glad it’s over so I can take these shoes off. And I’m proud of you too and your commercial. Even though Urban was a little traitor at the end.”

“HEY! I HEARD THAT!”

“Did I lie?!”

“PUMPKIN, COME ON. ELTON JOHN THOUGH?! DO YOU BLAME ME?”

“No, you right though. I would have probably done the same thing.” You said as all of you walked back to the skybox that you had been sitting in before to enjoy the rest of the game.

“Babe?” You said as you grabbed his hand and he quickly looked down at you.

“What’s going on mamas?”

“You have about 7 minutes until your fiance turns into a different person because she’s hungry.”

“I offered to share my buffalo wings with you earlier, but you just wanted to sit in the corner and be cute and say no.”

“I didn’t want sauce on my dress!”

“I had the old bay ones you like too! They didn’t have sauce.”

“Urban, come get your best friend.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Both of you irk me to no end.”

For the next few weeks after the super bowl, of course they talked about Rihanna, but they were mentioning you every time you turned around.

You had lost count over how many times you were being tagged on instagram in posts highlighting little clips of your performances.

It was funny because a lot of your family had sent calls and text messages congratulating you on being pregnant and getting to sign at the super bowl since they didn’t know anything beforehand and you wanted to keep it as a surprise. 

The latest headline had you smiling to no end and Jack was looking at you wondering what was going on.

Jack Harlow’s pregnant fiance Y/N Y/L/N makes her own mark at the Super Bowl being a sign language interpreter for Rihanna

“I know you aren’t looking at one of my dick pics since I haven’t sent you one in awhile so what’s got you smiling like that?”

“You are such a dumbass, you know that?” You said and you immediately rolled your eyes.

“But the difference is that I’m your dumbass.”

“Well… that’s true.”

You simply handed him your phone so that he could take a look at it and smiled at you when he finished reading it.

“But, are you going to teach me how to sign bring that pussy over here? That is the real question.”

“Jackman…..”

“YOU NEVER GAVE ME AN ANSWER!”

“Because you don’t need one!”

“I beg to differ. I’ll go on youtube.”

“Seriously?!” You exclaimed while looking over at him. 

“Well my soon to be wife isn’t helping me!”

“I need to call Maggie and Brian and tell them to come and get their son because I am 100% done with you.”

“She probably doesn’t want me either.”

“Sucks to be you then, huh?”

“BABYYYYY!! Pleaseeee!”

“On one condition.”

“Yes?”

“If you ever and I mean EVER sign this shit out in public I will KILL YOU.”

“Fine right after I kill that pussy.”

All you did was sigh and shake your head.

“Lord, help me.”

The rest of your pregnancy went as smoothly as possible and after being in labor for a total of sixteen hours and wanting to kill Jack, she was finally here. 

All ten fingers, all then toes.

Skylar Eloise Harlow

And just as the two of you predicted, she was perfect.

Both of you had curly hair and so did she, but Jack was convinced that she got her hair from him while you were convinced that she got it from you. 

Of course in the back of your mind, you were still concerned about her hearing and the doctor had told you that she would be able to do the test when she was about a month old.

But you knew in the end that either way it went, you were happy because you would get to raise this little girl to be a badass just like her mother in every sense and to not let anyone tell her that she wasn’t able to do something. 

“Can you believe we made her?” Jack quietly asked you as he was holding her.

“No, definitely not. Feels weird not being pregnant anymore.”

“Well we can change that in about six weeks.”

“You sir, are not touching me again until she is at least fifteen.”

“FIFTEEN?! Yeah, okay. Let’s see how long THAT lasts.”

“Never been in so much pain in my damn life. Felt like I was being ripped apart. It was worth it though, so I would do it again.”

“See?”

“You sir, get no say because you didn’t have to push her out.”

“I think I should get like a 10% say in this because my hand is bruised from you holding it so tight.”

“Be happy it wasn’t your dick.”

“Actually I would be happy if it was.”

“Bye, Jackman.”

“What? What I say?”

“You know what you said.”

You had gotten quiet for a few minutes and Jack looked up at you concerned.

“Baby girl?”

“I’m okay, I’m just happy. Really happy.” 

Jack simply got up and placed Skylar in your arms before sitting back down next to you.

"Babe, I've been practicing."

"Practicing what?" You asked him suddenly confused.

Just then Jack signed "I love you" to you and your eyes immediately watered.

"I love you too."

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[lilacmoon83]

Operation Castle

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

The door to the detention block buzzed, as General Shaw swiped his badge and allowed the eye scanner to authenticate his identity. He walked down the dark hallway, his shoes being the only noise in the prison block. He approached his first destination and peered in on a blonde woman inside.

"Good afternoon, General Shaw," she said.

"Ingrid," he greeted in response.

"I trust that my information has garnered my freedom?" she asked.

"If your information on the location where you hid the scroll you used to slip into this world pans out…then yes, a discussion about your freedom may be on the table," he replied. She hissed and came into the light, wrapping her hands around the bars.

"You told me that I was free to go and be with Emma if I gave you the location of that scroll," she growled.

"And we'll discuss that further when I get the scroll and see if it is of any use to us," Shaw said.

"Besides, Ms. Swan has her parents now. I doubt she has any room in her life for you," he added, as he moved onto the next cell.

"Your information was limited to a land that was not part of the Dark Curse. All our real information has come from our wooden friend here," Shaw said, as a figure hobbled up the bars, revealing a completely wooden and adult August W. Booth.

"Without the book, we could have never come to know everything that we do about the other realms. Rumpelstiltskin was never very forthcoming and his tongue was much harder to loosen. But you have been singing like a bird, my puppet friend," Shaw said.

"Because you promised me the cure," August rasped.

"I have given you all the information you've asked for from the book that I can remember. You promised me one of the Dragon's cures," he pleaded.

"Yes…and we still don't know why the trigger reversed the magic that the Blue Fairy used to turn you back into a human child. It's more evidence that the trigger somehow punishes the liars and villains," he mused.

"Yet you jumped at the chance to help a likely enemy of your people for the chance to help yourself again," he added, as he produced a glowing potion from his jacket pocket.

"It would seem you have learned nothing, but the cure is all yours," he said, as he gave it to him. August scrambled for it and popped the cork, before downing the liquid. Shaw watched, as wood turned to flesh and August breathed a sigh of relief. The General opened the cell and let him out. August watched him wearily.

"And just so you know…I have learned. What's the catch for this magic?" he asked. The General smirked.

"You'll need another elixir every two weeks and if you want it, you'll work for me," he said. August sighed. He knew something like that was coming, but he was so desperate to be human again that he was ready to do just about anything.

"I'll be in touch. If you make contact with anyone from your land until I say it is okay, the deal is off and you'll end up in a wood chipper somewhere," Shaw warned, as he handed him a burner phone. August nodded and took the phone, before being led out by security.

"Let me out of here!" Ingrid demanded.

"Sorry…you told me of your powers and I can't risk you figuring out magic and plunging the world into an eternal winter," Shaw said.

~*~

After picking up the baby, they arrived home with everyone following. Emma opted to grab some takeout after getting Henry and soon, they were all gathered in the Charming living room, eating dinner and discussing the harrowing events of the day.

"We have to figure out what they're hiding. They know more than they're telling us," David insisted.

"We agree, mate…but you and I both know we'd never make it past that kind of security," Killian replied.

"He's right…I was their captive for three years. We must consider the possibility that there may be others," Rumple interjected.

"You think so?" Belle asked. He nodded curtly.

"I told them nothing during my time in their captivity, despite promises of freedom. I knew a lie when I heard it. Only when the magical anomalies began occurring did they reveal others had survived. Until I had that piece of information, I never considered cooperating," Rumple said.

"And others might not have that strength of will, especially if they're promised the right thing," David said.

"If we can figure magic out…then nothing they do matters. We can take down any security team and foil any of their attacks," Regina said.

"Magic worked fine in Storybrooke once you learned how to use it," Snow replied.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"She means that it didn't for you at first. What did you do to suddenly get it to work for you?" David asked.

"I…I went to my darkest place with the help of my mother's spell book. That's no longer an option," Regina replied.

"Maybe a magical object is the answer to activating it," Emma suggested.

"Which is great, except that if anything survived, they probably have it under lock and key," Regina replied. Emma deflated a bit at that. She was right…who knew if anything had survived at all and if anything did, they had no way to get to it.

"When you created the trigger, you should have warned me it could do this," Regina hissed.

"Except that I didn't create the trigger, dearie…nor the curse," he revealed.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"We thought you wrote the curse?" David asked.

"No…it was written by a very dark being, who intended to use it much in the same way that Regina did. I am able to tell you everything about the curse, but the trigger is something of a mystery to me. I didn't pay it much mind, because I never thought you'd be foolish enough to use it," he said sternly to his old apprentice. She huffed at that. She was getting tired of being blamed for their predicament, even though she was the reason for it.

"Did you know this dark being?" Snow asked. He gave her a look and there was a long pause.

"Yes…she was called the Black Fairy," he said, offering nothing else at the moment.

"What happened to her?" Henry asked curiously.

"When she became a dark fairy, in pursuit of creating the dark curse, she was banished to a nether realm by the Blue Fairy. Only she knows of her motivations and how she came to be corrupted. Despite my attempts, the blue gnat has never loosened her foul tongue," he answered. He hated fairies and it was for a far deeper reason than they knew, but he wasn't revealing that to anyone anytime soon. He was being truthful about knowing very little about why she had done what she had.

"This is great…once again, we're nowhere," Regina said in frustration, as she watched Henry play with the baby and actually allowed herself a smile. Her son was helping him build a castle with his blocks.

"Yeah…this is a lot like the castle your Mom and Dad lived in," Henry cooed, as Bobby held up a block for him. Henry took it and put it on top. Unfortunately, the blocks toppled and fell to the floor.

"Uh oh…" Bobby said.

"It's okay…we can rebuild it, buddy," he said, as he started gathering the blocks again. With what happened next, time seemed to stand still for those few moments. Bobby giggled and clapped his hands, as several of the colorful blocks floated into the air around him.

"Oh my God…" Regina uttered.

"He…he can't be doing that," David said, equally stunned.

"He is the product of true love, dearie…if anyone has a natural aptitude for magic, it would be your children," Rumple said.

"Then how come Mom can't do it?" Henry asked.

"Theoretically, she can…we all can. Her natural ability gives her far more potential than us. But it may be that our minds and awareness are blocking our ability to harness it. The baby has no such hindrance. He's pure and innocent," Rumpe answered.

"They…they can't find out," Snow fretted, as she quickly swept him up into her arms and the fear in her eyes was palpable.

"If they find out…they'll take him away," she said, as she was almost panicking at this point. David was quick to pull them both close and kissed her hair.

"No…we won't let that happen," he said, as he looked at the others. The worry was palpable in his eyes too.

"We gotta figure out magic and soon," Emma said.

"You can't risk taking him to daycare anymore," Regina said. Snow nodded.

"Well…I don't have a job, so that won't be a problem until we have another creature or calamity pop up," she said.

"Yeah…we can't take the kid with us, but who can we trust?" Emma wondered.

"I can watch him," Henry said.

"I don't know kid…" Emma replied.

"We don't have much choice…" Rumple said. She sighed.

"You think you can handle it, kid?" she asked. He nodded.

"Bobby and I'll be fine," he assured them. They were satisfied with that for now, but Bobby figuring out magic before anyone else was causing serious anxiety. No one wanted to see some clandestine agency rip the baby away from his parents and turn him into a lab rat. But for that night, they agreed to disperse to their own homes and hope tomorrow would yield a solution to them being trapped in a world that soon might hate them.

~*~

"And you saw this?" the Knight asked the squire.

"Yes…I'm sure of it. I overheard them talking and saying that the lake was not quicksand and rather a portal. A portal that is staying open," the squire said.

"That's nonsense," one of the Knights spat, but the other one, who clearly outranked him, held his hand up.

"We do not know that for certain and no man, sane or otherwise, would jump into quicksand unless that's not what it was at all," the Knight reasoned.

"But if it is a portal…of what use would that be?" the other Knight asked.

"I don't know…but it is something that our Lord should be informed of either way," he said, as they mounted their horses and left to see Lake Nostros for themselves.

~*~

Neal had found a dive motel to stay at the night before and first thing that morning, he set out to find the place that Emma supposedly was working. He went inside the small shop on the block that was lined with many other small shops and looked around.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes…I'm looking for someone that works here," he said.

"Oh…do you need a bond for someone?" she asked.

"No actually…she's just an old friend. Emma Swan," he replied.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Emma no longer works here. She left for a new job a week or so ago," the woman said. He frowned and nodded.

"Thanks anyway," he said, as he turned to leave, when he caught the news on the television. He saw Tamara and Greg on screen, making some report from Time Square and he clenched his fist. He would find Emma…but first, he was going to make those two tell him what they had done, for he was sure they had something to do with all of this.

~*~

David peered into their son's room and sided up next to his wife, as she watched him play. He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her hair.

"Has he been floating any toys around?" he asked. She hummed.

"No…so far, it was just that once that we saw. But we know it's going to happen again," she replied.

"And we will protect our son. I know I promised you that after we got married that we'd never have to run again, but if it comes down to it…we will to save him," he said. She squeezed his hand.

"I know…" she replied.

"I don't want to leave you here alone…maybe you and the baby should come to Castle," he said. But she shook her head.

"No…as much as I want to stay close to you, it's too risky. It will look suspicious if we bring him to Castle and not to daycare and if he has another display of magic, then there will be no hiding it from them," she reasoned. He nodded and kissed her tenderly.

"Call me if you feel that something's wrong or even a little uneasy," he pleaded. She nodded and kissed him again.

"I will," she said, as she saw him off and then went back to Bobby's room.

~*~

"Where is that Principal?" Tamara asked impatiently, as they waited on their guest. They planned on interviewing the Principal from the school Mary Margaret Nolan had worked at and expose her identity first, which would easily lead to exposing her husband's identity as well. By the end of it, she'd have the public eating out her hand and turn them against those she would portray as dangerous.

"Are you sure the NSA released him this morning?" Greg asked.

"Yes…he called and said he was being released, because they have nothing to hold him on, unless they want it to go public that the NSA is involved in a cover up operation," Tamara answered.

"Yeah…he's fifteen late. Maybe he made a run for it," Greg suggested. She huffed and dialed his number and immediately got a message that the number was no longer in service.

"Dammit…he's ghosting us," Tamara cursed.

"Are you surprised? The NSA may have let him go, but probably also suggested that he steer clear of any high profile promotions or interviews. They can find someone just by pinging a cell phone. I'm sure he's more scared of them than us. He's probably in another state by now," Greg reasoned.

"What do we do now? We're on the air in five minutes!" she said hotly.

"I don't know…neither of us are real reporters. I liked it better when we were just stalking and eliminating those freaks from that damn town. And he still won't let me at that bitch that killed my father!" he exclaimed back.

"You know why…we're back in prison or worse if we step out of line. Now…we need a story or we're going back there!" she argued.

"You're the one that suggested we do some big story in Time Square! That's kind of the thing you should have a backup for!" he shouted.

"Don't blame this all on me. I'm the one that pulled you off the street and helped you find that damn town. You'd be nowhere closer to getting answers about your father if not for me," she growled.

"And yet…we're both still pawns. First for the Home Office and now for this…psychopath!" Greg said.

"Working for a psychopath…guess that shouldn't surprise me now," a voice said. Tamara froze and her eyes widened, as they turned to find Neal Cassidy standing before the.

"N…Neal?" she stammered. He smirked.

"Yeah…bet you think you're seeing a ghost, you know since you shot me and I fell through a portal," he said, as he came closer.

"How…how did you survive?" Greg questioned. Neal glared at him.

"Some friends found me and I spent the last three years trying to find my way back to my family, no thanks to you two crazy morons," he said.

"Neal…you and I both know how dangerous magic was and if you're back, you now know what it is doing to this world," she pleaded.

"Just shut up…you tried to kill my whole family and steal my son! And you're going to tell me where they are," he growled. She swallowed thickly and knew she had just moments before she was supposed to go on the air with some huge story that she didn't have.

"Wait…if you're here, then you had to come back through a portal. Where was that portal?" she asked. He scoffed.

"Like I'd tell you two anything," he replied. Before she could say more, there was a sudden tremor beneath their feet.

"What was that?" Greg asked, as they felt it again and it was stronger this time. Their eyes widened, as the concrete a few feet away cracked and a horrible shrieking was heard. They watched in disbelief, as a creature emerged from beneath the Earth.

"What is that thing?" Greg shouted, as they dodged the winged thing swooped down on them. It had snakes for hair, bat-like wings, and bleeding red eyes, with sharp fangs and claws as well.

"I think it's a Erinyes!" Neal cried, as he ducked the creature again. It screamed again and they held their ears in pain.

"What the hell is an Erinyes?!" Tamara shouted.

"More commonly known as a furie! They usually come to punish people for crimes and sometimes, even drag them to the Underworld!" he called back.

"What crime is it here to punish!?" Greg cried.

"You really want me to answer that with you two?" Neal cried back, as they ducked it again. Neal rolled away and looked around for something to use as a weapon. He found a discarded two x four near a dumpster and stood up, before swiping at it when it went by. It screeched, as he made contact and sent it flying into a building. It angrily bounced back and pursued them again. "Start filming!" Tamara said, as Greg got the camera and took cover behind a parked car, just as two black SUV's pulled up and screeched to a halt. Several people poured out of it and time seemed to stop for a moment, as shock came to them all.

"Neal?" Emma squeaked.

"Emma…"

[goodfish-bowl]

A Mercy

Ectoberhaunt Day 6: Freeze

AO3 Link

Summary: "You're actually going to tell them this time?" "Yeah, Jazz. No backing out this time. Is everything all laid out? Have Sam and Tucker briefed you on the 'if my parent's decide to dissect me' plan?" "Of course. I even helped improve it." "Okay, are you ready?" "As I'll ever be. Let's get to it, then."Unfortunately, the plan was of no help whatsoever. 

Warnings: Character Death, Euthanasia, Heavy Angst

Words: 1454

Notes: You know... I’ve been really mean to the boy. Now I’m being horrid to both of them. Also not joking about the warnings for this one. It takes a certain type of angst to make my stomach hurt while reading/writing.

@ectoberhaunt

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Out of all the situations Jazz had imagined Danny’s revealing going, this one made the blood in her veins turn to ice and freeze in place on the top of the stairs down to the lab. There was nothing she could do, not at this point. He’d only been left alone with their parents for a few hours, a safe amount of time. If the worst case scenario happened, her parents wouldn’t have enough time to get too far into a vivisection of her brother. Jazz would be able to get him out of that. This, though, there was nothing she could do.

Danny was already gone. 

It was a mercy, her parents told her, finding her at the top of the stairs, staring down at her brother’s corpse. A mercy. He must’ve been suffering, living as a ghost, always hurt and struggling. It was better this way, better for their baby boy to finally get some rest, since it seemed like he hadn’t since he became one. They would mourn him properly, give him a good burial, like he deserved, especially after continuing on for so long, not only as Danny Fenton, but for his deeds as Phantom as well. It couldn’t have been easy. And because they loved him, they had to do this. It was the only thing they could do.  

Danny was dead, lying on a table in the lab, human, not a hair out of place. He looked like he would wake up any minute. He already slept like the dead, barely breathing in human form. But every subtle movement he would normally make was gone, no twitch of the eye-lids or mummer.

Jazz left the house soon after, having said not a word to her parents. She packed her things, sent a message to Sam and Tucker, warning them not to stop by, then left. She made her way to the park, before pulling out her phone, ignoring the messages from her brother’s best friends, and dialed a number she hadn’t bothered with in a long while. He answered after a few rings.

“Hey, darling. Wasn’t expecting to hear from you ever again.”

“Johnny, I need you to come pick me up.”

“Oh? And the brat won’t mind?” Jazz froze up again at the mention of her brother, thinking of him down in the lab.

“No. He won’t.”

“Then I’ll be there in a few.”

The line went silent as Jazz hung up and waited. She skimmed over the texts from Sam and Tucker. They were asking how the reveal went if they needed to be ready to send Danny off somewhere safe. Sam already had the bag and account ready. They wanted to know when and where to meet up. Jazz sent a quick text, that none of those things would be needed, and to get rid of them. She didn’t give any sort of explanation why.

Jazz scrolled through her contacts and rang Mr. Lancer’s personal phone number. He answered after only a single ring.

“Ms. Fenton, how can I help you? Is this about the group study session you have planned for next Thursday?”

“No, Mr. Lancer. I’m calling to talk about Danny.”

“Ah… I honestly expected to have this call with your parents eventually, but I’ve never been able to reach them. So, yes, Danny has been struggling academically and his attendance is nearly record breaking for Casper, but I have a feeling that’s not what you wanted to talk about?”

“No. Danny won’t be attending Casper High anymore. He’s going to need to be unenrolled.”

“Wait… what?”

“I’ll have all the proper paperwork sent to the school by Tuesday morning. I also won’t be in attendance, so I’d like to apply for early graduation if that’s possible.”

“I don’t… something’s happened with Danny, hasn’t it?”

Jazz took a deep breath in. “Yes. I’m sure it will become public knowledge shortly. But… as the teacher who really seemed to care about him, I appreciate everything you’ve done and tried with him. It really made a difference, even if it didn’t seem like it.”

The line on the other side was silent for a minute, and she thought she could hear the familiar English teacher curse in the book title Beloved faintly in the background. “Very well, Ms. Fenton. I’ll… I’ll stay in touch if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lancer. Have a good evening.”

“Stay safe, Jasmine.”

The line went dead.

A portal ripped open not too far from where Jazz stood, and a familiar motorcycle sped out it, circling her before coming to a quick halt. Johnny looked at her curiously, and Shadow prodded at her feet. Without a word, Jazz jumped onto the motorcycle, wrapping her hand around Johnny for security. Her throat tightened at the comfort, and her eyes stung. It was an ongoing fight to keep her face blank.

“Hey, princess, you know I have a girlfriend, right?” Johnny joked.

“Yeah.”

Johnny huffed out a laugh. “So where to?”

“Somewhere in the Zone. A good meeting place would work best.”

Johnny’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Are you sure?”

Shadow stopped swirling under the bike and prodded at her again, a frown on it’s dark face. It made eye contact with Johnny, communicating something in a way she couldn’t understand. Johnny’s smile faded, and he sent her a look of concern.

“Jazz, are you okay?” He asked softly, full of concern.

“No, but we need to go before my parents show up.”

Johnny sighed but relented all the same. The motorcycle roared to life and another portal opened up in their path. The transition from the realm of the living to the Ghost Zone was jarring, especially out of the safety of the Specter Speeder. But Jazz couldn’t find it in herself to care about what being exposed in the Zone could do to her. She had more important things to worry about.

Johnny didn’t say a word to her the entire trip, but Shadow kept checking up on her, Jazz appreciated the sentiment, but really wished Shadow would stop. Keeping her cool was already hard enough.

The meeting place Johnny picked was a bar, once that seemed to be closed, or at least unoccupied, at the moment. He parked his bike on the small patch of land in front before helping her get off. She took his hand and followed him inside.

Kitty was sitting in a booth by herself, a sour look on her face. She snapped to Johnny the second he walked in but froze upon spotting her. It looked like she was getting ready to yell, but Shadow sped over and told her something that defused her anger. Kitty backed down immediately and sent her a curious look.

Jazz took a seat at a table in the middle of the room. “How soon can the others get here?”

“Others?” Kitty asked.

“Jazz wanted me to contact all the regulars to Amity Park. Something happened. Probably something bad. I’m going to have Shadow go out and collect them.”

Kitty’s face pinched with concern, before she walked over to the bar top. There was a ghost that looked reminiscent of an ectopuss tending the counter, cleaning multiple glasses at once. She spoke to it and then walked back with a glass of water.

“Here, it’s safe for human consumption,” Kitty offered, and Jazz accepted it gratefully. She wondered if it would be better if they’d actually handed her something alcoholic.

“Do you want to tell us what happened, and we can explain it to the others? Not to sound mean, but you look horrible, Jazz,” Johnny asked.

Jazz took a deep breath. “Yeah… they’re more likely to listen to you than me anyways. I’m also not sure if I could actually handle telling a large group. This wasn’t really part of the plan.”

“What plan?” Kitty inquired.

“For when Danny came out to our parents.”

“Oh… I’m guessing it went south?” Johnny guessed.

Jazz curled into herself and around her glass of water.  

“It was too late when I got back. We’d been so sure of what the worst-case scenario was, that we didn’t even consider this… They called it a mercy, of all things. We were prepared for if they tried to attack him, or even dissect him, but they didn’t even hurt him. Hell, it looked like he was sleeping.”

Jazz’s eyes welled with tears that she could no longer hold back. “He’s gone, Johnny. They put him down, like some sort of injured animal. He didn’t even have a chance to plead his case. He was dead when I got back, and he’s not coming back this time.”

[toxickehlani]

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆

║ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ･* – 𝖲𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌

║ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ･* – 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌, 𝖪𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗆 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗋 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇.

║ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ･* – 𝟤,𝟧𝟢𝟫

║ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ･* – 𝖺𝖽𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾, 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀.

║ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ/ᴘᴀʀᴛ･* – 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖷𝖷𝖵💔: 𝖭𝖾𝗐 𝖥𝗂𝗌𝗁

ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ .༺ ♥︎ ༻ ࣭ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ

ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

Kareem's POV

𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧 door behind me, I unlocked my car, got inside, and fastened my seatbelt before pulling out of the driveway. Today I have a few errands to run around the city. First, I had to go to the skatepark, fill out paperwork, wash my car, and visit my parents.

I walked inside, parked my car in front of the skatepark, and greeted my employees.

"How are you doing today, Kareem?" One of my female employees, Serena, smiled at me. She's worked here for about two months and is good with the kids, although the teens hit on her.

"Good afternoon, Serena." I greeted her before walking to my office.

"How's your day so far?" She asked, standing in the doorway of my office.

"I'm doing good. How about yourself?" I asked, sitting in the chair.

"I'm good. I feel refreshed now that I'm out of that relationship." She shrugged.

"That's good. Now get to work." I smiled friendly at her.

"Jeez, I'm just trying to make conversation." Serena rolled her eyes and left back to the front.

Chuckling to myself, I logged onto my computer and typed up financial reports.

• 3:00 PM •

Unlocking my car, I got in and fastened my seatbelt. I started my car and drove to my parent's house. As soon as I arrived, I parked next to my dad's truck and got out, then went to the door and rang the bell. The door opens, revealing my dad.

"To what do I owe this visit?" My father asked, crossing his arms.

"I wanted to come and see how you and mom are doing," I replied and shrugged as I walked inside the house.

"We're good now that our son comes to see us." My father said, closing the door behind him.

"I'm your only son." I chuckled, nodding my head.

"Yeah, well, it's nice of you to visit." He smiled, patting me on the shoulder. "How's Destini?"

"Destini's good. She's at her mom's house today." I lied through my teeth. The truth was I didn't know where Destini was.

She was already gone when I left this morning—not leaving a note or a text. She's probably fucking her baby daddy, for all I know.

"You should've brought her. Your mother wants to see her again." My father said as I followed him to the living room.

"I'll see when she's available," I replied, nodding my head, although I wasn't going to ask her.

  The thought of Destini and her baby daddy together made me sick. His hands touching her body, his mouth kissing her sweet lips, and the image of them fucking in bed made my blood boil to an ultimate high. Although Destini and I aren't together, I will get her back if it's the last thing I do. And if they think they saw the last of me, they're sadly mistaken. I was speaking the truth when I spoke to Destini about what I saw in my future with her, and I'm determined to make that come true.

   Call me jealous or obsessive, but when I met Destini, I knew she was a real one I had to keep. She was the sunshine of my life. The reason I wake up every morning. Destini's why I wanted to become a family man, and I still do. I indeed saw myself with no one but Destini, and if I couldn't have her, I would do my damn best to make sure that no one, not even bitch ass Marcos, could have her.

   Pulling out my phone, I went to my Instagram app, found Destini's profile, and scrolled through her photos. It wasn't until I came across a recent post-Destini uploaded that I scrolled through the comments. I found it funny that none of her friends commented under the pictures of Destini and me, but they'd post under hers and Marcos's. It was okay, though, because I didn't fucking like them anyway. Locking my phone, I sighed, stood up, and walked to the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge.

"I'll see you guys later. I have to stop by work." I announced, catching my father's attention.

"Okay, call your mother, please." My dad called out from his spot in the living room.

"Will do!" I shouted, closing the front door.

   Entering my car, I fastened my seatbelt, started the engine, and drove to the gas station closest to my parent's house. As I leaned against the vehicle, waiting for the tank to fill up, I saw a brown-haired woman walking out of the store. She went to her parked automobile and opened the driver's door before noticing me staring.

"You're staring pretty hard." The girl teased, laughing at my facial expression.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry." I apologized, looking away from her.

"It's cool." She replied, walking around the gas pump and sticking her hand out. "I'm Nazanin, but you can call me Naz."

"Nice to meet you in Kareem." I introduced myself, shaking the girl's hand.

"You want to hang out sometime? I don't know, maybe hit a bar or something?" Nazanin asked, smiling at me.

"Sure," I answered, pulling out my phone and handing it to her.

   After Nazanin put her number in my phone, she returned it to me, put the gas pump away, got in her car, and drove away. Once I filled my tank, I put the gadget away, got in my car, and went to work.

Marcos's POV

I sat in the backyard with my dad, talking with him as he threw King's ball, allowing his dog to chase it.

"So, how's your relationship since we last talked?" My father asked as King brought the ball to him.

"Honestly, I don't know," I answered, shrugging my shoulders.

"What's going on?" He questioned, looking at me curiously.

"My girlfriend is jealous of my relationship with Destini," I explained, stunning my hand over my face.

"What happened?" My dad inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, she threatened to put me back in jail," I confessed, shaking my head.

"You're kidding me, right?" He asked, staring at me in shock.

"Nope. We were arguing about Naz calling Alayah a brat." I explained, answering his question. "That's why Destini fought her the day of your birthday party. All she wanted was an apology."

"Man, that's low." He sighed, throwing King's ball again.

"Yeah, and after that day, I've been distancing myself because I feel like she's going to use that against me." I expressed, nibbling my bottom lip.

"I don't blame you." My dad replied, nodding in approval. "Let me ask you this. Do you still have feelings for Destini?"

"Of course I always have. I never stopped loving Destini." I responded, playing with my chain.

"Why not get back with her?" My Dad asked, puzzled, crossing his arms and staring at me.

"We're both in relationships with other people." I pointed out, shrugging my shoulders.

"It's obvious you don't feel for Naz and Destini with Kareem, so why not get back together?" He wondered, eyeing me curiously.

"I don't know. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, I guess." I truthfully spoke, rubbing the growing hair on my face.

"That's understandable, but if you're unhappy, why put yourself through the pain?" My father sincerely asked, staring at me.

"I guess I didn't want to be alone after what happened with my parents," I commented, reminiscing about that day.

"You're not alone, Marcos." My father replied, shaking his head.

"I know, but at the time, I felt alone." I nodded, rubbing my sweaty hands on my thighs.

"Well, at least you learned from your mistake." He sighed, drinking his glass of strawberry lemonade my mother made.

"I know I did," I responded, pulling out my phone.

"All that matters is that you get with Destini again if your feelings for her are still there." My Dad teased, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, the feelings are still there, but we're in relationships with different people, but even if we weren't, she wouldn't take me back," I explained, shaking my head.

"How do you know that?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at me.

"I've talked to her before about getting back together if we were single," I answered, pulling out my phone as I received a text from Nazanin.

Nazanin😌💖🎈 - How long are you going to be out?

I'll be on my way in 20.

Nazanin😌💖🎈 - Ok, see you soon, papi.

"Girlfriend texting you already?" My father questioned, grinning at me amusingly.

"Yep." I nodded, leaning back in the chair.

"What time does she want you to be home?" He asked, making me laugh.

"Naz was asking how long I was going to be out," I claimed, shrugging my shoulders.

"Mhmm." My dad sarcastically mumbled, rolling his eyes.

The expression on his face made me laugh. My dad could always tell if I was lying and saw straight through me. I cherished the moments when I could sit and laugh with him. It made me almost wish my biological parents were there for me.

"So I've been meeting with this trainer named Dominic," I announced, crossing my arms. "It's been going good so far."

"You mean the nephew of the therapist you went to see?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah." I nodded, chewing the inside of my cheek.

"How's that going?" My father asked, looking at me.

"It's great. Dominic's helping me release all the pent-up anger that I have." I answered, shrugging my shoulders.

"That's great." My Dad praised, nodding in approval.

"It's relieving." I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. I glanced at him and saw him staring at me.

"At least you're getting the help you need." He responded, smiling at me.

I nodded, taking in his words and processing them. Maybe getting help from a therapist was the best thing for me and my family.

Destini's POV

Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself before walking to my bedroom. I dried off, moisturized my skin, and dressed in an orange textured jersey drape front mini skirt, an oatmeal soft rib roll neck curved hem crop top, and orange heels. I stood before my mirror, styled my hair, and did my makeup.

   Earlier, Erika invited me to meet her, Za'Niyah, Sapphire, India, and one of her friends at a fancy Italian restaurant for lunch. After checking myself in my full-length mirror, I grabbed my phone and texted Marcos.

Are you busy?

Marcos❌😒 - Nah, I'm talking with your dad right now. Why?

Erika invited me out, and I wanted to drop Alayah off.

Marcos❌😒 - Okay, I'm at my parent's house.

I'm on my way.

Smiling, I grabbed my bag and left my room for Alayah's. She sat on the floor, playing with her Barbie dolls. When Alayah looked up and saw me, she gasped.

"Wow, you look so pretty, mommy." Alayah complimented me, making me smile.

"Thank you, baby. Are you ready?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hips.

"Yes." She nodded cheerfully, standing up to grab her backpack off the bed.

We walked downstairs, out of the house, to my car. I buckled my daughter in the seat and fastened my seatbelt. Arriving at my parent's house, I parked, stepped out of the car, and opened the back door for Alayah. I used my key, unlocked their front door, and heard the sound of the TV playing from the living room. My heels clicking on the hardwood caught my father and Marcos's attention, making them look up at me.

"Where are you off to?" My father asked as Marcos stared at me in shock.

"I'm going to lunch with Erika and some friends," I answered, avoiding my ex-boyfriend's gaze.

"Dressed like that?" He questioned, eyeing my outfit.

"How am I dressed, Dad?" I inquired, placing my hands on my hip and sticking it to the side.

"Like you're going to a nightclub." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I'm not going to a nightclub," I replied, shaking my head. Leaning down, I kissed Alayah on her forehead. "I'll see you later and be good for your daddy, okay."

"Bye, Mommy." My daughter waved at me as I left my parent's house.

Unlocking my vehicle, I climbed inside, fastened my seatbelt, and drove to the destination where I was meeting with Erika.

Enrique's POV

I closed the front door behind me as I checked the envelopes from the mail. My American Bully Loki, who I named after my favorite Marvel character, trotted to me barking. As he sniffed my leg, he calmed down and ran away. One after the other, I looked through the mail and came across a letter from an all too familiar address.

Enrique Navarra

3918 South Sycamore Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90008

Lola Bescós, #626384

Iron Valley Women's Correctional Facility

2698 Sweetwood Drive

Denver, CO 80202

It was a letter from my ex-wife—one of the many messages she sends me weekly. I stared at the node as I walked into the kitchen. Flipping open the trash can, I hesitated before tossing the envelope inside. As I turned to step out of the kitchen, my wife, Aurora, stood behind me.

"Is that all the mail?" She asked, eyeing the papers in my hand.

"Yeah, that's all that was inside the mailbox." I nodded, handing them to her. "It's nothing but bills and letters."

"When is it not?" Aurora laughed, shaking her head. I leaned down and kissed her cheek as I made my exit.

Entering my study, I went to my mini-bar and poured myself a glass of Glenmorangie Scotch. I'm not going to lie when I say I did feel a pang of guilt because I did when I threw that letter in the trash. I could've grown a pair and read the note, but I didn't. I couldn't do it.

Kareem's POV

It's been a few hours since I've been at home, and I was curious to see what Destini was up to, so as I drove to the house, I called her.

Sunshine🫶🌻 - Wassup b-bae!

Destini, are you drunk?

Sunshine🫶🌻 - D-Drunk? No.

You sound drunk.

Sunshine🫶🌻 - I'm not drunk. A little tipsy? Yes.

Where are you?

Sunshine🫶🌻 - I'm at home.

How did you drive home?

Sunshine🫶🌻 - Erika's fiancé drove me home.

Okay, I'm on my way there.

Sunshine🫶🌻 - Love you.

Love you too.

Arriving at the house, I parked behind Destini's car and used my keys to unlock the front door. Walking through the home, I noticed it was quiet, so I wandered upstairs. I opened the bedroom and saw Destini knocked out in bed. Her heels were on the floor along with her clothes as she slept in nothing but her panties. How her body looked tempted me to rip them off and take her to pound town, but I knew she was drunk/tipsy.

Sighing, I rolled her slumped body over and pulled the comforter over her naked form.

[casspurrjoybell-26]

May to December - Chapter 14 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Believe Me

Kyle liked to think of the next three weeks that followed as a trial run with Chaska.

At first, things had been a bit difficult since Kyle and Chaska had to figure out a routine they were comfortable with and when they did it worked well.

Kyle dropped Otis off as school and Chaska took him home with him after the school day ended and helped him with his homework.

He would also give him lunch.

Kyle would come to pick Otis up later in the day and sometimes they would have dinner at Chaska's before leaving for their own place.     

The dating aspect was still a bit shakey.

Sometimes the two would share a kiss when Otis wasn't looking or they would go out and take a walk together.

Every Sunday, however, they made it a point to spend time with each other.

Kyle noticed that Chaska wasn't keen on holding hands in public even when there was no one around.

As much as it hurt he understood why.

This wasn't the city.

It was a small town and people talked.

Kyle didn't think he would mind it if they did but Chaska seemed to and he decided to respect that.       

He would be patient.

He was good at grinding and waiting for rewards to come to him.

Giving Chaska time to navigate his personal feelings wouldn't bee a burden.      

"Are you going to pick Otis up soon?" Kyle's mother asked from the living room.

Kyle looked up from his phone before checking his watch.     

 "I'll leave in the next hour," he said, watching his mother hum.

The old lady looked away, focusing her attention on the television as Kyle went back to reading the article on his screen.

It was about four in the evening on a Tuesday and Chaska had taken Otis home with him.   

The room remained silent as Kyle scrolled through his screen.

It would have made someone else uncomfortable to google for sex tips in the presence of their parent but Kyle wasn't bothered.

Being thirty-seven and having gone through all sorts of embarrassing situations as he tried to navigate the city in the past had made him numb to embarrassment.

Well, most of it.

There was something about Chaska that made the situation with him different.       

Kyle sighed, dropping his cell-phone before fixing his eyes on the clock above the main entrance.

Chaska hadn't tried anything further from passionate kissing with him.

The kissing was great but Kyle was starting to get a bit anxious.

He expected Chaska to do things first since he was the one with experience with men but after not making any more passes Kyle was starting to feel he would have to be the one to instigate things. 

But how?

Sure, since he'd started interacting with Chaska he'd been curious and that had led to his search history being clogged with all sorts of sexual advice.

Kyle assumed it wouldn't be too different from when it was with a woman or at least he assumed.       

"What's the long face for?"

Kyle blinked at the sound of his mother's voice.

He looked over at her, shaking his head before running a hand through his undercut.   

"Nothing," he said, looking away from her.   

"Dating troubles?"      

Kyle chuckled at that.

He couldn't help it.

His mother knew him so well.   

"Something like that," he said, pushing the dining table seat back a bit so that he could turn properly.

There was the sound of a rooster in the distance which means the afternoon was closing in on the evening.

Kyle had to leave soon.      

"Is it something you could tell me?" Kyle's mother asked, resting her chin on the hand she had on the headrest of the brown sofa.     

Kyle shook his head.

"No," he admitted and with that he got up from the chair and headed towards the main door, grabbing his jacket and checking his pockets to see if he forgot anything.     

"When are you two going to move in together since you're playing house?"

The question made Kyle turn. 

He raised a brow.

"It's only been three weeks ma'am."      

"In my day, people moved in together as soon as they knew the one," the woman said, making Kyle roll his eyes at her.  

"I'll see you at eight."      

"Stay as long as you like down there, don't worry too much about me," she said as Kyle opened the front door and walked out of the bungalow.

He closed the door behind him, heading to his vehicle for hoping in and starting his journey.     

[wasabis-stuff]

⁠♡ — ; | 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙨.

—

SYPNOSIS:

Xielle, an active and famous girl who self destructed due to the unbearable agony of life of being in the spotlight where every move is being judged and criticized.

—

Chapter I

"Have you ever seen a supernova? It's beautiful isn't it?" The questions I always ask to people I've interacted with.

Their answers are either yes and no's following with reasons they could think and say.

What about me? Have i seen one? Yes, I've seen it, many times, even us explodes, even me. Now what's the connection of that with supernovas? We all know how supernovas are formed, it's when a massive star runs out of fuel, gravity taking over it then it self destructs and a rapid explosion happens. It also happens to all of us, we ran out of light and hope to living due to the pressure that was bestowed upon us and if we can't handle it anymore we self destruct, the difference is that we have types of self destruct. We have different pressures in life, we're our own stars, our energy and vibrance are our own treasure but what will happen if we lose it? Will we evolve into something good or bad? Supernovas are beautiful despite the sadness in chaos, So are we.

The thoughts surrounded my head as my eyes slowly gets heavy and i fell asleep.

I woke up the next day feeling still exhausted. It's Saturday.

My name is Xielle Voltaire, a Model and Musician. A College Student studying Bachelor of Science in Psychology here in France. Both of my parents are successful, now you're asking - why am I even complaining when i'm already living a luxurious life? Mind you, be careful of what you wished for, just because I live in this kind of life doesn't mean it's all about lavish and ease. I'm not bragging about our life because I aim to build my name not because my parents are successful and famous but because I've done something good that will spread and make my name known to people.

I got out of my bed and made my way to the bathroom and did all the necessary things a girl must do. While making my way to the kitchen I could feel my Father's cold gaze towards me, the maids greeted me and i gave them a smile and a nod bow as a greet back, I plan to make Lasagna today. My mom started to make her way towards me and "What are you making today sweetie?" She asked, I answered "Lasagna, would you both want some for lunch later?" I asked pertaining to dad as well, they both smiled and nod, to tell you they might be strict but they love pastas, "Oh and don't worry Mom I already ordered a Baguette so we'll have a garlic bread as side dish", my mom's smile widens and gave me a kiss and goes back to the table. They're taking their breakfast early as 6am while I'll just eat later since I don't really eat this early.

Two hours had passed and im done making lasagna and garlic bread then started to pack lunches for my parents. I asked our maids to bring it to them since they already left for work an hour ago. I checked my phone because it's been ringing notifications ever since I woke up.

Fuck, it's Louvière.

Louvière is my partner in crime, he's been with me since fetus. Reading thoroughly to his messages, he sure loves to curse when he's mad. Well i get it, he's time punctual after all, while scrolling I receive a call.

"Â𝘭𝘭𝘰 Louviè—"

"𝘛𝘰𝘪 𝘱é𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦! it's about damn time you answer!"

Damn talk about the temper.

"Listen Louvière, I—"

"No! Get your ass here now!" And ended the call abruptly.

I sighed and showered real quick and picked the outfit for today and drive towards where Louvié is. As I park my car I could see him from my side mirror approaching my car, I chuckled as i get my viola and get out. He's crossing his arms, eyebrows meeting and eyes squinted.

"Do you know what time is it?" He said.

I brought out the sweets i got for him as i was driving earlier hoping it would calm him down. I swear sweets works like magic to his temper because he quickly livened up as soon as he saw that it came from his favorite shop.

We then made our way towards the entrance of the building down to orchestra pit to practice our upcoming recital.

We were greeted by pairs of eyes as we made our way to the backstage, there's a lot of people watching us, all professionals and others are students. We quickly go to our designated rooms to prepare and practiced our created piece there before practicing it to the stage. The recital will be on Monday evening (after my class) and loads of people from different country, universities, and etc. Will come to watch and give a critique. Even my parents will be there. My Dad was the one who pushed this to me even if I didn't wanted to but i've come to sort of like it since I love music but I just hate the pressure he's giving me to be always on the top of everyone. Every note must be perfect, the movements or my fingers and flow of my arms should be smooth like water, and lastly the timing and mood, all of it.

Louvière is playing the piano for this recital. We're going vice versa as well. It's not just Violin and Piano that we know how to play, but also Guitar and Drums and Flutes. Louvière is a natural born musician, he devoted his life to music and the piece we're going to play is his own created piece, Inspired by Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy widely known as "Felix Mendelssohn", a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period.

We practiced for 30 minutes and later on fall in line towards the backstage to rehearse our event pacing and have the elderly professionals to criticize our performance so that there will be no errors when the event comes.

It was our turn and we positioned ourselves and started playing.

It lasted for about 10 minutes and the elderly professionals are clapping in satisfaction.

"𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵! 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!" one of the professionals clapped and shouted.

Me and Louvière bowed gracefully and thanked the elderly and made our way out. Our coach is smiling wide as she greets us with joy in her eyes.

I was so exhausted from playing that I took out a smoke and ignited it. "Give me one too" Louvière said and I tossed him one with my lighter.

"Exhausting isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah surely." I answered.

"Where are you headed after this?" his 2nd question.

"Model Runway"

"Oh yeah, tough luck you have, I'll go with you." And starts to pack our stuffs as he grabbed my arms to get up and we made our way outside the building and he asked his driver to drive his car back to their home and tossed the keys to his driver. He opened my passenger seat and put our stuffs on the backseat and made his way to drivers seat and speed drive towards the Runway.

"What's up, you look dead right now" he asked trying to initiate a conversation in the midst of our silence.

"Dunno" I responded.

We arrived at the Runway and there's a lot of people as well, Cameras everywhere and my mom greeting me. My mom's a professional model, who fucking else isn't professional in this family except for me yet. Louvié escorted me out of my car and walked me to my designated room.

— end of chapter 1.

[kattsukki]

Your Voice is Enough to Make Me Fall In Love

Dee Shvagenbagen x gn!Reader

Requested by: @orxgami-rose

Warnings: none!

Sypnosis: Your only source of communicating with your soulmate is through a pair of earphones that was given to you on your birthday.

Kat: To one of my fav moots, I'm so sorry this took so long. I hope you still liked it!

The rules your parents told you were simple when it came to the seemingly "magical" pair of earphones they've gifted you on your birthday.

"The pair will light up and produce a beeping noise whenever your soulmate has it on."

"You may not reveal major facts about you as it will only sound like static on the other line, you'll have to find eachother on your own."

As your mother said, the noise went off and you put it on. "Hello?" There it is, the second he heard your voice, a rush of anxiousness hit him. He says a quick 'hi' back before you carry on. "Can I ask your name?"

"Dee. You?" You told him your first but as soon as you said your last name, static interrupts.

"Oh, hah. Guess you can't say your last name. But anyway, It's nice to meet you!" Dee smiles, letting out a slight laugh. "You too"...

Fast forward to one year later, you've grown fond of each other. Talking almost every day, updating on everyday events, etc. But unfortunately, you both still have yet to meet.

On one of your daily calls with Dee, doing homework. Your thoughts have begun to think about questions related to you two like—

"Dee, what do you think'll happen when we see each other? Does something let you know that it's me? Like in case one of us doesn't have our earphones." You tap your pen a few times on your table, pretty curious to as what he'd answer.

"Dunno, mom and dad never told me, maybe we'd know somehow?" He isn't so sure either, but he knows that he just hopes to meet you soon.

And eventually that time came.

Face to face with each other. Eyes locked and wide. You're astonished. You've finally met him.

You don't even know how you managed to know it was him, you just somehow had a feeling that it was him.

You take your pair out of your bag and put it on, it beeping and lighting up. Pulling the microphone of it up to your mouth and say something, making sure it was really him, "Dee? It's you... right?..."

His eyes widen even more, he nods. The utter shock just hits you, you can't believe it. He's here. He's right infront of you.

Before he could let out a word, you run into his arms as he catches you. Hugging you tight, he lifts your chin to look at him directly and he goes in for a kiss.

Dee may not be into PDA much, but he could let it slide today.

Walking to his house, hand in hand.

"So how come you're here? Do you live near?" He asks. "Well, somewhat, I'm supposed to be visiting some relatives in this town." He nods, sliding his keys in the door knob.

Glam answers, "Dee, oh who's this?" He asks with his classic smile.

"They're my soulmate dad, I met them just now." You waved at him with a polite smile, "it's nice to meet you!"

"How wonderful! I'll go get your mother and heavy, they have to meet you." He leaves to go to some other room. Dee gets in and you follow, sitting beside him on the couch.

Heavy then proceeds to burst into the room, "DAD SAID YOU FOUND YOUR SOULMATE, IS IT TRUE?!?" The moment he saw you his eyes lit up, he's only ever heard of you through the wall when you and Dee talk. Letting out a small laugh of amusement, "Hi Heavy." He jumps in for a hug and you comply, in which Dee rolls his eyes at.

"Sorry about my brother, get off them idiot." "No it's alright, I like him! Anyway, where's your mom?"

Just as you mentioned her, Vicky walks in, beer can in hand. "Oi Dee, your dad said something about you finding your soulmate?"

"Mhm, they're right here."

She walks up to you to get a better look, "hmm... okay, they're cute, I like em." She pats you on the head, letting you know she approves. "Alright, I gotta go out, have fun." And with that she leaves.

Sitting for awhile more as you both scroll on your phones, "It's nice that they approve of me." He lets out an inaudible 'mhm' then suddenly pushes your head to rest on his shoulder.

"I thought you didn't like much PDA?"

"Shut up... you're an exception..."

"What was that?~" you say in a teasing manner.

"I said shut up."

"I love ya too~" you say, but not without a kiss on the cheek.

[poguestvff]

Used To The Cold — S. Cameron

In which Sarah Cameron comes to a realization after her girlfriend moves across the country.

taglist | main masterlist | 2.0k words

warning(s): none, fluff, i heart sarah <33

Have you ever lost something that held either so many memories or brought a sort of happiness that just warmed you immediately even at the sight of it? Most people have something like that. Such as for children when it comes to losing stuffed animals or action figures that were a source of comfort, they missed it like hell. Said children grow up and look for a new source of comfort. Some teenagers found it in weed and alchohol, others in sports. For Sarah Cameron, she grew out of the beautiful pink blanket her father had gotten her as a toddler. As she grew into a teenager, she found a new solace.

Her girlfriend.

Sarah made it very apparent to show her love to her girlfriend who, at one point, was just her best friend who she could hardly even bare to be away from. Sarah had known she'd loved Y/n before they even got together by the way Sarah had never felt claustrophobic in the friendship that she held with the other girl. She said the three words within the first six months of being with her, words she had never spoken to another being other than her family. It was a word she, personally, took seriously. For her to say it to Y/n showed the amount of trust she held within her. Trust to not feel so closed off with Y/n.

At the beginning of the relationship, Sarah was glad that not much had changed between the two of them. That Y/n let her have her space whenever she needed it without the dependent need to be together all day though it quickly became backwards. Sarah grew even more clingy to Y/n, hardly able to deal without her hands being stuck to her girlfriend like glue. Whenever they went out to lunch, Sarah played a one sided game of footsies that only brought a smile upon Y/n’s features, one of Sarah’s favorite traits about her. Sarah loved the idea of always having a person to call her own, Y/n seeming to be the one person who could bring out her newfound touchiness. Though, sometimes she pondered on whether Y/n herself was even handling it or if she just ‘put up’ with it. If she did have an indifference towards Sarah’s actions, she surely never showed her disinterest in it.

Though the last time Sarah had held on to her girlfriend felt soul crushing and gut wrenching. As the two of them stood on the creaky, wooden dock just before the ferry, Sarah felt drained. Between the amount of crying she’d done in just the past few days had been enough to make her want to sleep forever and the comfort of her girlfriends arms around her hadn’t helped that feeling. Tears held a steady stream down both of their faces though Sarah was the one who was unable to contain her sobs. People passed around them, solemn looks given to the two of them as they listened in on the sniffles and soft wails.

Y/n didn’t need to be a genius to understand that this was twice as hard for Sarah as it would be for her. Y/n was leaving, miles away that Sarah couldn’t even pin on when the next time she’d being able to hold on to her would be. All she knew was that this embrace that Y/n held on her would be the last one for months and there wasn’t a thing that would be able to make up for it between now and then.

It evoked an indescribable sort of fear within Sarah but she knew it was immutable. If Sarah could, she'd even drop her whole life within Outer Banks to follow her girlfriend across the world. There wasn't much Sarah wouldn't do and there wasn't much Y/n wouldn't do for Sarah either, including the moving date having already been pushed back a month because of Y/n's several arguments with her parents.

"I don't want you to go." sarah whispered as y/n kissed her neck. She could hear the blonde's pained and wavering voice, how affected she already was even as Y/n hadn't even stood on the boat yet.

"I know, lover." the y/h/c girl spoke in a low tone, only sarah able to hear her words of affirmation. Y/n was first to pull back, placing her hands on Sarah's cheeks. The sight of Sarah with puffy eyes and a quivering lip made y/n's heart throb and a guilty feeling blanket over her like a raising tide. "i'll visit. Every chance I get, you know I will."

"It won't be the same." she lamented. Y/n placed her lips against Sarah’s, delicately as if the blonde were made of porcelain. When Y/n's parents had called for her and Ward and Rose had called Sarah away from the dock, Sarah only seemed to want to cling further, fingers pressing further into the thin jacket Y/n worse, but their time had finally run out. Even after weeks of pretending that they had all the time in the world, like nothing could pull the two of them apart, it had happened.

The first few weeks, the whole Cameron house had known Sarah spent most of her nights crying herself to sleep and the entire Y/l/n house knew Y/n was not going to be speaking to them for a little while due to their newest decision. Both groups of parents hadn't known that pulling the duo away from one another would become such a quagmire for each of them.

When Y/n did finally decide to talk to her parents, it was usually to say she was leaving to explore the area in which she refused to get to know the first few days. With a driver license, it gave her just a bit of freedom from her parents who's impromptu decisions had still caused for a tearing in their familial relationship.

Y/n sat in her parked car, a hot beverage in hand to adjust to the cold in which she'd just stood in for five minutes. All of it for a drink that wasn't even that good in her opinion but she dealt with it. With the hand not holding the steaming drink, she opened her phone, smiling immediately at the photo of her and sarah as her background. She unlocked it, scrolling around to find Sarah's contact and setting her phone up against the dashboard. While it began to ring, Y/n situated herself to begin to drive. "Hi, Y/n/n!" Sarah shouted excitedly the second she'd answered.

At her tone of voice did Y/n laugh. The enthusiasm was no surprise but it was funny to Y/n every time. "Hi, baby." She replied, fhe smile remaining on her face as she looked towards the screen. Sarah sat at her desk, her hands under her jaw though a pencil between her fingers. She had focused all of her attention from the papers in front of her to the driver on the other end of the phone. "What are you doing?"

The sound of whizzing paper had made Y/n glance to the phone seeing a math sheet now replacing Sarah's face before she placed it back down, a frown appearing on her features. "Math."

"Didn't you just start like two days ago?" Y/n asked, taking a sip from her drink.

"Yes and this teacher is an absolute bitch. You're just lucky you don't start for another week. You would hate Mr. Henley."

Y/n let out an awfully dramatic gasp. "Um, hello, Mr. Henley was literally my home room teacher last year, I'll have you know. Show some respect." She said, almost missing Sarah's chagrined look as she smiled.

"You're supposed to be on my side here."

"Sorry, i don't believe in biases, Sar." She joked for sarah to let out a small snicker.

"So tell me, how's minnesota?" Sarah asked, trying to spark up a conversation even if the distance was the same thing she wanted to keep her mind off of.

"Oh, it's so great. So many hot people." she remarked.

"You're not funny, no one has ever found you funny." Sarah replied though unable to hold in her laugh along with her girlfriend. "I'm serious. we haven't talked much about it and i don't want to like... avoid your new life now."

Y/n sighed, looking towards the phone to see Sarah looking back down at her work in front of her. "Fine. Well, it doesn't particularly suck. The no surfing part definitely does, though, but what can you do. And the coffee here... no, its just so bad, babe. granted, i only had one, and it's in my cup holder right now but it's gross."

"My coffee making is better, right?" Sarah asked as Y/n gave a hefty nod.

"So much better, even if it is the only thing you're good at making." Y/n laughed and Sarah attempted to refuse a smile, her cheeks quivering from trying to keep it down. "But the weather dropped today, randomly. It was seventy yesterday, fifty today but i think i'm getting used to the cold."

Sarah lifted her head back to the phone, watching Y/n focus on driving, her eyes diverting on places away from the screen. Sarah but at her inner cheek, drumming her fingers against the white wood that rested under her forearms. "Used to it?" Sarah asked. She knew Y/n's move was permanent at least until she was eighteen but something about those words made it seem more realistic. She was getting used to a place that wasn't home.

Y/n hummed. "Yeah, i'm probably being dramatic. I saw a guy walking around in a tank top and shorts while i'm wearing double pair of socks right now." she grinned at her own comment though picking up on Sarah's sudden discomfort when she replied with a small 'wow'. "Lover?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?" Y/n asked, the car slowing to a stop at a red light.

Sarah quickly shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Just... the work. Keep your eye on the road."

"Sarah." The blond recognized the tone of voice quickly.

"Just... I just fully realized how permanent this is. I won't see you until, what? December? That's a long time, Y/n! And, i get it, it's your home now and i can't do anything about it but—"

Y/n was quick to cut her off. "I never said this is home. Sure I live here but it's just a couple walls and a roof. It's not home, Sarah." Y/n began. "Home is you. And trust me, i've been missing home the second i got on that ferry."

Despite them having to look at one another through a glass screen the feeling—the connection between the two of them was still felt. Sarah could feel the normal warm feeling she would've gotten whenever Y/n would simply hold her hand or brush her hair over her ear. she held that much of an effect on Sarah in person and somehow even thousands of miles away.

Sarah hadn't even realized she had been staring for a total of twenty seconds until a singular tear fell down her blushing cheeks. she quickly sniffled, recomposing herself as she wiped it away. "Are you seriously making me cry right now?" She muttered with the way the atmosphere had become though relishing in the way Y/n laughed in response.

"Yes, thank you for ignoring everything i just said, lover." Y/n put the car back in drive as the light went green. Due to the steets being relatively empty in her new small town, she took the time to look back over at the phone to Sarah. "I love you."

Sarah's smile widened in thag very moment, pursing her lips before pushing them out. "I love you more."

"And don't worry. I won't get to used to it. I'll be back home, to you, before you even know it." Y/n took a small glance to the phone, enjoying Sarah's gaze that showed even with the distance put between the two of them, they'd be fine.

[stressed-chaos]

Memories - Part 8

I'll try and post the next tomorrow, not keep anyone's who is reading in an anticipation.

As usual, hope you all like this part!

They both sat in silence for a while, Y/N soaking up all the information Ben had thrown at her. So she did know a little stuff correctly, still doesn't make up for the fact that she forgot her best friend, but she'll get there eventually. Ben was looking anywhere but her, still she could see him stealing glances at her as if waiting for her to speak. She thought about her response. It's not everyday that some insanely attractive man with a chiseled face, deep chocolate eyes, fluffy hair waiting for fingers to run through them, tells you your life history.

Finally, when the silence started becoming too much, she spoke, "So...Ben, tell me about yourself then?"

He was confused, "I already did...?"

"No, not like that, like maybe some insight on how we met, became friends, stuff about your parents...if you want to of course."

Ben made a noise of recognition, agreeing, "We basically had that family friends kinda friendship. Parents were friends, we were closer in age, so we became friends almost instantly. My mother used to tell me that we both used to stop crying around each other almost instantly. Then we went to the same school, did most of the stuff together, basically inseparable. We were also neighbors, and lived right next door almost all our lives."

"Sounds nice."

"It was...here I also have some pictures on my phone. Was looking at the photo album some days ago, and clicked some of them." He took out his phone and scrolled until he reached those, leaning forward to show her.

"Is that from the first day of school?" She asked, ready to laugh. He nodded. That was her cue to burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Aw, look at you, all bubbly and excited to go. What are you even wearing?" She managed between laughs.

"That's not me, that's you." He replied, biting back a smile.

She stopped laughing, eyes wide staring at the photo. Did she really look like that at what, 2-3 years old? She narrowed her eyes, "I don't believe you. This clearly looks like a boy and face matches yours a little bit."

"Believe it or not, it is you. Plus, you were the tomboy kind of girl, still are. You were so angry when your mother tried to dress you up in a frock and refused to go. This was the final negotiation."

Now that sounded like her. She only nodded in acknowledgment, not so shocked as before.

He moved to a picture of them on a trip, near a sunset, both of them looking about 9-10 years old.

"Oh I remember this, you tried to play that prank on me and disappeared, and then you actually got lost. It was hilarious when we were not worrying about you."

"Hey I thought an animal was going to attack me, turns out that was you. It's scary when you are standing there defenseless...it was fu- wait what? What did you say?"

Y/N froze, realizing what she had said. "I don't know, it...it just popped up, just what I remembered after seeing that photo."

Ben's eyes were glimmering with hope, it wasn't much but it was a start. She had already started getting some snippets back. They just had to work on pulling those little things out, step by step. He wouldn't rush into anything, he assured himself. Baby steps Ben, baby steps.

His smile reaching his eyes, he replied perplexed, "That's-that's great, you're already getting some stuff back. It's a start. But don't worry, you don't have to pressure yourself over this, we'll get through this, patiently and I will be with you at every step," he assured her, taking her hand in his and rubbing soft circles on her skin with this thumb, which flooded her with relief and calm.

"Yeah-yeah thanks for that."

He just smiled and swiped on to another photo.

Y/N visibly relaxed, she didn't know what to do with her sudden drop of memory. She thought that it would cause him to expect her to remember everything at once. Or maybe, try to force her into remembering the details. She was about to have an anxiety attack, but suddenly felt a hand taking hers and feeling someone's-Ben's finger-or thumb, rubbing soft circles at her skin and instantly felt better, anxiety fading away at the speed of sound. It was soothing, exactly what she needed and was glad that he didn't let go of her hand when they moved on to other pictures. It was like their hands fit and the warmth of his hand was just the cherry on top of extra whipped cream she required.

"Is that...where is that from?"

"Looks like prom, wait I'll check...yep, it's prom. We...went together."

She took in her appearance in that photo. There was no doubt she looked beautiful, wearing a baby blue dress that clung to her body nicely and was flown at the end. To compliment it even more, there was a little black bow-tie type thing at the waist, which just bought out the shade of her dress even more. She wasn't overly fond of dresses, but dressing up sometimes could maybe, just maybe, decrease her dislike. Specifically when her eyes landed on her date, it was confirmed.

The man beside her wore a white dress shirt, black pants a black tuxedo coat, complete with a bow-tie, color matching hers. His hair was styled back, probably with gel. Though she did prefer them a little messed up as they were right now, she did not definitely mind this. Isn't it too soon for a preference anyways? Both of them had arms around each other, laughing.

Though if you look closely, you can see hints of adoration behind both of their eyes, but it could be wrong. They were gazing at each other's eyes anyways, it was a little hard to find some traces of adoration. Maybe they went as friends, this disappointed her a little bit but she decided now to dwell on that. Ben's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"It was fun, we danced. You looked stunning that day, not that you don't usually- but...well I hope you get my point. There were guys hitting on you, even though they knew you were my date. I was just glad you didn't ditch me for that one guy who you had a big crush on...what was his name? Ah right, James."

She laughed at that, "I'm sure there were girls batting their eye lashes at you, trying to steal you away from me. Especially when you looked like that. I am certain I must have been glad that you didn't ditch me for any of them."

His eyes stared into her, unnaturally soft, afraid he would break her with his eyes, "I'll never ditch you, not for anyone, ever...maybe for food someday, but I'm sure I will come back at the end of the day."

She just kept looking back, almost gazing into his soul, before he suddenly broke the stare and moved on to the next picture. It looked somewhat like a movie theater, outside of it more likely. She noticed the presence of someone else in that photo, he looked familiar, but she couldn't exactly pin-point it and so questioned him about it.

"Oh him? You don't remember?...sorry, sorry about that. It slipped out. He's a friend of ours, we met him in middle school, stuck together ever since. His name's Sebastian. Sebastian Stan. I'm sure you know him."

She was astonished. She had been friends with Sebastian-freaking-Stan since middle school!? How can she forget this!? Oh shit. Her internal fangirl was coming out. "Sugar. Plum. Fairies. Are you serious? Please don't tell me you are kidding," she was almost jumping up and down on her seat.

Ben refrained from the urge to say, "I'm always Sirius." He enjoyed being the fan cast for young Sirius Black, even though he kind of felt he was a little old to play that part now. He really wanted to make that pun. He was also sure if his love had her memories, she would have surely made that pun right now. Instead he said, "Yes, I'm not kidding. We met in middle school, he was a new student and you two were assigned as project partners. That's where we three became friends."

Y/N was internally freaking out but her face wasn't showing that. Maybe that's why she was an actor. Ben let her have a internal let-me-scream session, choosing not to comment. It happened a lot anyway. He loved the fact that she got excited about small things, never needing an over-the-top reason to be happy. She appreciated the little things life threw at her most of the time, unless she's grumpy. He just wished he could kiss her right now, her excited face surely not helping in keeping that urge inside. But he remembered the situation, his current boundaries and averted his eyes from hers.

He swiped on to the next one, "And that's graduation."

Y/N scanned that picture. She was wearing a jeans and kurta kind of thing, making it almost look like a dress. She internally laughed at that. Didn't even wear a dress to graduation. The black coat is clearly visible, but clearly no graduation cap. She was standing with Ben and Sebastian, the trio making a ridiculous pose at the camera, with their tongues out, while holding their diplomas. She merely hummed in acknowledgment and he moved on to the next one.

They always clicked goofy pictures to remember moments. Ben had also got them a shared Polaroid camera, which was filled with photos of them and the people they loved. Whenever they were physically away from each other, they carried those polaroids, and drifted back to the time, leading them to have a prompt and peaceful sleep.

The photo which popped up was also from graduation, just their mother's were kissing them on the cheek. She could see her mother was not happy but faked to look like it. There may be some traces of happiness over her daughter graduating, but she did not notice that. She was standing in the middle, while Sebastian was on her left and Ben on the right. They all looked so wonderfully happy and proud in that picture, their mother's sharing the same look, almost believing her mother's was real. Maybe it was, maybe not. She couldn't stop a smile from creeping up on her own face. "We all look so carefree and happy, guess we got good grades and all in the last year. Is that- uhm...is that my mother?"

He nodded.

"These are all I have got for now," he mused after quickly swiping back and forth at the next photo. She got a glimpse and it was something white. Y/N felt a little suspicious at the speed at which he swiped, thinking he didn't want her to see them, but choosing not to point it out. It must be something private. She didn't know he was lying and there were actually almost twenty more photos on his phone.

But those were all of their wedding day and he felt he shouldn't show them to her just yet. He very much wanted to, but it didn't feel quite fair just like that. Ben wanted to tell her and then show her those, just hoped he didn't have to...hoping for her to remember. Plus, he did not want to overwhelm her with all the information at once.

Ben voiced the question stuck back in his head ever since they started talking, "So...do you remember anything from the time you were gone? I mean in those 2 months?"

She shrugged, "Nope, I just remembered waking up at a hospital and also a mysterious man. I guess that was you. And then I remembered them telling me the information I told you and after healing they sent me on my way."

"Oh right...those injuries. They're all right now?"

"Yeah...yeah they're fine. Completely healed." She replied with an awkward chuckle. "Do you want anything to eat? It's almost lunch time."

"I'll have whatever you're making," his attention back on his phone.

Y/N nodded and went into the kitchen to prepare some pasta. While doing her task, she noticed the sudden awkwardness caused after seeing those photos and decided to question him about it...but after food.

After finishing their meals and talking a bit here and there, they were having some brownies Y/N picked for dessert. She decided it's probably the best time to ask.

"Ben," he looked up, "I'm kind of having...this weird feeling, that you're hiding something from me. Like whatever you told me wasn't the whole truth."

He drew in a deep breath, contemplating his options. If he may lose her now, better be to the whole truth. There was also a chance he may not lose her at all. Finally deciding on telling her, he prepared himself for everything mentally and spoke in such a low voice that if there hadn't been any silence in the apartment, Y/N would have surely missed it, "We...we were in a relationship. Kind of, well not kind of. You see...we uh, we were-are, married."

[hailene]

𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙

𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

[genre: angst | tw: death | word count: 1K]

◇

"Idiot," I muttered, taking back my phone, trying to delete the hundreds of photos he took just to annoy me.

I scrolled through my gallery, unable to actually select them all and delete them without a second thought. These haven't turned out that bad, I couldn't help but think. I managed to delete a few, far less than what I had planned to, however. I heard the boy chuckling and I glared at him, watching him as he was running a hand through his chocolate mess of hair. Deep down, I knew it– no matter how annoying he'd be sometimes, I'd always be head over heels for him, unconditionally.

There are a lot of reversible effects of the choices we make in our lives, but loving Sunghoon is not and definitely will never be one of those.

"You still love me," he said, his eyes sparkling with warmth, the warmth he always managed to share with me even in the coldest moments of our lives.

And he was so right, I still loved him.

I still loved him. And I still love him.

Even if the only way I can express it right now is through endless sleepless nights, crying my lungs out on his side of bed.

"Park Sunghoon," I still remember the news flashing in the middle of the night, calling the name of the biker that had been involved in the crash.

It hadn't even been his fault. He had been a mere victim.

At first, I didn't cry. The very first moments of shock, I couldn't do anything– I was frozen, staring at a teary-eyed mrs. Park, in the arms of her husband in the hallway of the central hospital. I couldn't process the reason why she was crying, even though she had clearly told me.

My boy... my boy couldn't take it anymore...

I couldn't process these words back then, but they stayed engraved in my heart.

I couldn't bring myself to go inside his room and see him, a part of my mind figured that it would be too much of a trigger and I would end up heading to the closest bridge to throw myself off. Later, thinking about that started to seem as a much better idea.

The news spread quite fast– after all, Sunghoon was everybody's favourite, a flash of adrenaline and joy brought into this dull world. That's why most of our friends had been worried sick about me– I couldn't cry. I couldn't grieve, everything about me was just... blank. Grieving meant acknowledging that he was no more.

I broke down only after his funeral. After I saw him for the last time like this, unable to even stay with him for too long, the realization struck me so hard that I blanked out.

My boy is gone. And he's not coming back.

He's not going to steal my phone and change random passwords on my socials just to make fun of me anymore, he's not going to take pics of me without my accord anymore, he's not going to take me places at the middle of the night anymore, he's not going to ruin my hair anymore, he's not going to hug me to sleep anymore, he's not going to pick up my calls anymore and he's not going to send me pictures of Gaeul daily, fanboying over how cute she is.

He's never going to do any of that again.

And that, that made cry.

Fallen on my knees, unable to keep a hold of myself and desperately trying to breathe, I spent the whole night crying and crying over Sunghoon and over how unfair life is. He didn't deserve that, he didn't deserve to leave like this, so why did it happen? This simple question made me let out another ugly cry, grazing my neck as if I was swallowing wood.

I couldn't stop for days after that either. I was out of tears to cry and I probably looked very bad, enough bad to scare my parents when they entered my room one after-noon to check on me. This is hell, I couldn't help but think.

It took me months to grieve. I could only do that thanks to what his mother had told me at some point, both of us still beyond broken.

Grief is just love with no place to go.

But I had this belief in my mind that my love had a place to go, I had this belief that all my thoughts and prayers, all my whispers and cries, they were reaching him somehow. I knew that he could listen to me from somewhere up there and I knew that he would probably mock me for being such an ugly cry-baby. But I also knew he'd hug me, kiss the top lf my head and tell me that everything's going to be okay.

I entered the gallery of my phone today. I've had this urge to delete all my pictures with him, but I realized soon enough that even though it hurt, I should never try to forget him. Firstly, because I won't ever be able to.

But secondly, because he is part of me.

I shouldn't ever try to forget a part of my own self.

I selected one of those pictures he took that day. It wasn't that clear, since he was taking selfies of us while I was trying to snatch my phone from his hands.

But it was genuine. It was a raw piece of what my life used to look like months ago. A reminder not to take things for granted and to live life at its fullest, thanking the Heavens every single day for what I have.

I set it as my wallpaper instead of the plain black background I chose a while ago.

Please remind me to be strong and cool as you had always been. Please remind me who I was when you were with me.

I still love him. And I'll still love him until the end of the times.

[h0tch-r0cket]

Infatuation (18+) {a.h.} : chapter 5

summary: you needed a job. aaron hotchner needed a babysitter. the rest was inevitable.

word count: 5.5K

warnings: explicit language, drinking alcohol, smoking, building tension : )

table of contents

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"Y/N?" Jack called out from the kitchen of the Hotchner home. You had picked him up from school, like always, and he was working on his homework as soon as possible.

"What's going on, Jack?" you asked as you placed your finger in between the pages of your copy of The Centaur which you brought with you to keep you occupied.

"I need help with my math," he said softly.

You put your bookmark in the novel and headed into where the little Hotchner was awaiting your help. You sat down across from him and glanced down at the papers that were sprawled out in front of him. "What do you need help with?"

"Well, Ms. Kingston showed us today how to add and subtract with three digit numbers like 100 and all that stuff. I get confused when you have to borrow from one of the other numbers when you subtract," he said as he tapped the pencil on the table, a habit you noticed Aaron did as well when he was working on his own work.

"Alright, let me take a look here," you said as you grabbed the paper from him.

After a few minutes of explaining the way you go about subtracting the numbers to Jack, he got it pretty quickly. "Thanks, Y/N!"

You ruffled his hair as you stood up from the table. "You got it. If you need me, I'm just going to be in the living room, okay?"

"Okay," he said as he moved on to the next parts of his worksheet.

You settled back onto the couch, bringing your knees up to your chest as you read the novel. You were just reaching one of your favorite parts, your attention glued to the pages in front of you. It was the part where George, the father of the story, had spent his very last dollar to bring home a sandwich for his wife even though he and his son were stranded for the night because their car broke down. There was something about the sentiment, the idea that he would give up his very last dollar, that always warmed your heart.

Just as you finished up the chapter you were on, the small pitter patter of feet coming into the living room interrupted you continuing on with your reading. You looked up from the book to see Jack coming towards you, taking hard steps as he walked.

He plopped down on the couch next to you and let out a low sigh. "What's the matter, kiddo?" you asked as you placed the book neatly on your lap.

"I want dad to come home already," he said quietly as he swung his legs against the side of the couch.

"I know you do, Jack. But hey, he should be here soon. Want to watch a movie in the meantime?" You weren't sure what else to do for him. It was the first time that Jack had ever expressed that sentiment to you.

He nodded his head lightly, not saying anything to actually answer your question verbally. "Alright. As long as you finished your homework," you told him. He simply nodded yet again, his face more somber than normal.

You tried to figure out why he had the sudden mood change from when you picked him up from the bus. You thought maybe he was just tired or perhaps he wasn't feeling good. You knew that most kids always wanted their parents around when they were sick.

As the different possibilities ran through your head as you looked for a movie that the two of you had yet to watch, Jack's small voice piped up from next to you. "Y/N?"

You turned your head to look at him to already be met with his gaze. "Yeah Jack?"

"Can I sit with you?" he asked softly.

You nodded your head and straightened yourself up more on the couch so he could sit on your lap. As he quickly scooted into your lap, your copy of The Centaur fell underneath the couch.

"Sorry Y/N. I'll pick it up," Jack said as he went to reach down and grab it. You pulled him back up towards you and let his back rest against your frontside.

"It's alright. I'll get it later. Pick out a movie to watch," you told him. You passed him the TV remote and let him scroll through the different family movies, hoping that he would find something to occupy his thoughts until Aaron got home from his lectures.

------

As much as he tried, Aaron Hotchner could not focus on the lecture that he was giving in his class. As he sat at his office desk at the university, he flipped through his notes which to anyone else other than him would not have made any sense at all with the way that the thoughts were not cohesive and the exhaustive amounts of abbreviations that littered the pages.

He planned the day's lecture to be about Orpheus and Eurydice, lovers tragically torn apart, but he couldn't gather his thoughts cohesively to provide his students with what he deemed to be the proper lesson.

His thoughts were foggy. Jarbled. He thought he would have shaken the thought of the way your hands touched the day prior. But it was all he found himself thinking about. He wasn't quite sure why. It was a simple accident.

A simple accident that made him want to rethink the way he had been so closed off with you. The way he was always curt. He craved more, despite the fact that he knew he shouldn't pursue anything with you.

He rubbed his temples, sighing in defeat. At that point, the lecture was going to be what it was going to be.

Aaron gathered all of his things in his satchel and headed down to the auditorium before his students filed in. He shed himself of his suit jacket, leaving him in a baby blue dress shirt and tan slacks. He organized his notes yet again and placed them in order on the podium that was in the center of the room.

His students filed in soon after, a chorus of Good afternoon, Professor Hotchner, How are you Professor Hotchner? coming from them.

Aaron gave everyone a few minutes to settle in before glancing at his watch for the time. He clapped his hands together once loudly to get the attention of the class. The side conversations slowly died down, only a few soft murmurs being heard through the crowd.

"Alright folks. Let's settle in. I know today is Friday and you all are eager to get out of here so I'll try to make this as quick and easy as possible," he said, projecting his voice so that everyone could hear him. "I'll run through attendance quickly and then we'll get started."

After taking attendance and marking the absentee students, Aaron grabbed the textbook for the class from out of his satchel. "If you all could open to page 265 that would be absolutely fantastic." Synchronous opening of textbooks and flipping of pages filled the auditorium as the students quickly followed Aaron's instructions.

He began to walk in front of the room, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced out into the sea of students. "Now, does anyone have any ideas as to what the story of Orpheus and Eurydice is about?" He looked into the crowd, being met with blank stares, eyes glazing over, and even a few students nodding their heads back as they fought the calling of sleep during class.

Not one student raised their hand. He caught the students glancing at one another, hoping that someone, anyone, would have the answer. But there was no such luck.

Part of him wondered if you knew the story. You probably would know the tale like the back of your hand, being that you seemed to be meticulous with whatever it was that you set your mind to. He was curious to see just how much you knew about mythology.

He decided that the next time he saw you, he would try to find out just that.

Focus, he thought to himself.

Clearing his head of you as much as possible, he rolled his sleeves up and walked to the whiteboard, uncapping the black Expo marker that laid next to it. "Orpheus," he said as the marker squeaked on the board as he wrote the name down, "is the son of Apollo and Calliope. Well, that is according to some accounts. Some people say that Orpheus had a different father," he clarified. Aaron turned his attention back to his students, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Can anyone at least remind me as to who those two figures are in mythology? Apollo and Calliope?"

A hand rose in the middle of the auditorium slowly. "Yes?" he said, letting the student know that they could answer the question.

"Well, Apollo is considered to be the god of poetry and music. Calliope on the other hand, was one of the nine muses. She was the muse of history," the girl answered.

Aaron shook his head, placing his hands on his hips and he continued to pace back and forth in the front of the room. "Close. Calliope is actually the muse of poetry. Clio was the muse of history," he explained. "But I'm sure you knew that, right Ms. Sinclair?" he said with a small smirk on his face.

The girl nodded and scribbled down some more notes in her notebook, frantic to capture each and every word that Aaron uttered throughout the rest of the lecture.

Aaron took a brief pause and scanned through the crowd yet again. When he noticed one of his students clearly scrolling on his phone rather than focusing on the lecture, he debated about whether or not he should say something. But when the student started to show his phone around to those near him, he knew he would have to address the obvious distraction from the lecture.

"Mr. McMillan, if your phone is more important than listening to the rest of this lecture, which does cover a large part of your final, please be my guest and take the rest of the day for yourself," Aaron said as he raised his hand towards the door, suggesting that the boy leave the auditorium. He watched as the boy's face turned a shade of pink as he slipped the phone into his pocket. Aaron mouthed a small thank you to the student and continued with the lecture.

"As I was saying, with the help of Ms. Sinclair, Orpheus is the son of Apollo and Calliope. Eurydice," he said as he wrote the next name down on the board and drew a line connecting the two names together, "on the other hand was a beautiful Spartan princess. She married Orpheus. He played her beautiful songs on his lyre, which is just a smaller version of a harp. Orpheus was an exceptional musician. But that makes sense considering who his parents were."

He leaned back against his desk, partially sitting on top of it. He crossed his feet and rested his hands on each side of him on the desk to hold himself up. "However, tragedy struck the young couple. Eurydice was bit by a snake and died. Orpheus was heartbroken. So much so that he only played the most somber and melancholy songs on his lyre. "

Aaron paused for a moment, letting his students jot down their notes onto their paper. "But that didn't discourage Orpheus from fighting for his true love."

Aaron pushed himself off the desk and started to pace again, rubbing his thumb against his pointer finger as he walked. "He was not willing to give up so easily. So, he came up with a plan."

He walked over to the whiteboard again and wrote the word Underworld on the board. "Now, what are some things you know about the Underworld?"

"It's Hades' domain," a student called out.

Aaron drew an arrow from the word and wrote Hades underneath it. "And Hades is?"

"Zeus' brother," the same student replied.

"Very good. What else do we know about this Underworld, the realm where the souls of the departed end up in Greek mythology?" Aaron probed.

"River Styx!" another student called out enthusiastically.

"Mhm." He added another line to the diagram and turned to face the student that answered. "What about the River Styx?"

"I don't know. I just know it's there," the student laughed.

"Fair enough," Aaron said with a small smile. "We'll be covering that within the next few lessons so I won't worry about drilling it into your heads for the time being. One thing that I do want to mention is Cerberus, the three headed dog that guards the entrance of the Underworld. That will be important for the rest of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice."

Aaron paused yet again, settling back onto the top of the desk but this time he was fully seated on it, his legs dangling off the side. "Now, Orpheus, being heartbroken at the loss of his wife, came up with a plan. He decided to travel to the Underworld to try to regain his love."

"That's crazy. Who would want to go to that place? I mean, I get it he loved the girl but is that even possible?" a student asked.

"It was a wild plan, I will give you that. But Orpheus succeeded. He traveled to the Underworld and managed to strike a deal with Hades after playing his music for him. The ruler of the Underworld was so moved that he granted Orpheus his wish to bring Eurydice back to the land of the living. Hell, the stories even say that Cerberus, the ferocious guardian of the entrance of the Underworld, was howling in despair of the pain Orpheus' music suggested."

A hand rose amongst the crowd. Aaron took his glasses off, gently biting down on the end of the arm of them. He raised his eyebrows at the student, allowing them to speak.

"There's no way that he got her back that easily. Greek mythology seems to, for the most part, at least stem from some kind of tragedy," the student said, clearly not believing that the tale would end happily ever after.

Aaron took his glasses out of his mouth and shook them in the direction of the student. "Excellent observation, Mr. Roth. That brings us to the next part of our tale. Hades gave Orpheus a stipulation; his wife would be brought back to the land of the living as long as Orpheus did not look back at her while they were still in the Underworld."

He hopped off his desk and hooked his glasses onto the collar of his shirt as he continued with the lecture. "Orpheus made the journey back to the light, but he turned around too soon, full of excitement to be reunited with his wife. She vanished before his eyes and he was heartbroken yet again."

"So the moral of the story is to be patient and have trust in the situations that you find yourself in?" a voice called out.

"Precisely," Aaron said, his voice soft. He glanced down at his watch. "I think that's enough for today. For the next class, think of a time in your life where this story applies. A time where you were impatient and lost something that you worked so desperately hard to get. Class dismissed."

The students filed out of the room quickly, allowing Aaron to follow behind them with his satchel tucked under his arm, the same fervor coursing through his veins to get home. He wanted to see Jack.

He wanted to see you.

————

"Oh! You sank my battleship!" you hollered dramatically as Jack managed to get another one of your ships clear off the board.

"Yes!" he shouted, throwing his fist up in success.

You were happy to see him going back to his normal, happy self. Whatever was bothering him earlier had managed to subside by the time you were done watching The Lion King.

The familiar car alarm chirped in the driveway, causing loyal Buster to run to the door in anticipation to see his owner.

You felt almost the same degree of excitement flowing through your body. It was the first time you were seeing Aaron since his touch was embedded into your head. You were wondering if things would be different. If he would be different.

As the front door opened, Jack ran over to his father and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. "Hey buddy," Aaron said with a small chuckle as he patted Jack's back.

"I missed you today," Jack said quietly as he looked up at his father.

"I miss you everyday," Aaron said with a smile. His gaze turned to you and he kept the smile plastered on his face. "How's it going, Y/N?"

"Pretty good. Jack just sunk my battleship...again," you joked, feigning annoyance.

Aaron's smile grew a bit wider, the dimples on his face making another appearance.

You couldn't help but smile at him. His smile was contagious and gorgeous. You felt like it was such a rare occasion that he smiled, even though he was smiling more often around you, that you always studied the way his face looked so you would never forget it.

Aaron headed into the kitchen with his things with Jack following close behind. You followed a few moments after, ready to gather your things and head home.

When you came into the kitchen, you saw Aaron place a hand on his hip as he looked down at Jack who held his hands together tightly in a pleading motion.

"Come on, Dad! It will be fun," Jack begged. He put on a big smile for his father, trying to convince him further to whatever idea he had planned.

"Alright, Jack. I wouldn't mind that. Ask her," Aaron said as he turned his attention towards you. You felt yourself get nervous, not sure as to what it was that Jack was about to ask you.

Jack took a step forward and planted himself in front of you as he looked up at you with big, puppy dog eyes. "Y/N, do you want to stay and have dinner with us?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Oh," you said with shock. Your stomach fluttered at the thought of actually staying and spending time with Aaron, even if Jack was still there. But the rational part of your head was yelling at you to leave. You already were thinking about Aaron too much and you were sure you would be even further doomed if you were subject to his charm and wit for the night. "Maybe another time, Jack. I think Esmé was planning on making a nice fancy dinner tonight."

"Please, Y/N," Jack pleaded. "Stay with us and eat." He held his hands firmly together again in a similar fashion to how he was begging his father to go along with the idea in the first place.

You clicked your tongue and scratched the back of your neck, unsure as to what other excuse you could come up with. "I don't want to intrude on the time you and your dad have together, buddy."

Aaron crossed his arms across his chest and you saw him raise his eyebrows for a quick second behind his glasses. "Stay, Y/N. I'm a pretty good cook," Aaron said with a smirk growing on his face.

You felt your stomach twist further into knots at the thought that one, Aaron wanted you to stay and two, that he was going to be cooking some sort of meal for you.

Aaron, on the other hand, felt desperate. He wanted—no, he needed you to stay. He wanted to learn everything there was about you. He wanted to know your passions, your fears. As his eyes searched yours, he saw the battle that was going on in your head as to whether or not you should stay or go.

He was hoping you couldn't see the way he crossed his fingers together subtly, a silent prayer that you would stay.

He didn't know what was coming over him. All he knew was that at that moment, he didn't want you to leave the house. He had tried to push you out of his head all day, but seeing you here at his house and your gorgeous smile, it was taking everything in his power to keep his composure as he felt himself succumbing to his desire to want to be close to you.

You weren't sure what it was but the way Aaron was staring at you, his eyes soft, it was as if he was subtly begging you to stay.

You knew you shouldn't. You already were feeling things that you never thought you would for the man. But a part of you was curious to try to figure out if he was feeling something similar.

"Alright, fine," you said defeated, throwing your hands up in the air. "I'll stay." Jack let out an excited yell before running back into the living room.

You could have sworn you saw Aaron exhale deeply once you came to your decision, as if he was relieved that you were actually staying. "But I'm telling you now Hotchner, if you're not as good a cook as you say you are, there will be hell to pay," you teased as you pointed your finger in his direction.

And to your surprise, Aaron laughed. He genuinely laughed. It was a sound that was pure music to your ears, something that you wished you could have turned back time to get it on a recording.

"I promise. I am a good cook," he said as he turned around and began to take out some different pots and pans.

You walked next to him and leaned up against the counter. "What exactly are you planning on making?"

He turned his gaze to you, a smug look growing on his face. "Well where's the fun in that? It's a surprise," he said quietly, leaning closer in your direction.

You caught a quick whiff of his cologne, the smell of cedar quickly filling your airspace. You bit down on your bottom lip, the closeness to him becoming almost too much to handle.

His warm honey eyes darted down to your lips and back up to your own eyes. He cleared his throat and stood back up straight, starting to pull some random ingredients out of the cabinet in front of him.

You shut your eyes for a second, disappointed by how quickly he stood away from you. "I'll be in the living room with Jack," you said. He nodded silently, making his rounds in the kitchen to cook.

As you made your way into the living room, you couldn't help but think about how close he was. You could have reached your hand out and stroked his cheek. You could have been putty melting in his hands.

Aaron watched you walk out of the kitchen, knowing that you wouldn't see his eyes raking across your body. Your perfume lingered in the space where you were in the kitchen, reminding Aaron just how close his face was to yours, how he could have pulled you by your cheeks to brush his lips against yours.

He wanted you. And he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold back.

———-

"Oh my god," you sighed in content as you took a bite of the food Aaron prepared. He made fettuccine alfredo with chicken. All from scratch.

His eyes shot towards you as he heard the sound of satisfaction fall on your lips. He raised an eyebrow at you, taking a bite of the chicken that rested on his plate. "So, did I live up to your expectations?"

"Mhm," was all you could muster as you took another bite of the pasta.

You watched as Jack twirled the pasta around his fork. He popped it into his mouth and gave his dad a thumbs up. "It tastes good, Dad. I could eat the whole pot!"

"That's an awful lot of pasta," you joked as you took a small sip of the chardonnay that Aaron had poured for the two of you. He insisted it made the meal but you were wondering if it had different indications than what he led on.

"Yeah it is but I could eat it," Jack said. Aaron rolled his eyes jokingly at his son's active imagination.

A few minutes passed and you all were eating in content. This time, there was a much more comfortable silence that fell between you all, something that you could easily get used to.

"So, Y/N, what made you pick up an interest in Greek mythology?" Aaron asked, clearly ripping off the bandaid he had been gripping to all day. He had to know. He wanted to know more about you.

"I took a class in high school, actually. And from there, I've done most of my learning on my own. I don't know," you laughed softly.

God your laugh. Aaron would never get over hearing it. He took a sip of his wine and glanced at you over the rim of the glass, watching you absentmindedly twirl your fork around in the pasta.

"I just find it interesting that there's so many stories that they came up with and they all have some sort of deeper meaning to them."

Aaron nodded in agreement, finding himself entranced with your words. You were right of course. There were so many things those stories explained, like the natural world or even as something simple to not be selfish.

"That's why I like them so much. The interpretation of them all varies and you can learn so much," he added.

"I like the ones with Jason and the Astronauts," Jack interrupted. Small laughs from you and Aaron filled the space between you at Jack's mispronunciation.

"Argonauts," you and Aaron said at the same time, correcting the young Hotchner.

Jack scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "What's the word?" he asked.

"Argonauts," Aaron repeated.

"Astronauts is cooler," Jack concluded as he took another bite of his chicken. "Can I be excused?"

Aaron glanced at his plate and pointed his fork in the direction of his son's food. "Eat another bite of chicken and you can be."

Jack scarfed down the chicken quickly and left the table.

Realization hit you rather quickly.

It was just you and Aaron. A tinge of pink fell across your face at the fact that you were alone with Aaron.

You cleared your throat and shifted in your seat, sitting up straighter. "So, how did your lecture go today?" you asked.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders and kept his gaze on his plate. "Could have gone better, I suppose."

"What did you talk about?" You took another drink of your wine and this time, it was you glancing at him over the rim of the glass.

"Orpheus and Eurydice."

"That's a good one. Heartbreaking in the end but I like the story of it all," you admitted.

Of course you knew it. Aaron figured you would. He wished you could have been in his class. You clearly knew so much about the subject matter and he was becoming impressed the more you spoke.

"It's definitely one of the sadder ones," he agreed.

You placed your fork down on your napkin, full from the delicious dinner you just ate. "I think it's one of the best representations of agape in Greek mythology that there is," you added, running your finger along the rim of your wine glass.

Aaron felt his nerves go wild.

Agape?

How the hell did you know about that?

You certainly kept him on his toes.

"And you know about agape, the Greek word for the concept of self-sacrificing love. I have to say, Y/N, I really wasn't expecting you to be so well versed in the subject," he admitted. "But figures, a smart girl like you would go above and beyond to learn about whatever you set your mind to." He took another sip of his wine and his eyes were looking at you more intently.

You definitely felt your face blush at his words. You tried to keep your composure as best as possible, but how could you when he was being so fucking charming and looking at you the way he was?

"I am just full of surprises," you teased, making your voice almost a whisper.

You watched as Aaron licked his lips and raised his eyebrows. "You most certainly are," he agreed, his words coming out with an exhale. "Question for you though."

"Hm?"

"What makes you think that the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is full of agape?" he challenged.

You took a moment to try to cohesively get your thoughts together. Well, as best you could with the way Aaron was looking at you.

"Well for starters, the man literally went to the Underworld to try to get his wife back. It was an unheard of feat. And the fact that Orpheus was willing to do whatever it took to get her back just shows how much he couldn't live without her. How much he loved her."

Aaron nodded slowly, finishing the rest of his wine. "You make a good point there," he said after he swallowed the chardonnay.

You nodded in agreement. You couldn't believe that you were engaging in such a deep conversation with Aaron. But it felt so natural. So right.

You glanced at the clock, seeing that it was almost 9pm. "I think I better get going," you said quietly. You pushed yourself away from the table and placed your dishes in the sink.

When you turned around to go grab your things, you bumped into a solid mass.

Aaron.

He grunted lightly at the contact, a flicker of his smile dancing across his lips.

"Sorry," you said quickly as he looked down at you. You stared at him for a second, as he did to you, before pulling yourself out of your trance and stepping around him to grab your belongings.

"Not a problem," he said as he placed his and Jack's dishes in the sink. "Let me walk you out." You nodded silently and watched as he grabbed the pack of cigarettes off the counter.

He patted the bottom of the carton against his palm before taking one of the cigarettes out, resting it between his lips as he walked with you towards the door.

He opened the door for you and you turned to say your goodbyes.

As much as you truly didn't want to.

"Thank you for dinner," you said with a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he assured as he leaned against the doorframe, the cigarette bouncing between his lips with each word.

"Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Aaron."

"You too, Y/N."

You headed to your car, settling into the driver's seat quickly, your brain still reeling from the events of the night.

You glanced back towards the Hotchner home and saw Aaron still leaning against the door frame, the faint orange glow of the lit cigarette piercing through the darkness of the sky.

You pulled away from the house and headed back home, watching as the Hotchner home disappeared from your rear view mirror.

Once you got home, you opened the door and pressed your back against it, still shocked with the overwhelming feelings that were still in your stomach, your head. Everywhere.

Esmé turned her head around towards you from the couch. When she saw your shocked and speechless expression, a shit-eating grin grew rapidly on her face. "Spill...the...details...now," she demanded as you sat down next to her on the couch.

As you were retelling the way you and Aaron had a few more moments that night, your phone dinged.

"Don't be a fool! Answer it!" Esmé hollered, smacking her hand gently on your leg.

Your heart fluttered when you saw the name of the person texting you.

                                                   Aaron Hotchner

-You left your book here. I found it under the couch when I was straightening up.

                                -Oh, I totally forgot about it! Sorry! I'll grab it on Monday.

-The Centaur, huh? You really are a bit of a nerd when it comes to mythology aren't you?

                                            -Maybe. But it's also just a good book in general.

-I'll have to give it a read then.

                    -I'm going to test you on it if you do read it, just so you're aware.

-I'll be counting on it.

-Goodnight, Y/N.

                                                                                            -Goodnight, Aaron.

You sighed loudly, trying to ignore Esmé who was staring at you with wide eyes. You clutched your phone tighter in your hand and turned to look at her.

"I'm in such deep shit," you admitted as you leaned back on the couch, resting your head on the headrest.

——

authors note:

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! i also hope the lecture part wasn't too boring. i figured it was a good change of pace.

thanks for reading! i appreciate the support <3

see you next chapter!

-jordyn

[shelby-love]

MATT CASEY

Trapped in flames

Requested: yes

Prompts: none

Warning(s): angst

Author's note: I don't know what's up with these sad Matt one shots. They have my heart in pain I don't know how I'm surviving this.

This is part one, I haven't written part two for this because I'm leaving the ending up for you guys to decide. Comment down below or place your ideas into my ask box. Sad ending, happy ending? Or an ending that's a bit more sad but not death level sad? Or maybe even all of them! I'm giving you free reigns!

For now, I'll let you enjoy this.

PART // 2 //

~

“Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. School fire. Southwest Street 12 32.”

Matt Casey would stand up and run to his truck without thinking, every time this rung out through the fire house.

Only this time it wasn’t that way. He sat frozen in his chair, words barely reaching his brain. But then it clicked, like a cold bucket of water was splashed on his face. “That’s Y/DN’s school...”

His colleges could do little close to nothing to soothe him. They each shared a sideward glance of worry before running to the vehicle, each one of them squeezing Matt's shoulder and murmuring reassurance.

Christopher was the only one that stood directly by his side. The feeling that brew inside Matt hit all too close to home. Knowing the fact that one day you'll have respond to your kids made each day at work more difficult than the one before. "She'll be alright. She has you for a dad."

With a nod the two of them separated and situated themselves in the vehicle. No one spoke

They only breathed heavily and left Matt alone with his thoughts, only listening to his occasional breakage when he demanded that the speed quickens.

Matt thought about his little daughter at that moment. His little girl whose pink backpack was almost as big as her, maybe even bigger than her.

Then his mind drifted to you. His beautiful wife who didn't even know what was going on in that moment.

***

Your neck cracked with a snap of your colleges fingers. She giggled like a school girl behind you, holding your swirly chair excitedly while you groaned in relief. Being hunched up over your desk the entire morning took a toll on you, and having one of your closest coworkers ease the pressure was close to heavenly.

"Your welcome," You heard her chirp as you smiles in delight.

Acting on pure instinct, you reached out to grab your phone that laid on a stack of unsigned papers close to a rose gold framed photo of your little family. You admired your daughters ringlets of hair and her toothy smile as you scrolled through your emails, looking for the one you needed to print out.

Although news came first. Aimlessly, you brushed your finger against the screen, briefly reading the black bolded letters of each article.

What caught your attention was an emergency article. One that stated a fire broke out and that people needed to avoid the streets. Not yet informed of everything and very much intrigued in which streets you should avoid and how big the damage is, you clicked open the article and what greeted you had your heart stopping.

You swallowed as the realization of the situation hit you where it hurts the most. Your heart.

"Y/N what's wrong? What happened?" The voice of your friend was drowned by the silence. Without thinking about it, you grabbed your car keys and sprinted outside.

One thing was on your mind.

Your daughter.

Was she safe?

Alive?

You brushed your tears away as you pulled your car in reverse and drove to the place you dropped her off this very morning.

***

When you arrived at the school the reality of the situation finally set in.

"My daughter is in there!" You yelled amidst the crowd. First responders were bustling around, children were crying and desperate parents like yourself were trying to push through and give comfort.

"Sorry ma'am but we can't let you through," The officer told you. Upon hearing those words you pushed the back of your hand against your mouth and sobbed, using your other hand to run it through you hair. "My little girl..."

On the other end of the grounds stood Wallace Boden, your and your husband's dear friend. His heart was beating wildly although not in a pace that matched your own. The 6 year old he held at birth was still lost in there somewhere and he lost all his time.

"That's it. Nobody else goes inside. This building is going to collapse-" Flames erupted at that moment, swallowing the building as a whole.

"Severide report!" He screamed.

"We have three victims chief! We're getting out now," His lieutenant reported.

"Casey! Casey report," His attention switched to Matt. Your husband still didn't see the daylight as he's been trapped inside for way too long. "Casey out now! That's an order."

Just as he said that did he get your attention. Bawling your hands into a fist you fought your way through to him, threatening to unleash warth on every police officer that tried to stop you.

"Wallace!" You ran toward the older man, whose heart immediately shattered at the sight of your red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks. "Wallace please...Where is she?"

He bit his tounge, "She still hasn't come out."

"What about Matt? Where's Matt?"

At that moment you saw shadowy figures emerge from the smoke with little kids as small as your daughter in their arms. Protected and safe.

More tears sprung to your eyes as you took in the sight of him. Your husband. Matt ran to your arms immediately. "I'm here baby. I'm here..."

"I can't find her," he said, voice broken. You ignored the burning feeling of his uniform against your own clothes and buried your face in his neck. After a moment that lasted for a few short seconds you had enough time to collect yourself.

You kissed both of his eyes and brushed a finger against his damp cheek before leaving him be. "We heard voices in the East hallway. Chief I need 2 more minutes. Please."

Wallace shook his head, "This building is going to collapse. We gotta get water on that building and hope that she makes it."

His words had you on the floor, heart crushed. It felt as though the biggest piece of you was ripped away from you. A piece of your not even Matt could fuffil.

"I'll go with him," Severide volunteered. "Chief his kid is in there."

Just one look at you and Matt made his decision. He crouched down and grabbed your chin. "I'll get her out I promise."

And with that, he placed his mask over his face and ran out to get his miracle. The little girl that changed both of your lives for the better.

MASTERLIST