#and that it was just a checkup and everything was good and i hadn’t had a seizure in ages

[misiahasahardname]

i found a photo of me in the hospital after my first seizure and i am wearing the most HORRENDOUS combination of clothing imaginable 😭😭

thinking of redrawing it with mikey because epileptic 2012 mikey is real

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Postpartum

Amelia Shepherd x fem!reader Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI (NSFW), sex, oral sex, hella eating out, fingering, etc., mentions of anatomy/body parts, some explicit language, post-pregnancy times (please let me know if I've left anything out!) Word Count: 2.0k

Summary: You're six weeks postpartum, and your doctor has cleared you for sex, but you're worried that it might not be the same anymore. Amelia assuages all of your worries. 😉

Request Info: This was requested by an anonymous user, but the request itself accidentally got deleted! The user also requested that the reader be an ortho surgeon and a third twisted sister. Whoever you are, I hope you find this, and I'm so sorry to have lost your original request!

“You’re good to go,” your OBGYN declared, finishing up your 6-weeks postpartum checkup.

You raised your eyebrows at her. “As in, good to go?”

She laughed. “Good to go, as in cleared to resume any and all sexual activity as you feel ready for it.”

You nodded and repeated it to yourself. “Good to go…”

But as you left Grey-Sloan, making a quick stop at the ortho unit to say hello to the nurses and the other attendings, you couldn’t help but wonder if you really were good to go. Sure, you missed sex with Amelia. You missed her body, missed connecting with her in that way, but you were also so self-conscious. You hadn’t had any major tears or anything, but you had shoved a human head out of your vagina less than two months ago. It was bound to be different down there. It felt different. What if sex didn’t feel good anymore? What if it never did? Or, even worse, what if it looked or felt different for Amelia, and she didn’t like sleeping with you anymore?

You decided to text Meredith and Cristina about it, as you so often did about any and everything.

Y/N: You guys I’ve been cleared for sex

M: Yay!

C: Good for you bitch

Y/N: I’m kinda scared tho…

M: Aw, why?

Y/N: Does it hurt after? Or like idk was Derek weirded out?

C: It feels like I could have been left out of this conversation

M: Shut up Cristina we’re being supportive! And no Y/N it didn’t hurt. You just have to take it slow and do what feels good at the time. And stop if it doesn’t feel good.

C: You don’t have a dick to deal with so you should be okay

M: CRISTINA

Y/N: I mean tbh we have several

M: Ew she’s my sister I didn’t need to know that…

C: I need to know more…

You shook your head and smiled. You decided that you might as well try, if Amelia was up for it. And there was no question that Amelia was up for it. She’d powered through like a champ, but before this, the longest you’d gone without having sex was two weeks and that was only because you’d been brought in as a specialist on a case at another hospital.

When you walked into the apartment, everything was quiet–a rarity at your house these days. You crept through the rooms, looking for Amelia and Pippa, and finally found them in the nursery. Amelia held Pippa to her chest, bouncing her softly as she slept, little chubby cheeks pressing out like she was blowing bubbles.

You placed a hand on Amelia’s back and kissed her on the cheek. You nodded toward Pippa, eyebrows scrunched.

“I just can’t bring myself to put her down,” Amelia whispered. “How was your appointment?”

“Good.”

Amelia stared pointedly at you. “Good good?”

You nodded, smirking.

If Pippa had not been tiny and fragile, Amelia would have tossed her into the crib like a football.

She placed the baby gently on her back in the crib, then crashed into you with the force of a tidal wave–or six weeks of no sex.

She pushed you into the hallway wall, shutting Pippa’s door behind her, and pressed into you, her mouth and hands desperate. She ran her tongue up and down your neck and back to your mouth and yanked your shirt over your head. God, you’d missed this. You’d missed her. Even though she’d been right here next to you the whole time. She groaned as she pushed herself into you, and you smiled into her kiss.

At this rate, Amelia would be finished before you even had a chance to make it to the bed.

“No, no!” she whined as you pulled away, her blue eyes pleading desperately with you.

“Come to bed, Amy,” you teased, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom.

You gently removed her clothes and pushed her onto the bed. “You first,” you said.

She grabbed at your face hungrily as you leaned over her, kissing you with all the fervor of someone who’s love has been lost at sea for several years. She gasped and arched her back as your hand grazed over her clit.

You couldn’t help but smile at how needy she was, her hips bucking into your hand as you held it still, cupping her heat.

“Y/N, don’t fucking tease me,” she scolded, her voice stuttering. “It’s been way too long for that.”

“Oh, you don’t like that?” you said, smug. It was not often that Amelia was this powerless in bed. Usually it was the other way around, so you were enjoying this moment.

She grabbed your face, rough, and then soft as she ran her hand through your hair. “Just finish me already so I can get inside you.” She pulled your face closer, her breath hot in your ear as she whispered. “I’ve missed the taste of you.”

You’d never switched gears faster. No more power trips, just getting Amelia off as quickly as possible.

You kissed and licked your way down her body, intoxicated by the way she pushed into you and pulled you closer. By the time you reached her center, she was panting and glistening and you knew it'd only be a matter of minutes before she was absolute putty.

You pressed soft kisses into her inner thighs, then closer and closer until she was nearly bursting with the want of you, so that when you finally, finally, wrapped your mouth around her clit, she nearly lost her mind. You held her hips in place as she moaned, licking your way through her, around her, inside of her until she was shaking in your arms, hips rolling to meet your tongue. And for the final touch, you slipped two of your fingers inside of her, curling down and around, just how you knew she liked it. Her hands were gripping your hair so hard you thought might pull it out. “Y/N!” she gasped, her breath coming out in short, sharp moans as she came on your fingers. You smiled as you buried your face in her, guiding her through her high and back down again.

“Holy shit,” she breathed, her chest still heaving.

“Good?” you asked, already knowing the answer, as you wiped your mouth.

She nodded, still struggling to catch her breath. “Give me a second.”

You lay down next to her, feeling wildly pleased with yourself, especially when Amelia rolled over on top of you and pressed her mouth into yours, moaning as she tasted herself on your lips.

But as she worked her way down your body, anxiety shot through you.

You grabbed her hand. “Amy, wait…”

She looked up at you, concerned.

“You don’t have to,” you said, avoiding her eyes.

“I know I don’t,” she replied, still looking at you curiously. “I want to. I’ve wanted to for months.”

“I think…” you stuttered. “I think I’d really rather you didn’t.”

Amelia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Hey,” she said, laying down next to you and propping herself up on her elbow so she could see your face. “What’s going on?”

“I’m just not ready.”

“That’s fine, but you seemed super ready about two minutes ago.”

You didn’t respond, fiddling with an edge of your comforter.

“Y/N,” she said, brushing your hair behind your ear. “Tell me what’s going on in that pretty head please.”

She took your hand and you played with her fingers for a moment before answering.

“I’m scared you won't like it.”

Amelia looked genuinely shocked. “You’re what now?”

“I got messed up down there,” you mumbled. “What if it’s not like normal for you?”

“Oh, babe,” she said, caressing your face. “You’re not messed up. You could never be messed up. You’re you and I love you. I love all of you.”

You stayed quiet.

“Honey,” she continued, more emphatic now. “Your body made a whole human. A human that is sleeping in the bedroom down the hallway. A beautiful, precious human that I love with all my heart and hope with all my heart stays asleep for a while so that I can get in there. She had her time. It's my fucking turn."

You couldn’t help but giggle a bit.

“Listen,” she ranted, excited that your mood was brightening and trying to make you laugh more. “I’m like the Lewis and Clark of vaginas, okay? The wilderness must be explored. I gotta get in there and get the lay of the land. And it might be new, right?”

You nodded, grinning and blushing.

“But new doesn’t mean bad. Lots of times new means better. So just… let me do my exploring, okay?”

“Okay,” you acquiesced.

Amelia was gentler with this attempt, slow and steady and worshipful as she moved down your body, taking her time especially at the place where your uterus still bulged, where new stretch marks had drawn their way across your abdomen. And when she got to your center, she was gentle there, too, mindful of your anxiety, mindful that it might take your body more time than usual to warm up.

She was loving and slow and obsessive, sighing with pleasure as she placed kisses along the inside of your thighs, on your clit, all over you. Amelia’s careful touch had washed away most of your anxiety, leaving behind your flushed face, the shuddering of your body each time her skin met yours.

And when finally, finally, she had you wet and whimpering, she dove in like a woman starved.

“Amy,” you breathed, lightly holding her head in your hands as you threw your own head back, your hips rising to meet her. You could feel her smile against you.

“You want more?” she asked, and you knew she meant, Do you want fingers or a strap or a toy or anything like that?

You shook your head. “No, just–” Your breath caught in your throat, replaced by a moan as the knot in your lower abdomen tightened.  “Just keep going.”

If there was one thing about Amelia, it was that she could eat you out forever. You’d been afraid that would change, but clearly your fears had been unfounded. She was insatiable.

“Amy–” you exclaimed, arching your back as your body approached the edge. You couldn’t even get the words out, just “Amy” over and over.

She reached up to grasp one of your hands in hers as you fell apart around her, Amelia lapping up every last bit of you.

You breathed heavily, watching as Amelia emerged from between your thighs, grinning like an idiot, her face an absolute mess.

You laughed as she wiped her face. “I take it your expedition went well?”

“God!” she exclaimed, flopping down beside you. “I missed you.”

“We literally have not been apart for weeks.”

“Okay, well, then I missed your vagina.”

You giggled, rolling over a bit to kiss her on the cheek. “You’re a dork.”

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” Amelia retorted, pulling you in for another heated kiss.

You were interrupted then by a loud, crinkly wail through the baby monitor.

Amelia groaned, but you could see a smile creeping in. She stood and stretched. “I’ll go get her.”

“Amelia!” you hissed, throwing a pillow at her. “You can't bring her in here! We’re naked, and it smells like sex!”

“She’s six weeks old! She won’t remember!” Amelia nodded at you. “Go take a shower. Relax. Then we can switch. It's almost time to feed her anyway.”

You lay in bed a moment longer, waiting to hear Amelia on the baby monitor.

“Hello!” she cooed, her voice crackling through the speaker as Pippa continued to cry. “Hi, pretty girl! Oh, I know. I know. You want Mama? Let’s go see her. Oh, you love your mama, don’t you? Mommy does, too.”

You smiled, your heart full as you listened.

“We loooooove Mama, don’t we? Yes, we do. We love her so much.”

[imaginedanvrs]

encrypted relations

part 1 l masterlist

summary: yelena belova x reader. when natasha takes you under her wing, she becomes like family, and the last thing you want is to lose that. but when you meet her younger sister who you know is off limits, you have to decide between what you really want and hope for minimal damage

word count: 3.6k

warnings: alcohol, mentions of past toxic relationship and manipulation, sexual themes, implied death

“I cannot believe you met Nat's sister before me!” You exclaimed as you threw yourself down on your sofa and glared up at the ceiling, furious at the universe's mockery. 

  “Dude, I know! I wanted to call you but every time I was about to, someone started shooting at us again,” Kate said with a huff. “But I got her number and told her to text me next time she's in town…she hasn't been responding yet so it might be a fake number,” you could hear the pout.

  “Kate!” You whined, earning a curious glance from Marty who jumped up onto the sofa to settle down on top of you.

  “I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you,” she tried.

  “I'll hold you to that,” you huffed until a smile crept onto the corner of your lips. “So tell me everything,” you grinned as you held the phone closer to your ear. You always loved hearing about Kate's missions. Having known the young archer since before you managed to introduce her to her favourite hero, you had witnessed Kate's adventures transgress from more delinquent than crime fighter, to taking on the KingPin single handedly. You were confident her first fight with aliens was right around the corner. 

  At that, Kate lit up, springing into an animated recollection of everything that had happened in the past few days. Her account was no doubt exaggerated and a little out of order with how often she got side tracked with minute details, but you were able to gain at least an overview of the events that led their paths to cross. In short: widows. 

  Yelena had been able to trace down the small group of assassins who had slipped under her radar, due to their inbuilt paranoia now that the red room’s foundation had crumbled, and led her to New York. The widows, acting on their manmade instincts, had made some trouble in town that Kate had stepped in to deal with without knowing the full scale of what she faced. Fortunately, Yelena had jumped in just in time to stop Kate getting killed but in the chaos of it all, the widows got away. 

  After a great deal of persistence from Kate, Yelena eventually gave the archer the rundown and in doing so got herself a companion for the rest of her time in the city until they were swiftly able to find the widows once more and release them from their chemically induced trance. 

  “So what was she like?” You asked once you had processed Kate’s story. 

  “Total badass,” Kate summarised. 

  “Knew it,” you muttered as you scratched behind Marty’s ears.

  “Anway, I gotta take Lucky for his routine checkup so I’ll talk to you later,” Kate said before you could ask any more questions. 

  “Good luck, Lucky,” you called down the phone, hearing a distant woof in return before the call ended. You immediately opened your messages. 

  Me: yelena was back in town??? You typed out furiously. It took less than a minute to get a response, that meant that Nat was probably doing paperwork.

  Nat: haha yeah, you guys meet up?

  Me: no she was too busy hanging out with kate!! 

  Nat: i didn’t get to see her either :( you frowned as you read over the message, surprised that Yelena hadn’t gone to see her sister when she had the chance. 

  Me: what?? :( you paused, tapping your thumbs against the sides of your phone.

  Me: you free for lunch? 

  Nat: come by the tower? She was definitely doing paperwork. There had been so many times in the past where Natasha had been too swamped with paperwork to go out with you for lunch that you had developed somewhat of a routine for you to go and have lunch with the Russian as she worked. Much to her credit, her ability to hold a conversation while recollecting her missions was admirable. 

  Me: omw

  “Come on, Marty. We’re going to the tower,” you said as you patted his back. Your dog was quick to scramble off of you and make his way to the door, grabbing his collar and leash off of the hook while you grabbed your jacket. You took it from his mouth gently and fastened it on before making your way out. 

  It didn’t take you long to get through the security at the Avenger’s tower. In earlier years you had some issues, especially with the addition of Marty, because you had to sign in as a visitor even though you were accessing floors visitors couldn’t. Eventually, Tony had gotten you a pass that let you whizz through the gates and checks. 

  “Hey, Steve, how’s it going?” You greeted the soldier as you entered the common room. 

  “Hey kid, not so bad. I haven’t seen you in a while though, how’ve you been?” He asked as he crouched down to give Marty all the attention he had been anticipating. 

  “Same old,” you shrugged, settling into an easy catch up with the blond as he recollected his latest pop culture enrichments and visits to see Peggy. The pair of you didn’t get to talk for too long though, because Nat appeared at the other side of the room with her arms crossed across her chest. 

  “Mind if I steal this one away, Rogers?” Natasha asked with a slight grin. 

  “Course not, see you around, y/n,” Steve chuckled as he picked up his lunch and took it away. As soon as he did, Marty dashed across the room to the Russian with his tail wagging madly. It was obvious who his favourite was in the tower, same as you. 

  “Hi, Mutt,” Natasha cooed as she pampered the dog.

  “I told you not to call him that,” you said with a roll of your eyes even though it was hard not to smile every time. 

  “Why not? That’s what he is,” Natasha pointed out as she stood up and gave you a fond hug. You went through to the corner of the conference room with the sofas where Natasha had her laptop and two plates of pb&j sandwiches. 

  “So how come you didn’t get to see Yelena while she was in the city?” You asked right away. You and the Russian had never had a small talk type of relationship. 

  “She hadn’t been planning to come to the city in the first place, that was just where she was led to, but once she had handled everything she needed to, she was being called to chase another lead,” Natasha explained with an air of disappointment. 

  “I guess between Kate and the widows she was more than preoccupied while she was here,” you said as you reached for your sandwich and pondered Yelena’s general mission that took up so much of her time. In fact, it seemed to be an almost constant thing. 

  “Yelena’s been at this for what? A year now? Is she anywhere close to being done with it all?” You asked, knowing that the scale of what the young Russian had taken on was great but that the work she put in was greater. 

  “She reckons so,” Natasha said with a spark of hope in her eyes that was impossible not to catch. “I want her to come home, wherever that may be to her,” the spy admitted, knowing that her sister wouldn’t want to stay by her side forever. 

  “Even if you’re not home, you’re a pretty great timeshare.” You thought that was a nice thing to say, but the pb&j sandwich Nat threw at your face said otherwise. You grinned back at the redhead, knowing she didn’t have to worry about Yelena growing distant with her again and hoping the same would always apply to you. 

*

“So if Steve could lift mjolnir and they ruled Asgard together, would that make them some kind of power couple?” Kate asked as she leant against the wall next to your door. 

  “Like work husbands?” You rummaged around in your pockets for your keys while the archer continued. 

  “Royal work husbands,” she corrected. 

  “You’ll definitely have to ask them at the next party,” you chuckled as you eventually found your keys and started opening your apartment door. 

  “I wanted to ask at the last one but I thought as it was my first time meeting them that I should-”

  “Kate Bishop.” You and Kate spun in the direction of the voice as you fumbled for the light switch. “Y/n l/n,” the Russian continued once you had a light on her. 

  “Yelena!” Kate exclaimed with a broad smile as Lucky immediately dashed over to the blonde. Marty stayed close to your side as you stared at Yelena in awe while she greeted the labrador. “You know you don’t have to break into everyone’s apartments the first time you go to them, right?” The archer asked, placing her jacket on your coat rack while you continued to stand glued to the spot. 

  “I did not break anything and you were taking forever!” Yelena argued defensively as she stood up and set her eyes on you. “Y/n l/n,” she greeted. You could feel her assessing you, just like her sister had the first time she stood where the blonde was. 

  “Yelena Belova,” you said, taking in the Russian in front of you. Her blonde locks were loose over her designer jacket that had various broches scattered across it and had been matched perfectly with black trousers that fit comfortably enough to highlight her figure. She was clearly someone who took pride in how she looked and you understood why, she was beautiful. 

  You watched a smile inch at the corner of her lips and wondered what kind of assessment she had made of you. Had she noticed that your eyes had lingered a little too long on the curve of her hips or trace of a smile? You swiftly looked away, reminding yourself that maybe you shouldn’t be looking so intently at Natasha’s sister. 

  “It’s about time you guys met, huh?” Kate said as she glanced excitedly, though oblivious, between you both. Yelena was still looking at you, a fact you were aware of because her gaze was as intense as her sisters. 

  “Of course, my sister’s told me a lot about you,” Yelena informed as she observed you take Marty’s lead and collar off. 

  “Likewise,” you said with a brief glance in the Russian’s direction in hopes of avoiding picking up on any more of her perfections. “What brings you over here?” You asked to at least distract yourself. 

  “A lead,” Yelena tore her eyes away from you and moved to where Kate was sitting comfortably on your sofa. 

  “Already? It’s only been a few months since you were here last.” You listened to the pair converse as you strolled to the sliding glass panel that separated your bed from the rest of the studio apartment and threw your satchel down. 

  “This is bigger than last time,” Yelena explained, her voice dropping to that of a serious one. “I called Natasha but she didn’t pick up,” the Russian huffed. 

  “She’s in the Philippines,” you added as you reemerged, meeting Yelena’s emerald eyes. “They all are.”

  “So you want us?” Kate jumped in, clearly unbothered that she was the Russian’s second choice. 

  “I heard you’re good with tech, think you can access this?” Yelena held out a small device in your direction. You took it without letting your fingers brush and recognised the device right away. It was a sort of USB stick, though slightly modified so that it couldn’t fit into any ordinary USB port. You hadn’t seen one in a while but fortunately you had an adapter you could use to get started on it. 

  When you didn’t confirm if you could in fact access the device’s information, Kate didn’t hesitate to do it for you and started asking the blonde what her plan was and how she could help and how come she didn’t respond to the memes she sent her. Instead of listening, you brought out your adapter and set to work on analysing the task ahead of you. It didn’t take long to realise the coding it required was advanced. Not too advanced for you, but enough of a challenge that you wouldn’t be able to hand the device back over that night. 

  “It’s gonna take me a while,” you admitted openly to the Russian. “I’m sorry, I know it’s probably time sensitive but it’s just a little-”

  “It’s okay, y/n l/n,” Yelena was quick to assure. In your line of work, you weren’t used to patience so you looked at the blonde sceptically, wondering if she actually understood how long ‘a while’ could be. “Just text me when it is ready and I will come back.” Oh. So she did know. 

  “You can stay if you want,” you offered as Yelena stood up. She gave you a smile, one that you knew you would be thinking about for the rest of that evening because it felt like it was just for you. 

  “Yeah, it’s friday night and we have jello shots in the fridge,” Kate added, already setting off in the direction of the kitchen. 

  “Some other time,” Yelena said as she went to leave. 

  “So you do know how to use a door,” you couldn’t help but quip as Yelena stood in the doorway. 

  “See you soon, y/n l/n,” Yelena smiled with a glint of something promising in her eyes. The moment she shut the door you spun around in your chair to face Kate. 

  “She’s kinda intense.” Kate shrugged as she carried a tray over with a few snacks and shots on. Anyone else would have thought she lived with you. 

  “You get used to it.” 

  “I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” you muttered as you joined the archer on your sofa. She didn’t miss your comment. 

  “She’s also kinda cute though, don’t you think?" Kate commented as she flicked through your tv. You didn’t answer until you finished your first cup of jello. 

  “I guess,” you said nonchalantly. Kate hummed, about to pry further to confirm her suspicions when her phone chimed. 

  Yelena: meet tomorrow at central park? Bring the bow and arrow

  “Be careful, Kate,” you vocalised your concern. 

  “Always,” she assured with a nudge to your shoulder. “Guess that means these are all for you though,” the archer said, pushing the shots your way. Just as you downed the second one and Kate picked a film, your own phone chimed. 

  Unknown number: you need better locks on your window

  “Did you give her my number?” Kate looked over at your screen and chuckled to herself. 

  “Nope,” she said simply, amused that the blonde had managed to get it on her own. 

  Me: i dont usually have to worry about spies breaking in you typed out, choosing not to mention that you lived in a S.H.I.E.L.D apartment as that clearly wasn’t adequate enough.

  Yelena: really? How have you made it this long?

  Me: im kind of friends with the best spy in the world

  Yelena: we’re friends already?? You rolled your eyes at that and bit back a smile. 

  Me: we’ll see ;) 

  You turned your phone off and took another shot just as your phone chimed again. Kate gave you a questioning look as you ignored the device and tried to give all your attention to the tv. “I knew you guys would get on great,” she said smugly. 

  “She’s pretty cool,” you admitted nonchalantly before sneaking a glance at your phone once more. 

  Yelena: see you soon ;)

>>>

Slam.

  You jumped, spinning around to face her as she stepped into the living room. You never hear the keys jingle on the other side of the door. You never even hear the door open or the two steps into the apartment before she slammed the door shut, eyes already set on you. The control she had over deciding when you’re aware of her presence had always been something your girlfriend found entertainment from and took full advantage of. She never hid that, she didn’t have to. It wasn’t like you were actually going to voice your discomfort. 

  “Hi,” you greeted, cautiously searching Rae’s eyes for any indicator of what the mood of the evening was going to be. She doesn’t respond and that’s what you were hoping she wouldn’t do. Instead, she looked at the screen behind you as she ventured forwards. You glanced back at the monitor and can’t see how it’s anything of much interest. To anyone else it might be, but your girlfriend had seen it all before. 

  “Find anything good?” She asked as she stood so close to your side that her arms were brushing your own. 

  You were on NASA’s website, the secure part, the part you had to do some amateur hacking to get into. You had done it before. In fact, you frequented the site from time to time though not nearly as much as you used to. It had lost its appeal since the first time aliens invaded and had put an end to the question of life on other planets. S.H.I.E.L.D held the information that was of real interest to you, but NASA uploaded prettier pictures in their reports. 

  “They think they’ve found a black hole that’s going to collapse in on itself in a few thousand years. Last month S.H.I.E.L.D said Carol Danvers confirmed it collapsed years ago,” you shrugged. Your girlfriend hummed. “How was your day?” You asked after a long moment. 

  “Shit. I need you to look up a report for me, something under the name Dmitriev,” she continued. You didn’t push it, no matter how much you wished you could talk normally about your days like other couples did. Instead, you made your way into S.H.I.EL.D’s system as your girlfriend disappeared to grab a drink, knowing it could take you a while to get in in a way that ensured you wouldn’t be detected. Dozens of challenging (though not impenetrable) firewalls later, you were browsing the system as Rae spelt out the name to you. Nothing appeared. You heard a frustrated huff behind you and tried again in an encrypted corner of the system. Nothing. You could feel the fuse shortening, closing in on something eruptive. 

  You swallowed the small lump in your throat and tried to take a moment to think. You had never searched anything specific in S.H.I.E.L.D before, only ever browsing through the categories that caught your interest, making you question more what your girlfriend wanted with such specific information from the division. She had never asked for anything like that before, only ever sharing your curiosity in what was going on beyond your atmosphere. Hacking wasn’t your job, just a hobby. 

  You heard the barstool scrape across the wooden floor a couple feet behind you and a dull clink as Rae set her drink down on the worktop and sat down, eyes boring into the screen the same way they did to you when she wanted something you were reluctant to give. Then an idea came to mind and you hurriedly ran your homemade scanner extension over the screen, revealing a single report file titled ‘Dmitriev’. Rae was at your side in an instant. 

  She didn’t stop you from opening the file yourself, nor did she say anything as you realised you were reading a forty page document about a Hydra operative that was currently in a S.H.I.E.L.D safehouse. You frowned as you read on, willing yourself to stop because you knew information like that was harmful to possess and that you had put yourself in danger the moment you opened the document. Yet you continued and sat there in silence for a full half an hour. You only stopped reading once you felt light kisses being peppered along the side of your neck. 

  “Good job,” Rae muttered against you as you craned your neck and she moved to straddle your legs. Her lips moved to the side of yours as she held your face in her hands, helping you forget all of the questions that were building. She always had a way of making you disregard right and wrong. “Good girl,” she continued and finally kissed you properly. Your head was spinning, it wasn’t often she got like that. 

  Her hand ventured into the waistband of your sweatpants in a silent promise of a long, tender night. She was gentle, insatiable and rewarding at every moment’s peak until you had nothing left to give. You were entirely consumed in one another both in motions and mind, as though there was nothing outside of your proximity and an illusion that nothing would ever compare that connection of sensations. She was your universe and it was devastatingly easy to forget that you were far, far less than that to her. 

  Rae’s strikingly good mood lasted for several more days that you were glad to have cherished. Your willful illusion of peace was shattered when she threw a vase at you, one that you had bought a few weeks prior. As the emptiness crept up on you, so did the questions about your S.H.I.E.L.D search that you would never ask aloud, until one night, when Rae was out with people you had never been introduced to, you returned to your computer and went through the motions to find the file. This time, when you opened the document, blood red letters covered the entirety of the first page. 

  ‘Deceased’. 

  There were several new paragraphs in the document. You didn’t read them. You logged off the sight, turned your computer off and went to bed. What you didn’t know couldn’t haunt you. 

[cozage]

The Daughter's Return Part 3

Chapter 6: Straw Hat Luffy

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 3.5k

On the first day in Alabasta, you had a checkup with a doctor. They were happy to report you were closing out your first trimester with a healthy baby. Everything looked perfect, they said. 

While you were grateful for the update, you still wished Marco was giving you this information. It made you nervous trusting strangers with information like this, even with fake names and disguises. 

On the second day, you and Ace did more research, trying to figure out the exact location of this bounty hunter who claimed to have captured Teach. There were a few rumors that stemmed up north into the desert, but neither you nor Ace were going to head off in the desert without more concrete information. 

And on the third day, you met Straw Hat Luffy. 

“I wish you’d cover up those tattoos,” you hissed to Ace as you walked through the crowd. “People are going to notice it.”

“Can’t cover up my pride and joy, now!” Ace laughed, walking up to a booth. “Say, madam, have you seen this man?” He showed the woman Luffy’s bounty poster. 

“Sorry,” the old woman said. “If I were you, I’d try the restaurant up ahead. The owner there knows plenty of people.”

“Ah, thank you.” Ace gave a deep bow, and he grabbed your hand and set off for the tavern. “Are you hungry?”

You nodded. The heat was starting to get to you, making you too tired to speak. You really hated this inability to self-regulate your temperature. 

The two of you sat at the bar, making small talk with the owner while you picked at your meal. Ace, on the other hand, put away plate after plate of food. He always did have a massive appetite. 

“Gonna run to the bathroom,”  you said, giving a tense smile. What you had eaten didn’t seem to be settling well with your stomach. 

“You need me?” Ace asked, but you shook your head and took off down the hall. 

You locked the bathroom door and took a deep breath, trying to make your stomach calm down. Unfortunately, your body had the opposite reaction, and your meal came back up and went straight into the toilet. 

“Listen, you,” you hissed to your stomach. “I’m going to need you to stop doing this. I know it’s hot and you’re miserable, but we’re in this together and I’m miserable too. So please, stop-”

A knock came at the door, making you stop your one-sided conversation.

“I told you, I’m fine!” you shouted out in frustration. You quickly cleaned yourself up, flushed down your meal, and swung the door open. “I mean honestly, A-”

The person standing in front of you was not Ace. It was a smaller woman, with short, dark hair and pink-rimmed glasses. 

“I am so sorry,” you rushed to say. “I thought you were someone else.”

“That’s okay!” The girl gave a nervous laugh. “You sure you’re okay, though? You look a little pale.”

“Just queasy,” you admitted. “The desert sun is really getting to me.”

“Tell me about it!” she groaned. “It’s so hot here! Good luck!”

“You too!”

You returned to the dining room to find Ace face down in his food. Maybe he hadn’t gotten as much sleep as he claimed to over the past few days. 

“Ace!” you shouted, smacking the back of his head. “Get up! You’re eating!”

He groaned and sat up, looking around as he tried to figure out where he was. As he slowly returned to his senses, you returned your attention to the owner. 

“So, do you know who this man is?” you asked, pulling out your copy of Luffy’s bounty poster and placing it on the table. 

“Sorry,” the man said. “I haven’t seen him before.”

You groaned. You were certain Luffy should be here by now based on the reports you heard from the Navy a few days ago. 

“Wow, that really hit the spot!” Ace said to the owner. “Thanks so mu-”

“I’m surprised you’re bold enough to eat out in public, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Portgas D. Ace.” The deep voice came from the doorway of the establishment, and your goosebumps formed across your arms. 

“Told you,” you hissed, your heartbeat picking up speed. 

Chatter picked up across the restaurant, everyone suddenly fearing their life because of the man sitting next to you. 

“Got anything on this guy?” he murmured to you during the chaos.

If you could figure out who he was, you could figure out how to best him. You turned your head just enough to catch a glimpse of the man who had discovered Ace’s identity. 

“Captain Smoker, I believe. Has a logia fruit like us.”

“Great,” Ace groaned. “Remember what kind?”

“Smoke, I believe.” 

He chuckled. “A little on the nose, don’t ya think?”

“He smokes, too.” You suppressed a grin, trying your hardest not to laugh. “Two cigars.”

Ace chuckled. “Shut up. You’re joking.”

“Something with his sword is bad news. I can’t remember. It’s-”

Smoker interrupted you, still speaking to Ace. “What’s a famous big-shot pirate like you doing in this country?”

Ace turned and smirked at the Captain. “I’m looking for my little brother. So what do you want from me?”

Smoker chuckled. “I want you to come quietly and turn yourself in.”

“No,” Ace said. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Thought so,” Smoker sighed. “I have no interest in capturing you. I’m looking for another pirate at the moment.”

“So look the other way,” Ace offered.

“Can’t.” Smoker turned his head slightly, addressing you now. “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step away. This man is a dangerous pirate.”

You laughed. “Dangerous is a bit overdramatic, don’t you think?”

“Hey!” Ace pouted. “I’m dangerous!”

“Listen Captain.” You turned around in your chair, facing Smoker now. You could see his eyes widen in recognition, and you smirked. “We’re just enjoying our meal. One we already paid for. Can’t we just eat in peace and we’ll be on our way?”

“You know I can’t do that, Newgate.” You could see his irritation deepen, knowing the odds he was up against with not just one, but two fire users. Smoker’s fist clenched, smoke beginning to pour out. “Not as long as I’m a Marine, and you’re a pirate.”

“Get ready to run,” Ace whispered to you, and then turned back to the Captain. “Let’s have some fun!”

You could feel the tension rising as the two men waited for the other to make the first move. 

Suddenly, Smoker was launched forward, crashing into Ace and sending the two of them wrecking through the walls together. 

Where Ace once sat, a young man now stood. A young man with a very familiar straw hat. 

You grinned at the realization of his identity, and looked at the owner. “Get him whatever he wants,” you said. 

“Hey! Thanks lady!” Luffy grinned, immediately picking up food and devouring it. “This place is so yummy!”

“Thank you,” the owner said. “But you should probably run…those guys you just sent through the wall…”

“What guys?” Luffy asked, still shoving food in his mouth. “Those are weird holes in your walls! Is it your hobby or something?”

“You caused it!” the owner shouted. 

“Me? When?”

“Just eat, Luffy,” you laughed. “We can solve that mystery later.”

“Okay!” He didn’t even question how you knew his name. This kid had so much to learn. 

Luffy somehow ate more than Ace, which was an impressive feat. Those brothers sure knew how to put food away. You kept your eyes on him, watching him endearingly. You understood why Ace was so fond of him; he certainly was a unique character. 

“Straw Hat!” Smoker bellowed, emerging from the hole he caused. “I’ve been searching for you! So you finally did come to Alabasta.” 

Luffy didn’t react to a Navy Captain standing in front of him. He just kept eating, staring straight ahead. He was quite the character indeed. 

“Quit eating!” Smoker yelled, causing a smile to dance upon your lips. 

Luffy suddenly scooped all of his food into his mouth. “Thanks for the food!” He mumbled, and he took off down the street. You threw a couple hundred berries down for the food and took off after him. 

“Hey you two!” Smoker called out. “Halt!”

You followed Luffy, quick on his heels in pursuit. You couldn’t let him get away from you, not after you had just found him. 

“Slow down, Luffy!” you hollered at Luffy, but that only made him speed up faster. 

“Straw Hat!” The girl you met in the bathroom quickly unsheathed a sword, swinging at Luffy. 

“No!” you screamed, but Luffy quickly dodged the attack and jumped onto the rooftop. 

Damn him. You couldn’t get up there without using your powers. You ran alongside the building, wracking your brain on the routes he would choose to run while Smoker was pursuing him. 

Thankfully you didn’t have to figure it out for long, because he fell down into an alleyway almost immediately. 

“Luffy!” You pulled him out of the rubble, and took his hand as you sprinted down the street. “Come on!”

“You’re the lady that paid for my meal!” he yelled. “Thanks for that!”

“Thank me later! Let’s go!”

The two of you weaved through town, trying to find somewhere to ditch the Navy, but you couldn’t seem to shake them. 

Suddenly, Luffy stopped in his tracks, and you snapped back to him. You had forgotten he was made of rubber. 

 “Zoro!” Luffy called. “Is that where you guys are?!”

“Luffy!” you shouted as he dragged you along. “Don’t lead them-”

“Idiot!” one of his crew members shouted. “Get rid of them first!”

“What are you doing?!” Luffy yelled, passing his crew as he dragged you along with him. “Let’s go!”

“Straw Hat is mine!” Smoker shouted. 

“Go!” you shouted. You would have to block the attack physically. You didn’t have the ability to pull your bracelet off in time to retaliate. 

“I won’t let you get away!” Smoker shouted. “White Blow!”

You shielded Luffy, pushing him further and running as fast as you could. 

“Heat Haze!” Ace’s voice shouted from above, and you felt immediate relief. Ace was here. Everything was okay now.

Everyone stopped, turning around to admire the fire trick that had just been performed.

“Give it up,” Ace smirked, staring at Smoker as he placed himself between the Navy and the Straw Hat Crew. “You may be smoke, but I’m fire.”

If it weren’t such an intense moment, you’d boo him for such a lame joke. His lame dad jokes were already starting to take form, you feared. 

“Who is he?” One of Luffy’s crew mates asked. “Why is he even helping us?”

“Ace?!” Luffy called out in disbelief. 

Ace looked over his shoulder, just for a moment. “You haven’t changed at all, Luffy.”

Luffy’s jaw was on the ground, quite literally. “Ace?! You ate a devil fruit?!”

“The flame-flame fruit,” Ace said, giving his little brother a wink. “You guys run. I’ll catch up. And take care of that girl, will you?”

“No way,” you said, scowling. “I’m staying with you, Ace.”

“Like hell,” Ace shot back. “Go with them. Be safe. Being here will only put you in danger.”

“Ace-”

“I’ve got you!” The blonde haired man said, scooping you up into his arms. “I won’t let anything happen to you, my love!”

“Tie her up!” Ace hollered, returning to the battle at hand. “She’ll burn your ship to the ground if you don’t!” 

“Let me go!” You screamed. You tried to break free, but the man’s grip on you was iron tight. “Ace-”

“We’ll get you to safety right away!” The man took off down the road, heading for the shore.

“Ace!” you screamed again, but it was clear nobody was listening to you. Any struggling you did was futile, but you still squirmed beneath the blonde man’s grip, trying to get free. 

“Hey, Luffy!” The orange haired girl called out. “Who is that guy anyway?”

Luffy cackled at her question. “He’s my brother!”

The entire crew looked shocked at this announcement. “Brother!?”

A giant fireball erupted behind you, causing everyone to stop and look. 

You cursed under your breath. If Ace would let you fight, you would be able to keep Smoker at bay for longer and more effectively. 

“Luffy, is he really your brother? What’s he doing on the Grand Line?” The tangerine-haired girl asked. 

“Ace is a pirate,” Luffy explained. “He set off three years before me to find the One Piece.” Luffy looked at you, still locked in Sanji’s arms. “I’m guessing you’re a part of his crew, right?”

You gave a dry laugh. “In a sense.”

“Wow!” Luffy gawked. “I can’t wait to meet everyone! I bet he has an awesome crew!”

You almost burst his bubble, but the fireball grew bigger in the sky; the battle between smoke and fire raging. 

“We should get back to the ship! Left everyone!” The girl giving out commands had to be the navigator. It was the only thing that made sense. Plus, she wore the log pose.

The others, you weren’t so sure about. There was certainly a swordsman, one who had three swords for some reason, and a strange dog mascot. But the other three weren’t as obvious. 

They loaded you onto the boat, and the swordsman and navigator worked together to tie you to the mast. 

“This isn’t necessary,” you said as sweetly as possible. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Ace said you’d burn the ship to the ground,” The navigator said. “We can’t take that risk. We have places to be.”

“You can’t go far without your captain,” you grumbled, trying your best to get comfortable. You had a feeling you’ve be tied up for a while.

“Our captain is right…” the navigator’s words fell off as she glanced around the ship. “Uhm, where is Luffy?”

“That idiot!” the swordsman yelled. 

They all began shouting at each other, and you took note of their names. The orange-haired navigator was Nami, the blonde was Sanji, blue-hair was Vivi, black-hair was Usopp, and green-hair was Zoro. The pet dog was Chopper, who you had to assume was some kind of experiment or devil fruit ability. 

Nami took off anyway, their ship coasting back and forth along the view of the shore, waiting for any sign of Luffy and Ace. 

You could move your wrists in their restraints just enough to work your bracelet off your wrist. It would be long and tedious work, but if you did it right, the crew wouldn’t even realize you had a plan. Afterall, none of them even knew you had an ability. You’d be able to take them by surprise and get out before they even realized what you were doing. 

“Found him!” Usopp called down from the crow’s nest. “I found Luffy!”

Luffy suddenly appeared at the ship, slamming into Sanji and Chopper to help break his fall. Now that you had calmed down and decided on an escape plan, watching them interact with each other was quite entertaining. 

“Even before he ate a devil fruit, I never beat Ace in a fight!” Luffy let out a resounding cackle, and you perked up at your commander’s name. “I lost all the time!”

“There’s a real person you could never beat?” Nami asked. You wanted to laugh at her surprise. There were probably several people Luffy wouldn’t be able to beat yet. He was still just a rookie. 

But you didn’t say anything. Let the crew forget you were there. It would be easier to overtake them that way. 

“But I’d win now if we tried!” Luffy said, letting another round of laughs fill the air. 

“Who could win what now?” Ace’s voice called out, and he jumped up and perched on the railing of the boat. 

Seeing him made your anger flare up, but you couldn’t let your emotions get the best of you. The bracelet was so close to slipping off. You were almost there. 

“Ace!” Luffy cheered. “This is my crew I was telling you about!”

“Oh!” Ace bowed to the group. “Thank you all for taking care of my little brother.”

“Oh! Not at all!” They all said in chorus. 

“He may be a bit much for you to handle, but take good care of him.”

The sea prism stone bracelet slipped off your wrist, and lava coursed back through your veins. 

“I’m sure you have a lot-”

The ropes around your wrists and chest burned instantly, and you jumped up to where the crew was congregating. You instantly bulldozed through them, burning anyone who stood in your way. 

“Ouch!” Luffy cried, scampering away. “She’s hot!”

You slammed your body into Ace, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling over the side of the ship. He cried out in panic, reaching up for something to hold onto, and you grabbed his hand to prevent him from falling any further. You glared at him, letting him dangle over the water. 

“Don’t you ever leave me again!” you screamed at him. “Promise!”

Ace gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry about that, love. It won’t happen again.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, starting to turn up the heat in your hand, his only lifeline to safety. 

“I promise!” Ace shouted, desperately trying to grab onto something on the side of the ship. “I promise I won’t leave you again.”

You nodded, satisfied with his promise, and pulled him back onto the boat. 

The crew stared at you, all of them shocked by your actions. Ace laughed nervously, but threw his arm around your shoulder. “So…This is my girl,” Ace said, planting a kiss on your cheek. 

“You’re the one who let me eat whatever I wanted!” Luffy said, jumping up to his feet. “Thanks for that!”

“Sure,” you smiled at the overenthusiastic boy, your anger already fading. “I’m guessing you love food about as much as your brother.”

“Probably even more,” Ace hummed, and you laughed at that.

“I can make some tea,” Sanji offered. “I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”

“Oh no, no.” Ace shook his head. “Don’t do it just for us.”

“There is no way this guy is Luffy’s brother,” Nami mumbled. “He’s way too polite.”

“He’s such a nice guy!” Zoro whispered. “Who just cares about his brother!”

“Brothers are so wonderful!” Chopper sobbed. 

“See!” Luffy grinned a toothy smile. “Aren’t these guys awesome?!”

You held back laughter. It reminded you of your family back on the Moby Dick. The way you and Whitey and Brew would all joke around with Marco and Thatch and the other commanders. 

The thought made your heart pang with sadness, reminded that your family would never truly be back together again. It would never feel complete without Thatch. And you had no idea when you would see Whitey or Brew again. 

“The Billions ships!” Vivi’s cry broke through your thoughts, and you followed her gaze to the horizon. 

“Oh, those guys again?” Luffy said, staring out at the ships. There were probably only about ten; easy work for you and Ace. 

“Shall we?” Ace asked you, holding out his arm. 

Excitement flooded your body, and you grabbed onto his arm. Finally, some action was about to happen. And you would get to be a part of it. 

“Luffy!” Ace called. “We’ll take care of them!”

The two of you jumped down onto Ace’s Striker and took off towards the ships. 

“You want the front line or the back?” Ace asked. Five ships for each of you. 

“You take front.” You grinned up at him from your seat. “Show off for your little brother.”

Ace gave you a smirk, and then jumped off the boat. You quickly took over, using your power to heat the engine and propel the ship forward. You could feel your stomach starting to gurgle, and you groaned. 

“Just hang on a little bit longer,” you murmured. “Let me do something cool, mmkay?” 

You reached the second line of ships and jumped up, sending a giant blast of lava through the hull of every single ship that stood in your way. The ships all broke apart, incinerating instantly at contact with your power. 

You landed back on the Striker and took off to the other side, watching Ace carefully to anticipate where he would land. 

In midair, he sent out a wall of flames that crashed through every single boat, ripping them in half. The cloth sails were gone before they had a chance to land in the water, and you could see people jumping off the ship into the ocean to avoid the raging fires. 

You scrambled back to your seat as Ace landed in his place, chuckling softly at the scene that laid out before the two of you. 

“Show off,” you muttered playfully. 

“You’re one to talk. There’s nothing left of your ships.” He bent down and gave you a quick kiss, and then the two of you took off back towards Luffy's ship, satisfied with the work you had done. 

--

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[dramionestills]

Dramione month day 9: secret baby

The quiet hum of the coffee house paired with the delightful aromas of the brews and the pastries made for the perfect ambiance for a spot of afternoon reading. Hermione had found this cozy place fairly recently and immediately began to frequent it as often as possible; a much needed reprieve after workdays that had been so intense of late that her mind desperately needed a break. It was also a relatively unknown spot, at least to her friends. While she dearly loved them, sometimes she just needed her space. Especially after the Slytherin crew began to join them on nights out and she had ended up… well. Best not to think about that.

She had just begun really getting into her book when she felt someone slide into the booth across from her. She didn’t have to look up to know it was HIM. Even if his aura hadn’t been an oppressive force she could not ignore, his mouth watering scent of cedar and musk and green apple was too unique for her to not recognize him immediately. She had been avoiding him for weeks but that was no longer possible.

“Malfoy,can I help you with something?” She said, without looking up from her book.

“Ah, so you can see me, after all. I feared I might’ve become invisible but, alas, you were the only one unable to see me.”

“Yeah… I am sorry but it’s been a weird few weeks. I never meant for it to go this long…”

“No matter. We’re talking now. So. Are you feeling better?”

Hermione felt her heart stutter. How did he know?

“Yes, it was a rough week. How did you find out?”

“Daph. She told me she saw you running to the loo several times a day.”

“Oh no” Hermione covered her face “I am mortified, why would she relay that information?”

“Well, I think she was trying to be a good friend”

“Not to me apparently. Hell bent on embarrassing me, that one is” She grumbled.

“And Pansy mentioned you’d been shopping recently” Odd. how was that in any way relevant t their situation, Hermione thought?

“Well, the weather’s finally chillier and you know me, I can’t resist an oversized sweater in the Fall”

“And they provide so much… extra room. I imagine”

Was he implying she had gained weight? She hadn’t contacted him after one night of pure unadulterated lust so he was insulting her now?

“Malfoy, I sincerely don’t know what you want me to say but I doub..”

“And,” he interrupted her, “Theo said he saw you in St. Mungo’s last week” His tone had shifted. From the cool, aloof man he had been trying to portray since he had sat down to this barely restrained and almost feral look in his eyes. What on earth?

“Um..” She gulped air, getting a little bit freaked out by his change in demeanor. “Yes, just a standard check up.” She glanced around, trying to see if anyone had noticed the impending meltdown. The café had emptied out so it was just them and the barista, who was blissfully unaware washing dishes and wearing an enormous pair of noise canceling headphones. Thank Merlin for small mercies.

“And?? How was it?” He wipes a bead of sweat.

“Everything was fine. Malfoy why do you care? It was just routine, nothing to worry about” She chuckled nervously. He couldn’t possibly suspect anything, right?

“That’s… That’s good yeah. So..” He looked at her expectantly.

She shook her head, unsure how to proceed from this awkward conversation, when he finally blurted out:

“Please, Granger, I am begging you. Tell me, when are you due?”

“Due? Due what?”

“Granger stop being obtuse. Due to deliver my child.”

“What are you talking about?!” She was stunned. Her flabbers, gasted.

“Hermione, I know we’ve had our differences in the past. “ He reached for her hands on the table. “But I thought since we’ve all been hanging out as a group and then that night two months ago I figured, hey maybe I’ve got a shot, you know? But then you stopped talking to me and you had morning sickness and you had to get maternity clothes and you’ve been getting checkups and I just.. I REFUSE to let you go on with this and have my secret child. I demand to be a part of this!”

His rant ended and he finally looked up from where their hands were still clasped and into her face. He was out of breath and she was staring at him open mouthed. For what felt like ten minutes but was probably just a few seconds neither of them spoke.

And then Hermione began to giggle. And the giggle became a full out belly laugh.

“Oh, Draco” she was wiping tears from her eyes, “I feel like you added up two and two and came up with five.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I am not pregnant, Draco.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. First of all, if I was, I would most definitely let you know, I refuse to go through a pregnancy alone when I could have you at my beck and call.”

“Oh.” He deflated. He was a jumble of mixed feelings, a bit of relief but also sadness. He might have actually really wanted to have a baby with her. “But then.. The loo? And the clothes? And Mungo’s?”

“I had a bad gastrointestinal infection which had me running to the loo at work multiple times a day. I was not in there puking, though. It was a different sort of expulsion and I refuse to go any further into detail and Daphne should have kept her mouth shut because it just gave you… ideas.”

She rubbed her temples and continued. “Draco, sometimes an oversized sweater is just a bid for comfort. And as for Theo blabbing about my visit to St. Mungo’s… I get monthly treatments to help with some of the aftermath of the war… I didn’t want to mention it to you because I know it is a difficult topic, what happened at the Manor back then.”

“Well. I am thoroughly embarrassed. I apologize for the intrusion, Granger. Glad we could clear this up. I will be taking my leave.” As he gets up to go and starts toward the exit, Hermione can hear him mumbling under his breath. Something about “no wonder she didn’t reach out to me I am delusional” and “will never live this down” and “got my hopes up for nothing”

Her gaze softened and she smiled at this. She couldn’t let him go without saying something. She jumped to her feet and grasped his wrist before he could disappear from her life again.

“Malfoy. Draco. Look, life got in the way and then it had been too long so I had been hesitant to owl you… but if you’re still interested maybe we can go on a date? And then we can work our way up to a baby?” She smirked at him and his stunned face morphed into a smirk back at her. “Why, Granger, I might enjoy that idea a lot. No secret babies, though. Right?

“Yes, Draco, no secret babies ever.”

[ysmtttty]

Red Ferrari

Chapter 2

Azris AU, where Azriel is a mechanic and has his own service station. One day, Eris comes there because something is wrong with his car.

AO3 Chapter 1 Chapter 3

"Go on a date with me," Eris said, completely throwing Azriel off balance. Did he really say that?

"Excuse me?"

"I said go on a date with me, Azriel," Eris repeated, his voice calm and composed as if he hadn’t just asked him on a date.

"No," Azriel refused.

"Why not?" Eris asked, raising an eyebrow. He sounded genuinely puzzled, which made sense for a person who was used to getting everything he wanted with a snap of his fingers. However, Azriel reminded himself that it was better not to get involved with people like Eris, no matter how hot they were.

"Just no. The checkup would take three hours, you could wait inside or pick up the car later," he quickly changed the subject, looking at the Porsche. Eris shrugged and ordered a taxi, completely unbothered.

Azriel was a little surprised at how quickly Eris gave up. Not that he wanted Vanserra to chase him, persuade him, and so on. No. It was just that Eris seemed like the kind of person who always got what he wanted. After all, he was an attorney. But maybe, it was beneath his dignity to persuade someone to go on a date with him.

And yet, it was good that Eris did not insist. Azriel thought that he might have agreed. In another universe. In other circumstances. In a situation where he did not know that Eris was a spoiled rich boy who looked down on people like Azriel. It was quite possible that if they had met in some bar, Azriel would have made the first move himself. But definitely not here.

Since Vanserra had already left, Azriel returned to his Porsche only in the evening, after finishing with the other cars that were waiting for him in the garage. Cassian was walking around for some reason, inspecting the car and commenting on the design, as if they were millionaires and about to buy one.

Despite his preference for working in silence, Azriel did not chase him away. On the contrary, he nodded and answered with meaningful "mhms" when Cassian made another comment. Obviously, he really liked the Porsche.

"You’ve been lucky with clients these days," Cassian said, sitting on the nearest bench while Azriel looked under the hood of the car. "With such expensive cars, you'll soon be able to open your own workshop."

"And burden myself with problems like hiring people like you? No, thank you," Azriel replied sarcastically, without any real venom.

"Hey! I thought we were best friends!" Cassian dramatically raised his hands and then pressed one hand to his chest. "I feel betrayed. How quickly friends are forgotten in the pursuit of money."

While Cassian continued to rant about how Azriel had already become arrogant with all this money, he continued to inspect Eris's car. The Porsche really didn’t need a checkup, but just to be sure, Azriel conducted a full inspection.

Later that evening, they sat in a bar together – he, Cassian, and Rhysand, who was distracted by phone calls every five minutes. At first, it was unnoticeable, just a couple of calls on the phone. Cassian even joked that he and Feyre couldn’t spend more than five minutes without each other.

However, after the third or fourth call, it started to become annoying.

"Excuse me," Rhysand said, as he once again picked up the phone and walked away to avoid the noise of the bar interfering with the conversation. When he returned, both Cassian and Azriel looked at him questioningly.

"Either your number was posted online with a 'husband for an hour' ad, or I don’t know how else to explain this," Cassian said. Rhysand rolled his eyes and snorted in response to this comment.

"It's a lawyer," he said.

"Is something wrong with the workshop?" Azriel asked, a little tense. Once, they already had problems with bureaucratic issues, and back then Rhysand had also used all his connections and called all possible lawyers to save the workshop and avoid a huge fine.

"No, it’s not related to work," Rhysand shook his head, but something in his expression betrayed tension. Azriel couldn’t help but notice how tense his shoulders were or how he tried not to frown.

"Then what is it?" Cassian asked impatiently. "Come on, tell us what’s wrong. We’re almost like brothers. It’s not nice to keep secrets like this."

"It’s Mor..." Rhysand began, but another call interrupted him. "Speak of the devil," he said jokingly and once again went away to answer it.

When he returned, Cassian was already in the middle of an emotional story about how Nesta Archeron’s heart was starting to melt. About how she almost agreed to have dinner with him. The whole story could have been summed up in a few sentences, but Cassian stretched it out for half an hour.

By the time he finished, no one remembered Mor and any personal matter with Rhysand. The family drama could remain within his family.

"By the way, Azriel already got himself a new regular client," Cassian said. Rhysand raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Really?" he smirked, hearing a certain hint in Cassian's tone. "Male? Female?"

"Male. And don’t get any ideas, it’s not what you’re thinking about," Azriel rolled his eyes, realizing where the conversation was heading. "Yes, he asked me on a date, but I said no. I have no interest."

"Come on, man. Dude literally drives a Porsche and a Ferrari!" Cassian exclaimed.

"Even if he drove a Tesla, I’m not interested," Azriel snorted. He was interested. But people like Eris were always bad news. "Besides, why should I be interested in a relationship at all?"

Not that he was going to spend the rest of his life alone, surrounded only by cars. No. Finding a partner had never been a problem for Azriel, whether it was girls or guys, they always approached him first. And even if he made the first move, most often he was met halfway.

However, after several failed relationships, plus the disaster with Mor, Azriel was not a fan of serious relationships. Lately, all he had were one-night stands and other no-strings-attached arrangements. No feelings, just mutual pleasure.

"I don’t know, I think you could try dating again," Rhysand said with a somewhat thoughtful expression.

"Why? To be a love-struck fool like you two?" Azriel snorted.

"Hey!" Cassian exclaimed. "We’re not fools."

"Right, it’s not you who serenades almost every night."

"It’s a romantic gesture!"

The rest of the evening passed with drinks, similar arguments, and other things. Azriel definitely did not think about changing his mind and agreeing to a date with Eris. And Azriel definitely did not think about Eris at all.

The next morning, an Aston Martin arrived at the workshop. For a second, Azriel thought that maybe Eris had recommended the place to some of his rich friends, but within seconds, Eris himself got out of the car. Damn.

"Good morning," he smiled, waving and leaning against the car. Azriel rolled his eyes, adjusted the ever-falling strap of his overalls, and reluctantly waved back.

"Hey," he said, "your Porsche is in perfect condition."

He looked towards the car, thinking that someone must be inside so that Eris could sit in his Porsche and take it, while the second person would leave in the Aston Martin. But the car was empty. Just Vanserra. Great.

"Let me guess, this beauty needs a checkup too?" Azriel tried not to sound grumpy. It was unlikely anyone else would grumble about new expensive orders, especially when there was little to do considering the cars were new.

"Absolutely right," Eris nodded, keeping that annoying smirk on his face. "How much for the Porsche?"

Azriel named the sum, this time not a penny more, just the exact price.

"So, have you thought about it?" Eris asked while transferring the money. This time, too, exactly the amount Azriel had said.

"About what?"

"The date."

Azriel looked at him like an idiot. It turned out that Eris had not given up on the idea yesterday, he just decided to continue insisting today.

"Still no," Azriel answered. Before Eris could open his mouth to respond, he turned to the Aston Martin, opening the car’s hood.

Eris returned the next day. And the day after that. And overall, he appeared in the workshop every day, which drove Azriel crazy. As it turned out, Vanserra had a ton of cars. And by a ton, it meant a really, really lot. Throughout the week, he arrived in a new car every day, and Azriel swore that if this continued, his eye would start twitching.

Every day they had a short conversation, exchanged barbs, then Eris asked him on a date, and Azriel refused. Routine, what can you say.

Today, Eris arrived in a Bentley, looking like he hadn’t slept in the last 24 hours. But even that did not erase his signature smirk when he looked at Azriel, once again repeating the same phrase about the date.

"Seriously, what’s the problem?" Eris asked, hiding his hands in the pockets of his coat.

What’s the problem? Honestly, Azriel himself couldn’t understand why he kept refusing. Nor could he understand why Eris was so persistent. It seemed that for a simple fling of a day or two, no one would bother so much. Maybe it was about the challenge, the feeling that he needed to come out victorious in this situation. A matter of honor and all that, with Eris’s inflated ego, Azriel wouldn’t be surprised if that were true.

Partly, this was the reason why Azriel couldn’t agree himself. A feeling of some kind of defeat? But more than anything, the social difference between him and Vanserra scared him. Even though it was the 21st century, Eris still seemed too out of his league. With those rich jerk manners. He arrived in a new car every day like clockwork just to ask him on a date, what else could be added?

"Just no," he shrugged.

"Got it," Eris nodded, looking like he definitely had some plan in his head. And Azriel couldn’t yet guess what it was, but still tensed a bit. "So, I guess the Mercedes checkup will cost the same as the other cars?"

Azriel nodded and within a couple of minutes, the money came through. Three times more than needed. Fuck.

"Is this your plan?" he asked, not hiding the irritation in his voice. Vanserra had remembered from the first time how much sending extra money pissed him off, and actively used it. Damn rich lawyers. "Throwing money at me, thinking you can buy my agreement?"

"I’m not buying your agreement," Eris shrugged. "I’m offering a deal. You can return the extra money if you go on a date with me."

The bastard had the audacity to smirk, looking like a cat that ate the canary. Azriel rolled his eyes again.

"Ten out of ten, top-notch strategy," he commented sarcastically. Eris just shrugged, the gesture saying all’s fair in war. "And of course, you’re sure I’m interested in returning the money enough to agree to a date."

"Oh, I’m sure," the smirk became even more smug if that was possible. "You know, I have a lot of cars, and I think it’s time to check each one. If you refuse to go on a date with me, I’ll transfer more than necessary for each checkup. And each time, the amount will double."

Azriel looked at him, not understanding how he was supposed to react to this. He just threatened him with money transfers? A mentally unstable person couldn’t be such a successful lawyer, right?

However, the worst part was that this threat worked on Azriel because if there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was handouts.

"This is unique blackmail," he said.

"The most unique blackmail in my life, believe me," Eris chuckled, "usually people pay me to not do something, not the other way around. But it’s quite engaging."

"Very funny."

"I’m not joking," Eris smiled boyishly, "I have a lot of patience and a lot of money to keep my word. And you have too much pride to stand it."

Azriel wanted to tell him to go to hell, but Eris was right. He wouldn’t be able to simply accept this money if Vanserra kept his word and paid several times more for repairs. He could always just refuse to service his cars, but Eris would likely continue sending money without any reason.

"One date," Azriel frowned, speaking after a while. "Just one."

"Deal," Eris smiled.

Damn, what had he gotten himself into?

*       *       *

"You agreed to a date?" Rhysand asked, raising an eyebrow, obviously surprised by what he heard. Azriel already regretted telling them based on Rhysand and Cassian's reactions. "Who are you and what have you done with our friend?"

"Very funny," Azriel answered dryly, rolling his eyes. "It’s just one date. We’ll probably get laid afterward, and he’ll stop bothering me with his idiotic threats."

"Which means we both lose a stable source of a good income," Rhysand said, not hiding his disappointment. As the owner of the workshop, he obviously got a share of the profits Azriel made. And Eris had brought them more in the past week than all other clients did in a few months.

"Which means I’ll restore my nervous system," Azriel countered.

"At least let me shake hands with this saint," Rhysand joked. "I need to see the person who’s that into you at least once."

Azriel rolled his eyes, not wanting to repeat again that Eris wasn’t into him. But Cassian laughed, and Rhysand smirked. Two bastards.

"And where are you going?" Cassian asked curiously. "After all that showing off, he’s probably taking you to a fancy restaurant or something."

"No idea," Azriel shook his head. "The idiot isn’t answering my messages, and I’m not going to look desperate over some date he himself pushed me into."

"And yet you agreed," Cassian said. Azriel silenced him with a look.

Maybe that was his problem. Pretending he didn’t like the current circumstances at all. That he was forced. That it wasn’t by his own will. When in reality, Azriel was scared.

Scared that he’d like it.

That he'd liked Eris Vanserra, who, Azriel had no doubt, would disappear as soon as he got what he wanted. You didn’t need to be a genius to know people like Eris. For him, it was just another amusement, a new challenge, as if he didn’t have enough.

"I think you’re dramatizing," Rhysand said calmly. "It’s just a date. If you don’t like it, you’ll part ways. But maybe you will like it."

"You’re not helping," Azriel shook his head.

At that moment, he received a message.

"Tomorrow at seven. Are you free?"

On one hand, Azriel respected Eris’s no-bullshit way of communicating, but on the other, a simple "hi" was somehow missing. Nonetheless, he replied with a short "yes," ignoring how Rhysand and Cassian looked at him, thinking he didn’t notice.

"Great. I’ll pick you up. Send me the address," the next message read.

And that was it. No instructions, no valuable hints like "look decent, not like you just crawled out from under a car" or anything like that.

"Is that your friend?" Rhysand smirked.

"Yeah," Azriel nodded, sounding a bit irritated. "He just wrote 'I’ll pick you up at seven.'"

"And you expected something else?" Cassian asked in surprise, "Like some conversation in the spirit of 'How was your day, my favorite mechanic?'"

"No, of course not. But at least specifying where we’re going would’ve been enough," Azriel grumbled, still trying to maintain his irritated nature about the whole situation. His friends only nodded with a meaningful "aha," making him want to throw them both out of his apartment.

"At least we can bet on which car he’ll pick you up in," Cassian joked. "I’m betting on the Porsche."

"You just really like that Porsche," Azriel chuckled. "I’m betting on the Ferrari."

They both looked at Rhysand, who shrugged and said Bentley.

Eris arrived in a Ferrari, and Azriel couldn’t help but think he had expected it. He didn’t know why, it just felt right to think this was his favorite car. Vanserra himself looked perfect – a black shirt with a dark red tie, and a jacket thrown over his shoulders. Though he always dressed well. Azriel didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was checking him out. No doubt, it flattered Eris’s ego, who smirked slyly but didn’t comment, and for that, Azriel was grateful.

“Exactly at seven,” Azriel said, his hands in his pants pockets. Damn, yesterday he had to ask Rhysand for some decent clothes because, as it turned out, his wardrobe only had the suit from his graduation, and everything else was either too casual – and Azriel was sure Eris would drag him to some fancy place – or all the clothes had at least once been worn in the workshop and now had stains of motor oil and soot.

“I love punctuality,” Eris shrugged. He wouldn’t say that he had been hanging around Azriel’s apartment complex for the past fifteen minutes. Instead, he looked Azriel over. “You look great.”

Azriel wanted to find a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his voice, to remind himself that he didn’t like Eris. But he found none. Damn Vanserra.

“Yeah, I’ve already heard that I look better in clean clothes,” he shrugged, recalling his words. Petty? Very. Deserved? Probably.

Eris rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “That really bothered you?” he snorted. “If so, I’m sorry. I was tired and not watching what I was saying.”

Wow, the great Eris Vanserra could apologize. Azriel restrained himself from another sarcastic comment, waving it off and muttering, “Forget it.”

When he approached the car, Eris pointed to the driver’s side for some reason.

“Am I your personal chauffeur?” Azriel asked, raising an eyebrow, pretending that the chance to drive a Ferrari for the second time didn’t excite him at all.

“No, I just don’t like driving, but you clearly enjoy it,” Eris shrugged.

“Observant,” Azriel said, but he got into the driver’s seat without further questions. To hell with Eris’s lawyerly habit of noticing all the details and then stating them outright; today he was driving the damn Ferrari.

While Azriel drove out of his apartment complex parking lot, Eris set up the built-in navigator, indicating the destination.

“So where are we going?” Azriel asked.

“Surprise,” Eris smirked, leaning his head back on the seat. “But I think you’ll like it.”

“You don’t know what I like,” Azriel said, mentally scolding himself. He had already agreed to this date, so why take everything he said so defensively?

“Yeah, that’s why I said ‘think,’” Eris snorted.

Azriel looked at the navigator; for now, the route led out of the city. Not missing the opportunity, he sped up, avoiding all the traffic on the more or less empty roads. Eris didn’t comment when he exceeded the speed limit, and either he didn’t care, or he would later send those fines directly to Azriel’s address, but right now, it didn’t matter because Azriel was enjoying the ride.

The trip passed in a kind of silence, broken only by the radio. Honestly, Azriel had no idea what to talk about with Eris. Mechanisms? Internal combustion engines? Idiot clients, since they both dealt with people daily? And why should he think about conversation topics when he was the one invited on the date?

Eris didn’t seem bothered by the silence at all; he occasionally got distracted by his phone, responding to some messages, making Azriel feel like his personal driver.

“Can you say something?” he said, trying not to sound too irritated.

Eris looked up at him, muttering something under his breath as he put his phone into his jacket’s inner pocket.

“Yeah, sorry, no work today, I’m all yours,” he said in his easy manner. A pause, as if thinking about what to talk about, before he added, “Do you like cars?”

Azriel couldn’t help but smirk. They both laughed at the question.

“Do you like courts?” Azriel countered.

“Not really,” Eris shook his head. “But I like winning in them if that says anything.”

“How unexpected.”

Eris smirked, and Azriel glanced at him as they stopped at a red light. He looked relaxed. Not that different from the arrogant jerk who had barged into his workshop a week ago, but something was different about Eris now. Some tangible lightness that was hard to ignore. Maybe...

No. No way, Azriel mentally forbade himself and his thoughts from going down that path. He didn’t need extra thoughts about Eris Vanserra, who already was present enough in his life in person, to also bother him mentally.

“Turn left here,” Eris reminded, apparently sensing that Azriel had drifted into thoughts. Cursing, he turned the wheel and took the necessary turn. “Almost there.”

Another two minutes and they indeed arrived. Azriel raised his eyebrows and then looked at Eris with an unspoken question, ‘Are you serious?’

“A car showroom,” he said dryly.

“Does that surprise you so much?” Eris smirked, getting out of the car. Azriel followed suit.

“Yeah, because first, the official opening is only the day after tomorrow. And second, it’s not a trivial place for a date.”

Eris shrugged, heading towards the massive building with a glass roof. Azriel walked with him, expecting some sarcastic comment in response.

"I invited you on a date in a non-trivial way too," Eris said, and Azriel wanted to roll his eyes. "However, this place is open. They're preparing for the motor show, closed previews, and other thematic stuff."

He sounded like someone who couldn’t be bothered with such details. And that was no surprise. If Azriel were a wealthy lawyer with his own firm and millions in his pocket, he wouldn’t delve into the specifics either. However, there was something about how Eris had chosen the place for their date.

"And here I thought we’d just go to some Michelin restaurant," Azriel joked. Eris chuckled.

"I don’t think you’d like it," he said. And damn, could he not sound like he genuinely thought about this and Azriel’s feelings? "Besides, I wasn’t sure you had a suitable suit to get us inside per the dress code. Though, I miscalculated the latter."

There he was. The bastard from last week in his workshop.

"Thanks, I was starting to doubt you had a kind twin brother who isn’t a complete jerk," Azriel said, trying not to think about the grin spreading across Eris’s annoyingly attractive face after his words.

"Didn’t want to disappoint you."

With that, they walked inside. The showroom wasn’t crowded, mostly young guys and girls with badges bustling around. A few people in suits who were inspecting the expensive cars with an air of importance.

All around the perimeter of the building stood, moved into position, and roared with their engines, sleek, stylish supercars. Well, not just supercars, of course: there were plenty of regular models too, but a lot of attention was given to flashy sports roadsters and speedsters.

Eris greeted an acquaintance who looked like a local worker. Azriel didn’t really pay attention to the conversation, instead saying a quick “I’ll take a look around,” as he wandered off to check out the cars.

Okay, maybe Eris did know where to take him. Maybe he liked it here. Maybe this date wasn’t as disastrous as Azriel had feared. But he wouldn’t say that out loud.

He felt Eris’s eyes on his back as he walked along the rows of cars. Nevertheless, for now, Azriel was more interested in examining the metal works of art before him.

When he turned back, he saw a young woman in a dark green dress that left little to the imagination, talking to Eris. She was pretty, smiling, clearly trying to engage him in conversation. Well, it wasn’t surprising – Eris was objectively attractive, and his presence at a closed preview was a clear sign of wealth. However, something inside irked Azriel because the girl was talking to what seemed like his date.

Azriel approached Eris from behind, catching himself almost putting his hand on his waist. What was wrong with him today?

“Hey,” he said in a dry tone to the girl, who seemed to get the hint but wasn’t quite ready to back off.

“Hey,” she replied, looking at Eris as if he should decide who would stay with him. “Actually, we were talking…”

“About how I’m with someone else,” Eris finished for her, hiding his indifference behind a polite smile. “Have a good evening.”

The girl quickly retreated, but Azriel noticed out of the corner of his eye that she had already found another visitor to flirt with.

“Good conversation?” he asked.

“Jealous?” Eris smirked, teasing. He turned to him so they were now standing face to face. And in Eris’s russet eyes, Azriel seemed to see a flicker of fire.

“No,” Azriel shook his head, mirroring the smirk. “But I remember someone promised they’d be mine tonight.”

“And I intend to keep my word.”

The same worker Eris had greeted earlier approached them. They exchanged pleasantries with Azriel, after which the guy gave them something like a tour of the place because, as Eris himself said, “I don’t understand anything here.”

By the end of the tour, they were given a chance to ride in a concept Subaru “performance” car in an open area, and after that, Azriel surrendered and admitted he hadn’t expected anything like this from Eris.

Of course, it was nothing like a regular date, or even just a date – but he had more fun from this kind of outing than if they had spent these hours in some stuffy restaurant over dinner, nervously trying to find a topic of conversation.

Damn, he was having fun. He genuinely enjoyed spending time here, at the car show, riding in the latest sports cars, while Eris grumbled that he didn’t feel any difference, which only forced Azriel to start explaining to him the conceptual differences between Japanese and Chinese sports cars, as if Eris would understand and grasp any of it. But even so, Eris listened to him, kept grumbling, but listened.

After Eris’s acquaintance left, saying he had shown them everything, and seemingly got the hint that it was time to go – Azriel wasn’t sure, but it seemed that almost subtle nod of Eris’s head was indeed a sign for that – they headed to the bar on the second floor of the building. The place looked like a typical hangout spot for millionaires who went for drinks after playing golf or playing billiards, but it was almost empty. Just a few people at the tables and the bartender.

“How do you rate my date planning skills?” Eris asked with a smug smile, taking a seat at the bar and ordering two glasses of whiskey. Azriel rolled his eyes, sitting next to him but couldn’t help but smile.

“So far, a solid eight,” he said.

“Just an eight? I’m offended,” Eris replied dramatically, sighing in exaggerated disappointment.

Azriel chuckled, taking a sip of the whiskey placed in front of him. He didn’t doubt that Eris had already ordered a personal driver who would come and take them home, so he didn’t have to worry about the issue of drunk driving.

He also had no doubt about how seamlessly Eris fit into the bar’s atmosphere. Not just because he was wearing a suit worth several thousand dollars, no, Eris looked natural in this setting. Natural among the rich and wealthy, he was one of them.

“Everything okay?” Eris asked.

“Yeah,” Azriel nodded, snapping out of his thoughts. And why did everything always come back to money and social status? “It’s just not often I drink whiskey that costs as much as my car.”

Eris snorted, saying something like “fair enough.”

“This is a good date,” Azriel decided to say, thinking it would be rude to brush it off with just a joke after all the positive emotions he had experienced this evening.

“Did you just give me a compliment?” Eris looked at him with mock surprise.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Oh, but I want to hear more nice words from you,” Eris continued. “This is a huge progress from ‘you jerk, Eris’ or ‘go to hell, Eris,’ which I’ve been hearing all week.”

“Do you have a kink for praise?” Azriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“More like politeness, but who knows. I thought you tested everything in practice.”

Azriel snorted, Eris smirked and drank his whiskey. It was easy to talk to him. Azriel found himself thinking that he genuinely liked talking and even flirting with Eris. And that yes, he wasn’t a complete jerk, and he could be social.

And they talked. Quite a lot, as they managed to finish an entire bottle of whiskey, after which they debated whether they should order another one.

The evening ended with Eris’s driver taking them home. Azriel thought it was a good date. So good that for a second he thought that he would go on a second date too. tag list: @sizzlingstarlightsky @isnotwhatyourethinking @molcat07 @chairofchaos

[ironicandpunny]

“The Kid”, a Leonard “Bones” McCoy fic, written by me for @rainpelt25 as part of an art exchange!

Summary:

(Y/N) gets hurt on an away mission, and has to spend a prolonged period of time in the MedBay. Somehow, they manage to break through McCoy’s icy exterior, and walks away fully healed with a new friend.

Doctor Leonard McCoy was never one for people. Not really, anyway. Saving their lives and feeling successful about his own life as a result of that was one thing, but being friends and making small talk? Another thing entirely. Jim always made snide comments about his poor bedside manner for a reason, after all.

So, aside from Jim, and Spock when he wasn’t feeling like a snide, pompous asshole, McCoy didn’t really have very many people he’d consider “friends”. Coworkers or acquaintances at best, patients at worst, and he’d like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

Imagine his surprise, then, when he met (Y/N). Not new to the ship, but not old, either, (Y/N) didn’t oft frequent MedBay, except for checkups, and one time, a broken finger, so McCoy didn’t really know them that well. That is, until the mission on Aria IV, where they’d been part of the ground crew, and in some stupid ass way or the next, ended up with a handful of broken ribs, a broken nose, and a bevy of scratches of different depths to give any good doctor a run for their money.

Luckily for (Y/N), McCoy was a damn good doctor.

Of course, being himself, he ordered a week of bed rest, and two week’s light duty for them, and even demanded that the first week be spent right there in SickBay, where he could keep a close eye if something were to go awry. It seemed like a fair deal, but (Y/N) was none too happy about it.

“Doctor, I understand your concern, but three weeks? I’ll die of boredom.”

“Just be grateful it’s not ten, like the old days.” McCoy gruffed, still working dutifully on their ribs, having already set them and now carefully bandaging them.

The kid, as McCoy had taken to calling them, groaned, tossing their head back melodramatically, making McCoy chuckle, just a bit.

“Is there nothing you can do to make it go faster?”

McCoy rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Not unless you wanna risk fracturing them again.”

Another groan, no longer paired with the head toss. “You suck.”

“So I’ve heard.”

And with that, he was done wrapping their ribs, and he stepped away, looking them over one more time. “How d’ya feel, kid? And don’t say ‘bored’, or I swear to God in Heaven, I’ll smack you so hard, your grandchildren will feel it.”

The kid gulped, and lifted their shoulders. “Fine. You must have some pretty good stuff.”

“The best Starfleet can get their hands on. Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good, me too. I’ll get us some lunch.”

The replicator made easy work of getting something that suited both of their diets, and he brought the meal over to The Kid, sitting at their bedside, offering over a plate.

“And you’d better clear it.” He added jokingly, giving them a teasing grin.

“Yessir.” The Kid replied, just as jokingly, before digging in.

McCoy wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow, this became routine while The Kid healed up. He’d take one or two meals with them, and just chat, about nothing but everything all at once. He got to know them pretty damned well, from their favorite color, to where they were raised. It was… nice. He was almost sad when it was time for them to officially leave the MedBay.

“Are we still gonna do lunch tomorrow?” The Kid asked, just before leaving.

McCoy chuckled, and shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. “If you want.”

They blinked, as if shocked, and barked a confused laugh. “Of course I want. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

The question settled into McCoy, into his very bones and being, and he found himself nodding. “Guess we are.”

He wasn’t sure how it happened; He hadn’t been trying to make friends, but somehow, by some means, he and The Kid were friends. And he'd do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way.

[trash-king18]

M pt. 2

warning y’all now this is gonna have a lot of parts and they’re all long, sorry. but i put more time and effort into this than i care to admit so i might as well see if it’s enjoyed by others. 

cw: 18+ minors dni, talk of injections/needles, angst, arguing, both reader and miguel have attitude for days, hints of family trauma, oral f receiving, m masturbation

4004 words

————

you had planned on staying to work overnight just to spite him but about 20 minutes into the prep work the adrenaline wore off and your eyelids started drooping. so you put the venom vials in the fridge and headed back to your apartment. 

the other reason you two had an odd connection is because unlike all the spider people; who went back to their own universes between jobs, you lived in Nueva York pretty much full time. besides the occasional vacation to explore other earths and some weekends spent with your sister and her kids, it was just you, lyla, and Miguel. 

Gwen Hobie and Pavitr always asked why you chose to stay here with “the grump”. they were good kids, and even though you weren’t a doctor they frequented your lab for “checkups.” you always told them the same thing, “better tech here,” it was easier than explaining the real reason. 

you enjoyed seeing your sister and your beloved little nephews when you could, but there wasn’t much keeping you back on your earth.

your spider man wasn’t able to protect your earth anymore, so you felt it was your personal mission to help however you could. miguel didn’t know it, but your spider man had been your brother. he ended up marrying a girl from your neighborhood who you quickly came to admire as a sister and they had two boys before.. the incident. when another spider-man showed up with a watch and the sweetest AI you’d ever met asking for your help for her boss, you jumped at the opportunity. anything to get you out of there. 

—

you hadn’t seen Miguel at all that day. from what you overheard in the food courts there was some important mission, that as per usual he divulged to no one. you asked Lyla to notify you as soon as he returned, sometimes you felt you and her were the ones really holding the multiverse together. Miguel may have done the heavy lifting, but Lyla kept him organized and you kept him from breaking everything in the building when he got mad. 

Lyla popped up on your watch at about 8:30 that night to let you know when he arrived. an inconvenience considering you were comfortably on your couch in an oversized hoodie. 

“he’s back, but I’m not sure you want to talk to him right now. 

“that usually means i definitely have to “talk” to him. i’ll head over with his injection now. Is he at HQ? 

“uhm… I’m not- 

“he’s either on a mission, or in his office.. brooding. he’s really quite predictable. 

“he’s not at HQ he went straight home this time. 

Oh great, now you’ll have to go over to his apartment 

“ugh of course he did” 

“maybe it’d be best if you just wait until tomorrow morning.” 

“no no he needs an infusion, it’s been almost two  weeks now and his symptoms are already worse than we’ve seen in a while.” 

“just be careful, you know how he gets.” 

“believe me Lyla I know, but I specialize in calming down the infamous grump, literally it’s what you hired me for” 

“let me know how it goes?” 

“of course” 

you pull on your jordan’s and head up to the lab quickly to grab his treatment before heading to his apartment. you’d never been there, you didn’t even know where it was, but Lyla sent you the address. you were expecting a lifeless bachelor pad downtown so you were confused when you found yourself outside the door of a top floor penthouse suite. you knew he had a house… somewhere from a long time ago but you weren’t surprised he didn’t want to live there. besides this was much closer. 

you take a deep breath fully expecting him to not even answer or slam the door in your face but you knock anyway. 

you wait, and of course there’s so answer, you start to turn around to leave when you hear the lock click. 

when he opens the door you do not expect what comes next. the self serious super hero, who you’ve never seen out of his suit, is wearing loose gray sweats a skin tight black tee and his hair is wet and slicked back clearly fresh from the shower. you swallow hard. 

the confusion on his face quickly turns to anger. 

“what the hell are you doing here?”

“Lyla uhm.. sent me the address. you were gone all day so I didn’t get a chance to do you your treatment today.” 

he huffs as he shakes his head causing some of his hair to fall into his face

“fine just give it to me I’ll do it” 

“not a chance, i don’t trust that you actually will 

he stands, taking up the whole doorway. 

“nice hoodie” 

you had completely forgotten you were still wearing your spider-man hoodie. It was some corny spider merch you had snagged from a gift shop right before moving to this earth. It was stupid but it reminded you of your brother and you always wore it when you were upset. Suddenly self conscious you felt even smaller than normal standing in front of him. 

“oh I uh-“ 

He smiles evilly at your apparent embarrassment, you were usually so put together and would never let him make fun of you. So he decided to relish in this moment. 

“you should wear that to work, then you can be just like the rest of us” 

you scowl at him

“will you just let me do this so I can go home” 

he stops smiling 

“we’ll do it tomorrow” 

he starts to close the door in your face but you’re tired, you’ve had a long week and most importantly you know he can’t go much longer without the infusion before something bad happens. 

so before he can close it you push your way past him ducking under his arm into his apartment. his guard is either down or he was too surprised youd even dare to do so because it would’ve been too easy to stop you if he wanted to. 

“no, no, he tenido suficiente de ti, estamos haciendo esto ahora.”

no no i’m tired of you we’re doing this now

“H- Hey! you can’t just—“

you pause in shock as you look around and see a tediously organized apartment filled with plants, that smelled of home cooked meals, and surprisingly zero holes punched in the walls. 

he grabs your arm to start pulling you out but you move before he can. no spidey sense meant you actually could catch him by surprise if you were quick enough. 

“ay carajo o’hará this place is nice i’m shocked. are you making tamales? i wouldn’t have taken you for a chef.”

he just stares at you incredulously and watches you walk over and pick one up and start eating

“and a good cook too, your mother would be proud” 

“you’re.. in my apartment” 

“yes? clearly. sit down let’s get this over with” 

“so you barge into my apartment uninvited and now you’re telling me what to do?” 

“i mean really, you’re just stating the obvious, now can you please hurry up? i’m not putting up with your nonsense again today.” 

you put the case on the counter and take the IV out and start getting it ready. you can tell he doesn’t like this at all and you’re not necessarily a fan either. it’s weird seeing him like this… human, almost. 

“sit.” 

finally he gives in, figures the sooner it’s done the sooner he can get you out of his apartment. unfortunately you’re not in the lab which means you have to set up a portable pole but getting it high enough for him even when he’s sitting is difficult. 

“can you.. uhm” 

“seriously? ay dios mío” 

he adjusts the height and then hangs the bag before sitting back down. you pull your gloves on before you start trying to find the vain. he leans back against the counter, your eyes dart up every so often as you insert the needle and start the drip. He watches you work, fascinated by how you manage to boss him around. 

once the infusion starts it usually takes at least an hour or two to finish, but in no world do you want to wait in Miguel’s apartment with him for hours. 

you clear your throat uncomfortably and start to head for the door 

“I trust you can handle the rest, do NOT take it out until it’s done o’hara i’m serious” 

he only grunts in response. you turn before you open the door he’s leaning over the counter rubbing his temple. you’re about to leave, you know you should. you curse yourself internally for what you’re about to do. 

“o’hara?”

“hmm?” he doesn’t open his eyes 

“are you ok?” 

he opens his eyes and looks at you caught off guard by the genuine concern in your voice. 

“estoy bien” 

im fine

“ok” you start to open the door but stop yourself again “it’s just— you haven’t gone this long without  a treatment and last night..” 

you trail off and he peers at you with that animal curiosity like he’s scanning every inch of your body for any movement, any sign of weakness

“last night you just seemed a little uh” 

“a little ~what~” 

you don’t feel like pushing the subject with him and you’re tired.

“nothing, forget i asked” 

his eyes are closed again but he sighs and asks suddenly ,

“tienes hambre?”

are you hungry 

“are you ~inviting~ me to eat.. in your apartment?” 

he shoots you a look that says not to push your luck, but all he says is “plates are left of the sink.” before closing his eyes again. you can’t lie the first one you had was good, you wouldn’t mind another. you notice that he has the ingredients out for fresh guacamole including a molcajete. he doesnt seem much in the mood for cooking so you start chopping up the ingredients yourself. 

“don’t do that” 

“why you’re clearly not in any shape to be cooking” 

“i made the tamales just fine didn’t i?” 

“whatever” 

“seriously don’t mess with my recipe” 

“relax my mamá taught me how to make the best guacamole in brooklyn heights” 

he gets up, “well my abuelitas recipe was the best in all of mexico, so i think i’ll do the cooking” 

“are you disrespecting my mamas cooking?” 

“oh no no no, no empieces, you started this” 

don’t start

he grabs you essentially picking you up and moves you over. you’d never seen him like this, not necessarily no guard but more relaxed, less of a grump just tired and overworked. he was only a few years older than you but you always forgot. 

he finished chopping and starts putting it together. his knife skills are impressive. 

“do you do this every night” 

“ahh no, much to busy for that but i try to do it as often as i can” 

“can’t blame you, must be better than the food court at HQ” 

“don’t tell me that’s all you eat” 

“god no, but between working with Lyla, your treatments, and my family it can get difficult to find time for myself.”

he’s quite for a moment “family?” 

“oh uhm yeah i uh try to see my sister in law and her kids as often as possible, she’s raising them on her own now so I help out when i can” 

“their father? your brother?” 

now it was your turn to be quiet. you don’t know why you started talking about it, you never do, even with your sister. this was your first time even bringing it up to someone else in years. you didn’t realize your eyes were wet. when you don’t answer he turns. 

he puts the knife down when he notices you’re upset 

“sorry i didn’t mean to-“ 

“no it’s fine, i uh- i should go, thanks for the food” 

“y/n” 

“make sure you leave that in, i’ll see you at work tomorrow” 

“y/n” he shoots a web onto the door handle before you can open it

he walks over to you, not as stealthy as normal with the iv pole dragging behind him

“o’hara i’m not in the mood for this right now”

he reaches past you to lock the door behind you. 

“i’m serious”

“you’re upset.”

“hadn’t noticed.”

“ya know when i’m trying to be nice it would help greatly if you didn’t have to have such an attitude.” 

you look at him unimpressed

“im latina, what do you want” 

“the truth”

“about what?”

“why you’ve been extra grouchy this week”

“i am not-“

“yes. you are”

“i don’t owe you any explanation.”

he does that things were he growls just slightly except from him it actually does sound more like a growl. you two have been stepping closer and closer as the argument gets more heated. his accent comes out even more when he’s angry 

“ay coño must you be so infuriating all the fucking time”

“excuse me?”

you’re face to face now… well more face to chest. 

“you heard me cariño”

honey

“don’t call me that”

“why.. would you prefer bonita, princesa” 

he’s teasing you, pressing your buttons, but it was pissing you off extra right now

you shove him back, or at least try 

knock it off miguel 

there it was. they way you said his name. he catches your hand and holds it in place on his chest 

“say it again”

“what?”

“my name, dilo otra vez”

say it again.

his grip on your wrist is firm, he towers over you. 

“what is wrong with you”

his voice is low now, it comes out coated in venom and something else 

“don’t make me repeat myself again cariño”

he leans down into you his hand hovers over your hip, waiting. you know this behavior is most likely because of him going so long without treatment. and even though he’s bigger and stronger you can’t help feel like you’re taking advantage of him. 

“miguel”

after hearing his name he slides his hand onto you and starts pulling you in

“no. stop this isn’t you i can’t let you do this.”

but he doesn’t let go he just dips his head down toward your ear, his breathing is heavy and he’s hot, physically more so than usual. 

“do you want me to(stop)”

you hesitate, but he’s so close and you feel like he’s been teasing you since last night pulling you in then pulling away. 

“yes.”

“you’re lying.”

“..yes.” 

his control is slipping he can feel it, even with the iv slowly working its way through his blood. but you’re here in front of him and you can’t even tell him you don’t want it. 

he pulls away again and right before you can tell him off you realize why. 

he’s carefully pulling the needle from his arm. 

“o’hara no.”

but he takes it out anyway and then turns back to you as the needle drops to the ground. he walks you back into the door and places his hand on your hip again as the other works it’s way to your face. 

“Miguel you need th-“

he shushes you. every time you say his name like that, so soft and quiet, it goes straight down to his core. he tries to ignore it usually, the way that it ignites the urge to hear you whine and moan as you say it. the injections make it easier, so did convincing himself that he only felt that way because of the spider dna. but the human in him wanted you just as much if not more. 

his thumb drags gently over your bottom lip. his scarlet eyes drag over you slowly. 

he feels every twitch and pulse as your body responds to him. 

neither of you speak as he leans in. you pray despite yourself he doesn’t pull away this time. his lips hover over yours for a moment before he gently tugs your lips with his teeth. his fangs don’t cut you but you can feel them pressing into your skin. 

you’re impatient, you’ve done this dance twice now. so you lean in to kiss him but he doesn’t let you. he wants to take his time. for both your sakes. 

he brushes your lips again with his torturing your skin with light touches. his hand holds your face to his while the other keeps you pressed up against him. 

and finally 

finally he kisses you. it’s gentle. he breathes you in as he does it knowing that he won’t be able to remain restrained much longer. 

he pulls back a half an inch your eyes both still closed just breathing in sync before he moves back in capturing your lips in another kiss. this one starts gentle but slowly he increased the pressure. trying to get closer to you somehow. you kiss back, your tongue darting out slightly to feel his fangs. a risky move but you couldn’t help it, although clearly it affects him because as you do he reaches around you and effortlessly picks you up caging you against him as your legs wrap around his waist. 

his kisses start to grow more rushed, his hands grab for flesh where he holds you. he walks you to the counter like you weigh nothing and sets you down keeping himself between your legs. you feel him begin to strain against his sweatpants. you reach down and rub against it with your palm making him hiss. his breathing grows ragged. 

when he speaks his voice is husky 

“ay fuck”

he drops his head into your shoulder but his claws start to dig into the counter top. you have no idea how much this affects him, and he doesn’t want to hurt you so he holds back but you’re making that increasingly hard. 

he grabs your hands and places them both on his shoulders and tries to catch his breath while he gently sucks the flesh on your neck and below your ear, but he doesn’t leave a mark. his hands move to hold your waist under the sweatshirt and his warm hands on your skin feel fantastic 

“Migue.. 

(fuck)

Miguel”

(fuck)

he answers between kisses 

“qué es cariño”

what is it honey

“stop holding back”

“no puedo, i won’t risk it”

i can’t 

“por qué”

why

“i could hurt you”

“you won’t” 

you can feel how badly he wants to let go and you’re determined to get him to. you lean back on the counter pulling him with you. he pulls against you but you hold him tightly and he can’t resist you. you start to pull your sweatshirt up slightly hoping he’ll get the message. he pulls up to kiss you again clearly struggling with the decision for a second but ultimately his lust wins out. he pushes it up further kissing down your stomach. you feel his fangs pushing against his lips but he does his best to keep them from cutting you. your hands still rest on his shoulders as he works his way down. but the closer he gets the harder it is for him to control himself. he looks up at you with heavily lidded eyes as he reaches the band of your shorts. you just nod. 

he takes a deep breath trying to steel his nerves but he knows if he continues there’s no way back. but he wants it he wants you consequences be damned. 

his claws rake against your skin gently as he begins to pull them off causing you to shiver and your back to arch into his touch. it just eggs him on. 

he stares at your open legs in awe before pressing his nose to you. you wait for him to start but he just grabs your hips pressing you deeper into him. he holds you there like a fiend breathing you in and he finally looks up at you and his eyes are different now. there’s a different depth to the hunger within them. he’s never looked more serious. he’s drunk on you and he knows you know it. he lowers his head again swipes all the way from your folds to the bud collecting all the slick and swirling it around before moving back down. his tongue pushes in trying to get as much of you as possible. his bare fangs press into your skin and the feeling sends waves of adrenaline through you. his hands grip you harder nails digging into your skin as your hand tangled into his damp hair. your breath came out in ragged moans and soft curses as he pressed his nose to your clit. he mumbled muffled praises into your skin that you couldn’t understand. he worked you up to the edge multiple times before pulling back just to hear you whine for him. 

now your legs were trembling and you were praying for relief. his eyes were blood red and full of greed. 

“ruegame”

beg me

“miguel miguel please” 

“oh cariño, no te preocupes i’ll take care of it” 

your nails dig into his shoulders as he slowly and torturously works you to finish. he doesn’t pull back when he’s done either he stays and relishes in the mess he’s made. he eats until he’s full and then presses a nice red mark into your inner thigh with his fangs for good measure. he stands and pulls you up so you’re sitting again. your breathing is both quick and ragged. you looked down and noticed that he must have been using his other hand to relieve himself. 

a shame 

when your breathing slows you realize hes leaning into you with his arms on either side. but something seems off,

“miguel..”

his eyes are closed and he seems to be swaying slightly

“miguel hey look at me”

he blinks hard trying to hold his balance before slumping into you

“shit o’hará don’t do this to me now”

you push him up and rush to pull both your clothes back into place before hastily ushering him to couch. he practically collapses. 

you run to grab the iv and a clean needle and bring it over to him. he doesn’t open his eyes or respond when you place it in. you’d seen this before, when he’d missed infusion treatments for too long and then overextended himself. he’d be fine but it definitely wasn’t ideal. 

mostly he just needed to sleep it off, so that’s what you let him do. it was almost 11 now, he was out cold. you couldn’t move him to bed and you were just waiting for the drip to finish. so there was nothing left for you to do unless you wanted to spend the night on his living room chair.

so you left him a note on the coffee table. 

My lab, first thing tomorrow. I need to do a physical and run a blood test to make sure the infusion wasn’t messed up. 

you weren’t sure if you should write anything else so you decided to leave it short and simple and figured you could talk about everything tomorrow. 

when you got to work Lyla popped up next to you. 

“so? How’d last night go?” 

Huh?… oh uhm fine yeah he was being… difficult as always so I’m gonna do a quick check up. can you make sure he comes to my lab as soon as he gets here. 

“oh.. he’s not gonna be in for a while he left for a solo mission early this morning.”

“ugh of course he did. well do you know when he’ll be back. 

“not sure sweets, he went dark but i’ll let you know as soon as i get in touch with him ok?”

“yeah yeah that’d be great”

“you sure everything’s alright hon?” 

“yeah lyla i’m good thanks, i’m gonna get to work.” 

[tadpoleatemybrain]

How In the Hells?

Astarion x gender-neutral Generi-Tav (I don't make good Tavs T_T)

Words: 1k-1.5k

Tw: pregnancy, mentions of abortion

"What?" The question left Astarion’s lips before he could even attempt to stop himself. Confusion and disbelief were transparent in his expression. Voice soft and questioning. Not the reaction anyone would have anticipated from someone who had just been told he was about to become a father. The doctor even seemed a bit surprised. Reactions to this particular revelation varied wildly, but they usually leaned more towards happiness or unhappiness, not disbelief.

"You're sure?" Tav questioned, seeming equally doubtful. 

"Yes, the tests were all positive. You’re pregnant." The doctor confirmed, growing a bit weary. Why was a couple with this configuration confused that pregnancy had occurred? Of course, said couple hadn’t been…entirely truthful. As they couldn’t know everyone’s general opinion on vampires it had been in their best interest to conceal that little detail. Mostly just covering the neck holes. Hoping the red eyes and paleness could be explained away.

"Yay, darling, we're so excited, aren't we?" Astarion said with feigned excitement, an attempt to gloss over his first reaction. A smile painted on as he took Tav's hand. Yet, both looked into each other's eyes bewildered. 

This wasn't a possibility they had ever considered and therefore taken no steps to prevent...obviously. They had assumed one partner being undead had removed that potential. Naturally throwing caution to the wind during what most would have considered their honeymoon. 

What a honeymoon it had been too. Traveling the coast, hunting monsters, resting in each other's arms every night. Just the two of them. Truly everything the couple could have hoped for and then some. It had only been cut short by Tav's sudden fatigue and consistent nausea. Quickly pivoting to getting to the closest settlement and seeking out whatever healer they had available. Fortunately, the first village they found had a doctor.

The pair listened to the doctor inform them of what to expect, what steps to take, and when they should come back for checkups. Yet, the words weren't quite sticking. How could they when the doctor was speaking on a normal pregnancy and nothing about this was normal. They didn’t dare to bring this up to the doctor either, doubting that he would have any experience on this topic.

When the two were finally alone again, the act dropped. Able to fully expose their confusion and panic. 

The two lines were spoken simultaneously. 

"How in the hells am I pregnant?!" 

"How in the hells are you pregnant?!" 

It was almost a relief for the two to share the sentiment. Able to trust each other enough not to minimize their reactions. However, their opinions on the matter couldn’t be any more different. One was filled with a sense of hope and joy and the other could only feel dread.

“This is…this is…wow. Unexpected definitely. Gods, what are we going to do?” Tav asked.

"Well, obviously, we need to get rid of it. The sooner, the better." Astarion stated. Firmly believing that nothing good could come of this. That this had to be some sort of fluke or worse some sort of curse. What would cause him to think any other way?

So many questions filled his mind. Who did one even call for that? How did that procedure even work in this scenario? Could it? Where would they have to go? If anyone knew this information it certainly couldn't be common. Hells Astarion didn’t even know a word for this whatever this thing inside of Tav was. Could it even be called a baby?

"What?" Tav asked as if the wind had been knocked out of them. This miraculous gift had been given to them, and he didn't want it? Shouldn't he be overjoyed? An opportunity to have a family together. Something they had thought they had to abandon. Yet here it was.

"You've already had one parasite inside you, you want another?" 

"A parasite?! It's a child! Our child!" Tav shouted. Clearly pissed at the comparison. A baby wasn’t a mind-flayer tadpole. 

“We have to assume it's at least partially a vampire and what do vampires need? Blood. Where is the blood Tav? Inside you. Where is the baby? Also inside you! Do you not see the problem?!”

"I've sustained you, haven't I?! I think I can handle another!" They retorted.

"That’s different. I have consciousness. I have control. I want to protect you. That-" He pointed to their stomach. 

"doesn't. All it wants to do is live and it will, even at your expense. Gods, why is this even an argument?!" The vampire replied exasperated. Running his hand through his hair. Why was he so much more concerned about the ramifications of this than Tav was? It was their life that was in jeopardy. They sunk into a chair. It would be a lie to say that they weren’t concerned at all. His points were valid, but there was a counterpoint to be made.

“What if it’s not even a vampire at all? What if that can’t be passed down? It could be a half-elf.” What if the elf part was all that could be passed on? If that was the case then the largest part of his concerns went out the window. A half-elf pregnancy wasn’t uncommon. Surely something any doctor could handle.

“That feels incredibly optimistic. Do forgive me for not sharing in it, but we have to think in the worst case.” Given how most things in his life had gone it wasn’t odd for him to believe that things would continue to go wrong. Optimism was still quite new to the vampire.

"Astarion, we can figure this out. One way or the other. After everything we've been through I think we can handle a baby. What if…what if we never have another chance?" Tav looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"We've been fine without it and we already planned a life without it. Why is that suddenly ch-" Tav cut him off.

"Because we didn't think we could, but now we can. That has changed everything." They stood up and took his hand.

"You're set on this aren't you?" He sighed as his thumb rubbed over the back of their hand.

"Please, can we at least try? If-if it gets bad we’ll get help.” There were a few people they could turn to. How helpful they would be in this particular instance…well that would remain to be seen. Of course, they were going to look into this as much as possible before they decided to get anyone else involved. There were dozens of libraries on the coast including Candlekeep, surely at least one of them would have something regarding this. However, getting into Candlekeep was easier said than done.

“Alright, but if this goes terribly I won’t hesitate. I just got you Tav, and I won’t be losing you so soon. I can’t…” Tav heard the break in his voice and pulled him into a hug. 

“I think you’re worrying too much. We just need to change some plans, do a little research and everything will be fine.” They said reassuringly.

“This does change all of our plans doesn’t it?” They couldn’t continue to travel and slay monsters with a little one in tow. Now they would have to consider settling down, getting steady jobs, and putting down roots. All things they had intended to do at some point, but now so much sooner than before and with one other to account for.

“Mhmm, but we’ve always been pretty good at adjusting plans.” Tav looked up at him with a soft smile.

“A rogue is nothing if not adaptable.” Astarion agreed.

[readyplayerhobi]

Because, I Love You | 08

Jungkook x Older!Reader

; Genre: Fluff, angst,

; Word Count: 3.4k

; Warnings: Mentions of blood, discussions of miscarriage, slight breakdown, mental health discussion, grief

; Synopsis: According to society, Jeon Jungkook should not be with you. He should be with a younger, hotter and thinner girl instead of wasting his time on you. It’s a good thing Jungkook doesn’t care what society thinks then.

; A/N: New banner for this series as well! And this chapter deals with the aftermath of the previous chapter, which will see them discuss how they are feeling/how they coped with the miscarriage. If you’ve ever had a miscarriage, then please only read if you are comfortable with it! And for any guys who read this and have experienced this, I hope you found the support you needed as well, and remember for everyone that there is no ‘right’ way to grieve. If you enjoyed this, please let me know by sending an ask or leaving a comment, and reblog it (with warnings) for others to read!

; Masterlist

-

You’re not sure if there’s a right or a wrong way to grieve a miscarriage, especially when the pregnancy hadn’t even been planned. Were you mourning enough? Or was it too much? When was an acceptable time to stop crying? Or had you already passed that point?

In reality, you knew that there was no right or wrong answer. You’d struggled with this at first, just trying to comprehend that you weren’t pregnant anymore. That something had caused your body to decide this wasn’t the time to have a baby. The problem with something as confusing and intimate as a miscarriage was that your emotions and feelings were all over the place.

At first, you’d sobbed into Jungkook’s arms when the gynaecologist had confirmed that you were miscarrying. The first thing she’d told you upon returning, after letting you both have a moment, was that it was highly unlikely that anything you’d done had caused the miscarriage. That miscarriages were very common for women, with ten to twenty per cent of pregnancies resulting in miscarriages, which was thought to be a low number. 

You’d stopped bleeding a week ago, and another checkup had confirmed that you’d passed the pregnancy and they didn’t need to intervene. The past week had been tough, as it felt like your body was heaving a sigh of relief now that the intensive physical effects were over, which meant that you were so damn tired. You’d taken a week of sick leave, and had now taken an extra week of vacation to just cope with everything and you’d spent most of it either asleep or lying in bed.

Part of you felt lazy, but an overriding part of you didn’t care. Jungkook had been struggling to get you to eat, and you knew that you were probably sinking into depression. The hardest thing, though, was knowing this and doing nothing about it. It was like watching yourself from outside your own body, and feeling frustrated but not being able to do anything.

Despite what your gynaecologist had said, you couldn’t help but blame yourself in some way. Ask if there was something better you could have done. Should you have eaten better? Exercised more? Is it because you were overweight? Maybe you’d been too stressed at work. That was perhaps the hardest part of it all - trying to find an answer that you knew didn’t exist. No matter what you think or the obsessive way your mind runs in circles…you know that you didn’t do anything to cause this.

Things like this happen, in humans and other animals. Nothing you could have done could have stopped it. But it’s so hard to acknowledge this, especially whilst it’s all still so fresh.

The prospect of having to go back to work next week and face people who had no idea was hard, and you weren’t entirely sure how you would do it. You didn’t want them to know, but at the same time you did, if just to make conversations easier. What if there were other women in the office who’d been through what you had? Maybe they’d have some advice. But at the same time, you were afraid they’d judge you. 

Why they’d do that, you don’t know, but you’ve long ago learnt that minds don’t rationalise things well sometimes. Part of you envied Jungkook, in that he hadn’t had to go through any of the physical trauma that you had and could continue with his life without ever having to remember that pain or hurt.

And then you’d feel instantly ashamed of thinking that because you wouldn’t wish what you’d gone through on anyone. Not to mention that you know Jungkook is grieving and suffering in his way. You can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him, to have to watch all of this from the outside and know he can’t do anything to help. And on top of that, it was his baby too.

Guilt wells within you, and you realise that you probably haven’t treated him as well as you should have for the last two weeks. Sure, you had extenuating circumstances, but it doesn’t settle well with you. 

Glancing over at the clock, you note that he’s been longer than he should have to just get a glass of water. It was just after nine o’clock at night, and you’d managed to spend the day out of bed. So you hadn’t left the house, but you’d at least busied your body and your mind with cleaning the house from top to bottom. You were tired now, so damn tired, and Jungkook had gone downstairs to the kitchen to get you both some water when you’d mentioned how thirsty you were.

That had been at half-eight, and apparently, you’d been too busy wallowing in your thoughts to notice his absence. Swallowing guiltily, you push back the covers and get up to go find him. 

It’s only when you’re halfway between the staircase and the kitchen that you hear a sniffle, and you freeze in place. Without hearing anything else, your entire body goes cold and your heart sinks at the noise. There’s only one reason you’d hear that from the kitchen, and you know he’s not watching TikTok or anything because his phone is back upstairs.

Padding to the kitchen door, you peer through and look inside. He hasn’t turned the light on, so the room is in darkness but you can make out the sight of him standing by the counter next to the sink through what light comes through the window. His oversized black shirt hugs his broad shoulders, and you note that he’s bracing himself against the counter.

The noise comes again, and you watch carefully as his shoulders jerk in time with it, before his hand comes up to his face. Gripping the door frame tightly, you take in the fact that he’s crying. And he’s doing it quietly, so you won’t hear.

“Jungkook?” Whispering his name out, his shoulders stiffen in response and you feel your heart break. You didn’t want to catch him out, nor did you ever want to make him feel like he needs to hide this from you, but clearly you have. Maybe he just didn’t want to talk about it with you, which makes your heart hurt even more.

“Are you…are you okay?” Moving over to him, you hesitate for a moment before placing a hand against his back. He feels stiff and uncomfortable in a way you’ve never felt before, but he’s not giving off any hostile vibes to you. More like he’s embarrassed to have been caught, which makes you even more sad.

“Talk to me, please.” Slowly, you let your hands slide around his sides until you’re hugging him, your cheek pressed to his back muscle whilst your palms stroke his stomach. Not in a sexual way, but in a soothing way. You want him to know you’re here for him. He’s been your rock for the last few weeks, and you’re his rock as well. Or so you hope.

“Sorry, it’s nothing.” Jungkook says, his voice filled with faux happiness but you can hear the way it wavers slightly. Squeezing him tighter, you ponder for a moment whether to let him carry on with his act, before deciding against it. He’s clearly hurting, and it’s only now that you realise that you’ve not talked about how he’s felt about the miscarriage. The focus medically and personally had been on you, given that it had been your body going through the miscarriage.

“It’s something, I know you. Please talk to me, I’m here for you just like you were here for me. Don’t hold back, talk to me.” You beg him, holding him tighter until he lets out a deep sigh that makes you rise and fall with him. If he doesn’t want to, then you won’t push anymore, but you don’t want him to feel like he has to keep quiet.

But then he lightly grasps one of your wrists, his fingers slightly cold against your skin as holds on tightly. Not in a way to hurt you, but almost to anchor himself. Then he takes another deep breath, but you hear the way it wavers and catches.

Almost immediately, you reach out to turn him around before cupping his cheeks in your hands. Even in the dim light, you see the way his eyes glisten with unshed tears and the shiny tracks down his face where they’ve already fallen. Seeing the clear signs of distress and upset on his face felt like someone just reached into your chest and twisted your heart.

“Baby…” 

Without saying anything else, you grab the two water bottles he’d filled up and left on the side before taking his hand and tugging at it gently. There’s a tiny bit of resistance from him before he gives in and lets you pull him along as you go back upstairs. Neither of you says anything, but you sit on the bed and pull the covers over your lap before looking at him expectantly with a welcoming smile.

There’s a brief second where he just stands there and looks down at the floor before letting out a deep sigh and crawling onto the bed. And then, of his own accord, he reaches out and takes your hand before squeezing it tightly.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but I’d really like it if you would. Please. You’ve been here for me these last two weeks but I’m here for you, too. Please don’t think you have to hide things from me, I don’t want that.” You beg, bringing his hand up to your mouth and pressing a kiss to it as if you can imprint your sincerity into his skin.

Jungkook doesn’t say anything for a moment, still as silent as ever but you get the sense that he’s on the verge, so you stay quiet as well. Let him come to you, now that you’ve made clear you’re here for him. Something like this, what he’s feeling and how he’s coping, can’t be pushed and you need him to feel comfortable with you.

Finally, he lets out another sigh but it’s far shakier and weaker than the previous one. Nose-length, wavy black hair obscures most of his eyes to you as he keeps his head bowed, but you see how he presses his lips together in a desperate attempt to keep it together. Quietly, you kiss his hand again and he finally breaks.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…I don’t know what to say. Or what I’m meant to say, and I…god I feel so stupid for getting like this.” He croaks out, pulling your entwined hands to press against his forehead in a clear sign of desperation. You can see his eyes now, and he’s got them closed. Despite that, you can easily see the puffiness and redness of his skin.

“Hey, don’t feel stupid. Whatever you’re feeling isn’t stupid, and you’re not meant to say anything. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I’m here for you, though, and you can talk to me about anything. Especially this. Please don’t hold it inside.” Jungkook sniffles again, his entire body jolting with the movement before he shakes his head slowly.

“It’s not, I mean - you were the one who went through this. I should be stronger for you, not falling apart like this and making you care for me. Not after what you’ve gone through.” Each word is thick with tears and you sigh quietly, wondering when you’d given him the impression that he wasn’t allowed to feel sad or upset. You’d thought your relationship was more honest than this, but you’re honest enough to acknowledge that you’ve been wallowing in your sorrow lately.

“Hey, don’t talk like that, okay? You were strong for me, and you still are. Don’t start any of that toxic masculinity bullshit, not now. It was your baby too, and even if you didn’t have to go through any of the physical pain then you’re still going through it mentally. So, talk to me. Even if you think you’re sounding selfish or dumb, I want to hear and be here for you in the same way you’ve been here for me.” And just like that, he bursts into heaving sobs that rack his whole body - two weeks' worth of hurt and pain and confusion that he’d hidden away finally coming to the fore.

Immediately, you pull him to you and wrap him up in your arms, letting your fingers run through his hair as you whisper soft words of assurance to him. It makes you want to cry, and already you have tears building at the sheer pain in his sobs. 

“I feel like such a bad person, I couldn’t do anything for you and I just had to sit and watch as you hurt and went through all this. And I couldn’t fucking do anything but just…sit there like a goddamn lemon. I’ve never felt so fucking useless because I couldn’t do anything! You were going through this horrible thing, and I was just…I was useless. You were so excited for the baby and then, suddenly, it was like…and I felt guilty! Because what if I’d done something to cause this? Maybe in my sleep, I moved weirdly and hurt you, and it was all my fault? 

“Or-or what if it was fate or whatever saying that I don’t deserve to be a dad yet? I know I’d said I was fine with it all but in the back of my mind, I kept thinking like…what if I’m not? What if I’m not ready to be a dad? What if I’ll hate it? Maybe I don’t actually want this, and then you were miscarrying and what if it was me? Did I cause it? Maybe the baby knew that I wasn’t fully invested or something and, like, I mean, it’s stupid I know but I can’t help thinking it and then I get so upset because I did want the baby and I did want to be a daddy but I was scared as well and I didn’t mean it! I didn’t, I swear I didn’t mean it!” 

His words are slurred together as he rushes to get them out, some of them catching in his throat as he sobs and you struggle to make sense of them sometimes. But you get the general gist and you want to cry with him. Jungkook had spent two weeks thinking things like this? The thought of it makes your heart break all over again and hug him tighter to you, pressing kisses to his head as he continues.

“And then, like, I mean, I just didn’t know what to do. Would people blame me? Am I even allowed to feel sad or upset because we didn’t even plan it? I know the nurse said that I would grieve too but like…it wasn’t happening to me. It was happening to you - I hadn’t done anything. It was all in your body, so why was I getting upset? But then I couldn’t make you feel good, I couldn’t take the pain away and you were already so much…I didn’t want to tell you any of this. I didn’t want to be a burden on you or make you feel like you needed to take care of me when you were going through this awful thing. I needed to be strong for you, not fall apart but it was so hard.” He pauses now and pulls away, pushing his hair out of his face before finally looking at you for the first time.

You’ve never seen him cry like this, and you feel guilty that he’d been holding all of this inside. That he’d felt he had to be strong and push all of his hurt and sadness and confusion to the side for you. But at the same time, you understand him. The attention has been on you for the last two weeks, and he’s just been on the periphery of it all. 

“Jungkook…baby, listen to me, okay? I’m sorry that I didn’t notice, and before you say anything - yes, I was going through a lot but that’s not an excuse. We’re partners, and you felt like you couldn’t rely on me. I love you, and I love you even more after these last few weeks because you’ve been the perfect partner for me. Taking such good care of me, making sure I’m eating and coping, giving me painkillers when I need them and sorting out the house. You’ve been amazing, and I’m…I’m so sorry that I didn’t see. You’re not a burden, and you never have been.” 

Cupping his face gently, you wipe away his tears before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his nose. He sniffles afterwards, looking embarrassed and shy, but you can already see a lightness to him, like getting it off his chest has made him feel better. Given how cathartic you find it to complain or rant about things, you know that you’re probably right.

“I just…I feel like I should’ve done better.” He whispers, his beautiful eyes watery with tears whilst his lip quivers.

“You did perfect, I swear. I know that you didn’t understand what I was feeling physically, but you’ve helped me so much. Please don’t think that you didn’t do enough, because you did. And don’t feel like you’re not allowed to grieve, it was your baby too. You didn’t do anything to cause this, just like I didn’t - believe me, I’ve blamed myself a million times but I know that, rationally, I didn’t do anything. These things happen, and that’s the same for you. Life isn’t punishing you or me, because I had the same thoughts you did. What if I wasn’t ready and I was just lying about it? What if I had the baby and I realised I hated being a mom? I think those are normal thoughts, and you’ve not been punished. Neither have I, it’s hard to come to terms with, but I swear it’s true.” Stroking his cheeks, you give him a reassuring smile even as more tears spill over onto his cheeks.

There’s not the same level of desperation behind them as before, and you sense that you’ve both turned a corner. Letting go of his face, you open your arms and gesture with your head towards the bed.

“Cuddle?” Jungkook nods, his expression almost a little shy and your heart aches at just how young he looks. Sure, he’s a fully grown adult and he’s only six years younger than you, but there’s an expression on his face that makes him look so lost. Given everything you’ve learnt about Jungkook, it hurts even more when you know how naturally empathetic he is so you can’t even begin to imagine how hard this has been for him.

Going through the process of miscarriage physically was something you never want to go through again, even if you can’t guarantee that, but you also can’t imagine having to stand on the sidelines and just watch it all happen. Knowing that you can’t do anything to change what’s happening, or make it feel better.

The two of you curl under the covers, and Jungkook presses his face into your chest as he curls into a ball. Sighing, you sling a leg over his hips and let your fingers play with his hair. He’s held you like this so many times for the last two weeks, and you feel a sense of satisfaction and peace that you can do the same for him.

“Grieve as much as you want, Jungkook. Don’t hold it in, okay? Don’t ever feel bad for whatever you’re feeling, and if you want to talk to me then do it. You can tell your friends if you want if you think they’ll help you if you want to talk through stuff that you’re not comfortable talking about with me. Or your therapist, whatever you choose…you’re not alone, okay? You’ve made me feel so loved and cared for, and I want you to know that I love and care for you just as much.” You kiss his hair, the only part of his head you can reach given he’s burrowed his face into you.

“Love you” He mumbles, and you more feel the words as they vibrate against your skin than hear him. Smiling, you hug him a little tighter and repeat the words back to him.

[buckysgrace]

Forty Two

“Billy,” Rosemary shouted from down the hallway, stirring his movements as he stared at the third cup of water he’d had that morning, “You have a phone call.” He looked over curiously, unsure of who would be calling. He was sure that she would tell him if it was Tommy. 

“Who is it?” He asked curiously as he rounded the corner, nervous that he was correct in his assumptions on who it may be. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Neil found out. It nearly sent him into a spiral, making him think of all the different things that Neil would do to hold it over his head. 

“I think it’s your parole officer,” She mumbled as she handed the phone towards him, “They’re probably ready to set up the drug test.” He froze for a second, doing his best to remain calm as he hoped it was just a checkup. 

“Hello?” He breathed out softly, already fearing the worst. His mouth felt dry suddenly, even after all the cups of water he’d just devoured. He had a feeling he’d drink a gallon by the time the phone call was over. 

“William Hargrove?” A male voice rang through on the other side, stern and raspy as he spoke. Billy thought about knocking his head against the walls, knowing that this was just his luck. He knew he’d regret the lines he did, yet he still did it. 

“Yeah.” Billy said gently, trying to act as relaxed as he could as he still felt Rosemary watching him. He didn’t need her hovering over him or for her to realize what he’d done. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to be alone again if she knew. 

“We need you here at twelve, you have the address?” The guy on the other line questioned him, sounding a little irritated. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, glancing towards where the address was strung up on a note on the fridge. He wondered if Rosemary would try and go too. 

“Yeah I do,” Billy responded as he pushed his hair back, “I’ll be there soon.” He said quickly, wondering if the guy knew how close to noon it already was. He didn’t think it was that far away, but decided he should leave a little earlier just to be safe. 

He put the phone down slowly, shutting his eyes tightly as he kept his fingers over the cool material. He breathed in deeply, counting to ten as he tried to keep the emotions in his chest from bubbling over. 

“Everything alright?” Rosemary asked softly as she took a step forward, looking at him curiously as she knitted her dark eyebrows together. He paused, licking his bottom lip as he debated if he should just tell her the truth. He was fucked. So fucked. 

“Yeah, it’s good. I just gotta be down there soon.” He said, giving his shoulders a weak shrug to pretend like he didn’t care. He chewed on his inner cheek, hoping that Susan hadn’t realized what had gone missing. He was certain she didn’t know, but still couldn’t help but be suspicious that someone had tipped them off. 

“It’ll be fine,” She said softly, “You’ve been clean so there’s nothing to worry about.” He nodded his head in agreement, wishing that was true. He had royally fucked up, that much he knew.

He made up an excuse of needing to finish getting ready as he headed down the hallway, feeling a rock sinking inside of his stomach. He knew there was a way around this, but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. He was desperate though. He couldn’t disappoint everyone again. 

“I need your help with something.” He said quickly as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him urgently. He peered in the room curiously, meeting blue eyes as a comic book was shuffled down. 

“What is it?” Russell asked a little too eagerly, looking excited as he sat forward. Billy felt slightly guilty suddenly, knowing how terrible this was all going to sound. It was terrible, but he didn’t know what else to do at the moment. He knew it would be better to be an adult and face his own consequences, but he didn’t want to make Kim upset again. He just needed Russell’s assistance. 

“Look,” Billy paused, unsure of how he was going to frame this, “I need you to piss in this.” He said a little sternly as he held a ziploc bag out towards him. 

“What?” Russell asked as his features melted into horror, “Why?” He asked incredulously, his nose wrinkling up as he quickly shook his head. Billy exhaled deeply through his nose, feeling like he should’ve known it would’ve been more difficult. 

“I need it.” He said simply, hoping that Russell wouldn’t ask him too many questions. He didn’t want to have to explain everything, to show how pathetic he was. It was embarrassing. 

“Why would you need my pee?” Russell asked, looking almost offended as Billy stepped forward to shush him. Billy glanced over his shoulder, ensuring no one else had heard before he decided that Russell would need to know the truth anyways. 

“Look,” Billy said as he bent to Russell’s level, “Mom told you about what happened, right?” Billy watched as Russell nodded his head slowly, “I took a lot of drugs on Halloween and I know it’s not out of my system yet. When they test me and it comes back positive, they’ll lock me back up. You don’t want that, do you?” He felt guilty for throwing the worst scenario out to Russell, but he didn’t know what else to do. He knew Russell wouldn’t question him about the drug use this way. 

“No,” Russell said quickly, “I don’t want that.” He said quickly, his blue eyes softening in worry as he sat at the edge of the bed. Billy crept back just a bit, trying not to be consumed with guilt. He hated taking advantage of him, but it was too late to stop now. 

“Then I need you to help me,” Billy said desperately, “Please. For me.” He replied a little softer, tilting his head as he waited for Russell’s response. He looked a little defeated as he stared at the bag, like he was still trying to decide if it was worth it or not. Billy didn’t blame him. 

“I just-,” Russell paused, “I pee in this bag?” He questioned a second later as he took it from Billy, looking a little disgusted at the whole ordeal. Billy paused, in agreement that it really was gross. 

“Yeah,” Billy nodded his head eagerly, “Just zip it up and I’ll take it from there.” He replied softly, hoping that Russell could get through this without blabbing to anyone else. Russell nodded for a second, looking a little distant before he got up and left. 

Billy paced the entire time he was gone, trying to convince himself that he was just paranoid from the come off of the drugs. He believed that Russell wouldn’t rat him out, but he couldn’t help but think that this was taking longer than usual. 

“You know this is really weird, right?” Russell asked seriously as he walked back into the room, carrying the bag of urine in one hand. Billy relaxed instantly, feeling a sense of relief spread through him. 

“Can you just-,” Billy sighed deeply, “I know. It won’t happen again, I swear.” He promised him, knowing that he wouldn’t ask Russell again. It was too risky and he didn’t want to end up hurting Russell in the end. Russell nodded his head softly as he passed the bag to him, before he turned and left again. 

It took him a few minutes to figure out how to tape it onto himself in the right manner, and then it took even longer to find a pair of pants that he was sure wouldn’t cause the baggy to explode all over him. He’d prefer to get through this without wearing Russell’s piss. He supposed Kim was right, his pants were slightly too tight. He wore a wife beater instead of a shirt, figuring he’d just pop on a large jacket to hide himself away a little better.

He felt awkward walking out, sure that everyone would notice what was happening. At the moment he really wanted a drink, or perhaps another line. That would make him feel more confident, like he was undefeatable.

“Are you going?” Rosemary looked towards him, a worried expression on her features as she walked towards him. He nodded his head, doing his best to remain stoic. He didn’t need anyone else to know just how badly he was freaking out on the inside. 

“What- Oh my God!” Susan proclaimed, nearly sending Billy stumbling onto his feet as she rushed forward at him. His veins turned to ice, sure that he had been caught as she roughly turned him around, “Oh my God!” She cried out, looking horrified as she tilted his shirt backwards. He froze for a moment, unsure of what she was freaking out about until he remembered what was decorating his skin.

“Pin up girl,” He smiled stiffly, trying to ease the tension, “S’nice right?” He tried, but he knew it was no use. Alma was good. Really good. His pin up girl looked just like Susan’s daughter. Their relationship had been exposed, so there wasn’t really any use in hiding it anymore. He cursed himself for being so stupid for leaving his tattoo so easily exposed. 

“Sam! Oh my God,” She repeated with her eyebrows furrowed together, “You let this happen?” She looked towards Sam in disbelief, her lips parted in horror as she looked back onto the tattoo again. She made Billy jump by rubbing it, as if to confirm that it was real. 

“He’s eighteen.” Sam pointed out, putting the newspaper down for just a second to peer at it. Billy smiled sheepishly, suddenly a little concerned with how hard Sam could hit. He wondered if this would be a breaking point for him. He quickly erased the thought, watching as Sam returned back to reading. 

“Look at it!” Susan replied shrilly, shaking her head as she looked at Billy in stunned terror. He paused, unsure of how to answer as he shrugged his shoulders. Rosemary joined a second later, looking like she was seconds away from bursting into a fit of laughter, “You think this is funny?” She snapped quickly. “No,” Rosemary admitted but was covering her mouth to hide her smile anyways, “I am just surprised is all.” She mumbled, trying to muffle her laugh as she walked away. Wayne was silent as he looked at Billy’s tattoo next, giving his shoulders a slight shrug before moving on. 

“Why would you think this is okay?” Susan looked up at Billy, her blue eyes wide as she searched his face to try and find an answer from him. He furrowed his eyebrows together, not sure if she’d like to know just how sporadic his decision had been. 

“Everyone keeps talking about us not working out,” Billy said quickly, a little irritated, “I figured this way I’ll have something to remember her bye.” He replied casually, pulling away so no one else could pick and stare at his skin. He walked around the corner, grabbing one of his large jackets to cover up with. 

“You don’t have an issue with him tattooing our daughter on his body, looking like that ?” Susan stopped in front of Sam, her hands on her waist as she waited for him to answer. Sam sighed deeply before he brought his eyes up towards her. 

“Susan, that seems like a pretty common pin up pose,” Sam mused softly, “Kim isn’t the only redhead. For all we know it could be based on you.” He suggested slyly as he folded the newspaper in half. Wayne snorted before he turned back to his own paper. 

“Samuel!” Susan protested, looking furious as her face lit up into red flames. Billy thought it was fair, knowing that Kim really did resemble her mother. 

“Or it’s just a coincidence,” Sam shrugged his shoulders, “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s a little tattoo.” He waved his hand, brushing her off as he waited for her to protest again. Susan exhaled loudly, looking around like she might find someone to help her. 

 “That’s your problem, you don’t get onto them.” She said at last, still sounding a little shrill as she held her hands on his waist. Sam cocked an eyebrow as he stood up. 

“What was I supposed to say? He didn’t ask me,” Sam shook his head, “That’s his and Kim’s business.” He responded, moving across the kitchen to quietly rinse out his mug and set it inside the sink. Susan walked with him, but kept a large gap between her and Rosemary as she moved. 

“They’re kids!” Susan protested, holding her hands out in disbelief as she glanced back towards Billy. He wrinkled his nose up in dismay, not agreeing with her comment. They were young, but they weren’t children anymore. They could make their own decisions. 

“They’re both eighteen,” Sam pointed out, “Young and if he wants to get a tattoo of her that’s none of my business. It’s his and Kim’s.” Sam said at last, looking like he no longer wanted to discuss it. Billy wondered if Sam had grown to hate Susan more. 

“You are so frustrating.” Susan huffed as she shook her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose tightly, like she could somehow ease everything away with her touch. Billy chewed on his bottom lip, then shook his head. He supposed he could sneak out, but he was curious if this would turn into another fist fight. 

“Billy,” Sam turned towards him dryly, “The next time you want to get a tattoo of Kim please save us all the trouble and for the love of God ask Susan for her permission. Jesus.” He spoke directly towards him before he stomped outside. Susan exhaled loudly, shaking her head as she bonded down the hallway. Wayne neatly folded up his book before he followed behind her. 

“What crawled up his ass?” Billy asked seriously as he glanced out towards where Sam was now sitting in front of his garden. He raised an eyebrow, sure that he hadn’t snapped like that in a while. 

“You know, he told me that Susan didn’t like him but he didn’t say it was this bad,” Rosemary admitted with a soft laugh, “I don’t think I’ve seen him cranky like this before.” She replied softly as she shook her head, looking like she felt bad for him. 

“He must want to drink.” Billy replied softly, glancing towards Rosemary to confirm his suspicions. He supposed that Sam was doing a good job at the moment, but wondered if it would actually last. From what Kim had mentioned, he never stayed sober for very long. 

“He’s been doing other things to keep himself busy.” She mentioned offhandedly as she filled the sink with warm water, in order to rinse the dishes. He felt his nose curling up in disgust. 

“Gross.” He said quickly, trying to shake the image that filled his mind from her birthday. He didn’t want to deal with that thought either. She snorted as she turned to face him. 

“I’m talking about his garden, silly boy,” Rosemary shook her head, rolling her eyes softly as she smiled, “How’s Kim doing?” She asked him softly, tilting her head like she was searching for information. He thought if she was that curious, she could ask Kim herself. 

“Not too hot.” He admitted a second later, feeling like there was no point in hiding it. He wasn’t sure if Kim was doing as bad as what he was though. She hadn’t stolen Susan’s coke and smoked it. Billy suddenly wondered if Susan would blame it on Sam. 

“Is she drinking?” Rosemary turned away again as she asked the question, surprising Billy. He chewed on his bottom lip, knowing that Kim hadn’t been too sly about it. Still, the way that Rosemary asked him left him curious. He wondered if it had been worse than what he thought. 

“Nothing wrong with a drink now and then.” He admitted as he shrugged his shoulders, not wanting it to become a big deal. Kim wasn’t like Susan or Sam. Having a drink now and then didn’t make her an addict. 

“She’s been doing that a lot more though, hasn’t she?” Rosemary questioned him, like she wanted to know if he had noticed it. He paused as he thought about his answer, still holding onto his own truth. 

“You’re just paranoid because of Sam.” He told her at last, glancing at the clock to confirm that he should be getting ready to leave. Rosemary followed his gaze, then turned back towards him. 

“You don’t think there’s anything wrong with her?” She asked him again, beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. She wasn’t asking in a way that made him think she was concerned, she was asking to see if he had noticed. He shook his head. Kim was fine.

“No,” Billy answered softly, “There’s nothing wrong with drinking every once in a while.” He repeated again, trying to hold the truth but she was beginning to make him doubt things. He exhaled a little deeper, feeling worried suddenly. 

“Hm,” Rosemary said softly, “Like there’s nothing wrong with doing drugs every once in a while?” She asked him, taking him by surprise. He parted his lips, but felt like his situation was completely different than Kim’s. Neither of them were really doing anything bad. 

“You’re her stepmom,” Billy grumbled, “You talk to her about it.” He told her seriously, mumbling underneath his breath as he adjusted his jacket. He didn’t want to hear about it anymore. Everything was fine. Rosemary was just making a big deal out of nothing, like she was trying to say they weren’t good for one another. 

“You just said there wasn’t an issue.” Rosemary pointed out, her dark eyebrows raised as she waited for Billy to answer again. He knitted his eyebrows together, feeling like he was being tested. 

“There’s not.” He said simply, hoping to get Rosemary off of both of their backs. But suddenly he felt as if he knew, even if it was deep down, that he had been missing something. Kim had slowly been acting differently, dressing differently. He was worried. 

“I hope not,” Rosemary told him truthfully, “Because you’re both too young to be going down that path.” She said softly, looking worried as she watched him. He leaned against the counter, suddenly having an urge to come clean about everything. He stopped himself. 

“I’m guessing this means you won’t approve of us sharing a room then.” He teased her instead, feeling his lips crinkle into a smile at the way her eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. She turned away from him as he spoke. 

“Absolutely not,” Rosemary huffed out quickly, “It’s not happening.” She told him, sounding fully serious as he laughed. He paused, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze before he headed out the door. He needed to get this over with. 

“Where are you going?” Billy looked at Russell in confusion as he walked towards his car. Russell was in the passenger seat, wearing a frumpy looking sweater as he held a triumphant smile on his lips. 

“With you.” He said proudly, his cheeks a little rosy from the cool air that was whipping around. Billy stalled, taken aback by his answer. He didn’t think it would be a good idea at all. Not when he was so on edge at the moment. 

“No you’re not.” Billy responded once he snapped out of his stupor. He reached for the car, trying to push it open when Russell quickly locked it again. He furrowed his dark eyebrows together, looking at him in anger. 

“Yes I am,” Russell sassed back, “I wanna see what you have to do. And you’re getting me ice cream after.” He proclaimed a second later, looking happy with his own answer as he settled back into his seat. 

“When was that a part of the deal?” Billy asked him seriously, although he figured that he owed Russell a lot more than just ice cream. He would be in a mess if Russell hadn’t agreed to do it. 

“When I realized I wouldn’t get anything out of it.” Russell challenged as he crossed his arms over his chest, giving his chin a determined nod. Billy sighed deeply as he closed his eyes, figuring that he didn’t have that much time to argue with him. He crossed the car, shaking his head and grumbling as he crawled into the driver’s seat. 

“Fine,” Billy huffed, “But keep your trap shut.” He told him seriously, but didn’t feel like he was doing a very good job at threatening him when he was wearing a baggy of Russell’s urine on his leg. 

The drive wasn’t that long and Billy silenced any more of Russell’s questions and his own nerves by turning the music up as loud as possible. He thought by the end of his trip he’d need another package of cigarettes just to get them back home. 

“Don’t be a little shit,” Billy warned once they got out of the car, worried that he’d end up blowing Billy’s entire cover, “Or no ice cream.” He threatened, hoping that Russell would at least listen to that. Russell looked up at him, nodding his head quickly in agreement.

He tailed behind Billy, truly moving like his shadow as he gripped his fingers along Billy’s bicep. He huffed underneath his breath but supposed that was better than Russell running off. It took a few minutes at the front desk to get set up, working on making sure he was correctly checked in. 

“Hi,” Russell introduced with a bright smile, his eyes twinkling, “Did you have a good holiday?” He asked the front desk lady, bearing a mischievous look in his eyes. 

“I did, how about you?” She asked him kindly, though she looked a bit unsure about him being here. Billy mumbled underneath his breath as he finished signing the last page, already in the mood to get out of here. 

“Not bad, I just have some crazy relatives I guess,” Russell started as he tapped his fingers repeatedly against the counter, “And I found out that my brother and sister are dating.” He blurted out, grinning like he’d been holding that one in the barrel for as long as possible. 

“Oh,” The check in lady paused, her eyes wide as she stared at Billy, “You can take a seat. They’ll call you back soon.” She nodded her head urgently, looking like she already knew who Russell was talking about. 

“What the hell?” He asked him harshly, his eyes blazing as he looked down at Russell’s shorter frame. He mocked innocence, holding his hands up like he didn’t know what he had just said. 

“What?” Russell looked at him confused as they sat down. Billy shifted a little bit further in his seat, sure that the worker was still staring over at him in disbelief. He rubbed at his forehead, feeling like he was gaining a headache. 

“Why the fuck would you say that?” He asked him seriously once he opened his eyes again. Russell furrowed his eyebrows again, holding his knees up to his chest like he hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“She asked how my holidays were,” Russell defended, “That’s the biggest thing that happened.” He said seriously, looking like he didn’t know what was wrong about what he said. Billy sighed again as he shoved at Russell’s shoulder, almost knocking him off the seat. 

“You can’t just tell people that.” He said quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. Russell parted his lips, then shut his mouth again. He held his hands up, smiling cheekily. 

“Why?” He asked him seriously, looking like he really wanted to know why. Billy shook his head, sure that he was just dragging the conversation out to irritate him. 

“People think it’s weird,” Billy said quickly, “It’s a secret.” He reminded him, keeping eye contact with him for a long moment until Russell slowly nodded his head in agreement. There really wasn’t a point in hiding anything anymore, he just didn’t want Russell making it sound like they were related. 

“Oh.” Russell said, looking like he could agree with that. He shrugged his shoulders again a second later, looking like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Billy wondered if Sam had rubbed his same carelessness off on him. 

“Who else did you tell?” He asked seriously, fully expecting that Russell had already blabbered to his weird little friends that he had. Russell turns towards him, a sheepish smile on his lips to confirm his suspicions. Billy thought that he should be angry, but he couldn’t find it in himself. He owed Russell a lot and didn’t like the idea of him exposing the truth as Billy waited to get called back. 

///////////////////////

“What are you doing?” Kim watched him as he walked down the hall. He turned away from her, shoving the cleaning supplies back into the little closet in the hallway. He’d had a desire to do something when he’d returned to the house, probably to ease off the tension of what had happened. Everything seemed to go well. 

“I just finished cleaning the bathroom,” He replied, looking at her strict expression in surprise, “Something wrong?” He asked her curiously, tilting his head as some of his loose curls fell across his forehead. He blew air up, trying to get it out of his eyes.

She paused for a moment, stepping back before she held her door open for him. He exhaled deeply before he stepped inside of her room, figuring that it must not be a happy thought if she wanted him alone. Susan had taken Wayne to the beach, wanting to show the ocean off to him for the first time. Addi had agreed, roping Eddie up as well. Max tagged along, but he had a feeling it was more out of bitterness to get away from Kim. 

“Did you get high?” Kim asked him seriously, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at him. He parted his lips, then shut them again. He thought it would be just as easy to lie to her, but suddenly he changed his mind. 

“Yes.” He replied honestly, giving his shoulders a little shrug as he waited for her to freak out. He didn’t want to keep any more secrets from her. He’d be honest, even if she didn’t agree with what he did. 

“Billy,” She looked at him stunned, like she was hoping that he wouldn’t have said yes. She dropped her hands from her chest, shaking her head softly, “Why?” She asked him softly, moving with him as he sat down on the bed. He held his fingers over his knees, unsure if she’d be happy about Susan doing coke. 

“Just sort of sieved the opportunity.” He replied instead, beginning to laugh at how desperate it seemed as he thought it over. It really wasn’t like that. He just-, he’d just needed something to get the edge off. 

“This goes against your parole,” She whispered harshly as she reminded him of what he already knew, “Do you want to be in jail again?” She asked him honestly, keeping her eyes on his face as he stared down at the floor. He didn’t like the disappointed tone that she used, but he knew he’d be the same way if she was in his shoes. At least she wasn’t screaming at him like Neil did. 

“It wasn’t that bad.” He glanced towards her, breathing out slowly as he watched the way her features curled up into worry and fear. He felt bad, not wanting her to feel in such a way for him. She gripped his hands tightly, like she was worried he might be taken away from her. 

“Are you serious?” She asked as her features turned into disbelief, “You had your test today, what are they going to do?” She looked at him fearful, shaking her head as she began to look around the room. He paused to watch her, sure that she was conjuring up some grand plan to keep him out of jail. He wondered if she had spoken to Rosemary, because he had avoided telling her for a reason. He didn’t want her to worry. “I already figured that out.” He said simply, hoping that she wouldn’t ask too many questions about it. He didn’t want to look terrible in her eyes, although he was sure that it was already too late for that. 

“What?” Kim looked at him bewildered, still gripping onto his hands like a lifeline as she watched him closely. He breathed out deeply, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought his options over for a moment. He was already fucked, might as well come clean about everything while he was here. 

“I-,” He paused for a moment, “Russell helped me.” He said at last, watching the way her eyebrows knitted in confusion and then raised high in realization. Her pink lips parted in a silent gasp, shaking her head like she wouldn’t believe it. 

“How did he help you?” She asked him softly, “Oh, Billy. Tell me you didn’t.” She stated softly, like she was urging him to say no. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth, figuring that it wasn’t worth lying about now. He wondered if she’d even trust him again after this. 

“It won’t happen again.” He said simply, pulling his hands away to rub them against his knees. He felt a little sick suddenly, hoping that she’d still be able to look him in the eye after this. He glanced at her again, wondering why she’d thought he was high in the first place. It must’ve been fairly noticeable for her to be so direct about it. 

“You should’ve asked me, Russell is too young.” She said at last, a certain sorrowful look stuck in her eyes as she leaned forward to push his hair from his forehead again. He felt exposed suddenly, but he didn’t mind it. He missed being in her presence like this; liked feeling like he could be open with her. 

“I would’ve,” He admitted, “But it doesn’t work like that.” He teased her softly, his lips curling into a smile when hers did. She sighed softly, her breath smelling like mint as she brushed her thumb across his skin. She nuzzled in a little closer, squeezing her skinny frame up against him. 

“Is Russell okay?” She asked softly as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her fingertips lightly digging into his skin as she held onto him. He pulled her closer, feeling better that there wasn’t much hidden between them anymore. He’d come clean about Susan once she was gone. He had a feeling that Kim was too on edge to handle that right now. Despite everything Susan had done, he did feel bad for her. Sam really had fucked up her life and Neil hadn’t been any better. She did deserve a break.

“He’s a big boy.” He said at last, closing his eyes as he listened to the soft way she breathed. He was sure that if he was quiet enough, he could compare the way their hearts were beating. 

“Billy,” Kim sighed softly, “You know that’s not what I mean.” She mumbled softly as she brought her fingertips against the hem of his shirt, rolling it up softly as she began to play with it. He knew exactly what she meant, but he didn’t really know the answer. He thought that Russell was fine. 

“Yeah, I bought the little shit ice cream and he kept telling everyone that his brother and sister are dating,” He explained quickly, wanting to avoid the topic, “I think he’s fine.” He said at last, chuckling a little bit at how her body stiffened against him. 

“Oh.” She breathed out a little rougher as she relaxed against him again. She groaned as she buried her face deeper into his shoulder, sounding frustrated at how that kept getting brought up. He chuckled, wondering if Susan was trying to convince her to end this the same way Rosemary was trying to convince him. 

“My mom said you’ve been drinking a lot.” He responded slowly, drawing a fingertip across his jeans. He glanced over, watching the way her lips parted in surprise. A dark flush settled over her cheeks as she turned her gaze down to her lap, looking away in shame. He felt his heart hammering softly in his chest, suddenly growing worried. She’d told him, but he had brushed it off. In a way, he still was. 

“Oh,” Kim said softly as she played with her hair, “I mean not really. Just, you know.” She replied, looking a little defeated as she began to play with a piece of string she found littering her bed. He watched her for a moment, wishing he had some sort of advice to help her. He didn’t think he was the best one to offer suggestions. He didn’t have an issue with any of it, he just did it when he wanted to. 

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” He said softly as he pulled her close, “I mean, I can still drink you under a table.” He chuckled softly, brushing his cheek against hers in hopes to draw a laugh from her. She stayed silent, but let him tug her closer. 

“Have you been drinking?” She asked him quietly as she stared down at the floorboards. He felt guilty suddenly, worried that he had approached a sore subject. He didn’t want her to think she was doing something bad. 

“Not recently,” He grumbled as he thought about it, thinking that a beer sounded really good about now, “I’m jealous of you.” He admitted, but then stiffened once the words left his mouth. He wasn’t sure if that was the best thing to say. He supposed he’d just have to watch her a little closer; just to see how bad it really was. 

“I’m scared I’ll rely on it.”  She admitted sadly, sounding defeated as she continued to stare at the floor. He thought about mentioning that any dust bunnies that she may be trying to count were still dead. He had done a good job scrubbing all the rooms down. 

“I don’t think you’re doing anything bad.” He told her truthfully, wanting it to be the truth. He didn’t want her to suffer; to go through the same things her parents had. He didn’t think it was bad to have a drink once in a while, especially when she struggled with sleeping and when she got nervous. She seemed to do it in moderation anyways. 

“Do you rely on drugs?” She turned towards him at last, “You know, to make you happy? To make you forget?” She asked him quickly, her eyes blazing with a hundred different questions as she watched him. He chuckled softly as he brushed his thumb across her cheek. 

“It’s not like that.” He said gently, trying to nudge her questions in a different direction. It was a lie. He liked drinking and he liked the drugs because it did make him forget. He didn’t need her to know that, to get any ideas.

“What is it like then?” She asked him softly, looking like she genuinely wanted to know. He suddenly felt a little irritated, tired of how everyone seemed to think he had some sort of issue. 

“Don’t worry about it,” He snapped, a little harsher than what he meant to say, “It’s fine.” He said a second later, a little softer so she wouldn’t think that he was mad at her. She sat back a bit, her hazel eyes turning a golden hue as the sun danced against them. 

“It’s not fine,” She said at last, “You’re still doing drugs even though you could end up back in jail. You’re acting like it’s not a big deal.” She took him by surprise, speaking a little sterner as she held her shoulders out straighter. He blinked before he found his words again. 

“It’s not .” He told her seriously, knowing that this would be the last time he tried anything for a while. He’d just done too much at once. He wouldn’t do it like this again and he certainly wouldn’t take anything while he finished the rest of his sentence. 

“Then why do you do them?” She asked him, “Because what sort of fun would you be having on drugs at a time like this?” She looked at him curiously, her question knocking the air from his lungs. He felt exposed this time, because he knew that she was right. 

“I’m not a junkie.” He defended himself lightly, his voice slightly shaking from his own words. He believed them to be true, even if she didn’t. She tilted her head softly, gently shaking it like he’d gotten it all wrong. 

“I didn’t say that,” She replied softly, “But I think you’re relying on them more than what you realize.” She admitted, speaking gently to keep his anger from growing. He stared at her, feeling that she was partially right. 

He let her words bounce around in his mind for a moment before he leaned forward, searching for his own distraction. He pressed his lips against hers slowly, stealing the air from her lungs as he gently peppered her mouth in kisses.

She hesitated for just a second, before she finally relented and dragged her lips against his in the same manner. He didn’t realize how badly he’d craved the touch and feel of her, even though it hadn’t been that long since he’d had her. 

He gently pushed her onto her back, crawling over her as he licked and prodded against her plump lips. He enjoyed the sweet taste of her moans as he slid his tongue into her open mouth, licking away her melodious sounds as he pleased.

Her cheeks were flushed as he pulled away, her eyes hazy as she stared up at him. Her lips were still parted in awe, the hem of her shirt rising over her pale freckled skin as he parted her bottom lip with his thumb.

He leaned over, spitting slowly as he held eye contact with her the whole time. She flushed, her hips pressing up against his thigh as she slowly rolled his saliva around her tongue and then swallowed it slowly. Amusement crept onto her lips as she held her tongue out, making a show to prove that it was gone.

“You’re so -,” He paused for a second, feeling a smirk forming on his lips as he thought about how defensive she grew when he called her bad, “Naughty.” He said a second later as he traced his fingertips across her exposed skin. He sat back for a moment, just enough to begin to tug her clothing off of her body. 

He admired her gentle curves, taking his time to drink in the image of her. She seemed to be growing more into her body, maturing nicely as the seasons changed. He pressed his thumbs against her pink nipples slowly, enjoying the feeling of her hardening buds against his skin.

“You’re so pretty,” He told her softly as he dragged his eyes up to her blushing cheeks, sure that she needed to hear it. She truly was the prettiest girl he’d ever been with. He hoped that she knew that, “Wanna see you ride me.” He mumbled against her lips, grinning at the way she giggled against him. 

“Sit back, cowboy,” She teased him, pressing lightly on his chest until he rolled over onto his back. He grinned, watching the way she slowly unbuckled his belt and began to shimmy him out of his jeans. He sat up, just enough for her to tug them all the way off. She moved to his shirt next, quickly pulling it off before she settled over his lap. He looked at her eagerly, but stalled at the rough way she gripped his chin, “No more drugs.” She told him gently, though her expression was stern.

Something about the way she spoke made his cock ache, twitching for more of this manner from her. He felt like his eyes were a size too wide, nearly in disbelief at the way she was commanding it from him. He nodded his head, feeling like he was unable to form words as he agreed with her. He’d do whatever she said if she treated him like this. 

“Billy.” She replied again, in the same manner as she lightly pinched at his chin. It didn’t hurt, not one bit. But in the back of his mind he wished that it would. His thoughts raced as his cock began to throb, thinking about how pretty she’d look if she was just a little rougher with him. He craved it, craved her more than any drug on the market.

“Yes,” He answered quickly as he flicked his tongue across his bottom lip, trying to gain some sense of his confidence back, “No more.” He agreed quickly, his tongue feeling heavy as he spoke. He’d worry about the rest of it later. He just wanted to focus on her right now, to feel her.

She pushed her hair from her face, leaving him in a dreamy haze as he moved one hand to drag his fingers through the small amount of hair that remained over her skin. He missed it desperately, hated whoever had convinced her it was a good thing to shave. She’d kept up with it since then, leaving him feeling like he was mourning a lost friend. 

His hands fell to her hips, digging his fingers deep into her flesh as she slowly pushed his cock inside of her wet cunt. She sighed quietly, shutting her eyes as her cunt slowly swallowed his thick cock. He groaned at the sensation, enjoying the way her wet walls stretched around him.

“You’re such a good little sister,” He praised her softly, slowly rutting his hips up to press his dick further against her spongy walls, “Mhm, fit around my cock so well. S’nice?” He groaned out softly, enjoying the lust that flashed through her eyes. 

“Yeah,” She said breathlessly as she knitted their fingers together. She gaped softly, looking down at him with doe eyes as she slowly began to rock her hips up and down the length of his cock. He exhaled roughly, enjoying the way her cunt leaked around him, “You feel so good, big brother.” She whispered hotly as she squeezed their hands together and began to rock herself along his cock.

He rested his head back against her pillows, watching the languid way she was moving against his cock. He felt like he was frozen in bliss, liquid pleasure shooting up his spine at the way her cunt squeezed around him. His eyes fell to the way their bodies connected, knowing that their connection was much more than physical.

He met her movements, thrusting his hips up with her movements to press himself deeper inside of her. He moved deep enough to feel his balls pressing against her warm skin, to feel her clit brushing against his skin as she moved. His eyes slowly trailed up her body, savoring the way her boobs moved in the same rhythm she did.

He drank in her features, savoring the way her eyebrows were knitted tightly together in pleasure. Her face had grown pink, mingling in with the color of her freckles as her pouty lips pouted out in awe. Sweet moans left her lips, rolling off of her tongue in his favorite harmony.

“Billy,” She whined his name softly, sending shivers up his spine as she pressed her hips down harder against his cock. He groaned, looking up at her in bliss as her pussy squeezed around his dick. He squeezed at her hips roughly, urging her down harder on his cock as he rolled his hips up, “Oh God.” She whined, her fingers digging roughly into his biceps as he pressed his tip roughly against the spot inside of her that left her whimpering.

She squeaked roughly, but he was too spurred on by the way her lips were parted to respond. He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her down roughly to clash his mouth against hers. She whimpered against his lips, sliding her tongue messily against his as he boobs pressed against his chest.

He groaned at the sensation of her sweaty skin against his own, enjoying the way their bodies connected as he messily ground his cock further into her wet cunt. He flicked his tongue against her own before he licked at the drool that was slipping from the corner of her lips, savoring the taste of her against his mouth. 

Her moans vibrated against his skin as she drooled into her mouth, which he greedily licked it away. He could tell by the way her pussy was clamping down around him, how she was whining and digging her fingertips into his skin that she was almost close.

“Oh, oh,” She cried out, her eyes shut tightly as her mouth fell open in awe. He groaned, roughly fucking into her as he felt his own high approaching, “Jesus, Billy!” She shouted, rolling her hips along the curve of his cock as she came around him.

He huffed, feeling beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he grinded his cock into her velvety walls. She whined even louder, moaning as she lazily moved her hips back. He nearly found himself crying out, staring at her in disbelief as she slid his hard cock from her walls.

She pumped his cock roughly in her hand, twisting her slick roughly against his throbbing dick. He jerked his hips up roughly with her hand, feeling hundreds of curses forming on his mind. He groaned as she brought his tip along her lips, smearing her slick along her lips. 

She held her tongue out, tapping his tip against her lips as he threw his head back and came with a large groan. His chest heaved, feeling like he was out of breath as he painted her mouth and lips white. 

He slowly opened his eyes again, breathing in the image of her licking his spunk away from his cock. He played with her hair softly, resting against the mattress as she slowly licked her slick away from his cock.

“Fuck,” He breathed out, his chest feeling heavy suddenly as he watched her. She looked up at him in amusement, grinning as she continued to flick her tongue across his wet cock. He shivered at the sensation, enjoying how it felt against his cock, “You’re a little slut, you know that?”

“Yeah,” She giggled as she licked his slit clean, “Just for you big brother.” She teased as she slowly pulled away, rolling onto her back as she sighed deeply. He followed her, wiggling his body over hers to connect their lips again.

He tasted himself on her tongue, enjoying the way their tongue moved against one another’s. He brought his hands up on her sides, squeezing her soft flesh as she sighed against his mouth. He held onto her tightly, almost fearing that he would lose her. 

“Mhm,” She mumbled against his mouth, gently placing her fingers through his hair as she pulled away, “I meant what I said.” She replied a second later, looking at him seriously as he watched her. He drew his eyes to her swollen lips, his heart throbbing inside of his chest.

“I know.” He told her, wishing he could promise that he meant his words too. He would eventually. He just needed to get over this bump, this odd change that had filled him. She believed in him and that’s all that he needed.

//////////////////

They retreated some time later to the living room, lounging on the floor as he tried to teach her how to play poker. He liked watching her try and concentrate, her eyebrows knitting together tightly and her tongue slightly poking out against her lips. She was too easy to read. He could clearly tell when she was lying about if her cards were good or not, as a nervous laugh bursted free from her smiley lips. 

Eddie and Addi returned first. Eddie looked a little red from being out in the sun too long. He wore a scrunchy, which Billy was almost positive was the blue one Kim had gifted him on the fourth. He grumbled underneath his breath, but said nothing as the two of them joined them.

Billy dealt the four of them cards, but it quickly ended up being like him and Kim were a team as she was still lost on what to do. She was the first one out again, which she didn’t seem to mind as she fell into a conversation with Addi. The game soon ended after that, the two girls were too distracted with whichever movie hunk they were speaking about to pay much attention to what Eddie and Billy were doing. 

“So,” Eddie drew out with a playful grin, “Are you just into step brothers or now that we’re step cousins does that change things?” He chuckled softly, looking amused as he looked towards Kim. Billy felt his spine stiffen, his shoulders straightening as he snapped his gaze towards him. 

“What the fuck did you say?” Billy asked him seriously, his voice laced with anger as he stared furiously into Eddie’s dark eyes. His expression changed in a second, turning into panic as he understood his mistake. 

“Kidding, kidding,” Eddie leaned far back in his chair as he held his hands up innocently, his brown eyes wide in fear, “Please don’t hit me again. I was just trying to break the tension.” He begged softly, closing his eyes like he waited for his doom. Kim giggled softly, reaching forward to squeeze Billy’s hand. 

“Don’t be an idiot,” Addi scoffed as she pushed at Eddie’s shoulder, “He really was just kidding.” She laughed, sounding a little nervous as well as she ran her fingers through Eddie’s messy hair. Billy mumbled as he settled back in his spot. 

“It’s alright,” Kim smiled as she squeezed Billy’s shoulders, “It’s just been a long week.” She explained as she rested her cheek against Billy’s shoulder. He nodded his head in agreement, letting her make up the excuses for him. 

“I didn’t know Susan was so-,” Eddie paused for a moment, “Fiery.” He explained as he straightened himself out. He pressed his finger against Addi’s nose a second later, giving her nose a soft push. 

“Yeah,” Kim sighed as she pushed her hair out of her face, “She just doesn’t like my dad.” She mumbled underneath her breath, but looked like she had more she wanted to add to it. Billy watched her, feeling enhanced at the way her features wrinkled up into deep thoughts. 

“She’s being really unfair towards you,” Addi piped up quickly, “I thought she was going to be alright with your relationship?” She asked curiously, her dark eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Billy shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back, beginning to rub soft circles into Kim’s back. 

“I guess she changed her mind.” She said at last, looking a little distant as she thought about her answer. Billy felt a little bad, wondering if Susan had tried to explain anything at all. Then again, even if she had tried, he was sure that Kim didn’t want to speak to her anymore. It was a difficult situation all around. 

“Sobered up.” Eddie clarified, making Billy snort. He stiffened a little bit as everyone turned towards him, looking at him curiously. He rubbed his palms across his jeans as he thought of his next answer. 

“She didn’t like us together when she was drinking either,” Billy mumbled, trying to ease his way out of the topic, “I think she wanted someone better for Kim.” He teased her softly, drawing his finger across the curve of her nose. She rolled her eyes playfully before she leaned forward to kiss his fingertip. 

“Addi’s mom thinks I’m a devil worshiper,” Eddie mumbled underneath his breath, but looked a little amused at his own words, “I kinda like to make her believe she’s right.” He said a second later, his lips turning into a smirk as he looked at Addi.

“She liked Billy.” Kim said a second later, grinning at him in amusement. He scoffed underneath his breath, sure that she would be horrified to know of the things that he had done. He was sure that he had done things far worse than Eddie had.

“Of course she would,” Eddie mumbled as he chewed on his fingertips, “It’s just not fair.” He shook his head a second later, looking to be in disbelief over it. Addi laughed a second later, looking like she was about to reassure him of something when the door opened again.

Max paused, catching the group of them as her features quickly wrinkled up in annoyance. She huffed, shaking her head as she walked quickly towards the hallway. Kim turned, a desperate look on her features as she followed Max’s every step. 

“Max,” Kim started, “Hey can we-?” She started to ask again, slowly beginning to rise from the couch before Max raced down the end of the hallway. She slowly settled back in her seat, looking defeated as she slowly turned her attention to the floor. Billy felt a sense of irritation filling him as he stood instead. 

“I’ll talk to her.” He said as he walked around Kim’s long legs, ignoring the look of worry that she sent him. He wouldn’t be a total dick, but he was going to give Max a piece of his mind. She was acting like a child. 

“No it’s okay,” She sighed softly, “Just let her be.” She said quietly, pulling a stiff smile onto her lips. She looked like it was pointless, but he wanted to help. He wasn’t good at talking to people, but perhaps Max would listen to him. 

“I’ll be right back.” He said instead, giving her a reassuring look before he walked down the hallway. He twisted at the doorknob, confirming that it was unlocked before he pushed it open. Max huffed on the other side, looking at him in surprise as she tried to keep him from forcing himself inside. 

“Hey,” Max protested as he barged in, “I don’t want you in here!” She shouted, looking at him angrily as she pushed at his chest. He didn’t flinch, barely feeling the sensation as he glanced around the room. Her threat of moving back to Hawkins seemed to be true, as most of her things were packed away. He wondered what Sam thought about all of this. 

“Well stop being a little bitch.” He said at last, knowing that it would get more of a rise out of her. He could handle her being upset at him, and preferred her to do that rather than to place all of the blame onto Kim. It wasn’t fair to her. 

“Excuse me?” Max protested in anger, “I’m the bitch when-” She started to go off, her cheeks red with anger. It matched the flames in her eyes. 

“You are being one,” He snapped back at her, “Don’t blame Kim for something your mom did.” He said at last, reminding her that Susan was the one to keep the secret from everybody. Despite everything, he still didn’t think it was Kim’s place to tell Max. No matter how badly Max disagreed. 

“I deserved to know the truth,” Max replied, looking a little defeated despite how sharp her tone was, “It shouldn’t have been kept from me.” She said seriously. He nodded his head, fully in agreement with what she was saying. It just wasn’t Kim’s secret to tell. He was sure it would’ve made things worse. He wasn’t sure why Susan was throwing it around in the first place. He didn’t think things would be very good if Neil knew about it. 

“Susan. Susan is your mom, not Kim. If you’re going to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at her for keeping that for you.” He reminded her, hoping that she would get the point. Max pursed her lips together before she inhaled deeply, looking like she was processing what he was saying. 

“Do you know how messed up this is?” Max looked at him incredulously, “This means that you share a half sibling.” She gestured towards herself, as if it made a difference to Billy. He didn’t care about that. He was sure that at this point he could be fully related to Kim and he still wouldn’t lose sleep over what they were doing. 

“I don’t care.” He told her truthfully, his expression and stance lazy as he leaned against her door. She stared at him, looking like he’d grown a second head. Kim was too pure to be blamed for everything that had happened. He had been the one to convince her not to tell Max in the first place. 

“I don’t believe that,” Max snapped back, “I don’t believe that you could be alright with something like that.” She shook her head, like she had some morals that she was clinging to. He liked that everyone acted high and mighty suddenly when it came to the choices that him and Kim had made. 

“I am,” He told her truthfully, “Kim makes me happy and I love her. I don’t care who thinks that’s wrong or right,” He took a deep breath before he got back to the important topic, “Don’t punish her by leaving.” He told her urgently, knowing that it might make things worse for Kim.

“I’m not punishing her,” Max mumbled as she turned away, like she was trying to hide from him, “I want to go back. I don’t belong here.” She said at last, looking at him seriously. He paused, really believing her words. He knew that she had friends in Hawkins, that she probably considered them to be family. It was her decision, he just hoped that she wouldn’t make Kim stress over it. 

“Then make up with her,” Billy replied quickly, “She’s innocent.” He reminded her, hoping that she would believe him. Max stared up at him for a long time, looking like she was considering what he had said. 

“Can you go? I’m tired.” She said at last, her expression melting away to remain stoic as she stared at him. He sighed deeply as he pulled the door open, hoping that she wouldn’t make a mistake. 

“You’re going to ruin your relationship with her over your anger,” Billy spat back, “Just think if that’s what you really want.” He gave her the last piece of his mind before he shut the door behind him. He shook his head as he walked back down the hallway, a little surprised to see that Kim was gone again.

“She went to her room,” Addi spoke up as she snuggled her way underneath Eddie’s arm, “I think she’s upset again, but she didn’t want to talk.” She said softly, looking like she was disappointed with being shoved off by Kim. He supposed she wasn’t having a very nice reunion either.

He nodded his head in a quiet thanks before he walked back to her room, hoping he wouldn’t find her crying again. He pushed the door open, his eyebrows knitting together as he was met with her back. She was sitting up, but clearly holding something up to her lips. 

“Hey.” He said softly as he shut the door behind him. He walked around the bed, his eyebrows raising on his forehead as he noticed what she was holding. 

“I guess I’m busted,” She said softly, pausing as she rolled the little bottle through her fingers before bringing it up to her lips, “I just couldn’t stop this jittery feeling.” She admitted, looking a little defeated. He paused, knowing exactly what she meant. 

He sat with her on the bed, not having any advice to give her as he slowly opened her palm and began to trace small shapes onto her skin. He wished he could change things for her, make it where she didn’t have to suffer as much. He was growing worried, fearing that she would crack underneath all the pressure. 

[silentwillowwhisperer]

Shots (the doctory ones)

Ok, wait, I want to clarify that when I say shots, I mean vaccines, not the alcoholic ones or gunshots.

Cool? Cool.

When Lance is forced to get a shot, he shrieks like a child, but he’s mostly being dramatic.

After the ordeal, he’ll go home and be all whiny and use his ‘poor, abused, punctured arms’ as an excuse to make Keith do everything for him.

And Keith would roll his eyes and make a snarky comment, but clearly he’s genuinely worried and would spend the whole week (yes, week) suffocating Lance with care like the closeted mother hen that he is.

Keith, on the other hand, would try to keep a straight face. But he seriously can’t handle it.

Due to his killer immune system, he rarely had to go to the hospital. Also, he usually just toughed it out or fixed it himself when he got injured as a child.

So he’s already on edge thanks to this unfamiliar place full of grumpy adults and children who seem to be leaking mucus from absolutely all places, and now he’s being dragged into a small room by Lance and that lady is smiling at him so bright that he’s 58% sure that she’s a serial killer.

She has the nerve to ask him how his day is going.

So far he has been forced to this horrid place by his traitorous boyfriend (Husband? Are they married yet? Who knows.), been given a headache from the piercing wails of infants, made conversation with a dead looking receptionist with a scar splitting her right nostril (How does that happen?), and called into yet another strange hallway by a random who knows his name (what? Why? Did Lance give away Keith’s identity? Because partners or not, Lance has NOT helped Keith escape this situation yet and he feels utterly betrayed. He expects to be paid in full with cuddles and movie marathons after this is over).

Yeah, Keith’s day has been great, thanks. He decides to ignore Lance frantically shaking his head at the nurse.

Anyway, he makes it through the checkup with only a couple comments about his scars, and he breathes out at last, knowing he’s finally safe.

Lance clears his throat awkwardly.

“Uh.. it’s great to see you relaxed, but you don’t think we’re done yet, do you?”

What.

Screaming seems like an good option right now. Why hadn’t he been listening to the gibberish coming out of the doctor’s mouth? Why was this so much easier last time, when Lance was the one getting a check up?

He can feel Lance’s burning gaze watching him think, but there is a sharp knock on the door an it swings open slowly. The man who walks in is pushing a cart.

On the cart is a tray.

A tray of needles.

Before this point, Keith has been sitting in one of the 2 chairs in the corner of the room. As soon as his eyes land on those evil stabbies, he hops up and settles quickly in Lance’s lap, hiding his face in his boyfriend’s tan neck to block the rest of the room from his vision.

He can feel Lance running his fingers soothingly through Keith’s hair. He grips on tighter just to make sure it won’t stop.

Honestly, Keith can’t decide what’s wrong with himself. He can take a gunshot and keep fighting, be interrogated fiercely by aliens, hunt dangerous species from foreign universes, and yet he can’t look at some needles.

Lance chuckles softly.

“Hey. You have to sit up, you can stay on my lap and close your eyes, but it’s only gonna hurt more if you stay all tense like that.”

Keith raises his head just a bit to stare at Lance with wide, teary eyes. He nods shallowly and flips around so that his back is pressed to Lance’s chest.

Long story short, Lance ends up having to pin Keith’s arms still and hug his chest tightly until all 4 shots have been injected.

Keith only manages to ignore him for about 2 minutes before running over for hugs. He can be petty later, right now he’s been through a traumatic experience and need comfort in the form of Lance the doting boyfriend.

(Does Lance feeding him their stash of Valentine’s chocolates while they watch ‘Legally Blond’ and all three ‘How to Train Your Dragon’s make this all worth it? No.)

(Yes.)

—————————-

This was supposed to be 4 paragraphs long…

Have fun trying to find a plot in this mess : )

I just got 2 shots and a finger prick yesterday, so yes I am projecting. I’m really bad around needles, I can’t even look at cartoon-style pictures for longer than a couple seconds. I almost passed out, but what’s new?

[totowlff]

chapter six — for the sake of having you near

➝ after two weeks of injections, tests, and ultrasounds, the day finally came to collect cassie's eggs. however, that day would be marked by something else.

➝ word count: 5,8k

➝ warnings: mentions of procedures and sex

— You want to… What?

— I want to give you the trigger shot you need to take — Toto said.

— You don’t even like watching me give myself the normal injections. You look away every time they take blood for my blood tests — Cassie countered.

— I know, but… I want to take part in this, somehow. You’ve had to do all of these blood tests, and take all of these shots that have been making you feel ill, and my contribution to this phase of this little adventure is just going to be to… Make a deposit into a sample cup.

Cassie laughed. 

— I know, but even if we were doing this the traditional way, conception, pregnancy, and childbirth is hardly ever an equitable experience. Plus, I appreciate everything you have done for me.

Cassie was over at Toto’s house for their weekly dinner. It was Toto’s suggestion that they get together at least once a week to discuss anything they needed to. He had already told Cassie that he wanted to continue doing so into the pregnancy, aside from when travel would take him out of the country during the race season. 

Despite being a self-proclaimed horrible cook, the roast chicken panzanella salad he’d made for dinner was delicious. 

When Toto and Cassie had discussed him being her donor and co-parent, he promised to support both Cassie and their child any way he could, and so far, he had done a marvelous job making good on that pledge. He agreed to go with her to see a family solicitor to delineate their shared rights and responsibilities as parents. He accompanied her to all of her visits to the fertility clinic, even the ones that were just blood draws and took all of ten minutes. 

— And don’t worry, you’ll do your fair share, especially after the baby is born. As I said at the solicitor’s, I might be breastfeeding, but I’m going to be pumping at the same time, so I won’t be the only one getting up in the middle of the night to feed the baby.

Toto smiled. 

— I know, and I’m happy to do whatever you need me to do. But I at least want to have some small part in this, aside from the obvious. And, I watched very closely when the nurse taught you how to do the other injections, so I at least know how to do that part.

Cassie sighed. 

— Okay. I’ll tell you what. We have three days left until the trigger shot, and I have an ultrasound scheduled each day. You’re coming with me to those, and I have four more injections. I can do them at the clinic, and if you can watch those, you can administer the trigger shot.

For the past week, Cassie had had to give herself daily injections of drugs intended to stimulate her ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible, and to thicken the lining of her uterus, making it more suitable for the implantation of a fertilized egg. 36 hours before her appointment to have her eggs surgically retrieved, she would take one last injection to trigger the eggs to mature so they could be captured by the procedure. 

While Cassie wasn’t afraid of needles, the act of giving herself daily injections, right into the fatty part of her stomach, just left of her navel, hadn’t been pleasant. It made her grateful that she wasn’t diabetic, and that she just needed to deal with the need for daily injections for a short period of time. Being so close to the end was a relief, except, in Cassie’s view, the three days until her trigger shot passed in an agonizingly slow fashion.

However, everything was looking promising — her doctor at the fertility clinic was pleased with her hormone levels and the progress of her ultrasounds. 

— Okay, Miss Aldersey — the doctor said, removing his gloves and washing his hands after her final checkup — I’m scheduling your retrieval for 9 in the morning on Monday. You will need to give yourself the trigger injection at 9 on Saturday night. This injection is a bit different…

Unlike the previous shots she’d taken, which were pre-filled syringes, the trigger shot came in a sort of injection pen. A nurse came in and explained to both Cassie and Toto how to complete the injection.

Toto, again, had kept his word. He’d accompanied Cassie to each visit and willed himself to watch the process of her sterilizing the injection site, pinching a fattier part of her stomach, and injecting the medication. Toto said it was hard to watch each time.

— It’s not the needle that bothers me, it’s the look on your face. I don’t like seeing you in pain, that’s all.

— It only hurts for a few seconds — she said — It’s just not comfortable, no matter what. And you might have to get over your fear of that, because there’s going to be a lot more pain involved in this process for me, and it will be a lot worse than a couple of injections. But, it will be worth it, in the end.

Toto came over to Cassie’s for dinner on Saturday night, so they could discuss Monday morning’s appointment, and so he could give her the last of her injections.

— I will pick you up at eight that morning, just so we can get to the clinic a bit early. Apparently I will be making my — Toto cleared his throat — Contribution while you are having the retrieval done. But, they said I could join you once you’re in the recovery ward, so I should be there when you’re waking up.

Cassie was relieved. The idea of waking up from surgery, no matter how brief, alone, was a frightening prospect. She remembered having a minor procedure as a child — she couldn’t remember if it was when she had her tonsils or appendix out, as she’d had both removed as a child — and the anesthetic wearing off far earlier than it should have. It wasn’t as if she was still in the operating room, but it had been while she was away at school, and the teacher that had accompanied her to hospital hadn’t yet made it from the waiting room to the recovery ward.

She regained awareness just as the nurse on the ward had stepped away momentarily, not expecting Cassie to come around for another few minutes, and came back to her wide awake and in a fit of panicked sobbing from waking up in an unfamiliar place, alone. 

It was then she learned that, as a natural redhead, she had somewhat of a genetic resistance to anesthetic drugs, and required a higher dose than most people, which the anesthesiologist on duty that day apparently hadn’t factored in when calibrating her dosage. When the clinic scheduled her egg retrieval, she made sure to note that she was, indeed, a natural redhead.

As 9pm came, it was time for the trigger injection. Cassie followed the instructions that came in the box with the injection pen to verify the correct dosage and did her best to talk Toto through the process of the actual injection. She couldn’t help but think about how gentle he was being with his hands as he swabbed the injection site with the alcohol pad. She stood in front of him with her shirt pulled up, exposing the injection site, while he sat on the couch.

— Okay, now, put it straight in at a ninety degree angle. You won’t be able to go too far, so don’t worry about that, then hold the button on the top down with your thumb until all of the liquid is gone from the vial.

Toto did as instructed, but not before a brief hesitation. It took him a few times before he managed to psych himself up enough to plunge the syringe in to pierce Cassie’s skin. She pinched her brows and briefly hissed through her teeth.

— Okay. Leave it in for a few seconds to let it all absorb — she said, her voice strained.

As Toto withdrew the syringe, he exhaled heavily. He was visibly stressed by the ordeal, which made Cassie wonder why he had wanted to do it in the first place. He seemed determined, and it seemed to mean something to him, so she obliged him.

— I didn’t hurt you, did I? — he asked, looking up at Cassie. His face was etched with concern.

— No, I’m fine. It’s just a momentary pinch. You did well — she said, pulling her shirt back down, smiling to reassure him. She sat next to him on the couch and leaned her head on Toto’s shoulder, trying not to think about how good he smelled.

— Not much longer, now — she said, in a whisper.

Toto wrapped an arm around her, delicately at first, as if he was expecting her to reject his touch, but she did not. Cassie seemed to relax into him, so he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. 

— No — he answered, softly — Not much longer.

They remained in that position for a bit longer, in complete silence. The feel of his hand sliding down her arm made her heart beat slow and heavy in her chest. Her skin suddenly felt too hot. 

Then, Cassie made a mistake. Probably the biggest mistake of her life.

She lifted her face towards him.

Toto had his face turned forward, staring straight ahead. He was probably thinking about something that didn't necessarily worry him, but from the way his lips twitched, it was something that made him a bit uneasy.

 With her eyes fixed on his lips, Cassie wondered what they would taste like, or if they were soft.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

Cassie sat up a bit straighter, trying to ignore the tension building in her belly. However, as she studied where the best position for her hand would be, Toto turned his face away, smiling slightly.

— Is everything okay?

— Yes, everything’s fine. I was just thinking.

His fingers continued to glide delicately up and down her arm.

— Thinking about what?

“How badly I wanted to kiss you”, she thought.

— If our child is going to have your dimples.

Toto brought his free hand to his cheek, his smile widening.

— Maybe they will. I think they’re genetic.

— I hope they do. I think they’re cute.

He raised an eyebrow.

— You think my dimples are cute?

— Yes — she replied — That's one of the reasons I accepted your offer to be my donor.

Toto laughed. The sound put butterflies in her stomach.

— And I thought it was because of my height.

— It was a bonus, I won't deny it. Your height and your smile.

— You like my smile?

— Yes. I think it’s beautiful — she replied, her voice low.

He was silent for a few seconds, seemingly trying to think of what the most appropriate response would be. 

— Yours is beautiful too, Cassie — Toto finally said, before checking the watch on his wrist — Well, I should head home for the night. I’ll be here early to pick you up. Remember, nothing to eat or drink other than water.

She pulled back slightly, allowing him room to stand up. Cassie followed him to the door, kissing him goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. She shut and locked the door once he was gone. She turned around and found herself alone in her flat again, and let out a long sigh.

Toto would surely drive her to insanity before long.

Cassie woke up well before her alarm was set to go off on Monday morning, but couldn’t go back to sleep. She couldn’t eat or drink anything but water, so busying herself with making something for breakfast was out. She had showered the night before. There wasn’t any sense in doing anything with her hair, other than putting it up in a ponytail, and she couldn’t wear makeup. 

She felt disoriented without the usual steps of her morning routine, so she just sat on her couch in the darkness, scrolling through Twitter and Instagram without really absorbing anything she was reading. Just before 8, she changed into a comfortable pair of sweatpants, a soft bralette, and a t-shirt. The clinic had instructed her to wear something comfortable to change into.

Toto arrived at precisely 8am. They didn’t exchange many words on the way there, with Cassie trying to focus on her breathing to calm herself down. She couldn’t help but feel like she was fidgeting too much, clenching and releasing her jaw. 

Toto parked his car near the clinic, and Cassie felt a hand on her shoulder as she tried to get out.

— Hey — he said. Cassie turned her head to look at him. His face had a soft, fond expression on it — I know you are nervous, and I understand. This is a big step, but I will be by your side the entire time.  

She exhaled, trying to release the tension in her neck and shoulders. 

— I know — she said, sitting back into the passenger seat for a moment — And I’m so happy that you are. I don’t know how I thought I’d ever be able to do this myself.

Toto smiled.

— You thought you could because you're brave. The bravest woman I know — he said, the shadow of a smile on his face — Now come on. They're probably waiting for us.

Once the two entered the clinic, everything was a blur. The two were received and taken to a room, where she would change and wait to be taken to the room where the procedure would be performed. She changed into the clinic-supplied gown in the bathroom and placed the surgical cap over her red hair, hearing a good-natured comment from Toto.

It was in the operating room that her penny had finally sunk in. In one corner, the doctor was washing his hands, while in the other, two nurses were analyzing the chart. Beside her, the anesthetist was organizing the last details to sedate her. Staring up at the ceiling, something twisted in her stomach, tension creeping through her body.

But Cassie wasn't the only tense person there, considering how tightly Toto was squeezing her hand.

— Toto? — she asked quietly.

— Yes?

Cassie hesitated for a few seconds. It was a silly question, but… She needed to know.

— Will you be here when I wake up?

— Yes, Cassie. I'm not going anywhere. Do not worry.

A small smile appeared on her lips. Like it or not, it was a relief to have him there.

Then, the anesthesiologist turned to the gurney she was lying on.

— Is everything okay, Cassandra? — the woman asked.

— Yes, I’m all right — Cassie replied.

— I'll perform your sedation now. It is a light, short-term anesthesia, only for the procedure. Just relax.

The anesthesiologist put the needle in her IV line and pushed the plunger, a strange sensation in her arm indicating that the medication was entering her bloodstream. With her eyes fixed on the ceiling, Cassie concentrated on breathing deeply, trying to relax, as she felt Toto's thumb caress the skin of her hand.

The gesture made her look into his eyes, letting herself be enveloped by the heat they emanated, as well as the strange feeling of relaxation that took over her body. With her eyelids slowly closing, she let the medication take over, but with certainty.

She was safe.

When Cassie regained consciousness, she still felt something warm enveloping her hand. With fluttering eyelids, she found herself in the recovery room, a screeching machine right above her, monitoring her vitals. Beside the bed, Toto was sitting, his fingers wrapped around hers as her thumb traced circles on her skin. Seeing him there, with her, as he'd said, sent a wave of relief rushing through her. He had kept his word.

Squeezing his hand lightly, his face turned, his eyes meeting hers.

— You're here — Cassie said.

— Of course. I always will be.

She smiled.

— Did it go well?

— Yes, everything went perfectly, according to the nurse. You had several mature follicles, so it looks like we have a lot of chances.

— Good — Cassie said softly — And with you, did everything go well?

Toto hesitated for a few seconds.

— It wasn't the most interesting experience of my life. But it certainly was easier than yours, I'm sure — he replied.

Cassie giggled, but the movement of her body made her feel a twinge in her belly, probably where the doctor had made the incision to insert the cannula that had aspirated her eggs. Her pained expression was clearly not lost on Toto.

— Is everything okay? Are you in any pain?

— A little bit.

— Do you want me to call the nurse to see if she can give you something for it?

— No, I'm fine.

His eyes were filled with concern.

— Are you sure?

— Yes. I’ll be okay.

The two remained silent, hand in hand, as the fog of anesthesia lifted from her mind. In the meantime, the doctor in charge of the procedure entered the room, heading towards the bed where Cassie was lying.

— How are you, Miss Aldersey?

— I am fine. Starting to feel more alert.

— That’s good. I came here to inform you that we collected several eggs of excellent quality and that will serve perfectly for the fertilization process.

She smiled.

— In addition, the sample provided by Mr. Wolff was also of good quality and will also be used in this first round of fertilization.

— Very good — Toto said, looking at her.

— I'll be signing your discharge and you'll be able to leave soon. We will call and update you on the fertilization situation, and to schedule the embryo transfer. 

— Perfect — Cassie replied, smiling.

After talking to the doctor, she was discharged from the clinic and Toto drove her back to her apartment. He took her hand to lead her up the stairway inside of her building. It wasn’t strictly necessary, as Cassie was not having any trouble walking, or with her balance, but Cassie let him do it anyway. 

— You go lie down and rest — Toto said, after she unlocked her apartment’s door — Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat, if you’d like.

Cassie thought for a moment. She hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, having been told to not eat or drink anything after midnight, but she didn’t really have much of an appetite. 

— No, but… I should probably eat something anyway. I haven’t eaten since dinner last night — she said, heading to her bedroom. Toto followed after and watched as she climbed into bed, wincing a little as she laid down. 

Toto hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how much closeness between them at this stage of their relationship was proper. But, his desire to take care of Cassie in any way he could took over, so he stepped close to her bedside, pulling Cassie’s comforter up around her chest, straightening and smoothing out the blankets.

— Are you okay? Are you in much pain? — he said, softly.

— No, just a little sore, but I’m fine. Really. It’s not even as bad as period cramps.

Toto looked at her skeptically, his dark eyes still full of worry. 

— I’m okay! Really — Cassie said, trying to hide a smile. 

— Okay… If you say so. Well, let me at least go find you something to eat, then — Toto said, giving her a sidelong glance as he stood up — Any particular preference?

— No — Cassie said — Nothing too heavy, I suppose, but whatever you can find in the kitchen. I haven’t gone to the shops in a few days.

— Okay. You relax, and I’ll be back in a bit — Toto said over his shoulder, walking out of Cassie’s bedroom and easing the door partially closed behind him.

Cassie stared at the back of her bedroom door, realizing that she was blushing a little. It had been so long since anybody had treated her with the kind of gentle affection and kindness that Toto had shown her, the way he held her hand to comfort her as she was going under for the retrieval procedure, and, just as he’d promised, he was there when she woke up, holding her hand again. She couldn’t help but notice, even in her post-anesthesia fog, the way relief spread across his features as she opened her eyes in the recovery ward. 

She’d liked him as a boss from the day he’d started at Mercedes. She’d liked him as a friend and confidant for three years now, but now she was starting to feel a different sort of way about him, but she was too afraid to put a name to it, not just yet. “It’s probably just all of the hormones and medications,” she thought.

She started to feel a bit sleepy as she listened to the sounds of him working in the kitchen. She let her eyes drift close to the sound of her cabinets opening and closing, to the sound of the tap in the kitchen running. But, the squeak of her bedroom door startled her awake again. She looked up to see his tall frame in her doorway, shadowed by the sunlight in the living room.

— Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off — she said, sitting up a little. Toto seemed to catch the way her brows pinched a bit in pain as she shimmied upright. He set the bowl, plate, and glass down carefully onto the small nightstand next to Cassie’s bed. There was a second pillow on the other side of the one she was using, so he reached over, practically effortless with his long arms, and grabbed it, fluffing it a bit before tucking it behind her head. Cassie leaned forward and let him rearrange things a bit before settling back, now seated upright.

— Comfortable? — Toto said. 

— Yes, thank you.

— Good — Toto said, sitting down on the edge of Cassie’s bed and reaching over for the two caplets that were set on the plate, and the glass of water — I made you some soup, and brought you something for the pain. Take these, first. 

Cassie took the caplets from the plate and put them in her mouth without arguing, setting the glass of water on the nightstand. Toto handed her the soup by the plate the bowl was balanced on, taking care not to slosh or spill the contents of the bowl.

— Thank you. You don’t have to do all of this for me, you know… Though I did appreciate the ride home. That would have been a bit difficult by myself — she smirked a little bit, looking down at her bowl of soup, stirring it.

— Ah, yes, but I wanted to — Toto said, gently patting Cassie’s knee through her blankets — I told you before we started this process, I would support you unconditionally, and that includes things like making you lunch, making sure you’re comfortable, and keeping you company while you’re recovering from these procedures.

Cassie smiled as she ate the first spoonful of the soup.

— Well… I appreciate it, regardless. It is… It’s nice to have you here.

— It’s my pleasure, really.

Toto glanced around Cassie’s bedroom. The decor was very modern-looking, very minimalist — all clean lines and cool neutral colors, mostly gray, black, and white, with the exception of a sage green accent wall that matched the comforter on her bed. The furniture was all a matched set of simple black pieces. 

The only thing that kept it from looking like a hotel room was the bookcase. The lower shelves were packed with books. Some of them had thick spines and leather binding. Some of the titles were in English, some were in text that looked like Greek and Latin, some of them with more modern-looking, colorful spines. 

The top few shelves had a few objects on display — a toy horse with a small blue award ribbon around its neck, a miniature replica Grecian vase, small blown-glass sculptures, a jar full of what looked like seaglass. There was a purple and white striped scarf draped over the top of the bookcase, with a framed diploma from the University of Cambridge. There were a few pictures in simple black frames. He spotted a photo of the entirety of the Mercedes team, taken at the World Constructors Championship celebration a few months ago, which made him smile.

But, another one of the photos caught Toto’s eye.

It was a picture of a little girl, with long, wavy, bright red hair and large brown eyes. She was wearing a light blue cotton dress with a crisp white collar. She was holding a miniature pie in a tin and grinning broadly at the camera, a large gap in her two front teeth. 

Toto stood up to take a closer look. There were other pictures with the same little girl in them. In one of them, she was neatly dressed in equestrian attire with her hair combed back, standing in front of a dapple gray horse, holding up a small trophy. In another, she was sitting in between two other children, both of them blonde. One was a serious looking boy that looked like he was a few years older. The other was a smaller girl. All of them were wearing matching outfits. Toto plucked the picture off of the shelf, bringing it back over to Cassie’s bed. He settled gently back on the edge of the bed.

— Is this you from when you were younger?

Cassie looked up from her bowl of soup to look at the photo in Toto’s hand. 

— Oh… yes. That’s me with my brother and sister. That’s Jason — she said, pointing at the boy — My older brother. He’s two years older than me, and my sister, Helena, is two years younger.

— I didn’t know you had siblings! — Toto said — And, is that you in the picture with the horse, too? Do you still ride?

Cassie sighed.

— No… It was something my parents sort of made me do. I liked it, but I was never exactly passionate about it — she averted her gaze away from Toto’s eyes, seeming to stare at a point in the middle of her bed — My… My father is a Thoroughbred horse breeder. He owns a really large stable in West Sussex. He’s produced a lot of champion horses. Mostly eventing horses, but he’s produced some very successful racehorses. He’s even sold a few horses to the royal family over the years.

Toto raised his eyebrows. 

— I had no idea your family was so… Well-connected.

Cassie sighed, and rolled her eyes.

— I don’t really ever talk about them with anyone, because, like I’ve told you before, I don’t really talk to them. They had a… How should I say this? A very specific plan about the path they wanted my life to take. As I got older and started making my own decisions, my own vision for my life didn’t exactly align with theirs, so…

Toto wasn’t sure what to say, so he waited for a moment, but Cassie continued.

— My family is… Well… Both my mum and my dad come from very old aristocratic English families. My paternal grandfather was in the House of Lords for a long time, and my mum’s father was a baron. My uncle Ulysses is a baron, so my mother, Aunt Sybil, and Aunt Penelope have the title of “Lady”. 

— Interesting…

— I was raised around all of this, and just found it all very silly and suffocating as I got older. I went to a boarding school as a girl, and then my parents let me, yes, let me, go to Cambridge for university because they thought I’d meet a nice, Cambridge-educated, upper-class English boy from a good family, whatever that means, and I’d settle down and have my own brood of children to be raised by nannies and governesses until they were also old enough to be shipped off to boarding school. 

— Oh…

— Meanwhile, I would stay at home and plan luncheons and charity events while my Cambridge-educated, upper-class English husband spent his time fox hunting or playing polo with all of the other Oxbridge lads before coming home and having perfunctory, sterile sex with me while thinking about fucking his mistress instead.

Toto raised an eyebrow.

— And after finishing, with no thought to my feelings, of course, he would go to sleep in a separate bedroom so I wouldn't disturb him while he slept like a baby, getting ready to ignore his wife and children the next day, while he spends his working hours at his cushy office job, taking two hour lunches with his other lads, the ones he works with, before going back to his office and fucking his secretary. 

As she spoke, she was getting more and more irritated, venom gradually seeping into her voice.

— I didn’t want any of that. I wanted to live my own life, have my own career, have friends that weren’t all in the same social circles. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to get married or have children. For a long time, I didn’t. So, I entered the management course during my third year at Cambridge, graduated, and got a marketing internship with Mercedes right after Daimler took over. My parents, of course, were horrified, even more so when I was offered a permanent job. After one too many fights over all of it, we just all stopped talking to each other. The only family members I really talk to are my sister Helena and my Aunt Sybil. 

Silence grew between them for a few seconds. Cassie took another spoonful of the soup.

— Sybil, Helena, Jason, Ulysses, Penelope, Cassandra… I think your family has a thing for Classics — Toto said. His voice was quiet and soft. 

Cassie laughed a little.

— Yes. It’s a tradition in my mum’s family to use names from classical antiquity. It’s all very elitist, honestly, but I can’t say much about that. I studied Classics at Cambridge before starting the management course. Truth be told, I always thought Cassandra was a good choice for my name, considering that nobody in my family ever believed in me. And the red hair was a funny coincidence, too. That amphora over there — she said, pointing at the small vase on the bookshelf — Was a graduation gift from my favorite professor in university, because it has Cassandra and Ajax on it. I thought it was a strange choice, given the event depicted on it, but I suppose that she got her revenge on him in the end.

Toto chuckled. 

— So, does that mean we will have a little Hera or Hector soon?

Cassie rolled her eyes.

— No. God, no. There’s not many family traditions I plan on continuing with our baby, that one included. There’s a few classical names I do like, but I think it’s time for something new.

— Well, if you want some different ideas, my family has sort of a tradition with names as well. I don’t know when it started, but my father’s name was Sven, and my full name is Torger, which means ‘Thor’s hammer’. And, I have an Uncle Ivar. My dad’s side of the family is from Romania, so I don’t know why we all ended up with Nordic names. It might just be the men, though, because my sister’s name is Liliana, and that’s not Nordic — Toto set his hand on top of Cassie’s, gently stroking the back of it with his thumb — But, we have plenty of time to decide. After all, she is only an egg sitting in a lab right now.

Cassie smiled.

— She, huh? Are you hoping for a daughter?

— I suppose that ultimately I have no preference. However, you know I have three young nephews, Lili’s sons. I adore them, but I know how little boys can be. I used to be one, you know. And I looked after my sister quite a bit when we were young. I guess whenever I imagined myself having a child, I usually pictured having a daughter.

— I’m surprised — Cassie said — I would have expected you to want a little boy to pass your love of cars and racing onto.

Toto smiled again.

— Well, there’s no reason a little girl wouldn’t love cars and motor racing, no?

— I suppose that’s true.

Cassie shifted a little, picking up the plate with the soup bowl on it that had been sitting, balanced on one of her thighs as she and Toto were talking.

— I think I’m finished with this — she said — It’s gone cold by now, anyway.

She moved to uncover herself, but Toto stood up and took the dishes from her hands.

— Oh, let me get it for you, please don’t get up. I will put this — he said, picking up the framed picture — Back on your shelf for you as well.

Toto moved deftly, putting the photo back in its rightful place, and carrying the dishes and the water glass out of Cassie’s bedroom. He pressed the door open with his shoulder. Cassie heard the sound of water running from the kitchen sink, and the sound of the dishwasher rack being pulled out. 

She started to feel a bit drowsy as Toto was puttering around in the kitchen, but was also hoping he would come back soon. She didn’t have to wait very long, because his tall frame appeared in her doorway again, with another glass of water in hand. 

He set the glass back on the nightstand, along with two more paracetamol tablets. 

— I will have to head home to finish some things up before tomorrow — he said, kneeling down to Cassie’s eye level at her bedside. He grabbed her hand, stroking it softly again — You need to get some more rest. I brought you something in case you have any more pain. I know the doctor said you can return to work tomorrow if you’re up to it, but please take tomorrow off and relax. And… If something happens, anything at all, please call me. I can stop back in to check on you after work, too, if you want.

Toto moved to stand up again, pressing a light kiss to the crown of Cassie’s head.

— Sleep well.

He turned around to leave the room.

— Wait — Cassie said.

Toto stopped in the doorway and turned around.

— Thank you again… For everything today — she said. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him. 

Toto smiled.

— Please… It’s the least I can do. Good rest… Cassandra.

Cassie was glad Toto turned around and shut her bedroom door after that. That way, he wouldn’t see how deeply she was blushing as she laid down and pulled her comforter up to her shoulders. The way she felt took her by surprise. She’d started this adventure thinking of Toto as her boss, her friend, and a good co-parent for the child she wanted.

But it was undeniable at that point.

She was falling for him.

[giggly-squiggily]

Hey hey! Howzit going? OML I just finished Demon slayer season one and there's only one thing on my mind...MUICHIRO AND NEZUKO ARE SO CUTE I CAN'T! Would you please consider writing a Lee! Muichiro Ler! Nezuko fic?

Hey anon! Ahhhh, congrats on finishing season 1 of Demon Slayer!!! And YES! I love that! Muichiro and Nezuko have such cute interactions in the manga, so writing this was pretty fun! I hope you like it! :D

Cloud 9 (Taglist)

@myreygn, @thatbigbisexual29, @duckymcdoorknob, @wolfyeatstacos, @gladdygirl18, @baby-tickles2022, @cupcake-spice13, @backy-san

To Muichiro, interacting with Nezuko was like interacting with a baby.

She didn’t talk, mainly due to her muzzle. Instead she stared at him with those wide, pink eyes, tilting her head curiously with soft hums.

“Hi…” He began, the longer she stared the more confused on what exactly she wanted he became. He was “aware” now, as Shinobu put it- more alert of everything around him. Before he hadn’t even considered what talking to a domesticated demon would be like.

Nezuko blinked up at him, humming. She sounded pleased. That was good.

“Do you…uh, need something?” He asked, wishing Tanjiro was here to translate. Her brother had been pulled away for a checkup with the mentioned Insect Hashira, promising he’d be back “Like the wind.”

So far- no wind. Tanjiro was still gone. Muichiro stared back at Nezuko.

She stared up at him.

Silence.

“Do you wanna play a game?” He asked eventually, figuring that’s what she wanted. Nezuko hummed curiously, tilting her head again. “You know- a game? Like…you know what games are.” He shook his head and looked around, searching for a pack of playing cards.

Could demons play cards? That was something he’d have to figure out later.

“Mm!” Nezuko stood from her spot, walking up and gently prodding his shoulder. “Mm, mm!”

“Yes, we’ll play a game. Just let me find something to do.” He waved her off as he continued to search, standing himself and walking over to the nearby dresser. Beneath it, he saw the cards. “There…”

“Mm?” Nezuko watched him lay flat, reaching under the dresser. Sitting on her knees, she watched his expression grow tense as he stretched, just barely within reach. “Mm, mm!”

“Just a moment…almost got it…yes!” He smiled as his hands clawed the cards forward. “Got it-” He tried to pull back- but nothing happened. He tugged again. Peering under, he saw his sleeve caught on a stray nail. “Oh no…I’m stuck.”

Nezuko blinked, eyes widening in surprise. “Mm!”

“It’s fine, your brother should be back soon.” Muichiro tugged again, clearly frustrated. “He can get me out- just er, hang on.”

Nezuko watched with furrowed brows of her own, clearly unhappy with the situation he was in. He was about to reassure her that it was fine when she reached out and poked him again. “Mm, mm?”

“What? Nezuko, I promise I’ll play with you as soon as I-” Another poke, this time aimed at his armpit. Muichiro’s breath hitched, jumping slightly. “Don’t!”

She stared. He stared back. Silence sat between them.

She poked him again.

“Ah! Nezuko, don’t! Wahahhahhahait!” It didn’t take long for the Mist Hashira to giggle, curling as much as he could into himself while Nezuko’s small fingers wiggled beneath his armpit, relentless in their quest for his laugh. “Doohohohon’t tihihihiihckle me!”

“Mm!” She made a sound of delight, eyes dancing with glee. Her other hand soon came into play, scribbling along his ribs like she was playing a Koto. Each pluck and stroke made him gasp in laughter, squirming as much as he could in his trapped state.

“Ehhehehe! Ne-Nehehehehzukohohohoho! Stahhahahap ihihiihiihiht!” Muichiro could feel his face flushing a bright red, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been tickled; even with the big oafs in their group running about tickling everyone. He was pretty good at fading off in the distance and out of their grasps.

But here? With nowhere to go and tickled by a demon of all things? It was…surprisingly nice. 

For a very brief moment, it reminded him of Yuchiro.

Then her hands found that awful spot along his lower back. Now she definitely reminded him of Yuchiro.

“AH! AHEHAHAHHAHAHAHA! NEHEHEHEHZUUUHUHUHKOHOHOHO!” The Mist Hashira cackled helplessly as his worst spot was tickled, feeling the other’s nails gently drag across his back as she giggled beside him. “STAHHAHAHAHP PLEHAHHAHAHAHSE!”

“Mm!” With a happy squeak, she pulled her hands back, watching him gasp for air as he struggled to compose himself. “Mm mm!” She reached out and gently patted his head, smoothing out his frizzy hair.

“Eh..eheh..I’m fihihine, Nezuko..I prohohmise.” He huffed, giving her a weary smile. Then it dawned on him, what just happened. “You did that because I was frustrated…didn’t you?”

Nezuko nodded, chirping happily.

Laughing, he reached out and patted her head in return, feeling her nudge into his hand like a cat. “You’re not bad…sorry for ever doubting you.” The guilt of their first meeting stung then- even if he wasn’t openingly opposed to her, he certainly didn’t make any moves to be for her either.

Nezuko patted his head again, a silent gesture of forgiveness that made his eyes sting. “Thank you…”

“Hm? Nezuko, Muichiro- there you are!” Tanjiro’s voice felt like rain in a desert. “What happened? Are you stuck?”

It wasn’t long before Muichiro was free. Smoothing out the hole in his uniform, he watched as Tanjiro and Nezuko chat, an old ache somewhere in his chest starting to loosen.

Maybe…maybe interacting with others wasn’t a bad thing after all.

I hope this was good!

[cozage]

The Daughter's Return Part 3

Chapter 16: Let's Talk Strategy

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 1.6k

“Do I have to keep these on?” You shook your shackles in front of Marco’s face as you laid on the examination table. 

“Considering you knocked out the last person in charge of you with nothing but your fist and your sea prism bracelet? Yes. You do.”

You groaned in despair, dramatically flopping your arms back down onto the table. “What if my lack of energy harms the baby?”

“That’s why you have checkups every day,” Marco said. “Now lay still.”

You groaned again, but did as you were told. Perhaps if you did everything without complaining too much, they might take your shackles off before you got to Marineford. And then they wouldn’t be able to stop your decisions. 

Marco placed his stethoscope on your stomach, and you sucked in a deep breath at the contact of the cold metal against you. Being affected by temperature was something you weren’t sure you’d ever get used to. But you didn’t complain. 

A smile widened across his lips after a moment, and he looked at you with excitement. “Do you want to hear it?”

You frowned, unsure of what he meant. “Hear what?”

“The heartbeat.”

“Oh.” You weren’t sure how to answer that. In your mind, this baby only existed when you and Ace were together. He wasn’t here to witness it, and it felt cruel doing this without him. 

“Listen,” Marco advised, holding the stethoscope up to you.

You took it from him hesitantly, but you listened. A soft whooshing filled your ears, strong and steady. 

“It’s fast,” you whispered. “Is it okay? Did I do-“

“It’s normal,” Marco reassured you. “Their heartbeats are faster while they’re developing. But everything looks and sounds completely normal.”

“A healthy baby,” you said, placing your hand protectively over your stomach. 

“A healthy baby,” Marco confirmed, a smile on his face. 

The two of you walked to the commanders and strategists meeting. You sat alone at the division two seats, trying not to think about how there were two empty commander seats now. 

Everyone eyed your sea prism shackles, but nobody said anything about them. You were thankful for that, even if it did leave an awkwardness hanging in the air. 

“Has every subordinate captain been notified?” Your father asked, looking around the table. 

“We all told everyone the same thing. Meet outside of Marineford and we’ll storm in together.”

“Good,” your father said. “Then we can all ride in together.”

“That won’t work,” you said. “They’ll see us coming a mile away.”

“There’s nothing else we can do,” Elmy said. “We just have to hope the wind is in our favor.”

“No,” you said, your mind racing to think of another solution. “Aokiji will freeze the sea before we even make it there. And Akainu will burn down our flags. Instead of saving him, we’ll have a front row seat to his execution. We can’t-“

You couldn’t keep talking in fear of your voice giving your emotion away. 

“We can do the bubble trick,” you said, changing the subject. “How we get down to Fishman Island, but head for Marineford instead.”

“That won’t work,” Elmy shot back. “We don’t know anyone skilled enough to do all of our boats in a week's time.”

Your eyes shot to your father. “I know someone,” you said. “He can do it. Please. Let me ask him.”

His eyes flashed pure anger. “I thought I told you-“

“I’ll take Marco!” You cried. “Please. We’re close to Sabaody. Me and Ace talked to him the last time we went through. He’s a genius. Please, dad-“

“No,” he hissed, glaring at you. If you hadn’t been in your current state, you probably would’ve gotten another dose of his haki treatment. 

You stayed quiet for the rest of the meeting. There was no point in strategizing what would happen after you arrived in Marineford.  If you rode into battle in the way they were proposing, everyone would die before their feet touched land. 

There had to be another way. A way to convince your father to let you go. But you would worry about that later. 

You swore you could still hear the soft, fast heartbeat of your child, fighting and growing with every passing hour. The baby was so tiny, and yet you were halfway through your pregnancy. How on earth could something that small grow to be the size of a baby in four and a half months? It simply didn’t seem possible. 

And yet, it was happening. A new person was growing inside of you. You had to believe it contained only the best parts of you and Ace. Hopefully more of Ace’s traits than yours. His kindness, his love, his willingness to sacrifice…

“Y/N,” Marco prompted, tapping your shoulder lightly. “Let’s go get dinner. You need to eat.”

You were so lost in thought, you hadn’t noticed that the meeting had ended.

You were about to argue and say that you weren’t hungry, but you decided not to. You rose without a word and followed him to the mess hall, painfully aware of your father’s eyes on your back. 

“Did that baby take all the spunk out of you?” Marco mumbled the question in your ear so nobody else could hear as you walked into the mess hall. 

“I’m thinking.” You waved him away from your ear and picked up a tray. 

“You should probably double up on fruits and vegetables,” Marco said. “And cut out the fish.”

You did as you were told. Your father had told you not to argue, so you wouldn’t argue. Maybe if you listened, then so would he.

You sat down across from Marco at an empty table, your mind still running through possibilities. 

“Hello?? Earth to Y/N?” Marco was waving his hand in front of your face, snapping you back to the present. 

“Oh.” You blinked a few times and realized your tray was still full. He must’ve thought you were trying to get out of eating. “Sorry.”

You shoveled some food into your mouth to appease Marco. You knew it was the same ingredients and recipes as always, but it tasted off. Thatch hadn’t had part in the process, and you could taste that, somehow. 

“You need to snap out of it,” Marco scolded. “We’re only going to be able to do this if you are at your very best. We can’t lose our best strategist now, okay?”

“There’s no strategy that can get us past the Vice Admirals,” you said, eating another bite of tasteless food. “Not if we’re sailing in that obvious.”

“How well do you know this coating mechanic?” Marco asked, biting his lip. 

You shrugged, trying to think of a cross between truth and lie. “I know his name and I know his work ability.”

“You’re sure he can do it?” Marco asked.

You nodded. “If I ask nicely enough.”

Marco sighed, shaking his head. “Let me see what I can do. Go get ready for bed. Any funny business and-”

“I know,” you said, finishing up your plate and standing to take your leave. You could feel your voice trembling as you spoke. “Trust me Marco, I know.”

You walked to your room and stood in front of the door, too afraid to go in. You didn’t want to know what it was like in that room without Ace. 

“Is it locked?” Izou’s voice startled you, and you wiped your eyes before you turned to face him.

“No,” you whispered, and then cleared your voice before speaking again. “No, it’s not.”

“Ah,” Izou said, his eyes darting back to the door. “Is there something you would like me to grab?”

“What happened to Jinx?” you asked, ignoring his question. 

“The cat?” Izou raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. “A day after you and Ace left, Marco heard some ungodly cries coming from the room, and we all kind of collectively remembered that you all had a cat. Marco’s been watching her since you guys left. They get along quite well.”

Tears poured out of your eyes. You shouldn’t have been so relieved over a stupid cat, but at least Jinx was still okay. At least there was still something left of Ace here. 

“Do you need me to get anything for you?” Izou asked again, looking at you.

You shook your head. You couldn’t open that door. Not yet. Instead, you took off towards Marco’s room. He would have everything you needed to get by for now. 

When you opened the door, you saw a black mound on the bed, eyes staring at you threateningly.

“Hi Jinx,” you sobbed, kneeling down next to the bed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” you cried. You felt so guilty for returning alone. 

Jinx rose from her place on the bed and approached you, and she rubbed her face against yours. It was so surprising that for a moment, you stopped crying out of shock. Jinx purred softly against you, and you couldn’t help but feel like maybe-maybe-everything would be okay. 

“Alright,” Marco said, entering the room. “We have a private meeting with Pops tomorrow morning. I think-hey,” Marco realized you were on the ground, and he bent down next to you. “Are you okay?”

You started crying again at his question. There was no way to answer it. 

“I’m so scared,” you sobbed softly, trying not to scare Jinx away.

“Me too, kid,” he whispered. He wrapped his arms around you and held you tightly, and you could tell he was telling the truth. You could feel Marco’s fear in his grip around you. You weren’t sure if that was relieving or terrifying. 

The three of you fell asleep in a strange pile, entangled together with hope and despair.

--

Tag list! @taeyoge @teiza @tojislawyer @trafalgardnami @bloopbopsblog @dancingnewcat @dxestyi @flooofity @nyxthedragon01 @deadsnothere @h-rhodes1598  @morgyyyyyyy @trafalgardvivi  @fiestynatureweeb @frogpogjoghurt @beepboopcowboy @ms-portgas @luvyallbabes @appalost @zuchkaa @saybeyonce @stray-npc @kitsunechan707 @theyluvmesblog @heartysworld @aira-needs-sleep  @mothmomjay @ophelias-flowerss @aqualein @sehyojae @fanficwriter5 @forgotten-blues @amberash05 @firefistnoct @depressed-but-make-it-cute @stuckinthewrongworld

[m-jelly]

Learning to blossom - Chapter 6

Stunning banner created by the wonderful @ladycheesington 💕

Pairing: Levi x Fem!Reader

Genre and tags: Romance, fluff, modern AU, Uni AU, confessions, tattooed Levi, drama, flustered Levi, implant birth control, smut, foreplay, body worship, praise, angst.

Concept: Levi's stitches are out and you boost his confidence by showering his face with kisses which leads to making love. After you give an important presentation in a lecture, you are pulled away by staff members to talk about allegations made against you and Levi by Heather.

AO3 link

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Levi tugged down his beanie hat with thoughts of you on his mind. He wanted to do something special for you but wasn’t sure what to do. You’d done so much for him, and he wasn’t sure if he could beat the amazing ring you got him for his birthday. He wanted to make you feel special and deeply loved. He adored everything about you and he wanted to reflect that with a gift.

He paused a moment in his walk and waited for the cars to go past on the road. He released a long sigh and thought about going away, but it wasn’t possible with some coursework being due and some people having small exams. He was thinking that maybe you and he could go away for a few days on a holiday. He just wanted you to get away from university for a bit.

He jogged across the road and walked to the flats. His mind turned to the second year. He had a few more houses to look at with his friends and you. He wanted to set something nice up and finally live with you in some sense. He smiled a little as he thought about living with you and having a room together in a house and it just made his heart skip a beat. He loved and adored you so a chance to live with you was perfect.

He released a long sigh as he entered the halls and made his way up to his floor. He played with his door keys as a blush spread on his cheeks. He couldn’t wait to see you again. You’d gone out early this morning for a doctor’s appointment for a checkup. Levi had gone to the hospital for an appointment, so he hadn’t seen you in a while so he was excited to see you.

He unlocked his door with a bubble of excitement inside him. He pushed his door open and smiled when he saw you sitting on his bed with your books. “Bunny.”

You glanced up at Levi and instantly smiled at him. “Bear!” You put your books away. “How was your appointment?”

“Good. How was yours?”

You grinned. “All good. My implant is ready for action.”

Levi blushed bright red. “Implant?”

You nodded. “Yeah, it’s extra protection for us and it means we can have sex without condoms sometimes. I would like to have sex without condoms.” You nibbled your lip as you blushed. “I want you to cum inside me.”

Levi sat on the bed and placed his head in his hands as he groaned. “Damn brat being so sexy and cute.” He peeked over at you. “I would like to um…do the uh…you know…”

You shuffled closer and placed your hand on his thigh. “I’m glad.” You leaned over and kissed him. “So, show me.”

Levi gulped hard. “Sh-show you? H-how did you know?”

You frowned a little. “Well, you told me you were having your stitches out.”

Levi groaned. “Tch, I’m an idiot. I thought you meant…never mind.”

You hummed a laugh. “I’m happy I got you hard, but I would like to see your scar first.”

He slowly pulled his beanie hat off and huffed a sigh. “It’s horrible.”

You straddled Levi making him blush. You pushed his hair back and admired the scar going through his eyebrow and arching a little. “Wow.”

“Bad, right?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s sexy.” You leaned closer and kissed along the scar. “Mm, perfect.”

Levi moaned softly. “Thank you.”

You pushed your fingers into his hair and massaged it. You smiled as Levi closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure at your touch. You kissed Levi’s scar over and over before kissing Levi. You bit his lip before slipping your tongue into his mouth. You rolled your hips and began grinding against him. You mewled in delight when you felt how hard he was for you. You shivered when Levi’s hands ran up your back before yanking you close to his body.

Levi pulled from your lips and looked up at you as he panted. “Can I eat you out?”

You blushed. “Uh…um…sure. O-Only if you want to and like it.” You nibbled your lip a little. “I don’t want you to do it if you don’t like it.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “I love doing it! It’s incredible. You taste so good and your moans are so sexy.” He squeezed you. “I really love it. Please? Oh, but if you’re uncomfortable.”

You tapped your forehead against Levi’s. “I like it and want it.”

Levi smiled. “Perfect!” He lifted you and lay you down on the bed making you giggle. “I’m gonna lock the door.”

You smiled as Levi ran over to his door and locked it before returning to you. “You’re really excited, huh?”

He nodded and jumped onto the bed. “I’m really excited. I love making you feel good.”

You lifted your hips as Levi pulled off your comfy trousers. “You’re so delicate with me.”

“Because I love you.” He pushed his hands up the outside of your thighs. “May I take off your underwear?”

You nodded and moved your body so Levi could slip them off. You whimpered as he opened your legs. “Levi.”

He stopped a moment. “Are you okay?”

You blushed a little. “Yes. I’m just slowly building confidence with my body.”

Levi ran his hands up your thighs as he slowly leaned over you. He kissed you and hummed in happiness. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

He kissed down your body and sighed. “You’re incredible. You’re so perfect and sweet.” He looked up at you. “You are a delicacy that must be savoured.” He lay on his stomach and shifted your legs over his shoulders. He kissed up the inside of your thigh slowly. He paused a moment and bit your sensitive skin before sucking. “I love you so much. You’re so wonderful.”

You gasped and stopped Levi. “W-Wait, music.”

Levi lifted his head with his tongue sticking out. He sat up and blushed. “You’re right! I don’t want anyone to hear you moan.” He got off the bed and turned on some music to hide the noises you both would be making. He took his clothes off once the music played. He turned to you and blushed when he saw you naked. “You’re incredible. Look at how beautiful you are.” Levi crawled up the bed and purred at you. “Such a perfect delight.”

You cried out when Levi grabbed your ass and yanked you close. You dug your fingers into Levi’s hair and moaned as Levi started sucking and licking your clit. You shivered and squirmed under him as he devoured you with passion. You leaned your head back and panted as your body tingled in pleasure. You whined as you fight your body ablaze with pleasure. You clenched your thighs together and squeezed your boyfriend’s head.

Levi growled against you at feeling you press his head tightly with your delightful thick thighs. He sucked your clit hard as his tongue moved against you. He released your clit and pushed his tongue into your pussy and moaned at your arousal coating his tongue. He dragged his tongue up to your clit and started sucking again. Levi was in pure heaven eating you out and moving against you. He grinded his erection against the bed a little as he thought about being deep inside you.

You tugged on Levi’s hair and whimpered as pleasure burned through your whole body. You rolled your hips against Levi’s face as your coil tightened. You panted and closed your eyes as you let your pleasure throb away inside you. You squeezed your toes up tightly as you felt on the cusp of pleasure. You turned your head to the side as you moaned louder at your pleasure increasing. You were close to your orgasm.

You tugged on Levi’s hair as you felt the snap. You cried out and shook under Levi as pleasure tingled through every inch of your body. “Levi.”

Levi dragged his tongue up you before pushing your legs against your chest and slipping your ankles over his shoulders. He smiled as you squeaked a little as the last of your orgasm throbbed through you. He pressed his cock deep into your pussy as soon as he pushed your legs up. He moaned as he felt himself slowly sink into your hot wet pussy for the first time without a condom. His mind was racing at how good you felt and how he slid deep into you so easily. He could feel you dragging him deep inside you.

Levi pressed in all the way and whined. “Sh-shit.” He panted. “S-So good.” He moaned a little. “You feel incredible.”

You whimper and grabbed Levi’s arms. You clenched your walls around his cock before gazing lovingly at Levi. You smiled a little. “It feels so good.”

Levi leaned down and kissed you. “I love you.”

“I love you so much.” He gripped the bed tightly and began pumping his cock down into you. “Sh-shit. Ngh.” He panted as he kept moving. “I l-love it.”

You leaned your head back and moaned. You closed your eyes as you felt Levi’s thick cock reach the deepest parts of you. “W-Wow.” You shivered and smiled. “Your c-cock feels good.”

You smiled as Levi kept bucking down into you with his thighs slapping against your bum. You opened your eyes and looked down at your pussy to see Levi’s cock plunging in and out of you. You gripped Levi’s arms tightly as you felt pleasure burn through every inch of you. You blushed brightly at seeing how you took Levi’s cock. You whined a little and felt your coil tighten a little at just seeing his cock move in and out.

Levi dragged his eyes down to your pussy and watched what he was doing to you. He moaned in delight at seeing his cock ramming in and out of you. He shivered in delight at how your arousal had coated his cock. He admired your plump clit that throbbed from his previous attention. He moved his eyes up to your chest and saw your breasts jiggle. Levi found himself drooling at how beautiful your body was. He turned his head and bit your ankle. He sucked on your skin and bit a little harder as he looked down at you.

You mewled at Levi and blushed at him biting on your ankle. “Le-Levi.”

He looked up at your sweet face. “Good girl. You’re doing so well.”

You gripped his arms tightly. “Mm, Levi.”

“You going to cum?”

You nodded as your cheeks burned. “Y-Yes.”

He panted. “Let go, my bunny.”

You leaned your head back and whined in delight. You reached down and started touching your clit. You gasped and clenched Levi’s cock hard. Your legs shook over Levi’s shoulders as you felt your coil tighten. You whimpered in delight as you felt your walls ready to break. You gasped and tried to breathe, but your pleasure was overflowing inside you. You whined and shifted under Levi, but you were a little trapped there.

You placed one hand over your mouth to hold back your cries of pleasure. You cried out when you felt the snap. A rush of euphoria burned through every inch of you. You wiggled and thrashed under Levi as your legs shook. Every neverending inside your body was firing pleasure through every inch of you. You felt yourself drooling in delight at feeling the pleasure wash over you.

Levi stopped moving and released your legs making them flop against the bed. He cradled your face and said your name softly. “Are you okay? Hey, bunny? Talk to me.”

You hummed as you kept your eyes closed and shook a little. You finally opened your eyes and whined. “I’m g-good.”

Levi wrapped his arms around you before sitting up and pulling you with him. He sat you on his lap and held you firmly against his body as he covered your face in kisses. “Was that too intense? Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?”

You wrapped your arms around Levi’s neck and tangled your fingers in his hair. “It was perfect. You are perfect. I love you.” You kissed him before nipping his lip and tugging a little. “I love you so much.”

Levi ran his hand down your body and grabbed your bum hard with his fingers close to his cock in your pussy. His other arm wrapped firmly around your waist and gave you a loving squeeze as you both rolled your hips together. He smiled as you hummed and whined against his lips as his tongue explored your mouth. He gripped you tightly as he felt consumed with love and passion for you. He adored every inch of you and you felt incredible. He always wanted to be one with you like this.

He pulled from your lips and lightly spoke against your lips making your spine tingle in delight. “I love you. I love you so much. My world, my everything, my bunny.”

You massaged your fingers into his hair. “Mm, Levi.” You gripped him tightly. “S-So good.”

“Mm, bunny.” He shivered as he felt his cock move between his fingers as he plunged in and out of you. “Perfect.”

You moved your hips a little faster. You tingled as your body rubbed against Levi’s. Your breasts pressed tightly against him as your clit rubbed on his pelvis. Your body burned with pleasure as you enjoyed Levi. You felt yourself drooling at feeling his unprotected cock sliding in and out of your wet pussy. You felt yourself melting against Levi. As you were held and kissed you felt as if you were one with Levi. You shifted your thighs a little and moved against the love of your life.

Levi gripped you tightly and helped you move on his cock as he pumped himself up into you. He kissed along your jawline to your neck. He dragged his tongue over your skin before he bit down and sucked on your skin. He moaned and growled in delight as your pussy stretched around his cock. He smiled against your neck as he felt so much love for you. He bit and sucked hard causing little marks to blossom on your perfect skin.

You whined a little as Levi covered your neck in love bites. You pulled back a little to look Levi in the eyes. You crashed your lips against his own and pushed all your love and passion into the kiss. You sighed through your nose as your tongue moved with Levi’s. You kissed all over his face before focusing on the scar on his eyebrow. You licked the healed skin before placing a loving kiss against it. You moved your head before sucking and nipping his neck. You bit him a little and purred against him as Levi let out a deep moan.

Levi panted. “B-bunny. I’m g-gonna cum s-soon.”

You nodded. “M-Me too.”

Levi crashed his lips against yours before slamming you against the bed on your back. He held you tightly still and began bucking hard and fast into you. He growled and grunted against your lips as he felt himself on the cusp of cumming hard. He pulled back a little and panted and softly moaned to you. He whimpered a little and felt flustered at the thought that he was about to fill you with his cum for the first time.

You gripped Levi’s back and dragged your nails across his skin. You leaned your head back and moaned in delight as Levi ravaged you. Your legs shook around Levi as your toes squeezed tightly. You thrust upwards against Levi as you felt your coil snap. You cried out in pleasure as you felt a burn shoot through every inch of you. Your body heated up as you felt yourself sinking into a pool of euphoria.

Levi bucked into you hard and fast as he felt your pussy walls throb around him. He grunted and gripped you hard as he lost his rhythm and control. He slammed deep into you and moaned your name as he came hard into you. He panted as his cock twitched and balls tightened at ribbons of his cum pumping into you. He shivered in delight as he felt a wave of pleasure take over him. He felt a flicker inside him, something that was more than cumming. Levi loved cumming inside you and knew this had to be a new kink or a kink he has just discovered that was waiting inside him.

You panted and hummed in delight. “Warm…so warm.”

Levi whined. “Are you okay? Do you feel all right? Does it feel bad?”

You shook your head. “It feels good, really good.” You covered your face with your hands and whined. “I’m a little embarrassed by how much I love it. I’m so glad I got the implant. I don’t ever want to go back.”

Levi blushed hard. He pressed his face against the crook of your neck and whined. “M-Me too. I liked it so much. I’m embarrassed by how much I loved it.”

You played with Levi’s hair and hummed a laugh. “Well, I really loved it too.”

Levi lifted his head and looked at you with wide puppy dog eyes. “Do you think I’m a pervert?”

You rubbed his cheek. “You’re not. You’re my perfect and wonderful man. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” He pulled from you and went to his sink. He cleaned himself quickly before hurrying over to you. He cleaned up your legs as he blushed. “I-I liked cumming deep inside you. I-I want to um…do it again.”

You sat up and smiled. “Me too. I heard this sort of thing is called a breeding kink.” You saw Levi blush hard. “You know, where you like cumming inside your partner and find it arousing if there’s a baby…” Your voice quietened near the end. “S-Sorry. It’s not nice.”

Levi sat on the bed with a strong blush. “I…I have that kink.” He fiddled with the cloth. “I know it.” He looked over at you. “Do…do you?”

You crawled closer to Levi and nodded. “I do.” You kissed Levi and purred. “I really liked it.”

Levi blushed hard as he gazed at you. “I did too and I’m glad you liked it.”

You ran your hand over Levi’s thigh. “When you’re ready…can we go again?”

Levi pushed you down on the bed and purred. “Yes.”

Your cheeks slightly burned as you gave your presentation in your ethics lecture. You locked eyes with Levi and smiled when he winked at you. Levi had given you an incredible pep talk before the lecture because you were nervous. You’d practised your presentation on Levi and he gave you great reviews. He helped you make your work better and for you to be confident. You let out a long sigh at the end and smiled.

Your professor clapped for you and smiled. “Wonderful work. You have tackled the subject perfectly.”

You bowed your head. “Thank you.”

He winked at you. “Go take a seat, unless anyone has questions?”

Reuben raised his hand. “I just want to say how incredible you are. You explained a complex subject in such a simple way that anyone can understand. Beautiful stuff.”

Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Kiss ass.”

You collected your things. “I’ll go sit now.”

The professor clapped his hands together. “Next it Reuben! Come on up.”

You hurried over to Levi and sat next to him. “Shit.”

Levi rubbed your back. “Well done. You were incredible up there. I’m so proud of you.”

You showed him your shaking hands. “I was so nervous.”

Levi held your hands and massaged as Reuben showed off and spoke loudly for his presentation. “I think you did an incredible job.” He kissed your hands. “Poor sweetie.” He leaned closer and kissed you. “Good bunny.”

You whined. “I am a good bunny.”

He hummed a laugh. “You are.”

“Excuse me?” You and Levi looked over at your professor to see he was staring at the door to see security there with another professor. “May I help you? I’m in the middle of graded presentations.”

The professor sighed and said your name. “I need you to come with us.”

You gulped hard. “Do I need my things?”

He nodded. “You’ll be with us for a while.”

You packed your bag and stood up as you blushed. “Y-Yes.” You leaned down and kissed Levi. “I’ll call you.”

The professor sighed. “We need Mr Ackerman as well.”

Levi frowned before gathering his things up and hurrying over to you by the door. “Sure.”

“Come with me, both of you.”

Levi held your hand and stared at the security. “Tch, why the security, sir?”

The professor glanced back at Levi. “For certain reasons brought to our attention. We can’t talk about it in public. Just come with us and we’ll talk.”

“Is it serious?”

“Yes.”

You gripped Levi’s hand tightly. “Levi?”

Levi gave you a small smile. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

You whined a little. “Thank you, Levi.”

The professor led you across campus to the offices, which meant this meeting was very serious. He held the door open for you both and led you to another door. He opened it and sighed. “In you go. Take a seat and we’ll be right with you.”

Levi pulled you inside and sat down. “You okay?”

You sat and put your bag on the floor. “Mm.”

He rubbed your back. “I’ll fix this, okay? Whatever it is.”

You started biting your lip. “I’m worried, Levi. What if this is something that will tarnish us.” You put your head in your hands. “I worked too hard to be kicked out of university.”

Levi kissed you. “It’ll be okay.” He looked up as a man and woman entered the room with files and a laptop. “Do we need someone here with us?”

The woman smiled. “I’m a qualified counsellor with human resources. I’ll be here to help. My name is Carol.”

The man sighed. “I’m a senior member of staff here. I’m William.”

Levi clenched his jaw. “This seems serious.”

William opened this laptop and typed away. “It is.”

Carol shuffled in her seat and said your name softly. “Are you sensitive or do you find anything triggering before we talk?”

Levi held your hand. “What exactly are we going to be talking about?”

William cleared his throat. “Well, some allegations have been made regarding you both. We want to protect our students.”

Levi clenched his jaw. “You don’t. You want to protect the university.”

“That’s not-.”

Carol placed her hand on William. “He has a point. I’m here for the students, you’re here for the university.”

Levi slammed his hand on the table. “Would someone just tell us what’s going on?”

Carol sighed. “It’s been brought to our attention that a student at our school has become pregnant due to relations with Mr Ackerman and he has asked her to get rid of it. There have also been accusations of abuse by” she looked you dead in the eyes and said your name. “The abuse accusations are really bad. We’ve been told you both had been abusive. We have photo evidence of bruises, cuts and scratches.”

Levi shook his head. “No, no my girlfriend wouldn’t hurt anyone. She’s harmless. Look, we haven’t hurt anyone and we will have alibis for whenever Heather claimed we attacked her.”

Carol glanced at William before she looked back. “How did you know it was Heather?”

You welled up and started crying. “She’s been stalking Levi and bullying me for months. Levi got hurt during a match and she told everyone that she was Levi’s boyfriend. I couldn’t go with him to the hospital because she rode the ambulance with him.” You rubbed your tears away. “I was so scared.”

Levi hugged you tightly. “It’s okay. Breathe for me.” He wiped your tears away. “It’s going to be okay.”

Carol nibbled her lip. “William, I highly suspect that these two are innocent.”

William sighed. “Well, we still need to check a few things.”

“All right.”

William typed on his laptop and read out a few dates. “Please, tell me what you were both doing on those days.”

Levi blushed hard. “We were in my flat.”

“Doing what?”

Levi grabbed your hand and shuffled in his seat. “Ju-just um stuff.”

“Mr Ackerman, I need to know what you both were doing.”

You leaned forwards onto the table. “We were having sex.” You shuffled in your seat. “Levi and I live in his flat ever since he got hurt. I took care of him and looked after him while he healed. We were always together and having sex a lot of the time.” Your cheeks burned. “You can check CCTV to see me coming and going in and out of the halls.”

Carol blushed. “I am so sorry you had to tell us that. This is not right or fair.”

William tapped on his phone and called up a number. “This is William, I need CCTV of a few dates around a hall.” He gave details of Levi’s hall and a few dates. “I need to know if two students remain in the hall between certain times. Thank you so much.” He ended the call and sighed. “Wait here please.”

Levi put his head in his hands. “I never slept with her. I was a virgin before I met my girlfriend. My girlfriend is my only sexual partner. I swear to you.” He looked up at both with tears in his eyes. “Please, I just want her to leave us alone. I want to graduate from university and live my life with my girlfriend. Please. I’m so tired of Heather.”

William sighed. “I’m sorry, but the implications are bad. We need to keep you both here. The abuse she got…it’s not good.”

“What will happen if you don’t believe us?”

Carol gulped. “Your term here will be terminated and we’d ask you to leave. We’d also press charges."

"So, you’ll ruin our future because a woman is lying?”

You welled up a little as you bit your lip. “Levi’s innocent.”

William stared at you. “Innocent?”

You nodded. “He’s innocent. I’m the one she’s accusing, right? Let Levi go. Don’t terminate his life here. He needs to graduate.”

Levi’s eyes widened as he gazed at you. “Bunny, no.”

You smiled softly at him. “I can take it.”

“Bunny, don’t do this.”

You held his hands. “I’ve been bullied all my life. I can take one more bully. Go back to the flat, study and get ready for your presentation. I’ll wait here for the results.” You hugged him tightly. “I love you.”

He squeezed you. “But what if it goes wrong?”

“Then I’ll take what comes.” You released Levi. “Go.”

William stood up. “I’ll lead you out, Mr Ackerman.”

Levi stood up with tears in his eyes. “I don’t want to go.”

You blew Levi a kiss. “Go, please go. I’ll see you soon.”

Carol reached over the table to you. “You’re very strong.”

You cleared your throat and looked away from her. “I just want this over with.”

You sat there for hours waiting for a result. You felt a stinging in your heart as your future, your degree and your happiness slowly slipped through your fingers. You felt as if you were sinking into black tar. You couldn’t breathe as your anxiety consumed every inch of your soul. You put your head in your hands as you thought about Levi. You knew that the fight that happened in front of the café would be on file and be the reason why you were pulled in and the suspected things.

You looked up when William said your name. “Yes?”

He sat down and sighed. “I’ve talked to security about your alibi and you’re in the clear. You were nowhere near Heather when the incidents took place. I’ve also been sent the video of the incident outside the café. One of the officers actually spoke about the event and supported you and Levi.” He frowned a little. “Why didn’t you report her?”

You shrugged. “I thought her being pulled away from us was enough to put her off.”

Carol shook her head as she looked over everything. “This isn’t good. Heather is creating fake allegations. She could have ruined the lives of these two students. William, this is very serious.”

William hummed in response. “This is.” He sighed and said your name as he gazed at you. “I’m going to issue you an order that you work from your accommodation for a month, along with Mr Ackerman.” He held his hand up before you spoke. “This isn’t to punish you but to protect you. I am very concerned about Miss Chan’s behaviour and accusations. Therefore, to keep both of you safe I don’t want you to attend lectures in person. I will alert your professors about this change.”

You nodded in agreement. “Okay, but what about Levi? He’s a key player in the university rugby team.”

“I will request for campus security to watch over the matches.”

“So, what about Miss Chan?”

Carol smiled. “We’ll take it from here. We’ll investigate her and request that she cuts communication and contact with you both. We want you away from your normal routine for a month so she can adjust to the change and we can test if she can do it, if not then we will remove her from campus.”

You frowned. “So, you were going to kick me and Levi out of university because of her accusations and yet you now know she’s a liar and you’re not doing anything?”

“We’re doing the best we can. We have to build a case against her.”

William leaned closer and said your name. “I understand your frustrations, but you have to understand this is different. Knowing she’s lying means that the stalker declaration made by Mr Ackerman makes all this very dangerous. Miss Chan is a great danger to you both. We need to handle this delicately. If we just kick her out it can backfire and you and Mr Ackerman can be at risk. Please, understand.”

You let out a long sigh. “Okay, okay, I understand. I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated and there is a chance she might set up Levi to be hurt.”

“Oh?”

You nodded. “There was a lot of talks when he got hurt in his match, you know when he needed stitches? Levi’s never gotten that hurt before. He’s played rugby since he was a kid. She was waiting at the front and started running to him just before he got hit. She knew it was going to happen before anyone else.”

William nodded and made a note. “We’ll look at this. Thank you and I’m sorry for dragging you into this all.”

You stood up and sighed. “I just want this fixed. So, can I live with Levi for the month?”

“We’ll allow it.”

“Thank you.” You picked your bag up and sighed. “Can I just go or do I need an escort?”

William walked with you. “You need an escort.” He led you to an officer. “Hank? Could you take this young lady to her halls? There is a risk of a possible attack on her by Heather Chan.”

Hank bowed. “Yes sir, I’ll keep her safe.” He smiled at you. “Come with me.”

You turned to William. “I’m putting a lot of faith in you and Carol.”

William smiled. “We’ll fix this.”

You released a long sigh. “I hope so.” You walked back with Hank as you fiddled with your bag. “Have there been stalker issues on campus in the past?”

Hank hummed. “Yes. You can’t control humans and some become too obsessed.”

You huffed a little and felt tired. “Yeah.”

He smiled softly to reassure you. “I’ll get better.”

You hummed in response. “I hope so.” You stopped by the hall door. “Thank you for walking me to my boyfriend’s place. Have a nice evening.”

“You too. Get some rest and remember, you’ll be safe if you let us look after you.”

You smiled. “Yeah, I’ll rely on you guys.” You waved to him. “Bye.” You dragged your feet up the stairs as you went before moving down the hall. You unlocked Levi’s bedroom door to see him awake and sat up in bed with books. “Levi.”

Levi flew out of bed and hugged you tightly. “Oh thank god you’re okay! What happened? Talk to me. Are you out of uni? Did they get the evidence?”

You hugged Levi back and began explaining everything to him. You sat on the bed once Levi released you. You sighed as the room fell silent. “So, we’re stuck in here together for a month until they sort whatever this shit is out.” You flopped back on the bed. “I’m so tired. I’m working hard to pass the first year and she’s just…I don’t know, but she’s driving me nuts.” You threw your arms over your face. “I’m so tired.”

Levi lay on the bed before pulling you into his arms. “I know. I know. I’m tired of this all too. It’ll get fixed. I have faith in the university that they’ll sort this out.” Levi played with your hair as you clung to him. “I love you so much.”

You sighed as your silent tears rolled down your cheeks. “I love you too.”

He wiped your tears away and smiled through his. “A whole month together, huh? We can play games, study and make a fort.” He chuckled making you giggle. “It’ll be a lot of fun.”

You leaned up and looked down at Levi with a bright smile. “We can have all the snacks we want and just have a little party for you and me.”

He pressed the end of your nose. “That’s right.” He pushed his fingers into your hair before bringing you down and kissing you. “I love you.”

“Love you always.”