#and then afterward being faced with concern FROM the doctor and then a talking to but still Concern from mike and responding Like That

[archiephd]

point and shoot, 6x08 / something beautiful, 4x03

[oepionie]

—VOICELINES ABOUT YOU. various

Synopsis: Yuuken interrogates some of the boys on the campus about their special someone. Hearing their loving ramblings on you was certainly not what he expected.

Tags: Self-Indulgent, Fluff, Angst if you squint really hard, Reader is not Yuu, Tweels are a bit...too mad in love, I brainrotted so hard, You're Malleus' fiancee, Malleus doesn't know how to tell a joke someone help him

Cw. Riddle's Mother, Overworking, Hospitalizations, Poor living conditions, Illness, Bullying, Allusions to violence, Marriage, Tad bit of possesive behavior, Description of stabbing

WordCount: 2k+ | 💌Masterlist

R.R | RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS:

About: Riddle's Rose

"Rose? I see you've met that troublesome intern at the library. That's a nickname. Their name is (Y/N) and yes, they are my partner." "A-Ah? I'm so direct? Well, you asked me a question! Though...I would prefer that this discussion end here. I prefer to keep my relationship with them private.”

Chat: Childhood Memories

“Ever since we were young, (Y/N) was quite rebellious. The complete opposite of me as a child, really. They were always sneaking off during the night and coming over to visit me. Mother...didn't approve of them and often screamed in their face. I was quite terrified she would scare them away, though that didn't stop them at all. Haha, I think they got even more persistent afterwards. I am truly glad I met them.”

Personal Story: To the Hospital

“Again...? I see. Thank you, Trey. Hmph, I'll have to schedule another visit once more."

> "Riddle? What's wrong?"

"Ah, Yuuken—It's Rose. They've gotten admitted to the hospital...again. (Y/N) is quite impulsive and tends to bite off more than they can chew. On more than occasion, like now, I would find out about their hospital admissions via Trey days or even weeks after."

>"Aren't you dating? Why aren't they telling you?"

"They claim that they withhold the information from me out of concern for my workload or out of fear of being a burden. Though that is—a sentiment I don't understand. Nothing is more important to me than their health."

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R.B | RUGGIE BUCCHI

About: The Photo In His Wallet

"Where is it?! Man, I'm so fucked if I lost it—Oh?! Oi, Yuuken! That wallet's mine! Man, thanks a lot. I really would've been screwed over if it weren't for you." "Eh? The photo? Shishishishi curious, aren't cha? Hmmm...how 'bout this? You get me a steaming hot meat bun and I'll give you a story time about them."

Chat: A Hopeful Future

"My studies? Course I take them seriously! That's what's gonna' put food on the table one day. Plus, I wanna' give (Y/N) the life they deserve—What'd I mean? Well, if I'm going to be their husband, I want 'em to live comfortably. It's not like we need anythin' luxurious, anyways. As long as we're together and there's enough food to go by, it's going to be all right."

Personal Story: In Sickness and In Health

"....that's good to hear. Please look after 'em, granny. Love ya." The call ends and Ruggie sighs. "That's the best news I've received since."

>"News?"

"Guh-?! Man! What's with you and sneaking up on me!? Yeah yeah—you heard right...news. Granny just called me to talk about (Y/N), their health is looking up. Tell ya' what, I knew that deal with Azul was worth it. I managed to snag some medicine and send it home."

>"Oh? Medicine?"

"Yeah. Ever since my first year of high school, they were sick and bedridden. (Y/N)'s parents don't have enough money for a doctor, so there's not much they can do. Of course, I'm out here doin' my best to help too."

"I really...I really wanna see them up and runnin' again. Hey, who knows—maybe we'll get to make flower crowns for the village kids again...together."

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A.A | AZUL ASHENGROTTO

About: An Interrogation

"Yuuken, you’ve met (Y/N), I hear. Well, as their partner, it's only right that I ask you about it. I assume you don't mind. So, what is your opinion of them? Nothing short of perfection, I hope."

"Hm? You think they're nice? Good then."

Chat: Busy Octoboss

"With all the deals, my maintenance of my academic ranking, and my position as Monstro Lounge's manager, my workload is quite substantial compared to most. And, I regret to say that it does get in the way of my personal life, including quality time with my lover. It tears at my heart, yet I cherish how they're so understanding and patient. Still, sometimes I can't help but think I am undeserving of them..."

Personal Story: Deep Sea Bonds

"My childhood is not something that I appreciate or want to remember. Yet, despite everything I've been through, I do think it is pleasant to look back on the days when I met them. You see, (Y/N) was bullied too. They were just like me, relentlessly bad mouthed and hurt by the kids around us. However, they never failed to greet me every day with a bright smile on their face."

>"What a sunny person."

"They'd also always have the courage and bravery to stand up for me, often taking the brunt of the bullying. I wish I could say I did the same for them...but I was far too cowardly back then..."

>"Wow. You two must be really close, then."

"Of course. They've been through a lot.Which is exactly why I won't allow anyone to speak ill of them anymore." Azul pauses, smiling slyly. "Say, Yuuken. You'll tell me if anyone casts aspersions on my Angelfish, won't you?"

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J.L | JADE LEECH

About: A Helping Hand

"Hm? What's that? Ah, you’ve met my darling pearl. I see. I do notice how you’ve been frequenting Monstro Lounge lately…Have you perhaps acquired a romantic interest towards them? No? Hehe, Alright." "Now, to answer your question, yes, that is right; (Y/N) routinely comes over to visit and aid me in my Mountain Treks. I couldn't be more grateful for their assistance."

Chat: The Pearl Ring

"Oya? I see you're curious about the ring I've been crafting. Well, it's for (Y/N). You see, in merfolk culture, we create handcrafted jewelry to serve as a courting gift. This is one of many ornaments I plan on giving them. Though, this one is...particularly unique. Ah, well...(Y/N) Leech does have a nice ring to it, does it not?"

Personal Story: A Jaded Reaction

"Oya? (Y/N) is spending the night at Ramshackle? Whatever reason for?"

>"Grim wanted to have a game night."

"Ah. I see. How...lovely. What's that? My smile is frightening you? Oho, now is it? Hehe, my deepest apologies. We eels tend to be quite...protective. I so anticipate you to take good care of them. And fret not, as long as you keep them away from any harm, no disputes shall arise."

>"Uh...and if something happened?"

"What if something happened...? Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind being hunted down the face of the earth, tied up, and pulled down to the deepest pits of the blue ocean, where no one can hear your anguished cries for help...Would you?" 

>"..."

"Just joking. I would never do that."

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F.L | FLOYD LEECH

About: A Sea Walnut

"(Y/N)? Aha~~~ You've heard of my little sea walnut? They're so adorable and squishy, yanno!—Is there a problem? If you got a problem with 'em, I'll squeeze you." "Oh? Not scared at all, huh? Ehe~ You sure are ballsy. Tread carefully now, shrimpy~!"

About: Ocean Currents

"Whenever a strong ocean current comes, sea walnut always huddles close to me and grabs my arm. They've always been afraid of being blasted away."

"They used to do that a lot when we were kids, but it never gets old. Hehe~ Sometimes, I lead them to places where the waves are strong, jus' so they can cling onto me! It's so funny to see 'em get afraid and scramble after me when I move too far away. "

Personal Story: Shark Attack

"Hmm~? Oh, what're these bite marks? Rad, aren't they? I got them after fighting a buncha' sharks."

>"Sharks?! Why would you do that?"

"To get these. It's shark teeth. Our anniversary is comin' up, and Jade suggested that I should make some jewelry for them. It's a merfolk courting thing. Azul 'n Jade told me to get them pearls, but I thought that was boring. So, I'm making one with shark teeth instead! Isn't that cool~?"

>"I-I guess, but what happened to the sharks?"

"Ugh. None of them were a fun hunt. The entire hoard swam away so fast. Can you believe it???… I’m not the typa eel who would let my prey get away that easily, though. And it’s not like I had anything better to do. Ehehe! There were so many of those sharks swarming around, but I managed to squeeze them all! Well, it was worth it in the end cuz I got what I wanted. I'll do anythin' for my little sea walnut~"

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J.V | JAMIL VIPER

About: A Hearty Meal

“What am i doing? Well, I'm making some Roast Chicken with Sumac Flatbread. Oh? Who's (Y/N)? Ah, Kalim must have told you, huh. (Y/N) is my partner. They are truly wonderful."

"For example—Though I like to think I'm skilled at disguising my true feelings, the moment I go to see them, they already know what I'm thinking. They have a keen sense of intuition and always seem to know what I need and when I need it. Truly, I'm grateful for such a caring—Ah, I'm sorry. I was rambling again."

Chat: Snake-Eyed Envy

"I can't dispute that a lot of people back home are vying for their affection.That bothers me at times. As Kalim's babysitter-ehem, retainer, I don't have enough time to check in on them every day...However, as cheesy as it sounds, I have yet to meet someone who is as smitten with (Y/N) as I am."

Personal Story: World Left Unsaid

"I soon understood that I was more than the circumstances of my birth, all thanks to (Y/N). In fact, My bond with Kalim has become stronger and more genuine thanks to them. I...realized my hatred for Kalim was just my desire for my circumstances to be different...I didn't hate him at all. Without (Y/N), I would never have understood it."

>"They must be very important to you, Jamil."

"Absolutely. I was terrified that I might lose them after my overblot. But to my surprise, they stayed with me. Naturally, it hurt them, but they were really compassionate towards me and about how much I had to go through."

>"Do they know of what you feel?"

"I...I don't think (Y/N) realizes just how much I cherish them. I don't think now's the right time for that though. I've hurt them too much and I still have a long way to go before I fix things."

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M.D | MALLEUS DRACONIA

About: He's Engaged?!

"I am, indeed, betrothed. Heh. Why are you looking so bewildered, Child of Man? If I'm going to be a king someday, it only makes sense that I would need someone to reign alongside me, no? At first glance, (Y/N) may seem aloof, but as you get to know them more, you'll see that they are actually incredibly lovely and warm."

"You never thought I was one for romance? My, my... What a bold statement, you best learn how to hold your tongue. Have you considered that I could use lightning to smite you where you stand?...Now, now—That was a joke. You don't have to cower in fear."

Chat: Safe And Sound

"My precious treasure tells me that I tend to get protective at times. Though can you really fault a lover for wanting to protect the one who is most important to them in this cruel, ruthless world. One where others will not hesitate to turn on you?"

Personal Story: The Art Of War

"I am actually the first of my lineage to wed someone who is not a noble. You see, (Y/N) is a knight-in-training. And, as you can probably guess, they served as my retainer. To see them at work was truly a magnificent sight to witness. They command attention and radiate strength. While I had always admired them, I could not bring myself to express my true feelings to them. Until...that night."

>"That night?"

"Yes. On the evening of Silver's 16th birthday, someone had rushed at me with a dagger in hand. (Y/N) was the first to respond and took the hit for me...The sound of their screams as the knife tore through their flesh was truly...horrifying."

>"That's horrible! What happened to the guy?"

"Worry not, he was taken care of accordingly....If there is anything I’ve learned from Lilia's many teachings, it’s that the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation. To avoid further offensives, one must deal with and eliminate adversaries as soon as possible. Don't you think so?"

Likes and Reblogs are greatly appreciated and are very motivating on my end!

Taglist: @keedas @spadecentral @crypticbibliophile @pastellepastary @cassidycampfire @cocomollo @poisonioushearts @anonima-2 @kawaiipotatoghost @ramvuda @sweeneyblue1 @the-lost-anime-dad @chuuchuudreams @taruruchi

↳ want to be added?

[bedsyandco]

Soon you’ll get better

❥ — ꒰ pairing ꒱ lani x quinn hughes

❥ — ꒰ synopsis ꒱ the aftermath of the accident

❥ — ꒰ content ꒱ talks of an accident, medical injuries, death, miscarriage. incorrect medical talk and diagnosis…obviously i’m not a doctor and this is fiction!! unedited. will be edited later!!

❥ — ꒰ note ꒱ title bc I listened to the song while writing!!

Eight and a half hours later when the Hughes family arrived in Vancouver and at the hospital, Quinn was still in the same position he had been the entire night. Sat on the floor, his arms rested on his bent legs, his head rested against the wall. When he saw his family arriving he mustered the little energy he had left after not sleeping last night, to push himself up and meet them halfway across the waiting room.

“Oh Quinn,” is all his mom said as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him for a few minutes. Afterwards he gave his dad a long hug, no word being exchanged there because what could he say?

“Have you heard anything?” Violet asks as Quinn hugs her.

“Not really. The doctor comes out every few hours to tell me that she’s still stable and that they’re doing everything they can but… it’s been hours and…” Quinn says, tearing up again and he wipes his face frustratedly.

“You should get some sleep,” Jack suggests softly and Quinn just glares at him.

“I’m not sleeping until I know she’s okay,” Quinn responds

“Quinn we’ll wake you-”

“I’m not sleeping until I know she’s okay,” Quinn repeats and Jack nods.

Jack understood. So did Luke. He spent the 8 hour flight over there thinking about what he would do if God forbid something ever happened to Violet. He determined that Violet was gonna live way longer than him and that he’d never have to live that horrible life without her, nothing was ever allowed to happen to her. Luke wraps his arms tightly around her again, kissing her neck where he could feel her pulse and the pressure in his chest lessens a bit but it returns when he goes back to observing his older brother.

“Do you know how it happened yet?” Jim asks and Quinn nods

“She was on her way to the restaurant, a truck lost control on the road and Lani swerved to miss it, her car rolled off the road and crashed straight into a pole. Apparently she’s lucky she swerved otherwise she would have died on impact with the truck. Doesn’t feel very fucking lucky though, does it?” Quinn asks angrily and everyone flinches a little when he curses but all of them remain silent. Not quite sure what to say.

“God, if I had just…gone home and picked her up. Or cancelled the damn dinner. You know I can’t even really remember what my life was like before the past year, before her. And I can’t even imagine what it would look like without her,” Quinn says, his voice cracking at the end.

“You don’t have to imagine it. Lani’s gonna be okay Quinn. She’s gonna pull through,”Jack says, pulling his brother into a tight hug.

“I’m gonna go get us some coffee,” Blue says to Violet softly and she leaves just as the doctor appears.

“Mr. Hughes?” the doctor asks from a distance away and Quinn walks closer, so only he would hear what the doctor was saying, scanning the doctor’s face for any clues as to what he should prepare for, but the doctor’s face doesn’t give anything away.

“Is she okay?” Quinn asks desperately

“Ms. Reed is out of surgery and will be moved to recovery now. She had extensive injuries. She had multiple fractured bones in her arm, and shoulder. She also took a major blow to the head and there was some internal bleeding that we were able to stop luckily. One of her lungs was punctured-” the doctor’s words get caught off by Quinn turning towards the garbage can to vomit.

“I’m good, you can continue” Quinn rasps out as the doctor sends him a concerned look.

“The list of injuries is long Mr. Hughes but the most important thing is that she’s okay and she’ll make a full recovery. Physically at least. Unfortunately Ms. Reed suffered a miscarriage because of the physical trauma and shock her body went through because of the accident and there was nothing we could do,” the doctor says softly and Quinn stops breathing for a second.

“Miscarriage?” Quinn asks, not quite comprehending the fact that Lani was…

“Ms. Reed was pregnant prior to the accident. She wasn’t very far along…7-8 weeks potentially. It was likely that she didn’t even know yet. There was no permanent damage done and she should have no problem getting pregnant again in the future. I can be the one to tell her if you don’t feel-”

“No, I’ll do it,” Quinn immediately responds, knowing it would be better if it came from him.

“Someone will be out shortly to take you to her room. I’m very sorry for your loss,” the doctor says sympathetically before walking away again and Quinn has to lean against the wall for a second to process what he just heard. The doctor obviously assumed correctly that the baby was his since he told them him and Lani were engaged despite their very obvious missing rings.

Lani is pregnant. Was pregnant. Was.

Quinn walks back towards his family, a little dazed. His lack of sleep and shock of what happened in the past 24 hours finally caught up to him.

“She’s gonna be okay,” is all Quinn says because Lani should be the first person he tells about the baby, and maybe she doesn’t want other people to know and Quinn wanted to make sure he respected those wishes.

Everyone practically deflates with relief and his parents take a seat on the chairs, his mom letting out a few tears.

“Luke and I are gonna stop by your apartment. Get you some clothes and other things. I’ll pack Lani a bag too,” Violet says and Quinn hands her the keys to his car and his apartment. The guys had driven to the hospital with his car and ordered a ride home so Quinn still had his vehicle.

“You know where my stuff is. Lani’s things are all in the same places, just on the left. Same with the bathroom, all her stuff is in the left vanity,” Quinn says and Violet nods giving him a tight hug.

“We love you,” she says and Quinn squeezes her tight.

“Thanks for being here,” he responds

“Of course,”

They leave and when Blue comes back a few minutes later with 2 hands filled with multiple cups of coffee, Quinn feels his chest contract again. Lani loves coffee.

“We’re gonna go get everyone some food. We’ll be back but if you go see her before we return, tell Lani we love her yeah?” Jack says taking Blue’s hand in his own and Quinn nods as they make their way to the exit.

About thirty minutes later a nurse shows up and leads him to Lani’s room, and this is all Quinn’s been waiting for…a moment to lay his eyes on Lani and be sure that she’s okay. That he didn’t lose her. That they were gonna be okay.

But as he stood in the entrance of the room, he was unable to move, or speak, or breathe at the sight in front of him.

There she was. His Lani. Except she didn’t look like his Lani at all. Because his Lani was full of light, and so filled with joy she practically glowed with it. And now she was pale, battered, bruised and blue.

Quinn simply stands there for a moment observing her before he walks closer, taking the seat closest to her bedside and gently as ever, grabbing her hand and holding it against his cheek, pressing multiple kisses on her palm.

He fell asleep like that, clutching her hand tightly and resting his head against her.

A few hours later he awoke to the feeling of fingers gently running through his hair and his eyes instantly shot open.

He lifted his head to meet her gaze and he instantly teared up again.

“Lani,” he whispers, standing up and leaning over to kiss her on the temple

“We should call the nurse,” Quinn says hastily but Lani halts him with a hand on his arm.

“The nurse was already in here, just a few moments ago. She explained what happened and gave me some pain meds,” Lani says

“How long have you been awake?” Quinn asks

“For thirty minutes or so,”

“You should’ve woken me up,” Quinn says

“The nurse said you didn’t sleep at all last night, I wanted to let you rest a little longer,” Lani explains and Quinn sighs

“Come sit,” Lani says patting the spot next to her and Quinn immediately shakes his head

“No I don’t wanna hurt you,” he argues, choosing to sit at the bottom of the bed instead.

They talk for a little bit but half an hour later the troubled look on Quinn’s face still hasn’t disappeared.

“I’m okay Quinn,”

“You almost weren’t though,” he argues, his voice cracking

“But I am. And that’s all that matters. I'm here. I'm okay.” she says softly and Quinn just stares at her for a few minutes

“I should probably go give my parents an update,” Quinn says but doesn’t move.

“Your parents are here?” Lani asks surprised

“yeah, came as soon as they heard what happened. So did my brothers and Vi and Blue,” Quinn says

“oh. they didn’t need to fly all the way out here for me,”

“you almost died lani,” quinn says incredulously. finding it ridiculous that she’s even having the thought that her almost dying is an inconvenience to others.

“They can visit tomorrow if you’re up for it,” Quinn determines, seeing how tired she looks. She didn’t have to see them today. Or tomorrow. Or at all if she didn’t want to.

Him and Lani spend the next hour or so just talking, reassuring one another that she was okay and everything was gonna be fine. And then Quinn remembered that there was still something he needed to tell her. He really didn’t want to, not wanting to hurt her even more than she was already hurt.

“Lani. I need to tell you something,” Quinn starts but hesitates

“What is it?” she asks concerned, taking both his hands in hers.

“Before the accident, you were- you were pregnant. But the baby didn’t make it,” Quinn says softly and it feels like someone stabbed him right in the heart when she gasps and tears up, retracting her hands and putting them on her stomach.

“No,” she whispers, and Quinn wipes her tears, nodding sadly.

“No,” she repeats again, her body shaking with her sobs and Quinn just wraps his arms around her, holding her tight.

Her sobs eventually die down, but the tears never stop, all ending up on Quinn’s shirt.

“I’m so sorry Quinn,” she apologises softly, pressing a kiss to his neck, knowing he must be hurting too.

“Don’t apologise. You have nothing to apologise for. None of this is your fault, you hear me?” he asks and she nods against his shoulder.

Rationally Lani knew it wasn’t the right time to have a baby. Her and Quinn are only dating for about a year now, she was still in school, he was only now really settling in with the responsibility of being captain. But she also can’t help but be sad at the possibility of what could have been. Of what they could have had.

“We’re gonna be okay angel. The only thing that matters right now is that you’re okay. We’ll get through the rest together okay?” he asks and she nods, tears still falling as he cups her face and presses kisses all over. Kissing every tear away.

“I love you so much. More than I can even try to explain,” Quinn says, kissing her gently, and that just makes the tears fall even more.

“I love you the most,” she replies, snuggling into him more as he holds her. They would spend the rest of the day like that. And the next few days. And a lot of days after that. But they were gonna be okay, as long as they had each other.

[defectivegembrain]

I hate when people seem to misunderstand Troy and Abed's relationship as being actually like what Vice Dean Laybourne tried to make them think it was. He didn't understand them, he understood just enough to present a simplified, stereotypical version of what they have. Like yes Abed was initially a little inconsiderate in his response to Troy, but honestly as an autistic person, I understand very well the frustration of having something planned out, being very focused on it, having an agreement with someone, and then they suddenly want to change it. People exaggerate how stubborn he was, he was literally about to give in before Laybourne manipulated him.

And he actually does that quite a lot. In the initial buildup of their friendship, he does things like take cues from Troy's behaviour and try to "mess with" him, because that's what Troy teaches him friends do. He's trying to connect on Troy's level. He plays basketball with him, engaging in interests he doesn't necessarily share, he tolerates Troy's competitiveness and lets him win the race to make him happy. It's Troy who has to get past the attitude that friends only do things for him and not the other way round.

And he does learn to be a good friend, but the idea that Abed doesn't show up for him just as much is bizarre. In Epidemiology, he's insistent that if only one of them survives, it should be Troy. He listens and supports him with the AC repair vs plumbing thing, and it is Troy who decides that he just wants to watch tv with him. When Troy goes to the AC repair school, Abed doesn't try to talk him out of it, even though he's devastated. He's upset when Troy and Britta get together, but he doesn't put that on Troy himself.

He listens to Troy about the impersonator thing, despite deep fears of being controlled, and honestly seems more concerned about their friendship than his own safety. He goes along with the body swap bit at a moment's notice, goes to a restaurant he previously said he couldn't go to, puts up with the waiter badmouthing one of his favourite movies, and breaks up with Britta for Troy. When he's so upset about Troy leaving that he hallucinates lava, he jumps into said lava in order to let him go.

And I especially hate when people, just like Laybourne, use the Inspector Spacetime thing to argue that their relationship is unequal. Like sorry, in other instances, Abed is more than willing to play the villain (Kickpuncher, Alien) or love interest (Kickpuncher) or sidekick (their shadow puppets) to Troy's hero. They do Bert and Ernie, who are equal partners. When they do Calvin and Hobbes, yes he's Calvin, but that's notably something only Troy has expressed an interest in him doing before.

Yeah Inspector Spacetime is a more frequent thing for them, but it's pretty clear that's a really special character for Abed. In Virtual Systems Analysis we can see him use the character to express how he's different from other people. Which, yeah, an autistic person connecting with what is essentially the Doctor...go figure.

Like, look at when he lists characters he thinks are like him: "Data or Johnny 5 or Mork or HAL or K.I.T.T. Or K9 or Woodstock and/or Snoopy. Spock goes without saying." None of those are human. Several robots. Most are not the main character. One is an antagonist. It's probably not often that Abed feels this deep a connection to a character who is undeniably the hero, and while not human, still shows human characteristics. And there's no way Troy is unaware of that.

And by the way, Troy never seems remotely unhappy about playing Constable Reggie until Laybourne talks him into it. And never again afterwards. In fact, when Abed is full on trying to act "normal" at Shirley's wedding rehearsal, Troy talks him into playing Inspector Spacetime...with this ridiculously tender look of love on his face.

It's just...it's a severe mischaracterisation of them both, articulated by a clearly manipulative character, and it bothers me when I see people fall for it.

[deadbydad]

Married and Soon to be Parents Cloud Strife x Aerith Gainsborough Headcanons

I haven't seen anyone else do this, so I will! @kpoplovermjm , @dansantcaparet , @blankbeat

Cloud would absolutely treat her like the queen Aerith is, even more so now that she's pregnant.

When Aerith told Cloud and showed him the papers from the doctor proving the pregnancy, Cloud was so excited about the news that it shocked her a little bit because she didn't think she's ever seen him this happy before.

Of course Cloud and Aerith started working on the nursery room as soon as they found out they were gonna have a baby boy, Cloud would even wake up in the middle of the night to go grab the material for the crib. He even decorated it with flowers he carefully picked from their personal garden.

Aerith cried happy tears when she woke up to the crib.

They both went shopping for baby supplies and clothes and Cloud picked out a baby chocobo onesie, then Aerith found a matching one in Clouds size and bought it without telling him (She's making him wear it for family pictures)

Cloud started to learn how to cook all of Aeriths pregnancy cravings that he started a cook book of his own and kept it in a safe place, just in case they have another kid in the future

Aerith would sometimes get irritated at Cloud whenever he wouldn't let her certain things that she could certainly do on her own, and when she told Cloud he understood and let her beat his ass in Queens Blood and made her favorite dessert

Cloud would always make sure to come home early from work so he could greet Aerith with a kiss, always asking how her and the baby are doing, offering if she wanted him to rub her feet or back, Cloud just being a good husband and soon to be dad.

Aerith always woke up to the sight of Cloud resting his head on her baby bump, a smile on his face as he talked to their unborn son about how amazing his mommy is and how much they already love him

And when Aerith's water broke and she went into labor, Cloud was there with her the whole time, encouraging her to keep cussing at him and crushing his hand (She felt bad afterward, but Cloud said that it was worth the pain)

On a weekend night, Denzel Strife was born with his fathers spiky hair but his mothers brown hair color and bright blue eyes that were full of wonder and curiosity as he stared up at Aerith and Cloud

Cloud cried so hard that night that Aerith was concerned he would be dehydrated by the time they left the hospital

When Cloud held Denzel in his arms for the first time, he would hum a tune that his own mother sang to him when he was little. Aerith pretended to be asleep but heard it all

And when Aerith and Cloud took Denzel home for the first time, it was the best day of their lives.

Yay! I had more, but these were the cuter ones that I wanted to write first!

[crow-raven-crow]

Can you write a Larissa Weems OS where Reader was looking after a bunch of kids and when she wanted to talk to a misbehaving child they run away so she grabs them and sets them on a table to taln to the kid eye to eye the kud kicks against the bench before the table and it falls on the readers foot. Larissa comes in with the mom of the kids, because the mom is Larissa's friend Reader offered to watch the kids, to see Reader holding back tears and a quickly swelling foot takes her to the doctor and they find out the toe is broken and Larissa comforts the Reader (that is an actual thing that happened to me on monday and I'm craving some comfort from Larissa) but write it only if it's ok for you

𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭

✧･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧ :══════⊹⊹══════: ✧･ﾟ｡˚☾.･✧ Larissa Weems x f!reader words: ~2.4k

𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬/𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: description of pain, broken bones, crying, emotional tightness (holding it in), rapid thoughts, FLUFF

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: see ask above

masterlist

AO3 link in title

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𝐚/𝐧: Hey Crimson! Ty for the ask - i think this is actually a really cute idea.

HOWEVER

I’m so sorry that happened to you! That seems crazy, and I hope that your recovery goes smoothly!

I had to ask my friends and one of them thats in the med program here about breaking bones - what it feels like, what you’d get afterwards, etc - because I’ve actually never broken a bone before (HEAVILY knocking on wood rn). I tried to do this justice - i did change it sliggghhhtttlllyyy BUT I hope you enjoy!

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The rapid sounds of small, running footsteps and loud, excited screams filled your ears the closer you got to the little playground that was adjacent to the prestigious academy for outcasts. You had been a professor there for quite some time. Working with unique species and developing teenage brains every day surely gave you more tosses and turns than you expected to face when you had applied for the job some years ago, but you loved it regardless.

You pushed yourself to be someone for the students to feel comfortable reaching out towards and, in the process, created a home for yourself here with the help of the amazing principal (and now wife) Larissa Weems. You realized you fell hard for the woman after just a few months of working here - her captivating personality and kindness towards everyone made your heart swell after being enticed with the professional that could gain a rooms attention just by being present. Lucky, your company had given her butterflies as much as hers gave to you. You constantly helped each other get through the issues the growing minds threw at the both of you.. though, there was a part of you that always enjoyed the little ones.

In your spare time, you often found yourself at the daycare for outcasts that was right next to the school to give a helping hand. It was something that Larissa added when the population of outcasts grew larger. Being able to provide for this community was something you both held close to your heart, and there was a big part of you that was excited to have a child of your own. Seeing the little ones grow into their abilities was something you always found fascinating, but you always made sure to give them the most reassurance you could muster - the smaller ones often being confused and scared of something they didn’t understand quite yet.

You were lucky to find them at their playtime break outside. During this time of year, you always let out a soft chuckle when you saw the children wrapped in their winter coats and bundled up in their beanies and scarves their parents provided them - the puff of the fabrics making the children take up three times the space than they normally would. Seeing the little frosts or yeti children always concerned you at first glance in the winter - not needing such things due to their nature - but you soon got used to the sight the more you came here.

The main daycare teacher was standing next to the light post that lit the playground in a golden glow under the overcast sky. Her name was Olivia, and you’d grown closer to the younger woman the more you offered your help. She often stated how you were like an older sister to her - a thought that warmed your heart every time. She hugged her body close, the chill of the outside world going through her coat, and you couldn’t help but give a weak smile.

“Hey, Liv,” You said while wrapping your coat around the woman. “Is there anything I can help with today?”

“Y/N! Hi, thank you..” She tugged the thick coat closer to her body as she let out a shuddering breath. “We’re just staying warm, for now.. If you wanted, could you prepare some hot chocolate for when it’s time to head inside? I’m sure a lot of them will like the drink to warm up..”

You nodded and went to head into the building that stood behind her, but something caught your eye. A little lycan boy, who you immediately recognized as little Connor, was kicking and throwing wood chips in areas where other kids played. A small tsk left your mouth as you walked in his direction.

“Connnnoooorrrr?” You said with a playful lift in your voice. At the sound, he shot his gaze to you and screamed excitedly before bolting in a different direction. You decided it best to run after him, he was on a little mischievous streak after all.

“I got you, little one!” You boomed in a light tone. You didn’t want the kids to ever hold guilt for a situation but for them to understand what they were doing wrong, so you were always playful then serious when explaining, ensuring that they learned from their mistakes.

“Watch me make hot chocolate while we talk about why we don’t throw wood chips, hmm?” You picked him up as he agreed and wildly giggled, though a trouble maker, he was one of your favorites.

After helping him out of his coat, you settled him on the front table so you could look at each other at the same height. You didn’t want to intimidate him and wanted him to be honest with how he felt - it was the best move bringing him to your level.

You walked over to a cabinet to get some cups and chocolate mix. He watched your every move in genuine curiosity, your movements swift but not fast enough to disturb him. You walked back towards him, waiting for the liquid to warm before stopping in front of him.

“Now.. what do you think caused me to bring you in here, little wolf?” You watched him fidget slightly, refusing to answer for a moment. You took the moment to walk off and make him a cup of hot chocolate to warm up. While handing it to him, you spoke again.

“If I recall..” you started, offering him the small cup which he gladly accepted. “This is an issue we’ve had before, yes?”

“Yes, Ms.Weems,” he replied softly into his cup, his eyes moving to yours before his focus moved back to the drink.

“And what did we say the solution was, hmm?”

“If I want to do that with the wood chips then I should go off to the side where it won’t hit anyone..”

“That’s good, Connor. I’m glad you remembered that because we don’t want to have a repeat of-“

“But it wasn’t hitting anyone this time!! This time no one got hurt!!! Why can’t I keep doing it there!?!” The big outburst of energy from the small child caused a few things in close proximity to knock over with his quick feet and rapid moving arms. Some markers and a few plastic cups fell to the floor. The worst of it all was how his feet sent a chair down to the ground with a few large bangs that echoed throughout the room - the end of your foot breaking most of the fall…

The chair bounced off your foot and brought another wave of pain as it landed there again. At the first initial fall, a loud yelp left your lips as your eyes squeezed shut from the first wave of pain. You moved to catch yourself on a nearby desk as the chair settled itself on the floor. You felt tears begin to well up in your eyes before you could even process the severity of the situation.

Oh.. this certainly didn’t feel right.. You couldn’t bare to move your foot as an overwhelming warmth spread throughout your body - starting at the tip of your toes and quickly moving up to your head. Small waves of pain started there and made it hard to focus on anything else, making your body shudder as each one ran its course.

The sound of heels echoing down the hall registered in your mind, though the pain was so overwhelming that you didn’t give it your undivided attention or curiosity.

“It’s always so good to see you, Serenity. It’s lovely catching up with you. Let’s go ahead and grab little Connor, hmm? Right in here and- oh, y/n! Y/N?!” The beautiful accent filled your ears and eased the pain for what felt like seconds. Next thing you knew, the lovely woman was by your side softly rubbing your back. “My love, what happened?”

“Connor.. he-” you were cut off as another wave of pain vibrated through your body. She helped settle you on top of a desk and tried her best to get you to explain through the pain - every touch she gave was gentle and comforting, the love she held for you being transferred through her fingertips. Your throat burned as you attempted to get more words out, your breath running shorter by the second. “I-I don’t blame him- There.. was a little outburst but I understand why-”

Tears were now slipping from your eyes as the adrenaline slowly wore off - handing you the pain in tenfold as you held Larissa’s sleeves in a vice grip in attempt to ground yourself. Her eyes rapidly examined your face as she processed each of your words.

“Somethings broken..” You weakly managed to say, in between breaths.

Larissa, being the goddess she is, was able to handle the situation with a professional face - even if her insides were screaming at her to move and quickly get you to the hospital. She got the pair home and was able to update Olivia on the situation before helping you to the car. Her comfort never left you - a hand tracing patterns along your thigh and her angelic voice reminding you to breathe whenever your mind was too focused on the pain.

The trip to the hospital was a quick one - your wife becoming sick with worry after seeing you in so much pain caused her to make moves she wouldn’t normally make with a level head. By the time they had run all their tests and fully taken care of you, the sun had left the sky, causing the overcast atmosphere to run completely black.

Larissa walked into your room with an empathetic frown on her face. The sight of you in the hospital bed asleep with your foot elevated in a cast brought a spike of pain to her heart as she settled herself next to you. She brought your hand to her lips and kissed each of your knuckles.

“You really are something, Y/n..” She whispered, a small chuckle leaving her mouth.

You awoke a few moments later to a nice tingling feeling dancing patterns along your arm. As your eyes opened and took in the environment around you, your heart swelled as your eyes met captivating sapphire ones - you wife absentmindedly scratching along your forearm softly.

“Riss..?” You croaked out, your throat slightly dry form being out for so long. You attempted to sit up more, only to be met with a firm hand pushing you back down. You allowed the bed under you to capture your full weight as you watched your lovely wife grab a water bottle from beside her. She lifted it to your lips gently, waiting for you to drink, with her hand held out underneath to catch any water that would happen to slip from you.

“The doctor said we could go home whenever you woke, but I don’t want to leave here until you’re fully awake and ready, okay? One of your toes ended up breaking, so you’re going to have a cast for about four weeks, my love..” She brought the water down, after it seemed you had enough, as she answered all your unasked questions. “A crutch was given to you to refrain from putting too much weight on it.. and it’s advised to keep your foot elevated as much as you can..”

You threw your head back and let out a frustrated groan as the reality of the situation fully processed itself in your brain. “Can I go back to teaching though?” You asked, your voice laced with a bit of sadness because you didn’t want to set aside your passion for too long.

This caused the tall blonde to let out a loud laugh, you following in suit because you could never deny the bubbly feeling that rumbled in your chest every time you were able to make the sound come from your lover. She brought a hand up to stroke your cheek softly, your body naturally leaning into her touch.

“As your wife.. I’d appreciate if you took at least a few days off. As your boss, though.. I am making you take a few days off.” She said, laughing at her own comment. This was a little game she liked to play every so often and it never failed to make a smile grace your features. You loved how much she cared for you, and this little move was something you did to each other much more at the beginning of your relationship but said every now and then still.

After a while, you were ready to go home, ultimately just wanting to cuddle up with the sapphire beauty under some blankets and relish in each others company. Adjusting to the crutch was definately something that you would have to get used to, something your wife tried to hide her laugh at. The bruises from catching yourself so hard were making themselves known, after a while - something Larissa couldn’t help but notice.

Your determination brought you out of the room and far down the hall before you had to stop and allow your body to catch up. Just as you were about to start again, you felt two strong hands at your waist move to your upper back and your knees. Letting out a small yelp as you were lifted into the air, you looked back only to be met with your wife’s confident smirk being thrown back at you.

“Having some trouble?” She asked, the mirth laced in her tone caused you to let out a laugh.

“You know I had it.. but thank you, love..” You replied, nuzzling your face into the crook of her neck. With every breath you took, you inhaled more of her scent - the vanilla and rose making a warmth settle in your chest and a small blush sit on your cheeks. You truly would never grow tired of this.

“We can practice more as the weekend comes..” She said as you felt her strong strides make their way towards the outside of the hospital.

“I don’t know..” You said with a playful tone. “I could get used to this~ You could be my crutch,” you added with a giggle. The small comment made the blonde chuckle and look down at you. There was nothing but love and adoration in her eyes, and it never failed to give you butterflies.

You leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek and kissed along her jaw to place an ending one on her lips, appreciating the light lipstick stains they left in their tracks. You settled back into the crook of her neck as exhaustion from the day was finally catching up to you.

“I love you, Riss.” You said as your eyes fluttered shut softly.

“I love you too, my darling girl.. Now, lets get you home.”

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𝐚/𝐧: hi everyone :)

I haven't been on my socials as much because I just finished my first week back at college (YAY FOUR DAY WEEKEND - i have no friday classes cuz my schedule worked out) so I'm still slightly adjusting

BUT!

I spend some of my free time trying to write so when I saw this ask I was ONE honored !! like guys this is my first ask this was so cute ! I hope you guys liked it ! and TWO i started on it right when I saw it. It's nice to get a little break form my other writing to get some more creativity flowing

I'll be on here and my other socials more on weekends since I don't have classes, but since this is a passion it won't be strictly weekends lmao. ill be floating arounnnnnndddd

I hope you enjoyed this one! I'll be changing my page around a bit after I post this so it's on my pinned :)

~ 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐯𝐲𝐧

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𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: (tagged anyone who asked/wanted to be on the "all works" taglist)

@eveymay

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[captain-mj]

May I humbly ask for the part 2 of wolf shifter au

<3

Soap fixed them dinner and was relieved when Ghost sat at the table without being told. If he had tried to sit on the floor, Soap didn’t really know how he’d react. 

Slowly, he took the muzzle off. Ghost let him do it this time and Soap, like always, soothingly rubbed the places it was tight. He took a small moment to really look at him. With the mask gone, Soap could see scarring along his mouth. It looked a bit like Glasgow scars but they were twisted and rather dark. Another ran over his nose and looked like it had been made my claws. 

Freckles covered his nose, but they were so light he could barely see them. 

Gorgeous brown eyes. Blond eyelashes. Ginger hair that had waves to it. It was pushed back, giving him a better view of his face. 

Ghost let him look for a few minutes before looking away, unable to handle the scrutiny anymore. 

Soap quickly saw a problem though. Ghost’s hands shook when he grabbed things. It was astounding he didn’t notice when he was smoking. He tried unsuccessfully to grab the fork, unable to keep a proper grip on it. After a few tries, he gave up and just picked the food up by hand. Normally, Soap would scold him or grimace, but right now, he was more concerned with finding out why his hands shook. Might be nerve damage from the fights. They’d have to talk to a doctor about it. 

Despite eating with his hands, Ghost was surprisingly clean. He washed his hands afterward and Soap had to keep his eyes on his food instead of Ghost’s ass in those pants. 

Soap took a deep breath and reminded himself that Simon was a victim of horrible abuse. That he needed help. Assistance. Support. Not Soap being a creep. 

Ghost started to wash the dishes. 

“I have a dishwasher.” 

Ghost’s nose wrinkled. “How do I… use that? My mom didn’t like using them.”

Soap frowned. “Later, we’re working on a timeline for you. Chances are there’s a lot of stuff that I need to catch you up on. Plus just… things I need to reteach you.”

Ghost nodded and followed his lead on how to load the dishwasher. Soap turned it on and Ghost shoved himself in front of him, backing them both away from it. 

“Is it always this loud??”

“Yes. You’re just usually already asleep…” Soap gently put his hand on Ghost’s shoulder blades. 

“Hmph…” Ghost did not seem pleased. He handed Soap the muzzle and leaned closer expectantly.

Soap tried to think of a new reason why he didn’t have to but drew a blank. So gently, he put it on him. He checked it with two fingers, always making sure it wouldn’t be too tight. Ghost watched him with the same mild curiosity he always did, like Soap was doing a funny ritual Ghost was used to. A familiar song and dance. 

Soap supposed it was one. 

New problem. Sleeping. 

For the past few weeks, Ghost had slept near Soap. After a little encouragement, he had started to sleep in the bed like a person. It was mostly to help with the nightmares that plagued him. The first time he had started twitching and then woke up howling, Soap had almost screamed himself. It had been a very frightening situation!!

 Soap hadn’t really considered that until just now. He’s not sure why he thought it was a good idea at the time. But Ghost was sleeping in his bed during the day anyway, catching up on years of not being able to, so it just made sense. And it had helped with the nightmares. Plus, Ghost had looked comfy with his head on the pillows. There had been a lot of pros. 

Ghost did not notice Soap’s change in demeanor. He fell into the bed the same way he always did, curled around the same pillow he always did and laid on his tummy same way he always did. The only difference was now, he looked human. He twitched a little and looked uncomfortable before starting to pull off the too tight clothing. 

Soap watched him. Watched him stretch with his back arching and then settled into the bed, looking up at Soap. 

“Still don’t want you to cuddle me. Not a teddy bear.” Ghost growled at him and closed his eyes. He didn’t look peaceful, but he looked… a little softer. His body melting into the bed. 

Soap settled in next to him and stared at the ceiling. He counted his breaths as he tried to sleep. They didn’t touch at any point. The place between them felt both very small and chasm like. 

Ghost slowly shifted on to his back as well. 

“Have trouble sleeping?”

“Always do when I’m human.”

“You could shift now and go back in the morning?”

Ghost just shook his head. After a few minutes of silence, he added. “I don’t think I’ll ever go back to being human if I do.” 

Soap nodded slowly. “Alright, Simon. Guess I need to start calling you that.” 

“I prefer Ghost. Unless we’re close.”

“We not close?”

“Getting there.” Ghost promised. “Making friends… isn’t really something I’m used to.”

Soap looked at him for a moment before reaching over the small divide. Ghost’s eyes never left him. Twin flames thanks to how they reflected the light. They followed him until Soap’s hand ended up on his shoulder. The area was thick with scars from claws and teeth. 

Ghost stared at it for a minute and then slowly relaxed again. 

“When was the last time someone touched you without hurting you?” Soap asked softly.

“Before you, I’m assuming… I don’t know. I can’t really remember.” Ghost looked at him, dark eyes slowly closing. “Johnny.”

“Yeah, Simon?”

“We’re going shopping tomorrow, right?”

“Told you we would.” Soap smiled at him and Ghost’s eyes went to his mouth. He watched him nod and then close his eyes fully, turning away to sleep. 

In the morning, Soap woke up to Ghost half on him. His head was on Soap’s chest and his arms were sprawled all over him. He was sleeping peacefully though. 

Soap slid his hand under the pillow to grab his phone and sent a message to Price.

“Ghost finally shifted back. Need money for supplies. Thanks.”

Price answered back quickly. “Having any issues?”

“No. I’ll introduce you two tonight, don’t worry.” Soap put his phone down and ran his fingers through Ghost’s hair. It was incredibly soft and it made Ghost nuzzle closer into him.

Ghost started his usual twitching and Soap quickly shook him to wake him up. Ghost’s claws sank into his sides for just a moment and he growled before pushing up. He quickly pulled away. 

“Good morning, Ghost.” Soap smiled, pretending nothing had happened. “You alright?”

Ghost slunk off the bed and shook himself. “Morning…”

“Alright. Let me get dressed and we’ll go. Just wear the clothes from yesterday, alright?” 

Ghost nodded and started getting dressed. His back popped and he groaned slightly. Soap grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom to change. He slipped his clothes on and looked at himself briefly in the mirror. There were a few bruises on his hips that were still healing and a few bites scattered about. He quickly covered them back up. 

Ghost was dressed now and sitting on the bed, ankles crossed. He perked up when Soap walked in. Soap wondered briefly if his tail would be wagging before remembering that no it wouldn’t because Ghost never wagged his tail. 

“You can’t go out muzzled.”

Ghost tilted his head. “I’ve done it before.” 

Soap cringed at the idea of him being forced out like this. It explained his… insistence on it though. Probably was beat into him. “Really?”

“Yeah. I didn’t like it at first but I got used to it.” 

Soap nodded. “Well… Where we are now, it would not be good. You can’t wear it.”

Ghost’s grip tightened on the bed. “But… how will people know I’m owned? If I’m not wearing it, someone else may grab me.”

Soap knew for a fact that Mexico was not much different on wolf shifter rights than America, so he wasn’t sure where this idea came from. Was it set up by his previous… Soap did not want to call them owners. Ghost was not owned. Captors. He had heard once of traffickers convincing victims that there was a giant conspiracy of people that would bring them back if they ever disobeyed. Soap guessed being told people who wanted you were around every corner wasn’t that different. 

It also made Soap realize the amount of trust Ghost must have in him to do this at all. It would be so easy for him to snarl and fight and hide under the bed. Soap didn’t know how to show appreciation for that so he didn’t. He instead reached over and gently cupped Ghost’s face. 

“No one is going to touch you.” Soap undid the leather buckles and slid it off his face, taking him in again. 

“They’ll see my face.” 

“What if you wear a mask?” Soap offered and Ghost looked up at him, clearly thinking. 

“A mask?”

Soap nodded and found one of the medical ones he kept on hand. He, despite knowing Ghost could probably figure it out, put it on him, making sure it was tight around his ears and against his face. It was just a plain black one, but Ghost immediately relaxed. “See? Now no one can see your face.” 

Ghost stood up and grabbed the collar from the first time Soap brought him home. He handed it to him. “Just to be sure.”

Soap wouldn’t take it. He refused. “Listen, Ghost. No one is going to try to take you anywhere.”

“How can you be sure? I want them to know.” 

Soap sighed softly as Ghost managed to get his hand open and put the collar into it. 

“Please?”

Soap grimaced. “Fine.” 

Ghost smiled and leaned closer, exposing his throat to him. Soap carefully slid it on him and patted his cheek. It looked nice against his skin, but Soap would never ever admit that. 

“Thank you.” Ghost did look much calmer so Soap decided it was another thing he’d have to let go for now. The mask also looked nice. 

Soap took him to the car and Ghost put the rock station he liked on. He tried to curl up in the seat but he didn’t really fit so he tried again. He grumbled and eventually settled on sitting normally. 

Soap started to drive and Ghost stayed looked out the window. Occasionally Ghost would grab the little loop on the collar and play with it, turning it around and around. He glanced at Soap.

“Eyes on the road, Johnny.” 

Soap quickly looked back at the road, continuing to drive. Ghost chuckled. 

“Tonight, I’m going to introduce you to some people.” Soap explained. He felt Ghost start to panic. “Don’t worry, they’re just some friends. Remember the people at the rescue place?”

“The ones that pointed guns at me and shot me with a tranquilizer dart? I had a headache for a few hours afterwards.”

Soap frowned. “They were just scared because I was so close to you. Didn’t want me to get bit.”

“I would’ve.” Ghost glanced at him. “Was planning on tearing you to pieces.”

Soap stared at him and the car ride got very quiet from there. 

Once at the mall, Soap went in search of something that would fit Ghost. He looked for brighter clothing too, thinking of how nice Ghost would look in blue. Or green. 

A few people looked at them. It was easy to see why. Ghost was a giant man with scars and tattoos with a collar on, following Soap, a more… average sized person who was trying to not think about the collar. They were an odd pair. 

Soap found some shirts and turned around to see Ghost staring at band tees. He noticed specifically it was the older ones from early 2000’s. MCR, Paramore, Green day. His fingers ghosted over the fabric and he pulled away quickly, like he shouldn’t. 

“Do you want some?”

“It’s what I used to wear.” Ghost explained. 

Soap grabbed a few. “Let’s get you some pants now, yeah?”

Ghost nodded and followed him, putting his fingers through his belt loops so Soap couldn’t get too far away. Soap tried to steer him away, but Ghost only wanted the military fatigues and black sweat pants, clearly preferring comfort and a bunch of pockets. He supposed as long as he had clothes and was happy, he’d never deny Ghost what he wanted. 

“Now to try them on!” Soap shoved Ghost into a changing room. “Show me whatever fits.”

Ghost looked around the tiny room. He moved his weight back and forth between his feet.

Don’t look at the mirror. 

Soap is right outside. 

Ghost started to undress. Then he slowly put one of the band shirts on. It showed his arms. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Then he tried on a pair of the pants. It was one of the looser ones but it still hugged his thighs. He couldn’t tell if it was supposed to fit like that or not. 

“Soap?”

“Yeah, Ghost?” 

“Can you come in here?”

Soap was quiet for a second before opening the door and quickly stepping inside. “Wanted to make sure no one saw. Get the wrong idea ya know?”

Ghost didn’t really get why that would be a problem but he nodded. “Can you help me?” 

Soap stared at his body for a minute. “I like the way that looks.”

Ghost stared at him for a minute but… Soap’s attention was different. It didn’t make his skin crawl the same way other men’s did. He allowed him to keep looking before he tried on something else. 

“Too tight. Worried it’ll tear.” 

Ghost nodded and continued that way. Before long, they had two small piles, ones that Ghost wanted and ones that didn’t fit. Also in the didn’t fit pile were the pieces of clothing with any color other than black on them. Ghost refused to try them on. 

“You’re a very picky person.” 

Ghost hummed.

[ladylooch]

The Spiral [Lio Meier] - Part 4

A/N: One more part after this! things are starting to turn around for our Lio 🤭

Word Count: 5.3k

Warnings: allergic reaction, lots of medical talk, angst, childhood trauma themes

ICYMI Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

The morning after his concussion, Lio thinks it would have been better to have been crushed by a garbage truck. His head hurts so bad, worse than any hangover headache or migraine he’s had in his life. But worse than that is the fog that has settled into his brain. Details of last night are fuzzy- the game, Lucie, their conversation. He thinks things are better, but is worried about facing her this morning.

He rolls over to his back, tentatively opening his eyes. The world doesn’t swirl like it had been last night. But he feels like the front of his forehead is going to explode off from the pressure. Is that normal? Fuck.

Slowly, Lio adjusts his position to sit up. The smell of something baking hits his nose. He smiles. Lucie is still here. It takes awhile before Lio can get out of bed, changed, and hit the bathroom. By the time he is done with that, he feels like he could go back to sleep. Instead, he drags himself towards the kitchen. Lucie is at the stove, a large stack of pancakes to her left. As he gets closer, he can see the rainbow sprinkles poking out of the cakes.

“Lucie pancakes.” He chuckles, approaching her.

“They still hit even as an adult.” She shrugs.

“Doesn’t Stell think these are her creation?”

“Yeah because of her dad.” Lucie rolls her eyes. “Connor thinks she created everything, even though I made these all the time when I was pregnant with her.”

“So he thinks because she was there, she made them?”

“He thinks she created the craving for me, so it’s from her.” 

“Your mom could set that straight.”

“Mmm, I don’t think anyone can set that man straight about his sweet girl.” Lucie takes off two more pancakes. “Sit down and eat. You look awful.”

“Thanks.” Lio mumbles, resting his head delicately in his palm. He sets his elbow on the counter watching as Lucie slaps two pancakes on his plate. “Still hate syrup?”

“Yep.” Lio confirms, picking up his fork to cut into a pancake.

“I heard from Ben. He wanted you to check in when you got up.” Lio nods, grabbing his phone.

While he eats small bites, him and Ben talk about how Lio is feeling. Ben is concerned about the intensity of Lio’s headache. He wants him to go to the hospital for a CT scan. 

“Can you send a car? Lucie needs to go home to her family.” 

“No, I can take you.” She says, waving away his worries. “Con is taking Stell to the rink for practice. She is loving her mommy-free life right now.” Ben and Lio chat more. The team doctor is going to meet them at the hospital and they will know more after the imaging is processed.

Lucie and Lio finish breakfast, then head into Newark. Lucie waits while Lio is being scanned and afterwards while they wait for the radiologist to do a quick read. Everything looks good. Lio’s brain isn’t showing any damage, but he does have one hell of a concussion. The news is good. Lio feels like he can breathe and be more at peace with where he is at.

“You’re going to have to take it easy.” The doctor reminds him. “At least two weeks before you do any exercise.” Lio agrees. He can’t imagine getting on the ice right now with how shitty he feels.

“Is it okay if I drop you off and head out?” Lucie asks Lio when they are back in the car. “Connor is going to the Children’s Hospital to see some of his kiddos. I need to get home before he leaves again.” 

“Yeah, I will be fine. Thank you for staying with me. And.. um tell Connor thanks too. I appreciate it. Know he isn’t my biggest fan.”

Lucie drops Lio in front of his building, then heads back towards her city. Lio’s doorman greets him warmly, opening the big door for him.

“Thanks, Charlie.” 

“Tough one last night, Mr. Meier.”

“Hey, boys pulled out the win tho.” Lio waves as he walks through.

“Your mama is waiting for you in your apartment. She was mighty frazzled this morning.” Lio stops in his tracks. There are two people who have unlimited access to his apartment besides him. One just dropped him off. The other lives in Switzerland. 

“Ah, thanks. Moms…” Lio trails off with a shrug. 

Lio seriously contemplates sprinting out of his building. Doctor’s orders be damned. The only woman to ever love him unconditionally is upstairs and he is not ready to face her. Not ready to see her after the horrible things he said to her. Not ready to face his own shame and self-hatred. It’s why he left Switzerland without seeing her even after telling his dad he wouldn’t do that. He doesn’t deserve her or her love. 

But she is here. Already. He knows how many hoops she must have jumped through to get to him. He senses his dad’s involvement as well. The strings Timo Meier would have pulled for her are unlimited. So Lio Meier gets into the elevator and rises the 6 floors to his awaiting fate. Outside his apartment door, he takes a deep breath, then puts his key in the lock. He pushes the door open, not seeing her on the couch like he expected. 

“Mama?” He calls into the apartment. 

“Lee?” He hears her call from deep inside. She comes rushing out of his room. With zero hesitation, she grabs him and wraps him into her body for a hug. “Oh” She sighs, holding his head against hers. She sucks in a deep breath then lets out a relieved sigh at having him close to her. “Are you okay?” Her brown eyes are deeply pained. Lio closes his eyes, unable to see more. 

“Um, well, I guess but also no. What are you doing?”

“Your laundry.”

“Of course.” He chuckles, shaking his head. He has been grown for awhile, but she still insists on taking care of him. It makes Lio less worried for whatever is to come.

“Well, I was very anxious waiting for you. I had to do something.” She insists, waving a hand in front of her face. “Now, go sit down. I have lemon water, hot oatmeal and toast ready for you.” She gently guides him forward. “And vitamins. You need extra nutrients to get better.”

“Mama.” Lio sighs when she turns to head back to the kitchen. He feels like such a piece of shit with how she is jumping right in to take care of him. The undeserving suffocates him, tightening his throat until he struggles to breathe. “Don’t do this.” He finally chokes out. “Don’t double down and love me harder right now.”

“Lee.” Emma comes back to him, putting her hands on his cheeks. She kisses his forehead, right over where his head aches so badly. “I am never going to stop loving you hard or taking care of you. I’m your mother.” She runs her fingers through his hair, then moves back into the kitchen. His blue eyes follow her.

“Is dad here?”

“Yes, of course. Boys are with Uncle Neeks and Auntie Lex, but Livy is coming this weekend.”

“You both didn’t have to come and Liv needs to stay in California. She has school.”

“Mmm, but we did.” Emma looks over her shoulder at him. “We needed to see that you were going to be okay.”

“Dad isn’t here now?” Lio looks down the hall towards his bedroom.

“No, we felt like it’s you and I that need to talk. Not the three of us.” Lio looks away. “Don’t be mad at daddy. It was me. He didn’t want to do it.” Lio’s blue eyes find her again in the kitchen.

“You don’t get to tell me to not be mad at him.” He whispers.

“Probably not. But I love your dad very much and if I can save him from your wrath, I want to.” 

Lio goes to the couch, sitting down, laying his head back on the top. He is exhausted from his morning. He feels the air of his mom coming around the couch. She puts her hand on his forehead, smoothing the wrinkle of distress there. 

“What’s the news?”

“Concussion.” Lio mumbles. 

“Is your brain okay?”

“Yes.” Emma sighs in obvious relief. Her hand drops to his shoulder. She strokes her hand there, quietly contemplating where to go next. When Lio opens his eyes, she begins.

“Lio, daddy and I love you more than I even know how to say. I never thought I would have to find words to express how much and I’m deeply sorry that you’ve been so hurt.” She sighs, running her hand through her hair, then looking out the floor to ceiling windows to the city. His apartment is only a few blocks from where her and Timo lived when she was pregnant with Lio. That feels like so long ago, but she tries to go back to who she was then to give Lio more insight into their life.

“I was the one who wanted to fudge your story. I know daddy told you that this summer, but he doesn’t know all of the things that went into that. You and I had experiences when you were a baby that made me feel very protective of you. People judged. They were horrible and social media made our life so accessible, even as Daddy and I tried to hide you. But this was never because we were ashamed or didn’t love you.” Disgust and substantial disagreement scrunches Emma’s nose. “It was the exact opposite.” Emma puts her hands on her cheeks for a moment, then continues.

“When you were 10 months old, the Devils were playing in the Eastern Conference finals. Daddy was hurt. He was playing through it as he always does, so he wasn’t performing very well. People were upset.” Lio watches his mom become increasingly uncomfortable. “You and I were out at a store after the Devils went down in the series. There was an incident in public where someone came up to you, a little baby, and called you that name…” Emma closes her eyes. “They went on to literally blamed the entire playoff situation on the fact that you were born out of wedlock. Daddy’s play as well. We were being punished for our sin of having you.”

Lio can see how much this still hurts his mom decades later.

“I’m sorry, mom.” He says sincerely. 

“That person got to me.” Emma shakes her head. “I felt you deserved a better story. A more picture perfect story because of how much joy and purpose you brought to our lives. I..” She sighs. “I felt like we ruined your childhood before it had even really begun. I tried to fix it the way I knew how. Instead I hurt you.” 

“But Lio, please know, I have loved you since the moment I knew of you even when I was crying on a bathroom floor. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to figure it out for you. When I got up off that tile, whatever decision daddy wanted wasn’t going to shake my decision. You were coming because I wanted you. It would be me and you against the world.” Emma stops, looking at him, then she chuckles. “But daddy wasn’t going anywhere. He was all in. He loved us so much. You’ve seen the videos from when I was pregnant with you. Nothing about that was forced.”

Lio remembers the one of his dad laughing hard as a three week old Lio tried to latch onto Timo’s big chest. The pictures of him on the ice at The Rock for the first time in skates that looked massive on his feet. Tons of videos of Lio and Timo napping together the year of the Devils first cup run. He looks across his apartment at a picture of his parents and him with the cup. It was only Lio and them at that time. Well, his mom was pregnant with Livy, but they barely knew that. Although the most difficult to win trophy in sports is right there, his dad’s hands are on a young Lio, engulfing him and his mom in his sweaty equipment.

“It felt like a lie.” Lio hears himself say. He gestures to the picture. Emma follows his gaze. “Like it looked like that. But then you and dad would make a comment about wanting me so bad you couldn’t wait and my whole life felt like a lie.” Emma swallows hard, nodding.

“I see that now, Lee. I’m very sorry. But that was real. That was our life, baby.” She reaches for his hand.

“It hurt me.” He whispers. Emma winces, then runs her hand up his arm to squeeze his shoulder.

“I know. I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” Emma purses her lips together, then looks at Lio with tears in her eyes. She brushes her thumb over the hairs behind his ear. “So loved. So wanted. Never a mistake.” Lio nods, then reaches to hug her. They hold one another tightly. 

“Love you, mama.” Lio inhales heavily. “I can see how you wanted to protect me.” 

“I love you, Lee. So much sweet boy.” When they pull apart, Emma stands to grab Lio more water, then comes back to the couch.

“She wasn’t even pregnant.” Lio confesses. “False positive.” 

“Oh.” Emma blinks. This is the first time she is hearing this. “How does that make you feel?”

“Relieved.” Lio answers honestly. “More than any of the other reasons I said this summer… I just don’t want kids, mama.”  Emma nods. She has suspected so for awhile. 

“It’s your life. You get to decide. But you need to be more careful because at some point, it becomes not your choice.” 

“Kay, pot.” Lio jokes with a light-hearted smirk. Emma tisks, chuckling and smacking Lio’s leg.

“Don’t slut shame your mother. You didn’t see how good James Bond looked that night.”

- - -

A brisk and skin drying wind has picked up on the East coast in the middle of November. Old man winter is roaring its way to the East coast with a winter storm warning in effect beginning tomorrow. With the impending weather, things are sure to get dicey in the booming metropolis of New York City. Despite the lingering effects of his concussion agitating him today, Lio is currently being dragged from room to room in the Bubble Planet by Stella Wood.

“This way! This way!” She yells, struggling to pull his heavy weight with her little body.

“Stell, I’m coming. Just chill.” He laughs.

“She doesn’t know that word. She’s three.” Lucie jokes back to him. 

They weave through room after room, each one more exciting than the last. Stella is having the time of her life, especially when she is on Lio’s shoulders, getting to touch the bubbles falling from the ceiling.

“Mama, this is the best day! I wish daddy could come!” Lucie and Lio avoid looking at each other, just like they avoid the giant elephant that is Connor Wood between them.

Although Lucie and Connor have discussed more about what happened this summer, he is not ready to move on. It got particularly heated when Lucie asked if Stella could see Lio. Connor questioned Lucie’s motives, worried about the implications and confusion Stella would have about Connor not being there. These were fair and valid points, but her inquisitiveness hurt less than her tears about missing Lio.

“Baby, you do what you need to do, but I’m not interested in spending time with him or fixing this. I’ve made concessions along the way. This is where I am at. Stell stays here with me.” 

Lucie respected that. She dropped it completely. But suddenly the next morning, Connor had given her quiet permission for her to bring Stella to breakfast with Lio. That was a month ago. Connor heads to the rink on days when his girls are meeting up with Lio, always having an excuse about training or treatment or nutrition. Lucie kisses him extra hard on those days, wanting him to know she loves him deeply and understands so much of this is difficult for them.

Now, as she watches Stella up on Lio’s shoulders, all she can fathom is the immense hole Connor’s absence brings. 

“Baby, are you getting hungry?” Lucie asks her daughter as they bop out onto the New York avenue.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want?”

“Mac and cheese!”

“You had that for dinner last night.” Lucie laughs.

“She is a good Swiss girl!” Lio nods approvingly. 

“Her favorite is Kraft.” Lucie points out.

“We’ll work on it. She’s three, ya know.” He jostles Lucie’s shoulder, then immediately regrets it at the way the world swirls upright for a minute. “Oof.” He rubs at his temples.

“Careful, Lee. No setbacks.” Lucie cautions, gripping his shoulder.

The three of them head a few blocks down to a diner, settling into a red booth with huge, plastic menus and a coloring page for Stella. Lio sits on her side of the booth, taking turns coloring a troll in a field of daisy. 

“Not pink!” Stella scrunches her nose, pushing Lio’s hand away.

“What? You said I could pick any color.”

“Yeah, any one but pink.”

“You love pink?”

“When I was two.”

Lucie and Lio both snort, attempting to pursue their lips to keep their laughter in. Stella Wood is an absolute hoot. 

“Can I share a milkshake with you?” Lucia asks Lio.

“I was gonna share with Stell.” 

“Oh, I see how it is.” She raises her eyebrows then looks away with a smirk at her menu. She decides on a simple Strawberry shake. “Stell, do you want to share with uncle Lee?”

“Yeah.” 

“Which flavor?”

“Reese’s! His favorite!” 

“No, you can’t have those, baby. You’re allergic to peanuts.”

“No peanuts in there?”

“Yes, there is peanut butter.” Lucie calmly reminds her.

“Sorry, Uncle Lee. I get sick.” She pats her little pot belly. 

“It’s okay. I was thinking chocolate.”

“Oh yes.” The little girl sighs happily.

The waitress comes and takes their orders. The adults grab cheeseburgers with fries while Stella happily exclaims she needs Mac and Cheese. The waitress practically swoons out of her Keds at how sweetly Stella thanks her for going to get their food. More coloring is done and a quick few games of hangman using three letter words like cat and dog and hat. Stella is getting so good at her ABCs. The milkshakes come out first. Stella watches in awe as the shake is split between two cups for her and her uncle.

“You gonna be able to finish that?” Lio asks. 

“Mhm.” Stella nods enthusiastically. With one hand she grabs the glass while the other helps her balance on the table top. She sucks up the milkshake quickly, then sputters, coughing. 

“Oh, that was a big sip. It’s cold, huh?” Lucie chuckles, handing Stella her water glass. She holds it up to the little girl’s lips for a sip.

“Ah!” She exclaims. “Mmmm.” She sucks up more of the thick liquid. Lio and Lucie chuckle, watching Stella enjoy her ice cream. Lio leans back farther in the booth, looking across the table at his cousin.

“I’ve had so much fun with you today. I missed this.”

“Me too.” Lucie murmur. Stella coughs again, loudly, then seems to gag. Stella sits up straighter, looking Lucie in the eyes with wide orbs. “Are you okay, baby?” Lucie straightens. Lio sits up as well, reaching out for Stella. She makes a wheezing noise, then sticks her tongue out. 

“Oh my god. Stell?” Lucie covers her mouth, watching a red, angry rash begin to form on Stella’s face. Lio grabs Stella as she begins to sway backward.

“She is very warm.”

“What is going on?” Lucie whispers, she looks around the table then she smells it, the faintest whiff of peanut butter coming from the ice cream in the glass Stella was drinking. “Oh my god. Peanut butter.” She reaches for her purse, fumbling around. “Um.. ohmygod.”

“Do you have an Epipen?”

“Um.” She nods vigorously, beginning to pant herself. Her stomach tightens, fear dashes down her spine. She rips her hands through the contents of her purse, looking for the injection she always carries with her since the first reaction Stella had a few months ago in Switzerland. But it wasn’t like this. It was nothing close to this. 

“Luc, come on.” Lio calls to his cousin, picking up Stella into his arms. “You’re okay, baby. It’s okay!” He tries for a cheery voice as Stella being to sob. “Luc, dump the purse out.” Lucie picks the bag up, emptying it from the handles. Lio sees the EpiPen immediately, tossing the cap off hastily. He does the injection, pausing to watch Stella’s reaction. Her wheezing gets tighter, but she can no longer speak to him or even cry. Lio’s heart is racing in his chest as he watches her struggle.

“Do you have another one?”

“No! It’s with Connor at home.” She shakes her head frantically. “Oh my god. Someone call an ambulance!” Lucie sobs out to the restaurant. In the haste of dumping her purse out, her phone fell underneath the booth. But she is frozen in paralysis. She can’t move. She can’t breathe. She is forced to watch her baby struggle.

Adrenaline takes over Lio like he was injected with the epinephrine. He calculates out where they are in the city, the amount of time it will take for an ambulance to get there and he knows Stella’s chances of making it are slim with how much she is struggling even after her first injection. He has seen this before with a kid in school when they still lived in Jersey. 

“There isn’t time for the ambulance. I’m taking her to Children’s.” The hospital is at the end of the three blocks they walked from Bubble Planet, close to Lucie’s car. Lio secures Stella to his chest and begins to run from the restaurant. He leaves Lucie at the table to scramble her things back into her bag. He runs as fast as his body will go. Stella jostles against his shoulder, going limper and limper and Lio quite literally races against time. 

“You’re going to be okay, Stell. it’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He promises the little girl in his arms. 

Tears blur his vision. His concussion rears it’s ugly head, pulsing against his temples and making the sidewalk shift with his blurred vision. He can’t let that stop him. Stella needs him. He pushes his injured and weak body to go harder the next block, dodging pedestrians and cabs in walk ways and dogs on leashes. He hits the emergency entrance of the hospital, screaming for help. 

“Help! Please! My nieces is going into shock! She was exposed to peanuts!” Nurses swarm him, snatching Stell immediately and taking over. 

“Did you give her Epinephrine?”

“How was she exposed?”

“Is this her first exposure?”

Lio answers the questions as best he can. Yes, ingested and no. He looks over his shoulder, wondering when he can expect to see Lucie. But then they are taking Stella away on her bed. Another nurse holds him back as they rush down the hall with her. 

“Sir, I need you to wait in the lobby.”

She is right. He needs to wait for Lucie anyway. But that doesn’t make it easier to turn around. He heads to the doors he just sprinted through, avoiding the gazes of curious onlookers. He walks outside into the cold air. His chest tightens immediately and he turns to the side, looking for something he can vomit into. But then he sees Lucie Wood, rushing down the sidewalk, clutching her purse to her chest, sobbing so loud he can hear every inhale and exhale of her shaking body.

“Luc, they’ve got her.” Lio calls to her. He opens his arms up and Lucie collapses into his body. His shirt is immediately wet from her face. Large hiccups shudder her frame against him. He squeezes her tight, smoothing her hair down. “It’s going to be okay.” Lio whispers to her, hoping that maybe if they chant that together, it will make it real.

Several minutes pass. Lucie continues to sob into Lio’s body, even after he moves her inside to get out of the wind. The doctors come out looking for him, finding him and Lucie together. Stella is stable. They can go see her, but she will need to stay for several hours for monitoring as they had to give her two more injections. Lucie heads right into her daughter’s room, curling up with the little girl who looks drugged and exhausted in the center.

“Mama is here. You’re okay.” She cries to her daughter. Stella is upset and shaken from the ordeal. She clings to Lucie like a monkey, balling her shirt up in her little fists. 

“LuLu, do you want me to call Connor?”

“Yes.” Lucie whispers, barely able to get the word out of her shaking lips. She reaches into the back pocket of her jeans, handing her phone to him. “If you call he won’t answer.” She says simply. Lio tries to brush that off like it doesn’t hurt, but it stings as bad as the wind biting his cheeks during his sprint to the hospital. 

Lio takes a deep breath, then clicks on Connor’s contact. His heart is pounding in his chest like he’s about to take a face-off in the final minute of a trailing game. He licks his lips, leaning agains the wall, waiting on the call to connect.

“Hey baby! I’m just about to leave.”

“Ah.” Lio coughs. “Hey, it’s Lio.”

Silence.

“Where is Lucie?” A definite snap tightens the words through the line. 

“She’s with Stella. She asked me to call you and tell you what is going on.”

“What? Are they okay? What..” 

“Lucie is okay.” Lio starts.

“Stell? Whats wrong with her!?” Connor’s voice is beginning to escalate. “What did you do, Lio?” Connor snaps. Lio closes his eyes. 

“I didn’t do anything. It was a mistake at the restaurant.”

“Fuck!” Connor yells. “Where are you?”

“At Children’s hospital off 34th.”

“You have to tell me what happened, Lio.”

“I’m trying to, but you’re not letting me get much out here, man.” Connor sighs. Lio takes his silence as compliance. “We were out grabbing lunch and she had an allergic reaction and we had to bring her to the hospital. Her Epipen wasn’t enough.”

“Fuck, I have the second one. We usually have the two together, but Lucie and I had plans the other night and…” Connor’s voice is distraught.

“It happens. But you should get down here. They need you.”

“I’m on my way.” 

Lio removes the phone from his ear, looking at the lock screen of Lucie, Connor and Stella. Lio took that photo of them this summer in Switzerland, before everything happened. He sighs heavily, then comes back into the room.

“Connor is coming.” Lio assures Lucie. She doesn’t take her crying eyes off the little girl in her arms. She sniffs and nods in acknowledgement, continuing to touch her daughter’s face soothingly. Lio can’t tell if it’s for Stella or Lucie.

Connor Wood arrives thirty minutes later with squeaking sneakers on the tile floor of the hospital hallway. Lucie and Stella are dozing in an overwhelmed sleep. Lio sits in the chair next to them with one hand on Stella, rubbing her arm. Lucie’s hand clings to his wrist, needing comfort in one of the worst moments of her life. 

“I’m a terrible mom.” She had told Lio tearfully.

“You’re not. It was scary.” 

“What if you weren’t there?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was.”

“Luc! Stell!” Connor rushes into the room then locks in on Lio. He shifts his worried eyes to the bed, seeing Lucie and Stella curled together. His lips pull into a deep frown, then his eyes seemingly dim when he takes in Lio in the place he should be.

“They’re resting, Lucie is pretty upset.” Lio says as he slowly works his wrist out of Lucie’s grasp. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to see me. I’ll leave now, I just didn’t want to leave the girls alone before you got here.”

“What happened?” Connor asks. Lio can see the way his chest rapidly raises and falls beneath the Rangers logo on his chest.

“Stella somehow got a peanut butter shake at the diner. Wrong order. She had some and started having a severe reaction.” Connor’s face gets ghostly pale. He puts his hand on his head over his blue hat, waiting for more. “Um, Luc, She… she panicked. It was all scary. Truly awful. But I gave Stell the injection, but it didn’t do enough. She became mostly unresponsive.” Connor closes his eyes, bringing his hands to his face in anguish. “There wasn’t time to wait for help, so I grabbed Stella and ran here with her.” 

“You ran?”

“Yeah. Stell didn’t have time.” Lio reiterates. If he is mad at Lio for that, then so be it. Maybe it was reckless, but Lio had to make a judgement call and Stell is going to be okay because of it. Connor stares at Lio. Then suddenly he steps forward around the bed. Lio stands up taller, preparing for anything. Connor wraps an arm around Lio’s shoulders to bring him into his body. Lio brings his hands up, clasping Connor’s back as they share a deep, sincere hug. 

“Thank you.” Connor whispers, tears coating his voice. Lio squeezes Connor tighter, not wanting to let go of his best friend. Suddenly, it hits Lio. How close they were to losing Stell. How dire she had looked when he ran through the doors of the ER. How Lucie had every right to be that terrified at the table. It had been bad. Horrible. Worst case scenario. 

Lio can’t help it. He begins to sob. Everything that has happened the last few months weeps out of him. From losing Savannah, to screaming at his parents, to only having his little sister, to losing the three people in this room with him. His concussion… almost losing Stella on that New York street.

“It’s okay, Lee. She’s going to be okay.” Connor puts his hand on Lio’s head. “You saved our girl.” Lio nods, shuddering as he pulls away. Both men wipe their faces with their hands, then look over to the two girls laying in the bed. Stella has a sleepy grin on her face, watching them.

“Daddy!” She giggles, reaching out to him, flexing and unflexing her fingers for him to come closer.

“Hi baby.” Connor smiles brightly, leaning down to kiss her cheeks. “Can I lay with you and mama?” 

“Yeah.” Stella yawns as she says the word. 

“Sleepy.” Connor chuckles, kissing her again. He curls her and Lucie into his body, trying to be careful not to wake his wife. Lucie jolts up at the feeling of his hands on her. “Me, Luc. It’s me.” She visibly relaxes when she sees her husband. “I’m here.” He brushes her cheek with his thumb. 

Lio watches from the end of the bed, then anxiously rubs at his forehead. He clears his throat, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Um, well I’ll head out so you all can be together.”

“No, don’t go.” Lucie shakes her head. 

“It’s okay, Luc. I’ll see you later.” 

“You should stay with us.” Connor says softly. “We want you here.” The insinuation of the we has the corners of Lio’s mouth sliding up.

Lio makes his way back to the chair by the bedside, sitting down in it. Him and Connor share a look of understanding. Lucie trails her nails along Stella’s back as another big yawn stretches her little mouth. 

“Uncle Lee?” Stella murmurs.

“Hm?”

“You gonna be here when I wake up?”

“Yeah, Stell.” He sighs. “I’ll be right here.”

[mazeinthemiroh]

Hi! Could i request a scenario about skz or ateez's reactions to seeing scars on their partner's body from an operation idk, if you are comfortable with it.

Thanks for your time!🤗

ateez reactions to seeing their s/o's scars after an operation

genre: comfort, fluff

warnings: mentions of operation / bodily scars

a/n: i hope you enjoy this <3 i actually had an operation done last year, so i have a little scar on my face! it's best to embrace these scars <3 nothing to be ashamed about at all :3

hongjoong

hongjoong doesn't mind any scars you might have after your operation. he's more concerned about how you're feeling after your operation, and wants to take care of you for the rest of the week if he has to!! he just needs to make sure his baby is okay :( will probably treat you to a load of food after the operation, making sure you're well-fed!

seonghwa

first of all, seonghwa is going to be there throughout the whole procedure if he's allowed to. or he's at least sitting in the waiting room, worrying away about how the operation is going. when he finally sees you afterwards, he just wants to make sure you feel okay. he doesn't care about any scars you might have, so love as you feel okay.

yunho

he doesn't care about your scars at all, so long as you are comfortable and not in any pain, he's okay. if you're a bit shaken up about the operation or insecure about the scars it has left you, he will comfort you by making light of the situation. he'll make playful jokes to make you laugh, like he always does.

yeosang

he understands if you might feel a little shy or insecure about showing your scars from your operation. after, he has been a little hesitant about showing off his birthmark. but you have helped him become confident in it, and so he does the same for you. your scars are nothing to be ashamed of, and he's not fazed by them at all <3

san

he's gonna baby you for the rest of the week and you already know it! he's so proud of you for being brave and treats you after your operation with a little gift. wants to make sure your scars are okay and doesn't want to do anything with you that may hurt them further. a relaxed night in is the way to go <3

mingi

mingi would ask you questions about the operation, as well as your scars. gently, of course. if it's something you don't want to talk about, he won't push it. but he mostly wants to know about the healing process, and if they cause you any pain. if there is anything he can help with, he's ready to help out however he can.

wooyoung

similar to seonghwa, wooyoung simply refuses not to leave your side as much as he possibly can. he will wait outside while you have your operation, and he can't deny he's a little worried. so glad to see you come out with no complications. forgets you even have scars because he wants to focus on your well-being.

jongho

wants to take care of you as soon as you're out of the hospital. like mingi, he would also want to find out how to properly take care of your scars and therefore likely ask you questions about what the doctor said on how to treat them. other than that, he's willing to help you in any other way you ask him to!

[kpop-stories-21]

A Bittersweet Holiday

Group: ATEEZ

Pairing: Hongjoong x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Rating: 18-21+

Genres, Tropes, & AUs: Non-Idol AU, Established Relationship, Smut, Angst

Content & Trigger Warnings: Husband!Hongjoong, Wife!Reader, major character death, reader has an incurable illness, unprotected sex(wrap that shit up kids), goodbye sex, soft sex, fingering, slight dirty talk, Joong is very gentle with the reader

Summary: Christmas has always been you and Hongjoong's favourite holiday. After all, it was on December 24th four years ago that the two of you became husband and wife. But this year is different: not only will it be the last one you celebrate with Hongjoong; it will be the last one you celebrate, period. And you can't think of a better place to be when things happen than snowed in with your husband at your family's mountain cabin.

General tags: @kpop---scenarios @jeonrose @skittlez-area512 @mybiasisexo @biaswreckingfics @anyamaris @liliesofdreams @rdiamond2727 @naturalogre @bxffietheblxxdy @millennial-fangirl @twisted-tales-of-all @yoonguurt @staytinyville @dimpledsatan @kwanisms ATEEZ tags: @deltamoon666 @lovelyhange @spicyseonghwas

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Network pings: @cacaokpop-fics | @kdiarynet | @cultofdionysusnet

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A/N: Ya'll get your tissue boxes ready, we're in for quite the emotional ride

Collab Masterlist | Main Masterlist

You still remembered it vividly, the day the doctor said you had a disease with no known cure. It had been a devastating revelation, one that left you and your husband reeling for weeks afterward.

Things were fairly easy in the beginning. Aside from the weekly doctor visits, everything continued as usual for a while. Then one day you noticed that simple things like going upstairs and walking around the house exhausted you, leaving you tired for the rest of the day. Every day when Hongjoong came home from work, he found you perched on the couch looking like you just ran a marathon. He’d kiss you softly, then go change and start in on the housework. You felt awful for not being able to help him, but when you brought it up he just shrugged.

“I can manage.” He told you. “It’s not that big a deal.”

But you could see that it was, in fact, a very big deal. The stress of having to go to work, then come home and do all the things you used to be able to do was wearing him thin. Sometimes you felt like you were more concerned with his health than your own, but there was quite literally nothing you could do.

Sometime near the end of November, Hongjoong reached his boiling point. Suspended from work for getting into a fight with a colleague, he decided to take you away on what would probably be your last vacation. Your family owned a cabin in the nearby mountains, and it had become something of a Christmas tradition for the two of you to spend the holiday all warm and cosy in that little cabin. So you packed up and began the now-familiar drive into the country, ready to get away from all the stress and anxiety that hung heavy in your house.

“We’re here!” Hongjoong murmured, gently rousing you back to wakefulness. You shook the sleep from your eyes and pushed open the passenger car door, sliding out into the crisp winter air. Hongjoong unlocked the cabin’s front door and let you sit on the bed to begin unpacking things while he went to purchase a week’s worth of groceries to start with.

As you sat on the comfy double bed and emptied out one suitcase after another, you found yourself thinking back on your life and if you had really lived it to the fullest. Could you confidently face your end with no regrets? You weren’t sure. Maybe talking it over with Hongjoong would help you put things in perspective.

The rustling of plastic bags broke you from your thoughts as your husband re-entered the cabin. You stood and went to watch him unbag everything and put it all away, smiling at how lucky you were to have someone as kind and caring as Hongjoong. He was everything you could’ve ever asked for in a partner, plus so much more. You wouldn’t have anyone else by your side through all of this, not even your parents or your best friends.

Hongjoong saw you standing in the doorway and stopped to smile at you. He could see the lingering worry in your expression and walked over, pulling you close and wrapping his arms around you.

“What’s wrong, love? Is something bothering you?”

You let out a sigh, hesitating, then slowly nodded your head. “A little, yeah.”

Hongjoong guided you into the living room and sat beside you on the sofa, dark eyes watching you intently. Taking a deep breath, you began to share with him the thoughts you’d had just moments ago. Hongjoong listened patiently, waiting until he was sure you’d said everything before voicing his response.

“You know what I think? I think that you have absolutely nothing to be worried about. Everyone makes mistakes or does things they regret, but unfortunately that’s just part of life. What you need to remember is this: the things that really made you happy, the moments you’ll never forget? You did them because you wanted to, and that is far more important than doing things that will only please others.”

Your eyes filled with tears as you leaned forward and hugged him tightly, your heart swelling at the profound words. “I love you so much Hongjoong, more than you will ever know.” You looked up at him seriously. “There may be things in my past that I regret, but marrying you has never been one of them.”

Hongjoong held you fast against his chest, relishing the warmth of your thin body. In his head he cursed God, the Fates, or whoever was responsible for taking you away from him much too soon. He hated that he wouldn't get to grow old with you, surrounded by grandchildren. You had only managed to give birth once before becoming sick. The baby had been several weeks premature, and after being released from the hospital she currently resided with your parents since you were too ill to care for her. When he realised he was going to lose you, Hongjoong had sworn to himself that he would be the best father he could be. He owed you that at least, if not so much more.

The rest of that day was spent quietly, the two of you curled up on the couch watching Christmas movies together until you both began to get sleepy and retired to the bedroom.

On your fourth day at the cabin, you woke to find a thick blanket of snow covering everything. According to the weather report it was several inches thick, with a layer of ice underneath. Long story short, you and Hongjoong were now snowed in until it melted enough for safe road travel.

A couple days after that, you awakened with a strange urgency flooding your veins. You had trouble even sitting up by now, and Hongjoong had to help you do pretty much everything. You had a sinking feeling the urgency meant you didn't have much longer, and it terrified you. You were by no means ready to leave, especially since it meant your beloved husband would be stranded with your lifeless form for who knew how long.

After dinner that evening you asked for a last favour from Hongjoong.

“Joong, will you make love to me?”

The brunette choked on his drink a little, looking at you in surprise.

“Y/N, are you sure? I don't wish to hurt you or-”

“I'm sure.” You replied, staring at him firmly. “I want to feel you one last time.” You bit your lip to hide the wobble of your chin as you pushed out that last sentence. You hated how final everything felt, and you knew Hongjoong felt the same way.

“Alright then.” He conceded, scooping you into his arms and carrying you to the bedroom. He sat you gently on the plush duvet, then proceeded to cover all the windows. This was to be a private moment, just between the two of you.

Tenderly, as if he was afraid he might break you, he stripped you of your clothes before removing his own. Then he crawled slowly towards you, that signature smirk of his surfacing for a moment and causing butterflies to erupt within you. His hands gripped your hips briefly before sliding up your side to cup your face.

“I love you so much, my sweet Y/N, and I will miss you terribly.” He murmured, eyes glistening.

“Shh, let’s not think about that now.” You whispered, heart twisting at the agony in his expression. “Show me how much you love me, Kim Hongjoong.”

His lips met yours in a gentle but heated kiss as he slipped two fingers inside of you. It had been a while since the last time you two were intimate with each other like this, and the stretch made you wince slightly. Hongjoong pressed little kisses to your forehead as he carefully moved his fingers, and soon the discomfort gave way as heat began to build inside of you.

A quiet moan slipped past your lips, and Hongjoong tentatively added a third finger. No discomfort twisted your features, only pleasure, and so he deemed that you were ready. Removing his fingers, he moved forward, sliding fully into you with one smooth motion. A choked moan was punched out of your lungs, eyes rolling back slightly at the glorious sensations coursing through your body.

“Fuck, I forgot how good you felt inside me like this.” You panted, gripping his shoulders as you fought the urge to cum immediately.

“It’s been too long.” Hongjoong agreed, letting out a grunt as your walls clenched around him. “You’re always so tight for me, baby.”

Hovering over you, he pressed a firm kiss to your lips and began moving in long, slow thrusts that stole the breath from your lungs as he pressed deep inside you.

“Shit, Joong, ‘m not gonna last long like this!” You exclaimed, fingers burying in his hair as he leaned over and wrapped his tongue around your nipple, licking and sucking as he continued to fill you up over and over.

“It’s okay, my love. Go ahead, cum for me. I won’t be far behind.”

A wave of utter euphoria flooded your senses, your vision going white as the most intense orgasm you might’ve ever had washed over you. Lost in the bliss, you didn’t even register when your husband’s movements stilled as he emptied his load inside of you.

Once you floated back down to earth, you watched with a sated smile as Hongjoong set about cleaning both of you up. Then he pulled the duvet and sheets down, climbing in and pulling you close as he succumbed to sleep’s sweet call.

You stayed awake that night, mind running too fast to even attempt sleeping. As the sun began to peek over the mountaintops you felt a sudden peace come over you, replacing the urgency you’d felt the previous day.

Hongjoong would be alright. He had both his and your parents, his friends, and your little daughter as well. They would help him cope and keep him from losing himself to his grief.

Yes, he would be okay. You could rest easy now knowing your family would be cared for and looked after. You took one last look at your beloved husband, smiled, and let go.

[fezwearingjellybananas]

ooh can you please do headcannons if Barry told captain singh about his powers first instead of Joe

thank you !

Ooh, that sounds like a fun one

Joe doesn't believe Barry about Clyde Mardon, but Eddie has a sketch that looks like him and overhears (kind of hard not to, with the yelling) Barry so certain it was Mardon. The Mardons are personal for Joe now, after Chyre's death, and Eddie makes the decision to get a second opinion from Captain Singh

Everyone at C.C.P.D. is aware of Barry's blog and his desperate search for the impossible, and most of them know why too, and pretty much no one believes him. And Barry just woke up from a coma, he shouldn't even be out of bed, maybe there's more going on. But Clyde Mardon is also the only lead they've got, so David nods and goes with Eddie up to that farm

Where they find Clyde Mardon

As canon, Eddie gets knocked out, but it's David facing Clyde and a tornado this time, when in runs this streak of lightning, and when it's over Clyde's lying dead on the floor and Barry Allen is standing there in a weird red suit with lightning in his eyes

Knowing about Barry's powers is why David lets Barry come right back to work. Joe, who does not know yet (after all, Joe's not believed Barry about a lot of things for a long time), is concerned about how quickly Barry wants to come back to work and tries to get David to keep him signed off for longer, but David tells him it's Barry's choice.

Like Joe, David has some issues with Barry deciding to race after criminals wearing a mask, albeit not for quite the same reasons as Joe, though he does admit C.C.P.D. have no idea how to handle metahumans, and as long as Barry isn't planning on taking after Star City's Arrow, maybe it can help. Providing Barry still gets all his actual work he's being paid to do done, and he sticks around at any crime scenes he interrupts to talk to the police to make sure they get actual statements (which also means people pick up the Flash exists faster).

The Pipeline's not happening though, if Doctor Wells and Mister Ramon think they have a way to contain metahumans it's being done legally and they can work with Iron Heights. Kyle Nimbus should convince them soon enough, and with David working on it, they can get that approved.

Because Joe doesn't know yet, Joe didn't make Barry promise not to tell Iris. Which means right after the show-down with Mardon, Barry races off to find Iris, to tell her about this- she knows what he saw that night, she knows what this means- and also to tell her her boyfriend's in the hospital.

Barry is more hesitant about trusting Eddie though- he doesn't know Eddie yet- which adds to the Eddie & Iris early disagreement about the Flash. Eddie doesn't believe him, then he doesn't trust him, whereas Iris refuses to even question he's anything less than a hero and a good person

Barry still gets whammied by Rainbow Raider, and it still goes poorly. He still goes after Eddie- Eddie's the representation of everything he's missed after all, him being Joe's partner and Iris' boyfriend both happened while Barry was unconscious, and what he's really angry with is that missing time everyone else got to live and he's never going to get back.

And Iris is going to be so conflicted so it's after he's back to himself Barry goes to talk to Eddie to tell him everything and loop him into the Flash's identity. And apologise, so much, but Eddie saw what Bivolo did to everyone else, they can figure this out

It's when Reverse Flash shows up at Mercury Labs Joe pulls out Nora's file. He's involved with the trap S.T.A.R. Labs set (David insisted they do it by the book), and what he sees reminds him so much of what Barry used to talk about he grabs it afterwards and flicks it open and takes another look. Surely it won't hurt, and he doesn't need to tell Barry unless he finds something.

Hartley shows up and the only thing that's different is he tries to flirt with David.

On the day that wasn't, Joe and David swap again- it's Joe Mark Mardon puts in the hospital initially, and David he tries the tidal wave plan with (Barry will gladly admit this is the worst possible way he could have finally met Rob). Caitlin still goes to try and distract Doctor Wells, but Cisco asks Eddie to come with him to investigate the failed trap, which was the right choice it turns out, he managed to pick the one person Eobard couldn't kill, and Eddie manages to get the message to Barry that Cisco's dead and Wells can't be trusted right before Barry time travels (or maybe causing it).

Henry finds out as canon after being kidnapped by the Tricksters, and after that is when Barry finally tells Joe, and Joe finally tells Barry he's reopened the case on Nora's murder

David insists on reporting Eddie missing when Harrison Wells- or rather, Eobard Thawne- kidnaps him. Just adding a few more things to their paper trail of evidence they can use against him eventually.

He's going to be so glad when they've caught the bad guy and he and Rob get to leave for two weeks for their honeymoon. Anything to get him away from dealing with superpowers for five minutes

Thank you!

[5+ headcanons for an AU]

[dross-the-fish]

Can we have a little drubble about Selma’s reincarnation afterwards someday? How were her first days go?

You certainly can, I plan to write a second part to this but I covered the resurrection itself here from Selma's perspective and will cut forward to her first days after part 2.

.....

Harsh. White. Searing.

A painful light invading her eyes. Too bright.

It hurt.

She tried to speak but the sounds coming from her tight throat and thick tongue were garbled. Her skin was on fire, everything was cold and hot, shocks traveling through her body.

“She’s alive!” a voice, familiar and distant.

The sound of scrambling and booming, thunderous laughter.

Eyes squeezed shut. Pain, noise. Everything too much.

She lifted a heavy wrist.

A hand. Large. Shapely. Different. Familiar, grasped hers. So hot it burned. She clutched tighter as the world around her began to sharpen.

Voices speaking, too loud and fast to make sense, blurry, fuzzy. Her head was full of sparks.

Slowly sight and sound came back into focus. A large figure was shouting at the open skylight.

“She lives! Do you see me, Victor?! Do you see?! Your fallen angel is a worthy son! You denied me to your last breath but I am yet your legacy!"  

“Stop that!” the figure holding her hand snarled. She tried to place it; it sounded like a voice she knew but also one she didn’t “We need to make sure she’s alright! There’s no time for you to gloat! I need you now. Please, Mr. Frankenstein!”

He was polite. Why did that seem strange?

As her vision cleared, she struggled to put a name to the face before her. The broad, smooth, face of a man in his fifties. Did she know him? Her head swam when she tried to sit up. The man shushed her and gently guided her back down, “Easy now, there’s a good girl. Don’t try to sit up just yet, we’ve performed a miracle worthy of Jesus Christ himself,” he smiled weakly, the shadow of something-someone familiar in the gleam of his teeth.

He took her wrist in his hand and laid two fingers on it, “Pulse is slow, her skin is like ice,” he muttered, his brow furrowing with concern. As the large figure came into view. The patchwork face of the giant was immediately recognizable to her though how exactly was uncertain. The answer seemed to come to her then drift away, lost in a sea of barely coherent emotions and sensations. Pinpricks speckled across her eyes and she shut them for a moment until the throbbing in her head died down.

“Is she supposed to be this cold? Her heartbeat is so sluggish, is this normal?”

“If I am any indication then yes. Perhaps it is an affect of the chemicals used during incubation. The question now remains did we bring back Miss Morris or is this a new life?”

“Of course, it’s her! It has to be her! There was no point otherwise!”

“Dr. Jekyll, please, restrain yourself. We must remain impartial. It will be a tragedy if Selma is lost for good but we must remember that what we have created we bear a responsibility to. No matter our grief, it is not her fault for being born.”

She didn’t understand any of this and the bickering was beginning to grate on her. She tried to speak but could only manage a weak groan. Somewhere in the back of her mind a memory stirred and she knew one of these men was a doctor and she recalled the concept of a hospital. Was she sick? She felt sick. It would make sense to be sick right now.

The doctor, Jekyll, as he had been called, clasped her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile. It helped. She tried to smile back but the muscles of her face felt stiff.     

“I’m going to check your cognitive functions, you don’t have to try to talk if you aren’t ready but if you can understand me, I want you to squeeze my hand to indicate ‘yes’, aright?”

She decided she liked Doctor Jekyll. He seemed kind.

Was that right?

She squeezed.

He looked relieved, “Good, very good. It looks like you remember language. Do you know who this is?” he indicated the giant man.

She hesitated. She knew him but it was so muddled she couldn’t be certain how. When the giant smiled the seam through his upper lip parted and exposed the teeth and gums beneath. The ghoulish sight didn’t frighten her as it would have if he were a stranger.

Frankenstein.

Was that his name? Or was it his father’s?

She squeezed.

“Good, I’m not going to ask if you know me. I’m sure my face is new to you. All you need to know about me is that my name is Henry Jekyll and right now I’m taking care of you. Think of me as your doctor and, Adam,” he gestured to Adam, who nodded reassuringly, “Is your friend. Do you remember your name?”

She froze. She tried to conjure up a name. There were flashes of memory, fragmented, disconnected. She tried harder, ignoring the pain in her head as she strained to pull her name to the surface. She knew she had one! What was it? She struggled to find some recollection of identity for herself in the mire that was her brain. She made an agitated gesture, shaking her head. Tears welled in her eyes.

Seeing her growing distress, Jekyll attempted to sooth her, “It’s alright! It’s alright if you don’t remember, it will come back to you in time,” despite its lack of recent use the comforting tones he had once used on his patients came back to him easily. Once Selma had settled, he glanced at Adam expectantly, “It will come back to her. Won’t it?”

Adam shrugged, “I have no idea, I recall nothing from before my own awakening, although I had not the ability to speak or any understanding of language. It seems she has retained at least some things,” he mused. He gestured to a small office off to the side of the lab “I need to go document all of this. Can you take care of her? Would Hyde take care of her if he comes back?”

Jekyll hesitated, he looked at Selma, still clinging to his hand for dear life, “He would. She’s safe with me-with both of me,” he said.

Adam gave a single, curt, nod and lumbered off.

What had happened? Why did her body feel so strange? As her awareness of herself sharpened and strength returned to her limbs she lifted a hand to her chest, where a loud, slow, pulse was beating.

Something was wrong. Where was the wound? Hadn’t there been a bullet? Blood everywhere, running over her fingers, she had felt the wet pulsing through the hole in her skin then…

…then blackness.

Here she was now, no blood, no wound, her fingers were resting against neat stitches. Sewn. Alive! Then why did her body feel so much colder? Heavier? Overwhelmed with pain and confusion, she began to cry in earnest. This was not right!

Jekyll watched her anxiously. Maybe it should be Edward…she knows Edward. Edward, at least, wouldn’t be too much of a coward to give her his shoulder. No sooner had he thought the words when he felt the itch of black fur sprouting from his cheek. No! No, wait! Not yet! I’m not ready! I’m not-

-not who Selma needs right now.

To caught in her weeping Selma didn’t notice Edward’s return. Not until a thick, hairy hand touched her shoulder. She looked up, doing her best to wipe at her eyes.

“Hullo, lass, it’s good to see you again. Do you remember me?” he smiled, his jutting, jagged, teeth seemed nearly too large for his mouth.

Edward!

She nearly fell from the table flinging her arms around him. He caught her, pressing his cheek to hers and when she felt the dampness on his whiskers, she neither knew nor cared which of them was weeping. She squeezed.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Slema Morris.”  

She remembered Edward.

[gracesimp]

Hi! I was wondering if u can write about the Tenth Doctor comforting a student reader platonically?

I recently just had an anxiety attack during class where I started crying silently and the teacher came over and that’s when I bursted out crying and hyperventilating really badly. My classmates just looked at me while I was crying and no one was there to comfort me so I was pretty much alone but I’d definitely appreciate it if you write this! 😭🥹🙏

Three hearts are better than one.

tenth doctor x fem!reader

SUMMARY: Y/n needs support when she's having a panic attack. Who better than her teacher?

I haven't been writing requests, or anything at all for a while, but I saw this and I had to do it.

so very sorry that this happened to you. I went through similar experiences when I was in school, so please know you are not alone. All my love.

P.S, messages are always open to anyone who needs to talk.

WARNING: Panic attack.

Everything was fine. In fact, everything was great. Y/n had gone to school as usual, and she'd done so with a smile painted on her face. She laughed and joked with her friends, then when the bell rang, she skipped along to her first lesson of the day. Physics.

But then, suddenly, she wasn't feeling so great anymore. She didn't understand why. She had felt perfectly fine just a second ago. Though now everything felt wrong.

Her eyes drifted across the room, spotting her classmates shifting in their seats, giggling loudly and chucking around pieces of paper. Her teacher was a lot more lax than most, which is why when her eyes followed the failed attempt of a paper aeroplane as it soared pathetically through the air before landing on the floor, she wasn't surprised when there was no yells of protest from him. But it was then, as she observed the shrivelled plane, she began to realise that her vision was oddly blurred. And the sound if her classmate's disruptive laughter seemed so far away.

Closing her eyes softly for a moment, she took a deep breath in. Perhaps a futile effort to regulate her heartbeat, which was now pounding hard and exceptionally fast. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek when her eyes snapped open, immediately reaching those of her desk partner. He looked at her in concern, noting the way little droplets of sweat had formed on her forehead. Y/n flashed him a smile, showing him that she was okay, but even an idiot would fail to be fooled by her acts. Instead of shaking it off, his arm swung into the air, beckoning the teacher over.

"Ahh, Simon!" Mr Smith greeted cheerily, sauntering over and leaning against their shared desk, automatically flipping over Simon's excerice book so that he could read it. "What's up?"

"It's Y/n, sir." Simon explained, gulping when the girl shot him a glare even through her ragged breathing. "Something's not right with her."

Mr Smith turned his head to look at her, removing the glasses which donned his face and placing them gently into his pocket. "Y/n?" He began, words being spoken in a delicate tone. "You okay?"

For some reason, those simple words seemed to be the catalyst to her senses and they caused her to hyperventilate. She struggled to release words, and now tears streamed down her face.

Mr Smith, or The Doctor to those in the know, jumped into action. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. "Okay," he cooed kindly. "You're okay. Can you stand?" He asked, taking a hold of her shaking hand as she stood on wobbly legs. Her tears clouded her sight, making everything appear so much more blurry than before, so she relied on her teacher to guide her out of the room.

She didn't take much notice to her surroundings, physically unable to as the feeling of death invaded all of her senses. Nonetheless, as far as she was aware, no one, save Simon, had noticed her current state; which she was grateful for.

The Doctor led her out of the room, watching as she fell against the wall, sinking to the floor afterwards. Her hand was clutched desperately on her clothed chest as she silently cried in pain.

"Where are you going, sir?" A voice called put from the classroom, making Mr Smith send Y/n an apologetic glance before he popped his head around the corner.

"Out!" He vaguely explained. "Get on with your work!" And with that, he slammed the door closed, walking over to Y/n and joining her on the floor.

He reached forwards, holding her free hand in a supportive manner. "Okay, Y/n. You're having a panic attack." He stated, still speaking in a hushed voice as to not attract more attention, which she respected. "Have you had one before?"

Still unable to reply, Y/n merely bobbed her head as confirmation.

"Right, let's get your breathing back to normal, shall we? Can you tell me five things you can see?" The Doctor asked, frowning when she shook her head rapidly. "Y/n, come on." He demanded, own hearts breaking when she claimed between gasps that she couldn't. "Five things you can see."

"It hurts!" She cried, head still shaking with her eyes screwed tightly shut.

The Doctor swallowed, blinking away tears which were now forming in his own eyes at the vulnerable student in front of him. "I know." He said softly, sympathy flowing out with his words of reassurance. "I know. So we're going to get you better. Now, tell me five things you can see."

Managing to move her head and open her eyes, she said "You," her eyes then lunged around the corridor, seeking items to list off while her chest still rose fast. "A classroom, a p-poster, a ring on the floor and a door."

"Very good." The Doctor smiled, brushing away strands of hair which stuck to her sweaty forehead. "Can you tell me four things you can touch?"

Slowly, her breathing was calming, but she was still stuck in a panicked state, so she struggled to nod her head and answer, but she did so anyway. "U-um, the floor, my bracelet," She said, faltering at the end as she played with the bracelet on her wrist. She hiccuped as her breathing started to get erratic again.

Sensing he was losing her, The Doctor softly instructed. "Come on, Y/n. Two more things you can touch."

"I-I, I don't know!" She cried out, right hand grabbing at her chest like before. Mr Smith took her hand in his, freeing her fingers from her wrinkled shirt, sighing as he laid it upon his chest.

"I do." He said, allowing her to feel the rhythmic pumping of his right heart, before lifting it and placing it on his left one.

Y/n's eyes widened and her lips parted in shock. "Y-You have two hearts?" It was an obvious observation, but one so peculiar that she couldn't conceal the question in her statement.

The Doctor nodded. "I have two hearts. So, Y/n, four things you can touch?" He repeated smiling inwardly when he realised the shock of her findings was making her breathing adjust.

"I-I... The floor, my bracelet... and your hearts." She answered, though clearly in shock after her discovery.

"Brilliant." Mr Smith smiled. "You're doing so good. Almost there. Now, three things that you can hear?"

Y/n looked around, her body gradually allowing her, her senes and feelings back. While still a little fast, her heart was beating slower than before, but she could still hear the pumping in her ears. "My heart, the door closing and the class laughing."

The Doctor rubbed his hands together in triumph, now sporting the small smile he had previously tried to hide. "Amazing! Two things you can smell?"

"Y-Your cologne." Y/n admitted shyly, avoiding his eyes at all costs. It probably shouldn't be embarrassing to say - it was a very nice cologne - but she wasn't too sure she wanted to find out how her teacher would react upon learning she could smell him. His deep chuckle filled the empty corridor, and Y/n noted that his happiness was contagious when her lips tugged up a tiny amount, despite herself. "And coffee."

"One thing you can taste?"

"My chewing gum." She replied, her breathing now normal, all other symptoms having disappeared too. Y/n took a deep breath in through her nose, her hands placed flat on the ground. "That was scary." Y/n said softly, and The Doctor, who was now sat beside rather than in front of her, let his shoulders drop, releasing all tension.

"Yeah..." He agreed quietly, turning his head to the side to look at her. "It was. But you did amazing. You were incredible, honest!" They sat together in silence for a moment, but he soon sprung up and onto his feet, offering a hand to his student. "I should be telling you off for chewing gum." He gave her a pointed look as he pulled her from the ground, her eyes narrowing. "But since it saved your life, I'll let you off." He joked, retreating from the teenager as he made his way back to the class, Y/n's laughter in his ears.

However, he paused when she called out his title, his hand letting go of the door handle, but still his frozen body stayed with his face hidden from her, preventing her from seeing his grimace.

"Sir... I know I was having a bit of a moment and everything... But I didn't make that up, did I?" She questioned, shifting awkwardly on her heel.

The man sighed heavily, composing himself before reluctantly turning around to face her once more. "Depends on what you're going to do."

If possible, her eyes narrowed more and deeper, her brows farrowing further in confusion. "I'm not going to do anything. I just want to know... Why did you tell me?"

He shrugged, shoving his hand into his pocket. "Three hearts are better than one." With that, he staggered into the classroom, leaving a very bewildered student alone in the hallway.

"Oh!" He said, head peaking round the door. "Come back in whenever you're ready." He smiled, letting her know that her secret was safe with him. And in return, she smiled back, showing him that his secret would be forever kept with her.

[spooky-circuits]

are you still going the snack attack au and if so, can we get a clay and bruse reunion?

Clay and Bruce had always gotten along well as kids. When John dory had gotten too invested in Brozone they would tend to back each other up in arguments with and eventually ended up leaving at the same time. With all the brothers being brought together by Branch it’s surprising how long it takes Clay and Bruce to actually meet up again but that’s how life is sometimes.

Bruce is in pop village because Branch insists he should go see doctor Moonbloom about his potential new kid. He still doesn’t know where John dory had gotten that idea from but Branch being ever the practical troll says he should just go to the doctor and confirm it. So there is sitting in the waiting room while the doctor works with another patient when Clay walks in helping an injured troll hobble over to one of the nurses.

Clay doesn’t notice Bruce at first but Bruce is happy to fix that as he stands up and and walks quickly over. He puts his arms out in a wide motion in preparation for a hug and yells “Clay!” Clay looks at him for a moment as recognition lights up his face. “Bruce!” (He had heard about the name change from Branch) Clay goes in for the hug so his older brother isn’t left hanging and they do their old handshake from when they were kids. “Man it’s been forever! What are you doing here are you hurt?” Bruce lets out a chuckle at Clay’s concern. “Don’t worry John just thinks I might be having another kid and Branch insists I confirm if he’s right or wrong.”

Clay laughs at that. Bitty B really had grown into a worry wart of a teenager but he supposed that’s the kind of thing that happens when you have to take responsibility for yourself at such a young age. “Wow another one already? I haven’t even met the first one.” Saying that he realizes he hasn’t been a great uncle so far he really needs to fix that. Bruce sighs at the question. “Honestly I don’t know where John got the idea that I was having another kid. He just randomly said it like I should already know.”

A classic John dory if Clay has ever heard it. Saying or doing something and expecting everyone to already be on the same page has been an issue since they were kids. He had also done the same thing with their parents before Floyd and branch were born.

As soon as the thought enters his mind Clay has a moment of realization that John dory might actually know what he’s talking about. “John did always seem to know… remember Floyd and Branch?” Bruce remembered. That was honestly the only reason he was sitting in the waiting room in the first place. “Well I guess we’ll find out. Lets hang out until the doctor can see me. I’ll introduce you to Bruce Jr afterwards.”

[not-poignant]

Woof, that Constellations reveal!! How come Gwyn knows which psychologist Ef saw at Hillview but not what happened with Henton?

Oooo this is an awesome question.

So there's a few layers to this, thank you for enabling my rambling, this won't be a short answer.

The main reason is simply that Efnisien didn't want him to know. And given that Efnisien's privacy had been violated unconscionably repeatedly at Hillview, Dr Gary wasn't in a rush to tell Gwyn ap Nudd, especially because (in this particular world I'm writing lol) he had no legal obligation to. Efnisien was a legal adult at the time the recorded assaults took place, and his choices actually matter.

Like, it wasn't like Gwyn was getting regular progress reports or anything once Efnisien was in Hillview, and he certainly got a lot less as soon as Efnisien became a legal adult. Gwyn was notified of some bare bones stuff in the hospital because Efnisien's life was in danger and frankly doctors and psychologists tend to be a bit more open while someone's life is in danger in a hospital (and Efnisien wasn't formally enrolled at Hillview yet or living there).

But after that, most of what Gwyn knew about Hillview he learned directly from Efnisien. Efnisien would have told him that he was seeing Dr Henton while he was still verbal / talking.

Once the sexual abuse and assault started, Efnisien went fully nonverbal for some months afterwards. Not just with Dr Gary, but also with Gwyn. All Gwyn knows is that, all of a sudden, Efnisien has gone nonverbal and changed psychologists.

Gwyn assumed this was because Efnisien relapsed and started hurting other people, and his attitude actually changed around Efnisien after that, and Efnisien never corrected him because he never saw the point.

Not only that, but it's in Efnisien's records that Gwyn has been abusive to Efnisien. They allow his visitations, but Efnisien has also disclosed that Gwyn has broken bones in his face, beaten him, and been violent towards him, and while Efnisien didn't know this was being written in his general file - the staff certainly knew of Gwyn in context of 'actual abuser visiting Efnisien on occasion.'

So they don't exactly have incentive to say 'heyyyyy...abuser of Efnisien that we allow him to see because his mental health dives without you, we're just going to share that he was abused by another guy in case you want to like...abuse him over that too.' It's not like Gwyn is 'just a concerned cousin' - he's not an immediate family member, he's a point of contact, but he's a point of contact with caveats, like 'we know Efnisien has stated clearly he needs to see Gwyn, but we don't like him' caveats. They're not going to rush to give Gwyn tools to harm Efnisien.

And he would have.

And Efnisien knew he would have.

This is really vital. All along, Efnisien has always assumed Gwyn would say 'well that's what you deserve' re: Henton's actions (or 'now you know what it's like I guess') and we know Gwyn would have said something like that, based on how he reacts to Efnisien being harmed during Falling Falling Stars.

Like, Gwyn's attitude changes over time, but Efnisien and the staff are right to think that Gwyn would hurt Efnisien with the knowledge that he'd been abused by staff at Hillview.

So yeah, and also like... Dr Gary tried to get Efnisien to press charges, he even brought lawyers in, and Efnisien just...didn't talk. Refused to talk to anyone. While he couldn't verbally consent to literally anything, they erred on the side of caution. Probably the only thing he insisted on was staying at Hillview, because he knew Gwyn would only keep seeing him if he went to Hillview.

And that is why Efnisien stayed at Hillview, after Henton assaulted him. :(

Because Gwyn blackmailed him into staying there.

Idk if Gwyn would ever find that out, because it'll break his heart in Constellations if he realises. But like, Efnisien didn't want to go stay at a place where he was regularly abused and assaulted, but he did, because he was so desperate to keep the one lifeline he had.

Anyway yeah, there's a few reasons basically why Gwyn knew the name of the psychologist only, and then nothing else!

And a lot of it was purely that Efnisien never wanted him to know, and the folks around him respected that.

[liaromancewriter]

Hello there ☺️ I don’t know if you’ve already talked about this or have a fic where you address this issue, but here it goes anyways:

What do you think about the whole Mitch situation? We know that he was taking advantage of Sienna and she just couldn’t take it anymore and let it all out in front of everyone. Then, we see how the whole hospital starts to make fun of Mitch and even Sienna seems to think he deserves the treatment he is getting for being lazy, not taking his work or the patients seriously, and taking advantage of her good nature. Afterwards, we find out that Mitch left Edenbrook because of the bullying he was receiving and we see that Sienna feels bad about it.

This storyline always makes me feel conflicted. I think that there’s an option where MC can say that this isn’t high school or something and no one should be bullied and Sienna gets upset to see MC standing up for Mitch. I may be wrong about this since it’s been a while since the last time I replayed these chapters.

I know Mitch totally deserved to be called out and part of Sienna’s arc is to learn how to stand up for herself before it gets to the point where she cannot longer control her emotions. It happened with Wayne in book 1 and again with Mitch in book 2. Different types of relationship with each, but both were mistreating her for an extended period of time. But I’ll say that it was surprising to see a character that is as kind as Sienna be vindictive for a hot minute. What do you think about this? Does it align with your version of her?

Overall, it made little sense that the interns in second year performed so poorly. In book 1, everyone was a stellar intern and had to deal with complex cases alone. Sienna had to tell patients that they were terminal on her intern year. MC and Jackie used the defibrillator on a patient on their first day and were successful. We were told Edenbrook only accepted the best of the best only to have such lackluster interns on the second book 😐 I understand it was some kind of new program, but it bothered me regardless haha

Thank you and my best wishes for you 💖

Hello, Fellow Sienna Fan!

I have so many Sienna stories that I want to write. She's practically my second MC. But, the fandom is so dead now that I wonder, who even cares about those fics.

Writing about her relationship with Mitch is definitely on the list -- all the things we don't see in canon. While I haven't written a fic about it before, I included Sienna's thoughts and feelings about the situation in my original Maxenna series in Part 2 and end of Part 3.

Sienna was conflicted about what happened with Mitch. She put up with a lot because she genuinely thought she was helping him. After everything that happened with Cassie and Danny, she lost her patience with his laziness, but more than that, she found her voice.

While Cassie didn't agree with the bullying, she supported Sienna in public but let her know how she felt in private. Sienna knew she'd gone far too, but all the anger she felt, the helplessness during the poison attack, came out. I don't think it was vindictiveness from Sienna at all; rather her eyes finally opened to what was happening around her. Life was too short to put up with someone who didn't respect medicine or was willing to learn.

In my hc, it was almost 7 or 8 months into residency when the showdown with Mitch happened. (I believe the timeline in canon is likely close to that). Sienna always felt guilty about him leaving because she knew the bullying was her fault. She also felt that he didn't take his job seriously.

We know from canon that Mitch felt inadequate and covered it up with his attitude. But he didn't make that confession until after. So, as far as Sienna was concerned, he was not serious about being a doctor.

One of the lessons from each book is that medicine is hard, it's not predictable and requires fortitude to survive in that career. In book 1, all of the interns faced hard choices. In book 3, it's about adversity from within and without, and learning to compromise so that you don't lose right of the big picture.

In book 2, the residents become mentors to the next crop of interns and it's time to step up and lead. It's not that the interns were bad; the lesson we were expected to take, I believe, is that doctors are only as good as those who train them. Harper Emery tells Aurora the same thing. MC is good because they learned from Ethan Ramsey. And yet, despite everything, mistakes happen because medicine is uncertain.

Thanks for the ask. I could go on and on, but I won't lol

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