#and then someone FINALLY explains to me i had a seizure and i'm like. oh.

[misiahasahardname]

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

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

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 41

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 2440

Warnings: Swearing, pregnancy complications

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks.

Chapter Songs: Soon You'll Get Better Love You, Miss You, Mean It

****

Coyote

"What the hell happened?!" Phoenix demanded, giving a beat-up Maverick a quick once-over and assessing his injuries. She spoke the words Coyote couldn't find because his sights settled on an even worse-looking Ghost shuffling up behind the Captain. She had a nasty bruise on her cheek in the suspicious form of a handprint, a busted lip, some stitches on her left temple, and unfocused eyes.

"Annalise?" Coyote heard himself say as he moved toward her. Her eyes drifted to him in a daze, and she blinked.

"Javy?" She asked, tilting her head. "What are you doing here?"

"The hospital called me. I'm one of Hangman's emergency contacts. What hap-"

"Natasha? You are too?"

"Oh, uh, no," Phoenix replied, taken aback by Ghost's use of her first name. "I was hanging out with Coyote when he got the call. What happened to you two and Hangman?"

Maverick debriefed the pair of aviators on what transpired hardly an hour ago. Ghost stood by him silently, swaying slightly on her feet. Worry gnawed at Coyote, not only for Hangman- who was in surgery to sew up apparently multiple stab wounds- but Ghost, too. She had been through something traumatic, undoubtedly, but even when she had the accident with Ghoul a few years ago, Ghost had been coherent and talking. This... this Ghost was like a shell of herself.

Only when Maverick began listing the injuries of everyone involved in the brawl did Coyote finally understand why. Concussions were no joke, and his best friend had a nasty one. He slipped an arm around her shoulders to steady her, and Ghost leaned into him, mumbling a thanks.

"Is Hangman going to be okay?" Coyote queried hesitantly, afraid of what the answer might be.

Maverick nodded, and Coyote's shoulders sagged in relief. The Captain explained, "He lost a good amount of blood. He'll be receiving a blood transfusion once they stitch him up, but he should survive."

"And Juliette? Why did she start seizing?" Phoenix prodded.

"Her blood pressure had already been high when she arrived. The stress of the situation raised it even higher, and her preeclampsia turned into eclampsia, which caused the seizure. They're stabilizing her right now."

"What's the cure to it?"

"Once she's stabilized, she'll have to have a C-section. The only way to help her is to deliver the babies."

Phoenix crossed her arms. "They'll be premature... How's Rooster handling it?"

"Better now that Juliette is stabilized. I-" Maverick glanced at his phone, the screen flashing with an incoming call from Penny. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

He sidled away, and Coyote and Phoenix turned their attention to Ghost, whose eyes were half shut. But that's not what worried Javy. It was the clenching of her fists around her dog tags, the subtle but powerful sign of her pain.

"Phoenix, tell the Daggers what's happened," Coyote instructed, knowing full well they would need the group of hotshots to support both Ghost and Rooster. "I'm going to get Annalise somewhere quieter."

Phoenix nodded in understanding, squeezing his arm affectionately and reassuringly rubbing Ghost's shoulder before leaving them. Coyote then led Ghost to a quieter, darker area of the waiting room and helped her sit. She sank into the chair, braced her elbows on her knees, and covered her face with her hands.

"Talk to me, Annalise," Coyote said gently. "What do you need?"

"It hurts, Javy," she whispered, fingers curling into her dirty blonde hair. "My head is pounding, every noise... god, every noise sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and all I want to do is sleep, and I tried. But my headache stops me from sleeping, and Jake, he..." She trailed off, and a silence hung over them. Coyote waited patiently for her to continue. However, when he observed her body trembling and her shoulders moving subtly up and down, the horror dawned on him: Ghost was crying.

Not knowing what to say that would make her feel better, he simply sat there and let her cry. The tears only lasted a few minutes, but her voice still held grief when she said, "It's my fault. I should never have gotten involved with Kyle in the first place, let alone have Jake try and put him in his place. I should've- I should've at least locked the stupid door after Mav came."

"Speaking of Maverick." Coyote nodded at the Captain striding over to them, looking worse for wear but better than he had been earlier. He glanced at Ghost before locking eyes with Coyote and mouthing, "How's she doing?"

Coyote gave a slight shake of the head, answering silently, "Not great."

Maverick knelt in front of the female pilot, a softness on his face Coyote had never seen before. "Hey, Ghost."

"Hey, Dad," she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "Uh, Mav. Sorry, sir."

Coyote thought nothing of the misnomer and attributed it to the nasty concussion, but Maverick appeared rattled. Maybe out of concern?

"I just got off the phone with your mom. She's on her way with your sister. They should be here early morning," Maverick explained after regaining his wits. "Sarah Kazansky is with Jack and is about three hours away, but she's on her way too and-"

Ghost's head snapped up. She swayed a little in place, causing both Maverick and Coyote to reach out and steady her, but she ignored them and said, "The dogs! Raptor and Lightning! Jake and I were- we were supposed to-"

"Penny is picking the dogs up and bringing them to our house. Amelia is going to watch them while Penny is here supporting you and Rooster. Bob is on his way too," Maverick explained gently.

Ghost sighed in relief and sank back into her chair. She leaned the back of her head against the wall only to snap away from it and clutch it with her hands. A barely audible whimper escaped from her lips.

"You okay?" Maverick asked worriedly, placing a paternal hand on her knee.

Ghost nodded. "Yes, sir. I forgot I couldn't do that. How's- how's Hangman? And Juliette and Rooster?"

"No word on Hangman yet, but I think the surgery is going well so far. As for Juliette, they've stabilized her, and she's already gone in for a C-section."

"Isn't that risky?" Coyote queried, leaning forward and bracing his arms on his knees. "Wouldn't it be better to leave the babies until their due date?"

Mav shook his head. "It's high-risk either way, but the only way to stop her eclampsia is to deliver the babies as soon as possible."

"Why is it high risk to deliver them?"

To both Coyote and Maveick's surprise, Ghost answered, "She's already had a complicated pregnancy, which we weren't surprised she had it after reading who was at risk for it. Her mom had it, she's 35 years old and carrying twins, and it's her first time being pregnant. The kicker is that all her symptoms are also signs of a possible deadlier complication- AFE- but it's difficult to diagnose. We didn't tell Rooster most of that because he worried about her enough, but she and I did our research to keep an eye on her health and the warning signs. Looks like we still missed it..."

Coyote's heart lurched, not only in fear for Juliette's life but also in fear of what losing her would do to Rooster. Coyote had finally learned of the couple's history and what they truly meant to each other. Rooster had just gotten her back. If he lost her now...

Desperate to bring some lightness to the situation for both his sake and his companions, Coyote remarked, "I amazed you remembered all that with your concussion but still called Maverick 'Dad.'"

Ghost chuckled humorlessly. "That wasn't a necessarily mistake."

"Yeah, I guess we've all called him 'Dad' at some point but-"

"No, Javy. Maverick is my dad. You can confirm it with him, Jackie, Mom, or Jake. They all know." Ghost had continued massaging her temples during the truth bomb she so casually dropped on her friend, so she failed to see his mouth drop open or the look of disbelief on his face. She had to be joking. Or her concussion was really screwing with her thoughts. Maverick couldn't be...

But when Coyote turned to the Captain for confirmation that Ghost was the crazy one and not him, he did not receive it. Only a slight nod that she was, indeed, correct.

"How-?"

"Long story. Tell you later because I'm going to go to the bathroom and hurl. I'll be back." Ghost- ashen-faced- stood unsteadily but waved off both men when they tried to help her. She hurried to the bathroom nearby, covering her mouth as she went. Phoenix, who had just stepped foot into the waiting area, caught sight and diverted her course to take care of her friend.

"I'm assuming—" Coyote began hesitantly— "since not even Rooster and Princess know about you being Ghost's real dad, you want me to keep quiet about it?"

"It'd be appreciated." Maverick opened his mouth to say more but stopped when Penny entered the room, followed by not just Bob but Payback, too.

And Fanboy.

And Omaha.

And Harvard.

And Yale.

And Fritz.

And Halo.

All the Daggers had shown up to support their friends, and the sight warmed Coyote's heart.

___________________________________

Maverick

Penny paled at the sight of Maverick's injuries, greeting him with a tight hug. The Captain winced but made no sound. Meanwhile, the Daggers demanded to know what had happened, and Coyote conveyed a very short story that covered all the essential details. He also provided updates on everyone's well-being.

"What's everyone doing here?" Ghost's weak voice sounded from behind the group. In unison, the Daggers' heads turned to look at her, and Maverick heard Omaha breathe, "Oh, shit."

Penny spoke first, maneuvering her way over to Ghost to hug her. "We came as soon as we heard what happened. I brought you some clothes and toiletries. I thought you might like to freshen up as best you can."

Ghost nodded in agreement. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I'm going to find go a- uh, I mean, go find a place to change. I'll be back."

"Do you want someone to go with you?"

"No, no, that's okay. I'll be right back."

Without another word, she shuffled off with the clothes in tow. The group watched her go, each wondering if they should keep an eye on her but deciding it best to leave her be. If she wanted them around, she would've asked.

"So what now?" Bob queried, glancing around. "Do we just sit and wait or-"

"We sit and wait," Maverick confirmed, torn between the turmoil his daughters endured. For what seemed like an eternity, he watched staff and guests alike walk back and forth in front of the waiting room. How long would the surgeries take? How long would he have to wait for word on Juliette? On Hangman? How long would he have to see Ghost suffer in silent agony waiting for an update on her boyfriend and best friend? Should he comfort her? Did she want him to comfort her? Or did she want him to stay away from her? It's not like his conversation with Ghost had been exactly happy before they'd been interrupted. He'd hesitated to answer her last question and had never given her a response because, the truth was, he didn't know what he would've done had he found out about her sooner. By the time Maverick would've found out, Charlie would've been back with her husband, living a happy life with him and their daughter. How would Maverick have fit into the picture? Would being in Ghost's life confuse her? Would she have wanted Maverick in her life when Nathan Blackwood was such a great man and dad? Would-

The doors to the operation room flew open. The suddenness of the action broke Maverick's spiraling train of thoughts, but it was the group of nurses struggling to escort a frantic Rooster out into the hallway that launched him and the Daggers into action, all of them simultaneously recognizing that they needed to restrain their comrade before he hurt either one of the staff or himself.

"Let me back in there!" He shouted, pointing furiously at the nurses, straining against the strength of six of his comrades. "That's my wife, damn it! Juliette! Jules- let me back in th-"

"Bradley!" Maverick stepped in front of his son, sensing the frantic behavior could only come from one thing. "What's happening?"

"Jules, she- she's cod-" Rooster stumbled backward and collapsed into a chair, his whole body shaking. "She's coding. She's coding..."

A deathly silence fell over the group as the news sank in, everyone standing in a daze. Of everyone in the group, Juliette had been the last person they expected to lose. She had the safest job and life of all of them, and yet...

Maverick's heart nearly stopped beating at the mere idea of losing Juliette so soon after Iceman. Of course, what he felt could not touch what Sarah Kazansky would feel when she found out. Maverick wasn't sure Sarah could recover from losing her husband and her only daughter only a few months apart from one another. Maverick could barely fathom the possibility himself.

He had to call Sarah, had to let her know what was going on. With one final glance at Rooster- whose elbows were braced on his knees, hands clasped tightly together, and head bowed- he excused himself to make the dreaded call. Penny patted his back sympathetically as he left. Maverick stepped into a quiet alcove in the hallway, but he still had Rooster in his line of sight. The Captain pulled out his phone and was about to dial Sarah's number when, out of his peripheral, silent as a phantom, Ghost- now in fresh clothes- glided over to Rooster and sat in the vacant seat beside him. His son hadn't reacted to the reassuring shoulder squeezes by the Daggers nor their sympathetic comments, but the moment Ghost rested her hand atop his, Rooster looked helplessly up at her. An equally broken expression etched onto her bruised face, and Rooster enveloped her hand in his. A silent communication passed between them, an unspoken, unbreakable bond between two people who loved and supported each other and were experiencing remarkably similar situations.

Without relinquishing their grip on the other, the pair leaned back in their seats. Ghost rested her head on Rooster's shoulder, and with identical distant and glazed eyes, they waited for news on their significant others.

****

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[myxomat0s1s]

Schoolhouse Rankings: Part 2

The 11 Where It Starts To Get Good

Symbol key: ⭐"big one" most popular song of the season 🟩highest ranking song of the season 🟥lowest ranking song of the season ⚡seizure warning! prevalent flashing lights 👍i have an interesting fact to share ✖multiplication rock 🇺🇲america 🖥computer💲money 🖋grammar 🧪science

38. 🇺🇲I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College👍

The 30th anniversary special of Schoolhouse Rock! And it's... alright. Like, I'm not a huge fan, and I can honestly see why it's so commonly put in people's bottom fives. It's a bit tough to pinpoint why it's so middle-of-the-road, but when I think about it, that's because everything's off. The instrumental is good, but the rest is shaky. Jack Sheldon's delivery is stilted and at times offbeat, and you can tell in his voice he's aging. I forgot to mention it in Presidential Minute, and it was especially bad in that song. The animation is also pretty stiff sometimes. The biggest flaw in this song, though, is there's too much going on. There's so many sound effects and prominent characters and random shit going on that it's really muddled. I hear that complaint all the time with Busy Prepositions(more on that later), but I think it's worse here because no one and nothing is really introduced, everything sort of just meanders in a well-meaning but clumsy way. That's not to say this short is devoid of good qualities, though; I find Boothy endearing as fuck. Like, besides Scooter and Mr. Chips, he's the first leading guy I actually really vibe with. I would get him confused with Bill all the time when I was little, which is weird because they're very dissimilar in a lot of aspects, but I knew what was going on as a kid because I liked him then too. He also has a couple of really smoothly animated moments, such as when he pulls the screen back like a curtain with his little hook. I will say, it really does drum up hype for the 30th anniversary, becaue it's big and overwhelming and bloated. Grandiose and indulgent, maybe a little too much so, but still. My last comment is that this song was the only one of the entire series that taught me literally nothing as a kid. It's not like I straight up didn't remember it like Tax Man Max, but I watched it several times and had no damn idea what the electoral college was afterwards. I don't know if that's just because it's a tough concept to explain to children, or if it really did fail to educate, or if I was just a stupid child, but even nowadays I think how they explain it is a little confusing. It really get swept up in the clutteredness of the rest of the song. A whirlwind, for sure.

-Fun fact! This is the only song in Schoolhouse Rock to consistently go over the three minute limit. All Scooter Computer episodes are three minutes minus their intros, and Three Is A Magic Number and My Hero, Zero, while initially being more than three minutes, were cut down due to false information and time constraints respectively. Since this episode wasn't aired on TV, it was able to go over three minutes.

37. 🖋Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs🟥

Very quaint setting, and I enjoy the premise. The adverbs store makes for some elaborate visuals despite the limited color palette. I also enjoy the little interludes between verses where the owners film their TV commercials, very cute. A classic in these aspects, but oh god the chipmunk vocals… I initially didn’t find them too annoying, but they wear horribly quickly. Don’t even care how packed and fun the lyrics are because I just dislike the vocals so damn much. The characters also aren’t too compelling, which holds it back further because I honestly don’t care much for the Lolly family. Finally, I’ve heard lots of people praise the instrumental, but I don’t quite get it, as it’s sort of just the standard Schoolh

-Lowest placement in Grammar Rock

36. 🖋A Noun Is a Person, Place, or Thing

I heard someone describe this song as "harmless" once, and yeah, that's a good way of summing it up. It's definitely one of the most generic Schoolhouse Rock songs. It does not instill much emotion, but it's definitely not bad! In fact, I think this is where the songs start truly getting good. It's pretty breezy and blows by quick. There's some cool instruments used, like when you can hear kazoo in the Mrs. Jones verse, or a flute in the ferry verse. It's dynamic enough to be praised, but not so dymanic that it's truly standout. Animation is simple, but not great or bad. The characters are okay. Those are both middle of the road. I will say, this is one of Lynn Ahren's best deliveries. I'm not a big fan of most of her songs, or at least most of her deliveries, but I like this more relaxed one from her. She's not pushing herself too hard, and that's good for a song like this. That's really it, it's good, but not great enough to stand out from the crowd.

35. 🧪A Victim of Gravity 🟥👍

This song would probably be higher up if I was a fan of the doo-wop style it goes for. It really does sound nice, don't get me wrong, but this is probably the only song very heavily skewed based on preference. Your mileage may vary. It's a pretty fun animation though! Like, really, I don't have much on this song besides that the greaser guy is fun and the rest is not for me.

-Fun fact! This is the only Schoolhouse Rock song to be primarily sung by a preexisting band- Performed by The Tokens -Lowest placement in Science Rock

34. 💲Walkin' On Wall Street

Another entry from newcomer Money Rock, Walkin’ On Wall Street has a few attributes that are nice, but don’t do too much to set it apart from the crowd. The most obvious thing is the artstyle; I love how experimental they got with the SHR art style in this season, and this is one of the more radical changes that goes over pretty darn well. I like Lester and Leroy, they’rw a fun duo, and the newsboy is fun although mor as iconic as Fireworks’ newsboy. The instrumental is nice and jazzy, and that’s about the end of my praise. Dave Frishburg has a distinct voice when he wants to. In his other song, $7.50 Once a Week, he’s got a nice Bostonian accent that makes the way he stretches his words more interesting, but he supresses not just that, but also a lot of his range. He doesn’t have much of one in his other appearances, but $7.50 had a lot more variety in his tones. Same with instrumentals. Not to compare too much, but it never changes a lot and it’s a little boring when lots of other songs from Money Rock have better style. The style points from the animation are big helps, but it falls a little short sonically, and since that’s what I’m mostly basing this on, this song places lower.

-Lowest placement for Dave Frishburg

33. 🇺🇲The Shot Heard Round the World

I have a love-hate relationship with this song, as in I both love and hate everything it does. Bob Dorough's voice is stern and aggressive at points, which is great for the feel it's going for and the subject, but it makes for some really bland deliveries. The animation is a fun twist on the Schoolhouse Rock style, and I like how the people look, but a lot of really stiff, stilted moments. The instrumental is consistently strong, but there's not enough fluctuation. I'm really hot and cold on this song. On a good day you could see this around the mid twenties, and on a bad day this could be in the bottom ten. I dunno, ask me tomorrow and my ranking will probably change.

32. 🧪The Greatest Show on Earth/The Weather Show ⚡👍

The episode that was almost lost... A.K.A. essentially the precursor for Tax Man Max. It's definitely a more developed version of that Broadway feel, not in style, but actually format. It's divided into a three-act structure, which is a pretty endearing way to structure it. I'm a fan. As for sound, though, it's nothing special really. Instrumental is alright, but I'm not a big fan of Bob Kaliban's voice. Not that it's bad, it's just not great like Dorough's or Sheldon's, or even interesting like Patrick Donovan's or Dave Frishburg's beyond the I'm gonna assume British accent he's got. But the character he's attached to??? So fun. I love the little broadway guy, he's so bouncy and goofy and great... I often see Greatest Show on Earth ranked way down with Tax Man Max, usually right next to it, and a common reason between the two is that no one likes the Weather Show guy or Max. That's one of the only aspects I find consistently stellar between the two. Weather Show guy is so awesome. The ladies he performs with kind of look like fish, though. Not a fan of how they're stylized, but the singers attached to them are serviceable. There's specific sections I really like about this song- the opening and closing segments sandwiching the acts come to mind, but the rest is just okay. Coloring is also pretty good here! It keeps up the respectable trait of Science Rock that is a lack of plain white backgrounds, which I'm glad for. Comparing the various aspects of this song is like a rollercoaster: Lots of highs and lows, but unlike a rollercoaster it's not super exciting.

-Fun fact! This song was pulled from airing during a copyright dispute with the Ringling Bros. over the phrase "The Greatest Show on Earth," a term trademarked for their circus. The episode remained unaired from then until it was changed to remove any mention of the phrase, including the title, which was changed to merely "The Weather Show." I personally listened to the original version for this ranking, though there isn't much difference.

31. 🖋Unpack Your Adjectives

This is a far more chipper tune than Figure Eight, which initially may seem like a negative when you read the feedback I had on Blossom Dearie's ghostly, creepy doll-esque delivery, but she works just as well as a cheery little girl on her way back from a camping trip. Yeah, the premise here is pretty cute, big fan of Molly the camper and her little turtle guy. Love their little camping adventure and how it ties into the way they label everything with adjective signs. I think adjectives, despite them literally being describing words, thus conveying things such as physical traits that'd make the animation easier, are one of the hardest parts of speech to make an entire song around. You can make it, but making it compelling is the thing. Giving a little bite-sized story along with the facts. And this definitely held 4-year-old me's attention. The flute really shines in the instrumental, which is really cool because this song has a strong lightweight feel that goes very well with everything else. And the animation is colored in the watercolor style Elbow Room had, but taken up a notch further; It looks like whiteboard markers at some point. The simple, airy colors finish off this very consistent, overall good song. Cute, but as much praise as I've given it, it's not great, and definitely not my favorite. Dearie's deliveries still aren't as great as they are in Figure Eight, and a few sections such as the section on comparisons fall a little short of the podium. I also would have liked a little more color, as the white patches make the coloring look half-finished.

-Highest placement for Blossom Dearie

30. 🧪Do the Circulation

Great song, don’t get me wrong, but you have to be in the mood for it. This is another touchy one for me, because everything ties into the premise super well. Which is great! I love that it truly embraces the creativity! It's going for a dance craze type thing, hence the title, and it's exactly what you think when you hear it. I'm shocked that the women singing, Joshie Armstead, Mary Sue Berry, and Maeretha Stewart, weren't already performing together before this, because they have great synergy. There's a few times where they harmonize and it doesn't sound great, but for the most part they're pretty great. The song keeps its pace very well, like by the halfway point it barely feels like a minute has passed. Characters are mostly cool too! Though overall the animation is a little plain. It's sort of like A Victim of Gravity, where I'm overall just not the world's biggest fan of this sort of style. There's days where it'll hit hard and I'll listen a couple times, and days where I don't wanna be anywhere near it, so I think near the middle of the list is where I'd average it.

29. 💲Where the Money Goes

The artstyle of this short falls somewhere in the middle of the more faithful Money Rocks and the experimental ones, where it definitely keeps the spirit of old Schoolhouse Rock, but it features a choppier framerate with thinner lineart and chunky shadows/highlights. I'm a fan of it, and I love the dad and his little tuba kid, Red(as confirmed in a design sheet shown off on the DVD!). They're such a fun duo, and the ending where Red can't even fit into the bus with the tuba did get me to chuckle. Since this is about family finances, it takes place in a more domestic setting, but it doesn't utilize that in a particularly outstanding way like, for example, The Tale of Mr. Morton. Rather than focus on details, the backgrounds are simple gradients, which is a little disappointing since this came out after that short. They don't really run away with the subject either, which totally makes sense and isn't really their fault as it's a pretty grounded concept, but it's not very replayable because of that. A good showing from Money rock, but there's better coming up.

28. 🧪Electricity, Electricity ⚡👍

Holy crap is this song a bombshell. This is top 15, possibly top 10 sonically. Zachary Sanders has a hell of a voice, and he doesn’t flex it too much here, but there’s a few little vocal flairs here and there that are so endearing. The delivery of “Turn that generator by any means” still has me closing my eyes and humming contentedly. The recurring utterance of “Electricity, eeee-lec-tri-city!” every ten or so seconds never gets boring no matter how repetitive it is, and it’s such an earworm that no matter how little I used to think about the show, something as simple as flicking on a lightswitch would make the melody buzz around in my head for a bit. It’s sticky in a really stellar way. The instrumental is bouncy and really helps carry things along, and it’s not my fave but a few stray guitar strums keep my ears open. The music does a bangup job of carrying this thing, which is good, because the animation really brings it down… It isn’t too special at first. The main overalls guy and the sheep are cute and kinda funny sometimes, but they aren’t my fave characters. The fatal flaw of this short, however, is the rapid flashing of “ELECTRICITY” onscreen every time the word is said. It isn’t small like in Telegraph Line, or short like Tax Man Max or The Check’s In the Mail, but it takes up the entire screen and can last upwards of four seconds at a time. If you aren’t epileptic, you’ll probably have a headache by the end of it. I know I get one sometimes. I was scared of this short as a kid because of the flashing lights. The fact that maybe a third of this animation is just “ELECTRICITY” in yellow and black flashing at my sensetive little blue eyes is not sliding. Killer short with a killer flaw.

-Fun fact! This song is why I have the epilepsy/eyestrain warning symbol. It was sort of just a booby prize for this song, as the flashing lights were so common and large, the Disney+ version slows down the lights. This happens in most others with the lightning bolt emoji next to them, but those are lesser instances; The slowed lights make the Disney+ version of this song actively worse, as parts are slowed in a way that leaves some animation sequences incomplete. -Lowest placement for Zachary Sanders

[sleepy-achilles]

Leon literally can’t catch a break, Ministry’s always there to fuck things up with a smile

Oh you already know it

Leon's Nightmare 2, part 2- You and I drink the poison from the same vine.

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

Leon groans as he opens his eyes. He feels like he's been hit by a truck. He's met with bright sterile lights and he immediately groans again. "Hospital? Really?" Leon sighs. "Well yeah you had a seizure" his father mutters. Leon looks at the wires on his body. "Well, I'm fine" Leon states sitting up despite the way his body protests. Drew is stood at the end of his bed staring at him. "Im fine" Leon promises. "I think we need to talk." Taker speaks up. "Hes not back." Leon snaps looking at him. "You didnt sense anything?" Taker asks. "No! That's why I'm fine! Nothing is wro.." Leon trails off when he sees his Pa cradling a camera to his chest.

Shawn looks pale. Like he's seen a ghost. And it unsettles Leon. "Hes back" Shawn whispers. Everyone looks at him. "No" Leon whispers. Shawn nods, holding the camera out. Taker is quick to take it. "Fuck" Taker curses. "No! I have kids now. I have kids who do not deserve this shit! I have a husband who doesn't deserve this shit!" Leon yells. "Why the fuck did she take my photo! She knows I hate it!" Leon barks before hiding his face in his hands. Drew moves to Leon's side. "I can't do this again" Leon muffles out. "Is he touching him?" Taker asks. "No. Not yet." Shawn answers.

Leon lowers his hands. "Then it's fine. I avoid my photo being taken, put hexes up, wear hexes. Continue as normal. Forget about it." Leon nods. "Leon I thi-" "no. I..I can't live like this forever dad." Leon sighs sitting off the side. Drews eyes land on the roses spread across his shoulders. The lightening scar connected to them like vines. A memory of what did happen. "Please. I just want to see my kids." Leon whispers. "Ill get cassie to bring them in" Shawn nods moving out. "They were pretty shaken up. But Shawn told them you've had seizures before and that it's all alright." John explains quickly before the kids come rushing in.

Leon smiles as they hug him, small arms squeezing him tight. "Im okay. I'm alright." Leon murmurs kissing their heads. "We were so scared!" H admits. "Weve never seen you like that" ophelia adds. "Never do that again!" Cas barks. Leon chuckles before looking at athena. "You alright princess?" He asks quietly. She reaches to her neck and pulls her cross over her head and holds it out. Leon's eyes widen. "I want you to have this. To keep you safe." She whispers. "Princess i-" "it...I had Grandad Taker make it for me. It works the same but you, uncle kane and grandad can wear and touch it" she quickly explains. Leon looks at taker who nods. "Thank you princess" Leon smiles, tilting his head down and allowing her to put it on.

Leon winces as it burns his skin for a moment but then all pain stops. "Huh. Fancy that" Leon mutters sitting straight. "Your pa was sick of his crosses hurting us, so I had to do something." Taker admits. "It'll keep you safe." She promises. "Ill get him to make you a new one." Leon promises. "Its alright. I'm safe without it" she smiles taking his hand. He can't help but smile at his oldest.

She was definitely Shawn's granddaughter. "Thank you for always taking care of me" Leon chuckles tucking a hair behind her ear. She smiles. "Someone has to, gotta give dad a break once and awhile." Everyone breaks into laughter.

Leon can't help but take in his eldest daughters smile. Something begins to twist and burn in his chest.

Something evil.

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Leon's eyes burn from being open too long. The cross burns against his chest as he stares at the closed book. He finally breaks contact with it when he hears giggling outside his office door. He lets out a shakey breathe as he leans back in his chair and pinches the bridge of his nose. He needed to focus. He turns his chair and reaches for his script. His body tenses as he spots something from the corner of his eye. A blade, shining in the light. He turns his head towards it to see it gone.

"Fuck Leon" Leon curses himself quietly as his door swings open. He turns to see H and Caspian stood with their hands behind their backs. "Im working boys" Leon tries to brush them off. They don't move. They don't say anything. "Boys! Not now, please" Leon sighs. "Youve killed us all" caspian suddenly speaks causing Leon to look back at him. "What did you just say?" Leon asks. The two boys smile at him. "당신이 우리를 죽였어요, 아빠. 그것은 당신의 잘못입니다." (you killed us, dad. It is your fault.) H tells him. Leon's eyes widen. "Out! OUT NOW!" Leon barks at the two boys.

Caspian and Hs eyes fill with fear, their smiles drop, as do the drawings of their dad's wrestling characters. "P-papa?" Caspian whimpers backing up.

Drew, who was coming to find the boys for lunch over hears the boys asking their papa to check out their cool drawings. His smile fades when he hears the man yelling at them to get out. Drew rushes to the office to see Leon staring at the boys with angry red eyes and the boys shaking in fear. "LEON!" Drew barks grabbing the boys and pulling them behind him.

Leon's eyes widen as he realises what's just happened. Drew stares at him in disgust and shakes his head. "Come on boys. Clearly Papa isn't feeling himself right now." Drew mutters leading the boys off, slamming the door behind them.

Leon's eyes burn into the door before he snaps. "FUCK!" He yells standing, throwing his chair at the door. He slams his hand down against the desk, over and over before his anger leaves him. He leans heavily against his desk, collecting himself. He really did that?

He really just fucking did that.

After all the promises he made, all the things he fought to make sure his kids wouldn't see, he went and threw it all away.

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The house was always loud. Atleast to Leon. He sits crossed legged on the carpet, sat infront of the boarded up fire Place. He quickly learned how to separate the sounds of life from the sounds of death. Like now, he can hear John playing in the dining room, but he could also hear the footsteps and growling of whatever spirit loomed over him.

Leon stays perfectly still as the spirit paces back and forth, growling and snarling to itself. Once Leon senses it no longer behind him he glances over at the mirror to be greeted by the spirit.

It was a tall, lanky man. He looked like a monster, a creature, long greasy hair covering his face, the best it can with half of it ripped out. His back was bent, hunched, his fingers long and sharp and his glowing white eyes stared back at Leon.

Leon keeps his back straight, his hands tucked in his lap, he kept eye contact with the creature. Leon tilts his head slightly, a sudden confusion filling both of them. The creature copies him, almost shocked the small boy can see him but also that he isn't reacting to him.

Both their heads snap towards the door as it flies open and slams shut. Leon pushes himself off the carpet and rushes towards the door. He pauses as he's met with a bloody sight. He presses himself against the wall, peaking around the door frame as his father grumbles to himself. Leon let's out a quiet gasp as his father's bloody face snaps towards him, eyes glowing a deep red. "GET TO YOUR ROOM!" Is boomed at him.

Leon feels a sudden fear fill him. It looks like his father. It sounds like his father. But it isn't his father at all.

Leon doesn't hesitate to run past the man and rush up the stairs, stumbling before he gets to the second set of stairs, allowing him to look back at the man.

He swears he sees the man twitching and hissing.

That wasn't his father, it was a demon. And he knew that straight away.

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Leon remembers that day clear as rain. Cassie wasn't born yet, papa was starting his career again and dad had been possessed. The thing Leon never understood was, by who? It wasn't ministry. No. Ministry was smarter than that demon. That demon was pure evil and wanted to hurt them all. If it wasn't for the fact kane was kane again...Leon reckons that week could have gone a lot differently for them.

Leon straightens up when he feels eyes on his back. He turns to see his eldest staring at him. "What is it Athena?" Leon asks quietly. "You need to apologise to C and H. They didn't deserve that." She informs him. Leon turns to her. "No. They did not." He agrees with a slight nod. "Which is why you need to apologise to them." She states. Leon rubs the back of his neck. "I know." He nods. She holds her hand out. "Lunch time." She tells him. Leon glances back at his desk to see the book gone.

Shit.

"Papa. Lunch time." Athena repeats, snatching Leon's hand. Leon let's his eldest lead him through the house.

For once, his heart is racing with fear.

They arrive at the dining room to see the kids sat eating with drew. "Papa has something to say. C, H" she prompts before walking away. Drew watches as caspian and hunter move to Leon. Leon immediately falls to his knees. "Im so sorry boys" he whispers holding his hands out. "We just wanted to show you our drawings." Cas states. "I know and I freaked out..just papa hasn't been feeling to good since his accident." Leon admits. Drew frowns but stays quiet. "We know" H nods. "Im really really sorry tho" Leon states as they accept his hands. "You both know I would never do anything to hurt you right?" Leon asks.

And drews heart breaks. Because it isn't Leon asking them because they were scared, it's Leon asking them to make sure he's not a monster to them. Something Leon hasn't done in years. Drew was the last person to see that side of Leon, the side that needed reassurances he wasn't the monster Paul painted him out to be. The monster vince pushed for years. Leon needed to know that.

And now? Now he's fallen back in that headspace.

Their children knew, of course they did. They needed to know and understand that Grandad Taker, uncle kane, uncle goldust and papa were different. That they weren't like him or them. And they waited for the kids to be old enough before explaining. It became easier once athena understood, she could explain it in a way the younger lot would understand. And yeah they found it cool.

But they hadn't seen the negatives to it yet. Well, Cas and H sure did today.

"We forgive you" H nods. "Ill make it up to you. I promise" Leon whispers. "No. Just look at our drawings" Cas tells him, pointing to the table. Leon stands and moves towards them.

Drew watches him carefully as he picks them up. "Wow. Is this me and daddy?" Leon asks. "Yeah! I told you he'd know!" Cas cheers poking his tongue out at Ophelia, who quickly rolls her eyes. Drew chuckles and Leon smiles. "Aren't they cool?!" H asks as him and cas sit back down. "Oh for sure, they are gonna go in my office right on the special wall" Leon tells them. "YES!" Both boys cheer. "Come eat papa. Before it gets cold" Ophelia orders. "Yes ma'am" Leon nods sitting down. "Thank you." Drew whispers to him. "Im sorry" "I know."

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Leon sits on the edge of their bed, listening to the children argue and play downstairs. He can't help but smile as he hears athena curse Cas out in Latin.

Leon wasn't stupid, he took the same steps his father did. He taught his kids Latin, old and new, taught his kids exactly what they had to do if they were visited by some unwanted visitors.

It hurt his soul that he had to teach his kids that.

He's brought out of his thoughts by a hand against his chest. He lifts his gaze to see drew kneeling infront of him, hand pressed against his sternum, cross rested against the back of his hand; jumping slightly as he rubs his thumb back and forth.

"You should take it off." Drew mutters. Leon looks down to see his skin is red and raw under drews hand. "I think everyone feels better with me wearing this" Leon states. "And you?" Drew asks, moving a hand to Leon's thigh. Leon pauses. How does he answer that?

"I don't know anymore."

Drew examines Leon's face. He looks lost, vulnerable..scared. words never used to describe Leon michaels. Leon brings a hand up to rub his face. "Things are....different this time. I..I can't explain it." Leon whispers. "I mean, fuck, the look of fear on those boys faces today...that..." "I know..I know. And I'm sorry for snapping so quickly. I'm the one who started seeing the signs, I should of understood what was happening." Drew cuts in. Leon looks at him. "He used to show me..dead versions of you lot. That's why I used to freak out. That's what happened the day of the crash. The day I got that bruise on my neck, he showed me all the dead wrestlers before choking me. And he..he had the boys tell me I was going to kill them. Kill you all. And I..I can't-" Leon looks away.

"You should of told me Lee. You know I would never judge you" drew sighs. "I hate seeming weak. I hate it." Leon hisses pushing his hair back. Drew hums, running his hand up Leon's torso to fiddle with the cross. "It looks good on you to be honest" drew states. Leon can't help but laugh. "Ill let my pa know you find some hotness to Christianity" Leon smirks pulling drew up. "Dont you dare! I still can't look at him after what you said last Christmas!" Drew protests as his back hits the mattress.

Leon smirks, hovering over the man. "It'll be okay. Right?" Drew asks quietly, cupping Leon's face. "Of course. It always works out for us darling." Leon leans into his touch. Drew smiles slightly. "It always does." Drew nods.

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Athena pauses as a noise catches her ears. She turns away from her siblings and watches in horror at the creature that stares back at her. It's long, lanky frame, it's even longer black greasy hair. It's long fingers and hunched back. It's sharp grin and glowing eyes. Athena can't breathe. She can't speak. She can't move. Her eyes slam shut and that's when the smell of smoke fills her nose.

The smell of smoke and what she can only describe as burning flesh. A hand, thin and agile lands on her shoulder. "Your safe dear. He won't harm you. He's a friend of your pa's." The voice whispers in her ear. It's a warm, comforting voice but it's clearly damaged by fire. "He will keep you safe. We all will. I promise." She explains. 'Friend?' Athena thinks. "A childhood friend. They will always protect you the most" the woman explains.

'Like..imaginary friends?' The woman chuckles. "Thats what parents tell children. Imaginary friends? They are the nice spirits of the world. Your given protector at birth. Only some of us hold the ability to see them as they grow." The woman explains. "Open your eyes."

Athena opens her eyes and the hand disappears, along with the creature. "Ena?" Cas asks, pulling at her arm. "Are you alright? You've been staring at the corner like a creep" Ophelia asks. "Yeah..yeah sorry, just day dreaming." She lies. "Can we get back..." H pauses. "To the game?" Cas asks looking at him. "Yes. Thanks" H nods. "Yeah. Come on." Athena nods.

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Leon sits crossed legged infront of the unboarded up fireplace. He listens to the crackling of the fire and children playing, takes in the feeling of the new rug on his bare legs.

He hums at the memory, the boys ruined the rug within a week of having it. It led to a very upset drew storming around the rug store with a very sugar daddy like Leon behind him.

Leon keeps his eyes on the fire as he picks up the photo that started this whole drama. The photo he knows is perfectly safe and pure on the computer. He stares down at it. His soul growing unsettled at not the shadow of ministry, but the second shadow besides him. A demonic presence no one else has seen.

Leon hums to himself as he removes the photo from the frame. He keeps his eyes on the fire as he throws the photo into it. He ignores the feeling up his spine, the feeling of being watched as the photo burns into embers.

The sound of humming takes over the house.

[bi-bard]

Not Enough Time - Jack Kline Imagine (Supernatural)

Title: Not Enough Time

Pairing: Jack Kline X Reader (20)

Requested: nope

Word Count: 6,223 words (this took me three days)

Warning(s): major character death, grief

Summary: (Season 14, Episode 7/8) After Jack collapses in the kitchen, Team Free Will is left to find answers and a cure for something

Direct follow-up to this imagine: "You've Got to be Kidding Me"

Author's Note: I... avoided writing this. Adamantly. It hurts. Also, it's long as hell. I'm sorry.

Oh! I am writing this using they/them pronouns for Jack. I will be going back and editing my other Jack Kline imagines to also use the correct pronouns (There are a shit ton because I have no self-control).

If you catch a pronoun mistake in this imagine, please let me know, so I can correct it. I tried to edit this, but there's always a chance I missed something along the way. Thank you!

Hey! I did a rewrite of the ending of Supernatural. It took a really long time to complete, so it would mean a lot to me if you check it out. Here’s a link! (it’s on my personal account)

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

After Cas and Sam came back, we moved Jack to their room. They deserved to be as comfortable as possible.

My instinct was to go check the lore. Anything about losing grace or powers and what that could potentially do to a vessel. I knew that nothing was going to be about Nephilim, but I had to try.

Sam stopped me from running down the hall.

"I... I need to go look through the lore," I tried to explain.

"You need to be here," he replied. "Jack's gonna want to know you're here. Dean and I can do the research when we understand what's happening."

I nodded and leaned against the wall.

"I kissed them," I said quietly after a moment of silence. Sam looked at me in shock, but Dean's eyes just shut, and he looked down. "Right after we went on that hunt for the necromancer. I kissed them. And now... I feel like I wasted so much time."

"Hey," Dean grabbed my shoulder. "We're gonna figure this out, you hear me. Jack's gonna be fine."

I nodded again just as Cas walked out of Jack's room.

"Are they okay," Dean asked. Cas sighed.

"I... I did what I could, but I don't... I don't know what's wrong with him," Cas explained.

I walked around the group and into Jack's room. I was about to walk over and sit by them, but I got there just in time to see their body roll over the far side of the bed.

"Guys," I shouted, running over to the other side. "Jack."

They were seizing. I rolled them over so they could rest on their side.

"Get them to the car," Dean pointed at us before storming out of the room.

Sam pulled me out of the way before picking Jack up. Cas and I followed Sam through the halls, trying to make sure he didn't whack Jack's head off the wall as he was rushing.

Cas and I slid into the back seat of the impala, helping Sam get Jack comfortably across the seat. I did my best to keep their head turned to the side.

Dean was never the safest driver, but his driving that night was something else. The fact that we didn't crash was astonishing.

Jack's seizure had ended by the time we got to the hospital.

Sam and Cas supported them inside. Dean yelled for a doctor, and I just pushed past him, running up to the nurse at the desk.

"We have someone puking up blood and seizing," I rushed out. "We need to go back, now."

"I just need basic information-"

"Did you miss the seizing part-"

"It's procedure," she said. She was being way nicer than I deserved. "Full name."

"Jack... Kline," I answered. Dean was staring at me, clearly wondering how much information I was going to let slip.

"Date of birth."

"May 18th," I answered. She looked at me for the year. I looked at Dean. "...2000."

"Family medical history, let's start with the father."

"He's dead," I replied. I felt Dean hit my arm.

"Cause of death?"

"...Murder."

"Okay, okay," Dean finally cut me off. "We don't have time for this. They're sick. Their name is Jack Kline. Their dad was murdered. You've got all the basics. Now, what's he gotta do to see a doctor?"

Just as he said that Jack collapsed again.

There was a gurney out in the lobby in a matter of a few seconds. The nurses and a doctor lifted Jack onto it and started wheeling them back.

The four of us got stopped outside of Jack's room.

All we could do after that was wait. Wait for answers or some kind of idea. Something that could seem somewhat beneficial.

"This is crazy," Dean muttered. "I was worried when they became human given what we do. I thought something could've happened to him, but I thought it'd be a vampire or a ghoul, not a friggin' cough."

The doctor was walking into the room just as Dean finished his comment. Sam walked over to her.

"Doctor," he said. She grinned at him. "What do we know?"

"Well, I can tell you what we don't know," she replied. I bit my lip and crossed my arms over my chest. "Jack's test results all came back negative."

"Isn't that good," Sam asked.

"Well, Jack's very ill. We're just not sure what we're up against."

"But the tests were all negative," Dean said.

"Now we have to run more tests."

I ran a hand over my face and walked over to the glass, deciding to tune out the doctor explaining the list of tests that needed to be done.

"What's happening to them," I cut her off. "Right now, I mean."

She looked me in the eye and sighed, "Jack... Jack's in total system failure."

I felt like I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes and tilted my head down. Was I praying or just trying to hide? I honestly had no idea.

As the doctor walked away, I looked back up. Cas put a hand on my back, guiding me into Jack's room. He let me sit on the chair next to their bed. I reached out and took Jack's hand.

"Dean mentioned what happened on the last hunt," he said softly. "While we were waiting, I mean."

"Oh," I nodded, only glancing at the angel for a minute.

"We're going to get this figured out," he continued. "I promise you that. Jack is going to be okay."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but no one's come up with a solution," I muttered.

Sam and Dean walked in a few moments later.

"We're heading home," Dean explained.

"What," I asked.

"All of us," he replied. "We're taking Jack home. This hospital can't do anything because we can't explain what they're going through. Jack's situation wouldn't exactly be written about in a textbook."

"Okay," I nodded. Luckily, Jack had been starting to wake up.

Cas and Sam helped Jack get out of the hospital bed before Cas slipped over his trench coat and slid it on over Jack's hospital gown. I grabbed the plastic bag in the corner, making sure that all of Jack's clothes were in it. I handed Sam their shoes and pants.

The doctor walked back in when they saw what we were doing.

"What's going on," she asked.

"What's it look like," Dean replied. "You can't expect him to hit the street with nothing on but a hospital gown. His ass hanging out."

"He's not going anywhere," the doctor said.

"We can leave AMA," I corrected.

"We're just getting a second opinion," Sam tried to reassure her.

"Jack," she stepped forward.

"We're getting a second opinion," Jack repeated.

"If he leaves the hospital, we are no longer responsible for him," she continued. "You and he have to acknowledge that you're leaving against medical advice."

"That's what A.M.A means," I said as I followed Sam and Cas as they carried Jack out.

"We're leaving," Jack added.

When we got back to the bunker, we got Jack back into what was basically the bunker's medbay.

I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to Jack's bedside.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hi," they muttered, reaching for my hand. I grabbed onto it gently and grinned.

"We're gonna get you help," I promised. "Sam's calling a friend. We'll get this figured out."

As if on cue, there was some shouting from the other room. Jack managed to stand on their own and walk out there. I stayed close in case they passed out again.

"If I know anything about the father, the world will be better off without the son," Rowena shouted.

"You might be right," Jack spoke up. "We're all still trying to figure that out."

Rowena glared at Sam for a moment.

"I'm Jack," Jack continued. "And I know people have a lot of strong feelings about my father, but I'm trying hard not to be like him. Sam and Dean, they say such nice things about you."

"They do?"

"You saved all of us from apocalypse world," Jack nodded.

"Well," she replied. "That's true."

"So, before you go, I just wanted to say thank you," they grinned at her.

I wonder how much coaching it took from Sam to get that guilt trip perfect.

Jack's coughing fit started right after that. I held onto their shoulders as Sam came over to help me.

"Hey, buddy," Sam muttered to them. "Hey. You're all right."

I heard Rowena sigh, "Bollocks."

"You'll help," I asked.

"I'll do my best," she replied. After making sure Sam had Jack supported, I ran over and hugged her tightly. "Okay, dear, come on. We don't know how much time we have."

Sam walked Jack into the medbay again and got them to lay down. I sat back in my seat as Rowena came in with a collection of supplies.

"Am I in your way?"

"Not at all," she replied. "Just don't touch anything."

I nodded before throwing a smile over to Jack.

The spell was quick. Rowena wouldn't answer us when we asked what was wrong. She just walked out of the room. I was about to follow her, but Jack touched my hand.

"Stay here," they muttered. "Please."

I nodded and sat back down, "I'm right here."

We were sitting there in silence for too long. I don't know how long we just relaxed together. Suddenly, Jack shot out of the bed.

"Hey," I said, going to grab them. "Jack, hey, slow down. Where are you going?"

"Somewhere," they shrugged. "Maybe Vegas. Tahiti."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm gonna die. I know that. I just... I want to experience some of the world before I do."

"Jack... slow down."

I followed Jack to their room and watched them pack a bag.

"You know I can't just let you go."

"I'm just trying to be happy."

"I want you to be happy," I moved my hands to cup their face. "I don't want you to be alone."

"(Y/n)-"

"We need to talk to Sam and Dean," I insisted.

"Please," they begged.

"Please," I replied. "I... I know what you're doing. I understand. I want you to get this chance, but... please. Just. Talk to them."

Jack let out a sigh.

"Please," I asked.

Finally, they relented, nodding before I stepped back to grab their hand. We walked out to the kitchen to see Dean making some food.

"Hey, what's with the bag," Dean asked.

Jack looked over at me and I nodded. I had too much influence here. I knew that.

I leaned up and kissed their cheek before stepping back, "I'm gonna go see if Sam needs some help with research."

I walked into the library without a word, snagging a book from a pile that Sam had grabbed before sitting down opposite him.

"How's Jack," Sam asked.

"Wanted to talk to Dean in private, so I came out here," I shrugged.

Just as he nodded, his phone rang. He stood up and walked to another table with a book resting on it. I looked over to see Rowena also frantically making calls. Cas came and sat next to me, offering a comforting grin.

"You should be with Jack."

"I'm useless by their bedside," I shrugged. "I should be helping."

"Okay," he replied. "Dean."

I looked over to the doorway as he walked in.

"The bunker's vault has a number of Enochian texts on archangels, but nothing on their half-human offspring," Cas explained.

"And I have spoken to some of the greatest minds in witchcraft," Rowena added. "And they all say there's nothing that'll help Jack."

"Well, then, they're not the greatest minds, are they," Dean replied.

"Well, I just got off the phone with Ketch," Sam said. "He's got a line on a shaman."

"A shaman," Dean asked.

"Yeah," he explained. "The British Men of Letters used to use him as a consultant. Whenever they needed to 'solve the unsolvable', he was their guy. He's an expert in mysticism, esoteric divinity. I mean, Ketch says the Brits swore by him."

"Ketch says," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Still a sore spot.

I heard Sam sigh, "Yeah... his name's Sergei. I've got a location and Ketch says he'll set up a meeting."

"Okay, I'll go," Cas nodded and stood up. "You guys stay here with..."

He trailed off as Jack walked in. I stood up after him, grinning at them. They grinned back.

"Jack," Sam said. "Hey, what're you doing-"

"We're... We're headed out," Jack explained.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I knew that Dean would agree, but it didn't calm any of my anxiety over the situation.

"You're... uh... Where," Cas asked.

"We're takin' Baby for some exercise," Dean replied.

"You think that's a good idea," Sam added.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "(Y/n), come with us."

"I... I need to be researching. Helping-"

"These guys have a lead," Dean cut me off. "Come with us. Spend a day with Jack without... this."

I looked at Jack, "Do... Do you want me to go?"

Jack grinned a little before nodding.

"Um, yeah, okay," I looked around the room for a moment. "Let me grab a jacket and then we can go."

I jogged down to my room and snagged a jacket off of my desk chair. As I made it back to the library, the other three were staring at me. I walked up to Sam.

"I'm sorry-"

"You're not doing anything wrong," he shook his head before pulling me into a hug. "Don't think about any of this. Try to have a good day."

I nodded before stepping back, "I'll see you later."

He nodded.

I followed Jack and Dean out to the car, feeling this sense of guilt in my stomach. I wanted to spend a day with them, but there were pressing issues at hand. I needed to be working.

Dean told us to wait for a second while he moved the car a little bit. I just blindly nodded, not quite listening.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Jack grab my hand. I grinned at them.

"Hey kid," we both looked at Dean. He tossed the keys to Jack. "Why don't you drive?"

"What," Jack asked.

"That's why you moved the car," I guessed. "Didn't want to make Jack back out of a spot?"

"Didn't want Jack to scratch Baby in the process," Dean shrugged.

"I don't drive," Jack shook their head.

"Now you do," Dean replied. "Get in."

I sighed before sliding into the backseat. Jack got in the driver's side while Dean jumped in the passenger seat.

"You'll be fine," I said, trying to be encouraging.

I bit my lip as Dean explained how to start the car. I was not going to laugh at them when they were clearly overwhelmed.

They managed to get a hold of it eventually, starting to drive down the road without not a lot of guidance.

"It's like I'm you," Jack said excitedly, looking at Dean for a moment.

"Yeah... no," Dean replied quickly. "I'll tell you something though; you're doing a lot better than (Y/n) did the first time they drove."

"Dean, the first time I drove, you were bleeding out in the backseat and Sam was patching you up while simultaneously trying to yell instructions at me," I said. "Pretty sure Jack and I had very different learning environments."

"Details, details," Dean replied sarcastically, waving me off. I rolled my eyes.

The rest of the day felt like it was a world away from what had happened in the bunker. After driving for a while, Dean took Jack and me out fishing. We sat on the edge of a river and just relaxed. Quiet and secluded. I resigned myself to leaning on Jack's shoulder, ignoring the stress that we had driven away from and the stress that we were inevitably going to face.

"Bait and beer," Dean said after a while. "You are a cheap date. Certainly not Tahiti."

"You once told me that you and your dad did the same thing," Jack replied. "It was your happiest memory of him."

"I didn't say that," Dean argued.

"It was how you said it," Jack explained. "I guess my point is that... if I don't make it... the stuff I'd miss wouldn't be things like Tahiti. Or the Taj Mahal. I'd miss more time with you. I'm getting that life isn't all these big, amazing moments. It's time together that matters. Like this."

I turned my head so I could hide my face, wanting to ignore the tears that were coming to my eyes. I pressed a kiss to Jack's back before resting my head against it.

"Well, who'd have thought hanging out with me would make you sentimental," Dean joked, taking a sip of his beer.

"I've had a good life," Jack said.

Just not enough of it, I thought.

We didn't spend a lot of time there after that before Dean stood up, "Let's go. I've got something special for you two."

He started climbing back to the car while Jack and I got packed up. Dean jumped into the driver's seat. Jack got in the front seat, and I jumped into the back.

"Where are we going," I asked as Dean started driving.

"None of your business," Dean replied.

"Okay," I chuckled.

A little while later, Dean pulled up outside this little ice cream stand.

"Here," Dean passed the credit card back to me.

"Why," I asked, suspicious.

"You two are going on a date."

"Are we?"

"(Y/n)," he turned around to face me. "You two have both faced too much for your age. You deserve just an element of a normal relationship. So, go. Have some ice cream and be all sappy together. I'll be right here in case anything happens."

"Thank you," I said. I tapped Jack on the shoulder. "Come on."

The two of us got out of the car and walked up to the woman that was inside.

We found a picnic table that was in Dean's line of sight and sat down together.

"This is nice," Jack said as we both relaxed. "I wanted to take you on a date. A real one. I just... I didn't have a chance."

"Story of our lives, huh," I joked.

"Thank you," they continued. I tilted my head. "You've been so supportive through all of this and... that means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I smiled and leaned over to grab their hand. They smiled back. "But let's talk about something else. Anything."

"Do you have any hunting stories," they asked. "Any that you haven't told me?"

"Uh, yeah," I nodded. "I could tell you about the time when Dean and Sam had to do a hunt completely drunk..."

So, that's what we did.

We took our turns rambling and chatting. Like young people were supposed to on dates. It was nice. It was the only time I had truly pushed my stress and guilt out of my mind. I just had better things to focus on.

After we were done with our ice cream, we both made our way back to the impala. Dean was sitting in the front seat, clearly asleep. I stopped Jack and motioned for them to be quiet.

I walked over to the driver's side and saw the window was open. It was like leaving a dog in the car.

I reached in slowly and pressed down on the horn before jumping back quickly.

Dean shouted a little as he woke up. He glared at me immediately. I looked over at Jack, who trying not to laugh at Dean's reaction.

"Whatever, lovebirds, get in the damn car," he muttered before starting the engine.

I climbed into the backseat while Jack got back in the passenger seat.

We drove back to the bunker after this.

There was a distinct shift as we pulled in. The calm energy from leaving had melted back to welcome the return of the anxiety that I knew was going to be there.

Jack grabbed my hand as we walked inside.

Rowena was waiting for us. She guided up back to the medbay area and told Jack to sit down. I stood back and just watched her work.

The other three walked in soon after us.

"What's that," I asked, noticing the box in Sam's hand.

"It's from Ketch's contact," he explained. "Archangel grace."

"Wow," I muttered.

"And this Sergei is legit," Dean asked.

"I mean, he was definitely odd, but he seemed honest," Cas replied.

"So, we're still not certain this is gonna work," Sam asked.

"No, we're not certain, but..."

"Gentlemen," Rowena said to get their attention. I stepped back so I was next to Cas. "Are you ready, Jack?"

They nodded, "Yes."

I watched Sam hand Jack the grace as Rowena said the spell. After Jack inhaled the grace, the lights in the bunker started flickering.

Jack looked up and their eyes glowed for a moment before they stood up.

"Something," Jack muttered.

"Something good," Cas asked as he stepped forward.

Jack grinned, "I think so."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Definite improvement," they muttered.

I went to step forward and hug them, but they doubled over and hissed in pain.

"Jack," I asked.

"Did you say the words right," Dean snapped at Rowena.

"I did," she shouted.

Jack collapsed to the ground a few moments later. I rolled them over to see them unconscious again.

"Say them again," Sam yelled.

Dean helped me lift Jack back into the bed again. Ground zero. Back to where we started. Except now, Jack was worse.

I sat on the chair next to Jack's bed as Rowena used her powers to scan over them again. My leg was shaking relentlessly, and I felt the tears burning my eyes as I studied their face.

I was silently willing them to wake up. To come back. We deserved more time.

I could hear the boys mumbling to each other behind me.

Rowena stood up straight again and gave me a somber look.

"No," I denied. "Please don't tell me."

"(Y/n), I'm sorry."

"Faced the damn apocalypse world together. Faced Lucifer. Watched over them when they were scared and alone. And this is the one thing I can't fight. At all."

Rowena circled the bed and pulled me into a hug.

"What can we do," Sam asked from the top of the steps. Rowena stepped back from me.

"Watch over them," she replied. "Stay by their side... as they die."

I felt my entire body tense at the word.

The boys moved Jack to their room a few minutes later.

The four of us just waited there until Jack finally started to wake up.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sam said as Jack tried to move. "It's all right. Take it easy."

Jack grumbled as they finally manage to rest against the headboard. They looked over at me. I offered them a sad grin, pulling their hand up to kiss their knuckles.

"Please don't be sad," Jack asked all of us. "Maybe... Maybe this is how things are supposed to be."

"No," I shook my head.

"Don't give me that 'meant to be crap,'" Dean snapped. "This isn't a part of some damn plan."

"Dean," Cas said.

Jack started coughing again, grabbing the oxygen mask that Sam had tracked down somewhere.

Dean finally stormed out. Jack looked at me again.

"Can you tell him... it's okay," they asked after their coughing subsided for a moment.

"You can tell him yourself," I answered. "He'll come back."

"Sam," they turned to look at the other Winchester, who was barely holding it together. "What happens next... for someone like me?"

"I don't know," Sam answered honestly.

"Then, it'll be an adventure," Jack put on a sad grin.

I let out a shaky breath as they laid back down.

Jack looked back at me. I just pulled their hand up to my lips again, holding it there as tears finally fell.

I don't know who I was trying to comfort, them or me or Sam or even Dean on the other side of the door. But as I clung onto Jack's hand, I quietly started humming.

"Hey Jude". Just like Mary had sung for Dean. Just like Dean had sung for me. Just like I had sung for Jack when they first got to the bunker.

I saw Sam look down and run his hands over his face.

The melody turned shaky and slow as I watched Jack's breathing slow down. I gave up when I saw it stop. I put down their hand reached over and check for a pulse.

Nothing.

I finally let out a quiet sob, pulling my hand back to cover my mouth.

Dean and Cas walked back in. I looked at them.

"Jack's... Jack's gone," I said.

I was immediately pulled from my spot and into a crushing hug by Cas. I closed my eyes as I finally let all of the pressure and fear from the last few days come out. All of it hit at once.

"Kid," I stepped back to look at Dean. "This isn't a debate or a discussion. You are gonna go lay down. You have not slept an ounce in the last... I don't know how many days. Now go."

"If you guys are staying-"

"You're still a kid," he cut me off. "It is our job to take care of you. Now try to get some rest."

I was going to continue arguing, but I couldn't. I was just too exhausted.

I spent the next few hours in my bed. I tried to sleep, but the first thing I saw when I closed my eyes was Jack dying.

After spending hours trying to sleep and maybe getting 45 minutes, which is being generous, I gave up.

"God fucking damn it," I muttered. I changed my clothes and walked back out into the library.

No one was there.

I could hear them talking in the kitchen. Laughing.

I walked in slowly, arms folded as if I was trying to hide myself. Sam spotted me before the other two. He grinned softly before holding out a candy bar.

I hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and taking it from him. I sat in the seat next to him. Dean and Cas offered me small smiles. I leaned on Sam as I listened to them tell stories.

The brief moment of joy was refreshing.

It didn't fix what had been done, but it made it feel a little less hopeless.

The stories must've been what I needed to get me to rest. Because the last thing I remembered was listening to Dean recount the story of Jack and me waking him up after our date. Then, I was waking up in my room. Cas was sitting in the corner.

"Hi," I mumbled as I sat up.

"Hi," he replied. "I wanted to watch over you. Try to make sure you slept properly."

"Thank you," I grinned as I got up, pulling on my flannel and my shoes. Sam must've let me sleep in my jeans.

"Also, Sam called in help."

"Help," I asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Come on."

We walked out to the library to see a woman standing by Sam at the map room table, talking about something sitting on the table.

"Hello," I said awkwardly. The woman looked at me. "Lily Sunder, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I heard about your situation. I'm sorry to hear about it."

"Thanks," I awkwardly muttered.

Castiel walked over to help them. I couldn't quite tune in on anything being said.

"So, it's possible," was the first thing my ears actually seemed to register. I walked over to the table quickly.

"Maybe," Lily nodded.

"Maybe what," Dean asked as he stumbled in from the kitchen.

"Hello, Dean," Lily greeted.

"Dean, you remember Lily Sunder," Cas explained.

"You got old," Dean commented.

"Did I," she asked sarcastically. "An unfortunate side effect of giving up magic, I suppose."

"What are you doing here?"

"I called her," Sam replied.

"Okay," Dean muttered. "Last thing I remember was her killing a whole bunch of angels to get revenge for her daughter. She tried to kill you."

"Yeah, I remember," Cas mumbled.

"Listen," Sam sighed. "Sometime last night, it hit me. We've torn through all the lore looking for a way to cure Jack, right? But we never looked through Kevin's angel tablet translations."

"Yeah, because they're worthless," Dean replied.

"Aren't they written in some kind of language that only prophets can read," I asked. "And I hate to say... Donatello's kind of out of commission."

"Maybe I can read them," Lily suggested.

"You're not a prophet," I said.

"She's the next best thing," Sam explained. "She's an angel expert that's tapped into their magic in ways that we didn't even know existed. So, if she can read the translations, then maybe we can pull off a miracle."

"What kind of miracle," Dean asked.

"A way to bring Jack home," Cas answered. I let out a breath.

"Okay," Dean replied. "Go for it."

When Sam tried to speak up, she shushed him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't read it."

I was thankful I hadn't gotten my hopes up.

"Oh, all right," Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, thanks for stopping by."

"Wait," she insisted. "You can use my magic."

"Your magic," Cas asked.

"The magic I used, as you so sensitively put it, to get revenge for my daughter," she explained, "You said your Nephilim kid- Jack- without their angel grace, their human body died. My magic draws power from the soul, the human soul. It could save them."

"You'd give your soul up," I asked, arms crossing over my chest.

"Not my soul. Theirs."

"Pass," Dean answered.

"It's not their entire soul, obviously," she continued.

"How much," I stood up a little taller.

"As long as they're only using it to sustain their body, it won't cost much. They'll never miss it."

"What are we even talking about," Dean asked. "It's too late. Jack's dead. Their soul's gone, right?"

"Maybe not," Cas answered. "If Jack's soul is in heaven, I might be able to pull their soul into his body. It would only be for a few seconds."

"That's all the time I need," she replied. "If I can open the door, your kid can use my magic to stay alive. A resurrection and a cure."

"What are you getting out of this," I asked. "Sorry, but... you never met them. Why would you be so eager to help?"

"I'm hoping to trade."

"Trade what," Sam said.

"I'm old and dying," she explained. "And when my life is over, I'm pretty certain I'm going to hell."

"Why?"

"I murdered a lot of angels," she replied. "I don't expect them to welcome me with open arms. So, you want my help, get me into heaven."

Dean motioned at Sam and me to follow him over to the other side of the library.

"You know what my answer's gonna be," I muttered, leaning back on the table. "It's a second chance."

"(Y/n)," Dean said. "This is Jack's soul we're talking about. Sam?"

"Well," Sam replied. Dean looked at him in shock before looking at Cas.

"I think that Jack should decide for themself," Cas replied.

"Listen, I know how important a soul is," Sam continued. "Believe me, I do. But if we have a shot at saving them and bringing them back-"

"Look, even if we do this, how are we supposed to get her upstairs," Dean asked. "Do we talk to Death? Billie? Kidnap a reaper?"

"Death is powerful, but she and her reapers, they don't decide who goes up and down."

"Who does," Sam asked.

Cas walked over to one of the shelves, pulling out a book and laying it on the table. I waved Lily over to join us.

"Anubis," Cas explained. "Guardian of the Dead. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when you die, Anubis would then weigh your heart against his justice feather."

"Yeah, the weighing of the heart ceremony, right, but that wasn't Anubis. That was Osiris. We met him."

"Major dick," Dean muttered.

"Osiris is Anubis's father," Cas said. "Heaven passed over him when they enlisted his son."

"Anubis works for heaven," Lily asked.

"He doesn't work for heaven; he works with heaven. When God left, we needed a new judge and Anubis was the obvious choice."

"Great, so let's summon him," Sam said.

"You can do that," Lily looked at all of us. "You can summon a god?"

"Done it before," Dean shrugged.

Sam and Dean started getting the library set up while I went to help Lily in whatever way I could. Cas was trying to get in touch with heaven.

"How long have you and Jack been together," she asked as she was scribbling down instructions.

"Not long," I replied with a shrug. She glanced at me. "They collapsed the same day we had our first kiss."

"Oh," she muttered.

"Yeah, call it shitty timing," I tried to joke. She gave me a sad smile. "Anyway, what all are you writing?"

"Just the spell that they need to read out after their soul is back."

"Thank you," I said. "In case I forget to say it."

"You're welcome."

The rest was a bit of a blur.

It was all just summoning Anubis and trying to convince him to let Lily in. I just wanted to make it to the end of the entire event. And then Lily threatened to leave when it was revealed that we couldn't get her into heaven.

"Lily," Sam said. "I know you're upset, but you can still do the spell."

"That wasn't the deal," she replied. "I've gotta go."

"You're kidding," I snapped.

"(Y/n)-"

"Shut up, Sam," I cut him off before getting in Lily's face. "You sat there and gave me this bullshit sympathy. You acted like you felt sorry for me and then the moment we weren't useful, you take off?"

"I'm sorry-"

"I don't believe you," I shrugged. "I think at your heart, you're a coward. And I don't think you'll ever truly grow past it. Because you burned so much of your soul, that all of your guilt is gone. You are purely led by your own desires. How else could you force people to go through what you did?"

I motioned to the brothers, "Losing a kid."

I pointed back at myself. "Losing a partner. Someone you... love."

She looked from me to the boys, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll stay," she agreed.

"Then let's get going," Dean said.

The boys were setting up the library for when Jack's soul came back. It was just two tables covered with a cloth that Sam and Dean laid Jack's body on top of.

I stood next to Lily as we waited.

We all jumped when Jack suddenly shot up on the table, immediately going into a coughing fit.

Dean and Sam ran forward, pushing him to read whatever Lily had written. I saw Lily grab her chest and walk away.

I watched her sit in one of the armchairs. The two of us made eye contact for a moment before she grinned at me. I grinned back and nodded at her. She nodded back before closing her eyes and relaxing into the chair.

I turned back to the scene going on at the table. It all seemed to have gone well. No more chaos. Just a few moments to adjust to the environment.

I slowly walked up to the other side of the table, stopping a few steps short as I watched Sam and Dean hug Jack.

As the two of them stepped back, Jack looked over at me.

Dean looked at Sam and nodded toward the map room. Sam nodded and the two of them walked out.

I circled the table quickly, pulling Jack into a tight hug. I felt them hide their face in my shoulder. I smiled as they pulled me closer.

After a few minutes, I leaned back so I could look Jack in the eye. They smiled at me. We sat there for what felt like forever, just trying to accept that we were together.

I took a deep breath before leaning over slowly. I hesitated for a few seconds before gently pressing my lips to theirs. It only lasted for a few moments before I slowly pulled back and rested my forehead on theirs.

"How're you feeling," I asked.

"Better," Jack muttered. "I thought that I was never gonna see you again."

"So did I," I admitted, blinking back a fresh wave of tears. I nudged my nose against their's.

"I saw my mom," they said. "I told her about you. She wanted me to thank you for her."

That made the tears spill over. I moved to hug Jack again, hiding my face in their shoulder.

It felt like time had been reversed.

I grinned a little as Jack pulled me closer. It was like the bunker had just faded around us. It was just the two of us in our own small space. No monsters or hunting or risks or anything else.

It was... perfect.

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

Masterlist

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

folklore/evermore Writing Challenge (and Masterlist)

Maisie Peters - “You Signed Up for This” Writing Challenge Masterlist

Lizzy McAlpine - “five seconds flat” Writing Challenge Masterlist

[katy-l-wood]

CONTEXT??? CONTEXT FOR A GIRL TRIED TO FRAME U FOR MURDER??? IF U PLEASE????

She did not frame me for murder! She tried to frame me for SAYING I was going to murder her. This was in Middle School, for context. (I think I would've been 11 or 12.)

We'll call her Clare. Clare was an entitled brat, got whatever she wanted, didn't understand the word "no," etc. For whatever reason she was DETERMINED to insert herself into my friend group despite the fact that none of us liked her and despite the fact I'd nearly punched her once because she pissed me off that much. (I 100% had some anger issues as a kid.) One day at lunch she came over and just shoved her way in between a couple of us. I was the Confrontational One so I told her she needed to leave.

She did not leave.

I told her to go be a brat somewhere else.

She did not leave.

I told her I did not want to get in trouble for fighting with her, and we were here first, so she needed to go away.

She did not leave.

So we left. We were all done eating so we just got up and went to the library. And that was that, right? Oh no!

Two or three days later I get pulled out of art class and brought to the office, put in a room and not told a single thing. NEAT. Don't like that one bit. Finally some administrator comes in and starts asking about my shirt. It had some sort of graphic on it that I guess they didn't like, though I can't remember what it was. I'd worn this shirt multiple times before, though, and not once had any administrator or teacher pointed it out.

The administrator left, leaving me alone in the room once more. And despite her comments on my shirt, she hadn't actually said I'd violated dress code or anything. Some time later my mom shows up and the administrators tell her I'm suspended for five days. She tries to get an explanation for why and from what I remember they didn't really give her one, just told her to take me home.

At some point we finally learned that the girl had gone to the administrators and told them I threatened to kill her if she didn't leave our lunch table. Wonderful.

So immediately I start calling up all my friends (and I think my mom called their parents as well) and asking them to go explain the truth to the administrators. Come to find out, Clare had been going around threatening to kill my friends if they told the truth about what happened. We were a messed up little bunch, though, so none of us actually really CARED about her threats and they all went to the administrators anyway. They explained what really happened and that it was in fact Clare tossing out death threats.

Administration didn't do a damn thing. Didn't lift my suspension. Didn't punish Clare. Eventually my mom dragged it out of someone that Clare's mom was in the PTA and buddy buddy with the whole administration, bringing them cupcakes from her bakery all the time. Also, Clare apparently had epilepsy and the "stress of punishment would've been dangerous for her." Yup. That's what we were told. I very distinctly remember thinking "hang on, I've seen her get punched in the face by other people she's annoyed, and she didn't have a damn seizure. I'm pretty sure you can punish her." (No one at school liked Clare. No one.)

Nothing ever happened, though. I went back to school after the five days, Clare continued being a brat. At one point our math teacher made the two of us work together on a partners test. WHY he thought this was a good plan is beyond me. We were screaming at one another by the end. (Somehow we were the only ones in the class to get 100% though, and we actually got it too, it wasn't the teacher just giving it to us because of our fight.)

We ended up at different High Schools but I heard through the grapevine that her behavior never changed. Also, she apparently continued to LOATH me and badmouth me to anyone who would listen.

Good times. And somehow not even the weirdest thing to happen to me in Middle School.

[sunaswife]

Summary: It’s been five years since you’ve seen your ex, Rin. He’s still not over you and you’re not over him. When he finds out you have children he thought he didn’t have a chance. Then he finds out they’re his? All of a sudden you’re teaching Suna how to be a single dad.

🔪: <3 thanks for all the support so far

Warnings: Fluff, angst I guess, drama, and cuteness twin overload

Previously Up Next Masterlist

Chapter Thirteen

“Kuroo-San I’m very flattered but in reality I’m seeing someone.” You chuckled awkwardly as you both walked to the lounge after today’s game. “Really?! Since when! About a month ago during the black Jackals game you just said you were a single mom!” He exclaimed. “Well..in reality..I’m trying to make amends with the father of my children. We were both dumb and immature but now since we’re older, we can have a decent conversation. And I still have feelings for him in a way and he’s already confessed..so...” you scratched the back on your head. “Have you accepted his confession..?” He asked. “Well..I mean I kind of changed the subject..” you replied awkwardly. “Poor guy..” he put his hand on his chest as if he felt the pain. “Well it’s not right to pressure someone into going on a date with them so I’m sorry. I was out of line. And I hope everything goes well between you and Rintarou.” He said with a soft smile. He patted your head and walked away down the other hall, you just stood there dumbfounded. How does he know Rin is the dad..?

You haven’t checked social media or sports news so you’re not sure if people already know. You made you way into the lounge and opened your small locker. You took out your purse and walked to your car, you tried walking as fast as possible to avoid talking to people and when you were in the comfort of your car you took out your phone.

Your eyes widened at the amount of phone calls and messages Rin sent. You didn’t even have a chance to read the messages since you decided to call back Rin and wonder what is going on. “It’s about time you answer.” He immediately gritted, he obviously sounded pissed. “Excuse me?” You immediately said with such confusion.

Does he seriously think he can get away with talking to you like that?

“I said it’s about time you fucking answered. Why weren’t you answering my calls or messages?” He asked. “I was obviously working.” You said in a duh tone. “Is something wrong?” You asked. “YES something is wrong! My son almost died and I didn’t know what to do!”

Your heart dropped. He almost...died..? “W-wait—“ you shook your head. “What do you mean he almost died?” You asked. “He had an allergy attack and I had to use an epipen. I didn’t know what to do at the hospital. I rarely had any information. You never told me if the kids had insurance or anything.” “Is Rini okay?” You immediately asked. “Yes he’s fine. But you didn—“

“I’m on my way. For the next eight hours, think before you speak, okay? Don’t say anything you’ll regret.” You warned. “Whatever.” He muttered and hung up. Immediately your heart clenched and you threw your phone at the passenger seat. You rubbed your face and leaned forward and gripped the steering wheel.

“What the fuck.” You sighed. Throughout the drive back to Hyogo your hands began shaking thinking about your kids and Rin. The kids went through something traumatic, and you weren’t there to help them or to protect them. What kind of mother are you? You wanted to slap yourself so hard, jump off a cliff. Receive some sort of punishment for being such a stupid mother and trusting Rin with your children.

After a few hours, your makeup needed a touch up, your hair was a mess for running your hands through your hair hoping your son is okay. Your eyes felt droopy. You’ve only slept a good six hours between drives and it’s way past midnight. The sun began to rise and you finally passed the billboard welcoming you to the hyogo prefecture. You went to the hospital Rin said they were at and you quickly parked and made your way inside.

The poor lady in the office seemed startled at your appearance, your clothes were wrinkled, and your shirt was untucked and unbuttoned from the top, you had bags under your eyes, you were a whole mess. When she gave the room number you slipped off your heels and began jogging to your location. The door was opened so you peeked in and saw your daughter playing with her fox plush on the uncomfortable couch chair.

It was like she sensed you so she looked up and you made eye contact with your little girl. Her eyes immediately watered and she hopped off the chair crying. “Mommy!” She sobbed and you immediately bent down to pick her up. You held her close and her grip tightened around your shoulders. “Rini doesn’t feel good..” she mumbled in your ear. “I know baby, I know.” You answered and dropped your heels by the entrance.

You made you way inside and saw Rin hunched over on the bed sleeping. He was holding Rini’s hand who was also asleep. He looked alright and you sighed in relief. “Have you slept, Akira?” You asked and she nodded. “I slept with Rini, but grandma wanted me to go back home with her. But Rini needed me. He’s my twin.” She wiped her eyes and slightly pulled away. You neared the other side of the bed and pulled the lounge chair closer so you can sit. Akira was on your left thigh with her head still on your shoulder. You looked at Rini sleeping and you brushed some hair out of his face. He slowly opened his eyes and he smiled lazily, “I missed you momma..” he mumbled. “I missed you too. I came as fast as I could.” You assured. “I was so scared.” He admitted. “I know..and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.” Your eyes began to water. “Don’t cry mommy.... then I’ll cry..” Rini held your hand with his free hand.

Your wiped under your eyes with the sleeve of your blazer to stop the tears from falling and you smiled again. “Okay I won’t cry.” You said and released a breath. “Can you sing me a song?” Akira asked in your neck, “Yeah I want a song too, please.” Rini pouted and you nodded. They had a favorite song from a certain show that they enjoyed the most. You began to sing softly and Rini squeezed your hand and Akira began to fall asleep again.

I always thought I might be bad

Now I'm sure that it's true

'Cause I think you're so good

And I'm nothing like you

Look at you go

I just adore you

I wish that I knew

What makes you think I'm so special

You saw as Rini’s eyes began to close so he could fall back to sleep, you heard snoring right in your ear and realized Akira knocked out as well. “You have a beautiful voice.” Rin said softly as he rested his head on the side of his arm. “Sorry that I woke you up.” You quickly apologized. “No it’s fine..” he yawned and slowly sat up. He winced slightly, “Damn I need to see a chiropractor.” He muttered and you released a small chuckle. “Me too.” You said.

“So is Rini okay? What happened?” You asked and he sighed and looked into your eyes. “My mom got some burgers from a restaurant where peanut oil is used. She didn’t know Rini was allergic and I didn’t check the bag.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” You raised your voice and his eyes widened. “Your mom almost killed our son and you blame me for leaving you without any information?” You asked and he looked down guilty. “She didn’t kn—“

“Of course she doesn’t know because all day she was acting like a conceited bitch instead of being a grandmother to her grandkids. She even called me a whore—“

“No she didn’t.” He immediately interrupted. “She didn’t because you stopped her. But that’s what she thinks right? I model for Hana’s company to support her and to build up my self esteem and now I’m a whore? And you had the audacity to talk to me so rudely when I didn’t do anything. If you’re going to be treating me like that then there’s the fucking door. You understand? Never again will I be disrespected by a man.” You said and he had no words.

“You make it seem like I did it on purpose. I was sleep deprived and scared. I felt like I was going to throw up.” Rin squinted his narrow eyes.

“Do you have any idea what I felt when I got a call eight hours away that my son almost died? Imagine how I feel when he calls out to me and I’m not there. I feel like I failed them as a mom, my chest hurts and I’ve always been there. Always. And now I leave them in your hands and something happens and I can’t get there soon? I almost had a panic attack on the drive!” You exclaimed and he stayed silent. He didn’t want to continue fighting. He’s sure the kids are awake and listening to everything.

“I’m sorry.” He said and looked at his hands. He felt defeated and disappointed. You shouldn’t be so hard on him, it’s been less than a month since he took on this role. “Hey look at me.” You called softly, he looked up and you made eye contact once more. “I’m sorry for going off on you like this, I’m just as upset and afraid as you are and I’m sure you haven’t slept much.”

“I could say the same for you, you look like shit.” He cracked a tiny smile and you rolled your eyes with a giggle. “So did your mom eventually decide to be a grandma or she still hates me so she’s not getting close?” You asked. “She went back home to bring some clothes and then to get us some breakfast. I sent her a screenshot of my notes.” He said and you nodded. You obviously still felt uneasy with her, but they deserve a grandma and if she’s being civil you have no reason to take them away from her.

There was a knock at the door and you and Rin immediately turned your heads. “Oh you must be mom..” the doctor said. “Yeah I’m mom.” You said. She explained that Rini stayed longer than usual because he is a child. After a severe allergic reaction there can be aftershocks hours after the person receives treatment and that can lead to a seizure. She praised Rin for quick thinking and following proper steps to insure his child’s safety.

When the doctor left, Rin’s mom waltzes in and she freezes when she sees you. You take a deep breath and release and decide that it’s best to keep quiet. You wouldn’t want a clique animosity between you and your maybe future mother in law.

“I brought Rini some spare clothes.” She said as she opened Rin’s old gym bag. “He doesn’t own that jacket.” You pointed out. Her face flushed slightly, “I know..but this was Rintarou’s favorite jacket when he was his age..I thought it would be nice to wear. I have a lot of Rin’s old baby and child clothes.” She admitted softly, almost scared that you would snap any minute. And you would, so she was wise to walk on eggshells.

“Okay that’s fine.” You gave in. You helped Rini get dressed while Rin was talking to the doctor and getting ready to check out. You walked barefoot down the hall with your pink heels in your right hand, while Akira held your left hand. Rini was holding hands with Suna and Rin’s mom was holding their stuffed animals. She trailed behind you four and saw how you and Rin swung akira with you arms, her little giggles filled the hall releasing serotonin to the patients and nurses nearby.

“Momma aren’t you gonna put your shoes on?” Rini asked, “My feet hurt and I don’t feel like falling.” “But it’s hot outside, you can burn your feet.” Rin spoke up, “I think I’ll be fine.” You assured. He rolled his eyes and let go of the kids. You were about to step on the asphalt of the parking lot after checking both sides and all of a sudden you’re being knocked back from your legs and carried bridal style. “RINTAROU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT.”

“Nah.”

The kids giggled at their parents funny behavior, you kicked the air and squirmed but his grip tightened. “Do you really wanna get down?” He asked and you said yes. He pretended to drop you and you gripped onto his shirt for dear life and he started laughing. “I swear to God I am going to kick you where the sun doesn’t shine.” You muttered. He finally put you down but you were so distracted you were already at your car.

Karin took the kids to her car since the car seats are in there, so now it’s just you and Rin. “You give me a headache.” You told him. “But you love this headache—“ both your eyes widened and he stopped, “—sorry.” He immediately apologized.

You turned away to yawn and you muttered an it’s okay. He opened the car door for you just like old times, much to your dismay and he closed it when you entered. You put on your seatbelt and he fixed the seat and complained at how tiny you were. He was expecting you to fight back and bicker but you were already asleep.

He leaned forward and fixed your head so you wouldn’t hurt your neck. He started the car and began driving back home. He saw the two empty cups of coffee and some energy bar wrappers on the floor. The phone wasn’t playing any music but the volume was up to 20. You must have been so tired driving all last night and the night before for nine straight hours. No wonder you blasted music to keep you up and drank coffee.

He soon made it home and tried waking you up, but you didn’t budge. Not even shaking you work. You were a muttering unconscious mess when he helped you out and carried you bridal style once again. His mom let him in and he told Akira to unroll the futon in the living room since he couldn’t take you upstairs. He successfully placed you down and helped take of your blazer, he thanked god you were wearing an undershirt thanks to akira checking (no somnophilia shit here atm) and he helped unbutton your dress shirt so you wouldn’t feel hot. He put a light blanket over you. “Can’t believe I have to get you ready for bed like a child.” He muttered with a shake of his head. “Silence bottom, it’s mimi’s time.” You said in your sleep.

The kids ate their breakfast in the car as well as Karin. They were already awake and playing with Chewy outside again. “Mom.” He called, “Yes?” She asked from the kitchen. “Can I borrow your makeup wipes?” He asked. She smiled softly, looking out the window to check on the kids. “Yeah go ahead, they’re in the bathroom.”

Rin came back with the wipes and began wiping the makeup off your face. He didn’t want to press too hard to hurt you. But damn, this makeup was hard to take off. Finally you slept comfortably without makeup, without any interruptions. “Sweet dreams, love.” He smiled and moved the hair away from your face.

He stood up and grabbed the bag with all the kids school stuff and sat in the picnic table outside. “Alright you rascals time for school!” He yelled and the kids yelled an okay and went to join their dad.

“Hey dad..” Rini said. “What’s up?” Rin looked at his son, “I love you a lot. To infinity and beyond. Mama says that’s called unconditional love.” He said and Rin smiled with a nod. “Exactly, and I love you two unconditionally as well.” He said and Akira peered up from her work sheet. “Do you love mom unconditionally?” She asked Rintarou.

“Yeah. Yeah I do.”

Fun facts:

Someone asked me to do fun facts and if I had any for future chapters so here I go

The song YN sang is love like you from Steven universe but this is my fav version.

‘Mimi’s’ means sleeping time, Akira didn’t know how to say sleeping when she was a toddler so she would say Mimi’s cuz uncle Oikawa would say “es tiempo de dormir.” Which means ‘it’s time to sleep’. So MIMIS is taken for the ‘mir’ in dormir. (Sorry that was a long explanation) (if you live in a Mexican household then u might usually hear this)

YN drives a Black Honda CR-V (nice mom van) ☺️ while Rin has a White Nissan GT-R but he’s thinking of trading it in for a four door sports car to take the kids and yn along

Rin still has his old black mustang in a garage rental back in Tokyo where he would drive with YN everywhere. He wants to fix it up and gift it to one of his kids when they’re older 🥺

Idk why I’m talking about cars

Rin was a blushing mess when he was getting yn ready for bed and his heart stopped when she snuggled into him

After he admitted he loved YN unconditionally, Akira called him a simp

🏷: @therealwalmartjesus @differentballooncollection @aaesuki @atsunflower @dope-squish @prettysetterboiss @june-phantom @tomo-uwu @austriasmariazelle @xrnia @katsulia @aprettyfruit @shut-your-eyes-kiss-me-goodbye @tvbiio @sun-daddy-yoriichi @kamenoyaki @ppangiiroo @loeyprivvv @kmskj92 @lovinnoya @sarahvvictoria @tris-does-stuff @mokkeguts @sunaluvr6969 @bara-rose-would @sempiternal-amour @volleybloop @leykyuu @bokutoichigo @stfucanunot @iloveanime691 @atsumusdomain @ohrintarou @shoutosimp @mqrinqcele @bokutosdivineass @anngelllla @toworuu @hidden-otaku-stuff @seijohiselite @caxsthetic @aquariarose @hhwanggu @bakuhoetoedoroki @yoozuku @osamus-onigiri @akaashi-todorki @donica95 @kakaokenma @airheadpillar

[stardancereivor]

The house was empty save for the pitter patter of Fat Son exploring, Eivør sitting beside Salma's bed, and the older Viera sitting in bed with her eyes closed and her breath shallow. Eivør had returned for a week thus far, and she had spent every waking moment tending to her mother. The first few days had been the worst of it. Seeing her mother, reconciling with the fact that she might not be able to help her in spite of what the Green Word was telling her, and then determining that she would do everything within her strength to do so. She had learned so much since leaving Viras, after all. If anyone could do it, it was Eivør. The first task had been to figure out what was even happening, how it had started, and how long it had been. Speaking with the visiting healer and Salma's friends had been helpful, as they explained something she was unsurprised they were having difficulties dealing with. Salma had been on a simple herb gathering venture with her group, something they had done hundreds of times before. Everything was going as it always did, and they had had few disturbances. Nothing major, nothing to write home about. It all changed when they stumbled upon a group of outsiders. It was standard at first; warnings, weapons drawn but not readied for battle, just trying to scare them off before a Wood Warder came across them. None of it had worked. These strangers had a magic they were not familiar with, and they were not afraid of the Viera women. They had managed to disable three of the four intruders, but the fourth one got a shot off on Salma that made her collapse into a seizure and fall into unconsciousness. If only the spear that went through that intruder's head a moment later from a Wood Warder in the trees had been there seconds earlier. This had been a week ago. They had returned Salma quickly to her home and to her bed, where had been ever since.

At the very least it meant that Eivør's lack of presence was not at fault here. This likely would have happened even if she had not left, but because she left it meant she could fix it. She had learned much from her Hyur companions in the infirmary. Figuring out what was wrong with Salma had been quick and easy for Eivør, but treating would take some time. Salma had too much aether in her, mostly of the wrong kind. It was.. unfortunately familiar. It would likely scar her if Eivør took too long. She would be quick, but she had to be careful, so she didn't do more harm than good. The first thing she had to do was get her conscious. "Mother?" She spoke quietly, reaching a hand across to gently set it upon the other Viera's. It stirred her from her sleep, and dark eyes fluttered open as she lifted her head and turned to look to her daughter. Eivør offered her a warm smile, squeezed her hand, and released it to reach over and pick up a bowl and spoon. "How are you feeling?"

Salma sighed quietly, closed her eyes a moment, and then opened them again. "Better now that you are here, my little star. I am sorry to bring you home.. but I am glad to see you.."

Eivør chuckled, scooping up stew and reaching across to offer it to the Salma. "It is fine. Though I cannot promise I will be here forever, I will not be leaving until you are well. It is good to be home. I was... homesick."

"Homesick?" Salma's eyes widened somewhat. "Did something happen?" A pause, and then she finally raised a hand. "I think I am capable of feeding myself, my love--"

"Please, mother. You need to rest. I can do this. And then I will begin treating you."

Salma loosed a sigh, nodded, and finally accepted the offered stew. She was quiet for several moments, then tilted her head to one side. "How do you know how to help me?"

Scooping more stew, Eivør hesitated a moment. "... Because I suffered in ways similar to yourself, and I learned how to treat it from an associate. I will help you, and you will be good as new. But first? We finish this bowl."

"Who is the mother here?" Salma asked with a croak of a laugh, and then she cut off suddenly. "I--oh, love, I am sorry, I--"

"It's fine." Eivør managed a smile.

"You could try again while you are here..?"

"... I could. I doubt anything will come of it. But I will try."

"Wonderful! Who knows. Perhaps this is the one?" Eivør chuckled and shrugged, then offered another spoonful of stew.

"Let's get you fed, hm?"

Salma at least had a healthy appetite. It didn't take long to feed her, and it certainly would take less time to feed her than it would to treat her. It was going to take days to carefully rebalance her aether, and especially to do so without risk of berserking either herself or the bedridden Viera. At the very least it gave her the opportunity to show off her magics. The room would be filled with starlight, with the constellations of Eorzea. It distracted Salma from what Eivør was doing, keeping her calm and content while the younger Viera did her work. It also seemed to lift her spirits to see how Eivør had developed in her absence. She would never admit it, but she had been afraid when Eivør had left. Afraid of what might happen to her. But she should have known that young woman who left all those years ago was not one to be easily removed from this world, she who had been through so much before even seeing her first full century. The floating blades with their orbiting moons and stars were fascinating, as well. She had never seen anything like it. It would seem that leaving had been.. perhaps the right thing for Eivør now that Salma saw some of what she was now capable of. Eivør had been purposeless before; she had her duties, her hunting, her worship, but beyond that she was rather spoiled and usually only did things for herself, her needs, her amusement. It was nice to see her doing something for someone else. She seemed to have matured since last they were together. Good... good. "... Eivør?" Salma eventually asked, her quiet voice filling an otherwise quiet air.

"Yes, mother?" Eivør responded distractedly, the majority of her focus on her magic. She had to be sure she did not overload Salma.

"Now that you have returned.. will you be..." Salma pursed her lips a moment, shook her head, and then looked to Eivør. "Will you be staying? Or will you go again once I am well?"

Eivør did not immediately answer. However, her tall ears began to slowly lower until they were flattened against her hair. Truth be told, Eivør wasn't sure. She still had obligations, right? People who still depended on her. Or would they still depend on someone who left so abruptly with no notice? Perhaps if she told them now that she was sure.. but what would she tell them? Would she stay? Could she stay? Could she go back to this life? It had indeed been something she had thought about, but a part of her had hoped something or someone else would make the decision for her.

Salma frowned and turned her gaze away. "I see. It's fine, just forget I--"

"Wh--no. No.. just..." Sighing, Eivør finally brought her hands away, and the shimmer and shine of twinkling star-like aether began to dim and dissipate. "I do not know. I.. it is something I thought about even on my journey here. Mother, I have been through so much. Some of it bad, but most of it amazing. And I... there are.. were? Are? People who still need me. Depend on me. And I'm no longer the same Eivør I was when I left the wood. I wish I had an answer for you, but even I'm not sure yet. I mean, I'm definitely staying to make sure you are well, but after that? I haven't figured it out."

"I think the fact that you are unsure if you will stay is reason enough not to.." Salma offered gently, lifting her hands to hold Eivør's. "But at least stay a little while, hm? You may relax here. We will not even ask you to perform any kind of strenuous duties. Just.. visit for a time. There are many outside of myself who missed you. I am sure they would be happy to see you again."

Her heart throbbed at the thought. Eivør had broken so many hearts when she left. There was one in particular she remembered, the one who had been her partner at the time. The one who she had hurt the most, probably. She managed a weak smile, but she gave Salma's hands a squeeze nonetheless. "You may be right. I'll.. visit. Even after you're well. It would be nice to spend time with you when you are not sick."

She would stay for the moment. Just a little while, right? It couldn't hurt. Maybe just a few weeks...

[echo-inthevoid]

107-third degree

The lightless flame?? Please stay safe Jon...

Ah right, we're in America. 

Mm Jon thinks someones following him, and I want to agree that he's probably just being jumpy. Usually I would immediately assume that someone is definitely following him since he mentioned it, but Jonny is a genius writer and makes his characters be paranoid and consistently wrong about stuff so I honestly don't know. 

Ok wait... Gertrude isn't actually Gerrard's mom this guy just assumed that, right? Ya. Cause Gerrards mom is Mary. 

Usher foundation? Is that another sister institute? I wonder if there's a mundane reason for there being a bunch of them or if there's a spooky reason there's a bunch spread all over the world? Or.. Is there a bunch or is it just those three? 

Oh Gerrard died from a seizure? A spooky seizure? Or... I think it was mentioned he had cancer? Or was that someone else? 

A cop? 

Jon maybe... Maybe don't use your compelling so much. Especially with this guy watching you. 

Ok ya Gerard had cancer. 

Oh? She broke into where they were keeping his body?? Maybe he wasn't dead? Or she did spooky things to him and he undied? Cause like Ya he showed up at some point after he was dead right? 

Also not sure how I feel about Gertrude always pretending to be Gerrards mother? Like... Probably better than Marry tbh, but considering what she did to Michael I'm worried for our Gerrard. 

Also! This is completely off topic, but they never did explain how Jon tracked down Jude Perry or Mike Crew?? Like he just found them?? Was that spooky eye stuff, like he just Knew where they were? Like how he just knew Gerrard worked with Gertrude? Or was there an explanation but I missed it? -anyway.

Jon's not feeling well? Maybe he used his compelling too much.

Oooh! Spooky thing? She did spooky things to his dead body? ...good spooky things or bad spooky things...?

Ya stop compelling people u dum dum ur gonna make yourself sick. Or maybe it's cause he's away from the institute? 

Elias! ):<

Oh. Ya maybe reading a statement will make him feel better? Tho didn't Elias say reading them was draining or something? 

Hmm is this guy who's interrogating him maybe that other Archivist? 

Ah yes lightless flame. 

Ya it sounds like this guy is compelling him. 

Weird... Is this guy with both the lightless flame and the eye? Or can all avatars compel people? 

Ey! He's feeling better! So the statement did help. Maybe it was draining only in the beginning, I think in context Elias was talking about when Jon first started reading statements when he said they were draining. 

Also is that a smile I hear in Jons voice!! Did he just smile? ;-; please read all the statements u need Jon.

Uh oh. 

Julia?

"Who are you"

"You don't know me?" 

"Should I?"

"No! -i guess. Just, I mean, everyone normally seems to."

"Good for you."

"Not really."

XD I love this exchange. She doesn't seem so bad. As far as people who try to kill Jon go anyway. 

Ooo is she a hunter?

"Kidnapped... Again." XD Jon. 

Yes! Someone who pronounces Gerrard correctly!!! Ahhh! 

Oh. She's the daughter of Robert Montauk? (Who's he again?)

Nonojon don't ask any questions. You know how bad of an idea that is with avatars she's obviously an avatar -oh no.

 "Hunting" ey I was right! (please don't be hunting Jon!)

What's happening? They got pulled over... Is she hunting the police guy who was following Jon? Maybe that's why she kidnapped him? To lure out the police guy? 

Why's he so suspicious of her? Just cause Jon seems to not have his passport or whatever with him? I mean ya she's being a bit- ohaksbdkdhsbdbdjdhdn!? What? Did she just shoot him??

What? Oh there was a guy in the trunk and he shot the police guy? How'd they know he would look in the trunk? 

Ey!! Vampire dude! 

Ok so ya sounds like they were hunting the police guy. I wonder why he was following jon anyway? 

I'm so excited to finally meet vampire dude! He was always so cool! Sjhdkdjsj

[lovablepiece-of-toast]

@thatonedudewithasnzkink 's adorkeble ocs Nolan and Caden ~♡

Suprisingly, emeto

Me: What is the best way to whump Nolan?

Ya boii Theodore: Food poisoning

Me: Food poisoning it is.

And then I made it extra fluffy because these bois deserve the Best. Love'em

Thank you @thatonedudewithasnzkink for asking me if I could write about Nolan and Caden. You're amazing. This has been a wild ride.

Mentioned: emeto, vomiting, food poisoning, some swears.

Enjoy my attempt :)

☆~~~~~☆

It was an absolutely lovely warm summer day. And a day off on top of that. Caden was scrolling on his phone, sitting cross-legged at the kitchen table. His eyelids fluttered everytime the breeze from the turning fan hit his face. He had gotten over the coldsneezes a while ago. He smiled. Caden had an idea.

Nolan sat across from him, scribbling on a notepad, trying to figure out what they should eat for lunch and dinner. The week had been extremely busy for the two, with both working extra. At the end of May, the cafe was catering many gratuation parties and people frequented the pharmacy to stock up on all kinds of things for long vacations. So, neither Nolan nor Caden really had time to run errands, icluding buying groceries. Jasper had gone to visit his sister (the only nice relative) , so now they were left with a near empty fridge.

"Nolan", Caden looked up from his phone.

"Yeah", Nolan's curious eyes met his smiling ones.

"I think we deserve a date".

"A date, you say?", Nolan hummed. "Anything specific in mind?".Caden pulled a proud grin and handed the phone over. Nolan took a good look at the website presented. It was for a new sushi eatery and on the top of the page read in big, Asian-style letters:

Grand opening May 23rd

We roll with costumers orders!

"It's just down few blocks from here", Caden explained, leaning over the table, "And they say it's organic. We haven't seen eachother all week. I missed You Nolan Anderson!". Suddenly, Nolan's smooth lips were firmly pressed against his. Caden's eyes fluttered shut with suprise and he found himself akwardly tilting his head to get the best of his lover's embrace.

"Sounds good", Nolan said when they parted. Caden just noded, caught off guard.

"Le-let's go then!", he stood up and padded away, blushing madly and giggling. Gosh he loved that man.

----

----

Their walk home was uneventful. But while holding hands, Caden couldn't ignore how Nolan hastily squeezed his hand tighter every now and again. He tried not to think much of it, seeing as his giant boyfriend was very protective over him.

Caden concern grew quite a bit when Nolan muffled a burp into his fist. Sure, there was nothing unordinary about burping after eating if it wasn't for the grimace Nolan pulled as Caden glanced at his face.

" 'cuse me", Nolan smiled sheepishly, feeling his worried gaze. Caden puckered his lips and faced forward.

"You seemed to like the sushi", he stated casually.

"Yeah", Nolan took a deep breath and swallowed,"Of course. Thanks Cay, that was a great idea". He leaned down and pressed a kiss into Caden's crimson hair.

"You liked it too, didn't you? I was worried you'd eat yourself sick from all that dango".

"They're sweet. What can a man do!?", Caden shoved him playfully. Another full sounding burp rumbled off Nolan's chest and Caden huffed as it was right up his ear.

"Sorryh", Nolan chuckled, "Guess that's my stomach agreeing".

----------

But Oh the-ever-loving-scorching-sun was he lying. When Caden finally fished out the home key from his pocket, Nolan's not-at-all-agreeing stomach had creeped up to his throat. Caden opened the door and he quickly pressed past him, handing his phone and wallet to his boyfriend.

"Na-ture's call!", Nolan managed to say before swiftly dissappearing to their bedroom.

"Okay", Caden was left standing in at the doorway. He blinked and shook his head. Nothing weird about needing the toilet, he comfirmed and went to put the take-out into the fridge.

Next he went to his and Nolan's bedroom. As Caden was plugging his own phone to charge, a sudden massive belch coming from the bathroom nearly shot him out of his skin.

"No-Nolan!?", he yelp at the sound of a thick liquid hitting water. Caden's heart puonded in his chest. He tried to swallow the panic. As someone who often felt sick because of medication and seizures and just because, he damn well knew vomiting when he heard it.

And, as proven by the sheer volume of his boyfriend's sneezes, when Nolan was sick he was loud.

"Nolan?", Caden quietly knock on the bathroom door. The answer he got was sickly burp followed by more splattering.

"D-Don't-blah-com' in...", a strained voice echoed back. That's it. Caden ignored the request and opened the door...

And clapped a hand over his mouth to not get overwhelmed be the smell and suppress a gasp of shock. Nolan was hunched over the toilet still standing, gripping the top of the tank with white knuckles. Shirt absolutely drenched outlining every toned muscle of his torso, upright hair pointed all over the place and the blue-ish green eyes showed an emotion the redhead had rarely seen; Fear? Confusion? Definately shocked.

Shaking himself into action, Caden quickly moved to Nolan's side. Hand on his partner's back, he felt the back muscles jolting with abortive heaves.

"Oookay...", Caden helped Nolan onto the floor just in time as another wave of projectile vomit gushed from his lips. Caden swore he started to look a little green.

"Do-Do I need to call The Priest?", Caden winced, frow growing deeper. He rubbed Nolan's back, other hand smoothing stray strands of bleached blond hair off his clammy forehead in an effort to bring some comfort. It hurt Caden's heart watching his boyfriend, his guardian angel, get kicked in the gut by an out of nowhere puke-demon.

The violent wave of sick started to tapper out. Nolan dry heaved a few times and rested his head on his forearms on the dirtied rim of the toilet, panting like he had ran a marathon.

"Oooouuuu", he groaned with no voice left after purging. Caden rested his plam over Nolan's forehead.

"Hmm...I don't feel a fever", he stated.

"Nah, not a virus", Nolan breathed out," M'fine. Food poisoning just~ ", he wrapped his arm tightly around his midsection and heaved a trickle of puke.

"Well, good to know, but you still seem pretty bad", Caden continued gently massaging Nolan's shoulders, "You must be getting dehydrated by now".

Nolan whimpered and pushed himself away from the mess. Caden reached to flush the toilet and held back a gag as the dirty water whirled out of sight.

"Hey,Feel any better?", he asked softly. Nolan nodded slowly.

"Bit nauseous still. But think I'm done, for now", he swallowed and allowed Caden to lean him back against the tiled wall. The touch of cold through his sweat-soaked shirt made Nolan shiver. Yet it felt so good. Even without fever, the warm, humid air didn't exactly aid the warm, queasy feeling shifting in his stomach.

"I feel discusting", Nolan moaned.

"I believe", Caden unrolled some toilet paper and handed the wad to him. Nolan lazily mopped the strings of sick off his chin, threw it into the toilet and hugged his knees, eyes squeezed shut. He could finally take a breath, a deep, shaky breath. Caden patted his arm lightly.

"It's okay, Nolan", he assured. "I'll go get you some water, yeah? Do you need anything else?".

"M'good", Nolan was fiddling with the bottons of his shirt. The task seemed difficult with such shaky firgers. Caden offered to help and quickly worked them open.

"There we go. Let's get you into something more comfortable, too", he glanced at his poorly boyfriend once more before leaving to fetch the supplies.

And as soon as Caden was out of the room, he was again startled by sounds of merciless puking. Wanting to go back, he decited agaist it. Nolan must definately need water after being so sick. Caden made his way to the kitchen and filled one of Nolan's sportsbottles. The entire time he kept telling himself; "Don't you panic, don't you panic. Nolan needs you right now."

On his way back, Caden stopped to get a fresh set of clothes. A gym t-shirt and sweatshorts should do. They are light and comfortable.

Caden re-entered the bathroom and nearly dropped the things he was holding in shocked. Nolan was doubled over in front of the toilet, crying. He had a wad of toilet paper in one hand, firmly gripping the rim with the other. While tears rolled down his flushed cheeks he slowly moved the wad back and forth on the seat, spreading the vomit around.

"Nolan? What are you doing?", there was a mix of worry and confusion in Caden's voice. Nolan seemed to switch from autopilot to awareness before looking up.

"Mmm-made amess... I cle-hic-clean", he explained hoarsly through sobs; "Don'worry". Nolan looked utterly defeated and not at all up for the task.

Caden sighed, danced around Nolan to the cabinet and pulled out a rag.

"I'll clean it up while you rest", he dropped to Nolan's level. Nolan looked like he wanted to protest but Caden bopped his nose to stop the words.

"It's okay. I might be a little squeamish, but I puke often, it's hell. And I can't exactly carry you if you do deside to wipe yourself unconscious", he said affectionately.

Nolan seemed to get the hint but before neither of them could do anything, his face twisted in pain and he lurched foward, coughing up bile. Caden was quick to pat him on the back. More tears poured from Nolan's eyes and he thumbed them away.

"Shh, you'll be all right. Just let it happen and try to breath, I'm right here".

After several more minutes hacking and gagging Nolan collapsed into Caden's arms, breathing heavy and shallow. Caden held him and rubbed his arm. Nolan was a foot taller and more bulkier build, but at that moment as they sat on the bathroom floor, already gone nose-blind to the smell of sick, he seemed to fit just nicely onto his lap.

"Mr.Becker, I don't feel so good", Nolan mumbled, making Caden chuckle.

"I know. But don't you dare turn into space dust. Want some water?".

"Ye-yes", Nolan answered reluctantly. Caden reached for the bottle and unsrewed the cap. He wet a corner of Nolan's open shirt and used it to his boyfriend's face before bringing the bottle to his parted lips, tilting it just enough for small sips. With each gulp Caden felt Nolan relax and his breathing even out.

"There we go, you good?", he asked when Nolan moved away from the bottle.

"Mmm...tired", Nolan hummed, "Can we go to bed?".

"Of course!", Caden quickly set the water aside and carefully moved out from under him. "Can you get up?".

Nolan pondered a minute, hid his head and held out one hand; "Sorry."

"No problem". Caden grabbed it and the doorframe.

"And up we go". Using the frame as support, he slowly but surely levered both of them off the floor. It wasn't that difficult even. Most people might be deceived by his petit apperence but Caden had suprising hidden streght in him.

He hugged Nolan by the waist while the latter found his footing.

"Good to go?"

"Think so", Nolan let Caden dug under his arm and allowed himself to lean on him quite a bit.

"Let's get you comfy, yea? ".

--

If anyone would walk in at that moment, they might get the wrong idea. Nolan sat at the end of the bed, elbows pinned to his knees, one hand clapped over his mouth, near in tears and just looking generally drained. Caden was on one knee in front of him, biting his lip nervously peering up at his face, Nolan's other hand sandwiched between his own.

"Are you going to throw up?", he broke the silence.

Nolan nodded. He pointed at the small thrash can in the corner. "Ple-Please? I just need to this over with"

Caden moved fast and in no time the container was on Nolan's lap. He clutched it tight as a nauseas burp came screaming out with empty gags and saliva for days. Caden could only hold him and rub a soothing arc across his broad shoulders, all the while whispering soothing words.

Seeing there was nothing left to bring up, he took the thrash can and placed it on the floor.

"I'm sorry your tummy got so upset".

Nolan shook his head. "Not your fault. Tasted funny. And if you're okay...", he trailed off.

"Me? I'm fine, don't worry", Caden hadn't had time to think about himself, but nothing seemed off so far.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about you. Now you just get comfy and rest. And let me take care of you. Okay that shirt needs to go", he rambled as he helped Nolan out of the damp shirt and jean shorts.

"I'll go throw these with the laundry. Here's a clean one", Caden patted the folded shirt next to Nolan and left.

When he came back a minute later, Nolan had managed to fall asleep. He must have been just that tired. A little smile crossesd Caden's lips. There was nothing to smile about in his boyfriend's misfortune, but c'mon, he slept like a baby. Arms outstretched and head tilted much like a toddler.

Quietly tiptoeing to the bathroom and putting on a mask and cloves, Caden was ready to face the toilet seat. It wasn't a huge mess but since Nolan had vomited from a standing height, the rim was splashed. For starters he flushed it again. The gushing of water suddenly sounded very loud and he hoped the other didn't wake up. Didn't seem like it. Good.

-

Caden was finishing up scrubbing, when the suffling of bed sheets and a deep groan could be heard. He rinsed his hands and peeked over to see a very drowsy Nolan sitting up, cradling his bare stomach. He whimpered with a pained grimace crumpled on his face.

Heart melting from sympathy and pity Caden crawled onto the bed and sat up against the headboard;"C'mere".

Nolan dragged himself and sluggishly snuggled up to his small lover. Caden guided his head to rest on his shoulder and began stroking his hair. The sweat and gel had mixed, making it a messy mop, so Caden took to smoothing down complitely. His other hand wordered to Nolan's stomach and rubbed gently. Nolan whined but pulled the hand back when Caden stopped.

"Oh, Does this help?", he obliged. Nolan's abs were rock hard from cramps and strain and it couldn't feel pleasent.

"Aha", Nolan shivered and huddled closer.

"Hey are you cold?". Caden's worry was growing greately. Sure the midday heat had died down since their date but it was still warm and most certainly not chilly.

"A little. Must be some draft. Ouu... hurts", Nolan cried out and broke out in cold sweat.

"Fuck I forgot how bad this feels. Had the stomach flu when I was 7 but that's about it. No upset stomach since then", he recounted.

"Well poor little Nolan", Caden teased and kissed Nolan on the cheek.

"Shut up", Nolan chuckled. Caden was happy to see him cheer up. After a fit of muffled giggling and like some little kids and "oh drop it" and "sorryyy" here and there, Nolan sighed and stared into space all melancholy.

"I guess all those classes and courses and lectures about food safety and foodborne illnesses they had us take weren't for nothing"

"Well what did they they teach you?", Caden was eager to know what was making his very healthy and frankly very protective boyfriend so, so sick yet let him, Caden, stay and care for him.

"Food poisoning or foodborne illness is caused by consuming food products contaminated with bacteria, parasites or other toxins and can range from mild to life-threatening", Nolan started as if he was giving a lecture, "Anyways, I seem to have to deal with the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The most common and 'harmless' type. Solves itself in a day or two. There's really nothing to do except vomit it out then rest and most importantly stay hyderated", Nolan put great emphasis on the last part. "Meds like Pepto Bismol can also be taken to ease the symptoms".

"So Pepto, more water and naps", Caden counted with his fingers and nodded. He got up to get the medicine and to refill Nolan sportsbottle.

"You can put that on", handed Nolan the t-shirt.

-

Caden found the hot-pink Pepto bottle and brought it to him. Nolan, who now had the shirt on, downed the pink liquid and washed it down with the cold, refressing water. After giving the bottles to Caden, he hummed relieved and laid down on his side, curling up a little.

"Naptime", he informed.

"Okay", Caden smiled warmly and stroke Nolan's messy hair until he was comlitely asleep.

With Nolan comfortable and sleeping, Caden figured there wasn't much to do but wait and hope for the best. He took his laptop from where it was charging, desiting to work on a few papers he had write for university before the summer break started. Before doing so he texted to Jasper:

Caden thanked him and put the phone aside.

He leaned over and pecked a kiss on Nolan's forehead.

"Schlaf gut, mein liebling", he whispered.~♡

☆~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~☆

Ps: also tagging @rachthecool who wanted to see this prompt in action (or a variation)

[dontreadthistrashgarbage]

Pt. 10 (end)

Guerin had gotten the all clear from Charlie, so she headed home with Seyoon and her newest addition, a three month old samoyed puppy that she named Eneoji. She explained to Wow that the name was inspired by HEET but it was also apparent the name was appropriate for the boundless energy contained in the body of the still growing pup.

They both played with her and Guerin gave a demonstration on the training style she would be using with her puppy by teaching her to sit. Seyoon turned out to be very lenient on his criteria for success. Within three attempts Eneoji had learned to con treats out of him for free before Guerin jokingly banned him from teaching her anything.

Eventually Eneoji went into her crate in the bedroom and fell asleep, allowing Guerin and Seyoon to rest against each other on the bed. Both of them were quiet in their own thoughts as they absently stared lovingly at the sleeping puppy.

"I'm sorry." Seyoon said finally.

Guerin looked at him, puzzled, "Why?"

"For Eunkyung. Earlier." His expression was blank with a hint of stress in the corners of his mouth.

"Oh... you don't need to be sorry for that." Guerin shrugged. He looked at her cautiously and she smiled at him reassuringly, "You didn't do anything wrong. And I can't hold you accountable for others actions."

He looked down at his hands, "I should have done more to dissuade her before it escalated."

"Did you ever give her reason to think you liked her?" Guerin asked.

He looked thoughtful, "She was one of our makeup artists. We were all friendly with her. It could have given her the wrong idea."

Guerin scoffed, "It would be unreasonable for me to expect you to not be friendly with people. If someone develops a crush on you it's on them. If they choose to act on that crush it's still on them. What can you do, go around being rude to people?"

Seyoon's expression was still blank as he looked up at her, but his lines had softened. "I expected you to be upset. I feel like I've always been told that girlfriend get upset over stuff like that."

Guerin shrugged, "I trust you. If I didn't I wouldn't date you, the doubt would be too exhausting."

He still hadn't smiled, so Guerin pulled out the big guns. "Seyoonie. Seyoonaaaah. I like you. Kim. Se. Yoon." she said in a high voice, pushing into his shoulder with balled up hands. Wow was surprised into laughter at her sudden aegyo attack and pulled her pouty face into his chest to protect himself from further attacks.

"Yaaaaa." He moaned, feigning distress, "I wasn't ready for that." He pinched her cheek.

She winked and shot finger guns at him in response, "But I like Yoonie so much."

He pushed her away, clutching at his chest and rolling to end up face down at the edge of the bed, kicking his feet and then not moving at all.

She finally broke and started laughing, climbing over to him and shaking him, "I'm sorry I'm sorry don't die please." She pulled his limp body over and he flopped along, staring vacantly at the ceiling before spazzing and feigning a seizure. She laughed and moved away from his flailing limbs until he stilled again.

"Oh noooo, I killed my boyfriend." She sighed and lay next to him, "What a shame. There was so much I still wanted to do with him."

He suddenly rolled so he was over her, grinning seductively, "What kind of things?" He asked.

She licked her lips instinctively as her chest tightened in response to his sudden proximity, betraying her attempt to seem nonchalant, "Oh... you know..." her English slipped out as her brain failed her for a moment, "Going grocery shopping. Taking a trip. Meeting each others families."

"Ah, those kinds of things." He leaned in closer, "Is that all?"

Her breath hitched and her words completely failed her. All she managed to do was shake her head.

"What else?" He asked, his tongue peeked out from the corner of his full lips as he teased her, grin still in place.

She decided words were for chumps, reaching up she pulled him down into her kissing him intensely, tangling her legs with his and pressing her body up against him as much as she could. He returned her fervor, using one of his hands to push her shirt up, exposing her bra. She took his hand and placed it on her breast encouragingly, inviting him to escalate. He broke away from her mouth kissing down from just behind her ear.

"Seyoon." She managed to gasp.

"Mm." He paused and pushed himself up to look at her.

"Do you..." she started.

"I have condoms." He stated eagerly.

She laughed as a knee jerk reaction, "Good to know, and I'm on birth control anyway. But I guess that does answer my question." She pulled her shirt off and started working on his.

"What was the question going to be?" He kept his head enough to he curious.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to have sex tonight." She smiled up at him, patting his chest, then rolling so she was straddling him.

"Yes." He went to hold her hips but she took his wrists and pinned them up by his head as she looked hungrily down at him.

"Thank god." She moved down to capture his mouth with hers.

Woojin had carted HEET to Guerin's favorite park by the Han river where they met up with Charlie. Guerin was intentionally a couple minutes late and hiding to make sure everyone was there before her, fully equipped for a playdate with Eneoji. Once she was sure everyone was there she snuck up as quickly as she could. She was about ten feet away when Charlie spotted her and gave up the ghost.

"Oh my god! Guerin what is that?" She demanded in a high pitched voice. The rest of the group turned curiously to see Guerin approaching with her new puppy. Eneoji was bounding along fluffily by Guerin with heart stopping cuteness. The reactions were varying degrees of excitement with one exception. Minhwan was surprised but looked nervous and hung back as the others surged forward.

Eneoji darted around everyone, clearly excited as they all tried to pet her. She moved so fast the ones lucky enough to touch her had brief encounters at best. Guerin hung back, watching everyone with a grin, holding the end of the long lead she had put her puppy on.

"Everyone, this Eneoji!" She said. The boys all sounded off in approval, happy to have been the inspiration behind the name.

"She must be our mascot!" Gabriel said as Eneoni had finally stopped running long enough to squirm into some enthusiastic petting from him.

Guerin laughed, "We'll see how she likes the idol life."

Everyone eventually settled to the ground, petting and playing with Eneoji. Seungbin had settled close to Guerin. He had been extra clingy with her since she had returned as their manager, she figured eventually he would feel secure enough to return to normal so she allowed it. While Eneoji flitted from person to person she did still make frequent stops to check on her new mom, often throwing herself into her lap for a few moments before getting up to play with someone else. Guerin encouraged the behavior, often cooing at her new pet, enamored with how adorable she was. What Guerin didn't notice was the increasingly sulky looks Seungbin would throw Eneoji's way each time Guerin's attention was stolen.

Guerin did notice, however, Minhwan didn't try to pet the puppy even once. One time Eneoji started to approach him and he leaned away, reaching out and grabbing Woojin's sleeve for support. Tobio managed to divert Eneoji, unintentionally saving their leader.

"Minhwanie," she got his attention, "Are you afraid of dogs?"

He looked embarrassed, "I don't... know dogs. We never had any or any friends with any."

"That's okay!" Guerin said encouragingly, "Do you want to work on it?"

He looked nervous at the thought, but Woojin then shook the arm that Minhwan was still clinging to, reminding the young man of the fearful reaction. Minhwan dropped his hand, apologizing to Woojin.

"You should try. She's very cute." Woojin suggested.

"Yeah... yeah I can. If noona is going to have her around we should at least like each other." Minhwan nodded tentatively.

Guerin began explaining as best she could in Korean about dog body language, showing how comfortable the pup was, but also showing what it looked like when someone tried to hold her paw. She then demonstrated a quick relationship building training session before asking Seungbin to try one as well so she could talk through how it went with someone Eneoji wasn't as familiar with.

Seungbin went along with it but he seemed to agree out of obligation over an actual desire to participate.

He started mimicking the training the Guerin had shown, teaching Eneoji how to respond to her name, or a sit. The puppy was so eager to work that if he took too long to ask for a behavior she would climb up onto his lap and try to give him kisses or barking and wagging her tail for attention. Seungbin's demeanor changed from annoyed to amused and finally when Eneoji ran in a circle and jumped into his lap he stopped pushing her off and instead hugged her, burying his face into her wriggling fluffy form cooing about how she was too cute.

Guerin had Minhwan try next, seated next to him. He only fed treats and offered gentle touches. He was still nervous by the end of the session but admitted he felt a little better.

"We can keep working on it. It takes time! You did really well I'm proud of you." She rubbed his head and slung an arm around his shoulder as she watched Seungbin sprinting around with Eneoji and, surprisingly, Tobio. All three seemed to have been running from Gabriel who had dramatically rolled onto the ground.

As the sun started to set the group had resettled. HEET was taking group and individual selfies with Eneoji and uploading them to SNS using Guerin's and Woojin's phones. The fandom, Joules, had a strong positive response to the puppy pictures and videos.

"Oh they're here!" Charlie perked up suddenly.

"They...?" Guerin sat up straighter and looked around.

"Yeah, I took the liberty of adding to the surprise." Charlie grinned, standing up and brushing herself off as Guerin spotted A.C.E and Minseok headed toward them in the orange light of the sunset.

"A.C.E Sunbaenim!" Byoungjin had been sitting closest to the women and overheard them. He stood up as the rest of HEET and Woojin reacted, greeting their hyungs. Tobio was holding Eneoji who had started to nap, but she woke up with the movement and recognized Wow. Scrambling out of Tobio's arms she ran over to him who automatically crouched down with arms open and a big grin, giving her energetic body scratches before squishing her face and kissing the top of her head.

Charlie had meandered over to Jun who, despite being distracted, managed to greet his girlfriend. The two groups all exchanged greetings all with a freshly revived puppy introducing herself to the newcomers.

Guerin felt her heart rate increase when she saw Seyoon, and melted at how happy he and Eneoji had been to meet again. After their night together she had to forcibly stop herself from dwelling on flashbacks. Maybe she was projecting but it seemed Jun and Charlie were having similar issues as they kept stealing glances at each other.

"Hi Noona." Seyoon had made his way to her, with his usual alluring smile in place. Chan and Byeongkwan had taken over with Eneoji for selfie time, a challenge given that she was trying very hard to kiss them both on the face any time they moved close to her.

"Hi Seyoonie." She smiled as she battled her one track mind. Guerin was offered a distraction as Minseok approached the two of them with Donghun.

"Noona, can we post our selfies with Eneoji?" Donghun asked.

"That's a question for Minseokie, isn't it?" She glanced to their manager.

"Since HEET already posted pictures with her it would make it pretty obvious that HEET and A.C.E spend unofficial time together. Kim Hyeim approved the pictures but said to ask Han Jisoo first."

"I'll text her and ask." Guerin said, pulling out her phone. She had an inkling that given Jisoo's adoration for Hyeim as well as being able to capitalize on the newly debuted group being affiliated with a successful established group like A.C.E, there wouldnt be a problem. Jisoo's response was a simple approval but Guerin knew her friend was probably secretly stoked.

Jun had the fluffy puppy up pressed against his face for a selfie with Charlie when Guerin shared the approval. The two groups got group photos and paired off for personal SNS accounts. Byoungjin and Chan, Seyoon and Seungbin, Minhwan and Jun, Gabriel and Beyongkwan and Tobio and Donghun all paired together for selfies as well.

Unfortunately as the darkness deepened Eneoji began looking more and more tired so the outing had to end.

"Oppa, do you have to go now?" Guerin overheard Charlie ask Jun. The two had separated from the group that was saying their farewells. Guerin whipped around, catching Charlie's eye. Guerin could only see a little bit of Jun's face, but his shoulders had raised slightly as he responded to the term of affection with a wide smile.

"O P P A??" Guerin mouthed at her friend, unable to resist teasing. Charlie gave a small shake to her head, which of course Jun noticed who then got to see Guerin unable to keep her chill.

"Opppaaaaaa." She wiggled her shoulders at the two of them as she cooed the nickname, "Oppayaaaa. It's dark and oppa should walk Charlie home." She pouted.

Jun looked mortified and Charlie was ready for murder, "Guerin if you don't shut your mouth right now I swear to God there won't even be a body to hide." She threatened in English.

Guerin couldnt help but laugh when she felt a familiar arm across her shoulders, looking over to see Wow as he spoke, "I think it's cute. You could call me Oppa."

Jun snorted in disbelieving laughter and Guerin scoffed, "You? Oppa? Hah. Maybe Daddy if you play your cards right." She winked as Charlie hid her face, ducking behind Jun to laugh. The commotion caused the others to look over.

"Noona? What happened?" Seungbin came over as Seyoon dropped his arm from her shoulder, ears red but grin still in place. Guerin looked into the sweet face of the fifteen year old idol.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just teasing Wowie." She lied badly but she wasn't about to explain daddy kinks to her youngest charge.

Seungbin frowned curiously but didn't press.

Time passed, HEET had made two comebacks and were planning a third soon. Eneoji had debuted as their official mascot, often part of their promotional materials and being featured in their photo books and music videos wearing the neon yellow and white fandom colors. Tobio in particular had gotten an interest in training her with Guerin and had creative ideas about how to include her, but Seungbin and her were particularly inseparable and could often be found napping or lounging together in waiting rooms or recording studios. Minhwan had gotten much more comfortable with her but still wasn't sold on dogs as a whole. Byoungjin and Tobio had written the title track for their third EP that earned them their first win, and Gabriel had come up with the design for soon to be released lightning bolt shaped lightsticks.

Charlie had accepted a full time position at the zoo and moved into her own apartment which made things go much more smoothly for her and Jun.

Sometimes gossip articles and criticisms still cropped up about A.C.E's relationships with Charlie and Guerin, but by and large Choice and Joules supported the groups, who kept working hard, not letting their relationships get in the way of their dream. It helped that the two women were also passionately invested in their careers.

Nothing could be perfect. Guerin and Seyoon were aware that hardship was ahead, they hadn't talked about it at length, but it was looming ever closer. A few days after their one year anniversary the two of them were cuddled up with Eneoji on the couch.

"Guerin." Seyoon said suddenly after a period of comfortable silence. Guerin looked up at him, it was odd that he had chosen to use her chosen name so plainly like that. His expression was difficult to read but some of his personal tics revealed that he wasn't going to be talking about something good.

"Yes Seyoon?" She asked him, sitting up a bit to look at him more clearly, unable to help being somewhat nervous.

"We should talk about my military enlistment." He looked determined and uncomfortable as dread filled her. This explained why he had been so quiet and distracted since their anniversary celebration. "I didn't really want to think about it a lot. But I will be enlisting soon."

Guerin nodded as he spoke, nervously licking her lips and blinking, eyes feeling the strain that threatened tears. She fought to keep her expression neutral but he didn't look up at her.

A million thoughts and scenarios had been plaguing him for a while now, increasing exponentially as he reached 28 and knew he'd have to act soon. On top of the stress of being in the military he had worries about A.C.E, but they had done okay without Chan so he knew they could continue on. Additionally they had increased greatly in popularity, especially internationally. But the uncertainty lay largely in what to do with his relationship with Guerin.

"I think I'm going to enlist in the Army." He added, stalling as he suddenly felt somewhat lost.

"So, that's eighteen months right?" Guerin asked unnecessarily. She had done research and even asked Byoungjin and Woojin about their expereinces.

Seyoon nodded, "It's unlikely I'll get a lot of time to see anyone. Communication is limited too..." he trailed off. Guerin clenched her fists, "It's not fair for me to expect you to wait a year and a half."

"Kim Seyoon if you're breaking up with me I'd rather you not drag it out." Her voice broke as tears started to fall.

His eyes wide he looked at her for the first time since he had started talking. "Break up? Ya, why are you crying?" He asked in shock, "Stop, stop crying." He took her face and wiped her tears away, then pulled her against him.

"Well it sounds like it. You're scaring me." Guerin's voice was muffled as she hid her face in his shirt to disguise further tears.

"I don't want to break up with you. I just... don't want to be selfish and ask you to wait." He said as he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly.

Guerin took a minute to compose herself before pulling away from him to respond. She took his hands and kissed each of them before she spoke, "I want you to be selfish and ask me to wait for you. I want you to ask for letters constantly. I want you to miss me and long for the days you can come back to me. I want you to fight through until you're back in my arms. I want that because that's what I want too. I don't want you to leave me at all but that's not an option so instead I want you to get through it for the future when we're together again. I know I'm going to feel all those things too and it would crush me if you found it easy to be away from me. I want you to be selfish because I am being selfish and if you are too then at least we can get through the suffering together." Her tears had started up again.

Seyoon watched her in silence for her whole speech, helping her wipe her tears as she continued. He waited a beat to make sure she had finished, moving toward her he kissed her lovingly, ignoring the dampness of her face. She returned the kiss, a little desperate from the fear she had felt about possibly losing him.

He ended the kiss slowly, then hand his forehead against hers, "I love you." He confessed. It wasn't new, they had said it to each other, but he felt the moment demanded it.

Guerin smiled and gave him a peck, tears no longer falling, "I love you too."

"When I get back, let's get married." He said suddenly. Guerin sat back in shock. Her emotions were in disarray. The past few minutes had been chaotic but she had gone from believing Seyoon was breaking up with her to this sudden proposal. Was it even a proposal?

"You want to get married when you get back?" She parroted back to him.

"We could get married before I leave, but it would be rushed. If we wait until I get back we can plan a wedding with enough time for our families to both be involved." He said sensibly.

Guerin was gobsmacked.

"I love you. Noona. Go Guerin. Paisley. I love you and I want to keep loving you forever." He said with a big smile. Guerin found it positively cute, but not in an exaggerated aegyo way that the two of them indulged in. It was genuine and pure and sweet and her heart swelled as she looked at the man that she believed to be the love of her life.

She stammered then laughed in shock, "Yes, let's do it. Let's get married."

"Now?" He asked perking up.

"No. Well. Maybe. I dont know! Let's figure it out later. Kim Seyoon I love you, I love you so much." She crashed into his arms kissing him as they laughed through the embrace. Flashes of their possible future with this weird, adorable, dedicated and handsome man went through her mind. The matrimonial thoughts inspired the two of them into a mood shift, until Eneoji awoke to the mess that was her human parents and decided to interrupt the flow by trying to join the laughing couple.

-End-

[400legends]

Of Concerts, Coveralls, and Crowbars (Day 142)

Not a minute after the words "That was really fun!" left Nexus's mouth, the child twitched and fell to the ground, shaking. We all stopped and stared for half a second. "Captain!" I said, "the child is having a seizure. Do something!'

The Cosmic Peanut was already reaching for the med-kit she had on her belt. Requiem knelt and put a restraining hand on the child. "Are you OK?" she said, and immediately her words blasted through the station:

"ARE YOU OK?"

The force rocked me on my heels, but my low center of gravity kept me upright. Others were not so lucky. All around us we heard groans and screams as other people on the station dealt with the aftermath. A loud crash sounded from a distance, and nearby I heard the pop of glass cracking.

"What the frank was that?" said the captain as she pawed through the med-kit contents. She came up with two sticks. "Ahhhhh, this one," she said as she jammed the sharp end of one of one of them into the child's arm. Immediately Nexus stopped shaking and within two seconds, they were breathing normally.

"I think," Requiem said slowly, "that I created some sort of loop when I touched Nexus. Like feedback from a mic."

"We need to go." Iota picked up Nexus and looked around. "We need to go now."

"We need the refrigeration unit," Sara said. "We're not getting through the blockade without the merchant passport, and we won't get that without the Edible Expressions job, and we won't get that without the unit."

"What?" I shook my head in confusion.

"I'll explain later," said CP. "We need an hour."

Iota took a deep breath and then another. "OK. We'll go back to the park." She pushed her way through the crowd milling about in the open area between the Snapple-Dees and the entrance to the marketplace. Some people were holding their heads, blood flowing from their noses or eyes.

"Oh man," I heard someone say, "a kid got hurt. Looks bad." A few heads turned toward Iota's broad back.

"Requiem. Requiem. Sing." I grabbed her arm. "We need a distraction."

With a nod, she tossed her hair back and stepped forward. "Everything is fine," she announced. "We're all going to be OK." And with that, she began to sing.

I heard someone call out, "It's the Handi from the video! Hey! Look!" Someone else yelled, "Splendor!!! Sing the Final Song!" Another voice close by said, "Change your name yet?"

Requiem nodded but kept singing.

"We'll get the refrigeration unit," the captain said to me. "You catch up with Iota."

"I'll buy some sunglasses first. And a hat. Yes, that will be useful for the child." But before I left on the errand, I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of Requiem as she sang to the crowd. I saw that even our waiter had stopped at the doorway to listen.

At the ShopFast I saw sunglasses but then spied a dusty disguise kit with a price tag of 250cc. I had 252cc in my account so I spent 99% of my cash on the kit. The Dark Energy core repairs would have to wait.

I found Iota and Nexus stretched out in the small square of grass at the park. I sat beside Iota. Without sitting up she said, "Some Luonn Tua came by earlier. Wearing the Luos Aven insignia. So we're just napping in the sun. Looks natural, right?"

"Very much," I said. "Nexus hasn't woken up yet? Perhaps that's for the best. I bought a disguise kit. We can at least cover the child's circuitry. There's a washroom over there for privacy. What do you say?"

No sooner had we finished when we got a burst on our comms. "The ship is ready," said the Cosmic Peanut. "Let's meet at the ship."

"No," Sara's voice came quickly. "Remember what Requiem said about that other company attacking the delivery ship. Let's meet at the park and go together."

Iota and I looked at each other in confusion. "Who attacked who?" asked Iota.

"Long story," replied the captain. "We'll explain later. See you soon."

"I just left the galleria," Requiem said over comms. "I'm going to stop at the Black Sheep quickly for potions."

Soon enough our full group was stepping into the departure hanger. I let out a hum of relief at the sight of Malaka's open doors.

"Wait," Sara grabbed the captain's jacket. "Where is everyone? This doesn't look right." She put a hand on her sword hilt.

"Oh shit, ambush." The Cosmic Peanut held out her arms to block us from advancing just a a lanky Piranthi man stepped from behind a tall crate. He wore coveralls with a TT emblem on the breast. He had a joyfruit in his hand. He tossed the red spherical fruit in the air and said, “I hear that you have a contract with Jordie.” Five more Piranthi joined him, each one in coveralls and holding various kinds of fruits in their hands.

“Hey fellas, how’s it going?" the captain grinned. "I love fruit, but this is a rotten spot for a fruit stand. You should try setting up at the Crez, amiright?"

The first man snorted. “Sounds to me like the furry one has the gift of gab. Maybe we're gonna rearrange some incisors before we piss all over you.” He reached behind him and pulled out a crowbar. The others did the same. Before the Cosmic Peanut could react, he swung the crowbar at her. "Taste the fruit of my labors, why dontcha!"

Two others clustered around the captain while the other three came toward Sara and me. "We'll get the little ones," one of them said.

Iota let out a yell and ran past the men with her arms covering the still sleeping child. In a flash she was on the ship.

One of the Piranthi said, "Bresca didn't say nothing about roughing up a kid."

"No names!" growled the tall one as he swung at the captain again.

I'd been distracted by the exchange and suddenly felt a blow catch in my arm pit. The notched end of the crowbar snagged on a now-exposed wire, and I felt a loss of power on my left side. Just then a chunk of cactus flew over my shoulder, and I saw that another of the Piranthi had landed a near-deadly blow to Sara.

The captain picked up a crate and threw it at the two closest to the ship. "Make a run for it. No shame in running!" The crate flew over their heads just as Requiem fired at one of them. Her aim was true and one of the men jerked at the impact.

I activated my shield and reached over placing my hand on Sara's wound. "You're going to be fine," I murmured as healing magic flowed from my hand. "Everything is fine."

I felt, rather than saw, Sara move away, and suddenly she was at the ship's door too. Now there were six Piranthi squared off against me, Requiem, and the Cosmic Peanut. "Captain," I started to say, but then everything went black.

When I awoke, I was stretched out in the hangar bay. Sara was sitting beside me. "We're a few hours from Nova 17. Nexus is fine. We're all fine."