#benson because benson is a good boy who took a girl he just met to an amusement park in the middle of an apocalyptic world just to show tha

[timewontwait]

better late than never, eh?

characters shown:

sonic (sonic & the black knight) mainly for favorite characterization reasons

sun wukong of LMK

benson of kipo & the age of wonderbeasts

spideyman

steven universe

snufkin of moomin valley

[imagine-all-the-imagines]

Casey Novak x F!Reader - Reader is being “protected” by the mafia and when the SVU tries to get her to work with them, the mafia lashes out.

Warnings: Violence, Financial troubles, break ins, threats, blood.

I hope you enjoy!

That morning started like any other. You got up and started breakfast, only to be interrupted by the patter of little feet running towards you. You smiled and turned to see the smiling face of your two-year-old bounding at your legs. Crouching down, you caught the laughing child and spun her around before balancing her on your hip while you continued to scramble the eggs in the pan.

“What do you think, baby? Eggs and pancakes for breakfast?” You asked the little one in your arms.

The girl in your arms giggled again and nodded her head as you set to work getting breakfast finished. When everything was cooked, you set your daughter down in her chair and got the plates together. As you sat down by her and got ready to help her cut up her pancakes, there was a knock at the door. You kissed your daughter’s forehead and went to the door, checking the peephole before cautiously opening the door.

“Hello ma’am, my name is Olivia Benson and I’m with the Special Victims Unit. Were you aware that there’s been a series of break ins in your neighborhood?” The woman in front of you spoke with an official voice.

You were taken aback, “Break ins? Is everyone ok?”

The woman gave you a sympathetic look, “Unfortunately no, there have been a few attacks.”

Shock jolted through you. You had moved to the neighborhood for the safety that it provided. You hadn’t had the best of luck in your past, but this was supposed to be a fresh start.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea. I haven’t noticed anything unusual.” You managed to sputter out.

At that moment, your daughter let out a cry and you gave the officer a guilty look. “I’m so sorry, I have to get my daughter, you caught us in the middle of breakfast.”

Olivia gave you a nod, “That’s fine, go take care of her. But ma’am, if you think of anything, or see anything, please don’t hesitate to call,” she produced a business card and handed it to you.

You nodded and took the card, as you headed back into your house.

As you closed the door, you turned the card over in your hands before placing it on the table by the door and heading back to feed your daughter.

You had only just cut the pancake into a few more pieces when your phone pinged.

Boss: Who was that at your door?

Y/N: The cops, apparently there’s been some break ins around the neighborhood and a couple of people have been attacked. They were asking if I had seen anything.

Boss: I see. Have you seen anything?

You suddenly felt a pit in your stomach. Something didn’t feel right as you typed out your response.

Y/N: Honestly, no. I didn’t know that anything had been happening.

There was a long pause before your phone pinged again.

Boss: Good. I’m glad you haven’t had any issues.

Boss: I need you to come in for a meeting later today. 1:00, at the diner.

Y/N: I’ll see you there.

You turned back to your daughter and gave her a tight-lipped smile as you tried not to show her you were nervous. As you both finished breakfast, you got your daughter out of her chair and placed her in her playroom where she immediately went for the stuffed animals in the corner. While she created her own world with her stuffed animals, you sat in the rocking chair and tried not to think about what was to come that afternoon.

While you were trying not to think of your day, other thoughts started to intrude. Memories of how you met this man started to creep in.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was about three years ago; you had just been kicked out of your apartment due to not being able to pay your bills, and you were struggling. Your parents lived out of the country, and you couldn’t stay with them. Then you found out you were pregnant. That was your breaking point.

He found you when you came into a diner, looking for a cup of tea and maybe something to eat. You needed to warm up, the weather in New York could be unforgiving, and you had to keep yourself going, not just for yourself, but for the little bean growing inside you.

You had gone up to the counter and ordered, pulling out loose change and some crumpled bills to pay the waitress. You enjoyed the warmth of the diner as you waited for your food, unaware of the man in the corner booth watching you.

When your meal came out, you started eating. When you were about halfway done, you felt the presence of a someone sit next to you. You slowly looked up and saw that a man was looking down at you.

“Can I help you?” You asked as you wiped your mouth off with a napkin.

The man gave a short laugh, “Actually dear, I think it is I that can help you. You look like you’re in need of a place to stay, maybe a shower, and a few hot meals.”

You couldn’t deny that sounded nice, but you were hesitant. How could you trust this man, he could be trying to lure you away to cut you up and dump your remains in the river.

The man must have seen the hesitation in your face because he gave a boisterous laugh and smiled at you, “Trust me child, I mean you no harm, I just want to help you in these trying times.”

You rolled your eyes, “My momma always said, ‘Never trust anyone who says, “Trust me.”’ What makes you any different?”

The man looked you in the eye, suddenly very serious. “I never go back on my word. It’s very important to be a man of my word.”

You looked at him and you knew he was telling the truth. You were still hesitant, but you nodded. “I need help. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I lost my apartment, which led to me losing my job. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I’ve been living out of my car. And to top it all off I’m having a kid. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a free clinic to keep myself health, but I can’t do that forever.”

You found yourself telling this man everything. You couldn’t control it, it was basically word vomit, but when you were done, you looked up at him. He was nodding slightly and giving you a sympathetic look.

You suddenly didn’t have an appetite and pushed the plate away. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out money, putting it by your plate. He gently put his arm around you and led you out of the diner and into a very nice car that was waiting at the curb.

The man’s name turned out to be David, and he explained that he was the leader of an underground organization. You later learned this was code for he the leader of the mafia in Manhattan, that fact should have scared you away, but you were being taken care of. You knew that there was illegal activity happening, but you had been promised that so long as you stayed quiet, you’d be taken care of. This meant that you had the best medical attention, you had been able to move into a house, and you were able to raise your beautiful daughter in peace.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

And now you were being called back in by The Boss.

As the meeting time drew closer, you called your daughter’s babysitter and got everything set up for her to come over to watch her while you stepped out.

The knock on your door startled you. There was still time before your meeting, so you knew it wasn’t your babysitter.

Opening your door, you saw the same detective as before, but this time she was joined by a tall, muscular man.

“Sorry ma’am, we were just in the neighborhood recanvasing, and we just wanted to see if you had remembered anything from the past few days.” The man spoke this time, and his voice was comforting, but there was a sense of urgency about it.

Dread hit you like a ton of bricks, and you shook your head quickly. “I’m sorry, I haven’t remembered anything.  Now, please, I have to get ready for a meeting.”

You backed away and shut the door in their faces, turning quickly and going to your daughter. You made sure that she had everything that she would need for her time with the babysitter.

Eventually it was time to go to the diner. You kissed your daughter’s face and said your goodbyes, pausing by the door and slipping the detectives card in your pocket before you headed to your car and left for the diner.

After a short drive, you arrived at the diner and pulled into the lot. Climbing out of your car, you headed inside. The diner was eerily quiet and almost completely empty, minus a few staff and David in the corner booth with a large henchman standing beside the booth. David gestured to the other side of the booth, and you slid in. Taking your place in front of him, you looked him in the eyes and tried to not let your fear be too apparent.

David nodded at you. “I wanted to talk to you about some things that are going on around you. As you are now aware, your neighborhood has become a bit of a hotbed for criminal activity. I want you to know that you are completely safe. No harm will come to you. Some of the boys are just tying up some loose ends, but again, you have nothing to worry about. But, understandably, we’d appreciate it if you could keep it hush hush, you understand right?”

You looked at the man in front of you and gulped, slowly nodding. “I understand. But, why are you telling me this? I didn’t know anything about it.”

David grinned at you, a grin that gave you the heebie jeebies, “Think of this as a test. If you keep the secret, everything will continue to be fine. If you squeal,” he paused, “well, hopefully, you don’t have to find out what happens if you squeal.”

You felt all the color drain out of your face and you nodded again. “Of course. I can keep the secret. My daughter and I, we owe you our lives.”

David gave you a short nod, “That’s what I hoped to hear. You can go but remember what I said.”

You gave David a weak smile and all but bolted out of the booth and out to your car. Frantically, you pulled out of the parking lot and headed to one of your favorite bars, needing a drink after what you had just gone through.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

As you sat at the bar, you looked at the drink in front of you, trying to process what you had just been told. It all was just too much, and you were having trouble processing it. One of your hands rested by the glass while the other fiddled with the detective’s card in your pocket. Knowing what you should do, you found yourself pulling out the card and studying the letters and numbers intently.

Finally, you built up the courage and pulled out your phone, stepping away from the bar you typed in the phone number. After a few moments on the phone, you nodded and headed back to the bar, paying for your drink and leaving the building.

When you arrived at the Manhattan SVU precinct, your eyes immediately found Olivia and you went over to her. She ushered you into a room with another woman sitting at the table.

“Hello, Y/N, my name is Casey, Olivia has already told me a bit about what is going on, but, I’d like to go over it again with you.”

You nodded and sat at the table with Olivia and Casey. Taking a deep breath before telling them everything. By the time you finished telling them what was happening, you were in tears.

Casey reached across the table and gave your hand a squeeze. “With your help, we’re going to catch these bastards, and they’re going to go away for a long time. Olivia and I have already talked about it, and you’ll be getting police protection until this is done.”

You gave her a slight smile and squeezed her hand slightly. “Thank you, I just want this to be over with.”

The two women walked with you to the entrance of the precinct and you thanked them both again.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The last thing you remembered after leaving the SVU was heading back to your apartment. You had been looking forward to seeing your daughter after being away from her all day. You had told the babysitter that you would be home late, but you assured her you would be able to cover her extra time. You opened the door to your house to see nothing but darkness. Calling out the babysitter’s and your daughter’s name with no answer. Grabbing your key and pulling out your phone, you started to dial Casey’s number, then it all went black.

When you awoke, you found yourself in a dark room with your hands and feet bound to a chair in the middle of a room. There was a table in front of you and a large man in an ill—fitting suit sitting across from you.

“So, Miss Y/L/N, my boss was under the impression that we had an understanding. You keep your mouth shut and we keep you and your daughter safe. Imagine how upset our boss was to find out that you were talking to that lady ADA. Tell me, what did you talk to her with?” The man in front of you let out a sickening grin.

“I promise,” you pleaded with the man, “I didn’t say anything about you, they were curious about a string of break ins. Nothing to do with your organization at all. Please, where is my daughter, she and her babysitter were gone. I need to know they’re safe, please.”

The man looked at you, unfazed, as your pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Believe me, miss. Everything will turn up the way it is supposed to be in the end. Just you wait.” The man got up from the table and walked out the door as you struggled against your bindings, pleading for your daughter and her babysitter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When Casey got the phone call from you, she was confused. You had just left the building and you couldn’t have made it very far, so why not just come back inside? She quickly understood why when she answered the phone. She heard you struggling in the background and immediately got Olivia.

The two women quickly rallied the troops and explained the situation. Thankfully, you had given them a list of places that David and his goons liked to do their business, so the team split up to check them all.

Casey followed Liv to her car and got in without saying a word. She needed to help find you. There was something about you that made Casey need to make sure you were ok.

As the Liv and Casey made it to the diner, Casey noticed a torn piece of fabric on a branch around the side of the building. Liv called in for backup and then followed the worn path to the back of the building where the door of a storm shelter sat, unlocked with a rock propping the door open.

Casey heard another car pull in and within moments, Elliot was there beside his partner. Olivia motioned for Casey to wait outside while they ventured into the shelter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

You sat there in the chair, head lolling from the force of so many punches. You could feel the blood dripping from the multiple lacerations to your face. You were certain that your hand was broken, and the clothes you had been wearing were sliced and torn till there was nothing left.

You tried to tell the men that you hadn’t done anything wrong, that all you wanted was your daughter, but somehow, they knew. They had followed you to the bar and then when you went in to talk to Olivia and Casey. They told you that they had bugged your phone, so they heard everything when you had called to schedule a meeting with them.

As another painful round of punches hit your flesh, you swore that you could hear the sounds of someone entering the room before everything went dark.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

When you woke up, you were blinded by the brightness of the room that you were in. After a few moments, the sounds of the machines in the hospital became more apparent. Blinking your eyes, you looked around the room. You nearly burst into flames when you saw your precious child curled up in Casey's lap.

You cleared your throat and spoke quietly, “Sorry about her, she can nap anywhere.”

Casey looked startled and then smiled, “That’s perfectly fine, she didn’t want to leave her mother.”

You gave a small chuckle, “That sounds like my girl. Is she ok? They didn’t do anything, did they?”

Casey shook her head softly, “She’s fine, so is the babysitter. They had them locked in the utility closet upstairs.”

You breathed a sigh of relief, “And David?”

Casey gave you a bigger smile, “Locked up. He won’t be coming out for a long while. Even with all that money.”

You grinned, “Thank goodness, I’m glad I don’t have to look over my shoulder. We need to move forward instead of staying in the past.”

Casey reached over and grabbed your hand. “I think that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

And that’s how Olivia found the two of you when she came to check in on you, holding hands and whispering to each other. As Olivia slowly backed out of the room to avoid being noticed, a smile began to grow on her face. Who knows what will come of that, but Olivia sure wasn’t about to ruin a beautiful moment. 

[waitimcomingtoo]

Where We Start Again - 1

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Synopsis: how do you fake date someone you have real feelings for?

Series Masterlist and regular Masterlist

Playlist by the amazing @tiny-friggin-human

“Did Y/n get a new skirt?” Ned mumbled as he rested his head on his hand. He and Peter watched you as you hung a banner for the school dance, a common lunchtime activity for them. You laughed loud enough for Peters heightened senses to pick up and he smiled to himself.

“No. She’s worn that skirt before. She just usually wears it with tights.” Peter answered as he matched Ned’s position of leaning on his hand.

“Another reason why I love spring.” Ned sighed as you reached towards the other end of the banner.

“You guys are losers.” MJ stated as she glanced up from her book. Peter jumped out of the daze you put him in and looked at her.

“Hey.” He said in defense before returning his attention to you. Even after four years of pining, he never got tired of looking at you.

“I wasn’t being mean. I’m just telling it like it is. In case you forgot, you guys are losers.” She said matter of factly. “Y/n is the most popular girl in school and I’ve watched you drool over her for the better part of four years. While you may think staring at her with a lovestruck expression will magically will her into falling in love with you like the plot of a bad Katherine Heigle movie, you’re only going to give her the feeling that she’s being watched. And girls like that hate being watched.”

“How would you know?” Ned came to his friends defense.

“I’m very observant. She’s also my bio partner and told me she hates being watched.” MJ shrugged and shifted her eyes back to her book.

“Did you hear that, Peter? She hates being watched. That’s so adorable of her.” Ned gushed and let out a sigh.

“Do you talk to her a lot in bio? Is she nice?” Peter asked, curious to know something personal about you.

“She brings me a granola bar every day because she noticed that I forget to eat during lunch if I’m reading. Do you know what that means?” MJ cocked her head.

“She’s charitable.” Peter smiled dreamily and sunk back into his hands.

“I heard she gave a dollar to a homeless person once and he used it to found a company that like, cured eczema or something.” Ned nodded in excitement and Peter hung on to every fabricated word.

“It means you don’t have a chance.” MJ deadpanned. “She’s basically the most perfect human being I’ve ever met. She’s not gonna fall in love with you. You guys are at the bottom of the food chain.”

“I know.” Peter said softly, trying to mask the hurt in his voice. “I just like looking at her.”

“Well quit staring. You look like a stalker.” MJ smirked as she turned her page.

“Dudes, is she coming closer or am I hallucinating again?” Ned patted Peters arm repeatedly until he looked your way. His mouth went dry as you approached his table with a clipboard in your hand.

“She’s coming closer.” MJ confirmed. “Try not to embarrass yourself too much, his royal shyness.”

“Hey, guys. How’s your lunch going?” You asked once you got to the table. Peter and Ned’s jaws dropped as their shared brain cell struggled to find words to say.

“Food good.” Ned grunted out and you let out a laugh.

“Yeah, food is good.” You nodded and looked over at Peter. “Is that a gogurt, Peter?”

“Uh, my aunt packed it. I usually eat big boy yogurt. I mean” he cleared his throat and deepened his voice, “man yogurt.”

“Man yogurt?” MJ grimaced.

“I remember seeing gogurt commercials as a kid and wishing I could dye my hair to look like the pink and blue one.” You smiled softly and touched the end of your hair. “That’s sweet that your aunt still packs your lunch.”

“Well I - - she, sometimes, um - and then she, yeah.” Peter stuttered and shook his head to collect himself. He took a second gogurt out of his lunch box and held it out to you. “Here. She packed me an extra today.”

Your eyes widened like a child as you took the tube from him. He smiled softly at the sight of your excitement and wondered why a random nerd giving you gogurt made you so happy.

“Thank you.” You smiled widely and checked the flavor. “And it’s my favorite kind.”

You and Peter looked at each other for a moment and he felt himself relax. It wasn’t often he got to look at you up close. A lot of his staring was done from afar when you couldn’t see him. Now you were close enough for him to smell your perfume and he didn’t know how to act. He just gazed at you until he heard a chuckled from MJ.

“Hey Michelle. Are you eating or reading over there?” You teased her as you lightly smacked the back of her head.

“I was reading but now I’m watching two dorks struggle to talk to a pretty girl.” She said as she nodded towards Peter and Ned.

“Well I just wanted to ask if you guys were coming to the dance next Friday. I’m head of the planning committee so it’s kinda like my baby. All the details are on that banner over there.” You said as you pointed to the banner behind you.

“Banner good.” Ned nodded eagerly and you laughed again.

“Thank you! I painted it myself.” You told him. “I wasn’t sure about the red and blue but I think it looks all right.”

“I like red and blue, too.” Peter spoke up and you shot him a wink.

“Peter knows his colors!” MJ said in a baby voice. “Do you like trucks and chu chu trains too?”

“Leave him alone, Michelle.” You emphasized her name to taunt her and she stuck her tongue out at you. “Ignore her. She’s not her when she’s hungry.”

Not knowing what to say, Peter nodded and softened his eyes. This was the most he had ever spoken to you, and it was better than all of the conversations with you he had made up in his head. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. He was finally talking to his long time crush and all he had given you was a gogurt.

“I know Michelle isn’t much of a dancer, but what about you guys? Do you think you’ll come?” You brought the conversation back to the dance when you saw Peter struggling.

“Me like dance. Skirt look good today.” Ned gave you a thumbs up and you looked down at your skirt in amusement.

“Dude, you’re talking like a caveman.” Peter whispered harshly.

“Is he okay?” You asked Peter. You pointed to Ned, who was locked in a trance as he stared at you. Drool was begging to form on his lip.

“I think he’s having a stroke.” Peter said honestly.

“I think he might be dead.” MJ added. “Guess he can’t go to the dance either.

“Okay, um, well I hope you can come then, Peter. It should be a lot of fun.” You smiled at him and tapped the gogurt tube against your head. “See you around.”

“Bye.” Peter squeaked as you walked away, keeping his eyes on you until you were out of view.

“Did you hear that Peter?” Ned shook his arm. “She hopes you come! Wait…”

“That was painful to watch. That, that made me itchy.” MJ concluded.

“Did she just ask me out?” Peter whispered to himself.

“Not at all.” MJ tilted her head in confusion.

“But she said she hopes to see me there. She wants me at her dance. And by correlation, she wants me.” Peters eyes widened as he connected the dots.

“This is like watching the scene where the misunderstood character becomes the villain.” MJ feared for Peters sanity.

“I have to go to that dance. I have to see her.” Peter realized as he turned towards Ned. Ned was already staring off in your direction, watching you give your clipboard out for people to sign.

“Look at her. She looks so cute when she’s asking people to come to the dance she planned.” Ned gushed.

“I bet she planned it better than any dance has ever been planned.” Peter fell back into his trance upon seeing your smile as you passed around the clipboard.

“My original statement stands.” MJ sighed and went back to her book. “You guys are losers.”

~

Peter kept a smile on his face as he carried his science fair project to his locker, the warm feeling inside still lingering from your conversation. It only faltered when he sensed Flash coming up behind him, cocky smirk already prevalent on his face. He smacked the books out of Peters hands and let out a snarky laugh.

“What’s up, Penis Parker? Is this your nerd-vention for the science fair? I heard you have a real shot this year since they’re giving extra points to virgins. Let me see how it works.” Flash poker at the lego lamp Peter was holding and tried to press the on button.

“Leave me alone, Flash. Get your raccoon hands away from it.” Peter sharply moved his project away from Flash, shielding it with his hands as he went.

“Come on. I just want to see how your little project works. Don’t I get a sneak peak?” Flash whined as he reached for the lamp again, managed to knock a few bricks off.

“No. You don’t.” Peter snapped, regretting his words when Flash got an amused look in his eyes.

“Did Penis Parker just tell me no? I don’t know how I feel about that. I think I should do something about it.” Flash said through gritted teeth as he took a step closer to Peter.

“Peter!” You came from behind and wrapped your arms around Peters shoulders, making his and Flash’s eyes widen. “I’ve missed you all day. Why haven’t you been texting me back?”

“What?” Peter asked in exasperation as he turned around. You let your hand slide down his arm and took his hand, all while giving him a sweet smile.

“I sent you like a million texts, baby. Did you not get them?” You tilted your head and silently told Peter to go along with it.

“No way. Not possible.” Flash laughed abruptly. “You’re dating Penis Parker?”

“After I practically had to beg him to give me a chance, yeah.” You nodded and rested your head on Peters shoulder. “I still can’t believe we’re together. I can totally see why you guys call him Penis Parker.” You winked at Flash and he started to gag. It took Peter a minute to get the joke but when he did, it made the situation that much better.

“There is no way a girl as hot as Y/n is dating a loser like Freddie Benson over here.” Flash folded his arms and shook his head. “Am I being pranked? Is there a camera around here? Holy shit, am I gonna be on TV?”

“It’s not a prank, Flash. Peter and I really together. Right, baby?” You turned to Peter and brushed some hair off his forehead, something you’d been wanting to do all day.

“Right.” Peter said confidently and you smiled at him for taking the hint. He adjusted his grip on your hand to be more natural, taking notice of the way it fit in his like it was made just for him.

“So you guys are going to the dance together, I assume?” Flash tested. Peter looked to you in a panic but you were unfazed.

“Yep. Peter asked me last night after surprising me with a bouquet of daisies.” You gushed and rubbed Peters arm, pulling away a little in surprise when you felt his incredibly firm bicep. “Isn’t that cute? It’s because he calls me his daisy.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you guys there. Together.” Flash tried to test you but you didn’t back down.

“Yes you will. Bye Flash.” You waved goodbye to him and he scoffed before leaving. As soon as he was out of earshot, you turned to Peter and assessed the damage on his LEGO lamp.

“Did he break it?” You asked as you put your hands over Peters shaking ones to help him steady the board he was carrying the lamp on.

“I’m Peter.” He blurted and you laughed softly.

“We had a conversation an hour ago where I used your name several times. I know your name is Peter.” You told him as you picked up the books Flash had knocked down.

“My last name is Parker.” He nodded, knowing he was blowing it with you but not knowing how to stop it.

“I know that too.” You assured him. “This is really cool, by the way. Did you make this all by yourself?”

“Well, I, yeah.” Peter kept his eyes on his project, finding it easier to talk when he wasn’t looking at you.

“Looks like he knocked this part off. He’s such an idiot some- all of the time.” You corrected yourself. “Is it gonna be hard to fix? I know the science fair is this Friday.”

“No. It’s just legos, see?” Peter put a few red bricks back in their place. “I just have to get Ned to help me glue the pieces down.”

“I never had legos as a kid. My mom thought it would make me a tomboy.” You laughed shortly and Peter noticed a sadness in your eyes. “I uh, I heard you and Ned talking about the Death Star the other day. It sounded pretty cool. Do you have a lot of sets?”

“Not that many. Only 12.” He told you, wondering why you were interested in something like that. He always assumed a girl of your popularity and status would find a LEGO Death Star completely lame.

“12?” You were impressed. “Which ones your favorite?”

“The Ferris wheel.” He answered without thinking. “It has a motor so it really turns.”

“Can I see it?” You asked and he laughed nervously.

“It’s at my house, so…” He trailed off when you nodded like you already understood where it was.

“Do you want to come over?” He asked as more of a question than an offer. He couldn’t think of a single reason that you would want to go to his apartment.

“Would that be all right? I’ve always wanted to play with legos.” You said sheepishly and he opened his mouth in pleasant surprise.

“People are gonna talk if they see us walking home together.” He reminded you and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Who cares?” You handed him his back back and took his hand. “You’re my boyfriend now, aren’t you?”

“I-“ Peter tensed and felt every word he knew leave his brain as he struggled to string together a sentence.

“Hey, relax. I’m only kidding.” You squeezed his hand and he calmed down. “Fake boyfriend, remember? I do want to play with legos, though.”

“I can help you out with that.” He said stiffly and you tugged him towards the doors.

“Come on, then.” You pulled him outside and the warm air hit his face, reminding him that he wasn’t sleeping.

“Okay.” He smiled to himself as he lead you towards his apartment as he held your hand. If you clocked the stunned looks from other students as you passed by, you didn’t show it. Peter was living out his greatest fantasy and you were acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. Determined not to blow this once in a lifetime chance with you, he kept his pace up and fell into an easy stride beside you. You did most of the talking as you walked towards his apartment, which Peter was grateful for. He was able to sneak you past May and braced himself for what could possibly happen next as he opened the door to his bedroom.

Tag List 🏷

@a-villain-vying-for-attention @wendaiii @dorbiksbitch @t-monosapiens-h @badhollandfluff @silteplaittais-toi @thisisthebiplace​ @seasidecrowbar​

[amanda-glassen]

Jerena prompt 13 “You come here often?” “Well, I work here. So I think I’d have to say ‘yes’.”? Pretty Please?

Thanks for the request!!! If you have any other Jerena or baby Cabenson requests, let me know and I'll gladly write it for you.

Staying at the Benson house during spring break and the week before their wedding gave Jamie a glimpse into what it was like for her wife when she was growing up. Her wife’s brother Kyle as the youngest and the only son had little expectations on him other than to carry on the family name. Her younger sister Lexie had always been popular and outgoing. As a blonde hair and blue eyed California girl, their mom considered Lexie the pretty one, and expected that someday she’d get a rich husband and live the life of a Beverly Hills housewife like herself. But Serena－Serena was their gifted child and she was told so since she learned how to read at age two and a half. “Gifted children grow into adults who have constant feelings of inadequacy and self-destructive coping mechanisms,” Serena would tell her. She hated the fact that she was considered a gifted child, but when Jamie saw her wife talking to one of her students the week that they returned to New York, she felt as if that gifted child had grown into a sweet, compassionate, and gifted adult.

When Serena’s student－a boy who appeared to be about 18 or 19－left the room, Jamie took it upon herself to enter her office with a caffeinated treat in hand.

“Hey, beautiful, you come here often?” she asked in an attempt at getting her wife to look up from her laptop.

“Well, I work here, so I’d have to say ‘yes.’” Serena shut her laptop and took off her black-framed glasses. “Plus it says Professor Serena Benson on the door so that’s a dead giveaway.”

“I bring you coffee and you sass me,” Jamie clutched her hand to her heart. “I’m hurt. I really am. This drink is nasty, by the way.”

“Good. That means you won’t drink it.” Serena got up from her desk so she could get the drink from her wife. “I love you and not just because you caffeinate me,” she said before giving Jamie a chaste kiss.

The drink she brought was from a coffee shop on campus typically occupied by professors and stressed out grad students. Serena was a regular there and frequented the coffee shop to the point that the barista asked “Is this for Professor Benson?” as soon as Jamie finished ordering it. It was a medium iced coffee with four shots of espresso, nonfat milk, extra chocolate syrup, and extra hazelnut syrup.

“Damn, Serena, that stuff is like liquid cocaine. How do you drink it and live to tell the tale?”

“I think I’m immune to anything less. Do you want to sit outside?”

The November air was chilly compared to the weather they had just experienced while in California, but Jamie didn’t mind because cold weather meant seeing her wife in cardigans and scarves. Jamie had met some of Serena’s colleagues at the holiday party, but the age difference between Serena and most of her colleagues wasn’t evident until that November day when they were sitting outside on a bench. Unlike her other colleagues who were in business attire, Serena opted for a more casual alternative. She was in a jacquard fit and flare floral dress, an oversized olive green cardigan, and brown ankle boots with her hair in a bun.

“Anyone ever tell you you look like a cross between a hipster and a sexy librarian?”

“Not those who value their lives,” Serena took a sip of her drink. “Thank you for visiting me.”

“Yeah, of course,” Jamie responded. She wasn’t sure if putting her arm around her wife would be a welcomed gesture on campus where her students could potentially see her so she opted to hold her hand instead. “So, what’s the chisme? I heard you were on some people’s shit list.”

“Yeah, that,” Serena smirked. “I decided to add trigger warnings for assigned readings and if there’s something that’s triggering to them then my students have the option of doing an alternative assignment. The old guard thinks I’m some kind of special snowflake, but it’s worth it. My students are all over 18. They’re adults. They know the difference between something that makes them mildly uncomfortable and something that triggers them. When I came back for my senior year, rape scenes were traumatic for me to read. Some of my students are survivors of sexual assault, some are child abuse survivors, some have self-harmed. I don’t know what’s going to be triggering for them, but I don’t want them to be forced to relive trauma because of an assignment.”

Regardless of who was around, Jamie decided to kiss her wife’s temple. “You’re a good woman, Serena.”

“I’m not.”

“You are,” Jamie insisted. “You care so deeply and you’re always looking out for others, like the time we were in line at Target behind a woman whose debit card got declined and you paid for her entire purchase.”

Serena took a sip of her drink. “It was just the decent thing to do. She was all alone with a baby and I remember what it was like to be a new mom and raising a baby on my own. Because of my parents, I never needed money, but I can’t even begin to tell you the countless times other, more experienced moms helped me by giving me advice.”

“How about helping another new mom?” Jamie smiled. “Me, in particular.”

“Kyle just filled me in,” Serena chuckled. “He said Ollie’s fine. She’s playing video games.”

“So she doesn’t have food poisoning?”

“Did you see her throw up or did she just tell you?”

“She just told me.”

“Ahh, that’s where you went wrong,” Serena pointed out. “Unless I see that our daughter has thrown up, she’s not staying home. I’ll ask her to show me and she just says, ‘You’re gross, Mom, and this demeans us both’ and then she gets her little preteen self ready for school. You’re new to this, babe, and until we got married you were her buddy. Now you’re her mom and, as her mom, there’s a few words of advice I have. Don’t let our daughter punk you.”

“Our daughter was not trying to punk me. Olivia is a sweet kid.”

“I know she’s our baby but she’s almost a teenager,” Serena reminded her. “She’s going to spend the next few years trying to punk us, but we have a motto in the Benson family. Punk not lest ye get punked.”

“What is wrong with your family?” Jamie laughed. “What happened to trust?”

“You should know by now that we sacrifice everything for petty revenge,” Serena smirked. “On my way home, I’ll pick up a pizza with extra cheese and extra pepperoni. I’ll get some candy and soda and everything else she can’t resist. If she eats any of it, she’s admitting to lying about being sick to get out of her math test.”

“So you’re going to eat all of our daughter’s favorite foods in front of her while she eats chicken soup and crackers?”

“Pretty much.”

“I take it back, Serena. You are pure evil and it’s an honor to co-parent with you.”

[icyharrington]

Is It Wrong?- THE PREQUEL- Part 1 (Michael Langdon X Reader)

so basically,,,, i took my adhd meds for class this morning, and then suddenly got super inspired to write this, so i figured i couldnt waste the focus and wrote this whole ass thing in a few hours. this is the first part of a 3-part prequel series, which details the events leading up to the first part of iiw! just a whole lot more teen angst, drama, fuckboy michael, and more... there isn’t going to be any SMUT smut for obvious reasons, but in a future part there is going to be some dirty stuff ;) anyway i know this will prob flop but this is the first full length fic i’ve written in months and i had a lot of fun writing it, so ima post regardless ^__^

plot: things are turning upside for you now that the biggest fuckboy in school, michael langdon, is about to become your stepbrother. if you think shit is crazy now, wait til you find out that this is just the prequel 😏

warnings: underage drinking, talk of sexual shit, teen angst, sexual tension, taboo relationships 

wc: 4.2k 

i.

It wasn’t like you didn’t want your dad to be happy.

You did, of course you did.

You’d seen him, engulfed in his loneliness, floating from day to listless day like some kind of cheesy Victorian spectre. Too many times you’d found him alone at night, one hand cradling a glass of sewer-brown liquor, the other thumbing through worn photo albums extracted from dust-ridden shelves in the living room. You hadn’t known your mother well- she’d died back when you were still in diapers, but what you did know was that she’d been a vibrant light in your father’s world that had been unjustly snuffed out in its prime. He was a good father to you, and you knew you made him happy despite the dull ache ever-present in his heart, but it was evident that deep down he craved a companionship you could never provide.

So of course you were glad when he met Miriam. Of course you were glad when you’d seen his beaming smile, sharing the news, with the giddiness of a teenage girl in love, that he’d found somebody. He was practically glowing, that night he’d gone out for their first date. You’d known it’d been special to him, because he’d shelled out a few hundred to treat them both to a fancy dinner; he’d even gotten her a bouquet of flowers on the drive there.

You hadn’t said anything when he’d gushed to you the next day about how he’d found the one, despite having known her for only a week; sure, he was rushing into things, but at least he was happy! And that was all you wanted- for him to be happy.

That was why you were especially crushed when you finally met Miriam’s teenage son, whom your father had briefly mentioned with a passing “he goes to your high school, maybe you know him”.

There were so many boys at your school that it was impossible to guess who your potential stepbrother might be. The prospect that you might know him didn’t bother you too much, though you did think it might be a little awkward upon first meeting, but really what did it matter? A little bit of teenage shyness was a small price to pay for your father’s newfound happiness.

That is, until you met him.

So really, it wasn’t like you didn’t want your dad to be happy.

That wasn’t the case at all.

You just really, really, wished he’d fallen in love with anyone other than the mother of Michael fucking Langdon.

ii.

“Oh, you’re so pretty,” Miriam gushed over a glass of Chardonnay, which had already been defaced with aubergine lip prints around the golden rim. “Gosh, I just wish I had your hair. Mine was fried from years of coloring, so I just chopped it all off!”

You smiled sweetly, observing your father’s glimmering eyes as he hung onto every word that rolled off her tongue, menus still stacked neatly in the middle of the table as you awaited the fourth and final guest. The three of you had been there for fifteen minutes already, and still her son had not arrived.

I guess his study session is running late, she’d explained, after seeing your furrowed brows at her lack of accompaniment. It was the first time you were meeting your father’s new love interest and her son, and you were rapidly growing more and more anxious in anticipation of the big reveal.

Studying, you’d thought, racking your brain. So maybe he’s one of the nerdy teacher’s pet types? You could certainly live with that; there were a great deal of others you could think of who would be far worse to potentially become step-siblings with.

“Thanks, Ms… Mead, did you say it was?”

You weren’t sure you knew of any boys whose last name was Mead; he definitely had to be someone you hardly knew.

“Oh, honey, call me Miriam,” she said warmly, and you nodded, unsure of what to say next.

Miriam was certainly not what you’d imagined your father’s girlfriend to be like, not that you cared either way; she sported short, dark hair with vampy makeup, clad in all black with a tasteful leather jacket to match. She was also a bit older than you’d anticipated, with fine lines adorning her rounded face, but again, none of that mattered to you at all. She seemed perfectly sweet, and you had no complaints about her thus far.

“Okay, Miriam,” you said, feeling somewhat peculiar addressing an adult by their first name, “so, remind me, how’d you guys meet again?”

“Well, it’s a funny story, really,” Miriam chuckled, plucking a dinner roll from the woven basket across from her and dropping it onto her plate. Her dark eyes shifted from you to your father, poising an impeccably groomed raven brow. “Should you tell it, or should I?”

“Oh, you should, definitely,” your father said, sipping his wine.

“Okay, okay. Well, we were in the meat section at the grocery store when we both reached for the last steak on sale. So I looked at him, and I told him- oh my, this is embarrassing- (your dad’s name), you finish!”

Your father looked like he was about to bust out into laughter, and, suppressing a snort, he blurted, “she said she’d cut off my hands if I took it!”

Immediately after the words left his lips, the two fell into boisterous hysterics that ushered forward a few disapproving glances from the stuffy rich assholes at the next table over, and you couldn’t help but laugh a little yourself. Well… she definitely was a character, but as long as your father was being kept entertained…

“Hey mom,” came a sudden, inappropriately loud male voice from behind you, so out of place that you nearly jumped from your seat. “I was helping Dan with the world war three chapter in our textbook, he sucks at geography shit.”

The voice’s owner revealed himself as a tall, blond boy, who promptly slid into the empty chair beside you, chiseled face slightly obscured by the deep shadows resulting from the dimness of the restaurant’s ambient lighting.

This was, indeed, somebody that you knew, and you blinked twice to be sure that your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you.

It took you a few seconds to register the direness of the situation at hand, but once the thought processed in your mind, you about descended into an out-of-body experience.

This couldn’t be.

No way.

No motherfucking way.

You’d never been all too much of a religious person, but in that moment, you found yourself silently begging whatever higher power was out there that this was all just some sick, cosmic prank.

The boy turned his head to give you a good, uncomfortably long look, stupidly perfect mouth twisting into an amused sideways grin, and then he spoke. “Ohh shit, (y/n)? (Y/n) (y/l/n)?”

He spoke your name like it was a punchline, tongue darting out to lick his teeth like a lizard about to gobble up some poor, helpless cricket as you sat there with your jaw unhinged. You were at a loss for words, or at least almost, managing to croak out a pathetic, puny, “Michael.”

“Oh, good! You guys know each other already!” Miriam exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to the complete and utter horror that had just about finished swallowing you whole.

Michael let out a snort, roughly translating to ‘uhh, yeah, not that well… I’d never be caught dead hanging around with someone like (y/n)’, and you grimaced. “Yeah, a little bit. You were in math class with me last year, right?”

You cleared your throat, forcing yourself to regain your composure for fear of feeding into this complete asshole’s already massive ego. Yeah, in fact, you had been in math class with him last year, and, not-so-coincidentally, that very same class had turned out to be the one you dreaded the most.

Michael Langdon was the most insufferable, mind-numbing, self-obsessed asshole that you’d ever had the displeasure of knowing; he was easily the most popular boy in the grade, and it was clear he was fully aware of his own high school bullshit prestige. He was loud, cocky and obnoxious; the type of fuckboy- yes, you knew the word fuckboy was overplayed, but in this case there was no other way to describe him- who’d loudly brag about his sexual escapades in the middle of the hallway to his flock of adoring fuckboy minions. He was an I-don’t-do-relationships type, a U-up-text-at-3am type, a Yo-dude-did-you-see-Zoe-Benson’s-tits-today type, a bro-I’m-so-fucking-baked-right-now type. Just the sound of his voice from across a crowded hallway was enough to make you physically recoil. And the worst part?

Every-fucking-body loved him.

Your complaints about him during lunch would only result in your friends cooing dreamily, as though he were some kind of sympathetic creature that needed babying: But he’s so cute, they’d say, twirling locks of their hair and fiddling with their bracelets. I’m sure he’s not that bad.

But he was that bad, and if they took off their shit-stained, teenage hormone-clouded rose tinted glasses for only a second, they’d see exactly what you saw.

It wasn’t only the students, either. He was able to get away with everything and anything he pleased, whether it be sneaking sips of vodka in a water bottle between classes or ditching class to smoke a joint behind the bleachers. There’d even been rumors that he’d fucked some senior girl in the handicap stall during the autumn pep rally while the rest of the student body was packed like sardines in the sticky-hot gymnasium, subjected to incremental barks from the football coach to scream louder and louder.

How the hell was somebody as pleasant as Miriam the mother of such an incurable douchebag? And how, in all the unholy realms of hell, did your luck get so miserably bad that she ended up with your father?

It was all so fucking unfortunate that you almost wanted to laugh. And you probably would have, if not for the chance that you might puke all over your nice new sweater if you opened your mouth.

“You smell funny, hon,” said Miriam before you could reply. “Was Dan burning incense in his room?”

Oh, god. So she was one of those oblivious parents. You rolled your eyes; it made a lot of sense when you thought about it.

“Huh? Oh. Um, yeah. Incense,” Michael said, before suddenly extending his arm across the table to your father. “Oh shit, how rude of me. I’m Michael. Nice to meet you, man.”

Your father seemed unfazed my Michael’s distinct lack of manners as he accepted the boy’s hand and shook it, and you felt yet another knot twist up in the pit of your stomach as you realized that your father, too, had somehow been cast under Michael’s spell.

“Michael, we talked about this,” Miriam said under her breath, like she was scolding a child who didn’t know any better. “Keep the potty mouth to a minimal when we’re out in public, especially while we’re in such a nice restaurant.”

“Oh, sh…oot, sorry, mom,” Michael said with a faux-sheepish smile, his eyes flickering with amusement despite his supposed remorse. “And sorry to you too, sir. Bad habits.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mike- can I call you Mike?” your father said as they released hands, moving his to rest atop Miriam’s on the cloth-sheathed table. “I remember what it was like being a boy your age.”

You scoffed, loud enough that the table fell silent for a moment, and quickly you disguised it with a cough. Your cheeks went hot as all eyes laid on you, and you frantically scanned your brain for something to fill the silence with.

“So, um,” you said, clearing your throat. “Michael’s, uh, how come Michael’s last name isn’t Mead?”

Fuck. That sounded so fucking stupid. Instinctively, you felt your eyes wander to Michael to see if he was laughing at you, which you hated yourself for; why should his stupid, pea-brained opinion mean anything to you anyway? As much as you wanted to distance yourself from that idiotic, made-up high school hierarchy, you always wound up finding yourself being sucked back in, it seemed.

“Well, my late husband’s last name was Langdon, and since he was kind of a dirtbag, I decided not to keep his name after he passed,” Miriam said slowly, as if taking very careful thought to word herself correctly. You took in a breath; this seemed like a whole new can of worms that you hadn’t meant to open up.

“Hey, c’mon, don’t talk about dad like that,” said Michael, his tone only half-playful, eyebrow cocking as he flashed his mother a knowing look.

“You try being cheated on multiple times, Michael. Then you’ll see that dirtbag is really a nice way of putting it.”

Oh, sure, you thought bitterly. As if Michael fucking Langdon is even remotely capable of understanding someone else’s pain.

You took this as your cue to stand up from your seat, mumbling something about needing to use the restroom before scurrying off in the opposite direction as fast as you could without drawing attention to yourself. If ten minutes with Michael as your psuedo-stepbrother got to you this badly, you could only imagine how awful your life was about to get.

You could only hope that your father would find some reason to nip things in the bud with Miriam, but right now, that appeared to be an unlikely prospect.

iii.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end my shit right here and now,” you griped to your best friend, who sat crosslegged on your bed as you stood idly before your floor-length mirror, arms dangling limply at your sides in an unintentional stance of defeat. Your face was one that you hardly recognized anymore, forehead creased with worry and eyes shadowed by bruise-colored rings from a seemingly endless barrage of sleepless nights; a week ago, your father had gleefully announced his and Miriam’s engagement; you of course, as his loving daughter, had to behave as though you hadn’t just received the worst news of your life, which somehow you’d pulled off (for a second you wondered why you’d never taken up theater, seeing at how convincing your acting could be sometimes). It was like you’d been plucked from the familiarity of your boring, normal world and dropped into your own personally tailored hell without any warning at all, though you couldn’t think of a single thing you’d done bad enough to warrant you deserving this. “The worst person on the planet is about to be my fucking stepbrother and nobody else seems to think this is a big deal!”

Your best friend shook her head, letting out a snort as if any of this was even remotely funny in the slightest. “So your stepbrother is hot and cool and he pisses you off. They literally make porn about that.”

You resisted the urge to take her by the shoulders and shake her until some semblance of sense entered her head, instead shoving your hands into the pockets of your jeans with a loud huff. “Yeah, but this isn’t fucking pornhub, (best friend’s name), this is real life! And I’d rather skin myself alive than sleep with that walking STD.”

“You have a lot more self respect than I do. It’s admirable,” she said, still startlingly calm for your liking, and you were beginning to believe that she’d never understand the mental turmoil you were currently suffering with. “Personally I’d ride him into the sunset, whether he had a herpes dick or not.”

You gagged, shaking your head with adamant disgust. Was she really that fucking horny? “You’re sick, you know that?”

“Sick for diiiiick,” she sang back, batting her eyelashes playfully at you. You turned away, scrounging up every weary shred of self restraint within you not to scream.

“Look, (b/f/n). I’m being serious right now. If you fuck him, or suck his dick, or whatever, I will literally never speak to you again.” Your tone was stern, and you faced her again to see whether your seriousness had computed in the hormonal wasteland that was her brain. There was an extended pause as she blinked at you, tilting her head to one side thoughtfully as she chewed her lipgloss-slick bottom lip.

“I mean, he wouldn’t fuck me anyways,” she finally said, still infuriatingly chipper. “I’m nobody. And he’s, like, royalty.”

“Jesus fucking Christ! I don’t care whether you think you have a chance with him!” You realized too late that you were nearly shouting, so you took in a shaky gulp of oxygen and coaxed yourself to soften your tone. The last thing you needed right now was for people to think you were losing your mind, although sometimes that was exactly what you felt like was happening. “Please, just promise me you won’t? I just need one aspect of my life not to involve him. Please?”

“Okay, fine,” she said, drawing her knees to her chest and settling her chin on top. “If it really matters that much to you, I’ll just shift my thirst to Dan Mott instead. That boy is a fucking snack and a half.”

A wave of almost-relief cascaded over your body, and you closed your eyes, letting yourself become one with this momentary victory.  

One year. Just one stupid, insignificant year until I can go away to college and forget all about him.

If you could survive that much, you told yourself, you’d be able survive anything.

You just hoped that intoxicating spell of his wasn’t strong enough to bring your best friend into his web of bullshit, alongside all the other girls who’d become entangled along the way.

If she did, you’d be stranded, left to run from Michael and his ever-expanding army all on your own.

iv.

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the dreaded date of your father’s wedding ceremony arrived; now you stood amidst a small group of distant relatives at the subdued reception party, seeking refuge from the disturbing thought that, legally, Michael Langdon was now your brother, at the open bar.

You and your best friend had decided to make something of a game out of how many drinks you could finagle from the bartender without any adults noticing, which had ultimately proved to be pointless- an hour into the reception, your father had staggered over with two overflowing dirty Shirleys, thrusting them towards the two of you with a big, sloppy grin on his face.

To say he was in a good mood would be a severe understatement- the man was jovial, and you almost felt guilty for hating the circumstances of his marriage so much. By the raised-brow looks your best friend had been shooting at you all night, you knew she was thinking the same thing: that you were being selfish for worrying so much about yourself when this was the best thing that’d happened to your father in years. And maybe it was true; maybe you’d been so wrapped up in your own teen angst bullshit that you’d willingly blinded yourself from the truth. So, with your father’s beaming face dancing in the back of your mind, you pushed any thought about Michael back to the dredges where they belonged.

Fuck Michael Langdon. You couldn’t allow him the satisfaction of knowing that you were distraught, though you’d surely already made that pretty obvious over the past few months (he’d wasted no time in taunting you about it, seeming to relish in your death glares and eye rolls- hey, future sis! he’d crooned at you as you passed his table in the cafeteria one afternoon, nearly causing you to trip and spill your perfectly mediocre iced coffee all over yourself as his friends cackled like demented hyenas).

I’m not gonna let him bother me anymore.

I’m not gonna let him bother me anymore.

I’m not-

“SIS-TERRRRRR!”

Okay, this had to be some kind of divine test of will.

A blazer-glad arm flung itself around your shoulders and you flinched, immediately jerking away from your intoxicated stepbrother (god, it felt weird to refer to him that way) whose brash motions had sent you both stumbling.

“Getting shitfaced at your mom’s wedding… classy,” you spat, crossing your arms in front of your chest and narrowing your eyes at the blond-haired boy.

He was, admittedly, good-looking (only by conventional standards, of course); his lightly gelled blond hair had long since come undone, now soft and unkempt from hours of attention-whorish dancing, but you thought the disheveled look suited him better anyway (since his whole thing was to look like a grimy, rugged fuckboy, not because you personally found it attractive, obviously). He’d undone the top few buttons of his white top (no doubt the only formal article of clothing he owned), which was now stained beyond foreseeable repair with a colorful variety of liquids, and there was a bead of sweat traveling from his slick forehead to his model-sharp jaw. Even in disarray, he looked good, and you couldn’t help but hate him for it.

“God, you are so uptight,” he said, pale eyes flickering towards the multicolored ceiling in exaggerated annoyance as he dragged out his syllables with leisure. “You need to relax, set up a dick appointment or something. Or pussy appointment, I don’t know what you’re into.”

Your mouth fell open at this remark, too stunned by his vulgarity to even get angry with your friend, who had dissolved into a fit of giggles beside you; it wasn’t that you were some pearl-clutching grandmother- you had no issue discussing sexual matters with your friends, and in fact some would even say you had a perverted sense of humor. But this? This was different: something about the way those words had fallen from Michael’s mouth made you feel dirty.

At your lack of response, Michael flashed a pearly grin that could only be categorized as evil, and he crossed his arms to mimic your stance. “Oh, sorry. I forgot that you’re probably still a virgin.”

He glanced over to your friend, whose feeble attempts to suppress her second wave of laughter had proven unsuccessful, before averting his gaze back to you. “Aw, don’t feel bad, (y/n). There’s nothing wrong with being a late bloomer.”

Then, as if to punctuate his words, he smirked.

Your mouth pressed into a thin line, you felt something like a storm swirling inside of you, winds thick and unyielding and relentless, and you were almost positive that you’d tear him apart once the feeling aligned with the rest of your body.

It was then that the song blaring through the speakers switched to something inappropriately upbeat, each thump of the dance-friendly bass feeling like punches to the gut.

The storm inside you hadn’t been giving way to anger at all; it was sadness you were feeling in your belly, hopeless and humiliated sadness, though you couldn’t quite understand why: he’d made some stupid, generic joke to try and get a rise out of you- what else was new these days? Maybe it was the fact that your best friend was, by her passiveness and obvious amusement at your expense, encouraging his taunts when she was supposed to be there for you. Or maybe the reality had finally, finally sunken in, that this kind of interaction with Michael would now consume your life for the next year.

Either way, it didn’t make a difference, and as if on cue, the familiar sting of unshed tears arrived patiently at the back of your eyes.

All at once you were were dizzy; Michael’s perfect face was doubling and distorting before your eyes, and your friend’s pitched laughter rang like incessant, robotic television static in your ears.

With very last straw of self preservation you could grasp, you said nothing at all, walking away with the dazed sluggishness of a zombie on autopilot.

You considered yourself lucky; soon enough, you wouldn’t have the luxury of walking away at all.

“She’s too sensitive,” you heard your friend say, faintly, in the background of your thoughts.

You didn’t have the energy to wonder why she wasn’t coming with you, much less the energy to chastise her for being a bad friend, which was what you knew she deserved. If she cared more about getting Michael’s attention than preserving her friendship with you, you supposed there was no use in trying to stop her anymore.

He’s like a disease, you thought as you ambled your way towards the bathroom, surrounded by people but yet still so alone. He’s like a disease, infecting everyone he touches.

It was only a matter of time, you supposed, before he got to you, too.

Who knew? Maybe he already had.

tagging some people from my old iiw tag list!: (i’m sorry if i tagged anyone twice, i’m literally half asleep right now cuz i got like 2 hours of sleep in the past 24 hrs lol) @wroteclassicaly @ritualmichael @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26 @trelaney  @kissydevil @sloppy-wrist @michael-langdon-appreciation @ccodyfern @sojournmichael @starwlkers @maso-xchrist @space-princesssss @ahslangdon101 @isabellaserpentiawesson @stupidocupido @bademliimagnum @nana15774 @urlocalgothb @hexqueensupreme @gold-dragon-slayer  @langdonsboots @langdonstrash @fckinsupreme @hisgirlwonder @venusxxlangdon @obsessivenostalgicbaby @kleinegamerin @lambofcairo @kiiteiru @littledemondani @beriveri  @grossgayartist @featherpool-852 @discocalico @cryptid-coalition @nu-tt @diamcndscarred @chocolateandhorror @michaelsfrenchtoast  @sarcasticbxtch20 @ringpop-poppy  @imjustasadhoe @melodylangdon  @codycrazy @perfect-ginger-maniac @baphomet-wears-gucci @bigstudentpatrolbonk @jazzcowgirl @a-n-t-s @langdonsblood @ritualmichael @myluciferiscody @fentycoven @gracebtw @bongwaternation  @king-of-mischief-and-bitchez @hoseokchild @witchywcmans @satanicbimbo @lvngdvns​ @langdonskillerqueen​ @aradevil​ @anemia-doll​ @muralskins​ @funtomimagines​ @mrssgtjamesbuckybarnes​ @our-mrlangdon​ @lotsofhunny​ @sevenwonderwitch​ @horrorstreet​ @kpopmademedo-it​ @naughtygranger​ @codyshands​ @krazycags01​ @skullag​

[hecohansen31]

Hello love, I’d love to request an escort lady!reader with Alfred modern AU with the prompts 24, 32 and 38, please? That’d be lovely! 💕

WARNINGS: Snotty Families, Escort! Reader, Slut-Shaming, Harsh Words, Unprotected Sex (WRAP IT UP, LOVELIES!), Slight Teasing, Dirty Talk.

Many people judged your choices.

But back then you hadn’t had many, finding yourself barely legal and with an enormous college loan to pay.

And nobody wanted to hire a college student, so you hadn’t found much except part time jobs that wouldn’t pay much and would surely reduce you in a stressed mess.

So, when you had heard of the ‘modelling agency’ a fellow roommate had been working at, you had wanted in, soon discovering that it wasn’t much more a cover for an escort company.

Nothing scandalous enough for Olivia Benson to be called, since you’d be paid simply to appear by the side of wealthy men and women, smiling gently by their arm, as they pretended that you were their latest conquest.

Most of them used you to cover up their true relationships or sexual preferences, and some others used you as a ‘revenge partner’ after they had broken up with ‘the love of their lives’.

It never went further than a simple image coverage, although many had offered you more, and sometimes you had been into it, because you had found them attractive and you felt like you had an itch to scratch-

In the end, it wasn’t anything improper, if you thought that you simply acted a role, as in movies.

Still you hadn’t told anybody of your job on the side.

It had been enough simply telling them that you’d sold a few pictures of yourself to a modelling agency, getting the immediate ‘do you have an Only Fan account?’.

And it had also fucked up your entire dating schedule, since many guys would consider your job cheating and none of them were honestly worthy quitting, mostly when you were so close to solving your student loan.

So, the small event you were supposed to attend on Saturday was the last job you’d ever take, glad to finally have lifted off the debt from your shoulder and more than glad to be able to drop this job for a bit.

It might have seemed all glamorous and cool, but it was emotionally and physically draining.

It wasn’t simply getting on with the clients and acting perfectly, but you’d have to make sure to check up with every client, what kind of services they wanted.

Hence that was what you were doing Thursday night, as you picked up your phone, calling your future client.

He hadn’t said much to the agency: he wanted the best one on the market, somebody who was discreet and definitely not tacky.

Somebody who could easily pass as his girlfriend at a family party.

The agency had suggested you, not because you were the ‘best-seller’ but instead of the other girls you had a relatively more low-profile, hence you were suggested in cases of faking a ‘more genuine relationship’.

You still called him in order to check what he truly wanted you to be on Saturday, as you reread the profile form he had left at the agency.

His name was Alfred and although he had taken the family business after his grandfather, he had said he still enjoyed music and played it regularly, although he didn’t publish it, which hinted you that he was a rather shy and meek soul.

It was confirmed by the soft voice that answered the phone.

“Hello?”.

“I am (Y/N)” you presented yourself, trying to be more direct than you could be, since many clients were pretty busy and preferred if you went through your work with your mouth closed “… the girl from the ag…”.

“Oh yeah yeah” his voice was so flushed that you could already see the color of his cheeks, as you pictured the photo you had been given, softly blushing.

He had a softness to his appearance that made him delightfully adorable, and you wondered whether he simply wasn’t interested in girls or all the girls in your generation were blind, for him not to have a ‘girlfriend’ yet.

“… is there anything wrong?” his tone questioned, and from the background rumors, you could hear that he was fidgeting with his hands and decided to put him out of his misery.

“No, don’t worry, Mr. York” you replied, but you were immediately interrupted by him.

“I’d prefer it if you called me simply Alfred” he mumbled, and then he proceeded to explain rushing through the words, as if he thought he had offended you “… I just… I think it’d be more fitting”.

“I am paid to follow every desire of yours, Alfie” you teased him, making your voice lightly sultry as you heard him take a sharp intake at your nickname “… but as I was saying… I am only contacting you to ask if you wanted to program better Saturday’s event”.

“What do you mean?” he asked, as he gulped down loudly, and you couldn’t help but imagine yourself lightly trailing kisses down his Adam’s apple.

“I mean… would you prefer to be casual acquaintances? Or would you prefer to set up a story to follow in order to seem properly engaged?”.

More easily, did he need you for coverage? Or did he need you to convince somebody?

“The second”.

You grinned at his tone, as you softly licked your lips, and were unable to stop yourself from thinking about how sweet he’d have tasted.

From the photo his lips definitely look deliciously soft.

But you had to stay professional.

“Then, Alfie…” you dragged out softly the nickname “… tell me all about yourself”.

You had been extremely surprised when Alfred had told you, he’d be picking you up, on Saturday morning.

It was against the rules, since you were supposed to avoid approaching your client in a closed space or alone, for your own security, but you had doublechecked Alfred York, and the worst sin he had committed so far, was that moustache he wore and the fact that he had cut his long hair.

Gosh, wouldn’t it have been a luxurious experience to pass your hand through them…

Again professionalism wasn’t something you could simply forget, mostly if you thought about how shy Alfred had sounded over the phone, although you had seen many videos and interviews of him, where his shyness completely regressed, making him a strong and powerful man.

You had been ready half an hour before the appropriate picking-up hour, because if there was something else that you had gathered from your phone calls and Alfred’s behavior, was that he certainly didn’t appreciate lateness or imprecision.

And you were known for making your clients happy and satisfied.

He had arrived also early, excusing himself with you for the nervousness and you had quickly met him in his car, because although Alfred didn’t seem a creep, you still wanted to avoid a client knowing where you lived, so you had given him appointment at a small private parking lot.

Not secluded enough, because as you lightly knocked on the expensive car, Alfred almost banged his head against the steering wheel for the surprise, making you giggle, as he immediately got out of the car, to open your own door, as he greeted you stiffly.

And there he took a quick look at you.

He certainly hadn’t expected an escort to look that good.

You could tell it by his face.

You had chosen a simple assemble, since Alfred had informed it’d be a family gathering mostly, informal, but yet ‘rich informal’.

Hence you had worn an oversized coat, with a vintage look to it, whose light color matched the dusty pink dress you had rented, solely for this event, matched with some glorious high heels that were already making you swaddle, but you had stuffed in your care bag a pair of more comfortable shoes.

You usually took a care pack wherever you went, with a change of clothes, comfortable shoes, and panties.

Because that day you weren’t wearing any, due to the tightness of the dress.

You enjoyed the look he regarded you with, a genuine fascination with you, before he lowered softly his eyes, a light blush on your cheeks.

“… glad you liked it Alfie” you mumbled softly, as you slipped inside his car, thanking him with a soft smile, deciding to spare the poor boy, who looked close to overheating.

“I am sorry, for… ahem… I just…” he stammered, evidently at unease.

And if you were good at one thing, it was making your clients feel at ease.

“Don’t worry” you calmly replied “Thank you for picking me up actually, I really appreciate it”.

It definitely seemed to ease Alfred, who finally raised his eyes to meet yours, and you couldn’t help but be fascinated by the light orbs that had the same shade of the clear sky of that day.

“... thank you for doing this” he said, as he gently offered you an hand, and you were surprised by it, but gently clutched his hand, more than happy to adjust yourself in the comfortable seat of the car.

Usually clients weren’t so respectful, treating you as nothing more than ‘a dress to show off’, so you were honestly surprised by his gentleness.

But welcomed it.

He seemed the pristine and proper boy, who got a lot of repressed issues, from what you had been able to gather.

So, if he wanted to act like a gentleman, you wouldn’t have gone against it.

“Anything for you, Alfie” you smiled, as you tried not to think about the fact that you were doing this mostly because you were paid.

Another thing not to do with a client was talking about money.

“I thought we could go through our ‘plan’ “ he asked softly, and you could see that he wasn’t solely shy, but also nervous and this time it was you who reached out for his hand, as he sat down beside you, and you were more than happy to feel again those blue eyes on you “… if you obviously…”.

“We have met a month ago, that is why we have been very private” you recited the part you were supposed to play, surprising Alfred and you smirked at him, gently gripping his hand to bring his attention to your words “… I work at a local newspaper and you were profoundly surprised by an article of mine, and I was profoundly charmed by your looks…”.

“We didn’t talk about this” he mumbled, as your other hand lightly went to his tie, adjusting it and you took in the elegant Tom Ford’s suit, bringing out his elegant image.

“Well… you are quite charming, Alfie” you teased him, as you lightly pulled on his tie, making him face you, as he raised his shy eyes “… and you have asked me to come to meet your family, to try the step further, because we are very much in love, and don’t think that we are rushing in anything”.

“That’s… Gosh… that’s amazing” he commented, sincerely and you couldn’t deny that his genuine charm made you hot and bothered.

“Well the agency didn’t promise you anything less than the best” you replied, winking lightly and this time you didn’t catch solely shyness in his eyes, but also uneasiness, and noted to avoid talking of your true profession.

“… your favorite color is red and you like sunflowers” he commented, after he had calmed himself and you couldn’t help but be surprised that he remembered, since usually clients, even the most respectful like him, didn’t seem interested into getting to know you “… and you are still studying but you have an internship at the newspaper”.

And yeah, then you were brought back to your work.

“Perfect” you mumbled softly, trying not to let your disappointment be heard.

“Are you ready, then?” you were grateful that he asked, and nodded softly, as you moved to use the belt, adjusting it around your body.

“As ready as I’ll ever be”.

You had had many rich clients, but you still weren’t used to the opulence of their homes.

Dresses and cars were something that could be rented, alongside pretty girls for their arms.

But homes… they were less difficult to fake or to rent, even more when Alfred moved through it completely at ease, parking the expensive car, beside a line of vintage cars you couldn’t help but appreciate.

Again he came to you to help you out, mindful of your high heels, as he gently got your bag for you, so that you could adjust yourself on your feet, as he tried not to look at you, but you soon brought him to gently do it, again pulling on his tie.

Getting him much closer than he was used to, because he became tomato red, all over his face and he tried to push himself away, but your grip tightened.

“Remember… we are madly in love” you uttered, releasing your grip, and he seemed to understand it, keeping his eyes on you and you were the one who was hit by the intensity of it, eventually faking to fasten a strap of your high heeled shoes.

As you got out of the car, finding yourself in a driveaway as big as a park, Alfred gently grabbed your hand, although he sent you a soft look to see whether he could or not.

You’d have to certainly compliment his mother on his impeccable manners.

Judith, his mother, was one of the main reasons why he had chosen to confront an agency, he had informed you over the phone a few days before.

She continued on trying to match him up with the daughters of her friends, but every time he’d try to have a relationship outside of her reign, she’d just ruin it.

‘And I don’t really want to date…’ he had added in the car, driving definitely easing him into being more talkative.

‘Can’t blame you for that’ you had huffed and he had sent you a small side-eye look, to try to get you to talk more, and you couldn’t help but feel at ease with the young boy ‘… my line of work doesn’t exactly allow me dating’.

And you expected him to go like ‘oh yeah, I wouldn’t allow my girl to basically prostitute herself’.

But he had simply replied:

‘… I do think that there is always a story behind everything’.

And you couldn’t help but agree more, happy to have found somebody who would have dug deeper than the surface.

But again, Alfie was your client.

No matter how charming he was.

As you arrived at the door, Alfred seemed to have tighten up and you gently brought him closer, hugging him loosely in what looked like a cute attempt to calm a nervous boyfriend, and it succeeded since as the maid opened, she smiled at you both.

“Mr. York, it’s a pleasure to have you here” she welcomed you both inside, asking for your coat and you did your best to smile and thank her, as Alfred lightly reached out for you, almost naturally to lead you in the sitting room, where the family was waiting for the brunch to start.

It was a small celebration for Alfred’s father’s birthday, since Aethelwulf wasn’t a man for much celebration, but it was a also way to get all the family around, since as of late it was rather difficult.

And you were more than happy to be lead gentlemanly by Alfred, who set an hand right on the small of your back, stopping before entering with a look that said ‘I can’t do this’.

“You’ll do amazing, sweetie” you mumbled softly, comforting him as you lead him closer, loosely bringing your arm around his neck and he kept your gaze, before you lightly gave his cheeks a kiss, swiftly moving away and opening the door for him.

There weren’t as many people as you had been expecting, but you had also arrived quite early.

Alfred definitely seemed reassured in only seeing his grandfather and a few more distant relatives beside him.

Still all their eyes were soon on you and you dashed out a charming smile and immediately an older man approached Alfred, coming forwards with open arms and a smile, as he shouted happily.

“Alfred! My favorite grandchild” he smiled, as he brought Alfred in a bone crushing hug, using it to spy you over his shoulder and sending you a soft look “… and you brought a lady friend”.

“She is my girlfriend, grandpa” he mumbled proudly, and for a moment you were surprised that he had managed to be an even better actor than you “… (Y/N), may I present you my grandfather Ecberth?”.

“It’s so so nice to meet you (Y/N)” offered you an hand Ecberth, as his eyes inched on you, taking in your appearance “… Alfred must be a truly lucky guy to have such a beautiful girl, by his side”.

“Ah it’s an honor, Mr. York” you replied softly, as you tried to appear the type of girl, he had taken you to be “… I am glad to finally meet you”.

“Oh, sweetheart” he sent a small look at Alfred “… you have no idea how glad I am to finally meet somebody who makes my grandchild heart beats faster! He is always alone, and I am always worried he isn’t taking proper care of himself”.

You blushed gently, as you feigned innocence and shyness.

It almost seemed as if you and Alfred had changed your roles.

“… we wanted to take it slow, we have been together for only a month but…” you shot an exaggerated happy smile at Alfred, who gently gripped your hand as if it was natural “… Gosh, we have just felt so well together”.

Alfred gently brought you closer, softly delivering a kiss to the crown of your head, and for somebody who had been that nervous before entering the household, he was doing amazing.

“Oh, and you look amazing together!” spoke Ecberth, as he shot a look at Alfred “… where did you two meet?”.

“She writes on a local newspaper for a college internship and I was simply so so interested by her article…” he explained, and you barged in to back him up, joking and giggling.

“… I do think that he was more interested by the picture beside it”.

“Can you blame me?” he retorted, and you almost sighed dreamily at his soft blushing look “… and then I found out she is an amazing writer and honestly so so smart”.

The look on his face spoke almost of a real infatuation.

Ecberth seemed honestly moved by your ‘genuine’ tale and congratulated multiple times his grandchild about ‘finding such a perfect match’.

“… grandfather, where are my parents and my brother?” Alfred shifted away the discourse, since an awkward silence had fallen down onto you.

“Oh, your parents had a little delay, and about Aethelred…” Ecberth’s eyes spoke of an annoyance that you were glad hadn’t been directed towards you “… won’t you give her a tour of the mansion, Alfred? Be a gentleman and show her around, while we wait! You certainly don’t want her to stick with all these mummies?”.

And you were more than happy to be dragged away, mostly when Alfred huffed out a long breath of relief as you were far away from his relatives.

“Gosh, that was…” he mumbled, as you lightly laughed at his confused face.

“… fun?” you completed, as you both erupted in laughter, the sound echoing in the huge rooms you had hidden yourself “… your grandfather seems pretty active for his age”.

“Believe me, he almost comes daily at the offices to know whether we are doing a good job or not”.

You couldn’t help but laugh a bit, Alfred had certainly relaxed himself and you were glad for that because it’d make your job easier.

“… won’t you show me around, then?”.

And he did lead you through the wondrous room of the mansion as you discovered it was even bigger than it seemed.

But it definitely put Alfred at ease, as he shared soft stories with you, and you couldn’t help but picture him as a small and loving kid, running around those enormous rooms, as he imagined stories of knights and warriors.

As a dreamer yourself, you understood his stories.

“Gosh I must be so annoying…” he mumbled, as he lowered his head.

“No, no I don’t mind it” you urged him to continue as you sat down at the small table that was set up in what looked like the fourth sitting room you had passed, particularly curious about the chess pieces set up on it.

Alfred didn’t waste any time in joining you.

“Do you know how to play?” he asked, a small smile signaling he did.

“I took a small course during middle grade” you mumbled, as Alfred set up the pieces properly, brushing away a bit of dust, as you set up a phone timer for the time.

“Ecberth taught me how to play chess” he explained as let you open the dances “… he said it’d help with the business thing…”.

“And little me who thought it was simply moving pieces around” you joked, as you immersed in the game, exchanging information about the other, mostly Alfred talking since not only it was your job to listen, but you didn’t want to let out too much personal information.

Then arrived the fateful question.

You had been talking a bit about the fact that you weren’t lying when you had told Ecberth that you studied in college.

And although Alfred didn’t utter it, you understood from his face that he was asking what, an instructed and smart girl was doing as an escort.

“I took the job at the agency because I had to pay off a ton of student loans, since my parents couldn’t afford my college” you explained, expecting either misunderstanding or pity, but Alfred seemed almost… ashamed.

“I am sorry to hear that” he seemed speaking genuinely and you smiled tightly at him.

“I still managed”.

“… doesn’t it get…” ‘scandalous’ or ‘dirtying’ “…tiring?”.

You couldn’t hide the surprise, because to everyone who had asked you, your job was a fantasy something to transform in dirty and to be used as their own fantasy, but Alfred was genuine in his curiosity.

And you found yourself nodding.

“It is sometimes tiring to carry not solely your trouble, but also others’” you explained, as you dragged a pawn ready to be eaten by his tower, and you could see that he was quite ready to taste his victory “… to act happy when you aren’t, truly and to pretend you aren’t feeling anything”.

He seemed honestly hit by your talking, and raised genuinely his face to meet your eyes, in order to let the message through more easily.

“You don’t have to fake with me, ok?” it was the first time you had ever heard such beautiful words “… if you feel uncomfortable you just let me know, and we can go”.

You were honestly surprised, not knowing how to react at such a lovely gentleness, and were simply able to nod your head, before your usual sultry tone got you out of this mess.

“… you have made me feel nothing but welcome” you softly mumbled.

“I bet you say that to all the boys” he muttered, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Just the pretty ones” you retorted, as you moved your queen to eat his king “Checkmate”.

He seemed shocked and you couldn’t help but giggle as he looked at you almost offended.

“Not used to losing?” you teased him, as you light pushed yourself closer to him, enough to feel his soft breath on your face as his eyes lightly dropped to your lips, wanting to do what you had solely dreamed about since you had first seen those plush lips.

“Not used to beautiful women”.

“Charmer”.

“Alfred!” came the voice of Ecberth calling you and ending your spare of wits “… come! Your parents are here!”.

And you were more than welcome to stop the idyllic moment.

Because if rule number one was ‘don’t talk of money in front of clients’, the second was ‘not to fall in love with them’, even more when you wanted nothing more than quit with that life.

As you walked back in the sitting room, you were joined on the threshold by a stern couple, and hadn’t Alfred told you they were his parents, you wouldn’t have certainly guessed it, even more when the woman turned to you with a stern and reprimanding look in her eyes, whereas the man was definitely calmer although his look was almost nostalgic.

“Here are the lovebirds” called out softly Ecberth and you were sent an even more burningly hateful look from you assumed would be Judith “… my beloved grandchild and a beautiful girl”.

You blushed graciously, trying to appear meek as Aethelwulf seemed shocked, whereas Judith looked like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“… what?” she asked softly, as if she hadn’t heard right, and you pushed it further.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. York” you offered her your hand as you took a step forward.

She seemed confused and sent a pleading look at Alfred who had lightly lowered his face, as if to say ‘please don’t involve me’.

“It’s lovely to meet you” gained points Aethelwulf, immediately accepting your extended hand “… I am Aethelwulf, Alfred’s father”.

“I can see where he got his charm”.

Certainly not from the woman by his side who looked at you as if she could stab you with just the right intensity.

And you were thankful to Ecberth when he suggested you just moved to the brunch, since his stomach was grumbling, but Alfred pulled a halt, asking seriously concerned.

“What about Aethelred?” in fact his brother was missing, and his father was the sole one who looked seriously concerned.

Rule three: don’t get in the family troubles of your client.

“He isn’t coming, I think” mumbled a disgruntled Ecberth, eyeing his expensive watch “… it’s pretty late”.

Alfred didn’t look too convinced, but he wasn’t able to do much, as Ecberth moved in an enormous dining room, followed soon by Judith who kept her eyes trained on you, and you smiled sickly sweet at her, going as far as to lightly kiss Alfred’s cheeks, in front of her.

“… it’s strange…” Alfred whispered softly as you were close, after the small kiss “… Aethelred isn’t one to come late or … not come without a message to explain why”.

Alfred had told you that his relationship with his brother was strained, since he had been chosen as the leader of the family corporation, whereas Aethelred had remained stuck in an inferior (but still pretty successful position).

You couldn’t help but see a truly genuine worry on Alfred’s face, although you had to identify also a bit of guilt in his eyes.

It didn’t seem certainly easy to take on the place which had been destined for another.

“Some people just surprise us, sometimes” you tried to calm him, sitting beside him, as he helped you with the chair, before you softly joined your hands under the table, more to reassure him than as a show for his family.

Alfred didn’t look too convinced, but soon his worry was focused on a particular petty and noisy Judith, and whereas Aethelwulf had insisted you just used a less formal tone with them, Judith didn’t hesitate to make you feel at unease.

To the point where every phrase she muttered seemed a backhanded insult.

And you were almost grateful at the distraction that brought everyone to focus their attention away from you, when the maid rushed in.

Something honestly worried in her eyes and soon Ecberth got up to see what this mess was all about, but the maid was promptly joined by another presence: Aethelred.

And whereas Alfred had this soft and almost feminine charm to him, his brother had the typical trait of any white man, broad shoulders and arrogant look comprised.

He also didn’t seem properly… able to stand on his own, as he shifted on his feet as if to find his balance.

He was obviously drunk.

There wasn’t much to be said.

“Aethelred!” tried to attract his attention Ecberth since his gaze was shifting anywhere except a precise point “… you are here!”.

“And you started without me” commented the drunken man, shooting all of you a skeptic look “… what a nice family I was born into”.

“Son…” tried to attract his attention Aethelwulf, who had also gotten up from his chair “… we were sure that you wouldn’t have come, you were….”.

“I mean… of course you didn’t wait for me…” he mumbled as he came forward, having some insecurities on the stairs, with his feet as he tried to remember which one went first “… your precious golden son is already here”.

He had spat out the words with so much poison that although you weren’t the person they were sent to, you couldn’t help but be annoyed almost hurt, as Alfred also got up, feeling himself called in the situation.

“You are drunk, brother” Alfred muttered, his tone filled with more surprise than judgement “… you shouldn’t be here…”.

“And you should lead the offices?” he retorted back “Why?”.

“It isn’t the right time to talk about this…” tried to usher him Judith, who hadn’t lowered her judgy iron gaze from her older son.

“Shut up, mother, we all know that if it was about you, you would have gladly thrown me out of the family business”.

A heavy silence fell onto the table as Aethelred inched closer as he took in every reaction to his awful speech, and stopped as he saw your face…

… and most importantly your hands linked with Alfred.

And he erupted in laughter.

“Little Alfie brought a girl over!” he exclaimed, before his tone turned to be dark and grimy “… how much did you pay her brother?”.

Alfred honestly faked perfectly the offended expression that flashed on his face.

“Don’t speak to her like that” he hissed through gritted teeth and you couldn’t help but be amazed by how much strength he was putting in making his brother back off of you.

But he certainly wasn’t doing it because he wanted to protect your ‘honor’ (or what remained of it).

“… little brother we all know that you couldn’t pick a hottie like her in a thousand year. You might be mommy’s favorite, but with girls…”.

“I don’t think that you should talk to your brother like that” you muttered, honestly a bit irritated by Aethelred’s speech.

And to show Alfred that you could hold your own battles.

But Aethelred hadn’t had enough.

And he turned his attention to you, licking his lips as he ranked his eyes over your body, before he grabbed a glass of wine and drank a bit gulp from it, some of it dribbling away from his mouth, as he moved to speak to you.

“How much do you want to ditch my brother and get on my own cock? I can promise it’d be a better experience”.

Alfred looked to shocked to reply and before you could add anything, Ecberth thundered.

“You drunkard! Don’t even try to continue that speech!”.

“I am not for sale” you added, as you turned softly to Alfred.

But Aethelred hadn’t had enough, and under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, he threw the rest of the glass wine at you, effectively staining your expensive rental dress, and a bit of your exposed cleavage.

You honestly had gone through pretty everything thank to your job, and being thought as a prostitute certainly wasn’t the worse, but you couldn’t help but be extremely disappointed by Aethelred’s act, who seemed to have suddenly sobered up, as Alfred sent him the meanest look that had ever graced that angelic face.

“… sweetheart” he spoke softly to you, as a rageful tone, promised to rain down on Aethelred “… go to the bathroom, I’ll join you in a few minutes”.

You honestly wanted to stay, because you weren’t no frail damsel in need to be rescued and you thought that to see Aethelred being ripped up to shreds by his brother would have been an interesting experience.

But not only the wine was starting to stick on your expensive rental dress, but also on your skin becoming quite annoying.

And Alfred’s voice didn’t ask for any protest.

You wouldn’t have thought that the shy boy would have held such a domineering tone.

It made you lightly aroused, and you were more than happy to hide yourself in the bathroom, although you stepped behind the huge doors to the dining room to overhear the spar that would be going on.

“… Alfred” tried to catch his attention his mother, but he had had enough.

“Maybe you should think that this is the reason why I don’t bring girls here!” he shouted, honestly exasperated.

“Alfred” tried to call him his brother.

“If you interrupt me one more time, so help me God” screamed loudly Alfred, pointing a finger at him “I honestly don’t give a single flying fuck about the fact that you are drunk! You just fucking called a nice girl a whore! And you don’t even know her…”.

But that wasn’t enough.

Judith moved to calm down her child, but Alfred honestly sent her a look identical to the one she had been sending you the entire day.

“… and please don’t try to act all innocent, as you basically made her feel all uncomfortable with your awful questions” Judith fell in her chair, as Aethelwulf immediately came to check on her pulse and Alfred didn’t deign her of a look, as he moved to exit the table, passing Ecberth and excusing for the situation “… I’ll see how she is feeling and then bring her home”.

And as soon as he move to the door, you rushed in the first bathroom you found, lightly trying to brush away the stains, unable to even fathom how much you’d have to pay to get it replaced.

“… I am sorry you had to witness all of it” Alfred’s voice startled you as he walked in, taking in the shameful mess that your dress was “I’ll buy you a new one”.

“You don’t have to” you mumbled softly “… and believe me… I have seen worse”.

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better” he crouched closer and also grabbed a towel as he softly sent you a light look to ask if he could help you and you nodded, surprised of this soft! Alfred after everything that you had witnessed.

And you didn’t know which version you liked more.

“I don’t lie and I never fake” you joked softly, as you light dipped your neck to the side to let him clean it, as you dabbed your chest, seeing Alfred becoming all red as he accidentally took a look at it “… and don’t worry, you can look”.

“I don’t….” he honestly looked close to choking on his own saliva and you were honestly missing the self-assured Alfred you had met in the dining room “… I wouldn’t want to offend you”.

“You wouldn’t” you promised him, as you decided to give the boy a little treat for the way he was acting so adorably.

And for having defended your honor.

You lightly opened your legs, as you lured him inside them when he came closer to dab at your chest over the fabric and you brought him closer and you softly linked your arms around his neck.

“You don’t have to fake anymore” he stuttered lightly on the last part, and you smiled viciously at him.

“I said I don’t fake anything” you mumbled gently, as you grabbed one of his hands, making him drop the wet towel and pushed it onto your upper leg, to make him feel the smooth skin there “… this isn’t on the contract”.

“I am not…” he seemed honestly on the verge of passing out and you did a step further.

“When was the last time you kissed a girl, Alfie?” you asked him, as you brought your lips closer to ears “… when was the last time you wanted something?”.

He tried to avoid looking at you, but you knew from some other ‘evident’ proof that he wanted you, and it surprised him as you wrapped your legs around him, lightly grinding yourself against the bulge in his pants, as he tried to hold onto your legs, making you giggle lightly when you both lost your balance and fell onto the ground.

And Alfie joined your laugh.

“I thought you were a professional” he shot you a light look, but you didn’t let him shift the attention away from you.

“Oh, I am” you promised him, before you shushed any protest, pressing your lips against his.

And this time you were the one who was surprised as Alfie reciprocated the kiss hungrily, and you had your answer for your first question.

He hadn’t kissed somebody in a long time.

But he certainly hadn’t lost the technique, as his hands traced softly your cheeks in a soft grip, meanwhile he moved gently his lips against yours, at first your upper, lightly tickling it with his tongue, and then the lower one, biting onto it, making you yelp out.

And slowly one of his hands had threaded in your updo, lightly pulling on the elastic in it, letting your hair fall down your shoulders.

And before you knew it, he pushed one hand in the mess of tresses falling down your face as he brought you closer.

And joined your lips in another kiss.

And his hand on your thigh slipped further.

Apparently, he was either a natural learner or he was lying to you.

You didn’t know which would have sounded more outrageous for the perfect prince charming Alfred had presented himself to be.

As Alfred broke the kiss, you found him looking at you with wide eyes.

He had made a rather scandalous discovery.

“You’re n-not ,um, w-wearing anything under that, are you..?”.

“The dress was just too tight” you spoke softly, as you lured him closer to you “… do I scandalize you, Alfie?”.

And a dark look was shot at you, as you realized that you had definitely awakened something inside of him.

And it wasn’t in the slightest something a prince charming owned.

He quickly pushed your hair as he lightly made you move on his lap, as he hiked your dress past your hips, to expose you to his hungry gaze.

He made little effort to get himself out of his expensive dress, discarding the jacket, since it was stopping him from moving freely.

And then he lightly unzipped his boxers, as you tried to catch a small look at his member, but weren’t able to catch nothing more than a simple glimpse, because he gripped again your hair, effectively bringing you to smash messily your lips together in an open-mouthed kiss, as he teased the tip of his fingers against your slit.

Teasingly mapping you out, as his lips tried to gain your attention.

But your mind couldn’t focus properly, on anything.

“… does a professional do this?” teased you Alfred, as he slipped the tip of his fingers inside your wet warmth, testing your wetness “… will you charge me more for this?”.

You couldn’t help but surprised by the Alfred’s transformation and didn’t dare to question it.

“It depends, if you can last pretty boy” you smiled and he smirked back dangerously at you, and before you knew it, he was brushing his blunt tip against your entrance, in a slight ask for consent which you granted lightly battling your fluttery eye-lashes.

And you hadn’t been wrong about the fact that he was quite impressive.

He still let you adjust to its length, as he also moved you closer, meanwhile his legs went to give support to your back, as his hands moved from your hair down, trailing softly till your back, where he sank them down as you teasingly gripped him tighter, signaling him to start moving.

And he didn’t need to be told anymore, starting a languid pace as he pushed inside you, making you feel every inch of him, as he retreated almost completely, slamming with a brutal trust and exiting you damnably slowly.

Leaving you in a state of ecstasy that made you almost brace Paradise, but…

He pushed you to look at him in the eyes, lightly moving your back more upright as he made you face him and those beautiful blue eyes lightly were darkened by lust, but nothing else in him would have signaled the sinful act you were doing.

And Gosh… those perfectly blushing cheeks, reddish enough to make you want to bite at them as ripple apples.

And his lips had swollen due to the constant kisses, making them plumper.

Gosh you wished you owned such lips!

He kept on teasing you, till it got too much also for him and he started fucking you in the earnest, completely changing your positions, as he pushed you down on the cold marble of the bathroom, overcoming you as he came on top of you.

A pleasurable oppression.

And it managed to hit you even deeper, as he lost himself in you.

But it wasn’t enough.

And you tightly grabbed his angelic face, making sure, this time, he was the one who looked at you, as you spoke slowly.

“Aren’t you downright scandalous, Mr. York?” he stilled his hips, sheathing himself deeply against you “… you look like a fucking angel, all good preaches and sweet smiles, but you fuck like a downright sinful devil”.

This seemed enough for him to understand what you wanted.

He pushed himself in with much more strength, no teasing anymore.

“I bet this this is why you don’t keep girls around…” you whispered in his ear as he moved to make your chest meet, between you, closer than it was possible “… they are all little girls that don’t know how to make you feel. You need a woman to make it feel better, don’t you”.

Your teasing seemed to work, because he basically pounded you against the floor, and you were sure you’d have bruises on your lower back.

But you weren’t feeling a single ounce of pain, as you reached your edge, gently helped by a finger of his, that had found again your pearl, attaching to it roughly, as he pushed you into coming.

He lasted a few more thrust after you, but you were solely able to focus on your pleasure, as you arched against the cold floor, meeting his boiling chest.

Both spent, you separated.

The combination of the stickiness of the wine still on your body and your own sweat didn’t make for a pleasurable sensation and you were more than happy when Alfred passed you the wet towel, which it hadn’t fallen down far away from where you had finished your coupling.

“… I came into you” the memory of it, shook Alfred to the core, as he moved to turn to you, catching the glimpse of his seed falling between your legs as some kind of satisfaction filled him, but worry didn’t leave his face.

“I am on the pill” you mumbled “… since I was sixteen, helped with my period and certainly makes this funnier. And don’t worry I am clean”.

The last part of your affirmation didn’t seem to worry him in the slightest.

And as much as you didn’t mind the messy situation down there, actually enjoyed it as you brushed the wet towel over your oversensitive puffy lips, you were struck with another rule broken for Alfie: don’t leave any trace of you.

But it was worth it.

That animalistic and downright outrageous part of him made him definitely one of the best hook-ups you had ever had.

The best, definitely.

But you wouldn’t have told him, or it’d got to his head.

Mostly with the way, after his worries were eased, he told you ‘he had indeed lasted’.

“Yes yes, I can feel that” you reprimanded him.

And you were broken apart from the idyllic memory (and the opportunity for another round) when Judith’s voice called out your names and moved the door as if to enter.

“Mom, stay away!” screeched nervously Alfred, as he shielded you with his jacket, and his mother strangely followed his order, immediately closing the door “… we’ll clean up and maybe join you”.

You shot him a slight look as if to say ‘what do you mean with maybe’.

And he answered it as soon as Judith left, simply mumbling ‘of course’.

“We could ditch this boring party and go to my house” he mumbled, and although he tried to shift his face away from you, you caught the redness of his cheeks.

Do find yourself a man that will fuck you like that and then blush at the sole mention of doing it again.

“Behave” you muttered, as you pushed your dress back to cover yourself “… get me my change of dress in the car, and then you can have fun ripping it off me, once we get home”.

[mastrmiscellaneous]

Son of Smintheus, Daughter of the Forge

Description: It is an average day at the beginning of summer, 2008, until some old nightmares return, with a vengeance.

in other words, two new demigod are introduced to their new reality.

Word count: 6805

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Justin and Lucille Peters were never exactly ones to fit in well with their peers. They always felt different for so many reasons, including their family type, especially for where they lived, a small town outside St Cloud, Minnesota. All they had was each other and their mother, a wonderful woman who made instruments for a living. What made that worse for his family was that Justin and Lucille looked incredibly different, due to their different fathers. Justin was pale and blond, his hair the colour of pure gold, with shining, icy blue eyes, whereas Lucille had darker skin, as if she spent every minute of her life outside, which was far from the truth, with copper brown eyes and bronze coloured hair. Neither of them looked like their mother all that much physically, but it was clear with how they held themselves. The three of them were calm and confident, always wore a smile, and were very people oriented.

However, they still had their problems. Justin had terrible dyslexia, and had a reputation around his peers that he was cursed. You see, people seem to get very sick, very quickly if they upset him. Sometimes it was just throwing up for a few days. other times it was so much worse. obviously, nothing could be traced back to him, so his journey through school was rather simple, but he was always alone, for the safety of others. Sometimes he felt like the curse was real. Luckily, he always had his family. Lucille loved her brother, always wanting to play, and just enjoyed being in his presence. He kept her calm, and made her feel safe, which was rare for her, as she had ADHD, and had a terrible case of red-green colour-blindness. This led to a lot of bullying from her peers, due to her awkward nature and easy confusion when it came to colour. But their mother always offered comfort, and they always had the friendship between them, so they were perfectly happy.

That was, until the first week of summer, when a strange creature appeared, throwing their lives out of balance forever.

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

Justin woke to the sound of his mother knocking on his bedroom door and calling for him to wake up.

“Justin! It’s ten o’clock, wake up!” Sounded her melodic voice. despite the rush in her voice, she still sounded sweet.

“Ok, mom!” Justin called back through a yawn. He sat up and stretched, rolling out of bed, and quickly changed out of his pyjamas and into a pair of blue jeans, a grey t-shirt, and his favourite blue jacket. Stretching and flexing his muscles, Justin trudged down the stairs to the kitchen, where he found his mother, Diana, and his sister, Lucille, siting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Lucille seemed distracted, as always, fiddling with some cuttings of the E-string of a guitar, paper clips, and buttons between bites. Despite the fact she was joyfully playing with her materials, she looked tense, her movements stiff and little shoulders squared. Her copper eyes kept darting towards the window, as if she were expecting someone to be peering in through the window.

“Morning, sleepy head!” Diana teased as Justin emerged from the corridor. He grabbed a glass and poured himself some juice, them prepared himself some toast for breakfast.

“Morning, mom. Hey Lucille!”

The 8-year-old looked up, just realising her brother had arrived, and smiled wide, immediately bouncing on her seat and greeting. She was definitely the morning person between the two. The tree shared pleasant conversation, Justin attempting to wake up quickly, as they were going to be working in Diana’s shop that day.

Diana owned a music shop, selling, making, and repairing instruments of all kinds, and sometimes teaching music. The siblings loved working in the shop, but they had very different reasons for it. Justin loved the music side of it, practicing on the instruments, making sure everything was tuned perfectly, and helping with researching the types and makes of instruments they sold. Lucille, on the other hand, liked the making and repair of instruments. Lucille, despite her young age, is a master with tools, and knows exactly what to do to fix even the worst of damaged goods, making it seem as if brand new. Lucille was a good musician in her own right, but simply preferred the construction of it all. She struggled a little with finding the specific tools she needed, as she was colour-blind, with protanopia to be specific, so struggled to differentiate between the tools, as they were colour coded, so her and Diana had come up with a system and ordered the tools in a very specific way, so they could find everything easily. Everything was in order, and everything had it’s place.

The three of them finished with their breakfast and were fully dressed and ready to leave, out of the door and starting their small walk to the main street of their small town, when Lucille started getting squirmy and clingy. She was grumbling and gripping her mother’s hand tighter than usual, pulling on her sweater with her other hand, and looking around frantically.

“Are you ok, Lucy?” Justin asked, trying to follow her eyes, but they changed direction constantly, so that was pretty much impossible. Lucille replied with a simple concerned groan, and quickly turning her head towards the woods on the other side of the road, nuzzling closer to her mother as they walked.

“What’s wrong honey?” Diana asked, slowing down and kneeling down. The older two believed she was either under or over stimulated, that happened a lot, but the girl was not acting how she normally did. Instead, she appeared... fearful?

“Hear something...” She mumbled, slipping her hands into her sleeves for protection.

Diana sighed and brushed a lock of hair out of Lucille’s eyes. “Honey, there’s nothing dangerous around, trust me. I know you’re on edge because of your nightmare, but you’re safe with me. I’ll always protect you.”

Lucille glanced at the wooded area one more time, but returned her gaze to her mother, who offered her a comforting look. Justin followed Lucille’s stare, just to see if his sister was just being paranoid. He inhaled sharply when, for the quickest second, he locked eyes with a woman, pale as fresh winter snow, with sleek black hair, hiding in the bushes on the edge of the woods. As quickly as Justin spotted the woman, she disappeared, almost as if she dissolved into the shadows.

“Right Justin?” Diana snapped her son out of his daze. “We’d never let anyone take your sister, right?”

“Um, yeah, of course!” Justin smiled down at Lucille, who’s nerves had seemingly fizzled out, as she looked up at her brother with hope. Justin puffed his chest out and put on a brave face, making her laugh. “I will always save you, dear sister!”

Lucille laughed and smiled at her brother, comforted by his protectiveness.

“Alright, not that that’s settled,” Diana stood and took Lucille’s hand. “Let’s get to the shop, we open pretty soon!”

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

The trio spent the day doing average shop work, occasionally seeing to a customer and their needs. Lucille was in the back room, happily fiddling with a broken stand that usually holds about eight guitars. It had been knocked over accidentally by a customer a few days prior, damaging the joints and hooks, so Lucille had a perfectly stimulating job to do for a few hours. Her neatly ordered tools were sitting on her workbench, ordered by type and size. Justin was busy tuning the string instruments that had just been delivered, preparing them to be displayed and sold. Diana was logging the shipment into their system and tying labels with a description, barcode, and price on them. All was good, and all was peaceful.

After a few hours of working, a woman walked into the shop and looks around. She consistently glanced at Justin, who was carefully watching her, trying to think of where he knew her from. She was strangely dressed, wearing a long flowing, silk dress, shining a dark green. That would be fine on it’s own, but she had matched it with a deep purple velvet cloak that trailed down to her ankles, with long, flowing sleeves, and a long pointed hood. She had thin, sleek hair, as dark as the night sky, greased back tight. Her pale skin could be matched with a piece of paper. Her chin was pointed to an abnormal extent, the bridge of her nose wide, reminding Justin of the snout of a cat, and her black eyes were sunken into her head.

Diana finished logging a particular shipment of Benson guitars, and went into the back room to check on Lucille, leaving Justin alone with the strange woman. She saw her chance as the other adult left and she approached the boy.

“Hello, Justin...” Her voice was quiet and raspy, she spoke with an abnormally large and toothy smile, her canines scarily long and sharp.

How did she know his name? Justin was certain he would remember that face. She was certainly familiar, but he could not place it for the life of him.

“Who –”

“My name is Mormo...” The woman hissed, her smile never faltering. Justin stepped back from the counter as she leant over it. Her gnarled, clawed hands gripped the counter tight, her nails digging into the wood and permanently scratching it. “I met you when you were young...”

That’s it. When Justin was eight, he dreamt about a woman with a cat like face and gnarled hands, who would lean over his bed late at night, whispering about him coming with her, how he would have fun with her. She would take him to her world, she would tell him. Luckily, she would disappear every time he called for his mom.

“Mom!” Justin yelled through the shop, panic striking though his voice. He never broke eye contact. He didn’t think he could. The woman recoiled as he shouted, shooting her stare at the door, as Diana rushed through, Lucille close behind. At the sight of the little girl, Mormo’s smile returned, showing off her vampiric fangs. Lucille squeaked and stumbled back, fear enveloping her face. Diana rushed forward towards the counter and pushed Justin behind her with one hand, and placing the other under the counter, seemingly reaching for something.

“You!” Diana raged, her normally melodic voice gruff and furious. “Get away from my children!”

Mormo growled and hissed. “They are wanted by the titan! They belong to him!”

Diana grabbed what she was looking for and lunged over the counter, tackling the creature and pushing her into a line of keyboards, knocking them all over and pinning her to the floor, holding a bronze pointed dagger to her throat. The beast shrieked and, deafening the two children, and thrashed on the ground, kicking and clawing at Diana. She finally gripped the back of Diana’s polo, digging her claws into her back. Diana called out in pain, but kept her form well enough to keep the monster on the floor, away from her children.

“The titan king has called for them! He will receive them, whether you like it or not!”

Mormo dug her claws in deeper and ripped Diana off her, throwing her to the side. Diana hit the wall with a crash, making the bass guitars displayed on the wall crash to the floor, and she dropped the dagger as she slumped to the ground. Mormo rolled to the side and crouched like a cornered animal, hissing at Diana, then stood, slowly, her too-wide smile returning, this time aimed at Lucille, who was half hiding behind the doorframe.

Hell. No.

Justin meant what he said earlier that day. No one was going to hurt his sister on his watch. He let his instincts take over, and vaulted the counter, landing beside his mother, grabbing the dagger and turned towards the creature. Mormo had leapt towards the door with clear intent, but Justin was surprisingly quick. He trusted his instincts, reaching out with his left hand, tensing his fingers into a clawed shape, imagining the pain he wanted to inflict on the creature who hurt his mom and threatened his sister. No one hurts his family. The creature dropped to the floor, choking on air as she kicked and scratched at the floor. Her mouth started to fill with a thick, lumpy, golden liquid, and her eyes started to stream with tears. These tears turned to gold as the creature writhed in pain, choking on her golden liquid, her coughs spraying the liquid across the room. His right hand held the dagger. Before he could think, he marched towards the woman and thrust the weapon down towards her face, stabbing the blade through her piecing black eye.

With a deafening shriek, the monster reached out with her claw and scratched Justin’s bicep. Before his eyes, his old nightmare crumpled to ash, leaving a thick coat of grey on the carpet floor, partially covered by the velvet cloak. Justin’s breath was deep and rapid. His hands shook at what he had just done, and he dropped the dagger in the dust.

“Justin?” The quiet voice of Lucille echoed from the doorway, as she peered out. Her lower lip was shaking, and tears were filling her eyes.

“Lucy... Come here, it’s ok!” He reassured, opening his arms for a hug, and she rushed into the embrace. “We’re ok. I wont let anything hurt you.”

The children heard shuffling behind them and the turned to see their mother shuffling to her feet.

“Mom!” The two cried, rushing towards her. Justin helped her up and guided her to a stool. Lucille sat beside her, hugging her and crying into her side. Diana comforted her daughter, stroking her short bronze hair, muttering comforts to her. Justin rushed into the back room and grabbed the first aid kit, offering to clean the wounds on her back. Diana agreed, trusting her son more than most would expect, but told him to put up the closed sign and put the window cover down so customers would not see. She removed her shirt and hugged her daughter close, wincing at the sensation of the cleansing alcohol whilst comforting her daughter. Justin dressed the wound, it was relatively long, but shallow, so no need for medical intervention, and Diana put her shirt back on. Lucille had stopped crying, but not it was Justin’s turn to be emotional. However, crying was not his response.

“What in the world was that?” He yelled, his voice cracking mid sentence.

“That was Mormo, an Empousa.” Diana sighed sadly.

“Im sorry, what?”

“A creature from ancient Greece. She’s been after the two of you for a long time.” Diana was avoiding eye contact with her children. “Both of your fathers told me she would be.”

“What are you talking about?” Justin’s voice cracked in desperation. Lucille looked between her family members, fear in her copper eyes, her gloved hands gripping her sweater tight. “Our fathers? Ancient Greece? Mom, what are you not telling us?”

“You two are special in some very specific ways. It’s your fathers’ doing. I knew it would happen eventually, but I hoped it wouldn’t be so soon.”

“Mom...”

“We have to go home. You two need to pack. I’m taking you somewhere safe.”

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

After two hours of packing the bare essentials into duffle bags. Justin packed spare shirts, another jacket, jeans, shorts, and pjs, along with his pan flute, a notebook, and his wallet. Lucille packed the same amount of clothes, along with a notebook of her own, some tools, and stray materials to make things with. They both grabbed a blanket, and Lucille took her teddy bear, hugging it close to her chest as she watched her mom pace around the room. As Justin lugged the bags to the car, Diana made a phone call. She spoke in a hushed tone, sounding panicked and upset the whole time. The call lasted about ten minutes. Once she was done, she called the children to the car and they set of on a long journey.

The mysterious trip took all night and all day. Lucille slept with her head on Justin’s lap the whole night, and a good way into the morning. Justin barely slept. He tried to engage is mother in conversation, but she refused to explain what was happening.

“All I can say is it has to do with your fathers…”

That is the only explanation she could muster. Her voice cracked as she spoke, Justin knew not to probe deeper. Therefore, he decided to play with Lucille’s short hair to distract himself, making her nuzzle into his lap and groan a little. The little 8-year-old never failed to make him smile. For the rest of the trip, Justin fell in a chasm between being asleep and being awake. This was not a fun trip at all.

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

“Mom, where are we?” Justin asked. He looked around the area they had stopped. It was a small clearing in the thick pine woods just off the main road, at the bottom of a tall hill. Justin adjusted the straps of his backpack to fit better on his shoulders as his heart started to flutter with nerves. His mother was making sure Lucille was fully awake, and tying her shoes. The little girl looked very scared, hunched over, and hugging her teddy close to her chest. Justin locked eyes with his sister, her copper eyes starting to fill with fearful tears. Diana looked up at her daughter, noticed the tears, and quickly wiped them away, whispering comforts to Lucille as she pulled her out of the car.

“We’re meeting a friend of your fathers. Both of them. He will help you with the recent… problem…” She sounded extremely apprehensive. She squeezed Lucille’s hand and pulled Justin close to her.

“You mean the monster?” Lucille squeaked, hiding her face into her bear. Diana breathed sharply and forced a smile.

“Yes honey. I mean the monster.”

“Mom, we’re in the middle of the woods! There’s nothing around here!”

“We just have to climb that hill. That is where he said to meet him.”

All Justin could think was ‘Is my mom sending us to our deaths?’. She was being so cryptic, nothing like her normal chipper self. She was stiff, constantly looking around. Justin swore he could see tears starting to fill her eyes as she pulled Lucille out of the car. She took her daughter by the hand and put a hand on Justin’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

They climbed the hill, Justin carrying his duffle, Diana carrying Lucille’s, slightly slipped off her shoulder to avoid the wound on her back. The short hike uphill was quiet, only filled by the sounds of the forest, and the laboured breath of the three. They stopped at the peak of the hill, next to a giant pine tree with a golden fur laying at the base, and stood at the base of a wooden arch, with writing carved into the banner. It appeared to be in Ancient Greek, but for some reason, Justin could read it clearly.

Camp Half-Blood...

“Miss Peters! You have arrived!” A man’s voice sounded from a few feet away, making Justin turn. He jumped at the sight of the man. Well, half man. Before him was a pure white stallion, but where the head was supposed to be, there was the torso of a man with shoulder length curly hair and a thick, neatly trimmed beard. “Thank the gods you are all safe.”

“Well, I’d like to keep it that way. If only I could wait...” Diana responded. She was definitely tearing up now.

“You do not have to worry. Your children will be safe here.” The half-man looked between the children, who were staring at him in utter awe. “You must be Justin and Lucille! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

Justin just continued to stare, clear shock on his face as his icy eyes glanced up and down between the two halves of the man. Lucille spoke up.

“What are you?” She spoke with fascination in her voice, slightly bouncing on her feet. The man chuckled and the horse half leant down on it’s front legs.

“I am a centaur, young hero. Half man, half horse.” He smiled a kind smile, He reminded Justin on a wise grandfather. “My name is Chiron. I’m going to keep you safe for a little while in my camp.”

The centaur and three humans conversed for a while, explaining what exactly was happening. Apparently, the Greek myths were real, and their fathers were not just deadbeats, but they were deadbeat gods! Not only that, but this was a camp meant just for kids like them, other children with a godly parent, Demigods. Their mother was going to leave them here for the summer, she would come back for them in late August. Here, they would train to defend themselves against monsters, like Mormo.

Justin and Lucille were wanted by an evil group of people for some unknown reason. Chiron guessed they were particularly powerful. He said he could sense it. That power was desired by someone named Chronos. That was apparently a terrible thing.

This is the summer that changed their lives forever.

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

Diana left her children in the care of Chiron, tearfully saying goodbye to them, and staying at the top of the hill waving them off. Lucille was holding her bear close to her chest, and Justin was gripping her hand with intense strength. Not enough to hurt her, but it was tense. Chiron took them to a large wooden house, and sat them down on a soft, long couch and continued their chat, introducing them to the crazy world they now lived in. Lucille was cuddled into Justin’s side, mostly staying quiet, but occasionally making noise if Chiron made her laugh. Justin was far more serious, keeping a level head. He needed to, or he’d break.

This took all afternoon. The two new demigods were hungry. Luckily, it was close to dinner time now. Chiron had called for an older camper, a boy named Conner Stoll, who was apparently the Head Councellor of the Hermes cabin, where the children of Hermes, the children of minor gods, and the unclaimed kids stayed. Conner introduced himself and took them to the mess hall to meet the rest of the cabin residents.

Justin perched on the end of the crowded table, with Lucille practically sitting on his lap, their meals left untouched in front of them. Justin tried to converse with Conner and Travis Stoll, but there were so many interruptions from the rest of the table that conversation was essentially impossible. Instead, he focused his attention on Lucille. She was nuzzled into his side, quietly playing with a piece of wire she had in her pocket. Justin tried to engage her in conversation, asking about what she wanted to do with her wire, but she could not speak to him. She missed their mom. As did he.

After an hour, the siblings had managed to eat half of their plates, Justin almost forcing food down his sister’s throat so she would not be hungry in the middle of the night. The centaur, Chiron, cleared his throat and dismissed the demigods to the amphitheatre for a sing a long and campfire. That made the siblings perk up a little, Justin liked to sing, and Lucille liked campfires. The atmosphere that announcement brought was full and exciting, which made them more excited as clearly that meant this campfire was going to be fun. Justin took Lucille by the hand when the Hermes table stood and they followed the other campers through the dim evening light towards a classic style, three quarter circle amphitheatre with a large bonfire in the middle, waiting to be lit. as the campers entered the arena, laughing and joking about with each other, the pile of wood burst into flames, a bright yellow and orange colour, quickly growing larger the more campers entered the theatre.

“The fire is controlled by surrounding people’s moods.” Justin’s thoughts were interrupted by the feminine voice of a camper Justin did not recognise. She was beautiful, to say the least. With dark hair, shining brown in the fire’s light, and eyes that were an unrecognisable colour, switching between blue and brown with every flicker of the flames, Justin struggled to think of how he would describe her to people. “The happier the camp is, the bigger and brighter the flames. I’m Silena, Counsellor of the Aphrodite cabin.”

“Urm,” Well done Justin. He snapped back into reality when he felt Lucille pull down on his hand, the way their mom had taught them to do when they needed to snap Lucille back into reality. He finally found his voice and responded. “I’m Justin. This is my sister, Lucille.”

“Well, hello there, Lucille!” Silena’s perky voice made Lucille smile properly for the first time that day. Justin silently thanked the gods that apparently existed for that smile. “And hello Justin. Do you know who your godly parent is?”

“All I know is they’re different guys.” Justin shrugged. “Mom never told us about them.”

“She probably doesn’t know herself, sadly.” She sighed slightly, but her smile never faltered. “It happens a lot. Don’t worry, I have a feeling you’ll get claimed pretty quick.”

At that, the trio turned to the voices of several people, Silena was being called by her cabin, and the siblings were being called by Conner. They bid their goodbyes and went to sit with their cabins. Chiron and Dionysus stood in front of the fire and greeted the campers. Chiron continued to speak, talking about the events of the week. Justin was not really paying attention, he was too focused on holding his sister close to his side, and scanning the pavilion, trying to see where they would fit in. The campers were sitting in eight groups, all with incredible similarities. It was all very overwhelming. What made it worse was when he heard his name.

Chiron’s speech had ended with him acknowledging the two newest campers, which sadly were him and Lucille. Lucille hid in Justin’s arm, and Justin smiled awkwardly, waving a little, as the campers all turned to look at them. Many of the girls cooed at the image of the small girl hiding in her brother’s arm. The boys chuckled a bit at Justin’s awkward behaviour.

“Justin and Lucille Peters, our newest campers, came to us earlier today, escorted by their mother. Let us pray for a quick claiming for the two of you!”

Once Chiron had finished his speech, the sing-along started, orchestrated by the Apollo cabin. it lasted for a long time; it was pitch black by the time they were to go back to their cabins to sleep. Lucille was drifting off by this time, and was leaning on Justin as they stood to walk back to the cabins. the crowd was bustling and thick. That is why it was so obvious when it stopped, and everyone stared at Justin. He was confused at first, not noticing what was happening since he was concentrating on his sister, but he quickly realised there was a bright yellow glow shining above his head. He looked up, seeing an apparition floating above his head.

“What the—” He muttered, then looked around for an explanation. Chiron was the one to give him one.

“Well, it looks like half our prayers have been answered!” He smiled and clapped his hands together. “Praise Justin, Son of Apollo!”

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Justin just squeezed Lucille’s hand. He knew this meant their first night away from their home would be spent separated from each other. How fun.

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

After collecting Justin’s belongings from his spot on the floor, he was escorted out of the Hermes cabin to be taken to the Apollo cabin by the counsellor, Lee Fletcher. Lucille was next to him, looking extremely anxious and upset. Justin hitched his bag over his shoulder and went to stand up, but was lightly tackled by Lucille before he could. She whimpered into his shirt, her shoulders shaking as she hugged him as tight as she could.

Justin was to collect his items and be escorted to the Apollo cabin by their counsellor, Lee Fletcher. He was struggling, as Lucille had caught on to what was happening, and was not letting him. She was attached to his side, seemingly attempting to stop him from moving. The rest of the cabin avoided looking at the scene. The demigods are used to heartbreak, they are used to untimely death, but watching this scared little girl be separated from the only person she knew, from her brother, this was truly heart-breaking.

Justin finished grabbing his things and flung his bag over his shoulder. He attempted to stand, but Lucille is surprisingly strong for an eight year old. It helped her case that Justin did not want to leave her. But sadly, he had to. You have to sleep in your godly parent’s cabin once you’re claimed. Justin couldn’t help but think this was a dumb rule.

“Come on, Lucy, I have to go...” He muttered, half-heartedly.

“No.” Lucille hid her face, holding on to him tighter. Justin leg his shoulders sag and he crouched down, pulling her into a tight, enclosed hug. She almost disappeared in his embrace. He held the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her short hair.

“I’m sorry Lucy, I have to go. Trust me, I don’t want to, but I have to.” He sighed and pulled a way, wiped escaped tears from her eyes, forcing the kindest smile he could. “Don’t worry, I’m only two cabins down, and ill see you in the morning!”

“Promise?” She said quietly.

“I promise.” He gestured vaguely to the other people in the room. “While I’m gone, you gotta trust these people, they’ll make sure you’re ok. They’ll keep you safe.”

“Justin, you coming?” The voice of Conner Stoll echoed from the door. Justin called back he’d be a second, then pulled Lucille into another hug, kissed her forehead, and said goodnight. As he stood, Lucille whimpered.

“I love you...”

“I love you too, Lucy.”

And off Justin went, escorted to the Apollo cabin to spend his first night away from his mother separated from his scared little sister, and in a cabin with a group of other kids just like him. He did not sleep well. He was too worried about Lucille.

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

Lucille watched as her brother left the cabin. As soon Conner closed the door, tears started to flow out of her copper eyes. As she started to cry, She felt a hand on her shoulder, and heard shuffling at her side. She looked up, and locked eyes with a girl about the same age as Justin, with tanned, mocha skin, icy blue eyes, and what Lucille safely presumed was deep brown hair. Her colour-blindness at least let her see dark brown properly. She looked kind, soft, comforting eyes staring at Lucille as the little girl let some tears flow.

“Hey, I’m Clara.” The girl introduced herself. Her voice was calm and sweet, deeper than expected coming from her small, slim frame. She had an accent Lucille could not place, all she knew was that it was not totally American. “It’s Lucille right?”

Lucille nodded, sniffing and wiping her eyes.

“Nice to meet you.” She said, followed with a sigh. “I know it’s scary being her all alone, but you’re safe her. Why don’t you come with me, me and another new kid are gonna play a game before bed. Wanna join?”

Lucille nodded and followed Clara to sit with a boy with shaggy black hair and shining dark eyes. They played a card game called MythoMagic for a while, Lucille struggled a bit, as the attacks were organised by colour, and well, being colour blind is so fun, but she memorised the order they went in. The trio had some fun before sleeping soundly. Lucille found that Justin had left his Jacket on her bed roll. She slept curled up, covered by her brother’s jacket.

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

The next day, Justin arose to a room that appeared to be glowing in the morning light. The sudden change from darkness to light hurt his eyes, the room appeared to be glowing in the morning light. Whether that was because of the bright white and yellow paint covering the walls and furniture, or because the building was actually glowing, he could not tell. He would not put it past this camp to have glowing buildings. He swore the silver cabin across the courtyard (Artemis’ cabin maybe?) was glowing last night.

“Wakey wakey newbie!” Lee Fletcher bounced up to Justin’s bedside, far too happy for this early in the morning. “Breakfast is soon, and I have to show you around the camp today!”

Justin grunted and gave Lee a thumbs up in acknowledgement.

“Not a morning person, huh? Good luck with that.”

At that, Lee went off to get dressed himself. Justin took another then minutes to get himself up, only encouraged by the thought of greeting Lucille. He pulled on an orange camp tshirt and blue basketball shorts, with blue canvas shirts. It wasn’t long until it was time to march their way down to the mess hall for breakfast, and for Justin to see if his sister was ok.

 -----------------------------------

Lucille was woken up by the girl from the night before, Clara. She was told to get dressed, as breakfast would be soon, and Clara gave her a small tshirt coloured a strange greyish yellow, with the words Camp Half Blood on it. The residents of the Hermes cabin got dressed and slowly filtered out to the mess hall, Clara waiting for Lucille as their cabin mates passed them. Lucille was slow, still tired from her late night, and it showed. She was yawning constantly, and her eyes were drooping.

“Hey Lucille, you gotta hurry, we’ll be late to breakfast.” Clara was hungry, but remained calm with the little girl. She knows how she feels, Clara had come to camp alone the year prior. Being young and coming to terms with staying here is daunting. She looked out of the window and smiled as she saw a familiar blonde haired boy exiting the Apollo cabin. “Justin’s outside, we should go meet him before eating!”

That made Lucille perk up. She rushed to put on her shoes, messing up the laces and needing Clara to fix them before they left. Lucille rushed outside and ran to her brother, who had waited outside to greet her. They shared a strong embrace and spoke quietly to each other, Clara waiting behind Lucille as she they caught up. Clara zoned out to give them privacy, focusing on the bustling crowd of campers wandering to the mess hall, until her heard her name being said by the little girl.

“She did, did she?” Justin looked up to her and smiled. Noticing she had zoned out and didn’t hear them, he elaborated. “You comforted her last night?”

“Naí, of course.” Her accent caught Justin off guard. She sounded vaguely European to him, but he could not place it 100%. “I’m not exactly going to let a little one suffer. I’m Clara Ostá, unclaimed.”

“Great to meet you.” Justin stood and smiled at Clara.

The trio wandered to the mess hall, Justin joining his godly siblings at their table, promising to meet up with the girls after his tour of the camp. Clara promised to look after Lucille. Breakfast lasted for an hour and a half. Chiron made an announcement before the campers were allowed to leave and go on with their day, basically explaining that there was something new in the lake, and the heads of the Ares and Athena cabins must come to speak to him. After that, he motioned for them to leave, but everyone stopped suddenly when a red light appeared above Lucille’s head. Lucille looked extremely confused, the red light appearing a dark yellow and blending in with the yellow sunlight, so was near invisible to her. The symbol within the light was a flaming hammer, which apparently shocked one of the tables, as they muttered between each other about her being so small. Chiron broke the silence the same way he did last night with Justin.

“What a pleasant start to the day! Praise Lucille, daughter of Hephaestus!”

The campers clapped for Lucille, the table that was muttering cheered. They must be children of Hephaestus too. As the campers dispersed, a tall, muscular kid, several years older than Justin, walked over to Lucille and introduced himself as Beckendorf, the Head Counsellor of the Hephaestus cabin, and her eldest brother on their dad’s side. Justin, along with Lee Fletcher, walked over to the pair, and Justin immediately congratulated her for being claimed. After some explanation of who Hephaestus was, Lucille got extremely excited. Justin joked that her fiddling with materials and affinity with tools made so much sense now. Clara bid her goodbyes, saying she was going to train, but would meet the two later in the day.

The two Counsellors took the siblings on a tour of the camp together, hyping up all of the training facilities and leisure activities, as well as the classes like ancient Greek, and the Introduction to Myths and Monsters. Suddenly, this whole event was a lot less scary, and so much more exciting. They passed the amphitheatre where sword training was taking place, where they saw Clara thrashing her opponent with immense strength and grace. Justin’s jaw dropped slightly, but he was snapped out of the trance when Lee patted him on the shoulder as they moved on. They stopped at the archery range, where Lee told Justin to have a go, to see how natural his skills were. Lee coached him on how to stand, hold the bow, and draw an arrow without hurting himself. His first arrow was a bullseye. The two counsellors got extremely excited and applauded him. Lucille did too, but she definitely did not know what was happening. She was too busy fiddling with a spring. They had Justin shoot a few more arrows, all hitting the bullseye, before they moved on. As they walked to the forge, where Beckendorf said Lucille would likely spend a lot of time, the counsellors asked what brought them to camp. Justin explained the monster attack, adding on the details of what Mormo said, and how he dreamt of her when she was young. Lee explained the dreams were normal, and what she said was concerning, but she was dusted, so they should be fine for a while. However, when Justin explained how he killed Mormo, thrusting out his hand, and her writhing in pain, the older campers shared a concerned look.

They reached the forge, and Beckendorf turned his attention to Lucille, explaining what they did there. Justin interrupted, explaining that she was colour blind, and Beckendorf acknowledged this, reassuring the Peters siblings that he would do anything in his power to make her experience on the forge more accessible. That made Justin feel better.

“Hey Justin, why don’t we leave these two to investigate the forge?” Lee offered Lucille appeared extremely eager to explore, and Beckendorf seemed trustworthy and eager to introduce her to her siblings, she he hugged her goodbye and promised to see her later.

Lee beckoned for Justin to follow him. He explained that they needed too talked to Chiron, as how Justin defeated Mormos was not a normal Apollo power, and he needed an explanation. Justin was worried about that. Had Apollo made a mistake in claiming him? Was he actually the son of some other God?

Le and Justin appeared at the main cabin, called the Big House. They spoke to Chiron, who had hidden his horse half in a wheelchair, explaining the story of the monster attack in full. The centaur questioned Justin on his past, asking about any incidents involving his emotions and people getting sick. Justin explained the many unexplainable times someone had gotten a headache, or thrown up, or even fainted when they annoyed or upset him. Chiron became quiet and pondered this information for a moment.

“That explains why the titans want you.” Chiron brushed a nervous hand through his hair. He kind eyes turned serious as he stared into Justin’s soul. “You, my boy, are the son of Smintheus Apollo. You have inherited Apollo’s abilities of plague. Children like you only appear once every century. You, Justin Peters, are the Plague Bearer of the 21st Century.”

[sinsiriuslyemo]

If you get a chance could you do like a oneshot of the squad dragging barba roller skating? Doesn't have to be a ship thing but can be if you want. I just think barba complaining about it and most likely falling at some point would be funny lol

“She specifically asked if you would be there, Barba,” Amanda said as she stood behind Rafael’s chair, staring at the back of his head as he fussed with files on his desk. “You cannot disappoint my four year old, I will never let you forget it.”

“You don’t know that she was asking for me, she could’ve been saying bottle. Lots of babies say baba when they mean bottle. Bottle, not Barba,” he replied without a glance in her direction.

Amanda rolled her eyes and took a step to put her beside his chair, laying a hand over the file in front of him. "As much as I hate sayin' it, she's not a baby anymore and she said, and I quote, will Wafa be there?"

"So maybe she was asking if there's going to be waffles," he said, looking up at her.

"Come on, Barba, the rest of the squad is going, too. Why can't you just suck it up and make an appearance for an hour?" she asked again. "Please? For me?"

Rafael sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair, tipping it slightly. "I don't skate. I haven't skated since I was twelve and do you know why?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but he didn't allow for a single syllable to escape her lips.

"Because the last time I wore a pair of skates, I fell on my face and slid into the barrier so hard that the soda cup that someone had left on top of it fell on me. Only the cup wasn't filled with soda, it was filled with brown spit because some idiot had been using it as a chewing tobacco spit cup. Oh, and the fall also broke my nose, all of which happened in front of the girl I liked. So pardon me if I'm not eager to have a similar incident, where I could very well hurt myself worse."

"Okay, so you don't have to skate this time, just come to the party. No skating for you, I get it," Amanda replied. "I doubt Fin will wanna skate either, somehow he doesn't strike me as the skating type. Just come. Please?"

Rolling his eyes, Rafael pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before shifting his eyes back to the blonde detective. "You're not going to stop until I say yes, are you?"

Amanda grinned sweetly. "You know me so well, Wafa."

"Ugh, fine. Fine. But I'll only stay long enough to see her blow out her candles," he replied, pointing a finger at her and fixing her with his stare.

She held up her hands in mock surrender. "Fine."

"I suppose I'll need to stop and get her a gift, what does she like these days?"

"She's been obsessed with The Muppets lately," she offered with a smile.

Rafael couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips. "She has good taste."

"I know it," Amanda replied as she reached the door. "Who knows, you might even have fun."

"I wouldn't count on it," he replied with a smirk. 

She smiled back. "Be there at noon and don't be late."

He narrowed his eyes. As if he had ever been late to anything in his life. Rolling his eyes, he took out his phone to put a reminder in for himself to get Jessie a present on his way home. 

                                                       ☆☆☆☆

Walking into RollerJam USA, where dozens of kids of all ages were running around like lunatics, Rafael looked around for a familiar face. Any familiar face. Finally spotting Amanda and Liv on the opposite side of the rink, he sighed to himself and started to make his way over, gift bag in hand. He stopped walking just in time to avoid two teenagers, running with skates on adjacent to the direction he was going. Clearly they either hadn't seen him or didn't care who they ran over as long as they got to the massive, enclosed tan floor where people were skating to the music blaring from the speakers in the ceiling.

Rolling his eyes, he continued his journey around the perimeter of the rink. He had almost reached his colleagues when a young lady, who couldn't have been more than sixteen crashed into him, her cup containing a chocolate milkshake getting crushed between their forms. Rafael held his hands out on either side of him, staring down at the thick, freezing, light-brown slush that was splattered all over the front of his shirt. When he looked up, he became even more irritated to find that the girl didn't have a drop on her.

"Oops," she said, wincing as she looked from his shirt to his eyes. "My bad."

Rafael clenched his jaw and glared until she scurried away from him, and rolling his eyes again, he charged towards Rollins and Benson.

"Oh God," Liv said as she caught sight of him. 

Rollins turned around to follow her boss' gaze and her eyes widened when they fell on the chocolate-covered ADA. "What happened to you?"

"Teenagers," he growled through clenched teeth.

"Let me see if I can find you another shirt," Liv said, walking away as Rollins stepped closer to him, trying to fight off a laugh.

"Are you okay?" she asked as he handed her the gift he'd brought for Jessie.

"Just peachy," he growled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was gonna be so busy this early," Amanda replied as Liv came back with a clean, white tshirt, handing it to Amanda. "Would you keep an eye on Jessie for me? I'm gonna take him back to the party room so he can change."

"Yeah, of course," Liv answered, giving Rafael an apologetic look. 

Amanda took him by one elbow. "Come on, it's this way, you can change in there. Everyone's out on the rink, you'll have privacy."

He sighed and let her lead him towards the back of the establishment, into a private room that was decorated with muppet characters and streamers. In the center was a long table with a throne-like chair on one end and balloons tied to each arm. On one wall was a huge TV, playing a baseball game.

"Here, come on let's get this off you," Amanda said, reaching for his buttons. 

He swatted her hands away. "I can do it myself."

She held up her hands and took a step back. "Just trying to help."

"Who knew that coming into an establishment that fills kids with sugar and then gives them roller skates would end with me getting chocolate all over my Brooks Brothers shirt," he snarked as he unbuttoned his shirt

"I'll get it dry-cleaned for you, Barba," Amanda replied, handing him the clean shirt once he'd gotten his soiled one off.

He snatched the t shirt out of her hand and pulled it on. It was a snug fit to say the least, but he was thankful that he was at least in decent shape. It wasn't until he looked down at the front of his fresh shirt that his annoyance emerged anew. He glared up at Amanda, who had one hand over her mouth as she stared at him. 

On the front of the shirt was a Unicorn with a long, lavish purple tail, standing on it's hind legs, it's head turned and mouth open, a rainbow of colors coming out. Beneath the design was the phrase, Get to Skatin', Don't be Hatin'.

"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned.

"It makes your arms look sexy," she offered with a slight bob of her shoulders. 

"I look. Like a complete. Idiot."

"Come on, it could be worse, Barba," she said just as Carisi poked his head into the room. 

"Hey, Rollins, Jessie was wanting a milkshake. S'it okay if I get her a small one?" he asked before his eyes fell on Rafael and Carisi grinned. "Oh hey, Counselor, glad to see you could make it." He looked down at Rafael's shirt. "Hey, that's a great shirt, I thought for sure you'd show up in Brooks Brothers."

"Carisi, yeah, that's fine, she can have a shake. Can you give us a minute?" Amanda asked.

"Oh yeah, sure no problem. Hey, either of you guys want one? Barba?" he asked, looking from Amanda to Rafael.

The ADA clenched his jaw as Amanda put a hand against his chest before she addressed Sonny.

"No. Thanks, Carisi. We'll be right out," she said.

Sonny nodded and left them alone. 

"You know, I'm not typically one for violence but his stupid face looked like it could use a good punch," Rafael mumbled.

"Oh stop it, you know he's like a big kid a lot of the time," Amanda replied, looking down at his shirt again and straightening the hem.

"And someone gave him a badge and a gun?" he quipped.

"Look, just please make the best of the situation. At least until Jessie can see that you came for her," Amanda replied.

Looking up at her with gentle eyes, Rafael reached his hand to tangle his fingers with hers, thumb carefully stroking the skin between her first and second knuckles.

"I didn't just come for her, you know," he replied, taking a careful step closer.

She met his eyes, her fingers closing around his naturally as she gently shook her head, a smile creeping onto her lips. "We said we weren't gonna do this again."

Before he could answer, the door opened again and their hands pulled apart as all the kids, along with the party host came bounding inside.

"Okay, everyone have a seat so we can start passing out the pizza!" the host said with a big smile.

"WAFA!!" Jessie bellowed, running into Rafael to hug his waist.

"Hey birthday girl," he replied, not missing a beat and picking her up into his arms. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah!" the little girl answered with a grin.

"Good, that's what I want to hear," he replied, setting her down and watching her run to her seat at the table. Turning back to Amanda, he sighed heavily before he moved to step around her. "I meant what I said, I'll stay till the cake and then I'm leaving."

"Okay," Amanda replied, nodding.

"Hey, Barba, nice shirt. Is it laundry day?" he heard from behind him and turned to see Fin grinning at him while Liv rolled her eyes.

"Fin..." Amanda shook her head.

"Alright, I was just messing around," Fin replied in a chuckle.

Rafael rolled his eyes and went to stand beside Liv as she settled Noah into a chair. The curly-haired boy grinned up at him. "Hi uncle Rafa!"

"Hey kiddo," Rafael replied, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'm glad you decided to come," Liv said, smiling at him. "I'm sure Jessie is, too."

"Yeah, well...I couldn't exactly justify not showing up on her birthday," he replied, folding his arms over the ridiculous shirt he'd been forced to wear. At least he wasn't cold and sticky anymore.

"Kids remember the little things," Liv said. "When she gets older, she'll remember you as one of the strong males in her life."

Inhaling through his nose and all but oblivious to what Olivia was saying, Rafael watched Amanda help Jessie fold her pizza, like a proper New Yorker. He smirked when he remembered the time he had been the one teaching Amanda how New Yorkers ate pizza.

"I never thought you, of all people, would be showing me how to fold a pizza," she said in a laugh.

He smirked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you don't look like the type to eat pizza," she answered. "Why do you do this again?" She crinkled her nose as blue eyes met his.

She had just witnessed him allow a defendant to choke him with his own belt earlier that day and after he had talked to the press outside the courthouse, she had worked up the courage to ask him if he cared for a celebratory drink. Having noticed her accent, he had recommended getting pizza instead. He hadn't yet eaten and there was a shop not too far from the courthouse. 

Amanda wasn't usually one to date ADAs, but this one...this one, after watching his prowess in the courtroom and the way he stalked in front of the witness box as though he had full control over the mind of anyone who sat in it was enough for her to make an exception. Besides, it was one case that he had been working with them. It wasn't as though he would transfer from Brooklyn--she barely knew him, but he seemed more than content there.

"It's just easier. New York pizza slices are simply too wide to hold it flat. Folding it ensures you don't lose any of it to gravity," he replied, placing his index finger in the center of the crust and using it to press down while his thumb and remaining fingers folded the slice in half, holding up the slice in front of her. "See? And now you get equal parts dough and topping with every bite."

Corner of her mouth curling upward, Amanda rocked forward and took a bite, making sure to allow her bottom lip to brush against his thumb. "Hm," she hummed, chewing the perfectly greased pepperoni pizza. "That's good pizza."

"Hey Counselor!" Rafael blinked, turning towards the sound of Carisi's voice. "You want some pizza?"

The ADA glanced at Amanda and could swear he saw a brief smile stretch her lips as a barely-noticeable pink hue came to her cheeks.

"Sure, thanks, Carisi." 

After everyone had had their fill of pizza, the host brought out the cake, turning off the light and allowing the candles to guide her way towards the birthday girl while everyone else sang happy birthday. Rafael couldn't help the way his heart melted at the look of pure joy on Jessie's face as she looked around the room at everyone. Taking a big, deep breath, she puffed out her little cheeks and blew out the candles, which was followed by a round of soft clapping as the party goers cheered for her.

"Okay, you guys can go back out to skate if you'd like while we cut the cake," the host said, clearly an expert at hosting children's parties.

"Alright! Let's go kids, last one out on the rink is a rotten egg!" Carisi cheered with a grin, looking back at Rafael. "Hey, Counselor, you coming?"

"No, I don't skate," the ADA answered.

This seemed to offend the birthday girl, who pouted as she looked at him. "Wafa, please? Will you skate with me?" 

"Aw, honey, Rafa can't," Amanda said, stroking her daughter's hair. "But mommy'll skate with you."

"I want Wafa, too," Jessie whined, her little eyes filling to the brim with tears as she directed her expression back to the prosecutor.

Rafael narrowed his eyes, though couldn't help the smirk that planted itself on his lips. 

"Please, pleaaasseee," Jessie begged, bouncing in place. 

The ADA rolled his eyes as he exchanged a glance with Amanda, who was looking at him apologetically. "Okay, fine. Once around the rink and that's it, okay?"

"Yaay!!! Jessie screamed at the top of her lungs, running to go put her skates back on. 

Amanda stepped closer to murmur in his ear, "You don't have to."

He bobbed his shoulders. "It's her birthday."

She smirked and nodded once, turning her face away from his. "Well, let me come out with you guys to make sure she doesn't try to go too fast."

"You, in skates?" he asked with an arched brow as they walked to the booth where they could procure skates.

"Sure," she answered with a smile. "All you gotta do is remember what it's like to be young again "

"Oh, is that all?" 

"Yeah, think you can remember back that far?" she teased.

"Very funny," he mumbled around a smirk as they reached the booth and asked for skates in their respective sizes. "If I break my nose again, I will never let you forget about it."

"You'll be fine," she replied.

"WAFA!! MOMMY!! HURRY UP!!!"

"Sounds like she's ready to get this party started," Amanda mused, looking over at Rafael as she tied her laces and stood. "You ready, Counselor?"

He sighed heavily, looking out at the tanned, glossy floors as though they were a tightrope over a fifty foot drop. "I guess." Carefully, he stood, Amanda keeping her hands held out towards him in case he needed her to steady himself. 

"Okay, now just carefully--"

"--I know how to skate."

"If I remember correctly you also know how to fall on skates," she replied, eyebrows raised above her eyes.

"That was low," he replied, about halfway to being upright.

"Just take my hand."

He arched a brow. "Why? So I can bring you down with me if I do fall?"

"MOMMY!!"

"We're coming, Jessie!" Amanda hollered back. Finally Rafael stood straight and he let out a silent breath before he and Amanda slowly skated to Jessie.

The three of them stepped into the rink, Jessie in the middle, holding each of their hands and giggling at Rafael, who was using his other hand to grip the rails of the rink. They were moving at a snail's pace, but to him it was better than the risk of falling over. At least when he was twelve, he had his youth and healed from the bad tumble in just a few short weeks, but if he had a similar fall now, he was all but sure than he would sustain permanent damage. The wheels of his skates rolled on their own accord, causing his feet to scissor back and forth clumsily and he couldn't figure out whether to lean forward or slightly back.

Still, Jessie was clearly having a ball, and really that was all that mattered to him...that is until he noticed the break in the wall, where there was a second area for skaters to get in and out of the rink. He'd promised the birthday girl a full lap around and the opening they were approaching would only be the halfway point. Shifting his eyes to Amanda, he tried to communicate his panic without alarming Jessie. No use in giving the young girl a complex about something that she was obviously enjoying.

Amanda seemed to anticipate the words he was holding in, and she smiled down at her daughter. "Let's just keep going slow, okay, sweet girl?"

"I wanna go faster!" Jessie exclaimed, unaware of Rafael's anxiety.

"Why don't you guys go ahead and I'll catch up," Rafael offered. If he could just be able to push himself gently from one corner to the other of the opening, he would once again have the safety net of the wall for the rest of the lap. It would be much easier not to mention safer to accomplish if he had the use of both hands. 

"Don't wet go my hand Wafa!" Jessie replied. "Two hands!"

That was precisely my thoughts. Rafael sighed, looking to Amanda for help. The opening was less than a couple of awkward rolls away. There was no time!

"Jessie, I got you, baby. Let Rafa skate on his own for a minute."

"NO!" Jessie hollered, her little face scrunching in her attempt to produce tears. Just as they reached the first corner, the little girl yanked at his hand with all her might, trying to keep him close to both her and her mother.

And that was enough for his feet to lose what little jurisdiction they had over the skates. Though it likely only took a matter of seconds, Rafael felt as though he was in slow motion as his hand instinctively came off of the wall to help balance himself, right foot rolling out from under him. The hard thump against the glossed floors shot pain from his ass to his lower back, and Jessie followed him down, landing on top of his torso and knocking the wind out of him. Amanda, however, managed to right herself by some small miracle and reached to pull her daughter off the ADA.

"Move it! We're trying to get in!" The bark came from a teenager at the entrance, holding hands with milkshake girl from earlier and Rafael was about to answer when he heard Amanda's motherly growl.

"Hey! Where's the fire?!" Her eyes had snapped up to glare at the two teens, who seemed to take a step back in surprise. "Can't you see I'm trying to help them up? Use the other entrance," she demanded, putting her attention back on her two fallen skate partners. "Come on, baby, let's get you up."

She was able to get Jessie up and off the floor, onto the carpet before turning back to Rafael, who was attempting to get up on his own to no avail. Every time he would attempt to plant his foot, the wheels would make their desire to see him on the tanned rink floor known.

"Barba, hang on a sec, I'm coming," Amanda said in a titter.

"Is this funny to you?" Rafael heard himself ask as he continued to try and get himself up.

"A little, you're gonna really hurt yourself. Just let me help," she said, stepping back into the rink to reach a hand out to him while keeping an eye on her daughter just outside the entrance. "Stay there, baby, okay?"

Jessie nodded, pouting and rubbing her elbow.

"Come on, Barba," Amanda mumbled, wrapping one arm under his shoulder while the opposite hand held onto the corner of the wall. "I gotcha, come on, stand up."

Crawling the short distance to the entrance, Rafael reached for the corner of the wall, pulling himself upright and onto the carpet. 

"Think that's enough skating for me today," Rafael said.

“Least you didn’t break your nose,” Amanda offered with a tentative smile.

He sat on a bench and began to take his skates off. “No, but I think I did a real number on my ass.”

“Well, you’ve got plenty’a cushion back there,” Amanda answered.

“You would know,” he mumbled to himself as he took off his skates and stood up again.

"You okay?" Amanda asked, blindly taking Jessie's hand.

"Yeah, just my pride," he answered as Carisi skated by and stopped to grin at them. 

"Hey, guys, everybody's wondering where the birthday girl is. They're all done cutting the cake."

"I'm wight heor!" Jessie exclaimed, raising the hand that wasn't linked with her mother.

Amanda smirked over at Rafael and winked. "You did say, you'd stay for cake."

[colubrina]

A softer world where Tom was adopted by a family who cared about him? For the short prompt you requested

Tom knew not to expect anything.  All the orphans knew not to expect anything.  Babies went fast.  Childless couples showed up, got teary-eyed, and left with a bundle of joy in their arms.  Toddlers went less quickly, but when babies were in short supply, people took them.  By the time the residents of Wool’s Orphanage were old enough to know they were in an orphanage, they also knew they weren’t getting out.

It was like kittens, Tom thought.  Everyone wants the adorable baby, but no one wants the older cat. Oh, now and again someone came by looking for a boy. But those people -- usually single men -- were more interested in cheap labor than a new family member.

So, because he knew not to expect anything, he didn’t bother to look as appealing as possible when that Saturday’s couple came by.  A Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.  Posh to the hilt, with accents so snooty Tom wanted to laugh.  They’d had a single boy, Mrs. Malfoy told the matron in a hushed tone, and they’d been told not to expect another.  Mrs. Cole made the appropriate sad sounds, but she was the wrong person to turn to if you wanted sympathy for much of anything, much less the problem of not enough babies.    She was skinny and sharp and had hair going to grey in a way no one could conceivably call silver, and when she looked at this couple with their furs all she saw was a way to unload some of her excess children.“We have several babies at the moment,” she said.

The couple looked at one another, then the woman shook her head.  “We were thinking more an older child. Someone who could be Abraxas’ playmate.  He’s six.”Abraxas?  Tom picked his head up from his book to look at her at that.  Rich people had to be fancy in every possible way, from the way they talked to the names they gave their brats.  He’d feel sorry for the little bugger, carting a name like that around, but it was hard to muster any real sympathy for some boy growing up with everything.

“Well, Amy Benson is a nice girl,” Mrs. Cole said.  “About that age, very tidy, good at doing her chores.”

“I think,” the man said, “we’d prefer a boy, if you don’t mind.”

Tom studied him.  His shoes were shined, and his trousers didn’t have a speck of dirt on them. He had a tiny square of green silk in his jacket and -- already an accomplished thief, Tom studied where men put things -- something long, thin and unbending tucked into his right trouser pocket.  

“Dennis Bishop is five,” Mrs. Cole said.

Five, and barely smart enough to pick his own nose.  

“Let’s have a look, shall we?” the man said.

Dennis was duly brought forth, and, recognizing his chance, he played up his dimples and his smile, and Tom expected them to take him.  People liked Dennis.  It made him angry because he knew no one liked him.  No matter what he said it was wrong, and no matter what expression he put on his face it wasn’t right, and he made people uneasy.  He’d once heard Mrs. Cole say, “Tom’s cute as a button, I’ll say that for him, but he gives me the shivers.”

Tom ground his teeth together and clenched his fists, and the rich lady suddenly rubbed at her cheek as if she’d been slapped, then murmured something under her breath.   “Darling,” she said.  “I think...”  She glanced up and saw Tom when he stood, leaning up against the wall of the corridor, tucked as deeply into the shadows as he could go and still see what was happening in the visitor’s room.  He was surprised she saw him.  People usually didn’t, but her face softened and she reached out a hand to beckon him into the room.

“Who are you?” she asked, squatting down so she was at his level.  She hadn’t done that for Dennis.

“Tom,” he said.  He knew he sounded sullen, but he didn’t intend to put on a performance for this lady, like some sort of circus animal, only to face the inevitable rejection.

“Tom.”  She repeated his name. “Do funny things sometimes happen around you, Tom?”

He glanced nervously up at Mrs. Cole at that.  This was not a question he had an answer for.  They did, but claiming he could do things in the past had gotten him whipped and lectured about unholy antics and lying.

“Darling,” the man said. “I think you might be seeing things you want to see.  You know what part of London we’re in.  How likely is it you’d find a boy with... gifts... here?”

She sighed and started to straighten up.

“Snakes talk to me,” Tom blurted out.  

He had her attention again. “Do they have interesting things to say?” she asked.

“Not really,” he admitted.  It was mostly bugs and sun and rocks.

“Tom has a bit of a problem with the truth,” Mrs. Cole said, and he could tell she was furious.  If he messed up her chance to place Dennis in a home, she’d whip him raw.

“Well, imaginative and smart little boys sometimes have stories to tell,” the woman said.  She stood up and met her husband’s eye.

“I think you’re fooling yourself,” he said, “but I told you any child you wanted, even a Muggle if that was what we could find.”

What was a muggle?  Tom crossed his arms, sure he was the butt of some trick, but the man nodded, and pulled out a billfold, letting Tom see what looked like a fancy carved stick in his pocket, and spread more money than Tom had ever seen out in front of Mrs. Cole.  

“I forget how much you said the donation was,” he said. “Just take the right amount.”

He should be asking himself why these people were so strange, but the woman had turned her back on Dennis, who had started to snivel, and was asking him whether he had any things he needed to pack and what did he like to do, because his new brother, Abraxas, loved potions and gardening and pestering the cooks about biscuits and did any of those things sound good to him.

They all sounded good.  Tom slid his hand into the woman’s soft palm and took his first steps into a world of boring, upper-class respectability.

[complcatedfreak]

i don’t know

in which peter has a rushed morning and soulmates are real.

A/N: this is going to be a soulmate au series, which will contain both endgame and infinity war spoilers. however, this part is spoiler free. 

There were simple rules the world seemed to follow; the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, single cell organisms are the smallest life-forms, the sky is blue, and everyone gets the initials of their soulmate on their right wrist. It’s not something everyone is born with, as they appear when the soulmate is born, nor is it something that stays around for a long time. Some soulmates had a tragic tale, such as an early death that made the handwriting of the other person go away, or never meeting their soulmate and having to settle down with someone who didn’t match the letters on their wrist. The ending everyone dreamed of was getting the line through letters, signifying that they had met the person they were destined to be with.

These were the rules everyone followed.

It was no surprise that Peter also had this marking. He often thought about what the letters stood for, who had the cutesy handwriting, who his soulmate was. Aunt May swore that it was a girl’s writing, as each letter had a cute, little swoop at the end of it, but Peter didn’t want to confine his expectations to a box, then feel disappointed when he met them and they weren’t what he had daydreamed about. He wasn’t sure if he liked boys, but his soulmate was his soulmate, and he knew he’d fall for them, no matter what. Peter didn’t have any set rules or expectations about his soulmate; he was just grateful to still have his soulmate. Not all of the people around him were so lucky. Aunt May was not this lucky, and neither was Ned, Peter’s best friend. After meeting and marrying Uncle Ben, the messy “BFP” disappeared from her wrist the day he died. Ned can’t remember ever having letters, his soulmate probably died not too long after being born.

Y/N is the polar opposite of Peter. She spent days thinking about who would be able to replicate the surprisingly neat “PBP” on her right wrist. She racked her brain day in and day out, trying to conjure up an image of who these letters could belong to, as well as what it stood for. She had recently decided she liked the name “Percy Benson Pratt”, but she had cycled through plenty of others before deciding she liked that one. She also frequently daydreamed about what he could possibly look like. An epic name like ‘Percy’ meant he had to have striking eyes, probably either green or blue. A middle name like ‘Benson’ probably meant he was on the shorter side, and definitely wore glasses (however, these conclusions may have been swayed by Freddie Benson from iCarly). And, a basic last name like ‘Pratt’ didn’t really give her anything, just that there is a small chance he could be a ginger. She wasn’t upset about it, though. She knew she was just daydreaming, and she’d be immensely happy with whatever and whoever her soulmate was. Unless he was a serial killer. Or a bad person.

For Peter, it was any normal day. He woke up on a pile of textbooks, chem worksheets, and notebooks, then he took a minute to figure out where he was. Once he came to the dramatic realization that he was safe and in the comfort of his own bedroom (which took a little too long considering, you know, spidey senses and everything), he looked at the clock. His heart skipped a few beats when he noticed he was meant to leave for school ten minutes ago. He quickly zipped around the room, haphazardly throwing things into his bookbag. The only thing Peter slowed down for was to make sure he had the components to his suit. He frequently panicked about whether or not he had grabbed the mask while sitting in class, which always caused a problem, since only one person knew about Peter’s hobby. But, despite it all, Peter changed into a pair of jeans, threw on a hoodie, then started his normal route to school, with just a little pep in his step.

The morning went just about as smoothly as any other for Y/N. Well, not really. It was slightly hectic as she was still getting used to the new house. She had absolutely no idea where her favorite cereal was, which meant she had to opt for taking her mother’s granola bars to eat on her way out. But soon enough, she was off to her new school. The feeling of her heartbeat was prominent as she walked through the front doors. She headed straight to the counseling office and was surprised when Mrs. Cutler, her counselor, was waiting for her. Y/N was a little early, so it was a pleasant surprise. “Good morning,” Mrs. Cutler greeted, “I’ll give you a quick tour of the classes on your schedule, and the big rooms like the cafeteria and auditorium, and then send you off to first period!” Y/N felt the rush of anxiety as soon as the words left Mrs. Cutler’s smiling mouth. Despite feeling like she was about to be sent into a hungry lion’s den, Y/N powered out a nod, then followed Mrs. Cutler out of the counseling office.

“Mr. Parker, you’re not usually late,” The secretary in the office informed Peter, as if he didn’t know. “I know, I was up late studying for the chem test and slept right through my alarm,” Peter answered, leaving out the part where he snuck out at around 10pm because he wanted to follow the stream of police cars that Spider-man was able to hear. “Since it’s your first time, I’ll let you off with a warning, next time it’s lunch detention.” Peter nodded as she wrote him out a pass. As he walked out of the counseling office and to his locker, he heard Mrs. Cutler’s all too enthusiastic voice. It was easily recognizable, as he had spent a lot of time in her office, discussing colleges. However, Peter couldn’t tell who the girl next to her was. Peter wasn’t known around school, but he did know everyone. He always looked at it as a blessing and a curse, so he just lived with it. But he didn’t think he’d ever seen this girl before. Someone with her sense of style definitely didn’t go to Midtown Highschool, he would’ve noticed it before. Nonetheless, Peter turned the opposite way, making his way to his locker, before heading to first period.

The tour went a lot faster than Y/N thought it would. The school was not as large as it seemed from the outside, which surprised Y/N. Before she knew it, her brand-new locker was being closed, and she started her hike to first period. There were only a few minutes left in class, and Y/N seriously considered just skipping and saying it took her a while to open her locker, but then she figured it would be easier to make friends if her face became a common one. When she entered the room, the entire class turned and looked at her, as if she hadn’t just popped in while on her tour. During the tour, her teachers had shown her where she would be sitting, so, with a small smile on her face, Y/N made her way to the empty table in the back of the classroom. It was her English class, but they were in the middle of discussing a book Y/N hadn’t read, so she was told to do her best to follow along for the next few classes.

Peter’s day went by like normal, running from class to class, Ned annoying the shit out of him, and having to deal with Flash’s snarky comments, so lunch was going to feel like a breath of fresh air for him. Sure, Ned’s annoying ass would be there, but at least Peter would have food to fuel him to engage in conversation. Plus, they had finally opened the outdoor seating, which very few people ever used. He could get away from the huge crowds, while stuffing his face with whatever greasy meal they were serving today. Once he received the tray of said food, he quickly made his way outside. He rushed away from both Ned and Mj, needing a small moment of peace after the crazy morning he had. That’s why he was surprised to see someone sitting at the table across from their usual one. “Hi?” Peter asked, probably coming off ruder than he planned to.

Through the windows in the cafeteria, Y/N could see how empty the outside seating was. That’s what drew her to it, as it would be the easiest way to avoid the awkward “where can I sit so that no one talks to me, but I don’t look like a total loner” stage of being the new kid at school. This sense of mind was quickly ruined when a boy came up to her. “Hi?” He said with a crease in his eyebrow. All Y/N could think was ‘wow this boy is so pretty’, before her thoughts shifted into ‘why the fuck does he have an attitude, all I’m doing is sitting’. “Hey.” She replied, looking at the small scowl on his face. “Uh, sorry, that might’ve been rude, but-”

“Might’ve been?” Y/N quipped, enjoying his flustered state. “I mean, that was rude, sorry,” Peter blushed, looking at the pretty girl in front of him, “it’s been a rough day.”

“You’re telling me,” She smiled up at him, once he found his words. Peter smiled at the girl’s sarcastic response. Just when Peter was going to pipe back with, what he though was, a funny reply, Ned came busting out of the cafeteria doors, “Dude! Mj totally just ran into Flash with her whole tray! The food went all over-woah, Peter’s talking to a girl?”

“SHUT UP!” Peter yelled, turning away from Y/N as a blush began to spread across his cheeks. Y/N let out a laugh his reaction, as well as the new boy that came out of the cafeteria’s enthusiasm about this Mj person. However, as Peter turned away from her to discuss what was going on with his friend, Y/N started to feel awkward about the situation. “See you later, Peter,” she bid him a soft goodbye, allowing her voice to waiver as she said his name, just in case that wasn’t actually his name. She really hoped to actually see him soon.

Peter’s eyes followed her around the table and into the cafeteria. “So, who was that?” Ned asked. Peter thought for a second before answering, “Actually, I don’t know”.

[tomwambsgansdefender]

Can’t things go back to normal 2

OC Kate Stone x Dad! peter stone

This one is centered around mostly OC Elizabeth Stone being the badass mom she is

Featuring an OC Jaime Logan & hints a Jaime x Rafael x Sonny relationship (and what about it?) also totally out of character everyone else pls give a b a break 😩

“Hey Katie! Guess what I managed to snag up for you?!” Adam had snagged onto Kate’s arm as she tried to solemnly walk down the hall. It had been three weeks since her father ditched her... had not even bothered to call back. It broke Kate’s heart into a million little pieces. Although she spent her time doing research on his work and his little team he worked with... an unnecessary vendetta becoming quite evident against one Olivia Benson. Kate was using a scape goat... although Elizabeth truly did believe Olivia Benson and her squad were the reason peter put kate into the dust. Kate was brought back into reality by Adam pushing her sophomore picture packet into her face. “Adam- I cant afford these I already told you-“

“No I paid for them, well my mom did... she heard from Ronnie about how your dad ditched the baseball game and you had spent all your cash on it...” Adam explained before hugging the girl for a second.

“Oh... well... thanks.” She said giving him a soft smile. Her friends were all worried...

it was not a surprise to Elizabeth when four teenagers showed up in her cubicle at work. She’d felt it coming. “Mrs. Stone were really worried about Katie...” Adam explained to which Elizabeth gave them a sad smile. “She’s pulling away from us, she just looks... dejected, unwanted.... but not by you we know you’re the best woman on planet earth she brags about having the best mom...” Ronnie began to explain when Elizabeth cut them off turning in her chair to look at them.

“Peter, her father I know... Listen you guys, thank you for coming to me about it... I plan on going to New York to talk to him myself... also Adam here- give this to your mom.” She had handed the boy an envelope filled with picture money. “But I need you guys to look after Kate that day okay? Just keep her company rent movies or go somewhere... just don’t remind her of peter.” She spoke quietly getting curt nods and soft smiles from the girls friends

“Yes ma’m.” Adam had replied.

“Hey! Peter it’s me, Elizabeth- I was calling to let you know I’m in New York for a conference and I wanted to get lunch- I brought copies Kate’s sophomore pictures for you! Love you.” She had said as she walked down the busy street in New York. Voicemail... again. “Elizabeth!”

She could hear her cousin yell a block up the street. The precinct was her first stop. “Hey! Jaime! I’m so happy to see you?! How are the boys?” She asked giving the woman a hug once the two met half way.

“They’re amazing... how’s Katie? I just saw Kyle yesterday he came over to do laundry.”

“Oh Katie she’s... you know she’s not doing too well.... she’s been really down- about Peter...” Elizabeth frowned which made Jaime frown harder. “I can’t believe he did that, stayed in New York to work on such a stupid case with Olivia when I told him we could handle it...” Jaime internally just wanted to beat him up.. although sonny held her on a short leash on allowing that. “Anyway... he’s actually here now. Let’s go bombard him and cue him in.”

Elizabeth had lost it the second she saw him... all she had seen was red. “Excuse me sorry do you mind if I borrow MY husband for a second.” She had demanded to Olivia who seemed shocked she would speak to someone in that manner. “Well uhm can you-“

“No, it can’t wait. I’ve waited long enough.” She said pushing the woman out of her own office slamming the door. “You. You absolute bastard.”

“What the hell was that?!” Olivia asked Jaime more confused than anything. “She’s angry Olivia... their daughter Kate is really suffering- she spent all her money on a baseball game for them to go to when he promised to go visit and you know what... he lied to her and broke her heart just to please you and the rest of this squad.” Jaime wasn’t caring about how she made her feel. “Relax doll, you’re gettin upset.” Sonny had said resting a hand on her shoulder and leading her away.

Meanwhile in the office Elizabeth had indeed read peter the riot act. “Peter you broke her heart! You just took it and stomped on it! She spent all her saved money on those tickets and all you did was leave her high and dry! You know what she asked me- she asked me if you loved her.” Peter had to stop her because he was in shock down to the fact that Elizabeth came all the way from Chicago to tell him off. “She knows I love her.”

“Does she really? Does she? Do you even know what she looks like now? I mean you’ve kinda ignored her for almost a year.” Elizabeth condescended

Peter scoffed before letting out a small sigh. “She looks just like Pam. But with your eyes and that spark... I just- I don’t want her to see me like this.... I’m not a good person Elizabeth. I’ve been... drinking too much and I’ve... Ive been thinking about breaking your heart too.” He said finally looking into her eyes to watch them fall. “But I’m not... I won’t. I can’t do that to you.” He said stepping closer to her.

“She needs you peter... I can’t keep doing this.. I can’t keep going home to an empty house... because it’s making me a bad person too.”

“I know... I know.. I promise it’s gonna get better... as soon as this case is over- why don’t you guys come stay in New York for a bit... I can talk to your boss, I can talk to her school.. Elizabeth I wanna fix this.”

Elizabeth nodded numbly pulling out the envelope of school pictures from her purse. “But what about the apartment?”

Peter had slowly took the envelope letting his hand touch hers for a minute. “It’ll be a week tops I promise... we can let one of her little friends watch it... Adam?” He suggested which made Elizabeth laugh. She now knew he had listened to her and Katie’s voicemails. “Yeah sure, Adam. Go on open them you won’t believe how beautiful she is-“

Peter followed Elizabeth’s directions looking at her face studying it for a second before pulling Kate’s picture out. “Wow...” he whispered looking to Elizabeth. “I know...”

he had suddenly set the pictures and envelope down on Olivia’s desk before bringing Elizabeth into a tight hug. It took Elizabeth a moment but she had hugged back.

“I’m sorry.... for leaving you and Kate high and dry... for leaving our marriage high and dry for putting you through that and then telling you I almost wanted to get a divorce. I don’t... I’m gonna get better for you, for Katie.” He swore to himself, he couldn’t loose anymore time with them. Never again. He could look at Kate and see Pam but the biggest difference was that he could talk to Kate again, hug Kate. And it was his new goal... to make it all up to his family. No matter what he had to do.

[holylangdon]

It Takes Time (Cordelia Goode x Daughter!Reader x Michael Langdon)

Request: “Cordelia x female! Reader. But like not in a romantic relationship just like a mother daughter relationship. Like Cordelia helps the reader move on from Michael and find peace and love in the coven and become a badass girl without the need of a man. I need that p l e a s e.” - Anon

“A Cordelia one-shot could be where the witch reader is in a relationship with Michael (she is bi), but then she finds out he is cheating on her and that breaks her heart. Cordelia has a crush on the reader and is there to help the reader recover. Slowly, they become closer and the reader heart begins to mend as she realize Cordelia was always the one. If you want to write this or change it up.” - Anon

Warnings: Mother!Cordelia/Daughter!Reader, ex-fiance!Michael, pre-Apocalypse but post-coven, cheating, slight plothole (Myrtle is alive when she shouldn’t be), a bit fluffy but also sad

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: These two requests went together so well... But also not at all...

Michael Langdon had always been faithful. The two of you had been together for two years before he finally admitted to you that he no longer was. You’d came home from work to find him sitting on the couch with a bottle of water clutched between his hands. He wore a nervous expression on his face. No, not nervousness. It was guilt. His eyes were red from the stress and his cheeks stained with dry tears. The boy’s blonde hair was a mess, tangled and knotted because he had pulled at it. Michael was a mess.

“We need to talk.”

He told you about the mistake he had made. Your fiancé carefully explained the damage that he had done, the hell that you were suddenly in. All it took for him to break his promise to you was one little kiss before he fell down the rabbit hole, giving in to his lust for some other woman. 

The words hauntingly echoed through your head, even now as you cried into your mother’s arms. He told you about the mistake he had made. He carefully explained what he had done, the damage he had done. You sat and listened to his tale before simply packing your suitcase and catching the next flight to New Orleans, and then a cab from the airport to the Academy. You weren’t sad until you laid eyes on your mom’s overjoyed expression, happy to see her baby girl again. 

But her happiness quickly faded as you uttered out the simple words. “Michael cheated on me.” 

Cordelia called for Zoe, asking her to take your bags. And then, you just absolutely crumbled into her arms. It all hit you at once. The tears flowed from both of you as she cradled you on the hot sidewalk, talking to you gently. An extremely confused and worried Zoe Benson stood behind her and auntie Myrtle was sure to show up any moment.

Somehow, over the course of the next few minutes, your mother was able to get you inside and away from the prying eyes of the students she harbored, comfortably resting inside her bedroom. They were simply curious what could have the supreme’s daughter in a state like this, and you knew that, but you couldn’t have them seeing you like this. Not in such a vulnerable position. That would cause trouble for not only you but your mother too, you were sure of it. 

Your mother sat with you on the soft bed, listening to your retelling of the previous events. She listened to every little word so intently, trying to keep her anger from showing. But Delia failed. You could see the pink flush over her face, the way her top lip curled in disgust when you said his name. The way her dingers drummed against the bed and how her body was now hot. 

She wanted to rip his fucking throat out. 

Cordelia knew Michael was bad news from the first time you brought him home. She told Myrtle about her feelings and the redhead assured her it wouldn't last, which, admittedly, was terrible but brought her a certain peace of mind. Imagine her surprise when you brought him back to her Academy for a fun weekend trip to the Quarter, only for the blond man to ask for her blessing. She pushed her own reservations away and allowed him to propose to you. She wanted you to be happy more than anything, and if he was the man you wanted to be with... Well, she’d swallow her own pride and allow it.

When the two of you came home the next night to reveal that he had asked you to marry him, everyone was so happy. Everyone except for Myrtle and your mother, that is. Both of the women feigned excitement over the issue because truly, the only thing both of them wanted was for their baby to live a good life. Myrtle held onto the grudge quietly as the two of you went back to Los Angeles, waiting for the storm.

And now that it was here... Well, can’t say she didn’t predict it.

But she didn’t hold it in your face or hang it over your head. She now sat beside you, across from Delia, on the bed, leaning over you with her arms wrapped around you and your mother both. She talked you through the sorrow softly.

Later, once you had composed yourself, you went down to dinner with your family and the students. Each pair of young eyes couldn’t help but land on you as everyone ate and asked questions about you. Cordelia Goode’s only daughter was a bit of a legend around the Academy. You had grown up there but left as soon as you were old enough to be appointed a council member. You served in New Orleans for a while, but ultimately moved to Los Angeles to deal with the coven’s business affairs there. Thats’s where you met Michael.

You really didn’t even remember how the two of you met. Maybe through mutual friends, or just in town. But you were sure of one thing; The second you laid eyes on him, you were head over heels in love with him, and him the same with you. Or, apparently not.

“So, how’s your boyfriend?” One of the teenage girls asked. The question stung. You knew it was simply childlike curiousity and innocence, but it still hurt. “Michael?”

“He’s good.” You quietly muttered, holding your emotions back. Your aunt shot the girl a certain dirty look, which you gave her a stern glance for. he girl nodded and gave you a quick ‘that’s good’ in recognition.

The rest of the dinner was fine. Small talk was made, and questions about Los Angeles and your life and whatnot were answered. No one said another word about Michael, much to your pleasure. You were certainly surprised he wasn’t a popular topic. It’s no secret that the boy is, or was, very attractive, and that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by a majority of the students. They were on their best behavior when he was around, just hoping to catch his attention. That was one thing the grown ups were happy about, at least. They absolutely treasured the silence and lack of petty arguments between the teenagers.

That night, you laid in the comfortable bed in your old bedroom. Your mom kept it around for when you visited, and right now, you were quite happy that she did. You let your mind wander freely as you laid in the dark room, the white walls only illuminated by the moonlight that poured through the window. A hesitant knock on the door broke you free of them.

“Dear?” Myrtle whispered, poking her head through the door. “May I come in?”

You nodded, sitting up to make room for her. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before speaking. “Has he tried to call?”

You shook your head. “I told him not to while I’m down here. I don’t want to be crying every five minutes, and I know hearing his voice...”

“You’ll want to take him back.” Her warm hand laid on your lap overtop of the blankets. “Have you thought about that?”

“Not much.” A small frown or smile crossed her lips, you couldn’t tell which one. You laughed sourly. “I know you don’t like him, auntie. It’s okay, you don’t have to hide it anymore. I heard you and mom talking when we got engaged... Looks like both of you were right.”

“Darling... I’m not exactly fond of him, yes. But I want you to be happy. You’re a young butterfly who deserves all of the great things in your life. And if you want to be with Michael, if you somehow still love him? I’ll support it. And give your mother some time to... Air out her grievances. She’ll come to her senses eventually and realize the same thing.” You couldn’t help but smile as you listened to the older woman’s words. “We love you, Y/N. More than you could ever imagine.”

You almost felt like a little girl again as she stood up, placing a small kiss to your forehead. She repeated her “I love you” one more time before leaving, gently closing the door behind her.

But now, you were alone with your thoughts again. Completely and utterly unsure of what to do with the situation at hand. You laid back down and became comfortable underneath the covers. You found yourself praying that a good night of sleep would somehow magically help with your worries and doubts. And who knows? Maybe you were right.

[heyyyharry]

Neighbor

(from the Flatmate Series)

…in which Y/N likes their new neighbor, but Harry does not.

Wattpad link

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Harry was making his brunch in the kitchen when he heard his flatmate's voice echoing in the hallway. Apparently, Y/N had just come back from the ten o'clock class which he also had to attend, but this morning he overslept and decided not to show up at all.

He did find it weird that she was having a conversation with someone in the hallway, if not with herself (then it'd be kind of creepy). She had never socialized with any of their neighbors since the people around here weren't that friendly. Curious, Harry had to walk out to see who it was, just in time Y/N closed the front door on her way in.

"Oh, you're up early," she said while kicking off her shoes. The sarcasm made Harry roll his eyes but he had seen it coming.

"Did the professor check for attendance?" He asked.

"Nope. But if you want to pass this subject, I recommend you attend the classes."

"I never fail, okay? Failing is not for me," Harry said with a slice of bread in his mouth, and heard the girl mumble something about how impressed she was. But this time he wasn't sure if it was also sarcasm.

Leaning one shoulder against the kitchen doorway, he watched her throw herself on their sofa, subconsciously smiling for no particular reason, none that he knew of. So he assumed it had something to do with her conversation earlier, and asked her who she was talking to.

Y/N's face almost lit up, as if she'd been waiting for him to ask that question ever since she walked in, just so she could rant about what just happened.

"Oh, didn't you know?" She said. "We've got a new neighbor."

Harry took another bite of his sandwich to continue speaking with his mouth full, "someone finally moved into the flat next door? Isn't that place haunted or something?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that Mrs. Benson only moved away? She didn't die."

"That's what they wanted us to believe," Harry said with certainty, only to receive a facepalm from Y/N as a reaction.

"So what's with the new neighbor then?" He switched back to their initial topic, and Y/N didn't even hesitate when she frankly told him, "he's hot."

Those two words nearly had Harry choke on his sandwich, which he was glad didn't happen, because there was no way he could die before seeing this guy next door that she thought was hot. He couldn't come up with anything to reply to her, and apparently, he didn't even have to. The look on his face had already done the job.

"What?" Y/N snorted. "You're allowed to say that about a girl, and when I say that about a guy, I'm a horrible person?"

Harry didn't get why she could even come up with that comparison. It was normal for him to come back from the gym and tell her about the hot girl he had just met. He did it all the time. But this was actually the first time he'd ever heard her call someone hot. Someone not him. So yes, Harry was offended.

"Whatever," he said, trying to act normal and cool, anything but intimidated. "I bet he's not that hot."

Unfortunately for Harry, he was that hot.

Harry saw him for the first time in the evening when Y/N told him to take out the trash. Though the two men didn't exchange a verbal conversation or make eye-contact, Harry still remembered his face. He looked more mature than Harry, which made sense because he was around five years older. The guy was tall and tanned. He had a defined and structured face, dark hair pushed back, blue eyes. No wonder he was a part-time model. But what made him more than just a handsome face was that, he was also a lawyer, and he was living alone.

Harry heard it all from the gossip lady downstairs, a very reliable source in this building. So it must be true. Normally, Harry was confident about his appearance. He wasn't self-absorbed, but he knew he was blessed with good looks, and him being a flirt just made it easier to get girls. That was why it would be unbelievable if he told anyone he felt intimidated by his new neighbor, all just because Y/N, his flatmate, thought the guy was hot.

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The next morning, Harry woke up before his alarm, before Y/N even. He wanted to go to class with her, just in case she ran into that guy and lost her ability to think, again. But the most shocking thing that happened that day wasn't Harry deciding to attend a class, it was what Y/N decided to wear to go out. And his jaw dropped as soon as she emerged from her room.

This was not the Y/N he knew. She was wearing a skirt which barely covered her ass, it was so tight that he wondered how she could even move in it. She didn't let her long hair down like she always did, but put it in a high ponytail. And she also had makeup on. She probably did every day, but it was never noticeable. That day she went all the way with the cherry red lips, and Harry couldn't help it, he was gawking at the girl.

"I know what you're going to say so just shut up." She squinted her eyes at him while fixing her skirt, which had risen up as she walked out from her room.

It would be a lie to say Harry wasn't slightly turned on by Y/N's new look, and not thinking about bending her over the table over there, and making sure she screamed out his name when he made her cum. However, he didn't feel okay with her walking outside in a skirt that short, for everyone to see what only he had the privilege to see!

"And what did you paint on your face?" He scoffed, crouching down so his face was at the same level as hers.

"It's called 'makeup'. Look it up." She put a hand on his chest and pushed him away in annoyance.

"You look ridiculous," he said. It wasn't even half the truth, but she didn't need to know. "Are you seriously wearing this for that guy?"

"Ben. His name is Ben, and yes, what if I run into him? I need to look decent."

"Define 'decent'."

"Just shut up, and get your car keys, we're gonna be late."

Harry watched Y/N walk to the front door, and he swore he could see her ass from where he was standing. It was terrible enough that he wouldn't be able to focus on the road with her in the passenger seat, looking like that. But he also needed to worry about the other men who might get to see too much of her.

Tossing his head back, Harry cursed under his breath and grabbed his big coat on the way out. In case of an emergency, he had to make sure his flatmate was safely covered up.

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It was Saturday morning, and Y/N was not in the flat. She had to spend the entire day babysitting a kid in the building, and Harry, as usual, got up late and enjoyed his precious alone time. As he returned from his run, however, he bumped into Ben, who was carrying two big grocery bags. This time, the man noticed Harry and put on a friendly smile as he said, "good morning!"

Harry said it back only because he didn't want to be rude, still, he kept a neutral expression instead of being overly nice like Ben was. But as Harry took out his keys to open the door, even with his back turned to his neighbor, he still felt the older guy sizing him up.

"You're Harry, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Harry turned around, furrowing his eyebrows at his neighbor.

"Y/N told me," Ben happily said.

Harry used to wonder if his flatmate had ever talked about him with other people when he wasn't around. Now he knew that she had, he needed to know what exactly that she'd said about him. So as much as he wanted to leave this conversation, he must stay to hear the rest from Ben.

"She mentioned a flatmate named Harry, and that you two went to the same university."

"Well, did Y/N also mention that I was her boyfriend?"

Ben seemed pretty surprised, but internally, Harry was probably more shocked by his own words. But he couldn't take them back anymore, sp he decided to just ignore the little voice inside his head screaming "NO!" and went on with this lie anyway. 

"I am her boyfriend. You've been talking to my girl a lot lately, and I don't like it. All the flirting has got to stop, okay?"

"Flirting?" Ben raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I would never!" 

Quickly, he showed Harry the massive ring on his left hand, which left the boy speechless. "I just got engaged last night."

Harry wished he could just dig himself a hole and hide in there for the rest of his life. He didn't know what to say or how to react to this news. The 'hot' neighbor was already engaged, which meant he wasn't after Y/N. But how was Harry going to explain if Y/N ever found out she'd got a boyfriend that she didn't even know of?!

"Congratulations..." Harry cracked an awkward smile as he avoided making eye contact with Ben at all costs. "Sorry, mate. I thought..."

"No, it's fine. I get that," said Ben. "Y/N is such a lovely girl. She's a keeper."

"She is very lovely." Harry, now smiling nonchalantly, nodding his head like he was admitting to himself, and not agreeing with Ben. It didn't take a genius to figure out how head over heels he was for his flatmate. For someone who had been in love for so long like Ben here, it couldn't be any more obvious.

"I'm sure you can trust her completely," he told Harry. "Most of our conversations were about you."

Harry's green eyes grew wide at those words. He just had to ask. "What did you guys talk about?" 

Ben opened his mouth to reply, however, his phone went off, and so he quickly excused himself to take this important call. He promised to speak to Harry another time. But Harry never got to find out what Y/N had told Ben about him.

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Y/N seemed quite disappointed when she heard that their neighbor was already engaged. But she wasn't devastated or anything, so Harry felt very relieved.

On Monday, she went back to her normal everyday makeup and outfit. And even though Harry had found her new look the other day overwhelmingly sexy, he still preferred the usual look on her, simply because it was more...Y/N. Awkward, simple, sweet Y/N, who never had to try hard, but always looked her best in his eyes. 

When they went out that morning, the flatmates ran into Ben in the hallway. This time, he was with another man.

"Hey, neighbors!"

"Hey, mate!" Harry grinned widely as Y/N looked so confused. She was probably wondering why his attitude towards their neighbor had suddenly changed. Ben was smiling from ear to ear and so was the man he was with. Without further ado, he told them, "this is my fiancé Mark."

"Your fiancé?!" Y/N released a loud gasp whereas Harry couldn't be more thrilled. He shook Mark's hand and introduced them both, saying that they were flatmates and Ben's neighbors.

With a huge grin, Mark said, "you two must be the cute couple next door. Ben kept mentioning you guys. We should definitely go on a double date some time!"

"Ooh, that's a great idea!" Ben quickly agreed.

Harry looked at Y/N, who was already staring at him. She wasn't angry, she was actually startled, probably trying to figure out why Ben had told his fiance she and Harry were together. But Harry surely wasn't going to wait for her to discover the truth. In a rush, he grabbed her elbow and pulled her with him. They could only say a brief goodbye to the baffled couple next door.

Once they were finally alone in the lift, Y/N released a chuckle which caused Harry's heart to stop for nearly a second. "I can't believe it," she said. "They thought we were a couple."

[transboygenius]

SE4SON: Chapter 8

[*The next day*]

Jimmy and Nick traveled down the path, dragging a heavy wheelbarrow behind them. Diana just led the way on her horse, telling stories the boys had no interest in listening to. They chose to ignore her as they talked among themselves. Ever since last night, the two have been getting along quite good. They shared their own stories, gave out their personal interests, and even exchanged embarrassing secrets. Nick told his first, just to make Jimmy feel less uneasy. To the boy genius's knowledge, they had a lot in common. He doesn't remember the last time he's had a fun chat with anyone. Usually, when he opens his mouth, out only came scientific factoids. However, what really puzzled Jimmy is that Nick never gave him word about his father. Nick just about told as much as he could tell, without going deeper. Him being gay, him having a crush on the boy genius, and the horrible trauma his father put him through.

"So... What was your dad like, Nick?" "As I told everyone, I don't even know the old man. I was very, very young when he was with us, so my memory isn't exactly stable." "Well, do you ever wonder what he's like?" "(Wonder? I know for a fact that he's a black hearted tyrant that deserves to choke and die) I know where my good looks came from, that's for sure. But, this is just a guess, he was probably a little bit hardheaded. Don't know any more about him, or heck, his full name as well." "Have you ever asked your mom? She likely holds more trivia on him. I mean, she was the one who married him." "Tried. She just doesn't like to talk about it. Don't know why. Look, Jimmy, do you mind if we change the subject? I feel like we're not getting anywhere in this conversation, about a person I never knew in my life. I just don't know him, that's all, end of story."

Nick didn't want Jimmy to know about his relationship with his father. If he told him, Jimmy might think he made up this sob story just for attention, or to gain his pity. Jimmy can be a very dubious boy. Plus, Nick's too embarrassed to express his life further on. He rather not have Jimmy involved into any of his family business. Nick lied that he didn't know his father's name, because the boy genius is sure to track down that man, and try to help Nick by reuniting him with his long, lost dad. Daniel has already made Nick's early childhood very unbearable for him, so the last thing he'd ask for is seeing his old man's mug re-enter his life. Nick's answer colored Jimmy curious. He said he was too young to remember anything about his dad. The boy genius presumed he was probably an infant by then. Why doesn't Nick know his own biological father's name? Why does his mom take it so personal? As much as Jimmy probes for a good explanation, he should know better not to meddle into someone else's family business. Mrs. Dean probably has a reason for withdrawing information from Nick.

Before long, the four of them (counting the horse) reached a huge wall, where the king's border shielded. The only way to get in is through the main gates, supervised by the royal guards. Since Diana left the border illegally, or doesn't carry any documents issued by the king himself, there's no way for them to pass. However, Diana made her own solution. Getting off of her horse, and dragging them alongside, she led the handcuffed boys to some piled up shrubs. Behind the shrubs hid an underground passageway dug under the border's wall. Diana placed the three sacks of loot onto the horse's back, while Jimmy and Nick had to pull an empty wheelbarrow, which is now refreshingly light. The inside was very dark, so Diana lit a lantern on the way. While the gang walked forward, Jimmy was a little anxious of what or who he might meet next, while Nick was looking forward to a much long break.

When they made it to the other side of the wall, they met with some dirt steps, and a trapdoor which brings about to who knows where. Diana gave it three knocks, and a high-pitched, nasally voice answered.

"Password!" "We don't even have a password." "Correct; You may enter!"

As the door opened, Diana and her horse walked up in, now in the kitchen of their homely hut.

"Diana! Butterscotch! You're back!"

Diana wasn't alone. Besides her horse, she was in the company of three people. Jimmy and Nick didn't expect it when they entered the room.

"And you smuggled some immigrants! Yay!"

Speaking of three people; One was a scrawny, short (but still taller than Nick), fifteen year-old girl with a visible overbite. Her hair was styled in pigtail buns, which resembled rat ears. Just looking at her, she kinda does look like a human rat. The voice, that answered to Diana earlier, belonged to her, and she seems to be very energetic.

"Oh my! Nice to meet you! Ya know, if I knew we'd be having guests, I would've had baked a pie!"

The other one appeared to be a slim man in his 30s, with a goatee beard. He was wearing a frilly apron, with a feather duster in his hand. Not much could be said about him, except he may be the only male in this house.

"What an unexpected visit! Did Diana happen to invite you young boys?"

The last one was a fat lady, who looked nice, but didn't seem to be too happy over Jimmy and Nick's arrival.

"...or did you just followed her here?"

The boys just got here, and already they made a bad impression to one of their new roommates. The human rat scurried over to them and sniffed at them.

"Thee two are very odd looking gents. Me like them already! They just like us!"

The human rat seems to take a liking to them. The boys decided to play it polite by introducing themselves.

"Salutations! I'm Jimmy!" "And I'm Nick!" "Oh! So we're introducing ourselves now? Okay! Sounds good to me! *Ahem* It's a pleasure to meet you, Jimmy and Nick! Me Oona! But to be honest, me hate that name! Me'd be much more happier if you called me Rodent Girl, thank you! By full name, that is." Greeted the human rat. "I am sir Benson! I'm in charge of all the manly work around here! Such as the cooking, the cleaning, and planting these pretty little pink posies in the garden!" Greeted the man. "And I'm Mitzi." Greeted the fat lady, in a stoic manner.

Mitzi caught her eyes on the chain between Jimmy and Nick.

"Pardon me, but may I draw the question as to wherefore thee boys are chained together? Did Diana happened to find you in some sort of a cellar or asylum?" "No, she rescued us from being burned at the stake." Nick replied, but that didn't make Mitzi look at them any differently.

"Mitzi, be not malapert to our new guests!" Said Diana. "These young gentlemen, thou are not gonna believe this, came from the future; the twenty first century! Isn't yond most wondrous? Oh, and as for the bilboes, this was just a did fail charm dissemble performance by some naive friend back home!"

All of them were amazed, but minus Mitzi.

"Is it true in the future they build carriages that no longer need to be run by horse power?" Asked Rodent Girl. "Yeah. They're called cars." Jimmy responded. "Cleaning machines that help pick up all the dirt and dust so sweeping isn't a hassle?" Asked Benson. "I believe you're referring to vacuums." "Metal people built by man that conflict havoc on humanity?" Asked Mitzi. "I think Jimmy invented that once." Nick joked, which earned himself a smack on the arm by the boy genius himself.

The boys then remembered the handcuffs.

"By the way, do you have anything we could use to unlink this chain?" Asked Jimmy. "Why don't you just ask Diana? Breaking that will be just cake for her!" Rodent Girl suggested. "We did. But then she told us the short story about some guy's arm she accidentally popped off."

Benson and Diana shared a small convo within themselves.

"Did you tell the lads that the man's arm was merely just a wooden prosthetic?" "No. I felt that would make me sound less hardcore."

Diana suddenly had an idea.

"I'll tell you what. My associate, Mitzi here, has studied and practiced the art of locksmithing! She could perhaps make a duplicate key to undo those shackles!" "Do I have to?" "Yes you will! These are our guests here!"

Having no choice but to approve of Diana's request, or demand, she told the two young boys to follow her. Luckily, Diana stayed behind them. They were too scared to be alone with that woman. She seems to look at them as if they were criminals. She wouldn't be, by any chance, working with the green hoods of Derryberry Everlanes? Maybe she'll have a change of heart once she gets to know them. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about her poisoning their milk.

............................

[*40 hours earlier, in another time*]

Sheen should've had warned Judy about Jimmy's new security system. However, she easily creamed it by reflecting the lasers into the cannons by using the mirror from her facial cream concealer, then she took on the guard bots in a little taekwondo, thanks to the lessons she took to not only protect herself but her family as well. After cleaning the security system's clock, she investigated the lab from top to bottom. And if she can't find him, she might as well pick up some clues that will maybe spell out her son's disappearance. She covered every area in the lab, knocked over some heavy machinery, and she even hollered for Jimmy's name at the top of her lungs. Despite making no progress, she continued searching. She hasn't seen her son in two days and she wasn't gonna stop until she finds him.

Poor Judy has lost her mind. She hasn't ate or slept. All she had on her mind was Jimmy getting hurt. This boy was her only child, and she won't rest on her little baby. So far, she's only covered the lab. Sheen did say this was the last place he remembered Jimmy went to. Since then, that was the only place she's checked, and right now, the lab looks like a tornado just hit it. Her husband tried to talk her out of it, but she's so Jimmy-crazed, she refuses to listen to anyone.

..........................

[*Five hours later*]

Carl Wheezer was putting on another magic show on his front lawn. Sheen, his assistant, was wearing a ridiculous feminine looking outfit Carl made for him. He has more audiences than he had last time, probably because he's starting to improve. ...or because they had nothing better to do, and the show was free, after all. There was only one adult in the audience. The only one who appeared to be enjoying the show was Bolbi. He's the one to clap when nobody else will. (And for some reason, one of the spectators was a measly Twonkie.) Today's performance, he borrowed a five dollar bill from a volunteer, cut it into tiny pieces using his scissors, then blanketed a cloth over it. After chanting his own original magic words, he pulled the dollar bill out, which was back in one piece again.

"THIS IS NOT MY DOLLAR, WHEEZER! THIS IS A COUPON FOR A FREE WHOLE FISHCAKE AT THE RAMEN BOWL!" "What?! A-heh, I'm sorry, Benny! I am TRULY sorry! I may be having some technical difficulties occurring at this moment! If you excuse me, I'd like to have a private heart to heart with my assistant here!"

Carl then grabbed Sheen by his bowtie.

"Sheen. You were suppose to put a five dollar bill under there." "I know. But when I looked into my wallet, all I had was three dollars, 76 cents, and that coupon, which to me, is worth as much as five dollars." "Why?" "You kidding me? You get to portion your own fish cake slices."

Benny was glaring at them, while angrily tapping his foot on the pavement. Carl and Sheen combined their money together, and paid him back the amount his original bill cost. Then he left.

"Sure wish Jimmy was here, Sheen. It's not the same not seeing your best friend watch you from the audience, especially under all this pressure. I was hoping he'd get a chance to witness my new tricks. Where is he, anyhow? He and Nick have been gone for three days." "Well, I don't know about Nick, but he might still be with Jimmy." "Possibly. I mean, we haven't seen him around anywhere. But I have met a few skateboard kids who keep breaking their legs frequently." "What is it, a trend now?" "I don't know. None of them even knew Nick, apparently. Hey, remember yesterday when you presumed that Jimmy may be in his lab, and said it'd be a good idea if one of us checked? Well, when I decided to check there after school ended, it was already occupied by Mrs. Neutron. She said she had everything under control, so I trusted her on that. Say, I wonder if she found Jimmy yet, cuz she's been down there for quite so long." "About how long?"

Suddenly, Judy Neutron came upon them, looking like she's gone through hell.

"Hi, Mrs. Neutron! You're looking extra beautiful today with the bright sun rays shining off of your lovely complexion." Said Carl, in his lovestruck mood from the sight of her. "Carl, I have been searching in my son's lab all day and through the night! My hair is out of shape, I'm covered in transmission fluids, I still haven't found my son, so don't try to suck up to me!" "No really! No amount of filth could ever mask your stunning beauty! Heck, you'd still look good even in that embarrassing t-shirt with a picture of your favorite 70s' sitcom character on it." "Carl Wheezer, PLEASE! I'm in no mood for th- How did you know I owned a 'Welcome Back Kopper' t-shirt?" "Um, ItsJustACoincidence! Sheen, she's all yours! And I don't mean that literally, by the way."

Carl pushed Sheen in Judy's direction.

"Hi Mrs. Neutron! Nice filth!"

Judy grabbed Sheen by the ear, as if he were her own son.

"Don't you 'Hi Mrs. Neutron' me! Now tell me what gives! You said that you remembered that Jimmy said he'd be in his lab! Well, I checked the lab, and guess what, he wasn't there!" "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Maybe he already left the lab. Ooohhh! Maybe Nick's mom has a clue!" "Nick's mom?" "Well, Nick happened to be with Jimmy, or rather, stuck to him, when they headed to the lab. They probably undid the handcuffs right now, so that's why they were in the lab." "Hmmmmmmmmm."

Judy took Sheen by the arm, taking him with her somewhere.

"Where we going?! Are we going out for ice cream?" "Nope! Since you know more than you think you do, you're gonna help me find my son!" "But, Mrs. Neutron! Carl needs me! And there's a rerun episode of Ultralord coming up in just an hour!"

Carl, feeling absolutely helpless right now, just waved goodbye to Sheen. And since his back was turned away, all of his audience got off from their seats, and walked away. Except Bolbi, of course.

.............

[*Meanwhile, back to the middle ages*]

The boys sat on the floor, since none of them could share a stool together, as they watched Mitzi smelt a new key before their eyes in just 5 minutes, thanks to the new supplies Diana stole. When done, she grabbed a hold of Jimmy's wrists and inserted the key into the hole. By just one turn, the cuffs fell off like it were the end of slavery. Jimmy and Nick rubbed their aching bare wrists in relief. It felt like months since they could move both of their arms. No more painful dragging, and they can finally give each other some space for once. They don't have to sit, or lie down, in uncomfortable positions anymore. As much as Nick loves Jimmy, even he can get tired over a little too much bonding.

"Thank you, Mitz! You're a real lifesaver!" Nick was grateful enough to thank. "I never planned to save your lives. And don't call me Mitz." But Mitzi seemed bitter about it.

Mitzi, feeling like she helped enough, exited the room just to be away from them.

"What's her beef?" Asked Nick. "Well, it could be the fact that both of you are men, or she just isn't use to having strangers around here, unlike us, where we are open to warm welcomes." Replied Diana. "Hope you're right about the second part, otherwise she's never gonna learn to like us." "Good luck on that; She can be a tough nut to crack. By the way, how long do you gents plan to stay with us again?" "Until we build something that could take us back home. I was hoping I could borrow some vital replenishments that are pertinent enough to engineer a fully operative time machine, and I would also need some hypothetical earthbound to constitute power into it, such as raw minerals or a strike of lightning. Maybe both." Jimmy exclaimed. "What he say? Is this some kind of future language?" "Nope. Cuz otherwise, I'd understand him." Said Nick. "I mean, the right tools and supplies I need for a brand new time traveling device." Jimmy clarified. "Ohhhhhhh, why didn't you just say so? You boys are welcomed to use anything in the hut's shed, just as long as you don't break them." "Yes ma'am." "And would it be okay if me and the gang visited the future with you fellows? From all those facts I've heard from you, it sounds exciting." "I don't think so. It could possibly affect the timeline. But if you like, we'd be happy to visit you occasionally." "Oh, stop it, you! I'm already getting attached!"

Diana has been very good to them, so it's the least Jimmy could do. The boy genius planned on inventing that new time machine right now, but finally being released from those prison cuffs, it's best to start tomorrow and just relax today. Jimmy is usually in a rush, but sometimes you just need to catch your breath. He can't just keep pushing himself to get work done. Jimmy has had this new perspective ever since that little heart to heart with Nick by the campfire last night. Speaking of Nick, what does he have in mind now that he was free?

.............................

Jimmy and Nick were both chilling outside of the hut, sharing more conversations together.

"So you were jealous of me back then?” Asked Nick. "It was just a phase. I mean, you had everything I wanted. You were good looking, and tall, and strong, and pretty much loved by almost everyone in school. As I grew older, I came to realize that I love myself just the way I am. All that popularity really isn't worth it." Replied Jimmy. "Glad you've come to your senses. There's really no reason to be jealous, because living the popular life just sucks. There's nothing really to do but to shut up and look pretty. You're lucky to have real friends. My friends, if I can even call them that, just like me for my qualities. When we play games, it's only for sport, not fun. As for all those girls, don't get me started with them. No matter where I go, they're always there. I don't even like girls." "Don't tell me you still believe in cooties."

Nick doesn't know how to answer to that. By giving the wrong response, Jimmy is sure to come on to him, about his secret. Thankfully, he was saved when Jimmy asked something else.

"Call me nosy, but why did you and Betty even dated? Not that I still care about her or anything. I swear I moved on." "We never really dated. The whole relationship was merely a sham. We only hooked up because that's what the school wanted, since she is the second most popular kid in school. The fact that we're both pretty, they thought we'd be perfect for each other. She didn't have a thing for me, and I didn't have a thing for her. We set that public breakup for our own sakes, and not to mention freedom." "Did she mention anything about me?" "Moved on, huh?" "Sorry." "Mind if I asked the questions now?" "Shoot." "Hope this isn't too personal, but what did you ever see in Cindy that made you realize you were in love? Wasn't she always mean to you?" "Gosh, I don't think science has an answer to that. Heh heh. Well... it could be from the aftermath of the love potion. Or maybe because we're both smart and we carry the same strategies. Plus, we make a pretty good team. ...when we're not arguing." "That's it?" "Mhmm. That's it." "Well, pardon me for being critical, but in my opinion, real romantic relationships are made out of healthy chemistry. It should be based on trust, understanding each other. Working things out. Not having more heated arguments than a middle aged couple. Also, physical and emotional harm will get you nowhere. It takes more to soulmates than having a lot in common." "I know. And that's the reason why I decided it was now over between us. We weren't necessarily all those things you just said. We were just unhealthy for each other. When it comes to science, it triggers us into warfare. I thought it would be best for us that way, even after all those heartwarming moments we've cherished, the times we stood by each other's side, and when we were trapped on an island together... Nick, do you think I've made a mistake? Maybe Cindy was right. I probably was just thinking of myself." "ABSOLUTELY NOT! If you feel in your gut that it was right, then it's right! Having a fair share of sweet moments won't erase bad history! Look at you two; You fight like dogs over a bone with meat still on it! Your relationship with her is much too dysfunctional, which could possibly lead to abuse in the future! Can't you see she's giving you stress! That could be why you're always pushing yourself to do better! And when you're pushing yourself to do better, you neglect your friends! Don't you remember? You'll find the right someone eventually, but Cindy just isn't the one!" "I see you make a good point, but..." "But?" "...why are you making a big deal out of this?" "I'm your friend, Jimmy. Am I not allowed to be concern for you?"

Now Jimmy knew right there that Nick was much more different than his friends back home. Nick actually cares enough to show him which path is best for him, without being controlling. He acted as the voice of reason. Sheen never lectured him like this, and neither did Carl. Cindy did a lot of yelling and harsh scolding. If Nick haven't said something, Jimmy would've gotten pulled into the Stockholm syndrome.

"And besides, I know what it's like to be stuck in a relationship where you're hurt all the time!"

Nick had broken his rule of going overboard with his information, and he regretted saying it right away, but he had to let Jimmy know he wasn't alone. Now, he may die of embarrassment. Jimmy wondered, who was Nick ever in a relationship with that hurt him so badly? Their privacy was soon invaded when they spotted Benson poking his head out the window.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" "Heavens, no! I was just gonna call you two for supper when I accidentally overheard your entire conversation!"

Jimmy and Nick got up and decided to head inside for grub.

"Look, Jimmy, I'm sorry for flipping out like that. I don't know what came over me. Should've just kept my whore mouth shut."

Jimmy only responded by wrapping his arms around Nick's stomach area, and embracing into a warm hug, with his face buried in his chest. Nick's cheeks were beginning to glow red again. He just received his very own hug from the boy he loved. Wait. He thought Jimmy was disgusted by the concept of men hugging each other.

"If you feel in your gut that it was right, then it's right."

Jimmy hugged Nick out of sympathy, since he showed him his. The sweet, caring guy before him was the person Nick hid from him for two years. He was the friend Jimmy should've had a long time ago. The boy genius eventually released from his hug, and headed inside for supper. Nick was completely frozen from that hug, yet his face feels so hot. He stood like that for three minutes, before shaking it off and stepping back inside the hut. Although he may not be ready to face Jimmy again after that one hug.

"(It was just a hug!)"

[adacarisi]

Can you write an imagine were Barba and Carisi have both been with you and they start a fight over you? Smut please if you want. Also i love your writing 

   Part 2

Part 1 of this prompt

Part 2 as requested and as promised. Overall I hope you guys enjoyed this, the imagine/prompt was great and I know I’ve taken it a little far but hey, I love our boys.

Bonus Audio Vibes for the second portion of the fic:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDYgZiqYk2k

“Rafael...”

“I love you and I don’t know what to do. So tell me, Tell me what to do because I love you and I can’t...I can’t leave you to someone else. Just...jesus...the thought of him...touching you...holding you...please. Please tell me.” Rafael’s tone changed from one of desperation to one of pain and agony as he finished.

He looked tortured, lost, as if he’d been suffering this pain for far longer than just today.

“Did you just say...you love me?” You asked in disbelief, pressing a hand to your sternum in an effort to prevent your heart from falling out of your chest.  

“Yeah.” Rafael spoke slowly on an exhale, the tears that had pooled in his eyes now falling from them in glistening streams.

“How long?” You were barely audible but somehow he heard you.

“Do you remember that day we were walking out of the courthouse and that little girl came up to me and grabbed my hand?”

You nodded as tears of your own began to fall down your cheeks.

“She looked so lost, and so scared, sniffling and wiping her nose with the back of her little hand over and over. She had wrapped her little hand around two of my fingers and I looked at you, totally unsure of what to do. You knelt down, knees on the concrete, introduced yourself and asked her what her name was. She wouldn’t speak but she kept looking at the necklace you were wearing and so you took it off and put it around her neck. That made her smile. When she finally told you her name you told her we were going to stay with her until she found her mommy or daddy. But...she wouldn’t let go of my hand. So you stood and took her other hand and we walked her over to the precinct. All the while you were asking her questions, talking to her as if she were your own. By the time we got to the precinct she was laughing and bouncing, though she still wouldn’t let go of my hand. Her parents were already there, both calling her name as we walked in the door. Then she let go. My hand felt so empty, so useless, and then...god...it was like you knew. You took my hand, and leaned against my shoulder. Your hand, it fit...so perfectly in mine and I couldn’t bear the thought of letting it go.”

“That’s when you knew?”

“That’s when I knew.”

“Oh Rafael...” You closed the distance in between the two of you and fell against his chest with a little sob.

He stroked his hand through your hair, smoothing while savoring the feel of you in his arms. You knew you were leaving wet marks on his suit but you didn’t care.

“Tell me I’m not too late.” Rafael’s voice broke slightly as he spoke, his arms tightening around you as if preparing for a last embrace.

“You’re not. You’re not too late.” You curled your fist on his chest before pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.

You had expected his hold on you to loosen but instead it tightened even more as he buried himself against you. Neither of you know how long you remained that way, holding each other there in his office. When you finally broke apart you told him what had happened with you and Sonny. He didn’t blame you for it though you knew he was hurt. Rafael explained his “dinner meeting” had been with his mother, and the whole thing had been a poorly thought out tactic to make you jealous. You laughed at that but still asked how it went. You’d met Lucia in passing before and had treasured the moment you’d walked away only to hear Lucia whisper, “That’s her isn’t it?” Only to be followed by Rafael’s little whine, “Mami!”

The two of you laughed and your heart nearly burst to see him smile again. Then you remembered Sonny. Kind and good Sonny. What would you tell him?

“Rafael...are we...what is this?” You asked pressing a hand to his chest noting how he sighed at the contact.

“Why don’t we lay out some terms and conditions at dinner tonight?”

“I made plans with Sonny, I need to call him back.” You took a step back from him and pulled out your phone preparing to call Sonny.

Simply speaking his name made Rafael’s nostrils flare though he truly had no reason to be upset at what had happened between the two of you. But it seemed fate had other plans than allowing you to sort this out quickly and quietly.

Sonny Carisi strode into the office accompanied by Olivia Benson who you’d met a few times before but not more since you rarely handled SVU cases.

“Ah Barba, good, the Jensen case, Emily and Leyla just admitted to sending those messages on Facebook so now we can work on building up their part in all of this.”

“Hey Y/N, plans still on for tonight? I know this great little place down in--” Sonny sauntered over to you reaching for your hand despite his boss being only three feet away.

“She’s going to be cancelling, sorry Carisi.” Rafael interjected hotly moving closer to your side.

“Somethin’ goin’ on?” Sonny’s brow furrowed as he attempted to work out what exactly was happening.

“Sonny, I need to talk to you...alone...my office?” You shot a glare at Rafael for stepping out of line.

“No no. We’re all adults here Y/N, whatever you need to say to Carisi you can in front of us.” Rafael’s voice took on a haughty tone causing you to close your eyes in frustration.

“What’s going on here?” Olivia gestured towards Rafael and then Sonny before her gaze fell on you.

“Yeah what’s goin’ on Y/N?”

“What’s going on is she’s never going to be alone with you again Fordham.”

“RAFAEL!” You raised your voice at which Rafael rounded his desk and took a seat.

“Are you and...” Sonny made a small gesture towards Rafael who had cocked his head with a smug smirk now pulling at his lips.

“Yes. I’m...I’m sorry Sonny.” You gave him a small apologetic smile hoping it would ease the situation.

“Hey...don’ be, it’s like we said remember, why complicate things. It was good.” Sonny seemed upset but he hadn’t been disillusioned about what your relationship was.  

“What was good?” Rafael grit his teeth before poking at the inside of his bottom lip with his tongue.

“Thank you. I mean it...thank you Sonny.” You reached up and gave him a quick hug mindful of Rafael, who’s eyes were rolling so hard you almost rolled your own.

“I’m filing a motion to have those messages included in discovery, I’ll let you know what Judge Barth decides.” Rafael directed his words toward Olivia who was still a little bewildered at all that had happened in such a short amount of time.

“Okay...thank you.” She spoke slowly giving Sonny a concerned look before walking out of the office.

“Well...I guess I’d better get going. Work n’ all.” Sonny was more upset than he was letting on and it was starting to seep through in his expressions.

“Why don’t you come by for dinner tonight.” You put your hand on his forearm as he turned to leave.

“Excuse me?” Rafael nearly choked as he wheeled back his chair from his desk.

“Both of you. I don’t want this to affect your working relationship.”

“Sounds good.” Sonny smiled before the both of you turned towards Rafael who looked frustrated at the trap you’d sprung on him.

“Fine.” Rafael began kneading at his temples with his knuckles, a headache starting at the thought of making small talk with someone you’d slept with.

“I can cook, I already know my way around your kitchen.” Sonny added a devious smirk pulling at his upper lip.

“Y/N.” Rafael warned.

“Enough, both of you. Sonny you can bring the food, Rafael I trust your choice in wine, and I’ll host. Is that fine with everyone?”

Both men grumbled their agreement, locking eyes with one another before Sonny turned and left the room.

“Do you really expect me to have dinner with him after the two of you slept together?” Rafael started as soon as Sonny disappeared from view.

“Do you love me?” You rounded his desk and perched on the edge of it.

“You know I do.” Rafael’s voice was soft as he gazed up at you.

“Then do this for me.” You spoke barely above a whisper as you pressed your lips into his.

“Love isn’t about an exchange of favors I hope you know.” Rafael looked back to his papers as he spoke attempting to distract himself from the rush of blood he felt below his belt.

“I’ve never been in love before so you’ll have to show me the ropes.” You teased as you slid off his desk, preparing to make your way to your office.

“Are you in love?” His voice was hopeful though he tried to hide it and it made the corners of your mouth lift into a sweet smile as you turned back around to face him once more.

“I just might be.” And with that you made your way out of his office and down the hall toward your own.

Sonny arrived at your apartment promptly at 6:30pm armed with bags of ingredients.

“Have you ever had homemade ravioli?” Sonny asked as you stepped to the side to let him into your apartment.

“I haven’t.” Rafael answered from the kitchen bar where he was nursing a very full glass of wine.

He’d brought two bottles of wine, when you had tried to take both and place them on the table he had shaken his head while saying, “No no...this one is all mine.”

“Good evening Counselor.” Sonny gave you a look as you took a few bags from his arms to help him begin to prepare dinner.

“And good night Carisi. Is this over now?” It was no mystery why Rafael drank scotch most of the time, wine turned him into a petulant child.

“Hey, you’re gonna love this, it’s my grandmother’s recipe I’ve been making it for my family since I was 7.” Sonny directed his attention to you as you laid out the ingredients before pulling a few bowls from some cabinets.

“I can’t wait, is that sausage?” You asked leaning closer at what he was laying out on your counter.

“It had better not be.” Rafael muttered as he returned to the case file he had brought over with him.

“Cotechino, it’ll take an hour or so to cook.”

“Oh my god I’m going to off myself.” The tired ADA groaned as he took a deep swig of wine.

“Rafael.” You shot him a warning glance.  

“The whole thing’ll take around two hours to make, but it’s so worth it Y/N, the freshness of the flavors is amazing.”

Rafael groaned so loudly you wondered if somehow he was actually a poorly aged 12 year old.

“Rafael may I speak to you in my bedroom please.” You exited the kitchen, pulling Rafael from his barstool and into your bedroom.

“You have got to stop.” You scolded him the second you stepped inside.

“I can’t do this, he’s...he’s, he’s Carisi okay, I work with him every day.”

“And that’s why the two of you have to get along.”

“It’s just how we are Y/N, we’ve always been like this.” Rafael gestured widely with his arms as you pulled your door very nearly closed.

“Well you can’t be anymore, it’s too personal. Rafael. You promised.”

“I agreed, that’s not the same as a promise.” He smirked a little though he was still obviously irritated.

“If you behave...I’ll give you a treat.” You traced a finger down the fabric of his slightly undone dress shirt.

“Bedroom treat or kitchen treat.” Rafael raised an eyebrow, his interest obvious and undeniable.

“Your choice.”

“I think you know which one I’ll choose.” Rafael stepped closer to you and slid his hand down the small of your back.

“I’d be disappointed if you chose otherwise.” You bit at his jaw lightly resulting in a growl from him.

You pulled away from him and opened the door gesturing for him to return to the living room and kitchen. He gave you a smug grin and gave you a swift smack to the ass before walking past you. Suddenly two hours seemed a lot longer than it had five minutes ago.

“I’ve also got a starter for us, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil I picked from the plant I have at home.” Sonny was obviously trying to ignore the fact that he was essentially the third wheel in this situation.

“You grow your own basil?” Rafael tried to suppress his desire to make fun of the tall blonde now at your kitchen counter counter slicing a very plump tomato.

“Sonny’s a true chef, Rafael. He’s very talented.” You brush a hand over Sonny’s shoulder blades as you move behind him to dice some garlic he had laid out.

“I can cook.” Rafael insisted shifting in his seat at the bar.

“Really?” Both you and Sonny spoke together.

“Yes really.” Rafael moved with feigned exasperation from his place behind the bar and entered the kitchen to take a stand directly behind you.

He wrapped his body around yours and took your hands into his, molding your palm and fingertips around the base of the knife before using the other hand to hold the cloves of garlic now devoid of their skin.

“Let me show you. When you dice you should press the blade like this, mira baby, then cut, one two three, and slice again.” Rafael made his voice low but loud enough Sonny could hear.

It was the first time he’d called you anything other than your name or Counselor. As much as you wanted to tease him for it, you liked it and didn’t want to discourage him from using it in the future.

“See?”

“Mhmmm.”

“Hey Counselor would you mind cuttin’ these onions too, I can never quite get that perfect shape ya know?” Sonny interjected with a smile placing two onions on the counter next to the cutting board the two of you were leaned over.

“Why do we even need onions Carisi? Are we making a second dish I don’t know about?” Rafael gestured toward the onions with the knife you both were holding and you held back giggles that had been building within you for a few minutes.

“Don’t question Nonna. That’s rule number one.” Sonny gave Rafael an all knowing look before returning to the task in front of him.

“Get to chopping Counselor.” You slipped from his embrace and went into the living room to light a candle.

Candles always helped prevent what Sonny was trying to cause. Onion inflicted tears. Your grandfather had taught you that trick, and though seeing Rafael caught in his own game was humorous enough, you had no desire to see him cry for a second time today.

You placed the lit candle on the counter next to the cutting board and pressed your lips to the tip of Rafael’s ear. He smiled at that and you could have sworn he blushed.

The rest of the cooking went similarly, a bit of banter and a few quips from Rafael along with stern looks from you. The meal was delicious as was the wine Rafael had selected. The conversation was pleasant and before you knew it Rafael and Sonny were laughing and sharing law school stories. Your eyelids grew heavy in the dimly lit dining room and within a few moments you were leaned back in your chair fast asleep.

“So you really love her?”

“I do.”

“I’m sorry I came between that, I didn’t know.”

“I know.”

“If you want to take her into bed I’ll clean up here.”

“You cooked, I’ll clean. I trust you.”

Then there was a sound of shuffling and you felt two slender and toned arms slip around your body only to pull you up to an equally toned chest. You whimpered slightly but curled into the warmth of the body as it carried you into your bedroom. Soon you felt the soft of your duvet and sheets, and then the same arms shifting you into place before tucking you in. You gripped the forearm as it moved, pulling gently with a quiet whine.

“Goodnight Doll.” The voice broke as it spoke and you felt hot tears fall onto your cheeks.

You opened your eyes to see Sonny leaned over you before he lifted a hand to brush his tears from your skin.

“Sonny...” You mumbled as your eyes adjusted to the semi-dark of your room.

“I loved every second I spent with you.” His chin was quivering and it broke your heart.

“Me too.” You reached for his cheek and it only made him cry harder.

“I’m sorry.” His entire body was shaking and you couldn’t bear it.

“Hey...hey Sonny, don’t go. Lay here with me for a bit. It’s okay. Shhhh.” You pulled him down onto you and shifted the two of you as much as you could, making a space for him beside you.

You cradled his head to your chest and ran your hands through his hair as he cried. Feelings were odd things. Growing and blooming when and where you least expected them.

Rafael entered your bedroom a few minutes later and you held a finger to your lips before nodding at Sonny’s head on your chest. To your surprise Rafael obeyed and only slid into bed behind you. He placed a firm kiss on the base your neck and moved his knees into the underside of yours.

“I love you.” He whispered behind your ear.

You reached an arm behind you to grab his hand and pull it to your waist. Rafael wrapped himself around you as much as he could with Sonny attached to your front. You fell back asleep to Rafael’s warm breath on the back of your neck and Sonny’s breath on the front.

You’d never seen anything as beautiful as a New York sunrise after a week of rain. The way orange bled into a deep blush of rose made your breath catch as you took in the view from the edge of your bed. You were sure you looked like a child, bunched up, knees to chest, white fluffy duvet wrapped around your front. It had been a long week and an even longer night.

You turned around slightly to see Rafael and Sonny both still asleep, separated only by the gap you had filled a few minutes before. With one final look at the breathtaking sunrise you laid back down, this time to face Rafael. You pressed your lips to his and ran your hand through the greying hair at the side of his head.

“Wake up baby. I want you to see this.” You whispered as he moaned at the feeling of your nails scratching gently against his scalp.

Then after you laid another wet kiss on Rafael’s rosy lips you rolled over and ran your palm from Sonny’s brow to his cheek.

“Sonny wake up, wake up sweetheart.”

Soon both of them had their eyes open and were looking to you for a reason as to why you’d woken them.

“Look.” You shifted forward once again, directing them towards the sunrise that was now even more deeply hued.

Sonny joined you in a seated position in the center of the bed and gave you a sleepy smile before pressing a light kiss to your temple.

“Beautiful.” Rafael whispered, propping himself up against your padded headboard.

And it was. It was beautiful.

SO I made this an unofficial prequel to the poly imagines I’ve done. I hope you’re a little surprised though I guess it was pretty predictable. I put a line from New Girl in here towards the end because I feel like it really fits the situation and Rafael and Reader’s dynamic. (aka the bedroom treat/kitchen treat line) Anyway, I hope this was as lovely for you as it was for me, please leave your reactions below, nothing makes me happier than hearing your thoughts. Love you dearly!

Here are the poly imagines if you’re curious to how the trio moves on from here:

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

outro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Go3Jm1knc

[thebarsondaily]

Of A Perfect Chaotic Wedding by roseinutopia

Title: Of A Perfect Chaotic Wedding Author: roseinutopia Rating: T Prompt: cherry blossoms Summary: Olivia and Rafael get married, and of course their friends and family prevent the weekend from becoming ordinary. Barson, Fia/Mike, Barba Family, SVU squad family, Rita Calhoun A/N: Wow, okay, this once again got out of hand and ended up being way longer than I intended. A big thank you to barsonaddict, who had a look at it during the production phase and reassured me once again that I hadn’t fucked up. I hope you all enjoy this, I’m looking forward to your feedback! :)

Olivia Benson had never been that kind of woman that dreamt of romantic spring weddings, lacy white wedding gowns and all these traditional activities for weddings that were discussed in those bridal magazines she’d never laid a hand on.

She’d learned early in her life that there were no fairy tales in the real world, that life usually held mostly negative surprises, and that finding Prince Charming who would remain Prince Charming forever was an impossible task. In the last decade or so, she’d started to come to terms with being alone, a single mother, and opposite to what many pitying mothers in the waiting room of doctors or at the preschool had predicted, she didn’t feel miserable about it at all. Noah made her happy, the happiest she’d ever been in her life, and she didn’t need anything else.

No spring weddings with pastel colours, every shade carefully matched, from the flowers over the bridesmaid’s dresses and the groomsmen’s ties. No big crowd of guests,  witnessing a moment that was just about two people vowing to be together forever - or at least until one of them decided it was time to part and find younger partners. Olivia had never aspired to be part of such an event, except maybe as a guest, able to drink as much wine as she wanted from the open bar while the sappy speeches were delivered.

And yet…

As she watched herself in the mirror, her fingers nervously smoothing down the knee-length white dress with some lace, her hair in soft curls and everyone around her bustling to get ready, she couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t feel odd at all. Maybe because while she knew that some of the decorations were straight from the latest issue of Bride Today – Lucia really needed to diversify her reading – she knew that it wasn’t big, not exaggerated, but simply about celebrating a connection with their closest friends and family.

“You ready, Liv?” Amanda asked softly, stepping in to hand Liv her bouquet of flowers, and she gave her friend a happy smile.

“Yes, I can barely wait.”

“Well, but don’t run down the aisle, Liv, we don’t wanna give Mrs B a heart attack because the photographer is missing all the good wedding shots,” Fin joked with a relaxed grin as he straightened his tie, and everyone in the room chuckled; Fin’s chest seemed to swell a little at the sight of Rita Calhoun smirking before turning to the only picture of slight misery in the room.

“Fia, you want some champagne?” she teased the young woman who was trying to keep her head from dropping from sleepiness while dabbing makeup on a giant hickey on her neck.

“Oh, fuck off, smartass. As if you were any better last night,” Fia grumbled, placing her curls over shoulder so the hickey was concealed, and stood up slowly. “And may I remind you who didn’t stop me from ordering cocktails? You’re a witch. Someone got an aspirin?”

“Well, yes, we drank just as much, but we at least got some sleep tonight, unlike a certain young lady here.”

Amanda, Rita and Liv exchanged triumphant grins, obviously enjoying the situation, and Fia, holding up the rose-coloured skirt of her dress, slipped into her heels, glaring at them. “I’ll never trust you guys with a drink again.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t have fun last night, it was quite obvious, despite the awkwardness. You’re just annoyed we all know by now what you were up to.”

“And it was a wild night for everyone,” Amanda added, then turned to Liv. “And you almost didn’t want to have a party at all.”

OoO

“Oh come on, Liv, you only are a bachelorette once in your life! See, I’m that optimistic about Barba and you. You gotta have a party,” Amanda pleaded, Rita and Fia standing right behind her as backup, while Olivia took off her glasses and put them on her desk.

“Another ambush? You’re not going to give up on this, huh?”

It had been two weeks since the other women had first proposed a bachelorette party, and even though Liv had kept declining, they were in her office yet again.

“Come on, Liv, a little party never killed nobody,” Rita argued and Fia nodded, though looking on the verge of teasing her about her use of words.

“Besides, we now got an idea that’ll convince you.”

Raising her eyebrow, Olivia gave them a ‘try me’ glance and the women exchanged triumphant grins.

“Either you don’t want the boys running off to a strip club with your fiancé or you just want Rafi to be there, too, for a simple pre-wedding party. We assume it’s the latter, and so we would like to propose a normal party with all our friends and colleagues. No strippers, except you want to share one, just some drinks at a bar with live music and some dancing. How does that sound?”

Fia and Rita shot Amanda confused stares – they hadn’t discussed bands – but quickly smiled at Liv as well, to make her think that they’d come up with this together. The three women held their breaths in anticipation as Olivia looked up at them, arms crossed in front of her chest, chair tipped back a little.

It seemed like an eternity had passed until she finally smiled a little, shrugging.

“Okay, that sounds nice. I’m just against anything too big or cheesy. Just a nice, relaxing evening with friends, please.”

“What the bride wishes, the bride gets, Liv,” Amanda answered with a grin, exaggerating a little by giving her a thumbs up and a wink. “I’m your bridesmaid, I’ll take care of everything. With my two grooms… women here. Okay, we gotta go. Come on, girls, we have a party to organise.”

Before Olivia had the chance to change her opinion, the three women turned on their heels and marched out of her office, banging the door close behind them. Releasing a breath, Olivia leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose when she thought about the fact that she would have to break the news about the party to her fiancé. Hopefully he would just embrace the opportunity to get drunk and watch his mother do the same and embarrass herself instead of seeing that yet another aspect of their wedding was taken out of their hands. While he’d accepted the lack of control – there was no point in arguing with Lucia – he’d become rather passionate in expressing his objections lately, and Olivia could already hear him making an unwilling noise and say that he would stay home with Noah.

Though Olivia couldn’t help but suspect that he secretly liked that he didn’t have to stress about organisational stuff but had someone almost professional for that job with Lucia. And he probably didn’t feel as negative about the decorations either. He just liked to play the grumpy groom for the alliteration.

-i-

Outside Olivia’s office, Fia and Rita were feeling light rushes of panic at the developments, and after exchanging some nervous glances – once again – Fia decided to confront Amanda about her sudden change of plans.

“Uhm, Amanda? How do we organise a live band on such short notice? I mean, I’ve had connections for the stripper, but a band is a little trickier… you really gotta stop these spontaneous ideas.”

Amanda smirked at Fia’s worried tone, glancing over to the desks in the squad room. “Oh, I already know. I just say ‘The Cuffs’.”

Fia cocked an eyebrow. “The Cuffs? Is this some weird bondage thing? I thought we were going for an ordinary party.”

“And you pride yourself to know the best bars and the best live bands in the city? Oh please,” Amanda teased and gestured for Rita and Fia to follow her, then she strode over to Sergeant Mike Dodds’ desk with a winning smile. She knew that he wouldn’t say no, for several reasons, though she’d deduced the most important one from the way he’d tried to hide that he’d been glancing over to them again and again. Time to put a foot in the door and kill two birds with one stone.

“Oh Mike, I was just telling Fia and Rita about the awesome music you and your band are making. And Delfia here had the amazing idea that maybe you guys could play at the little pre-wedding party that we’re planning for Olivia and Rafael. She’s totally into rock music,” Amanda said in an Oscar-worthy innocent and casual tone, while Fia could barely control her expression. The smile she shot Mike was a little crooked, but it still seemed to light up his face a little. Rita noted that both were getting slightly pink cheeks and was glad for her perfected poker face, otherwise she would have grinned like a Cheshire Cat upon realising what Amanda’s hidden agenda was.

Lucia Barba would be proud.

“Oh, really?”

Mike sat up a little straighter, his face lighting up, and Amanda was sure that he could barely suppress the urge to straighten his tie to look even more presentable.

“Well, I just happened to hear that you guys are good and Liv would surely like having someone she knows provide some special atmosphere to the party.”

Amanda and Rita had to admit that Fia was quite good at improvising, though Mike seemed too distracted by her mere presence to be able to pick up on it, anyway. And combining that fact with the winning, charming demeanour she displayed upon continuing to speak, he really didn’t have a chance anymore. “It would mean a lot to her, surely. And I would appreciate it too, of course. Music can be the make or break of a party.”

She used the deer eyes for good measure – go big or go home was one of her favourite mottos – and Mike had visible trouble to appear casual when he met her gaze; Fia found herself thinking that it was adorable.

“Well, if Liv is okay with it… I’m sure the others would be up to it, too.” Fia smiled gratefully, swearing to herself that she would give Amanda hell for doing this. Though she should probably have anticipated that a trained detective would notice the interested glances she’d thrown the handsome Sergeant when Rita and her had entered the squad room earlier. He totally wasn’t her type, but well… a lady could have a look at what the menu had to offer. “Amazing, Mike. We’re really looking forward to your performance, then,” Amanda said with a smirk, turning to the women with a wink, and Fia would have grimaced at her if Mike hadn’t still been looking at her. Something inside her started to prickle as their gazes met again, and for a second she was in danger of getting lost in his green eyes; she was more than grateful when Rita nudged her lightly, muttering something about getting lunch together into her ear. She rolled her eyes about the knowing smirk on Amanda’s face and inwardly prepared a speech about how looking didn’t mean she wanted something from him and that she was too busy with work and the wedding to even think about something else than casual one time things, but Amanda marched off towards her desk before she could start ranting.

“Was that really necessary?” she hissed to Rita when they made their way towards the elevator, throwing a last grateful smile to Mike Dodds.

“He said yes, didn’t he?”

“He probably would have agreed anyway.”

Rita just smirked to herself, knowing that arguing about what had just happened wouldn’t be of any use. They’d achieved their goals for the day, and that was all that mattered.

Now their focus would be a hell of a party.

OoO

There was a light knock on the door and Lucia entered a moment later, leading Jesse and Noah into the room with a soft smile. “Our adorable flower kids are ready! Oh, Olivia, you look wonderful!”

“Mummy is always pretty,” Noah said while fiddling with his bow tie, beaming at his mother. Jesse was holding the basket with the petals of cherry blossoms tightly, looking a little nervous about the task ahead. Everyone had said that it was an important one, and she really didn’t want to do anything wrong and upset Auntie Livy and Uncle Rafa.

“Thank you, baby, that’s sweet of you.”

Olivia chuckled lightly and gave her son a kiss on the cheek, feeling a little emotional. How much he’d grown, and how much their life had changed from good to even better, thanks to the man that was waiting for them outside. Shaking her head to hold back tears – Rita had invested too much work in the makeup to allow it to smudge – and straightened her back. “Is everyone good to go? Fia?”

“I’ll try not to throw up,” Fia grumbled back, skillfully ignoring her aunt’s glare as she took the small bouquet from her. “Let’s go before Liv loses patience and elopes with Rafael. I’d never live in peace again.”

Rita chuckled, obviously loving the snide remark, and Lucia’s lips became a thin, disapproving line for a moment before she seemed to push a button inside and became her vibrant, overly-excited self again.

“She’s right, we should get going. Oh, Rita, Odafin, I thought maybe you two could walk down the aisle together, as the oldest and best friends of Olivia and Rafael and brides… eh… bridesman and groomslady?”

Lucia frowned lightly as she stumbled over the not so traditional role allocation, but she didn’t let it stop her for long. “Now hush, Olivia wants to get married! After last night you owe me that, Rita!”

Fin and Rita both hesitated for a second, exchanging almost tentative glances, but when Fin offered Rita his arm she took it despite showing signs of reluctance. A pleased sound, almost like a coo, left Lucia and Rita rolled her eyes when Lucia said in a high-pitched tone: “Oh, don’t you two look wonderful together?”

“Let’s get going, okay?” Rita grumbled and Amanda took Noah’s and Jesse’s hands, leading them to the door before any discussion could come up and ruin the mood. Everyone followed them, with Lucia hastily slipping past them so she would be able to get into the room in which the wedding ceremony and celebration would take place before they would start everything with their entry.

“Are you two ready?”

“I’m nervous,” Jesse admitted quietly, looking up at her mother with worry in her big blue eyes, and Amanda knelt down carefully, pushing one of her blonde curls out of her face.

“You know that’s okay, baby? It means you care. But there’s nothing to worry about. Noah is with you and you two just throw the petals for Auntie Olivia and give them the rings, I know you can do it.”

She pressed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead and Jesse smiled tentatively when Noah took her hand, her best friend’s presence obviously giving her courage. Everyone smiled fondly at the two children as they got in position, and Olivia felt her head swimming with excitement and joy. There wasn’t even the tiniest trace of doubt inside her, and she found herself almost shifting impatiently, anticipation bubbling inside her while everyone lined up according to Lucia’s carefully outlined plan. Releasing a breath upon the start of the soft music played by a string quartet, a soft smile came onto Olivia’s face.

The procession slowly started moving – nobody dared to walk too fast lest to provoke Lucia’s anger – and in this moment Olivia barely had more than a few fleeting glances for the beautiful and tasteful decoration of the room, soft colours and fabrics everywhere, accompanied by candles. Neither did she pay much attention to the guests sitting in a circle around the middle of the room, knowing that she would have enough time to be emotional about all the old friends and family who’d decided to witness this day and share her happiness.

Even the music – and Lucia’s soft sobs in the front row – faded into the background when her gaze fell onto the man standing under the canopy of dark wood, fabric and branches with blossoms wreathed around it. Their eyes met as if they were naturally drawn towards each other, and her heart jumped when she saw the tears shimmering in his eyes, his face wearing an expression of pure happiness.

In just a few minutes, she would marry this man, the love of her life. A promise to share her life with him, the good times and the bad, and there’d never been someone in her life whom she felt so ready to commit to in this way. Saying it out loud today, in this small ceremony, might only be a symbolic ritual to her, for they - and everyone around them - had been aware of their special relationship for years, but yet she felt like it meant a lot. This way, she could let the whole world know that she was his and he was hers. And after years of waiting, she really did have the desire to scream it out loud.

Their gazes remained locked, barely aware of how Jesse and Noah threw the flowers with proud grins, how Rita and Fin parted and took their places on the left and right sides of the canopy, joined by Fia and Amanda. So they also were oblivious of how Fia tried to avoid and searched for the gaze of a certain Sergeant seated in the second row with some other SVU colleagues, which resulted in a quite amusing expression that she tried to mask with a smile.

“Glad you came, mi amor,” Rafael whispered with a smirk when she stopped next to him, lacing their fingers together.

“Wouldn’t have missed this day for nothing in the world,” she replied softly, both of them ignoring Lucia’s loud sobs. Pure joy was radiating between them, and in this moment, all the stress and chaos around the organisation of this day was forgotten – just as the fact that the previous night hadn’t gone as planned either, and that some people in the wedding party had in fact almost missed this day.

OoO

The bar was well-filled with friends and colleagues when Rafael and Olivia arrived, and the moment they were through the door Rita stood in front of them with drinks. “Oh, there you are. We’d been worrying you wouldn’t get Rafael to attend. I know he can be such a party pooper.”

Rafael shot Rita a sharp glance, taking the scotch from her and shot back: “Rita, I’m not sure you should come to the wedding at all. You’re handling divorces as well, that would be like, y’know, testing fate. Fia will handle being my witness on her own just fine.”

They all knew that he didn’t mean a single word, that he was just trying to act grumpy and inconvenienced, yet Rita made a show of gasping and placing one hand over her heart.

“Wow, why didn’t Lucia tell me? I would never want to endanger your happy marriage. Of course I’ll stay away.”

“As if, you couldn’t stay away from free drinks,” Rafael teases lightly, the corners of his lips twitching upwards, and Rita slapped his shoulder lightly before making an inviting gesture towards the room.

“I hope you two have fun. Avoid Carisi, though, he read about some case on the newspaper and is now out for shoptalk. Took me an agonisingly long half hour to get rid of him.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

With a smirk, she turned around and walked off towards the bar, where Fia was studying the cocktail card with such an intense interest that Rafael could only conclude that his mother was around somewhere. Since Rafael and Olivia had announced their engagement, Lucia had started to get even more vocal – if that was even possible – about her wish that her niece would finally find a man to settle down with, get married herself, and, most importantly, give Lucia more grandchildren. That Fia had no desire for any of these things didn’t matter, of course. Rafael would have to have a serious talk with her sometime before the ceremony, he didn’t want anything to get out of control at the reception.

“Let’s find somewhere to sit, mi amor, shall we?”

-i-

“Rita, what do you think? Long Island Iced Tea?” Fia asked with a sigh of defeat when Rita slipped on the barstool next to the younger woman. Shrugging, Rita nodded at the bartender who’d already listened in, and the man started mixing their cocktails.

“I try to tell myself that everything will be over once this wedding weekend is done, but I got the feeling it’ll only get worse. Maybe I should try to get into a ballet company in Europe or something. Or Asia. Just somewhere far away.”

“Not the best idea,” Rita replied, patting Fia’s shoulder. “She would call you in the middle of the night.”

“As if she isn’t doing that already.”

They both released a sigh and sat in silence  until their drinks were placed in front of them. Lucia could tire out even the strongest person.

Just as Fia took a sip of her cocktail, she saw someone lean against the bar from the corner of her eye and almost choked on the liquid when a low voice that had followed her into her dreams said: “A beer, please.”

Mike Dodds gave them a polite smile when the two women turned towards him, Rita focused on their reactions to each other. The slightly pink cheeks and forced casual smiles, paired with other subdued nervous reactions, were unmistakable to her, enforcing the opinion that she’d formed on these two the day they’d convinced Olivia about the party tonight.

“Hey Dodds, why don’t you sit with us for a bit?” Rita offered cheekily, noting with satisfaction how Fia’s hand slipped in surprise while in the middle of pushing one of her dark curls behind her ear.

“I would really love to, but we want to start playing in a minute.”

He seemed genuinely sorry, and Rita relished in how obvious these two were. “Oh, we’re really looking forward to that, Dodds. Fia’s been talking about nothing else the last days. Maybe you want to join us for a drink afterwards, though.”

Fia elbowed her, but continued smiling at Mike, whose cheeks seemed to take a deeper shade of pink when Fia’s and his gazes met briefly. Nodding with a light shrug, he almost stumbled into a barstool while shuffling away from the bar. “Sure, I’d love to. See you later, Counselor. Miss R…uhm, Fia.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Fia hissed once Mike was on his way to the stage on the other side of the bar, her eyes gliding over the retreating form of the tall, muscular Sergeant.

“Oh, just bringing the two of you a bit closer. You’re clearly interested.”

“I’m not! He’s not my type! Also I’m not looking for anything!”

Fia finally managed to tear her gaze away from him and turned to Rita with a somewhat frustrated expression, giving herself away. Rita rose an eyebrow, staring at the younger woman, and Fia took a few long sips of her drink before admitting: “Fine. He’s a guapo and I’d totally lay him if he wasn’t a guest at the wedding.”

“Pardon, I don’t see your problem.”

After another few sips, Fia sighed heavily, as if Rita had said something stupid. “You’ve seriously forgotten what you taught me? Never have a one night stand with someone you know you’ll see again. It’ll only get you into trouble.”

With a dismissive noise, Rita waved one hand. “That doesn’t apply to wedding weekends. It means you get the chance to fuck him twice if he’s good. Don’t act like you’re into making reasonable decisions.”

“You got a point,” Fia agreed, a tiny smirk playing around the corners of her lips when Mike and his band got onto the stage under the applause of some cops, getting ready to start their first song. “I’ll have Lucia annoying me the whole weekend, I should have some fun to make up for that.”

“That’s the spirit.”

They chuckled lightly, clinking their glasses together before drinking a few huge gulps, listening with satisfaction how ‘The Cuffs’ started playing, Mike’s voice – sometimes powerful, sometimes soft – filling the room. After two or three songs, during which Fia had been more or less unable to take her eyes off the singing and guitar-playing Sergeant, Rita decided that her work was done and that it was time to take care of the only person who could rain on her – or rather Fia’s – parade tonight.

Grabbing her drink and slipping off her barstool, she let her gaze glide through the room until she spotted her target – Lucia was sitting in a booth, sipping a glass of wine while letting Amanda show her the newest cute pictures of Jesse.

She would make sure Lucia stayed sufficiently distracted and couldn’t interfere.

“Oh Lucia, my dear, do you want another glass of wine?”

-i-

The later the hour got, the more alcohol flowed, the more boisterously the mood got, and Olivia didn’t regret to have agreed to this party. It wasn’t often that she had the opportunity to let loose like this, and after the stress of organising the wedding, this was more than welcome. She would have to thank Rita, Fia and Amanda for this later.

Rafael and her had taken some spins on the dancefloor while ‘The Cuffs’ had played, and now she was at her fourth glass of wine, standing in a corner with Amanda and making poor Fin squirm.

“Come on, Fin, everyone here knows you got a crush on Rita. This weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to finally make a move.”

“Yeah, also if you don’t tell her, we’ll do that for you eventually,” Amanda added threateningly, causing Fin to shift from one foot onto the other, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“She’s not interested. Ain’t going to make a fool of myself.”

Amanda and Olivia exchanged annoyed glances, for they knew that Fin wasn’t right about Rita’s interest, and gave their friend dark stares. “You just have to try, Fin. Ask her for a dance.”

Fin gazed over his shoulder, and the three of them scanned the room for the defense attorney, but failed to spot her. “Huh, she was there a minute ago, taking Lucia off the dancefloor after her Dancing Queen performance.”

They checked the room again, but they could only see Carisi excitedly holding Rafael captive in a booth, talking about the article he’d read; Olivia briefly considered coming to his rescue, but then she decided against it. He’d been warned to stay away from Carisi.

Some of their friends were still dancing or chatting by the bar, the crowd a little too thick to make out most of the faces.

“See, she anticipated your plan and fled,” Fin grumbled, obviously trying to act relieved even though there was a flash of disappointment visible on his face. “I’m gonna get myself another beer.”

Amanda made an annoyed noise and turned to Olivia, frowning. “Where the hell are they? I had big plans!”

“No idea,” Olivia replied with a shrug, letting her gaze glide over the crowd a last time. “They’ll reappear sooner or later.”

Little did she know that ‘later’ would be the case.

OoO

Olivia was incredibly proud that she’d managed not to burst into tears while Rafael and her exchanged their vows, even though they’d pricked in her eyes persistently throughout the short but sweet ceremony. Suddenly, it all seemed to go a lot quicker than anticipated, and she wished she could have slowed time while Rafael and her took their rings from a proudly beaming Noah and slipped them on each other’s fingers, Lucia continuing to sob loudly in the background. If the moment had passed slower, she would have taken the time to savour the sweet kiss they exchanged, the words describing their deep love during their vows; she would have gazed at every single smiling face around her, able to appreciate how happy everyone was for them.

But even though time didn’t slow down, she still managed to capture some of the quickly passing events and commit them to memory, knowing that most of the things that passed in a blur today would be much clearer when she had the time to lean back and think of them again.

From one moment to the other, Rafael and her were husband and wife, walking through the long lines of their friends and families with Noah between them, cherry blossoms raining down on them, and while she didn’t feel like it was a big moment of change, she couldn’t deny that it was one of extraordinary happiness.

Showing off her little family would always be her favourite thing to do.

After a few minutes to themselves, during which Rafael and her just grinned at each other like kids who’d just successfully pulled off a prank while listening to Noah retelling his view of the ceremony, they got out to the little cocktail reception before the dinner. Olivia felt like her head was swimming from all the congratulations, but Rafael and her floated that wave of gracefully. When it started to ebb away eventually, she let her gaze wander around the room, taking in everything.

The old colleagues who wouldn’t have met again if it hadn’t been for today conversing happily.

Jesse and Noah running around and snatching the sweet appetisers off the trays of the waiters and thinking the adults didn’t notice.

Lucia, being back to her flamboyant self, parading around the room and making sure that conversation and champagne flowed in every room, though she seemed to get uncomfortable when she moved her left shoulder too much.

There was Fia, who was downing the rest of a big cup of coffee and immediately went for a cocktail again, obviously telling herself that a hangover wouldn’t stop her from having fun, while Mike tried very hard not to stare at her, blushing when their gazes met once or twice. He also looked very distracted when his father tried to involve him into a conversation a moment later, and Olivia couldn’t help but smirk.

Amanda was trying to stop Sonny and his never ending appetite from stealing all the appetisers; Rita and Fin were having light conversation with Munch and Nick.

The room was full of life, just like the bar had been the previous evening, their patchwork family being bright, loud, maybe a little whimsical and definitely chaotic, but she knew that neither of them would have it any other way.

OoO

Liv hadn’t thought she would be woken by her phone on the morning of her wedding as if it was an ordinary work day, but there she was, carefully shifting out of her fiancé’s arms to grab the annoyingly loud device. At least she didn’t have a hangover from the party.

“Be-“

“Liv, I know this is your wedding day and you said no stress but… uhm… I got a little problem here.”

Amanda’s voice sounded slightly panicked; subdued, admittingly, but enough to make Liv sit up in light worry. She knew that her friend wouldn’t call her if she deemed the problem at hand serious.

“What’s going on, Amanda?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for an agonisingly long moment, and Olivia had to admit that she did have a few wedding horror scenarios flashing in front of her inner eye before Amanda answered slowly, as if she wasn’t sure how to word the issue: “Uhm… well… some of the wedding party who agreed to help with the last preparations this morning are… uhm… lost? I can’t reach them.”

“Who?”

The cop in Olivia caused her to rise, knowing that while it didn’t have to be a bad sign, it was always good to not take such matters lightly, just in case.

“Well, Rita is on her way here, but Lucia… she’s not answering her phone. And Fia and Mike aren’t reachable either.”

If it had been only Fia, Olivia wouldn’t have been particularly worried, as the young woman tended to be a little chaotic and thus often a bit late, but Mike and Lucia were different. Mike had never been late to work or any other social events the squad had organised, and Lucia was so excited about the wedding that Rafael and her had joked several times that she would spend the night at the venue to make sure everything would be absolutely perfect.

“You tried calling them at home, too?”

“Of course I did. They’re not picking up. Do you remember when you last saw them?”

Pausing for a moment, Olivia tried to piece the memories of the previous evening together, but couldn’t put her finger on particular times. “Sorry, I don’t.”

“Me neither. I’ll just try to call them again a few times before sending Sonny or Fin to check on them at their places. Maybe they’re just nursing a hangover and we’re getting all worried for nothing,” Amanda said with the practiced calmness she usually displayed on the job, and Olivia made an affirmative noise. Yet she slipped out from under the blankets, not feeling like she could stay in bed any longer; it was a mix of worry if everything would be okay in the end and nervosity about the day that was lying ahead of her.

“Livy, where you going? It’s too early.”

A smirk curled her lips and creased the corners of her eyes when she heard Rafael’s slightly whiny protest from underneath the blankets, and she found herself thinking how she couldn’t wait to have that for the rest of her life. His dark hair was a mess sticking away from his head when he emerged, pouting, and she couldn’t stop her laughter. “I’m going to make sure our witnesses are present and maybe even a little sober at our wedding, Rafa.”

She decided to spare him the details and leaned over the bed to give him a quick kiss, taking the time to mess up his hair a little more. “Noah and you can have a boys breakfast. I’ll see you at the wedding. In case you’ll get confused, I’m the one in the white dress.”

“Can’t wait,” he mumbled against her lips, smirking lightly, and Olivia sighed, needing to remind herself of the possibility of something serious having happened to some of her closest family so she would not linger too long next to her fiancé.

-i-

Upon arriving at the venue, she spotted Amanda in the lobby, phone pressed to her ear and pacing. “Hey Amanda, any updates?”

“Rita arrived some minutes ago and told me not to worry about Lucia, that she brought her home yesterday and that she should be arriving soon… but I still can’t reach Fia and Mike. Neither at home nor on their mobiles,” Amanda replied, shaking her head while looking slightly confused, but before Olivia could ask any further questions, one of the entrance doors was slammed open and for a second, it felt like the temperature on this beautiful, sunny spring morning had dropped a few degrees. Lucia Barba marched into the lobby like a general who was out for a bloody battle, an icy expression on her face, and the two women almost took a step backwards. She had one hand pressed on her shoulder, the fingers slightly cramped as if she needed to suppress the urge to rub the skin under her blouse; her voice was as cold as her stare when she spoke, and Olivia, who’d never truly seen her warmth fade, had to admit that she was a tiny bit scared.

“Where’s Rita?”

Amanda’s mouth opened and closed a few times, then she raised her hand to point at the door leading to the wedding venue, but before Lucia could storm on, Rita came through said doors, smiling when she spotted the elder woman. “Lucia, dear, so good to see you!”

“Deary, I’ll make you rethink that statement,” Lucia hissed, stepping closer, but Rita appeared completely unfazed by her sharp words and also by the string of Spanish curses that followed them.

“If it’s about the tattoo then I have to remind you that it was your idea to get one. You saw mine and told me all about how you always wished you could have one but were always too afraid to get one. And then you decided that it was time to finally get your way,” she explained calmly, wrapping one arm around Lucia’s shoulder, though careful not to touch the area where she knew fresh ink was now decorating her skin.

“What? Why… why didn’t you stop me? I’m far too old for this kind of escapades! This is something Delfia would do, not me!”

Lucia deflated quickly, her voice slightly high-pitched in disbelief, and Olivia didn’t know if she was supposed to feel sorry for her or laugh about the revelation. Rafael’s reaction when he found out would be very amusing as well.

“How was I supposed to do that? You’re unstoppable. Also it looks very good on you, y’know.”

A light blush coloured Lucia’s cheeks an adorable shade of pink, and she patted Rita’s arm lightly, though she didn’t look completely convinced yet. “Well, thank you, mija. I guess I’ll just need some time to come to terms with this.”

“You were being a little wild, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Olivia said with a soft smirk, feeling a rush of affection for these women who’d accepted her into their little family so easily. “Now that we’ve settled that, we have one last problem, though. Fia and Mike are still not reachable.”

To her utter surprise, Rita made a dismissive gesture and shook her head lightly while stating: “Don’t worry, they’ll show up on time.”

“How do you know that?”

Amanda cocked an eyebrow and Olivia stared at the defense lawyer in confusion, who gave them a triumphant smirk. “Fia has always managed to show up on time, and I’m sure that’ll rub off on Mike.”

“Are you saying…”

“Yes, they left the bar together last night, after making out in the corner of the room and thinking that nobody could see them,” Rita replied, her tone indicating that she might be a little smug about it, causing Amanda to glare.

“You gave her a push, right? Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?”

“Oh, she didn’t need a push, she had all the right thoughts in her head already.”

Lucia had crossed her arms in front of her chest, her lips pressed together in a thin, disapproving line, but she didn’t say anything. Olivia knew for sure that Fia would have the privilege of receiving yet another rant about her unwillingness to bind herself sometime tonight, though.

“Well, treat yourself, girl,” Amanda said with a dirty smirk, then let her gaze glide over the other women. “Since we got that issue settled, I guess we can start the last preparations?”

-i-

It was half an hour before the start of the ceremony when Fia finally rushed into the changing room the women occupied, her dark curls still slightly damp from a shower and wearing the dress she’d worn to the party the previous night. Sunglasses shielded her eyes from the sunlight streaming into the room, and she was clinging to a Starbucks coffee as if her life depended on it.

“Look who we got here,” Rita teased lightly while Fia hurried to grab her dress from the hanger and went into the little changing area they created, taking big sips of her coffee again and again. “Seems like you didn’t make it home last night, girl. At least you made it out of bed finally.”

“Shut up, okay?”

“The most important thing is that you had a good time.”

Amanda looked as happy as a child on Christmas Eve when she joined Rita in the teasing, the two bustling around the room busily while helping each other and Liv to get ready, and Fia made an annoyed noise while taking off the party dress and slipping into her groomslady dress quickly.

While the three women continued to banter lightly, Fin entered the room with the flowers, but Olivia didn’t really pay attention to anything going on around her in that moment. Looking at her reflection, she needed some time to tell herself that this was really happening, and to get her anticipation, nervosity and excitement on a level that allowed her to function.

She had never been that kind of woman that dreamt of romantic spring weddings, lacy white wedding gowns and all these traditional activities for weddings that were discussed in those bridal magazines she’d never laid a hand on.

But for this beautiful day, she didn’t mind some traditions, some lace and pink cherry blossoms. They were seasoned with a bit of chaos and a lot of love, for her family, and for the man that she was about to marry, and this combination just made it the perfect day.

THE END