#i am looking at my sleeping niece right now; she is so sweet and innocent his coukd you not want to protect her?

[soulmate-game]

Can you do a prompt of Marinette being the daughter of the Joker and Harley but Harley left him before Marinette was born and when Joker found out about his daughter He decided to kidnap Marinette so she can become like him (Ace chemicals) (Daminette)

Woot, my first ask in a while! Let’s see how I can do this oddly specific ask that reminds me of a fic that might actually exist but tbh I’ve read so many fanfics idk if my brain is remembering right

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette knew Sabine and Tom weren’t her biological parents. She had known ever since she was eight, when her mother by blood visited her for the first time, sat her down, and explained everything. Including, but not limited to, her disastrously toxic past relationship, her new girlfriend, and her recent success with long term rehab (unofficial rehab that mostly consisted of illegal anti-hero actions, but hey if it worked it worked).

Marinette understood. Well no, she really didn’t since she was only eight, but she understood that her mom— that Harley— was genuine. She had always had a knack for emotions and telling when people were sincere or not. And Harley really was regretful about not being in her life beforehand, and was serious about wanting to be part of her life now that her own was mostly sorted out.

So Marinette was not surprised when Harley really did stick it out. When Harley cooed over Marinette copying her hairstyle to show her support of her biological mom, when Harley never failed to call at least once a week even if she was in jail for punching some asshole or another. Harley never stayed arrested long anymore, she was usually found to be on the right side of the moral scale more and more often so the police didn’t bother keeping her locked up anymore. Through the years, Marinette always looked forward to her mom’s calls. Looked forward to being lulled to sleep by one crazy story or another from her mother’s past. Everything was nice. Perfect, even, for a while.

A thump sounded from her balcony, one late night when Marinette was thirteen. Blinking, the dark haired girl furrowed her brows. Who would be on her balcony? Cautiously walking towards the trap door leading to it, grasping her metal pencil holder as a weapon (she remembered all of her Mom’s stories about break-ins and random attacks back in Gotham), the teen strained her ears. Akuma attacks were only a few months old now, but she had already become in high alert for any sign of Hawkmoth or his victims. As per usual, Marinette’s paranoia began to kick in. Did Hawkmoth already figure her out? Was he here for her earrings? Would she be able to fight him?

She gently pushed up the trap door, catching a glimpse of black leather. Huh? Marinette narrowed her eyes, confused. Was it Chat? He should have been on patrol, on the other side of the city. What was he doing visiting her?

Suddenly the trap door yanked the rest of the way open, making Marinette yelp as the handle for it rugged away from her fingers. And there, backlit by the pure blue-white moonlight, was Not Chat Noir. It was Catwoman, in all her skintight black leather glory, grinning at her before pushing her cat-eye goggles up to the top of her head and crouching down by the trap door’s entrance, balancing only on the pads of her feet.

“Well hello there~” the woman purred. “So you’re the cute little kitten Harley is so secretive about. Nice to finally meet you,” the woman held out a hand, sending Marinette a sweet, if mysterious, smile. For a while, the pigtailed girl only stared before a squeal of excitement left her throat, leaving very little room for any doubt as to her bloodline. A large smile curled over Marinette’s lips, leaving her beaming widely at the catlike woman on her balcony.

“Auntie Selina! Mom’s told me so much about you! Come in, come in, come in! I’ll sneak some macaroons up for you. Or do you prefer croissants? What’s your favorite flavor? Are you really dating Batman? Oh my goodness, that necklace is so lovely! Did you steal it?”

Selina could only chuckle fondly at the word vomit, letting the smaller girl drag her down the trap door and into her very… pink room. Looking around, Selina was once again slapped with just how similar this kid was to her outgoing friend. Marinette clearly had no shame in indulging in the things she liked, such as the color pink and anything regarding fashion. But there were other things amongst the girliness of the room, like the posters of Jagged Stone and the training dummy half-sticking out of her closet door. There were a few ornamental knives hung up behind her computer, seemingly just for decoration although Selina could see that they were definitely battle ready and sharpened. A small mallet, clearly a miniature replica of her mother’s own signature weapon, leaned up against the side of the girl’s laundry basket. But then there was Marinette’s mannequin, which was surrounded by meticulously cut pieces of cloth and had other pieces pinned to it strategically. Marinette clearly had the same professionalism and love for her chosen career that had so completely defined Harley in the Time Before Joker. The same genius intellect hiding in those deceptively cheerful bluebell eyes. And for the first time, though not for the last to be sure, Selina found herself thoroughly relieved that it seemed Marinette had inherited very little from her father.

Except, as she would learn from stories Harley told her later, an apparent affinity for chaos.

“I’m not that picky, kitten. But I’m not that hungry, so don’t go too out of your way,” Selina decided to just react the same way she did with Harley’s rambles, and answer one question at a time. “Also, I am actually dating Bruce Wayne. But, if you promise not to tell anyone—“ she waited for Marinette’s eager nod before continuing casually, “— the two are maybe not as mutually exclusive as many think,” Selina finished with a conspiratorial wink. “No, I actually did not steal this necklace. Bruce has been adamant in trying to curb me of my thieving habit by buying me almost everything I so much as glance at sideways. It’s sweet. Naive, because I like stealing for the fun of it, but sweet.”

Marinette giggled, bouncing in place happily. She loved a bit of innocent gossip like this. “Is Momma Ivy ever gonna visit? I don’t think Mom told her much about me yet, and I still gotta give her the shovel talk!” the fierce look that overcame Marinette’s face made Selina laugh again. Oh yes, definitely her mother’s daughter.

“Pam has been trying to sneak over, but the laws regarding Metahumans in Paris suddenly got much stricter a few months back and have caused some problems. You wouldn’t happen to know what happened, would you?” Selina did not miss when her seemingly innocent question caused her niece to close off almost instantly. Bluebell eyes took on a familiar guardedness, and scanned her with the same soul-searching intensity that Harley had when she was channeling her Psychiatrist side. Selina found herself in a slightly concerning spot though—

Because she couldn’t predict Marinette at all. She was left to simply stand there as Marinette searched for some unidentifiable thing in her eyes, completely unable to read the younger girl’s face and with no idea of what to expect. The side effect of having chaos so thoroughly entwined in both of her biological parents, she supposed.

“Nope, no idea.”

Selina knew that was a lie, but knew equally as well that she would not be getting a better answer anytime soon. So, she let it go and the two of them once again dipped into innocent chatter.

Later that night, when Selina left and the sun threatened to rise at any minute, Tikki flew up from her hiding spot under Marinette’s pillow to land on her holder’s shoulder. Marinette giggled and looked over at her little friend.

“Tikki?”

“Yes, Mari?”

“Why was I chosen to be your holder?” She asked suddenly, flopping back into her bed and staring at her ceiling. The little goddess hummed, smiling knowingly before flying down to cuddle in the crook of Marinette’s neck.

“Because you are born from luck itself. Even when bad things happen, you have the luck and determination to get out just fine, and stronger than before. And despite the destruction and anarchy in your blood, you have the willpower to reign it in and keep control of yourself. That’s all order really is, Marinette. The decision to take all the chaos and madness around us, and make it make sense. Make it do something good. And that’s a large part of who you are, I could feel it in your soul the moment we first met.”

Marinette closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. “What if I lose control?”

“... You’ll just have to get it back. It’ll be hard, but as long as you have people to support you, you will be able to do it. You aren’t evil, Marinette,” the small God seemed to sense the true question her holder was asking, and did her best to soothe the doubt the girl felt. “Just remember the reasons you fight against chaos. Remember everyone you love, and you’ll be okay. And you have me, I’ll always help you.”

“... thank you, Tikki.”

—*—*—*—*—*

“He’s going to find out, Mom.”

“No he won’t, don’t be silly! I’ve been very careful about hiding you from him, Nettie-pie.”

“Mom… I just have a bad feeling. I don’t think we can hide who I am from him. If he sees me, I think he’ll know.”

The phone went silent.

“If he hurts you, I’ll kill him. If I was crazy about him, Sugar, then I’m head over heels for you. Not even he can stop me from caving his skull in if he tries his usual tricks with you.”

“... My plane leaves soon, I’ll talk to you when I land. And mom?”

“Yeah, honeycake?”

“I love you.”

—*—*—*—*—*

It was uncanny just how often Marinette’s hunches were right. Her intuition was something to behold, truly, because it only took three days in Gotham before Joker snatched her right out of her room at Harley and Ivy’s apartment. At least Marinette had sixteen by then, so she had had enough experience as a hero in Paris and with generally unpredictable situations and people who were absolutely nuts for her to not immediately panic. Too much, anyway.

Because there was definitely a little panic there.

See, Marinette knew herself inside out by then. After her own battle with her toxic feelings towards Adrien and doing her best to heal from those before she turned out like her mom, she knew she was by no means mentally indestructible. Mental illness ran the high risk of being inherited, and Marinette was well aware that her own personality was scarily similar to her mother’s at times. She got attached quickly, felt affection and love for others very strongly and, as she found with Adrien, could easily become obsessive if she didn’t watch herself. At least Harley was the perfect person to help with that, and Marinette was serious about helping herself too. She did everything she could to keep an eye on her mental health and keep her behavior in check so she didn’t do anything too unhealthy with her relationships again.

But she knew, she knew she had a soft spot for family. She got attached too easily. And being in the same room as her biological father, despite being tied up by her hands and feet and knowing just how many unforgivable things he had done in his life, Marinette felt vulnerable. She didn’t want to hurt him, despite everything. She still loved him, despite every reason not to, despite her first meeting with him being with him shoving chloroform over her face and hogtying her to a metal chain dangling over a vat of acid.

Geez, she’d need more than just her mom as a therapist after this for sure. Even if her mom had a PH.D, Marinette felt like she’d need several psychiatrists to sort through her emotional turmoil right then and make sense of any of it.

Marinette licked her lips, aware that the only kindness that Joker gave his daughter was sparing her from the discomfort of being gagged.

“Don’t,” Marinette said, surprising herself with the amount of steel she was able to put into her voice. Somehow, she managed to make the single word sound more like an order than a plead. “Joker, put me—“

“Ah-Ah-Ah!” The clown walked over, tutting and waving his finger in the air in almost playful admonishment. He gave her a dramatically fake pout. ���Don’t you know it’s disrespectful to refer to your father by his first name?” Neither of them mentioned that Joker was definitely not his real name. They both knew the point was moot. “Say it with me now— ‘Daddy dearest, I am more than willing to be dunked in acid for you,’ go ahead, say it.”

Marinette’s jaw clenched. Familial love or not, she would not tolerate being ridiculed like that. She dealt with enough ridicule when she was fourteen and fifteen during school, before she put Liar Rossi in her place. She had spent the past three years as a hero in charge of the war against Hawkmoth, in charge of protecting all of Paris from an emotional terrorist.

And gee, wasn’t that what Joker was, too? Sure, he was a terrorist in the classic meaning of the word as well, but he was nothing if not a skilled manipulator. He knew the human mind just as well as Harley or any other psychiatrist did, he just used his knowledge for different means. He had emotionally abused Harley for years, he emotionally abused and manipulated people all across gotham on a daily basis. He was just another Hawkmoth, but with more physical violence in place of magic.

With these thoughts strengthening her resolve, Marinette narrowed her eyes at the man who donated half of her DNA. She let her anger boil into her irises, hitting him with one of the few traits she knew she inherited from him.

Her ability to intimidate others on the tip of a hat.

“No,” she growled back at him. She took a deep breath. It had taken her a while, but she refused to be ashamed of who she was regardless of her blood relation. She would have no problem using the very things she inherited from Joker against him. She might have gotten most of Harley’s personality, she might have inherited her mother’s habit of falling in love hard, fast, and obsessively, but she also had Joker’s defiance. His bone-deep inability to be stopped from doing exactly whatever the fuck he wanted.

And then, there were Marinette’s own traits. The ones that were completely her own, developed over her life organically. Like her refusal to bow down to bullies, her creativity, her ability to take even the most chaotic situation and see some sort of balance and sanity in it that she could use to her advantage.

That she WOULD use to her advantage. The shadows she saw move out of the corner of her eye gave her the chance to do exactly that, she just needed to buy a few more seconds. Just a few more seconds.

“Excuse me?” Joker growled right back, his own intimidation, honed over more years than Marinette had been alive and thus much more potent than her own, reading its ugly head as he stalked towards her. His face was pulled down into an ugly snarl, his shoulders tensed and back straight as he glared right at her. From his spot on the metal walkway, he was easily able to reach over the railing and grab her chin in one pale, viciously strong hand. “I think you’re misunderstanding something here, little Marionette. I’m your father. Half of your life came directly from ME. That makes you my puppet. You exist to follow my orders,” his right grip suddenly let go, leaving behind the beginnings of a bruise as his entire demeanor changed from angry to cheerful. He spread his arms as if gesturing to the whole chemical plant victoriously, and an unnaturally large smile curved over his lips and bared yellowing teeth at her. “But that’s okay. I’ll forgive you this time, you haven’t learned any better yet. That’s why we’re here. We need to cleanse you of all those icky bad habits you’ve learned up until now, all you need is a little,” he bounced in place with a wicked smirk to illustrate his next words— “jumpstart. A little acid goes a long way to enlightenment you know, you’ll see my side of things in no time. And with my blood in you, you’ll make a better sidekick than that idiot Harley ever did. I can sense it, you’ve got a real talent for Chaos in you, it’s exciting, Heheeeheheee! Now then, we should probably speed things along before our family reunion is cut short. Hang in there, my little Marionette,” the man actually had the gall to spin in place while humming a tune cheerfully before all but dancing over to the lever that held Marinette’s length of chain in the air over the vat of chemicals below her. “Everything will clear up in that little head of yours in just a second!”

There! Right as Joker pulled the switch to lower her into the bubbling vat underneath her, Marinette was able to finish untying her hands. She couldn’t contain a small yelp as gravity flung her body forward, leaving her upside down on the chain for a brief moment. That was when the chain started lowering rapidly, and Marinette was barely able to rip the rope off of her ankles in time to swing off of it and onto the metal walkway that came up right next to the giant metal container of liquid death and insanity. Joker had barely enough time to shout in rage before the windows near the ceiling shattered, admitting the city’s vigilantes themselves. Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, Robin, and evening Black Bat all landed on the same metal platform above Marinette’s head that Joker was still on, buying the teen time to start running. But she didn’t go towards the exit right away, instead heading right up the stairs into the thick of the fight. Robin briefly separated from where Joker was managing to hold his own, goons flooding from side doors to inhibit the heroes in their attempt to bring their boss down.

The katana-using vigilante kept one eye on Marinette the whole time, suspicious of why the girl would come back up if not to help her father. But that wasn’t what she did, instead she flipped and kicked and punched her way through the quickly growing sea of Joker thugs until she reached a small pink purse that had been abandoned near the lever that had nearly sent her into liquid insanity. Three thugs surrounded her right as she snatched the purse up and slung it over her shoulder, but Robin barely had the chance to head over before she was heaving the men, who were all easily three times her size, over her shoulder and was slamming elbows into soft spots and the side of her hand into pressure points. By the time Robin got to her side, all three men were unconscious and bound to wake up in utter agony.

Marinette glanced up, getting ready to haul Robin over her shoulder as well before she realized who he was. She let her shoulders relax just a tick, sighing in relief before returning her eyes to scanning their surroundings. She shot him a brief grin.

“Good thing my adoptive mother, Mom, Momma Ivy, and Auntie Selina all made sure I knew how to take down a small army on my own, huh?” She asked rhetorically before they were both unceremoniously dragged back into the giant brawl.

—*—*—*—*—*

“Nettie-pie!”

“Marigold!”

Harley and Pamela Quinzel-Isley shoved down anyone and everyone who dared block their direct path to their daughter. The girl of the hour stood next to the bat clan, a shock blanket held tightly around her shoulders as she did her best to finish her statement to both the vigilantes and Commissioner Gordon.

“You untied yourself… from a ship-grade knot in high quality rope… with a phone charm?” They heard Gordon ask incredulously, to which Marinette could only give a lopsided smile. That was when her mom and stepmom crashed into her, enveloping her in a nearly suffocating hug.

“Gah— mom— momma Ivy—“ Marinette flailed in their arms for a bit before finally getting her head free and continuing her statement as if she didn’t have two of the most dangerous women in the city still giving her a bone crushing hug. “That’s better. Yes, Commissioner. You see, I realized when I was in the car with Joker, while I was pretending to still be unconscious, that one of the charms on my phone had pretty sharp corners that I could use like a serrated edge if I had enough time. So I carefully detached it from my phone, and held it in my palm. It took almost an hour, but once Joker noticed I was awake I kept him talking so that he didn’t notice what I was doing even as he tied me up to that chain. Really, it’s just lucky that I was able to get it worn down in time,” Marinette rubbed the back of her neck with a nervous chuckle. “But regardless, I think Batman and his partners,” she nodded to the listening vigilantes just to the side of her. “Were close enough that I would have been caught anyway, I just wanted to make sure they had less work to do. The sooner I freed myself, the sooner ‘Daddy Dearest,’” she grimaced as she mockingly used the same term Joker had tried to get her to say earlier that night. “Could go back behind bars where he belongs.”

“Oh my little Nettie-cake,” Harley cried, finally pulling back from the hug long enough to wipe her cheeks. It was clear that she had been crying for a while, and her colorful pigtails were mussed and tangled from where she must have been tugging on them in worry. “You were right. I’m so sorry, I never should have let you come to Gotham when I knew he was out of Arkham.”

Marinette was quick to shake her head frantically, pulling her arms out of Ivy’s hold so she could grasp Harley’s shoulders firmly. “No. No, Mom, I’m fine! And besides, we knew I couldn’t stay secret forever. I really like staying with you and Momma Ivy! Everything turned out fine though, and he’s headed back to Arkham. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, Nettle,” Pam argued, distracting herself by running her hands through Marinette’s bangs. She had only known the girl for two years, but that was more than long enough for her to consider the teenager as her own. “He took you right out from under our noses. You were supposed to be safe in our home, and he still got to you. That’s not okay. We weren’t able to protect you like we should have been. Maybe you should go back to Paris early.”

“What?! No way!” Marinette argued, eyes wide. “This is the first time I’ve been able to ever visit you guys in Gotham, I’m not letting some psycho sperm donor keep me from enjoying time with my family! I came here knowing full well that it was dangerous. I’m not gonna just run away after one bad experience.”

Harley snorted, and then devolved into uncontrollable giggles. “Heh— psycho sperm donor. Good one, sugar!”

Marinette smiled and rolled her eyes good naturedly at her mom’s usual immature antics. Seeing as Gordon had walked away muttering to himself a short while ago, Marinette pulled herself the rest of the way away from her moms and turned to the vigilantes. Without a second’s pause, she bowed to them just like her Maman Sabine taught her.

“Thank you for helping save me. I know it’s probably a shock that I’ve been kept secret from you guys all this time, but I hope you don’t lump me in with the likes of the green-haired half of my DNA. I’m staying with my Moms in their apartment, if you guys decide to patrol by our place like I suspect, I’ll leave some baked goods and coffee out for you on our patio. It’s the least I can do for you all after tonight. And don’t be too hard on Auntie Selina. Me and Mom swore her to secrecy, even from you guys.”

Batman jerked a little at the mention of Catwoman’s real name, jaw twitching for a second. Behind his cowl, his eyes narrowed. Marinette laughed, easily reading his body language and expression.

“She never told me who you are, but she didn’t exactly hide it either. It was easy to put the last pieces together on my own. But don’t worry, SHE swore me to secrecy too. I won’t tell anyone.

“How the hell are you related to the Laughing Asswipe from Hell?” Red Hood blurted out, his confusion clear even from behind his hideous helmet. Marinette burst into giggles, and both Pamela and Harley smiled knowingly.

“Mom gave me up for adoption when I was born, so I spent my whole life in Paris up until now,” she admitted. “Mom didn’t visit me for the first time until I was eight, and she and my adoptive parents are so awesome that it must’ve suffocated the worst traits from his DNA before they had a chance to develop,” she guessed out loud with a good natured smile.

Batman grunted. Marinette knew that one run-in wasn’t enough for them to trust her. After all, she was still the biological daughter of their arch enemy. But she didn’t mind, she understood the caution even if she didn’t fully agree with it. They weren’t outright hostile, despite the fact that Robin had never stopped glaring at her since they fought back-to-back against the mob of thugs earlier. She could live with their suspicion, as long as they continued to not be outright rude or mean to her.

At least she could empathize with Adrien now, whenever she figured out how to break it to him that Hawkmoth was definitely Gabriel and couldn’t be anyone else. Hopefully she could help soften the blow for him a little.

Harley and Ivy were starting to herd Marinette towards their car and take her back home, where they could continue to smother her in care and make sure she didn’t have even a scratch on her, when Robin’s voice stopped them all in their tracks.

“You are a surprisingly capable combatant.”

Marinette froze, blinking in surprise for a second before turning to stare at Robin in shock. The rest of the Bat Clam was doing the same, nobody expecting Robin of all people to be the first to directly complement Marinette. He tutted, crossing his arms, but never moved his gaze away from Marinette’s eyes.

“But your form could use some work. Most of your style is incredibly improvised, which I can appreciate since you do it well, but you would benefit from more structure in your fighting. I will set up a time and place for us to spar. We start in two days, if you think you can handle it.”

It took a while for what Robin said to sink in, and another few seconds for Marinette to decipher what his semi-aggressive, order-phrased proposal really meant. And she smiled.

“It’s a date.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Woo! This started off a little rough, but I really like how it ended up! Thank you, Anon!

[chicgeekgirl89]

The House in the Pines Where the Road Ends

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand, Andrea Reyes, Gabriel Reyes, The Reyes Family

Rating: K

Summary: Four sisters. Nine nieces and nephews. Dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Carlos has a big, loud, over-the-top family, and T.K. is about to meet all of them at the annual Reyes Family Barbecue. It's a day that promises food, fun, and lots of nosy questions. All T.K. wants is to make a good impression and all Carlos wants is for his family not to scare off his boyfriend. When a stray baseball ruins the fun, both T.K. and Carlos will discover that neither of them ever needed to worry.

A/N: I am so happy to FINALLY introduce you to my version of the Reyes family. They have become a character all their own and I love them very dearly. Get ready to see and hear more about them in upcoming fics! I cannot say enough thank you's to @bluenet13​ who has read this fic approximately a billion times in all its different stages, has beta'ed the heck out of it, and still wants to be friends with me.

For the @badthingshappenbingo​ prompt: Sports Injury

Read on Ao3

“Wait, but are you sure this shirt is okay?” T.K. asked, twisting around in front of the mirror to look at it from every possible angle.

“Do you really think my family is going to decide whether or not they like you based on your shirt?” Carlos asked with a laugh.

“It’s their first impression of me,” T.K. said, fussing with the hemline, trying to get it to lay exactly right. “I just want it to be good.”

Carlos came up behind him, wrapping his arms around T.K.’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. “They are going to love you.” He pressed a kiss to T.K.’s cheek.

T.K. turned in his arms so they were face to face, anxiety trickling through his veins. “I love you,” he said.

“I know,” Carlos told him. “I love you too.”

“Your family is important to you and I guess I can’t help feeling like…there’s a chance that if they don’t like me…”

“T.K…” Carlos sent him a look of fond exasperation.

“I know!” T.K. said quickly. “I know it’s ridiculous. But if they don’t like me, I don’t know where we go next.”

“I don’t think we need to borrow trouble like that,” Carlos said. “You already know my parents love you. And so do Elena and Elías.”

They’d had dinner at Carlos’ second eldest sister’s home a few weeks back. It had been fun to meet her and her husband along with their daughter, Carolina, and twins, Marco and Diego. Marco was rambunctious and spunky while Diego was more mild mannered and T.K. had enjoyed watching Carlos chase them around the backyard, playing baseball, tag, and wrestling.

But meeting one sister and her family was completely different from attending the annual Reyes Family Barbecue where there would be hundreds of aunts, uncles, and cousins to try and remember.

“Trust me,” Carlos said. “Elena will have spread the word and you’ll already have pre-approval before we even get there.”

“What if I call someone the wrong name?” T.K. asked. “I still think you should have written up a family tree like I asked you to.”

Carlos rolled his eyes. “There’s no point. We’re adding to it like every day there are so many of us. You’ll never be able to remember. If you’re not sure just call them Gabriel or Valentina. There’s a forty percent chance you’ll be right.”

“This isn’t fair,” T.K. said, burying his face in Carlos’ shirt. “I have like, four family members. The playing field is so uneven I don’t even have a chance.”

Carlos kissed his forehead. “Just relax and enjoy the food. That’s all anyone expects of you.”

“I seriously doubt that,” T.K. grumbled.

“Listen, if anybody should be concerned in this situation, it’s me,” Carlos said.

“You?” T.K. raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

“You just said, you come from a small family. My family is big and loud and all up in each other’s business. Francesca alone might be enough to make you run all the way back to New York.”

Carlos had talked before about his wild child fourth sister, Francesca. Apparently she was a force to be reckoned with and had caused quite a bit of trouble as a kid. According to Carlos every time he’d gotten in trouble, it had actually been Francesca’s fault. Well Francesca and Adriana, Carlos’ cousin who was more like a fifth sister. She and Francesca had been born within weeks of each other and been an inseparable duo ever since.

“New York is a pretty long way to run,” T.K. said. “And I’ve gotten kind of used to sleeping with you. I don’t really want to have to break in a new mattress. Oh, and for all I know you’ve gotten kind used to having my exercise bike in your dining room and I would have to buy a new one of those, plus moving costs are out of sight and I am on a civil servant’s salary here.”

Carlos kissed him again. “Come on. We’re already late and if we don’t get there soon then I will be in trouble.”

T.K. had already visited the Reyes family ranch a handful of times, but he had never seen it quite like this. Cars lined every inch of the drive up to the house, from pick-up trucks to mini-vans and everything in between. “Is this a family barbecue or a Lady Gaga concert?” T.K. asked as they got out of the car.

Carlos laughed and reached for his hand. “I told you.”

“Yeah I hoped maybe you were exaggerating a little bit,” T.K. said as they walked toward the driveway. As if he hadn’t been nervous already, now he felt overwhelmed. He was generally charming and good with people, but this was…a lot.

Carlos tensed. “Come this way,” he said, voice low as he tugged T.K. more to the side of the driveway, where a row of cars hid them from view of the house.

“What are we doing?” T.K. asked in confusion.

“We’re—”

“Carlitos don’t you even try! We see you over there!” a feminine voice called.

Carlos winced and looked at T.K. “I’m just going to say ahead of time that I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

Two women came around the line of cars, each of them holding a drink. “You weren’t trying to hide from us were you?” the taller of the two asked.

“No I was just trying to get T.K. inside without the third degree first,” Carlos said, giving each of them a pointed look.

“Carlitos we’re not going to give him the third degree,” the second woman said, her many earrings flashing in the sunlight. “We’re just going to try and prepare him for what he’s about to face.”

“You don’t need to prepare him,” Carlos said with a sigh of long suffering. “There’s nothing to prepare for.”

“Oh my god Carlos, you cannot just drag him in here without some proper preparation,” the first woman said, turning to look at T.K. “So, you’re the firefighter stripper, huh?”

T.K.’s eyes went wide and he looked to Carlos who had closed his eyes and was shaking his head. “For the last time, he’s a paramedic now and he has never been a stripper.” He opened his eyes and took a breath in a clear attempt to calm himself down. “T.K. I would like you to meet my sister Francesca.”

“His youngest older sister,” Francesca clarified looking T.K. up and down. “You’re hot enough to be a stripper.”

“And my cousin Adriana,” Carlos said loudly in an attempt to stop his sister’s comments. 

“It’s nice to meet you both,” T.K. said with a smile, hoping to diffuse some of the awkwardness. “Carlos has told me a lot about you.”

“Is it about how we were always getting him in trouble when he was a kid? Because that’s a lie,” Adriana said. 

“Total lie,” Francesca echoed. “So, how has it been, living in sin with my brother?”

“Oh my god Francesca can you just let us get through the door first?” Carlos cried.

She shook her head and grinned. “Nope. This is way more fun. Besides, Adriana got to know about him first, so I wanted to meet him before everyone else.”

“Did Carlos tell you not to tell Tía Maria you’re living together?” Adriana asked.

“Um, no, he didn’t mention that,” T.K. said, looking once again to his boyfriend.

“I didn’t really think it was necessary,” Carlos said.

“Tía Maria has strong religious opinions,” Francesca said.

“Oh is she not…” T.K. began to pull his hand from Carlos’ but his boyfriend held on firmly.

“Tía Maria is fine with the gay, she’s just not all right with fornication,” Adriana said with a grin, eyeing T.K. for his reaction.

“Oh my god, forget it, we’re going home,” Carlos said, trying to turn around, but Francesca grabbed his other arm.

“Nuh uh hermano,” she said sweetly. “Mom and Dad are expecting you. I already texted them and told them you’re here.”

“Wait hold on, I’m confused,” T.K. said, feeling slightly panicked as the conversation moved so quickly around him. “What do I need to know about Tía Maria?”

“Tía Maria is very against pre-marital sex,” Francesca said.

“In her mind we’re all pure, sweet, innocent little virgins, waiting to give up our virtue to our husbands on our wedding nights,” Adriana said, her face suggesting that she’d rather throw up than submit to that particular lifestyle. “Little does she know that ship has sailed.”

“Under the bleachers with Jake Thompson in the eleventh grade,” Francesca said.

“In Mike Kowalski’s backseat…”

“After prom with Sebastian Chavez…”

“Okay that’s enough of the sexcapades thank you,” Carlos said, looking disgusted.

“You didn’t think I needed to know this?” T.K. said looking at Carlos.

“I am not ashamed of us living together,” Carlos told him. “I don’t care if Tía Maria knows.”

“Ugh barf,” Francesca said. “God I wanted to be mad at you for caving and leaving us all alone at the singles table but you’re so grossly in love I don’t even want you there anymore.”

“Can we go in now?” Carlos asked. “Is this little interrogation over with?”

“Oh you can go in, but it’s far from over,” Adriana said, wrenching T.K.’s arm away from Carlos and tucking it into her own as she walked him toward the house. “So, T.K. What can we get you to drink? Beer? Margarita? Or are you a wine snob? You look like you could be a wine snob.”

“He’s from New York, they’re all wine snobs there,” Francesca said.

“T.K. doesn’t drink,” Carlos called from behind him. “You already know that.”

Adriana nodded. “Just checking. That’s cool. I did the sober thing for like six months once. My skin was so great.”

“Okay, I’m taking T.K. inside now,” Carlos said, rescuing his arm from Adriana’s grip. “You two can go back to wherever it is you came from. I’m going to guess…the gates of hell?”

“So rude Carlos,” Francesca said with a roll of her eyes.

“Come on Cesca, I need another margarita,” Adriana said, pulling her toward the back of the house.

“But I have more questions!”

“Questions later! Margarita now!”

They disappeared around the side of the house, leaving Carlos looking embarrassed and T.K. feeling like he’d just been through a whirlwind. “You can literally ignore everything about them,” Carlos said as he opened the door. “Just pretend they don’t exist. That’s what the rest of us do when they get like this.”

T.K. had a feeling neither Francesca nor Adriana liked to be ignored, but Andrea greeted them immediately as they walked inside, leaving him no opportunity for further questions or conversation. “T.K.! Carlitos! Welcome!”

There were a few other people milling around inside, but it seemed like most of the family was in the backyard. T.K. could hear music playing and the smell of barbecue wafted through the glass slider doors that led to the oversized back patio.

“Sorry we’re late Mama,” Carlos said, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s my fault,” T.K. said. “I had a shift and it ran over.”

“No apologies necessary,” Andrea said, waving a hand. “I understand the important work you boys do. I’m just sorry your dad couldn’t make it T.K.”

“He said to tell you hello and that he will be here for sure next time,” T.K. told her with a smile.

It had been a huge relief to find out that the party was scheduled while his dad was on shift. The last thing he needed was one more thing to give him anxiety about meeting Carlos’ family.

Andrea caught his face in both hands. “We are so glad you’re here T.K.” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “Now, let’s get you something to drink. I’ve got lots of that fancy water you like.”

The back slider opened as Andrea pulled a water from the refrigerator for T.K. “Boys! Bienvenidos!” Gabriel boomed as he stepped inside, bringing the scent of barbecue with him.

“Gabriel close that door before the air conditioning gets out,” Andrea scolded.

“Of course mi amor,” he said. “I was just looking for another set of tongs. Daniel is going to help with the second grill.”

“They’re in the pantry,” Andrea said. “Where they always are.”

Gabriel paused to kiss her on the cheek. “What would I do without you?”

“Starve?” Carlos suggested with a cheeky smile as he grabbed a grape off the counter and popped it in his mouth.

Gabriel snorted. “Probably.”

“All right now you two, head on outside and join the party,” Andrea said. “You don’t want to be stuck in here with me.”

“Are you sure?’ Carlos asked. “We can stay and help.”

“No, no,” Andrea said quickly. “Gloria will be back in a minute. Go! Enjoy! Introduce T.K. to the family.” She lowered her voice. “But don’t tell Tía Maria that you live together. You know how she gets and I do not need another lecture on how I raised my children with loose morals.”

“Yes, for everyone’s sanity, please keep that to yourselves,” Gabriel said, reappearing with the tongs in hand. “No need for my sister to know that you are breaking the commandments.”

T.K. turned and looked at his boyfriend. “Everyone seems very concerned about this.”

Carlos shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Everyone is overreacting. Tía Maria isn’t that scary.” He kissed T.K. on the side of his head and grabbed his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Besides, there are so many people here, we might not even see Tía Maria.”

They stepped out the door into the backyard. To the left was a play set that dozens of children were taking advantage of. To the right were several grills, all smoking away, the tables next to them already piled high with food and drink. And underneath sprawling oak trees dozens of picnic tables and lawn chairs had been set up, all of them full of people talking, laughing, and eating together. 

“I knew you should have made that family tree for me,” T.K. said, starting to feel really nervous now as he saw exactly how many people had scattered across the backyard.

They made it about four feet before they were accosted by well meaning relatives. Cousins, aunts, uncles, everyone seemed to want to meet Carlos’ new boyfriend. T.K. smiled and nodded and tried in vain to remember everyone’s names. Carlos hadn’t been exaggerating, there were a lot of Gabriels and Valentinas.

“Ay, okay, leave the boys alone,” a woman finally said, interrupting the melée. She sported a longer version of Carlos’ curls and T.K. remembered her face from some of the family photos. “Shame on all of you, they haven’t even eaten anything.”

She turned a warm smile on them as the crowd dispersed and went back to their merriment. “Hola T.K. I’m Teresa.”

Carlos’ oldest sister. She and her husband Javier lived in San Diego with their four kids, Valentina, Eva, Gabriel, and Bianca. Their visit to town was the reason the barbecue had been scheduled for this particular weekend. 

“Nice to meet you,” T.K. said, immediately feeling the same warmth and comfort radiate from her that he did from Carlos. 

She turned and pulled her brother in for a hug, whispering something in his ear that made him laugh. “Come on. You can sit with us. I’ll fend off the nosy relatives,” she told them.

“Thank you,” Carlos said in relief. “I didn’t think it would be quite this bad.”

“You never do,” she said with a smile as she led them to the picnic table where her husband Javier was sitting with another couple that T.K. thought he recognized. 

“T.K. this is my husband Javier. And have you met Lucía and Justin yet?” Teresa asked.

Ah, Lucía. Carlos’ third oldest sister. She and Justin lived with their kids in McKinney and had driven up for the weekend. They had been set to attend the dinner with Elena and Elías but one of the boys had ended up in a soccer championship so they’d had to cancel. 

“So T.K. I hear you’re from New York? Nice to have another East Coaster join the party,” Justin said.

“Oh yeah, Carlos said you’re from Philly right?” T.K. asked.

“Born and bred,” Justin raised an eyebrow. “You don’t cheer for the Giants do you?”

T.K. smiled. “I’m more of a Mets fan actually. Football’s not really my thing.”

“Well that means I don’t have to hate you, but don’t say that too loud in Texas. Football is life here,” Justin told him.

“So I’ve noticed,” T.K. replied.

“Tío Carlos!” a gaggle of kids ran up to the table all of them clamoring for Carlos. 

“Tío Carlos I got on my soccer team at school!”

“Can you come play baseball!”

“Did you know my tooth is falling out?”

“Is that your boyfriend?”

Everyone talked at once and Carlos seemed to take it in stride, giving hugs and ruffling hair, looking at loose teeth, and promising to come and play in a minute.

“Hey, all of you, adiós,” Elena said. “Leave Tío Carlos alone. He’ll play with you later.”

It took a few more admonishments from their parents, but eventually the children dispersed to different corners of the ranch. “We’re doing you a favor T.K.,” Lucía told him, rocking baby Nicolás back and forth. “Once Carlos goes with the children he doesn’t come back.”

“He’s their favorite uncle,” Justin explained.

“And for good reason,” Javier added. “His knees are young and spry.”

“You guys are exaggerating. The kids love everybody,” Carlos said with a roll of his eyes.

Teresa shook her head. “It’s okay to admit that you’re their favorite Carlos. You’ve earned the honor.” She looked at T.K. “Carlos is too modest.”

“So I’ve noticed,” T.K. said fondly and he could see Carlos blush a little bit.

“Okay that’s enough of that,” Carlos said. “We’ve been here half an hour and no one has offered me any food. What has happened to this family?”

The situation was fixed immediately and T.K. found himself with more food than one person could possibly hope to consume, sitting and listening to the Reyes siblings recount stories from their childhood.

T.K. felt the bench next to him shift and turned to find Francesca and Adriana joining them.

“Did Carlos tell you about the time he ran away from home?” Teresa asked.

Carlos groaned. “No, do we have to tell this story every time?”

“Yes, because it’s hilarious,” Elena said. “He was what, about six at the time?”

“I was sixteen so yes,” Teresa said. “Carlitos was mad because all of us sisters got to go to a movie and he didn’t. So he wrote a note saying he was running away and never coming back.”

“And then he disappeared for seven hours,” Lucía chimed in. “Mom was beside herself. They checked the entire house, called all his friends, she was sure he’d been eaten by a coyote.”

“Well I was the one who found him,” Teresa said with a smile. “Up in that tree,” she pointed several feet to the left, “crying because he’d climbed up too high and couldn’t get down.”

“We had to call the fire department to come and get him,” Francesca said with a smirk.

“And when they got him down, did he get in trouble?” Elena asked. “Nope. Because Mama was all—“

“My baby!” all four women chorused together. 

“Carlitos never gets in trouble,” Adriana said. “Ever. All he has to do is bat his eyelashes at Tía Andrea and she starts talking about how innocent and sweet he is and how he could never start a fight or break a window…”

Carlos had put a hand to his forehead and looked like he was in physical pain. “Are you done now?” he asked.

“No way,” Lucía piped up. “We still have to tell T.K. about the time you drove the tractor into the pond.”

“The pedal was stuck!” Carlos cried.

“That’s what he says every time,” Francesca told T.K. “It’s a lie.”

Carlos burst forth in a tirade of Spanish, likely exonerating himself from the tractor-pond fiasco and all of the women immediately began to contradict him. T.K. wasn’t sure whether to smile or intervene as they all talked over each other. His high school level Spanish could only pick up the occasional word. 

“This happens every time,” Elías said. “They’ll calm down in a minute.”

“A minute?” Javier said. “Forget a minute. We can all leave, they’ll be at it for at least half an hour now.”

Things really came to a head when Francesca stood, slammed her hands against the table, and shouted, “I did not put that goat in Lucí’s bed, that was Elena!”

“I watched you do it!” Carlos yelled back.

“Well then your brain is broken because that is not what happened!” Francesca said, pointing a finger at him.

The argument was broken up by the arrival of Andrea, followed closely by another woman T.K. didn’t recognize. “Girls! Ya basta! Qué esta pasando? Arguing in front of our guests, what is wrong with you?” she said, setting a large plate of taquitos in front of them.

“Disculpa Mama,” they all muttered, but T.K. caught Francesca giving Carlos the finger under the table and then she jumped a second later when he pinched her leg.

“Honestly,” she scoffed at them. “I am ashamed of all of you. T.K. I apologize on behalf of my daughters. I did not raise them to be like this.”

“See?” Lucía said with a roll of her eyes. “We’re all in trouble, but Carlitos is completely innocent.”

“Of course he’s innocent, he would never argue in front of guests,” Andrea said. “Did you all say hello to Tía Maria?”

“Hola Tía,” they all chorused.

“And Maria, this is T.K., Carlos’ boyfriend,” Andrea said with a smile.

T.K. felt himself stiffen under the intense gaze of Carlos’ infamous aunt. But he smiled and waved a hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said. She turned and looked at Teresa and Javier. “Cuándo será la primera comunión de Marco y Diego?"

T.K. caught a glimpse of Francesca who smiled at him and raised her eyebrows in an “I told you so” kind of way. 

“Later this summer,” Elena said smoothly. “We will send you an invitation of course.”

“They are a bit behind, no? Why the delay in this important milestone?”

“Tía, with Covid and everything it all just got pushed back. Don’t worry,” Elena told her.

“You’d better get a move on,” Adriana said. “We wouldn’t want them to miss out on all the blessings of the Lord.”

Tía Maria’s eyes narrowed as she picked up on Adriana’s sarcasm. “Is there something wrong with wanting my nephews to grow up properly in the church?”

“Of course not,” Andrea said quickly. “And they are Maria. Very good, pious little boys.”

T.K. saw the mischievous glint in Francesca’s eye as she opened her mouth. “So T.K., you live with your dad?” 

Everyone at the table froze and turned to look daggers in her direction. “Ah Maria! The watermelon! We forgot it inside, come on,” Andrea said quickly, glaring at her daughter over her shoulder as she ushered Maria away.

“Cesca!” Teresa chastised as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I was just trying to take the pressure off of Elena,” Francesca said innocently, taking a sip of her mojito.

“You were trying to stir up trouble,” Lucía said as the baby began to fuss. 

“Well someone has to keep things fun around here!”

“Mom! Mom! Mom!” Marco and Diego ran toward them, kicking up dirt as they skidded to a stop by the table and interrupted the conversation. 

“Mom can I have another cookie?” Marco asked.

“I want a drink but Carolina said I can’t have a soda, but can I?” Diego asked.

“And Tía Teresa, Gabriel wants to know, can he get his Switch out of the car now, because he said you said he could get it later and now it’s later,” Marco spoke up on behalf of his cousin.

“Okay, hold on, everybody take a breath,” Teresa said.

The group momentarily broke up as everyone went to tend to their children’s needs and make sure they had eaten something besides cookies and chips. 

“So, are you ready to run back to New York yet?” Carlos asked when they were the only two left at the table.

“I think I’m holding my own all right,” T.K. said. “You were right about Francesca though. She’s…something.”

Carlos rolled his eyes. “Believe it or not that actually was her being on her better behavior. I swear you’d never know she was working on a masters in biochemistry.”

“She’s fun,” T.K. said. “And she and Adriana clearly have the most dirt on Carlitos.”

“Maybe we should leave now,” Carlos said with a groan. “They’ll keep at it as long as you’ll listen.”

“I like it,” T.K. said, taking a sip of his mineral water. “It’s fun seeing you like this. Baby brother Carlos is a whole new side of you.”

Carlos blushed a little bit. “The way they’d talk you’d think we were all still kids.”

“It’s sweet. They adore you.”

“I—”

Carlos was interrupted by Valentina, Teresa and Javier’s youngest, who came running over, crying so hard she was hiccuping instead of breathing. “Tío Carlos!”

“Valentina, qué pasó?” Carlos asked worriedly, gathering her into his arms and sitting her on his lap.

“Marco me dijo que no podía jugar pelota con él,” she sobbed, her little heart so clearly broken over her cousin’s refusal to let her play ball with him.

"Lo siento, Valen. That's not very nice." Carlos hugged her close and kissed her hair. "Pero no le hagas caso. What if we get you a cookie, will that help?”

She shook her head, lip stuck out in an adorable pout, fresh tears threatening to spill over.

“Two cookies?”

She held up three little fingers and Carlos opened his eyes wide in mock surprise. “Tres?! Ay Dios mío.” He shook his head. “Come with me, pero no le digas a mamá.”

He slid Valentina off his lap and offered her his hand, which she grabbed onto eagerly. He looked at T.K. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” T.K. said, watching them walk over to one of the tables. 

Carlos pointed to several different options, Valentina shaking her head at each one until he found the kind of cookie she liked best.

T.K. felt a presence next to him and turned to find Francesca had returned. She had a strange look on her face. “You know he’s never brought anyone home before. Not like this.”

T.K.’s breath caught in his chest. “I didn’t know that.”

“He’s happy,” Francesca said. “Happier than I’ve seen him in a long time.” She turned and looked at him. “You make him happy.”

“I do my best,” T.K. said. “He makes me happy too.”

“Yeah.” She looked at her brother again, adding some fruit to Valentina’s plate. “He wants kids. You know that right?”

“I do,” T.K. said. 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re good with that?”

T.K. looked at his boyfriend who was tenderly wiping the last of the tears from Valentina’s cheeks. They had talked about it of course. A few times. In passing. He knew where Carlos stood. And he knew that he wasn’t sure what kind of dad he would be, but also that he would do anything to make Carlos happy; including facing his own fears about being a father. “He’ll be a great dad,” was his answer.

She squinted at him, then squared her shoulders. “I’m only going to say this once and if you ever tell anyone I will deny it and shove your balls so far up your ass you won’t know how to get them out again. Carlos is special. And I know you’re all city boy, New York, squeaky clean, firefighter paramedic, or whatever.”

“But if I hurt him you’ll kill me?” T.K. asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No,” she looked at him like he was crazy. “Teresa will. She’s like his second mom. She’ll take you down so fast you’ll never even see it coming.”

T.K. laughed. “I have no intention of ever breaking his heart. I promise.”

“Good,” she said. “That’s good.” She cocked her head the way Carlos did when he was about to say something he knew was funny. “You’re pretty great for a stripper.”

“Okay, one more time. Not that there is anything wrong with sex work, but I have never been, and have no intention of being, a stripper,” T.K. said firmly.

“That’s what they all say!” she tossed over her shoulder as she got to her feet and flounced away to find Adriana. 

“What was my sister telling you?” Carlos asked as he returned, Valentina now seated happily with some other cousins at a kid sized picnic table. “Oh god, was she talking about the time I got arrested for skinny dipping in the lake because there is so much more to that story than the way she tells it.”

“No,” T.K. said, raising his eyebrows, “but now I want to hear the rest of that. No she was just…being a good big sister. You’re lucky to have so many people watching out for you.”

Carlos softened, his hand seeking T.K.’s. “And now I have you too.”

T.K. squeezed gently. “Yes, you do.”

                                       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All in all the day was going well. T.K. had handled every nosy question, every argument, every weird thing his sisters or relatives did with his usual charm and self-confidence. He fit in. 

All Carlos had really wanted was for T.K. to like his family, but seeing them like him right back…it was doing strange things to his heart. He hadn’t known until this moment how much it meant to gain his family’s approval of his relationship. He’d convinced himself that he was fine either way, and he probably would have been. But seeing them all joke and talk and laugh together was beyond his wildest dreams. And it was making him think some pretty crazy things about the future.

They’d chatted some more with his siblings and a few other family members who’d stopped by the table. But now Lucía had gone to put the baby down for a nap, and Teresa and Elena had been pressed into kitchen duty with his mother, while the men of the group had been enticed inside by a game on TV. Which left only Adriana and Francesca at the table. 

“So, T.K., now that the boring adults are gone, tell us everything,” Francesca said, a sneaky smile on her face.

“Ooh yes,” Adriana said, getting comfortable on the picnic bench. “Tell us all your dirty secrets T.K. You lived in New York so do you actually work for the mob? And how hard was it for you to learn to put gas in a car at such an advanced age?”

“Unfortunately no mob connections, although that probably pays better than firefighting or being a paramedic,” T.K. said with a laugh. “And the learning curve on driving was actually pretty quick. We have to fuel the engines, even in New York.”

“Well that’s boring,” Francesca said as she picked up a tamale. “Come on, you have to be more exciting than that. Any secret lovers you’re keeping back there on the side?”

“Cesca!” Carlos said sharply.

“I’m watching out for you!” Francesca cried. “I mean if you two have an open relationship or something that’s your business, but if he—”

“No,” T.K. said quickly. He looked at Carlos. “There’s no one in New York. Or anywhere else.”

Adriana and Francesca both wrinkled their noses, but Carlos hardly noticed, too busy looking at T.K. who was gazing at him with so much tenderness and love. He was taking it all in stride, the insanity, the prying. Questions that might have set him off a year or two ago he now brushed off like it was no big deal.

“Ugh, come on!” Adriana said. “There has to be something. You basically grew up on the set of Gossip Girl. You have to know at least one Kardashian or something.”

“Yes, how many private helicopter rides have there been?” Francesca asked eagerly. “Or penthouse ragers? You have to have been to a penthouse rager of someone famous!”

T.K. shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Adriana pouted. “So boring. Not one secret?”

“Oh, I have secrets,” T.K. said with a grin. He laced his hand through Carlos’. “But only Carlos gets to know them.”

“You play dirty, Strand,” Francesca told him with an approving smile. 

Carlos had had enough. “Come on,” he said, pulling T.K. to his feet and away from the women without a backward glance or apology. 

“Where are we going?” T.K. asked and Carlos wished the answer was a dark corner somewhere that he could kiss his boyfriend’s face off and show him how much he appreciated his efforts today. But that would not be happening anywhere on the premises. Francesca and Adriana could sniff out a couple having a quickie from a mile away. They’d caught Teresa and Javier in a Sunday School classroom during Elena and Elías’ wedding and had never let them forget it. Although Bianca had been born nine months later so apparently getting caught hadn’t been too much of a turn off. He definitely wasn’t risking it though. 

He pulled T.K. over to the patio where the music had cranked up to an all time high now that his cousin Rafael had arrived and was playing DJ.

“Okay,” T.K. said, looking nervous all over again. “You know I can’t really dance right? That first night at the bar, that was all just to get in your pants, you know that right?”

“What?” Carlos feigned surprise and then rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know. And considering that you managed to get into my pants about half an hour later, I’d say it worked pretty well.”

“Not the point Carlos.”

“I’ve seen you dance. You’re fine,” Carlos told him.

“Yes in the club!” T.K. told him, eyes wide as he took in the way some of Carlos’ relatives were dancing around them. “This is like something out of Grease! Did you all rehearse this before you got here?”

“Look, Justin’s dancing.” Carlos nodded to where Lucí had managed to get a moment free from her children and pulled her husband onto the impromptu dance floor. 

“Justin’s been in your family for five years. He’s had practice.”

“You’re just going to follow my lead,” Carlos told him confidently as he pulled T.K. close. “Relax.”

“I can’t relax. Your Tía Maria looks like she’s about to come over here and remind us to leave room for the Holy Spirit,” T.K. hissed.

“Like I said earlier, I don’t care what Tía Maria thinks. I haven’t for a long time. I just want to dance with you.” He cocked his head and turned on his most charming smile, eyes pleading a little bit.

T.K. rolled his eyes and groaned. “You know I can’t say no to that face.”

“Exactly,” Carlos allowed himself a full on smirk.

He put one hand on T.K.’s shoulder, the other on his hip and gave a comforting little squeeze. “And now you just follow my lead.”

He took a half a step forward, slowly, not following the music at all, encouraging T.K. to step back with his opposite foot. They managed fine for about three beats until T.K. stepped wrong and they stumbled over one another’s feet. “Sorry,” he said, face going slightly pink. “I told you.”

“You’re tense,” Carlos said. “You can’t dance when you’re tense. Relax. It’s all in the hips.”

“I’m from New York. I barely have hips at all, let alone beautiful, sexy, latin caderas like yours.”

Carlos laughed and bumped up against T.K. with said caderas. “You like my caderas?”

“You know I love your hips and normally I wouldn’t complain about anything you do with them, but everyone is staring at us.”

“They are not.” Carlos took a quick glance around the area and found that indeed, many of his relatives were staring, and he could read wedding bells going off in their eyes. “Okay they are but that’s because they’re nosy, not because of your dancing. Don’t worry about them. Focus on me.”

“Just don’t blame me if I break your toes,” T.K. said nervously.

“I think I’ll survive,” Carlos told him. “I’ve never seen you like this before. I like it.”

“Like what?”

“Completely off your game,” Carlos told him. “You never approach anything with less than one hundred percent confidence and charm.”

“Well I only do things I’m one hundred percent confident in,” T.K. said. “That way I never have to look like I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Ahhh, now it all makes sense,” Carlos said with a laugh.

The music changed and Carlos shifted so that they were closer together, one hand entwined with T.K.’s, the other on his lower back. “So. Tell me the truth. How glad are you that your dad didn’t come today?”

T.K. laughed. “Oh god so glad. You know how he is. He and your sisters would have spent the entire day trying to one up each other on embarrassing stories about us. And he might have won.”

“Oh I doubt that. We’ve got about two more hours until my sisters bring up the bathtub incident.”

T.K.’s eyes widened. “The bathtub incident?”

“Let’s just say it was very expensive and mostly Francesca’s fault.”

“You know, your sisters seem to take a lot of the blame in these stories even though you have a starring role in all of them. I’m starting to wonder who’s really telling the truth here.”

“Shh,” Carlos said, pulling him a little closer. “I’m a cop. I’m very trustworthy.”

“Uh huh.” T.K. looked amused.

“Hey, guess what?”

“What?”

Carlos leaned forward so his lips were touching T.K.’s ear. “You’re dancing.”

And indeed he was, their bodies swaying back and forth, T.K. following all of Carlos’ movements without any trouble. T.K. opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted by the reappearance of Adriana. “I take it back,” she said, causing them both to pause their movement.

“Take what back?” Carlos asked in confusion.

“There’s no way he’s a stripper. Not with dance moves like that. Yikes.”

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or insulted,” T.K. said.

“Good,” she said, giving him a mischievous wink. “I like to keep people guessing. Now step aside gringo and let us show you how it’s done.”

She grabbed Carlos’ hand and before he could protest she’d pulled him out to the center of the dance floor, yelling at Rafael to put on something they could really move to. Rafael smoothly transitioned into a song Carlos recognized and Adriana grinned as she began to salsa, clearly expecting him to partner her. He rolled his eyes, but obliged, catching her around the waist and moving back and forth in time with her.

“We approve,” she said as he spun her back and forth.

“Of my dancing?” Carlos asked.

“No, of T.K.,” she said with a smile. “We really like him. Me and all your sisters.”

It should not have warmed his soul so much to hear the words, but it did anyway. “Good,” Carlos said. “Is that why you pulled me out here? To tell me you like him?”

“No, I pulled you out here so he could check out your ass while you dance,” she said, looking over his shoulder, her grin widening. “Which he totally is by the way.”

“Adriana, shut up,” Carlos said, but he smiled anyway and dipped her, really letting loose as the music hit the chorus. Because apparently he was not above showing off for his boyfriend.

By the time the song ended he was sweating and breathless and so was Adriana. “You’ve still got it cousin,” she said. “Now go on. Go over there and take a victory lap with your boyfriend and his puppy dog eyes.”

Carlos looked over to find T.K. looking suitably impressed at the edge of the patio. Carlos shook his head, a blush rising to his cheeks as he walked over. “Well someone’s been holding out on me,” T.K. said when Carlos got close.

“It’s just dancing,” Carlos said.

“Just dancing? Carlos that looked like…I don’t even know, but it was freaking amazing!” T.K. said, his eyes wide. “I didn’t know you could dance like that. Why are you over here dancing with me?”

Carlos rolled his eyes and pulled T.K. close to him. “Trust me, Adriana might be a state champion in Salsa, but I prefer dancing with you any day.”

“She’s a state champion?” T.K. asked in surprise.

“Yep,” Carlos said, pulling him back onto the dance floor. “Three years in a row.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, Adriana is good at pretty much anything she decides to be good at. It’s a little ridiculous.”

“That doesn’t explain where your dance moves came from,” T.K. said, looking expectant.

“I um,” Carlos thought for a half second about lying before he decided to give in and tell the truth. “I may have partnered her for a few years.”

“How long is a few?”

Carlos sighed and squeezed his eyes closed. “Like fourth through seventh grade.”

T.K.’s jaw dropped. He pointed a finger at Carlos’ chest. “I can’t believe you’ve never told me that!”

“Well it’s not like it’s relevant to everyday conversation! When would it have ever come up?”

“I don’t know!” T.K. shook his head. “What made you stop?”

Carlos shrugged. “I’m good, but I’m not championship level good. And I was getting into baseball. And Adriana is…really difficult to work with.”

“Carlos! T.K.!” They both turned to find a very welcome presence interrupting their conversation.

“Tía Luci,” Carlos said, pulling back from T.K. so he could give her a hug. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming.”

“Well you know I had a date querido. T.K. mi amor! It’s so good to see you!” The many bracelets she was wearing jangled loudly as she hugged T.K. with equal fervor. 

T.K. had been to several Sunday dinners at this point and Tía Luci had accepted him exactly the way Carlos hoped she would, with nothing less than complete and total love. She’d always encouraged Carlos to be exactly who he was and love whoever he desired. It helped of course that she’d had four husbands of her own and was currently single and dating with astonishing frequency.

“It’s good to see you too Tía Luci,” T.K. said with a smile.

“I thought mom said you had a pottery class,” Carlos said.

“I had a date at pottery class,” she said and then leaned closer. “And the clay wasn’t the only thing that got handled, if you catch my meaning.”

Carlos’ cheeks burned as T.K. laughed. His aunt was a free spirit and that meant she was pretty free with most things. Including her sex life. And while Carlos didn’t judge, he definitely didn’t always need all the…details she provided.

“Oh don’t look so scandalized,” she admonished, squeezing his arm. “It’s not like you’re a saint either, sobrino. With a boyfriend like this you must get up to all kinds of nonsense. And if you’re not you should start. You’re only young once!” Someone caught her attention and she waved. “I must go see Alejandro, but you two have fun dancing.”

“How about we run away to New York together?” Carlos asked as she floated away.

“You love her,” T.K. said knowingly.

“I do. But I don’t need to know every detail of her dating life. And no matter how many times I tell her that she doesn’t quite seem to get the message.”

“Seems like Francesca and Adriana come by it honestly,” T.K. said. “Oversharing runs in the gene pool.”

“Yes along with nosiness, a strong desire to meddle, and a life long obsession with the Astros,” Carlos said with a roll of his eyes.

“And yet somehow you have none of those qualities,” T.K. said, raising his eyebrows in a way that suggested he was being sarcastic.

“Me?” Carlos said. “What are you talking about? I don’t do any of those things.”

“Maybe not so overtly. But when you found out Mateo’s house had blown up, you organized all those donations to help out him and his roommates.”

“Because it was the right thing to do!”

“Of course it was. But it was also meddling. Kind meddling. But meddling. And we’ve talked about the cow eyes.”

“What do the cow eyes have to do with anything?” Carlos asked, slightly annoyed.

“When you want to know something that I don’t want to share, you waste no time turning them on. And you know that neither I, nor anyone else can resist. Nosiness.”

“That’s not nosy! It’s…digging for information.”

“Information your chosen suspect may or may not want to share. The suspect being me. Admit it Carlos. You’re more like your family than you’d like to believe.”

“I—“ Carlos struggled to come up with a reply. “I don’t like that you’re siding with my sisters. That was not the point of bringing you here. You’re supposed to back me up.”

“Oh I will never speak to your sisters about this,” T.K. told him. “I’ve got your back. I just want you to know that I know.”

Carlos opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a small body hurtling into his legs so hard he almost fell over. “Tío Carlos!” Marco practically yelled. “You said you would come in an hour. It’s been more than an hour. Will you pleeeeeeeeeeeease come throw the ball with me? You promised!”

Carlos looked a T.K. who smiled and nodded toward Marco. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not sure I want to leave you alone with my sisters after what you just said. I’m scared about what other things they might put into your head.”

T.K. laughed and gave him a little push. “Go. I’ll try not to be swayed further to their side.”

“You heard him! Go! Go!” Marco pushed Carlos from behind over toward the grassy area past the picnic tables.

“Marco, Marco, relax,” Carlos said, breaking away from his nephew’s aggressive pushing. 

“I waited all day,” Marco told him with a glare.

“And you’re going to wait longer if you’re not polite,” Carlos told him.

Marco looked only slightly chastened. “Sorry.”

“Mhmm.” Carlos tried not to roll his eyes. “Do you have a ball and a glove?”

“Yes!” Marco ran ahead and grabbed them off a picnic table. “Here. This one’s yours. Abuelo got it out of the garage for me.”

Sure enough it was Carlos’ high school mitt. It was beyond worn out, but it would do for a quick round of catch before he rescued his boyfriend from the clutches of whichever sister had decided to grill him next. 

“Okay you go over there and I’ll go over here,” Marco said excitedly, running several yards away, ball clutched in his hand.

His first throw took Carlos by surprise. “Whoa! You’re getting really good at that,” Carlos said as he tossed it back.

“Dad says I might make the travel team this year,” Marco said excitedly as he delivered another throw that made Carlos’ palm sting.

“Yeah I think you’ve got a good shot at it,” Carlos told him. “How’s your fast ball?”

“So good! But I have to work on my curve ball. It doesn’t always go the right way.”

“Ah, I’ve got a trick for that. Let me show you.”

It didn’t take long for all of Carlos’ nieces and nephews to realize he had left the adult table and was available for fun. After he finished with Marco, a game of tag was requested by his other nephews. Then Bianca and Elena wanted to show him the crafts they’d been working on and make him a friendship bracelet which he immediately put around his wrist. 

Nearly an hour had gone by and Carlos began to look around for his boyfriend, feeling guilty for having left him alone for so long. But just as he began making his way back to the picnic tables, Carolina found him and wanted to tell him all about a school project she’d finished recently.

One minute he was chatting with her about orca whales and the next something was colliding with his skull, hard and fast. He felt his head snap to the side, fingers automatically going to touch the spot directly behind his ear.

Carolina had frozen her eyes wide. “Tío Carlos? Estás bien?” she asked tentatively.

The world seemed to tilt and he sank down slowly onto a picnic bench, fingers fumbling against the weathered wood as he tried to aim successfully and not miss and fall to the ground instead. “Sorry!” Marco called, running over. 

Oh. The baseball. That’s what had hit him. That explained the extreme throbbing that had started and why he could already feel a knot growing at the site of impact.

“You hit Tío Carlos right in the head!” Carolina scolded.

“I didn’t mean to!” Marco protested back. “I just threw it, that’s all! I was working on my curveball! It wasn’t my fault!”

“It’s nobody’s fault,” Carlos said calmly, even though his vision was starting to blur at the corners. “It was an accident.”

“See? It’s fine!” Marco told her. 

“I’m telling Mom!”

“No you’re not!”

The two continued to squabble and Carlos closed his eyes as their raised voices cut through his skull like a knife. “Carolina,” he interrupted finally. “Can you go find T.K. for me? Tell him I need to ask him something.”

“Yeah.” She narrowed her eyes at Marco. “I’m still telling mom,” she hissed, causing him to take off after her as she ran away.

Carlos swallowed against the sudden queasiness in his stomach. He was regretting the number of tamales he’d eaten now.

The sunlight was really starting to hammer into his skull so he closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing through his nose, trying to keep his stomach from becoming violent. A hand on his knee startled him. “Carlos?” T.K.’s voice was quiet and concerned. 

Carlos opened his eyes and found his boyfriend or rather, several blurry versions of his boyfriend, looking up at him. “Hey,” he said quietly. Even talking seemed to hurt his rattled brain.

“Are you okay? Carolina said something about a baseball.”

“It was an accident,” Carlos said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Okay,” T.K. said slowly, clearly trying to gauge the situation and read between the lines of what his boyfriend wasn’t telling him. “Where did it hit you?”

Carlos took another slow breath in through his nose as his stomach clenched. “Behind my ear.”

“Which side, this side?” T.K. asked, lifting a hand and gently probing at Carlos’s skull.

His fingers found the knot almost immediately and even though his touch was gentle it sent a stab of pain shooting through Carlos and his stomach lurched. He jerked away, unsuccessful in suppressing a tight lipped moan.

“Okay, hey I need you to talk to me, all right?” T.K. said, his voice going serious as his fingers instinctively sought the pulse point on Carlos’ wrist. “How bad is your pain?”

Carlos had had concussions before; you couldn’t play varsity baseball without the occasional injury. This was ten times worse than he remembered. “Like a seven?” His voice was shaky and opening his mouth at all felt like a huge risk given the discontent happening in his stomach. “And there are about four of you right now.”

“Did you lose consciousness?”

“No.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

Carlos squinted at him. “Are you really asking me that?”

“Answer please,” T.K. said, eyes serious.

“Carlos Nicolás Reyes Moreno.”

“And where are we?” 

“My parents’ ranch.”

“Good. And what’s your badge number?”

Carlos opened his mouth and found his mind strangely blank. “I—”

“You can’t remember?” T.K. asked.

“I—no.” He felt panic start to well up in his throat. “T.K…”

“It’s okay,” T.K. said calmly, gently cupping the non-injured side of his face. “You’re going to be all right. But we need to go to the hospital, okay?”

“Oh god,” Carlos groaned partly from pain and queasiness and partly from panic. “Any chance we can sneak out of here without telling my family?”

“Oh, babe, I think that ship has sailed,” T.K. said sympathetically.

“Carlitos? What happened?” Andrea approached at a rapid pace, the Reyes sisters flanking her along with Adriana, Tía Maria, and Tía Luci. He was sure his father wasn’t far behind.

Even as pain clawed at the inside of his skull Carlos tried to assuage their fears. “I’m fine, just a little accident,” he managed.

“Carolina said Marco hit you in the head,” Elena said worriedly. 

“Head injuries are very serious,” Tía Luci told them. “I once dated a tennis player who got a concussion.”

“He got hit with a tennis ball?” Elena asked.

“No, we got a little overly enthusiastic in the bedroom. No half assed sex from that one!”

Carlos heard Tía Maria start muttering a prayer.

“Andrea! What’s going on? Is he all right?” Predictably Gabriel had caught up with the group, a large grill spatula still in his hand.

“Let’s just give him a little room to breathe,” T.K. said calmly, holding up a hand to keep them from coming in closer to smother him with concern. “Francesca if you could go get me some ice and a towel please.”

She disappeared in an instant toward the back of the house.

“Should we call an ambulance?” Teresa asked.

“I am fine,” Carlos insisted again, squeezing his eyes closed as another wave of nausea and dizziness swept over him. He would be. As soon as he was away from his coddling family and in his bed at home.

“Carlitos you be quiet and listen to your boyfriend. He is a professional,” Andrea scolded, worry coloring the sharpness of her tone.

“Yes, T.K., what does he need?” Gabriel asked.

“We’re going to get some ice on here and go from there,” T.K. said. “I don’t think an ambulance is necessary at this point.”

Francesca returned with ice and a towel. “Thank you,” T.K. said, wrapping the ice up tightly and then ever so gently pressing it against Carlos’ head.

He hissed in pain, knuckles gripping the edge of the picnic bench so hard he felt splinters of wood begin to dig into his fingertips. “I’m sorry,” T.K. murmured sympathetically. “We need to try and get the swelling down.”

“It’s okay,” Carlos said through gritted teeth. He hadn’t thought it was possible for his head to hurt more, but the added coldness of the ice was proving to be too much and he felt the tight hold he had on his composure starting to slip. He wanted to leave, he wanted to lie down and sleep, he wanted T.K. to hold him while he cried like a baby because everything hurt like a motherfucker and he was embarrassed as hell about it. 

His family was still carrying on around him, he could hear them asking questions and making plans, but all he focused on was T.K.’s free hand, the one that wasn’t pressing ice to his skull. That hand was resting comfortingly on his knee, thumb moving slowly back and forth. Thank god T.K. was here to mitigate the chaos.

He didn’t realize he was starting to drift away until T.K.’s hand squeezed his knee more tightly and then moved up to his shoulder, keeping him upright. “Hey, hey, no, don’t go to sleep,” he said urgently.

Right. Sleep was not a good idea. Carlos forced his eyes open and tried to focus on his boyfriend’s worried face, but it swam in front of him and made his stomach churn. “T.K…”

“I’ve got you,” T.K. said firmly. He turned and looked up at Andrea and Gabriel who had come to hover a little closer. “We need to get him to the hospital.”

“I’ll drive you,” Andrea said immediately.

“You’re entertaining all these guests mi amor,” Gabriel said. “You stay, I’ll take the boys.”

“We’re all coming,” Lucía said immediately.

Carlos felt his heart rate quicken at the thought of his entire family standing around in the hospital waiting room and the kind of chaos that would cause. He didn’t need to worry though. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” T.K. said quickly. “There’s no reason to believe this is anything more serious than a concussion. It will be quick, not worth everyone coming out.”

“I will update you the entire time,” Gabriel promised.

“Text messages every five minutes,” Andrea ordered.

“Can you stand?” T.K. asked and Carlos nodded his affirmative, immediately regretting the motion when the throbbing in his skull increased.

T.K. took his arm and Carlos got up on wobbly legs. He made it about two steps before his knees began to give out and he felt his father grab his other arm. “Steady mijo,” Gabriel said.

It seemed like an eternity before they passed through the house and into the front driveway. Out of sight of his family Carlos felt the last of his control slip away. The blood drained from his face and he gagged. 

“Whoa!” T.K. said, quickly lowering him to the ground as he began to heave out the contents of his stomach onto the concrete.

By the time it was over Carlos’ pain had ratcheted up to somewhere in the nines and he heard himself letting out a pathetic whimper as his brain exploded inside of his skull. “Easy Carlitos, easy,” his father said, the words barely registering as he and T.K. lifted Carlos back onto his feet and basically carried him the rest of the way to his dad’s truck.

He ended up with his head in T.K.’s lap, his boyfriend continuing to hold ice against his head with one hand, while the other ran soothingly up and down his arm. “Stay awake for me, all right?” he said.

“Trying,” Carlos said, his voice sounding cracked and broken. Mostly he was trying to breathe because he really didn’t want to throw up again. Every bump in the road, every touch of the breaks, sent pain ricocheting through his head. “It really hurts.”

“I know, I’m so sorry. We’re almost there,” T.K. said softly. “You’re all right, keep breathing, okay?”

Gabriel pulled directly up to the ER doors and he and T.K. helped Carlos into a wheelchair. If he’d been in any less pain he would have found the entire thing humiliating, but every bit of his energy was currently being spent on staying awake and not vomiting all over the floor.

“I’ll park the car and meet you inside,” Gabriel said as T.K. pushed him through the doors.

The next few hours were a hellish blur. They ran a battery of tests including an MRI and a CT scan, asked him dozens of questions, all of which he was able to answer thank god.

Despite his best efforts, he threw up twice more, T.K. holding a basin in front of his face each time, then rubbing his back comfortingly as he curled into a ball, knives stabbing through his head after such violent movement.

He hated being reduced to a shaking, moaning mess, especially in front of his father, but there was no help for it. The pain was only growing worse and there was no relief in sight, not until the tests came back.

“Breathe,” T.K. said, running a thumb back and forth over Carlos’ hand. “Carlos you have to breathe and try to relax.”

“I can’t.” The words came out on a whimper. “It hurts.”

“Carlitos, you have to try,” his dad said, sounding beyond concerned. “The more tense you are the worse it will feel.”

Tears slid down his cheeks as the pounding in his head beat on relentlessly. It had been hours and there was never any relief to the waves of pain, just a constant throbbing, knifelike agony. He squeezed his eyes shut and curled in on himself, ragged, stuttering breaths tearing from his chest.

“I’m going to go find the nurse,” Gabriel said. “My wife and daughters might be better at nagging, but I’m sure I’ve picked up a thing or two.”

He disappeared out the door and the next thing Carlos knew the bed was shifting as T.K. climbed in with him, wrapping his arms tightly around Carlos’ body. “What are you doing?” Carlos choked out.

“Taking care of you,” he said, his lips by Carlos’ ear. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. Breathe. Just a little bit longer and we’ll get you some medication. I promise.”

T.K.’s fingers stroked up and down his arm and he continued to murmur soothing words into Carlos’ ear. Carlos felt his muscles slowly begin to unclench one at a time. The agony in his skull began to ease, just enough that he could breathe easier and think a little more clearly.

His dad must have given someone a piece of his mind because within fifteen minutes the doctor had returned. “Okay, Mr. Reyes we are looking at a grade two concussion here. All your scans came back clear so while painful, your recovery should be pretty easy.”

“No brain bleed?” T.K. asked.

“No. No brain bleed, no skull fracture.”

He could see T.K. and his father sag in relief. They were both putting on a good front, trying to be strong for him, but in that moment the worry in the room finally lifted off like a cloud, dissipating into calm.

“We’re going to keep you for a little bit, start you on some strong Tylenol to help manage the pain. I’ll come check on you in an hour okay?”

It was another two hours before they were finally able to go home, Gabriel dropping them off with promises to bring Carlos’ car over in the morning.

He was more steady on his feet now and the medication had helped both his headache and the nausea, so with T.K.’s help he was able to manage the stairs without too much difficulty.

T.K. sat him on the bed and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. “I can do it,” Carlos said, but his boyfriend gave him a stern look and continued. 

This behavior persisted until Carlos was settled in bed, an extra pillow behind his head, a glass of water on the nightstand along with additional Tylenol. “Better?” T.K. asked as Carlos leaned back against the pillows with a sigh.

“Yeah,” Carlos told him. The lights were dim, causing his splitting headache to dull to a throbbing one instead. 

He heard his phone buzz for the thousandth time in the last few hours. “Do you want to see who that is?”

He couldn’t look at the screen without feeling like someone had stabbed a knife through his eyes. Hopefully that would pass quickly. It was only a grade two concussion and most of his pain was coming from the actual injury itself, not his brain rattling around in his skull.

T.K. punched in Carlos’ passcode and then scrolled through. “You have forty seven unread texts. Most of them are from your sisters. A few from your mom and aunts. And one reminding you to vote next week.”

Carlos groaned. “You’d think I was dying. This isn’t even as bad as the time Elías flipped the four wheeler over while we were on vacation. He broke his leg in two places and had to have surgery and nobody was all over him.”

“Oh, the texts aren’t about you,” T.K. said, eyes lighting up with mirth.

Carlos squinted at him. “I’m confused then.”

T.K. cleared his throat. “You listen to T.K. and do what he says. That one is from Teresa.” He scrolled a little further. “Congratulations on picking someone who’s not a dick. He actually comes in handy, that’s Adriana.” He snorted. “And this one from Francesca just says, ‘Remember not to fuck again until your brain is better.’”

“You know, Tía Maria campaigned pretty hard to send her to a convent when she was a teenager. Some days I think we should have let her,” Carlos said.

“The rest are variations on how great I am and how you need to eat a lot of soup and get a lot of rest. And I have a text from your mom.”

Carlos cracked one eye to look at him. “Are you going to share?”

“Mm…I’m not sure you can handle this one.”

T.K. was grinning from ear to ear, clearly beyond proud of himself and delighted to have information Carlos didn’t. 

“T.K. just read it. I can see that smug look on your face.”

He cleared his throat. “T.K. thank you for taking care of our Carlitos. You are such a blessing to our family.” T.K. grinned. “They like me.”

“Of course they like you.”

“They really like me.”

“Yes, T.K. My family loves you. Just like I always knew they would.”

“Well I appreciate that. But you really didn’t have to get hit in the head with a baseball just so I could endear them to me with my paramedic skills.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Marco,” Carlos said. “He’s the one with an arm like a Major League baseball player.”

“Yeah he can really throw huh?” T.K. said, brushing a gentle hand through Carlo’s curls, careful to avoid the area the ball had struck. “How’s your pain?”

“Tolerable,” Carlos said. 

“And the nausea?”

“Better,” Carlos said. 

“Good.” T.K. seemed relieved. “Listen, next time you want to get out of a family activity, you can just tell me. You don’t need to give yourself a grade two concussion. Just say the word and I will fake an emergency and get us out of there.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t fake an emergency after hour one,” Carlos said. “Thank you for today. You getting along with my family it…” Tears threatened to close his throat and he forced them back because he really wanted T.K. to know what he was feeling. “It means everything.”

“They’re easy to get along with,” T.K. said. “And we have a lot in common.”

“Oh?”

“We all love you.”

[rukia-writes]

Eren K. X (Fem) reader

Setting: modern au

Storyline: Kruger’s daughter introduces her sexy friend from college to her father and the summer gets hotter.

Warnings: sex, dirty thoughts, sex, no minors 🔞

Chapter 2

“I can’t believe you didn’t want to be at the beach.”

“Oh come on, you’re not having fun?”

“Golfing is so boring, (Name).”

The two college girls were playing golf at one the most exclusive golf courses, access was granted by Kruger. Kruger’s daughter wasn’t much for golf but the course itself was beautiful with the mountains, ponds and green grass. They were now currently vacationing on the beach at Kruger’s summer home. Both women were wearing the dress code for women that the golf course had, mini skirt and a shirt. Both women looked like models out on the golf course which didn’t go unnoticed by the other golfers, especially the men.

(Name) stood behind the ball getting ready to swing when she heard her best friend say “I wish dad would stop looking over here..he’s so overprotective.” (Name)’s heart skipped a beat knowing her summer love was looking in her direction and perhaps at her. In any case, she actually managed to hit the ball pretty far.

“Good hit, (Name).”

“Thanks.”

Quickly looking over her shoulder she glanced over where Kruger was which was a bit far but the two girls could still see him playing golf with his friends. A pout came to (Name)’s lips as Kruger wasn’t looking her way now.

“You said your dad was looking over here?”

“Yeah, he’s a worry wart sometimes. There’s no guys out here except old rich men, rich married men, and engaged men.”

Kruger’s daughter sighed as she started swing her golf club next, smiling at the joke (Name) teased her best friend a bit.

“Erwin isn’t married.”

“Oh my god, I know! And he’s so handsome! But I know he has a girlfriend how could he not? He’s like a-“

(Name) listened to her best friend practically thirst over Erwin for a few seconds before getting mad at her father for saying that Erwin Smith was off limits a long time ago. That didn’t stop her from flirting a bit.

“Okay, Erwin or Mike. Who would you have a summer fling with-“

“Hey-“

“Come on, don’t be shy. Who would you chose?”

It was her turn to tease now as she asked (Name) over and over who would she choose turning her into bashful mess. Both were handsome men and both men were on the same golf course as the two women.

“I’ll have to pass.”

“Pass? Come on...oh..you like Zeke. It’s the beard isn’t?”

“What? No-“

Zeke was also on the golf course and he too was one of Kruger’s friends. The women talked and teased each other and continued playing golf while Kruger was playing golf with his friends. Sometimes, he would look over and check to see how his daughter and his summer love was doing. Kindly wishing (Name) was a bit closer to him on the golf course so he could look at her outfit on her a bit more.

Seeing (Name) in her mini skirt definitely made his pulse race, even if he knew there were shorts underneath he still wanted to look some more. Already imagining the endless possibilities of doing some rather dirty things with her tonight at his beach home. Once he saw his daughter stick her tongue out him however he knew was looking a bit too long and stopped. Kruger didn’t want his daughter to pick up on any clues that he was having a summer passion with her best friend.

The two so far had managed to keep their relationship a secret from everyone, and that was the plan.

Once the two girls managed to catch up with them Kruger did his absolute best to keep his dirty thoughts at bay and so did (Name), after all Kruger looked handsome in anything he wore. However, both kept their thoughts to themselves and played it cool.

Later that evening everyone returned to the beach home, the two young women had to change out of their outfits so they could go out in town and have some fun. It took (Name) a much longer time to get dressed and Kruger was to blame as he had managed to sneak in (Name)’s room while she was changing out of her uniform that made Kruger hot and bothered on the golf course earlier. Before (Name) left Kruger told her not to be late.

Of course, time went by and the women didn’t return until late. Kruger’s daughter went to sleep first as she crashed on her bed and (Name) close her door, (Name) was tired herself but she had something else she had to do first.

Right down the hall was Kruger’s bedroom from (Name)’s bedroom, knocking on the door she hoped Kruger was still awake and when the door opened to see him a smile came to her face.

“Hey, we are back safe and sound.”

“Good, I was getting worried.”

The two talked in Kruger’s door way for a minute or so until Kruger heard her say “Aren’t you going let me in?” It sounded innocent but he knew what she wanted and he wasn’t going to deny her. More like he couldn’t deny her as his cock was ready for another round.

That night was a long night for (Name) but it was also a passionate night for her as well. While Kruger was rough he was also sure not to be too rough. Also, whispering sweet things in her ear while his cock was buried deep inside her. Making her whimper on his cock wasn’t hard but he wanted more from her and it seemed as though he was getting just that.

When the summer ended he didn’t want their relationship to end.

While this thought came to him as he fucked her on his bed his pace never faltered but his heart seemed to skip a beat as he watched her moan a loud saying his name or wanting more. Kruger never wanted the summer to end as he fucked her through the night. No other thought came to him except wanting to maker her his and how great she felt on his cock.

In the morning, (Name) was the first to awaken even though was she was quite sore and decided to make breakfast. It wasn’t until later that Kruger joined (Name) in the kitchen after checking on his daughter who was still asleep. Once in the kitchen Kruger had a nice view of (Name) was wearing sexy short with a sleeveless shirt on, the shorts fit perfectly and really hugged her. It didn’t take long for Kruger to walk up behind her as she was cooking and make her gasp from feeling his cock on her ass and have both his hands on her breasts. Rubbing them in a circular motion listening to her moans only making his cock harder for her. Whispering in her ear (Name) could feel her clit getting excited just from Kruger whispering.

“Is this what you college girls wear?”

“S-some girls do-“

Another moan escaped the sexy college student as Kruger had snaked his hands underneath her shirt and as luck would have it she wasn’t wearing a bra. Kissing her neck he kept massaging her breasts and would moan himself when she would lightly grind her ass on his cock. If it wasn’t for someone ringing the doorbell Kruger would have fucked (Name) in the kitchen, whispering in her ear “we will finish this later” he kissed her on the cheek and slapped her ass once making her moan a “Wait” as she didn’t want him to leave just yet.

But Kruger did as he said and opened the door to only to catch a designer purse as his sister walked in to his home admiring the beautiful beach home, Kruger was not expecting to see his sister.

“Good morning, brother. Your new beach home looks amazing.”

“How did you find this place?”

“My niece of course. Can’t believe you didn’t invite me? Your own sister.”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Um, it’s the summer and I am not working in a office all day. Are you crazy?”

Kruger had a look of look of surprise but also that of annoyance because of being interrupted. That’s when he became nervous when his sister asked “Who was cooking breakfast?” while walking towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. Kruger did his best to get his sister to not go in the kitchen, however his attempts were futile as his sister made it to the kitchen only to look surprised now to see this sexy young woman making breakfast in shorts and sleeveless shirt. Kruger’s sister looked at her then back to Kruger only to say,

“Wait until dad hears about this.”

✨Rukia-Writes✨

[nicketynic]

Prompt: Jon Snow falls in love with Sansa Rivers, Brynden's bastard.

Catelyn Tully Stark had never forgotten the strange, painful parallel of watching her uncle walking through Riverrun’s gates, her lord father’s bones in tow, cradling a babe bearing his look, imagining it eerily similar to Eddard’s return to Winterfell, the return that brought his bastard son inside the walls of his ancestral seat before his trueborn heir had ever graced them. 

Her feelings for Jon Snow aside, Sansa Rivers was her dear uncle’s only child, bastard-born or not, beloved enough to be brought with him to RIverrun as he took up regency for Edmure. Through letters, Catelyn watched her grow, transitioning from sweet, spirited girl to kind, dutiful young woman, thoughtful and grateful toward every bit of advice Catelyn offered. 

By twelve, Sansa had stepped so naturally into the role of Riverrun’s surrogate lady, just as Cately had before her, and remained so at sixteen when Robb’s march south saw armies and lords aplenty descend on the castle. Then Ned was gone, and sweet Sansa was a steady source of comfort and support in a sea of grief and loss. How could she not love this wonderful, giving girl, everything she would have wanted in another daughter if the Mother had seen fit, for all she never regretted helping Ned secure his bloodline, for all that Arya was a willful, spirited, irreplaceable gift?

Ned was lost to her, and a solemn specter of his likeness stood stalwart at their son’s side. While loss and his unwavering loyalty toward Robb had eaten away at the bitterness toward the bastard, nothing could stop her hackles from rising the first time she saw Snow’s eyes land on Sansa, widening with surprise and interest. So intent was she on diverting that attention, she nearly missed when Sansa began to return his gazes, until she was as moon-eyed as the boy. It was only the march into the Westerlands that relieved Catelyn’s vexation with the whole affair, and as the war raged on and months became a year, then two, she became certain the infatuation had long passed. 

Now, Jon Snow was a Stark-born bastard of a different variety, no longer a political unknown but the last scion of a dead dynasty, poised to have his pick between several noble seats. Some argued Dragonstone was his right so long as he let the name Targaryen die, Robb stood eager to see him landed and titled in the north, and Uncle Brynden himself had mused whether Harrenhal would be an acceptable compromise (granted to House Tully by way of Whent blood), if only to keep his daughter close by. 

Catelyn was wrong that time and distance would kill the attraction between Snow and Rivers, for all that Sansa had never spoken of or inquired about him within her hearing. Sansa herself had presented her desire for Jon Snow’s hand in marriage, and Brynden was showing no signs of refusing. Feeling the weight of his niece’s gaze upon him, Brynden raised his head, bushy silver brows over Tully blue arching expectantly. 

Catelyn hesitated for a moment, straightening subconsciously in her chair before she spoke. “Uncle, are you certain this is the decision you wish to make? The boy has prospects now, but the Targaryen legacy is liable to haunt him for the rest of his days. His children as well. Is it wise to subject Sansa to that?”

Brynden studied her for a long moment, deep wells of Tully blue full of something impossibly sad and wise. “Trust me when I say, little Cat, there can be no better judge of that girl’s happiness than Sansa herself. Her life’s already been hardship enough since the day I gave her the name ‘Rivers.’”

For the first time since his fateful decision, Brynden Tully was fully certain he had made the right choice when he plucked up a little red-haired waif from obscurity all those years ago, Tully auburn a beacon to draw his eye among a group of war orphans at Fairmarket’s motherhouse. All the evidence he needed was the soft, besotted look in Sansa’s eyes, the confidence in the way she spoke of Jon Snow’s love being true. That was all he could have possibly wished for the child who held his heart even if she wasn’t born of his body, much like the clever Cat sitting nearby. 

Let it never be said that the Blackfish of Riverrun didn’t look after his own. 

xx

Contrary to their elders’ assumptions, Sansa Rivers and Jon Snow hadn’t been blinded from the hardships of their world by infatuation or innocence, and had long since forged their own path ahead together. 

This day, Jon sat quietly in the shadow of several large old elms in Riverrun’s godswood. His eyes were closed, whether in prayer or sleep his audience was uncertain, only that he paid her approach no notice until he felt the light pressure of her hand on his shoulder, warm breath tickling against his skin with a whisper in his ear. 

“Perhaps it is improper to interrupt a man in such serious contemplation, but the solemnity on your face should be far removed from the beauty of this day.”

He jumped at the initial touch, glowering. Sansa allowed herself a few giggles at his disgruntled expression, leaning against his shoulder and letting her lips tease against the sensitive place below his ear. 

Jon looked at her sharply, and she responded with a soft reassurance and a firmer kiss to his neck. “I circled this clever spot you found from every direction I could conceive of, love. I only saw you since I knew where to look. We’re safe.”

Jon relaxed, turning in her arms to shift her closer, Sansa settling comfortably in his lap. She circled her arms around his neck, drawing his mouth to hers in a lingering, adoring kiss. She drew back at the need for air, giving him a cheeky smile. “Husband.”

“Wife.”

xx

For weeks, Sansa had felt the weight of eyes on her. Over the years of men coming and going from Riverrun, she had become accustomed to the hard, lustful stares thrown her way, unabashed in their audacity given she was bastard-born with no noble title to protect her modesty. The only thing that kept their stares as only stares, their hands from never daring to pinch or grope, rip or bruise, was the power of her father and cousin’s affection for her. Nothing more, certainly not through any virtue of her own, as barbed, gossiping tongues saw fit to remind her every season she was forced to play host to the ladies and daughters of Cousin Edmure’s bannermen. 

When she finally distracted herself enough for the chaos of preparing for war, she was shocked to discover the owner of these particular eyes. King Robb’s bastard half-brother, taciturn, solemn Jon Snow. A man who seemed too serious, too stoic, too devoted, for any woman to draw his eye away from his intense focus on duty. She puzzled over his interest, and several times she felt the burn of his gaze, she turned around to seek the source. More often than not, his expression was carefully composed into a sullen frown, and he was quick to turn away, but once or twice, she caught him unguarded. 

His expression naked and open, wistful yearning laid bare for her to see, unique to the entitled vulgarity she’d reluctantly grown used to over time. His was a quiet longing, appreciative and warm every time his eyes landed on her. Still he wouldn’t approach, not even as she began to return lingering looks of her own, not even when her smiles grew soft and inviting. He never came. 

So she went to him herself.

“I hope I’m not interrupting, my lord. Please tell me if my presence is unwelcome, and I’ll leave you be.”

“Your presence could never be unwelcome, my lady. And I know we’ve discussed that I’m no lord. Please, call me Jon.”

“Then you should remember I’m no lady, but I know from experience you’ll demure. So be it.” She smiled, slow and enigmatic. “Jon.” She drew his name out, testing out the sound, and Jon could have died from shame at the flash of heat it caused him. 

“Jon,” the sound of her voice, soft, husky, and alluring, was intoxicating, his name slipping from her tongue sweet as honey. “Jon, I’ve felt your eyes on me for weeks. Always watching me. Never approaching, Why? Am I wrong”

He couldn’t remember a time when his tongue had ever felt so thick and at a loss for words. “N-no, you’re not wrong.”

“Do you want me, Jon?”

She’d bewitched him, surely, how else could he justify actually giving voice to his next words? “Yes,” he choked out, voice hoarse. “Gods help me, do I ever.”

Her beautiful face hardened, something in her eyes growing cold. “So I’ve often seen, more through the years than I care to count. You’ve been kind, Jon. Courteous to a fault. Do you feel you have more a right to me because you haven’t resorted to slobbering and pawing?”

“No!” Jon went milk-pale, horrified at the very implication. “I would never dishonor you! I was never going to tell you, I swear it. Never belittle your worth with a delusion that I’d have any hope of your hand.”

“Hand?” In her confusion, something softened, peering at him with a puzzled, considering expression. “You mean to wed?”

Jon looked ill at the very idea of continuing to discuss his feelings, but he resolved to finish if only she could feel some measure of safety in his presence again. “A boy’s dream, my lady. I know that. I would never hurt you. Please believe me.”

“Oh, Jon.”  She drew closer, and closer still, panic rising in him as he saw faint tears glistening in her eyes. “I do. I so wished I was right, that what I saw in you was true. You just proved that.”

Hands on his shoulders, lips a breath away from his, Jon trembled, fists clenched at his sides to keep from touching her. “I won’t dishonor you,” he ground out. 

“Then wed me. But don’t leave me without knowing your love.”

“You can’t mean-”

“But i do. You return to war in a few days.”

“And you want to make yourself a landless bastard’s widow?”

“The hope is that I don’t become a widow at all. But where’s the stigma in being a bastard’s widow when I’m a bastard myself? I adore you for your honor, Jon Snow, but it’s not your honor I want to know before you ride into battle.”

“Gods help me. Gods help us both.”

It was the gods he prayed to save them that they wed themselves before later that night, kneeling before the sad-faced weirwood, then bedding down beneath its red-dripped branches. 

He kissed his love with the virility of youth, with the guilty passion and love he’d been harboring. They separated only before the need for breath became too great. He exhaled softly, not daring to open his eyes as deft fingers threaded through his dark hair to pull him into another kiss. His arms tightening around her, his hands grew restless, aching to explore further. Desire raged through him in a sudden storm of longing, tantalizing him to the point of desperation. 

He groaned, a low rumble resounding through his chest. At the sudden sound, they pulled away, each regarding the other with shy, darkened eyes. 

It was Jon who broke through the tentative silence. “I cannot leave you with child, Sansa,” he whispered softly, touching his hand to her cheek. 

She leaned into the touch, gently sighing at the contact. “There are ways around it, love, for all that I would love to have that piece of you with me.”

“I want that as well. Someday.”

“Then come back to me.”

Jon shifted closer, dipping his head to press his lips to her ear. “Always, so long as I am breathing.” He kissed her again, allowing his lips to linger for just a moment before descending in a trail of soft kisses down her jaw and neckline. Sansa responded with a breathless gasp, her hands working up into the folds of his tunic to meet bare skin. He groaned as she touched him, aiding her in allowing the garment to fall away from his shoulders. Drawing her into his embrace, her body molded into his as he pressed close. She gazed down at him, brushing heavy hair away from his eyes, tracing her fingers along the strong features of his face. The intensity of his dark gaze followed her every movement. “Love me, Jon. Please?”

He did not hesitate, his hands beginning to stroke and caress, his mouth seeking hers in a gentle, lingering kiss. Locked in a lover’s embrace, he pressed her back against the ground, the soft earth and the fragrant grasses of the garden floor cushioning their fall. Their world faded to the touch of mouth and skin, passion overwhelming every sense but that of each other. 

Jon sighed contently as he gave into the moment. “I’ve missed you so very much.”

“I missed you as well. Thank you for keeping your promise.”

He kissed her softly, his eyes so warm and full her heart swelled with feeling. “I promised you always, as long as I breathe. I wasn’t certain you would still want this, knowing I’m not who you thought.”

“Nonsense. Jon Snow, Jon Waters, Jon Blackfyre, it doesn’t matter, as long as you remain Jon at your core. And Jon loves me still.”

“As long as I breathe,” he repeated softly, this time catching her mouth in a deep, soulful kiss. Sansa’s arms twined around his neck as she opened beautifully to his passion, his ardor, his devotion, fingers burying in his hair to drag him impossibly closer. 

She pulled back just enough to speak, only a breath’s distance between their lips. “And if my kisses steal your breath away?”

“Then we’ll share it. We did promise to share this life together.”

“Then i can’t wait to share that journey with you.”

[chilly-me-softly]

Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright • Chapter 19

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

Evelyn goes to open the door paying little attention to it sure it's one between her brother or Deb, going back to focus on her suitcase before she forgets anything. When she hears no comment she turns around, finding Jack leaning against the doorframe with a grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away?"

"But I left you a note"

"It wasn't enough" he murmured moving closer, wrapping his hands around her waist and leaving a tender kiss on her lips.

She had woken up happy that morning despite the few hours of sleep, but she was used to that. Jack was still asleep and she had spent a few minutes watching him in adoration. Then she had glanced at the clock and carefully untangled herself from his grasp to get up. She'd taken the first piece of paper she'd found around and a pen and written him a little note. She knew that if she woke him up, the chances of getting out of that room would be nil.

She gathered her things and gently closed the door behind her. No feeling of panic on the horizon, just an overwhelming desire to get back inside. And she'd prayed not to meet anyone on the way to her room, where she'd taken a shower and hidden Jack's clothes in the bottom of her suitcase.

It had turned out that she had lost track of time in the shower, they had a set time for leaving but if she had to be honest she imagined them still in bed not knowing what time they had returned the night before and not hearing from either of them until then.

"Perfect, now I don't want to leave" she moaned into his lips as he left a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, Ben's waiting for you"

"For all I know he could still be sleeping" she giggles heading towards the bathroom to grab the last of the things left there.

"Nah we just had a really interesting conversation a few moments ago" Jack states sitting down on the bed and Evelyn is quick to turn back.

"Sorry what?"

"But Deb's the one struggling to get up if you really want to know"

"Oh no don't change the subject now. What did you guys talk about?"

"You know..." he vaguely says playing with the zip of her suitcase as she runs a hand through her hair.

"Tell me you didn't. You didn't tell him did you?" he smiles guiltily and she groans then.

"Why?" she murmurs with her face hidden in his chest when he then reaches out and hugs her.

"I wanted to be clear. I don't want to hide that we know each other or that we talk every day, not anymore"

"Still too soon" she murmurs making him smile.

"I want to be free to shower you with kisses always no matter where we are" he states before actually starting to do it, kissing her on the cheeks, on the lips as she wiggles around laughing.

"What did he say? Did he say something right?" she then asks apprehensively and Jack doesn't lose his smile.

"I won't tell you what we said. But I'm in one piece, aren't I?!"

"You are stupid, do you have any idea what the journey home will be like?" she complains again hitting him lightly on the chest as he laughs it off.

"It was the right thing to do"

-

There is silence in the car, the two siblings' eyes have met a couple of times but Evelyn has always deflected it knowing that he knows now.

"Are you going to start talking or should I ask the questions?" asks Ben after yet another smile at the phone. Parting with Jack had been hard but they were exchanging plenty of messages since she left, having arrived with one of his teammates the boy had both hands free to do so.

"Ben, I was going to tell you. Just not now" she sighs, he doesn't seem angry or anything. His eyes are fixed on the road as they should be and from the outside he just looks like he wants to chat. Deb on the other side just seems to be so excited not to have to hide that whole situation anymore, so genuinely happy for Evelyn.

"This is already hard enough for me, I just wanted to make sure of everything"

"I admit I was quite surprised when Jack asked me to talk. I could never have imagined that"

"I didn't know it. That he'd talk to you" she admits truthfully, their gazes meeting again in the rear view mirror only breaking contact as Ben returns his focus to the road.

"Anyway if you wanted to tell me what you two talked about..." she blurts it out looking at her nails pretending she doesn't care that much.

"Everyone has their secret" he states chuckling hearing a choked sound coming from the back.

"You're my brother, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"He's my friend, don't put me in the middle of this" he retorts quickly firmly as Evelyn puffs up her cheeks letting the air out little by little.

"Would you tell me if I was jumping into something bigger than myself?"

"What exactly are you worried about?"

"Lots of things" she laughs nervously running a hand through her hair, "At first I wondered if I hadn't mistaken a few polite gestures for something more. I wondered if I wasn't misinterpreting my feelings because I'd just ended things with Lucas or if I was so desperate for a father for my little girl to throw myself at the first guy who came along. And being hormonal certainly didn't help me think more clearly"

"Lyn, Jack practically met you when you were already pregnant. If he hadn't wanted to, he wouldn't have gone near you" her brother tries to reason with her, there are so many 'what ifs' in the world and we have to be good at stopping in time before our heads fill up with questions and doubts. And unfortunately her sister has yet to master this technique.

"I know, it's just... ugh I don't know. I can't be completely at peace that's all"

"Life's a gamble Eve, you bet on one person and hope they're the right choice"

"Oh is that what you did with me then?!" Ben turns his head towards his girlfriend for a moment smiling brightly at her.

"Actually if you recall I was aiming for someone else, but you turned out pretty good Chilwell" Deb reaches out from her seat to leave a quick kiss on Ben's cheek before returning to the conversation.

"Why don't you try to I don't know live it up and let each day surprise you with what it wants to give you"

"You're funny. Ben your girlfriend's funny"

"I know" he comments sticking his tongue out at her and she pretends to be disappointed, turning on the radio and crossing her arms over her chest making the two siblings laugh.  

"Just one last thing" Evelyn leans out from the back lightly touching the girl's shoulder, "I just want to thank you both for what you've done for me over the last period. I don't think I have done it yet but I am eternally grateful. For listening to me with my endless paranoia and for the support"

"You don't have to. You know we're always here if you need us" Ben commented after exchanging a quick glance and smile with his girlfriend.

"But no sex talk. Or I'll block you" and the rest of the car ride passes quickly between more chatting, laughing and embarrassing each other. They stop briefly along the way for a break and before she knows it Evelyn has her little girl in her arms.

It had only been a day but she had missed her so much, she even seemed bigger than when she had left. She'd showered her with kisses and apart from the brief moment she'd been in her uncle Ben's arms, she hadn't left her for a moment. Sitting on the couch with her snuggled against her chest, she'd watched her fall asleep and smile and unconsciously clench her little fist around her shirt. She had changed her and fed her, and the smile had never left her face. She'd missed her routine, if she'd had Cece with her in that room too she could swear she'd never come home.

"You are mummy's little cutie. Yes you are" she cooed cuddling the little one filling her ears and heart with the little sounds she makes.

"What?" she asks looking at her brother seeing him with a strange expression on his face intent on watching her.

"Nothing, it's just that sometimes I can't believe my little sister has a baby girl"

"I actually grew her inside me and it seems unbelievable sometimes" she states dreamily before sighing.

"So you don't think I should have let more time pass?"

"Stop. Overthinking" Ben flicks a finger on her forehead, "Seriously, or I'll tell mom"

"No you won't!"

"Guys how come you two always have to bicker?" their mother commented heading to the kitchen passing by just then making them giggle.

"He started it" Evelyn sticks her tongue out at Ben just before her phone starts vibrating not far from them. She then looks up at him smiling innocently and he rolls his eyes stretching and smiling cheekly before running his finger across the screen.

"Stop bothering my sister dude, there's a reason I'm not answering you" Jack's laugh comes soon after.

"Sorry mate, I'm just desperate to see you" he replies as Ben shakes his head turning the camera around framing Evelyn looking for attention waving by moving Cece's arm. And he sees his friend's gaze change slightly as a sweet smile makes its way across his face.

He leaves them alone giving the phone to the girl heading into the kitchen keeping an eye on them from afar and seeing his sister laughing at something his friend is saying to her.

"Do you know someone named Lucas?" his mother distracts him as he tries not to give away information with his body stealing something to eat from the bowl nearby.

"Lucas? You'd have to give me more information to get an answer"

"Fine" the woman plays along stopping what she's doing looking at her son, "Lucas, your niece's father. Who came here yesterday asking to see her"

"He did what? Okay mum don't get mad..."

"Why would I? You just keep hiding things from me" she retorts sarcastically tapping her hands on her thighs and Ben wraps his arms around her body leaving a kiss on her temple.

"Don't try to flatter me now mister" she chastises him failing however to hide the smile that arises on her lips.

"It's just a tricky matter. Lyn just wants to see if he's serious before doing anything, she knows it won't be easy"

"What do you think of him?"

"Lyn kept me away too, I only saw him when he showed up here a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I can say anything"

"They're young, caught up in something bigger than themselves. Don't hold it against him, especially if he's decided to step up now"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're my son and I know you, and I know how you think. Life is not all black and white, draws are also in the mix"

"I'm sorry, is that a football analogy I just heard?!"

"Watch your mouth. I can still put you in your place" the woman says, trying to pull away from her son as Ben begins to shower her with kisses.

"Am I interrupting something?" with hilarity in her voice, Evelyn steps inside the kitchen and Ben loosens his grip on his mother allowing her to pull away.

"No. Come, there's something we need to talk about" he really wants her to enjoy that moment, but she cannot not know. What he hopes at this point is that nothing else will add to the situation, because he doesn't know how long his sister can take it before she bursts dangerously.

----

Tag: @alexajanecollins @emwritesfootball @rosie7703

Chapter 20

[ladykatakuri]

She is his treasure Part 3

This is it! The last part of my Crosshair x Reader fic. I finally finished it and i hope you like it. Since English is not my native language i might have spelling mistakes in it, you are most welcome to let me know ofcourse.

Pairing: Crosshair x F. Reader

Warnings: None, it is just sweet and a little fluffy and small mention of injury. Maybe a little sad like at places?

Wordcount: 5334

The first thing you notice is the scent. It is that balanced mix that has always made you feel at ease and the exclusive scent that belonged to the one person in the entire galaxy

that you could not give up on. Why did you smell it now though? Trying to open your eyes was a task of itself and you struggled with it for a good minute.

The last thing you remembered was the shuttle crashing back down to the ground, just seconds after it took off, or at least it felt like seconds. The next thing was the pain in your body that was all consuming and the fear of what happened to your unborn child. Then, darkness and a heavy, tired feeling in your body and a numbness of mind. All thoughts seemed to have been fleeting, no more pain or concerns, no more fears.

Now you tried to open your eyes while you had this familiar scent surrounding you.A mixture of cleaning oil, Ozon, musk and an earthy smell. Oddly comforting despite the fact that it could mean your child was in great danger. “Little one!” The thought of the danger your baby could possibly be in wakes your mind when you open your eyes and look around with blurry vision.

As you turn your head to the left, you suddenly notice a warm pressure on your belly and turn your head back to stare at the hand that lays on it. You know this hand and all it`s small scars and lines and smudges. You take a deep breath and look at your right.

“Crosshair….” You look at the man who peacefully sleeps as he is slumped over at your side. His hand on your belly and his upper body resting next to you on your bed. The position he is in appears highly uncomfortable but there is still a glimpse of a smile on his face. “When was the last time he smiled like that?” You softly shake your head as you gently try to move.

If he is here, his squad is somewhere around as well and that means danger not only for you, but for your child! You can only hope that the guys are already far away from this place with Omega. A sudden groan stops you in your movement and when you lock eyes with the man you desperately missed but did not want to see there now, you shiver. “Cross.” You swallow as you try to move away from him. Restricted by the rail of the bed you look at him and make up your mind. “Please…. Before you do what you came here for….”

When he notices the slight movement, he wakes from his slumber and the first thing he notices is your fear and the determination in your eyes when you speak up. The moment you say his name, he knows you put on a brave facade for the sake of your child and the crew that became your family, and that is his family once again. “Y/N, wait.” He lifts his hand to stop you from talking and gently places his hand back on yours that is placed protectively over your belly.

“It's me sweets.” He stares into your eyes when he says it and gently squeezes your hand. For a moment there is no thought in your mind, he used the nickname he only ever uses for you in private. It is the name he started to call you after a day spent together where he found out how much you loved sweet fruits and how much he loved the taste of it on your lips. From that moment on you were his sweets, the only sweets he would ever truly love.

With a cautious smile you look at him, really look at him and that is when you notice the small new scar on the side of his head. The same scar that his brothers had after the removal of their chips. Gently you raise your hand and trace it. Crosshair leans into the touch with his eyes closed, “I`m so sorry sweets. I…. I didn`t…. I couldn`t….” His voice breaks while he tries to find the right way to explain it all, but there are no words he can use to tell you how much it has hurt him. How long he felt as if he was trapped inside of himself, only able to make small decisions of his own. The pain and anguish when he would get the order to hunt you and his brothers down, to kill them, to kill other innocent people. To watch as he would take position and press the trigger that would end a life.

You see his struggle and his pain. The deep and tormenting pain he will have to work through, but not longer on his own. You stop him from trying to find the words to explain his actions by raising your hand once more and cupping his cheek. Carefully you sit up and pull him towards you, softly brushing your lips across his. “I know love, we will get through this.”

He leans into the kiss as you take his hand and place it on your soft belly. Smiling, you place your forehead against his, “You have something else to think about now love.” Gently laying down, he follows your movement and cuddles up next to you in the bed. The bed is small but with his small frame, even a bit smaller after all the stress he had been through, you both fit in perfectly. He tugs your soft body against his and your face against his neck. Arms snaking around you he finally lets out a sigh of relief, “I love you so much sweets. Ner Yaim.”

You smile at his last words as you slowly begin to fall asleep. “You are home with us now my love. We are your home, always have been.” Now you can both get some rest and work on what is to come after that. For the moment you are safe with your small family, here in bed at the hospital. Tomorrow you will figure out how to leave for safety with the entire family, but not after you both have heard the recording of your childs heartbeat that Tech had made.

This is how the rest found the two of you, lying in eachothers arms, soft smiles on your faces, happy. They took care of the elite squad that was once known as CT-9904`s Elite Squad, but would now have to be renamed. For all they knew, their leader had been killed in an explosion and they themselves were either severely injured or knocked unconscious in the process of their firefight with the Bad Batch. Wrecker walked into the room wanting to show off his trophy, one of the buckets he took as evidence but stopped in his tracks when he saw you both in a peaceful sleep. Omega, happy that the family was finally complete once more, took the helmet and carefully put it on the small bedside table, placing a soft, grey tooka doll in it as if it were a basket.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been a while since you all escaped the planet where your shuttle crashed and where you were reunited with the love of your life. You explained to him you always had a plan if you were not successful in rescuing him from the Empire and removing his chip. You made a recording for your unborn child, the child you would do anything for, that you would save by giving it a life far away from you and your family.

Sitting between Crosshairs legs in his bunk, leaning against his chest with his arms around you and cradling your swelling belly, you both look at the recording.

The recording begins with a shot of you smiling at the camera. Your eyes are soft, the smile reaching your eyes, but still, there is something in the eyes that is speaking of a great sadness.

“Hello sweet one. It's me, your mom. I know that you probably have a lot of questions and I am sorry I can not answer them all. But I will try to explain to you why I am not there with you and why your father is not there either.

I hope that you watch this somewhere safe and that you are happy. That truly is the most important reason why I gave you up the day you were born.” You swallow away a soft sob, not wanting to let your child see you cry, while you stare off in the distance, looking at what you hoped would be a safe and happy future for your child.

“When I realised I was pregnant, we lived in trying times. Your father had succumbed to the effects of the inhibitor chip that all of his brothers had implanted and the Empire began its expansion. So much pain and suffering ensued from that moment my love and with one war over and a new one starting….. I could not let you become a part of this.

Sweet one, you are the best outcome of the love of your father and me. Don't ever doubt that. When I escaped Kamino with your uncles and niece Omega, we had to leave your father behind. It was not his fault, he was under the control of the Empire. That was at that time the most painful decision we had to make and there have been many before and after as well.

Your father is a great man. He has a strong will and the kindest heart, though he might have grumbled something about this if he heard it.” You chuckle as you think about the snarky sniper you love so much. If he heard you say that at that time he would surely have made a grumpy remark about it and then held you as he nuzzled your neck.

The chip does not allow him to feel and that is the reason why I made this decision. Right now, he is tracking us as we make our way through known space. He is good at what he does and I have no doubt he will find us at some point. So, I made a plan.

If for whatever reason I can reach your father, or the part of him that is still there, I will offer him a deal. I will come with him without resisting, but he will have to allow me to let you go. There are medical procedures that will save you, as little as you are now my sweet and I will do what I can to keep you alive. I know I can reach that part of him that is still him and I know he will let me keep you safe.

This is a lot to take in my sweet and it might not make much sense right now, but I will include files to this message with information about us. The Bad Batch, the group your father belongs to, your father and me and your niece Omega. Read and watch it all, and decide then if we were right in what we did.

I ask only one thing…. Forgive your father. He would never have done what he did without that chip. We will try to save him and get him back. If we fail and we are taken prisoner and are killed…. Forgive him. He loves you sweet one, I promise you that, I swear to you that he does. You are the outcome of our shared love and his humanity. No matter what people might say, he IS truly human and perhaps an even better one then most in this war.”

You look into the recorder with a look of deep love and devotion brimming off of your face. “We love you sweet one. Live and be happy. And always remember, you are your fathers true treasure.”

The recording ends with a picture of Crosshair and you. You with your head on his shoulder as you both sit against the wall of the Marauder and look at a report on a datapad.

@loth-wolffe Sweets i did it! I finished the story :O

[dany-is-my-queen]

Born To Be Yours | Part VI

Sansa Stark x Fem! Baratheon! Reader (Daenerys Targaryen x Fem! Baratheon! Reader eventually)

Season 1-8

Word count: 1,993

Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.7 Pt.8 Pt.9

The Hound was fighting an unarmed opponent atop the Walls of the Red Keep during a tourney to celebrate your brother’s nameday. He knocked his shield away and the man fell hard into the courtyard below.

You were seated next to Myrcella, Sansa was on the opposite edge, faking smiles to keep the King pleased. You grew closer and closer with each day that passes, so as your feelings.

“Well struck, Dog!” He said out loud.

“Did you like that?” He turned to Sansa. You rolled your eyes.

“It was a well struck, your grace.” She replied.

“I already said it was a well struck.”

She waited a few seconds to confirm. “Yes, your grace.”

“Who’s next?”

“Lothor Brune, freerider in the service of Lord Baelish. Ser Dontos the Red of House Hollard.” The announcer exclaimed. The last one didn’t appear to be in his five senses. Joffrey gestured him to have more wine, Ser Meryn Trant and another Kingsguard began to pour the liquid down the funnel and the poor knight gurgled and struggled to continue drinking.

“You can’t!” Sansa suddenly shouted before the man collapsed.

“What did you say? Did you say I can’t?”

“I only meant... it would be bad luck to kill a man on your name day.”

“What kind of stupid peasant’s superstition...”

“The girl is right.” Sandor tossed.

“Yes, she is. You’ll reap what you sow on your nameday.” You added.

“He’ll make such a better fool than a knight. He doesn’t deserve the mercy of a quick death.” How kind of the northerner to save the life of someone she doesn’t even know. Those small actions make you admire her.

“Did you hear my lady, Ser Dontos? From now on you’ll be my new fool!”

“Thank you, your grace. And you, my lady, thank you.” They took him away.

“Beloved nephew.” Your uncle’s voice made you instantly smile. He was accompanied by multiple men.

“We’ve looked for you on the battlefield. Joffrey sat down. “You where nowhere to be found.”

“I was here, ruling the Kingdoms.” You almost sneer.

“What a fine job you’ve done.” He jokingly said.

“My dear niece! You look older and prettier.” He kissed your forehead. You grinned.

“You look younger and more handsome” He winked.

“Look at you!” He smiled at your sister. “More beautiful than ever.”

“And you! You are going to be bigger than the Hound, but much better looking.” The three of you laughed.

“We’ve heard you were dead.” Joffrey unconcernedly said.

“I’m glad you are not dead.” The little princess assured.

“We’ve missed you. We have to catch up.” He nodded towards you.

“And we will. Death is so boring, especially now with so much excitement in the world.” He looked at Sansa. “My lady, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Her loss? Her father was a confessed traitor!” The blond angrily screamed.

“But still her father. Surely having recently lost your own you can sympathize.” Not his, but yours. You closed your eyes before the grief took over you.

“My father was a traitor. My mother and brother are traitors too. I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey.” All she can do is pretend and say the right words. The loathe she had for him was only getting bigger.

“Of course you are.” Tyrion smirked sympathetically. The redhead looked your way and you gave her a sweet smile.

He left the tent with his group of people ignoring the King’s questions. It’s so good to have your favorite uncle back. You were still concerned about Jaime. Will the Starks trade him for Sansa? It was sure that Robb was not going to come to the capital. Arya was still missing.

You wanted her to be reunited with her family. The other part of you was shattering at the thought of her leaving. If there was an opportunity you would definitely support her, after all, what mattered to you was her safety and happiness, you tried to provide both but nothing can really fill that hole. Not with Joffrey tormenting her. You would be sad but relieved if she left, you couldn’t be selfish.

“Walk with me, my lady.” You offered your arm to Sansa what she gladly accepted.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to steal you.” You quipped and saw she blushed a little. “Would you fancy visiting the streets of the city?”

“Yes, I’d love to.” Two soldiers were accompanying you keeping their distance.

“I remember when I used to wander around the castle in Winterfell. They were all warm to each other.” She seemed to recalled.

“The people who live here... some are happy and some are not. They don’t have enough resources to subsist. They manage to survive.” You gave silver and gold coins to the elder and children who roamed.

“My mother used to tell me... humility makes people great. Envy and selfishness makes them small.”

“And she’s right.” You halted in the market. Spotting the tent you usually go to. They make beautiful things. Such as purses, necklaces, bracelets, etc. They are not made of the finest materials but they are nice and these merchants work really hard.

“Princess Y/N! You honor me with your presence.” The black-haired woman said, a friend of yours.

“Hello, Addy. What did you bring today?

“I have these pins. And the two lions you have it made.” She showed you the wood pieces with flawless details.

“Do you like them, Sansa? Choose the ones you want”

“For my siblings and my mother.” She picked five wolf brooches.

“Thank you very much. Say hello to little Cass. And remember, anything she or the other kids on the orphanage need, tell me.” Addy nodded with gratitude and bowed.

“It’s very generous what you do for them. You are truly an angel.” The lady smiled warmly.

“I know being in the Red Keep can be suffocating. I’ll get you out of there anytime I get the chance.”

“You are my hero.” You part ways once you entered the big castle. You headed to your uncle’s new room.

“The Hand of the King... I didn’t see that coming.” He waved at you.

“Me neither, sweet niece. It’s so good to see you! How is everything in here? I just had a meeting with the council. The summer is over. Your mother was quite angry with the fact I’m the Hand in my father’s stead. She brought this on herself. The North has risen up against us when your moron brother called for Ned Stark’s head.”

“I tried to stop him. It was useless. He thinks he owns the world now, he is not ruling cautiously, I fear for my siblings life, for everyone’s life.”

“Luckily I’m here to supervise his moves. Advise him. Save the city. Not as easy as it sounds I’m afraid.”

“Did you stayed out of trouble?” You asked him well knowing the answer.

“Well... I pissed out in the edge of the Wall. I slept in a sky cell. Lady Arryn almost sentenced me to die. I fought with the hill tributes. So many adventures.” You raised an eyebrow.

“Oh I see, that must have been a lot of fun.” Both of you laughed.

“You can’t imagine.”

It has been an unsteady week. Being with little Tommen and Myrcella has been a distraction from the incoming war you’re dealing with. Renly and Stannis proclaimed themselves Kings. You like to be up to date, so you talk with your mother about these matters.

“My uncles... they’re going to get here anytime soon. We have to be prepared.”

“They have no claim. Let them try. We’ll kick them off the moment they set foot on the shores.” Cersei declared dryly.

“I’ve heard some... disturbing rumors about-“

“You believe them?”

“Absolutely not. I’m just curious.” You shrugged.

“Everyone’s intention is to tear our family apart. Destroy us from within. This gossip is just feeding those who don’t want your brother on the throne.” And you said nothing more.

“You’re losing the people, do you hear me?” Tyrion tried to make her listen.

“The people, you think I care?”

“You should.” You told her, annoyed by her apathy.

“Yes. You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead. Half the city will starve when winter comes. The other half will plot to overthrow you. And your gold-plated thugs just gave them the rallying cry, “The Queen Slaughter babies.” She remained silent. “You don’t even have the decency to deny it.” You scowled. “It wasn’t you who gave the order, was it? Joffrey didn’t even tell you. Or did he? I imagine that would be even worse.” Your uncle growled.

“He did what needed to be done!”

“No. They were innocent. What’s wrong with you? What kind of King is he becoming? You objected.

“You don’t even know who they were, Y/N. This is what ruling is! Lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root one by one before they strangle you in your sleep.”

“I’m no king, but I think there’s more ruling than that.”

“You’ve never taken it seriously. It’s all fallen on me.”

“As has Jaime repeatedly. According to Stannis Baratheon.” You averted your eyes.

“How dare you say that kind of filthy lies in front of my daughter!” The Queen Regent gave him a withering look. “You’ve always been funny. But none of your jokes will ever match the first one, will they? You remember... when you ripped my mother, open your way out of her and she bled to death.” It hurt to see the look of your uncle’s face.

“She was my mother too.”

“Now she’s gone, for the sake of you. There’s no bigger joke in the world than that.” She stormed out, you followed her.

“You shouldn’t be so cruel with my uncle. If I had lost you when either Myr or Tom were born I would never blame them. I know it must have been pretty hard growing up without your mom, but don’t take it out on him.”

“She died so he could live. A little freak. An abomination.” She spat poison.

“Don’t speak of him that way.”

“Why you defend him so much?”

“Cause he is my family. He is a good person.”

“Joffrey is also your family. And yet you detest him.”

“He has a serious problem. You don’t want to see it or maybe you’re okay with it. Remember when we were kids? I was four and he was five. He used to find pleasure on pushing me, you just stared at us and said it was a normal thing. I grew up and I was able to defend myself, one time I did it and you freaked out, you yelled at me, made me feel so small... you held him while I was sobbing, just because I moved when he tried to hit me making him fell to the ground. Of course, it was my fault according to both of you. How many times did Joffrey hurt me? Said I was ugly cause I wasn’t blonde like him? That I didn’t deserve to be a princess, he was so mean to me and you never lectured him. I recall how many nights I spent crying alone in my room wondering why my mother didn’t care enough to stand up for me when my big brother treated me like I was worthless. You broke my heart a very long time ago. I learned how to pick up the pieces. I’m not that helpless little girl anymore.” You could feel your eyes starting to get teary. You didn’t expect her to say something soothing. Cersei apparently ran out of words, you thanked for her silence instead of lying to you, deep down you hoped she’d embrace you. It was too much to ask for. You lingered a bit more before turning and leaving. Heartbroken once more.

[myhauntedsalem]

19 Parents Share The Creepiest Things Their Kids Have Ever Said

Kids say the darnedest things, but they also come out with ridiculously creepy things as well. When Reddit asked ‘what is the creepiest thing your child has ever said?’ Parents of the internet came forward with their stories and boy, they didn’t disappoint.

Here are nineteen of the most disturbing, chill inducing stories shared.  All we ask is for you to try and suppress the urge to lock your children in a cupboard after reading these.

1. “Daddy Its A Monster… We Should Bury It.”

My 3 year old daughter stood next to her new born brother and looked at him for awhile then turned and looked at me and said, “Daddy its a monster… we should bury it.”

2. “The Man Who Crawls On The Floor And Stands By My Bed.”

My co-worker’s four year old daughter always thought that the rattling of the water pipes in the kitchen cupboards were “white wolves” and the sound always scared her. One day she was sitting at the kitchen table and she said, “Mom. The white wolves aren’t bad… they’re our friends!”

Her mom encouraged the idea by saying, “Yes! The white wolves are protecting us. They are our friends.” Then her daughter added in, “They’re our friends, but not the man who crawls on the floor and stands by my bed”.

3. “Good Bye Dad.”

I was tucking in my two year old. He said “Good bye dad.” I said, “No, we say good night.” He said “I know. But this time its good bye.”

Had to check on him a few times to make sure he was still there.

4. “It’s The Closest I Can Get To Seeing Her Dead.”

He’s not my kid, but my godson is extremely creepy. He likes to stand in his little sister’s doorway while she naps and watches her sleep. I ask him why and he says, “it’s the closest I can get to seeing her dead.” He also likes to shove her fist in his mouth as far as it can go because he wants to “know what suffocating is like, just in case.” I’m pretty sure he’d be a serial killer if it wasn’t for Mario Kart.

5. “The Man With The Snake Neck.”

While changing my daughter in front of the open closet door. She kept looking around me and laughing. I asked her what was so funny. She said, “the man.” To which I replied, “what man?” She then pointed at the closet and said, “the man with the snake neck.” I turn around and nothing was there.

I’m afraid to look into the history of my house to see if anyone hung themselves in the closet. At least she wasn’t scared.

6. You Will Die Soon

Not to me, but to his grandmother.

He was cuddling with her and being very sweet (he was about 3 at the time). He takes her face in his hands, and brings his face close to hers, then tells her that she’s very old, and will die soon.

Then he makes a point of looking at the clock.

7. “I Want To Peel All Your Skin Off.”

I was sound asleep, and at around 6am I was woken up by my 4 year old daughters face inches from mine. She looked right into my eyes and whispered, “I want to peel all your skin off”.

The backstory here is I had been sunburned the previous week, and was starting to peel. In my sleep addled state however, it was pretty terrifying for a few seconds. I didn’t know if I was dreaming, or what was going on.

8. “When You Die, I’m Going To Eat You.”

My sons were about 2 and 4 when their pet goldfish died. I attempted to use the situation as an opportunity to discuss death and mortality. After I finished my explanation, my four year looked up at me with his big, blue eyes and asked, “Mommy, someday, will you die?” My heart filled with love and a little sadness, knowing this was one of those pivotal moments when the first bit of childhood innocence was lost,and I told him yes, someday, mommy will die.

“Good,” he said with a totally deadpan expression, and walked out of the room.

Later when we were about to flush the fish, he asked if we could eat him instead. I said no, we don’t eat pets because we love them, and he said, “When you die, I’m going to eat you.”

9. “Carson Is Gone, I Am Rick.”

When my son was little he, maybe 3, he used to do this weird crawl where he would slide his forehead along the floor. That was pretty creepy in itself. Then one night he crawled across the hallway into my room like that and stood up a few inches from my face and made a weird meow sound. He got into bed with me and went to sleep.

Another time he was freaking out about a monster in the basement so we went down and saw nothing, of course, and as I turned out the light and headed upstairs and he said “Hes right behind us now.” I might have peed a little.

Possibly the creepiest thing he did was one day I scolded him for misbehaving so he hid his head under his blanket. I pretended I couldn’t find him by saying “Where is my little Carson?” He slowly lowered the blanket and with a dead evil stare said, “Carson is gone, I am Rick.” I’m certain he’s possessed. We never knew any Ricks, as far I can remember. Still don’t. Never figured out where he picked up the name.

10. “I Died And Now I’m Here.”

Getting my two and a half year old daughter out of the bath one night, my wife and I were briefing her on how important it was she kept her privates clean. She casually replied “Oh, nobody ‘scroofs’ me there. They tried one night. They kicked the door in and tried but I fought back. I died and now I’m here.” She said this like it was nothing.

My wife and I were catatonic.

11. Baby Brother

“So I shouldn’t throw him in the fire?”

3 year old daughter holding her baby brother for the first time.

12. The Pretty Girl At The Cottage

My 3 year old nephew was at my cottage. He’s asked me numerous times about the “girl over there” while pointing at one of the back bedrooms. The place is small, and there is definitely nobody there so I just dismiss it as a really active imagination (he has lots of imaginary friends).

Then some friends are visiting and they have a daughter around the same age. She has never met my nephew. Twice in the one day she asked about the “pretty girl” while pointing at the exact same room. Definitely caught me out and I didn’t know what to think.

Then at Christmas my family was over at my place and my nephew points at a picture of my wife and asks if she is coming to visit us here or does she just stay at the cottage. My wife died ten years ago. Personally I don’t really believe in paranormal stuff so it’s probably just my logical brain putting together a bunch of kids ramblings but it definitely got my attention.

13. “He’s Behind You Now.”

“Go back to sleep, there isn’t anything under your bed”.

“He’s behind you now”.

Still haven’t gotten over that one and shiver at the memory.

14. “He’s Coming For You. You Better Hide.”

While not something my own child has said, my younger cousin (around 5 at the time) once drew a picture of a a black monster, looked up at me, and said “He told me to draw this. He’s coming for you. You better hide.”

15. “You Will Put Me Down, Down, Down In The Hole.”

I have a three year old who says some pretty strange stuff….

Last night: “Mommy.. the man, the very big man with big yellow eyes is looking at you.”

I look.. nothing. I tell him there is no man and he is make-believe. My son laughs, “Oh he is hiding now.” — 2 minutes later, “Oh no Mommy, you made him very mad. Now he says he will come when you are sleeping.”

Few weeks ago he tells me, “I’m not going to be four. I’m going to die. And you will put me down, down, down in the hole.” I tell him that isn’t true, and who told him that. He gets quiet and goes, “The man told me. But I will be scared, so after three night-nights you die too and come with me.”

Sheesh. As if I didn’t have bad dreams already.

16. “Daddy, I Love You So Much That I Want To Cut Your Head Off.”

A friend of mine’s child told him “Daddy, I love you so much that I want to cut your head off and carry it around so I can see your face whenever I want.”

17. The Bad Man

Why are you crying?

“Bad man”

What bad man?

“There.” Points behind me at a dark corner of the room

Lamp on bookshelf next to said darkened corner falls off as soon as I turn to look.

She slept in our bed that night

18. Ham Can’t Scream

When I was a waitress, I watched a little girl (4ish) stab her plastic fork into her sandwich repeatedly, saying “die die die die die die”. When I asked her what she was doing (her mom was in the bathroom for a minute), she replied with a straight face, “I like to kill things, but mom says I shouldn’t. So I picked the ham because it can’t scream.”

19. Satan Wants To Meet You

A few months ago I asked me brother and his wife if their kids ever did any creepy. They both immediately looked at each other and seemed surprised that I had asked.

Apparently the last few couple of weeks they would hear my niece talking to herself in her bedroom. They assumed it was just her playful imagination so they didn’t give it much thought. One day however my brother asked her who she kept talking to, she said it was her new best friend Satan who visits her at her window every day. Her window is close to the ground so they were seriously concerned that there was someone actually going up to her window and kept a closer eye on her for the next few days.

Every single time they would hear her talking he would go outside to her windows but never found anyone. They began asking her more about his new friend and apart from his name being Satan she mentioned that he follows her everywhere she goes and that he promised her he will bring her a cake one day.

At a late cookout at my parents a week before they mentioned that, she took her mom outside to the backyard and pointed at the pitch black backyard and told her that her friend Satan was there and he wanted to meet her also. That made chills run down my spine since I was at that cookout also. After that they made her promise she wouldn’t talk to Satan anymore.

[thewritingstar]

Brickercup: End of the world and I’m stuck with a jackass like you.

First time writing for them lol. But why are they the xmas ship? Green and red? haha. Just some family fluff and some butchubbles too because i can. 

Hope you enjoy!!

Tag list: @shellielyzabeth @over-under-through1 (if you wanna be added to the list just go to my tag list post :) ) 

Rated: T 

----

She always thought her death would be a remarkable one. It would be seen on tvs across the world as she took her last breath defending the city she loved. They would build statues in her honor and have awards in her name. It would be bloody, cruel and down right horrific. But it would be in the name sake of her duty. 

She could see it now. The swell of the beast, too powerful even for her. Its fist would come crashing down and as she flew to blow it to shreds with her sisters by her side, it would fall and die with a creaky scream as her body floated to the pavement and she smiled knowing she saved the world one last time. 

A worthy death for one of the greatest heroes in the world. 

Instead she was trapped in a deflating bounce house that had too much money on the security deposit to damage it. 

The plastic shrunk slowly. An annoying sound buzzing from it as the walls collapsed fast. You would think that two powerful beings could manage to get out of it, but at last, they were ambushed. 

 The stickiness made her uncomfortable as it caved around her body and of course it didn’t help that her husband's leg was thrown over her stomach. 

“Could you move your leg before I blast it to pieces?” She shouted over the sound of high pitched deflating. 

She could hear him grumble. “If I could I would woman!” 

-

This was all his fault. If he learned how to say no to his darling little five year old, they wouldn't be trapped in the sweltering heat trying to free themselves from this hell hole prison. But no. Little Blair had to get her way. 

“Momma please! Please can I have a pretty pony bouncy castle!” She was floating and batting her eyelashes but Buttercup knew better. 

It was going to be way too hot for an outside birthday but after she flew straight to daddys office and smiled, she was being carried in the arms of her husband and he had already rented the finest bouncy castle around. Not even Princess’s son would have it. 

Plus they had a pool so they could just toss the kids who complained about the heat into it. 

-

“Learn how to say no Jojo.” She said to him as she twisted her arm to lift up the plastic off her face. The giant eye of a blue pony stared at her through the netting making her shiver. 

His face was flush to the ground by now and he pushed himself up, accidentally kicking his wife's shin in the process. “You could have said something! Fuck! Wake her up from her nap and get her ass out here to plug it in.”

“Oh yeah, why don’t you just sonic scream at her and make her cry?” They knew better than to wake up a sleeping Blair. Oh no the temper of a red and green mixed together was more than anyone could handle. 

Buttercup was thankful in this moment that they only had one kid. That’s all they needed right now. 

Brick fell silent at this. “Great now we are stuck.” he mumbled as all the air went out. 

“End of the world and I’m stuck with a jackass like you.” She said as she slapped his ass. 

“Hey paws off the merchandise.” 

“You weren’t saying that a second ago.” She said smugly.  

He turned his head to glare at her. “That was before this dumb thing decided to eat us alive.” He frowned. “Ruined the fucking mood.” He mumbled the last part. 

“Quit being a baby and crawl Brick. I think I’m gonna pass out and you’re closer to the door.” She tried to fan herself. This is the karma she got for making out with her husband in this thing. To be fair, she was making sure it blew up properly and he tackled her, don’t get it twisted. 

“We have powers and yet I am being humiliated by some god damn toy!” She could see the red spark igniting in from his fist.

Buttercup moved again, arm scraping across the bright pink flooring. “You’re the one who got this and unless you wanna tell our daughter why her pony castle is blasted to shreds, you are going to get us out of here or so help me.” 

He mumbled something she couldn't make out and finally his leg was off of her. Thank goodness. He managed to crawl towards the door using one of his arms to hold up the plastic and the other to guide him to freedom. She followed after him making sure he didn’t stop and accidentally slam his ass into her face. 

He reached the door first, eye widening as he stared at the entrance to this horror show. 

“Uh babe?” 

“What?” She still needed to finish cutting the fruit and getting the tables set up. 

“Did you lock us in here?” 

She finally managed to crawl to the door next to him. “Why the fuck would I-.” Her eyes narrowing on the door. “Brick?”

“Yeah.” He raised his brows.

“The zipper.” 

“I know.”

“It’s on the outside.”

“I can see that.” 

“Then why would you ask if I zipped it?” Her voice was full of confusion. 

They looked at each other then back to the door. “If you didn’t zip it.” 

“And you didn’t either.” Buttercup’s eyes widened. 

“Then who?” Their voices were in unison. 

Then they heard it. That sweet innocent giggle. All of a sudden the face of their five year old birthday girl was pressed against the door. Her smile was blinding and those dazzling red eyes sparkled with mischief. 

“We got you mamma and daddy.” She smiled proudly. 

“Blair, honey. Did you unplug the blow up?” Buttercup asked sweetly and she nodded her head, whipping her black hair that was pulling into ponytails. 

“We thought you were napping.” Brick said. His face became scrunched with confusion. “Wait what do you mean we?”

In a flash their daughter was picked up by a pair of arms as she sprouted another laugh. 

“She means me duh.” The voice came and Buttercup tilted her head up to see a wicked grin and a pair of deep emerald eyes. The same devious smirk was plastered on his face. 

Buttercup gritted her teeth. “Butch you have five seconds to let us out or I swear-” 

“Ohh I’m so scared. Look Ruby, mom's mad.” He snickered to the little girl who was trying to hide her own laugh.

“Shes mad at you Uncle Butch, this was your idea.” Blair giggled. 

“Hey don’t rat me out. Tell them it was the wind.” 

Brick glared at him. “Don’t teach my kid how to lie.” 

“You’re right bro, she’ll learn it from the king himself.” He winked. 

Buttercup matched her husband's expression. “Blair, be a good girl and let us out or no cake.” 

Those bright red eyes held fear as the threat of no cake came. She grabbed her uncle’s face, tears brimming her water line. “No cake!” She gasped and flew out of Butch’s arms to the door, pulling desperately on the zipper. “I want my cake!” Blair practically growled and soon her parents were free. 

Buttercup scooped up her little girl and brought her towards the house, meanwhile Brick was just fuming at his younger brother. 

“What the hell man?” 

“That's what you deserve for being nasty.” Butch glared at Brick. 

Brick rolled his eyes and pushed past him to plug it back in. The huge ponies came to life as they began to fill with air. 

“Oh please like you wouldn’t do that same thing.” 

Butch fake scoffed. “I wouldn’t. My wife would be nake-”

“SHUT UP!” 

--

“I’m sorry momma.” Blair smiled softly. “But Uncle Butch made me.” She defended. 

Buttercup only laughed and kissed her head. “I know sweetheart. Now your dad is gonna set your castle up and i'm going to finish up in the kitchen.”

“What should I do?” Blair asked. 

Buttercup looked over at Brick and Butch before grinning. 

---

“I can’t believe you were stuck.” Bubbles laughed as she placed the last of the snacks on the table. 

Buttercup only rolled her eyes before popping a strawberry in her mouth. “Well it’s all your husband’s fault.” 

Another giggle came from the blonde. “Oh I'm sure you’ll find a way to get him back.” She waved her hand before handing a berry to her one year old, Beck.

“Oh I did.” Buttercup laughed and Bubbles shrugged. 

“HEY RUBY PUT ME DOWN!” A shout came from outside and the girls looked to see Butch being held up by his niece. 

She gave a laugh before throwing him down into the pool. A giant splash coming from the water as she turned and skipped towards her dad acting like she had done nothing. 

“See, got him back.” Bubbles said as she watched her husband claw his way out of the pool with a scowl. 

“Serves him right, I almost died.” 

Bubbles picked up her baby carrying him over to the window to see Butch chasing Blair and Brick on the ground laughing. “Well Butch caught you two so he probably wanted to mess with you.” 

“It’s not like we were doing anything! Besides, you two would do way worse, you nasties.” Buttercup made a fake throwing up sound as she watched Blair throw Butch back into the pool. “I should have her throw you in too.” 

Bubbles slapped her arm playfully. “You wouldn’t have your daughter throw a pregnant woman.” She gestured to her baby bump. 

“Like I said, nasty. Butch couldn’t wait five minutes before knocking you up again, geez.” 

Bubbles smirked and opened up the sliding glass door. “Blair darling come through your mother in the pool she’s being mean.” 

“Throw your dad in.” Buttercup yelled as she brought out the cake. “Im busy.” 

They heard another yell and another splash. “And there goes Brick.” Bubbles laughed. 

“That's my girl.”

-------

hope you liked it

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 11: Needy

(from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)

…in which Y/N hates herself for being so needy.

Warning: Smut.

Word count: 5k

Chapter 10: Darlings - Harry is excited but Y/N is worried.

Wattpad link

Song in this chapter: Only Us from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen

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Y/N didn't plan on telling her colleagues about her pregnancy, not so soon at least. One time this lady from the IT department got pregnant and people started paying excessive attention to her. Y/N supposed some women would enjoy that, but she hated it. Jack had always had a soft spot for her, so if he found out this early, he would be the first one to treat her differently. She'd had enough drama in the past month and was not interested in more stupid rumors about her nonexistent affair.

But this morning, when she arrived at the office, everyone said hello to her, even those she'd never exchanged a word with before. These people were never friendly unless they wanted something from each other. So what if they'd found out about the baby?

No, you're just overthinking again, said the voice inside her head as she strode to her desk. But right before she could open her laptop, Jack leaned over the door of his office, looking serious as he called her, "Mrs. Styles" and then pointed his thumb over his shoulder to tell her to come in.

She bit her lip, her eyes went round and her brain stuttered for almost a second until his door opened again.

"Why are you still sitting there, Y/N?"

Shit, he called her by her first name...in front of everyone. Before he could do it again, she stood up at once and obediently stalked to his office while the voice inside her head was praying, please don't congratulate me on the baby!

Jack was holding the door open for her, but her eyes avoided his as she entered the room. She could feel him smiling when he asked her to sit down next to Kate. And the beam Kate was wearing told Y/N that they both knew her little secret.

"What am I here for?" she asked, finally looking at Jack.

Giving her an indifferent shrug, he said, "I want to show you the new proposal."

"Oh, thank God."

Her mouth snapped shut but it was already too late. Jack had heard it loud and clear so he raised an eyebrow. "By the way," he said. "Congratulations on the baby."

"Kate!"

"What?!" Kate huffed, her eyes widened. "I didn't tell him!"

"Livy did," Jack quickly clarified. "Kate just happened to be here when Livy told me."

Y/N should've seen it coming. Olivia was Harry's friend, and knowing her husband, Y/N believed he would've told the whole world about him becoming a dad if given a chance.

Kate seemed nervous when she caught Y/N's leer, so she blurted out, "please don't hate me but I already told Marissa."

"In a meeting," Jack corrected, hands in his pockets as he gave Y/N a shrug. "She was telling Marissa but the whole content department was there."

"Great..." Y/N groaned, tossing her head back. Maybe she would've murdered Kate if their boss hadn't been there, but on second thought, Kate's excessive excitement had made it impossible for Y/N to stay mad. While Jack calmly returned to his seat, his assistant was bouncing with elation when Y/N sat down next to her.

"Gosh, I'm so happy for you, my heart might burst! Babies are miracles!"

"Here she goes again," Jack mumbled, but Kate ignored him to ramble on about how she had three little nieces and had always found joy in spending time with them.

Unexpectedly, her smile disappeared. "I just hope you won't suffer from postpartum depression."

"Okay, ladies, I think—"

"What's postpartum depression?" Y/N asked despite Jack's attempt to change the topic.

Kate pursed her lips as she went on, "well, my sister became depressed after giving birth because the baby took all her husband's love and attention away from her."

"That's not true," Jack argued, turning to Y/N. "Don't listen to her. She knows nothing about postpartum depression."

"I've never even heard of it," Y/N muttered and shifted her bulging eyes between her boss and his assistant.

Jack exhaled as he began, "so after childbirth, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body quickly drop. This leads to chemical changes in her brain that may trigger mood swings. In addition, many mothers are unable to get the rest they need to fully recover from giving birth. Constant sleep deprivation can lead to physical discomfort and exhaustion, which can contribute to the symptoms of postpartum depression. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the lack of attention and affection from her husband."

"Wow..." Kate's mouth fell open as Y/N became paralyzed.

Their reactions made the man flustered so he had to explain, "I...uhm...did some research when my sister was pregnant with her first child."

Kate broke into a cheeky grin. "Or...you did the research after finding out Y/N was pregnant," she teased, but immediately shut up when Jack glowered at her.

Y/N took the awkward silence as a sign to change the subject, "so...the report?"

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Harry had been coming home early every day since he found out his wife was pregnant. It started out as a conscious decision to gain back her trust and prove that he could be twice the father and husband his father would ever be. But then it became a habit, and he would get irritated if he stayed at the office later than the time limit he'd set for himself. This change had made his wife very happy. And people weren't kidding when they said 'happy wife, happy life'.

Tonight, he came home and found Y/N lying in their bed with Treasure by her side. She was reading something on her phone and didn't hear him come in. It was only until Treasure noticed him and purred loudly that she shot her head to the door and her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Baby, you're home!"

"Aww, did my favorite girl miss me?"

"Very much!"

He furrowed his brows, acting confused. "I was talking to Treasure though. You missed me too?"

Laughing, she tossed a pillow at him but he dodged it successfully and bounced onto their bed to give her a sloppy and playful kiss. He expected her to shove him away and tell him to shower first. But today, she didn't just let him cuddle her with dirty clothes on, but also seemed to be into it...maybe a little too much. To his surprise, she held his face and kissed him back with enthusiasm. It wasn't just a sweet innocent 'I missed you' kiss, but rather a shameless open-mouthed kiss that sent his body into lockdown. She clung onto the back of his neck, gently nibbling on his bottom lip and moaning into his mouth as he dug his fingers into her thighs. He loved that, he loved that a lot, and he had a big and hard-to-ignore problem in his pants to prove how much he loved that. But then he remembered something and his eyes shot open right when she reached for his belt buckle. He pulled away, both of them gasping for air.

"It's my turn to make dinner!" he exclaimed, making her chortle.

It was a deal they'd made two nights ago. She'd been teaching him to cook (he'd insisted on learning because he wanted to take care of her during her pregnancy), and so they'd agreed to take turns making dinner every night. Tonight would be the first time he'd got to show her the skills he'd learned. He seemed excited, and so was she. But right now she was more excited for something else. Dinner could wait.

"Hey!" She grabbed him by the arm as he attempted to roll out of bed. "Me first. Dinner second."

Intrigued by the offer, he flashed her a goofy grin. "But I'll take forever in the kitchen, babe."

"I don't mind waiting...Except..." Y/N left her sentence unfinished as she got up on her knees and shifted closer to him. Actions always spoke louder than words.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, legs spread like a king on his throne, he gripped her bum as she straddled his waist and patiently loosened his tie. His pupils flared, his lips parted to release short tiny gasps. He couldn't decide where he wanted his eyes to be, on her face, her mouth-watering cleavage, or the movements of her hands unbuttoning his shirt. It was a lot to take in, and she smelt so goddamn good. He should either stop this or take her before he made an embarrassing mess in his pants.

"I'm dirty," he said, grinning at the accidental joke as she pecked the tattoos on his chest. "Or...do you prefer me dirty?"

"Your smell is intoxicating. I love it," she said with a hand behind his head and one on his hip to grind down on him. A harsh groan escaped from his throat as he dropped his forehead on her shoulder and then pulled away against his own will.

"Treasure's watching us," he cautioned and looked over his shoulder at the cat who was silently judging them. "M-maybe I should shower first—"

"No." Y/N pouted like a child as she cupped his cheek and motioned his eyes back on her. "Just take her to the living room. And no shower. I love how you smell."

Harry nearly choked when he heard that. It wasn't at all dirty compared to the things he would normally say, but she wasn't usually like this. This naughty and confident side of her never failed to turn him on. He wanted her more than she might already know.

"Is my wife soaked for me?" Harry whispered as his right hand made its way under her nightgown to check it for himself. "Jesus Christ, you're dripping, love. Is this all for me?"

She nodded weakly, her fingertips dug into his biceps as her body tensed. Harry loved how she always reacted to him. But before he could make a comment, she went on, almost out of breath, "you'll need a shower after fucking me anyway."

"Oh, fuck..." His throat was as tight as his crotch but she didn't show him any mercy.

She leaned in again, her lips ghosting over his. "Our water bill was pretty high last month, might as well save money for our child."

"Fuck, okay..." He couldn't argue with that logic, at least his erection wouldn't let him. Without pause, he moved her off him and clapped his hands to get the cat's attention. "Treasure, you need to go!"

Y/N stepped aside, cackling when their cat growled and fought Harry with her tiny paws for taking her away from her favorite spot. He rarely got along with Treasure, but Y/N knew Treasure loved him, because she would always wait at the door for him to come home every night and refuse to sleep before she saw his face. Y/N could already imagine their baby boy or girl doing the same thing.

When Harry returned from the living room, he was confused by her silly grin, but at the same time, he thought it was adorable.

"What?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nothing," she replied and wasted no time to pull down the straps and let her nightgown turn into a pool around her feet. "Just taking in the sight of my sexy husband."

Harry gulped and wet his dry lips, his eyes went dark, admiring her naked form. In a heartbeat, he closed the distance between them, reattaching their mouths as their bodies collided with the soft mattress. It took her less than a second to unbuckle his belt and pulled down his pants.

"Haven't fucked you in two days. My balls are probably purple now," he whispered against her mouth while kicking off his pants and boxers. Her laughter turned into cries when he thrust in without warning. Panting, he stayed still and asked if he'd hurt her. Her answer was her taking a fistful of his hair and bucking her hips for him to move. He knew her body too well to need instruction at this point. Placing one arm under her knee, he lifted her leg and pushed his cock all the way in, only to pull out almost completely and slammed in again.

This wasn't what he'd expected when she implied that she was horny. He had been nothing but tender to her since he found out she was carrying his child. But right now it felt like they were both possessed. He was fucking her so hard she was screaming his name, and her nails would definitely leave marks on his back, but the pain only intensified the pleasure.

Four orgasms later, three for her and one for him, they both collapsed on the bed, just panting and unable to move. Their clothes and pillows were scattered on the floor. Y/N hated how she'd just changed the sheets this morning but now her husband's cum was all over it. The laundry was the worst part of cleaning, but she'd worry about that later.

With her head on his chest, she looked up, peering at his fucked out face. And then she smiled, biting her lip. "I just really love you," she said before he could wonder.

"I really fucking love you too." The dimples on his cheeks became prominent as the corners of his eyes crinkled. His next question came casually, "how was your day?"

"It was great I guess." She pursed her lips, thinking for a second. "Except for when I found out Olivia had told Jack and Kate about our baby, and Kate had told everyone else."

"What's so bad about it?" He laughed as her face contorted.

"Nothing." She blew up her cheeks. "I just don't want to be the center of attention. That's all."

"Said the narcissist who shouted 'my house, my rules' every time we fought."

With a fake gasp, she playfully smacked his chest. "Be glad that I only want your attention!"

He nodded smugly. "How did Jack react?"

"Seriously, H?"

"What? I'm just curious." He shrugged, grinning like an asshole. And now Y/N couldn't decide if she wanted to slap that grin off his face or beg him to stuff her full with his cock again. Her cheeks flushed at the word even though she would never say it aloud (unless he asked her too). What was wrong with her? The fact that she was highly aware of how messed up that thought was and not feeling guilty about it was awfully concerning.

"Baby," Harry's voice pulled her back to reality. "You were blushing when I mentioned his name!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

No, I was blushing because I've become a sex addict, said the voice inside her head, but of course, she wasn't about to tell him that.

"He was nice about it," she answered briefly and then distracted him by drawing circles around his nipple with her finger.

"Does that tickle you?" She bit back a smirk as he shoved her hand away, laughing.

"Yeah, all my four nipples are extremely ticklish. I'm offended you didn't already know."

"Weird." She snorted. "You're so weird."

"Took you that many years and a baby to realize that?" he jokingly asked and she just had to shut him up with another kiss.

"We're so sticky..." He nudged her nose with his. "Get up. I'll carry you to the shower."

"Good husband." She tapped his head like a puppy as he got out of bed and scooped his arms under her knees to pick her up effortlessly. Arms around his neck, she stuck out her bottom lip. "Soon you won't be able to pick me up again. I'll be too fat."

"You'll never be too fat because I'll gain weight so I can carry you," he said with a straight face and she burst out laughing. Seating her down on the side of the tub, he flashed her a reassuring smile. "I'll carry you, the baby, and Treasure on one arm."

"My big strong man," she sighed at the silly promise and pressed a kiss to his sweet dimple.

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"Bitch, I'm going to smash your laptop."

Y/N instantly pushed Layla away as she turned to the side so her back was facing her friend. "I'm just doing research."

"Research my ass. You have like sixty-nine tabs open and they're all articles about postpartum depression!" Layla turned to her fiancé, who had been on his phone since he arrived. "Niall?"

"You're absolutely right, wifey," he said without looking up, but that answer alone was good enough for Layla.

"See?" She turned back to Y/N. "Niall agreed."

"You guys don't see the problem here," Y/N grumbled, making Layla lift an eyebrow.

"Which is?"

"I...I want him more these days," Y/N said after a moment, her cheeks were red and she couldn't even look at her best friend in the eye. "It's like...I cannot get enough of him. I nearly cried when he left our bed this morning."

"You want your husband's dick all the time. How's that a problem again?"

"Wha—Layla! Niall is here!" Y/N exclaimed but Layla seemed unbothered by the reaction.

"Niall is just an Irish Harry, he doesn't mind."

"On the contrary," Niall smiled as he turned off his phone and rested his chin on his knuckles. "I'm all ears."

"See?" Layla gave her flustered friend a shrug. "Men. They stay seventeen forever."

The silence became awkward when both sides realized they were both waiting for each other to continue with this already awkward topic. So Y/N thought she should go on. "I just want him more than I should and he's spoiling me because I'm pregnant."

"I wish Layla would want me that much." Niall snorted as he tapped Layla's shoulder and joked, "let's get you pregnant."

"If I got pregnant, who would wear my $2000 custom made wedding dress? You or Harry?" She rolled her eyes and turned back to her pregnant friend. "Go on, Y/N."

"I think..." Y/N swallowed as she went on. "If he pays more attention to our baby when it arrives then I'll get depressed for sure."

"Oh shut up, that idiot would choose you over the baby anytime."

"That's not the point though. I don't want to make him choose."

"Well, I don't want you to be paranoid. So turn your laptop off and we'll braid Niall's hair for fun."

"You're braiding Niall's hair? Can I join?" Harry's voice made them all turn their heads. All three were frozen, but Harry didn't seem to suspect a thing as he shut the door and strode to where his wife sat on the couch.

"Daddy's home," he said against her lips, making Layla and Niall cringe at the same time.

"What?" He turned back to look at them funny. "I am going to be a real daddy though. I'm allowed to say that."

"You're such a weird couple," Layla and Niall said at the same time as they made the same disgust face, but not at all surprised by the coincidence.

Harry scoffed as he turned to his wife. "We are the weird couple, huh?"

Y/N could only laugh when Layla chucked the pillow on her lap at him.

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The weekend came and went in a blink of an eye, and soon it was Monday again. Y/N hated Mondays. It always felt like the longest day in the week, probably because she had to readapt to the long hours in the office after a lazy Sunday at home.

But this Monday had been the worst. She'd had a fight with a colleague, her plans didn't go her way, she'd also missed the last bus and didn't want to bother Harry so she'd walked all the way home. What was worse than these unfortunate events was her missing him constantly, every second and minute. She had almost come to his office during lunch break, but then remembered him mentioning a lunch date with a client. So she ended up pacing back and forth in her office only to put down her phone and use work to distract herself. On the way home, she'd thought about the past week, how she'd been torturing him with the long cuddles and her crazy sex need. She needed to control herself or she'd suffocate him.

She hadn't felt this way since the first days of their relationship. She had wanted him all the time, but hated herself for it and ended up distancing herself from him. But she knew better now than to do something that stupid. So here she was, silently hating herself but asking him to please her anyway. Could this baby just come out now so she could go back to being normal?

"Hey, Ben, thanks for watching Treasure—"

Frantic, Y/N froze at the door, eyes widened as she thought she'd entered the wrong flat. The furniture had been rearranged to leave more space for a picnic blanket. There were candles on the floor, on the coffee table, and the glistening lights reminded her of Christmas' Eve. Christmas in the summer, the thought made her chuckle.

Harry walked out of the kitchen, wearing his pink apron and the biggest smile on his face. She meant to ask him where Ben and Treasure were and why he was home this early, but he spoke before she could even open her mouth, "Ben left after I'd come home."

"And Treasure?"

"Meow!"

"Baby!" Y/N almost shouted when she saw the cat on the cabinet with fairy lights wrapped around her neck. She rushed across the room to untangle the naughty little creature, meanwhile, her husband's eyes were wide with panic.

"What did I tell you about leaving her alone with these?"

"She could get electrocuted or strangled."

"She could get electrocuted or strangled!" Y/N exclaimed, hugging Treasure to her chest.

Harry threw on the best 'I'm sorry' as he apologized, and then told her to wait for him to bring their food out and make up for almost killing their cat. The menu was just fresh bread sandwiches, sausage rolls, and quiche. "Light and simple", he said as he sat down with her. "Not because I've tried cooking a fancy meal and failed miserably."

"Of course." She giggled and rewarded him a kiss on the cheek.

The couple went on with their romantic picnic dinner under the candlelight while sharing stories about their day. Every bad event that had happened to Y/N turned into a joke for them to laugh at and was no longer something for her to look back and feel annoyed. Moments like this made her think that the whole world could turn their backs on her, but as long as he was still around, she didn't need anybody else.

"Okay, now onto the second surprise!" he happily announced and got up on the floor. Perplexed, Y/N exchanged questioning looks with Treasure as her husband walked over to the guitar in the room's corner and brought it back to their picnic spot. Clearing his throat, he held the instrument on his lap and began with a few experimenting chords.

"Lady and cat," he spoke, trying to keep a straight face even though Y/N was already snickering. "My name is Harry and I'd like to perform a song on my guitar. This is from a Broadway musical that my first girlfriend made me see with her, just because she was so obsessed with the song and it reminded her of us. So here's Only Us from Dear Evan Hansen."

Strumming his guitar gently, he released a shaky breath and a nervous smile which reminded her that he'd never sung to anyone besides her. She'd always thought it was strange because his voice was so special. It was the odd but delightful combination of soft and deep, quiet and powerful. Soothing, in a way. They would always joke about him starting a band with Niall and she and Layla would be their groupies. But she knew he would never let out a single note when he was with someone other than her.

"I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me, so I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go," he sang, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. They'd gone to New York for the summer before graduation and she'd been the first in line to get those Broadway tickets for them. He'd told her he'd never been into musicals, but when she asked him to go see it again, he hadn't hesitated. Now looking back, she doubted he'd really enjoyed it, the first or even the second time. Maybe he had agreed to go see it twice just because of her. That didn't matter though. If anything, she'd love him even more.

"But if you really see me, if you like me for me and nothing else, well, that's all that I've wanted for longer that you could possibly know." Holding their eye contact, a corner of his mouth quirked up. "So it can be us. It can be us and only us. And what came before won't count anymore or matter. We can try that."

Y/N picked up Treasure's front legs and waved them in the air, causing Harry to snort and almost forget where to continue.

"It's not so impossible. Nobody else but the two of us here. 'Cause you're saying it's possible, we can just watch the whole world disappear. 'Til you're the only one I still know how to see." His strumming got quieter and his voice gentler. "It's just you and me. That's all that we need it to be. And the rest of the world falls away. It's only us."

"Thank you, thank you!" He laughed and blew kisses everywhere as his wife dissolved into laughter and their cat was only staring at them in confusion.

"I'm glad Treasure can't speak otherwise she'd call us insane," Y/N said as she rubbed the cat's head.

"If Treasure could speak, we'd have two Laylas."

Harry's joke made them fall about laughing. They'd been so lost in the moment that Y/N had completely forgotten to ask what the purpose of this indoor picnic was. As it turned out, she didn't have to. Once her husband had set the guitar aside, he sat with his legs opened and grabbed her forearm to move her closer. She scooted over, sitting with her back against his chest so he could kiss her ear, her neck, her cheek, and her mouth, and then rest his chin on her shoulder, hugging her waist. He let the silence take over for a second. That was how she knew something was coming for her.

"I know you've been secretly reading those online articles," he spoke at last.

"What online articles?" She pretended to be calm, but she knew he didn't buy it.

"The ones about postpartum depression," he breathed, squeezing her a bit. "Don't deny it, I saw one on your laptop screen when Layla and Niall were here last week."

Of course he had. He could've said something a week ago, but instead felt the need to plan this romantic picnic date to say it. Typical Harry. Her Harry.

Y/N rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply, but she thought there was no point in hiding. "You don't need to worry about me," she said with a soft grin.

"Are you sure?" His chest vibrated against her back as he chuckled. "I mean, you're already stressed out about what might happen after childbirth and you're not even showing yet. I know you tend to get anxious, that's why I want you to open up with me."

Y/N thought for a moment, allowing the silence to sink in so she could rearrange the words in her head before she spoke, "well, I just...I feel like I've been a pain in the ass lately, always begging for your love and attention and you never say no."

"Do you want me to say no?" he asked, raising his voice at the end teasingly, making her snort.

"Of course not."

"Then I don't see the problem."

"You're spoiling me because I'm pregnant. But I won't be pregnant forever. I'll get used to this and possibly become depressed when the baby arrives. You know, with all the hormones and all." She saw the way his eyes went round and let go of a short tired breath. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should go see a psychiatrist."

"This is just your anxiety talking, babe." He pressed his lips to her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But it's okay, we'll work through this. Just so you know, you're not asking too much. I love it when you're like this. I want you voluntarily, definitely not only spoiling you because you're pregnant. Even when our actual baby is here, you're still my baby and I can't get enough of you, ever."

"Aww." Smiling, she turned her head to face him.

He rubbed her tummy and continued, "whenever you need something from me or you're afraid of something, you have to tell me right away, got it?"

"Don't regret when I show up at your office during working hours and ask to suck your dick."

Not expecting that response, Harry tossed his head back and laughed. "My pants would come off the second you step into the room."

.

.

.

A/N (important): this chapter was mainly written from Y/N's point of view. It's been implied throughout the series that she has an anxiety disorder which makes her overanalyze everything in her life. In this chapter, she had been misinformed about postpartum depression by Kate (Jack corrected her, but the mind of someone with an anxiety disorder would keep asking questions like "what if Kate is also right?", "what if being neglected is also one of the causes?") which led to her constantly worrying about what had yet to happen. This entire chapter was told from the perspective of someone who has an anxiety disorder and knows so little about postpartum depression, so this chapter is not a representation of postpartum depression nor its purpose is to educate on this mental illness. The only correct explanation of postpartum depression in the chapter was what Jack said at the beginning.

[lia-jones]

Growing Stronger - Chapter Twenty-Five - Lost In Translation

It had been Victor’s idea to go olive picking. Not that he was necessarily outright about it, but since Andrea had told him about it, he started mentioning it here and there, showing his interest. Andrea soon started making arrangements for their week in Portugal, although he could tell she was apprehensive about it. That was exactly the problem Victor had to address. He wanted Andrea to feel comfortable in having him in her life.

Victor also knew how important family was to Andrea, so it was important that he get along with them. Being welcoming as they were, that wasn’t a hard task at all. In the days they were at her parents’ house, he kept being invited by each one of the family members to engage in some kind of activity, for the purpose of bonding.

Joshua was the first, inviting him to the rehearsal of the orchestra that he played for and, a few days later, a soccer match with some of his friends. It had been an incredibly long time since Victor played soccer, always busy with work and his other duties, but he had to acknowledge that he enjoyed his time with Andrea’s brother. Joshua was a free spirit, much like his father, but had a competitive spirit that came out in the game. It was their mutual determination that made them connect and work together, leading them to victory. By the time they got home, they were bantering like they had been lifelong friends. The shared camaraderie made Andrea smile, and Victor knew he was on the right path.

It wasn’t difficult to find common ground with Andrea’s father, since enology was a shared passion. Jeremy would come home with a new bottle of wine from work and share it with Victor, or they would step down to his remarkable private cellar to enjoy one of his bottles. Although Victor had regarded Andrea’s father as a bit of a goof before, so particularly keen on saying inappropriate things at the wrong time or being completely oblivious to social cues, he soon learned that that man was incredibly cultured and well-traveled, and was a truly amazing encyclopedia of knowledge about the world. Conversations with him were stimulating and riveting, and Victor was pleasantly surprised to find that he learned things he knew nothing about before their conversation.

Mariana was the heart of the house, the voice of reason, and, being a therapist, human relations and emotions were her forte. Victor knew how closed off he could be, but Andrea’s mother read him like a book, always knowing when he wasn’t feeling comfortable and taking action accordingly to put him at ease. It was very easy to trace some of Andrea’s traits back to her mother, especially her strength and determination, her keen intuition, and insightfulness. Mariana would often invite Victor to help cook a meal, knowing it was probably the one place in the entire house he felt most comfortable in. And to Victor’s great astonishment, he found himself completely relaxed, sharing his view of the world and many aspects of his personal life while he happily chopped ingredients or stirred pots. Of all the members of the family, Mariana was the one he felt the most comfortable with, because she reminded him so much of Andrea.

There was a family member that Victor hadn’t made any intentions to bond with, but such had proven to be inevitable: Andrea’s baby niece, Ana. Victor was never really good with kids, and never felt any kind of attraction towards them or the idea of having a few of his own, until he started to date Andrea. One day Cristina showed up with the little girl, asking Victor and Andrea to babysit while she dealt with some urgent professional affairs, and he couldn’t help but feel captivated by those big green eyes and easy yet innocent smile. Soon, it had captured his interest to understand how the little child perceived the world, and how could he affect it. He took pleasure in playing with her, watching her learn and enthusiastically respond to new stimuli: his tie, his car keys, his very large hands holding her tiny ones. Soon enough, Ana became one of Victor’s favorite people, and the baby girl seemed to return the affection. Much like her aunt, he couldn’t be around her without a smile on his face and a warm feeling in his heart.

Now that he was in an even more foreign territory--Andrea’s grandmother’s farm--Victor realized he was starting to see these people as his familiar world. And invariably, these people were consistently by his side, helping him navigate the novelty of a strange culture and language. Victor, always so guarded and self-dependent, could now fully understand the feeling of having a family he could rely on, even if it wasn’t his own. That made him appreciate Andrea’s family even more, and deepen the already profound love he felt for his girlfriend. She opened his world to new and amazing experiences, and he couldn’t feel more grateful for having her in his life.

“Are you comfortable in your bed?” He heard Joshua speak above him. “We can trade if you feel better on the top bunk.”

“I’m comfortable here, you don’t need to worry.” Victor closed his eyes, preparing himself to meet Morpheus. He was exhausted.

“I’m sorry for the sleeping arrangements.” Joshua apologized with a tinge of bitterness in his voice. “My grandma can be so uptight sometimes.”

“It’s alright, reminds me of my college days.” Victor could feel the tension leave each and single one of his sore muscles. If only Joshua would stop talking and let him sleep.

“I mean, I’m married, for crying out loud. Why do I have to sleep away from my wife? What does she think, that Ana was brought by the stork?”

It was evident that Victor wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. The polite thing to do was to engage in conversation. Maybe Joshua would tire faster and finally shut up.

“No funny business.” Victor playfully warned. “Boys on one side, girls on the other.”

“No… She told you that? Way to welcome people.”

“She said something, but I couldn’t understand what. However, her impromptu sign language was quite explanatory.” Victor chuckled.

“Don’t tell me she made the gesture with her fingers making a circle, and her other finger…” Joshua laughed. “Priceless. I wish I was there to see it.”

“She did. And it wasn’t priceless, it was mortifying.” Victor complained in a flat tone.

“Yeah, she has this… aura around her. She can make an adult feel like a teenager again.” Joshua paused, and when he spoke again, his tone was much more serious. “I know she looks like a tough nut to crack, but she’s actually very sweet. Kind of like you.”

Victor wondered for a moment why people insisted on comparing him to a grumpy old lady. It wasn’t very flattering.

“I’m sure we’ll reach common ground soon. Good night, Joshua.” Victor put an end to the conversation, looking forward to a deep restorative sleep.

“Sleep well, Victor.”

It didn’t take five minutes for Victor to hear Joshua’s deep breaths, indicating he was asleep. However, Victor was not. The conversation has stirred old memories in his mind, making his brain particularly active. Should’ve just told Joshua to shut up and be done with it.

He tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about something he hadn’t considered in a very long time: his college days. Victor’s father was a devout follower and believer of discipline and rigor, so it wasn’t a surprise that when Victor revealed that he had been accepted in Harvard to take the Finance degree, he was told he wouldn’t be staying in the University’s dorm. “You are there so you can get an education, not experiment on illicit drugs and poor judgment”, his father said. Instead, Victor would sleep in the Military Academy dorm as a guest, where he would have the strictness and standards that make a boy a man.

At the tender age of eighteen, Victor found himself in quite the predicament. He was frowned upon at Harvard because he came from a wealthy family, and people assumed his father had bought his admission, which wasn’t the case. Victor had to work very hard to be where he was, since his father believed he shouldn’t rely on the family name, making a name for himself instead. He was also frowned upon at the Military Academy dorm by his roommates, who also had a prejudice against his family of origin. They believed that he was an entitled snotty kid, the kind he knew very well from boarding school, always relying on their parents to get them out of trouble, and slacking off on their commitments, because, truth be told, they didn’t need to honor them anyway.

However, Victor was determined and eager to prove all those fools wrong. At first, he kept to himself, suffering all the insults in silence, knowing that sooner or later, he would make them swallow their own words. He got up at 5 am every morning for the Academy’s mandatory hour of exercise, shower, and help his fellow dormmates prepare breakfast. After breakfast, he would make his own bed impeccably and tidy his room for the usual rounds. At 8 am, he was already in college, taking his courses and spending whatever time he had free at the library, studying, or working on assignments. Then he would return to the dorm, have dinner and help clean the kitchen and canteen, then have a quick shower and put on his pajamas and spend time alone in his room, reading a book or listening to some music as he worked on his laptop.

Victor didn’t have any friends, so he spent most of his time alone, focused on his real goal there: his education. He didn’t want to just graduate, he wanted to do it with high praise, his way to impress his father, in a secret hope of conquering his affection. Sometimes some girls would approach him, and while he let himself entertain with one of them for a while, the romance was short-lived, since Victor didn’t have any interest or time to invest much in it.

By the time the school year was nearly finished, he had conquered the respect of his peers, by showing them he was more than a rich kid with a pretty face. He was finally able to make a few friends, one of them being Ted Kasey, the extrovert red-haired guy that everybody seemed to love. However, Victor still kept to himself, opting to continue spending most of his time on his own. The experience had taught him that relationships were fleeting and volatile, but results were concrete and everlasting. This would be the policy he would adopt for himself for the rest of his life, his determination focused more on results than feelings or relationships.

That is, until he met Andrea. It wasn’t exactly that he was less driven or less focused after meeting her, but that Victor found the value of meaningful relationships. And in retrospect, he reckoned the time he spent in college would be a lot less hard if he had had a true friend to confide with, a pillar he could lean on in time of need. Andrea was that and a lot more: she was his lover, his best friend, his confidant. He finally felt he had someone on his team, rooting for him, making him reach newer heights, and helping him in the case that he tumbled down. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

Which brought to his mind the matter of her grandmother. Like his mates back in college, he felt that she looked at him and saw nothing but a snob man in a suit. But like before, he would change her mind. He took every hard task she gave him that day and was respectful of her values to show her that he was worthy of Andrea’s love. He would show her he had a spine, honor and high values, and he was more than capable to nurture and provide for her granddaughter.

The feeling of confidence filled Victor’s heart with joy and pride, and he was finally able to find a comfortable position on that bed that barely gave him room to move. Victor imagined the warmth of his loved one in his arms, closed his eyes, and with a soft sigh, fell asleep.

A moment later, he heard Joshua’s voice again.

“Hey, Vic, wake up.” Joshua shook Victor’s shoulder.

Victor was not a violent man, but he could smack Joshua for having the audacity of waking him up by shaking him and calling him Vic. Opening one eye,  he noticed the sunlight coming through the bedroom window. It was already morning. Early morning, but still, time to be in bed. Victor groaned, turning away from Joshua and the light. He could use a few more hours of sleep.

“Andrea needs us to go pick up the bread from the bakery.” Joshua shook Victor again. “She needs it for breakfast.”

The mention of Andrea’s name made Victor forget about her brother’s lack of manners and turn again to face him, opening both eyes.

“Alright.” He sleepily tried to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. “Give me fifteen minutes to shave and get dressed.”

“This is the country, man.” Joshua chuckled. “You don’t need to shave. Be ready in five, I’ll be waiting for you outside. We need to hurry.”

Maybe Joshua didn’t mind walking around looking like a bum, but it wasn’t Victor’s case. He rubbed his face, trying to assess how long his stubble was. It seemed manageable, so he decided to get dressed and ready and shave when he returned. He found Joshua waiting by the car.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get decent coffee when we get there.” Joshua rolled out his window, letting the cool breeze in. “We both look like we need it.”

While they waited for the baker and his employees to prepare the many bags of bread they would be taking, Victor and Joshua enjoyed their coffee at a table outside in silence, appreciating the cool Autumn breeze.

“So.” Joshua started, his voice solemn. “My mom told me about the chat you had with her and my dad this week.”

Victor froze.

“You disapprove?” He watched Joshua’s reaction carefully.

“No, man, I’m happy.” Joshua smiled. “She deserves it, you know, after all she’s been through. And it’s pretty clear you care for her. You’re putting up with my grandmother. That’s quite the feat.”

Victor suppressed a smile, taking a sip of his coffee.

“She calls you Stretchy, you know?” Joshua laughed.

“Your grandmother?” Victor chuckled. “I was wondering what Esticadinho meant. It’s not as bad as I thought I would be.”

“You know, I didn’t like you very much at first.” Joshua narrowed his eyes at him.

“People usually don’t.” Victor lowered his eyes, remembering how Andrea seemed to loathe him during her first months in LFG.

“But you’re a good guy.” Victor looked up, noticing Joshua extending his hand for him to shake. “I’m glad you’re in my sister’s life.”

“I’m glad she’s in my life too.” Victor shook the twin’s hand with a broad smile. “I intend on making her the happiest woman in this world, if she’ll have me.”

Victor barely had the time to talk to Andrea, who was busy cooking and serving breakfast to all the people working at the mill. After the meal, her grandmother took him by his arm, leading him to the mill. As always, Victor followed with a smile. He was curious to know what task she had for him now.

“Isto é uma peneira.” Victor looked at what Bia was pointing, it looked like some kind of sifter. Perhaps the one Andrea was talking about the previous day. “Tu mexes as azeitonas com a rama, e a rama cai.”

Victor only understood azeitonas , which meant olives. The old lady understood his confusion.

She took a bag half-filled with the olives they had harvested the day before, dumping it on the contraption. She turned to him, raising her voice. Maybe he thought that if she yelled at him, he would understand her better. Most days Victor would find that painfully annoying, but in this case it made him laugh.

“Azeitona.” She picked an olive. “Rama. Ou folhas.” She picked some leaves. “Mexes assim.” She rolled the olives in the sifter, and he watched the leaves fall to the ground.

“Com força, não.” Victor knew força meant strength, and não meant no. He had to be gentle. He nodded to show he understood, rolling up his sleeves to start working.

“Tu não vais ser como o outro cabrão, pois não?” The grandmother asked him with emotion in her eyes. “Trata bem da minha menina.”

Victor had no clue what the old lady was talking about, but he recognized the word menina , which meant girl, so she was most likely talking about Andrea. This was a serious conversation, and he didn’t want to miss one single word of it, or give way to misunderstandings.

He had refused to use the app on his phone, considering it would act as a crutch and stall his learning. But at that moment, it would be useful. He took the phone out of his pocket and opened the app.

“Falas aqui.” His Portuguese was intolerably basic, but he hoped she understood that he wanted her to talk to the phone, so the app would translate it. She took his phone out of his hand with a suspicious look.

“Trata bem a minha menina. Ela já passou por muito. Ela não merece sofrer.” She said as she pressed the button he indicated her. He read the translation: Treat my girl well. She's been through a lot. She doesn't deserve to suffer.

“Eu amo-a.” Victor tried to pronounce the words right, speaking slowly. “Muito. Mais do que vida minha.” He hoped that what he said was that he loved Andrea more than his own life. He seemed to have gotten it right, because the lady smiled at him, for the first time.

“És um bom menino, Esticadinho.” She stroke his cheek in a motherly way, and he understood she was praising him, although calling him a good boy wasn’t exactly the praise he was looking for.

“Obrigado.” He smiled.

“Agora vê se te portas bem com ela e se o manténs guardadinho nas calças, sim?” She smacked him in the gut, just above the belt, hard enough for him to slightly double over. Calças meant pants. She was telling him to keep it in his pants. Victor didn’t need to be proficient in English to know that. Without any other word, Andrea’s grandmother left him to work.

Victor was finishing sorting his second bag when Andrea’s father came to him.

“Go help Andrea in the kitchen. We got this.” Jeremy took the bag Victor was pouring in the sifter from his hands.

“Dona Bia asked, I don’t mind.” He explained, thinking they were trying to give him some relief from all the chores.

“Andrea needs you, actually. Ana is not feeling well, Cristina had to take her to the village doctor. She’s one person short and, according to her, she needs someone capable .” Victor wondered if Jeremy had been tossed out of the kitchen, judging by how he said it.

The kitchen counter was filled with vegetables, with barely any wiggle room. Mariana was cutting vegetables, while Andrea was at the stove, busy with pots and pans.

“Do you want me to do that?” Victor approached Mariana. “I can do it a lot faster.”

“By all means! Go ahead!” Mariana handed him the knife, sounding relieved. “I’m going to tell Josh to start the fire at the mill, so we can cook the food.”

“We are cooking this in the mill?” Victor raised an eyebrow, while he quickly chopped the cabbage as he saw Mariana do. “What are we cooking anyway?”

“ Cozido á Portuguesa. A kind of Portuguese stew with pork and vegetables. Josh has to start a fire to begin extracting the oil from the olives, and we are using that heat to cook the ingredients in clay pots. It gives them an extra flavor. Didn’t my grandmother give you a tour of the mill? I thought that’s why she was taking you with her.” Andrea asked while she removed cooked meat from steel pots to clay ones.

“No, she wanted me to sift the olives.” Victor was done with the cabbages and moved on to peeling carrots.

“I’m sorry if she’s being too hard on you.” Andrea gave him a worried look.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m enjoying myself.” Victor offered her a smile, and as he predicted, the sparkle in her eyes returned. “I think she likes me better now.”

“Well, she never hated you.” Andrea came closer to him, taking the knife out of his hands and placing it on the board. “It’s the whole Daniel experience, you know. It takes them longer to trust. It was only a matter of time until they saw the real wonderful you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

“I can’t even recall the last time I kissed you.” Victor held her in his arms, enjoying the warmth of her body close to his. “I have barely seen you these days.”

“No time like the present.” Andrea smiled, and Victor glanced at the door. “Nobody will come, trust me.”

Well, Victor wasn’t known for wasting time. His lips touched Andrea’s softly, and soon he realized how much he had really missed her. And she was just as hungry as he was, judging by the way she fiercely deepened the kiss, one hand grabbing the back of his neck, the other roaming his pectorals, one of the things she knew positively drove him insane.

Victor’s rational side knew that he should make it stop, they should keep cooking, time was of the essence, someone could come in at any moment. But Victor had a beast inside him that was begging to be fed, and was ignoring any plea his logic was making. Before he could be any wiser, he had already sat her on the counter, and was rubbing himself between her legs, lost in her scent, her breasts, her curls. He would have had her right there and then, surrounded by cabbages and carrots and potatoes, if not for the sound of a door opening and closing, making them jump out of each other’s arms.

“Look who’s feeling so much better!” They heard Cristina as she entered the kitchen, a smiling Ana in her arms. “Oh. Did I interrupt something?”

“My beautiful baby!” Andrea ran to Ana, taking her in her arms. “Are you feeling better, honey?”

Victor stayed behind the counter, busying himself with the vegetables, hoping his erection would go away fast.

Cristina took Ana inside for a nap, and in the meantime, Mariana returned to help. Soon all four were busy with their tasks, and Victor was assigned to dessert duty.

“Do you want me to make something in particular?” He asked, while in the pantry, figuring out what ingredients he would need. “Is fermento baking soda?”

“Do whatever you like. As long as we get to eat it, we don’t mind.” Andrea’s mother chimed in. “And yes, it’s baking soda.”

Soon enough, Mariana was ringing the bell, calling the rest of the people for the meal. Victor went to the wood oven in the mill to take out the dessert he had made.

Andrea was absolutely right. The wood oven gave the food a wonderful taste, and it made the whole difference. His dessert would be delectable too, if it absorbed some of the aroma.

After the cozido, Mariana went to get the plated puddings from the kitchen. Everybody started eating, Dona Bia making a pleased remark.

“É bom!” She hummed, and Victor understood she liked it. “Quem fez?”

“O Victor.” Andrea answered with a smug smile. Bia’s eyes opened wide.

“Muito bom!” She smiled, giving him a thumbs-up, seemingly impressed. “Tens jeito, rapaz!”

“She says you’re a good cook.” Joshua, who was sitting next to Victor, translated it.

“Quem quer bica?” Dona Bia asked, and everybody showed their hands.

“What did she ask?” Victor asked Joshua, not understanding her question.

“It’s slang for coffee.” Joshua explained. “But since you are a man, you don’t say bica , you say bico . Tell my grandmother Quero um bico, por favor.”

Victor turned to the old lady, happy for being able to say a whole sentence in Portuguese.

“Quero um bico, por favor.” He did his best to pronounce it correctly.

Suddenly, there was a deadly silence at the table, every single person staring at Victor with eyes wide. Victor felt his face burn with embarrassment. Did he say something wrong? What did he say? Andrea’s grandmother gave a hearty laugh.

“Ó filho, já estou muito velha para essas coisas.” Everybody started cackling, and Victor was more confused and embarrassed by the second. “Dou-te uma bica, pode ser? Um bico não.”

“What are you laughing about?” Victor snapped at Andrea, the heat spreading from his face to his blood, making it boil. “What did I say? What did she say to me?”

“You asked her for a blowjob.” Andrea doubled over laughing and could barely breathe, let alone talk. “She told you she was too old for that stuff, but she would get you a coffee instead.”

There was this expression that Andrea used to express her mortification, she would say she would like to dig a hole and stay there. Victor used to tease her about it, he found the expression very amusing, to dig a hole and hide. Until this precise moment. Victor was in dire need of a hole. Victor also wanted to burn a hole into Joshua’s head.

“Mark my words.” Victor warned, which made Joshua laugh even harder. “You will pay for this.”

“As long as it’s not in bicos!” Joshua stifled a laugh and slapped Victor in the back. “Come on, it’s just some brotherly hazing.”

“Right.” He looked from Andrea's brother to the coffee now in front of him, wondering if he even wanted to drink it in the first place. Now every time he had coffee he would remember this very embarrassing moment.

As Victor took a moment to breathe and calm himself down, he was struck by some amazing realizations. The first was, despite being incredibly embarrassing, Joshua’s hazing meant acceptance. It was the kind of thing Andrea and her brother would do, playing pranks at each other. That could only mean that he was truly being accepted into the family, like one of them, not the foreign CEO everyone should be careful with and tiptoe around.

Second, he had completely forgotten about LFG during those days. He used to define himself by his achievements, taking an immeasurable pride in his work, always putting it first. For the first time in a long time, Victor allowed himself to let go of the cover of financial mogul and relentless conqueror, and be just himself. He no longer felt the need to prove anything to anyone, he no longer felt the need to measure his success. He could be just Victor.

Third, he used to hate the unexpected. Victor enjoyed adventure from time to time, but always in a controlled manner, every step of the way completely transparent and expectable. He had been called a control freak innumerous times due to his need to plan and prepare for any setbacks. And yet he had come to a foreign country, knowing close to nothing about its language, sleeping in the house of a stranger, doing things he had never done in his life, and he couldn’t be happier about it. He felt comfortable, at home, relaxed. That’s when it dawned on him. He felt safe because home had been with him all along. Andrea was his home. His solace. As long as she was close to him, laughing and shining that bright light of hers, he was home.

Victor watched her as she bantered with her family, glowing as usual, the world around her always better than what it was before. He took out the spreadsheet he had done a few weeks ago from his mental drawer and inserted his new conclusions. And what was a certainty at first, now felt like a calling: they belonged together, and only a lifetime with her would be acceptable. She was the most precious thing in his life, and he would do whatever it would take to make her happy and safe.

[laytonsartblog]

How To Solve Everything

Little Spaces - Ch.2

Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3

Warning: This story contains violence, gun related violence, gang related violence, starvation, hypothermia, dysfunctional family themes, dysfunctional domestic themes, poverty, and homophobia/transphobia. Read with caution and at a good time for you. Take care of yourself.

--

Logan has a schedule he dedicates his life to.

First, to wake up at five am.

Next, is to get in the shower without a bucket. Why without a bucket? Because he's damn rich.

Y'see, when you're one of the most successful people in the country of Loríses, running a multi-billion dollar corporation on affordable apartment living and clean energy resources and steady bank loan agreements, well... you can afford some time.

That, and clean water.

Once that's all done and good, Logan likes to relax and have a nice breakfast in his humble top-apartment as he watches the news from the table.

The time didn't really matter when he woke up or finished eating because he never booked (or more accurately put, was forced to book) a meeting or council accommodation or ribbon cutting or something before eleven am.

Breakfast was his only sanctity; he made sure to have plenty of it.

With the news and breakfast over, Logan would head out to work with his classic polo and tie with a briefcase in hand, then spend about eight hours basically running around heading between business meetings and stock readings and introductory openings and apartment gatherings and- well, you get the picture.

Without a hitch, Logan'd get home at around seven-thirty pm, have some sort of dinner out with colleagues he really didn't care for, and get home to either sleep or do his favorite kind of work; charity work.

In the charity work's case?; he wouldn't get a wink of rest.

Today, Logan woke up like he would any other day, perhaps a little later than he thought he would, but that was due to his one am adoption centre charity bidding auction last night.

When he went to check his phone for any messages from his secretary for the day, he found only two from the uptight woman:

You have the day off, Mr.Corbett.

Have a nice day.

Logan looked on in confusion.

I have the day off? Why? he texted back.

His secretary immediately responded with a simple,You haven't used your vacation days at all for the past year, Mr.Corbett. If you don't use them by the end of September, you lose them. I took liberty of letting you off for the next week.

Logan was about to fight back and tell her he's coming into work anyway, but he found she's a bit faster with her hands.

You need it, Logan.

Go visit that old lady down the street, in the bookshop. Her name is Mrs.Tamry. She's my mother's sister and owns the place. She could use some company today.

Logan groaned. He wasn't moving the stubborn woman and that meant he actually had to take care of himself. Woe is he.

Logan grumpily put the phone to his bedside table before face-planting onto his bed. He groaned some more, kicking his feet and punching his hands into the pillows. Perhaps childish, yes, but Logan was never really raised to do much else than work. He didn't know what else to do.

Logan remembered the Mrs.Tamry from his secretary's messages a few minutes after his tantrum and sighed as he flipped over on the bed, rolling out of it.

After a shower he went over to his closet and picked out something a little more casual- a flannel and finer jeans -before stuffing down some toast to head to this bookowner.

Logan would admit that the bookstore part of the old woman was interesting; he's loved being read to and reading stories ever since he could recount the ABC's. It was one of the few pastimes he could be shown doing in public: his public advisor had once told him it made him look both gentle and intelligent, and the ladies would love it. Logan had just told him that he didn't care about the ladies and continued on his way to his office.

Logan finally made his way to the shop. He rolled his eyes at the name: "Book-Ends and Seller's Beggining." It was charming, if not a little corny, and Logan wasn't sure if this was really worth his time, but then he saw the little old lady through the glass sitting by her lonesome and let out a breath of air.

Dammit. Why do I have to feel so guilty?

Logan pushed his way through the tall glass doors and looked his way around, noticing the high bookshelves and neat working stations. It seemed grandma kept up with the times as Logan noticed a small table with a few charging stations attached to it, and a couple of teens doing their homework while plugging their phones in nearby. A stack of laps for rent stood on a shelf near the station.

Logan heard the old woman laugh hoarsely behind him.

"Well, now I wasn't expecting such a dashing young man in my shop so early in the morning!" Mrs.Tamry teased, still laughing. She got up from her weaved rocking chair and instead shuffled her way over to a flustered Logan. "Got some good bone structure- although the hair could use some work. A working man, hmm?"

Logan stammered at the guiding, touching hands and expert eye. "Yes ma'am, I- I am a businessman," he squeaked out.

Logan was used to just saying nothing while out in public, or worse, hosting everything and never getting a break. Having this conversation, if not an awkward one, made him sweat bullets. It was unknown territory.

"A businessman, huh?" Mrs.Tamry sang. She looked him over a few more times, noting the sweaty palms and pale face, before hollaring over to the kids in the corner, "Does this man look familiar?"

The three in the corner; a smaller, but colorful child, a tall but scraggly young fellow, and a boy with a star for his shirt all turned their heads.

The colorful kid snickered. "Nah, he looks too nervous to be any big shot I've heard of," they chided.

"Yeah, and what would he be doing here of all places if he was?" the scraggly lad questioned.

"Hey, knock it off!" the boy in the star shirt huffed. "The guy's probably super sweet and here to pick something up for his wife where they'll read fairytales to their kids and it'll be really damn cute!"

The colorful child started laughing hard; so hard, in fact, that they started tearing up. The scraggly kid did the same. The star boy just crossed his arms, looking to Logan with a much more innocent view.

Logan was sweating so profusely he was afraid he was going to faint. Mrs.Tamry just watched with a crooked smile at their imaginations.

"I am right, huh? You're just a nice guy!" the star boy asked, leaning in. The other two troublemakers got themselves together enough to lean in too, giggling.

"Yeah, tell us! Who are you?"

Logan couldn't stop himself before he even knew what his brain and mouth were going to say.

"I-I'm gay."

Well that was certainly new.

Logan realized what he said and covered his mouth with his hand, shock covering his entire face. Oh now you've done it, he roared at himself, you've told three kids and an old lady you're a disgusting pansy!

But the yelling and the chastising and the kicking-him-out-of-the-store never came. The other children looked to him in absolute glee, and the old woman just snickered.

"So what, dude? I'm like... mega gay too," the boy in the star shirt joked. He easily smiled at Logan.

Logan couldn't tell if he was being encouraged, or if he was doing the encouraging to the boy.

The other two children looked between eachother before looking to Logan. "We're non-binary. We use they/them pronouns. Could you please use them?"

Logan just barely managed a nod, his nerves in overdrive. He just outed himself and now these brave kids were coming out to him too? It was a hell of a thing to wrap around his brain. "O-Of course I will," he managed through chattering teeth.

Logan turned to the old woman last. He expected her to throw him out at first, but now he realized that she knew all this time. Now he looked to Mrs.Tamry in fear. The fact she could figure something like that out so quick was something Logan wasn't prepared to deal with, shock after shock being ran into him in the past ten minutes.

"Young man, you realize that this establishment has a 'We Accept You' sticker on the front, right?" she giggled, patting his shoulder despite him being a tree and her a stump.

Logan looked back to the glass and saw a mirrored version of that sticker on the door; clear as day.

Logan slumped his shoulders. "Oh."

Mrs.Tamry took his shoulders and guided Logan over to a seat, sitting in the one next to him with a sigh. "Ooh, that feels much better on my back."

Logan just stared at her, sweating and shaking and why had I not fought my secretary on letting me work-

Mrs.Tamry clasped a hand on top of his fussing one and smiled gently. The wild side of her had been turned down, and now something much more sweet laid itself out to the scatterbrained gay.

Logan felt himself calm down just a little.

"Now now, I've been told by my niece that her boss was coming in today to spend his day off. I'm to assume that's you, right?" she gently asked. The hand on Logan's softly rubbed it's thumb against Logan's knuckles.

Logan calmed down just a little more.

His tongue managed to unstick itself from the roof of his mouth enough to let out a small, "yes."

He didn't know why he was so freaked. Usually when he got this nervous he'd just bury it down like he had been for the past thirty something years but in this place, it felt like no matter how hard he tried, he was forced to feel everything he was feeling. Logan did not like it.

Mrs.Tamry sighed and used her other hand to tap a gentle rhythm in Logan's arm, giving him something to hold on to.

"Y'know, I didn't expect such a good man like you to be holding back so much fear. I could feel it as you stepped through that door," Mrs.Tamry commented, trying to make small talk.

Logan avoided her eyes. "Well, I haven't got much of a place to let it out."

Mrs.Tamry kept the rhythm on his arm while she hummed.

"Well that simply isn't good!" she preached. "Tell you what, if you're feeling so scared and trembling like you are now, you can always come to me, y'hear?"

Logan nodded a little. He could feel himself slowly relax, coming down from being so flustered and flabbergasted.

New places, new conversations- in which he made actual conversations instead of one-sided invites -new people, new ideas, new everything! It made his brain go into overdrive and his nerves alight. Usually he was able to handle it, bury it deep for later, but here? It seemed he couldn't stuff the feelings down.

Maybe it was Mrs.Tamry's wild but motherly approach, or the bookstore's inviting nature, or the teens he talked to earlier, but either way, Logan just sighed.

He was okay. He was safe. He was okay.

Mrs.Tamry pulled Logan up and rubbed his back while she headed him in the direction of the laptops.

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and find a game to play or- or a messaging site to talk to someone!" Mrs.Tamry then giggled cheekily. "It seems you don't have many friends, so now's a time to start!"

Logan took a seat next to the three teens with an awkward smile and a wave as he opened up the laptop. It was a little out of style, but it seemed fine enough as Logan booted it up.

"We never got your name, sir," the star boy asked politely while Logan logged in.

"Yeah! Like for example I'm Joan and that's Talyn, and he's Thomas, so now you know us!" the newly named Joan called out, tipping their beanie like a celebrity.

Talyn nodded along, playing with their colorful hair. "Homework is getting boring, we wanna know you!"

Logan turned to the three kids with a reserved smile as he signed up for a messenger site called GetAlong.

"My name is Logan Corbett."

--

Taglist

@amazable01 @vara-albion @sonicrainicorn @artist-of-the-moon @sparkedawg @unnipanda623 @kiibo57415 @anxious-sunflowe @thatonenerdphotographer @romanthestarstruckqueer @angels-and-dreams @midokiya @nedandn30 @chaosboitm @felicianoromano @supersoftsupersleep @icequeenoriginal

[godofevrerything]

Hell Rising Chapter Five: Rana

Click Click Click Click Click

My cell door opened, it's hinges groaning in protest. I didn't even bother looking up. I knew it was Ricker who was in the doorway. The psychopath was the only one who had been coming for the past three months.

"Hello, little lamb. Let's get going! Guess what?" he chirped.

I didn't answer.

"You're going to meet the Admin today! He's going to oversee your procedure."

I froze. "W-what?"

He grinned at me. "The Admin! He's a fantastic man, and extremely intelligent. Now come on, upsie daisy."

He reached out and snatched my arm in a vice like grip. His nails dug into my wrist.

I didn't say anything. If I cried out, he would only smile wider.

He yanked me down the dingy hallway to the lab. We passed Clarita's cell. She looked up and scrambled to her feet when she saw me.

"Rana! Where is he-"

Ricker whirled to her cell door and slammed his hand against the bars. Clarita leapt back in fright, her silver eyes wide.

"Shut up, you filth!" Ricker barked. "You will not speak unless spoken to, understand?!"

Clarita could only stare at him, shaking in terror.

"Leave her alone, Ricker!" I spat. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

Ricker didn't miss a beat. His hand swung back around and his fist slammed into my nose. I staggered back, pain once again flaring up. I could feel my hot blood streaming down my face.

"Shut up." Ricker hissed. "You don't talk to me like that. You're not even worthy of speaking! You're a demon, understand? Do you understand?!"

I raised my head and glared at him defiantly. "Clarita is only twelve. You're scaring her."

He yanked me up by my collar, grinning. "She should be scared. Maybe fear will make her less stupid."

He dropped me to the ground and hit Clarita's cell bars again.

She jumped, tears running down her face.

"Toughen up little birdie. If you think this is scary, you're gonna die. Don't. You're much more useful to us when you're alive. Good blackmail." Ricker snarled.

He gave her a psychotic Cheshire Cat grin and then snatched me up by my hair.

I hissed.

Ricker laughed in sadistic delight and stared walking into down the hallway again, dragging me by my hair. He kept me on the floor, pushing me back down whenever I tried to walk.

He pulled me through a door and into the lab. Finally, I was able to stand.

Not for long, of course. They didn't want me to ever mistake that I was a human.

He shoved me into a chair. It was plush and light blue.

Comfortable.

No, wrong.

They would never want me to feel comfortable.

Click

I looked down.

Cuffs on my wrists.

Ah, so that was the catch.

I swiveled my head around, trying to see what was going on.

"So this is 78."

I looked up.

A tall man came striding out of the darkness, with Ricker a few feet behind him. The man was middle aged, with silver streaked dark hair and cold green eyes.

He bent in front of me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

I glared at him. "Let me go."

He chuckled. "So you're not completely broken. Good."

He let go of my chin and circled me, inspecting me like I was a cow on sale.

Ricker stuck to a corner of the room, facing the man, his posture practically begging to be noticed by the man.

The man stopped in front of me and held out his hand. "Welcome to the Facility, Ms.Ishimi. I am the Administrator."

"Ms.Ishimi?" I repeated. "Oh, so now you act like I'm human. After having your dogs beat me and taunt me and inject me with drugs, you act like I'm human. You act like I'm welcomed into some damn paradise. Well I got two words for you. Fu-"

The Administrator's hand slammed into my cheek. I hissed, glaring at him furiously.

"You need to learn how to hold your tongue." he growled. "David, come here."

Ricker nearly sprinted forward, absolute glee on his face.

"Get the machine ready. We'll start off with a small voltage. And let's see if she still has that filthy mouth."

"Yes, sir!" Ricker beamed.

He rushed behind me, laughing slightly. Fear bubbled in my throat.

"What the hell are you going to do? Shock me? Believe me, it won't h-"

Pain

Sharp, blinding, burning pain.

I screamed.

I couldn't see.

Pain

Then just as suddenly as it started, the pain stopped, leaving me blissfully numb.

My eyesight was foggy.

The Admin spoke, his voice sounding far away.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

I raised my head in the direction of his voice. "Screw you and your damn fa-"

Pain

Even harsher than before.

I screamed again, tears pooling in my eyes.

Then it was gone.

"Well?"

I coughed, trying to catch my breath. When I didn't answer, I could practically hear the Admin smirk in victory.

"What a shame." he chuckled. "I didn't think that you'd break so easily. It seems that-"

"Go to hell, you jackass." I spat.

There was a pause.

And then pain.

I lost count of how many times they shocked me. It didn't matter, because suddenly Ricker was dragging me down to my cell again.

He tossed me in, laughing with psychotic glee.

"Don't break tonight, little lamb! Sweet dreams!"

I lay on the ground, listening to the click of his boots fade as he walked down the hallway.

I couldn't even move.

"Rana? Rana, are you unconscious? Rana, wake up!"

Slowly, I raised my head. Everything hurt like hell.

Clarita peered at me through the adjoining bars of her cell.

"I, am okay." I rasped.

My head fell back onto the concrete. I tried to focus on not passing out.

"Rana, Rana you're going to be okay, right? Rana?" Clarita whimpered.

"Yeah." I croaked.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah. Go to-"

Pain flared up in my throat, cutting me off.

"Rana?"

I inhaled, ignoring the burn. "I'll be fine. Go sleep."

"Okay."

I closed my eyes and drifted off.

This continued for months.

I managed to escape a couple of times, but Ricker always dragged me back.

And instead of hurting me, he hurt Clarita.

So I stopped.

I wasn't going to let Clarita suffer because of me. I would protect her.

One day, the Admin came in, with a girl trailing behind him.

She was blonde and blue eyed.

The perfect poster girl for the Admin's perfect world.

He put his hand on the girls shoulder. "This is Darlene, my niece. Say hello, Ms.Ishimi."

I glanced at her.

She looked at me with a mixture of horror and sympathy. She gave me a shaky smile.

I glared at her and she flinched.

The Admin sighed. "It seems that you still haven't learned. Ricker, you know what to do."

And the torture began.

It was a short session, probably because Darlene couldn't stop shaking and was near tears.

And it happened again and again.

But Darlene was not the Admin. I could see the innocence fade from her eyes. She was more stooped every time I saw her. And most noticeably, she shrank away from the Admin.

I felt a bit bad for her.

It was night again.

I leaned against the cell bars, telling Clarita stories of my childhood. She loved them, because they were a way a of giving her the childhood she never had.

"Rana?"

"Hmm?"

"Next time you escape, promise you'll bring me with you."

I tensed. "No."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Because I'm not going to try to escape again." I sighed. "I always get caught and they always hurt you."

"But with our powers combined-"

"No." I said firmly. "It's too risky. You will not get hurt again because of me."

"Please. If you find a way to escape without either of us getting hurt, then take me with you. Please." she whispered.

I sighed. "Okay. If I find a way that's one hundred percent fool proof, then I'll take you."

"Promise me." she demanded.

I stared at her. Her silver eyes were shining with hope.

"Okay, Clarita. I promise."

A month later, I couldn't sleep.

Darlene wasn't at my session, so it was the longest ever, presumably to make up for all of the shortened sessions.

My mind was on my escape. I couldn't escape with Clarita. We'd get caught. But I'd make sure to come back for her.

"Hey."

I jumped.

It was Darlene.

I glared at her. "What the hell do you want? Gonna be my escort to a midnight session?"

She winced. "No. I'm here to help you escape."

I froze.

She grinned at me.

Anger flashed through me.

"Liar." I growled. "How cruel are you, to act like you're going to help me when in reality you're just going to get me tortured even more than usual?"

Her eyes widened. "What? No! No, I want to help you escape. Look, I got your cell door keys!"

She held up the keys, smiling at me timidly.

My mouth dropped open. "How?"

"Just asked the Admin for them. He was more than happy to hand them over. Apparently he thought that I wanted to torture you. Like I'd ever be like that disgusting monster."

I frowned. "And you'll help me?"

She nodded eagerly.

"What's the catch?"

"Well," she drew in a breath. "Take me with you. Like, get me out of this life. Its nothing but a damn masquerade. I free you, and you keep us away from all of this horror. Do we have a deal?"

I stared at her.

I could get out of this hell.

What if we got caught?

I could get out.

What if someone saw us?

I could escape!

What about Clar-

I COULD BE FREE!!!

"Deal."

I looked around the Haven in awe.

There were hundreds of rows of colorful tents and booths set up. And above them, there were windows with gardens attached. The road was soft brown dirt.

And there was so much laughter.

Delighted, happy laughter and chatter.

This place was so...

Happy.

"Hurry up!" Jae called out.

I looked up. Ivan and Darcy were already ahead of me, looking around in wonder. Kai was with them.

I glanced behind me.

Rin was lagging behind, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed.

I went over and grabbed her hand.

She glanced at me. "Oh, hey hun."

"Just give this place a chance, Sunshine, please? I mean, look around! It's practically a paradise!" I laughed.

"That's the problem." Rin sighed. "It's too happy. Too perfect. Gives me the creeps. Especially Jae. I mean, who goes through all sorts of great lengths to hide this place and then let's strangers in?"

I clucked my tongue. "We're Darcy's friends. She trusts us."

"But Jae only knew Darcy for less than an year. And she just met us. I'm telling you, something doesn't add up."

I sighed. "Not everything has a dark side, Sunshine."

"When the hell did you become so optimistic?" Rin scoffed.

I let go of her hand. "Look, I just want to enjoy something without being in attack mode for once. Is it that hard for you to let me enjoy this place?"

She glared at me. "I'm not holding you back. Go ahead, enjoy this. But believe me, something is going to happen."

I clamped my hands over my ears. "I can't hear you."

"Stop being a child, Rana." Rin snapped at me.

I whirled around. "How about you stop trying to ruin this for me?"

She flinched, but I didn't care.

She'd get over it.

She always did.

I stormed ahead, stepping in place with Darcy. She glanced at me, cradling Sabrina carefully.

"You guys fighting?"

"Yeah." I muttered. "But it doesn't matter. She'll get over it."

Darcy frowned.

"Here we are!" Jae chirped. "Come on in. Watch your step."

Jae led us into a bar. It was old, but charming. The walls were rough wood, and the booths had plump red cushions. Music played from speakers haphazardly put on the walls.

A young man looked up from cleaning glasses at the bar.

He was about Ivan's age, with copper skin and a small gold hoop in his ear.

"Rocco! I got some new people. Meet Rana, Darcy, Ivan and Rin." Jae said.

He looked over us.

I noticed Darcy and Ivan blushing.

And he winked at both of them.

Anger flooded through me. Oh hell no. I would not let my friends be swept up by a player.

"So, Rockie, is it?" I asked sharply.

He frowned at me. "No. It's Rocco. And Jae, why did you bring them here?"

"That's what I'm saying." Rin scoffed.

"They are on the run." Rocco spat.

"Everyone in the Haven is on the run. You and Miri especially." Jae sighed.

Rocco glared at her. "Keep my sister out of this. These people are on a national broadcast. They will get the Haven destroyed. You have to kick them out, right now."

"Wait what?" Darcy yelped.

"Wait, don't we get a say on this? I really don't like the idea of going back out there." Ivan squeaked.

Rocco gave them a sympathetic look. "You just got mixed up with the wrong people, loves."

"Excuse me?" I hissed.

Jae rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to kick them out."

"But-"

"They're staying." Jae snapped. "And that's final."

"You brought new people?"

We turned.

A young girl came into the bar, her arms folded across her chest.

She couldn't have been more than fourteen, with short, frizzy black hair and a fur lined brown bomber jacket.

"Kamira, go back home." Rocco sighed.

"No! What are you doing, Jae? We're almost like sardines in a can. There are too many people here! You can't keep on bringing people in the Haven!"

Jae laughed. "Yeah, sure Miri."

"Don't call me that." Kamira growled.

She whirled to me. "And I know who you are!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah! You're Namarana Ishimi. You are the first person to ever break out of the Facility." she gasped.

"Wait, this is Namarana Ishimi?! This girl right here?!" Rocco yelped.

"Yeah? That's me." I snorted.

Rocco stared at me in amazement. I noticed some people were looking over at me. And then more and more people. They were whispering, sneaking glances at me like they thought I didn't notice.

I shifted. "What, am I famous or something?"

"Uh, yeah." Jae scoffed. "You're the first person to break out of the Facility. I'd say you're pretty damn famous."

"You mean notorious." Rin sighed. "It's not a good thing."

Rocco seemed to notice Rin for the first time. "Oh, hey dude. You're new too?"

Rin scowled. "Yes, and I'm not a dude."

"Well, you're a guy."

"No," she snapped. "Used to be, but I'm a girl. Simple as that."

Rocco stared her blankly.

Kamira spoke up. "You are really famous. And it's great meeting you, but you'll put the whole Haven in danger."

I sighed. "Well, it's up to Jae to decide if we stay."

"And I say you guys stay." Jae said.

"Fine. But mark my words, this won't end well." Rocco spat.

"Well we don't even want to be here. So don't be so rabid." Rin growled.

"Oh, look who's talking. You're acting like wild animal." Rocco sneered.

"One, don't talk to her like that." I snapped. "Two, you are the only one who wants to leave, Rin. Don't drag us into your crap."

"And do not talk to my brother like that. Only me and Jae can talk to him like that." Kamira hissed.

"Guys, stop fighting." Ivan mumbled.

"Yeah, that's enough. We don't have time for a cat fight." Darcy snorted.

Rocco glanced at her. "On a schedule, love?"

She blushed. "Ah, well-"

"Her name is Darcy." I snapped.

He rolled his eyes at me, and I glared daggers at him.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's go. I gotta show you guys around." Jae interrupted. "And Kamira, you ought to go back to training."

Kamira sighed. "Yeah, fine."

She tossed us a suspicious look and strode our of the bar. Rocco turned to the shelf on the wall, aggressively cleaning the shot glasses.

Jae more or less shoved us all out of the bar, despite Darcy's yelps. She ignored Ivan and Darcy glancing back at Rocco, like Rocco ignored them.

Jae led us down the dirt paths, pointing out certain booths.

The tents were stocked with everything from food to sleeping bags. They were all colorful.

"Is there a meaning to the tents colors?" I asked.

Jae grinned. "Glad you asked. So the booths are all color coded. They're the colors of the rainbow. Each color means a different category of items. Like, red is the medical supplies. The red tents sell anything from bandages, to defibrillators."

"Defibrillators?" Ivan repeated.

A chill ran up my spine. "Are defibrillators necessary? I mean, surely you don't have to shock people."

"We do if they had a heart attack."

"Why would people get a heart attack here?" Darcy yelped.

"Maybe because this place isn't damn safe." Rin called out.

"Rin, that's enough." I growled.

We glared at each other.

"Well, people get heart attacks. It's what happens sometimes. Not something we can stop." Jae shrugged.

"If you paid attention to what they need, then they could be prevented." Rin scoffed.

"Rin." I hissed.

"We do pay attention." Jae said. "But heart attacks aren't something we can stop. If we could, we would."

"You wouldn't. Be-"

"Rin! Can you just shut up?!" I yelled. "Stop being an ass and look around you! People are happy here!"

"That's not right!" Rin yelled. "People shouldn't be this happy."

Her hands were sparking.

But for once, I didn't care.

"Just because your life has been awful doesn't mean that people can't be happy! Not their fault your mom was dumb enough to get roasted!" I yelled.

Rin froze. She stared at me, her eyes wide. Her posture was defensive, body crackling with electricity, but I saw tears in her eyes.

"How dare you?" she whispered. "How dare you say that about Amma?"

"Well I wouldn't have sa-"

Lightning slashed in front of her, illuminating the rage on her face.

People jumped in fright.

"You shut your god damn mouth right now, Namarana Ishimi. You don't talk to me. Go and play with your new friend, and have fun when your world crumbles. I know I won't be there."

She flipped me and Jae off and stormed away. My breath was coming out in sharp pants. I could feel tears building in my eyes. I wanted to run after her, but at the same time I saw no reason to go after her.

There was a small crowd around us.

I didn't have to read their minds to know that they were terrified.

"What are you doing?! Piss off!" I snapped, whirling to them.

The crowd scattered.

There was silence.

I swiped the tears away from my eyes roughly. There was no way in hell that I would let myself cry. Especially in front of strangers.

"Come on. Don't you have to finish the damn tour." I demanded to Jae.

Kai whimpered. "Haha?"

I froze.

He stared up at me, his eyes full of tears. He was scared.

I reached down to hug him, and he flinched away.

He was scared of me.

My eyes became blurry.

Darcy spoke up. "Ivan and I will go find a place to stay with the kids. You finish the tour with Jae. Tell us all about it later, okay?"

"Okay." I whispered.

Ivan picked up Kai and put him on his shoulders. "Come on kiddo, let's find a place to crash."

"Empty homes are that way." Jae told them, pointing down the road.

"Thanks, Jae." Darcy mumbled.

I watched them leave with Kai and Sabrina.

I felt sick.

I promised them, and myself, that I would never scare or hurt my kids. Or any of my family.

Not after Clarita.

And I broke that promise.

Jae touched my arm. "You okay?"

I looked at her.

Silver eyes.

A chill went up my back.

I swallowed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I wiped the fresh tears from my eyes and smiled at her. "Shall we go?"

We walked down the path.

Jae drew in a breath. "So, the Haven is headquarters of the whole operation. As I mentioned earlier, there are other safe places around the country. This is just the biggest and the safest."

" You mentioned that they're all connected?" I said.

"Yeah. All the safe places are connected to each other, all they are all connected to the Haven. It's kind of like a spiderweb, with the Haven in the center." she explained.

"Aren't there safe places in other countries? What about those?"

"Well they work the same way. All countries have safe places, and they all have a headquarters in the middle."

"So there are hundreds of headquarters out there?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"And do they all have leaders?"

"Of course." Jae chuckled. "Every HQ has a couple of leaders. We meet up with Skype occasionally."

"Why do you have to meet up?"

"Well, that brings us to the most important part."

We stopped in front of tall double doors. Jae grabbed the handles and grinned at me.

She threw them open.

"Here we are. The most important part of the Haven."

My eyes widened.

"Say hello to the Arena."

[thatfairyfangirl]

Government Property

So I saw this on facebook and HAD to fic it

The summer sun beat down on your back yard relentlessly with not so much of a whisp of a cloud to deter the sun's rays. A bead of sweat trickled down your bare back, pooling at the red white and blue bikini strap before continuing to travel down as you emerge from your kitchen of your small Brooklyn home to the humble backyard, carrying a pitcher of lemonade in one hand and iced tea in the other. Once the bright sun hit you, warming you to your soul instantly, you paused, watching your family fawn and swoon over The Avengers who had shown up to your humble 4th of July cookout doubling as Steve's birthday party. With a chuckle you shook your head at how starstruck they all were at the fact the Steve you had been talking about for months was none other than Captain America himself! But even you had to admit there was something perfect about having him of all people manning the grill on Independence Day.

"Sissy! Sissy!" Your young niece called as she spotted her favorite aunt coming with the beverages, rushing to hug you...well, your left leg since that was as high as she could reach. "Did you see?! Hulk is here!" She squealed before toddling off to politely ask him to pick her up.

Something about all this just felt so right to Steve, it was just an average Independance day. No flash. No bad guys to beat. Just food, family and friends...how it should be. "You know, birthday boy, I put all this together so you could actually meet my family." You teased, placing a cup of lemonade at his side and a soft kiss on his cheek.  "I got the burgers, go enjoy yourself."

~ ~ ~ ~

Soon enough the summer heat gave way to a sticky heavy aired evening as you brought out the very patriotic birthday cake covered in a seemingly endless supply of candles….you may have meant to only put 100 on there, but you lost count somewhere along the way and now you were sure there were far too many. But the look on his face as he laughed at the sight made all the time worth it. And with the trite old song sung and slices of red white and blue cake handed out to all, you found yourself nestled into his lap, arms comfortably around each other and his chin resting on your head as you watched the fireworks coming from the Brooklyn bridge. "Thanks, Doll, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday." He whispered softly into your ear, his cool breath mixing with the early July heat to send chills down your spine.

Craning your neck you looked into his eyes with a smirk. "Not over yet." You teased lightly before reaching up to kiss him, leaving him to wonder just what else you had planned. It wasn't until the last of the avengers and your family finally left that he realized what that was.

The next morning he woke with the most blissful grin finding you still wrapped up in his arms. His fingertips traced soft, loving circles over your bare skin, until he found the spots where his love bites got a little too hard, purple and blue splotches dancing over your flesh around those hidden marks only he can see, making you in to his very own personal piece of artwork. "Mmm-morning baby." You purred gently as your eyes fluttered open lazily. "Good birthday?"

"The best." He assured you, planting a firm sweet kiss on your forehead. "Want me to make you some breakfast?"

You rolled over on to his chest, your fingers tracing with barely there touches down the red and purple you left on the side of his jaw and neck. "That would be amazing." You answered, placing soft kisses on the marks you made.

Breakfast, however, seemed to not be in the cards. Steve's phone began chiming relentlessly as he searched for his pants. With an aggravated sigh he nestled it between his shoulder and ear as he began shoving his legs in one by one. "Hey Tony, what's up?" You watched him with concern as his face dropped, the joy you had put there the night before vanishing with whatever Tony was telling him. "I'm still at (Y/N)'s, I can be there in five." Discarding the phone to your bed he looked up to you more sorry than worried about the fight to come. "I'm sorry Doll, looks like we'll have to take a rain check." He didn't tell you what impending doom was pulling him away, and he knew you preferred it that way. You weren't blind to the world, you saw the things out there...things that he was too stubborn or stupid to realize he probably shouldn't be fist fighting…

"Go save the world." You assured him, giving him a kiss goodbye for good luck.

~ ~ ~ ~

"What the Hell happened to you?!" Tony demanded seeing the deep bruising along his friend's neck peeking over his uniform.

"What? What's wrong?" Steve asked finding anything reflective to see what he was talking about, finally spotting the hickeys you left on him the night before. "Oh...I guess (Y/N) is stronger than she thought." He chuckled.

"Well, Cap, I am very disappointed in you." Tony teased as they readied the Quinjet. "Only teens leave hickies where the public can see them."

"You think I did these to myself pal?" He joked back.

"You know … You're right… I'm going to have to have a talk with your girlfriend when we get back." Tony quipped as he sat in the pilot's seat.

~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday spilled into your window draping the sun over you like a warm hug from an old friend. How you loved Saturday morning...and how you could easily sleep through most of it. Later today you knew you'd have shopping to do. But for now nothing was convincing you to leave this bed...until Ironman by Ozzy came blaring from your phone, telling you Tony was calling. With a sleepily annoyed groan you rolled over, grabbing the phone with a "Mmmmhello?"

“Excuse me little miss but you are in big big trouble” Tony scolded on the other end of the line.

“Wha...what time...?” You grumbled with a squint, checking the clock...7am…there must be something wrong. Suddenly with a jolt of adrenaline and worry you sat up, giving Tony your undivided attention. “What’s wrong? Is Steve alright?”

“He’ll live." Tony answered. "But you, however, you have been damaging Avengers property.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” You asked as you hopped out of bed pulling on a pair of pants, readying to check on your boyfriend.

“Those hickies you left...clear as day...Captain America has an image to uphold, you know!”

You froze, realizing the love marks you left must have been visible in his uniform. “Tony, you shit! You woke me up and got me all worried over that?!” You could hear him laughing on the other end of the line. “You better hope to God I don’t march over to that tower and really damage Avenger’s property!” You add as Steve let himself in, pausing at the door, hearing you scream at Tony.

“Doll? Everything alright?” He asked with a worried tone, dropping his key on the kitchen table.

“Yeah...Just Tony being Tony.” You answered with a huff as you emerged from the bedroom to wrap your arms around the love of your life, giving him a soft innocent kiss hello, before turning his head to examine the bruises you made. “So is the world still in ending?”

“Not today.” He answered enveloping you in his strong arms. “Sorry about Tony...I didn’t think he was serious when he said he was going to call you.”

“Oh so you LET him wake me up at 7am...you are so lucky I love you.”

“No arguments there.” He agreed with a chuckle. “How about I take you out for some breakfast to make it up to you?”

[evilrevan]

Neo-chiontachd chloinne

I blame everyone in the Greedfall discord for this. Everything stemmed from the idea of Constantine loving babies, but being soooo unprepared to truly handle them. Poor man.

Established relationships: Catasach/Constantine and Vasco/DS

No spoilers included

---

Translations from scottish gaelic:

Title: Innocence of children

Bi Socair - be calm.

Cha ghortaich thu an leanabh - You will not hurt the baby.

leanabh - Baby

Solas òir - Golden light (Catasach’s pet name for Constantine)

Minudhanem - (actual in game word) One who shares your mind. Used for lovers

----

“Marionne. You are absolutely mad.” Constantine stared at his cousin with wide, incredulous amber eyes as she walked towards him with a small bundle cradled in the crook of her arms.

Blue eyes softened at the young governor, flickering between the blonde practically shaking in place and the wiggling pile of blankets ever so carefully nestled in her arms. “You’ll do fine.” Marionne attempted to soothe his nerves before handing him the small bundle.

Just as expected Constantine stood ramrod straight. His eyes flickering with panic this time, looking into the mass forced upon him. A small chubby little face peeked out from beneath, cheeks and nose a bright pink in contrast to the infant’s slightly darker skin tone. Something the little one inherited from Marionne. 

There were just a few wispy strands of black hair on the top of the head. Barely anything at all. But it was all the proof he needed to realize: this was his niece. His cousin’s little daughter. 

He was holding his niece.

All of a sudden his body shook. His emotions sputtering between excitement and fear. 

Then he felt a firm hand press against his back. “Bi socair, Minudhanem.” Catasach’s voice whispered from behind drawing the blonde’s attention away from the infant. Catasach’s large form stood beside him, his headdress removed exposing his long thick black hair braided with tiny beads and feathers which normally were concealed under the massive thing.

Constantine let out a nervous chuckle, “Right. Sure. Perfectly calm holding my cousin’s daughter. My niece.” His voice wavered ever so slightly.

“Cha ghortaich thu an leanabh.” Catasach spoke confidently. So sure of Constantine and his unwillingness to harm Marionne’s child. Constantine still wasn’t so sure of himself. People he could deal with. Babies? They were so fragile. 

“Glad you are so calm about this fair cousin.” Constantine shot a pleading look in her direction, hoping the look in his eyes would be enough for her to spare him any further torment. Surprisingly her lips formed a pleasing smile. “I’ve known you since we were children, Constantine. You aren’t that clumsy.” There was a knowing look in her blue eyes. A secret kept between them from their youth.

When they were just children of seven and nine sneaking around the various rooms of the palace like wildcats. In was in one of the occupied rooms they found a bassinet with a small child soundly sleeping within a pile of blankets. He was the first to attempt to hold the baby, cooing and vibrating on the spot as the little one stared up at him with their big brown eyes.

Looking down he saw only a pair of stormy grey eyes curiously staring back at him. Everything felt so surreal to him.

A dark hand pushed on his forearm gently. “Here. Hold the leanabh up a bit higher. She doesn’t have the strength to hold her head up. Even if she is shrouded in blankets.” Constantine followed Catasach’s instructions, allowing the Doneigada to push his arms up at an angle so the little one didn’t have to strain so much to look at him. Or if she were to puke, get it all over herself.

When the girl began to babble and wiggle her little hands in the air, her eyes now locked on Catasach, Constantine laughed. “Oh, I see! Her uncle isn’t interesting enough, am I now?” The blonde shot the Doneigada a very quick mischievous look before the healer was saddled with his cousin’s babe. 

Marionne laughed deeply at the sight of Catasach’s piercing yellow eyes pinning her cousin with a withering look. Sometimes her dear cousin loved to push his buttons. Sometimes Catasach relented and let him have his way. Other times the man could be quite, devious in getting back at him for his earlier antics.

With the child out of his hands, Constantine beamed at Catasach. “Oh! See! She likes you better than me.” The Doneigada sighed. “Pushing her off on me isn’t helping you, Minudhanem.” Constantine huffed. “Of course it is! You are better at holding infants than I am. So yes, it is helping me.”

“Solas òir.” Catasach growled low, drawing Constantine’s full attention towards him.  “Y-” His voice cut out just as Catasach’s mouth pressed firmly up against his, perfectly shutting him up.

Marionne watched as her cousin’s pale complexion shifted towards bright red. His cheeks flushing a brighter color than her newborn daughter’s. De Sardet let them have their fun, discreetly looking away from their heated kisses for a few minutes. But unfortunately, she did need her daughter back. 

Coughing loudly and clearly, she attempted to get their attention. “Gentlemen, as nice as it is to see you two so involved, I do need to retrieve my sweet little Lorraine before she’s smothered between the two of you.” Catasach gently placed her daughter in Constantine’s arms, sweetly encouraging him to move towards her with the girl in his arms. 

Constantine shook just as he did before. But with Catasach watching him carefully, he managed to hand off his little niece to her mother. 

“Now, you two need a little one to dote on.” Marionne sweetly suggested to her cousin, chuckling as the poor man nearly sputtered in place. “Dear Cousin! I think you’ve done enough damage to me as it is!” He replied face screwed up to appear absolutely horrified by the idea. Marionne knew better.

Humming softly she merely winked at him before leaving them to discuss whatever it was they desired. 

[teamhook]

My Fics Retold:

Hello. So I’ve decided to do a relaunch of my WIPs. When I first started writing them I was so afraid of getting a Beta because I was insecure about my writing. I know I’m not the best, but I wanted to write about my OTP. I finally got over my fear. They are Beta'ed by the amazing @ilovemesomekillianjones I wanted to show that I’m not abandoning any story. No fic left behind. Thanks for reading!

Cover By the lovely @hookedonapirate

Tagged a few friends: @revanmeetra87  @hookedonapirate @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @ilovemesomekillianjones @kymbersmith-90 @kmomof4 @djlbg @mayquita @andiirivera @thesschesthair @pirateherokillian @onceuponaprincessworld @aprilqueen84 @snowbellewells @resident-of-storybrooke  @branlovestowrite  @sherlockianwhovian  @shireness-says @tiganasummertree  @dassala @onceuponaprincessworld @let-it-raines @profdanglaisstuff @stophookingatmeswan  @optomisticgirl  @gingerchangeling  @xemmaloveskillianx @xhookswenchx    

|AO3| |FFN|

Summary: Modern AU about a guy that remakes himself into a womanizer after a broken-heart. Yes, it is a cliché but the twist comes in the shape of his 15-year-old niece that wishes out into the stars and then some kind of magic happens. This story is inspired by the movie “What Women Want”. Captain Swan AU, there will be other ships but the main pair is Captain Swan.

~~~~~

Chapter 1

Killian Jones is the epitome of a man’s man, he’s admired, a true alpha, and other men want to be him. He has a way with the ladies, but he doesn’t understand a thing about them. At least he doesn’t now.  Yep, he knows how to please a woman, but once the thrill of the chase is done, so is he.

But, Killian Jones wasn't always the womanizer he is now. Once upon a time, he'd been head over heels in love with his college girlfriend, Milah. In his eyes, they'd been in love and monogamous. He'd wanted to marry her. He was young but he hadn't cared; if his brother Liam could find his soulmate at a young age, why couldn't he?

He was on his way to surprise his love with an unexpected romantic visit, armed with a ring in his coat pocket. He was on his way to propose to his Milah. It started to sprinkle and the light showers made for a romantic setting. He noticed a sports car parked across the entrance of the dorms and as he got closer, he saw Milah run out of her dorm covering her head from the assaulting raindrops, and into the mysterious car.

He rushed over, assuming she was headed out with friends, only to witness his longtime girlfriend kissing a stranger. Not knowing what else to do, he knocked on the window. She looked at him coldly as she lowered it, she didn't even look sorry. Before he could say a word she ended things. "We are over, Killian. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way that you do. You are suffocating me."

Just like that his life was over, or at least life as he knew it. She'd never loved him. The car pulled away and all he could do was drop to his knees. "I loved you, I wanted you to be my wife," he whispered into the silence that surrounded him. In that moment, his heart broke.

He dragged himself back home, and he allowed himself to breakdown. As time passed, one thought emerged, "Good guys finish last." He had been a model boyfriend and it had been for naught.

Killian Jones picked up the pieces of his shattered life, and when he started to put them back together, the sweet, idealistic, young, innocent man was no more. He focused on his studies, shut everyone out other than for physical intimacy here and there. He joined a gym, got a personal trainer. As he came into his looks, women flocked to him, and the more unavailable he seemed, the more they wanted him. He doggedly pursued his career in advertising, and his hyper focus, take no prisoners ideals got him to the top quickly. Over the years, Killian became a very different man, he'd evolved into a successful, irresistible, bachelor bad boy.

…

Dark tousled hair falls over his eyes as he sits up, rudely awoken by the loud noise emitted from the vacuum cleaner outside of his bedroom. His eyes are red from the lack of sleep after a late night of enjoyable activities.

"Bloody hell, don't you ever knock?" Killian throws his pillow at the offending woman now in his bedroom.

"I did, and besides you and I know that if I wasn't here to wake you, you would always be late for work." Granny Lucas temporarily turns off the vacuum and throws the pillow right back at his face.

"The only reason I put up with your attitude is because I love the way you cook." He gets up and stretches, unphased by Granny's presence.

"Don't get cranky with me! It's not my fault you went out drinking and who knows what else till all hours of the morning. Oh, and I don't like finding these stuffed in your sofa." Granny holds out a pair of red panties in his direction as she looks around the room to see what kind of mess is in there. She flings the trashy panties into the trash can and walks out without another word.

Standing in the middle of his large bedroom chuckling at Granny's outburst, he decides it's time to get ready for work. It is a special day after all. He will be getting that promotion he has been coveting.

Killian makes his way to the bathroom and takes a quick shower before trimming his beard and mustache. He almost forgets to put in some eye drops to hide his late night.

He dons an onyx black suit with a dark blue tie that matches his eyes, then smirks and winks to himself as he takes one last look at the mirror.

He knows his eyes are one of his finest assets, so he dresses to emphasize them, allowing them to draw an audience.

As he's exiting his building, he spots his door woman and smirks as she eyes him up and down. She smiles appreciatively at him and waves for a cab. Unbeknownst to Killian, as he walks towards the cab she appreciates his form and thinks, "Mmm hmm." She admired his form while he stood there completely unaware of the woman's thoughts.

He instructs the cab driver to make a quick stop at the local coffee shop, The Jolly Bean. He swaggers inside the small shop almost knocking over an unsuspecting pretty woman. Smiling, he backs up and holds the door for her. "I'm sorry love; I wasn't watching where I was going."

She looks up and meets those sea colored eyes. "Oh, it's fine; I was the one that should have been paying more attention."

"No darling, I'm happy taking the blame for this wonderful encounter. If it would have been any other way, perhaps we would have missed the opportunity of meeting. My name is Killian Jones." He holds her gaze and extends his hand.

Her eyelashes flutter as she gives him her hand. "My name is Haylee."

"It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm sure." They continue with their light flirtation as she gives him her phone number and leaves.

He now realizes he has spent the last five minutes flirting instead of getting his coffee. He hopes the cab driver is still outside waiting for him. He walks up to the counter and smiles at the barista.

"Hello Killian, the usual?"

"Hello love, aye may I have an Americano, black, Grande."

She smirks and repeats his order to the trainee. "You said Grande correct?"

"Aye, would you like to confirm my size?" He waggles his eyebrows.

"Killian, I have told you before I'm not your type."

"Lila, if you truly want me to stop flirting with you, all you have to do is say the word."

She looks past him to the following customer, so Killian moves out of the way while waiting for a response.

"Hello, what can I get you today?"

The flustered man is about to answer but is interrupted by Killian. "This will just take a sec."

"Lila, love, an answer would be appreciated."

"Killian, please stop flirting with me. Look, even if I wanted to go out with you I can't, I'm trying to focus on my acting career. I go to auditions and then have to come here. To be honest, I don't need the distraction."

"I will stop as requested, but darling you look so tense. We could continue talking about this over dinner tonight, how about we meet here around 8:30 P.M.?"

"Oh, that sounds really nice."

"So it's a date?"

"Yes, it is, thank you."

The next customer in line is in awe at the scene before him.

Killian smiles at Lila as he grabs his coffee and winks her way.

"I'm sorry mate."

"No, it was worth it, that was inspiring."

"I know." Killian then pats his latest pupil on the shoulder and leaves the coffee shop.

Killian is thankful the taxi cab is still waiting for him, he'll reward him with a nice tip. He relaxes a bit as the taxi drives towards his office at one of the top five ad agencies in the city, Midas-Knightley.

The receptionist, Elaine is answering the phone as Killian crosses the lobby. He winks at her, and she becomes noticeably flustered.

When he exits the elevator at his floor, the always lively Will Scarlett is approaching him.

"Jones, did you hear?"

"Hello Scarlett, hear what?"

"Bacardi and BMW are looking for a new ad agency."

"Oh that, I know, I'm all over it."

They continue walking to Killian's office, enthralled in their small conversation.

"So what happened with the girl from last night? She excused herself because she had an early morning."

"Don't worry Scarlett, I had her in bed by eleven."

"Mate, you are a bloody genius, I don't know how you do it. And you must be excited about your promotion."

"I am extremely excited, and if you ask me I would say it is overdue. I have a meeting with George this morning."

"Let's have lunch at Wonderland to celebrate?"

"I have to decline; I have lunch plans with my brother and his wife. They've some big news they are dying to tell me."