#i promise i didn't cut the first one off early :'( that's the very last frame of him smiling like the sun before it cuts away

[meidui]

happy steve, drinking with thor (´◡`)

[fluffytheocelot]

Hello it’s extremely late oops. Did not realize how long this thing would take (28 and a half hours apparently according to procreate lmao) but finally, here it is!

Carmen Week Day 8: La Femme Rouge

Holy crap that was a lot of characters! For day 8 I wanted to draw all the ways I've drawn/imagined Carmen over the last 5 years! There are many I didn't do for one reason or another, but it mainly boiled down to space lol. These 10 (11 including canon Carmen) are (most) of my favorites of my AUs :)

this turned out so cool im putting it in a frame when i get a chance lol

Info and solo drawings for each under the cut! it is. so long lol

as usual, i'll gladly answer asks about em :) i have plans to write a few for sure, but it's gonna be A While for them lol

Cat:

Both a Warriors AU and also just my "_____ as a cat" style!

This ones a lot less fleshed out so just bear with me lol. (ATM there might only be 2 clans, ACME and VILE, idk yet lol. idk what to name em either cos stickin "clan" on the end don't feel right XD)

In the Warriors AU, Sheeppaw grows up learning 2 contradictory versions of the Warrior Code: The true one from Shadowstalk, and the VILE version from older warriors. She gets made an apprentice a couple moons early, but is relegated only to camp duties until shes 6 moons old.

She trains alongside Cracklepaw, Tigerpaw, Molepaw, Goatpaw, and Silentpaw. At her first gathering she meets another apprentice, maybe a few moons older, from the other clan: Jewelpaw. The two hit it off and become good friends (and develop little mutual crushes). Sheeppaw also sneaks out and meets a kittypet: Player, who she also becomes very good friends with.

When her mentor, the deputy, Shadowstalk fails her on her final warrior assessment she pretty much has most of the same reaction as the show, just in the WC style.

After witnessing a murder, she hightails it out of there and encounters the newly named Crackletail. Panicked, she hastily and vaguely tells him she saw something and needs to Leave.

She makes it to Players yard and lays low for a while, and he introduces her to the neighbor cats, a sibling pair named Zack and Ivy. The four brainstorm and Sheeppaw is renamed Carmen. They know they cant let VILE keep doing what they're doing. So rogue Carmen and her kittypet friends start figuring things out from behind the scenes.

Pirate Cat:

Exactly as it says, bipedal cat world. Black Sheep was dropped off at a random orphanage in England, with a small stuffed black sheep (where she got her name). Since everybody are cats, Black Sheep isn't that atypical of a name. Sorta a mix of normal people names and cat names.

She grows up there alongside her self-appointed older brother Graham. When she's about 10-11ish she meets the princess: Julia Argent. Childhood friends to lovers letsgoo (its a recurring theme in these lol. its cute i like it).

The two eventually get together (in secret, yay homophobia and also societal status) It doesn't help that Black Sheep had a habit of getting in trouble so she could see the princess her princess.

The two get caught one night, and Black Sheep is nearly executed for "corrupting royalty", but Julia manages to talk her father down from that. Instead, she is exiled. If she ever sets foot in the kingdom after dawn, she WILL be killed this time.

Julia visits one last time, and Black Sheep promises to return someday when she finds somewhere where they can be together freely. She gives Julia her stuffed sheep to look after while she's gone, and asks her to take care of Fuega while she's gone (on one of their sneak-outs, they found a baby dragon that Julia managed to convince her dad to let her keep). Julia gives her the triangle choker. yay tearful goodbyes ;-;

Black Sheep and Graham (because no way is he letting his little sister go into exile without him) go from place to place, stealing when they need to and end up accidentally stowing away on a VILE pirate ship.

VILE pirate training to avoid death, they escape. Graham appoints the newly named Carmen Sandiego captain of their little ship, and they also pick up Zack, Ivy, and Player along the way. Carmen becomes very well known around the globe: civilians/lower class people see her as a Robin Hood hero (correct), while most royals and nobles see her as nothing but a filthy pirate (incorrect).

A few years go by when suddenly the crew gets word that the King of England is trying to marry off his daughter, who has recently come of age. Cue panicked race home + childhood lover reunion.

Daughter of Poseidon (Carmen Sandiego and the Olympians):

Percy Jackson AU! Replace Percy with Carmen, Grover with Player, Annabeth with Julia, and switch/move around some plot points and that's about it lol. I keep telling myself I'll do some scene rewrites of this one so we'll see. Includes PJO and HOO acting as prequels for Carmen Sandiego. Def wanna do dome rewrites for the canon show for this AU too lol

Dino Squad:

I'm out here combining one obscure kids show with another lol. If you haven't seen it, Dino Squad is this early 2000s animated show about these 5 teenagers that get mutated and can turn into dinosaurs, and go around stopping the bad guy from turning everything into dinosaurs. (I think the entire series may be on youtube lol. its goofy but man i loved it as a kid. i wanted dino powers so bad)

This is basically a high school au but most of Team Red has dinosaur powers. :P

In this, Dr. Bellum is experimenting with bringing dinosaurs back, but instead of just cloning them, she figures out how to mutate already-existing organisms into others.

(in the OG dino squad, the bad guy IS a dinosaur that evolved into a human--long story--and believes everything should still be dinosaurs. hes technically right, tbf, if the meteor hadn't hit they prolly still WOULD be dinosaurs. why does bellum want dinosaurs? because she's Bellum and she Can lol)

Carmen Wolfe and her twin brother Graham (they're fraternal twins. why? bc i thought it would be funny. yes he still has his accent. its my world i do what i want) are raised by Carlotta and Dexter Wolfe in Kittery Point, Maine. Carlotta is a paleontologist/biologist and Dexter is a history and geography teacher at the high school. They do know of VILE and what Bellum was working on and have been monitoring it in secret from the kids.

Carmen and Julia are those friends that met bc they were both hiding under the slide in like. Preschool and just stayed friends lol. They're the kind of best friends that will just. Show Up. usually Julia at Carmen's house because "You have better snacks" also Julia's parents just Don't Like Carmen. (Why? idk bc i said so. idk they think she's a bad influence. she's really not lol) Literally Julia has like a spot on the couch and a table setting. She's basically the third twin these three have known each other essentially their entire lives.

Zack and Ivy joined the group in middle school, when Ivy had the same class as Carmen, Julia, and Gray. Zack joined via association. (Zack and Ivy, on the other hand are not twins. again. bc its funny. each sibling pair thought the other was like them. zack and ivy thought Carmen and Gray were just normal siblings, and Carmen and Gray thought Zack and Ivy were twins. Julia had to explain to all of them it was not the case lol)

Player is Carmen's online friend that the whole group includes. they all game together and he gets ALL the public school tea. hes about the same age as Zack, so about a year-ish younger than Carmen, Gray, Ivy, and Julia.

At the end of their freshman year, Carmen and Julia start dating. Their friends and Carmen's parents know, they keep it secret from everyone else. At the end of the summer everybody (aside from Player) go to the beach for one last day of freedom before school starts. They swim through the mutant goo, and over the next few days discover their powers.

Carlotta IDs each dino: Carmen is a (large/person sized) pyroraptor, Gray is a T. rex, Julia is a troodon, and I still cant decide on Zack and Ivy's dino forms lol. Carlotta and Dexter explain the whole VILE thing and the group just kinda simultaneously goes "welp guess we're superheroes now. cool"

so yea dealing w highschool and also mutant dinosaurs and superpowers. this ones fun bc they can just be stupid kids lol

The Last Wolf:

My werewolf AU. The one that started all this mess and my love for making AUs of this show. It was my first fanfic i ever wrote, and it is very near to my heart. it's also gotten out of hand and become a franchise at this point it's ridiculous. (Seriously i've got a prequel of her parents planned and also a series of shorts set in the universe) It's gonna be a long ride, boys. Hope people still like CS by the time it's done lol

A Thief's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse:

Zombie apocalypse AU! Talked about this one a bit for AU day, and also as of this post I have ~1k words written of the first chapter! I also have a bunch of the major plot points outlined too ;) I wouldn't expect anything soon tho lol.

She wears a wetsuit under the coat bc it's really hard to bite through, especially with rotten jaws. She's got some boots she probably scavenged or traded for, and of course: the Walkman she probably found looting some abandoned building. She collects cassettes to listen to. Gotta keep sane in the end of the world.

How is this one a literal apocalypse and its still more lighthearted than the one based on FNAF lol

Redd Wolf (Five Nights at Redd's):

FNAF AU. I've truly lost it lol. I have this one completely outlined, nothing written but a lot of things are VERY clear in my mind. This ones uh. a lot more intense than even Thief's Guide. It's FNAF. its immense violence and child death. Seriously, Carmen, Player, Gray, Ivy, Zack, and Julia all end up possessing animatronics at some point. It ends happily, but it is based off a horror thing so if that's not your thing b careful <3

its supposed to be more of a mystery that gets unraveled, but if anyone wants specifics of it u can drop an ask :) i only have animatronic designs for Carmen, Julia, and Gray so far tho. I have ideas for the others too.

This is one I wanna share with y'all at some point. its probably the shortest of the AUs I have outlined so far, so yk. maybe in this lifetime lol.

Carmen and the Age of Wonderbeasts:

Mega Jaguar Carmen. This ones more of a ~vibe~ than an actual plot but i like drawing mega jag carm :)

Plushie Dragon:

This one's not an AU, but actually based on doodles of these 2 plush dragons! Matching red/gold and blue/silver dragons named after carmen and julia lol. I'll get around to posting more drawings of em cause they're cute

the plushies <3 (they have spikes u just cant see em:

ik they look goofy i lov them anyways

Wings of Fire:

Wings of Fire AU! Carmen is a rainwing/skywing hybrid (rainwing dad, skywing mom) She can camoflauge, fly decently fast, and has a prehensile tail. She can't breathe fire or use typical venom, BUT she figures out her venom, while not face-melting by itself, IS in fact flammable. again, more of a ~vibe~ than a story and plot, but I like drawing dragons.

Canon Carmen:

She's front and center, the one that started all this.

Way back in 2019, the autism and ADHD departments in my brain came to an agreement: This show is the greatest show of all time.

It was the first fandom I actively contributed to/interacted with. (I still read fics from other fandoms before, but had never been active in a fandom) Like I mentioned with Last Wolf, I had never actually written fanfiction before, and definitely never posted it. I love writing and telling stories (and boy howdy do I have A Lot of stories rolling around my brain). between all of the AUs ive come up with, I've gotten to practice so much worldbuilding and characterization. English classes usually focused on expository stuff, with like. a brief fiction writing thing. So I've definitely gotten to stretch my creative writing muscles with this show, and hopefully I can put em to use on original projects someday <3

I fell in love with the first season, and got ridiculously excited for every new season and the interactive. (heck, i played every possible option for the interactive the day it came out, and binged every subsequent season the day they aired.)

This show has been a big part of my life the last five years, and the original show will always be special to me. It's the reason I started learning to draw people lol, I have a drawing of Carmen from 2020 that I'm still really proud of. It's hung on my bedroom wall to this day.

So thank you, Carmen Sandiego. For everything.

[lunar-years]

what are your headcanons about tartt sr’s abuse? did it start when jamie was a teenager? was he always physically violent with jamie and maybe georgie too?

the s3 the finale is so disrespectful to georgie now that i think about it

Hi! This ones not super easy to answer because i think the show leaves the specifics largely up for interruption. My own thoughts on it are all over the map (and often change). I can basically see a lot of different avenues to getting to what we see play out in Man City, and I've seen a lot of differing thoughts on this topic; to be honest I find myself nodding along to most all of them even though all of them could definitely not coexist in the same universe, lol. So this is far from set in stone in my mind but here are my (once again quite long oops) general thoughts on how it might have gone (obviously TW for discussion of abuse below the cut):

the abuse canonically did start when Jamie was a teenager, because we know the Amsterdam trip happened when he was 14; whether the abuse also took the form of physical violence at that age I'm less certain, but I lean towards the bulk of that coming later. At this stage James was still in his "Stand Up Father" routine

I think the early relationship when James Tartt Sr. first came back into Jamie's life would've been a lot of false promises and the "Fun Dad" shtick Jamie describes when talking about Amsterdam. We also know James tried to get Georgie back at least once, and the way I interpreted the tone in which that was said was that the trip was neither the first nor the last time that happened. I kind of headcanon that James was in and out of rehab during that time, swearing to do better, making the same mistakes, rinse and repeat

Jamie's thoughts on James were a jumble of juxtapositions. James could always sweet-talk getting them an extra scoop of ice cream for free at the shop, he took Jamie to City matches and showed up all the time with cool or expensive gifts his mum could never afford - official kits and the like. He taught Jamie "life skills" like picking locks and petty crime tricks that, to a 12 year old were fucking cool! On the other hand he was also taking Jamie to pubs and making him try beer when he was like, 12 or 13. He made Jamie hang out with him and his friends - who were crude and brash and kind of scary. He arranged for Jamie to lose his virginity in Amsterdam because it was "past time for him to grow up and be a man."

All of those latter things made Jamie at best uncomfortable, but they were always balanced by the fun stuff. The good stuff. The problem was he never knew which version of his dad he was going to get on any given day, so he could never prepare for it.

I think the physical violence started off "small" - shaking his shoulder aggressively, keeping an ironclad grip on the back of Jamie's neck, etc. When he hit Jamie the first time he showed up the next day with a grand apology. He always used "getting too drunk" as his excuse and said "it won't happen again" and Jamie always believed him until the next time, because it really didn't happen that often, and anyway the bruises were never anything he couldn't keep hidden from Mummy and the teachers at school.

there were maybe one or two "Bad Times" when James "lost control" (in his own later words) and got Very Violent with Jamie whilst he was still a teenager. These are the times when Jamie learned how to hide substantial injuries and bruises from his team, his coaches, etc. and stared at his Roy Kent hoping by some miracle for the man to come out of it and save him.

I also think this is an instance where a young Jamie might have ~fought back~ and/or purposely said things to provoke his father, only to then have the resulting beat-down framed as a "punishment" by James, which scared him shitless (because canon Jamie does not seem afraid of most anything, but he is definitely terrified of his dad and that came from somewhere) and effectively prevented him fighting back in future. These occasions very much stand out as formative in his memory because the violence was so not constant at that time; the biggest thing to me is that James was incredibly inconsistent and that was part of his manipulation. Jamie started wondering if he was somehow at fault for the abuse, if it was his failure to be good that caused his dad to hurt him.

"say goodnight son..." when he goes to kill Beard with a lead pipe sure says a lot. I think that level of beating on Jamie and physically abusing him really began when Jamie was an adult playing for Man City. Both before he comes to Richmond and after he is sent back to Manchester in s1. He "restrained" himself during the season, to keep Jamie fit enough to play. But the off season has been a historically bad time for Jamie.

this is the timeframe where I think Jamie has a very tense relationship with his mother and isn't really talking to her about anything, let alone James. The distance between them started when he was teenager keeping secrets, worsened when she began things with Simon, and are by this point at an all time low, and he's fallen back on his father, spending more time with him than ever. He's essentially isolated himself from any support system and this is when things are really very Bad.

As for Georgie -

yes, i do imagine she also suffered from James abuse, though I don't think the abuse would have looked exactly the same for her as for Jamie

I think the bulk of it was emotional/verbal abuse. I can very much see James yammering on about he'd "never hit a woman." meanwhile he's spewing constant vitriol about her, calling her a bad mother, calling her slurs, and of course beating on their kid. But (in his warped brain) slapping Jamie around isn't the same as slapping Georgie around, because Jamie should be "able to take it" and "be a man." Just all kinds of ickiness exuding from that man.

"your father is never, ever going to change" is definitely the consensus (to me) of a woman who has been deeply manipulated by James in past and let down herself by his false promises. i would not be surprised if she HAD gotten back together with James once when Jamie was a teenager and he was on a longer sobriety stint from rehab.

I do think Georgie knew on some level that Jamie was being abused but I also really believe she did not realize the full extent. Jamie kept secrets from her (Amsterdam included). Georgie sensed there were secrets, but didn't poke into them, in part because of her own james-related trauma and in part for paralyzing fear of what she'd find if she looked deeper. It was easier to believe Jamie was still telling her only truths. So she comforted him the best ways she knew how, and she did her best to limit the time Jamie spent with James, but Jamie adamantly always wanted to see his dad, and she had to work so often and couldn't always be around to monitor him, and what was she to do, in the end?

Jamie does tell Georgie all of it after they repair their relationship circa/post s2/s3, and the resulting bond is stronger than ever.

[tiktokitssinoclock]

Accidentally Seeing you Change - The Valorant Guys (p.I)

SFW // Minors and ageless blogs DNI // You will be blocked

Sova

One of the things Sova loves doing with you is repairing the protocol's equipment

The chore itself is pretty dull and there isn't a whole lot the agents can do to make it fun, but ever since he got paired up with you to get it done, he almost... looks forward to it

You're always cracking jokes, finding new ways to make him laugh, giving yourself ridiculous 'war paint' when you clean gun barrels, etc.

He found himself thoroughly looking forward to the time you two spent together

One day, though, you got there a little early to get a head start on repainting some vandals

It would've been an easy enough task if the airbrush hadn't malfunctioned and doused your shirt

You cursed to yourself and surveyed the damage, silently mourning the severity of the new stains on your favorite tank top, but begrudgingly shrugged out of it to grab a spare from your bag

Unfortunately, Sova walked in right at that moment

He almost didn't even know how to react

He was speechless for several moments, his eyes glued to your shirtless frame as you nonchalantly shuffled through your backpack, before he finally snapped himself out of it

He may have knocked over a rack of pistols in his haste to look away, cheeks positively flaming as he held up a hand to shield you from his sight

"I'm- apologies, I'm so sorry."

"Oh! No, Sova, you're fine-"

No matter what you told him, he was basically a bumbling apologetic mess for the entirety of your time together in the equipment room

He couldn't so much as spare you a glance without immediately looking away, a million apologies seeming to spill from his lips

"Its really no big deal, I was wearing a bra."

"You've seen me in less during our beach trips, come on."

"For the last time, I don't hate you."

Yoru

You and Yoru were on a mission together, which didn't happen too terribly often, but he was glad when it did

You could throw back whatever shit he gave you, returning playful insults with an ease that made his cheeks dust pink

Just as you were quick-witted, you also had a fairly sharp eye in the field

You couldn't save him from everything, however, and his current state was a painful reminder of that

You had barely managed to drag the man back to the hideout, Yoru's body basically dead weight as he cradled a tore-up forearm to his chest, rapidly loosing the battle to stay awake

Jostling him as little as possible, you settled him on his cot before scouring the small room and tearing your backpacks apart

"No more bandages, are you fucking kidding me? Fine, fine. We'll make do."

Before he could even wrap his mind around what you were doing, he heard you kick off your boots followed by the rustle of cloth

He should've done the gentlemanly thing- keeping his damn eyes shut and passing out- but curiosity got the better of him

He managed to peel them open, the sight of you shucking off your cargo pants before cutting them into strips with a dagger greeting him

You seemed entirely unfazed as you settled beside him and helped him shrug off the remnants of his jacket, ignoring the sudden boldness the blood loss gave him

"At least let me take you out to dinner first, hmm?"

"Haha, very funny. Next time it'll be your pants I shred."

"You promise?"

He relished in the laugh that earned, only allowing himself to steal glimpses of the smooth skin of your thighs as you carefully cleaned and bandaged him

He waited until you were completely finished dressing his wounds before nodding towards an extra pair of sweats peaking out of the top of his backpack

"Help yourself. Or not. I don't mind."

His eyes were already rolling back into his head when you shot him an amused grin

The next morning, when he was no longer on the verge of passing out and had his wits about him, he was absolutely mortified and could hardly make eye contact with you

You teased him about it for the rest of the mission, silently enjoying the blush it sent creeping down his neck

Chamber

Snow was far down on the list of Chamber's idea of ideal weather, the man trying to get caught in it as little as possible

That's why he found himself opting to stay inside with the other agents while you, Jett, and Phoenix decided to go goof around in the powdery white that had fallen outside

Not even being inside the protocol itself kept all of the cold at bay, though, Chamber shivering slightly as he returned to the locker room from the indoor training arena

He had full intentions of stepping into a hot shower and thawing out for a while, opening up his locker to retrieve a towel and his clean clothes

His plans came to a halt, however, when he heard the sound of feet rush into the room and someone fumbling with a lock

Not long after, there was a faint rustle followed by a slew of hushed curses

Half expecting Neon to have forgotten her combination again, Chamber let out a heavy sigh and began stepping away from his own locker

"You're lucky I don't charge you every time I have to pick the lock, my friend-"

The words died in his throat when he found you staring back at him, clad in nothing but a bra and jeans with a soaked sweater in your hold

After a few moments, you managed to finally speak

"I- uh, I didn't know you were here. There was a snow ball fight. I had to learn the hard way that snow stays pretty solid until it touches something warm."

Despite your cold-induced trembling, you pressed the sweater against your chest to cover yourself as best as you could while you gestured towards your empty locker

"And I forgot to leave a spare jumper in here. Figures."

There was a beat of measured silence, Chamber doing everything in his power to keep his stare fixed only to your face

Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself walking over to you, holding out the knitted turtleneck he was going to change into

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Hmm... you know, on second thought, you could always just go back outside like that-"

You quickly accepted the long-sleeved shirt and tugged it on, sighing in relief at the warmth the material provided to your chilled skin before shooting him a grin

"Thanks, Vince. I owe you one."

Chamber stood idle long after you'd left the room, steam practically rolling off him in waves as the image of you in his clothes burned itself into the back of his skull

Perhaps he would actually be taking a cold shower, instead

[asfeline]

🄲🄾🄻🄻🄴🄰🄶🅄🄴 🄶🄾🄹🄾 🅇 🄵🄴🄼! 🅁🄴🄰🄳🄴🅁

Please be aware of the tags before reading ⚠️

Smut !!

Summary : Gojo is a frustrated colleague and you take care of him

Tags : office sex, voyeurism, unprotected-sex

Credit : rennca_ on Twitter

You were checking your computer very unmotivated after seeing the message at the top of your emails.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐋/𝐍, 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐗𝐗𝐗 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐫. 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓. 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝟓, 𝟗 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟒 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐗𝐘𝐙 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨@𝐲𝐲𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞.𝐜𝐨𝐦

You looked at the top of your screen and the calendar showed you June 5. You sighed. You had put off the date long enough. You rolled your eyes; you definitely didn't want to meet that famous Gojo Satoru whose reputation was pursuing him as a womanizer. You printed the necessary papers, took your phone and looked at the time, 17:49.

Well, I'll go quickly and go home, you thought. You salivated at the thought of your pizza waiting in your freezer. For once you could go home early and enjoy a quiet evening. You grabbed your bag and took a good stretch.

You headed for the elevator. Which floor again? You consulted your company's website and looked for his name in the contacts. His picture appeared first. Womanizer... you could see why all the women were behind. With that piercing blue gaze, and the peculiar color of his platinum hair, even you had to admit that he was more than attractive. Even on his profile, which was supposed to be professional, you could see that he had a little smile on his face, the photographer was certainly a pretty woman. You chased your thoughts and slid on his profile to see his office number: 711.

So, 7th floor, you clicked on the button that indicated the right number.

Once there you looked at the arrows indicating in which direction you should go. The one on the left indicated his office only.

-Son of... you whistled through your teeth; you have an office all to yourself... pfff... you muttered jealously.

His office must have been gigantic. And from where you were, you could see his door, framed by two large windows. You raised your eyebrows admiring the fact that his office was made of glass and that it certainly overlooked an extraordinary view.

You walked over and a few feet before the door, a desk was on your right.

You could read "Secretary" on the silver plate in the middle of the cabinet, but without the owner at her post. You thought about whether you could leave the documents here and go.

-Shit, thinking about the deadline that was today. You couldn’t leave not knowing if he saw them or not, plus you needed to discuss some points with him. Well, never mind let’s see if he’s here, you approached the door which was slightly opened.

Yes! you thought, that means he was still here, you put your hand to open it when you heard muffled sounds coming from inside. You reached out to see what was going on, to see if he was in a meeting with someone but the sounds were more and more like grunts. You closed your eyes and pursed your lips.

It's not what I think it is, right? you thought.

You reached out even closer and heard the moans of a man and those of a woman, whose mouth must have been currently occupied by the "slurp" sounds you could hear.

This was the worst... you thought. How could you interrupt this moment? You definitely weren't going to wait for him to finish his business, nor were you going to go in without being announced, embarrassing them. This is not the place to do that. You bit your lip at the thought, you weren't the one who could talk. You massaged your temple, thinking

-Shit, can you go faster or not?... he moaned from within.

Well, you had to get up the courage, otherwise you would never have made it home. You knocked twice.

-Mr. Gojo? Y/N L/N here, I'm supposed to drop off files for the updates Mr. Nanami requested. Can I leave them on the desk outside for you? you asked.

You heard a sharp muffled noise.

-No, bring them in here, he answered.

What? you thought.

-I need to see the files Mrs. L/N. Come in! he continued.

-What?! said the female voice inside.

You heard several gesticulations in the office before a young woman, slightly taller than you, came out, red with embarrassment. She put her hair back in place and walked towards her desk.

-Oh, and Miss Suwaga? The young woman turned around. Stay at your post, I've sent you the last of the appointments for the week. Finish this and you can go home.

She breathed and went back to her office with a quick step. You swallowed. You didn't know where to put yourself.

-Come in... he said in a deep voice.

You took the files clutched in your hands close to your pounding chest and closed the door behind you. He was sitting in the direction of his large bay window; you could see him from three-quarters. From there you could see that his shirt was down to one button, his hair was partially pulled back. He turned around in his chair to face you.

-Sorry for the wait, I was ... busy, he said, winking at you.

You looked at him and shrugged.

-Next time maybe try to make sure you're alone? you say dryly.

He slumped back in his large chair and crossed his arms behind his head.

-Oh? And the idea of being surprised? he asked you. Isn't that something that excites you?

A wave of electricity shot through your body, ending in your panties. Yes, it is. You had experienced it not long ago.

-I think the topic is off the table for our meeting, you answered him trying to face him. I'll cut to the chase. I'm here to drop this off, you handed him the documents. I need to discuss with you the importance of points 5, 9 and 14, if possible.

-5 June huh?... he said gently.

-Pardon?

He tapped his watch. You raised an eyebrow.

-Fortunately, that my activities saved you then.

You frowned your eyes trying to understand what he was getting at. He smiled.

-Usually I'm out by 5:30, and it would have been too late for you. Knowing Kento, he sent you these documents easily a week in advance... why did you wait so long to deliver them to me?

You couldn't tell him that you didn't want to meet him, that was not very professional...

-I'm on the right date, the rest doesn't matter.

-I'm not so sure about that thought but whatever. So, points 5, 9 and 14... he looked at them and typed some things on his computer. You discussed their implementation and every time you spoke, he looked at you intensely, in a way that made your whole back shiver. You didn't know if he was making you uncomfortable or if it was because of the excitement that was starting to build up in your body. You had to leave before you got to the end of that thought.

-I think we have everything, don't you? you asked, cutting off his gaze.

He tilted his head to the side looking you up and down.

-I have a few more things I'd like to go over with you, he said.

-Is this about our meeting? You asked.

He looked up at the ceiling, thinking.

-More or less, he continued.

-I'm listening then, you answered.

He tilted his head to the side, facing the glass that separated his office from the hallway. His secretary was still at her post, looking exasperated. He smirked.

-I must tell you something, he began. As you can imagine, you stopped me in a crucial moment, and you see I'm both frustrated because I'm currently very tight in my pants.

You widened your eyes.

-But at the same time, I'd like to thank you because it really wasn't incredible, what was going on I mean. He smiled at you, not taking his eyes off you.

-Shall I say “you are welcome”? you said in a playful tone.

His smile did not leave his lips, his tongue passing slowly between them. He rested his elbows on his desk, resting his head on his hands, staring at you. Your legs closed as if by automatic.

-I'd like to be the one to tell you "you're welcome", if you can follow what I'm getting at. I have the impression that you are not indifferent to me, right?

You pinched your lips.

-Well... he continued

He got up from his desk, walking around, you followed him with your eyes. He sat down on the edge, facing you, his legs level with your chest, which was quickening with your breathing. You didn't really know what to say, but to be honest, yes, it had an effect on you. More than you'd like to admit.

-Your face answers for you, baby, I almost don't need you to answer me, he says. I want to hear your beautiful voice...

-Gojo...

-Yes, he cut you off, I want to hear you shout that name, my pretty, under my movements.

The electricity that was flowing through you was really starting to burn, it was making you hot now.

-With your secretary outside? I'm having trouble...

-Oh? so if she's not there... is that a yes? But you see she has to work; she won't bother us... he says with a growing smile.

You swallow, what were you doing? Your pizza was waiting for you, your quiet evening. But deep down, you wanted to see if his reputation was based on anything real.

-Maybe, you say. But if you promise to contain your moaning, maybe I can get past it.

He grunted. So that was his kink? Being heard? Found out?

-Can you? he asked.

-It depends on how well my partner do, you said confidently.

-Confident huh, he said in a hoarse voice. He got up and went to lock the door, turning his secretary's head in your direction.

He signaled her to continue working through the glass.

When he turned around, he could see you starting to unbutton your dress, revealing your black lacy lingerie underneath. You easily let it fall to your feet and found yourself in front of him wearing only your underwear and semi-opaque tights.

He looked you up and down and swallowed. Perfect was the word on his lips. His erection already present since the beginning of your meeting was growing and soon would not be able to hold in his pants become too tight.

You infiltrated a finger on each side of your tights to remove it.

-No, wait! He unexpectedly shouted. I want to do it.

He licked his lips.

-Fuck, you are gorgeous, and I’m picky guy.

He took your head and dipped his tongue in your mouth making you moaned. He took you by the legs, wrapping them around his waist, your almost naked skin touching his exposed chest. You moaned at the contact of his erection on your clothed pussy. He opened his eyes to see your face, focused on your kiss. Oh, he was going to enjoy it. He pinned you down on the desk, his hands sliding down your legs. He got up from you, you opened your eyes slowly to see a semi-god in front of you taking off his shirt, your legs still wrapped around him, your hips starting little movements to rub against him. He smiled.

-Hun, hun, baby, putting his hand on your panties.

He rubbed his fingers against your pussy that only wanted him inside you. You shivered at the thought.

-You are not allowed to move without my permission. I give the orders in my office.

You swallowed and nodded.

-Good girl, he said in a deep voice.

He continued his caresses along your legs, stopping on your thighs and clutching them. He looked at you and smiled widely. You returned his gaze intrigued at what was going on in his head when you felt him suddenly pull on your tights, ripping them off completely, creating two gaping holes on your legs.

-Hey! but before you could continue, he pressed his mouth against yours.

You both moaned in your kiss. His hand slipped under your pantyhose, touching your skin, pinching you then caressing you, leaving little red marks behind. He pulled his hand out and came off from your lips, admiring you panting. He returned his gaze to your pussy, still hidden under too many layers, before tearing off the part of the pantyhose that prevented him from having access to it.

-Ah! you couldn't help but exclaim at the realization that your tights were completely ruined under his attack. Fuck... you felt his warm breath next to your panties, making you even wetter than before. Satoru... please~ you moaned.

-Hmmm, eager I see, he said while shifting your panties to the side having full access to your cunt.

He licked in one go; your pussy completely wet under his movements. He let out an animal growl.

-Tasty, he mumbled before nibbling one of your vaginal lips.

-Urgh! ~ you groaned. More! you begged, putting your hands on his head, in his silver hair.

-What did I say? He said stopping his movements. I give the orders here.

He raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer from you, you nodded slowly, wanting only one thing, that he makes a mess of you.

He returned his attention to your cunt which was just asking for his tongue. He licked one wall, then another, forcing you to gasp under the pleasure of his movements. He finally introduced his long tongue deep into you, making you widen your eyes, and a few tears of pleasure came to the edge of your eyes.

Under his erratic movements, he grunted. He was taking more and more pleasure; his boxers were so tight. He only wanted to take you on his desk until you couldn't walk anymore. He continued to move his tongue back and forth, before concentrating on your clit, biting it tenderly and sucking it repeatedly.

-Ah-ah-ah ~~, you moaned, tongue out. My god… fuck! uh-uh-uh…

He accelerated his movements understanding by your moaning louder and louder that he was doing things right, obviously. He withdrew from your pussy and licked all of your body slowly going up, until he reached your breast.

He easily inserted two long fingers inside you, while licking the contours of your chest. He lifted your bra with his other hand and sucked around your nipple. His fingers quickened the movements, feeling your hips trembling as if you were begging to him to go further. He circled around your clit, making you moaned of pleasure. He nibbled on your nipple before taking more of your breast into his mouth, leaving behind the sucking noises that were getting you off even more. Your pussy tightened at his movements, you felt yourself coming. You couldn't help but cry out in pleasure as he applied pressure to your sensitive spot.

-Hmmm, there yes…yess…ah-ah-ah~~ you moaned so loudly that you knew that the secretary had heard you, making you tighten even more around her fingers. You felt your orgasm coming, making all your legs and body shake.

-OH MY GOD! ~~ you screamed, letting the wave of pleasure take over.

He placed his lips on yours, still fingering you, with his fucking long finger, right through your orgasm. Your walls were clinching around his movements. His name was on your lips, and it was making him so fucking horny. He withdrew from you, letting you breathless on the desk. He let down his pants and started to palpate his dick under his boxer. He was so hard it was painful. You stood up on your elbows, watching him slowly undress before seeing what was waiting for you under his boxers.

-Want that? He asked.

You nodded.

-Ye-yess, I want it… you salivated.

-Suck it then, he ordered removing entirely his boxer, letting free his thick dick, moistened by his precum, decorated by long blue veins. You rolled your tongue over your lips at the thought of having him in your mouth.

You got down from the desk, walking towards him, once facing him you got down on your knees, gently licking his chest. He watched you descend on him, and you never left his sight.

-Mmmh, he moaned, yeah.

You took his cock in your hands, slowly starting to jack him off. You gave a few licks on the top, sucking on his precum which made him tilt his head back. His eyes met those of his secretary who had been looking in your direction for a few minutes now. She could make out your legs, but you were hidden behind the door. Gojo motioned for her to take note, imitating a pen and notebook with his hand, she glared back at him, red. She took her bag, turned around, he let out a laugh. she left the office.

He concentrated on you, who had just started to pump him, rolling your tongue along his member.

-Fuck, you're good, he said in a deep voice.

You took him deeper into your mouth, his tip touching the entrance to your throat. Your heat and wetness turned him on. He took your head and pushed it even deeper into him, holding you firmly. Tears gathered along your eyes and began to roll down. His cock was much too long for you. He pulled out before he pushed in.

-Oh fuck! Yeah!

He accelerated his movements with his hips fucking your mouth hardly. With each coming and going, his cock was pushing more and more into your throat, forcing you to gap on him. He grabbed your head even more, a few more strokes and he'd be able to get himself all the way into your mouth. The thought was already making him want to release himself into you. His movements accelerated and your mouth noises became louder and louder, your saliva and his precum mixing together. He took you out of his mouth, you were completely crying.

What a sight, he thought. You wrapped your hand around him while your jaw readjusted and jerked him off at a rapid pace.

-FUCK yes! Keep it up and I'll cum on you! Shit! UH~~ yes!

He was literally screaming with pleasure. The sun rays were shining through his hair, giving you a wonderful show, this man was the definition of beauty. You took it back into your mouth, pumping it at a steady pace, you felt him shaking, with each of your strokes. His head snapped back, pleasure taking over.

-Holy shit.... I'm gonna... huh-huh~~ cum... fuck!

You sucked his cock completely before diving back on top of him to take him completely, your nose touching his hair, the same color as those on top of his head. You felt him blocking you where you were, with his hands on your head, and his hips took over, moving back and forth at an almost hellish pace in your mouth. Your throat was now completely filled with him.

-Cumming! Huh! ~~ AH!

With one last thrust inside your mouth, he released his cum which went straight into throat, without you being able to do anything. His eyes completely closed, his head still back, his hands on your head and his hips still making little dry movements, as if to make sure you wouldn't let any drop out. He slowly came down from his cloud before watching you swallow the sperm; he had just released into you.

-Fuck that was amazing .... he moaned.

It had been a long time since he had felt so much pleasure from a blow job. Where have you been all this time?

You fell on your hands trying to catch your breath. He laughed at the sight. Confident not long ago, yet you were now on all fours in front of him, and clearly, he wasn't done with you. He took your arm, forcing you to stand up, he pushed his lips on you.

-Incredible, however now this will go into you.

You looked down, seeing that his cock was getting harder. How? In few seconds only… How?

You gasped when he lifted you, kissing you again and bringing you to his chair, next to the bay window, the last rays of sunlight caressing your skin.

-Honey… he said quietly, seeing you shining.

-Sit on me now, I'll take you in that position.

you nodded and placed a leg on each side before taking his cock in your hands, placing it at your entrance. You were soaked with excitement and the touch of his tip on your pussy made you moan.

You rubbed yourself against him, lubricating him before sitting on him, pulling him in more and more.

-Good girl, I'm not quite there yet," he said, watching your two limbs slowly connect. I want to be fully inside you before I let you see the 7th heaven...

You nodded and continued your descent into him, moving up and down to take him even more. You leaned on his head, forcing him to face your breasts still trapped in your bra. He left your slowly descending hips before pulling your bra down leaving your breasts exposed. He sucked on one before grunting, feeling almost entirely inside you. He thrust his hip into you before sneaking your hips into contact.

-Fuck, he steadied himself. Fuck, so tight…

Your eyes were completely closed at the thought of having him inside you. He lowered his head, seeing your juices sliding down your thighs and onto him. He licked his mouth and began to circle his hips so you could feel him all the way inside you. He saw your tongue fall out of your mouth, oh yes you liked that.

He was touching your sensitive points without any effort.

-Move. Now, he ordered.

You lifted yourself up before falling back on top of him, allowing him to see a bulge forming a few inches below your belly button.

He watched you make your moves, hypnotized by the appearance and disappearance of this bump. When was the last time he had faced his partner? For a long time now, he always took them from behind, avoiding meeting their eyes. Yet you, he wanted to see you get off on him. Your movements accelerated on him, your hands went down on his shoulders, your head tilted back. He felt that you were losing your balance, so he grabbed your hips, and started to move in you at a ferrous pace.

-AH! ~~ fuck ye-yessss! You cried.

He was hitting your cervix so easily. He was hammering in you, and you were just a ball of nerve under his contact. With each thrust, he left slap noises that made you so excited. His groans were also growing louder. Your tightness was taking him so good, applying pressure all around his dick.

-God dammit, he moaned, so, so good… ~~

He sped up and sucked on your other tit. You took back his head in your arm, pressing him completely against your chest. Your hands traveled his hair, as he was pounding inside of you. He pinched his lips, not knowing what sounds could still come out of his mouth. You were just a hot mess crying his name, cries that echo throughout his office.

-Huh… I’m cumming… Satoru… harder….

-Fuck… he groaned.

He accelerated his movements, but the chair preventing him from being completely free he got up, you in his arms the legs rolled up around him.

His cadence was animal, he was going to make you cum, and you couldn't take it anymore. He squeezed himself so hard that his cock was part of you. He was coming and going inside you, expanding you again and again, your walls were still adapting. Your pleasure juices were falling on the floor leaving drops gathering more and more on his immaculate marble. His thrusts were more brutal, you felt him coming and you only wanted one thing, his pleasure in you.

-Fuck! he shouted. He took almost all of himself out of you before forcing his hips back into you. I'm gonna fucking cum! In you… shit! ~~

-Ye-ess! inside me! yes! yes! fuck! harder! you screamed.

-You like that, huh! don't you? When I go deep inside you!

He pushed himself deep inside.

-Yes-yess! God, that's the best! Satoru! I love your cock! I love it! URGH! ~~

-ROHH! damn it! He shouted, his rhythm was unbearable.

You came with a loud scream almost falling backwards, but Gojo picked you up by your lower back. You let him do what he wanted with you, not having any energy left, he continued to piston up in your oversensitive pussy, all your nerves were on fire. How does he to still be standing, carrying you and hammering like that??

He was chasing his orgasm. His cock was getting deeper and deeper into you, with one last thrust he went deeper, spilling his hot cum deep inside you.

-Fuck!! he roared. YEAH~~.... fuck!

He let himself in even after a few minutes making sure his cum stayed inside you, even when you went home.

After many minutes he slowly pulled out and slumped back in his chair, you still in his arms. His office was completely dark, as night had fallen. You were slowly catching your breath. You began to remove your pantyhose completely torn off under your partner's hands.

-I don't think it's going to do me much good anymore... you say softly.

He laughed.

-Sorry about that, but I was getting too excited.

-Mmmh... you put your panties back on and slowly buttoned up your dress. You took your bag and pointed to the documents on his desk. Don't forget to fill out the last few items.

He turned to you.

-It takes only a few seconds to do that," he laughed.

-What? You said surprised.

-Yes... I didn't really need all your advice, but an excuse for you to stay. He winked at you, like it worked.

You sighed and picked up your bag.

-Well, Gojo Satoru, it was… nice to meet you, you said as you tapped on the folds of your dress.

-Likewise, likewise… he said closing the buckle of his pants. Can't wait to see the next updates... he snickered.

-Good evening, you answered him turning your back and waving.

-Oh and Y/N ! You turned to him. You are welcome, he said putting his vest on.

You smiled and turned back.

You left his office closing behind you. Ah, his secretary had left. You blushed at the thought that she must have heard you.

You exhaled thinking about your pizza. It’s going to be for another day.

✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉ ✼ ❉

Sorry not sorry ✌︎

[scuttle-buttle]

What's One More?

WC: 3204

Rated: M

Tags: brief mentions of crime/mental illness/child abuse and neglect/substance addiction/theft, fluff, family dynamics, mentions of aging, mentions of difficult pregnancy, softness, anxiety attack

🧠

The harsh vibrating of a phone on the nightstand breaks your slumber. Still half asleep you toss your arm back to thump against your sleeping husband's side. With a groan he answers. You try to settle back into your pillow and the warmth of the blanket. Whoever has the balls to call at this hour has another thing coming - but later because your priority is going back to sleep.

He can't have been on the call more than fifteen seconds before he sits up in bed suddenly, turning on the bedside lamp; his movements grab your attention. You roll over. The light blinds you and you rub at your eyes to adjust. You can't make out what's being said. Looking at the clock to see that it's barely 4 am you know something bad has happened. Quietly you slip out from the covers.

Making your way down the hall you peek into your daughter's room, grateful that she's still fast asleep. Her soft snores punctuate the calm. Your nerves abate knowing she’s safe. By the time you get back to the bedroom Laszlo is up and getting dressed. "What's going on?"

He doesn't answer at first. You wait until he's finished buttoning his shirt to ask again. "Sara was called to consult on a triple homicide case - she's asked for me to come down to the police station. I don't know much yet, but it's something involving a young boy and she wants me to speak with him."

“Did he…?”

“No. He was not directly involved, that much we know.”

You nod, leaning against the door frame. This wasn't the first time that Laszlo had been called in by law enforcement and social services to assist with children and teens that needed psychological help. He had become more active around the time you graduated with your doctorate. After Sophia was born Laszlo helped fund an after school program for kids that focused on support for mental health and behavioral issues. He was so passionate about being able to help these kids. But it was never at this ungodly hour. "You'll call or something when you know what's up?" you ask through a yawn.

"Of course, Bärchen." He gives you a chaste peck. Gently he guides you back towards your bed and sits you down. "Go back to sleep, there's no need to worry. I love you." With that he left.

Your sleep is fitful with him gone. You worry over things that you aren't even aware of, over who is hurt, over how severe a situation it could be to have been called in the middle of the night, over the poor boy that needs Laszlo’s help. When your daughter tiptoes into the room around 6 you welcome her into the bed with open arms.

"Why are you up, baby bug?"

"Where's Papa?" She climbs up on his side of the bed and rubs his cold pillow. On her face is a deep frown.

"He had to go help some very important people early this morning. He'll be back to see you soon, I promise."

"I miss him. He always helps me with my shoes."

You can't help the smile that crosses your face. "I know, baby. But it's still early so let's take a nap before we have to get ready, hmm?" The two of you snuggle under the covers. With her curled into your side you do find rest, even for the short time before your alarm chimes.

The day moves sluggish as you wait for word from your husband. Little work was to be done today at the museum, so there wasn't much to keep your mind off the wondering. You considered calling. You considered texting. But you knew that when the time was right he would let you know. No news is good news, you think.

Finally the day came to a close. You picked up Sophia and stopped by the store on the way home to grab supplies for dinner. She insisted that she carry one of the bags inside - little miss independent that she was. “Careful not to drop it, okay? Use those muscles of yours to hold the bag tight.”

“Mama I know, I help Papa carry all the time,” she explains matter-of-factly.

The townhouse is quiet as you begin to unpack. You do a quick glance into the dining room and parlor to no avail. "Laz, honey? You home?" A few seconds later you hear movement from the stairs.

Your husband rounds the corner into the kitchen, swooping down to scoop your daughter into his left arm, peppering her face in exaggerated smooches. Her giggles light up the room from the dim atmosphere. He perches her on his hip. “How was your day my little dove?”

“So good Papa - I practiced my counting today at school. I can get the biggest in the class! Mommy said I must be the most smartest," she prattles on.

“Wunderbar!” he praises her before turning to you. “I didn't hear you come in." Laszlo kisses you.

Pinning him with a look you say "you also didn't call me today? You said you would and I've been worried all day."

Sophia crosses her arms and harrumphs from her father's hip; "me too Papa." He quirks an eyebrow at her before speaking.

"Yes… there is something I wished to speak with you on but didn't think it was suitable for the phone." You raise your own brows but continue to put away groceries. "I do not wish to discuss certain aspects of the case in present company-" he nods towards Sophia minutely "-but we do have a houseguest for the foreseeable future."

"Oh?" Your brows dip in confusion. This is not what you were expecting.

Laszlo peeks around the doorway and calls out "Stevie, would you come join us in the kitchen please."

Stevie? You don't know a Stevie...

A moment later a lanky boy with scruffy dark blond hair shuffles into the room. He can't be anymore than 15. His clothes are too big on him and his shoes are worn beyond belief; nevertheless he gives you a slight smile. “This is Stevie Taggert, he’s going to be staying here with us in the guest room for now.”

“Good evening Mrs. Kreizler,” the boy says nervously, his voice cracking.

You spare a look at your husband before turning to the teenager with a smile. “Ah, no need for that, kid. You can just call me by my name instead. And welcome to our home. You like spaghetti?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Awesome! And I’m certainly not old enough to be a ma’am,” you give him a wink. You set up a pot to boil the water for the pasta. Laszlo excused himself to spend some time with Sophia, leaving you and Stevie in the kitchen.

He clears his throat behind you. “Would um… is there anything I can do to help?”

"I would love that, thank you."

The two of you get to work on making dinner. Stevie doesn’t say too much, but he is very polite and does his best to be useful. Once the food is nearly finished your family has returned ready to eat. You send Stevie and Sophia to set the table.

“Should I be worried?” you ask Laszlo quietly, watching the doorway the two left through.

“I don’t think so. I just felt that I would rather he have a familiar face to adjust with instead of being placed in a group home like many end up.”

You study his face. “You’ve taken a liking to him haven’t you?”

“Well…" his face reddens at your question. "He reminds me a bit of myself when I was his age.” The conversation is cut short by the kids returning.

The rest of dinner and the evening goes smoothly. You make it a point to not bring up any questions that could trigger the teenager, especially before you’ve spoken with Laszlo about the situation at hand. When Stevie nearly eats his weight in pasta you say nothing, wondering how long it's been since he's had a good home cooked meal. He insists on helping clean up the dishes afterwards. Without even knowing what the boy has gone through your heart aches for him.

You set him up in the small renovated basement downstairs while Laszlo puts Sophia to bed. Handing him one of your husband’s old Harvard t-shirts to sleep in you tell him “I’m sorry you’ll be down here by yourself, but if you need us for anything don’t be afraid to come get us - no matter what time it is, okay? And if you get cold there’s an extra blanket right here for you. I know it's July but….” you shrug. “Tomorrow after I get home from work we can go to the store and get you some stuff to use, some more clothes, that kinda thing.”

“Yes ma’am.” At the teasing look you give him his ears burn red with his mumbled “right sorry.”

“Alright Stevie. We’ll see you in the morning, sleep well.”

Laszlo is in bed reading when you enter the room. Nothing is said as you ready yourself for bed. Slipping under the covers you face him. He sighs and closes his book.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I became caught up in the day and only arrived home with Stevie maybe half an hour before you did.” He sighs a second time. “Most of the case I cannot talk about, but what I can say is he was living with his mentally ill father, whom was also an addict. He missed the last few weeks of the school year and has been regularly stealing food to get by. He has no other family. I just… it didn’t feel right to let him process his experiences away from someone properly trained to deal with these sorts of things, in addition to how traumatic entering foster care at his age can be. I spoke with those in social services and was granted temporary custody until we find another more permanent solution.”

“Of course.”

He takes hold of your hand. “You aren’t upset with me?”

“I mean it would’ve been nice to have a bit more warning… but I get it. He can stay as long as he needs to. He’s a sweet kid,” you reassure him. “I told him that I would take him shopping after work tomorrow, so if you could pick up Soph from preschool that would be great.”

“Perhaps instead we can all go? I was thinking that I would bring him to the university with me so that he’s not alone all day. You could get her and then we could meet somewhere, get dinner afterwards?”

You lean closer to him to curl around his arm and rest your head on his shoulder. He always thought so much about others, especially children. Laszlo had such a heart of gold and it honestly left you in awe of just how much he was willing to give so that others could find peace and happiness. Like the older he got the more he had to give. The thought warms you. “How are you literally the best person I know? And to think you used to be so worried about being able to be a good father and now you’re the best of all of us.” He huffs a little as you nuzzle into his chest.

“I have you to thank for that, Bärchen.” He drops a kiss to your head. “But it’s getting late and I’ve been up all day. We should get some sleep.”

Soon after you're both dreaming.

___

Stevie had been with you for three weeks. It only took him a few days to start to settle in, and you discovered that he was quick with his wit and far smarter than he let on. He was a little bit of a sarcastic smart-ass at times, but all in good nature. He was endlessly entertaining. Laszlo sat down with him almost everyday to talk about what he was feeling, the things he experienced, and ways to deal with the loss of his family. Already you both saw improvement.

Even Sophia got on well with him. Most teenage boys wanted nothing to do with little kids, let alone a 4 year old that loved playing 'spaceship barbie'. But not Stevie. On his fifth day you'd found him sat on the floor playing with her and going along with her childlike imagination. When she insisted he play the barbie that needed saving he went along with it, high pitched voice and everything. He even encouraged her to pick up her toys before bed - a feat you and your husband struggled with at times. It struck you how much Stevie became a big brother of sorts to her.

Laszlo grew even more fond of the boy. He wasn't really one for TV, but every evening he sat and watched some show on Netflix about racing with the teen and didn't complain once. Laszlo had tried to explain the role of adrenaline in racing drivers as a psychological function, but Stevie just brushed it off and said it was the driving so fast that made it "cool".

The two did bond over an unlikely subject - punk rock. When you got home from work two weeks into his stay and heard the music blasting in the parlor you worried someone had broken in. Whipping into the room you saw Laszlo in his chair tapping his foot to the intense guitar and singing; Stevie nodded along to the music as he held an old album cover. It didn't take long for Sophia to start jumping along to the music too.

"What is this?" You yelled out over the bass - you couldn't recognize it and it clearly wasn't English.

"Die Toten Hosen, a band I listened to growing up in Germany. Stevie found the record and asked to listen."

"Listen? I think you mean blow out your eardrums!" Even with needing to shout to be heard you had to laugh at the situation. How your husband had a secret love for German punk you'll never know; yet you would never let him live it down.

And when Stevie came and woke you both up in tears three nights ago you made him hot chocolate while Laszlo sat down with him. He confessed that he had never been treated or cared for like he was in your home. How he wished he could stay because he felt wanted. Your heart broke for the boy. To be so young and so lost, craving someone to simply be there for him.

Yet everyday he grew more open. He broke out of his shell. He had goals and ambitions; he wanted to amount to something bigger than he had thought he ever could. It almost shocked you at how much fire was within him.

At how much he fit in with your little family.

At how it was like he was meant to be there.

___

Laszlo was oddly quiet when you got home. Sophia had run off to find Stevie, and you tracked your husband down to his office. He listened as you talked about your day for a good ten minutes; he said almost nothing the whole conversation.

You move closer to him. Placing the back of your hand to his forehead you check to see if he's feverish or sick. He didn't feel warm. "Laz, are you feeling okay?"

He gently pulls your hand down and leaves a kiss on your palm. "The department of social services called this morning to inquire about what we want to do with Stevie. This would be the third time they have asked."

He hadn't mentioned it to you at all that they were calling already. "Okay. What do you think we should do?" You pause for him to continue.

"I told them I would need to speak with you before any further decisions were made regarding him…" His fingers tap against the wood of his desk. "I'm not sure I have an answer for them. Nor for you." He swallows. "I'm afraid of what might become of him should he go into the system. Or that he will not get the support he needs given his past. Any option involving allowing him to stay for a bit longer is a commitment I won't make without your full support, of course. I could never ask that of you." As he speaks you can hear the frustration pouring from him, feel the irritation radiating through the room. "I refuse to give up on him- I- I just don't have the answers on what to do without them hounding me and he deserves better than this, dammit."

"He does… Do you remember on your 50th birthday, what you told me?" Laszlo looks up at you confused. "You said that you had wished you were ten years younger so you had the energy and time to do all of it again. That if you were younger we would've had a whole gaggle of kids - brothers and sisters for Sophia."

"Wishing I was younger doesn't make a difference in helping Stevie-"

"Laszlo - let's adopt him." Your words stop him in his tracks. You had decided not to have any more after your daughter was born. Laszlo was nearing 50 and the pregnancy had been hard on you. But regardless you knew that you both had the means and the love to give another child, probably five or ten more children if you really wanted to. So why not start with one that's already wormed his way in to the family? "I've seen how fond you are of him already. You've taken him under your wing as if he was your own. And how good he is with Sophia? Hell I couldn't ask for a better older sibling for her - and she loves him already. And honestly, Laz, I do too."

"You think we should adopt Stevie?"

"I think we should ask, yeah. He deserves a good home and a strong father figure that's going to put him first. He looks at you like you hung the stars, Laszlo. He needs us, and truthfully I think we need him. So yeah - what's one more added to this little shindig we've got going for us?"

"Have you-"

"-thought it through? Yes. Completely."

You can see the smile he fights to hold back. "We should call tomorrow and see what the protocol is for stating our intent to adopt and getting the paperwork."

"Um…" You shuffle your feet. Nose scrunched, you confess "I may have already called them. On the way from work I asked about what would need to be done if we wanted to pursue that route, but since they already know who we are from you working with them for years it can be fast tracked." You pull him out of his chair to stand before you. "All we have to do is say 'go'."

He has no hesitation.

"Go."

Laszlo doesn't hold back his smile or his laughter as he spins you around his office floor. You're certain your children downstairs can hear your giggles.

Tag list

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[dinosaurtsukki]

all for a crown (fyodor x gn!reader royalty au)

summary: fyodor dostoevsky wasn't at all like the other members of the royal family. he was polite, gentle, and always remembered your name. unfortunately, you're the one who eventually finds out about his inner motives

word count: 1.7k words

contains: royalty au, assassination, mentions of death and suicide, psychological manipulation, fyodor being himself as usual

anon: *puts 100 dollar bill on table* How about Royalty!AU with Fyodor but he’s evil/planning to take over another kingdom, imagine helping him dress into royal attire as he gets ready for his coronation, ok bye I’m having too much brain rot.

a/n: i... have no words for this fic it's literally just so self-indulgent but omg i love fyodor royalty!au so much you killed me with this request anon also i hope you enjoy the last scene

even after being in his company for only a day, you could tell fyodor dostoevsky was much different from all the other members of the royal family that you had served before. you were in your fifth year of serving at the castle and had met many of them, from duchesses and dukes to even the crown prince himself. needless to say, the best interactions that you had with any of them were when they barely paid any mind to you at all.

but you didn't expect much from them either. they were royalty after all and a poor servant from a far-flung village with nothing else to achieve in life was more than beneath them. living in the servants' quarters of a castle was better than nothing though, so you kept your head down and your work efficient just to get by.

and then came the day when you were assigned to be the personal servant of the young fyodor dostoevsky.

he was the tsar's nephew and a close friend of his son, the young prince. from what your fellow servants told you, fyodor had always been a sickly child and rarely left the castle grounds. the first time you saw him, you couldn't help but notice how pale his skin was and that you could probably wrap a thumb and forefinger completely around his wrist.

but what struck you the most about fyodor were his eyes: dark violet, the color of the robes that the past kings wore in their portraits. and second, was how warm his voice sounded when they greeted you.

"good morning. you must be y/n."

...

hearing fyodor call you by name made you realize that you've haven't heard it from another person's mouth in a long time. you were almost always called with several snaps of a finger or a sharp gaze. but fyodor used your name and never raised his voice. he was polite and the way he addressed you made you dangerously forget your own place. "y/n, if you please, could you fetch my book? y/n, would you be so kind to shut the window for me? y/n, have you had anything to eat? you look famished."

and even though you were expected to wait on him hand and foot for a whole day, it was always easy to run out of things to do. fyodor spent most of his time by himself: visiting the library in the morning after breakfast, practicing the cello by himself in the afternoon, and reading a book in bed at night.

you could tell that he was in need of someone to converse with since his cousin was the only who'd visit him. when it was just you two, fyodor could talk for hours on end though you could never fully understand what he was talking about. but that didn't seem to matter since he appeared to be content that someone was listening.

he was pleasant to be around and waiting on him was the best job you've ever taken in the castle. you enjoyed waking him up in the morning and preparing his meals and even staying at his bedside when he got sick. fyodor was different from all the other nobles you've served.

you were soon going to realize just how different.

...

"y/n... you aren't supposed to be here," fyodor hummed. he sounded as if he was lightly chastising you for breaking a dish but that didn't quite register in your head.

just half an hour ago, fyodor was eating dinner with his cousin in their room. he had let you off early for the night and you were about to return to your quarters when you remembered that fyodor forgot to take his medicine. clearly, you weren't supposed to witness this scene: fyodor's cousin, the crown prince himself, slumped over the table with his wineglass still in hand, spilling red all over the white tablecloth. fyodor himself was calmly swirling the wine in his glass and studying you with those dark purple eyes that now sent shivers down your spine.

"h-his majesty, i--"

"there's nothing you can do about it now, y/n," fyodor cut you off. he didn't look at all like the kind, young man with the gentle smile anymore and you consciously backed away towards the door. of course, he could tell what you were about to do.

"i wouldn't do that if i were you, y/n," he said lowly, placing his glass on the table. "between your word and mine, whose do you think people would believe, hmm?"

a weight sank in your stomach and you felt tears forming. "p-please sir. i-i'll keep quiet, i promise. i promise," you begged.

fyodor left the table and slowly made his way towards you while you were huddled on the floor with the door pressed against your back. he could have his way with your right then and there and you squeezed your eyes shut and hoped this was all just a bad dream.

then, you felt his hand on the top of your head, gently stroking your hair. "oh y/n," fyodor sighed. "shame, i took a liking to you. i would have been content with you personally serving me if you hadn't made this little mistake."

"i'm sorry... i'm sorry," you sobbed.

"hmmm, but i do believe in second chances."

at that, you looked up slowly at fyodor whose hands were still in your hair. maybe this was what selling your soul to the devil was like. "what should i do?" you whispered.

"to begin," fyodor crouched down until he was eye level with you. "you could help me get rid of the body."

...

it was almost funny how easily fyodor framed the murder as the crown prince taking his own life. but how could you laugh when you were now under his thumb? he was right, after all. who would take your word over his?

fyodor's scheme came to a conclusion when a group of noblemen came to his room with the news that he was next in line to the throne. the tsar was sick, you assumed fyodor played a part in that, and the deceased crown prince had no younger brothers. of course, fyodor played his part effortlessly. everything from his sorrowful gaze to his deep sigh leading into "with a heavy heart, i shall take on the crown for the sake of our kingdom."

you were certain his eyes flickered to yours across the room as soon as he spoke those words.

and now, here you were, dressing fyodor for his coronation as per his request. you no longer felt safe around him, knowing he would benefit from disposing you and no one would suspect otherwise. so, why? why were you still alive?

"your hands are trembling, y/n," fyodor observed.

"i-- f-forgive me," you stammered as fyodor sighed and finished buttoning his vest himself.

"if you keep looking that nervous it won't take long for people to suspect you."

"i'll try my best," you nodded. fyodor seemed content with your answer as he gestured for his coat which you hurriedly fetched.

"just button the two in the middle, leave the rest," he ordered. you followed his instructions until finally, you were done dressing fyodor for his coronation.

the way he looked now was a far cry from the sickly, bedridden man you met months ago. his attire was made on short notice, but the seamstresses and tailors did beautiful work nonetheless. his vest was white with gold buttons and stitching. the color of his coat wasn't the usual dark red that the previous tsars had worn. 'it's out of respect for my dear cousin,' fyodor explained.

but the dark, deep purple coat with the gold stitching that matched his vest suited fyodor well. he stood tall and imposing in his black boots made of polished leather. additionally, his raven hair which often hung loose to his shoulders was tied back into a loose ponytail.

fyodor looked like he had always been born to be the crown prince. and, with the way his dark, glittering eyes admired his reflection, you could tell he knew that too.

"you did a splendid job, as always, y/n," fyodor chuckled, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.

"thank you... your grace," you bowed.

"now, now. it's just the two of us here. you can call me by my name."

"v-very well... fyodor," you answered.

"well, i mustn't let the people wait too long," fyodor sighed, eyeing the growing crowd out of the window. "i've already requested a place for you to sit in the cathedral. it's quite far but you'll have a good view of the proceedings."

"thank you, you're too kind," you whispered.

"ah, and one last thing," fyodor took your hand in his and pressed a dark green vial in it. your eyes widened as you quickly realized what it was.

"i-is this--?"

"the duke alexandrei has been suspicious of us lately," fyodor whispered, his gaze darkening. "if you can, slip it into his drink or soup later during the feast."

"but--"

"and he won't die instantly," fyodor cut you off. "this one acts slow and it will appear as if the duke has passed away from the flu."

"you want me to... poison him?" you felt your hands sweat even as they closed around the vial. fyodor gave you a long look before chuckling and patting your head, as if you were a child asking a silly question.

"one of the things i love about you is how naive you are, y/n," fyodor said. "the duke is hardly going to be the last. if you think that i'm the only one who went to such... lengths to achieve what i want, then i'm afraid you're mistaken."

with that, fyodor checked himself one last time in the mirror before walking towards the door.

if only you hadn't walked in on him that night. but then again, even being associated with a man such as fyodor was dangerous enough. you were no different from a poor little mouse who was unfortunate enough to wander into a trap.

"what makes you any different then?" you found yourself asking out loud.

"me?" fyodor paused with his hand on the door. "i'm simply one step ahead of everyone else."

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[rocksandrobots]

Phantoms of the Past: Ch. 5 - Best friends, Boyfriends, and Barons Part 1

"Hey Miss Itamae! Ready for a whole new school year? Hee...hee...eeeh.... yeah, fine." Hiro gave up trying to make small talk with the lunch lady as she unceremoniously slopped meatloaf onto his plate.

Today was the first day of the fall semester and the start of Hiro's second year at SFIT.  It felt odd to him, to look back and realize just how much time had passed; how much things had changed during the previous year.

A year ago, today, he had been attending Tadashi's funeral and now he was going about his life as if everything was normal. Well, almost normal. He was also moonlighting as a superhero, adopting an out of time teenager as his new big brother, and befriending deadly robots.

Life was weird.

Of course it wasn't as if he could ignore his loss completely. He had noticed the flowers and cards placed at the foot of Tadashi's memorial over by the exhibition hall. People still remembered that his brother had died a hero. Folks that he didn't even know had left their condolences today, though most of the gifts were from Tadashi's teachers and friends.

Hiro had particularly noticed a painting Honey Lemon had left, of her, Tadashi, and the rest of their friends. He also spotted Gogo sitting out there early that morning, lighting a candle in his brother's memory. He had given her her space, choosing not to interrupt. Gogo and Tadashi had been especially close.

Hiro remembered how excited his brother had been when Gogo finally agreed to go out with him. Tadashi had hurried about their bedroom, a couple of days before the fire, fretting over where to take her on their first date. A date that they had never gotten to go on. At the time Hiro had teased him relentlessly, never passing up the chance to deflate his brother's ego. Now it was just another bittersweet memory to look back on.

Fred abruptly snapped him out of his mournful reflection. "Steve." was all he said as he grabbed Hiro by the shoulders.

"Steve? Uh, my name is Hiro, remember Fred?"

"No, no, no, Steve was the name of the ninja robot that Trina found. She said he was held in a warehouse downtown, along with all the other ninjas. Don't you see, that's our big break! We find this warehouse and then we can track down the mysterious bosu!"

Hiro wearily placed his tray down on the table and took a seat next to Wasabi.

"Fred, it's the first day of school. Can't this wait for later?"

"But-"

"Hiro's right Fred," Wasabi interrupted, "Just because you have all the time in the world to play superhero doesn't mean that we do. We still got our own lives to take care of."

Fred looked hurt at that. "I'm not playing! This is important work. We have a city to protect and this crime boss is just going to keep coming after us if we don't figure out how to stop them."  

Wasabi rolled his eyes. "Then you just go on and do that. In the meantime the rest of us have class to attend. I'm heading early to set up for my first lab."

"But labs won't open for like another hour." Hiro pointed out, confused. "They're still cleaning up from the robot attacks last week."

"Ah, he just wants to get there early so that he can see his boyfriend again." Fred complained.

"Sam's not my boyfriend. He's just a colleague, and at least I'm doing something other than obsess over superheroing." And with that Wasabi stormed off, while Fred slouched into the cafeteria chair with a huff.

"Listen, Fred, why don't you go on patrol with Minimax for a while. I'll help you track down this warehouse after school is over with." Hiro said.

"Okay," Fred reluctantly agreed, "but I'm not 'obsessing'."

"I know Fred, but the rest of us also have school to worry about. We just don't have the same amount of free time as you do."

"I know." Fred sighed before walking off.

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

"Sorry Hiro, but we're kind of busy right now." Honey Lemon regretfully informed her friends.

Fred and Hiro had met up after school as promised. Wasabi had declined to join them on their quest and so they had decided to recruit the girls instead. Though this also seemed to be a fruitless endeavor.

"Yeah, we're kind of in the middle of something." Gogo finished as she leaned back in a reclining chair and placed two cucumber slices over her eyes.

They had found the girls at a spa. Honey Lemon sat next to Gogo with curlers in her hair, and they apparently weren't the only ones out having a beauty day.

"Can't you see we're having some girl time?" Karmi asked, annoyed, as she examined her nails.

"Yeah, Hiro, go take your weird superhero hobby elsewhere?" Megan added.

"It's not weird!" Fred insisted.

"If this is supposed to be a girls only event, then why is he here?" Hiro said, pointing to Varian, who sat next to Megan.

"Uh, getting a manicure obviously." Varian rolled his eyes and then leaned over to show Carol, who was beside him, two bottles of nail polish. "Do you think I should go with the midnight blue or just stick with black?"

"Hmmm... I think either would be nice," she replied.

"Ooooh, have you tried the seaweed wrap they have here? It's great." Fred chimed in.

Hiro rolled his eyes, "Okay, so what are you two doing after this? Could you take up patrol tonight?"

"Nope." Gogo said.

"I promised my brother Carlos that I would help him move into his new dorm room. He starts at UCLA this week and Gogo's offered to drive me there. We won't be back till tomorrow morning." Honey Lemon explained.

"Okay, well, we'll just-"

"Alright, I'm ready." A voice called out, interrupting him.

Trina walked out from behind a door at the back of the spa. Her bulky gigantic metal body was gone and in its place was the frame of a young woman, dressed in a t-shirt, pants, and a cropped jacket. She looked very much the same as the day Hiro had first met her, at the bot fights. Only this time her hair had been cut and styled into a short mohawk and dyed a light purple.

"What do you guys think?" She asked as she twirled around.

Everyone shouted encouragements to her, and Varian cheekily whistled.

"You look nice, Trina." Hiro complimented.

Trina snorted and rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Hiro." She said, leaving the teenage genius confused by what he had said wrong.

Ignoring him, Trina walked over to the rest of the girls, "Thanks for the clothes... and for everything else." She sheepishly added.

"Hey, no problem." Megan replied. "They look good on you."

"Yeah, and if you need anything else just ask." Karmi added.

"Not to mention it's always fun to have a spa day," Carol piped in. "This was a good idea Varian, thanks for inviting me along."

"Sure thing. When Trina said she wanted help with finding a new wardrobe, I figured all of you would like to go shopping too.... and also y'all know more about clothes than I do."

"Hey, Trina," Fred interjected, "that warehouse where you foun- I mean, met 'Steve', do you happen to remember where it was located?"

Trina gave Fred a frown.

"Oooh, who's Steve?" Karmi asked, happy to gossip, "Is that your boyfriend Trina?"

"No." She said, "The place you're looking for is over in Good Luck Alley, next to Louie's."

"It must've been a bad breakup." Karmi whispered into Honey Lemon's ear, she wasn't very good at keeping her voice down.

"Yeah… he kind of... broke alright." Honey Lemon nervously added, unsure what to say.

"Uh, yeah, well thanks for the tip Trina. We'll be going now, bye." Hiro said as he hurried Fred out the door. He had had enough of awkward conversations and makeovers.

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

"Fred, wouldn't it be better if we brought our robots along at least?" Hiro whispered.

"You want to sneak around an abandoned warehouse with those two?" Fred whispered back, "I love him, but Minimax doesn't know how to be quiet, like at all."

Hiro sighed, Fred had a point. Baymax also wasn't the best at stealth missions. Hiro slid into the alleyway and peered through a dirty window. He couldn't shake the sense of deja vu as he remembered how he and the robotic nurse had tracked down his missing microbots a year ago at a similar warehouse. They had both been nearly killed by Callaghan when the villain had caught them snooping around. He would prefer to avoid such a scenario again.

"It doesn't look like anyone is here." He said.

"See any ninja robots?" Fred asked as he also pushed by to get a look, pressing his nose against the glass.

"No… Fred, this may be a dead end. Trina already raided the place and no doubt this Bosu would have abandoned the hideout if it was compromised."

Fred pouted, "Maybe… Buuuut, we could always man a stake-out and find out for sure!"

"Fred, I have homework to do. Maybe some oth-"

"Oh please! Just for an hour, or two? Please, please, please? Pretty please? I'll do your homework for you."

"I don't want you doing my homework."

"Okay, chores then; I'll wash Varian's dirty socks and underwear for a… a week… no, a month! Come on, I know how much you hate doing laundry."

Hiro sighed and watched his friend crawl on his knees and beg. "Does it really mean that much to you?"

"Yeeeesss."

"Okay, and no, you don't have to do the laundry either."

Hiro turned to walk out of the alley and Fred got up and followed him.

"That's good, cause I don't actually know how to wash clothes. Usually, Heathcliff does all the laundry. Last time I tried to, I just flooded the washroom."

"Do you have any survival skills? Like at all?"

"Nope. Unless it's kicking bad guys' butts! Ooh, hey, we can host the stake-out at Louie's across the street. I'm starved."

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

Hiro and Fred took up a window booth inside the restaurant. The establishment had recovered from the police raid from a few months back and was now serving food as usual; though Hiro had already spotted the advertisement for the next upcoming 'bot fight.

A couple of hours past and they had both eaten their meals, plus dessert, along with Fred going back for seconds. Now they were both nursing a couple of cups of coffee, though Hiro's was going cold; it wasn't great coffee.

"Fred…"

"Yeah."

"It's been three hours now."

"I know."

"No one's showed up."

"Not yet."

"Look it's been… 'fun', but I'm going home now."

Hiro got up to leave but Fred grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Oh but… uhh… we haven't even tried the uh… hot dog sushi special. I hear it's really good."

Hiro leaned his head back slowly and closed his eyes in frustration. He didn't want to snap at Fred, really he didn't, but he was quickly losing his patience.

"Fred… no one is coming. Let's just call it a night and try again some other time. Okay." And with that he yanked his hand away and began to walk off.

Fred didn't follow. Instead he sat in the booth, his eyes downcast, staring blankly at nothing. It wasn't his usual pout either. It was something else. Some deeper sadness that few saw from the usually optimistic teen.

Hiro began to worry. He walked back, and stood there waiting for Fred to jump back up all excited again for his return, only he didn't.

"Fred, what's wrong?"

Fred sighed but couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Look, I know that this superhero business is important to you, so much so that you'll probably wind up making a career out of it, which is great, but the rest of us are not going to be doing this for the rest of our lives. We also have to keep up with our studies, chores, our jobs, and what little shred of a social life we have."

"That's not it… I mean yeah, it's a part of it, but that's not why I asked you to come along."

Fred finally looked Hiro in the eye and tears threatened to spill.

"I just miss my best friend, okay."

Hiro looked at him confused.

"I didn't want to say anything, cause… cause he's your brother and I didn't think you'd want to be reminded about him being gone any more than you already have… but today has just been really hard… remembering what happened… I just thought getting out and doing something fun, getting both our minds off everything, might be better than just… just being alone. You know? Especially today."

Fred didn't even have to say Tadashi's name for Hiro to know who he was talking about.

Hiro sighed and slumped back down into the booth.

"I'm sorry…. I… I guess I just… I don't know. I didn't think...."

"No… no, don't. Of course you didn't think. I mean who wants to be reminded of that. The whole idea was to not think about it. And I just ruined it all by bringing it up. Gah…. I'm so sorry."

Fred put his arms over his head and brought his knees up to his chest as if trying to make himself as physically small as he felt. Hiro just had to laugh at the sight in spite of himself.

"It's okay Fred. You're not going to upset me just by talking about Tadashi."

Fred peaked his head out from between his arms. "I'm not?"

"No. I mean he was your friend too."

"My best friend! Man, Tadashi and I, we got up to all sorts of trouble. He was always down for anything. I mean, did he tell you about the time we crashed my cousin's bar mitzvah? As in, we literally crashed. He drove the sport's car into the buffet table by mistake… We couldn't find the parking and then there was this wet patch in the parking lot and we skidded… Oh and then there was the time Mole dared us to a drag race using scooters and Tadshi had the idea to attach rockets to mine and I went flying.. I tell ya, man, Mole wouldn't live it down for a whole week after. He kept demanding a rematch, but I mean it was fair. He was using his butler to ride for him in his place."

Hiro could barely contain his laughter, "Wait… wait… you and Tadashi did all this?"

"Yeah."

"Why have I never heard of any of this before?"

"I don't know, but he's the whole reason why I got the mascot job in the first place. I knew I could never get into the school myself, but I thought we could hang out together more if I went. He's also the one that introduced me to everybody else."

"Then how did you two meet?"

"Oh at the grocery store."

Fred said this as if it was the most obvious of explanations but Hiro looked as confused as ever. So Fred continued on.

"He was there getting chewing gum and I was buying a shopping cart. Like an actual shopping cart."

"Why?"

"Yeah that's what he asked too. So I told him, 'I'm going to ride down Dead Man's Hill in one.' And he said, 'Dude, that's so rad. You're totally going to die.' And I said, 'Yeah, I know. You wanna join?' And he did. We rode all the way down from the top of Lumbar Street to the docks… and landed right in the bay. It was awesome! We screamed our heads off the whole time. It was so awesome, in fact, that we walked back to the store and bought another cart just to do it again. That was back when we were both still in high school, and we've been best buds ever since. You know… until…"

Hiro looked at Fred sadly. There so much about his brother that hadn't known about, hadn't even thought to ask. What else had Tadashi not shared with him? Probably a lot, I mean why tell your kid brother about your social life? And there's no way that he'd have brought those crazy stunts up around Aunt Cass.

"I never knew any of that… Those are some really cool stories. Thanks for sharing them."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and you know, you don't have to drag me on some superheroing mission just to hang out and talk."

Fred looked guilty at that.

"I… I know… but it's like what you and Wasabi have been saying. Everyone else has something… something to motivate them, and y'all all do all these really cool things and I'm… I'm just me. I don't really have anything but superheroing. Unless you just need someone to make a mess."

"That's not true. Fred, you're great at a lot of things. You could go to school or get a job, if you wanted to. I just thought superheroing was all you wanted."

"Hiro, I can't even do laundry without messing up. I mean all you do is throw the clothes into a machine and push a button, and yet somehow I managed to screw even that up. All I know is comic books, and superheroing, and I'm not even the best at that! What would I even go to college for? I can't… I'm not a genius. I'm not a businessman. I'm not an accountant, or an artist, or an athlete. I'm not anything. I've no talent. I'm not even good at being rich. I've never fit in with the socialite crowd."

"Fred."

"Yeah?"

"You're good at being a friend, and if I have to sit here list off everything else you're good at then we'd be here for another three hours or more. So how about we head home and tomorrow I'll show you how to work a washing machine, and you can teach me how a stake-out is supposed to really go cause we're not getting anywhere here."

"Or are we?"

"What do you mean?"

Fred was no longer looking at Hiro but past him. He pointed to the window behind Hiro, and Hiro turned around to see for himself.

An elderly gentleman, dressed in an old fashioned military outfit, complete with a monocle, was entering the warehouse. He had a giant mechanical arm and a steam boiler strapped to his back.

"Baron Von Steamer."

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

Fred and Hiro found themselves standing in the alley peering through the warehouse's dirty windows for a second time that day. They saw Baron Von Steamer stomping around inside. He seemed irritated as he grumbled to himself and knocked boxes out of the way, as if searching for something.

"What's he doing?" Fred loudly whispered.

Just then Steamer found what he was looking for, a tea cup. He poured himself a cup out of a teapot he had placed on an old fashioned stove that was hidden towards the back and then sat down on top of a crate to sip his drink.

"It must be 'tea time' for him." Hiro said dryly.

Fred narrowed his eyes, "I bet he's just hatching his next nefarious scheme. Planning on how to take us and the city down. What do you think he wants with portals?"  

Just then Steamer stood up and ruefully kicked away a busted up robot that had fallen out of a storage crate in his previous hunt for the tea cup.

"I don't think Steamer is our guy." Hiro said, "He hates modern technology, so why would he build ninja robots? Also, like you said, what would he want with portals? All he's after is your dad, and so far the Bosu hasn't gone after Boss Awesome yet."

"But they might. Remember what Roddy said? That Kensei guy used to be active during Dad's heyday but never got caught. What if, it's because Steamer had two villain identities!"

"That seems like a stretch."

"Okay, well, what if Steamer works for this Bosu? Like Sue and Sparkles?"

"That's more plausible, I guess."

Hiro turned to peer through the window again, but Streamer was gone.

'Wait, where did he go?'

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A pair of interlopers." A curt British voice  came from behind them.

Steamer must have noticed them and snuck around the back, cutting them off.

Hiro grabbed his phone in order to call his super suit, but Von Steamer nabbed his hand and yanked him off the ground, causing him to lose hold of his phone.

Fred was just as unfortunate, as Steamer held him in a choke hold in his metal arm.

"Waaaait," Steamer said as he eyed them both up closely, peering at them through his oversized monocle, "I know you two. You're friends of Boss Awesome's baby child!"

"I am Boss Awesome's baby child!" Fred protested before Von Steamer gave him a hard squeeze with his cyborg arm. Fred wheezed in pain.

Hiro reacted quickly and kicked the steampunk baron in the shins.

Von Steamer howled in pain and dropped Hiro in surprise, though he managed to keep his grip on Fred. He also had stepped on Hiro's phone while nursing his injured leg.

Hiro ducked and ran as Steamer regained his senses and pulled out a brass gun that was connected to the boiler on his back with a hose. He pulled the trigger and scalding steam shot out. Hiro ducked again to avoid it.

As he ran out of the alley way he heard Steamer shouting after him, "Yes, run back to Boss Awesome little one. Tell his baby child I have their friend, and either he, or they, must show up to face me or else!"

Hiro spared a glace backwards and saw Baron Von Steamer dragging Fred back into the warehouse.

"Fred!"

"Hiro!" Fred called out to him before being pulled into the darkness.

Hiro panicked. What could he do? Finally, he decided that getting help was the best option. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, fighting back his worry.

[knjoodles]

learn to love; jungkook | 04

pairing: teacher!jungkook x singleparent!reader

genre: angst, fluff

word count: 3.5K

summary: raising your daughter alone while simultaneously watching your ex-husband live the life of his dreams away from the two of you hurts. badly. it hurts a little less, though, when you find an unlikely friend while looking for help.

lowercase intended.

psst! this chapter is a game-changer AND has a character named after one of my followers! i hope she sees it and enjoys it. 💞

01 | 02 | 03 

   your alarm clock woke you, it’s piercing siren startling your eyes wide. groaning and fluttering your eyes to adjust to the sudden morning rays warming your somnolent face, you glared at the flashing red numbers across from you, reading a proud eight a.m. “fuck,” you mumbled, sinking your head into your pillow. your head pounded sparingly as you buried your head further, your attempt at drowning out the gentle pain failing.

    what had happened last night? nothing devastating. you're not one to irrationally act out; you always think about seyoung first. the last thing you can recall is throwing your shoes off and bag to the floor and essentially passing out on your bed after attending a team dinner. your days never seem to end, it just feels as though you have small pockets of time to breathe in between your busy schedule. when your five-minute break is up, though, it's back to work.

    you slowly arose from your cozy, welcoming bed and stared at the pillow sitting next to you, one that you'd clung to all night judging from its evident crumpled form in comparison to the other pillows sprawled across your bed. ouch. it sits where hoseok would lay.

    shaking your head to ensure you wouldn't have any regressive thoughts at eight in the morning, you pulled your comforter back, swinging your legs across the bed and perching comfortably on its edge. gazing at your feet, you sighed quietly, thanking the heavens it was saturday but dually cursing it for your support group session being today. you hadn't told anyone about it, not even sooyoung. this was for you, and you alone. you trudged from your bed to the master bathroom, scrubbing your teeth.

   it was at this moment that the sweet aroma of a saturday morning breakfast wafted from your kitchen to your bedroom. you inhaled it peacefully, the fragrance calming you and clearing your mind. you finally left your bedroom, shuffling towards your kitchen and living room. you silently apologized to the heavens for scolding it about the support group and thanked it once more, being reminded that you wouldn't know what to do half the time without sooyoung.

    "morning!" a voice sang from your kitchen. "i see the zombie finally decided to rise from sleep?" it chuckled, the sound of what seemed like waffles sizzling. your stomach growled at the thought of biting into one and you returned sooyoung's laugh, the patter of your daughter's feet against the tiled floor growing louder as she ran towards you. "seyoung, be careful! i don't want you slipping!"

    "it's okay, sooyoung auntie!" your daughter assured, her smaller frame finally finding you. "mom!" she giggled excitedly as she wrapped her arms around your waist, tugging affectionately. "you're finally awake!" she moaned, pulling on your large cotton shirt. "you know, i thought you died! so i called sooyoung auntie, and she told me you were alive. but i didn't believe her, so i asked her to prove it! and she told me she couldn't prove it this early in the morning. it wasn't even that early!"

    "seyoung-ah, what part of four in the morning isn't early to you?" sooyoung complained, her voice ringing through your home, body still not in view. peeking her head past a pillar separating the three of you, she scowled, annoyed, slapping another waffle onto a stack on a plate. "i was busy dreaming my dreams and this little one wakes me from my beauty sleep! at four in the morning! seyoung, if i didn't love you so much, who knows what i'd do!" she groaned. you and your daughter chuckled in unison, her small hand dragging you to the table to sit with her and sooyoung.

    "this is the first time i've made blueberry waffles, so don't expect a master chef level plate," sooyoung grinned as she placed the large pile of waffles in the middle of the table. "seyoung was okay with normal waffles up until she spotted the blueberries in the fridge. after that, she wouldn't stop tormenting me to add them in!" she joked, sitting down across from you.

    "torment?!" seyoung squealed, eyes wide, a smile cracking across her cheeks. "all i wanted was some pancakes, auntie!" she pat the table playfully, sooyoung pinching her cheek lovingly. "and, you said yes!"

    "and, i said yes," sooyoung repeated, looking over at you. "you both know i can't say no to seyoung! it's like refusing to eat a feast in front of you after you haven't eaten for days. what do you expect me to do? starve?" she jested, earning an eye roll and a grin from you. no one failed to make you laugh like your very dramatic sooyoung.

    "yeah, yeah." you bantered, serving yourself two warm pancakes. "gosh, sooyoung, these smell incredible," you gushed as you cut a piece swiftly, wanting to savor it immediately. it instantly melted in your mouth, the flavor of the warm fruit bursting into your mouth. you smiled brightly, chewing vigorously and holding up a cheerful thumbs-up. your daughter did the same, earning a giggle from sooyoung as she studied the two of you.

    "you guys look exactly alike," she murmured as she took a portion of waffle into her mouth, nibbling contentedly. swallowing, she continued, "just the same. it's like someone copy-paste in real life."

    seyoung turned to you, her face crinkled into a joyous grin. she placed her petite hand on top of yours, squeezing it tenderly. "i'm pretty, just like her! my mom is the prettiest lady in the world."

    "that she is!" sooyoung chimed in agreement, pointing her fork with a half-eaten chunk of waffle on it at seyoung. "no one can compare, except for me. i humbly accept second place, madam (y/n)." she bowed teasingly.

    "no, seyoung, you're the prettiest! and what about yebin? she's pretty too, right?" as much as you hated mentioning yebin, you knew you had to encourage seyoung to form a relationship with her 'step-mom'. you had to be the bigger person and you have to ignore the urge to scream at her every time you see her face. that's what being an adult is. hiding your feelings and pretending that you're generally okay.

    "eh," seyoung dragged, filling her mouth with a large piece of waffle. "not as pretty as you," she assured between chews. "yebin's scary when she takes off her makeup." her unintentional attack on yebin prompted sooyoung to sputter in amusement, bursting into laughter.

    "you're even starting to talk like your mom!" sooyoung exclaimed, resting her head on the table to mask her cackling. "i can't," she gasped, throwing her head back and covering her mouth. "you guys are getting more and more alike every day!"

    you smiled at your excited daughter, who was now drawing a large smiley face using maple syrup on her plate. admiring your best friend cackling in front of you and your daughter being undeniably herself, you sat contempt, knowing life was good for the time being.

    "next time?" sooyoung started as she slipped on her shoes, her purse dangling from her shoulder. "call me. if you ever need an extra hand around here, i'll come as soon as i can. promise you'll call?"

    "promise." you reassured, nodding politely. seyoung hovered behind you waving to her beloved aunt as she departed. "thanks for the breakfast and lunch, soo. you know i couldn't have done it without you." you dart your head around to spot your daughter, finding her peering behind your leg. "seyoung, say bye to sooyoung!"

    "bye, sooyoung auntie! come back soon! i want to make chocolate pancakes next!" seyoung called as sooyoung walked to her uber. "please come back!" seyoung repeated hesitantly, "i won't wake you up early again!"

    "good." sooyoung nodded, climbing into the passenger seat. "i'll see you monday, (y/n)! enjoy your weekend." sooyoung closed the door of the car and the uber sped off, you and your daughter lingering in your front lawn until she was out of sight.

    "what are we gonna do today, mommy?" seyoung turned to you, eyes full of curiosity.

    "well, i wanted to keep it a surprise, but i may or may not have scheduled a sleepover for you and ailee!" you exclaimed, grabbing your daughter's hands excitedly.

    "a sleepover?!" she squeaked, ecstatic as ever. "a sleepover with ailee!" seyoung jumped up and down, her pigtails swaying. "thank you, mommy, thank you!" she followed you inside, slipping off her sandals. you glanced at the clock, noting that it was currently around two o'clock.

    "ailee's mom expects us at four, so go and get ready! i'll drop you off." you smiled, leading her towards her bathroom.

    "you're not staying? even for a little bit?" seyoung turned, pouting. "why? are you not friends with ailee's mom?"

    "no, no, ailee's mom and i are still friends! mommy just has a lot of work to do." you reasoned, crouching down to eye-level with your daughter. "i wish i could stay, baby, but duty calls!"

    "okay," she replied half-dejectedly, waddling into her room to fetch her clothes to shower. you felt relieved your daughter hadn't tried to pry. you were just getting help for the two of you.

    seyoung, excited as ever to finally have reached ailee's house, practically leaped out of her car seat and beelined towards the door. you dashed after her, finding it difficult to keep track of locking your car and your wild daughter all at once. "seyoung-ah!" you called sternly, making her almost immediately stop and apologize profusely. after assuring her that she didn't make any large mistake, you took her by the hand and led her to the front door, making sure she walked confidently next to you — a tip you'd read in a parenting journal.

    the door swung open as excited squeals sounded from either side, ailee and seyoung basically grabbing each other to hug tightly. chuckling at the two running off to play, seyoung's backpack still in your hand, you glanced at ailee's mother, mai. "they're really excited, huh?" she exclaimed, watching them clamber up the stairs. "here, let me take that," she offered.

    "of course!" you replied, placing the bag in her hand. "i can't thank you enough for taking seyoung in today. i would've called her nanny, but today was so busy, and —"

    "it's no issue," mai interrupted, smiling assuringly. "we all know how hard you work. and after you alone juggled both of our kids after my husband's accident, well," she turned, making sure your kids weren't there. "it's the least i could do. do you want to come in? i can get some coffee going,"

    "i'd love to, but i can't," you explained. "i've got a meeting of sorts to get to soon. i'll pick seyoung up around ten tomorrow?" you asked, adjusting the sleeve of your sweater.

    "that works perfectly. call me if there's anything important!" she called, waving to you as you departed towards your car.

    "likewise!" you responded, waving politely and climbing into your car, waiting until their front door shut. why did you always find yourself on the verge of losing it in this exact position? in front of mai's house, in your car, right in front of the wheel. and, mimicking the way you always react to these situations, you rubbed the leather of your steering wheel, stopping yourself from resting your forehead against the horn and letting it ring until you felt satisfied. it was time to go to that potential shitshow of a support group, and you didn't know how to feel. pain? fear?

    you thought your divorce from hoseok would be the worst you've ever felt. and granted, it partially was, but at least you were sure of yourself. sure that you didn't want anything to do with this anymore, regardless of how much you loved him. but now? you didn't even know if you wanted this. the worst feeling to you was clear now; it was uncertainty, because uncertainty can corrode you and all your confidence in ways nothing else can.

    and, again mimicking the way you always react to these situations, you pressed the gas and drove, preparing yourself for both the worst and the best.

    the community center was cold. that was your first thought.

    dozens of people filed into the large auditorium, all trying to catch a glimpse of the one directory they offered to guide attendees to their respective support groups. after standing on your toes for what felt like hours, you finally read, 'divorcees and widow(er)s support group, room 613'. you found your place to go, but did you really want to walk into that room?

    there that uncertainty went again, eating away at your confidence like a parasite.

    you have to go, you reasoned to yourself it's not just for you, it's for seyoung. she'll catch on to what's going on eventually, you can't let her see you weak! with the reminder of seyoung fresh in your mind, you took the elevator to the sixth floor and searched thoroughly for room 613.

    "excuse me?" a voice asked from behind you, startling you. "are you lost? 'cause i am, too."

    you snorted at their comment, turning around to face them fully. a tall, muscular man stood in front of you, voice deep, hair slicked back handsomely. "oh," you muttered, stepping back to make eye contact more comfortably. "yeah, you could say i'm lost," you nodded, darting your head to either side of the hallway. "i'm looking for room 613. do you know where that is?"

    "613? i'm headed there myself," he replied awkwardly. the two of you stood together silently, both not knowing what to say in panicked silence. "i, uh, i'm park chanyeol." he introduced himself bluntly, offering his hand.

    hesitating, you finally took his hand, shaking it firmly, the way you do with customers or partners. "i'm (y/n) (l/n)." you responded.

    "(y/n) (l/n)," he repeated, looking towards the ceiling. "that sounds familiar, do i know you?"

    you cringed internally. one of the reasons you became a producer was to avoid being recognized in public, to avoid the constant attention, to avoid the all-eyes-on-you treatment artists are forced to undergo. so, as a result, when someone does recognize your name, you get a sudden urge to become a hermit. "long story short, i'm a producer."

    "ah, i see." chanyeol replied, hearing the hint of apprehension in your voice. "well, (y/n) (l/n), we're in the same boat, so let's find the room together." thankful he understood your tone, you set off with chanyeol, trekking across the hallway to find the infamous room 613. to your annoyance and surprise, the room seemed to be hidden away from the rest of the hallway, and out of numerical order.

    chanyeol opened the door for you and let the both of you in. room 613 was larger than what you expected; the room seemed to be at least three times as big as the other rooms, with many people filling up seats and talking amongst themselves. you didn't expect this many people to ever show up to a support group, but you stood corrected. not knowing where to go, you glanced at chanyeol, who motioned for the two of you to head over to the tables supervisors had set up, which were lined with water and general snacks.

    pouring two plastic cups of water for the both of you, you looked again at chanyeol, who was tapping his foot on the floor, glancing at the clock restlessly. "hey," you started, immediately getting his full attention. "tell me about yourself, chanyeol."

        a small silence between the two of you.

    "but, only if you're comfortable!" you stammered, hoping, praying that you didn't push any buttons within the first hour of meeting someone.

    he laughed at your uneasiness, dimples revealing themselves. "it's no big deal. uh, my wife and i recently divorced after i caught her cheating on me. is this it? is this the sharing thing they wanted us to do?"

    you chuckled, amused. "yeah, i think it is. and, it's a small world; the exact thing happened to me, but with my husband. do you have any kids? i have a daughter."

    "thankfully no," chanyeol answered, now visibly more comfortable. "we were planning on it, but that was before she cheated on me,"

    you nodded, understanding where he's coming from. you never told hoseok, but you'd always wanted to have a son with him alongside seyoung. and, like chanyeol, you never got there because of someone else's mistake. "i'm sorry you had to go through that." you sympathized.

    "i just need this to finally get over everything. i'm sorry you had to go through that too, especially because you have a daughter," he stated, caressing the back of his neck. "hey, if you can do it, so can i, right?"

    "yeah. and if you can do it, so can i." you repeated, smiling at him. the two of you shared a laugh at your new paired saying as the facilitator called everyone to the circle of chairs in the middle of the room, asking everyone to take a seat. you and chanyeol sat side-by-side, the both of you somewhat relieved that you weren't in this completely alone. at least there was someone who gets how you're feeling and just how painful it can be.

    "hi, everyone!" the facilitator's voice echoed through the room, loud, clear, and confident. "my name is lee chaerin, and i'll be the 'leader', if you will, of today's support group! a reminder, in case some of you are unsure, this is the divorcee, widow, and widower support group. if you're in the wrong room, please consult the new directory outside!" she announced. as a few people shuffled quietly out of the room to find their place elsewhere, she clasped her hands together. "again, my name is lee chaerin. i'm a trained psychologist and have been studying psychology for nearly twelve years at this point. cool, huh? my hope for this support group is that i help all of you heal, even if it's just a little. i want to make sure that all of you are okay, and can help each other while helping yourself!" she rested her hands on her hips and smiled, sighing contentedly. "i know that no one really wants to do this, but it's important. let's all go around the room and introduce ourselves, what we do, what happened, and what you hope to gain from this support group! after this, we'll split into groups to share our in detail stories and learn from each other. sounds like a plan? great."

    that type of introduction was a nightmare in reality. ever since you were ten you despised introducing yourself that way, and today, once married with a daughter, you feel the same way. some things never change.

    you weren't allowed to reach for your phone for the next two hours. they say that phones ruin the human experience because they allow an escape from awkward or undesirable situations. whoever 'they' are, they sure as hell are right.

    you tried your best to pay attention to everyone's name and goals for the group. you wanted to, but with the number of people surrounding you and how much was on your mind, it was tiring to listen past their occupation.

    "hi everyone, i'm youngjae," the conventional 'hi, youngjae' sounded from the group in a monotone state, defining the core of everyone's mood at this point of the support group. "i'm a songwriter for jyp entertainment, and my goal is to heal so i can focus on my job. my wife and i divorced after some internal issues." youngjae motioned to the man sitting next to him, nodding in his direction.

    not that you'd know, though. you were staring at your feet.

    "hi, everyone, my name is jeon jungkook." a man's voice stated, making your head shoot up from the ground. the sudden movement made his eyes dart towards yours, and the two of you sat frozen, only seeing each other, eyes locked. "i'm a teacher, and my goal is to stop thinking about her every day so i can move on." his voice became audibly quieter, but it didn't matter. the room was dead silent, anyway.

    you couldn't even hold your mouth open. your jaw and chest tightened. you didn't expect him to be here.

    you broke eye contact to eye his hands, his index finger and thumb of his right hand seemingly toying with a ring that was no longer there.

    a ring that was no longer there.

    your eyes met again. the air was tense and suffocating; the panic that filled only the two of you created an atmosphere only you and jungkook could feel.

    he broke eye contact, his glance now on his lap. his voice now barely a whisper, he spoke, still loud enough for you to hear. "i lost my wife in a car accident about a year ago. she was hit by a truck while she was coming home to me."

—

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[thewidowsghost]

The Unknown Muggleborn - Chapter 8

3rd Person POV

Later that night, (Y/n) crawls under her covers to go to sleep; Marvel lies her small head on (Y/n)'s chest.

"'Night, girl," (Y/n) murmurs, drowsily scratching behind the cat's ears.

. . .

A few hours later, Marvel lifts her head, nuzzling (Y/n)'s face to try to wake her up. She lets out a whimper, pawing (Y/n)'s face.

The girl was sweating and her neck was resting at an awkward angle. Her breath had quickened and her eyes were moving rapidly under her closed eyelids.

Marvel jumps off the bed and streaks into Hermione's room. Hermione had always been a light sleeper, so when the cat jumped onto her bed, she wakes.

Marvel meows, and Hermione's head tilts in concern.

"What's wrong, Marvel?" Hermione asks and the black-and-white feline paws at Hermione's hand and jumps off the bed, stopping at the door, then looking back at the brunette.

What a peculiar cat, Hermione thinks, throwing back the covers and following the cat across the hall to her sister's room.

Marvel streaks over and onto the bed, her green eyes wide as she tries to nudge her companion awake again.

Realization and fear dawn in Hermione's eyes and she walks across the room and switches on (Y/n)'s bedside slight before placing a hand on her sister's shoulder, shaking it roughly.

"Come on," Hermione murmurs. "You've got to wake up."

(Y/n)'s eyes flash open, and she sits up in her bed, her eyes closed, head leaning against the headboard, her hands trembling.

Hermione sits down on the edge of (Y/n)'s bed, and takes her sister's hands in her own.

(Y/n) looks up, her eyes wide with shock - and a bright silver.

Hermione looks at her sister and (Y/n) subconsciously moves over and Hermione slides under the covers, her back leaning against the other half of (Y/n)'s pillow.

(Y/n) leans against Hermione's shoulder; Hermione, used to these nightmares, remains silent.

After a few minutes, she reaches over and turns off the bedside light.

(Y/n) turns on her side, her head resting on the pillow, and Hermione does the same.

. . .

(Y/n) and Hermione don't talk about the nightmare the night before as the two go about the rest of the break leading up until Christmas.

After breakfast Christmas morning, (Y/n), Hermione, and their parents walk into the living room.

"You girls want to pass out gifts?" Mrs. Granger asks and (Y/n) and Hermione nod.

After passing out the gifts, (Y/n) settles back down at her place in front of the couch. (Y/n) pulls the wrapping paper off one from Fred, and sitting on top was a card. It said:

(Y/n), Somebody got this picture of your first Quidditch match, I thought you'd like it.

- Fred

Lifting up the card, (Y/n) smiles seeing a picture in a frame. It was a picture of Fred and George lifting her up onto their shoulders after her first Quidditch match.

(Y/n) sets the picture and card beside her before picking up a gift from Harry. She smiles when she sees a Advanced Charms book and a book on Magical Creatures.

(Y/n) looks over at Hermione as the brunette at her side opens her gift. (Y/n) had given her sister a copy of Hogwarts: A History.

"I have a copy already," Hermione says, turning to (Y/n).

"There's a charm on it," (Y/n) explains. "Whenever something important in Hogwarts' history, it get's copied down in here. Look," (Y/n) says, opening a page. It says, October 31, 1991 - Hermione Granger, (Y/n) (L/n), Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, defeated a mountain troll in a girls toilet.

Hermione stares down at the book and a smile slowly spreads across her face. "This is really cool! I love it! But that's not how that went," Hermione says.

"Ah, but it's better than what actually happened," (Y/n) argues. "That was not my best birthday."

(Y/n) grabs another gift, pulls the paper off, and finds a box of chocolate frogs from Harry, and she sets them aside, promising to have one later.

One of (Y/n)'s last gifts is a package wrapped in glossy blue paper with wolves printed on it.

(Y/n),

Happy Christmas! I'm very proud of what you have accomplished at Hogwarts in such a short amount of time.

-Love,

Uncle Remus

(Y/n) gazes down at the card, a small smile on her face. Then she sets the card at her side and looks at the contents of the box. Inside was a small stuffed wolf with a tag on it's ear that read - (Y/n)'s first stuffed animal, a gift from Uncle Remus. Under that was a new stack of photos that (Y/n) promises herself to look at later.

(Y/n) opens a package and finds a red sweater with a silver (First Initial) on it. Under the sweater was a large box of homemade fudge and a letter.

(Y/n), My sons Ron, Fred, and George have told me a lot about you. My husband, Arthur, and I wish to meet you soon. Happy Christmas! -Molly Weasley

Grinning, (Y/n) pulls the sweater over her head and the four finishing opening all their gifts, both (Y/n) and Hermione take all their things upstairs.

3rd Person POV - with Harry - A few hours earlier

On Christmas Eve, Harry goes to bed looking forward for the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When he wakes early in the morning, however, the first thing he sees is a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.

"Merry Christmas," says Ron sleepily as Harry scrambles out of bed and pulls on his bathrobe.

"You, too," says Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"

"What did you expect, turnips?" says Ron, turning to his own pile, which is a lot bigger than Harry's.

Harry picks up the top parcel. It is wrapped in thick brown paper and and scrawled across it was to Harry, from Hagrid. Inside is a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself; Harry blows it - it sounded a bit like an owl.

A second, very small parcel contains a note. We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note is a fifty-pence piece.

"That's friendly," says Harry.

Ron seems fascinated by the fifty pence, "Weird!" he exclaims. "What a shape! This is money!"

"You can keep it," says Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron is. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?"

"I think I know who that one's from," says Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and - oh, no," he groans, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."

Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.

"Every year she makes us a sweater," says Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."

"That's really nice of her," says Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.

Harry's next present also contains candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione which Harry thought was kind of funny because he had gotten (Y/n) the same thing.

Harry's next parcel was from (Y/n). Opening it, he sees a small box. Feeling curious, Harry opens the box to see a couple of photos. One was of a raven haired man with amber eyes, Harry's father, and a red haired women with emerald green eyes, his mother. The two are standing with a (M/H/C) haired women, (Y/n)'s mum; all three were smiling.

Harry looks at another picture of two kids, probably about a year old. One was a boy with raven hair and emerald eyes, the other was a girl with (H/C) and green eyes - Harry himself and (Y/n).

Then, Harry sees a piece of paper sitting in the box.

Hey Harry,

I found these pictures in the box my godfather left me and I made a few copies. I figured you'd want them.

-Love,

(Y/n)

Harry smiles and picks up the final present. He picks it up and feels it. It's very light, he thinks, and he unwraps it.

Something fluid and silvery gray goes slithering to the floor where it lies in gleaming folds and Ron gasps.

"What is it?"

Harry picks up the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It's strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an Invisibility Cloak," says Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is - try it on."

Harry throws the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gives a yell.

"It is! Look down!"

Harry looks down at his feet, but they are gone. He dashes to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looks back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulls the cloak over his head and his reflection vanishes completely.

"There's a note!" says Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Harry pulls off the cloak ans seizes the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:

Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you.

Use it well

A very Merry Christmas to you

There is no signature; Harry stares at the note, while Ron is admiring the cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these," Ron says. "Anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," says Harry. He fells very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father? he thinks.

Before he can say - or think - of anything else, but the dormitory door is flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounds in. Harry stuffs the cloak quickly out of sight. He doesn't fell like sharing it with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look — Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!"

Fred and George are wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it,the other a G.

"Harry's is better than ours, though," says Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demands. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon," Ron moans halfheartedly as he pulls it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observes. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid — we know we're called Gred and Forge."

"What's all this noise?"

Percy Weasley sticks his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carries a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seizes.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."

"I — don't — want —" says Percy thickly, as the twins force the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," demands George."Christmas is a time for family."

They frog-march Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.

Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas;tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce —and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulls a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet,and is chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.

Flaming Christmas puddings follow the turkey. Percy nearly breaks his teeth on a silver Sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watches Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he calls for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggles and blushes, her top hat lopsided.

When Harry finally leaves the table, he is laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry has a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs.Norris's Christmas dinner.

Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they return to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry breaks in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. Harry suspects he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone feels too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.

It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbs into bed is he free to think about it: the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent it.

Harry leans over the side of his own bed and pulls the cloak out from under it. His father's ... this had been his father's. He lets the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.He has to try it, now. He slips out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he sees only moonlight and shadows. It's a very funny feeling.Use it well.Suddenly, Harry feels wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts is open to him in this cloak. Excitement floods through him as he stands there in the dark and silence. He can go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.

Ron grunts in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something holds him back— his father's cloak — he felt that this time — the first time — he wants to use it alone. Harry creeps out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbs through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawks the Fat Lady. Harry says nothing. He walks quickly down the corridor.

Harry, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. He sets off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak tight around him as he walked.The library is pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lights a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looks as if it was floating along in midair,and even though Harry can feel his arm supporting it, the sight gives him the creeps.

The Restricted Section is right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separates these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles. They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book has a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be. Harry had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting-looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulls it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, lets it fall open.

A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek splits the silence — the book is screaming! Harry snaps it shut, but the shriek goes on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbles backward and knocks over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside —stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he runs for it. He passes Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slips under Filch's outstretched arm and streaks off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.

Harry comes to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He has been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going.Perhaps because it's dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There is a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library — Restricted Section."

Harry feels the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he is, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice is getting nearer, and to his horror, it's Snape who replies, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Harry stands rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape come around the corner ahead. They can't see him, of course, but it is a narrow corridor and if they come much nearer, they'd knock into him - the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.

Harry backs away as quickly as he can. A door stands ajar to his left. It's my only hope, Harry thinks. He squeezes through it, holding his breath, trying to to move it, and to his relief, he manages to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walk straight past, and Harry leans against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. They had been close, very close, It is a few seconds before he notices anything about the room he his hidden in.

It looks like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs are piled against the walls, and there is an upturned wastepaper basket — but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It is a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame,standing on two clawed feet. There is an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

His panic fading now that there is no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moves nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again; he steps in front of it.

He has to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirls around, his heart pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had not seen only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.

But the room is empty. Breathing very fast, he turns slowly back to the mirror.

There he is, reflected in it, white ans scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, are at least ten others. Harry looks over his shoulder - but still, no one is there. Or are they invisible, too? Is his, in fact, in a room full of invisible people and this mirrors trick is that it reflects them, invisible or not?

Harry looks in the mirror again. A woman is standing right behind his reflection is smiling at him and waving. He reaches out a hand and feels the air behind him. If she is really there, he would touch her, their reflections are so close together, but he only feels air - she and the others exist only in the mirror.

She is a very pretty woman. Dark red hair and her eyes, emerald green eyes. Harry edges closer to the to the glass. Bright green - exactly the same shape as Harry's, but then he notices that she is crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wears glasses and his hair is very untidy. It sticks up at the back, just as Harry's does.

Harry is so close to the mirror that his nose is nearly touching that of his reflection.

"Mom?" he whispers. "Dad?"

They just look at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looks into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and sees other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man, who looks as though he as Harry's knobbly knees - he is looking at his entire family for the first time in his life.

The Potters smile and wave at Harry and he stares hungrily hack at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he is hopping to fall right through it and reach them. He has a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

How long he stands there, he doesn't know. The reflections do not fade and he looks and looks until a distant noise brings him back to his senses. He can't stay here, he has to find a way back to his bed. He tears his eyes away from his mother's face, whispers, "I'll come back," and hurries from the room.

Harry does for the next two nights and Dumbledore had found Harry the last night. Dumbledore had told Harry the purpose of the mirror, to show the deepest desire of their hearts.

Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the Invisibility Cloak stays folded at the bottom of his trunk. Harry wishes he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he can't He starts having nightmares. Over and over a again he dreams of his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice crackles with laughter. What Harry didn't know, was that (Y/n) was having the same dreams. Repetition from the one on Christmas Eve night.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," says Ron, when Harry tells them about these dreams.

Word Count: 3759 words

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

First Christmas

Just fluff. This was inspired by one of Raul's SVU master interview he did and he was wearing a bracelet. 

Warning: slight language.

Enjoy x

"Do you have to go out dressed like that when I'm not there? I'm tempted not to let you go and keep you all to myself”

Rafael had his arms wrapped around your waist while you were trying to finish getting ready to go out. It was your first squad Christmas party, the first work thing without Nick and your first Christmas with Rafael.

Your lease was ending in your apartment after the New Year, so you started to move your stuff in slowly and mix your things in with his.

You guys had a small Christmas tree up and a beautiful big wreath on the door. Your Mum was coming to the city for Christmas and Boxing Day, staying at your apartment during her time here. This was the first time Lucia and her would be meeting. You and Sonny were having Christmas off, but you were both working over the New Year’s.

"I'll only be a few hours Rafi, then I'll be home and all yours" you spun around in his arms and kissed his nose.

"Well don't drink too much, and if you need me to come and get you just call"

He started to run his hand up your thigh along your stockings up under your dress, while he was kissing your neck.

"Rafi-I have-to-finish-oh Raf." You moaned as he kissed your neck and cupped your core through your stockings and panties.

You had black stockings on with a red long sleeved dress that came to your mid thighs, with a scoop neck and an elastic waist, black ballet flats, your hair was down curled with a piece of holly pinned in it. He kissed his way up your neck to your ear,

"Sure I can't make you change your mind and stay? You’re like a present that needs to be unwrapped" he whispered in your ear and you bit your bottom lip. Before you had a chance to answer, your phone rang, it was Amanda,

"Hey Amanda"

"Hey Y/N, I'm down stairs"

"Ok be right there" you smiled at Rafael, he rolled his eyes taking his hands away from you while you hung up.

"She sure knows how to cock block me doesn't she" you laughed cupping his cheek.

"Don't be like that Rafi, we will continue this when I get home" you winked at him.

Liv had booked a table at one of the best Italian restaurant in the area and then you guys were going to go out drinking and dancing. No one had to work the next day, but you were all on call just in case. To add a little bit of fun because it was Christmas, you all decided to dress in red or green. You all looked so festive.

You and Amanda got to the restaurant first and waited for everyone to come. Once you guys were shown to your seats, you all seen the table was set for 6. You were sitting next to Sonny, Amanda was across from you between Liv and Fin, with a spare seat next to you placed.

“Are we expecting someone else?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, me" you knew that voice anywhere

"Rafi" you smiled as you looked up.

He was dressed in a black suit with a white button down, with a red scarf and his brown over coat. You got up from your seat and pretty much jumped into his arms. He wrapped his arms around your waist and yours around his neck and you kissed him hello.

"Hey Hermosa" and he kissed you again.

Rafael said hello to everyone and took his seat on the other side of you.

"Glad you made it Barba, Your just as much part of the team as the rest of us" Liv smiled and Rafael looked at you with a wink and a smirk.

You guys all ordered entries and dinner. And your drinks arrived.

"I want to do a toast" Liv started "I think of all my years at SVU this one has to have been one of my favourite. We had two new squad members join us and it was like they had always been here. We had some tough stuff happen, we lost someone we all loved very much. But we also had a lot of good stuff happen. I wouldn't want to be walking through tough stuff or the good stuff without you all by my side. Cheers" you all clinked your glasses.

Dinner was amazing and you all decided to go to a night club one block down. Excitement filled you when you saw what club it was. It was a retro club that mostly played 80's music. You had been wanting to check it out with Rafael but something always came up the nights you wanted to go. Little did you know, he actually suggested to Liv that you guys should all go there tonight after dinner because it was so close.

It was cold outside, so you guys walked quickly to get to where you needed to go to get back inside. Rafael had his arm wrapped around your shoulders as you guys were walking behind the others.

"Rafi?"

"Yes Hermosa?"

"How long ago did Liv invite you to tonight?" He laughed

"About 2 weeks ago. I wanted to leave it as a surprise" you giggled

"What if I had turned around earlier and said I would have stayed home with you?"

He lent close to your ear

"I would have made it worth your while. But now you will have to wait till we get home" he gave you a cheeky smile.

****

The lead up to Christmas went fairly quick and was there before you knew it. Nothing major had come in by Christmas Eve so Liv gave you all the nod to leave early, which worked in your favour. Sonny offered to go with you to the grocery store to pick up some last minute stuff for Christmas day.

Your Mum would be in New York late that night, but would be at yours and Rafael’s in the morning. You and Rafael had promised to go to Lucia’s for Christmas Eve dinner, then midnight mass, then she would be at your guys place for Christmas lunch. You had all decided no presents this year, you all just wanted to spend time together. But you did organise a couple of small things for Rafael that he didn't know about.

"So Y/N, your Mum's are meeting uh? Are ya nervous?"

"Not really Sonny, I think they will get along. It's just a big step you know. Moving in together and then mothers meeting during Christmas"

Sonny patted you in the back, "It will be fine."

Sonny drove you back and helped you take the shopping up and you turned on the jug to make him a coffee. Sonny was no Nick, but you had a cute little brother sister bond thing going on. You made the coffee and you both moved to the dining table.

"Ya know- I'm no Nick. They are big shoes to fill you guys were tight. He was your best friend. But I'm glad I was partnered with you. Not that there is anything wrong with Fin or Rollins. But we make a good team" you giggled.

"Sonny I'm glad you’re my partner, you’re a great person and you are one of my best friends, I trust you with my life." you smiled at him. A big smile came to his face.

"Same Y/N"

****

2am you and Rafael finally made it home. Dinner as amazing at Lucia's and midnight mass was beautiful. You both made your way to bed, knowing you had to be up early to start cooking for lunch.

Your Mum came early and helped you guys. You went into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. As you walked out, you could hear your mum and Rafael talking in the kitchen,

"Well you have my blessing Rafael, when the time is right you do did. I think what you have planned she is going to love it. I couldn't have picked anyone better than you if I tried"

Butterflies filled your tummy and a smiled pulled to your face, but you were pulled out of the feeling when there was a knock on the door.

Christmas lunch couldn't have gone any better. The mum's got along amazing, and Lucia had invited you all over the next day for Boxing Day for a Cuban meal. Lucia offered to drive your mum home and they left around 10. Everything had been cleaned and Rafael poured two glasses of wine.

"Hermosa, the wine is ready"

"Coming" you walked out of the bed room with two gifts and you sat next to Rafael, he looked at the presents in your lap.

"Hermosa, what did we say about presents this year?"

"I know, but they are just something small and it's our first Christmas together"

You handed them over to him.

"Open the rectangle one first" you smiled at him.

He ripped the paper off and a huge smile pulled to his face. It was a framed photo of you and him from your first date. It was a selfie you had taken. His arms were around your waist, you had one arm around his neck. You were cheek to cheek smiling hard. He looked up at so happy.

"You don't have many photos here, so I thought since I'm moving in we needed a photo of us around"

"I love it Hermosa, thank you"

"Don't thank me yet, you have another one to open"

He put the photo on the coffee table and started to unwrap the smaller square box. His eyes filled with tears when he seen the gold ID bracelet sitting inside. He pulled it off the pillow, looking at it closely. On the top of the bar it had 'Rafael' engraved on it, he turned it over and on the back 'I love you always'

He lent over and kissed you light on the lips.

"Here, I'll put it on for you" he looked at it shinning on his arm once you clipped it up.

"Well I'm glad I got you something as well" you both laughed.

He pulled out a small green velvet box from his pocket. Your tummy filled with butterflies. He turned his body towards you.

"Mi Hermosa, I have never been as happy as I have been the last few months. You’re the love of my life and I want to grow old with you. In this box is something very special. It was Abuela’s and I want you to have it as my commitment to you" he paused "This is a commitment ring. I'm committing to you that one day I'm going to marry you and have a family"

Your eyes were filled with tears as he opened the box, it was a sliver band with a blue square cut diamond with two small white square stones on either side. He pulled the ring out of the box and handed it to you.

"I want you to read what's engraved on the inside"

You moved the ring to the light 'Only You' was on the inside of the band. Tears fell down your cheeks, he took the ring off you, grabbed your right hand and slid the ring onto your ring finger.

"I'll never take it off Rafi"

[sahbibabe]

A Growing Awareness

A Growing Awareness

Soulmate AU

Sephiroth/Fem! Reader

Reno offers you a job that requires your mercenary skills, requested by Rufus Shinra personally. You neither want to do it or obey his every whim.

Sephiroth is vulnerable, if only for a few moments, and allows you in, but you would never have known otherwise.

SO, [NAME], WE HAVE A proposition for you."

Reno, ever flashy in his nice suit, and Rude, who was carefully pouring you tea after refusing to allow you to do it, had cornered you in your shop sometime after closing. Sephiroth had made good on his promise to escort you, and told you in very simple terms that he would be back again to continue your conversation. If he came into contact with the two Turks, however, there would be bloodshed, you had no doubt; death was the last thing you wanted these days.

"Thank you, Rude," you said, thanking him when he handed you your cup of tea. He nodded imperceptibly at you. "What kind of proposition? I'm afraid there's not a lot I can do for you."

Reno grinned. "See, that's the thing--there's plenty you can do for us. You see, I've been digging up some of your old files--"

You went rock solid. Slamming the tea cup down on the table, you fixed him with a look that could curdle blood, mouth pulled into a firm line, daring him to continue. You felt Rude, beside you, spook just a little. "How dare you."

"--and I found out some very interesting tidbits about you. Would you like to hear them?"

"Do I even have a choice?" You sneered. Your amicable nature had taken the back burner and the mercenary was taking its place, ready to spill blood and cut throats. "I assume you're going to tell me anyway."

Reno produced a thick manila file from inside his blazer, slapping it down on the rickety table with an audible smack. There were red sticky tabs labeled on the parts he thought were important, yellow ones and blue ones and green ones that you didn't know the meaning of.

"[Name] [Surname]," he began in a mocking tone, flipping to your diagnostics page. "Twenty-three. Female. Originally born in Sector Two, moved to Sector Seven at nineteen. Daughter of [M/Name] and [F/Name], head Shinra executives."

You squeezed your eyes shut. "Stop."

"Form occupation: mercenary." His tone got more sardonic the more he read. The more he got closer to the information you tried to forget about for hours at a time, that never ceased bothering you every waking moment. "Charted casualties: six thousand. Known kill count: fifteen thousand. You were a busy woman, weren't you?"

"I said stop."

"And here's the interesting part," Reno hummed, flipping to another red tab, another part of your life that killed you to relive. "After a week in Hojo's lab, you suddenly retired. Packed up and shipped out to Sector Seven without any prior word otherwise. Set up a little tea shop. No one looks twice at the blind woman, except you aren't blind and you aren't as innocent as you make yourself out to be."

You couldn't take it anymore. You were across the table and wrapping your hands around Reno's pale throat, fingers digging into muscle and the hard cartilage of his esophagus, eyes boring holes into his own. Rude tried to pull you away, but you held fast, some supernatural strength rooting you there, threatened.

"I said, stop it," you seethed, ignoring the feel of scalding tea seeping into the skin of your abdomen. You would have burns there, later. "Shut the hell up and tell me what you want. There's no reason for you to educate me on my past."

When you finished speaking, you released him roughly, slowly reclining back in your chair when Rude released you, relieved you weren't going to lunge at his partner again.

"Sorry, [Name]," Rude began, no doubt referring to the giant imprints of his hands that would be left on your hips from his pulling you away from Reno. You hadn't even realized how hard until the pain set in, brutal and aching. "I'll get you a potion."

"No need," you huffed, pulling your shirt away from your stomach. The skin was already raw and hot; you guessed second degree burns by the feel of it. "Either you get to talking, Reno, or get out and never come back."

He was still rubbing his throat, red hair downcast over his eyes, and you made out the imprints of your fingers around his neck like a suffocating ring. You felt somewhat guilty about it and felt the urge to apologize, but the smug smile on his face made you take it back and want to give him a nice shiner in the eye.

"Fine then. President Rufus. He wants you to reinstate your merc services." He leaned back in his chair, though he kept a hand on his baton, you noticed. "He has need of your skillset."

"What?" You mocked, mimicking the tone he had used on you before. "Turks not good enough for the mighty Rufus Shinra that he has to hire a retired mercenary?"

You relished in the irritation beginning to show on Reno's face.

"Look. It's three million gil a gig. Take it or leave it. As for your answer, you have a few months before you'll be needed. I'm sure you can come up with a good one by then."

In short, you couldn't tell them no, and you were going to be seeing Rufus Shinra earlier than you had intended, which had just gone from never in a million years to right in a few months. Unless you wanted your life ruined, you had to go. Had to obey, like a dog.

"Get out," you hissed. "Get. Out."

Reno smirked and waved for Rude to stand, the both of them heading to the door.

"You have my card if you make your decision early."

Once the damned Turks were out of your building, you flipped the open sign to closed and began tearing your shirt off to let the burn breathe. You left it somewhere on the stairs and fumbled for your first aid kit, pulling out a sanitary wipe and burn gel that Tifa had helped you procure at an insanely cheap price.

"Damn," you cursed, feeling the scissors drop from your fingers. You instead ripped the packet of burn gel open with your teeth and spread it across your stomach generously, laying back on your bed and sighing in relief when the powerful sting of the burn went away in a rush of cold. "Much better…"

"Three million gil is a lot of money. You should take it."

You jerked upwards with a shriek, nearly shoving the first aid kit on the floor in your haste to cover your chest. Your shirt had been padded, so you hadn't worried too much about wearing a bra, but now you could very well say that you were regretting that decision now.

Sephiroth sat in the same chair he had before, one ankle crossed over his knee, an insanely long katana balanced on his thighs. He didn't seem particularly bored, or as if he had been waiting long. His cat-eye stare was fixed on your face, watching, waiting for an answer; he didn't even look down at your breasts once. You weren't sure if you should be disappointed, relieved, or both.

You swallowed thickly. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He gave you a shrug that seemed entirely out of character for him. "I see you were burned."

"I spilled some tea," you explained quickly, eyebrows furrowed,"but… What are you doing here? I didn't even hear you come inside--"

"I used teleportation materia." He leaned over and plucked a red orb from your letter drawer, rolling it between his fingers. "Your turn."

You huffed and, seeing he wasn't going to look at you in an intimate way anytime soon, went to the bathroom to pull on your robe. It was one you had splurged on at Aerith's urging, saying it was soft and comfortable. You had slept in it on many occasions, sometimes when the weather got too hot or the sun lamps were too concentrated.

With your back turned in the threshold of the bathroom, working furiously at the knot you had tied into the belt, you wouldn't have noticed those green-blue eyes admiring the panes of your back, darting from the back of your neck to the dip in your spine near the hem of your pants.

You finally got the belt untied and pulled on the robe with a grimace, adjusting the tightness so you wouldn't have the fibers sticking to the burn gel. You probably should have put gauze on it or something, but in your panic at seeing Sephiroth and being half naked, you had forgotten all about it.

The robe hung open as a result, but you could easily hide your chest by crossing your arms. When you were satisfied, you turned back and began picking up the burn gel and supplies, tucking them away in the first aid kit.

"You aren't going to take it?"

"Take what?" You asked.

"The Turk's offer."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" You brushed hair away from your face and sat down parallel to him, reasonably positioned on the edge of your bed. "What Rufus Shinra wants, he gets. He'll make my life a living hell if I don't."

"You could always leave," Sephiroth suggested. "Leave Midgar. I doubt he would follow."

You smiled sadly and looked out your window where Seventh Heaven's lights glowed brightly. You could pick out Tifa and Cloud sitting on the steps, pointing towards Jessie and Wedge who were encouraging Biggs to guzzle a drink. You even saw Marlene and Barret sitting outside as well, but you weren't able to tell what they were doing.

"I can't leave." You stroked the soft cotton of your robe idly. "Even if I wanted to. I have friends here… Friends I consider family. I couldn't leave them like that. It wouldn't be right."

"Then you would have to take the offer," Sephiroth concluded, uncrossing his legs. He left his sword on the chair and approached you, standing uncomfortably close. You edged back and leaned against the window frame to allow him to see outside as well. "Rufus Shinra will go after them if you don't."

"I know. He's smarter than his father, I'll give him that."

"Smarter and nearly twice as clever." He shook his head. "What that Turk said--is it true?"

"What part?" You hummed, watching as Wedge approached Cloud and began talking animatedly. You would get nothing out of being dishonest; he had heard everything, after all. The least you could do was be honest. "The mercenary thing, or…"

"Both. The mercenary part, and Hojo's experiments."

He sounded testy, like he was weighing his options and those options rested on what you told him.

"The mercenary part is simple." You looked at him from underneath your lashes, somewhat startled by the intensity he was looking at you with. You had almost thought he had pilfered your personal files, but it seemed not. He knew as much about you as you did him. "I worked as one for about nine or so years, racked up an ostentatious kill count. Got sick, went to Hojo, and he screwed everything up. I left, he never pursued, to make a long story short. I doubt he even knew what he was doing. He only wanted a test subject."

"I see." Sephiroth went quiet, seemingly content with that answer. "You didn't have to tell me. So, thank you. [Name]."

You couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in your stomach at the sound of your name. It was better than you had imagined it to be. "It was a long time ago. It bothers me sometimes when I don't talk about it."

"Of course. Most things do."

When you looked up, you caught that glimmer in his eye--that spark of life and consciousness that he had never seemed to have before. An awareness of the world, you had to guess, or an appreciation of reality, as if he had come out of a long sleep and was just now seeing things for the first time.

You had to wonder what it was like to be a SOLDIER, to live in that mindset for so long that you couldn't distinguish between yourself and the weapon that you had become. Cloud had certainly struggled with it, but he had Tifa; Sephiroth had no one, would not allow himself to be vulnerable to you in that way. He seemed to be slowly coming out of in all on his own, that dangerous aura receding to allow something genuine and almost pure to rise to the surface: thankfulness.

But with that self awareness came problems. You had to face the bad things you had done and the things you would still do before you ever came to terms with your new existence. You would know; you had spent two years curled up in one of Merle's apartments, only eating, drinking, sleeping, and despairing over your previous actions. The people you had killed.

So you decided to make him an offer, even if he wouldn't accept it.

"Hey," you said, your voice a whisper. Any louder and it might break the silent peace that had developed in the room. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. I might not know much about SOLDIER stuff, but…" You shrugged awkwardly. "I'll be here."

He didn't smile, but you could see a miniscule grin on his face, just the tiniest pull of his lips. He didn't acknowledge it, though, and continued looking out the window until you slumped against the sill with a yawn, eyes heavy lidded and hazy.

Sephiroth helped you to your bed when you stumbled, pulling the blankets over you when you flopped down onto your pillow with a groan at the pull of the burn on your abdomen.

As you closed your eyes and tried to force yourself to sleep, you felt the feather soft brush of lips on your cheek, felt his breath on your ear as he whispered.

"Thank you."

[yourlocalauthor]

Adore You PT.2

Pairing: Topper x Reader

Summary: Reader moved to the OBX two years ago. One year in she started dating Topper Thornton. Our once feisty reader, is now struggling with an identity crisis (this is shit but its 230 where i am)

Word Count: 2.4k+

Warnings: Drugs and Alcohol, and some cursing. That should be all.

Additional: This part two go read part one . tagging @goddsquad again because one of her posts inspired me to do this

Part 1

Things were finally good. For the first time in two years you weren’t desperate to get off the island. Things were very different for you, and you didn’t mind it. Last year after that night, you and Topper hung out. Matter of fact you had begun hanging out with your brother’s friend group. He wasn’t happy, but you were able to black mail him over your knowledge of him and his new found love for cocaine. Although he swears it was just the one time. So life began to change a little bit for you. That summer was magical, and you owed it all to your drunk self walking in on your brother doing a line of coke. You had begun dating Topper in late July. Since then things had only gone up hill for you, at school people were actually talking to you. You had actual kook girls talking to you, and deep down you knew they were doing it because of your boyfriend, and/or brother. The brother part wasn’t new to you though. But being Topper’s girlfriend wasn’t easy; you had a new reputation to uphold, his family’s. You didn’t think much of it, until his mother pulled you aside one day. Topper’s mother scared the shit of you. She always gave you this glare, even before you even knew Topper. You were fairly sure she was a part of the neighborhood women who enjoyed talking about you. Your suspicions were only confirmed when she talked to you. She told you to put away the whole charade, act like a real lady, and to stop dressing like a whore. When you got home you cried for hours, but you loved Topper. You loved him so much that you would put up with it. So you changed yourself, your bright eyeshadows were saved for going out and partying, the little gemstones you’d stick to your face were in a drawer collecting dust, no more low cut shirts, or low coverage bottoms. There were days where you’d look in the mirror, and a stranger would be staring back at you. And it was foolish, how less then a year ago you didn’t care what anyone on this stupid island thought of you, but ever since people started to acknowledge your existence in a somewhat positive way you missed having that attention. You didn’t want it to go away, so you did what you needed to. You didn’t expect him too, but Topper started to notice. He’d ask about it here and there and you’d tell him you just didn’t feel like going through the whole process of getting ready. He believed you and then you’d get back to whatever the two of you were doing. And it worked for the two of you, and you weren’t exactly sure what love felt like but this felt like it. So you were willing to do whatever you needed to, to stay with him.

Dinner parties you hated them. Always had, and probably always will. But the thing with suddenly becoming a part of the elite of the elite Kooks, was they threw a lot of them. Coincidentally the Thorntons had this huge party, every year where practically everyone on the figure eight was invited. You remembered the one last year, you were in New York much to your mother's dismay but it was your best friend’s birthday and you wouldn’t miss it for the world. But of course you couldn’t skip it this year. You dreaded Friday evening, looking for an excuse to get away but of course the time came and you had to start getting ready.

You needed to be simple. You never thought you’d think like that, but here you were. You had gone out towards the mainland, last weekend with a bunch of your ‘girlfriends’. The only reason you were all friends was because your boyfriends were all friends, and it worked ever so slightly. You all were able to benefit each out, in your case they were able to help you dress for the occasion. They helped you pick out this flowery flowy white dress, it ended just about your knees, it had a scooped neckline that didn’t show off too much, and it had little sleeves. Deep down you hated how boring it was, but the only thing running through your mind was ‘Mrs. Thornton would love this.’ You hated to admit it but you’d do anything to impress her. Your friends helped you buy some Anastasia Beverly Hills palette, they said the neutrals would be really useful and would make you achieve that natural no makeup makeup look. You always thought no makeup makeup looks were silly but to each their own. What your friends didn't know was you bought another pair of lashes on the way out of Ulta. No matter how toned down you made yourself look, you always had lashes. They were your one few sources of freedom. You pulled out the dress, staring at it. White went well with your tan, maybe that's why you always managed to slip the color into your outfits. You pulled out the dress, sliding it on. You stared into your mirror, but you weren’t staring back. It was another girl, a girl who looked like she was born and raised a kook. Someone who hadn’t seen much in life, and was going to live a boring uneventful life. And you couldn’t believe it was you, but maybe this was who you were turning into… a trophy wife. You ignored that thought, walking over to your vanity to do your makeup. And once you were done, you looked back at the mirror. The only thing that said you was your lashes, and you were content with that for now. You grabbed your phone, and the little bag from the first time you really met Topper. It was your go to party bag, it had enough room for everything, and black went with everything.

Arriving at your boyfriend’s house was no different than the hundreds of times you’ve done it before. You guys were early, of course you had to be. It was so weird how dating in the Outer Banks, no matter how old you were your families became a family together. So your mother went off with Topper’s mother, your little brother trailing behind. Your father and older brother went off with Topper’s dad already talking about golf, and boats and whatever men liked to talk about. Which left you to find Topper. You went up the stairs taking the familiar route to his room, and of course he was there working on something at his desk. You knew a lot of people thought he was just another rich egotistical asshole. But deep down, he wasn’t, he worked his ass off in school always trying his best to impress his dad, and he cared about you so much. You two weren’t big on PDA, it was mainly you but he respected you enough. You just didn’t want to hear shit about you kissing your boyfriend so you just didn’t do it in public. But in private he was the most caring, gentle, sweetest human being to you. Sometimes you felt like you weren’t good enough, there were so many girls on the island he could’ve chosen. Girls who were more put together, able to be presentable at all times. Ones who fit in with the dinner party crowds, were able to have proper conversations with adults, and were able to be the center of attention but in a good way. You tried to put your negative thoughts behind, wanting to leave them at the door. You gently knocked on the door frame, a smile on your face.

“Hey”

You watched him turn around, a large smile spread across his face as he stood up from his chair. He casually walked over to you, and brought his hands to your cheeks. He leaned down, as you leaned forward practically melting into the kiss, Of course he pulled away first, looking you up and down once again.

“You look...different.”

“Different?”

“It’s just so… toned down.”

“Well I mean it’s a dinner party so I didn’t want too you know, do the whole thing.”

You could see him pondering, and then choosing to ignore it becoming distracted by whatever had popped up next in his mind.

“I just remembered I got you something. And before you say anything, consider it an early anniversary gift, even though you said you didn’t want to do anything for it. I just saw this, the last time I was on the mainland and had to get them for you.”

Gifts, that was one of Topper’s specialties. It was a little more excessive when you first began dating, until you told him how you felt. But every now and then for some holiday or something he’d get you something extravagant. It sucked because you weren’t good at giving gifts, you liked making memories instead of giving gifts.

“Top…”

“Just close your eyes okay?”

You obliged as you felt him move closer to you, his hot breath practically on your neck. You waited patiently, until you felt the cool familiar feeling of a chain wrapping around your neck. You could feel his thumbs graze across your neck, as you assumed he was fumbling with the clasp.

“Open”

You slowly opened your eyes, looking across at the mirror. It was a small silver necklace, with a little blueish gem at the center of the chain. And it felt like too much.

“Topper, I don’t deserve this.”

“Yes you do, it’s a gift for me too. It’ll remind me of how we’ve been together for a year everytime you wear it.

“I didn’t even get you anything. We promised each other no gifts.”

“It doesn’t matter Y/N you’re all I need really.”

You stared at the mirror, at the two of you standing in it. You weren’t exactly sure how to react to this whole situation, it just made you feel like a worse girlfriend.

“Thank you… I’m going to go see if I can help downstairs.”

You gave him a small peck, before turning back out the door and down the stairs.

A special note about Kooks, they don’t care about drinking laws. So basically anyone over the age of sixteen was drinking. You didn’t really realize you were drinking a lot. You had built up such a tolerance, that you didn’t realize you were drunk. You kept filling up your glass with wine, not that the adults were even bothered at paying attention. In fact you were fairly certain no one's eyes were on you, for the first time since you could remember. No one was paying attention to you, or so you thought. From across your seat Topper, was watching you slyly he could see you taking drink after drink, mentally counting them.

After dinner everyone was socializing, but you were very drunk. You tried your best at hiding it, sitting down, distancing yourself from those around. It was a good thing that most of the adults were too distracted or drunk to notice you. God you were such a shitty girlfriend. You were definitely an embarrassment. You stood up from your spot, trying to find a room that was empty. You stumbled here and there but you made it to the living room, although it wasn’t really a living room. Point was you just needed to get past everyone and you were good. You were just about to get through the whole crow when a certain blonde caught your eye. Topper was talking to some girl, you believed her name was Chelsea but you didn’t really care. What you cared up was the way she’d occasionally touch his arm, and look at him. And honestly it just made everything you were feeling worse. You could see he wasn’t exactly comfortable, but your drunken state wasn’t paying attention to that factor. You cared about how that was supposed to be you, instead of being drunk, and you couldn’t help the thought of you being a shitty girlfriend running through your mind again. It was only until Topper saw you did you move, you moved past the crowd, heading up the stairs into one of the empty guest rooms despite the calls of your name. You really shouldn’t of been surprised when he came in not even moments later shutting the door behind him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah just peachy, why do you ask?”

“Look Y/N you freaked out about the necklace but is that really all that’s going on? You’ve been so different these past couple of months.”

He stepped closer to you, gently taking your hands into yours. And that’s when the tears began to flow.

“I’m a shitty girlfriend.”

“No you’re not”

“Yes I am.”

“Y/N I don’t care about some stupid anniversary gift.”

“No it’s not that, I’m not a perfect Kook. I’m not even a good one.”

“Y/N I don’t car-”

“We should break up.”

“Y/N/“

“I’m serious, your mom would be so happy. She hates me.”

“I don’t care about what she thinks.”

“Well I do, and I can’t stand here knowing you deserve better. You deserve someone, who’ll accept all your gifts no questions asked, someone who doesn’t get drunk at dinner parties, someone who doesn’t dress like I do, someone who knows how to do natural makeup, and talk like a proper lady-”

“Y/N”

“You just deserve better Top, I don’t deserve you. I’m a mess compared to you and your family.”

“Y/N I don’t care.”

“Well maybe you should. Maybe you should care how clueless I am when it comes to stuff like this. You deserve some prissy, perfect girl not me, I’m just a fucking mes-”

You were shut up by a kiss. Topper pulled back, looking at you while wiping your tears with his thumb.

“Y/N. I don’t want some prissy princess. I want you. You’re absolutely gorgeous inside and out. I don’t want you to be like the other girls on the island. I want you to be you, that’s why I fell in love with you. And that’s why I still love you, so can you please just be quiet and let me adore you?”

You gave him a small nod, and it was once again sweet and gentle. And for the first time you felt like a weight had been lifted. You  didn’t care what anyone thought anymore because Topper loved you, he loved you for you and quite frankly that’s all that mattered.

[nessamaurice]

Simple, Ch. 11 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: PTSD/flash back, trauma

Words: 2845

11

Your whole body hurt incredibly as you opened your eyes. Terrified you saw that you were back at that awful lab, dozens of needles sticking deeply in your skin. You couldn't focus correctly and thus didn't saw what was happening right in front of you. You felt electrodes getting glued on your head and started screaming to the top of your lungs as the burning pain pierced into your brain.

"Y/N! Y/N, wake up! It's just a dream, it's alright!"

Carefully being shaken you slipped back into reality. As you opened your eyes you saw a very concerned Loki looking down on you, loose black locks framing his face. In that moment you realized you were still screaming and shut up the next second. Loki looked up from you like to someone else and said something but you were too drowsy to follow the actions. Tears were rolling down your temples and you were trembling. It was just so cold...  Half asleep, half awake you turned on your side and curled up so tightly that you were just a little human ball, clasping your legs and pulling them up to your chest so that you could burry half your face between your knees. Shaking you tried to fall asleep again but it just didn't work; you knew that it wouldn't within seconds. Quietly you started to cry without knowing why exactly. You gasped as you felt hands at your shins. Loki had brought a soft, woolen blanket and tugged it neatly under your legs so that your front was completely covered, except for a small gap for your face so you could breathe. But your back was still uncovered so you wanted to roll around and pull the blanket over your shoulders as the mattress behind you dipped a bit. An arm wrapped around you under the blanket and pulled you slightly backwards to the warm body laying down behind you. Loki curled up to your back and held you.

"Don't worry, I'm by your side. You will not slip from my grip, nothing can happen to you. I'm with you. You are not alone."

***

You slowly awakened and the first thing your brain recognized was a familiar scent. Fresh linen and leather. You opened your eyes and saw an open book, held by big hands that were clearly not yours. You felt a chin lightly touching the top of your head. Then slowly the memory came back and you recalled your nightmare and how you got comforted into sleep again. Heat was rushing to your cheeks, being aware of the full body contact behind you while Loki slowly changed pages, not realizing you were awake. You stiffened completely, not knowing how to react. Loki noticed the change in your muscles and whispered your name.

"Are you awake?"

You awkwardly cleared your throat. "Ahem, yes. I'm sorry. How long have I slept?"

"It is now 10 am the next morning, so you slept a good amount of hours. What did you apologize for?" He spoke with a low voice; you felt the vibration of its sound where his chest touched your back.

You still didn't know how to move, so you stayed right there, totally stiff. But you had to admit, being so close to him was extremely calming. "That you had to climb here in with me. I'm pretty sure you're not really the cuddle type." You laughed nervously.

"You may be right, this is not something I would declare common for me. But I know what to do to calm down a traumatized person having something like a panic attack. And I’ve been in far more uncomfortable situations." 

You could hear him smiling with the last sentence which just made you blush even more. It was so long ago since you’ve been close to somebody. To anybody. Your muscles began to relax a bit and the fact he didn't move away reassured you a bit. 

"What are you reading?" You suddenly wanted to know, surprising yourself.

Loki closed the book with the finger he had on its cover. You immediately threw your hand against your forehead in shame.

"Oh my god. Where did you get this from? Why are you even reading it?"

"Your uncle brought some of your books from your room and I got bored. Not that watching you sleep isn't entertaining, but at some point I wanted to get my thoughts elsewhere. So I grabbed the first book from the stack and the title sounded truly interesting."

"Wait... what?" Now you turned to face him, "Watching me sleep is entertaining?" You imagined yourself snoring and drooling onto his arm and wanted to sink into the earth right away.

Ignoring your comment he just went on, seriously looking at the book, "Star Wars - The Phantom Menace. How could I resist? And, to my own surprise, it is not as bad as I expected your human literature to be. It clearly has lots of flaws regarding numerous techniques of writing and storytelling, but for such a young civilisation it could have been worse."

"You only say that because you haven't seen the movie."

Loki pulled his arm from beneath your head and pushed himself up on it, looking down at you.

"There's a movie from this?"

You turned around, now lying on your back, with a surprised expression.

"You know what movies are?"

All he did was giving you pouty look before he elegantly swung off the bed.

"I better get you something to eat before you get too impudent."

You watched him as he strode out of the room. You caught yourself biting on your lower lip and directly scolded yourself. You explained it with the hunger you felt in your stomach and not with any other kind of... hunger. He wasn’t even your typical “type of prey”. But you had to admit you felt calmer when he was around. He had some kind of aura that made you feel… understood. Acknowledged. Safe. You stroked over a shaved part of your head to distract you. It already turned scrubby, except for the parts where the electrodes were stuck to your head, leaving bald circles. You looked down at your arms, at the slowly healing cuts. You could recall how you got each single one of them, you would never forget that. You felt the burning of every single wound, you could locate them in your mind. Not only your skin would stay scarred for the rest of your life, your mind would never be the same again, too. You were marked, inside and out. Always to be identified as a victim of Hydra. Not only a victim, but a tool as well. You hurt others just to keep yourself a little less unharmed. You penetrated their minds, their feelings and covered them with your own, forced them to feel differently than they naturally would. You looked down at your hands and suddenly got the intense urge to peel off the skin of your palms. Just that moment the glass door of the medical room you were in opened and Loki entered with a tablet loaded with the most different things for breakfast. You quickly rose your head and felt like you've been caught doing something bad. You watched his face turn from a relaxed smile into a severely concerned expression.

"By the Allfathers, what happened?" 

He paced the room towards you with just a few steps, put the tablet on the table next to your bed and sat down in front of you, taking your face gently into his big hands. You weren't able to meet his eyes.

"My dear, look at me. Come on. Speak with me.", he softly encouraged you.

Hesitantly you looked into his face. He wiped with his thumb over your cheek, that was when you realized you were crying.

"I... I am a monster." You choked on your sobbing voice. "They made me a monster! Look at these-" You raised your palms a bit and looked down on them "Everyone I touch will be like an open book to me, they will not be able to choose what I’m allowed to know. And even worse… they will be forced to feel what I feel. Their souls will be plastered over with my own emotions." You suddenly looked up to Loki. "They made me a mental rapist for the rest of my life!" Your eyes got lost looking around the room as you realized what you just said. "Oh my god..." You covered your mouth with your hands as you started to sob uncontrollably. Loki pulled you to his chest and held you tight.

"I am so sorry this happened to you. I know it is too early for you to accept this, but just let me tell you, you are no monster. For sure not. I know what I am talking about, believe me. ... Do you want me to get your uncle here? He was forced to leave for a mission and I promised to look after you, but if you prefer his company I am sure he-"

"No, don't. Don't leave. Please." You grabbed his shirt and held on it for dear life. You didn't want to be alone again. As soon as he would leave your side you knew the horrific memories and thoughts would come back immediately. "I'm so sorry" you wept into his chest.

"It's okay. Of course I'm staying. Do not apologize my dear." He pressed you a bit closer to him.

Loki looked over to the door and was surprised to see his brother coming along the glass front and just as he wanted to open the glass door he saw the scene and stopped mid-movement, obviously confused. Loki slightly shook his head and pointed to the side, meaning him to leave. He conjured an illusion of himself a bit further away in the corridor to speak to his brother without disturbing you.

"Hello, brother."

"Loki? What is going on? Why are you holding this crying woman? Who is she? What did you do?" Thor walked out of view towards his brother's illusion.

Loki rolled his eyes before he answered "That is Y/N. I am not the reason she is in this abysmal condition. She got kidnapped and tortured by that Hydra cult over a week ago. We managed to save her, but it took us a few days. They injured her body and her soul severely. It appeared that she has empathic powers and Hydra forced them to the surface, now she is able to feel other's feelings and even to alter them only by touching them with her hands. It is hard for her to cope with that."

"By the Allfathers, that are awful news. Does she need any support from our home?"

"I don't think that would be good. Midgardian souls are different, we don't know how the effects would be on the long term."

"Yes, you are right." Thor stopped for a moment and looked Loki deeply in the eyes. "And you are comforting her?" He raised his eyebrows. "I never thought you are able of being that sensitive."

Loki sighed, "Well, brother, unlike you, obviously, I can be perfectly sensible if I want to. And again, unlike you, I know what she feels like right now. I have been in familiar situations.“ He paused talking to Thor as he said some comforting words to you. „I have to leave now, if you would excuse me."

"Of course, Loki. Let me tell you that I am as surprised as I am impressed. I am truly happy that you found a person that brings this part of you to the daylight. Farewell for now, brother." Thor wanted to leave, but stopped. “Mother would have been really proud of you.” Then he gave him a short smile before he walked through the illusion, causing it to disappear.

Now his attention was fully yours again, though the words of his brother echoed in his head. But he had no time to let that sink in, not now. He pulled away a bit and touched your chin to move it upwards, making you face him.

"Y/N, if you feel comfortable with that, I want you to know that you can tell me anything. If one day you feel like you want to talk about what happened to you in there, know that I will always be there listening. I want to help you heal. I wanted to offer that to you earlier, but I backed away."

You looked him dead in the eye, wiped over your wet face and asked him a question he was visibly surprised by.

"Why? Why do you want that? Not that I am not thankful for that, but at first you were different towards me. Cold, distant, skeptical. Now you are so sweet and caring. I just don't understand that. ...Why?" You grabbed a tissue to clean your face while you watched him writhe on the inside. But you really wanted to know that- needed to know that. You really wanted to trust him, but that question became more and more present in your subconscious. After all he did, after all that happened to him, it seemed somehow counterintuitive. You expected him to be hardened after all that, and that it would take so much time and patience to get to his core. You watched his face carefully. He went from confusion to reluctance, brushing along temper but finally settled with surrender. He closed his eyes and sighed, searching for the right words to start with. He turned to directly face you.

"I knew you were different from the first moment I saw you. There was no... contempt, no prejudice in you. Just curiosity and maybe a bit of fear", he smiled as he said that, "Every human I met by now looked at me with this certain look. This look that mirrors how I view myself and it's like a confirmation of all the evil in me. But you... And as you moved in it appeared that you really wanted to help me. And you were so... compassionate. It didn't took me long to define why I like to be around you. You met my reservedness not with impatience but with forbearance. You let me know that you actually wanted to be there with me, not like you were forced or that you had to endure my company for some other advantage or reward. It felt like you counted me getting a bit more open as your reward. You really wanted me to feel comfortable with you and offered me so many options to get closer without becoming pushy. You gave me time to think and sort out my words when we spoke; something I never did, I always have been very quick with my tongue but that led me nowhere. It is new for me to think about how my words would affect others truly. And you took everything I said serious. All that gives you such a wonderful aura, an inner glow I feel very attracted to. I didn't mean to get so close to you in such a short time, that's not my way to act. But when I saw you there, being captured and obviously tortured, I knew I have to overcome my restraint and pride and be there for you, just like you deserved it. And I knew pretty well what you would need once we got you back here. I have been in familiar situations so often in my life and I know exactly what I would have needed back then but no one was really there for me; noone who would have been able to understand. And I pushed away the very few ones that tried to. I don't want you to feel like I did and thus endanger your beautiful soul to harden. I cannot allow this to happen. Well, and that is why I am willing to give you all the comfort and intimacy you need to cope with this dreadful situation you are in. I hope my honesty will help you to trust me. And, if you allow, let me emphasize my candour." By saying that he slowly took your hand in his, your palm up, and covered it with his other hand. You audibly gasped as his emotions rushed through you. Every word he said appeared to be true, you could feel everything, he wanted you to feel it. Being confronted with so much genuineness almost overstrained you. You could do nothing but stare in his blue-green eyes. It felt like an eternity but you could not manage to let go of his hands or to look away. You noticed yourself moving towards him without knowing why. You simply wanted to be closer to him. You felt so vulnerable right now and you wanted to feel safe again. His gaze was concentrated on your eye that wasn’t patched up and suddenly his emotions changed into thrill, almost electrifying you. Both of you were a complete mess but it felt so right.

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