#i re-wear a lot of the same jeans and shirts okay

[boyslugs]

yesterday was supposed to be laundry day cause i'm meeting my grandma today for lunch (today is when laundry would normally fall) but Cramps and Emotions wrecked me so i didn't go yesterday, which means i have to do laundry today or wait til next weekend. and theres no way i'm gonna be able to get to the laundromat, do a full wash/dry/fold, drop it all off at home, and be out the door again between now (9am-ish) and 11.30 (when the bus that gets me downtown for noon is). so i can either go after lunch (and miss the met gala red carpet livestream) or go next weekend... i think i'll just go next weekend, i don't have that much laundry anyways

i also have to go grocery shopping so like. that takes priority over laundry considering it's mostly socks and underwear and i have over a weeks worth still clean and folded... but i dont have bagels or other things i can eat gently with my lip piercing

[forever-rogue]

oh rockstar eddie my absolute beloved YES. i have so many thoughts about him and i’ll admit not all of them are holy 😙 i personally love the thought of being his girlfriend and seeing there’s girls that want him etc at a show and him belonging only to you after, wearing his shirt/jacket, making out backstage, maybe even 🤭 backstage… a lot of possessiveness/marking on both ends not in like a nasty way but in a like “i belong to you” way… okay bye !!!!!

AN | My first attempt at Rockstar!Eddie, but I hope you enjoy 🥰

Warnings | Language

Pairing | Rockstar!Eddie x Sunshine!Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2.5k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Hey rockstar," your sweet dulcet voice pulled Eddie out of his thoughts. He looked up from where he was sitting and re-stringing his guitar, a smile crooking up the corner of his mouth.

"Hey baby," he motioned for you to come over, and you eagerly bounced towards him. His eyes grew soft as he studied your outfit; short jean skirt, strappy tank top, and a pair of docs that he had gifted you. You had a VIP pass around your neck, courtesy of him as well and the ever present sweet smile, "you look pretty."

"Me?" Your nose wrinkled in surprise as you looked at your outfit and shrugged, "I didn't dress up much-"

"You're fuckin' gorgeous," he insisted softly as you sat down next to him, "always."

"Hmm," you shrugged as you watched him work, mesmerized by his deft fingers, "you look good, handsome - very metal. Are you ready for tonight?"

"I am now," he set down his beloved instrument and leaned over to kiss you softly, "I've got my good luck charm."

You couldn't help the small, nervous giggle that escaped your lips. You'd never been with anyone that treated you with such love and kindness and reverence before. But Eddie showered you in it and while you loved it, it still felt odd at times. 

You never imagined dating someone like Eddie before. He was, basically, the exact opposite of you. Where he was hard and dark and a literal rockstar, you were soft and gentle and shy. And yet the two of you meshed so well together. And to think you'd all met by chance; you accidentally walked into him at the coffee shop and hadn't realized who he was and he was immediately smitten. Turns out that metal still wasn't your favorite genre of music, but Eddie Munson was your favorite everything.

"Eddie, stop," you put your hand on his chest, peeking at the dark ink littering his skin and gently pushing him back, "you don't need a good luck charm. You're good on your own."

"Come on, princess," his large hands, all soft and rough at the same time, settled on your hips as he pulled you into his lap, "you're magic. Even if you don't realize that."

"Fine," you huffed with a pout, causing him to laugh brightly. You took his hands in your face and leaned in to kiss him softly. He sighed softly into your touch, squeezing the soft plush of your hips. You deepened the kiss, leaning into him, causing him to groan.

"Baby," he pulled back for a moment, something he was extremely reluctant to do, "we gotta stop - otherwise I won't be able to stop. And I'm not about fuck my girl on some cheap backstage couch."

"Oh?" Your entire face felt like it was on fire from his proclamation but he simply nodded.

"You deserve the best," his hand settled on your face and brushed his thumb over your cheek. You leaned into his touch and grinned at him, "you gonna be okay out there on your own?"

"Eddie-"

"I'm serious," he insisted sweetly, "it gets rough out there, you know that. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be careful," you promised, "always am."

"Good girl," he praised, "take my jacket, okay? Don't want you cold either…or have everyone checking you out."

"No one even looks at me," sometimes Eddie wondered how you could be so blind as to what people thought of you or how they saw you. You were gorgeous and he wasn't the only one to see that, "it'll be okay."

"Take the jacket please," he insisted as you acquiesced, "that way everyone knows who you belong to."

"So dramatic," but inside you were practically bursting with joy and tenderness. He was always so fiercely protective over you.

"And one more thing," before you could even ask him, he was kissing along your jaw and down your neck, sucking on the soft, delicate skin. You knew he wanted to leave behind a hazy lavender reminder of him, "let them all see that you're my girl."

"I'm your girl," your voice trailed off into a soft gasp, eyes closing at the sensation of his lips on your skin, "Eddie."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

By the time you left the backstage area, the crowd was already bustling and filling the stadium. You made your way towards the front, flashing your pass to get into the VIP area. You definitely left a few glares and curious looks thrown your way, which didn't surprise you in the slightest. You absolutely stuck out like a sore thumb at a concert full of metalheads and you were well aware of that. But it didn't matter, you loved Eddie and Corroded Coffin.

"Did you get lost on your way to the Backstreet Boys concert?" A girl, somewhere around your age, smirked at you, exchanging a look with her friend. You had to admit they were both gorgeous and definitely more the type to be at a metal concert than you were. They were tatted up with short skirts and barely there tops and heavy makeup. 

"No," you smiled politely, only causing their disdain to grow, "I'm here to see my boyfriend actually."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes, as you looked towards the stage. She stepped closer to her friend and loudly whispered, "probably thinks she's dating Eddie Munson! She even got a little jacket that looks like his. Cute.”

If only they knew. You would have told them too, if they weren't so terrible off the bat.

The crowd started cheering extremely loudly, almost deafening as Corroded Coffin finally came on stage. The opening act wasn’t bad, but you’d been more concerned with spending some time with Eddie backstage. But this was what everyone had been waiting for. 

You cheered along with the rest of them, happy to be so close to the stage versus somewhere out in the sea of people. You looked carefully for Eddie, watching as the rest of the band came out; naturally the front man came out last, charismatic, charming, and sexy as ever. 

It was like he could see you, even in the middle of hundreds of other bodies; you swore his pretty brown eyes directly met yours as he shot you a wink and smile before stepping up to the mic. 

If you thought it was loud before, as soon as he spoke his first few words, the crowd went absolutely wild. You were glad you’d listened to Eddie and taken his suggestion to wear ear plugs. If you thought it was loud with them on, you couldn’t imagine what it was like without them. 

Eddie was meant to be on the stage; he had a flair for the dramatics, which he’d insisted he’d had since he was young, and a showmanship that most couldn’t rival. He owned the stage, and you loved watching him perform. 

“He’s so hot,” you heard a few feet over. You couldn’t help yourself as you glanced over to see who had spoken. Another beautiful girl, tall and lithe, was watching the stage dreamily. You smiled to yourself as you sang along with him.

“I heard he has a girlfriend now.”

“Never seen her, so she doesn’t exist. It’s open season - I’m sure he’ll hook up with someone tonight. Hopefully me!”

“I’ve heard he has a big dick.”

“He’s definitely into orgies.”

“Eddie Munson definitely isn’t a one-woman guy.”

It was almost hilarious to listen to all the people around you gossiping loudly. A small part of you wanted to correct them and tell them the truth, but it wasn’t worth the time or effort. Who would believe you after all? You were the odd little duck in the crowd. 

You traced your fingers over your neck, wondering how prominent the love-bites he gave you were. You wondered what the people around you would say if they knew they were from him. Probably want all the details…which you definitely weren’t going to share.

You turned your attention back to the band and bopped along to them. You might have heard their songs so many times by now, but you still loved listening and singing along. 

But, in true Eddie fashion, he still managed to surprise. 

“Tonight,” he addressed the crowd as they hung onto his every word, “is a very special night - we’re going to share a new song with you all. And before you ask - yes, it’s a love song. And it’s for my girl, aka the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I hope you love it as much as we do.”

And yeah. You felt like you were about to melt into a puddle. You definitely hadn’t seen this coming at all; never would you have thought you’d experience someone writing a song for you. But here it was; his love for you was now evermore immortalized in song. Tears pricked at the back of your eyes as you kept your eyes trained on him, watching his every move and listening intently to every word. 

This was absolutely the most romantic thing that anyone had ever done for you. You loved Eddie so much that you weren’t even able to properly put it into words. 

But you knew that it would always be you and him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Once the show was over, the crowd started dispersing to go home, buzzing with that after concert high. It really was a beautiful feeling. You waited for the crowd to thin out before starting to make your way backstage. You found a few familiar faces, audio techs and managers, that waved to you in passing. There were even more strangers, most without any sort of special pass trying to sweet talk their way backstage. 

As you pushed through the ground, a few curses and dirty looks were thrown your way. But you ignored them all, not stopping until you were at the front of the crowd. You hastily dodged an elbow and caught the eye of one of the bouncers, giving him a small wave. He smiled back at you, ready to move to the side to let you back. But before you could take him up on his silent offer, the dressing room door opened and Eddie popped out. 

The girls around you shrieked in hysterics as they called his name to try and get his attention. None of them held his attention for more than a few seconds as he waved at the crowd and flashed his pretty smile. His eyes practically lit up when he saw you at the front, “princess!”

The swooning around you commenced as every girl around you thought that he was talking to them. He held out his hand to you and you edged your way towards him, murmuring a few excuse mes to the people around you. If there hadn’t been any sort of crowd control you were sure that you would have been taken down by someone.

“Hey handsome,” you whispered softly as you almost jumped into his arms. He easily caught you, spinning you around before kissing you softly. He was always so soft for you, despite the hard exterior. You could hear the surprised sounds from the crowd that was watching your every move with awe and envy, “you were amazing, my love.”

“Yeah?” his cheeks pinked when he realized you’d heard the song that was all about you. He knew you would, but having you acknowledge it was all the more amazing and nerve wracking, “you liked it?”

“I love it. It was the most special thing anyone has ever done for me,” you sighed softly as he set you down and took your face in his large hands, “I love you so much, Eddie.”

“I love you more, baby,” his smile made your knees weak, “come on, let’s get inside and I’ll change and we can go.”

“Eddie, hang on for a moment-”

“What’s-”

Before he could get his full question out, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close, kissing him fiercely. You caught him off guard, but he quickly caught up and kissed you back. You didn’t break apart from him until you were both breathless, “baby?”

“Go on,” you nudged him backwards, “I’ll explain in a moment.”

He took your hand and pulled you along but not before you could turn around and scan the crowd. You managed to pick out the girl that had been rude to you earlier in the evening; the look on her face was priceless. You held up your free hand and waved at her, causing her to scowl even more.

She said you must have thought you were dating Eddie. The reality that you were indeed dating him made her anger spike. You couldn’t deny the thrill that came with making sure everyone knew who he belonged to. You.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“What was that?” Eddie stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the side. You studied him for a moment, eyes flitting to the new tattoo that he’d gotten recently. A heart around your name, all pink and red and perfect, “what got into you, princess?”

“Nothing,” you shrugged sweetly as he playfully rolled his eyes, “just made some friends out on the floor and watched them to know that you’re all mine.”

“Friends, huh?” he raised an eyebrow as you put your hand on his chest and gently pushed him backward towards the couch. He plopped down and you immediately straddled his waist, peppering his chest in kisses.

“Mhmm,” you hummed, trailing kisses along his bare skin, “they didn’t seem to believe that you were mine. And I wanted them to know.”

“I like it,” he hands settled on your ass as he grabbed ample handfuls, “I am yours, baby. Always. The real question is - are you mine?”

“As if that was a question-”

“You could have anyone,” he took your chin in his fingers and looked at you with an intense expression, “seriously. How’d you end up with a punk like me, huh?”

“I dunno,” you turned your face and pressed a kiss to his palm, “maybe because you’re amazing and wonderful and smart and sweet and funny and everything else. How could I not fall in love with you?”

“More like how could I not fall for you?” his sigh was soft and wistful, “my sweet girl.”

“Come on,” you stood back up and reached for his hand, “let’s get out of here.”

“Already?”

“Well, you did say you weren’t going to fuck me on this couch,�� you reminded him, “let’s go back to the hotels and you can fuck me properly.”

“Let’s fuckin’ go!”

[jamdoughnutmagician]

Teenage Dreams (13 going on 30 AU) - Part 6

Eddie Munson x Reader

<- Previous Part Next Part ->

Word Count:2,679

SERIES MASTERLIST

Masterlist // Eddie Munson Masterlist

*dividers by @saradika-graphics

That evening you spend your work day compiling the perfect presentation board to present to Michael. Your plan for Star Magazine’s big re-brand was to take the glossy, girly, fashion and gossip mag and completely flip it on its head. To turn it into a cool, sleek and sexy magazine with an alternative edge. Interviews with music’s hottest new bands, and all the backstage gossip with everyone’s favourite rock groups. The latest news about Hollywood's latest block-busters, and interviews with their actors. Shifting from the old ways of fluff articles about what not to wear, and the latest fad diets, and moving towards new and exciting stories about the best up-and coming musicians and connecting readers with their favourite artists.

Yes Star Magazine was heading for better and brighter things, if you had anything to do with it.

It was getting quite late, most of the staff having already gone home, so you packed up your stuff and headed towards the elevator. Quickly you jam your hand between the slowly closing doors to slip into the elevator. 

Oh it’s Nancy. You did not wanna talk to her right now. You try your best to ignore the awkward air between you two as you push the button for the ground floor.

“I was going to stop by your office earlier, but you weren’t there..” she trails off.

“Funny, because I haven’t left my office all day, so I would have definitely seen you.” you know full-well that she’s just lying to your face.

“Okay, so anyway I actually really wanted to talk to you about this whole magazine re-branding thing that Michael has put us on to.” she begins. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve kind of been working on a little something on my own.” she says, scratching the back of her neck, not daring to meet your eyes.

“That’s great to hear Nance, that means it’s going to be a lot less awkward when I tell you that I’ve been doing the same thing.”

And with that you graciously exit the elevator at your floor with your head held high, and a proud smirk gracing your features.

Eddie and the rest of the band are just getting the final touches to their makeup and outfits as you help Jonathan set everything up for the photoshoot.

“You’ve got everything ready?” you ask Jonathan as he fiddles with the lighting set up in the studio.

“Yeah, we’re just waiting on the boys to come down and we can get started.”

As part of your big idea to redesign and re-brand Star Magazine into this cool, rock and roll, metal music magazine you plan to have Eddie and the rest of The Corroded Coffin boys as the stars on the cover of the first new issue. 

You promised Eddie that, if everything went to plan and Michael liked your idea, that this could mean a lot for Corroded Coffin’s image. It could mean a lot more opportunities and a chance to get the band’s name out there into the mainstream.

The makeup artist finished up putting a small smudge of black eyeliner under his eyes, and with a quick ruffle of his hair, Eddie and the rest of the band were ready for their photoshoot.

Eddie was styled in a pair of tight black denim jeans and leather jacket, with a black mesh shirt underneath his jacket. Decked out in various layers of silver chains around his neck and clunky metal rings on his fingers leading down to black painted fingernails.

The rest of the band were all styled similar enough to look like a cohesive unit, but with enough of their own personal style to make them look like themselves.

You can’t deny that Eddie has certainly grown up. From the lanky, scrawny, skinny boy with the very short dark buzz-cut hair that you remember from when you were thirteen to the man you see standing in front of you. You never once looked at Eddie with anything but a friendly gaze, but seeing how he looks right now has butterflies fluttering in the pit of your stomach, in a way that Kurt never did. 

“You know, this is really sweet of you to do this, it could really mean a lot for me -I mean, the whole band.” he stumbles over his words but is quick to correct himself.  

“Eddie, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick-start Star Magazine’s new image than to have Corroded Coffin on the front page.”

The band gets into place in front of the dark grey backdrop, with all the boys posing with their instruments under the glare of the bright lights. Eddie stood next to Charlie both with their respective guitars, whilst Jeff crouches down holding his guitar in front of him and Gareth is posed next to him clutching his drumsticks in his hands.

Just as Jonathan lines up the camera to take the first photo Eddie sticks up his middle finger and pokes his tongue out as the flash goes off.

“Come on man, can’t you just take things seriously for once.” Gareth Groans.

“You know that’s probably going to make the front cover.” Eddie smirks confidently. 

Eddie’s eyes look past the camera, just over Jonathan’s shoulder where he can see you watching everything that is going on. He flashes you one of his cheeky boyish smiles, and you can’t help the giggle the bubbles from you.

He beckons you over with a tilt of his head and a smirk, and as you make your way over to him he tugs you closer into the hug, wrapping both of his arms around your waist tightly so that you can’t get away from him.

You’re both laughing wildly as Jonathan’s camera keeps flashing with every photo he takes.

That was the Eddie you remember growing up.

It’s a few days later and both you and Eddie are looking over all of the photos that Jonathan had taken.

“Look at how fuckin’ cool these photos came out!”  Eddie says with a broad smile.

“Yeah they came out pretty good didn’t they?” you nod. “Do you think Michael’s gonna like my idea? I mean it’s just so different and what if he hates it and then what am I-” you ramble.

“-Stop that, come on, he’d be mad not to like your idea!” Eddie says, gently nudging your arm with his elbow.

“Thanks, Ed.” you sigh. “I know it’s late, but do you just wanna hang out for a little while?” you ask, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“I’ve always got time for you.”

 Eddie walks alongside you in the city, both of you illuminated by the bright glow of the buildings and lights.

“It’s just so weird when you think about it.” Eddie says, breaking the silence between you.

“What are you talking about, Ed?”

“Just life. Meeting up. You know, just being here with you.” he laughs softly, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling as he does. “I’ve had the best time working with you this week.”

“Me too Eddie.” you nod. “Y’know you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“You don’t mean that, you’ve got plenty of friends..” Eddie begins.

“..but you’re the one I like the best.” you interrupt him, giving him a soft smile.

There’s a comfortable quiet that falls between you again, and when you look down you realise that you’re holding Eddie’s hand. His fingers intertwined with yours. In this moment of peace it’s just you and Eddie, just like it had always been. He looks at you with those big brown eyes, his other hand reaches up to cup your cheek, and suddenly he’s kissing you. A soft gentle press of his lips on yours. And you’re kissing him back with the same gentle, hesitant movements before you’re sinking into the feeling of his lips brushing against yours.

And all too quickly he’s pulling away from the kiss, a feeling of guilt swirling in his mind, this is wrong, he was supposed to be getting married to Chrissy. But there’s a lingering tingle on his lips, a feeling of wanting to kiss you again. A feeling of wanting to kiss you in a way that he hadn’t felt since he was just a thirteen year old kid with a crush on his best friend.

“It’s like there was nobody else in the world, y’know? Kissing him felt like floating on a cloud..”

“Oh my gosh that’s so romantic!!” Stacy sighs dreamily. You had kindly offered to Stacy’s mother host a girly slumber party at your place, allowing her to have a fun night out with her husband. And Stacy wasted no time in calling up all of her girl friends and inviting them to the party. You, Stacy and her small group of friends were chilling in your bedroom in their pyjamas, gathered around you as you regaled them with the story about your date with Eddie.

Wait, a date? That wasn’t a date, it was just two friends hanging out, and catching up, there’s no way that was a date. Sure it had ended in a kiss, but that didn’t mean it was a date, did it? 

“I know, even now I get goosebumps just thinking about it!” you giggle rolling the sleeve of your pyjama shirt up, showing off where your skin prickles at the memory of kissing Eddie.

“So, this Eddie, you love him, right?” one of Stacy’s friends asks.

“Well…yeah..” you nod, slowly, it seemed strange to think of your best friend in that way, but yeah, love was the perfect way to describe how you feel about Eddie.

“So when are you going to see him again?” she continues her line of questioning as all the girls hang on your every word.

“That’s the thing, I want to see him again, I really do, but it’s…complicated.” you sigh. “It’s just grown-up girl stuff.”

“Well at least you’ve got someone to dream about, half the boys at school won’t look twice at us, let alone talk to us!” Stacy groans.

“..Yeah, and then when you do talk to them, they mess you around and hurt your feelings by acting stupid!” another girl chimes in.

“If a guy messes you around and hurts your feelings, then trust me, he is not going to be worth your time. Not now, not ever. You deserve someone who treats you with love and respect and all the kindness in the earth, so don’t ever forget that.” you smile. “Love is a battlefield."

With his phone pressed against his ear with his shoulder Eddie’s pencil scribbles in his diary

‘Dinner with Y/N, 8pm’

“Okay, great I’ll see you then!” and with a smile he sets the phone back down on his desk.

However, when Eddie’s apartment door unlocks, the creaking sound of the door’s hinges squeaking open, suddenly diverts his attention entirely.  His fiancée’s all too familiar bounce of strawberry blonde curls and sparkling blue eyes grace their way into his apartment. 

“Chrissy?! What are you doing back, I thought you were supposed to be out of state for cheer competitions?”  

“Yeah well, everything was running smoothly, so I was able to squeeze in a little home time to come and suprise my man.” Chrissy smiled brightly as she rose up on her tip-toes to hug Eddie.

“So how was your flight?” Eddie asks, returning Chrissy’s affections with a one-armed hug.

 “It was okay, but it’s be so much easier if I didn’t have to keep commuting between work and home. So that got me thinking, that we should seriously consider moving out of the city. I could be closer to work, and I wouldn’t have to travel so much just to see you, and you could be a mechanic literally anywhere! Don’t you think that’s a good idea, Edward?”

“Uh…what? I’m sorry I switched off there..” Eddie stumbles over his words.

Eddie never imagined ever leaving the city, it’s where all his friends were, where everything familiar to him was, and most importantly, it’s where you were.

“There you are, just the woman I wanted to see!” Michael shouts across the office space as he quickly makes his way over to you. “I’ve got corporate breathing down my neck like a fucking dragon, and now Nancy is presenting her own magazine redesign without you, so could you very kindly, please tell me what the fuck is happening right now?”

“Well lucky for you, you’re going to have more choices.” you begin to explain to Michael.

“Yes, and with the greatest of respect to Nancy, I’m far more concerned with what you’ve been working on.”

“If you can wait for a few more hours, I promise you I can show you exactly what I’ve been working towards.”

Patricia comes up beside you and Micheal, tapping you on the shoulder with a friendly smile.

“Y/N, the rest of the prints are ready!” Patricia tells you.

“Hang in there Michael, prepare to be blown away!” and with that you are racing out of the office and downtown to collect the rest of the magazine prints, ready to show off your redesign plans for Star Magazine in your big presentation.

Nancy is already standing in front of a brightly gleaming projector, her idea for her new-and-improved Star Magazine was a wash of dangerously skinny girls, promotions of detox drinks and unhealthy fad diets masquerading as tips to stay healthy, taking what Star Magazine had been previously doing anyway, albeit very subtly, and making it front page worthy.

“The new Star Magazine will go further than ever before, it will be deadly serious, a total fashion revolution” Nancy proclaims, slamming her hands down on the table in front of her. “So, what do you think?”

As you make your way to the presentation room you pass Nancy as she storms out of the office, stomping her feet and angrily knocking a stack of papers off of a near-by coworker's desk.

By the looks of things, Nancy’s presentation hadn’t gone the way she was hoping.

Now it was your turn to present your idea to the rest of your colleagues and your Boss, Michael

You steady your breath for a moment before launching into your prepared presentation.

“Now, I know that this is a completely different direction for Star Magazine..” you say gesturing to the prints of the Corroded Coffin front cover, and your inspiration board littered with models of all different shapes and sizes, new and exciting bands, and mock-up interviews with the hottest new actors. Just a taste of what the new Star Magazine could be. 

“..And new things can be scary, and you might hate it and you might even think I’m crazy for even suggesting this idea, but I don’t care. I believe in this idea so strongly, Star Magazine could be the one to have their finger on the pulse of cutting edge fashion, music and entertainment, we don’t need to be just another glossy fashion mag on the stand, we could be so much more, something new, something exciting. I think all of us wanna feel something that we’ve forgotten or turned our backs on, because maybe we didn’t realise how much we were leaving behind. We need to remember how to have fun again, we need to remember what makes us different, is what makes us good.” you finish.

And as you draw your presentation to a close, Michael stands up and applauds you, crossing over to you to give you a genuinely warm hug.

“Absolutely brilliant, it’s the spark of life that this magazine has been in need of for a very long time.” he commends you with a pat on the back. “We shall present this idea to corporate first thing tomorrow morning!”

As you step out of your work’s building, the rush of euphoria hits you, that something you created, your idea, they liked it. For the first time in a while you finally felt like the flirty, thriving thirty-year old you always wished you were.

@paybacksawitch @penguinsandpotterheads @mrsjellymunson

@ali-r3n @seatnights @aphrogeneias

@eddiesxangel @onegirlmanytales @munsonology

@xxbimbobunnyxx @optimisticallygarbage @nailbatanddungeon

[lostinthewiind]

Brave Heart: Chapter Sixty-One

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death, age-gap relationship

"Don't move! I'll shoot!"

Staring up at the trembling soldier at the top of the stairs who had a rifle pointed in her face, Vera almost laughed. It was clear this cadet had never fired a shot in his entire life and he wasn't about to start now.

"This area is under the authority of the Jaegerists. I can't allow you to-"

The cadet was cut off when Jean grabbed him hard by the front of his shirt. "Stand down, cadet. You idiots are doing this in Eren's name, aren't you? You want to stop us from saving his life?"

Nervous sweat dripped down the cadet's forehead. "No."

Pushing past the two, Connie ascended the remainder of the staircase to where the remaining armed Jaegerists were waiting. "Open all these cells right now!"

After explaining that they were no longer against the Jaegerists—and that they were all working toward the shared goal of Eren's survival—the cadets freed the droves of Military Police they had imprisoned.

Among them were Commandant Shadis and Commander Pyxis. 

"Commander Pyxis," Armin greeted the well-respected man. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I haven't turned senile quite yet. But I've been better," Pyxis replied. "My drinking habit's catching up with me."

Vera didn't miss the sly reference to the fact that he had drank the tainted wine. She wasn't surprised though. By then, most of the higher-ups and important people behind the walls had. 

Once Commander Pyxis had been filled in on the plan to fight alongside Eren and the Jaegerists in order to defeat the Marleyan forces, soldiers from all regiments rallied together for the cause.

"Everybody, listen up," Pyxis regarded the room of men and women before him. "We don't have enough ODM gear on hand to get all of you equipped. Outfitting all soldiers without black armbands is priority one. As for those of you who happily partook in our enemy's wine, you'll be with me. We're going to drive the invaders of Paradis back."

"Yes, sir!" the room chorused.

Vera took stock of how many soldiers standing around her were wearing black armbands and couldn't help but notice the parallels between them and the red armbands Marley forced Eldians to wear. 

Once again, there was a divide. 

Suiting up in the ODM gear she hadn't worn in well over four years, Vera felt a faint but familiar sensation as the cold metal of the contraption pressed against her lower back. Briefly, she wondered if she was about to face a heavy re-learning curve or if the movements that had been trained into the very fibres of her muscles remained.

"Did you miss it?" Armin approached Vera. 

Vera tightened the straps of her harness and grabbed a rifle of her own. "I don't know if 'miss' is the right word," she answered. "It certainly feels right though, like I am supposed to wear this gear."

"It's been upgraded quite a bit since you've last worn it." Armin helped her secure her elbow and knee pads—one of the many new additions. "But it functions basically the same."

"A lot has been upgraded around here while I was gone. A lot has changed."

Armin sensed the change of tone, not that Vera had been trying particularly hard to hide it. "You're upset we're siding with Eren."

"No." Vera shook her head, and that much was true; at least in the sense that she wanted to do whatever it took to prevent Eren's death. "I just wish there was another way."

"I know. I do too," Armin said. "And I hope you know I'm not trying to excuse what he did to you. Eren had made a lot of mistakes. I just don't think he deserves to die for them."

"I don't either," Vera agreed. "I just wish his survival didn't mean the deaths of others."

A characteristically soft smile played at the corner of Armin's mouth. "You mean Reiner."

"I mean lots of people. Reiner, Pieck, Porco, Colt, Gabi, Falco. Even Zeke, to a certain extent." Vera's gaze shifted to the floor and she lowered her voice. "I know saying all of this makes me sound like a traitor. Maybe I'm just destined to be a middle-man, forever incapable of choosing a side. I wish I could dedicate my loyalty as fiercely and as un-wavering as you."

"I think that makes you a better soldier," Armin told her. "You're one of the few people in this war able to understand both sides; maybe the only person. That makes you invaluable."

Vera drew in a shaky breath. "You think so?"

"I do." Armin rested a calm but firm hand on her shoulder. "It means, whatever the outcome, a part of you will win."

Vera finally lifted her head and met Armin's gaze. "It also means a part of me will lose."

"After this, I think a part of everyone will lose."

Finally ready to depart, Vera and Armin joined the others and made their way to the roof of the capitol building. As soon as they did, they were hit face-first with a wave of pure destruction.

Above them, the five Marleyan airships were on fire, quickly gaining speed as they nose-dived toward the ground. Vera watched in shock as one by one they collided with the streets and buildings of Mitras and exploded into bright, blinding balls of fire and smoke. 

"The gate to Shiganshina. They blocked it." Jean was the first to notice the suspiciously accurate place three of the five airships had crashed in. 

"Zeke has destroyed Marley's aerial fleet." Yelena stood on the ledge of the building, arms spread wide as she basked in the turning tides of battle. Beyond her, the Beast Titan stood atop wall Sina, as menacing as the day Vera first laid eyes on him. "The moment has finally arrived. History is about to be written."

At the mere sight of the Beast Titan, Vera felt her muscles tense on instinct. Balling her hands into fists, she tried not to dwell too long on what Zeke had done to Levi. He didn't deserve to evoke this sort of reaction from her.

On the ground below, Eren's Titan was slowly but surely limping toward the Beast Titan. Behind him, the Armoured Titan was quickly approaching, but before it could catch up it was downed by a large projectile. Vera and the others had seen this tactic before, and as the Beast Titan grabbed for another handful of rubble to throw, it was clear to see it was working just as well now as it did in the past.

Chunks of concrete and splinters of wood took flight all around Mitras with every pebble Zeke threw. The city people once called home was quickly becoming nothing more than a battleground for the Titans.

"So, from what I can see, Eren's doing just fine," Connie remarked. "It's Reiner that needs help."

"What the hell?" Jean couldn't pry his eyes away from the Beast Titan. "Zeke's here. But how? Captain Levi wouldn't have released him for anything. There's no way!"

Vera hung her head. "He didn't release him."

Jean gasped. "But Levi ... Hange ... they aren't ... are they?"

Before Vera had the chance to assure her friends of Levi and Hange's survival, Yelena answered first. "I think this means we can assume Zeke defeated them. He promised to meet Eren here and so that's what he did. No one could have made him break his vow."

"They're not dead!" Vera roared, grabbing at the handle of her blade. "You Jaegerists tried to kill them, that much is true! You tried to kill me too. But just like me, they're both alive and well."

Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Connie all breathed a sigh of relief. "You're sure they're not dead?" Jean confirmed.

"Positive. I was with them before I came back. They're both fine." Vera didn't feel like mentioning the severity of Levi's injuries; she didn't want to give Yelena the satisfaction.

Armin could sense the shift in emotions. "This doesn't change the situation." He tried to steer everyone back toward to task at hand. "Only Zeke and Eren can save the world right now. The sad fact is that we're out of options. We have to help the Jaegerists unite them!"

As Armin rallied his friends, Yelena approached him from behind. Her glare was intense, dark eyes piercing the back of his head. Sensing her presence, Armin slowly looked back over his shoulder and swallowed hard. Before anything got out of hand, however, Yelena's cold eyes softened and she smiled. "Please help Eren and Zeke the best you can. I trust you, Armin."

With that, the group of five took to the sky. 

As soon as Vera felt the pull of her ODM tethers beckoning her toward the nearest building, muscle memory kicked in. With the advancements made over the years, she had to fine-tune her reactions a little to adapt to the smoother machinery, but in the end, it felt like she had never taken a break from using the gear at all.

With the wind in her hair once again, Vera felt a surge of adrenaline course through her veins. When she landed on a nearby rooftop to take cover from the flying Marleyan bullets, she felt as if a piece of her had been returned.

"It's no use. There's too many." Jean peered over the crest of the roof at the lines of enemy heads peeking up from the buildings across the street. "We can't get to Eren."

A couple of streets over, Eren's Titan continued to lumber its way in Zeke's direction. 

In a flash, Porco's Jaw Titan bounced off the roof Vera and the others were camped out on. Bounding from building to building, it deftly made its way closer and closer to Eren. The Beast Titan put a stop to his pursuit swiftly with another well-aimed boulder.

"Eren, we're so close." The Beast Titan's voice echoed through Mitras. "A few more steps and we'll have made our dream come true. Just keep moving."

Then, in an unlikely turn of events, a sharp bang filled Vera's ears. When the Beast Titan doubled over after being hit in the nape of the neck, Vera followed the sound with her eyes to see what appeared to be the remains of the Cart Titan stationed farther along wall Sina. Loaded onto the back of the Titan's skeleton was the infamous Panzer Unit's artillery. 

Vera watched with wide eyes and bated breath as the Beast Titan toppled over the edge of the wall and sped toward the ground. The impact was heard throughout the entirety of the area encompassed by wall Sina.

Still, Eren's Titan limped on. Nothing was going to stop him in his pursuit to reach Zeke, not even when the Jaw Titan sunk its teeth into his calf. With hardened, crystallized fists, Eren pounded the Jaw Titan into oblivion.

Then the second shot came, and it pierced Eren's Titan right through the head.

"The Cart Titan is still up!" Armin pointed to the top of the wall where Pieck and her Panzer Unit had regrouped. "We can't win this fight unless we deal with her."

As potshots littered the rooftop around them, the five scouts took to the air once more. Unless they dealt with the Marleyan soldiers first, they'd never make it to the Cart Titan. 

"Circle around them!" Pyxis commanded from the ground. He and his remaining soldiers—all who were wearing black armbands—charged on horseback. "We'll strike the enemy from behind!"

"I think Pyxis has the right idea," Armin said after they had landed a few more buildings away. "We don't have enough firepower to risk a full frontal assault. We need to attack them from the rear."

As her friends stepped off the roof and took flight toward the houses where the Marleyan soldiers were taking cover, something out of the corner of Vera's eye caught her attention and she froze in place.

In the distance, the Beast Titan was beginning to sit up. There was a large chunk of exposed muscle in the back of its neck where the Panzer Unit's shot had hit, but it hadn't been enough to down Zeke completely.

Rising up just enough to prove to everyone that the fight was far from over, Zeke surveyed the landscape around him. The Armoured Titan was pinning Eren's Titan to the ground. The Jaw Titan was lying lifeless in the middle of the street. Colt was standing before him, pleading for his brother's life.

Vera looked down at Falco. The boy was shaking as his big brother's grip tightened on his forearm. She could remember a time when she hated his guts, watching him in the aftermath of Sasha's death. She could also remember a time she felt sympathy for him, when he had gotten some of the tainted wine in his mouth. 

Falco, just like Gabi, was a product of the environment he grew up in. All he had known his whole life was hate, prejudice, and fear. Now, he was going to die believing that was the only way to live. 

Zeke took one look at the mess around him—at how the tides of war had turned against his favour so suddenly—and realization sparked in the Titan's dark eyes. He looked down at Colt and Falco and then back up at Eren. 

Vera swore she heard the Beast Titan mutter, "I'm sorry."  

Then he screamed.

Vera dropped to her knees as the sheer force of the call rumbled the very earth. A gust of wind unlike anything nature could ever conjure blew through Mitras. When she finally found the strength to open her eyes against it, her senses were once again assaulted by columns of blinding light bursting into the sky all around her. 

Everyone infected with Zeke's spinal fluid was turning into a Titan.

When the dust had settled, covering Mitras in a thick blanket of fog, Vera felt her heart still at the number of Titan heads poking up between the buildings. By the time her eyes had adjusted, the Armoured Titan was now fighting against Eren's Titan and Falco's Titan.

Falco's Titan was tall and lanky, with an abnormally long neck, round head, and wide smile. He still possessed so many child-like features, even as a monster. 

As Reiner pinned Eren to the ground, Falco climbed on top and bit into the Armoured Titan's nape. 

Then there was another shot. The Panzer Unit fired at Zeke's nape once more, putting him down for good this time. As they lined up their next shot at Eren, the artillery strapped to the Cart Titan's back exploded.

From the black smoke, Armin emerged. It was then that Vera realized she had been so caught up in observing the carnage around her that she had fallen behind.

Mikasa followed soon after, cutting down the Panzer Unit soldiers.

Vera's mind screamed at her to join the fight like she had come back to do—the reason why she had left Levi's side of her own volition—but her boots remained glued to the shingles beneath her. All she could do was watch as the two warring parts of her very being fought for their lives in front of her eyes.

As the Beast Titan's corpse wasted away, implying that the Founding Titan's powers couldn't be used right then, The Armoured Titan stilled. It no longer felt the need to stop Eren or ward off Falco. Reiner had given up fighting.

Vera knew in that moment what he was thinking. She didn't even need to see his human face; his yellow Titan eyes showed more than enough emotion. If he gave in and let Falco's Titan continue biting at the nape of his neck, he could pass the Armoured Titan along.

He would sacrifice himself to save Falco.

Vera knew all she had to do was call out and that the sound of her voice would be enough to convince Reiner to fight the urge to give in. He would always fight if she told him to. He would always fight for her. But in the end, he needed to fight for himself.

So Vera kept her mouth shut. If he had decided this was how he wanted to go out, she would respect his choice.

Bit by bit, the armour protecting Reiner's neck began to crumble beneath the force of Falco's teeth. As Falco's Titan opened its mouth to take one final bite, something caught its attention and it suddenly lifted its head to inspect the distraction in the street.

Surrounded by smoke and steam, with fresh blood running down the right side of his face, Porco stood in front of the skeletal remains of the Jaw Titan. Arms swaying at his sides, he willingly offered himself up as bait to save his fellow warrior. 

As Falco's Titan lunged for the easier target, Porco grinned. 

Vera felt a tear slide down her cheek as Porco's body slid down the Titan's throat. Eventually, someone would have to tell Natalie how the man she loved had died. She hoped they remembered to include the fact that he was smiling. 

Fueled with rage, the Armoured Titan popped up and punched Eren's Titan square in the face. As soon as Reiner's fist snapped past Eren's teeth and into his mouth, Eren's Titan hardened its entire body, trapping the Armoured Titan's forearm. With Reiner stuck in place, Eren popped out of the crystallized shell and sprinted down the street toward the remains of the Beast Titan. Somewhere among the bones, Zeke had pulled a fast one on everyone and managed to stay alive. 

The plan was still possible.

Before the Armoured Titan could catch Eren with its free hand, two thunderspears shot down from the sky. One pierced the Titan's hand while the other hit him in the side of the head. 

Connie and Jean had joined the fight. And yet, Vera remained on the rooftop, hair gently blowing in the wind. Her eyes darted between the Armoured Titan and her friends. Up. Down. She was at war with herself. Heart. Mind. 

Just meters away from Zeke now, Eren kept his eyes focused on the finish line in front of him. Just like always, he was steadfast in his determination. It was one of Eren's biggest strengths. However, it was also one of Eren's greatest weaknesses.

After all, Eren's laser focus was probably why he didn't see Gabi pointing the anti-Titan rifle at him until it was too late. By the time his green eyes were staring down the barrel of the gun, Gabi had already pulled the trigger. 

The force of the blast was so great the sound was nearly deafening. 

The force of the blast was so great it sent Gabi flying backward, skidding along the road. 

The force of the blast was so great it shot Eren's head clean off his body.

[enviousmoons]

The Spark

Words: 1,130

Description:

Niamh is a damn good therapist, and after finding a new drinking buddy distraught, she's determined to help him re-find the spark with his husband. Even better if she can get a little extra out of the arrangement.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53356360/chapters/135038386

Series: The Brookford Tales

Tags: Femdom, Slow Burn, Succubi & Incubi, Bisexual Male Character, Abuse of Authority, Threesome - F/M/M

Niamh leaned against the doorframe, listening to the two men argue outside of her office in hushed tones.

“For fucks sake Ryan, we need this! If you don't knock on that fucking door you can pack your shit and leave today.”

“Li- fine.”

Niamh lit the incense burner on the sideboard before opening the door to a scruffy looking man wearing a leather jacket, poised with his fist an inch from where the wood used to stand.

“Ryan, I presume?” Niamh smiled at the tall man, studying his stature.

“And Liam! So good to see you again!” she enthused to the shorter man hovering nervously behind him.

“Uh- Yeah. That's me. Thanks for getting him home the other night Doc.. but I don't thi-”

“Nonsense! I wasn't going to let anyone harm the poor boy” Niamh cut him off, ushering them both into the office and sitting them on the couch, perching herself on the leather chair opposite them and picking her notepad up.

“Now, let's start with you, Liam. We spoke a little at the bar on Saturday, but I'd like to revisit your issues so they're fresh in my memories. Ryan, during this I don't want you to speak, or argue, just listen, understand?”

The taller man looked dumbfounded, like he wasn't used to being spoken to in such a demanding tone, but he nodded nonetheless. Niamh turned to Liam as he began to speak, blowing his sandy blond hair out of his eyes.

“Just.. Me and Ryan have been together for so long. I don't know if the spark between us has faded, or if I've put on weight or something, but.. we just don't have sex anymore. There's always an excuse and I just wish he'd talk to me about why, so we could fix it..”

“Mhm I see, and do you think Ryan could possibly be seeing other men, or women, behind your back?” She asked bluntly. At this, the man in question opened his mouth like he was about to interject, but a simple look set him right.

“Absolutely not.” Liam replied, staring into the therapist’s deep amber eyes with a surprising fire “I trust him implicitly and I know he would never do that, but there's a reason and I want to know why before it causes issues between us. I'm pent up and it makes me argue with him more and more.”

Niamh nodded at this. “Okay good, so we know that the love and trust is still there. So this should be an easier fix than I usually have with couples. Now, Liam, I would like you to show the same courtesy to Ryan.”

Liam nodded quietly as she turned her head to the older man, who looked as if she had just pointed a loaded gun at him. He coughed awkwardly and opened his mouth a few times before speaking.

“I'm.. not good with feelings doc.” He began gruffly. “I understand it's something I need to work on, ‘specially for Liam's sake, and I'm trying but..”

“Take all the time you need” Niamh smiled gently. She noticed the pair’s eyelids had began to grow a little heavier, and they both had a thin sheen of sweat covering their respective foreheads. The incense was definitely working it's magic, loosening them both up for her.

“I.. well. I look like this.” Ryan gestured to himself and Niamh nodded quietly. “Like what, Ryan?”

“I mean, I'm large, I'm rough lookin’ and I wear a lot of ‘man clothes.’ Always feels like I've gotta act a certain way, you know? Especially during.. uhm. You know.” Ryan shifted awkwardly in his seat, refusing eye contact. Out of the corner of her eye, Niamh noticed that Liam had a subtle bulge in his jeans, and he had also undone the top button of his shirt, exposing a little bit of collarbone. She subtly bit her lip.

“So.. you believe that the way you look dictates that you must ask dominant in all walks of life? Especially during Intercourse?” She turned back to Ryan, focusing on his worried looking face.

“I mean.. yeah. Hit the nail on the head really Doc.” Ryan shrugged. “Not Liam's fault, definitely not cos I'm shagging someone on the side, just my own head at war with itself I guess. Makes me push him away a lot, which I definitely shouldn't do.”

Niamh could barely get a word out before Liam had bolted up, wrapping his arms around Ryan and burying his head in the gruff man’s shoulder. “Ryan.. you dumbass. Why didn't you tell me? We could have done.. something? I don't know what but.. something.”

Smiling at the sweet display of love, the older woman took some notes down, nibbling on the end of her pencil as she formulated an idea that might just work out for all three of them.

“If I may..” she looked at the pair “I have an idea. It may take a few weeks to come to fruition for you. Liam, do you think you could go that long without intercourse?”

The blond nodded eagerly. “Of course! As long as I know that we’re okay, and it's working towards fixing our issues.”

“Excellent. Now then, Liam, I would like you to begin being a little more forward with Ryan. Maybe instead of going out to eat together, you take him to a restaurant you would both like, order for him, that sort of thing. Small, simple shifts in your dynamic that can adjust Ryan slowly and show him that it's okay to defer to you, and make you a little more comfortable.”

She maintained eye contact with the two men, gauging their reactions, Liam looked deep in thought, while Ryan seemed to be paralysed, wide eyes staring back at her.

“I would like you both to refrain from sex for a few weeks while we gauge the success of these exercises, and also so we don't thrust Ryan too quickly into things he may not be used to. Ryan, I would like you to take a backseat on things more, begin to defer to Liam in small ways. Liam, you have my permission to put your husband in his place if you must” Niamh joked, eyes sparkling as the front of Ryan’s trousers twitched in the corner of her vision. Maybe her incense was a little strong this time around.

As she walked them to the door she smiled, laying a soft hand on Ryan's upper arm. “Remember, Ryan, our bodies do not define who we are. There is no shame, and certainly no loss of masculinity, in submission.”

Ryan nodded as he linked hands with his husband and they headed out the door. Niamh watched them go, a soft, predatory grin on her face.

[screechthemighty]

Well this took all freaking week, didn't it?? Sorry about that, I had to re-write the beginning and a section towards the end. Next two chapters should still be faster to release, though. AO3 link will be in a reblog, but here's the whole chapter below!

the unknowable tomorrow | a tristamp fanfic part six: meryl

note: translation for "sound life" taken from the subtitles of trigun '98 ep. 7 and 8 (japanese language version)

.

She stepped out of the portal into near blinding sunlight.

Meryl shielded her eyes and looked around. She was standing between two rough structures. Almost everything in front of her was obscured by the light; when she turned around, she saw a towering structure not too far away. It was part of a ruined ship. There were more buildings, too, sprawling out from the ruins like spokes on a wheel.

Is this a settlement? A town? Maybe one of the cities… Though it didn’t seem big enough for that. The sound of voices made Meryl duck deeper into the shadows. A few people walked by. One was dressed in a patched-up version of the uniforms she remembered from Ship Three; the other was wearing a similar shirt, but with faded jeans. “...really don’t know if there’s anything else we can scavenge,” Jeans said. “It’s been almost two years. We’re going to have to figure something else out.”

“I know. I just wish we knew if the Plant carrier really made it,” replied the other person. “I keep hearing rumors that the Sinners are up to something that way.”

“Yeah, well, real douchey of them not to come help if they are.”

Meryl watched them go, then kept looking around. There were more people, a lot more than she’d expected. Most were dressed in sand-stained white; a lot of the outfits looked like they’d been cobbled together from other clothes.

Almost two years, Meryl noted. She grabbed her notebook and a pen out of her jacket and started scribbling that down. So…two years since the Fall? Which would mean that Vash is…

“Squawk?”

Something poked at Meryl’s shoulder, nearly knocking her over. She yelped and turned around. It was just a thomas, a smaller one, but with a gleam in its eye that said it was thinking about doing something annoying. “H-hi?”

Of course, it tried to bite one of her earrings. Meryl squeaked and backed away. “Knock it off - !”

“Brad!” The thomas tilted its head at the shout, but kept staring at her earrings. “Brad, get back here!” Footsteps darted over; a hand reached out to grab Thomas's bridle. “I’m really sorry, he…”

The figure froze. Meryl did, too, for reasons that had nothing to do with the thomas still staring at her jewelry. It was Vash. His voice had changed a bit, but she knew it was him the second she got a clear look. His hair was a lot more like what she remembered, poofy on top and short on the sides. He was wearing a new outfit: sleeveless top, white pants, no visible Plant markings to speak of. His blue eyes stared at her, wide and startled, as if…

He recognized her, Meryl realized. He definitely did.

…oh, no, this is bad. No, no, stay calm. It’s only been two years, so…yeah, if you look exactly the same and are wearing the same clothes, I’m sure that’s fine, right? No one has new clothes in a situation like this, right? And it’ll be what, over one hundred years before he sees you again? Maybe he’ll forget the outfit? Think I’m my own great-grandmother or something?

Right. Sure. She’d just keep telling herself that.

“It’s - “ Meryl had to clear her throat. “It’s fine. I think he’s just, uh…” She took a step back when the thomas’s eyes fixed on her earrings again. “...curious.”

“...yeah, yeah, he’s…” Vash adjusted his grip on the reins. “He’s friendly, I promise. It’s actually my fault, I should’ve kept a closer eye on him…”

“It’s fine, really.”

“He didn’t…?”

“Nope. Still attached to my ears.”

“Okay. Good.”

And awkward silence settled over them. Meryl hoped her face didn’t reflect how panicked she was. Say something, anything, come on, you’re supposed to be a journalist! You know how to talk to people! “...soooo…”

“Sorry,” Vash blurted, his cheeks going pink. “But, uhm, were you…you were at the Ship Five wreckage, weren’t you? You probably don’t recognize me, I changed my hair, but you…you saved my life back there. If that was you. And I really hope it is, because otherwise I probably sound really crazy, but…”

“That was me,” Meryl said. There really was no point in lying about it; she could try, but her mind was still too scrambled to make an attempt. “I remember you.”

Vash’s face lit up immediately. She might regret lying later, but suddenly, for the moment, she was glad she’d told the truth. He looked so happy. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m really glad you’re okay. I thought maybe something had happened to you.”

“Oh, no, no, I just…I went back to help and I guess in all the craziness I ended with another group.” That seemed like a plausible story. That kind of thing probably happened all the time. “I’m glad you made it okay, too. Did those people take you in?”

Vash nodded. “They’ve been looking after me since.” The thomas finally dragged its attention from Meryl’s earrings and focused on nibbling Vash’s ear. He laughed. “Hey, don’t complain to me. You ran away before I could feed you.” To Meryl, he added, “How long have you been here?”

“I…just got here, actually.” She hoped that wasn’t too suspicious. “Sorry, I’ve had a long day.”

“Me, too. Have you had lunch yet? I was going to meet Brad…er, human Brad, but then this one got away from me.”

Lunch. Food. She actually couldn’t remember when she’d eaten last, now that she thought about it. “I haven’t,” she said. “I got kind of turned around, actually.”

“Yeah, this place is confusing at first. Come on, I’ll show you.”

This was probably a bad idea. Meryl didn’t know what the effects of talking to Vash twice now would be, but she also knew she couldn’t back out. Nothing to do but keep going forward.

Roberto had said she seemed blessed with good luck. Time to find out how good it really was.

On the plus side, there was so much to take in that Meryl didn’t have a lot of time to keep fretting. She didn’t think the settlement was big enough to be a future member of the Seven Cities, but she could see it becoming a decently-sized town. Especially if they had a Plant or two. Meryl desperately wished she had her camera. No one would believe her for a second when she got back, but this was history. This was the dark ages of No Man’s Land, a period so chaotic and focused on survival that not many records survived. She should be documenting everything she could. And if nothing else, it would serve as personal confirmation that this was all real. Meryl took in as many details as she could, trying to preserve them so she could write them down later. She probably would’ve lost Vash if he hadn’t stuck so close to her. “It’s great, right?” he said.

“It’s bigger than I expected,” Meryl said. “How many people are here?”

“I…don’t know? Uhm, not quite a full ship crew, but a lot. I didn’t ask. Brad and I are just here to help with the Plants.”

“Both of you?” Vash nodded. “That seems like a lot of responsibility. How old are you now?”

“Three.” Vash immediately looked embarrassed. “I mean. By birthdays, I’m three. Which makes me…twelve or thirteen?”

Meryl was startled at first. Then her mind subtracted two from three, replacing her shock with horror. “So, back then, you were…” One. Maybe a little older, but a few months of change didn’t make it any more okay. “Oh, Vash, I’m so sorry.”

Vash stared at her, his frown only growing more confused. Or maybe that was discomfort. He looked away from her. “You didn’t do anything,” he pointed out quietly.

“I know, but…you shouldn’t have had to go through all that.”

Vash shrugged. “None of us should’ve,” he said.

That was true. It seemed especially unfair for him. He was going to have to deal with the consequences longer than almost anyone here. “Still. I’m really sorry.”

Vash glanced her way again, that uncertain look still on his face. Had anyone spoken to him about what had happened? Or was everyone more focused on moving on? She could understand if it was the latter–they had to survive somehow–but that couldn’t have been good for anyone. “Thanks,” Vash muttered. He turned his attention to the thomas. “Are you going to stay put now,” he asked sternly, “or are you going to keep being bad?”

The thomas chirped in response and tried to bite his ear again. Vash managed to push its head away before it could. “You’re lucky I like you.” To Meryl, he added, “You might want to take the earrings off. They all really like that kind of thing.”

Meryl barely managed to get her earrings off and in her pocket before they arrived at a makeshift barn. Vash veered towards a man standing near the entrance. “I got him!” he said.

The figure turned to face Vash. She’d met him before, Meryl realized. That was Brad, the man who’d been fixing Vash’s arm. It was startling to see this younger version of him; he wasn’t that much older than her, if she had to guess, early 30s at the absolute oldest. “About time. Did it run all the way out of town?” he asked. His gaze fixed suddenly and very intensely on Meryl. “And you are…?”

She hadn’t felt that self-conscious in a while. Was it her outfit? Had she done something wrong? “Uhm…”

“She’s okay,” Vash said immediately. “She’s the one who found me after the Fall. She’s…” He glanced at her expectantly.

“Claudia,” Meryl blurted. It was her great-grandmother’s name; if she was going to be seen by people, she might as well try to make this a bit easier for her past (future?) self. “I just got here.”

Brad still didn’t look convinced; Vash scooting a bit closer to her and giving him the puppy eyes did get him to relent a little. “Right. Welcome to civilization, Claudia…or the closest thing we’ve got.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Get that thing back in its stall. They’re serving lunch soon.”

“Got it.”

Meryl waited until they were a good distance from Brad before whispering to Vash, “Did I do something?”

Vash shook his head. “No, no, he’s just supposed to look after me. He wasn’t expecting to see anyone we know here, and some people are…” He trailed off, then smiled at her reassuringly. “And he’s got a grumpy voice. Don’t worry about it.”

…okay. She didn’t like that sudden change of topic. Now her head was going to be on a swivel. People couldn’t have already turned on Vash, could they? Or…did they know what he was? Did that make him valuable enough to kidnap?

Definitely keeping my head on a swivel.

“He’ll warm up to you, really,” Vash continued. “You can stay with us…I mean, only if you want to. Like I said, it’s confusing here, and…” He turned his attention back to the thomas as he kept rambling. “...since we know each other already…”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Meryl said. “Thank you, Vash.”

The tension left his face immediately. Vash glanced her way and smiled. “Okay. Cool.”

Once the thomas was safely in the stall–Vash triple-checked the door as the bird watched, as if it were checking to see if he’d missed anything–they went back to Brad. He still gave Meryl a suspicious look, but didn’t protest when she followed them. Vash taking her hand as they went back into the town seemed to keep him from saying anything. Meryl kept looking around as they walked, absorbing all the details, trying to guess what this place might become in the future. It didn’t seem like they’d put much thought into where to put the buildings. November was the same way; the museum in the city core talked about how structures were built and torn down as needed, giving that part of the city a less structured feeling. A lot of people were coming and going from the large, ship-remnant structure in the center. Vash held onto her hand tightly as they approached it, like he was afraid she’d vanish.

You did just drop him off and vanish. He might be scared you’ll leave again.

He still had both hands, she realized. Was that loss somewhere in the future? Or had she somehow spared him that by being at the crash? And what would it mean if she had?

What else could I change by leaving here?

They made their way inside. The interior was similar to what she remembered from Ship Three and the one refurbished Ship building she’d been inside during college. It was dirtier, though, still very much a ruin that people just happened to be living in. Some hallways were on strange inclines; no one seemed worried as they moved around, so she assumed it was still structurally sound in there. She hoped so, at least. She noticed Vash’s footsteps slowing until he was hovering next to her. His shoulders developed an anxious hunch as they entered a larger and more open space. Brad’s body language changed, too; he acted casual, but looked ready to intercept…

Who, or what?

The answer came quickly. A lot of people stared Vash’s way as they entered a bigger room full of tables and chairs. None of the stares were hostile–curious at worst, if Meryl had to guess–but it was a lot of attention for a pre-teen with only three years of life experience.

Meryl squeezed Vash’s hand reassuringly. He squeezed back. Despite his initial wariness, when someone smiled and waved at him, he waved back. A few more waves and nods of greeting later, and he was a lot more relaxed. She remembered Vash’s smile at the bar in Jeneora Rock, how happy he’d been to see other people and be accepted by them.

He’s not shy. He likes company. He just knows that he’s different…he knows that other people know. Her heart suddenly ached for him. It wasn’t going to get any easier as he got older; $$6,000,000 tended to make people view you as a payout, not a person. Jeneora Rock had proven that, too.

Poor Vash.

“Stand storm changed directions again, so we may not be going anywhere for a few days,” Brad told Vash as they gathered up their food. Everything was carefully portioned, Meryl noted, not too small, but she’d probably be laughed out of the room if she asked for seconds. Were they trying to avoid putting strain on the Plants, or was this all they had? Or both?

“Will Ship Three be okay?” Vash asked.

“Not our first storm. They’ll be fine.” Brad gave Vash a stern look as they sat down. “You stay inside this time. There are other people to look after the thomases. Got it?”

Vash laughed awkwardly. That sound hadn’t changed at all. “Yeah…” He changed the subject quickly as they sat down. “Claudia, where’d you get that gun?”

Oh, the Derringer. She’d forgotten it was still in her belt. No wonder Brad looked so suspicious. “It was a gift,” she said. “From…my boss.” She was surprised by how steady her voice stayed. Maybe she’d cried all the tears she had in that elevator. “He thought if I was going to keep running off, I should have some protection. I guess I look pretty snack-sized to those bug things.”

“The burrowing ones?”

Meryl shivered. “All of them.”

Brad grunted in a way that said he knew exactly what she meant. Vash, meanwhile… “Some of them are just curious, I think,” he said in between bites of food. “We did land in their house.”

“You call that one that tried to eat you curious?” Brad said skeptically.

“No, that one was hungry. But that’s just nature, right? You can’t…” Vash trailed off suddenly, then stared down at his food. “...you can’t blame them for eating,” he said finally.

Whatever that thought had been, it slowed Vash down. Meryl recognized that look again–closed off, quiet, lost somewhere she couldn’t reach. She’d caught glimpses of it before in the rear view mirror; Vash always noticed her staring and covered it up with a smile. Guess he hasn’t learned how to do that yet…but how is he already so sad? He hasn’t been here long enough for that.

Meryl’s mind scrambled to think of something that could ease the sadness in Vash’s eyes. “So, uh…your thomas. Was he already named Brad?” she asked a bit weakly.

Luck was on her side again; the question got Vash to smile, small but with a hefty spark of mischief to it. “No, I picked that out,” he said.

Brad groaned quietly. “Yeah, you’re a real comedian,” he said. “Just eat your food, okay?”

Vash did finish his meal. It was more of a relief than Meryl had expected.

Almost the second they were done and returning the dishes, they were conscripted into helping close up the settlement. They’d be hit head-on by the sandstorm, they said, and it was a big one. No one was going anywhere for a while. Meryl tried not to flinch at the sudden attention, but fortunately, no one paid her any serious attention. It seemed like there was something to the old act like you belong and no one will question it trick, because as long as she helped and stuck close to Vash, no one gave her a second glance. Everyone here, at least, seemed to trust him when he said she was from another group.

How does he go from that to being a famed outlaw?

Probably because he’s going to outlive everyone here.

Meryl finished tying off the knot she’d been assigned–after school skills camp was finally coming in handy–and glanced Vash’s way. He was growing now, but he’d stop again in just over a decade, if the police’s assessment of his age was accurate. He’d stay the same; everything else around him would change, and a lot of it for the worse.

How lonely must that be?

Frustration at her inability to solve the problem reared its head again, gnawing at her thoughts as she worked. She was sweaty, frustrated, and hungry all over again by the time they finally wrapped everything up and headed back inside for dinner. She knew most of this was unfixable, or at least beyond her ability to fix, but there had to be something she could do. She was tired of just watching things happen. So tired of feeling fragile and useless.

And of course, that was when her arm decided to start hurting. She’d almost forgotten about her burn, but all the moving around and working must have agitated it. She tried to ignore it–she could look at it herself if she ever got any time alone–but that was easier said than done. She started formulating a lie when she noticed Vash glancing at her in concern. Fortunately, she'd come up with a decent one by the time he hesitantly asked if she was okay.

“Actually, is there any first aid stuff I can use? I burned my arm on the way here.”

Trying to be casual about it only half-worked. Brad was calm about it, got a first aid kit and started helping without much fuss. Vash, meanwhile, hovered anxiously near her as she carefully (painfully) peeled off her jacket to survey the damage. She hadn’t really managed to get a good look at it that night; she’d been more worried about Vash than herself, and wasn’t sure what she’d see when the sleeves came out.

Her right arm was surprisingly fine, though still a bit dust-coated. A little red, maybe, but she could pass that off as sun exposure. Her left arm had taken the brunt of the damage: a few smaller burns scattered across her upper arms and forearm like random bullet fire, and the bigger burn on her upper arm was still bright red and inflamed. “You’ve just been walking around like this?” Brad said as he examined the injury.

“We’re short on medicine,” Meryl said. It seemed like a decent excuse, considering the state humanity was in. “I meant to have someone look at it sooner. I just…forgot.”

“Might want to do that tonight. Only so much I can do for this one.” Brad started applying burn cream to the smaller wounds. “You’re lucky it was just your arm.”

Apparently, I’m swimming in luck. Meryl tried to distract herself from the injuries by looking around. Vash was staring at the wound intently. Just as she was about to reassure him that she was okay, his eyes met hers.

He knows.

She couldn’t be sure, but he was definitely underreacting to this. The concern in his eyes was slowly replaced by quiet awe; his head tilted slightly as he looked at her, as if he were trying to figure out what she actually was.

Fortunately, he didn’t ask any questions. Meryl had a feeling that wouldn’t last long.

I just hope I can come up with a good enough cover story.

.

She spent the rest of the evening watching carefully, both for anyone who may have worked out that she wasn’t supposed to be there, for anyone who might try something with Vash, and for her way out.

None of those things happened.

Not only did another portal never appear, but she apparently blended in well enough that she was assigned a bed and given a time slot when she could go get a bath. Meryl suspected she had Vash to thank for her invisibility. A simple she’s with me turned out to be a really good social buffer; basically everyone bought it when he vouched for her. He was decently trusted, if not well-liked. It made things…mostly easier. She felt bad about taking from their limited resources, and worse when Vash found her a change of clothes. He was quick to reassure her that the former owner had passed, so she wasn’t stealing from anyone, and just as quick to realize how disconcerting that reassurance was.

“It’s really not a problem,” he tried again. “Really. They’ve got enough for newcomers.”

Meryl’s desire for clothes that didn’t smell like humanity’s attempted funeral pyre won out over her guilt. “Thanks,” she said, taking the clothes carefully.

“You’re welcome. Uhm..” Vash shifted from foot to foot, suddenly looking lost and uncertain. “I’ll…see you tomorrow?”

She had no idea. For all Meryl knew, she’d be whisked away in her sleep. But she forced a, “Yeah, see you” out anyway before darting off to the showers. No sense in killing Vash’s joy when she didn’t know what would happen.

The showers were apparently spotty at best, so her “bath” was really just a bucket of water in a stall with limited toiletries. Meryl didn’t care; the shower she’d gotten on Ship Three felt like it was a lifetime ago. She still had the ashes of Ship Five in her hair. Even a simple wipedown and awkward hair wash was better than nothing. Between that and fresh clothes, she felt a lot better…but not able to think through her problem. Exhaustion was starting to set in.

When did I sleep last? Over a century in the future? She almost laughed to herself. This is insane.

Despite her exhaustion, she thought for sure she’d have a harder time sleeping. Her thoughts were still buzzing like bees, and the sleep spaces weren’t private. She was on a bottom bunk in a room with a lot of other women, all friendly, but still strangers who might figure out she was an interloper.

Meryl was out like a light within seconds anyway.

She woke up to the sound of other people moving around and grumbling among themselves. It took her a long, awkward moment to remember where she was and why there were so many people there. She sat up straight when the realization finally sank in, her eyes scanning the room.

I’m in the past. Vash is twelve. I’m still here. She looked down at her new, borrowed clothes. White tunic, white pants, both a little big for her, but she was so far the shortest person she’d run into, so that wasn’t unexpected. At least I’ll blend in a little better now.

“I don’t know how you slept so well,” said someone as they climbed down from the bunk above hers–a woman with red hair, green-gray eyes, and eye bags that were probably a permanent fixture. “You were still out every time I woke up.”

Woke up why?

The structure groaned slightly as a gust of wind swept past. Oh. Right. The sandstorm. Meryl could see how it was disconcerting, but she’d grown up hearing those sounds. Every structure she’d ever lived in was stable enough to weather No Man’s storms, but never sounded like it. You got used to it after twenty-three years. These people had only had two. “Deep sleeper,’” she said sheepishly.

“Lucky you. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through a few days of this.”

You and me both. Just for very different reasons.

Everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction, so Meryl followed. The sight of Vash waiting outside the sleeping space was a relief. “Where’s Brad?” Meryl asked.

“He got up earlier. They needed him for engineering stuff.” Vash fell into step next to her, pausing to wave when a few of the other women greeted him. “I was going to help with cloth harvesting after breakfast…if you want your stuff cleaned, I can bring it down.”

Meryl had never been happier to hear a place had laundry. “Do you need an extra pair of hands? I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do.”

“What did you do before?”

“Communications.” Another not-technically-a-lie. She was getting too good at those.

“You’ll probably be fine with me, then. Most of the specialized work is for…” Vash bumped into her to avoid running into someone else. “Sorry. Engineers and stuff. To make sure nothing breaks.”

He kept holding onto her sleeve even after he backed off. Meryl decided not to point it out. “Cloth harvesting it is, then. I don’t know anything about keeping things from breaking.” She’d probably make things worse, if her experiences in car maintenance were any indication. “I’ll follow your lead.”

That was how she found herself in a room that had once been some kind of lounge, going through bags of fabric pre-sorted by usability and getting them as clean as possible before they were recycled. It was a process she was familiar with; even in the future, clothes were handed down until they couldn’t be, mended until they couldn’t be, and broken down into whatever was still usable for patches, cleaning rags, whatever. Waste not, want not. That probably went double at a time like this.

She didn’t remember having to deal with this many mystery stains, though.

“This isn’t blood, is it?” she whispered to Vash.

He examined the stain carefully. “Rust,” he said. “It’s fine if it doesn’t come off. That’s a rags bag anyway.”

Meryl breathed a sigh of relief and got to work scrubbing. “So…I assume this isn’t everything you do for fun around here.”

Vash laughed quietly. “No. I have a book I’m reading. The adults play cards, but Brad said I shouldn’t because I don’t have a poker face and I’d just lose all the time. They’ve been surveying when there’s no storms, so I guess if you like walking…”

Meryl snorted. “Yeah, the never-ending sand and rocks are real stimulating.”

“Truuue, but some of the rocks have fossils in them. I’ve got two.”

“Really?”

Vash nodded eagerly. “They said that’s a good thing because if there’s fossils, then there’s probably fossil fuels. But…it’ll probably be a while before they can try to drill for them.”

Yeah, that’s not going to work out as well as they’d hope. Meryl didn’t say that out loud, though.

“One’s just a scale pattern but the other is a whole worm, one of the flying ones. I left them back on the ship so I wouldn’t lose them,” Vash finished as he wrung out a slightly more intact shirt. “If you ever visit…” There was a spark of hope in his eyes. Meryl wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it really just that she’d saved him two years ago? Was that all it took?

How lonely must he be if it were something that simple?

“Yeah,” Meryl said. “I’d like that.”

Vash beamed.

They were silent for a while afterwards, focused on their tasks. Vash hummed his tune to himself as Meryl finished the last of her assigned bag and started cleaning her own clothes. It didn’t sound so somber this time. It actually sounded happy. It made the process of scrubbing ash and dust out of her jacket a little less grim. She got most of the stains out. She also scrubbed the Bernadelli logos, already faded from her weeks following Vash, down to smudges. Good, she thought. One less thing for people to ask me about.

She’d get a lot of questions when she got back…or, then again, maybe not. She’d been hunting the Humanoid Typhoon, after all. She doubted anyone would be shocked if she came back looking like she’d been through the wringer. Most people would say she was lucky to be alive at all.

Vash let out a startled eep as he nearly knocked over his washtub, just barely catching it in time to avoid getting wet. Meryl bit back a smile. He might’ve looked closer to the adult she knew, but it was still hard sometimes to see how that clumsy kid could grow up into the…still ridiculous and clumsy, but also highly competent adult she’d remembered.

Maybe he could’ve stayed like this if life hadn’t made things so difficult for him.

Everything was hung up to dry, and then they got started on mending. As in the future, mending time really meant gossip with your friends time. Meryl’s first instinct–one she called an investigative urge, but that other people called “being nosy”–was to eavesdrop. Gather as much information as possible. Figure out how this place worked, and what people were worried about two years post-Fall.

…might be a second storm right after…

That’s not normal, right?

I don’t think we can say what counts as “normal” here…

…he just seems a little young to be a plant engineer. I didn’t even know they had kids in cold sleep.

Who cares? We still have power because of him. He could be a bundle of worms in fake human skin for all I care.

Meryl wondered how true that sentiment really was.

“Has everyone been treating you okay?” Meryl asked.

Vash looked up from the patch he was sewing. He had very neat stitches. Meryl was a little jealous. “Yeah. Why?” he said.

“Well, you…” There really was no good way to say you’re not human and that might bother people, was there? “...people can be…unkind if they don’t understand something. It’s not right, but…”

Vash’s gaze stayed a little too focused on the patch for a little too long. “They know I’m here to help,” he said finally, “so it’s fine.” He tried to force a smile. He wasn’t very good at it yet. “You don’t have to worry.”

Meryl thought about the impossibly small infant that clutched at her finger, already so full of joy. About the frightened child, still just small enough for her to carry. She thought about the Vash who smiled at Tonis’s bugs, who pushed her out of the way of danger, who’d insisted on staying in that town to bury a man who had tried to kill him.

What did being helpful have to do with anything? Wasn’t it enough that he was just a kid? Or that he was kind?

Meryl moved in her seat so she was between him and the people who had been speaking about him. “I still will,” she said, “but I’m glad to hear that.”

“You shouldn’t worry.”

“I’m going to. Have there been any other kids your age?”

There hadn’t, but apparently a few women were expecting, despite everything going on.

Meryl wondered if she knew their families.

.

The next time she saw Brad, he nearly passed out into his dinner. Vash kept poking him in the ribs every time his head slouched. “Kid…”

“No sleeping at the table,” Vash said. “Your rule.”

“I’m an adult. I can do whatever I want.”

“Everyone has to follow the rules equally, otherwise what’s the point?”

Brad glared; Vash grinned brightly. “Luida’s letting you get away with too much.”

The lights flickered as a particularly strong gust of wind whistled past. Everyone froze, even when the lights stayed steady. “Vash?” Brad said.

Vash tilted his head, his blue eyes growing distant. “She’s…” He paused, then shuddered violently. Meryl grabbed his hand, but whatever the moment was, it passed quickly. His eyes refocused, his shoulders relaxed, and he squeezed her hand before letting go. “She’s okay. It wasn’t her.”

Brad sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Knew that patch job wasn’t going to hold,” he grumbled.

“Can I…?”

“No, no, you get some sleep. One of us has to.” Brad ate a little faster, finishing up what was left on his plate and standing up with a resigned expression. “Let me know if it is her, okay?”

“Yep.”

A few people started glancing Vash’s way once Brad was out of earshot–curious or wary, Meryl couldn’t tell. She held eye contact with them until they looked away. Vash had noticed their stares, though, and kept his head down in response.

Maybe there’s a reason I’m still here after all.

.

She woke up the next morning to a power outage. It wasn’t any surprise to her that Vash wasn’t there to meet her at the door again; they probably needed him for whatever it was he did with the Plants to help them work. She still felt worried until she ran into him–literally–as she followed the cluster of people brave enough to see if they were still serving breakfast. “Sorry!” Vash blurted. Someone shone a light in their direction; the Plant markings on Vash’s eyes flared briefly as the beam crossed his face. “Are you okay?”

“Bit turned around, but fine…mostly.” This place was eerie in the dark. It didn’t help that a lot of surfaces had permanent marks from the crash. Her mind kept filling in how much worse it must’ve looked in the immediate aftermath. She wasn’t a firm believer in ghosts, but a place like this made it hard not to. “Not a Plant problem?”

Vash shook his head. “It’s…wiring, maybe? Brad wasn’t happy about it. They may have to go outside.”

In all of this? They walked past a window as they moved through the ship-settlement. It was only marginally brighter out, and all that light showed was sand swirling by. “That doesn’t seem safe.”

“It’s that or risk a fire. If they can’t get everything fixed, they'll have to redirect the Plant to something else.” Vash peered out the window and pointed at a barely-visible structure. “She’s in there with the others.”

The distance between them and the Plant storage wasn’t too far logically, but it would probably take twice as long with all this wind. Meryl did not envy anyone who had to go out in that. “So, you and me again today?”

Vash looked up at her and beamed. “Yeah!”

It still took her off guard how normal he could be.

Breakfast was still being served, even if it was cold. They took a detour to bring some food to Brad, who had the same middle-distance exhausted stare Meryl was used to seeing from Roberto (though fortunately, it was the only thing about him that reminded her of Roberto). He didn’t even crack a smile when Vash told him he’d made sure to grab the right cut of jerky for him. His mumbled “thanks” did seem less rough than usual. Meryl thought there was something in Brad’s quick glance away from his food. Less fondness, more…guilt?

Vash didn’t seem to see it. Either that or he was ignoring it. Vash seemed to ignore a lot of things.

The mending circles huddled a lot more closely together, surrounding the handful of rechargeable lights in the space. The lights still weren’t back on by the time they finished, not that they had much left. Meryl found herself fiddling with a square-ish piece of fabric while Vash dug through his bag for something. “...know I packed it, I think it’s just…” His head bobbed back above the surface of the table, then did a double-take. “What is that?”

“Oh, it’s…” Meryl sighed and stared down at the attempt. “I’m…trying to make a crane? Not like the machinery. It’s a kind of old Earth animal, I guess.” She nearly started undoing her work, but Vash was staring at it so intently that she couldn’t bring herself to wreck it in front of him. “My mom showed me how to make them. It works better with paper.” A part of her cringed at doing it, but she pulled out her notebook and carefully tore out a square-ish piece from one of the empty back pages. “See, like this…”

The movements were automatic, even in the low light. Meryl must’ve made dozens of them throughout her life. Vash’s eyes stayed fixed on her hands, somehow growing wider and wider the longer it went on. “Like that, see?” She passed him the finished product. “Head, wings, tail…obviously, they didn’t look exactly like that, but…”

Vash held the crane carefully. “That’s beautiful,” he said quietly. “Your mom showed you?”

“Yeah, back when I was a kid.” The sudden ache of homesickness was accompanied by a deep sense dread. Her parents would flip if they learned about this. They worried about her back when she was just running around the office giving out coffee. Now she’d been sent to the past while chasing down Vash the Stampede. Good thing this whole situation was so unbelievable; she’d only have to lie about the rest of it. She shoved that thought away and kept talking: “There’s a legend that says if you fold one thousand of them, you’ll get one wish granted.”

Vash’s fingers brushed over the wings. “...I don’t think we have enough paper for that,” he said quietly.

Meryl wondered what he would wish for if they did. For Rem to come back? For his brother to stop being evil? For an end to all of this? Now she felt bad for bringing it up, like she’d given him false hope. “There’s other designs you can make,” she said. “Like…maybe…” She finally unfolded her first cloth attempt and tried something else. “This might work a bit better.”

The resulting box was lopsided and didn’t want to stay upright, but it was enough for Vash to understand what she was trying for. Vash was still fascinated, despite how bad it looked. He eagerly told her he’d be right back, ran off, and returned with a solid handful of some wrinkled but mostly flat metallic paper. “Would these work? They haven’t figured out how to recycle them yet.”

It looked like the packages for sanitary bandages. The phrase do not use if seal is broken printed in multiple languages was a bit of a giveaway. “That should, actually.” It wasn’t quite paper, but it held a crease. “I think that’ll be perfect.”

Vash was a fast and eager learner. Meryl showed him boxes, cranes, butterflies (like worms, but prettier), and hearts. She tore a longer piece into strips and showed him how to make stars, which Vash really liked. He probably would have been content to keep making those the rest of the day had the power not come back on. Murmured thanks to assorted deities broke out around the room. Even Vash looked more relaxed. “She’s fine,” Meryl heard him whisper to himself. Then, when he noticed the look on her face, “Yeah, she’s fine!”

Oh.

Meryl knew that look.

But they were out in public around a lot of other people, so she decided not to ask. Not then, not at lunch, not when they got roped into helping sort cuts of worm meat (definitely not then, since she was too focused on not gagging to talk), and not at dinner, when a somehow even less chatty than usual Brad finally rejoined them. The closest thing to a response Vash was able to get out of him was when Vash showed him the origami they’d worked on. “It’s cool, right?”

Brad looked at the pieces and grunted. It seemed like a “yes” grunt. Vash definitely seemed to take it that way. He plucked one of the little stars out of his box and stuck it in Brad’s pocket. “There,” he said cheerfully. “Now you have one, too. For luck.”

Brad stared at Vash as if he’d started speaking gibberish…but he didn’t take the star out of his pocket, either. In fact, his next grumble almost sounded like a “thanks.”

Maybe Vash is right. Maybe he is just terse.

It wasn’t a surprise when Brad turned in early. Meryl was a little relieved; it finally gave her a chance to talk to Vash alone. “Are you worried about the Plants?” Meryl asked. It was an easy first guess; they were sitting next to one of the ship’s few windows, Meryl jotting down her notes on the situation so far, Vash staring out the window with a book that he’d never actually opened (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a story Meryl suddenly felt a strange affinity for despite having never read it in full). He held the book to his chest and stared out where the Plant building probably was.

“...a little?” Vash said. “It’s…I’m sure everything is…”

There it was again. If this were the future, Vash would be deflecting with a goofy smile and a well-timed change of subject. Here and now, his responses were too slow, his anxious body language too obvious. “You can tell me,” Meryl said as she tucked her notepad away. See? Off the record. “I won’t even tell Brad if you don’t want me to.”

Vash tucked his knees up to his chest. “I…I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I still feel kinda shaky, but I don’t know if I’m feeling something from them or if it’s from me.”

“Shaky, like…hungry? Tired? Nervous?”

“...a little bit nervous?”

Probably more than a little bit. “Why? Is it something I…”

Vash immediately shook his head. “No, no, not you! I actually feel a lot better now that you’re here.” He smiled at her gratefully before looking back out the window. “I wasn’t expecting Brad to be so busy this trip. He doesn’t usually leave me alone this much.”

She remembered Brad’s suspicion when he first saw her, the way he seemed to scan every group that got too close or stared too long. “...has Brad been keeping people from bothering you?”

“No…I mean, not here…”

“But he has other places.”

Vash didn’t answer. Meryl didn’t need any of her journalism classes to put the pieces together. “Do they know?” she asked softly.

“Some do. Some…only know a little.” His blue eyes met Meryl’s. For the first time this entire conversation, he looked nervous. “Does it bother you?”

“What? No, no, no.” She felt guilty for a second, horrifically guilty. Vash didn’t know about this yet, but she still wished she hadn’t reacted the way she had on the sand steamer, that she hadn’t frozen in place and looked at him with…fear? Confusion? She still didn’t know how she’d felt then, but it was definitely something that could be mistaken for fear. Fear for something he couldn’t control. Fear for something he hadn’t asked for. “I don’t know everything about you, but that doesn’t mean it bothers me. I just…have to learn. Nothing wrong with that. That’s how everyone should be acting. And if they’re not…you don’t have to put up with it.” Vash immediately looked skeptical. “Yeah, I know, that can be hard. I have to do it, too. It’s not the same thing, but people underestimate me all the time.”

“Why?!”

“I’m new at my job. I’m only twenty-three…don’t look at me like that! That’s young for an adult!” Meryl had to bite back a laugh at the baffled look on Vash’s face. A twenty-ish year age gap probably seemed ancient to him. “The point is…I can’t always make them change their minds, and maybe I’m not always right, but I told myself when I started doing this that I wasn’t going to let people talk over me. Even if I can’t change their minds…” She tapped her chest. “...it’s important to remind myself. You know?”

Vash seemed to think about what she said, then nodded. “Yeah…yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

Meryl wasn’t sure he sounded convinced. She thought about asking, but something in his eyes said that door was closed. She’d only make things worse if she tried to force it out of him. Give it time. Look for another way in. But for now…

“Is the book good?”

Vash hugged it more tightly to him and smiled sadly. “Not as good as the first time I heard it.”

Meryl pictured a much younger Vash safe in his bed, dropping off to sleep as the woman from the ship told him a story. About every second of childhood that had been torn away from him.

She could see how it wouldn’t be as good now.

.

The next day had all the controlled chaos of a sand steamer station right before departure.

The first of the sandstorms was about to blow over, leaving a small gap before the second one hit. People scrambled to check equipment, repair damage, even leave if they were heading away from the storm. Brad and Vash weren’t in that group; the path back to Ship Three took them right through where the storm was coming from. They’d be staying put a little longer. Brad was assisting with repairs, leaving Meryl and Vash to stay out of the way.

Second storm’s coming, they’re calling everyone inside now…

Just wish we still had radar…

Are we sure everything is secure?

Vash was holding tightly to her hand again. A gust of wind, sharp as a warning shot, made the wall behind them tremble. Vash’s head shot up, his body going tense. “What?” Meryl asked, suddenly nervous.

“I need to find Brad.”

He was on her feet and dragging her after him before she had time to ask questions. Meryl kept holding on and helped him force his way through the crowds. No sign of Brad, but someone did see them. “Hey! Hey, kid!” Someone in a knit sweater that was almost as much patch as it was sweater ran over. “This is bad, right?”

He was holding a glass of…honestly, Meryl wasn’t sure what it was. Vash reached out to take it, his hand suddenly flinching back as they touched the glass. “Where did you get that?” he asked.

“Out of the faucet.” Meryl reached for the glass carefully. She worked out why Vash had flinched away; it was cold. She’d only had ice cream or shaved ice a handful of times, but she remembered how cold it was. This felt even colder than that. The texture of the substance, now that she was looking at it, seemed like semi-melted shaved ice, except the frozen parts were more jagged and harsh. “I’m not a Plant expert, but I don’t think it’s supposed to look like that.”

“I…” Vash looked over his shoulder, back towards the front door. “Have you seen Brad?”

“No, we were hoping he was with you.”

“He was with a group working on the electricity plant,” Meryl said as she tilted the partially-frozen fluid. “I don’t know if they’ve come back…Vash!”

He’d let go of her hand and taken off running. Meryl passed the water glass back and went after him, back through the crowds, this time going in the opposite direction. She lost sight of him pretty quickly, but deep in her gut she knew where he was going.

She really hated being right.

“Hey! Kid! Hey!”

By the time Meryl caught up, Vash was already out the door and running full speed for the Plant building. Meryl scrambled to a halt at the doorway, her eyes widening at the scene. Vash was well-lit from the sun being directly overhead, but the storm was so close that it darkened the sky directly in front of him. He was running straight towards it; if he was fast enough, he might make it, but…

No, I’m not taking that risk.

There was a line of cord connecting the downed ship to the Plant building. Meryl could see chest harnesses that allowed people to clip themselves to the line. She grabbed one and started throwing it on as she ran out the door, ignoring the shouts of warning that followed her. Come on, come on… There were too many straps on the damn thing; getting it on while staying close to the line and keeping an eye on Vash took more time than she would’ve liked. The wind picked up as the storm came closer and closer, like an incoming grand worm ready to swallow her.

Come on!

She got the harness secured. She clipped it to the line and ran faster. “Vash!”

Vash finally seemed to register how close the storm was. He hesitated, looking up at the storm and then back to her. Vash turned around and ran towards her, a look of panic on his face.

Meryl grabbed him just as the storm hit.

The initial wall of wind nearly knocked her off her feet–probably would have, if she hadn’t been strapped to the lead. As it was, the panicked part of her wasn’t sure it would hold. They were closer to the Plant building than the main structure, and she had a feeling Vash would try to fight her if she went back, so she kept pushing forward, eyes closed, hoping that she wasn’t inhaling too much sand.

Please, please, please…

Her eyes flew open when hands grabbed her shoulders, unclasping the harness and dragged them inside. The door shut behind them. “Are you two okay?!” someone said.

Meryl gasped. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until then. It hadn’t helped much–the inside of her mouth and nose still felt gritty–but she guessed it was better than nothing. “I’m okay,” she said. “I’m okay…Vash?”

He coughed fiercely as he carefully let go of her. “...I think I owe you two now,” he said with a shaky smile.

I think this makes us even, actually. But she couldn’t say that. He’d figure it out later.

“Well, that was…exciting, but I’m glad you’re here,” said one of the crew members. “The water Plant…”

That was all he needed to say. Vash sneezed once, hard, and dusted himself off. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

He was all business as he followed the crew members, much more like the adult Meryl remembered. She had to struggle to keep up with their long strides. “The tank is still blue, but its vitals are abnormal,” said the crew member. “The output tubes have started freezing, too. We’ve got engineers looking for structural issues with the tank, but…”

“Right. I’ll ask her.” Vash said it so casually. It was strange to think that he didn’t have to hide here, even if that came with its own downsides. Meryl jogged to catch up, hovering close to Vash’s side just in case any of those stares became a little too curious.

The Plant room itself, as always, evoked a certain amount of awe. Meryl hadn’t been in many, but there was always something about them–the grandeur of the lost technology, the alien build of the Plants, the knowledge of what they could do and how much humanity depended on them. One was curled up in her bulb still, but the other…

Vash broke away from Meryl and jogged to the second tank. The Plant inside was partially unfurled, the inner body visible but still curled up. Knees up to chest. Arms wrapped around them. It reminded her of how Vash sat when he was tired. The Plant lifted her head slightly as Vash approached. “I’m sorry,” Vash whispered as he rested his hands against the tank. “I hear you…”

The Plant reached out to him. The room seemed to go completely still as their hands touched. Vash slowly began to light up–not just his face, but stretching down his neck, his arms, even down his exposed ankles and the top of his feet.

The adrenaline rush came back, just like it had the first time. She was able to analyze it a bit more this time. It felt less like fear and more like sheer confusion. Her mind didn’t want to accept it as real. A human shouldn’t look that way. A Plant shouldn’t look that way. Vash existed somewhere in the middle, standing with both hands on the tank, humming gently as he met the Plant’s eyes.

But the feeling of wrongness faded more quickly this time. It was just Vash, Vash and his song, and whatever the Plant was saying back to him. Nothing dangerous about it.

It was just Vash.

Vash suddenly leaned away from the tank, looking up above him. “Something’s coming loose up there,” he said. “She can hear it rattling.”

Someone swore; crew members broke off to go check on the machinery that covered the ceiling. Meryl, meanwhile, risked stepping closer to Vash and the tank. He’d gone back to looking at the Plant. Her face remained impassive, but as she got closer, Meryl noticed the way her markings seemed to…pulse, almost like an anxious heartbeat. “...so, she’s okay?” she asked.

Vash glanced at her, then back to the Plant. “She will be, I think. They just need to get that fixed.” The skin in between the lines on his face grew pink. “I just wish I’d come sooner.”

“It’s not your fault.” Meryl looked away from him and up at the Plant. The Plant’s eyes stayed fixed on Vash. “What’s she saying?”

“Nothing right now, not really. She’s just…” He chewed on his lower lip, then glanced at her again. “Hey, uhm. Do you mind trying something?”

“...sure?”

Vash pulled one hand away from the tank and held it out to her. Meryl took it carefully, letting Vash press it over where the Plant’s other hand remained. “Do you feel anything?”

Meryl stared at the set of three hands–Vash’s, his touch light and careful; the Plant’s, all long fingers and pulsing markings; and her own, sandwiched between them, looking somehow wrong in comparison. She wasn’t supposed to be there.

But Vash had let her in, hadn’t he?

Meryl closed her eyes and tried to focus on the sensation. Without her eyesight getting in the way, she felt something vibrating against her hand from both sides. The vibrations were different, like the delay of an echo, or the alternating notes of a chord. It was like holding her hand against a speaker and feeling the vibrations of the voice or song–not a song she recognized, not any words she recognized, but…

“Something…humming? Vibrating? Is that you two?”

Vash’s fingers jerked slightly in surprise. “You can feel it?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

When she opened her eyes, Vash looked excited. The markings on his face pulsed like the Plant’s, but she got the impression it was eagerness, not distress. The humming from his hand matched it, and slowly the Plant’s humming did, too. “I thought that you might, I just…wasn’t sure…” He looked back at the Plant in the tank, beaming. “...you can hear her.”

The Plant was staring at her. Meryl suddenly felt very self-conscious, the way she did when meeting someone’s parents for the first time. She waved sheepishly. The Plant blinked slowly, her head tilting slightly. “Is that good or bad?” Meryl whispered.

Vash laughed quietly. “It’s good. I was telling her you’re a friend.”

“Oh.” That didn’t make the stare feel any less piercing, though. Did the Plant know, somehow? Could she sense that Meryl wasn’t supposed to be here? She had been sent there by something related to Vash’s powers, after all. Maybe another Plant would know.

How do I ask him about all of that without sounding suspicious?

The sound of clanging and cursing caught her off guard. The vibration against her palm suddenly felt so sharp and agitated that she yanked her hand away instinctively. It was like holding a very live, very angry worm in her hands, feeling its stinger scrape the skin without piercing it. “Are you okay?” Vash asked.

“I’m fine, just…” She flexed her hand carefully, “Really felt that.” She looked up, not at a sound, but a sudden absence of sound. There had been this grating humming coming from somewhere in the ceiling; she had just assumed that was normal until it suddenly wasn’t there.

Vash breathed out a heavy sigh. “There…see? All better.” The Plant must have thought so, because she started curling back up immediately. “There you go.”

It was so strange, watching her repeat back into that orb. So strange to think that all this time, there had been something alive in there, something that could…respond, given the right stimulus. A thousand questions suddenly flooded her mind. Could the Plants understand human speech? Human facial expressions? They didn’t seem to emote with their faces much, not that she had noticed. Before she could ask, one of the crew members approached Vash. “Did that do it?”

“I think so. They’re noise-sensitive. That’s all.”

The relief in the room was palpable. It could’ve been worse and everyone knew it. At least she hadn’t gone red. I never did find out what that meant. The Beast had talked about a Last Run that Millions Knives was saving them from, but…what did that mean?

There’s so much I don’t know. She was starting to wonder if anyone really knew. Vash may have been the only one who did.

Now that the crisis was averted and everyone had calmed down, it was decided that Vash and Meryl had to stay overnight. The storm was too strong for them to make a return trip, and they wanted Vash closeby in case something happened. They’d basically be sleeping on the floor, but Meryl had gotten a lot of practice sleeping in weird places on her impromptu road trip to find Vash the Stampede. At least in here, there was less chance of a worm getting in and crawling on her while she slept.

Ugh…

“You can ask.”

“Hmm?” Meryl swallowed down a mouthful of soup. “What?”

“If you want to know anything. I saw how you looked earlier. I don’t mind if you ask.”

“Are you sure?”

Meryl watched Vash’s reaction carefully. He didn’t seem withdrawn, his smile wasn’t forced, and, perhaps most tellingly, he kept eating as he answered. “You said you wanted to learn, right?”

She did. She really did. This seemed one of the safest places to do it, considering the subject matter.

“Okay, well…if you don’t want to answer anything, you don’t have to.” She took a deep breath. “But…okay, how does this…work? Where did you…come from?”

“No one knows. Independents just kind of show up. If there’s a way to tell if a Plant is pregnant, no one’s been able to record it or anything.” Vash’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t even know if they get pregnant. I could’ve just been made. Weird, right?”

“All babies are pretty weird, to be fair.” You were a cute little kid, though. She wasn’t sure she could say that, so she moved on. “When you talk to the Plants, do you hear words? Are the vibrations like another language?”

Vash inhaled deeply, his brow scrunching in thought. “...noooo? It’s…hard to explain. You know how if you know someone really, really well, you know what they’re thinking without them having to say it? It’s…kinda like that?” His spoon tapped against the side of his bowl. “It’s hard to describe unless you’ve actually experienced it.” The spoon tapped faster, then stopped. “Oh! Oh, it’s like instrumental music. Because there’s no words, but you still know what it means.”

That made sense the more she thought about it. “So you know exactly what they’re trying to say…that must help with misunderstanding.”

“Sometimes, but then sometimes I say something too human-y and they don’t get it. Like…what sour is. They really don’t get eating, at all.”

“So they don’t get fed anything in there?” There weren’t any tubes attached to the Plants themselves, nowhere they could eat. She’d always just assumed the liquid they were suspended in had nutrients or something they could absorb.

“No. Everything they need comes from…” Vash paused again. “...it’s like…a bright light? Like the sun, almost. All Plants are connected to it, even me. They get everything they need from it.” He suddenly looked self-conscious. “Except me. I still need to eat and sleep.”

But Millions Knives doesn’t. Conrad had talked about that. She wondered what else they didn't have in common, what it all meant. “Is it okay if I write this all down? I think better when I write.”

“That’s fine.” Vash looked curiously at her notebook. “Does it really help? Luida gave me one, but I don’t know how to start.”

Funny; she didn’t picture him as the journaling type. Her mind skipped to a memory of one morning when she’d miraculously woken up at the same time Vash did. He’d stretched out, sat cross-legged by their dead campfire, and stared out over the landscape, body relaxed. She remembered freezing in place, worried she was going to interrupt his prayer, meditation, whatever it was. But in less than a minute…

Whelp. That’s enough. And suddenly he was on his feet, walking a safe distance away from his camp to start doing push-ups. Apparently, he did that every morning. You have to keep your skills up, you know? He seemed to prefer staying in motion. Not the kind of mentality that led to sitting down and journaling. Then again, she could’ve been wrong. Maybe he did, and he’d just given it up when he moved off the ship. You probably didn’t want to keep a book of your darkest secrets in your pocket when you were on the run from military police.

“It can,” Meryl said. “I don’t think there’s really a right way. I just try to write everything down and figure it out after. It’s easier when it’s not just stuck in my head.” That went for stray facts and her feelings, sometimes.

Maybe I should get back into journaling. She’d been so busy with work lately. She was sure there was a lot in there to pick through.

Meryl put that thought aside and started scribbling down everything Vash had told her. She asked more questions. How far away do you have to be until you can’t hear them anymore? (Pretty far, actually.) Do they have names? (Not like how humans did, but every Plant he’d met had their own feeling.) Do they understand humans? (Some more than others, it seemed to depend on if the humans talked to them regularly.) Do they understand that you’re different? (Yeah, they know.) The most interesting thing she learned was what he meant by helping the Plants. The more they used their powers, the weaker their connection to that light that kept them alive became. He could strengthen those connections, repair them, basically give them a second chance. He couldn’t explain how, but so far, he’d been able to help every sick Plant he’d ever met.

“But if they…stopped producing,” Meryl said, “would that work?”

Vash thought about it, then shuddered. “I think,” he said, “they’d live. But I don’t think they’d be comfortable. They always feel so weak and sad when I help them. I wouldn’t want to leave them like that forever.”

Meryl thought about the rows of red Plants in July City. Did Millions Knives know that he was keeping them in pain or discomfort? She didn’t think letting them die was right, either, but…why not reach out to Vash to help them? Why just take them away and leave them like that? Did he have a plan or did he just not know any better?

Of course, she couldn’t ask Vash about that. Most of the questions she didn’t ask were about Knives. Did the other Plants know about him, about what he had done? Did any of the humans? Could Vash sense him, too? There were other questions, too, things that might help her piece together what had happened in July, but she couldn’t think of a good way to ask. As far as Vash knew, she only knew that he was an Independent Plant. She couldn’t start asking very specific questions about powers he didn’t even know he had yet. It would blow her cover, maybe even scare him.

It was frustrating, but she tried to console herself with what she had. She’d probably learned more about Vash the Stampede than anyone back in the future had. Even if she never shared that knowledge with anyone–and she definitely had no plans to–it was something.

Maybe one day she’d be able to figure him out entirely.

.

They had to sleep on mats near the Plants. Meryl was so tired after all the excitement of the morning that she dropped off almost immediately, even with the blue light of the tanks still illuminating the room.

She woke up the next morning with the strangest feeling gnawing at her mind.

She’d had a dream, she knew that much. It hadn’t been a nightmare…it clung to her like one, but she’d woken up feeling soothed, comforted, not afraid. It was only as she recalled the details that those feelings seemed strange.

In her dream, she’d opened her eyes to a space that reminded her of Ship Three’s flora garden. The layout was a little different, though–she didn’t remember Ship Three having such a large tree in the center–and the glass dome didn’t show the blue skies and clouds of No Man’s Land. Instead, she saw stars, more stars than she’d ever seen even in the middle of the desert, pinning up a sky of pure black.

Music drifted over the space. It wasn’t any instrument Meryl knew–more like a chorus of choices, singing the notes in perfect harmony. Vash’s song, she realized. She felt like she was floating as she walked down the path, trying to find the source. A few times, it felt like something was watching her. She’d glance up at the dome, catch a glimpse of something that was almost wing-like, a hand retreating from the glass, the feeling that the stars were eyes…but she never saw anything concrete.

One of the voices changed suddenly, breaking off from the chorus, the wordless humming turning into lyrics.

…on the first evening, a pebble from somewhere drops upon the world…

There was someone else on the path. She could only see his back from this distance, but she knew him. Pale hair, small and young again, his white clothes unblemished by the fire of Ship Five. Only a child.

So, on the second evening, the children of the pebble join hands and compose a waltz…

The song didn’t quite fit, but she had a feeling it wasn’t meant to. He was singing for someone else. Trying to call them back to him.

So, on the third evening… He stopped to pick a flower. Bright red, just like his coat. …the children of the waltz make waves upon -

“Vash?”

He stopped and turned around. “Oh,” he said. “Sorry, Claudia.”

“What?”

The next thing Meryl knew, it was morning. Vash was carefully shaking her shoulder and asking if she liked coffee. He looked normal, but for a long second, she felt like he shouldn’t.

It could have been nothing, but she wrote the dream down anyway. It felt…important. It didn’t occur to her until she’d recounted the entire thing, but…

I feel like I was allowed to see it.

Meryl stared at the sentence. She almost crossed it out.

She didn’t.

She almost asked Vash about it, but she didn’t do that, either. A few times she thought he was going to ask her something, but he never did.

Maybe that was for the best.

.

The storm lightened up enough by lunch that they could make their way back to the main structure–this time with both of them in harnesses, cloth masks, and goggles. Brad was waiting at the door. Saying he looked unhappy would be an understatement. “Do you have a death wish?” he asked.

Meryl was glad for the mask; it did a good job of hiding her wince. Vash, meanwhile, just laughed awkwardly. “Sorry…”

“I leave you alone for five minutes…”

“Hey, it wasn’t the thomases this time. I did listen.”

“Drop the rules lawyer act. You could’ve gotten killed.”

“He was just trying to help,” Mery interrupted. Brad was right to worry, she knew, but it seemed a little harsh. “The water Plant needed his help. It was an emergency.”

Brad gave her a long look; Vash’s grip on her arm tightened, as if he were trying to keep her from jumping into a fight. To Meryl’s surprise, though…

“I don’t want you getting hurt.” It wasn’t quite Brad relenting, but his tone felt more concerned, less aggravated. “Okay? Just…get me first.”

“Yes, sir.” Vash relaxed slightly. “Sorry.”

“You’re lucky she was crazy enough to run after you.”

Vash beamed at her. “Yeah, she’s pretty great.”

“It was nothing,” Meryl said quickly. “Anyone could’ve done it.” And I had to. I couldn’t save you in the future. I had to do it now.

She didn’t think she could live with herself otherwise.

There was some good news later, for Vash and Brad at least. Unless the storm made any unexpected moves, they would be able to leave the next morning. It was good to think that Vash would be safe again soon, but Meryl didn’t miss how he stuck a bit closer to her after their meal. There was an unasked question in his eyes, one that she was pretty sure she could guess.

What are you going to do?

Honestly, she didn’t know. She was surprised no portal had come to whisk her away by now. Last time, it had been pretty obvious why it may have appeared–Vash was safe, Meryl had carried him out of the wreckage, no need for her to stick around. This time, she wasn’t sure what the end goal was. Keeping him company? Making sure he wasn’t hurt in the sandstorm? Maybe once he had left for Ship Three…

I wish I knew. This whole situation was still barely manageable. She felt like she was floating in a mass of quicksand, only kept aloft by dumb luck.

I wish I knew what to tell you.

She tried to make up for that lack of knowledge by being extra supportive. They made a little more origami. She listened while Vash read to her from his book. (Something about the way he read some lines felt familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.) When it was time to go to bed, they took the long way to the sleeping sections. They walked in silence at first, but as they got closer…

“Hey, Claudia?”

“Yeah?” Meryl braced herself for the inevitable question. Her mind scrambled to think of a good lie or deflection. Hopefully something that could dull the pain of her answer.

But maybe Vash saw the hesitation in her eyes, or maybe he knew, somehow, because the question that came out instead was, “Is…it okay if I give you a hug?”

Oh. That was almost worse. “Yeah, of course.”

Vash’s arms wrapped tightly around her. He was already taller than her, but in that moment, he felt so small again. “Thanks for everything,” Vash said.

Emotion swelled up in her chest, the same feeling she’d felt outside of Jeneora Rock. She hugged him back just as tightly. Don’t cry. You’ll just upset him. “You’re welcome,” she said. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Not tomorrow. She couldn’t promise that. But later, she could promise.

“Okay,” Vash whispered. He held on a little longer; when he pulled away, he was smiling his hiding the sadness smile. It looked even worse on such a young face. “I’ll see you.”

He only made it a few steps before he turned back around. Before Meryl could ask what was wrong, he pressed something into her hand, hugged her one last time, and jogged away. When Meryl opened her palm, she saw one of Vash’s crooked little paper stars.

For luck.

Despite the ache in her chest, Meryl smiled. “Thanks, Vash,” she whispered.

She’d need all the extra luck she could get.

.

Meryl sat up suddenly.

The wind had finally died down. Everyone around her slept soundly. But there, in the center of the room, she saw a slice of darkness, darker than the shadows around it.

TIme to go. No sense in hesitating this time. She changed into her own clothes and left the borrowed clothes folded at the foot of the bed. One of the paper cranes she’d made with Vash fell out of her notebook as she slipped it in her pocket, but instead of putting it back, she left it on the clothes. Hopefully he’d see it if he came back to say goodbye again.

II’ll see you later.

The portal was quiet this time…or, more accurately, Meryl didn’t hear her name. Instead, she noticed that the air around it seemed to vibrate. Like the humming of a speaker.

Like Vash, talking to the Plant.

She’d have to write that down later. Meryl filed the thought away, braced herself, and stepped through.

What have you got for me this time?

[lionguarded]

[ EMBRACE ] for one muse to dominate the other due to possessiveness/jealousy.

@ofwings-andclaws; not me re-sending bc tumblr ate my ENTIRE ask. nah. couldn't be me. pls take this and imagine it to be three times better bc ....my first one was so good i am still mad a week after.

it wasn't often that the tables got turned like this. usually, when silas let dante talk him into going out - be it one of the local bars, or some other place dante felt like dragging him, it was dante catching everybody's attention. it wasn't that stupid sway of his hips when he walked, or the fact he looked fuckin' stupid in that leather jacket, nor was it because he wore those dark pants so nicely - no. it also wasn't the fact he smelled ridiculously good. not at all. it was just that stupid mouth that got dante the attention he seemingly loved more than anything in the world.

it was that damn attention that boasted his ego even more - if possible. it wasn't. but that was what silas was used to & the main reason he felt like going out was a one-sided deal. it wasn't like he wanted to be in dante's shoes. he despised attention like that, eyes on him - when he didn't feel comfortable among the masses anyway. although, honestly? one of the things that'd been easier in willowshire. in their tiny village everybody knew everybody, so it didn't quite make silas feel as tense spending the night at the tavern. then again, back then dante had been the reason for his tension, so he'd been tense nonetheless.

still, at this point in time - he knew dante turned heads wherever he went. if it wasn't any of the reasons he liked to pretend didn't exist, it was that stupid-ass smirk & fuck his beautiful face - seriously, how could a person clearly blessed by mother nature be that much of a dick most of the time? fuckin' hell.

tonight though, it seemed like ... someone, or something had mercy on silas. it wasn't dante who seemingly made heads turn. silas himself didn't even realize at first, so used to the usual he didn't notice that he seemed to be the center of attention at the bar. he wasn't even wearing anything special, he felt. maybe it was the lack of layers? he was clad in jeans & a red button-up. okay, yes - it was red. silas had seen it at the shop & had been drawn to it instantly, the color resonating with him - for no apparent, or logical reason. his hair was .. wild curls slightly tamed, as per usual. he really didn't feel like he'd done anything different this time, except...

he had a few buttons more open than might've been reasonable, but dante didn't complain - apparently happy to be seeing more skin than usual, so silas .. didn't change it, but clearly dante wasn't the only pleased alpha at the bar. several potential suitors had been encroaching, recognizing each other's presence in their pursuit, but also taking note of the alpha with silas. some had been intimidated enough by dante's presence so close to silas, but not all.

one drink sent his way via the bartender with the promise of a good time on his lips. another, not too long afterwards was sent with a wave from across the bar, a few were loitering their general vicinity, but at that point even silas felt their eyes on him. fuckin' shirt, seriously? with an elbow on the counter - they were standing while they enjoyed their drinks that time around. one very brave soul approached them, he didn't even look half bad. younger than him, but dante was, too. attention was granted, but the guy's purpose had been the same as the other's that night.

three hook-up offers, a request for a date & a lot of staring later, silas was pulled in closer by a hand on his wrist, almost a little violently - but silas wasn't worried. not by that. the look on dante's face, that little frown he wasn't used to, the usual smugness almost gone..

was he bothered by this? oh, that was fuckin' brilliant. take that, you little shit. welcome to my fuckin' world. silas didn't get to taste triumph for long, though, because - after dragging the omega away from the counter & further into the center of the room, for all to see, dante had strategically positioned himself behind silas & grabbed at his jaw, nudging it until silas was looking down, his neck bared & dante's mark glistening despite the dim-lit atmosphere. hands cupped silas' jaw, bending his head back to face him, so dante could smash his lips against his omega's. the kiss was dripping with claim, it was rough - deep & they were both breathless when dante released his face again.

their bodies flush, one of the alpha's hands sliding down into that opening of silas' shirt, raking nails over his omega's fit chest, making sure the motion got caught on a nipple & silas could swear he saw fangs in the grin on the alpha's face when he gasped. fuckin' dante. the other hand had wound around the omega's hip, making sure silas would feel every grind, every buck of dante's hips against his ass back.

lips parted, though silas had his head turned so he could bury his face against the side of dante's, he was so grateful the music would drown out most of the noises he made at the sudden display of... whatever this was. like dante didn't know yet that silas was very much a one-lion-lion.

....besides, why would he look elsewhere when he was ridiculously happy annoyed with one alpha already?

"wait." soft hiss under his breath, "dante. calm down.”

[crimsonblackrose]

.

Okay we are officially in December, I assume if all the opening stuff is Christmas related.

The Mills house

Ali's mom was shopping at Century City Mall (looks like they got a different actress) Looks like the original actress retired in the late 80s from acting and passed away in 2023.

She went to Nordstrem and did all her shopping including getting the last two ipads for the kids, which is spoiling them but they're her grandkids.

ALI!!!!!

Ali loves the snow in Colorado.

The holiday logo change.

Carmen: Where do we go from here?

Johnny: thinking she means breakfast.

First adult secret relationship.

Johnny's taking vitamin D.

The instant reaction to Ali responding to his message.

When I watched this the first time I kept going no Johnny no. Because he's with Carmen now. But Carmen's question, can't let your guard down or are you scared to is something that Johnny can only answer after re-meeting Ali, because from Johnny's perspective he never got closure on that relationship and it's been affecting him sense.

I can't believe Miguel's walking around inside of Mr. Miyagi's home in shoes. Sam why didn't you stop him? Also Miggy should know better about dojo respect from when they had the cobra kai dojo.

They're also just talking, but everything Sam says is very barbed. Miguels trying to make connections Mr. Miyagi was to Daniel as Kreese was to Johnny (True), but she takes offense to that and then sends a barb back "Mr. Miyagi taught my dad the right way." aka her karate is better and right and Johnny and Miggy's is wrong.

Trying to start parent trapping their sensei's.

I wouldn't say the styles are so far apart, they can come together in great balance that you all truly need. Daniel needs an outlet for his anger rather than just repressing it and burning people with the steam that occasionally shoots out. Johnny needs to chill and learn to just breathe and also to defend himself. And y'all need to learn the same things. Because Sam is a lot like her father and Miguel is rather chill already but can never get enough defense and calming chill.

Robby's the only one ahead of the curve here.

Miguel putting the hand drum in his pocket to spar with Sam is such a landmine waiting to happen. It's an accident but Daniel already doesn't trust him.

Are they truly officially broken up with Tory and Robby or did they both just manage to hurt Tory and Robby so badly that they figure the relationship is over? Because I fear it's actually #2.

Lol hi Daniel, welcome to the dojo, you're teaching teens, you're lucky they weren't making out at Mr. Miyagi's before now.

Also how did Daniel notice the drum so fast?

I will note that Daniel is wearing his shoes in the house too.

Robby very neatly rolling up his sleeping bag. Sleeping on the cement in the backroom.

Couple of questions related to that. Was Robby testing the waters with Sam before deciding to live secretly at Miyagi-do? Or was he planning to try and live with the LaRusso's? Kreese has fully moved into Cobra Kai with photos and what not, but has he moved out of the mission? Was he truly living at the mission? Is he still there? Did he invite Robby to live with him or would that never happen? Why is Robby living in the backroom on the cement and not the office which seems like it'd be a bit more comfortable? Did Kreese give him some of his military stuff? Like the sleeping bag? Where did Robby get that?I can't believe he's sleeping next to the weights and a water heater.

Someone please save this kid.

Also, Robby's kinda dressed like his dad. Flannel over a band t-shirt and jeans.

Kreese does apologize that he had to sleep on the floor and they bond over sleeping in worse conditions. Kreese probably actually approves of this and is like we're bonding. 🤣 Offers Robby coffee says it's not good but hot.

Kreese teaching Robby the cobra strike which was one of the first things Johnny taught Miguel on the same dummy. And it's the same instructions, lunge and bite.

Ah, Hawk and Kyler, I can't believe they're showing up together. What's interesting is in the back before they arrived there were like 3 backpacks, so either Kreese has 3, Robby has a backpack on top of that red bag he somehow acquired (his cute brown bag that Daniel bought him is probably with wherever Daniel put the rest of his stuff) or these kids are leaving their school stuff behind at the dojo.

Frequently Kreese sides with his students, but because Robby is Johnny's son and so he really wants Robby as a pawn to get both Robby and Johnny he defends Robby against Hawk.

Really I don't think Kreese has a ton of warmth for Hawk. He likes that Eli's vicious, and he'll defend him against Miyagi-do but other than that I truly think he doesn't care. If Hawk had lost against Kyler instead of being pissed and going against Brucks and beating him to a pulp Kreese would've dropped him too. I think he's truly only invested in Tory and Robby. (I say this because he was interested in Miguel until he realized Miguel will always pick Johnny over him and if Johnny doesn't come over he can't really use Miguel to lure him over) Even though Hawk took Miguel's spot as best fighter and top student.

Oh kreese catches Tory's nod to Robby.

Kreese's army photo wall is growing:

pretty sure that's an army logo mug too.

lol I was right.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend. (Somehow Daniel hasn't picked up on that) But in this case, what do you mean. Hawk is still pissed that Miguel was put in the hospital by Robby. Even though they abandoned and no longer deal with Miguel and he's quote on quote a traitor. So who is Robby the enemy of? Miyagi-do? Or Miguel? Pretty sure Robby right now is a free agent.

They changed Robby's bag. Earlier he had a red bag next to where he was sleeping, now he's got a green-brown one. also do these kids not pick up their stuff? They keep showing Robby cleaning up and putting his things away but then there's backpacks the other kids have I guess left behind and equipment out everywhere.

Tory hated Robby for what happened to Miguel. Sam, but most of all herself but couldn't run away like Robby could.

Kreese taught her how to channel her hate to make her stronger.

I've been looking, I think Kreese abandoned his pet snake at the LaRusso auto dealership.

Tory invites Robby to hang out after class.

Ali and Johnny meet up at the Magnolia kitchen cafe

Johnny listening to other guys to hear their orders to determine what he should order to impress Ali: vegan mung dahl bowl with spiced carrots, turmeric cauliflower and coconut yogurt.

Ali is so cute. I love her brown leather jacket

I can't believe he remembers the whole order. He'd be a good waiter. Unlike the lady from the double date restaurant.

I love that Ali is like I don't know what that is so cheeseburger.

Glad Johnny switches to the burger because there's no way he'd enjoy the vegan mung dahl bowl and would just suffer.

She does this all the time.

Usually the cars aren't covered, so it's interesting that this one time they are. I also went back and checked, Daniel is right Sam did have all the doors shut. Though Mr. Miyagi's place isn't near the house so I'm not sure what good that'd necessarily do.

I feel like leaving the door open isn't a bad rule but Sam thinks it's unfair. Which is wild, because it's like basic general household rules not just a 1984 rule. And for a girl who keeps lying and lying via omission to her parents about what she's up to....a little parenting won't hurt her. Daniel's not even saying, don't bring a boy here or tell me if you're going to invite a boy over into Mr. Miyagi's home, he's saying leave the door open. That's like the lightest little slap on the wrist.

Daniel totally thinks Sam is using the dojo to have sex and Robby walked in on it, not realizing that was Miguel and Sam's first back together kiss.

And while the way he words it is a little dramatic and judgy for a guy who had a new girlfriend in every movie. He is right that it's unfair to these boys that she keeps bouncing back and forth between Robby and Miguel. Like Miguel thought she was cheating on him with Robby, and she wasn't, but then she dumped Miguel for Robby and then while Robby was out he thought she was cheating on him with Miguel after she saw them together and she wasn't not in that moment but she had when drunk which I think Robby didn't fully hold against her because he's been around his mom drunk and probably his dad. But then now she is with Miguel again.

And she doesn't tell her parents about who she's dating, or at least hasn't since Kyler. Which is an additional issue. The secret boyfriends isn't fair to anyone and the not really breaking up with them, just hanging out with the other till the other gets jealous and then letting that be the break up to switch is kinda...unfair to each of them. Though them assuming she's cheating also isn't fair.

It's dramatic and a bit messy for sure.

I'm still your daughter and you can trust me.

Can he? Miss throws a party and doesn't tell anyone? Miss we closed the dojo but I'm going to teach underground fights and then use my defense only karate for revenge and get into more fights which negatively affects the dojo and the dealership? Miss gets into a car accident and doesn't tell her parents? I could go on. She's really like her father a la TKK not telling his mother anything.

He doesn't trust Miguel, but Miguel is a sweetie and he was drunk 1 time and screwed up by starting a fight but hitting Sam instead and going too far at the all-valley but Johnny's redirected him out of no mercy every chance he can. But again, Miguel is Johnny's student so he doesn't trust him.

What happened to there's no bad students only bad teachers? For some reason Daniel truly blames all of Kreese on Johnny, all of Johnny on Johnny and then everything that was compounded by those two things earned and unearned on everyone around him.

"He's not even in Cobra Kai anymore" is the thing that let's Daniel sigh and go okay maybe you're right. Which is it truly the name? If so is Johnny now in a safer boat?

Kyler hanging out with Eli is so weird. Also following orders. Like he went from being a leader to a second. Also Kyler is I guess the beer guy instead of Mitch.

Proud of Robby for say no.

It is nice that Tory explains whether things will clash with his probation or not because she knows.

Also I just realized that this group is kinda like Robby's back with his original two friends.

They're at Ventura zoo

Ali and Johnny got stuck on a ferris wheel for hours and it was windy and Ali thought they were going to die and Johnny was laughing. It was their first date and Johnny thought it was going terribly. Their second date was much better.

He partied through his 20's and 30's, then got a Shannon who he was dating pregnant.

starting with you.

The way Ali takes what Johnny said, hears it, and tells him she's messed up too. She did everything by the book and was unhappy, ex-wife.

Johnny apologizes for taking her for granted and screwing up. Messing up their relationship and friendship and worst of all, her radio.

He always does own up to his own actions and doesn't accept others, it's just when he blames himself for things or takes responsibility for things that aren't his fault that it gets hard to tell. Sort of like his conversation with Carmen, who blamed him for Miguel's injury only to realize how badly that had hurt Johnny and how much he'd cared and that it wasn't actually his fault. But Johnny took responsibility for it anyway.

Ali said punching Johnny in the face was fun.

He said he had that coming and she agrees.

Miguel gets Daniel's side of the story, that Daniel is originally from Reseda. The sensei was a rich kid.

Daniel pointing out that Miguel used that same kick without much trouble.

How does Hawk know all of this? There are two cameras over there, the security guard goes on break once every hour, we've got less than five minutes.

Do you think this is Kreese's snake? That this is what happened to it when the LaRusso's called animal control? (I assume that's what they did)

They're getting a gift for sensei.

They got into the back real easy. also none of these kids are dressed for stealth, they're so brightly dressed up and in their dojo logo, which is always so dumb.

Kyler forgot the snake pole. He's worried about Trig and his dad's reaction to it.

Robby just grabbing the cobra because he's good at this type of thing from his time pre-miyagi-do.

Welcome back home, I'm sorry grandpa kreese abandoned you at the LaRusso auto. (I'm going to headcannon it's the same snake)

Robby not expecting his time an ace degenerate to come in handy with the new kids.

The water hose?

Daniel: It was just sitting there I couldn't help myself. 🤣

I dunno Daniel, Miggy isn't fully like you or Johnny. He doesn't quite have that little trickster energy.

Miguel quietly defending Johnny.

Daniel says Ali was his first love too, which isn't quite accurate. He tells Sam a couple seasons ago that he had a first love back in Jersey if I remember correctly. But they're going for that parallel of Johnny and Daniel fighting over Ali versus Robby and Miguel fighting over Sam.

Daniel, you're missing part of the spiel here. "I thought she was the one" but then you also say you thought Kumiko was the one, and there were more after that.

Welcome to the plot bud. 30 years late.

This was all Miguel wanted in season 1. A chance to talk and meet Daniel without Daniel automatically hating him and without Sam hiding him from Daniel. I'm glad they had that conversation.

I like Sam's nails they're like a white to purple ombre.

Like the fact Daniel being willing to talk and shake Miguel's hand and Miguel and Sam being shocked by that is very telling.

Ali kicking Johnny's ass at air hockey and video games.

I think Johnny really needed this. Someone from his past that he loved, forgiving him and a chance to have a good time.

Like he's only had a good time so far with Miguel and the Diaz's. this expands his world a little.

They also play the basketball game and mini golf

The win a hippo plush, Ali hits him in the face with it and laughs.

I think he's also needed this closure.

Johnny posing the plushie

Ali also has a 17 year old.

Robby is complicated, smart, too smart for his own good, and a heartbreaker. As soon as Ali compares Johnny "a heartbreaker" to Robby he shuts down and tells her to tell him about her two.

Lucas is the oldest and is a talented soccer player and writer with a dry sense of humor.

Ava was on a path to being ballet dancer but then starts playing the drums and joins a punk band, a rebel like her mom. (Ali says she's a rebel now, but wasn't when she was younger but Johnny disagrees) Greg has them that week, so it's the week of Christmas, and it's Ali's first Christmas alone. Her parents are being annoying.

Her parents are more upset about the divorce then she is and they don't approve. Johnny's not surprised.

They almost kiss but neither of them closes the gap, waiting for the other to close the gap until Ali gets a message. Ali invites him to the country club party that she completely forgot about.

Robby puts the snake in the tank with his bare hands.

Hawk I think realized that no matter how much hard work he puts in he's not what Kreese's looking for. He just got snubbed for Robby. Which Johnny warned him about.

Kreese brought up Sam and Miguel's speech (all he knows) specifically to piss off Tory and Robby.

LaRusso christmas decor:

oh right the Miyagi-do christmas party.

Another new Miyagi-do

Mitch and Chris being the most dressed up for a holiday party but instantly pissed to see each other.

we're missing a red.

Bert and Nate's fighting is always so intense. I hate your stupid face so much| If you died I wouldn't even attend your funeral

Johnny having a white suit jacket. Not just that brown one he wears with the yellow

Into Encino Oaks Country club which I don't think he's been to in a while.

I wonder if Johnny didn't know Daniel became a member of his old country club. Which what a choice there Daniel.

[joekeeryfics92]

Chapter 3: The Parents

outfit here denim jacket

Standing in front of the mirror, you stand wearing one of your dresses as you at yourself before beginning to zip up the dress.

It gets stuck.

"Oh, come on, you stupid piece of shit." You curse, forcing the zipper up little by little.

"You okay?" Joe asks, poking his head in the doorway.

"Yes, it's just my dress won't fit because I'm fat."

"You're pregnant, not fat. It's alright."

"No, it's not. It's not okay. I can't fit into anything, and we have that dinner tonight with my parents. I don't have anything to wear."

"We can buy a dress in the maternity section?" He suggests.

"No, my parents will know right of the bat that I'm pregnant."

"They're gonna know anyway. I mean there's no way we -- you can't hide a pregnancy."

You sigh, defeated by Joe's words before giving in and deciding to go to the store with him to pick out something for the dinner tonight. You pray that your mom won't notice right away.

~+~

Arriving at the mall, you see the shops and the maternity clothes that sit in the store. You cringe at the outfits and how ugly they are compared to non-maternity clothes. But you walk in the store anyway, looking around for anything. Joe, who is right behind you, glances at the shirt with a large and round belly on the manquin.

"Look, this might work."

"No, that is for a woman who is further along than me."

"Okay," He says, suddenly he gets excited. "Hey! Amelia, look."

You turn and follow Joe's gaze toward the baby clothes as you smile, tears welling in your eyes. You're in awe and begin stalking towards the infant section but Joe re-directs you back to the maternity clothes since you both only had less than two hours to leave.

You look at the dresses on the hangers, reading the size before pulling the dress off and eye it up and down. With Joe not paying attention as he is looking over breast pumps in another part of the store as he watches you run into the dressing room. He smiles.

You quickly slide the shirt and pants off your body. The clothes you are currently wearing belong to Joe as he let you wear them since you didn't have the energy to wear something tighter due to your morning sickness. You slide the dress on, looking at yourself in the full body mirror. The dress fits perfectly on your curves as well as barely noticeable baby bump. Without realizing it, the corners of your mouth curl as you feel a little better with picking the right outfit.

You were ready for tonight.

Sliding the dress off and throwing Joe's clothes on before draping the dress over your arm and walk out of the dressing room (adding a blue jean jacket to the dress) and over to Joe. He holds breast pumps up to his chest, setting them against his shirt. When he sees you, he loses his grip and clumsily drops them on the floor. Joe quickly picks the plastic pumps off the floor and sets it back on the shelf.

"Hey, hi. I-- I was, uh, just looking."

"Sure you were. Anyway, I found the dress I want, plus a denim jacket -- I'm ready to leave."

"Okay,"

You and Joe finally make it back to your car in the parking lot as you both slide in the seats. You toss the bag containing your outfit in the backseat before buckling up. He does the same, starting the vehicle

~+~

You and Joe make it to your house safely as he brakes the car before putting it in park. You look over at the two story house, sighing while biting your lower lip. You look over at Joe, nodding before stepping out of the vehicle. You smooth the fabric of your dress and fi your jean jacket before taking a step with Joe up to your parent's front door. You give Joe one last glance before pressing your fingertip against the doorbell. You wait for a few seconds until your mom answers, seeing you and Joe. She brings you into her arms.

"Hi, honey. How are you?"

"I'm good. But you're sq-squeezing me."

Your mom pulls back from the hug, smiling brightly. You figured she's been drinking, but didn't say anything.

"How is Chloe? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Mom." You felt hurt hearing your mom bring Chloe's name up like she we're her daughter, but you stayed calm. "Anyway, you remember Joe, right? We went to high school together."

"Of course I do. You also dated for a while, too."

"Yeah," You say, trying to avert your eyes with your mother somewhere else.

You step to the side while Joe stands, hands behind his back as his fingers laced together. You rest your hand on the small of his back, hoping that would relax him. Sure enough, it did. The last time Joe saw your parents was when you were arguing in the front yard before breaking up with you. And your parents weren't thrilled at all. They hated him for hurting you, but you moved on and so did he. You're parents, though -- are a whole other story.

"Mrs. Carter, how are you?"

"I'm good. Yourself?"

"Hanging in there,"

"Come in, come in. Get settled, dinner will be ready soon." She smiles, letting you and Joe in.

The three of your enter the living room. Your father is nowhere to be seen, but the smell of smoke initiated that he was outside cooking some kind of meat. You take off your jacket, laying it against the hook of the cot rack, taking a seat on the couch beside Joe. Suddenly, your Dad makes his way in from the wooden porch. He sees you and Joe -- The anger rising. You could see multiple emotions building up, hoping he would calm down. In fact, he does. Your dad manages to push back the anger, calming down slightly.

The last time he saw your high school ex-boyfriend was when you were going through the aftermath of the break up. He wanted to break Joe, but your mom stopped him. You didn't know why your dad was hurt, you never had sex unprotected, never got pregnant -- until now. You were more worried about the reactions your parents will have once they find out you are having a baby.

"Joseph,"

"Hi, Tim-- Mr. Carter."

"Dad," You call.

He turns to face him, bringing you in his arms.

"How's my beautiful girl doing?"

"Good,"

Pulling away, he smiles. "Good, I'm glad."

In the process, you continue hiding your pregnancy, but deep down you were gonna break like a bomb -- only a matter of time before you slip up. You inhale then exhale, calming slightly.

"So, Mr. Carter, uh, what is there to drink?"

"Beer, soda, anything you want. You want a beer? Amelia, you want your usual gin and tonic?"

"Oh, no. I'd like a soda instead. I've been craving a Coca Cola since we got here."

"Coming up,"

Your dad saunters off into the kitchen to retrieve the drinks as you rise, sighing softly. Joe gently grabs your arm and drags you onto the wooden planks. You lock eyes with each other as he sighs.

"When are you gonna tell them? Isn't that why we are here?"

"Me? Why does have to be me? I thought we would tell the together. And yes, that is why. But I am very hesitant because my mom is crazy sometimes. When she's in denial, she brings out the alcohol."

"I'm-- Why-- So that's why you are hesitating,"

"Yeah, jackass."

You roll your eyes in a mood.

You watch as your mom freshens up her cocktail, taking a quick sip. Your dad comes outside and checks the meat he's grilling. He announces that dinner is ready as you, Joe, and your mom begin making plated and grabbing drinks.

Once everyone is seated, you all dig into your plates. You watch as your father scoops the salad mix onto his plate, placing a few onions in as well. The smell of the sliced onions hits your nose -- before you know it, the nausea takes over, trying to swallow the hard lump in your throat. You take a sit of your soda before inhaling the smell of Coca Cola.

You drop your fork and rush inside, towards the bathroom, leaving Joe with your parents. You lean over the toilet bowl before throwing up a little bit -- clear fluid falls below. You lay against the wall and flush the toilet when there's an abrupt knock on the door,

"W-Who is it?" You ask, worried it might be your mom or dad.

"It's me," Joe announces on the other side.

You crawl toward the door to unlock it, lightly turning the golden knob. Joe steps in, taking a seat next to you. He grabs your hand before fumbling with your fingers when tears well up in your eyes. He looks your way. You glare back at him, holding each other's gaze. Joe's eyes softened when he saw the tears rolling down your cheeks, eyes begging to look puffy. He wipes the droplets then turns away, letting you sit closer as you rest your head against his shoulder.

"There's a window if you wanna escape..?"

"No," You chuckle. "We better get back out there because my parents are either pissed or questioning what happened."

"I think it's best, but whatever happens I'm here."

"Thank you. Now, let's go explain ourselves. My ass hurts from sitting on the tile floor."

You rise as Joe follows you, grabbing your hand. You and him step onto the wooden planks. The sun is already behind the mountain line causing shadows on most of the backyard where a garden lays and abandoned dog and kid toys from the last 36 years of your parents living in this house. You make eye contact with both your mom and dad, taking a seat and seeing that their food has mostly been eaten.

Joe stands behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders making you feel more at ease.

"What's the matter? Why'd you leave so sudden?" Your mom questions. "You've never had a problem with onions before."

"I, uh, yeah about that." You begin. "The reason is because I'm -- oh, god. How do I even reveal this cause I know you both will be upset."

"Honey, we could never be mad at you. Never."

You look up at Joe, who gives you a small but reassuring smile as you turn back to your parents.

"Okay, well, here it goes I guess. I'm pregnant.

"Pregnant?!"

"Who's the father?"

"Joe is the father by the way. That's why I brought him along."

"I thought it was because you wanted us to rekindle something,"

"No, that's not it. I was also hesitant because I knew you guys never liked him, so I was afraid of telling you any of this."

"You're basically derailing your life if you keep this baby. Are you even financially stable?"

"Wow, I can't believe you right now. And yes, I am. Making enough to live in an expensive apartment."

"You only live there because it's convenient. Not to mention, the laziness."

"Mom, why are you being so... so mean to me? I did my best growing up; got good grades, always came back before curfew began... So why bring this upon me?"

"Because you've always screwed things up, but this takes the medal for worst screw up."

"Are planning on getting an abortion."

"What? No! I would never. After hearing the baby's heartbeat, I couldn't think of murdering it."

You rise as Joe takes a step back, letting you stand in front of him.

"I-- I just don't see how you can raise a child, especially with the guy who broke your heart so bad."

"Joe? He's been supportive since he found out. At least he's there for you unlike..."

"Unlike what? See, you can't even say it."

"That's because you never wanted to tell Tim-- Dad, anyway. You cheated on him and got pregnant with me, and no one was on your side. You never--"

"Hey! Don't give her so much shit. She came here for your support, not to argue or bring up the past. I-- I take full responsibility --"

"Joe, it's my fault. If I didn't drink so much, and realize what we were doing, we should've used protection."

"It's both our fault. But at least the lost love we once shared, came back and created something."

"Mom, Dad, if you don't want to be there for me or this baby then that's your decision. I don't give a shit anymore, and frankly, I don't even want you around for anything. Don't bother. You are not the parents I had. Goodbye."

You step inside as Joe follows behind. You walk towards the coat rack and grab your jacket before walking out, shutting the door behind the two of you. He unlocks the car as you both get in - Joe in the driver's seat and you in the passenger seat. Tears spill from your eyes as you rest your head in your hand, watching the houses pass by. You were very upset and weren't sure if you wanted to see your parents again after that, but you remove them from your mind, keeping an eye on the road.

~+~

Once at your apartment, you enter with Joe before heading to your bedroom, taking off your shoes and jacket. You crawl into the bed and lay on your side as your hand gently sits on your stomach, rubbing soothing circles. In the doorway, a brunette male stands there then approaches the bed, sliding his shoes off before sliding beside you, wrapping his arms around your frail body.

You bury your face in his shoulder, too tired to cry again so you just lay there. He rubs soothing circles on your arm with his finger tip as you begin to drift off to sleep, thinking that sleeping it off would help. And to you, it made your body and mind feel better.

[finelinevogue]

I love your “little moments” series… I have a weak spot for dad!Harry💕 and I love the relationship between the family’s members 🤗 and I really hope u will continue to update it! And for this series I would like to request Harry doing the 73 questions interview for Vogue and his kids and wife make an appearance (u can choose if the kids are toddlers or teens) and they even answer some questions OR an Howard Stern interview where Harry is asked about his family,maybe the host makes like not so nice-low key shady comments on his wife and on Harry’s daughter coming out story. Ok I’ m done, so sorry ik it’s so long 😅 it’s just I love your series sooo muchhh 🥰🥰 ok I’m done love u have a good day 😘

i’d love to answer this one!! thank you so much for loving my little series💕this one’s for you and for the other request i got which i’m combing with this: “Harry is doing a interview on facetime when his kid crashes the interview.” so pls enjoy and yeah enjoy;

oli - 6, felix - 4, belle - 1

The day had finally arrived for Harry Styles to complete the 73 Questions with Vogue.

It had come to be the promo for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ and his schedule was booked with interview after interview after interview, and it wasn’t ideal for this to all be happening months whilst also having to look after three meddling toddlers, one of whom had only recently turned 1 years old.

The house was chaos. Fun, but chaos. And it was also the setting of this interview.

“Alright you lot, this way.” You shoved your children along to your living room, giving Harry the space he needed with Joe Sabia - the interviewer.

“Thank you love, see you later.” He blew a kiss to you and returned his focus to Joe. This interview was the first of many and it was also a major marketing ploy. These types of interviews were so highly recommended for Harry to be involved in and Jeff had thought it was about time for him to do one.

Joe had arrived around 15 minutes ago, just to

run over the script and remind Harry of the pre-determined questions - which reminded him of the answers that you’d run through with him the night before. Now the cameras were set up, the mic people were all at stand-by and Joe was ready it was time to begin. The children had been so fascinated by all these new people, after not seeing anyone for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is why it took a lot of trouble to get them to shuffle away from their beloved dad.

A fake door knock arose.

“Harry Styles hello!”

“Hi!” Harry waved at the camera.

“I’m here to do the Vogue 73 Questions, shall we get to it?”

“Of course! Come in!” Harry welcomed Joe into the house and shut the door behind him, not trusting his little ones to not escape if they were running wild.

“Beautiful house! Is it your only one?”

“No, but it’s my only one in London.” Harry made a point of not exploiting how many houses he did have and where they were. In fact, you still didn’t know about the Island that he was currently investing in just for you. You were a huge conservation activist and so Harry thought you could spend your free time helping the fragile ecosystem on this island.

“Did you design it yourself?”

“Me and my wife built the plans, but we go the experts to finish it all off.”

“What’s your favourite room?”

“Um, probably the living room.”

“Why?”

“So many of my favourite memories have happened in there.”

“Could you give us some?”

Harry could give loads, but they were far too precious for him to just give away. The living room wasn’t even a massive room, it was quite quaint with a couple of sofas, a logwood fire and then rugs and paintings on the walls. It was a home within a home. It was where Felix had taken his first steps. It was where Oli had spoken his first words. It was where Belle had fallen over for the first time and given herself nasty carpet burn. It was where presents were opened at Christmas. It was where you and Harry had made love next to the fire. It was where Felix and Oli had had their first tiny argument. It was where you spent family nights. If your house was a map then that room marked X the spot.

It was treasure. Priceless.

“My favourite would probably be when my wife, Y/N, spilt red wine all over the new white carpet and then proceeded to throw white wine over the stain because she’d read somewhere that it helps to get rid of it.” Harry chuckled at the memory.

“Did it?”

“No, God no. The carpet’s grey now.”

Joe laughed, as did Harry.

“I have to say Harry, you’re looking very fashionable today who are you wearing?”

“Gucci.” He blushed, because he knew that everyone would’e known that without question. He was wearing a lilac silk shirt with his name embroidered on it - but really it was to symbolise your last name not his - with a white wife-beater shirt and white shorts. He looked rich.

“Shouldn’t have asked really? Is your wife as much a Gucci avid fan?”

“She hates anything expensive. I think she still wears the same jeans she was wearing at university!” He knew you’d hit him later for saying that.

“So she’s a hoarder?”

“God yeah. She keeps everything and anything.” Harry laughed in admiration.

“Has she always been?”

“Always. When we went on our first date, her bag was so full that she couldn’t find her purse and she was so embarrassed because she thought I would think she was taking advantage of who I was. Anyways I did end up paying that night, but she had actually, I don’t know how, sent me money for her portion of the bill. From that moment I knew it was going to be her.”

“Do you write songs about her?

“Every day.” He smiled at the thought of the one he’d written just this morning.

“Which one is your favourite about her?”

“I don’t know about favourite, but the one I hold closest to my heart is probably ‘Fine Line’.” Harry stopped there, not wanting to share the intimate details of why and Joe respected that.

“Do your children have a favourite song of yours?”

“They go crazy for Kiwi and Golden. Belle loves Treat People and Oli knows the dance to that one actually.”

“Did you choreograph the dance for TPWK?”

“Partially, but I had help from my friend Paul and Y/N helped too actually.”

Harry and Joe had now made it through the house, weaving in and out of rooms, until they had made it to the Garden. Unfortunately, you’d forgotten to shut the bifold doors to the living room and so as soon as Harry came into focus for your children they immediately ran for him. Oli and Felix could run quite well, but Belle was a lot slower. She was only learning how to walk and so she fell a lot, unless she was being supported by you or Harry. Oli reached his dad first and then Felix, to which Harry knelt down to embrace them in ‘super-dad’ hugs as he liked to call them.

“And who do we have here?” Joe asked.

“Trouble.” Harry replied in jest, but whispered something into his boys ears before backing away.

“Hello i’m Oli.” Oli waved proudly to the camera.

“Hi i’m Fix.” Feliz shied into his dads neck, embarrassed of himself. Harry kissed the back of his head and kept a hold oh him around his back for comfort.

“Fix?” Joe asked at the peculiar name.

“It’s Felix, but he can’t pronounce his own name for some reason so we just call him Fix now. Or Flix. Don’t we buddy?”

“Oh my! I’m so sorry about this!” You ran out in panic, knowing your one job was to keep the kids entertained and away from their dad. At least that was the original plan, but both Harry and Joe like this idea so much more. You were blushing red in embarrassment, picking up a fallen over Belle on your way over to everyone else. “So sorry.”

Belle became restless in your arms, reaching forward for her dad. She whined when she couldn’t quite reach and Harry immediately stood up to take his winging daughter from your arms. As he did, he leant into you and whispered in your ear whilst leaving it a warm kiss behind.

“You’re okay love. Don’t be sorry.”

“Hello Y/N!” Joe spoke.

“Hiya! How are you?”

“I’m great, and you?”

“Peachy.” You laughed, leaning down to collect Felix who was making grabby hands at you. Oli was quite happy standing next to both his parents, one of Harrys hands running through his tiny locks of hair.

“So now we have the family together, how do you feel to all be together?”

You looked to Harry smiled to find him smiling back already at you, knowing you both had a very similar answer. “It feels right. It feels like home.” You answered and Harry nodded in agreement, giving Belle a gentle rock in his arms.

“Are you okay with showing your children’s faces publicly?”

“No we’re not.”

“Looks like we have a hell of a lot of editing to do back at HQ.” Joe laughed, but completely understood the reasoning behind yours two decision. If needed, you could re-film scenes of this interview so that it didn’t include your children. Joe had done his best to keep the camera on you and Harry and luckily the children kept their faces buried in their parents necks anyways. “Is that going to be forever?”

“When they are old enough to decide whether they want to be in the spotlight then we’ll see.” Harry smiled, holding onto Belle tighter because all he wanted to do was keep her protected, and his, forever.

“You two seem like very good parents.” Joe spoke sincerely, and it made you swallow down a sob because it was always really lovely to hear such compliments - knowing you’d struggled with postnatal depression.

“Thank you Joe.” Harry nodded respectfully.

“Okay let’s carry on?”

The interview carried on until Harry had answered so many questions. He redid bits, due the children being too involved and he re-filmed answers to questions he found difficult to answer the first time around. He had such a great experience and was happy with the way that the day turned out.

[starsstruck]

open up

3.3k words of marriage talk with harry. a ring, some fingers, a kitchen table. rated M. 

an: hi. so. this is for cass’s @majorharry​ 20k fic célébration, congrats you absolute legend ! i initially wrote something else back in july (lol) but never found myself happy with it so here we are with something much shorter, a lot better, and way sexier. i used a bunch of prompts (thank u cass) to bring something living in my head rent free for WEEKS to life 😳 anyway ! enjoy, as always happy reading and please do let me know what you think !💞

***

“I didn’t think I’d been seeing you until later.”

You glanced over to the kitchen sink to let your eyes skim over Harry’s hunched figure, where he stood thoroughly scrubbing his hands clean.

“Why, not happy to see me?” He teased from where he was across the kitchen, reaching for a hand towel to dry off. “Rather your time alone?”

Only shaking your head, you bit away a smile as your eyes remained stuck on the computer screen in front of you. You had been moving around the temporary house all day, unable to settle on one single spot to work from. For now, the kitchen table was where you sat with your things spread around.

You could see your boyfriend walking towards you from your peripheral, choosing not to glance at him and rather re read the same words splashed across your screen for the eighth time.

He was quick to find his place behind you, leaning over the wooden chair while his arms wrapped around either side of you in pursuit for attention.

“We wrapped up early,” you could practically feel Harry’s hum when he spoke, even with the back of the chair between you.

His cleaned hands slid down your arms until he was hugging you from behind, his palms resting over the backs of your hands.

“How was your day?” His lips rested over your hair, voice quiet and muffled.

You felt him press a kiss to the top of your head, before moving down to rest his chin in the curve of your shoulder.

You leaned into him slightly. “Okay –” your work could be only be partially done remotely, meaning you did your best to make due with what you could.

“Went for a walk and got some groceries. What do you think about risotto for dinner?”

“Sounds delicious,” he smiled against your neck, stealing one more kiss over the skin before leaning back. The words across your laptop screen were not urgently demanding your attention, and you took a moment to revel in the touch of you boyfriend.

He began moving his hands away from yours, the feeling of them bare and ringless something that you had recently gotten used to. You caught his left hand in yours before he could pull away. “What’s this?”

You brushed your thumb over the single ring gracing the hand, the smooth band that circled around his ring finger.

“Fuck,” Harry chuckled lightly, watching as you circled the metal around his finger. “Must’ve forgotten to take it off before leaving.”

You absentmindedly admired his hand. “How was shooting?”

“Really good – don’t want to spoil too much for you.”

Barely registering his answer, you kept your hand over his, leaning back on the chair and into Harry as you admired the wedding ring.

“Are you done your work for the day?” His voice was low, not having moved away from your shoulder, and his lips hovered over your skin with only slight brushes as they moved. Still standing behind you, he was slightly amused by your fascination with the ring.

With a newfound sense of possessiveness over him, you turned yourself around, momentarily letting go of his hand so that you could move off the chair to stand. The seat out of the way as you now faced him, Harry didn’t move an inch as you remained trapped between him and the table, leaning your backside against the edge of the wooden surface.

You paused before answering. “I could be.”

His lips teased a smirk, hands retreated from your skin and instead planted on his hips. When he didn’t say anything else, you cleared your throat once more.

“How is married life treating you?” You titled your head slightly, grabbing his hand in yours again as he leant in closer at your touch.

He smiled. “Your hands are soft.” He spoke lowly, eyes momentarily falling to watch the way your fingertips danced over his skin. “You don’t like seeing me married off, is that it?”

“Not particularly,” you hummed. catching his eyes with yours.

You raised both your hands together in a smooth motion, gently folding his fingers down as he kept his eyes glued to every move you made. Glancing up at him as you kept your eyes locked, bottom lip falling when you opened your mouth to slide his ring finger into your mouth.

Not missing the way his tongue darted out to wet his lips before slipping them between his teeth, as you pushed his finger into your mouth until the wedding band hit your teeth.

Your tongue licked over the skin first, before you caught the band between your teeth and tugged it over his finger. “What’re you doing, darling?”

His tone was low, watching as you shifted closer to him from where you stood. Pulling his finger from between your lips, ring caught between your teeth. Once his hand fell from your cheek, you remained silent as you plucked the newly wet ring to hold it in your palm.

“Better,” you breathed quietly, your palm extended in the small gap between the two of you. You found yourself narrowing your eyes at him as he never looked away, as if each challenging the other to see who would break first.

Just as you suspected, he was the one to give, as he quickly grabbed at your hips with one hand and nudged your jaw with the other.  

“Don’t like the look of the wedding band?” He sounded slightly breathless.

“Not when it’s someone else’s.”

He challenged you with raised brows. “What if it was ours?”

It wasn’t a foreign topic. The conversation of marriage, or spending your lives together was one that had been floated between you before. It was always an agreement of a when rather than an if – something brought up both in confessions of love and in the midst of arguments.

“Mm,” you raised the ring up to observe it once more. “That would be a different story.”

“Humour me.”

He held your chin between his thumb and index, brushing the fingers along your skin and giving you no choice but to hold his gaze.

Your lips rolled in against your teeth, biting them together before answering. “If you don’t know by now maybe we shouldn’t be having this conversation.”

His smile grew, and small shake of his shoulders when he laughed. “You know that I know,” he muttered, leaning in towards you so that he could brush his lips over your temple. “I just like hearing it.”

A little breath of a laugh escaped past your lips, as Harry moved his lips down to hover near yours. He tried to pull your mouth in with his, but you titled your head over just as he landed a kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“Still haven’t kissed you,” his nose nudged your cheek. “Let me give you a kiss.”

Your placed one of your hands over his shoulder, pushing him back just enough that you could see his eyes. “I can’t kiss someone else’s husband.”

“Darling,” he drew out the word, leaning back in towards you with a gentle kiss placed over your cupids bow. “Let up –”

“I’m serious,” completely opposing to your words, your hand slid around his neck to keep him close.

Harry let out a sigh with a glint in his eyes, hand leaving your hip and slid up to where the highly scrutinized ring sat in your palm. Quickly grabbing hold of it, he glanced at it before meeting your eyes again.

“What if we gave it a try then?” He hummed, leaning back in towards you and pressed a few kisses along the line of your jaw before his lips brushed against your ear. “See how it feels?”

You hummed into the air, letting your head tilt back on your neck when his lips pushed over the sensitive skin under your jaw. “What do you mean?”

His teeth grazed over you before muttering into your skin. “Want you around my fingers – let’s see how I could make you come if you we were married.”

You clenched around nothing at his words. Head tilting back down, your lips caught his with quick brush before you spoke. “Wouldn’t I have to be wearing a ring as well?”

Harry nodded with a slight chuckle, slipping the ring back onto his finger. “I’m working on that.”

You let his words hover between you for barely a second, before giving in and planting your lips over his. He instantly took to your mouth, hand sliding around your jaw and to the back of your neck while his hips pushed you further against the table.

Mouths parting for only a brief moment as he angled your jaw towards his, other hand splaying out over your hip and fiddled with the band of your jeans. Fingers hooking into the belt loops, he tugged your hips into his with a small grunt building from the back of his throat. Mouths meeting in a kiss once again, your tongue easily met his as lips hastily fell open.

You were both greedy and desperate, your hands gripping tightly at his shoulders as he kept you trapped between his body and the table. His own hand moved from your neck and down your back, pulling at the loose fabric of your shirt until your bare skin met his.

He was moving fast, trailing fingers over your bare stomach before finding the little button that kept your jeans together. His mouth broke from yours and instead landed down your jaw and to your neck, this time showing no hesitation when his teeth grazed along your skin. A quiet moan escaped past your lips, his name laced with the sound as your need for him grew.

Clearly as eager as you were, he worked fast to pop the button of your pants and tug the zipper down. He was pulling down the loose denim with both hands until the dropped down by your ankles. You managed to kick them off, not having a care about where they ended up.

He moved his lips away from where they were at your shoulder, letting his head hang with his forehead pressed to yours and heavy inhales to catch his breath. One of his arms was wrapped around the small your back, holding you close while his left hand dropped lower to feel over the skin of your thighs.

Your gaze met his, blown pupils and reddened cheeks as small breaths left his swollen lips. You loved seeing him like this, focused and excited to get you off.

He dropped his head down lower, lips kissing over your shirt until he found your pert nipple underneath the fabric. He had loved how rarely you seemed to where a bra during confinement, and when you did it was usually just a thin flimsy material that could easily be pushed aside.

Wetting through the shirt with his tongue, his lips circled around your nipple as his teeth gave it a slight tug that had you whining for him to get on with it. He hummed against you, clearly pleased with the way you were craving to feel him. He moved away after a moment, both his hands now circling around your thighs as he massaged the sensitive skin. Left hand pushing between your legs as he wordlessly prompted you to part them for him. His lips were grazing back up from your chest, dotting your skin with quick kisses.

“Missed you more than usual today,” he whispered over you, raising his head with his mouth brushing yours. “Couldn’t stop thinking of you when they gave me the ring to wear.”

His hand was trailing random patterns over the skin of your thighs, light tickles that made your legs jolt slightly both at the feeling and at the growing anticipation. One of his palms slid back between your bum and the table, giving the soft skin a tight squeeze. Gripping over the thin fabric that still covered you, he moved his hand around your ass to cup your cunt from behind.

One of your hands was tugging at his hair, pushing through the gelled curls, no doubt pulling them up in every which way. “Do something…”

“Oh, now you want me?” His touch was light as he felt over you, roaming hand left you far too soon, and bypassed where you wanted to feel it most. Instead it toyed with the band of your underwear, as he pulled and snapped it back against your skin. “Help me get you out of these.”

With a lift to your hips you helped him pull the tight material off, the long-forgotten garment soon falling to your ankles. You parted your thighs for him once again, cool air over your wet centre soon replaced by his hand cupping over you. Two fingers pushed through your inner lips, moving up with a light brush over your clit before he pulled away.

“Soaked,” you could hear the smile in his voice, as you titled you head to catch his eyes. He raised his hand, bringing his fingers to your mouth. Tapping your bottom lip with the ring finger once more, waiting for you to part you mouth open for him.

“Open up.”

Eagerly doing as he said, his finger was back in your mouth once more. This time you didn’t catch the ring between your teeth, feeling it rest against your lips as you tongue circled around the digit.

He quickly withdrew his hand, sliding it over the sensitive skin of your inner thigh before the same wet finger pushed over your slit. Small whine built from the back of your throat at the motion, urging him to properly get you off with his hand.

“Please,” you whimpered into the air, feeling Harry’s mouth ghost your neck when your head fell back over your shoulders.

“Want to feel me fucking you as a married man, that’s what you want?”

His words sent a new wave of heat throughout your body, fingers griping onto him tighter as you waited for him to finally let up with his teasing.

“Yes – yes,” you were quickly cut off when he gave you want you wanted, ring finger pushing into you in a quick move. You clenched around him, sure that you would be able to feel the coolness of the metal ring if it hadn’t just been in your warm mouth.

His thumb nudged your clit, easily causing a moan to tumble from your lips. Starting with slow, drawn out circles over the sensitive bit of nerves, pulling your jaw back to him with his other hand. His chin hit yours, searching for your mouth as you easily complied and let him kiss you. Tongue eased in your mouth, no doubt feeling the small slack in your jaw when he pressed over your clit once more and you quietly whimpered against him. He was kissing you as slow as he was teasing you, edging you to beg for him.

“How does it feel?” He muttered against your mouth, slow pumps of his finger inside of you. He curled the single finger, hitting deliciously against the spot that had you bucking your hips up for more.

“The ring – how does it feel?”

He pumped his finger at an increasing speed, urging you to feel every hit of his skin on yours. Thumb over your clit was pressing tightly against you, sending small waves of pleasure up your spine and through your stomach as you held him close.

“Like I wanna marry you,” you whimpered against his collarbone, tugging at the shorter hair that stuck out above his neck.

Clearly satisfied with your answer, he slid in another finger. You could hear how wet you were by how quickly he was pushing his fingers into you, wanting nothing more than to have you come undone around him.

He knew every move to make to get you towards your orgasm. His mouth found your neck once more, hot and wet kisses graced over your skin and he moaned against you. Your own head was tilted back, unashamedly panting into the air as you spent all the energy you had focusing on his every touch. When you clenched around him, if you focused you could feel the simple wedding band that graced his ring finger just at your entrance when he moved it in and out.

Curling up in inside you, he had you repeatedly moaning his name as a beg to cum. His touch over your clit was light, no doubt wanting to milk out your desire for him as long as he could.

Your boyfriend’s mouth had moved away from your neck, instead choosing to keep his face hovering near yours to watch as you got pushed further and further towards climax. “Look so fucking good,” he muttered lowly, pressing a kiss over your parted mouth and swallowed your groans.

“Love seeing you like this,” the edge of his teeth caught your skin. “All mine, yeah?”

You weakly nodded, feeling the tight coil in your lower stomach grow nearly unbearably. “All yours.”

“Love how you feel around me,” he groaned, lips seeking your once more.

You titled your head back over your shoulders once more, letting out a low moan from deep in your throat when he started his work over your clit once more. “Do you love me?”

Your words were weak, quiet as you cleared your throat to repeat them. “Do you love me?”

“So fucking much,” he said immediately, chasing your mouth. “You have no idea.”

Hot coil in the pit of your stomach seemed to double in pressure as he kissed the words over your mouth, repeating over and over how much he loved you.

You were being edged closer and closer, his thumb over your clit swiftly rubbing wet circles over it as his fingers never let up.

Your head fell to the crook of his neck, forehead against his shoulder as you bit your lips tight together. “Wanna cum,” you moaned quietly, the words nearly not heard by Harry.

“Look at me,” he grunted, fingers of his free hand moving to your jaw as he cupped your face. “Love seeing you – y’look so pretty when you cum.”

That little encouragement was all you needed, and after whines of how good he was making you feel escaped your mouth at an increasing speed before you let your orgasm take over your body. You couldn’t help shutting your eyes tight, feeling his mouth over yours as you moaned his name over and over. Clenching tightly around his fingers, their unrelenting moving inside of you not stopping.

Your legs were losing their strength, you had to support yourself on the table behind you. Your hands were still tight around Harry’s shoulders, holding onto him as hot breaths were sound throughout the air. Your walls were fluttering around him, as you whined softly when you grew sensitive. Jolting lightly when his thumb pressed over your clit again, he slowly eased his fingers out of you and letting out a shaky breath.

Just as you had before, he pushed his fingers that had been wettened by your arousal into his mouth, tasting you with an appreciative hum just as he always did.

The same hand after slipping out of his mouth, wrapped around the back of your neck, pulling you in for a lazy kiss.

He caught your hand in his, still pressing closely against you. His thumb brushed over your bare ring finger, just as you had done with his ring covered one.

“Not fair that you’re the only one who gets to wear a ring,” you hummed with a soft voice, brushing your other hand under his shirt and over his chest.

“I told you,” Harry smiled. “I’m working on it.”

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

If I Fell For You (Part 1) - The Nanny

Summary: The reader interviews for a new live-in nanny position with Jensen and quickly gets the job but she starts to slowly see that her new employer is going to be different than any other she’s had before...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x nanny!reader

Square: Slow Burn

Word Count: 4,800ish

Warnings: language, mention of death of a spouse/death of a parent

A/N: Please enjoy the first part of this series! This was also written for @supernatural-jackles​ Tell Me A Story Bingo!

________

If someone had said you’d be celebrating your 30th birthday by accepting an interview to be a live in nanny when you were a kid, you would have told them they were nuts. Beyond nuts. Beyond help for that matter.

But there you were. Thirty. Single. Childless. Taking care of other people’s families and not doing much else with your life. You weren’t sure if your mom would have been on you about the no kids thing or the no boyfriend thing more to be honest.

But the pay was normally good and sometimes great and it gave you a taste of family, even if you were just the help to the adults most of the time.

You buzzed the button by the gate at the end of the driveway, a brief moment passing before it opened. It was probably on a timer like most of the people you’d worked for before, an alarm system kicking on at some point in the evening that required a buzz in, the code or a car sensor. You drove down the driveway and parked a little behind a black SUV. The house was a little modern, a little grand, a little overwhelming. A fence and lots of trees surrounded the property. The yard appeared large but you could see houses on either side. Private but suburban. 

The cadillac wasn’t a shocker. Most everyone in these neighborhoods had Escalades. You walked past an open garage on the way up, a muscle car and a more modest smaller SUV parked inside. You went up the very short path and stepped up, ringing the doorbell and fixing your shirt. You were in jeans and a plain gray shirt. It was your normal wear for chasing small children around all day and you weren’t a fan of uniforms.

“Hi,” said a very tired, very handsome man as he opened the door. “You must be from Nanny Core.”

“I’m Y/N Y/L/N from Home Pair,” you said with a smile. He shut his eyes and leaned his head against the door. 

“The last girl was from Nanny Core,” he said. He blinked them open and shook his head. “I’m so sorry. Yes, Y/N. You’re the one that’s a consultant, not firmly associated with Home Pair, right?”

“Correct,” you said as he opened the door more and you stepped inside.

“Can I ask what the distinction is?”

“Mostly it has to do with benefits,” you said. “Consultants pay out of pocket for their own or negotiate with their client for those to be covered.”

“Gotcha,” he yawned. You looked ahead and he wiped his hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I must seem like an ass.”

“You seem tired is all Mr. Ackles. Not a crime,” you said with a smile. He nodded and he returned it, no fake cheesiness to it. 

“Mind if we do the interview in the kitchen over a cup of coffee?” he asked.

“Wherever you like, sir,” you said. You took off your shoes when you noticed he didn’t wear any inside and he chuckled as you walked back farther into the house.

“Uh, for the record, call me Jensen. None of that sir stuff. They must teach that at nanny school or something huh?” he said, motioning to a table. “I noticed all of you do it.”

“Something like that,” you said. You took a seat and watched him go to a coffee machine, fumbling with it before he spilled some ground coffee on the counter. He shut his eyes and gripped the counter’s edge, taking a deep breath to himself. “How about I make the coffee and you take a seat, hm?”

“I’m okay,” he said as he opened his eyes. 

“Well making you coffee is probably going to come up in my job quite a bit so consider this part of the interview. It’s alright, really,” you said. He glanced over to you and you smiled. 

“Thank you,” he said. You swapped places with him and got him a cup going, taking a mug off the counter and waiting a beat before liquid started pouring out. “I’m gonna ask you the same question I’ve asked all seven other women I’ve talked to today.”

“Yes?”

“Why should I trust you to watch my children?”

“Honestly?” you asked as he nodded. You smiled and carried the cup over to him, Jensen taking a long sip. “You shouldn’t.”

“I shouldn’t. That seems counterproductive.”

“I wouldn’t trust any stranger with my child. Trust is earned, not given. I think the real question is do you believe I’m capable of earning that trust with you and that’s something intrinsically only you know.”

“How so?”

“You meet a lot of different kinds of people with this job. My gut reaction to you is stressed, overwhelmed, sleep-deprived father who doesn’t really want any nanny at all but is forced into this situation. It’s going to be impossible for you to trust any of the seven woman from earlier or me off the bat, Jensen. You should be thinking of who will you come to trust. Who can you count on.”

“This is why my wife should have been the one doing this,” he said, smiling to himself as he drunk down most of the hot liquid.

“We could always re-schedule for when she’s available.”

“Oh, we’d have to wait a very long time for that,” he chuckled. He sat the mug down and glanced down briefly, smiling as he looked up. “She passed away unexpectedly six months ago. Car accident.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” you said. He nodded and made a face like he wanted to make a comment. “My mom died kinda unexpectedly. I know it’s...harder.”

“You’re young. How old?”

“Turned thirty today,” you said. He laughed and you heard the life behind it, Jensen shaking his head.

“Well Happy Birthday. I meant with your mother though. If that’s okay with you I mean.”

“It’s fine. I was sixteen,” you said. 

“That...fucking sucks doesn’t it?”

“So does losing your wife,” you said. 

“Yes it does. I’ve grieved. We all have. The kids are small. They’ll be okay.”

“Is dad okay?” you asked.

“Yes. Ready to start moving on with life again,” he said with a soft smile. “You’re kind. Not in a I’m trying to get this job kind of way. Just kind.”

“Well being cruel doesn’t sound like very much fun,” you said.

“You’re not trying to impress me.”

“The first rule of nannying, Jensen. You think you’re interviewing us when in reality we’re interviewing you too.”

“How am I doing so far?”

“Nice coffee choice,” you said with a smile that he nodded at. “You respect people. You’ll employ me but won’t treat me like I’m second class. You’re checking the boxes so far.”

“What if I don’t check all the boxes?”

“You don’t get to know the luxury of knowing the answer yet, Mr. Ackles,” you said. “Interview isn’t over.”

“You got fucked over by somebody, didn’t you.”

“Also perceptive,” you said. “Like I said, I don’t tolerate being treated unkindly anymore. It’s why I left my last position.”

“I have one more question,” he said. “Would you treat my children like they’re your own?”

“Again, asking the wrong question,” you said. He sat back and crossed his arms, smirking at you.

“What exactly should I be asking?”

“Will you treat my children kindly and with respect but take charge when required?”

“What’s the difference?”

“One is me doing my job and the other is me doing yours.”

“How old did you say you were again?”

“Thirty today.”

“Right. Well I think I know where I stand. Do you have anything for me?”

“Can you show me a picture of your kids?” you asked. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “You answered my question.”

“I didn’t show you anything yet.”

“You’d be surprised how many fathers I’ve met don’t carry pictures of their children in their wallets. That one is just a me thing.”

“Your dad do that?” he asked as he tucked it away.

“Maybe,” you said with a shrug. He was polite enough to not go down that route though and this was already getting more personal than you anticipated. “I think I know where I stand as well.”

“I’d like to hire you,” he said.

“Assuming our negotiations go well, I accept,” you said. He held out his hand over the table and you shook it.

“I did come up with what I thought was fair for salary and benefits. Let me go grab the paperwork and hopefully settle on something,” he said. He excused himself and you looked around the house, already trying to familiarize yourself with things. He was more relaxed when he returned with some papers and a notebook, handing you a few sheets. “If I’m missing anything let me know. I-”

“This is my weekly rate?” you asked when you saw the number at the top of the page.

“Oh no. That’s your daily,” he said as he took a seat. “So I think that’s-”

“Jensen,” you said, pushing the paper back. “I have to ask, things like insurance, are those coming out of your pocket or mine?”

“I’ll cover the expenses of your health, dental, all of that. You just choose and I’ll subsize it as part of your paycheck,” he said. 

“This is for a live in position. Um...can you just...explain what makes up that daily rate number?” you asked.

“It’s simply your base pay. Obviously I pay for housing, utilities, gas obviously. I will get you a credit card to make purchases with for the kids and all of that so it’s simple to keep track of. You’re free to any of the food in the kitchen. I’m guessing the salary is the sticking point here.”

“Jensen,” you said as you scratched your head. 

“I can go up fifty more dollars a day.”

“Jensen. This is way, way too much money. Way too much,” you said. “The average rate around here is about twenty five an hour or two hundred a day. Jensen this is double that. Are you factoring in like time and a half for additional nights and weekends?”

“No. That’d be on top of that. I thought that was a fair value based on the fact you are going to be taking care of the most valuable things in my life. It’s gonna get taxed too so it’s not like you see all of it.”

“You’re sweet, Jensen,” you said, writing down a number at the top of the page. “The average in Austin is twenty five an hour. I would be very happy with that.”

“You have to literally be the first person in existence to negotiate their salary down from the offer,” he said.

“Are you rejecting my offer?” you asked. He took the paper and crossed your number out, jotting down his own and spinning it back. “Jensen.”

“Y/N,” he said, crossing his arms. “I came down. Now it’s your turn. Do you accept?”

You knew thirty five was still way overpriced for the job, especially considering everything else he was paying for.

“I will accept on the condition that you get four hours of what we’d call evening or weekend at the normal rate ever week.”

“I can agree to that,” he said with a smile, writing that down. “So medical plan. Single, plus one, family?”

“Single for all that,” you said. 

“I should mention that there is an in-law suite off to the other side of the garage where you’ll be staying. It’s just down the hall but it has its own small living area and kitchenette. There is a separate entrance to it. If you have guests over I just ask you keep them to your area of the house,” he said.

“Absolutely. I don’t tend to bring people over much anyways while I’m on the job,” you said. He let you read over the rest of the benefits, a good amount of sick and vacation time too. Technically you were free evenings and weekends but he could ask you to work longer if he needed you and you were available. Overall everything seemed in order. “Alright. Everything looks good to me.”

“Awesome. Are you available to start Monday?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. “It gives me plenty of time to move in things tomorrow so I can jump into the kids routine first thing Monday.”

“Perfect,” he said. “I’ll show you around. We can start with your side of the house.” You got up and followed him over to near the front door and down a long hallway, past a set of doors. There was a frosted glass one to your left just before he pushed open a wide white one.

Behind it was a living area and kitchen. Not huge, about the size of a small apartment. There was a TV and sectional, a table tucked against the wall and a kitchenette like he’d mentioned with full size appliances. 

“Like I said, I know it’s small. Please like, seriously watch TV out in the family room at night if you want or hang out wherever or the yard or pool. This is just your own space when you want to be away from us.” You hummed and he showed you a closet and then a bedroom and bathroom. It was simple but decorated nicely and looked relaxing. “If there’s something obvious I’m missing please let me know. A cleaning service does come by every two weeks on Tuesdays at around ten in the morning. They’ll do in here too. Otherwise you can keep after yourself. Cleaning stuff is in the laundry room. Oh yeah. Um, this is probably the last time I’ll like, ever come in here unless you need help moving things in since this will be your space.”

“Thanks. I don’t have too much. I do have one request before we sign all the paperwork.”

“What’s that?”

“I’d like to meet the kids if that’s alright. There’s not much point in hiring me if they hate me.”

“Fair point. We’ll get ‘em over here and then get you all squared away.”

Monday Morning

“Good morning,” you said, a cup of coffee in your hand already as Jensen yawned. 

“Morning,” he mumbled. His hair was a mess and he was in only a pair of boxer briefs before he paused and looked down. “I should probably put on some clothes.”

“This is your house. Wear whatever you normally would. Pretend I’m invisible,” you said as you poured a cup of coffee into a mug for him.

“Sounds like you worked for some real assholes,” he said, graciously taking the cup. “As long as it doesn’t bother you, me walking around in my undies.”

“No, not at all,” you said with a smile. “Would you like me to drop the kids off at school and daycare this morning?”

“Sure,” he said. “Car keys are on the table by the garage.”

“Okay great. I’m used to driving that kind of SUV,” you said. You snuck a look at your schedule you’d printed out again, knowing the twins would get need to get picked up around noon. You started to work on their lunches and snacks for the day while he took out the carton of eggs from the fridge. He cracked one into a pan and turned the heat on, yawning again as he got out some bread and threw it on a plate. “Would you like me to make lunch for you as well?”

“No thank you. I’m getting lunch with my manager today. You don’t have to make me coffee in the morning either, Y/N. Your job is to take care of the kids, not me,” he said.

“A cup of coffee is not difficult, Jensen. My job is to help you so if I can make dad’s life a smidge easier it’ll make theirs better too,” you said with a smile.

“You’re not like, a morning person are you,” he chuckled. “I don’t do peppy in the morning.”

“Oh no. I’m always a little nervous when I start a new job. I’ll get a rhythm down soon,” you said.

“So what do you normally do once the kids are dropped off?” he asked as he got out a spatula.

“On a weekday I’ll review their schedule, see if anything different is going on. An average day like today I will clean their rooms, their bathroom, do some laundry while they’re at school, maybe some shopping. I’ll pick up the twins, bring them home for lunch, a little playtime, a nap. We’ll have some quiet time and maybe a craft or coloring before we get JJ from school. Then I’ll give them all a snack, we can get outside and play to get some energy out. I’ll help JJ with any schoolwork she has while the twins play and then I will start on dinner about the time you’ll be getting home. Since you have no plans currently tonight I’ll leave you guys be at that point until tomorrow unless you ask me for help.”

“So when do you take a break?” he asked.

“Naptime. I’ll have lunch with the twins. Don’t worry about me Jensen. That’s my normal plan but if you would like me to run some errands in the morning I can,” you said.

“No, no. Just…” he trailed off. “I still want to make them breakfast and dinner and play with them too is all.”

“We’ll figure out the right mix of things,” you said. “You just gotta tell me is all, okay? It can vary day to day too,”

“Yeah,” he said, taking his fried egg out of the pan and placing it on one piece of bread. He made a sandwich and took a big bite, looking out the back window. “I never asked. How was your birthday?”

“Hm?” you hummed, dropping some carrots into a reusable bag.

“On Saturday you said it was your 30th. You do anything fun that night?” he asked with a soft smile.

“I got a new job. That was the highlight of my day,” you said, Jensen cocking his head. “I ordered pizza, binged netflix. My normal Saturday routine.”

“I know everybody jokes about 30 but it’s really just jokes. Wait until you’re 42,” he chuckled. “Then you really feel old.”

“Most 42 year olds would kill to look like you,” you said. You shut your eyes and shook your head. “I’m so sorry. That was so inappropriate.”

“It’s alright. I took it as a compliment,” he said, smiling again. “So you did nothing for your birthday, huh?”

“Uh, no,” you said, mixing in some grapes into each of the snack bags.

“I’m gonna get you a birthday cake,” he said.

“Mr. Ackles-”

“I thought I said it’s Jensen. I’m the boss so what I say goes. We’re gonna have a birthday cake for you tonight. So. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Whatever you want is perfectly fine.”

“Y/N.”

“...I like red velvet,” you said. He smiled and chuckled. 

“That was my wife’s favorite,” he said. “Haven’t had that since her birthday. She would have liked you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You’re quite kind to me. She was always protective of me, even if she was the scaredy cat most of the time.”

“Can I ask how…” you said as he took another bite.

“Accident. Tractor trailer versus her car. He tried to miss her but it was too late. I wanted to hate the guy too but it was an accident and I couldn’t blame him for that.”

“My father died in a car crash when I was six. It does get better with time,” you said.

“That’s why you didn’t know if he had a picture of you in his wallet or not,” he said as you nodded. “You’re too young to have that much tragedy in life.”

“So are you.”

“I’m not young anymore.”

“You’re young and overly generous,” you said with a smile. 

“Misery loves company,” he said as you both heard a few feet above you running around. “Munchkins are up.”

“You want to make breakfast or should I?” you asked.

“Give me five minutes to get them in some clean clothes. Then I can show you how they like their eggs.”

“Sounds like a plan, Jensen.”

Later That Evening

“Y/N?” said Jensen, knocking on the door to your room. You got up from the couch and answered it, Jensen standing there with a smile. “The kids and I were wondering if you’d like your birthday cake for dessert.”

“You actually got me a cake?”

“I did indeed,” he said. You followed him down the hall and back into the living space, Arrow running up to you.

“Y/N! Are you sleeping over?” she asked as she gave you a hug.

“I live just down the hall now, cutie,” you said.

“Daddy, can we have ice cream too?” asked Zeppelin as he climbed up into his chair at the table.

“Sure thing bud. Girls, would you like some too?” he asked. Both the little ones said yes as he looked back at you.

“I really shouldn’t,” you said.

“We eat ice cream in this house,” he said.

“You don’t have to twist my arm over it,” you said. He got out the container and set it down on the table by the cake, lighting the match on the candle on top. “Oh please don’t-”

He started to sing though and the kids joined in, Jensen having a really good voice actually. You blew out the candle when they were through and he dished up some dessert for everyone.

“Y/N, can you read me a bedtime story later?” asked Zeppelin and you glanced at his father, Jensen making a face.

“Well Y/N’s not at work right now so she doesn’t have to unless she wants to,” said Jensen. “We’re already cutting into her-”

“I would love to, Zepp,” you said, his little face lighting up. “Maybe you guys want to join us?”

“JJ’s a little big to get read to at night I’ve been told,” said Jensen.

“Am not,” she said. “I can get a story too, right?”

“Of course,” you said. You took a bite of the cake and hummed. “This is really good.”

“I bought it myself,” said Jensen. 

“Well you have good taste,” you said. “In fact, I’m gonna have another slice.”

“Good,” he said as Zeppelin grabbed the ice cream container. “Alright, alright. You can have a bit more, bud.”

“Night, JJ,” you said, getting a hug from her as you put her back to bed an hour later. JJ smiled from her bed and you flicked off the light, pulling the door shut after you turned on her night light.

“Thanks for giving up your night with them. I didn’t mean to have that happen,” said Jensen as you headed downstairs with him.

“It’s no problem. It’s good bonding for us,” you said. You helped him pick up the plates at the table and wash them off, Jensen grabbing a bottle of whiskey from a tall cabinet as you covered up what was left of the cake. 

“Drink?” he asked.

“A small one,” you said. He poured a single into a whiskey glass and slid it over to you, smirking when you took a sip. “Oh that’s smooth.”

“Very,” he said, drinking from his own glass. “Thank you for tonight. JJ’s been…”

“She’s the oldest. She’s gonna have a harder time with it.”

“You were about her age when your dad died you said?”

“She’ll be okay. She’ll miss her but it won’t be a deep pain. She’ll have nice memories of her mom. She’s doing pretty good, trust me.”

“Can I ask another personal question?”

“I’m off the clock. Shoot,” you said.

“Your mom ever...try again with someone else?”

“Yes. Years later she found a good guy. He actually is who I stayed with after she passed. He’s married now, has some kids of his own but I know if I call him up he’d drop everything for me.”

“Good. I was getting afraid you were a complete Shakespeare tragedy,” he chuckled.

“Nah. I’m not at that level of crazy in my life,” you said. “As long as we’re off the clock, can I ask if you’re asking because you’re thinking of getting back out there?”

“I am. My wife kind of insisted on it. When we first got serious we had this deal that we’d go try again if something happened. I mean, I don’t cry everytime I think about her now. I can smile and be happy and that ache doesn’t try to swallow me up everyday anymore. I think it’s time I could get back out there.”

“I’d say it is. The kids are ready. They’ll understand.”

“You think your mom loved the second guy as much as your dad?”

“For sure. She was a bit of a free spirit but she didn’t think you had to have just one soulmate. She told me that after she’d met Ray. She said she got two so maybe I had two out there. I haven’t found either one of them yet so I’ll take increasing my odds as best I can.”

“Well you’re not gonna meet your soulmate sitting at home on Saturday nights, Y/N.”

“Just a lot of douchey guys,” you said.

“Ah. You need to meet a better kind of guy is all,” he said.

“Yeah see I’m thirty. All the good guys are married by now.”

“Oh all of them are taken. I didn’t realize that,” he said with a chuckle. “What am I then? Another douchebag?”

“You don’t count. You’re…”

“Too old for you?” he chuckled.

“My boss. Plus you’re like famous. You can go get like a victoria secret model or something.”

“Looks ain’t everything.”

“Maybe I ought to try older guys now that you say that,” you said.

“Y/N, you gotta be careful with that. I don’t want to see you get taken advantage of.”

“And this is why I watch netflix on Saturday nights,” you said.

“You serious about the older guy crack?” he asked. 

“I do find them more...attractive sometimes. I guess it depends on how old. Why?”

“I got a friend my age, might be interested?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” you said. “No offense to your friend but...I mean if he’s 42...I want kids and stuff you know? Although a dude it doesn’t really matter how old...I don’t know.”

“It was just a thought,” he said with a smile.

“I’ll think about it,” you said. “He’s not a weirdo, right.”

“No. He’s an actor. Something to think about,” he said.

“I will,” you said. “Thank you for the birthday cake, Jensen. You’re a good person.”

“I bought a cake.”

“Yeah but I haven’t really had one of those in years. You’re a good person.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said as you slid off your seat. “You’re free to hang out if you like.”

“I’m kinda tired. I won’t be getting up that early from now on I don’t think.”

“I completely understand,” he said. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight Jensen.”

________

A/N: Read Part 2 here!

[jujutsu-headcanons]

Team Tokyo First Years Headcanons

(Ft. Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Gojo & Sukuna)

Gojo created a group chat with all three students to coordinate things. However, he never knows if Megumi reads the texts because he never says anything (he does), and all Yuji does is send memes, so basically that's its only function now.

Yuji and Nobara created a game: try to take a picture of Gojo with his blindfold off. He takes it off frequently, it's just impossible to catch an image of it. Surprisingly, Megumi of all people has gotten the closest. If you squint, you can see the baby blues.

This escalated into "who can take the ugliest picture of someone without them looking", after capturing an image of Yuji standing next to Gojo's desk with almost four chins. Nobara discovered she has many bad angles and Gojo discovered he's photogenic from ALL angles.

Yuji likes to use Nobara's ugly pictures as reaction images and memes. At first, Nobara beat him up whenever he did, but now as long as they don't leave the first-year chat she doesn't care. She'll even supply them if she's feeling silly.

Gojo started a prank war on accident and it shows no sign of stopping. It started because he enjoys Nobara's over the top reactions. When she found the LIVE snake in her bed (oh boy, everyone's soooo lucky she's good with reptiles), she immediately suspected this was Yuji's doing. She pranked him, he got her back, Megumi walked into a prank on accident, he got them back twice over, and now it just won't stop. Gojo was fully prepared to deal with the consequences, but he isn't complaining.

The First Year prank war is pretty well known around the school, and everyone's learned to stay away from anything that looks suspicious.

Gojo uses this to his advantage too; sometimes he'll pull pranks on the first and even second years just to watch them blame each other. He's even gone as far as pranking Principal Yaga hoping that he would blame the kids, but Yaga knows for a fact it's Gojo. He hasn't done anything about it though. This stresses Gojo.

Most of the time, when they eat out, each student pays for their meal. When Gojo's there he pays for all four of them, and if Yuji tries to use the "I don't have any money" excuse when Nobara decides to stop for a coffee, she'll buy him one too. She holds it against him, though.

If his kids are all craving a certain type of food (i.e. Chinese) Gojo will head out and pick it up and they'll all eat as a family.

Nobara proposed once a month they have a "spa" day. Surprisingly, the other two students agreed. She's allowed to give them manicures and pedicures (so long as she doesn't get carried away), trim and treat their hair, exfoliate their faces, and they help her re-dye her hair. Megumi is a good client, while Yuji gets bitched at a lot for squirming while getting his nails clipped and jerking when he gets his eyebrows plucked.

Yuji also proposed they have a movie night every Friday night. If they're busy, they'll move it to Saturday, or have it earlier in the day during the week. Sometimes the second years will join. Gojo is banned because he's basically seen every movie and always spoils the end. Everyone got mad at Yuji's request to use subtitles but gave up arguing with how loud Yuji chews.

They also have game nights, but they lost the pieces to most board games after Nobara threw them out the window, Megumi is the only one who knows how to play chess and Shogi, and Yuji fears the safety of his controllers after Megumi got dangerously close to beating Nobara in Smash. 

Yuji's room is the main hangout joint because of the electronics he owns. Literally, there's a whole ass common/living room for them to use. However, they go to Nobara's room for a spa day, as long as the boys are gone by sundown.

Gojo knows damn good and well his kids don't like each other in that way and would never have sex with each other, but he still feels the need to give them the talk ™. He's literally given each child a free box of condoms just in case. 

Gojo bought each student customized "if lost, please return to Jujutsu Tech" shirts. Yuji doesn't mind wearing his because it's just another hoodie to him, and Nobara doesn't mind hers because it's a crop top and it's cute. Megumi burned his in front of Gojo. 

Nobara takes the boys shopping a lot. Megumi is surprisingly good at picking out clothes that fit Nobara's physique and taste, and Yuji is there to hype her up when she walks out of the dressing room. He also isn't scared to tell her a dress doesn't look good on her, and she respects that.

Sometimes even Sukuna will pop out and give commentary. He gives really mixed signals, sometimes he tells her how she's not much to look at, sometimes he talks about the things he wants to do to that ass because of how good they look in those jeans. This results in Yuji getting slapped, Nobara yelling something like "Shut it, Fang Face!" And people staring at him funny because of it.

She also buys outfits for the boys and occasionally Gojo, because she's tired of hoodies and black. She was just as shocked as the rest when Megumi walked out in his outfit. He only wore it to shut her up, though, and hasn't worn it since.

No matter what they're doing, Yuji is ALWAYS the DJ. He has playlists for almost every occasion (spa day, sparring practice, car rides, game nights, even the times they just chill in the same room on their phones) and the only person that really complains is Sukuna, but only because he hates the Backstreet Boys.

Yuji bursts out in song a lot. No matter what he's doing, he'll just start singing. If they know it, Nobara and Gojo will join in too. Always ends in a giggle fit.

Sometimes Gojo's hand slips and boom! He has 18 dozen cookies instead of 4. He's been known to wrap the cookies up in nice tins and packages and leave them outside the kid's doors.

Gojo has also been known to cook meals for the kids and drop them off. This helps because Megumi is basically the only one who can actually cook. Yuji thinks instant ramen is okay for every meal, and Nobara burns food in a way it's still edible but you don't really want it.

The kids play wrestle, a lot. Yuji was scared to at first because the only one who really wants to fight is Nobara, but he learned quickly she can both take and deliver a punch just fine. She also isn't one of those girls that gets upset if there's an accidental grope, which is cool.

This is how the others discovered Megumi is ticklish. Yuji probably still has the scar and Nobara doesn't dare try to tickle him again.

Yuji fell asleep once and woke up to Sukuna's mouth on his cheek having a full-blown conversation with Nobara while she was reading a magazine. He swears they were gossiping about boys, but as soon as Yuji was awake enough to pay attention, Sukuna noticed and started bullying him. To this day Nobara still thinks she was talking to Yuji the whole time because she never noticed he fell asleep.

Yuji can fall asleep almost anywhere. Nobara draws on his face a lot. He's spent countless nights on Megumi's floor just because he's too lazy to move literally one room over.

Nobara has a habit of walking into the boys' rooms without knocking. Megumi is usually laying in bed on his phone or sitting at his desk, however, she's walked into Yuji doing some weird shit. Not gross shit, just... Concerning shit.

Once she walked in on him crying and didn't know what to do. She just kinda walked in and sat down with him until he stopped, occasionally rubbing his back. They didn't say a word until Yuji made a joke and Nobara continued with why she even came into his room, to begin with.

The three students are surprisingly supportive of each other like that, it's just kinda awkward and passive-aggressive at times. Sometimes they even confide in Gojo, and he takes it seriously, surprisingly.

Gojo has a Tik Tok account. He participates in every challenge, every dance, every trend, and apparently has a huge following. Yuji gets featured in the videos sometimes when he isn't recording, and he's mostly doing the stupid shit Gojo does, like doing backflips on building ledges.

While Tik Tok is Gojo's forte Yuji has done video game commentary on twitch and yt live. Megumi is quite popular on subreddits about urban legends and related folklore, and Nobara helps maintain blogs about current events, but... It's mostly celebrity gossip and new music.

Every Saturday is chore day and no one's allowed to do leisurely activities or leave until they're done. Rooms and hallways have to be vacuumed, swept, mopped, whatever. Gojo checks that the rooms aren't dirty. He doesn't mind clutter, he just hates wrappers and shit being left around. He especially pays attention to the cleanliness of the bathrooms for some reason. Megumi is good about cleaning his room throughout the week, Nobara usually just has clutter on her nightstand and dresser, and Yuji waits until the last minute to clean.

The first years used to do their laundry separately, but Nobara threw a temper tantrum when she witnessed Yuji just throw all of his clothes in the washer at once and simply turn it on. Now normally, she wouldn't help anyone get out of work, but she also likes things being done the right her way, so she does his laundry for him. Megumi got involved somehow and now they throw all of their clothes in the same basket and divide them by darks, colors, whites, and delicates. She refuses to let any of their overly- soiled clothes touch hers, so those usually get their own wash too. Each student folds and puts away their own clothes. 

Most arguments end with rock paper scissors. Pinkie promises are also sacred.

Gojo keeps a sticker board in the classroom. Whenever the kids do something good, they get a star. Whenever they do something bad, one gets taken away. When they get to five stickers they get a prize from the treasure box.

No one has gotten to five stars yet. This is good because there is no treasure box. Gojo is bullshitting everyone.

Yuji likes to steal Megumi's stickers because he thinks Megumi will not notice. He does every time.

Gojo has a stool in the corner of the classroom complete with a horribly cliche dunce cap he calls "the Naughty Corner" for when the kids "act up". Nobara ends up there because she's always on her phone, Megumi mouths off a lot and has days where he doesn't feel like doing work, and poor Yuji ends up in the naughty corner because Sukuna can't behave.

[camb99-cbmi6]

Thank you @vidibit for tagging me to complete this! <3

Name: Cam

Sign: Virgo

Height: 6'1" I think

Time: queued this to post at 6pm

Birthday: September 16th

Favourite bands/artists: I'm more of an individual song/track appreciator than a die hard fan of artists, but some that come to mind are ABBA, Lady Gaga, Carly Rae Jepson, Meghan Trainor, Troye Sivan and John Barry

Last movie: All the way through potentially POTC Dead Man's Chest, I don't recall another since, but I've watched some clips of others

Last show: Currently re-watching The Mentalist

When I created this blog: February 2019 apparently, feels like I've had it a lot longer tho lol

What I post: I don't tend to post too much myself, mostly reblog cat pictures, mutuals selfies and gay stuff

Last thing I Googled: The weather

Other blogs: A couple but none I wish to mention lol

Do I get asks?: Sometimes but I'm not much of a reblogger of "send asks" posts so that's probably why it's not often. My take on it is if somebody wants to ask something then they will, but followers are welcome to send asks if they wish

Following: 421

Followers: 1,088 apparently lol, not entirely sure why or how I got to 1,000 XD

Average hours of sleep: Okay my sleep schedule this year hasn't been great, I reckon probably around 7 if I round up

Instruments: Played guitar a lil as a child, dabble at piano/keyboard too but mostly make virtual music tracks for game dev projects

What I'm wearing: Khaki green t-shirt, grey jeans, charcoal socks (I was gonna post a pic but we're having a non-photogenic day unfortunately lol)

Dream job: Honestly not sure, there are things I would really like to do but I strongly dislike having to do the same thing every single day, which is strange cuz I like routine lol, I can't explain it, but being an actor, train conductor, baker/cake decorator, designer of some sort would all be cool

Dream trip: I'm gonna steal @vidibit's answer here cuz it's a mood lol, would be lovely to travel the globe and meet some of my many friends on here

Nationality: British (regretfully)

Favourite songs: I haven't listened to any songs lately tbh so here's 5 random ones that I picked out of my Spotify:

Last book I read: I believe it was Star Trek Imzadi II but I never actually finished it

People to tag if you wish to participate, @sparkga, @secretly-of-course, @long-life-town@, @duffys, @business-pug, @abyronicgentleperson, and anyone else who wishes to

[jeonsjiddies]

Show Me | pjm (m)

Summary - Jimin shows you how good he can make you feel.

Word Count - 2146

Pairing -  Jimin x reader

Genre - smut

Warnings - penetrative sex, exhibitionism, voyerism, dirty talk, dom jimin

a/n -  another re-write from a previous fandom. :)

“This project will be worth 30% of your grade.“ 

A normal Wednesday morning in  your government class just got a little more interesting.

“I assigned you partners,“ the professor continued as a collective groan echoed through the classroom. 

“Jeon Jungkook  and Kim Taehyung.” 

Jungkook and Tae high fived.

“Kim Seokjin and Min Yoongi.”  

“Jung Hoseok and Kim Namjoon.” 

Hoseok whooped quietly, grinning at Namjoon

“Y/N and Park Jimin.” She said and you froze, glancing over at the notorious bad boy who raised an eyebrow at you, as one corner of his mouth tilted up.

You couldn’t focus on the rest of the names that she read off because you were too busy panicking. How did you end up paired with Jimin? Was the teacher trying to kill you? You had nothing against the blonde haired risk-taker, quite the opposite. You had a huge crush on Jimin. From his long soft, pushed back locks, to his shimmering brown eyes, to his freakishly large thighs and strong frame. He was terrifyingly attractive, sex on legs, and you were nervous as hell to work with him.

“Please get together with your partners and discuss your strategies for this assignment.”  

Jimin smiled that devilish smile, beckoning you over with one finger. You gathered your books and stood, walking on wobbly legs towards the sinfully gorgeous boy.

“Hey.”  

“Hey,” you tried to sound normal.

“Don’t be scared, princess. I don’t bite - hard,” he grinned, sensing your uneasiness.

He leaned far into your personal space as he said it and you noticed the tangy scent of his cologne as you sucked in a breath. He even smelled like heaven.

“I’m- I’m not,” you said  quietly.

“You seem pretty nervous to me. Listen, just because I’ve got a reputation doesn’t mean I’m some lawless thug who-“ 

“No! I don’t think that!” you interjected, “I don’t have anything against you or your reputation.” 

“Then why are you acting like you could jump up and flee out the nearest exit if I move too fast?” he accused. 

“Social anxiety.”  

“Oh,” he said, The guilt apparent on his features.

“Yeah. So which amendment did you want to start with?” you asked,  getting focused and trying not to sniff him; he smelled so good.

 20 minutes later, you’d both picked out which amendments you’d be showcasing as having a lasting impact on the country, and which ones seemed out of date. The bell rang and you stood up to leave when Jimin placed a hand on your arm, his fingers on your bare skin burned in a delightful way.

“I’m sorry about earlier, I… I'm just so tired of being looked down on for where I come from,” he explained. 

“I could never look down on you, Jimin. You’re too tall,” you joked, earning a rare Jimin genuine smile, “ should we exchange numbers so we can work on the project?“  

“Oh don’t worry y/n, I’ll find you,” He grinned deviously. 

You flushed, watching him saunter down the hallway.

You organized records in alphabetical order a few nights later at your afterschool job. You didn’t hear the doorbell chime, so you nearly peed your pants when a soft, sultry voice whispered in your ear.

“Told you I’d find you.”

You whirled around, coming face to face with Jimin. He was dangerously close to you, if you just used your tiptoes, you could kiss him. Your heart beat like a hummingbirds in your chest.

“Hi,” you breathed out in a whisper.

“Hi,” he whispered back, gaze flicking from your eyes to your lips.

His tongue danced across his own lips, and he started to lean in. The doorbell chimed, breaking the spell you’d both been under and he stepped back quickly.

“So um, maybe tomorrow after school, you could come over and work on the government project?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah, sounds good. Can I ride with you though? I’m saving up for a car,”  you looked down. 

“Sure, meet me by the front door after your last lecturel.”

You watched him walk out the door, letting out the breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding.

You anxiously bounced your leg up and down during the last class of the day. You have been on edge all day. You were going to Jimin’s place. Would his roommates be home? Did he have roommates? Would you two be alone? So many of your naughty dreams had taken place in this seemingly imaginary place and this place was about to be real. You knew nothing sexual was actually going to happen, but you were still so nervous. The bell rang and you jumped out of your skin. It was time. You gathered your things, and walked to the front door, where Jimin was waiting for you. Hoseok and Jin  were by his side, all of them laughing.

“Hey y/n,” Jimin smiled. 

“Hey Y/N,” Jin and Hoseok said at the same time, both of them shouting “jinx!”

You giggled and waved hello.  Jimin threw an arm around your shoulders and walked with you to his bike. All eyes were on you, questions swimming through the halls of your university. People whispered to their friends and stared and ashamed.

“Everyone’s looking at us,” you whispered . 

“Good,” he winked and helped you onto the bike. 

You pressed your body close to his, arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He sped out of the parking lot, leaving the spectators in the dust. You buried your head into his back, trying not to watch the lines on the road flash by. When he pulled up to the apartment complex, you didn’t let go for a moment.

“You ok?”  

“Yeah, just give me a second. I’m a little woozy.” 

He got off the bike and looked at you for a moment, then picked you up and carried you inside.

“Put me down!” you shriek-laughed. 

“Didn’t want you to stumble since you were ‘woozy’,” he shrugged, plopping you into the couch. 

You hated to admit it, but being held in his lean, strong arms make you feel alive, like adrenaline have been shot straight into your heart. You already missed the warm, safe feeling. You sighed. 

“So… hungry? Thirsty?”  

“I’m okay, thanks,” you smiled and he sat next to you on the couch, far too close but not nearly close enough. 

 As you typed out which amendments were outdated, you were hyper aware of Jimins’ every movement. It was driving you crazy, being so close to him. You both chatted about random topics, as you worked. About halfway through, you stood up to stretch and take a break, as did Jimin. You took a step towards the kitchen for some water, tripping over your backpack, but Jimin’s strong arms darted out to catch you. Your hands on his chest, his arms around you, that’s where it really began. You were being electrocuted by his touch. You both stayed like that, lost in each other’s eyes. 

Jimin moved in slow motion, lips barely grazing yours in feather soft brushes. Gentle, sweet. You were floating on air. Then, the wild fire broke out, Jimin’s lips crashing down on yours with so much need and desire, you could barely keep up. He shoved you against a wall, hands roaming everywhere on your body, lighting you ablaze. You moaned into his mouth, able to stop it. His hands on your body sent you into another level of lust, another level of craving him. He bit down harshly on your neck creating a gasp from you. He blew cold air on it, licking the sore red spot. The stinging turned to tingling, sending shivers down your spine.

“Everyone’s going to see these tomorrow know that you’re mine,” he pulled your hips closer roughly.

“I’ve been watching you, princess. I’ve seen you in those pretty little skirts, completely unaware of all the boys watching you. Unaware of what you’re doing. Teasing. I’ve wanted this from the day I laid eyes on you. So many nights alone I would think of your pretty plump lips wrapped around my cock,” he groaned. 

His words had you soaking.

“Why did you wait?”    

“Didn’t think you’d want someone like me,” he shrugged. 

“Do you know how many nights I’ve touched myself to the thought of you, Jimin? How many times I’ve moaned your name, wishing your hands were the ones touching me? You’re so sexy, so brave. I’ve wanted you inside me for so long,” you whispered hotly 

“You got off thinking about me?”  

You bit your lip, nodding. 

“Show me,” he grinned mischievously. 

You bravely took his hand and had him guide you to his room. You crawled onto his bed as he stood, watching you. Your eyes locked on his, you began undressing. Slowly, you removed everything you were wearing, your hands going to your breasts. You kneaded them, rolling your nipple between your forefinger and thumb. 

“Mmm...” you closed your eyes, lolling your head back, “Fuck, Jimin.” 

Your hands slowly traveled down your body, until they landed by your aching heat. Your fingers danced along your slit, then you pushed one inside yourself, arching your back and groaning as you circled it around your clit. Jimin’s breath hitched as he watched you pleasure yourself for him. You added another finger, pumping it in and out slowly, squirming on Jimin’s bed. You’d done this a thousand times, but with Jimin’s face watching your every move, it was so much more thrilling, it was erotic. You began moving your fingers faster, his name falling from your lips as you got closer, your orgasm crashing over you. 

“Mmm… oh gosh, Jimin,” you moaned loudly, eyes connected with his, and you could hear his heavy breathing. 

You lay there, naked body on full display for Jimin. His eyes had darkened, his deep brown now resembling black. 

“Shit princess, that was so fucking sexy,“ he groaned, stepping towards the bed, “but I can make you feel even better.” 

“Show me,” you purred. 

Jimin sprang into action, flinging his shirt off and unbuckling his jeans faster than you’d ever seen anyone move. Down to his boxers, he crawled on top of you, kissing you rough and deep and so good. You couldn’t believe this was actually happening. His boxer-covered erection ground against your dripping core and you groaned. 

“You like that baby? Like how my big fat cock feels against that tight little pussy?” He moaned in your ear. 

“Yes, fuck,” you whimpered, “Jimin, I need you.” 

Jimin grabbed a condom from inside his night stand and slipped it on quickly, aligning himself with your entrance. He slowly pushed in, and oh gosh it stung. He was so big. He lay still for a moment, watching your face for a sign you were ready to move. When you nodded, he slowly pulled out of you, then gently thrust back in. The stinging turned to this amazing, warm, delicious feeling and Jimin started moving faster, whispering dirty things in your ear, telling you how good you felt around him. 

“So beautiful, you take it so good baby,” he encouraged you, but you couldn’t answer. You were a moaning mess underneath him.

Jimin hit every good spot, and knew exactly what he was doing as he pounded into you, and you’d never felt such bliss in your life. The fire deep inside of you was one that you weren’t sure could be quenched. He filled you up so completely, bringing you absolute ecstasy. Jimin was made to fuck, and he was amazing at it. You writhed underneath him, unable to keep still from the insane amounts of pleasure coursing through you. You knew you were close, and so did Jimin, his hand reaching down to draw figure 8’s on your clit.  When your orgasm came, it was like the entire world was shaking. You screamed out his name, back aching into his body, feeling like your soul was leaving yours. You were flying. You felt high. Jimin filled the condom seconds later, panting as his body collapsed on top of yours. He rolled next to you and gathered you in his arms. 

“Holy shit,” he breathed, chest rising and falling rapidly. 

“Agreed,” you nodded, snuggling into his embrace. 

He smirked, and kissed your cheek. You blushed and hid your face in his neck, making him laugh. 

“How can you be shy after all that?” 

“Shut up,” you mumbled into his skin. 

“Y/N?” He asked quietly.

“Hmmm?” 

“I want you, all the time. I don’t want to have to let you go after this, will you be mine?” he asked, and when you were quiet ( simply because you were in shock) he added “I promise I’ll treat you right, like you deserve.”

You lifted your head to meet his gaze, smiling at him as you nodded, telling him you would be his. 

“Show me.” 

[honey-hippie-harper]

In-Laws Being In-Laws (Re-upload)

 Hiii!

So, this is basically an old fic, which I deleted from my other account ( @dawniebb ) and was requested to be uploaded again.

This feels like a lifetime ago afgshjka, but I remember it was written for a Renegades content swap event, and it was for @healing-winston-pratt (hello, wifey!). The prompt was, basically, Nova and one of the Renegays being in-laws, and it was super fun to write! <3

If anyone’s reading this: Hi, you’re a beautiful human being, and I love you <3

In-Laws Being In-Laws

Dear Dread Warden,

I am not quite sure you will get this message because it is been a while since I last used my communicator but, in case you do: I  hope you are having a nice morning. 

The reason I am writing you this is that, as you must already be aware, right now Sketch and his teammates are taking part in the Annual Renegade Convention as special guests to be awarded for their heroic participation in the Second Battle for Gatlon. Hence, they are out of town. Due to my temporary resignation from the team, I declined the offer to attend the event and, for instance, to receive an award. This means that, unlike theirs, my routine remains the same as usual.

Unfortunately, I must see my therapist for my weekly appointment in two hours, and after that I will have to go to the supermarket to pick up some groceries and essential items. Under normal circumstances, given the nature of my relationship with Sketch, he would have driven me to the supermarket and then back to my apartment, as it happens to be located sort of far from the store and it could be pretty difficult for me to walk while carrying all those bags. However, as mentioned before, these are not normal circumstances and Sketch is not currently available.

I reach out to you with no intention to cause trouble; for instance, if I happen to be asking too much or disrupting your schedule (As I am conscious you are a busy person) and you consider you will not be able to help me, I assure you I completely understand. But: Could you pick me up from my therapist's office and take me to the supermarket afterwards?

I apologize for the inconvenience and I promise I will make sure this does not happen again. In addition, I also apologize for the alliteration in the greeting at the beginning of this message. I did not know whether you wanted to be acknowledged by your real name or your alias.

Sincerely,

Insomnia.

-.-

Hi, Insomnia!!!

So nice to see you!... Or should I say read you! Ha! It's been so long, it almost feels like an eternity! I hope therapy is going great! (We're all really proud of you!)

It doesn't bother me at all, sweetheart; of course I'll help you with that. Could you share the location of your therapist's office, please?

Oh, and also: What time do you want me to be there? (Not that I have anything to do today, I just want to be on time).  

I'm excited to see you! Can I take you to eat something afterwards? How does that sound?

Take care!

(Agh. I forgot these things don't actually allow you to write your real  name).

-S i m o n.

(Better).

-.-

He spotted Nova way before parking. She was sitting on a bench outside the building, staring anxiously at her phone. The body language of a nervous person.

Simon stopped the car right in front of where she was, and when she realized he was already here, Nova jumped out of her seat as if it had burned her skin, before jogging in an awkward manner towards the car.

Once she was inside, Simon couldn't help but feel a twinge in his stomach. He wasn't lying when he told her he was excited to see her. In fact, he was more than excited, and he had to hold himself back pretty hard to avoid hugging her, because it was evident she didn't want to be hugged right now, for she just directed a tiny smile at him and said:

"Hi."

She was the same Nova he had met some time ago, but at the same time she was different; she was wearing sneakers, skinny jeans and a basic white v-neck shirt; her hair was a little longer, too, to the point she could tie it in a cute little ponytail; Simon could tell she wasn’t wearing any makeup, but still her face looked healthier than before; less tired, with smaller under-eye dark circles and lips covered in chapstick. Finally.

She looked alive. More than before.

“Hi.” He finally responded.

Watching people get better was always satisfactory, but watching Nova get better was different. He had grown to appreciate her, since the very first moment he saw her with Adrian; since the very first moment he spoke to her and saw nothing but utter heartbreak in her eyes. Nova was hurting, and any sensitive person would’ve noticed that. So, watching her get better was a touching experience for him.

“You look so…”

Nova interrupted him almost immediately.

“I know. I...I barely had time to fix my hair. Gosh. It’s so uncomfortable and I want to cut it but I haven’t had time. I…”

“Oh, no, no, no! Your hair looks gorgeous! “ He chuckled, although he was confused by her reaction. “I was gonna say you look really good. Really, really good. The ponytail looks great on you.”

Nova gulped as she adjusted said ponytail.

“Oh.” She muttered in a hoarse voice. “...Well...Thank you. I thought…”

“No, no.” Simon waved his hand. “You look great. How.... how are you?”

She seemed to be processing the question, even though it was not that difficult.

“I’m…” Nova cleared her throat. “I’m doing great. How are you? How’s ...life going?”

“Absolutely great!” Simon smiled, clapping his hands together. “Things at home are great. You know, Hugh’s not currently here due to the Annual Renegade Convention. Adrian’s not here either (for sure, you already know about that) and Max…”

“Max went too, yeah.” Nova smiled. Her eyes seemed to brighten to the mention of Max’s name. Adrian had mentioned this fact about her a couple of times: Nova was fond of children. And even if she wasn’t, she had a tendency to protect and care about them. Since she had this type of strong personality, Hugh refused to recognize that as a truth, but Simon had no trouble believing it.

It was adorable.

“He called me when he got the invitation. He was eager to go.” She continued. “Which doesn’t surprise me. I...It’s his first time travelling, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Responded Simon. “We’re planning to go on vacation this year. Because, you know, the convention’s being held not too far away from Gatlon and sadly he’s probably gonna get bored.”

“Bored?” Nova shifted herself in the seat, awkwardly. “Why?”

“Well...those conventions are...well, conventions.” Simon shrugged, smiling at her. “There are a lot of speeches, one after the other and, sure, the guests that represent Gatlon can skip some of them, but others are mandatory and they’re like 2 hours long and it’s so boring and…”

Nova hissed, grimacing, to which Simon nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to go.” He admitted. “Though I do wanted to be there when Adrian and Max received their award. Too sad.”

Nova tried to speak a couple of times, until she finally had found the correct words to said her thoughts out loud.

“Why...why didn’t you go, then?”

“About that.” Simon chuckled. “Tamaya is going to be there too, as a speaker. And she’s also receiving an award. So...somebody had to take care of the Headquarters and Kasumi and I were left with that responsibility. However, it’s been pretty peaceful, as you may have noticed.”

“I have.” Nova nodded. “Not that I...go out very much, but yeah. Things have been calm.”

“People are behaving for once. And it’s awesome.” he sighed.

Then they stayed in silence. For a while.

Nova stared out the window, avoiding eye contact, while Simon whistled as he tapped his fingers on the wheel.

Not a word. No small talk.

Nothing.

“Sooooo…” Said Simon. “Shall we go?”

“Perhaps we should.” Nova said, immediately, as a flash of relief crossed her face.

So Simon smiled at her once again as he turned on the engine, while Nova put on her seatbelt next to him.

-.-

It took her so little time to come back Simon confirmed she was one of those people who would strategically write their shopping list so they wouldn’t be going back and forth through the aisles. It also surprised him that, being a person so young, she was so...focused on everything.

She really had only bought groceries and essential items. No junk food. No silly things she swore she would need and then she didn’t. Not even candy from the checkout area.

Simon hurried himself out of the car to help her put the bags in the trunk, but once she saw him and guessed his intentions, she quickly said:

“It’s okay. I can do it.”

“I know you can.” He clarified. Because, well, she indeed was a strong person. “But maybe you could use some help. That’s...a couple of bags.”

“Yeah. I know.” Nova nodded, already carrying the first two of the bags. “But I can do it. Please. I’m already causing you too much trouble.”

Simon was yet again confused by her reaction, and he tried to talk to her about it. But just like Nova looked like she didn’t want to be hugged right now, she also looked like she didn’t want to talk about it right now.

So he just opened the trunk for her and held it in case it would go down by its own. It had never happened, but just to be sure. Sometimes Simon’s anxiety made him overanalyze some situations.

Less than 10 minutes had passed by the time Nova finished putting all her stuff in the car, Simon figured she was still training, since she was as agile and fast as she was the day she notified them she would be taking some time off from the team and the Renegades in general.

They got in the car again, and before the silence could get as uncomfortable as the previous one, Simon took the initiative to speak.

“I think...you forgot to answer a part of my message.” He said, carefully. “You know...the part where I told you that maybe we could...go to a restaurant or something?”

Nova’s face, ears and neck turned so red she became a human-shaped cherry, and although in other circumstances he would’ve considered it adorable, this time he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. He had been there and done that many times; the messages Nova had sent were peak odd. The type of messages one would overthink over and over again because they had to be perfect. And if something, anything sounded off after you sent it, your world would be in shambles.

So he just smiled to assure it was okay. That he didn’t mind. That those messages didn’t have to be so formal in the first place.

And that, obviously, didn’t work.

For his experience, it never did.

“I...I...Yeah.” Nova scratched her brow. “Pretty much I...I...can recall not knowing how to word that so I just left it blank and I...must’ve forgotten to…”

“Nova.” Simon said, softly. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“Did I...offend you or something?”

“Absolutely no!” He said. “Why would you think that? It’s just a slip. I know it wasn’t your intention and to be honest I still want to take you to eat something so...yeah, there’s no reason to get weird about this. There’s no need to worry.”

Nova took a deep, hasty breath. She was flustered, son Simon tried to keep her calm; to make her feel like she was in a safe environment.

Why wouldn’t she be, in the first place?

She was his son’s girlfriend.

Why would he want to hurt her or make her feel bad?

“Nova, darling.” He said again. “Do you have something on your mind?”

“I do.” Nova cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t really...can eat out right now. I barely manage to afford my groceries, you know? It’s been…”

“But you’re not gonna pay your own bill. I mean, why would you do that?” Simon raised an eyebrow at her, genuinely confused, but still laughing nervously. Sweet rot, who had hurt this child so much? “ I’m the one who’s taking you to eat. You wouldn’t have to…”

“You don’t have to either!” She snapped. Not mad, but rather distressed, while breathing heavily.

Simon went still, afraid he would make it worse. Still, he couldn’t leave it like that, so he gulped and, once he reunited enough courage, he dared to speak again.

“What’s really on your mind, Nova?” He asked, this time in a more soothing voice. Nova’s whole being went red again, but the shadow of confusion in her expression was noticeable and hard to ignore. For this reason, Simon decided to provide some kind of scaffolding.

“For example: Why would you write a message that is directed to me in such a formal way?” He asked, patiently. “Why would you ask me to pick you up as if you were asking me to help you commit a crime? Why would you act so uncomfortable around me when it’s not the first time that we’ve met? Why would you…?”

“Because it’s you.” Nova answered, avoiding eye contact.

And he expected that answer, yes. But, at the same time, he expected to understand the statement once it slipped out of her mouth.

However, he didn’t.

“Can you elaborate?” He requested.

Nova clicked her tongue as she rubbed her neck, staring at the dash right in front of her.

“...I can disappear if you want me to. Would that make you feel more comfortable?”

“No. No, no.” Nova nodded, waving her hands, finally looking at him. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Then...would you tell me what’s wrong?”

Nova thought about it. She squirmed in her seat. Gulped. Coughed. Squirmed again.

Then, playing with her own hands, she spoke.

“...I’m ashamed.”

“Ashamed of what…?” Simon tilted his head to the side. “Ashamed of who…? What exactly are you ashamed of? ...Dating Adrian?”

Nova flinched.

“I would never.”

A spark of pride illuminated his thoughts and his insides in general, but Simon tried to pay little attention to it.

“I’m just...ashamed. Of everything.” Nova said, sighing. “I…”

And she cut herself in the middle of the phrase, realizing that once again she wouldn’t be able to finish it.

Simon didn’t realize he was frowning until he felt the muscles of his face slowly giving in. He understood.

And he knew that anything that had happened during the Second Battle for Gatlon had been her fault. She might have contributed in some way but, at the end of the day, she was just a child.

A very confused and manipulated child who just needed someone to listen without twisting her words as they pleased.

“...I just think that...if I were you I wouldn’t like me either.” She wasn’t crying, nor did she sound like she was about to any time soon. There was so much resignation in her voice that her words weighted as much as a giant rock. “Hugh gave me his blessing to...you know, date Adrian…”

“I can recall giving you my blessing too.”

Nova tripped on her own words.

“I mean, you did. You both did.” She said. “But still… It’s because… because you want him to be happy. And I get it. I really do. And I understand because, like I said, I wouldn’t like me either...I know I am loved. I know I matter for some people...but I also know I did...bad things, and I carry this sort of cursed last name…”

She stopped and breathed for a second before continuing.

“And I…” She finally looked at him. “I get it. You don’t have to pretend you like me, after all that happened. After I stole stuff from your house; infiltrated into your system; caused a terrorist attack...You really don’t have to pretend.”

Simon blinked, and if it wasn’t for her specific and controlled body language, he would’ve thought she was making excuses or even joking.

But Nova was telling the truth.

And it was heartbreaking.

“Perhaps you should think outside the box and picture a scenario in which you realize we’re not pretending.” That’s the only thing he said.

“Perhaps you should realize that we love you and you matter to us.” He reached for her hand and softly touched her knuckles. Her hands were shaking. “And that, yes, we want Adrian to be happy, but we also want you to be happy.”

Nova’s eyes seemed to be covered in crystals, but she remained in silence.

“You’re part of this family now, Nova.” He smiled. “And I’m sorry, but you’ll have to deal with that.”

Nova sniffed, swallowing, while lacing her hand into Simon’s.

“Artino and everything?” She muttered.

“Artino it’s not what defines you.” Simon chuckled. “You’re Nova. Just Nova... And we’re really proud of you. Not ashamed.”

She smiled back at him, wordless, and Simon gave her a quick handshake before putting his hands around the wheel.

Because even now, that her walls were crumbling right before her eyes, she didn’t look like someone who wanted to be hugged at the moment, and he accepted and respected that.

“I was planning to take you to my favorite restaurant, but maybe we can prepare a homemade meal instead?” He suggested. “You know? In-laws being in-laws? … Not to brag, but I make the best lemon pie in the world.”

Nova chuckled. Relaxed.

Happy.

“Sounds great.” She said, nodding.

“Excellent.” Simon turned on the engine.

“Let’s go home.”