#michael: yeah don’t you remember when he showed up at home and said he was a time traveler and took your stuffed bear?

[callmewrinkles3]

Peace - DR3 x Fem!OC

Summary: After their whistle stop trip to Perth it’s time for the next race in Baku. A photo causes issues, and Em sees something she shouldn’t have spotted.

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: Zak Brown, mentions of food issues (lack of appetite, not eating, what could be considered picky eating), media being assholes, panic attacks, mentions of mental health issues.

A/N: We’re baaaaaaccccckkkk! Sorry for the delay, we’ve been ridiculously busy. But in our defence, this is a monster chapter. We’re sticking with 2022 for the next while.

June 2022

“I have a couple of apartments.”

Em half woke to Dan’s words. She hadn’t really been asleep on the shorter flight from Dubai to Baku. Instead she’d been half dozing with her Beats playing music. London was clutched in her hand while she curled against Dan’s side. There’d been a plane swap and something else but their fancy seats were swapped into a row of three economy ones. Honestly if she was asked she preferred being able to curl up like this on a plane. His arm was around her and she got to chill out with him beside her.

“What do you mean?”

“For London. The city, not the bear I mean. If you still want to move in together?” He turned the tablet towards her to show an option. Three bedrooms, a view, in one of the parts of London they’d shortlisted. It looked nearly too good to be true.

“Talk when we get to the hotel? But yeah. I want to move in with you properly.”

They were two of the first into Baku for the race which meant that instead of going immediately into a bright orange race world Em got to unwind for a night. Dan brought her to an Italian restaurant for dinner and they held hands in public. They went back to the hotel room and curled up in bed before Dan asked her a question.

“So with the apartment thing. I’m looking at places for us to buy, not rent.”

“Danny…” She trailed off and looked at him, at the way he smiled at her.

“I didn’t tell you this. It was supposed to be a surprise. But I got the email the day before you arrived in Melbourne and it didn’t feel right to say it then. I dunno if you remember but do you remember when we were in Austin in 2019? We were in bed and you were talking about how much you like the city and you just trailed off and said it’d be a nice place to show kids.”

The vague memory hit her, the night after the race. When Dan had been jealous of her talking to Charles and Pierre and they went to the hotel. It had been emotional and she was still luxuriating that they’d said I love you a few weeks before.

“Yeah. Kind of?”

“I found a place. I was looking on and off since then but it had to be in delivery radius of that barbecue place we like. Your name’s on it too. I didn’t know if you were coming back or not but it’s our place. Bought, not rented. And if we don’t spend loads of time in Austin but we’ve got a place then we should buy somewhere in London. You don’t like Monaco that much. We just need to be there a bit for taxes and stuff. But we should buy somewhere. A home. Our home.”

“You bought us a place?” She couldn’t get over it. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. He bought them a home when she wasn’t even around.

“Yeah. It’s ours.”

“I love you so much. So, so much. And yeah. I want our home. A real home.”

“I’m getting you your lavender office. I promised you that I was going to get you a lavender office. It’s happening.”

She couldn’t stop grinning, holding onto Dan and sleeping well for the first time in weeks. It was restful at last.

Wednesday meant most people were arriving into the city and that included Blake and Michael. They hugged her tightly as soon as they saw her, both checking in through the day. There was still a divide between them and Dan. She could see the way they were with him. But that needed to wait, she couldn’t deal with all of it. Not now.

Most of the day was spent sitting with Blake and coming up with how she was coming back to work. She wanted to get back as quickly as she could, but Blake didn’t want to risk it for her. Which she understood. But she wanted to feel normal even when she felt like she was barely holding together. The other part of the day with Blake was having a conversation she never thought she’d need to have.

She had to make a plan about how her relationship was going to be made public.

Somehow she hadn’t been spotted much in Monaco, just a few gossip blogs which made life easier and harder. It was easier because at least it wasn’t a complete surprise that she was around. But it was harder because she hated having to do this. The fact that her and Dan were finally admitting that they love each other meant a PR response had to happen felt stupid. They were just two people in love. Why did the world care?

But it was clear that the world did care, the blog posts and TikToks and instagram posts about her were proof of that. The #WheresEm posts on TikTok from fans analysing photos of Dan, Michael, and Blake to see if she was in the background. The slideshows of her and other women who worked in F1. It was kind of surreal now that Blake was showing her.

“You’re in the paddock every week. You work in the sport. Netflix interviews you and every February people wonder if DTS is going to call you “Daniel’s girlfriend”. It happens.” Blake was apologetic as he opened a folder on his laptop called Tax Files.

“You told me that was taxes and that’s why it’s password protected.”

“Yeah, sorry. If you knew you’d have killed me.” She looked at the four PDFs held in the file. Dan_Em_dating, Dan_Em_engaged, Dan_Em_married, Dan_Em_baby. The last one cut like a knife.

“Seriously? Engaged and married? Statements for all of it?”

“It’s the two of you. I wrote them after you were in Vegas, there were rumours online for two months after that the two of you got secretly married. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. For both of you. But this is the reactive ones in case someone posted photos or something. Right now I think you doing an insta post is enough, it’ll confirm but you don’t need to do details. Do you have any PG photos?”

Twenty minutes later a photo of her in Dan’s lap as he held her and gave her a kiss that was chosen to be the photo. Dan used his grid mostly for work related stuff so it was her account that would post it. The caption at least was her own decision. Thirty seconds of thought and she tapped it out. I know you know, but I love you to the moon and to Saturn. Once the draft was saved the schedule was set. Post it during FP1. It would be fine.

The plan mostly worked for Thursday. Her makeup was thick and Blake refused to let her work for longer than an hour of checking emails, but she walked into the paddock with her head held high. Friends nodded and gave her a smile, Carmen’s eyes widening slightly when she saw her and Em forced a grin. She was part of a team. She belonged her. She knew what she was doing. It would be fine and it was worth it.

Sitting in hospitality for the day Em refreshed one of the gossip instagram accounts she still followed, a photo of her talking to Blake appearing at the top of the grid. The caption made her huff.

She’s baaaaaaccccckkkkkk! Daniel Ricciardo’s assistant Em was seen back in the paddock. The rumour was that she was in Monaco but hiding in hospitality. She hasn’t been seen at a race since the Australian GP at the beginning of April, where she was seen with his parents and extended family. The duo were spotted in Perth for the weekend off last week, but they’ve never confirmed a relationship. Reminder: Em falls under our WAG rules because we don’t have confirmation if they are or aren’t in a relationship. No criticism of how she looks or what she’s wearing.

“What’s so funny?” Blake asked and she turned the screen to him.

“I’m kind of surprised how quickly people started sharing photos of me again. Am I really that impressive?”

“I think it’s more that you’ve been around for so long. Tomorrows probably going to be chaos with the post. You know that, right? You’ll get through it but there will definitely be questions.”

“I know. If we did this years ago it’d have been easier.”

Instead of a third iced latte that she’d asked for, Michael handed her an orange juice as lunch was brought over. He received a glare in its place.

“I thought I asked for a coffee?”

“And you’re vibrating in place. Eat something, Wriggle.”

The chopped salad in front of her was pretty but the idea of even touching it made her feel awful. Encouraging looks made her spear a couple of pieces of chicken that she could just about separate and eat them. At least playing with her food meant that it wasn’t noticed that she wasn’t really eating.

Dan was able to run in and grab food before going back to more team meetings. He pushed a kiss to the top of her head before raising an eyebrow at her bowl, but Em shook her head before he could speak. It was two or three minutes before he had to leave with Michael. Before he did he ran across to the coffee bar and plucked a lemon muffin from the stand to place in front of her. It was a smile and a squeeze of her hand before he had to go again.

She picked at the muffin and at her dinner that night before they were back in the hotel room together. Dan kept giving her looks to eat more but she was too worn out to eat. It was like her body was constantly waiting for the next crisis, coiled and ready to release adrenaline while she was begging it to relax. She needed to curl up with her boyfriend and be held by him. The day went well. People could tell they were truly in a relationship. Everything was public tomorrow. She could do it.

For the first time in years Em stressed about what to wear to the paddock the next morning. None of her clothes fit right and her usual style felt awkward. Normally she tried to blend in but this was the one day she shouldn’t have to. She wasn’t just Dan’s assistant anymore. People would keep caring about what she wore, working out what labels she had on and how much her outfit cost. It was so much stress that she didn’t want to deal with but Dan put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

“Wear what makes you smile. You’ll be beautiful no matter what.”

“You’re a charmer.”

“And you need to eat something. I know it’s not your favourite but I got you a bacon sandwich with my breakfast. Try to eat some of it?”

“Just for you.”

The nerves thrummed through her body as she pulled on straight leg jeans and tightened her belt. Her outfit was finished with a Paramore tee that was at least a size too big and one of the merch hats Dan always had around, but she was clothed and felt good. She could do this. She could do it. Em even ate half of the sandwich Dan gave her despite the butterflies in her stomach trying to rebel.

Their plan for getting to the race was simple. The four of them were driving to the track together, Blake taking her usual role as driver. Dan and Michael were walking in five minutes before she and Blake did so they could take most of the attention away. Once he was in the car for FP1 she’d post the Instagram draft and hopefully someone would fuck up in practice so the “Daniel Ricciardo has a girlfriend” story would die down. It was a good plan that they could do.

When they arrived at the drivers car park they all stepped out of the car before Dan pulled her into a giant hug. It was nearly deserted in the early morning and she fell into him before sharing a kiss and a smile.

“That’s the last secret kiss we ever have to do. How does that feel?” Dan asked to make her grin.

“So no more hidden corners in dive bars?”

“I mean that’s a tradition so we have to have some more there, right? I love you. I’ll see you after practice.”

“I love you too. I think Blake is actually letting me work today so I’ll see you then.” They had one final kiss before Dan and Michael walked away while she and Blake stayed behind

“Just for the record, if you and Dan split up again I’m choosing you. You’re my little sister. I don’t want you to go anywhere else.”

“I learned my lesson, Blakey. I’ve no intention of going anywhere. I promise.”

Five minutes later they were walking through the paddock and Em ignored the eyes that were on her. It was a statement to be publicly there in the paddock, to be beside Blake while she wore a 3 hat. She wasn’t ashamed of herself or her love for Dan. She couldn’t be. They were in love and that was what mattered to her.

They sat in Dan’s driver room while Em went through yet more emails that she’d missed while she was gone. The practice stayed on tv and she let the familiar voices roll over her. With ten minutes left on the clock Blake gave her a nudge to post the photo with a smile.

“Ready to be a WAG?”

“Will I ever be? But I’ve basically been one for the last four years without the benefits.”

When she opened Instagram her notifications were already going insane. There were people mentioning her in comments and tagging her and she had to scroll back to see where it all stemmed from. But when she found one of the paddock photographers accounts and started to read the caption her blood ran cold.

Arriving into the paddock this morning ahead of Day One of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix I got to see possibly the rarest sight in Formula One - Daniel Ricciardo and his presumed girlfriend @callmewrinkles3 canoodling and revealing their romance. We don’t know a lot about Emma except that she’s English and has worked with Ricciardo since at least the summer break in 2019. Her first appearance at a race was Barcelona in 2018 where she hid in the back of the Red Bull garage. Most people have assumed that they’re together but they’ve never publicised anything. It’s clear from the photos how in love they are, but why have they never admitted anything before? She’s missed every race since the Australian GP and the rumour around the paddock was that they had split up. I think that can be safely ignored now.

“Blake. Fuck.” She held her phone out to Blake so he could see the post and watched as his face changed while reading. “One hour. One fucking hour.”

The comments began to fill her screen and she couldn’t help but read them.

They’re actually together? I thought that was a joke.

Why did she just disappear like that?

Dan deserves better than an assistant.

Who is she? Just appeared one day like she was always there.

Friends with bennies. There’s no way they’re dating. They’d have admitted it by now. Has to be some PR thing.

“Timmy? Em? Can you hear me?” The panic was rising through her chest as all her deepest fears were on screen. Dan deserved better. He deserved more than her. She’d ruined everything when she left she never should have come back. Why did she come back when she’d ruined things for him?

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her tight, Em’s desperation filling her as Blake held on.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Deep breaths in and out.” Tears streamed down her face as she tried to copy his breathing. They were just one hour late to do it. One hour. But the one thing that they’d protected for so long and had been so careful with had been revealed to the world before either of them had the chance to do it. Outside the paddock they were supposed to be private citizens. That area was off limits, it wasn’t supposed to be where they could be photographed. Especially not by accredited ones.

“Why us? Why the fuck does this always happen to us?” It was all she could get out as she kept crying, Blake holding onto her tightly and rubbing her back. It wasn’t the same as when Dan or Grace did it but it helped as she tried to stop herself from spiralling. But Dan had his stupid briefing and then had to get ready for FP2 and she was barely going to see him. All she wanted was for him to tell her it was going to be ok. It wasn’t much to ask. Em lost track of time as she tried to pull all of her broken pieces together. She needed to get it together.

“I can get him out of his meeting. Want me to grab him now?”

“Please?” She felt pitiful with the tiny sound coming out of her mouth, but Blake left a kiss on her forehead before sitting her on the massage table and leaving the room.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, ok? Just remember. You and him love each other so much somehow. A photo and internet trolls are never going to change what the two of you have. I promise you that TimTam.”

She didn’t know how long it took until Blake returned with Dan but she could feel the fragile parts of herself begin to move and crack again. Why would Dan want her to be there with him? She’d left once before and she should just leave again. Let everyone else be happy. She could make herself be happy without them eventually she thought. The world was acting like loving Dan was some awful thing, that she didn’t deserve to love him and she didn’t know how she could keep going with it. It wasn’t fair.

Her sobs started again and Em’s arms went around her knees to hold them against her chest. It was going to be ok. It was going to be fine. It had to be fine. She couldn’t be too loud or people would hear and that would be worse for Dan if his girlfriend was having a breakdown in his room. She shoved her hand against her mouth to muffle her sobs. She could be quiet. She had to be quiet.

“Emmy? I’m right here Wrinkles.”

“Danny.”

It felt so stupid. So fucking stupid. It was a photo that revealed news that they were about to share anyway, but they wanted to get to do it. It wasn’t up to anyone else to share it. Why did they think they could?

“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry Baby. You don’t deserve that and you never deserved have comments made about you like that. If you want to go home just tell me and you can, I’ll book the flights for you.”

The words hit her gut and she wanted to get sick. He wanted her to leave. Wanted her to go home.

She didn’t have a home anymore.

She destroyed their home and she was homeless and she had nothing left. It was all gone.

“I…I…We…We don’t have one. I don’t. I’m homeless. I got rid of it and Danny it’s gone and it’s my fault please don’t make me leave.” Her sobs began again as the reality of what she’d done hit her. She’d destroyed their home in a weekend. She was homeless. Michael had offered his spare room but she couldn’t. What had she done?

“No. Oh no, Emmy, no, I promise. I promise you’re not going anywhere if you don’t want to. I want you to stay here. I want to be here with you all the time. I’m right here and you’re staying with me I promise. I promise.”

She didn’t know how long he held onto her for but as her sobs subsided the embarrassment at how she acted filled her. It was all over a photo. This shouldn’t have happened because of a photo. But Dan held onto her and wiped her eyes while she stopped crying, emotionally and physically exhausted with red and puffy eyes. Her foundation was entirely gone but Dan smiled at her like she lit up the universe.

“For the record I hate saying this but we have thirty minutes until Dan needs to be in the car. And I might have a solution. Maybe.” Em twisted in Dan’s lap to look at Blake as he began to explain. Nat from Sky was willing to be outside to ‘run into’ Dan and do a softball interview for him to explain everything.

“Do it.” He hadn’t even finished speaking when Em cut across, making herself stand up on shaky legs and stretching while still holding his hand.

“Emmy…”

“Danny, do it. You get to get ahead of it and say something about how everyone knew. Act like it’s just stupid gossip. And then you can drive and ignore it, yeah?”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

She wiped her face on one of the towels that was supposed to be for after Dan’s practice before nodding at him. Dan stood up and pulled her close, holding his lips against her forehead in silence. They were desperate to stay as close as possible for as long as they could until Blake tapped her shoulder.

“She’ll be downstairs in thirty seconds, it’s live.”

“Go.” It was a kiss to make Dan leave and Em sat down to get her makeup out of her bag.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m watching from the garage. So I’m making myself look vaguely presentable.”

Her fingers were shaking as she started pulling concealer and foundation out. The tv was already tuned to the Sky feed and when she heard Natalie’s voice her attention went straight to it.

“And look who we have here! Daniel Ricciardo was heading over to his garage but agreed to talk to me for a moment. You’ve had all of the attention on you thanks to that Instagram post everyone’s seen about your relationship.” It was open and warm and Em bit her lip while she watched.

“Yeah. It’s funny, we never thought we needed to announce that we were together because everyone knew. You were talking to Em at the AusGP opening yourself. It didn’t make sense to do some big thing when everyone already knew. But now here we are, I guess. At least that’s better news than my driving in that practice. We’ve got a couple of upgrades that we’re trying to learn how they work with this car, so we’ll see how they perform in this practice.”

The way he was so casual about it made Em smile while she finished her concealer and patted it down. It wasn’t anywhere near good but it’d do, and her sunglasses would hide the worst of it.

“Ready?” She asked Blake. He nodded once and followed her across. It was the first time she’d stood in the garage to watch him drive since she and Dan had their fight in Jeddah and he sent her away, but she walked out with her head held high. Dan was standing at the bottom of the stairs to wait for her and held out his hand, Em smiling at him.

“You look beautiful. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He did better in that practice than the morning one but Em stood there silently. Blake had a hand at her back to keep her steady on her feet, orange headphones glued to her head. She hated the colour. Hated this garage. She wished it felt like home the way Renault had by the end. But she could do this. It was just an hour, and she could see when the cameras caught her and she waved. A small smile stayed on her face as she stared at Dan’s little orange dot on the screen.

She waited for him to get out and they held hands walking to hospitality for food before Dan had to go to more meetings. It was a luxury to hold his and and get to see him as her boyfriend. People stopped to ask for his autograph and take photos and she stepped back to let the photo be taken. One of the girls came up to her after getting the photo.

“I’m sorry about that photo for you. You deserved better than that for how your relationship was made public.”

“Thanks a lot.” It meant more than she could say that a stranger was being nice to her.

That night after yet more picking at food and trying to decide what she could stomach she curled up in Dan’s arms while he pressed kisses to her head. She didn’t know what to do or how exactly she was feeling, but that background anxiety was still there.

“Can I ask you something?” Dan whispered in the dark. It wasn’t too late so she nodded against his chest. “I know you probably don’t want to. But maybe we should find you someone to talk to? You’re not ok, Baby. It’s ok to need some help for a little while.”

“My dad always said that it was weak to need it. That if I couldn’t get through things then I needed to try harder.” The words slipped out before she meant to say it.

“You know I talked to someone last year after Monaco. I think it’s strong to admit that you need some help. It’s such a brave thing to do. It’s up to you but I think it could help.”

It was silent between them for a few minutes before Em could speak. “I think I need some help. Can you help me find someone who does it online?”

“I’ll be right beside you for all of it. I promise.”

“I know.”

Even admitting that she needed to talk to someone took some of the weight off her shoulders. There was something deep inside her that just felt broken and unable to put itself back together. She was freaking out about tiny things. That photo shouldn’t have made her feel this way. The entire Monaco weekend shouldn’t have affected her like that. She’d seen Dan crash before - she’d been in the garage when he crashed in Austria two years before - and the Monaco one wasn’t a big one. But it hurt her in ways she didn’t realise.

Em had never put herself first in her life. It was always everyone else. But this time she needed to put herself at the top of the list or she’d lose herself forever.

The trip to the track was quiet before practice and qualifying. Blake had made the decision that she wasn’t working until at least Austria. And it felt right if she was really honest. The fact that she didn’t want to fight about working proved to her just how necessary it was. Instead she sat in hospitality trading between cups of coffee and juices or water. Michael kept putting big bowls of food in front of her and she couldn’t bear to eat any of it. It was all mixed together and weird textures and the fish curry he tried to get her to eat made her feel disgusting. It was sweet that he tried but no. She could pick out bites when she needed to.

Over what was officially the lunch break but everyone was spending working she flicked through a crappy romance novel on her kindle when movement caught her eye. The teams had all come in and grabbed food before going back to the garage to get the cars ready for setup or do whatever they had to do. Blake was with Dan and Michael before Dan went to a fanzine event. She promised she’d be ok sitting there by herself. Em was convinced that they’d gotten people to keep an eye on her too, but she’d be fine. She could do this.

It was the two men walking through the barely quarter full room that caught her eye but the accent was what really hit her. Zak Brown talking to an Australian wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was that it was Mark Webber and not her boyfriend. Webber. Who managed last years F2 champion who didn’t have a seat. And Brown had been making comments about Dan’s performances needing to improve.

Oh no.

She always trusted her gut. Always. Her gut had yelled at her to not walk away in Melbourne, that it felt wrong, but she ignored it and look how things ended up? Her gut is what made her talk to Dan at Blake’s party nearly five years before. It made her kiss him and fall for him. Helped him make the decision to go to Renault. It was the right thing to do.

And she didn’t trust Brown. Not after the rumours and innuendo and the way her reputation took coordinated hit after hit last year. He had no reason to talk to Webber. Mark had never been in McLaren before, it was just wrong. She knew. Her gut was screaming at her, she knew. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Before she could start freaking out and worrying she saw Dan arrive in with the boys, a girl in her late teens with them. Em smiled as they came over, Dan kissing her cheek.

“Em, this is Rebecca. She flew out here for the race from England. I met her at the fanzone. She wanted me to give you something but I thought she could do it herself.”

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you.” Em looked at the girl who had a sheepish smile on her face before holding out a small bracelet.

“Hi, it’s really nice to meet you too. I saw all the media stuff yesterday and it was awful. I’m sorry people made such a big deal about your relationship like that. I don’t get it. But I make bracelets when I’m anxious and I had beads with me so I made this for you. I hope you like it.”

Em stared at the multicoloured beads and grinned. It said FEA in the middle, patterns of blue, purple, and pink beats surrounding it. It was perfect.

“This is gorgeous. Thank you so much. And thanks for being so kind. Do you want me to take a photo of you and Dan in here?”

“Actually could I get one with you? Feel free to say no. I know it might be weird. But you and Britta and Angela make me think that maybe I could work in motorsport? I’m not good at engineering or anything like that. But maybe I could do something else.” She blushed but Em just smiled, moving her bag with London sticking out of the top so she could sit in.

“Sit in here and we can take one. Just don’t put it online? I haven’t been well, I don’t want people seeing it.”

“Oh no! No way. I just want proof this happened, you know? Thank you so much for this.”

Em watched her leave with Blake, a grin on her face and her new Paddock Club lanyard was wrapped around her neck so she could watch qualifying and the race tomorrow in style. Em slipped her FEA bracelet onto her wrist beside her enchante one, the two comforting on her wrist.

“Sorry for springing this on you. She went to give it to me, said “This is for Em, could you give it to her? There’s loads of people supporting her and she should know that.” I thought you’d want to know.”

“She’s lovely. And that means so much. But what do you mean supporting me?”

Dan opened twitter and she went to groan but instead he showed her a hashtag. #Demma4ever was trending under motorsport. She wanted to groan when she first saw it but the one thing she realised was everyone was so sweet. People unsurprised they were together. People defending them from trolls. People defending her specifically from trolls. A twitter thread from someone calling themselves @cowboydan3 who had traced their relationship since 2018 by pointing out all the times they seemed to be together. It warmed her heart.

“All these people? But they’ve never even met me.”

“Not all of them. But there’s people who did at different events and talked about how you were nice to them. Fans who you pointed out to me so I could say hi and take a photo. People who say I’m in a better mood when you’re around. Yeah there’s trolls and bullshit, but most people have gotten to know the real you. They like you, Baby.”

“Yeah. They do. When’s qualifying?” She needed to not talk about it or she’d cry in public again. She couldn’t cry again.

“Thirty minutes. You gonna watch from here or the garage?”

“The garage?”

She stood beside Blake and watched as Dan was knocked out in Q2. The only piece of justice was Lando also got eliminated, so it wasn’t a “Daniel isn’t performing” kind of day. He had two overtakes to make to get into the points. He could do that. That was definitely something that could happen.

Standing in the paddock she spotted Lance and knew she had an opportunity to get some information. When she waved he made a beeline for her, offering a hug that she gave lightly thanks to the sweaty nomex.

“Sorry about your quali, I know it’s not what you wanted. How are you?”

“We’ll get there. I’m doing ok, how’re you? Especially after everything.”

“I’ll be ok. Unexpected, but I’ll be fine. I had a question for you actually!” She kept her smile fixed and hoped her nerves weren’t showing. “Has Esteban said anything to you about what Oscar is doing while he’s looking for a seat? I know he’s Alpine’s reserve this year.”

“No, nothing. We don’t tend to talk about much work stuff. Unless Alonso’s annoyed him. Then he’ll go on a rant but I ignore it. Dan was the only teammate that Esteban really got on with. But no. Why?”

“You know Dan. Young Australian who came to Europe alone too young, plus we got to know Oscar as a Renault junior in 2020. He wanted to check in but Rossi won’t let him anywhere near Alpine so it’s hard to do it.” He laughed before Lance’s osteo, Henry, came to get him for something.

“If I hear anything I’ll tell you. The latest rumour I heard is possibly a Williams seat. Nicky doesn’t think he’ll keep his seat which sucks.”

“Yeah it does, he’s a good one. Thanks Lance, good luck for tomorrow.”

Everyone knew the rumours about the Williams seat being available. The main rumour Em had heard was that it was a Williams junior who’d get it, there were a couple of prospects in F2 depending on how the season went. Fuck. This was real. It was real and all Em wanted to do was curl up and sob but she couldn’t. She had to walk through the paddock and find Blake to talk to him, and then talk to Dan about it.

As she began to walk back to the meeting rooms Em spotted Ted Kravitz, giving him a wave and a nod as she walked past.

“And of course that’s Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend walking past. It’s so nice to get to call her his girlfriend, you know that? Everyone’s known for a long time, back when he was at Renault, which of course is now Alpine, she was known for getting a card for everyone for their birthday. It was probably the worst kept secret in this paddock.”

Getting Blake into Dan’s driver room was easy and she put Fearless on through speakers to muffle their voices. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have anywhere near the rest of McLaren but she didn’t have a choice.

“What’s going on, Timmy? Please tell me you’re not leaving again.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She fixed him with a glare. “But we need to talk and it needs to be private. Nobody can overhear. What do you know about Mark Webber and how his career ended?”

“He was fed up of F1. I was barely in Red Bull when he was leaving, but he was done and everyone knew about it. Dan was nearly pulled up mid season. Why?”

“He had a meeting with Brown today. I watched them leave Brown’s office just beside the cafeteria. Neither of them realised I was there, the cafeteria was basically empty. But they were there for a long time and we’ve both heard him talk about Dan’s performance.”

“Ems, no. No way. Dan has eighteen months left.” She shook her head and watched Blake’s face carefully as she spoke.

“Dan has a twenty five million dollar contract break clause. He’s working himself to the bone for this team and I’m pretty sure that Piastri is going to be in his car next year. I just…maybe I’m wrong. But when has my gut ever been wrong on this? I know this Blakey. I know it.”

“You’re sure?”

“I mean I wasn’t in the room but what other reason is there for the two of them to have a closed door meeting in between practice and qualifying on a Grand Prix weekend?”

“None. Fuck. But are you really, really sure? Seriously.”

“If my mental health wasn’t in the toilet you’d believe me immediately, right?” A sheepish nod. “I know you probably don’t trust me. I don’t trust me about me sometimes right now. I’m hanging on by a thread. But this is Dan’s career, and the one thing I have always done is put his career before anything else. You know that’s what I do. I wouldn’t say this based on anything else. You know that.”

“I know. I know.” I didn’t think they’d fucking do this. I didn’t think they’d do more to hurt him after last year.”

They agreed to keep it to themselves for now, that Em would tell Dan that night. She didn’t want to mention it before the race but he deserved to know. Part of her brain was blaming herself for it. If she hadn’t left then maybe Imola would have been better and the races wouldn’t have been a mess. But she couldn’t think like that. It wasn’t worth it. She couldn’t change the past.

There was a sponsor gala on that she hadn’t realised was even happening, but she was his official plus one to everything. At least she’d learned to always bring a dress to wear to any fancy event with her. It was the same one she’d worn in Melbourne to the race weekend opening but she didn’t care. The dress was looser than the last time she’d worn it, the corset top hanging rather than snug against her chest and waist. Instead of heels she put on ballet flats and did her makeup perfectly. She could get through this. For Dan.

Being on his arm as his girlfriend was a completely different experience to being there with him as his assistant. She smiled and made small talk with people who actually listened to her because of that title change instead of ignoring her. But finally they were face to face with Brown and his wife. Em kept the smile on her face and shook his hand.

“It’s good to see you back, Emma. We were worried about you. Dan didn’t tell us what was happening.”

“That’s because I asked him not to tell anyone. I was ill for a while, we wanted to make sure that I’d be ok before we let anyone know.” It was the same story they’d told everyone in the paddock who’d asked and he paled slightly at it. Worth every minute of not telling the full truth.

Finally they sat down for the dinner and Em stared at the plate placed in front of her. It was all traditional Azerbaijani food, but the worst part was that it was all baked together. There was nothing separate and she could tell from moving her fork through it that the textures were going to be impossible for her. Her stupid food thing and she was going to embarrass Dan if she didn’t eat anything and she couldn’t. She got some meat on her fork and lifted it to her lips, nibbling. It was tasty. But trying to swallow more than the tiniest bite felt impossible.

“You ok?” Dan whispered and Em nodded.

“I didn’t know this was the food.”

“Blake and Michael both checked there’d be food for you. We can just go back to the hotel. You need to eat something.”

“We can’t leave.”

“I’m not letting my girlfriend starve. Not with everything happening Em. You need food.”

“We can’t.” She took a breath and a sip of water, squeezing his thigh. “I’m not that hungry and I can get food when we’re back at the hotel. I’ll drink water. But listen to me. There’s something weird going on right now at McLaren and you can’t leave. You just can’t. I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back. Just trust me?”

“I always trust you, Emmy. Promise you’ll tell me?” She could hear the worry in his voice but she just nodded, keeping her face smiling like he’d said something hilarious.

“I promise. Pinkie swear.”

A waiter came by about her full plate but Dan stepped in.

“She’s on a medical diet at the moment. We were told there’d be a special plate put aside.”

“Oh, we’re sorry. There’s none.”

She stayed by his side while they did the rounds to talk to people and sit through speeches. Dan’s hand stayed in the small of her back as she nodded and smiled and kept her mouth shut unless it was something she was confident about. Food was the last thing she wanted to deal with when they got back to the hotel. She wanted to go to bed and forget about the day, but that wasn’t going to happen. Instead they got in the same car as Lando to get back to the hotel.

“I mean I get why they didn’t give options but do they not realise picky eaters exist? It was kinda alright but I’d have liked a heads up! What about you, Em? Did you like the food?”

“Didn’t have much, medical diet.”

“Oh. I’m glad you’re back now. He was a mopey git while you weren’t travelling.”

Em knew it was just the younger man’s turn of phrase but she kept a tight hold of Dan’s hand to make sure he knew she was there. Thankfully it was a quiet drive back to the hotel. All the Hiltons in the world felt the same after a year of being sponsored by them. Walk in, hotel reception on the left, lifts around the corner and beside a vending machine. They shared the lift with Lando who waved as he stepped off on his floor. Em kept a hold of Dan’s arm until they were inside his room and he pulled her into a hug.

It wasn’t until she’d ordered room service and it was delivered that she was willing to speak. Once she had this conversation she knew she wouldn’t eat for the rest of the night. Then Dan would get annoyed and it would hurt more than it could ever help and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. So instead Em took a couple of bites of chicken teriyaki while mulling over how to say the words that she knew would devastate her boyfriend.

“When I was in hospitality between practice and qualifying I sat in the corner so nobody spotted me. I didn’t realise that I could see Zak’s office. Mark Webber came out of a long meeting in there shaking Zak’s hand and they left together about five minutes before you came in.”

It was silent in the room until Dan let out a long sigh. He slowly lay back on the bed, his head hitting the mattress. Em watched as he took deep breaths before undoing his bow tie and the top button of his shirt.

“On Saturday night in Monaco, just before I got you from Aston Martin, Andreas called me into his office. He told me that my seat is at risk if I don’t perform better. Fuck. Fuck!” He whisper yelled the last word and sat up while rubbing his face. “I didn’t want to worry you, that’s why I didn’t tell you what he said. You were so fucking fragile Baby. I couldn’t. You still are. I thought it was just a warning.”

“Is it because I left?” The words hung in the air for a moment and she wanted to get sick. Fuck. Fuck all of it. She left and Dan struggled and now he was going to lose his seat and it was all her fault how could she have done that to him?”

“No, no. No Baby. I promise you it’s not because you left.” He pulled his suit jacket off while coming over to pull her into his arms and push a kiss to her head. “I just can’t make the car work. It steers weird and the braking doesn’t work the same was as any other car I’ve ever driven. You being here makes it easier to clear my head when I’m not stuck in the car. But you made me promise in Spa that day to have a clear head before I get in the car. I swear, I clear my mind every single time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“Because I couldn’t. You just came back and I was so scared you’d leave again. If I told you you’d blame yourself and leave. I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not telling you.”

“Don’t be sorry.” She held his face with her fingers and looked up at him. “You were right not to say anything then. I was barely thinking then. I still barely am. I couldn’t hear it.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“And I still forgive you. I love you, you did the right thing, Danny. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. If he said that on Wednesday I might have walked away. But I’m not finished. I think I have more left in me.”

She lay on the bed and pulled Dan into her. Getting changed out of her dress was too much work, he needed to be loved and held and cared for. Tears began rolling down his face as she clung to him, her fingers carding through his curls.

“Remember when we were in lockdown on the farm? I promised you when you were deciding if you were going to leave Renault then that I wasn’t going anywhere. The colour you wear on race week isn’t going to change my mind about that. I said it then and I’m saying it now and I mean every word of it. I love you so much and not being together nearly killed both of us. You can learn to be a mechanic and a househusband with our unicorns.” A wet laugh bubbled out of his chest as her words settled into him and she kept talking.

“We can have our barn with our horses and our kids like we talked about. I don’t care about going and working in some office. We can have breakfast for dinner and lunch and breakfast. Pancakes three times a day, yeah?”

“I thought you hate my cooking?”

“I like your breakfasts. And I love you. I don’t love the Honey Badger. I don’t love DannyRic. I love my Danny. You’re the man who taught me that love can be a good thing. Yeah it hurts sometimes but it’s worth it. I want my life with you, whether that’s F1 or endurance or Indycar or anything else. I want you, Baby. I’m going to follow you to the end of the world. Do you hear me? Whatever you want to do next. I’m going to be holding your hand and right there by your side. Wherever you want to go. I promise.” Her voice was low as he sobbed into her dress. He’d held her as she sobbed the week before and it was her turn now. He was her boy and she wasn’t leaving him.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“I love you so much, Baby.” She stayed there holding him as he cried himself to sleep and then just stared at him for hours. Dan needed to get it all out. He’d been holding it in since she left and he needed to cry. Em held him and ran her fingers through his hair and watched as he finally fell into some kind of a restful sleep.

It was another disturbed night for her but she woke to banging on the hotel room door, Dan turning his head into her to get away from it.

“One minute, Baby. Lemme get it.” She squeezed his shoulder before answering the door. Michael was on the other side, his face changing when he saw her attire.

“Dan’s meant to be at breakfast, what’s going on? Why are you…?” He trailed off and indicated to her outfit.

“It was a bad night. Order something for Dan for breakfast, we’ll be down in fifteen. Order me some toast please? Just toast, and if they’ve got smooth peanut butter some of that too. Otherwise plain toast.”

“Can you make it ten?” If she was honest she didn’t think she could make it in fifteen, but ten was definitely out of the question.”

“Fifteen. We’ll be down.”

Getting Dan up and changed was hard but she did it, putting on yet another merch tee and carrying a bag he gave her. Everything screamed “I’m Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend” and she didn’t care that it did. She needed to be his to the world. Em was broken and battered and in pain, but her Danny needed her. So she was standing beside him and staring down the world while holding his hand and supporting him because that was what he needed. She could do this.

Walking into breakfast the mood at the table was quiet. They all ate something, Dan swapping the bowl of yogurt and granola at her place for his egg white omelette.

“Mate that was-“

“Em doesn’t eat mixed up food. And she doesn’t eat granola because of the texture. At least this way she’s eating something. When have you ever seen her eat granola?” Michael shushed at Dan’s words, at the clear tension in both of their shoulders. She picked at the omelette before passing more than half of it back to Dan. He was the one racing. He needed to eat. The fucking race.

Arriving to the paddock had her heart in her throat. This was race day. The big event. There were cameras about to be on her and as little as she wanted to see them she knew it had to happen. Sitting in the back of the car Dan looked across at her.

“You can wait for me to go through. I don’t mind.”

“I’m going inside holding your hand. I’m a wag now, i have to act the part. Right?” He grinned at her but the smile didn’t reach his eyes this time.

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”

Her pass scanned easily and let her through the turnstiles as the photographers at the entrance got a picture of Dan waiting for her while holding his hand out. She ignored the loud shouts and just focused on moving forward one step at a time. Dan’s hand was a comforting weight in hers as she kept one foot going in front of the other.

“Emma! Dan! Over here!” The calls were coming from each side but her sunglasses hid her worry. Instead they made it to the FIA building before someone else arrived and attention was taken away from them. It was a relief and she was able to relax a little bit. Race mornings were always hectic and she kissed Dan goodbye before sitting in front of McLaren with a coffee to watch the paddock go by.

“Is this seat taken?” She turned and saw Carmen asking, smiling and gesturing for the younger woman to sit down. They’d texted once or twice, given each other cafe recommendations for London and chatted when they saw each other in the paddock. “Welcome to the official ‘I’m dating a Formula One driver’ group. How’re you doing with the media attention?”

“It’s a lot.” Carmen knew what it was like, Em was able to be as honest as possible with her. “I mean I had it anyway because of work and all the speculation. But this is different. Plus I haven’t been around so yeah, it’s a lot. Hopefully it’ll die down.”

“It will. It’s bad the first couple of races but then it’ll relax because you’re there most weekends. You’ll be fine. I just wanted to check in because I know you were sick. Are you feeling better?”

The nerves and worry and fear from the night before were coming back in full force but she bit her tongue and nodded until she was ready to speak. “It’s gonna take time. But I’m getting there.”

“If you want to talk about it I’m here. I get the going from being in the normal world and then diving in here. Or if you want to get food or a coffee. Lily will be in Silverstone for Alex’s home race. We’re both going to get food the Thursday before. You’re welcome to come for dinner with us as just the girls.”

“Maybe? Dan’s parents are in Europe, they’ll be in England then. Plus we’re trying to find somewhere to live. It’s a whole thing.”

“The offer is there. Especially race weeks if you have time away from work. If I don’t see you later I’ll see you in Montreal? Susie asked if I knew if you were going. She said to say thanks about that restaurant in Melbourne, Jack loved it.”

“Tell her she’s welcome. And yeah, I’ll be in Montreal but it depends how I feel? I’m still doing a slow return to work so we’ll see how it goes.”

She watched Carmen walk away as her hair shone in the sun, effortlessly walking around the paddock like a model. Would she ever get to that stage? She could do it when Dan was at Renault, but most of that was because she blended into everyone when she wore the Renault shirts. It was different now.

Her spot outside hospitality meant that she could people watch while she did some googling. Searches for online therapy turned to hybrid therapy and finding someone she could see in person when she was in London. One therapist had open slots so she booked an initial appointment online. The time difference would suck while she was in Montreal but it was worth it. She needed this. She needed to work through the pain and the grief and the heartbreak she felt over the last few months because Dan needed her and she needed to keep him together.

She went to lunch with the boys and Dan before standing in the back of the garage and kissing the side of his helmet before he got into the car to bring it out to the grid.

“Go fast and be safe, ok?” She looked into his eyes, visor still up. “I love you no matter what happens. I promise.”

A squeeze of her hands was everything Dan needed to do to show his love and she stood in her spot in the garage just waiting. Her pass gave her grid access but she never went up there. Going on the grid felt like she’d be a distraction.

Watching Dan cross the line in P6 made her grin, hugging Blake close. She knew it wasn’t enough. Something in her knew that anything short of a race win wouldn’t be enough. But he beat Lando and that was what she really cared about. She would get to walk out of the paddock holding Dan’s hand, and the next morning they were flying straight to Montreal to have a couple of days together before the chaos of the next race began.

She could do this. She could do it. She wasn’t going to break. She was going to make sure that she kept going forward. For her, and for Dan.

Taglist: @dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00 @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javden @mloyer @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @magical-imagination-kgp @danarysstormborn @kakorrhaphiphobia @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @elizanav @neiich @luckyladycreator2 @scotlynaurora @belledawnidk

[suchalonelysunflower]

You Are What You Love (l.h)

Pairing: Luke Hemmings x Fem! Reader

Requested? Yes! (requests are currently closed)

Summary: Based on the song "Daylight" By Taylor Swift. Luke's thinking about his perspective of love while he reminisces about when he first met you

Warnings: Fluff, language, mentions of alcohol and toxic relationships. Some grammatical errors (English is not my first language, im sorry)

Word Count: 2.4 k

Author's Note: I just really wanted to write this one and give it my own lil twist. Remember that REBLOGS are super IMPORTANT and so are COMMENTS AND INTERACTIONS. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR WRITERS. Hope you like it and Happy Reading

My masterlist // tag list in bio!

The day was getting to him and they’d practically just started. Doing promos all day is something they all got used to when they first started, but it has become repetitive and unhealthy after years of being in the spotlight.

It’s not like Luke isn’t grateful for the opportunity he has of making music with his best friends, he loves what he does and why he’s doing it. But he has to admit priorities have changed for him lately, and being away from home for too long was making him angsty.

“Dude, cheer up!” Ashton would say, giving him a big smile and patting him on the shoulder as they waited for the next interviewer.

Luke would give him a half-hearted, tired smile that mimicked his feelings on the inside. He would see how Michael, Ash, and Calum would joke with each other a little bit, already getting in the mood for another seven minutes of answering questions - although everyone knew Ashton would be speaking the most again, thank you very much. And for a moment it was nice to see them slip from the personas they present in front of the camera and just let them be.

He also took this moment to check his phone and take it out from “do not disturb” when a text message showed up. After reading it his smile was for real this time.

“Is it Y/N?” Michael asked, noticing the grin on Luke’s face.

“Yeah, she says hi”

Quickly, Luke texted you back, noticing the interviewer was already making their way to them. Still, he couldn’t shake the smile off of his face.

* A few years ago.

The party was a success - or a mess if you’re the one cleaning afterward, which is pretty much what Luke promised to do if Ashton threw a party that weekend. This time it took more than ten minutes to convince the eldest of 5sos to throw a party, which is more than anyone would’ve expected coming from him.

“Luke, I already hosted a party three days ago” Ashton sighed while doing the dishes, giving his back to the youngest of the band.

“But Aaaash,” Luke pouted even though Ashton couldn’t see him “It’s the weekend!”

“Don’t you think you like partying too much?”

“Funny you’re saying it,” Luke rolled his eyes, but when he noticed Ashton stare once he turned back, he knew he was serious “C’mon, dude”

“Luke, you’re deflecting” Ashton crossed his arms in front of his chest “Don’t think we don’t notice how you use parties as an excuse to avoid the elephant in the room”

“I’m fine,” He scoffed, and the eldest raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh? So you’re ready to tell me what happened the day you showed up at my house with your dog and a U-Haul filled with your things?” Ashton sighed again when noticing Luke’s eyes deflecting his gaze “Look, you know I love having you here, but it’s not fun to see you hurting, Luke. Whatever happened with her… you know we’ll support you, right?”

And Luke knew they would. Fuck, Luke loves his friends because of it, they will never leave him behind if the ship was sinking. But the ship was already at the bottom of the ocean and they were still looking for the remains of his broken heart, not knowing there was nothing left to save. Not even himself.

“Luke…”

“Fine, if you don’t want to have a party then forget it,” Luke said, turning around and going to his room.

Ashton groaned loudly and threw his head back before calling out “Okay! We’re having a stupid party! But you’re cleaning up the next day!”

And so came Saturday and the house was packed. Except for one lonely soul sitting outside against the wall, drinking a beer, and not being able to figure out what was so wrong with him. Ashton was right, he was deflecting. But what was wrong with wanting to have a little party to try and forget the past?

The lights were low, so no one could recognize him that easily as he slipped out. The loud noises of the party drowned the sounds of his mind telling him he was the one that fucked up and that he should go back to what he knew was an unhealthy environment. At least that’s a place familiar to him; the feeling of not being enough but still trying to make it up somehow; being the butt of the joke everyone and laughing along even though they never knew the struggle or the pain behind every word or comment he read on the internet.

He was in love, or at least he thought he was. Damn, there was his whole life ahead of him and he thought she’d be by his side through all of it. But love doesn’t have to be black and white, it doesn't have to make you doubt every single word or move or Instagram post. He never thought love could be so cruel… or maybe he didn’t know what love was after all.

What’s worst of it all is that he knew he hurt some people along the way. Fuck, he even made Ashton throw him a party every week to try and cheer him up even though everyone knew it was all a charade. After everything that he did wrong, his friends are still there for him when he least deserves it. All because he was too hung up to see the reality, or too scared to face it.

Still, at least he was sound of mind and heart and didn’t plan to go back to her, even if that meant waking up and facing the unknown future again.

“Cheers to that,” He mumbled as he brought the beer bottle he was nursing to his lips.

“Amen,” A voice said behind him, making him spill his drink all over his shirt “Oh shit! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”

Luke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, counting to ten in his head so that he won’t curse this person out. But soon a hand was stretched out to him, offering some napkins to clean himself out.

Finally, his blue eyes were able to look at the person who so rudely interrupted his self-deprecating moment. And for a second there he was speechless.

“I’m truly sorry,” The girl gave him a shy, awkward smile, “I thought you heard me get out and- Well, that’s what I get for trying to be funny, I guess”

Luke blinked up at her, losing his train of thought when he noticed how cute she looked when blushing and the way her eyes sparkled before she looked down. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he accepted the napkins.

“It was funny,” He said, dabbing his shirt “I always hated this shirt anyways, so thank you for helping me get rid of her”

The girl smiled “I don’t know if you’re making fun of me… but, yeah, that shirt is very 2015”

Luke fake gasped in surprise “Are you saying I have bad taste?”

“I’m saying that maybe you did but are now repenting for your sins”

“So quick-witted”

“One of my many talents”

“What’s another one?”

“I can run faster than a wolf”

“Don’t you get tired?” He asked, scooting to his side so that she could sit beside him. She did.

“Maybe when I do I’ll finally find the place that makes me what to stay” She shrugged “Do you have a talent?”

“I can’t seem to differentiate heroes from villains”

She looked at him, resting her chin on her hand “What do you think I am, then?”

“I don’t know yet” He laughed, looking back at her and getting lost in her eyes for a second before asking “Should I be offended you'd rather be out here than at my party?”

“Should I be offended that the host of the party would rather sit outside in the cold than at his own party?” She challenged him “My friend dragged me here, but I’m not much of a social butterfly and I need a moment to charge my battery before she tries to set me up with another stranger”

“Ooff, tough crowd?”

“The toughest”

“Good.” Luke said, leaning back and looking up at the sky “Easiest way not to get hurt”

“Maybe,” She shrugged. “But if we don’t get hurt once in a while then why bother to feel anything at all?”

Luke turned to her, frowning as he examined her face. “Did Ashton send you here?”

The girl looked at him quizzically, “I literally have no idea who Ashton is, but if he’s like- I don’t know, your “guide” in the universe, then maybe?”

Luke laughed “He’s my co-host”

“Oh! The one singing “I will survive” in karaoke! Yeah, no, I haven’t talked to him. But if you want me to call him I could-”

“No!” Luke said way too quickly and she noticed that as well “I mean if he sees me he’ll know he’s right and I would rather eat another one of Calum’s veggie lasagnas than do that”

“Ouch, tough crowd?”

He groaned “You have no idea”

“I might, a little bit”

“Yeah?” He bumped her arm with his “What’s your story then?”

“Who wants to know?”

“Luke,” He said, extending a hand for her to shake.

“Y/N,” She took his hand in hers, shaking it firmly “Well, Luke, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours”

“And if we never want to see each other after we do?”

“Then that’s a risk we’ll both have to take”

*

The memory faded as he noticed all eyes were on him.

Shit.

At least there’ll be more elevator memes after this interview.

“Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?” Luke asked, ignoring Calum’s chuckle.

“Of course!” The interviewer smiled “I said that you were one of the main writers in almost every song of this album. What’s the inspiration behind it?”

“Oh,” It was an easy answer, of course, something he had rehearsed with the guys beforehand. But as the memory of your first encounter was still so fresh, another answer came to mind “Love,”

“Love?”

“Well, I guess that the right way to say it would be the feeling you get when you know you’re safe” He started, “When you feel safe around that special someone, no judgment nor fears or doubts. When that person means the world to you and you would do anything to give it to them just to see the smile on their face even for just a second. Or when you make a mistake and you’re willing to put everything on the line to try and make it right, just hoping the other one will forgive you when you think you least deserve it. “I had my doubts about love for quite some time. Thinking I was defined by it when we just create the context ourselves when we find the right person to share that love with. I always believed love would be…”

“Burning red?” Michael smiled, finding the words right out of Luke’s mouth.

“Yeah,” He smiled “But love is not supposed to burn or to hurt. Love is supposed to keep us warm and safe. Love is golden, like daylight”

“But not our old song Daylight,” Ashton said, making everyone laugh “That truly was a mistake”

“But it is part of our history,” Calum added.

“Like heartbreaks and hurt,” Luke chimed in, going back to the original question “But without them, is it even worth feeling anything at all? They’re just passing by until you find the place you want to stay, with the ones you love”

Luke watched with a smile as the other guys answered the rest of the questions, knowing full well that this is where he was meant to be. But there was someone missing.

*

The car dropped him off first, his friends all saying their goodbyes or see you tomorrow and saying I love you to him before he got out. He cracked his back before he grabbed his bag and made his way to the front door, waving one last time at the guys.

The moment he crossed the door he hung his keys and got rid of his boots. He was about to call your name when a faint mixture of sounds got to him. He frowned as he walked toward the living room, quickly finding you under a pile of blankets, wearing his hoodie and with an arm wrapped around a very sleepy Petunia whose snores were drowned out by the sounds on your phone.

Luke smiled as he shook his head, walking over to his two girls and sliding down next to you, wrapping you with his arms.

“What’ you doing?” He said, kissing you on the cheek “Are you- are you watching 5sos TikToks?”

“What can I say?” You said, turning into his embrace and facing him “You guys are very entertaining”

You ignored the rolling of his eyes as you leaned over to kiss him sweetly on the lips, feeling how he relaxed against you.

“Hi,” You mumbled once you pulled back just enough to have only your noses touching.

“Hi, darling” Luke smiled, kissing you briefly one more time.

“Long day?”

“The longest without you”

“Sap” You giggled, trying to scurry away before his hands found your waist and started to tickle it, but not being able to succeed.

This is what he meant about love. Coming home after a long day and having your laugh be music to his ears. Being able to touch you and kiss you like it was the first time every time. Just relaxing with you on the couch with your dog, watching hours and hours of tiktoks before any of your stomachs started to grumble. Talking about your respective days while you cook dinner together with Fleetwood Mac’s music surrounding the house, listening to all the good and the bad and the ugly, and just being there for each other.

The words “I love you” never made sense to him before you came along. But when you kiss him goodnight and whisper those words to him, he knows them to be true. And when he says them back, he knows he’s falling short. Because a love like that is impossible to describe.

A love like that is golden. A love like that is kind.

So every night he adds:

“Loving you is the best thing I have” * * tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @mystic-232 @talksoprettyjjx @theshyspy @hoodhoran @hoodharlow @littledrummeraussie @bubblegum183 @irwin-fletcher-ash @wiiildflowerrr @another-lonely-heart @aabc5sauce @in-superbloom @sadcupofcoffee @personalmuyverypersonal @vtte @as-hs-blog @himbohood @sofiaaraee @irwindoll @weasleytwinscumslut @fairytrice @colourfulcal @nibin0912 @hfkait @savagejane1 @youneedtocalumdown @ashtonsunflower @nicebasscalum @calumspupils @secretsicanthideanymore @alltimesos @wontlastimokwiththat @whywontyoulovemecami @theimpossiblehologramtree @perriexed @abiancajg @rewmuslupin @icelily13 @bookthingz @gracieboogirl @fastandtheformula1 @kingxnichole @wildflower98

[elianamarie-blog]

The Things You Give Part 31

This has gone on wayyyy longer than I thought it would lol but here is the next part! Enjoy!

“Man, I am so psyched for this car show,” Hyde said as he, Y/n, Kitty and Red sat at the breakfast table. “I’m telling you, once I trick out the El Camino, it’s going to be—” he bent over, covering Kitty’s ears. “Bad-freakin’-ass.”

Kitty rolled her eyes at her son-in-law at his poor attempt to prevent her from hearing him.

“You know ‘tricking out’ sounds a lot like accessorizing,” Y/n said, shoving some fruit in her mouth.

“Hey, don’t ever call it that, alright?” Hyde responded and sat down next to his wife. “But, yeah, that’s basically what it is.”

“Oh, Y/n, I’m begging you to stop,” Red said. “There’s gonna be hundreds of auto parts salesman there kissing my ass because of the muffler shop and I don’t need you embarrassing me with that talk.”

“What—are you ashamed of me?” she asked with a mouthful of food, smirking.

“Am I ashamed of my eighteen year old pregnant daughter who still lives at home? No, not at all.”

Her smiled dropped as she gave her father a deadpanned look. “You’re going to miss me when we’re gone.”

“No, no. Don’t say that. You’re never leaving me,” Kitty said.

“Alright, I’m getting in the car.” Red stood from his seat and shrugged on his coat and pointed a finger at everyone. “If you’re not there in five minutes, I’m leaving without you.” Without waiting for a response, he turned sharply and walked out the kitchen.

“Ah, the honeymoon speech again,” Kitty giggled and started to walk out when she stopped in her tracks. “Whoops, almost forgot my book. You know, this new Jackie Collins romance book gives me the tingles.”

“Mrs. Forman, please. I don’t need to hear about your tingles,” Steven said, scrunching his face.

“You live in my house, you hear about my tingles,” Kitty quipped and turned to Y/n who was struggling to put on her shoes.

“Oh, honey, you might want to bring a book. Once we get there, the guys are going to ignore us.”

Y/n grunted as she sat there, trying to put on her tennis shoes. “I…guess…I can bring…the baby…SON OF A BITCH!” She stomped her foot, irritated and frustrated. “Steven, help me!” she whined.

“Alright, don’t get all squeaky on me,” he said and knelt down to slip on her shoes.

“Hey, this is partially your fault,” she said. “And can you grab me my pregnancy book off the counter?”

He chuckled and reached over to hand it to her. “You’re really going to sit there and read this?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You know I don’t care much for cars.”

“You like the El Camino,” Hyde said, frowning.

“Yeah, because it’s your car. Otherwise, I don’t care.”

“Wow,” Hyde said and took a step back. “You know how to hurt a man’s feelings.”

Y/n chuckled. “You’re so dramatic. Now help me up.”

                                             Meanwhile…

“Hey, guys, check out my baby!” Kelso announced as he burst through the door with Brooke following in tow with Betsy in her stroller. “Oh, and you remember Brooke.”

“How could we forget?” Donna chuckled.

“Isn’t she adorable?” he cooed and scooped her up in his arms while she babbled.

“Yeah,” Markus said, eyeing Brooke. “I can see why you knocked her up.”

Jackie eyed her boyfriend. “Excuse me?”

“N-nothing, babe,” Markus said, stuttering. “You’re still the most beautiful girl in this room.”

“Damn straight,” she said and looked at Brooke. “You may be hot, but I’m hotter.”

“Okay…” Brooke replied awkwardly. “Anyway, thank you so much, Michael, for watching her for me. Everyone was busy.” Her gaze travelled down to her daughter as she leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he replied, a look of love and adoration adorned his face. “I’m pretty nervous. I tried on three outfits.”

“No, don’t worry. All little girls love their daddies,” she responded and kissed Betsy’s face again, then checked her watch. “Oh, I’m late. Mommy loves you so much.” She looked back up to Kelso with a smile. “Bye, Michael.” She gave him a smile and walked out the door.

“Okay, Donna, I’ve just spent the last ten minutes powdering myself,” Eric called from the stairs as he bounded down. “Time to spill ‘em and feel ‘em—oh, my God, why are you all here?”

“I’m here to show you my baby,” Kelso said, showing her off like a trophy.

“Great, now get out,” Eric replied. “Me and Donna and have plans and it doesn’t include any of you. So…bye.”

 “Yeah, like what, Eric?” Jackie asked, clicking her tongue while smirking.

“You know…we just…as a couple…shut up, Jackie!” Eric stuttered. “You see, the point is…get out. All of you.”

“Wait, wait, I was hoping we could stay here,” Kelso piped up.

Eric groaned. “Why? Why can’t you do it at your place?”

“Because my brothers are home and like to throw darts.”

Eric crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, so?”

“At each other.”

“Okay,” Eric sighed. “Donna, I’m going to go up stairs and change into something sexy. If you’re not there in sixty seconds, I’m going to start without you. And we both know how awkward that can be if you walk into that.”

Jackie shivered. “I remember that day.”

“Wait, what?!” Markus asked, surprised.

She waved her hand. “It’s not what it sounds like.”

He scoffed. “Oh, really?”

“No, it’s really not what it sounds like,” Donna responded.

“Hey, what’s this?” Fez asked, pulling out a bottle from Betsy’s bag.

“That’s breast milk, don’t touch that,” Kelso responded and ripped the bottle from Fez’s hand.

“From an actual boob?” Fez asked in complete awe. “What don’t they do?”

“Kelso, she’s so adorable,” Jackie cooed.

“Why is she making that face?” Donna asked, but suddenly the smell hit them all at once.

“IT’S POO!” they all screamed, scrambling away from their spots.

Kelso ran into Hyde’s old room screaming before running back out. “The smell’s in there too! It’s everywhere!”

“Kelso, man, I think you need to change her diaper,” Markus said, covering his nose.

“W-what? I don’t want to do that! That’s gross!”

“Michael, she’s your kid!” Jackie yelled, hiding her nose in Markus’s shirt.

“No, no I can’t. I’m going to barf if I do. Donna, here, you do it.”

“What?! Why me?!”

“Because you’re better with this stuff than I am!”

“No, it’s because I’m a woman, isn’t it?”

“…Maybe—I mean no—I mean…please help me!”

Donna grunted and rolled her eyes. “Men are so helpless!”

                                                   Meanwhile…

“Yeah, man, look at this place,” Hyde said, gazing around and looking at the different cars. “Chrome, tires, half dressed women…it’s like staying at Grandma’s house.”

“Awe, you poor broken boy,” Y/n mocked, patting her hand against his cheek.

“Funny,” he deadpanned.

“Alright, Salesmen, pucker up!” Red announced. “Red Forman’s ass is in the building!” With that, he walked away in the opposite direction.

“Well, I lost mine,” Kitty said, nudging Y/n’s arm. “I give yours thirty seconds.”

“Alright, Y/n, let’s start off by looking at tires and then after lunch you can help me pick out an obnoxiously loud stereo,” Hyde said, smirking.

“Wait, you’re going to spend the day with Y/n?” Kitty asked, baffled.

“Yeah, man, she’s my wife,” he answered as if it was obvious and turned back to his wife. “Alright, I’m going to go get us a funnel cake. But listen, this is a rough crowd, all right? So, if any guys come up to you and offer to teach you how to drive a stick, just say no and pull the fire alarm.”

Y/n smirked at him. “Yeah, because they’re going to hit on a heavily pregnant girl.”

“You never know, baby,” he said and kissed her cheek before walking off.

“See, Mom, I knew he wouldn’t ditch me,” she said, beaming.

“Y/n, he’s a man,” Kitty replied, shaking her head. “Accept the fact that he’s never coming back. When I went into labor with you and Eric, I sent your father to get me some ice chips. I didn’t see him for an hour and a half because he had found a pinball machine.”

“No way,” Y/n chuckled.

“But it’s fine,” Kitty said through a tight-lipped smile. “Ha! I laugh about it now…I do…I will…it’s just not that funny.”

                                                           

“Hey, where’s Kelso?” Eric asked as he bounded the steps into the basement.

“He left to go grab her teddy bear,” Donna replied while holding Betsy in her arms.

“And he couldn’t take her with him?”

“No, because he, quote-on-quote, ‘took out the seatbelts so that the car would drive faster.’” She rolled her eyes. “Then she tried to eat from my boobs.”

“Hey, that’s my job!” Eric teased and looked around. “Where’s everyone else?”

“They went home. Apparently, helping me with a baby wasn’t interesting enough for them.”

“Well, that’s not cool.”

“You ditched me too,” Donna pointed out. “You went upstairs so that we could have sex and never came back down.”

“Hey, I’m here, aren’t I?” he asked, making her chuckle. He looked around, taking in the silence. “You know…since everyone is gone. We can go upstairs.”

She looked at him as he wiggled his eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? Not with a baby near us! People go to jail because of this crap!”

“Ugh, no!” he shouted. “I meant, put her down to sleep and then you and I can do it.”

“I don’t know, Eric. Seems a little risky,” she said, looking down at Betsy who placed her little hand on Donna’s face.

“Or, it can be a little risqué,” Eric tried, but was met with a stoney glare from his girlfriend. “Well, come on, Donna, we haven’t done it in weeks!”

“We just did it the other night!”

“Yeah, that’s like three weeks in guys’ time.”

“Shut up, Eric.”

                                               

“Okay, one funnel, extra sugar. Just the way you like it,” Hyde announced as he handed the funnel cake to his wife who was sitting on a bench.

“Awe, thank you, sweetheart,” she cooed. “Because you came back, I’m going to feed you a piece.”

“Oh, get a room you two,” Kitty said, bitterly.

“We did and look where that got us,” Y/n responded.

Kitty huffed. “Did you see Red?”

“He’s not back yet?” Steven asked, looking around, confused. “That’s weird, he was in front of me at the funnel cake line.”

Kitty turned around to see a sight that automatically made her blood boil. “What the...?!”

Right behind her was Red holding the funnel cake with two young, beautiful half-naked women on each side, standing in front of a camera.

“Say, funnel cake!” Red beamed.

“Funnel cake!” the girls said in unison.

“Oh, my God!” Kitty exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?!”

“And fun’s over,” Red grumbled.

“Well, I hope you’re happy, Red Forman because we are leaving! You two!” she screeched, pointing at the young, married couple. “Get your a-ss-e-s back to the car!”

They didn’t have to be told twice as they jumped up and made haste towards the car.

“And you two!” Kitty hollered at the women. “Get your b-double o-b’s off my husband!”

                                                Meanwhile…

“Okay, I think she’s asleep,” Donna said, gently placing Betsy into her cradle.

They had moved their conversation into Eric’s bedroom, bringing Betsy’s bed along with them.

“Well, in that case,” Eric said, standing from his bed and started to undress himself.

“Eric, I told you we’re not doing that here,” Donna said sternly.

“What? Come on, Donna!” he whined. “You brought the tiger out of its cage and once it’s out, you can’t put it back.”

She sighed and looked back at the baby before shrugging and getting into bed. As she cuddled up to him, he threw on the covers over them. They soon found themselves melting into each other and into the mattress.

Just when Eric was about to unbutton his pants, Betsy started fussing.

“Oh, crap, the baby’s awake,” Donna said and pulled away.

“Donna—no, no, no, no, no,” Eric begged. “Hey, Betsy, go ahead and close your eyes, sweetie ‘cause Aunt Donna and Uncle Eric are going to do it.”

“Eric, you are seriously disturbed. We have to take care of her.”

“No, no. Come on she’s fine!” he continued. “The tiger really wants to escape his cage.”

She made a face at him. “How is a crying baby not turning you off?” She held Betsy in her arms, rocking her.

“Two words, Donna. Eight…teen,” he deadpanned. “Nothing turns me off.”

“Ew.”

                                           A Little While Later…

The kitchen door swung open as Donna and Eric walked through carrying Betsy. Fez sat at the kitchen table staring at a bottle of breast milk.

“Fez?” Donna asked cautiously.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you staring at that bottle?”

“Because it came from a breast,” he whispered in awe. “Simply remarkable.”

“Okay, you’re clearly a demented pervert, so let me ask you this,” Donna said as she placed Betsy in her stroller. “Would you be able to have sex with a baby in the room?”

“No way,” he replied, knitting his eyebrows together. “I can barley do it with a woman in the room.”

“Congratulations, Eric. You’re more sexually despicable than Fez,” Donna cracked.

“Okay, Donna, here’s the thing,” Eric began, thinking his defense would come to his rescue, when in fact it wasn’t. “I’m a man, so my on/off switch is always on. Now, you can either deal with that or—switch to girls.”

“Pig,” Donna laughed.

The sliding door slid open as Bob walked in. His eyes widened when he saw the baby. “Donna, if that’s your baby I’m going to snap Eric in half.”

Eric spread his hands, palms up, confused and feeling attacked.

“Dad, don’t you think you would’ve noticed if I was pregnant?” Donna asked.

“Not really. I’m not really a hands-on kind of a dad,” Bob responded.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Donna grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“Anyhoo, I brought the hammock inside because it’s too cold outside and need someone to push me,” Bob continued.

“I can do it for you,” Fez volunteered and stood up.

“Great, thanks!”

At that moment, Kelso rushed in from the side door. “Okay! I got her teddy bear! And it wasn’t easy dodging my brothers,” he said excitedly “I got a dart in the calf.” He turned and picked up Betsy from her stroller. He held her in the crook of his arm. “Hey, baby, look.” He danced the bear in front of the baby’s face. “It’s your teddy bear and your handsome daddy.”

Betsy continued to cry and Kelso started to feel his optimism faded. His smile faded and he frowned. “Why won’t she stop crying? Is it me? Maybe it is. What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Kelso, don’t take it personally,” Donna said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “When I first met you, I didn’t like you either.” He looked at her confused on how that was supposed to comfort him. “But, to be fair you were peeing on my swing set.”

His frown turned into a smile once again. “Yeah, that was funny.”

At that moment, the sliding door opened again. Everyone turned to see a relieved looking Leo.

“Man, am I glad to see you guys,” he said. “All these houses look alike. Except for that red one on the corner where the clown lives.”

“Leo, that’s a McDonald’s,” Donna reminded him.

“Well, whatever he is, he’s funny,” Leo chuckled and noticed the little bundle in Kelso’s arms. “Hey, what’s with the baby, man?”

“I don’t know, I can’t get her to quit crying,” Kelso responded on the brink of tears.

“Here, man, let me try.” Leo reached out and cradled the baby gently in his arms. The baby continued to fuss until eventually she calmed down to her own coos.

“How did you do that?” Kelso asked shocked.

“Babies love me, man,” he responded. “It’s ‘cause I’m fuzzy.” He jerked his ahead towards the living room and turned around. “I’ll go give her a bottle.”

After Leo walked out, Kelso turned to Donna with slumped shoulders. “That confirms it. My own baby hates me.”

“That’s not true,” Fez said, putting a comforting hand on his back. “The only reason she stopped crying is because Leo has the shakes.”

“No, it’s me,” Kelso responded, shaking his head. “She barley knows me and a girl needs her father, you know, for guidance. What if she starts dating guys like Fez?!” He pointed to Fez with bewilderment as Fez stood there calmly.

“Well, if she looks anything like you than she’ll be way out of my league,” Fez said coyly.

“Kelso, if you really feel that way then maybe you should start to get to know her now,” Donna said. “You should go hold her.”

“You’re right,” he nodded and turned. “Leo?”

When they entered the living room, they were greeted with an empty room.

“Leo?!” Kelso called out, running to the dining room and den. He ran back out to the middle of the living room. “Oh, my God, they’re gone!”

                                            

Outside of the car show, Red, Y/n and Hyde stood in front of the Vista Cruiser waiting for Kitty to come out.

“Alright, when Kitty gets here, she’s going to be pretty mad,” Red said, almost dancing on his feet. “So…I suggest we leave her here.”

“She can’t get any madder,” Y/n said. “Although, this is definitely makes the top ten of times I’ve seen her incredibly angry.”

“You’re keeping tally?” Hyde asked her.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Footsteps behind them made them all turn around.

“Kitty!” Red called out nervously. “My darling wife.”

“Can it, Red,” she snapped. “I need to talk to you in the car.” She shoved her husband in the direction of the car and he begrudgingly got inside.

“This should be interesting,” Y/n muttered as she listened.

“How could you Red Forman?!” Kitty yelled. “Steven stayed with Y/n, but you went off and gave my funnel cake to those whores!”

“I was just trying to have a little fun,” Red defended.

“Yeah? Well, you can take your fun and shove it up your—!”

A nearby car alarm started going off, catching Y/n’s and Steven’s attention. After a moment, Kitty stepped out the car feeling and looking calmer. “Alright, kids, you ready to go?”

                                                    ∞∞∞

As they pulled into the driveway, Eric and Donna shoved open the sliding door and ran towards them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s the big rush?” Red asked.

“Uh, nothing. Nothing at all!” Eric squeaked.

“If it’s nothing than why are you sweating?” Y/n asked, closing the door behind her.

“Because we’re playing hide-and-seek with—with Betsy and Kelso and those two little rascals know how to hide!”

“You’re acting weirder than usual, what’s going on?” Y/n asked.

“He always acts weird, what’re you talking about?” Hyde stated.

Eric grabbed her by the elbow and dragged out of earshot of Kitty and Red. “Kelso lost Betsy.”

“He WHAT?!”

“What?” Kitty and Red asked.

“Nothing, nothing!” Eric said and grabbed Y/n by the arm and rushed her inside.

“What do you mean he lost Betsy?!” Y/n whisper shouted.

“I mean, he let Leo hold her and then he walked out and we can’t find either of them,” he tried to explain calmly.

“How could you let this happen?!”

“Me? Why do I have to be in charge of Kelso’s kid? I didn’t sleep with him!”

Y/n made a face at him as Hyde slid next to her. “What’s going on?”

“Dink 1 and Dink 2 lost Betsy and Leo and now can’t find either of them,” Y/n explained.

Hyde looked at Eric for a beat before he burst into a fit of laughter. “Man, that’s gold.”

“No, no it’s not!” Eric squeaked again.

“You let the world’s stoned man walk off with a human that’s not even six months?!” Y/n screeched out.

“Y/n, please, you need to help us,” he pleaded.

“Why me?”

“Because you and Donna are the only ones who aren’t dumb,” he continued. “Please?”

She looked to Hyde who shrugged and sighed. “Fine. Where was the last time you saw him?”

“Here, in the kitchen and then he walked out to the living room and that’s when we lost him. I mean, we looked everywhere around the house and he’s nowhere. We even looked in the closet and under the beds.”

“Why would he—you know what, never mind,” Y/n cut herself off, waving her hand. “Let’s go. He couldn’t have gone far.” She turned to walk back out the door.

“Where are you going?” Hyde asked.

“The Pinciotti’s,” she responded, exhausted already.

“I’ll go with you,” he responded.

“I’ll go drive down the street and see if I can find him,” Eric said.

“Okay…oh, and Eric,” Y/n stopped him. “Make sure to whistle when you call for him. It’ll get his attention faster.”

“He’s not a dog, Y/n.”

“No, I’ve seen him do that once,” Hyde responded. “It was weird. ”

The twins stared at him as he recalled the memory. Then, in unison and wordlessly walked in opposite directions.

When Y/n and Hyde walked through the Pinciotti's kitchen door, they found it empty.

“Leo?” Y/n called. She was met with silence. “Leo?”

They walked through the kitchen and entered the living room.  In the corner, Leo was laying fast asleep in the hammock Bob had set up earlier in the day. Laying in the crook of his arm was Betsy, cooing to herself.

“Oh, hi, Sweetheart,” Y/n chuckled and picked her up in her arms. “What’re you doing here, huh?”

Hyde watched Y/n closely as she held the baby close to her chest, smiling with such an adoring look on her face. He swore he’d never seen her so gentle. He found his heart beginning to swell in his chest.

“I’m so glad we found you,” she continued. “Daddy is so worried about you. What do you say we go find him, mhm?”

Hyde looked down at her with a smirk. “I like it when you say ‘daddy.’”

She gave him a disgusted look. “Really? Are you still going to like it when our children call you ‘daddy?’”

His smile dropped instantly. “Yeah, that’s weird.”

“Well, now I kinda like it…Daddy,” she said in a low, sultry voice.

He furrowed his brows at her. “Stop it.”

“But why, Daddy?”

“Seriously, stop.”

“Is Daddy going to punish me? Is Daddy going to spank me?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Way to make it weird.”

She chuckled and turned her attention to a snoring Leo. “Should we wake him up?”

Steven nodded and turned to the sleeping man, shaking his shoulder. “Leo, man, wake up.”

Leo snorted awake, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. “Oh, hey, man. What’s up?”

“You walked out with Betsy without telling anyone and now they’re freaking out,” he responded.

Leo stared at him for a minute. “Hey, man! When did you have a baby?”

                                             ∞∞∞

“Oh, hey, Brooke,” Kelso said, answering the phone in the Forman’s living room. “How’s it going?”

“I just wanted to check on you,” she responded. “How’s everything going? How’s Betsy?”

“Oh,” he started and flapped his lips together by pushing air through, he nervously stumbled for words. “She’s—she’s fine. Having a great time.”

“Oh, good! Can I talk to her?”

Kelso looked to Donna, Fez, and Eric in a panic.

“Tell her she’s sleeping,” Donna whispered.

He snapped his fingers at her, motioning she’s a genius. “She’s sleeping! Sorry.”

“That’s weird, she took a nap before I dropped her off.”

“Well, uh, we played hide-n-seek and got really tired.”

“You’re acting weird, what’s going on?”

“I’m not acting weird,” he stuttered. “Can’t a father just enjoy spending time with his daughter. Like, damn Brooke. What’s with the third degree?”

“Michael.”

“Okay, well the thing is—”

At that moment, Y/n and Steven walked through the kitchen door with Y/n cradling Betsy.

“Oh-oh! There she is! You found her!” Kelso asked excitedly.

“What?! What do you mean ‘where was she?’” Brooke asked, freaking out.

“N-nothing! I said I love her.”

“That is not what you said,” she said.

“You know what? I’m hanging up now. You never listen to me!” he faked dramatically and hung up the phone before she could answer. “Oh, my God, Betsy!”

He grabbed her from Y/n’s grasp and brought her close to his chest. “I was so worried about you. I’m so sorry I lost you. Daddy loves you so much.”

As he rocked Betsy back and forth and his adrenaline started to slow down, he looked up to everyone else who was staring at him. “Guys, I’m a terrible father. How could I lose her like that?”

“You’re not a terrible father,” Y/n comforted. “You’d be a terrible father if you didn’t bother to look for her. Seeing how scared you were says otherwise.”

“But I shouldn’t have lost her. Something could’ve happened to her.”

“Hey, it could be worse,” Hyde said. “You could’ve left her at the Piggly-Wiggly for six hours like my mom did to me. She didn’t even realize I was gone.”

“Yeah, see? You’re not bad like Hyde’s mom,” Donna joined in.

“Yeah, I guess,” Kelso said solemnly. “Brooke is never going to trust me to watch her again.”

“Yes, she is,” Donna said, placing a hand on his back. “You’re just still adjusting to fatherhood, that’s all.”

“Yeah,” he responded and looked down to Betsy who was smiling at him. “Hey, look, she’s smiling at me!” A smile broke out on his face. “Hi, I’m your daddy.” He looked back up. “She does like me!”

“See, I told you she did,” Donna responded and glanced up at Hyde who was watching Kelso intently. “Hey, Hyde. Why don’t you hold the baby?”

“Uh—no,” he responded. “I’m good. I don’t want my Zepplin shirt ruined if she barfs.”

“C’mon, it’ll be good practice for when ours are born,” Y/n chimed in. “You’re going to have get used to it anyway.”

“No, really, I’m okay,” he said, taking a step back.

“What are you so afraid of?” she asked. “You told me you used to take care of kids when you lived with your mom.”

“C’mon, man, she’s not going to bite,” Kelso encouraged, rocking Betsy.

“I-I’d rather not.”

“Steven, what is the big deal?” Y/n asked him.

He met everyone’s eyes in the room who were now staring at him. “I just don’t want to, okay?! God!” He stormed off and disappeared into the kitchen.

A flash of hurt crossed Kelso’s face. “Is there something wrong with my baby?”

“No, not at all,” Y/n said, her blood beginning to boil. “Steven is just an ass. I’m going to talk to him.”

She followed in the direction he darted off to and saw him opening a can of soda. “What the hell was that about? You know you just hurt Kelso’s feelings.”

He cracked open the can and took a hearty sip. “He’ll be fine. I’ve done worse things.”

“None of those included his child. What’s wrong with you? Why are you being such an ass?”

“Because I don’t like to be forced to try to hold someone’s kid by everyone around me!” he shouted in frustration.

“What’re you going to do when our kids are born? Are you going to refuse to hold them and leave me to do all the rearing?”

“Of course not! How could you think that?”

“How could I not? Look how you reacted to Betsy!”

“The difference is Betsy isn’t my kid!”

“So? What difference does it make?!”

“Everything!” he continued to shout.

She waited for him to continue but he didn’t. She spread her hands out in front of her as to say, well?

He shrugged and moved his away towards the basement. “That’s it.”

“Steven!”

He stopped in his tracks and turned back sharply. “Fine! You wanna know why? Because kids hate me. There, ya happy?”

She scrunched her face in confusion. “What? What’re you talking about?”

He sighed and set the soda down on the counter. “I told you I had to help take care of kids, but the truth is every single one of them hated me. They’d always cry and scream every time I even went near them. I don’t need a reminder of what’s to come when our kids are born.”

“Is that what this is about?” she asked, somewhat relieved. “You’re afraid that a baby is going to cry because of you holding her?”

“Well, it sounds stupid when you put it like that.”

“Steven, it’s not,” she assured and wrapped her arms around his neck—well as much as she could anyway with her stomach blocking her. “It’s perfectly normal to feel this way.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She smiled at him. “Just because those kids cried every time you held them doesn’t mean ours will.”

“Okay, but what if they cry like Kelso’s kid?”

“Betsy cries because she doesn’t see Kelso as much as she should. That’s not going to be you, okay?”

He sighed while staring at the linoleum. “What if they hate me?”

“They’re not,” she said gently and kissed his cheek. “I think you’re going to be their favorite person.”

He gave her a small smile before pecking her lips. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” she responded and pulled away. “Now, what do you say you give it a try?”

He groaned. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

“I heard you; I didn’t say I cared,” she snarked and smiled. “C’mon, she’s not going to cry.”

She pulled his through the kitchen door by the hand with him trudging behind her.

“You have a change of mind?” Donna asked.

“I was forced to,” he said begrudgingly. “Just give me the kid.”

“Oh yeah, that’ll make her feel safe,” Y/n said. “Here, watch me.”

She opened her arms for Kelso to hand off the baby. Once she placed in Y/n’s arms, Betsy snuggled into her. She turned to Hyde who was standing nervously.

“You’re psyching yourself out,” she told him. “Just relax. Babies can sense what you’re feeling, so just make sure to stay calm, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” he said and reached for the baby.

As Y/n started to place Betsy in his arms, she said, “Okay, easy…just like that. Support her head…”

Once she was completely in his arms, he stood there awkwardly. He felt unnatural holding a baby and now was even more scared that he was going to drop her. The way he was holding her was like holding a pile of wood.

“Why are you holding her like that?” Y/n asked him, chuckling. She looked down to Betsy who was staring up at him with big, sweet eyes.

“I don’t know, I’ve never really held one before who didn’t try to get away from me,” he responded, looking down at the calm baby.

She giggled when he looked down at her.

“I think she likes you,” Y/n chuckled and tucked the blanket under her chin. “Here let me help you.” Holding Betsy under his arms, she guided his arm that was supporting Betsy’s head and tucked it closer to his chest so he supported her head better while his other supported the rest of her body. “Just like that.”

“See, I told you she wasn’t going to cry.”

“Yeah, I guess you were right,” he said gently and looked down at her once more.

“Hey, Hyde, that’s a good look on you,” Donna said, grinning.

“Yeah, I don’t know how Y/n is going to be able to keep her hands off you,” Fez teased.

“Well, if she could before, she wouldn’t be pregnant.”

“Shut up, Forman,” Hyde snapped.

“Shut up, Eric!” Y/n said in unison with her husband.

                                                    ∞∞∞

“Okay, we’ve got the napkins, the finger sandwiches, the fruit salad, the veggie platter, the water boiling for the tea, the pasta salad,” Kitty said, checking off her list. “Then we have the brownies, the French macaroons—where are the French macaroons?” She whipped around, frantically looking for them, not able to see them.

“French macaroons?” Y/n asked as she walked in the living room, holding the plate of them. “Don’t you think these are a little fancy?” She placed them down on the long dining table. “I mean, a tea party? I’m not five, mom.”

“It’s your baby shower!” Kitty said excitedly. “We need to go fancy. We got to keep our guests well fed while we entertain them.”

“Our ‘guests’ are us, my friends, Bob, and Brooke,” she snickered and turned towards the table to grab a macaroon. “It’s not much of a party.” She made a satisfied noise as she bit into the dessert.

“Well, it may be more than that…” Kitty said sheepishly.

Y/n stopped mid chew and looked to her mom with widened eyes. “What did you do?”

“Nothing! Nothing…but I invited the WOPPS…and the women in my book club…and some people from church, Sasha, and maybe the neighborhood.”

“Mom!”

“What?! Is it a crime that I want my baby to have the best baby shower?”

Y/n squinted her eyes at her mother. ‘That’d be a lot more convincing if you hadn’t invited the WOPPS.”

“The Women of Point Place are a bunch of sophisticated, elegant women who love you and are excited for you.”

“Oh, please. You invited them because they’re rich,” Y/n scoffed.

“There’s that too,” Kitty admitted, throwing her hands up. “They’ll bring stuff that you actually need, though. You’re going to need a lot for the babies.”

“Yeah, that’s your reason,” she laughed.

“It isn’t to show off my eighteen-year-old being pregnant, I can tell you that!”

Y/n’s mouth dropped. “Rude!”

“Hey,” Steven greeted as he walked through the kitchen and slowed down when seeing the decorated living room. “Whoa, what’s going on here?”

“Our baby shower?” Y/n questioned.

“Oh, was that today?”

“No, it’s next week,” she responded sarcastically. “Did you forget?”

“No, no,” he said, shoving his hands in his back pocket. “I just…forgot to plan something for today.”

“No, nu-uh, absolutely not,” Y/n said sternly. “You’re staying here for the shower.”

“C’mon, Y/n, do I really need to be there? This stuff is mainly for you not for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot I got myself this way,” she quipped.

“You know this party is for you to get gifts.”

She swiftly turned away from him to face the food, grabbing another macaroon. “That too.”

“So, you’re just going to make me sit here and listen to these hens cluck the whole time?”

“Excuse me?” Y/n and Kitty said at the same time, both wearing the same insulted look.

“Whoa,” Hyde said, holding up his hands and backing away. “I meant…you guys just…Oh, I think I hear something.” He turned his ear towards the door to the phantom noise coming from the kitchen. “I think Red is calling me. Coming Red!” And with that, he disappeared into the kitchen faster than either women could blink.

When the door shut swiftly behind him, he let out a breath. Eric, Donna, Jackie, and Fez were helping finishing prepping the food.

“What’s wrong with you?” Donna asked as she finished arranging mixing vanilla pudding.

“Having two whack job hormonal women in one room is like sitting in a minefield,” he responded, grabbing a beer out of the fridge.

“That’s no way to talk about a woman,” Fez pouted in his cute way.

“Yeah, Fez, it’s not their fault that they’ve absolutely lost their minds,” Eric chimed in. “Hormones are a bitch. Ask Red.” He chuckled as he mixed the punch together.

“Well, I mean I would be if I were fat and pregnant or old and menopausal,” Jackie piped up from the table who was putting balloons together.

“While that could’ve been said so much better and not so insulting, Jackie has a point,” Donna said, pouring the pudding into tiny cups. “Be lucky you aren’t a woman.”

“Trust me, I thank my lucky stars every day,” Hyde replied, sitting across from Jackie and took a sip of his beer. “Ever since Y/n got pregnant, she’s a completely different person. She’s moodier, meaner, hungrier…hornier.” He eyed Eric who physically gagged into the punch.

“When you will stop bringing that up?” he whined.

“When it stops being funny,” Hyde smirked before turning the conversation back. “A part of me can’t wait until these babies are born so that I can get the girl I once knew back.”

Donna let out a mix of a scoff and laugh. “Good luck. It can take weeks before they go back to normal, and even then she won’t be.”

He sighed and looked up to everyone. “Okay, I get why Donna and Jackie are here, and Forman lives here…Fez, why are you here?”

“Oh, Miss Kitty asked me to help decorate,” he beamed.

“She didn’t ask me, noooo,” Jackie said bitterly. “Even though I planned the dances and other gatherings, but she asked the foreigner and the lumberjack!”

“I’m the kids’ godmother!” Donna defended. “Besides, after Hyde’s 18th birthday party, she saw that I, too, have taste.”

“Yeah, the taste of a lumberjack.”

Donna chuckled. “Whatever, I’m still the godmother.”

“Hey, where’s the rest of the food?” Kitty asked as she barged through the door. “The guests are starting to show up!”

                                          A Little While Later…

“Wow, thank you!” Y/n said as she opened her fifteenth present. The living room was crammed with presents for the babies. Starting from two high chairs, a diaper genie, many, many clothes, spit up rags, formula, diapers, toys, car seats, and pacifiers.

She held two hand-knitted baby blankets. “These are beautiful.”

“I made my boys’ blankets before they were born and they still have them of over twenty years,” Mrs. Fitz, the neighbor down the street, said. “I would hope you get the same use out of them.”

“We really will,” she responded and handed them to her husband who sat next to her, bored. “Look—feel how soft these are!”

“Yeah…really soft,” he responded monotoned and took the blanket from her. “Can I go now?”

“No, we haven’t finished opening up all the presents,” she whispered as Kitty handed her the next gift.

“C’mon, you’ve opened up, like a hundred presents and—wow, this is soft,” he cut off, running his hand over the blanket.

“No, you’re staying here,” she responded and turned back to the party.

“This is from Sasha,” Kitty said.

“I hope you like it, mija,” Sasha said.

“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Y/n responded and opened the bag. She pulled out what looked like two bicycle horns attached by a tube that was also attached to a big machine. “Oh, how lovely! What…what is it?”

“It’s a breast pump,” Sasha responded, chuckling.

“Oh, fancy,” Kitty said, admiring the device. “This will come in handy!”

“What’s a breast pump?” Y/n asked, looking it over.

“It’s pumps out the milk from your breasts without you having to manually push it out. It helps with the pain, too,” Sasha said.

“Oh, let me see,” Fez said and grabbed the pumps. “This holds real milk from a real boob? Wow.” He pretended to put them against his chest—and then moved forward to press them against Y/n’s engorged chest.

Before he could, Hyde stepped in and ripped the device from his hands. “Would you get out of here?!”

“I just wanted to see if it fit,” Fez whined as he walked out, pouting.

“What the—?” Sasha asked, pointing at him, confused.

“Don’t mind him, he’s foreign,” Jackie said, waving it off. “He’s one freaky, horny little dude to begin with.”

“Yeah…anyway,” Kitty said, clearing her throat and handing her a gift basket. “This is from all the WOPP’s.”

Y/n opened the basket and saw a variety of sorts. “Wow, there’s so much stuff in here. There’s formula, bottles, little baby socks, and—ooh, chocolate!”

“We put some things in there for you too, dear,” Patty, the leader of the WOPPs said. “There’s also some bubbles and candles in there, a face mask, some money to give you a head start for the babies—”

“Wine?” Elena asked as she pulled out a bottle of red.

“Oh, trust me, you’re going to need that once the babies are born,” Patty winked at her.

Kitty laughed, feeling uncomfortable. “I’ll just hold onto that. You can’t drink when you’re breastfeeding anyway.”

“Now, Kitty, that’s for Y/n Don’t you go drinking it now,” Patty said, letting out a snobby laugh.

Kitty laughed again, this time hiding her annoyance. “Thanks, Patty.”

“Yeah, thank you, Patty,” Y/n said.

“My pleasure, dear.”

“Okay, okay enough of that,” Jackie announced and reached behind her. “Open mine next!”

“Awe, Jackie! You shouldn’t have!” Y/n beamed and reached into the bag, pulling out some over-fluffed, pink and frilly dresses. “Wow…you really, really shouldn’t have…”

“Aren’t they adorable?” Jackie gushed, ignoring Y/n’s unamused look. “They’re Gucci, can you believe it?”

“Oh, I can believe it,” Y/n responded, turning the dresses around. “As sweet as this is, what if they’re both boys?”

“I thought you’d might say that, so,” Jackie said and pulled more clothes out of the bag. “I bought some for boys too!”

The outfits were even worse. Two sweater vests and kakis, two preppy outfits for two boys that were definitely not going to be.

“Wow, thank you, Jackie, how sweet,” Kitty said and took the clothes from Y/n. She leaned into her daughter’s ear so Jackie wouldn’t hear. “I’m going to hide these in the attic.”

“Better yet, bury them in the backyard,” Y/n responded before throwing Jackie a fake enthused smile. “Okay, who’s next?”

“I am,” Donna said and handed her a big, wrapped box. “This is from me and Eric.”

“This is so sweet,” Y/n gushed and opened it. She pulled out a book. “A book of baby names?”

“Yeah, I thought you could use some help,” Donna responded with a small smile.

“This is really sweet, thank you,” Y/n responded.

“There’s more,” Eric said, pointing towards the box.

“Oh.” Y/n looked back down and saw two stuffed yellow bears. One said, ‘Thing 1’ and the other ‘Thing 2.’ “Oh, my gosh! This is so cute,” she gushed. “Steven, look!”

“Yeah, I’m looking,” he said, a soft smile gracing his face. He would never admit it, but he thought they were incredibly cute.

“I saw them in the window at the baby store and it reminded me of you and me,” Eric said gently.

“I love it!” Y/n said again and leaned over to hug her brother and best friend. “I love you both.”

“Okay, last one!” Kitty said excitedly and handed her a giant box. “This is from me and your father.”

“Oh, Mom, you’ve done so much for us,” Y/n responded as she ripped through the paper. Steven helped her remove the paper as they both eagerly opened it.

Under the paper was a storebought box that said the word in big, bold letters: FISHER-PRICE LARGE PLAYMAT.

“No way!” Y/n cried out. “This is so neat!”

“It can hold both twins,” Kitty said, smiling big. “There’s another surprise in there.”

The couple opened the box and what was inside, nearly brought Y/n to tears.

“Is this my old baby blanket?” she asked, looking up to her mother. “I thought this was thrown away.”

“No, I just patched it up.” She opened it for her to show her. The blanket was patched with her old baby clothes. “I started making this the day I found out you were pregnant. Well, maybe a few days. I had to let the bourbon wear off the shock.” Y/n chuckled as she admired the well-sewn blanket.

“I kept all your old baby clothes and I thought instead of regifting those to you, I could just patch them into a blanket onto your old one for you.”

“Mom, this is the greatest gift you could’ve ever given me,” Y/n said gently and stood up to hug her mother. “This is so beautiful and touching.”

“I’m glad you love it, sweetheart. Now, I’m going to clean up the gifts and you enjoy the rest of your party.”

Y/n hugged her mom one more time before turning back to her friends. “Thank you guys so much. This was the best thing you could’ve done for us.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what friends are for,” Jackie said.

“Where are we going to fit all this crap?” Eric asked.

“Good question: I have no idea,” Y/n said, causing them both to laugh. “Eh, we’ll find a place for them. I’m not worried about it.”

“That or it’ll all become part of the background and we won’t even notice it,” Hyde responded, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Hey, Y/n,” Sasha said, coming up behind them. “Thank you so much for having me here.”

“Of course! It wouldn’t be a party without you here,” she responded as she let Sasha kiss both cheeks.

“This was lovely. Did your mother put this together?”

“Always. And my friends,” she responded and pointed to them. “You remember Jackie and Donna.”

“Ah, yes, the loud one and tall one.”

Donna gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Good to see you again.”

“Si,” Sasha responded before looking to Y/n once more. “I actually have some news, my dear.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m closing the bridal shop.”

“What?! Why?!”

“I’m moving to New York,” she responded. “I found a space there where I can open my shop there and gain more business, but sadly I can’t afford to have a place here and there.”

“I can’t believe this. Sasha, I’m really going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too, mija,” she responded and wrapped Y/n in a hug. “And I’m sorry that I won’t be able to hand over a store to you like I promised.”

A wave of relief had lifted off Y/n’s shoulders. “It’s okay. I understand, though. You got to go where the business is.”

“Exactly. But don’t you think that those kids won’t know about their Tia Sasha. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“When do you leave?”

“In two weeks,” she said. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep in touch.”

Y/n nodded before giving Sasha another hug. “You better.”

As everyone started filing out the house and saying goodbyes, the crew helped Kitty clean up the living room.

“Well, I think that was a very successful party,” Kitty said. “And we got so many gifts!”

“Yeah, with everything we have, it’s going to look like a daycare,” Eric said.

“Don’t be such a porky mouth,” Kitty said. “And don’t ruin the mood. This was such a good day.”

“It really was,” Y/n said, barley bending down to grab empty plates. “I don’t think anything can ruin it now. Even with Sasha moving.”

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. “I got it, Mom.”

When Y/n opened the door, there stood someone she never thought she’d see again.

"Connor?"

Did you like this chapter? I hope you did! Part 32 will be out soon!

Taglist: @not-shy-nanya @taysirene @maddieschampagneproblems @mdittyz123 @undead-sierra @random-thoughts-004 @lieswithoutfairytales @chloem4a1 @srhxpc @zhonglibxitch

[alittlebitofeverythingtbh]

Run Rabbit Run

Corey Cunningham x fem!reader

Warnings: smut, 18+, fear play, knife play, prey and predator, bondage, bit of a breeding kink, etc

Authors Note: I have been sitting on this concept for a bit and decided to finally write it. Hehehe enjoy.

It was a few days after your run in at the gas station, and Corey was still at work. “Have to stay late tonight,” he told you earlier, “me and my dad gotta like, fully repair this truck later. Not looking forward to it.” You gave him a good luck kiss, which always worked. He smiled and went off on his way, leaving you spending your day off from work. It was one of those days where you were certain you had something to do, but couldn’t remember what.

It didn’t hit you until ten at night: you had forgotten to go get milk. It could wait until tomorrow, but what if you forgot again? I can just go get a jug real quick, you thought to yourself as you grabbed your keys. You went outside and quickly locked your door, peering around in the dark. You honestly didn’t have much to be afraid, but what if Michael showed up again? Would he remember to leave you alone? What if some other stranger showed up when Corey wasn’t around? You shook your head as you headed to your car and hopped in, cursing yourself for having an overactive brain. You pulled out of your driveway and made your way to the nearby grocery store.

You made your way into the store, wishing you had brought a coat instead of your hoodie. It wasn’t that cold, but still enough to give you a bit of a chill. You wouldn’t be here long though. You went to the milk isle and grabbed a carton of your favorite brand, debating if you should pick up a snack or dessert. You decided against it, telling yourself you had some at home. You could always come back later in the week as well. You went and stood in line, checking your phone and notifications. You finally were first and went up to pay for the carton, which the cashier placed in a plastic bag. You thanked her and took the bag, making your way back to the parking lot you parked in. You were about halfway to your car when you heard someone speak behind you.

“You’re out pretty late, aren’t you?”

You knew the voice, but it still sent a shiver down your spine and caused you to jump. You turned and saw Corey leaning against the wall of the grocery store, watching you get back to your car. There wasn’t a street lamp there, so you could barely see him. “Did you follow me?” you asked once your heart rate settled back down. “You always manage to leave a trail somehow,” he said, and you knew he was smiling though you couldn’t see it, “always so easy to track.” “I was just out getting some milk,” you said as you held up your bag.

Corey began to slowly walk towards you, “ah, is that the reason you left the house? Just for some milk?” He reached you, his right hand going to grasp your chin gently, “or was there another reason, little bunny?” You shivered at his words. He always called you by some cute pet name, but this was different, much different. He noticed your slight reaction, “yeah?” “Shut up,” you mumbled.” He chuckled, “aww, don’t worry my little bunny. There’s nothing to be shy about. And nothing to worry about.” He suddenly pulled you to him, pressing your back against his front. You were trapped.

“What are you-“ you started to say. “You just look so cute right now,” he whispered into your ear, “I could just eat you up right here.” “In the parking lot?” you asked, looking around to see if anyone else was close by. “I suppose not,” he said, and he let you go. You pulled away a bit, looking back and seeing a mischievous glint in his eye. “We’ll have to take this elsewhere, the woods perhaps?” he asked, his right hand in the pocket of his overalls. The grocery store wasn’t far from the woods, you knew that. What was he planning?

“Corey, what are you-“ you asked again, but then he pulled out his knife. Oh fuck. “Run little bunny,” he said, his grin widening, “run.”

You didn’t need to be told twice, dropping the grocery bag and making your way towards the wooded area. Corey merely walked towards where you went, following you.

You ran deep into the wooded area, realizing it was a lot bigger than it looked on the outside. And with how dark it was, it was dangerous. You had half a mind to use the flashlight of your phone, but it would make you noticeable. Instead, you carefully but swiftly made your way deeper into the woods. Every snap of a twig under your foot had your heart racing, and you swore you heard something in the darkness behind you. You cautiously made you way through the dark until you reached an oak tree that had massive roots, one of which was in a strange loop into the ground. It could provide you with a hiding spot, and god did you need to take a small break. So you sat under the root, scanning the dark as best as you could.

A moment later, you heard a twig snap in the dark. And then another. And another. You pressed yourself up against the root as much as you could, keeping your breathing as quiet as possible. “Little bunny,” you heard him say, “come out. I know you’re nearby.” How on earth did he know that? you wondered, was he checking the floor for snapped twigs or something? That had to be it. You heard him chuckle, “I see, so that’s how it’ll be then.” And then, there was complete silence for a moment. That is, until you heard another soft crunch not far from you.

“You’re making me frustrated, little thing,” and you could hear it in his voice, “come out and maybe I’ll play nice.” You knew it was a lie. Whatever mood he was in, he would never play nice. And you’d be lying if you said that didn’t thrill you. So you kept quiet, almost giddy with the fact you were so well hidden. More twig snaps and a frustrated growl, “fine. Then I won’t play nice. I’ll ruin you, little bunny.” He sounded closer this time, which kind of terrified you. You had the sinking feeling he would find you soon. You waited until he sounded further away before you ran from your spot as quietly as you could. But with your luck, he heard the twig you stepped on.

You could hear him take off running behind you, which made you run as well. You ran blindly throughout the woods, heart sinking as you heard him get closer. You grabbed a tree branch from the floor, stopping in the dark. You waited until he got close enough and whacked his chest with it. The sudden pain stopped him briefly for a moment, and you heard him cough as he sunk to the floor. Suddenly concerned, you walked to him, reaching out a hand. “I didn’t mean-“ you started before you let out a scream as he grabbed your arm and pulled. Corey pushed you onto the floor, panting heavily. “Trying to fight back? I have to say, I didn’t except that,” he growled, pushing himself against you. He held his knife against your neck, the blade cold enough to make you shiver. You could feel him straining in his overalls, and it took all the power in you to not grind against it. Instead you whimpered, “please let me go, please. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” Corey grinned, “no, it’s too late little bunny. No one’s going to know because you won’t be able to tell them.” He set down his knife beside you before pulling out what looked like a small coil of rope out of his pocket, tying your hands together.

He then nearly tore down your leggings, running a hand over your soaking panties. You whined, struggling underneath him. “You act like you don’t want this, but you’re absolutely soaked for me, little bunny,” he taunted, “you wanted this, didn’t you? You needed this.” Corey pulled down your panties, throwing them beside your leggings. He loomed over you, his eyes piercing you, “I said I could just eat you up earlier. Hmm….” His hands trailed down to your thighs, pulling them apart, “I think I will do just that.” And he immediately dove in between your legs, his mouth on your clit. He wasted no time eating you out like a man starved, and you didn’t hold back the moans of his name. You wished you could grip his curls, but you couldn’t struggle out of the rope. You instead could only lay there and take it.

Corey’s nose bumped into your clit as he licked and sucked at you, his thumb rubbing against your clit as he did. He loved the way you shivered and shook under him, and he couldn’t keep the grin on his face away. From the way your hips bucked and the moans you were letting out, he knew you were close already. He pulled his mouth away, grinning down at you as he swiped his thumb across his mouth, tasting the last of you. You whined at the loss of his mouth, and at the frustration of your fading orgasm.

Corey then pushed two fingers into you immediately, “what’s wrong little bunny? Were you gonna cum? Don’t worry, I’ll let you cum this time. But only because you’re being so adorable for me.” You whimpered as he thrust them roughly into you, bucking against his hand. Once he deemed you ready, he slipped in a third. “You looked so cute running away from me, bunny,” Corey said as he watched your face contort in pleasure, “but you never really wanted to run, did you? You just wanted me to take care of you.” You whined out his name, still struggling at the rope around your wrists. You felt your orgasm approach again. He knew you too well by this point, and could sense your approaching orgasm without you even saying anything, “you gonna cum, bunny?” You nodded weakly. He grinned, “such a good little bunny, my good little bunny. I need you to cum for me, okay? Be a good little bunny and cum all over my fingers.” The thumb rubbed harsher circles into your clit, and that sent you over the edge almost violently. You came with a sob of his name, bucking your hips against his fingers wildly. Corey kept going until you came down from your high, and chuckled when you squirmed from the overstimulation. After a minute of torture he raised his fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean.

Corey unzipped his mechanic suit and took off his boxers, “little bunny…..” He positioned himself over you, reaching for his knife again, “I can’t wait to ruin you.” He thrusted himself inside you, groaning at how tight and wet you were. He brought the knife back up to your throat while his free hand gripped your hip tightly. Corey didn’t move for a moment, letting you adjust before he began to thrust into you harshly. You whimpered, trying to form words but being unable to. Every time you tried, it just came out as a squeak or a whimper. Corey loved it, “what’s that, little bunny? Already having trouble talking? How cute.” He kept pounding into you roughly, taking out his frustrations from the day onto you. “Fuck, bunny,” he groaned, “I’ll never get over how tight your cunt is for me. So good for me….” You could only whine in response, too fucked out of it.

After getting tired of holding the knife to your throat, Corey threw it down beside you again. His hand instead went for your throat, putting some light pressure. “Harder,” you managed to whimper. Something dark glossed over his eyes, “yeah bunny? Want me to choke you?” You nodded quickly. “Fuck,” he groaned as his thrusts only got rougher, “such a good little bunny.” The pressure of his hand got a bit tighter, which nearly made you cum. He could feel you shake under him, causing him to curse. “Fuck, look at you bunny,” he groaned, “taking my cock so well. Wanting to be choked like a good little pet, fuck. My good little bunny, all mine.” You tried to warn him that you were about to cum, but it only came out as a shuddering gasp. But Corey knew anyway, bringing his hand from your hip to rub circles against your clit again, “that’s it bunny, that’s it. Cum for me. Cum for me, and I’ll never let you go. Never let you- fuck- never let you escape me. Come on little bunny, cum for me.” You came quicker than you usually did, letting out a near scream as you did.

Corey’s hips stuttered as he could feel his own orgasm not far off. “Fuck bunny, fuck. You did so good for me, so good.” His thrusts got faster and harder as he chased his orgasm, which made you cry out from overstimulation again. “Gonna fill you up,” he moaned into your ear, “gonna make you all mine. All mine.” And then, he said something that he didn’t even think twice about, “gonna breed you, bunny. You’re gonna be mine forever. I’ll just-fuck- breed you over and over. You’d like that, hmm?” You nearly came again at that, his words awakening something in you. Corey laughed a bit before whimpering, “fuck. Fuck. Bunny….I’m gonna cum. Gonna cum inside you. Gonna-“ He came inside you with a growl, panting against you as he spilled into you. Despite his orgasm, he started up the pace of his thumb again, getting you to orgasm again. You came around him with a whine, still feeling him cum in you. Corey was shaking and panting, holding you against him tightly. Once he came down from his high, he undid the rope around your hands, freeing them. Your hands immediately went for him, one hand in his hair and the other against his chest. Once his breath was finally caught, he leaned down and kissed you rather gently.

Exhausted, he laid beside you for a moment, knowing he would have to carry you back to your car. He could tell from the way your legs shook and the fact you hadn’t quite caught your breath fully yet. A thought came to his mind, and he laughed. “What?” you asked. “We totally forgot about the milk,” he said. You groaned, remembering you dropped it in the parking lot. “Don’t worry,” Corey said as he brushed some of your hair back, “I’ll get a new one tomorrow before work, okay?” You nodded. Corey got up and got dressed before helping you get your clothes back on. Once you were all done, he scooped you up into his arms. You felt so comfortable in them that you fell asleep before you even realized your eyes were closed. Corey smiled when he realized, holding you a bit closer to him. He carried you to your car, hoping nobody would be around to ask questions. He grabbed the keys from your pocket and opened your car, gently putting you into the passenger seat before he climbed into the other seat. He started the car, careful not to wake you.

Corey drove you home and gently tucked you into bed, smiling at how cute you looked. He gently closed your door before reaching into his pocket, realizing with dread that he left his knife out into the woods. He let out a sigh before exiting the house and hopping on his motorcycle, heading back to the wooded area for it. Leaving a knife behind where anyone could find it in Haddonfield was a terrible idea. And to be honest, Corey liked that knife. Not only because it was perfect against his victims, but because he loved to see you squirm under it.

He made his way back to the area you too had been in, the flashlight on his phone illuminating the dark. He followed the small path of broken twigs as he had done earlier, searching for the knife. A glint in the dark and there it was. Corey picked it up and put it back in his pocket before heading back through the woods. He was back at your house soon after.

He debated getting into bed with you. He often slept on the couch when he didn’t want to wake you, but he also really wanted to be with you. Sneaking as quietly as he could, he climbed into bed with you. Corey wrapped an arm around you, gently pulling you to him. You must have been so tired to not wake up from it all. Corey listened to your soft breathing before he surrendered himself to sleep.

[mattmurdocksscars]

To Tell The Truth

A/N: Hello, loves! Have some Mikey content! This does contain spoilers for the new season so beware that! We start off a little angsty then get fluffy then get smutty. So we have a bit of everything here!

Word Count: 2148

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Fem!Reader

When Michael called to ask to come over, you were not expecting him to show up with a six pack dangling from his fingers that already had two beers missing from it. 

"Woah. We celebrating something or what?" At Michael's scoff, your expression softened. "What happened, Mikey?"

"You remember tha' girl I was seein'?"

"Yeah, Molly right?"

"Yeah. Well, you'll never guess what she's off doing."

"Tell me."

"She's getting married." Your eyes widened and then your heart broke for Michael. 

"Oh, Mikey…"

"The worst part is, she didn't even bother ta tell me. I found out from her coworker." Michael took a large swig from the beer in his hand and then laughed bitterly. "I must be a magnet for taken women or somethin'."

He continued on to tell you about how Amanda had been following him lately too and how he didn't know what to do now. It broke your heart to see him so broken but it also pissed you off to hear him talk so poorly about himself. Like he didn't deserve better. 

"Maybe I'm just meant to be alone."

"That's not true, Mikey."

"Yeah? And how do you know? Every girl who's interested in me is already in a relationship and either doesn't tell me or tries to manipulate me in some way."

"That's not true either. I like you just fine and I'm single." You immediately shut your mouth realizing what you said but thankfully, Michael took it a different way.

"That's not the same." He took another swig of beer and then crushed the now empty can. "I just want to find someone who isn't going to lie to me."

You watched quietly as he pulled another can free and opened it. You wanted to tell him the truth in that moment. That you liked him as so much more than a friend. That you were in love with him. But you couldn't do it.

"Listen. You'll find that, I promise. Just stay away from the likes of Amanda and Molly. They don't want what's best for you."

"And I suppose you do?" You froze, looking over at Michael who was staring at you with a strange look in his eyes. You licked your lips and chose your words carefully.

"Yeah, I do. You know I do. You're my best friend, Michael, and I just want you to be happy." He just shook his head and took a sip of his beer. You knew he was bordering on piss drunk and that you needed to be very careful about what you said so he didn't remember anything too damning. 

"Mikey… I wish you could see how much you're worth. You're not some object to be manipulated. You're a human being who deserves to be loved and taken care of."

"I'm not so sure." Was all he mumbled before he stumbled over to your couch and sat down on it. He leaned his head back and sighed like the world was on his shoulders. 

"Stay here tonight, Mikey. You're drunk and I'd feel better if you didn't walk home." He mumbled something you didn't quite hear before rolling his head over to look at you.

"Okay, pet." You smiled softly at the nickname before walking over and gently taking the pack of beer from his hand. He kept the open container clutched in his other hand and you let him keep that one. 

"I'm just gonna put these in the fridge and then I'll get you a blanket." Michael nodded and as you were walking away, you heard him once again mumble something you couldn't hear. You put his beer in the fridge and grabbed a blanket before walking back to your living room. You smiled as you realized he was already fast asleep, the open beer can left on the side table. You gently covered him in the blanket then cleaned up the beer before heading to bed yourself. 

You were deep asleep when Michael's gruff voice calling your name startled you awake. 

"Wha-"

"Sorry, pet, but your heat went out. I was gonna let ya know I'm heading home and ask if ya wanna come with me." You looked over to your clock and read that it was nearing three am. Now that Michael had mentioned it, you realized you were chilly but that your blankets had managed to keep you warm. 

"No way, Mikey. It's almost three am. Just come sleep next to me. It's plenty warm in the bed." You told him sleepily. He raised an eyebrow but slowly walked over to the other side of the bed.

"Ya sure, pet?"

"Yeah. We're adults, we can sleep next to each other." Michael nodded and climbed into bed next to you. You could practically feel the chill coming off of him and frowned.

"Jesus, Mikey, how long did you wait? I can feel the chill radiating off of you."

He gave you a sheepish look.

"A little while. I didn't want to wake ya." 

"Well, next time, wake me sooner." Michael nods and the both of you settle down for the night. You're just getting ready to nod off when Michael says something. 

"Hm?"

"I said… did you mean everything you said earlier?"

"About waking me sooner? Yes." He let out a soft chuckle.

"No. When we were talkin before I fell asleep. Did you really mean that I deserve better? And that ya want what's best for me?" You worried your lip between your teeth before nodding slowly.

"Yeah… yeah, Mikey, I did."

"...Are you in love with me, pet?" You closed your eyes and let out a shaky sigh. 

"Yes. I am. I've loved you for so long. And I'm sorry, I don't want to make things awkward so I promise I won't ever say anything about it again-" You're cut off by a pair of soft lips covering your own and you freeze, afraid this is all some dream and that if you move, it'll all be over.

"I don't want ya to do that, love."

"Oh?"

"I want ya to tell me every day how much ya love me so I can tell ya the same." He whispered against your lips. He leans in to kiss you again and you moan against his lips bringing a smile to his face. He rolls the two of you so he's on top of you and presses kiss after kiss to your mouth. It's as he begins to kiss down your neck that your brain fires a flare.

"Mikey, wait… wait…" Michael immediately stops and pulls back, concern on his face.

"What is it?"

"You're drunk… and I don't want to take advantage of that. I don't want this to just be something you do because you're drunk and you've had a rough day and-"

"Love, shhh. This ain't that. I slept off the alcohol, I'm sober I promise. And I swear ta ya this isn't a one time thing for me. I could never regret ya." He cups your face and stares straight into your eyes so you can see the truth in them. 

"You promise?" You whisper.

"I swear. I'll even tell ya all of this in the mornin' if ya want me to." He grins and you giggle, reaching up to cup his face. 

"As long as you're still here in the morning, that's all that matters to me." His grin softens and he kisses you softly.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, love." This time you kiss him and it doesn't take long for things to heat up between the two of you. 

"Do ya want this, pet?"

"Yes, Mikey, please…" Your voice is breathless as Michael starts his path back down your neck. You tilt your head back to give him better access and you feel his smirk against your skin. You feel his hands slip down your sides then slide under your shirt to skate along your hips. 

"I've wanted this for so long, pet." Michael admits as he slowly lifts your shirt up and off of you, flinging it across the room once you're free of it. You shudder against the cold air of the room and Michael pulls the blankets so they're up around the both of you. 

"Can I touch ya, love?" Michael asks, his hands settled just below your breasts. You nod and he brings his hands up to caress your breasts causing you to moan and arch your back. He chuckles above you and then leans down, laving his tongue over one of your nipples. You gasp and your hands shoot up to bury in his hair, pulling a groan from him. He works your chest over skillfully and has you moaning and writhing below him in no time.

"Mikey, please… stop teasing me. Need you." He pulls back far enough to look at you before nodding. The two of you shuffle around as you both work to get your pants down and off followed quickly by hs.

"Do ya need me to stretch you out, pet?" You whine and roll your hips against him causing him to hiss as your cunt rubs against his dick. 

"Just need you, Mikey." 

"Alright, pet. I'll taste ya later." There's a glint in his eyes that sends a shiver down your spine but you don't have long to dwell on it before he's lining up and sinking into you slowly. You both moan at the feeling of him bottoming out and he gives you a moment to get used to his size. Once you squeeze his arms to get him moving though he sets a slow, leisurely pace. He leans down and kisses you, his lips following the pace of his hips. It's slow and oh so sweet. Michael's hands run up your sides to your arms and finally to your hands where he intertwines his fingers with yours. 

"Fuck, love, ya feel so good wrapped around my cock." Michael moans into your mouth. His lips don't seem to want to leave yours, even to talk. He adjusts his hips to better thrust into you and the change has you crying out as he hits the spot within you that you'd only ever heard about. You squeeze his hands and throw your head back, hips rising to meet his as best as possible. 

"That's it, pet. Take what I give ya. Yer so good fer me." Michael grunts and picks the pace up some and you find yourself hurtling towards your orgasm. You can only cry out Michael's name as a warning before the wave rushes over you and you spasm around his cock. Michael growls at the feeling of you milking his cock and fucks you through it.

"Fuck, pet, where- where do ya want me to cum?" His words come out as a pant as he tries to hold off his own orgasm.

"Inside! I'm on birth control, please, Mikey, wanna feel you inside!" You whine and Michael curses before thrusting once, twice and cumming deep within your walls. He collapses on top of you and makes sure to pull the covers in tight so you don't get cold. He's still resting snugly inside of you and the both of you sigh at the feeling.

"Could stay like this forever." Michael murmurs before pressing a soft kiss to your neck. You smile and wriggle your arms until he lets you go so that you can wrap your arms around him and hold him close.

"I can't say we can stay like this forever, but we can at least stay like this for the rest of the night." You tell him and his eyes light up. 

"Really? With me in you? You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course I wouldn't. I'm comfortable like this. Besides… how else are we going to stay warm?" You ask with an innocent lilt to your voice. Michael chuckles and leans down to kiss you deeply.

"We can always go to my place."

"In the morning. I don't wanna move right now." You tell him, solidifying that you wanted him right where he was. He tucked the blankets more firmly around you and settled in. 

"Oh, and pet?"

"Hm?"

"Don't be surprised if I wake you up with my head between your perfect thighs. I didn't get a taste and I'm always starving in the mornings." He told you, a dark glint in his eyes that has you clenching around him. He growls and dips down to kiss you.

"You won't find any complaints here. Now relax. Let me be good for you and keep you warm." Michael bit his lip, contemplating if he wanted to start round two or do as you said. Deciding on the latter, he let himself get comfortable again.

"Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Mikey."

And if he made good on his promise to eat you out in the morning? Well… you certainly weren't complaining.

[ficsyoumayhavemissed]

all I remember — @andfollowthesun

2.159 words / @1dchristmasfest / Harry x Niall

“Okay,” Niall says. “Don’t get me wrong, ’m grateful for the fans and the music and everything— “—and your fifty guitars, and the very expensive pieces of real estate in London—” “Yeah, yeah,” Niall waves his hand. “But fame is also what’s right now preventing me from throwing me hat in the ring to be Holmes Chapel’s next jelly wrestling champion.”

Heartwarming, that is the perfect word to describe this fic because even though it is very short you are able to fall in love with Niall and Harry with every word. It's fun and portrays Narry perfectly, showing how important is for your partner to be your best friend as well.

Winter Light Spectacular — @reminiscingintherain

2.631 words / @girldirectionfest / Harry x Louis

‘Coming Soon! Winter Light Spectacular! Starting Friday 11th December, 5pm, Golden Botanic Gardens. Entry free.’ Louis blinked as she read the poster in the staff room. “Uhh… what is this?” she asked, looking around with a raised eyebrow. ~~~~ When head gardener Louis has the plans of a light show dropped in her lap, she's instantly protective of her gardens. Can coordinator Harry change her mind?

This fic is simply wonderful. Louis’ sassy character swearing up a storm, but still being kind and good natured rings so very true. Give this one a read if you’re looking for a sweet fic with good banter! You can also listen to this as a podfic here!

Dine with me — cyandiamond

2.689 / Harry x Louis

Harry’s ready to close up the shop and go home after a long shift, until an unexpected turn of events makes him rethink.

Some fics you read in order to be in a new world and this is one of them. This fic has such a wonderful and vivid sense of place. The imagery brings the cute story to life and a smile to any reader’s face.

Worries, Kisses and Surprises — @neondiamond

3.105 words / Harry x Louis

Harry and Louis are hosting Christmas dinner with both of their families for the very first time. Harry is a little stressed out about it, but for a good reason.

The domesticity packed in this fic is just perfect! It’s sickeningly sweet and a cozy read for a cold winter evening.

I don't care about the present — littlejo_ana

3.522 words / Harry x Louis

“You're not really saying that Michael Bublé's version is better than Mariah's." He said, raising his eyebrows, but Louis just smiled. “That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest, his blue eyes focused on Harry as if daring him to contradict him. “Well, you're wrong then, Mariah Carey's version is a classic, and it's iconic!” He said back, crossing his arms over his chest as well, because two could play that game. “It's overplayed and everybody's tired of it," Harry gasped dramatically. “Now, Michael's version, it's new, romantic and engaging.” or the one where Harry and Louis compete for the best version of "All I want for christmas" and somehow, they both win.

This fic is a frank and fun discussion of Christmas songs. It’s wrapped in some cute banter and friendly competition that in the end both Harry and Louis win.

santa, won't you bring me the one i really need? — @alwaysxlarrie

5.539 words / @1dchristmasfest / Harry x Louis

This Christmas, Louis is going to ask for new friends, because his are the worst. That's the only possible explanation for how he's been dragged into dressing up as Santa and taking photos with strange small children at the mall for hours on end. I mean, Christmas is a season of being cheerful and all, but this is ridiculous! …although the handsome guy who his friend somehow managed to persuade to play the elf is at least a small perk of the job.

This fic is extremely cute and funny, perfect to start getting into that chilly Christmas mood, almost like a Christmas romcom!

Christmas won’t be the same this year— @dearmrsawyer

7.473 words / Liam x Louis

Liam is a suburban dream. Louis hates him and his Christmas lights.

One part new neighbors, two parts jealousy, one part attraction. Add some Christmas sparkle and stir generously, and you’ll get this crazy, fun fic about rivalry and redemption. Liam will warm your heart. Louis will have you groaning into your hands. But when they come together, it’ll leave you cheering.

Avoiding every mistletoe (until i know it’s true love) — @stylesthebrave

10.315 words / Harry x Louis

Even as the day comes to a close, Louis isn’t afraid to call the man sitting next to him on the sofa, watching snowflakes fall outside as the scent of sugar cookies fill the flat, the love of his life. Through his anger and sadness, never once did he stop loving Harry or regret loving Harry. If anything, he’s afraid of a world where he isn’t loving Harry. So, yeah, his heart is pretty content right now. Or, the Christmas exes to lovers AU.

While a chilling snowstorm builds around them, Harry and Louis attempt to talk about what broke them up and slowly rekindle the warmth that used to burn between them. The feelings are relatable and the hope is contagious in this sweet story of ex-lovers getting a second chance.

—-

As always, support the authors by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

If you can’t get enough of our recs in this post, make sure to check out our tags page and scroll through the categories to see if you find any more fics you like! — FYMHM xx

[sallysgrancanwrite]

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Masterlist

PT was grueling again. But Chloe knew it was necessary. Again, she did not let in that her back was hurting her. She finished up and headed to the gym.

Chloe got on the treadmill and just walked. She promised that she wouldn’t run so she didn’t. But she walked at a good clip.

Next she hit the weight machines. She wished she could lift more than 10 lbs but that would come in time.

As she worked out Michael showed up. “How does he always know where I am?” She thought. She ignored him and kept working out.

“Look who’s here!” said Michael. “You're going to have to workout harder than that to get rid of your fat.” He laughed. As he walked away she could hear him mooing.

What an ass she thought. Then Edith walked over.

“Whatever he said you just need to ignore. He’s an ass.” Edith said. “Are you ready to go?” She asked.

“Yeah I’m done. I’ve hit every machine so I’m good.” Chloe said getting up.

“Good, let’s go shopping,” said Edith.

They went to Walmart to see what they had for children’s clothes. Edith found the cutest dresses and of course she had to buy a few or so.

“You’re spoiling her,” said Chloe.

“She’s my grandbaby, I’m supposed to spoil her.” Edith laughed. “It’s not like Tom is going to give us grandchildren any time soon,” she said.

Chloe looked at a few clothes for herself but she had no money as it was all in Michaels account. She was going to petition the court to get access to the money.

Edith saw her looking and grabbed some items for her.

“Edith no! I’m sure I’ll get access to Michael’s money soon.” Chloe told her.

“Until then we will get you what you need.” Edith said.

“I don’t really need those, now do I?” Chloe asked, laughing.

“Yes, you do. I say you do,” winked Edith.

“You’re stubborn!” said Chloe.

“Now let’s get home. I want to put in a roast for tonight.” Edith stated.

“I need to check Emma’s schoolwork. Lord knows what Bob is teaching her. Probably how to bbq.” Chloe said laughing.

They got home and Emma was in the garage helping Bob build a cupboard.

“Why are you not doing schoolwork?” Chloe asked.

“Grandpa said this is like something called shop class.” Emma said.

“Bob really?” said Chloe.

“It teaches her how to read a ruler and measure things. It’s important stuff.” said Bob.

“Good grief,” Chloe laughed. “Come on little one, shop class is over. Back to the books.” said Chloe. “There is still time to do some homework before supper.”

Chloe got Emma started on practicing her handwriting and spelling words. Writing them out seemed to help her remember them easier.

Chloe went to the kitchen to help Edith with supper.

“What do you need help with?” Chloe asked her.

“I have the roast, carrots and potatoes going. If you want you can make some cheesecake for dessert.” Edith told her.

After helping in the kitchen Chloe went to check on Emma.

“Are you ready for your test?” Chloe asked, looking at Emma’s handwriting.

“Yes, I think so Momma. But there are some hard ones.” Emma replied.

“I’ll give you a bit more time to study them,” said Chloe. “I’ll be back after a bit.”

As Emma began to study the phone rang.

“I’ll get it," said Chloe.

“Hello, Coleburn residence.” She stated.

“Not a sound on the other line could be heard. Just breathing. Again.

“Michael, if this is you, stop harassing me! I will report you.” She cried.

Bob came over and grabbed the phone and slammed it down hard.

“I’m calling the phone company to trace the call for us. I want to know where it’s coming from before I report it.” Bob replied angrily. “This needs to stop!”

“It’s a good thing you can’t drive yet. You always have someone with you. I don’t trust him.” Edith said.

“I want my independence back.” said Chloe. “I miss going where and when I wanted.”

“You will soon dear,” said Edith, knowing she didn’t want Chloe alone until this monster was put away.

[wheretheresaway-theresawilliam]

Chapter 28: The Truth Unmasked

Word Count: 1220

TWs: Murder mentions, allusions to a panic attack, mentions of strained parent-child relationships

⛤⛤⛤

The third night, he went straight for Prize Corner. He utilised his daytime downtime by spending hours at the local library, reading multiple books on paranormal activity and even using their computers. So, Freddy’s was haunted.

“The victims are the animatronics,” he stated when the Marionette came out of its box to greet him.

“Well done, Michael. So, last night wasn’t a dream, was it?”

He shook his head. “But… how? Why?”

“How do you think?” Its posture became rigid and disgusted.

“Because they died on Freddy’s property??”

“... In a sense, yes.”

“Why won’t you just tell me? You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

“I told you, Michael. It’s me. I know your face, but… I can’t remember my name. The others can’t remember themselves, either, but I know something they don’t. I know.”

“Know…?” Michael suddenly got excited, “You know who killed you?”

“Try not to sound so ecstatic. It was a man. He drove a purple car.”

He felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. “A purple car?”

“Yes. Quite the detail, don’t you think? But death… it does things to your memory. I can’t picture his face. The rest of them only have memories of a yellow rabbit, who spoiled them with gifts. Next thing they knew, they had new bodies, and an infinite amount of time to do whatever they wanted… so long as they stayed here.”

“I didn’t want it to be true…” Michael whispered, pulling his knees up to his chest as he sat on the prize counter. The Marionette tilted its head.

“Didn’t want what to be true, Michael?”

“You… don’t remember the rabbit?”

Seconds passed between Michael’s question and the Marionette’s answer. “I don’t think so.”

Michael buried his head between his knees, shaking. “Fuck. I… how do I…?”

“You’re upset.”

Michael said nothing, lost in his head. It was him. It was him. It was his own father. The Marionette moved to sit beside him and began to hum a soft melody. It diverted his focus, bringing him back into the present. And then he began to apologize incessantly, unable to say anything more.

“Michael. Michael.”

“What???”

“When did you start using an American accent?”

He couldn’t help but laugh in shock. “It’s… a long story, kid.”

He didn’t go straight home at 6:00am, but instead went to sit in the parking lot of Circus Baby’s. He had to talk to Elizabeth. There was no possible guarantee she’d come with her father to work that afternoon, but it wasn’t like he could just show up at William’s house and expect him to be civil about it. Even with the fury, sadness, and fear coursing through his veins, he found himself drifting off. He dreamt of Evan, and all the others he had bullied. The pleasure he had derived from hurting them. But oh, the guilt that glutted itself on his pain ever since the accident. He tried to be numb about it as a teenager, but it burned him alive, now. He was startled awake by a knock on his window. He rolled it down. A familiar face was staring back at him.

“Everything alright, son?”

“Do I know you, sir…?”

The man laughed. “Wow, I’m surprised you remember me at all, Mr. Afton. Harvey Pierce, I tried to talk to you about your brother’s accident all those years ago, but your father wouldn’t have it. You’ve really grown into that face of yours, haven’t you?”

“Oh… oh shit, yeah, I do remember. I mean, that night is kind of hard to forget…” Michael cleared his throat. “But, er, yeah. I’m fine. Just dozed off, I guess.”

“I seem to recall you having an accent…?”

“And I seem to recall that I used to be an asshole, but you don’t hear me bringing it up.”

Pierce frowned. “Right. Sorry, can’t turn off the nose for questions, even if I’m off-duty. Close to retirement, actually.”

“Good for you. Hey, do you know when this place opens?”

“It opened an hour ago. I only pulled up because somebody called about a man sleeping in his car, I thought you might’ve been homeless. You aren’t, are you?”

“No, sir, I’ve got my own apartment and everything. Thanks to Henry, mostly… I was in his will, and since… well, I got most of it, to say the least.”

“God rest their souls,” Pierce placed a hand on his heart. “Isn’t your father well-off?? Why didn’t he--”

“First of all, none of your business, Mr. Pierce, second of all, that bridge has been down since I turned eighteen, so I suggest you lay off it.”

“There’s that accent… sorry, seems I struck a nerve.”

“You did. Anything else I can help you with, officer?”

“No need for such formalities…”

“Wait, wait, wait, didn’t you just say you were off-duty? How’d you know somebody called about ‘a man sleeping in his car?’”

“Well, I was planning on clocking out after I checked the call out. Simple as that.”

Michael shook his head. “Why don’t you get out of here before I report you to your boss for being a nuisance?”

“Good thinking. Take care, Michael.”

“I won’t.” He rolled his eyes as Pierce went back to his car, then checked his appearance in the rearview mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, held up by heavy purple bags. Horrible, horrible shift. Fuck you, William. He brushed some lint and what-have-you off of his slightly dishevelled clothes and got out of his car, entering the circus-tent-shaped building. Despite the facility’s name, the restaurant portion was the lesser of its draws. For having only opened an hour ago, the place was already beginning to crawl with children and their guardians. An employee approached him as he stood there, temporarily disarmed by seeing everything for the first time.

“Welcome to Circus Baby’s Pizza World, sir! What Big Top Fun™️ can we serve up for you today?” She beamed in that way only others in her position could understand. Michael glanced at her nametag.

“Ah, well, thanks for the warm welcome, Frances. Truth be told, I’ve never been here before. I was just wondering if your boss brought his daughter with him today, I’m a family friend and I wanted to surprise her with a visit.” He was sure to calm down and put his American accent back on as to not attract suspicion.

“Elizabeth Afton?”

“That’s the girl.”

“I’m sure you’ll find her in Circus Baby’s Circus Ring Room! Your name, sir? Just in case Mr. Afton asks about you.”

“Mike.”

“Fantastic, let me just stamp your hand so other employees know you didn’t just sneak past the front desk,” Frances retrieved an ink pad and a stamper depicting Circus Baby’s face. “Any particular colour you’d prefer, Mr. Mike?”

“Red, if you’ve got it.”

“Sure thing!” She swapped the ink pad for one with red ink and stamped Michael’s hand. “Have a Clown-tastic day!”

“Thanks.” He lowered his voice, “I know how rough it must be to work in a place like this, so have a drink on me when you get off your shift. I’d say you’ve earned it.”

Frances nodded with an appreciative expression and handed him a map. With that, Michael set off into the labyrinthian facility, so much bigger than Freddy’s in every sense.

[toastybagel-fanfiction]

Deleted Scene - Tell Me What I Want To Hear

[i’ll be so real with you guys i don’t remember writing this scene, i don’t remember what chapter it was supposed to go in, and i don’t remember why it was significant to the plot. but i found it in my google docs and it’s interesting so i wanted to post it here! enjoy!]

The New Year’s Eve party was fun, though a bit overwhelming when the only person Scott knew particularly well had planned to be out of town for the week. In addition, it was nothing like the other parties he had been to in the past; everyone here just seemed tired.

The night was saved, though, when Michael Afton walked through the glass doors of the pizzeria.

“Michael!”

Scott raced toward the doors, where he nearly met Michael for a hug before he abruptly stopped.

“Hey.” Michael smiled back at Scott, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hey, I- uhh-” Scott couldn’t help but glance at the floor to escape eye contact. “I thought you were still in-”

“Yeah, I left early.” Michael idly tapped a foot against the carpeted floor. “Dolly’s still there, though.”

“Oh, that’s nice…”

The sounds of the party were deafening compared to the silence that hung over Michael and Scott as they stood in the doorway of the pizzeria, attempting to act like normal coworkers.

“Michael, there’s something I need to show you. It’s really good news, and I just have to share it with someone.” Scott pulled an envelope out of his pocket, turning it around in his hands. “I also- um- think it might be a sign that we should work out whatever’s been going on. We should go back to being friends, you know?”

“Scott, I-” Michael began, prepared to finally tell Scott how he felt before becoming suddenly aware of all of the people surrounding them. “Maybe we should talk about this later- in private, I mean. What news did you have for me?”

At the mere mention of the news, Scott’s eyes lit up. He took Michael’s hand, heading for a table near the wall. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said, beaming as he took a seat on one side of the table and pulled Michael into the one on the other side. “I got this letter from Vincent today.”

“Really? I-” Michael paused when Scott handed the envelope to him, gently taking it. “I haven’t heard from him in forever.”

“You can read it if you want, but I’ll give you a summary. He says that he finished school early. He’s coming home this summer.”

“He is?”

Scott had already torn the top of the envelope, so Michael could easily slide the letter out, unfolding it and taking a minute to read it.

“You’re the first person I’ve told, by the way. I just- I know how important he is to you, even if you won’t admit it,” Scott said softly, finding Michael’s hand on the table and holding it.

When they heard footsteps approaching the table, though, they quickly pulled their hands apart.

“Good evening, Scott.” William Afton walked past the table, stopping in front of it. “Michael.”

“Hello, father,” Michael muttered, folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope.

“You’re home early.”

“Yeah,” Michael looked up at his father, who was looking over both of them with his arms crossed over his chest. “I am. I wanted to be here for the party.”

William pointed to the envelope. “What’s that in your hand?”

“Oh- uhh-” 

Michael turned to Scott for reassurance, or at the very least, permission. He was grateful that Scott seemed to get the hint, turning his gaze up at William.

“I got it in the mail yesterday. It’s just a letter from an old friend,” Scott replied with a smile.

“That’s nice.” William’s voice was devoid of any tone as he caught a glimpse of the return address every time Michael turned the envelope around in his hands. “Scott, I came over here because I need to talk to you about something. It’s work related, so we should probably take this somewhere else.” He pointedly made eye contact with Michael, who only glanced back, his shoulders turned slightly inward.

“Oh- I-” Scott glanced from Michael to William, standing up after a few seconds. “Okay, sure, we can talk.” He stopped at Michael’s eyes, which seemed to be pleading him not to go with William. “I’ll meet you after I’m done, okay?”

Michael’s gaze dropped to the table, where he traced the colorful pattern on its surface with his finger. “Okay. I’ll meet you here.”

The walk to William’s office was short, as it was just down the hall from the dining room. William let Scott walk into the office first, closing the door behind them.

“Some party…” William muttered to himself as he walked past Scott, taking a seat in the chair behind his desk.

“Yeah, it’s- uhh-” Scott realized he was still holding his drink, peering down into it. It was no more than some spiked kool aid that wound up on the snack table. “It’s nice.”

“You can tell the truth here, Scott. I’m not the one who puts this thing together every year.” William picked up a stack of papers that was on the desk, sliding them into a drawer before resting his arms on the cleared part of the desk. “I wasn’t out there for long, but before Michael arrived, you looked lost, like you were waiting for someone.”

Scott shrugged, avoiding eye contact.

William cleared his throat at Scott’s lack of a response. “So, how did you know Vincent? You got the letter from him, so you must have been-”

“I dated him in high school,” Scott muttered, tapping his fingers against the side of the red solo cup in his hands. “Basically, we made this promise when he left for college that we would get back together when he got back to America, and now he’s finally coming back.” He sighed. “I’m glad he’s coming back early; I just wish it could be sooner.”

“You’re engaged?” William asked, seemingly out of the blue, but then he pointed toward the ring on Scott’s right hand. 

“Oh, this?” Scott took the plastic cup in his left hand, turning the ring toward him. It seemed to be staring back, wondering why Scott still wore it after Brandon left. Truthfully, he knew exactly why he wore it. “No, we’re not- I’m not engaged to anyone. I just like the ring.”

“What kind of stone is it?” William didn’t seem to be looking anymore, though, reading through some papers that were sloppily stapled together.

“I’m pretty sure it’s amethyst.”

William hummed, setting the papers down. “That’s nice. Mine was sapphire.” He didn’t waste any time turning the subject around and getting straight to the point he originally intended to make. “I called you in here in the first place because I have a proposition for you.”

Scott looked at William curiously, his eyebrows raised. “What is it?”

“Scott, you’ve been good to me- to all of us- for the past year. I’d like to promote you, but unfortunately there aren’t any positions open.” William stood, approaching the other side of the room. “I wanted to give you this anyway, though, since I feel like you deserve to have it more than anyone else.”

After grabbing something from one of the shelves against the wall, William returned to Scott, wordlessly dropping a pair of keys on a keychain into Scott’s hand.

William continued, standing over Scott, “I’d like to give you a raise and a few more hours. You’ll just have to unlock the doors in the morning. As soon as someone quits, though…” William laid a firm hand on Scott’s shoulder, a grin on his lips. “You’re the first person in line for a real promotion.”

“Thank you, Mr. Afton.” 

Scott couldn’t help but smile at the whole situation, from getting a pay raise to being seen as important to the feeling of William’s hand on his shoulder, in that moment, he really felt like he was in a good place. He felt needed, but not in an exploitative way like had in the past. This was real.

He dropped the keys into his pocket.

“You’re welcome, Scott. You can go back to the party if you’d like,” William replied, going back to the papers he was reading earlier. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Scott was at the door within the next second, turning the knob and stepping outside. “See you tomorrow, Mr. Afton.”

After the door closed behind Scott, William set the papers down. He hadn’t been working, anyway; he just wanted to avoid the party. He would do anything to not admit that another year had gone by and that all of his friends and family were right.

The restaurant wasn’t the same without Henry.

William tried to find people to fill in the gaps- he wanted to promote Scott for that very reason- though no one could do it. Even after trying for well over a decade, he could never return the pizzeria to the place it was when he had first opened it with Henry, even with all of the people at the new year’s party.

At least Scott wasn’t wearing one of those garish, shiny headbands with the new year- What was it? Oh, right, 1992.

It was just another year of William drinking alone in his office, waiting for some horrible miracle.

“At that new year’s party- right before I promoted you- I noticed that you drew fredbear on your cup,” William began, a hint of amusement in his tone. “It was a good drawing. Did you watch the cartoon?”

“Yeah, I did. My sister would always turn on the TV after school and I’d watch it until our mom got home from work.” Scott leaned against the safety rail, both physically and mentally exhausted. “I don’t have a lot of good childhood memories, but a lot of the ones I do have are from watching that show. I just drew Fredbear because I was bored at the party.”

William mirrored Scott, his elbows on the metal rail. “What about the others?”

“In the others, I was hanging out with Michael or Vincent, but never both of them.” Scott turned to look at William. “They always fought when they were together.”

William looked at the ground with a quiet chuckle. From his point of view, Vincent and Michael’s quarrels were no more than childish. “I remember that. Vincent was nothing but trouble.”

“Yeah…” Scott stopped leaning against the metal rail, sitting up. “You know, I meant to ask you earlier,” he continued, making eye contact when William turned to face him. “Why did you never like Vincent?”

“There were a lot of reasons, Scott.”

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Bitten: Part One

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.8k

Warnings: canon angst and violence

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated.

You're pretty sure the kids in the abandoned house are the killers. You caught wind of the case when people started dying with their hearts missing. It seemed like a routine werewolf case, so the teenagers you suspect are about to get a real brutal beating from you three.

You break the lock with your magic and the brothers bust in first. As soon as the door was opened, you smelled the stench of blood. It is so strong that you consider not bringing Joanna in here. You look at her to see her face scrunched up because she smells it too. Along with the stench, music is flowing through the house at an above-normal volume, making you think someone else is here and wants to distract you.

"Are you okay?" you ask.

"Yeah," she nods.

"Good girl," you praise and bring her inside the house.

Apart from the stench, there is trash littered everywhere, and it's only until you get to the kitchen do you see the worst of it. You shield Joanna's eyes and turn her away so that she isn't seeing any of this horror. There is a dead body with a white sheet covering it, and blood/guts splattered all over the walls. Two dead people, but you distinctly remember three kids.

So, where is the third?

Dean heads upstairs while Sam checks the body. There could be the other kid around here somewhere, but you have a feeling the kid is long gone. Sam checks the body for some ID while Dean comes back to the kitchen. He removes the iPod from the dock, halting the music.

Now, only silence.

"The rest of the place is clear," Dean says.

"Yeah. No ID on this one, and no clue who is painted on the walls."

"Walls that will need to be covered," you state.

You raise one hand and your magic shoots out of it, layering on a thin coat--a coat that is thick enough to hide the horrors behind it. You'll release this magical hold once you're ready to leave the house. As soon as it's gone, you show Joanna that there is nothing to be afraid of.

"Well, whatever happened, looks like we missed it."

"Great," Sam sighs. He turns to leave when he spots something on a desk with computers. There is a half-open laptop with a post-it note that says "play me" stuck to the lid. "Check this out."

"What the hell could that be? Is that for us?" you ask.

Sam fully opens the lid, and you bring over another chair since there were only two of them by the desk. All three of you take a seat in front of it, and Sam plays the video. "This should never have ended this way" appears on the screen before the video starts.

"Ooh, movie time," you joke.

The screen goes black until you hear two guys talking.

"Hey, Christopher Nolan."

"Yeah?"

"Lens cap."

"Oh," the second man chuckled.

Someone took the lens cap off the camera, and you can see a young blonde man sitting at a table in a cafe. Whoever made this video are amateurs--this is a home video. This isn't going to be the best of qualities, but it might tell the story it needs to tell. The teacher you killed said two names before you killed him--Michael and Brian. You don't know who is who, but you're about to find out. The camera shifts so that it's pointing at the cameraman, a dark-haired man.

"Strong work, genius," the blonde said, taking back the attention.

"Michael, I have no idea what to make this movie about," the dark-haired man said to his friend. "I'm, like--I'm A/V Club President, so, you know, it's got to be good."

"Here, give me that." Michael grabbed the camera, turning it to his friend. "I'll tell you what you're going to make it about, Brian."

"Okay."

Michael pointed the camera to himself and grinned mischievously.

"In a world where nothing is what it seems," Brian laughed at his friend's jokes, "one brave, shockingly handsome, virile young man and his faithful, learning-disabled robotic manservant must battle through waves," Micheal pointed the camera to the other patrons of the cafe, focusing on one particular group of girls, "of cybernetic asshats in order to sexually liberate the women of--"

"Okay, give me that. Give me that," Brian laughs and took back the camera.

The camera switches between Michael and the group of girls who notice Brian filming them--in particular, a very skinny blonde girl.

"Oh, please. I bet at least one of these girls would let you partake in their awkward-guy experimental phase."

"What? These girls?"

"Yep."

Brian zoomed in on each of the girls, commenting on an assumption about each of them.

"Okay. Hashtag fails. Homeschooled. Secretly in love with her roommate. Listens to country music. Shit, dude, look at Kate." The camera moved over to the skinny blonde (whom they must know from school), and she shook her head as she got up to confront the two guys. "Is she--oh, shit, shit. Dude, take it, take it. Just take it."

"I don't want to take it," Michael whispered but took it anyway.

Kate walked up to Brian and Michael with her own camera in her hand, filming the both of them.

"Were you just filming me?"

"No. Uh, I wouldn't do that."

"Does it have the new firmware?" she asked about his camera, but it's clear that Brian is the one who knows about cameras and not Michael.

"Uh, yes. Yes, it does."

"How's it handled?

"You tell me."

Michael and Kate exchanged cameras, but the point of view doesn't change. Whoever made the video cut it to keep showing Kate.

"Well, your settings are way off."

"Oh, I-I like the way the colors--" Brian tried to butt in, but it's clear Kate is into Michael and not him. "--you probably don't care about that."

"Yeah, so, you weren't checking me out?" Kate asked with a grin.

"Well, I do have a thing for beautiful women who respect their privacy. Uh, dick move on my part. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I have a thing for guys with cool cameras."

The camera captured Brian's face, and you laugh at the jealous look he has on his face. It's clear he thought Kate was cute and cool, but instead, she went for his friend.

"Look at him. He's clearly jealous," you comment.

The video cuts to inside the abandoned house you're in right now, but it's much cleaner--not by much, but nothing like it is now. Michael and Kate were in the master bedroom giggling and laughing while the camera was on Brian. He must have it strapped to his computer since the angle is a bit higher than him. He was sitting at the desk you're sitting at now, trying not to think about how his best friend is fucking his crush.

Just then, the door opened and Kate walked out wearing only Michael's T-shirt and panties. She smiled at Brian as she walked to the bathroom on the other side of the room.

The movie cuts to the cafe again, probably the next day. Kate, Michael, and Brian were sitting at a booth recording each other, so the angle bounces back and forth between the trio. Michael was getting coffee for everyone, so it was just Brian and Kate at the table.

"No, no, no. Look, it's a great movie, but of the two, I prefer Last Year at Marien bad. You know?"

"Yeah, it's a classic," Brian said.

"How do you like that lens?"

"It's good. Yeah, yeah. It's lighter for sure."

"That's good."

"You know, uh, Michael knows nothing about cameras, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm teaching him," she smiled.

Michael came up to the table carrying three coffees, taking a seat next to Kate.

"Teaching who?"

"Oh, my boyfriend. He's, uh, big, tall, and handsome."

"Mm. Sounds delish."

"Yeah, you should totally meet him."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

They leaned in and kissed, but the camera was still on them. You can't see Brian's face, but you can tell by the way the camera is slowly dropping from them that he is seething with jealousy. Of course, he's not going to tell Michael since he's his best friend.

Cut back to the house again, and Brian was sitting at the desk. He must be on the desktop working on his school project. You can't see Kate or Michael, but you can definitely hear them.

"Let's see. Five years from now? Hopefully passed the bar exam, practicing law," Kate smiled.

Brian reached for the camera and turned it to the couple. Kate was sitting on the dusty cough while Michael was laying on it with his head in her lap. "Nothing corporate, something, uh... something green, you know?"

"Green is good," Brian nodded.

"Hippie," Michael laughed.

"Oh, shut up," Kate giggled.

The camera cuts to Brian and Michael with Kate behind the scenes. It's just sappy shit that you're really not interested in, but it shows the development of their characters. Micheal and Kate show their love for each other, and Brian watches with a jealous eye, wishing that he could be Michael.

The film cuts in and out from the house they're squatting in to the cafe and finally, to the school. The classroom was big with at least a hundred or so students. It's one of those big lecture classes, and all three of them are in it. The teacher was talking, but neither kid was paying attention. Brian was filming Kate and Michael, who is apparently sleeping.

The film cuts again to the college campus right after class got out.

"What'd I miss?" Michael chuckled sleepily.

"Just another pitch-perfect lecture from Professor Ludensky. Did you know Simon was a Christ figure?"

"Please tell me you taped it."

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Brian quipped.

Suddenly, another student walked between Michael and Brian, knocking the camera to the ground.

"Watch it, asshat!" Michael growled.

"What'd you call me?"

"Scott, come on," Scott's friend said, pulling Scott away.

"Oh, man," Brian sighed and picked up his camera.

He dusted it off and the three of them continued on their way until they were stopped by police tape. This is when you and the brothers first came on the campus when you heard about the deaths.

"Hey, can you shoot some of this for my movie?" Brian asked, letting Michael take the camera since he is closer to the action.

"Is that legal?" Kate whispered.

"Who cares."

A body covered with a bloodstained sheet lies behind the police tape. Five seconds later, the Impala rolled up with you, Dean, and Sam.

"Yeah, that's not good," Brian said, clearly believing you're part of the FBI.

"Someone got murdered on campus? You guys live two blocks from here."

You, Sam, and Dean stepped out with Joanna in your arms.

"Look, Joanna, you're on camera!" you gush and point her out.

"Hi!" she giggles and waves at the screen.

God, you love her so much, it hurts sometimes.

"Look, look, look. Starsky, Hutch, and Huggy Bear," Brian snickered.

"I don't know if I should be offended or not," you pout.

"Rizzoli and Isles," Michael laughed.

"Special Agent Rose and Johnson, and this is Special Agent Hudson," Sam said in the video, and all three of you flashed your badges.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" the detective asked.

"Our jobs. You want to tell us what's going on?"

"Whatever you say, boss. Got a call from a woman that lives upstairs. Said she heard an attack, came down, and found her neighbor here. Jacob Carter."

"Who'd he say?" Brian gasped.

"Jacob Carter? I don't know him," Kate said.

"Well, is the witness still home?" you asked.

"Sure is. She's not the most reliable type. She said she heard some kind of growl, like there was a coyote down here."

"Awesome."

You and the brothers disappeared into the building, leaving the trio of kids shocked.

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[tuulikannel]

I came across this crossover between Dresden Files and Fullmetal Alchemist in my files… I'd all but forgotten about it, having not touched it in over three years. Even though I like it, I doubt I'll ever finish it. :/ So I thought I could at least put here what I've written so far (over 5000 words, anyway), cause... like I said, I personally do like this. ^^ But yeah... be warned: this story will, unfortunately, remain unfinished (unless someone else possibly wants to finish it?)

Cast: Harry, Michael, Ed, Envy, Mei

This takes place (for DF) after Blood Rites (or so, it's kinda irrelevant, really, there aren't really any spoilers) and for FA after Mei has decided to return to her country (here there be spoilers up to that point).

(untitled so far. working title: Fullmetal Files, cause as usual, I lack imagination with titles XD)

(starting with Harry's pov, obviously)

It had been a perfectly fine Saturday night, all things considered. Me and Michael had driven a bit out of the city to banish a well-meaning but pretty confused ghost, a victim of a traffic accident that had been causing a handful of other accidents past few weeks. It had been a simple enough case, and for once I’d return Michael home to his wife without a scratch. I guess I should have been worried about how easily everything had worked out: we had located the ghost fast, banished it with ease, the summer night was cool and pleasant, and the Blue Beetle was on its best behavior, giving us no trouble on our ride back home. That was when the universe chose to remind me that perfectly fine Saturday nights just don’t happen in my life.

“Harry, what is that?” Michael asked. As it was his turn to be the driver he had his eyes on the road, and was the first to spot it. I ceased humming the song that was stuck to my mind – couldn’t remember the title for the life of me, but I was pretty sure it was Johnny Cash – and turned to look out through the windshield. And almost swallowed my tongue.

“Stop!” I had time to yell, before a tiny rip in reality suddenly tore into a huge gap that spread across the road and into the fields. We plunged straight into it.

~

Somewhere far away from the Briggs mountains, Mei Chang was trudging onward, making her way toward her distant homeland. The girl still wasn’t happy about the decision she had made, but her previous companions were right. Their struggle was not hers. She had her own land and clan to think about, and true enough, even though the worm she carried in a glass jar was a pathetic thing, it was the remains of an immortal being. Maybe that would be enough for the emperor.

Better than nothing, anyway? She just had to hope her Yao family half-brother wasn’t going to pull something better out of his sleeve.

She glanced over her shoulder, thinking of the snowy mountains she had left behind, hoping with all her heart that everyone would be alright. That Alphonse would be alright. That he would get his body back and perhaps someday come to find her in Xing and then… then…

She blushed slightly, her heartbeat quickened, and she started walking again with bouncy steps. When he would come, her family would rule the country, she would make sure of that. He would be astonished of the things she could show him then. And she wouldn’t be just a princess of the lowest clan of Xing, no, she would be…

“Look where you go!” the worm shrieked out from its jar, but it was too late. Suddenly the ground disappeared from under her feet, and she found herself falling into a deep, dark pit. She had time to let out a frightened gasp before she hit the ground, hard. The glass jar flew from her hands, hit the rocky ground and broke.

“Oh crap!” she exclaimed, and winced, hearing in her mind her mother admonishing her for such unladylike language. She jumped quickly to her feet and rushed after the lizard that was trying to scuttle away as fast as it could with its short legs. It was nimble, but so was she, grasping it with care, well remembering its sharp teeth.

“Let go, you!” the lizard squeaked, struggling in her hands, but she had a good hold of it.

Good. Ignoring the worm that was pouring curses on her she rushed to her broken jar. Now, just to fix it, and then figure out what… She paused, for the first time taking a look around.

“Where… are we?” she breathed, and the lizard too stop struggling in her hands to shoot a wide-eyed look around the barren landscape where they found themselves.

As far as the eye could reach there was nothing to be seen. Just the same, empty rocky land, covered in thin layer of dust that no wind moved.

“Damn it,” the lizard swore in her hands. “Why do you fools keep on dragging me into these situations?”

“Ah, I…” Mei started to say, turning slowly around, squinting her eyes as she tried her hardest to spot something, anything, in the twilight scenery.

Twilight? She blinked, realizing something. In every direction she looked at, the sky was shining with the same dull grey light, with no source visible anywhere.

Crap, she repeated quietly in her mind. Unladylike or not, this situation demanded some swearing.

Well. It was bad, but it could have been worse. She was okay and had Envy in control. First things first. Fix the jar, make sure the lizard wouldn’t escape again, then worry about this.

She had barely time to think of that when electricity made her skin prickle, there was a sound of distant thunder, and something fell down from a crack in the sky.

Mei froze, staring at the newcomer. It was manshaped, larger than Alphonse in his armor, and with a furless, wolf-like head and blank white eyes. And very sharp-looking teeth, she noted with a swallow.

“Um, hello…” she started, hesitantly. The wolfman sniffed the air, locked its eyes on her, and sped at her with a ground-shaking growl.

There was no time to think. She threw the lizard toward the attacking creature to distract it, while her foot was already drawing a transmutation circle on the ground. The wolf caught the lizard in midair and gulped it down in one bite without slowing down a bit. She was just about to throw her kunai, when the werewolf suddenly stopped as if it hit a wall. It bent double, shrieking, then suddenly bent backward at an impossible angle. Mei gave a short gasp as its body started deforming. Then she bit her teeth strongly together and threw the kunai to finish her transmutation.

~

“Stop!”

My cry was still ringing in my ears when we flew through the dark, suddenly falling down. I could feel the Beetle’s springs failing as we hit the ground, and grimaced. Well, at least the car stayed in one piece.

“What just happened?” Michael asked, still squeezing the wheel with white knuckles.

“Beats me.” It had seemed something like a portal to Nevernever, but something was off with it. Portals didn’t just randomly appear on their own, nor spread the way this had spread. Nevertheless… “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” I muttered.

“We weren’t there to begin with,” Michael stated. He had opened the door and stepped out, standing by the car with his hands on his hips, looking around. “There is nothing here,” he stated then the obvious.

“That’s…” I started to say, when a clasp of thunder, followed by the growling of a huge beast, cut me off. It came from the distance, but we could hear it clearly, and we both turned to look in that direction. “See anything?” I asked Michael. I sure didn’t.

“I’m not sure,” he said, squinting. “I think I might have seen some movement there…”

“Does the car still work?” I asked. At least the engine was still on. He got back in and stepped carefully on the gas, and the Blue Beetle started moving with a jerk.

I gave a thoughtful look toward the direction the sound had come from. “How stupid an idea would you say it’d be to go to check what made that noise?”

“Pretty stupid, even by your standards,” he said, but even so started driving to that direction. I gave him a look and he shrugged. “It’s not like there were anything else here in any other direction.” An explosion from where we were heading accompanied his words. We glanced at each other and shrugged, both of us. Let’s be fools together.

Despite the harsh landing we’d got, the Beetle was rolling onward evenly and with ease, making nearly no sound on the rocky surface of this place. It took but a short while before I could see two forms ahead, and I couldn’t help thinking they were getting closer too swiftly. We weren’t driving that fast – at least if we could trust Beetle’s speedo.

Two forms, one short like a child. Based on their stances and body language, it seemed they were in the middle of an argument, if not of a fight. Suddenly a voice full of rage carried to my ears, out of warning as if someone had just turned the volume up.

“…first you feed me to that wolf, then nearly destroy my body right when I’m getting it back! If you think I’m…”

Beetle’s engine coughed as Michael stopped the car. That sound caught the attention of the twosome, and they turned to us, looking startled. I and Michael shared one more look before opening the car doors without a word – he grasping his sword and me my staff, which had been lying on the back seat. I gave the two a frowning look, wondering if I what I thought I’d heard really was correct, or somehow twisted in the deafening silence of this place. Hell, maybe it hadn’t even been English at all and I had just thought so. These two didn’t look like your average Chicagoans, anyway.

Two girls who couldn’t have been more different. One, the younger, was dressed in what I’d say seemed like traditional Chinese costume. She was just a little kid, really, not even in her teens yet. Her hair was tied on two buns, from which sprouted three braids per bun, reaching down her back.

The other was some kind of a punk rock rebel. She was wearing a black tank top that left inches of pale skin and pretty nice stomach muscles visible, and a short mini skirt under which she had thigh-length black leggings, but it wasn’t just her attire on which I based my evaluation. The look on her face promised nothing good to anyone who’d cross her. And I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what she’d done to her hair, which sprouted from under a bandana around her head like the leaves of a demented palm tree.

Yep, they definitely seemed to have been in the middle of an argument, but right now just stood there, frozen, staring at us. The younger snapped out of it first. She sprang quickly to us, not close enough to touch, but still closer to us than she’d been to her companion – in fact, putting us in between the two, a fact which I’m sure didn’t escape Michael either.

I opened my mouth, noticed something, and blinked. “Is that… a panda?”

There was a tiny black and white creature sitting on her shoulder. It sure as hell looked like a panda, but it was smaller than Mouse had been when he was a baby.

“Oh, yes,” the girl said. So she did talk English. That was good. “This is Xiao-Mei. And my name is Mei Chang, pleased to meet you.” She bowed.

“Harry Dresden,” I said. Michael stepped to my side – and in so doing also closer to the little girl.

“Michael Carpenter,” he said, smiling warmly at the girl. Then he looked at the other one, and the warmth disappeared. Interesting. Michael wasn’t quick to judge people based on appearances. “And you are?” he asked.

The punk girl gave us a look, arms crossed across chest, her expression clearly stating she was dubious whether this question was worth answering.

“Envy,” she finally stated flatly, and I rolled my eyes. Yep, punk rock rebel right there.

“Does either of you have any idea where we are?” I asked, deciding to ignore her hostility for now.

Mei glanced at the punk girl and shook then her head. “I don’t think so. I… I was just walking when I suddenly fell into…”

“You fell because you’re a blind fucking idiot who doesn’t look where she’s going!” Envy exclaimed. “Yeah, thanks a lot for getting me my body back,” not that she sounded that thankful as the words were heavy with sarcasm, “but this?” She waved her hand at the empty land around us with a grimace that was anything but pretty.

“Your body…?” I started saying, but then something struck me. “Wait.” I stared at her chest. “You’re not a girl, are you?”

I received a look of pure murder at that. Which, of course, didn’t answer the question one way or the other. This… person was way too flat-chested to be female. But I couldn’t really say that she… he, whatever, would have been male, either. I squinted my eyes considering… their looks. Still rather male that than female, I’d say?

“So which is it?” I asked, giving up. “Just trying to figure out if I’m supposed to say he, she or something else here.”

“In truth?” Envy snarled. “I don’t give a shit what pronouns you worms use.”

That’s what I get for trying to be gender conscious.  “Fine. Going with ‘it’, then.”

It glared at me, but said nothing. Then a smile tugged its lips – a smile that had to rank in the top 10 of Freaky Villain Smiles, and I grasped my staff more strongly. “Well, if it bothers you so much,” it purred, and the smile reached top 5, “I can be whatever you want me to be. How about this?”

And in a moment the punk kid was gone and in its place stood a jaw-droppingly gorgeous woman, tall, blond, with full lips and clear blue eyes.

I might have stared a moment with my mouth hanging open. Closed it, when I heard Michael whispering, “Harry, what is this creature?”

“Stars and stones,” I muttered aloud. The woman threw her head back and laughed, and even her voice had changed; deep, melodious, clearly female.

A shape-shifter, and a good one, at that. Those can be tricky as hell. And did we even know for sure what this one’s real shape was? I took a deep breath, considering it carefully. I might end up regretting it, but better find out for sure what we were dealing with here.

I opened my Sight, took one look of the woman, and nearly fell down on my ass, laughing.

“What the hell you’re laughing at, fool?” Envy spat out, and now I had to bend over, leaning against my knees as I was about to choke with my laughter. That voice. That squeaky voice on top of it all was just a bit too much.

“Harry?” Michael asked. I could hear the frown in his voice.

“S…sorry,” I gasped, and made a brave attempt to suppress my laughter. Nearly succeeded in it, too. “It’s just… that thing…” I turned again to look at the tiny, ugly lizard or whatever the hell it was supposed to be, that was glaring at me with its huge saucers of eyes. “Oh Michael, how I wish you could see that too.”

“See what?” Mei asked.

I just shook my head, wiping the tears from my eyes as I straightened again. “I guess ‘it’ is just the correct pronoun in the end,” I said with a grin as I closed my Sight.

Envy, again in his, nah, its usual human form, looked at me sharply, eyes widening a little, and I nearly burst out in laughter again, imagining what that look would have been like on the little green worm.

“Now, that was a sight I’m perfectly fine with having permanently engraved in my memory,” I chuckled.

“What are you talking about?” Envy demanded, with a look that might have been frightening if I could have stopped thinking about that worm.

“I believe he looked at you with his wizard’s sight,” Michael stated. “It allows him to see things as they really are.”

There was a moment’s silence. Then Envy’s face distorted in a grimace so full of rage it wiped away all my mirth – momentarily, at least. The choice of words could have been better.

“Don’t you dare!” Envy shrieked in a voice that nearly tore my eardrums and must have torn some vocal cords. “Don’t you dare look down on me you humanmaggot!”

“Who’s the maggot?” I asked with a chuckle. “I think you’re confused here. Or in denial? But hey, don’t be embarrassed now, I’ve nothing against maggots, worms, or fugly little lizards, whatever you identify with, so…”

It’s a damn good thing my reactions have been honed by multiple monsters in countless fights, so when Envy’s arm suddenly transformed into a large snake striking straight at me, I had my shield up before I even realized what was happening. I heard a whisperof steel and knew Michael had drawn his sword.

“You foolish creatures,” Envy hissed, back hunched up, hands hanging in the front with fingers crooked like claws, face so twisted it barely reminded human anymore. What worried me more, though, was the strange light, like red electricity, that at times erupted in various parts of his… ugh, its, whatever, body, and I remembered with unease something else I had sensed with my Sight, hiding within that little lizard, something dark and twisted and immensely sad. “You imagine you’ve seen the real Envy?! I shall show you…”

Show what exactly remains a mystery, as at that moment a blond kid fell on the lizardry shape-shifter’s head from the sky. A blond kid – and an armful of food.

“You,” Mei stated with contempt while I was still busy blinking at the scene. Whoever this kid was, she obviously wasn’t overly impressed with him.

“Wha…” He was trying to find his feet when his eyes fell on the one he had fallen upon, and he rolled aside with a yelp, as if burned, landing neatly into a fighting stance. “Envy!” he exclaimed.

Okay, based on that reaction he was probably okay. Not that I’d ever really believed in any great friendships with the enemies of my enemies, what came to that.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Envy muttered darkly, standing up again.

“If not from the same place, at least through the same way as the rest of us, I would say,” Michael said, and I nodded.

“Did you too walk into a rift in reality?”

“Huh?” The kid, who had been staring at Envy with unwavering attention, blinked and looked at me. “I… don’t know. I was eating.”

“I don’t believe you losers!” Envy exclaimed, stamping on a bag full of some kind of meat sticks. “How pathetic…”

“Hey, that’s my food!”

“Oh?” Envy gave a baguette a hard kick, sending it flying farther away I would have thought possible. “That’s tough, pipsqueak.”

The kid flared up. It was a sight to see, someone as small as him making a kick that was only an inch away from meeting Envy’s head. “Don’t call me pip…!”

“Children!” I yelled. I’ve got pretty good acoustics for my voice, if I say so myself, not that I often use it that way. It had an immediate effect, as the pipsq… the kid, I mean, and Envy as well both froze where they stood. “Stop it,” I went on, still not quite on my normal speaking tone. “We’re all in the same boat, so let’s leave fighting for later.”

“And work together with this thing?” the blond kid asked me, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder at Envy. “Been there, done that. I got us out of Gluttony’s stomach, and you!” the finger was quite accusing, “did not keep your promise.”

“Wait, what?” I said. Stomach? Gluttony? “Do I want to know…?”

“Gluttony… and Envy,” Michael said quietly at the same time. “The seven deadly sins?”

“Well, we’ve got, what, six of them so far?” the kid said. “Though Lust’s gone, of course.”

“Lust… is gone?” I didn’t know what he was talking about, but somehow that made me a bit sad.

“Yeah,” the kid said. Then he released a slow breath and seemed to force himself to cool down. “I’m Edward Elric. The Fullmetal Alchemist.”

We just stared at him, me and Michael.

“The what now?” I asked then.

“The Fullmetal Alchemist! One of the state alchemists! Fullmetal’s my title. Don’t you…” he fell silent as we just kept on staring at him. “So… what’s the matter?” he asked slowly.

“Just that…” alchemy doesn’t exist, I was about to finish, but paused. That… sounded way too much like something I’d heard people telling me way too often. Okay, so let’s see how these people would react.

“I’m Harry Dresden,” I said. “Wizard.”

The kid frowned. Mei frowned. Envy made a snorting sound.

“As in, a magicking kind of wizard?” Mei asked carefully.

I nodded. She opened her mouth and closed it, not saying it. Nice girl.

Edward had no qualms. “Magic doesn’t exist,” he stated flatly.

“And we’ve a winner!” I pointed a finger to him. “Just what I was about to say about alchemy.”

“But…” he frowned.

“Different worlds, different rules?” Michael asked.

“Possibly.” Different worlds, huh? State alchemist, the kid had said… I was pretty sure I’d know about it if something like that was a thing in any country in our world. Based on his clothing and appearance, I’d say he was rather from Europe than some unexamined corner of the Amazon. Then I frowned. “Though if you’re not from our world, how do you speak English?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Edward said.

Envy groaned. “Are you just going to stand here talking each other to death? Who cares what language anybody speaks!”

I did – if we were from different worlds but shared the same language, that created some very interesting possibilities… but the shapeshifter had a point.

“Anyone have any idea where we are, or how we ended up here?”

Silence.

“And why just us?” Michael said after a moment. “Was it just a coincidence?”

No one had anything to say to that, either.

“Well,” I said with a sigh, taking out my mother’s pendant. “I guess there’s one thing I could try.” I couldn’t be sure if this would work here, wherever we were, but it was worth trying.

“What are you doing?” Mei asked.

“A simple tracking spell. My brother has a similar amulet to this. I should be able to find him.”

“Will it work if we’re in a different dimension or something?” Michael asked.

I shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

As I started drawing a circle on the ground, I could nearly feel the intent looks I was getting from the kids. Envy wore an indifferent expression, but didn’t look away, either.

“A circle,” Ed muttered. “That’s interesting.”

I stored the question of why for later and straightened. The spell was simple, fast to perform, and to my slight surprise, successful. The pendant that was hanging from my hand on its chain quivered softly, and I felt a surge of excitement. It died away just as quickly, as the pendant suddenly darted upward.

We all stared at it a moment, and turned then to look up where it was pointing. There was nothing to be seen, just colorless, dull sky.

“Umm,” I said. “That’s… uh.”

“Well, we did come here by falling,” Michael said musingly.

Edward was straining his neck, staring upwards. “If I had all the materials, I could transmute us an airplane, but as it is…” He shot a look around at the emptiness that surrounded us. Then his eyes stopped for one worrisome moment on Blue Beetle and he seemed to consider something, but shook finally his head. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I found it somewhat relieving that my car wasn’t involved in this… transmuting business, whatever it was.

“Is there anything you can do with magic?” Mei asked, pronouncing the M word with certain care.

I stopped to consider. I could always open a door to Nevernever. Of course, there was no knowing exactly where there we would end up – and some areas were better to be avoided. But other than that, I couldn’t really think of anything. Well, except trying to summon help – like my fairy godmother – but I was far from desperate enough for that.

“Everything I can think might leave us worse than we started,” I said. Michael nodded thoughtfully, probably guessing what I’d been thinking. “I’d rather explore this place a bit more before trying something desperate.”

“You do that. I’m off,” Envy snorted, and promptly turned into some kind of a large bird and flew away.

“They can do that?” Edward said, staring after the bird with a frown.

“Apparently,” I said, and made a mental note of checking anyone we might run into with my Sight. Who knew in what shape this guy would pop up next time. I kind of doubted that he… it… whatever, they, would be able to fly away from here.

“Good riddance, anyway,” Edward spat out. “So, what shall we do?” Hands on his hips he gave a glare at my pendant that was still hovering in the air, as if all this were somehow its fault.

“Explore this place?” Mei suggested. “Just because there is nothing here doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be anything anywhere else.”

Looking at the emptiness all around us I didn’t feel confident about this, but sure, just standing in one place was quite unlikely to help.

We packed ourselves into the Blue Beetle. I wasn’t quite convinced of how productive it would be just to drive randomly around, but until I’d think of a better suggestion I kept my mouth shut. Michael took the wheel again and the kids settled on the back seat. I politely and in a very grown-up way ignored what Edward was muttering under his breath of museumpieces, and then bit down a curse when the engine coughed and the car stopped before it even really got going.

Michael gave a sigh. “I guess the fall did take its toll, in the end.”

“Can’t you fix it with magic?” Mei asked, leaning forward from the backseat.

I shook my head. “Magic and technology don’t mix.”

“That’s sounds remarkably unpractical,” Edward stated and got out of the car.

I stepped out of the car as well, trying my hardest not to glower at him. “Oh, really? Thanks for telling me, I’d never realized why my life’s so effing complicated.”

He ignored me, watching the car with a thoughtful look. “I could fix it,” he offered, and I raised my eyebrows. “And improve it at the same time, too.”

“Fixing would be fine,” I grunted, “But I’m not so sure if I want your improvements.”

“Oh? Well, suit yourself.” Without waiting for any further comments he clapped his hands together, then clapped the ground, there was something that shivered in the air and…. damn.

Michael got back in, turned the key, and the engine started purring more softly than ever before. “Well,” he said in a slightly surprised tone, and shot the kid a pensive look. “That certainly looked a lot like magic.”

“It’s not magic,” Edward said, while Mei started saying something about this being a very peculiar way of performing alchemy, without a circle or something. I reminded myself that I would have to ask them about this circle business later. For now, all I could do was to stare at my car.

Damn.

Okay, so it was running again. Great. That was great alright. Just…

It was back in one color, too.

Red.

“It’s supposed to be blue…!”

Edward had been looking at me with a somewhat self-satisfied expression, which quickly turned into a scowl. “How was I to know that? It had more red in it than any other color!”

Well, that was true. But still… “It’s the Blue Beetle, damn it!”

“Stop whining, Harry,” Michael said. “You got it fixed for free. You can use the money you spared to buy some car paint, if you wish.”

“Nah,” I said, and released a breath, forcing myself to calm down. “Won’t be long before it’s all battered again and I got to replace some part.”

“What?” the kid exclaimed. “Take a better care of it after I had the trouble to…” He fell silent, looking shocked. “Damn,” he muttered then. “I’m sounding like Winry…”

“Okay,” I said with a sigh. “Let’s get going.”

We drove a while straight forward. Nothing changed in the view, and just like before, I got the feeling we were moving faster than what the speedometer claimed. As we drove, Mei explained the basics of how alchemy worked, with some side comments from Edward. All things considered, I got to say the basic rules aren’t that different from magic.

“Are you a wizard too, mister Carpenter?” Mei asked.

Michael shook his head. “Just call me Michael, okay? And I’m not a wizard, I’m a knight. A holy knight,” he added after a short pause.

Edward gave a frowning look at his sword that was propped between them together with my stuff.

After a while I shook my head. “This isn’t going to work.”

“I’m afraid you’re right about that,” Edward said, staring gloomily out at the unchanging scenery.

Michael let the car roll to a stop.

(And this is how far I got, I'm afraid. The rest is just random snippets.)

(Envy comes back and tells them they’re inside of a ball)

Ed was eyeing Envy suspiciously. “If you can fly, why haven’t you done it before?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Perhaps,” Mei said thoughtfully, “they were just too heavy back then. Now they’ve got to be much lighter. I mean, where would all that mass come from now, after having just eaten one single monster thingy?”

I had no bloody idea what she was talking about. “What monster?”

(explanation)

“You eat monsters?”

“Monsters, nosy wizards, annoying brats… I’m omnivorous.”

Edward was frowning. “If we are on the inner surface of a ball” he said slowly, “that has short enough diameter that you could easily fly through it, how come there is no curvature on the ground?”

I paused and looked around. The kid had a point. All around us the ground was completely flat.

“There was curvature when I looked at it from the air,” Envy put in, looking around as well with a frowning look that probably mirrored my own.

“Is that important?” Michael asked. “I mean, it is weird, certainly, but it won’t help us get away, will it?”

“Perhaps not,” I said, “but understanding this place might be helpful.” Or wouldn’t hurt, at the very least.

(Michael is being Michael)

”I’m a homunculus, remember! An artificial human! I wasn’t even created by this god of yours!”

Michael was unshaken. “And who was it that created your creator? Do you know that? Everything in this universe has its origin in Our Lord.”

“Michael,” I said to him in a low tone. “You’re not really trying to save a deadly sin here, are you?”

(Harry thought Ed and Mei are younger than they are)

“So how old are you guys?”

“I’m fifteen,” Edward grunted.

“Thirteen!” Mei exclaimed, making a little movement with her hands that made me think she might have shown the number with her fingers if she had enough fingers.

“What the hell.” I stared at them. “Don’t they feed their children where you come from?”

“And what do they feed their kids where you come from!” Edward shrieked. “Don’t you go calling me little, beanstalk!”

“Well, he is, like, twice your height, pipsqueak,” Envy put in, not that helpfully.

“Edward,” Michael said calmly, placing a hand on the kid’s shoulder and stopping him in mid-jump toward Envy. “Take it easy.”

(There’s a battle against some random monster)

“Okay, so… let’s see. We’ve got one wizard, one holy knight, one state alchemist, and one deadly sin… and the one to beat the monster’s ass is a tiny little girl.”

[chloeworships]

⚠️

I had a vision of the words

“LETHAL WEAPON”

And then I saw some kind of hand held missile launcher and a solider.

When I visited Washington DC I had the chance to hold one of these rocket launchers and 2 soldiers had to put the launcher on my shoulder. brroooooooo it was HEAVY AS… LOL 😂 I couldn’t believe it. What an experience. I was so inspired I wanted to join the Navy in the spot. I grabbed an application brought it back to Canada and when I told my parents they were like Ha. Never 😞💔😅

In the second vision, I saw at least 20+ soldiers in formation standing beside canons. A General 🎖️dashed a crossed the line and in front of me yelling orders for the troops to shoot. The soldiers were modern day but the canons were from the 1800’s

I believe the LORD is saying someone’s military equipment needs an upgrade OR that someone’s current military equipment is outdated. Can you win a war with these?

I also believe the LORD is telling us the fighting will intensify.

I saw nothing to indicate there would be successful peace talks or a ceasefire… yet.

After this I saw the Archangel Gabriel’s name so I know these visions were shown to me by him.

Third vision:

God showed me a demon then an Angel came out from the Heavens with bows and arrows and started shooting this demon. The Angel was invisible 🫥 All I could see was an outline of its body, wings etc. On the tip of its wing I saw our beautiful Canadian flag 🇨🇦 It was almost like this Angel was wearing a lapel 😂

This was Archangel Uriel. He is protecting our nation. Which I I didn’t know 👀

The Angel looked EXACTLY like this (see images below) but with wings and armour and his hair was wavy like our PM’s. His arrows moved so quickly at the speed of light babes. It was super human speed. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m not entirely sure because this part of the vision was blurry but it looked as though at the tip of the arrows was FIRE 🔥 Anywho that demon was defeated. I wanted to clap and shout with joy for having seen this victory 🏹

🤩

Maybe someone is wondering if our country will be or is safe and God is saying absolutely. AA Michael protects our nation too, under the covenant God made with Abraham as a county founded on Christian principles however this Angel was Uriel. Canada is a Promiseland 🇨🇦😃

I’m not even gonna lie babes but all of these latest visions on the military indicate to me that something is happening and preparations are being made that only a few are privy to. Something is definitely brewing because Angels only show up when it’s MAJOR.

It’s interesting because God gave me the song 🎶 Unstoppable🎶 by Sia and she talks about putting her arnour on. Then I remembered the scripture where Paul discusses putting on the armour of God. (See the post before this one).

You wouldn’t be putting on armour if you weren’t getting ready to fight yeah? OR at the very least shielding yourself from an assault.

It’s time to prepare babes ⚔️

We need to prepare for this war to escalate but please pray about this. Allow God to speak to you and to speak to the Heads of State.

About Uriel:

I had a prophetic dream almost 2 years about Uriel coming to protect me from these white supremacists who tried to attack my home in the realm. He had fire 🔥 next to him and he said to me in a slithering voice “THE FIRE OF GOD”. I spoke to all about this before.

I decided to google “what Angel has a bow and arrow” and I found this:

Recall God gave us 1 Corinthians 15:51 where Paul says “Listen, I will tell you a MYSTERY”. So what exactly is the definition of Mystery: “something that is difficult or impossible to explain” 👀

PEOPLE OF GOD!!! I am screaming!!!

Uriel is a warrior Angel babes and he was the first Angel I ever encountered. He is very special to me 😇 THIS IS BIG

Please take heed of what the LORD is saying.

PS. I’m also being told that our PM will absolutely protect our interests both domestic and foreign. I don’t even know why there is doubt about this because DUH!!! I’m just kidding, obviously there is plenty of doubt to go around but the answer is YES. We’re good. I, for one, never doubted him and his commitment to our country.

[moodywyrm]

those are so cute!! and omggg those tops are the best and they always look so good

i’m a pretty fast reader,, or at least i used to be? i think it’s just because i’m a lot busier now bc i have a job and school and stuff 💀 maybe i’ll try to read more during my vacation :o

bright lights are the worst! my gf and i refuse to use the big lights in our apartment unless absolutely necessary, it’s all lamps and fairy lights 😭

fair!! i like listening to music or watch a video/show while i game or do other things but like i said i just tune it out 😵‍💫

it was very nice :) we always spend time together but we almost never get a day where it’s just like, nothing really going on. and ik!! i’m so excited!! we booked everything yesterday and we’re going to villa del balbianello and i can’t wait :) i’ve been wanting to go since i was a kid !! and he rlly is, he loves watching movies with us. i’m rewatching the whole star wars series with him because he’s my son now

that’s good!!! i’m glad you’re having a good day so far <3 lord i need to buy new supplies but ! target is still having their 20% off deal for college students so i might use that to my advantage. and yes omg stock up on yarns just in case !! make some cute lil outfits for class with your new crochet skills <3

my day is good so far!! i’m off work today so my gf and i are at ikea rn :) we’re in need of some new furniture and a new shelf for our balcony bc it broke </3 we’re going to order pizza and have a lil date night at our apartment to build our new things ! she has been really antsy today and idk why, but she’s going somewhere for a couple hours with a friend when we get home so i’m like ?? not sure what to do ?

- 🩷

Yeah!! Once I’m significantly better at crochet, I wanna try and make one!!

That’s so fair!! I only have so much time bc I’m on vacation rn, and then during school I have blocks of time before my classes to read bc I get there early!!

I agrée!! I hate overhead lights, lamps and fairy lights all the way!! And they’re prettier 💕💕

That’s so fair!! I have somehow managed to watch Three and a quarter twilight movies while I’ve been practicing today 🧍🏽‍♀️

Aww, im glad y’all got a nice day together 💕 and that’s so cool!! And omg italy??? That’s so fucking cool, it looks so pretty!!! A win for childhood you!! He’s your son!! And he’s a film bro!! What a sweet lil man, the first of his kind, a sweet film bro 😩 I’ve never actually seen all the Star Wars movies 🧍🏽‍♀️

Thank you!!! I love crafts, I have a bunch of paint but I don’t really use it :( new supplies!! I do think I need some stuff, but I don’t remember what I have back at my apartment :( and yes!! I’m gonna ask my dad if we can go to michaels this weekend so I can grab a few more skeins, I only have three rn and I’m using pretty much all of the red to practice! And I would love to make clothes and accessories, but I’m definitely not at that skill level yet 😭 I might make shoelaces though!!

That’s good!! I fucking love IKEA, i wanna go so bad 😩 that sounds like such a cute date omg, pizza and building with the sapphics!! Me and my girl When. That sucks, I hope it passes :( getting antsy sucks :( hopefully it’ll help her to hang out with a friend? It’s gonna be okay pinky, just be there for her and try and have a sweet night 💕

[paper-lilypie]

For all that resentment between CC and Gregory, at least in the good ending he goes back to his time and has a great Uncle (and Aunt) to actually get to know. Even if they might not get the whole “went back in time with your brother to save you and met your ghost” thing.

yeah pretty much!

i like to think that if the good ending did come to pass, both Michael and Gregory would spend family reunions and holidays trying to convince Evan he and Gregory have met before. Elizabeth joins in sometimes for shits and giggles. Evan experiences a crisis every time. It’s family tradition now.

[nylwnder]

steal your heart

a/n: day 2 of my birthday series and i needed to appreciate our cute lil greasy rat boy so enjoy!

pairing: michael bunting x fem!reader

warnings: fluffy!!!, high school crushes to lovers

word count: 1.1k

taglist: @11livpangburn , @bb-nhlqueen7 , @swedishprince88 , @callsignlunar , @boqvistsbabe , @savoies , @stars-canucks , @drei-mrssvechii , @ilyasorokinn , @spine-buster , @melissasturges90 , @themotogirl , @thenhlhastakenovermylife

series masterpost

“oh shit” you mumbled when you realized there was no more milk in your fridge. you quickly placed a very worn out oversized hoodie on top of your pyjamas before grabbing your phone and running out. you needed the milk to finish your favourite pasta’s creamy sauce that you were making for dinner.

“i could have sworn i had a bag left” you said to yourself as you were in the sobeys only a couple blocks down your condo. grabbing the milk from the large fridge you stopped in your tracks when you heard a voice.

“y/n? y/n l/n?” the voice said, it didn’t take long for your mind to replay all the times you’ve heard the sweet voice before. you smiled, before immediately turning around.

there he was, michael bunting. also known as the goofy boy who you had a major crush on in high school.

“bunts?” you asked, looking at his cheeky smile. “it’s me babe!” he said, nodding while walking up to you.

“you’re the last person i would have thought to see today. and definitely the last person i wanted to see with how shitty i look!” you whine as you cover your face in embarrassment.

“aw come on, you got cute pjs!!” he says laughing, looking at the tons of sheeps all around your fuzzy pants.

“you’re back? aren't you supposed to be in arizona?” you asked, knowing he was able to pursue his professional hockey career with the arizona coyotes.

“i decided to sign over here! you’ll be seeing a lot of me around town now!!” he said, fiddling with his shoes before he looked up to see your reaction. you smile at him, you always wanted to see him again. especially after senior year, but your careers separated the two of you.

“sounds like lots of fun!” you said nudging his arm, in which he giggled back. looking at him again, after a couple years, you figured you should take the opportunity to catch up. “do you- i don’t know, wanna get dinner one day?” you asked him, now it was your turn to fiddle instead with the bag of milk.

“you know what y/n/n,” bunts says, your heart fluttering at your nickname, which you didn’t think he’d remember. the special nickname he gave you that one night. “yeah?” you asked quietly, “i’d love that.” a familiar warm feeling filled your body, one you have not felt at all for years.

smiles were exchanged, before you told him you had to run back home to finish your dinner. “you left the stove on?” he asked, concerned as you nervously giggled. he gave you his number before he watched as you clumsily ran away. he then laughed as you dropped your phone in the process and at how you were too nervous to look back if anyone saw you.

—

you’ve been talking with bunts for hours everyday, the two of you not taking any time to wait to catch up. though today, it was finally the day for your planned meet-up for dinner.

you wore a dress you’d designed back in highschool. you only ever showed that design to four people. your teacher, who gave you a 95% on it, your best friends shay and alex, and bunts.

he saw you one day, sitting in the hall skipping gym class to finish the drawing before the due date. he was skipping physics just because he was bored out of his mind cause of some sub-teacher. he sat down beside you, you didn’t really know what to do other than smile at his presence.

as much as he liked to joke around, he was never rude to anyone and especially not to you. that’s except for some of the bullies he’d encounter some days. that made you feel like you never had to be too nervous around him. he always came with a welcoming atmosphere, which is why you thought you fell for him so easily.

“that’s real good” he told you as you coloured in the flowers in your pattern. “thank you!” you said, “no no, i mean that’s really fucking good!!” you laughed at him. “thanks michael” you said, hoping your blush didn’t show as much.

“please, call me bunts, you know that.”

“okay, bunts.” he smiled at you, his mind sitting on the way your voice sounded when you said both his nickname and real name.

as you walked into the restaurant, you saw bunts waiting for you by the bar. you walked up to him as he turned around to face you. his eyes scanned your entire outfit, “you’re joking!!” he exclaimed.

you laughed at him, “do you remember?” you asked. “of course i do, it was the prettiest dress i’ve ever seen!!” he said, later asking if he could touch the thin lacy material that sculpted the dress.

“i remember how you coloured in the fabric, to show how soft and flowy it would look. and the flowers, did you make them yourself?” he asked as his fingers grazed the embroidered shapes.

“yeah, took me a long time but, yeah!” you said, smiling as he was genuinely intrigued by your work. you could feel your face getting all red but luckily the lights were sort of dim.

when the two of you sat down, you both began taking a trip down memory lane. “you were barely making eye contact with me at prom, that’s why i didn’t think you were going to ask me to dance!” you said, as you picked on your appetizers.

“i couldn’t look at you” he said, making sure he didn’t lose eye contact with you this time around. “why not?” you asked, “you looked too pretty.” he said, biting his lip just for a second before he saw you do the same.

“that kiss though,” you mentioned, bunts nodded “talk about straight out of the movies!” he joked. “did i really steal your heart? out of everybody in that school. out of everybody in your life. was it really me?” bunting asks, taking a sip from his drink.

“you stole my first kiss and my happiness too.” you said, spinning your drink around. “i always thought i’d never see you again, knowing you’d probably have a huge career somewhere with a really good team. my dream was to go to europe, hoping to start my fashion career there. my 17 year old self always thought that i’d just see you in another life.”

“well, i say, i definitely want you in this one.”

you both scoot closer to each other, feeling how his fingers interlace with yours. the two of you then sit there, hands folded together under the table, pretending as if you’re not both acting like highschool kids who are just a bit obsessed with each other.

you loved the nostalgic, fluttering feeling bunts always gave you, and you really wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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[diavolosthots]

Felt like crying, so I came to you, my friend! Mc and Mammon went out shopping, specifically to buy gifts for his brothers, as an apology. When they get back home they are met with hostility. They berate Mammon until Mc screams at them to shut up, then rips into each of them for their treatment of Mammon. Then finishes with "Don't expect Mammon to stay here when he can live with me in the humanworld. I'm done with you. Mammon, lets go, you deserve better, love" and leaves w/ Mammon. Thank you!

You came to me because you felt like crying and that gives me two (2) things to think about. 1.) I'm apparently someone who people see as a tissue? 2.) My angst is just THAT good. Also! Apparently today is rain on Mammon day and I'm here for it not me avoiding my exam to write these things

Warning: uh.... Angst?

Soul-Searching (MAMMON X GN!READER ft. THE BROTHERS)

“You know, I’m proud of you for suggesting this.” Truly, you were. Mammon was your favorite and you felt for him, but you also completely understood where his brothers came from. At first, it honestly annoyed you as well; the constant stealing, the lying… You tried blaming it on his avatar, but even then it doesn’t explain the lying that comes with it. However, you do realize that it’s a habit and it’s a habit that is hard to fix, so instead of constantly getting onto him like the rest, you tried to understand him a bit more and give him some life advice. So far, you have managed to get Mammon to give back all the things he has recently taken from his brothers, and some of them even got an apology. You’ll be working on how to properly apologize, though, because oof, that was a mess. 

And now? Now you managed to take a small trip with him downtown to at least attempt to make things better. Mammon is now, or at least today, using his own money to buy some things that his brothers would be fond of: a new vinyl player for Lucifer (non-cursed), a new Ruri-chan t-shirt for Leviathan, a neck pillow for Satan because lord knows he has some cramps back there with the way he leans over and down to read his books. Then some perfume for Asmodeus that he had been swooning about, a gift card to Beel’s favorite restaurant for the glutton, and a heated blanket for Belphie. You were proud, truly, that Mammon wanted to do this. As a matter of fact, he was the one who suggested it. “Maybe… uh.. I could… ya know… buy somethin’ they like” is what he said. You were just excited and agreed to help. 

Now you were going back to the house with a few shopping bags and ice cream almost fully eaten. You paid for the ice cream, as a way to reward Mammon, and you’re sure he’s secretly thanking you for that because some of these items truly did burn a hole into his credit card, which is partially his fault. “Lucifer deserves more than some random vinyl player.” his words, not yours. Also “satan needs one of them neck pillows that massage it, too!” again, his words. So yeah, some money was definitely spent on these items, but… once again, you were proud. “I think they’ll love everything, Mam. They’d be fools if they didn’t.” Hearing you say that made Mammon feel a lot better, honestly, and a small rush of confidence came to the surface “Ya betcha they will! Nothin’ but the best from the Great Mammon!” You just laughed. 

However, upon arrival, it was a different sight. As a matter of fact, you barely made it through the door before Beel was grumbling something about Mammon eating his custard, which is true, but it’s just a custard? “MAAMMMOONNN!!” and then there was Lucifer who appeared so fast you wondered if he was even real. He went on a whole rant about how irresponsible Mammon is and how another bill came in the mail that talks about Mammon’s debt. Satan and Belphegor teamed up to show empty hands, which left both you and Mammon confused, but then “do you see anything here? No? That’s because you sold our belongings, Mammon!” Mammon can be lucky that Leviathan was still holed up in his room because he just remembered that he also, at some point in the past, sold one of Levi’s figures. Asmodeus came last and honestly he wasn’t mad, he was just annoyed. “I saw you go through my things, Mammon. Nothing was taken, but it was still so incredibly rude!” 

Next followed a screaming match which was basically just Mammon trying to defend himself, trying to show the bags and apologize, but none of them would have it. It irritated you. Yes, they had every right to be mad because personal belongings should stay with their owner(s), but at the same time, they didn’t even give Mammon a chance to explain, especially after he’s been holding the bags up and attempting to apologize. “You’re so stupid, Mammon” “StupidMammon” “so irresponsible. You know better than that. Do you need another time out session, Mammon?” “I can’t believe you’d go through my stuff again!” by now your eyes were twitching and the voices echoing off the walls surely didn’t help your case. One more word and you’d snap, surely, especially since Mammon’s hand is now shaking and you grabbing it did nothing at all. “We would be better off without you.”

Ah yes, there it is. The final straw. The amount of anger boiling inside you right now isn’t even manageable anymore and you’re surprised that Satan, as the Avatar of Wrath, has yet to notice it. “Shut up! Shut up, Shut up, Shut up! All of you!” You yanked Mammon behind you, almost protectively and Belphegor found the need to laugh at it. “Really? You’re going to protect him?” Oh, there. That’s your first victim. “Are you really that dense, Belphegor, or is sleep still clouding your brain cells? That is your brother you’re currently making fun of and I don’t know about you, but I was taught that family sticks together, blood related or by choice. So how about you get your head out of dreamland, take this stupid heated blanket that he bought for you, as an apology, and wake up for a second.” yes, you did throw the bag at him and then you pointed your finger at Beel. You’d regret later on that you’re tearing into him as well because Beel means well at the end of the day, but still, he was also part of this. 

“You’re my least worry, Beel. Honestly you’re too caught up in your burgers and brawns to care for a second that your brother tries very hard to be liked by all of you. Sad, really.” you threw the card at him too. As a matter of fact, you threw all of the bags right in front of them. “And then Asmo.. oh my God, first of all, the world doesn’t revolve around you. Shocker, I know. If you were half as empathetic toward your family as you are obsessed with yourself, maybe you wouldn’t feel the need to always go party and drink your life away. Oh, I’m sorry, did that hit just a little too hard? Can’t be harder than the hangovers you wake up with on a regular basis.” You glared at him before turning your attention to Satan. “Honestly, if you weren’t such a baby inside I may actually be scared of you. You always complain about how stupid he is, how he needs to just learn, but you? What do you do all day? You hole yourself up in your room and read about worlds that you wish you could enter. News flash: you’d die before you had the chance to say hello. People don’t like self-proclaimed assholes. Mammon IS smart. He’s very talented, too, but you’re too far up in Shakespeare’s ass that you fail to realize that everyone has knowledge in different fields of life. Give me a break.” 

Satan was about to retort but you already moved on to Levi. “and you! Let’s be honest, if it weren’t for you wallowing in self-pity and fake depression, you would have absolutely no personality traits. What are you again? The Avatar of Envy? How about instead of being envious of others’ accomplishments, you actually start working on yourself. It’s truly pathetic that a couple millenia old demon’s only purpose in life is ramen and self inflicted emotional pain. Seriously, what are you? A pitiful loner? I can’t even begin to empathize with you in any way, shape, or form.” Your blood was boiling right now and maybe if they hadn’t attacked Mammon like they did, you would’ve felt bad about Levi’s sad face right now, but there was still one person left to deal with.”

“And you… beautiful, responsible, way-too-good-for-you older brother, Lucifer.” He’s been glaring at you this whole time, arms crossed over his chest but you stood your ground. You’re not quite sure how you managed, but you did. “You call yourself the best, the most responsible. You constantly say this family would fall apart without you, but that’s not it, is it? I think you’re just lonely. You force these six to be by you, to respect you and borderline worship you. Not because you deserve it…” you chuckled, shaking your head, “no. You’re just so sad that Daddy and Michael left you, mocked you, that you turned your sadness into anger and took it out on these six, but especially Mammon. Why? Because you see yourself in him. You call him your favorite brother, but it’s not because he actually is… he just reminds you of everything you used to be: fun, reckless, and feeling. Now you’re just cold, mean, and bitter. Don’t bother calling yourself the mighty first because without him you would be neither. Maybe if you pulled that stick out of your arse and actually tried to get to know your brothers, maybe you wouldn’t be so lonely all the time. Family, right? That’s what you want. How about you start acting like one.” 

You shook your head after that, grabbing Mammon’s hand and kicking the bags in front of you before dragging Mammon back out the door. “Those are for you, by the way. Not that you deserve them, but they’re Mammon’s way of apologizing for all the things you accused him of the minute he set foot into the house. Have fun. We’re going to the castle and, if we’re lucky, to a real home.”