#my aunt is friends w his mom and that’s how I knew of him. she put in a good word for me

[dontstalkhaleyshedontlikethat]

Ngl one of my biggest regrets and I feel missed opportunities in my life was being offered an internship with Henry Jackman (composer for the winter soldier and civil war) because of mental illness in teen years.

[ursemma]

You're the best thing that's ever been mine!

Mattheo Riddle × fem!reader

Warning: trauma, angst, mention of knifes, alcohol, domestic fight, Pansy being a bitch, overthinking mention of depression and anxiety, loneliness, fluff, reassurance. Let me know if I missed anything (Happy ending!)

Post Hogwarts

Summary: basically based on Taylor Swift's Mine song.

'Do you remember, we were sittin' there by the water?

You put your arm around me for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine'

Being a guarded person never in my life I thought I would sneak out, that too in the middle of night with Mattheo Riddle, but here I'm sitting by a lake with him, being wrapped around his arms, it's safe to say he brings out a rebel in me and I feel safe with him.

Flash forward, and we're takin' on the world together

And there's a drawer of my things at your place'

Fast forward one year later, we left the town and I moved in with him, he had a place in the town we're staying at. It was our first year anniversary and I bought a cake for him and a watch as a gift. "Matty I'm home." I announced as I kept the cake on the table. Hearing no response I decided to look for him in our bedroom and there he was and there's a drawer of my things at his place and that is open I think I know what's going on.

'You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded

You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes'

The horror flushed into my eyes as I saw him reading my diary. I've written my entire childhood in that. How my father was alcoholic and how he used to neglect us, how my mother was so busy in work that she basically forgot she had a kid, how my parents reckless and careless behaviour made me so gaurded, how lonely I was my entire childhood that led anxiety and depression at an early age and how pathetic and weak person I was. And how it led to sever attachment issues and fear of being abandoned.

"w-what are you doing with that?" I asked him while carefully trying to read his expression hoping I wouldn't find a glimpse of disgust. Being an overthinker I can't help but think of worst of everything.

"why didn't you tell me?" He asked with curiosity. "Tell you what?" I tried to play it cool but I knew I lost.

"Don't. Don't do that. open up to me, I want to know everything of you y/n/n. Every peice of you. From your worst moments to your proudest, embarrassing to your happiest, darkest to your lightest. Every single thing. And I can't do that if you won't let me." He replied with a serious gaze and that truly made me break.

"what do you want to know? That my father abandoned us and went to exile and suddenly appeared when I was what like 13? And he used to come home drunk and every day I used to witness him and mom fighting every fucking night? Which used to remind me when I was just a fucking toddler my uncle used to do the same the only difference was that my uncle and aunt used to have a fucking knife pointed at each other. My mom trying to be a perfect mother she is neglected me by drowning herself into work. I was all alone witnessing everything with no one by my side. Scared from everything I used to lock up in my bedroom. I had no friends not even in school. I was bullied by my ex and his friends just because I broke up with him. I didn't had anyone to rely on. My fucking friends left me at my worst mattheo. Is that want you want to hear? how pathetic i am??. I replied while breaking down and he wrapped his arms around me while comforting me.

"first you're not pathetic. Second yes. I want to hear all of it every little detail of your life. If you don't tell me what hurted you how am I going to help you heal? I want to be their for you. In every step in your life I want to be their with you. And remember it's not your fault. And we'll never make your parents mistake. I'm not abandoning you or leaving you. You're never gonna get rid of me, you get tired? Sleep. And when you're feeling okay come back to me. The minute you agreed to be my girlfriend was the minute it was decided it's gonna be till death do us apart." He softly reassured me and that's what I needed to hear. For someone to tell me that it's not my fault. That they are going to be their for me. That it's ride or die.

'Do you remember, we were sittin' there by the water?

You put your arm around me, for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

You are the best thing that's ever been mine'

Me and Matty laid down on our bed and I told him every single detail of my life. And suddenly he spoke "do you remember our first date?" "Oh yes! You took me to the lake and we were sitting by the water!!" I exclaimed as i remembered the memory. "Yeah I can't believe that you snuck out for me" he chuckled. "Yeah and now I ran away with you and left the town" I replied with amusement. "I can't believe that I made a rebel of a careless man's carefull daughter and you're the best thing that's ever been mine."

I looked into his eyes as he said those words and saw nothing but sincerity. "You're the best thing that's ever been mine too, Matty, and I would break thousands of rules if it means spending every second of my lifetime with you." He looked at me smiled and pulled me in for a kiss. "Oh yeah?? Where's my rule following good girl i kinda missed her" he teased me and started to tickle me. "Oh my god Matty stop" i giggled and we spent the night cuddling in eachothers arms.

It's been two years since that incident and me and Mattheo grew up alot more as a couple. I heard his friends are in town and we're going to meet them. "Hiee I'm Lorenzo but you can call me Enzo it's nice to meet you mattheo talks alot about you whenever we meet or calls or text" he excitedly introduced himself.

So I met Theodore, Blaise, Enzo and Draco and they all were friendly, i already like them. As we were about to eat a girl introduced herself, "oh you can't be eating without me can you?" She looked over us and suddenly the table went silent.

"hey I'm Pansy Parkinson, Mattheo's e-" as she was about to complete the sentence "friend. She's our friend." Draco quickly answered. "Oh come on Draco you wouldn't want her to know how me and Mattheo used to smoke late night and cuddle up together? Is that what friends do? How we used to party till late forgetting about the world." Pansy spoke with a smirk and i already got a mean girl vibe from her. I looked over to mattheo and was glaring at her I was hoping for a explanation but was met with a silence.

"oh come on theo scoot over i heard this was a friends reunion and i wasn't invited" she said while taking a seat. "This was a meet up of the boys with my girlfriend pansy and it was better off without you, and i think by not inviting you clearly gives a massage that I didn't wanted you to be here" Mattheo spoke while shooting draggers at her. "Oh come on Mattheo did you forget i was always a party crasher?" She replied by throwing a wink at him.

The entire dinner went silently and I got up and went to restroom to wash my hands "oh comeon do you really think Mattheo loves you?" I heard pansy's voice. "I mean you are completely opposite of his type. You don't party, you don't smoke, you don't dress up, you aren't even that pretty and comeon you aren't even that confident. And trust me Mattheo is known Playboy, if you ask any girl from our school 8 out of 10 girls has dated him. He can't keep a girl longer and you're nothing but another experiment for him" As she spoke insecurity started to crawl up my skin. I mean she was right wasn't she, he has a reputation to keep, he would leave me if he find a better one, and i being myself would be left alone just like always. I'm not pretty enough, i don't do anything he likes, I don't smoke, i don't drink infact i hate alcohol, I lack confidence, I'm weak, I'm fragile, I'm pathetic. "Yeah you're right." With that i left the restroom.

I stared to think about everything she said and don't know how but I ended up at the nearest park.

'And I remember that fight, 2:30 AM

As everything was slipping right out of our hands

I ran out, crying, and you followed me out into the street'

I didn't realised it was 2:30 Am I looked at my phone and there were 80+ missed calls and 150+ msgs from Mattheo, there were 50+ calls and msgs from his friends. "Shit" cursing my self I decided to go home. "Y/n/n is that you??" Mattheo exclaimed with relief as he saw me leaving the park. I was about to exit but he came towards me.

"Where were you why weren't you answering calls and massages and what happened to you?" He asked me scanning my face. " A- as you can see I- I was at the park and m-mattheo after thinking alot I- I think it's best if we-" i stuttered while speaking. 'pathetic. Can't even speak without fumbling. Pansy was right he'll get tired of me.' the devil in me spoke. "If we what?" He spoke being dead serious. "I-if if we broke up." I gathered the courage and spoke it looking at my feet.

"don't you dare. Don't you dare to think of breaking up just bcoz 'you thought alot.' and where is this coming from?." He spoke angrily. "Don't you see? This isn't working and it won't. There are alot of girls better than me. I'm not like you Mattheo. I don't party, I don't smoke, I hate alcohol, I'm not like you. I don't like being in a crowded place. I'm not the one you want. Pansy was right about it Mattheo and on top you've a reputation to keep you'll get tired of me eventually." I hated how I sounded, I hate how this was taking place moreover I hated how it was falling apart.

Braced myself for the goodbye

'Cause that's all I've ever known

Then you took me by surprise

You said, "I'll never leave you alone"

"i think it's better if we parted our ways." I countinued i was met with a silence for a minute and I spoke "wh- why aren't you saying anything?" "Are you done?" That was his answer. "Are you done speaking nonsense? And care to give me a chance to speak?" "Yes I'm done you can say." I replied while trying to sound composed.

"I've changed since I met you. My life then was chaotic and it brought me nothing but destruction. I partied, drank, smoke to drown my sorrow, I changed girls like cloth just for pleasure. But after everything went down with my father and all I changed. I was in highschool then y/n/n. I was a whole different person, I changed the town to move on, to move on with you, to become a better person, and other girls out there they aren't you. I want you. And i don't care about them okay? I care about you. I'll never get tired of you. And trust me I'll never leave you alone. Fuck what pansy said I don't care. the reason I didn't wanted you to meet her wasn't that I still want her it was the fact that I knew she'll pull a stunt like this. And about confidence, it takes time you haven't completely healed, and we're working on that, and I'm there for you. I don't think you're pathetic and I don't care what other's think i love you and that's what matters and it's not your fault what happened with you." He hugged me as spoke those words and I believed him.

Do you remember, we were sittin' there by the water? You put your arm around me, for the first time.

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter.

You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

Do you remember all the city lights on the water?

You saw me start to believe for the first time.

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter.

You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

"And by the way, happy birthday." I looked at him in utter confusion, it's my birthday? Oh shit it is. "I knew you'll forget it" he rolled his eyes teasingly "oh comeon with everything going on you expect me to remember it." I replied playfully and suddenly he got on his knees I looked at him in confusion "so my beloved, as it's your birthday I want to give you a gift. A promise to always be with you in every step of your life, a promise to never leave, a promise to Cherise you forever, a promise to never hurt you , a promise to be with you till death do us apart. Y/n l/n will you marry me and do the honour to let me fulfill every promise I've made and accept my gift?" I looked at him stunned and it was dead silence and the only sound we could hear was of water running in the nearby fountain. "Oh comeon answer me and let me wife you up!!" He whined like a child. I chuckled and screamed "yes Matty I'll marry you!!" He slided the ring on my finger and hugged me we jumped like little kids and my inner child felt safe with him. I started to believe for the first time.

[bomber-grl]

KQJSKSJSKBJABRO I'M NERVOUS

You could do one of Hiro Hamada with an s/o with mommy or daddy issues pleeease??? O⁠_⁠o

Hiro x Reader w mommy/daddy issues

Pairing(s): Hiro Hamada x Gn!Reader

Honestly your issues with your parent(s) never really mattered but Hiro knew something was up

It was with little things like when you’d see a mother/father happily with her children

Or something as simple as when they’d be mentioned

He never brought it up because ..

1. It wasn’t really his place

2 . He wouldn’t want to talk about his parents either as it wasn’t exactly a happy topic

So he understood that much

But then push comes to shove when you show up to his house in the middle of the night and he’s forced to bring you in while (painfully) lying to Cass

It’s not exactly a good look since you’re dating but that thought was soon overshadowed when he saw the state you were in

Regardless, he let you stay over and you two began just chilling while binging whatever snacks he had

Then he asked if you’d wanna talk about it

Took some time, but then you surrendered

Thus began the rant about your parent and what they’ve done and put you through and even what they haven’t done when raising you

I mean Hiro was shocked to say the least

Cass was the closest person to a parental figure to him so thinking of her doing any of the things you just said

Well it’s shocking

He’s tempted to just say you can have his aunt (or share to console you)

But he knows it’s best to just listen without giving input

Then you apologize for it and honestly how did he not see it?

You’d either have to beg your parent(s) to come to any events or you had to beg them to even go since they were so strict

It was such a hassle for you and if the previous incidents didn’t make it clear, your rant definitely did

Anyway

After that night hiro really made it so that you’d feel apart of the family

(Maybe he told Cass about it with permission from you)

Everything he does is basically to make sure you can have a new parental figure worth the title

And although you do notice you make sure to go along

Partially because you want to go along with Hiro

But maybe it won’t hurt to indulge in the unconditional love you never got to recieve

It’s time to get it elsewhere (aka from Cass)

And honestly? She loves you

So much

Not only have you been a good friend to Hiro but the way Hiro talks about you really makes her happy

Even if you can’t rely on that parent then atleast you can rely on Cass

She’s not the step mom, she’s the mom that stepped up /j

Anyway this sorta turned into a Cass supremacy post because she’s so supportive that she deserves credit for it alright?

(Saying this cuz if my nephew got my other nephew jailed then I’d be pretty pissed 💀 miss girls a saint)

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

You and your boyfriend Usopp taking care of a child would involve...

Usopp x reader. NSFW!!

*****

🤎 You and Usopp are childhood friends; you have been a couple since you were barely old enough to distinguish between affection and friendship, and you joined Luffy’s crew together. Despite the occasional fight and misunderstanding, your relationship is incredibly close, and has helped you to survive the various family losses you both experienced; neither of you even expected to become pirates, but you are confident that, whatever the future may have in store for you, you will face it together. 

🤎 One day, after an afternoon spent shopping with Nami, you return to the harbour where the ship is docked, looking forward to the moment you’ll show Usopp your purchases, and find the boys on the deck, gathered around something you can’t see, an animated discussion taking place among them. “Hi! What are you doing?” you ask happily, and when they see you the boys part silently, allowing you to see your boyfriend, who looks like a deer in the headlights… 

🤎 … and has a baby in his arms. A baby who looks just like him, and who is happily snuggling against his chest. 

🤎 For a whole minute you’re left speechless, your heart breaking in a million pieces as you still can’t believe Usopp, a guy so loyal to the people he loves, could have done something so terrible. “Alright; who was she?” you ask in the end, your arms to your chest, and your boyfriend, who has anxiously been waiting for your reaction, blinks, taken aback. “Who is who?” “The woman you betrayed me with, Usopp; it must have happened while we were still in Syrup, which means I probably knew her, and I’m gonna go back to smash her face…” “W-what? (name), I never cheated on you! I never could!” he exclaims, flabbergasted “This child is not mine!” “... he isn't?” “No; he’s my cousin. Please, let me explain.” 

🤎 Partially reassured, and as the others leave you alone to discuss, you sit on the deck, Usopp next to you still holding the baby in his arms; he is very cute, you think, not last because the family resemblance with your boyfriend is really striking. Maybe, you think vaguely, this is how a son of his would look… “This is Aso. You probably don’t remember, but I had an aunt, my mom’s sister, who left the village when she was still a girl and never returned. They used to write to each other, but I never heard from her since I wrote to tell her my mom had died; I had no idea she had had a child. And then today… well, two hours ago, a man came to see me; he was a lawyer, and he told me that my aunt died, coincidentally of the same illness that took my mom away.” You silently circle Usopp’s shoulders with your arm, and he gratefully smiles at you, resting his cheek on your shoulder; you doubt he still remembers his aunt, since she left the village when he was little more than a baby, but learning of her death must have been a very unpleasant reminder of when he lost his mother. “I’m very sorry.” you murmur, and your boyfriend smiles gratefully “So… this poor baby is now an orphan, is he not?”

🤎 Aso is fortunately too young to be aware of his loss, even though he must have realised his mother is absent; he is eleven months old, your boyfriend informs you, tiny but otherwise healthy, with the same dark skin and black hair of the young man next to you. Usopp has given him his slingshot to play with, and Aso seems very focused even though the weapon’s mode of use seems to escape him. When you tentatively try to pet his hair, the child smiles at you, the lack of several teeth making the expression even more adorable. “And where is this little one’s father?” you ask, and Usopp tenses, looking guiltily at you. “Well… that’s the problem. He and my aunt were never married, and he left her and Aso when he was a newborn; the lawyer told me he did find this guy, but he refused to take Aso, not to mention is a drunkard whose main hobby is bar brawls.” You agree that is not the sort of man who could raise a child, even in the case he could be forced to take responsibility. “But then… who is going to look after Aso?” you naively ask… 

🤎 … and then the reason for your boyfriend’s guilty expression hits you. “Oh, no.” you cry, immediately alarmed “No, it’s… it’s impossible!” Usopp, who looks even more desperate than you feel, admits he’s also terrified, but he had no other choice: the lawyer told him that since this poor child has no other relatives, he would have ended up in an orphanage if Usopp didn’t accept taking responsibility for him. That is not a viable option, not if half of the horror stories he has heard about places like that are true. “I’m so sorry, (name); but… I didn’t know what else to do! He’s my cousin, I’m all the family he has left; I couldn’t abandon him!”

🤎 You look at him, scared and uncertain but still determined to protect that little boy he didn’t even know existed, and feel whatever protest or complaint you had melt away. If someone were to ask what is the thing you love the most about Usopp you could mention his lovely smile, his warm and deep brown eyes and his sense of humour, not to mention that way he has to use only his fingers to make you climax in less than four minutes, but the truth is you have cared for Usopp, become his friend and in time fallen in love with him, because of his good heart, for his kindness and his devotion to the people he loves. If he had rejected Aso, knowing he was the baby’s last hope and even just because he’s little more than a kid himself and knows nothing about child rearing, he wouldn’t have been the person you know and care so much about. You’re terrified, yes; but at the same time you feel incredibly proud. 

🤎 “Alright; we’ll manage somehow.” you decide with a shrug, and Usopp looks at you as if he couldn’t believe his own ears. “We?” “Of course; since he’s your cousin, and he needs care, I’ll do my best to help you with Aso. Let’s see, first of all we have to make sure he has clean clothes, and find out what he can and can’t eat…” A moment later Usopp has thrown his arms around you, shaking with relief. “Oh, thank you! I really didn’t know what to do…” 

🤎 He’s welcome, you tell him, but you doubt you can be much help; even with the best intentions, there are few people less suitable for taking care of a baby than the two of you. Barely adults yourselves, neither has any experience with children, especially with one as young as Aso, and as pirates you live a dangerous life, risking your lives on the daily; what if something were to happen to the child, what if one of your enemies kidnapped him and…? You shudder to think about that. Also, a baby needs proper and regular food; at the moment your crew can barely look after itself, and the little money Usopp’s aunt has left, and that the lawyer brought him together with Aso’s clothes and toys, will not last long. 

🤎 “I don’t think we can keep him, Usopp.” you murmur gently, aware that your boyfriend has already gotten attached to the child who, having grown bored with the slingshot, has stood from his lap and is now playing with his braids “Raising a child is a challenging job for a couple of well-settled adults, but for us…” “I know; and any mistake or shortcoming, it would be Aso who pays for it.” he admits, gently holding the baby to make sure he doesn’t fall or stumble “We have to find someone who will take good care of him, but who?” You reflect on it for a while, and in the end you decide your older sister might be your best option: ten years older than you, she is married, but she and her husband never had children, no matter how dearly they wished for it. They both have good jobs, respectively as a doctor and a nursery teacher, and are good-hearted people, with lots of love to give; raising Aso might be the best thing for all three of them. Usopp, who knew your sister before she moved away from Syrup, nods slowly. “That’d be good.” he admits “But are you sure your sister and her husband will accept taking care of a child who is not theirs?”

🤎 You use your Den Den Mushi to call your sister, and then return to Usopp, who has moved with Aso in the boys’ cabin; your boyfriend had taken some wooden cubes from the child’s bag, but suddenly you see him gasp, lift Aso in his arm to smell him, and look up at you, alarmed. “We have a poop emergency!” Usopp carries Aso to the bathroom, while you retrieve a nappy and a clean pair of trousers from the child’s bag; in the meantime Aso has started crying, but fortunately he allows you to take his clothes off to clean him. “Why isn’t he wearing a nappy?” Usopp groans “Gods, I need a clothespin…” The smell that has already filled the room is abominable, so you open the window and then find a plastic bag for the dirty nappy; in the meantime, Usopp is using a wet washcloth to clean the child’s delicate skin. “Here we go… you know, young man, that there are some giant birds on an island in the South Blue that produce so much poop, from afar it looks like mountains? If you think yours smells, imagine that!” Aso clearly can’t understand what Usopp is saying, but it’s like his voice has hypnotised him; he listens, open-mouthed, as your boyfriend manages to spin an epic tale about a brave warrior of the sea fighting the giant birds to save a pretty princess called (name), and in the meantimes manages to put the nappy on him. In the meantime, you have washed Aso’s trousers in the shower, holding your breath longer than you ever had; in the end you share a smile, while the child, now clean and dressed, raises his tiny arms, babbling animatedly and making you understand he wants to be picked up… by you.

🤎 Usopp smiles. “Oh? The lovely miss (name) has enchanted you, little cousin? You have good taste, but unfortunately she’s spoken for…” He helps you hold Aso against your chest, the child’s tiny hands grabbing at the fabric of your shirt; you don’t remember ever being close to such a young child, but it feels… nice, and the way he naturally rests his head against your chest does as well. You walk back to the boys’ cabin, and after you carefully lowered Aso on Usopp’s bed you tell him that while your sister and her husband can’t very well decide to adopt a child they have never met before after a single Den Den Mushi call, they want to meet Aso to discuss the matter, and see if they and the child are compatible. “We need to tell Luffy and the others.” Usopp points out, and fortunately your captain doesn’t mind making a three week detour to reach the island your sister is now living on, so that you and Usopp can introduce her and her husband to Aso. Usopp explains the situation to the others gathered in the ship’s kitchen, while you peel an apple and then cut it in tiny pieces for Aso (you have no idea what children this young eat, but fruit can’t make him sick, can it?) and your friends don’t disappoint: while none of them have children, the story of poor little Aso, abandoned and orphaned, affects them all, and they are quick to offer their help. Relieved, you and Usopp share a smile. “So this is it; we’ll have to  of Aso until we reach your sister’s place.” he points out “It’s only three weeks; how hard can it be?”

🤎 That is, it turns out, the sort of thing one should never say, to avoid bad luck, because the next three weeks are the most hectic of your life - and that’s saying something since you’re both members of Luffy’s crew and even though, in your defence, both you and Usopp have the best intentions. First of all, you agree that the most important thing to do is to make sure Aso is fed well, and since Sanji has no experience with diners as young as him, Usopp brings the child to a large grocery shop in town, where he explains the situation to the salesgirls and begs them to help him. You, in the meantime, reach the town’s library and check as many books as you’re allowed to on everything that concerns taking care of a child, from hygiene to the frequency of his meals and the best tricks to make him fall asleep. You spend most of the night reading, poring over the books and taking notes like a couple of stressed students preparing for an exam. Neither of you was ready for a challenge like this, and you’re both terrified: but when your eyes meet over the kitchen table, you both find the strength to smile. 

🤎 The first matter you have to care about is where to make the baby sleep, since he’s still clearly too young for one of your beds, not to mention it would be extremely dangerous for him to fall. A quick trip to the shops proves even the cheapest cribs are way too expensive for you, and at first, the best thing you can do is to fold a blanket inside a drawer you have taken off the kitchen’s cupboard; to avoid keeping your friends awake at night as well, you keep it in the ship’s spare room, and you and your boyfriend take turns sleeping with Aso, to watch over him, feeding and lulling him to sleep when he wakes up during the night. On your third day, Usopp asks you to  of his little cousin and leaves, returning a few hours later, soon before you’re due to leave the island, and he has brought a gift: a beautiful wooden crib, that he carved himself after asking for spare materials at the town’s shipyard, much more comfortable than whatever temporary arrangement you could come up with. “Usopp, it’s beautiful!” you exclaim, full of admiration, while Aso doesn’t seem too interested in the results of his cousin’s efforts, but that night he falls asleep much quicker than on the previous two, and only wakes up twice before morning.

🤎 The food is another source of headaches for you and your boyfriend. Luffy suggests giving Aso lots of meat, which will undoubtedly make him grow strong like it happened to him; Zoro proposes mixing a cup of sakè to the baby’s milk to ensure he sleeps at night. You stock up on baby-appropriate food, from fruit and vegetables to cheese and protein-rich aliments, plus obviously vast quantities of milk, so much that you start wishing you had a way to bring a cow on board, that you warm up in a saucepan before Aso can drink it. One night you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night, you leave the cabin you share with Nami and, as you approach the kitchen, you hear your boyfriend’s voice; he’s walking around the barely lit room, a still sobbing but quickly quieting Aso on his naked chest, and is softly singing what you recognise as a popular Syrup lullaby. You remain at the door, silently looking at the lovely, intimate scene in front of you, and for a moment you’re struck by an image, a sort of waking dream: an older Usopp, doing the same with a baby who looks like you as well as him. He smiles when he sees you, and then nods in the direction of your cabin -it’s fine, I’ll take care of this- but you enter and finish of the little snack your boyfriend had started preparing for the baby. 

🤎 When you bring it to him, you press your lips to Usopp’s in a quick but deep kiss, which your boyfriend welcomes, happy but surprised; your relationship has always been very close and Usopp knows how much you care for him, but you’re not the most effusive of women. “To what do I owe this?” “I felt like it, that’s all. I was simply thinking that you’re a good man, and Aso is not the only one lucky to have you.”

🤎 Then there are the nappies. Like Usopp points out one day, having to hold his nose for the third time today as he sprints towards the deck with something that smells like rotting fish and sewer gas together in his hands, it’s incredible that a body as small as Aso’s can produce such a quantity of waste matter; neither of you wants the stench to spread on the whole ship, but being at sea means you can’t simply go out and toss the bin bag in the skip whenever you want. Also, no matter how carefully you put his nappy on, there are nights in which Aso somehow manages to soil the blankets and pillows of his crib. You do your best to clean them and change the baby’s nappy as often as he needs it, even though you fear your hands will never feel, and smell, clean ever again; you make sure to wash Aso’s clothes in tepid water, since one of the books you consulted explained that using high temperatures might damage the fabric and, consequently, irritate the baby’s tender skin. 

🤎 The thing that scares you the most is that when Aso is unhappy, it’s often hard to understand what is wrong with him - if he feels hungry or cold or, Gods forbid, sick, or simply wants to be held and played with. At eleven months, Usopp’s little cousin still can’t talk, which is normal according to the books, but makes it incredibly hard to communicate with him. He makes ah! and oh! sounds to express joy, contentment or wonder, delicate and cheerful sounds that remind you of a bird chirping, clapping his little hands and stomping his feet, but nothing more; and then, of course, he cries. He cries all the time. 

🤎 Mostly it’s for attention. He likes to be held and entertained, especially by Usopp or you but, if neither is available, any of your friends will suffice; Luffy and the others offer their help when needed (including Zoro, who once even tries having the baby hold his sword) but sometimes it’s so frustrating you feel like crying as well, matching the high-pitched shrieks that fill the ship day and night. You haven’t had a moment’s rest since Aso arrived among you, and no matter how nice it is to play with him and tell him stories and help him learn to walk crouching only a few feet apart, you only wish you could actually talk to him, and have the baby tell you exactly what’s wrong, what he wants, and what you can do to make him better. “I’m doing everything wrong.” you lament one day, after Aso felt sick and vomited on your best shirt, while Usopp unsuccessfully tries to comfort you; you could never tell him, but the fact he’s much better than you at taking care of the child fills you with frustration as well as admiration “I can’t help him at all; he’s uncomfortable and I can’t even understand why!” 

🤎 You probably shouldn’t take it personally, but you can’t help it. The baby is not related to you, technically speaking, he hasn’t been entrusted to you, but he might become your adoptive nephew soon, and equally important, he’s your boyfriend’s cousin. He is the most fragile, helpless creature you’ve ever met, and he has no one else in the world apart from the two of you; you never thought about having children of your own, for now at least, but for some reason you don’t mind spending most of your day, and night, taking care of Aso, sacrificing your time and your money to make sure he’s well and safe and happy. You don’t rationally decide I’m going to protect him with my life or I will be a mother to him, however short our time together will be, nor you promise it out loud; it simply happens, and when you share a relieved smile with Usopp above the crib in which the baby has finally fallen asleep, you know in your heart he feels the same.  

🤎 Not all of it is bad, fortunately; despite the losses he has already suffered, Aso is a happy, extroverted child, and within two days the whole crew is completely in love with him, almost fighting for the privilege of playing with him. Among the things the lawyer brought from his old home there’s an old pushchair with a broken wheel, that your boyfriend promptly repairs so that the two of you can take the baby out for a walk, which you quickly realise is a foolproof method to calm him down when he’s fussy. The child is curious about everything, from the shadows reflected on the walls to the music wafting out of a kiosk you stop at to buy an ice-cream; you always make sure to make him wear a hat, given the warmth of the summer days. Sometimes people stop to look at him, cooing over his adorably suspicious expression as poor Aso finds himself surrounded by strangers; you seem too young to be parents already, several people comment looking at you, with more reproach than open surprise. You usually ignore them, while Usopp doesn’t mind explaining the circumstances that have led you to look after his little cousin, except for an occasion, when a particularly disapproving old woman openly chides you for indulging your sexual urges without taking the necessary precautions, he winks at her as he nods towards you. “Well, you know, madam, when you have a woman this sexy by your side it’s hard not to jump her bones, every day of the week and twice on Sunday!” The woman blushes furiously and quickly leaves, mumbling something about the insolence of today’s youth, and you, who usually dislike discussing your private matters with strangers, beam at your boyfriend, proud of how he closed the old busybody’s mouth. 

🤎 Aso hasn’t learnt to walk properly yet, which is not unusual for his age according to the books you keep looking for in every library and bookstore you encounter; he usually crawls, quite fast as well when he wants to reach something that has attracted his attention, but the most he can do in a standing position is wobble left and right for a few seconds, and then fall on his rump. You decide to help him reach that important milestone before you can introduce him to your sister and her husband: since Usopp spends all his time playing with the child and building and repairing tools and toys for him, you’ll be teaching him to walk. 

🤎 Your training mainly involves carrying Aso to the deck, waiting for the child to stand on his own and then holding a toy or his favourite snack a few feet from him, and hoping he’ll decide to come get it. For a few days your efforts yield no results; Aso eyes the slice of apple, or the stuffed caterpillar in your hand, tries to reach for it with his chubby little hand, but only seldom he tries actually advancing to claim his prize, and when he does he invariably falls on his rump. Vaguely frustrated and disappointed, you obviously don’t take it out on the baby, preferring to gently encourage him to try again. You don’t remember when you were the one being taught to walk, obviously, but unless your parents were completely different people from what you remember of your childhood, you doubt you were treated with the patience and encouragement you now know Aso needs and deserves; not for nothing your sister decided to move as far as she could after getting married.

🤎 One day Aso finally manages to take a single wobbly step in your direction, but then he falls, forward this time, hitting his head. Five minutes later Usopp rushes to you, and to the baby crying loud enough to wake the dead that you are observing sitting on the deck, preoccupied but unmoving. “(name), what in the world are you doing? Don’t you see he’s hurt?” your boyfriend exclaims, lifting the baby in his arms and checking his head for bruises “What happened?” You don’t like the accusing tone Usopp is using, but you tell him that his little cousin simply fell as he tried walking towards you. “And why didn’t you hug him or try to console him? Don’t you hear how he cries?” “I know! But the books say it’s alright sometimes to let them cry it out, because it might help them sleep…”

🤎 You’re both stressed. Dead tired. Worried. In a word, no matter how fond you have both grown of the baby and how much joy he has brought in your lives, you are both exhausted, and that state of things leads you to do something that rarely happens otherwise: you quarrel. Usopp starts accusing you of neglecting the baby and not caring if he gets hurt; you retort telling him that you’re just trying your best to educate him, and since Aso has already stopped crying, he can’t have gotten hurt too much, can he? You hate this, the two of you scolding and reprimanding each other, despite everything that you have shared since you were little more than babies; you’ve never been as close to anyone as you are to Usopp, and you know even the most inseparable couple can fight occasionally, but suddenly you feel him far, farther than if the two of you were standing on the two opposite extremes of the Grand Line. “I’m only trying to protect him! He’s not going to always have someone to take care of him, he has to learn to dry his own tears!” you try to explain, still convinced you are in the right and frustrated Usopp can’t seem to understand. Your boyfriend shakes his head; he’s holding Aso (who has started crying even louder, as if he had perceived the tension between his two caretakers) protectively against his chest, as if to shield him from someone who could hurt him - someone like you. “Young as he is he needs to be protected, not taught! The fact that you had a horrible childhood doesn’t mean other children should as well! If you can’t take care of my cousin, what will you do when we have children of…?”

🤎 Usopp slaps his hand on his mouth, but the damage is done. You stare mutely at him, unsure of what you’re more shocked by; the fact that your boyfriend, the man who swears he loves you and knows how painful the subject is for you, has spoken so callously of your dysfunctional family situation, or that he has admitted he wants to have children with you. You also wonder which of the two topics led him to silence himself, if inappropriateness or embarrassment, but you don’t intend to ask him; you stand still, tears already filling your eyes, and “You… you bastard!” you cry, and it’s the first bad word you utter since Aso has been entrusted to your care, both you and Usopp having agreed you don’t want fuck or shit to be the baby’s first word, but for a moment you don’t care. You stomp away, deaf to Usopp’s begging you to stop and listen; you lock yourself in the girls’ cabin, sit on your bed, and cry your eyes out, ashamed and angry and helpless, and then you do what the books (those blasted books, you think; maybe it was unwise of you to blindly trust what you read, but you have no experience whatsoever with children, nor any way to ask more knowledgeable people for help! How else were you supposed to know how to take care of Aso? Are women magically endowed with all the necessary knowledge as soon as they give birth or sign the adoption papers?) say it happens sometimes to children: you cry yourself to sleep, your face still flooded with tears as your head falls on the pillow. 

🤎 It’s hunger that wakes you up a few hours later; according to the clock on the wall you have skipped dinner, so you decide to go to the kitchen to eat something. You feel somewhat rested, but still hurt and angry, and you dearly hope you won’t run into Usopp while you’re there… which is why you literally walk into your boyfriend, busy leaving a tray with your favourite foods in front of the door. “Oh! Uhm, hi.” Usopp murmurs, standing with the food still in his hands; he seems unable to meet your gaze “You skipped dinner, so, uhm, Sanji prepared… I mean, I prepared this for you. I know you’re angry, you have every reason to be, but please, at least take care of yourself.” You sigh, and finally your eyes meet; wordlessly you move to let him enter the room, and Usopp places the tray on the tiny table Nami usually uses to work on her maps. “You want me to leave?” he asks in a murmur, and you shake your head silently as you sit and start eating, more famished than you had realised being; Sanji is a world-class chef, but no one has ever prepared better tomato, anchovies and chilli pepper spaghetti than the ones Usopp makes for you. The food is delicious… but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to forgive him. “I’m sorry, (name); I’m so sorry…” “About what?” “You know; about what I said. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I should have remembered how painful it is for you to talk about your family; I… I think I just saw Aso crying inconsolably on the floor, and I got worried. I couldn’t believe you were just sitting there without helping him; I should have imagined it wasn’t simple neglect.” “It wasn’t; and maybe I was wrong, maybe I should have acted differently, but you know I had never taken care of a child before, so I can’t always know what to do.” you point out, your mouth still full “And in any case, you shouldn’t have spoken of my parents; it’s not my fault I never had a loving mom and dad whose example I can follow. I did what I could the little I knew.”

🤎 Having a belly full of good food makes you more forgiving. You and Usopp talk, sitting side by side on your bed with his hand in yours, and both admit the stress and anxiety that the child’s presence has filled your days with have taken their toll; neither has had a full night’s sleep in almost three weeks, and equally frustrating, you haven’t had a minute for yourselves, even if just a simple walk to enjoy an ice cream or a picnic on the beach; both of you have grown to care deeply for the baby, but taking care of him and worrying about whatever risk he may incur as soon as you turn your head the other way is sapping your energy. You’re going to reach the island your sister lives on in two or three days, which means that if everything goes as you hope you will soon entrust Aso to people way better equipped than you to take care of him, but you’re not sure you’ll resist until then without throwing a fit another time. “I’m just so tired.” you confess, resting your cheek against Usopp’s shoulder, both because you enjoy feeling him close and because despite your recent nap you’re still tired, more mentally and emotionally than physically “And the worst thing is, I feel like I’m doing everything wrong; he cries all the time, and I can never bathe him without half of the water ending up on the floor…”

🤎 Usopp murmurs that in his opinion you’re actually doing a great job; in fact, he doesn’t know what he would have done if he had to look after the child by himself. “I’ll never thank you enough for everything you’re doing for Aso, and for me.” “You don’t need to thank me; he’s your family, which means… well, that he’s mine as well, sort of…” You bite your lip, intimately grateful that Usopp knows how much you care for him and you hope for a future together, because it is still hard, after so many years together, to say it out loud; your boyfriend smiles, affection filling his warm brown eyes, as he circles your shoulders with his arm, and a moment later you are lying on the bed, holding each other close. You share a single, chaste but intense kiss before making yourself comfortable, Usopp’s arm now around your waist, your hand on his chest, your legs intertwined. “Earlier, while we were arguing… you mentioned us having children.” you murmur, happy in your boyfriend’s embrace; living on the same ship, it would be almost impossible for the two of you not to spend time together, but you had missed this - you had missed him. 

🤎 Usopp blushes adorably. “Well, I know we have never talked about it, but… I like taking care of Aso, and he clearly adores you; I understand if these three weeks make you swear off children forever, but maybe… one day, when we’re older, and we have both achieved our dreams, and by that time I swear I’ll have learnt to put a diaper on…” “I’d like that.” “You don’t have to answer now, just… what?” “I said, I’d like that.” you murmur, and Usopp’s shocked but happy expression makes a smile blossom on your lips “In a few years,  once we’ve learnt to look after ourselves first… having a child or two would be nice. I… don’t know what it means to be a good mom, but I think I can learn, starting with doing the exact opposite of what my parents did.” Usopp smiles. “You’ll be an excellent mom.” he promises; he kisses you on the forehead, and soon after you’re both sleeping soundly, feeling just like you wish Aso would: relaxed, happy, and safe, close to the people you love.

🤎 The next day you are both sitting at the kitchen table, you peeling the potatoes Sanji has brought back from the market - the most complex task you can be entrusted with, cooking-wise; Usopp, next to you, is peeling an apple, while Aso sits on a blanket on the floor. The child is unusually well-behaved, playing quietly with his stuffed caterpillar, but suddenly he starts whining, waving his little hands towards Usopp; he wears a shirt that he has vomited on for the third time this morning, but you have washed it with an home-made soap of your sister’s invention, and the fabric has returned to its original colour. “Ah, sorry, little one, but it’s too early for you to eat.” Usopp says as he nods towards the fruit in his hand, making you smile. “What makes you think he wants food, rather than playing or something else? He can’t talk.” “I noticed he likes apples, and always wants some when he sees someone has one.” Usopp explains “Which is good, since at least it's healthy… oh… oh, my…”

🤎 You follow Usopp’s gaze back to the baby, who has gotten up to his feet and… is now walking towards you, the determined expression on his little face pushing him forward on his still wobbly legs. It takes the baby maybe three minutes to cover a distance of a few feet, and he falls once, but he succeeds, and in the end he’s standing in front of Usopp, his hand raised to claim the prize that your boyfriend, still flabbergasted, wordlessly hands over, placing the apple slice in Aso’s tight grasp. “I can’t believe it!” you exclaim, elated “He has learned to walk! Oh, good job, little one!” You lift the child, busy enjoying his treat, on your lap “He wanted something and he came to get it! That’s a good attitude, it’ll serve you well when you’re older…” You and Usopp share a smile, and he kisses the top of his little cousin’s head. 

🤎 There are so many things you’re scared of, regarding Aso. That he falls sick, given the fact your crew doesn’t have a doctor yet and neither you nor Usopp know anything about medicine; that he falls from your arms as you walk, with the potentially dramatic consequences you don’t even bear thinking about; that someone kidnaps him from his pushchair while you are distracted buying groceries or talking to your boyfriend. Fortunately nothing of it happens, but there is a terrible moment in which Aso does run a terrible risk, the day before you’re due to finally (or unfortunately?) reach your destination. You’re taking a nap in your cabin, taking advantage of the fact Usopp is playing with the baby, when suddenly your boyfriend is calling for you - he’s screaming, desperation and anguish filling his voice as he asks for help. You rush to the kitchen, without even stopping to put your shirt on, and find Usopp kneeling on the floor with Aso in his arms, the poor child struggling to breathe. “I think… I think he has swallowed something.” your boyfriend confesses helplessly “I’m sorry, I just turned my back for a moment… he’s suffocating, I don’t know what to do…!”

🤎 There have been moments in your life when you have been afraid. When your mother, completely drunk, raised the largest kitchen knife with one hand as he held you, guilty of having hidden the rent money from her, with the other; the time some older children pushed you in the water from the pier, late at night, before you learned to swim; when the neighbour’s dog bit you in the arm (and then Usopp, trembling with fear, chased him away with a broom) when you were ten and you were told they’d probably have to amputate. Yes, you do know fear, but nothing has ever terrified you like the scene in front of your eyes, an helpless child desperately trying to breathe as a foreign body blocks his trachea. He could die any minute, any second, and even if he survives the lack of oxygen could have devastating consequences on his brain… 

🤎 You need to act now. You tend to freeze when you’re scared, fear making you unable to move and defend yourself, but now you can’t afford to be idle, not for you but for Aso, who can only count on your help, and thank all the Gods you don’t fail him. You have read about the risk of accidental suffocation among babies in one of your books, and even though you don’t actively think back to the content of those pages, your body knows what to do. You quickly walk up to Usopp, wordlessly take the baby from his hands and kneel; you place Aso’s little body along your forearm, your bent leg supporting it, and hit him between the shoulderblades, mentally counting to five; then you turn him (he’s still gasping for air, Usopp silently crying by your side) and give five more thrusts. “Fuck!” you cry, once again unmindful of the dirty language you’re using; in that moment you’d be ready to give your life, to offer your soul to damnation and to commit the most unspeakable acts, to save his life “Come on, little one, breathe…”

🤎 And finally the responsible for all of that fear and danger comes out; a tiny plastic cube, broken off from one of Aso’s toys, that the baby had inadvertently swallowed as he munched on it and that finally falls from his lips. A moment later Aso is crying desperately, his loud and terrified but healthy and free screams filling the ship, and you have never felt a more beautiful sound in your life; you lull him in your arms, and Usopp cries as he embraces the both of you. “Thank the Gods you were here.” he sobs; you thought you had seen him upset after his mother’s death, but this was thousand times worse, because while he had no way of helping poor Banchina, your boyfriend was responsible for Aso, and you know guilt would have haunted him for the rest of his life if something had happened to the baby “Oh, thank the Gods… I was so scared, I didn’t know…”

🤎 “It’s alright; he’s alright.” you tell him, again and again, but it takes all three of you a while to bounce back from the shock; you give Aso some hot milk to soothe the pain of his throat, and later you sing his favourite lullaby to make him fall asleep while Usopp looks at you from the room’s door, his arm resting against the wall. “I still can’t believe he’s alright; I just turned my head once for a few seconds, I needed some water, and he could have died - or worse.” he murmurs when you join him outside; he’s hugging himself, his head bent low in shame “If only you hadn’t been there…” “Well, I was; and we’ll be more careful from now on.” you point out “It’s not your fault, Usopp, it happens to every child sooner or later…” He embraces you with a tired sigh, and you hold him tight, your back resting against the corridor’s wall, both of you attempting to leave that terrible moment behind you, both relieved it’s over and Aso is fine, and still scared it might happen again. Fortunately you are a light sleeper, you think, which means you’ll immediately wake up should the baby start struggling to breathe, but nevertheless…

🤎 And then Usopp starts kissing you. Not on the mouth, rather on the side of your throat, that tiny point that makes you see stars when stimulated, and no one knows it better than your boyfriend. A sudden moan escapes your lips while Usopp’s plush lips gently suck on your neck, his hands moving up and down your waist and hips. “Usopp, what…” “Ssh… I’m rewarding you.” he murmurs in your ear, his tone low and intimate in a way you rarely hear and that makes you shiver in such a pleasant way “You have been amazing, you saved Aso’s life… I need to show you how grateful I am…” You could go somewhere more private, either his cabin or yours, since it’s too early for the others to decide to go to sleep, but before you have time to propose to stop only for the few seconds it’d take you to cross the corridor Usopp’s mouth has claimed yours in a searing kiss, his tongue quickly finding yours, and any capacity for rational thought escapes you. Even though you’ve been intimate for years and after you’ve told him a thousand times how attractive you find him and how good he makes you feel, Usopp is still awkward, even insecure when it comes to sex, which is more terribly endearing - most of the times; there are moments, uncommon but each of them carved in your memory, in which a bolder, more uninhibited man takes his place, and then… then there’s no knowing what is going to happen. 

🤎 You’re moaning under your breath, mindful of the child sleeping only a few feet away but unable to control yourself, as Usopp seduces you with the simple pressure of his mouth on yours; you caress his soft black hair, and a moment later his body is pressed against yours, his desire hot and heavy against your pelvis, and you swear out loud, for the first time in the last three weeks (three weeks in which you and your boyfriend never had a moment for yourselves, at most sharing a chaste kiss goodnight before parting so that one of you could stand guard next to Aso while the other rested) more aroused than your left hand can help you with. Usopp smiles at you, well aware of the effect his sudden amorous attack is having on you; having been a couple since you were children you have explored your pleasure together, at first not even knowing fully which parts of your bodies had to connect and in time discovering what you liked and how to make each other happy. You like sex as much as the next person, but you know it’s the deep bond between you and your boyfriend that makes it special, the trust and affection you have built since you were children more important than any specific knowledge in the arts of love; you have always known it, and you know it again when your boyfriend stops ravishing your mouth to rest his forehead against yours. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you, you know?” he murmurs “Not just with Aso; I need you, (name). I-I love you so much.” “I love you too, Usopp.” you answer; you know you’re blushing furiously and you don’t care “And don’t worry; you’ll never get rid of me.”

🤎 Usopp lifts your shirt to expose your chest, and as he kisses and bites your breast gently his free hand has already cupped your sex through your clothes, easily finding your core despite the fabric separating then; he smiles up again, already aware of how wet you are. “If someone sees us…” “You want to stop?” “Gods, no.” you decide, cupping his face in your hands to kiss him again. You both fumble with your pants, and Usopp only allows you to pump his already hard cock a few times before reminding you in a whisper that today he’s taking care of you. He stretches you delicately with his fingers to make sure he’s not hurting you, and a moment later he’s pushed himself inside, your left leg wrapped around his waist as he thrusts inside you, doing what you have promised years ago, when you were still too young to know what love was but knew already you were meant to be together: you hold each other, take care of each other, and don’t let go. In the end, your boyfriend’s kisses still hot on your lips, you return to Aso, sleeping peacefully in his crib, blissfully unaware of what his temporary parents were up to until a minute ago; you smile as you brush your fingers against his cheek, careful not to wake him up. 

🤎 “I’m sorry for you, little one.” you murmur “He would have been an amazing dad.”

🤎 The Merry comes into view of the island your sister lives on in the morning of the twenty-second day since Aso has entered your and Usopp’s lives; it gets bigger by the minute, a favourable wind pushing your ship in the right direction. Standing on the deck with the child in your arms, you don’t quite know what to feel: joy for the imminent reunion with the only member of your family who has ever truly loved you, relief for the moment you’ll finally entrust Aso to people older and wiser than you… or something else. “Well, here we are then; I’m sure your sister and her husband will fall in love with this little one as soon as they see him.” Usopp comments walking up to you, the apparently happy tone of his voice betraying the same ambivalence you feel in your heart; you share a look, for once unable to be strong for each other “And they will decide to keep him; which is good. I mean, It’s not like I want to get rid of him or anything, but…” “I know; I-I don’t want either.” you confess; you know placing the baby in the care of an older, sedentary couple, with a nice home and enough money to cover his needs, will be a much better arrangement for Aso than with a couple of teenagers like you, who live on a ship and have already spent all the little money Usopp’s aunt had left, but you can’t deny you have grown very fond of the baby, and saying goodbye will be… painful.

🤎 The island’s harbour is now close enough you can distinguish a person with the same eye and hair colour as you, standing on the pier. It’s your sister, who excitedly waves her arm in your direction, and whose greeting you force yourself to return: you could bet your life that she and her husband will be amazing parents, that they will love and protect Aso and take care of his needs, both material and spiritual, but it’s not too late, the most fearful part of your heart tells you, you’re still in time to turn the ship around and escape… “(name).” Usopp murmurs; he’s not even bothering to try smiling, and you can see heartbreak in his warm brown eyes “We can’t stop now; this is what’s best for him, no matter how painful it could be for us.” “I know.” you murmur; you’ve never considered yourself a greedy person, nor you thought you could get so attached to a child who is not directly related to you and who you have known for less than a month, but the little creature in your arms has changed you, and your life, in a way you couldn’t imagine, and whatever happens you know you’ll never make peace with having to give him away “I know we can barely take care of ourselves, but I can’t help wishing…” “I know, baby; and I feel the same.” Usopp murmurs; he kisses Aso’s little head, and then looks at you, determined despite the pain “We need to be strong now; for him.”

🤎 You both find some comfort in discovering that your sister and her husband are thrilled about Aso’s arrival; the two of you share a warm hug and promise to find some time for yourselves  to talk, but your sister’s attention is quickly drawn to the child in your arms, who seems to quickly take a liking to her. Her husband has taken a day off from work to focus on the baby; you and Usopp meet him at their house, where a nursery has already been prepared for Aso, with toys and clothes bought especially for him, as well as tons of baby food. Already experienced in the care of children thanks to their job, they’re both good, kind-hearted people, if not rich at least capable to meet the necessary expenses for the rearing of a child, and clearly did their best to prepare for Aso’s arrival, even before knowing for sure you and Usopp will decide to entrust him to their care. “He couldn’t find better parents.” your boyfriend murmurs as you both look at your sister’s husband showing Aso an illustrated book “I mean, a doctor and a nursery teacher? And look, he loves them already. It’s a match made in heaven.”

🤎 You have to agree, and as you all spend some time together, it’s quickly evident not only that your sister and her husband will be excellent parents, but also that Aso feels comfortable in their company, even more at ease than he was on his first days with you and Usopp - a fact you severely forbid yourself from feeling jealous over. The town they live in in a nice place, safe, with good schools (including the nursery your sister works at, and where they plan to enrol Aso at once he’ll be old enough) and parks where the children can play and socialise; you couldn’t find a reason to oppose their adoption of Aso even if you wanted to - and you don’t want to, no matter what your heart and the most egotistical part of you say. In the end, you and Usopp have a long, serious conversation with them, and the morning after you all formalise the child’s adoption at the town hall. “We’ll take good care of him; I promise, we will protect him with our life.” your sister tells you as you share an embrace, and there is a touch of guilt in her eyes, proof that despite the years you have spent apart she can still read your heart easily, like your parents never bothered trying to do. “Usopp told me it was you who proposed we take the child; this was an enormous gift, (name), I’ll never thank you enough.”

🤎 There is no need to thank you and you tell her, even though you are very pleased for her and her husband; they and Aso will make each other very happy, and that is what counts the most. They’ll be a family, while you and Usopp have been… what? A pair of children taking care of another? A couple doing their best to keep Aso alive and who felt exhausted after only three weeks? Whatever it was it’s over, and the sooner you make peace with that situation the better it will be for you… and for your boyfriend, who is probably even more devastated than you are, since he and Aso clearly adore each other, and the child is his cousin by blood, maybe the only relative he has left after his mother died and his father took to the sea. 

🤎 The night after he has formally terminated his parental rights, you find Usopp sitting alone on the deck, and after a moment of hesitation you decide to join him. “Are you mad at me? Because I’d understand if you were.” you murmur, and he looks at you, clearly taken aback. “Mad at you? What for?” “Well, for suggesting my sister and her husband take Aso. I know we agreed it’d be the right thing to do, but…” “(name), no!” Usopp immediately reassures you “I’m sad, but you did nothing wrong. If anything I should thank you; if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t have known what to do with Aso.” “So… we’re alright? You and me, I mean.” “Of course we’re alright; I couldn’t have done this without you.”

🤎 Comforted, you remain with Usopp for a while, your cheek resting on his shoulder as he holds your hand in both of his; you both admire the starry sky above, even though neither can help thinking that this will be your first night without Aso since you’ve met him. A night of full sleep, without the baby’s desperate crying keeping you awake and wondering what is wrong with him, will be nice, but… “We couldn’t keep him.” you murmur in the end in what is both a question and a reassurance “I mean, it’s been difficult looking after him for only three weeks, I don’t think we would have managed…” “Of course not; I’ll miss him, but we had to do what’s best for him. We both grew up without our parents, and it wasn’t easy; Aso deserves better.” You’re being strong for each other, able to offer reassurance even though you’re both anguished; you hold hands for a long time, and without the need to talk both you and your boyfriend know that no matter how painful the separation from the child will be, you’ll be fine, because you’ll have each other to count on. 

🤎 The next morning, the crew prepares to leave the island; you envy the relative ease with which your friends say good-bye to Aso. All of them have grown fond of the baby, but none of them shares what you and Usopp are feeling - the excruciating feeling of loss of giving up something that has quickly become a part of you, or at least that might have been so, had  things been different. You and Usopp are on the pier with your sister and her husband, their new son in your arms; you kiss his brow, well aware that while his parents will certainly tell him about you, Aso will remember nothing of the time you have spent together, which does not make those three weeks less precious, but it does seem unfair. “Good-bye, my little love.” you murmur “You have shown me I can be something I never thought I could, and for this you have my thanks.”

🤎 Letting him go is the hardest thing you have ever done, but finally the child is in Usopp’s arms, giggling happily as he tries to grab at your boyfriend’s bandanna; Usopp manages to smile, even though tears have filled his eyes. “So here we are, young man.” he says “You better take care of your mom and dad, and remember everything (name) and I have taught you…” The child listens on, his eyes -eyes that he must have inherited from his mother, because they are the same colour as his cousin’s- open wide as if he had never heard anything so interesting; then he raises his arm, places his little hand against Usopp’s cheek and says, his little voice perfectly clear: “Papa?”

🤎 He didn’t simply repeat a word he has heard; you and Usopp have told him your sister and her husband are his new mom and dad, and you have no idea where Aso has heard that word, and you don’t care, not as you see Usopp tearing up. “I’m not your papa, baby.” he murmurs before kissing the baby’s cheek, blowing a raspberry to make him laugh “But I have been for three weeks, and those have been the best of my life. Be good for me, alright?” He carefully passes the baby to your sister, who smiles softly, well aware of the sacrifice you’re making. “I hope you know you can come back; every time you want.” she warns you, and you both nod, well aware that you’ll have to stay away at least for a few years, until Aso learns to consider her and her husband as his real parents, a family he will be part of forever and that hopefully will never let him down. “Look after him.” you beg her, well aware you don’t need to but unable to control yourself, and she nods. “We will; you have my word.”

🤎 You and Usopp hold hands as you walk back to the ship, quickly helping your friends push it into the sea; you both wave your hand in farewell, and see Aso doing the same as your sister holds him to her chest, and the island and the people standing on its pier become nothing more than tiny spots on the horizon. “He’ll forget us soon.” Usopp predicts, with only a touch of melancholy “Not because he doesn’t care, but he’s so young…” “I know; but he’ll grow up safe, and happy, and cared for, and that’s what matters.” You share a smile, your hands finding each other once more. “One day.” you promise, and your boyfriend nods; you know, without the need to ask, he’s not just thinking about your sister’s offer. “One day.” he agrees “Once we’re ready.”

[weird-is-life]

Glasses

Pairing: Steve harrington x fem!reader

Sumarry: You convince Steve to be your date at the Family gathering and feelings get confessed

Warnings: language, mentions of food, mean family relatives, protective Steve, use of y/n and petnames, i suck at endings

Words: 3k Masterlist

A/N: English is not my first language, so please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes

Steve was nervously sitting in his car in your driveway and he was thinking about running away.

He'd agreed to saving you today. You basically begged Steve on your knees to get him to come with you. It was a family gathering at your house, a few aunts, uncles and annoying cousins.

You were sick and tired of your cousins's teasing about you coming alone to these family events. So you convinced Steve to be your fake boyfriend.

And Steve as the best friend he is, had said yes. He couldn't back out now, as he was already there.

With heavy legs he walked up to your door and rang the doorbell. You opened the door almost right away.

You looked stressed, your hair was a mess and there were lines of concern on your forehead. You had the most beautiful dress on and Steve couldn't help but to stare at you.

But the second you realised, it was Steve at the door, the frown was replaced by a small smile.

"Hi" you sheepishly greeted him.

"Hi, i'm not late, am i?" maybe you looked so distressed because he got the times wrong?

"No no, you're perfectly on time, c'mon in" you opened the door wider for him to step inside.

"Nobody else is here yet, so we can just go sit down at the table. They should arrive in 10" you mumbled.

"Okay, yeah. We should go sit down, you look like you need a breather" he said, looking at you with worry.

"What's that suppose to mean?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Nothing, you just look a little tense " he explained.

"Oh, sorry. I-I just, i hate these family events. Most of the time it's the most boring thing to go through and i just don't want to hear all those mean comments from Alice or from Amanda or from Karen, well basically from any of my family."

Steve knew very well, what it was like to have mean remarks directed at him by family members. He was glad, he came , because atleast now you had him in your corner.

"Yeah, i know. But I'm here, so they won't say anything bad about you, right? And I won't let them" he said and you chuckled.

"Thanks Stevie, you're my hero" It was now Steve's turn to laugh.

"Don't mention it" he waved his hand.

He stepped closer to you and fixed your hair so it wouldn't look like a car ran you over.

"There" he was proud about the final look.

"Thanks" you uttered.

"Steve!" your mom called out. Your parents loved Steve, he was so polite and always willing to help them with anything. Your mom basically squeeled when you told her Steve was your date for the dinner.

"We are so happy to have you with us today" she embraced him in a tight tight hug, "it was about time you two started dating. It took you guys a long time, i was beginning to think, you would never tell her" she giggled.

Steve raised his eyebrows at you, asking you what was your mom talking about.

You may have told her that Steve was the one to confess his feelings .

Steve just cluelessly laughed with her and then she ushered you two to the table that was set outside.

"I'm sorry Steve, she started asking me questions, so I told her you were the one who confessed the feelings" you apologised.

"Should i be concerned about what else you'd told her?" Steve playfully nudged you by elbow.

"Definitely" you bantered.

While waiting on everybody, you made up a story about how you started dating and talked about holding hands and all the bullshit to convince your family, that you were actually dating.

It wouldn't be too hard for you to pretend to be in love with Steve, because you actually were. You've had feelings for Steve probably since you've met him.

Steve was thinking about the same thing as you. He had no problem with being affectionate towards you. He was in love with you, too. Like how could he not, when you were the kindest person to him.

You always looked out for him, took care of him, you just always made sure that he was okay. So of course, he fell for you.

Your talk with Steve was interrupted by a group of people, your family. They were all staring at you with big eyes and raised eyebrows.

You and Steve stood up and you were about to introduce him to them, but your annoying cousin was faster. "Y/N, who's this handsome man?" Alice asked and your face twisted in annoyance. Alice was your least favorite cousin.

"This is Steve, m-my boyfriend" you shyly announced.

"Your boyfriend?" she ribbed.

"Yes-"

"Hey, i'm Steve, y/n's boyfriend. It's nice to meet you" he spoke over you, because he could see how nervous you were.

Alice looked stunned. She couldn't believe, that Steve was really your boyfriend. She quickly recovered from the shock and greeted him, along with a wink. You just rolled your eyes at it. She was always like this with every boy. Always flirting badly with them, even if they weren't single.

Steve turned his head for a second to mouth 'help me' at you, before turning back to greet everybody else.

After a few excruciating minutes of getting to know your family, Steve was beggining to understand why you hated these things.

"Jesus, i thought, i'd die there. They are like some phyranas trying to eat you alive" he whispered to you as you sat back down at the table.

You let out a loud laugh, which got attention of everyone, "Steve, you can't just say something like that to me without any warning, " you whispered back.

"Sorry, sweetheart. But It's true, they are pretty bad, especially that cousins of yours" he frowned.

"Yeah, i'm sorry for dragging you into this" you felt bad, that he had to experience this because of you. You were sure he had enough family related problems without you adding to the pile.

"It's okay, i don't mind if it helps you" he softly smiled at you, " plus, i get to eat the food cooked by your mom, so that's a win."

"Oh so that's why you'd agreed" you josted. You were still talking in hushed voices, so everybody would occasionally look curious at you two, wondering what was so funny.

"Well, of course,why else would i say yes?" he grinned at you.

You and Steve were both so lost in your conversation, that you didn't even notice Alice's and other cousins's jealous eyes on you.

"So y/n tell us, how did this happen?" she inquired in high pitched voice, looking at you with annoyed face.

"Me and Steve have been best friends for like 2 years now, right?" you looked at Steve and he confirmed what you were saying with a nod and encouraging smile, "and i guess there were feelings since the beggining. But we just denied and denied them, too afraid to ruin the friendship. I was definitely too scared to say anything" you giggled," and then out of the blue Steve was on my porch admiting his feelings for me and it's been perfect ever since."

"Yeah, my good friend helped convince me to finally tell y/n everything and i'm very very happy, i did" Steve added and pulled you closer to his side. You were basically sitting on him, that was how close he pulled you to him. Not that you were complaining.

"Really? That's great" Alice gritted through her teeth, giving you the most unsincere smile ever.

"Yeah, it's awesome" Amanda chimed in. Her voice was as fake as Alice's smile.

Steve's smile never wavered, he completely ignored there insinuations.

"Wait a minute" Amanda suddenly loudly said, "You're the Steve? Steve Harrington? "

"Omg yes, King Steve. I thought i recognized you from somewhere" Alice joined her, they both had big smirks on.

"Oh. I don't go by that silly nickname anymore. It's just Steve now" Steve nervously scratched the back of his neck.

You didn't know your cousins knew him, i mean they went to different highschools.

You felt bad, that they brought this up, Steve beated himself up over his horrible behaviour everytime his highschool days were brought up.

"Just Steve? Guess your life got pretty boring after meeting our dear y/n" Alice made fun of you and everybody laughed.

"No no no. It's definitely not that. I just -" Steve wanted to defend you, but your mom brought the food and everybody ignored him and focused on the food.

You sighed in regret, " Jesus Steve, i'm so sorry for this. I thought they wouldn't behave like this around you. You can go home, i'll just make something up, like you felt sick" you covered your face in your hands.

"Hey hey hey, none of that. It's okay. I agreed to be here, so i'm gonna stay. I knew, what i was getting myself into," you didn't look too convinced,"Seriously, i'll survive. But are you okay? "

"Yeah, i guess, I'm used to it " you shrugged your shoulders.

"You shouldn't think this is okay, because it's not" he was frowning at you again. He hated that you felt like this. It took him all of his strenght not to stand up and drag you away from there.

"I know, Stevie" you tried to give him a smile, showing you were okay, but it failed.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?"

"Just 'till we finish eating and then i think we can ran away" you were looking forward to leaving.

"Good,'cause i'm dragging you out of here as soon as i can" Steve grinned at you, trying to make you feel better.

"I won't say no to that" you grinned back.

You were brought back to reality from your little talk, by your mom serving the food.

You all, surprisingly, ate in peace. You thought, that maybe your cousins gave up with trying to make fun of you. But of course, that was a foolish thought, because when you looked at them, they were glaring at you, well mostly Alice and Amanda. Altough, they would occasionally break their glaring to forcingly laugh at something that Steve said.

"You're so funny!" they flirted with him and Steve choked on his food, after hearing those words. That made you giggle, not because you thought that Steve's choking was funny, but because Steve has been literally talking about his job at the Family video store.

"Uh thanks?" he unsurely said.

"You're welcome" Amanda was the first to respond with another bad wink, it looked more like a twitch of her eye than a wink.

Steve subtly gave you a 'what the actual fuck' look, making you snort.

-

Meals were eaten and you were about to excuse yourselves and leave, but your mom had other plans. She gave everybody gifts, it was chocolate with a few nice words and joke.

Everyone started reading their little texts, but you hoped to avoid it, because you didn't have your contact lenses in.

"Y/N, what is written on yours?"

"Ugh, i forgot to put in my contacts..." you thought you managed to dodge it, but it's never that easy, right?

"Don't you have glasses?" Amanda asked, looking incredibly irritated.

"No-"

"Yes" your mom said at the same time as you, "I'm gonna go get them."

"Mom, please no-" she was already gone, disappearing inside the house.

"Great" you groaned.

"Glasses? I didn't know you wear glasses?" Steve puzzled.

"Because i don't ."

Your mom quickly appeared back with the glasses and made you wear them.

You could hear the snickering of your cousins as soon as you put them on. Of course, they would make fun of you because of some stupid glasses. They were like that.

You tried to ignore the laughs as best as you could and quickly read the sentences out loud. It was already hard to focus on the words, because of the loud laughs, but feeling Steve's eyes on you didn't help at all.

Steve'd never seen you in the glasses before and honestly, somehow he thought you looked even more beautiful with them on.

"Steve..."you said his name for like third time.

" Yeah?" he broke out of his thought about you.

" It's your turn to read now" you said. You cheeks were red and Steve wondered why. Well, that was until he heard the snickering a few seats to the left from him and saw your cheeks get even more color.

"Right. Just give me a minute, i need to go grab something from the car" he was already up and inside the house. Leaving you confused.

"Where did Steve go?" your mom perplexed.

"I don't know..."

"He probably had enough of your annoying ass" Alice started laughing even louder then before and you stayed quiet. You've had enough of this dinner. You shrugged the glasses off of your face.

"Sorry, i had to go get these. I can't see a thing without them" Steve swiftly sat back next to you.

The breath hitched in your throat. Since when has Steve had glasses? And fuck, how was it possible, that they made him look even more attractive and you got to look so bad.

It seemed to shut up even your cousins, they were now gawking at him with mouths wide open.

Steve didn't seem to notice or maybe he just didn't care, that everybody was looking at him and he simply just read the words on his gift.

"Thank you so much for the dinner and the gift. I'm so glad, i could be here with you today" Steve said once he finished reading," but i'm afraid is time for me to go."

Steve stood up, bringing him up with you. At first you didn't understand what he was doing, but when you caught up you said, " Yeah mom, thank you for dinner, it was great. I'm going with Steve, we're meeting Robin at the cinema." Obviously you weren't meeting Robin at the cinema, but you'd say anything at that point to leave.

"Oh, okay. You're welcome Steve to come even next time, yeah? We're happy you could be here" your mom beamed.

"It was so so nice to meet you Steve. We could go out sometimes" Alice quipped in and Amanda nodded her head, giving yet another wink to Steve.

"I don't think we could, it was nice to meet you tho" Steve left no time for them to respond and dragged you out of there, to his car.

"Steve, that was so mean" you chuckled, after you sat down in his car and he backed the car out of your driveway.

"Yeah, well. They deserved nothing else" he shrugged his shoulders, "they were awful, i don't want to see them ever again" he chuckled, aswell.

You wished, you'd never have to see them again every single time, "Yup, me too. "

"You okay?" Steve's hand reached for yours, squeezing it gently.

"Yeah, i'm alright" you murmured, taking Steve's hand in your.

"Do you wanna stay over? We can watch some movies" he proposed, seeing through your lie immediately.

"Sure, but only if we can order pizza."

"Of course, we can. Anything you want, sweetheart" Steve said oh so softly and it had you melting.

"Thanks" you blushed at the petname, "Can i ask you something?"

Steve nodded, " What's up with the glasses? You've never worn them."

"I always forget to put them on and what about you? You've never told me about your short sight, either. "

"Steve, i've literally put in my eye contacts in front of you before. What the fuck do you mean, you didn't know?" you questioned.

"You have?"

"Yes, multiple times. "

"Oh, i guess i was always too distracted by your pretty face" he casually said. Like it was no big deal.

You were already at his house, but neither of you was moving to get out of the car.

"What?" you finally choked out.

"I said your pretty face is too distracting. And fuck, it's a whole new level, when you have the glasses on. It's like you're twice as pretty" Steve's sudden burst of confidence made him speak out loud almost every thought he had about you.

"Foreal, it was so hard not to grab your face and kiss you the moment you put them on... -"

"Steve...."

"I'm in love with you, y/n. I just have to get it off my chest and i completely understand if you don't feel the same. We can forget i ever said anything and pretend this never happened" he rambled. His anxious fidgeting made even you nervous.

"Steve!" you placed your hand on his thigh, "you should try to breath, okay? I don't want you to pass out, before i have the chance to tell you, that I feel  the same" you joked.

"Wait, what? You do?" his eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah" you shyly smiled at him. Steve couldn't believe, that this was really happening.

"C-can... Can i kiss you?"

"Please" you breathed out.

Steve didn't waste any time, he leaned down to connect his lips with yours. Your lips were so soft and that made Steve kiss you more fiercely. He'd dreamed of kissing you for so many times and now that it was happening, he didn't want to ever let you go.

You slowly pulled away, making Steve pout.

"Sorry, but i'm getting cold outhere" you giggled at his scowl.

"We should go inside, so you can't make up any more excuses like this and i can finally get the kisses i want" Steve teased you.

"What makes you think, you'll get any kisses at all?"

"I think i deserve the kisses after tonight" he definitely did.

"I guess, i can give you a kiss or two" you giggled and dragged the two of you to his house.

You kept your promise, you happily gave Steve the kisses he so desperately wanted.

...

...

...

Hey guys, thank you for reading. Posting this for like 7th time, 'cause Tumblr tags hate me. Anyways, let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated. Also if anybody is interested in being my beta reader for Stranger things fics, dm me please.

Have a great day and stay safe everybody. Peace out ☀️

[mydemonsdrivealimo]

16 + 22 + 23 for Jensen and Bryce!

ah tysm!!!! going into more detail than i need to but idk how much u know ab them. so.

16. how does your OC feel about their parents?

jensen has a very complicated relationship w his mom. his dad wasn't really in the picture after he was 5 or so (when he moved to the states) so it was just him and his mom until he was 15-16 ish when she lost custody. while a lot of people see it as black and white, just accepting she was a "bad" mother, jensen has always defended her bc he knew she was trying her best. and maybe she wasn't all the time, but he had to believe it for his own sake. they struggled a lot bc she really had no plan when she moved them. for many years they bounced in and out of assisted housing programs, friends couches, shelters, and questionable apartments, and it led to a lot of tension and anger and abuse (mainly emotional/verbal). jensen got into some trouble, which blew up into huge issue that ended up w him in juvie for a month (dw, all resolved and his record was sealed bc the incident in no way warranted that amount of punishment) which is how she lost custody. they haven't talked since then (despite jensens efforts over the years) and jensen doesn't fully process or get over that relationship until he's in his mid 30s

as for bryce, canonically he has a terrible relationship w his parents. they fucked over a LOT of people where he grew up (property tycoons turned white collar criminals) which completely severed any relationship he had w his community and culture. the second he went to college he cut ties w them aside from a few calls here and there to talk to keiki (his younger sister by 12 years). he's been trying to get as far away from them as possible since then, going to cali for undergrad/med school and boston for residency. canonically he ends up talking to his mom when keiki unpromptedly comes to live w him bc he can't exactly afford to take on a child, and another time during book 3. in my hc, he never has a strong relationship w his mom or dad again. he talks to them when he needs to for keiki, and tries not to start shit, but he really has no desire to rekindle a relationship w them (but ESP his dad as he always put more pressure on him when he was younger, which meant A Lot of fights and arguments). he ends up being close w an aunt on his mom's side, but that's ab as close as he gets to ever having a relationship w any parental figures

22. what is holding your OC back to achieve their goals?

both bryce and jensen are very committed to achieving their goals (they are both generally regarded as cold and pushy by others in their field/year) but ofc they have obstacles

bryces is his confidence. he is so used to doing everything right and perfect that the second one small thing goes wrong he crumbles. it's seen a couple times in canon, and truly he freaks out if something goes wrong and it's his fault. jensen helps him work through it (in a very point-blank jensen way) but it's always hard for him to learn from mistakes bc he is completely in denial that he can make them

honestly jensen is in his own way a lot? he pushes himself hard. to the point where he needs to take a break but won't acknowledge it until he's going to die, or at least feels like it (but even then he's good at ignoring it). he locks in on one goal to the point of ignoring everything else he needs to focus on. he's just not great at balance. and at the same time, he has a lot of anxiety and depression and ocd and undiagnosed autism that has always felt like a hurdle he had to go over. he's always felt that things are 10 times more difficult for him than they are for everyone else, and he never knew why. but he's also never let himself acknowledge it or slow down to accommodate himself. there's just very few times in his life that he's slowed down enough to consider himself as a factor in reaching his goals

23. what are your OC’s biggest flaws and biggest strengths?

(vibrating in my seat ab this one. oh bryce the lies im ab to spill ab you) bryces biggest flaw is that he is so committed to the image he's made of himself. bryce was thrown into life w no idea what he was doing, so it was a lot of guesswork. to combat that, he has developed this perfectly carefree, confident, egotistical, and arrogant image of a person that has pushed him to the top of his class and his profession. he essential faked it till he made it. and in a way, that is his biggest strength, too. he pushed through so much bs just by pretending he was okay until he was that honestly, people believed it. but the second something happens that's out of his control? something that completely disrupts the front he has built and perfectly molded for years? he fucking loses it. lots of breakdowns, lots of depressive episodes, he just can't handle it. and it takes him a while to pick himself back up, and sure, he will, but it's the massively unpredictable stuff that makes him stagnant for days, weeks, months on end

jensens biggest strength is that he is resilient as fuck. it has a lot to do w him just growing up poor, but also bc again, he does not make space to accommodate himself. he will push and push through so much shit until he gets to a space where he can allow himself to be comfortable. but, his biggest flaw is that he is convinced he isn't resilient. he has been there for every fuck up, every rock bottom, and every point of no return. he feels that the bad has outweighed the good, as if theyre on a scale at all. again, this has a lot to do w the undiagnosed autism, but he has always felt like there's something different about him in a way that he had to "fix". that makes it difficult for him to do things "right". eventually he starts to learn and grow from this, and can acknowledge that actually, yeah, he HAS endured a lot of bs that he hasnt just unpacked yet. but it has just always been in the back of his head in a way that weighs him down a lot

[brbabcseu]

ive been taking up the dashboard lately so please!! has anything specific about jesse and aj or mer been on ur mind recently??

I feel like I spend so much time talking about Jesse and AJ so I'm gonna make this a certified Meriwa & AJ-centric post!

Mer is a good relative. Not necessarily a conventionally good PARENT, but you could also argue the same for Jesse. The situation w/ these three is so nuanced but that's besides the point lmao. She curses a lot and thinks her omelets are better than Jesse's. She also thinks it's not a crime to put cheese and bacon into a pancake, they can be savory too "if you open your tiny mind". She hates the PTA moms of Skagway. She's thinking of going back to school. She's so good at being Jesse's friend and so annoyed abt that. She proclaims she's straight edge but gets scolded by AJ for smoking cigarettes. She has a strained relationship with her youngest sister and a relationship she's greatly missing with her oldest sister, who died not long before AJ was born. She loves her little sister Amlliq (pronounced um-sh-k; most just call her Billie) despite their struggles, because family is family. That, family being family, is a little part of the reason she comes back AJ's freshman year of high school.

I've talked a bit about her return but I can't emphasize enough just how much of a catalyst it was for things to start falling like dominoes for AJ. Jesse very gently and very carefully makes him aware of her presence in town, and makes it very clear that he does NOT have to meet her, he has NO obligation to invite her into his life at this point, and whatever AJ needs of him, he'll be right there. AJ is just like ty I appreciate all of that, I don't really wanna meet her but I think I need to hear what she has to say anyway and then decide. He appreciates just how honest she is about why she gave him up, why she's here now, if it's just because it seems "easier" now that he's older. She's basically just like listen I was in my early 20's, I had a lot going on, I still gave your dad a choice, I didn't even know I was pregnant until I went into labor. And AJ's like um okay PAUSE on that last one lmaooo. At the end of it Mer is like "I wouldn't hold it against you if you told me to fuck off. Just figured I'd try reaching out and see if you're open to building some sort of... something."

He doesn't at first, but once things fall apart with Jesse he starts spending a lot of time around her-- in the grand scheme, knowing what he knows, she suddenly becomes the lesser of two evils lol. He does end up enjoying their time together, she's functionally a cool big sister at this early stage of their relationship.

She knows, by the way. Meriwa's known about Jesse for a good long while and it's the other reason she decides to come back. That part gnaws at her; she knows he'd been troubled, but not much more than that. Her continued inaction the longer she knew about this without checking on AJ led to a growing guilt, which kind of paralyzed her further into not checking in, and so the cycle went for several years. Mer's well aware she herself is not perfect, and she has a brain, so the nuance of the Heisenberg chronicles was not lost on her. And then actually meeting AJ, seeing how he turned out, how he and Jesse interact... it was very relieving. At the same time, she doesn't question or judge when AJ needs that space from Jesse to come to grips with everything.

I feel I've already piled on a LOT of information but I wanna touch briefly on their first mother-son trip that I've mentioned before as well!! Summer before sophomore year she bring him to Fairbanks to meet the rest of her family. He has a lot of cool aunts and uncles and cousins, there're two cousins in particular around his age and he really enjoys getting to know them. His family is so big now!! And frankly he needs it, sad as the reality of it is he needs that breathing room from Jesse; the two need time to repair separately before they can come back together. He feels great warmth at having more family to be a part of, but throughout the trip starts to feel dejected and a little jealous over how doting, affectionate, and playful an aunt Meriwa can be to her youngest nieces and nephews. The pendulum of AJ's grandfather clock of angst is never not in motion and it's just frequently swinging back and forth between these two forces in his life: one that used to represent stability but now belies unrest; and one that used to represent the opposite but now hold the promise of something more permanent, but that scares him!! And with his state of disillusionment he's convinced it'll all fall apart at any second.

One day I'll talk more abt the dynamic btwn Jesse, AJ's godmother Delilah, and Meriwa, but that's a whole can of worms loll and would also mean I need to actually Talk abt Delilah, bc I never do for some reason but she's SO important in the AJ Lore

Some lightning round fun facts to tie this up:

She's had a passing interest in journalism and so that's what she's thinking of majoring in when she goes back to school-- Jesse always says WHEN not IF bc he fully believes Mer can do it and she'll absolutely kill it

She's closest with her uncle and her mother :')

AJ and Mer bond over their love for Brand New Eyes by Paramore but disagree on whether Danger Days is MCR's best album

Her pancakes are stellar, both of the sweet and savory variety, but she'll only make chocolate chip pancakes for the former. She refuses to get cc pancakes from diners bc they never put it in the batter and you can't just slather it on top what's even the point--

Mer doesn't put a label on it but she's bisexual, and is definitely sure Jesse is too. She'll lean over to AJ sometimes and be like, "Does he know..?" and AJ's like "Not a clue"

Have a silly aj & mer doodle!!

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Backbuner Accident

Chapter One

“To Kenny! Freshly eighteen and he just won custody of our favorite little Karen!” Stan cheered with a big grin, one arm wrapped around Kenny’s shoulder pulling him closer, the other holding up a Caprisun pouch as if toasting. Karen smiled rolling her eyes as she munched on her bag of cool ranch Doritos.

“I thought I was the only Karen you knew!” Stan shrugged his grin not leaving as he let go of Kenny and ruffled her hair.

“And that's why you’re my faaavori-te!” He said dragging out the ‘a’ and emphasizing the ‘t’ she groaned pushing his hand away.

“Jeeze, did someone switch out Stan’s Caprisun with alcohol.” Kyle called out with a raised eyebrow, earning laughter from their friends. Stan gave him a fake hurt look leaning forward and placing a hand on his chest before letting out an over dramatic gasp.

“How could you Kyle? I’m simply overjoyed that the courts ruled in our favor!”

“Kenny’s favor, you mean?” Craig asked bored from his and Tweek’s spot on the big bean bag chair.

“Bah! Same thing besides, Kenny knows We’ll be helping him every step of the way! Even while he and Kyle move to Jersey.” Tweek snorted but nodded in confirmation.

“Y-ya! You know we’ll always do our best to help out! Of course I can’t really help while at the shop but I’ll help when I can, and Craig will too! Gah! Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to speak for you I just meant-” Craig pulled him close placing a kiss on the top of his head.

“Yep, even though I still hate you all for stealing my money and abandoning me-”

“It was Cartman!” Kyle cried out only to get flipped off by Craig.

“Besides, I know I’m your favorite cousin!” Stan said with a grin thinking of his aunt that hated his father as much as he did. Craig flipped him off as well, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry you’re gonna be his in-law when we get married honey.” Tweek smiled slightly, shaking his head.

“It's okay, Stan’s not that bad. I’m more worried about you Uncle…GAH!! W-What do you mean married!!! Craig! We are too-too young to think about marriage!” Tweek exclaimed, grabbing Craig’s jacket, shaking him in his panic. Stan snorted, turning back to Kyle and Kenny with a grin. The two returned the smile rolling their eyes as Tweek continued to panic, and Craig’s soft insurances were drowned out.

“Besides that, you two are ready right? I know we have everything from the cellar packed up so Kenny and Karen are good to go but what about you Kyle?” Kyle shrugged signing as he thought about his mom and dad.

“Everything is good but my mom keeps trying to add more like my baby pictures.” Stan snorted as he finished his Caprisun.

“Why?” Kyle made a face taking the empty pouch and throwing it away for Stan. “Thanks man”

“Because, ‘Kyle, what if you meet a pretty Jewish lady and she asks to see them and you don’t have them prepared!’ were her exact words.” Kyle said mimicking his mom’s high pitched voice, causing Kenny and Stan to laugh.

“Dude, what did you say to her?” Stan asked as Kenny grabbed his own pouch from the table, sipping on it.

“That Kenny and I were in a gay relationship and running away together, so the baby pictures didn’t need to come.” Stan burst into laughter, which only grew louder when Kenny’s laugh caused him to spray the juice he had in his mouth all over Clyde.

“Dude what the fuck!” Clyde screeched jumping up causing more laughter from everyone.

“Sorry sorry!” Kenny said over deep breaths as he failed to stop laughing.

“This is so fucking gross, god-damnit.” Clyde complained as he stomped towards the bathroom. Scott following after him trying not to laugh, he paused patting Kenny on the back as the other began to cough slightly.

“That was fucking hilarious. So you really told her that?” Kyle nodded, grinning as he thought of what happened a few days ago.

“Looked like she was going to have an aneurysm and screamed for my dad and Ike to come down. Then I had to deal with a two hour long talk about being gay in a world like ours and to make sure I’m careful.” Stan laughed, shaking his head a clear picture of what happened playing in his mind.

“What did you dad say?”

“Oh come on Sheila, two men masturbating together isn’t gay. I do it all the time with Randy.” Stan gagged, shaking his head as he turned slightly green.

“Dude. I wish I didn’t ask, couldn’t you just say I didn’t want to know?” Kyle grabbed him by his jacket pulling close as he glared.

“If I have to live knowing that my dad masturbates with your dad. You do too Marsh.” Stan turned greener, shaking his head as he tried to lean away from his SBF.

“Nooooo”

“That's right you’re suffering with me now.”

“Well fellas I have no clue what's going on, but Wendy and I have the pizzas!” Butters announced trying to deescalate whatever he had walked in on, holding up the two boxes he had. Wendy was standing behind him with an amused smile on her face as she held two more boxes. “Oh! Bebe and Heidi are on their way!” Wendy nodded, moving around Butters and placing the pizza boxes on the table.

“Heidi’s therapy session ran a little longer than planned.” She explained before shrugging her jacket off and placing it on the couch, her hat soon following. “Where is Tolkien? Nichole for that matter too?” Kenny grinned, raising his eyebrows twice before pointing towards the ceiling.

“Upstairs in his room.” Butters looked at the ceiling curiously, tilting his head.

“Oh Hamburgers, they won’t get any pizza if they don’t come down. I’ll go get them!” Stan was quick to grab Butter’s shoulders and steer him to the couch when Clyde had been sitting.

“Nooo, don’t worry we’ll save some for them! Just relax and enjoy the party with no Cartman!” Wendy rolled her eyes at the mention.

“How did you guys keep him from finding out anyway?” Stan grinned, crossing his arms looking rather smug that his plan had worked.

“Let’s just say I put some work in and forged some fake government documents so he thinks his old friends the Jakovasaurs are out in the woods. He left at 9 a.m. according to his mom to find them.” Wendy laughed, grinning back at the thought of Cartman running out in the woods. She shook her head turning to Kyle and Kenny.

“Well, forget about that bigot, it's time to celebrate! This is after all the last party you two will be at for a while, let's enjoy it!” Kyle and Kenny grinned in return, as Wendy moved to the stereo and played her usual party playlist.

“She's right! You three literally leave tomorrow, and I wont get to see you until I graduate so lets make the most of it!” Stan said, trying to keep himself in high spirits as he hugged the two. “Let's party!” Kyle nodded, throwing an arm around Stan’s shoulder and fist bumping Kenny.

“Stan’s right, let's celebrate!”

“And thats the last box. Glad to have your friends shit out of my cellar.” Randy grumbled as he placed the last box into the UHaul Trailer. Stan glared at his dad, flipping him off when the man turned and walked back into the farm house.

“Good to know Randy will never change.” Kenny joked as he helped Karen out of the UHaul, he smiled watching her run to Stan. Stan grinned and crouched down slightly, opening his arms accepting Karen’s hug and lifting her up off the ground.

“Kare-Bear! I am going to miss you so much!” He glanced at them before fake whispering to her. “Way more than those two losers over there, but you can’t tell them you know how emotional they get.” He said earning a middle finger from Kenny and eye roll from Kyle. “You’ll make sure they stay healthy for me right?” Stan asked as he placed her back on the ground, smoothing her hair down gently. “Kyle is pretty good at it, but he’ll overwork himself, and you know your brother even better than me. Promise me you’ll threaten them when they over work?” Karen nodded, holding out her pinky finger, and Stan responded quickly wrapping his pinky around hers.”

“It's a promise! And I don’t have to worry about you! Tricia promised to keep an eye on you since you have a shit dad!” Stan gasped dramatically at her cussing causing the girl to snort and roll her eyes. 

“Let me guess, her words?”

“Her words.” Karen confirmed nodding with a serious face causing Stan to laugh.

“Well I promise you I’ll take care of myself. You make sure they don’t overwork themselves, because I have no doubt they will work themselves to the bone.” Karen and him shared a conspiratorial look before they turned back to each other nodding. “I will see you as soon as I graduate.” He kissed the top of her head making a dramatic kissing noise, chucking at her annoyed groan as she tried to swat him away.

“I’ll be holding you to that Stanny.” She said before hurrying to Kenny’s truck climbing in back. Stan took a deep breath before turning to his best friends.

“This is it, the start of our plan.” He said trying to hide the fact he was upset. Kyle smiled softly, moving closer, pulling him into a hug. “ I just have to wait a little over a year to join.” Kenny smiled, joining the hug.

“Don’t worry Stan, the year will fly by in no time. Kyle and I will even keep a calendar with your graduation marked, that way we’ll be here right after.” Stan smiled, hugging the two tightly not wanting to let go. “Then we’ll leave this town and only return when someone dies in the far far future.” Kenny and Kyle pulled back sharing a grin with Stan.

“My bet is Cartman, but then again I don’t think any of us will show up for his funeral.”

“I’ll be there just to dance on his grave.” Kyle said with vindictive gleam in his eyes as he thought about it. Stan laughed rolling his eyes.

“Alright, alright, you guys need to get on the road or Kyle will be late for his orientation.” Stan was silent for a second, his smile dropping slightly. “Now don’t forget to text and call me, and keep me updated on everything even if Kyle loses his Trapper. Kyle rolled his eyes while Kenny laughed.

“We will. Take care Stan, we’ll be back for you in a year.”

MasterList

[princesswithdisorder]

The start of an addiction (?) / Damn I hate being sober

One time when I was 14, my aunt’s cat hurt his leg while I was at her house. She had to take him to the vet. I was home alone at her house. She had a weed pen that she didn’t smoke much because she has asthma. Whatever. I was like, ok I’ll hit it because I’m soooo cool. And I did. A few time. I recorded too of course. I mean I didn’t show anyone and I don’t think I told anyone but I wanted to remember.

Ig that’s something about me. I like to capture moments, to remember things. I have a bad memory. I hardly remember most of my childhood. Ig my memory really starts in 2020, freshman year. I mean, the memories from then don’t really feel like they were my life. But I can remember some things from then. Anyway, yeah I like to record and take a lot of pictures because it helps me remember things that happened.

Anyways, I hit my aunts pen a few times when I was 14. I didn’t even know how to inhale. It was a total waste. I smoked basically whenever an opportunity arose. I never inhaled though. I didn’t know how still. I was dumb. In 2021 when I was 15, I found my mom’s pen. I lived with my mom so I had easy access. Well, all I found was her battery. I had found a cart on my aunts house a while before and had been hiding it for months. But then when I found my mom’s battery, I was set. I still didn’t know how to inhale or really even how to use the battery. Whatever

Later on while I was still 15 my other aunt taught me how to inhale. I know that’s bad. I know it’s bad for any adult to introduce kids to any substances. But I’m really glad I’ve had this opportunity. I had my mom’s pen still and that same cart because I hardly hit it. Or I took really small hits. Well anyways I started smoking with my aunt more. Not like all the time but when she would offer it to me I would say yes like half the time.

I don’t really know how I got to the point I’m at right now. I can finish 4 carts in 3 days. I’m going to try to remember though- when I was 16 I had lost my mom’s pen? Or no it wasn’t working good anymore so I gave it to my friend. Funny story- her brother sold it to someone. Wow. I could’ve sold it. Annoying. Well anyway, I stole my aunts pen because she hadnt hit it in like a year. I just took it. Later on she was looking for it to give to me but I had already had my time with it. We had a sweet time together, but unfortunately I lost it while waiting for my aunt to get me after hanging out w my friend. I swear to god I put it in my pocket or smth and then it was never seen again. It had a full cart too. To this day I am still sad about that.

Well whatever. In 11th grade I lived with my aunt and her bf gave her 2 old pens that she could’ve given to me. And I would get carts whenever I could. Actually hold up….

Before my aunt knew that I was smoking without her around, me and my friend used to meet up w a plug. We got carts after school one day. I stole a battery from my aunt, not the one that I lived with. She had like a bunch so it was like, whatever. Yk? She wouldn’t notice. And she didn’t. Earlier this year I told her and her bf that I stole 2 pens from them and her bf said “nope, I would’ve noticed if they were gone” like… LOL?? I literally still have one of them…

Well whatever. So yeah in 11th grade after my aunt decided it was ok for me to smoke, she had a pen for me and she would hide whenever she wasn’t home. Usually I would find it and hit it anyway, but it’s okay. I would hit that one because it was hard to get carts for my pen and because my pen wasn’t working right anymore.

Basically my point here is that lately, I smoke weed all the time. The only times I go without it are when I can’t afford it or when I’m in the psych ward. I’m basically dependent. But I’m going to try to take a break so idk… I’ll update 👍

[quiet-girl-short-stories]

Beach Boys

Fuck. The. Beach.

Was something Cassie was thinking the entire time in the car as Quana, Keris and Annabel--her aunt--and her son, Thomas, talked about who the hell knows what because that shit they were playing on the radio was so loud and the window was open!

How are they even hearing each other?

"Cassie?" She looked at her aunt. "I know you don't really want to go to the beach, but how about we get something to eat before?" Cassie shrugged. Don't you fucking ask me- "what do you want to eat?" You bitch!

"I don't really know, anything's fine," Cassie eventually said.

Annabel made a face like she was hoping for an answer. You can go ahead and screw yourself because you know I have no idea how to pick on the spot like this. Plus, it's like nine in the morning, anything I want won't even make sense and then you'll all judge me so I don't wanna hear it!

"Well then, would all of you want?" Annabel addressed everyone else in the car.

Quana nearly threw herself to the front of the car as she leaned forward.

"Tuna sandwich!"

"Right before the beach?" Thomas said.

"No, we should just get drinks, like coffee or something," Keris said.

"I really don't like Thomas drinking coffee." Annabel mumbled softly.

"He's older than us and you still treat him like a baby?" Quana laughed a bit.

"Only about stuff she doesn't want me doing," Thomas said.

"Well, a mom's gotta look out for their kids when they won't."

Thomas laughed and they all returned to likely not being able to hear each other as the woman on the radio really wanted the listeners to call and say that damn word!

No wants to go to this fucking concert!

...

Eventually, they did just get something to drink. Cassie opted on having something cold since it was Global Warming temperatures outside and melting in the sun wasn't an option for her; once they got to the beach, everyone set up their chairs and towels.

Meanwhile, Cassie just simply put up an umbrella and sat on the sand under the shade, until they got the rest of the chairs out.

She wanted no part of whatever this trip was supposed to be and just wanted to think about writing. Her drink was melting and dripped on her leg. She sighed thinking that nothing could make this worse.

"What are the odds?" She heard someone say. "Cassie at the beach?"

Now she turned her head and nearly passed out from all the blood that just ran to her head. The nude body of a popstar!? Terumichi came over and got under the umbrella as he removed his shades.

"W-why are you here?" Cassie managed to get out.

"I got a day off. Plus, I was thinking about spending the morning here, but I'm glad you're here because there's something I wanted to tell you."

As much as Cassie would have preferred him to speak with a shirt on, she remained looking to his face. "What is it?" She pulled her lips into her mouth after every sentence she could barely get out.

"Amai met up with me, and you'll never believe it, we got put in the same group together! That means we'll be debuting together!"

Cassie hated this. Not her having a new favorite boygroup to stan, no. It was the fact that two people she knew were becoming poplar entertainers.

"I-is he here?"

He nodded. Fuck! As she thought that, Amai called out to them and now her eyes were filled with the sight of two people who worked out more than they needed to. Cassie wanted to lie and say maybe she should be with her family, but the even the remote thought of talking in their presence made her gag.

Amai eventually got to them, showing off the perfect thing he called a body to her. "Dude, I thought you were joking, but I guess Cassie got out of her shell."

The fuck I did. "My aunt asked me to go with her."

"Your family's here? I should go and say hi then," Terumichi said while getting up.

"Dude, if it's who I think it is, that's not her actual family."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, Cassie was friends with this kid named Thomas in school, his family liked her so much they pretty much adopted her." Amai explained.

"Really? I didn't know that," he said looking to Cassie, "still, all the more reason for me to meet them!"

Amai seemed more than fine with that. "Then I guess I'll just slide into-" those DMs. "-your spot and keep Cassie company."

Amai did in fact sit down, but Cassie was already motionless from Terumich, so his presence was more than the same.

Terumichi instantly returned after seeing that. "No, you're not staying here alone with her."

"Why not? She might need company." Terumichi looked as if he was about to kick him, Amai sighed and got up. "Fine then." He went to leave and as he did gave a small wink to Cassie. She pressed her lips together in order to resist fangirling. "Maybe we'll hang out later?"

Cassie could barely give them a functioning nod, but they accepted her effort and started to leave together. When they were finally gone, she let out a breath and told herself things were looking up... well, more like down, but things were getting better!

She sighed and got up to throw away the cup she had just finished drinking out of and much like a sick fantasy, someone else she knew was there.

"Cassie?"

She turned only to see the bright yellow hair of her fellow writer. "Koto, why are you here?"

He snickered. "I should really be asking you that." Don't make me kill you. "But seriously, I'm here on a business trip... that's at least what Mr. Wry said this was." That was likely why Terumichi was here. "Oh, but a bunch of other guys are here too. They weren't invited or anything, but Mr. Wry said somehow this trip got leaked and now pretty much everyone is here."

"Who leaks a beach trip?"

"I said we don't know," he got close and whispered; "but Mr. Wry thinks it was Akuma." Of course, "but who cares about that, why are you here?" He moved the conversation onward.

"My aunt dragged me out here."

"Why are you talking with short stuff over there?" They both looked behind them and saw the bright red hair of Shugi. He smiled at Cassie and stood beside Koto.

"Anna? Sounds like something Anna would do though." He snickered while saying that, "but if you're free right now, maybe we could-"

"I'm not short!" Koto yelled.

"Come on, you're only a head over Cassie and she's pretty short herself." Again, don't make me kill you. "Still, I saw you talking to her and couldn't help but think you were flirting."

Koto's face turned bright red at that.

"No." His words deflated. "I wouldn't flirt with..." He trailed. "I-I mean not because I- but because... Ah!"

Shugi laughed. "Look at you!"

Koto growled a bit. "You're the one who never shuts up!"

"Way to clap back, but if you're done talking, I could give Cassie some proper company."

Cassie shyly touched her hands together as their attention returned to her.

"I-I don't really know why you're here, but I shouldn't be in the way of whatever it is." She tried to excuse herself.

"Even if there was a reason why I was here, it wouldn't be enough for me to ignore you," Shugi said that while putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, Cassie doesn't like stuff like that."

"What, skin?"

"You know what I mean." Koto then pushed himself between them, moving Cassie to one side. He then took this chance to start pushing her back to the beachfront. "He's really annoying sometimes."

"Still here," Shugi said as he walked beside them, "besides, what makes you think you're any better than me? You might be pissing her off too."

Koto stopped. "You can see when Cassie's annoyed. She looked like it when you started talking."

Shugi glared at him.

You really can't tell anything on me, but okay

"Look, just let Cassie get back to her family and we'll both leave her alone okay?"

Koto said nothing, but while they were essentially eye fucking each other, Cassie noticed an extraordinarily pale body walking towards her.

No, this can't be happening!

Akuma got to her while Koto and Shugi were busy sizing each other up.

"I wonder what you're staring at?" Akuma said with a raised eyebrow.

He laughed sarcastically. "Good one, but you know me and the sun, not a good mix. I like how warm it is, but dealing with it isn't good for me." He paused. "Maybe I was a Demon in a past life and Hell was my home." God made a mistake on this one. "Anyways, why are you always surrounded by men that aren't me?"

I won't compliment you. "I was just confused to see a ghost out during the day."

Cassie sighed at the realization. "I don't know, I just go places." He laughed at her words. "But why are you here?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear? Ankara is having a business trip! I think he's really trying to work an angle on Terumichi and that other guy."

"So... you did leak this?"

"I can't say that, you might be an undercover cop." Denying is just as bad. "But maybe I should just stay by you so no other guy thinks to get near you."

Once more she had an arm put around her shoulder, this time she wanted to shove it off, but she instead just tried to walk away. Akuma however was on her tail and refused to move from her side.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Akuma spoke bitterly.

"Is that Akuma with another girl?"

Upon hearing that they both stopped, they turned and Cassie got a glimpse of the detail on Brayleigh's body, his shirt must have hated its job.

"Hey, I thought you hated the beach Cassie?" I swear to God, the next fucker who says that shit to me- "Still, I think you look really pretty though."

"Because I heard Koto was gonna be here, so I decided to go too. I actually invited Aki and Shugi here."

That's why he's here... but wait- Akihiko came over and joined them.

Her thoughts stopped instantly at his words that bled kindness. "Oh... well thank you."

"Complimenting someone is being whipped?" Akihiko rose an eyebrow.

Akuma let out a loud sigh. "Could you be anymore whipped?"

Like you aren't?

"Well, the way you said it made it seem like you wanted her outfit for yourself."

Akihiko just bit his lip and turned his attention back to Cassie, Brayleigh spoke up instead. "I only came over here because you looked like you were gonna take Cassie away somewhere."

"And that concerns you because?"

"I think my aunt is calling me, I'll see you guys later!" She nearly sprinted off and prayed that Akuma's big ego would be enough to allow her to escape.

"Because, I wouldn't want Cassie alone with anyone," Brayleigh said that with a smile, but they could all tell he could and would jump Akuma right now if he wanted and the thought of that caused Cassie to squirm.

She managed to get from Akuma's arms and spoke as she walked away.

She looked back as she ran, checked behind her, and then she looked forward again. She nearly ran into someone. Idiot! You see me running, why not move? She looked to apologize to the person, but her eyes immediately went down and saw, SIX? Her eyes went up and she said sorry almost immediately.

"N-no, I didn't hear anything about the leak until just now. I'm here on personal business."

"Oh, you're here? I really hope that leak didn't get that far."

She stood up and saw Ankara there in all his glory. She always wondered if a man in a suit worked out.

So is this how lawyers look too?

"No, they're just..." annoying as hell, "friends of mine. I'm really here with my aunt, her son and my friends."

He smiled. "Does that personal business involve those boys who were around you?"

Does that really concern YOU?

"Ah, I see. Well I'm currently taking a break, maybe you would enjoy a small walk back to your family?"

She shrugged. "I'd be fine with that."

Ankara was happy and began walking with her. "Oh, by the way," he began, "I was wondering if you used something like the beach to get your ideas. You're very good at describing scenery so I was always a bit curious."

Her head shook. "No, I actually hate the beach, but my cousin wanted to come and my aunt figured I should get out of the house."

Ankara chuckled. "At least she cares, but it's still amazing how you can give a perfect description of an area, especially if you dislike it." Cassie smiled a bit at the praise. "Oh and I finished reading your latest draft. You have the same issues as usual, but other than that, I don't really have any complaints about what you decided to write about."

Cassie looked at him fully. "Thank you for bringing that up! I was going to email you about it, but stuff got a bit hectic. You really don't think it's too ambitious?"

"Of course not. I have complete faith in you and even if this gets to be too much, what you have written will be good enough for at least a few months."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you so much!"

He returned the smile and Cassie felt like she had to jump into his arms... or something, but that was wrong and she knew it. Though, about halfway back to her umbrella, someone called out to her again and this time she saw Hayate and Chris.

How is it that all these assholes are here?

"Oh, it's Hayate," Ankara said.

"You know him?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, he used to work in the stunt department of our film studio. He works now as a teacher in the same department so he doesn't report to me anymore."

"Oh..." Was all she could say before they got to them.

"Mr. Wry, nice to see you... but isn't Cassie a little too young for you?" Hayate asked.

"I'd take offense to that, but me and Cassie aren't here in any way that's inappropriate." Hayate couldn't help but chuckle. "But I'll leave you now." No, don't! "Keep up the good work though Cassie," Ankara said as he walked off.

"Right..." She then looked to the two in front of her. "Before you say anything, can I ask why you two are here?"

"Oh, Keris invited us. She told us you would be here so that made it easy to know what we were gonna do today." Chris explained.

Cassie just closed her eyes. So you mean to tell me; Ankara is here on a business trip, he invited Terumichi who brought along Amai. Akuma leaked that this was even happening. Koto got word, invited Brayleigh who told Akihiko and Shugi about it and you two are here because Keris told you? This has to be a nightmare!

"But I really didn't think you even wore swimsuits," Chris said in her brief pause.

"I don't, but I had to," she said trying to hold back the obvious tone in her voice.

"See, I told you getting out of your comfort zone was a good thing. Look at how cute you are!" Chris used that as an excuse to touch her.

"I think Cassie should wear whatever she wants." Hayate spoke up. "That way she thinks of herself as beautiful and it'll only enhance what's already there."

Please don't start this cock fight.

"Who says stuff like that?"

Cassie was about to run off, but as she was stepping back, she felt someone's hands on her arms. She looked back and saw Akihiko behind her, as well as everyone else she just ran into approaching her. They all surrounded her and the sight of so many half naked bodies caused Cassie to panic. She just tried to move to no avail.

"A gentleman, I would assume."

Chris rolled his eyes at Hayate.

"Are you okay Cassie?" She heard Akihiko's concerned voice.

"I-I am but-"

"Maybe she just needs to sit down." Ankara proposed.

"Yeah, my lap would be a good seat." Akuma offered.

"You always say stuff like that you pervert." Shugi remarked.

"No, Cassie just needs to relax and I can help with that!" Koto happily said.

"She'd be a bit better if she could just sleep for a bit." Hayate added.

"On the beach? She doesn't need sun burn." Chris commented.

"Oh right, do you have sunscreen on, Cassie?" Brayleigh asked.

"I bet she wasn't even planning on stepping into the sun. Which means I need to take her back to the shade." Amai said.

"I doubt if she needs someone who's just gonna stare at her like a piece of meat, I'll take her back." Akuma argued.

"Look who's talking..."

"You're all wrong anyways, she really does just want to sit under her umbrella with her family." Terumichi spoke up.

"Who should stay with you Cassie?" They all said in unison, but by this point they had all begun talking over each other, so even if she could answer she wouldn't be heard.

Cassie felt like she would pass out soon, but made a mental note to never have all of them in the same room together.

[koneko-3]

Chapter 5 of "Light"

There stood my mother, staring into the camera. "Hi mom, it's been a while." She said with a bit of relief in her voice. "Ryuka finally went to sleep. She is just a blessing. Kiro's condition keeps getting worse by the days. I'm afraid he's going to hurt someone or even us." Her voice started to tremble with fear. "I love him so much, but I don't want him to hurt anyone, especially me and our daughter-" after that I paused the tape. "Kiro can't be a suspect." I said. "Your parents are dead aren't they?" Ryu asked. "Yes, they passed when I was only five..." "That rolls one suspect off our list." Ryu said confidently. I started to worry. "Wait, then who is left on our list? There's no one left right?" I started to freak out. Ryu grabbed my shoulder and sighed. "Ryuka, you need to calm down. Plus we have many other people to suspect." "People like who?! Ryu just tell me!!" His hand slid from my shoulder to now my arm. "Ryuka, can you please calm down for me?" I took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, I'll try." My face turned to a light shade of pink. "There were a couple people around here before I found you when you arrived home from school. And I'm afraid your friend Tsukuba is one of them." He said calmly. I pushed him, "No, you're lying. Tsukuba would never kill anyone!" He clenched my hand while his face turned beet red. "Ryuka, I would never lie to you. Please believe me. We are getting closer to the truth I swear. I just need you to hold on." He looked up at me and let go of my hand. I was in shock and awe while he stood and was trying not to stare at me. "Ryu... do you like me?" I asked. He looked right back at me. "No Ryuka, I actually fell in love with you..." he said while trembling his words. In that moment I realized he was brave enough to even tell me this. So I decided I should confess as well. "Ryu... I-I actually feel the same way..." I trembled. Then he hugged me. "Ryuka, I-I love you!" He shouted. Both our faces were beet red. our lips touched at that moment. If felt like a sensation ive never felt before. I pushed him away. "What's wrong?" He asked. "This feels wrong." I said. He placed his arm around me. "Its okay, we dont have to tell anyone." He said casually as he started to kiss me again. I couldnt resist since it felt so great. "Okay, we have ti stop. We have work to do." I said abruptly. "Oh, your right. Im sorry this all just cane out all at once Ryuka. It kinda felt right." He said embarrassed. "If anything. Im not ready for a relationship just yet." "Its okay..." he started walking away. Both our faces we flushed red. I took the tape out of the player and took it with me as evidence.

The next day at school, i couldn't keep my eyes off him. He couldn't either. After class Setsuna approached me. "So whats the deal between you and Ryu?" "W-what do you mean?" I said trembling. "You two have been acting weird." "Eh, no we haven't." I said. She grunted. "Ryuka, I know you're lying!" She stood there with a fierce look in her eyes, demanding an honesty answer from me. I sighed, "Fine, just dont tell Margie. Me and Ryo kinda have a thing with each other." "I knew it!" She started started to do a small victory dance which made me feel embarrassed. "Setsuna can you please stop!" I yelled. She kept going and stuck her tongue out at me. I sighed. I regretted everything at that moment. From the moment we kissed to now Setsuna knowing. How am I going to get out of this?

Eventually Setsuna let up but i left before she could say anything else. I walked to the nearest diner as I held my umbrella in the summer rain. I only wanted to be alone and clear my mind after everything that has already happened to me. After I ate I visited the graves of what now is the home to gram gram and aunt Maki. I rain continued to fall but even harder now. Tears started to roll down my face as I remembered the memories of them both. I felt someone grabbed my shoulder. I turn around to see Ryu. "I figured I could find you here." He said with a reassuring smile. I stared at him. "Why are you here?" I asked him. "Because I care about you. Look I know everything was a little sudden-" I stopped him before he could say anymore. "Just leave me alone." He grabbed my hand as I tried to leave. "I'm not letting you go. At least not alone."

[theoi-crow]

Why did you lose Ares, if you wouldn’t mind sharing? I had a similar experience with Artemis where I was very close to her as a child but ended our relationship because I was afraid she would judge me for being lesbian and not asexual. It’s okay if you don’t want to answer this ask, I know it’s a personal question

I'm really sorry that you went through that. If it helps every lesbian I've ever known (and I grew up in what is sometimes known as the LGBT center of the world so that's a LOT of lesbians) who worship Artemis have had a very deep and profound connection with her.

I don't mind answering this question but before I do I need to provide a little bit of context for this, so please get ready for the tea...

I grew up in a cult-like sector of Catholicism and the fear mongering and brainwashing were very extreme.

When I was 12, a friend of mine lent me a Wiccan book (I'm a millennial so this was the early 00s and it was the only witch book I had access to) The book claimed to be an introduction to witchcraft and in my efforts to leave my cult I was looking for spirituality elsewhere. I don't remember what the book was called but it had a really big encyclopedia of the different gods you could work with.

At this point I still thought Ares was an imaginary friend because that's what my mom called him when I first told her back when I was in kindergarten. I even considered myself lucky that my "imaginary friend" was still with me while everyone else's imaginary friends disappeared at earlier ages. Now, before I talk about the moment when found his name in the book I want to stress 2 things that lead to me breaking it off with Ares.

1.) I'm Asexual

When I was 12, I knew I was not romantically interested in anyone but because I was still talking about Ares, my mom and aunts started teasing me about him being my imaginary boyfriend. They made really gross comments which made it hard for me to continue interacting with Ares the way I always have. Their teasing was so bad that to this day I cannot read about people having a godspouse relationship with their gods without feeling triggered. (I understand it's a valid form of worship and I respect how people choose to worship the gods, I just filter the tags for it because I can't read their posts without remembering my mother and aunts asking me how many babies I would like to have with Ares, which also resulted in me never wanting kids.)

2. Ares kept me shield from anything ancient Greek or Roman:

He knew I was too young and brainwashed to think critically and I would take the negative information about him at face value which would make me push him away but I was in a very dangerous area and he was so essential to my survival. (I only knew about the Roman Christians in the Bible but I didn't know the pre-christian Romans had gods because of how the cult I grew up in changed the narrative. When the Bible talked about the Romans worshipping idols, my mom described idols as statues so my mind literally never thought of an idol being a god). Percy Jackson didn't come out until way later and Disney's Hercules severely flopped the first time it was released. Greek mythology was not as popular or as accessible as it is today. So at the time I had never heard of Ares or Mars because of how sheltered and ignorant the cult kept me.

Finally, when I opened the book I saw Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury which I had always assumed were just planets:

I was blown away by planets being referred to as gods so I turned to the page with Mars in it and there he was. The description checked out, he was even wearing the exact same Spartan uniform I had always seen him wear around me. At first I was very excited to realize he was a god but then my heart sank because the book read: "AVOID THIS GOD AT ALL COSTS!" I was 12 and at the time I didn't know a book about gods could be wrong so I, unfortunately, took it all at face value just like he said I would, despite him always being there for me and always taking care of me.

But the funniest part about the whole situation is that now looking back on it Ares never left… I told him I didn't want to see him again and he made it so I couldn't see him anymore.

Every trusted psychic I knew said that there was a really big spirit following me that refused to reveal himself to anyone. After that I became obsessed with a manga called Mars about a troubled teenager falling in love with an artist and I even ripped out the page with the main boy kissing the statue of Mars in it so I could keep it in my pocket and take it everywhere with me for protection.

This was the "Mars" page:

I guess I really missed him too.

[smutbymia]

hiiii can i request a smut with ex bf turned fwb jaehyun where he still loves y/n thats why he agreed on that setup but he gets y/n pregnant along the way djsjajhaa thank youuu it could be fluffy at the end thankbyooouu ❤️

You pushed through the front doors of a restaurant bar, scanning the space for your high school friends. It had been a few years since you first graduated and even though you kept in touch with them it wasn’t easy for all of you to meet up due to your busy schedules. 

You saw a few hands waving you down from across the room and walked over, smiling. 

“Great, you all got here at the same time,” said your friend Lia. You were confused at her comment until you turned around, only to see that there was a group of guys behind you that had entered just after you did. And one of the boys in that group happened to be someone you were very familiar with. 

Going to an all-girls school was supposed to help you focus more on your studies and have less distractions but that was all useless considering the fact that there was an all boys school right across the street. You remembered the days when droves of school kids would hang around the entrances trying their best to look nonchalant while they whispered amongst their friends about the boys that they found attractive until it was time to head home for the day. 

Most didn’t dare approach the opposite sex on the other side of the street,  except Lia’s cousin Johnny happened to be a student at the boys school and so he would often use “picking her up from school” as an excuse to hang around the front gates of the girls academy. Lia’s parents traveled a lot for work and so during the school year aside from some weekends, she would stay with Johnny, her aunt, and uncle since her family home was in the next town over. 

That was what led you to meeting your ex-boyfriend Jaehyun. He was handsome and cute all in one and even back then the girls would drool over him, however he was extremely unapproachable in the eyes of many. The day you met, you had gone to the convenience store near school with Lia. The two of you sat outside on top of one of the tables with your legs outstretched as you typically did. Lia was ranting about a drama she had been watching and eating ice cream and you were scribbling clothing designs in the mini sketchbook that you always carried around when Johnny turned the corner with a group of his friends following closely behind.

“Look who it is,” he said as he threw his backpack onto the empty benches you rested your feet on. The rest of his friends followed suit throwing their bags as you and Lia shrieked, lifting your legs out of the way just in time as they made their way into the convenience store. Except one boy walked calmly towards the door, dropping his bag on the table next to you without even looking up once from the book he carried in his hand. 

That day they hung around eating snacks and causing a ruckus but Jaehyun was very easy going. You couldn’t help but steal glances at him as he ran his fingers through his hair and skimmed through his textbook which happened to be about computer programming. He suddenly glanced up and realized the two of you were the only ones sitting around the table while Lia and the other boys all fooled around nearby, gaming on their phones and dribbling around a basketball. 

He yawned and shut his book as he leaned forward on the table, eyes glued on yours as you felt heat rush to your cheeks.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, gesturing towards your sketchpad. 

“D-drawing,” you stammered embarrassingly. The corner of his mouth raised into a gentle smirk as he caught onto the nervousness in your tone of voice. He scooted over next to you and you could feel the air leave your lungs. 

Just as he leaned over to peak at what you were drawing, you slammed the sketch book shut, not wanting him to see the sketch you had drawn of him reading.

“Are they... naughty drawings?” he teased.

“No, no of course not. Not at all!” you protested getting more and more embarrassed by the way he smiled at you. You slipped the sketchpad into your bag, and got up from your spot next to him. You turned to Lia.

“It’s getting late, I should go,” you said to her. She instinctively started to collect her belongings too but Johnny stopped him. 

“Jaehyun lives on her street so he can take her. I need you to come with me to the store. Mom’s birthday is this weekend and I have no clue what to get her,” he whined. Before you could get a word in, the group had split and gone their separate ways leaving the two of you alone. 

Living on the same street is what brought you closer. Jaehyun started walking you home whenever you happened to hang out with Johnny and his friends and the two of you would sometime stop on the way home for bubble tea, or at stationary shops when you needed art supplies. Eventually he started meeting you at the end of your street each morning before school and even on the weekends at the park in your neighbourhood. Eventually the two of you started to secretly date and were known as the “it” couple between the all boys and all girl school once your secret got out just before graduation.

You maintained the relationship through your last summer before going your separate ways once university started. You still remembered sharing so many of your firsts with Jaehyun. Your first date, your first relationship and your first kiss. 

And now here he was years later sitting across from you like he did back in high school. It would have been awkward had your friends slowed down with the drinking. Instead, after a few short chats about what everyone was up to and a bunch of shots later they were all stumbling out into cabs or moaning at the table about missing each other. 

You and Jaehyun had always been the tame ones out of the bunch so the two of you took turns getting the remainder of your friends into cabs until it was just the two of you left. You stood outside the bar with him after getting Johnny into the last cab and sending him off. Jaehyun sighed as he stood next to you on the sidewalk. 

“They’re such a handful,” he complained. You chuckled softly in agreement. 

“Yeah, they totally sobered me up,” you whined, “what a waste.”

“Well it wouldn’t be fair for us to go home sober, would it?” he asked with that same mischievous smirk he always pulled out. 

That led to the two of you going to the nearest convenience store which coincidentally happened to be the one near your old schools, taking shots of soju outside on the dining tables. The two of you reminisced, while avoiding the topic of your former romance until you both decided it was time to head home.

Both of your families had moved from your old neighbourhood but you did still live nearby after finishing school. Jaehyun offered to walk you home despite your refusals. He insisted. And of course, as if it was planned by the Gods themselves, just as you arrived it started to rain. You knew it would be rude to leave him drunk and alone to hail a cab and so you reluctantly invited him into your place to wait until the rain eased up a bit more. 

A mixture of the alcohol and the tension between the two of you that had been building all night led to you pressed against the door of your apartment which you locked behind you, and Jaehyun hovering in front of your face. 

“W-we shouldn’t right?” he started in a whisper, “because...” 

His arms gripped your waist and you watched as he tried to focus on thinking coherently instead of letting the alcohol scramble his brain as his eyes scanned yours for a reaction. It looked like he needed you to finish the sentence because he was struggling to find a good reason as to why he should stop himself from taking your right there in the entrance of your place. 

You couldn’t lie to yourself. You were dying to get a taste of him. He had matured nicely, his muscular frame filling out his clothing. You ran hands over his arms, 

“Fuck it, J-just this once,” you said quietly as you trailed your hands up to his neck and drew him in for a kiss. You could feel Jaehyun relax in your embrace as his lips met yours softly. There was no urgency in his actions. He parted his lips and slipped his tongue into your mouth, deepening the kiss. He kissed you like he had been yearning to do so. 

As much as the romantic mood touched your heart, you needed more to be satisfied and so you took it upon yourself to intensify things. You captured his bottom lip between your teeth and tugged softly. You caught him by surprise as he momentarily opened his eyes. You could see his gaze transform into something a little darker before trailing kisses down his neck. Jaehyuns breathing grew heavy as he flattened the palm of his hand against the door behind you to steady himself. He pushed his hips forward, letting you feel how excited he was, drawing a low moan from his lips. 

“Bed,” you gasped as Jaehyun let his hands wander across your body gripping your ass and making their way back up as he explored every curve he could reach, “now. Before we do anything else, I need you in my bed.”

Jaehyun smirked at the desperation in your voice as you two rushed to kick off your shoes. You walked briskly through your apartment towards your bedroom. Jaehyun however lingered, taking in the space, stopping to look at artwork on the walls and look at photo frames. 

“Jae,” you whined as you paused at your doorway, frustrated that he wasn’t right behind you. Jaehyuns heart fluttered from hearing the nickname you called him after such a long time as he put down a frame he had in his hands. 

He laughed as he approached you, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on your lips before catching himself. He stood tall again, letting out a deep breath.

“Sorry,” he said as he stepped into your room, lifting his shirt above his head and turning back around to face you. You stood frozen taking in his muscular frame with your mouth frozen in a gasp. 

“You- you really matured well,” you said as you crossed the room to place your hands on his chest. His dimples became visible as he moved to stand behind you. He lifted your shirt over your head and unclasped your bra from behind, looking over your shoulder down your chest as the garment fell to the ground to expose your bare chest. He wrapped his hands around your body, squeezing at the soft flesh as he trailed kisses down your neck and pressed himself against your behind. You gasped softly at the way his fingers ran back and forth over your nipples, sending electricity racing through your body, letting your head fall back to rest on his chest. 

Jaheyun moved his hands down your stomach until he reached the waistband of your jeans, undoing the button and lowering the zipper, not waiting any longer. He slipped his hand into your underwear, dipping his digits between your folds as you cried out his name in satisfaction from finally being touched. 

You gripped his thigh behind you, steadying yourself as you shifted your legs to open them up wider in order to give him more access to your core. You could feel your knees buckled as he drew circles under the hood of you folds directly over your clit. Jaehyun adjusted his grip on your body, holding you up when he realized you were growing weak under his touch. He was impressed at your ability to hold back your pleasure.

“That’s my good girl. You’re doing so well. I need you nice and wet,” he cooed as the sound of your wetness echoed with every occasional dip of his fingers towards your entrance before he drew your juices back up to wet your sensitive bud. 

“I can’t last much longer,” you whined. Jaehyun slowed the assault on your clit and instead flattened his hand between your legs, gripping your entire core without moving as he allowed you to regain your composure. You couldn’t help yourself as you slowly rutted against his hand. He chucked softly behind you. 

“Hey, don’t cum yet,” he whined back as he squeezed at your center, slowing your ruts and making your mind go fuzzy, “I want to feel you first.” 

You couldn’t believe this was the same sweet but mischievous boy you had known for so long. He slipped his hand back out from between your legs and pulled your pants down from over your hips until you had undressed entirely. He motioned for you to get on the bed as you watched him undress, pumping his length between his fist as he hovered over you. 

You sat up on your legs, spreading them as you reached for him wanting to take him into your mouth. Jaehyun stood rested a knee on the bed as he stood, letting you lick softly at the head of his dick as he grunted, just as you covered it with your mouth and felt him jerk forward into you. You whimpered softly feeling him push himself back and forth over your tongue as you hollowed out your cheeks and pumped along his shaft. He grew harder with every stroke until he couldn’t take it anymore and gripped your chin as he slid himself out from between your lips. 

“Fuck,” he gasped as he let himself fall onto the bed beside you, propped up by only his elbows. You took the opportunity to climb on top of him, straddling his hips as you hovered above him, dropping your head down to kiss him and silently guiding him to lay down. 

He ran his hand down your sides and over your back as you felt him fumble with himself before positioning himself at your entrance, letting you sink down onto him. The sound the two of you made as your bodies connected at their cores had you whimpering along with the sensation of being filled up completely. 

Jaehyun brushed a strand of hair behind your ear as he gripped at your face, cursing as you took more and more of him into you. 

“Are you sure you can take it all?” he murmured, planting kisses across your cheeks. You nodded shakily, focusing as you felt your abdomen grow tighter the further you sunk down, feeling as though you were running out of space until you felt your rear end finally make contact with his balls. You let out a shriek as Jaehyun let out a dreamy moan, head falling back into the pillows as you settled comfortably around him. 

“Shit, that feels so amazing,” he whimpered. You planted your hands firmly on his chest, sitting up and rotating your hips slowly on top of him as you adjusted to his size. Curse words fell from his lips as he gripped at your hips, slowly and gently fucking up into you every time you circled your waist. 

His thrusts grew more frantic as you started to lift yourself with each rotation of your hips, letting yourself slam back down into his thrusts. The two of you grunted, quickening the pace. As you both grew more desperate, Jaehyun repositioned himself, wrapping his entire arm around your waist as he propped himself up with the other so that he was in a seated position. He bent his knees slightly, planting soles of his feet against the mattress to steady the both of you as he used his strength to jerk his hips right up into your opening so you didn’t have to exert as much energy, and allowing him to control the pace. 

The combination of his thrusts along with the way your clit conveniently brushed against his his lower abdomen sent you into a spiral. You fell apart instantaneously. The feeling of your body clenching around him had Jaehyun releasing himself into you as your name spilled from his lips. The two of you could only keep your eyes open long enough to clean yourselves up a bit before you both fell asleep in your bed. 

The next morning wasn’t awkward at all, thankfully. The two of you woke up and showered, and decided to go out for some coffee and breakfast at a nearby cafe before taking a walk at a park near your place. The conversation was easy. It was officially the weekend and so neither of you were preoccupied with many other responsibilities. Despite the very intimate sex, things otherwise seemed normal. 

“I should probably go back to my place,” Jaehyun said as he gestured towards his clothing. You had already spent a few hours together and had totally forgotten about the fact that he was still wearing last nights clothes. 

“Oh... shit, yeah. I lost track of time,” you said sheepishly. He smiled sweetly. 

“Me too,” he responded hesitating before continuing, “about last night...”

You could feel heat spread across your cheeks. 

“Don’t worry. It was nothing,” you said quickly out of embarassment. 

Jaehyun looked perplexed, then a bit frustrated. You knew him well enough to know that you had ticked him off. Just as he opened his mouth to tell you off, you interrupted him.

“Wait, no! What I meant to say was that it was amazing but I also totally understand that it was a spur of the moment thing,” you said as you grabbed one of his hands to grasp in between yours.

Jaehyun nodded, letting out a sigh and trying not to let the disappointment show too much on his face. 

“Text me so I know you got home safe,” he said as he removed his hand from your grasp. You nodded, and said your goodbyes as the two of you went your separate ways. 

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t thinking about that night since it happened. A week had gone by and even though you and Jaehyun kept in loose and casual contact through text, you still couldn’t stop thinking about him. You couldn’t satisfy yourself either. Nothing felt quite as satisfying as his touch and it was starting to wind you up. 

You were getting ready for Johnny’s birthday party when there was a knock at your door that you weren’t expecting. 

“Oh, hey...” you said. 

You were very surprised to find Jaehyun standing on the other side. He already smelled of alcohol but didn’t seem to be too wasted. 

“Sorry I was going to call but my phone died when I was out with my coworkers,” he mumbled, “do you mind?”

He held his phone up and you stepped aside, letting him enter your apartment and lending him your phone charger.  He was also going to Johnny’s place later for his party in a few hours and according to him he was in the area. He sat quietly in the living room for most of the time. As you were finishing up your makeup, he knocked softly on the bathroom door. 

“What’s up?” you asked in a monotone voice as he opened the door. You were focused on your own reflection applying your mascara. 

“Hey, do you have anything to drink? I think the party already started and everyone already started drinking so I thought it would be a good idea to start now so that we could catch up,” he said as he scrolled through his phone texting what was most likely the boys’ group chat. 

“Yeah, check the cabinet above the fridge,” you said. Jaehyun hovered in the doorway watching you for a moment.

“Is everything okay? I spoke with Lia earlier. She said you’ve been a little... bratty this week,” he said. You turned to glare at him but he raised his eyebrows, challenging you to kick an attitude with him. If there was anyone who didn’t tolerate your moodiness it was Jaehyun. 

“Did something happen?” he asked. You shook your head no. 

“I don’t know I just feel a little.. tense, I guess. It will pass,” you mumbled as you touched up your lipstick in the mirror next. 

Jaehyun stepped behind you, catching off guard. He stood close to you as he locked eyes with you in the mirror. You watched as his hands disappeared behind you before you felt him pull the zipper of your dress up. You had forgotten to do it up earlier when you first put it on. 

“Maybe drinking will help. C’mon,” he started as he took the lipstick from between your fingers and closed the lid before resting it on your counter and pulling you out of the bathroom, “you already look perfect.” 

The two of you took a few shots in your kitchen. The alcohol did help a bit but not entirely. You rotated your head, stretching your neck out as you sighed deeply. Jaehyun was buzzed and in a much better mood than you were, he knocked back another drink before moving behind you and massaging at your neck. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong now?” he asked. You took a deep breath as his fingers worked against your skin and you leaned back just slightly into him, closing your eyes. 

You shook your head. He continued to massage out the kinks in your neck as he watched the tension slowly slip away from your face, smiling. It wasn’t until you started to let soft moans slip from your mouth that he froze momentarily. 

“Jae, don’t stop,” you whimpered, “please.” 

He felt himself harden just from the tone of your voice. He had to catch himself when he found himself instinctively leaning down towards your neck to drag his tongue across your skin. 

Your eyes fluttered open as you craned your neck to look up at him, wondering why he had stopped his massage. His eyes were glazed over and you felt that tension ease its way back. 

“O-one more time” you whispered. 

“What?” he question, not understanding what you were referring to. 

“For fucks sake, Jae!” you groaned. Turning around and pull him closer to you as your lips hovered in front of his.

“I can’t be drunk around you like this without caving and literally nothing satisfies me anymore after last week so let’s do this one last time and then you have to promise not to come back here again,” you said, words spilling uncontrollably for your mouth as you began unbuttoning his shirt.

He stopped you, gripping your hands. 

“Wait, is that what’s been bothering you all week? You needed sex?” he asked, baffled. You felt your cheeks heat up, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed. 

“Y/n... look at me,” he said as you lifted your gaze to meet his. He slipped his index finger under your chin. 

“If that’s all that you need to feel better then you know you can call me anytime, right?” he said, smirking. His heart tensed up a bit when he put the offer on the table. You nodded, head spinning from the alcohol. 

“Alright, we’re already late,” he said as he abruptly lifted you up onto the kitchen counter behind you and hiked up your dress, slipping your thong down past your ankles and discarding it onto the floor.

He pulled your mouth to his, not wasting time letting his tongue massage into your mouth as he let his fingers work at your clit the way he knew would have you dripping in just a few seconds. He unzipped his pants, pushing them down just far enough for him to free himself. He was already hard enough to push into you, slipping easily through your folds and deep into your entrance. He drew a high pitched moan from your lips as he thrusted into you quickly. 

Even though it was much easier to take him this time, you still were very taken aback by the way he made you feel so full. 

“Anytime you want, anywhere you want,” he grunted as he slammed his hips forward, palming your breasts through your silk mini dress, “And however you want! I’ll take care of you” 

You felt a weeks worth of frustration build up in your core as you felt your orgasm approach you. You gasped for air, slapping your hands against his shoulder to get him to slow down as you pleaded, “f-from behind. I need you from behind, please!”

Jaehyun didn’t miss a beat. He lifted you off of the counter before slipping himself out of you just long enough to turn you over and bend you over the same counter before snapping his hips back into you again. 

“Harder,” you begged and he complied. You felt him tighten his grip around your waist and rope his fingers into your hair as he jerked his hips forward, not slowing as you came, soaking him from the inside. You screamed out his name as he kept up his pace. 

“Be a good girl and hold on a little longer, okay? I’m almost there,” he said through gritted teeth. Every thrust left you tingling as your walls squeezed around his cock, just as you felt him release into you and collapse onto your back as he caught his breath. Your moment of bliss was interrupted by the ringing of Jaehyun’s phone. 

“Shit, our uber is here,” he chuckled. The two of you cleaned up as quickly as you could before heading out to the party. You touched up your hair and makeup in the car, cursing Jaehyun for ruining your hard work even though he insisted that you looked totally fine. 

That was the beginning of what became a really rewarding arrangement. Jaehyun kept his promise. He would come by your place after work some days, and did a great job of keeping you satisfied, going down on you in the middle of netflix marathons or fucking you against the wall of your shower. He even picked you up from your office, slipping his fingers into your undies and making you cum on his fingers behind tinted windows in the middle of traffic. The best days were the ones where he would sleep over at your place. It was nearly impossible to have a bad day when it started off on such a positive note and there was a noticeable shift in your mood. Until... something happened. 

Your vision was blurred by your tears, as you swiped at your eyes. You desperately wished that you were dreaming. You stared at the pregnancy test you held between your fingers as you sat on your couch sobbing at the results. You had really fucked up this time. All the constant running around and travelling between your place and Jaehyun’s had caused you to accidentally forget to take your pill one day. You had gotten back on schedule but it was too late. The test in your hand proved that it was a big enough mistake for you to end up pregnant. 

You were so shaken up that you called out of work for a week very suddenly. You ignored calls from everyone, including Jaehyun and even lied to Lia about being under the weather to keep everyone from reaching out. Jaehyun kept his distance at first. You both had kept your arrangement secret from your friends and so he wasn’t exactly in a position where he could ask around too much about you. After not hearing back from you after a few days he couldn’t take it anymore and showed up at your doorstep. 

“Y/n,” he pleaded through the door, “don’t do this to me. I know you’re in there. Just let me in so I can at least see if you’re alright.” 

You hesitated before opening the door. He stormed in right away. 

“What the HELL has been going on? You know how worried I’ve been?” he asked. He was raging. You knew ignoring him would most likely lead to such a reaction but you could barely cope with your current situation. 

“I can’t even ask your friends about you because you wanted to keep this a secret. Why haven’t you at least aswered my texts? Even Johnny hasn’t mentioned anything. I’ve been losing my mind trying to get a hold of you,” he scolded. 

You sat next to him on your couch before bursting into tears, sobbing your eyes out. Jaehyun was so startled he immediately moved from his seat to crouch down in front of you. 

“Oh my God, y/n,” he said, reaching out to hold your hands, “What’s wrong? You know you can trust me with anything. Whatever it is, I’ll --” 

You interrupted him, “I’m such an idiot. I thought it would be okay but I missed a day and now - now i-- i’m so so so sorry” you sobbed. 

“What... what do you mean?” he asked, confused. 

You took a shaky breath before whispering, “I’m pregnant.” 

The silence in the room was deafening. Jaehyun had all but collapsed to the ground into a seated position, breathing deeply. 

“Oh, thank GOD,” he said when he finally found the words to speak. 

You couldn’t even believe what you were hearing. 

“So you’re okay then? Oh, thank God,” he said as he let out a sigh of relief. 

“N-no, i’m not okay Jae!” you yelled, tears filling your eyes, “I don’t know what to do, I-i don’t know if I can be a mom! We were supposed to just be messing around... why aren’t you freaking out.”

Jaehyun’s heart sank and you watched tears fill his eyes next. 

“Aren’t you scared too?” you asked him as you broke down, sitting in front of him on the floor. 

“Actually... I-i’m really happy, y/n,” he began, getting choked up.

You threw yourself into his arms. “I’m sorry. I know you’re just saying the right thing. Neither of us planned on this happening. I’m just in shock,” you said. 

Jaehyun wrapped his arms around you, stroking your shoulder as you rested your head against his chest. 

“I’m really excited to be a dad. If you want to go through this, at least,” he said. His words resonated with you deeply and for the first time you imagined what it would be like. 

“Do you... really want to do this? I just feel awful. It’s all my fault” you whispered.  

“Listen to me, y/n,” he said. You nodded, trying your best to look strong as you wiped tears from your eyes. 

“I’m having a baby with the love of my life! I think this might be the best day of my life,” he said as he flashed a dimpled smile. 

Your mouth fell open at his sudden confession. 

“Oh please, don’t act all surprised,” Jaheyun said as he sprinkled kisses over your face, making you laugh for the first time in days.  

“I love you too, Jae. You’re going to be the best dad,” you said as he violently attacked your face with affection. 

He froze, holding your face between his hands. 

“Does that mean we’re really doing this?” he asked excitedly. You nodded your head, smiling back at him. 

“I hope it’s a girl,” he blurted out. You both bursted out into laughter before he continued quietly, “... and then two more boys, then another girl, and then...” 

“Oh my God, Jae...” you groaned as you swatted at his chest. 

He reached out to run his fingers across your belly though it was way too early for you to show. 

“Sorry, I just can’t believe I really did this. Filled you up so much that I actually get to have a little one,” he muttered as his hands started to wander again. 

You felt your body heat up as he closed the gap between the two of you on the floor and drew you in for a deep kiss. 

“This is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place,” you joked. 

“Yeah well since we’re already here we may as well make the most of it for the rest our lives, right mama?” he said sweetly. 

And as expected, Jaehyun kept his promise. He stood proudly by your side through everything from telling your friends, to breaking the news to your families. As days went on you became increasingly excited about the future and felt so lucky to have ended up in such an interesting situation with the perfect man. 

[kohanayaki]

.:Time and Time Again:. (Marauders Era x Reader) Ch 3

Continuing the story of how you and Sirius became friends; as James and Remus grow closer to you, Sirius continues to treat you coldly until a late night encounter makes him question everything.

LINKS:   CH 1   CH 2   CH 3   CH 4   CH 5   CH 6   CH 7   CH 8

________________________________________________________

Ch 3 .:Resistance and Reconciliation:.

~Previously~

“I'm not going to bother making friends with someone whose family is so wrapped up in blood politics they forget to be human beings first. Trust me, I've met their mother enough times to know.”

“Did you ever ask them about it?” Remus pressed.

“I don't really need to, do I? They're a (L/n). Open your eyes, Moony!”

Remus' brow furrowed, a shine in his eyes akin to sympathy as he regarded Sirius.

“Perhaps it's you that needs to clear your vision, friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   1974  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius sat on the stone ledge on the window of his dorm room, looking out towards the Black Lake. He could see the push and pull of the wind as the thin branches of the ash trees bowed gently with the rhythm. In the reflection of the glass he could see James and Peter behind him experimenting with an altered set of wizard's chess, complete with fire-breathing knights and bishops that threw daggers, while one of Remus' records spun in the background.

Despite everything he could have been thinking about at the moment, his thoughts, irritatingly enough, drifted to you. He frowned slightly as he leaned his shoulder against the window, annoyed that you occupied even a portion of his mind. He just couldn't understand you. Somehow you had turned James, who had once openly proclaimed you his sworn enemy, into something close to a friend in the span of a year. You had no qualms with pranks pulled on you, yet you were fiercely protective when they were directed at others. You were always smiling, yet your temper took no prisoners. If you weren't a Slytherin you might even be attractive.

The thought made him bolt upright. Where the hell did that come from? He almost laughed. No. Absolutely not. He was Sirius Black, he could get anyone he wanted in this bloody school, and he certainly wasn't going to busy his mind with you. What the hell was wrong with him? It's not like he noticed the way you smiled to yourself when you were reading, or the fact that the sound of your laugh got stuck in his head like a song—

No. Stop it. Get your head straight, they're evil.

Sirius exhaled deeply, rubbing his tired eyes with his hands. For some reason that thought didn't sit right in his brain, and the longer he sat with it he came to a horrifying conclusion:

Maybe Remus was right.

The only time you'd really been nasty to them was when they'd instigated it first, or whenever they had a go at Snivelus, which had become less and less frequent; Sirius suspected because of your tentative friendship with James. He'd always just assumed you were like the other Slytherins he'd come to know. There's been hearsay circulating around you, especially given your family's reputation, but you yourself hadn't really done anything to prove the rumors. Maybe you really weren't like your family at all. Maybe you were like him. . .

Suddenly, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, not from his friend's reflections but from outside the window itself. A figure emerged from the lamplight of the castle gate, making their way towards the edge of the forest. If the green lining of your school robes and (h/c) hair didn't peak his interest, the flash that he saw of your face as you shot a quick glance over your shoulder confirmed it was you.

Sirius' mind began racing as he watched you disappear into the foliage, and suddenly every thought that had given you the benefit of the doubt vanished. He'd heard the rumors about the gatherings in the forest, everyone had. He'd even caught Snape practicing dark magic there himself one of the first nights they'd used the Shrieking Shack passageway.

He jumped off his perch by the window and grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill, drawing a rough outline of the perimeter of the forest. He labeled the Black Lake so his spell would have a going off point and pressed his wand to the still drying ink.

“Revelare Popularis,”

The enchantment was a work in progress— a technique he'd learned from a seventh year. It wasn't exact, but it was enough to tell him if anyone else was in the forest right now. His eyes darted across the paper as he scanned his makeshift map, and the color drained from his face as he saw names suddenly appear in a cluster by the lake: Mulciber, Wilkes, Avery, and Malfoy.

Was this it? Were you really one of them? 

James looked up from his game as he saw Sirius grab his leather jacket off where it hung from his bedpost.

“Going somewhere?”

“(L/n) just went into the forest,” Sirius said, “I'm following them.”

“Why, Sirius?” Remus said sardonically, having had enough of his unusual grudge against you, “We're not really ones to talk when it comes to sneaking around the forest at night, now are we?”

“He's got a point,” James said, “I mean, what do you think you're going to see?”

“What do I think?” Sirius scoffed, pushing the paper into Jame's hands, “what does it look like?”

James looked down at the parchment blankly.

“What am I looking at?”

“A variation on Revelio,” Sirius explained quickly, “if you have a location in mind it shows you who's there, but only at the time the charm is cast.”

“Are you kidding me?” James' jaw nearly dropped, “You're just now showing this to us? We could have been taking advantage of this spell to dodge Filch this whole time!”

“I'm serious.”

James had to fight hard not to make a joke out of that one.

“If (L/n)'s meeting up with those guys it can't be for anything good,” Sirius continued, “and I'm gonna find out exactly why.”

Before any of the boys could get another word in, Sirius took off running down the corridor. James groaned, rebelling against the urge to slam his head into the wall.  

“I've got to stop him before he does something stupid,” he said, pulling a coat on over his shoulders, “You with me, Remus?”

“Probably not the best idea,” Lupin reminded him, “the moon's full tomorrow. I won't turn, but in the direct moonlight I may get a bit. . . well, you know.”

“Right,” James sighed, running a hand through his hair in distress, “Peter?”

The boy jolted as he was addressed, his eyes quickly cast down to his twiddling fingers.

“I. . . w-well. . .”

“Fine,” James said, waving them off in annoyance, “I'll go at him alone.”

___________________________________________________

You took a grateful breath of the crisp night air, letting the wind whistle through your hair and clothes. You loved your common room, but it could feel constricting at times, especially when there were nights as beautiful as this taking place.

Your eyes drifted up to the moon, smiling at the sight of it. It was nearly full, only a sliver of white missing from the very edge of the sphere. The sight alone was enough to make you feel more at home in your own skin, an inexplicable sense of comfort washing over you. You hadn't been able to really let loose and just run in so long. You'd made doubly sure no one had followed you into the forest, but you still gave your surroundings a quick once over. You jumped as the sound of leaves crunching suddenly asserted itself behind you and you lit your wand quickly, turning to see who it was.

“. . . Black?”

“Sorry, were you expecting someone else? One of your pureblood friends, maybe?”

The confused look on your face only made his anger flare.

“Don't act coy,” he asked harshly, “just what are you playing at?”

Your back straightened in surprise, taken aback by his words.

“Excuse me?”

“I've seen you talking to my brother, Rosier, Snivelus, and all those other Slytherins. Don't think I don't know what you're doing,” the words flew out of his mouth before they had time to pass through his brain, every irrational irritation he had regarding you spewing out of him at once, “I've had to sit through it, you know. All those dinners where my parents talk blood politics with all the fanatics who think just like them. I've listened to your mother brag all about your pure blood line and how her child is 'so eager to carry on the family traditions'. So whatever you're planning by getting close to James, I'm not going to let it happen.”

You felt like you were frozen in place, staring at him as your throat tightened into knots.

“My mom?” you said, voice suddenly small, “Sirius. . . my mom passed away when I was little.”

Your words hit the Gryffindor like a truck.

“. . . what?” he asked dumbly, his brain delaying slightly in processing what you'd just said.

“She got sick. . . an experimental spell gone wrong. If you met someone with my family's name that spoke like that, it was probably my aunt. My cousin goes to Ilvermorny. That's the child she's talking about, not me. The divide between purebloods and muggleborns is even more severe in America, if you can believe it. . . ”

Sirius faltered, this new information going against everything he'd heard and thought he knew about you and your family.

“But,” he hesitated, “your father—”

“Put up the image he had to in order to keep me safe,” you said. You knew he was documented as being very open about his pureblood pride and distaste towards muggles, but it was a cover more than anything, “Since he stopped speaking with my aunt and moved us both away from the estate, she's acted as the new head of the (L/n) House, and that was years ago. . .”

You trailed off awkwardly, not feeling very self-righteous in your explanation.

“I know my family doesn't have the best reputation. . . that's probably why you hate me, huh?” you chuckled humorlessly, wincing at how harsh the words came out. But if you were honest, you were hurt that out of everyone in their group, Sirius was the one that didn't even seem to want to give you a chance. You were the one who had extended the olive branch in the first place on the condition that they ease up on Severus.

“Hate you?” Sirius echoed hollowly, feeling guilt creep up on him like a shadow, “that's. . . shit, no, that's not—”

“Everte Statum!”

You gasped as Sirius was suddenly shot backwards, his body flipping wildly through the air from the force before being slammed against the trunk of a nearby tree. His head spun, heavily disoriented as his vision shifted in shades.

You had drawn your wand on instinct, looking around for your attackers when you saw a black-clad figure lift their hood, revealing a long mane of white hair that stood out starkly in the night.  

Malfoy.

“Well, looky here,” Mulciber taunted, revealing himself behind you, “we've caught the two biggest blood traitors of the last century having a touching little moment together.”

Laughter echoed from the trees, Wilkes emerging from the shadows. You took up a defensive position as their group surrounded you.

“Now, let's not be hasty, Mulciber,” Lucius said, “their father may have disgraced their house, yes, but they didn't have a choice. It's not too late for them to make the right one now.” His lips turned up into a snarl as he regarded Sirius, “get away from that blood traitor, (L/n), he'll rub off on you.”

You grit your teeth hard, preparing to cast a spell when Malfoy put his hand up in a silencing gesture, the pretentious little prat.

“Ah, you don't want to make any rash moves either, (L/n),” he said, looking to your left. You followed his gaze to see Avery coming out of the foliage, grappling with someone under his arm.

“Potter?!”

James smiled weakly as Avery held him in a choke hold, a bit of blood dripping down the side of his head.

“Hey,” he said, humor still light in his voice, “So, this didn't exactly work out as planned.” He groaned as Avery's elbow was driven into his stomach, effectively silencing him.

As soon as you tried to move towards him, Lucius had his wand pointed at you.

“Let him go and get lost, Malfoy,” you said lowly, “you've taken this far enough.”

“You've been avoiding us, (L/n),” Lucius said, ignoring you entirely, “Snape may have come up with some rubbish excuses for you earlier, but you can't keep running from this.”

“If practicing curses on first years and terrorizing other people is how you plan on using magic, then I don't want any part of your little cult,” you spat, “face it, Malfoy— you lot need me, but I don't need you.”

Lucius exhaled sharply, his genuine surprise at your resistance replaced quickly with anger.

“Think about what you're doing, (L/n),” he said, his eyes narrowing dangerously, “don't be a fool like your father.”

That did it.

With a growl you unleashed an orange bolt of energy from your wand, your Stupefy hitting Lucius square in the chest. Mulciber was quick to retaliate with a jinx of his own, which you quickly nullified with a shield charm. Shock flashed across his expression at your casual use of nonverbal magic, and he recovered one second too late.

Sirius was back on his feet, petrifying Mulciber and swatting Wilkes away like a fly with the knockback jinx before either could cast a spell at you. You and Sirius found yourselves back to back, fending off Lucius as he continued to direct a steady stream of curses in your direction. Sirius managed to create an opening for you and you turned to where James was being held.

“Evanossa!”

A flash of blue hit Avery, who shrieked in horror when he saw that the arm he was using to hold Potter had turned gelatinous, fingers drooping down like melting ice cream. James wasted no time paying him back in kind for roughing him up earlier, sending him flying into the oak tree and using the water from the Black Lake to freeze him there before joining you in the fray.

“Expelliarmus!” he called out, sending Wilke's wand spinning out of his reach and leaving only Malfoy against the three of you.

Lucius faltered for a moment as he stared down your group of three, but held fast.

“Leave it, Malfoy,” you said, “it's over.”

He growled under his breath, taking up an obvious offensive stance, but you were too quick.

“Ebublio!”

Lucius gasped as he suddenly found himself encased in a giant bubble, his knockback jinx ricocheting off the inside and hitting him in the back of the head. He pounded against the bubble in frustration but found it to be thick as Plexiglas and just as strong, unable to pop it. Suddenly, he was hoisted into the air as you raised your wand higher, directing him farther and farther away until he was hovering directly over the Black Lake.

“Let me go this instant!” he growled.

A devilish smile graced your features.

“You got it.”

“No, wait, don't you dar—AHH!!”

You turned your back on him, your breaking eye contact promptly bursting the bubble and sending him flailing into the water a few feet below.

You chuckled as you sent a few quick counter-jinxes out from your wand, restoring Mulciber's range of motion and liquefying the ice that trapped Avery.

As soon as Mulciber was unpetrified he took off running towards the Lake where Lucius was furiously treading water, tripping over his feet as he dragged Wilkes along with him. Avery limped after them, defrosted but still chilled to his bones (which you had been so kind to also restore).

“I'd fish him out quickly if I were you,” you called after them, “the giant squid is more active at night.”

“You're out of your mind, (L/n)!” Avery turned around and yelled, but with fear evident in his eyes, “You'll live to regret this, mark my words. The Headmaster—”

“Would love to know who cast the first spell, I'm sure,” you said darkly.

Avery stammered out some lame response under his breath before turning around and running after the rest of group, retreating.

Sirius turned to look at you, awestruck and chocked full of adrenaline. Maybe you really weren't so bad after all.

“That was. . .” James trailed off, grasping for the words and blurting them out as soon as he found them, “Brilliant, (Y/n). You're bloody brilliant.”

You felt your face heat up, not expecting that. You and James had stopped trading insults and threats (serious ones, anyways) and your teasing had become well meant, but neither of you had crossed the threshold of actually paying the other a compliment before.

“Thanks, Potter,” you said, unable to fight the smile on your face. You turned to Sirius briefly. “I hope this cleared some things up for us,” you said, “I'd really like to try and be friends, so. . .”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, wanting to kick himself at the way you turned him into a monosyllabic neanderthal with just a look. You gave him a small smile before turning back to James who was trying desperately to hide his limp and aching rib cage.

“Alright, let's get you to the hospital wing, Potter,” you sighed, “you look like a cheap action star in a muggle movie.”

“Uh,” James said nervously, “better we not. If I go to Madame Pomfrey three times in one day she'll never let me hear the end of it.”

“And who's fault is that?” You huffed, slinging an arm over his shoulder and helping him walk, “at least let me patch you up, then.”

Sirius followed some distance behind you, watching as you walked James back towards the castle and laughed at his occasional jokes. This one night had just turned everything upside down for Sirius. This whole time he was sure that he didn't like you because you were a blood-purist Slytherin and he was jealous that you were taking his best friend away from him; but the way you had stood up to Lucius and his goons made your position on blood politics very clear, and the tight feeling that struck Sirius' chest as he watched you cozy up with James made him reevaluate just which one of you he was jealous of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sirius?”

The man blinked, slowly coming back to reality. You were looking up at him in concern, your head resting lightly on his shoulder. It took an embarrassing amount of his willpower to keep from leaning forward just a few inches and kissing you.

Could you pick a worse time, you numbskull? He thought, mentally smacking himself for even thinking about it.

“Are you okay?” you asked hesitantly after he stayed silent.

“I'm alright,” he insisted, giving you a reassuring smile, “just. . . thinking about how far we've come.”

His answer surprised you, though not in a bad way.

“I suppose we have,” you smiled back, “this is a far cry from you scowling at me from across the Great Hall over your breakfast.”

“I did not scowl,” Sirius scoffed playfully, nudging you away with his shoulder.

“Right,” you grinned, “scowling, glaring, glowering, whichever you prefer.”

“I said I was sorry,” he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender, although you both knew you weren't really upset about it. You'd long since forgiven him for his initial misjudgment.

When your light laughter died down, your head found itself lulling to the side again, tiredness taking over your mind as you rested against Sirius once more. When you tilted your head up to look at him he had a surprisingly pensive look on his face. Your eyes traveled across his expression, his gray eyes almost taking on a deep shade of blue in the shadows of his room. You noticed how much younger he looked when he was smiling; it was in moments like these when it really set in how long you had known each other, because you could see the years in his eyes.

Your own flickered down to his lips in spite of yourself and Sirius' heart skipped a beat, fearing you could feel it racing in his rib cage. When had you turned him so soft? He chuckled inwardly. Long before he had fully come to terms with how he felt about you was the answer. Even when he was in Azkaban, with two of his closest friends dead and the world convinced he was at fault, even if he had to live with the fact that he would never see you again, he still thought of you, and that kept him alive, sane— himself. But now you were here in front of him, and he was terrified that at any moment you would vanish into thin air and he would find himself back in that horrible cinder block cell, face to face with a dementor as it took his last memories of you away from him.

Your hand squeezed his, almost as if you had read his thoughts— as if you were assuring him that you were real, and you weren't going anywhere. You noticed him leaning in closer, even if he didn't, possessed by some invisible force. You were nearly about to meet him halfway when you were suddenly startled apart by the sound of quick, heavy-footed steps bounding down the stairs.

You both looked at each other as if you had just awoken from some sort of trance, instinctively putting some distance between yourselves as you shifted away awkwardly.

“I. . . I should probably get to bed,” you said, your face warm.

“Right,” Sirius said, reluctantly getting up from his seat at the edge of his bed, “I've kept you up long enough, I'm sure you're tired. . .”

Before you left his room you turned over your shoulder, a small smile on your face.

“It's really good to see you again, Sirius,” you said earnestly, “we should catch up for real later.”

“Definitely,” he said, a bit of his old self reflected in that smirk of his, albeit forced.

You steeled yourself, turning the doorknob and closing the door behind you gently before you did something to ruin the friendship you had just gotten back after over a decade. You shook the thought aside, your head hurting. You really did need to sleep after today.

You were about to head into your room, but something in you didn't feel quite right. You'd definitely heard someone go down the stairs, but you hadn't heard the front door open or close. Dread pooled in your stomach at your gut feeling, and you found yourself inexplicably making your way back down the stairs.

The house was eerily silent now that its residents had either gone off to bed or disapparated until the next meeting in a few days time. You'd left Sirius upstairs, and you knew Harry was staying here for the time being until school began, but everyone else had gone home. So then why did you still feel someone else's presence so acutely?

You stared at the empty hallway leading to the front door, taking a cautious step forward; the image in front of you didn't feel real. The colors were too saturated, the edges too sharp, and the surfaces too smooth. And that's when it hit you. The smell of rain. Leather-bound books. Lavender.

You froze, staring at the seemingly empty space in front of you.

“Severus?”

The potions master didn't dare make a sound, thinly veiled behind his invisibility charm but clearly not well enough. He was standing not three feet in front of you, taking in the sight of you as if it were the last thing he would ever see.

He panicked slightly as he felt you reach out to him with your mind, shutting himself off expertly. Your hurt expression as you were unable to detect anything pained him, but he wouldn't dare think that he deserved to say anything to you. What was there to say after everything he'd done?

Your gaze roamed the empty hall, and for a moment he could have sworn you stared him right in the eyes.

You knew he was there.

The moment lasted no longer than a second before you looked away, turning to go back up the stairs. As soon as your back was facing the front door you heard it open then close gently, and the tears you had been fighting to hold back finally spilled over.

Read chapter 4 here !

Taglist:  @sleep-i-ness, @blackpinkdolan, @parker-natasha, @ornella0910 @undertaker1827 @thatwierdo-koemi​

[fighterkimburgess]

Traditions

Summary: On their second daughters birthday, Kim and Adam are embarrassed by Kevin’s gift to them. But it becomes a tradition for all their friends children - a vacuum cleaner on their birthday. AKA the origins of the hoover chronicles in celebration of a year since @kim-ruzek and I first spoke, and w celebration of our first idea we came up with.

Warnings: allusions to smut, nothing explicit.

Words: 1.1k

—

When her best friend arrived to her two year old’s birthday party with an oh too familiar package, Kim Burgess wanted to scream. Once was funny. Watching Adam give Celeste and Kevin one for Nate’s second birthday was hilarious, if awkward explaining the joke.

But that it was now a tradition to give a toy hoover to their kids was going to make Kim scream.

It all started back when they were engaged the first time. Adam had hated doing housework, always convinced that they could put it off. So if he happened to use the vacuum cleaner Kim would…encourage him by wearing less and less clothes as more of whichever apartment they were in was cleaned. And really it was Kevin’s fault for using the key Adam had given him to come in when nobody answered the door, their mutual best friend walking in on Adam on his knees with Kim on the couch.

The realisation that the man who was essentially her brother had seen her get eaten out had haunted Kim for weeks, Kevin’s “never let me know about your sex life” ringing in her ears. And Adam’s failed attempts of “it was cause I hoovered!” didn’t help matters either.

So when she’d brought Ally into the world - after a labour that was so close to going horribly wrong, Kim begging Adam before the c section to look after their baby - the joke from Kevin about the vacuum cleaner was nearly too much. But it made Adam smile as he held their second daughter to his chest, the innuendo going straight over their eldest’s head.

“Nah, Alice Trudy is an innocent child. She’s gonna take after her big sister. Right, Mack?”

“As long as it means she does chores when she’s old enough.” Their ten year old was sassy and grinning as she spoke, sitting up on the bed. Kim was still weak but put her arm around her, fingers running through freshly done braids.

“Aunt Jane do your hair?” She asked, Makayla nodding.

“Yeah I asked her to, I wanted to have pretty hair to meet the baby.” She was quiet for a minute, curling into Kim. “Will she like me, Mom?”

“She’s gonna love you. Want to hold your sister?”

The lost expression on Makayla’s face was one Kim hadn’t seen in almost four years, but she bit her bottom lip and held out her arms.

“How do I hold her?”

Kim lay back and watched as Adam carefully deposited their awake daughter in their eldest’s arms, Mack moving her elbow to support her sister’s head. Ally looked up with big blue eyes, her mouth open and little gurgles leaving her mouth.

“She’s so pretty. She looks like you, Mom.”

“Better your mom than me, kiddo. At least both my girls are gonna be beautiful then.” Adam pressed a kiss to Mack’s forehead, his arm around the two girls. “She’s looking right at you, kiddo. Knows her big sister already. It must be from the shows you did for us.” It made Mack laugh, Kim grinning through the discomfort starting to spread through her. But her boys knew her too well and spotted it immediately. It was a goodbye to her eldest, Mack giving a careful hug to her.

“You’re coming home soon, right?”

“You know I am. Just a couple of days before Ally and I can get home, the doctors want to check it all out. Promise.” A pinky promise convinced her, a quick kiss and they left.

Kim had been convinced that was the only time her method of getting Adam to clean would be mentioned, but Ally’s second birthday had proven otherwise. Kevin and a heavily pregnant Celeste had arrived with smiles and hugs, Celeste immediately getting a hug from her goddaughter.

“Baby?”

“Not yet, Ally-cakes. Soon though.” The toddler sighed, picking up her baby doll and dragging it out of the room.

“She’s baby crazy.”

“Have you told her yet?” Celeste glanced at Kim’s midsection, a shake of the other woman’s head the only response needed.

“Not yet. I was twelve weeks yesterday, and we were worried. Give it a couple of weeks. How’s my nephew?”

“Kicking up a storm. I’m at the “please just get him out” stage.” Kim laughed, watching as Kevin put the large present down.

“What did you get her?” Adam asked, looking at the box.

“Just a little reminder that someone here has to do the vacuuming without any rewards. Maybe this time you’ll do housework for the sake of it. Unless this kid is because of it again, cause then I have to have a talk about the birds and the bees.”

Kim blushed puce, but Adam looked around to make sure there were no little ears.

“I’ll have you know this is our third pregnancy, we’re very aware of how that works. There was no cleaning involved, just a jackass from San Diego making comments about my kids and wife that deserved a punch.”

She watched as the words settled into Kevin, the realisation that only Roman could elicit that reaction from her husband.

“How did you stop him pressing charges?”

“Voight.”

Asking her ex sergeant to stop her husband from ending up with an assault conviction was almost as embarrassing as announcing her first pregnancy to him, but he did what he needed and Roman withdrew the complaint.

When Nate had turned two Adam insisted on the hoover, Kim putting her hands up and letting her husband go insane.

He’d ended up starting a tradition in Intelligence, as soon as one of their kids turned two they got a toy vacuum cleaner. Hailey had asked her what it was about one day, Kim shaking her head that it was a Kevin and Adam thing. The detective just shrugged and left Kim behind the front desk at the 21st, going up the stairs to Intelligence. But when the oldest Halstead turned two, he received the same present.

She’d thought it was only for one child, that they’d give it up now there was one in the house. But when Henry opened it with glee she knew she was in trouble, that this joke was going to be permanent.

Kim couldn’t get annoyed, instead a soft smile on her face as she watched Kevin give Mack an enamel pin with a vacuum cleaner on it, the eldest child of all their kids grinning as she pinned it on before chasing after her little sister and her two best friends, throwing the four year olds into the bounce house with a laugh.

[swfteverlqrk]

He looks good with kids.

Bucky x female!reader

Warnings: Kids. Jk, none, pure fluff.

Summary: Yn heart can't love more Bucky, but it can when she sees him with kids.

A/N: I gave a warning that i wanted to just write about domestic/Dad bucky. Is just the first of a thousand of bucky's fic's :)

You arrived with your hand holding Bucky's.

"Aunt yn!" a little girl ran to you. 

“Hey mor!” you let go of Bucky´s hand and hold the little girl. “how is my princess doing?” 

“I dont want to be a princess anymore!” she said with a frown, you put her down. 

“Why?” you tried to not laugh. 

“Because if i want to be a queen, im gonna have to get married... with a...” she made a long pause, trying to say the next words. “boy! ew!” she said with a repulsive expression. 

that was something you loved about the kids, their honesty, saying everything uncensored, you saw Bucky trying not to laugh next to you. “Morgan, say hi to Bucky, dont be rude.”

“Hi, Mr Barnes.” she was shy, and added a little wave, without leaving your side. 

“Call me Bucky.” he winked at her, which made the girl blush, who could blame her?. 

she nodded and then her mother appeared “Morg, go play.” the little girl obey and got inside the house. “Im so glad you could make it” she greeted huging you and gave your boyfriend a warm and friendly handshake. “But please come in”.

you took Bucky´s hand again, and got inside the house, it was such a warm and really normal and familiar house, you wouldnt guess it was Tony Stark place, it wasnt a big mansion as he used to, it didnt have any  technology gadget, and they had a yard, more like a yard it was a private forest, where all the avengers were. 

“Im going to say hi to Natasha” you said, seeing her in the distance. 

“Ok, i´ll go with Steve and Sam.” you nodded, Bucky kissed your cheek and headed to Natasha. 

“Hey you!” your friend hugged you with one arm, cause she was holding a two month baby on her free arm, her daughter “Hey Thea, im your aunt, yn.” 

the baby girl smiled at hearing your voice. “Can i hold her?” 

“Of course!” she handed you the baby, when you took her in your arms, Nat sat down, glad that her arms could rest for a while. “Where´s Bucky?” 

“Over there with your husband and Sam” 

“It´s dangerous when they get together” you chuckled, giving her the reason, the baby start to cry. “Oh, let me” 

“No,Nat, i can, dont cry Thea.” you rocked her and started singing to her. “ Hey Dorothea

Do you ever stop and think about me?

When we were younger

Down in the park”

“Doesnt she looks gorgeous with kids?” Bucky asked his two friends, they rolled their eyes. 

“Uncle Bucky!” a boy approached. 

“Hey kids!” they high five, smiling, it were AJ and Cass wilson, Sam nephews. 

“Did you brought us what we asked for?” the soldier nodded, they went to his car, where he let out some water guns. 

“Cool, thank you!” the younger one hugged his uncle and ran after his brother. 

“JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES!” Sarah shouted at him, oops. “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?, YOU GAVE MY BOYS WATER GUNS!" 

Nat noticed bucky´s scared face while Sarah continued shouting at him. “Yn, your boyfriend is in trouble.”

“What?” you turned to see Bucky in the entrance. “I´ll be back.” you gave her Thea, and walked. “What´s going on?” 

“James gave my kids water guns!” 

your eyes opened surprised. “Why?, Bucky what...?”

“They asked me to, they texted me!” he said innocent. 

“If something happens, they are your kids” Sarah said at Bucky and left, she was a good mom, she wanted what was best for her kids. 

you went to sit with Bucky, saying hi to Thor and Jane, until three little girls, Morgan Stark, Cassie Lang and the younger who was Alice Quill walked there. “Auntie yn, can you come play with us?” Morgan said with a small pout. 

“I´ll love it, but im going to help Sam, Sarah and Vision, to get the food ready. 

“I can play with you.” Bucky said letting go of your hand. “If you want to.”

the three girls looked at you, where you just nodded. “Go, he is funny!” your boyfriend got up and walked. Morgan took the initiative and took Bucky´s hand. 

“So, prince, which is your first decrete?” Cassie Lang said laughing, it been thirty minutes and the girls were comfortable now with the ex soldier, hugging him, holding his hands. 

“That i get a bigger crown.” he took his princess crown off, which was hurting him, making the three girls laugh. 

“Hands up! We are taking him”  The older Wilson said, pointing with his water gun.

“He is our prince, you cant take him.” The little Quill said, trying hard to hold to Bucky. 

“We can!” Billy Maximoff said, he took A.J gun and got Bucky back wet. 

‘i see why Sarah hated me for the water guns’ bucky thought to himself. 

The boys were shooting water to the girls, and them throwing grass and toys, your boyfriend got up and tried to run. 

“He is leaving!” Billy said, and all ran after him, you wouldnt guess that the weight of 7 kids could make a super soldier fall to the ground. 

“Is little yn in love?” a girl voice said, Carol Danvers. 

“Hey, Danvers” you turned and hugged her. “How are you?” 

you started catching up, she telling you stories about the space, once in a while you turned to see Bucky in the ‘jail’, that was a playpen, where all the kids put him.

“You know his wife, will come to rescue him, right?” Morgan said to A.J while having a tea party.

“What wife?” 

“Yn, duh.” she said as it was the only option. 

“They arent married” the boy said. 

“yes they are.” A.J just shooked his head. 

“Kids, the food is ready!” Sam shouted and the kids ran, Bucky got up from the playpen  that they took from Thea, he approached you. 

“I was expecting you to come to my rescue"he said resting his chin on your neck.

"Oh no, did you saw them? They had guns" you teased him, turning around to see him.

"Yn! You can stop time!" He said like a little kid, maybe an hour with 7 seven kids was more than enough.

"Here, you hamburger" You just said handing him the plate, with the bun and meat.

"Thank you, where we'll sit?"

You looked around searching for an empty table. "There" you pointed. "I was thinking of telling Sarah and Sam to sit with us".

Your boyfriend nodded, and taking your hand, you walked to the table, you were going to start eating when three girls approached the table.

"Aunt...yn... Can we, sit here?" Morgan Stark said shy, with Cassie and Alice by her side.

"Uh..." You looked at your boyfriend who with his look, he told you it was fine. "Sure, come."

"Guys, they said yes!" Morgan shouted and four more kids appeared.

"i thought it was only you three" Bucky said, trying not to laugh.

They sat, Morgan between you and Bucky, the food was delicious, and the kids were a good company. Bucky went for Soda, and coming back to his place he kissed your cheek, making you blush.

"I told you they are married!" Morgan said to A.J, biting her food.

"W-what?" You almost choke with the soda.

"Morgan thinks you two are married, but I've been telling her, you are just boyfriend and girlfriend" A.J said tired of the same argument.

"We are not married, sweetie" you cleared to the little Stark, who frown her eyebrows, confused.

"Then, why you kiss?, My mom and dad told me only married people do that." She looked at you, waiting for an answer, she was really confused, Bucky just smiled a bit.

"Because...umm..." You made a pause thinking what to answer, all the kids look where on you in that moment.

"We are going to get married, we're engaged." Bucky finally said, the most serious he could, not making notice it was a lie.

"When?" Cassie asked excited.

"Soon, in a few years, right yn?" You nodded, you let out a relief sigh, until two boys voices started arguing.

"Hey, Billy, Tommy, what is going on?"

"He took my chips without asking!" Tommy answered, looking at his brother wanting to kill him.

"But Tommy doesn't wants to share!" They started arguing again.

"Don't fight. Billy, we asked for things, and Tommy we have to share" they rolled their eyes, knowing their were being scolded. "Now Tommy, apologize"

"B-but."

"Tommy!" You looked at him, really serious. He took air and apologize, same with Billy. "Now both of you, go for more chips." They got up and murmuring they said something like 'she acted just like mom'

The food time was over, you and Bucky played hide and seek with the kids, when it was the soldiers turn to found you, Alice was the only one who hided with you, but when you had to find them, you knew wherever was Bucky you'll find at least a fifty percent of the kids. The time passed quickly hiding, and laughing.

"Who wants dessert?" Pepper said to the kids, whose eyes opened wide.

"Come on, Uncle Bucky!" Morgan took one hand of his and Cassie another, and walked together, but Alice started to cry.

"Um, Buck, you left something here." You said while Alice was on your arms.

"Sorry, baby, come on" he pointed his back with his head, and you put the little girl there. "Hold on tight" She did, putting her little arms around Bucky neck, while walking to the food area.

Once they got their dessert, including Bucky, all went to sit and start playing charades, you only heard kids real laughs, making you smile.

"Kids, why don't you go for yn?, she loves to play this, but it's to shy" Billy and Cassie nodded and went to grab you while you were with Tony and Steve.

"Come play with us, aunt yn!" Both making a pout. "Uncle Bucky said you like to play!"

"He did?" You gave a killing look to the blue eyed man, who just lift his shoulders innocent. "Fine, let's go"

You left Tony and Steve, and went play, you sat next to Bucky, his arm around your shoulders, that pose didn't last, because when you got up to play, Morgan took your place next to Bucky. 'Oh, so Bucky is the new favorite' you thought seeing him surrounded by all of them.

The day was over, after saying bye to Gamora, Quill and Alice, you helped Pepper to clean a bit.

"You know something, yn?" She said serious.

"Mhm?" You were picking up the plates and cups.

"All this afternoon, i saw a girl with Bucky, you should be more careful."

A girl? Which girl? All of the avengers girls were taken, you thought for a few seconds, but no one came to your mind, until Pepper told you to turn, where it was your boyfriend and the girl who wanted to steal him, Morgan, watching the Sunset, she was in his arms, one arm on his neck, while he was talking to her, not being to able hear, but seeing him with kids, to see his sweet and soft side made your heart melt.

"So, you see, the sun loves the moon so much, he goes to let her shine for hours." The girl's eye opened wide at the story.

"Morgan, they have to go." Her mother said walking to her.

"Stay to sleep, please?" Morgan said with a pout, without letting go of Bucky.

"We are going to stay at the Roger's, baby girl." You told her, which made her sad. "But, if you behave, we can make a sleepover next week at my place!"

Her eyes shined, and a smile appeared. "Really?"

"Of course, beautiful, but you have to be nice, ok?" Your boyfriend told the little girl putting her down.

"Mom, he calls me beautiful! He doesn't calls yn that" she tried to whisper but failed, Pepper just nodded, taking her hand, getting inside of the house"Bye guys." Morgan shouted before entering the house.

"what?" Your boyfriend noticed you looking at him.

"nothing..." You chuckled softly, and got into the Rogers car.

A few days later.

You were making breakfast, when your phone rang, the contact name was Tony Stark, it was a FaceTime. What if something had happened to him? Was he okay? You answered nervous, but when the camera opened, you saw Morgan, making you feel relieved.

"Hey Morgan!" You greeted her.

"Hi, aunt yn!" You could tell her she was trying to see the house, looking for something. "Are you alone?"

"Yes?"you said confused" But one friend is coming over."

"Oh, is not uncle Bucky there?" You chuckled, of course she wanted to see her 'uncle'.

"No sweetie" you shook your head, making Morgan eyes sad. "He went to help uncle Sam with something, he'll be back at night."

"Oh okay, I'll call him then! Bye." You were going to talk but she hang up.

The night came and your boyfriend went to your place to say hi and having dinner.

While eating dinner, you said to him about the morning call.

"I received a weird call today"

"What?, From who?" He asked looking up from his dumplings.

"A girl you know." You said serious, like you were mad.

"come on yn, it was Wanda? Or Carol, or Natasha?" You shook your head.

"Morgan Stark" He laughed.

"Wait, why?"

"She wanted to talk to you, you should call her" your look went back to your noodles.

"Are you jealous that she prefers me?" He teased you, making you laugh.

"No..."

"Yes, you are." He pointed his fork at you, making you let out a good laugh.

"Just call Morgan!" You said playing you were angry, after dinner he did, you heard how Morgan told him all about school, and her toys, and dolls, all that she could ever think about, and he was paying attention, gasping every minute about something she said or showed.

Your heart melted again. 'He looks so good with kids'.