#oh my god AND they object that it's under the table so the babysitter keeps it all

[elainemorisi]

what the hell do people define as a date night, babysitting-wise?

[jojosbizarreblog]

Hi! I don't know if you're taking requests, but if you are, I was wondering if I could get a small scenario set during part 4, where the Reader was a crusader and Jotaro needs her to help to catch Kira. But the reader herself is done with stands and all that jazz so she flat out refuses (and of course she ends up getting convinced to help!). Sorry if this is too specific... I like to go into detail with my requests ❤️

(Don’t apologize! It actually helps me out a lot when it goes in depth like this, so thank you! Hope you like it!)

(P. S. Zinnia flowers have a purpose in the title, trust me)

(P. P. S. It’s long. It’s angsty. Buckle up)

Zinnia Blossoms in Full Bloom (Jotaro x reader)

You opened up a little shop to get away from your past. Unfortunately it comes back to you through the visit of an old friend.

Opening the little flower shop outside of Morioh was arguably one of the best things that you’ve done. It was good to leave the old things behind, leaving behind the oozing monsters that threatened to drag you down and envelop you whole. Of course, you still kept in contact with some of your remaining friends, but it was difficult with them all over the globe. 

‘Fire Cherry Flowers’ was the name of the little shop, in honor of the ones who have passed. It was your way of remembering their life while you tried to forget the pain that came with their memories. Business was slow when you first opened but eventually, the shop gained popularity, and now you had no trouble keeping yourself busy.

You were getting ready to close up shop for the day, cleaning up the fallen flowers on the ground behind the counter, when the bell to the shop rang behind you. “In a moment!” You called. Straightening up, you started turning to the person. “I’m about to close up for the day, but what do you nee—” You froze as your eyes made contact with familiar ocean blue ones. 

“(Y/n),” Jotaro said. He still looked as handsome as ever, decked out in a long white coat and matching pants, almost like what he wore ten years ago. You couldn’t help but remember all those nights spent with the others, long lost memories.

You swallowed thickly. “Jotaro. What brings you here?”

“I need your help.”

“How about we sit down for some tea,” you said. “I’m closing up the shop, so we can sit in the backroom and you can tell me what’s going on.” You two parted on good terms all those years ago. He left Morioh to pursue his dreams of becoming a marine biologist while you stayed near to apprentice under a skilled gardener, learning about the nuances of plants.

He nodded and hovered in a corner of the shop as you bustled around, locking doors and turning off lights. You beckoned him to your back room, where a little stove accompanied by a table and chairs occupied the area. Tea was made in a few short minutes and you sat down across from him, setting down two cups.

“What brings you here?” You asked him, nursing the warm cup between your hands.

Jotaro sighed and took a sip of his tea. “There have been murder cases popping up around Morioh lately.”

You nodded. “That’s right... I overheard it in the news. What has that got to do with you needing my help anyway?”

“We believe it’s the work of a Stand user.”

Frowning, you told him, “Jotaro, you can’t be serious. I told you guys that I’m done with all that Stand business.”

“I know. I’m working with a few others, but it’s better to have more seasoned people to help us with this.”

You slammed the cup down, face shadowed by your hair. “I can’t! Stands have caused me nothing but pain! I’m done with that Jotaro, that life is over for me.”

“Please,” Jotaro said. “I’m begging you, (y/n). I know it hurts, I feel it too. I spend nights remembering their deaths, it hurts so damn much.”

You paused as a lone tear trickled down his face. Jotaro never talked about his feelings and showed them even less. Even when they were close to bursting. He must’ve really been desperate. You sighed and blinked away your own tears. “Let me think about it,” you said, even though you knew what your answer was. Scribbling down your address, you handed it to him and said, “Come back tomorrow.”

Jotaro nodded and set the teacup down. You stood there alone in the backroom as he left. The chime of the bell was the only thing heard before the silence overtook your shop.

Well, time to get ready for tomorrow. Who knew what laid ahead.

The car rumbled as you stared out the windows at the familiar sights that passed you. Buildings that were still so similar despite the ten-year difference.

The old cream parlor. Whose maraschino cherries were something Noriaki often gushed about

That ramen shop that had great sushi. Something Avdol would’ve loved. Perhaps even Iggy too.

Next to you, Jotaro was focused on the road. You couldn’t help but scan his features over. Soft dark hair, a sharp jawline, striking aquamarine eyes. Perhaps Noriaki was right when he told you that you had a crush on Jotaro. You’d thought the feelings would have been gone by now, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, you supposed.

His phone rang, somewhere in his coat’s pocket, and Jotaro fumbled to take it out and answer it. “Dr. Kujo speaking,” he said. You watched as Jotaro shrank back from the multiple loud voices screeching over the speaker. “Yare yare daze, I leave you three alone for one moment, and trouble’s already found you. I’m only a few minutes away so try not to burn down my hotel room.”

Jotaro sighed as he hung up, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. You raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him. “People you working with?” You asked.

“You could say that. I’m more of a babysitter for them though.”

You shook your head. What the hell did you get dragged into now?

The car rolled to a stop in front of a hotel. “We’re here, let’s go.”

You grabbed your bag and followed Jotaro as he briskly walked through the lobby and up the stairs, questions in your head. What sort of people was Jotaro working with? Detectives? Criminal investigators?

Your expectations were quickly dashed when he opened the door to three teenagers. Two of them were sporting pompadours, though one had quite a sizable one. Both were screaming their heads off, trying to yank a jar off of the one with a smaller pompadour. The last one, who was comically short, was sitting in the hotel’s armchair, watching the chaos in front of him.

None of them heard you two enter, too stuck up in their troubles. They didn’t notice the dangerous aura Jotaro was giving off either. You looked at him and said, “Are you shitting me? Jotaro are these who you’re working with????”

The screaming stopped and all eyes zoned in on you. The previously screaming teens straightened up, hiding the jar behind their back. Jotaro gave a long-suffering sigh as he shut the door behind you two.

“Jotaro!” The one with the larger pompadour beamed. “Who’s this?”

“This is (y/n) (l/n). She’s a friend of mine and a former Crusader.”

You nodded at them. The shortest one stood up and walked to you, sticking out his hand. “My name is Koichi Hirose, nice to meet you.”

Taking his hand in yours you gave him a smile. “Nice to meet you too.”

The larger pompadour wearing teen pushed Koichi aside, grinning at you. “I’m Josuke Higashitaka, Jotaro’s uncle! That’s my friend Okuyasu Nijimura!”

You blanked. He looked seventeen at the oldest. How did he end up being Jotaro’s uncle? You squinted at him and then Jotaro, trying to pick out any similarities. “What the fuck happened when I was out?” You asked Jotaro.

“Joseph got busy,” was his reply.

Sighing you turned back to the teen and nodded. “Pleased to meet you, Josuke.”

Josuke brightened. “You said you were a former Crusader, right??? What was it like, traveling across Egypt???”

Oh god.

Nights under stars. Making fun of each other. Two limp objects and a canid body in Polnareff’s arms. A crumpled water tower.

You forced a smile to hide the inky blackness seeping through your heart. “It was hell and high heaven at the same time.”

Josuke frowned at the cryptic phrase but was stopped from asking any more questions when something shattered and Okuyasu screamed. You winced at the volume and wondered how Jotaro managed to work with them.

“Crazy Diamond!” Josuke yelled. A being appeared and you blanked.

His Stand...

Oh god oh god oh god.

You flinched as Jotaro’s hand came to rest upon your shoulder. He turned your attention away from whatever was happening with the teens. “Will you be alright?”

Swallowing thickly, you replied, “There’s... going to be some adjustments needed.”

He sighed a straightened up, walking to the now quieter teens and ushering them out the door. “Come back tomorrow,” he barked. “We’ll work on some more stuff next time.”

The door shut with a resounding slam, leaving peace and silence at last. You found yourself drawn to the balcony overlooking Morioh. Jotaro’s presence settled next to you and you two stared at the little town below.

“Josuke’s Stand...” you began tentatively.

From the corner of your vision, you could see Jotaro give a shart nod. “I know. I promise that it’s different from his.”

You nodded stiffly. “Alright.”

“Hey... do you want to go to that ice cream parlor we passed?”

Your heart clenched at the unexpected question. “The one that Noriaki swore up and down had the best maraschino cherries?”

There was the barest hint of a smile in Jotaro’s reply. “Yeah... we did promise to try it out when we got back. Never got around to it.”

“I’m in,” you agreed. “We do need to fulfill our promise after all.”

“Alright. We’ll head over there tomorrow, then we’ll get to work on the case.”

That was it for the conversation between you two as a breeze passed over the quiet bubble that had set in.

In that quiet, you couldn’t help but reminisce about those long gone.

[Zinnia is a symbol of endurance. It also symbolizes lasting friendships, goodness, and remembrance.]

[kassies-take]

Thorul Over Luthor (Part 5)

A/n: okay yeah sorry y’all. The season of giving is over I was suppose to update this during the holidays but I never got around to it.  Well actually I had a spontaneous idea that changed the course of the story.

Warning: Love, Sister Teasing

Lena Luthor x StepSister!Reader, Supercorp

Word Count: 1538

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5

You lounged on the couch as Lena ran around her loft looking for her notes.

“(Y/n/n), Alex is going to pick you up for D.E.O training. I’ll stop by at lunch. Did you want me to bring food to you guys, or go out for lunch? Just let me know later.” Lena walked around the counter to your spot on the couch and moved your feet off the glass coffee table. “Where are my notes!” Lena went back to trashing the apartment.

You sat up before you noticed you had your feet on the notes this whole time. You knocked on the glass to get her attention, when you had her attention you shifted to hide behind her notes. 

“My notes!” She gasped before leaping across the living room to grab her notes. “Where were they?” 

‘Under my feet.”

“Under your fee- now my notes smell like feet,” she teased. 

‘My feet don’t smell!’ You gasped in in silence.

“I think the whole National City say otherwise,” she continued. 

‘If that’s the case, then we better sacrifice someone to save the whole city!’ you grabbed the papers out of her hands, before chasing after her to make her smell her smelly notes. 

That continued till the bell rang at the entrance, Lena stopped in your path which caused you to bump into her with her notes in her face. Your triumphant smile brought a smile to Lena’s lips as she moved to open the door.  

“Hi Alex, (Y/n/n) is ready. Beware of her smelly feet.” She whispered the last part. 

You crossed your arms in disapproval with a glare before you smiled, hugged Lena and kiss her on the cheek. Alex wrapped an arm around you, having what seemed to be a conversation she was having to herself to the outside world. 

As any DEO agent, you were to begin training with hand-to-hand combat. There wasn’t that many crimes that went through National City, that led to more time training with Alex and Winn. It was nearly lunch when Kara decided to drop in. 

‘Hey Kara,” you waved. 

“Hey little one, beating Alex’s butt yet?” Kara hugged you.

“Very funny Kara,” Alex rolled her eyes. 

“Hey! Now, that Kara is here maybe we can run the experiment to see if she can control people’s powers when she intercepts.” Winn beamed holding a tablet in his hand. 

You jumped for joy at Winn’s suggestion, you clasped your hands together and pouted at Kara. 

“I’m fine with it.”

You jumped into Kara’s body leaving your body still. Your excitement took over and you began fangirl. 

“Oh my god! I’m Supergirl!” Using Kara’s arm you felt around her arms. You began to feel weightless, the feeling of your feet slowly leaving the ground took you off Kara’s arms. You flew into the air flying in a figure eight path, laughing. 

Alex and Winn looked in concern as you began flying higher and higher towards the ceiling. You didn’t have time to try Kara’s other powers when the training room door open at the same time you hit the ceiling. Kara felt heavier now, like something other than Earth’s gravity was pulling her toward Earth. No surprise that in the midst of trying to land, you tackled Lena still in Kara’s body. Then you felt a feeling you did not want to feel towards your sister so you left her body. 

Kara and Lena both blushed red. Neither of them wanted to leave the other’s embrace, but it also didn’t help that Lena couldn’t move till Kara did. Winn secretly gave you a high five as the two practically had heart eyes. 

‘What’s for lunch?’ You spoke through everyone’s minds. 

“Oh, um, uh.” You , Alex, and Winn raised your eyebrows at the stuttering mess of your sister. “If it’s alright if I take (Y/n) out for lunch? Bring her back after?” 

A unanimous yes echoed the room before it fell into silence once again. 

“Uh Kara,” Lena’s eyes quickly darted towards Kara’s strong arms. 

“Oh. Yeah! My bad,” Kara pushed herself off the ground and Lena found herself missing her touch. 

You and Lena left the training room, once the door shut behind you Alex began to tease her sister, like you did with Lena. 

“Way to make it more obvious, Kar.”

“I didn’t do anything. That was all (Y/n)!”

“You know (Y/n) can feel your emotions when she intercepts you.” Winn left that comment in the training room as he made his way back to his desk. 

Kara’s eye widen. “ALEX, THAT MEANS (Y/N) KNOWS. WHAT IF SHE TELLS LENA?” Kara panicked.

“Kar, (Y/n) didn’t have to intercept you to know you like Lena.” 

“Is it that obvious?”

“You might as well write ‘I like you, Lena’ in the sky.” Alex left the training room. 

Lena was still flustered, that was mainly due to the fact that you were teasing her. 

‘You are so in loveeeee’

“I am not. And Kara doesn’t feel the same way.” 

‘Who d’ ya think you’re kidding? She’s the Earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden. Honey, we can see right through you. Girl, ya can’t conceal it. We know how you feel and who you’re thinking of.’ You sang still connected to Lena’s mind.

Lena stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to turn back towards you. “No chance, no way! I won’t say it. no no!” 

You smirked as Lena unconsciously finished the song. ‘You swoon, you sigh why deny it, uh-oh.’

Lena ignored you and continued walking towards Noonans. You continued skipping around Lena singing. 

‘At least out loud I won’t say I’m in love’ Lena thought before you jumped higher and wrapped her in a hug and a goofy grin. 

‘Oh my god! You’re in love!!!!!!!! When you and Kara get married I called maid of honor! And when you have kids, you don’t have to pay for a babysitter! Although if you ever think of having sex, please don’t do it at our place.’ 

“Get out of my head, now. N! O! W! Right NOW!” Lena’s blush deepened as you only kept skipping and shining your smile. 

‘Thorul 1, Luthor 0′ You said before the walk was quiet.

You had lasted the rest of the walk, waiting in line, ordering food, waiting for you food and till you took the first bite of your chicken burrito wrap - filled with avocado, tomato, black bean & corn salsa, cheddar cheese & zesty pepitas dressing , wrapped in a spinach tortilla. 

‘Lena, what is love?’ 

“Are you seriously asking that right now?”

‘I mean Alex has Maggie, James has Lucy, J’onn has M’gann, Winn has Lyra, heck you will probably have Kara.’ 

“Huh,” Lena paused before she placed her wrap down on her plate. “Think of it as a snow globe.”

‘Snow globe?’

“Yeah, to most people it’s just a round glass object that gives the allusion of fake snow. But if you really think about it, when a snow globe is customized it captures the perfect moment. It’s a perfect life, the glass makes you feel protected, safe from any danger.”  

‘Is that what you feel for Kara?’

“Not only Kara, love.” She held reached across the table to hold your hand. “I feel it with the best sister in the world.”

You smiled back, already planning to get a snow globe for Lena. And that was exactly what you did the moment Lena dropped you off at the DEO. Unfortunately, the DEO became busier at the moment as there was an alien attack downtown. You were excited to put your skills to the test but then disappointed when Lena didn’t let you. 

An angry Luthor was something to not mess with. 

‘Thorul 1 Luthor 1.” You mentally counted. 

You spent your DEO time customizing that snow globe you were going to get once it was finished . 

It was about a week when the snow globe came in. You were working on some tech with Winn when Alex stormed her way towards the two of you with a box in hand. 

“What is that?” Maggie asked. 

“I don’t know, delivered to (Y/n) Thorul. Next time you need something delivered, could you put your address and not the DEO’s we are still a secret organization.”

‘But I couldn’t put my address or Lena would know.’

“Some type of sex toy?” Maggie bluntly asked with a smirk. 

‘No, it’s a snow globe.’ 

“Snow globe?” Winn, Maggie and Alex questioned. 

‘Yup, for Lena. She said it makes her feel protected and safe. Can you give me a ride Maggie?’ 

“Sure, kiddo.” 

‘In the front this time?’ 

“No promises.” 

Lena had made it home before you. The apartment was a mess, but it was a good kind of mess. A mess that showed that it wasn’t just her living in the place, before you arrived it was all white, now it had color, and framed pictures. Lena decided to rest her eyes for a bit before she heard the door clicked open. 

“(Y/n). I’m glad you’re home, we’re having take out. I don’t feel like cooking.” She stood up and faced the entrance. 

BANG! 

[saang]

maybe some mutual pining???

mutual pining coming right up,,,

and apparently i can’t write anything under 1500 words when it comes to taang

word count: 1800

read it on ao3

They walked through the town, silently laughing to not to disturb the citizens. Aang could hardly breathe. Times with Toph were always his favourite. Even though the earthbender could be frustrating, more often than not they got along like a house fire.

Toph suppressed chuckles under her breath. She wasn’t focused on the world around her, so she let Aang guide her. Putting her absolute trust in him. Aang had long forgotten how their laughing fit had started, but whenever either of them said anything, a chorus of laughs would make it start again.

They set out to explore the town near their campsite. Sokka and Suki went out to find food. Katara and Zuko didn’t need help setting up for dinner which left Toph and Aang to their own devices. Just like old times. Aang covered his arrows so he wouldn’t be mauled by fans. Now, he was almost regretting it. He could feel the sweat starting to form, accumulating around the brim of his hat.

The summer heat, combined with the blood boiling within his veins caused by Toph’s hands curled around his forearm. It was almost becoming too much. Almost. He’d go through anything if it meant he could be close to Toph. Even when she was infuriating, she was the light of his life. The love of his life.

Unbeknownst to him, Toph felt the exact same. It had been a learning curve. She had never felt something so strong in her entire life. When she’d been twelve, and she hadn’t been in love with her best friend of seven years, everything had been so much easier.

When her heart started beating faster around him, her breathing faltering, she had refused to accept it. She was too stubborn to admit to herself that she had fallen for Aang. He had long gotten over what he dubbed his ‘babysitter crush’ on Katara, but she still doubted he’d ever think of her like that. She was reluctant to get her heartbroken if that was the case. Neither Suki nor Katara faulted her for that when they eventually found out.

They found out at a Fire Nation celebration. Aang had whisked Toph away, dancing wildly, no fear of being judged. When Toph returned to her seat and Aang returned to the dance floor. The head she had once held up high with the shining grin fell. It was a mix of relief and yearning.

“Toph? Are you okay?” Katara had asked, her hand resting lightly around her glass. Her clothes were very reminiscent of what she wore when they were fugitives, hiding in plain sight all around the Fire Nation.

“Yeah, just a little tired, that’s all,” Toph had replied, putting on her cheery façade once again. Suki snickered and Katara scoffed, shaking her head slightly to brush the hair out of her face.

“I’ve seen you tired Toph. This isn’t it,” at Katara’s words, Toph let out a defeated whine. Toph shifted in her seat so she was fully facing both Suki and Katara.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone,” the two girls had hummed in agreement. “I think I might be kind of really in love with Aang.”

Sokka and Zuko, however, had found out almost immediately after Aang did. He and Zuko were firebending, talking with Sokka about how Zuko was reforming the Fire Nation. Halfway through a move Aang stopped, his eyes went wide. His mouth agape.

“Hey, Aang? Buddy? What’s wrong?” Sokka had asked while walking up to the two now that they weren’t shooting fire from their fingertips.

“I’m in love with Toph,” Aang had said simply. After he’d said it, a grin started to emerge. “Oh my God, I’m in love with Toph!”

“Okay, I’ll handle the obituary if you handle the food,” Zuko had bargained turning to Sokka.

“Deal. Katara can handle the guests, and Suki can get Toph out of jail for killing Aang,” Sokka had agreed, affirming their arrangements with a handshake.

“Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it anyways. I don’t think she’d ever think about me that way. I’ll just live in secret for the rest of my life.”

Aang and Toph had made their way back to the campsite. They had calmed down, but Toph’s hands still wrapped themselves around Aang’s arm. When Katara saw it, she immediately looked at Zuko, who looked at Sokka, who looked at Suki. Suki glanced at the couple, then to Katara.

“Katara? Can you come here for a second?” Suki’s eyes were boring into her soul. Katara quickly nodded and walked over to her.

“What’s up?” Suki yanked the water bender down to the log she was sitting on. Making Katara let out a small yelp.

“We need to get those two together. I’m tired of the constant pining,” Suki whispered, careful not to let anybody hear.

“Yeah, but how? It’s not like we can just force them to date,” Katara whispered back.

“Maybe Sokka will know?”

“It seems suspicious if all of us were crowded around without Aang or Toph.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Sokka said beside them, scaring Katara enough she almost fell off the log.

“Oh my God,” it was barely a whisper, her hand was on her chest, her eyes closed tightly. She smacked Sokka's arm after she had somewhat recovered. “You scared me half to death!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Zuko strolled up. The cloth he was holding, now draped over his shoulder.

“Oh nothing,” Katara assured. She leaned in closer to Zuko, whispering in his ear. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay. Anyways, I came over here to tell you dinner is ready,” as the words came out of Zuko’s mouth, Sokka dashed towards the food. Suki rolled her eyes but followed her husband to the table, where Aang and Toph sat. Zuko held a hand out for Katara, helping her off the log.

“Always the gentleman,” Katara teased. Zuko laughed a little, smiling as they joined everybody else. Whenever Aang looked at Toph a small blush would dust his cheeks. He was glad Toph couldn’t see it and he was glad no one else spoke up about it.

The night progressed without much of a hitch. Aang went to sleep the earliest followed by Toph. It was the perfect opportunity to discuss Katara and Suki’s wonderful plans.

“We need to get Toph and Aang together,” Suki said once it was just the four of them.

“Well, yeah,” Sokka replied. “But it’s not like either of them are going to admit that to each other.”

“Maybe we need to just tell them outright,” Zuko offered up the solution.

“What do you mean? When they wake up just say ‘oh yeah, you guys are in love with each other, here’s breakfast!’” Suki mocked.

“The looks on their faces would be so good if we did that though,” Katara laughed. “Honestly, I vote we do that just for the shock value.”

“It would be good,” Sokka agreed. “Toph would probably hate us, but it would be good.”

“It’s a price I’m willing to pay,” Suki kept her composure for a few seconds before laughing.

“Alright, who’s going to say it?” Sokka asked. “I vote Katara.”

“What? Why me?”

“I don’t know, I feel like you would have the best chances of coming out of it alive.”

“That’s a valid point,” Zuko said. “You can go toe to toe with Toph, I’ve seen you do it.”

“Okay so,” Suki started. “Katara will tell them, we will hide in a tree so Toph can’t see us. Aang and Toph will get together or just stop being that tension around wherever they go, at least. There we go, problem solved!”

The four stayed up for a little while longer, the conversation drifting off the topic of the two young, but oblivious, lovebirds. Eventually, they went to bed, Katara was woken up by the smell of the fire pit.

She got up out of her tent to see Zuko stoking the flames. “You’re up early,” she noticed.

“I rise with the sun. It’s a firebender thing,” he explained. “You ready to end a few years of mutual pining?”

“Yes, I am. I don't deserve to be subjected to their hopelessness any longer. I am much too good for that.”

Zuko rolled his eyes goodheartedly at Katara. He glanced over at Aang’s tent. He saw movement inside of it. “Looks like Aang is up, now we just wait for Toph.”

Aang came out of his tent, taking a seat by the fire. Suki and Sokka got up next. They all, sans Aang, shared an anxious look, knowing what would go down today.

Toph, eventually, woke up. Katara looked between the two youngest members of their group. Then to Sokka, Suki and Zuko. They silently urged her to follow through with the haphazard plan they had brewed up the previous night.

“So, the weather is nice today isn’t it?” Katara asked. She received a nod from Aang and a murmur from a Toph. “Almost as nice as it would be if you two admitted your love for each other.”

She tried to sound nonchalant about it, and the high pitched sounds coming from her brother's direction did not help. The choking sounds coming from Aang also didn’t help.

“Our what?” Toph asked, incredulously. Aang was still coughing, trying to recover from almost drowning himself.

“You two are in love. It’s quite obvious when you look at it objectively,” Katara said, maintaining her ambivalent exterior. She was screaming on the inside, but only she knew that.

“We’re what?” Aang asked, finally able to breathe.

“In love,” Katara was trying so hard to keep calm. Aang turned towards Toph, both of their cheeks so red.

“We are?” Aang asked in response, although it was more aimed at Toph than Katara. Toph could feel how fast Aang’s heart was beating, it could only be rivalled by her own.

“If you are, then there could be a possibility that I am as well,” Toph answered. Her cheeks, if it were even possible, turned a more pigmented shade of red.

“And if I said I was?”

“I would say I am too.”

“Finally!” Sokka yelled in triumph. “It has been literal years! We are finally free!”

“Here, here!” Suki screamed. “Here is to Katara, for getting them to admit it!”

“You’ve been in love with me for years?” Toph asked.

“Yes,” Aang answered. “I am in love with you, Toph Beifong. I have been for three years.”

“Well in that case, how about we ditch these folks and go on a little adventure?” Toph suggested, her cheeks were still red, but she had a confident smirk on her face.

“Lead the way,” Aang said, taking Toph’s hand in his own and smiling.

[parkeraul]

Touring with Shawn in the US and you bring your dog along

a little bit nervous — s.m.

author’s note — i’m emptying my askbox as fast as possible so i can open requests again. i hope you’re liking all of this. 

warnings — fluff. 

words — 1,794.

“Oh, finally!” Shawn sighs, opening the door to the AirBnb apartment. As soon as there’s more space, Y/N drops the strap on the floor and the dog immediately starts sniffing the room while walking across the ground. 

He lets her in first, carrying his guitar case and bag while she makes her way to the bedroom where she can leave her stuff. As the dog maps the apartment, Shawn manages to grab the keys and closes the door with his foot soon after. His nose starts to itch a little bit and he can feel his eyes burning slightly, not to mention his heartbeat fastening and throat drying. 

Shawn decides to place his things beside the door, planning to take them to the right place some other time. The veins on his arms are already throbbing and his muscles are tired under the blue shirt he’s wearing. They had no time for breakfast or lunch, so the feeling of being exhausted seems to get heavier and heavier on him.

“Okay,” Y/N says, making her way back to the living room. “I’ll go grab something on Starbucks, ‘cause I’m starving! Do you want something?” 

“You’re going now?” Shawn watches her tucking her wallet inside the pocket of her shorts, moving discreetly to the door. 

She frowns, rolling her eyes across the room, “Yes?! Why?” 

He doesn’t need to answer with words, because she sees the way he looks at the dog kind of worriedly. 

“Nothing,” He chuckles nervously. “I’ll just catch my phone then I’m going with ya—” 

“Oh,” Y/N breathes, trying to walk forward and Shawn blocks her way. “I was thinking you could stay and make some company to Luna.” 

Shawn puts his hands together, holding tight as he bites his lip. Dramatically, he rubs his nose and eyes way more than he actually would need to. 

“I mean, we’re not gonna take too long, right? She could… Come with us, maybe?” Shawn asks. 

“Honey,” Y/N smiles softly, walking to him and placing her palm on his chest. “She walked way too much early in the morning and loud crowds stresses her so much,” Shawn closes his eyes to her words, thinking that he’s got nowhere left to run. “The streets are full and you’re tired too! You don’t have to be close to her if you don’t feel like doing it, just don’t leave her alone because she’s still very needy.” 

Luna’s been adopted by Y/N recently and being a recently rescued dog makes her feel abandoned whenever she’s alone, even if it’s for just a matter of minutes. But Y/N knows Shawn is more afraid of Luna than allergically reacting to the dog, considering that Luna is a huge pitbull who’s only 2 years–old, what makes her even more energetic. As a kid, she’s not aware of her enormous size and big heavy paws — she just wants to play, test her bite strength and how fast she can reach the toys. Shawn, on the other side, feels utterly intimidated by her force. And size. And love—bites. And sloppy, wet kisses.

“I’ll go, you can stay,” Shawn offers. 

“Oh yeah? Have you memorized my order?” Y/N challenges, arching an eyebrow. 

“Blueberry muffin and iced–caramel.” He answers. 

“Red velvet and choco–chip frappuccino,” Shaking her head, she steps ahead once again. “You’ll be okay, don’t worry! If she gets too annoying, just throw the pink ball. It’s in my bag with your anti–allergic.”

Before Shawn can complain, Y/N’s winking at him and slipping to the space between his body and the door. In seconds, she’s flicking the doorknob close and her footsteps leading to the elevator are the only thing Shawn can hear.

All across the room, there’s Luna with her ears up and tongue out. Her tail wags from side to side, making her butt sway along with it. Shawn swallows harshly, cheeks reddening and chest thumping with a tiny bit of fear mixing with admiration. She looks cute, but what if she attacks him or bite his leg? It’s his very first time meeting Luna, he doesn’t really know what to do or how to act if something happens. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Shawn whines, making Luna tilt her head to the side as her eyes watch him talk as if she could only understand. Luna growls lowly, sitting down and huffing. “If you were Luna Lovegood I’d be less afraid, I think.”

Shawn trails his way to the couch slowly, Luna’s standing on the very center watching him step carefully onto the fluffy map. He sits on the very edge, as far as possible from the dog as he grabs the remote to turn on the TV. His hairline is sweaty and limbs shaking a little. When he puts the remote to the side, right next to his leg, Luna understands it as a ‘come here’ type of tap and runs to jump onto the couch.

The curly boy just holds his breath and presses his lips together, avoiding a scream and freezing in place. Luna senses the fear exhaling from his body, coming closer very smoothly to smell on him.

She starts sniffing along his hand and wrist still spread and holding the remote, coming up to his elbow and biceps. Her breathing tickles his skin, so he can’t help but laugh and she gets excited, thinking that he wants to play. Quickly, she prompts her body up and places her paws on his shoulder for support. Shawn squeezes his eyes shut and prays to God she’ll be nice.

Luna sniffs his hair, ear and cheek before she licks flesh only once very rapidly, just poking his cheek with the tip of her tongue to see if he likes it. When Shawn shrugs, making her frame slide towards him consequently, she goes wild. She runs to the other side of the couch, then back to where Shawn is and then back to the edge of the couch and it goes on and on. Shawn reads it at happiness, which sure is washing over her body with electric waves of energy. Her running makes his silhouette shake on the couch, because it’s flopping up and down with the weight of her fast strides and he laughs at the sight. 

“Okay, okay,” Shawn says between his giggles and Luna stops in the middle of the couch, prepared to play. “You want your ball, eh?” The dog opens her mouth, letting her tongue out to refresh as her tail wags faster. 

“‘M too lazy to grab it, not gonna lie,” He mutters. “But…” Looking around the apartment, he tries to find something closer to distract her. “What about this?” 

Shawn grabs a small cushion and throws it to the end of the couch and Luna instantly reaches for it. She takes a mouthful of it and rushes to put it next to Shawn’s thigh again. Thinking that she needs to follow the previous steps to keep on getting his attention, Luna goes to the middle of the couch again and this time she prepares herself more — upper half goes down and her wiggly butt goes up. Gradually, Shawn’s heartbeats slow down and he laughs loudly, squeezing his eyes and putting his hand on his stomach. Luna’s impatient, so she runs across the couch again and barks as delicate as possible like she’s saying ‘come on, throw it again!’. 

“Ready?” He asks, lifting the cushion and inching nearer. “Go!” 

He tosses the object and Luna is quick to get it and give it back to Shawn, pinning up her swaying bum again. 

“Your mum would die laughing if she saw you like this,” Shawn comments as he keeps on playing with the dog, predicting that Y/N had never seen Luna being this friendly before. 

After 20 minutes of playing, Luna settles down onto Shawn’s lap and he dares to rub behind her ear with his forefinger only — not putting his entire hand to the danger that’s only in his mind because he think it’s better to lose only one finger than an entire hand. Luna doesn’t mind, just blinks her eyes very lazily as she catches her breath. 

“They say you’re kind of a babysitter type of dog, right?” He says looking at the way her lungs inflate and relax under her ribcage. “I hope this is actually accurate, ‘cause if your mum wants to have a baby with me, we’d need help,” Shawn thinks out loud, imagining their life as a family of four. “You seem to be very skilled, you know? I’m very clumsy, though,” Chuckling, he vents and sighs, not noticing two more fingers easing down to pet the dog on top of his leg. “And you make a very comfortable pillow in case the baby falls asleep on the floor while we’re busy with the chores,” 

The more he confesses, the bigger his hopes get. His heart is now warm with expectations, dreams and love. Although Luna can’t understand his words, she feels the passion radiating from his body and it calms her as she gives into the cozy tone of his voice. 

“Obviously, we wouldn’t just let the baby on the floor and give you all the job,” He rolls his eyes as if she was complaining back. “But a baby needs to learn on how to crawl and… Well, nevermind.” 

He stops as the door opens again, Y/N holding two bags of food. Luna snaps her black eyes open and immediately runs to meet her. 

“Hey you,” She greets the dog, handing Shawn the bags as he lifts himself up from the couch and comes closer. “Seems like someone was having a good nap, weren’t you?” 

Shawn nearly melts to her sweet pitchy tone while she talks to the dog, bending down on her knees to caress Luna. 

“How was she?” Y/N asks, coming up as the dog goes back to the couch and searches for the cushion she was previously playing with. 

“Great, actually,” Shawn answers, stealing a peck from Y/N’s lips. “Great pal, great friend, great listener,” 

“Oh, really?” Smirking, Y/N looks at Luna then back at Shawn. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Life,” He chuckles, unboxing their improvised brunch as Y/N looks for plates and glasses to set the table. “Plans for the future, basically.” 

“Interesting,” Y/N says, still smirking at his softness. Who’d say Shawn could go all sweet for a dog like Luna? “I know she’s got talent to be a great babysitter in the near future!” 

Shawn looks at the dog — busy biting the cushion between her paws — and then smiles, looking back at the table. He just remembers about the conversation and repeats his words wholeheartedly under a whisper.

“Thank God, because we’ll need help!”

[nessamaurice]

Simple Ch. 5 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: mentioning of death, cancer and fatal accident

Words: 1980

5

Bruce entered the lab to see Tony pacing it up and down, absolutely scatterbrained. He never saw him like that before.

“My god, Tony, what’s wrong with you?”

“I know now why she seems so familiar to me. I never forget a face. Even if it’s only some feature of it.”

“What do you mean? I can’t follow, do you mean you knew Y/N before?”

Tony wordlessly grabbed his purse from his pocket, rummaged through it and pulled out an old, wrinkled photograph of a woman in her mid-twenties.

“Wow, she looks exactly like Y/N”

“That’s my sister.”

Bruce’s answer was nothing but an open mouth. After a few breaths all he said was “…WHAT.”

“I had a sister. I kept her and her family secret almost long enough after I found out they existed. I visited them often. I always played with Y/N in the backyard. She was an exceptional little girl, I dearly loved her, just like my sister. Her husband wasn’t that bad, too. But one day… someone found out about them. I… I wasn’t able to protect them. To protect what I loved. They were killed in a faked car accident and their house was burnt down. I thought… I thought…” He fought against the tears. “I thought I lost them all. I didn’t knew Y/N survived. If I knew… Why didn’t Kim tell me? She adopted her without telling me!!” Rage filled his heart. “She didn’t even tell her! She had the right to know! Maybe even to choose!”

“I… I really don’t know what to say. What are you gonna do? Will you tell her? You have to tell her.”

“Of course I have to. But not yet. I have to find out why Kim kept it secret from me.”

“I’m sorry, but I thought Y/N said she died a few years ago?”

Tony had to take a deep breath realizing that the best friend of his long gone sister was dead, too.

“I have to find out what’s left.”

“Tony, please let me help you! What can I do?”

Tony rushed to the door, but said to Bruce before leaving, “Think of some excuses why you would need some medical tests get run over her. Check her completely. Make sure she’s safe here while I’m gone. I’m not gonna lose her again.” He silently added to himself “She’s my whole family.”

***

You pressed yourself slightly against the door.

“You can help me with… what?” You asked Loki. He now raised his eyes to meet yours and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knocking. You jumped away from the door. You turned around and opened it with a smile.

“Oh, hi Bruce! What’s up?

He blankly stared at you before he said, “Whoa, that was quick. I, uhm, I need you in the lab. You are here since a few days and we need to make a medical checkup on you. Just for our files.”

“And you need that now at… 1 am.” You raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Sorry, I should have done that by yesterday but I totally got carried away by… stuff that’s not more important than your health so I really got a bad conscious right now.” He gave you a little sorry smile that was just too cute to say no to.

“Aww, you really know how to persuade a woman, Bruce.” Turning to Loki you pointed at him and said with narrowed eyes and a serious tone “We gonna talk tomorrow.” but send a small smile his way before you followed Bruce.

You sat on the cold exam table for quite a while now but it just didn’t warm up under your body.

“If that takes any longer I’ll need a blanket or something, otherwise I’ll get a cystitis on this ice block. … I get them easily.” You added after Bruce looked up from the monitors and seemed confused.

As he handed you a woolen blanket you asked, “And why are we really doing all this testing, Bruce?”

A little baffled at first, he said, “It’s obligatory. We need to know that you don’t have any conditions that weren’t discovered yet, the health system in our country is not the best, you know…”

“Ah. Yeah. Sure.” You winked at him awkwardly. “So, did JARVIS notice any irregularities in my system? He said he keeps on running medical scans over all of us all the time. Which I think is a really clever thing since literally anything could happen here.”

“No, no don’t worry Y/N. That really has no other reason than precaution.” He assured you, then drew his attention back to the monitors again.

After a while you broke the silence again, “So, you are a doctor? What did you specialize in?”

“Me? Oh, I don’t have a medical degree, but a PhD in biology. And six other PhD’s so I’m capable of doing a medical check.”

“You really got SEVEN PhD’s? My god, how does your brain even fit in there!” You laughed impressed. You jumped off the table and walked over to him.

“And this other… thing,” you said low and conspiratorial, “You got that totally under control?”

Being too concentrated on the screens he answered without looking at you, “Yeah, sure.”

You couldn’t resist to grab a pencil and poked him in the side, stepping quickly backwards and watching his face, expecting something to happen.

“Wow, nothing!”

Bruce had to laugh at your childish grin and said “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t handle pointy objects…” While he said that he looked like he remembered something and his smile changed a bit.

“Everything alright? You look concerned? Do those screens tell you I’m gonna die?”

“What? Oh, no. It’s just you reminded me of someone.”

“Oh really? Must be someone charming.” You joked as you came closer again. You watched Bruce being super concentrated, like he was in another dimension. It was calming in some way. And still, you knew this ‘obligatory check up’ was not the real reason you were here. Bruce maybe was a genius, but a really lousy liar.

***

It didn’t take Tony quite long to find out what happened to Kim. She came down with acute leukaemia five years ago and died four weeks after the diagnosis. It was really hard for him to hold back his tears, being confronted with all this hurting past. He found out where she was buried and wanted to visit her grave, flying there in his suit.

He stood in front of the modest tombstone. He laid down the flowers he bought around the corner. 

“I can’t remember if you loved tulips or hated them. But there was some kind of connection, I know for sure. … Why, Kim? Why didn’t you tell me anything? Didn’t you think the truth would find its way at some point? Why are you doing this to me? How should both of us ever cope with this?” He couldn’t stop his tears anymore. He came down on one knee, hiding his face in his hands. He heard some feet scuffing closer but didn’t bother to retain countenance. He was mildly surprised as he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He looked up and saw an old woman carrying a sad smile. And an envelope.

“You must be Tony Stark?” She said with a raspy voice, “Then this is for you. Miss Carpenter handed it to me a few days before she left us. She said, someday you would appear at her grave and then the time would be there for you to read it.”

Wordlessly Tony took the letter from her hand and she left. He went to a nearby bench and took a deep breath before he opened it.

“Dear Tony

I thought I would have time enough to tell you this in person. I really thought. But as it turned out recently, time is against me. I am so, so sorry for the loss of your sister. That she had to die similar to your parents. When it happened they only informed me since there was no official connection between you two. And I was just so pissed. She only had to die because you were related and you promised to protect her. You promised. It took me quite a while to accept that you were just a scapegoat for my grief. I am so truly sorry for that. It is not your fault. It never was and never will be, no matter what may happen. You did your best to keep her safe, them all. But the hatred of some persons can grow really strong and you’re only human after all. I know that you will carry this as your personal burden for your entire life, but let me tell you again; it is not your fault. 

I took care of Y/N because I reacted wrong to the situation and wanted to keep her away from you. I thought they would try again if they knew your sister’s girl was still alive; the girl you loved like your very own daughter. I don’t know if that was the correct way to do but she’s still alive, safe and sound, so I guess it wasn’t just that bad. I know, I should have told you. But I didn’t know how to do so. With every day it grew harder. And it seemed that Y/N would not get her memory back at all, so I didn’t want to confuse her even more, neither. I did my best to give her all she needed to become a proper young lady and I think that went really well, but I surely do not deserve credit for this. It is the Stark blood in her veins. I could see her mother in her every day, and sometimes I even saw you. She is so kind and caring, always a genuine smile on her lips. She carries a purity in her heart that is unparalleled. But she is so stubborn and perfectionist as well sometimes and gets carried away with whatever she does that takes in all her attention. She may seems shy and insecure when you first meet her, but she is the most empathic and sensitive person I’ve ever met. It’s hard to lie to her without being caught. She is now old enough to look after herself. And since she told me she would start working at your compound at the reception soon, it’ll probably won’t take you long to notice her. She’s just like a mirror of her mother.

I really hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. Not just because I’m dead, but because the rage in your heart will eventually settle. Please take care of her. Not that she would need to be cared for, but she tends to get lonely. She selects her friends very carefully and prefers to stay on her own before she spends time with people she doesn’t feel comfortable with. So, just be yourself around her. She loved you so much when she was a little girl, you don’t have to act differently now.

I am sorry. So, so sorry. For everything.

Yours, from beyond. Kim.”

Every cell in Tony’s body felt numb. He tried to process what he just read but it felt like there was grit in the gears of his brain. The giant load of emotions sent him into overdrive. He didn’t know how to even move anymore. How could he manage to look into your face and not fall apart immediately? How should he explain? How would you react? There were so many massive questions on his mind and he had absolutely no idea what would happen. He had to go. Clear his mind. Think. He got back into his suit and flew away.

Taglist: @it-jinxed-us, @humbledarkness

[crazy-little-cool-cat]

Hand in Glove - Chapter 11 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: it seems that having a meltdown really helps my creative juices flow. Very interesting. This chapter is one of the longer ones, but it’s totally worth it. Italics are Annie’s dream. Enjoy! 

Word Count: ~3.6K

Warnings: Fluff, some implied smut (or not so implied? idk), swearing, unexpected plot twists and BOY OH BOY ARE Y’ALL IN FOR A RIDE.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Annabelle jolted awake. She felt her stomach lurch, as if she was riding a roller-coaster. She was no stranger to the occasional gassy nights - pregnancy came with all kinds of interesting bodily functions. This pain, however, felt different. Her hand shot to her tummy when she felt it again, stronger this time, making her wince.

“You okay?” Ben mumbled groggily, blindly reaching for Annabelle’s body in the dark. “What’s wrong?”

“Something weird is happeni -” Annabelle’s eyes widened in shock, “oh! There it is again!”

“What is it?” Ben opened his eyes and sat up. His hair was sticking up in every possible direction, his cheek had markings from the pillowcase. Although he was absolutely knackered and sleep deprived, he was talking a mile a minute. “Are you feeling sick? Is your stomach hurting? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, no!” Annie shushed him, “I don’t kn - oh!”

“Do you need anything? Water? A bin to puke in?”

“No, Ben! It’s just…” Annie looked down at her tummy, “It’s like these horrible bubbles of -”

“Seriously.” Ben groaned, “you woke me up and scared me half to death because of gas? Just fart it off, love!”

“It’s not -” Annie huffed, “Ben, it’s not a bloody fart okay?”

“What is it, then?”

“I think… it’s the baby?” Annie’s jaw dropped, eliciting a snort from Ben.

“Are you joking? Are you seriously telling me that the baby just farted?”

“No, you knob, I can feel the baby move!”

“Are you sure?” Ben eye’s lit up, his hands quickly resting on Annie’s bump, “Bumpy, what are you doing, waking mummy up?” Ben groped around as he tried to feel something happen, growing increasingly frustrated, “Annie, if this is some sick prank you’re pulling…”

“It’s not a prank, Ben!”

“I can’t feel anything!”

“Because it’s just swimming around.” Annie kissed Ben lovingly, “It’s still too small.”

####

Didn’t I put this chair back?” Ben rubbed his chin before he shrugged and took the chair back where it came from.

He sat back down on the sofa, next to Annie, pawing at the bowl of popcorn she tried to balance on her still-too-small of a baby bump.

“Ugh, damn it!” Annie groaned and hugged the bowl closer to her chest as she stood up, “Bumpy seems to think my bladder is a trampoline. I just don’t understand.”

“Annie,” Gwil scratched his head, “do you always eat in the loo?”

Annie looked down and groaned again, shoving the bowl at Ben. With muttered profanities, she stomped over to the bathroom.

“Bit forgetful, yeah?” Gwil propped his chin on the top of Clara’s head as she curled up onto his lap.

“Yesterday she went to the supermarket in her jammy bottoms, mate,” Ben sighed, “and her shirt was inside out and wrong way ‘round.”

“Oh no.” Joe, Rami and Lucy gasped.

“She put her phone in Frankie’s dog food container.”

“Honest mistake!” Clara chimed in, “could happen to anyone.”

“She almost microwaved a spoon.”

“How… why?” Rami’s eyes darted from side to side in confusion.

“Pregnancy brain.” Ben shrugged.

“I do not have pregnancy brain, Ben!” Annie pulled a chair from the dining table and placed it right in the way from the living room to the kitchen, “stop saying that I do!”

“Stop saying that you don’t!” Ben teased her and got up to fetch another beer, “Bloody hell, I know I put this chair back earlier!”

“Again with the chair?” Lucy snorted.

“Annie, we don’t need another chair!” Joe said, yet again.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“See, Annie?” Ben walked over to the sofa and stroked her hair, beer long forgotten, “this is exactly why Joe will babysit you when I’m gone.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

“You also didn’t need to put that spoon in the microwave and almost press start,” Ben snickered, “or that extra bloody chair.”

####

“I’m cancelling the trip.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going. That’s it.”

Annie was getting undressed to take a shower. With every item of clothing she had taken off, Ben’s willingness to leave on a work related trip dropped.  

“This is the 5th time you’ve said that in the last hour, Ben.” Annie chuckled, “and no, you’re absolutely not.”

“I can’t just leave all three of you here alone for five days!”

“We’ll be fine!” Annie walked into the adjoining bathroom and started running the water, waiting for the steam to fog up the room. Still in her knickers, she turned sideways to the mirror and examined her growing baby bump. “How big do you think this could get?”

“It’s not big at all,” Ben leaned against the door frame in his boxers, “it’s tiny and plump. Like a tomato.” He giggled, his tongue poking through his teeth, “or like you.”

“You just called me a tomato, I love tomatoes,” Annie smiled smugly, “I’m not even mad.”

“Anyways, I’m not going. End of story.”

“It’s too late to cancel, Ben,” Annie walked over to him and took his hand, “you’re going. And that’s final.”

“I wanna stay.” He pouted, his hands cradling her bump, “Bumpy wants me to stay.”

“Bumpy wants mummy to not be a crusty mess,” Annie chuckled and turned around, sauntering - as best as she could, considering the circumstances - over to the shower. “Join me?”  

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Ben smirked and quickly discarded his boxers.

####

“God, we should have done this sooner…” his voice was low in Annie’s ear, sending shivers down her spine. His lips fluttering over the skin of her neck and shoulder, his hands trailing down her body, he all but purred, “this should have happened a long, long time ago.”

All Annabelle could do was press her legs closer together, and bite her bottom lip so stop herself from moaning. He palmed one of her breasts, his hand hot over the lacy fabric of her bra, grazing over her hardening nipple. She ran her fingers through his hair, her eyes and her mind clouded with lust.

“Do you have any idea,” he reached over, behind her back, and unclasped her bra, “how sexy you are?” He slid one strap down her shoulder, “’course you do,” then the other.

Annie tried to keep her breathing steady as he slid her bra down her arms and chucked it aside. The look in his eyes was all but predatory. Like a wild beast, right before it pounces on its’ prey.

His lips travelled all over her body, covering every single inch, leaving marks along the way. Annie squirmed under him, arching her back when his fingers finally hooked around the fabric of her panties. A small whimper escaped her lips as he nibbled on the skin under her belly button.

“Eager?” he raised an eyebrow and licked his lips. His fingers danced on her legs, from her ankles to her knees.

He dipped his hand down between them, prying her legs open, and swooped in between them. Annie moved her leg over his head to let him. With her legs on either side of him, he rubbed his nose against her clothed cunt.

“Joe, please.”

####

“Joe, please.”

Joe dropped Annie’s feet to his lap and whipped his head sideways, a shocked expression on his face. Annie was fast asleep, her torso propped up slightly so she could lay on her back comfortably while they were both watching the telly after dinner.

When Ben had asked Joe to stay with Annie while he was travelling for work, all three knew things might get weird. While Annie objected at first, she couldn’t deny the fact that having Joe to help around with Frankie and keep her company in the evenings was nice. Plus, being pregnant meant she could get special treatment from him, be it foot-rubs or midnight snacks. This, however, was not what Joe - or Ben - had in mind.

Annie smirked in her sleep, shifting her hips in a slight rolling motion. Joe’s breath caught in his chest. He froze. He knew Annie was sleeping, therefore, she must be dreaming. The fact that she was dreaming a certain dream about him, of all people, came as a surprise.

“Joe…” she purred, yet he wasn’t even touching her.

He was transfixed by the sight in front of him. A light blush creeped its’ way up her chest and neck, reaching her cheeks. Her hips rolled lazily, her fingers twitching as if she’s grasping at something. His shock soon turned into amusement as her dream progressed. He wondered how far this could go before she wakes up. An almost pornographic moan escaped her lips, making Joe blink in bewilderment before his brain kicked back into gear.

He looked around for something to throw against the wall. With a triumphant smile, Joe grabbed Ben’s xBox controller and chucked it as hard as he could. The loud noise alerted Frankie that something isn’t normal, and she flew barking into the room, ears flapping like wings.

The raucous woke Annie up with a start. Her eyes flew open as she sat up straighter, her gaze following Frankie to where the controller was now in pieces. With furrowed brows, she looked at Joe.

“Oops.”

“Joe, did you break Ben’s controller?”

“Yeah?”

“What the actual fuck?” Annie reached over and smacked his arm, “why?!”

“I… Well…” Joe’s hesitation gave Annie time to think about what she had just dreamt. Horror washed over her face. “I was frustrated! FIFA sucks!”

####

“Where’s Annie?” Ben sounded frantic, “she’s not answering her phone!”

“It’s 1:30AM, Ben,” Joe flicked off the living room lights and wormed his way under the covers on the pull-out couch, “she’s asleep. She’s growing a human inside of her, it’s very tiring.”

“Is she getting enough sleep?”

“Plenty.”

“What was that tone for?”

“What tone?”

“You know what tone.”

“There was no tone!”

“There definitely was.”

“Sleep deprivation really did a number on you, buddy. You’re hearing things.” Joe pursed his lips and swallowed back a giggle. “By the way, does she always talk in her sleep?”

Joe could practically hear the cogs clicking together in Ben’s brain as he put two and two together.

“Oh God.” Ben groaned. He knew there was a risk of this happening, he just hoped it would happen at night, when she’s alone in her bed, and Joe’s nowhere to be found. “She’s getting louder, eh?”

“Louder?” Joe echoed, “she wasn’t loud at all.”

“I mean, if you could hear her saying your name all the way from the bedroom -” something dropped on Ben’s end, “-what the fuck were you doing in my bed?!”

“Working in a soap-opera really messed up with your head, didn’t it?” Joe snorted, “I was never in your bed. That would be disgusting. You are a sick, sick man.”

“If you want to keep your face in its’ current arrangement, you’d better explain yourself, fast.”

“We were watching TV after dinner, she fell asleep on the couch,” Joe sighed, “I gave her a foot-rub. It must have triggered a deep yearning inside of her and, really, Benny, can you blame her?”

“Sod off!”

“That’s all there was to it. I woke her up before it got out of hand.”

“Did she say anything about it?”

“Nope. I was very discreet.”

“Good, good.”

“You’re going to need a new xBox controller, though.”

####

“Hey, Bumpy!” Gwil rubbed Annie’s baby bump.

“I’m here too, you know?” Annie laughed and hopped on the tips of her toes to kiss Gwilym on the cheek, “thank for coming with me.”

“Ben vowed to murder me in my sleep if I let you go alone,” Gwil sighed, “I’m just not ready to die.”

“I still don’t know why he didn’t just ask Joe,” Annie stuffed Frankie’s leash in her purse.

“Your wet dreams about Joe and the fact that you’re going to have your fanny on display at some point in the exam might have something to do with it,” Gwil took Frankie’s leash out of Annie’s purse, “but hey, what do I know.”

“I do not -”

“Yeah, you do.” Gwil snickered and started helping Annie put on her jacket.

“How do you even know that?!”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Christ, they’re like a two-headed monster!” Annie felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Why’d they tell you?!”

“That’s exactly what I said when they told me.” Gwil shrugged. “They just like sharing.”

“Disgusting.”

“I know.”

“They need to stop,” Annie slid her hands into her jacket’s sleeves, “this is getting out of hand.”

“You’re absolutely right, Banana,” Gwil ushered Annie out the door, gently nudging Frankie back with his foot, “but that would be impossible.”

“I know,” Annie locked the door and hooked her arm with Gwil’s, “but a girl can dream.”

####

“Oh, hello!” Dr. McCarthy flipped her hair, her eyes landing on Gwilym, “you’re not Ben!”

“No, he’s not,” Annie smiled, “This is Gwilym. My cousin. Ben’s away on a work thing.”

“Oh no,” Dr. McCarthy tutted, “he must be so upset!”

“He is,” Annie confirmed, biting the inside of her cheek, “but he sent a stand-in.”

“Yes, my job is very important,” Gwilym pulled his phone out of his back pocket and opened up the camera app, setting it to video, “I’m the videographer!”

“That is very important indeed,” Dr. McCarthy chuckled, “let’s just have a look here and make sure we’re alright…” she furrowed her brows as she looked at the chart. “Right! Perfect!”

Gwil started shuffling backwards uncomfortable, dreading the fact he might be present during a pelvic exam. With a mortified expression, he looked around the room, trying to act casual.

“Gwilym, you can relax,” Dr. McCarthy rolled her eyes, “I’m not giving her a pelvic exam.”

“Oh, thank God,” Gwil sighed, “I was afraid I’d have to see Annie’s fanny and -”

His speech was cut short by Annie’s loud laughter. Holding her bump, Annie laughed so hard that no sound came out. Tears started forming at the corners of her eyes. Her whole body was shaking.

“Annie’s!” Annie choked out, “Annie’s fanny!!!”

“Like talking to a bloody four year old…” Gwil muttered and shook his head.

“Annabelle, I can’t do this unless you settle down, love,” Dr. McCarthy waved the bottle of gel at Annie as she spoke, “don’t make me call Ben.”

“I’m fine, I’m okay -” Annie squeaked before another wave of laughter washed over her. Dr. McCarthy and Gwil stood quietly as they waited for the storm to pass. “Alright, let’s do this!”

“Are you sure you’re all done?” Dr. McCarthy raised an eyebrow.

“Squirt some gel on me, Doc!”

“What in the bloody hell is happening?” Gwil muttered and pointed the camera at the small screen, “Annie, can you not say that word? That’s just wrong.”

“What word? Gel?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Oh, you mean ‘squirt’?” Annie said and smirked when Gwil grimaced.

“Children, I’m going to have to ask you to stop bickering,” Dr. McCarthy moved the probe around and a baby’s silhouette appeared on the screen, “we have very important matters to attend to!”

“I see a little silhouetto of a…?” Gwil sang softly, making Annie snort and giggle.

“Are you a Queen fan as well?” Dr. McCarthy asked as she tried to find a good enough angle to see if the baby is a boy or a girl.

“Fan?” Annie scoffed, “he’s Brian May!”

“Oh?” Dr. McCarthy paused her probing and turned to give Gwil a proper look, “oh! Yes, yes he is!”

“It’s uncanny!” Annie gushed, “you should see him in costume! With the hair and -”

“Hi, yes, hello,” Gwil peeked over the side of the phone, “we’re here to find out if that little rascal you’re growing in there is a boy rascal or a girl rascal, remember?”

“This is just like having Ben with us!” Dr. McCarthy winked at Annie and focused on the screen, “alright, looks like you’re having a…”

Dr. McCarthy slid the probe around a little more, making sure she wasn’t determining the wrong sex. The tension in the room was palpable.

“A puppy?” Annie joked, filling the uncomfortable silence, “a watermelon?”

“A girl.”

####

Annie opened her eyes slowly. Her legs were propped up on the coffee table, Frankie’s head in her lap, her hand rubbing the pup’s head softly. The jingle of keys alerted her of Ben’s presence.

“What’re you doing here? You should be sleeping!” Ben murmured as he approached the sofa. Annie threw her head back and stretched her arms up, wiggling her fingers. Ben didn’t need any further explaining, he bent down and pressed an upside-down kiss to Annie’s lips. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Ben, you were gone for five days!”

“Yes,” Ben mumbled against her lips and kissed her again, “the fifth being the most important. I’m sorry I couldn’t call or text…”

“It’s fine,” Annie giggled after shutting him up with a kiss, “really.”

Ben hopped over the back of the sofa, making Frankie flee, and flopped down beside Annabelle. He pressed a quick kiss to her bump and then to her lips, taking his hand in hers.

“Did it go well?”

“Perfect.”

“Do we know?”

“If by ‘we’ you mean Gwil and I -” Annie smirked smugly, “we do, yeah.”

“I can’t believe I wasn’t there,” he groaned and cupped her face in his hands to pepper kisses all over her face, “I’m the most horrible -”

“You’re not allowed to call yourself that,” Annie clamped his mouth shut with her fingers, “okay?”

“I’m just so,” he kissed her lips once, “so,” the second kiss lingered a little more, “sorry.”  

“It’s okay,” Annie stroked his hair, “Gwil and Joe were perfect gentlemen and they made sure I was fine.”

“I’ll send them a fruit basket and a thank-you note,” Ben winked, “are you planning to tell me what Bumpy is?”

“Will you leave me again for so long?”

“Nope.” Ben kissed the tip of her nose, “taking you, Bumpy and Frankie with me next time.”

“Promise?”

“Vow.” Ben pressed a kiss to Annie’s palm, then her knuckles.

“Girl.”

Ben blinked in confusion a couple of times. His eyes darting left and right, his brows furrowed.

“Sorry?”

“Bumpy is a girl.” Annie poked at her tummy. “We’re having a girl.”

“A girl?” Ben’s confusion turned to elation right in front of Annie’s eyes, “A girl!”

Ben reached over Annie’s shoulder with his arm and pulled her to him, cupping her face with his free hand. His lips quickly found hers, locking in a passionate kiss. They both gasped, feeling butterflies flutter in their stomachs, trying to escape. Annie wrapped her fingers around Ben’s wrist with one hand and stroked his cheek with the other.

They smiled against each other, humming happily into the kiss. Ben tried to pull Annie impossibly closer, squishing her and their baby in an uncomfortable position. He broke the kiss and smiled apologetically before he reached down to rub her belly. His mouth slightly open, he couldn’t stop looking from her bump to her eyes, full of awe.

“You have no idea how much I love you,” he murmured, looking down at his hand.

“I might have a small clue…”

“Yeah?” Ben bit his bottom lip as Annie pushed him back and climbed on top of him, straddling his lap.

“Mhm,” Annie pulled off his shirt first, then hers, “definitely.”

“You know,” Ben purred before he cupped her face again, pulling her in for a kiss, “I quite like this side effect of your pregnancy.”

“What?” Annie breathed when Ben gently pushed her away, breaking the kiss. Ben’s hands travelled all over her body.

“You’re so bloody horny all the time.”

####

“I can’t believe Gwil knew before I did!” Joe sulked, “it’s not fair. I practically lived with Annie for five days while you were cavorting around in -”

“Cavorting?” Gwil raised an eyebrow, “big word!”

“Shut up!” Joe flipped him the bird. “Anyways, I demand to be the godfather.”

“Not again!” Jamie and Rami groaned simultaneously, both dropping their faces in their hands.

“It’s only fair!” Joe crossed his arms with a huff, “Since I basically babysat both Annie and Bumpy for almost an entire week, you know. Meanwhile, all Gwil did was drive her to the Doctor’s and point a camera!”

“Hey, that wasn’t as easy as you make it sound!” Annie interjected.

“For fuck’s sake! Enough!” Gwil got up abruptly, “I’m getting another beer. Clara?”

“Of course.”

“Anyone else?” Gwil looked around the room.

“No,” Joe smirked, “no beer for me. But if you could be a doll and get me the godfather title, that would be perfect.” Joe muttered under his breath.

“I heard that!”

“Good!” Joe retorted, “I was practically screaming it!”

“You realise we won’t tell you the sex of the baby unless you stop?” Annie glared at her boyfriend’s best friend, “you need to shut it. This entire group of people depends on you, shutting it.”

Joe was visibly shocked by Annie’s bluntness, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tried to think of a good enough comeback. Ben and Annie exchanged a quick glance and a curt nod, as if saying ‘we better act fast!’.  

“It’s a girl.”

Rami, Jamie and Clara erupted in cheers and laughter, jumping to their feet and hugging each other. It took them around five minutes to figure out that they haven’t even gave the expecting parents a second glance, let alone a hug. With Gwil back in the living room, and Joe squeezing in, they quickly formed a huddle.

“Well, what do you know!” Joe stuck out his chest, “that’s perfect! If I can’t be the godfather,” He smiled mischievously, “then her name better be Joesephine, or I’m throwing hands!”

TAGLIST: @ramibaby @xgoingdownx @clara-who @violetpond @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @rogerinamainbitch @justgivemethekeys  @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @rogerspoison @deacy-dearest

[ficdirectory]

The Crossing (Disuphere series #3) Chapter 22

Scene XVI:  Would They Like What They Saw or Would They Hate It, Too?

After an entire weekend avoiding Jesus, Dominique has to get back to work.  She has enough vacation days that she could afford calling in a couple times, but no more than that.  She needs her job.  But she hopes she won’t run into Jesus there.

She spends downtime during her shifts writing poetry to Taylor in her head.  She has a little notebook, like she had in sixth grade.  She keeps it under her mattress now, and it’s empty except for poems.  

The thing with losing Taylor the way she’d lost her is that there was nowhere to go to mourn.  Nothing to bury in a cemetery.  No pictures.  She hadn’t even had an ultrasound.  So there’s just the notebook.  It’s about her and not about her.  It’s about that, too.  About stuff she can’t breathe a word about in everyday life.

Today - now - she thinks about the money.  Writes in her head about it:

Hollow

Scooped out for a

Dollar amount

But I paid

I gave

My skin

My lips

My nonexistent hips

My child

And

Destitute

Friable

Craterous

Me

The phone rings:

“UC San Diego Health.  This is Dominique,” she answers, like nothing’s wrong at all.

--

She’s outside on a lunch break, when she sees Jesus walking up, determined, with Dudley at his side.  The last thing she needs is nosy Lisa seeing this and making the rest of Dominique’s shift a living hell with her questions.

“Hey,” he says quietly.  “Can we talk?”

She glances around, figures the table she chose is as unobtrusive as she can get.  Still doesn’t feel okay about going anywhere remotely private with him.

“What’s going on?” Jesus asks softly.

“Oh, suddenly you care now?” Dominique whispers.

“What do you mean?  Of course I care.”  He looks so bewildered, and she’s shaking in a way she hopes he can’t see.

“Really?” she asks crossing her arms.  “‘Cause it seems like you only care when you got someone in front of you that you can pity.”

“What?” he asks.

“I got in touch with you.  Months ago, Jesus.  Before we really started talking.  Before you saw me in the elevator and felt sad for me, wanted to talk?  I tweeted you.  And I never heard back.”

“That’s because I never tweet anybody back, Dominique.  If I tweet one person back, everyone expects it.”

“I didn’t reach out to you ‘cause I felt entitled, Jesus!  I reached out because I thought you cared!” she hisses.  “But I guess I was wrong!”

“I do care!” he objects, whispering too.

“You got a funny  way of showing it…”

She’s on her feet, walking away, heart pounding.  Hoping to God he doesn’t follow her.

--

At night, she dreams of Taylor.  Mostly of being pregnant, because that’s the only part she’d ever known, but still, she wakes up screaming.  Feeling traitorous because who grieves a baby you got the way she got Taylor?

Still, just like Dominique can’t stop the tears, she can’t stop the onslaught of thoughts that come with them:  that this baby didn’t have a choice in who her parents were.  That just like she was half a person who made a terrible choice and did terrible things, she was also half of Dominique.  With parts of her own parents, too.  

The baby didn’t have a choice.

The words echo in Dominique’s mind.  She sees Francesca in her mind’s eye - a living, breathing Taylor - but then Francesca changes and Dominique can see a younger version of herself.  (She remembers thinking back then that eleven was so old - but she was very much still a child.

A child who didn’t have a choice.

And just like that, she’s back to sobbing in bed, except now it’s late and Mom’s at home sleeping.  And she’s here.

--

There are no cookies from Jesus this time.  She’s succeeded in hurting him.  In driving him away.  He can’t know the real truth, so she’d settled on the betrayal she felt months before they actually met.  He needed to know that part too.  And she couldn’t bear to tell him the truth.  (Both what happened to her, and that her own reaction has to do with his baby sister.)

Ironically, she can’t go to Avoidance to avoid Jesus and Mariana, (and what if they bring Francesca?) so Dominique’s stuck inside.  She opts out of group shopping.  She opts out of everything she can.  She kinda wishes she could stop time.  Or back it up to before she knew about Francesca.  Back when she was oblivious, and only dealt with her known traumas not the stealth ones that snuck up on her out of nowhere.

Dad tries to be there, from a distance.  He texts.  Sends funny pictures and videos.  But it’s like she’s stuck.  Like nothing is helping.  Like nothing ever will and her only choice is to just get through this crappy part of life without imploding.

Lena stops in, and even being around her is like salt in a giant wound for Dominique.  Lena knows Jesus.  Lena’s a fan of his cookies.  Thinks he’s sweet.  And he is.  That’s the thing.  Jesus and Mariana have done absolutely nothing to obviously hurt her, except have a sister the same age as the baby Dominique lost when she was still a baby.

--

Saturday mornings meant cheerleading at the community center.  10 AM to noon.  It was Dominique’s favorite part of the week.  She got her homework all done Friday night, so she’d be allowed to go.  Mom and Dad were serious about putting school first.

It was a week since her birthday and so far?  Being eleven is everything she dreamed.  She felt older and more mature.  One of the oldest in fifth grade which meant that lots of kids asked her questions and she felt really important.  Dominique liked feeling needed.  Liked helping.

“Hey ‘Nique!” Brittany called.  She was an older girl Dominique met back when fifth grade was just starting.  Brittany was nineteen.  Tall.  Blonde.  Probably really popular back when she was in fifth grade, too.

Dominique waved.  (Brittany was the only one to ever call her ‘Nique and Dominique let her ‘cause it sounded so much better than Dominique.)  She jogged over to Brittany’s car, where she waited sometimes.  It was as Dominique approached that she could see Brittany’s face.  The tears on it.  How upset she looked.

“What’s wrong?” Dominique asked.

“Can I use your phone?  Mine died, and the babysitter just cancelled on me…”

“Yeah, of course.  Here.”  Dominique handed her hand-me-down phone that she got from Mom and Dad (but with a brand new pink case) through Brittany’s car window.  

She talked on it for a few minutes, sounding more and more upset.  Finally she just swore: “Damn it!” and threw the phone down at the passenger seat.  It bounced down onto the floor of the car.

Dominique opened her mouth to ask about it, but Brittany asked a question first:  “I know you have cheerleading today, but I’m really desperate here, and I trust you.  Will you watch Milo for me?”

“Milo?” Dominique asked.

“He’s my son.  He’s two.  He’s really good, and we just live around the corner.  I’d have you back here in plenty of time for your parents to pick you up.  Promise.”

Dominique glances at the doors of the community center.  She’d seen all the other girls go in already.  She’d definitely be late.

“Okay.” Dominique agreed.  She got in back, next to a carseat with smashed crackers and toys in it.

“Looks like he’s hungry a lot, huh?” she joked, buckling up.

But Brittany stopped talking back to her.  Maybe she was just in a hurry to get to her job.  But they turned one corner, and then another, and just kept going.

When they drove out of the neighborhood, Dominique’s heart started to race.  So did her brain.  She looked around, desperate, but realized there was no way to reach her phone.  

Dominique couldn’t speak.  The reality that she’d been tricked was too big for her head to hold.

When Brittany parked, and had Dominique get out of her car and into a van with a guy, Dominique tried to run.  She yelled and kicked.  But the man just picked her up and smiled and nodded to people around them like she was his kid just having a fit, and he was right to handle her without even asking first.

“Stranger!” she screamed, because no other words would come out.

“Come on, Amber.  Stop playing.” The man said, “That’s nothing to joke around about, just ‘cause you can’t get what you want.”

The people all around them smiled.  And he put her in the van.

Just like that.

Just like that, Dominique was gone.

[miraculouspaon]

More Things in Heaven and Earth

Chapter Five

AO3

Nathalie was half-asleep by the time they made it back to Paris, but she shook herself awake as Evelyn pulled up to the front of the Agreste manor. “What do we do now?” Nathalie asked. “Talk to the Guardian? Try to track down Ian’s accomplice?”

“Those are both excellent suggestions,” Evelyn said matter-of-factly, as she put the car in park, “and you’re not doing either of them. You’re going right upstairs and staying in bed for the next twenty-four hours.”

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? Why?”

“Because you were subjected to involuntary transports and knockout spells, both of which are miscarriage risks in the first trimester. You need to take it easy for a day, just to be safe.”

Nathalie glared. “You said you were sure I’d be fine,” she said accusingly.

“I am,” Evelyn said, “because I’m sure Gabriel’s going to make you do exactly what I say.” She looked at her ex-husband in the rear-view mirror. “Aren’t you, darling?”

“If you think Gabriel’s capable of making me do anything, you’re-”

“Nathalie,” Gabriel interrupted, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “Please. You’ve been through so much already.”

Startled, Nathalie looked into her husband’s eyes, then sighed. “Fine,” she said begrudgingly. The four of them exited the car and made their way up the front steps. Nathalie leaned on her husband as they went, surprised at how exhaustion still seemed to permeate every inch of her body.

“Nathalie!” Nino was rushing towards her through the foyer the second they entered the mansion. “Thank God you’re alright, I was so-”

“Nathalie needs to rest now,” Gabriel interrupted sharply.

Nino pulled back, stopping himself before he threw his arms around Nathalie. “Right, sorry,” he said sheepishly.

Nathalie rolled her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Gabriel, a hug isn’t going to kill me.” She reached for the boy and hugged him before Gabriel could object further. “It’s nice to see you,” she said quietly. Nino nodded and hugged her tightly before releasing her, and Nathalie and Gabriel continued on.

“Just because I'm stuck up here for the day,” Nathalie said brusquely as they entered their bedroom, “doesn't mean I don't expect up-to-date progress reports.” She grabbed her laptop and sat down on the bed. “In the meantime, I'll be doing damage assessment on all the work I missed yesterday. I assume you told my boss I went missing? That's going to be awkward, but I think I can handle it.” Nathalie squinted at her screen. “That's not too many emails, thank God. I suppose if one is going to be kidnapped during the work week, a Friday afternoon is the optimal-”

“Can I get you anything?” Gabriel interrupted, when it was clear his wife would not be giving him an opening to ask. “Water, food?”

“Water’s fine,” Nathalie replied, not looking up. Gabriel nodded and left for the kitchen.

By the time he returned with a glass of ice-water, Nathalie was sound asleep. Gabriel studied her for a moment, then placed the water on her bedside table. He gently pried the laptop from Nathalie’s grasp, closed it, and put it off to the side. He brushed a few stray hairs from her face, lingering over the bright red streak in her hair, before forcing himself to leave her be, crossed the room to an armchair, and sat down.

Gabriel was still sitting there, watching over Nathalie, when Evelyn appeared at his doorway about fifteen minutes later. “Gabriel? That superhero’s here, the other one. We should go downstairs and discuss what to do next.” Gabriel nodded but made no move to get up, and Evelyn crossed to him. “The baby’s going to be fine,” she said gently.

“I don’t care about the baby,” Gabriel said, and immediately winced. “I didn’t mean that,” he added quickly. “Of course I do, I just… it was the furthest thing from my mind, when I realized Nathalie was missing. For the first time in two months. It would be terrible, if Nathalie lost the baby, but I could survive it. I couldn’t survive losing her.”

Evelyn nodded. “I understand,” she said softly.

Gabriel finally tore his gaze away from Nathalie’s sleeping form to look up at Evelyn. “I can't thank you enough for-”

“Don't,” Evelyn interrupted.

“Why not? You did an incredible thing for my family.”

“Our family,” Evelyn said quietly.

Gabriel was silent for a moment. “I thought you hated Nathalie.”

Evelyn shrugged. “She certainly got under my skin when I first returned to Paris, I'll give her that. It's to her credit; so few people actually do. I thought she didn't understand my power, didn't take me seriously as a threat, the way she behaved towards me. But then last night, I saw her again and,” Evelyn laughed softly. “You should have seen her, Gabriel, she was… it was the same look she gave me back then, and I realized it wasn't that she didn't understand, because she clearly did. She knew what Ian could do to her, what he would do to her, anyone could see that. But she still looked at Ian like his power was nothing to her, like… I don't know if I can explain it exactly, like she was annoyed at him for wasting her time. It was…”

“Intoxicating?” Evelyn looked at Gabriel, surprised. “I spent the first three months of our relationship courting her exclusively as a supervillain. I am intimately familiar with the look you are describing.”

Evelyn’s eyes lit up. “You did not.”

“I did.”

Evelyn burst into laughter so hard she had to lean on the back of the armchair for support. “God, you're such a disaster,” she finally managed to say. “How do you keep marrying up?”

“I try not to look gift horses in the mouth.” Gabriel took one last look at his wife, then sighed and followed Evelyn out of the room.

~~~ 

 “Die, die, die, why won't you just die?”

Nathalie opened her eyes and looked over to her left. Nino Lahiffe was sitting in an armchair across the bedroom and was currently shouting at a handheld video game. “That's not as comforting a thing to wake up to as you might think,” she said dryly.

“Nathalie!” Nino snapped the game shut and hurried to her side. “How are you feeling? Need anything?”

Nathalie shook her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, um, well, Adrien’s mom wanted to check out the apartment of the guy that, you know, kidnapped you, and Mr. Agreste wanted to go talk to some guy called the Guardian, and Adrien and LB didn’t really trust either of them to go off and do those things on their own so they left too, and Adrien asked if I could stay here.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Nathalie said immediately. “I’m perfectly fine, I don’t need-”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Nino said dismissively. “It’s not like I need an excuse to sit around all Saturday playing video games anyway.”

Nathalie smiled gently. “You’re a much more giving person than you like to let on, Nino Lahiffe,” she said, and Nino blushed.

“It’s nothing,” he repeated sheepishly. “Just don’t scare me like that ever again and we’ll call it even, okay?”

Nathalie nodded. “Deal.”

“So, um…” Nino checked the time on his phone, “now that you're awake you probably want to eat something, right? If you're in the mood for it, my parents added some new tagines to the menu, and my cousin Said’s on delivery duty today. He's been dying to deliver something to the mansion ever since he found out I'm friends with Adrien.”

Nathalie nodded. “That sounds nice.”

Nino started punching something into his phone, then stopped and looked up. “Should I order extra?” he asked. “Since you're, um, eating for two? Sorry,” he added quickly, as a faint blush appeared on Nathalie’s cheeks, “I didn't-I mean I'm not sorry, I'm super psyched about it-Congratulations!-but I'm sorry I found out, I know you weren't telling anyone for a while. It's just, I was calling all these hospitals yesterday, just in case you were hurt, right, and Adrien and his dad thought I should know so if I did find you I could tell the hospital right away.”

Nathalie nodded slowly. “I see. It's fine. No, you don't need to order extra.”

“I really am psyched though,” Nino said, grinning. “I love kids, they're great, you're gonna-”

“It was stupid,” Nathalie whispered, before she could stop herself.

“Huh?”

“Stupid to think we could do this safely, stupid to think this was all behind us,” Nathalie continued. “She's not even going to be born for another seven months and she's already getting dragged into these life-or-death situations. What were we thinking?”

“Oh jeez, Nat, it's not your fault. Don't think about it like that.”

“How should I think about it?”

“Well…” Nino thought for a moment. “That kid’s gonna be safer than any kid in Paris, you know? Just think about everyone who's gonna be protecting it. Two superheroes, one supervillain-sorry, ex-supervillain-uh, whatever Adrien’s mom is, you, and I know I don't bring a lot to the table compared to all that but I'm an expert babysitter. CPR trained and everything.”

Nathalie blinked. “That… actually makes me feel much better, thank you.” She paused. “You know about Gabriel?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, that came up yesterday too.”

“Out of curiosity,” Nathalie asked, “are there any secrets you don't know at this point?”

“Well, I still don't know who LB is,” Nino replied conversationally, “but Adrien keeps slipping and talking about her like she's somebody I know, so I figure that one’s only a matter of time, too. Anyway, back to the important questions.” Nino picked his phone back up. “Chicken or lamb?”

 ~~~

 “Good Lord, the ego on that man,” Evelyn muttered to herself after examining the apartment door for a moment.

“Huh?” Adrien asked. His mother gestured vaguely.

“He did all his security spells himself,” she said. “Even I don’t do that. Spells tie to their sorcerers, so if something happens to the sorcerer then every active spell they’ve ever cast is compromised. It’s common sense to get one or two security spells from other sorcerers, just in case. But I suppose Ian couldn’t imagine anything ever taking him down.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “There are basically no defenses left on the place. We can just walk right in.”

Adrien went to open the door. “It’s locked,” he said. His mother scoffed, then waved her hand over the doorknob before turning it and letting herself in. Sighing, her son followed.

“Where did I leave my… ah.” Evelyn crossed the room to a small table and picked up her purse, then started to look around, walking slowly around the apartment.

“You came here yesterday?”

“Very briefly. It was the teleportation site. One side of it, anyway. I didn't exactly have an opportunity to look around.” She picked up a few stray pieces of mail off a kitchen countertop, looked through them for a moment, then dropped them back down.

“This place is pretty modest,” Adrien said. “I mean, I know my perspective is probably warped anyway, but I would have expected the most powerful man in Europe to have a more impressive apartment.”

Evelyn shrugged. “When you can get anything in the world you want at the drop of a hat,” she said, “the idea of accumulating a lot of stuff loses its appeal. Minimalism can be its own kind of luxury.” She crossed to the bedroom, took a few steps inside, and stopped. Bending over, she picked up Nathalie's glasses from the floor and handed them to Adrien. “He must have kept her in here,” she said softly, “before moving her.”

Adrien paled. “Are all sorcerers like that?” he asked. “Treating other people like… like things to be used, to take advantage of?”

Evelyn sighed. “There aren't many sorcerers that come close to Ian’s level,” she said. “The others aren't very different from anybody else, really. But among the elite… there are probably more sorcerers like Ian than not, I'm afraid.” She scanned the room, and her eyes locked into the dresser. “Jackpot.” She walked over and picked up a cell phone. “Now this is going to be useful,” Evely said smugly. She studied the device for a minute, then frowned.

“What?”

“He was more careful with this,” Evelyn said. “He got someone else to ward it.”

“Can you get past it?”

“Eventually,” Evelyn said, “but we might not have the time for it. It might be faster to just use mundane methods to hack into it. Not that I know the first thing about breaking into phones, I'm afraid. Do you?”

“No,” Adrien said slowly, “but I think I know someone who does.”

~~~ 

 Master Fu opened his door and looked up in surprise. “Gabriel. Ladybug. I didn't expect to see you two together.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “He insisted on coming here himself,” she said, “even though he doesn't have any right to talk to you directly as far as I'm concerned.”

“Your concern is appreciated,” Fu replied easily. “Please, both of you, come in.” Fu led them to his kitchen table and all three of them took a seat. “Tell me, how is Nathalie?”

“She’ll be fine,” Gabriel replied, and Fu sighed in relief, “but I'm afraid there's a new problem.” Gabriel took a deep breath and started from the beginning, going through everything he knew about what happened, everything Nathalie and Evelyn had told him during the two hour drive back. Fu was silent for a long time after Gabriel finished speaking.

“My,” he finally whispered. “What a terrifying prospect. What a terrible fate you two narrowly avoided.”

“A fate that Evelyn is quite sure not everyone has managed to avoid, I'm afraid,” Gabriel replied.

Fu nodded, then looked at Ladybug. “Your powers will be vital, I’m certain, in removing this threat.”

“I know,” Ladybug replied. “I'll be ready. We can't let soulmarks be destroyed.”

“Your selflessness is laudable,” Fu said, “but I'm afraid the stakes are more personal than you realize. You see, a Miraculous holder is far more likely to eventually get a soulmark than the average person.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened. “I'm going to get a mark?” she whispered.

“I cannot say, but it is more likely than not.”

Ladybug glanced at Gabriel. “Is that why he has one?”

“Perhaps.” Fu sighed. “In any case, it is irrelevant whether you or Chat specifically ever get them. If this magic becomes widespread, it will undermine all Miraculous holders to come. I cannot allow that. I must use every tool at my disposal to prevent this catastrophe.” Fu rose from the table and left the room without another word. Ladybug and Gabriel sat next to each other in awkward silence for a few minutes, until Fu returned. He sat down again, then placed a small black box on the table and slid it towards Gabriel. Gabriel’s eyes widened in recognition, but it was Ladybug who spoke.

“Is that… you can't be serious!”

“Quite serious,” the Guardian replied calmly.

“Are you crazy? Don't you remember what it was like when he-”

“The Butterfly Miraculous,” Fu interrupted gently, “is one of the most vital tools we have for watching over Paris. It may be the difference between finding this new enemy in time to prevent disaster or not.”

“So give it to someone else, anyone else!” Ladybug shouted impatiently.”Someone who can actually be trusted to-”

“Gabriel.” Fu turned to the man, who was still staring wordlessly at the box. “When you first acquired this, how long was it before you were able to sense emotions outside of transformation?”

Gabriel tore his gaze away from the box. “A few months, I believe.”

Fu nodded. “Yes, that's normal.” He turned to Ladybug. “We do not have a few months, I'm afraid, for a new Miraculous holder to develop the ability to monitor the emotional state of Paris nonstop. Gabriel has already developed this ability, and it will return to him the second he takes up the Miraculous again.” Fu looked at Gabriel again. “You used that to attack innocent people once. Will you use it now to defend them?” Gabriel nodded slowly and picked up the box. “Good. I expect you to get in touch if you sense anything untoward. In the meantime, I will conduct my own research into the matter.” Fu got up again, and his two guests rose and followed him back to the front door. Gabriel exited without another word, but Ladybug held back and turned to Fu.

“Sir?”

“Yes?”

“You said…” she hesitated, bracing herself, “you said Miraculous users were more likely to have marks, so I was wondering if, um, if you-not to be personal, but-”

“Her name was Jun,” Fu interrupted. “We were very happy for many years.”

“Oh,” Ladybug said. “What, um, what happened to her?”

“Oh, she died about nine decades ago,” Fu replied easily. “Peacefully, at home, surrounded by our children and grandchildren.”

“I'm sorry,” Ladybug said immediately.

Fu smiled gently. “I'm not.” Ladybug nodded, then left.

Gabriel was waiting patiently for her on the sidewalk, and Ladybug just barely managed to keep from glaring. “You don't need me to escort you home,” she snapped. “If something comes up, Adrien knows how to reach me.” She turned away and began to leave.

“Miss Ladybug.” Ladybug stopped and turned to look back at Gabriel. “I am not a fool, and I am in no way at a loss to understand your skepticism. But you must understand, all I care about now is protecting my family. That includes your partner. I would no longer use this for any other-”

“You don't deserve it,” Ladybug interrupted, her voice flat. “These things are a sacred responsibility and you don't deserve one, you haven't earned the right to wield one, and you can't be trusted to make the right decisions with one. Especially that one. I hope I'm wrong, for Adrien’s sake, but I think we both know I'm not. Don't you?” Before Gabriel could respond, Ladybug had thrown her yo-yo out and was gone.

 ~~~

 “Okay, you gotta time this part right when he-”

“Jump! Double jump!”

“Nice, you unlocked the bonus round!”

Gabriel entered his bedroom to find his wife sitting on their bed between Adrien and Nino, scowling at some kind of video game while the two teenagers enthusiastically coached her through it. He shut the door behind him, and all three looked up simultaneously.

“Father! You're back!”

Gabriel nodded. “Is your mother still here?”

“Yeah, she's waiting downstairs. We might have a lead on Ian's partner. What did the Guardian say?”

Gabriel hesitated. “I'd prefer to discuss it with Nathalie first. Privately. I'll join you downstairs afterward.”

“Oh, um, yeah, of course.” Adrien got off the bed, and Nino followed.

“Here,” Nathalie said, holding the game out to Nino.

“You can borrow it, I can get it back after you beat that level,” Nino replied, before quickly exiting the room with Adrien. Gabriel watched the two boys leave, then stared at the shut door silently for a while.

“Gabriel?” Nathalie finally said. “Is something wrong?”

Gabriel shook his head, then sat down on the bed next to his wife. “I thought… I just thought, after we were both blindsided by Adrien being Chat Noir, that we'd do a better job of paying attention to him from then on. That we'd learned something, maybe, that we'd be more in tune with his life.”

“We are,” Nathalie said, taking her husband's hand.

“He and that Lahiffe boy, I had no idea that they were,” Gabriel hesitated, struggling with the word, “intimate.”

Nathalie's eyes widened, and she looked back towards the door. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Nathalie considered this for a moment. “Well, I couldn't have picked anyone better,” she finally said. “How long have they been together?”

“I have no idea. I just found out now.”

“Really?” Nathalie raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I was here the whole time, you know, I think I would have noticed if either of them had said anything to suggest-”

“I sensed it. Empathically.”

Nathalie froze. “What?”

Gabriel sighed. “The Guardian felt it would be best if I took the Butterfly Miraculous back,” he said numbly. “In order to monitor the emotional state of Paris. And to fight these new enemies, if necessary.”

Nathalie pulled her hand away. “You know how I feel about those things.”

“I do.”

“You know how I feel about you having one of those things.”

“I do, Nathalie. You're not the only one to feel that way, and you're not wrong.”

“But?”

“But… Nathalie, I felt so helpless yesterday, so powerless.”

“Gee,” Nathalie said sarcastically, “I can't imagine what that must have been like for you, feeling powerless yesterday. You'll have to let me know if there's anything I can do to help you through this difficult time.”

“I'm not trying to make this about me,” Gabriel said defensively. “Yesterday might not have been nearly as terrible for you if I'd had the Miraculous when you were abducted. I might have been able to feel it, the moment you were taken. I might have been able to find you right away. I do not intend to let something like that happen again. Until this danger is passed, I will do anything I possibly can to keep you safe, to keep this family safe.”

“You told yourself you were doing what was best for your family the last time you wielded that thing,” Nathalie said accusingly.

Gabriel sighed. “I did,” he agreed. “If you think I'm beginning to abuse it again, I swear I'll hand it over like I did two years ago.”

Nathalie pursed her lips. “I don't want to have to bear the entire weight of your moral conscience, Gabriel,” she said. “That's not fair, and you know it. Without Miraculouses, we have something that works. I don't want to risk that, especially now.”

Gabriel was silent for a moment. “I wish I knew what to say to dispel your anger, your fear. Heaven knows I can't fault you for it, but-”

“Oh, can't you just let me feel how I feel?” Nathalie snapped. “Maybe you can sense my emotions now but they're still mine, not yours to fix or control. I'll get over it eventually. I know it wasn't your idea. Just let it be, would you?”

Gabriel nodded. “I'll… I'll go downstairs, inform the others. Find out what Evelyn discovered.”

“That's a good idea,” Nathalie said stiffly.

Gabriel started to get off the bed, then turned back to his wife and kissed her forehead impulsively. “This will work,” he whispered. “I won't do anything to jeopardize what we have.”

[crepeycrepeyspacewizard]

Father's Day prompt- 'Galaxy's #1 Dad' mug

[Wow this got out of hand! Nonny please accept 2,008 words of kid fic. BB is the nonbinary child of Hux & Hux in Modern Emperors while JakJak is the dimension hopping monster son of Kylux from Laeti Vescimur Nos Subacturis & To Sleep, Perchance.]

JakJak liked this world. It was simple. Just humans, low tech, and - apart from the language - it was easy to navigate.

The language made no sense. He’d heard people speaking multiple tongues here while the trade language seemed to be Basic. But the writing didn’t tally up.

For example, his friend BB spoke Basic, though they called it English. They kept trying to teach him the letters, but the nature of his travel made it hard to follow. He didn’t always find himself here sequentially. He still wasn’t entirely sure how he moved between universes at all.  

Once, a few years ago to him but three months in the future for them, BB had shown him some weirdly two dimensional holos that they thought would explain matters. But the ‘movies’ had just confused him. He didn’t travel at 88 miles an hour. Nor was he a human-looking droid. He just went and there he was, nothing more to it.

He’d work it all out one day he knew, but right now he was more interested in learning about the places he visited and the things he saw.

Today they were out with the babysitter, not on any particular mission just ‘out of the house before they drove them out of their mind’.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing with a hand that was mostly human right now.

BB rolled their eyes. They were the only child of the local rulers - two copies of his own father offset by a few years - and they never seemed to take his questions seriously.

“It’s a book shop.” They said, then continued when his expression didn’t change- “where you buy books. And all kinds of silly things because people don’t buy books any more.”

“What’s a book?”

Pinching the bridge of the nose and wearily closing golden eyelashes was such a father gesture that JakJak actually feared he’d get reprimanded. BB had insisted they weren’t a clone, but at times like this JakJak really didn’t believe them.

“Paper, with writing on it. To record and dis-trib-ute knowledge.”

“You sound just like father,” JakJak said. “Wow. I can’t believe you still have those, I’ve never seen one in real life. Papa has one but he’s says it’s full of ancient Sith secrets so we’re not allowed to see. I thought you had datapads?”

“Yes, but some people still like paper.”

“Huh.” JakJak crinkled his brow. “Why is the window all full of blue cards and balloons?”

“Oh.” They looked at the signs. “It must be Father’s Day soon. Dad says I ‘shouldn’t fill the house with junk’ but I know for a fact he’s kept every macaroni and paste picture I’ve made in my entire life, and I’m pretty sure he still has the travel mug Dad had made the year I was born. So I’ll still get something.”

JakJak could feel his frown deepening as it always did when BB talked about their fathers  as singular ‘Dad’. It was hard to follow which one they meant, though the few times he’d seen them he hadn’t been able to tell them apart either.

Except that one time at a picnic when they’d taken their shirts off to play some sport or other. JakJak had been surprised to see that one of them had almost the exact same shoulder scars as his own father, though he lacked the ones one his belly and back.

That had been disorientating. JakJak was used to seeing copies of his father in every universe, but until then he’d thought only his father and Papa Carolus had those scars. He’d wondered how many others had them too, but he’d yet to work out an unwierd way to ask.

“Your fathers set up a day just so that people would buy them gifts?” He asked, mildly appalled. “I thought Empire Day was bad, but at least that wasn’t father’s idea.”

BB shoved him none too gently. He had the strength to resist but that usually worried people, so he let himself fall into the wall instead.

“What?! No!” They cried. “It’s like a hundred year old holiday or something! People had been celebrating Mother’s Day for years and they decided to make a Father’s Day to balance it out. So everyone buys their parents gifts. Well. Not everyone. Some people have awful parents… Dad gets a lot of work on those holidays.”

For some reason BB’s fathers still laboured under the misapprehension that their child didn’t know they were assassins. Of course JakJak’s Papa Kylo killed people all the time, but he was the Emperor’s Lord Protector. For some reason that seemed more honourable than assassination.

JakJak didn’t say that though. Last time he’d said that outloud BB had pushed him into the Puget Sound. He hadn’t liked that.

“Oh. Okay.” That seemed safe.

“Hah! Look at this!” BB called excitedly from the window. “You should get two of these! Oh, I might get two for Dad too.”

He really hadn’t understood the sentence but JakJak dutifully peered at the object indicated by BB’s finger. It was a white mug with incomprehensible local scrawl across the side.

“Uh, what does it say?”

BB sighed and looked ready to tell him off when they suddenly stopped mid-breathe. “Oh. If you can’t read it then they won’t be able to either, will they?”

JakJak shook his head.

“I wonder if they sell any kits?” They said thoughtfully.

JakJak liked sitting at the table in Dex’ apartment. There was cookie jar in the shape of a cat in the middle, and Dex never complained about him eating them all. Or about serving him raw meat. That was nice. A lot of people didn’t like to handle it.

He liked this Dex. This Dex laughed a lot more than his own. But then this Dex still had their Mitaka. In his universe Papa Kylo had killed Mitaka by accident long before JakJak was even born. That was a strange thing to think about. It made his chest feel funny, so he stopped.

BB had spread paper all over the surface of the table and arranged the four mugs so they could show him how to use the kit.

“Write on the surface with the pens. If you go wrong wipe it off with the alcohol wipes. When we’re done Dex can put them in the oven to cure before Dad gets here to pick me up, when you have to go home.”

“Ok.” He nodded and picked up a purple coloured pen. “What should I write?”

“The mug I saw said ‘Galaxy’s Number 1 Dad’.” BB said, writing the words on the paper as they spoke. “I thought that was funny since you said your father was Galactic Emperor.”

At the sink Dex snorted but didn’t turn around. JakJak put his tongue out at them anyway. It was a very long tongue, and forked today, so he felt it made his point.

Writing on the shiny surface took a lot of concentration and it was only when he’d finished that JakJak realised he still had his tongue sticking out between his teeth. BB didn’t notice- they were too busy staring at his writing with their mouth open.

“That’s Basic?!” They asked, apparently stunned but something as simple as writing.

JakJak laughed. “No, the letters are called Aurebesh.”

“Oh my god, that’s what Dad writes in when he wants to make notes no one can read!”

The last part was a conspiratorial whisper, like it was some kind of secret Dex shouldn’t know about. JakJak didn’t really understand why.

“Can you show me how do it?” Now that would be easy.

The Emperor kept a clear desk. It was a point of pride. It was also a point of keeping his Force damned sanity in the face of a horribly complicated galaxy.

Which made the pair of white cylinders sitting in the middle of the desk a source of irritation.

Who the pfassk had dared to leave… oh.

They were mugs. Very primitive stoneware mugs, exactly the opposite of the opulence that surrounded them.

A child had written on them.

He picked up the closest mug.

One side read- ‘GALAxY’s #1 fATHeR’ while the other bore the words ‘JAkJAK LoVEs YoU’.

Hux stared at it in confusion.

The other was the same but read ‘PApA’ instead of father. No, not the same. The writing was raised. It seemed like multiple layers of paint had been applied so fingers could detect the words.

With slightly trembling hands Hux carried them gingerly through the palace, opening doors with his elbows, until he reached the nursery.

Alia was standing on a box next to JakJak’s crib and clinging to her blind father’s robes as the pair watched the infant sleep. He was almost a month old but it didn’t look like the novelty would wear off anytime soon.

“Kylo?” He whispered, desperate not to wake the child he’d only persuaded to sleep an hour ago. “I found these in my office. Any idea what it means?”

Kylo studied them for a moment, borrowing Hux’ eyes to see what his fingers and the Force couldn’t show him.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it means we’re the best fathers in the Galaxy?” He said with a grin.

The stare Hux gave him should have caused him to combust on the spot, but he just let his grin widen.

“Who left them there?! I know it wasn’t Alia, her handwriting is much better than this!”

Without looking away from the baby their daughter gave a prim, “thank you!”

“The clue is on the mug, Bren. JakJak did this.”

“He’s only 27 days old!”

“And he saved me from Snoke a month after he was conceived!” Kylo snapped back. In his crib JakJak stirred. Kylo reduced his volume as he continued, “this is just the way he is. We always knew he was different. We should expect… different things.”

Yes, perhaps they should. But in the scheme of things, time travelling just to make sure they knew they were loved should not count as a cause for concern.

The bed shook at the sudden assault.

“We’re being boarded, all hands to battlestations!” A sleepy voice said from under its pillow.

“Dad!” BB squealed when the other man-shaped lump in the bed reared up to envelope her in the sheets.

“I’ve captured the interloper Lieutenant General Hair Dye, what shall I do with…”

There was more screaming as the other figure sat up and hurled its pillow at the first. “Lieutenant General Hair Dye! How dare you?!”

“DAD!!”

“I apologise, let us make peace and defeat the invader... with tickling!!”

“DAAAAD nooooooo….”

“What do you think Auren? No mercy?”

“Of course!”

It was another ten minutes, and one of their fathers literally falling out of the bed, before BB admitted defeat.

“I surrender! Also, your coffee is going cold!” That, at least, was enough to force Auren to accept the surrender while the coffee would still be drinkable.

BB sat on Eamon’s knee to watch as Auren reached for his own mug. He turned white when he saw the text, which was impressive for a man as pale as a Hux.

“Auren? Are you okay?” Eamon asked, concerned.

Auren’s weaker left hand was shaking and threatened to spill the beverage on the sheets.

“Did you write this, BB?”

They nodded. “Yes, Dad, I made one for both of you.”

Eamon glanced at the mug on his side of the bed. The writing on that one was in English, not the angular but oddly familiar text on Auren’s mug.

There was silence for a moment as Auren seemed to weigh his options. Finally he put the mug carefully back in its place and turned to hug them both.

“One day you’re going to tell me where you learned that, okay?”

BB didn’t entirely understand, but they knew enough to take the out when it was offered. “Of course, Dad, but I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

“No, no I think I will.”