#so I grow up. and the family members I trust keep dragging me back into it

[idsb]

lol

“The bad guy’s got it coming” is what they tell you They build you up to break you down when it turns out that’s not true The story’s played for decades and I fear it never ends Because world isn’t a story, and some scars just never mend

And fairytales die on the cold, hard ground They say fleeing the castle will get you out But you try and write and the pages just bleed Together with scars every time you feel free Screaming at the sky won’t make a sound Sometimes fairytales die on the cold, hard ground

Run from the king like they told you should Forgot to mention an underdog never could Cry to the town as they chase you down No one believes you when you make a sound You made it away but you’re never out And fairytales die on the cold, hard ground

[projectbluearcadia]

Epilogue

Diavolo: Ah, ah? Testing. There we are. To our dear students attending the Royal Academy of Diavolo, we have called you together today to make an important announcement.

Students that had been talking to each other in hushed and occasionally loud tones grow quiet. They look up at Diavolo on his podium.

Diavolo: It has come to our attention that many rumors are circulating about the demon that was known as Corde Lia, a vampire from the distinguished Erimav family that offers this academy, as well as myself, their very souls. Their brother, Hter Ric, has since been spreading a false rumor about Lia's confrontation with another student.

Hter: I daresay it wasn't false. My sibling is dead, are they not?

Diavolo raises one hand, and Hter reluctantly backs down.

Diavolo: I am getting to that. We will begin with what is correct. Corde Lia was killed by Annelie Glasgow after a confrontation. However, this confrontation was not instigated by her, nor was this killing intentional. Lia sexually harassed Ms. Glasgow and actively practiced species-related discrimination, despite knowing that Ms. Glasgow is in a committed relationship with our Vice-President, Lucifer.

Diavolo's brows furrow.

Diavolo: As such, Ms. Glasgow will be suspended from all academy activities for one week. I, as prince of the Devildom and as president of the academy, formally apologize to the family of Corde Lia, who grieves for their lost child.

Diavolo: However, I also believe I have made it very clear that I will protect those whose voices otherwise go unheard. There are 5 succubi, including Ms. Glasgow, in this entire academy. The number of incubi is even less. We as the student council, and I personally, not as a prince or a president but as a proud member of the demonic race, beg you not to indulge in familiar assumptions. Thank you.

Clapping slowly resounds in scattered areas of the crowd, then spreads to its majority as Lucifer and Annelie step forward from the crowd. Hter is noticeably restraining his anger, begging to tear Annelie to bits.

Diavolo: Lucifer, I now hand things off to you.

Diavolo covers the mic.

Diavolo: And please, seriously, do not threaten anyone else with death while you're speaking. That is not a surprise I want today.

Lucifer: I wasn't going to; rest assured.

Diavolo's hand leaves the mic, and he steps backward to allow Lucifer into the light. Annelie fidgets behind him nervously.

Why am I even here? I'm not going to speak, right?

Lucifer: Diavolo has already covered all student conduct topics that I had wished to address. However, because there still seems to be some kind of misconception regarding my relationship with Annelie Glasgow, let me make it perfectly clear for all of you now.

Lucifer drags Annelie away from the podium, well within view of hostile, neutral and friendly demons. She keeps looking at the crowd uneasily, then at Lucifer.

Annelie: (Softly) What are you doing?

Lucifer gets down on one knee, and a collective, excited gasp from everyone present makes the room feel as if a giant had inhaled. Lucifer pulls out a small, velvet box, popping it open for Annelie to reveal a stunning marquise-cut engagement ring. Several girls in the crowd scream. Annelie gapes stupidly at it like a fish out of water.

Lucifer: Annelie, you came into my life without me even wanting it. I thought you were an impudent girl that just liked stealing my bed. I was foolish. You have the gall to lecture me, insult me, and even baby me. You have the libido that drives me to borderline madness. And, even though your heart is fragile... you placed it in my hands and trusted me with your everything. You made me believe that I could do the same.

Annelie raises her hands to her smiling mouth and starts to cry, trying not to laugh out of joy (and his cheesiness).

Lucifer: You've made my family feel at ease, and for once in my life, the moniker "The Morning Star" seems to feel as if it describes me. So, Annelie... Will you, for the rest of your life, choose to marry me and officially become my wife?

Annelie: Yes. Yes, you silly demon, I love you. Hurry up and put that ring on so I can hug you.

Lucifer chuckles to himself as he slides the ring onto her finger.

Lucifer: Impatient as always, aren't we?

Annelie: Oh stop it and c'mere. Let me kiss you.

The great majority of the crowd loudly cheers, several demons whistling and screaming as Annelie and Lucifer share a long, sweet kiss, enjoying each other's embrace.

Lucifer: I'm never going to lose you again.

Annelie: Likewise. No more cursed grimoires. No more brotherly secrets. No more magic diseases. We'll just have a peaceful life together...

I'll make sure of it.

Sapphire World

The Power I Hold / END

[ thank you for reading! ]

[dreamingdaysblog]

The peaky blinders soft side

TW: Epileptic reader/ seizures

//////////

You had known Michael from a young age- when he moved in with his foster mother you were introduced. You lived in the little house just behind and Michael used to sneak through the hole in the fence to see you. You’d become fast friends and on the day he left to meet with his birth mother, Polly, he promised to pull you from that dull town right with him. As soon as Esme’s position at the shop became available as she went off before giving birth, Michael jumped at the chance to put you forward. As soon as Tommy met you he’d agreed, your sweet and shy attitude had won him over, you were well educated and if Michael trusted you, so did he.

You had begged Michael to keep your secret which he had known ever since he met you. You had been diagnosed with epilepsy as a child and you tended to have the odd seizure. Michael had agreed, while narrowing his eyes and tilting his head, “you don’t have to worry you know, they’re not as scary as you think.” You let out a small laugh and reassured him “all the same, please keep it to yourself, it’s embarrassing and I don’t want anyone treating me differently.”

Your seizures weren’t frequent as long as you kept on-top of your medication and sleep schedule and you had plenty of warning to get to a private place. However, on the morning of your second month working in the shop the chiming of your clock started you awake after a restless night of sleep and you had a sinking feeling today would go badly. You washed and dressed- putting on a nice floral dress which was nipped in at the waist. The Shelby family were having a meeting today and you had been asked to take notes by Tommy, non-family members were never usually invited into meetings. Whenever Tommy asked you to do something you would burn at the cheeks and hardly be able to speak, after all he was THE Tommy Shelby- not only commanding but dashingly handsome. Although he didn’t pay much attention to you, you did catch him looking, his sky blue eyes flicking over you with a hard to read expression. You had a little feeling he had taken a shine to you, as had the whole family. The peaky boys loved your sweet smile and felt a protective sense over you. Polly had become a mother figure and showed you how to do your hair in the latest styles.

As the Shelby family filed into Tommy’s spacious office you followed behind, your vision blurred slightly and you stumbled on the doorframe step. “Woah there”, said John catching you by the arm and giving you a teasing smile “have you been at the whisky again y/n.” You blushed and mumbled an apology for bumping into him. John tilted his head at your lack of a smile or even a bit of banter back, “you ok” he said softly ducking his head down to your level and searching for your eyes. “Yes” you forced a smile. “Come on you two” boomed Arthur, patting you both on the back. Michael turned to see what the hold up was- when he saw your pale face he moved towards you instantly- “are you okay y/n- you’re very pale?” “Completely fine” you smiled, he did not look convinced. Tommy stood at his desk, smoking as usual with his business face on. Arthur and John leaned on the table in the centre of the room and lit their cigarettes while polly flopped into a chair infront of Tommys desk, Ada took the other one and sent you a warm smile- she knew you were nervous. Michael made a point of pulling a chair out to the side for you to sit on, pushing you gently down with his hands on your shoulders. You smiled at him gratefully, your legs were shaking slightly. There was a growing feeling something was wrong but you shook it off as nerves. Tommy took a glance in your direction, calculating Michaels actions as his eyes flicked around your face. He noticed your pallor and thought to himself he would keep an extra eye on you this afternoon. You looked delicate.

Tommy layed out some paperwork on his desk “right” he spoke in his thick accent, taking a drag of his cigarette. “We need to review our plans for the races next week…” Tommy’s words drifted in one ear and out the other as you mindlessly tapped the typewriter- touch typing and looking slightly vacant. You could feel the blood draining from your face and the sinking feeling- you needed to leave, you needed to speak to Michael and get somewhere where no one could witness this embarrassing scene. You ducked your head trying to get Michaels attention but he was focused on Tommy, instead you caught John’s eye. John chuckled at your panicked expression, “Tom you’re going too fast for our y/n” he joked. The whole family looked up at you. “Y/n are you alright” said Ada, moving forward. “Actually please excuse me, I’m sorry” you rushed out before standing up in order to leave the room. Michael’s head jolted up from the other side of the room, with a dreadful feeling he knew what was coming. The last thing you felt was complete confusion, you were lost and unfocused, fumbling your way to the door. You managed to take a few steps before your legs locked and you fell backwards, completely stiff.

As you made your excuses the family looked on in understanding. You seemed overwhelmed, it was understandable, you’d been working hard and tirelessly since you started. Tommy felt a pang of guilt, maybe he had thrown you in too soon. That guilt soon turned into worry as he lent forward, both hands bracing himself on his desk as you began to wobble and sway, catching sight of your vacant eyes. He thought he knew what was coming, he’d seen many girls faint, being three of the most dashing and dangerous men in Birmingham all the lads had caught a swooning girl before, girls just faint- women’s troubles. Tommy moved from his desk in an effort to get you down on the floor before you hurt yourself but your whole body clenched and began to crash to the floor before he could take a step.

To say the Shelby family lost their collective shit when you stiffened and began to fall was an understatement. There was commotion, a chorus of “woah, woah, woah” and the clattering of chairs as everyone rushed to you. John was right infront of you and lunged to catch you right around the waist, Arthur managed to get there to grab your head in his big palm and the two of them lowered you to the ground. Michael took a flying leap across the room and dived to your side while Polly rushed to get a pillow and Ada ran for some cool cloths to put on your forehead. In three quick strides Tommy was next to you and crouching down, putting his large hand under your neck with a knee on either side of your head. Hovering over you in pure panic. Arthur had moved to your side next to John with Michael on the other. Tommy crouched by your head, his piercing eyes flicking over your pale face. In horror the four watched as your unseeing and open eyes stared at the ceiling and the left side of your body moved erratically. “What the bloody hell is going on” said Arthur in panic as John swore “fucking Christ- POLLY!” Polly rushed over with the located pillow and handed it to Tommy, who placed it under your head, still cradling the nape of your neck in his big palm. He held out his hand expectantly for the cool rag Ada handed to him and layed it on your forehead, face laced with worry. “It’s okay, Michael babbled, she has epilepsy, this is a partial seizure, it’s normal for her.” He stroked your arm as he said it. Polly sighed, “why didn’t you tell us Michael- why didn’t she tell us!?” “She was embarrassed mum, she didn’t want to cause a scene, this really isn’t too bad for her, she normally has tonic clonic seizures ” Michael sighed back. Ada kneeled next to him and put a comforting hand on your leg. “We just need to wait it out, it’s only been a minute, we should give her a couple before we call anyone.” John and Arthur were silent, focusing down on your face with worry, hoping this would stop soon as Tommy kicked himself internally, he should have known. Tommy hadn’t missed a few vacant stares and stumbles from you but brushed it off as anxiety and tried to act warmly before you. “You’re alright love, you’re alright” he murmured softly, rubbing his thumb soothingly on your temple. “Shall we keep her laying like this Michael?” He asked, Michael nodded and chewed his lip. It didn’t take too much longer for the mild seizure to subside. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and almost jumped when you blinked suddenly. “Y/n it’s okay” Johns hand rubbed your arm. “You’re alright” soothed Arthur gently. “Y/n, can you hear us, ey?” whispered Tommy. There was no reply yet, “give her a moment”, said Polly as Ada went to grab some water and a blanket.

Your vision swam and swirled and you heard far away voices echoing. “Y/n, can you hear us, ey?” A familiar voice whispered in your ear. Tommy. As your vision cleared you saw his blue eyes staring into yours and felt one large hand on your forehead and one cradling the back of your head. A sickly taste was in your mouth and the left side of your face felt numb. “Oh my god” you whispered, slightly slurred and every face in the room let out a relieved sigh. You almost pushed yourself up but John, Michael and Arthur all pushed you back down with a chorus of “woah there, hold on and shhhh.” “You’re alright there y/n” soothed Tommy almost cooing, “do you know what’s happening”. You nodded, the motion making you feel sick. “I am so so sorry”, your face began to crumble and a tear streamed down. “I didn’t mean to.” “Hey hey hey, it’s alright, it’s alright, shhhh” soothed Tommy while the boys rubbed your arms and legs soothingly. “Let’s get you up” said Tommy - he jostled you into his chest and easily lifted you into his arms as John and Arthur helped. You locked eyes with Michael who gave you a reassuring smile. “You can sleep y/n, I know how tired you get.” You didn’t want to but your eyes were already drooping as Tommy set you down and Ada draped a blanket over you.

/////////////

“That poor girl, how long has she had these seizures”, Polly asked Michael. “All her life, she was born with this”, sighed Michael. It was now late afternoon and you were still sleeping, the floor was no longer busy and they were locking up soon. “I am sorry for not telling you all, I just didn’t want to betray her.” They all smiled small smiles and John patted Michael on the back. “Shall we get her home?” He asked. Tommy appeared at the door frame to his office, where he and Michael had been watching you closely for the day. “You go ahead, I’ll drive her home when she wakes.” He said, cigarette between his fingers. The family nodded, trusting you in Tommy’s capable hands. “Thanks Tom” said Michael, casting your sleeping figure one last look. “Call us if you need anything” Polly reminded Tommy. “Will do” Tommy replied.

Walking back into the office once everyone had left Tommy sighed deeply and pulled up a chair by your head. He placed another cool rag on your head hoping to rouse you a little. It worked, your eyes fluttered and he called out to you “ey, sweetheart, can you open your eyes for me”. You were drawn to his voice. Once you had opened your eyes the guilt and embarrassment washed over you again, “hey, hey, shhhh it’s alright, love you’re okay” Tommy stroked your hair. “I’m so sorry Tommy” you stuttered out. “I didn’t want you to think less of me, don’t worry, I’ll pack up my desk now”. Tommy raised his eyebrow “what are you talking about?” “You don’t want someone like me working for you.” You sobbed. Tommy tutted at your remark. “Y/n you’re the hardest working person here, of course we want you.” You sat up slowly, Tommy moved quickly to support you. “What?… I thought…” “No y/n, we need you here” Tommy smiled that rare smile, lighting up his eyes. “But you listen to me, I don’t want anything happening to you, if you feel unwell you come directly to me and you can lay down here whenever you need.” He said in a stern tone. You swallowed and nodded. “Shall we get you home, ey? Do you feel ready?” “Yes, I think so”, you went to cautiously stand up before realising your left side was still numb. “Woah” Tommy’s strong bicep curled around your waist and he bent at the knees to support you. “Well, you’re not walking” he murmured, swooping you up into his arms again and carrying you out to his car. “Tommy…I can…” you trailed off at another stern look from him. “Thankyou” you said sleepily. Tommy gently put you in his passenger seat and started the car. “I’m taking you to my house” he stated plainly. “Tommy I’m okay to go home” you murmured, already being pulled back into sleep. “No y/n, you stay where I can keep an eye on you.” Once you drove up Tommy’s big drive you were asleep again. Tommy carefully got you out of the car, trying not to wake you and carried you in. Mary came running but Tommy smiled reassuringly, “she’s unwell Mary, I’m taking care of her tonight and I will call if I need anything” he smiled. Mary nodded and smiled back at her kind boss.

Tommy placed you down on his bed gently and looked you over, he gently pulled your shoes off and unzipped your dress. He was careful to preserve your dignity and once he reached your slip he pulled the covers up tightly, wrapping you in. You had roused slightly. Tommy held some water Mary had brought up to your lips, supporting your head and you gratefully drank. “Shhh now, go back to sleep, I will be here if you need anything” Tommy said from his comfortable chair. “Thankyou Tommy, I really am sorry” you murmured. “Relax ey, you’re alright, it’s alright” Tommy smoothed your hair again. He sighed and relaxed back in his chair, thinking about what a protective side you brought out in him and why indeed that happened. This was something Polly was pondering at the same time, smirking with a cigarette poised between her fingers. She always knew he had a soft spot for you. Tommy closed his eyes, ready to stay vigil by your bedside for the night, just incase, and remembered the terror he felt hovering over you in such a vulnerable state. He vowed to keep a closer eye on you from now on.

[ebitchwriting]

Dragged Into The Blood

Story Summary: Never staying in one place for long, moving nearly every year, Lea Anderson was used to impermanence, chaos, and having to leave everything behind at the drop of a hat. Lea never expected that she would be kidnapped and wake up in a rusted, decrepit prison cell because of a madman's delusional belief in eugenics and cleansing the Earth of imperfection. By herself, with only the clothing on her back, she will have to rely on luck and logic to escape before she's killed or worse. Warnings: mentions of violent behavior, mention of killing two members of a family and terrorizing the rest, stubborn parenting, mention of nightmares, and dysphoria due to monstrous features.

Hello, Dearhearts, and welcome back! So this is the last chapter of the buffer arc before we enter the Revelations 2 arc and finally get caught up to where I originally was in the original Fanfiction.net version of this story! I really wanted to show the complications of Lea's home life, what comforts she has, and show Roark's point of view and his faults without straight-up villainizing him, which is something I was accidentally doing in the original fic. Hope y'all like it!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

Chapter 12: Entering A New Chapter

Roark

“You don’ understand, Redfield, Walker is a feckin’ maniac.” Roark shouted in a whisper, his eyes darting up toward the ceiling before returning vaguely toward the ground. From what he could hear, there was still no movement from Lea’s bedroom. She suffered enough, and everything he did seemed to worsen things. The least he could do was let the poor girl sleep. “Him pulling a gun on a bony kid? Wasn’ the only time he pulled some crazy shite on us. In multiple situations, he set up Jada and Sal as bait and nearly got ’em killed. His explanation? ‘If they died, then they weren’t any good.’ And not to mention his feckin’ vendetta against Shawn and me…” Roark fought to keep his tone quiet. Pacing the room, roughly running a hand through his unkempt hair.

“Anderson,” Chris’s voice cut through, his tone tired and curt.

“Then the feckin’ bastard kills Jada and Sal and terrorizes my family for years before disappearin’ off the face of the Earth! He ain’ gone, he ain’ dead, he will come back. And if I’m not here…” Roark went on, ignoring that Chris had even spoken, his breaths growing more labored.

“Anderson,” Chris tried again, his tone snappier than before.

“I protected her for sixteen years. Sixteen years. I fecked up once, I’m not gonna feck up again-”

“Anderson! Shut up and listen for one minute!” Chris snapped, loud enough that Roark winced and pulled the phone away from his ear. After a short moment, Roark pressed the flip phone back to his ear. “I get why you’re scared. After everything you all have been through, I don’t blame you. But she’s not under the protection of a small mercenary group anymore. She’s under the protection of B.S.A.A. Plus you trained her well. She’s cautious and won’t take any chances with her safety.”

“But-” The shaggy-haired man started to argue, promptly cut off by Chris.

“And she’s not a starving little preschooler anymore! Yeah, she’s sixteen, but she’s also nearly an adult. With the way you’re trying to double down and rob her of any chance to have a life, you can’t be surprised Lea won’t talk to you.” Chris paused for a moment, breathing deeply before continuing. “You can’t get trust if you don’t trust her.” Both men went silent, and for a moment, Roark’s eyes softened in understanding. Searching eyes wandered nowhere in the dimly lit living room as he was lost in thought. After that moment, however, his barely wrinkled face contorted into a harsh grimace at Chris’s accusation.

“Don’t tell me how to parent my daughter. Until she’s eighteen, she stays with me.” He lowly hissed out, nearly slamming the flip phone shut. It was only then that he noticed how his chest was heaving. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to calm down, and shortly, his breathing returned to its deep, rhythmic pattern. He refused to let himself lose control, especially not over some random stranger, thinking he knew how to parent his daughter best.

Roark clicked off the lamp, easily navigating his way in the darkness to the stairwell. Each step was feather light and slow. Each breath was carefully controlled and quiet. At the top of the stairway, the mercenary tip-toed to the middle door on the left. Leaning forward, he got as close to the shut door as possible without touching it, peeling his ears for any sounds. For a moment, nothing. Then he heard it, a whimper, then a quiet sob.

Without wasting another second, Roark opened the door, stepping through the doorway. He expected to see his little girl trying her best to stifle her sobs like he often catches her doing late at night. But no, not this time. She was under the weighted covers this time, sweat beading her skin and eyes screwed shut. A nightmare.

As quietly as possible, Roark made his way to her bedside. Kneeling on the ground, he reached a large hand toward the whimpering teenager, gently brushing away the damp hair from her face. Lea stilled at the touch, and for a moment, Roark stilled too, fearing the mere touch had woken her. Then her eyes relaxed, and she released her breath, relaxing into the touch. Roark sighed in relief, recognizing she was still asleep. Momentarily, he wondered how she hadn’t heard him until he saw the bright orange earplugs.

Sadly smiling at his slumbering daughter, he stayed there, caressing her hair until her breath evened out and her fists stopped clutching at the covers. Slowly, he stood up and returned to the door, carefully shutting it. Even before she was taken, Lea had always had chronic nightmares, but not like this. She didn’t fear sleep before. She never avoided it for days at a time. He wanted so badly for Lea to confide in him again. About her nightmares. What happened when she was taken. Anything. Everything. Roark wished his little girl would just let him help and stop treating him like a stranger.

Lea

The warm rays of the dawn seep through the open window, washing over the sleeping teen, gently waking her from her slumber. Lea slowly blinked against the soft yet bright morning light. She can’t remember the last time she had woken up peacefully rather than waking up gasping for air. Lea let her eyes drift over to the alarm clock on her nightstand, confirming what she already knew, that she had more than enough time to prepare for the interview at TerraSave and then some. Sighing, she pushed herself into a sitting position, still feeling the telltale signs of exhaustion. Before she had been abducted, she would have just rolled over and gone back to sleep. She was already used to waking up nearly every two or three hours beforehand. Yet now, she couldn’t bear the thought. Not when falling asleep already reminded her so much about— that.

Without another thought, Lea tossed aside her heavy covers and dragged herself out of her twin-sized bed. She walked toward the door, grabbing the rough cotton bathrobe off the hook before swinging the door open and entering the bathroom. Completely ignoring the light switch, she flipped on the fan and walked towards the tub. Lea dropped the bathrobe on the ground and turned the water. As the water warmed up, Lea started stripping the damp, sweaty pajamas off, avoiding looking in the direction of the mirror. The darkness made the reflection harder to see, but with her eyesight now, the darkness made little difference. 

Lea took her time once she stepped under the steaming water. Closing her eyes, she let herself lose track of time, letting the hot water beat down her neck. Focusing entirely on the sensation of her sharp nail scratching at her scalp as she lathered, the sting quickly washed away under the barely tolerable heat of the water. The scraping feeling of the loofa dragging across her skin. How the scent of sandalwood and citrus permeates the humid air. Even after she finished rinsing herself off, Lea sat under the stream, relaxing her muscles under the steady beat of the stream.

As soon as the water started to turn lukewarm, she shut off all the knobs, pulling herself out of the tub and wrapping the bathrobe around herself. Walking toward the mirror, she sighed, leaning over to flip the light switch. Still refusing to bring her gaze to the mirror, she grabbed her toothpaste and toothbrush and brushed every crevice. Still averting her gaze after rinsing her mouth, she grabbed the brush and roughly brushed through the wet mess. Sighing, she opened the drawer, pulled out her contact lens case, and forced herself to look up. 

Lea still flinched at the sight of her inhuman eyes. The fiery red-orange hue of the iris, the slit pupils, the way her eyes seemed to nearly glow. The eyes of a monster. The eyes of her monster. Her eyes dropped. After a long moment, Lea shivered and opened the case. She spent another long moment staring at the small, delicate lenses before picking it up. Ignoring the pit of dread building in her gut, Lea opened her eye wide, carefully placing the lens in, then switching to the other. Looking down, she blinked rapidly as she got used to the delicate things.

Then came the part she loved most. Looking up, no longer were the demonic eyes that haunted her dreams. Gone were the cat-like pupils. Instead, there were bright, emerald green irises and pupils humans should have. Sure, it wasn’t the same as her original eye color, and the colored contacts and pupil adjusters did make her eyes look slightly cartoon-like. Yet, Lea couldn’t help but smile and revel in the rush of peace that filled her chest at the sight.

Shaking her head, Lea pushed away from the counter and walked back into her bedroom. Walking toward the closet, she grabbed a nice flowy brown blouse, a light black jacket, and a pair of black slacks. After dressing, she grabbed a pair of brown flats with small buckles on the side to bring the outfit together. Looking back at the alarm clock, Lea huffed when she saw she still had around four hours until the interview. 

Pausing, the teenager tilted her head to the side, closed her eyes, and focused on just listening. After a moment, she could hear her father’s and uncle’s soft snores. Opening her eyes, she took a few steps to her nightstand, grabbed her phone, keys, and the Trickster’s Choice novel, and left. The upside to her newfound abilities, it certainly wasn’t an effort to sneak out anymore. 

As soon as she was out of the house, she made her way to her motorcycle. She put it in neutral and started pushing it out of the driveway and up the gravel road. As she made the long trek up the road, Lea idly let her eyes roam the trees surrounding the gravel road, listening to the bird calls and scurry of faraway critters. The young blonde smiles to herself. A rare occurrence where she was glad her hearing was far more sensitive. Observing wildlife was one of the few things that genuinely calmed her down. 

After a little over half an hour of walking, she finally saw the highway ahead. With a smile, she hopped on the motorcycle, changed gears, and started speeding down the smooth asphalt. 

‘... Let’s see what TerraSave has to offer…’

[crankynewt]

Good for a Weekend (Helmut Zemo)

Masterlist

Summary: You were retired, a disgraced Avenger content living the rest of their life out in solitude. But Sam and Bucky's shenanigans dragged you back into the hero life and you found yourself face to face with the man who'd got you into this mess in the first place. The question is, however, is he really who you thought he was? Or are you just as crazy as him?

Pairing: Helmut Zemo x Reader

Warnings: TFAWS Episode 3 Spoilers, Zemo (he's a warning), swearing, mentions of torture and experimenting (past), drinking, Zemo being semi-protective, I think that's it??

Word Count: 3.41k

Author's Note: Biting the bullet and writing this BEFORE Marvel does something to get us to hate him again. Also, ZEMO AND BLANK SPACE WORK SO WELL TOGETHER OMG.

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” You murmured, looking at the message from Sam flashing across your phone. Although you had stopped dead in your tracks, the chaos of the bustling streets of London continued around you. You pushed your sunglasses further up your nose, them having fallen down as you were peering at the screen of your burner cell.

‘Need your help in Madripoor ASAP,’ the text read. You weren’t daft, you knew exactly what kind of lawless entropy happened on that Indonesian island and if Sam was asking for your help, that meant he was in some deep shit.

‘I’m retired,’ you replied, glancing over your shoulder out of habit. Although you’d been pardoned after the Berlin incident by the government, you were still a disgraced Avenger in the eyes of the world. All you wanted was to live the rest of your life out in peace, a future without the world-saving you began when you left HYDRA with the Maximoff twins.

You hadn’t chosen to become a human lab rat, tortured and exposed to the mind stone until you could suddenly hear the thoughts of others in your head. Telepathy and telekinesis were not necessarily the kind of special skills that employers wanted to see on a resume, but alas, here you were. Thankfully, however, you'd learned to block them out until necessary to violate people's privacy. Fighting aliens and other superpowered entities, including the people you’d once considered to be your family, were in the past.

‘Please. It’s Bucky,’ Sam messaged again. Those three words were enough to make your blood run cold and your heart stop. Bucky was the reason you were in this mess in the first place, and you would be damned if the ex-assassin was going to fall back into the clutches of evil.

With a sigh, you typed back ‘fine’ and began the trek towards your apartment. Your phone was vibrating again immediately, Sam explaining that they would be picking you up at a small airstrip on the edge of the city.

Three hours later, you were walking along a long, concrete runway, the harsh England wind attacking your body as you pulled your leather jacket tighter around you. Your brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of a civilian jet rather than the military-esque vessels you’d become accustomed to. The steps were awaiting your ascent with an older man stood adjacent to the entrance.

“Ms.(Y/L/N),” he greeted. A thick accent laced his tone, one you couldn’t quite determine from the crackling of age in his voice. German or Russian, most likely, you deduced. Attempting to be polite despite your skepticism, you gave him a tight-lipped smile and handshake before the elder man gestured towards the stairs for you. Entering the jet, you turned right to be met with the familiar faces of Sam and Bucky.

“(Y/N)!” Bucky exclaimed, rising from his seat and embracing you in a hug. He held you tightly against his body, almost as if he wasn’t sure you were really there. The super soldier had taken a liking to you when the two of you stayed in Wakanda during your exile, both of you having a certain understanding of the other due to your shared experiences with HYDRA. The sergeant had become somewhat of a brother to you in your time away together. “What are you doing here?”

“Sam messaged me.” You replied, Barnes’ arms immediately releasing you as he whipped around to face Sam.

“You tattled on me to (Y/N)?” He scoffed. If looks could kill, Sam would have dropped dead from the darkness in Bucky’s orbs.

“Wait, if he’s okay then what am I here for?” You said, shifting your gaze to Sam as you raised a brow.

“You’re here to make sure that he stays in line.” Sam snapped, crossing his arms over his chest as Bucky let out an exasperated ‘Jesus Christ’ under his breath.

“Bucky’s fine, Sam.” You replied, rubbing your face with your hand in annoyance as you glanced at the super-soldier.

“He’s not talking about James.” A new voice sounded from behind you, one both vaguely familiar but also strange. Whipping around, you were met with a face you’d only ever seen through a screen. Zemo.

“What the fuck is he doing out of prison?!” You exclaimed, looking between Sam and Bucky in utter disbelief.

“Bucky broke him out of jail!” Sam exclaimed, pointing a finger towards the super-soldier.

“Sam’s the one who pulled me into this mess!” Bucky pointed back.

“You two morons have reached a whole new level of dumbassery!” You exclaimed, keeping a cautious gaze on Zemo in the corner of your eye. “You broke out the man who ripped apart the Avengers out of jail and you let him do it?! The same man who killed King T’Chaka! Do neither of you remember what T’Challa and the people of Wakanda just did for us after we became enemies of the state?! I cannot believe that you would betray their trust and help this monster to escape!”

You paused for a moment, breathing heavily as you looked at the ashamed faces of Bucky and Sam in front of you.

“I’m sorry to-” You heard Zemo begin, you turned to face him with utter rage shining in your eyes. “No! The grown-ups are talking, you can wait your turn.” You scolded him, almost as you would a child but just a tad harsher. Grown-ups may have also not have been the best choice of words to describe Wilson and Barnes.

“I don’t want any part of this suicide mission!” You snapped at the duo, moving to leave.

Thirty minutes later, however, you were still on the jet, glaring into a pair of brown eyes as the four of you flew through the air. Honestly, you couldn’t believe you were still there, but Sam and Bucky knew you too well and pushed just the right buttons to convince you to stay. Sam needed you to tap into Zemo’s mind if need be to figure out if he was planning on betraying them, and you didn’t want two of the last people you trust getting themselves killed if you could prevent it.

Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum were sitting across from each other, meaning that you got stuck sitting across from the Baron in silence. He shifted uncomfortably under your gaze, the darkness in your (Y/E/C) orbs not sitting well with the man.

“So, you read minds.” He began, rubbing his hands together anxiously. You noted the nervous tick and couldn’t help but feel amused at his discomfort, but your expression never faltered.

“You don’t need to make small talk.” You bit, your icy tone growing colder in every syllable.

“I’m genuinely curious, is all.” He began, pausing his fiddling to brush his hair back only to resume it once more. “It just seems like for someone with your abilities, you’re often an overlooked member of the team. You’re the most powerful, even more so than Maximoff or Banner, perhaps, yet you were never truly an Avenger, were you?”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m retired.” You muttered, ending your glaring to gaze out the window. The way Zemo spoke about you was unsettling, especially considering how he felt about the Avengers. He seemed not to think that you were part of the team, similarly to Bucky, and that brought you a feeling of unease.

“And why is that?” Zemo pushed, your avoidance evidence that he’d struck a chord.

“Why do you care?” You scoffed, looking back at the Sokovian man, both annoyance and exhaustion present in your tone.

“Because I think you’re like me.” He answered, his tone becoming quieter. Zemo didn’t look at you with the same rage you’d seen in footage from 2016, nor with the amusement that he gazed at Bucky and Sam with. No, it was something different, softer and analytical, perhaps. You wanted to peer into his mind for something, anything to figure out what he was thinking, but he would likely feel your prodding into his consciousness. As of now, he didn’t seem to have any plans to betray you guys, and you wouldn’t be the one to give him a reason.

“That’s enough from you.” Bucky interrupted, rising from his seat to switch places with you, his brotherly possessiveness clear as day.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, and Zemo provided the three of you with costumes for the roles you were to play in Madripoor. Yours seemed to have been designed specifically to be horribly uncomfortable, both in feel and the amount of skin that was exposed in the cool evening air. The three of you were making your way towards the glowing city shining in the distance, the nerves in your stomach rising with each step.

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp.” Zemo explained in response to Sam’s protests over his own outfit. “You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“He even has a bad nickname.” Sam said, looking at the picture of Conrad on the phone Zemo had just handed him. “Hell, he does look like me though.”

“And who am I supposed to be playing, exactly?” You questioned, still unsure as to what role you would be playing in this scheme.

“My partner,” Zemo said simply, an amused smile working his way onto his lips.

“What?! No! Nu-uh, I’m not doing that!” You protested, Sam chuckling at your denial of what was probably inevitable.

“Would you rather the alternative of all of us getting slaughtered the second we step foot into the city?” Zemo retorted, still humored by your resistance.

“Fine, but if you try anything I’m going to break your nose.” You gave in.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Soon, the four of you were making your way into a bar, Helmut’s arm wrapped tightly around your waist since the second you exited the car in a mock possessiveness. It was all part of the charade, you had to remind yourself, as the Baron kept your side pressed against his snugly.

Making your way up to the counter, the bartender didn’t look impressed to see the group of you there as he made his way over to you.

“Hello,” He began. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed. We have a business to do, with Selby.” Zemo interjected before Sam could respond.

“The usual?” The bartender ignored Zemo and turned his attention back to Sam, who simply gave a curt nod in response. The bartender turned, grabbing a snake from a jar and slicing it down the underside with a blade. A part of you wanted to cackle, especially seeing Sam stiffen beside you, and you didn’t doubt that Bucky was having to restrain himself as well. Zemo didn’t seem surprised as the bartender pulled who knows what out from the snake and placed it into a glass.

“Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” The Baron commented, the bartender sliding Sam his beverage only to pour two glasses of a different liquor for Zemo and yourself.

“I love these,” Sam said, raising to clink glasses with yourself and the Sokovian man whose arm was still draped around you.

“Cheers, Conrad,” Zemo replied, smiling back at poor Sam. The three of you downed your burning liquor, Sam struggling the most out of the three of you, clearly appalled by the organ at the bottom of his shot. You could see Bucky give a little nod in the corner of your eye, knowing he must be finding this as amusing as you were.

A man soon approached Helmut from behind, tapping him on the shoulder before he turned to face the stranger, shifting you with him. When Zemo felt the little nudge, he immediately pulled you closer to him. You were even tighter against him now, so much so that you had to wrap an arm around him as well to stabilize yourself. It was almost as if he was trying to shield you from the man despite him knowing full well that you can hold your own.

“I got word from on high; you ain’t welcome here.” He spat, getting too close to the two of you for either of your likings. But Zemo kept his air of indifference while you instinctually moved closer into his side. It’s all an act, remember? You have to play the part of the clingy partner who would get frightened at such a rough man threatening you two. Or at least, that’s what you told yourself.

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…” Zemo began, trailing off as he gestured to Bucky.

“New haircut?” The strange man asked Bucky, who merely glowered in response.

“Or bring Selby for a chat.” Zemo finished, this time him being the one to get into the man’s face. Thankfully that was enough to send him away, most likely to Selby or this Power Broker who seems to be Madripoor’s own version of Big Brother.

You could feel Zemo let out a breath that you don’t think he even knew he was holding, giving a quick glance down at you before placing a peck on your temple. For the facade, of course. But what wasn’t fake were the butterflies rise in your stomach, something that you hadn’t felt in a long time. Were you… Flustered?

No, you reminded yourself internally. This was a very bad man holding you close, the same one who killed the former King of Wakanda and ripped your team to shreds. Not only that, but he hated all the Avengers, so why did he seem to like you? It doesn’t matter whether or not he likes you, he’s Zemo. But the more time you spent with him, the more intoxicated you became. He was starting to look more and more like your next mistake, and love is certainly not a game you wanted to be playing with him. Right?

The next thirty or so minutes were a blur. Bucky having to fake being the Winter Soldier to kick a bunch of men’s asses to finally meeting up with Selby, only for Sam to break your cover through a phone call and Selby quickly being shot. The four of you promptly exited the bar, attempting to remain inconspicuous until bounty hunters from all around started shooting at you. Bucky and Sam jumped forward, meanwhile, Zemo darted to the right, dragging you with him as he moved his hand from your waist to interlock your fingers.

You cut through alleyway after alleyway, hiding in the shadows as gunfire echoed around you. Eventually, you managed to catch up with Bucky and Sam, approaching the pair with your hand still in his.

“Well this is too perfect.” A female voice interrupted your mini-reunion, Sharon Carter emerging from the shadows as she ripped down her hood, gun fixated on Zemo.

“Drop it Zemo,” She started, Zemo raising his gun-holding hand before lowering the weapon to the ground. “You cost me everything.”

“Sharon, wait.” You reasoned, raising your hand as you slowly backed up.

“What, are you his lover now? His sugar baby or some shit?” She badgered you, causing your eyes to widen as you only just remembered that you were still holding his hand. You quickly dropped it, raising it to match your other arm as Zemo sent you a look that you couldn’t decipher. Oh, how desperately you wanted to look into his mind, but the little bit of sanity left in you told you to leave it be.

“Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead,” Sam explained.

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.” Sharon replied, gun still pointed at your group.

“So what are you doing here?” Bucky questioned the blonde.

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass so that you could save his ass from his ass and became a criminal with their ass.” She explained, pointing the gun at each mention of whoever's ass it was that turn. “Unlike you, I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up, so, I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”

“Hey, don’t blow that smoke. I was on the run, too.” Sam rebutted Sharon’s complaints.

“Was. Is. Big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore - I can’t. My own father doesn’t know where I am.”

“Listen…” You began. “Sharon, we need your help, the former agent only laughing in response. “Please.”

“This isn’t over.” She conceded, shaking her head at you. “I have a place in High Town, you should be safe there for a while.”

Sharon’s place was definitely nicer than yours is now, and you’re not even on the run anymore. She, thankfully, had a change of clothes for you to slip into, the soft material much a welcome relief from the tortuous item Zemo had you wearing.

While you were waiting for Sharon’s guests to begin arriving for whatever event would soon be taking place downstairs, everybody slowly filtered out of the room until it was only Zemo and yourself remaining.

“Can I ask you a question?” You spoke up, breaking the silence from your spot on the sofa as you glanced towards the Baron seated across the room.

“Ask away.” He smiled, taking a sip from the amber liquid in his glass.

“What did you mean earlier, when you said we were the same.” Your voice was quiet now, so much so that you weren’t sure if he’d even heard you. That is until he got up from his seat and slowly walked towards you.

“I never wanted to tear the Avengers apart, not until they killed my family. Destroyed my city… Sure, I didn’t like them, but I didn’t want to destroy them. It was all about vengeance.” He began, sitting beside you on the yellow fabric. “For you, it was HYDRA who ruined your life. You joined the Avengers because it was where the last people you had left were going and it was the easiest way for you to ensure the organization was destroyed. You never wanted the idolization that came with being a hero, and it was clear when your work was done that you had no desire to keep going. Everything that came after the Sokovia Accords was out of survival.”

“I’m not saying you're right,” you began, “but what would that make me, then? Insane? Cause that seems to be the running theory.”

“You’re not crazy, despite how rumors fly. Neither am I, really.” He began, eliciting a small smile from you at the last bit he added. “You’re a fighter, someone doing whatever it takes to get their agenda done. Whether that means breaking the law or joining the Avengers, nothing will stop you once you put your mind to it - it’s one of the things I admire about you.”

You pursed your lips as you focused on the amber fluid floating in its crystalline home, him taking another sip of the burning liquid. Your gaze shifted back to his face, and oh god, look at that face. Maybe it was the liquor in your system already or maybe your last bit of sanity was finally escaping your mind, but suddenly his past didn’t seem to matter anymore. You had plenty of red on your ledger as well, and the more he spoke the more you began to sympathize with him.

“So you admire me?” You smirked, crossing your arms as you tilted your head slightly to the right playfully.

“Why don’t you look into my mind and tell me?” He replied. Reaching out, you gently placed your fingers against his temple as you gazed into his consciousness. Flashes of magic and madness, ideas of a love that could be forever or go down in flames. You didn’t go searching deeper, because your own mind was racing. Would pursuing this be worth all the pain that could very well follow? No, not could, would. You’d be betraying your former teammates, but what did that matter much anymore.

Rather than pulling your hand away, you placed your lips gently on his, tentatively, even. He tasted of expensive liquor and a hint of peppermint, and you found yourself intoxicated. The kiss ended far too soon for your liking, him pulling away so his brown orbs could gaze into your own.

“So… What do you say?” He asked, cupping your cheek in his hand, you place your own over top of his.

“Why not?” You smiled back, reconnecting your lips to his.

“I can make the bad guys good for a weekend.”

Taglist:

@fanfictionedagain @lam-ila @b0nnyzz @haydieenzzibug @cyanide-mustard @duchess-of-new-shire @the-chocoholic-writer @milenadixon @real-fbi @golddenlioness

[dakarimainink]

Babybump

WARNING: Fluff, a hint of angst, cute

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x You (Reader)

Wordcount: 1.4K

Note: Not betad, all mistakes are my own.

"Hey, I love you writing and I was wondering if you can do a Pedro imagine where the reader is pregnant and like they didn’t announce it or anything and no one knew about it till they were seen in public. You can change it up if you want! Xx✨"

Okay, I am a slut, not even gonna try and hide it. As this was a request, I wasn't sure if you wanted smut or not, so that's why it is in two parts. Part one is pure fluff and no smut. Part two however is a smutty scene for those of you who wants to read about how they conceived the baby.

Enjoy! 💛

Part 2

Masterlist

You are nervous. It is obvious by the way you cling to Pedro in the backseat on your way to the gala. Your fingers intertwined into his big hand as you fiddle with the hem of his suit jacket.

He is nervous too, not because people will probably speculate, but he worries about you. The news is big, but neither of you like it when the media tries to poke into your private life before you are both ready to reveal it. It will come out eventually, but you want it to be from you and not rumours and pictures roaming about.

Your family and closest friends know. You chose to break the news three weeks ago. You remember the tears in your mother’s eyes and the warmest hug from Pedro’s father. But what truly stuck with you, was the moment you confirmed it to Pedro.

You knew for about five days without telling anyone. Pedro was away filming but had managed to squeeze in a night with you on a rainy Saturday. You had planned to go out for dinner, but in the last minute, chose to have a pizza and movie night. Cleaning the dishes from the pizza and preparing some snacks in the kitchen, you decide it was time.

You turned to him, biting your lower lip and he knew there was something immediately. At first, worry painted his face and he had walked over to you and wrapped you in his arms, kissing your forehead softly and asking what was wrong.

Tears were prickling in your eyes and as you looked up at him, more worry grew and you couldn’t help but feel happiness fill your chest, knowing this man was the father to your child.

A smile stretched across your face as tears escaped the corners of your eyes and you told him.

He was frozen, scanning your face and he went through all kinds of emotions before his eyes crinkled up into a bright beam. He pulled you in, holding you tight to him while murmuring all kinds of sweet words. Kneeling, he snuck his hand under your t-shirt and spread his hand across your belly, warmth filling you up. “Our baby.” He had whispered before looking up at you with tear-filled eyes.

You had made sweet and passionate love that night, his focus on purely satisfying you over and over and over again.

Pedro catches your chin and tilts it up to meet your eyes. He notices the worry in your eyes and gives you a gentle smile. Carefully sliding his hand further up, he graces your cheek with his thumb before tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “You look perfect.” He smiles.

You smile back at him, feeling a lump of worry surge in your belly. You know you could leave whenever you want to, Pedro had even offered to not go at all. A part of you wants everyone to know, but another wants to keep it a secret for as long as you can.

The car stops and your heart skips a beat as our stomach feels with dread. Your fingers grasp onto his hand, you almost missed the worried look on his face, his eyes scanning your features.

“We don’t have to, my love.” He whispers, gently stroking the back of your hand.

You shake your head. “I know, but I can’t avoid it forever.” You gulp, staring into his eyes. They crinkle at the gentle smile. He leans forward gently peck your lips, leaving a lingering touch on you.

As you give him a nod, he opens the door and gracefully climbs out before holding out his hand to assist you out. You place your hand in his and plant your feet on the ground before he pulls you gently out.

As soon as you were both outside, flashes and yells from the paparazzi filled your ears. Trusting Pedro to lead the way, he guides you onto the carpet and pulls you close to him, his hand resting on your side as you both face the paparazzi. From all the comments, none of them mention the tiny bump on your belly.

You sigh out in relief and feel more confident in your posture, straightening your back.

Pedro immediately notices and glances down at you with nothing but love in his eyes. His fingers twitch into your flesh before his thumb strokes up and down, bringing you more comfort.

~~~~~

You lay peacefully in Pedro’s arms, the morning sun peeking in between the curtains and a stripe of warmth licks your leg as it rests over Pedro’s hip. You listen to each other’s slow and steady breathing.

He had apologised for waking you up when he pulled you to him that morning, but you didn’t mind at all. It is where you belong, close to him. He left a few soft kisses on your forehead while you lay there resting, enjoying the calm morning. But the calm is interrupted as both of your phones won’t stop buzzing.

Pedro sighs, knowing exactly what all the texts are about. He had peeked at his phone before pulling you in, several messages commenting on today’s news. He had hoped it wouldn’t turn into something, but here you both lay, you – wondering what it all is about, him – wanting to shield you from the storm.

“Pedro?” You breathe, your eyes looking up at him from behind your eyelashes. “What is going on?” You have a feeling this is about last night’s appearance, but you wait for him to confirm it.

He looks down at you, a calm smile painting his lips. “Nothing we have to care about for now, my love.” He presses his lips to your forehead and nuzzles you closer to him.

You sigh out and drift off in his protective arms, knowing whatever is going on right now, didn’t need your attention.

~~~~~

He looks handsome, his calmness and confidence match great with his casual outfit. His hair slightly tussled from dragging his fingers through it again and again. You like his natural curls mixed with his grey peppered beard.

His eyes are resting on the woman sitting in front of him, but every time he glances at you, it fills you with butterflies. It’s not too obvious he is looking at you, as you’re standing a few strides behind the woman, listening to the ongoing interview of his newest movie.

“So, for some other big news, which I hope you can confirm for us, Pedro. A month ago, the internet went crazy over some new photos and headlines of you and your fiancé. Speculations of a potential new family member surged through several social medias. Could you perhaps talk a bit about that? Is it true?”

You knew the question would be asked, Pedro’s agent had agreed upon it before the interview took place. Pedro had asked you several times, if you wanted to go out with the news. You were a bit hesitant at first, but then again, might as well get it over with.

He gives the woman a smile before his eyes immediately seeks out yours, nothing but love is filled within his gaze. “It is with great pride and joy I can confirm my beautiful fiancé is carrying our future child. She is doing an amazing job and I can’t wait to become a father and see her be the mother of our baby.”

Your heart beats faster, tears brimming in your eyes as he speaks warmly of your future family. You know he is looking forward to it, but to see him like this, confirming the news and not leaving your sight, makes you warm from head to toe. You want to rush over to him, hold him close to you, but knowing interrupting the interview is not a good idea.

You wait patiently until the woman thanks Pedro for the interview. He immediately gets up from his chair and walks up to you, wrapping his arms around you. He kisses the top of your head several times and you wrap your arms around him.

“I will forever mean it, my love. I can’t wait to see you be the mother of our child, to carry them, to feed them, to help them grow up. I know you’ll be the best at it and every obstacle we face, we will face them together.”

You pull him tighter to you, a tear escaping the corner of your eye. “I love you.” You mumble into his chest.

He buries his nose in your hair. “I love you too.” He whispers.

(Wanna be added to my tag list for Pedro Pascal and his characters? Let me know and I will happily add you)

@cynic-spirit, @lililolli, @notabotiswear, @sara-alonso, @blankmooon, @xoxo-callie, @mamacitapascal, @thewaythisis, @greeneyedblondie44, @stevie75, @mswarriorbabe80, @anaaaispunk

[goingmorry]

Trafalgar Law [A-Z Alphabet Fluff]

Synopsis: How is Trafalgar Law like as your romantic partner? 💖

Count: 2813 words

Activities

Reading. Law is an avid reader. He loves to read all kinds of material, both fiction and non-fiction, such as short stories, novels, comics, articles, news, and medical textbooks. As such, you took it upon yourself to read together with him. During nights, when the rest of the crew retires to their quarters, you and Law take turns reading to each other. As your quiet and gentle voice fills the silent room, Law visibly relaxes. A faint but genuine smile graces his normally impassive features. When it's his turn to read, you enjoy the calm and soothing nature of his voice.

Resting/pillow talk. While Law is known to suffer from insomnia, he enjoys resting in bed together with you. This is usually accompanied with reading, but when you're both exhausted, both of you lie together in silence or in hushed sounds through light conversations. For the most part, you talk while Law listens. Law also tends to overwork himself so you being with him ensures that he unwinds for the day.

Medical assistance. Law is the doctor of the ship. As such, one of his primary duties is to perform both minor and major medical procedures when his crew sustains injury. He typically doesn't need assistance to conduct his minor medical duties; however, your insistence in helping him whenever possible has prompted him to seek your support. Despite your lack of medical knowledge, Law is not opposed to instructing you. You've proven yourself to be a reliable assistant. Truthfully, he enjoys having you adopt a nurse role by his side.

Beauty

Your compassion. Despite Law's outwardly aloof demeanor, he finds your kindness endearing. He’s used to incessantly berating you during the many times when you put your life in danger to save others; however, he's resigned to the fact that your compassion for others is one of your defining qualities. It's what drew him to you after all.

Comfort

Law is perceptive. He can tell when you're feeling down, and he can definitely tell when you're about to have a panic attack. He's quick to shift to his doctor persona, guiding you through breathing exercises as you breathe in and breathe out while slowly coming to your senses.

Law is not overly affectionate, but if you desire hugs or other forms of physical contact, he will give them to you without hesitation. You have his undivided attention.

When you recover, Law is cautiously optimistic and takes your vitals. He asks if you're feeling better and if you'd like to talk about it, but he's not forceful if you're not willing to disclose information to him.

Dreams

In the moment. Law is happy to live in the moment with you. Thinking of the future unnerves him, as his carefully arranged plans do not always develop the way he expects them to.

Fate. Just like his meeting with Cora-san during the most tragic part of his life, he believes meeting you was fate. Your fates were intertwined from the moment you first encountered each other, and they will continue to be until the day both of you breathe your last.

Equal

Dominant. Law has expressed his aversion for being told what to do. As the Captain of the Heart Pirates, he prefers to issue orders. While his dominance extends toward your relationship, this doesn't mean that he doesn't respect and value your opinions. He treats you fairly, as an equal, always making sure he listens to your input when you have something to say.

Law is dominant but not overbearing. As someone whose freedom was stripped away the moment he was born due to the Amber Lead disease, Law would never dream of taking away your freedom in any capacity.

Fight

Forgiving. It might surprise you to know that Law is an extremely forgiving person. He understands that couples get into disagreements; it's natural. So long as you don't betray his trust, he is willing to forgive and learn from most arguments.

Law usually appears collected when arguing with you; however, he loses his cool when you are quick to put yourself in harm's way. Law is not one to hold resentment after making up with you, preferring to be with you here and now.

Gratitude

Attentive. Law is aware of what you do for him. You try to be subtle, but he's quick to catch on. He tries to keep a calm façade, but he's overwhelmed with affection for you on the inside. You can expect him to snuggle closer to you tonight.

Law shows his gratitude indirectly. "Here. I got this on the way to town," he says, handing you a bag of your favorite sweets. He doesn't say it, but he loves watching your face light up in excitement at the prospect of stuffing your cheeks with delicious desserts.

Honesty

Although Law is honest, he tends to fill you in with the details after the fact. He doesn't do this out of malice but out of necessity. As Captain of the Heart Pirates, ally of the Strawhat Pirates, and a member of the Worst Generation, his life is in constant jeopardy. Now, with you by his side, he's paranoid and won't risk being caught off-guard until the threats have been neutralized. He prefers to do now and talk later.

When reminiscing about the past—as it relates to his childhood in Flevance and being under the care of the Donquixote family, specifically Cora-san—he struggles to share these painful memories. Although he opens up to you eventually, he won't willingly share all the moments when something reminds him of his past. How your kindness reminds him of Cora-san. How your love for festivals reminds him of Lami. He refuses to burden you with these thoughts.

Inspiration

Law is kind. Cora-san's sacrifice made sure of that.

Although Law regained his humanity, he doesn't put himself out there to assist others in need if doing so will jeopardize his plan. Instead, your insistence to help others forces his hand.

While Law believes that pirates should not do kind things, his actions contradict his statement. He will honor the Hippocratic Oath and use his Devil Fruit powers (Ope-Ope no Mi) to treat others to the best of his ability.

Law takes issue with being seen as a kind person by strangers. He refuses to accept others gratitude. When confronted, he will make up an excuse in an effort to portray himself as a selfish and ruthless pirate. Regardless, the recipients of his acts of kindness are not fooled.

Jealousy

Watchful. Law is protective. How could he not be when you look so radiant? So full of life, warmth, and affection? He trusts you. It's strangers he doesn't trust. He's worried other people will take advantage of your benevolence.

He deals with his jealousy by keeping you in his sight whenever feasible. If he can't be with you, he'll ask his crewmembers to accompany you. The life of piracy is a dangerous one, so one can never be too certain if danger lurks around the corner. "It's best to be prepared," Law states decisively.

Kiss

Great kisser. Law did not have any prior romantic experiences prior to being in a relationship with you; however, since then, he's had a lot of time to practice. He's able to perfectly balance sucking, biting and using his tongue when kissing you. When he initiates a kiss that's more than a peck on the lips, such as kissing your erogenous zones, it leads to a full-blown makeout session.

First kiss. Law's lips moved hesitantly over yours, his tattooed fingers skimming your blushing cheek, before deciding to gently cradle the side of your face. You were pleasantly surprised at how soft his lips were considering his roughened exterior. The kiss remained tentative at first, both you and him feeling overwhelmed with each other's company. You weren't certain when his hand moved from the side of your face to the back of your head. You felt his calloused fingers interweave with your flowing hair, lightly tugging until you opened your mouth to moan softly. Law deepened the kiss by slipping his teasing tongue inside, eager to hear more of your voice as you moaned for him once more.

Love Confession

You are the first to express your love for him. Law is flabbergasted. How could someone, as kind as you are, have romantic feelings for a man like him? It's a dangerous thought, one he refuses to answer. Meanwhile, Sengoku's words in Dressrosa echo in his head. "Don't ever attach a reason to someone's love." His recklessness presents itself and he allows himself to act.

Staring at you with you such longing in his golden irises, he grabs your arm, intent on closing the distance between your bodies. His grip is gentle yet firm as he drags you over to him, and your face flushes under his observant gaze. Although you were nervous, you refuse to break eye contact, determined to show him how sincere you were. Law responds by molding your eager lips against his. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Marriage

Indifferent. There is no doubt that Law loves you; however, he is indifferent about marriage. If you bring it up as a discussion point to him, he will start to consider the prospect of marriage life. Growing up, he’s seen how happy his parents were, and how much love and affection they showed him and Lami. He wonders if that reality is plausible for him too.

Once the way has been paved for the New Generation of Pirates, Law proposes. In the Captain’s Quarters of the Polar Tang, he presents you with a small velvet box with an inscrutable expression on his face. His golden eyes betray him as they waver in intensity, carefully scrutinizing your face and eyes for movement, for your reaction during this vulnerable moment. When Law proposes, it’s direct and sincere. No flowery language. He speaks from the heart.  “Marry me. I love you.” You were more than happy to oblige.

Being married to Law is primarily the same as it was when you were dating—with two differences being the wedding rings in your left hands, and that you can now refer to one another as a wedded couple.

Nicknames

Law doesn’t use nicknames. He prefers to address you by your actual name. Prior to being in a relationship with you, he addresses you by your epithet as described in your wanted poster. Now, “S/O-ya” is his go-to.

On Cloud Nine

Inconspicuous. Law is the king of keeping your relationship concealed to strangers. While Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin were the first to discover your relationship with the Captain, the rest of the Heart Pirates weren’t aware of your relationship with Law until one year in. Outside the privacy of your bedroom, don’t expect anything more than occasional longing glances passed between each other.

When Law falls in love, he does so gradually. He doesn’t mean to fall in love until he realizes that you have been increasingly pervading his thoughts. At this point, he's in denial. Love is an inconvenience, a weakness that will distract him from his goal in finding the true meaning of the Will of D.

Law eventually comes to terms with his love for you. He feels undeserving, attempting to distance himself from you until you confront him about his aloof behavior. Your stubbornness convinces him that he can't escape. A smile tugs on the corner of his lips before he can stop himself.

PDA

Discreet. You can expect your relationship with Law to be on the down-low. Most people, outside of his crewmates, won't be able to tell that he's in a relationship as he treats you the same way as he would a member of his crew. If people observe him long enough, they'll be able to catch his eyes as they settle on you, wandering a little too long on your form, from across the room.

On the off-chance that someone asks about your relationship with him, Law won't explicitly confirm or deny his relationship with you. He's afraid that word will spread that he’s found a lover, leading to his enemies targeting you to get to him.

Quirk

Competitive. While Law doesn't willingly participate in contests, he finds himself reluctantly dragged into them by you. Due to his physical prowess and mental aptitude, Law is quite skilled in winning a variety of competitions, such as carnival games, trivias, and sports events. He gives the prizes he wins from them to you as a reward for cheering him on.

Romance

Cliché. Prior to being in a relationship with you, Law does not familiarize himself with the ways of courting. Hesitantly, he approaches Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin for advice on how to woo you. Within five seconds of that decision, Law regrets it as the trio begin to pester him with the details of your affair. He knows they mean well, but he can't help his annoyance. "You can't go wrong with flowers and chocolates, Captain," the trio states. He glares at them in acknowledgment, gathering the aforementioned gifts, away from prying eyes.

Law quickly learns that if he wants to make you happy, he needs to be upfront and ask you directly. He is thoughtful, tailoring his gifts toward your preferences. You do the same.

Support

Supportive. Having spent over a decade planning for Donquixote Doflamingo's downfall, Law understands what it means to be committed to achieving one's ambitions. He has nothing but belief in your ability to achieve your goals. With him by your side, he will do everything in his power to assist you. You need only ask.

Thrill

Routine. Law doesn't have the liberty to ponder over new and creative ways to show his love for you. You and him have settled into a comfortable routine. If you're feeling neglected, he expects you to be direct with him. He's not opposed to trying out new things to spice up your relationship; however, he's not a creative man so you should expect to be the one to initiate and propose new ideas.

Understanding

Law is an observant man. He understands you as a person, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry, what motivates you. He also has an exceptional memory and has made it a point to remember your favorites and your least favorites as they come up in conversation.

Having experienced pain and grief through losing his loved ones, Law is especially empathetic to those who have suffered the same fate.

Value

Above all else. The love Law has for you is different to the love he has for his crew—his nakama. He loves you above all other things in his life. He is reckless, but knowing that you love him and will never forgive him for being negligent with his life makes him value himself more.

You are worthy of his love, but often times, he thinks to himself, is he worthy of yours?

Wild Card

Law enjoys brushing your hair. He loves the feel of your silky smooth hair and the way you hum in contentment under his care. His hands are always so gentle as he grasps your hair, treating you with a delicacy one can expect from a pirate handling their most prized treasure, which adds to the intimacy of the act.

XOXO

Law is not overly affectionate. Prior to being with you, he was touch-starved. Expect to be the first to initiate intimacy. Kissing and cuddles took some time to get used to. But once that period passes, Law does not hesitate to initiate romance by trailing kisses along your neck, playing with your hair, and feeling your smooth skin beneath your clothes. He prefers the privacy of his quarters when showing you any sort of physical affection.

Yearning

On the surface, Law hides his yearning for you well. During times of separation, he thinks of you as he lies in bed. He thinks of your warmth, your body heat combined with his as you snuggle against each other underneath the comfort of your bed. He thinks of your lips, curled up in a carefree smile, turning into subdued laughter. He returns your mirth with a smile of his own. He thinks of your face and how much he wants to caress your cheeks, feel the smooth skin beneath the roughness of his fingertips. He misses how your face would warm up in response to his touch, how you lean into him, eager for more. He reaches out instinctively, before realization kicks in. You weren't here. He misses you.

Zeal

Law is willing to go to great lengths for your relationship. He's grieved so much at such a young age from losing his mother, father, Lami, and Cora-san. His life is yours. He'll be damned if anyone stands in the way of him and you.

[theseerasures]

a yearning nation’s blueeyed pride

honestly there is just like. no point as of Witch (if not earlier) in thinking about Marrow and Winter as following along the same defection path, and downright facile to compare the two in terms of who is “closer” to defecting and therefore “less problematic” (even setting aside that making value judgments along those lines in fiction is...never that straightforward), when the narrative has emphasized REPEATEDLY how they are on entirely separate tracks in terms of character and role in the Atlas military.

seriously, it’s like saying “this orange is bad because you can’t eat the peel like you can eat an apple skin”

so like, yes, Marrow is the one who has verbally expressed his misgivings, and has clearly articulated scruples (as opposed to just the dial-up noise) and will blurt them out any second now as soon as he gets a word in edgewise. but also: Marrow HASN’T gotten a word in edgewise (except with Winter, fancy that), and has done approximately fuck all to actually subvert the system that he is growing to hate. both his theory and lack of praxis are tied into Marrow’s relatively low, overlooked position in the Atlas system, and feed into the fact that for Marrow the project of Atlas is not personal.

Marrow joined the military on ideological grounds. he clearly does want personal connection, but that has been denied him at every turn, largely by his teammates, largely by his partner, all of whom use him to enforce their own struggles with the clash between political duty and personal grief. he has been alienated by the system he upholds, which started even before we meet him. this makes it much harder for him to rebel in deed, because he doesn’t have a lot of power to begin with and he knows the system will not protect him if he does; at the same time, that relative powerlessness and isolation keeps his investment in Atlas abstract, uncomplicated, and much easier to dispel. Marrow is still with Atlas because he has a job to do, because it’s his duty, because he is still clinging to the Atlas military’s illusory altruism. he wants Penny to come with them so she can save Atlas. his protestations at seeing Team FNKI, that they are “just kids,” comes from the belief that it is categorically wrong to send children into battle. what is keeping Marrow from defecting is belief, and once the belief is shattered--like, say, when his boss’ new ingenious plan is to Nuke the Poors--there is nothing keeping him around.

and once his path is set he will not waver, because Atlas, by design, has no hold on him materially or personally (outside of his own life, which he was already happy to dedicate to a cause). Marrow then, is the limit case of Atlas being hoist with its own petard: an exemplar for how it gives its people nothing while demanding everything, but also an exemplar for how quickly the entire system folds in on itself when the veil is lifted. when Marrow defects (and it IS when) it will represent Atlas as a whole defecting from itself, even if we don’t see it visually--from the civilians, to the enlisted soldiers, to perhaps even members of Marrow’s own team.

NONE of the things i just mentioned really apply to Winter, because there is nothing about Atlas that is not personal for Winter.

i have no doubt that Winter is in some ways invested in same abstract principles that swayed Marrow, but that is constantly overridden by the fact that Winter has family at all sides of this, even before everything fell to shit, and the narrative will not stop reminding her.

“what about your sister?” “would you say the same thing if it was your sister inside?” her father was gunning for a seat on the Council. the man who took her in is essentially Head of State. Penny has made herself Public Enemy Number One, and Weiss is actively abetting her. even Whitley has now thrown himself into the fray, unbeknownst to her. and another person might be better at compartmentalizing all this the way Winter clearly wants to, and stick to the party line, but Winter cannot, because the more i watch her the more i’m convinced that the current crisis in Atlas is just a microcosm of the real issue, which is to say: everything is personal in Atlas for Winter, because everything is personal for Winter.

at a moment-to-moment level, and especially when backed into a corner, Winter defaults not to ideology but her tightly coiled lattice of personal relationships. and this makes perfect sense, because Winter grew up in a household where she had to perpetually crisis respond, and then she never stopped. Marrow does what he does because he believes in the dream, in making the world a better place, and therefore it is more difficult in some respects for him to defect, because it involves taking a long hard look at and then rejecting the structures he bought into and made himself complicit in. once lines are crossed and he DOES do that, though, he’s home free. for Winter, there are no lines to cross, because all Winter wants in the end is to throw her arms around everyone she cares about and drag them to safety. to keep them there, closely held, where she can see them and make sure that they stay safe.

but what’s tricky about Winter--what’s fascinating to me, what Jacques tried to beat out of her, what James alternately capitalizes on and tries to quash, what she resents about herself--is that in times of crisis (which for Winter is again ALL THE TIME), “everyone she cares about” becomes everyone, so that suddenly she takes a shine to the General’s war machine, so that she’s risking her life to give Penny and Fria a few more seconds of time, so that she’s stepping in front of Elm’s incoming fist, so that she’s letting JYR go rescue Oscar. Marrow has ideals he values, but at her core Winter has nothing but the people, who are real the moment she sees and feels them--real enough to defend, or defend against.

Winter jealously protects her web of people, but that web will also spiral out to infinity if she lets it--so she doesn’t. she has adamantly refused to move out of the mode where she lives present-by-present, only reacting to what is right in front of her, what she has been told, weighing her own life against the people who are closest, and no more. this is unquestionably a trauma response, but it’s also reinforced by 1) her choice to become a career soldier, and 2) the fact that Winter actually HAS quite a bit of power, and she knows that. but she has never trusted herself with any of it, largely because her hypervigilant response to situations has only ever been chastised instead of rehabilitated. Winter knows the weight of her name and her position, but she constantly tries to ignore it, or run away from it, so that she is only ever the heiress, the second-in-command, and never the Queen. she cannot be a leader until she is Good (that is to say, perfect and rational), so she tries to obliterate her power the same time she obliterates that pesky personhood: remaining still for as long as possible, avoiding situations that she knows will prompt action and choice, and when absolutely pushed to think through her power, moving the pieces around with extreme caution, hoping that the world won’t be burnt black by it.

Marrow and Winter are fundamentally at opposing ends of the personal-political bleed, and the story could NOT telegraph it any more clearly than their conversation in Witch, where Marrow makes a personal plea to Winter so that she can make a call far beyond just that, and she refutes him, by reminding him of his obligation to Atlas in the form of impersonal duty.

i’ll conclude by pointing out that there is something very interesting happening with Winter right now, that exceeds her power in-universe. because even as a Schnee, as Ironwood’s protege, what Winter can do is limited (partly because she limits herself), except for how the story has resolutely centered her actions and MADE them significant. in the course of this war Winter has let herself make exactly two choices--both of them noninterventionist, easily justifiable, and not meant to take any ideological stand--and they ended up altering the entire fabric of the war with Salem. all because she loved her sisters more than her duty. all because she was shown a slim chance to save the kingdom and a fourteen-year-old boy, and she thought just for an instant, what’s the harm

(and James Ironwood will never know. that even with his plan, his bomb, all his ships, all his soldiers...he was no match for her. his loyal lieutenant. the only child he will ever have, who has only ever called him “sir.”)

it is not about what Winter COULD have chosen in those moments, if she had the ability to stop Penny and Weiss from leaving, if JYR were even Oscar’s rescuers, in the conventional sense. it is about the fact that she DID make those choices, and the story has made them reverberate, in spite of the fact that she did not mean for them to. Marrow’s story is about being neglected and overlooked by the system, the moment of recognition that it needs you more than you need it, that there are so many more of you, and together you can stop chasing the dream and make your own. Winter’s story cleaves to the heart of not just Atlas, but the RWBY monomyth, which goes something like: stars are like us. the world was created because two brothers could not get along, and sundered because a woman could not cope with her grief. just because you move closer to the elite, to the center, to the top, to the sublime, it does not mean that you move farther from the fallible. we are all, at our deepest layer, people.

but the world does not tremble any less for it.

[nextdoor-neighbors]

Just Admit It

Request: ahh, okay i’ve never made a request before. But could you write like George and female y/n and they’ve slept together before like during parties at school but Y/n is staying at the burrow for summer now. Anyways like y/n is cleaning the kitchen or something and then George comes and he starts telling her how she should just admit that she likes him and stuff & she just kinda starts to get annoyed and keeps telling him she doesn’t but he keeps teasing her & finally he like pulls her into him and teases her and starts touching her lol. Then one thing leads to another and they end up in his room and then obviously smut starts. But like also include him making her touch herself and stuff. Obviously like 18+ yk. If you do write this then thank you!

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: Smut, some language

A/N: happy new year’s eve! here’s my last story of the year, thank you guys so much for reading, and I’ll see you all in 2021! :)

“It’s no problem, Mrs. Weasley, really.”

“Oh, you’re an angel, dear. But please, call me Molly.” She smiles widely at you before heading upstairs to find her husband. You look at the sinkful of dishes in front of you and, sticking your arms deep in the hot, soapy water, get to work.

“Looking to make a good impression on my mum, I see?”

You grin at the sound of George’s voice, not bothering to turn around as you scrub at a plate. You and the twins had always been decently good friends, being in the same year at school, but over the past school year, you and George had become slightly more.

You’d always been attracted to him, but you never really knew how he felt until the two of you hooked up a party after a few too many fire whiskeys. Since then, you haven’t been able to stay away from each other, but lately, you were confused about the extent of your feelings for him. 

“Yes, I am,” you respond, setting the plate aside to dry, “and it’s working. At least I hope it is.”

“It is. Trust me. She adores you.” George’s hands come to rest on your hips, and you lean back into him as you continue on the dishes.  Your breath hitches slightly as he begins to drag his fingers lightly up and down your sides, clearly trying to distract you from your task.

“She also is under the impression that there’s something going on between us, no matter how many times I’ve told her we’re just friends. But,” George says, gripping your hips tightly and lowering his voice as he leans forward into you, tilting his head so that his lips are right next to your ear, “there could be something going on, if you’d just admit that you like me already.”

“You said it yourself, George. We’re just friends.” You dunk a cup into the water, ignoring how much you just want to give into him. You love teasing him, never giving him what he wants right away. It drives him absolutely mad.

“I did say that. But friends don’t do this, do they?”

Next thing you know, George’s hand slides around to the front of you and down your pants with ease.

“George!” you hiss. You grab his wrist and pull his hand out, turning around to face him. He gazes at you hungrily, a smirk on his face.

“George,” you repeat, quickly grabbing a towel off of the counter to dry off your hands and arms, “What if one of your siblings were to come down here? Or your parents?” No matter how shocked you are by his actions, you can’t deny how turned on you are, either.

“Then they’ll know we’re not just friends,” he says, grinning and stepping towards you. You step back, your back hitting the counter. He leans towards you, placing his hands on the counter on either side of you. “Just admit you like me, Y/N. Three words, and I’m yours.”

You look up at him, letting your gaze flicker between his eyes and his lips. You don’t want to give in quite yet. Where’s the fun in that?

“You wish, Weasley.”

He pushes his tongue against his cheek, shaking his head and glancing down at your lips.

“Not the three words I was hoping for. Let’s go.”

“Let’s go? I-”

He leans down and wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you up and over his shoulder.

“George!” you exclaim as he laughs, carrying you towards the stairs, “the-the dishes, I told your mum I’d-”

You’re cut off by your gasp of surprise as George slaps your ass as he carries you. You know that at any minute, one of his family members could come out of their room and see or hear the two of you, but like George, you always loved a little bit of a risk.

“We’ll worry about those later. We have more important business to attend to right now. Like you not admitting that you like me.”

“I don’t!” you insist. You reach one of the few empty bedrooms in the house and George brings you inside, closing the door gently behind him to make as little noise as possible.

“You reckon Charlie will care if we use his old bedroom?” he asks, chuckling to himself as he tosses you on the bed, following by climbing on top of you. He lowers himself on to you, pressing kisses to your neck. You let out a soft moan, which results in George’s hand coming down over your mouth.

“Shhh, princess. I thought you didn’t want anyone to find out?”

George lowers himself back to your neck, sucking on a tender spot. You know that there’s definitely going to be a mark there, but right now, you could care less. You slide your hands up under his shirt and rake your fingernails lightly down his back, which makes him shudder against you.

He pulls away, getting off of the bed, and you can’t help but wonder why. You let your eyes search him, from his flaming red hair that’s sticking up in several places, down to his erection that’s straining against his pants. In other words, you want him, and you want him now.

“What?” you ask, sitting up and pulling off your shirt. His eyes immediately drop to your chest, and he smirks a little before making eye contact with you again.

“Just admit it.”

“Why?” You start undoing your belt buckle, laying back and lifting your hips off the bed to slide your jeans down. You know at a certain point that George won’t be able to resist, so while he’s trying to play a little game of his own by not touching you until you admit your feelings for him, you decide to have some fun, as well.

And it just so happens that both of you are stubborn as hell.

“Why not? There’s no negative outcome. There’s only a negative outcome to not admitting it,” George says. He pushes his tongue against his cheek as he watches you slide your hand down your stomach and over your panties. You rub yourself through the fabric, and you know by his flushed cheeks that he’s restraining himself.

“And what would that be exactly?” you ask him breathily as you continue to rub yourself, but this time, you slide your hand under your panties, your fingers circling your clit.

He chews on his lip for a minute before unbuckling his own belt, but instead of coming back over to you, he steps back, stroking his cock as he continues to watch you.

“Well,” he says, quietly, letting out a small groan of pleasure before continuing, “if you don’t just admit it, you won’t have me as your boyfriend, which would be pretty bloody amazing, I think. You’d be missing out on a lot.”

You watch, growing wetter by the second, as he touches himself, and you can’t possibly think about anything else besides how badly you want him to touch you instead, or how badly you want his dick inside of you-

“Fine,” you finally gasp, pulling your fingers away from yourself, and George’s eyebrows raise at your sudden surrender, “I like you. I do. I like you a lot. I think you’re funny and sweet and I just want you to fuck me already.”

It’s almost as if a switch is flipped, and George’s lips curl into a devilish smirk.

“Was that so hard?” he teases, walking closer to the bed, “Now get on your hands and knees.”

You react instantly, removing your panties and getting into position, and you feel the bed sink under his weight as he kneels behind you. He wastes no time pushing into you with a groan, fingers digging into your hips.

“George,” you moan.

You feel him wrap his fingers in your hair on the back of your head and push your head down into the mattress as he continues to thrust into you, increasing his speed. You reach between your legs, rubbing your clit, and you know that you’re going to come undone soon.

“I’m gonna cum, baby, I’m close,” George says, his voice strained.

You finish soon after his words, the wave of pleasure floods your body. George follows your lead, and you feel him releasing into you, his grip tightening on you as he does so. You lay down on your stomach on the bed after he slowly pulls out of you, and he lowers himself next to you, rubbing one hand up and down your back softly. You smile and curl into him, resting your head on his chest, feeling his still-pounding heartbeat thud against your cheek.

“So, how long?” George asks, wrapping an arm around you.

“Hm?” You bury your face in the crook of his neck, taking in his scent and warmth.

“How long have you fancied me?”

You giggle, and George presses a kiss against the side of your head, which makes your stomach erupt in butterflies.

“We’re still on this?”

“We never left it,” George replies, “After all, that was just the celebratory sex of you finally admitting it.”

“You know,” you say, propping yourself up to look at George, “I don’t think you’ve ever actually admitted that you like me. You’ve been so determined to get me to say it that you haven’t said it yourself.”

George reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “That’s ‘cause I figured it was obvious. You, on the other hand, have been playing hard to get.”

You laugh, which makes George smile.

“Barely. Y’know, if you just asked me out like a normal person...”

“Where’s the fun in that?” George sits up slightly to kiss your lips lightly. “Now, if I remember correctly, you have dishes to finish.”

You groan and pull away from George, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him. You’d forgotten about the dishes, but you really didn’t want to make yourself look bad in front of Mrs. Weasley by just ignoring them, especially now that you’re in a relationship with her son, so you start to drag yourself out of bed.

“You’re helping me, just so you know,” you say, tugging George’s shirt over your head, “since you so rudely interrupted me earlier.”

George laughs, following your lead and pulling his boxers and pants back up.

“I interrupted you for a good reason, though, did I not?”

Before you can respond, he grabs your hips from behind and pulls you into him, wrapping his arms around you and burying his face in your shoulder.

“Georgie,” you giggle, “let’s just go get this done. Do you want to be up all night?”

“I mean-” George spins you around to face you. “I wouldn’t mind being up all night with you, but not washing dishes.” He winks before walking past you, pulling open the door and heading down the stairs towards the kitchen.

You laugh to yourself and can’t help but wonder what you just got yourself into, but what you do know is that a relationship with George is going to be anything but boring.

[honeybunnybeez]

HELLO! I was wondering if you do like paternal smp? If you do then I have this idea! It’s in the final control room in the first war. You’re erets child, when he pressed the button you realized your father just betrayed you and your friends-SOMETHING LIKE THAT! THANKS :D

"No other way" (ANGST) (PLATONIC)

♡Parent!Eret x Child!reader

♡Summary: You didn't know why your father wanted to keep you away from viewing the secret weapon he claim he had. What was so scary that he felt the need to ask you to leave thrice?

♡Gender Neutral Reader!

"(Y/n), love?"

"Yes?"

"It still isn't too late to turn back now," Eret reminds you once again as you 6 make your way through a narrow hallway where you father claims he's kept the secret weapon.

You let out a groan as you step down another step, frustrated and confused as to why he would ask that question for the 3rd time since you all left for this place.

"I've already told you I wanted to follow. Why ask if I would like to come only to ask if I would like to walk away now?" You didn't mean for it to sound rude, but you wanted to state your point. If a simple 'no, I want to keep going,' isn't clear enough for him he should at least explain why he keeps asking.

"I just, don't want you to get scared of what you'll see, that's all."

His reason didn't seem to sound all that complete and you didn't really like that. Before you could ask him to clarify, Tommy speaks up.

"Scared? After all the shit they've seen? A little weapon isn't going to scare them none, right (y/n)?"

Distracted by Tommy's subtle praise you forget about your question and choose to grin proudly at Tommy's words, "yeah, it isn't!"

Despite how he is, Tommy's always been one to tell you how brave and strong you are and how he knows that you'll grow up to be a complete badass, just like the rest of them. Despite his mean behavior, he's the most supportive of your growth out of everyone.

"Didn't you scream earlier when a bat flew over us?" Fundy adds causing the rest of them to laugh.

"Hey! In my defense those fuckers pop out of nowhere-"

"(Y/n), language. You're only 12," your father reprimands lightly, but you don't miss the smile in his voice.

"(Y/n), swear louder, make it echo!"

"Tommy, don't make (y/n) turn out to be a gremlin child like you," Wilbur scolds playfully.

"Excuse you, I am the perfect role model for them!"

You can't help but laugh and listen on with fondness as you hear them all start to bicker with one another.

You're little resistence group was far from perfect, but they were your best friends, your family. So of course you were hurt when your father kept asking if you wanted to stay back. You wanted to be there with them during every big moment, you didn't want to leave them behind.

"Eret, what is this?" You hear Tubbo ask.

Finally snapping out of your thoughts, you notice a little blackstone room at the end of the long hallway. There were chests sitting in them too, all with signs to show who they belonged too, and you even had your own!

"This is the final control room," your father explains, looking around.

"This is amazing," you say in awe. You look around to see the others having the same kind of reaction too.

You can't help yourself from opening the chest with your name on it. Upon opening it though, there wasn't anything in it. That was odd.

"There's nothing in the chest," Wilbur exclaims before you get the chance to. You turn to look at him and witness as Wilbur's face changes from confused to concern as he looks over at Tommy who checks out the button in the middle of the room.

"What does the button do?"

"Tommy-!"

Something can be heard clicking and opening and before you know it, four armed men appear seemingly out of nowhere to ambush and kill off your friends.

"WAIT, NO-!"

Before you can react and aid them in combat, your father knocks your sword out of your hands with his pickaxe, dragging you into another hidden room with him.

"Fuck, (Y/n)-!" You can hear Tommy's cries end quick as the sound of his body falling onto the floor quickly follows suit.

"You traitor!" You hear Wilbur scream out before he too meets the similar fate his friend has.

You scream for mercy through the blackstone wall, begging them not to hurt your friends but it's too late. You don't hear anymore screams or the sound of swords clashing with one another. It's all just radio silence and it happened far too quick for you to truly process that this is all real.

Something your father steps on opens the hidden blackstone door once again and he steps out of the room with a smirk and a salute.

"Down with the revolution boys!"

You don't how to react, all you can do is stare wide eyed at the four lifeless bodies of your friends slowly fading away from where they lay.

They cheer, the bastards you've been taught to hate cheer and your father is cheering alongside with them. The man who took you in when no one else would, the man you trusted with every fibre of your being, is celebrating with the enemy.

"It was never meant to be."

Hearing your father say that causes all the rage bubbling inside of you to burst and for the first time in a while, you let out an ear piercing scream that echoes through the room.

"HOW COULD YOU!?"

All five men turn to look at you, the bastards still have grins on their faces but your father's face made you feel the sickest. He had the audacity to look at you with such worry, such concern.

"(Y/n)-"

"THEY WERE OUR FRIENDS,FATHER!"

He tries to open his mouth to speak again but you don't give him the chance to, cutting him off before he could even get a letter in.

"AND EVEN IF THEY WEREN'T YOUR FRIENDS, THEY WERE MINE FOR FUCKS SAKE, THEY WERE LIKE FAMILY TO ME! THEY WERE MY FAMILY AND YOU BACKSTABBED THEM!"

You heart starts to ache further and the tears you were trying so hard to hold back fall with no end in sight. You start to wonder if they think you were part of this plan as well and if they hate your guts too. God, you hope that isn't the case, you don't think you could take it if they hated you when you still loved them back.

He tries to come closer, tries to hug you but you use all the strength you can muster to shove him away, and you do a pretty good job at moving him back and shocking him.

"Don't touch me!" You cry out, wiping away the tears that blur your vision. "Don't ever touch me again, you fucking traitor!"

A chuckle can be heard coming from behind your father as you scream at him.

"Well, looks like someone has a tantrum on their hands," the joke Dream gives causes the other three members of his group to laugh and you can't help but grit your teeth and clench your fist as you struggle not to argue back or stab him right through his ugly mask.

"(Y/n), please, listen to me," he pleads, but your head is starting spin from the stress and you're trying to block out any and all sounds in the room. Begging any higher power above that this is just a nightmare. A scary nightmare that you'll soon wake up from with Tommy and Tubbo sleeping close by just as half haphazardly as you are.

"Why?" You whimper out before you can stop yourself. "Why did you do this."

You can't help but take a few steps back as he walks over to you and kneels down to your level. It hurts your father's heart to no end to see you terrified of him, acting like a skittish stray kitten from a village. He starts to doubt his actions for a moment when he sees how frantic you are, but a ringing promise in his head is what reminds him of why he did what he did.

"I did it so we would be safe. So that you could be safe," his voice is barely above a whisper as he says so, like he doesn't want anyone else to hear. Dream gives a quick glance, like he knows something, but he doesn't comment, choosing instead to continue talking the the others.

You shake your head, refusing to accept his bullshit answer, "There could've been another way, you didn't have to do this-!"

He tried to find other ways, he swears, but Dream knew too much and held too much power against him, against everyone. He could take everything away from him, he could take you away from him and he couldn't have that. Sure he now had a target on his head with the resistance, but it's better than having Dream target both him and you. He doesn't tell you all of this though, not yet, it isn't the right time to.

"(Y/n)," your father tries once again to hold you and this time you can't find any power left within you to shove him off again. So you let him hug you, but your arms remain firmly planted to your side, fighting the urge to hug him back for comfort.

"Trust me, there truly was no other way..."

A/N: DID SOMEONE CALL THE ANGST DOCTOR? :D Ah, lord, I had a little too much fun with this but I may have gone out of topic and ooc so I'm very sorry if I did! I've read the parental smp stories before and I adore them to absolute bits so I may have squealed when I got this ask. Thank you anon for the request and I hope you all enjoyed it as well!

(Requests are open and anon is on!)

[writing-is-a-martial-art]

Cozy Little Horrors, WIP re-intro

Laugh in the face of all that is ridiculous, even if it's called holy. Smile without minding your fangs. Your only job here is to figure out who you are without destroying the world. Believe me, it's harder than it sounds.

The basics:

Title: Cozy Little Horrors

Genre: rural fantasy, comedy, coming-of-age

Genre category: Y/A, N/A

Type: a collection of short stories.

Themes/Tropes: found family, self-discovery, the bad of both extremes, winning against all odds, a group of misfits against the world.

The premise:

Magefolk - magical humans and creatures - have lived among humans for all of history, at times openly, at times in secret.

In the present day, two powerful but very untraditional vampires start an academy for those who need guidance with their powers but don't have anyone to teach them, those who are labeled as monsters. This unique establishment is targeted both by the Order, a group of humans who want to rid the earth of all magefolk, and the Night, an organization of magefolk who want to keep their race clean of the outcasts and the unwanted.

But it seems that the honor of destroying the Academy might go to the students, seeing how unauthorized demon-summoning, time-traveling, and raising of undead armies is a typical Wednesday here. Will anyone survive to see the graduation?

Follow the all-fun, logic-free adventures of the Academy with:

The principals:

Lev and Evgeny Krasnomishkovs, the vampire QPR couple that founded and run the Academy. They try their best. They mostly fail.

The teachers:

Bylur, A lowkey ice giant. A no-nonsense bi lady. Can be impressed by axes. Cannot be impressed by students.

Elin, a genderfluid necromancer. The most chill person to ever walk the earth, they can be either the solution to the current disaster or its cause.

Arthur Wen, he/him agender, a weremonkey and magician. The one to search for potential students and bring them to the academy. Friendly but deadly.

Luis, an undead ex-member of the Order. Pretty hostile at first but eventually grows to love his adopted monster kids students. Cis guy, gay.

Angelica, a time-traveler, is a disorganized mess of a person, who, in all honesty, shouldn't be trusted with time travel. Had to be resurrected so many times she now has a special discount from Elin.

Nira, a demigoddess, with the powers of healing and restoration. Yes, she is also the one to heal the injured and fix the academy up. Yes, she doesn't remember what sleep is.

The students:

Pat (the name Patricia is banned), a rebellious werelizard with a heart of probably stolen gold. Ace, pan.

Mike, a lively and carefree ghost demiboy. Not the one to cause trouble by himself but is extremely easily peer-pressured.

Diego, a pan wind-magic wizard, and weresnake. Quiet and serious, he likes hanging out with his disaster friends and consequently gets dragged into trouble.

Katya, a trans girl, and a cheerful and deeply mischievous forest spirit's descendant.

Many others (this is getting too long)

Other information:

Posted parts:

The gays: unburied (999 words)

Welcome Back (2382 words)

Fur, Fire & Feathers pt 1. (2606 words)

Fur, Fire & Feathers pt. 2 (3474 words)

Tag: cozy little horrors

Current taglist (contact me to be added/removed): @enchanted-lightning-aes @47crayons @the-titular-bird @sleepy-night-child @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @a-completely-normal-writer @pagesofcursive @rainycatto @pandawriterstuff @aditiwrites @abalonetea @tildeathdo-i-write @lunewell @viskafrer @justapotatowriter @cryptidsandqueers @sageaisling @honeycowhives @euphoniouspandemonium

[incorrect-natshig]

Do you have natshig fic recs? 👀

THIS IS MY NEW FAVOURITE ASK ANON TYSM💗💗✨

putting it under a cut bcs there's a whole lot more than you would've bargained for💖

The Blocked Hooligans by aphrodaisyacs (11.4k, single chapter) prequel

On January 24, Twitter users @diamond_dust404, @jackedfrost and @icespicebaby formed a group chat when they all got blocked by Endeavor’s official Twitter account. After nearly ten months of developing into a chaotic adoptive family of three, it all changes when Jacked Frost (Todoroki Natsuo) and Ice Spice (Todoroki Shouto) accidentally find out that they are brothers in real life. Clearly, the next step is to meet with their third member, right?

wii music by constellore (43k, 7/30 chapters)

If, five years ago, someone told Natsuo that not only was he going to find his long-lost older brother, but that he was also going to learn that his sister’s best friend was a villain, gain a sorta - kinda fake boyfriend in the leader of the League of Villains, and be partially responsible for the redemption of two of the most wanted men in Japan, he would have told them that they were nuts.

luminous things by cirriform (3k, single chapter)

Natsuo teaches Shigaraki how to fold paper cranes.

Bullet Wounds and Book Work by Mishafy (20.6k, ongoing)

Shigaraki Tomura, at Kurogiri's suggestion, joined a med school track to make up for the lack of a party healer. It just so happened that Todoroki Natsuo was taking the same online course.

The Todoroki In-Laws by aphrodaisyacs (30.6k, complete)

Over 10 years after the fight against the Paranormal Liberation Front, Rumi, aka the part-time hero Miruko and the proud wife of one Todoroki Fuyumi, decides it would be an awesome idea to create a groupchat with the significant others of the other Todoroki siblings. Maybe things would be easier if its members weren’t two Pro Heroes, a former one and a rehabilitated villain, but honestly, where’s the fun in that? (chatfic)

Lingering by thyandra (2k, single chapter)

Natsuo sighed, closing the fridge door. He was so immersed in his pointless musings that he didn’t immediately hear the furious buzzing nearby, muffled by a pillow as it was. That is, until the thing fell to the floor—Shigaraki’s phone, Natsuo recognized once he glanced that way. He shouted a call of his name, but only got a muffled grumble back. Shigaraki was no doubt too absorbed in his game to give a fuck about his still buzzing device, and Natsuo- Natsuo hadn’t really meant to catch a glimpse of the screen. (Tomura has Natsuo as his lockscreen. Natsuo finds out.)

Caught Me at a Record Low by nocturnalgf (9.8k, ongoing)

It starts, as many things do, in a dirty alley. Shigaraki is dying, probably, until Natsuo comes to help him. And after that, Natsuo can't keep himself away.

Shigaraki Tomura’s Walkthrough to Infiltrating a University, Getting a Boyfriend, and More by JajaLala (73k, complete)

In order to recruit Dr. Ujiko Daruma, his Sensei's old doctor who fled after his arrest, Shigaraki must infiltrate the university the doctor is now working at. Problem is, even when he and some League members enroll as students, they discover it's almost impossible to meet the doctor unless you're enrolled in his advanced seminar. Fortunately, Shigaraki meets Natsuo, a premed in Dr. Ujiko's seminar, whose trust he must earn to meet the elusive doctor. However, the two of them might have more in common than Shigaraki expects...

Snow Day by Sensationalcrazyna (700 words, single chapter)

Shigaraki hates snow, but he'll go for his boyfriend.

The Todoroki Family is a Disaster™ by Tigers101 (2.7k, single chapter)

The Todoroki family is a disaster, and family dinner is even worse. Or, Fuyumi is going to lose her shit because she's apparently one of the only sane ones.

we will dream of the sea by crumbsfiction (3.6k, single chapter)

It’s a mechanism of self-defense, after all - trying so hard to be liked. If he can gain Tomura’s approval, if he can prove himself to this group, Natsuo will be fine. It will all have been worth it, dragging his name through the mud in search of a ghost. Besides, watching Tomura comes easily - in fact, Natsuo barely has to think about it at all.

Hoodie by MangoQueen (1k, single chapter)

Shigaraki gets cold and Natsuo offers for him to borrow a hoodie

Dear Tomura, I Hate You. Now Let's Play Some Video Games by  IDealess_at_this (6.6k, ongoing)

Natsuo finds himself in the library after a terrible family dinner. However, after an unconventional meeting, he also finds himself being held hostage by the worst villain league ever. Getting revenge on his father while helping each member of the dysfunctional family through their struggles in the process doesn’t sound too bad!

and of course my beloved AUs💗

a coin to a crane by bittermoons (22k, 5/10 chapters)

Two ordinary (or so they think) high school students from Tokyo stumble upon another world through their dad’s dojo, leading to all sorts of bizarre consequences when they meet a cosplaying asshole of a kodama—a tree spirit—on the other side. Who knew useless video game knowledge and an unlimited cell phone data plan would come in so handy?

sugar and spice by bittermoons (4.7k, single chapter)

Shigaraki Tomura is a judge who hates soggy bottoms on The Great Japanese Bake-Off. Todoroki Natsuo is a stand-up comedian most famous on the web for making fun of his SO, who he calls 'Tanaka Taro' in all his routines. When Natsuo joins the crew of Bake-Off, online speculation explodes over his relationships with Shigaraki and Taro.

hazy days under august shade with you (it's all like magic to me) by constellore (8k, single chapter)

Natsuo is content living in the small village of Eadu, but when his brother becomes the victim of a curse, he's left scrambling for a way to undo it. Desperate for a cure, he manages to find the mysterious Magician of the Western Mountains—a man who raises far more questions than answers, especially when Natsuo finds himself volunteering to spend the summer in the mountains with him in order to aid him in breaking Touya's curse. Love had never been part of the equation, but between sweltering summer days and conversations in the dead of night, Natsuo can't say that he minds.

Love Comes Slow (and goes so fast) by Tigers101 (14.8k, single chapter)

"I’ve never been enough.” Natsuo's expression darkened. “I’ve always been the failure of a middle child, worthless and alone. I’ve never been anything to anyone." Tenko looked at him, his eyebrows creased in something close to anger. “Well, everyone else can go fuck themselves. You’re everything to me.” (natshig fantasy au + major character death)

Here Be Faeries by cafeanna (5k, single chapter)

“Terrible thing, terrible thing,” The burning man tusked and tisked. “Caught the eye of a Prince, gave a Name, and killed the King. Now he wears a crown of blooded amber and elk horn, and sleeps on a bed of thistle and roses. The King calls him frostbite, willow-boned, and beloved.” 

Natsuo Todoroki walked into the woods at the beginning of summer and never came out. A month later, Fuyumi and Shouto are left in the aftermath of a missing person’s case and a growing fear of the place they grew up.

Know That You Love Me (even when I lose my head) by Tigers101 (1.5k, single chapter)

“I hate you.” Tenko grinned. “No, I really don’t think that’s the case. You wouldn’t have saved me from homework if that were the case.” (natshig roleswap au)

[magicalmarauder]

Broken Trust

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Warnings: I did not proof read this at all, so sorry in advance for any errors!

Word Count: 5k+

Summary: What happens when Jungkook betrays the trust of his girlfriend by sharing a highly personal detail about her life with his friends? How do you respond when the one person you trusted above anyone else does the very thing he vowed never to do – break your heart.

Being best friends with seven overgrown man-children was definitely an experience. An experience you hadn’t quite foreseen in your future when you first moved to Seoul, Korea. Nevertheless, it was an experience that you wouldn’t trade for the world. Most days, at least, you corrected yourself ruefully.

Over a year ago, you had made the biggest, most adult-like decision in your life thus far and decided to pack up all that you had, leaving behind everything and everyone that you knew in favor of starting a new journey in a completely different country. You were hesitant when you were first offered the job opportunity, but quickly realized that turning down such an opportunity would be a decision that you would always look back on with regret. And certainly, looking back now, you could definitely say that you had made the best decision of your life in moving to Seoul. Not only had it led you to the love of your life, but also to the aforementioned crazy best friends, of whom your boyfriend was actually one.

You could only describe the meeting as fate as it was truly a scene straight out of a romantic comedy. It had been your first week at your new job, you had frantically been checking the map on your phone, trying to navigate the winding hallways in order to find the room where your two o’clock meeting was being held. In your distracted state, you had failed to notice the man in front of you walk straight into the door that he had been too preoccupied to notice was closed before promptly falling to the ground, serving as the hazard that had caused your own frantic descent to the hard floor.  

The man had been so sweet and apologetic, ensuring over and over again that you were unhurt. You assured him that you were just fine and not to worry, but he had insisted on making it up to you, stating that he couldn’t rest until he offered you what he claimed was the most perfect hot chocolate in the world. Before you could protest, he pulled you through the door, this time successfully opening it before attempting to walk through, and into what looked like a large recording studio area.

He quickly dragged you over to the back corner of the room that seemed to serve as the designated snack area as it was occupied by a mini-fridge, coffee maker, microwave, and toaster oven. He wasted no time in getting to work, pulling out a mug and various different ingredients and before you knew it, he was proudly presenting you with his hot chocolate creation with a large, endearing smile on his face. You had been about to protest, worried about making your meeting on time, but there was no possible way that you could refuse that face. He looked so eager and so, with a rueful smile, you gratefully accepted the warm drink and took a nice long sip, relishing in the rich, chocolatey taste.

His eyes never left your face, eyebrows raising expectantly after you pulled back.

“You were right,” you assented. “Definitely the most perfect cup of hot chocolate I’ve ever had. You have a real gift, kind sir.”

“Why thank you, m’lady,” he responded, giving you an exaggerated bow that set you off in a fit of giggles. This guy was just too adorable for his own good.

Before you could inquire any further as to his name or any other details about him, a loud flurry of noises sounded behind you as a group of boys walked into the room, laughing and joking and shoving one another. However, once they caught sight of you standing in the middle of the room with the man by your sight, their conversations quickly shut off, eyes simultaneously bouncing back and forth between you and the mystery man by your side.

“Who’s this?” One of the men asked curiously, stepping forward and glancing between the two of you with eyebrows raised.

You and the man exchanged quick glances, realizing that you had yet to formally introduce yourselves to one another.

Realizing this, you took a small step forward. “Hi. My name is Y/N. I’m new to the company. I just moved here last week and I literally ran into your friend here in the hallway,” you explained, gesturing to the man beside you, who had a faint blush covering his cheeks.

“Yeah,” the man said, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. “I kind of ran into the door and took her down with me.”

The boys stared at the two of you for a moment before breaking into laughter, seemingly not even questioning the events of the story.

“Awww, such the charmer you are, Jungkookie-ah,” the man who had originally stepped forward to question your presence joked. “Only you could meet a pretty girl in such a way. This type of stuff only happens in movies.”

The man besides you, who you now supposed was named Jungkookie? blushed, ducking his head down to hide his reddening face. “Stop it, Jimin-ssi,” he pleaded, sending a rush through your heart. This man was just too cute.

Taking pity on their friend, the tallest member of the group took a step forward. “Welcome to Seoul and to BigHit, Y/N. It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Namjoon,” he introduced, reaching forward to shake your hand before the others followed suit one-by-one.

Once finished with the group standing in front of you, you turned to meet the gaze of the man at your side, who was staring at you with a sheepish smile. “Hi.” He smiled. “I didn’t get a chance to formally introduce myself earlier. I’m Jungkook.”

You grinned. “Very nice to meet you, Jungkook. Thank you very much for the hot chocolate, it was excellent,” you complimented. “But I really do have to get going. I’m running a bit late for my meeting.”

“Oh, of course!” He flushed. “I’m sorry to keep you. I really should have asked before forcing you to follow me in here.”

“No worries at all,” you reassured gently. “It was well worth it. Now I know just where to come when I’m in the mood for some delicious hot chocolate.”

Jungkook blushed again and you were really starting to believe that that was just the permanent state of his face before the mischievous one who had spoken earlier, and who you now knew was named Jimin, spoke up. “Why don’t you come back here after your meeting, Y/N. We’ll still be here. Since you’re new to the city, I’m sure you don’t know very many people. Let us show you around a little bit!”

The other boys chorused along their agreement with that offer, insisting that you allow them to take you out.

“Let us make up for our little maknae almost maiming you on your first week,” the man who had introduced himself as World Wide Handsome a.k.a. Jin interjected.

You let out a laugh. “There’s really nothing to make up for, but I’d love it if you guys showed me around a little bit. I haven’t had a chance to go exploring yet. I’d love to see your country through your own eyes.”

“Then it’s settled!” Namjoon declared, a broad grin stretching across his face. “Come back here after your meeting is done and we’ll head out!”

“Ok, sounds like a plan,” you nodded. “I’ll see you guys soon then!”

***

And that had been that. At the time you hadn’t known that they were the most famous K-Pop group in the world, which they had teased you mercilessly about. Considering you worked for the company that employed them, they had found it unbelievable that you had had no idea who they were. But all the same, they found it refreshing to talk to someone who knew nothing of their background or their fame, someone they could have a normal conversation with and just be themselves around.

The eight of you had quickly bonded, meeting together often for meals, going out after work to explore the town, or even attending game nights at their shared apartment. Your relationship with each one of them had solidified so quickly, finding your own common ground that bonded you with each member. However, there was one that stood out from the rest. Jungkook. Ever since that first meeting, there was a spark between the two of you, something that the others were quick to pick up on. They were constantly teasing the two of you and scheming for opportunities to get the two of you alone together. So, with all of their plotting, it was no surprise that you quickly found yourself growing closer and closer to Jungkook each and every day. He quickly became your closest friend and greatest confidante. Therefore, when he had finally mustered up the courage to ask you out on a date, you hadn’t wasted a second before agreeing.

It was nothing but history after that. Your date had gone fantastic and you had been together ever since. There was no one you trusted and adored more than Jungkook and vice versa. Although you had never expected to fall in love with an idol, you wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Jungkook was your other half, complementing you perfectly. Your relationship came with its fair share of heartaches and challenges, but the two of you were a great team, solving each new trial as it came your way.

The boys welcomed you into their family with wide open arms, agreeing that you were perfect for their little golden maknae. They teased the two of you relentlessly about your relationship, but always out of love and affection for you both.

Despite the fact that you were extremely close with all of the boys, there were certain things that you only confided in with Jungkook – one of which being your relationship experience, or rather lack of. Jungkook was actually your very first boyfriend, something that you tried not to advertise too much. You weren’t ashamed of your past and your decision to prioritize other things in your life up until this point, but you recognized that to the outside world, it was a very rare and weird occurrence that usually resulted in people asking what could possibly be wrong with you if you went twenty or so years without having a significant other.

You tried not to dwell on it too much, after all you had a boyfriend now and you were very happy together. All of the waiting had absolutely been worth it. However, with your lack of experience came a certain shyness. This was all so new to you and you wanted to take things slowly, something that Jungkook absolutely understood and never once made you feel guilty or insecure about. Sex was something that was completely off the table for the moment.  As you probably guessed, you were a virgin and had no plans of changing that status anytime soon. You loved Jungkook more than you could express and taking that step was definitely something you could imagine happening with him, even more frequently now as time continued to go on. However, that was still a huge decision and one you were not yet completely ready to make.

When you had finally opened up to Jungkook about that personal detail about yourself, you had been so nervous as to how he would react. You of course had had entirely nothing to worry about, though. Jungkook had been the absolute sweetest and most understanding person in the world, admiring you for sticking to your convictions and never compromising your values simply because others around you may or may not have been engaging in certain activities.

Although this was a part of your life that you accepted and something that you had had no regrets in sharing with Jungkook, it was also something that you found highly personal and didn’t want advertised, especially to your rowdy group of friends who you loved dearly, but who often did not know when a joke was being taken too far. You had asked Jungkook to keep that personal detail about yourself between the two of you and he had been quick to agree, pressing a sweet kiss to your mouth and promising that your secrets were always safe with him. You had had no reason to doubt him, believing wholeheartedly that he was 100% genuine and would never go back on his word to you. However, that unfortunately all changed one night as the eight of you were all hanging out together as was usual on a Friday evening.

While you and Jungkook were frequently in your own little couple’s world, you never forgot to make time for your best friends as well, not forgetting that if it hadn’t been for them and their incessant meddling, you and Jungkook might never have gotten together. That was why it had almost become ritual for the eight of you to gather together after a long week of work and relax, choosing to watch movies, play games, or simply just eat your weight in junk food.

And this night was no different. You were all gathered on the luxurious couches in their apartment, buried in blankets and snuggled in together. You were pressed firmly into Jungkook’s side, arms wrapped around one another, completely at peace in each other’s presence. Every so often, Jungkook would lean down and press a soft, sweet kiss to your face, alternating between your forehead, cheek, neck, and so on.

“Eh, Y/N?” A voice asked, pulling you out of your Jungkook-bubble.

“Huh?” You questioned, having missed the conversation that had been going on around you entirely. However, you felt like you couldn’t be blamed for your lack of attention. It was all Jungkook’s fault and his perfect, distracting kisses.

“Is that accurate?” Jimin asked, a teasing smirk on his face as he gestured to the movie playing on the screen, which you honestly hadn’t even paid a bit of attention to since it had started. You truthfully weren’t even sure what movie they had chosen. When taking a vote at the beginning of the night, you hadn’t cared too much. You usually spent your movie nights exactly as you were right now, wrapped in Jungkook’s arms and completely distracted and consumed by his presence.

“What?” You asked, looking around the room at the various teasing expressions of your friends, wondering what you had missed. You looked back up at Jungkook’s face to notice that his expression was just as mystified as your own, clearly having been just as wrapped up in you as you were in him.

“Is the movie portraying with accuracy the reality of being a twenty-something year old virgin?” Jin clarified.

Behind you, you felt Jungkook tense up while you merely furrowed your brows in confusion, not yet quite understanding why they were asking you this question; however, as you heard the sharp intake of breath from Jungkook behind you, your mind began to connect the dots, reality setting in as what you had believed to be impossible was actually coming true.

“What?” You whispered, still in a state of shock, your mind trying to catch up to what was going on around you.

“The movie,” Taehyung explained. “Is it accurate? We know Hollywood tends to dramatize these things. I’d never actually met a fully grown adult virgin before to confirm; however. Well, until we met you. I have to say, I was quite surprised though. I didn’t really believe Jungkookie at first when he told us,” Taehyung continued on, clearly not realizing the massive hole that he was currently digging for his friend as you mutely listened on.

“Jungkook told you?” You questioned, still not quite believing it. There was no one that you trusted more in this world than Jungkook. You had never had a reason to doubt his sincerity or trustworthiness, which was why your brain was now having trouble believing what was clearly being spelled out in front of you by your friends and their teasing grins as well as the suspicious silence from the man in question.

Reflexively, you moved away from Jungkook’s embrace, his hands following desperately after you only for you to move further away from him on the couch, silently communicating that being touched by him was the last thing you wanted in this moment.

Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hosoek exchanged glances, quickly realizing what was going on and that this was a piece of information that you had never intended to be shared with the whole group. Quickly, they tried to communicate this to the other members, but with no luck. They were finding too much entertainment in poking fun at you while you just sat there, at a loss for words.

“Hey, that’s enough,” Namjoon finally interceded, no longer able to ignore the look of distress on your face or the utter guilt consuming Jungkook’s own.

Numbly, you finally turned to face your boyfriend, accusation clear in your eyes. He gulped in response, knowing that he was in for it, and rightfully so. However, as you continued to gaze at him, the anger that initially consumed your features was replaced by something so much worse – hurt and betrayal.

“You told them?” You questioned in a broken tone. “After you promised me you understood how personal that was for me to share? That you wouldn’t talk about it with the others?”

The laughter quickly died off as the remaining BTS members realized what was happening, guilt rapidly beginning to form in the pits of their stomachs. They hadn’t realized that this was something you weren’t comfortable with sharing. They had figured that if you had shared that information with Jungkook and he had in turn told them, that it was something you were okay with discussing. They hadn’t meant to hurt your feelings at all. But clearly, the damage had already been done.

“Jagi,” Jungkook began, but then quickly broke off, not having an acceptable answer to your question. He had screwed up, a fact which was made quite clear by the pain in your eyes. Your happiness was one of the most important things in the world to him. He couldn’t stand to see you upset, much less when he knew that he was the cause of your hurt.

“No,” you cried, cutting off whatever useless defense he had been about to muster up. “I can’t believe you, Jungkook. I trusted you. This is exactly the situation I wanted to avoid and you knew that. You expressly told me that you wouldn’t say anything to the other boys, and then what? You go right around and do exactly what you had promised not to. I can’t believe you, Jeon Jungkook.”

“Y/N . . . I – I,” he broke off, completely at a loss, wanting to go over and comfort you, holding you in his arms and gently wiping away the tears that were rapidly forming in your eyes. But he couldn’t do that. Not this time. Not when he was the source of said tears. This was a position he hadn’t found himself in before. You and Jungkook were amazingly compatible. In the months that you two had been dating, you had had very few conflicts and those that you did have were always solved with discussion and an exchange of opinions and feelings. He had never made you cry before and it was a feeling he never wanted to experience again.

“No,” you declared, biting your lip and trying your best to hold in the cries that were trying desperately to leave your body. “I can’t be here anymore.”

Quickly, you stood up, making your way to the doorway and wasting no time in putting your shoes on and grabbing your bag before exiting the apartment, slamming the door with a resounding bang, that clearly communicated you did not want to be followed.

Jungkook was too in shock to even process this as he stared at the doorway you had practically just raced through. The other boys were in much the same predicament, not quite knowing how to respond, not only to your hasty departure, but also to the argument they had just witnessed. As previously mentioned, you and Jungkook never really fought, not in private, and definitely not in public. They were used to you and Jungkook being in perfect sync, the ideal couple, and the perfect counterpart for one another. You completed each other so perfectly that this was a scenario in which they never imagined witnessing, much less being a part of.

“Jungkook…?” Namjoon prompted gently, feeling sorry for the youngest member and the look of despair on his face, completely at a loss with how to process and handle this situation.

“What just happened?” Jimin interrupted. “I didn’t realize that it was a big secret?”

“I hadn’t either,” Hosoek chimed in. “Not until I saw the look on her face.”

“Why’d you tell us that, Jungkook?” Jin questioned, voicing the thoughts of everyone else in the room. “It sounded like she expressly told you not to share that bit of personal information, which I can honestly understand, especially considering that we did exactly what she had been trying to avoid.”

The boys looked down, ashamed at their actions. Yes, they had genuinely believed that this was something you were fine with openly sharing and therefore joking about, but they never should have poked fun at something so personal in the first place. They each resolved in their own minds to apologize to you the next time they saw you, hoping that you weren’t too upset with them.

Taehyung moved over to Jungkook, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a slight shake, attempting to rouse him from his bewildered stupor. “Jungkook?”

Jungkook jerked away, coming alive at once and finally tearing his gaze away from the door that you had left through.

After taking a quick glance around the room and the various expressions of concern and guilt on his friends’ faces, he jumped up, grabbing his phone and his keys before rushing out of the room after you, vowing to make this right with you.

***

After about an hour later and having gone to a number of different locations in order to find you, yet coming up empty, Jungkook walked through the entryway of your apartment, desperately praying that he would find you here. He would go insane if he didn’t find you soon and know that you were safe.

“Y/N-ah!” He called, receiving no reply in return.

His heart sank, ready to lose it completely as endless possibilities of what could have happened to you ran through his mind. However, he was able to sink fully into that mindset of despair, he heard a faint sniffle coming from the bedroom. Hurriedly, he stood to his feet, practically sprinting into your bedroom, only to find you curled up into a tiny ball at the center of the bed, surrounded and covered in pillows and blankets. His heart lurched at the sight of you crying and in pain, but at the moment, his relief that you were okay won out over anything else.

“Y/N!” He breathed, rushing to your side and enveloping you completely in his arms, moving the blankets out of the way so he could see your face.

However, he wasn’t expecting for you to push him away. He didn’t think you had ever turned down any sort of physical contact with him. You were usually the one to initiate it, in fact, always grabbing his hand, leaning your head against his chest, snuggling into his side, and so on. You shying away from him threw him off and gave him a feeling that he never again wanted to experience.

“No,” you whined, when he hesitantly reached towards you again. “Please leave,” you begged. “I don’t want you here right now, Jungkook.”

If Jungkook’s heart hadn’t broken before your previous actions, it absolutely shattered at your words to him now.

“Baby, please, I –“he struggled to express, trying and failing to come up with the words that would get you back in his arms, right where you belonged.

“I don’t want to talk, Jungkook,” you cried. “You really hurt me. Maybe you think I’m being dramatic, but this is a really big deal to me. You knew how hard it was for me to open up to you,” you accused, finally pulling the blanket away and revealing your broken form to Jungkook, his heart sinking at the sight of your red, tear-stained cheeks. “You knew exactly how personal that was and how much I wanted it to stay between you and I,” you continued. “You promised that you wouldn’t say anything and then you immediately went back on your word. How much time did it take for you to go running off to tell them? Did you all mock me together?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jungkook exclaimed, shocked at where your thoughts were taking you. “Just wait a minute!”

You sniffled, jaw set stubbornly, but making no move to interrupt him surprisingly.

“We did not mock you, I would never do that,” Jungkook began, ignoring your quiet scoff of disbelief at his words. “And I know you have absolutely every right to not believe me,” he noted. “But I truly didn’t mean to break your trust. I did and I do understand how hard it was for you to open up to me and I appreciate and value that trust more than you know. I understand that I betrayed that trust that you had in me, and for that I am deeply sorry. I wish I had a good explanation, but I truly don’t. We were just hanging out one night and it kind of slipped out. I didn’t mean to tell them your private business, but once it was out, I couldn’t take it back, but I knew if I tried to convince them not to say anything that that would make them want to bring it up in front of you all the more. I was hoping that if I played it off that they would assume it was no big deal and never mention it again. Clearly, that was a very stupid plan, and I see that now. I should have been up front and honest with them and with you as well. But Y/N, baby, never doubt that I love you and that I have your back – 100%. I may mess up from time to time, in fact, I know I will,” he corrected. “But that doesn’t mean that I love you any less,” he breathed out, voice and eyes pleading with you to understand, to forgive him.

“I love you so much,” he confessed. “Don’t let my idiocy and insensitivity ruin what we have,” he begged. “I promise I won’t ever betray your trust like that again. Let me show you how much I mean it. Let me make it up to you.”

You simply stared back at him, wide-eyed, not quite expecting such a passionate apology from him.

“Say something,” he pleaded, unable to handle your silence.

“I’m not quite sure what to say,” you admitted, still a little in awe from his words.

“Then say you forgive me,” he requested, hand hesitantly inching forward to grab onto your own, taking it as a positive sign that you hadn’t pulled away from him once again.

You looked down at your intertwined hands, your heart thumping in response to his thumb gently stroking the skin along the back of your hand.

“You really didn’t mean to tell them?” You questioned in a small voice, your anger slowly melting away at both the heartfelt words and the adorable doe-eyes that were begging you for your forgiveness.

“No, baby, I didn’t,” he promised, squeezing your hand. “I would never do that to you intentionally. It was just one of those moments where I wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying and it slipped out. I knew right away that I had messed up, but I didn’t know what to do. I should have come to you right away though and confessed what had happened. We could have avoided this entire situation if I had just been honest with you.”

You nodded, unable to deny that before glancing down at your clasped hands once again. Although you were still upset with him, you couldn’t deny the sincerity in his eyes. You believed him and you believed that he understood the severity of what he had done. You knew that he loved you and would never do anything to intentionally harm you. Your relationship was something that was too precious to the both of you and although you were hurt, you knew that this would be something that you would be able to work through together. Seeing your smaller hand clutched in his larger one, you couldn’t deny that you and Jungkook just fit together. Everything was right when you were with one another.

Jungkook, having must have sensed your anger slowly melting away, prompted you softly. “Do you think you’ll be able to forgive me, jagiya?”

Without replying, you leaned forward to place your lips against his own in a gentle kiss, expressing all that you wanted to without words. And Jungkook, your other half, understood perfectly, returning the sentiment by pouring his own love and sincerity back into the kiss. The two of you continued on in your sweet embrace, allowing all of the hurt and anger to be swept away by each new kiss.

A few moments later, Jungkook gently pulled away, pressing soft kisses to your face, eliciting a sweet giggle from your lips.

Jungkook grinned in return, overjoyed and at perfect peace to be back in harmony with you – his love, his other half, his perfect partner in everything.

“I love you so much, Y/N,” he expressed, eyes gleaming and heart full. You were the only one who could make him feel like this and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love you too, Kookie,” you echoed, once again leaning into him and allowing yourself to be swept away in the sweetness of his embrace, exactly where you belonged.

[midnightsconspiracy]

Faith Restored

Faith Restored - @midnightsconspiracy

Summary: When an argument with your husband causes you to walk out, a vendetta against him leads to you being kidnapped. But will Hank find you in time to be reunited with him and your child?

Warnings: Swearing, Violence

Word Count: 2670

Requested: Yes! I got these two requests so decided to combine them into one fic as they were pretty similar, so I hope the people that requested don't mind. :)

"hi!! I’m so happy I found someone that loves hank too. I’ll literally take any fic with him: age gap romance, marriage, having a baby, his enemies taking you and him tearing the city apart to get you back, some combination of all that, I’ll take it all. thank you for your writing!!"

"Hii! I love your fics 💖 could you please write something with hank, like he arguments with his girlfriend about their work, then she’s kidnapped and he gets all worried and asks for forgiveness, if you don’t feel comfortable with that it’s aaaaall goood :) xoxo"

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this fic and I have a few more requests to write so stayed tunes for them. But thank you for your support and keep sending requests in. Also if you've got some free time drop me a message, I'd love to hear from some of you guys!!!

Masterlist

Love. It was a feeling you had refused to believe in. Everyone around you telling you that the one was out there, and it was only a matter of time, but you were convinced that wasn’t true. At one point previously you had believed in it but that only led to a broken heart and weeks of uncontrollable crying, the man you thought was the one, cheating on you only days before your wedding. So how could it be true if the universe had let you suffer that badly? But as cliché as it sounds, that point of view changed completely as soon as you started your new job as a detective in the intelligence unit. From day one you had fallen head over heels for your boss, that hope of love finally returning. It had taken a long time for you to trust him and enter a fully committed relationship as that fear of heartbreak and the large age gap between you loomed over you both initially. Hank had been the best though, taking his time going step by step to make sure you were comfortable with everything, as well as keeping away the judgement from others the best that he could. He understood that feeling himself, still suffering the loss of Camille’s death, scared that you would leave him, but instead of being non-committal, it drove him to love you more, living each day like it was his last.

Now five years later, your relationship was pure bliss. Long gone were the days of doubts and distrust, instead replaced with only contentment and loyalty. Onlookers still judged the unconventional age difference but you had learned to live with it, coming to the conclusion that you loved Hank regardless and that was all that mattered. Only eight months into the relationship he decided that you really were the one for him, and a world in which he didn’t spend the rest of his life with you was one he couldn’t imagine, and so proposed inside his office, the place that started it all. You married shortly after at the courthouse, with only a small guest list, just wanting to be surrounded by your closest friends and family. The unit all in attendance, some crying, others wishing it were them getting married but collectively all ecstatic at the fact their favourite office romance was finally tying the knot. The next couple of months felt like absolute paradise, like you were in some sort of dream never to wake up again. Never a day went by where you didn’t feel the utmost joy and love in your heart, each day was a new adventure with the man that you could finally call your husband. You were on cloud nine thinking your life couldn’t get any better, until one day two pink lines stared back at you.

When you married Hank you didn’t expect to have any children, with him already having Justin and a grandson. This left you a little disheartened, but you would have married him under any conditions, even if that meant your dream of having kids would never come true. Whilst talking about your future together in the first few months of dating, the topic of kids had come up once or twice, with him stating he would love to have kids with you, but believing he couldn’t have any due to his age. But once you had told him you were pregnant, he was absolutely elated, even crying whilst confessing how much he loved and appreciated you. After a relatively difficult pregnancy with Hank being the most supportive, protective partner there could be, you gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy weighing in at 8 pounds, having his eye colour and your nose, a perfect combination of the both of you. For the first few years of your babies life, you spent your time staying at home looking after him, watching him grow up to look more and more like your husband each day. But finally, after his third birthday, you decided the unit was your calling and you wanted to rejoin your old team.

Things started off relatively normal, reuniting with the unit properly, finally becoming a team again. Adrenaline filled your veins once more, loving the thrill of arresting criminals and going on busts. The words ‘let's roll out’ sent sparks of serotonin throughout your body, loving being back after years of ‘calmness’ from child care. This new feeling caused you to get a little over-excited sometimes but nothing, in your opinion, that could be considered careless. However, if you asked Hank he would completely disagree. The man just wanted you to be safe at all times, not just for him but for your son as well. Things started heating up after a couple of weeks of you working there, him not wanting to address it initially as he knew you were so happy doing what you loved, but he was scared for your safety. He didn’t want a repeat of his last marriage, he adored you so much he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if you were to get an injury or die. That was until one night, a bad day at the office caused him to snap, needing you to know how he felt about what you were doing.

Leaning against the counter in the kitchen at your shared home, you heard the door slam, knowing it was Hank, who had stayed behind in his office after a particularly nasty case.

“Hi Babe, did you get everything done that you wanted to?” You chirped, just happy that your husband was finally home.

“Y/N we need to talk,” you turned around to face him, your smile falling at his serious tone.

“Ok?”

“I understand you love being back in the unit but Y/N, we have a son now”

“What are you trying to say?” You replied, your tone turning sour, part of you knew what he was trying to say, but never in your mind did you think he would confront you about it. Why couldn’t he just be happy for you?

“I just think you’re being too reckless in the field,” he remained calm, just trying to get you to understand where he was coming from.

“Reckless? Are you fucking kidding me! I’ve spent three years looking after our kid and you can’t even allow me to have this?” You were furious by this point, you loved your job and had been away from it for a long time. Ok, maybe you were a little under cautious sometimes but not what he was suggesting!

“I'm just looking out for you, I can’t have you dying on me Y/N! You’re my wife for god’s sake I want you to be alive and safe!” He raised his voice, angry you couldn’t see what he was seeing.

“You know what fuck you, Hank!” You pushed past him, grabbing your keys and wallet on the way out, getting into your car to go anywhere but that house.

Driving around the city you were thinking of places to go, your parents, a hotel, another member of the units house? Finally deciding on Jay’s apartment you pulled into his buildings car park, checking your phone before going inside. Staring back at you were five missed calls and thirteen unread messages, all from the same person, the reason why you were outside someone else’s apartment and not your own home. Getting out of your car you walked towards the entrance of the apartment building, mulling over whether you should message Hank back. Deciding against it, you lowered your phone, not even wanting to think about it for the time being. Suddenly someone grabbed you by the waist, yanking you towards them, placing a foreign material over your mouth. You screamed, praying someone would hear your cries as you kicked your legs out and at the perpetrator as they dragged you backwards. More hands reached out to pull you into a car, sobbing you regretted what happened earlier, wishing you would have just stayed home. Finally, as your vision blurred, you hoped the unit would find you before it was too late.

Waking up in a cold room, you tried to pull your arm towards your chest, meeting resistance in the form of metal chains attached above your head. You groggily looked around, using your detective skills to assess the situation you were in, noting nothing in the cold, concrete room except yourself and a metal frame chair placed in front of you. Confused at the situation, you thought about what you had done, was it a person you had arrested? Or someone who had a vendetta against you? That you didn’t know, you couldn’t comprehend anything at the moment, your head pounding not allowing you to think clearly. You remembered being in the apartment complex’s car park after an argument but other than that everything was hazy. Thinking as hard as you could, your thoughts were interrupted as one of the offenders entered the room. He sat at the chair, sharpening his knife, a sadistic smirk played on his face.

“You know why you’re here?” Raking your brain you couldn’t think of anyone you had pissed off enough for them to go to these extremes.

“No,” you replied not wanting to antagonise him in any way.

“Your killer of a husband murdered my boy in broad daylight and no one, NO ONE, ever did anything about it!”

“That wasn’t me, please just let me go, you can talk it out with my husband in the proper ways!” You pleaded, knowing that him showing you his face didn’t bode well for your chances of survival.

“YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS THE DAY YOU MARRIED THAT MURDERER!” He shouted out, punching you in the stomach, taking his anger out on you anyways possible.

“He’ll find us, and when he does he’ll kill you too,” you spat knowing that you couldn’t make anything worse. In response he threw a series of punches at your face, grabbing his knife holding it to your throat. Smirking he replied,

“You think he really cares about you?”

“WELL, WHERE IS SHE?” Hank was absolutely seething. Shouting at anyone who came to talk to him, both members of his unit and uniformed officers alike. He couldn’t lose her, besides his son, she was his whole life, not even wanting to picture a world where she wasn’t with him. He had to prepare for the worst, he knew that, but he couldn’t do it without a tear coming to his eye. Why her? Why couldn’t they just have taken him instead? He was who they wanted, not her, so why couldn't they just have fucking take him?! The team all sat watching, waiting, knowing it was only a matter of time before he would come out and demand answers, ones they didn’t have at the moment. They owed their boss, cashing in multiple favours with him throughout their time in intelligence, and they knew this was the only thing Voight would ever ask for in return. And Y/N, you had worked with them for years, not just being colleagues but developing a strong friendship that would last years to come, that’s if they could find you in time. Exiting his office, the unit turned to their boss as he spoke.

“I want everyone giving their all to this case, this is my wife we’re talking about, not just some faceless victim, Y/N, your friend, your colleague, and we are going to find her. No matter what it takes, am I clear?” Each detective replied with a ‘yes sarge' and getting to work, investigating every lead that they could. A couple of hours later the team had found the suspects, located pod footage from the time you were kidnapped and worked out a motive, everything seemed like was going well, except for the fact they still didn’t have a location. Another hour passed and still no location, Hank getting more and more agitated by the second, with his anger about to boil over, all with the push of a button, or a certain detective. Being the bearer of bad news, the team pushed Ruzek to play the devils advocate to tell the Sergeant they had come up empty.

“Hey Sarge, we’ve got nothing else, every lead we’ve got is coming up dry”

“NOTHING! YOU’VE GOT NOTHING? SHE COULD BE DEAD FOR ALL WE KNOW AND YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU’VE GOT NOTHING?” Hank boomed scared that his precious wife, who had done nothing to deserve this, could be being tortured or even worse dead.

“Hank, Hank” Olinsky stepped in, pushing his distraught friend back in his office, knowing Adam had done nothing wrong, instead just an outlet for his long term friends anger.

“It's ok, she’s gonna be fine” Alvin reassured him, knowing him exploding with emotions would do nothing to help his missing wife. Finally, an hour later, the team got a breakthrough courtesy of a CI of Dawson's, gearing up and rolling out as quickly as possible much to Hank’s delight.

Raising your head, you spat at the man in front of you, teasing him even more, threatening him to do his worst. He had beat you, cut you, degraded you, trying to get your spirit to break. Although you knew Hank would come to find you, you were starting to crack, the pain overwhelming to the point where you couldn’t cope anymore, a pain you wouldn’t wish on anyone. You were losing faith rapidly, expecting your unit to have already come by now, but where were they? Maybe they didn’t actually care about you? Lowering your head after a series of more beatings, you’d had enough.

“Please stop, please, I’ll do whatever you want, just please stop!” You cried finally giving into the man.

“I want you to pay for what your husband has done to my family, pay with your life,” he pulled a gun from the waistband of his trousers, pointing straight at the middle of your forehead. You had lived your life as much as you could, finding the love of your life, having a son and restoring your faith in the universe, well up until now. Closing your eyes you prepared yourself for the bullet, but when the loud shot came, it wasn’t from a gun but instead the door flying off its hinges.

“DROP THE WEAPON!” Someone shouted, someone that sounded weirdly familiar to your husband.

“DROP IT,” they repeated before you heard a clatter on the ground and a flurry of movement. Suddenly someone grabbed your face, nervously speaking your name. Opening your eyes, you looked up, staring straight into the eyes of your husband, smiling briefly before a cloud of darkness washed over you.

Waking up, the first thing you noticed with the constant beeping of a machine, then the warm feeling of a hand in yours. You slowly opened your eyes, blinking sluggishly adjusting to the harsh light, before focusing on the figure beside you.

“Hank?” You croaked, sounding like death itself but glad you were alive and facing your husband once more.

“Baby! Thank god you’re alive, you got me so worried there,” you smiled, thanking whatever god was out there for a second chance so you could spend the rest of your life with your husband and child.

“I-i missed you, Hank”

“I know Baby, I know I missed you too.”

“I’m sorry for walking out on you, why couldn’t I have just stayed there and listened to you? Talked it out properly”

“No don’t apologise, this was all my fault, you loved what you were doing and I was trying to take that away from you because of my own selfish wants.” You loved the man beside you unconditionally and although you were mad in the moment, this whole situation made you realise that nothing he could do could make you love him any less.

[kpop-stan23-writes]

old money seonghwa

another case of me reading this post by @warmau and being inspired! btw, if you enjoy brilliantly clever bullet aus you should definitely give skye a follow.

read san's part here and mingi’s part here

group: ateez member: seonghwa genre: fluff? rich boy au word count: 1.5k warnings: a few curse words. the note is a little suggestive pairing: seonghwa x gn!reader

note: the seonghwa i portray here definitely isn't the type of seonghwa who would hover over you while dressed in a three piece suit and you're wearing nothing but one of his vintage watches but i figure hey, maybe he can grow into that seonghwa

heir to a trust fund that has been getting richer by the decade

only knows other trust fund babies

appears cold and standoffish to the general public but that's really only because he doesn't know how to interact with people not in the top 1%

(secretly very awkward)

only wears high end luxury brands and old, vintage watches that have been in his family for generations

gets driven around in a limo with windows tinted black

perfect gentleman

has never once in his life forgotten his manners because they were practically beaten into him since he could walk

everybody in the upper class loves him because they think he's perfect: perfect manners, perfect looks, perfect bank account

and that's okay

it's the only life he's known, after all

until he meets you

it's your friend's birthday, and their rich other half has given you some money to pick out something

you're frugal, having grown up modestly, and knowing your friend's taste, found something they'll adore for a fraction of the money their s/o gave you

you're standing in front of a jewelry store when your friend surprises you and all but drags you into the store

you roll your eyes but follow, listening to them say that you should go ahead and spend the spare change *wink wink*

seonghwa is already inside, searching for a suitable gift for his mother's own birthday

he looks up when he hears a salesperson greet the newcomers

and immediately tells the saleswoman helping him to bag everything you look at

her eyes widen at the request but nods and hurries away to inform the others

you're none the wiser, eyeing the lovely jewelry and ignoring your friend as they try to convince you that their s/o wouldn't mind if you spent the money on yourself, since you've already gotten the birthday gift *wink wink*

your friend does find a little something as a birthday gift to themselves and you follow them to the cashier

three large bags are placed on the counter and you and your friend share a look

"i only purchased this," your friend says

"oh no these are yours," the cashier says, looking directly at you

"but i didn't--i can't--"

"oh they're on seonghwa's tab. he's just over there"

your head whips around just in time to see the retreating back of a tall figure

you look back at the three large bags filled to the brim each with neatly wrapped boxes

"how much..."

your friend nearly chokes when the cashier hands over the bill

you don't dare look yourself, just stare at the empty entry where this seonghwa disppeared

your friend fills you in about the park seonghwa as you walk to your car, arms heavy with the unexpected gifts

with every fact your friend tells you, you feel yourself grow more and more confused

this man has everything he could ever want, and you assume that includes his fill of attractive suitors of the same class

so who are you? just a random stranger who happened to stop by a high-end jewelry store way out of your price range

when your friend's s/o hears about what happened, they're just as shocked as you

because park seonghwa spending oodles on a perfect stranger? what has the world come to

you try going back to the jewelry store to return the jewels, but they tell you they can't process a refund without the original card

so you convince your friend's s/o to give you the address to seonghwa's penthouse apartment, because now you get a chance to demand an explanation as well

stepping out of the cab with your arms full of bags with the expensive name splashed across in big bold letters makes you feel sorely out of place

because wow what a building

the lobby, while small, has tall ceilings, and the marble floors make every step you take echo

the woman behind the counter is in a simple black dress that still looks like it costs more than several months of your salary put together and you fidget nervously in your ripped jeans and scuffed shoes

the woman looks down her nose at you even though you're standing over her and for a moment you're at a loss as to what to say

the longer you stand there, though, the more foolish you feel, and you hate feeling foolish, so quickly you're just mad you're in this situation to begin with

you drop the heavy bags on the smooth wood counter and say "let seonghwa know i'm here to return the jewelry"

"and what's your name?"

"he'll know who it is"

she looks like she's ready to argue, but you just turn your back to her, leaning against the counter and tapping your foot obnoxiously loudly in a way that makes it obvious you won't leave until she's given seonghwa your message

she huffs but picks up the phone

she relays your message in a tone that clearly says she doesn't believe a word you say and you have to fight a smirk when you notice her eyes widen in surprise at seonghwa's response

she clears her throat and passes you a key board and tells you to use it to get to the penthouse floor

you take the card and gather your bags and march toward the elevators

frustration is still coursing through your veins when the elevator doors open directly into seonghwa's living room, so you don't notice that wow the pictures you've found online of park seonghwa don't do him justice

instead you march fearlessly up to him, drop the bags on the large leather sofa, and cross your arms over your chest

"what exactly are these for?"

you are prepared for all sorts of reactions, ranging from disbelief to anger

what you weren't expecting was the ever-cool, every-confident park seonghwa to burn holes in his slippers, rub the back of his neck uncertainly, and say questioningly, "they're for you?"

you're so shocked at his response that you're rendered dumb

this is not the park seonghwa you were expecting

he's looking at you now, his dark eyes wide (you know the look he gets, the galaxy-filled boba-eyed look) and look as innocent as a calf

any anger you had at being put in this ridiculous situation leaves you immediately and now you're feeling as awkward and uncertain as he appears to be

you clear your throat and gesture to the bags and explain that no one could possibly wear that many jewels in one lifetime

he seems confused and you suddenly wonder if he's ever seen the women in his life wear a piece of jewelry more than once

"look it's a really sweet and kind gesture," you say quickly, "but it's simply too much. can you please return these?"

seonghwa just nods and you're left standing in front of each other awkwardly

you finally bow and scurry away, but are then left hanging out to dry because where the hell is that elevator and why didn't it just stay on the top floor when you got out??

your friend and their s/o pesters you about how it went but you just wave them off because you're guessing you've seen a side of park seonghwa no one has ever seen before and it feels strangely intimate and you feel strangely protective

you keep an eye out for him in the news, now, though, and can't get over how put-together and suave he looks on camera

it makes you almost wish you could get to know the seonghwa you saw

but you're from completely different worlds, shop at completely different stores, and after all he only spotted you out of chance

what you aren't expecting is to see him at your friend's birthday party just two weeks later

because their s/o is hosting the event, it's black tie required, and with your friend's help you clean up well

you're also there before the other guests, helping the s/o as a second host

so as you're making the rounds of the guests, you stop in your tracks when you spot park seonghwa

damn he looks really good in a suit

and for a moment you see the cool, distant park seonghwa in the flesh

but as soon as your eyes meet, his gaze warms and is that a hint of a blush on his cheeks?

you straighten your shoulders because dammit you will be a good second host and greet all the guests like you're supposed to

you finally make your way to seonghwa and thank him for attending your friend's birthday party

"i never caught your name," he says before you can run away

you stop in your tracks and just stare at him now because he really bought those things without even knowing your name? seeing him at your friend's party you thought maybe he recognized you through their s/o but he really couldn’t have picked you out of a lineup?

he shifts under your unblinking gaze and you quickly clear your throat and introduce yourself properly

he smiles a little and you swear you hear him say "pretty. it suits you" under his breath

but you heard wrong, right?

you finally manage to flee when you hear your name called and you quickly bow before scurrying away

seonghwa is left in a daze the rest of the evening, your pretty name going around and around in his head

the end?

[mianavs]

meeting the zoldycks pt. 1

part 7 of Cathexis

a/n: we’re finally here~ splitting this up into 2 parts to make it more readable.

wc: 2.2k

Cathexis

Pangs of pain from your leg jostled you awake to a foreign room. With your instincts kicking in, you tried moving only to realize your right leg was in a hard cast and the events that led to your injury replayed in your head ending with the feel of Illumi’s strong arms carrying you to his car. 

Your eyes examined the dimly lit but well-furbished room for a hint that would dispel the growing fear in your chest regarding your whereabouts only to watch a Zoldyck butler come in with a tray of medical supplies that included a syringe needle.

Before you could utter a word, the young female butler set down the tray and rushed out of the room.

Anxious, you dragged your body to the edge of the bed and ignored the growing ache in your leg. Just when you were about to set your legs over the edge, purple bruising on your arm caught your eye and halted your progress. Darting your eyes up to the syringe needle the butler brought in, your mind pieced together everything and the realization you’d been sedated broke your composure.

Like clockwork, the door opened to reveal Illumi who entered the room and closed the door behind him. He approached your bed and trailed his impassive eyes over your form, lingering on your casted leg, before breaking the silence.

“How do you feel?”

“How long have I been here?” Your voice was hoarse from disuse but that didn’t stop the questions spilling from your lips. “Why am I here? What happened to bodies? Where’s my phone?”

Illumi’s eyes narrowed the slightest before repeating his question but you disregarded his question yet again.

“I need to get out of here. Ruo Wen is prob—”

Illumi’s bloodlust cut you off as the air in the room seemed to thicken and your surroundings blurred until all you could focus on was the man before you. Beads of cold sweat dotted your skin as fear coursed through your veins in the presence of such malicious Ren. You were trembling like a leaf when Illumi spoke once again.

“How. Do. You. Feel?”

You opened you mouth to speak but nothing came out as your eyes remained fixed on Illumi’s. As if he was pleased with your shaken state of mind, the bloodlust receded and your vision and breathing returned to normal.

“…F-fine! I’m fine…can I go now?” You sputtered, still reeling from the malice that’d permeated the air seconds ago.

Illumi quirked his head. “Not in this state. Your leg needs to heal completely.”

“I can recover at home just as easily.”

Illumi’s face twisted into an eerie smile. “After your little incident, I don’t think I can trust you being on your own—at least not like this.” His eyes trailed to your injured leg and your face flushed in embarrassment at the reminder of your defeat against Saul’s men.

“It was your fault he came for me.” You muttered, avoiding Illumi’s haunting gaze.

“I know. That’s why I took the job to kill him.” He replied absent-mindedly.

“So, you weren’t tracking me?” You cringed at how the question sounded but one look at Illumi’s oblivious face eased your embarrassment.

“No, I knew you were in Meteor City and, after reading up on his recent movements, I figured he would try to harm you.”

You were quiet as Illumi’s words sunk in. Despite the twisted reasoning behind it, you had to admit he’d saved your life and you were grateful. Besides, he was right regarding your current state; you wouldn’t be able to work with your leg in a cast. If you stayed at the Zoldyck mansion, you wouldn’t have to worry about medical bills, treatment, food, or running into your parent’s if they happened to drop by your condo.

“I’ll stay here until my leg heals but—”

“I’ll be sure to compensate you for your injuries and for the time you won’t be working.” Illumi dug into his pocket and fished out your phone before handing it to you. “Your boss called you a couple days ago.”

Scrolling through your missed calls, you looked up to ask the question you’d first asked him only to see Illumi closing the door behind him. The curse on your lips died when a notification from your bank confirmed the deposit of your compensation and you lied back down with a sigh before closing your eyes and going back to sleep.

It was a week after the incident when boredom lured you out of your room with the help of the crutches Canary brought you. While Illumi was on a mission, Canary had been the one tending to your needs and providing her companionship while you recovered. You quickly grew fond of the younger girl and appreciated her friendly personality. However, you couldn’t suppress your hunter instinct any longer and decided to roam the mansion in search for intel on Illumi and the Zoldycks.

As you hobbled down the hallways of the mansion, you noticed they were as dimly lit as your room with only a few lamps adorning the stone walls. You couldn’t help but chuckle how much the home reflected the ominous reputation of its inhabitants.

The possibility of running into one of the Zoldycks was one that you welcomed regardless of how dangerous it seemed. You needed to know more about the other family members—particularly Silva and Zeno—and what better way than to do it face to face.

Just when your arms began to ache after wandering for what seemed like an hour, a flash of white hair from the corner of your eyes caught your attention and you found yourself face to face with the third son, Killua Zoldyck.

You froze, unsure of what to say to the boy, but spoke when he turned around to head in the opposite direction.

“Wait! Do you know where I can rest?” Holding your breath until he turned, you plastered a pained smile on your face and leaned against the wall. “I think I overdid it.”

He was entirely different from Illumi. Where Illumi was inscrutable, you could see a myriad of emotions on Killua’s face that ranged from surprise, confusion, and finally concession. With an exasperated sigh, he closed the distance between you.

“There’s a small library nearby. Follow me.” His tone was harsh but he walked slowly enough for you to keep up with him.

The library was brighter than the hallways, with a large window letting sunlight stream in. It was fairly large with several bookcases filled with books, a couples of lounge chairs, a table, and a lit fireplace. The room was almost cozy and you let out a sigh of relief when you collapsed on the comfortable chair. Killua took your crutches and leaned them against your armrest before taking a seat in the adjacent to you.

“Thank you…” Debating whether or not to call him by his name, you trailed off only for Killua to interject.

“Killua.” He sounded hesitant but curious, nonetheless. “You’re my brother’s fiancé aren’t you.”

“Y/N L/N. I’m not his fiancé yet. I still have a couple months left of freedom.” Adding the last bit to feel out the nature of his relationship with Illumi, you were pleased to hear the chortle that escaped the Killua.

“Guess I’m not the only one who finds Illumi suffocating.” The sadness in his eyes betrayed his joking tone and you wondered just how suffocating Illumi’s presence was to his younger brother. “So how did you get hurt?”

You told him about Rivero’s death, your job in Meteor City, and the encounter with Saul and his men ending in their deaths at the hand of Illumi. Killua was quick to point out Illumi as the root cause of your accident and you quickly found yourself warming up to him.

“Illumi will kill anyone who interferes with his plans. He also likes to control those around him.”

“So I’ve noticed.” You said and rubbed the back of your neck where Illumi’s needle had once been embedded. “Sounds like you don’t agree with his ways.”

Killua visibly tensed and you wondered if you went too far. Just when you were going to backtrack, Killua’s body deflated in defeat before scanning the room for intruders despite being the only two people present.

“Illumi and my father expect me to be an assassin for the rest of my life but I don’t want to keep killing people.” Killua admitted, fidgeting with the material of his shorts.

“And what do you want to do?”

Killua’s eyes widened as they met yours and you couldn’t help but feel for the younger boy. “I…I want to have fun.”

You reached over and placed your hand over his. “Then you should go and have fun. This is our only life so we should do the things we want to do—not what other’s want us to do.”

“Then why don’t you try to break off things with Illumi. If it’s contract-based then there should be ways to null it.”

Watching Killua wrack his brain for ways to break off your betrothal caused a surge of warmth to spread across your chest. He was nothing like Illumi or the rumors that circulated regarding the Zoldycks and you felt grateful to have met him first. With your mind clouded by emotions, you let your guard down even more and opened your mouth to tell Killua about your plan.

“Actually, my parents and I are—”

The door swung open to reveal an old man with white hair. You raised your guard and shut your mouth as Zeno Zoldyck shuffled over to you and Killua. With the opportunity to find out more about the Zoldycks and your marriage deal before you, the corners of your mouth rose to mimic a shy smile and you lowered your gaze.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Zoldyck.”

You looked up to find him sitting next to Killua as he regarded you before smirking. “I’m sure you are.”

He saw behind your smile and sugar-coated words but you continued the façade to avoid a confrontation you weren’t ready for. “Thank you for allowing me to recover in your home, Mr. Zoldyck, and I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Call me Zeno,” he replied, crossing his arms. “Mr. Zoldyck is my son. As for your stay, it’s no inconvenience, after all, this will be your home soon enough.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” The words tasted bitter as they left your mouth. You felt helpless in front of the man responsible for your betrothal and the urge to leave the mansion returned.

“How has your recovery been?”

“Huh?”

The question brought you back from your thoughts and you found Zeno studying your face the way Illumi did only you could see a twinge of genuine interest in his eyes.

“Oh, it’s been going well. My leg is almost completely healed thanks to Canary’s care.”

Zeno smiled at the mention of the young butler. “It’s good to hear Canary has served you well.”

“Did Illumi ask you for Canary?” Killua interjected but Zeno merely chuckled and shook his head.

“No, I offered her up when I heard what happened to Y/N.” Zeno then turned to you. “You see, Canary is under my supervision and, as your grandfather’s granddaughter, I wanted to make sure you were cared for.”

Zeno’s words caught you off guard. You’d always assumed Zeno hated your deceased grandfather for the large debt, so finding out that he personally sent one of his butlers to attend you was a revelation you hadn’t expected.

“Were you close with my grandfather?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have lent him so much money if we weren’t” The old man laughed while you tried to make sense of the information you’d been given.

“I just assumed you held a grudge against him for the massive amount of debt.” You admitted, hoping Zeno would disclose more.

“Perhaps at one point I did, but he was a good friend despite his poor money management skills. Illumi told me he got into debt with other people and that you and your parents are paying off that debt.”

Your throat closed at the mention of the “other debt” lie you’d told Illumi. It wasn’t that you weren’t prepared to recount the lie to Zeno or the other Zoldycks but the way he said it, made you doubt it’s effectiveness.

Gone was the geniality on Zeno’s face as his eyes searched for a chink in your armor that he could exploit. Knowing you were on thin ice, you played off your surprise as embarrassment over the large amounts of debt your late grandfather owed others which seemed to get Zeno off your tail.

Killua saved you by changing the topic to your work experience as a hunter and you were more than happy to oblige with tales of your jobs from the most difficult, interesting, and just flat out weird. Killua seemed to enjoy your tales while Zeno would nod occasionally to show he was listening but never commented. Eventually, Killua asked about the Hunter Exam but just then a knock on the door interrupted you and the door swung open to reveal Gotoh, one of the butlers you were familiar with, who informed Zeno that dinner was being served.

“You should join us, Y/N.” Zeno declared and you knew it wasn’t a suggestion. “My son and his wife would like to meet you.”