#the doctor in charge of her even cried

[wildernessuntothemselves]

my last shift was so exhausting, literally back to back multiple traumas and arrests that we barely got any time to sit down and right before i was going to sleep for a bit we got another arrest

and then when i did go to sleep i was woken up an hour later at 5 am because the prosecutor wanted to take my statement because the dude who died was a judge or something and i was the one who wrote the death certificate

[malxshrine-a]

.

[eternally-racing]

keep her safe | lando norris

pairing: dad! lando x wife! reader (+ their teenage daughter!)

genre: fluff & angst-ish

warnings: racing crash, reader/lando's kid is in the hospital, some swearing

wc: 1.4k

summary: Nothing prepares you for the feeling of watching your daughter's first crash in formula 3.

note: this fic can be read as part of the racer girl series or as a stand alone as well!

----

Lando always hated pulling the “I’m a celebrity” card when you two were out in public. He's never wanted the special treatment that companies wanted to give him before, but the minute he sees his daughter crash in her first Formula 3 race, he’s trying to pull out every trump card he has to get his way into the medical tent. 

“That’s my fucking daughter in there, you can’t keep her from me! This is absolutely insane! I’m Lando fucking Norris, don’t you know who I am?”  Lando is yelling and yelling and you hold him back by the wrist because otherwise you think he might actually charge at the door to try and get through it. 

He more than anyone here knows what a bad crash looks like, and from the minute he saw your daughter, Piper, go into the barriers he knew that it was a rough one. There’s cameras swarming around you both but he doesn’t care (It’s not like he was a PR team’s dream when he was a driver himself). That’s his little girl in there and she’s hurt. There’s now a full commotion in front of the medical area and Lando admits defeat as he sinks back into the wall behind him and crumbles to the floor with you following suit. 

“She’s afraid of needles, Y/N.” Lando says no louder than a whisper towards the shut doors “Who’s gonna tell them that she’s afraid of needles if I’m not there?”

You know that if she’s in a state where they’re not letting you see her and she’s being transferred to the hospital that she likely has already gotten a lot of needles and wasn’t conscious enough to feel them, but you keep that information to yourself once you see the worried look on Lando’s face. This exact moment is something you two had worried about ever since your little girl first stepped in a kart, and somehow it was worse than you had ever imagined it would be.

By the time you and Lando make it to the hospital it feels like hours have gone by, even though in reality it hadn’t been more than a handful of minutes. Lando’s never been more grateful for his success when a nurse recognizes him and immediately guides you both in the direction of Piper’s room. He’s not sure he would’ve been able to make it through a conversation right now anyways. 

The scene inside is every parent’s worst nightmare. There are lines going in and out of Piper’s arms and bags of fluid are hung next to her bed; there are too many machines beeping and showing numbers and graphs that you just can’t understand. You feel Lando’s knees buckle beside yours and you keep an arm around his waist to keep him steady. You both need each other right now, there’s no doubt about that. 

When Piper cries out for her daddy from the hospital bed it brings a fresh set of tears to your eyes. You can’t remember the last time Piper actually called Lando daddy, it had been “dad” for the most part or “Mr.Norris” if she felt like being cheeky, but hearing those words from her mouth brought you right back to when she was a little girl, your little girl. 

Lando rushes to her side and has both hands caressing her face. He knows that she’s been checked over by the doctors, but he needs to see for himself that she’s really okay. He presses his forehead against hers as they cry together. You’ll never fully understand what Piper’s just been through, but the man standing in front of her does all too well. 

You hang back a bit to talk to the doctors, who try to give you a comprehensive update on her status, but as soon as you hear the words “she’s fine and on track to make a complete recovery” you zone out as you finally let out the breath that it feels like you’ve been holding this whole time. You’re about to go rejoin your family once you hear the next words out of your daughter’s mouth.

“I’m sorry dad, I know this meant a lot to you.” Piper sighs as she pulls the hospital sheets up to her chin.  “Did I at least make it around a lap? Am I the youngest ever female formula 3 driver to complete a lap in a grand prix?” 

This is when Lando has to face the music - he got so excited about his daughter dreaming of Formula 1 that he may have pushed her a little too far if his daughter is more worried about beating records than she is about her own health. Lando tries to calm his own breathing as he grabs both of Piper’s hands to lay on his own to get her full attention. He wants to make sure she fully understands what he’s about to say.

“You’re always going to be my little girl, Pipes. Racing or not, I am always proud of you. I never want you to feel like you have to impress me.” Lando doesn’t even answer Piper’s question about the record because frankly he has no idea. He’s never once cared about awards and prizes and all of the fancy shit. All he’s ever wanted is for her to be happy, and he tells her exactly that. 

Piper stops crying long before Lando does, and you’re amazed by the maturity your daughter shows as she starts wiping the tears from your husband’s eyes. You all just need a little family cuddle so you do exactly that, and take a moment to appreciate the lives that the three of you have and how precious that is. The sentimental moment is only broken by your daughter, who says that she has a little request for the two of you. 

“Do you think you can ask the doctors if they can give me the good stuff that you got back in Vegas all those years ago, dad?”  

Moments like this remind you that Piper is her father’s daughter and it earns a laugh from you both. 

“Not a chance, kid, but good try.” 

For the first time in what feels like years, the 3 of you sleep in one bed together. It’s one teeny tiny hospital bed made for a teenager, so you both wake up with extremely sore backs but very full hearts. Piper’s the first to fall asleep, understandably spent from the day she’s been through, but you notice Lando’s eyes never leave her, as if he’s worried she’ll disappear if he looks away. You reach over to grab his hand, you get it. Call it parental instinct, but that feeling of anxiety after something bad happens to your child is just something you can’t push away, and you want him to know that you’re here for him. You both wordlessly take turns watching over Piper throughout the night, holding her hand through blood draws and med deliveries. 

 Lando spends all day and night at Piper’s side while she’s recovering, and it’s only when you and your daughter tell him that he smells absolutely horrendous and needs to go shower do you finally get him to take a beat for himself. He still calls 3 times on the drive home from the hospital alone to check how Piper’s doing, and you have to threaten to not pick up the next time he calls before he finally takes a bit of a break. So often it feels like children drift away from their parents in their teenage years, but Piper’s recovery has given you both the opportunity to spend some much needed time with her as she grows up. 

The minute Piper is cleared by the medical team she’s instantly back in the simulator. She’s a little daredevil like her daddy after all. Lando of course asks over and over again if she’s doing this for herself and not him, the fear of making the same mistakes as earlier weighing heavy on his mind. Your daughter is nothing if not honest, so she tells him about how she loves the sport itself but also loves the way she’s able to connect to her dad through it. Lando makes her pinky promise that she’ll let her know if she ever changes her mind on the subject, and lucky for you both, she never does.

---

author's note: this was based on a lovely request from a reader! if you have any requests feel free to drop them in my ask box :) If you liked this piece and haven't read racer girl yet, give it a read because I'm sure you'll love that one too!

Until next time! - Em <;3

[woso-dreamzzz]

Illness

Barcelona Femení x Teen!Reader

Summary: You hide an illness

If you weren't delirious with a fever and sweating bullets, you would have described this moment as the most embarrassing moment of your life.

The semi-final El Clásico was one of the most important of the season and it was such bad luck that you had fallen ill the week before. It was most likely the flu but you never went to any doctor to get it checked out. Instead, you hunkered down in your apartment and refused to leave until you got better.

Only, you never did get fully better. Your immune system was as strong as a wall of feathers so you just decided to channel your inner Oscar winner and pretend you were fine.

You arrived at training every day after taking enough painkillers to fell an ox and hydrate yourself to the point that you were sure that your bladder had to force itself to grow.

It paid off though because you were part of the squad going to Madrid and you caught up on sleep during the train ride so could keep up your façade all the way up to the match day.

Your head was pounding as you finally stepped onto the pitch about ten minutes after half time, sliding easily into Lucy's position as the ball went back into play.

Thankfully, football was an instinct rather than a conscious thought at this point and even with a banging headache, achy limbs and a blocked nose, you played without much issue.

"Hey," Irene said as you took a little break from running to walk over to the corner that was being set up," You okay? You're slower than usual today."

You fanned yourself with your jersey. "Just a little hot."

She gave you an odd look. "It isn't that hot. You haven't been on the pitch for long."

You gave her a shrug and lied straight to her face," Really? I guess I'm just running warm today." You picked up the pace and slotted yourself between Athenea and Olga.

It was almost slow motion as Salma sent a cross into the box. Olga tried to push you forward and away while Athenea's elbow stabbed you straight in the eye.

You dropped like a brick backwards into Olga, who surprised by your sudden weight, dropped you on the floor. Your head banged painfully against the grass and you groaned.

There was a slight ringing in your ears but you couldn't focus on anything but the desperate churning of your stomach. You squeezed your eyes tight to try to stem the swirling but it just made stars explode behind your eyelids as your face throbbed from Athenea's elbow.

Your stomach bubbled up and you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" It was Irene and she jostled you slightly.

That was what did it and you rolled over onto your stomach just in time to surrender your dinner.

You burst into tears, sobbing into the grass.

"Holy shit, y/n," Mariona said," You're burning up! Are you sick?"

"You're sick?!"

You continued to cry into the grass. With your usual caretaker (Alexia) out of the team for the rest of the month, it meant Irene was in charge of you.

You couldn't decide if you would rather Alexia at this moment.

"Go away," You cried into the grass.

"Can't do that," Ingrid said as she crouched over you," The medics are coming to get you."

You turned your head to look at her.

"She got you good, huh?" Ingrid said, her fingers ghosting over your swollen eye.

"Ingrid," You croaked out," My head hurts."

"I'm sure. That was a nasty fall."

"Hurt before that too."

She made a sympathetic noise as she helped you sit up for the medics to have a proper look at you.

You were escorted straight off when they checked the dilation of your pupils.

Lucy trailed back with you along with Marta, who looked to already be on the phone with Alexia. You knew your caretaker would be watching the match so it wasn't a surprise that she had already called someone the moment you went down.

"Got quite the shiner there," Lucy commented as she inspected your bruised eye," Trying to look like Mapi?"

"At least it isn't bleeding," You said before descending into a coughing fit, thumping at your chest to try and regain your breath.

Lucy laughed but quietened when Marta held the phone out to you. You tried to ignore the sinking feeling you felt when you saw Alexia's contact picture.

You cleared your throat.

"Hola?"

"I knew it!" Alexia declared.

"Know what?" You tried to play dumb even though your whole body protested.

"When I saw you yesterday and you told me you were back to full health! I knew you were lying to me! You're still sick!"

"Barely." Your defence didn't help when you started coughing again.

"You sound horrible," Alexia said bluntly," You're not playing the final. I'll have you benched."

"I'll be benched anyway. I've got a bruise the size of my fucking country on my eye and a concussion, probably."

"We'll have a talk about hiding illness when you get home," Alexia said," And I'll have to leave a message for your captain."

You would have rolled your eyes if it didn't cause a whole new pain to shoot through your skull. Your nose was all blocked up again so the pressure in your head was only mounting. "You're my captain."

"Your national captain."

"Oh, what? You can't tell Leah! She'll go barmy! I'll be lectured for hours!"

"You're being lectured regardless, by me," Alexia said," Now, rest up, drinks lots and I'll see you in a few days."

You didn't even get the chance to watch the end of the match because Marta forced you back to the hotel and into your room.

"No screens," She said when you moved to turn on the tv.

"Well, what else am I meant to do?" You complained, blowing out your nose.

"Well, for one, you can use the bucket on the floor if you feel like you're going to be sick."

"I'm not going to throw up."

"You threw up on the pitch." Marta just had to remind you of the most embarrassing moment of your life and your cheeks flushed red out of embarrassment now instead of your fever.

"But I won't now."

Marta didn't get time to respond because the door to your room got thrown open and Patri sprawled herself next to you on the bed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," She teased, dumping some chocolate onto your lap.

"Patri," Marta groaned," She's sick and injured. She needs rest."

"She needs company. She's still human. You can't just lock her in her room like she's Rapunzel."

Marta rolled her eyes and swatted at Patri. "She doesn't need you hindering her recovery. Go on, out with you."

"Nah," Patri said as she got comfortable," I think I'll stay here. Besides, y/n wants me to stay."

You sent Marta your most pathetic and sad look.

"Please, Marta?" You begged," I promise she'll help me. It'll be nice to have some company."

Marta sighed deeply. "Fine but just for now. This all might change by the time Alexia gets her."

You groaned and flopped back to lay against your pillows properly. "Don't remind me."

[timmydraker]

CW: so much angst but it’s mainly for villains

Tim had Ana hunt with Bruce who tells him that he’s too young to understand how the world really works, with Jason adding sneakily that he’s also a rich boy who’s never struggled before.

Naturally, Tim takes this as a challenge and decides to help and/or ‘fix’ every villains that he thinks he realistically can.

He goes big straight away with Harley Quinn. He goes to her and pretends to be asking for advice on a friend who’s in an abusive relationship, saying no one else seems to be understanding eh situation but as a score she might. He smoothly describes her and Joker and lets her rant for almost two hours before pulling the rug form under her and saying that Jason forgives his ‘friend’ for him dying by her boyfriend because he knows she was hurt just as bad when she tried to save him.

Harley takes another two months to leave the Joker and places herself in Arkham to contour her role as a doctor for her fellow maniacs.

It takes the help of several doctors but he finds the cure for Freezes wife and hands it over while telling the man that his wife probably won’t forgive him for his various murders.

Freeze understands, saves his wife anyway and accepts her request for a divorce willing, just as long as she stays alive.

He gets Arnold Wesker a real doctor who can better treat his Dissociative Identity Disorder and helps him keep Scarface out of the front by playing along as if rhetorical puppet is real and under heavy custody.

Arnold starts to live for more moments of peace than he has in years, even if there are still some really bad days.

With Poison Ivy he doesn’t actually do anything as Robin, but instead goes to her as Tim Drake and asks for her guidance on how to make his medical company and by association Wayne Industries completely eco friendly and even help to stop climate change. Tim Drake was already borderline political, he might as well lead the charge on action for climate. He does say that if Ivy does any more large scale and fatal attacks he will stop everything, which she agrees to after a week of though with her plants council.

Pamala cries for hours when she sees Tim’s plan to de-plant the entirety of a forest that she had once tried to save.

Tim doesn’t tell his family about any of this until he asks them to visit him in his city office about a gala he wants to hold, his very first, and they find Pamala and Harley helping with decoration plans and Victor and Arnold discussing how their therapy has been going together.

Bruce nearly had a heart attack.

[babiebom]

Hi :3 Can I request???? Sabation (sdv) x pregnant fem wife reader headcanons

A/N: this is actually really cute and especially because I posted the how many kids I think they’ll have thing I can kinda go into detail for each kid. AHHHHHH one thing about me is that I’m a family oriented sim(person) and I LOVE kids. I know it’s a thing right now to hate kids but I don’t and a lot of my fics involve this and I’m ranting so I’ll end this note here lmao.

Tw:pregnancy, mentions of sex, mentions of pregnancy complications, cursing, lmk if I should tag anything else!!

Bc:probably at least 10

Stardew Valley Masterlist

So in my other post I said that he would have either one or how many his partner wants

So I’m gonna say three because I think that’s like the average amount of kids people have

The very first pregnancy Sebastian is absolutely out of his mine

“Don’t touch my wife” “be careful she’s pregnant” “she can’t have that it’s not good for her or the baby”

To be honest I think you being pregnant would cause him to be more outspoken

Like usually he doesn’t say anything unless he has to speak up because he’s sorta antisocial(I don’t think he’s shy, he’s quiet because he wants to be)

But now he’s always saying something to someone.

He is literally just out of his mind with worry and he has to keep you and the baby safe

STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE❗️❗️❗️🗣️🗣️

If it’s a particularly hard pregnancy he’s even more protective

Like if your doctor says bedrest Sebastian is taking that SERIOUSLY

You are not getting out of that bed unless you have to piss or shit nothing else.

He is so lucky to have a stay at home job, and even if you take time off because of the pregnancy he can take care of the animals.

At the birth he probably passes out while seeing your child being born

But it’s not out of disgust, it’s because his emotions are out of control.

Cries at the hospital, probably more than you do are you have to be like….Seb please calm down I get you love the baby but you’re crying all over them…….

Second child he’s more calm but is still VERY strict with you

Also since you already have a kid, the dynamic has changed.

He completely takes over anything that you were in charge of parenting wise.

Won’t let you cook for anyone

And the only thing you would be allowed to do is stuff you can do in bed

The second birth goes more smoothly, and he actually stays awake through it and is able to watch your child be born

Third pregnancy he would probably be ramped up in worry especially if you have had complications before and this being your last child

Since this would be your third time going through this I think he would be sick with worry but confident that you could take care of yourself.

During the third birth he actually has the confidence to cut the umbilical cord and would probably be excited to do so

Would probably be hesitant to have sex while you’re pregnant

Like all three pregnancies he would be like ummmmmm I don’t know about that what if I hurt you?

Will have sex if you reassure him bc I do think he might have a bit of a breeding kink and would want to.

I think first and second labors were progressed by y’all fucking

Third you both didn’t need to because your body was like yup let’s get it over with

Overall a very helpful and anxious daddy

Actually tries to make sure your kids get along

And tries to make sure that his relationship with them is good.

[babyyhoneyyyyy]

「✦ 🚨 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 🍷 ✦」 - One Shot [h.s]

Storyline: "Everybody knows that I'm a good girl, officer". Where Lizzie, a devoted homemaker, meets Harry, a police officer in charge of interrogating her after a mysterious fire at her mansion that resulted in the death of her husband. Word count: 4k+ Smut: 🔞 *ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

A call to 911 is usually more than enough in emergency situations. 

Within minutes, the sound of sirens envelops you, with bright lights in red and blue hues cutting through the space as if they belong to it, receiving professional help from specialized teams while they try to talk to you and understand the situation. But after that, a sense of shock takes over, making you question whether what you're experiencing is part of a third-dimensional movie, distorting your own reality and transporting you to an alternate dimension for the most part.

That's exactly how Lizzie felt after flames consumed a large part of her property. She had sensed the smoke penetrating her nostrils, but what truly disturbed her was the buzz of screams. Cries from a man calling her name that quickly faded into whispers.

Lizzie found herself unable to react in any way other than trying to escape, seeking to reach him and see what was happening. However, the house seemed to be crumbling around her, and eventually, she fainted before reaching the door. That was the only clear memory she retained from that day; everything else started with a distant voice calling her, waking her up to find herself under a white ceiling and the scent of disinfectant.

Her stay in the hospital lasted just a day, more as a precautionary measure than for any injuries, of which, fortunately, she was free. She was in almost perfect condition, something that surprised even the doctors themselves.

But for that reason, when they confirmed her health, they chose to deliver the news to her without any euphemisms.

Contrary to her, her husband wasn't as fortunate. Apparently, the fire originated in his own studio, giving him no chance to escape and consuming him with the flames.

She had become a widow.

Her lawyer presented himself as her main support, assisting her in the necessary procedures to change her documents, update them, and allowing her to handle the move, the funeral, and subsequently, the burial.

Finally, when all that concluded, Lizzie was met with a sigh from her lawyer, who handed her a small envelope. She accepted it, while he observed her for a few more minutes before leaving his office.

A lump tightened Lizzie's throat; anxiety ran through her veins saturating all her senses as her hands trembled slightly when opening the envelope. And suddenly, everything around her seemed to freeze when she saw her name written alongside her original last name, followed by the phrase 'widow of Montecarlo,' and the text culminated with 'an entirety in inheritance'.

Lizzie closed her eyes for a moment. She knew the implications of that, beyond any property, money, jewelry, or cars, beyond any tangible thing she could conceive in her mind. This represented a new beginning, one she hadn't even imagined when she got married at the young age of eighteen.

She swallowed hard as she placed the envelope in the safe and let out a final sigh as she left the office, returning to her room. She walked through various rooms overflowing with classical décor.

Her heels echoed on the wooden floors, allowing their sound to reverberate through the rooms. The house was deserted; her lawyer had already left, and there was no trace of any household staff, as per her own request. She had decided to give them all a break, especially those who had also managed to escape unscathed from the fire in her previous property, which was already under renovation. She had determined that once it was ready, she would put it up for sale immediately. She couldn't bear the idea of walking through that house again.

The last door at the end of the hallway on the second floor housed her bedroom. It was a master bedroom that, at that moment, only contained her belongings still packed in suitcases, lacking any visible decoration.

However, as she approached, the sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house.

Lizzie halted her steps and instinctively checked the delicate diamond watch on her wrist. It was six in the evening, and she hadn't scheduled any visits.

She hesitated for a moment, considering whether to go back to the first floor just to attend to an unexpected visitor, but the doorbell rang again, possibly indicating the urgency of the person. With a sigh, she turned her body and descended the wide stairs leading to the entrance and, finally, to her door.

The doorbell rang once more just as her hand reached for the handle, and she couldn't help but display a slightly annoyed expression when she opened the door, finding a tall man standing in front of her, causing her to pause for a moment.

The individual in question had a distinctive presence, with a young face and well-defined features, and although his hair seemed short, it revealed some curls. However, what unquestionably caught Lizzie's attention the most was his uniform.

It was an official attire consisting of a white shirt, a bulletproof vest with letters marked on the chest, and to add even more, a prominent badge was situated above it.

Lizzie felt her heart start to beat faster and chose not to say anything until the man interpreted it as a signal to introduce himself.

Unlike her furrowed brow, the young man immediately responded with a small smile, revealing dimples on his face. He glanced down for a moment, and Lizzie noticed he held a small notebook in his hands. Then, a husky voice spoke, "Miss Elizabeth?" Lizzie simply nodded. "I'm Harry Styles, the police officer in charge of your case".

The moment these words were spoken, Lizzie felt time speed up. She quickly blinked as she nodded and stepped aside at the door, allowing the man, whom she now identified as Harry, to step onto her property.

When they entered the main room together, she led the way and settled into one of the armchairs, gesturing for the young man to do the same before the door closed behind them. Lizzie avoided looking down to ensure her ring remained on her ring finger. Instead, she kept her gaze forward, watching Harry's subtle movements closely as he settled into the luxurious sofa and casually glanced around.

"Would you like some water?" she suddenly asked, catching him completely off guard. Although she didn't even know where that question came from, realizing that there wouldn't be another offer due to the absence of staff in the house, she thought it would be a kind gesture before they began.

"No, thank you". He finally responded after a moment's thought, grateful but with a half-smile, declining the offer. He had received strict instructions from his boss not to get distracted from his task. This was his first field mission, so he preferred not to mess it up.

"Cookies?"

Once again, his answer was negative, feeling increasingly embarrassed as he saw the woman's expression, who nodded gently and pouted slightly as she resigned herself back to the sofa.

Harry couldn't help but smile, clearing his throat before returning his gaze to the small notebook in his hands.

"Okay, I think we can start now".

The inquiries about that night varied in their formulation, from questions like "What were you doing when you heard the noise?" to "Were you nearby when you noticed the house was on fire?". Each one required an answer that related to and understood the situation.

Lizzie sensed that this was an interrogation aimed at connecting the loose ends, in case they found any evidence against her, so she made an effort to recall the events of that night accurately, inevitably reliving them.

At least an additional hour passed, she noted once again the clock on her wrist, confirming that more time had elapsed and that now only the dim artificial light of the living room illuminated the space. This incident was due to a malfunction, as she hadn't visited this house in many years and it was evident that there were still pending repairs. Despite this, she decided not to mention it to the policeman, preferring him to bring it up or simply ignore it. However, as the conversation became more casual, he didn't mention it.

The questions about the incident of that night gradually faded away, giving way to lighter questions, and it was only then that Lizzie decided to join him.

"Do you have a girl?" The question hung in the air as Harry observed her intently. Lizzie noticed how he ran his tongue over his lips, trying to alleviate the dryness of the conversation, ending with a soft bite on his lower lip before responding.

"No- Uh-" he paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "I've always been very focused on my work, thanks to my parents, so no, I really wouldn't have the time", he expressed, although a slight gesture of frustration crossed his lips before he continued speaking. "I mean, if I were truly interested in someone, I would find the time, but for now, there's no one". He concluded his explanation with a light sigh.

Harry awaited with some tension, anticipating a sarcastic response from Lizzie, considering the twists and turns he had taken to reach his explanation, however, instead of that, he saw her nod with a understanding expression on her face. A comforting relief washed over Harry in that moment, as if Lizzie's silent confirmation somehow validated his words and nerves.

Why did he suddenly feel so nervous?

"May I know the reason for the question?" he inquired after a few moments, waiting for a brief explanation of the young woman's interest, although in reality he showed more curiosity about her response. Harry watched as Lizzie's dark eyes settled on his face once again, subtly descending to his hands, still intertwined in his lap as he leaned slightly towards her. His heart began to beat quickly again as he followed her gaze.

"I don't see a ring on your finger". Lizzie responded with a slight shrug, initially downplaying the question, something that Harry found indecipherable whether he liked it or not.

"Aren't you too young to have been married?" he suddenly asked, on impulse as he tried to delve into the topic, although he almost immediately regretted the inopportune nature of his question.

Although the intention was good, the question came off as bold, especially given the situation he knew the woman was in. Harry lowered his gaze, feeling a lump in his throat as silence lingered, trying to find a quick way to change the subject.

Lizzy, on the contrary, continued to watch him, aware that the real question was implicit: «Aren't you too young to be a widow?» Still, she decided to answer: "Yes, I am".

"Excuse my boldness". Were the words she received barely after her response. Lizzie hesitated for a moment whether those apologies were genuine, for if they were, he wouldn't have waited for her response. However, this didn't bother her; rather, she found it entertaining..

"Don't worry", she replied with a nod of her head, maintaining a hidden smile as she looked down for a moment. "It's not the first time I've heard that".

Harry fell silent as he watched the woman rise from her seat, feeling his heart beat hard, fearing being expelled from the house for his audacity. However, he began to relax as he saw the young woman head towards a corner of the room, a little away from him, where a wide collection of bottles rested on a shelf. Her hand rested on one of them, dissipating the tension in the air.

"Would you like some?" Lizzie asked Harry, gently lifting a glass of whiskey. Harry was forced to swallow before answering: "I can't". He admitted sincerely.

Lizzie simply nodded and returned to her glass, taking another sip before sitting in front of him on the sofa. All while Harry watched her attentively.

"I understand", she replied after another sip. "I just wanted you to know that you're passing up the best whiskey in the country". Harry's smile was the response Lizzie was hoping for to continue. "But if that's not an option for you and that's why you're not having it, the offer of cookies still stands".

Harry's eyes repeatedly slid over Lizzie's face. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that drove him to keep looking at her. Perhaps it was her apparent youth, her glow despite her recent husband's death, or the feeling of prohibition by remaining in her house after the interrogation had concluded.

However, the time that had passed was enough for him to regret his decision.

"In fact, I'll accept the offer this time". He announced.

And for the first time that night, he noticed a similarity between her and himself: a dimple that appeared on her cheek when she smiled.

"Perfect".

For at least a quarter of an hour, time passed. Harry found distraction in admiring the architecture and luxury while Lizzie busied herself in the kitchen. In the distance, Harry caught the sweet aroma of the cookies, awakening his appetite as he waited eagerly. Finally, he saw Lizzie approach with a tray, possibly silver, and place it on the central table of the living room. It was then that he realized there was not only food, but also liquids.

In his eagerness to discover, Harry neglected the cookies as his hand quickly reached for the glass of white liquid next to the main plate. He contemplated the liquid for a moment, feeling its warmth on his fingers before perceiving a soft voice rising beside him, at the same time that the sofa slightly gave way under his weight.

"I refrained from adding alcohol. There's only milk", he heard her laugh as he held the glass between his hands, not daring to look to the side. "You can try it to confirm".

Harry closed his eyes briefly, letting the voice fill his senses.

From the moment she entered the house, he had ignored the sweet scent of her perfume. He avoided looking at her bare legs when she crossed them during the conversation. He even refrained from looking at her for too long while she spoke.

However, he ended up doing exactly the opposite. At this point, he had engraved in his memory the smell of her perfume and constantly wondered how significant it would be. He had memorized her posture, and instead of using his notebook, he kept himself busy by observing her intently.

"Everyone knows that I'm a good girl, officer".

His eyes suddenly opened.

His attention was inevitably drawn to her once more, finding her finally by his side, watching him intently. Time seemed to stand still around them. Harry couldn't discern with certainty what was driving him to act, whether it was simply Lizzie's close presence or the use of the expression "good girl", yet something inside him was beginning to flood him with a comforting sensation, making him feel warm and filled with a desperate longing to get closer to her.

Harry quickly turned, averting his gaze from Lizzie, and refocused his attention on the glass of milk and the cookies still on the tray. Suddenly his craving for food vanished, and he preferred to take a sip of the milk, savoring its sweetness, although it didn't quench his thirst. It wasn't until he had almost finished his drink that he mustered up the courage to face the somber gaze of the woman beside him again.

Harry had faced the feeling of intimidation on various occasions, especially in front of authority figures older than him, with serious countenances. However, this time was different. Sitting next to her, with her large eyes fixed on him, he experienced a strange sense of intimidation, although he couldn't understand why, but instead of rejecting it, he felt a growing curiosity that propelled his body forward.

Unconsciously, he found himself moving closer to her with a subtle motion, with his lips parted and close enough to brush against her face, and at the moment he thought he was about to break the tension, he found himself enveloped in a void.

His confusion was reflected in the widening of his eyes, which blinked a couple of times before returning to the front, where he found Lizzie standing in front of him. His gaze immediately fell, and he moistened his lips, preparing to speak, perhaps to apologize for feeling her distance as discomfort, but before he could say anything, he felt nails digging into his cheeks, lifting his face.

Harry tried to move forward, stretching his arms for more, although he was immediately stopped. His cheeks were released, while his hands were held back.

Quickly, Lizzie had taken the handcuffs that were still on his belt while he became aware of his now more extended position in space, with his legs spread apart, leaving room for her to position herself. Before Harry could understand what was happening, his wrists were trapped in the handcuffs, leaving him restrained in the armchair.

He tried to glance back, but the hands grabbed his cheeks once again, although with more force, ensuring visible marks were left. Forced to keep his focus on her, he could clearly distinguish her: her brown eyes, once bright from the room's light, now seemed darker, fixed on him as she sat on his lap, generating a warmth that consumed him.

He needed to be released. And not just from the handcuffs.

Then time began to pass quickly, just like the palpitations of his heart. His lips parted, seeking to catch his breath, but found only agitation, while small moans escaped from his throat at the wet kisses that left marks on his neck.

He wanted more.

He felt his shirt slipping off his body, feeling a slight coolness on his chest, soon replaced by the warmth of the kisses he received. A hand joined the game, caressing him as he tried to lower the fabric as much as possible, frustrated by the handcuffs that prevented his complete release.

He wanted more.

The hand descended, quickly unbuttoning his pants as he rose on the armchair, holding his weight and that of the woman on him. Both rose enough to pull down his pants to his calves, until he could push himself to remove his shoes and pants with the help of his feet.

But still, he wanted more.

He was beginning to experience a growing desperation as time passed. The palpitations in his chest kept him on edge, rising and falling just enough to provoke sighs, but just when they seemed to be heading where he needed them most, they rose again.

The moans filled the room as Harry began to move more forcefully, trying to seek something more than just a simple rubbing between his underwear and Lizzie's skirt. At first, he thought maybe she would feel sorry for seeing him like that, but seeing her eyes turn back to him without compassion, he realized he was wrong.

His breath caught when he saw Lizzie slowly unbuttoning her blouse, with agonizing slowness. Even when he prepared for his work as a policeman, he had not experienced such painful exercises as seeing her with her naked tits brushing his face, and not being able to feel them. 

"I saw you very thirsty", she whispered, her voice resonating in a softer tone than usual, awakening in Harry a sensitivity he could barely recognize at that moment. "Do you still want milk?"

His eyes brightened at the question, his head nodding before he could articulate a response; that was all Lizzie needed to pick up the half-finished glass of milk and pour it unhesitatingly over her breasts.

Harry paused for a moment, watching the white liquid carelessly spilling over the woman's nipples, seeing how the drops gradually disappeared over the edge of her skirt. He let out a barely audible sigh, unable to contain it, and then shifted his gaze to Lizzie, who looked at him with a mischievous smile, as if she had made a small oversight, although Harry received it with gratitude. He felt so grateful that, if necessary, he would have fallen to his knees to express his gratitude right at that moment.

"Oh, shit".

Lizzie let out a sigh of relief as she held Harry's hair, who finally decided to approach and take one of her breasts in his mouth. She could feel his tongue gently swirling around her nipple, alternating between delicate movements and firmer suctions.

Instinctively, her hands slid over his body, caressing his skin until they reached the edge of her skirt, which was already starting to feel too warm. She sensed Harry's lips slightly parting from her, which prompted her to immediately open her eyes to look at him.

She was met with his angelic face, with green eyes expanding towards her from below, his curly and disheveled hair, his moist face, and his lips with traces of white liquid at the corners. It was an image that was etched in her memory and urged her to act with greater urgency.

She took a deep breath before separating slightly from him, hearing a complaint starting to form on his lips before he fell silent upon realizing that Lizzie's skirt, along with her underwear, was disappearing. Despite feeling close, she had to take a few steps forward to return to Harry's lap, all while he watched her with his dark eyes, showing submission but pretending to hide something more. Lizzie wondered what it could be, but she didn't give it much importance as she returned to her position, feeling his cock more comfortably beneath her, although still covered by his underwear, brushing against her now naked cunt.

No more than a second passed before she refocused on her own pleasure, starting to move in circles around him again, while moans filled the room once more, both hers and Harry's, who, through his sounds, begged for mercy.

The rhythm intensified, leading Lizzie to abandon the circular movements and start with pelvic movements back and forth. Her excitement fluids facilitated the sliding over the cotton fabric of his underwear, allowing her to perceive more than she had imagined.

Contrary to his own satisfaction, Harry couldn't bear it anymore. A mix of excitement, desperation, discomfort, and anger invaded him as he couldn't feel completely satisfied. Although he had obeyed Lizzie's words, seeing her rubbing herself on him without really feeling her touch deeply frustrated him. He found no other way out than to start pushing forcefully, making the woman's body move sharply on top of him, causing her to open her eyes once more.

"Please", he managed to articulate, while his hips moved slightly.

Lizzie watched him for a few additional seconds before a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"Are you that needy for my pussy?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, he felt three fingers invading his mouth, silencing him immediately as he sucked and moistened them. Then, as if his prayers had been heard, he felt Lizzie moving slightly away from his lap. He saw her kneel in front of him, taking off his underwear and exposing his erect member.

A sigh escaped his lips as the fingers, soaked with his own saliva and pre-cum, caressed his glans and began to masturbate him with the palm of her hand.

"Fuck me".

His voice emerged without hesitation, rough from the dryness in his tongue and throat, yet irresistibly enticing for Lizzie; eager for Harry.

"Is that an order?" she asked, teasingly. "What do you plan to do if I don't? After all, those handcuffs are in your hands, not mine". The massage on his cock became more vigorous, causing jolts from the fires he felt under her hand.

"Let's try again, officer", she suddenly mentioned, making his eyes close for a moment. His profession hadn't even crossed his mind until that moment, but the prohibition of the moment wasn't what affected him the most, but a fire that resurged within him, rising from his lower part to his chest, filling him with excitement as he heard her.

"Shit- Please, please fuck me".

A fleeting smile appeared on Lizzie's face and quickly disappeared as she sat in the place she had desired so much but from which she had refrained, not suppressing the moan that escaped once she achieved it.

She was about to start more energetic circular movements, finding something to hold on to this time, but her actions were overshadowed by those of the man beneath her, who had taken the lead, pounding forcefully and swiftly, making her sigh softly as she allowed herself to be enveloped by the pleasurable sensation.

Then she realized that Harry's urgency was expressing itself in that way, and she let herself go, allowing him to take the lead even when his hands remained restrained.

Lizzie was forced to hold onto the couch when she found that simply leaning on Harry's shoulders was not enough to withstand the onslaught she felt inside her. Her eyes involuntarily closed, unable to keep her gaze on him for long, while her lips parted in search of air. She only found relief when Harry's tongue joined hers on her neck, leaving the same careless kisses she had given him at the beginning, but this time he decided to intensify the sensations with suctions. Lizzie had no doubt that the marks would remain there for at least a week due to the force with which he made them.

"God- You fuck me so good", she exclaimed, accompanying her groan with a whisper that made Harry open his eyes, becoming hypnotized by the sight of Lizzie's tits bouncing to the rhythm of his thrusts. He bit his lower lip to contain his own impending moan.

"I'm so close- Oh fuck! Fuck-". Lizzie's own moans intertwined, becoming more intense, filling the room with their sound, resonating even throughout the house.

Harry sharply inhaled air between his teeth, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes tightly, feeling the electric current running through his body, although he had been avoiding that moment, wanting first to observe Lizzie's reaction, wanting to absorb it completely.

"Look at me", Lizzie's voice pulled him out of his reverie, as she took his chin and forced their gazes to meet once more. "Come on, be good and let me feel you pulsating as you fill me with cum".

Harry struggled to keep his eyes open as he did his best to maintain his gaze on hers, intensifying his rhythm as much as he could, seeing her mouth open as she brought her face closer to his, brushing their lips.

"Harry!- Fuck".

Then climax came for both simultaneously, with their foreheads united and sweat sliding down them. Harry felt Lizzie's cunt walls squeezing his cock, which throbbed inside her, while she experienced a sensation of fullness and warmth, an excitement that ran through her whole body and left her trembling as she moaned softly.

As the minutes passed, their breaths calmed down. Although the atmosphere was still imbued with heat and disorder, Harry finally felt liberated, despite still having his hands handcuffed.

The large clock struck three in the morning when they woke up without realizing how long they had remained in that position. Lizzie noticed the weight on her eyelids, indicating the need for rest, but she was forced to separate from Harry when she felt the burning sensation in her thighs, and the first thing she saw when she got up was the slight smile on Harry's face.

"I don't know if you've had experience as a criminal before, but you look very comfortable with those handcuffs".

The comment only made Harry's smile widen before he opened his eyes and replied: "I can't feel my wrists".

Immediately after, Harry watched as the dimple on Lizzie's face reappeared, but this time accompanied by a genuine laugh.

After he revealed the location of the key that would unlock the handcuffs and she finally managed to free him, she walked to one of the utility rooms in search of a blanket, still naked and feeling the cold air brushing against her skin.

Lizzie focused on her destination, avoiding looking elsewhere, entered the room, took the blanket, and walked out without looking back, ignoring the shadow she had perceived slipping down the hallway.

Once they settled on the sofa in the living room, she watched as Harry's hand reached for the silver tray that had remained on the central table, and he took one of the cookies she had prepared. At that moment, Lizzie suspected that perhaps that action had caused her perplexity upon learning of Richard's death.

Because it hadn't fit with her plans.

The chocolate cookies had awaited on her bedside table in the previous room, expecting her husband's first bite upon returning from the office after a long day of work.

That would have been the culmination, the beginning of something new.

So she understood that this episode marked the real beginning, perhaps the prelude to a dangerous game she was willing to embark on once again. From scratch.

[quietwingsinthesky]

in a good version of this season i feel like the one-two punch of kerblam! and the witchfinders could have been used to give the doctor a moment of growth. she has, so far, put aside her usual impulse to Break Shit in exchange for passively preserving systems as are, because her experience with trying to change missy killed her.

(importantly, this was a much smaller change then. say. blowing shit up. or destabilizing a government. but it was also much more personal, something she had an extreme investment in emotionally, and something that got her and her friend killed. the doctor makes irrational, emotional decisions and justifies them later with big speeches. that’s what she does. and her turn to being as passive as she can stand to be as thirteen is an irrational decision she’s making to try and protect herself from being hurt, to protect the people and planet she’s designated as her charge from being hurt. she can dress it up in the framing of not wanting to tamper with history, but what she’s not saying is she doesn’t want to risk breaking things, knowing that it might come back worse.)

and that’s fine. that’s a good route to take the doctor post-twelve. but kerblam! and the witchfinders are the perfect episodes to challenge her stance. because in, say, rosa, in the demons of punjab, even in ghost monument, she’s not gonna have to stay here. she doesn’t have to live in the systems she observes and leaves be. (obviously, doylist, we can’t have the doctor Solve Racism™️. but we can contrast her lack of action against those of the people who do have to live in the systems, who are risking everything and will suffer for it and still know that change is worth it.)

the start of kerblam! has them going in as workers. undercover. in the system. this is a mask the doctor can easily throw off when convenient for her. but she’s standing next to ryan, who couldn’t, not at his factory job. who nearly lost said job because the system he was in would have decided his disability made him a liability. who only kept it because of solidarity with his fellow workers. the doctor is In the system, but only for. day and only as long as she wants to be. at the end, she can still leave. in a better episode, they might have been able to use this to set up her realizing, hey, shit, the fact that i don’t Have to change things is a privilege i have from not having to survive under these systems. unfortunately. this is kerblam!

but the witchfinders doubles down on that! she can’t stand by and watch a woman be killed while her granddaughter cries! but her hesitation to act means that she dies anyway! the doctor asserts herself as an authority in the system to get access to information and power to prevent this happening again, and it looks at her, looks at the body she’s in and the face she’s wearing, and says No. says If you won’t submit to what we say about you, you will die. If you submit to what we say about you, you will die. This is the world, accept it. For the first time this season, the Doctor is chained to something she hesitated to change. She’s not watching anymore. She’s learning what it is to be drowned while everyone looks on and says nothing. Lets it happen. Because this is how it is. And the system isn’t the problem.

Like she’s been doing.

So! Conclusion! fuck if i know yet if they’ll uh. Do Anything With This Set-Up. but god it is so ripe to, if not change her ways, give some ample arguments that’ll make it harder for her to just walk away from the next space amazon facility, you know?

[idontplaytrack]

Sick

Olivia Benson x college student daughter! reader

Warnings: implied sexual assault, coarse language. your typical SVU case discussion scenes.

Reader becomes an SVU case. Olivia gets the shock of her life seeing you walk into the precinct, teary eyed and bruised all over.

It was two a.m., the smell of the precinct’s cheap coffee hung around the air as the squad was in a heated discussion of their leads for a current case. Everybody was a little annoyed due to the lack of sleep, Liv included. Especially Liv— she was in charge. Fighting the sleep and taking another gulp of the black coffee, her ears perked up when she heard footsteps approaching herself and her squad. Her eyes briefly out of focus due to tiredness but quickly came into focus. She squints, her heart sank to the floor when she realised who it was. It was you. In tears, bruised jaw, bleeding cheek. She rushes over to you, asking you what happened.

She knew you weren’t supposed to be home from college until the day after. So you must’ve came back early. You disclosed the attack to your Mother, who then accompanied you to the hospital for an examination. She sat by your side as you laid on the exam table, feeling more vulnerable and in pain than ever as the doctor began asking you questions, swabbing, poking and prodding you. Each action sent a knife through Liv’s heart— she lets you squeeze her hand to divert away the inescapable pain, your cries made her want to double over and burst into tears, but she stayed strong for you. After a few hours, you were finally back home— the sun was rising, signalling the start of a new day but the adrenaline…it was wearing off and you were hit with exhaustion like a ton of bricks. The squad — Kat and Fin wanted to talk to you but Olivia refused to let them, wanting you to get some sleep first.

Olivia pulled the blinds down then sat in your bed with you, “You wanna get some sleep, honey?”

“Will you stay with me?” You asked meekly.

“Of course, sweet girl. I’ll be right here. Okay? Lay down, close your eyes.” And so you did, snuggling under the covers with Olivia sat in the spot beside you holding your hand.

At noon, Fin came by the apartment with Kat. They needed to talk to you, you knew you needed to tell them everything you know, but you were still feeling like a mess. Your heart still felt like it was racing, you constantly felt like someone was watching you...

They were patient with you, maybe more so than they would any other victim, but you appreciated it nonetheless. You recounted your night, letting them know where you were, who you were with and what you were doing. What you saw, what you heard and even smelt were just as crucial.Your Mom left the room hearing you talk about all that went down, and that was when you spotted a blonde in the doorway consoling her- Rollins.

When they were done with their questions, the promptly left you alone knowing you needed the space and peace. They went back to the precinct and your Mom walks back in with Rollins who came by to see you.

————

"This happened late at night the guy followed her from a bar to the subway. She tried to lose him but he kept following her. She was on her way to the precinct anyway because she knew Liv was working late and wanted to keep her company." Fin began, "Rape kit came back positive for fluids with a match to two cases in other SVUs."

"What bar was she at?" Carisi asks, looking through the file.

"A gay bar."

"Just like in these two cases. The perp did the exact same thing, only this time- they left us DNA.”

Carisi squints, taking a closer look at the information, “Our perp is a woman.”

That evening, Olivia returned to work after you persuaded her to. “We know who it is. The victims on the first two cases refused to testify.”

“One of them responded to us— she wants to testify now. And her case is still within the statute of limitations.” Carisi informs.

“Good, let’s nail this sick bitch.” Olivia declared, “y/n told me she’d testify too if that’s what it takes.”

“Hell yes. Attagirl.” Fin nodded, “We’ll get her, Liv. I promise.”

Olivia scoffs, “Fin- I appreciate it, but don’t speak too soon.”

“We will.”

[chahnniesroom]

tenderness | chapter 8: all fall down

[noun] /ˈtendərnəs/

1. the quality of being gentle, kind, or loving

2. the feeling of pain, aching, or soreness

pairing: bang chan x female reader

summary: in a world where soulmates are rare and precious, you don’t know why the universe has decided to give you one. you never could have imagined that they would be an idol, and one that you worked with at that, or the challenges that would arise from your bond.

chapter word count: 4.1k

chapter warnings: injury, blood, sasaeng fans

a/n: i am not a doctor and i did minimal research on anything medical related

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter | read it on ao3

Over the past few years, Chan has grown relatively used to large crowds. At concerts and events, he’s excited to have the chance to see so many faces and hear their cheers. So when their security team warns them that the airport is much busier than usual and to take extra care about sticking together, he takes it in stride and doesn’t think too much of it. The group is in varying states of tiredness and everyone just wants to get home. Airport crowds are a nuisance, but nothing new. 

They file out of the plane and line up before they reach the public area. Seungmin is leading the way, Chan is last as usual, and Jisung is sandwiched between Changbin and Minho near the back. A few staff pad the front and back of the line while security surrounds the whole group.

The second that the doors open, they’re subjected to the roar of the crowd that gets even louder when they spot them. Even with headphones in, Chan blanches at the sudden increase in noise and is thankful that his mask probably covered most of his reaction. It seems that the amount of people that usually greet them at the airport has more than doubled and they’re all desperate for an interaction. It's a cacophony of fans calling out their names, love declarations, and screams that make it hard to think.

Ahead of him, the kids are urged forward, but he can barely see them through the bright pops of camera flashes and the sea of bodies pushing at them. The bodyguard closest to Chan rests a hand on his shoulder casually, but his grip is like steel, both guiding him and making sure that they don’t get separated. 

Y/n must also be subjected to the ebb and flow of the crowd as she runs straight into Chan at one point, sparking the Charge between them momentarily. Chan looks back to make sure that she’s okay, but she just gestures for him to keep going, anything she might be trying to say being drowned out by the screams and hidden by the mask that she’s wearing. Knowing that he's definitely being filmed, Chan keeps his head down and swallows his concern. The last thing he wants is rumours that might involve Y/n or put any sort of extra attention on her.

The crowd reaches a fever pitch, and multiple cries for Jisung prompts Chan to look up again to search for him. When he finally manages to spot him, it becomes clear that he’s being helped up from the ground. Chan can’t tell if it’s a result of stumbling from poor visibility or an overzealous push from fans, but he attempts to tamp down the simmering anger that he feels building in his gut. He hates that he can't be there to protect Jisung and calm him down. Regardless of the reason that he fell, this wouldn't have happened if they were given more space. They're grateful for their fans, but this is too much.

They need to get out of here and now.

The screaming is deafening now and seems to be coming from all directions. He thinks he can hear security yelling directions, but it’s hard to decipher what they’re saying and who they’re saying it to. With the increased noise comes more pressure as people jockey for a closer position, mercilessly jostling other bodies out of the way. Chan tries to ignore it all, solely focused on getting everyone into the vans waiting for them and making sure they’re unharmed. 

The crowd surges forward and they're finally given the space that they need to reach the doors and spill out onto the outdoor concourse. From there it's only a short distance to where a manager is shepherding them into the idling vans. 

They had lined up based on dorms, so Changbin basically hauls Jisung into the van with Hyunjin, while Minho ushers all of the younger members into their vehicle with no time wasted trying to organise further.

Chan collapses into his seat and everyone in the van seems to let out a sigh of relief the second that the door closes, sealing them away from the frenzy and most of the noise. There's a brief moment to double check that all the members are present before they pull away from the curb.

Chan twists around to confirm there are no injuries. Other than some bruises and scratches on their arms, they're all relatively unharmed, but definitely rattled. Their fans are generally well behaved and respectful of personal space, so this type of encounter is unsettling, but a good reminder to stay vigilant. They're lucky that things didn't escalate to a point where somebody got seriously hurt, but that might not be the case next time. Chan makes a mental note to request some sort of increased security or additional protective measures to guarantee the safety of the members and all the fans. 

Normally, they would spread out in the van to give each other as much space as possible, but today, Jisung stays practically squished between Hyunjin and Changbin who have their arms wrapped around him and are trying their best to soothe him. 

Knowing there’s nothing he can do from where he’s sitting, Chan opts for pulling out his phone and shooting Y/n a quick text. He wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of her after he noticed Jisung fell and has no clue how much she did or didn’t see. He doesn’t want her worrying about their safety.

[5:17 pm - sent]

Sorry that was more chaotic than usual haha

Wasn’t expecting so many people to be there...

We’re all fine even if it looked crazy... 

Hope everything is okay on your side and see you at the dorms later

He keeps the messages succinct, knowing that Y/n likely won’t have a chance to read his texts until later. Just like with their regular schedules, the staff are all brought back to the company and sometimes she gets held back to finish something or go out for food or drinks. He’s hoping that the crowds died down after they left to make it easier to haul all the luggage and equipment away. 

He taps out another message to Minho to reassure him that everyone with him is physically okay, just unnerved and receives a similar response. They agree to all go to the 3RACHA+Hyunjin dorms instead of splitting up, sensing that everyone would feel a bit better if they stuck together for the time being. Relieved, he drops his phone into his backpack and settles into his seat. Without the rush of adrenaline from the airport and the high from the concerts, he can feel how exhausted his body is. It's worse than usual, a bone deep tiredness that doesn’t feel like it’ll be improved no matter how much he sleeps.

It’s the Charge, or lack thereof, he realises. The past few days have been such a blur of travelling and concerts that he hadn’t noticed that he’s barely spent any time with Y/n. He resolves to make up for it this week. They have a bit of a break before the next leg of their tour continues and while Chan has a lot that he wants to finish during that period, he can afford to set aside a few extra hours for Charging. Although he knows that he can probably power through with this level of energy- he’s done it in the past- he feels guilty thinking that it would mean Y/n has to do the same.

When they make it back to the dorms, he calls dibs on the shower, intent on burrowing into his bed the second that he’s cleaned off all the airplane grime. He feels significantly better after washing up and changing into clean clothes, so he wanders towards the kitchen to try to eat something as he waits for Y/n to get back. The second that he enters the living room, all conversations cut off and the members turn to look at him with grave expressions. 

Immediately, he’s on edge again and all the tension from earlier is back.

“Is everything okay?” he asks cautiously. It’s clear that Jisung, Felix, and Jeongin are crying and the rest of the members are suspiciously teary-eyed, other than Minho who just looks murderous. “Did something happen?”

He sits beside Felix, who’s on the couch closest to him and puts an arm around him. Felix instantly inches closer, buries his face into Chan’s neck, and starts sobbing freely, tears soaking into the front of Chan’s shirt and making him panic more. Chan surreptitiously pats him down, searching for some sort of injury, but finds nothing. It makes him feel better and worse at the same time. 

“We- Yonghwan called-” Changbin finally says. The words come out roughly, like it had been a struggle to get them out. “He said-” The tears that he’s been holding back finally come out and he can’t finish his sentence, wiping at his face roughly.

“What?” Chan demands, when nobody continues Changbin’s explanation. He hates this feeling of being in the dark, he wants to know what has made everyone this upset and what he can do to fix it.

“It’s Y/n.” Felix’s voice is rough and even deeper than usual from crying, Chan can feel it against his skin more than he can hear it. “Hyung…”

Chan didn’t think that his stomach could feel worse, but it seems to twist into a tighter knot at Felix’s words. On autopilot, he continues to rub Felix’s back, but his hands are now feeling weak and he’s glad that he’s already sitting. It takes a couple of deep breaths, but eventually Felix is able to calm down enough to speak again.

“Hyung… Y/n- There was a sasaeng… At the airport.” 

Everything seems to stop.

His mind, which was previously racing, can’t seem to process anything anymore and the next few moments feel like a dream or, more accurately, a nightmare. Felix is crying earnestly again and Chan vaguely thinks that he should be too, but instead he’s numb, detached from his emotions, unmoored. He’s aware of someone grabbing his bag and putting it into his hands, helping him into his shoes, and leading him into the lobby of their building, but it feels like his mind is no longer connected to his body. He doesn’t even remember when he put on the beanie or mask that he’s currently wearing.

He desperately wants this to be a nightmare, that someone will shake him awake and he’ll find out that he accidentally fell asleep the second he got home.

He’s jolted back to reality by a voice calling his name. It’s Felix, who is also holding onto both his shoulders. He’s stopped crying as hard, but unshed tears still glitter in his eyes and there are teartracks running down his face. It’s clear that he’s trying hard to keep himself together for Chan’s sake.

“Hyung, the car is here. Are you going to be okay going by yourself?”

“Yes,” he hears himself say. His voice sounds strange, void of emotion. He knows that he has to be okay, that really, there’s no choice because the chance of being recognised would be much higher if he goes with anyone other than staff. He has to be okay, for Y/n.

“Okay. Yonghwan-hyung is going to take you to the hospital.”

“Okay.” Chan starts to walk away.

“Hyung,” Felix calls out, voice still hoarse with emotion. “Promise me you won’t go on Twitter?”

“What? Why? I-”

“Just promise. Okay?”

“I promise.”

But it festers inside of him, not knowing what’s going on, not really. Yonghwan has barely spoken, other than a couple words to guide him into the car and reassure him that they were going to get to the hospital as fast as possible. 

After 20 minutes of being stuck in traffic, Chan takes out his phone and unlocks it. It’s clogged with notifications from various staff members, but they’re from half an hour ago and are ambiguous, just telling him to call different people. He swipes everything away without replying and opens up Naver with the intention to look up how far away they are from the hospital. Before he can get that far, he’s distracted by the trending search terms. 

‘Stray Kids,’ ‘Incheon Airport,’ and ‘Sasaeng’ are all in the top 10. His finger hovers over each one for a moment, before locking his phone. He doesn’t know if he wants to read an impersonal or speculative article that might overdramatise what happened.

He only lasts another minute before he reaches for his phone again. Even though he can still hear Felix’s voice warning him to avoid it, he can’t help but open the Twitter app. It’s probably going to be worse than reading articles, but it’s killing him to have so little information.

He needs to know what happened.

His Twitter timeline is pandemonium. There’s a mixture of tweets that can be separated into three different categories. The first are ones demanding that videos and photos be taken down, that post links to accounts calling that they be blocked, and warnings to avoid retweeting information. They’re mostly vague and the replies are littered with people asking what happened. Chan scours through them briefly, but all questions are met with ‘DM me’ or something similar.

The second is a set of hashtags trending, #thankyouskijigi, #prayforskijigii, that talk about how grateful they are that Y/n was there to protect Chan and general well-wishes for a quick recovery. This only heightens Chan’s anxiety. He’s not sure why he’s being named specifically, but nothing he can think of is good. Either way, it feels wrong to see that Y/n is being praised for being injured instead of Chan.

The last is what Chan is really searching for. Any photos or videos that he can find of the incident. He has to sift through a number of deleted posts and broken links. There’s a few that are easy to find, but they were clearly taken in the midst of the chaos and the blurriness means that it’s hard to see any details.

There’s an awful clip that Chan somehow manages to find. He’s thankful that he records his screen while watching it because when he clicks to see the replies, the video has already been either deleted by the poster or removed by Twitter. Whoever is filming it has unsteady hands, but they’re close enough that you can still see everything. Y/n is lying curled up on the ground clutching her stomach, the sasaeng nowhere in sight. Chan still can’t tell what kind of injury Y/n has, until she props herself up a bit more and peels back the baggy sweatshirt that she’s wearing to expose her abdomen more.

It looks bad. There’s blood and there’s lots of it.

The light-coloured shirt she’s wearing underneath makes the blood that’s seeping into it obvious in a way that the dark hoodie concealed. The splotch is alarmingly large and seems to be expanding every second even with Y/n’s hand pressed tightly against where the wound must be. It spills onto the floor now that the hoodie isn’t soaking it up anymore. The second that the injury is revealed, the crowd panics. Half the people recoil, while the other half rush forward.

The filmer is one of the latter, dropping their phone to their side so that you can’t see anything, but not stopping the recording. At first, Chan doesn’t think there’s anything else to the video. The audio keeps peaking, overwhelmed by the screaming, but in the last few seconds, he can suddenly make out Y/n’s voice. It’s surprisingly stable, though tight with pain.

“-please send medical services to Incheon Airport? At the terminal 2 arrival hall. There’s a young female who has been stabbed.” There’s a series of pauses and moments where Y/n continues to talk. She's obviously answering questions by the person on the other end of the phone. "I'm- she's conscious, yes… Yes, lucid… In the abdomen… Two times…”

The video ends abruptly and Chan’s left staring at his own face reflecting against his phone’s dark screen. 

He feels sick. 

He feels nothing.

He-

He closes the video and searches for another.

Pictures, videos, accounts from people who were at the airport, he saves everything. He continues frantically combing through as many links and tweets that he can, especially if they have descriptions of the sasaeng or capture her face clearly.

The best- or maybe the worst, based on the way that it makes Chan’s stomach drop- video is a livestream that somehow hasn’t been deleted or edited yet. It was taken by a fan who seems to be on a stepladder or something that provides them some extra height although if they’re further away. The video is an hour long, but Chan scans through the first section that’s from before they had arrived and starts to play when he first sees Seungmin appear.

This new angle makes it obvious how intentional everything was. There’s a distinct moment when the crowd that’s offscreen shifts, likely reacting to Jisung’s fall, and a corresponding ripple through the rest of the crowd. Chan remembers that, the sudden push as everyone wanted to see what was happening and a renewed effort from the security team to get them outside.

There’s a brief second when there’s a gap between the security team that’s just barely big enough for the sasaeng to slip through unnoticed. The first time he watches the video, he almost misses it. She heads directly towards Chan, partially aided by the general movement of the crowd, and it sends shivers down his back to know how close she was to him without him knowing. With nondescript clothes, a lack of a camera, and a mask covering the lower half of her face, she almost blends into the rest of the staff members. 

Before she can reach Chan, she’s intercepted by Y/n who looks like she’s aware of the sasaeng’s presence based on the purposeful step that positions her right in between the sasaeng and Chan. The sasaeng has no time to react and the two of them crash into each other and tumble to the ground.

After that, the video gets too shaky to see what’s happening and cuts off before showing anything else.

“Chan-ssi!” Yonghwan’s voice takes Chan’s attention away from his phone. When he looks up, he can see that the car is idling at the side entrance of the hospital that he normally uses. “Did you hear me?”

“Uhm.”

“Just go in and talk to the reception, tell them you’re looking for Y/n-ssi. They’ll take you to her. I have to go park the car and then I’ll join you.”

—

The person that helps Chan at the front desk seems to be familiar with Y/n's case right when he mentions her name. Her posture straightens and she checks Chan's ID to confirm that he's her soulmate before leading him away, pressing buttons on a pager as she does so. She walks briskly and stops in front of a closed door, sliding it open and motioning for him to enter before heading towards the nurses' station.

Chan steps into the room and when he sees Y/n, it feels like he’s been punched in the gut. He physically recoils, shoulder hitting the door frame as he takes a step back.

She looks so small, in the middle of the bed, hooked up to a number of IV’s, other tubes, and monitoring equipment. Her face is pale, more so than usual, and her eyes are closed. 

For one awful moment, all Chan can think is that she looks dead. 

He slowly approaches Y/n’s side and gingerly rests his hand on her exposed arm, mindful of all the tubes and cords that she’s connected to. The Charge has never felt so reassuring, a steady transfer of energy that reminds Chan that she’s still alive. The nurse excuses herself, but Chan barely notices, too focused on Y/n and the constant drone of the heart rate monitor.

He startles when the doctor enters the room.

“Ah, you are Y/n-nim’s soulmate?” he asks. When Chan confirms, he brightens. “Perfect! Before anything, let’s get you up on the bed with her so that you can Charge properly.”

The doctor helps Chan manoeuvre himself so that he’s curled around Y/n. He shrugs off his hoodie so that he’s just left with his t-shirt and shorts to match Y/n so that they can have as much direct contact as possible. Chan knows he usually runs hotter than most people, but Y/n’s skin is colder than usual, even with the warmth of the Charge between them.

Yonghwan appears partway through the doctor’s explanation of Y/n’s injuries which is probably for the better because other than confirming that she’s stable for now, he hasn’t been able to concentrate. Instead, he holds onto Y/n’s hand, the one that doesn’t have an IV line in it, and intertwines their fingers. He’s always marvelled at the size difference between their hands.

The moment Y/n's heartbeat picks up from the steady rhythm that Chan has now gotten used to, his seems to do the same. It’s close to sunrise, but Chan hasn’t even come close to falling asleep. The time has somehow both inched by, stretched out like pulling taffy, and passed in the blink of an eye. Embarrassingly, he didn’t even notice when the doctor, then later Yonghwan, left the room. Only realising when he noticed the lights dimming automatically when visiting hours ended.

He’s alternated between doom scrolling on social media, texting the group chat since most of the boys are still awake as well, and waiting for any sort of updates from Yonghwan or JYPE. He’s restless, but has done his best to barely move, not wanting to disturb Y/n or any of the equipment she’s hooked up to. 

She comes to slowly and Chan feels like he can barely breathe, chest tight with anticipation of her regaining consciousness. Her eyes flutter open and she squints, even though the lights have been dimmed almost all the way down.

He helps incline the bed slightly, lets her have the tiniest sip of water, just enough to wet her mouth, then gives her a little bit more once he knows she won't choke.

He can tell the second she's awake enough to recognise his presence. Her eyes widen and her heart rate speeds up. She tries to lever herself up, but Chan presses a hand onto her shoulder, keeping herself in place. She tries to put a hand on his arm and her eyes scan his form.

"Stay still, you're hurt," he chides gently when she makes a questioning noise.

"Chan?” she gets out.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“You’re safe?”

Chan doesn't know if he wants to laugh or cry at her concern. She's on some strong drugs and is still recovering from anaesthesia, it's obvious from the slight haze in her eyes, her sluggish movements, and the difficulty she seems to have putting words to her thoughts. Yet her first thoughts are about him.

"Yes, I'm safe. The rest of the boys are safe. They’re all at home," he reassures her. She doesn't seem to believe him, reaching for him again agitatedly.

“Were you hurt?” 

“Y/n, it’s okay. Everything is okay, I’m not hurt.” Chan takes Y/n’s hand in his again, pressing it against his chest so that she can feel his heartbeat. “Can you feel that? You protected me."

At that Y/n finally calms, settling back against her pillow. Before he can say anything else, she’s already drifted off again. With his free hand, Chan smooths out the hairs that frame her face and she subconsciously leans into his touch. Unable to help himself, he presses a careful kiss to her forehead.

He stares at her peaceful looking face, a mixture of guilt, fear, and worry churning in his stomach. He can’t believe that he was so close to losing her and he knows that he’ll do everything in his power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

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[figscigfigs]

my favorite moments from episode 11 of fantasy high junior year!!:

“is that’s a problem”

“riz? do you need to go to the eye doctor????”

finally addressing all the angry npcs

“even you fabian”

the identity spell giving SQ meeting gnosis

“should we go start minor disturbances around school and see if we get beat up?”

adaine’s classic scooter

aelwyn and adaine being sisters!!!!!

“tell kristen not to come back, the children were very rowdy after she left”

fig invading ruben’s dreams as kelpflower corncob (rad as hell)

gertie x kristen!!!! (honeybees?? maybe)

devil’s honey is so fucking rad

“my friends no longer want to see me naked” “i do”

all the parents!!!!

telemaine’s elf racism was silly but also made me a lil upset (“was that supposed to be my name?” “no i was doing a different word”)

GILEAR!!!! MY CHOSEN ONE HAS RETURNED!!!!(“this may tickle you to watch my life become suddenly amazing against my will”)

fig and hallariel continue to bring me joy (“hey! it’s me! from the phone!”)

“how did she bring winter??” “how did she bring winter???” “how did she bring winter??”

“we really gotta talk up bee girl”

fig and sandra lynn’s conversation got to me truly (i need sklonda and sandra lynn to start a support group for mothers parenting children working for the applebees student presidential campaign mpcwaspc for short)

fabian and gorgug arguing over who’s carrying the gravestone and “the ball do you wanna-“ “too small”

princess nara (i love her im sorry she’s too real)

in fact all the kristen/nara/tracker energy was absolutely perfect for lesbian exes (“WORLDSTAR”)

ALL OF SECRET SYLVAN (i genuinely shed tears cried bc they all love each other so much)

things about adine: 1. blonde 2. wizard 3. elven oracle

riz/murph immediately taking charge and running secret sylvan is so deeply in character

(attempted tearing noises)

“stop showing hole and make ‘em!”

and as we all know the last 20 minutes were the most insane thing that’s ever happened to me but god fig watching the illusion of herself she conjured morph into her dad and get fucking impaled by the armor that he wore to save her from her own illusion not even a year ago is devastating.

[imagines--galore]

||Homecoming||

Summary: The brothers finally come home.

Pairing: Edward Elric x Reader

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. Family.

A/N: @infj08pellizzari​ This is for you! Hope you enjoy it!!!

You liked to believe you were born under an unlucky star. It had to be that and no other explanation.

Granny Pinako had told you the story. Of how your mother had stumbled to the Rockbell’s door, in labor and with no one else with her. Being doctors as well as the kind people that they were, Yuriy and Sarah Rockbell had rushed to help her. That labor had been long and hard, but in the end they were able to deliver you safe and sound. 

However, the same could not be said about your mother.

She died due to complications during birth and was buried in a nearby cemetery. You still visited her from time to time and left flowers there, wandering what kind of woman she had been.

Seeing as you had no one to claim you, and with the Ishvalan War ravaging the country, the Rockbells didn’t want you to get lost in the system by the government. So, they decided to adopt you and raise you alongside their biological daughter Winry, who was only a year older then you were.

You were treated and loved the same as Winry, who was excited about the prospect of a baby sister. You grew up healthy and strong, and from an early age showed an interest in your adopted parent’s profession.

While Winry was the automail lover in the family, you were fascinated by the human body and how you could help to fix it. Under your parents tutelage, you showed great promise in becoming a doctor, or even a surgeon if you wanted.

Life was happy and carefree. Full of love, laughter, friends and family.

But a dark cloud was looming over the horizon. And it would cast a shadow over you that would effect you your entire life.

The first sign of trouble came in the form of your best friends, Edward and Alphonse’s father leaving them. 

Within the same year, they lost their mother to the plague. You were devastated for both boys, whom you had known since you were able to walk. It hurt to see them so sad. You and Winry made a pact to look after them as best as you could.

But the tragedy did not stop there.

You were eight years old and Winry was nine when the news came about your parents demise.

How they had been killed in cold blood while helping a few Ishvalan citizens who were injured. Winry had hugged you and cried and cried, then again you were no better. You were lucky enough to have Granny with you, but that still didn’t help ease the pain that you had been orphaned a second time in your life.

It had to be some cruel trick no?

The both of you copped in different ways.

Winry threw herself into perfecting her automail craft and becoming a brilliant automail engineer for miles around. You on the other hand, took to studying your parents books for long long hours. Devouring every text in their small library, before ordering for more book via mail.

This was your way of being close to them, of keeping their memories alive. At times you could almost feel them standing behind you guiding your hands as you tended to a sick or injured individual who came to your home. It didn’t take long for you and Winry to gain a reputation. Granny was extremely proud saying that your parents legacies of helping people would live on in both of you.

And when Edward and Alphonse returned from their alchemy training, the little hole in your heart began to mend. The four of you, plus Granny and later Den your dog, were like a family. You would all eat together and play together. 

Though you were the third oldest of your group, with Alphonse being the youngest by a few months, that didn’t stop you from stepping up and taking charge when the situation asked for it.

You would be there to take care of Winry when she would work through the nights to create an automail. Ready with food and water or whatever else she needed. She was your sister, your best friend and the both of you loved each other like anything. For Alphonse you always helped him wherever you could. Given his kind nature, you were always ready to defend him should he get into a fight at school. On more then once occasion you had returned from school from a fight after having punched a bully who was making fun of Alphonse. He was your little brother and you protected him fiercely. 

And as for Edward?

The both of you shared the same protective streak when it came to your siblings. So it was no surprise that the both of you bonded over that. But it was more then that at times. You tried your best to be strong for Winry. She had always been kind and sensitive and allowed her emotions to rule her, just as Alphonse did. There was a certain innocence about her that needed to be protected. And you stood as a wall in front of your sister to protect her from it. You tended to hide your real feelings most of the time.

But when you were with Edward? Even at nine years old, you would share everything with him. From the smallest of thought that occurred to you during the day, to your most recent book of surgery. Edward was the same with you. He would share his own findings about alchemy and everything that was on his mind. It was no surprise that the both of you were best friends.

You told each other everything.

                                         ————————–

So when he and Alphonse performed human transmutation to try and bring their mother back, you were shocked to say the least.

But that part came later.

The part that shocked you the most was finding a suit of armor standing at your door and carrying a bloodied Edward.

An Edward who was missing an arm and leg.

You spent the entire night with Granny, tending to Edward and making sure his wounds did not get infected and were closed properly. Not to mention he had lost so much blood that he had to be monitored.

Once he was stable, Alphonse had told you what had happened. What they had tried to do.

And all you could do, was stare at the near comatose state of your best friend and wander where had you failed him?

Where had you failed as a best friend to have not picked up on something so important.

                                         ————————–

The question stayed with you for a long time. Years almost.

In those years, Edward began to use automail for his missing arm and leg. He also became a State Alchemist. And though you were proud of his accomplishment, and of his new mission of gaining back his and Al’s body, the question continued to haunt you.

Where there had been closeness, there was now always a gap between the both of you since that fateful day.

It was only ever picked up on when the both of you were in one another’s company. And since the brothers traveled so much no one really picked up on it. Or so you thought.

                                         ————————–

After the whole fiasco up North, you and Winry had to be smuggled away to be kept safe. It wasn’t easy, wandering around the countryside to keep out of the hands of the enemy. Enemy you still had no idea about since the brothers refused to tell both you and Winry much.

All you knew was that they were extremely dangerous. And if either Winry or you fell into their hands, they would use you both to draw out the two brothers. 

One of them, Kimblee, had already held you hostage, to try and get Edward to cooperate. Luckily you had been saved, but the haunting look in Edward’s eyes, the utter fear in his features lingered in your mind day and night.

You had been passing by Resembool when the urge to return home had risen within you. So, you had done the smart thing. You had left your sister with a note before sneaking out into the night and made your way towards home.

Of course you hadn’t been expecting Edward to be there. Along with some new people. But you didn’t care about them. Edward was your main concern.

And considering the last you had heard of him had been rumors about him falling to his death you had all but tackled him in a hug that had him nearly turning blue. One of the Edward’s friends, Ling or Greed or was it Greedling?, had called you Edward’s girlfriend, and how he never stopped talking about you.

The accidental confession had you blushing slightly, though it was nothing compared to the amount of blood that rushed to Edward’s face. You were almost afraid he would faint, or punch the man in the face. But he did neither.

Instead he took your hand and led you out of the house to get a little privacy.

Once the both of you were at a safe distance to avoid being overheard he finally turned to you.

And he did not look happy.

“What’re you doing here without any guards, Y/n? You know how dangerous it is for you to be alone. And where’s Winry?” You sighed, knowing this was going to be a long conversation. “Winry is fine, she’s with the guards. They’ll probably get here in a day or so and well.....” You suddenly felt a little unsure of your decision to come here. “I came back early because I-I missed home.” You finally admitted, raising your head to glance in the direction of the house from where you had just come from.

Though there were hardly any lights on, the house still looked open and welcoming. Because it was home.

Tears stung your eyes and you tried your best to wipe them away not wanting Edward to see but he did anyway. A feeling of guilt bubbled in his chest as he watched you. “I’m sorry. I know its because of me that you, Winry and Granny had to leave and go into hiding.” He said, to which you quickly shook your head. “No, Ed! Its not your fault. Its whoever is looking to hurt you through us. Its their fault.” You proclaimed passionately. Though that simmered down rather quickly as you turned your gaze towards the heavens to look at the stars that twinkled down at the both of you.

“Sometimes, I just wish that things could go back to what they were.” You admitted. “You. Me. Winry. Alphonse. Granny. My parents. Your mother. Life was so simple back then. None of us knew just how much we would appreciate it.” You sighed, wrapping your arms around yourself. “If I could go back I would do it in a heartbeat. You were so happy. We were all so happy.” Even with Edward standing right behind you, you couldn’t help but feel.....alone.

So alone.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t hear or feel when Edward moved towards you. His arms came up to wrap around your torso, trapping your arms in the process. A startled gasp fell from your lips. You felt him lean his forehead against the back of your head. There was a momentary pause, where your brain seemed to wander when he had gotten so tall. But that was completely lost in the haze of feelings that took over your very soul as you shifted your own arms to wrap around his, squeezing them closer as you drew comfort from his embrace.

“I promise life will be happy again Y/n.” He whispered softly, his breath tickling the back of your neck. “We will all be happy.”

Despite the crushing weight of despair that had threatened you a few moments ago, in Edward’s arms, you felt at peace.

                                         ————————–

Since that night under the stars, you had begun to harbor a warmth within you. A warmth that only seemed to grow each time you thought about Edward. He had to leave soon afterwards, but not before promising, once more, to come back safe and sound.

It had been months since you had seen him or Alphonse, or even heard from them. Normally it would alarm you, but you had faith in your boys. Winry certainly did. 

On the plus side the both of you had shifted back to Resembool. Granny too. But with protection. The two guards were still around to make sure no stranger came along, but it proved to be a little difficult since your home served as your base of operations as an automail workshop and a makeshift hospital.

You had gotten rather good at treating people. And were even thinking of giving the exam that would have you earning the license you needed to become a professional doctor.

Which was exactly what you were doing that day. You had gone out early to post your application, and would probably hear back from them in a week or so. During your walk back, you marveled the countryside as it bloomed in the spring. The wind played with your hair and you could hear Den barking in the distance, probably playing.

A smile pulled at your lips as home came into view. There were three figures outside, something you could make out form the distance. One of them was Winry and the other two? 

As you drew closer, as your vision cleared, your eyes widened. Where you had been walking you slowly began to hasten your steps. One after the other. Until you were running.

Running

Running.

Running.

Before crashing straight into the arms of both Edward and Alphonse Elric.

You were sobbing tears of joy as you held the brothers close, as you kissed the top of Alphonse’s head and held his face in your hands to look at him closely. “Its you! Its really you! Oh! Alphonse! You’re back little brother!” You wiped at your tears before hugging him once more. Alphonse returned the hug just as fiercely as it was given.

“Hey he’s not the only one who got his body back!”

So maybe Ed was feeling a little left out.

You turned from Alphonse to look at Ed flexing his very human hand. With one arm around Alphonse, you reached out with your other to grasp Edward’s human hand and smiled at him. So full of hope and joy that Edward returned the smile with a tender one of his own. And as he intertwined your fingers together, Winry moved to throw her other arm around Alphonse and smiled through her own tears as they all simply sat there and basked in one another’s presence.

                                         ————————–

The house was quiet. Everyone had gone to bed. You stood in the doorway of Alphonse’s room, your gaze gentle as you watched the younger boy sleep. He was truly there. Well and truly there and your heart felt as if it would burst with happiness.

“Couldn’t sleep?” A voice from behind made you look up at Edward and give a small shrug. He too came to stand beside you. Your gaze flitted to his newly restored hand and you couldn’t help yourself as you reached out to hold it again. “I feel like I’m dreaming. That any moment I’ll wake up.” You admitted, not looking away from where your hand held his.

His grip around your palm tightened, but only slightly. “You and me both.” Edward admitted with a soft laugh. “But if this is a dream.” He turned to look at you the same time you did. Your eyes met, and you felt that warmth within you surge to a roaring flame.

“I don’t want to wake up.”

[i5uckersblog]

(English isn’t my first language)

Hey bub! I was going to ask for a Logan x fem!mutant!oc age gap scenario like where he found her in a mission (she would be around 17-18 y.o back then) and the X-men decided to take her to the school. Logan became her mentor, practically raised her and she has been so good to him. One night she comes into his room because she is having nightmares, he lets her sleep there and regrets it after accidentally almost killing her with his claws when he was having another night terror. She gets into a coma for a month and when she wakes up she sees that he is gone without a goodbye or a note. Two years passes and he didn’t communicate with her or anyone else during the time. And he comes back home. She is a brat who is demanding answers, not like the good girl he left behind, he gets mad too and they fight. Seeing she had grown up into a young beautiful woman in her first twenties, Logan starts to feel something else for her but he doesn’t wanna ruin her because she is too young. He is also aware of her little crush on him she held for a long time.

(If there is something in this scenario making you uncomfortable I’m so sorry for that and you can just ignore this.)

When the Dust Settles (warnings: grooming)

Summary: Logan rescues a young mutant and becomes her mentor, but after a tragic accident, he leaves without a word. Two years later, he returns, only to face the fierce young woman she has become and the unresolved tension between them.

Logan’s team approached the dilapidated warehouse, their footsteps muffled by the heavy rain. The mission briefing had hinted at a secret lab dealing in illegal mutant experimentation, but nothing could have prepared them for the chaos that awaited inside.

The warehouse was dimly lit, its vast interior filled with the hum of machinery and the hiss of steam. Logan, leading the charge, signaled for his team to spread out. They moved cautiously, their eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of the target.

Suddenly, the sound of shouting and the crackle of electricity echoed through the building. Logan quickened his pace, his senses heightened. They turned a corner and found themselves facing a scene of turmoil.

A young mutant girl, barely more than seventeen, was restrained by armed guards. Her powers were out of control—electricity arced from her hands, and her eyes glowed with a fierce light. The guards, terrified and struggling, tried in vain to subdue her with energy restraints and tranquilizers, but nothing seemed to work.

“Get back!” Logan ordered, his voice cutting through the noise. He sprang into action, claws extended, his anger boiling. He charged at the guards, dispatching them with quick, precise strikes.

The girl’s eyes locked onto him, a mix of fear and desperation in her gaze. “Help me!” she cried, her voice strained.

Logan moved swiftly to her side, carefully avoiding the dangerous arcs of electricity. “I’m here,” he said, trying to keep his tone calm. “You’re safe now.”

He reached her, using his claws to slice through her restraints. As soon as she was free, she collapsed against him, her energy spent. Logan scooped her up, his protective instincts kicking in.

“Let’s get her out of here,” he instructed his team, who were already securing the area. They moved quickly, navigating their way back through the warehouse, the girl’s breathing shallow and labored against Logan’s chest.

Back at the X-Men’s base, the girl was taken to the infirmary. Logan stayed by her side, his concern palpable as doctors worked to stabilize her. The power surge had left her exhausted and injured, but she was safe for now.

In the days that followed, Logan became her anchor, guiding her through her new life with the X-Men. Their bond grew stronger, and he took on the role of mentor and protector, helping her harness her powers and navigate the complexities of her new world.

As the sun began to set one evening, Logan and the girl finished a grueling training session. Sweat glistened on their foreheads, and the air was filled with the faint scent of the forest. Logan wiped his brow with the back of his hand and grinned at her, his pride evident.

“You’re improving, kid. Keep it up,” he said, his voice rough but warm.

The girl, her hair sticking to her face, smiled back, her exhaustion giving way to a sense of accomplishment. “Thanks, Logan. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

Logan chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Just don’t let it go to your head. We’ve still got a lot to work on.”

They walked back to the mansion together, their easy camaraderie evident in their playful banter. Logan felt a rare sense of contentment as he watched her, knowing he was helping her find her strength and confidence.

One evening, after a particularly tough day, Logan invited the girl to join him for a movie night in the common room. He’d set up a cozy spot with blankets and snacks, determined to give her a break from training and responsibilities.

As they settled in, the girl looked at the setup with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. “I didn’t know you had a soft side.”

Logan shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “Everyone needs a break now and then. Besides, you’ve been working hard. Thought you deserved a little downtime.”

They watched a classic film, and as the night wore on, Logan noticed the girl snuggling closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. He shifted slightly to make her more comfortable, feeling a warmth in his chest as she sighed contentedly.

One rainy afternoon, the girl was feeling particularly down. She had been struggling with controlling her powers and was frustrated by her lack of progress. Logan found her sitting alone on the edge of the training grounds, her shoulders slumped.

He sat down beside her and placed a comforting hand on her back. “You’re doing great. It’s okay to have off days. Even the best have them.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “I feel like I’m failing.”

Logan shook his head and gently wiped a tear from her cheek. “You’re not failing. You’re learning, and learning takes time. Just remember, you’re not alone in this.”

She leaned into him, finding solace in his steady presence. Logan wrapped an arm around her, his touch reassuring. “We’ll get through this together,” he promised, his voice firm but gentle.

On her birthday, Logan decided to do something special for her. He organized a small surprise party with a few close friends and decorated the common room with colorful streamers and balloons.

When she walked in, her eyes widened in surprise. “Logan, you did all this for me?”

He shrugged, trying to hide his own smile. “Figured you deserved a celebration. Besides, you’re pretty important to us.”

They spent the evening laughing, eating cake, and playing games. As the party wound down, Logan handed her a small wrapped gift. “Happy Birthday,” he said, his voice soft.

She opened the gift to find a locket with a picture of the two of them training together. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Logan. This means a lot.”

Logan patted her back, his own emotions barely contained. “You’re welcome. You’re family now.”

As time passed, their relationship deepened, but Logan remained haunted by the memory of the chaos and the girl’s frightened eyes. The guilt of the mission and the responsibility he felt for her well-being weighed heavily on him.

One night, the girl, now a young woman in her early twenties, came to Logan’s room, trembling from a nightmare. Despite his reservations, Logan allowed her to stay, letting her sleep beside him for comfort. However, his own nightmares and night terrors soon became a danger to her. In his restless state, he accidentally extended his claws, grazing her in a moment of panic.

When he awoke and saw her injured, his heart sank. She was rushed back to the infirmary, and Logan was left to grapple with the consequences of his actions. The girl fell into a coma, and as days turned into weeks, Logan’s guilt and regret festered.

A month later, she awoke to an empty room. Logan had vanished without a word, leaving no explanation for his departure. The girl, now deeply hurt and confused, threw herself into her training, her grief transforming into a fierce determination.

Two years later, Logan returned, his absence marked by an unsettling silence. He found her transformed—strong, assertive, and no longer the timid girl he had left behind. Their reunion was fraught with tension and unresolved emotions.

“Why did you leave?” she demanded, her voice echoing with pain and anger. “Didn’t I mean anything to you?”

Logan’s face twisted with guilt. “You did. I didn’t mean to—”

“Didn’t mean to what?” she interrupted, her eyes flashing with hurt. “To leave me without a word? To hurt me?”

Logan’s frustration boiled over. “I was trying to protect you! I didn’t know how to fix what I’d done. I needed time to figure things out.”

“Time? You took two years!” she shouted. “You could’ve at least left a note or something. Instead, you just disappeared. Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

Logan’s voice was a growl now. “I was a mess! I couldn’t face you after what happened. I thought it was better if I stayed away until I could deal with my own demons.”

She glared at him, tears streaming down her face. “You think running away was the answer? You left me alone to deal with everything by myself, and now you come back expecting things to be the same?”

Logan tried to reach for her, his expression a mix of anger and desperation. “I know I messed up. I’m sorry. But seeing you like this, so strong and different—”

She jerked away from him. “Different? You mean I’m not the same scared kid you left behind? Maybe I grew up because I had no choice but to. But don’t you dare think that makes what you did okay.”

Their argument escalated, exposing old wounds and unspoken feelings. Logan struggled with his growing attraction to her, torn between his feelings and the fear of acting on them. He was painfully aware of the crush she had harbored for him, but the age difference and his own insecurities clouded his judgment.

As they navigated their fraught relationship, both Logan and the girl had to confront their past and face the future with the uncertainty of their new dynamic. The path forward would be complex, but their journey was just beginning.

Request are Wide open! Feel free to ask for Almost ANYTHING!

[fantasy-relax]

Hey I really love your other stories 💗

Would you mind writing a fic to this point that was on your list?

Alcina x fem Reader, omegaverse and reincarnation, biological daughters: Alcina in an arranged marriage, Alcina showing exactly where Cassandra gets her stubbornness in SADO, regrets and second chances.

Thank you 🥹🫂

I would put these two together.

This is the plot that i was thinking about:

Alcina is an Beta traveling with pal boys a living as a musician, until her parents ordered her to come back home as they found someone to marry her.

Reader is an alpha and the runt of 'his' pack, that actually is a woman passing as a man. She doesn't want to get married but is the only way to escape her family, also she is happy that her wife is Alcina as she has always admired her from afar.

While both are using each other for their own benefit, Alcina hates alphas in general and the reader loves/ admire her, most of the time alpha goes outside to deal with her Ruts as her instincts tell her to care for her mate but her mate hates her and tell her to stay away.

One day the owner of the castle dies and nobody of Alcina family wanted it as it was pretty much falling apart so she takes it.

Alcina is a smart woman and reader not mind following her lead so they repair the most important areas and start a wine business.

Alcina wants to have children and is the only reason she would sleep with alpha, but the illness she has made it dangerous for her to get pregnant and Alpha doesn't want to take the risk so outside of their wedding night sex between them is non-existent.

Alcina messes around with the maids and alpha lets her even if it breaks her heart, some of the maids try seducing Alpha but are rejected.

Alcina's illness gets worse but luckily there is a doctor in the village that is studying an alternative method of healing.

Alcina gets her cadou, it is painful but she gets better slowly, she gets stronger and has more stamina. As far she knows the side effects are that her appetite is bigger and her skin is paler even if she feels better.

The worst side effect in her opinion is that she goes through a second presentation and for her good luck she presents as Omega. Her instinct is the same with a few differences, she absolutely despises how now she has a soft spot for the alpha. She hates her Heat but after the three days pass and she is still suffering she lets Alpha help her.

A few months later Surprise Bela is on her way!

Alpha is stressed the whole pregnancy but Dr Miranda says that the mother and baby are healthy, Alcina omega is thrilled by the care of alpha but Alcina still is bitch to her.

The day comes and Bela is a healthy baby, Alcina cries a lot and will growl at Alpha every time she is close to her pup, alpha has to sneak at night to pass a few minutes with her daughter the problem is that she is a mommy girl and will cry if she wakes up and Alcina isn't around, so alpha has to be careful when she scents her as luckily the omega allow that the pup have her sire scent, even so if she wakes up is on sight.

Bela is just six months old when Alcina gets pregnant again, and Alpha is absolutely stressed while Dr Miranda and Alcina are delighted.

Bela is one year and three months old when Cassandra is born.

Just in time that Cassie is born the business gets bigger and Alcina found some business partners that knew her from her time as Lady D, the bad side is that she needs to travel a lot. Reluctantly she lets Alpha on charge of their pups, Bela cries every single second of the day because she misses her mama and Cassandra is picky with food and follows her sister in missing her mama.

Alpha is suffering but is doing her best, she makes a nest from Alcina clothes to calm Bela; after hitting her face on the door she learns that her 'pain'/reactions make Cassandra laugh so she makes a whole show of 'injuring' herself to make her happy.

When Alcina comes back, is to a happy mate and pups that missed her so much, she has been so stressed thinking about her pups that she picks them in the moment she sees them and like always Alpha is vetted from her room, but just for a few minutes because Cassie wants to cuddle with her Ma too, so Alcina reluctantly lets alpha inside her nest. ( Her disgust is overwhelmed by the sheer happiness and satisfaction of her Omega which ironically makes her angry)

Bela is two and two months old, Cassandra is about to be a year old when Alcina is pregnant again, Alpha is resigned.

Daniela would cry if she was let alone, she wanted to be held every second of the day.

After two months of Daniela's birth, Alcina's hunger grew as well as her body, her growing pains were so horrible that she needed to stay in bed for a long time. She worked in her bed and put on her best face when the girls visited her.

Then one day she killed one maid, shocked by her actions she contacted Dr Miranda, she left the castle and stayed with her until she learned to control herself.

Bela was five, Cassandra was almost four and Daniela was two when they were killed by a raid planned by Alcina's family during a heavy winter.

Alpha was heavily injured and after Alcina slaughters everyone she kills her too.

Miranda implants the cadou on the dead body of the girls.

And that is the first life!

[peanut-in-the-goal]

seven minutes

Seven minutes. 

The human brain works for seven minutes after death. You see your life flash before your eyes seven minutes before you die. Seven minutes.

-

“Nice one, James!” Sirius stands side by side with his godson, fighting death eaters with him, just like he did with his father. He grins easily as he slides into his old dueling stance, wand out in front as he flicks and weavers himself through the enemies.

It’s like an old dance to him, something never forgotten just like riding a bike. He doesn’t see his cousin in the shadows, too busy sending spell after spell at Lucius, making sure he takes all the hits.

At this moment, Harry is his brother, and just like Regulus, he will take every taunt, hit, or hex to protect him. He grins when Harry lands a good spell, and finally knocks Lucius off the platform.

“Avada Kedavra!” 

Sirius sees Bellatrix too late, his head snapping back. He stumbles, going toward the veil. He sees James’ face staring at him, looking like he did when they were 15. He leans into the veil, smiling. 

I get to go home. 

Harry screams.

-

It’s said that in the first minute, you see yourself being born.

Sirius blinks and he sees bright white. Like his eyes have been covered his whole life and he can finally see, blinded by nothing but white white white. The walls are white, and the doctor holding him has blue gloves on, a blue mask too. He has thin square lensed glasses on, and he’s smiling so hard that you can barely see his eyes.

Behind the doctor, there is a man behind him. Tall, dark grey eyes, and short black hair neatly styled.

Distantly, he hears crying, wailing. He wonders who it is. His eyes are blurry, and he can’t get a true breath in.

Oh.

The crying is him.

He reaches for the man with the dark hair. The man’s face goes hard, cold even. He’s no longer looking over the doctor’s shoulder, no longer interested in the baby that is being held. He stands straight up and turns to look at someone else who Sirius hadn’t noticed yet.

“Boy.” The man says. He doesn’t sound proud, but he is not displeased either. He seems satisfied enough and nods at the woman on the bed before turning and leaving the room.

Sirius cries harder, searching for something, anything in the room to cling to. His small hands reach for the doctors, but he can’t reach the fingers holding him, probably wouldn’t be able to grab onto them anyways.

He’s handed to someone else, the women on the bed that the man was talking to earlier. She looks just like the man. Long black hair, grey eyes, pale skin and sharp cheeks bones prominent in her face. 

She doesn’t look as cold as he did though. Her face is flushed red and there’s sweated covering her skin. She coos softly and holds him close to her, cradling him to her chest.

“Oh, im so happy you’re a boy,” she whispers into his skin. His crying dies down a bit, having someone to cling to. “Sirius,” she whispers, “Sirius.”

-

The second minute you see your happiest memories, the small and pleasant things. The first time anything made you truly happy and you did something good.

Sirius are Reguluis are running around the halls of 12 Grimmauld place. Their parents are away on ministry business, but they’re happy for the freedom it gives them. Kreature is in charge of watching the two, but with his friendship towards the Regulus they hope he won’t rat them out.

They run around the halls, jumping over furniture and sliding down the rails of the stairs. A muggle game that they watched the ot6her kids play in the streets through their windows. They called it tag.

The brothers threw themselves out of reach from each other, Kreature yelling at them to behave, but all the boys can do is laugh. They’re barely 9 and 10. They spend all their time living up to their parents perfect image, young scholars, piano lessons, flying lessons. 

It’s both of theirs first time smiling this hard, being able to breathe easily.

He blinks.

Sirius is on the train to hogwarts. He’s nervous being away from his parents and his brother for the year. His hair is gelled bak, posture straight, and he sits in a compartment alone in his ridiculously expensive robes. He stares out the window, and notices this boy with wild brown hair. His glasses look too big for his face andd he’s hugging his parents good bye before running after the train. It’s 10:58 and the boy is trying to lift his trunk up the steps and make it on the train.

Sirius is baffled by the unseriousness of the boy. He recognizes him from the dinner parties, another blood, a Potter. Jeremy? Maybe Josh? He was never allowed to talk to him, his parents calling his family bloodtraitors.

It’s no time at all for the messy haired boy to poke his head into the compartment.

“Hi!” He’s loud and cheerful and his this stupid grin on his face. “Black, right?” Sirius stares at his and nods. “I’m James! Mind if I sit?”

This is exactly who Sirius shouldn’t be friends with. He’s also exactly who Sirius wants to be friends with. He nods again and extends his hand. “Sirius.” He says. He gives the boy, James, a slight smile. James smiles back and warmness spreads through Sirius’ chest, he feels safe and he can’t exactly pinpoint why or what it is. He knows him and James are going to be friends.

Sirius blinks again, and he’s in his third year setting up a prank with his friends.

They’ve snuck into slytherin dorms, befriended some house elves who are helping out. It’s the early hours of the morning, James and Sirius smushed under the the invisibility robe, Remus under polyjuice potion to look like Slughorn, and Peter was waiting in front of the dorm room as a rat to keep lookout. They snuck around the Slytherins dorms, replacing their robes with ones that were annoyingly pink. Each student got a pink robe on top of their trunks, and the house elves held onto whichever robes they took from the students for cleaning. 

James and Sirius were laughing so hard that they woke up the first years, who Remus had to calm down and say he was just doing a dorm check. They were so scared of their head of house being in their dorms at three in the morning that they just nodded along, and Remus had to put a silencio over them for the rest of the night.

They laughed so hard the next morning when the slytherins came into the Great Hall glaring daggers at them in their bubblegum pink robes.

He blinks.

He’s at the hospital, asleep on Remus’ shoulder while Remus reads a book. Peter sits on the other side, watching whatevers playing on the muggle television. Sirius sighs, stretches, and looks around. A kind-looking nurse walks into the waiting room.

“For Potter?” She asks. The three stand up at once. Other family is there too, Effie and Monty, Dorcas and Marlene, even Minnie came to see Baby Potter. Sirius is surrounded by his family, the one he chose and grew up with.

The group goes to the delivery room, Smiling and crying over little Harry. One of them having a baby shows that they’ll be okay. It’s the marauders world, it always has been, and now they’re expanding even more. 

Sirius holds his godson for the first time and cries for the joy of it all.

-

In the third minute, you see the love of your life.

Sirius sees Remus, the quiet eleven year old covered in scars. He carries a thick, wellworn book in his arms, and is wearing an old knit sweater. It hangs off of his lean frame, bunches at his wrists. 

Sirius thinks he’s adorable.

It’s their fourth year and they’re sitting next to each other in the great hall. James and Peter are there too, sitting across from them, talking about something that he isn’t paying attention too.

Him and Remus are side by side, shoulders knocking against each other with every laugh, knees bumping into each other every few moments. Sirius was loud, smiling, grinning, soaking in every joyous minute of life that he possibly could. Remus was quiet, small smiles and easy going laughs that Sirius melted for every time.

He blinks.

Sirius and Remus are walking down the halls together. James and Peter are off in Hogsmeade, and Sirius stayed with Remus while he recovers from the full moon the night before. They’re walking through different parts of the castle, planning how they’ll set up for a new prank once the others get back. 

Sirius is talking about wizards chess, a way he trapped James in their game last night and beat him. He’s smiling and gesturing happily as he talks, and then Remus grabs his hand. Sirius stops talking and stares, and Remus smiles back and grips Sirius’ hand with a little more confidence.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Sirius says back.

“Problem?” Remus asks, with a smirk on his face. He knows exactly what he’s doing to Sirius.

“Nope!” It comes out as a squeak, and Sirius immediately wants to face palm and disappear. Remus laughs, and Sirius is swooning.

He blinks again.

He’s crying in his bed, the beginning of his sixth year at Hogwarts. His parents kicked him out and he hasn’t slept in Remus’ bed since. He’s always had nightmares, but they’re worse now, and he doesn’t want to wake Remus every night.

He’s shaking, his covers pulled tight around him and over his head while he struggles to breathe, a silencing charm placed before he fell asleep.

He startles when someone pulls at his curtain and the moonlight shines through the fabric of his blanket.

“Pads?” Remus whispers into the air, hand hovering over the blanket. Sirius tries to bury himself further into his mattress. He lets out a soft sob. “Oh love,” Remus’ hand finds his waist easily, pushing gently until Sirius rolls over. 

Sirius lowers the blanket from over his head, his lip wobbling and eyes full of tears when he meets Remus’ face.

“How did you know?” Ha asks. How did you hear me? He thinks.

“I just felt like something was wrong. Can I lay with you?” 

Sirius’ heart explodes, and he nods while he moves over to make space. They get resettled, Sirius’ head ends up on Remus’ chest, Remus’ arm wrapped securely around his waist.

“I love you.” Remus whispers into his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Sleep well.” 

Sirius falls asleep with a smile.

-

The fourth minute shows you all the times you’ve felt alone, sad. Unlovable.

Sirius is sitting in the Great hall on his second day at Hogwarts. People have been staring at him since he entered the hall, his cousins glaring since last night. Since a Black got sorted into Gryffindor and not Slytherin. He wishes he could melt into the ground.

He wishes he was good enough, a good heir, a good son.

The owls bring morning mail, and he’s dreading his parents reaction to his placement. He’s sure they know, dear cousin Bellatrix surely told them the moment they made it back to their dorms.

He winces when he sees his family bird fly in, carrying a crimson red letter in its beak. He drops the letter and it starts screeching in his mothers shrill voice.

“Sirius black! How dare you! How dare you disgrace your family like this? Me and your father are very disappointed. You have embarrassed us! You’ve embarrassed your brother! Pull your act together, or else you’ll regret it. I promise you. You will regret it.”

The letter tears itself apart in front of him. He stares at the destroyed paper, his lip only quivers for a moment before he pulls itself together. Blacks don’t cry. His parents must be mad if they’re willing to send a howler when everyone can hear it. If people weren’t looking at him before, then they certainly are now.

“Well,” he starts. He tries to sound nonchalant and like he doesn’t care. It doesn’t work. It comes out strained and forced. “They seem happy?” He tries for a joke, but no one laughs. Everyone is looking at him, most with pity in their eyes, other looking like they want to laugh. 

His new friends look at him like they can’t believe a parent would ever do that to their kid. He envys their obliviousness, their disbelief. They don’t understand what it’s like to have parents like his. James’ parents love him unconditionally, Remus’ mom makes him tea every morning and his father helps heal him father transformations. Peter comes two loving parents and two little brothers, a family that’s the closest Sirius has ever seen.

Sirius feels alone when learning how his parents treat him versus how his friends’ parents treat them. He never realized how different he was, that there was something wrong with him to deserve it.

He cries in his bed later that night.

He blinks.

It’s a cold night, and Sirius sits on toip of the Astronomy tower in thin pajama pants and a white tshirt. He shivers as the wind blows through his hair and licks over his skin. He’s thinner than he’s ever been, refusing to eat unless forced to. Not able to sleep until he’s dropping from exhaustion.

He stares into the sky, looking for anything to ground him back into reality, but at the same time he wishes for nothing more than to disappear. He did the unthinkable, telling Snape Remus’ secret, and now none of his friends will talk to him. They’ll look at him, they’ll glare daggers into him like they want nothing more than to beat the shit out of him.

He wouldn’t blame them. He deserves it. 

He blinks.

He’s staring at the wall. He isn’t sure how long he’s been sitting against the concrete wall, staring at the matching concrete wall across from him. He can feel how matted his hair is, how heavy and long it is. Dementors blow cold air into his cell when they pass. He doesn’t have the energy to shiver anymore.

He doesn’t have the energy for anything anymore.

He distantly remembers screaming and crying to anyone who would listen that it wasn’t him. He didn’t kill his best friends, he didn’t rat them out, he would never. Nobody would listen, the guards didn’t care about him in the slightest. 

Now he just sits.

He’s accepted his fate that he’s never getting out of Azkaban. His bestfriend is dead. His godson is an orphan. Every letter he’s sent to Remus has gone unanswered. He wants to believe that Remus never received them, but somehow he knows that’s not the case.

Remus probably saw the letters, and he ignored them. He genuinely believes that his boyfriend murdered his best friends.

-

The fifth minute you see your miracle moments. 

Sirius is on the ground screaming in pain. He thinks his screaming anyways, his throat certainly hurts and he can’t catch his breath. His mother stands above him with her wand pointed at his face. He isn’t sure how long he’s there until everything goes dark.

Regulus finds him sometime later and gently helps him up.

“Reg?” Sirius asks, confused. “What’s going on?” Regulus’ face is tearstricken, something Sirius hasn’t seen from his brother in years. He’s never met anyone who could hide their emotions as well as his little brother. “Are you okay?”

Regulus shakes his head silently, pulling a little harsher at Sirius’ arm until he stands up. His side twinges in pain, the tell tale sign of bruises forming over his calves and arms. He inhales sharply when the change in position makes his head pound.

“You have to go.” Regulus whispers. He drags Sirius’ arm over his own shoulders to support his brothers weight. He drags him towards the stairs, the two making their way to Sirius’ room.

“What?” Sirius asks, a bit too loud that Regulus shushes him immediately. “I don’t understand,” he says quiter. He’s a little scatter brained, still trying to figure out what’s going on, why he was on the ground, why his brother was crying.

Regulus nudges the door to Sirius’ room open with his foot, and drops Sirius onto the bed. 

The room is destroyed, posters Sirius had on his wall are ripped to shreds, his desk torn apart and papers everywhere, his clothes are spread out on every surface. It’s clear Walburga was searching for something.

Regulus starts grabbing things at random and shoving them into Sirius’ trunk at the foot of his bed. 

“Regulus-”

“You have to leave, Sirius.” He keeps stuffing more and more clothes into his trunk. Anything he can reach.

“See, you keep saying that but you won’t tell me why.” Sirius is sitting up in his bed, watching his brother frantically move around his room.

“You’re not safe here, you have to leave.”

Sirius tsks at him. “I’ve never been safe here, what’s it matter now?”

Regulus stops moving and glares hard at him. It doesn’t do much other than show Sirius just how red-eyed and flushed faced his younger brother is. “Regulus….:” His tone is softer, more gentle.

“Because they’ll kill you know!” Regulus yells at him. “She’ll kill you…” His voice breaks, “And I’d rather lose you for the summer than for the rest of my life.” He’s crying again, and Sirius’ breath hitches in his throat. “I was healing you for an hour before you finally woke up. You… You were so cut up, a piece of you arm was missing. There was so many different wounds Siri, did you even notice you were laying in your own blood? Your arm was broken, so was your nose. I healed most of it but, b-but I didn’t you were going to wake up.” Regulus is sobbing. He’s kneeling on the ground by Sirius’ trunk, his hands are balled tightly in fist against his own thighs.

“I thought you weren’t going to wake up..” He whispers.

“Oh, Regulus,” Sirius starts. “Reg I’m okay, I’m alright-”

“But you almost weren’t! Can’t you see that? You almost wweren’t. You aren’t invincible Sirius!” Regulus keeps packing. “You have to leave.”

“I can’t leave you here.”

“You have to!” Regulus huffs, and throws a rolled up pair of socks at him. “You have protected me your whole life. Let me protect you this one time. I’ll be safe here. If I stay, then they won’t come after you!” His hands are shaking so hard that he balls them up again.

Sirius shakes his head, sliding off the bed, and now that Regulus points it out, he notices the weakness in the his left ankle. 

“What if they start hurting you once I leave? What then?” Sirius asks, he sits down next to Regulus. He reaches a hand out and grabs one of his, unfurling his fist. There’s small crescent shapes indents from how tight his grip was.

“Then I can take it.”

“No, Reg-”

“No Sirius! I can take it! I need you to be okay! They won’t hurt me the same as they hurt you.”

“Come with me.” Sirius reaches for Regulus other hand.

“I can’t. You know I can’t. If I stay, then you’re free to leave.” Sirius is shaking his head before Regulus even finishes talking. “They won’t kill me Sirius. I’m the back up, they have no one else if something happens to me. Sirius opens his mouth to say something else when they hear the front door slam open.

They look at each other wide eyed.

“You have to leave. Now.” Regulus says, yanking his hands away from his brother and frantically added last things into his trunk.

“Regulus-,”

“No Sirius. Now!” The stairs creek and their mothers footsteps get closer, her heels clicking against the old wooden floor. Regulus pulls his wand out and shrinks Sirius’ trunk to fit in his pocket. He shoves it into Sirius’ hands before grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the window.

“Reggie wait-”

“Sirius if you don’t leave right now I swear to Merlin that I will push you out this window!”

“But-”

“She’s coming!” Regulus starts pushing at Sirius while opening the window and popping the screen out at the same time. “I’ll see you at school in two months. Don’t write, she’ll get mad. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“I love you.” Sirius yanks his brother into a hug, he holds tight. Never ready to let go.

“I love you too.” Regulus says, melting into his brother. “Please go.” He whispers. Sirius lets go of him, lifting himself out of the window. He sits there for a moment before fully jumping out. 

“If something happens, anything happens, you leave. You come to the Potters.”

“Sirius, I can’t leave.” 

“You can. And you will. If anything happens you will come to the Potters. Understand? Or else I’m not leaving.”

Regulus huffs, and smiles. His brother has always been so damn stubborn.

“Fine, I promise. Now go. Before she catches us.” Sirius ruffles his hair one more time, before dropping out of the window, into the streets outside. He disappears into the dark just in time for his mother to twist open the door to the bedroom. 

Sirius is safe.

He blinks. 

He’s underneath one of the quidditch towers. It’s been raining all night, but he doesn’t feel safe enough to go back to his dorm. He doesn’t know if he deserves it. He’s wrapped in a thin blanket from his bed, and abulky sweatshirts. His clothes are wet where they’re touching the mud on the ground below him. The wooden beams on the tower and mostly wet and soaked through, but at least he is protected from the wind.

He shakes. He’s so cold.

He tries to settle himself down a little more, ready to sleep there once again for the night. He’ll sneak back into the dorms during breakfast to shower.

He can hear footsteps leading up to the tower he’s under, feet stomping in mud, but he doesn’t expect them to walk up to the tower and slip into it. He stares wide-eyed at Remus. His hair is plastered to his head and his clothes are soaked through from the rain.

It takes Sirius half a second before he’s scrambling to sit up, his hands sinking into mud puddles around him.

“Rem-” he starts. Trying to apologize again and again, and he would be apologizing for the rest of his life. He stops talking when Remus holds a hand up to him.

“Why are you under here?” Remus asks, displeased. He looks around the small space, cringing at the cold and the state of the structure. Spider webs covered the walls, patches of grass overtaking the corners.

“What?” Sirius was leaning against one of the corners, still on the ground. “I assumed you wouldn’t want me back in the dorms- Remus I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, really, I wasn’t thinking- and- and-”

“Sirius.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. And I know you’ll never forgive me, and I deserve that-” Sirius blabbered over Remus.

“Sirius stop.” Sirius stopped. “I forgive you.”

“What?” He jerked, his brain taking a moment to catch up. “No! You can’t! I don’t deserve it.”

Remus moved to squat down next to Sirius, minding the mud. “I forgive you.” His hand reached out carefully to cup Sirius’ face. Sirius trembled under his touch but leaned into it and the same time.

“Remus…” A stray tear fell from his eye. “Moony..”

Remus wiped it away, pulling Sirius in and hugging his head to his chest. “I forgive you.” He whispered again. “Oh pads,” he said, pressing a kiss to Sirius’ forehead. Sirius sobbed into him, wrapping his arms around Remus’ waist. Remus shushed him quietly, before shifting to look Sirius in the eyes.

“Let’s get you out of here, yeah? I’m half worried that this whole structure is going to fall onto us.” He gave Sirius a strained smile. Sirius let out a wet laugh that was half a sob, taking Remus’ hands and letting him pull him up.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

The sixth minute is when you judge yourself, if you were a good enough person

Regulus dropped a plate at dinner, and he looked like a dear in headlights when his mother started to rise out of her seat, anger in her eyes.

“Reg-” She starts, and Sirius cuts her off.

“So, I’m thinking about dating this girl from school.” He says. He is not thinking about doing that. Ever. “Jessica Wright. She’s a muggleborn, a little dull, but she’s pretty enough.” He’s rambling, saying anything to get his mothers attention on him.

“Excuse me?” She shrieks. “A mudblood? You-”

“Muggle born is the correct term, mother.” 

She forgets about Regulus entirely. If looks could kill, Sirius thinks, I’d be a dead man. 

His father stays seated, but he puts his utensils down, content with watching his wife torture his child. Sirius keeps talking.

“Mudblood is so outdated, don’t you think? Very posh, very old. From your time probably, right mother?”

Walburga is quick to slap him across the face, her rings biting at his flesh.

“Ouch,” Sirius says sarcastically, hiding how much that hurt. “That was almost painful mother, losing your touch, are we?”

He pinpoints the exact moment she goes from just being angry to downright pissed off. It was going to be a long night.

He’s laying on the ground, eyes shut tight and his fists clenched. His jaw is locked. He will not  scream. He won’t give them the satisfaction. He can feel the exact moment his leg snaps and his entire body goes in blinding pain. He gasps, his eyes shooting open while he stares his mother in the eye.

She cackles. She shuts his eyes again.

It’s worth it, he tells himself. It’s worth it, it’s worth it, it’s worth it. He keeps repeating it, convincing himself. Regulus bolted the moment his mother hit him the first time. He’s glad for that, Regulus doesn’t have to see him like this then. He knows his brother will heal him later, but for now he just has to take it until his mother gets tired.

He’s doing good, for his brother.

He blinks.

Him and his friends are sitting in the Great Hall. They got to breakfast early that morning, Sirius next to Remus, James next to Peter. 

“This is going to be so good!” Sirius muses. The four talk in hushed whispers, waiting for other students to fill the hall. They’ve charmed Slughorn’s pumpkin juice to spill on his head as soon as he lifts his fork. 

The hall starts to fill slowly as more students come to eat breakfast. Finally, Slughorn walks through the hall, yawning and looking not at all awake as he makes his way to the teachers table.

James has to kick Sirius under the table so he stops staring and smiling as slughorn walks past. 

“You’ll give us away!” He whispers, but James is smiling anyways. Peter is grinning next to him, they can’t wait for Slughorn to get juiced. Remus smiles, shaking his head at his dumbass friends. The boys have fully abandoned pretending to eat when slughorn finally sits down. He fills his plate with food, and finally picks up his fork.

The hall is mostly filled at this point, and the boys are watching professor Slughorn like hawks.

He picks up his fork, and his goblet raises and tips on his head.

He gasps in shock, hands hovering at his side. Students around the hall notice and start cackling with laughter. The halls shake with joy, and the four boys grin. Sirius and Remus high five under the table, James and Sirius tap their feet together.

Slughorn is fuming. Sirius falters slightly at the look on his face, he’s extremely upset. Then Sirius decides he doesn’t actually care because he made everyone else laugh.

And how bad could he be if he made everyone else happy at the expense of one person?

He blinks.

“Expelliarmus!” James yells. He flicks Snape’s wand out of his hand. There a group following them, chanting.

“Nice one, James!” Sirius grins next to him, James starts to lift Snape in the air. Dangling him upside down.

“Now,” James starts, “who wants to see me take of Snape’s trousers?” The group cheers and yells louder. Sirius is laughing the loudest, nudging James with his arm.

“Do it, Prongs!” He cheers. James does.

They both cackle and laugh at Snape’s expense. Snape is horrified, frantical;ly reaching for his pants, but struggling upside. The boys laugh and ridicule him as they put on a show in front of the crowd. Sirius doesn’t feel an ounce of remorse. Distantly, a small part of his brain wonders if he should.

The seventh minute is unpredictable. You see your entire life start to finish, flashes of everything you’ve ever done.

Sirius sits through piano lessons, his teacher a harsh lady who smacks his hand with a cane if he messes up. He always plays beautifully.

He blinks.

Sirius and Regulus are stuck to each other like glue. Hand and hand running around the house, to the park up the street. Sirius was always pulling him, urging him to move forward forward. All Regulus would do is pull back back back. 

“What of our parents, Sirius?” He asked, worried of the trouble they would get in.

“What of us, Reg?” Sirius would shoot back. “Memories over fears, come on.” He would tug Regulus’ hand softly, and Regulus would always come with him anyways.

He blinks.

Sitting at the table in silence, family dinner where it never felt like family. It felt like Regulus and Sirius versus the world. Sirius protecting Regulus from the rest of the world. The food was always quite good though.

He blinks. 

Sirius is hugging his brother goodbye the night before he leaves for Hogwarts. Regulus is in Sirius’ bed, clinging onto him.

“Don’t leave.” Regulus cries. He looks at Sirius with large doe eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

Sirius holds him tighter, pressing Regulus’ face into his neck so he doesn’t have to look at his sad eyes.

“I’m sorry Reggie,” he whispers. “I have to go. But I’ll come back for winter and easter and summer. Then next year we’ll be together again.”

“I’ll miss you.” Regulus mumbles. Sirius gets teary eyed.

“I’ll miss you too,” he chokes out.

He blinks.

Sirius is sitting on the stool in front of the entire school. Everyone looked up when his name was called, another Black heir.

He smirks going up there, no doubt that he’d be put in Slytherin.

“Slytherin?” The sorting hat asks. Sirius’ face drops. The hat sounds like the thought is the funniest in the world.

“Well, it is quite funny,” the hat says. “You barely have an ounce of Slytherin in you. Nothing like your cousins.” 

No, no, no. 

“Yes… Yes I see, you seem much better suited for..”

Sirius feels his heart drop to his toes. His parents are going to kill him.’

“Gryffindor!” The hat yells. Sirius swallows, and starts walking toward the red and gold table.

His parents are definitely going to kill him.

He blinks.

Sirius and James are pulling a prank, the first one of their second year. They’re standing at one of the higher stairs. They’re hidden under the invisibility cloak, crammed but they fit. Everytime a first year walks by (or a slytherin), they levitate something out of their hands.

So far they’ve got a book, a wand, even a toad. They levitate for a minute or two, watching the owner jump for it just above their reach, before letting it drop.

Sirius and James are grinning, high fiving every time.

He blinks.

Remus and Sirius are sharing a moment by the black lake. James is off wooing Evans, and Peter is with him. Wingman and all. Sirius and Remus get to be alone together, and they’ve just started dating.

Sirius lays his head on Remus’ shoulder, smiling softly.

“I love it when you smile like that.” Remus says. He has a book open in his lap, but he isn’t reading. He’s looking at Sirius.

Sirius feels his face grow hot and hides in Remus’ shoulder.

“Moonyy…” He whines. Remus laughs, one of his hands easily wrapping around Sirius’ waist.

“It’s cute.” Remus says. Sirius blushes harder and tries to burrow further into Remus. Remus grins a toothy grins, forgetting his book entirely and bringing his other hand to play with Sirius’ hair.

He blinks.

He’s standing in the corridor on the night of a full moon. He’s staring down Snape across from him. Fuming.

“Tell me, Black.” Snape says. He smirking, his wand twirling in his hand. Sirius’ wand is in his other. He disarmed him the moment he turned the corner.

“No.”

“No?” Snape mocks. “Is the puppy that whipped? You don’t anything if Remus doesn’t tell you to, do you?” Snape laughs. Sirius wants nothing more than to lunge at him.

“Does Remus make all your decisions for you? Do your homework love, Pay attention Paddy, Be good Sirius.” Snape does his best to mock Remus’ voice, and it only serves to piss Sirius off more.

“Fuck you.” He spits. It takes all of his willpower to not kill Snape where he stands.

“I’m sure Remus does.”

Sirius does lunge this time. Snape freezes him with a flick of his wand.

“Where does he go, Black?” Snape asks again. Sirius is so blinded by fury that he doesn’t fully process what he’s saying until afterwards.

“You really want to know? Go to the willow, press the not. Then you’ll find out.” 

Snape grins, greasy and gross, throws Sirius’ wand to the other end of the corridor, and doesn’t release him until he’s already turned the corner. Sirius fills with a strong sense of dread.

Fuck.

He blinks.

Sirius ends up on the Potters doorstep. He’s cold, and quiet, and sad. It’s extremely early in the morning, the back of his shirt is still soaked in blood, but at least he isn’t bleeding since Regulus healed him. The pain is a dull thrum that’s getting stronger. He couldn’t feel it before due to the adrenaline of escaping, but now it hits him full force.

He takes a breath and knocks on the door. He leans against the wall of the porch, righting himself once he realizes he’s leaving a bloodstain.

The light turns on in the entryway, and he blinks tiredly as the door slowly opens. It’s a short women who answers, looking curiously at the young boy on her doorstep.

“Hello?” She asks, cautiously.

“Hi.” Sirius says. “I’m Sirius.”

 The women smiles, here face lighting up. “Sirius? James’ friend?” Sirius nods. “Oh my, I’ve heard so much about you! Come in dear, come in.” She says. She opens the door and lets Sirius in, she gasps once he’s in the light and his wounds and blood are visible.

“Monty!” She starts yelling. “Monty get down here!” Sirius starts to lose his fight with consciousness and he feels like he’s underwater. He’s about to turn and ask for James when his head pokes around the corner.

“Mama, que-” His eyes snap to Sirius standing in the middle of the hall looking lost. “Sirius!” He runs  down the rest of the stairs and to his friend. “What happened, what’s going on, why-”

“Hi Prongs.” One side of Sirius’ mouth lifts in a slight smile. “I think I need help.”

Everything tilts and he drops to the floor.

He opens his eyes.

“Gryffindor wins the house cup!” Dumbledore yells. All the Gryffindor’s at the table scream and cheer, their hats flying up into the air.

“We did it!” James yells. Him and Sirius climb onto the table.

“We did it!” Sirius yells back, high fiving his best friend. The two grin and smile, setting off fireworks for their departing gift. The Gryffindor crest explodes into the sky. Remus and Peter climb onto the table as well, all taking their final bows.

They graduated.

He blinks.

Remus and Sirius enter their new flat. Eahc holding a box. Sirius drops his in the entry way, going to Remus and making him drops his as well. He stands on his tiptoes to peck Remus’ lips. 

“Welcome Home, baby.” He says. He hugs him tightly, everything is going to be okay.

He blinks.

The group is met up at Molly and Arthurs house. Order meeting. The prophecy was just announced, Harry Potter is in danger.

The Potters must go into hiding. Sirius wvows to protect them with his life.

James hugs him, smiles, and chooses Peter.

He blinks. 

Sirius is flying to the Potters as fast as he can, his motorcycles going as fast as possible. He gets there and he can hear Lily screaming, before the street goes quiet. He’s too late.

Too late too late too late.

Peter is standing in the driveway, staring at the house.

“Peter!” Sirius screams.” He isn’t fully on the ground before he’s swinging at his old friend. Peter tries to open his mouth, tries to say something but Sirius is on him immediately.

“My, my.” Voldemort comes out of the door, Sirius looks over his shoulder at him. “The Black I couldn’t have.”

He blinks.

He sits staring at the wall of his cell. He would guess it’s beena  few years. It fells like it’s been an eternity. He doesn’t know how much longer he can take it.

Someone walks past with a newspaper.

He sees Peter. Peter. As a rat.

Sirius sees red. He’s going to kill Peter. He turns into a dog and slips out.

He blinks.

Sirius sees Remus again in the shack. 

Brings back old memories, he thinks. He hugs his friend, boyfriend? Exfriend? He doesn’t know what they are, but he’s happy to see him regardless.

They threaten Peter together.

Just like old times,

He blinks.

Sirius has been in his old house for so long. Too long. Remus stays with him most days, but he’s aching for the chance to get out and help fight.

His godson is in danger. 

“Sirius!” Molly calls, he can hear her feet running up the stairs. “Sirius!” She’s out of breath.

“What?” He asks frantically. “Whats happened?”

“It’s Harry! Arthur called, him and his friends broke into the ministry. They’re looking for the prophecy. Sirius, the death eaters found.”

He’s gone in a flash, he apparates to the ministry. He notices the crack of the rest of the order behind him. He doesn’t mind them, he walks straight up to Lucius and punches him in the face.

He blinks.

Everything is dark.

‘

Home. Is his last thought. The next time he opens his eyes, it’s white light except for his best friend standing there waiting for him. James opens his arms for him, which Sirius easily falls into.

I’m home.

[stitching-in-time]

Finished Star Trek: Prodigy season 2! Overall, I loved it, it was everything I hoped for, and then some. I love time travel paradoxes and alternate universes and that kind of stuff, so this season's story arc was right up my alley, and I think they did it just right. From story, to visuals, to character development, this whole season was just mindblowing the whole way through. The very ending leaves me trepidatious for the future, unfortunately, but I still very much want another season, and I want to celebrate what a monumental achievement season 2 is, both as thing unto itself, and as an epic expansion of what Star Trek can be.

Thoughts and analysis (with major spoilers!) below!

The biggest things for me this season were how Dal and Gwyn grew as characters, Janeway and Chakotay's relationship becoming even more of a central thing, and my boy Wesley Crusher returning as basically a Time Lord to help the Protostar kids save the timeline. As a Next Gen fan, I can't begin to describe how much it means to see Wesley again, and know that he's still out there, doing good in the universe, like I always knew he would. Beverly Crusher raised a good kid! As fans, we always joked about how Wesley Crusher is a Time Lord now, and now Prodigy said, yeah, he really is! That's what the Travellers do! They're literally like the Time Lords in Doctor Who, but with more hands on helping and fixing things, and I'm like yes, perfect!! I couldn't have asked for better, honestly, and Wil Wheaton does a terrific job as manic pixie Time Lord Wesley (there's no other way to describe him lol) without losing the essence of the Wesley we knew. After the horrible, hurtful disappointment of what they did with Picard and the rest of the Next Gen crew in the Picard series, seeing at least one of my first Trek crew getting the respectful treatment their character deserves means, so, so much to me, I can't even begin. My boy Wes! I love him!! (But dude- call your Mom ffs! Janeway is such a space mom herself for calling him on that. The scene at the end where Wes and Beverly hug was EVERYTHING to me. I cried. 30 years I have waited for that!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!)

Gwyn and Dal's character arcs this year were great too. Gwyn always had the commanding presence that said 'captain' to me, from the beginning. Much as I like Dal, I felt like it didn't make sense for him to be the captain, given his personality and experience, and it kind of seemed like they gave him that because the lead character always has to be a boy, by default, in any children's media that isn't explicitly aimed primarily at girls. But seeing how it shifted this season was really wonderful. How Gwyn stepped up to be a leader, and how Dal realized that being the right hand of someone you trust and respect is just as important a role as being the one in charge, was lovely, and paralleled the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay. Gwyn and Dal are kind of coming from opposite ends of the childhood trauma spectrum; Gwyn being forced to ignore her own judgement, and obey her father's commands without question; and Dal, being undervalued by his surrogate mother, being told and shown by her that he's unimportant and uneeded. The positions that they came to here, as a Captain and her Number One, and are the direct opposite of the roles their parents forced on them, and the exact places they need to be to overcome those negative beliefs and let their true natures shine through. It's so good!! And they actually talked to each other about their relationship! (or at least tried before they got interrupted.) That's honestly way more emotionally mature of them than almost any other romantic pairing in Trek! The kids are all right!! And I love that Gwyn is taller than Dal, and nobody cares. I can't think of the last time I saw a show where a girl being tall wasn't presented as a problem for her boyfriend to be insecure and crappy about it. Not making girls feel bad for being tall, and not making boys insecure about being short, is so important, especially in a show aimed at kids. Way to break down those gendered stereotypes!!

Janeway and Chakotay got so much to do this season, and I loved every minute of it. I love that Prodigy is basically a Voyager sequel. Janeway in the Captain's chair on a new Voyager is like, a dream come true, and seeing Voyager characters again is a special thrill for those of us who grew up with them and love them. (Ngl I was thrilled that my boy Tom Paris got namedropped twice! And so much yes to having him design the Nova Flyers!!! I've always headcanoned that Tom and B'Elanna stayed on Earth after Voyager and designed ships and warp engines and stuff at Starfleet HQ so they could give their kids a more stable childhood, and I'm beyond thrilled and thankful to have that somewhat canonized!!) I kinda wish it had been Tuvok rather than the Doctor along for this voyage, since he's Janeway's best friend, but the Andorian guy (Tysis? Why can't I remember his name??) does remind me of Tuvok a lot, so it might have been an odd vibe to have two similar characters. And anyway having the Doctor along did prove useful to the mission later on. (Though I don't know what it is, but the voice Robert Picardo uses for the Doctor on Prodigy is off, somehow- it's higher pitched, and the cadence is different. If I didn't know it was him, I'd think it was a different actor, and it's pretty distracting. But luckily the Doctor was mostly just there to be comic relief, and didn't have a ton of scenes.)

The character who surprised me the most here, though, was Chakotay. I like him a lot better on Prodigy than I ever did on Voyager. It's not even that I disliked him before, so much as that I feel the writing wasn't always there for him, and that they didn't really care to fully flesh him out and make his characterization consistent. His love for Janeway was one of the only things about him that was consistent, and they really highlighted that aspect here. I've never been much of a Janeway/Chakotay shipper, but I'm shipping it now. I know the die hard J/C shippers are probably livid that we didn't get a kiss or a direct acknowlegement of their feelings this season, and from the way it was going, I don't blame them, I expected it too. But I feel like Prodigy's writers aren't dumb enough to tease it so heavily without paying it off- I'd wager they're playing the long game and saving it for later, what with all the insanely shippy stuff going on between them here. The pda! The longing! That reunion scene! Heck, even Starfleet command knows they have a thing going on, and that Janeway can't be normal about Chakotay! Even the kids give them looks like they know there's something going on between them! The parallels between them and Dal and Gwyn, who already are a romantic couple, make it pretty obvious that Janeway and Chakotay are like a template for them to emulate. I didn't care one way or another about whether Janeway/Chakotay became a thing when this season started, but now I'm invested. They're in love, just admit it!

I love that they added Ma'jel to the Protostar gang, it's nice to have another girl to balance things more. And the fact that they named her after Majel Barrett hits me straight in the heart. So much love for the OG queen of Star Trek!!

I really appreciated Gwyn getting the chance to meet the younger version of her father, and get the chance to recieve some kindness and care from him, at last. I hope now that the timeline is different, she'll be able to have a better relationship with him at last. (I'm still not entirely sure how Gwyn can exist now that he's not going back to become the Diviner in the new timeline, but I think maybe it's some sort of alternate timeline/parallel universe stuff?? That's the one part of the timey wimey plot I was a little fuzzy on, but honestly the rest of it is so awesome that I don't even care that much.)

One of the few things that I disliked this season was Voyager A having a 'cetacean ops' tank on board. It was fine on Lower Decks because it's a comedy, so I don't take anything that happens there too seriously. (I just thought it was a SeaQuest joke, tbh.) But for a drama series, it really bothers me that Starfleet would take wild animals from their homes and plunk them on a starship. Even though they can communicate with the whales now, so we infer that the whale consented to be there, it seems incredibly unlikely that any wild creature would chose to live in a tiny tank away from their ecosystem and others of their kind. Animal captivity is not a cool thing to be promoting in this day and age, so I hope that will go away, and we won't have to see any more of that.

The biggest problem I had with this season though, was all of the references to stuff from Picard at the very end. Worse still than animal captivity was Picard's horrible storyline about using slaves to build Starfleet ships. It's like the writers on that show had never seen an episode of Star Trek in their lives, and had no idea what it's even about. They literally referenced the Next Gen episode 'The Measure of a Man', so they must have seen it, and yet they totally ignored it's message that androids aren't property, and it's assertion that creating an army of android slaves would abominable, and against everything the Federation stands for. The whole point of that episode was that they established the legal precedent to prevent that. To turn around and have that happen is a huge betrayal of the optimistic spirit of the show, and a shows a deep misunderstanding of all of the characters. You cannot sit there and tell me that any of the characters we know would sit idly by and let the Federation institute slavery. You can't convince me that they would just go on with their lives like everything was fine while that was happening around them. You can't tell me Starfleet wouldn't have a wave of resignations in mass protest, that there wouldn't have been protests all over Earth to stop it. Just casually dropping something as horrific as 'oh, our android slaves rebelled and blew up the fleet we forced them to build for us' in the middle of a show aimed at children is deeply disturbing, and deeply wrong- allowing slavery in the Federation negates everything it is, and demolishes Star Trek as a beacon of hope for the future.

I'm very worried for Prodigy's future if it's going to take place in that awful reality, for which there is absolutely no excuse or explanation that can be had to justify it. I'm absolutely horrified to think that it might become the status quo that we're just supposed to accept, but conversely, if they don't gloss over it, if they look at it head on, in all it's horror, there's no way to deny that everything that Starfleet and the Federation stand for is a lie. There's just no good way forward with it, I fear. If the Protostar gang were to find out that someone was messing with the timeline to create that reality in the first place, and that they had to go back to stop it from happening, and erase that timeline from existence, then I could be okay with it, but I doubt they'd do another time paradox plot so soon. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to love Prodigy anymore either, because it will have let me down, just like Picard did.

I desperately hope this season wasn't Prodigy's pinnacle, and that it will continue to believe in hope and kindness and the possibility of a better future, and to fight against the cruelty and cynicism that Picard's writers poisoned the Star Trek universe with. I care about these characters, and this world, and I want to see more of them. I would love a third season, but only if it lives up to Star Trek's ideals of love and equality and compassion. Prodigy has been such a bright spot for me, I've come to love this new crew, and being able to see my beloved Voyager crew members still out there being heroic, and being happy. I hope it can continue to be that bright spot. Based on what wonderful things I've seen overall in these first two seasons, I'm going to choose to have faith that it will.

Here's hoping we get a season 3 that's just as amazing!