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specialagentlokitty · 11 months

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Melendez x reader - a chance

Could I get a Dr. Melendez x reader? The reader is shy, quiet, short, and chubby and she is shocked when he asks her out. She is his age and is a nurse. - Anon💜

Standing next to the desk, you crouched down, smiling at the little girl who has run over to you.

“My mommy wants ice chips, can I have ice chips?” She asked.

“Absolutely, you can both have some.”

The girl grinned from ear to ear and followed you to get the two cups, and you walked her back to her moms room, smiling at the woman.

“I’m sorry, I told her not to ask.”

“You don’t have to worry, it’s what it’s there for, and we’ve got more than enough to share. Do you need anything else?”

The woman shook her head and you smiled as you left her room, heading back to the nurses station.

Humming to yourself, you began to wonder in and out of every room to make sure that everybody was doing okay before writing it all in their files.

“Alright, I’m done, I’m going home.”

“See you later (Y/N).” The other nurse smiled.

Smiling back, you headed to grab you things before making your way towards the stairs.

You looked at the time and sighed to yourself, you were hungry, but you were also tired and didn’t know what you wanted to do first.

If you napped, you could eat later, but you thought maybe eating first would be the best idea.

While you were walking down the stairs, you heard someone fall in line with you and you snapped out of your head, looking towards the side.

“Oh Doctor Melendez, is everything alright? Do you need something?” You asked.

“I just saw you leaving and thought I’d walk out with you if that’s alright?” He asked.

You nodded your head and turned away from him.

“Thank you for doing the rounds on my patients before going, I’d still be here if it weren’t for that.” He chuckled a little.

“You were supposed to go home hours ago, I thought it would help speed up the process after your meeting.”

“Well, it’s much appreciated. Thank you.”

You smiled at him.

Generally doctors didn’t do much with nurses, or interact with them.

In a way Melendez was the same, but you were usually in all of his surgeries, and generally on the same shifts as him so he soon became a familiar face.

Though it wasn’t often that the pair of you talked, not unless it was about work.

Stepping outside, you looked at your phone before walking over stepping to the side of the door, trying to stay out of the rain.

“You aren’t heading home?” Melendez asked.

“Waiting for the bus.”

He looked around before looking at you.

“I can give you a lift if you want, it’s no trouble.”

“I’ll be alright, thanks though.”

He nodded his head and began to leave, offering you once again a lift which you declined.

You did notice a few over the following few weeks how he would talk to you more often, walk you out of the building and sometimes wait for your bus with you.

You didn’t think much about it, you put it down to him needed to get to know his surgical team more, or maybe he was trying to interact with people more.

You weren’t sure.

But you didn’t mind chatting with him, sometimes you would even see him at the bar after work, or the pair of you would walk there together.

So, when you were having lunch you didn’t think twice about him coming over to sit with you.

Smiling you moved your things aside so he could sit in front of you.

“Doctor Melendez.” You greeted.

“You can call me Neil, or just Melendez.” He laughed.

“I know.”

He smiled at you, taking a sip from his coffee.

You went back to eating, the pair of you holding a small conversation as you did.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked.

“You just did.”

You smiled at him as he chuckled.

“Of course you can. What’s up?”

“Would you be open to possibly going on a date with me?”

You nearly dropped your cup, and you quickly set it down as you stared at him in shock.

“I’m sorry?”

“Would you go on a date with me? Maybe dinner? It a few drinks? A movie?”

You took a small breath to compose yourself.

“I… you.. you’re asking me on a date..?”

Melendez smiled softly at you.

“I am.”

“Why?”

He laughed gently.

“Because I think you’re interesting, and beautiful, and smart, and I want to get to know you better.”

You slowly nodded your head, and you stood up from the table.

“I have to go..”

With that you rushed away.

You knew he wouldn’t bring it up while you were both on shift, but during any breaks or when you weren’t all that busy you did everything you could to avoid him.

So when it came for you last break of the day, you decided to head up to the roof to watch the nightlife of the city.

It was peaceful, and gave you time to think.

You heard steps coming closer and you turned around, sighing heavily as you watched the man walk over to you.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sprung that on you. I shouldn’t have said anything at all, I understand.”

“No.. you don’t have to be sorry..”

You sighed, resting your arms on the rail.

“It’s not.. I mean I’m flattered you asked, I really am..”

“If you’re not interested that’s alright, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I just hope we can stay friends.”

You looked at him.

“I.. I am interested, believe me I am.”

Melendez furrowed his brows a little bit, and he turned to fully face you.

“You are?”

“Yes. I just.. it’s.. I don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“Can I ask why?”

“You’re you.. and I.. I’m me..”

He rose a brow and you looked away from him, burying your nose into your jacket.

“You’re athletic, and incredibly good looking and successful. I’m me, anything but that, and I can’t even afford a car.”

“I don’t care you can’t afford a car, or that I’m a doctor and you’re a nurse. I think you’re beautiful the way you are, and I would love for the chance to show you that.”

You didn’t reply and he sighed a little, coming over he stood next to you, looking at you.

“You’re the most kind and understanding person k have ever met. I watched you listen to a patient just out of surgery explain to you hundreds of times how they broke their arm and you listened just as enthusiastically as the last time.”

You smiled at the memory.

“He was so high.” You laughed.

“He was.” Melendez chuckled.

You turned to look at him, and he smiled softly, placing his hand on the side of your face.

“I just want the chance to show you how incredible you are, and I’d you don’t want that, it’s alright.”

You sighed a little, and you looked at him.

You had always debated asking him out, but you were always so scared too.

But you looked as the city lights reflected in eyes, and how he smiled so softly at you, and it made your heart skip a beat, made you feel butterflies in your stomach.

“How about dinner?” You asked.

Melendez smiled even more.

“It’s a date, we’ll go after this shift.”

He leant down and kissed your head before he rushed away before anyone started to look for him.

Smiling to yourself, you turned back to watching the city

#the good doctor #the good doctor x reader #the good doctor x you #the good doctor imagine #Neil melendez #neil melendez x reader #Neil melendez x you #Neil melendez imagine

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andersons-bayonettes · 1 year

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Oh we're not done, I have a lot to think about disabled!CoD Cast because I live for disability representation, even if I know my last one wasn't so good, this one hits close to home, because my father too has a disabled leg due to a car accident. So who are tackling now? We're talking John Price with a leg prosthetic and crutches.

John felt weak. He felt absolutely useless, worthless, weak and he was in so much pain. He had saved one of his boys, yes, but goddamn did it hurt. His leg was bleeding profusely, he couldn't stand or walk with it and now he was a liability. Better him than Soap, he had convinced himself. It hadn't even been Soap he has saved, or had it? He couldn't quite remember. When the MedEvac arrived, they immediately cut of circulation in his leg, as he cursed and had a thought if where this was going. And he was right.

You were at home when you got a text saying he would be home early, telling you to not pick him up though, he would come home just fine. You hadn't expected anything serious, some new scars, wounds, scabs. Maybe one or two bullet holes, nothing you hadn't seen before, but when the door opened and you saw your husband hobble in with crutches, you stared, mouth agape at his leg. His one leg. You rushed towards him immediately. "John, baby, are you alright?!" Stupid question, of course not, but what else would be your first words? You were shocked. You wanted to know if he was okay with his leg missing

He huffed, making his way towards the couch, slowly and whining you noticed.

He was not okay.

You grabbed him his favourite tea, setting it in front of him before settling next to him in the couch. "Hey, Baby, you wanna talk about it?" He stared at you for a second, gaze hard, before it softened, only to turn cold as he looked away. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything?! Can I-"

"shut up"

His voice cut through yours, it was harsh. He didn't mean it, you knew, but it did hurt. You sat back. Silent. Waiting for him to drink his tea. You were just worried. What else could you do? What could you do to help him? To make him feel at home?

"Are you hungry?" "I can make my own food." "I need to cook anyways, I just wanted to ask if you'd like something special?" "I can cook my own food." "I always make it for you?" He stared at you bitterly. "Don't fucking baby me becaus so lost a goddamn leg. I'm not fucking weak."

It clicked then. "But I never assumed you were?" He fell silent then. Staring at you, then at the cup of tea. "I just want to make sure you're alright, baby. Really. Let me spoil you, you just came home from war."

It took a long time of persuasion to get him to understand you didn't want to baby him, that he wasn't weak because he lost a leg. But he still felt that way, you knew. He just tolerated your help. And then the next hurdle came.

A prosthetic and it's lawsuits.

The military didn't want to cover for the prosthetic you had convinced him to get, so he would feel more alive, being able to use his hands like before, instead of adjusting himself everything he wanted to grab something. Your lawyers assured you, that due to the nature and circumstances and consequences of his injury, the military was meant to cover 100% of medical expenses, especially considering it has gotten infected due to human error after his amputation, which led to the having to redo their surgery - this time in a proper hospital, not on base. That however led to another plethora of issues, the military saying it wasn't them that screwed up, but Price but disobeying instructions form the nurses.

Despite their best efforts, they lost and had to pay 100%, the lawyers and financial compensation due to loss of income. But he wanted to return. He so desperately wanted to go back, aasuem his position as captain again. You knew, even with his prosthetic, he probably wouldn't allowed be back on the front lines, not in his task force. And when the day came where he received an answer, it was just what you had anticipated.

"Considering the severity of your injury, we cannot allow you back on active duty. If you however still wish to serve the United States of America, we offer you your old position, focused on management. While you may not go out with you team, you would still be accepted to-"

He didn't like it. Not one but, and he called Laswell, fruious and screaming, yelling, before he stared at his phone in anger, nearly throwing it at the wall as he realized Laswell wouldn't do anything. He got a different job, but often still had to take breaks, his leg getting infected yet again, his prosthetic hurting his stump, and he struggled with viewing himself as strong as he was before. You didn't know how you could help him. And it broke you. It broke him feeling weak, useless.

You had tried having him lift you up without his crutches, doing the heaviest work in your home, but nothing cheered him up. Price was different. And you doibted he would ever come back to you

#call of duty #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #john price x you #captain john price #john price #john price x reader #captain price #disabilties #disabled #Disabled CoD Cast

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never-not-ever · 1 month

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First Week Outpatient

August 1st-7th

So I discharged around 1pm on that Thursday. For weeks prior I had been taking useless junk home so that on my day of discharge I wouldn’t be walking the hall with ten thousand bags drawing attention to me. I just wanted to leave quietly and not make a big deal about it.

I had to stop at my PACT teams office for my meds. I have a therapist, psychiatrist, case manager and a nurse on my team there. My nurse packs my meds for me in a weekly pill organizer. I’ve always told my IP doctor to not discharge me with a months supply of meds and it just so happened to work out that with PACT they offer the weekly medication pickup. So I went straight there and then headed home because I had a virtual appointment with my therapist at 4.

After that me and my Nana drove my nephew back home in NH cause he had been staying at my Nana’s. On the way back home I stopped to get groceries and was panicking so much in the store. I still remember what stoplight we were at when it became 8:00. Staring at the time I kept thinking I should be back at McLean, this is the latest time you have to return from a pass. This isn’t right. I shouldn’t be outside right now. It’s too dark. That day felt like a pass. I remember freaking out in my kitchen that night, hyperventilating and trying to calm myself down saying “you’re going to be back on the campus tomorrow, less than 24 hours, it’s going to be okay, it's going to be okay”.

Anyways, Jesus, if I write so much nonsense these updates are going to be essays. Stick to the important stuff!! Okay so I started PHP the next day on Friday. I’ll add these in the tags but I’ll post a warning here too. There’s going to be talk of drinking and self harm and restricting. So partial was Friday and then Saturday night I got drunk and self harmed for the first time in over 6 weeks. I bought a 6 pack of White Claw and the whole 6 was just the right amount to get blissfully drunk and escape for a bit. Alcohol affects me differently after having weight loss surgery so I honestly don't know if 6 is the standard or way too much?

Monday I told my program psychiatrist and she wanted to look at my arm but I didn’t have extra bandaids so she told me to bring some the next day. I also met with my program therapist and we talked about starting a diary card and what to track. I told her how since I’ve been home I’m not hungry/eating and I’m not complaining. Saturday when I got drunk all I had that day was applesauce around lunchtime. So I mentioned the word “restricting” and tried to give the short version of my fucked up body image, losing (necessary) weight, losing it in a healthy way and also unhealthy ways at times, that I’ve never been diagnosed with an eating disorder but I know I have a fucked up relationship with food and my body….

So later that evening I got a phone call from disability. I should have applied back in September but instead I didn’t apply until April. They said it could take 6 months before I get a decision on my application. For months I kept checking online to see how much of my application had been looked at it. I needed money and felt like such a financial burden on my Nana. I had just borrowed money from her to pay my phone bill and an hour later disability called asking more questions that I’ve already answered in the past. She said she was the final person to review my application and that she’d be making a decision soon. If my application gets approved then I could be seeing a check within the next 4 weeks...

The following morning I checked my bank account and saw an ungodly amount of money, like two months worth of paychecks from my old job. I could actually pay my Nana back for all the money she’s given me while inpatient and afford to buy stuff to redo my apartment. And after seeing this money in my account I cried, not tears of joy but because I realized that even with this financial issue being lifted it still didn’t change how badly I wanted to end my life. Obviously money doesn’t buy happiness but like that money lifted a huge weight off my chest and it still didn’t matter. My passive SI, self harm urges and depression was shit when I discharged and it was just slowly getting worse.

So back to the timeline. So that "money thing" happened Tuesday morning. I brought bandaids to PHP and mind you I didn’t know what my arm looked like. I didn’t know if it was bad, I just slapped bandaids on it Saturday night and never looked at it again until that day when my doctor looked at it. It was so triggering seeing it. I'm going to get real descriptive here but I've never been able to cut over scars before. Maybe it's what I use but still I've basically run out of room on my go to arm. But drunk I was able to do it and deep. Two cuts, and obviously too much time had passed for me to get stitches but she still wanted me to go to Urgent Care after the program just to make sure it wasn’t infected. I felt like I was wasting their time. Going 3 days later just to get it re-bandaged… the nurse was so nice but the doctor seemed irritated. I think I spent almost 2 hours there, so pointless. They gave me a prescription for an ointment for my arm and they put in my chart that it “could have used stitches”. I never picked up the ointment.

Wednesday when I met with my psychiatrist she brought that up and said that if it happened again she wanted me to get seen right away.

11:19am Wed “I feel strange today. Maybe strange is the wrong word, disconnected? Empty, low, low energy. I can stare at the floor and get lost in my head.”

I started “seeing” my new therapist in the beginning of July but it was always virtual until that day. At 4 I had my first in person appointment and after the day being weird and shitty I was looking forward to it. But it was horrible.

So on the way home I went shopping. Dropped a couple hundred at Aerie and American Eagle and this was the start to my spending sprees. I FaceTimed with that friend I texted and it was a nice ending to the crappy day.

#personal #update #tw self harm #tw suicidality #tw ed #tw restricting #tw drinking #tw alchohol mention #IP to OP #bpd #self harm #depression #suicidal

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life-with-my-three · 1 year

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A few weeks back we went to change Harriet’s feeding tube button. It’s a six monthly task, and simple enough. You deflate the balloon holding it in, take it out, put the new one in, and inflate the balloon.

In true Harriet style she threw in some big curveballs for the “simple” task. We got the old one out, but could not get the new one to go in through her abdomen. With the stoma (artificial opening) it starts closing really quickly if you can’t get it in. Quick dash to local emergency who put a temporary stent in to allow us to drive to Melbourne. Kids hospital were able to get a new tube in but it was a different type and not really ideal for an active 3yo. It took laughing gas and 4 adults holding her down screaming though.

Emails sent come the working week, as of course this happened on a weekend. Her gastro department, made an appointment for last Wednesday to change back to her normal tube. We weren’t told if they wanted her fasted, so we played it safe and fasted her. Left home at 6am to get to her 9am appt on time. When we were 45 minutes over her appointment time we asked at reception if she was able to eat as she kept saying she was hungry. They went and “checked” said she was fine to eat. She had literally 3 bites before we were taken through. Doctor saw her with food and said they would have to cancel the change as she had to have fasted. Glad we drove 2.5hours for that. They managed to fit her in for the afternoon, but it meant being fasted and she had, had 3 bites of food since the night before.

The procedure was 5 adults restraining Hatt. Her screaming and hyperventilating and trying to get the laughing gas off. I feel like the worst mum having to do this. I’m traumatised buy watching her experience this. She’s 3. It must be so much worse for her.

They got the tube in though. She could eat. We drove home. All was good.

Thursday was our “rest day”. We had more appts at the kids hospital scheduled for Friday. I went to the bathroom at 8am Thursday and heard Aaron yell out. The balloon that held the tube in had burst and tube came out. Lucy had immunisation and health nurse at home. So Aaron stayed home with her, I put Hatt in the car and we drove straight to the kids hospital.

They put laughing gas on her and another procedure of multiple adults holding her down whilst she screamed. This time they could not get the tube in. They tried for 30minutes. They maxed out on all the sedation they could give her in a ward environment for the procedure. She therefore had to go into theatre.

What was supposed to be a 5-10 minute procedure in theatre wasn’t. Half an hour in I got a call from the surgeon telling me it was much, much more complicated than thought. They were wanting my consent to do scopes and a few other things. What was said to be a short procedure and then home, made the surgeons book a ward bed. Harriet was in theatre for 2 hours. They managed to get a much smaller sized tube in, but it’s still in. She is also going to need another surgery in the coming months to resite her whole PEG site.

Hatt won’t let anywhere near her stomach. Which is fair. It was traumatising. So very traumatising. It’s making self care tasks like dressing, toileting, PEG needs so fucking hard though.

I feel like the worst mum ever. The first words she said to me after this whole saga though were “I love you so much mummy” as she threw her arms around me. She has said that same sentence so, so many times spontaneously over the weekend also. Trying to remember them.

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amjustagirl · 3 years

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CHAPTER 2 - FALLEN

Fic Summary:

The sky Oikawa Tooru’s heart seeks is a world away from the earth yours is buried in. You are a fool to trust him with your heart anyway.

Where Oikawa Tooru tries to recapture your heart.

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x fem! reader

Genre / Wordcount : Angst (7k words), cameo from MSBY 4

Warnings: One non-explicit bedroom scene.

Masterlist link here!

Tag list link here!

You catch sight of Oikawa Tooru as you bustle through the hospital’s sliding doors, your usual cup of coffee in your hand that you buy on the way to work. He’s seated in the waiting area next to a middle aged man you guess must be his manager, from the way he jumps to his feet immediately to act as a human shield as you call out breathlessly -

“T - Oikawa? What are you doing here?”

Tooru’s head swivels around to meet your gaze, and you’re shocked by the lifelessness in his eyes until you glance at the bandages wrapped around his swollen knee.

Oh.

You try not to stare, but you do so anyway. The sight of your ex-boyfriend makes you feel as if you’re seeing a ghost, a specter from some past life. You last saw him when he was twenty one, young and proud, wax wings fully spread, a speck in the skies. What a difference five years makes. His shoulders are still broad, and the tilt of his jaw is still proud, but the light in his eyes has faded to darkness, and the pallor of his skin suggests far too much time spent away from the sun.

Icarus, Icarus. Your hubris has led you to such heights, but look how far you’ve fallen.

It’s surprising there’s no news of his injury, considering he’s one third of Japan’s trifecta of setters in the volleyball scene’s monster generation. With the Olympics rapidly approaching with just over a year to go, an injury must be devastating, especially to Oikawa Tooru, with dreams of Olympic greatness and victory on his native shores.

A nurse materialises to usher Oikawa away for surgery before he can respond to the pity in your gaze. You look around. He’s alone, save for his manager. No one deserves to be wake up alone after surgery, so you call after him -

“I’ll check in on you after you’re done! Gambatte!”

He responds with a thumbs up and a weak smile.

You flip through his medical files once you get the chance.

Oikawa Tooru, twenty six. Pro-volleyball player for EJP Raijin previously, currently playing in the Argentinian league. Narrowly missed out on making the cut for the previous Olympics, but went on to represent Japan in the last three World Cups, alternating with Miya Atsumu and Kageyama Tobio. Obviously hoping for another shot at the Olympics, but that’s looking bleak from what you’re gleaning from his medical records.

His right knee has always bothered him, even during his high school days. Now, a decade later, it looks like he’s managed to tear his tendon to shreds.

Volleyball is a cruel, demanding mistress, especially for one not born a genius.

The surgery to repair a torn knee ligament is delicate work, requiring an experienced surgeon, and the road to recovery requires extensive physiotherapy. It’s no wonder he’s resorted to the modern Tokyo hospital you work in rather than returning to his native Sendai to recuperate. The downside of doing so though, is that he’d have to recover alone.

You wrinkle your nose. He may be your ex-boyfriend, but he doesn’t deserve that.

The sun is setting when you finally find the time to slip into his room.

As expected, he’s still asleep. The anesthetic will take some time to wear off. From the looks of the surgeon’s notes, the surgery was a success - though you know from the nature and extent of the injury that his road to recovery will be long and winding.

So you seat yourself in the visitor’s chair with a hot cup of tea and an onigiri to stave off your hunger at not finding time for a break any earlier. You had an awful day at work today, two of your patients puked on you, another tried to fight you when you drew his blood, and the senior registrar in the ward assigned you a mountain of paperwork that you only just managed to complete, so you give in to sleep yourself as exhaustion settles into your bones.

“Princess?”

You snap awake at the familiar nickname, ignoring the flush working its way up the back of your neck as you leap to his bedside to check his vitals, only relaxing when you’re satisfied everything’s fine.

“You’re just waking up after a surgery, Oikawa”. When his forehead crinkles in confusion at the sound of his surname, you correct yourself. “I mean - Tooru”. The corners of his cracked lips tilt up in satisfaction.

“Will you stay with me?” Tooru murmurs, eyelids beginning to droop again.

You smile fondly despite yourself. “Do you want me to?” you ask.

He manages to pout even as he’s falling back asleep. “I asked, didn’t I?”

You smooth his hair from his forehead, slotting your hand into his. “Fine, fine. Go to bed, sleeping beauty”.

He huffs an amused breath from his nose before he closes his eyes, contented. Trust Tooru to be shameless enough to cling on to his ex-girlfriend without a shred of awkwardness. You end up staying in his room for hours, watching him sleep.

The heart that you’ve locked away behind bars of bone and steel twitches, just once.

You frown when the nurse catches your sleeve. “A patient’s looking for you” she says, just as you’re about to go off on a short break.

“Who?” you reply, wondering whether it’s Sato-san who vomited this morning, or Imai-san whose blood pressure niggles at your mind. You do not expect the nurse to flush pink as she replies - “Oikawa-san”, describing the sweet young man with lovely brown eyes and such a charming voice.

You slip back into his room when your shift ends. You expect to see a shadow of a man with broken wings, and you do catch a fleeting glimpse of Tooru staring wistfully out of the window, face tilted towards the sun before he turns to you with a wide smile and a pleased - “you came!”

This is the Oikawa Tooru you are accustomed to dealing with. “Stop flirting with the nurses”, you tell him briskly, bustling over to look at his files. “They have jobs to do, don’t use them to carry messages to me.”

“But I’m boredddd.”

“I’m sure you have volleyball videos to watch.”

“I watched them all day today. ‘Sides, I watched all the matches on today already, twice – and I have plenty of time to watch them a third time. I have plenty of time to catch up with you, I haven’t seen you in so long!”

Five years since you broke up to be exact, but you sidestep that fact neatly, pouring over his medical file instead. His doctors’ notes indicate his recovery is promising. He brightens up when you tell him so, playfully complaining that hospital food is shit in a thinly veiled attempt to steal your food, a habit he’s clearly not outgrown. But you’re not all that hungry anyway, so you split your pork bun in half and hand it to him, dropping into the visitor’s chair.

“So how’re you feeling?”

“Like shit. My knee hurts so muchhhh.”

You shrug, careless. “That’s pretty expected, to be honest.”

“Hmph. I thought they’d have taught you some bedside manners in medical school”, he snipes, though the effect is rather lost when his cheeks are comically round and full of food.

You laugh, the stress from your day lifting from your shoulders.

“I seem to forget them when it’s you.”

“So mean”, he pouts, hiding the familiar gleam in his eye that appears whenever he’s trying to analyse his opponents, take them apart. “As punishment, tell me about yourself. What have you been up to these days?”

You decide to treat him like any old friend, giving him the condensed run down of your professional life, how you’ve graduated from medical school (with top marks I bet, he interjects), how you chose to stay in Tokyo instead of returning to Sendai (your parents must miss you he says, and you brush him off with an airy they have other children, they’ll survive), how you chose to work in this hospital because you’re considering a specialisation in Orthopedic surgery (because of your grandma, I bet, he says, and you choose not to correct that, using your silence as a lie).

He in turn tells you about the highlights of his career, how he’s spent a year at EJP Raijin before he was headhunted to the Argentinian league, how he spent four years overseas save for summers back in Japan to train with the national team, how he’s hopeful, even now, of recovering and fighting for his spot on the Olympic roster next year.

You already knew all of that from news alerts on your phone you never forced yourself to delete, diverting him instead with a question about life in Argentina, nodding as he reminisces about his apartment in San Juan where he gets to watch the sun set over the Andes mountains, the kitchen that he stuffed full of Japanese groceries like daishi and mirin and sake and miso in his first year there just so he has a tangible reminder of home.

You stop yourself from wondering whether he thinks about the little home he shared with you with such fondness. That time has passed.

His voice wavers as he spins you stories about his teammates - Matteo, whose family owns a vineyard and taught him to appreciate wine like a proper Argentinian, Miguel, who makes the best empanadas and gets roaring drunk every time they win a match, Gabriel, who takes him to his family’s home in the mountains every other weekend because his grandmother is convinced that a single young man without family in the city will starve if he’s left to his own devices.

It seems his wings were durable enough for him to soar across the oceans, his grit and determination the foundation of the new life he’s built, whole continents away.

“It’s funny how the world works”, you remark off hand. “I never expected to see you again.”

His eyes gleam again. “The universe seems to work in funny ways.”

You start spending breaks in his room, scarfing down your lunch and dinner while he talks your ear off about the horrible sitcoms or ridiculous game shows he’s watched today. You catch him watching a video of Kageyama’s serves and you’re amused when he practically hisses when you comment idly that his kouhai has certainly improved since his high school days.

You ignore his spluttered protests that service records aren’t everything and besides, his own spike serves have definitely won Japan a game or two last year until, with the air of a boy king, he commands you to sit next to him on the hospital bed so he can pull up a compilation of his serves and his best moments.

Years might have passed, but you’re still hopeless at refusing him. Besides, isn’t it better that you distract him from the sorry state of his knee? So you do as he says, ignoring the faint flutter of your traitorous heart as he leans into your side.

“See? I told you my spike serves are amazing?”

“Yes, yes. I already knew that. I watched so many of your practices in university, remember?”

He looks at you strangely. “Did you?” he asks, leaning his head on his hand, eyes boring into yours.

You think of evenings spent sitting on the bleachers, homework in your lap as you watch as the boy you love builds the strength in his wax wings in preparation for his eventual flight. “Yes”, you admit, sheets rustling as you shift away from him, avoiding his perplexed frown. “You were probably too focused on practice to notice.”

You already know you shouldn’t spend so much time in his room, but you’ve spent most of your life doing what you should instead of what you want to so just this once, you ignore rational thought in favour of sentiment.

After all, he’ll be discharged from hospital in a week, then you’ll never see him again.

Tooru promptly proves you wrong the day before he’s scheduled to be discharged.

“I need someone to help me move into my apartment.”

“Hire a mover”, you tell him. You don’t even look up from your notes.

“Already did”, he chirps, undaunted by your apparent disinterest. “But it’d be nice to have a friend who I know will be nice enough to help poor old crippled me put my stuff away.” Then he grins cheekily, “plus I checked with that pretty nurse – Yuna-san was it? Anyway, she told me you’re off tomorrow, so you might as well spend the day with me.”

There goes your excuse to wriggle out of having to spend your rare day off with your ex.

“I have a mountain of sleep debt to pay off”, you protest, but faced with wide brown eyes and an embarrassing wobble of his lip, you comply. Still, you manage to get the promise of a free dinner out of him, so you suppose it’ll do.

Tooru doesn’t have much to unpack, a couple of cardboard boxes of clothes and books, probably because most of his belongings are still in Argentina. He laughs and raises his hands in an attempt to placate you when you lift an eyebrow, first at the lack of kitchen equipment in his furnished apartment, second at the weights and volleyball he tries to smuggle in behind your back.

“You’re not supposed to exercise for at least a month or two”, you cluck your tongue, sighing with disapproval at the furtive look he casts at the volleyball sitting at the corner of his living room.

“I can set while sitting on a stool! Don’t scold me, my heart can’t bear it”. He throws a hand across his face, brow creased dramatically.

Icarus, Icarus. You’ve already fallen once. Will you seek out the sun again?

A string of familiarity loops into a knot over your heart. If you close your eyes and count to ten, you can imagine that you’re eighteen again, chiding the boy you love for practicing too hard. But you’re twenty six now, a full fledged adult who should know better than to dabble in sentiment again (especially when it comes to brown eyed boys who only dream of the sun), so you slash through the threads connecting you to him with a flash of your teeth, bury your beating heart deeper into the dungeon you’ve built years ago of white bone and solid steel.

“Do what you want, but your neighbours will hate you if you keep thumping that damn ball against the wall.” You say, simply, dismissively.

“No one could ever hate me”, he declares with bravado. “I’ll charm them all with my charm and good looks.”

“Ridiculous”, you huff, dumping the last of his clothing into the cupboard. “Where’s the dinner you promised? I want ramen and gyoza at least.”

“So demanding”, he lilts. “I’ll order in. Tonkatsu ramen with char siu, bamboo shoots, extra spring onions with gyoza on the side?”

Your heart struggles against its shackles. He still remembers your order.

“Yes”, you finally say. “You got that right.”

He grins at you cheekily, as if to say of course.

After you gulp down your ramen, devour your gyozas, you pack up, ready to leave. You have an early shift tomorrow, and you’re already dreaming about your soft bed whilst dreading the cup of coffee you’ll have to down tomorrow morning just to stay awake.

He catches your wrist, presses the spare key to the apartment into your hand. “Come back. I want to see you again”, he says, an order and not a plea.

You are about to make up an excuse, tell him anything but the truth that you suspect it’s bad for your heart to keep seeing him again.

“Please” - he adds with a tint of fragility to his voice.

“I’ll be back when I can”, you finally say.

“Tomorrow?” he looks up at you with hopeful eyes.

“We’ll see”, you pry your hand loose from his grasp, slip out the front door.

You stay away for two days, citing your work schedule as an excuse until he wears you down with a barrage of cutesy line stickers aimed at driving home how lonely he is and how much he misses your presence. You’re being dramatic as usual, you text him dryly, but you turn up anyway at his apartment on a Friday night, letting yourself in with an armful of reports and a bucket of oden.

“How’re you doing? Are you listening to your physiotherapist? Eating properly? Sleeping well?”

“You sound like my mother”, he grouses, rolling his wheelchair to the dining table.

You flick at his forehead, he slumps back in his wheelchair. “Stop bullying the cripple’, he wheezes through his chortle.

“You deserve it”, you retort. “Don’t run away from the question. How’re you feeling?”

“It still hurts”, he admits with a mock sniff. “It should stop hurting by nowwww.”

You push your glasses up the bridge of your nose. “That’s to be expected. Your sinews just got stitched together two weeks ago. Not sure why you’d expect any less.”

“Bah, rude. At least you didn’t say I told you so”, he grumbles, spooning oden into his mouth. “That would be insufferable.”

“Well, maybe you’ll listen to me now that I’m actually a doctor”, you inform him pertly, batting away memories of a teenage boy with hazel eyes shouting indignantly at you after practice in the Seijoh gym.

Tooru snorts. “I can’t believe my eighteen year old self was dumb enough to open my future self up to a jab like that”, he complains, chewing on a cabbage roll grumpily.

“We’re all dumb at eighteen”, you remark. “You’re no exception.”

“You were dumb enough to date me”, he teases with a mocking smile.

Your spoon slips from your hand momentarily. It’s the first time he’s alluded to your past relationship.

“I was, wasn’t I”, you say lightly, before turning the conversation to Tooru’s physiotherapy sessions.

You have no wish to delve back into the past, but you’re willing to be his friend since he seems to need one for now.

Tooru’s knee recovers enough for him to shift from his wheelchair to crutches, which he points at you playfully, mimicking a gun every time you pop by for a visit. He seems to plan his physiotherapy session around your schedule, just so he can wheedle you into paying him yet another visit when your shift at the hospital end, bribing you with a cup of coffee with a hint of chocolate from the café across the street that you’ve never found the time to visit.

“Thank you, kind sir”, you say, accepting the coffee with a laugh.

“You’re welcome, my lady”, he answers with a smirk, motioning you to follow him for yet another evening to be spent in his home sitting across him, red ink smeared on your hands as you mark up the reports in your lap.

His façade that he’s coping with his injury just fine slips every so often. You catch him more often than not watching compilation videos of Kageyama and Atsumu at the World Cup this year with a strained expression on his face, or resting his chin on the windowsill whilst staring wistfully at the birds in the sky.

He does not confide about his worries to you. You’re not sure you want him to.

But you can’t explain to yourself the impulse to purchase a bird feeder for his balcony, nor the glow-in-the-dark poster of the constellations that you cart into his bedroom until your heart has to scramble for equilibrium when he thanks you, his smile soft.

“In exchange for all the coffee you’ve bought me”, you reply, turning away to hide all evidence of your heart’s betrayal, the diffusion of blood in your cheeks.

A month passes. Then another.

The crutches get kept in the storeroom. A limp remains, but the degree which his knee can bend increases by the day. His mood improves even further, and you constantly find yourself swerving to avoid his affectionate gazes, his attempts at flirtation.

“You’re looking so pretty today!” he lilts, fitting his arm snugly into the crook of your elbow as you walk down the neon lit streets of Tokyo. He insisted on this outing, and in the custom of your rekindled friendship, managed to convince you to accompany him on your off day so he can get crepes from Harajuku notwithstanding the fact that it takes forty five minutes on the train and his knee still acts up from time to time.

“It’s my first time downtown in a month”, you tell him. “Of course I’m going to dress up.” You don’t tell him you spent far too long in front of your closet, tossing outfits on your bed until you found one that complements you just right.

He buys you trinkets, hair accessories that you’ll never wear, tries to win you ridiculous stuffed toys from the claw machine.

“You’re wasting money”, you scold, wiping the whipped cream from his mouth.

“It’s not a waste if it’s for you”, he tells you, with startling sincerity that you still doubt.

He doesn’t mean it, you tell yourself. It’s just Tooru being Tooru.

You refuse to admit what’s staring you in the face until you have to duck your head to avoid his attempt at pressing his lips to your cheek.

“Goodnight, Tooru”, you manage to say before you bolt off into the night. You check to make sure your heart is still under lock and key.

It is, but it beats resentfully. Tooru, it beats against its bars with frightening intensity. Tooru. Tooru.

You ignore it. You know what’s best for it.

You stay away from him for a fortnight, requesting for a change in your schedule without updating him, taking the other exit from the hospital so you don’t have to see him. You stay away until he manages to wear you down yet again, texting you the most ridiculous conspiracy theories about your absence from his life – you must be abducted by aliens, he texts you once, or your mother forced you to marry some stranger, I can break you out if you just say the word.

He has a guest, you hear another voice, deeper, filled with gravel and intensity, so different from Tooru’s lighter lilt. You do not mean to eavesdrop, but you don’t want to interrupt Tooru when he has a rare guest over, and there’s nowhere else for you wait save for the dusty front step, so you settle yourself in, pen poised to continue your work.

“What did the doctor say? When are you coming back for practice?”

“I’m doing good! The physiotherapist thinks I can try light exercise next week. If all goes well, I’ll be back to practice in a month.”

“Sounds promising.”

“I had a good medical team. And I’m actually resting properly!”

“Shittykawa. Stop sounding so proud about doing what’s necessary for your recovery.”

“Iwa-channnn, stop being mean to meeee!”

Ah, Iwaizumi, of course. You haven’t seen him in years, but you remember him from school, a stoic boy with a good heart. You wonder if he’s changed.

“Are you planning on heading back to Argentina?”

Tooru answers without hesitation. “Of course”, he says airily. “As long as they take me back.”

Your foolish heart shudders with disappointment. Of course. If you run your fingers down his spine, you’ll probably find blooms of wax attached to his very bone.

You are about to stand up and leave when Tooru speaks up again.

“But I’m going to enjoy my time in Japan while I’m back. Did I tell you I reconnected with my ex? She’s great, it feels like I never left.”

The firestorm of blood in your ears nearly drowns out Iwaizumi’s growled ‘piece of shit’ (he truly hasn’t changed after all), the clatter of glassware as Tooru protests that he’s not playing with your heart, he truly cares about you, his sullen silence when Iwaizumi demands what’s going to happen when he leaves Japan for Argentina, when he inevitably leaves you behind (yet again).

Of course.

You know his heart longs for the sky. There is no space for you.

You barely have time to react when the door swings open, Iwaizumi on the verge of storming out. You plaster a smile to your face that does not fool him, but you hang on to it nonetheless, cracks appearing only when he gives you a wide eyed look of sympathy that only pours oil onto the flaming war between your brain and your heart.

“It’s fine”, you say, and though he clearly does not believe you, he bows and leaves anyway.

Tooru stares at you, mouth open, stumbling over himself with apologies and demands for you to tell him what you’ve overheard, but you motion for him to just stop with your hand, wave aside his protest that he means what he said, he truly likes you.

Your heart screeches in delight, but your mind is firmly in the driver’s seat.

“Let’s just pretend I never heard you say that, and we can continue just as before.”

“As friends?” he says, twisting his lips as if the words taste sour in his mouth. He clutches at your shoulders.

“I want more. I want you.”

Your heart thrums in agreement, but you recall assembling the remains of your heart back into your chest whilst kneeling on the cold bathroom floor half a decade ago. The span of five years should have molded you to view your shared past with pragmatism, but your heart seems to have forgotten its lesson. You shake your head.

“There’s no way you truly want me. I don’t think you’ve only ever had space in your heart for anything but your goals.”

Your response emerges more bitter than you intend.

“That’s not true”, he weakly protests. “I care about you.”

Not enough, you refrain from telling him. “Let’s remain friends”, you do say, and he opens his mouth to object again, but at the hard look you give him, he slumps back with a defeated nod.

He tries to respect your decision, never complaining when you keep a careful arm’s length distance from him, though you can feel his heated gaze on you whenever he thinks you won’t notice, hear his quiet sighs whenever you shy away from any accidental touch. He droops when you turn down his invite for lunch with his family when they come down for a visit, citing work even though he knows you’re off for the day.

Still, it’s manageable and he says he needs you, so you return for visits, at least twice weekly, offering encouraging smiles and friendly words when he returns first to light exercise, then to rehabilitative practice a month later, just as he predicted.

He carves out time for dinners with you, taking care to ask about your day, preferring to spin you stories about the pigeons and doves and crows crowding his balcony rather than talking about volleyball or his practice. He insists on escorting you to his apartment after work when you allow him to, offering you his arm with a soft smile that disarms you, dissolves any resistance.

It’s an uneasy equilibrium, but it’ll suffice.

The careful balance you’ve maintained in the space between you and Tooru is shattered when you find you’re not the only one who’s decided to pay him a surprise visit on a Friday night.

“Tooru, ya didn’t say ya got yerself a pretty girl during yer break”, a man with bleach blonde hair wolf whistles appreciatively when you step into the apartment.

“I’m just a friend”, you reply confusedly before Tooru’s shout “Shove off, Miya” confirms that one Miya Atsumu has decided to invade Tooru’s apartment. Well, him and what seems like half the MSBY team, with Hinata Shoyo, Bokuto Koutaro and Sakusa Kiyoomi squashed uncomfortably on Tooru’s tiny sofa, long legs stretched across the living room.

It turns out the MSBY team just finished a game in Tokyo, and Hinata dragged his teammates to visit Tooru in a wholesome bid to cheer him up. You try to excuse yourself after exchanging nods with Sakusa (he hasn’t changed much from his university days) when Miya Atsumu blocks your retreat with a drawled invite for Izakaya and the promise of karaoke after.

Tooru mouths playfully at you don’t leave me alone with these clowns (you’re tempted to point out that he’s very much one himself), and before you can even blink, you find yourself dragged along to the nearest Izakaya, impressed by the amount of food each man polishes off - skewers of chicken hearts and cartilage, bowls of potato salad and rice with braised pork belly, listening to stories of their exploits on the national team together, stumbling into the karaoke bar tipsy from the beers that Miya Atsumu pressed into your hand, head heavy enough to allow him to wind an arm around your waist.

“She’s too old for you, ‘Tsumu-kun”, Tooru trills, inserting himself in between you and Atsumu, mouth taut with aggravation.

“I’m not old, just a year older”, you roll your eyes, as the blonde setter backs away, lips turned up in amusement. Tooru is not placated, muttering how the younger setter is a douche and a sleeze bag as he drapes his jacket over you like a blanket. You nestle against his side, head on his shoulder as his arm rests protectively around you.

Atsumu watches this with raised eyebrows, whistling slowly, opening his mouth to remark that he’s never seen Oikawa so smitten before when Hinata interrupts with a chirped “‘Tsum-Tsum, join me!”, handing him a microphone while bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Karaoke is the most fun you’ve had in ages. Hinata and Bokuto and Atsumu sing all their favourite anime theme songs with gusto - Atsumu even gets misty eyed when he croons Sparkle by Radwimps, reddening when everyone teases him for being a romantic sap, Bokuto shaking his hips to Western pop hits, Hinata showing off his Spanish skills. Sakusa refuses to even touch the microphone but you suppose it’s a win that he’s even in the karaoke booth with all of you.

Tooru slaps away Atsumu’s attempts at handing you any further alcohol, forcing you to down cups of water until you are no longer glassy eyed, but still tipsy enough to agree to sing ridiculous K-On songs with Hintata and Bokuto, not stopping even when Tooru whips out his phone to video the entire performance with an indulgent smile.

“Delete it!” you squeal, losing your balance when you try swiping the phone out of his hands, tripping into his lap instead.

“In your dreams, princess”, Tooru chuckles, his arms snaking around you like a vise.

“Anndd that’s our cue to call it a night”, Atsumu quips, herding Hinata and Bokuto out onto the street, Sakusa heaving an audible sigh of relief. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, kids!” he calls over his shoulder, throwing you a wink.

“I’m technically his senpai, cheeky brat”, Tooru mutters, the irritation in his voice washing away as you giggle. “C’mon, it’s too late for you to get home and my place is nearer to the hospital so you might as well stay over tonight. You can take the bed, I’ll take the sofa.”

You shake your head, arguing that you couldn’t possibly turn an invalid like him out of his bed but he huffs at the insinuation that he’s anything but well, his knee almost whole again. You give in after he convinces you that it’d be more inconvenient for him to escort you all the way to your own home rather than put you up for the night, and you allow him to loop his arm around yours and lead you back to his apartment.

It’s not the first time you’ve been in his apartment this late, not by a long shot, but it is the first time you’re over with the intention of staying over. The t-shirt you borrow from Tooru hangs off your frame, the scent of the fabric softener Tooru uses is familiar. You would’ve preferred being tipsier to dull your senses, but alcohol would only impair your logic, allow your heart to prevail, so you try to quell the thrumming of your blood in your veins by curling up on a seat by the window with a cup of tea when Tooru emerges from his shower.

“Ready for bed?” he asks, towelling off his hair, frowning when you shake your head. “It’s late, you have work tomorrow, even if it’s the afternoon shift.”

“It’s fine”, you say without turning your head to face him. “Go to bed, I’ll take the couch.”

“I’m insulted, princess. What kind of a man d’you think I am to make his guest sleep on the couch? ”

It’s less dangerous to ignore him, so you pay him no mind, choosing instead to lean your chin in your hand and look up towards the night sky. It soothes you, the moon an old friend, reminding of five years’ worth of quiet nights spent in your own flat, filtering your younger self into adulthood.

“What’re you looking at?” He takes a step forward, kneels down next to you.

“The moon and the stars”, you say dreamily. “They’re pretty tonight.”

A myriad of weather conditions must coincide to allow the stars to even be visible in the polluted Tokyo night sky, but tonight of all nights fate intervenes, the stars align. The sky is cloudless, the full moon hangs heavy, the stars shimmer and dance.

“Are they?” Tooru whispers. “I haven’t noticed.”

You finally turn to look at him. “Why’re you staring at me?”

The unconscious echo of your past - a boy and a girl, falling in love under the same night sky makes his mouth twist wistfully, eyes faded gold.

“Because you are my sun, my moon and my stars. I love you better than anything in the sky.”

Your mouth falls open, your heart suddenly roaring, pounding against its restraints.

“You can’t mean that”, you whisper. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

“I do”, he says, with heartbreaking sincerity. “And I always will.”

Nostalgia, aided by the lingering alcohol in your veins opens the gate to your foolish heart. You want to pretend that you are eighteen again, without a care in the world, indulging in the warmth of his hand on the small of your back, the caress of his breath on your cheek. Your lips beckon his, swallowing the catch of his breath when your hands slide under his shirt.

“Are you sure about this?” His eyes are hungry, almost ravenous, but his hands still hover at the hem of your top.

“Yes”, you murmur, pressing open mouthed kisses to the column of his neck. “Please, Tooru - please.”

He carries you into the bedroom, undresses you with shaking hands, chanting your name with reverence, almost a prayer. His eyes darken with desperation and need, unwilling to allow himself any release until you fall apart boneless, caged in his arms.

“Stay with me”, he murmurs, after you’ve both cleaned up a second time, tugging you into bed.

It’s laughable. Five years on, Oikawa Tooru still has the power to make your mind lose all reason (however temporarily). With a single heated look, he commands your heart to break willingly in his hands. How could you not have learnt your lesson? The conversation between him and Iwaizumi merely confirms what you’ve known all this while.

(The sky his heart seeks is a world away from the earth yours is buried in)

Even now, you can see the glimmer of golden wax feathers budding along his spine, gleaming under the pale moonlight.

You lie under the covers until his breath evens out, then you stumble out of bed. You force your heart to relinquish the keys to its freedom, handing it back to logic and rationality, pulling on your clothing, folding your borrowed clothing aside.

Tooru mumbles your name, his hand outstretched towards you. “Come back”, he says in his sleep, fragility tinting the edges of his words.

Your fingers miss the doorknob by an inch. You dash your foolish hopes against the darkness of the room, put on your resolve like armour, leave your spare key on the kitchen counter.

Without looking back, you slip out into the night.

272 notes · View notes

tomtenadia · 3 years

Text

Remember Us - part 2

Double feature this week. Here we go with part 2. Rowan takes another step on the path of recovering his life.

Also, we get to meet the kids <3

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When Aelin got home that night after her shift at the hospital, she was tired and not just from the long hours spent in OR. She was tired in her soul. Aelin had managed to keep her thoughts at bay while operating, but as soon as she was out they came back. It had been hard to fight the urge to go and see him again. He wanted space. That was clear so she just went home instead.

Once she crossed the threshold, laughter welcomed her. Her kids sounded happy.

She shed her coat and removed her shoes and followed the happy sounds.

Walking into the kitchen she found her mother cooking and Thomas helping her setting the table and little Freyja banging her plastic cutlery on her high chair. She was a shy girl but would become alive and loud when she was hungry. Just like her mum.

“Mama!” Shouted her daughter as she spotted her.

“Mum,” Thomas echoed his sister and ran to her, hugging Aelin at her knees “hi my darling, how are you?” She kneeled at his height and ruffled his blonde hair.

“Helping grandma cook.”

“Food.” Shouted Freyja who got agitated trying to get the attention of her mother. Aelin went to her daughter and lifted the wee girl in her arms “hi my love,” and she snuggled her head against her mother’s chest.

“Hi mum,” said Aelin to Evalin. The woman stirred something in the pan and turned to her daughter “welcome back, darling.” She said and her gaze turned worried at her daughter’s tired expression.

Aelin shook her head, knowing what her mother was about to say “later,” she added. She did not want to talk about Rowan in front of the kids.

“Come on Tom, sit at the table. Dinner is ready.” On his grandma’s orders the boy climbed on his chair and started eating his meal.

Aelin joined them a moment later, all changed in house clothes and sat at her daughter’s side.

Thomas was three and had just started learning how to use a fork properly. They would cut the food for him and he would try to use the utensil. Rowan had been teaching him. A pang of sadness hit her and pushed back the tears, now it was not the time. She would feed Freyja who was only eighteen months old.

“Did you help grandma cook?”

The boy nodded while taking a bite from his fork and gave her a big smile. His green eyes lighting up with joy. Eyes just like his father’s.

“Aelin, let me feed Freyja. You have your dinner. You haven’t touched it yet.”

Aelin shook her head “I am fine. It can wait.”

Truth was… she felt nauseous and that feeling had nothing to do with being pregnant. It was fear. Terror of losing Rowan. Terror that he would never recover his memories and her kids would be left without a father and her without her soulmate. She almost lost him once. She would never forget the day she got the call from the hospital. Those horrible moments were forever etched in her memory.

Later on that night, once the kids were in bed Evalin joined her daughter on the sofa and brought her a chamomile tea.

“The kids are asleep. What’s troubling you?”

Aelin sighed and her hand went to her stomach “Rowan woke up.”

“Today?”

She nodded in confirmation and leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder “I had just left the OR when I got a page from his doctor. I went to his room and he was awake,” a loud sob broke from her lips “he does not remember me or the kids.”

Evalin pulled her daughter closer and hugged her knowing the pain she had been feeling for the past month “Yrene had told you it might happen.”

Aelin nodded slightly “I didn’t think it could hurt that much. He had no idea who I was. He doesn’t remember our kids.” Her sobs turned into proper crying “I am so scared, mum. So, so scared.”

“I know, darling.” Evalin kissed her daughter’s head “you will have to be strong a bit longer. Does the doctor think he will regain his memory?”

Aelin gave her a small nod “but it might take time and what if he realises that he doesn’t want us in his life anymore?”

“Rowan loves you and the kids madly. The road ahead might be bumpy but he will come back.” A ragged breath escaped from Aelin. She hoped her mother was right, because if she was not she doubted she would survive loosing him a second time.

Rowan woke up the next morning with an horrendous headache. He had a fitful sleep and his thoughts had been stuck all night on her. Aelin. His wife. At her side two small shadows representing their kids. In his mind he had this picture of him holding someone, the smell of lemon and verbena strong around him. But he was sure it was more a feeling than an actual memory. He had woken up all of a sudden and hadn’t been able to fall asleep properly since. His body recognised the other one.

A nurse brought breakfast and of one thing he was sure. He hated hospital food. Which led to another series of questions. What did he eat for breakfast? Was he a good cook? What was his favourite food?

Reluctantly he finished the food on his tray and decided to kill the boredom by watching tv. According to the news it was January and the meteorologist were warning all the citizens of Terrasen of a snowstorm warning.

He was so bored watching the news that he felt glad when Aelin knocked on the doorframe “Mind if I come in?”

He shook his head “is tv always this boring?”

Aelin chuckled and for a second she saw a glimpse of him. He always hated tv. The only reason they had one in the house was because she had pestered him about it “yeah. You find reading more interesting.”

He switched off the television and faced her “I am…” he sighed “yesterday… I was overwhelmed. It was… it still is too much.”

“I know,”said Aelin trying to suppress the instinct to touch him. Not until he was okay with it.

“Tell me something about me, about my life. Us… anything.” He started, eager to know more. He needed it “do I like breakfast?”

Aelin laughed “you do, and you are a great cook. On Saturdays you always make us pancakes and let Thomas help you flip them.” She smiled at the image. Thomas on his knees on a chair beside his dad.

“You are a healthy eater so you tend to scoff enormous quantities of fruit and veggies while complaining about my crazy dietary habits.”

She was dying to show him pictures of the kids but decided against it. One step at a time. Let him become familiar with the idea of being married first.

“You are a lawyer. A kickass one at that.” His green eyes were trained on her “you and Lorcan opened your own practice. After graduation you two got a job in a fancy company but eventually got tired of dealing with rich bastards and opened a firm that deals mostly with family law but also offers legal support to us common human beings.” She had been so proud of him. The big job had left him miserable and with very little time to live. He had been stressed and after two years he had realised that the huge salary was not worth it. Lorcan had followed him and together they had started their new adventure. They had started small snd simple, but slowly as they took in more cases they had to start hiring more people and the firm had gotten bigger and successful.

“You love hiking, nature in general and winter. We are both in love with theatre and on our first date you took me to a play.”

Rowan looked at her and that tug in his chest came back for a visit.

“We have been married for seven years and you proposed at my best friend’s wedding. We were dancing and you asked me what if we were the next ones to do that? Then you went on one knee and asked me to marry you.”

He kept listening, adding some more pieces of info to what he had gathered so far. And the more Aelin spoke the more that connection he had felt the day before grew stronger.

“What type of doctor are you?”

“I am the chief of paediatric neurosurgery and I work two floors above this.”

Rowan took a deep breath and asked a question that had been burning in him since she has appeared “do you have any photos of us, of the kids?”

Aelin felt like crying and extracted her mobile phone and scrolled through her huge quantity of photos “This is Thomas. He is three.”

Rowan looked at the boy and saw a blond mop of hair just as golden as his mother’s and two striking green eyes just like his. In the photo the boy was laughing while he held him in his arms.

Aelin swiped and the image of a little girl appeared and he gasped. There was no doubt that she was his daughter. Her hair was silver as his and even her eyes were the exact copy.

“She is so much like you.” He noticed the smile appearing on Aelin’s face. While she talked about their life her face had lit up and in front of him he had the most stunning woman he had ever seen. Probably. He wasn’t sure but Aelin took his breath away.

“Are we happy? As a family?”

Aelin nodded without even thinking about it. They were, she had no doubts about it “Yes. We wanted a family, kids. It was our choice.”

Rowan nodded and wanted to believe her, needed to believe the passion and the love in her voice.

“I need time.” He said quietly, averting his gaze from hers for just a brief moment “This is a lot that I need to process. I will need time but I want to hear more.”

Aelin sobbed and grabbed her backpack and extracted another mobile phone “this is yours. It survived the crash because you used a military grade protecting cover. I just charged it. The password is 0305.” She gave him the mobile “it has photos, texts. Everything is still there, maybe it will help.”

Aelin looked at her watch and stood “I have to go, I have a surgery in two hours.”

Rowan nodded.

“You can text me if you want. My contact is under Fireheart.”

He looked at the phone and then at her “will you come back?”

Aelin took a step toward him and kissed his silver hair as she did the previous day and then nodded.

She waved at him and disappeared through the door.

He moved his attention to the phone and tried to figure out how to switch it on. Once he did it asked him a pin code and he entered the digits she had told him.

Once the phone was unlocked he was welcomed by a picture of him, Aelin and the kids on a beach. He had Freyja on his shoulders and was laughing as she patted his head. Aelin was holding Thomas potato sack style and the boy was grinning. With his fingers he traced her face and then went looking for the photo album. Before opening he hesitated. His life, his memories were there and he was scared.

There were picture of his wife. Plenty of them and she always had an amazing smile. Of one thing he was sure:Aelin took his breath away. Photos of their kids and he spotted one of what he suspected was a newborn Freyja. He held the little bundle in his arms while Thomas was at his side staring at his sister. He saw happiness, he saw joy, but most of all he saw love. Deep love that bound the four of them. Aelin had not lied. They seemed happy. He found photos of what he assumed were friends but he could not tell who they were, he hadn’t covered that part yet. Accepting the idea of a wife and kids was hard enough. He was not ready yet to add more people. The mere idea made him feel dizzy.

He was getting tired again even if it was only morning, but he pushed through and found the app with the text messages and went to look at the ones from Aelin and he read the last one she sent him go and win your case and then tonight I will show you how proud I am of my sexy lawyer.

He scrolled back through the thread and read random texts between them until he went back a few months and saw a text with a picture attached.

You are away for work and I miss you. I went for my first proper check-up and I am proud to share with you the picture of the new member of our family. The image was greyish and grainy but the message was clear: Aelin was pregnant again.

He placed the phone on his lap and closed his eyes calming the sense of panic overwhelm him.

And with his eyes closed he tried to remember.

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #aelin galathynius #rowaelinkids #angst

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agustdakasuga · 4 years

Text

A Place Called Home | Chapter 7

Genre: Hybrid!AU, Poly!AU?, Soulmate AU, romance, fluff, humour

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: vet!reader, Arcticfox!Seokjin, Panther!Yoongi, Goldenretriever!Hoseok, Wolf!Namjoon, Calicocat!Jimin, Tiger!Taehyung, Rabbit!Jungkook

Summary: Having saved your own injured hybrid, you were determined to try and help any other hybrid that crossed your path who needed saving. But being a vet in a small hospital wasn’t enough for you. You wanted to do more, you wanted to make a difference. You wanted to give them a home.

Everything seems to be going well. Taehyung and Namjoon are settling into the family nicely. After a night of busting an illegal fighting ring, a rare hybrid shows up at your hospital and you’re determined to try and heal him of his painful past.

*WARNING: This chapter may discuss some triggering topics such as PTSD, abuse and other psychological issues. Please read at your own discretion! :)

“I’ll drop you off, kitten.” Yoongi said as he grabbed the keys. You nodded and quickly ran upstairs to take your bag. As you walked past Taehyung’s room, you knocked on the door.

“Tae! Hurry up or we’ll be late.” You shouted and took your bag, as well as your coat, slinging it over your shoulder. Taehyung ran out of his room as well.

“Goodbye, boys. I’ll see you tonight.” You kissed Jin and Namjoon on the heads before rushing out the door.

After the adoption and settling down permanently, Taehyung and Namjoon were finally able to get jobs so they wouldn’t be bored at home. Namjoon worked at the plant nursery with Jin since he attended to the garden in your backyard. Taehyung worked at a library with a really nice old lady that adored your entire family. She took really good care of Taehyung.

“Thanks, Yoongs. Have a nice day, boys.” You said and got out of the car. You made it in time, scanning your ID and clocking in for your morning shift.

“Morning doctor.” The nurses greeted.

“Morning.” You smiled, standing by the nurses’ station, running through all the patient charts for your morning rounds. Someone cleared their throat and you turned to see your hospital director. Immediately, you and the nurses bowed to greet her.

“May I speak to you in my office?” She asked.

“Of course. I’ll be back for the rounds.” You told the nurse and followed the director. You headed up to her office together.

“How’s Namjoon?” She asked with a smile as she opened the door for you to enter. You bowed and entered the big office, hearing her close the door behind you.

“He’s doing well. He started working with Jin, my arctic fox hybrid, at the plant nursery and he’s enjoying himself. Director, is something wrong? You seem worried about something.” You bit your lip. She gestured for you to sit down as she took her own seat in her chair. You uneasily sat down opposite her, the desk separating the both of you.

“The hybrids your team brought in last night have all been checked and tagged.” She informed.

Last night, you and your team managed to bust a big illegal fighting ring. You rescued the hybrids and brought them to your hospital to get treated. It was a very successful bust and the whole gang was now in prison.

You didn’t even know everyone in your team, what they looked like or their real names since everyone had a NATO alphabet phonetic as their code name. Your code name was ‘Echo’. The only thing you knew about them was that they were all from different walks of life, with different jobs.

“Thank you, director.” You bowed your head.

“But out of all the predator hybrids you brought you, there was one domestic one. A calico cat. Now, you know calico cats are rare but never used for fighting. His injuries are not from fights but just abuse. The thing is, he is very mentally unstable.” She sighed.

“I see. There were a lot of hybrids so I don’t really remember.” You frowned. What was a calico cat doing at a fighting ring?

“He could be the leader’s own pet or something?” You guessed. The director shrugged, taking out his file and handing it to you. You opened it and browsed through.

“There’s so little information on him. And he’s so underweight!” You said in disbelief. The director nodded her head.

“I’m transferring him under your care. That’s all for now. You may go.” She said and you stood up, tucking the file under your arm as you bowed. You exited her office and began your morning rounds with your current patients first. The nurses helped you with updating all the files. You wanted to go see the calico cat but you were scheduled for two surgeries today.

“Good work today!” Your surgical team bowed to you and you waved, walking down the halls. With the file in your hand, you went to the floor with all the individual suites.

“W-Who are you?” He jumped the moment you entered. His eyes showed so much fear and apprehension.

“Hello. I’m doctor (y/l/n).” You kept your distance as you smiled at him.

“A doctor? A-Are you going to hurt me?” He whimpered.

“No no, sweetie. I would never. I’m here to help you. Can I come in?” You asked and he thought about it before nodding slowly. Keeping your soft smile, you stepped a little closer to him.

“What’s your name, sweetie?”

“J-Jimin.” He replied, nervously. You knew he was still really scared that you might do something to him so you didn’t get too close. If you got hurt again, you wouldn’t mind or blame anyone but you knew that Yoongi would definitely not let it go.

“Hi, Jimin. That’s such a nice name.” You complimented.

“I have to go home. The master will get mad if I’m not there to greet him when he comes home.” He cried,

“It’s okay, Jimin. No one will hurt you anymore, hmm? You’re safe here.” You hummed softly.

“No, you’re lying! They will always find me and then I’m going to get punished for running away!” Jimin began to shake as a full blown anxiety attack hit him. Just to be safe, you grabbed a sedative syringe from the nurse cart, you moved closer and Jimin jumped, moving back fearfully. He shook his head as tears continuously fell down his cheeks.

“Calm down, Jimin. Breathe. Follow my breathing.” You guided him, not wanting to sedate him just yet. He whimpered.

“Good job. You’re doing great.” You smiled as you encouraged him. He watched you, felt you and heard you, trying to even out his breathing to match your pace.

“Do you want some food or do you want to sleep?” You asked him.

“Please don’t leave me alone.” He whimpered.

“I’ll be right here.” You held your hand out. Looking at it, he moved a little closer to make sure you weren’t armed before grasping it urgently, as if you were his saving grace. With your other hand, you reached up to pet his head, watching as he flinched slightly, his ears moving.

“There we go.” You cooed. Looking up, you noticed one of his ears was clipped, making one less pointy than the other.

“Are you hungry?” You asked. Just then, Jimin’s stomach rumbled. He allowed you leave for a few minutes so you could grab him a tray of food. You watched him stare at it, almost drooling.

“Is this really for me?” He asked softly.

“Of course. It’s all yours.” You nodded. Jimin looked at you before picking up the spoon and wolfing down the food quickly. You stroked his back to slow him down as he was choking on the food at one point from not chewing. Your phone buzzed in your pocket. You knew it was your boys, asking when you would come home.

‘I’ll be home late. Don’t worry. - (y/n)’

You sent a quick reply, not knowing that Yoongi was already on his way to find you. He had asked one of your colleagues where you were.

“Oh, I think I saw her on the 3rd floor?” He said. Yoongi nodded and bowed, going up. He peeked into each room, following your faint scent. When he stopped in front of the ward, he knocked and entered.

“Yoongi? What are you doing here?” You stood up, confused. At the intrusion of a stranger, Jimin recoiled in defence and hissed, clawing and managing to get the back of your hand.

“(y/n)!” Seeing you hurt, Yoongi quickly grabbed at you, pulling you behind him protectively. You winced in slight pain as you watched the two hybrids hiss and growl at each other, showing their canines warningly. They could smell the scent of your blood in the air.

“Yoongi, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” You held his arm to calm him down.

“He. Hurt. You.” He growled.

“Calm down, Yoongi. Please.” You begged, pulling him out of there before he could actually jump on Jimin and attack him.

“(y/n), please don’t go.” You heard Jimin’s cries as you and Yoongi left the ward. Yoongi held your injured hand in his, pulling you to the nurse’s station to ask for a first aid kit. The nurses recognised him and handed it to him. Yoongi sat you down in the lounge and began patching up your scratches hand.

“Oww, gentle please.” You whimpered when he dabbed the antiseptic on the scratches.

“Yoongi... please don’t be mad.” You said softly. He refused to look up at you, throwing the bloody cotton into a pile and bandaging your hand. When he secured it, he kissed it.

“It’s not his fault.” You repeated. Yoongi grabbed you and pulled you into his lap.

“He still hurt you.” He said softly.

“Hey, it’s just a few scratches, part of the drop. They’ll be gone in a few days. Don’t worry.” You chuckled. You began to briefly tell him about the situation with Jimin and how he just was wary around strangers because he was just rescued. Yoongi listened attentively, knowing and feeling just how worried you were about Jimin.

“For now, I think it’s best you come back tomorrow. It’s not safe for you and him.” Yoongi told you.

“But he’s alone and scared. I’m afraid he runs away. He thinks his owner is going to find him and hurt him.” You sighed.

“You can’t do everything on your own, kitten. I’m sorry but I’m not risking you getting hurt again. We’re going home now.” Yoongi didn’t let you protest before going to your office to grab your bag and leaving.

“Nurse, Jimin in suite 12. Be careful, alright? He’s very wary of strangers. Let me know if you need anything tonight.” You told the nurse on night shift. She nodded and bowed her head before bidding you and Yoongi goodbye. You folded your arms and huffed.

“Stop pouting, kitten. You know your tantrums only work on Jin hyung.” Yoongi chuckled as he drove.

When you arrived home, the hybrids were all alerted to the scent of your blood before you could even enter the house. Jin was the first to rush to you.

“Why are you bleeding?” He fussed.

“A small incident at work. Don’t worry.” You rubbed his ears reassuringly. Taehyung was there to greet you with the usual hugs. Then you gave Namjoon a small greeting hug as well. After a quick meal and shower, you went to bed.

BEEP BEEP

You were woken up by your beeper on your nightstand. Yawning, you checked it and your eyes widened. There was a Code Yellow at the hospital, meaning that a patient is missing. Immediately, you wondered if the person that ran away was-

“Jagi, Namjoon smelled an intruder on the property. Stay here while we scout, alright?” You heard Jin’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Okay. Please be safe.” You replied. As you put your beeper down, your phone lit up, confirming your suspicions. The attending doctor for the night informed you that your patient, Park Jimin, was missing.

“Stay away!” You heard Yoongi growl and snuck out of your room.

“Please, I’m just looking for doctor (y/l/n).” A familiar voice made your head shoot up. You hurried down the stairs and saw the familiar set of ears with one clipped at the end. You stood between them, making your 4 call out your name in worry for your safety.

“It’s okay, guys. You’re scaring him.” You told them.

“Doctor (y/l/n).” Jimin called out.

“Hey, Jiminie.” You smiled softly, slowly moving towards him. The 4 hybrids behind you growled lowly and you held a hand up to stop them.

“It’s okay. They won’t hurt you, alright? I promise. You’re gonna be just fine.” You assured. Jimin sniffled and broke down into more cries and whimpers, falling to the ground. Bending down in front of him, Jimin jumped into your arms, his orange, white and black tail securing itself around your waist. You comforted him, wiping his tears.

“Why did you run away, Jimin ah?” You asked softly.

“It’s scary and dark there. I don’t want to be alone.” He whispers. You nodded your head, understanding. Even if Jimin didn’t have a full psychiatric evaluation, you knew enough to say that he was clearly psychologically distraught.

“(y/n), there’s no way he’s staying here or at least, near you tonight.” Yoongi growled.

“Let her go before I call hybrid control.” Namjoon threatened. You closed your eyes, not knowing what to do. You were afraid that someone was going to get hurt. Suddenly, you were yanked back and fell on the ground as 4 of your hybrids stood in front of you, hissing and growling at Jimin.

“Doctor (y/l/n).” Jimin whimpered as he backed away fearfully.

“Jin, you have to help him. He’s traumatised.” You begged the arctic fox, knowing he would empathise the most.

“Jimin, we’re not going to hurt you but you can’t just break in and expect us to be okay with it. You even hurt (y/n) at the hospital. We’re her hybrids, it’s our job to protect her.” Jin spoke.

As you watched the exchange, you also alerted the medical staff at the hospital that Jimin had actually been able to make his way to your house.

“Everyone, let’s calm down and talk. We’re all scaring and stressing (y/n) by acting like this.” Jin commanded, showing his alpha side as the oldest. Taehyung, Yoongi and Namjoon immediately stopped, standing straight. Jimin still quivered in fear. You were so thankful that Jin had such authority over the hybrids and they, in turn, had such tremendous respect for him.

“Let’s go sit.” He nodded to the living room area.

“Tae, baby, can you get me two painkillers and a glass of water?” You held his hand with a smile. He nodded and ran off to the kitchen. Jimin watched the exchange, jealousy burning within him.

“Here.” Taehyung appeared in front of you. You popped the pills and gulped down the water, petting Taehyung’s head gratefully.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I don’t want to go back to my owner and Doctor (y/l/n) said she will protect me.” Jimin cried. The 4 empathised with him. They, too, never wanted to return to their previous owners. You just listened to the 4 of the interact.

“Where are you from?” Namjoon asked. Yoongi moved to your other side, his tail around you securely, still glaring at Jimin.

“I don’t know. But there was a bird cage with a feather tattoo on all of them.” Jimin said. You turned to Yoongi, who shook his head, meaning he didn’t know which ring Jimin was from.

“We would like to believe they’re all captured and in prison.” You sighed but of course, these illegal syndicates would always find a way to continue operating with other members that weren’t captured.

“But you’re a domestic breed. Calico cats are rare. No one would use them for fighting.” Taehyung stated.

“I never fought. I was just made to follow and sit next to my master.” He whispered. The thought made his entire being seize up as he remembered how horrible it was to the point that he wished he would be the one in the ring fighting to the death instead. Yoongi was in disbelief. He should have known that this kid was the ring master’s personal pet.

“There’s a spare room you can use for the night but you’re not getting near (y/n). And you’re going back to the hospital tomorrow.” Yoongi stood up and dragged you with him.

“(y/n)...” Jimin called softly.

“He won’t hurt me anymore, Yoongs.” You placed your hand over his.

“I’m sorry, kitten. I can’t risk it, not when your safety is concerned. I know it’s not his fault but he was the ring master’s pet. Namjoon and I know and have seen what those disgusting creatures do to their pets. Jimin is as good as a ticking time bomb.” Yoongi walked to the window.

“How bad?” You gulped.

“Well, he's 10 times worse than the old Jin hyung.” Yoongi rubbed his forehead. You were at a lost.

“Then what should I do? As his doctor, I have to do what’s best for him.” You buried your face into your hands. There was a knock on your door and your 3 other hybrids appeared. You nodded your head for them to come in.

“You do what you think is best. But all we ask is for you to think about your safety too. We’ll stand by whatever you decide.” Namjoon spoke, having heard your conversation.

“Thank you.” You sighed.

“He’s staying in one of the guest rooms. The windows are locked so he can’t leave.” Jin informed. As you settled on your bed, Taehyung curled up beside you, laying his head in your lap. Namjoon and Yoongi began to share with me more about what they knew Jimin possibly went through. There were so many forms of abuse just to mentally break the hybrid.

“How could they do that to him?” You shook your head.

“Not all humans are like you, (y/n). You’re one of the only ones that see us as equal.” Taehyung pouted.

“It’s not his fault that he is like this. He was a victim.” You lowered your head, feeling your heart ache for him. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what Jimin went through.

“We never said it was his fault. We’re all victims, none of us wanted the treatment we got. But I’m saying this because I know what they go through, he needs real help (y/n). Not just someone to coddle him like you do. He needs mental intervention and not from you.” Yoongi crossed his arms.

“If I can help him?”

“You shouldn’t. He is already formed such a strong connection with you, he’s not going to want to get better because he knows he can depend on you. If he suddenly sees you as a new master, I don’t want you both getting hurt.” Namjoon said.

“There’s really nothing I can do for him?” You said sadly. No doctor liked hearing that there was nothing they could do for their patient.

“I’m sorry, snowflake. I know it’s disappointing.” Jin patted your shoulder and you hugged him.

“I’ll call Dr Lee in the morning.”

“Maybe when he gets a little better, you can continue to care for him.” Yoongi comforted. The hybrids could all smell your tears that spilled onto Jin’s shirt as he held you. Taehyung whined, not liking the thought of you crying at all. He stood up and hugged you from the back. Namjoon and Yoongi joined the hug as well. The 5 of you stood there in your room, hugging each other.

That night, Taehyung slept next to you while Yoongi sat outside your door to guard you. You had refused but he insisted, worried Jimin might break in and Taehyung can’t fight him off.

Namjoon and Jin also slept lightly since their rooms were the nearest to Jimin. While the hybrids’ priority was your safety, they also wanted to make sure that Jimin was safe.

“Jimin is the same age as you.” You said as you ran your hand through Taehyung’s hair, a soft smile on your face.

“Really? He looked so small...” Taehyung frowned.

“Yeah, he is underweight and malnourished so he’s on the smaller side. He’s actually a few months older than you, Tae.” You gave a light chuckle. Taehyung wrapped his tail around your waist, snuggling closer to you. He placed his head on your chest, hearing your heart beat.

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hangovercurse · 4 years

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Stay With You ii

You get the call after Rook’s accident and go to the hospital to take care of him.

Requests: “ Could you maybe write another Rook story about where you get the call after his accident that he’s in the hospital and just always staying there with him and when his dad shows up he sees you leaning on the bed sleeping holding Rooks hand or something and he knows you’ll take care of him? I just really love Rook “ “ I was wondering if you know what happened to rook and if you could write something cute like taking care of him after being worried at first about him. I had a mental breakdown when we got the news I'm hoping he gets well soon “

JP “Rook” Cappelletty X Reader

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of the accident (violence, broken bones, etc.), angst

A/N: I needed something happy to come out of this situation so... I wrote it.

Word Count: 2372

part i

You woke up a few hours later to Rook moving under you, your eyes finding his instantly. “Hey baby, how are you feeling?” You asked as you sat up, a smile on your face as you saw that the bruising on his face was fading. He had clearly just woken up as well, sleep still in his eyes.

“Better, I think. Awake.” You nodded, moving the pillow from his lap.

“Your dad’s here.” You said softly, nodding your head towards the man who was sleeping in the chair against the wall. You giggled at the sight and Rook let out a chuckle.

“I’m hungry” He whined and you frowned, remembering what the anesthesiologist told you about no food 8 hours before surgery. He was scheduled to go in at 10 am, and it was currently 5 am.

“I’m sorry, babe. The doctor said no food until after the surgery. I can see if they’ll let you eat jello if you want.” He frowned and you reached up to rub his face. You could tell this was going to be a long 8 weeks.

Truth be told, Rook was a baby when he got sick. He would lay in bed and whine until you agreed to cuddle with him. And if he wanted something, he would pout until he got it. But you kind of loved it. “I’ll be right back.” You whispered, standing up to go find a nurse.

He smiled at you, “can you hand me my phone?” He asked. You moved to the other side of his bed where his phone lay on a table and handed it to him. “I’m gonna see if Colson’s still up.”

You nodded, happy that the two boys were so close. You put your mask on and left the room, flagging down one of the nurses working the night shift.

When you got back into the room with 2 cups of lemon-flavored jello, Johnny was up and the father and son were having a light conversation. You set the cups on the tray and moved it so it was in front of Rook. He tried to raise his hands but you could tell he was struggling. He let out a sigh and looked at you, embarrassment in his eyes.

You smiled lightly, trying not to giggle at his helplessness. “Do you want me to help you?” You asked and he gave a nod, pouting. You adjusted his bed so he was sitting up fully.

“Can you sit next to me?” Johnny let out a laugh as you rolled your eyes a little bit.

Rook tried to shift over in the bed, but you could tell it was hurting him. “Baby stop, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” You sighed.

“I want you to sit on the bed with me.”

You looked at his dad, an exasperated look in your eyes. He just chuckled and turned back to his phone. “I don’t want to hurt you.” You frowned, taking notice of the fact that there was very little room on the bed to begin with.

He squinted his eyes at you, still pouting. “You won’t hurt me.” You raised your eyebrow and moved to sit halfway on the bed, your right thigh resting on the mattress but the majority of your weight still on your left foot on the ground. “Not good enough.”

You rolled your eyes, scooting closer so that your back was against the back of the bed, turned on your side. He smiled, reaching his arm up slowly to try and wrap it around your shoulders. You glared at him, but he shot you a “My hand is broken, not my arm.”

You sighed, sitting up and leaning onto his chest, where you knew he wanted you. You pulled your other leg onto the bed, careful not to put any pressure against his. You leaned up slightly, putting weight on your right hand as your left grabbed the jello cup beside the bed. He opened his mouth and you rolled your eyes. “I don’t like how much you’re enjoying this.”

You placed a small spoonful of the yellow food into his mouth, making him smile. “In a few years, its gonna be you in this bed and I’ll be feeding you jello.” You tilted your head at his words, furrowing your eyebrows. “Y’know, when you’re giving birth to our kid.”

You blushed, a smile making its way to your face. You knew JP wanted kids at some point, and you did too. But you guys had never really talked about it. And now he was bringing it up so casually. Before you could respond, the door opened, and in walked Colson with a backpack full of what he called “everything Rook will ever need,” which you assumed to mean weed and tequila.

Rook smiled, “Yo, dude, what’s up?” Colson threw the bag onto the floor on the opposite side of the bed from you.

“How are you, man?” Colson asked, throwing himself onto the chair next to it.

Rook shrugged, “I’ve been better.” He chuckled and you rolled your eyes, a small giggle coming from you. “Y/N’s feeding me, so it’s not too bad.”

His dad spoke up, “You’re forcing Y/N to feed you jello, you mean?” You laughed at that as Rook’s shoulders fell. “Nice to see you, Kelly.”

“You too, Johnny. I like the new hair.” Colson smiled at the older man, who thanked him. “So, what did the doctors say?”

Rook gave him the rundown, one surgery today, Wednesday, and another on Friday. Casts on his hands for 6 weeks and on his legs for longer. The four of you spoke for a while afterwards and then Colson pulled out a game of connect four (which you raised your eyebrows at but Rook seemed excited about it).

Eventually the Anesthesiologist, Dr. Stenson, came in with a few nurses to take Rook to surgery. You had to climb off the bed, much to Rook’s dismay. “I can’t go into surgery with you, dummy.” But part of you wished you could stay with him because you did not like the way those nurses were looking at him. Colson noticed your distaste and chuckled, causing you to send him a glare.

“He’s going to be very drowsy when he comes back once the anesthesia wears off.” Dr. Stenson said, and you smiled at the thought of Rook on anesthesia, which he claimed would be “just like being high.” Dr. Stenson shook his head at that.

Before he was wheeled out of the room on his bed, he made grabby hands at you as best as he could. You leaned closer to him, pressing your lips against his quickly. “I love you, Y/N” He said, quietly. He didn’t mind anyone else hearing, but he wanted these words to be only for you.

“I love you too.” You said, just as quietly. He leaned back up to kiss you again, making you smile. You were starting to love helpless Rook; it was just endless attention and neediness.

The nurses took him off to surgery, leaving you, Johnny, and Colson alone in the room together. You collapsed onto the chair you had slept in, letting out a sigh as Colson chuckled at you. “Shut up.” You scrunched your nose at him, curling into the chair and bringing the pillow under your head.

“You guys are cute, what?” He asked, defensively, but the smile on his face was anything but.

You pouted, trying to push yourself further into the chair to find some comfort, but you knew your attempts to sleep were futile. You groaned, sitting up and throwing your head down towards your chest. “I’m so tired.” You mumbled, causing the two men to laugh.

“This is your life for the next 2 months.” Johnny chuckled. “If he doesn’t marry you after this then you need to leave his ass.”

You chuckled, the irony of his dad telling you that made it even funnier. “I can’t believe he still hasn’t proposed.” Colson shook his head in disappointment.

A laugh fell from your mouth. “It’s funny how everyone is more impatient than I am for my own proposal.”

“I don’t understand how you’re so patient! I’ve barely been with Megan a whole year and I already wanna marry her.” Colson threw his head back against the back of his chair.

“I mean it’s not like I’m worried it’s not gonna happen. We were just talking about kids. He just doesn’t feel the rush, I guess. I don’t either, what’s the big deal with getting married anyways?”

Colson tilted his head at you, “It’s like, this huge proclamation of your love. Like you’re telling the whole world that you’re gonna love each other for the rest of your lives.”

You shrugged, looking down at your nails. “I mean, we don’t really need big proclamations. It’s in the little things. I love him, he loves me.”

You could feel both men’s eyes on yours and heat ran to your cheeks as you thought about the idea of a white dress. “But you do wanna get married, right?” Johnny asked and you smiled.

“Of course, I just don’t want to push him into something like that. He’ll ask when he’s ready.”

Colson shook his head as you looked back up, “He is one lucky motherfucker. Literally every other person would’ve kicked his ass by now.” You chuckled, not saying anything. “Wait you guys were talking about kids?”

You nodded, “right before you got here, actually.”

Colson furrowed his eyebrows, “I never saw him as the type, honestly.”

You smiled widely, “He brought it up.” Colson shrugged, a hum coming from his mouth. “I think it’d be kinda nice. I don’t know how it would work with him being on tour all the time, but that’s a discussion for another day.”

“I seriously can’t imagine Rook being a dad.”

“Can you imagine Rook getting married?” You giggled as Colson shook his head.

“Well I, for one, am looking forward to being a grandad, so hop on that.” Johnny said and you laughed. You spent the rest of the time while Rook was in surgery playing connect four and eating shitty hospital food, trying to keep your mind off the fact that Rook was in fucking surgery.

When he did get back, it was a sight to behold. The nurses wheeled him back into the room, his eyes lighting up when he saw you. “Y/NNN!” He slurred, “Look at my beautiful girlfriend.” He said to the nurses and you and Colson busted out laughing. “She’s so cool. She comes on tour with me sometimes, and we partyyy.” He made a dancing motion with his arms even though they his right was in a very large cast.

“Okay Rookie, the nurses are gonna leave now, okay?” You said, trying to hide your laughter. The nurses gave you a look of thanks and left the room after leaving you with a list of what he could and couldn’t do. Colson took his phone out and started recording, knowing that whatever Rook was gonna say next would be funny.

The surgery went well according to them, but the doctors would be in later when the medicine wore off to tell you more. “How are you feeling?” You asked, knowing he wouldn’t give a real answer.

“I feel greeeat. I’d feel better if my fiancé were laying with me right now, but other than that I am just fine.”

You cocked an eyebrow, an amused look on your face. “Your fiancé?”

“Yeahhhh.”

“When did you propose?” You giggled, looking over to his dad and Colson who were both cracking up.

A look of realization crossed Rook’s face, “Oh shit, I forgot that step, didn’t I?” You nodded, “Do you wanna get married?” You bent over in laughter at his innocent expression. He pouted at you, whining. “Why are you laughing I’m asking you to marry me?”

You tried to speak through your laughs, “I’m sorry babe.” You took a deep breath in, “I’m not laughing at you.”

“So, you don’t wanna get married?” He asked, getting very upset.

“I do, baby. I do. But you gotta get a ring.”

“Oh yeaaaah.” He looked over at Colson. “Colson, where’s the ring?” Your head snapped to Colson, whose face went red.

“Dude you didn’t get a ring.” He tried to cover it up but you could tell he was lying.

Your eyes went wide and your mouth hung open. “Yes I did, I told you to bring the ring with you when you came.” He whined.

You giggled, hand going to your mouth. “Oh wait.” He said, turning back to you. “I can’t ask you to marry me right now. I gotta get down on one knee and my legs are broken.”

Johnny had an amused look on his face when you looked over to him for help. “Okay, Rookie. I’ll forget that you proposed and then when your legs get better you can do it again, okay?”

He nodded, “But you’ll still say yes, right?”

“I’ll still say yes.” You smiled, eyes closing as you continued to laugh. “You should get some sleep, hun.” You moved his braids out of his face.

“I wanna cuddle.” He pouted.

“You just had surgery; I can’t give you cuddles.” You frowned as he looked sad.

“Why don’t you love me?”

“I do love you, Rookie. I just can’t cuddle you with your arm broken.” You could hear Colson wheezing from the opposite side of the bed. “Get some sleep and we can cuddle when you wake up.”

He groaned but leaned back into the bed anyways, slowly drifting off to sleep. You turned to Colson, eyes wide and face red. “You had a whole conversation about marriage while you had his ring in your bag?” You whisper screamed.

He raised his hands up in surrender, “I was just doing what I was told. I didn’t think he’d propose to you while he was high off his ass on anesthesia.” He chuckled.

Johnny chuckled, “at least you got it on video.” You sighed and rolled your eyes, putting your face in your hands.

“Congratulations!” Colson said, eyes swinging up in the air.

#rook #rook cappelletty #Rook Cappelletty imagine #Rook Cappelletty x reader #rook angst #rook fluff

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birdy-bat-writes · 4 years

Text

Forever Love

Word count: 2k

Description: Wally and Dick have loved eachother for a long time. They've said it a few times. How long before they can admit that it's not as friends?

A/N: Happy holidays friends! Dear @river-bottom-nightmare Hi! I'm your secret santa😙😙 so I present to you, a birdflash Fic! I hope you love it!

---------------------------------------------------/

The first time Wally told Dick he loved him was when he and Bruce had a fight. Dick thought he wanted to be alone and turned off his phone, his emergency trackers, everything. He didn't want to be found and he wasn't going to be found. At least that's what he thought. He sat alone on the floor of a Star City back alley and played the words in his head over and over. "When we're out there, you're not my son. You're my partner! If you can't be there when I need you, you don't need to be Robin!" He knows that me messed up, but the mission went fine in the end. He didn't make excuses; he knew his head wasn't in the game but that's just what happens when you're fighting alongside the Titans and balancing that with Dynamic Duo duties. Dick was already harder on himself than Bruce ever could be about it, but he never thought he'd have to hear the words "you're not my son." Is that all he is to Bruce? A crime fighting partner? Then the tears started to fall. The thoughts rang in his head like church bells over the sound of city traffic. It was all too much. Dick thought he wanted to be alone but now...maybe not. I should go ba-

"Hey." Dick looked up to find his favorite red head looking down at him with a soft expression. Civies, smoking sneakers and green eyes. "You okay?" Wally sat down beside him and Dick abandoned all thoughts of leaving.

"How'd you find me?"

"Well, I'm me, and you're you. Not that difficult."

"I turned my trackers off..." Dick was really taking this one hard. No wisecracks, no sarcasm. It wasn't like the other fights he had with Bruce and Wally could tell.

"I knew you wouldn't be in Metropolis or Smallville because you don't want a hug from Superman, you weren't in the mood to talk yet so not Central City, and Star City has the ice cream parlor you like, which is where we're going after I fix this." Wally gestured to Dick's teary eyes. Dick looked up to face Wally for just a second. His smile brought a type of comfort that Dick forgot existed. "What happened?"

"He doesn't want me anymore, Wally."

"Bruce?" Dick just nodded, knowing he couldn't speak the words without choking up. Wally put a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder. "He said, 'when we're out there, you're not my son. You're my partner.' And that I shouldn't be fighting by his side if I can't be there for him all the time."

“That’s not fair of him. You were with the Titans today. He knows that right?”

“He knows, he just doesn’t care.” Dick choked on his words at the end but pushed himself to continue speaking. “Wally, I’m just a teammate to him, to everyone. I’m not his son, I don’t even know how many people actually care about me when the masks are off.”

“Hey, hey…don’t say that. Maybe B acts like an emotionally stunted block of ice, but I know he loves you. Of course, it doesn’t excuse what he said, but you need to know that with masks on or off, we are all your friends. Donna, Garth, Roy, and… me too. You’re like family for us. We love you. I… I love you.” Dick felt his heart clench. He hadn’t heard those words in a long time and couldn’t help but jump right into Wally’s arms for a very tight hug. Wally’s arms felt like home and he never wanted to let go. Wally felt the remaining tears Dick’s eyes soak into his jacket and pulled him tighter. Without pulling even an inch away, Dick asked,

“Wally?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.” They felt each other’s cheeks raise in smiles against the other’s shoulders.

“Glad to hear it, now how about that ice cream?”

----

The second time Wally had told Dick that he loved him was later that year, in the dark of a hospital room well after visiting hours were over. Dick now donned a blue and black suit, accompanied by the moniker of Nightwing. Wally was now the new Scarlet Speedster. Unfortunately, even speedsters couldn’t escape the pain of cavities. Wally was in recovery after a root canal surgery and he wasn’t happy about it.

Wally couldn’t help but worry about the things that could go wrong if the Flash took a day off. Dick on the other hand was more worried about how Wally would fare in surgery. With a metabolism like his, he’d burn through the anesthesia in minutes, and be awake for the rest of the surgery.

“Oh, come on, Dick. I don’t have anesthetics when we’re out being shot at. This will be a piece of cake, so don’t worry, okay?”

When Wally awoke, the whole surgery was complete. He wasn’t in pain either. That’s odd. How-? Oh. Dick. What did he do now? Just then a nurse walked in.

“Oh good, Dear. You’re awake.”

“Uh… Yeah. What did I miss while I was out?” His voice was muffled by the useless cotton balls in his mouth. The nurses couldn’t have known but he was already healed. 4 hours of sleep and speedster healing will do that to you.

“Well, it’s quite an interesting day in Central City. A few blocks down, Nightwing stopped a robbery and helped a family of ducks cross the street.”

“He- he did what? He’s still here?” Wally asked, baffled.

“Oh yes! He seems to have taken over for the Flash today. He’s on TV right now.” Wally scrambled to get the remote. The first thing he saw on the news was Nightwing being interviewed by Iris West-Allen.

“Well Mrs. West, I love helping out my teammates, and besides, I could always use an excuse to visit Central City.” Nightwing flashed his signature smile right into the camera like he knew Wally was watching. This dude… I thought I told him to go back to Gotham… Why do I even try? Wally thought to himself, shaking his head and smiling at his friend’s antics.

Visiting hours had passed and Wally’s parents had just left. He was contemplating sneaking out to get more food when he heard a gentle thud by the window. One that he’d heard a thousand times before.

“Dick, you could have used the front door.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”, Dick responded. “How are you?”

“Hungry. Hospital portion sizes will be the death of me.”

“Well, it’s a great thing that your best friend is as thoughtful as he is handsome.” Dick emptied a plethora of snacks from his backpack on Wally’s bed.

“And this is why I love you.” Wally said it casually, but Dick’s heart skipped a beat anyway. It got him thinking again. He really shouldn’t have worried as much as he did, but he couldn’t help it. He never can when it comes to Wally. “So, what exactly did you put in my drink before the surgery?” Wally asked between mouthfuls of food.

“Specially designed anesthetic to knock you out for 5 hours. Courtesy of a few friends at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

“You spoil me.”

“I didn’t want you to be in pain.”

“I appreciate that.” Wally’s voice was sweeter now. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble, you know.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

“Aww, were you worried about me?”

“I always worry about you. I love you.” It was a sincere, genuine confession that made both their hearts race a little more. Wally mustered the courage to say one more thing. Something that meant the world to both him and Dick.

“You know when I was going under the anesthetic?”

“Yeah?”, Dick replied.

“I was still awake when you held my hand.” Dick grinned in response.

“I know.”, He said. Wally looked up in question. “You held on tighter when I was about to let go, and I knew you were still awake.” The blushes on their cheeks glowed brighter.

“Yeah, well… don’t let go next time then.”

-----

The next time they confessed was on Wally’s 18th Birthday, one month later. A party was planned with a few close friends and family at Wally’s house, but unfortunately, the icy November rain had other plans. Ice laced every road that wasn’t flooded.

Needless to say, Wally was a little disappointed. No one would be coming. Heck, he couldn’t even leave his own house. Dick was still in Gotham getting ready to leave for the party when he heard of the extreme weather in Central City. Knowing the party would most likely be cancelled, he decided to call in a favor.

Wally was sitting in his room when he received Dick’s rather ominous text message. “Get to your balcony.” He listened. He walked up and saw… nothing.

“Um, Dick, what am I looking for exactly?”, he messaged back. Then he heard the whir of the engines and the pressure release on the plane doors.

“You’re looking for me in an invisible plane!”, Dick shouted.

“Is that Wonder Woman’s?!”

“Yeah! Get on.” Wally climbed aboard. He was awestruck. Dick saw the look on Wally’s face and answered the question Wally couldn’t manage to ask.

“Donna owed me a favor, and Diana thinks I’m adorable. I can get away with anything. Now buckle up.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” Dick flew Wally up to the Titans Tower where every superhero friend of theirs was there. There were 6 cakes, 2 of them being just for Wally. It was just perfect. Wally cut a slice of cake and brought it out to Dick on the terrace. Against the chilly New York winds, the music inside sounded faint and distant.

“I know you’ve swung around Gotham in the winter in your underwear, but you should still wear a jacket when it’s cold out.”, Wally chimed. “Cake?”

“Thank you very much.” Dick said, taking the plate from his hands.

“Hey, thank you for all of this. Its more than perfect.”

“Don’t mention it, Wall. It’s what I’m for. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity to wipe cake frosting on your nose.” Wally’s heart swelled, seeing Dick smile at him like that. His baby blue eyes had Wally mesmerized.

“Yeah! Just you wait ’till your birthday, I’m getting a whole extra cake to shove in your face.”

“I’ll be waiting.”, Dick chuckled out. “So, I have your present here.” Dick held up a small box and handed it to Wally. “Open it.” Wally undid the red ribbon on the box and lifted the lid to reveal a small coin, the size of a penny with a Flash symbol on it. “I know you lost the souvenir from our first solo mission, but I kept one of the shotgun shells, melted it down, and now,” Dick picked up the coin, “this is for you.” Wally was left speechless. Dick wasn’t one to keep souvenirs from missions. That was Wally’s thing. But he kept this one. And on top of all that, he remembered that Wally wanted to remember their first mission and replaced his lost memento. He couldn’t help it. Wally threw his arms around Dick’s shoulders. Dick wrapped his arms around Wally’s waist and pulled him closer, taking in the scent of his shampoo and cologne. I adore him, they both thought.

“Dick, I love you.”

“I love you too, Wally.” The looked up to face each other, still keeping their bodies close. Wally was the first to lift his fingers and caress Dick’s cheek, and Dick leaned in. The kiss was soft and sweet and lit up a million sparks within them. They didn’t know how long they had waited for this but they had no intention of letting this moment go.

And after that, they lost count. They didn’t have to keep track anymore of how many “I love you’s” were exchanged or kisses were shared. They made a silent promise that night that there would be no end to them and that was enough. Love like that truly was forever.

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janetbrown711 · 4 years

Note

“Why are you shaking?” Yakko >:)

Yakko’s leg bounced up and down so quickly, it appeared to simply be vibrating. In truth, Yakko had to be forced to sit down, his pacing was driving the others in the hospital waiting room insane.

Dot had begun her surgery about an hour ago, and they should’ve heard something by now... at least Yakko thought. In truth, he hadn’t asked how long it was supposed to take, and even if he had he didn’t have a watch for which to keep track.

Either way, Yakko was anxious to hear if Dot was okay. A million things could happen during surgery, a million things his mind loved to jump around and explore while he waited. He tried his best to listen to the advice of his younger brother and Plotz (a sentence he never thought he’d ever form) and remind himself that this was necessary and Dot needed the surgery and that everything is going to be okay, but Yakko was Yakko and his anxiety continued.

His brother was right for calling him a ‘worry-wart’, but ‘worry-warting’ had kept them alive so far so he wasn’t exactly going to stop now.

After a while of that, however, Yakko just put his elbows on his legs to stop the shaking and just hoped for the best. All the pacing and shaking was tiring. Quickly after that though, none other than Doctor Scratchnsniff himself entered the waiting room, and Yakko and Wakko hugged each other nervously.

“Ze operation vas a complete success!” The doctor smiled and Yakko and Wakko practically jumped with joy as a wave of relief washed over them.

Finally, it was over.

“However... there is one thing we’d like to talk to you about, Yakko,” Hello Nurse said, appearing next to Scratchnsniff.

Well... at least, Dot’s sickness was over. They still had a lot more loose ends to tie everywhere else.

“But I wanna see Dot,” Wakko frowned and pulled on his brother’s arm.

“You’ll get to later, she’s just in recovery for now. Surgery is quite the tiring process,” the nurse explained. Wakko huffed and pulled down his hat.

“I’m gonna be boredddddddd,” Wakko groaned.

“I’m sure you’ll find something to do in that head of yours,” Yakko teased, standing up. Wakko huffed, but didn’t say much outside of that, so Yakko took that as his brother’s permission and he went off with the nurse and doctor.

“So... what’s this about? Is Dot okay?” Yakko asked once they were alone in a room.

“No, Dot is doing vonderfully,” Scratchy shook his head. “Zis is about... something else.”

“Yakko, do you know why you came to Acme Falls?” Hello Nurse asked.

“Well, my mom told us- why are you asking?” Yakko raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you see, your father actually grew up here, before he was a squire and moved away,” She said. “As such, Queen Angelina II and King William knew that you three would be safe here, in case anything happened to the two of them. We knew what to expect and more importantly, they knew we wouldn’t harm you or turn you in to King Salazar.”

Yakko paused a long moment.

“You mean... you guys knew?” Yakko asked.

“Vell... yah. Of course ve knew. Not everyone looks like your family, you know?” The doctor looked at him in a way that pointed out the stupidity of the question. Yakko facepalmed.

“Right, yeah,” Yakko cringed. “So... why are you telling me this now?”

“Well, as I’m sure you’ve heard, the people of Warnerstock’s hatred of Salazar has only grown over the years, and rumors have spread about the Wishing Star and you three’s survival of the attack and now people are suggesting that you three inherit your parent's thrones, and well... we have proof,” The nurse explained, showing Yakko their birth certificates.

Yakko’s eyes fell upon the familiar handwriting of his father, and he touched it carefully.

“I-i... I don’t know what to say,” Yakko managed to get out.

“It’s a lot to process, no?” The doctor said. Yakko nodded.

“I-i just... I don’t know... I haven’t thought about actually returning to our old lives in... a really long time,” Yakko set down the certificates and scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s one thousand percent up to you, we aren’t forcing you to do anything, we’re just... pointing something out, so to say,” Hello Nurse explained, feeling bad.

“Yeah, I get that,” Yakko said. “Still it’s... wow. I mean... my dad really used to live here? Why didn’t anyone say anything?” he questioned.

“Well... I suppose there was never a right time. We did our best to make sure the three of you were well, but with everything going downhill so fast... well, there was only so much we could do,” She did her best to justify. Yakko slowly nodded.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” He admitted. Looking back, he could see their acts of kindness and how they did try their best to have sympathy and help while the world went sour around them. The looking away when they borrowed food, the conveniently placed goods, the constant hiring of Wakko while they could. Acme Falls was good like that.

“Well... I’ll need to talk to my sibs about this... and do some thinking... a lot of thinking,” Yakko said.

“Of course, you shouldn’t rush a zing like zis, no?” The doctor agreed. Yakko bit his lip.

“So when will Dot be okay enough for guests?” Yakko asked.

“Oh, not for a little while. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to keep you two updated,” Hello Nurse said. “Should give you plenty of time to think.”

“Yippie,” Yakko laughed pathetically. The doctor and nurse gave him looks of sympathy.

“You must be in your head often, no?” Scratchy asked. Yakko nodded. “Not fun.”

“Yeah, you said it,” Yakko said, standing up.

“Well... I’ll give what you said a thought... this should be fun,” He nodded at them.

“We’ll send for you if Dot wakes up while you’re gone,” The nurse suggested. Yakko nodded at that, and headed out of the room, pausing briefly outside of Dot’s room.

“Please recover fast. I don’t know how much more of this thinking I can handle,” He thought, before walking back to the waiting room.

“What’d they talk to you about?” asked Wakko.

“Oh just... things,” Yakko couldn’t think of a lie fast enough.

“What kind of things?” Wakko raised an eyebrow, painfully curious.

“Legal things,” Yakko said, deciding the truth was boring enough. Wakko groaned.

“Everything is so boring now,” Wakko complained. “Why can’t everything be death defying and a mad chase for the Wishing Star?”

“There’s nothing boring about safety,” Yakko frowned, hoping his brother wasn’t already getting ideas.

Then again, becoming prince again would be entertaining...

Yakko groaned as he felt a headache come on.

“I’ll be back, I have a lot to think about,” Yakko said.

“You’re gonna leave me again?” Wakko pouted.

“Look, it’ll only be a minute. I’ll buy us some food, that sound good to you?” Yakko asked. Wakko nodded and handed Yakko his remaining ha’penny.

“Just come back soon, Mr. Plotz is so boring... though now that he’s asleep...” Wakko looked at him, mischief gleaming in his eyes. Yakko snorted.

“You do what makes you happy, just don’t pretend I was involved,” Yakko winked and left the hospital, happy to get out and get some fresh air.

In truth, the day was still quite young. The Warners had gone to the hospital first thing in the morning, and after a quick, reassuring peptalk from Yakko, Dot’s nerves were soothed and she was taken into surgery. Now it was roughly two hours later, and the streets were full of people who were eager to spend the money that had been returned to them from the Baron, who kept his promise. Yakko couldn’t help but smile at the sight, reflecting on how it had only been two days ago the streets were barron and covered in snow, and the town lifeless and grey.

It seemed Acme Falls was welcoming a bright, new future.

A bright, new future they were probably all hoping was staring- well...

Him.

His sibs.

God, how their days of royalty felt like a million years ago.

Yakko used to have plenty of happy memories of his parents dancing around in his head, but nowadays it seemed they were all tainted. Any time he remembered his mother singing and kissing him goodnight, he’d remember the last time he saw her, all bruised and bloodied. Any time he’d remember a funny story his father read to him, he’d recall his father telling him he’d never let anything bad happen to him or his sibs.

He had made promises to his parents too: that he’d be able to protect them and keep them safe no matter what.

Yakko sighed, as guilt weighed on his back as it so often did. He couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be a day the guilt would go away. It wracked his mind for as long as he could remember, whether it was about not being able to save his mother, the orphanage closing, Dot’s health, Wakko going away, or how he had failed to protect them and almost lost both of them in one day.

Determined to not dwell, Yakko quickly began to make his way to the market in the town square and filled up his bag with fruits and veggitables, as well as a loaf of bread and couldn’t help but smile as he payed for it with the ha’penny.

That was one benefit if they decided to inherit the throne: him and his siblings would never have to be hungry again. They’d have a nice, warm home and never want for anything ever again.

But at the same time, Acme Falls had become a home to them. They knew most everyone around town, and it would feel strange not to see them. These people had done so much for them over the years, it wouldn’t feel right to leave them.

Yakko thanked the grocer, and decided to stop by their home before going back to the hospital.

It would probably do wonders for them to have a nice, warm home without giant holes in the roof that let in piles of snow and rain, and to have nice, warm beds that were stuffed with feathers and cleaned every day by servants instead of the uncomfortable bare-bones wooden ones Wakko and Yakko had. Goodness knew his back would probably appreciate it.

Still... as he looked around he recognized it as home. He had lived their for a whole year- the longest he’s lived anywhere since before the attack. It would be really hard to say goodbye.

Yakko sat down on his bed and groaned, annoyed as the headache flared. He really thought his mind would be used to all of this over analyzing and stressing by now, but it wasn’t.

He then figured it was best he delay thinking about it until he was ready to discuss it with his siblings. For now, he’d head back to the hospital and wait for Dot to wake up. He had ignored Wakko long enough anways.

Turns out, Yakko didn’t have to wait much at all, as Dot was already awake by the time he had made it back.

“Yakko! Do you like my scar?” Dot beamed when he entered her room and showed off the scar on her chest where they had operated. Yakko laughed and nodded, feeling his headache disappear entirely.

“Very cool,” He said, setting down the bag of food in the corner of the room.

“I think it’s faboo,” Wakko grinned with his tongue sticking out like a puppy.

“How’re you feeling though? Do you feel well rested?” Yakko asked, going to the side of her bed and stroking her head.

“I feel fine Yakko, really,” Dot reassured.

“Yeah, she feels fine. You’re such a worry-wart,” Wakko teased him.

Yakko rolled his eyes. “It’s kept us alive this long, and you can’t argue with that.”

“Yeah yeah,” Wakko mumbled. Sometimes Yakko swore his brother was still four years old.

“Anyway,” He said, giving his brother a look, “I was wondering if you’re okay enough to have a long and kinda tough conversation.”

“What do you mean? Are you gonna yell at me again?” Dot blinked.

“No, no. It’s not like that conversation,” Yakko said, feeling a pang of guilt. “I mean... well...” He sighed, not knowing how to say it other than to outright say it. Instead, he patted for Wakko to sit on Dot’s bed and he did.

“Well... you two know how Mom and Dad were once king and queen before King Salazar, right?” Yakko asked. His siblings nodded.

“Well... you see, now that Salazar is on the way out, now the people of Warnerstock are looking for the true heirs to the throne... us,” Yakko explained, his sibs taking a moment to process what he was saying.

“You mean they want us to rule the country?” Wakko tilted his head.

“I mean- basically, yeah,” Yakko nodded.

“I’d get to be a princess?” Dot beamed.

“Well- yes, but it’s a lot more than just fancy dresses and a castle,” Yakko warned.

“What do you mean?” She frowned.

“Well, for starters, it’d mean we’d have responsibilities, and big ones. We’d have to make sure to take good care of Warnerstock, and it’s citizens,” He explained.

“Psh, we can do that,” Wakko blew it off.

“Oh? And what makes you so confident?” Yakko raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve taken care of us two for six years now, and you’ve done just fine,” Wakko said plainly.

“Yeah right, you two almost died countless times,” Yakko rolled his eyes, but decided not to get into.

“A whole kingdom is a lot more than just two people,” Yakko said.

“How would the people even know we’re the heirs to the throne?” Dot tilted her head.

“Outside of looks? The hospital has our birth certificates,” Yakko said. “They’re signed by our parents and everything.”

Wakko and Dot blinked.

“Can we see them?” Wakko asked.

“Uh- okay,” Yakko nodded and asked for the nurse to bring them over. She did, and Yakko handed them to his siblings, surprised to see how much they captivated them.

“Wow- my name is really long written down,” Dot remarked.

“Well yeah, what else did you expect Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca III?” Yakko joked.

“I honestly have no idea how you remember it all. I get them all mixed up,” Wakko commented.

“Yeah, your name is nice and short, Wakkorotti,” Dot teased.

“Dad’s handwriting was really neat and curly,” Wakko said, tracing the cursive with his finger.

“That’s because it’s cursive and he was trained in calligraphy,” Yakko explained. “Which- if we decided to claim the throne- would be one of our responsibilities.”

“I wanna learn how to write curly letters!” Dot bounced up and down before wincing.

“Take it easy Dot, no need to overexurt yourself. Dont’ forget you’re still recovering,” Yakko warned.

“What else would we do?” Wakko asked.

“Well... we’d make laws, sign treaties, keep people safe and happy, throw parties, and take a lot of classes that will probably be really boring for things like maners and such,” Yakko tried to recall what he could of his past for reference, but very little came up.

“Would we still be together?” Dot asked. quieter.

“Of course,” Yakko frowned with concern. “I’d never let them separate us.”

“We’d get a big fancy castle? With nice warm beds? And warm food?” Wakko quizzed. Yakko nodded.

“O-of course, but it’s not that simple Wakko,” Yakko said, frustrated his worries weren’t getting through.

“Then I don’t see what the problem is. Sign me up,” Wakko officially declared his support of reclaiming the throne.

“Me too!” Dot agreed, and declared her support as well.

“Well- I-... okay,” Yakko rubbed the bridge of his nose. In truth, he knew his siblings would be estatic about hearing that they could become royalty again, and that he’d be the only one with any problems.

Well, he promised he’d listen and ask them, and that he did.

“If you guys are one hundred percent sure then... I’m sure too. Let’s go reclaim the throne... however you do that.”

.o0o.

After about a week of planning, they had finally done it. Salazar was gone and was never, ever coming back, Yakko made sure of that.

He was amused by how scared the king had looked, knowing that he had been beaten by literal children. It was pathetic really, but Yakko enjoyed kicking him out nonetheless. After all, now he’d be rotting a cell for the rest of time. Yakko could finally rest easy about that.

However, as he watched people redecorate the castle around him to become more and more like he remembered, he couldn’t help but feel like a ghost, viewing things that had once been. He had been dazed as he watched old tapestries get hung, and he had been left speechless when they asked for suggestions on flowers or colors.

Thank god he had Wakko and Dot, otherwise he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do this.

Yakko smiled softly. Wakko and Dot had been so excited during the whole ordeal, only getting sad when they had to say goodbye to Acme Falls. They loved their new rooms (though they always ended up sleeping in Yakko’s room out of habit) and all the foods and dressing up and preparation for their corination.

Oh god, their corination was today. Yakko was standing and getting his pants fitted for the ceremony which was in an hour. He was wearing a crown.

He still couldn’t believe any of this was happening.

“Now... how does that feel?” One of the seamstresses asked him, stepping back and giving him a good look up and down.

“Feels weird to have pants that fit,” Yakko snorted, but admired himself in the mirror.

He looked regal, almost. If he smiled and puffed out his chest, he looked like the epitome of confidence and charm. Thank god, he needed that or else everyone was going to realize he was just a scared kid.

“But I like it. It looks great, thank you so much,” Yakko smiled and nodded at her. He then stepped down and decided to go looking for his sibs, noticing it had been awhile since he had seen them and he needed to make sure they hadn’t destroyed anything.

“Yakko! These halls are so long, and really good for racing!” Dot said, nearly crashing into him as he turned the corner to see them.

“Dot, what did I say about running around? You’re still recovering, take it easy,” Yakko shook his head and chuckled. As much as he warned against it, it filled him with joy to see her running around like a little kid again. After all, it had been over a year since she had been healthy.

“Lame,” Wakko rolled his eyes as he slowed down to join them. Yakko copied his motion as he scooped Dot up in his arms.

“So, what’re you two doing in this hall? I think this is the one part of the castle I haven’t seen yet,” Yakko said.

“A bunch of old art and stuff. The maid ladies said they haven’t decided where to put them up yet,” Wakko said, catching his breath.

“Really? I thought I’d seen it all by now,” Yakko commented, now wanting to see them. Dot bobbed her head.

“Oh yeah! They’re a bunch of old dresses and suits and stuff too, though a lot of them are really dirty,” She remarked. Yakko furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what to think, as he started walking.

As he walked, he noticed a lot of the furtinture in this hall was covered in while cloth, so he set Dot down and pulled them off before snorting.

He remembered this one. It was a painting of an orchard from one of his Dad’s stories. It had been about a knight returning to his home village after years of being away, and falling for his childhood sweetheart before having to defeat a giant and saving the day for everyone. His father’s words had been so descriptive and precise, Yakko could recognize the painting in a flash. He was pretty sure it had been a birthday present to him when he was seven, though paintings were hardly what he’d consider a proper gift for a seven year old.

Still. It felt nice to see it again.

“What’s that? Who painted it?” Dot asked.

“It’s a painting from one of Dad’s old stories. I’m pretty sure the royal artist did it... Pappy... Pabby... I don’t remember his name,” Yakko shrugged, not caring.

“Can we have a royal painter? I wanna get a portrait done of me. Cuteness like this should be preserved,” Dot posed in her big pink dress.

“I’ll think about it,” Yakko snickered, before moving to one that was much bigger than the others. Tilting his head, he pulled off the heavy cloth and took a step back as a layer of dust got into the air. After coughing and clearing the air, he looked at it and his body froze.

“Woah, so realistic,” Wakko remarked, wanting to touch it.

“Who are those people?” Dot tilted her head.

“Th-thats... th-that’s them,” Yakko said, unable to take his eyes off of it.

It was a portrait of them, their whole family. It had been done a few weeks before the attack, and Yakko had never gotten to see the final product. But here it was- and it was so... so lifelike. Yakko wanted to reach out to it and touch it, hoping that he could feel his mother’s soft gloves and or his father’s fur cape.

“Them?” Dot looked up at him. Yakko gulped hard.

“M-mom and Dad,” he struggled to say.

“Why are you shaking?” Dot asked. Yakko paused. He hadn’t noticed he was.

“S-sorry sibs... it’s just... It’s really, really lifelike,” Yakko shook his head, trying to force himself out of the trance. “I can’t believe it survived. There’s no way any portraits of them should’ve made it. Most of them were burned or torn to pieces.”

“Wow... that’s what they looked like?” Dot asked, looking at it closer. Wakko nodded.

“I only have one or two memories of Mum and Dad, but that’s them alright,” Wakko smiled a little, and Yakko wrapped an arm around him, before feeling himself start to shake again.

“Oh god- what am I doing?” Yakko let go and took a step away from Wakko. His sibs looked back at him, equal parts concerned and confused.

“I-i should be happy to see that a painting of them survived. I-i... I’ve missed seeing their faces a lot. B-but here I am, shaking like some idiot,” Yakko ran his fingers through his hair. He tried to gain control of his breath as he looked in the eyes of his parents in the painting, and felt another wave of emotions go down his spine.

“I-i just... seeing them again, I-i...” Yakko tried to analyze his feelings, but it was proving to be very difficult.

“It’s hard?” Wakko suggested. Yakko nodded slightly.

“Y-yeah...” He sighed. “They just... they look so... regal. In control. They always knew what they were doing. They knew just how to protect us. No matter what happened, they had a plan to keep us safe, even if that ended up costing them,” He said, crossing his arms, as he felt guilt crawl into his throat and his eyes begin to fill with tears.

“I just... I don’t think I’ll ever be able to match up to them,” He admitted, feeling a rogue tear escape.

“God, I’m turning into such a cry baby,” Yakko muttered and wiped his eyes.

“There’s no shame in crying, Yakko,” Dot frowned. “You should know that. You’ve told me all the time.”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Wakko said, stepping closer, clearly wanting to hug him.

“Of course you two would say that,” Yakko sniffled, laughing a little.

“Of course we would, we love you,” Wakko said, running to hug him. “And I know Mum and Dad loved you too.”

“I-I’m sure if they were around, they’d be proud Yakko. I mean- look at you. Somehow, you kept me and Wakko alive in Acme Falls for six years, and you’ve kept us safe and gave us food and protection, all while putting on a brave face to keep us happy,” Dot pointed out, joining the hug. “That’s incredibly brave and regal, if you asked me.”

Yakko patted her head softly. “Thanks sis.” Dot just smiled in return. Taking in a deep breath, Yakko tried to regain his composure.

“You know... I’m really lucky to have you two,” Yakko said, and he meant it. He couldn’t imagine how his life would be if he didn’t have Dot or Wakko with him, especially right in this moment.

“Really?” Wakko asked, his tongue now sticking out, as it so often did.

“Of course,” Yakko ruffled his fur. “You two are honestly the best siblings and co-rulers a prince such as myself could ask for,” Yakko smiled.

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Dot winked at him. Yakko snorted.

“Seriously though, I couldn’t imagine doing this without you guys. You guys are probably the only thing keeping me sane right now,” He said, only half joking.

“It’s okay Yakko, we aren’t going anywhere,” Wakko laughed a little.

“Yeah! We’re a team, we all agreed on that. You’re never gonna have to worry about being alone ever again,” Dot said with a big smile.

“Good,” He said, hugging the two of them a little bit closer as he wiped away another tear. With a breath, he looked at his watch and gasped.

“Brain is gonna kill us if we’re late, we have to hurry. It’s almost time,” Yakko said, and Wakko and Dot nodded.

“You gonna be okay?” Wakko asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” He nodded. “I got the best team ever. And if all else fails, I’ll improvise a little, that’s always worked out, right?” He said, in reference to the speech he was going to have to make to the kingom. He had written cue cards, but in all honesty he thought those ideas were garbage and he’d figure it out when he got there, which was probably a terrible idea, but if he could improvise a way to keep the three of them from being killed by Salazar, he could probably improvise an acceptance speech to the kingdom.

“We believe in you,” Wakko and Dot gave him big thumbs up.

“You two are dorks. Go finish getting ready, I’ll be there in a minute,” Yakko said. Wakko and Dot nodded, scurrying off to get some final touches done (mostly redoing their hair since they had just spent goodness knew how long running around).

Once they disappeared, Yakko sighed and turned back to the portrait.

“H-hi Mom... Hi Dad,” He gulped.

“I-it’s me. Yakko. I-i don’t know if you recognize me, it’s been a while since you’ve seen me,” He said, cringing at how stupid he must’ve sounded. Still, he felt... better talking to them, so he continued.

“I-i just want to say... thanks. For everything. You’ve left some really big shoes to fill- well... not shoes exactly, we’ve never really worn shoes, but... you know,” He joked.

“And I just... thanks for giving me Wakko and Dot. Seriously. If you were still here, you’d be so proud of them, I just know it,” He said.

“I wasn’t kidding earlier: I really don’t know if I could’ve made it this far without them... They’re so much like you two in so many ways, you’d be surprised. Dot as your kindness and your strength, while Wakko has your optimism and your courage...” Yakko smiled weakly.

“I guess despite everything, we did turn out okay,“ He said, feeling a wave of comfort and relaxation wash over him.

Despite all the hell they had been through, they were okay, and right where they were always supposed to be.

Yakko had done a good job after all. He truly had kept his promise to his mother. He had protected and watched over them and kept them safe and sound.

“Yakko! Brain said to come and get you before he kills you!” Wakko called from the other end of the hall.

“Be right there!” He replied, before returning to the painting.

“I miss you a lot... but it’s okay now. I’m okay,” He said.

“I have my sibs, and no one is ever going to separate us ever again. Not even death itself.”

Yakko took a deep breath and smiled. “I have to go now... but I’m sure I’ll be back. I just gotta go rule a kingdom, I’m sure you understand,” He joked, before shaking his head. He waved goodbye to the painting and ran to go join his siblings at the tower where the balcony where they were going to give their speech was.

“You two ready?” Yakko asked, adjusting his cape.

“Born ready,” Dot gave a toothy grin. Yakko snorted.

“Ready to go when you are Yakko,” Wakko grinned as well.

“Are you ready Yakko?” Brain asked.

“With a team like this? Of course,” Yakko nodded at the mouse. Brain accepted the corny response, nodding at a guard, who them opened the doors wide.

Yakko then held Wakko and Dot’s hands and gave them a tight squeeze, before together, they stepped out into the rest of their lives, secure in the fact that no matter what life threw at them next, they’d always have each other.

Always.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

#animaniacs #yakko wakko and dot #my fics #wakkos wish #angst #family feels #fluff #yakko warner #wakko warner #dot warner #Wakko's Wish collection #long post #jeez this one took forever to write #like- wowza #im exhausted #hopefully its good tho

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a-singleboat · 4 years

Text

I Need A Hero

Word Count: 4.5k

Request: i am formally requesting an emily fic 😌 i dont want to be needy but em being lowkey but then super protective of you 🥵 angst with a happy ending would be amazing - anon

A/N: Let me know what you think! This is my first emily x reader so :D

Content Warnings: Blood, Reader getting hurt, Reader getting assaulted, kidnapping, swearing, alcohol, drugs

You should have listened to Emily. You really should have listened to her.

Emily was always just a tad bit overprotective of you, sometimes going as far as to asking you to wear a GPS device to clubs especially if she wasn’t going with you. You understood, of course. With her past and her current job, she had to make sure all her bases were covered. You were just one of them.

Though you rarely agreed to the GPS deceive, it was still flattering that she thought of you as important enough to keep track of. Usually, you’d just stick to texting her to let her know where you were. That was good enough for her.

But when she told you to stay home today, you thought that was her just being overly cautious, overly protective, as usual. You should have known better.

Turns out a serial killer with an affinity for women visibly similar to yourself was on the loose, details kept from the public due to the fact that the man was a flight risk. That being, it was painfully obvious why the “unsub,” to use Emily’s terminology, was a flight risk.

He flinched at every sound. At first, you tried to call out for someone--anyone. Well, that gained you a bloody gash on the side of your head. You didn’t make that mistake twice. Instead, you tried to remain calm and complacent--two things that Emily once said would ensure that you’d survive in a situation like this.

“Annie,” the man, Stephen, crooned. He picked up a doll from the table of toys and brought it over to you. From what you could tell, the doll was dirty and half-rotted away, as if it had been buried for a good while. He pressed it up to your face, the side coated in blood, and cooed at you. “Annie, I have Mrs. Buttercup here. Don’t cry, she’ll make it all better.”

You tried not to wince away as he rubbed the doll against your face. If Stephen wasn’t going to kill you, infection just might.

“Th-thank you, Mrs. Buttercup,” you whimpered, hands grasping the end of the armrests. The chair rocked backward as he put pressure on the doll, forcing you backward. You panicked as your feet left the ground, struggling to at least get a toe back on the solid concrete.

God, you should have listened to Emily. If you were going to die, you’d spend the rest of your immortal life regretting the choice you made to leave the house today.

Stephen looked into your eyes, searching for something. You knew all he’d find was fear so you tried your best to wrestle down your emotions. You held back the tears threatening to spill, holding your breath as he leaned in closer.

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” he pressed a kiss to your cheek, the one not wet with your blood. You grimaced at the feeling of his chapped lips against your skin. “I-I didn’t mean to earlier, Annie. You were just being so loud and… you understand, right?”

You nodded, lip quivering as he brought the doll to your chin, tilting your head upward. He forced you to look at him, smearing blood along your jawline as he did.

After a few moments of deliberation, he let you go, the rocking chair swaying back and forth until it settled back into a resting position. “You must be hungry,” he decided, dropping Mrs. Buttercup back into the piles of toys. “I’ll go make you your favorite.”

He flinched as a loud sound came from outside--a car alarm going off. The sound made you relax, however. The sound of a car alarm meant you weren’t in an abandoned factory somewhere. You were most likely in this guy’s basement, or something similar.

Stephen gripped the sides of his head as the alarm continued, only letting go when the alarm finally shut off. He collected himself, fists clenching before relaxing at his sides. His smile returned though you can only really see his teeth in the low light.

“I’ll be back, Annie,” he said, waving at you. “Don’t move.”

The last two words were more threatening than anything he’d actually done, true menace seeping into his voice like a poison. You waited for him to disappear around the corner before allowing yourself to cry, a few tears rolling down your cheeks and mixing with the blood.

You gasped for air, struggling to keep your breathing steady. It wouldn’t do you any good to hyperventilate now. You looked around for something--anything--that could possibly be used to alert someone that you were down here.

God, how long had it been? You lost count after the first thirty minutes. There were no windows so you couldn’t even tell if it was still day. Emily was probably freaking out by now. No doubt she had somehow gotten the entire United States Military involved by now, your safety being the only thing on her mind.

Another ten or so minutes passed without Stephen. You wondered how the other victims had died. Blood loss seemed to be the only thing on your mind, unsure if your head wound had clotted yet. All you could feel was the wet of your own bodily fluid on the side of your face, which didn’t help much. Everything else just seemed numb.

Your head lolled to the side as you heard footsteps approach, unable to lift your head as flashlights combed the ground. You barely reacted as the door got kicked in, eyelids closing as two blurry figures approached you. One of the figures shouted something behind them while the other came to you, patting your face lightly in an attempt to get you to stay awake.

Unable to remain conscious, you allowed sleep to claim you as the person above you shouted more words, all unintelligible as your consciousness faded from reality.

_____

Emily never did like hospitals.

Ever since her “death,” she tried to avoid them as much as possible but now, for you, she would make an exception. She waited in the waiting room alongside her teammates. None of them knew you personally, but they all knew about you. From the stories Emily would tell to the snippets of various phone conversations they accidentally overheard, they could tell that you were something good for their Unit Chief.

She propped her elbows up on her legs, holding her head up as she struggled to stay away. You hadn’t needed surgery but had lost a lot of blood as well as suffered major trauma. The doctors weren’t allowing anyone in as they observed you for any possible signs of infection as well as any withdrawal symptoms from the drugs the unsub had used to knock you out. It was all very dramatic, the extent of your actual injuries being minimal compared to what could have happened.

“Stop worrying.” Morgan reached over, putting a hand on her knee. She hadn’t even realized she’d been bouncing it up and down, too worried about how you were doing. It had been a few hours at that point, nurses going in and out of your room but none of them saying anything about your state of being.

“She’s fine. You know this. Everything they’re doing is just precautionary,” Morgan continued. He patted her knee twice, lifting his hand to point at a white-coated doctor exiting your room. “Look, the doctor’s here now. He’ll tell you that everything’s okay.”

“Y/n Y/l/n?”

Emily stood, smoothing out her blazer. “That’s me. I’m Emily Prentiss, her fiancée.”

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt, especially not when it would get her the answers she needed.

“Well, Ms. Prentiss, Y/n is expected to make a full recovery. The trauma to her head won’t have any lasting effects. She has some bruising on her side, we think from being dropped. We want to keep her overnight to watch for infection and, of course, the withdrawal effects from the xylazine. You may see her now but you won’t be able to stay overnight with her.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Emily said, shaking the man’s hand before he departed. She turned around to face her friends. “You guys can go home, I’ll call a cab back home later. Thank you for being here for me.”

Morgan gave her an incredulous look, standing from his seat. “Emily, if you think we’re just going to leave you then you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Yeah,” Garcia piped up. “We’ll be right here for you. None of us are leaving.”

“You would do the same for any of us,” Reid backed her up.

Now Emily wasn’t one for tears but upon hearing the support she got from her friends, she could feel herself starting to tear up. She took a stabilizing breath, thanking them before turning to head into your hospital room.

It was quiet. That was the first thing she noticed. Instead of your infectious laugh filling the void space, it was the steady beeping of the machine connected to your finger, ensuring that you still had a heartbeat. It broke Emily’s heart to see you like this, bloodied and bruised.

She dragged one of the hospital chairs over to your bedside, hesitating before taking your hand up in hers. It was all her fault that you were here. If her job was less dangerous, you’d have still been in your hometown rather than following her all the way to Quantico, Virginia. You probably would have already been married with five adoptive children like you always wanted.

Instead, you're here. In a hospital in Washington DC recovering from being kidnapped by a psycho that Emily most likely unknowingly brought back to your home. If you didn’t hate her after this, she’d consider it a miracle.

_____

The first thing you saw when you came to was Emily’s face full of worry, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration as she thought long and hard. Your hand was in hers, still limp as you slowly regained feeling in your extremities.

Very gently, you squeezed her hand, letting her know you were awake.

“Hi baby,” you whispered, your throat a bit scratchy from the lack of lubrication. As if reading your mind, she handed you a cup of water off the hospital bedside table. You took a few sips, keeping your eyes on your girlfriend as she looked deep in thought.

You set the water aside, groaning as you realized your entire side was sore. You couldn’t remember if you hit it against something. From what you knew, the only injury you suffered was your head wound, which was newly wrapped.

You looked her up and down, squeezing her hand slightly to gain her attention. “What’s on your mind, baby?”

Emily bit her lip, carefully picking her next words. “Y/n… I think we should take a break.”

This came out of nowhere. Her words slammed into you harder than a football quarterback would have, stealing all the breath from your lungs as you processed her words.

“What?”

“We should take a break. It’s just--I put you in more danger than you asked for and you don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve not knowing when or if I’ll come home. You don’t deserve me dropping plans for a case or forgetting your birthday because I’m working. You deserve someone who can be there and I’m sorry, but I’m not that. I-I don’t deserve you.”

“What? Emily, no. First off, you don’t get to decide what I do and don’t deserve. Second, none of this was any of your fault. I knew what your job was from the very beginning and I chose to stay because I wanted to. So what if you forget my birthday, there’s always next year and so what if you cancel plans, we’ll just make new ones. Emily, please don’t--” Tears pearled in the corners of your eyes as your voice caught in your throat. “Baby, where did this come from?”

She shrugged, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. She let go of your hand, pulling away even as you tried to keep her there. “I’ll see you around, Y/n.”

You couldn’t do anything as she walked out. You called for her, hands shaking as you tried to think of something--anything to say to her as she left your life. The worst part wasn’t even her leaving, you later decided. The worst part was that Emily Prentiss didn’t even bother turning around for one last look. She just left you with your broken heart scattered about the room, leaving you to pick up your own pieces.

_____

You wanted to hate Emily Prentiss. You really did.

The way she just left you leaving you numb until you were forced to feel everything as you underwent twenty-four hours of withdrawal. Xylazine wasn’t something to mess with, you knew that even before you have been drugged with it. But now, two months after you and Emily split paths, you stayed in Virginia.

Why would you move? You’d already built up a life in the state. All your friends were there and so was your job, which you had grown to love despite the overbearing mother that neighbored workspaces with you.

You knew Nancy meant well, that she just wanted to make sure you were adjusting to work well after you’d been kidnapped, but sometimes you just wanted the woman to take a long walk away from you and never return. Right now was one of those times.

“It’s been two months,” Nancy said, looking up from her computer screen. She had been finalizing her schedule for that week, boxing off the times she needed so she could go visit her son in college. “You need to move on with your life. Find yourself another girlfriend or at least go out with your friends. I hate seeing you all mopey like this.”

Nancy had a point. You did need to make an effort to go out, to go back to “normalcy” or whatever. Even your therapist was pushing you to socialize, saying that it could help you get over the recurring nightmares.

“I don’t want to go out tonight, Nancy,” you replied, trying to focus on the work in front of you. The numbers were starting to blur together but you persevered. You didn’t have much longer until the end of work. As soon as you finished the spreadsheet on the screen in front of you, you were home free.

“At least try, Y/n,” Nancy insisted. “Call up some of your friends, hit the club. Even if you don’t drink, at least try to have fun again.”

“But I have fun talking to you. Why do I need to go have more fun.”

Nancy wasn’t taking any of your shit. She packed away her things, powering down her computer. She lowered her standing desk and pulled her purse over her shoulder. “Hopefully you’ll be telling me all about your night out when I see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Y/n.”

Grumpily, you replied, “Good night, Nancy.”

You stayed at the office thirty minutes more and after a solid five-minute debate with yourself, you gave in and called up your friends. Lyndsey and Brenna both said they’d be down while Brent replied with utter regret, saying he had been roped into working the night shift.

And so you drove to Lyndsey’s to get ready, agreeing to be the DD seeing as you didn’t exactly want to get pissed drunk--especially not with Emily still on your mind.

You drove the three of you to the nearest club, showing your IDs to the bouncer and entering without a problem.

“I’m gonna get us shots,” Brenna shouted over the music, disappearing a moment later. You and Lyndsey stumbled over to a table, claiming it for the three of you as the music seemed to grow louder.

Brenna pushed through the crowd to get back to the two of you, two shots balanced in one hand with another in her other. “Y/n, I know you said you weren’t drinking but one drink can’t hurt.”

“Yeah, Y/n,” Lyndsey ganged up on you. She took the two shots from Brenna, holding the second one out to you. “Besides, Brenna already paid for it so you have to.”

You rolled your eyes goodnaturedly, giving in to their peer pressure. You figured you were already out, what was one shot gonna do? You took up the little glass, counting down with your friends before knocking back the alcohol. You made a face at the taste, coughing a little as it burned a trail down past your lungs.

“Let’s dance!” Brenna cheered, pulling both of you out onto the dance floor. Laughing, you allowed her to drag you along. She pulled you both on either side of her, jumping up and down as the music pounded into your eardrums, the rhythmic beat coursing through your body.

I made a promise to you, to never let you go.

You swayed to the music, holding onto Lyndsey’s hands as she sang along. She twirled you around, causing you to giggle. Brenna serenaded you from behind, grabbing your hips and making you sway.

But now I see you're moving on and I'm still all alone, oh oh.

From across the club, your eyes connected with a familiar pair. Emily Prentiss stared you down. Around her were her work friends, all drinking their cares away. None of them realized that you were there.

Every time I say I'm happy for you I just lie, oh oh. I made a promise to you and I'm still holding on, oh oh.

You forced yourself to look away, suddenly not in the mood to be dancing. Still, you forced a smile, sticking it out for the rest of the song. As All Mine faded into the next song, you excused yourself for water. Not thinking much of it, they let you go, continuing to dance with each other.

You stumbled off the floor, accidentally bumping into a guy who looked like a frat boy from one of the colleges in the area.

“Sorry,” you apologized, stepping away. Instead of going back to clubbing on his own, he grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him.

“No need to be sorry, baby,” he drunkenly slurred, hands already moving down your body. “I’m Chad. What’s your name, princess?’

“None of your business,” you spat, trying to break free of his grip. Your attempts were futile, however, his grip tightening instead of loosening like you wanted it to. Memories of your abduction flashed through your mind as he placed a sloppy kiss on your cheek, the feeling of Stephen’s chapped lips pressed against the same cheek causing you to freeze up.

“Please let go,” you whimpered, though your pleas were drowned out by the music. Tears started to fall as he kissed down your neck, your body frozen as he took advantage of you.

It seemed you had an angel on your side that night because Chad was ripped off you not even a moment later, your savior having torn him off your body and thrown him back a good few inches.

“Get the fuck away from her,” Emily said, placing herself between you and your assailant.

Chad squared up to Emily, cocking his head sideways as if to intimidate her. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Emily whipped out her badge, shoving it into the poor fool’s face. “FBI,” she said with authority. “Now scram.”

Chad paled at the badge, most likely never having had a run-in with law enforcement before. He scrambled backward, almost knocking over a dancing couple before disappearing back into the crowd.

Emily turned back around to face you, tucking her ID back in her pocket.

“Are you okay?” she asked you with a gentleness you could almost mistake with care. You scoffed. You weren’t going to fall for that again.

“What the fuck, Emily?” you raged. “You think you can just swoop in and save the day. Newsflash, I don’t need you. I don’t need your help and I most certainly don’t need your pity. You can take your false care and shove it.”

You stormed off, not even letting her respond. You went to find your friends, who had both migrated to the bar.

“We need to leave,” you said, your voice thick with tears. You probably looked like a mess, tears streaking down your face and your body still shaking. You didn’t know if it was anger or fear.

Lyndsey must have sensed something happened because she jumped to your side the second the words came out of your mouth, urging Brenna to finish her drink so that the three of you could leave. You made your way out of the club, collapsing into the side of the building as the tears started to pour.

“What happened?” Lyndsey demanded, yanking a pack of travel tissues from her clutch and handing you one. You dabbed under your eyes, trying to salvage whatever makeup you had put on that night.

“I saw Emily,” you blubbered, accepting another tissue from your friend. “And I said something terrible. Oh, my God. She probably hates me now!”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Brenna comforted you, rubbing circles into your back. “But didn’t she break up with you? Baby girl, you don’t need her.”

You were quiet. You didn’t need Emily, but God did you want her. Not a moment went by that you didn’t miss her. She was everywhere. In the dress that you kept in the back of the closet to the little clay tray that the two of you bought together that held your keys. She was everywhere.

“I just miss her,” you muttered, sniffling a bit as you calmed down. You felt ridiculous crying over a woman who made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with you.

“Well, you could always talk to her,” Brenna suggested, her hand leaving your back. She pointed to the side where Emily was exiting the club, looking around for something… or rather, someone.

At that moment, she noticed the three of you crouched by the wall. She hurried over, Lyndsey and Brenna getting up to form a protective barrier in front of you.

“Lyndsey, Brenna,” she greeted your friends. “Can I please talk to Y/n?”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea right now,” Lyndsey said, her voice stern. You almost laughed at the thought of Lyndsey using her teacher's voice on Emily. You crumbled the used napkins in your hand, shoving it into your pocket as you collected yourself off the ground.

You put your hand on Lyndsey’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” you said quietly. “We can talk.”

“Are you sure?” Lyndsey’s brows knit together, concern showing quite obviously on her face. You nodded, handing her the car keys. “You guys can go wait in the car. I won’t be long, I promise.”

Lyndsey looked between you and Emily cautiously.

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, “I’ll make sure she gets back to you safely.”

With one last look, Lyndsey took the keys and disappeared off to the car with Brenna not too far behind. Brenna turned around last minute, doing the ‘I’m watching you’ movement in Emily’s direction.

The two of you stood together in silence, unsure of what the first move should be. You bit your lower lip, rocking back onto your heels nervously as Emily didn’t meet your eye.

“I’m sorry,” both of you said at the same time, awkwardly laughing as you realized what had just happened. You pulled at your fingers, a nervous tic you had developed after your abduction.

“I’m sorry,” you repeated. You looked up at her. “I’m sorry I went off on you back there. You didn’t deserve any of that, you were just trying to help.”

Emily shook her head. “No, you don’t have to apologize for anything. If anyone owes an apology, it’s me. I shouldn’t have done anything. You don’t deserve that and you don’t deserve any of what I put you through.”

You swallowed harshly. “It’s okay.”

“It’s really not,” Emily said, chuckling as a way to diffuse some of the tension. “I’m a terrible person for what I did to you. I knew exactly what you had just gone through and I still went through with it. I made the choice for you without you even having a say and I regret that.”

“No,” you shook your head. “You’re not a terrible person. Emily, for the past two months I have done nothing but miss you. My goddamn therapist even suggested I reach out to you despite what you did. Breaking up with me while I was in the hospital was a shitty move, I’ll agree, but it doesn’t make you a terrible person. I promise.”

“You miss me?” Emily asked, her voice small. It was a change from her normal confidence. Her vulnerability and insecurity showed through her normally strong front. You couldn’t help but smile at her, taking a step closer to her.

You hesitated before taking her hand in your own. You brought a hand to her face, caressing her smooth features.

“I did--do miss you,” you admitted. “And before you ask anything else, I forgave you a long time ago.”

Emily’s head dropped against your hand, her eyes closing in an attempt to block out the tears that threatened to fall.

“I don’t deserve you,” she muttered.

You ran a thumb over her cheekbone, memorizing her features. “Bullshit,” you said, your voice low. You pulled her closer, standing on your toes so that your lips could meet. It was slow and passionate as you tried to convey all the emotions you felt for her through that simple action. Your arms looped around her neck as she reacted, pulling you in closer by the waist.

The kiss turned desperate as Emily tried to make up for the last time, tears rolling down your face as you realized everything into the abyss. You felt yourself relax into Emily, pulling away as you sobbed.

She put her hand under your chin gently, lifting your face so that your eyes met hers.

“Why are you crying, baby?” she asked, her voice a whisper. She kissed underneath your eyes, most likely tasting the salt of your tears. You couldn’t help it, the tears weren’t stopping.

“I just really missed you,” you admitted, wiping the tears away with the heel of your hand. Emily took your hand in hers, bringing them up to her mouth so she could place a kiss on your knuckles. It was the same gesture she had made two months ago before she broke up with you but this time, the message that came with them was different.

“If you give me another chance, I promise I won’t screw it up,” she said, running her thumb over your knuckles.” I-I promise I’ll work harder on being the woman you deserve.”

You hummed, resting your head on her chest as she drew her arms around you, protecting you from the world and all the evils within it.

“You already are.”

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@beautiful-holland @toms-order @starlightfound @lemirabitur @grandmascottlang @positiveparker @bippity-boppity-boopa @caswinchester2000

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honey-dewey · 4 years

Text

Little Leather Boots Snippets

Pairing: Shane ‘Dio’ Morrissey/Reader

Word Count: 1,743

Warnings: Hospitals, mentions of surgery and c-section, sappy Dio, happy tears.

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

Based off my previous Dio/Reader one shot, Little Leather Boots. An anon asked me if I could write more for this story, specifically Dio’s first moments with baby Athena in the NICU. I live to please, so here we are! Told from Dio’s perspective, these are the four months between Athena’s birth and her going home.

-24 hours post Athena-

Life felt lopsided. That was the only way Dio could explain it. He’d been sitting here, by your side as you mostly slept, for 24 hours. The nurses had taken Athena to the NICU a few hours ago, and Dio had been tempted to follow. But one very sweet nurse reassured him that she’d be okay, and that he should stay with you.

Dio sighed, trying to wrap his head around it all. He was a father. An actual father. Like, to a baby. A little girl, no less. He was euphoric. He was terrified. Athena was tiny, just barely bigger than his hand. She was so fragile, so breakable. And yet, one of the nurses had called her a fighter. A fighter. His tiny newborn, already fighting for her life.

“Dio?”

He looked up, seeing your eyes blink open. You were on general painkillers, but the epidural had worn off already. Dio had never had major surgery, but he had expected you to be weak after the birth. He carefully helped you sit up, wincing as you whined. “Does it hurt?”

“Stupid question,” you pointed out, now sitting up properly. “I feel like I was run over by a bus.”

Dio smiled, kissing your forehead. “You just had surgery,” he murmured. “I’m proud of you for being so strong.”

You sighed, leaning back against the pillows. “How’s Athena?”

“Nurses took her to the NICU,” Dio said. “Said she’s already a tiny little fighter, just like her mom.”

He watched your eyes flutter again. You’d been up and down, mostly sleeping off the surgery. “Hey,” he said softly, squeezing your hand. “Stay with me babe, I haven’t told you the fun part yet.”

“Fun part?”

“My mom texted me,” Dio said, pulling out his phone. “Apparently, Athena looks just like me.”

He showed you the tiny baby photos, and you laughed. “Aww, look at baby Dio.”

Dio grinned, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “Get some rest babe. I’m gonna head home to sleep myself. You want anything from the apartment?”

“Can you bring me Athena’s blanket?” You asked. “And one of your shirts.”

Chuckling, Dio gave you one last fleeting kiss and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

-One week post Athena-

Dio put a steady arm around your middle, supporting you as you walked slowly through the hospital. You’d recovered well, and the surgery scar was thankfully no longer severely bruised. It still, obviously, hurt like hell, but you were walking with assistance and eating on your own, and it was finally time to visit your baby.

The NICU doors opened thanks to a nurse Dio now knew was named Mack, and they smiled as they led you and Dio to Athena.

“She’s doing really well,” they said, gesturing to Athena. “Getting stronger by the day.”

Dio stared down into the incubator. Athena was still covered in wires, tubes, and patches, but she was absolutely gorgeous. “Can we touch her?”

Mack shook their head. “She’s still too fragile,” they explained. “You can sing to her or talk to her, because she can hear you, but touching is still iffy. In a few weeks, once some of the tubes aren’t required, you can absolutely touch her.”

Two chairs were pulled up, and you and Dio sat down. He pressed a hand to the incubator glass, smiling at Athena. “Hey honey. It’s your dad.”

Athena didn’t respond, but Dio kept going. “I’ve got your momma here too. We’re so proud of you.”

You looped your arm with Dio’s, resting your head on his shoulder. “Sing her that Elton John song you love,” you said in a tired murmur.

Dio nodded, scooting closer to the incubator and softly beginning to sing Crocodile Rock. He’d been singing it to you all week, and now, he sang it to his daughter.

-one month post Athena-

To say Dio was excited to have you home was just a mild exaggeration. He was over the moon as you went home with him, Athena still in the NICU. The nurses, who Dio now knew all by name, assured him that they’d call with updates whenever they could.

You hummed uncomfortably, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom as you headed in to brush your teeth. Dio sighed, looking up at you. “Need help?”

“Just a headache,” you grumbled, hauling yourself onto the countertop in the bathroom and letting out a breath. “Long ass day.”

Dio chuckled. “It was,” he agreed. “But you’re home now! And in a few months, so will Athena, and then our beautiful family will be complete.” As he finished, he kissed you, savoring in the feel of your lips on his. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you said softly, falling against the safety of Dio’s chest. “But no more babies, okay? One’s enough.”

Dio smiled, resting his cheek on your head. “Y’know what? I agree.”

-two months post Athena-

Dio’s heart pounded. Today was the day. The day he met his daughter. The day he held her.

The NICU nurse on duty, Zenix, led them to Athena. They’d been visiting every few days, whenever they could, but this was different. No more excessive tubes and wires, no more nerves when Athena began showing signs of having jaundice, no more worrying she would take a turn for the worse. Everything would be okay now.

“Ready?” Zenix asked, and Dio looked at him, almost shocked.

“What?”

Zenix grinned. “To hold her, are you ready?”

Dio’s stomach flipped. She was still so tiny, so breakable. But he knew she was strong. She’s survived this far, she was a fighter. “Yeah.”

As Zenix lifted Athena out of her bed, Dio took his jacket off, leaving him in the softest shirt he owned, an old Fleetwood Mac shirt. He’d abandoned any and all jewelry today, nervous that any little thing could hurt Athena.

“Alright,” Zenix instructed, holding Athena out. “Here she comes.”

Suddenly, Dio was holding Athena. It was such a quick change that he didn’t even have time to register it as Zenix placed her in his arms and began to slowly adjust him so he was holding her properly.

Athena waved her arms, curling towards the source of heat that was Dio’s chest. He bent inwards, bowing his head to her and lifting her up a bit. Her eyes, which had remained stubbornly closed until now, cracked open, and Dio almost started to cry. She had his eyes. Big and deep and brown, she looked up at him and gurgled.

“Babe,” you said, and Dio turned to you. You were holding your phone up, smiling. “Say cheese.”

Dio grinned, angling Athena as best he could. She made a noise, spitting all over herself.

“She’s hungry,” Zenix said, grabbing a bottle and filling it with formula. “Wanna feed her?”

Dio looked at you, raising his eyebrows. “You wanna do it?”

You shook your head. “You do it Dio. I can feed her tomorrow.”

Zenix came back with a bottle, instructing Dio through feeding Athena. It was a messy process, during which Dio got various fluids on his shirt and you laughed when he chastised Athena for spitting up on him as if she could control it.

“Nap time,” Dio sang lightly, laying Athena back in her bed and gratefully taking a wipe from Zenix to clean his shirt off. “Let’s see what the jukebox is playing tonight. Hmm, Crocodile Rock or Tiny Dancer?”

Athena wiggled a bit, and Dio took that as an answer. “Crocodile Rock it is.”

-two and a half months post Athena-

“Hold me closer, Tiny Dancer. Count the headlights on the highway,” Dio sang softly, sitting in a rocking chair, slowly singing Athena to sleep. She remained stubbornly awake, blinking up at him with those irresistible brown eyes. Was this how you felt whenever he gave you puppy eyes? All mushy inside?

Athena gurgled, waving one chubby fist in the air, and Dio grinned. Adjusting her so she lay in one arm, he put his other hand across her belly, very gently. Athena blew a raspberry, moving her fist to lay on his hand and uncurling her fingers to wrap them securely around one of his.

Yet again, Dio was moved to tears. Her hands were so small and his were so big, her tiny little fingers unable to fully wrap around his index finger. He gestured you close with his head.

“What?” You asked, looking down and immediately Aww-ing. “Look at you!” She said to Athena, poking her nose. “Holding daddy’s hand!”

Dio smiled. “If it’ll get her to sleep, she can hold my hand all night.”

-four months post Athena-

Dio waved to the NICU nurses, almost regretful that this would be the last time they saw each other. They waved back, giving you, Dio, and Athena a proper goodbye.

“Can I carry her into the apartment?” Dio asked eagerly, getting into the car and watching you strap Athena into her car seat.

“Sure,” you said, getting into the car yourself. “I am taking the biggest nap when we get home.”

Dio chuckled. “You do that. I’ve got Athena.”

The drive home was fast, and before Dio knew it, he was carrying Athena into the apartment. Everyone was there, your parents, his mom, Raven. They all cheered as he came through the door, his sleeping daughter in his arms.

For hours, everyone talked, sitting in the living room. Athena was passed around, and kissed, but ended up back in Dio’s arms in the end.

“She’s gonna be a total daddy’s girl,” Dio’s mother said. “Sorry hon, but that’s Shane’s baby.”

“I know,” you said with a grin. “He’s gonna be a great dad.”

That night, Dio gave Athena a sleepy apartment tour while you brushed your teeth.

“And this is your room,” Dio said, nudging open the nursery door. “Isn’t it pretty?”

Athena didn’t respond, asleep in Dio’s arms.

“Hey, don’t tell your momma, but there’s a ring in my pocket for her,” Dio admitted. “Figured now that you were home, we should make it official.”

Again, Athena remained silent.

“Yeah, I agree,” Dio said, sitting in the rocking chair and sighing, a deep joy settling over his bones. “I’m happy she’s here too.”

He bent down, kissing Athena’s forehead and feeling her take a breath. “I love you. More than the moon and the sun and every star in the sky. I love you.”

#nypd blue #shane 'dio' morrissey #dio morrissey #dio morrissey x reader #dio morrissey x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing

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optimistic-dinosaur-nacho · 4 years

Text

“Accident” [2] - Requested

Andy Barber x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: Language Summary: After Laurie had almost killed Andy’s two kids, you were safe to take home. Laurie needed to be in the hospital for a couple more days. And Andy needed you to understand the situation and help you understand that the crash was an accident.

A friendly anon asked for a part 2, might’ve sucked but I don’t know.

~~~

It had only been a few days since the accident had happened. You didn’t bother to see Laurie. You lied to your father that Laurie did visit your room and that she read you a book. But you insisted toward your nurse to not let Laurie in. It was a strange decision that the nurse had heard from a kid.

Not wanting to see their mother after a horrible crash. They managed to have you wear a knee brace. They used bars to help you stand. Even Andy would come and help you with it.

“Go slow, sweetheart,” You hear him say, you had your hands up balancing yourself on your feet. Using your good leg to take the first step, your bad knee came up and you took another step.

Andy noticed you wobble and he caught you once you almost dropped. Your hands grab onto his forearm, holding yourself up. You let out a huff of frustration, “I can’t do it...” Andy softly grins, “You can. I know you can. They said it will take time.”

He reaches up and brushes your hair, “Let me get you on your bed.” He helped you over to the bed. Physical therapy was the only help you could get. After they had you in for a knee replacement, the only thing you could do was exercises. And Andy was there to help.

You’d be lying if he didn’t spend almost 5 hours with you. Longer than he had with Jacob and Laurie. Jacob was still in his coma but they said he was giving good signs. That made you happy but you were sure he won’t remember what happened.

He sits down beside you and he watched. They told you to work your ankle and do a lot of bending the knee. You tilt your ankle forward and lifted it back up, you tried rolling it a couple times. After a few more minutes of doing the small exercises on the chair, your nurse came in and began to check on you.

Andy then wanted to take you around the hospital to walk around a much bigger area.

So, he held his forearm out to you if you needed to grab his arm if you ever wobble. After a while, you started to walk a bit much better and Andy thought to take you to Jacob.

You stood at the door, seeing Jacob’s bed and the weird machines surrounding him. Andy pulls out a chair for you and sat you down. “You okay?” He asked, you nodded at him and looked over to Jacob. Andy noticed you reach for Jacob’s hand and held it in yours.

He heard you say, “I’m sorry.” Andy couldn’t know the truth from Laurie. Neal even thought it that Laurie called Dr. Vogel and Joanna under pressure and did it on purpose.

He didn’t want to believe Laurie would do such a thing. Was it out of fear? Hate? Sadness? If it was Jacob she only worried about, why would she bring down you with them?

He watched as you hung your head and pulled your hand away. He watched her stand up, “Hey, easy...” He reaches for you and helped you up. Limping out of the chair, he grins, “I was gonna go see mom. You okay if we go see her?” He asked.

Your eyes look up and your blood runs cold. No. Your throat didn’t make a sound, you wanted to say something but something was holding you back. Andy helped you out of the room and helped you into your wheelchair they had. He pushed you through the halls as you picked at your fingers.

It’s like someone bit off your tongue. You couldn’t burst out and say Laurie’s a monster. Not to your dad, you couldn’t. Not through the hospital you could.

You saw a room ahead, the only light source was the gloomy sky shining through the windows. A woman hovered over what you assumed was Laurie. You reached up to Andy’s sleeve, “Dad, I-I can’t...” You muttered.

You drew your eyes to the nurse and Laurie, Andy didn’t seem to acknowledge your plea and Laurie spots you. You froze. You remembered when she sped up. You and Jacob pleading for her to slow down. Seeing her dark eyes glance at you through the rear view mirror.

Andy sat down next to you, Laurie smiled softly at you. She doesn’t remember, does she?

“Hey, sweetheart...” She says, her hand opens to you to reach but you pulled your hand away, taking it into your lap instead of resting it on the armrest. Andy takes it instead while Laurie stares at you in confusion. “I thought I’d bring her in. She was walking around for a while,” He updates, Laurie nods with a smile.

“How far does she go?”

Andy glances at you, “She gets pretty far. They said I could check her out tomorrow. But they said they’ll need you in for a couple more days.” Laurie nods, “I know. I was thinking on staying here for Jacob. How’s he?”

Andy grins, “Good signs as always.” You could hear your own heartbeat, maybe even Andy and Laurie cause they both look at you with smiles but Andy slowly lost his at your face.

He noticed your breathing was getting heavy, Laurie noticed, too. “I should take her back,” Andy excuses. Laurie nods slowly, confused as to why you were acting like you just seen a ghost. But the thing is that she doesn’t know you don’t see your mother anymore.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Andy softly says, pushing you back to your room. Once you got a good distance, Andy leaned forward, “Hey, what’s wrong?” You shook your head instantly and held your arms, “Just... tired...” You finally say.

Andy knew you were awfully quiet when you first entered Laurie’s room. Maybe you’ll be better once he takes you home. A little game of Othello, a take-out and maybe you’ll smile just like before. But there wasn’t a before.

There was no going back to the usual family times. There was before then after. And he knew you would remember everything. But will you forgive her?

You weren’t sure to feel happy to return home. You didn’t allow Andy to take you to Laurie and say goodbye. He didn’t look happy about that. He shouldn’t be. Not at you, no. You wanted to shout that he can’t protect Laurie from something she did on purpose. No other cars were involved. You clearly reached for her phone to answer your dad but she threw the phone.

You were quiet the way back home.

Andy saw your dark look in the seat. He softly breathed out through his nose and turned away back to the road. He’d have to ask now or never. Something was clearly bothering you. He helped you into the wheelchair and pushed you into the house. Seeing the boxes still packed for your move that will have to wait.

Who knew if you’d move now.

Andy pulls his coat off and tosses it on the counter. He picks up the empty glass of whiskey he had on the counter. You caught that immediately before he could even hide them.

You didn’t bother to ask.

“You hungry? I can order a take-out,” Andy says, you didn’t respond as you rolled yourself into the living room and saw the baby photo album on the couch. You picked it up and stared down at it.

You and Jacob as babies on the front cover. You saw Laurie look at this before, staring at it with a cold expression on her face, you knew she was thinking. The words of her saying while you were “sleeping”.

No one can hurt you. Not anymore.

Without hesitation, you threw the book in the trash bag beside you and Andy noticed. “Hey,” He says, walking over to take the album out of the trash, you turned away once he looked over.

“Y/N, look at me. Tell me what’s going on,” He says.

“Was it an accident?” You mumbled, Andy drops his shoulders and his forehead creases, “What?”

Your back was turned to him and he sees your head go down to look at your lap, “The crash... was it an accident?”

“Yes. It was an accident, your mother slipped in the road-”

You spun around, “How do you know? Were you in her car that day? Did you have surgery in your knee like me?” Andy furrows his brows and glared at you, “What’d you say?” He says, almost growling.

“She tried to kill us.”

“It was an accident. Now stop it,” He says. You felt the tears burn your eyes, “Didn’t seem like she stopped when we screamed at her as she sped down the road. She wanted the truth and she got it!”

Andy stops and tilts his head at you, chest started to heave up and down in anger. “What truth?” You swallowed hard. “About Jacob... she was asking Jacob about Ben Rifkin. He said he killed him and she didn’t stop the car, I watched her turn the wheel and we crashed. She’s the monster.”

“Don’t talk about your mother like that.”

“Stop protecting her! What about us, dad! What about me and Jacob?” The tears began to stream down your face. Andy stood there completely frozen, processing things in his head that made his eyes glisten with tears. “I was scared... If you were protecting Laurie about this accident and Jacob dies in that coma that makes you both guilty. Because you are protecting her with suicide-murder. Why won’t you believe me!”

“I do believe you!” He shouts, you go silent and his shoulders drop, “I believe you... But she’s still your mother.”

“No,” You shook your head, “That’s not my mom. Not anymore.” You sat there, waiting for him to reply with something. The silence began to irritate you but you somehow wanted to keep it that way. Andy walked up to you, placing the album back on the couch and knelt down in front of you, brushing a strand behind your ear.

“I’m sorry I yelled. I’m sorry. But your mother and I love you both so much. And we want you to understand that we can’t go back to our normal lives,” He reaches up and wipes the fallen tears off your cheek.

“You know it wasn’t an accident. But everyone in this town doesn’t. I had to do it during the deposition. They won’t bother about Jacob’s guilt or your mothers. And I need you to understand that. Okay?” He cups your cheek and you lifted your head up to him.

You nodded.

With that, he pulled you into a hug and you stayed like that for who know’s how long. Andy was sure to put you and Jacob first now. But Laurie was still someone he loved. Whether she did it on purpose or not, she would never know what happened that day.

You surely won’t warm back to Laurie any time soon.

You didn’t trust her any more.

~~~

So, horrible. It’s always the first part is good then when I do a second part it all goes to hell.

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letterstoseven · 4 years

Text

i'll be back | ch. 1

summary: graduate school is hard, but falling in love with your roommate is harder. everything falls apart when he disappears out of nowhere after the night you two had.

warnings: angst, romance, fluff, eventual smut

a/n: it's been a while!

"Hey, Lana. I'm going back to my apartment, this day has been exhausting." You gave out a tiring sigh while fixing your things and bid goodbye to Lana. You currently work in your brother's hospital as part of the general surgery department.

While walking towards the entrance of the hospital you're currently in and thinking of how a cold chocolate drink you're going to have at your apartment, you saw an ambulance rushing in your hospital's emergency room. After a while, you saw Lana calling you.

"I'm really sorry for calling you as soon as you left but we have a patient that needs an emergency surgery. Could you come back?" You made your way back to the hospital and ran towards the emergency room.

As you arrive in the emergency room, Lana and the other nurse gave you the details of the patient that just arrived. The tests and other scans also arrived and you and Lana confirmed that there was an inflammation of the appendicitis.

You thought you saw Jinyoung in the ER, which you think is impossible considering he's a known CEO of a big marketing firm in the country, but when you saw who your patient is, you gasped and saw that it was your former roommate, Mark Tuan.

"Hello, Mr. Park and Mr. Tuan. This is the doctor who's going to perform the emergency operation as discussed awhile ago." Lana introduced you to both gentlemen in front of you. "Is that really you, y/n? Wow, great to see you. I wish we met in a good circumstance. Considering the situation..." Jinyoung held his hand and offered a friendly hand shake.

"Hello to you too, Park. Could you explain what happened? Do you remember some of it, Mark?" You asked while checking his vital signs. "I thought I was just hungry when my stomach started to ache but I felt it only at a specific part. Then I called my secretary to call for an ambulance but she already went home. While waiting, I felt nauseaous and I tried sitting down but it hurts. That's when Jinyoung saw me lying on the floor." He mustered every energy he has. You do feel bad because this is the first time you saw him this weak.

"Mark, you are lucky that someone saw you before things got worse. We will perform an appendectomy to remove the inflammated appendix which will take an hour but will take longer if we see more complications inside. Lana, one of the emergency doctors, will guide you through it. I'll see you in the operating room in 10." You smiled at them before leaving. You asked the nurse to have them sign the necessary documents and called one of the resident doctors under your department to call an anesthesiologist and to book an operating room as soon as possible.

On your way to change to your scrubs, you thought that this is an unexpected situation. You did not imagine seeing your former roommate who left the night after you confessed each other's feelings — which happens to be the person who to be your first — to be one of your patients. Looking back at it and now that you saw him, you thought that it'd be best to let go of your damned feelings and start to move on.

As you entered the operating room, you immediately started the operation. After an hour, you saw Jinyoung and a girl behind her waiting for Mark. "It was a success. We removed the inflammed appendix before it spread out. Mark will stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days for observation."

"Oh, thank God! I don't think I could live if something happened to Mark. Thank you so much for being an amazing doctor!" She hugged you and you smiled at Jinyoung. "We've began transferring Mark to one of the VIP rooms as requested by our dear CEO right here." Jinyoung smiled at you — you missed your friend's smile.

"Would you like to have a coffee? I heard you were about to go home before we came in the ER." You eyed him and thinking he'll get what you think, "Oh, Lia! Please go to the accounting office to check other things that we need to pay for."

"Thanks again, Doc! You're a life saver!" She hugged you once again before she leaves. "That person is Mark's sister." He giggled at you while telling you that, "For the record, I didn't know much about him because he ghosted and left me after that night!" You laughed back at him.

"So how are you, y/n? Your name is everywhere. By everywhere, people wants to get admitted here and be saved by your amazing skills." Jinyoung sat in front of you in the cafe inside the hospital. "Life's good. After he left, I didn't know what to do. I thought something happened to him so I called you after a day or two I think? Then realized that he's fine. It's just that he ghosted me." You took a sip of the chocolate drink you ordered.

Jinyoung looked at you warily and said, "I don't know what goes through his mind but I don't think he ever stopped loving you."

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bteezxyewriter12 · 3 years

Text

My Everything/ 1

Pairing- Jin x Named Reader

💀Includes- car accident, recovery, mental recovery, derogatory hate, some fluff

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Masterlists 📝 BTS Masterlist

📝 Jin Masterlist

Part 2. Part 3

Jin POV

"Hello Mr. Kim", the receptionist says as I sign my name in the log

"Hello Mrs. Kang", I answer

"She's in her room today. She didn't want to leave again"

I nod, my heart aching

"Thank you", I reply

Then going to the elevator, I press the number for her floor

4th floor

The elevator opens and I walk to her room. It's not good that she doesn't want to leave her room again

When I get to her room, I open the door. She's sitting on her bed looking out the window. I walk in slowly but making noise so I don't scare her. She turns to me and smiles. She's smiling, that's a good sign

"Hi Jo", I say softly

"Hi"

I sit next to her

"How are you today?"

"Uh...um...ok....I uh guess", she stammers

I nod

It's the same thing she says everyday. Her arm twitches on it's own, getting my attention. I thought that was getting better. That's what the nurses told me last time

"Did you eat today?"

"Little bit. Not hungry much", she answers

"Oh ok"

More silence

"Why you here again?", she asks

I'm trying so hard not to cry

"To see you baby. I love you"

"I love you too", she answers

I know she does

I know she remembers that

"Uh Jo, can you tell me my name?", I ask her

"Yeah silly, it's.....it's.....uh.....", she trails off

She has a look of confusion on her face

"Uh, it's...it's..."

"Do you remember your name?", I ask

"Yes", she nods, "Joanne....uh....um....Kim. Joanne Kim. You say Jo. And princess."

She beams at me

At least she knows her name

"Yeah that's your name princess. But you don't remember mine?"

"It's....uh....it's", she says frustratingly, "It's..."

"It's ok Jo. It's ok"

"No I know...I know...", she says starting to cry

Fuck

I don't want to make her cry

"It's....it's....I know it...it's"

"I'll help you Jo ok. Don't cry"

I wipe her tears away

"My name is Jin", I say

"Jin", she repeats

God, I miss her saying my name

"Jin....Jin Kim...", she says

My mouth drops open. Did she really remember my last name?

"I say Jinnie", she responds again

"Yes Jo. Yeah you always call me Jinnie", I confirm for her

"You....uh....we...married. You Kim and I Kim", she says slowly

Oh my god she's remembering on her own

"Yes baby, we're married."

"But....I....stay here. You not here. Why? We have to stay....uh...same place...together?", she asks

This is the most she's talked in the seven months she's been here

"Do you remember what happened to you?", I ask

She always gets somethings wrong but she's knows something happened

"Uh accident. Car come....to get you...but I uh..move you? Car hit me", she answers

"Yes baby. That's why you have to stay here for now."

This is new. She never remembered the details before. Just that she was in an accident

A fucking crazy sasaeng tried to hit me because she was upset I was married

I can remember it clearly

A year ago BTS had a fan meet

After the fan meet, I was walking with Joanne back to our apartment. It was a half hour walk but it was a really nice spring day and we decides to walk and maybe shop a little.

Joanne and I had been married for two years. We were ridiculously happy

As we crossed a street, I heard someone scream, "If I can't have Jin, no one will"

Then I saw a car come flying down the street. Coming right at me. I let go of Joanne's hand so she can run but instead she pushed me out of the way, the car slamming right into her

I had to watch in horror as she hit the front of the car, crashing into the windshield, then rolling off hitting the ground face first when the car stopped

There was blood everywhere and she wasn't moving. I ran to her, screaming her name and crying hysterically

The sasaeng got out of the car and ran away

Joanne was bleeding from a huge gash in her head. I called an ambulance and they came so fast. She had to go into surgery immediately, as soon as we got to the hospital

I called the guys and they rushed over

The doctors told me that Joanne had bleeding in her brain and her brain swelled. The car shattered her hip and leg when it hit her. She had broken ribs, so many cuts and scrapes

And she was in a coma

They weren't hopeful she'd ever wake up. They told me that if she did, she would probably never walk again from the extensive amount of damage to her hip and leg

And they said they had no idea how she'd be mentally if she woke up.

She was in a coma for two months. I didn't leave the hospital. I was by her side the entire time

She did wake up though but it was horrible. She didn't speak, she just looked around terrified. After the doctors checked her out and a few days of testing, they told me how she was

And it wasn't good

They were right about her not being able to walk. She hasn't been able to the whole time she's been in the rehab facility. The doctors and nurses here tried to help her but her legs just don't work. They try once a month to see if her legs have gotten stronger but so far no.

At least for now

They told me she's has severe damage to her brain that controls memory and speaking. Basically her memory is shotty

She remembers some of her life and our life but some things she doesn't. The last year has been hard for her with her memory. She forgets simple things like my name or her name which gets her upset

The doctors don't know why and they don't know if it'll ever change. She gets therapy for it to try to strengthen that memory and gain some back but it's hasn't had much success

She wasn't able to talk for months. She had to learn how to talk all over again which is why her speech is all over the place

It's like when a baby learns to talks. She's at a four or five year old level of speaking. She can't read yet, she has to learn to do that again

But she's able to learn and learn fast. She can think normally and she can understand what is said to her, she just doesn't have the speech to answer

She developed seizures from the accident as well. When I first saw her have a seizure, I panicked and cried so much. But the people here taught me how to deal with it and what to do when she has one

Right now they're trying to find which medications and what dose is right for her

She can't write, hold a pencil or anything like that. Her fine motor skills are bad and she's getting therapy for it

She can't wear rings so she has her engagement and wedding ring on a necklace I bought for her

The staff told me she never wants to take it off and she fights them if they try

Her left arm twitches for no reason and they don't know why. It was bad at first, but recently its been better. It's just today I noticed it again

I left BTS until she gets better

Some ARMYS were so nasty about it

They said things I could never imagine saying about someone- that I should leave the "veggie" behind and find someone new; asking me why I'm still with what now is a little girl, telling me I should pull the plug on her

Seriously what the fuck is wrong with people?

Needless to say I lost it

I went on a rampage on vlive, telling everyone to fuck off, that I still love Joanne more than anything, she's still my wife and I'm not leaving her just because she's having difficulties now.

Then I reminded them that she saved me from being hit by the car. That I could be in her position if she didn't push me out of the way and I know one hundred percent she would never leave me either

I said I'm taking a break from BTS for as long as I need to, to help her and if they don't like it they can go fuck themselves

I really don't care

⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇

"Ji....j...Jin...I tired", Joanne says to me after a few hours

"Ok princess. You want to sleep?", I ask

She nods, "But you stay?"

I nod, "Yes Jo, I'll stay with you"

"You sleep too?"

"Ok Jo, I'll lay with you"

"Yay", she claps

I help her lay down, then I lay next to her

"Hug?", she asks

"Ok"

I hold her in my arms while she snuggles into me. She still loves sleeping together with my arms around her

"I love you Jin", she says

She sounds just like she used to before the accident and it makes me start crying

"I love you too Jo"

She closes her eyes and I hold her tightly to me.

⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇

After about a half an hour, I slowly get up from the bed

I have to see her doctor. I have some stuff I want to give her

I walk out of her room and ask a nurse to call Dr. Jang. A few minutes later, Dr. Jang comes walking down the hall

"Mr. Kim, hello"

I nod at her

"You want to talk in my office?", she asks

Again I nod

As we walk she asks, "How is Joanne? She was agitated when I saw her this morning. She kept asking for you"

"I know. She gets like this when I don't come for a day or two", I answer

I can't come everyday

I tried talking to her, telling her that she doesn't have to wait for me in her room..m That she can go to the library or the living room or any place. But she still refuses

"She's asleep now", I answer

"Yes she still gets tired a lot."

We get into her office. I sit in front of her desk and she goes to sit behind it. I pull out the stack of papers I brought

"Here's all the paperwork. I'm now a certified nurse and can legally take care of her as her caretaker. I did all the schooling, all the training for her specific condition. I got everything you suggested I get for her at home. I talked to her therapists and they gave me some things I can do with her at home to help her in between their sessions. I want to take her home", I say

This was the reason I wasn't able to come everyday. I went to school and studied the entire year so I could take care of her

They wouldn't let me take her home since I wasn't qualified to care for her. I don't want a nurse to live with us, taking care of her

I want to take care of her. So I made damn sure I can. And now I want her home with me

"Was your house inspected?", she asks as she looks over the paperwork

"Yes. I had to go get papers yesterday that's why I didn't come"

"You do realize what a huge responsibility your taking right? She needs helps with basic things like eating, showers, going to the bathroom, getting dressed?"

Of course I know that

"Yes I know. It's fine"

"Are you having the therapists come to her or are you going to take her?"

"For now they agreed it's best for them to come to our house while she gets used to being home. After a few months I'll take her to them. And yes I know I have to schedule doctor appointments and take her. It's not a problem", I answer

"You know her medication and her schedule of when she takes what?"

"You know I do", I answer, getting a bit annoyed

What the fuck? She's my wife of course I know how to take care of her

"It's very different when you are caring for a family member than a stranger"

"Look, she's my wife ok? I love her more than anything on this goddamn planet. It's been killing me to leave her here everyday. She belongs with me. I don't care what I have to do. I will jump through hoops if it means she can come home."

Dr. Jang nods, "I understand. I just wanted you to know what you were getting into."

"I know"

"You do understand that even if she gets close to her old self it will take a long time. You can't rush the speech, the memory, the fine motor skills, the walking. It has to happen on its own, if it's ever going to happen"

"I know. Buts she's becoming her old self little by little. So what if she can't walk or use her hands or talk well. She's still the same girl I fell in love with. Her personality didn't change. She's still Joanne"

Dr. Jang nods, "I'm glad you're aware"

"She remembered things", I tell her

Dr. Jang looks up, "What things?"

"She remembered my last name. Not my first. Once I told her Jin, she remembered Kim and that she calls me Jinnie."

"Really? That's very good progress"

"She also remembered that we're married. She asked me why we dont live together if were married. Not in those words but she got her question across. She remembered she had an accident. That a car was coming for me, but she pushed me and it hit her", I go on

"That is incredible! That is the first real significant memory retention she's shown so far. Hopefull this means she will be able to recover her short term memory ability. It may never be the same but it can be close"

"I hope so", I answer

"Well Mr. Kim, it looks like all your paperwork is in order"

"Can I take her home today?"

"It's not normally how we do things but for this time I'll make an exception. Yes you can take her home today"

I breath a sigh of relief

I'm getting my baby back

"I'll have the nurses pack up her things. You can tell her the good news"

"Thank you.", I say standing up, bowing

Then I leave the office and rush back to Joanne

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