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ai-luni · 2 years

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Virago

David “Hesh” Walker x Fem!Reader

HELLO! It’s a blue moon and I return with a fic to cope with my random obsessions! Part 2

Word Count: 6.4k

Warnings: Blatant misogynistic comments and touches, canon typical violence, suggestive sexual content (which honestly might be illegal given the setting of the scene whoops), and of course bad writing. I’M NOT A WRITER! No Y/N

A/N: I’m in a massive COD Ghosts phase and there are barely any fics for my boy Hesh. So I had to fix that. This basically just follows the plot of the campaign. I got lazy and haven’t finished writing sin city but I want to write a part two so hang tight :)

Reader’s nickname is Virago

June 7th - No Man’s Land

It was a rescue mission when you met the Walker’s boys. You had heard about them a couple times, Elias wasn’t shy about sharing his once very domestic life with you. But now there was little time to think about it. In fact you thought about the dog more than you did the boys that day. But this mission wasn’t like your usual, Ajax wasn’t gonna last forever.

“Alright, we don’t have a lot of time. You can stick with us but you do what I say - when I say it. Understood?” Merrick said to the boys. You joined Keegan’s side before heading out.

“Got some stragglers on the road. Could be trouble.” The lot of you looking over a road through tall grass.

“Keegan, Virago. Post up and keep us covered. You Walker boys are with me.” Merrick ordered and immediately you went off to find a position. Gun fire reigned loose and in a flurry of adrenaline and muscle memory, you found yourself at the gates of greenway park “Fireball Charlie” - what once was a baseball stadium - in under a couple minutes.

“They’re moving him, we should go now.” The state you found Ajax in was enough to make your blood boil. You hadn’t served with him as long as the rest of the ghosts but you knew him well enough and you’d always fight for your team no matter what.

“They’re moving Ajax, so our windows closing fast. We’ll hit him at home plate and work our way up from there.” Further orders given by Merrick once acquiring a vehicle. You sat in the back aside Merrick and Hesh. One hell of a ride, you often questioned if Keegan even had a civilian licence.

“Weapons free!” Once more the hell fire began and you ran through another gate. The German Shepherd who stared at you with wide adoring eyes only moments before leapt through the missing windscreen onto a federation soldier.

“Holy shit.” A comment of fear and intimidation and excitement all swirled together at the sheer ruthlessness of that dog. It was the first thing Hesh heard you say all mission.

“Yeah.” You turned to see Hesh by your side. You figured he was the dog’s handler. He seemed proud, he should be.

“Ajax is through this atrium! Move! Move! Move! Hurry before more guys get in.” Merrick took cover behind a barrack, “Virago, get ahead as far as you can, weapon hold. We’ll keep you covered, keep us posted.”

Jumping into action, you took yourself along the edge of the open aired arcade to a flight of stairs. The fastest steps your tactical gear would allow you to take without winding yourself. Gun held close to your chest with light steps avoiding fire. You could hear the team, slowly but surely following in your steps.

Through a roofed arcade and another flight of stairs you made it to a closed set of double doors, chatter coming from the other side.

“This should be where they were holding Ajax, one flight of stairs, shouldn’t be a difficult run.” You notified them while waiting beside the door hinges ready to take cover or fire.

“Almost at target, let’s mop up!” Merrick’s yelling could almost reach you over the gunshots. You took out a couple soldiers out over the railing, covering the boys as they made their way up the stairs.

Logan pulled out the remote sniper, the moment you heard a fire, Merrick sent the go signal.

“Twelve o’clock! Twelve o’clock!”

“Runner on the left!”

“Clear right!”

“Clear left!”

“Room Secure!”

Once cleared, you passed the soldier left on the ground. Poor guy got Keegan yelling at him by the balls. You knew he’d take this harder than anyone else, he and Ajax were close.

“Where is he? Where did you take him!”

Careful and ready for fire, you tread through the blown out room. Logan by your side as you halt before a steep slope. There was an obvious trail from that slope through the stand and down another tunnel entrance. You turn to your team noticing the other walker boy pulling his dog away from the soldier for Keegan to finish off. You beckon him over.

“Bring the dog, there’s a trail.” You turned to the youngest Walker boy, “I’m going down, use the remote sniper to cover me. Follow under merricks instruction.”

He gave you a curt nod before you were off.

“Riley’s got a scent!.” The team followed suit. Riley leading the lot of you to an almost closed garage door. Multiple pairs of feet seen pacing inside.

“We don’t have time for this. Gas masks on.”

Again through another tunnel, a conference room, another tunnel. This place was starting to piss you off, reminding you why you never really liked baseball in the first place. You’d later refer to it as the nightmare labyrinth.

Eventually you found Ajax, Riley sniffing him out first, Keegan on his knees by his side second.

“How is he?” Not an ounce of effort was made to hide the fear in your voice.

“It’s bad.” Keegan was cradling the man as he coughed.

“Son of a bitch.” In a quick but necessary moment of solidarity, you placed a comforting hand to Merrick’s shoulder. “Hang in there Ajax, Hang in.”

“Rorke. It was Rorke. He’s targeting…” Ajax let out a cough from deep in his chest. Keegan held him tighter in shallow breaths. “Look… the wall.”

“Come on, hang in there Ajax.”

“He’s gone.” The room fell silent, you took to distraction. You look for the wall and your eyes grow in momentary panic at what you found.

“Merrick, he was right.” Your voice barely showed any sign of grief you were trying to swallow. No time to think. You stood by Hesh. He held out a flare for you to see, his free hand consolidating you with a gentle pat to the shoulder.

“Get him ready to move.” Merrick ordered, Ajax’s body already hoisted over Keegan’s shoulder. Then by your side.

“It’s a kill list.” You told him.

“Rorke’s targeting ghosts.” He resolved. Hesh’s eyes widened as he looked over the photos of you lot on the wall, his eyes drifting to one of a girl in tactical gear only realising once meeting your glassy gaze that it was you. You were smaller than the others sure but half your face was covered by a cloth, the other grease paint and your voice had been so gravelly and focused.

“Who the hell is Rorke?” He asked after clearing his throat, clearing his mind. Merrick had already collected Ajax’s mask and was heading out of the room for evac. You patted Hesh’s arm as a signal to move it.

“No time to explain.”

Everything was one fight to another. You’d only truly catch a break in your third helicopter of the day.

“Alright, get us outta here!” Keegan yelled, clearly as over it was you were.

“Hey, we’re not going anywhere” The eldest walker boy stood from his seat, he was frustrated, looking to pay it out on someone and Keegan was in his line of fire. You interjected with an assertive hand to his vest.

“Hey, calm down.” Your cloth was pulled down to your neck now. Eyes wide as they met his. For a moment it actually worked, like you had covered the space in a blanket of silence to give him a moment to breathe. He glanced at the hand on his chest then met your eyes again. You were almost smiling. If he wasn’t panicking over losing his father, he probably would’ve smiled back.

“Hey! We just saved your asses!” Merrick shoved the Walker boy to the wall, one arm holding his tactical vest fueled by his impatience and a hot head.

“We didn’t need your help!” The boy fought back. By this time you had retreated to the front of the helicopter, hands held up in mock defeat towards your commanding officer with an amused smirk. He shook his head, hung in the slightest tint of embarrassment or nostalgia. Boys will always be boys.

Merrick will always be a testament of that. He was the same now as he was and will continue to be.

“The hell you didn’t!” Merrick had shoved the Walker boy down next to his brother on the bench.

“Stow it! All of you!” Finally your commanding officer decided to step in.

“We have to go back! Our dads down there and we’re not leaving without him!”

“That’s real admirable of you, but your father’s not there anymore.” He sat them down, really laying the act on thick. You remembered the bastard being dramatic but not this theatrical. He pulled the mask off.

“Dad, this whole time? You were one of them, you’re a ghost.”

“Try the Ghost! That’s your commanding officer.” Merrick was in a mood. He joined you where you stood next to Keegan. You welcomed him by holding a palm out as if asking him to calm down.

“Cool it. Stretch your legs.” You spoke softly, mockingly at him. Fake concern. He returned with a sarcastic smile. There was never a right time to push his buttons - especially not when he got in a mood… and he had many moods - but that never stopped you from having your fun every now and then.

You waited for a moment, you could faintly hear your commander welcoming his sons to the Ghost squad. It warmed your heart, though you would never admit outloud.

Elias had become like a father to you over your time being a ghost, the respect you worked hard to earn from the man radiated from him when addressing his children with unconditional love.

You weren’t surprised seeing his sons often labelled as ‘natural born leaders’, they had the best of the best taking them through life from the very beginning. They held your respect for that alone.

A genuine smile grew on your face as the eldest turned to caught your eye. He finally did return the smile. You found it sweet how his feet became restless in the moment of excitement.

“We’re ready, We won’t let you down.”

June 15th - Federation Day

It had been approximately 9 days since you had met the Walker boys. They were everything you imagined Elias’ children to be. Determined, well mannered and well… handsome. This has been your first mission with them since. Your goal: To gain intel of Rorke's current location.

It had been somewhat of a quiet mission up until this point, you knew all hell would break loose when you make your evac but for now, you almost had your hands on the federation soldier and “friend” of Rorkes, Victor Ramos.

“Dammit, he’s not here! Hesh?” Keegan calling into his comms when busting into Ramos' empty office.

“I got him.” Hesh dragged him in and pushed onto the office chair with a gun pointed to his head.

“He knew you would come.” Ramos’ words echoing off the gun metal.

“Where’s Rorke? Where is he!”

“I don’t know!” Ramon interjects, hands in the air “no one knows!”

“Vig.” Keegan gave you the ‘go ahead’ look. The one step in front of Hesh and Ramos was pushed onto the desktop by the lapels. Hesh now standing to the left of the man, his pointed gun in clear view. Light vibrations rushed through your body by the man’s trembling. He knew what he was getting into the moment he befriended Rorke. There was no remorse to be shared.

“You have five seconds to deliver the coordinates on Rorke.” Keegan's voice rattled through the man’s skull, suddenly restless.

“Four.” Ramos yanked his arms out of your grip.

“He’s not here!” “Three.” You looked to Hesh.

“Two.” With a subtle nod your way, he readied his feet for fire. Ramos’s left arm dove across the table.

“His location is in there! In an encrypted file!” Before you could follow the vector of his finger out the door, the screen fizzled awake behind you. Grabbing Ramos's loose arm, you turned the best you could to glance at the screen behind your tactical helmet.

“Well, well, well, if it ain’t the walking dead.” It was Rorke, you've heard his voice only once before in a recording but you’d never forget it. “Hm, I knew you’d follow the breadcrumbs.”

“You tried to kill my father, you piece of shit!” Hesh haphazardly lept towards the screen. Sending the now half conscious Ramos into the desk chair, you met Hesh halfway.

“Hesh.” Your hands holding him back by the chest.

“The sons of Elias Walker. Boys sent to do a man’s work.” Hesh’s mouth went dry, his eyes fell from the screen to your gaze, then his shoulders dropped. He finally backed off, targeting his gun back onto Ramos.

“Enough games. Where are you, Rorke?” You turned to get a good look at the man on screen, your patience running thin.

“Ha! Vi Ra Go. Talk about a man's work. Nice to put a voice to the face but where I am doesn’t matter.” He mocked. Your eyes narrowed out of frustration. “What matters is a decade ago they left me to die in this city. And from this night forward, Elias lives with the knowledge he sent his own sons to their death.”

“It was a set up.” Keegan said under his breath. The screen shut off and you locked eyes.

“Let’s move!” You yelled, stepping with a heavy foot. One tap to the shoulder of the boy to your left and he followed behind you. Subconsciously pairing off as you knew Keegan would have Logan’s back. The building was collapsing, you could hear it before feeling it.

“Command, mission is compromised! Attempting an aerial exfil from the 52nd floor!” Keegan was last to leave the room as he barked into his comms. You led the boys down the stairs, the concrete cracking in trails after your steps. Alarm raging. Scaffolding bare.

You had your head resting on your hands, these trips after a mission were never a highlight for anyone in particular. People have different responses, Merricks paces restlessly, riding on leftover adrenaline like a drug high. Keegan sits still, to the side, not quite giving into exhaustion but with more of a level head then you reckoned someone should after jumping out of a collapsing building.

You, however, are much smaller in frame and when you sit down, it tends to hit you quicker than everyone else. They’d called you a lightweight, especially when you share a drink with them. Keegan’s a hard one to make laugh but when Kick and Ajax continue to get you shots of water, the whole table shits their little cargo pants. So they let you bathe in the sound of the helicopter and regain a little strength.

“You know him?” Your eyes barely opened as you turned to the boy who just sat next to you. You’re confused eyebrows egging him to elaborate “Rorke.”

You shook your head and rested your head against the wall. One large exhale and you met his eyes again.

“They brought me on a long time after him. Knew the stories though,” Hesh watched with expecting eyes, ready for you to continue. “But he’s after me too and he took Ajax. That’s personal enough for me.”

He gave an understanding nod and rested his head against the wall beside you. In the corner of your eye, you catch Keegan and Logan share a side eye glance. You can tell Keegan thinks you're getting soft but this job gives you little comfort. You’ll clench your balaclava as tight as you were now to stay cool in front of this boy whenever just to keep feeling the way he makes you feel.

The next few days pass slower than usual. You could blame it on the same fact everyone else did. That Rorke was still out there. You almost had him and then was sent back a couple steps.

However, you really knew it was because in the back of your mind, the idea of you, a boy and his dog, sat peacefully.

Every mission, you kept your eye on him. Covered his back when you could and every mission he’d cover yours. Every mission you were sent to scope an area by his side. In between missions you would sit and chat. Chat about how you became a ghost, talk about his life before the military, talk about how he started to think of Riley after being away too long or how the other ghosts have become like father figures to you. The latter being a secret you thought you’d take to your grave.

Sometimes Logan sat with the two of you, sometimes everyone else. In a group you would discuss sport and women and combat. Your plights and fights. Hesh watched as you grinned everytime Merrick rested a casual arm on your shoulder, you watched as Hesh beamed whenever Elias would place a proud pat to his back.

June 23th - Passage to Antarctica

Sure there were things to do, meetings to attend, plans to go over. But for the most part, on these kinds of days, you had more time to yourself then you would get in a while. Time you well needed when in constant close proximity with people like the ghosts.

Once you were done on deck talking with the force, you made your way below deck to the sleeping quarters. You knew for a fact Merrick and Keegan would stay above deck for a smoke and Logan wouldn’t stray too far from Keegan no matter. But Hesh?

Something inside of you almost wished he would join you. You’d spend hours in the dark questioning if it was wistful or if you just felt guilty for having these thoughts cross your mind more often than not lately.

When you had shared your plans of sneaking off to nap to the guys, every one of them shared a knowing look when Hesh was soon to follow you a few minutes after. It bothered Merrick more than he thought it would - feeling almost protective over you - but Keegan and Logan had already started the betting pool days before.

“Just in time too.” Logan was quick to add.

Hesh was quick to catch up to you. He stopped you in the hallway below deck, hand on your shoulder and a sentimental look in his eye. One that almost took your breath away at the sudden vulnerability. One you’d only seen him share with the likes of his family or with Riley.

“Virago.”

“Hesh.”

Let the games begin.

“Is there a reason you have me stopped in the hallway or?”

“Yes.” His chest rose with a deep breath. You had to rip your eyes away to look into his eyes. He continued his confession, “Virago, I think about you.”

“You- what?” Spoken like you’d been punched to the gut. Your ears boiled. He had both hands on both shoulders now and at some point had steered you off to the side of the hallway with him.

“Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t feel it too.”

“This is highly inappropriate, I-” You awkwardly shimmied his hands off your shoulders as you tried to brush past him. He stopped you again, a hopeful, charming smile plastered shamelessly on his face.

“It’s ridiculous, I know!” A boyish chuckle escaping through his words.

“Hesh.” The way you called him sent shivers down his spine. Had the situation been any different, had he not spotted the hope in your eyes everytime you looked at him, he would’ve given up by now. But he was already your weakness, as you were his. One more crack and he knew you’d be his. “I have to go.”

That last crack was following you directly into the female berthing room. He greatly enjoyed your stunned state, it filled him with a sense of pride to influence your emotional responses so strongly.

“Lieutenant! This is highly inapprop-” You’re scolding was cut off by a pair of lips and two hands gently holding your head in place. The final push.

You melted in his warm, calloused hands. This is what you were afraid of, being so completely and utterly in the palm of his hand. You’d thank the stars for months that the room was currently unoccupied.

His kiss was slow but hungry. Like he’d been dreaming of it but forced himself to savour you. Once you had relaxed into him, he moved his hands down to your waist, pulling and pushing. Chest to chest, back to bunk. Any gasp or sigh you let out, he returned with a quiet sound of pure bliss. Lips skimming each other but not locked. Open mouth pants, warm breath with a haze of mint below your nostrils.

When you pressed your chest further into his, hands caressing his buzzed head to the nape of his neck. He shook his head, pulling away with a breath he struggled to take.

“You tell me no now because I may not be able to stop if we keep going like this.”

“Hesh.” You said feigning a scolding tone.

“You can call me lieutenant again.” He joked but sounded so out of breath. He could barely keep his eyes open when you ran your fingernails over his shoulder blades.

“David.” You retaliate in a real scolding voice. A warning. He only groaned as his head fell onto your chest.

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” He groaned. His grip on your hips got tighter, pulling you against him in a way that made you gasp. Showing his appreciation of the sound by latching his lips to your neck.

The boy fell just as deep as you had. You wanted him so bad but the adrenaline running through you wasn’t entirely from him either. You couldn’t pull your eyes away from the door even when you tried.

You took a loud gulp and pulled him off you. His confused face soon daring as you guided him into your berth on the floor and pulled the curtain shut. It was tight, you laid on his chest, your back touching the roof if you arched your back. You didn’t care. If you had the chance to, you wouldn’t have ripped yourself from his chest and just stay this close forever.

It was dark, his hands on your hips gave you butterflies. Your knees tingled as they laid either side of his thighs. He was breathing just as hard as you were.

You started taking off your shirt and his eyes widened.

“Take your shirt off.” You didn’t ask but it also wasn’t an order. He was taken aback by your forwardness all of a sudden but didn't hesitate to wiggle his way out of the confining khaki material. “If these things start to smell, someone will know.”

His hands were already exploring your bare waist, your lower back, upper back, the curve in your spine to the hanging stomach over him. Over your upper arms and shoulders to your chest. He memorised every curve, the feel of your soft skin. The way you’d cringe when he touched a certain point on your waist. The way you’d gasp when he cupped your breast and brought it out of your bra.

“Hold me up.” He obliged with no hesitation. You desperately wanted Hesh out of his pants and needed the hands that were keeping you up to do so.

“May I?” you asked, hands resting over his belt. His eyes were desperate.

“Please.” Who were you to complain? He brought you close to him, arms wrapped around your upper back pressing your chest against him. His lips rested next to your ear, determined to at least let you hear him if nobody else could. Arm reaching down between your bodies, you soon had in him his hands.

“Holy shit.” He moaned in your ear.

“Yeah.” You moaned back.

“Did you get your nap, Vig?” Keegan's deadpan voice almost makes you think his question was genuine.

“What nap?” The words spilling out before a single thought could be put into them. You froze once you noticed your mistake, eyes wide in panic. There was no coming back from this but you could try. “Yes. Yes I did.”

He only raised an amused eyebrow and left your side with a “I didn’t think so.”

June 28th - Sin City

“Commander Walker, may I have a word with you.” Your fingers were fidgeting, eyes to your feet. He’d never seen you this way. You were a strong woman, Elias knew all too well. What other men called annoying - one well read man’s attempt to unknowingly call you a shrew - Elias taught you could be a sign of courage and strength. Virago. A word his wife used to love.

This demeanour was different though. From you, almost uncanny.

“Is everything okay Sergeant?” You took a gulp. He couldn’t stop the amused look on his face. He had a creeping suspicion of the topic you wanted to discuss, the whole team was starting to catch on. Hell, even kick could’ve guessed it.

His suspicions were true. You knew you had to bring it up to him. The incident on the way to Antarctica consumed your every waking thought. It was almost dangerous, never have you had something come close to waning your focus on missions but this. This made you worried. It hasn’t even been a month of knowing this boy and you were worried.

“Sir, this is very difficult for me to talk about. I’m afraid this is very inappropriate.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. His expression was shielded by a thumb and pointer finger holding his nose bridge. Your stomach dropped.

“It’s okay Virago. Take your time.” He raised his head to look at you, giving out an involuntary chuckle. You stared at him, not sure what to do next. You were certain everything you said came out in a stutter.

“For his sake and your sake and the ghosts sake, I will stand down if need be. It was never my intention to cause an issue like this, I know how inappropriate it is but i’m afraid of how it may develop and what will-”

“Virago.” Breathe.

You follow the hand on your shoulder up to his eye. With more vulnerability than you were anticipating.

“Sir. Your son makes me feel like a giddy school girl.”

After a long, uncomfortable beat, he lets out a genuine, hardy chuckle. It turns into a laugh.

You brought your hands to cover your face in mild embarrassment. After all the chaos you endure in your job, admitting a little crush is what finally brought you to your knees. All you could do was share the laugh with Elias. It’s only when the moment settles that he gives his response.

“As your commanding officer, you two work together better than a lot of teams I’ve seen out in the field. I am happy to overlook it as long as it doesn’t cause any problems. I see no reason for you to step down; however, if you think it’s the best decision for you, I won’t stop you. You’re an excellent sergeant, that's why you’re on this force.” You’re certain your face is red but his shoulders drop and the warm, a paternal smile returns to his face.

“As a father, you’ve brought a sparkle to his eye I haven't seen in him since he was 18. I couldn’t feel any more pride if my son had chosen someone lesser than you.” Were you crying? A grown ass woman and you were crying at your commander’s words. You didn’t think his validation meant this much to you but you had always worked hard for this man’s respect. “He’s a stubborn one. You’ve got your work cut out but at least I know he’ll be in good hands.”

“Thank you sir.” Was all you could get out without allowing your voice to crack. You took a quick glance at the boy standing by his younger brother. Elias walked to join them allowing you a moment to recollect yourself before the landing in vegas. With a quick but hot walk, you made it to the previously known luxor, now safe house.

“JSOC’s going to want to move fast on this, so load up before you get any shut-eye. We got six hours until Keegan gets back.”

You were already by Merricks side, guiding Logan to stock. Elias had been stopped by Hesh and dragged to the corner.

“Dad, I need to talk to you for a sec.” Elias could feel the same smile growing on his face from only moments before. He was starting to think something must have happened on the last mission for the both of you to bring your feelings to his attention with this kind of urgency.

“David, if this is about the girl, I already know.” Hesh stopped in his tracks. The boy was too stunned to speak! Perhaps he was meant to say a comprehensive sentence, instead he let out a series of “uh”s, “oh”s “wha?”s, “ how?”s.

“She got to me first. A bit out of your league.” With a nudge to his gut from his father’s elbow, the tension slowly started to expel from his body. In fact he even gave out a laugh. Sheepish but true, you were out of his league.

“You’re not mad?” Suddenly he felt like a child again, his worst nightmare would be disappointing his father.

“Fuck no son. She is a warrior, that one.” Whatever Elias was fiddling with was dropped momentarily as he met his son’s eyes. Expression dropped to a deadpan. “If you started fucking the rest of my ghosts, well then we’d have a problem.”

All Hesh could do was laugh out of shock and relief. He caught a glimpse of you beckoning Riley to follow you and he felt his pupils turned to hearts like an old cartoon.

“I could marry her, dad.”

“Hey, hey. Steady on Hesh.” Elias chuckled out, passing Hesh with a pat to his back to pull him out of the little trance you put him in. He couldn’t help but laugh - not in a judgemental way but in a nostalgic ‘young love’ kind of way. “You keep each other alive first and then you can start getting all cosy. You copy loverboy?”

“Copy.” Hesh replied with a goofy little smile.

“Hold up.” Merrick stopped. “Something feel off to you?”

“Security’s working.” In a matter of seconds you were on the floor. Elias’ faint yelling at Riley in the distance played you off as you closed your eyes and took another deep inhale of gas.

They say hearing is the last to go when you die. You figured this might be it. You could hear Merrick’s voice yelling - how he usually used his voice - and figured you wouldn’t be mad if he were the one to send you off.

What they never say though is that you’d feel hands grab you before you die. Now that sobered you.

You were being picked up off the ground, grey federation gloved hands steadying its grip on you in places that were entirely necessary to lift you up onto a chair. After a minute of having your hands brought behind your back and met with a rope, your vision could finally focus in front of you.

Merrick sat across from you, hands tied behind his back like your own. He watched the soldier behind you intently before locking eyes with you. You wondered what time it was, how long had you been out, how long had he been awake? You could have sworn he gave you a mocking look as if to say “lightweight” but it was short lived. You might have even laughed in any other situation.

With a quick surveillance of the room, you noted there were only a couple of soldiers by the door. You could only just make out another figure in the hallway those soldiers were talking to. The soldier behind you was struggling with the rope as your hands started to fidget out of them. You gave Merrick a wink, devising a quick plan with a wordless exchange in under a few seconds.

An eyebrow raise and a slight nudge of your head indicating the soldier behind you. ‘I'll take out the one behind me.’

A head tipped to his chair, then to the door behind him and two very exaggerated blinks. ‘You take the two at the door.’

He gave a curt nod and your expression stopped him before he counted the leap into action. You took a short moment to contemplate how to relay this information without your hands, it was never going to be a very dignified attempt.

A head nudge back to the door, a defeated eye roll then the most comical, clear attempt you could express talking by flapping your mouth. ‘The two at the door are talking to someone.’

He raised an eyebrow best he could. ‘How many?’

You returned a disparaging look and a subtle shoulder shrug. ‘I don’t know.’

He took a breath, shot a determined look then tipped his head to a count of three before you both jumped to your feet.

Whipping yourself around, you sent your tied hands slamming to the exposed neck of the shoulder behind you. He stumbled over the back of the chair, giving you a split second to seize the opportunity and kick his ass over his head. A clear thud paired with an echoed crack as the man’s back hit the concrete. His attempt to reach for his gun was unsuccessful when a boot trod on his wrist and a wooden chair smashed to bits off his vest.

With what leverages your tied hands could give you, you tugged out the unresponsive soldier's pistol and finally turned your attention to Merrick.

One soldier was on the ground, the other was giving him some little trouble. Two shots was enough to have the federation soldier on the ground. Whoever those soldiers were speaking to in the hallway were no longer there but would obviously return soon with back up. Merrick made quick work pulling the rope off your hands. You gave them a moment to roll them out before beginning on Merricks ties. They were untied enough for him to shimmy the rope off but you were yanked into the room by the waist before you could assist him further.

You’d retell the story with what you’d call more than a dozen federation soldiers surrounding the two of you. One holding your legs off the ground, vest to vest. Another soldier retying your wrists together while the rest had their guns pointed. Struggling was getting pointless. A quick glance to Merrick and it seemed he was in a worse position. Pushed to his knees and having life punched out of his gut.

You followed suit, being pushed to your knees by a grip in your hair. The soldier in front of you lingered in this position, enjoying the view more than anything. If there weren’t so many soldiers posted, you could’ve sworn that man would have a world record for the quicked murder.

“She’s a fiery one huh.” There was that voice again, you should have suspected it was him all along.

“Rorke.” Merrick's voice was gravelly, an evolved stage from the angered yelling to something further.

“Vi Ra Go,” Every single time. Each syllable paired with an indolent step, his gaze never faulting from you. He didn’t want to acknowledge the man he once called friend beside you.

“So we finally meet. The woman they sent to fill my void.” The word ‘woman’ was spat out with a misogynistic type of venom. A discreet disgust painting his features until his eyes started to wander down. His eyebrows raised shamelessly.

“I tell you what, they don’t make soldiers like you in the federation.” His hand gripped your jaw. Resisting the urge to give him any satisfaction of a reaction, you stared past his head. He only relished in it more, with a thumb running up the skin of your neck. “Many of my men have your photo on their wall but to have the whole thing here is something else huh.”

The soldiers in the room started to holler and you could’ve sworn you felt bile being sent up your throat. You’d had comments like this before, about being a woman in the force but this man was something else and Merrick had had enough of it.

“Enough of this Rorke.” His roar rippled through the room and finally Rorke released his grip on your chin. Head dropping immediately - if not to stop it from cramping in your neck, then to hide the tear you fought hard to stop welling. Fuck him for making you feel weak. Fuck all of them.

“You know what they did to me sweetheart?” Still he refused to acknowledge the man next to you. You kept your head down.

“I know you killed Ajax, that’s all I need to know.”

“They left me to die. I’ve sat through things that’ll make your little limbs fall off darling.” He moved behind you, left hand situated on your neck, right hand on Merrick’s. Two soldiers accompanied your fronts. “Your whole team isn’t even here for you, darling. Where’s your quiet friend?”

His grip on your neck guiding you to face him. His eyes anticipated more than he was going to get.

Warm spit and a fuck you.

The last thing you saw was an unimpressed Rorke wiping his face with a palm before a fist connected to your stomach.

“Bitch!” He spat. Jolted his head to the door and before you knew it, you were being dragged out the door by two soldiers. “I bet it doesn't take much to make her scream! As for you-”

“Virago!” Merrick roared before Rorke's frame covered your sight. The further you were dragged away, the less you could make out of blunt objects connecting themselves to his frame.

The two soldiers carrying you shared a couple words, bringing you back to the foyer. And for what felt like hours, one held your head up by the hair while the other had his crack leaving bruises that’ll take at least a month to heal.

Then finally relief.

Black.

#cod #call of duty #call of duty ghosts #hesh #david hesh walker #hesh walker #hesh walker x reader #hesh walker x you #logan walker #keegan russ #thomas merrick

170 notes · View notes

turning-the-kaleidoscope · 2 years

Note

Protective hug with Reigen and one of the kids?

this got so out of hand. so out of hand. thank you so much for the prompt! <3 i really went. frickng. this is 8.6k. but I’m really really happy with how it turned out! <3 ty again for the prompt

- future fic bc I love post canon potential, protective reigen, Teruki’s parents are the worst, heavily implied child abuse/neglect (not pictured), etc. married terumob at the forefront with backburner married serirei. because I’m a sap. everyone is protective of teruki and shigeo.

hope you enjoy! my formatting broke while copy/pasting to tumblr shdjkfsdf so here’s the AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43243897

~*~*~*~*~

Reigen is balanced precariously on his hand-me-down stepladder replacing the blinds when Teruki bursts into the office with a sound like a gunshot and nearly vaults Reigen to his death.

“Teruk—!” Reigen yowls, flailing. He's lucky enough that the blinds had already been secured to the window—he grabs ahold of the rail and steadies himself, then hops down the three steps to the floor. "Holy shit, don't do that to me—”

Teruki's across the room before Reigen's collected himself. His hands chain around Reigen's arm and the fear in his eyes brands straight to Reigen's soul.

“She found us,” Teruki blurts. “She knows where we live, Reigen, she—”

“Okay, okay. Calm down.” Heat rips through Reigen's chest. Teruki is twenty six years old and all Reigen sees behind those eyes is a scared child. “Who found out where—”

Oh.

Oh shit.

“Shit,” Reigen says out loud. He grips Teruki by the shoulders to hold him steady. Not even Claw could make Teruki tremble like this. “What happened? Are you and Shigeo okay?”

“We’re okay,” Teruki stammers. His gaze flickers around like he's expecting someone to hurt him. “Shigeo got the door, but she knew who he was and I never even told her I was gay. How did she know who he was? How did she know—”

This has been the one lingering fear that has followed Teruki every year of his life. Claw has come and gone. Natural disaster has come and gone. But his parents—somehow they’ve managed to cling like the roaches they are, digging their grimy hands into whatever good things Teruki builds for himself.

Not this. Not fucking this.

“I don’t know how much she knows,” Teruki says. “He told her off but she said she’s going to come back. What are we supposed to do when she comes back?”

Reigen hugs him. It feels like what Teruki needs. “It’s gonna be okay,” he says. The rage within him seethes and bleeds into the ferocity of the hug, but he can’t do anything about it. “She doesn’t get to do this.”

Teruki hugs him. Reigen’s hug is angry; Teruki’s hug is afraid. “What are we supposed to do? She hasn’t done anything for years, if we take it to the police—”

“She’s done enough.”

“We can’t prove anything.”

“We can try.”

“Shigeo answered the door,” Teruki says halfway through his second cup of tea.

Reigen stops fidgeting with the blinds to join Teruki at the couches, sitting across from him. Teruki has been mostly silent thus far, breathing and sipping tea while recollecting his bearings. The sign on the door has been flipped to Closed.

“He told me he’d handle it,” Teruki goes on, “but I didn’t like the thought of him being alone with her. I don’t. So I went with him.”

Reigen nods. He’s trying to keep things comfortable for Teruki’s sake, but anticipation gnaws. “What did she want?”

Teruki leans back. He swishes his tea and watches it until it’s still again. “... Apparently she and my father got divorced,” he says. “I figured it’s been coming for years, but she picked a weird time to tell me.”

“Yeah. Sounds like manipulation to me.”

Teruki’s smile is bitter. “That’s what Shigeo said.”

“What about your dad? What’s up with him?”

Teruki shrugs. “I’ve met him maybe… twice? He was always away when I was growing up. I don’t know if he ever wanted to be a father in the first place.” Teruki swirls his tea again. “They had to sell the house after the divorce, so she’s living alone just outside of the city. She gave us her address in case we wanted to… visit. I guess? She said she wanted to ‘reconnect’. Not apologize, just reconnect.”

“What’s she expecting? A family reunion?”

Teruki huffs. It’s the first smile that’s seemed at all real since he got here. “Shige’s family would tear her apart. Ritsu’s been wanting to for years.”

Reigen can empathize.

Teruki reaches the bottom of his mug and settles it on the coffee table between them. “Sorry,” Teruki says. His eyes are red, and he sniffs while he tucks loose hair back into place. “I appreciate you letting me stay for a while. Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Reigen says. He hates that he can’t do more. “Do you guys have a game plan? What are you gonna do?”

“We’re going to file for a restraining order,” Teruki answers. “I hoped she would leave me alone once I was an adult, and I probably would’ve been okay with never pressing charges as long as she just… stayed away. But now she’s— stalking us. Enough that she knows where we live and who Shigeo is. If she’s willing to go that far, I don’t know what else she’s capable of.”

“Yeah, no, that makes sense.” Especially after a divorce. Knowing what he does about Teruki’s parents, it probably wasn’t a clean break. “And I meant what I said about security cameras. You and Shigeo already have a bunch of them outside, don’t you? Do they record audio?”

“Not yet. Shigeo’s getting those installed today.” Teruki rubs his arms. “I feel bad for leaving him at the house alone, but… I just, needed some time away after she was there.”

The wrath is back. That this person is managing to make Teruki feel unsafe after all these years is despicable, much less in his own home that he’s built for himself with his husband.

“Shigeo understands,” Reigen says. “It probably gave him some time to regain his bearings. You know how he is. Just call the police if she starts snooping around the place again, alright? I mean that. And call me, too.”

“Yeah.” Teruki grabs his shoulderbag. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

Reigen nods. He jots a mental note: make sure Shigeo still has that spare key to the office. Teruki and Shigeo have a litany of places to hide out before the office, but if they need somewhere last second that’s completely detached from friends and family, Spirits and Such isn’t a bad choice.

Teruki leaves with a short and tired goodbye and Reigen watches the sidewalk from the window. Once he sees Teruki turn the corner on the curb, he drops the blinds and locks up for the night.

Then he calls Shigeo.

He gets a single ring in before Shigeo picks up. “I almost killed someone today.”

“Yeah.” Reigen runs a hand through his hair. “How literal is that?”

Shigeo dodges that question like it’s a landmine. “I recognized her,” he says. “And she—somehow recognized me. I thought I could just tell her off and it would be over, but then she started talking about him and—” Shigeo heaves in a deep breath. “I told him not to follow me. He didn’t listen. How much did he tell you?”

“Just that she was trying to guilt trip him with the whole ‘divorce’ thing,” Reigen says. “And that you were pissed.”

“I still am. She gave me—she gave me her address. I almost—” Another very, very deep breath. “Reigen.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it too much.” Reigen doesn’t know what he would do if he ever met Teruki’s parents, but he’d probably end up with a fun story to tell his roommate in jail. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if it were me. It sounds like you held it together pretty well, all things considered.”

“She knows I’m married to him,” Shigeo says. “How does she know who I am?”

“What about social media? You guys kind of keep up with that, don’t you?”

“We do, but our accounts are private. She shouldn’t be able to see anything, not unless she’s getting updates through somebody else.”

“Gotcha.” Reigen could punch a wall. “Damn it. Teruki talked to me, but have you talked to anyone?”

“I talked to Ritsu. He told our parents. They’re upset.”

Teruki’s parents set off an airhorn in the lion’s den with the Kageyama family alone. Ritsu is fiercely protective of his brother and subsequent brother-in-law, and the Kageyamas are fiercely protective of their sons and subsequent son-in-law.

“I also went to the gym for a few hours after I got the security cameras fixed.”

“Well, good.” The concept of that makes Reigen want to die a little, but weight training has been a good outlet for Shigeo’s overwhelming mental state over the years. “Are you home now?”

“Mm. I got takeout from Teru’s favorite restaurant, but I don’t know how much he’s going to eat.”

“Makes sense. I know you’re already going to, but make sure he eats something.”

“I will. I’m glad he talked to you. I have to call Ritsu back, he’s going to help me get the motion light installed tomorrow.”

“Alright. Oh—however much you paid for dinner, let me know. I’ll reimburse you.”

“What? No, you couldn’t…”

“I haven’t treated you kids to ramen in years, this ain’t gonna break the bank. Just text me. And don’t tell Teruki until you really feel like it.”

“… Okay. Thank you, Shishou.”

It’s no use telling Shigeo not to call him that. He already knows—now, the kid just saves it for nostalgia and the verbal equivalent of a hug or a promise, which is ridiculous but also makes Reigen emotional if he thinks too hard about it. Being fourty does that to a person, maybe.

“Call the police if you get suspicious.”

“That goes without saying.”

“Call me too. I want dibs.”

“Family first. But you can deal with the leftovers.”

“Well, I suppose that’s only fair. Nothing hurts more than rubbing salt in the wounds.”

Shigeo kind of laughs. It’s as much of a laugh as he’s going to get out of the kid given the situation. “Thanks again.”

“Sure thing.”

Shigeo hangs up. Reigen packs up the office and calls Katsuya on his way home.

Shigeo is seated on the couch with a book, still bristling, when Teruki walks through the door of their home.

Shigeo tries to shove his anger aside because Teruki has never liked seeing Shigeo upset, but this is one emotion he can’t stuff, and Teruki doesn’t like it when Shigeo stuffs emotions either. Maybe it’s better that Shigeo doesn’t pretend everything is okay.

“Hey,” Teruki says, letting his shoulderbag slip to the floor.

“Hi,” Shigeo says. “I got takeout for dinner. You should eat something, even if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah, uh.” Teruki laughs, a little nervous and a lot ashamed. “I’ll do what I can. Thanks.”

Shigeo nods. He puts his book off to the side and drops his legs, opening up his arms. He makes grabby hands at his husband. “Come here.”

Teruki exhales deeply. He kicks off his shoes on his way over to the couch and collapses into Shigeo’s chest. Shigeo wraps his arms around Teruki’s head and hooks his ankles over the backs of Teru’s knees, wishing he were tall enough to envelop him completely. He draws his aura around them both and pours as much safety and as much love into it as he can.

Teruki knows that Shigeo loves him and would protect him, but he has to feel it.

Teruki’s arms slip under Shigeo’s back as he hugs him, too. His coiled-up aura unfurls against Shigeo’s, scared and stressed but trusting. Shigeo reaches for it with a thought.

“St-Stop,” Teruki gets out weakly, even as he burrows into Shigeo’s hoodie. Shigeo frowns, confused. “Y—You’re gonna make me cry, Shige.”

Shigeo presses deeper. It’s not fair, but he couldn’t possibly pull away. Teruki hiccups and clutches the back of his shirt.

“This is your home,” Shigeo says. His heart feels fierce, but broken, and he tries to keep his voice steady for Teru. “She doesn’t get to take your home away from you. I won’t let her.”

Teruki’s tears seep through Shigeo’s hoodie, next to his heart. “God.” He laughs wetly and brings a hand up to cover his face. “I thought I could hold it together longer than this.”

“I’m not really going to let you do that, either.”

Teruki huffs. Shigeo lets his aura bleed into Teruki’s and runs his fingers through his blond hair until the jitters in Teru’s aura soften into a thrum. It’s still more sensitive than his bassline, but no longer as frightened.

“… Thank you,” Teruki says. Shigeo nods. “Have—… Did she come back?”

“No. I would have told you if she did.”

“Right. I, um. I’ve been thinking about getting a hotel for tonight. My head’s spinning.”

“Would a hotel really help?”

“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to try.”

“I think it might,” Shigeo admits quietly. “I—I want you to feel safe, Teru, but I don’t want our home to be a place you run away from. Your mom can’t take this home away from you.”

“I know, but…” Teruki trails, then sighs, curling his knees against Shigeo’s ribs. “Maybe I don’t know.”

“I’m here, too,” Shigeo reminds him. “As long as I’m here you’ll never have to see her.”

“I don’t want you near her, either, Shige.” Teruki’s fingers press over Shigeo’s heart. “I don’t want her anywhere near you.”

“I’ll keep a barrier up. We have plenty of cameras and Ritsu is going to help us with motion lights. If we’re here, then we’re home. She can’t touch us here.”

“Nothing’s ever stopped her before,” Teruki croaks. His aura is starting to crumple again. Shigeo presses him closer.

“You were alone before,” Shigeo says.

Shigeo’s phone rings. Teruki flinches and Shigeo smooths his hand over Teruki’s shoulder-length hair as he digs his phone out of his back pocket.

“It’s my mom,” Shigeo says.

Teruki relaxes and Shigeo answers. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi Mom,” Teruki says loudly.

“My boys,” Mom says. Her smile is just as audible as her concern. “Are you two home?”

“We’re home, why?”

There's a knock at the door and no question as to who’s behind it. Teruki huffs incredulously as he slides off of Shigeo and Shigeo gets to his feet. They head to the door together and Shigeo pulls it open.

Mom yanks Teruki into her arms the second she gets a visual on him.

Teruki hardly has the chance to jump before he realizes what’s going on and he’s sinking into her embrace. He’s taller than her, but he finds a way to press his face into her shoulder while she runs her fingers through his hair.

“Oh, Teru,” Mom whispers.

Teruki’s arms squeeze around her shoulders.

This is how it should be. It should be like this when mothers come to visit.

It was not like this when Teruki’s mother showed up. She spoke in clipped and entitled tones with condescending words—she singled him out as her son in law and he loathed it. She called Teruki her son and herself his mother and he saw red. He told her to leave and she asked what gave him the right. That she has the right to see her son and that he has no right to keep her away.

“It’s going to be okay, love,” Mom murmurs, hugging Teru close. “We’ll figure this out.”

Teruki nods and steps back only to be met with an armful of Ritsu, despite Ritsu’s reluctance initiating physical touch. Teruki returns the hug with a joke about Ritsu’s height. Ritsu scowls but stays right where he is.

This is how family should be. Family should be like this, not like—

Mom locks Shigeo into an iron hug. It’s parental and full, but a different hug than the hug she gave Teruki. This hug digs into Shigeo’s heart like an elbow in the ribs. It grounds him.

She’s angry, too.

“We’re going to solve this,” Mom whispers into his hair. “I promise. That woman isn’t going to lay a finger on Teruki.”

Shigeo wraps her up with his arms and his aura. He nods.

Teruki’s mother told him that they have no right to keep her away.

Soon they’ll have the right to keep her away.

“We just need witnesses,” Tome says. “That’s it, right? She’s already a disgusting person, all we need is a way to prove it and get that restraining order.”

“It’s not that simple,” Serizawa says, watching her pace around the office. “She could contest the restraining order. The court doesn’t have to grant it if they can’t find a genuine cause.”

“So we prove it,” Tome reiterates, stopping in front of him and pivoting fully to make her point. “We get whatever evidence we’ve got lying around and drop the gaffle on her ass.”

“You can do all sorts of stuff in court if you know the system,” Reigen says, folding his hands. “Teruki and Shigeo don’t have a chance if she hires some skeezy lawyer who knows their stuff.”

He thinks twice. Teruki said his mother’s living in an apartment outside of the city… Reigen lived in an apartment outside the city until he and Katsuya were able to afford a larger one together closer to the office. Any apartment that far out is cramped and cheap and doesn’t at all suit the lifestyle Teruki described of his mother.

He wonders how much money Teruki’s father walked away with in the divorce. Maybe she couldn’t hire a lawyer.

Tome throws her hands into the air. “Okay, so whatever. Teruki’s mom can’t win. She can’t win.”

Katsuya interjects. “As much as I understand the urgency,” he says, “going before a judge is not black and white. Especially not in family court.”

“Besides, Teruki and Shigeo haven’t even decided how they wanna handle it yet,” Reigen butts in when Tome opens her mouth to argue. She’d make a good judge if she ever decides anthropology isn’t her thing. “We should wait to hear from them. There are plenty of ways to go about this.”

“They may even try going through the esper division of law,” Serizawa adds. “Shigeo mentioned looking into that. The only qualm is that this mother isn’t an esper, but they could still have it settled in a hybrid court. Especially since Shigeo is also an esper.”

“Wait, I didn’t know about that part.” Reigen spins the chair around toward Katsuya. “What the hell is a hybrid court?”

“I’m not sure myself. Shigeo said he’s looking into it. I think Shou is helping.”

Tome drops onto the coffee table with a groan. “I guess that checks out. Shou’s mom sort of had to deal with that when his dad went off the rails. But how’s that work when the espers are the ones wanting the protective order?”

“That’s why they want to involve the esper legal system,” Serizawa says. If Tome’s anger is problem solving and Reigen’s anger is cheshire smiles, then Serizawa’s anger is something quiet and very, very dangerous. “It’s the only way to ensure that she doesn’t try and flip this back on Teruki.”

“Right.” Reigen puts his head in his hands. The thought of his mom somehow finding a way to blame Teruki for all of the abuse makes him want to throw up. And punch a wall. “Damn esper descrimination.”

Tome looks disgusted. “That’s a thing?”

“After the Claw shitshow, yeah.”

“How the shit—she’s gonna spin this like it’s Teruki’s fault?”

“We don’t know that she would,” Reigen says. “And could you get off the coffee table? The hell do I have couches for.”

Tome kicks her feet up onto the table in defiance. “So what? Do we just sit around and wait for something to happen? I hate that.”

Reigen hates it, too. “Teruki and Shigeo are still figuring out how they want to handle this. If they go for a permanent protective order, they’re gonna need evidence. That’s step one.”

“Alright, evidence.” Tome leaps up and finally leaves Reigen’s coffee table alone. “I’ll talk to Shou and see if we can scrape anything up records-wise. He’s always down to clown on shitty parents.”

“Don’t do anything illegal.”

“You’re the one person who doesn’t get to tell me that. That woman’s got a lot of nerve messing with my boys. She can’t win.”

She shuts the door behind her. Reigen hangs his head.

“It’s going to be okay,” Katsuya says. Stupid husband telepathy or whatever the hell. “Once Teruki and Shigeo decide how they want to handle this, I’m sure they’ll let us know if there's anything we can do to help.”

Reigen sighs. He can’t argue with that, and frankly doesn’t want to. “Right. Wanna go get ramen?”

Katsuya grabs his coat.

Teruki and Shigeo are set up on the couch with a dusty cardboard box sitting open on the coffee table. Teruki flicks through loose polaroids and album sleeves. Shigeo sorts with him.

“This one’s an option,” Teruki says, carefully drawing a photo from its lamination. He’s so young in these pictures—he can’t even remember when or where most of them were taken. Empty memories. “You can, ah… tell I wasn’t being taken very good care of.”

Shigeo looks at the photo over Teru’s shoulder. It’s objectively not a bad picture, Teruki just looks… sad, and thin, and there's a bruise on his head. He looks maybe five or six, which means he was actually seven or eight, and he’s holding his mother’s hand. It might've been the last time he ever held her hand.

“You’re so small,” Shigeo says with no air.

Teruki blows all the air out of his own lungs and leans back. “Yeah. It’s good evidence, though, right?”

He hates the smile that claws its way onto his face, all muscle-memory. Shigeo hates that he smiles when he’s trying to hide something. Teruki hasn’t slipped into the bad habit this instinctively in years.

Shigeo reaches for the photo. He stares intensely at it for long enough that Teruki feels self-conscious. “Did—” Shigeo pauses. “The bruise,” he says. “Did your mom…?”

“What? Oh.” Shigeo’s stress is making more sense. “Maybe once or twice? It didn’t happen a lot.”

“So she did.”

“Not often.” Teruki doesn’t have vivid memories of being hit. He has vivid memories of her voice and her damn words, and maybe being cornered in the middle of it. “I was mainly just left alone a lot growing up, and it was around the time Claw started catching onto me. She was way more into pretending I didn’t exist.”

Shigeo nods, stiff, and when he doesn’t stop staring at the photo Teruki reaches over and takes it out of his hands. He isn’t trying to upset Shigeo anymore than he already has, and in all honesty seeing his own face like that for too long is dragging up drowned memories. He doesn’t want to think about any of this.

He settles the photo onto an empty patch of coffee table. “Evidence pile,” Teruki says.

He hates every part of this.

Why’d he even keep the stupid cardboard box? Nostalgic childhood nothings, loose photos, the methodical albums his mother was so particular about keeping as he grew up. She always was particular about her image. He can’t say he grew up much different, but he’s not the person he used to be. When she kicked him out of her home he stole her precious albums to take with him, both to spite and remember her.

He still remembers the way she held his hand in that picture. It wasn’t because she wanted to.

“What if it’s not enough?” Teruki whispers.

“We might not even need so much evidence to get the temporary protective order,” Shigeo tells him. “Especially since the esper court is getting involved. They’re familiar with Claw. The fact that your mother abandoned you when she knew you were being hunted isn’t something they’ll let slip.”

Teruki takes an enormous breath. “Yeah.” God, his lungs hurt. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” His head hurts, too. “I, ah, I have a couple bills that accidentally showed up at my old apartment instead of my parents’ house. It should be enough to prove she had me living alone as a pre-teen.”

Shigeo nods. “You have her text messages, too. We have enough. It’s going to be okay.”

“Yeah.” Teruki breathes and this time it aches instead of burns. “Thanks. I know this is a lot.”

“It’ll be over soon.”

Teruki feels a little better after that. He finds a couple more pictures of himself as a child and even some he took of his apartment when he first moved in. Shigeo brews a fresh pot of tea while Teruki digs around in his old filing cabinet for those old bills. By the end of the night, well past ten o’clock, they’ve assembled a small arsenal of evidence to be taken to the court house first thing in the morning.

After changing into comfortable clothes, Teruki scrolls through his phone while Shigeo brushes his teeth. Teruki thinks it takes longer than usual, but he’s on-edge, so it’s more likely that he’s reading into things he shouldn’t. Shigeo turns out the light on his way to bed. Teruki sets his alarm. Shigeo curls up on his side of the bed, taking half the comforter with him as normal. Teruki runs warm, so it’s alright.

Realistically, he won’t be sleeping much tonight anyway.

Shigeo stretches over to kiss his temple. “Goodnight.”

Teruki kisses the top of his head. “Sleep well.”

Shigeo rolls onto his side and Teruki watches the ceiling. It’s a still evening, a mute note in the air. Shigeo shifts a little. Teruki takes a couple deep breaths.

Shigeo shifts again. Then again. His breath hitches.

“Shige?” Teruki reaches for him, with his aura first and then with his hand. “Are you okay?”

Shigeo fails to stifle a brittle sob.

Teruki is more alert now than he was seeing his mother’s face at their door.

“Hey.” Teruki gets in close. He searches blindly for Shigeo’s hand and slots their fingers together when he finds it. “What’s going on?”

Shigeo’s shoulders shudder. He presses Teruki’s hand to his lips, taking thin breaths. “You were so small,” Shigeo whispers, the tremors reaching his voice. “Why would anyone—how could anyone hurt you like that? Y-You were— Teru.”

Teruki’s gut wraps itself up in one giant knot. He shouldn’t have let Shigeo see the pictures—or at least he should’ve been more aware of how it would affect him. He wraps his arms around Shigeo’s stomach and tugs him back against his chest, not sure of what else to do. Shigeo doesn’t relax into him, nor does he pull away. His breaths rattle over Teruki’s knuckles.

“I’m sorry, Shige.”

“I’m mad,” Shigeo snaps. “And—...”

Teruki wishes he could see his husband’s face. He hates the part of him that’s relieved he can’t see his husband’s face. He squeezes Shigeo closer and Shigeo’s turbulent breaths dissolve into hiccupping sobs.

“You were so small,” Shigeo hitches. “Y-You were so small.”

Teruki wants to take all the things that make Shigeo cry and rip them apart. He never wanted to be one of them.

“It’s okay,” Teruki says.

Shigeo snarls. “No it’s not.”

“Sorry, that’s—that’s not what I meant. I’m okay. Okay?” He doesn’t feel very okay, but he doesn’t feel like it’s a lie either. Shigeo is rigid against him, heaving like a board refusing to buckle in a hurricane, and Teruki threads his fingers through Shigeo’s hair. “Let me hold you.”

“I should be doing that,” Shigeo bites, his voice wet. “I should be the one holding you.”

“You have been, Shige.” Teruki draws his fingers across Shigeo’s scalp, tracing his hairline. “You always do. Please.”

Shigeo sobs.

Teruki curbstomps his panic and buries his face against the top of Shigeo’s head, smoothing his hair repeatedly. Shigeo finally sinks back into him but the stress in his chest won’t let him relax, and Teruki hates that this isn’t a problem he can solve.

But Shigeo is letting him hold him.

“It’s okay,” he whispers into Shigeo’s hair. “Shh. We’re okay.”

He can’t remember the last time Shigeo cried like this. The occasions are few and far between and Teruki never knows what to do with his voice. His hands keep Shigeo close. Both of Shigeo’s hands clutch one of Teruki’s against his face and hot tears run over their knuckles.

“S’Sorry,” Shigeo whispers through his tears, hoarse. “I’m sorry, Teruki.”

Teruki nuzzles the top of his head and squeezes his eyes shut when the burn turns scorching. “Don’t apologize. I don’t mind.”

Shigeo twists around to bury himself in Teruki’s chest, then he cries until he falls asleep.

The courthouse opens at nine o’clock the following morning. Teruki and Shigeo are downtown by eight fifty. Teruki speaks with the clerk and hands over the forums he filled in advance.

The esper division of law is going to get involved.

Shigeo isn’t as upset as he was yesterday, but the tension never left. He was tense even as he slept. If Teruki weren’t so strung-up himself he would be able to comfort him better.

The esper court takes over as soon as Teruki brings up having been hunted by Claw as a child.

It makes him sick that his mother’s threatening text messages are somehow more relevant evidence than the pictures of him as a child, given how Shigeo reacted.

That his mother is stalking him to the point of showing up at his home does not look good for her.

The temporary protective order is granted.

Teruki and Shigeo take a taxi home late evening with a yellow folder between them, a court date ahead of them and Teruki’s hand in Shigeo’s.

“I’m going for a walk,” Shigeo says as soon as they’re through the door. He doesn’t ask if Teruki wants to join him, so this is probably a subtle way of telling Teruki he needs time alone. Teruki nods and hangs up his coat as Shigeo pivots back out the door. Teruki slides all the locks into place.

He gets the tea kettle boiling. The folder sits on their dining table, which has seen less use than their coffee table this week. Teruki stalls by glancing about his and Shigeo’s home. Humbly furnished and full of pictures; a few fingerprints in the paint courtesy of Tome and Shou; the bougie coffee maker as a wedding gift from Reigen and Serizawa; his mother-in-law’s choice of cutlery and his father-in-law’s electric mixer; fridge magnets that Ritsu mailed while he was off at college.

That’s not all. He could look at anything in this home and tie it back to somebody precious in his life. This home is made of connections and promises and it’s Teruki’s and Shigeo’s and whoever else they welcome into it.

Teruki cuts the heat when the kettle whistles. He grabs his phone from the living room.

Reigen’s stepping into his and Katsuya’s apartment when his phone goes off. Some fumbling and light switching and shoes-kicking later, he gets through the door and answers the phone. Katsuya’s shoes are already here and the light’s on in the living room.

“Heya,” Reigen says, starting down the hall.

“Do you wanna serve my mom the restraining order?”

“Heya?”

“We got the temporary restraining order today,” Teruki says. “We have a court date, but she needs to be served before that can happen.”

“Oh damn.”

Katsuya looks over from the couch in the living room with a question and concern. Reigen waves a hand and Katsuya nods, understanding. He’ll explain after the call. “When’s the court date?”

“November seventeenth.”

“Gotcha.” Reigen hugs the phone between his cheek and shoulder, tearing a post-it note from the fridge to write on. “So, listen, as satisfying as that sounds, are you sure Shigeo doesn’t want to do it? Or I guess maybe that’s not allowed depending on what’s in the order. What about Ritsu?”

“We talked about it. Shigeo could, but we think it’s for the best that you do it. If you’re willing, we’d love to give you the honor.”

“... Well. In that case, gimme a time and place.”

Teruki gives him a time and place.

Friday, because she told Shigeo and Teruki that she would be at her apartment on Fridays if they ever want to ‘stop by’, and she’s located about where Reigen assumed. A tiny studio apartment on the outskirts of Seasoning City. A dank ride through a cheap train and a long walk through cold wind and autumn leaves.

Reigen double-triple-quadruple checked the proof-of document to be filed once Teruki’s mother has been served, and Katsuya and Tome looked over it for him. So did the Kageyamas sans Teruki.

Hanazawa Eiko is the woman’s name. Reigen only learned that recently.

Instincts say he’s the wrong person to handle this sort of legal jargon, but he’s determined not to be. This is for Teruki and Shigeo. People usually hire lawyers or mediators to do this stuff because it’s easy to get wrong. Reigen refuses to get it wrong.

He knocks on the door of apartment 417 and stands back and waits. The envelope is worth its weight in tears. The doorknob rattles. Then turns.

Then he’s staring into the face of Hanazawa Eiko.

She looks nothing like Teruki from her brown hair to her brown eyes to her confused and unhappy face. She has more frown lines than Reigen has years to his name.

“Hello?” Hanazawa Eiko says. She stands in the door with her whole body, taking up as much space as possible. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Reigen Arataka,” Reigen says. “I’m a friend of the Kageyama family. Including Teruki.”

She’s still confused, but the unhappiness tilts into interest. “Teruki.”

“Yep. I’m just here to give you this.” Reigen presents the file to her with both hands. “I’ve been given the honor of serving you.”

“What?” She rips it out of his hands and opens the slip.

“Ah, if you could not read it in front of me—”

“What is the meaning of this?” she says, meeting his eyes. She must’ve read enough to have gotten the gist. “He’s blindsiding us with this, now? Where is this even coming from? His father—” Fury, for half a moment. “His father is going to be devastated when he hears, don’t you understand?”

“Probably not as devastated as Teruki,” Reigen says. He shouldn’t, but. “You got on without him the first twenty six years of his life. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Fine?” She laughs, and he hates how it rings in the air. “My son stabs me in the back and you mean to tell me this is fine?”

Reigen stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Listen.” She shuts her mouth, brows drawn tight. “What exactly is your goal here?”

She’s gritting her teeth behind her lips. “I want my son back.”

“Gathered that, but why? Are you so angry he’s living comfortably without you that you have to come in and ruin that? Or do you have a conscience after all and you’re trying to soothe it in the way that best suits you?” He pauses. “Or maybe you’re lonely.”

Her face contorts. It isn’t anger. Not quite. “What do you know about our family?”

“I know Teru’s made his boundaries pretty clear,” Reigen says, “and what he’s asked for isn’t unreasonable. You tracking him down to his home regardless of what he’s asked for tells me everything I need to know about you.”

“What do you know about raising an esper?” Ah, sure. He could’ve expected this. “That boy put me through hell. All I ever wanted was for him to show a little appreciation.”

He thinks of Mr. and Mrs. Kageyama at Shigeo’s wedding, their tears and their laughter and their pride. He thinks of the jokes lovingly ladled at poor Ritsu about how finicky he’d been with the flowers. He thinks of the way they love and how much they’ve had to handle between their sons, and how angry and devastated they’d be if someone dared lay a finger on them.

He thinks about walking Teruki down the aisle. It’s not the same as raising someone, but it’s a culmination of all the things it should mean to be a parent.

“I’m not gonna argue with you,” Reigen says. “But if you’ve got a single self-preserving bone in you, you’d cut this shit out and let Teruki go.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“You’ve gotta understand. It’s not me. Maybe it’s the guy behind the counter at the discount drugstore. Maybe it’s the guy working nights at the restaurant no one really goes to. If it’s not them, it’s the person who owns the floral shop, or the woman who goes to the park every day with her kids. Or it’s a shady psychic business. The personal trainers at the gym. That weird girl with a telescope you wouldn’t give a second thought.”

“You’re espousing nonsense now?”

“What I mean to say is, this city is full of people who love Teruki and are looking out for him,” Reigen says, “and all of those people have people who are looking after them. I don’t know what foot you think you have in the door, but you’re gonna lose your chance to walk away real fast if you keep pushing. It’s not a threat. I just thought if you won’t do it for him, maybe you’d do it for yourself. That’s all I’ve got. Goodnight, Hanazawa-san.”

He turns away.

“Wait!”

He stops. Eiko’s got a hand reached toward him, but she hasn’t closed the space. The envelope crinkles under the strength of her grip.

“I—” Eiko begins, but that’s as far as she gets before the distress on her face tilts into something that could be shame, maybe, if not for her denial. She stares at her hand and then at the envelope and then at the ground. “I do want my son,” she says. The confidence is gone. The entitlement isn’t, but it’s changed. “I—...

“... If you really care about Teruki,” Reigen says, “you’ll leave him alone. The only decent thing left for you to do at this point is to walk away.”

“Walk away?” Her face is incredulous. “The reason why he’s mad at me to begin with is because I walked away, and now that’s what he wants? How am I supposed to know what to do if nothing is ever good enough for him?”

God, Reigen does not want to have this conversation. It’s not the walking away that made Teruki put his foot down—it’s the neglect, the abuse, the abandonment. But this is not a person he can speak logically to. He can explain it to her until he’s blue in the face and she isn’t going to understand.

But her question isn’t disingenuine.

Goddamnit.

“He told you to leave him alone,” Reigen says. “I don’t think he can make it any clearer than that. You had a chance. You lost that chance. You don’t get to choose when you’re a part of his life again, if ever.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“... Become a better person,” Reigen says. “Do it for yourself and for the people you’ll meet in the future, and leave him out of it.”

He leaves her behind. She doesn’t call out to him again.

The seventeenth of November comes with a dry and biting cold. The one client Reigen had scheduled for today bailed, which likely isn’t a good omen, so he cranks his apartment space heater to max and leaves the office closed. He has no shortage of emails to catch up on. Not to mention the months-long anticipation building towards today.

He hasn’t heard from Shigeo or Teruki, and probably won’t until this afternoon, maybe early evening. Staying distracted with emails will help.

He gets a call just after noon. Shigeo.

He’s never picked up his phone faster. “Shigeo, hey.”

“She didn’t show up.”

“How d— what?”

“She didn’t show up,” Shigeo reiterates. “The judge gave us everything we asked for. The whole order, we got everything.”

“You—wait, what? She didn’t show? She missed the hearing?”

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t know, the court is going to get in touch with her, I think. But we don’t have to be involved. We’re… We’re done.”

“Holy shit.” It was— easy? Reigen doesn’t want to think of it like that because it was hell for Teruki, but just like that? “That’s—How’s Teruki doing?”

“He’s… kind of in shock. But he’s good. We’re going to get food and go home.”

“Right. And how are you doing?”

“I’m also in shock, but good. I wasn’t expecting everything to be granted.”

“Yeah. That’s good, though, isn’t it?”

“Better than good. If the order was just around Teruki and our home that would have been enough. The esper division was really sympathetic and a lot of people in the courtroom recognized us from what happened with Claw, I think, and when his mother didn’t show up— Oh, Teru’s back. I’ll call you later.”

“Alright. Take care.”

“Bye.”

Shigeo hangs up. Reigen sits there stunned.

Just like that? Eiko didn’t show. Which also means she didn’t contest. He’s a little bit pissed that she didn’t show up, actually—could’ve at least had the professionalism to handle this properly—but on the other hand, it does mean she didn’t contest.

It’s not like she would’ve had a choice. Contesting the order would’ve just made her look like shit, especially if what Shigeo said about the esper courts is true. Showing up was a basic courtesy, as was expected of her. Teruki would have been granted the order either way.

But bitterness aside, maybe this was her way of letting him go.

Maybe this was her way of running trying to save herself. Who knows.

… In any case, trying to psycho-analyze her isn’t worth his time. The years to come will make her intentions pretty clear.

His phone pings. Group chat notification.

[barbie and ken’s spiritual successor] The judge granted the protective order. We got everything we asked for.

Tome’s the first to hop on and react with Serizawa right behind her. Ritsu is more generalized in his response, which likely means Shigeo called him personally like he called Reigen. Reigen pops in with a response similar to Ritsu’s with a dash of Tome to make it convincing; if Teruki is keeping details scarce while processing his mother’s no-show, he’ll play it cool.

“Let’s hear it for freedom!” Tome slams her mug into Shigeo with reckless abandon. “I knew you guys had it in the bag! There was no way she was gonna win after everything she did.”

Spirits and Such’s favorite ramen shop has somehow stayed in business all these years—maybe solely on the patronage of Spirits and Such, but even so it’s a good ramen shop and the owner doesn’t mind their bombastic group dinners. They’ve got the whole crew with them tonight—Tome, Ritsu, Shigeo, Serizawa, Teruki, Reigen. Feels like old times.

“Ah, yeah.” Teruki rakes a hand through his hair, twirling noodles around his bowl. “My mom actually didn’t show up to the hearing, so we won by default.”

“Oh, seriously?” Tome leans back, taking a large swig of peach-flavored soda. “That’s weird. Would’ve thought she’d be the type to fight.”

“Yeah, well.” Teruki glances sideways at Shigeo, who glances sideways back at him. They both face the group. “Thanks for sticking it out with me,” Teruki says. “Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve gotten through all of that without you guys. This… This has been a long time coming.”

“Overdue, if you ask me,” Reigen says, slurping ramen. “Don’t sweat it.”

Teruki smiles, and it’s real. “Thanks.”

Tome calls for a second round of noodles.

Shigeo shuffles out of the bathroom, dressed in cozy clothes and toweling his hair dry. His footsteps quiet and Teruki feels his gaze. “Teru?”

Teruki hums, lost in thought. His mother’s photo album is across his legs, missing several incriminating photos and leaving behind the rest. Shigeo draws close, settling at Teruki’s side.

“I should get rid of this,” Teruki says.

The words hang. He turns the page.

“Do you want to get rid of it?” Shigeo asks.

It’s a spread of him running through sprinklers over the grass of his parents’ lawn. It was the last good summer he had up until middle school. “I feel like I should,” Teruki says. “... I feel like I should want to.”

“If you’re sure you want to get rid of it, that’s fine,” Shigeo says. “But if you have any doubts at all, then it’s fine to hang onto it, too. It’s not something you can replace.”

Teruki hums again.

Shigeo leans into his shoulder. “Are you coming to bed soon?”

“Yeah.” He turns another page. Shigeo yawns and nudges under Teruki’s arm. “You can go on ahead, I’ll join you in a bit.”

“I’ll stay.”

“You’re just going to fall asleep on me.”

“You like it when I do that.”

Teruki huffs. “You’ll say it with that much confidence?”

“Sure.”

Teruki leans into the back of the couch, taking Shigeo along for the ride. Shigeo drops his head onto Teruki’s chest. “What did I just say,” Teruki says, but he’s too damn smitten for his own good. An old coworker warned Teruki about the novelty of marriage and how it gets old and tapers off, but he’s been married to Shigeo for four years and if he could do it all over he’d still choose Shigeo.

Shigeo reaches up to poke him between the eyes. Teruki nearly sneezes. “Excuse me.”

Shigeo’s smile is made of sleepy adoration. “You make this face sometimes,” Shigeo says. “It’s cute.”

“I ma— what.”

Shigeo shrugs and turns into Teruki’s chest, settling down.

“Wait, no you don’t, explain.” Teruki grabs him by the shoulder and tries to extract him. “Explain what that means. What face is it? I’ll make it more often.”

“Maybe now would be a good time to go to bed after all.”

Teruki pushes the album off his knees, wraps both arms around Shigeo’s stomach and essentially suplexes the both of them across the couch. Shigeo yelps. Teruki fails at not laughing.

“You’re hilarious,” says Shigeo. “Do you wanna go to bed now?”

“Alright, alright.” Teruki sits up, releasing Shigeo. “Go on ahead, I’ll get the lights.”

Shigeo slides off of him and to the floor before ambling to his feet. Teruki zips the album shut and clicks out the lights, double-checking the deadbolt and then following his husband into their bedroom. Shigeo has starfished himself on the center of the bed, which is just as well. Teruki drops over him sideways and Shigeo jerks awake with breathy ‘eep’.

“Sometimes,” Shigeo says, his voice empty, “I think it would not be so bad to have two beds.”

Teruki knows he’s joking, so he laughs. “We could get two beds. Push them together.”

“Oh, and then when we’re fighting we can separate them.”

“I’ll gradually just inch mine closer and closer as the night goes on…”

“Like a serenade.”

Teruki makes a garbled noise. “Like a what?”

“A serenade, like in that romcom we watched where the wife was upset and the husband cheered her up by singing.”

“Wow, Kageyama, I didn’t know you were such a hopeless romantic.”

“We have matching socks. And it wouldn’t be romantic if I actually sang to you.”

“Maybe not romantic.” Teruki twists around, propping his elbows up on Shigeo’s chest. “But it’d be cute. I’d forget all about being mad at you. Just try it next time we’re fighting or something, I guarantee it’ll work.”

“Our marriage is doomed.”

Teruki kisses him. Shigeo goes quiet, startled—then he presses forward. Teruki wraps his arms under Shigeo’s shoulders to pull him close. Shigeo’s fingers thread into his hair. It’s quiet and it’s gentle—familiar and tired and soft. It’s just a kiss, but it’s nice.

They pull away at about the same time. Shigeo’s eyes are so deep. Teruki strokes Shigeo’s cheek with his thumb.

“I love you,” Teruki says.

Thank you.

“I love you too,” Shigeo says.

“… I think I’m gonna keep the album,” Teruki decides, smoothing Shigeo’s hair off his face. “Until I know for sure.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“Yeah.” Teruki leans in again and Shigeo meets him in a shorter kiss. Teruki pulls away, cups Shigeo’s face in one hand. Shigeo’s eyes are so dark that it’s hard to tell what color they are, but the red shines clearly under the moonlight. Shigeo blinks up at him. His brows pinch.

“Teru?”

“Yeah?”

Shigeo touches his face. “You’re crying.”

“Oh.” A tear splashes onto Shigeo’s cheek. Good timing. “I—I guess I am. Uh.”

Shigeo’s thumb brushes underneath his eye. It’s such a tender gesture that Teruki’s chest caves in. He tries to breathe through it, scrubbing his face.

“Sorry, sorry, I—” It hurts. “I was just thinking—I love you, you know that, Shige?”

“I do.” Shigeo’s voice is so, so kind. “I love you too.”

Teruki sobs and Shigeo tugs him down, pressing Teruki’s face into the side of his neck. Shigeo runs cold. It feels nice. Teruki wraps his arms underneath Shigeo’s neck.

“I don’t deserve you,” Teruki gasps.

Shigeo’s fingers filter through his hair again. One arm winds around Teruki’s shoulders. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“You’ve put up with so much from me.”

“Not really.”

“You have, Shige.”

“It’s been worth it,” Shigeo says.

Teruki doesn’t know what he’s feeling. It’s hard to tell where the pain ends and relief begins—mainly he’s overwhelmed and he’s in love and overwhelmed with the thought of being loved, and overwhelmed with the thought of that love not coming from his mother, for as many years as he thought he was over it.

More overwhelming still is the possibility that she does love him, but would sooner go his whole life hurting him than show it.

He means to keep the photo album. It’ll stay in the back of the closet where he has to go out of his way to see it.

Shigeo’s wedding ring gets caught in Teruki’s damaged hair as he runs his fingers through it.

Teruki wishes he were at a better vantage point to crush Shigeo as close as physically possible. He also can’t fathom drawing back.

“Thank you,” Teruki weeps.

He feels Shigeo nod. “I don’t regret anything,” Shigeo says. “But I especially don’t regret you.”

That does it. Teruki goes for the vantage point, yanking Shigeo into his arms and wrapping him up in his aura. Shigeo squeaks, which is cute and hilarious and also makes Teruki cry harder. He’s holding something precious who holds Teruki’s heart like it’s something precious.

Shigeo is so, so gentle with Teru’s heart.

Shigeo acquiesces to the new position. He draws his aura over Teruki like a blanket and lets Teruki hold him. Teruki still feels like he’s the one being held.

“I don’t regret you either,” Teruki whispers.

Shigeo traces tiny shapes against Teruki’s chest. It’s all he can realistically do with his arms pinned. “That’s nice.”

Teruki laughs. And chokes on it. And laughs some more. It doesn’t take long before he realizes Shigeo is crying, too.

It isn’t over. It might never be completely over. But it’s forward.

He can be okay with just moving forward.

#cloud writes #answered ask #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #terumob #serirei #hurt/comfort #fanfic #future fic #idk how it got this long idk how #but here it is!#oml #<3

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azumasoroshi · 2 years

Text

dude im being 100% fr shizaya fanfic writers were and are fucking insane

because my school banned ao3 (my fault, but that's not important), i saved a bunch of super long shizaya fics (which are PLENTIFUL for some reason, maybe because tastewithouttalent wrote so goddamn many) and have them open to entire work which allows it to stay open on my school devices without being “registered” per say

and they have been like. fucking destroying me

To Hell and Back by corteae started with “izaya and shizuo travel around the world and wacky shenanigans happen” and i was messaging my discord server like “SHIZAYA WORLD TOUR WOOOOOOO” and i was expecting wacky shenanigans and then suddenly everything went off the fucking rails in the way i LEAST expected it to happen

like maybe i wouldn’t have been so blindsided if i hadn’t skimmed through the tags so quickly but like it’s more fun that way. i hate when i actually see a ‘major character death’ tag warning because i want to be surprised

ANYWAY that was genuinely like. one of my favorite fanfiction reading experiences to date. it was like reading a whole novel with how much original stuff was in there but it was so focused on izaya and shizuo and characterized them so unexpectedly well that the original stuff never really felt out of place or forced even though it was so wild

and even though it got super dark at times it maintained this really hopeful outlook on everything and sometimes it was downright cheesy but it just WORKS for that fic and i love it because of that

and some of the challenges it made the characters go through just worked SO well for their canon characters especially post-ketsu and i gasped audibly at some of them and Ahrhghgghhfdgfd

and then the past few days i was reading this zombie apocalypse fanfiction (april 23rd by izayas) and it was like. the most depressing fanfiction reading experiences to date. i literally had a panic attack in school after i read this for a bit too long a session like holy shit it just felt so real and so heavy and hopeless

the writing was phenomenal and well-planned/foreshadowed and probably has the best shizuo AND izaya characterization that i’ve ever seen?? like i could believe things would actually happen in this way in canon. probably because their hate for each other is so intrinsic and they’re never really able to let go of that?? which is not what i expected because yes they bond and yes they care for each other but it was always in a way so that you could feel the wall between them, and even when they connect it’s only briefly, never enough to tear them away from their hatred fully

it almost feels shakespearean in how tragic it is?? everything is so character driven and all their downward spiraling is so poetic and sickening but utterly gorgeous to read. like at so many points you’re like GOD if only they had done this one small thing different, if only if only if only and it’s just htrgrhgfhgd drives me insane which is probably what izayas-san was going for lmao. esoecially at the end you can really feel the shakespeare tragedy kicking in

it’s notable that although it’s tagged shizaya and very much centers around their relationship, it’s much more an exploration of the will of human nature and their individual struggles with coping and growing from their experiences, and there’s like. no typical romance whatsoever

it’s about their sick, twisted, passionate love and whether it’s enough to save either of them or if it’ll kill both of them and just. god. i am empty after that fic i didnt cry but it feels like all the tears have been drained from my body i dont even know how to feel or how to function. i had to take a break from writing this review and it’s been a whole weekend and there’s still this weight on my chest that i cant get rid of :sob: for my sanity’s sake i sincerely doubt i could ever read it again but i honestly treasure that experience

ANYWAY READ SHIZAYA FANFICTION IT’S BUIILT DIFFERENT

#this fanfics literally changed my brain chemistry dude im so infatuated with both #they’re like at complete opposite ends of the fanfiction spectrum but they’re both so amazing #funny how they’re both kinda roadtrip-like in nature #although for very different reasons #izayas or corteae if you ever read this know that i love you #you’re both so creative and so clever and such amazing writers that i really look up to #shizaya #shizuo heiwajima #izaya orihara #durarara

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ghost--girlfriend · 3 months

Note

🤝💕🕊️ for whoever you want to do :] (@kiawren)

YAYY thanks for the ask <33! I'll talk about Anxiety and Serenity ^_^

🤝: How did they meet in the first place? What was there first impression of each other?

Serenity wasn't part of the new group of emotions but showed up not tooooo long after they did! She joined headquarters maybe a few weeks to a month or so after Anxiety(+the other new emotions) did, so after the movie events. The two were kind of drawn to each other and did butt heads a bit, but were both interested in the other's opposite viewpoints :)

Anxiety thought Serenity just. didn't really care about Riley at first, but soon after meeting she realized Serenity just did things in a different way. And then Anxiety really came to admire how Serenity could handle different situations and help other people!

Serenity thought Anxiety was, well, kind of weird. In an interesting way, she wanted to learn more about her! Serenity upon meeting all the emotions was instantly just like. wow. okay. these guys need some serious help cfgvhjb

💕: Who confessed first and how? Did it go as planned or did shenanigans ensue?

(very inspired by this x reader of her ahagahcgfdhgf)

Anxiety! And, holy shit, it went off the rails FAST.

Well, I should preface it with Anxiety tried LOTS of times but her plan never went as.. planned. She had this whole script laid out, everything she wanted to say memorized, but whenever she actually got to be alone with Serenity Anxiety just freaked out and decided to tell her some other day.

I feel like after enough tries Anxiety resigns to keeping her feelings to herself, but Serenity confronts her. Actually, I went to doodle out their confession but it got to be a little longer than expected so its actually this separate post YIPPIE

🕊️: Give just a general domestic tidbit for em (things they like about each other, routines, habits, and just overall sweet stuff)

!! :D! okay so Serenity makes lots of foods/drinks/sweets for everyone, but especially Anxiety. Shes the one that usually makes Anxiety's tea and is pretty proud of it tfgyhjk Anxiety helps Serenity wash the dishes afterwards <3 Anxiety loves that Serenity is so calm and clear-headed, and can help Anxiety with her own troubles. Often she'll feel guilty about that, like shes annoying Serenity by coming to her but Serenity will always reassure Anxiety! Serenity loves Anxiety because shes so different! she enjoys the perspective Anxiety supplies and couldn't help but be gravitated to her. I'm loosing my words here but Serenity loves helping people, especially Anxiety, and helping really makes Serenity feel like shes making a difference. And the two get along really well ^_^ my brains turning to goop i cant think of anything else to say drtfgh they lovies each otherr.... <3

#inside out 2 spoilers #kind of? enough to add the tag just in case #🌹 romantic f/os 🌹#🌹 cup of anxi-tea 🫖#asks

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yellowsugarwords · 2 years

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Not sure if you're still doing TWDG stuff, but could you do the Ericson group and the Garcia reacting to Clementine being tortured by another group and talking care of her?

oooo here we go with the angst (ima do just the teen characters and not the kids for the Ericson kids). Here’s a little intro to ~set the scene~:

this is also gonna be so long guys oops I’ve been working on this for WEEKS so I really really hope enjoy it ;-; this is a long one so buckle up

Clementine didn’t know what had happened. One moment, she was fighting off Delta members/Raiders breaking into Ericson/Richmond territory, next thing she knew, she had a weapon to the back of her skull and darkness. The next four days were hell. She knew they were waiting for Ericson/Richmond to arrive - to capture more or to demand some type of blackmail - but they had already discussed this before. Under no circumstances were they to wager anything in exchange for her. She would find her own way out. Then, in the midst of a boat leak, Clementine managed to hobble away in the midst of the chaos. Swimming through water to reach land was difficult with a broken arm, and her cuts burned from the salt. She was coated in cuts, bruises, scars, and a black eye. She had a limp, and was positive her arm was certainly broken, or at the very least sprained. All she had left to do was find a way to wobble home; a task that took hours, her soaked body shivering in the cold night air.

Marlon: Marlon felt his heart stop when he heard palms slam against the front gate. It always caused a spur of panic, but spotting Clementine clinging to the gate, attempting to stand upright, he dropped everything he was holding. “Guys!” he screamed. He knew that’s all it would take to get everyone there. He fumbled with the key and ripped the gate open. “Louis, close it,” he pleaded, taking Clementine in his arms and pulling her inside. He clutched her as she crumbled to the ground, cradling the girl in his arms. “Where's Ruby?” “She’s on her way,” Mitch assured, looming over his shoulder. “Get her here faster!” He begged. He immediately attempted to identify all of her wounds, wanting to get her to treatment as quickly as possible. He clutched her, watching her writhe in pain, feeling his heart ache as they desperately awaited help.

Louis: Louis was on morning watch. In fact, he had hardly left his post since Clementine went missing. How could he focus on anything else? He just wanted her to come home. Alive. When he saw a figure sliding closer in the morning fog, he tensed, raising the bow-and-arrow Marlon had lent all shift workers in case Delta came back. But then, he saw the limp, the hand gripping their right arm, and the hat. The hat. “Clem?” He called. His heart sank as she drew closer. That was when he finally noticed her condition. She had been brutalized. “Clem! Oh my god,” he rushed to her side, sweeping his arms around her. “Ruby! Someone get Ruby! Now!” Faintly, she began to slink toward the ground, Louis clutching her tightly as he eased her down, cradling her in his arms. “Clem, please stay with me okay?” He could feel his throat slowly closing. “Please. Help is coming.” In the passing days, Louis never left her side, even sleeping on the floor of her room to ensure she was kept safe and was not sought out again by the Delta.

Violet: Violet twirled her hand axe around out of boredom, wandering back and forth around the perimeter on patrol. “Anything?” Louis called from the watchtower. “What do you think?” She tossed back. Louis suddenly went silent. “Woah woah,” he tapped the railing of the watchtower. “Violet, ahead.” Violet wandered back to the front gates, squinting, then dropped her axe. “Holy, shit.” She fumbled with the lock. “Louis, get down here.” “Is it bad?” He asked, sliding down the ladder. “It’s Clementine.” Louis said nothing, just darted after her. Violet threw the gates open, running up to Clementine and wrapping her arms around her. “Oh my God I thought I lost you,” Violet gingerly took Clementine’s weight as she fell into her, unable to hold herself up anymore. “Come on, Clem. You’re safe now, I got you.” Louis stood behind them, ensuring they were both okay. “I’ll go get Ruby,” he whispered, breaking into a sprint.

Mitch: “Stay back!” Mitch called, aiming toward the strange figure lumbering toward the front gates. His fingers tightened, ready to fire, but the instant he heard the faint “Wait,” called out to him, the arrow shot into the ground beside him, dropping his bow. “Clementine?” All he heard was a small sob. In one swift motion, he opened the lock and pushed the gate open, rushing to her side. He gingerly took her elbow in his hands, studying her bruised and bloody face. “Clem,” his voice was breathy, attempting to hide the swelling tears. Clementine stumbled, pushing her weight fully into him. Quickly, he wrapped his arm around her back, propping her upright. Without thinking twice, he lifted her into his arms and pulled her inside. Marlon was standing by the open gates, first confused, then horrified. “Get Ruby. Now.” Marlon listened immediately, closing the gate the moment Mitch wandered inside. Gently, he started for the building, not wanting to jostle her too much. All he could do was stare down at her, eyes swelling, and heart breaking.

Aasim: Aasim was finishing the clean-up from dinner, exhausted and ready for bed. The instant her heard screaming outside, he dropped everything and hesitantly made his way to the front door, peeking nervously outside. He saw Louis, Violet, Marlon, and Mitch slowly approaching the gate, quickly opening and closing it. They were screaming for everyone, but specifically for Ruby. Aasim pushed the door open, making his way down the steps cautiously, until he spotted the familiar hat and hair. “Clem?” He breathed, stunned. Was he dreaming? But seeing the panic in Louis’ face and the tears on Violet’s cheeks, he knew he wasn’t. She was laid down on the ground and he quickly scurried to their side. “Oh my God, what happened to her?” “Delta.” Mitch spat, venom practically falling from his lips. Aasim could feel his gut twist. She was whimpering and shaking. She clearly had a broken arm, along with blood and bruises littering her body. He felt sick. How could someone do something like this?

Ruby: Ruby was waiting in the study, flipping through another dusted, aged book, when she heard the emergency bill ring from outside. She threw it to the side - practically across the room - and darted outside. The moment she got out, Luis was fumbling to open the gate. “Louis? What are you,” her voice trailed off into the night when he guided Clementine into the gates, limping and swaying into him. “Christ,” she mumbled under her breath. “Set her down over there!” Ruby called, pointing to one of Ericson’s picnic tables. “Tell someone to grab my med kit.” While calling out commands, she tore her jacket off, laying it down on the bench. The moment Clem was placed on it, she wrapped it around her in an attempt to keep her warm. “Clem? Clem, han gon, okay? I’m gonna patch you up, hun.” She felt like one of her little ones had been hurt.

Omar: Omar hated guard duty, but always passively took his role. He normally wanted to cook, clean, and head to bed early. But the second he spotted a figure approaching the gates, any exhaustion he felt vanished. He rang the alarm bell, alerting the group to an intruder's presence. “Stand back,” he said, aiming Marlon’s bow-and-arrow in their direction. “Stay,” his voice trailed off, and suddenly the bow-and-arrow clattered to the ground. “Clementine?” The question rang through the courtyard, and every Ericson kid that was walkling burst into a spring. Omar started fumbling with the lock. “Guys, help!” he yelled over his shoulder. The second the door was open, he gingerly took Clementine’s shoulders and escorted her inside. Marlon made sure to immediately lock the gate behind them, and Ruby came to aid in helping her walk. “Ruby, bring your stuff to this table.” Omar insisted. He knew they didn’t have time to bring her inside.

Brody: All Brody heard was yelling at the front gates. But by the time she stumbled out of Ericson’s front doors, she knew why. Someone was clinging to the front gates and Marlon was frantically trying to unlock it. “Oh my God, Clementine?” Her voice was breathy and lost as she fumbled down the steps, then darted to the front gates with all the speed she had in her. “Clem?” She was alive. Somehow, she had made it. “Oh my God!” She was thrilled, but the moment she drew closer, she noticed what bad shape she was in. Marlon and Mitch guided her inside and Brody darted up to her, holding her beaten face between her palms. “Clem, what did they do to you?” She could feel the tears welling in her throat. “We got you. You’re gonna be safe. You’re gonna be fine.”

and now the Garcias:

Javier: Javier paused, his heart stopping as he saw commotion at the gate. Drawing closer, he saw one of the Richmond members working security guiding Clementine inside, beaten and bruised. “Clem?” He asked, breathless. He couldn’t feel his legs, but regardless he ran. “Clementine!” He wailed. He swatted the guards away. “I got her, I got her,” he was breathless, both from terror and the run. “Clem? Clementine?” He said, clutching her shoulders. She groaned at the pressure it placed on her arm. Swiftly, he scooped her into his arms, bringing her close to his chest. “Hang in there, okay? I’m taking you to Eleanor.” His heart was racing, but he didn’t care. The burning in his legs didn’t matter. He just needed her to be okay. “Please, please don’t leave me.” He begged, hearing her whimpers of pain.

Kate: “Javi, what’s happening?” Javi stood speechless, staring toward the front gates. Hesitantly, he gestured. Kate turned, spotting two guards hauling Clementine’s weak, frail body inside. Kate clutched Javi’s arm, keeping her from falling over. She felt like the earth had been ripped out from under her feet. “Oh my,” she cut herself off as she started to run, her panicked sigh morphing into a scream. “Clementine!” She could tell the whole town probably heard her, but she didn’t care. She tripped over her feet as she ran, immediately placing her hands on her cheeks when she got close. “Oh Clem,” she heaved through gasps and tears. “Oh honey, what did they do to you?” Clementine could only whimper. Kate swatted the guards away, taking the teen into her arms and kneeling to the ground. “I’m here. I’ll stay with you until Eleanor arrives.” She flipped around, desperately hoping someone was fetching her. Luckily, the panicked stares of residents her way confirmed that. All she could do was hold Clem and cry.

David: “Approaching!” One of the guards yelled. “Aim,” David said passively, making his way up the stairs to study the threat. The moment he spotted the teen, limping toward the gate, clutching her arm, he broke into a sprint. “Call Eleanor, now.” he demanded, racing down the stairs. “Open the gates!” he screamed, darting as fast as he could toward the front doors. Just as they were barely opened, he slipped through. As Clementine began to collapse, he jumped forward and grabbed her. “Hey, hey, come here,” he flipped around. “Where is the medic?” His voice was hoarse from screaming. Once this was all over, he was going to demand a faster protocol. Swiftly, he picked her up, his heart stinging as she whimpered and cried. “It’s all over now,” he hushed. “We’re gonna get you patched up, just hang tight.” He broke into a sprint, keeping the teen close to ensure as little jostling as possible. “We need a fucking medic!” He refused to lose another daughter.

Gabe: Gabe heard a commotion near the front gates and knew something was up. By the time he could spot the gate, he could see two people on watch-duty hauling someone instead, weak and dragging their feet against the dirt. He squinted, slowly wandering closer, until he spotted that familiar hat. His heart fell into his stomach. “Clementine!” He broke into a full sprint, his legs numb by the time he reached them. “Oh my God, what the hell happened to you?” Clementine just groaned. The guards passed her immediately to him, knowing they needed to get back to their post. “Hey hey,” quickly, he wrapped his arms around her: one around her back and one around her head. “I’ll fix this, okay?” He quickly flipped around, kneeling to the ground so she could rest. “Eleanor!” He screamed. “Someone get Eleanor, now!” He refused to leave her side until medics arrived. Until then, he brushed at her hair and held her close, only wanting to keep her calm.

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 💌☕️♡

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rushingheadlong · 2 years

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Hi, sorry if you’ve talked about this before, but why is The Miracle your favorite album? I haven’t seen many people list it as their favorite

!!!! I have talked about it before but apparently not any time recently since I had to go back to 2019 in my archives to find this post and this follow up but I'm gonna talk about it more because holy shit do I love this album

The first thing I want to clarify is that when I say that The Miracle is my favorite album I don't mean that every single song on that album is my favorite. I mean that as an album I think The Miracle is damn near perfect. It's the difference between something like The Works, which has a lot of good songs on it but those are songs that could also pretty easily fit onto a number of other Queen albums, and something like Queen II where for the most part those songs can only work on that album.

The Miracle hits a very similar vibe for me. I'm pretty sure I've half-jokingly called it "Queen II of the 80s" before because even if musically the two couldn't be more different I think in terms of band development and musical intent the two albums are extremely similar.

Because I mean, what makes Queen II special compared to the rest of their work? I think we can all agree it's the amount of thought and structure and detail that went into making the album. It's Queen flexing their wings musically and showing everything they're capable of doing. It's arguably a concept album, though they don't seem to think of it like that, and it's a perfect reflection of who Queen were at that point in time: the white-and-black motifs, the heavy rock contrasted against the more delicate tracks, the over-composing and drive for perfection in every song... It's Queen taking a stand after the less-than-stellar release of their first album and saying, "This is who we are, this is what we can do, and you haven't seen anything yet."

And in a lot of ways, The Miracle does the exact same thing. It’s a rare Queen album that tells a story and has a running theme through all the tracks on the album, rather than just being a collection of songs that share a similar musical sound.

The entire album is Queen telling us, “We’re not done yet.” It’s Queen coming back after taking over a year off and in the face of the tabloids saying that the band was dead making a firm statement to the contrary. It’s Queen knowing that the end is coming, with Freddie’s health problems looming over them, and Roger’s and Brian’s personal lives being dragged into the spotlight, and John starting to pull back from the public, and all of them choosing to come back together anyway because of course they’re going to stand by each other until the end.

It’s an album that opens by telling you that the party is supposedly over, and then launches into nine more tracks showing you why that’s not the case at all. It’s an album that challenges the idea of success, that rails against the invasion of privacy by the media and that highlights the unique invisibility of the self that public figures face. It’s an album written two decades after the members of Queen first started meeting each other and playing together and it asks, “Was anything that happened in the last twenty years worth it?”

And it’s an album that answers “Yes, absolutely, yes” to that question, in no uncertain terms.

Like Queen II, this is an album that marks a turning point for Queen as a band. Rather than being a pivotal stepping-stone on their road to stardom, it’s the first hint of a goodbye from a band who’s already at the top and knows their time is up. I think a lot of fans overlook The Miracle because Innuendo is Freddie’s “last album” and Made In Heaven is the “last Queen studio album”... but The Miracle was started after Freddie got his AIDS diagnosis and there was never any guarantee that he would live to see it completed and they knew this while working on it.

And yet, unlike I think with Innuendo, Queen didn’t have to make any sacrifices or concessions in order to finish the album. On the contrary they produced an overwhelming amount of material during these sessions, nearly 30 extra songs that didn’t make the album, and while I’m sure part of that is due to the extra time they spent working on it… They also just really enjoyed working on the album together, something that I think is reflected in the number of tracks that they wrote as a true collective and also in the music videos they filmed. Like there was no reason that they had to film the Breakthru video on a train - but it was fun and they had the chance, so why not?

This is the first album where all tracks were credited to Queen as a whole, rather than individual writers, the first album that had to be remastered for different media formats (the CD had three more songs than the LP did), and I think the first use of digital artwork on a Queen album. There’s also some sadder firsts too, namely the first time the band didn’t tour for an album, but they still managed to put so much joy in everything they did do to promote The Miracle that it’s easy to forget everything that’s missing that we would have gotten if Freddie wasn’t sick.

The Miracle is my favorite album because more than any other album of theirs, it’s a showcase of everything that makes Queen great: the harmonies and layered vocals, the unforgettable basslines, the heavy guitar solos that Brian has always favored, the depth of emotion in their music, and the insights into them as a band and as people that we aren’t entitled to by any means but are still absolutely wonderful to see played out here.

It’s an album that didn’t need to be made. With everything Queen was going through at the time, it would’ve been easy to see people talking about the band being dead and decide that maybe they should stop and just keep A Kind of Magic as their grand finale - but Queen didn’t do that. Instead they came back together to find their creative ideas overflowing again, despite (or because of) the disaster that was becoming their personal lives, and they decided to put all the things they couldn’t say aloud into their music as an explanation of what’s happened and what’s still to come.

And rather than title it something that highlighted the chaos of their lives, like “Perpetual Craze”, or something that talked to the secrets they had to keep, like “The Invisible Men”, Queen decided to name it after the track where Freddie, with his terminal illness, sings about needing a miracle - because even if they all knew he wouldn’t get one, they had to keep believing it could happen.

More than anything else this band put out, this album paints a story of their lives that is painful and heartbreaking and yet somehow hopeful despite everything they were facing. It’s an album that could have been so, so dark but it takes that bleakness and shines a light on it instead and tells you in no uncertain terms, “Whatever comes next, everything that’s already happened still matters.”

And that’s why The Miracle is my favorite Queen album ever.

#long post //#rubadubababyoil #The Miracle #The Miracle album #queen band #text #ramblings

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lucky-clover-gazette · 2 years

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For the ask meme: Vio and 7, bc while I know you like the ship, I'm curious about the characters individually!

7- What do you like most about this character?

warning i went on an entire meta philosophical Thought Journey with this one and you will literally be able to SEE where it went off the rails. and then it just continued going off the rails until the rails disappeared from my field of vision and i have no idea if anything i wrote actually makes sense but here just take it

honestly i think part of why I love vio so much as a character is i did NOT expect to like or care about him, and then he ended up easily my favorite. the only thing i knew when i picked up the manga was that i would probably enjoy shadow as a character, which. of course i did. bc he's a very specific flavor of character i always gravitate towards, but vio was like... girl what? why are you in this story and doing the things you are doing? and by the end of my first reading i was just BLOWN AWAY by him and shadow and their entire subplot so i went to tumblr because i felt like i was hallucinating it and here we are now.

re: what i like most about vio... i go into it a lot in this post. vio is fascinating to me as a character from several perspectives, as a writer, a gay person, and just... having the philosophy and experiences that i do. there is such an inherent tragedy to his character that i don't think is lost on the authors--like i say in the post, shadow and vio both don't quite feel like they BELONG in this story, especially with how it ends.

like, i often write vio in particular struggling with the ways he deviates from the narrative set for him, both in canon and out of it. yes a lot of that is tied to queerness, but it also relates to themes of self-determination sub-textually tied to his arc. vio seriously just does whatever the hell he wants a good amount of the time, to like an eyebrow-raising degree. when he separates from the others and joins shadow he's on the Side of Good from the start, but i think he also realizes very quickly that there's more to himself than he'd expected. that doing what he had planned to do, especially to shadow of all people, was going to be shockingly difficult, and perhaps not even the correct choice at all. which is why vio's canon ending kind of falls flat to me, even though i can't imagine it could have ended any other way. this isn't to say he shouldn't have tried to betray shadow--it's an internal conflict he's going through, and a character usually makes the choice antithetical to what actually fuck i just boiled it down to the essentials i know exactly and fundamentally why i like vio as a character holy shit okay

SO normally a character in a story will start out Wanting something and Needing something else, and their entire arc is realizing, "aw beans, my Want actually sucks, i Need my Need" and then they pursue that instead. hero's journey etc.

think about the general premise of vio, and to an extent the other three: character is given individual consciousness to serve a specific noble purpose, and then cease to exist once said purpose has been served. and with the others, that's basically it, minor emotional and relationship arcs aside. but with vio? the premise GOES somewhere. oh no! character finds themselves drawn to the dark side by a "tempting" "evil" person or force, who CORRUPTS them into THINKING they WANT to defy that destiny! that they should be selfish, and bad, and turn their back on what they actually Need to do. so says the narrative, the character NEEDS to accept that they're not meant for anything but being used and discarded, because that's what good people do, and these are the Sacrifices We Must Make to Be Good. does your hero have any kind of unconventional or deviant leanings? well either that shit's getting straightened the hell out, or they are going to perish to save the Pure Good Guys, because that's all they deserve. that is a very common way to handle's vio's exact sort of character premise, and at first glance at the manga, one could argue that it's no exception. link still reforms, after all. arguably this kind of happens with shadow, but i think i like his ending a lot more outside of the shipping context. it says something more nuanced than above, but this isn't the post for going into that.

i would argue that almost every fiber of this manga pertaining to vio is actually trying to do the opposite of what i described above, even though it never is able to come to fruition.

quite simply, compared to the typical Needs and Wants of a corrupted hero type, vio's are like subverted. he's given a corruption arc, and it looks pretty basic at first, but it quickly becomes so... unconventional? and fun? and, dare i say, queer? i say it lot in reference to his whole turn of character once he joins shadow, but vio commits to the bit way more than is necessary to carry out his plan. shadow's not that perceptive and vio didn't need to be so close with him, so snarky and clearly enjoying himself, so bizarrely extra and innovative with the means by which he psychologically tortures his friends. his internal conflict, especially towards the end of his villain era, is less "i'm miserable because i'm a good guy and i want to save the world but i HAVE to pretend to be evil and like shadow," and more "i'm miserable because i'm actually enjoying a lot of these villainous theatrics and also i have become genuinely endeared to shadow, but i know i HAVE to betray him and rejoin the others because the world needs to be saved." i don't think it's a reach to say that that's what vio's conflict is, in the text. we see it in his expressions, his dialogue, and his reactions to things that happen.

i think this whole subversion was something the authors did with his character, whether accidentally or purposefully, REALIZED they did with his character, and didn't want to give up. but still, the story needed to end with vio rejoining the others and reforming the hero, because like. duh, of course it does, nintendo and source material and all that. but with the way a himekawa built up their obvious faves' (vio and shadow's) stories, it's like well shit, we came up with something we love but we can't really see it through. because within this brilliant subversion of the typical corrupted hero arc, the WANT is vio's sense of obligation to turn on shadow, reform link, etc, and his NEED is to say, "hey fuck this actually, i deserve to be a person and have relationships and do things i enjoy, and that doesn't make me any less of a hero. i'm smart and resourceful and there's definitely a way to both save the world and preserve who i am and get through to shadow."

self-sacrifice isn't inherently heroism. in fiction, it's often a deeply shallow and underwhelming resolution, especially when the character spends so much time growing and becoming who they truly are. i didn't grow up with religion, but i have a slight suspicion it plays a huge part in this entire attitude, and it sucks how much that permeates into media culture. doing good isn't something you can just phone in at the last second; it is a constant and ever-changing way of life, based on a moral system you develop for yourself as you grow. pretending to be someone you're not, acting solely under a prescribed ethical code especially as a grown-ass adult, makes you hollow and spineless, as well as unhappy, resentful, and unfulfilled.

doing good is hard. staying alive is hard. making decisions and forming connections and constantly being challenged are all very hard. but when you choose to embrace life, to accept failure and flaws but still try to be good, make meaningful connections and allow yourself to be genuine and happy and queer? that, to me, is the Goodest of the Good. and it's unique to each of us, while being something we all have the ability to choose for ourselves. and it's never too late for that. until the narrative tells you to jump off a cliff because that's, like, way too nuanced to be sustainable, and sure the story's resolved and it ended happily for the purest of heart, but what a bleak happiness that is. fuck that.

like, compare to vio to adora from she-ra. adora got the ending revelation i wish vio could have gotten. the whole, "i am worth more than my usefulness to others, i deserve love and self-determination" thing, and THAT's what really saved the day. adora saw her future, living happily with catra and the others, not dead or used but just LIVING, and said "hey, maybe the real answer here? the key to being a hero and saving the world? maybe it's loving, and letting myself be loved, and not sacrificing myself because someone said it's what i'm meant to do." and holy shit, she was right. and the narrative rewarded her for it, with a kiss from her catgirl gf and also destroying Big Evil and saving the galaxy or whatever.

fucking IMAGINE if that could have been the thing to save the day in the manga, just for a second. if you isolated just vio and shadow's arc and made them the Main Characters, like how adora and catra are in she ra. if it was truly allowed to be Their Story, if it was able to transcend the source material, if if if. it wouldn't even have to be just vio and shadow's story, honestly -- the four could realize, each for their own individual reasons, that maybe they can't unring the bell of their own existence. that they can protect hyrule better as themselves, that they deserve to continue the development they're been experiencing for the past 300 pages. and maybe vio would be the one to set that line of thought in motion, because has it not been set up exactly so he could?? if you've read my main au, you know exactly what i'm picturing here. and while i like some of the manga's canon ending, there's a reason most people who love these characters engage most often with alternate resolutions.

i think i like vio so much because he surprised me, and that's because he surprised the fucking AUTHORS OF THE MANGA. even more than a decade after publication, they made a point to say in their note that they appreciated the way people "got" what they were trying to say with shadow and vio specifically. i can't speak for them, and i will concede that i am mostly overthinking just for fun and none of this is that serious, but... come on. do you not see what i'm seeing here. they did something so fascinating and tragically unfulfilled here, and that all hinges on vio. and it's also just. so resonant to me as a gay person, in the same way she ra was.

obviously i could say more, and this is embarrassingly unhinged and maybe delusional, i don't know. i just wrote a lot of words about something so silly and arbitrary, but i took the time to write them because i care and can't get that time back now. so i might as well commit to the bit like gayass purple boy and post anyway

#asks #vio link #four swords #HEAVY META

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deliriousfangirl61 · 2 years

Text

Calla Lillies [Jake "Hangman" Seresin] Chapter I

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Hailey Dugan

Masterlist [~~~~]

18+

Series Warnings: Mentions of child abuse, smut (later on in the series), age gap? (like 6 years because I feel like Jake is around like 32/33, lemme me know if you disagree), cursing. MINORS PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT 18+ content in later chapters.

----------------------

Jake "Hangman" Seresin was finally settling into his new posting in North Carolina. He is back up in the air after his last mission and back to raising hell like always. Yet he can't help but miss The Dagger Squad and after watching Liv and Rooster tie the knot he is feeling just a tad bit lonely and longing for something more. Not that he would ever admit it though. However when he gets some new neighbors in the form of a stunning 26 year old plant-shop owner and a 7 year-old boy, Jake just might feel that tiny little whole in his chest filling. His new neighbor is kind yet fierce, and as she struggles to navigate the new realm of guardianship over her younger brother her next door neighbor is more help then she could have every imagined.

***Important!!! This chapter contains scenes of abandonment, alludes to child abuse and just is kind sad so be warned, and take care of yourselves!

My head is spinning, the handful of Advil I took earlier has done nothing to ease the pain. The plane once again jolts as it hits a batch of turbulence. I sigh softly.

God I hate flying.

I clutch my bag that is sitting in my lap harder. Thirty more minutes and then this god awful plane ride will be over.

Yeah just thirty minutes, easy peasy Hailey. You got this.

I'm going to have to do this again, maybe in a few days or maybe in a few weeks. The only difference is the next time I board a flight back home to North Carolina there will probably be a 7 year-old with me.

Holy fucking shit.

I have no doubts about this being the right thing to do. I never had anyone to step up and take care of me when my mom went off the rails. That is not something I want for my little brother, despite the facet that I didn't even know he existed until four days ago. No even despite that I know it's the right thing to do. However the gravity of the fact that I, may soon, be in charge of the care of a child is terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

Holy Crap.

I have a little brother. His name is Lucas, he's 7. He probably has no idea I exist, the same as I him before last week.

I really hope I am not making a mistake. What if he wants nothing to do with me. I wouldn't blame him.

I don't know how I would react if a stranger showed up when I was seven to take me to a different state. He's probably not old enough to realize how awful our mother is yet.

Remember Hailey, don't talk bad about her in front of him.

The pilot's voice cracks over the intercom and he gives the final warning that we will be starting our descent soon.

I glance out the window. The morning sun is just now starting to peak out over the horizon and it is illuminating and the vast bleak and dead Arizona greats me.

I never thought I would be back here. In fact when I left over a decade ago I swore I would never step foot in this state again, simply because it's the same state that my mother existed in. I never wanted to see her again after I left. Still don't.

Now I'm back.

And I'm back to take guardianship of a kid.

That I have never met, or knew existed.

Who would've thought.

Not me.

I sigh softly and turn away from the window. I focus on making sure my seatbelt is tight and secure. Something I've probably done twenty times now.

I really hate flying.

I'm thankful for this mostly empty flight. At least the only people who have really noticed my anxiousness are the flight attendants. They gave me reassuring smiles as they offered me beverages and gave me looks of pity when I downed my Advil.

They must think I'm a mess.

The plane touches down on the tarmac with two big hops that make my heart sink into my stomach. My knuckles turn white as I grip my bag.

God I don't want to be on this plane anymore.

When the plane pulls up to the gate I unclip my seatbelt and stand, slinging my purse over my shoulder and reach for my small duffel. I didn't bring all that much. The cps social worker had assured me that I probably wouldn't be here for more than a week. If so I'll find a laundry mat.

The air is hot and sticky, despite it being just past 7:00 am. I feel the heat wash over me as I step off the plane and into the gate.

Hello Arizona, I have really not missed you.

My phone is off airplane mode now and I send a message to Matthew. Telling him that I landed. He won't respond, but at least I'm trying. I shouldn't be, but I am. That stubbornness my own mother use to complain about is still deep inside me, even if I should probably just let it go.

I can't think about Matthew right now. No, I need to focus on getting to the courthouse. Erica Adler, the attorney who took Lucas's case said if I want to petition the court for guardianship I need to be at the courthouse by 8:30. It's 7:45, and I still need to hail a cab and change.

Thankfully, hailing a cab is easy.

He turns up the AC as I slide into the backseat. Thank goodness. If it's one thing I didn't miss about Arizona is the blistering heat that is already raging on despite the early morning.

I glance at the driver one time before slipping my court clothes out of my bag.

I wish I could say this is my first time getting dressed in the back seat of a car. I slip the skirt over the leggings before shedding those and shoving them into my bag. I pull the jacket on over my tank top, and pull my hair up into a clip.

The cab pulls in front of the court house at 8:17.

"Thank you."

I stumble slightly as I step out of the cab. Goodness I haven't worn heels in a while.

The sweltering heat seems overwhelming as I climb the stairs to the courthouse. I can't even tell if the sweating is from nerves or from the heat. Probably a mixture of both, if I'm being honest with myself.

A cop is leaving as I'm entering and he holds open the door for me. I don't miss the look he sends me. I probably look frazzled.

Breathe Hailey.

Your about to try to convince a judge that you are capable and mature enough to take guardianship over a child you have never met.

The blast of AC of the courthouse is a welcome feeling. The security guard gives me an odd look before asking for my bags.

"Business?"

"My name is Hailey Dugan, and I'm here for the Lucas Saunders case."

"Ms. Dugan!"

My head snaps to the side, past the metal detectors a pretty but tired looking women stands. She waves to me offering me a small smile.

"She's with me Dawson, we got court in 10 minutes please hurry her through."

Dawson the security guard nods, his demeanor changes and he offers me a kind smile as he motions me to step through the metal detector. Another security guard studies the screen for a few moments before giving me a nod and a thumbs up.

Eric smiles at me as I grab my bags. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Dugan." She extends her hand.

I shift my bags in my hand. "It's nice to mee you too" I say softly, I feel like if I talk any louder I'll stutter.

"We can hand those off to my while you go before the judge. You have a very good case, you have a very stable source of income, you have no criminal record, or any report of drug or alcohol abuse. Your own pass with Denise allows the judge to see that you understand the situation that Lucas is in. Honestly, your a blood relative, it is very unlikely that they will deny you to take over guardianship of Lucas. There's also the fact that you hopped on a plan at 3 am this morning to make this court hearing, which shows your dedication." Erica is rambling which I appreciate because the nerves are bubbling in my stomach.

"Ms. Dugan?"

My eyes snap up to meet hers. "Yes."

There's a soft smile on her lips. "I know this is a lot. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this."

"Yes." I don't hesitate and she nods.

She glances at her watch. "The previous court hearing seems to be dragging on a little longer than expected. Would you like to see him?"

I glance back at the security officer as if he'll get mad that she fibbed a little to usher me along. He is helping someone else now not concerned with me.

Erica is staring at me again, that soft pitiful smile.

"Am I allowed too?"

She nods. "Yes you are, you're his family too Ms. Dugan."

"Yes I would very much like too."

Erica nods, and she leads me down one of the many corridors in the courthouse. Her assistant grabs my bags from me, allowing me to slip out the folder of all the things Erica said might help my case. My heels clack loudly on the floors.

I should have worn flats.

Erica stops in front a large oak door.

Break Room.

She looks back at me once before pushing the door open. A man greets us first, gives us one nod before stepping out of the way.

A cartoon is playing on the old box TV. Except I couldn't care less about the loud TV. Sitting at the large table with a bag of chips and a soda is a dirty blonde curly haired boy. Big blue eyes are trained on the TV as he absentmindedly shoves a few chips into his mouth. My eyes fall to the dark blue cast on his right hand. A small cut that is scabbed over fall beneath the mop of curls on his forehead. My heart drops, and a lump forms in my throat.

God Denise look at what you've done.

"Lucas."

The boys head turns slowly his eyes turn from Erica to me.

"This is Hailey, do you remember us telling you about her?"

He nods softly, those big blue eyes are taking me in.

"Hi Lucas, it's really nice to meet you. Do you mind if I sit."

He shakes his head before turning his head to look down at the table.

I pull out the chair that is next to him and slowly lower myself down. He's nervous. Lucas fiddles with a string that is caught on his cast.

I sigh softly.

"Have they explained why I am here Lucas?"

Lucas nods his head.

"I know this must be really hard for you Lucas, I know you probably don't want to leave mom..."

"She's gonna be real mad if I leave." Lucas cuts me off and my heart aches at his statement.

He's too young to be like this. Too little.

"Do you want to leave Lucas, it's okay if you do, you know. I left too, a long time ago. It doesn't mean you don't love her." I say softly.

Lucas looks up at me, those big blue eyes look so sad and it's breaking my heart.

"I don't really wanna stay, mom's gonna be angry though. She always tells me it's just her and me and that she's all I got." Lucas mutters almost so softly I don't hear him.

"You don't need to worry about mom, I will take care of that." I promise, and it's true he won't need to worry about that anymore.

I just met him, but I have no doubt that I want to protect him from everything now. Even our own mom.

"I always wanted a sister." Lucas admits breaking the silence that fell over us.

I think I already love this kid.

"Oh yeah?" I grin softly.

He nods.

"Well I've always wanted a brother."

Lucas smiles at that. "So I'm gonna go live with you?"

I glance at Erica, unsure of how I'm supposed to approach the question.

"That's the hope Lucas, we have to go talk to the judge first."

Lucas nods.

"Is that okay with you?" I ask.

Lucas thinks for a moment. "Can you cook?"

I laugh softly at the random question. "Yes I can."

"Okay."

Lucas turns away and back towards the television. Whether he was saying it was okay that he may have to live with me or acknowledging my statement, I have no clue.

"We should go." Erica says tapping me on the shoulder.

"Alright." I nod before turning back to Lucas, he is already staring at me. "I'll be back."

"Promise?" Lucas sticks out his right hand, poking out his pinky.

My heart squeezes. "Promise." I whisper entertwining our fingers.

Erica leads me out of the room, and I can't help but clutch the folder in my hands tired

8 minutes.

That is all it took for me to become attached to that little boy. This morning I was questioning if I was insane for thinking if I could take care of a kid, and now, I don't know if I can leave Arizona without him.

Erica has kept it brief when we first talked about what had happened. I just know the basics. Denise was drunk and she was supposed to be taking Lucas to the pool. She blew through a stop light.

Some things never change.

"Are you ready? If you'd like we can go over what you're going to say to the judge." Erica asks me.

I shake my head. "I'm alright, I'm ready."

Erica nods and I see something flash in her eyes as she looks at me.

Admiration? Pity?

Who knows.

She leads me to a large court room, and she tells me to take a seat at the front row before going through to the large desk directly in front of me. When the time comes she will announce to the judge that a blood relative has been found who is willing to take guardianship over Lucas. At that moment I will be able to address the court.

Just breathe Hailey.

I smooth down the wrinkles in my skirt.

Just breathe.

Another lawyer walks in and he gives Erica a curt nod before looking at me. Goosebumps form on the back of my neck. Erica tenses slightly, but she still tries to send an encouraging smile my way. After a moment she leans over the railing to speak to me.

"It's Denise's lawyer, he might be petitioning for Lucas to return to your mothers care but that is highly unlikely. I knew this might happen just stay calm." She tells me quietly.

I nod leaning back in my seat.

Stay calm. Breathe.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Samuel Wilkins." A bailiff booms and I scramble to my feet.

Here we go.

After a moment we are allowed to sit and I sink back into the bench. My stomach is in knots.

"First on the docket, placement of Lucas Saunders. If no one steps forward the child will be put into the system permanently."

No, no, no that can't happen.

"Good morning judge, I am Erica Adler attorney appointed by the state and with working with CPS and family services we have found a blood relative that is willing to take responsibility for the care of the child." Erica's voice is even confident.

"Is the relative here?"

"Yes judge."

Erica turns and gestures for me to stand, as I push myself my feet Denise's lawyers speaks up.

"Judge, my name is Henry Faltin and I am representing Denise Saunders. She is petitioning the court for her son to return to her care."

She has to be kidding. She get's drunk off her ass and blows through her stop sign injuring her kid and has the nerve to just ask for him back like nothing happened?

Anger bubbles in my chest.

Just breathe.

"With all do respect Counselor, it has only been five days since Ms. Saunders incident that put Lucas in the care of the state. It is premature to ask that he be put back into her care." Erica rebuts and I can hear the annoyance in her voice.

Judge Wilkins peers over his glasses at us. "I am inclined at this moment to agree with Mrs. Adler counselor. Ms. Saunders needs help, and at this time we are unaware of the standing of the DUI charges brought against her. At this time I will not be allowing arguments for the child to be returned to his mother out of concern for the child." His tone is firm, unarguable.

Attorney Faltin nods but I can see his Adams apple bob. He is angry, or annoyed. He glances back at me, his eyes narrowing just slightly. I stare back, I won't waver.

She doesn't deserve to have him back so easily... or at all.

Breathe.

"Mrs. Adler please continue."

Erica nods and turns back to me.

"Permission to have Ms. Dugan approach my bench Judge?"

"Granted."

A court officer opens the gate for me and I walk to stand next to Erica who gives me an encouraging nod.

"I present Mrs. Hailey Dugan Judge, the child's half sister."

"Ms. Saunders is also your biological mother?" Judge Wilkins glances up from the file in his hands.

"Yes Judge."

He nods glancing back down at his file.

"I see one other child listed under Denise Saunders, the name is not Hailey Dugan though."

"Yes Judge, I changed my name when I was 18, it's..."

"I see it, I can understand the want to change it Ms. Dugan." There's a ghost of a smile on his lips.

My lips twitch upward.

"So you are willing to expect guardianship over Lucas Saunders, is that correct?" He allows the fills in his hands to fall closed and his hands move to clasp together in front of him.

"Yes Judge."

"What makes you suited to take guardianship over a child Ms. Dugan?"

His tone is calm and soft, despite the derogatory words I know he doesn't mean them like that. He wants me to prove I am responsible.

I take a deep breathe.

"I know this case seems odd judge. Before today I have never met my little brother, but I understand him in ways a lot of people couldn't. I ran away from my biological mother Denise Saunders when I was 15. Before that I was removed temporarily twice. After I ran away I ended up in the foster system in multiple states. Without meaning any disrespect Judge, the foster system is not something I want for Lucas. I have the means to care for him financially, I own my own business that provides a very steady source of income. I am in the market of a house already instead of a rental property so soon I will have the space a growing child needs. I have also compiled my financial and other documents here for you." I hold up the folder in my head and the Judge order the court officer to bring it to him.

He begins to rifle through it. "Judge I boarded a plane at 3 am this morning after Ms. Adler informed me of the pushes up court date. I have no doubts about my dedication to give Lucas what he needs. I understand exactly what he is going through. Mrs. Adler has also advised that if I do take guardianship over him that counseling is recommended. I've research child therapist in my area, you'll find their profiles in the folder as well."

My heart is pounding in my chest.

"This guardianship could turn permanent, or Mrs. Saunders could petition the court to regain custody. Are those things you are prepared for Ms. Dugan."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Yes judge."

He looks back down at the folder I gave him.

"You've compiled quite the documentation Ms. Dugan. I see the dedication."

My heart is going to pound out of my chest. I'm afraid if I look down I will find it actually pounded out of my chest and onto the table.

Breathe Hailey.

"Ms. Dugan, it is very rare that family members in cases like this take the amount of care and preparation for these circumstances. I am finding a deep admiration for what you have done and said today. You have also provided plenty of evidence that you will be able to support Lucas not just emotionally but materially and financially. With that being said I will allow Ms. Hailey Dugan to take custody and guardianship of Lucas Saunders."

His gavel pounds down. Erica is patting me on the back. Attorney Faltin is standing again, scrambling to get a word in.

"Judge! Ms. Dugan lives in North Carolina, surely the court cannot allow the child to be relocated so far from his mother."

"I saw Ms. Dugan's address of living Mr. Faltin. At this point in time I believe this ruling is in the best interest of the child. Should Ms. Saunders be found of no ill-doing involving the incident, the custody of the child can be revisited. For now he will be relocating with Ms. Dugan in North Carolina."

Judge Wilkins turns his attention to me. "Good luck Ms. Dugan." He gavels once more. "Next docket."

Erica is turning me in the direction of the side exit. I nearly freeze as I glance out into the gallery. Erica is still guiding me, but through the faces of strangers, in the back corner of the court room, glaring at me, is no other than Denise. My mom. Her icy eyes follow me and I am unable to look away.

11 years, that's how long it's been. That icy stare use to make me want to run and hide under my bed. Now I just feel angry.

You don't get to hurt him anymore.

I want to scream it at her.

But I can't.

instead I turn my head staring at the exit. She doesn't get a reaction. Not anymore.

Erica is staring at me a happy smile on her face.

"What now?" I ask a little breathless.

"There's some documents we will need to sign and get notarized. Luckily we are in a courthouse." She grins.

"What about Denise?"

Erica's smile drops. "I expect their will be petitions for phone calls and visitation, but until her DUI get's resolved there's nothing much they can do."

"She was drunk driving can they really dispute that."

Erica sighs. "Sadly yes, there are lawyers who excel in DUI argumentation and debate. Sadly Faltin is one of them. However her having a minor in the car is going to complicate it. Truly we won't know what's gonna happen. But for now you and I are gonna get the legal documents sorted and we are gonna prepare for you to take Lucas home."

I nod.

We begin walking down the corridor.

"Erica?"

"Yes."

"Judge Wilkins said it could be temporary."

"He's right."

"What if I don't want it to be temporary?"

"I suggest when you get home to North Carolina you get yourself a lawyer. If Denise is found guilty adopting Lucas will be easy. If not well..." Erica trails off.

I understand.

Erica continues down the corridor and I let the silence fall over us.

Wow.

15 minutes.

That's about how long we were actually in that courtroom.

15 minutes.

That's all it took to change my life forever.

It's worth it, I knew it was worth it from the second I laid eyes on that blue-eyed boy. Lucas is worth it. He doesn't deserve the hurt, pain and anger Denise leaves in her wake. He doesn't deserve those beautiful blue eyes to be drowning in waves of sadness.

I don't care if Matthew leaves me, or if I just changed my life forever. Lucas deserves to be a happy and carefree kid. It's not right that it was taken away from him already with the crash and our mother's inability to just do what's right for her kids.

It makes me angry that Lucas is going through this. He doesn't deserve it. I didn't deserve it.

Breathe Hailey.

Alright you did it Hailey. You now are the guardian of a seven year old, what's your plan?

Oh boy, there's no plan is there?

[~~] I KNOW GUYS AND IM SORRY!! I guess it's just gonna be a trend that the first chapters of my fics are a bit sad. So sorry about that!

BUT! On the Brightside! Calla Lilies Chapter I is up!

Are you guys excited.

I'm excited.

A few notes: As you may have noticed Hailey has a lot of internal dialogue. I will use that a lot in this fic, so I hope you guys like it.

Also I will be making a taglist so just comment below on my fics and I will put you guys on it!

I hope you guys enjoyed it.

[~~~~] Next Chapter- Coming Soon

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