#we are supposed to be seeing a play with the parents for mothers day weekend on that same day but i will have to leave early for another

[daddy-socrates]

gotta talk it over with my manager tomorrow but i think i have a defense date!!

[luvyeni]

❛THE WEEKEND❜ ( j. sungchan )

p. bestfriendsbrother!sungchan x fem!reader w. 3.6k+

— 𖦹 warnings. sungchan is lowkey obsessed with reader even tho he just met her, oral (f. receiving), unprotected sex, size kink, breeding kink

— 𖦹 (you didn't intend on meeting your best friends brother, let alone fucking him, but hey it's the weekend ) !

“Hey how about we have a sleepover this weekend?”

You turned to your new friend who sat next to you; it had only been a few months since you started at your new school — not many people were welcoming to you because it was in the middle of the school year; everyone had made their respective friend groups and your shy nature made it hard for you to even make friends.

Then came jung soojin; your saving grace— she was a relatively popular girl who approached you first offering a seat to you; then sitting next to you at lunch, and then as the days went by your friendship blossomed. she’d been over your house multiple times, but you’d never been to her house. “th-this weekend?”

She shrugged, the teachers voice playing in the background. “yeah, it’ll be fun, we can watch a bunch of movies and eat a ton of snacks.” She smiled, you thought about it for a second. “okay sure.” She nodded. “great, we can head over to your house after school and get your clothes, and then head over to mines.” She explained. “okay.” You both turned back to the board, excited for the weekend to come.

After the bell rang; she dragged you to her car, driving over to your house — your parents were always happy to see her, chatting her up while you grabbed the things you need for the next three days, running back down the stairs before they could embarrass you. “that’s enough mom.” You grabbed soojins hand. “we have to go.”

“okay, well you girls have fun, i’ll see you sunday.” You waved, dragging her back out. “I love your mother.” Soojin started the car, you rolled your eyes. “yeah because she’s not spreading your business too people.” She laughed, driving off in the direction of her house.

“Shit.” She cursed pulling into the driveway. “he wasn’t supposed to be here.” She whispered. “who?” you questioned. “my brother, he's home from college, he wasn’t supposed to be here until next weekend.” She frowned. “im sorry.” You’ve heard of her brother once or twice; but this was the first time you’d be meeting him. “it’s okay.” You smiled. “we can still have fun right?” she nodded. “of course, he probably won’t even bother us.”

You both got out of the car, making your way up to her door, opening it and walking in, taking your shoes off at the front. “lets go to the kitchen first and the head up to my room.” You nodded, following behind her, looking at all the pictures they had hanging up. “you have a nice house.”

“thank you.” She held a bunch of snacks in her hand, handing them you so she could grab some more. “you think we’ll be enough to last until dinner?” you chuckled. “im almost certain it will.” She sheepishly smile. “Jesus, other people live here you know.” A deep voice shocked you, making you jump a little. “you’re taking all the good snacks.”

“you’re not even supposed to be here today.” You friend said. “I came home early to surprise our parents.” You turned to face the attractive voice — being met with an equally attractive face. “they aren’t here, they went to a wedding for the weekend, yn is gonna spend the night.”

He shifted focus to you, he was probably the most gorgeous man you’ve even seen, perfectly good symmetrical face, his hair fitting for his face— and he was tall, making you feel small; he made you feel nervous and you didn’t even know his name. “this sungchan.” Your friend said. “my annoying older brother.” You smiled. “h-hi.”

Sungchan took a look at you, eyes scanning you up and down — you hands full of snacks, looking up at him with doe eyes; you nervously rocked on your feet; you were cute. “hello yn.” You liked the way he said your name, it gave you butterflies. “we’re going to my room, so we won’t bother you.” Soojin said. “so don’t bother us.” She warned.

“Why would I do that?” he scoffed. “shotaro is coming over later to play basketball, we’re gonna order pizza if you want to eat.” You watched your friend’s eyes light up. “He is?” You just knew you had to ask her about it. “I’ve told you he doesn’t like you.” She scoffed. “how do you know?” she said. “he has a girlfriend.” He pushed past her, you watched them bickering as he filled up a cup filled with water. “okay , im done, you’re boring.” He said. “great didn’t want to talk to you anymore either.”

“Good.” He approached you, his body towering over yours. “leave her alone.” Soojin said. “can I have those?” he pointed to the bag of chips in your hand. “h-huh?” you were too lost in his eyes, he smirked; you were so cute. “these are the last bag and they’re my favorite, can I have them?” you held the chips out, handing it to him. “h-here.” He smiled taking the chips. “now go.” Soojin said. “nice meeting you yn.” He walked back up the stairs. “my gosh he’s so annoying.” She rolled her eyes.

“He’s okay.” You said. “please, you don’t know him, get to know him more, and you’ll be tired of him.” She guided you up the steps to her room — looking down the hall, seeing a quick glance of his back as he walked into his room, soojin pulling you into her.

“He’s so cute isn’t he?” soojin looked out her bedroom window; where sungchan and his friend played basketball in the front of their house. “and look at his abs.” you got up, looking out the window— both of them were out there, shirtless; but you only paid attention to sungchan, his toned six back, dripping in sweat as they played. “him and my brother have been friends since forever.” You nodded, not really paying attention, unable to keep your eyes off the older boy.

You were so focused on him, you didn’t even realize he was also staring back at you until you heard soojins voice, pulling you back to reality. “He’s looking up here, oh my god he’s so fucking fine.” You laughed at your friend, silently thanking god that she was too busy lusting over her brothers friend; to notice you lusting over her brother.

You heard the door shut, your friend jumping up. “let go downstairs so I can see him.” She pulled you up, dragging you down the stairs. “be calm he’s not here.” Your breath got caught in your throat, he was glistening with sweat. “he went to go pick up the pizza.” Your friends smile dropped. “ah! so annoying.” He heard your little giggle, turning to you — you were no longer wearing the sweater, giving him a full view of your white blouse that was unbuttoned, a sliver of pink from your bra peeking through the shirt, making him want to unbutton your shirt and get a full view. “when will he be back?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know, I also told him to stop by the market and get some beers and chips.” He said. “but i think he’ll be around an hour, might want to go fix that ugly face and outfit if you want his attention, im gonna shower. She slapped his chest as he walked upstairs. “asshole.”

“I have to go shower, yn make yourself a home.” She chirped. “we’re gonna eat out here with them.” She winked , running back up the stairs, leaving you in the kitchen. “she’s never ran that fast as long as I’ve known her.” You laughed to yourself, making your way into the living room.

15 minutes later; you saw sungchan walking back down the steps, shirt cut so you could see his rib cage — and a peek of his abs if you looked hard enough, and a pair of basketball shorts. “she’s still in the shower?” he asked, you nodded. He didn’t say anything, walking into the kitchen you turned to your hand, picking at your nails. “here.”

You looked up, he was now standing in front of you, a soda in his hands. “oh thank you.” He watched you open it, taking a sip, the red liquid falling past your lip, dripping down your chin. He chuckled to himself, sitting down right next to you. “so messy.” He said to himself.

“h-huh?” you asked, eyes wide open at how close he was. “you made a mess.” He said, your face was hot, you wipe your chin, sitting the soda down — he stared down at your thighs, watching you nervously picking at your skirt. “sorry.” He laughed, opening his water bottle. “no need to apologize.” You stared at his neck, watching his adams apple move as he drank the water, letting out a sigh, that sent your body off.

“So you must be new.” He said. “I know all my sister’s friends.” You nodded. “I-I moved here a few months ago.” God you were so cute; back at his university he was popular amongst the girls, going back to his shared apartment with shotaro, but none of them were like you — cute and nervous, so small and ready for him to ravish. “your sister was the only one to talk to me on my first day.” He listened to you talk. “she’s been a good friend to me.”

“I’m glad; if she hadn’t the I would’ve never gotten to meet you.” He said, you eyes jump to him, back to your knees. “so cute.” He said, you felt his hand come to your chin, lifting your head up to face him. “So shy cant even look me in the eye.” He chuckled. “I make you that nervous baby?”

You wanted to speak, but you were still stuck on the nickname that you couldn’t even focus, until you felt his hand caressing your cheek. “it’s okay baby I don’t bite.” He smirked. “I saw you looking at me earlier, you almost started drooling.” He teased. “I was looking at you too.” His thumb ran across your bottom lip, you let out a low whimper. “you sound so pretty just now.” He hummed. “I wonder what other noises I can get out of you.”

He was so close you could smell the scent of his shampoo and body wash flooding your nostrils; his arms trapping you, your eyes quickly flickering to his lips. “you want a kiss pretty girl?” you bit your lip, shyly nodding. “well then come get it.” He whispered. “wh-what?” he chuckled. “you want to kiss me right? So kiss me.” He watched your face get closer and closer to his, until he could feel your lips on his.

It was a quick peck, he almost laughed. “not like that.” He cradled your cheek, pulling you into a deeper kiss; you let him take charge, pulling you closer. His hand moved from your face, to your thigh, his hand inching up your skirt, you whimpered against his lips, he smirked pulling away. “keep making those noises pretty baby and your friend is gonna walk in on me doing something to your pretty body.” You could feel his lips on your neck, you let out a small moan. “su-sungchan.”

Fuck you sound so pretty moaning his name into his ear, his shirt balled up in your shaking hands; his cock begging to be freed — he knew he didn’t have more time, hearing the bathroom door open, the front door rattling open. “shit.” He pulled always, pulling your skirt down. “I got pizza!” shotaro entered the house, looking at the both of you. “am i — shotaro!”

You thanked the man above as your friend ran down the steps; distracting the man. “soojin , hey.” He smiled at the girl, you watched them interact. ‘he definitely likes her’ sungchan was too busy looking at you, your shirt was unbuttoned more, you’re a little ruffled; his hard cock jumping; you looked so ready to be fucked. “lets eat!” shotaro called out. “I’ll go get some plates.” Your friend said. “I’ll come too.” Shotaro following behind. “he definitely likes her.”

Sungchan quickly moved next to you, his hands on your chest, buttoning up your shirt. “you look so obvious baby.” He smiled, patting your hair down. “so cute.” He pulled away, leaving you breathless once again as soojin shotaro returned. “shotaro this is yn, my friend who just moved here.” You waved. “it’s nice to meet you.” Shotaro looked at the scene in front of him; shaking his head. “it’s nice to meet you yn.” You friend jumped. “oh yn, let’s go get some drinks from the kitchen.” You nodded, following behind her.

“She’s cute.” Sungchan turned to his friend. “nothing like your sister other friends, is that what you find attractive?” sungchan scoffed throwing a pillow at him. “please don’t act like I don’t see you flirting with my little sister.” He shrugged. “touché.”

You all sat around eating the pizza and talking; you watched your friend and shotaro flirt back and forth; occasionally turning back to sungchan who was already looking at you like he was ready to pounce on his, his presence making heat boil up in your stomach— your hands were so shaky, spilling some of your soda on your legs. “oh! yn you okay?” you nodded, sungchan reached over, grabbing a napkin. “here.” He patted your skirt, cleaning your legs, his hands lingering a little too long for your poor heart.

“look at you , trying to be a gentleman.” Soojin said. “too bad you’re actually a ogre under that.” You giggle, taking the tissue from his hand. “thank you.” He nodded, moving his hands from your legs. “I actually have to go soon, I have to help my mother out tomorrow.” shotaro said. “and it’s getting late and she’s a early bird.”

“I’ll come back soon.” He stood up. “let me walk you to your car.” Your friend said, he nodded. “nice to meet you yn.” You wave. “could you help put the trash away?” you could see your friend begging with her eyes. “yeah, i’ll help.” He picked up the empty pizza boxes, you grabbed the cans following behind him as your friend left out the door.

You threw the trash away, ready to walk back upstairs to wait for your friend so you could get ready for bed — but you were stopped by sungchan pulling back against him, you could feel his hard on against your ass. “you feel that?” he sighed. “you feel how much I want you pretty baby?” you pushed back against him, he groaned stopping you by grabbing your hips. “not right here fuck.” He was truly loosing the war. “when she goes to bed.” He pulled away, ready to feel your warmth again — what were you doing to him?

You could still feel him on you; smell his scent on your skin, even after you were showered and in your pajama — you could hear him groaning how much he wanted you as you listening to your friend go on and on about the kiss she shared outside with shotaro. “I felt butterflies.” You smiled watching her dopey smile. “he was so soft and sweet, it was perfect.”

“I knew he liked you, the moment you came down the steps.” You said watching her giggle, looking down at her phone. “he just text me good night, look!” you nodded. “has he asked you on a date yet?” she hummed. “next weekend.” She squealed, her face getting serious. “but enough of that, this is our weekend, time for us to have some girl time, I have face masks, nail polish and gems.” She said. “and a few movie and of course snacks.”

Many movies and snacks later; face masks washed off and your freshly painted pink nails, soojin was knocked out cold beside you; phone in her hand, you could still see the messages against her and shotaro. You pulled the blanket over her body, slowly making your way out the room, and down the hall to the bathroom.

You reached for the handle, but it was already open, you stepped back, revealing the boy who you longed for — his chest fully exposed, your eyes traveling down to his abs. “h-hi.”

He looked down at you outfit; his cock hardening once again in his basketball shorts, a big shirt eating your small frame straight up, coming down to your knees — it wasn’t his but he fucking wish it was, wanting to see you in his clothes as he fucked you. “nice pajamas pretty girl.” He smirked. “i’ll let you do what you need to do.” He moved to the side, letting you into the bathroom, closing the door.

You did what you needed to do; brushing your teeth, spitting into the sink, before making your way out of the bathroom. “where you goin?” you felt him coming up behind you. “she sleep?” you nodded, breathing heavily as you felt him feeling up your body. “good, cause im not going any longer without your pretty little body on mines.”

He took you by the hand, guiding you to his room, letting you in, closing the door behind him; turning to you, the lamp from his bedside giving you a good look at his darkening eyes. “been hard ever since earlier.” His hands came up to your face. “you’re so fucking cute baby.” He pulled you into a messy kiss; grabbing at your shirt, pulling away from you. “lift your arms up.” He breathed.

You slowly put your arms up, letting him pull the shirt over your head, throwing it to the floor, the cold air on your nipples, making them pebble up. “so cute.” He back you against the wall. “su-sungchan.” You moaned as he pinched your nipples. “keep making those noises for me.” He placed a kiss on your chest. “I wanna hear them all.”

Kissing down your stomach, he stopped at your pajama shorts, pulling them and your panties down in one go, also dropping down to his knees, your back arching off the wall. “such a tiny pussy baby.” He pushed your legs apart. “need to taste you.” You gasped out as you felt his breath on your heat. “su-su— oh my god.” You moaned out as licked a fat strip on your clit. “so good pretty.” You bawled your fist up, desperate to grab a hold of something.

He grabbed your hands without stopping his assault with his tongue, putting it in his hair, giving you leverage. “sh-shit sungchan.” You tugged at his hair, whining. “gonna cum.” His nosed brushed against your clit, humming against your cunt setting your orgasm off, grinding against his face as you came, legs shaking. “good girl.” He pulled away, kissing your cunt. “came so much for me.”

He stood up; now towering over you, making you feel small. “you want my cock pretty baby?” you nodded. “words baby, I want to hear you say it.” you whined. “ne-need you sungchan.” He that’s all he needed, to lift your body up like it was nothing holding you . “fuck you’re so adorable.” He pushed his shorts down to the ground. “need to feel you on my cock.” He grabbed the base of his length, his read leaky tip kissing your entrance. “gonna stretch this tiny cunt.”

You winced feeling his cock protruding your hole, both of your moan as he mounted you down on his cock. “fuck you’re so tight.” He groaned. “your tiny pussy barely taking my cock.” You moaned out. “so-so full.”

He moved his hips up, fucking you. “I knew I needed to fuck you the moment you walked through those doors.” He moaned. “so tiny, so cute.” He kissed your chest. “needed to see you struggling to my cock.”

He felt so addicted to you already, he knew this wouldn’t be the only time; shit the way you felt around his cock he probably would be able to have sex with another girl without thinking of you. “sh-shit pretty girl im gonna cum.” He groaned. “wanna feel my cum filling you up.” He flicked your nipples. “need to breed this pussy.”

“pl-please.” You whimpered into his ear, tears streaming down your face. “please come inside me.” He kissed your tear stained cheeks, his cock twitching inside you. “cum with me.” He sped up his movements, you came for the second time, feeling his cum entering you cunt. “fu-fuck take it all for me.”

His lips pressed against yours, as he held you in his arms, moving to his bed, laying you on your back — slowly pulling out, watching the cum leak from your puffy cunt. “so pretty, tiny pussy can’t keep all my cum inside.”

He wiped you down, cleaning you up, whispered sweet nothing as he got you dressed. “so, so pretty baby.” he kissed your lips softly— giving that this was your first day meeting him, you felt more loved by him than you did with your ex who you gave your virginity to.

“i don’t think this can be a one time thing.” Sungchan said, laying in bed next to you. “I don’t want this to be a one time thing.” You sat up, he followed sitting up on his elbows. “well you have to go back to university.” You said. “I know.” He frowned. “but we can still talk all the time, and it’s not like I won’t be here for the summer.” You said. “but summer is a while away.”

You nodded. “yeah, but we can still talk.” You smiled. “and we still have the weekend left.” You said. “let’s just have the weekend” He grabbed your hand, kissing it.

He'd figure it out before he went back to college cause he knew he couldn’t just have the weekend.

©️LUVYENI

[lincolndjarin]

Best Kept Secret

chapter twenty six : crucifixion

ao3 link ✿ series masterlist ✩ main masterlist ✧

pairing : bodyguard!Din Djarin x afab!princess!reader

rating : 18+ mdni

word count : 12.7k

summary : judgement day.

warnings: major character death, above canon typical violence, very brief references to suicide, torture, body horror (briefly), feelings of despair, blood, wounds, general kodo grossness, vomit (reader vomits several times, it is never described in detail), language, angst, brief smut, pregnancy, death, reader is not doing well in this like she's at a breaking point, i may have missed some so feel free to let me know.

a/n: please read the warnings on this chap! it's the most serious of the bks updates, definitely a bit more intense than the rest. gonna work on getting 27 out within the next few day. i've been terrified of releasing this chapter since i started writing it so once i post this i'm going to dig a hole and sit in it and hide for a while lmao.

i changed my editing style so if there's spelling errors lmk!! apologies in advance!!

“My room is too big.” 

He bursts into genuine peals of laughter and you gently smack his arm.

“Don’t laugh, it’s a serious issue! My room is enormous.” You’re giggling along with him now, it’s the hardest you’ve ever heard him laugh. You both just laugh for a few minutes, as if each other's company is the most amusing thing in the world. 

Once your giggles fizzle out you wait another moment before breaking the silence. 

“Where did you grow up?” You can’t see him but you can sense where he sits in the darkness, you crawl forward so you’re sitting between his legs, your own legs wrap around his waist. “I’m just curious.” 

“Aq Vetina.” You can’t recall anything about the planet. You aren’t even sure you’ve heard of it. 

“Do you remember your parents well? You don’t talk about them very much.” You put your hands on his shoulders, ever so slowly moving them up to his neck until you’re cupping his face. 

“I’ll never forget them.” He whispers. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We can’t change the past.” You rub your nose against his, bumping them together as you hum and nod. “My mother loved ships. We didn’t travel, we never had a reason to, but she would take me outside and we’d watch ships fly past. I could never comprehend how she knew the name for all of them, it blew my mind.” You wrap your arms around his neck, staying silent in hopes that he’ll continue, he so rarely speaks so much. “My father worked a lot but he always made time for us, he was always home in time to say goodnight to me. He was always around when I needed him, he always provided for us. On his day off he’d spend the whole day cooking, I’d sit on the kitchen counter and tell him what my mother and I had done that week. When she’d come home we’d all eat dinner together.” 

“You sound like you were a happy child.” You can’t help but smile. 

“I never had reason to be otherwise.” He says it so matter of factly that you don’t doubt it for a second. He was loved. It only makes you smile wider.         

“What were you like, as a child?”

“Well behaved.” You immediately begin laughing once more. 

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it. My mother homeschooled me, she always made sure I had manners. I wasn’t particularly athletic or talkative so I didn’t play with other kids a lot. It was just me and mama.” He sounds far away, it makes you want to hold him close and never let him go.

“So what did you do all day?” Your tone has softened significantly. 

“I would sew.” 

“Be serious.” He’s the one who laughs now at the disbelief in your voice.

“I am! I would sit with my mother after my lessons and we’d sew.” His fingertips dance along the back of your neck as he reminisces. 

“What kinds of things?” You don’t tease. When you really think about it you suppose such a hobby is fitting for him. A task that requires precision and care. 

“I would help her make clothes and blankets that she would sell most days. On the weekends she’d let me do whatever I wanted so I would practice my embroidery.” 

“My heart is actually about to explode out of my chest, you’re so cute.” You put on a mocking tone but the thought of such a thing really does make your heart clench. “Little Din Djarin stitching his name into his clothes.”

“You’re a cruel woman.” He leans forward, knocking his forehead against yours, almost as if he were reprimanding you. 

“What sorts of things would you embroider?” Your tone goes back to genuine, you could listen to him talk about himself for days and you’d never get bored. 

“Whatever my mother wanted. I would ask her what I should do and then I’d stitch it onto her blanket or the hem of her skirt. Mostly flowers, she loved daisies.” You’re pretty sure one of your ovaries literally popped at the thought of a little boy with dark curls and big brown eyes sitting beside his mother and embroidering a daisy onto her skirt. Your heart flutters a bit as you think of the necklace he got you. The silver outline of a flower you now realize is a daisy. “If he was ever gone for more than one night for work my father would bring her daisies, one for each day he was away.”

“Do you still know how?”

“I used to fix Grogu’s clothes when he ripped them but I haven’t done much else since I was a boy. He says it with finality but you carry on, not wanting him to stop talking. 

“What were their names? Your parents?”

“Clara and Arin Djarin.”  

“Those are pretty names.”

“What was it like for you? You said you had seven siblings right?”

“Eight actually.” You think of them now. There were eight of you and your parents' love for all of you combined wasn’t even a tenth of how much Din’s parents loved him. 

“Do you like having a big family?” He lifts you off of his lap, laying you back down as he crawls on top of you, laying against your chest. 

“I love it. I miss my siblings everyday, do you think we’ll be able to visit them someday?”

“If it’s safe to, of course we will.” He tilts his head, if you weren’t in darkness he’d be looking at you. 

“I wish they had visited here. They would have loved you.”

“You think?”

“Are you kidding me? The younger ones would adore you.” You tangle your finger in his hair, scratching his scalp. “Kids just naturally like you.” 

“They just haven’t learned to fear me.” You frown when he says it like a fact.

“I think it’s more than that.”

“Yeah?” The hopeful tilt to his voice has you leaning down to press a kiss into his hair. 

“Kids are intuitive, they can sense that you’re a good person.” He tenses up as you tell him he’s a good person. You know exactly what he’s thinking about now, how he punched your husband and then refused to leave. 

Neither one of you wants to talk about that though, not today. 

“What kind of room would you want? Since your current room isn’t to your liking.” He’s quick to change the subject and you let him.

“In all honesty, I like the cabin, I wish we could just live there.” You run your fingers through his curls as you think about it, gently pulling through any tangles.

“My cabin?” His voice is full of uncertainty as he pulls back a bit.

“It’s nice.” You feel a bit defensive, you consider the cabin to be the closest thing you have to a home. “Can you imagine getting to stay on Naboo? We could spend our mornings walking the market.” You rest your hand on the back of his neck now. “We could get jobs in the city, and then at night we’d come home.” 

“To the cabin?” He still sounds rather skeptical of your hypothetical future. 

“I’d cook dinner, you’d do the chores.”

“The cabin’s a bit small for us.” 

“We’d make it a bit bigger, add a few bedrooms, we don’t need that much space.” 

“A few?” He turns his head, his lips brush against your collar briefly as he kisses you there, freezing up when you speak again. 

“At least two, one for us and then some for any little Djarin’s who might need space.” With that he sits up entirely, his legs straddle your stomach.

“Little Djarin’s?”

“And Grogu, he would come live with us as well.” 

“You’d want him to live with us?”

“Of course, he’s a little Djarin.” Your hands rest on his thighs now as he seemingly ponders above you. He hums to himself in silence for a moment and you can’t help but grin at how seriously he’s taking all of this. 

“How many?” He finally speaks again and you laugh at the bluntness of his question. 

“Kids?”

“How many would you want?”

“You go first.” You haven’t ever talked about this sort of thing so you want to gauge his answer first so you don’t scare him too much with all the kids talk. 

“Maybe five? Or six.”

“Six?” Your voice pitches up immediately and you feel a rumble in his chest as he laughs. 

“Or five.”

“How about two, counting Grogu.” Turns out you didn’t need to worry about scaring him off. 

“How about three?” Three is manageable. 

“Counting Grogu?” 

“Counting Grogu.” He seems satisfied with that. 

“I suppose we could have three, you’re the one who has to build all the extra bedrooms.” 

“I don’t mind.”

“I’d work at the library and you’d work in a shipyard, we’d take turns staying home with the kids.” You pull him back to you, taking his hands and dragging him to lay his head on your chest once more.

“I’ve got enough savings, neither one of us has to work if you’d like.” It sends a twinge of pain to your heart how real this conversation has become, knowing that this exact dream isn’t possible. 

You could always make parts of it real.

Someday. 

“I’d want to work, to get out of the house, but you could stay home if you’d like.”

“When they’re still ik’aad, at least for the first few years I’d want to be with them.” He’s going to be a wonderful father. 

“Then I’d work, not long hours, just enough to get me out of the house, when I come home I’d give you a break, you could do the shopping and I’d watch the little’s.” 

“We’d go as a family, I wouldn’t want ‘a break.’” 

“You’d want to wrangle three kids in the markets?” You scoff in disbelief but he continues to sound completely serious. 

“They’d be well behaved.” You seriously doubt that. 

“What about either one of us makes you think our children will be well behaved? Is Grogu well behaved?” 

“We’ll manage.”

“They’ll be wild.” They will, not they would. 

“And smart.” He sits up again, hovering above you to give you a quick kiss. 

“And happy.” There isn’t a doubt in your mind that your children would be happy with Din as their father. 

“You’d really want to live here? I could build us a house anywhere.”

“I like Naboo, at least everything outside of the castle. I don’t even mind the castle, I just don’t care for the people inside it.” It’s true, somewhere along the way this place grew on you immensely. You love the city and the people in it. “And they’d get to play in the garden.” 

“I would build you a cabin anywhere you wanted, and I’d plant you a new garden.” He kisses along your cheeks and forehead as he speaks. 

“You wouldn’t need to plant me a garden if we lived here.” You insist. 

“We can’t live here, mesh’la.” He rubs a small circle with his thumb against your cheek. “This is too serious now, we’re supposed to be relaxed today.”

“When did we agree on that?” You muster up a weak laugh. 

“It was a silent mutual agreement.”

“I’m plenty relaxed.” You mumble. He buries his face in the crook of your neck, his stubble tickling you as you let out an airy giggle. 

“I’m actually very tense and I think we should take a break from all this talking and take care of that.” He mumbles against your shoulder.

“Oh?”

“Mhmm.” He emphasizes his point by pressing his erection against your hip, you hadn’t even realized that this is where he was going with that. 

“How long have you been waiting to jump me?”

“When we started talking about the five kids I was gonna put in you.” He continues to nip at your neck and shoulders as he speaks. 

“Skipping the agreed upon three and going straight to five already? You’re not even going to attempt to negotiate for four?” 

“So you’re open to four?” He pulls back and you can hear his smile. 

“Let’s start with one and go from there.”

“Right now?” His hips stutter down a bit against yours. 

“Maker, you’re insatiable.” You both burst into another fit of laughter. 

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

“I could get pregnant, and considering the lack of sex I’ve had with my husband I’m sure that might raise a few eyebrows.” 

“It would never get to that point, when we’re in the clear with this whole Kodo mess I’m getting you out of here.”

“Like… actually leaving Naboo?” 

“Exactly like that. I’m gonna take you far away from here when this is over, gonna keep you all for myself.” His hands move down, giving your hips a squeeze. 

“I’m already yours.” You laughed, rolling over to be on top of him. He’s right, if you’re going to leave anyway then what’s the worst thing that could happen? 

You never talked about that night after that. 

When everything sorted itself out you realized how crazy your fear had made you. You couldn’t just leave. At least that’s what you’d told yourself, now you feel like an idiot for not holding him to his words. It wasn’t realistic, you both knew actually leaving would take so much more preparation than a few whispered ideas during a time where neither one of you was in any position to be making such promises. 

It was just talk.

Lysa came to get you from the dining room. 

After everyone left you had no motivation to move, you just stood there, frozen in time. After a few hours she found you, she had taken your hand and walked you back to your chambers. She held your hand, she kept you upright when you threatened to crumble. And when you felt a wave of nausea ripple through you she rushed you to the fresher, a hand on your back as you threw up all over again. 

You sat breathlessly on the tile, Lysa rubbing your back.

“Gods, I’ve been nauseous since the wedding. Even before everything fell apart.” It’s the first words you’ve spoken since they took Din, your stomach is still churning. “This has never happened before.” You groan, you’ve had many moments of upset throughout your life, but none that made you physically ill. Lysa looks almost painfully worried. 

“Ma’am… is there a chance you might be…” 

Kriff.

You never talked about that night after that. 

Maybe you should have. 

You both did a lot of things during those days. You had been so angry, and he had done everything in his power to ease that anger, to keep both of you as happy as someone could be in your situation. 

You shouldn’t have used that as an excuse to be reckless. 

“I’d like to go to bed.” 

“Of course.” She helps you to your feet, walking you back to your room, you turn to her one last time before you close the door. 

“I’m sorry. Elaine never should have gotten involved in all this.” You’d trade places with her in a heartbeat if you could. 

“It’s not your fault.” She truly seems to believe that. 

Except it is. Elaine never would have found herself in this situation if she hadn’t so often been helping the two of you keep your secret. 

“Goodnight, Lysa.” 

“Goodnight, princess.” 

You lay on the bed, unable to bring yourself to sleep in the closet. 

It’s cold. Colder than Hoth, as you stare at the ceiling in your far too big bed in your far too big room. Even bigger now that it’s just you. 

You let your hand roam down your torso to rest on your stomach.

Just you, hopefully. 

☆

You’re now having nightly dinners with Kodo. 

You don’t get any respite from him, you just want to stay in bed. You’re nauseous and tired and your head hasn’t stopped spinning since that night. A million thoughts a minute. 

Where is he?

Is he okay?

What the fuck can I do about it?

Mostly that. 

The worst part is your lack of a plan. If the roles were reversed Din would have already rescued you and you’d be living happily ever after. 

But that isn’t how your story is going. Instead you are alone, with no scheme on how to get to him. It’s only been three days but it’s driving you insane, you have never known such hopelessness, it’s maddening. To sit alone in your room all day, staring at the ceiling until Lysa comes to dress you for dinner. Neither one of you ever speaks, afterall, what would you say to each other?

“I’m sorry the love of your life had been sentenced to die?”

How morbid. 

Not that you’re above being morbid. 

You think about it often. How easy it would be to drive your dinner knife into Kodo’s throat. You’re seated beside him now at dinner, both of you at the head of the table, joined by the rest of his family. 

The thought of killing him is the only thing that brings you peace these days. You’ve never once in your life been violent until now. Din is good. He’s a good man. In every way he is the opposite of your husband yet Din is the one locked away, Maker knows where, while Kodo is being rewarded. 

It doesn’t make you mad, it makes you furious. 

It makes you want to poison his wine. 

But you don’t have poison. 

And you can’t put yourself in danger. Because you feel fundamentally different, and even if you refuse to think that such a thing is possible you know you wouldn’t just be putting yourself in danger. There’s more at stake now. 

That’s what you tell yourself to stay calm, a feat that is getting harder by the minute as you’re sat beside Kodo who is currently bragging about how he defeated a Mandalorian. 

“They aren’t as strong as you think they are. Under the armor they’re weak, pathetic.” 

It took six battle droids to keep him down. You didn’t even get near him. 

“Some people just need to be taught a lesson, don’t touch what isn’t yours.” He sneers and the rest of the table erupts into laughter. “I certainly taught that horned bitch a lesson as well, you all should have seen what they brought me last night.” 

You perk up, this is the only thing they’ve said in days that truly matters to you. You’ve heard nothing about the current state of either of them until now. 

“What did they do to Elaine?” Everyone’s head turns to you, all their expressions look as if you’ve announced something treasonous but Kodo smiles as if he were explaining something to a child. 

“She was properly punished, the way someone who observed such a crime with no intervention should be.” He puts his hand over yours when he says it. 

You don’t ask for any follow up. 

You don’t think you could stomach it, so you stay silent for the rest of your meal. When you’re finished you stand, the rest of the table is starting to pour more drinks but you simply lean down, mumbling something about being tired before giving Kodo a quick kiss on the cheek and dismissing yourself. 

You’re waiting for the night where he joins you in your chambers, after all his father is dead, but it has yet to happen. He had told you that once he was king he would be in need of heirs but he seems happy enough with his pleasure houses and you’re more than grateful for the women you entertain him so you don’t have to. 

So you return to your chambers alone, peeling off your gown before burying yourself under the covers. 

Sleep evades you as you toss and turn. You aren’t even tired, there’s too much going on in your mind, there’s no room for exhaustion. After about an hour you manage to drift in and out of unconsciousness, earning a brief reprieve from your anxieties until a sharp knocking has you jolting upright. 

You don your robe, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you rush to the door, you’re too tired to wonder who might even be bothering you at such an hour as you pull the door open. 

Lysa?

“We have to hurry, ma’am.” She grabs your arm, frantically tugging you into the hall. 

“Lysa? What are you doing? Are you okay?” 

“I am fine, but we don’t have much time.”

“Surely you have enough to tell me where we are going.” 

“Do you want to see him or not?” 

Din.

You nod, taking her hand as he rushes onward, stopping at each hall to peer around the corners until you make your way to a servants stairwell, skipping several steps in your descent until you run out of stairs. You’ve never been down here, you didn’t even know there were dungeons until recently. 

It makes your stomach twist in knots the moment you stare into the darkness. 

“Are there no guards?” You whisper, squeezing her hand.

“Not for the next hour, I’ve made sure of it.” She begins walking down the poorly lit corridor, pulling you along behind her. 

The stone floor is damp and it smells of mildew. Your bare feet are already freezing after just a few steps.

Every cell you pass is lit from the outside with a hanging lantern, they’re mostly empty, but you catch glimpses of movement out of the corner of your eye every now and then. In all honesty you’re doing your best to take in as little as possible, you don’t want to think about Din being down here in such a place, but there’s one element you can’t ignore. 

The wailing. 

Someone is weeping, a low, sorrowful song filling the vast maze of halls and you realize quickly you’re heading in its direction, Lysa tenses beside you as you continue on. You’re about to turn one more corner when she abruptly stops, turning to face you.

“He needs to eat.” She removes a fistful of rations from her apron pocket, shoving them into your hands. 

“He hasn’t?” He’s been down here for three days. 

“He won’t… let me.” You pause, cocking your head to the side and she gives you an apologetic look when she turns. “He won’t let me uncover his face.”

Oh. 

“I’ll feed him.” You nod slowly, tucking them into your own pockets before turning the corner. The contents of the cell immediately on your right have you stumbling backwards but Lysa is not swayed, pulling a key from her pocket, unlocking the door quickly before handing it to you. 

“He’s two cells down, on your right.” She doesn’t look at you as she rushes in, pulling a roll of bandages from her dress. “Shh… it’s okay, I’m here.” Her voice goes soft as she kneels beside Elaine. You can’t help it as you step into the entryway of the cell. 

Well, you’ve found the source of the wailing. 

She’s sat on a cot, curled in on herself as Lysa carefully peels back a series of soiled bandages from her face. 

“I’ve got you, it’s just me.” She continues to make an attempt to sooth a rather hysterical Elaine as she peels back the final layer of bandages and your stomach flips. “You’re okay, love, I need to change these.” You don’t know how Lysa is so calm, even in the darkness you can see the extent of her wounds. Now you know what they brought Kodo last night.  

Both eyes. 

“She was properly punished, the way someone who observed such a crime with no intervention should be.” 

Oh gods. 

You’re worried you may collapse as you watch Lysa tend to her with no hesitation, cleaning them with a careful hand before she begins to redress them. You can’t bear to watch any longer as Elaine begins sobbing once more. You try desperately to force the sight of your mutilated friend from your mind as you count down two more cells before quickly fumbling for the lock, letting it hit the floor as you take the lantern outside the door off its hook, bringing it into the dark room. 

It isn���t like Elaine’s cell. 

There’s no bed or interior light, it’s terribly dark and fetid, his cell running deeper than her’s. It takes a few steps for you to finally illuminate the room enough to see him. 

Maker. 

What have they done to your Din? 

You don’t hear Elaine anymore, there isn't a single thing that could distract you from the scene in front of you. There is nothing but the sight of your kar’ta. There’s too much for you to worry about, you don’t even know where to start, you’re frozen in place, a small part of your brain refuses to recognize the man before you as Din at all. He shouldn’t look like this. 

Armorless. 

They’ve stripped him of any clothing you recognize, the thought alone makes you nearly lose your dinner. 

They took his helmet, replacing it with a linen sack.  

Did they see his face?

You briefly have to shut your eyes, taking a deep breath as you take in the rest of him. His clothes are too thin, he must be freezing, they’ve dressed him in a cotton tunic and trousers that end just below the knee. You can see just how beaten and bruised he is. Unlike Elaine he’s in chains, kneeling on the floor with his hands shackled, taut above his head. You swallow the lump in your throat and finally crouch down in front of him, setting the lantern down beside you as you reach out to place a hand on his chest.

“Din…” Your voice cracks and the moment you come in contact with him he flinches back. Suddenly you know how Lysa held it together so well with Elaine, she just had to. You can’t fall apart, who would care for him now if you did? “It’s me, just me. Just me.” You whisper and place a hand over his heart but withdraw it quickly when he trembles under your touch. You ache at the sight of it but more than anything you’re confused, it only takes a moment for you to realize the issue. 

He doesn’t have his helmet. They’ve not only left him here blind, but deaf, of course any touch would frighten him. 

He assumes you're here to harm him. 

You lean in, careful not to come in contact with him as you speak clearly and loudly. 

“Din?” His trembling stops instantly. You find it a bit troublesome how much worse his hearing seems to have gotten in such a short time, you’re half tempted to reach under the bag to make sure he still has his ears. 

“Sarad?” Oh, Din. His voice is terribly small and it sends you forward, wrapping your arms around him as you pull him into an unreciprocated embrace. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” You make sure to speak loud enough for him before pulling back, placing your hands against the fabric covering his face. 

“Are you okay?” He coughs a bit as he asks and you almost laugh at how ridiculous the question is considering the state he’s in. Are you okay? 

Technically no. 

But far better than he’s doing. 

“I’m perfectly fine, what can I do for you? Are you hurting?” You feel his face through the bag as you look down across his body. It doesn’t look like there’s been any permanent damage outside of a pretty nasty cut on one of his legs. 

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Now’s not the time to play the hero, Din.” He flinches a little and you calm your tone immediately. What the hell did they do to him? “Just let me help.”

“How’d you get down here?” 

“Lysa, she says you aren’t eating.” 

“She’d have to lift my- the bag to do it.” He sounds apologetic, as if you could ever fault him for following his creed. 

“It’s okay… may I?” You bring your hands to the hem of the bag but his head turns sharply.

“I- I don’t want you to look.” 

You have no response. He’s always wanted you to look. 

“I just, I don’t think you wanna see the condition I’m in. I don’t want your only memories of my face to be this.” He whispers when you don’t respond.

You should have looked when he asked you to. You should have done a lot of things differently. 

You shouldn’t have waited so long to look. 

You shouldn't have waited so long to tell him you loved him. 

You should have just let yourself love him. Why did you fight it for so long? It seems silly now. If you could do it all again you would have just taken his helmet off the first night you met him and you would have married him right then and there. You would have left Naboo that night.

And you would never keep any of it from him. You would tell him how important he is and how loved he is, you wouldn’t make him wait. 

Even now you can’t help it though, censoring yourself out of fear. Do you tell him about how nauseous you get every morning? About the way Lysa stares at your belly when she does your makeup? 

No. 

It wouldn’t do either of you any good, not when he’s in this situation. 

You take hold of the edges of the bag once more, gentler this time. 

“I’ll close my eyes.” You lift the fabric completely off of him, setting it in your lap as you simultaneously shut your eyes. You keep one hand on his face, using your thumb to find the corner of his mouth as your other hand fumbles to open a ration bar. You feel him part his lips as you feed him. He’s barely chewing, eating quickly and swallowing most of it whole. “Have they fed you at all?” You whisper as he finishes the first bar in a matter of seconds, his teeth lightly scraping against your fingers before you withdraw them, tearing open another bar.

“No.” His voice is still soft as you go to feed him once more, opening each package until he’s eaten them all. 

“Are you still hungry? I could see if Lysa has more.” 

“I’m okay.” You let your head fall forward, resting your forehead on his. 

“What else can I do for you?” 

“Nothing. Being here is enough.” 

If you had felt helpless before it was nothing compared to this. This is more than helplessness, it’s despair. 

“I’m sorry.” You pull yourself further into his lap, wrapping your arms around him in the process. 

“Hey… none of this is your fault.” It certainly feels like it is. Why does he keep comforting you when he’s the one shivering and alone down here? 

“Please, there has to be something I can do to help you.” 

“There is one thing.” You almost open your eyes, you're so relieved, you just want to ease his pain. 

“Anything. I’ll do anything.” 

“I need you to promise me you won’t look.”

“Won’t look?” Your eyes are already closed, you couldn’t look any less if you tried. 

“When they do it. I don’t want you to see it- it won’t be pretty.”

When they separate his head from his body. 

“I won’t.” You can’t deny him this, you’ll give him anything he wants. “Do you know how much I love you?” You whisper before leaning forward another inch to kiss him. 

The question is genuine. It terrifies you to your core to think that he may not know just how much you love him. 

“Of course sarad.” He murmurs against your lips until you let your head rest on his shoulder, fighting back tears. 

What do you say now?

What do you say to a man condemned to death? 

“I love you.” You mumble into the thin fabric of his tunic. 

“I love you too.” After a moment more with him you hear metal jingling as Lysa locks Elaine's cell once more. You quickly pull back from him, pulling the bag back over his head, once you know he can’t see you anymore the tears flow freely. Lysa steps into the cell and you remove your robe, wrapping it around him, immediately he begins to protest. 

“Mesh’la, you can’t leave this here.” His voice is strained and it makes you sick to think he started crying once he was out of sight as well. 

“Please, y-you’re gonna freeze.”

“They’ll know you were here, sarad’ika.” 

“Din…” You’re practically babbling as Lysa removes your robe from his shoulders, an apologetic look on her face as she grabs your arm. 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we need to go.” Tears sting your eyes as Lysa urges you to hurry but you don’t want to leave him, you want to stay, no matter the consequence. You pull away from her, wrapping your arms around his torso. 

“You need to go.” His voice is urgent through the fabric as you cling to him tighter. 

Would it be easier to just stay? Get caught and join him at the executioners? You’re genuinely considering it when you feel your stomach churn once more and you’re reminded of the exact reason why you can’t stay. Before you lose your nerve and shatter completely you lift the bag, just enough to give you an eyeful of his split lip and bruised jaw as you gently lean in and kiss him one more time. 

Doing everything in your power to remember exactly what it feels like.

The curve of his lips and the shape of his chin, the overgrown stubble brushing against your skin as you press your face harder against his, desperation taking over as you taste salt on his lips. You hold him as long as you can, until you hear Lysa urging you to make haste once more. 

“I love you.” You press your forehead to his through the fabric, feeling the familiar shape of his face against yours. 

“I’ll always be yours.” 

That was the last thing he was able to say before you let Lysa drag you out of the dungeons. 

☆

It’s like everythings suddenly back to the beginning. 

You wake up alone, you go to bed alone, and you wander the castle alone.

There is no plotting or scheming to free Din. 

Even if you were a trained killer or bounty hunter, it would be more than difficult to get him out of the dungeon and on a ship off Naboo. It would be even harder to do so when you’re one of the most recognizable people on the planet. 

He is buried deep beneath the ground and there is nothing you can do about it. 

After all, you're just a doll. 

You don’t know when it happened but all your clothes are blue again. Every dress Lysa fetches from the closet is a different shade of blue and all your nightgowns are the color of the sky. A personal brand put on you by Kodo. It’s clearly more than just a preference now, it’s a reminder to you and everyone else that you’re his. 

And time blends. 

You know a date was set right around the time you visited him. One week until Kodo’s coronation and two until the execution. His first public event after being crowned king will be a death sentence, how fitting. 

So you wake. 

And you sleep. 

And you walk. 

Kodo never replaces Din and you haven’t seen Leo since that night, so you’re completely alone. It’s like he’s rubbing in the fact that you’re powerless. There’s no need for you to have a guard, you can’t leave. If you tried you’d be escorted back in an instant. 

You tried to convince Lysa to let you see him again last night. 

“Please, just a few minutes-“

“I’m sorry ma’am, it’s just not possible. The only reason I was able to get you down there the first time was because the guard that usually lets me in was working nights, he won’t be working nights again until next month.”

Din won’t live to see next month. 

“Is he eating?”

“He won’t let me-“

“You need to insist. Tell him I insist, and tell him you’ll close your eyes.” 

She pins back a bit of your hair, leaving half up and half down. You both bask in the silence for a moment.

“I’ll make sure he eats.”

“Thank you.”

That had been the last conversation you had with Lysa. 

She doesn’t come to dress you in the morning. You think nothing of it and dress yourself in the gown she’d laid out last night. It’s a bit difficult, putting your coronation gown on on your own but eventually you manage, when you’re fully dressed in the obscenely decadent blue fabric you begin to worry. 

You have no reason to assume that everything is fine. It would actually make sense for this to be a worst case scenario situation, everything else in your life is right now. 

You’re about to leave in search of her but you decide against it. Sitting at the vanity and doing your makeup as quickly as possible, the last thing you need to do right now is give Kodo a reason to be upset with you, you have to be presentable. You smear the shimmering blue eyeshadow across your lids before rushing out of your room. 

The halls are full. Servants move quickly from room to room, cleaning every inch as you carefully push through the crowds, making a beeline towards the dining room. 

Kodo is seething when you push open the large doors. 

He stands at the end of the table, shoving an armored guard as the veins in his neck jut out in his rage. 

“Where could she have possibly gone? She’s blind. You’re telling me some blind bitch outsmarted my entire guard?” 

Your heart flutters at the thought.

They escaped.

Your hope is shattered the moment Kodo begins speaking again.

“At least we still have the Mandalorian… I want security tripled, guards stationed outside his cell at all times.” He continues grumbling for a moment until he realizes you’re there. “Happy coronation day dear wife! I’m afraid we’ve had a rough morning here, somehow in the night the Togruta girl escaped, do not fret, we’ll find her.” 

God's you hope not.

Even if things are worse than ever regarding Din there is one flicker of light in that darkness. Lysa got Elaine out. Knowing that almost puts you at ease.

“Happy coronation day.” You actually manage a smile when you look at your husband, it’s weak but it’s genuine. You want to be mad that they didn’t help Din escape but you just can’t be. You know they most likely tried but if the roles had been reversed and you could only get one of them out you wouldn’t hesitate. 

So there is no animosity. Just a flicker of happiness for them.

They got out.

☆

You were under the impression that a coronation was a happy event. Yet when you step out onto the castle steps it seems to be quite the opposite. 

They look miserable. 

All of their faces are sullen and dejected. How shocking, no one is excited about Kodo being crowned king. He didn’t have any of the outside of the castle decorated or made presentable in any way. No one reacts when Kodo reads from an ancient looking book until a crown is placed on his head. 

A moment afterwards you’re instructed to kneel and a tiara is placed onto your head. 

The audience is silent and you feel shame when you stare out at them.

Even if you don’t have very much power you still feel as if you’ve failed them. The feeling follows you when you’re directed to the dining hall with Kodo.

“I have a couple gifts for you, wife.” His twisted smile makes your stomach turn as you enter the dining hall, now decorated with blue and gray banners.  

“A gift? You shouldn’t have, my king, I- I didn’t get you anything.” You feign remorse as you take a sip of the wine in front of you on instinct before spitting it back up into the cup. 

“That’s more than okay, you’re my gift, sweet wife, all mine.” The thought of such a thing makes you sick, you smile despite yourself. 

“That’s very kind.” You’ll only ever be Din’s. No amount of blue fabric and faux smiles can change that. He snaps his fingers and a large box is brought to you by a servant, they set it directly in front of you on the table. You look at Kodo who nods, sitting back in his chair as you stand, the box is wrapped in checkered blue paper, a large bow adorning the top. Your hands tremble a bit as you take hold of the edges of the ribbon, tugging on them until the bow slips free, much to your surprise the entire box falls open, the sides collapsing giving you an immediate view of the contents. 

The silver, shimmering contents. 

Din’s helmet. 

Polished like new, it sits before you, and the room suddenly empties. It’s as if you are completely alone, despite all the eyes that are most definitely pinned on you right now. Your hands continue to shake as your fingers wrap around the beskar steel, like you would when you held Din’s face, lifting it to glare into the visor. 

Empty. 

You can’t help but stare at your own emptiness reflected back at you. 

You want to hold it close, press it to your forehead but you’re snapped back to reality by the grating sound of Kodo’s voice breaking you from your focus on the helm between your hands. 

“That’s only one of your presents, open the next one.” He hisses gleefully. 

You set the helmet down, realizing there was another, much smaller box underneath it. Silently you scoop it up and cradle it in your hands. It’s a larger than a ring box, it just barely fits in your palm as you ever so gently open it, swinging the top open as if it were a tiny treasure chest.              

Huh.

It takes a moment.

You aren’t exactly sure what it is you’re looking at at first but when it registers your entire body tenses up, your grip tightening on the gift box. 

Bloody and pink, a tongue. 

Of course you know better than to assume Kodo would give you any old tongue. This is a special someone’s tongue. 

No, no, no, no, no. 

You had loved his tongue before anything else.

He can’t do this, he cannot do this to you.

You had fallen for his sharp wit first, it was what drew you into him. His sweet words had won you back, his declaration of devotion.

Now you hold all of that in the palm of your hand. 

“What do we say?” His nasally voice breaks through your mental anguish. 

No.

“Come on, where are your manners?”

Please. 

“Thank you.” Your whisper is nearly silent as you struggle to keep down the scream bubbling in your throat.

“What was that?” 

You clear your throat. 

“Thank you.” 

He makes you take it with you. You don’t bother telling him you won’t be attending the coronation ball in a few minutes, it’s not like you’ll be missed. 

In one arm you’re cradling his helmet, in the other the little blue box. 

You set each one down carefully onto the bed, even if it’s a bit demented these are the only parts of him you have left. You stare at the little box. 

You have never been hateful. 

Kodo made you into this. You are full of hate, for most things at this point. You hate your husband, you hate your room, and most of all you hate the little blue box on the bed. 

And the music starts. 

It must be deafening in the hall for you to hear it from your room but it’s there, loud and demanding of your attention. 

You’re moving before you even have a chance to think about it, in a few quick strides you’re standing beside the vanity, your hands gripping the top of the mirror as you pull it down in one swift motion, the contents spill everywhere and the glass shatters in an instant, shards splattering the floor but you take no time to process it. 

You move on to the next thing.

You yank each drawer from the dresser, throwing them to the floor, clothes strewn about until it’s light enough for you to push the entire dresser over. In your frenzy you go about the room toppling every stupid fucking table over. So many fucking end tables in  one room, and you throw everyone to the floor, trinkets and vases clattering to the ground as you destroy the room. You get a rush of adrenaline as you lift one of your nightstands and throw it against the wall leaving a small dent but more importantly the force of it makes anything hanging on the wall tumble to the floor, glass frames shatter. 

Your chest heaves as you stare at the carnage.  

And it isn’t enough.

Your face is wet with tears and your hands with blood from cuts you didn’t feel upon your skin as you tear open the closet door, the pile of blankets mock you from the floor, you grab them, your vision now blurry with tears as you pull them out of the closet, throwing them onto your bedroom floor. When you return to the closet you’re in a frenzy, you tear at the fabric before you, yanking each and every dress off their hangers, ripping what you can.

There is nothing else for you to do, so you destroy everything you can get your hands on until the only thing left untouched is your bed, left in pristine condition as you let out a small sob. 

Maybe you are a hateful person now. 

You feel as though you have every right to be at this point. 

You step over the shard of glass, giving your bloody hands a glance before wiping them on your gown.

Happy coronation day. 

You sit on the bed, your trembling fingers wrap around the helmet, now that you’re alone you waste no time to hold it against you face, until your body just gives up, too tired to stay awake anymore.

☆

A guard wakes you in the morning, knocking on your door, when you answer it they tell you Kodo requires your presence in his chambers.

You dress in a blue gown that you don’t look too closely at. Stopping at the fresher on the way, rinsing the dried gore from your palms, wincing as you clean your wounds. None of which seem too deep. 

You want to cut Kodo’s tongue out, to make him feel it. But you know that sort of thing would be an impossible task. So you daydream about it as you walk. You’re more than displeased when you open the door and are greeted by Leodall. You hadn’t seen him since that night and from the looks of it he wasn’t expecting you. He swallows loudly when you step inside Kodo’s room.

Normally you’d be curious, you’d probably take a look around but your eyes refuse to focus on anything but Leo as you scowl at him. 

“Why’d you do it?” You don’t hesitate to ask, you have no idea how quickly Kodo will be joining you. 

He simply stares at you, shame apparent on his face.

“You owe me an explanation at the very least.” You cross your arms in front of your chest as he clears his throat. 

“I thought he’d reward me.”

You laugh. A harsh dry sound 

“What could he have possibly given you that you couldn’t have just asked me for?” Your gaze never softens and you’re practically seeing red as you stare at him.

“I thought he’d give me a lordship.” 

You can’t help it as another crisp and pained laugh slips past your lips. 

“You thought Kodo would raise your status? I thought you were supposed to be smart.” Is he an idiot? “He doesn’t see servants as people, if you wanted such a thing you could have asked me, maybe I could have done something.” 

A glimmer of something similar to hope flashes through his eyes. 

“Would you- would you consider doing so now?”

“You cannot be serious-” Your expression goes from fury to disbelief as you stand. 

“It seemed worth asking.” He puts his hands up defensively as you storm up to him, poking a finger into his face. 

“You slimy little weasel, it should be you on the chopping block, not him. If it were up to me I’d have them put your head on a spike.” The words pour out of you like venom. 

“I would be nicer to me if I were you.” He sneers and your incredulity only grows. You can’t help it, you scoff in his face. 

“I would rather die.” A part of you really means it. 

“You might if you aren’t careful, I saved your life by letting Elaine and your Mandalorian take the fall, I could have told the king that you were a willing participant. I saw the two of you together, I read your little rules. He never forced himself on you. I wonder what Kodo might think about that.” You aren’t a fighter, you’ve never so much as thrown a punch in your life but you grab him by the collar of his shirt and slam him into the wall, the back of his head hits the stone and you don’t feel an ounce of remorse as you do so. 

“Do it.” You tilt your head to the side, almost as if you’re taunting him. “Tell him.” Any of the confidence he briefly had is gone in an instant. “The moment you do I’ll tell him that you’re covering your tracks, and that you made a pass at me. I wonder how Kodo would reward you for trying to touch what’s his?” Leo’s head turns as you both hear Kodo’s piercing voice in the hall. You release your grip on his shirt, brushing off your gown as you turn towards the door. Kodo and three others make their way into the room as Leo coughs behind you. 

“Dear wife, I have another gift for you.” He takes a step to the side, gesturing at a line of three people you don’t give so much as a glance. He doesn’t even seem to notice the obvious tension in the room. “A new staff!”

“I don’t need a new staff, I’m fine on my own.” You abandon the pleasantries. You’re in such a state of upset right now, what's the point? 

“You’re the queen now, staff is required. These three will replace the ones you've lost in a week, until then Leodall will be training them intensively to tend to your every need. Two guards will also be assigned to you but I promise they will be much less loathsome than your Mandalorian.”

All five of them will be trained to keep an eye on you. To report back to Kodo, after everything with Din you should have known he’d keep you on a shorter leash. 

You barely look at them. 

You hate them. 

You shouldn’t, they’ve done nothing wrong, but you hate them. 

You give each one a quick up and down, naming them in your mind. 

A BD-3000 droid commands the most authority just based on how she stands so you mentally note her as Elaine's replacement. You’ll call her new Elaine. 

New Lysa is a pasty young blonde woman with rosy cheeks. You truly wonder how well informed she has been on your circumstance. She’s smiling from ear to ear and seemingly couldn’t be happier to be here. 

And new Leo is somehow even more nervous looking than actual Leo, practically shaking like a leaf at the sight of you. The bags under his eyes are worse than your own. A lanky thing with messy brown hair. 

There’s no reason for you to fight this, Kodo always gets his way so why bother. So you nod. You don’t pretend to be grateful this time, instead you shove your way past all of them, content to return to your room and never leave. 

☆

The morning of the execution comes before you’re ready for it. 

Of course you didn’t sleep last night, how could you?

You dress yourself, apparently your new staff isn’t starting until tomorrow, not that you mind another day to yourself. You manage to find something that isn’t blue, a gray dress trimmed with gold, the closest thing you’ll find to funeral attire. No one else will dress with any respect for him but they can’t stop you. Your vanity is destroyed so you don’t bother with your hair or your makeup, you simply don’t care enough. 

For the most part you feel nothing when you open the door, only emptiness until you look down. 

Someone left you a small vase of flowers. 

You pick them up, taking a closer look but your heart skips a beat when you do so.

Daisies. 

After a few short breaths you throw the vase into the wall across from your door, tiny shards of porcelain fly everywhere as two servants at the end of the hall give you a look of horror. Your shoes crunch over the remains of it as you make your way down the hall and to the entryway of the castle. 

Kodo insists that the two of you get to see him first. 

You’re sweating wildly out on the steps as you wait.

Long before you’re ready for it they bring him out. 

A shivering skeleton of a man with a linen bag over his head, immediately bile rises in your throat. Kodo is grinning ear to ear when his legs are kicked out from under him and he’s forced to kneel.

Kodo himself reaches forward and tears the bag off, too excited for any decorum or finesse. 

You gasp as you stare down at the broken man before you.

In all honesty he isn’t at all what you envisioned. 

His eyes verge on being hazel; they're such a light brown. You’d always pictured them to be nearly black. It doesn’t matter what color they are though, when you see the tears forming in his lash line you flinch, clutching the ring on your necklace to silently let him know silently just how much he means to you. 

He’s a mess. 

You don’t like looking at what those weeks in the dungeons did to him and the last thing you need to do right now is empty your stomach on the palace steps. 

He’s too thin. Far, far, too thin, it’s like his entire being has shrunk down. He’s hollow.

Your breath hitches when Kodo grabs a fistful of his dark hair, forcing him to turn and stare at the crowd. They must have cut it while he was down there it’s a mess, jagged edges and shorter than you’re used to. 

“This man has committed an act of treason against the crown.” His voice is loud and booming as the city goes quiet. “For such a crime he shall face the proper punishment.” He yanks him downawards, you watch in horror as Din’s head hits the stone, an incoherent mess of sounds pour from his bloody mouth and you have to look away. 

He didn’t want you to look.

You remind yourself to try and calm your breathing. You can hear the scuffle as they drag him to the guillotine, placing his neck into the wooden divot, your heart threatening to beat out of your chest as you turn to look. His eyes are everywhere but on you as he looks at the people around him, desperately pleading for his life. Not a single person so much as glances at him, afterall, it’s just nonsense, no one can understand him without a tongue. 

You can’t stand it, you almost cover your ears but you manage to resist as Kodo puts an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. 

“You’re welcome, sweet wife.” He whispers, his breath hot and wet against your ear. 

Fuck it. 

You don’t suppress the shudder in your spine as you shoot him a look of disgust. In a matter of moments everything you care about will be gone, why pretend any longer.

A bellowing chime plays from a nearby clock tower and you know it’s time, you straighten up as you stare at the guillotine in abject horror. 

This is it. 

Your chest rises and falls in sharp short bursts as everyone prepares themselves, a hush forming among the crowd on the street. 

And it begins, a chain reaction that you cannot stop now that the executioner has his ax raised above his head.

You had expected more. More time.

A part of you thought that time would slow, that you’d have a chance to stop it. 

But no. 

There is no epic fairy tale moment where the sun glimmers off of the blade and the executioner raises his ax, giving you this perfect moment to run to him, to shield him from the inevitable, to beg them to take you with him. 

That moment never comes. 

You barely have enough time to close your eyes like you promised him. In one unbroken motion the rope is cut, the blade falls and boom. 

Just like that, he’s gone. 

When you hear the metal slicing through the air you squeeze your eyes shut, hearing only the wet crunch as it cuts through flesh and bone. A soft, squishy thud when his head hits the stone. 

In fashion with your decision to no longer hide your disgust from Kodo you vomit. Bending down you puke onto the stones, spraying your own, and Kodo’s feet. The triumphant smile on his face vanishes as he realizes what’s happened. You wipe your mouth on the back of your hand, refusing to look at Din’s limp body as you give Kodo one last look of detestation before turning around and running back into the castle, not caring what anyone thinks anymore.

The moment you’re inside the reality of it all settles in as you feel tears falling wildly as you run up the steps to your room.

☆

You have been good, and kind, and in return the maker rewarded you by killing the love of your life. 

So when you stand in the center of your demolished room you do the only thing your body can do at this point. 

You scream. 

From deep within your stomach, you scream, loud and raw. 

If anything was left unbroken in your room you’d be throwing it at the wall. But there’s nothing so you scream. 

You shriek.

You howl. 

And you wail.

You scream until there is no more noise. Your voice, like the rest of you, gives up. 

You aren’t sure how late it is when you finally stop. You’re tired and it’s dark outside and your throat is raw. 

And you lay on the floor. Because the bed is too big, and too cold, and the closet is so empty. So the only place left to sleep is there. You lay on the floor with no more tears to cry and no more sounds to scream as you stare at your bed, only from this angle can you see a rectangular shape under your bed frame. 

You wipe your nose with a stray piece of fabric before slowly crawling over to it, you sit on the floor and when you retrieve the item a brand new lump forms in your throat as you stare down at the box Din had bought all those days ago at the market. 

Your failsafe. 

With quivering hands you open it, staring into the small space containing a mess of items but what catches your eye is a piece of folded paper with your name on it. You take it between your fingers, opening it, careful to not let your tears fall onto it. 

Sarad’ika,

If you’re reading this then I’m afraid things aren’t going all that well for me. There are plenty of possible reasons as to why I’m no longer with you, but what’s important is that I plan on doing everything in my power to get back to you. There is only one thing in the galaxy that could keep me from your side, and if that is my fate then this box will ensure you’re taken care of. 

The most important thing is for you to get off this planet. I have included a few possible plans for you, do what you have to to survive. Elaine will help you escape. 

You can seek out Greef Karga on Nevarro. Tell him Din Djarin sent you, tell him what’s happened and he will see to it that you are cared for. Explain our circumstances and I am certain he will provide you with safe lodging. 

Tatooine is also an option. You’ll find a Mandalorian there by the name of Boba Fett, he will not turn you away. You will be protected there, if you need to relocate for some reason after that he will help you locate the Mandalorian convert. Show the Mandalorians your ring and you will be cared for the rest of your life, the convert will protect you. 

As an absolute last resort there is a planet located in the Outer Ring called Ossus. There is a school there, taught by a man named Luke Skywalker. I doubt he would be eager to take you in but you must insist. Bring the chainmail, they’ll know who sent you. Take care of each other. 

In this box you will find enough credits to get you off planet and take care of you for several months, a year if you’re frugal, I suggest you take a few jewelry pieces to pawn off for extra credits as well. You will find a small chainmail shirt, and a necklace of mine. 

And lastly you will find your vibroblade. 

Protect yourself. You’re strong, and more than capable of doing so.

I have one request for you, please, I will only ask this one thing of you. 

Be smart. 

You are the smartest and kindest person I have ever had the honor of knowing. Be smart, take care of yourself. If the roles were reversed I know that I would go to extremes to either get you back, or find justice for you. And all I can do is ask that you do not attempt any such thing, the only thing I would ever want for you is safety and happiness. 

So seek those things out. 

Be safe. Be happy.   

I was lucky to know you, and even luckier to be yours. 

an ner kar'taylir darasuum, 

Din

All my love. 

You flip the paper over, desperate for more, more Din, but all you find is scrawled coordinates to each location. Your fingers sift through the items, everything he promised is found inside but you latch onto the blade. Laying back down on the floor you clutch it between your fingers as you think of Din.

Din, who was yours.

Din, who they took from you.

Who Kodo, took from you. 

And your grip on the knife tightens. 

☆

Two guards stand outside your door round the clock now. 

They never follow you or come into your room but they’re there, silently watching as you direct all your anger at your new staff. As promised Leo trained them to be as persistent and infuriating as he was. 

When the two new girls come to fetch you in the morning you can’t help it when you scream at them to leave you alone and to stop trying to clean the ever growing mess of things. 

It doesn’t matter that it isn’t their fault, you can’t stand the sight of anyone. 

All three of them try. New Elaine and Lysa show up three times a day, trying to dress you and squeeze their way past you into the room but after enough shrieking they always leave you be. 

New Leo usually tries once or twice a day, you don’t even look at him. You always stare at the floor, when he tries to speak you give him the same treatment as the girls, screaming at him and slamming the door. 

Why should you let them in? You know what they are. They’re here to spy on you, to be Kodo’s eyes while he’s busy being king. They’re easy to evade. When you leave to fetch yourself food or a book from the library you easily outrun them. The two girls are worse at navigating the castle than you were when you first arrived and new Leo has a bad leg, sometimes he’ll make attempts to limp after you but they’re always unsuccessful. 

You think of nothing, day after day because there is nothing to think about. 

Except for the fact that Kodo took your future away from you. He took everything from you. 

If you thought time was blending before Din’s death nothing could have prepared you for now. You don’t track the days as well, you keep your curtains drawn and only leave when you get hungry or start to think of Din. The last thing you need to do is have another screaming fit so you keep him locked away in your heart, an ache that’s always there that you don’t address. 

One day, in a fit of tears you took your knife and decided on a whim to kill Kodo. You didn’t care about the repercussions at that point you just wanted him to suffer but the moment you opened the door you nearly tripped, stumbling backwards the guards didn’t so much as glance at you. 

Another vase of flowers.

You’re tempted to just kick them down the hall but you can’t help yourself when you lean down to pick them up. 

A bouquet of blue lilies. Your nose twitches at the sight of them, out of the corner of your eye you see new Lysa and new Elaine approaching so you take the opportunity to slam the little glass vase into the stone floor. Glaring at them when you do before returning to your room. 

☆

Maybe it’s been three days since Din died. 

Maybe it’s been three months. 

You aren’t sure.

You aren’t sure when you made plans to kill Kodo either but suddenly you have them. A fool proof way to get him alone. 

And suddenly you’re dressed for the first time in, well, however long it’s been. In a baby blue nightie with a robe you march out into the hall. The guards watch in silence as you walk away, your bare feet scampering down the stairs until you find yourself watching the main entrance. Waiting for your loving husband to make his nightly trip to a pleasure house, a trip that is typically accompanied by guards. 

You grip the handle of the knife in your pocket as you wait until you finally hear footsteps approaching. 

“Kodo, honey?” You step out from behind the stone column, holding your robe closed as you bat your eyelashes at him. He stumbles around drunkenly until his eyes focus on you. 

You’ve only used your voice for screaming for so long you sound meek, exactly as you want to right now. 

“Wife?”

“I thought maybe you’d like to join me tonight…” You hold a hand out towards him, putting on a sickly sweet tone of innocence. His mouth twists into a grin. 

“I knew you’d come around eventually.”

He doesn’t question where you’re taking him, he simply follows.

What a joke. 

You pull him up the stairs, you know from hide and seek where to find an empty room so you guide him there in calculated silence until he trips a bit, laughing to himself as he stutters.

“I knew if I got rid of the Mandalorian you’d realize how much better I am than him.” The statement doesn’t sit right with you and he can see it on your face, even in his drunken state he can sense your confusion. 

You both stop, you’re above him on the stairs as you turn and stare into his eyes.

“You- you knew?”

He simply nods, that sickening smile of his is plastered on his face. His icy blue eyes shimmer with delight. 

“How long?”

“When Leo told me I remembered everything. That little altercation in the hall when your boy knocked me out came right back to me, from there it wasn’t hard to figure out.” Your eye twitches as he speaks.

He knew you loved him and he took him from you anyway.

Any hesitations you had are gone as you nod, pulling him onward until you reach the large vacant tower room. He’s so drunk you decide to just drop the voice, pointing at a spot on the floor. 

“Lay down.” You mumble, reaching into your pocket once more.

He eagerly does as he’s told, laying down on the cold stone, you take a deep breath, in one swift motion you grab your knife, holding it behind your back as you toss your robe aside. He gives you a toothy grin as you ever so slowly walk to him, standing above him before sitting, straddling his waist. 

You look him up and down, one last time. 

Your loving husband. 

One of his hands plays with the blue lace of your nightie as you collect yourself. You look up at the ceiling briefly. 

I’m sorry. 

Not for Kodo, but for Din. This is exactly what he didn’t want you to do. 

You aren’t a killer. And you aren’t hateful, but a person can only be pushed so far before something breaks. 

Be smart. 

You think of Din’s note one last time before you bring the blade out in front of you and slam the blade into Kodo’s chest. 

He makes a sickly wet sound, coughing as he stares at you in shock.

You remove the knife, the hot steel cauterizes his wounds, there isn’t so much as a drop of blood as your face twists with fury and you bring it down again into his stomach now. 

How dare he look surprised by any of this. 

After what he took from you? He deserves galaxies worse. 

So you remove the knife. 

And you stab him again.

And again,

and again,

and again,

and again,

and again.

Until there is no more shocked look on his face. You don’t have a snarky remark or a statement to commemorate your revenge, you’re all used up at this point, all you have is this, this stabbing motion. 

He didn’t even have a chance to fight back.

You crawl off of his body, sitting on the stones as you toss the knife to the side, waiting for a rush of euphoria. 

But it never comes. 

It doesn’t feel as good as you thought it would. 

Staring down at Kodo’s lifeless body. You let yourself crumble. Collapsing down onto the floor, gasping for air as you sob. 

This was never going to bring him back. 

You lay there on your hands and knees for quite some time, just wailing, because what else are you supposed to do right now? You realize far too late that this was never an act of malice, some demented and shattered part of you thought that this would somehow bring him back, that it would give you peace. 

They won’t execute you. 

You planned this exactly so they wouldn’t.

Kodo didn’t tell anyone about your relationship with Din in much detail, not enough for them to assume that you could be with child. Everyone will assume that it’s Kodo’s. They won’t kill you, they can’t. 

Not if they think you’re carrying Kodo’s child. Now that Kodo’s dead, there’s no one to tell the royal family that you never consummated your marriage, your child is the most well protected person on the planet. The future monarch. It’s almost funny, you haven’t permitted yourself to think about the stirring within you as a child until just now, in this moment of weakness. A child, your child. 

Who will most likely grow up without a mother because of the decisions you've made today.

You bite your fist, swallowing a scream as you sit back on your heels. 

Your child will never know how loved they were. Your little one will never get to sit beside their mother while their father teaches them to sew. You put your head in your hands as you wail, no longer caring who hears. Your fate is sealed, what does it matter? 

You don’t turn when you hear someone coming up the stairs. When they pull you into their arms you try uselessly to shove them away. Your vision is blurry and filled with tears as you stare up at the unfamiliar figure now holding you. They rub your back, drawing swirls and stars against your spine as they pull you closer. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” They mumble into your hair. You dry your eyes hastily on your sleeve, confused by the voice you’re hearing, it’s painfully familiar, on instinct you wrap your arms around their torso, pulling yourself into their lap as you both sit on the floor beside Kodo’s body. “You’re okay, I’m here.”

“I’m- I’m sorry.” You whisper against the stranger's shirt. You knew you weren’t hateful. You’re certain of it now because even though he took quite literally everything from you, you still feel bad when you look at Kodo. 

A large hand cups your face, pulling you back to their chest so you can’t see the corpse anymore. 

“I didn’t mean it- I- I didn’t mean to kill him. Well I did but I just-” You begin to ramble as a fresh flood of tears begin sliding down your cheeks. 

“Hey- hey it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. We gotta get you cleaned up, okay? I’ll take care of this, I’ll fix it.” Their arms tighten around you, giving you a reassuring squeeze. You finally find the courage to look at your companion and it takes a moment for you to even realize who you’re looking at. 

New Leo. 

Why would he help you? You treat him like shit. When you look at him he looks like he’s about to cry and for the first time since Din was taken from you drop the walls you’ve put up and you let yourself feel bad for him. You show an ounce of kindness to him because in all honesty he’s the first person to make you feel safe since the night Din was taken from you. 

A lighthouse while you sail through a storm.

So you hug him. 

You pull yourself closer to him and you offer him a comfort you haven’t known for days.

“I’m sorry… for all of it, but especially the flowers, I should have told you, I just- you wouldn’t let me and the guards wouldn’t let me in without your permission and you just wouldn’t look at me.” He begins to mumble his own apologies, sending a surge of confusion through you. 

You furrow your brows, pulling back once more giving him a perplexed look as you search his nearly black eyes for some kind of answer. 

And it clicks. 

All at once it snaps into place and you want to say his name, so desperately, but you’re terribly afraid of being wrong. 

And then he smiles. A soft smile that makes you feel okay and you don’t even care if you’re wrong and you don’t care if it doesn’t make sense you just have to ask.

“Din?”

☆

a/n : yeah so uhhhhh yeah uhhhh this is the first chapter i've ever written where im actually very fond of the writing and nervous about the plot stuff so im gonna go hide?? and just vanish for a while lol

//

I don't have a tag list anymore !! follow @lincolndjarinnotifs for updates!!

[heavyhitterheaux]

My Sister's Keeper

First Babies of Private Garden Fic

AN: the triplets are always going to be protect each other like their parents told them to. They're around 16/17 in this. 💖

Synopsis: Axel gets suspended for fighting at school and you and Jack have to get to the bottom as to why

Pairing: Husband!Jack Harlow x Wife!Reader

First Babies of Private Garden Masterlist

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Urban was simply eyeing his oldest godson as Axel quickly made eye contact with him and looked down.

"Please don't tell them, Uncle Urb."

"Are you serious right now? We're sitting in the principal's office because you decided to beat the absolute shit out of someone at 9 in the morning on a Monday. What the? Axel, what am I supposed to say when I show up with you at 11 am?"

"Well, maybe I got sick." Axel suggested and Urban immediately shook his head.

"And got suspended for three days? You are definitely your mother's child but don't tell her I told you that."

"I… didn't think that far. Maybe I have a contagious stomach bug and I need to stay home for a week."

"I-.... come on now. But why did you do it? Ax, you're quiet and keep to yourself."

"I don't like him."

"Okay? And that’s a reason to fight him?"

"Can we just go home so I can get yelled at by my parents and get it over with?"

"It'll be better if you actually told them why you did it."

"Simple. I don't like him."

"Who are you and what have you done with my godson?"

Axel simply shrugged in response without giving an explanation. 

Once Urban brought Axel home, Axel used his key to open the door and walked in to see you and Jack having a movie marathon on the couch. All eyes immediately went to him and Urban.

“Umm? Someone want to tell us why our child isn’t in school right now?” Jack asked as Axel nervously scratched the back of his neck, a habit that he inherited from his father.

“Ax, if you don’t tell them, I will.” Urban said while looking over at him and he immediately sighed knowing that a shitstorm would soon follow.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” You immediately asked, concerned. 

“I got suspended.”

“Oh shit.” Jack immediately said, but you were staring at your child in disbelief.

“FOR WHAT?” You exclaimed and immediately crossed your arms.

“For beating the shit out of someone at nine in the morning.” Urban tacked on and Axel wouldn’t even look at either of you and became more interested in the New Balances that graced his feet.

“AXEL WYATT HARLOW!”

“Oh, damn. Did you atleast win?” Jack muttered and simply shook his head.

“JACKMAN!”

“What? What I do?”

“Be serious for once in your life please. Ax, you better start explaining and you better start now.” You said while motioning for him to come and sit across from the two of you.

He quickly sat down while Urban sat next to him and motioned for him to go on.

“I don’t like him.”

“Oh, so that’s the reason?” Jack asked while trying to understand why the quietest child of this would simply snap.

“Yes.”

“Ax, that doesn’t make sense. I mean your mother used to do that all the time but…”

“Jackman, choose your next words carefully.”

“I… anyway that still isn’t an excuse so what are you hiding from us?”

“Nothing. I just don’t like him. He thinks he’s invincible and I got tired of it.”

“And told the principal to call me instead of you two because umm well you know…”

“Urban Henry, you also need to choose your next words carefully.” You said while eyeing your best friend who threw his hands up in defense.

“Because I know all three of you would be disappointed in me but I figured calling Uncle Urb would get me in less trouble?”

“What the? What kind of sense does that make?!” You asked while looking at your child in disbelief.

He simply shrugged in response. 

“Okay, um, well since you don’t want to tell us the truth because I know you’re hiding something, you can be grounded for a month and I’m debating on whether you get to play in your soccer game this weekend.”

“BUT MOM!”

“Babe! A month?! That’s….” Jack said while looking at you, but you weren’t going to budge on your decision. 

“No, because he wants to lie. You know better than to lie to us. So until you want to come clean, you go to school after your suspension is over and come straight home. Oh, and don’t expect to drive anywhere either.”

“What about…”

You immediately cut him off.

“I don’t care. You have five seconds to get out of my sight. Come talk to us when you want to tell us the truth.”

Axel got up and immediately rolled his eyes which you caught and it was taking everything in you not to yell at him, but that quickly went out the window.

“Axel, roll your eyes at me again and I promise that will be the very last time you do it.”

“I didn’t even…”

“Lie to my face, again. Go ahead, I dare you.”

Axel just sighed in defeat before getting up and heading to his room. 

Once you heard the door slam, you immediately got up, but Jack held you back knowing that you were about to rip your middle child a new one.

“Babe, just let me talk to him, okay? Just calm down for a second.”

“Got some fucking nerve slamming doors in a house that he doesn’t pay for. Jack, get your child before I do.”

“I got it.” Jack responded before heading upstairs to talk to Axel.

He softly knocked before opening the door and came to sit next to him.

“Now, you know how your mother is so I volunteered to come up here and talk to you because um she was clearly about to rip you a new one. You know she’s little, but walks around here like she’s 6’3. Don’t tell her I told you that because I’ll be grounded for a month too. Now, what is it that you aren’t telling us?”

“Nothing. I told you why I did it.”

“But Ax, come on. There’s gotta be something more to it because this isn’t like you. Autumn, yes, but not you.”

“That was it. Was tired of him.”

Jack simply sighed.

“Ax, meet me halfway here. You have to give me something because I’m trying to get your mother to change you being grounded for an entire month.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I swear you and Autumn have switched places today. Anyway um, so just stay out of your mom’s way until she can calm down. And you know better than to roll your eyes and slam doors in this house.”

“I know… just frustrated I guess. I’ll apologize to mom later.”

“Ehh, just wait until I tell you when to do it. Oh, and hand me your phone. I have to come back downstairs with something otherwise your mother is going to kill both of us.”

Axel simply smirked and shook his head while handing Jack his phone.

“And don’t do it again.”

“Is that what grandma told mom since she liked to fight all the time?”

“I… look… I’m not saying she didn’t but… your mom never listened.”

—

It was around 2 pm when Ivy and Autumn got back home and you were in the kitchen getting an early start on prepping dinner when both of them came into the kitchen.

“Mom! I’m hungry!”

“Well, hello to you too, Autumn. My day was fine, thanks for asking.” You responded while looking at her and she immediately laughed.

“Oh my bad. Hi mommy, I hope your day was good, now can you feed the youngest of the triplets, please?”

“I… I guess that’s better so I’ll take it. Go get daddy’s phone and order McDonald’s.”

“OOH, okay!” She ran out the room to go and track down Jack while Ivy sat down at the island and was simply looking at you.

“Ivy May, be honest with me.”

Her eyes immediately went wide at the sound of her full name and nervously looked at you.

“Who did Axel fight and why? Because he won’t tell us.”

“Uhhh…”

“Ivy, I’ll get you that new make-up set you wanted from Savage.”

Just then Jack came into the kitchen before she could answer with Autumn hot on his trail.

“DADDY, PLEASE?”

“No, you are not ordering 40 chicken mcnuggets.”

“I’M HUNGRY!”

“Why are you acting like me and your mother don’t feed you?” 

“I haven’t eaten since this morning!”

“So your first option is to eat 40 nuggets?” He asked her in disbelief and she immediately pouted.

“No, cut it out with the pout. No.”

“It works when mommy does it!”

“Hey! Don’t drag me into this.” You immediately said while seasoning the fish that you were going to fry later. 

All Jack did was sigh before handing her his phone and all she did was smirk.

“Ivy, I got you a burger and orange hi-c. I’ll get the same for Ax, too.”

“Okay.”

Once Autumn handed Jack his phone and left the kitchen, you turned back to her.

“Ivy….”

“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but Ax fought Jaden Greene.”

Both you and Jack immediately stopped what the two of you were doing and looked at her in disbelief.

“Excuse me?” You said and she immediately nodded.

“Um, so… I told Autumn to tell you but uhh.. Her and Jaden have been dating for like three months and Ax overheard him talking and saying how he bagged Jack Harlow’s and First Lady’s daughter so Ax went up to him and beat his ass. Oops, sorry, but um yeah. He didn’t think Ax was going to do anything because you know he’s quiet and keeps to himself. But he’s popular and has all his friends but yeah…”

“After we told her to stay away from him?” Jack said and simply looked over at you and he could tell that you were trying your hardest not to go off.

“I told her, but she didn’t listen to me. And I also told her how you two were going to kill her.” Ivy said while shrugging.

“Babe, let me…” Jack started to say, but you weren’t having it.

“AXEL WYATT AND AUTUMN DANIELLE GET DOWN HERE NOW!”

“Well, I’m going to go do my homework now.” Ivy said while sliding out of the chair and making her way upstairs to her room.

Axel and Autumn came into the kitchen with both of them looking nervous.

You had to even your breathing because you didn’t know which child you wanted to address first.

“Now, I’m going to ask this one time and one time only. If you lie to us, no one in this house is going to prom except Ivy so think about your response carefully.”

“MOMMY, WHATEVER IT IS, I DIDN’T DO IT!” Autumn immediately said, but you held your hand up to stop her.

“Axel, who did you fight? And why?” You asked while looking over at him.

He quickly looked at Autumn and both of them stayed quiet.

“Autumn, do you have a boyfriend and is his name Jaden Greene who me and your mother told you to stay away from and you went behind our backs and did it anyway?” Jack asked with his arms crossed.

He was definitely the most easy going parent between the two of you, but this was something he couldn’t let slide. 

“Wait….” She started to say but you immediately shook your head.

“Autumn, what did we tell you? So you’re lying to us now too?”

“Daddy…. I…”

“He disrespected my little sister and I wasn’t just going to stand there and watch it happen. That’s why I fought him. He said something about how he bagged Jack Harlow’s daughter like she’s an object or something. I didn’t like the way he was talking about her.”Axel finally said and breathed a sigh of relief now that everything was out in the open. 

“And Ax, you couldn’t have said this earlier?” Jack asked him and you remained quiet because you were fuming on the inside at Autumn for going behind both of your backs and Axel trying to cover it up.

“I know I should have said something, but I just wanted to protect my sister. Both of you always told us to protect each other no matter what.”

You had now finished prepping dinner and placed it into the refrigerator, but still remained quiet which made not only your husband, but your kids nervous as well.

“Uh, mom?” Axel said and you turned around to look at him.

“I love that you protect each other, however, there was absolutely no reason to lie. Especially because of how understanding me and your father are. Now you might not be grounded for an entire month, but you’ll still be grounded for lying.”

“That’s fair.” He quietly said and then you turned to Autumn who looked like she was ready to disappear into thin air.

“Okay, boys out the kitchen. Me and Autumn need to talk.”

“Daddy, save me!” She whispered to Jack who shook his head no.

“Look, you made your bed, now you have to lie in it. Talk to your mother and then we’ll both talk to you after about what you did.”

Once the both of them were out of the kitchen, you sat at the island across from her and could see her eyes start to water.

“You’re disappointed in me.”

“Autumn…”

“I… really liked him, mom.”

“Okay, first let me tell you this. A boy who respects you is never going to speak to you or about you in that manner, okay? You have to understand your worth and that you are more than Jack Harlow’s and First Lady’s daughter.”

“I know.”

“You have your own identity and you are your own person who has their own thoughts, aspirations, dreams, and goals. Me and your dad do not want for you to be in our shadow and we want for you to always be yourself. Don’t try to be something that you’re not to impress people because at the end of the day, you will find your tribe and the people that value and love you for who you are without you having to change anything about yourself.”

She simply nodded her head indicating that she was listening.

“The fact that you went behind our backs should let you know that you were doing something that you shouldn’t have done in the first place.”

“I admit that I shouldn’t have. But I know you and daddy wouldn’t approve so I just….”

“Promise me from now on, no secrets? No matter what it is. I’m not here to judge you, but I always want for you to be honest with us so that if any problems arise that me and your dad can help you to the best of our ability. I want for all of our babies to come to us if you need us. Don’t forget we were once your age too.”

“Promise.” She said while getting down from her chair and coming over to hug you.

“But you know this still means you’re getting grounded right?” You asked her as she separated from you and she immediately sighed.

"Wait, how did you even find out?" She curiously asked.

"I never reveal my sources."

"It was Ivy, wasn't it?"

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[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Cars and Conversations (Part I)

Mulder and Scully have traveled a lot a lot a lot during their years in the basement-- surely, they had pretty cool conversations on the road?

Loose chronological order below~

@wexleresque/hellsteeth's

stars

As he climbs into the passenger seat of his father’s Lincoln, Fox yawns. The dashboard clock reads 5:03 AM and the smug tilt of his mother’s lips suggests that the early hour is the result of considerable negotiation. The tires crunch on the driveway and his mother waves at him absentmindedly from the porch as they depart. She doesn’t make a habit of smiling, but in the dark, Fox thinks something close might be on her face.

The drive is quiet this morning, save for the news on the radio and the whistle of the wind through the cracked window. Sunflower seeds sail over the glass and Fox takes a few out of the bag, chewing on them for something to do.

“How’s work, Dad?” he asks as they pass Fall River.

 Young Mulder is tossed back and forth by his begrudging parents.

the fbi basement bulletin board - Chapter 5 (Tumblr)

“Hm. Well you probably don’t need a medical professional to tell you this, but if you keep moving it around, it’s going to take longer to heal. You need to rest it.”

“Noted, doc. And you just missed the turn, by the way.”

S1 Mulder is bad at directions-- especially with a sprained wrist.

Local Radio (Tumblr)

Driving out to a little town in Indiana hadn't been in the original plan, but the business of Memorial Day weekend had removed flying as an option. They needed to reach their destination within 24 hours. So here they were, en route to another place that didn't even warrant a dot on the map (you've seen one, you've seen them all, he sometimes thought to himself).

Mulder is amused at a crazy radio station (and at Scully's reaction.)

Christine Leigh's (Alt. Ao3) Maybe?

"Okay, here we are." Maggie said this as she pulled off the highway and onto the road that would take them into Democrat Hot Springs. She was surprised that there wasn't more traffic. This town, if she remembered right, was supposed to be some sort of a resort area. Five more minutes, and they were in the parking lot looking up at the familiar sight of the neon arches, and that's all that mattered. 

Captain Scully is back from deployment; and Maggie senses something is off with her youngest daughter.

@thatfragilecapricorn30's (Ao3) Tell Me You Love Me - Chapter 1

“How do you know where I live?” he asked.

Scully’s cheeks reddened; she was hoping he wouldn’t notice or find her actions inappropriate. “It was, uh, it was in your personnel file. I wrote down your address after you called me at home after the last case. I figured I may need it at some point.”

Mulder smiled. “Just trying to see if you’ve been spying on me.”

Post Deep Throat Scully can't shed her keyed-up nerves after driving Mulder back home.

@scullywolf's (Ao3)

Eve

Her eyes narrowed. “How far up north?”

“California’s a big state, Scully.”

“I’m aware of that. How far?”

He decided there was probably something very interesting over in the corner that merited staring at while he answered. “About 300 miles. Give or take.”

Eve Mulder sheepishly wakes Scully.  

Red Museum

Sure, the old man wasn’t a member of the church, and similarities between him and Brother Andrew were all but nonexistent, but the cryptic “There’s something I’d like to show you,” with no further explanation, was enough to set her mental warning bells chiming. She was a grown woman, with a gun, but that didn’t mean she loved the idea of jumping into some random stranger’s truck after only the briefest of exchanges. Mulder joined her at the truck’s window, an unspoken question on his face.

Red Museum Scully communicates her anxieties to Mulder without a word.

Demons

The car company rep agreed to come and pick her up, and she sat down on the curb for only a minute or so before getting up again to pace off her nervous energy. A hundred horrible scenarios played themselves out in her head; at least ninety of them involved Mulder getting into car wrecks of varying degrees of seriousness. In order to keep herself from panicking, she tried to focus on the task at hand, which only made her angry that she was even in her current position in the first place.

Demons Scully has to call in a new rental car.

Drive

“All I’m saying,” she said pointedly, “is that it could be worse. We could be crammed in a room right now with a bunch of other agents, and instead we’re at least driving around through what you have to admit is some fairly scenic farmland.”

Mulder spared a moment to mourn their lost office. 

Drive Scully appreciates being out in the field with Mulder again.

Dreamland II

"...Mulder, I’m not proud of how long it took me to realize what was going on. I was about ready to drag you in for an MRI. Some sort of delayed-effect brain trauma from your trip out to the Queen Anne was the only thing I could think of to account for your dramatic change in behavior. Only it wasn’t you at all–”

“Well, you believe it now, and that’s all that matters. Now how do we fix things?”

Dreamland II Mulder and Scully catch up before heading back into the fray.

@cactustree's (Ao3) Fast Times and Slow Drives

She startles when she feels a warm hand on top of hers, and her eyes snap open as though jolted by an electric shock. She looks over to find Mulder studying her, his eyes darkened with concern.

“Watch the road, Mulder,” she murmurs, pulling her hand away from his.

“What’s wrong, Scully?”

Post Genderbender Mulder banters away Scully's apology with facts.

@h0ldthiscat's (Ao3, Alt. Ao3)

Survivor

She swats him away with one of her small hands when he touches her head and helps her into the car, but the look she shoots him lacks her usual antagonism, and the purse of her lips doesn't quite convince him that she's annoyed.

"Do you want another one of these before we hit the road?" He shakes a half-empty bottle of Gatorade at her as he slides behind the wheel, but she shakes her head once, firmly, and presses her lips together in a thin line, making them even whiter than they are.

Post Darkness Falls Mulder drives them home.

7. things you said while we were driving

She shoves the sunshade back up and clears her throat. “Can we go?”

He notices for the first time that her eyes are wet, that her chin is quivering despite her best attempts to control it. Remorse and guilt wash over him as he remembers an offhand comment from earlier in the week that explains her makeup, her nicer-than-usual suit, the set of her jaw. 

Post Never Again Mulder's remorse soothes Scully's feelings.

Can I ask for a fic tonight? :)

“Was the drive okay?” she asks.

Mulder jerks his head back to the still open door and says, “Ask your son, he drove.”

William appears in the doorway, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, tawny hair in his eyes. “It was fine, Mom.”

“Good,” she says, shooting daggers at Mulder with her eyes, daggers that say she can’t believe he let their son drive in a snowstorm....

AU-- Revival era Scully is not pleased Mulder let college age William drive back in a snowstorm.

@crossedbeams’s (Ao3) I-Spy

‘I love this song!’ I explain, whizzing the twizzler I have pilfered from Mulder’s junk food haul around in some vaguely rhythmic pattern. I love music I just lack the skill set to express that love very elegantly.

Mulder chuckles at my enthusiasm and cranks up the volume, ‘I never would have had you pegged as a Clapton fan’.

S1 Scully tells Mulder about her family road trips.

@slippinmickeys's (Ao3, Gossamer)

Prompt Drabble Collection - Chapter 25 (Tumblr)

The thing was, it was next to impossible to see out the windshield. 

Scully loved thunderstorms. Having spent a large portion of her youth in San Diego, they were still a novelty, even after years on other, more weather-prone bases and college campuses, and if she'd been home, she would have pulled up a chair next to her window and curled up there with a mug of tea, watching the light play in the sky and the water ping sharply against the glass. 

However, as a driver she was cautious, and with Mulder, well, she had a reputation to uphold: He was the engine. She was the brake. 

S1 Scully drives through a storm, donuts and a dozing partner included.

@brownies-and-tea/browniesandtea's Collect Call

“Mulder, it’s too late.” Scully sighed and leaned against the rain-streaked window of the car.

"I can't believe you're thinking fondly of that awful motel."

"I'm thinking fondly of a decent night's sleep." she stretched across the passenger seat.

S1 Mulder pursues a lead with Scully, from car to phone booth.

Ten's Learning to Breath (1/2)

In the elevator the women leaned him against one of the walls and kept talking to him, worried that otherwise he would go back to sleep and start sliding to the floor. Dana asked him questions, like his name and address, to keep him alert. She was relieved when she received the correct answers.

They got him into the backseat of Maggie's car, careful not to bump his head. Dana immediately raced around the car and got in the back herself. She fastened his seatbelt and watched as he leaned back against the headrest. He was asleep again before Maggie turned the key in the ignition.

AU-- Post One Breath Scully, Maggie, and Melissa are shocked at the state of Mulder's apartment.

J. C. Sun's Car Ride

My partner is next to me, as he always is, but for the first time in months, he's wearing his glasses. They make him look like an owl: a giant, somber six-foot owl perched in the driver's side seat. However, I doubt any owl has ever rolled his shirtsleeves up to the elbow and cradled a book in his lap, or chased the paranormal for a living. Nor do I think any owl has ever looked quite like him: the slightly twisted nose, the clear hazel eyes and the annoying, annoying little lock that, even now, droops across his forehead. It takes a wrench of will to resist the urge to reach out and to smooth it into place.

Post Firewalker Scully is bonded to Mulder now.

@seek-its-opposite/seek_its_opposite's

transient luminous events

He is still just standing there, the sleeves on the turtleneck he didn’t need to wear pushed up at the elbows. She is suddenly, vividly aware of the car, of the hot metal and the smell of rubber in stagnant humidity. Duane Barry’s trunk smelled like a spare tire. Her mouth goes cloth-gag dry.

“Can we?” she asks. She waves her hand at the road ahead and wonders how she’s so sure of this: He’d have known what she was asking even if she hadn’t.

“Sure,” Mulder nods. He looks relieved. He grabs their flashlights from the glove compartment and hands her one, and the flood of Pfaster’s headlights behind her eyes softens and clarifies into two beams that will never outrun her. And they walk.

Post Irresistible Scully confronts Mulder on his bubble-wrap method of protection.

if you weren't so

She tilts her chin up at him, at the usual angle, and finds that the geometry between them is the same.

“I need to talk to you,” she says. “Something’s happened.”

Behind him, his not-wife drags a recliner over the threshold in reverse, yelling at the houses that all look like hers.

“I have to talk to you alone.”

She says “alone” like she always says it and wonders if she meant to do that. There are days when she’s sure she could leave him in the dirt and still wind up in a room with him at the end of the world. As they slip behind the truck, she's gripped by the idea that to Joanne Fletcher, she is the woman Mulder shouldn’t be with.

AU-- Dreamland II Mulder and Scully try to find a way back to each other.

theramblinrose's Irresistible - Chapter 5/Chapter 6

“I didn’t know when I’d hear from you,” Mulder said.

“I’m at the airport,” Scully said. “I’ve got a car. I’m driving in. I just wanted to call before I left.”

“Anything wrong?” Mulder asked.

“No,” Scully said. “Honestly—everything’s feeling pretty right, Mulder.”

AU-- Irresistible Mulder and Scully are juggling their new relationship, a surprise pregnancy, and the fallout from the nefarious Pfaster.

eponine119's Same Old Fight

-Turn it back, he'd insisted, his knuckles white on the steering wheel with the effort of keeping the car on the narrow twisting road, This is making me jumpy.

-I don't know why I let you drive.

-You didn't have any choice.

-Mulder, pull over and let me drive.

-No.

S2 Mulder rescues Scully after their blowout fight almost ends with an explosive conclusion.

Sneakers/sneakers's

Walter Skinner's 'From Left Field

"But I don't see why Skinner should care about the book. It didn't mention *him*, and it didn't even use our names." Scully stood in front of the bookcase, scanning the shelves. "We didn't divulge anything classified; I'm sure the reading public thinks the whole think is a joke."

"But they had the nerve to claim I ate *twelve* piece of sweet potato pie!"

She pulled the book down. "Skinner's going to complain about your eating habits?"

"But I *hate* sweet potato pie, Scully. You know that, remember? I turned green at the gills last Thanksgiving, when your sister-in-law offered me some."

Post Jose Chung's From Outer Space Skinner has his thoughts on the book.

Sweet Home D.C.

"But the reception . . ." She looked out the window at the 1 AM darkness. "I think we both need to get some sleep. Turn the radio back on if you want to."

He did.

<< . . . Sweet home, Alabama . . . where skies are so blue . . . sweet home, Alabama . . . Lord, I'm coming home to you . . .>>

"That guy's got something wrong with his head, Scully."

Mulder and Scully, switching songs and swapping gum.

Evil_Little_Dog's

Cassadaga Bound

Dana squinted out the car window. "I don't think there's enough room in this town for all the witches, or demons, or devils in Florida, let alone the world."

S3 Mulder detours he and Scully to a fortune teller's.

Travelogue

“We’re not lost.” Mulder shot her a look then turned back to the road, correcting for the drift. “We’re directionally challenged.”

Making a guttural noise deep in her throat, Scully glanced out the window.

Mulder, the car, and a ditch.

@sunlightscully's (XF Writing Challenge - Food)

They have perfected the art of car eating. The driver orders and pays and hands the greasy bag over to be unpacked. The passenger unwraps the driver’s burger. They share fries.

When he pays she asks for the bare minimum and nothing too expensive. He orders extra large milkshakes and pretends he doesn’t see her stealing sips. They compensate for each other. Ketchup has not been spilled in years.

Mulder realizes he loves Scully.

Starbuck's (FFN) Wake Me When We Get There

"Shouldn't be much longer, Scully."

She made no acknowledgment, lying her head upon the seat once again. He continued driving as she drifted in and out of consciousness. White line. White line. Yellow line.

"Wake me when we get there, Mulder."

Mulder keeps the volume down so his partner can sleep on the long drive home.

@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk's (Ao3) drabble; pay no mind

Scully paces around the car, branches and leaves snapping quietly under her weight. But she’s not angry, not at all, or nervous. She occasionally bends down to steal a sunflower seed from him and pauses to crack it before continuing her little loops.

Mulder and Scully find their own ways to entertain themselves when the rental car breaks down.

@incidental-ao3/incidental's Febuwhump 2023: The Truth is Out There (And the Fic is In Here) - Chapter 18

“No, Mulder, I should be keeping you awake, you’re the driver.”

“But I am awake,” he argued reasonably. “So there’s no reason for you to torture yourself when you could catch another few hours’ rest.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s not torture,” she scoffed. He smirked.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said. She scowled sleepily.

Scully tries not to fall asleep, and Mulder ruminates on life before lights.

@mulderbabe77's Taco Stands and Regrets

He pushed down a little harder on the gas pedal.

“Are you gonna throw up?” He gulped, hoping to hear a no.

“Nope,” she answered and for a moment he almost sighed with relief. “The other thing, I think,” she finished, grimaced again and held a hand to her cramping stomach.

“I’m on it!” He sped the car up a little more.

Ten minutes later they could see the exit just ahead. Mulder was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Mulder and Scully both get food poisoning while on the road.

@hamster-on-fire/fade_into_the_dusk_with_me’s For The Sake Of Driving (Ao3)

They’d do this sometimes. Drive. They were always driving, it seemed. But when it was dark like this & he was scared like this, or tired like this, or just utterly numb like this, it was different. The curve of the road up ahead could feel like a whole conversation; the silence, an opening, & they’d both sit there, like staring at a sterile wound.

Mulder and Scully help each other decompress on long, long car drives late into the night.

Timemeantnothing's On the road again

“We helped keep the Germans from getting Thor’s Hammer.”

“Mhmm,” Scully hummed, turning the corner.

“It was Einstein, Scully. We protected Albert Einstein.”

“That was very good of us to do.”

Mulder and Scully, driving: hot ladies, aliens, cheek kisses, Triangle rambles, and Millennium contentedness.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

**Note**: I am a "separate the art from the artist" person through-and-through; but my lists will no longer be featuring writers that have blocked me-- tooooooo much drama has been kicked up over that issue.

[ladycatofwinterfell]

I'm loving all of these little snippets they are a delight THANK YOUUUUUUUUU

🎠

People enjoying these little snippets of nothing is so nice! It’s fun to share things that never made it into what I posted <3

This one is pretty long, it’s the beginning of a fic where Ned and Cat have some stuff they need to work out so Lyanna and Benjen have a sleepover with the starklings. I still intend to finish it one day! And if I do it will be several chapters with different povs so we follow both the sleepover and what nedcat’s doing

It had taken way too long to convince them that it really was time to go home and then herd them into the hall. So when Arya hesitated in front of her shoes and then turned to look at Lyanna instead of putting them on she felt just a tad annoyed.

“Aunt Lya, can we stay with you tonight?” she asked.

Immediately Sansa stopped with trying to zip up her jacket and glanced up at Lyanna. Robb had already been almost out the door, but he stepped inside again and closed the door behind him.

“It’s a little late to start talking about that now” Lyanna said. “Why didn’t you ask before you came here? You have nothing with you.”

It wasn’t uncommon that the kids wanted to stay with her every now and then, and she loved having them, but usually that was planned ahead. While she herself was more than content with one kid she liked borrowing her brother’s every now and then.

“It would be great to stay here” Robb insisted. “It’s been a while since last time.”

Jon nodded enthusiastically. Of course he wanted Robb to stay, how else were they to stay up all night and play video games together?

“Maybe next weekend?” Lyanna suggested. “I’ll talk to your parents about it.”

After she had said it all three of Ned’s children sighed deeply and looked at her as if that was the saddest thing they had ever heard. It was a little scary how good they were at making puppy eyes. But they had been there all day, wasn’t that enough? And she didn’t have breakfast enough for all of them next morning.

“But Aunt Lya, we’d really like to stay here today” Sansa said in a very sweet voice.

“I’m happy you want to have a sleepover, but you don’t have your stuff with you. Next weekend, I promise.”

“Can’t you call Mom and Dad?” Arya said. “Please?”

Lyanna didn’t understand how Ned and Cat ever told their children no, they were so damnably convincing when they worked together. Not that it often happened that they wanted the same thing, but when they did Lyanna struggled immensely.

It was her turn to sigh as she put a hand on Arya’s shoulder.

“I’d love for you to stay here, but I don’t have spare toothbrushes enough for all of you and you know how upset your mother would be if–“

“Mom and Dad are fighting, Aunt Lya” Robb interrupted. “And they’re not angry with us, but they’re just poisoning the air at home. So I think it would be good for everyone if they got to be alone for a bit to just talk things through.”

Ned and Cat? Fighting? Their marriage seemed so peaceful that it was annoying at times, what could they fight about that was so bad they were letting it go out over the children? It had to be very bad.

“What are they fighting about?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t really know, but I think it’s something about Dad’s job” Robb told her with a shrug.

“They’re awfully angry with each other, Aunt Lya” Sansa added while Arya nodded so much Lyanna feared her head would fall off.

Oh the poor things, how was Lyanna supposed to refuse them? And Robb was right, if they were fighting it could be good for everyone if they could be alone and focus on solving whatever it was that they were fighting about.

“I’ll call them and we’ll see what we can do” she said.

Arya wrapped her arms around Lyanna and hugged her while Sansa and Robb did a high five.

“But that’s not a definite yes” she felt compelled to add.

It wasn’t a promise, maybe Ned and Cat had something planned for the next day and needed their kids at home that night.

When Arya let go she went into the kitchen to get her phone. She hesitated a moment before calling Ned, but upon seeing the four young faces in the doorway that looked at her expectantly she pressed the button and raised the phone to her ear.

Four signals passed before Ned answered.

“Yes?”

He sounded extremely tired and annoyed.

“Watch your tone, brother, I’ve done nothing to you” she said.

“Hi, Lya, my favourite sister in the whole world!” Ned replied in a high pitched voice.

“I hate you.”

“Ditto. But I’m guessing you didn’t call just to tell me that.”

Lyanna took a deep breath to compose herself before she answered.

“No, I’m calling to ask if it’s okay for your kids to stay the night. If you pack their bags I can come over and pick them up for them.”

She would have to drive that way either way as she would otherwise have to drop the kids off. And she could stop and buy breakfast stuff for the next day on the way back. Or maybe she could invite Benjen to also be a part of their sleepover and he could get breakfast on the way there.

“Oh, uhm, wait a sec” Ned began before being silent for a bit. “Yeah, sure. Do you want Rickon too?”

It felt a little mean to have a sleepover with all the siblings when Bran was out of town, but maybe they could just not tell him about it. Though he was on the trip with Edmure that he had got for his birthday, so she didn’t feel too bad for him. They could do it again sometime soon so that he would also be included.

“The more, the merrier, right?”

She made a thumbs up to the kids and all of them began silently punching the air. Lyanna had to smile when she saw it, they looked like a bunch of dorks.

“Great, he would throw a fit over not being included” Ned said. “We’ll pack bags for them, is there anything special they need?”

“Nope, just whatever they need before sleeping and clothes for tomorrow.”

“Alright, see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

Ned had sounded considerably less irritated by the end of the conversation than he had at the beginning of it. It had to be a relief for them to not have to worry about the kids in the middle of fighting about Ned’s job. What about his job was it that made them fight so? She knew it was none of her business, but she was really curious.

Once she had hung up the kids cheered. As long as they were happy she was happy. They could be a lot, but they were fun to be around. It would be nice with a sleepover, it had been a while since last time.

When Lyanna had made herself ready to leave and go pick up their bags they had already gone back to what they were doing before she had told them it was time to leave. Jon and Robb were playing video games while Sansa had gone back to her painting and Arya was out in the yard with a football.

Lyanna called Benjen as she walked towards the car. Most likely he would be busy with something else, but maybe he would also like to come. Five kids seemed like less when they were two adults to keep track of everything.

“Hey, Lya” Benjen said as he picked up.

He sounded a lot more cheerful than Ned, which was not at all unusual.

“Hey, Ben. Ned’s kids are staying at my place tonight, wanna join us?”

“Do you want Jory and all the dogs, as well, or just me?”

“This is a secret sleepover that only human Starks are permitted at. A very private event.”

Benjen’s dogs were the best dogs in the world. The largest dogs she had ever seen, a breed that descended from direwolves, they were absolutely awesome. Once Jon was old enough to move out she would get one for herself. She knew Ned had considered getting one each for the kids, but that was a work in progress with his wife.

But the amount of fur they could shed made her very reluctant to have them inside of her home as it was. And Benjen loved those dogs even more than she did, he wouldn’t be happy if they had to sleep outside. So Jory would have to be sacrificed so that someone could be home with the dogs.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to miss that” Benjen said dryly. “Bold of you to assume I don’t have other plans with my boyfriend and my dogs that aren’t permitted to be a part of your plans.”

“I know for a fact you’re not doing shit tonight.”

Lyanna reached the car and sat in the driver’s seat without turning the car on.

“You’re insufferable, and if I come I’m coming purely for the sake of my nieces and nephews. Can I call you back in a bit?”

“I’ll be driving so I’m not sure I’ll pick up.”

Brandon had tried to get her to buy a car that she could connect her phone to so that she could take phone calls in the car and also choose her own music easier, but she had yet to do that. She liked her car as it was, even though it was a bit outdated and she had to put in CDs if she didn’t want to listen to the radio. It had a charm, a personality, that newer cars didn’t have.

“I just need a–“

“Please, Ben, it would make the kids so happy.”

“Fine, fuck, whatever, I’ll be there” Benjen said.

“I knew I could trust you, little brother!”

“But you’ll have to pick me up, my car is at the mechanic.”

“Why?”

“Something with the brakes, Jory explained it to me but I had no idea what he was talking about.”

That sounded about right.

“I’ll come get you after I’ve been at Ned and Cat’s to get things for the kids. And we’ll have to buy groceries.”

“Great, love you, see you soon.”

He had hung up before Lyanna had time to answer. He was always to quick to hang up for some reason.

She didn’t put a CD in, it wasn’t a long drive. Instead she drove through the fine spring evening listening to nothing but the sound of the car. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to sound like that, it was probably time to let a mechanic take a look at it. But she was pretty sure Brandon could figure it out if she asked him nicely. Though she had no idea about when he would be home next time, he was always on a trip to somewhere.

Though soon enough she had parked her car on the street outside of Ned and Cat’s house. Sometimes she was mad about Ned being the one to take over the family business, that did leave him with a lot of money, but it also was a headache. She wasn’t sure any of the rest of them would have been able to handle it. She wasn’t even sure about if Ned was able to handle it, sometimes it felt like it was his pretty business minded wife that kept it together.

Catelyn opened the door while she was still walking towards it.

“Hi, Lyanna! Rickon’s in the bathroom, but he won’t be long.”

She had a bath robe swept around her, kept closed around her by a belt that was tied in a perfect ribbon.

“No worries, we’re not in a hurry.”

Still Catelyn smiled apologetically at her as she hurried towards the door. If Catelyn held it open for her she couldn’t walk slowly.

Despite that it hadn’t been more than twenty minutes since she called four bags were already packed and stood on the floor of their hallway. By the shoe rack with a thousand shoes in varying sizes and models.

“I’m guessing the kids asked and not the other way around, but we really appreciate that you’re willing to have them” Catelyn said once the door was closed.

“It really is no problem, I love your kids” Lyanna responded.

She wouldn’t have been able to handle them all day, every day. But for a day or two here and there she was thrilled to have them.

Catelyn ran her free hand down the thick braid that hung over her left shoulder and sighed.

So then Lyanna couldn’t help but ask about what Robb had said.

“I hear you’re fighting” she said.

Catelyn’s eyes widened ever so slightly as she once again smiled.

“Oh we’re not fighting” she said.

“Nothing’s a secret when you have kids, Cat.”

She didn’t even know how many times Jon had ratted her out over things. Nothing significant, but it was still something he had done regularly. At times she suspected he was still doing it, she just rarely found out about it anymore.

“We’re not fighting, we’re currently in a discussion regarding a thing.”

“Robb said something about leaking poison into the air.”

Catelyn rolled her eyes.

“Gods, he’s dramatic. There is no poison, I’m just trying to get Ned to see reason.”

Lyanna sensed Catelyn was building up steam. It wouldn’t be hard to get her talking.

“Regarding what?”

“He’s been offered a temporary position under Robert Baratheon in King’s Landing” Catelyn told her and immediately there was irritation in her voice. “It’s really well paid and a great experience that will most likely bring a lot more revenue to us with time. But Ned says he will not take the offer and I can’t understand why.”

“Maybe because it’s in King’s Landing” Lyanna suggested. “That’s quite a bit away from here.”

She had not been there much since she left with Jon, but for the short time she had lived there she had liked it well enough. Though she could definitely see why Ned wouldn’t want to leave his home and family and live there, even if it was just temporary.

“I understand he would rather stay here, I really do, but considering all the benefits I think it would be better if he went. I can handle things here on my own, it’s only six months, he doesn’t have to worry about that so–“

She interrupted herself when the sound of stairs creaking was heard. Ned came down them, holding Rickon’s hand.

“Auntie!” Rickon shouted when he saw her.

He freed himself from his father’s grip and went down the stairs as quickly as he could on his little legs. He crossed through the room and went right past his mother, wrapping his arms around Lyanna’s legs.

“Hi, Rickon!”

She leaned down and hugged him back as well as she could. He was already in his pyjamas.

“You’ve gotten so big since i last saw you!” she continued.

It hadn’t even been two weeks, but that didn’t seem to matter to Rickon. He beamed at her as she ruffled his thick mop of auburn hair.

“What time are we picking them up tomorrow?” Ned asked.

He still sounded very tired, just as he had before. It was paired with a very tired look, he seemed to have aged ten years. Clearly being in a fight with Catelyn was taking its toll on him.

Usually they were very casually touchy with each other, him and Catelyn. Lyanna had never been a fan of that, still it felt a little weird to see them on a very respectable distance from one another. Ned had placed himself so far away from Catelyn that they would have been able to reach each other.

“I’ll drop them off” Lyanna said.

If they were having a bit of a rough time then she could help them out. That way they could focus solely on resolving their problem. And happier parents meant happier kids, it was better in the long run.

“You don’t have–“

“I’ll drop them off.”

Catelyn glanced at her husband before looking back at Lyanna and the boy wrapped around her legs.

“Thank you, Lyanna” she said.

Lyanna believed there was a hint of relief in her voice.

“Don’t mention it. Just fix whatever needs fixing and I’ll take care of the kids.”

It was hard to believe she was helping them out because they were having problems. If someone had told her that as little as two weeks earlier she would have laughed.

“There’s nothing that needs fixing” Ned said sharply.

“Robb said something about leaking poison into the air” Lyanna said again, that time to her brother instead of his wife.

Ned snorted.

“I don’t understand how we managed to make ourselves such a drama queen.”

“Oh I think I know” Catelyn said, rather pointedly.

Ned’s eyebrows immediately shot up and he looked at Catelyn as if she was stupid.

“You get mean when you’re angry, do you know that?”

“I’m not mean, you’re being–“

“Say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, Rickon!” Lyanna said, much louder than necessary.

Rickon let go off her and happily bounced over to his mother, who picked him up. Every trace of annoyance immediately disappeared from her face as she smiled at her son.

“Be really nice to Aunt Lyanna” she said softly. “Do everything she says.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

If Lyanna knew anything about Rickon it was that he would absolutely not do everything she said. At least not without initial questioning and refusal. It didn’t seem to matter what Ned and Catelyn did, he was a wild soul. And exceptionally stubborn, even for a three-year-old.

“I’ll miss you” Catelyn smiled.

Rickon wrapped his arms around her neck in an almost violent hug. Catelyn had to turn her face away to avoid being head butted.

He mumbled something into Catelyn’s shoulder that Lyanna couldn’t hear. Then Catelyn handed him over to Ned.

Ned did the same thing as she had done, kissed the top of Rickon’s curly head and then put him down again.

“Let’s get your shoes on.”

While Ned helped Rickon with his shoes Lyanna took the bags out to the car. Catelyn stepped into a pair of what had to be Ned’s slippers and followed her. Walking over to one of their own cars, parked perfectly in the driveway, to take out Rickon’s car seat.

Lyanna had considered just buying one and keeping it in her car so that the moving a seat back and forth wouldn’t be necessary, but had yet to do so.

“Tell the rest of them we love them” Catelyn said as she watched Lyanna strap the seat into place. “And that they can call to say goodnight before they go to bed if they’d like. Or text, if that’s better.”

“I’ll let them know.”

Gods, she did not miss all the things small kids needed. Special chairs, special car seats, special fucking cutlery. A teenager was a challenge in itself, though at least Jon could use all the stuff adults used. Didn’t need toothpaste made for kids.

“We’ll keep our phones on, so you can call us if something happens. Don’t hesitate to do so.”

It was a little cool to wear a bathrobe and slippers, still it didn’t seem like cold was what made Catelyn cross her arms over her chest. There was a tension in her that very obviously shone through.

“We’ll be fine” Lyanna assured her.

Despite that she had limited light she believed she had managed to get the car seat in the right way. She tugged at it a few times in different angles, as far as she could tell it was fine. And Catelyn, who had looked over her shoulder the entire time, also seemed satisfied with it.

“I don’t doubt that, I’m just telling you we’re available if we’re needed.”

As if that hadn’t been obvious.

“Benjen’s coming, you really don’t have to worry” Lyanna let Catelyn know.

Maybe it would calm her a little to know there were two adults that would keep everything under control. Not that Lyanna wouldn’t have been able to do it herself.

“I’m not worried!” Catelyn said and there was something a little offended in her voice. “It’s just been a while since I didn’t have any kids at home overnight. Gives me a little separation anxiety.”

“How long has it been since you had no kids at home overnight?”

“Uhm… since last time they were at yours, I think. But then Rickon was still at home. It must have happened sometime last year. Ned probably remembers, ask him.”

“Then this is probably good for you.”

Catelyn sighed.

“It would have been lovely if it hadn’t been for that it leaves me with nothing but Ned. He’s a pest to be around when he’s angry.”

“Just talk about it, you’ll be fine.”

Lyanna had to admit to herself that she had already grown sick of that. It wasn’t her problem, it was between the two of them and it was their conflict to solve. She had been curious about it, yes, but she didn’t need to know more than what they were fighting about.

“I sure fucking hope so.”

Once again she put a smile on her face when Rickon came running towards them. He was wearing a jacket that Lyanna believed had belonged to Bran before, it was still a little too big for him.

Ned was not far behind.

“Of course you do as you please, but we’d be grateful if you got him to bed as soon as possible” he said. “It’s bedtime.”

“Sure.”

She decided not to mention that they had to go get Benjen and go to the grocery store before it was even possible to get him to bed. Though he’d probably be pretty tired after that, it wouldn’t be hard to get him to bed.

“Don’t wanna sleep” Rickon said firmly.

“Then we’ll stay up all night” she promised him.

Lyanna lifted him into the car and strapped him in. He seemed pretty content with leaving his parents, smiling to himself where he sat.

“Bye bye!” he said, waving.

Both of them waved back at him before Lyanna shut the car door.

“I’ll call before I drop them off tomorrow” she told them, walking around the car so that she could get in the driver’s seat.

“That’ll be great” Ned said.

Catelyn nodded.

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

She got in the car and closed the door behind her. While she turned the key to start the engine she looked back at Rickon where he sat in the backseat.

“Alright, little guy, let’s go pick up Uncle Ben.”

[unadulterated-syd]

The World Doesn't Deserve Us.

Warnings: Death, mentions of suicide, hospital mentions, unedited post because I didn't want to read this over.

Synopsis: n/a

Life was not easy. And 2 years ago you would've argued that it couldn't get any harder than it was. But now you find yourself sat next to a hospital bed holding the hand of your unconscious beloved.

Peter Parker seemed like the average teen boy, nervous, awkward, and really shotty humor (though you'd come to love him for his humor), he seemed like he would take every problem you sought to fix and fix it.

Peter was different, though sad, he had to grow up fast to live in a world that always knocked him down when he got up. First his parents, then Uncle Ben, and then Gwen. Everytime a hole in his heart was filled another scar was left bigger than before.

And now the boy had pushed himself to far once again, every fight, whether minor or detrimental, left a wound, and left him exhausted. He was superhuman, but evenso he was still part human and breaks were most necessary.

Though you'd tried many times to change his mind, months of asking him to take a weekend off, and now years of asking yourself how to fix this. Peter didn't know when to stop, because every time he did the world blamed him for the next death, the next incident. And after awhile the guilt dove so deep in him that he could never stop, not until his body shut him down.

Suppose that day was now, and all you could do was sit by his hospital bed knowing as soon as he woke up he'd see the news, he'd see the train that derailed the night his body failed him, and he'd see how many people were lost. Including your own mother and father.

You hadn't been close to your parents, you lived under their roof and talked maybe once a week at most, but this far from meant you wished them ill. You didn't have time for grieving yet, you had to be certain that Peter would be okay, and you had to help him grieve all the same.

You found yourself holding his hand as you aimlessly watched the television play reruns of old Simpsons episodes, your head resting on Peters arm. You'd just woken up maybe an hour prior. You hadn't left the hospital since you heard Peter was injured, and you hadn't planned on leaving either.

Stirring took your attention from the television, as you sat up your eyes locked with Peters. "Y/n..?" he groggily called to you, he could tell he was in a hospital but he had no recollection of why or how long.

"Hey, Pete.. how do you feel..? " You shifted in your seat, him intertwining your fingers whilst you did, implying he wanted your hand kept there. "I'm.. alright.. why are we here? What happened..?" his voice was deep and scratchy due his just waking up

"You overworked yourself, Peter. You passed out on seen.. you had a couple of injuries they treated but.. they said the main cause was youre body giving out." You pulled your intertwined hands to your lips, kissing his hand.

"Did I at least save everyone..?" he whispered, closing his eyes. "Don't do that." You looked at him, putting your hands down on the bed. "Don't do what?" He looked up at you, his eyebrows knitted with confusing

"Don't be the hero.. Pete just for right now, please. I need Pete. Not spiderman. You can't blame yourself for every death that happens. The world should just be grateful you use your abilities for anything helpful at all.. Think about how many lives you have saved.."

The look on Peters face made you regret saying anything at all, he knew he didn't save everyone. Because your answer told him everything, but he now also knew he'd hurt you. The media was loud about what they felt, and he now new the whole world would hate him for a while.

"I'm sorry.." he whispered. "No.. I'm sorry Pete.. I just. I don't want to lose you, and I got really close to that this time around.. You need to realize that you deserve the world and you do so much for everyone but.. you're not perfect. No one is Pete.. and you cant keep thinking that it's your fault when you make a mistake. Life just dealt you the hand where.. every mistake can equate to death."

You felt him squeeze your hand, as he looked down, "I love you. I- I'll try to do better.. with that."

You smiled at him, you still felt bad. You shouldn't have snapped, but a part of you knew that was the only way he'd ever even consider a break. "Thank you.." He paused, refusing to look at you, ignoring your look of confusion, "For.. making me feel like I'm meant to be here.. I guess, I dunno.. Y/n you're the only one who doesn't blame me. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you and then you give me a million reasons on why we need each other.."

You smiled at him, "Yeah." But, you also knew he'd have to find out about your parents sometime. Today wasn't the best of days, but you still trembled wondering what his reaction would be.

Ultimately you told him the day of his discharge, knowing he'd want space as soon as he knew. You wanted him to have that. You made your way back to the room with a plate from the cafeteria, seeing officers in the room with Peter as you stepped in.

Peter looked distressed, obviously they gave him the rundown of how many people died, but all in all they had been there to talk to me. And of course, they had to give him a reason. He knew.

"Ah, Ms. L/n correct?" Both officers turned to you, prepared to do their check up. You were considered at high-risk of harming yourself due to the loss of both parents, and the initial coma of your boyfriend. "Yes..?"

"Well, you seem to be okay, and with Parker over here awake you're no longer high risk, you doing okay kiddo?" You gave the officer a nod, talking to the two for a couple of moments before they stepped out.

"Y/n..why didn't you tell me?" You could see the film of water glazing his eyes, you felt terrible for not saying anything sooner, your throat forming a lump as you tried to keep your tears down.

"I'm.. sorry. I-i knew you'd feel bad about all the deaths... I didn't want to tack onto that, you've gone through enough and-" You were cut off by his embrace, he'd been discharged moments before and therefore he surprised you by not storming off.

"I hated when people asked me how I was." He whispered, his head now on yours, "I won't ask how you're doing. But.. I want to be there for you. The way you're always there for me.."

You just wrapped your arms around him, no thank you necessary. God the world didn't deserve him, and he knew the world didn't deserve you.

He sighed, seemingly reading your mind, as he pressed a kiss to your forehead before meeting your eyes.

"The world doesn't deserve us."

[coffeecat1983]

Down the Road, pt 4

Also up in long format with pt 3 on Ao3 soon! (warning, might be triggering to some, coming out angst ahead!)

The weekend passed quickly. The graduation party was full of food, laughter, and gifts for the boys. From their parents, specially made coffee mugs that matched their favorite hats with their initials on them, and each had been gifted the newest handheld game system with a few games from their uncles as special treats. The shared card to them read 'you put in the work, now you've earned some play!' Throughout the party, Tony kept an eye on Luigi, and was glad to see his nephew seemed to be having fun instead of worrying about Monday evening. After things started to wind down for the night, he pulled Luigi aside. "Tomorrow when your dad gets home from work, he's been getting home early the past few days so it'll probably be before dinner. I promise, I'll be right beside you."

Monday evening. Tony was pacing in the living room, listening for the heavy footsteps that would signal Giovanni had come home. He nearly jumped when Arthur spoke behind him. "You gonna be okay tonight?" "I gotta be, I want to be there for Luigi." Arthur folded his arms. "You need me, just say so, I'm not afraid to step in." Before Tony could reply, his phone beeped. He checked the screen.

"It's go time." he muttered. "Just be on standby for the boys, would ya?" Arthur just gave a nod, watching as his twin left.

Tony felt his stomach turn. This hadn't gone well at all. The moment the words left Luigi's mouth, Giovanni's mood shifted, his expression darkening. The whole room felt tight, almost suffocating. "I had hopes you boys would both find good girls and settle down, then you hit me with this?" his tone was that low, angry voice that Tony and Arthur had grown up with. Hearing it again made Tony cringe inside. While his older brother had never been one for physical abuse, he would end up with harsh verbal and emotional attacks, often from not thinking before speaking. Giovanni paced a bit before stopping, arms folded. He was facing the wall that held the family photos. He stared at them for a moment, his gaze settling on the one of the boys goofing off with Tony and Arthur. "Giovanni," Tony started but stopped as his older brother held up a hand. "Enough, I don't want to hear it. Luigi, I think you better go stay with your uncles for a while." Luigi started trembling and Tony's heart sank. Giovanni, you have no idea what you've just done… he thought. "M-Mom?!" Luigi squeaked out. Marianna leaned in and lovingly took his face in her hands, pressing her forehead to his. "It's all right sweetheart, let me handle this." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before standing up, fists clenched in a mother's fury. "Tony, you and the boys are gonna have a sleepover while my husband and I have a talk." Her final words held a fierce fire no one had ever heard before. Tony urged the two over to the door, Mario keeping an arm around a now quietly sobbing Luigi. "C'mon, go across the hall, I'll get your nightclothes and things. Arthur and Marie will understand when you go over, you don't have to explain." Giovanni meanwhile went down the hall and into his and Marianna's room, shutting the door behind him. "Wait here, I'll get the boys things." Marianna said. Tony sat at the table, lost in thought. Before he knew it, Marianna was handing him an overnight bag that was stuffed full, and some cash. "All their things are in there, including their pillows. Take this and get everyone pizza, something to get their minds off this." "Thanks," Tony said, taking the bag. "Keep the money, I'll cover it tonight. Arthur and I got a couple comedy movies we've been saving for an emergency that we can play for em, too. You gonna be okay?" "I'll be fine. I've been waiting for this day." Tony froze. "Wait, you knew?" Marianna gave him a warm, sad smile. "He's my baby, I'm supposed to know these things." She glanced over her shoulder down the hall.

"I'll let him have his tantrum for a bit then go in." "Look, if you need either me or Art, call, okay?" "Thanks, and thanks for looking out for my boys." Tony just gave her a nod as he left.

Entering the apartment, he was greeted with the sight of Marie on the couch, holding a crying Luigi, whispering softly to him, telling him everything would be okay. Mario was in the other chair, looking almost shellshocked and Arthur was near the hall. He looked furious. "I'll kill him…" he muttered, going towards the front door. Tony dropped the overnight bag and grabbed his arm. "Art, don't." he pleaded. "Not now. Right now the boys need us, not a big fight. Marianna's handling Giovanni, and believe me, she's just as mad as you are." He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. "Let's just get everyone settled, get a movie on, and then get dinner. We're gonna just take this slow, okay?" Arthur relaxed a little, glancing at his nephews. "Yeah, fine." he agreed. As Tony went in and sat next to Luigi, motioning for Mario to squeeze in by him, Arthur kneeled by Luigi's feet, placing a comforting hand on his leg. Tony put an arm around Luigi's shoulders, and his free hand went to Mario's shoulder. "Now I want you boys to listen. I know this is scary and it hurts, but we're all here for you both and we'll get past this, okay?" he said. "Your mamma is one tough lady, she'll get your dad to listen." "But what do we do?" Mario asked. "Right now? Nothing," Arthur chimed in, "you just be here for each other, take it easy, and try to relax. It might take time, but we'll get this figured out. And until then, you boys can stay right here with us."

To be continued....

By "CC"

[nexility-sims]

𝐍𝐎. 𝟏𝟓: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥   /   MATLAL VILLAGE, NAKAWE, 1935

❧  𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  /  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

For several weeks, Beatriz had not seen Salvatore. It produced a strange disappointment, one simultaneously sudden and creeping. Enthusiasm built up as each lazy afternoon and bright Saturday morning approached; she hurried down the hill in hopes of finding her friend awaiting, but she also came to realize those hopes were fading. In their place was something akin to fear—worry, anxiety, dreadful agitation—which gripped her as she walked the dirt road into this beloved low, green place. Since their move to the estate, Beatriz had relished the sight of its emptiness. That emptiness now came to feel more like loneliness. For someone who had never conceived of being alone as a disquieting experience (at least, not since her baby days), this new sense was troubling. What troubled her more was the fact that she had seemingly lost grip of, not only a friend, but the pleasure of her own company. ‘They were right,’ she thought these days as she sat in the grass, the wind ruffling her hair, left with one remaining confidante—a diary—in her lap. The faces of her parents personified the chiding in her mind. ‘Kids are supposed to have friends. You spend too much time alone.’ Mixed emotions churred in her, and she lacked the capacity to understand or resolve them. She simply longed for the comfort of detachment. These contradictory longings, for friendship and for having never known it at all, were bitter and little sweet. It was for the best, ultimately, when she did see Salvatore again.

If she must feel so strongly, then she would rather the hurt feelings smolder into resentment.

TRANSCRIPT:

[B] Can we buy some candies?

[R] If you won’t tell your papa about it.

[B] Can we buy them first? [R] Let’s take our time and wander. Who knows what we’ll find!

[B] It’s the same every weekend, mother. [R] {Chuckles.} That’s because you only pay attention to the candy.

[R] Even the winter produce is delightful, and the knitting—! A new scarf for me, and a bag of candy for you, how’s that?

[R] Or, some of this stinky fish for you instead? {Beatriz, pretending to gag.} [R] The melodrama!

[B] Sal ...?

[B] Sal! [R] Beatriz! Where are you going?

[B] Sal, wait!

[S] Hi, Bea. [B] Sorry for chasing you. [S] It’s okay.

[B] I missed you! I’m glad you’re here. [S] Yeah ... Sorry. [B] It’s okay.

[B] When can we play again? It’s been weeks! [S] I’ve been busy—with my father and all. [B] Oh. I remember.

[B] But, soon, right? [S] I don’t know, Bea.

[B] I just have fun with you, is all, but I can wait. [S] No. It’s more complicated. [B] How do you mean?

[S] {Sighs.} I can’t play with you anymore. I’m not allowed to. [B] What? Don’t say that.

[S] I’m sorry. My father... I just can’t play with you. [B] How busy could you be? You’re a kid. Maybe I could ask him? [S] No! I mean, that would be a bad idea.

[B] I don’t understand. [S] We can’t be friends, Bea. [B] Why not? We are friends!

[S] My father said ... I can’t be friends with someone like you. [B] Someone like me? [S] A princess. A Reyes. It’s not “appropriate.” I don’t know why.

[S] Wait, Bea—

[B] Don’t touch me.

[B] I’m a princess, not your friend, remember?

[R] What happened? Who is that boy? Beatriz!

[R] Do you want to talk about it, birdie?

{Beatriz grumbles.}

[vinbee631]

Chance Meeting(s)

alright, it's time for day 3! or, it's 4 now...

day 3.5 of logince week! prompt is competition

this is maybe my favorite oneshot form this series so far, but i did not have time to proofread very much, so we'll see how this goes lol

i hope you enjoy!! <3

The Gainseville Billy Goats was your fairly standard youth soccer team. Every other day, excluding weekends, a large group of first and second-graders would meet to practice running around and kicking not-soft objects.

It was a wonder the Reyes twins’ mother allowed them to even attend these practices, the worrywart that she was, but the twins' insistence on any and all physical activity left her practically unable to say no.

Roman and Remus loved sports. From the time they had learned to crawl, they were constantly moving around, looking for new things to try.

For their parents, it could be a tad exhausting, but it was wonderful to see them be so enthusiastic about new activities or sports or games.

Soccer was the first sport they were able to play on an official team, with jerseys and everything! The boys were in love with it instantly; they didn’t even get distracted during practice and run off like the rest of the kids!

And then, after a few weeks of practicing and learning and so so much running, the boys finally got to participate in a real game! Against another team with other kids!

The twins didn’t stop smiling the whole time, grinning even wider when they passed the ball to each other or when someone on their team scored a goal.

The game could be pretty choppy sometimes. Since they were still only in first grade, some of the kids could be a bit iffy with the rules. Roman and Remus, of course, followed them to a T, but they understood if some of their friends needed extra time to figure things out.

Their opponent, the Newberry Newts (Roman and Remus really liked that name! They thought it was clever) was basically the same as theirs, just with different kids and blue jerseys instead of orange.

If they were following along with the pe-sific defensive rules, Roman’s current opponent was supposed to be number 42, “SPENCOR.”

That wasn’t his actual name, Roman knew, only his last name. But they were in the middle of a game! He’d have to get to know him better when they weren’t trying to beat each other at soccer.

His future friend was also very good at the game, and they seemed to know all the rules like the back of their hand already! Sometimes, they even tried to help the referees! Roman thought that was kind of silly, trying to correct an adult, but usually, they were right! Roman was pretty impressed.

Roman had made a continuous effort to smile at Spencor whenever they made eye contact, even going so far as to shoot them a thumbs-up for their best moves. Unfortunately, they never returned the smiles or gave a reaction to the support. Oh, well. Maybe he was too distracted by the game Roman understood.

By the end, Roman was practically vibrating at the excitement that was meeting a potential friend. Once his coach had let everyone return to their families, he rushed over to his parents.

“Mama, mama, can I go say hi to that kid over there? I wanna go say hi!” Roman’s mother chuckled, very used to his enthusiasm.

“Well, I had been planning on congratulation you for your first-ever soccer win, but I suppose that can wait a few minutes. Be safe, mijo, and stay where I can see you, alright? We have plenty of time.”

Roman grinned, quickly giving her a hug before turning to his brother.

“Hey, Re! Do you wanna come meet someone with me?” Remus glanced up at him, looking a bit confused. “Sorry, can you repeat that? I only heard ‘meet someone.’”

Roman nodded, reminding himself to slow his words down a bit. “I’m gonna go say hi to someone, they were on the other team, and I wanna meet them! Wanna come?”

Remus shook his head. “Nah, I wanna eat my snack for now, but have fun! Lemme know what they’re like, okay?” Roman quickly agreed, turning to rush over to meet this Spencor person before they had to go, but something stopped them.

Spencor, like the rest of the kids at the game, had gone over to meet their family, talk about the game, and eventually head home. It seemed like they were with their mom right now, but something seemed wrong.

She wasn’t yelling at them. Roman would have been able to hear it from where he was standing. But she looked really upset with them. Maybe they had gotten in trouble for something? It might not be the best idea to go talk to them if they were in trouble.

Suddenly, Spencor’s mom stormed off, leaving them by themself, and- crying?

“Hey! Are you alright?” Roman ran over to Spencor, suddenly spurred into movement at the sight of his tears.”

“I’m fine,” they grumbled, “now please, leave me alone.”

Yeah, no, Roman wasn’t convinced.

He carefully sat down on the ground in front of them, smiling gently when they didn’t immediately try to shoo him away again.

“I could leave, I guess, but it seems like you’re still upset. You don’t have to talk ‘bout it if you don’t want to! I just figured you might want some company or something. And I think you’re really cool, so I wanted to say hi!”

They blinked, startled out of their tears. “You- you think I’m cool?”

“Well, yeah, you’re cool! You’ve got cool glasses and you know a lot about soccer, and you’re really good at it too!”

“But… but my team lost. So, you’re probably better than me…” they muttered, folding their arms and sitting down in front of Roman.

“Well, yeah, my team won, but that doesn’t mean that one person on one team is better than one on another! We’ve all got different skills, and lumping people together as the best or the worst is no fun. You should just, well, have fun! And, you did really good out there. I liked how you kept telling the referees about the mistakes they made. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to do that!”

“But… I got in trouble for it. Mom says I’m not supposed to talk back to adults, it isn’t respectful,” they replied sullenly, curling up and resting their chin on their knees.

“Hm, well, sometimes adults aren’t always right. So, as long as you’re nice about it, you should try and tell them when they make a mistake. ‘Cuz everyone makes mistakes! And then we can learn from them!”

Spencor seemed to think it over for a minute, then ultimately seemed to agree with Roman. “Y-yeah, I think you’re right. You’re really smart,” they said.

“Aw, thank you! I… I never asked for your name. And I never introduced myself! Oops! I’m Roman, by the way, sorry I forgot.”

“It’s alright,” they responded. “After all, everyone makes mistakes, right? I’m Logan.”

With a wide grin, Roman decided that he really, really liked Logan. He hoped they’d get to stay friends for a long, long time!

…

After second grade, the twins moved on to another sport: basketball! Not that soccer hadn’t been fun! It was just…

Graduating from second grade meant moving up to the next soccer team. The twins really enjoyed it at first! The team was a bit smaller, and things were a lot more organized and they learned different skills now that they were older.

It was just… their coach was not very understanding about Remus’ need for repeated instructions. And when Roman had tried to fill in the gaps for him, he’d gotten yelled at talking over their coach!

Once they told their parents about this problem, they had quickly been taken off that soccer team.

Later, after Roman’s anger and Remus’ embarrassment had calmed down a bit, their parents had asked if they wanted to look for another team to play for, but the experience had left a bit of a sour taste in their mouths.

Besides, there were so many other sports left to try!

So, at the recommendation of one of Remus’ friends, they joined their elementary school’s basketball team. It was a very different sport (hands, not feet, Roman had to remind himself sometimes), but they loved it even more than their previous choice!

About halfway through the season, the team was scheduled for a game in Newberry.

Huh, where had he seen that name before?

This match wasn’t any different from all the others they’d been in. Except, Roman swore there was something familiar about this town. He’d never been to Newberry Elementary before, so where had this eerily familiar feeling come from?

It wasn’t until about halfway through the game that Roman spotted a jersey that answered his question.

“SPENCOR 42.”

Hey, that was Logan!

Roman had been wondering if he’d ever see his friend again. After that soccer game, the Billy Goats wouldn’t get the chance to play Newberry until the next season. And, by the time that came, it seemed Logan wasn’t on the team anymore.

Roman had been pretty disappointed at first, but his and Logan’s towns were pretty close by. If either of them did any sort of traveling in the future, there was a chance they’d get to see each other again.

The memories of Logan had passed through his mind every so often for the next few years, and now, that hope had finally paid off!

For once in his life, Roman was really hoping this game was going to end sooner.

Finally, the game was finished (Roman’s team had lost this time, he was pretty sure there was- like, poetic meaning to that, or something), and Roman rushed over to greet his friend- for real, not just the monotone “good game” handshake he had exchanged with all the players.

“Hey, Logan!!” They turned, seemingly startled that someone was calling out to them. “I- sorry, do I know you?”

“Yeah! Sorry, I’m Roman! From soccer a couple of years back? I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!”

Logan’s face lit up in recognition, and they nodded. “Ah yes, I remember. It is good to see you as well. Did you continue on with soccer? I haven’t played since that season we met.”

“Um, nah, me and my brother got kinda bored with it after we aged out of our first team, just a year after you quit. We switched to this instead! It’s hard to stick with just one sport when there are so many cool ones!”

“I see,” Logan nodded again, though they didn’t seem to quite agree with Roman’s statement. “Have you two been enjoying basketball, then?”

“Oh, yeah! I mean, I’d love any sport I get to play with Rem, but basketball’s pretty cool! A lot less running, that’s for sure!”

Roman was delighted to see Logan crack a small smile at that. Geez, they’d only talked twice and Roman was already picturing them being his closest friend.

“So, uh, my parents usually take me and my brother out to eat or to get ice cream or something after a game. Would you wanna come with your mom or dad? Or whoever brought you? I can even ask them for you if you want! Or- not, sorry if that was too forward.”

Logan blinked, processing Roman’s word vomit. “I… er, I suppose I would have to ask my mother. And, I… if you- uhm, if you wouldn’t mind… you may ask her. And, there’s no need to apologize. You just… pardon, you talk very fast, so it took me a moment to understand.”

“Oh, yeah, I do that a lot. Re yells at me for it all the time ‘cause he really can’t understand me if I do it!” Logan didn’t get the chance to question Roman’s statement before his mother was walking toward them.

“Are you going to introduce me to your new friend?” She asked curtly. Roman nearly grimaced at the ice in her tone. Maybe she’d just had a really long day or something and was in a bad mood.

“Hi! My name is Roman! I met Logan at soccer a couple of years back, but now we get to see each other again! I was just gonna ask if you guys would like to join us for- er, one sec. MOM! ARE WE STILL GETTING ICE CREAM?!”

Roman’s mom chuckled from the other end of the court. “Yes, honey!” She called back. “Why don’t you invite your friend to come along?”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING!! …So, er, would you like to come with us? It’ll be me, my brother, and one of his friends, I think. We like to hang out afterward and celebrate, even if we lose! ‘Cause… as long as we played a good game and didn’t give up, we didn’t lose too bad, I don’t think!”

As Roman continued to chatter excitedly, a small sneer had grown on Logan’s mom’s face. “I’m not sure how comfortable I am allowing my son to hang out with someone so… loud. Apologies for declining your offer. Logan, you have five minutes to say goodbye, then you had better be in the car before I leave. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Logan muttered, glaring at the waxed wood floors instead of his mother. Roman sighed, feeling a sudden urge to reach out and squeeze Logan’s hand protectively.

“Sorry for making her mad. I guess I am pretty loud sometimes, huh?”

“What? No!” Roman blinked. He had never seen Logan be this passionate about something before, in all the two conversations they’d had together. “My mother was being entirely unreasonable and unfair! Perhaps she’s in a bad mood today, but that isn’t an excuse for treating you unkindly.”

Roman shrugged. “It didn’t bother me too much. Even if she meant to be offensive, I don’t really care. I am loud, and I like being loud! I just… I wish that didn’t make it so you can’t come along. It’s not gonna be the same without you.”

Logan smiled, a bit sadly. “It’s okay. I should probably get going though. Hopefully, we’ll get to meet again soon?”

“Oh, yeah! I really hope so! See ya, Logan! Have a good day, or week, or however long until I see you!!” Roman waved at Logan until he couldn’t see him anymore, and then deflated, sinking the whole way to the floor and groaning loudly.

“His mom said no, I take it?”

Roman just groaned louder.

…Heh, louder.

…

For the next couple of years, until Roman hit middle school, he and Remus tried out a new sport just about every year, sometimes even more than that! After basketball was hockey, then baseball, then lacrosse (which Roman had hated so much he quit along with Remus after only two weeks).

In sixth and seventh grade, the boys joined the football team.

Roman was a bit more nervous this time, as opposed to his brother, who was still just as chaos-incarnate and tornado-ey as he was when they were kids.

Don’t get him wrong, he still loved sports! But.. well, he had hated lacrosse because it had bordered on being a contact sport, and because it was really hard, but that wasn’t the point.

Football was a contact sport.

It was fine! It was just like every other sport he played! Except, a lot higher chance of getting injured, and a lot of pushing people around! And… actually catching the ball. Yeah… this would be fine.

Roman had practiced harder than anything in sixth grade, and even played one or two games instead of sitting on the bench the whole time! He wasn’t very good, Remus was a lot more comfortable at this sport than he was, but he enjoyed the time he got on the field, and he didn’t get injured his entire first year of playing!

Then, there was middle school football.

In middle school, there was a chance you wouldn’t make the team. In middle school, there were a lot of bigger, taller kids with years more experience than Roman.

The practices were rough, lots of tackling running, grueling exercises that increased in difficulty if you messed up. Roman worked himself near to tears every single day they had practice, and it still wasn't enough to keep up with the stronger kids.

His parents could tell how miserable he was, but when they tried to intervene, Roman refused.

Remus was happy! And for him, Roman was more than happy to be dragged along into anything. So what if it meant hours of sweating and working himself so hard his muscles ached for days afterward? So what if, no matter how much effort he put in, he would always be teased for falling behind?

Sports had been his life since he was five. He couldn't just give up because they were a little challenging!

And then, he hadn't made the team... and Remus had.

Which was fine! Roman was more than happy to sit in the bleachers and cheer his brother on from a safe distance, away from all the pushing and shoving and sweating and painfulness.

And if he finally admitted to his family one day that he was grateful for the excuse to fall away from the intense exercise he'd been putting in for so long, the only reaction they'd ever give him was sympathy.

The fact that he had failed only stung a little bit when he realized he was trying so hard to do something he had really never loved in the first place.

But, he did love cheering. He loved watching the games, seeing his brother in action, doing his crazy, awesome thing.

Which was how he found himself trying out for the cheerleading team the next summer.

He’d gotten a few odd looks for that, being the only male presenting person interested in a “sport” like this, if you could even call cheer a sport.

Roman didn’t particularly care about the looks. He was happy! He and Remus would still be close to each other, and they would both get to do something they enjoyed! And Roman enjoyed the hell out of cheerleading.

After only three practices, he was lifting girls in the air and helping them strike poses. A base, he was called, and the much smaller girls he tossed around were flyers.

Sometimes, he’d be in the back of a base triangle, supporting the backs of the flyer’s feet. Other times, it was just him and Callista, his partner flyer. He would lift her in the air, set her on her shoulders, or hold one of her feet as high as he could safely manage as she struck an impossible pose.

It was still hard work, it made him break a sweat most practices, but oh, was it so much fun.

Much better than football, anyway.

Well, whatever, that last part didn’t matter. Roman was happy, his brother was happy, and they were looking forward to another great season their eighth-grade year.

Just when Roman didn’t think things could get any better, he spotted a familiar jersey number among the Newberry Panthers.

“SPENCOR 42”

Logan was so much taller than when Roman had seen him last. He looked almost muscular underneath the bulky football pads, but he didn’t do much playing.

Except for in special teams.

From what Roman remembered, Logan was pretty fast. He could run at a solid speed, and for a while. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him break out of a 4th down and three and run the whole way to the endzone, the Gainsville defense falling in his dust.

Roman had to physically restrain himself from cheering for his opponent.

The game ended in a solid tie after a bit of a disappointing overtime tossup, and Roman was a bit disappointed to see his childhood friend disappear into the locker rooms with the rest of his team when it was over.

Once his mom had given him the all-clear, he’d quickly gathered his things, said goodbye to his cheer coach and teammates, and quickly made his way to the locker exit. When he got there, though, he regretted his haste just a little.

He could hear the screaming from a distance, but he hadn’t figured out it was coming from the doorway until he rounded the corner to the exit doors.

Roman recognized her clear as day. It was Logan’s mother, very loudly berating her child as a small crowd of teammates began to gather behind them, looking just as furious as Roman felt.

“And don’t fucking bother following me! You’re walking home today!” Their mother scowled deeply, turning in Roman’s direction to storm off to her car.

“Fucking pansy,” she muttered as she passed Roman by, and he tried to pretend that didn’t sting.

Roman considered for a moment running up to Logan to see if he was alright, but with his teammates around him, Logan seemed like he was already starting to feel better.

Maybe he should just head home this time.

“Hey, kid. You lost?” Roman jumped, turning to face the voice that appeared next to him. “Uh, sorry, no. I just- was waiting for someone. I wanted… wanted to say hi before I left, but now seems like a bad time, so I was just waiting-”

“It’s all good, just checking. Out of curiosity, where do you know Lo from?” Ah, so this mysterious stranger had him all figured out, huh?

“Oh, we met playing soccer as kids, and we’ve run into each other playing sports a couple of other times. It’s usually a while in between meetings, though.”

The person chuckled. “Sounds like Logan. Kid bounced around sports as fast as he can run. My name’s Remy, by the way, he/him, Logan’s older brother.”

“O-oh, Roman, he/him. I’m sorry about your mom being an absolute asshole.”

Remy tried to hide a chuckle behind his hand. “Oh hon, I like you. Once he’s calmed down, I’ll send Lo in your direction, ‘kay? Unless you’re on a time crunch or…”

“Oh, no, I have nowhere to be. Besides, my brother’s the quarterback, so we’ll probably be here for a while, anyway.”

“Oh, sick. Well here’s hoping I’ll see you around. And uh, if you don’t give my sibling your number by the time you’re done talkin’, I’ll put it in his phone myself, got it?”

Roman chuckled nervously. “Uh, not quite sure you you meant that to be threatening or not, but okay! Can do. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before!”

“Oh, bless him, he’s a himbo,” Remy muttered as he walked away, but the small smirk on his face gave away his true feelings.

Roman decided he also wanted to be friends with Remy.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting but was probably only about ten minutes, Logan emerged from the lockers once again, being nudged along by his brother.

“Just hear me out, yeah?” Logan rolled his eyes, but then he caught sight of Roman, and he was pretty sure he was going to cherish that smile forever.

“Roman?” He grinned in response, shooting Logan some slightly awkward finger guns. “Hey! Knew I recognized my favorite number 42!”

Roman was not expecting to be wrapped up in a hug, but hey, he was not going to complain about this in the slightest.

“It’s been years! I was seriously considering we may never actually meet again!” Roman chuckled. “Yeah, seems our sport choices didn’t align for a while, I guess.”

“Did you bounce around too?” Logan asked, still smiling, and gosh, didn’t that make Roman feel special?

“Oh yeah, played all kinds of stuff. Even football for a bit, but I am not a contact sports guy, y’know? Well, you wouldn’t,” he teased.

“No, I get it, that’s why I do the running. Tackling people… not my favorite thing, but the team keeps me for my speed.”

“Well yeah, why wouldn’t they? Your two special teams’ stunts were amazing! They’d be stupid to think about anything but keeping you!”

Oh, and now Logan was blushing.

…Cute.

The two continued to talk, even as Roman’s brother and parents eventually came looking for him.

But, as Remus was hanging off of him, loudly complaining about needing to go to bed, Roman suddenly remembered something.

“Wait! Maybe… we could exchange numbers? Just so the only times we talk aren’t just these little meetups.”

Logan lit up, nodding quickly. “Of course! Here, just take my phone and I’ll take yours.” Roman smiled, tapping away and taking a moment to snap an embarrassingly silly photo of himself to be his profile photo.

“Talk to you soon?” Roman was very happy to say that with certainty this time.

“Yes, talk to you soon, Roman."

[my-head-is-an-animal]

Problems With The Heart

Greg House x Dr Anna Harding (OFC)

Story Masterlist

Chapter 29 - Morphine

House thought a lot about Anna after he’d met Cuddy’s mom. Anna’s parents were just there to see her, her father was interested in his job and acknowledged that he didn’t really understand much, but he was interested all the same. Her mother on the other hand hated that she didn’t understand but was just over protective, considering Anna's previous employment, she probably had every right to worry.

Cuddy’s mom was just bitchy. House handed her a bottle of sedatives for next time she came around and decided to spend a night on his own. The only problem is he wished he was spending it playing music with Anna.

What was I supposed to do? I hated being at the hospital and I hated being at home, but at least at home I could drink in the bath. I’d spent most of my time rock climbing at the weekends or taking extra shifts to cover over various departments. It was a good set of distractions, but the morphine was a good resort for the tougher days.

I walked into the hospital and House was waiting with a file. ‘We’ve got a boot camp guy, Masters thinks you’re some kind of hero and might need a guiding hand.’

‘And yours isn’t good enough?’ I asked waiting for the lift. ‘Forget I asked that. What do you need from me? Medically speaking.’

We stepped into the lift and House handed me the file.

‘She likes you and she has opposition to bullying.’

‘She thinks military discipline is about bullying?’ I frowned. ‘She is fresh.’

‘So, you’ll supervise?’

I glanced through the file again and handed it back. ‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I’m not a babysitter, that’s what you’ve got staff for.’

We arrived at his floor but he didn’t get off.

‘This is your floor.’ I said, but he just looked at me. ‘For gods sake, fine.’

We left the lift and I used his office to call up to cardiology, half listening to the diagnosis. Every time Masters spoke, I could see her checking if I was listening, but I really didn’t have time to cater to her needy personality.

‘Harding, you wanna take point on getting the history with the kid?’ House said while I was still on the phone.

‘Take point?’ I rolled my eyes. ‘Right, fine, Masters, you can fill me in on the way, but I do have a department to run.’

Masters talked a lot, but she was okay, she’d get there eventually. Driscoll went to attack her whilst administering something, but before security or Foreman could stop him, I was on my feet, a couple of quickly timed hits to his joints and he was down.

‘You okay?’ I asked.

Masters was coughing, but she was okay. Security had Driscoll back in bed. Taub took care of her and Foreman had Driscoll under control, I was done. I went upstairs and got on with my work day. I avoided open areas all week, I really didn’t care for House’s case and I couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.

I saw him in the lobby with Cuddy as I was leaving at the end of the week, it looked tense like they’d just argued about something. I couldn’t wait to get home and relax.

‘Dr Harding?’ One of the nurses called me over to look at a patient’s chart, there were a couple of discrepancies and I quickly fixed them, handing the chart back.

‘Anna.’ Cuddy said as I turned to leave.

‘Cuddy,’ I nodded, searching my pockets for my car keys. ‘I’m just leaving, can we make this quick?’

‘Can we talk for a moment?’ She had a sorry look on her face that told me it was personal.

‘Is it a medical conversation?’ I asked, she shook her head. ‘About my performances? Complaints made against me or my department? Law suits?’

‘No, it’s not.’

‘Then it can wait until Monday or you can send it up to cardiology and I’m sure they’ll deal with it sufficiently.’

‘It’s about House.’ She said, stopping me from leaving. ‘We never really talked about what happened and I think we need to.’

‘Why?’ I could feel my temper flaring.

‘Because it’s obviously affecting our working relationship.’

‘I disagree.’ I said. ‘Absolutely nothing has changed, I’ve made sure of it, I’ve done my clinic hours, more when you’ve called in a favour from me, I’ve even consulted on one of House’s cases… but if you’re uncomfortable with me working in your hospital, then perhaps that’s a different issue that you will need to get through on your own.’

I walked past her and out the front doors of the hospital. ‘I just need to know you forgive me.’ She said following me.

‘Why would I do that?’ I half laughed, stunning her to stop next to my car. ‘To make you feel better? You shouldn’t need my forgiveness to feel okay about being in a relationship with him, I shouldn’t even come into the equation.’ I opened the door to my car and threw my bag in to the other side. Cuddy looked like a kicked puppy. ‘You’re a grown up Cuddy, this isn’t school, I’m not going to get revenge or do anything to disrupt your life, I’ve moved on, why haven’t you?’

‘Because he’s still in love with you.’ She said, once again stopping me.

‘He’s not.’ I shook my head. ‘I was easy, but I made it clear that I never expected to grow old with anyone. I never expected anything from whatever we had, it’s not my fault if he did.’ I turned to see her and couldn’t stand it. ‘I’ve made my position clear. See you Monday.’

I got into my car and took a breath, trying hard to not get angry.

Cuddy walked back into the hospital, disappointed and guilty.

‘Told you it wouldn’t go the way you wanted it to.’ House said, the hospital was clearing out and Cuddy was being polite, saying her good nights to the doctors and nurses leaving.

‘I don’t understand, she was so cold.’ Cuddy told him, her steel blue eyes prominent in her mind.

‘She’s always been like that.’ House shrugged. ‘It’s how some people protect themselves from pain.’ Cuddy didn’t know what to say. ‘Look, Anna was never going to be your friend from day one, you know how few people she actually likes enough to associate with outside this place? Two, well, one now, but that doesn’t mean it should get to you this much.’

‘I thought she’d forgive me.’ Cuddy felt naïve.

‘Then you’re deluded.’ House said, brutally. ‘She’s not the forgiving kind. She’s the forgetting one.’

‘You think she’ll be okay? She’s lost a lost of weight since we got together.’ Cuddy wouldn’t let him deny the look of realisation, but she felt it was best to ignore it for now.

‘Rock climbing.’ He said. ‘She used to go all the time, now she’s got more time to do it.’

‘You sure?’

‘Yes.’ He said, walking away, back to the elevator. Cuddy wasn’t stupid, but she also wasn’t about to go knocking on Anna’s door.

House went straight up to cardiology to find Sophia who thankfully was still working.

‘Sophia, I need to talk to you.’ He said, urgently.

‘Dr House?’ She frowned. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Come on, in here.’ He said, gesturing to Anna’s office which he still had a spare key for. Sophia followed and closed the door behind them. ‘I need to know if Anna has been showing signs of chest pain, fevers, any rashes she might have tried to cover up?’

‘No, I don’t think so.’ Sophia shook her head, while House was already searching Anna’s desk for any sign of drugs.

‘What about depression? Has she had problems with her speech or paying attention to things?’

‘No, nothing like that.’ Sophia again shook her head and House was finding nothing. ‘I mean she’s been pretty down after you two split, but nothing irregular, she’s been her usual self. Why?’

House sighed. ‘I think she might be using.’ He admitted, giving up on the desk, moving to other places where drugs might easily be concealed.

‘Using what? She hasn’t been on morphine for weeks since the surgery.’

‘If it’s not morphine it must be something else. Has she shown any signs of anything out of the ordinary?’

He checked the bookshelf, between files, everything but the place was clean.

‘She’s been a little tired recently,’ Sophia said, trying to remember. ‘She’s been a little moody, but I thought it was just because of Dr Foreman.’

House stopped. ‘He screwed up the patient, the one with heart disease.’

‘Yeah, Mr Grant.’ She nodded.

‘What about before that?’

Sophia shook her head. ‘You know, we really haven’t seen much of her, she’s always cooped up in here with patients or files to go over, she took a week off to deal with the stress, went to Red Rock in Vegas.’

House nodded. ‘Okay, thanks.’

‘Is she okay? If you didn’t find anything here then she can’t be using at work?’

‘Means she might be using at home… where there are no doctors if something goes wrong.’ He said and rushed out of the office, heading straight downstairs and drove his motorcycle as fast as he could to Anna’s apartment.

House knocked on the door a few times, he could see the light pooling beneath the door, so she was definitely home. He avoided calling for her in case she didn’t answer on principle, but after a few minutes, he couldn’t just stand there. He took out his spare key that he still had for her place and opened the door.

‘Anna?’ He called out. ‘You here?’

The apartment looked the same as it always had, the piano had a layer of dust on it from where she hadn’t played for some time. House carefully moved through to the bedroom, but there was still no sign of her.

‘Anna?’ He called again and heard the distinct sound of water.

He gently pushed the bathroom door open and saw what he suspected he’d see. A syringe lay empty on the floor, Anna was in the bath, her eyes black and heavy, her breathing shallow and she looked like she was about to fall asleep.

‘Anna.’ House dropped his cane and looked at where the needle went into her arm. It was clean, no sign of infection, no sign of anything other than the fact she was high. ‘Anna, what did you take?’

She didn’t answer, her head just lolled from side to side and she mumbled incoherently.

‘Anna, can you hear me?’ House checked her heart rate, it was escalating and she could drown if he didn’t get her out. House pulled the plug, she barely flinched. ‘Anna, it’s Greg, I need you to tell me you can hear me.’

‘Leave me alone.’ She mumbled a little clearer.

‘I can’t do that. What did you take? What was in the syringe?’

‘What do you think?’ She was becoming a little more active. ‘It’s all I’ve got for the pain.’

‘What pain?’ If it was her shoulder again then he needed to help her get back to the hospital. ‘Anna, tell me where it hurts.’

‘No where.’ She said, sliding down the bath a little.

House couldn’t let her hurt herself, he picked her up with very little resistance, whatever it was was kicking into full gear and putting her into a euphoric state. He put her on the bed and grabbed a towel to dry her as quickly as he could and to cover her modesty.

‘Anna, I can’t leave you until I know you’re not in any danger.’ He said, she was barley responsive. ‘So, tell me what you took?’

‘Morphine.’ She mumbled and turned to lie on her back and stare up at the ceiling.

House sighed, there was nothing he could do, but he did need to call Cuddy and let her know that Anna was either okay or not.

‘House? Where are you?’ Cuddy answered.

‘At Anna’s place,’ he said from the doorway, keeping an eye on Anna who wasn’t moving at all, only her shallow breath an indicator she was even alive. ‘She’s… she’s drunk and in a bad way.’

‘Oh, well she’ll sleep it off right? You don’t need to be there for that.’ Cuddy had a good point.

‘Yeah but she keeps rolling on her back, she could choke on her own vomit.’ He exhaled. ‘I’d rather stay until I know she’s not going to die in her sleep.’

‘Why don’t you call Sophia?’ She suggested. ‘They’re close, right?’

‘Not as close as I thought,’ House was running out of plausible excuses. ‘Look, I’ll call you when I know she’ll be okay. Like I said, she’s cold at work to protect herself, you can’t expect her to feel nothing all the time.’

‘I guess.’ Cuddy finally conceded. ‘Okay, call if you need anything.’

‘I will.’ House hung up before anything else could be said.

Anna was still laying on the bed and he decided she should at least put a T-shirt on to make her feel a little less vulnerable. Her found one of his old T-shirt’s lying on the floor beside the washing basket and felt his heart hurt a little. He managed to find something and helped her put it on, getting her to relax against the pillows, she’d be safe enough for the next few hours.

‘Anna, you okay?’ he asked, sitting beside her.

‘Mmm.’ She mumbled, still staring up at the ceiling.

‘I need to know how long you’ve been taking the morphine.’

Anna said nothing.

‘Do you take it every night? Weekly?’

She shook her head and took a while to stop, getting dizzy.

‘How often?’

‘When I need to.’ She said, her mouth was obviously dry. He helped her drink a little water that was beside her.

‘How often is that?’ He needed to know.

‘We all have hard days.’

Anna’s eyes started to close, he couldn’t let her sleep just yet.

‘Hey, hey, stay with me.’ He told her, making her snort.

‘No way, not again.’ She half laughed. ‘You’re bad for me.’

‘I know, but I need you to stay awake for a while.’

House didn’t get any more information from Anna, but he spent the next few hours listening to her ramble about things that weren’t even real, she was definitely high.

‘You’re not playing the piano anymore, why?’ House asked.

‘Reminds me of you. And that just hurts more than getting shot.’ She was still giddy. ‘Trust me, I’ve done both.’

‘You never said anything.’

‘I said plenty.’

‘You didn’t, you never said a thing about how this hurt you.’ House reasoned.

‘You were happy, it’s all I wanted. I got what I wanted. A happy House.’

House paused for a moment. ‘What if I’m not happy?’

‘Not my problem anymore.’ She shrugged and he decided to leave it there, he might not have been getting the most truthful of answers from her at that moment. But it was hurting all the same.

House lay back on the bed, Anna slept on and off, but there was a good chance she was still going to choke in her own vomit.

‘Is this my fault?’ He asked. Anna just chuckled and shook her head. ‘Then why are you doing this?’

‘You shouldn’t care.’

‘Well, I do.’ He looked up at the ceiling.

‘Go home, Greg.’ Anna turned over and soon began snoring softly.

House didn’t go home until she was finally heaving up the last days worth of food into her toilet. Her skin was slack from sweating, her breathing was quick and shallow and she was hating every moment she was still alive.

‘So, this is what you do? Every weekend, you take morphine, you spend Saturday morning puking your guts up and then expect to be okay by Monday morning?’ House said, soothing his leg on the edge of the bathtub. ‘You think this is healthy?’

‘I think it’s no longer your business.’ She said flushing the toilet and sitting back against the wall.

‘I think you’re being an idiot.’

‘Pot, kettle.’

House hated the way he was looking at her.

‘I’m still-‘

‘Don’t say it.’ She interrupted.

‘Why not?’

‘Because I can’t walk away from you in my own flat.’

‘Good.’ House nodded. ‘Then you can’t stop me from telling you whatever I want.’

Anna’s bloodshot eyes found his. ‘I’m asking you not to say anything.’

House had seen her beg before, even took advantage of it when it was in the right context, but this was different, she was pleading. Anna was vulnerable.

‘Okay.’ He nodded. ‘You want me to leave?’

Anna paused before speaking. ‘What do you think?’

He knew the answer, but he also knew what she really wanted. ‘Anna, I told Cuddy you were drunk, I’ll stick with that story if you want me to, but I’ll need your stash.’

Anna inhaled deeply. She slowly pointed to the bathroom cabinet, he’d already checked there and found nothing except an empty case where morphine bottles could plausibly fit.

‘The case is empty.’ He said.

‘I used the last one.’ She shrugged.

House let his head bow. ‘Mind if I search the place?’

‘Yes, actually I mind a lot.’ Her energy was starting to come back. ‘I mind you being here, I mind you existing in front of me.’ Anna let her breath out slowly. ‘Do what you want, I’ve got things to do.’

Anna stood up, shaking a little and struggling to get back into the bedroom. House watched her get back into bed and go to sleep. He had the haunting feeling that this was the way she was going to be from now on. He decided to tell Cuddy it was food poisoning and Anna had drank a little more than she should have. It was the least he could do.

If you liked this, please consider supporting me ☕ thanks for reading!

[pin-upmamacassie]

Mother’s Day became a whole weekend event for us lol

I went to emo nite with my sissy Friday night. I got to see Forrest Kline from Hellogoodbye…we were right up front and I got some awesome pics and he spilled his drink on me from the stage but it ended in a fun conversation lol so that was an experience! 😅 we didn’t wanna go home right away so we went to this cool bar called Shot Topic…look it up on TikTok and you’ll see the vibe lol if your in Dallas you should check it out!

Then yesterday we just layed around the house until dinner time we decided we needed a family date to the arcade. We decided on unlimited play for a couple hours and boy did it wear them out lol we came back home and watched Hook with some movie snacks to end the night.

This morning we’re going to a cute brunch place. Botanic Garden was supposed to have a cute pop up event for today but it got postponed due to possible bad weather 😭

But it’s been a fun weekend. One that was very much needed!

This next weekend we’re driving down to Louisiana to go watch Gavin graduate 8th grade 😭 and we’re bringing him back for half of the kids summer vacation. We have so much fun things planned! I can’t wait!

I started tumblr not long after me and hubbs started dated. Gavin was THREE 😭 so if anyone has been following me for that long and have seen our co parenting struggles, our whole ttc journey, our kids births, and seeing our kids growing up…You’d understand how huge this is for us co parenting wise but also, how old I feel lol I hope you feel old too 😂

[bigbadripley]

Chapter 14 - Redrum

Marc Spector/Steven Grant x Female!OC

Summary: Marc never expected to see his childhood friend Simone ever again. To Simone, Marc may as well have been dead. However, when Simone met Steven 15 years after Marc disappeared, she couldn’t help but notice how familiar he was.

18+ | 2kish Words | Third-person omniscient | Dark!fic/Angst | AU/AT |

Warnings: Heavy language, OC with religious trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma. Physical and emotional abuse of a minor, lots of angst, alcohol, painkillers, marijuana mention, homophobia, violence, tw! SA, death mention

A/N: This chapter is heavy, please be careful and read the tags. There are periodic flashback chapters, this is one of them. I update warnings with each chapter. Only proceed if you can handle the themes included in the warnings. I wrote this entirely as a trauma dump.

Minors DNI, DL;DR, if I miss a warning, please let me know.

Chapter list

"He told me in due time everything will be fine You could always flip your soul for like $9.99 Watch these problems go away and your family will be straight Just know you'll never get to see the gold on Heaven's gates" -"Redrum" by 99 Neighbors 

Moni's mother didn't need much convincing to allow her to stay the night with Ericka. The girls hatched a plan to bring it up with Ericka's parents first, then Moni's ma, then have them call each other. Somehow, it worked out perfectly, and they were in pajamas listening to music in Ericka's bedroom that very weekend. 

"What about Kimmy?" Moni asked as she pointed to a photo of a cute girl with glasses in their senior yearbook they had received the day before. The song "Like A Stone" by Audioslave played softly from the CD player as Ericka eyed the photo for a moment and shook her head,

"She's nice but not my type." 

"I don't think your type exists. You've shot down every suggestion I've made!" Moni said as she closed the book and placed it between them on the bed. Ericka shrugged,

"Only because I don't like them!"

"Shit, at this point, I think you just wanna kiss me," Moni joked. Her friend pursed her mouth and allowed her eyes to drift to Moni's lips. Moni noticed this but dismissed it in her mind even as her hands grew clammy. 

"Not unless you're good at it," Ericka stated, tone lighthearted. Moni matched her style,

"I've never had any complaints," She played cocky to impress her, as Ericka was the coolest girl she'd ever known.

The girls laughed nervously, Ericka with total concentration on Moni, having a slight crush on the girl for quite some time. On the other hand, Moni wasn't sure and certainly didn't think Ericka felt that way. 

"Then can I kiss you?" Ericka asked reluctantly. Moni was stunned and nearly frozen at the question. One half of her brain told her no, and the other told her yes, please. What came from her mouth was a compromise.

"If you want to," Moni replied, slowly moving the hardcover picturebook to the other side of her body. She wasn't sure if Ericka was joking anymore and almost passed it off as one until Ericka went for it, placing slightly puckered lips to Moni's unprepared mouth. 

Moni couldn't tell if she was into it or not but guided Ericka through the kiss the only way she'd ever known them to be. Regardless of the strange sensation that mirrored anxiety, kissing Ericka was easier than kissing any boy. Her heart fluttered just as well. 

Ericka's plush lips felt like crushed velvet and tasted like the strawberry milkshake she sipped. She smelled like flowers and citrus and all of the nice things that Moni had never noticed before then, now so close she could hear her heart race with each brush of their tongues. A rock formed in the pit of her stomach-

Is this what it's supposed to feel like? 

The girls were abruptly interrupted by Ericka's bedroom door creaking open quickly, causing them to kick away from each other in a panic as Ericka's mother's face went from delight to sheer horror.

"Mom, I-" 

"We were just-"

They both started but were cut off right away. 

"I think you need to leave, Simone." Erika's mother said, face stern and arms crossed. 

Simone grabbed her overnight bag and started walking back home, fearful of what Ericka's parents would do. If they were anything like Moni's mom, it would be rough. 

Moni found that she had no way out of this one when she arrived home to find her mother standing, waiting for her with the phone in her hand. What seemed to worry Moni the most was that there were tiny sheets of paper spread around the table, the notes from inside Loser Jones and the doctor's notes she had practiced forging to get out of school. 

Along with all of that was a small plastic baggy with a little bit of pot in it that she was tasked to hold onto by Ericka. She stared at the contraband intensely, amazed at how her mother yelled more about the sex notes and her "homosexuality" than the drugs. 

This would be the final straw. This was the night when it was decided that she would be sent to stay with her tío.

  Uncle Luis was Moni's father's eldest brother and the only one out of 3 uncles who happened to still be alive at the time despite his habits. He would claim it was because God willed it to be, but Moni and Marc would joke that it was because it was hard to kill a cockroach. 

He was a big guy with a beer gut and an appetite for whiskey, painkillers, and young women. Nobody seemed to know his cap on "how young is too young?" though. He happened to be Moni's godfather, as well and offered to help raise her after her father went in the clink. Estefania declined for pride's sake, but Luis kept the offer on the table and pushed harder the older Moni got. 

This was a red flag for Moni that went unnoticed by her mamá.

Once Moni arrived at the old man's house, it was clear he smoked like a train and drank like a mule by the state of the place. The house was a two-bedroom, one-bath, so the space wasn't copious, to begin with. The addition of the empty liquor bottles that flooded the place didn't help, and the overflowing ashtrays on every surface made matters worse. 

She was tasked with cleaning, cooking, and preparing his drinks, as well as upholding the rules of only wearing long skirts and dresses around the house, saying grace before every meal, and never listening to secular music. It was like being part of a fucked up cult with the added bonus of getting to sneak the least smoked butts out of the ashtrays for safekeeping before dumping them out.

The old man's policies were bearable compared to what he did when he was filled with oxycodone and hard liquor. That was when the holy man everyone assumed him to be did things he would only repeat in confessional and expect to atone for through a few Hail Marys. 

Moni couldn't do much about the arrangement due to her age and graduation being a mere month away. She tried to sneak a call to her mother, hoping she would let her come home, but all Moni got was an earful of Spanish expletives and a paddle to her rear when tío Luis caught her using the phone. 

There was never a waking moment where Moni wasn't uncomfortable in that house. If she did anything wrong, she got paddled. If he did anything right, she got her uncle's idea of positive reinforcement, which was just making her sit on his lap while he told her how special and beautiful she was. 

Aside from trying to feel clean by scrubbing herself raw every day in the shower, she started smoking the butts she saved once the old man was passed out for the night. She relished the burning sensation of the too-hot tip between her fingers and lips when the tobacco was too low to smoke. It made her feel more comfortable than that place did and gave her a modicum of control.

She often dreamt of Marc busting her out of there like he said he would. She still missed him and even kept his note to her in her Chuck Taylor shoe box. 

As for her friendship with Ericka, they were only allowed to see each other in class and mass. Mrs. Fatu was convinced that Moni was at fault for kissing her daughter, and everyone who heard about what happened had the same idea. 

As always, Moni was the bad kid. Corruptor. Sinner. Whore. It became clear that her mother sent her away for reformation and to save herself the embarrassment of having to stick up for her daughter to clear her own image. 

After three weeks at her tío's, the final straw for Moni was when the disgusting man pressed himself against her while she was cooking dinner, grinding against her buttocks as she silently wept. The tears ran down her cheeks as she felt a scream trapped in her lungs, refusing to escape like a fever dream. She was seventeen, but her mind regressed to ten years old, powerless to stop it. Mushy, fresh-faced, spineless. All she could do was stare blankly at the nicotine-stained backsplash and blink. 

Do you need help? Blink once for yes, twice for no.

She was trapped in her own body between the old man and the stove for what felt like an eternity, sinking closer and closer to the gas burner and imagining the flame catching her dress. 

It would be better. 

Her breath was caught in her windpipe, and declined to move, afraid of the exhale sounding pleasurable. 

Don't let him hear you breathe. Don't give him the satisfaction. 

Then it was over; the back of her dress was damp, and her pancakes had burned.

That was the day she decided to kill her uncle. After a lifetime of being told that the things happening around her weren't true-

You're a liar. You remember things wrong. You're a temptress. You're a whore. You deserved it. You don't know what pain is.

That damp fabric patch on her bottom reminded her that what happened was real. There was no faking what happened, no imagining it. Though nobody else would believe her-

I know what happened. I know everything that happened under this roof. I'll be damned if I don't do something to stop it. You'll go to hell for this, and I'll see you there.

Tío should have never trusted her with his drinks, as it was ultimately her crushing five of his pills into the whiskey he nearly drowned himself in every night that ended his life. She pulverized the pills into the finest white powder she could. She tasted the concoction with her fingertip when she mixed it up: it tasted like poison. He wouldn't know the difference. 

The big fish eat the little ones until the little fish think faster.

When Moni called the police the following morning, she swore she could be a politician, utterly devoid of all blame. She cried and shed hot tears and snot, but not for him or his soul. They didn't suspect her and ruled it an accidental overdose. 

May he rest in piss.

  Her mother was terrified of her after that. She knew what had happened just as well as Moni did. 

"¡Regresa al infierno! ¡demonio!" Her mother yelled at her when she came home, tears in her eyes and rosary in hand. Mamá told her to go to hell. Called her the devil. 

Moni felt like she had already been there and saw red as her mother screamed at the sight of her only daughter.

Me? The devil? Even with what that sicko did? 

In her rage, she tried to rip the religious beads from her mother's hands, and they broke, scattering them all over the floor with small ticks as they bounced across the tile. Moni had never seen her mother cry before. She would never see her cry again.

Due to her suspension, she couldn't walk the stage with her classmates but still received her diploma and graduated on the principal's roll. Moni got a job at a local deli and made enough money in tips to get a laptop. That cheap Dell started Simone's journey, meeting Joyce and getting her scholarships. That was it for her time in Chi-town. 

[helplessdiary]

The Weekend

Source: Wattpad

Pairing: Taeyhung x MC

Genre: short story romance

Description: A short story where a girl meets a boy and they have the worst and simultaneously have the best and the worst weekend imaginable

-First part, the rest is on wattpad

FRIDAY MORNING

The weekend is supposed to be the best time of the week. It's a time away from work or school. A time to relax and catch up on the things you missed out on during the week, but this weekend was the worst two days of my life, and it was all because of a boy.

Friday morning started out like I expected, the sound of my roommate incessantly vacuuming downstairs pulled me out of sleep. I stumbled from my bed to the bathroom the dream I was having still playing in my memory. Cold water brought me back to life and excitement ran through my body. The party was happening that night, my first collage party. The day needed to go perfectly.

~

The vacuum hit the back of my ankle causing me to choke on my cereal as I sat at the counter "Okay thats enough with the vacuum Sami" She had not stopped since 8am that morning.

"I'm sorry I'm just really excited for tonight, Martina I cannot belie we're going to our first party" she squealed. I wanted be annoyed, but I couldn't help it I was excited too, and I squealed right back.

"What are you going to wear" I excitedly asked. I had had my outfit picked out for weeks.

"Martina, no offense" Sami said with all the tone of offense "My grandmother would wear that outfit to church, and my clothes are not so great either seeing how my mother picked them out." I cringed at this. Sami's mother makes helicopter parents look laid back.

~

The walk to history class that morning was marred by Sami still complaining about her outfit choices for the party, and for once I was actually relived to hear my teacher start his monotonous lecture. His lull was shortly interrupted by the door opening and a boy walking in and handing the teacher a note. It was him, the boy to cause a thousand heartbreaks and million reasons for happiness. I had seem him around campus secretly storing away things in my head about him. The way he parts his hair and the way he smiles with all of his teeth. I blushed and looked down embarrassed for thinking these things about him, but I couldn't help staring at the back of his head as he sat down, and I couldn't help but notice the way he tilts his head and places his chin on his palm as he listens intently to the boring lecture.

I am taken from my trance by the sound of everyone beginning to pack up their things marking the end of class. I needed to catch him despite the pounding in my heart. I bean to make my way towards the first row where he was sitting, but I was interrupted by people trying to leave the class. I had a plan in mind, I was going to ask him if he would be at the party that night and casually get his name. It couldn't have been that hard right? Well, the hard part ended up being getting to him at all. The tidal wave of students now trying to make their way out of class made it impossible to catch him, and soon he was lost in the crowd.

Sulking I walked with Sami to the dinning hall distracted the whole way by thoughts of him. I mentally scoled myself normally I would never be this obsessed over a boy, but something about him just drew me in, and once I was in there was no escaping the thought of him.

"Martina are you listening to me?" Sami was trying to tell me once again about her outfit plans for that night. Her mother has packed her nothing but jeans, dress pants, and god awful blouses.

"How am I supposed to meet a boy in this?" she gestured down to her floral blouse, and she was right it was hideous.

"Our outfits may not matter if we don't fit in in general" I mutter back "This morning I couldn't even talk to a boy without failing."

"Well be fine Martina! You're beautiful. Trust me, if we get some sexy new outfits our confidence will be up one-hundred percent" Sami looked mischievous "What if we skip class for the rest of the day and go shopping."

~

"I'm not feeling very confident" I said two hours later and five dresses deep into trying things on. The dress I had on was barley covering my butt and had giant puffy shoulders. Sami pulled back the curtain to look and cringed not needing to say anything for me to know what she thought.

"I'll be right back" she said snapping the curtain shut and running off. I sat down in the dressing room looking in the mirror. My almost black hair clashed with the navy blue of the dress washing out my supposed to be tan skin. I had never been so exposed in a dress before I wasn't ready for the party and I definitely wasn't ready to meet a boy, but when I found myself thinking of boys I could only picture one in my head. I closed my eyes picturing him. Him laughing with his friends, him studying in the library, him this morning in class. Some part of me thought that maybe he noticed me too. Prayed that he noticed me too.

"Okay try this one" Sami said handing me a black dress through the curtain. I took off the old one and slipped on the new, and I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the one before this one hugged me in all the right places showing off my curves, and it didn't wash me out for have gigantic puffs, and best of all it stopped mid thigh. I stepped out from the curtain to show Sami.

"You look freaking fantastic!" she squealed, and again I squealed with her. Maybe this party wasn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be.

[omgkalyppso]

📓📓📓ooo spill!!!

A fic I will either write in a frenzy or never write is a single parent au for my fe3h ot5.

Lorenz is father to Lorencia and Baldovin (Vinnie), a widower. Hilda is mother to Halvard, divorced from Caspar (exes affectionate). Claude is father to Nader, divorced from Ingrid (exes derogatory). Fae is parent to Geralt, situation [redacted]. Avery is childless.

Here's A Lot of blocked dialogue:

[at the park the faerghus four frequent with their kids. DimiMari, FeLys, Ingrid as Claude’s ex, Sylvain hanging on (eventual Sylgrid), school year soon to start] Claude: Hey. Group: Hey. Dimitri: It's good to see you again. Marianne: Good evening. Lysithea: Hi Claude. Felix: Mm. Sylvain: It's been a while. Claude: [commenting on the # of children in the park] Busy day. Ingrid: They need to enjoy the sun while they can. Claude: Couldn't agree more. Sylvain: Plans for the weekend? Claude: Nothing out of the ordinary, not leaving town. Ingrid: What's that supposed to mean? Claude: Dinner with my parents. Sara and her family are visiting on their way up north. Whale watching. Marianne: Oh, that's lovely, I hope they have a good time. Claude: I'll share the well wishes. FeLys kid: Ned, Ned, look what we found. Felix: What's that? No, hey. This has gotta be cleaned before you can play with this. [action figure in the sand] Claude: Ned? Ingrid: It's a nickname. Some of his friends were having trouble with Nader. Claude: Did you talk to them about it? Ingrid: No, it seemed harmless. Claude: It's not— It's not his name. Blythe: Ned! Claude: Are you calling him that? [other parents disperse, Marianne’s phone rings] Ingrid: Of course not. I wasn't having trouble with my son's name. Claude: It's important. Ingrid: I know it is. What do you want me to do, about it, exactly? Claude: The next time his friends are over, just, bring it up. Ingrid: Alright. Claude: [hopeful] Yeah? Ingrid: Yeah, okay. Claude: Thank you. Ingrid: [hopeful] You're not going to leave yet are you? Claude: No, I— I won't interrupt. Ingrid: Good. Just a few more minutes. Claude: Yeah.

[in claude’s car] Claude: Did you have a good day, champ? Nader: Yeah, [description of day's events]. What about you Baba, did you have a nice day? Claude: You know it. Found a solution to a hard problem at work, got to see my friends, and now we're going to have a wonderful evening together, aren't we?

[after a movie on a couch in claude’s apartment] Claude: D'j'you like that? Nader: Mmhm. The [themes or characters a child would like]. Claude: Right. Hey Nader? Nader: Mm? Claude: Did you ask your friends to start calling you Ned? I'm not angry, I'm just curious. Nader: It just happened, and Ned is like, a smart name? So I don't mind being Ned sometimes. Claude: You know, I think Nader's a pretty smart name. Nader: [clearly trying not to laugh] No. Claude: [scoffed, bringing Nader from couch to bed] Yeah, I do. Don't you think grandpa's smart? Nader: Sometimes. Claude: [amused] Oh, sometimes. Maybe. But I wouldn't have called you Nader if I didn't think he was smart, and brave, and honorable. [sincere] You know even if you're not, you're my Nader, and I don't want you to forget that, you know? I love you. Nader: I love you too. Claude: Good. Sweet dreams, Nader. Nader: Night night. Claude: Night night.

[text conversation from Claude’s bed] Avery, much earlier: Hey Claude: Sorry, busy night Avery: Date? Claude: Noooo. I have more class than that Avery: Mmm. Well, it's late, but it's Friday, you hitting me up? Claude: Reminder that you messaged me first, and no, I can't tonight Avery: Alright. Well, when works for you Claude: Tuesday? Avery: Tuesday? I could have a fiance by Tuesday Claude: Ooo. Menage a trois Avery: I'll text Claude: I'll answer Avery: Later Claude: Night

[previous day in a parking lot] Halvard: Dad! Caspar: Heya, buddy! Rawr!!! You got everything? Look at the size of these bags. Halvard: Mhmm. Caspar: There's a good boy. Why don't you say hi to Annie? Hilda: Hi Caspar. Caspar: Hey Hilda. Hilda: He's been looking forward to this. Caspar: Bet you have too? Some time to relax. Hilda: [suppressing tears] No, I'm… I'm just going to miss him. Caspar: [plaintive] It's only for a week— Hilda: I know. Still, you'll have him call me? Caspar: Of course. Hilda: Good. Then have fun. Don't worry about me. Caspar: You'll like it. Find a party, like you used to. Hilda: [annoyed] Cas— Caspar: Or something else. Just try to enjoy it. Hilda: Halvard. Have a good time, okay? Halvard: Yeah! Hilda: Call me if you need me? Halvard: I'm sorry you can't come, Mom. (framed like she doesn't have time) Hilda: That's alright. Maybe next time. [to Annie] Come here and hug me too before you go. Annette: Thank you, Hilda. Hilda: Of course. Travel safely. Good luck with the boys.

[phone conversation from hilda’s parked car] Marianne: Hi Hilda. Hilda: Hi Marianne. You were right, I cried again. Marianne: That's alright. That's normal. That's healthy! Hilda: Thanks, sweetie. Ugh. It's just so hard. Marianne: I know it is. You handle the situation so well, I know Caspar appreciates it, and that Hal will, someday. Hilda: I hope so. Thank you. Marianne: Any time, Hilda. And you called in time to pull me away from Claude's mess. We're all at the park and … well, you know how it is. Hilda: [less tears, more embarrassed] Yeah. Yeah, I do. Marianne: Sorry, I— Hilda: No, it's fine. I— I think I'm going to go though. Say hi to Dimitri and Blythe, and everyone. Marianne: I will. Hilda: All my love. Marianne: Love you too Hilda. Bye. Hilda: Bye.

[sometime during the weekend, at the park near claude’s apartment; nader hangs from monkey bars and geralt hangs from nader’s feet] Fae: Gerry. Gerry, you can't do that. Nader: It's okay. I'm very strong. Fae: I'm sure that's true, and so is Geralt, isn't that right? [lifting their son off the unknown child and down into sand] Which means he could hurt your back or your ankles, or you could fall on his head. So can we take the bars one at a time in the future, please? Geralt: Yes, Renny. Nader: Yeah. Fae: Thank you. What's your name? Nader: Nader. Fae: Oh, Nader, what a lovely name you have. Has Geralt introduced himself? Nader: Yeah, a little. Fae: Alright. I'll leave you alone for a little longer. Come find me if you want juice. Geralt: Thank you, Renny.

Claude: Hey. Fae: Hi. Nader must be yours? Claude: That he is. He behaving himself? Fae: Nothing serious. He and my son Geralt were just risking injury for fun. Claude: Renny, is it? Fae: Oh, no. That's just what my son calls me. I'm Fae. Claude: Claude. [amused] How does he get Renny from Fae. Fae: Oh, well, Ren comes from parent, and then Renny is like Mommy. [embarrassed] Convoluted. Claude: [sincere] It's sweet. Fae: Thank you. I really appreciate how adventurous Nader is. Oftentimes Geralt will play alone, and I expected it to be worse after the move. Claude: Oh, when was that? Fae: A few weeks ago. Claude: That's recent. Fae: Mm. Are you local? Any tips for the neighborhood? Claude: Nader spends week days with his mother, but weekends are spent out here with me. He likes the natural history museum when we have time to go, besides the dinosaur bones, they have these wooden dinosaur structures out front for the kids to climb on. Fae: That sounds cool. Claude: It is. Closer than that there's [restaurant, elaboration]. And there's [ice cream parlor] on [street name], if you like gelato or soft serve. Fae: Gosh, I should write this down. [Claude, by force of habit, produces first a pen and then paper, while Fae was readying the notepad on their phone. He inquires about school board, explains that he gets two weekends and then two weeks (Mon-Fri) with Nader, because he didn’t want to just be a weekend dad, and this way each he and Ingrid get a whole seven days with their son sometimes. He doesn’t know why he’d be so forward about that with someone he just met. Something about the tone of the conversation has Claude suspecting Fae’s also parenting without a second pair of hands] Claude: Is it just the two of you, that moved out this way? Fae: Yeah… Yeah, it's— [weighing the insecurity of telling a man that there’s no one waiting for them at home] Yeah. It's always been just the two of us. Claude: [surprised] Oh. That must be hard. Fae: We manage. Claude: Do we want to leave meeting to chance? Might see us in the park again sometimes, or you could take my number? Fae: [skeptical] Can’t guarantee I’ll call. Claude: I’ll try not to take it personally.

[fae will actually lose claude’s number, or tuck it into a drawer to be rediscovered at a later time; if anything they’ll be getting closer to lorenz first. But when they actually seem to be getting close, fae will lean in for a kiss and lorenz will lean away out of fear and uncertainty (reminder he is a widower in this au), and fae will feel rejected, putting a temporary rift between them]

[aliceindaisychains999]

Well now I gotta ask further. Since Tank still gets some weekends and Holidays with his first child, do you have any headcannons for his first kid, alongside how are they with Charlotte and Lucas?? How are they with you yourself??

It’s complicated, as this child was from his old universe. But for the headcanons about his first child? It’s going to sting a lot

TW: Relationship issues, infidelity, losing family, depression

Emma Dempsey: The First Born

Her parents aren’t married. They were supposed to be out of wedlock since their short-term relationship had happened in the barracks. Her name was Jane Eisenhower, nicknamed Calamity Jane. She was the entertainer turned barracks bunny that had a fun relationship with Dempsey until they found out they were having a kid by surprise.

Tank really made an effort, and so did Jane. The first three years were mostly smooth sailing. It wasn’t until Tank realized Jane wasn’t home as often, leaving the baby to be watched at his mother’s house. What the hell?! Turns out after many cold shoulder arguments and rocky issues in their relationship, she had been cheating on him. Tank got very depressed over it and fought to take Emma with him to protect her from Jane’s irresponsibility. Unfortunately, the damn US court system is beyond corrupt. He lived separately but would get to see her on every alternate weekend and some select holidays like Easter and 4th of July. His spiteful fling of an ex-girlfriend made sure he only had Christmas eve and never the day of.

Emma was a happy girl. She had a big imagination and loved to read, draw and spend time with her father and orange tabby named Rocket. Tank encouraged his little girl to always be adventurous and to take on the world with courage. She adored the Walt Disney cartoons and always carried a Minnie Mouse around. Emma’s favorite movie was Bambi. Seeing those private cartoons Disney made in the 40s for the military men was bittersweet for Tank. Surely he’d come home to his sweet pea, right?

Unfortunately, after being captured by Group 935, the memory loss made him forget a lot of repressed trauma. It’s why he might act out without knowing why. He puts a lot of blame to Richtofen and his grand scheme being why he’s so upset. But truthfully, it’s more than that. Nobody knows what happened to the rest of the world during the apocalypse. I would’ve helped rescue Emma if I knew about her. Without our knowledge, she grows up to be apart of a tenacious zombie-fighting clan. In another world, she’s a seamstress/fashion designer for a big name company. She is very successful but doesn’t want to talk about her father at all.

What if she could meet Lucas and Charlotte somehow?

It would feel a bit weird seeing who’s essentially half-siblings at first. But Charlotte would be ultimately more outgoing and help bond with her! Emma looks up to her a lot because of her energetic, go-getter attitude towards everything (just like Papa Dempsey!) They would often draw together a lot and play with dolls. However, Emma would have to get used to how Charlotte plays with her barbies. It isn’t simple stuff like playing house, no no. Charlotte turns into barbie kung fu storylines and she also has a toy tank+GI Joes per her father’s idea. I do appreciate that he agrees there’s no restriction in playing with whatever toy you want! But Emma half the time will banter about it

Emma🐣: YOU CAN’T DO THAT! BARBIE DOESN’T DRIVE A TANK

Charlotte🍭: YES SHE DOES! SEE? ITS GREEN AND HAS STICKERS ALL OVER IT (They’re butterfly stickers)

🐣: But-but she’s supposed to bake a cake for Ken…

🍭: No she’s not!

🐣: Is too!

🍭: Is not! “Hey Ken! Girl power!” “AAAAAAAAAAA!!” *blows raspberry as she runs over the Ken doll with the toy Tiger Tank*

And the two start laughing so hard, it causes commotion

As for Lucas? We have to remind them to not forget him. But he has a lot of fun too! He is more likely to encourage his sisters to play outside with him. They will usually have bubble wands, RC Cars for racing, jump ropes and Tank bought one of these inflatable wheels. Lucas is a bit more level-headed compared to Charlotte, so he’s more likely to stop the other two from acting as chaotic catalysts for disaster. Charlotte may get mad at him for being a “tattletale.” Emma always appreciates his kindness, as he’s the one more likely to share something with her and the first to notice when she needs cheering up.