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#you know what. sure. this was Father's idea and Joshua is playing along I suppose
gramophoneturtle · 1 year
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"You Must Become Bunny Buddies."
Or Face True Exorcism. A Totally Serious Task. Or something. I don't know (inspiration).
Anyways, this is where Minamimoto's Birthday picture came from. Now here's the rest of the...original idea. And doodles. There is no explanation, only silliness.
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flurrys-creativity · 1 year
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Accismus
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accismus (n.) ~ feigning disinterest in something while actually desiring it
Pairing: Joshua Hong (Seventeen) x GN!Reader; Genre: Detective AU, Crime and Mystery, Angst, hints of fluff; Rating: sfw, pg-15; Warnings: mentions of assassins, crime and evil schemes, talking about a poison and killing, descriptions of poison effects, no death, also Joshua being Joshua; Wordcount: 2.770
Summary: Joshua was an infamous detective, known to crack every case on his desk. The police hailed him, the underworld feared him and you were supposed to end him.
A/N: Around five or six years ago I wrote a version of this story with original characters, I nearly forgot about it (as I never finished it too) but as I wanted to write a detective!shua story the idea came back to me. Also this video (which is quoted within the story) made me write this all as fast as possible. Please enjoy this one shot!
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You watched his back silently while he prepared some tea for the both of you. Only his soft humming and the boiling of water filled the otherwise silent office room. ‘If he knew why you were here’, you thought to yourself, ‘he wouldn’t be so calm.’
Joshua Hong, the infamous detective, known in every corner within this big town, highly praised by the law enforcement and hated by the underworld. The exact Joshua stood a mere metres away from you, a mere metres away from a hired assassin.
Indeed, some crime bosses had decided on getting rid of the detective before he could bust their businesses since he became a high threat with his sharp mind and quick thinking. Though getting rid of such a famous person turned out to be a lot more complicated than the crime bosses thought, and so they hired you.
The shadow of the underworld, a rumour whispered among the residents of the town, an angel of death. 
You picked at your cuticles and scanned the office around you for a moment. Only two doors led out of the room, one being the entrance and the other a small bathroom according to the blueprint of the building. In the middle of the room were two couches separated by a small coffee table. Opposite to the entrance door stood a desk with several papers on it. Another table with a tea set, coffee machine and boiler stood right underneath the large window front, where Joshua stood and looked outside as he waited for the water to boil.
The blinds of the windows were pulled down, yet you still made out the letters on the windows, telling everyone behind the glass was a detective’s office. The only other thing within this room was a coat rack next to the entrance door.
“So”, Joshua said and turned around with a small tray in his hands, “what may I help you with?” He smiled softly, shortly glancing up to your face, before he placed the tray down and made you a cup of tea. 
He looked so gentle and innocent, completely contradicting the fierce image his name held. He grabbed his own tea cup, blowing over the hot liquid as he looked over the rim of the cup to you.
“It will sound trivial”, you said, putting on your best act. You slightly shook your head, letting a smile play over your lips while you looked down at the cup in your hands. “I’m sure my father had an affair.” You looked up through your eyelashes, wondering how the infamous detective would react. When he only nodded, inkling you to continue, you spoke up again: “I know you solved far more bigger cases and I truly want to apologise for coming with something so stupid to you, but I’m sure my father had another child. He said something ominous before he died and I couldn’t shake it off. I might have a sibling out there and I want to find them as they’d be my only living family now.”
Joshua hummed and nodded along to your explanation. “I see. Let me get something to write.” He placed his cup on the table and stood up, walking to his desk and rummaging through it. 
You quickly slipped your hand into your purse and pulled a tiny phial out of it, opening it as fast as possible and dropping the clear liquid into his cup of tea.
For a moment you looked at the phial in your hand, unsure what kind of poison it was exactly. You only got it from your client and agreed on using this instead of any other method or poison in that case.
You were well versed in quite a few ways of killing, ranging from strangulation over shooting up to poisoning. Usually though you had your own poisons, knowing exactly the dosage you needed for a job or what kind of poison would be most sufficient.
When Joshua turned back around with a pen and a writing pad, you hurriedly pushed the phial back into your purse, looking at the detective, who looked as calm as ever.
“Could you repeat some of the details again?” 
You stared at him, needing a second to recall the excuse you had used of being here in the first place. “Are you sure you want to take this case? I really don’t want to bother you with something like that.” 
Joshua placed the pen down on the writing pad and grabbed his cup of tea again, swirling the liquid inside of it around. For a second you feared he noticed something, getting stiff while wrecking your mind how to finish the job otherwise. “It’s not trivial or stupid if it bothers you”, Joshua said after drinking from the cup and placing it back on the table. 
You slumped back down into the cushions, relief momentarily spreading through your body. With him drinking from the cup you could consider your job done. You could simply leave now, saying you changed your mind, but something held you back.
Joshua picked the pen up again and twirled it between his long, slender fingers. He watched you intently, the soft smile never leaving his lips. 
Something felt off but you couldn’t put a finger on it. So you simply retold your excuse adding more details to the story this time. You checked the time over and over again, waiting for the effects of the poison to set in. You even drank from your own, hoping the detective would mirror your actions and drink some more as well.
After you finished telling him everything you could think of, Joshua started twirling the pen again as he read over the notes he had scribbled down. He hummed several times. 
You flinched when he dropped the pen, his hands suddenly cramping up. Both of you looked quite surprised, gazes following the pen that rolled over the floor. “Are you alright?” You asked, noticing Joshua didn’t try to get the pen. You carefully stood up and grabbed the pen, kneeling next to Joshua as you observed his face.
He tilted his head and closed his eyes, brows furrowing slightly while the smile on his lips turned into a tiny pout. Small pearls of sweat appeared on his forehead and temple. Joshua inhaled shakily and pulled at his tie, loosening it a little. 
You contemplated whether you should stay until the detective succumbed to the poison or you should leave and just let it be since you saw the effects already. Musing they gave you a slow spreading poison you decided to leave. “I think, I should go”, you murmured and placed the pen on the table as you stood up and walked to the coat rack.
You were about to open the door after you got your jacket, when a large hand slammed the door shut again. You jumped and turned around, seeing Joshua standing incredibly close to you. 
He panted heavily, eyes slightly hazy as he tried to focus on you. Joshua kept his hand against the door, basically trapping you between it and himself. “If you go now”, he breathed, “they will kill you.”
Your eyes widened in surprise and you stumbled backwards until your back hit the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, you laughed quietly, shaking your head and schooling your expression again to play the innocent client.
“I know who you are”, Joshua scoffed and shut his eyes shortly before he focused his intense gaze back on you, “angel of death.”
You froze, heart pounding within your chest. Your thoughts raced through your mind, trying to find some sort of explanation or wicked scheme to get out of this situation again. But it all came back to the question of how he could know. 
Nobody knew your face. Your targets were dead and couldn’t tell on you. They would be the only ones to see your face. Whenever you had a job you got messages via a special phone, which was stored inside a locker at the station. Same with special requirements, you always made sure whatever you had to take with you was dropped off at some spot where you picked it up after you made sure nobody was around. In conclusion there was no way Joshua could know who you were.
“Angel of death?” You tried hard to sound extremely surprised by the name. You stared at Joshua’s pale face, observing the tiniest reactions from him. “Isn’t that just a rumour some bored teenagers made up?”
Joshua groaned, his head dropping slightly. His breaths were laboured and you noticed his whole body shaking. “I swear to god.” Joshua growled lowly. “You’re done, Yoon Jeonghan.”
You piped up again, having heard that name before. He was a renowned broker in town. Jeonghan was a neutral person in the eyes of any evil within the area. Everyone knew he had shady business with basically all the clans and gangs but nobody could ever prove a thing. 
“What does he have to do with this?”
Joshua raised his head again, bleary eyes capturing your gaze. Before he could say anything though, he lost the strength in his legs.
You were quick to catch him, barely able to support his form. It almost felt like an impossible task to guide him back to one couch, dropping his limp body on the soft surface. You instinctively placed your hand on his sweaty forehead. “You’re burning up”, you mumbled and placed your jacket over his torso as an improvised blanket. 
You stood next to his shivering body, looking down on him in thought. Once again you thought about simply leaving and considering the job done but something about this man intrigued you. There swirled several questions around your head that needed to be answered by him.
As you got to a decision, Joshua grabbed your wrist and held you back. “Don’t leave”, he croaked out before he lost consciousness. His breaths were ragged and shallow while his body continued to tremble violently every other minute.
“I’ll come back soon”, you promised despite knowing he wouldn’t hear you anyway. With that you left the office to get to your apartment.
Since you worked with poisons you had a small kit to mix antidotes in case you would accidentally poison yourself. You wanted to get that kit as well as some instant food and return back to the office. The minute you had left Joshua alone you felt on edge and you wanted to change that as fast as possible.
About an hour later you got back to the detective’s office. You closed the door behind you silently and turned back to the couch. Though Joshua wasn’t on the couch anymore.
Panic spread through your whole system as you stepped closer, seeing your jacket on the ground. You even checked behind the couch but Joshua was nowhere to be seen. You placed the kit and instant food on the small coffee table and paced around the room. 
Once again your thoughts ran wild, thinking of all the possibilities that could unfold from this situation. “What if he got back up and called the police? He could create a phantom drawing of me. My existence would be…” You ran your hands through your hair, freaking out more and more. “Or maybe one of the gang members broke into the office and kidnapped him. They could try and make an example out of him. How should I get my answers then?”
As you were on the verge of desperation the bathroom door opened and a dripping wet detective stepped out of it, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. 
“We,” he spoke up, getting your attention, “as human beings have this tendency to imagine the worst case scenario when something doesn’t go the way we want or expect. But rather than dwelling on what could go wrong or turn worse instead gently guide your thoughts to something more positive. It could be something small, just something that makes you smile without fail. Life will always be filled with stressful moments but you can always choose to see something positive through it all. It will be okay.”
You stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, disbelief written all over your face. Several seconds passed before you laughed dryly and shook your head, still not believing what you just heard and what you were seeing at the moment. “You’re drenched”, you stated matter of factly.
Joshua shrugged with his shoulders, the soft smile that curled up the edges of his mouth back on his face again. “I had to cool down a bit.”
“Fully clothed?”
He shrugged with his shoulders again but raised one hand, motioning for you to wait. Joshua stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later he came out of the room again, wearing a bathrobe instead of his drenched clothes. He pushed his wet hair back and walked over to the couches, sitting down and staring up at you. “I assume you have some questions on your mind.”
You laughed mirthlessly. “‘Some’ is good.” Still you sat on the couch opposite of him again, eyes never leaving him. “What happened while I was gone?”
“I already told you that”, Joshua said and grinned in amusement. “I woke up, felt hot and had to cool down a bit.”
“And now you’re all better?”
He scrunched his nose momentarily and then shook his head. “I still feel a little numbness in my limbs and my head feels like I’m having a massive hangover.”
You blinked several times, feeling confused that the effect of the poison didn’t seem as bad as you thought. 
“You’re probably wondering why I’m still alive.”
“Besides some other things I’m wondering about too, yeah.” By now you had decided to drop the act. There was no use pretending to be someone else. You just had to decide whether you’d kill him after you got your answers to keep your identity safe or not.
“You always have to be prepared, be ahead of your opponent by a few steps.” Joshua leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I knew one of the criminal bosses would decide to eventually kill me and their best option was using the infamous shadow of the underworld, the angel of death. So I arranged a few things beforehand with some affiliates. One of them being Jeonghan, who swapped the deadly poison with something - according to him - harmless.”
“You knew from the beginning?” You asked, flabbergasted by the revelation you just heard. All your precautions and preparations had been useless. 
Joshua tilted his head from side to side. “Not knowing, no”, he said and tapped his lower lip, “I knew after I came back with the pen and wanted to drink some tea. Before that it was only a feeling. My instincts if you will.”
“Then why am I still here and not behind bars?” You leaned back on the couch, crossing your arms in front of your chest in a defensive manner. “Also why aren’t you worried about the fact I could throw the plan overboard and just kill you my way?”
“Because I have something to offer you.”
You raised an eyebrow, watching him sceptically. What good could a detective, loyal to the law, offer an assassin like yourself?
“I want you to work with me”, Joshua offered, “as my partner.”
You tried feigning disinterest, fearing accepting such an offer would be a mistake. Yet it sounded too good to be true. “Why?”
“Someone with your skills could give valuable input in a case and help solve it faster.” Joshua noticed your hesitation as well as the desire to simply accept. Once again he smiled softly and stretched one hand out towards you. “It will be okay”, he repeated his reassurance from earlier. “You’ll be okay. I promise. And if stress creeps up on you again-” his warm eyes lulled you further into his world “-just remember to breathe, take my hand and know you’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
A small pout played over your lips as your gaze switched between his face and his hand. “If I just get the hint of something bad coming from you, I’ll end you.”
“You won’t.”
You sighed deeply and closed your eyes for a second. When you opened them again you locked eyes with him, searching one last time for any hint of deceit. As you found none you placed your hand in his, accepting his offer.
“Fine.”
© all rights reserved  
Taglist: @xavi-in-kpopland​ 
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leejungchans · 3 years
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sunday morning — hong jisoo
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word count | 0.7k
pairing | joshua (svt) x female reader
warning(s) | none!!
genre | fluff, parents au
summary: what song did you expect joshua to sing to your baby daughter?
a/n: i saw (affectionate) shua sunday morning agenda slander so this is my contribution ���🤧 ria bestie this is for you teehee thank you for the idea <3 @kwonsyoungs
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Sunlight hits you squarely in the face when you wake up, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut as you roll over to face away from the window.
Joshua always forgets to draw the curtains properly.
Nuzzling your face into the pillow, you wonder how long it’d take for you to drift off into dreamland again. And you thought your sleep schedule prior to becoming a mother was already fifty shades of messed up.
You wouldn’t trade your happy family of three for anything in the world, but you’d be lying if you said you don’t miss sleeping in and napping whenever you want.
Eyes still tightly closed, your hand reaches out from underneath the covers to paw at Joshua’s side of the bed, and finally crack an eye open when you find it empty.
Now alert, you sit up abruptly, a decision you immediately regretted as the sudden jerk makes your head to spin and causes random shapes to scatter your vision. Where did your husband go? Did something happen with your daughter? What if he needs help?
You push the covers off your body and scramble out of bed instantly, tired self stumbling over your own feet as you make your way to the nursery. You can practically hear the erratic pounding of your heart in your ears from being so frazzled with worry. A million thoughts of what could be going wrong run through your mind. What if—
Your tense shoulders collapse with relief when you reach the nursery door.
Everything’s okay.
You know this because instead of hearing your daughter’s cries and Joshua’s hushed pleads, it’s the gentle strumming of a guitar that greets you, followed by your husband’s melodious singing voice just seconds later.
“Sunday morning, rain is falling. Steal some covers, share some skin. Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable…”
A soft smile stretches across your face upon recognising the song. Of course Joshua Hong would choose to sing this song to your daughter. You still remember how disappointed Jeonghan looked when he found out that her first words were, in fact, not “Sunday morning”.
And to think the poor man spent an entire afternoon trying to teach your baby to utter those two words. A for effort, you suppose.
Carefully, you twist the doorknob and crack the door open, silently watching your husband and daughter through the small crack. Warmth blooms in your chest as Joshua continues to sing to your baby with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. Your smile widens at the sight of your daughter’s wide, glossy eyes as she stares at the guitar he’s playing, seemingly entranced by the way his fingers move across the strings.
Despite Joshua’s insistence that it isn’t the case, you can quite confidently say that your daughter has indeed inherited his shiny doe eyes.
“Driving slow on Sunday morning, well, I never want to leave…”
The verse comes to a close, and when your baby babbles as though trying to sing along, you bite down on the inside of your cheek to stifle a giggle, wanting to take in this endearing moment between father and daughter for a little more before making your presence known.
Joshua’s beam is as radiant as the sunlight streaming through the blinds as he slowly sets his guitar on the ground. His large hand envelops your daughter’s much smaller one, and you think your heart might just burst from love when he presses a gentle kiss to her tiny fingers.
“That sounded beautiful, angel,” he coos to your overjoyed baby before suddenly turning to face you, “I’m sure your mom agrees, doesn’t she?”
You mirror his teasing grin. “Oh, so you knew I’ve been standing here all along?”
“It’s my wifey-sense,” Joshua jokes, smiling brightly at you as you step into his outstretched arm, which wraps securely around your waist as you gently lift your daughter out of her crib and into your arms.
“Already outsinging your dad, aren’t you, angel?” you ask affectionately while stroking her soft, chubby cheek. You like to think she understands from the way your words elicit high-pitched giggles from her.
Joshua pouts, getting up from the ground to stand beside you, one of his hands reaching for your baby’s to get her attention. “Don’t listen to your mom,” he whines, “she’s being mean to me as usual.”
“Bet Uncle Hannie will disagree. Right, angel? He’ll take your side over your dad’s any day,” you say, gently tickling your baby and smiling when she lets out squeals of laughter.
“Mother and daughter ganging up against me, I see,” Joshua grumbles, moving to stand behind you to wrap his arms around you, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “Good morning, love.”
You crane your neck slightly to look at him. “Good morning, Shua,” you say sweetly. “What a lovely way to start off our Saturday morning, hm?”
“Ah, I was wondering when you’d point that out.”
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a/n: wanted to post this before it’s the 6th here hehe :3 dad svt makes me so soft you have no idea ;;;;; also i was so tempted to name their daughter gia ahsjhwjs 🤧💗 thank you for reading this and i promise longer fics are on their way ;;;
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Commitments
It all started when my dad died last March 15/2019 I have learned how to drive because no one will drive my mom. I drive everyday just me and mom to go to the supermarket and to buy the ingredients for our menu of the day because we have a little dinner beside a hospital and yet I tried to be responsible in everything that was not suppose to be done by me.
March 15/2021
On this day our family commemorate the day when my father died. In that day our family is very busy in planning and to setup the tables and foods that we prepare for that day. We commence my dad’s death anniversary inside the eternal gardens in which where is my father currently buried. I have a friend which is a girl surprised me on the day before my dad’s anniversary. She told me that she will be attending to my dad’s death anniversary and on that statement that she say just surprised me and it felt like someone is with me in this time of sadness. I admit that I already courted her so many times and yet I am unlucky, but it is not the first time that she attended on any of my family activities or celebration because she already attended on my mom’s birthday. The fact that her presence is there, it just helped to decrease my depression and sadness and yet even though I did not have her answer but she is still there for me as a friend and I will never forget that she makes me feel happy even if we are not that serious on a relationship. 
March 16/2021
In today’s fast-paced society, commitment is not something that pops into most people’s minds on a daily basis. We are constantly presented with numerous choices and opportunities with little encouragement for making long-term and thorough commitments.
No, I am not talking only about relationships but also everything else that fills your calendar (this is after all who you really are), whether that be church activities, family get-togethers, college classes, work, and friendships. Here, I discuss some important commitments we can make for a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
Joshua 24:15 says “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
We must commit to our faith in Jesus Christ and live our lives according to that commitment, daily.
March 17/2021
We all have, or will have, families in some form or fashion. Commit to those relationships, whether that be your fiancé, spouse, kids, or extended family and show your love for them. Play a game together as a family, watch a movie, go for a trip, have a meal together, discuss, read the same book, and so forth.
This day and age we have an endless list of activities we can do together. Going to my home, greeting my family, and then withdrawing to my room with my home and/or other devices in another room while interacting with my family is quite gratifying. 
March 18/2021
As the Coronavirus pandemic forced everyone into spending more time at home, it also forced people to go through home supplies at much quicker rates. The expedited use of food, cleaners and toiletries led to an even more important role for grocery stores and their workers.
Like most businesses, grocery stores have been forced to change, but unlike most the demand for in person employees grew. During the early days of uncertainty with unsettled shoppers flooding supermarkets, workers like Mary stepped up to work long hours, six days a week
Grocery store workers have been called heroes throughout all of this because as rules and regulations have changed, they’ve changed right along with them. From face masks and social distancing to deep cleaning stores and product shortages, they’ve been coming in day in and day out to make sure as many people get what they need as possible.
March 19/2021
As I fall asleep I remeber may past experience when our city is under lockdown Space is something we Filipinos don't care too much about. To name a few examples: our houses our built right next to each other; there is minimal to non-existent personal space; shoppers are literally rubbing elbows at the biggest public market in the city; and passengers are squished inside a small jeepney.
But space is something our founders thought an important factor when building a child-caring center. During this pandemic time, where children are prohibited to go out of their homes, our children are still able to "go out" of their homes. They are still able to enjoy a game of soccer and kickball in our huge playground. Our toddlers are still able to ride their scooters on our driveways. Our children are still able to run around and chase each other in a game of tag. The space we have makes the lockdown endurable for everyone. 
March 20/2021
On this day after we go to the market and buy our groceries for our canteen I heard a story on a radio about bullying. When I was in elementary school, I was happy and kind, and I had many friends. But when I was in middle school, some adults started flirting with me. I left because I didn't want to see all my friends in elementary school. At school, everything is money and clothes. I have a big cup, and it's terrible, and everyone laughs at me. A boy (I think he's in his second year of middle school) started chasing me. He called me by several names, arrested me, and spread rumors about me. One day he and his friends hit me on the bus. No one wants to be my friend anymore. I made friends with two girls in my class. 
They started shouting at me. Everyone started telling me how bad I was. In sixth grade, the bullying got worse. I was bad, so everyone said I was going to kill myself. When I was in the first year of middle school, my mother sent me to afternoon classes (my school has a full-time option). The kids in the afternoon class started bothering me. They chase after me, take my photo in the bathroom and send it to all schools. When I came home from school, I went to my room and cried all night. I tell everyone. I hadn't finished the exam when the teacher started talking to my parents.
They told me that I was lazy and refused to take part. They knew I was being bullied, but they didn't do anything to stop it. Everyone hates me and I have no friends. I want to tell everyone who has one thing in common: things are getting better. I thought it was very sad. This can be frustrating, but you have to believe in yourself. Keep them away from you. I know you suffer, but sometimes you have to brag about everything you've been through.
I have one lesson from this story and it is that those people have no idea what you’ve been through. They probably couldn’t even take it. But you had to take it. And you’re still here going on with your life. And that’s why you can be proud of yourself.
March 21/2021
On this day our family went to our clan reunion and it was a sad experience for me. I remember when my dad used to bring us in those family reunions that our family has, and as the reunion is commencing, I always feel confident to talk to my relatives and interact to people. Today everything is different and I don’t even feel that kind of confidence because my dad is not already in our touch and don’t even feel a part of our family clan anymore because my dad used to introduce us and my uncles and aunts usually accommodate us with a smile and ease. On that day I just felt the changes when you loose you father.
March 22/2021  
Today me and my friends got ourselves to have an a little bit of celebration inside MPLAZA and that day I was very happy, every time that me and my friends hangout I found my self to be happy and I forgot all the things and depressions that I have. Coincidentally I am really feeling so down because I remember again my father. When the time came that I feel I will cry my bestfriend called me and invited me if I want to join them because one of my friends is celebrating its birthday. I did not tell them that I am feeling down that day but that feeling faded because of the jokes and stories that we have. I am really thankful for them and I wish that I will be always be there for them
March 23/2021
Today I've finally made my decision to get my old dad's car to drive it going up to the parking lot of SM and drove It going to Pasacao Camarines Sur, and It was a very emotional time for me because my dad's car was stored inside to an auto repair shop for almost a month and I did it just to test the agility and strength of the car. I really love the car and it is a 1998 model Nissan Sentra manual transmission, I love it because I have so many memories of it from my dad and my family once decided to sell it because of the maintenance problems and loss of budget for it. Later then I rushed to the tomb of my dad and prayed and talk to him about how I love that car and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. My mom really supported me in fixing my dad's old car but only one broken part of the car per repair because of budget management and the cost of it. The car is the last thing that I have so that I can feel my father's presence because when I see that car, it reminds me of his presence which is I do not want to fade.
March 24/2021
Today early in the morning I drive my mom's car so that i can bring her to the supermarket and also help her to carry the bags. Today's system of buying for groceries to the supermarket is so different than last 2019. We are required to bring the E salvar QR code which is installed on our smartphone and to wear face shield and face mask. It is very difficult to carry the heavy bags because of the face mask that makes my breathing hard. I am really paranoid that time because my mam is having hard time to breath because we are carrying heavy bags and our faces are covered of the face mask and face shield. Fortunately my mom made it and we got to our little dinner with no harm. I've a lesson from what happen to me this day, it is to commit and have patience to help and do your responsibilities, even though there are obstacles and hardships in life, because there are people that are relying on you and you cannot afford to fail them or just to fail to be with them.
March 25/2021
The first day in the morning I got to our little dinner and I've seen my uncle which is having a very high blood pressure. My mom is really mad at him because my uncle is really stubborn because the doctors advised him to stop drinking alcohol and stop walking when it is very hot. A minute later my aunt called me from Hong Kong, she called my while she was crying because she is tired of sending money to our uncle, grandmother and other  uncle because all of them are stubborn and they are not listening to the advice of my aunt and my mom. Today I've realized that what ever the person did to you or whatever or how is a person to you, as long as you have a personal connection to him, you will always love them no matter what because that is a function of a family March 26/2021
On this day I have learned that teenagers need to be inspired to help their parents especially if they are a solo parent, because they are doing their best as a solo parent. Don’t count the things that you have done for your parents because they didn't list all of the things that they provide to you. Learn how to be cool if you fell that your parents is hurting you or sometimes wrong because after all they are just humans and they are not perfect 
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stayextrafrosty · 3 years
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I am Your Future, I am Your Past: Chapter 11
A Roswell New Mexico Soulmate AU
A/N: There’s a lot of talking in this chapter but these conversations needed to happen. The feels are strong here along with some mild smut
Read on AO3 // Chapter 1
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Yelling halted his movements.
“Jesus Christ Michael! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?”
“Are you crazy? Why would you answer the door like that. You’re going to hurt someone.”
Liz and Isobel stood there, hands over their chests in a comically similar fashion. The tension left Michael’s shoulders, though he still glanced around the two women to make sure no one else was there.
“Sorry. Had a bit of a string of bad luck recently,” he said dryly. He stepped to the side to let them in. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”
“Alex called to tell me you were in the hospital. I told Max and by extension Liz but when we went to visit you had already left. We just took a guess at which house it would be,” Isobel explained. Michael shook his head.
“Right. Well as you can see, I’m fine. Nothing serious.” He gestured to his bruised body. Not that they could see it except for his face. “Did you at least bring food? Alex has none,” he said to Liz.
“What am I, Door Dash?” Michael chuckled at her annoyance though she didn’t appear truly upset.
The three of them sat themselves around the coffee table on the couches and chair. Isobel watched him with a raised eyebrow, as though she was expecting him to talk about what really happened. He glanced over at Liz. Isobel sighed.
“She knows. Max told her.” Liz smiled at him somewhat sadly. He hated that. That look of pity.
“So much for keeping the circle small,” he said. Isobel just shrugged. It’s not like he was mad. He figured she would be brought in eventually. But that just puts another person Alex cared about in danger.
“Look I know you don’t know me that well but I had to know what was going on. A threat on Alex was spray painted on the walls of my family diner. Naturally, I had some questions. I all but tackled Max to tell me.” He nodded understandingly. Max was a bit of a pushover when it came to her.
“Right. Short version? Alex was kidnapped. I went after him.”
“Kidnapped? By the people who spray painted the diner,” Liz asked, a mild panic in her voice. Michael just nodded. Liz wrapped her arms around herself, suppressing a shiver.
“So, who’s behind all this,” Isobel pushed.
“The military. Specifically, Alex’s father. I don’t know exactly what he’s told these men but they’re under the impression that he and I are somehow dangerous.” The three of them sat in silence. Anger bubbled up inside Michael just mentioning that wretched man. He looked down at the scars and broken bones in his hand.
He heard Alex moving back toward the front room. He turned to face him and almost choked. Alex was shirtless. Clothing he probably intended to put on was tossed over his shoulder. His grey sweatpants hung low on his hips. They were tied up just below his knee for his missing leg. His hair was damp and tousled, like he had just run his fingers through it
“Liz? Isobel? When did you guys get here?” He hardly spared a glance at Michael. His abs tensed as he moved around to sit in the last available seat across from Michael. He pulled the shirt over his head but he couldn’t unsee what was underneath.
“We were worried about you two. Michael said you were kidnapped?” Liz took his hand in hers, squeezing gently.
“Yea…” he trailed off. The hurt in his voice was obvious, not to mention the sudden aching in his chest. Michael figured he was thinking about Forrest.
“Wait. So what the hell are we doing here? They know where you both live I’m sure,” Isobel exclaimed, shooting up from her spot on the couch.
“We’ve got a plan, Iz,” Michael reassured.
“Well please. Enlighten us,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. Liz looked between Michael and Alex.
“We’re moving in together. Following Tessa’s advice before she left,” Alex jumped in. Isobel blinked and her mouth dropped open slightly.
“Wait. That girl that literally appeared with a strike of lightning? Have you gone crazy,” she questioned, voice raising. Michael understood where she was coming from but whether she liked it or not, Alex trusted her. Therefore so did Michael.
“I know her. There’s nothing to worry about.” Isobel just shook her head.
“It’s not the worst idea. From what I’ve been told it seems like that would be the safest option. Besides, the three of us have been looking for a way to break the curse. When we left her at your house she was looking at some artifacts,” Liz jumped in.
“Have you found anything,” Alex asked, leaning forward. His muscles stretched the arms of his T-shirt and Michael had to force himself to look away.
I shouldn’t be this fucking distracted by him.
“When we left, Maria said she was onto something but if she found anything significant I’m sure she’d call.”
“Or just show up,” Isobel said lightly. Michael raised an eyebrow. There wasn’t nearly enough bite in her voice for her to be talking about Maria.
“She is psychic,” Liz joked. Isobel just shrugged. Michael looked over at Alex who had a small grin on his face.
They continued talking about whatever research the girls had been doing. They couldn’t connect anything that they didn’t already know. Michael and Alex caught them up on the information Tessa had given them. Though they both left out the part where the Trials were going to be significantly harder to survive. Isobel would figure it out eventually but why worry them now?
“Ok, Mikey I understand you’ve been in a coma for a couple days but like, please shower. I can smell you from here,” Liz eventually said to him. Isobel snorted. He just rolled his eyes and stood. He had planned to shower. Other conversations had gotten in the way of that.
“Whatever,” he said. He left the front room, pulling his shirt off as he walked down the hall. He felt his heart flutter, or more accurately, Alex’s. He tried to not let himself get too excited.
-
Michael disappeared down the hall and into the bathroom, giving Alex a chance to breathe. Him pulling his shirt off made his mind wander to his offer from earlier. And he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to taunt him when he had walked out without a shirt earlier. He was never one to play obvious like that but…
I’m substituting him instead of dealing with my feelings about Forrest.
Being aware of his issues was the worst part of this. He knew exactly what he was doing and he did it anyway. It wasn’t fair to Michael. At the same time, the things he felt for Michael were still living in the back of his mind.
“Alex,” Liz called, louder than normal.
“Sorry, what?”
“Where is this cabin you mentioned?” Oh. Whoops.
Alex pulled out his phone and typed in the address, showing them on the satellite map. It really was in the middle of nowhere but the last time he was there, he had made sure to hire someone to redo the landscaping. He hadn’t been back to see it yet.
“There should be a handful of bushes and Joshua trees on the property now. Not quite so barren.”
“Yea I’m getting serious “Courage the Cowardly Dog” vibes, Manes,” Isobel teased. The three of them laughed, tossing out jokes about the various traumatizing episodes that kids definitely shouldn’t have been watching.
They all jumped when the door just about slammed open. Alex’s shoulders tensed immediately and he was grabbing his crutch to use as a weapon.
“I found something!” Maria rushed though the door, slamming it behind her. Did no one lock that after they came in? The three of them sat there, stunned. Isobel had grabbed a random knife that had been on the coffee table. Where had that come from?
“I didn’t mean to bust in but look,” Maria rushed out. She rummaged through her back, pulling out a black stone with iridescent cracks running through it. Then she pulled out a book, thumbing through the pages. When she found the page, she plopped it down on the table in front of them.
“This opal. It’s been passed down through generations right? I think it’s what’s binding the curse. See this picture. The angel is holding that stone as she casts the curse. And here…” she flipped forward to another page she had bookmarked. “That same stone is pictured being held by two pairs of hands. And the caption. It’s supposed to connect the reincarnations to the original pair.”
“So what’s the theory,” Isobel asked?
“Maybe we can have Michael and Alex perform this ritual. Maybe it’ll give them some answers. Then maybe destroying it will break the curse. What if it’s a way to avoid more trials?” Alex looked at the stone she was holding. He had to admit there was something drawing him to it.
He reached out, gently lifting the opal from Maria’s hand. The three girls watched him intently but he was mesmerized by this stone. The cracks seemed to pulse with color. The stone had something to say, but he needed Michael here.
Alex shook his head. The stone was powerful. But something still didn’t sound right.
“If it really is the anchor for the curse, wouldn’t someone have tried destroying it already,” Liz asked?
“Who knows. Maybe not if they thought it held important information,” Isobel pondered aloud. Alex pulled the book toward him, reading exactly what this ritual required or was supposed to do.
“The cosmic opal will react when the reincarnations are close to each other. It will only react if they have consummated the bond they share. Should they attempt the ritual before the consummation then the opal will only show them the path to consummation and no further.
“The stone will naturally draw the pair to it whether they have consummated or not. The iridescent cracks of the opal will glow when the ritual can be performed. If the ritual is successfully completed, it is said that the stone will shatter and the curse will be broken. If the ritual fails the pair will die.”
Alex’s eyes wandered back to the stone in his hand. It was certainly calling to him. But what was this “consummation?” Was it the completion of the trials? He flipped to the previous page but saw nothing. He read the few pages following but nothing was there either.
“Maria, you did read this right,” he asked hesitantly, reading through the rest of the “directions.”
“Yea why?” He turned the book toward her, pointing to a warning at the very bottom of the page.
“Any attempt to destroy the stone will result in the death of whoever attempts it.”
The hope fell from her face. He placed a hand over hers. He loved her for trying. But there was no way out of this. He wished Tessa were here to explain just what this rock was. Hell maybe she could even explain this “consummation” thing.
“Whoa, why’s it so doom and gloom out here,” Michael walked back into the living room, pulling his shirt down over his abs. Alex watched as he took in the state of the room. His eyes finally landed on Maria.
“Maria. You’re here,” he said. Alex wanted to touch the mark as the remorse panged at his chest.
“Of course I am. I said I would help figure this out.”
“Yea. To an almost annoyingly persistent degree,” Isobel mumbled.
“Oh, it’s been a real peach working with you too,” she shot back. A smiled threatened to break through the insult.
“So I assume if you’re here, you found something,” Michael asked, sitting back on the couch across from Alex.
Maria explained her theory again and Alex showed him the book and instructions for the ritual. His eyebrows drew together as he read, seemingly just as confused as Alex was. He heard him mumble the word “consummation” under his breath. Michael’s eyes lifted to the stone in Alex’s hand. His fingers twitched as though he wanted to reach for it.
“I think we should try this,” Alex suddenly said. He had no idea where the words came from. He hadn’t even thought of them before they were coming out of his mouth.
Michael met his eyes, seeming to understand exactly why they needed this. If this was the only hint they got, why wouldn’t they take it?
“Wait, but what if you guys have ‘consummated’ or whatever and the ritual starts? What if you can’t stop it,” Liz said. The silent question hung in the air.
“The opal isn’t glowing,” Alex pointed out.
“Maybe but you have no idea what that thing is going to show you,” Isobel said, tapping her fingers on her knee.
“What if it’s helpful?” No one could really argue anymore. Even if they didn’t like the idea, they needed whatever information the stone would give them.
Alex sat on the very edge of the chair, holding out his hand with the stone toward Michael. He glanced at the picture again and moved to place his hand over Alex’s.
“Woah, hold on!” Alex and Michael jumped at Isobel’s outburst. “If you two are going to do some weird vision sharing, mind connection thing, maybe you should do it somewhere more private?”
Alex knew he was blushing, but maybe she was right. The nature of the dreams could sometimes be more than a bit personal. They also had the tendency to dig up old emotions that Alex was slowly starting to realize both he and Michael had tried to bury.
“Well. Where do you suggest,” Michael asked, almost sarcastically.
“My room.” There goes his mouth again. Talking before his brain has time to catch up. All four of them looked at him with wide eyes. “It’s technically the most private area in the house,” he said quietly. He didn’t know how to rationalize the idea.
“Alright. Let’s go.” Michael stood and no more questions were asked. He picked up the book while Alex grabbed his crutch. No one said anything as they made their way down the hall.
He couldn’t look at Maria. He still didn’t know the exact details of the break-up but he was more certain than ever that it was because of him. And now it looked like he was trying to move in on Michael right in front of her. What kind of crappy friend was he?
Michael stood to the side as he pushed the door open, waiting for him to enter first. The bed was still perfect from when he made it four days ago. He chuckled to himself.
“What is it,” Michael asked.
“I just feel like I haven’t been in this room for years.” He met his gaze and Michael just smiled.
Alex sat himself on the edge of the bed, setting his crutch to the side. He held up the opal again as Michael took his spot next to him. The both just looked at the stone, waiting for any indication that this might be a bad idea.
“We don’t have to do this you know,” Michael said gently. Always giving Alex a way out even when he fully believed that this stone could help them.
“No. I want to do this,” he assured him. He nodded, slowly reaching to place his hand over Alex’s again.
The stone felt warm in his palm and it was spreading slowly down his arm. Alex placed his hand on top of the one Michael had put down. He then lifted his broken hand, placing it under Alex’s that held the stone.
The warmth spread more quickly now. But that could just be Michael. It traveled up his arms and then beelined for the mark on his chest. He gasped at the sensation. Every nerve in his body became acutely aware of his surroundings. The way the air moved around him…
Them. The way air moved around them. It was like electricity was forming everywhere their hands touched. He heard Michael’s labored breathing. His heart pounded in his ears and his eyes fluttered closed.
He could feel Michael as easily as he felt his own body. Every breath and tense muscle. Every skip of the heart. The urge to pull him closer. His own need washed over him. The need to be closer.
Alex leaned forward, half opening his eyes to see how Michael was doing. He had also leaned in close. They breathed each other in as their foreheads touched. An energy flowed through him. Centuries old knowledge seemed to flood his mind though nothing made any sense. The mark on his chest told him that Michael was experiencing the exact same thing.
He wanted to call to him…
“Samuel,” he said.
“Thomas.”
-
The darkness of the night had been creeping in for weeks now. Every night it got darker earlier and earlier. The walls of the storage house felt far too close together and the ceiling too low. He had been allowed to keep his journal, though his father probably intended to burn it when he died. Food was dropped at his door once a day.
Thomas had refused to eat at first. Wishing for death to come before the day of the sacrifice if only so his father would be disgraced. But if he knew his father, he would offer up Thomas’ sister, no questions asked. But that wasn’t why he started eating again.
“Thomas, please don’t give up.” The defeated voice just on the other side of the window, pleading for him to eat. “You’ll need your strength if we are to run away.”
He said those same words for the first three nights. Thomas hadn’t replied but he sat out there the whole night. Samuel…
“Why don’t you go inside where it’s warm?” Thomas had just finished his bowl of beef and rice and he knew he was out there.
“Because anywhere that isn’t by your side is the only torture I have ever known.”
Thomas pressed his head against the wall just below the window. Tears slipped down his face. This man was the only constant he had ever had. Ever since they were young. He silently cursed fate that had them meeting this way. Perhaps in a different time, they could be together.
“I cannot leave with you, Samuel. Please understand, I’m doing it to protect you.”
Only silence followed. If they were to run away from all of this, they would be chased. They would kill Samuel and he shouldn’t have to die. Thomas would take that burden on himself.
He worried that Samuel had left, but a shuffling from outside the window told him otherwise. He stood to gaze upon him. The moon reflected off of his golden curls and his shirt lay open just enough to tease. His eyes never wavered as he backed up from the storage house several paces, and then sprinted full speed at the building.
Samuel leapt up and Thomas reached out for his hand, grabbing it. He used the momentum to scale the wall, grabbing onto the ledge of the window. Thomas pulled him in and they tumbled backward, Samuel landing on top of him.
“You must be mad! Are you trying to hurt yourself,” Thomas exclaimed. Samuel sat up slowly, placing his hands on either side of Thomas’ head.
“If I am mad, then it is only because I have fallen in love with you.”
Samuel leaned down to press his mouth to Thomas’. Their lips slid over each other, fitting together more perfectly than he could have ever hoped. They had shared kisses and a bed but there was something different. This was a promise.
Thomas stopped Samuel, pushing him back gently. He was careful not to push him too far, lest they are never able to close the distance again.
“If you were to die because of me…”
“Then I would have died without any regrets.” Thomas couldn’t stop the smile. Even though the thought made him want to sob. He shook his head.
“One day the stars will align in our favor, and I will have loved you all the while.”
They kissed again, and Thomas pushed Samuel’s mostly open shirt off his shoulders. He ran his hands over the strong muscles from the physical labor and moaned as he felt them flex under his touch.
They undressed each other with no real hurry, exploring their bodies as though it was all new again. Samuel ran his tongue over every part of Thomas he could reach, working his way down his body.
Samuel took him into his mouth, pulling a low groan from his throat. His fingers wandered over his thighs and legs as he sucked, eventually coming to his ass. Samuel released him and moved his focus to the hole. Thomas’s toes curled at the attention of his tongue and fingers.
Soon enough Samuel was above him again, pressing his hardness against his hole. Thomas pulled him close, pressing their lips together as he pushed into him. Their mouths fell open together as they usually did when they did this. They breathed each other in as Samuel started to move.
The pain was brief and followed by overwhelming pleasure. Their moans were the only thing Thomas could focus on with any degree of success. The sounds they made together. The sounds of love… made him feel like he was floating away.
The feel of Samuel inside him felt better than any time without. Full and complete. They were complete together. No one could ever take this away from them.
Thomas felt the familiar tightening. He did his best to meet Samuel’s thrusts but the were becoming too fast and erratic. Thomas tugged on his curls and begged him to finish him off. Samuel grabbed Thomas’s cock and stroked him at the same pace as his hips.
Like a coil had been let loose, Thomas shot white stripes over his torso, moaning his lover’s name. A few hard thrusts later and Samuel filled him up, his head falling to rest on his chest as he rode out the pleasure.
The remained connected as Thomas took Samuel’s head in his hands to look him in the eyes.
“There will never be another, my love.”
“My soul could never want anyone else.”
-
Alex and Michael gasped as they were trust back into their own bodies. The stone remained between their hands though each of them had pulled the other closer.
Alex’s heart pounded, matching the erratic pace he could feel from Michael. His one hand was tangled in Michael’s hair and Michael’s hand in his. Their noses brushed against each other. Only one of them had to move the slightest bit forward…
“Alex,” Michael mumbled out.
Alex jerked back, suddenly confronted with reality. The stone fell to the floor. He felt like he was in a daze and Michael didn’t look any better. The two of them breathed heavily as they watched each other, neither daring to speak.
Isobel, Liz, and Maria burst into the room. Alex only glanced at them before looking back at Michael. It was by far the most vivid vision they had ever shared. He shifted his focus to the stone laying on the floor.
“Did it just…” he trailed off, not understanding what had happened.
“I think, it brought forth the spirits of Samuel and Thomas,” Michael finished instead.
“What did it show you? How do you ‘consummate’ the bond or whatever,” Isobel asked.
A great question. One that neither of them wanted to answer. Alex chanced a look at Maria. She caught his eyes and her curious expression seemed to deflate. He couldn’t say it. And what if it wasn’t what they thought it was? Of course, he wasn’t sure how else he could interpret it.
“We don’t know,” Michael said, sounding defeated. His hand clenched a couple times and Alex could feel that he was lying. Maybe he saw the way Maria’s shoulders fell.
“We need to talk through it,” Alex continued, building on the lie.
“Ok, well what happened,” Liz asked, pushing for something more specific. Michael and Alex shared a look.
“Probably something personal. We’ll give you some time to figure it out.,” Isobel said with a sigh. “But when you do, you better share.” She turned to leave the room. Her arm brushed against Maria and Alex could have swore their fingers had started to wrap around each other. It was over before he had time to process. Liz followed them both out.
Alex picked up the stone from the floor. It still drew him in. Made him want to pull Michael against him. Fall down whatever rabbit hole of stories this thing held. He set it back down on the bed.
“We can talk about this another time. But I’m not going to hurt Maria.”
“She can probably guess with our refusal to answer,” Alex pointed out sadly.
“You’re probably right. That doesn’t mean I want to cause her any extra pain.”
Alex nodded and Michael stood, offering a hand of assistance. He picked up his crutch and grabbed his hand. The feeling of warmth rushed through him again but no vision overtook them. This was Michael, not Samuel. And he was Alex, not Thomas. Even if they shared part of a soul.
Alex stared at Michael in wonder. He knew this man better than anyone and vice versa. But if they were truly reincarnations then maybe the things they were feeling were pre-determined. Maybe they didn’t have any control. Could they really choose each other? Michael tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“These feelings… Are they ours? Or are they from the past?” Michael smiled sadly at him but stepped closer and pulled his hand against his chest.
“We are our own people Alex. The curse only demands that I protect you. Not that I fall in love with you.”
Tears welled in his eyes. Did Michael realize what he just said? He reached up, brushing a tear from his cheek, leaving his hand there to cradle his face gently. Alex glanced down at his mouth. The same feeling as before.
Alex closed the distance this time, pressing his lips to Michael’s softly, just barely touching. He wanted to give him a chance to back out.
He could feel the emotions running wild inside them both. Alex was scared. Michael stunned.
Michael kissed him back slowly, holding his face more firmly, fingers moving back to play with the short hair on his neck. The kiss remained slow and sweet as they both savored the feeling of finally being where they belonged.
-
A few days later, Michael was packing up the few articles of clothing and personal items from the airstream. He had told Sanders that urgent family stuff had come up and he’d be out of town for a while. The old man gave him a bit of a stink eye but otherwise shrugged, saying that Michael had better make it up to him.
Tessa hadn’t reappeared yet and neither him nor Alex knew when she would. How long does celestial punishment take anyway? Alex was supposed to be here to lead him to the cabin. His pulse raced just thinking about it.
They hadn’t talked about the kiss or the fact that they have to ‘consummate’ their bond. And they were about to live together for some undetermined amount of time. Michael shook his head. He had no idea if this was going to be awkward. He hadn’t lived with another person since he moved out of the Evans’ house. Sure Maria had spent several nights in a row with him before but this was different.
He heard a car pulling up the dirt road. Guessing it was Alex, he shoved the last of his stuff into a backpack without folding it. Not that he had been really folding it anyway. He grabbed his hat from the counter and looked around the empty trailer. Confident that he hadn’t forgotten anything, he kicked the door open as gently as possible. For only having one box and backpack, he thought he might have a spare hand.
The sun blinded him as he stepped out. He blinked a few times before realizing the car wasn’t Alex’s. He looked for the owner, thinking they needed something fixed and didn’t know where to leave it.
Then a figure with blue hair stepped out of the car and walked toward him. Forrest was hesitant with his steps. Michael looked around but didn’t see any other cars in the distance.
“What the hell do you want,” he spat out, setting his box and back down. He was ready this time and he could at least put up a fight.
“I know you don’t trust me but I promise I’m on your side.” Michael barked out a laugh. This dick couldn’t be serious.
“Ohh! Ok my bad, yea lets go grab a beer. Maybe you can literally stab me in the back again?”
“I didn’t know what they had planned. I didn’t realize what they told me wasn’t the whole story.”
“So what?”
“I care about Alex. More than I thought I would,” Forrest said. Jealousy sparked and he wished he had telekinesis so he could break a bone or two. “I know about the curse now. I know that you guys have some weird connection.” Michael glared at him.
“How could you know that?”
“I did my research. I heard Jenna looking into Jesse Manes and I took it upon myself to help with that investigation. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m not actually a weapons specialist though I know enough to help with police work. Intelligence is more my realm.”
“So you’re saying you want to help us now?” Forrest nodded slowly. Another car rolled up next to Forrest’s.
Alex jumped out, fury radiating off of him. Michael could feel the burning in his heart. Alex stormed up to Forrest, grabbing his shirt and shoving him.
“What fucking right do you have to be here,” he yelled. Forrest didn’t fight him off though he probably could. Michael let himself enjoy the sight for a second but knew there would be an issue if either of them started throwing punches.
“Alex,” he said firmly, resting his hand on his shoulder. “I understand but not here.” The only indication he gave that he heard him was the slight tick of his head toward him.
“I know you’re pissed and I’m so sorry. I know everything now, and I want to help,” he said, lifting his hands to a surrender position. The snarl returned to Alex’s face.
“You know nothing! You were going to get us killed!” Alex released his shirt and shoved him back. “And you had the fucking audacity to kiss me back like we were going to be anything! Like you weren’t planning to let them kill me the next day,” he snapped.
“I never lied about my feelings for you.” Michael’s own blood boiled again.
“You need to leave.” Alex’s voice had turned deadly calm. Forrest looked between the two of them before moving back to his car.
“If you need anything… Intel on your father or anything else, just ask,” he said. He stepped into his car and did a three point turn to get out of the junkyard. The two of them watched until the dust cloud his car created had settled again. Only then did the tension work itself out of Alex’s shoulders.
Michael rubbed Alex’s back slowly, not really knowing what else to do. It had been a long time since he had seen him that angry.
“He didn’t hurt you, right,” Alex mumbled out, not looking at him. Michael sighed and pulled him into his arms. While he didn’t return the hug, he could feel his body relax.
“No. I’m fine. Slightly scared of you though,” he joked. To his relief, Alex did chuckle at that.
“I’m sorry,” he said, arms finally wrapping around Michael’s waist.
“What have I told you? There’s no need to apologize.” They hugged for a few more seconds before releasing each other. Alex looked over his shoulder and around the junk yard.
“Guess we won’t see this place for a while.” Michael looked around with him.
“Yea well. It’ll be here when we get back,” he said. Michael felt Alex’s heart flutter in his own chest. He reached out, pressing a hand over the spot where the mark would be.
“Only eight more to go,” Alex said, covering Michael’s hand with his. He nodded and stepped into he personal space. He watched Alex’s eyes glance down and he grinned. He still wanted him. But this conversation should wait until they were a safe distance from Roswell.
Michael turned his hand over to grab Alex’s. He bought it to his lips and kissed his knuckles gently. He brought his hand back down to his side, but never dropping Alex’s.
“Lead the way, Captain.”
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bubbyleh · 4 years
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I See La Vie en Rose - Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Meet the Family
Out of all the other Gods, Tommy's gotta say, his friendship with Gordon is the most unique. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily! It's simply that the context in which Gordon knows Tommy is, comparatively, different than the others.
After all, excluding Joshua, Gordon's the only one who's younger than Tommy. And Tommy’s not sure if Gordon remembers this, but he was the one who took care of Gordon before his ascension was complete. Sure, it was mostly babysitting a glowing orb, but he also had to protect it from Benrey! Who, uh… was not doing so good back then.
Things were good between them. Out of everyone else, Tommy thinks he trusts Gordon the most to be honest with him. At least he knows that Gordon isn't hiding some dark, unholy experience that could threaten their lives!
It's a nice morning. Tommy had been texting on and off with Darnold when he got a message from Gordon, asking if he could come over to take a break. Well, Tommy isn’t one to deny Gordon a break! Which is how Gordon ends up sitting in Tommy’s kitchen with him.
“You know what I miss most?” Gordon asks. “Coffee.”
Tommy raises an eyebrow. “You can- you can still drink coffee.”
That clearly hits a sore spot, because Gordon sighs and slumps over the table. “It’s not… it isn’t the same. I don’t get the same kinda energy anymore.”
“I get energy from most food.”
“But not like you’d get with coffee,” Gordon explains. “You weren’t ever mortal, so coffee never affected you like it’s supposed to. It...” He waves his hand around, trying to find the words. “Regular food keeps you moving, sure, but coffee wakes you up. Energizes. Kinda wish it still worked on me, these days.”
Dang, that sounds good. Tommy lets his shoulders sag. “No- no kidding.”
“But, hey! Speaking of mortality…” Gordon nudges Tommy with an elbow.
“Oh no,” Tommy groans. “Not you too.”
Gordon raises his hands. Or well, his hand and magical substitute for a hand. “I’m just curious! Tell me about him.”
Tommy gives Gordon a look. Gordon smiles back.
“Alright,” Tommy relents. “But you- you can’t go around telling everyone, okay? Promise?”
“I promise not to tell everybody,” Gordon says, and Tommy, like an idiot, trusts him.
Tommy takes a deep breath. “So, um. His name is Darnold.”
☆○☆○☆
It turns out, Gordon takes the first loophole he can find and runs with it. Tommy doesn’t realize until Coomer pokes fun at him for “texting Darnold” that, perhaps, some information has been leaked. So Tommy heads to confront the source, finding Gordon sitting in his home with Benrey and Joshua, the latter of whom are waving cowboy toys at each other on the floor.
“Uh, hey guys,” Tommy says, but he’s quick to get to the point. “Gordon?”
“Hey Tommy, what’s up?” Gordon asks, in a tone that’s a little bit too casual.
“Do you re-remember the thing I told you not to talk about?”
“I think so, yeah.”
“Did you- did you talk about it?”
Gordon nods once. “Yeah.”
Tommy feels all the unease in his chest fall away into annoyance. “Why did you do that? You- you promised not to tell anybody!”
“I promised not to tell everybody,” Gordon counters, and he holds up a finger. “I only told Benrey.”
Benrey pipes up. “I told everyone.”
“Great,” Tommy says, but he’s so annoyed he wants to bury Gordon alive for a decade.
Gordon raises his hands in front of himself. “They all kept asking me, man! I figured if I only told Benrey, then you couldn’t really blame me.”
Tommy shoots a glance towards Benrey. Benrey currently has a small toy cowboy hat in his mouth.
“I- I can totally blame you for this,” Tommy concludes, holding the same tone as a teenager who found their younger sibling had stolen their clothes.
☆○☆○☆
If it had ended with a little bit more knowledgeable teasing, then maybe Tommy would have gotten over it quicker. Or at least, gotten used to it, since he doubted either his crush on Darnold or his family’s relentlessness would be disappearing anytime soon. Tommy can deal with a few jokes and headlocks, he’s been at this for five-hundred years!
But, when accounting for everything they’ve ever done, Bubby and Coomer knock it out of the ballpark when they unexpectedly show up in the middle of Tommy’s walk with Darnold.
Which! Is not! A romantic walk! Tommy just mentioned that he was taking Sunkist on a walk soon, and well, Darnold asked to come along! It’s not romantic if Sunkist is there.
"Hello there, Tommy!" Coomer says, acting as though their meeting were complete happenstance.
"Uh, he-hello Mr. Coomer. Mr. Bubby." Tommy has a feeling he would be a little more coherent if it weren't for the fact Coomer and Bubby have gone planetside for social reasons for the first time in what must be three hundred years.
Coomer continues on despite Tommy’s lost expression. “I must say, it’s quite the coincidence to run into you today! We had no idea you were about.”
“None at all,” Bubby echoes, the lie seeping into the edge of his voice.
“Er, Tommy?” Darnold asks, and it’s enough for Tommy to realize he has to do damage control now.
“Oh! Darnold this- these are my-” Tommy stumbles over his words. “They’re… I’ve known them my-my whole life?”
“You must be Darnold!” Coomer exclaims, as though he didn’t already know that. He holds out a hand, obviously distracting Darnold from some sort of mental calculation he was doing. “Tommy’s spoken so much about you! I’m Coomer, and this is my husband, Bubby.”
Darnold nervously shakes Coomer’s hand, only to feel every single bone in his own be crushed. “It’s… nice to meet you,” Darnold says, trying to play off his pained wince. “Tommy talks about me?”
Tommy can feel his heart rate go through the roof.
“Not with us, really,” Bubby quips. “We’re the old folk. He doesn’t talk to us about this sort of stuff.” He looks right at Tommy as he talks. Before anyone else has a chance to respond, he starts again. “You’re an alchemist, right?”
“Oh, yeah!” Darnold awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve made quite a few interesting potions!”
Bubby rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well. It isn’t real magic, though.”
“Bubby!” Coomer chides.
“I’m just saying!” Bubby says. “As something of a pyromancer, alchemy’s too physical. Too grounded.”
Darnold’s eye twitches. “Too… grounded? Who are you to say my potions aren’t magic enough!?”
Great! Perfect! The ideal scenario that Tommy always knew would happen!
“Me?” Bubby raises an eyebrow. “I’m the greatest pyromancer who ever lived! So, of course, I know a thing or two about magic.”
“You can’t be that good. I’ve never heard of you!”
Bubby cackles. “I’m sure you have.”
Okay, the active antagonizing was one thing, but now Bubby’s getting way too close to the truth for comfort! Not even thinking, Tommy grabs Darnold’s wrist with his free hand and drags him past the old men.
“It was nice seeing you Mr. Bubby and Mr. Coomer but we- we really have to go now bye!” Tommy shouts behind him.
Only after they round the street corner does Darnold look at Tommy and say, “What a rude person.”
Tommy shrugs, falling back into a slower pace. “He’s- he’s always been like that. I think it means he likes you?”
Darnold has that look on his face again, like he’s puzzling something out. Then, he looks back up at Tommy. “So your family likes me?”
☆○☆○☆
All the Gods quickly become common sights whenever Tommy heads down to see Darnold. So far, all the appearances they’ve made have been fairly innocuous, such as “bumping into” Gordon at the coffee shop or “passing by” Benrey on the sidewalk. Darnold’s met all of them, by now, not that Tommy had much of a say in the matter. Well, all but one.
“Hello, Tommy.”
Tommy had been so focused on petting Sunkist, whose head rested in his lap, that he hadn’t heard the footsteps approach him. He smiles as his father sits down next to him.
“H-hey, Dad,” Tommy says.
It’s a pleasant evening. The three of them sit together on the edge of the cloud, and for a moment, Tommy thinks about when he was younger and scenes like this were more common. When the world was a little less scary, or at least, scary in ways that it isn’t now.
They don’t get time like this anymore. Ironic, considering Gman is the God of Time, but true nonetheless. Tommy’s about to lean against him, but his father suddenly speaks up.
“You’ve been. Heading down, to Earth. Recently,” he says, and immediately, Tommy gets what he’s implying.
Tommy sighs. “You… Benrey told you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.” He pauses. “Tommy, I. Trust you to, make… good decisions.”
Here it comes. You can’t, you shouldn’t. He’s a mortal and he’ll die. He could be a cultist and you wouldn’t even know. Don’t give out special treatment, you’re above that.
But the way Tommy’s heart races when the light catches Darnold’s eyes. Or when he realizes how close the two of them are standing and he can’t breathe. Or Darnold’s smile! The most beautiful thing he’s ever seen!
“What you, do with him is. Up to you, but. I will be there, for you, no matter what, you choose.”
Some invisible weight lifts itself from Tommy’s shoulders, because of course Gman wants him to be happy. Even though they’re both so busy right now, his father loves him. Always has.
Tommy rests his head on Gman’s shoulder. He can’t help but feel that, whatever has them all worried, it can’t be too bad.
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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Slow Show - mia_ugly Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Erasmus/William (Warlock - Slow Show) Characters: William (Warlock - Slow Show), Erasmus (Warlock - Slow Show), Joshua (Warlock), Julia Chattox, Harry the Rabbit (Warlock) Additional Tags: fireside contemplations, introspective, gratuitous thoughts about stitching, idk what else to tag this with, Warlock (TV), mia_ugly's Slow Show Universe
It’s real angst hours in here today my friends.  Have y’all noticed that Harry the Rabbit is the same color and pattern as the tunic Erasmus wears in season 1 (but randomly changes to a green one in season 2)? Because I DID.
Here be sad about a stuffed rabbit.
mandatory @averyfell tag
Deep in the woods, under cover of the snowy pines, William and Joshua rest with Arthur near a crackling fire. The cold is seeping into their bones and the lack of food is starting to weigh heavy on William’s mind.
That, and other things.
Splitting up had been the right thing to do, but that hadn’t made it any easier.  Not for the first few days where all Joshua could do was cry for Erasmus or Julia, but mainly for Erasmus.  It’s hard for a small child to understand; sometimes hard things must be done, sometimes people have to leave for a while.
William has never been good with children, and he’d been against this decision from the get-go.  But Erasmus had the experience and Julia’s spells would be needed while they searched for the other half of the prophecy, so it fell to him to look after the child.
William loved Joshua, of course, that went without saying.  He just had no experience when it came to entertaining children; even after so long on the run with Joshua he never seemed to connect.
At least the boy had Harry.  He loved that silly little rabbit, almost as much as he loved Erasmus.
William feels a shiver run up his spine and pulls his robes tighter around himself.  They’ll need to find real shelter soon. It’s still the early days of winter, but the dark depths of it are coming at them faster than can be ignored.  He looks over at the boy, curled up and sleeping in the fur of that Godsend of a dog, clutching his little toy rabbit close.
William doesn’t often get a good look at the little thing.  It’s very nice, though, surprisingly so, a soft burgundy twill with linen for the lining in the ears.  Joshua rarely lets it out of his sight. The only times he does, he’ll take it to Erasmus and shove little ‘Harry’ towards him.  “Watch rabbit,” is all the small boy says. He never gives the toy to anyone else.
Erasmus had been the one to give it to him, showing up in camp one day with the stuffed toy.  Tossing it to the boy like it was nothing.  
When William had asked, Erasmus had said he’d stolen it from a shop in town.  The priest had wanted to berate him for it but couldn’t bring himself to when he saw how quickly Joshua was taken with it.
He is staring at Joshua and the dog now, musing his thoughts, when the boy shifts in his sleep.  The boy’s grip loosens and little Harry falls into the dirt.
William shakes his head and stoops to pick up the toy.  He pauses, turning the bunny over in his hands. It’s hard to tell in the firelight, but he could swear the deep burgundy material is diamond twill…
“Keep up, priest, come on then!” Erasmus yelled over his shoulder, “Haven’t you ever climbed a hill before?”
William didn’t know how they moved so fast.  Julia was far ahead at this point and the priest was sure carrying Joshua was the only thing slowing Erasmus down at all.  Sometimes he still had a twinge of doubt about this whole thing.
When Julia had arrived at his parish begging sanctuary, he hadn’t hesitated.  When Erasmus had, reluctantly, joined up with them, he had been apprehensive. Erasmus never truly seemed to care; more of a mercenary type.  If the conman didn’t owe them a debt of gratitude for saving him, William didn’t think he’d stick around at all. When they had come to the conclusion that the village was no longer safe for them, he’d begun to doubt.  He’d grown quite attached to the small boy, and knew this prophecy was bigger than any one of them could tackle on their own. But leaving his village, leaving home. That was difficult.
His faith was in flux.  Not his faith in the Lord, of course, that he was steadfast in.  But the Church there was the rub of it.
And he doubted himself.  Would he really be of any use?  What if it came to blows? What could a soft old priest hope to accomplish against armored inquisitorial guards?  Erasmus’ teasing only served to remind him if they were to be captured, it would ultimately be his fault.
He opened his mouth to tell Erasmus such but was stopped by a loud yelp.
Joshua had gotten fussy and decided he’d rather be with Julia, and in his attempt to clamber off Erasmus’ shoulders he’d knocked them both tumbling down the hill.  Julia saw to Joshua as William helped Erasmus to his feet.
“Are you alright, dear boy?” William asked as Erasmus grumbled.
“Damn urchin knocked me over,” Erasmus shouted, picking twigs and leaves out of his long red hair, “no bloody respect around here!”
“He’s two, what’s he supposed to know about respect?” Julia asked while seeing to Joshua’s very minor wounds.
“Well still, ought not to climb around so much.” The mercenary stalked off, shouting behind him, “Gonna get someone hurt one of these days!”
Julia shot William an exasperated look.  The priest just shrugged and made to follow Erasmus.  He caught up quickly, finding him pacing in a circle and cursing.
“You know,” William said softly, not wanting to spook the man, “Joshua could’ve been hurt a lot worse.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone did their best to make sure they took the brunt of the fall instead of the wee fellow.”
Erasmus shot him a glare, which was met with a knowing smile.
“Don’t get any ideas, priest,” Erasmus said, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “I’m out for one person and one person alone.  Me. Myself. Just the one, end of discussion. I’ll not have a bloody man of the goddamned cloth tarnishing my hard-won reputation.”
William raised his hands in a gesture of deference, willing to let the man believe whatever he felt like.  However, William prided himself as a judge of character, not one to be put off by brazen displays of aloofness.  No, Erasmus most definitely was a soft touch at heart. William was sure he deeply cared for the boy. Nothing Erasmus could say would convince him otherwise.
“Ah SHIT , stupid little gremlin!” Erasmus shouted, breaking William from his thoughts.
“You hear me back there!” Erasmus shouted towards the witch and the boy, “You’re done for!  Do you even know how expensive diamond twill is? How hard I had to work for something as nice as this!”
His deep burgundy tunic had been ripped almost completely, ruined as it were.  William rewrote his inner thoughts a bit; maybe he was off. Maybe Erasmus was just what he said he was.
Erasmus went to stalk off again but stopped noticing the look on William’s face.
“What are you looking at, priest?” he hissed in William’s face, “I’ll be back, I just need to go be pissed off for a minute.”
“Understandable, it was a very nice tunic.” William said dryly, not bothering to hide the edge in his voice.  He watched Erasmus stalk off further into the woods.
William had been wrong to jump to that snap judgement, of course, as he knows now.  But that can’t possibly be the same burgundy diamond twill of Erasmus’ old tunic, he must be mistaken.
But there it is, this pattern and this fabric.  From the tunic that had been ruined two years ago.
This is silly.  Ridiculous. Absolute nonsense.  He has to be going mad if he’s getting this distracted about the origins of a stuffed rabbit.  His paramount duty is to protect the boy, not get caught up in a bunch of what-if nonsense that doesn’t really matter.  And that’s the crux, isn’t it? Why does this matter? Why can’t he shake it?
He doesn’t put the rabbit down, just keeps turning it over in his hands.  It’s soft and worn from being well loved.
The stitching on the ears makes him stop; an odd looping thing.  As he runs a finger over it William is sure he’s seen that before as well…
They had made camp near a river, about four months after leaving the village.  They wouldn’t stay long; they never did. Just enough to sleep, maybe to eat a bit.  William had proven to himself that he could be useful and managed to catch a couple of trout (don’t say he never learned anything from his father, not that he ever tried to teach him much).
The smell of the fish roasting over the campfire was drifting through the air and everyone was in good spirits.  Julia was playing with Joshua, keeping him distracted and away from the fire. The two-year-old had developed a habit of grabbing anything within arm’s reach, and it wouldn’t do for him to go grabbing hot fish and burning himself.  Erasmus had wandered off some time ago.
“Julia, my dear, will you keep an eye on the fish for me?” William said, standing and wiping his hands off on his knees, “It’s almost ready, I’m just going to pop off for a bit and find where Erasmus ran off to.”
He followed the river, retracing the steps he saw Erasmus take earlier.  It didn’t take long to find him. He was sitting on a log on the riverside, tunic (a new one, in a deep forest green) draped over a branch1.  He was fiddling with the hem of a spare linen undershirt.
“Are you sewing?” William said, slightly surprised.
“Yea, gotta keep things in order somehow,” Erasmus said as he laid stitches along the hem. “These things wear out, can’t really go around getting new ones.”
“No, I suppose not,” William said as he watched Erasmus’ hands, deftly moving the needle to and fro, in and out.  
It was obviously a well-practiced skill.  William remembered the nuns, when he was still learning the priesthood, taking the time to darn socks that were wearing out rather than replacing them.  Vows of poverty and all that. They would work so quickly you almost couldn’t keep up if you watched. It was soothing. Sister Loquacious tried to teach him once.  It hadn’t gone well.
Erasmus’ needle moved with precision, even if the stitch looked rather odd.  There was the usual straight stitch he was used to seeing, but then he would pass the needle through loops he made at the edge.  Very odd, compared to anything in William’s small knowledge of sewing.
“Where did you learn to do that?” William asked, voice soft and almost a whisper.  One might mistake it for reverent if one were listening.
“Don’t really wanna talk about it, if it’s all the same,” Erasmus said as he finished his stitch.
“Right, of course,” William watched as Erasmus took his tunic down from the branch. “Dinner is almost ready, thought I’d come find you.  You know how Julia is, we’ll be lucky to have any left when we get back.”
“Ha,” Erasmus scoffed, “Right, because she’s the one who goes through our stores.  Don’t think I haven’t seen you sneaking around at night through the rucksacks, priest.”
They both caught the scent of fire-cooked fish wafting towards them.  Erasmus sauntered in the direction of camp with William following close behind.
A few weeks later, Erasmus had shown up in their camp and tossed a burgundy rabbit at Joshua, who immediately named it Harry.
That loop stitching is familiar.  It adorns so many things of his and Julia’s now, where Erasmus has volunteered to fix them.  And here it is, unmistakable, along the ears of this rabbit.
William feels something warm bloom in his heart.  His feelings, this infatuation for Erasmus has been bubbling for a while, no matter how hard he tries to stomp them back down.  His justification has always been that Erasmus is not in this for them, in the long run. The man had told him straight out. Erasmus does things for himself and no one else, no matter how false the priest knew that to be in his heart.
But this was unmistakable.  Sewing a toy rabbit for a scared child.  Sewing it out of his own ruined clothes. How long had Erasmus held onto that ruined tunic?  How long did it take him to make it?
William feels tears start to prickle at the corners of his eyes and holds back a sob.  It feels like something is cracking open inside of him, and when whatever it is spills out, he’ll never be able to put it back.
He misses Erasmus.
He’s alone in the woods with only a small boy and a dog, doing his best to keep them all safe, and he misses Erasmus so much that it physically hurts him.  This is a new feeling to William; attachments like this weren’t allowed in the priesthood.
He remembers the dream he had, almost a year ago now (though not a day goes by that it doesn’t haunt him).  The soft brush of lips on his, that euphoric feeling of being home ripped away so suddenly by the coming of daybreak.
William sits by a campfire, holding a small burgundy rabbit in his hands.
William sits by a campfire and heaves a sigh, hugging said rabbit the same way a small child would.  The same way a small child does almost every day.
William is in love.
He’s in love with Erasmus, and he’s finally admitting this to himself.
And there’s no going back now.
---
1 - He stole it, of course.  Can't expect a conman to go around paying for nice tunics.
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palindromestoner · 4 years
Text
The world is ending in beautiful colors
But they're standing together, brother to brother
Everything is as it's supposed to be.
•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•
Dean never liked the Fourth of July too much. The other holidays were chock full of benefits like receptionist bowl candies, stupid decorations, and insensitive jokes directed towards Sam. All fun things.
God forbid anything happened on the Fourth of July, because someone screaming from a gun shot wound was like playing whack a mole if the city was big enough. Dean could tell the difference between a firework and a gunshot. At least he'd like to think so. It depends on where the gun is, it doesn't always echo.
He sometimes gets caught up in thinking about the always existent likelihood of some snot-nosed, loitering citizen getting hurt. Usually he alleviates this by directing his energy towards his younger brother.
He always bought sparklers and paper poppers for Sam on Fourth of July. It's an attempt at making sure he's held over with a semblance of happiness from small things to look forward to.
[It wasn't nearly enough to keep him from running away sometimes. Maybe because little things like that only matter in a normal family and not to a couple of crooked and broken sons and their father. But every smile he could get from Sam meant the world to him, and if little things meant anything to Sam then they were a godsend to Dean.
He tries paying mind to him to make sure he' doesn’t go running off. It wouldn't be any good for either of them with their dad. Lately he hasn't been enough for Sam at all.
Sam never liked the Fourth of July. It was the only holiday their father never let them go out. Too many people gathered in single areas to watch the fireworks in the sky. If anything were to happen, it would draw suspicion to the boys. Knowing Sam and Dean, something usually did. John preferred keeping a low profile. Sam would beg his dad to let them go see them with everyone else, squeaking promise after promise that they would be fine. John would grumble with small warning threats until Sam wrapped himself in blankets on the bed. From there he would pretend it was the end of the world. The bangs in the sky were bombs and explosions like it was World War III or an apocalypse. That way there would be no tomorrow with his stupid dad.
When Sam was twelve, they snuck out and into a field to watch fireworks. He had grown bitter towards the idea of celebrating Fourth of July, but somehow this was different. "De, come on," Sam said fisting a dozen fireworks. This was just them. It was their own moment, and they were going to make as much out of it as they could. Sam excitedly followed Dean as he strode out the door.
What boy didn't love his brother?
What boy didn't love playing with fire?
The drive over was fueled by quiet anticipation. Sam's eyes shone brighter than anything Dean had ever seen.
He parked on a hill and rummaged through the trunk for sparklers. Over the hill was a grassy plain that became taller and deader with each step until they were standing in a field surrounded by trees.
The shadows played on Sam beautifully. His skin shone in the night like the moon. He smiled sweetly at Dean, who was lighting both of their sparklers together.
Sam laughed and smiled and waved his arms about.
The sparks danced in Dean's eyes. It was more beautiful than the fireworks themselves. It was almost painful to look away from them. Sam didn't think too hardly about it and instead focused his gaze on the horizon. The sun was slipping past the skyline out of sight. But Dean watched Sam the whole time.
Sam ran back to Dean. He had dropped his sparkler amongst a pile of grass that proved well as tinder. Dean grabbed Sam by his upper arm and pulled him back into the impala. You could hear their car buzzing from a town over. They were out of there immediately.
He felt a twinge of guilt as they drove away from the field lit up in flames. Partly because he felt so good about it. It had been an accident, but who is to say he hadn't meant it deep down? He had done that with Dean. They left their mark upon this world. A burned up, black and dead mark.
Their dad wasn't too mad when they got back to him. John had just woken up to an empty motel room. He was irritated and suspicious when he heard about the fire. Nevertheless he didn't do much about it.
They wouldn't experience a moment like that again until they relived it in heaven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dean felt like he was going to be sick upon seeing him young again. The trunk slammed and he turned to his little brother, who was holding a crate of fireworks. He almost thought some kind of curse de-aged him, but this was too familiar. Guilt that had accumulated over the years suddenly resurfaced itself. He was lost in the eyes across from him for a moment as years seemed to fly out the window. This was the pain in his heart that had hurt him the most. But Sammy was excited and out of breath. He looked at Dean as if he wanted something. and suddenly Dean felt warm inside even as goosebumps prickled down his arms and around his neck. "Sammy?" he asked to be sure.
"Come on, let's go," Sam chimed as he ran towards the clearing.
He knew this horizon.
Dean paused and tilted his head, " ... weird dream," he said to himself.
The crate of explosives clunked familiarly in the dirt as Sam settled to his knees in front of it. "Got your lighter?" Sam asked.
He did- in fact, it was suddenly in his pocket as he felt for it.
He took out his old silver lighter in awe. "Oh, I haven't seen this in years," he chuckled.
"Fire 'em up," Sam said handing him a green Roman candle. Dean lit them and they both held them in the air above their elbows. The fizzing lead to pops and the sky lit their faces up in fluorescent reds and blues.
"I remember this," he said with watering eyes, "It's Fourth of July 1996!" He scrunched his face up in disbelief.
Dean had almost forgotten just how beautiful and magical this moment was for him. He couldn't close his mouth completely or keep himself from smiling.
Sam suddenly turned his head to him with eyes sparkling, "Dad would never let us do anything like this. Thanks Dean, this is great." Dean's eyes grew sad and his smile faltered. Sam fell into him for a hug. He could feel his younger brother trying to pour as much meaning into it as possible.
His Sammy only ever longed for normalcy through the security and acceptance of a family's love. This moment probably also meant the world to him. He placed his arms softly around his sibling for a moment. He was a little lost in how surreal this all was for a dream.
Dean gave him a nod to grab more fireworks.
After that they lit them consecutively with Sam repeatedly shouting, "Fire in the hole!"
They cracked the sky and colored the landscape in rainbows of light and smoke.
That's when Dean could hear a song playing on the radio even though he was sure he shut it off. Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door seemed to get louder as it rumbled with static from the direction of the impala. It slowly and seemingly started to come from inside his very head. It clouded the past until he was left with nothing but the current moment. The song seemed to fit how at peace he suddenly felt. It fit Sam's perfect smile as he ran out in front of him with his arms raised while he shouted and spun. They were filled with nothing but love. The "ooh" of the song felt like it was wrapping around him tight and keeping him where he was. He was being lulled off into an eternity. His soul itself was singing.
He looked up to the sky with Sam as bits of light flew into his line of sight. The fireworks became louder until they felt like they were piercing through his skull and pushing out his brains. The thunderous booms became like gunshots and everything around him darkened until there was nothing to see. The nothingness formed images where he struggled to make anything out. flashes of being executed in the night in place of fireworks. Images of Sam with his arms out to his sides in the same way he's doing now, but in these flashes he was much older and larger. He was being shot along with him. He was killed again.
This beautiful kid next to him wasn't his Sam. His brother was somewhere else. The real one; a grown man.
When he thought about this he suddenly found himself alone. Gasping in the dark, wondering if he could even breath. Despite all the noise he made, everything was quiet. He felt like he was being torn apart in hell again; but this was somehow worse.
His other half was taken from him. He was suddenly cold.
He didn't think it could be heaven without Sam there with him. Where was he? He had to get back.
He wasn't going anywhere without Sam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They'd been resurrected more than they could count on fingers or toes. At this point in time Dean was guessing he and Sam had died and gone to heaven around a hundred times or so.
The last time they'd been there together was the only time he remembered. When Roy and Walt broke into their room to kill them, and the Angel Joshua had sent them back to Earth with their memories still intact.
The next time he and Sam ended up in heaven together, was when the world was falling apart. There was nothing they could do. They had lasted against time and age because fate had not yet allowed them to discover peace.
It was the end of this world. The rapture had come earlier than everyone thought. Except for Sam and Dean who thought they had stopped it years prior to this. But what once came to be must always come to an end.
The horsemen had been released: sent to earth to cause war, famine, pestilence, and death (as they were named) to test those whom weren't Christian and turn them to Christ. Death was not brought upon by a horseman, but instead the reapers- seeing as how Death himself had already been killed by Dean Winchester.
The brothers tried to destroy the three other horsemen, but to no avail. Then the sun turned black and the moon went red. That's when they realized that everything was coming to a halt (because as Sam pointed out, a solar and lunar eclipse couldn't occur simultaneously). Seconds after the sun and moon shifted, the sky receded like a scroll. Every mountain and island was shaken as the bible foretold. The ground split and structures collapsed as people and rubble fell into the cracks. Whether or not those events were six seals opening was unclear, as these events had transpired before. The brothers, and Angels and Demons alike wondered if more seals had been put into place since the war on Earth and in heaven.
Soon after the dust settled it began dancing in the air. More than a hundred billion people's remains reformed from the bones, dirt, and trees. It appeared at first as though small galaxies were being formed, before they fell together and clumped into human figures bearing white robes. People of every descent popped up around the world until everyone was crammed together. The dead had risen, and just as it seemed there would be no more room to stand, a screeching sound had come from the sky. Anything that could shatter would, and all who could hear had gone deaf from the sound. Even as their ears bled, the sound was trapped in their heads and driving them to their knees with insanity. The sound became like trumpets, and the sky unfolded into a blindingly white light.
Angels swooped down and that's when the brothers were taken. God had gone to the trouble of ordering the safety of Sam and Dean above all. They were his favorite human creations.
Demons and angels clamored for their bodies as they were taken to heaven. The feeling of a dozen clawed hands dug into various parts of their bodies as they were pulled into the sky. Dean had one latched onto his earlobe. Some were even pulling at Sam's hair until it ripped out of his scalp. It was painful, but they hardly reacted as it had all occurred within the span of a few seconds.
As they were pulled past the veil of white, it felt as though they were being pulled deep into an ocean. It was like taking too many sleeping pills, and they fought not to succumb to it.
They had exhaled harshly as they were yanked into oblivion, but the low pressure of space caused all remaining oxygen within their bodies to begin reverse-dissolving and escape from their blood streams thus rendering their cardiovascular systems useless (if Sam were not currently dying he could identify this condition as hypoxia). Their cardiovascular system was rendered further as useless since the low pressure also caused nitrogen within their bodies to reach its boiling point at lower temperatures thus creating tiny bubbles that blocked their veins and arteries. Seeing as how most of their veins and arteries were ten times their size or already broken, most of them were blocking vessels in their brains. This lead to simultaneous violent shaking as they'd begun to experience strokesThen for the same reason their entire bodies began to expand like balloons as the water that made up seventy percent of their bodies expanded like the nitrogen had until it became a vapor.
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Sunsets & Whiskey Kisses: Chapter Thirty Seven.
"How was the appointment?" Dakota asked as she, Chase and Jack watched the kids play in the grass in front of them.
 "It was good. Baby seems to be happy." Jack said as he handed his sister a copy of the ultrasound photo as he had promised the night before.
 "I can't believe how big the baby is." Dakota said as she inspected the photo. 
"Well, Ryleigh is 24 weeks along." Jack replied as he watched his daughter crawl toward him. He picked her up and kissed her cheek.
 "Wow, You two sure kept it quiet." Dakota said and Jack nodded.
 "It was nice to have just between us for awhile." He replied and Dakota nodded. She didn't say it, but for her and Chase, it was nice keeping their second pregnancy quiet for now. Well that was until next week when they found out the gender and were going to announce it somehow.
"Shall we feed the ducks?" Jack asked the kids and Joshua nodded and Anna just smiled. He took out the bread scraps. He sat the bag in the middle and Dakota took some out and put it in Joshua's small hand. Chase helped him with feeding the birds and Jack helped Anna who shrieked when one duck in particular got too close for her liking. The duck quickly waddled away and Jack chuckled. 
"You keep doing that and you can't feed them." He said as he put another piece of bread in her hand. The duck came closer again and this time she flapped her arms, dropping the food to the ground.
 "I don't think she likes it." Dakota said as she laughed at her niece.
 "Me either. I think she got a crumb in my eye." He replied. 
"Why don't you show her how to feed them and if she sees that you're ok with it, she might be as well." Dakota suggested and he nodded. Jack took his sister's advice and fed the birds. He tried a few more times to get Anna to feed them but she would either continue flapping her arms at them or squawking at them and scaring them, making her cousin angry with her. 
"Stop!" Joshua shouted at the baby and Anna squawked again as if she was mocking him. 
"Ok little lady, I think that's enough." Jack said as he threw the crumbs from his hand on to the grass.
"Do you want to come back to the house for a bit?" Jack asked as he put his daughter in her stroller.
 "I think we'll probably just head home and put Josh down for a nap." Dakota said as Chase stood up with a reluctant little boy still wanting to feed the animals. 
"No!" The little boy shouted as he tried to grab for his uncle. Jack took him from Chase and gave him a hug and a kiss.
 "You go home with mom and dad ok." Jack said and Joshua held him tighter. 
"How about this, aunt Ryleigh and I will come and visit you next week sometime, if mommy says it's ok." He suggested and Dakota and Chase smiled. 
"Ok." Joshua said with defeat as Jack passed him to his mother. 
"Thank you." Chase said and they all said their goodbyes.
When Jack and Anna got home, he cleaned her up and put her down for a nap before he went to clean up the house and hopefully start prepping for dinner.
Jack managed to get the washing on and the mopping and vacuuming done. By the time he was done loading the dishwasher, Ryleigh came home. 
"You're home early." Jack said as he hugged her. 
"Yeah, my boss sent me home early." She replied. 
"Where's Anna?" Ryleigh continued when they broke apart. 
"I put her down for a nap. She should be awake if you want to go and get her." He said and she happily walked upstairs to their daughter's room. 
"Hi pretty girl. Did you have a good nap?" Ryleigh asked as she picked Anna up. Anna giggled and Ryleigh went to change her diaper before they went downstairs so that Ryleigh could pass Anna to her father.
"I'll be right back." Ryleigh said as she went back upstairs to get more comfortable.
 "Come on princess, let's get dinner cooked." Jack said as he pulled her highchair over to the kitchen where he could watch her. He place the baby in the chair and gave her some little rice puffs. Jack then turned on the radio and started frying up some chicken. Ryleigh walked down the stairs and saw her husband dancing around the kitchen making Anna laugh. She felt her stomach flip at the sight and at the same time, the baby moved vivaciously within her. Ryleigh rubbed a hand over her belly and walked toward her family.
"Dinner is almost done. Just waiting for the pasta to finish cooking. There is bread on the table if you want." Jack said as he went back to the food on the stove. Ryleigh pulled Anna's high chair back to the table and gave Anna some bread and butter. Jack put the food on the table and the both of them dug in. Jack and Ryleigh taking turns with feeding Anna her food.
=
Three days later, Jack was outside mowing the lawn while Anna was having her nap and Ryleigh was outside on the back deck, reading a book with the baby monitor by her side. Her husband had his shirt off and with how the sun was shining on his tanned skin, making him glimmer with sweat, Ryleigh's belly flipped again and the baby once again moved happily. 
"Come on." Ryleigh muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes. 
"Everything ok?" Jack asked as he walked up to the table she was at and took a drink of her water. 
"Hey, that's mine." Ryleigh whined and Jack smiled at her cheekily. 
"I know." He replied and she smacked him with her book. 
"Be nice." He warned playfully. Ryleigh stuck her tongue out at him and he walked away laughing. He continued to mow the lawn and Ryleigh had to close her book as Anna had just woken up.
"Come on sweet pea, let's get you some lunch." Ryleigh said as she pulled up Anna's yellow romper and picked her up. Both of them walking into the kitchen and making sandwiches for lunch. 
"Jacks!" Ryleigh called from the back door. He couldn't hear her, but when Anna squawked and squealed loudly, Jack heard and turned to face the house. He saw Ryleigh rubbing her ear and he knew that Anna had aimed the screaming in her mother's ear. He chuckled to himself and turned the machine off before walking it over to the back deck. 
"I swear, she get those lungs from you." Ryleigh said as he kissed her cheek. Anna wiggled in Ryleigh's grasp. 
"Lunch is ready." Ryleigh said. They walked inside and ate their lunch.
Once their food was done, Jack went back outside to finish up and Ryleigh and Anna went upstairs to Ryleigh and Jack's room so that Ryleigh could lay down and Anna could play. 
"What are you doing?" Ryleigh asked as Anna looked at her with crossed eyes from her father's side of the bed. Anna smiled and kicked her legs. 
"Hi." Anna said and Ryleigh giggled. 
"Hi baby." Ryleigh replied and Anna grabbed her foot.
 "Did you find your foot?" The mother asked and grabbed her phone to take a picture.
 "Anna, look at mommy." Ryleigh said and the girl did and smiled happily. 
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(This is the photo Ryleigh takes and this is also what Anna is supposed to look like now. I found this photo on Pinterest, so no, I don't know who this little cutie pie is.)
Ryleigh smiled at the photo and then kissed her daughter. "Mommy loves you so much." Ryleigh said as she ran her finger down the baby's cheek. Anna blinked slowly and yawned. 
"Nap time again?" Ryleigh asked and Anna rubbed at her eyes.
 "Ok, precious." Ryleigh said as she got her and Anna situated before nursing her and watching Anna's eyes flutter closed. Well feeding Anna, Ryleigh decided to text her husband and see how the lawn was coming along.
Jack = J and Ryleigh= R.
R: How is the lawn coming along?
J: Good, I'm just putting everything away and then coming up to shower.
R: Sent you a picture. Annie found her foot.
J: I'll look in a minute.
R: When you come into our room, Anna is sleeping on your side of the bed.
J: Sweet pea. Thanks for letting me know. Love you!
Ryleigh smiled and laid down next to Anna. She gently kissed the small girl and closed her eyes. It didn't last long though when Jack walked through the bedroom door. 
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He said with an apologetic tone. Ryleigh smiled sleepily and tried to take in how manly and masculine he looked. 
"It's ok babe." She replied and he walked over to her, giving her a soft kiss. 
"Love you." He whispered before disappearing into the bathroom. 
"Why." Ryleigh softly whined as her belly did that weird flippy thing.....again. Ryleigh ran her hand over her belly to calm the hyper child in her belly. The woman opting to read a book instead of sleeping like she wanted.
Ryleigh got halfway through the book when Jack walked out of their bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. This time however, more than just her belly flipped. She felt the tingles all over and at this point she was really starting to think that it was just the baby moving that caused her to feel all these tingles and flips. That didn't stop Ryleigh from watching her husband get dressed. The water droplets slowly sliding down his back, past his butt and to his glorious thighs. She bit her lip and tried to stop herself from going over to him and fucking him right there. It was like he knew she was watching him. 
"Ryleigh, you still with me?" Jack asked as he knelt down beside Anna. 
"Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?" She asked, getting flustered. Jack smiled.
 "So, you were checking me out." He teased and Ryleigh blushed.
 "So what, I'm allowed to. This,says I am." She replied as she showed him her wedding rings. 
"Fair point. Anyway, I was asking if you wanted me to put her in her bed and then we can talk more about her birthday." Jack explained and Ryleigh smiled.
 "Sounds good. Thank you honey." She replied and watched as he lifted up their small daughter and carried her to her own room. 
"Kid, you have got to stop. These feelings are kind of annoying you know." Ryleigh said as she glared at her belly.
"Why are you glaring at your belly?" Jack asked when he walked back into their room.
"The baby keeps moving and it's annoying me." She replied with a huff.
"I see. Anyway, did you have any ideas on what we could do for her birthday?" Jack asked as he sat down on the bed next to his wife.
"What about we have a BBQ here and we invite everyone over. Just simple and sweet." Ryleigh suggested.
"That sounds like a plan. I thought you'd want a big party though, given that Anna's turning one." Jack said, surprised.
"I know she's turning one but I don't know. By that point, I'll be almost 30 weeks and I really can't be bothered to throw a huge party." Ryleigh replied.
"What if I planned it and just asked your opinion on colours and the theme?" Jack asked with hope in his eyes. 
Ryleigh smiled at him and kissed his cheek. 
"Why don't we let Anna pick. That way we can tell her that she was the one that picked everything if she ever complains about it in the future." Ryleigh said with a laugh.
"This is why I love you." Jack replied and got out his laptop and note pad.
Both of them spent the rest of Anna's nap time planning things out. 
=
Later that evening, Jack and Ryleigh played a game with Anna. They had come up with a 'this or that' game with photos they had printed off. Their goal was that whatever photo she chose, that was what they would go with for her party.
"What about this one?" Ryleigh asked and Anna squirmed in her mother's grasp.
"Done." Anna said and Jack sighed.
"One more sweet pea." Jack said and Anna shook her head.
"Done." She said again. 
Jack and Ryleigh looked at each other.
"Right, if she says dada, the theme of the party will be a laid back cowgirl type thing. If she says mama, we will go full on cowgirl themed. If she says done one more time, we will have the BBQ with family and a slight cowgirl theme." Ryleigh said and Jack nodded. 
"Anna, who do you love more?" Ryleigh asked. 
Anna looked at her mother and pouted.
"Done." She said and Jack laughed.
"Slight cowgirl theme with a family BBQ it is." Jack said as he wrote it down.
"Perfect. Now that we have it sorted, can you take her please." Ryleigh said as she held the little girl out to her father.
"Come here honey." Jack said as Anna looked at him with confusion.
"Done." Anna said as she laid her head on her father's chest.
"Let's put you to bed." The father replied as he stood up.
The small family walked upstairs after turning the lights off and locking up the house.
Jack changed Anna and laid her down in her crib.
"Goodnight my sweet girl. Mommy and daddy love you so much." Jack said as he gently pat her belly.
Anna smiled up at him sleepily and closed her eyes.
Jack grabbed the baby monitor and walked back to his and Ryleigh's room.
"Babe?" Jack asked when he didn't see her. 
When Ryleigh didn't answer, he walked to the closed bathroom door knowing that that's where she was. 
He knocked on the door and heard her gagging. 
Jack opened the door and rushed to her side. He rubbed her back with one hand as the other hand held her hair back. 
"It's ok." he said when she started whimpering. He knew how much she hated getting sick and it made him feel even worse knowing that it was his baby doing this to her.
Once she was finished, he flushed the toilet for her and helped her stand slowly.
"Easy does it." He said as he walked over to the sink, so that she could brush her teeth.
When she was done, Jack carefully picked her up bridal style and carried her to their bed. He laid her down and covered her with the blanket.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get you a bowl and some water." He said as he left the room.
Ryleigh smiled to herself and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.
"Here you go my beautiful." Jack said when he came back into the room.
"Thank you." Ryleigh said gratefully. She took a sip of water and instantly felt her tummy settle back down.
Jack took his jeans and shirt off before climbing into bed. 
"Goodnight, my love." Jack said as he kissed his wife and turned off the light.
"Jack?" Ryleigh asked softly.
"Hmmm" He said as he turned over to face her.
"Can you hold me please?" She asked and Jack chuckled.
He turned on to his back and Ryleigh laid her head on his chest, her arm resting on his belly.
"Thank you baby." She mumbled into him.
"You're welcome honey. Try and get some sleep ok?" He said and she nodded.
"Love you." She said as she kissed his chest before snuggling into him and breathing him in. The smell of porridge and brown sugar filling her nose and making her giggle.
"What?" Jack asked.
"You smell like porridge and brown sugar." She replied and Jack laughed.
"That would be Anna's dinner." He continued. Ryleigh shook her head and cuddled back into him.
"It smells like home to me." She said as she yawned.
Jack smiled at her answer and kissed the top of her head. Both of them letting sleep take over.
=
The next morning, Ryleigh woke up with the need to pee. She slowly crawled out of bed, not wanting to wake her sleeping husband. Once she had relieved herself and brushed her teeth, she crawled back into bed. 
Ryleigh laid there and stared at Jack. She took in how serene he looked. His hair messy from sleeping. His lips were slightly parted as he breathed heavily. His stubbled jawline driving her imagination wild. His long eyelashes resting upon his cheeks. 
Jack turned on to his back, pushing the blanket to his waist. Ryleigh bit her lip as she looked at his exposed body. What she would give to feel his muscles moving under her touch as she rode him. 
"Really?" Ryleigh whispered with annoyance as she huffed slowly. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she tested out if what she was feeling was the baby moving or if she was actually turned on. She shrugged, deciding that it wouldn't hurt. 
Ryleigh carefully removed the blanket from the rest of his body, making sure that his legs were still covered as she didn't want him to wake up just yet. When she was happy with where the blanket sat, she moved her attention to her husband. 
Her hands gently moved into his Polo Ralph Lauren boxers and pulled his cock and balls free. Did she care if he was flaccid? Not at all. Ryleigh licked her lips as she stroked him and watched him for a reaction. When she was sure that he wasn't awake, she wrapped her lips around him and began to suck. Gently at first and then she worked into a steady pace. The more that she worked him, the more she felt him grow in her mouth. The feeling of it made her wet with arousal. 
Not long after he was fully erect, Jack woke up. He could feel the sensations and If he was being honest, he thought he was dreaming at first. When he looked down however, he knew that he wasn't dreaming. Ryleigh hadn't noticed that Jack had woken up and was now biting his lip to try and hold back the moans that were threatening to slip free. 
Jack whimpered slightly and Ryleigh reached for his hand as she continued sucking him. He intertwined their fingers loosely and let his moans escape.
"Stop, stop, stop." Jack said quickly as he squeezed her hand. Ryleigh stopped her movements and pulled away from him.
"Why do you want me to stop?" She asked curiously.
"Wanna fuck you." He panted and Ryleigh smiled brightly. She moved away from him to removed her sleeping shorts and Jack removed his boxers, throwing them to the ground. Ryleigh climbed over him and slid down on his cock, straddling his hips. Both of them moaned. Jack placed his hands on her hips, helping her rock against him. 
"Fuck, fuck. god baby, yes." Ryleigh panted as she felt herself begin to loose control.
"Let go for me baby." Ryleigh said when she felt him twitch against her walls. He didn't need to be told twice.
 He grunted loudly as he released. "Shit." He said when he finished and relaxed into the mattress beneath him. "You didn't finish." Jack continued as Ryleigh climbed off of him.
"It's ok." She replied as she laid down beside him. Jack ignore her answer and moved his hand down to her clit. 
"Hmmmmmm." Ryleigh sighed as she bit her lip and closed her eyes, feeling the way her husband's fingers moved against her. 
Jack leaned down and kissed her deeply. Ryleigh turned into him slightly and she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close. 
"I'm close baby. Don't stop." Ryleigh begged. Jack quickened his pace and Ryleigh fell apart in his arms. Her body convulsed and shook with pleasure. Ryleigh kissed him as she came down from her high.
"What made you want to wake me up the way you did?" Jack asked after they laid under their blanket. 
"Lately I've been getting these strange sensations when I either see you with Anna, because you're a hot piece of ass or doing something around the house. I can never tell if it's because the baby moves at the same time the feeling hits or if it's because I'm actually turned on." Ryleigh explained.
"Hot piece of ass you say." Jack teased.
Ryleigh  rolled her eyes. "That's the part you take from it?" Ryleigh asked with slight annoyance.
"Tell me exactly, what things is it that I do that gives you these feelings?" Jack asked.
"When you hold Anna, when you talk or sing to her. When you feed her, cook with her. Then seeing do chores around the house and especially when you're not wearing your shirt. Don't even get me started on you with a towel around your waist." Ryleigh said as she listed pretty much everything.
"Right. Well, that's everything I do." He said as he chuckled.
"I know. See my dilemma?" She replied. "Then this morning when I came back to bed after having  to use the bathroom, I may have watched you sleep and it may have given me the same feeling. I wanted to see what it really was." She explained.
"I see. Well I'm glad I could help." He said as he yawned. 
"We still have about and hour and half until Anna wakes up, let's get some more sleep." Ryleigh said and Jack nodded.
=
Exactly an hour and half later, Anna was wide awake and ready to start her day.
"Dada!" Anna screamed at the top of her lungs. Both of her parents shot out of bed, quickly got dressed and went to get Anna.
"Dada!" Anna screamed again. 
"Ok princess. We know that you're awake." Jack said as he lifted the baby out of her crib. Ryleigh smiled watching them.
"I'll go and get her breakfast ready." Ryleigh said as she walked over to them. "What do you want?" Ryleigh continued. Anna looked at the ducks on her pajamas and pointed to them.
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(Anna’s jammies, minus the bib.)
"You want duck?" Jack teased and Anna stared at him blankly. 
"I'll go make her some toast." Ryleigh said, knowing that Anna associated ducks with bread. 
"We'll be down in a minute." Jack replied as he walked over to the change table and laid his daughter on top of it. 
"Ok." Ryleigh replied before walking away to make toast and cut up some fruit.
Jack turned his attention to his daughter who grunted to capture his said attention. 
"You're a cheeky madam." Jack said as he attacked the baby with kisses, making her squeal in laughter. Jack stopped after a few minutes and finished his job of changing the little girl. 
"Jackson!" Ryleigh called as she put the baby's cut up food on her highchair tray.
"Sorry for taking so long." He said as he hurried down the stairs with Anna giggling in his grasp.
"What's so funny missy?" the mother asked as she took Anna from her father.
They all ate their breakfast and enjoyed their time together.
Tag List: @sarahegerton96​ @mairyleo​ @jobanan23​ @softeggsy​ @stronglyobsessed​ @holdmeclosertinytaron​ @hauntedflamingo​ @superthiccthighssavelives​ @aberystwythboy​ @dogmom2014​ @rocknrollmadden​
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kalluun-patangaroa · 5 years
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Suede
SKY magazine, December 1993
written by Simon Witter 
"HELLO! WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?!" asks Brett Anderson rhetorically, staring at the fluff he has just removed from his ear. "I haven't taken these earrings off for about nine years."
It may seem an incongruous moment to ask the 27-year-old indie pin-up about his personal style, but hey, that's the kind of guy I am. "Tatty," replies Brett with a wry smile. "I haven't been able to get out and go shopping."
Brett Anderson, frontman of Suede – the British pop sensation of 93 – is hotly rumoured to have a great dress sense. Today however, perched uncomfortably behind an executive desk at the central London HQ of his record company, his head inadvertently framed by a halo of Right Said Fred promotional balloons, he is sporting a navy blue jeans'n'top ensemble he accurately describes as "just anything". Brett has been telling me how he spends most of his time with people who work in shops or are unemployed – "real people, not in the business" – so I presume this boutique bonding provides a clue to his supposed, though temporarily non-evident, style savvy.
"Oh no," he gasps. "Not clothes shops! Most of my friends are in food shops. So I know a good bit of brie when I see it."
The thought of Brett Anderson having, at any point in his life, ever eaten food, conjures images of pigs flapping their trotters as they sail past this second floor window. But we press on with the personal style enquiry.
"I want to change it at the moment," he says. "I'm sick of wearing second-hand things. I used to have a grudge against new clothes because I don't like wearing things that another thousand people are wearing. It's nothing to do with being into clothes from years ago, or tatty clothes at all. I'm quite keen to toy around with my style until I eventually find something, to have clothes made for me. There's never anything, when I go out and look for clothes, that I really love. I've got quite a strong vision of what I want, which would be very, very well fitted things. I don't like baggy things. I like lots of ethnic looks. I really like the Spanish look, that sort of matador thing." By way of explanation, Brett strikes a pose, clicking imaginary castanets above his head. "I like that shape. Prince wears a really brilliant little thing sometimes. When I kept getting my bellybutton out, it was really a desire to achieve that shape more than anything, nothing to do with flaunting my navel."
It's well worth flashing your bellybutton while you still can, I assure him, a rueful hand on my own expanding waistline.
"Yep," he smiles. "Well I can't anymore. Not after that chinese last night."
In May of 1992 Suede released their first single, 'The Drowners'. They had already been on the cover of Melody Maker – before they had a record out – and would grace 18 other British magazine covers over the next year, including the cover of Q on just their second single. Their eponymous debut album, released last March, went straight to No. One in the charts and went on to win the Mercury Prize, and last autumn they released a full-length concert video Love & Poison. At this rate, it will be time for their memoirs by easter.
Within the bizarre, incestuous fishbowl of the British music media, Suede have become almost self-damagingly important. After a couple of wilderness years spent faffing about, finding their feet and being universally loathed, their overnight transformation into the most hyped band in the world was nothing short of miraculous. Yet it created impossibly high expectations of their music. A German friend told me how surprised he was, after long distance exposure to their media glare, to discover how average Suede sounded – a judgment that casual discovery of the first album would hardly have elicited. And while touring America, their support act the Cranberries famously outshone them by an enormous factor when it came to album sales. Yet phase one of Suede's career has been – or appeared to be – so extraordinary, that they are going to be hard-pressed to follow it up with anything similarly momentous.
For now, we have 'Stay Together', a new, epically long single. As a measure of Suede's magnitude in the reality-starved world of British indie pop, I am treated to an absurd preview of the track the day before meeting Brett. Before entering the listening room I am subjected to a bag search to check – I kid you not! – that I'm not carrying a concealed tape recorder.
In LA, the world capital of muso control freakism, I was played U2's Desire, the immediate-follow up to their 15-million selling Joshua Tree album, eons before its release without anyone thinking twice. Yet now, without a hint of humour or irony, I am being treated as if I not only know anyone who cares what the next Suede single sounds like, but would be willing to pay for a tape of it recorded through a leather bag.
After regaining consciousness, I join in the fiasco, insist on a full body search (well, at less reputable establishments you'd have to pay good money for this touchy-feely experience) and am seated. The label boss places two speakers on each side of my head, facing my ears from about 20" away, turns it up LOUD, and begins to do that embarrassing, pseudo appreciative in-chair grooving that only people who work in record companies and recording studios have the gall to indulge in. "It's not pompous," he assures me, "even though it's eight minutes long."
Of course any pop song – as opposed to dance record – that lasts eight minutes is by definition pompous. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was gloriously, defiantly pompous with a side order of pomposity to go. But, despite the circumstances, 'Stay Together' sounds like a fine, many-hued song, liberally doused with Bernard Butler's life-saving guitar, that is destined neither to win many new fans nor shock the devotees.
"It's about a sense of unrest I feel about the world," Brett tells me the following day, in an ill-advised shot at an explanation. "An attempt to make some sense when everything seems to be going slightly insane. I do get a real sense of impending doom, but not in a depressing way, not like we're all gonna die, let's go and rape people. I feel quite content with it. We're living under some shadow, and I'm not quite sure what it is. It's a bit like the fears I felt when I was growing up, when things were unstable and there was the threat of nuclear war, or the fear that your parents could die of aerosol poisoning."
Brett grew up, together with Suede drummer Mat Osman, in the soulless satellite town of Haywards Heath, between London and Brighton. According to Osman, if they'd been the tea party fops people make them out to be, they would've formed a grunge band. They only wanted to be really glamorous because of their stultifyingly dull working class backgrounds. Some might say that that would lead to the three-Es-a-night, dance-and-forget syndrome, rather than the formation of a glam rock band.
"Hopefully we're not a glam rock band," Brett shudders defensively. "You can escape those surroundings by taking a load of Es and ignoring it. Another way is to create your own myth, to try and become romantic in your own eyes, to create something beautiful out of the rubbish and the shit. It all sounds very Oscar Wilde, but that's the way we did it. None of us were brought up in workhouses, but we haven't had easy lives at all."
Suede claim to be obsessed with fame because they were excluded from it. Yet surely fame is the one classless thing people aren't born into?
"Lots of people are constantly privileged," says Brett, who has clearly spent an unhealthy amount of time pondering the abstract qualities of fame. "If you're born in Soho to rich professional parents, and you've got Jonathan Wotsisname coming round to your house every night to see your father, then you've got this world that you slip easily into. When you're excluded from it there's a desperation, you're desperate to have it. It doesn't come as second nature to you, like professionally famous people who hang out in Beverly Hills. It's not something you're comfortable with, but that mutates it into something far more interesting, a bit prickly and far more creative, because you're not just sitting there lapping it up."
Suede's appearance coincided not unfortunately with the post-Madchester 70s revival. But was their styling something more than just the result of being unable to afford new clothes? Personally, I had thought the emergence of Gary Numan had killed off the idea of anyone ever again wanting to be David Bowie (not to mention Bowie's recent records). Then along came Suede, with their rough guitars, their androgyny and their theatrical singer.
"I never thought of ourselves as '70s," Brett insists. "David Bowie is a genius, but the rest of all that rubbish I always found laughable. As for the clothes, I always thought we looked more 60s than 70s. It's all tied up with this whole kitsch thing, this Magpie and Porridge and rediscovering the culture of British music journalists' youths. Kids of 14 didn't know what anyone was talking about, it was just that the people in power had reached a certain age where they were getting sentimental about their youth and started remembering Magpie. That's all it was, all a complete load of rubbish. As soon as we were aware that this scene was going on, we wanted nothing to do with it."
Brett's voice is a highly variable instrument, perfect and beautiful on slow numbers like 'The Next Life', but occasionally, when he affects that archly operatic Bowie yodel, a whiney, sneering sound like Rik Mayall on speed boring into your brain – absolutely maddening. It goes without saying that his delivery owes much to the most overrated British pop star of the last decade, Morrissey.
"I forced my voice in that way because of how we were born, musically, playing shitholes. It was the only way I could make myself heard. I didn't want to sing in the murmuring way that was the style of the time. I wanted to project my voice, because I was writing songs that I wanted people to hear the words of. I wasn't just writing about fluffy little clouds, which is what everyone was doing at the time. People read into my intonations a theatrical seventiesness, but it was a complete accident."
Overworked as the subject is, it's hard to avoid asking why Brett thinks his androgyny caused such a fuss. It's not the first time it has been done; it's not even the tenth time. Genderless, mincing fops are to classic British pop what hairspray is to American rock, a staple ingredient. Brett, by comparison to most, is pretty tame.
"I don't know," he sighs. "We certainly weren't thinking 'oh let's be androgynous', it's just the way we are. I'm naturally quite an effeminate person – not all the time, I do play on things. I think it was because, at the time, people were so incredibly boring. We had been through five years of the cult of non-personality, and we never wanted to go with the flow. When everyone had their heads down, chugging away, we wanted to twist things a little bit. It's like at school, when you find that something annoys someone, you keep on doing it more and more. And that's what happened really."
A female psychologist wrote recently about the overt sexual expression of pre-pubertal girls at pop concerts, the way in which, amidst the non-contact hysteria of the pop experience, they could sometimes experience their first orgasm. She was, admittedly, talking about a Take That show, but I can't help wondering if it looks like that from the stage to Brett Anderson?
"No, nothing like that," he purrs, "nothing sexual. I always feel like people are putting it on."
Having their first fake orgasm?
"It's a bizarre thing in my head. I know they really like me, but I can't really take it seriously. When I'm onstage, and it's working, I feel like I can do absolutely anything. I feel as though there's no limit, even in the sense that I could fall asleep if I felt like it, because I'm that relaxed. I feel much more comfortable on stage than walking down the street. I could go off into a corner and do a crossword or shave my head. I feel ridiculously relaxed. I really enjoy the power of being onstage. It's to do with the circuit of the flow between the audience and you, when it's an audience willing you to be good. Your own power is an expression of how the audience is feeling, but I can't say I ever feel sexual, even if it looks that way. I think that to call the power purely sexual is to belittle it. When I've been to incredible gigs, it hasn't been a sexual thing, it has been something far more magical than that. "
Brett and Osman came to London in the mid 80s to study, respectively, architecture and politics at UCL and LSE. Suede began after they placed an ad in the NME in 1989, but initial concerts had audiences shouting "Fuck off!", critics calling them effete wankers and record companies running for the hills - a three-pronged invitation to eat shit and die that would have spelt the end for most bands.
"That X factor that made people despise us," muses Brett, "was something we managed to turn around in our favour. It's like being in love with someone, and exactly the same things you adore about them, completely horrify you when you've fallen out of love. We went away and learnt how to write songs, and came back transformed. And those qualities that originally pissed people off, we transformed into something provocative. I think the fact that we went through all that rubbish was a fucking good thing for us. People forget that the Beatles spent five years in Hamburg. No one would touch them in England, cos everyone thought they were an utter load of shit. They spent five years getting it together, suffering a bit and fighting for it."
A typical lyric from those hard years was Brett's line about "shitting paracetomol on the escalator". When they were recently described as chemically saturated, I had assumed more interesting chemicals were involved.
"That's about pure mundanity, being off your face every night and your staple diet coming from your bathroom cabinet. It's a metaphor for a humdrum life, going up and down the London underground, which I spent five years of my life doing."
In many ways this – Suede's poignant soundtracking of new depression Britain – is their strength. But if they are Her Majesty's equivalent of slackers, it hasn't made America any more amenable to their cause. Indeed, despite Brett's avowed loathing of the British character – "negativity, small-mindedness, lack of faith" – there may well be a Britishness about Suede which prevents America from getting the point.
Brett makes the mistake of quoting a Smiths song to me – something about innocence, fragility and trust – forcing me to point out that American audiences don't want to be trusted with something precious, they want to rock out with their cocks out. Evan Dando may wear a dress and pigtails, but the wider American market is notoriously unkeen on sexual ambiguity. Queen were big in America until the early 80s, when Freddie Mercury started appearing in full clone gear. They never toured America again, and didn't have a single hit until after his death (and then only thanks to Wayne's World). In fact, America's association of guitars and manliness make Suede fundamentally unsuited.
"No!" storms Brett. "I don't think we're fundamentally unmanly. All you have to do is come and watch us live. We're about sexuality, power and emotion, things that everybody feels."
Whether or not America is destined to fall for his Morrissey-meets-Larry Grayson stage persona, Brett's much-aired desire to move to America (and less well-known plan to live in Paris) has, for now, been replaced by a much smaller act of bedouinism.
"I've moved from Notting Hill to Highgate," he announces proudly, "from a fashionable place to a place where you're living in the last century pretty much. I was living in a very small flat in Notting Hill and it was driving me insane, I couldn't write and was being bombarded with nonsense all day long. I needed the peace and quiet, and now I have a bigger flat with a studio room in it and I'm writing quite prolifically. It's more serene, there's more space to think. It's quite a beautiful place, but you do feel like you're living in the last century, like you're some sort of oddity, or in a play. You keep going into these odd characters. But it's a great place."
In person, and despite the affectation of much of his thought processes, Brett Anderson is quite charming. An endearing smile – which seems to hibernate when cameras are around – plays constantly around his face, suggesting shared confidences which, to some extent, he delivers. Like so many people cocooned by over-protective minions, he is refreshingly open and approachable. I like him. But he is deeply shocked and incredulous when I paint a picture of the special treatment afforded him by those he works with.
"They treat me with the respect I deserve," he jokes defensively. "I don't have tea with Lenny Kravitz. My best friend works in a chip shop, and that's why I like it, it's a complete escape. One of the beautiful things about being successful is that it can rub off onto your friends as well. Not fame and all that bullshit – the really brilliant thing about being successful is the self-confidence, the sense of life having a purpose, that life is a wonderful thing. You open the shutters in the morning and the sunshine pours through. That sense of vitality about life can completely rub off on your friends. Sometimes it doesn't, it can go the other way, with friends ignoring you cos they think you don't have time for them, but that never happens with your proper friends."
And yet, engulfed in the sweltering perversity of his peer group, Brett has come to hold some pretty crap views, views that seem utterly irrelevant beyond the borders of saddo indie land. He worries about being thought a sell-out, thinks Suede are radically honest because they admit to having ambition – as if people didn't get over all that bollocks a decade ago – and, worst of all, that people don't talk enough about music in interviews. Oh dear!
But, despite all this, Brett's public image remains unshatterably cool. He exudes waves of sultry, sulky hipness. I feel an urge to know what naff items lurk in the corners of Chateau Anderson, his ownership of which will shock Suede devotees to the core. Brett tells me he's been to see Aladdin, listens to jazz music, likes The Orb and Verve and has just bought the new Shamen single. To prove it, he even does his Mr C impression - "Comin' on like a vibe, y'know!". This won't do at all.
"I like Terence Trent D'Arby," he admits, trying harder. "I think he's really good."
It's good, but it's not right.
"I bought Billy Joel's River Of Dreams album. I like that one."
Aha – as Inspector Clouseau used to say – now we are getting somewhere! What about films?
"No, I've got impeccable taste when it comes to films."
No feature length On The Buses video stashed chez Brett?
"No. I have got Crocodile Dundee."
Bingo and Bullseye! So much for impeccable taste.
"Well, my perennial favourite is Performance," he flusters wildly. "I can virtually quote the whole film from start to finish. And there's a brilliant film which I've just discovered called The Shout, with John Hurt, Alan Bates and Susanna York. It's about a man who has spent years in the Australian bush learning the secrets of the bush doctors coming to this ridiculously reserved Cornish village and turning two people's lives upside down. It's like an animal alive within this village, and when he shouts, everyone within a mile radius dies. If Alan Bates' part had been played by Vincent Price, it would've been laughable, but it's incredibly powerful, one of those great lost films."
It's a nice try, but nothing can erase the impression created by Billy Joel and Crocodile Dundee.
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svtmatokis · 5 years
Text
Mingyu Office AU! P7
Part 7 is here!!! Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the plot twists that have yet to come ;)
Words: 3059
Pairing: Reader x Mingyu 
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6  
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Mingyu sat by your bedside as you slept. When he came into the room ten minutes earlier, the nurse who was checking your vitals had said they put you on some strong antibiotics but you could wake up at anytime. She had also told him that while they were checking you out, you kept muttering someone’s name and they figured you were looking for whoever it was, when Mingyu gave her his name, she confirmed that it was him and that you must depend on him a lot to look for him subconsciously. 
He brushed the hair away from your forehead as you slept, despite being on medication your temperature was still quite high and he began to worry. 
“Why do you have to be so selfless all the time?” he asked your sleeping figure as he observed your bandaged arm. It was wrapped from your shoulder to half way down your upper arm and he could see some of the blood seeping through it. 
“We literally just started dating on Friday but I feel like I need to protect you and never leave you alone” He let out an uneasy chuckle, “Especially after today. Why would you put yourself in harms way when you knew that something worse could’ve happened? Why did you go out when you knew you were feeling sick? You should’ve stayed home and rested instead. I know you wanted to see some of your old friends but that's no excuse. You could’ve seen them tomorrow when they visited” He brought your hand to his lips as he laid a gentle kiss on it.
“Now everyone on the floor is going to be on your back and I’m going to have to fight them off one by one.”he continued, “And I bet even Seungcheol won’t let you out of his sight.” 
“They better if they don’t want to get kicked.” your tired voice was almost music to his ears. You slowly opened your eyes and saw Mingyu’s deep brown ones which were full of concern. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at your guys weekend.” 
Mingyus eyes widened slightly, “You’re lying here in the hospital and you're asking why I’m here? Y/N, when Jun got the call, everyone dropped what they were doing and we all panicked. Everyone’s outside waiting for you to wake up.” He leaned down so your foreheads were touching. “You really have no idea how big of an impact you’ve made on those around you do you”
You shook your head slightly and he chuckled placing a gentle on your lips. 
“Let’s just say anyone who can make the President and Vice President of the company drop their lunch and run to the hospital in record time has probably made a huge impact on a lot of people, including them.” He said and your eyes widened. How many people were actually here?
“I’m sure they’re all worried about you too…the doctors need to check you over one last time and you’ll probably get discharged lawyer today. Do you want me to get everyone?” Mingyu asked, though in reality he wanted you to rest more. 
“Can you get Cheol, Jeonghan and Josh to come first?” You asked and he nodded. He already had a feeling what you wanted to talk to them about and prayed that you’d be easy on them.  
“I’ll get the doctor first and then I’ll get the others” Mingyu said and leaned down to peck your lips once more before whispering “I’ll be back soon”
You squeezed his hand and he slowly pulled away giving you a smile before leaving the room and consequently running into Mei Wei who had seen and listened to the whole thing. 
“You two are dating?” She asked right away, “isn’t that against office policy?”
Mingyu resisted the urge to glare at the girl. 
‘Isn’t fooling around with your fathers employees also against company policy?’
“Our office is different from yours. We have a different culture and the President is fine with it as long as it doesn’t effect the work flow of the office” Mingyu stated, he turned to look at her with one that sent shivers down her spine, she could tell that he wasn’t one to be played with easily but she could fix that just like she did Yanan
Sliding up to his side and slinking her arm around his,”You know… I can report you two…it’s against our company policy to internally date your co-workers.”
Mingyu took his arm back and scoffed at the girl, “I’m sorry and you are…”
“You don’t know who I am?” She asked shocked and Mingyu shook his head pretending not to know.  
“My father owns the company silly. I can totally have you two fired.” She stated trying to grasp his arm again but he was quick to walk away to get your doctor before getting Joshua, Seungcheol and Jeonghan like you requested. 
Mingyu raised an eyebrow at her before chuckling, his patience was wearing thin. 
“I don’t think you’re aware of how the company works. Our contracts are exclusive to the Seoul office and have no ties to the policy of the China office. You have zero grounds to fire me nor do we have any association with one another.” Mingyu shot back and Mei Wei looked stunned but recovered quickly. 
“Y/N’s isn’t. She’s a transfer so she’s still technically tied to our office policy. So I can get her fired on the grounds that she’s dating someone from an associates office” she stated once more trying to sound smart but she had only heard this from Yanan. 
Mingyu raised his eyebrow. 
‘So she doesn’t know that Y/N signed a new contract…’ 
He then nodded his head and gave Mei Wei a tight smile and walked away not wanting to be in her presence much longer though it gave her the strong feeling that she had won. Boy was she wrong. 
“Hey Josh, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, she wants to see you before anyone else.” Mingyu said approaching the group that stood up quickly since they saw the doctor walk towards your room and Mingyu coming out looking perplexed. 
“Why would she…” Joshua started and the three shared a look before Mingyu walked forward patting Seungcheol on the back. 
“I think you guys have an idea as to what she wants to discuss, good luck.” He stated before looking at Luhan. “VP Lu, if you wouldn’t mind having a word in private.”
Luhan nodded his head noting Mingyus serious tone, “shall we step outside?”
Mingyu nodded,”I think it’s best”
“I’ll be right back.” Luhan told Yanan as he noticed Mei Wei come from the same direction with a smug look on her face and he suddenly had an inkling as to what Mingyu wanted to talk about. 
Once the two were outside Mingyu cut straight to the chase, “I need to know what’s on Y/N’s contract. I know that you helped her terminate her old one with the China office but what’s different and what’s the same.”
“I made sure that any association she had with our office was terminated. She’s only exclusive to the Seoul Office” Luhan responded, “What happened?”
“That girl who’s the China heads daughter overheard my conversation with Y/N and threatened to have her removed from the company” Mingyu answered looking down,”Whatever happens, I won’t let anyone hurt Y/N again.” 
Luhan observed Mingyu for a moment, “So you know about the incident.”
“You mean incidents?” Mingyu asked clarifying, “She told me everything on Friday...it took everything I had in there not to beat Yanan to the ground. After everything Y/N’s gone through, she still finds it in her heart to forgive the people that wronged her.”
Luhan nodded slowly, “She’s a special one. It’s a shame that everything went the way it did…” then one of Mingyus previous comments caught his attention, “forgave?”
 He had always thought you were too hurt from the incidents leading to your departure which was why you asked him to keep everything quiet. He thought you left with a grudge towards Yanan which was why you decided not to stay in contact with anyone after you transferred in fear of someone telling Yanan. 
“Y/N has photos of her and Yanan from a few years back at her apartment…” Mingyu responded,  “its not much but the fact she keeps them shows that she still sees him as somewhat of a friend. I think Mei Wei is the big issue for her and yet she still chose to save her” 
Luhan nodded slowly, “I didn’t understand either...but she did what she did..”
“and from what I heard, Mei Wei isn’t grateful at all…” Mingyu muttered while Luhan shook his head. “So what did you tell everyone that made Mei Wei think that Y/N was still tied to your office.”
“Nothing. We just said Y/N rejected the position but we never discussed what happened to her. The transfer was my doing and suggestion and she went along with it to get out. You should’ve seen how broken she was after she confronted Yanan. That’s why I was surprised when you said she forgave him.” Luhan explained and Mingyu looked at him. 
“How close were they?” Mingyu asked and Luhan knew what he was getting at.  
“He was attracted to her, that’s for sure. They met as interns and when he realized his good looks and charming attitude was not getting her attention he started working harder at the office to the point where she started talking to him and the two formed a bond. Everyone thought they’d end up going out once he got promoted to Tier 1 but Y/N wanted to achieve something before any of that. Then Mei Wei started coming to the office and she zero’d in on Yanan right away. In the end Yanan got tired of waiting…” Luhan explained. 
“And he fell into Mei Wei’s trap” Mingyu concluded as Luhan nodded. “But that’s not why she stopped talking to him though.”
“Mei Wei realized that with Y/N around, Yanan wouldn’t give her the time of day so she deliberately did things to get her way. When we caught the two, she didn’t say anything and acted normal. When Mei Wei started taunting her, she debated on it but kept silent anyways but would tell me how she felt. She was slowly breaking and her work was showing it. After the staircase incident, it was my last straw and when she came to me...it was the most broken I had ever seen her and I knew I had to get her to accept the S.A position or leave.”
“And she chose to leave to escape the taunting…” Mingyu said with clenched fists, “cause if she stuck around, the taunting wouldn’t stop”
“Exactly. I was worried about her for a long time. I made sure she had no contact with anyone during her first three months of her transfer and that included me…she needed a fresh start and this was the perfect place and I knew a lot of her real friends were here. I also knew your office culture and thought it was perfect for her to be here cause like I expected, she fit right in.” Luhan smiled, “I knew about the regional meeting and was worried about the site visit. Though Jeonghan was updating me, I wanted to see for myself. After seeing her with you Friday, I knew I made the right decision.”
“Thank you” Mingyu said, “If you didn’t transfer her here, I wouldn’t have met her nor would I have gotten the tier 1 position. I knew I wanted her right away… but Minghao told me that my looks and attitude alone wouldn’t get her so I started asking Jihoon for more work to show her that I was serious. If I got the Tier 1 promotion, it would prove to her that I was serious. It was the best day of my life when she agreed to go out with me.”
“I can see that and I can see that you care deeply for her” Luhan responded and looked down at his watch noting that they’d been gone for a while, “Even if both of you got booted from the company, it’s not like you wouldn’t be able to care for her either right?”
Mingyu gave Luhan a side glance as he continued. 
“I knew I recognized you from somewhere…your dad must’ve hated it when you left the family business to join the competing side but despite all that, your brother took over and you lost nothing.”
“How did you…” Mingyu started but Luhan cut him off suddenly. 
“We should get going before everyone thinks I tried to poach you or something” Luhan suddenly said and patted his shoulder, “I know you’ll take care of her. Don’t make me regret it” 
Mingyu nodded his head as he saw Yanan walk out, Luhan was good. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. I promise. I’m going to check on Y/N, the guys were going to try and talk her out of the project and I’m sure they lost.”
“But Seungcheols word is law” Luhan stated and Mingyu chuckled. 
“Have you ever been able to say no to Y/N?” When Luhan didn’t respond, he got his answer and started towards your room purposely bumping into Yanans shoulder along the way. 
When he was gone, Yanan approached Luhan. “What was that all about?”
A smile made its way to Luhans face as he shrugged his shoulders, “Just wanted to check in about Y/N and he was the perfect person.” He replied before he himself made his way towards your room where he heard laughter. 
When he peeked in, he saw that you were sitting up on the bed and Seungcheol of all people was signing discharge papers. Jun and Minghao were waiting by a wheelchair and Mingyu was going through your things to ensure everything was in check and Mei Wei was pouting by the window watching the whole scene.
“Going home?” He asked as you looked up. Though you were fairly pale and your voice sounded weak, you had spirit in your eyes and he had an inkling as to who was the cause of that. 
“My temp finally went down and these three have their tails between their legs. I would say I can go home now” you answered with a tired grin and Seungcheol interrupted you. 
“The moment one of us thinks you’re getting worse, you’re going home tomorrow” 
“I have no arguments as long as I can take her” Mingyu stated in your place. 
“And then you’ll be coming right back to the office” Jeonghan added, “if she gets you sick we’re done for. Plus isn’t there a certain announcement that Jihoon is going to make tomorrow?” He looked as Joshua, with that same twinkle in his eye you saw he first time you met him. 
“Yea Gyu, we can’t announce a tier 1 promo without the person who actually got promoted” Joshua said and Everyone but the management team and you turned to Mingyu shocked. 
“Seriously bro? Congrats’!” Minghao said coming over to give Mingyu a bro hug, followed by Jun, Seokmin and Soonyoung. They all knew he was working towards the promotion but they had no idea as to when Seungcheol and Jihoon would sign the official papers.
“I knew the hard work would pay off” Soonyoung commented and Mingyu thanked everyone. 
“We’ll all have a celebratory lunch tomorrow but for now, let’s get Y/N home so she can get some
proper rest.” Jihoon stated and everyone nodded in agreement. 
“I’m going to meet up with Kyulkyung and we’re gonna stop by the pharmacy to get you more meds” Jun said as you looked around the room noticing your friends absence. 
“Speaking of Kyung… did no one tell her?” You asked. 
“She knows. But it’s just best she’s not here since a certain someone else is” Jun responded nudging his head towards Mei Wei. “We don’t need two people in the hospital today.”
You could faintly hear Mei Wei scoff from her position from the window and you couldn’t figure out why she was still there. 
“Now get into the wheelchair Y/N” Minghao stated. 
“I don’t need a wheelchair” you whined. 
“You are a patient of the hospital and until you exit those doors, you’re in a wheelchair” Minghao said ignoring your whine and looked at Mingyu for help.
After putting your phone in your purse, Mingyu handed it to you and picked you up with ease and put you in the wheel chair in order to avoid anymore distractions from getting you home. He also wasn’t too happy that Mei Wei and Yanan decided to stick around but continued to ignore them nonetheless.
“My cars right outside so you won’t be in it for long and like Jihoon said, the faster we get you home,the faster you can rest.” he stated with a soft smile towards you. He then turned to look at everyone around you. “Thanks for helping care for her guys, I really appreciate it. I’ll take her home to get settled first. I guess we’ll be seeing you all later?” 
The group of men around you nodded including Luhan and Yanan.
“We’ll grab dinner and meet you guys later.” Seungcheol said, “Take care of her.” 
Mingyu nodded and started to roll you out of the room and stopped by Luhan and Yanan who had remained by the door and looked down at you asking you a silent question in which you nodded.
“You guys can come by too if you’d like, I know how worried you two were about her. Jun or Hao will give you her address.” he said and the two men nodded.
“Take care of her.”Luhan said, “we’ll see you later.” 
Mingyu smiled and pushed you out of the room and you waved at Luhan,completely ignoring Yanan.
“Let’s go, you still have a temperature and the faster we get you home,the faster Dr. Kim can make you better” Mingyu said as you smiled at him thanking him silently and soon the two of you were on your way home.
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dontshootmespence · 5 years
Text
Supernatural AU: Episode 5 - Faith
Part 2 
Her throat went raw as she screamed into her pillow, a sharp pain shooting through her foot when she kicked the door closed. He’d nearly died. Dean and Sam had nearly died because she’d failed.
“You can’t leave them alone!” Her father had screamed.
“I was just trying to perfect my aim!”
“And look what happened!” He roared.
In her attempt to get better at what she was apparently supposed to do for the rest of her life, she’d almost lost the two people she cared about most in the world – her two little brothers.
She hadn’t been gone two hours. But in those two hours Dean managed to get out of the hotel room and run into the very werewolves that John had been hunting. He didn’t get bitten, but the claw marks across his small chest were bad enough.  “Dean, I’m sorry!” She cried.
“Sorry isn’t enough!” Her father yelled. “What if he had died?”
“Dad, I-“
“I don’t want to hear it. You need to pay attention Bobbie. Life isn’t about you anymore. They need you.”
Sterile white floors and harsh fluorescent lights stung at the eyes of the youngest and oldest Winchesters as they approached the nurses’ desk. While the doctors treated Dean, they were supposed to make sure their insurance went through. It seemed so mundane; this was anything but. Fortunately, they had new solid identities so insurance wasn’t the issue. A little insurance fraud was the least of what either of them would do to make sure Dean came back to them. “Mister…Berkowitz,” the nurse said hesitantly, obviously having trouble with putting the name to the face. “We’ll call you as soon as we know anything.”
Sam thanked the nurse for her help and turned to see Bobbie sitting with her head in her hands, silent sobs shaking her body. “He’s gonna be okay,” he said softly. Other people might have been able to take that at face value, but Bobbie could hear the small tears in his voice. “He has to be.”
She wanted to believe – look on the bright side. At least he wasn’t dead yet. But every time she couldn’t get between the boys she loved and the next big danger, she felt the noose becoming tighter and tighter. If she could take on the world’s pain and be ripped limb from limb day after day to keep her brothers safe she would.  
When the doctor emerged a few minutes later, Bobbie’s head popped up from Sam’s shoulder, a single ray of hope driving her toward him. Sam followed close behind.
“How is he?”
“He’s okay for the moment, but-“
“But what?” Bobbie interjected. ‘But’ was a bad word. In their world, ‘but’ meant deep-seated hollowness, a black hole where a heart should be. “What’s wrong?”
The siblings fell into a vacant state as the doctor explained Dean’s situation. The electricity had triggered a massive heart attack, leaving it atrophied beyond repair. “We can make him comfortable, but I suspect he only has a couple of weeks to a month before his heart gives out.”
“No,” Sam whispered, fruitlessly appealing to the doctor. “There has to be something. There-“
“I’m sorry, but keeping him out of pain is all we can do.”
As the doctor gave his condolences and left without another word, Bobbie felt her knees start to shake – that hollowness eating away at her heart.
No. These doctors had no idea of the possibilities out there. She and Sam would find a way to save Dean. They had to. If John wasn’t going to be the father they needed, then she would step, no matter how unfair it was.
Bobbie had always hated hospitals. Sterility smelled like death. When they walked into Dean’s room and pulled the curtain back, Bobbie slapped her hand over her mouth without thinking. The darkness under his eyes was far beyond the normal – not just tired, but sunken and withering. “Geez, both of you look like bigger shit than I do.”
“Doubtful.” Sam smiled to hide the pain. Something he did well.
Despite all their pain, that never worked for Bobbie. She wore her heart on her sleeve. Always. She was an open book.
“We’re gonna find something, Dean,” Bobbie assured him. There was no hint of doubt in her voice anymore and Sam noticed, giving her a supportive nod. No longer could she play the doubtful sister; she had to step into the role of protective mother. It was that or lose half her heart.
As he lay in the bed, practically glued to the crappy daytime television in front of him, he tried to play it all off. He was the tough guy. Nothing got to Dean Winchester. As a strong as a rock he was. But the thing people didn’t realize about him was just how scared and vulnerable he could be if you only knew the signs. Avoidance, quick to respond, eyes darting from the person he was supposed to be convincing of his machismo. Deep down he was petrified; she’d put money on it.  “You have to accept reality.”
“And that is?” Sam’s voice rose with each word, denial begging Dean not to voice the dreaded reality they were supposed to face.
“That I’m going to die.”
No. Bobbie would never allow it. “I’m the older one. I die first.”
An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a moment. “You both better take care of that car or I’ll haunt your asses.”
When he chuckled, Bobbie snapped. “That’s not funny, asshat.”
“I’m being deadly serious.”
“Really?” Sam exclaimed.
Bobbie finally allowed herself to ease into their usual banter because if she didn’t she would sob until there was nothing left to cry and that would be worse on Dean. He’d always hated seeing her cry. “Alright, we’re gonna go,” she said.
Sam finished her thought. “But we’re gonna find something. Promise.”
He wasn’t convinced, but he forced a smile and sent them away. This was the game – one day something was going to take them out. He’d hoped to get a few more years of ganking monsters under his belt before he bit the bullet but such was life. His time had come.
                                                            -------
Back in the room, Bobbie broke down. She couldn’t play protective mom all the time and though she wanted to stay positive for Sam’s sake, she couldn’t hold it back any longer.
Taken aback by her shattering cry, Sam wrapped her in his arms, his right hand cradling her head against his chest as she cried. “We’re going to find something, Bobbie. I swear. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
“That’s supposed to be my job.”
He kissed her forehead, a single tear falling from the corner of his eye and onto her matted brown hair. “We’re family. It’ll never be all on you.”
If only she could force herself to live by his words.
“Why don’t you go shower while I make some calls?”
“I can help. We need to move quickly.”
“I’ll be quick, but you can’t help us if you don’t take care of yourself. After everything that’s happened recently, the baku, Dad – you need to breathe.”
Bobbie sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her jacket, not caring how gross she looked. “I must really smell if you’re trying to push me to shower.”
“You don’t exactly smell pleasant,” He laughed.
It was the first genuine smile she’d had all day. “Bite me, Sammy.”
                                                           -------
While Bobbie washed the days’ old grime off her tired muscles, Sam called every known associate of John’s, Bobby included, to try and figure out something that could help Dean. After convincing Bobby he was of better help where he was, he went down the list of names in John’s journal. He could feel his hope waning with each call – those he talked to leaving him with little to nothing to go on, but he plugged on with increased vigor when he heard Bobbie stifle another cry.  
Minutes later, she dried off and pulled on some comfortable clothes, emerging from the bathroom to see Sam deep in thought. “Anything?”
“Yea,” he replied. “I don’t think either of you are gonna wanna go for it, but it’s what I have.”
It didn’t matter. She’d do anything. “What is it?”
“A faith healer.”
She scoffed and spun around, flopping into the bed and mumbling into her pillow. “That’s what we have? A hokey religious nut that thinks they’ve been endowed with the power of God.”
Before Sam could reply, they heard a knock at the door and were surprised to find Dean, wobbly as all hell, leaning against the doorframe. “What the hell, man? What are you doing here?”
He slapped Sammy on the shoulder and laughed. “I checked myself out. Not about to stay in a hospital with nurses that aren’t even hot when I have precious little time left.”
Bobbie wanted to smack him, but he was already in pain, so she refrained. “Dumb! Dumb! You’re dumb! Why would you do that?”
“I just told you,” he said with that cheeky grin that could either endear someone to him or drive them up a wall.
Gritting her teeth, she threw her pillow at him. “Stop thinking with your dick for like two seconds!”
“Nah. Anything?”
“Uh, yea,” Sam said, eyeing his sister. He was about to withhold valuable information; she could tell. “A friend of Dad’s, Joshua, referred me to a specialist who can see us tomorrow afternoon.”
Dean was less that thrilled with the whole situation, figuring his brother and sister were both just in denial about his eventual downfall, but they wouldn’t let go, so he’d just go along for the ride and get in a little more time with his beloved Baby. “Alright, why don’t we sleep for a few hours then and get going early in the morning.”
It took less than ten minutes for the motel room to fill with the snores of hunters who’d been stretched beyond their limits.
                                                           -------
At five the next morning, they dragged themselves groggily out of bed and into the car. Bobbie wanted nothing more than to sleep for another few years, but Dean was sick and Sam had pulled more than his fair share the night before, so she drove the car out of the motel parking lot while her brothers slept a little bit more. Their destination wasn’t all that far away so before she could fall asleep at the wheel they’d arrived.
It wasn’t even a church. A tent stood in the middle of a field, surrounded by cars on either side with paths of grass and dirt leading toward it like the parting of the seas. The sign read ‘Reverend Roy LeGrange – Faith Healer.’ “Oh hell,” she groaned. She didn’t begrudge anyone with faith, so long as it wasn’t forced on her or used to undermine another, but she just couldn’t understand it herself – not with the life she’d led. This was such a waste, but it was all they had to go on at the moment. “We’re here.” She reached toward both of them and shook them awake.
“A faith healer?” Dean exclaimed, slipping out of the car and slamming the door shut. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie. I stretched the truth,” Sam said. Bobbie smiled to herself as she recalled the night before. Of course Dean was going to hate this. Sam on the other hand was hopeful. Maybe it was the fact that he was so young when it all happened that he didn’t have the memory to become jaded, but whatever it was, Dean and Bobbie didn’t have it.
“You said doctor.”
“I said specialist,” he said. “Dad’s friend assures he’s the real deal.”
As they approached the tent, a man protested with flyers in hand, screaming that LeGrange wasn’t all that he said he was, and while the elder Winchesters were inclined to believe him, they went inside for Sam’s sake. “Maybe it’s time for you to have a little faith.” Dean tried to humor him but he still rolled his eyes. “The good doesn’t exist with the bad and we’ve seen the bad, so how can you believe there isn’t some good out there with what we’ve seen?”
“Exactly,” Dean said, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. He wanted to curl his fingers around a pool cue or the neck of a good beer, not this. “Seen! We’ve seen what evil does to good people.”
Bobbie opened her mouth to speak but was caught off guard when another woman turned, faith dripping from every pore. “Maybe god works in mysterious ways?” Her smile was genuine, her faith undeterred by the skeptics around her. It was actually refreshing to see someone with such strong faith.
Dean scanned the young woman. His mind raced with dirty thoughts that, if God existed, he might not be a fan of. “Maybe he does,” he said assuredly. “I think he might’ve even turned me around on the subject.” As Bobbie walked past him and into the tent, she smacked the back of his head. What a hoe.
If he wasn’t already on the verge of death, she’d kill him.
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jaeminlore · 6 years
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Have Yourself a Merry ‘Little’ Christmas | Mingyu
summary: you just might have the best christmas present for mingyu this year words: 1.6k+ category: pure domestic fluff a/n: for @smilingseo !!! i'm your secret santa and my goal with this story is to make you fully bias mingyu once and for all! thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me this year. love you and merry christmas!
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It was the chill of the morning that woke you up. Mingyu had stolen the covers yet again, as tradition since the very night you married him. Normally it was okay, but as winter approached you considered buying a second blanket just so you wouldn't freeze in the middle of the night. You sat up, pulling the long sleeves of your shirt over your chilled palms as you looked around the quiet bedroom.
It was Christmas morning. The second Christmas you would spend with Mingyu as his wife, and yet this one terrified you. There was a reason for this, and it lay in the small box under the tree. You weren't sure if Mingyu would like his present, and it nearly kept you up all night worrying about his face, and whether or not it would be disappointed.
Speak of the devil, Mingyu sighed audibly in his sleep, a telltale sign that he was serene in his position and would most likely not be getting up until you woke him. That was fine with you. The more time that delayed him opening your gift, the better you would feel.
When you looked at your phone, you noticed it was reaching noon. Most likely because Seokmin had invited everyone over to his home for a Christmas Eve party. You were sure you still had glitter in your hair from Jun, who called himself a Christmas fairy all night as he flicked glitter onto everyone. Where he got the glitter from, you couldn't be sure.
Your stomach growled lightly, and taking that as your cue, you decided it was time to wake Mingyu up.
Your husband lie on his stomach, blanket only reaching the dimples in his back before it draped down the sides of the bed. His bare back was covered in goosebumps, but change in temperature didn't seem of any discomfort to him. His hair was long and messy as you ran your fingers through it gently. He always let it grow out over the winter, claiming it kept him warm or something. You thought he just liked it overgrown.
You bent down, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder. "Wake up, Gyu. It's Christmas."
It didn't take long for him to rouse, just a pout and a small whine before he was sitting up as well, wrapping his large arms around you and pulling you against his warm chest. "You're never going to guess what I got you."
"Is it that sweater I've been eyeing for weeks now?" you teased, almost sure he had gotten it for you.
"Why don't you just wait and see." He poked your side, causing you to emit a giggle and roll away, off the bed.
"Come on, let's make coffee and then we'll open gifts."
"But I want you to open yours now," Mingyu said as he followed you towards the kitchen. He didn't bother putting on a shirt, since you weren't expecting any visitors until later that night, when his parents would be arriving.
"Too bad." You poured him and you both cups of black coffee, letting him flavor his own to his liking while you did the same.
"Can we have some of the cookies Joshua sent us home with?" Mingyu asked, eyeing the ziplock bag of gingerbread men lying absentmindedly on the counter.
Usually you made Mingyu eat healthy foods for breakfast, just because you wanted him at his best. However, it wasn't unlike him not to sneak in a slice of cheesecake here and there. He could break your nutritionist persona with a simple kiss on the cheek, so it was never anything serious. But still, he liked asking, just because of the conflicted look that would appear on your face. "Just because it's Christmas," you finally said, "but don't tell your mom when she comes."
"Please," Mingyu mumbled, the head of a gingerbread man already in his mouth, "She'd attack me before she'd attack you."
"We just want you healthy," you teased him, patting his cheeks adoringly like a grandmother would her grandchild.
Mingyu rolled his eyes jokingly before he resumed eating his rather festive breakfast. He strolled away from you, bag of cookies in one hand and mug in the other. "I'm gonna put on a movie for background noise. What do you wanna watch?"
"Eloise at Christmastime!"
Mingyu turned around only to crinkle his nose at you. "We've watched that three times this month."
You gave him your best pout, guilting him with your words, "But after today I won't be able to watch it for an entire year."
"You make a fair point." Mingyu commented nonchalantly, pausing to take a sip of his coffee.
You followed him into the living room, where the couch was situated extremely close to the tree, perfect for sitting on while you unwrapped presents. The two of you watched the first quarter of the movie as you ate breakfast, yawning into your mugs and leaning onto each other for comfort.
By the time presents came around, the two of you were awake and chatty enough to banter as you handed each other your presents. The stocking stuffers were perhaps your favorite part, filled with seemingly meaningless trinkets that had made Mingyu think of you. He got you a small snow-globe of what looked to simply be a few rabbits playing in the snow. A few video games were in there as well, and you teased him for getting something that both of you wanted. You were guilty as well, having gifted him with hoodies that you would undoubtedly be stealing sometime in the near future. He did get you the sweater you wanted however, and that made you tease him even more.
It was soon obvious that both you and Mingyu loved spoiling each other, for the presents kept coming. It seemed the two of you had been collecting gifts and trinkets since January, stockpiling them for this year's Christmas.
You were still worried about the small little box nestled behind the tree. While you had no doubt Mingyu would be happy, the thought that he'd be negative sent you wishing you could just... not give it to him. Soon enough though, the time approached when it was simply the only gift left.
Mingyu sat cross-legged on the couch, surrounded by wrapping paper and gifts, a cheesy grin on his face. You could see his wolf-like fangs from here, and the sight made you adore him even more. Before you could help yourself, you leaned forward and kissed his lips, with tasted greatly of cream and gingerbread.
"What?" he giggled against your lips, hand reaching to cup your face before you pulled back. He pouted. "Aren't all our presents done? Can't we spend a bit of time under the mistletoe?"
You snorted at his attempt, "Nope. I have one more gift for you."
"Really?" Just like that, Mingyu was back to his boyish smile, sitting up a bit straighter as you extracted the small square box out from under the tree.
You plopped it in his lap, worry making it's way into your mind as you sat down beside him.
Mingyu wasted no time pulling the lid off the box, and his confused pout was almost comical as he pulled out the round ornament. "Baby's First Christmas," he read aloud, standing up and heading for the tree. "Well, I call you baby occasionally, and this is actually your second Christmas with me, but I suppose you tried your best."
His back was still turned to you as he searched for a place to hang the ornament. You wondered how your husband could be so dumb sometimes. "Mingyu, it's for next year, when there's an actual baby with us."
Mingyu dropped the ornament suddenly, and you could see it in the way his shoulder blades tensed and relaxed that he was still processing the information. "Are you serious? You aren't teasing me?"
"No, I most certainly have a child inside of me," you said, wondering still how he was going to react.
He turned around quickly, picking you up into his arms before you could process what was happening. "I'm having a baby? Wait, no, you're having a baby? My baby? Our baby? This is such great news we have to call up the boys immediately—Wait. Am I hurting you? Can I carry you bridal style or is that not allowed?"
Mingyu quickly put both you and his endless ramblings down, and you leaned against his chest for support as you laughed.
"What?" He lifted your chin so that you could meet his eyes. "Why are you laughing?"
"I don't know? Relief? Joy? I'm just really proud of us, and I can't wait till the baby comes."
Mingyu's eyes suddenly widened and he sat down, pulling you into his lap. Face against your back, he moaned, "What if I'm not a good dad, though? What if the baby hates me? Like, it actually comes out hating it's own father?"
You turned to the side and ran your fingers through his hair again, soothing him. "You'll be a great dad. And I think it's quite impossible to hate someone as lovely as you."
Mingyu smiled. "You'll be a great mom, too. I'm getting excited thinking about our little family. How far along are you?" He suddenly changed the subject and pressed his palm against your stomach, as if he could feel the baby.
"Just a few weeks," you said. "Not enough to feel anything yet."
Mingyu frowned slightly, but leaned in to kiss you. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Also," he looked guilty, "I might have accidentally broken the ornament when I dropped it."
"Mingyu! I was gonna use the same tactic on your parents!"
Mingyu looked around for a moment before he seemed to get an idea. "Well, we still have some gingerbread men left. We could put a icing diaper on one and give it to them."
"That's genius," you complemented. "I'll get the icing, you get the broom."
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mdwatersauthor · 7 years
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Family secrets drove star left-winger Cooper Banks away from the love of his life, but hot off a championship win he’s no longer satisfied with second place. Except, the daddy’s girl he left behind is now a woman no longer impressed by his charming smile. So when Savannah Jane Scott decides to put Cooper in the penalty box, she aims to keep him there…for good this time. * This is an extended version of the novella that first appeared as part of the Hot On Ice Anthology ** Includes a bonus first chapter for Tell Me No Lies, part of the Destination: LOVE Anthology coming Summer 2017 Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pPZNSk B&N: http://bit.ly/2oxiw3N Other Retailers: http://bit.ly/2og7x2H Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2q0YkbS
Preview CHAPTER 1 now! 
Cooper Banks peered around the raised hood of the Pagoda Green ’64 ½ Mustang to squint across the pedestrian-busy crosswalk heading to and from the Dove Harbor, Georgia waterfront. Slightly distorted by the coils of heat rising off the concrete, strolled the very reason he was there. Savannah Jane Scott. Bleached blond waves pinned in a loose ponytail over the left shoulder of a teal polo shirt. White shorts revealed toned, petite legs ending in nude flip-flops. She wasn’t your average twenty-five-year-old and was far and away the girl he’d last seen three years ago. He found himself smiling despite himself. He would recognize that walk anywhere. Thumbs hooked to the messenger bag strap set in a diagonal across her chest, while those fingertips played absently over her stomach. The elbows jutting out just enough to strike anyone passing by too close. They’d been a hazard to ribcages since the second grade. He took up a red, grease-stained rag and scrubbed his hands as he sauntered around the front of the car. He needed to be much closer than that, but after three years apart, there was something to be said for appreciating from a distance. “Not exactly how I planned to run into her,” he whispered to himself, utterly transfixed. Confidence shored up in him like a ship to familiar land. “But who am I to ignore a cosmic setup?” Decided, he took one step and felt an unbalancing shift as something invisible completely flipped his insides around. Having spent years being professionally checked by two-hundred-plus-pound hockey players, it’d been a while since he felt nervous about anything. Which was ridiculous because Savannah Jane was the equivalent to a warm drop of rain falling from the sky. He chuckled derisively to himself. If that particular raindrop bounced off the ground in the form of a shark. He was pretty sure the moment Savannah set those gorgeous blue eyes on him he’d walk away with a huge bite taken from the middle of his chest. Pain he would suffer deservedly while charming his way back into her good graces. Maybe his head was ready to head on over there, all thoughtlessly brave. But his heart was not yet prepared to suffer rejection. Neither were his feet, apparently, as they were rooted to concrete. Fate intervened on his behalf, saving him from the humiliation of chickening out. The tow truck he’d called pulled up alongside Betty, the name Cooper’s dad gave the classic car two decades ago. A lined face peered through the passenger window, glancing down at where Betty had wheezed her last breath. The second those eyes set on Cooper, exhaustion deepened the man’s wrinkles. Not the reaction he was used to these days, but not unexpected. Small towns like this remembered every mistake made by every resident, and Cooper’s was an unforgivable curse in most circles. This was another reason he was there. He was going to fix that, come hell or high water. The man got out and meandered around toward Cooper, his name tag boasting the name BUCK in all caps. “You’re Andy Banks’ boy.” It’d been a long time since anyone called him that, and it certainly wasn’t a question requiring an answer. More a statement of fact. Sort of like: No, you don’t use fireworks in a fireplace. Or: No, actually, the sun doesn’t set in the morning; it rises. Statements for idiots-like. And Coop was the idiot. “That’s me. Andy Banks’ Boy. Friends just call me Andy’s Boy.” Buck’s frown deepened. “What’s that?” “Tough crowd,” Cooper murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’s that?” the driver asked again. Cooper’s gaze slid past Buck to where he’d been absently following the blond head. Savannah Jane had stopped in front of a bench and heaved the messenger bag over her head. She looked radiant in the late afternoon sun, and he felt an acute sense of longing. If she didn’t forgive him, he didn’t know what he would do. One deep breath later, Cooper threw on his All-Star smile like a coat of armor, and jutted a firm hand forward with only a small concern Buck would bite first, shake hands later. “How are you, sir? Thanks for coming so fast.” Buck flicked his gaze down to the grease rag hanging loosely at Cooper’s side. “Think you can rifle around a classic like that, get some grease on your hands, and that engine will just start itself?” His father not only showed him how to keep Betty running but also taught him to be polite. That had to come first and foremost to his pride. No matter what. Smile still in full force, he said, “No, sir. I plan to leave the miracles to you.” The mechanic lifted a soft pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket and propped one in the corner of his mouth. “Best idea you’ve had all your life, son. Your daddy’d be proud.” One day someone would say that without a sarcastic tone attached. Because he may be long gone, but if there’s one thing Cooper was sure of, it was that Andrew Banks was proud of his son. Those were his final words, in fact. But the rest of town hadn’t been around for that parting conversation, and their assumptions otherwise had killed any chance Cooper had of a welcome homecoming. Buck made quick work of writing up a service ticket, getting the ignition key, and hooking Betty to the tow. In fact, he barely gave Coop a chance to retrieve his bags and cell phone before hopping in the cab saying, “I’m not a taxi service. You’ll have to get his own ride.” Bags at his ankles, scowling at the backend of his dead car moving away, Cooper released a sigh. This was not how things were supposed to go. He was meant to come home and take a quick look around town before going to the house. The drive was less about taking in the old haunts, and more about avoiding his brother Josh for just a while longer. Cooper considered crossing over to Savannah. Not only for the ride he needed but finding out how much work he had to do to get her back. Then again, he’d just spent eight hours in the car under a hot sun. The first impression he made had to count. Yes, he realized he was making excuses. Time to bite the lesser of two bullets. Cooper thumbed through his contacts to “Joshua Banks” and tapped the little phone icon. Five rings later, his brother’s voice penetrated the hollow silence, sounding very far away. “This better be important, little bro. I’m busy.” “Betty broke down, and I could use a ride. I’m on the corner of—” “You’re an important guy. You need a ride? Call someone who cares that the Rajun Cajuns star leftwinger is stranded on the corner of I Could Give and Two Shits.” The click on the other end had Cooper pulling the phone away to stare at the disappearing keypad with “Call Ended” at the top. “It’s the Cajun Rage, assmunch.” “What’s an assmunch?” Cooper followed the high-pitched sound belonging to a child. A woman steered her young daughter in a wide berth on the sidewalk, glaring at him. So much for his first first impression back home. Cooper threw on his megawatt smile. “I apologize, ma’am. Didn’t see you there. I promise to be more careful in the future.” He had to get off this street. And unlike the streets he’d become accustomed to in New Orleans, there wouldn’t be a single taxi happening by. And according to his Uber app, those were still nonexistent in these parts of the world. A quick internet search gave him the number to a taxi service, and he hit call. At most, he’d have to wait fifteen minutes. The benefit to small-town life. As he waited for someone to pick up the other end of the line, his gaze drifted over the palmettos and cyprus trees sprouting up and around brick inlaid walkways along the shoreline. A raspy-voiced woman answered his call just as his attention fell on Savannah Jane’s white blond hair, the smooth strands glowing in the sunlight. She now sat facing the ferry currently dropping off passengers returning from Morgan Island. He wanted to be next to her so badly that his lungs constricted. Watching her stare over an open laptop reminded him of their earliest days. The way they held pinkies instead of hands. Lying on their backs while the merry-go-round spun to a lazy stop, in which case he’d get back up to restart them. Those childish, infatuation-ridden notes they used to pass in class. Do you like me? Check yes or no. She’d always checked yes. So had he. Always. “Hello?” the woman on the phone inquired a second time. He startled and tried gathering himself. “Never mind. Sorry.” Cooper hung up and took a shaky breath. “You better not fuck this up.” Braced for impact, he crossed the street.
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