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Please Papi

Summary: Alejandro always thought Rudy was a bit of a prude. Good lord was he wrong about that.

Wordcount: 1.491

Rudy was like a brother to him. He knew him better than anyone else.

Which is why he couldn't help but grin now and again at the soldiers' jokes.

Rudy was calm and even-tempered. Many people thought he was shy because of this.  He was pragmatic in his job and had so far proved to everyone that he was a serious sergent major.

He only became shy when it came to women. He used to blush like a schoolboy every time a pretty girl approached him. A habit he had thankfully broken.

Despite Rudy's improvements in dealing with the wiser sex, if it hadn't been for Alejandro, he would never have gotten together with his current fiancée.

The girl was just as much of a lost cause as Rudy, but they were cute together. They were right for each other.

But even Alejandro, who was protective of his friend when it came to the teasing, couldn't imagine the two of them being particularly... creative in bed.

The guys thought he was a prude and, if he was honest, he agreed with them a little.

Nevertheless, Rudy was part of his family. They had been through good times and bad. Bad times like the ones he was going through right now.

A pipe had burst in Alejandro's apartment. During the repairs, he now had to find somewhere else to stay and

Rudy had immediately offered him his sofa bed. Alejandro had accepted.

The whole thing had been going on for two weeks now, but fortunately there was an end in sight.

He was very reluctant to press them, but they assured him each time that it would be no problem. But they already had very little time to themselves. He and Rudy were proud of their job, but it was also time-consuming. On top of that, they were planning a wedding and Rudy was looking for a house of his own for the two of them. Alejandro could only assume that family planning was already in the starting, if the hurry Rudy was in to find his own home spoke for something.

Tonight he wanted to leave the couple to themselves. He'd snagged a date and assured Rudy with a wink that he'd be gone for a while. If all went well, they would be alone for the night.

However, Alejandro hadn't expected his date to turn him down so fast. Annoyed, he went back to Rudy's apartment.

He had expected to see the two of them in the living room. Cuddling on the sofa and watching a movie, but he didn't see anyone. The apartment was completely dark.

"Fuck! Just like that."

Alejandro stopped at his friend's voice. It sounded muffled from their bedroom.

Oh fuck.

"My good girl. My - oh hmm - my good, good girl."

"Please papi."

Oh FUCK!

Alejandro's eyes fell open in surprise.He heard a surprised cry and then, as clear as glass, the bed frame being hammered against the wall. What followed sounded as if animals had taken possession of the two of them.

Alejandro snapped out of his stupor and left the apartment in a flash.

He went into a bar, hoping to burn the memory of the incident out of his brain. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. Rudy isn't the only one who liked that nickname, but damn it, it was Rudy. When he'd finally slept with a girl for the first time as a late bloomer and Alejandro had prodded him to tell him what it was like, his friend had blushed so hard he thought he was going to keel over. Alejandro had assumed that Rudy was simply embarrassed at having come too soon, but he was probably wrong. That would also explain why the little girl kept throwing herself at him.

After a good three hours, he decided that the coast was clear and went back to the apartment. He would simply lie down on the sofa, sleep and forget about this incident.

How on earth could the two of them still be going at it?

Alejandro stood stunned in the doorway and involuntarily listened to the two of them.

He understood that Rudy was a few years younger, but damn it, he wouldn't have been able to deliver a marathon lasting over three hours when he was twenty. Let alone one that sounded so brutal.

He sighed. All he wanted to do was sleep. He sneaked into the bathroom to get some oropax, stuffed them into his ears and pulled the pillow over his head as he lay down on the sofa bed.

It's always the quiet ones after all.

The next morning he sat at the breakfast table and didn't quite know where to look.

Now he was the prude who couldn't look at Rudy without blushing. Let alone (y/n), who was solving a crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

"Can I have the papi - PAPER - the paper? The... the sports section."

They both looked at him skeptically. (Y/n) handed him the pages and looked at her crossword again.

"You good?" asked Rudy.

"Yes, of course. Why not?" smiled Alejandro.

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. "You're so... quiet."

The corner of Alejandro's mouth twitched slightly.

There was a banging on the front door.

"Parra!" someone shouted.

Rudy immediately jumped up and ran to the door. (Y/n) turned red as if on cue.

"Good-"

"Parra. I'm complaining. That-that- Fuck your woman quieter!" shouted the one at the door.

"I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry. Of course you are. You're always sorry. If you can't keep it down, keep it in your pants!"

"Pablo be a little-

"Quieter? Is that really what you're asking me to do?"

Alejandro saw (y/n) burying his face behind one hand in surrender.

Rudy came into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of tequila... a good bottle and disappeared from the picture again.

"Next time, warn me!"

Footsteps went down the stairs and Rudy came back into the kitchen, his face bright red, and dropped into his chair.

Alejandro cleared his throat. "How- How's the house hunting going?"

"Ale.", Rudy warned him.

(Y/n) released her hand from her face and stood up. "I'm going to take a shower."

They both looked after her. Rudy still said nothing.

Alejandro decided he could talk more openly without his fiancées present.

"I have a confession to make.", he began.

Rudy looked at him skeptically.

"I may have been here earlier than I thought yesterday."

Rudy turned bright red.

"No shame my friend." He punched him in the shoulder. "I understand the girls all hanging on you after that. My goodness. Honestly, I've been here twice. Three hours Rudy! I can understand your neighbor. I'd be jealous too."

Alejandro's grin widened at the sight of his embarrassed friend, who was getting smaller and smaller.

Alejandro laughed. "And you let everyone make jokes about you, while you're fooling everyone."

Rudy glared at him venomously.

"What else besides papi?" Alejandro continued to laugh. "Is she calling you sergent major? Was she bad and has to make amends? Bondage games? Floggers?"

Alejandro watched in amazement at his friend's face, as he hit the mark with every guess.

Rudy, however, looked increasingly annoyed despite his blush. "Why did your date end so early?"

Alejandro's laughter faltered. "She left?"

Rudy crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded. "Why is that? Alejandro Vargas has the women running away?"

Alejandro pursed his lips in annoyance.

Rudy looked at him like he was a newcomer, who was about to be shown, how quickly he could kick the ground from under his feet.

Alejandro didn't move.

"Something must have bothered her.", Rudy thought aloud.

Alejandro was sulking now and grumbled a reply.

"What?" asked Rudy.

"I was too old for her.", he bit out.

Rudy nodded and you could really only tell how amused he was, by the slightly deepening wrinkles around his eyes.

"Even?" Alejandro asked, annoyed.

"Even." Rudy nodded. "But shut up in front of (y/n)."

Alejandro nodded.

The two drank their coffee, until Alejandro turned back to his friend.

"My brother-in-law probably wants to sell his house."

Rudy looked up. "Oh yeah? Which one?"

"Matias. Four bedrooms. Two bathrooms. Large kitchen. Garden. Party cellar... With soundproofing."

Rudy rolled his eyes.

"Should I ask?"

Rudy nodded.

"I'm happy for you both.", Alejandro said, and he meant it. He was glad that Rudy had someone, he trusted with this side of him.

Rudy looked happily at his coffee.

"Thanks Ale." He patted Alejandro on the shoulders. "You'll settle down one day, too."

"When the first gray hair comes, I'll start looking." Alejandro grinned.

Rudy blows into his coffee. "We both know you've been dyeing these for two years."

Alejandro looked at him in shock. "I don't understand how everyone thinks you're so innocent."

"Me neither. After all, I heard you both times yesterday."

Alejandro choked so hard on his coffee that it shot through his nose.

Rudy grinned.

Dear Diary

Summary: Jason got his hands on (y/n)s diary. Of course, nothing good can come of this... or maybe it can?

Word count: 850

Warnings: angst, but lots of fluff after

Authors note (Warning: looong Authors note):

When I was about 13 or 14, my then best friend tricked me.

She had sent me a link through a chat. It was one of those online fortune-telling sites. Ask a question about your future and I'll give you an answer.

Complete bullshit, of course, but I always found them funny. What do you do when you're 14? You ask if you have a chance with your crush, or possibly that cute guy who's always in guitar class.

What I didn't know was that on the other side, my friend was sitting with one of her friends, laughing her ass off.

They went on and on about it. I always valued my privacy. I was very shy and insecure.

When they made fun of it in front of me, my confidence and trust was broken. It has never really gotten back together since.

The whole thing still weighs on me in my mid-twenties. I never talked about it until now.

Unfortunately, my story didn't have a happy ending, but what are fanfictions for?

I was sitting in the cafeteria, listlessly looking at my food.

The guys were euphorically talking about the next DnD campaign when all of a sudden Jason Carver appeared at our table.

The grin on his face did not mean anything good.

"King and Queen of Freakland."

"Get out of here ball boy." growled Eddie.

"Why so hostile? I've got some good news after all. At least you finally got a chance to get laid. The way I see it, nothing more than languishing has happened yet."

Jason pulled out a small, green book from behind his back. My book. My journal. My chest tightened so violently I should have imploded. I felt sick to my stomach. Stiff as a board, I sat there. I should have knocked it out of his hand, but I was just a useless statue.

He flipped open the book and began reading aloud so loudly that the entire cafeteria could hear.

He strolled through the rows and read out my thoughts. Thoughts I never told anyone.

"He always listens to me. Even when I'm interrupted, which is really all the time, he asks again and listens to me. For someone who likes to talk so much, he's a really good listener."

He flipped a few more pages. I wanted to dissolve.

"I wonder what his lips feel like."

Turning pages.

"His eyes are beautiful. Like chocolate or coffee. He's never been this close to me before."

He put on a stilted sugary-sweet voice.

"And for all of you wondering who it is that turned dear (y/n)'s head - You shouldn't have a crush on Eddie Munson, but of course I'm an idiot who does."

The crowd laughed and silent tears ran down my eyes. Since Jason was still the center of attention, I quickly and silently slipped outside.

I heard Jason groan painfully, but I just kept running.

Now, if I was quick, I could just sign out at the secretary's office and say I was sick. It wouldn't even be a lie. I'd be gone before anybody saw me again.

"(Y/n). (Y/N)!" shouted Eddie from behind me. I heard his shoes hit the linoleum in quick strides. "Now wait."

A hand grabbed mach my shoulder and turned me around. I tried to wriggle away, but alas, Eddie was stronger than he looked.

"Here." He held my journal out to me.

I grabbed it without looking him in the face. I quickly wiped away the tears, but I wasn't fooling anyone.

I felt small and stupid and humiliated. "Thank you.", I whispered in a broken voice.

"Don't cry over this idiot."

I shook my head and tried to turn back around, but he didn't move away from me.

"I hate it when you're miserable."

"It's okay."

"No it's not okay!" He turned my head with his big hands that I practically had to look at him. "I don't want the girl I have a crush on to feel bad. I don't want her to cry."

I looked at him out of wide eyes. What?

"You always listen to me too and you're always nice to everyone and you have beautiful eyes and you smell insanely good. Do you even know that?"

His warm eyes looked at me as gently as I've ever seen him.

"Don't listen to that idiot! He has no right to do something like that, even though he might think he does." He grew quieter and sadness was in his eyes. "I'm sorry he's going off on you like this because of me."

I shook my head. "Eddie... No... Jason goes after everyone when he can, doesn't he?"

I looked down at my feet again. "Are you serious?"

"With every word."

"It doesn't feel real."

He laughed. "Come on we're going to math. Then the harsh reality will have us back.... Besides, I need motivation to go, and it's really always you." He smiled at me. "You look cute when you think... And a little hot how quickly you solve this tangled mess of numbers." He grinned. I blushed.

"You don't have the homework, do you?"

"Well, I was thinking I could possibly copy it off you.... I'd offer you dinner for it too.... Friday at 8?"

"Are you trading math homework for a date right now?", I laughed, still tearful.

"To be honest, the date's free.... You could also kick me in the balls and it would still be standing." He grinned at me, but uncertainty was in his eyes.

"Friday at 8.", I said and pressed my assignments into his hand.

He gave me a tight squeeze. "If I hadn't just broken Jason's jaw, I'd almost have to thank him."

"You broke Jason's jaw?", I asked in shock.

"Edward Munson to the principal's office immediately!", an angry voice rang over the loudspeakers.

He sighed and handed me back my notepad.

"I'll see you around. Don't forget about me while I'm in prison.", he grinned.

Quick as a flash, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. A glow of red settled over his skin.

"See you?"

"See you."

True Crime

Summary: (Y/n) has a true crime channel. Walter hates true crime. Walter findest out.

Wordcount: 1.452

Warnings: brief mention of torture and rape

Faye didn't want to make that sound. Especially not in the presence of her father, but it had just slipped out of her mouth.

And of course he was now standing next to her, as if she had been shot and had not just taken a surprised breath.

She inconspicuously tried to turn her cell phone toward her, but he was already reaching out for it.

She looked at him with angel eyes.

"That was a really good part of the song," she smiled.

He continued to stare at her strictly. She sighed and handed him the phone.

He looked at the display with his eyebrows drawn together. "True Crime?"

She leaned back into the sofa. This could take a while. "Do you know how much crap this trash spreads?" he started.

"Dad it's just a YouTube channel." Her father started to speak again, but she immediately continued. "And it's well-researched for once. It's got mostly closed cases in it and when they're open, there's no speculation. All the sources are linked. She even shares the published police files."

"Faye. I don't want you listening to that kind of stuff yet. There's disturbing shit happening in the world. You're too young for that."

"That's what the light versions are for.", she insisted.

"The what?"

Faye reached for her phone and showed him the YouTube channel. "Here. These are the light versions I listen to and this", she pointed to the video below, "is the full version, which also goes deeper into all the tathher processes. Plus, even on the easy stuff, you can still skip parts and she warns you."

Walter paused. Since when were these idiots so careful. "And how do I know you're not listening to the other versions?"

Faye simply clicked on one of those videos and immediately a message came up saying you had to confirm your age by ID or credit card. "Because I can't." She leaned back again. "You can tell she takes parental controls very seriously."

Walter grumbled. He was running out of arguments. "And how do you know, how well researched it is. You don't even know who it is."

In hindsight, Faye really didn't know what she might have given away. Whether she had moved her left nostril, or the right corner of her mouth was emitting Morse code, but her father knew right away.

"Who is it?" he asked immediately.

She remained silent. "Any of the older ones from school? A teacher? One of the parents? Aha!"

How the hell did he do that?

"Dad come on. Does it matter?"

He just looked at her strictly again.

She sighed. "Only if you don't say anything."

He rolled his eyes. "I won't embarrass you in front of your friends."

She rolled her eyes. "It's (y/n)." she muttered. "I like (y/n) and so do you, so please just forget about it and don't make a scene."

(Y/n)? "When does she have time for that?"

"Well when you're at work."

He continued to stare at the phone and sighed.

Why hadn't she ever said anything?

"Send me the worst case she has in there."

She didn't have to think twice. She reached for her phone and sent him the video.

"But the light version only goes for 20 minutes," she explained.

"And the other one?"

"A good hour and a half, I think. That one has the most extreme time difference."

She continued typing on the device. "She does a lot more stuff like this, though," she explained. "And you might even like this one," she looked at him uncertainly. "It's about hacking and.... and she educates really well."

He looked at her. "Faye breathe. I'm not going to break up with her."

She loosened up a bit.

"She just could have told me something.", he grumbled.

"Well you're not exactly hiding how much you hate True Crime," she said hesitantly.

Walter sighed. "I'll listen to it."

Faye smiled. "Thanks."

Since he was ordered to take forced vacation, he could also watch the videos. (Y/n) was anyway with a friend living far away.

It was not as if he had anything better to do.

Walter decided to rip off the band-aid and started with the worst case. The full version, though.

He clicked on the video and neutral music sounded. For once, no horror music. The screen remained black.

'Welcome back my dears. If you've already peeked at the trigger warnings, you've already seen that today's case is really not for the faint of heart. As always, assess yourselves honestly. I also had to stop several times during research. As always, you'll find the light version as the next video, but you can also skip parts in this one.

So let's start with how one case managed to put even members of the Japanese Mafia behind bars and why even minors can be sentenced as adults in case of doubt.'

Walter interrupted the video several times. Although it was about a japanese girl beeing tortured and raped, he kept having Faye in mind. You'd think the years in his job had dulled him, but he felt sick at the recitals of torture he was now hearing.

'I don't really know how to end a video like this, but please remain careful as always. Take care of yourselves and your friends and family. There's a link coming up on the screen now. If you know someone, or you need help yourself when it comes to sexual violence. You will find phone numbers, email addresses and places to go to find protection, but also to share and find people who can help you with processing. I hope I didn't scare you away too much but next week there will be something lighter. Promise.

Stay safe and see you next time.

Bye.'

Walter went to the link and actually found official and good stations. Support groups and hotlines he knew himself.

He clicked on the next video that Faye had sent him. That's the kind of video she does most, she had said.

'Welcome back. Today with probably one of the most famous cases in the world. Everyone who has ever heard of criminal cases also knows him. Ted Bundy is the world's most famous serial killer. I want to tell you today, how one man managed to exploit the weaknesses of the police organization so that he got away with his crimes for years.'

Walter listened to the double episode back-to-back. (Y/n) hardly dealt with the crimes themselves, but mainly with the investigative work and Bundy's advantages. The process and his time in prison. She worked almost biographically. Rachel would be proud of her psychlogy research, he had to honestly admit. It wasn't sensationalist, but it was intriguing nonetheless. He scrolled through the rest of the videos on the channel. Well-known cases from the eighties. Historical cases that went back to the fifteenth century. But he also found videos that educated about security measures. Especially for the Internet. Small self-defense tricks that could help even people without any experience in case of emergency.

He had to confess that he didn't hate her channel.

He clicked on the last video that Faye had sent him.

'Hello and welcome my dear ones. When you think of TrueCrime, you immediately think of serial killers and the heavy hitters, so it's easy to forget that there are other newsworthy types of crime. Today we're talking about a revenge porn site that destroyed more than one life and a young man who thought he could do anything until he met the wrong mother. Many of you are probably familiar with the Netflix documentary.'

He went through the links while listening to the video. Again, he found official cybercrime contact points.

Educational sites. Tips for staying safe online.

Walter dropped into his chair. He didn't like the idea of a TrueCrime channel he liked. He hated those things. But (y/n) was doing a good job.

He stroked his face with his hand.

The next day, he just walked past Faye and grumbled:"You can listen to it."

He ignored her triumphant grin and made himselfe some coffee.

He sent (y/n) a link to their own channel. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Her response wasn't taking long.

'On our first date you said how much you hate TrueCrime.... I thought you were great and I didn't want to screw it up right away and at some point it was too late. Did Faye tell?'

'Not willingly. I interrogated her. Your research is good.'

'So we're good?'

'Only if you add a few places to go in your links.'

'You are a softy after all.'

Walter grumbled.

Patchwork II - Growing Up

This is the second part to this story:

https://www.tumblr.com/drmaddict/721982589869621248/patchwork?source=share

Summary: Growing up comes with a lot of challenges.

Warnings: teenagers fighting on a party, fluff, use of (y/n)

Word count: 2.757

"What are you doing here?"

Mike stoped in his movement. He had almost made it.

"Nothing." he said far too quickly and turned to Henry. Disappearing the small something in the pocket of his jacket pocket.

Henry just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "If I remember correctly, everyone's privacy is considered here."

"I... I just needed... batteries.", Mike stuttered.

Henry grinned. "You'll have far more success in (y/n)s cabinet."

Mike turned bright red and looked down at the floor.

"Mike come on. I was young once, too."

The boy tossed the condom packet on the bed and continued to look at the floor. Hoped fervently it would open up and swallow him.

Henry closed the bedroom door and sat down on the armchair in the corner of the room. "We should talk about this, right?"

Mike shook his head. "You know the internet is very informative," he muttered, still red-faced.

Henry smiled. "Yeah. I know. I was young once, too," he pointed out again. "But that doesn't change the fact that these with latex and we know you're allergic to it thanks to your chemistry experiment in school."

"Oh."

"Yeah oh. Mike there is nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared. You can talk to me about anything, but you don't go digging around in my or (y/n)s stuff! ... We don't want to traumatize you right away," Henry continued to grin.

Mike turned to the window, overwhelmed, and buried his face in his hands. "Too much information!"

Henry laughed amused.

Mike looked at him sullenly.

"Sorry big guy. I'll stop." Henry raised his hands placatingly. "You and Amber have been together for so long, it's understandable you want to make that step.... She wants too, right?"

Mike slumped a little. "Yes Amber does." he mumbled.

Henry stopped. "What about you?"

Mike shrugged.

"You don't have to."

"I should want to, shouldn't I?"

"You don't have to do anything you're not ready to do. No matter what anyone at school might say."

Mike plopped down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't know if I.... quite yet..." Mike waved his arms around. Who could have guessed that such a tall and strong teenager could look so small.

"Sex can have many sides Mike."

Mike just grumbled.

"Start with something you feel comfortable with. You'll figure out what you like."

Mike sighed. "And what if I do it wrong?"

"That's the beauty of it. There is no wrong. Just two people and agreement. This isn't a boxing match Mike. There's no perfect technique and no strategy. But at least talk openly to Amber about what you want. Share it with her somehow. You wouldn't want her to torture herself for you either, would you?"

"Of course not!" he blurted out immediately. He immediately sat up and looked shocked.

"Then do her the same favor."

Mike sighed. "Yeah okay."

Henry smiled gently. He stood up and walked over to his nightstand. "Here." He tossed a red packet at Mike. "These are latex-free."

Mike caught them more poorly than he could.

"And now get out of here!"

The blond haired boy stumbled out of the room as fast as he could, still bright red.

The adjacent bathroom door opened and (y/n) peered through the gap. "You'll have far more success in (y/n)'s cabinet," she mimicked him. "Did you have to violate him with that picture?"

Henry grinned. "As long as I have to listen to Humphrey jokes, yes."

"Men." she rolled her eyes and went back into the bathroom. "You coming now?"

Henry ran after her at a quickly.

Henry was sitting on the sofa reading a script when Lilly shot through the door and quickly ran up the stairs.

"Lilly?"

"No time!"

"Why aren't you at dance practice?"

The door to her room slammed into the lock and he just heard the key turn. Damn.

"Lilly, what's wrong?" he called through the door.

"I need (y/n)!" she called back.

"(Y/n) is not here! I can help you. Now open up."

"Or Mimmy or Fatima!"

"Why not me?"

"I need a woman!"

Henry sighed. "At least tell me what's wrong."

"I've got my period!"

Henry faltered. "First time?" he asked uncertainly.

"What do you think?" she yelled through the door.

"Lilly this is-"

The door was yanked open. "Don't tell me that's normal now!" She held up a finger.

Henry looked overwhelmed at the delicate now 12-year-old creature. "Do you know how shitty it is for women who do professional sports to still have to deal with something like this?"

She cringed and screwed up her face. Henry gently supported her.

"Okay. You just take a deep breath and lie down. I'll call (y/n) and then we'll take it one step at a time."

She let herself be led to her bed and lay down on it.

"I'll be right back."

Lilly nodded and pulled the covers over her.

Henry went into the kitchen and got a hot water bottle ready while he pulled out his cell phone and called (y/n).

"Hello?"

"Hey... Uhm little problem-"

"Did Mike break something again?"

"No! No Mike is fine... I think... Lilly just stormed through the door and it turns out she's on her period. She's freaking out right now and thinks her dancing career is over."

(Y/n) sighed. "Can't I have an undramatic child?"

"And your hope was in Lilly, of all people?"

She sighed before pulling herself together.

"Fine. You-"

"Hot water bottle's on. I'll make tea in a minute."

"Perfect. I'll buy her whatever she needs. Give me half an hour. Try to keep her calm until then."

"And how-"

Tuut tzut

Henry looked at his phone, perplexed.

He wasn't disgusted by it. God it was just normal, but he knew Lilly. And Lilly always knew exactly how she thought things should be. That her body was now 'betraying' her was hard for her to swallow.

Carefully, he walked back to her room.

"Hey princess. Are you okay?"

"No." she pouted.

He sighed. "Here. For the cramps. The tea is gross, but it always helps (y/n)."

She reached for the cup, smelled it, and put it right back down. "What's this?"

Henry laughed lightly. "I don't know."

Lilly grabbed the hot water bottle and placed it on her stomach.

Henry sat down by her bed. "(Y/n) will be right in."

"Good."

Silence settled over the room. Uncomfortable silence.

"You know there are a lot of female athletes." said Henry, looking at the shelf of trophies and medals.

Lilly just puffed and continued looking at her blanket, tugging at a loose thread.

Henry sighed.

"I didn't even get to go to practice today," she grumbled.

He patted her hand. "I'm really not an expert on this," Henry said.

"But?"

"Unfortunately, that's it."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Men." she grumbled.

"Yup. You're a woman now."

All eight sat at the kitchen table, looking spellbound at Fatima, who had three letters in front of her.

One from Oxford. One from Cambridge. One from Havard.

"What do I start with?" asked Fatima for the first time in a long time with no real plan.

"We can open all  three at the same time," (y/n) suggested.

"I can't do that," Fatima groaned, already pushing the letters away from her.

Henry stroked her back soothingly.

"Deep breaths."

Fatima drew in an exaggeratedly deep breath.

"Me one, you one, and (y/n) one. Okay?"

Fatima nodded and grabbed the letter from Oxford.

All three tore open the envelope and pulled out the letters.

Fatima let out an uncharacteristically pointed scream. "I did it!"

Henry looked questioningly at (y/n). She just nodded with a smile.

"Three times, actually," Henry grinned. Fatima snatched the cover letter from their hands and skimmed the pages. "Oh, God. What am I going to do now? How am I supposed to decide?"

"No, no, no!", Henry grabbed her by the shoulders. "First rejoice! Then mull it over."

"You did it.", beamed (y/n) at Fatima. "God I'm so damn proud of you. Come here." She pulled the girl into her arms.

"I'm worth something," Fatima whispered.

"You always have been and you always will be. Do you hear?"

Fatima nodded and let herself be pulled back into the embrace. Everyone jumped up and hugged the two until there was only a tangle of family in the kitchen.

It was Emilia's birthday. Emilia had invited friends. Emilia had invited her boyfriend. Joseph. Henry sat in the bedroom, watching the boy in the garden through the window with suspicion.

He had decided he didn't like him. There was something boastful about him. He had also overheard him calling a classmate fat, which brought up unpleasant memories.

"Want some night vision for later?", (y/n) grinned at him and held out a coffee.

Henry grunted. "I'm just keeping an eye out."

(y/n) continued to grin.

"I just don't like him," he blurted out. "He's such...such-"

"Such a spoiled asshole?"

Henry looked at her in surprise.

"Hey I'll let them have their way. I'm not always for it by a long shot." she stated defensively.

Henry looked back into the garden. "What's going on now?"

A flurry of activity arose in the party. Joseph could be seen talking vigorously at Emilia, and Emilia's face grew smaller and smaller.

Henry immediately got up and went down the stairs. (Y/n) right at his heels.

"Joseph-" he heard Emilia's broken voice.

"Are you doing everybody now, or what?" followed Jospeh.

"That's not even-"

"Keep your fucking lies to yourself!"

Henry pushed his way through the group of teenagers when he already saw Mike pushing his way between them. A good head and a half taller than Jospeh, he had an intimidating effect for now.

"Think about what you're saying!" said Mike emphatically.

"Yeah. You don't want anyone to know that she's already spread her legs for the whole school. You know, some girls appreciate staying pure."

You would have thought Mike would have just put him in a headlock and dragged him out, but it was Fatima, of all people, who hit him with a skillful hook and sent him staggering back.

"Don't you ever talk to my sister like that again.", she hissed at him. "Now get the fuck out of this house or you'll learn what it's like to have Mike break you."

Joseph stumbled backward toward the patio, where Henry was already waiting for him. He grabbed the boy roughly by the back of the neck and pulled him along. "I better drive you home," he growled.

(Y/n) went to Emilia and Fatima and took care of damage control.

Henry, meanwhile, pulled Jospeh with him and shoved him into his car.

"Get in! Buckle up!"

Jospeh reluctantly obeyed him.

Henry started the engine and drove off. "If I ever see you treat my daughter like that again, you'll meet my brother. Royal Marines. Think about it."

Joseph looked at him angrily. "Do you want to threaten me?"

"Yes I am. Because we're going to your mother's house right now, and she's welcome to find out how her little sunshine is doing." The boy got smaller. Figures. Henry rolled his eyes. "Now shut up."

He dropped Joseph off at his parents' house, calmly told his mother that there had been an altercation and that her son's image of women could be set straight, and drove back home.

The party had broken up. Forgotten mugs still stood in the garden and rapidly changing lights shone from the living room.

Henry peeked around the corner and saw everyone spread out together in the living room watching 'The little mermaide'. 

Emilia loved Disney movies more than anything. Since no one really knew how she grew up, they just assumed she was making up for a little childhood with it.

Henry quietly disappeared into the kitchen and retrieved his secret weapon.

When he returned, he leaned over to Emilia and held out a cup of hot white chocolate. Filled with colorful marshmallows. "Here. Helps with heartache."

Her eyes sparkled slightly with tears. "Thanks," she whispered, moving a little to the side.

Henry somehow squeezed in next to her and held her close.

(Y/n) smiled gently at him from across the room.

Henry was sitting in the kitchen drinking his coffee when he heard a car come to a stop in front of the house.

He looked out the window and saw Jason's car.

Not a minute later, the boy was standing in front of Henry, looking at him frantically. He held up a pile of sheets. "Taxes." was all he said.

Henry looked uncertainly at the pile.

"Um."

"How do you do your taxes?" asked Jason, exasperated. "I've got side jobs and income from YouTube. But if I do the math, I get 4,000 pounds back and that can't be right!"

"You know..."

"Henry help me!"

"I've got an accountant! No one knows how to do this!" blurted out Henry.

Jason stared at him. "How much does an accountant cost?"

Henry's face turned pitiful. Jason understood and slumped. "Is (y/n) there?"

"Coming in an hour."

"Whiskey?"

"It's eleven in the morning."

"It's taxes! Help me or give me the whiskey!"

Henry immediately reached for the bottle and handed it to the boy.

"How much do you actually make from YouTube?"

Jason waved it off and took a big swig from the bottle.

"Do you have a minute?"

Henry turned to the little thirteen yearold boy who was looking at him with his dark puppy eyes.

"Sure Kamon, what's up?"

Henry signaled to Kal that it was time to take a break from playing, to which the furry mountain just puffed and threw himself into the shadows.

"So... What do... Girls... How does someone ask for a... date?"

Henry looked at the boy's face, who looked as if he would like to disappear into the ground.

Henry smiled gently and sat down on the steps of the terrace. He motioned Kamon to join him. Henry threw Kal's ball without much force and started to speak. "Well the difficult thing is that every girl is different," he smiled. "Everyone's going to like something different."

Kamon looked to Kal, who put the ball down in front of them. The boy grabbed it and it was now in his turn to throw the ball. 

"How do I know what to do?" he sighed.

"You should be yourself."

Kamon slumped his shoulders. "Then it'll never work.", he grunted.

Henry slapped him encouragingly on the shoulder. "Oh, nonsense. Even Mike found someone.", he winked at Kamon.

"But Mike is-" he interrupted himself.

"Mike is what?"

Kamon wrestled with himself. "Mike is popular. And... He's big and strong and I'm-" he raised his arms powerlessly. "I'm just like that."

Henry sighed. "Kamon you're thirteen. There are boys who grow until they're seventeen. You've still got time. And as for muscles. Not everyone is into that either." He grinned. "(Y/n) likes it more when her partner is slimmer. She picked me anyway."

Kamon continued to throw the ball listlessly. "What if I make a complete ass of myself?"

"It's okay to be scared. They're women. They can be very intimidating. Who are we talking about, anyway?"

Kamon faltered. "Um-"

"Come on." grinned Henry, giving him a buddy-buddy punch.

Kamon dropped his chin to his knees and looked out into the garden. "Alex." he said so quickly that Henry almost didn't understand.

"Alex?" He considered. "So what?"

"Alex... Smith." he mumbled very quietly into his knees.

Alex Smith... Smith... Henry's eyes grew wide. Oh. Alex Smith. The little soccer player from his class. The boy Alex Smith.

He saw tears forming in Kamon's eyes.

"Kamon! No! Don't cry. It's okay!"

"It is?"

"Yes Kamon!"

"You don't mind?"

Henry took him in his arms. "Of course not."

He stroked his back. "We all love you. No matter who you bring home."

Kamon sniffled into his shoulder. "How do you tell (y/n) something like that?" he asked into his T-shirt.

Henry smiled. "Well one would take me with them and then you make (y/n) a really big cup of coffee and then.... you just tell her. Because (y/n) loves you all." He grinned. "And since you are the least amount of chaos, you are her little secret favorite." He winked at Kamon. The latter smiled at Henry out of teary eyes.

"Will you help me?"

"Always. No matter what."