enchantedrose

Eleven ~ Learning To Breathe Again

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Y/n: And yet, Steve kept his word. He has let me stay at his house for multiple days. And I have actually been able to properly sleep for the first time in five years. Kono occasionally would come over to check on me, and even brought me some of my clothes, which I've appreciated so much. I walk down the stairs and into the living room, expecting to see Steve sitting on the couch, but he's not there. Jason's been dead for nearly a week. He's not still working on that, right? I walk into the kitchen to see Steve standing by the counter, coffee in his hand like usual. Steve didn't turn around when I entered, but his shoulders relaxed just a fraction. He knew my footsteps by now. The hesitant, uneven drag of someone still trying to find their footing in a world that had stopped threatening to end.

Steve: "You're up early." He said, his voice raspy with morning fatigue. He pushed a second mug toward me across the granite countertop. I took it, the warmth soaking into my cold palms. It was the first time in a week I hadn't woken up checking the window locks or listening for tires on the gravel.

Y/n: "Yeah. Five years not sleeping well really takes a toll on your body. And yet, only five days sleeping better help that." I say with a small chuckle before taking a sip of my coffee he made me. Steve moves forward, placing a hand briefly, grounding, on my shoulder. His touch firm, steadying.

Steve: "Take your time. You've got nowhere else to be, and I'm getting pretty tired of watching you look at the exits." He says, making me chuckle a bit, him doing the same.

Y/n: "Thank you, Steve. For everything. For... not letting me fall apart completely." He let out a soft huff, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

Steve: "You didn't fall apart." Do I believe that? No. But am I gonna take his word for it? Yes. Steve slowly moves back so he's barely leaning against his table.

Y/n: "It's just weird feeling like I don't have to watch my back all the time." I softly say. Steve completely understands what I'm saying. I mean shit. He's a cop and Navy Seal. I'd be more surprised if he didn't understand. It's then silent for a few moments. I just look at Steve, and even in just his gray t-shirt and sweats, I remember just how attractive I thought he was a week ago. And even now my thoughts haven't changed. It was impossible not to feel that pull, that magnetic draw toward the man who had been my anchor when I was being swept out to sea. Steve caught me looking. It wasn't the kind of look I'd had a week ago, vibrating with panicked adrenaline. This was softer, more observant, and I saw the way his focus sharpened, his blue eyes tracking my expression with a military precision that slowly melted into something more personal. Steve set his mug down on the table with a soft clink. But he didn't move away, though. He just looked at me like he was trying to figure me out. Steve's eyes lingered on mine, that intense, unblinking focus that used to make me want to fidget, but now, it just felt like being seen. Truly seen, for the first time since the world started spinning out of control.

Steve: "You're looking at me like you've never seen me before." Steve says, his voice low, lacking any of the usual tactical gruffness. He takes slow steps into my space, his movements deliberate, giving me every opportunity to back away. But I don't.

Y/n: "I'm just..." I looked down at the steam rising from my mug, then back up at him. "I'm trying to remember what it's like to be a person again. Not a target. Just a person." Steve's expression softened, the hard lines around his eyes easing. He reached out, his fingertips brushing against the edge of the kitchen counter just inches from my hand.

Steve: "You're doing a hell of a job of it, Y/n. You're still standing. That's more than most could say after what you've walked through." I then felt a smile tug at my lips.

Y/n: "I had a pretty good anchor." Steve tilted his head, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second before returning to my eyes. His shift in demeanor was subtle, but it felt like the air in the room had suddenly thinned.

Steve: "I don't think you needed an anchor as much as you thought." He murmured. "I think you just needed to know you didn't have to carry the current alone." He reached up, his hand hovering for a second before he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered against my jaw, his thumb brushing over my pulse point. It was such a simple gesture, yet it sent a jolt of something electric and profoundly safe through me. I didn't pull away. I couldn't. For five years, every touch had been a threat, a reminder of danger or a precursor to pain. But this? This was different. This was steady. It was the first time in years that someone's touch didn't make me want to flinch or fight. It made me want to breathe.

Y/n: "Steve..." His eyes stayed on mine, steady and unreadable in that way that should've made me nervous by now, but didn't. Not anymore. Not with him. I suddenly remember the coffee I was holding, so I set the mug down on the counter before I dropped it. Steve's hand stayed at my jaw, warm and steady, his thumb brushing once more over my skin like he was making sure I was really here. Really okay. His eyes searched mine for even the smallest sign of hesitation, any flicker that said I wanted space, that I needed him to stop. He didn't find one. My breath caught again. He gave me one last second to back away. I didn't. So Steve closed the distance. It wasn't rushed. Wasn't messy or desperate or overwhelming. It was slow, careful, almost hesitant at first, like he was still asking even as his hand shifted more securely to the side of my face. His lips brushed mine once, soft enough that it barely felt real, and every muscle in my body went completely still. Then I kissed him back. That changed everything. My fingers caught lightly in the front of his t-shirt, not to pull him closer exactly, just to anchor myself to something solid. Something safe. His hands then move down to the small of my back. Steve kissed me like he had all the patience in the world, like he wasn't going anywhere unless I asked him to. It was warm and slow and somehow steadier than anything had a right to be after the week we'd had. And for the first time in years, touch didn't feel like something I had to survive. It felt like relief. When we finally pulled apart, it was only barely. My forehead rested against his for a second while I tried to remember how breathing worked. Steve stayed there too, close enough that I could still feel the warmth of him, his hand resting lightly at the nape of my neck like he didn't want to move too fast and ruin whatever fragile thing had just settled between us.

Steve: "You okay?" He asks softly. A laugh slips out of me before I could stop it.

Y/n: "That's your question?" Steve's thumb brushed the side of my back, and I felt his smile against the space between us more than I saw it.

Steve: "It's an important question." I look at him, really look at him, and something in my chest tightened in a way that wasn't panic this time. It was something softer. More dangerous, maybe, because it made me want things I hadn't let myself want in a long time.

Y/n: "Yeah." I say quietly. "I'm okay." Steve studies my face for another second like he was checking for cracks in the answer. Then he nodded once, like he believed me. And truth be told, I am okay. I feel better than I have in what feels like forever.

Steve: "Good." There's a beat of silence. The both of us just look at each other while smiling. Then, we hear the front door open and close. Me and Steve both give each other a look that says 'Danny', and we walk out of the kitchen to see the whole crew walking in. Danny, Grace, Chin, Kono, Adam, Kamekona, Flippa, and Max.

Grace: "Uncle Steve!" She says excitedly running over to give Steve a hug.

Steve: "Hey kiddo." He replies, hugging her back. The room then slowly settles into a kind of easy chaos after that. Kamekona starts unloading breakfast onto Steve's kitchen island like he was catering a small wedding. Flippa was already stealing half the fruit out of one of the trays. Max had somehow ended up in a conversation with Chin about something medical from Lani's hospital report. Kono moved around the kitchen like she belonged there, which honestly, she kind of did. And through all of it, I was hyperaware of Steve. Not in the panicked fight or flight way I'd been hyperaware of men before. Not in the dangerous way. Just... aware. Aware of him standing at the coffee maker. Aware of the way his t-shirt stretched across his shoulders when he reached for a plate. Aware of the occasional glance he kept sending my way like he was checking that I was still okay. Still here. Still not regretting what had happened in the kitchen. I didn't regret it. That was the terrifying part. But right now? Right now I was standing in Steve McGarrett's kitchen, surrounded by people who had somehow bulldozed their way into my life without asking permission, and for the first time in a very long time, it didn't feel suffocating. It felt... safe. Warm. Annoyingly full of Danny Williams. But safe. I look up just in time to catch Steve watching me again from across the kitchen. Not intensely this time. Not like he was trying to figure me out. Just quietly. Softly. Like he was making sure I was still okay after the chaos. My smile faded into something smaller. Softer. Steve's gaze held mine for a second too long. Then Danny ruins it. Danny's eyes narrow slightly as he looks between the two of us.

Danny: "Oh my God."

Steve: "Danny."

Danny: "Oh my God, I'm right." He points at us like he's just solved a murder. "I knew it. I knew it. Chin, tell me you see this. Tell me I'm not hallucinating." Chin, who is standing near Max with a paper plate in one hand, barely glances up.

Chin: "I see you being loud first thing in the morning."

Danny: "That is not helpful." Max, unfortunately, looks delighted.

Max: "Actually, Daniel does appear to be onto something. There's a statistically significant difference in the nonverbal communication happening across the room." Danny turns toward him with a suspicious look.

Danny: "Thank you, Max. See? Science." Steve pinches the bridge of his nose.

Steve: "Nobody asked for science." Grace's eyes then land on me, then Steve, then back to me with the terrifyingly perceptive expression only a child can have.

Grace: "Did you kiss?" The room goes dead silent. I nearly choke on air. Kamekona lets out a loud, scandalized laugh from the other side of the kitchen.

Kamekona: "Oh, braddah, the keiki went right for it." Steve, to his credit, looked almost as uncomfortable as I felt, which was honestly the only thing keeping me sane. Almost. Then Grace, apparently deciding subtlety was for cowards, smiled at me.

Grace: "I like you for him." The room absolutely lost it. And Steve, Steve McGarrett, Navy Seal, head of Five-0, terrifying interrogator, actually looked flustered. I just stare at Grace in disbelief.

Y/n: "Grace."

Grace: "What? Uncle Steve's grumpy all the time. He needs someone nice." Danny slapped a hand against the counter, laughing helplessly.

Danny: "Oh, I'm framing that. I'm putting that on a shirt."

Steve: "Danny."

Danny: "No, no, don't 'Danny' me, okay? I have spent weeks watching the two of you do whatever this weird hostile flirting trauma bonding thing is, and now I find out there was an actual kiss? In my absence?" He puts a hand over his chest like he's personally offended. "That's betrayal, Steven." Steve folds his arms over his chest and fixes Danny with a look. Grace shrugs like she hasn't just casually thrown a grenade into the middle of the room.

Grace: "You make Uncle Steve nicer." Steve lets out a long breath through his nose.

Steve: "I'm right here."

Grace: "I know." Danny actually has to set his coffee down because he's laughing too hard now.

Danny: "Oh my God. I'm never letting you live this down." He says to Steve.

Steve: "You done?"

Danny: "Not even remotely." Grace climbs up onto one of the barstools and swings her legs.

Grace: "I still think it's cute." Kamekona slaps a hand dramatically over his heart.

Kamekona: "The little one speaks truth." Adam, who's been mostly quiet while Kono steals fruit off his plate, finally looks over with a smirk.

Adam: "You know, for a guy who usually scares suspects into confessing within ten minutes, Steve looks pretty helpless right now." Steve just stares at him.

Steve: "You too?" Adam lifts his hands in surrender.

Ten ~ The Weight of What Happened

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Y/n: Just now coming on four hours since they left. Four hours. Four hours of sitting in Steve's office with the lights too bright and the silence too loud. Four hours of staring at the same patch of floor until my vision blurred. Four hours of every worst case scenario my brain could invent playing on a loop. Lani was with them. That thought wouldn't stop repeating. It just kept hitting me over and over again in different forms. Lani in the backseat. Lani tied up. Lani scared. Lani because of me. This was my fault. I lay my head back against Steve's desk chair and let out a breath, when I finally hear the door to HQ open. I quickly make my way out of the office to see Steve walking in first, the rest following in suit. I don't wait for any of them to say anything. The second I see Steve's face, I know. Something happened. My heart drops. "Where's Lani?" The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it. Steve's eyes find mine instantly, and for one horrible second, he doesn't answer. That silence almost kills me. Then Kono steps forward first, voice softer than the others.

Kono: "She's alive." The breath that leaves me is so shaky it almost hurts. My knees actually go weak for a second, and I have to grab the edge of Chin's desk just to keep myself upright.

Y/n: "Where is she?" Danny exhales hard, dragging a hand over his face.

Danny: "At the hospital. Dehydration, a concussion, bruising, all that fun stuff. But she's okay. She's alive, she's conscious, and she asked for you the second she woke up, so there's that." My eyes close for half a second. Alive. Lani's alive. The relief is so sharp it borders on painful, but it doesn't last nearly long enough, because the second I open my eyes again, I realize one person is missing.

Y/n: "And Jason?" No one answers right away. That's answer enough. I look between all of them, my chest tightening again. "You lost him again?" I ask in disbelief. There's another moment of silence before I hear Steve.

Steve: "He's dead." Well, that was a turn. "Jason's dead. So is Ryan." I just stared at him. Not because I didn't understand the sentence. I did. That was the problem. Jason was dead. Ryan was dead. The men who had spent the last several days tearing through my life like a hurricane, one because he wanted me back, the other because apparently psychotic loyalty ran in the family, were just... gone. Gone. No more running. No more looking over my shoulder. No more wondering if every strange car outside my apartment was him. No more waking up in the middle of the night convinced I'd heard the floorboards creak. It should have felt like relief. Instead it felt like I'd been shoved off a cliff and my body hadn't caught up to the fall yet.

Y/n: "You killed him..." It wasn't really a question. I looked straight at Steve when I said it. The room stayed silent. "Did he kill Noah too?" Steve didn't answer right away. The room felt like it narrowed around me, every sound in HQ fading until all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears and the uneven beat of my own heart. Steve held my gaze for a second too long, his expression unreadable in that infuriating way of his, like he was sorting through ten different answers and trying to figure out which one I could survive hearing. Then he finally spoke.

Steve: "Yeah." He says quietly, like he's trying to not hurt me in any sort of way. My throat closed so fast it hurt.

Y/n: "He was trying to help me?" I ask hesitantly. Kono stepped closer, her voice careful.

Kono: "Looks like it." A horrible, broken laugh escaped me before I could stop it. It didn't sound like a laugh at all. More like my chest cracking open. I screamed at him. I told him to go to hell. I shoved him. I left him there...

Y/n: "Can I um... have a minute?" I immediately get nods and make my way out into the hallway. I lay my back against the wall, and lay my head back a bit, getting lost in my thoughts again. My hands are shaking so badly I had to knot them together just to keep them still. Noah was dead. Jason was dead. Ryan was dead. And somehow I still felt like I couldn't breathe. My stomach twisted. I had screamed at Noah. Told him to go to hell. I left him there. And all he was trying to do was help me... Then, barely a moment later, I hear a door and footsteps. I don't even have a care in the world to look to see who it is. "Does it ever stop?" I ask, looking at my trembling hands. "The feeling that everything I touch just... breaks?" I look over and see Steve walking over closer to me.

Steve: "No. But it changes. You learn how to carry it." He says carefully, stopping near me, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Both of us are silent for another moment before I speak again.

Y/n: "Can I stay with you again tonight?" Even though I have no reason to be scared anymore, I really don't want to be by myself tonight.

Steve: "As long as you need to. You're exhausted, you've barely slept in who knows how long, and you've been running on adrenaline and trauma for 48 hours straight." His tone wasn't harsh. Just firm in that maddening Steve McGarrett way. "If you go to the hospital right now, you're gonna walk in there looking like you're about to pass out, and then Lani's gonna worry about you instead of resting." Annoyingly, he was right. I hated that he was right. I also hated the fact that he knew exactly what was going through my head currently.

Y/n: "I don't like when you make sense."

Nine ~ A New Kind of Fear

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Y/n: I wake up a while later to the sound of talking in the room next to me. Steve's office was quiet, as well, it was only me. I push myself up, the blanket slipping down to my waist. My head feels heavy, like it's filled with sand, and for a split second, the panic from earlier threatens to claw its way back up my throat. But then, for the first time in years, I realize I actually slept good. The sharp, jagged edges of my earlier panic have then smoothed out, replaced by a dull, aching fatigue. I lift my body up slightly, enough where I can look through the window of the office, seeing all four of the Five-0 members all focused on the case. Kono looked up from where she'd been checking something on one of the side computers.

Kono: "Yeah. You missed the part where Jason used the second burner phone to call somebody." That got everyone's attention immediately. Including mine. Steve turned toward her.

Steve: "Who?"

Kono: "We don't know yet. Burner to burner call. Lasted 43 seconds, made twelve minutes after he left Y/n's apartment." She pulled another file up onto the screen. "But we pulled nearby security footage from the alley behind the building. Jason wasn't alone." On the screen was grainy footage from a parking lot camera. Jason's face was partially visible in profile as he moved around the side of the building toward a dark SUV parked in the alley. He looked exactly how I remembered and somehow worse all at once. Familiar in the most sickening way possible. My chest tightened immediately. But it wasn't Jason that made the room go still. It was the second person standing beside the SUV. Tall. Male. Baseball cap low over his face. Build familiar enough to make something cold slide down my spine. Chin leaned closer to the screen.

Chin: "Can you zoom that?" Kono did. The image sharpened just enough to make out the side of the man's face as he turned. Danny swore under his breath. I stare at the screen. Noah. Or at least, my brain tried to tell me it was Noah for one impossible, sickening second before logic kicked in. Noah was dead. But the man standing next to Jason looked enough like him to make my stomach lurch. Steve's expression darkened.

Steve: "That's not Noah." Chin nodded slowly.

Chin: "No. It's the other brother." My eyes snapped toward him. "Jason and Noah had a half brother. Younger than Jason, older than Noah. Name's Ryan Callaway." He then pulls up a file. "Lives mostly off grid. No stable address. Minor assault charges, weapons possession, one arrest for robbery in California, but nothing that stuck." Danny rubbed both hands over his face.

Danny: "Okay, terrific. Because one Callaway brother clearly wasn't enough." My pulse started climbing again, not full panic this time, just dread. Heavy, suffocating dread. Steve's eyes stayed on the screen, mind moving a mile a minute.

Steve: "Noah confronts Y/n at the party. Ten minutes later Noah's dead. Jason shows up on the island almost immediately after. And now we've got a third brother helping him move around after he trashes her apartment." His voice dropped. "This wasn't random." Right before I decide to go out of the office to where they are, I hear Chin say something else.

Chin: "We've got movement." The room changed instantly. Steve was already moving before Chin even finished the sentence, crossing back toward the main screen with Danny right behind him. On the screen, grainy footage showed the dark SUV rolling through an intersection near the industrial side of Honolulu. The timestamp in the corner flashed only minutes old.

Danny: "Where is that?" Chin zoomed in on the map tracking the camera location.

Chin: "Warehouse district. Pier 32 access road." He says, zooming in on the blinking point on the map. "Traffic cam caught them heading east. Two minutes ago." The room moved all at once. Steve was already reaching for his vest again before Chin even finished talking, his whole body going sharp with purpose. Danny was right behind him, muttering something under his breath as he grabbed his gun off the desk.

Danny: "Of course it's a warehouse. Why is it always a warehouse? Nobody ever hides in a nice, well lit shopping center." Danny mumbles to himself. Kono was then pulling up another route on the second screen.

Kono: "There's a shipping yard on the next block and a storage facility behind it. If they're trying to stay off grid, that's the best place to disappear." All of the Five-0 members start suiting up, right as I notice something on the screen that looks odd. I quickly shove the blanket off of my body and make my way out of the office. I stepped into the doorway and no one noticed me at first. Not until I said it.

Y/n: "There's someone else in the car." The room went silent so fast it was like someone cut the sound. Steve turned immediately.

Steve: "What?" I swallowed, forcing my voice to stay steady even though my chest already felt tight again.

Y/n: "Back at the intersection footage. When it passed the light. There was someone in the back seat. I saw movement. They're not alone." Danny frowned, already moving closer to the screen again.

Danny: "Okay, hold on. What do you mean 'someone else'?" I point at the monitor without realizing my hands were shaking.

Y/n: "Right there. The rear window. When it hits the streetlight. You can see it. It's like... a shape shifts back." Chin rewound the feed immediately. The grainy SUV reappeared. Slower this time. Frame by frame. The room got tighter with every second. Steve leaned in, eyes locked and focused. Then, there it is. A faint outline. Barely there, but enough. A person sitting in the back seat. Tied up...? Lani... A cold wave of nausea rolled through me so fast I had to grab the edge of the desk to steady myself. "That's Lani." My voice came out thin and sharp all at once. "That's Lani in the backseat." The room shifted instantly. Steve's head snapped toward me, every line in his face tightening.

Steve: "You're sure?"

Y/n: "Yes." I didn't even hesitate. "I know the shape of her hair, I know that jacket. That's her. That's Lani." Danny muttered a curse under his breath.

Danny: "Okay. Great. Fantastic. So now psycho ex boyfriend and his equally unhinged family have upgraded to kidnapping." He rolls his eyes.

Eight ~ When The Walls Fall

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Y/n: It's been two hours. Two hours since they left for my apartment. HQ is insanely quiet when there's nobody here. I flinch when the heavy sound of the main door opening echoed through the space. I expected Steve or Danny, but it was just HPD officer Duke Lukela, his face grim as he carried a box of files toward Chin's desk. He stopped when he saw me sitting alone in the dim light. "Is it finished?" I ask, my voice sounding thin and small in the cavernous room. Duke offers me a sympathetic, weary look.

Duke: "Not yet, Y/n." Duke stays for a few more moments before he's called out by another officer, leaving me alone yet again. I sit there waiting for maybe another twenty minutes, when I hear the door opening again. This time, I actually see Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono.

Danny: "You need help Steven! I will pay for it!" Danny yells as he walks in, obviously annoyed with Steve about something.

Steve: "He was inside the apartment, Danny. He was tearing the place apart looking for her. I didn't have time for a tactical formation." I stand up, my legs feeling a little wobbly.

Y/n: "You didn't get him..." The room goes quiet again, but it's a different kind of silence this time. Steve stops his pacing and looks at me, his shoulders finally dropping from his ears. He looks tired, bone deep tired, and he reaches out, resting a hand on the back of the chair I was just sitting in.

Steve: "He wasn't there." Steve says, his voice flat.

Y/n: "What do you mean he wasn't there?" I ask, my heart hammering against my ribs. "You said he was heading that way. You said he was setting a trap."

Chin: "He was there." Chin says, walking in behind them with a tablet in his hand. "The apartment was trashed. Signs of forced entry. But he cleared out maybe five minutes before we arrived." Danny lets out a sharp, incredulous laugh, pointing a finger at Steve.

Danny: "Which is exactly why we should have waited for the SWAT backup, but no. 'Let's go, Danny, get in the truck, we're doing this my way.'" Steve finally turns to glare at him.

Steve: "It worked, didn't it? We didn't lose him in the crowd. We forced him to abandon his position."

Danny: "And he's still out there!" Danny snaps. Despite all of the commotion, I can feel my anxiety start to spark, again. The anxiety is so loud to me, that I start drifting away from the real world. The only thing my brain can think of is Jason. Still out there. Could find me again. My stomach twisted so hard I thought I might actually be sick.

Kono: "Y/n?" Kono's voice cut through first, softer than the others, but it sounded distant. "Hey." I didn't answer. I couldn't. Because all I could see was my apartment door hanging open in my head. My dresser drawers dumped out. My clothes on the floor. Jason's hands everywhere. Jason, angry that I wasn't there. Jason, realizing I'd slipped out of reach again. She crossed the room quickly but without making a scene, crouching down in front of me so she was at eye level instead of towering over me. One hand settled lightly over mine where it had locked around the edge of the chair. "Hey. Stay with me." I blinked, but I still couldn't really see her. My ears were ringing. Danny's arguing with Steve turned into muffled noise in the background. Chin was saying something too, but none of it made sense. It was all too far away. Too distorted. Too loud and not loud enough at the same time. Kono's thumb pressed gently over my knuckles. "Y/n. Look at me." I tried. God, I tried. But the second I dragged my eyes up to her face, my breathing cracked into something sharp and ugly. One breath. Then another. Too fast. Too shallow. My hands started shaking so badly I had to pull them into my lap just to hide it. Danny noticed immediately.

Danny: "Okay, no, no, no-" He cut himself off mid argument and turned toward me. "She's panicking." The whole room shifts instantly. Steve's head snapped in my direction so fast it almost looked violent. One second he was locked in with Danny, adrenaline still running from the failed apartment sweep. The next, all of that focus landed on me. And just like that, the argument died. Steve crossed the room in three long strides. Not fast enough to startle me. Not slow enough to look hesitant. Just direct. Controlled. Intentional. He dropped down in front of me next to Kono, his eyes scanning my face in that quick, assessing way he had when he was trying to figure out whether somebody was injured, in shock, or about to pass out.

Steve: "Y/n." I flinched. Not because of him. Just because hearing my name made everything feel too real again. His expression changed instantly. "Hey." His voice lowered. Steadier now. "Look at me." My eyes found his this time, but only barely. My vision was starting to blur around the edges. I haven't had a panic and anxiety attack this bad in a very long time. "Jason is not here." His voice stayed low, even, unshakable. "There are officers at every entrance. Chin is tracking every move he makes. HPD has your apartment locked down. He is not touching you tonight." I tried to breathe. Really, I did. But my lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves, every inhale catching halfway down my chest and breaking apart before it could do any good. My hands were shaking so hard it hurt. The room was still too bright, too loud, too wrong. I could hear people talking, hear the scrape of chairs and the low murmur of police radios somewhere in the background, but it all sounded like it was happening underwater. "Don't listen to anything else in this room. Just me. Can you do that?" I don't trust my voice, so I give him the smallest nod. "Okay." He stays crouched in front of me, one forearm braced lightly against his knee, not touching me, just close enough to ground me without crowding me. "I need you to breathe with me. Not fast. Slow." He demonstrated it once, exaggerated just enough for me to follow. "In for four." I tried. The inhale came in ragged and uneven, but it came. "That's it. Hold it." My fingers curled tighter into the fabric of my sweatpants. "Now out. Slow." The exhale shook on the way out, but it was longer this time. Beside me, Kono kept one hand light against my back, steady and warm and quiet. Danny hovered a few feet away looking like he wanted to help but had no idea how without making it worse. And Chin had gone silent at his desk, the whole room shifting around the fact that I was falling apart in the middle of it. The breathing thing went on for another few minutes, before Steve finally noticed my attack started calming down. It wasn't completely normal. Not even close. My hands were still shaking and my chest still hurt from how hard my lungs had been working, but the sharp, terrifying edge of it had dulled. I wasn't spiraling anymore. I was just... wrecked. Steve stayed crouched in front of me for another few seconds anyway, like he didn't trust it yet. Like he needed to make sure I wasn't about to fall apart all over again the second he looked away. "There you go." His voice stayed low, steady. "That's better."

Kono: "It's gonna be alright." She says softly to me.

Seven ~ Cornered

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Y/n: It's hard having to sit at HQ listening to cops talk about your psycho ex over and over again for a case, but here we are. Kono got me a chair and all I've done since we got here is sit and listen to their conversations. I let out a quiet breath through my nose and looked down at my hands. They were clasped together so tightly my knuckles had gone pale. I forced them apart, flexing my fingers once, but it didn't help much. Kono noticed anyway.

Kono: "You okay?" She asked softly as she came over to check on me. I looked up, giving her a tiny shrug that wasn't really an answer.

Y/n: "Define okay." That earned the faintest hint of a smile from her, the kind people gave when they knew there wasn't actually a good response to that. Chin straightened from the desk, a paper in one hand.

Chin: "We've got a timeline on Jason's movements since he landed." That got everybody's attention immediately. Steve pushed off the table and turned toward him.

Steve: "Talk to me."

Chin: "He wasn't just driving." Chin continued, pulling up a map on the main screen. "He stopped at a hardware store in Waipahu. He bought industrial grade bolt cutters, heavy duty zip ties, and a burner phone." The air in the room seemed to thin. I felt a cold knot tighten in my stomach, the kind that made it hard to draw a full breath. I looked at Steve. He wasn't looking at me, but I saw the way he shifted his weight, his shoulders squaring, the telltale sign he was already calculating the worst case scenario.

Steve: "He's not just hunting." Steve muttered, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register that made the rest of the team quiet down. "He's prepping."

Chin: "There's more." Chin added, his voice steady but grim. "I checked the traffic cam logs for the route he took after the gas station. He didn't head toward the city center. He took the back roads toward the North Shore." I felt my heart skip a beat.

Y/n: "That's where my apartment is..." He's heading for my apartment. He thinks I'm still there. I'm not a native to Hawaii so he thinks I have nowhere else to go but my apartment... The silence that followed my words was heavy, the kind that pressed against your eardrums. I could feel the eyes of the entire team focused on me, but my own vision was locked on the map on the screen. The red line indicating Jason's path seemed to pulse, a countdown to violence. Steve didn't hesitate. The man who had been gently brushing my cheek earlier was gone, replaced by a wall of absolute, lethal focus. He grabbed his vest from the back of his chair, the Velcro tearing through the quiet with the sound of grinding teeth.

Steve: "If he thinks you're there, he's going to tear that place apart looking for you." Steve said, his voice clipped and devoid of any emotion other than tactical urgency. "He won't just break in. He'll wait. He's setting a trap."

Danny: "Which means," Danny interrupted, already holstering his weapon, "that he's going to be disappointed when he finds an empty apartment."

Steve: "He's going to be disappointed, which makes him desperate. And desperate men make mistakes. Chin, get the perimeter units on the North Shore. I want every road leading in and out of her block cornered off. Quietly. I don't want him spooked. I want him cornered." Chin was already typing, his face a mask of concentrated fury.

Chin: "Already on it, Steve. HPD is moving into position now. But look at this." He adds, pointing to the screen where he had zoomed in on a grainy image of Jason's rental car. "He didn't just stop for supplies. Look at the passenger seat." I leaned forward, my breath hitching. Even in the low resolution, the shape was unmistakable. A long, dark bag. A duffel, or something heavier.

Steve: "That's a kit." Steve says, his jaw working as he tightened his vest. "He's not planning on a quick grab. He's planning on an extraction. He thinks he's taking Y/n with him." Steve turned back to me, the lethal focus in his eyes softening just enough to be grounding. "He doesn't know who he's dealing with anymore. He thinks he's hunting a victim. He has no idea he's walked straight into the middle of Five-0." Kono stepped up beside me, placing a steadying hand on my back.

Kono: "We've got you, Y/n. He's not getting anywhere near you."

Steve: "Chin." Steve barked, his attention snapping back to the tactical map. "Where's the closest unit to the apartment right now?"

Chin: "Two blocks out." Chin replies, his fingers flying across the keys.

Six ~ The Past Finds You

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Y/n: Great. I still can't even sleep. Well, to be fair, I haven't been able to properly sleep in years. Everytime I go to shut my eyes, I see Jason's face. And what he would do to me. Every sound I would hear, my brain would instantly go to Jason. And I don't even have my sleep medicine. Great. Just great. I've been staying here at Steve's for days now and it still hasn't gotten better. I mean for damn sake I'm sharing a house with a Navy Seal and cop. I get tired of laying in the bed struggling to sleep so I get out of the bed and walk downstairs to get a glass of water, when I see Steve sitting on the couch looking over some papers. He's probably still working on the case. Steve doesn't look up right away when I come down the stairs. Just kept going through the papers like he already knew it was me without needing to check. The house was quieter at night. Different kind of quiet than the beach. No music, no crowd, no noise to hide behind. Just ocean outside and the soft glow from the lamp beside him. I just stop a few feet away. "You're still working?"

Steve: "Case doesn't pause because it's late." I huffed a small breath through my nose and moved into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. The sound of it felt too loud in the silence. Steve finally looked up when the faucet ran. "Can't sleep?" I don't answer right away. Just filled the glass and stared at the water for a second like it had answers in it.

Y/n: "Not really an option." I say simply as I look at the glass. "My brain refuses to shut up." I take a sip of water and lean back against the counter. The sweatpants I was wearing pooled at my feet again when I shifted. I tugged them up absentmindedly just to do something with my hands. Steve sets the folder down and he starts walking inside the kitchen. He doesn't say anything at first when he steps into the kitchen. He just grabs himself his own glass of water and stands next to me, facing me, just closing the distance slowly, like he's giving me space to change my mind about being in the same room. The hardwood floor is quiet under his bare feet. The lamp light catches the edge of his face when he stops near the counter, not too close, not far either. Just... present. Steve doesn't say anything for a moment. That was the thing about him. He didn't rush to fill silence just to make it less uncomfortable. He just stands there in it with me, like he wasn't afraid of it. The kitchen felt too still. The only sound was the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft clink when I set my glass down a little harder than I meant to. Steve watched that, then looked back up at me.

Steve: "You don't seem to hate me anymore." He says breaking the silence making me laugh slightly.

Y/n: "No I don't." I say in my laugh. Steve doesn't react immediately to my laugh. That was becoming a pattern with him. He didn't rush to fill silence, didn't jump on emotion the way other people did. He just watched it, like he was trying to understand it before deciding what to do with it. The kitchen stayed quiet for a beat too long. I reached for my glass again even though I wasn't thirsty anymore. Anything to keep my hands busy. Steve leaned back slightly against the counter next to me, one hand still wrapped loosely around his own glass of water.

Steve: "That's... new too."

Y/n: "What is?"

Steve: "You laughing around me." He says simply.

Y/n: "I've gotten more comfortable around you." I then set my glass back down again, and he sets his down right next to mine.

Steve: "I was wrong." Simple. No defense. No justification. It throws me off more than the accusation ever did. I just look at him with confusion written all over my face. "I was wrong about you." I blink at Steve. Not because I didn't hear him. But because my brain is trying to decide what to do with it. People don't usually say things like that out loud. Not like it matters. Not like it's something you fix and move on from. "I thought you were hiding something about Noah. About Jason. I thought you were either involved... or protecting someone who was." There it is. Honest. Direct. No cushioning it. I nod slowly like that makes sense, even if it stings.

Y/n: "You weren't exactly subtle about it." There's a beat.

Steve: "No." That's all he says. No excuse. No deflection. Just agreement. The silence stretches again, but it's different now. Less sharp. More... tired. I glance down at the counter between us. Two glasses of water. Two people standing too close for how complicated this still is. Then I look back up, and suddenly his face felt a lot closer than it was before. The air between us seemed to thicken, charged with a sudden, heavy gravity that had nothing to do with the case or the threats outside. Steve didn't move away, and for once, I didn't feel the urge to bolt. The dim light from the lamps cast long shadows across his features, highlighting the hard set of his jaw and the weary, yet intense, focus in his eyes. "And I don't like that I spent all that time looking at you and seeing a suspect, when I should have been seeing... you." The confession hangs in the air, heavier than the humidity of the Hawaiian night. My breath hitches, just once, and I look away, suddenly finding the grain of the wooden countertop far more interesting than the raw vulnerability in Steve's gaze.

Y/n: "You were doing your job, Steve." I murmur, my voice sounding thin to my own ears. "I don't blame you for being suspicious. I probably would have suspected me, too." Steve moves then, not with the abruptness of a soldier, but with a deliberate, slow care that makes my heart stutter. He reaches out, his hand hovering for a second before he gently tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger against the skin of my jaw, calloused and warm, and the contact sends a shiver straight through me. I don't pull away. I can't. My lungs feel like they've forgotten the rhythm of breathing. The both of us just stay silent for a bit, and his gaze drops to my lips for a fraction of a second, his touch deepening, his fingers curling slightly to cradle the side of my face. He's reading me, searching for any sign of recoil, any flicker of the trauma that makes every other touch feel like a cage. But with him, it's different. It feels like an anchor. Then, without either of us realizing, we both start leaning in slowly. The air in the kitchen seems to vanish, replaced by the warmth radiating from his hand against my skin. The rest of the world, the waves outside, the looming threat of Jason, the unending case, all of it fades into a blur, leaving only the magnetic pull of his presence. Steve's thumb brushes softly over my cheekbone, his touch so light it's almost hesitant, as if he's afraid that even the slightest pressure might break the fragile peace we've found in the middle of the night. Our lips almost meet when we hear the front door open, then shut, along with footsteps, catching both of our attention. Steve freezes, his hand dropping from my face as if he'd been burned. In a heartbeat, the warmth in the kitchen is replaced by the sharp, cold instinct of a man in uniform. He isn't the man who was looking at me a second ago with such vulnerability. He's a Seal again, and cop, eyes already tracking the sound of the footsteps. Then, not even a moment later, we see Danny walk in, both of us instantly loosening up.

Steve: "Danny, don't you ever knock?"

Danny: "Do I ever knock- Yes I knock Steven. That's exactly what I did when you did not answer. And well, I have a key so I just let myself in and interrupted whatever... this... is." He says, gesturing towards us with his hand. Steve's jaw tightened instantly.

Steve: "Do you have a reason for being here?" Steve asked flatly. Danny's expression shifts immediately. The teasing vanished, replaced by something more serious. He holds up a folder in his hand.

Danny: "Yeah. Actually, I do." The air in the room changed all over again. Steve straightens a little.

Steve: "What happened?" Danny's mouth pressed into a line.

Danny: "Jason's on the island." Every bit of warmth that had been in the kitchen disappeared so fast it felt violent. I froze.

Steve: "How do you know?" Danny stepped farther into the kitchen, dropping the folder onto the counter between us.

Danny: "HPD picked up traffic cam footage from a gas station twenty minutes outside Honolulu. Chin had them run facial recognition on a guy paying cash for cigarettes and a prepaid phone." He looked at me for half a second before turning back to Steve. "It's him." The room went quiet. My stomach drops so hard I thought I might actually be sick. Steve's entire expression hardens in an instant, every trace of softness from a minute ago, gone.

Steve: "When was the footage from?"

Danny: "Forty minutes ago." Steve grabs the folder and flips it open, scanning the still image inside. I didn't even have to see it to know. The silence on Steve's face tells me enough. I can already feel my anxiety starting to spiral again. Steve's already moving around the kitchen, grabbing his phone, keys, and sidearm from the counter like the decision had been made before Danny even finished talking.

Steve: "You're not staying here." For a second, all I can do is stare at him. "If Jason knows where you are, then staying in a house with windows and only one point of defense is worse. Five-0 headquarters is secure. There are officers there, surveillance, holding cells, and enough weapons to start a war. I'd rather have you there than here." I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he was overreacting or that I wasn't going anywhere or that I could handle one night in his house without turning into a complete disaster. But I couldn't. Because if Jason was really on the island, then nowhere felt safe anymore. Not Steve's house. Not the beach. Not my apartment. Not anywhere. Danny pointed toward the stairs.

Danny: "Grab your stuff. Anything important. Five minutes." I just blink at him.

Y/n: "I don't have stuff. I'm wearing Steve's clothes." Danny then nods once.

Five ~ The Space Between Fear and Trust

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Danny: "So, we have an issue." Danny says as we both walk into the Five-0 headquarters, seeing Steve, Chin, and Kono already inside working on the case. Steve looks up immediately, like he already knows something is wrong just from Danny's tone.

Steve: "What kind of issue?" Danny exhales, stepping aside slightly so I'm fully visible in the doorway. Danny walks further into the room, already taking over the conversation like he always does when things get uncomfortable.

Danny: "She can't stay alone tonight." Steve's expression shifts instantly.

Steve: "Why?" Danny points vaguely between the two of us.

Danny: "Because apparently Jason Callaway isn't just a 'bad boyfriend with commitment issues.' He's a walking restraining order that never got enforced and she thinks he might come after her if he found out she is on the island." The room goes quiet in that sharp, immediate way it always does when a case stops being theoretical. I can see the entire team look at Danny confused just by that statement.

Y/n: "Danny." I say getting his attention. "They don't have a clue what happened. You're the only one." That makes realization come to his face as he realizes he has to explain what he means. Well, either him or me. I'd prefer him though.

Steve: "Are you an ex of Jason Callaway?" He asks and I nod in response while Danny explains what I explained to him earlier.

Danny: "So for the short version," he starts explaining, "she is an ex of Jason Callaway and she has experienced many of the things he has been convicted for. Abuse, rape, stalking, all of it. And she never reported anything that he did because she was scared he would find her again. That's how she ended up in Hawaii."

Steve: "And she's been in Hawaii this whole time thinking she's safe." No one answers that. Because there's no good answer. It's just the truth. I feel all four sets of eyes on me at once, and suddenly my skin feels too tight again, like the interrogation room never really ended. Like I'm still sitting in it. Only a little better. I just shift my weight slightly.

Danny: "So, moral of the story, she's gonna have to stay with one of us until we get this Callaway case solved."

Kono: "I can't. I'm staying with Adam right now." She says and my heart falls for a second cause that's who I really wanted to stay with.

Chin: "I can't either."

Danny: "I also can't either. Grace is having some friends over and I already barely have room for all of them." So that leaves Steve.

***

Y/n: Thankfully, Steve agreed to let me stay with him while they were on the Callaway case. The only downside to it, he didn't have any female clothes I could borrow for the time being. So now here I was standing in some of Steve's clothes. His house is nicer than I expected. It's not fancy. Just... lived in. Warm wood floors, big open windows, the faint sound of the ocean somewhere outside, and a couch that looks like it's actually been sat on instead of picked out of a furniture catalog. There are surfboards leaned by one wall, a couple framed photos on a shelf, and the kind of clean that says someone tidied up without being obsessive about it. I walk into the kitchen to see Steve standing by the counter with a cup of coffee. I don't even say anything at first. I just watch him for a moment until he notices me standing there lost in my own thoughts. He looks up the second he notices me standing in the kitchen doorway. His coffee cup pauses halfway to his mouth, eyes flicking over the oversized shirt hanging off one of my shoulders, the sleeves I'd rolled twice, the pair of gray sweatpants bunched at my ankles because of course even his sweatpants were too long on me. Something unreadable crossed his face. Not amusement exactly. Not pity either. Just... awareness. A smile tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. It faded a second later when my eyes drifted toward the dark window over the sink. Beyond the glass, there was nothing but night and reflection. My own face looking back at me, tired and pale and not entirely here. Jason's face flashed in my head so fast it made my stomach turn. The smile disappeared completely. Steve noticed the second the air changed.

Steve: "What is it?" I just shake my head.

Y/n: "Nothing." Steve didn't call me on it right away, which somehow made it worse. He just sat there for a second, studying me carefully.

Steve: "You keep checking the windows."

Y/n: "Habit." I say simply. Steve stays quiet for a moment before he speaks again.

Steve: "He's not getting in here." The certainty in his voice hit something fragile in me. Not because I believed him right away. Because I wanted to.

Y/n: "You can't promise that." Steve didn't even hesitate.

Steve: "Yes, I can." That makes me look back at him. "You don't have to like me, you can hate me all you want, but I will guarantee your safety. I am a cop and Navy Seal. If anybody tries to get you here, they'll have to get past me first." Oh. Right. He still thinks I hate him. I've been around Steve countless times since that night and all I've shown around him is hatred. The kitchen then went quiet again. Outside, I could hear the distant crash of waves against the shore. Somewhere in the house the air conditioner kicked on with a soft hum. Everything felt strangely still, like the whole island had gone to sleep and forgotten to take me with it.

Y/n: "Do you think Jason killed Noah?" I ask hesitantly. I mean, was it really a possibility Jason killed his own brother? Steve doesn't answer right away. He just set his coffee mug down on the counter with a soft clink and leaned one hand against the edge of it, eyes lowering for a second like he was running through every version of the answer before deciding which one I could handle.

Four ~ The Truth She Carried

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*** (Y/n's pov)

Y/n: The room was quiet except for the soft, uneven pluck of guitar strings beneath my fingers. I wasn't really playing anything. Just messing with notes, letting my hand move while my mind stayed somewhere else entirely. A notebook lay open beside me on the couch, half filled with crossed out lyrics and unfinished thoughts that I wrote years ago. I then heard footsteps before Danny appeared in the doorway.

Danny: "Okay." He said, leaning against the frame with a cup of coffee in one hand. "I know I'm not exactly a music expert, but that sounded almost sad enough to make me emotional, and I don't appreciate it." I glanced up at him for half a second before looking back down at the guitar in my lap.

Y/n: "Then leave." I say simply with a small chuckle.

Danny: "See, that's the warmth I'm always talking about." He stepped farther into the room anyway, because of course he did. "You write your own stuff?"

Y/n: "Sometimes."

Danny: "Any of it good?" I just give him a flat look. Danny lifts his hands. "What? I'm making conversation here. It's called being friendly."

Y/n: "You're bad at it."

Danny: "Yeah, well, I work with Steve McGarrett. My social skills are in constant danger." That got the smallest reaction out of me. Barely a huff of air through my nose, but enough that Danny noticed. He sits down on the couch next to me, quieter this time. For a minute, he let the silence settle. I picked at the strings again, softer now, eyes fixed on the guitar so I didn't have to look at him. "What's that one called?" He asks breaking the silence.

Y/n: "It's called Danny won't shut up part one. Still working on the chorus." I say with a smile pulling to my face. Danny also gets a smile on his lips as he laughs slightly.

Danny: "Wow. Okay, rude." He says in the laugh. He says it so easily that I can't help the tiny smile that tugs at my mouth again. The room goes quiet after that, not awkward, just... settled. Softer. I pick at the strings again, slower this time, letting the notes fall wherever they want. Danny doesn't talk for once, which is almost alarming enough to make me look at him. When I do, he's watching my hands on the guitar instead of my face. "Why do you hate Steve so much?" He asks like he was hesitating against asking me that question in the first place. My fingers slow on the guitar strings as I look ahead of me for a moment, thinking, before looking back down to the guitar.

Y/n: "I don't... hate him." I've been around all the Five-0 members many times since that night. And I've come to learn that no, I don't hate McGarrett. Danny raised his eyebrows like that was more surprising than the murder case, the interrogation, or Steve McGarrett's entire personality.

Danny: "Okay. That's... new information. Because you sure did a very convincing 'I would like to throw Steve into the ocean' impression the first time I met you." A small laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

Y/n: "To be fair... I still might." I say and Danny chuckles again slightly.

Danny: "So then what is it? He's gotten nicer around you since that day, so why do you still act like you can't stand him?" My fingers stayed frozen on the guitar strings, and my voice came out quieter than I meant it to.

Y/n: "Hating him was easier than showing I was scared." Danny stays quiet, listening to what I'm saying. Every instinct I had told me to shut it down. Change the subject. Laugh it off. Say I was fine. But I had to tell him. I can't keep it in anymore. "I was with somebody before." My voice stays quiet, and I explain my trauma without naming the fact that it was Jason. "He was good at first." I said after a long silence. "Or maybe he just knew how to act like he was. I don't know anymore." I swallowed. "He was charming, and patient, and said all the right things, and I thought..." I let out a breath. "I thought I got lucky." He doesn't say anything. Doesn't interrupt. He just listens. "Then it started small. The kind of stuff you don't clock right away because it doesn't look like a red flag when it's by itself." My fingers plucked at another string without meaning to. "He'd get mad if I didn't answer my phone fast enough. If I went out with friends and didn't tell him every detail. If some guy looked at me too long in a store like somehow that was my fault." I gave a humorless little smile. "He'd apologize after. Always. He was really good at apologizing. And after a while I started changing things without even realizing I was doing it. I stopped going certain places because it wasn't worth the fight after. Stopped wearing certain clothes because he'd have something to say. Stopped telling people things because if it got back to him, it turned into a whole thing." I swallowed hard. "I kept making myself smaller because it felt easier than dealing with him when he was angry." The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning and the occasional sound of traffic outside. Danny's coffee cup touched the table with a soft clink as he set it down.

Danny: "And this person happened to be Jason Callaway?" He knows. Of course he knows. He's a cop after all. I nod for a moment, then continue.

Y/n: "Eventually it got bad enough that he would actually hit me, and he raped me multiple times. But no matter how hard I tried to get out of the relationship, I couldn't. It would get worse every time. If I tried to run away, he'd stalk me until he found me and then beat me and rape me until I couldn't walk for a week. That's how I ended up here in Hawaii..."

Danny: "You ended up in Hawaii because it was the only place you thought he wouldn't look." He says and I nod to that. "Why would you not report what he did to you?"

Y/n: "Because I was scared he would find me again..." I say simply, and Danny nods like he completely understands what I'm saying.

Danny: "Okay. I'm gonna ask something and I don't want it to freak you out. Do you think Jason would come after you again?" The question settled heavy in the room. I looked down at the guitar in my lap, fingers pressing lightly against the strings without making a sound.

Y/n: "If he knew where I was?" My throat tightened. "Yes." Danny didn't even hesitate.

Danny: "Okay." He nods once, decision made. "Then you're not staying here alone tonight." I look up sharply at him.

Y/n: "Danny-"

Three ~ Pieces of the Past

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*** (Danny's POV)

Y/n: "Fuck you. Fuck you Steve McGarrett." She says it as simply as can be, then walks off away from me. I just watch her for a moment, like I'm confused at what I just heard.

Danny: "Well, Steve's gonna love that." I mumble to myself before walking back into the Five-0 headquarters. I walk into the offices, seeing Steve, Chin, and Kono all working away on the case. I slow for half a second at the doorway practically bracing for impact. "Yeah. This is gonna be fun..." I mumble to myself as I walk through the door. Steve doesn't turn around.

Steve: "What'd she say?" He asks, finally looking over at me. I exhale through my nose, debating whether to soften it or just rip the bandage off. Then I decide against mercy.

Danny: "She said," I gesture vaguely, "and I quote, 'Fuck you. Fuck you, Steve McGarrett.'" Silence. Not even background noise. Kono actually stops typing. Chin looks up slowly like he's trying not to laugh. Steve raises an eyebrow as he looks at me.

Steve: "What?" I just hold up both hands like I'm defusing a bomb I didn't build.

Danny: "Hey. I'm just the messenger." Steve doesn't blink for a second. Then speaks again.

Steve: "...She said that?"

Danny: "Direct quote. I am merely the messenger. Do not shoot the messenger, by the way." I look over and see both Chin and Kono watching and listening to the conversation while trying not to laugh. There's a long pause. Steve just stares at me. Not angry. Not amused. Just... processing. Then Steve speaks, very calmly.

Steve: "She's got attitude." I stare at him.

Danny: "That's your takeaway?" Steve looks at me.

Steve: "No. My takeaway is she didn't do it."

Danny: "Okay... Good. That is the correct takeaway." Steve then continues, unfazed.

Steve: "And she's angry." I nod slowly.

Danny: "Also correct." Another pause.

Steve: "And she's not afraid to say what she thinks." I then gesture vaguely.

Danny: "Apparently not, no."

Steve: "But we're missing something." I follow Steve's movements with my eyes.

Danny: "We are missing a lot of things, Steve. Like my peace. My patience. My will to live after tonight." Steve points at the timeline on the board without looking at anybody, completely ignoring me.

Steve: "Noah leaves the beach alive." Chin nods.

Chin: "Confirmed."

Steve: "He ends up dead less than ten minutes later." I gesture at the board.

Danny: "Also confirmed." He then continues like I didn't speak.

Steve: "Which means whoever killed him was either already there..." He taps the board once. "...or waiting for him."

Kono: "Or followed him." Steve finally looks back at us.

Steve: "Exactly." I stand here in my spot thinking for a moment when I see Kono glance at me.

Kono: "You okay?" I just look towards where she's standing.

Danny: "No. I just got verbally annihilated by a girl not much younger than Steve and I'm pretty sure this man is about to try and track her down again instead of taking a hint."

Steve: "I heard that." He says without turning around to face me. "So here's something." He says turning back towards us once again. "She's connected." That made the room shift slightly.

Danny: "Connected to what? Trauma? Because yeah, that's obvious, Steve." Steve taps the board again, sharper this time.

Steve: "To Jason Callaway." That name tightens the room instantly. Chin straightens.

Chin: "You think Jason's involved?"

Steve: "I think a man doesn't get mentioned that many times in a single night without becoming relevant." I just let out a low breath.

Danny: "Or she's just been through something horrible and his family keeps dragging him back into her life." Steve finally looks at us fully now.

Steve: "Both can be true." A beat. "Run Jason Callaway's phone records. Bank activity. Calls in the last 48 hours." Chin nods and starts typing.

Chin: "On it."

Steve: "And if he's on the island, make sure he doesn't leave."

***

Chin: "Okay. We got some hits on Jason Callaway." He says as he swipes up on the table, putting the images on the screen. Great. Weeks later and we finally have some info on Callaway. "Jason Callaway. No current employment on record. Prior military. Army, discharged six years ago." He paused, eyes scanning, still reading. "But multiple domestic incident reports in two different states. Nothing stuck. No convictions. But there's a pattern."

Kono: "Pattern of what?" Chin hesitated just a fraction.

Chin: "Control. Violence. Stalking behavior flagged in at least two prior relationships." The room went a little quieter at that. Steve's jaw tightened as he stared at the screen.

Steve: "Two of the victims listed are Emma Kramer and Charlotte Blackwell." The room stayed still for a beat too long, like nobody wanted to be the first to move after hearing it. Steve's eyes didn't leave the file. He was already thinking again. His jaw tight, posture locked, like the second puzzle pieces started appearing he couldn't stop his brain from running ahead of everyone else in the room. "Emma Kramer." He repeated under his breath. "Charlotte Blackwell." Chin stepped closer to the screen.

Chin: "Both reported similar patterns. Isolation, controlling behavior, escalation after breakups. Nothing that stuck in court, but consistent enough that it's not coincidence." Kono folded her arms.

Kono: "And Jason Callaway fits right into that pattern." I just let out a humorless laugh.

Danny: "So let me get this straight. We've got a guy with a history of violent relationships, no convictions, and a victim-" I point vaguely toward the hallway where Y/n left weeks ago, "-who just happens to be the common thread in all of this." Then, I think something clicks into Steve's brain.

Chapter Two ~ The Weight Of Suspicion

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Lani: "Hey. Hey, look at me." I couldn't. Couldn't look at her. Couldn't look at Noah. Couldn't look at the crowd. All I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears and the sickening awareness that every single person here had just watched me lose my mind at Noah in front of half the party. And now he was dead. Lani touched my arm gently, facing me towards her. "Y/n, breathe." She tells me carefully, her curly brown hair blowing in the wind.

Y/n: "I didn't do this." I whispered to her.

Lani: "I know." But the way she said it, soft, immediate, loyal, didn't do anything to stop the panic clawing its way up my throat. Because it didn't matter if Lani believed me. It mattered what everyone else believed. I looked up toward the beach access path. Four people were making their way down from the road with the kind of purposeful energy that made everyone else instinctively move out of their way. I knew who they were before I even fully saw their faces. Five-0. Steve McGarrett was in front. Of course he was. Tall, broad shouldered, moving with that clipped, focused kind of urgency that made it obvious he was already working the scene in his head before he'd even reached the body. Danny was beside him talking low and fast about something I couldn't hear, Chin a step behind them with Kono at his side, all four of them lit in flashes of police lights and firelight. And somehow, impossibly, the sight of them made everything worse. Steve's gaze swept the scene once, the crowd, body, uniforms, witnesses, everything before landing on me. And stopping. His eyes dropped briefly to the blood on my hands. Then to the sand on my knees. Then back to my face. Something unreadable flickered across his expression. Assessment. Suspicion. Curiosity. Probably all of it. I didn't know. I just knew I hated the way it made me feel pinned in place.

Steve: "What've we got?" He says, finally looking away from me. The HPD officer closest to Noah stood and motioned toward the body.

Officer: "Male victim, mid-twenties. One gunshot wound to the chest from what we can tell so far. Name's Noah Callaway." He glanced at me. "She found him." Steve's eyes shifted back to me. "Witnesses say they were in a pretty heated argument earlier." Of course they did. Of course that was the first thing out of everyone's mouth. Danny's gaze flicked between me and the officer.

Danny: "She found him or she was with him?"

Officer: "Found him," the officer said, then added with just enough hesitation to make my stomach twist, "supposedly." I straightened immediately.

Y/n: "I did find him." Steve just took one slow step closer to me. Not aggressive. Not exactly. But not gentle either. He looks me over for a moment before he looks over to where Chin is standing.

Steve: "Bring her in for questioning."

***

Y/n: Did I imagine my night was gonna go the way it did when I woke up this morning? Did I ever imagine that I'd be sitting in the interrogation room of the Five-0 headquarters handcuffed to the chair I am sitting in cause the brother of my ex was found murdered after a heated argument with me? No. Absolutely not. I knew I should've stayed home and not gone to that party cause holy shit. The room was too cold. That was the first thing I noticed once the adrenaline started wearing off enough for me to actually feel things again. Too cold, too bright, too small. And the handcuffs bit into my wrists every time I moved. I hadn't killed Noah. I had screamed at him, sure. Half the damn island probably knew that by now. I'd shoved him after he told me the man who raped and abused me loved me, and I'd told both brothers to go to hell, and then I'd walked away. That was it. That was all. And somehow I was sitting in an interrogation room at Five-0 headquarters with my wrists cuffed to a metal chair like I was some kind of criminal. I leaned back as far as the cuffs would let me and let out a slow breath through my nose. Then the door opened. I looked up immediately. Steve walked in first, Danny following in suit, leaning against the wall off to the side while Steve stands in front of me.

Steve: "Okay. What time did you get to the party?" He asks starting the interrogation. I laugh once under my breath, more disbelief than humor.

Y/n: "Seriously?"

Steve: "Answer the question." I just stare at him for a second, jaw tightening.

Y/n: "9:30. Maybe a little after." Steve nodded once like he was filing it away.

Steve: "And how long after that did you see Noah Callaway?"

Y/n: "Maybe twenty minutes."

Steve: "What happened when you saw him?" I look away from him, toward the blank gray wall instead.

Y/n: "I tried to leave." Steve was just quiet for a beat.

Steve: "Because?" I let out a sharp breath through my nose.

Y/n: "Because I didn't want to talk to him."

Steve: "That's not what I asked."

Y/n: "It's the answer. The truth." I say coldly. Danny rubbed a hand over his face like he was fighting the urge to say something.

Steve: "Witnesses heard you yelling. Loud enough that half the beach knew exactly who you were fighting with. They saw you put your hands on him."

Y/n: "I shoved him." I correct.

Steve: "Okay. You shoved a murder victim less than ten minutes before he was found dead."

Y/n: "After he cornered me." Steve's eyes narrow slightly.

Steve: "Cornered you."

Y/n: "Yes." I snap. "As in followed me when I walked away. As in grabbed my elbow when I ignored him. As in stepped in front of me when I told him to leave me alone." Danny finally pushed off the wall a little.

Danny: "He grabbed you?" I look at him, then back at Steve.

Y/n: "For a second." I looked at him and felt every muscle in my body tighten. "He told me Jason missed me. That he'd been crying. That he wanted to fix things." My voice turned sharp around the edges. "He told me Jason was sorry." Danny's brows drew together while Steve's face stayed hard.

Steve: "And that made you angry enough to kill Noah?" My head jerked up so fast the chair creaked. He's got to be fucking joking right now. Accusing me of murder?

Y/n: "No." I say simply, but cold. "I didn't kill him." Steve didn't look convinced. Or maybe he was just doing his job. But sitting there with my wrists cuffed to a metal chair while he stood over me asking if I'd murdered someone, it didn't really matter what version of suspicion was in his face. It still felt like suspicion.

Steve: "Then tell me what happened after the argument."

Y/n: "I walked away."

Steve: "Where?"

Y/n: "Down the beach. Away from him. Away from everyone."

Steve: "How far?"

Y/n: "I don't know, Commander, I didn't stop to measure it." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to, but at this point I was way past trying to sound cooperative. "Far enough to get away from him. Far enough to breathe." Steve's jaw tightened just slightly.

Steve: "How long were you gone?"

Y/n: "A few minutes."

Steve: "Doing what?"

Y/n: "Trying not to have a panic attack."

Steve: "And then?"

Y/n: "Then I realized I didn't have my phone." I shifted in the chair, metal scraping softly against the floor. "I went back to look for it."

Steve: "You expect me to believe you just happened to find him?"

Y/n: "I don't care what you believe." I snapped before I could stop myself. "You asked what happened. I'm telling you what happened." Steve's stare stayed fixed on me, unreadable and intense and starting to piss me off in ways I didn't have the energy to unpack.

Steve: "Okay, well, you know what I believe? I believe you had motive, witnesses heard you threaten him, and you were found kneeling over the body with his blood on your hands." I just scoff in disbelief yet again.

Y/n: "I'm telling you commander, I didn't. kill. him." Then, before Steve gets another chance to say anything else, Chin walks into the interrogation room, getting Steve and Danny's attention.

Chin: "Reports came back. She's innocent. She didn't kill Noah Callaway." The words land in the room like something physically heavy. For a second, nobody moves. Danny straightens off the wall immediately.

Danny: "Yeah. No kidding." Steve doesn't react right away. Not outwardly. But I see it. The smallest shift in his expression. The recalculation. The way his eyes tighten just slightly like he's running back through every question he just asked me and not liking the answers he got. Chin steps further in, file still in hand while Danny lets out a short breath. "Okay, so we're done here, right? We can uncuff her and maybe apologize for the whole... you know... accusing her of murder thing?" Steve ignores him. His eyes stay on me. Still. Focused. Like he's not fully ready to let go of the suspicion, even if the evidence just did.

Steve: "Time of death?"

Chin: "Roughly ten to fifteen minutes after she left the beach." That finally changes something in Steve's face. Not softness. But certainty shifting. Danny notices it too.

Danny: "So she leaves, walks away, doesn't have her phone, comes back, finds the body. She literally couldn't have done it." Steve exhales slowly through his nose, almost imperceptible. Then Steve walks over to me and uncuffs the handcuffs from my wrists. Steve doesn't say anything while he does it. The metal cuffs click open one wrist at a time, sharp and final in the quiet room. The sound feels louder than it should, like the whole interrogation has been holding its breath up until this exact moment. I stand slowly from the chair. My legs feel unsteady, like the adrenaline finally gave up on holding me together. I flex my fingers once. Twice. Trying to get feeling back into them.

Y/n: "So... am I free to go or is there another round of accusations I should prepare for?" Steve just sighs.

Steve: "You're free to go." That does it. I nod once, then grab my jacket before I make my way out of the Five-0 headquarters. It isn't until I make it outside that I hear somebody behind me. Footsteps. Not rushed. Not aggressive. Just steady.

Danny: "Hey. Hey. Hold up." I stop anyway, and turn to see Danny. The night air outside Five-0 headquarters is cooler than the beach, but it still feels like I can't fully breathe right. My hands are still shaking a little from the cuffs. Or from everything else. I don't know. Danny steps into view beside me. He's not like Steve. Not in the way he stands or looks at people. More... human. But right now even that doesn't really help. He studies me for a second like he's trying to figure out where the line is between 'suspect' and 'person who just went through hell in an interrogation room.' Or just flat out trying to figure me out I don't even know. Then he nods back toward the building. "Look... about Steve-" I finally turn my head slightly.

Y/n: "Don't." I say as I look down to the ground for a moment. Danny pauses.

Danny: "I'm just saying, he's doing his job." That does it. Something sharp cuts through the exhaustion in my chest. I shake my head slowly.

Y/n: "Yeah. He's very good at it." Danny can hear the sarcasm through my voice which makes him sigh a bit.

Danny: "He can be a little intense, okay? He doesn't- he doesn't always-"

Y/n: "Understand people?" I cut in. Danny closes his mouth for a second. That lands. Not wrong. Just... uncomfortable.

Danny: "Listen, I know he's crazy." He says with slight amusement in his voice as he laughs a bit at himself. I let out a short breath through my nose, almost a laugh, but not quite.

Y/n: "That's one word for it." Danny nods a little, hands slightly on his hips now like he's trying to ease the tension without really knowing how.

Danny: "He's just... he's not great with people sometimes. Especially when it looks like someone's lying or when someone's hurt. He goes full bulldozer." I glance back toward the building behind him. I can't see Steve inside, standing near Chin, talking low, still watching something on a monitor like the world didn't just implode and restart around me. All I see is the building.

Chapter One ~ A Familiar Face

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Y/n: I hadn't wanted to come. That was the truth of it. I hadn't wanted to spend my Friday night surrounded by half drunk strangers, loud music, bonfire smoke, and the kind of forced fun that always made me feel like I was trying to fake being normal instead of actually living it. But Lani had asked. Then begged. Then showed up at my apartment two hours earlier with a swimsuit, a spare hoodie, and a speech about how I had been shutting myself away for weeks and needed one night where I wasn't sitting alone with my own thoughts. So now I was here. Barefoot in the sand, a tank top and shorts, and a warm plastic cup in my hand that I had no intention of finishing. The beach stretched out in every direction under the dark Hawaiian sky, lit by strings of cheap party lights looped between coolers and folding chairs, the orange flicker of the bonfire, and the occasional flashlight beam from someone. Music blasted from a speaker somewhere behind me, something with too much bass and not enough melody, while groups of people laughed, shouted, danced in the sand, or crowded around the fire with drinks in their hands. I stood just outside the main circle of people, staring out at the water as waves rolled in and out under the moonlight. I'd been here maybe twenty minutes and already wanted to leave.

Lani: "You look thrilled." Lani said, appearing at my side with a grin and a fresh drink. I just gave her a flat look.

Y/n: "I am thrilled. Can't you tell?" I ask sarcastically.

Lani: "Mhm. Yeah. It's all over your face." She says as she nudges my shoulder. "At least pretend to have fun for my sake. I worked hard on this party."

Y/n: "You worked hard texting people and telling them to bring alcohol."

Lani: "And ice." She adds. "That's called hosting." I just laugh quietly despite myself. Lani smiles at that like she'd won something. "There she is."

Y/n: "Don't get used to it." I roll my eyes with a small smile on my face. Lani then kisses my cheek and immediately gets distracted by someone yelling her name from across the beach.

Lani: "Don't disappear!" She says as she runs off.

Y/n: "No promises." I called after her. Lani just laughs and vanishes back into the crowd. I look down at the drink in my hand, then out at the water again. One hour. I could do one hour. I promised her one hour. I'd stand here, avoid small talk, maybe answer a few questions if Lani's friends cornered me, and then I'd leave. Go home. Put on pajamas. Pretend I hadn't spent the evening pretending to be a person who liked parties. Easy. At least, it would've been. If I hadn't turned around and seen Noah Callaway standing fifteen feet away with a beer in his hand. Everything in my body went still. Noah. The brother of my ex Jason... For a second, the sounds of the party dulled around the edges. Not completely. Just enough that the crash of the waves suddenly sounded louder than the music. He was half turned toward someone beside the cooler, laughing at something they'd said, but I barely registered the rest of the scene. All I could see was him. The shape of his face. The familiar dark hair. The sharp line of his jaw that looked just enough like his brother's to make something cold crawl down my spine. My grip tightened around the plastic cup. No. No, absolutely not. He wasn't supposed to be here. Lani knew enough not to invite anyone connected to that family. Which meant he was probably somebody's friend, somebody's boyfriend, somebody's coworker, some random addition to the party that had nothing to do with me and still somehow managed to ruin the whole night. My pulse had already started to climb. I turned around immediately. No hesitation, no second glance. I was leaving. Forget the one hour. Forget Lani's speech. Forget being polite. I set the untouched drink down in the sand beside a folding chair and started walking the long way around the party toward the line of parked cars at the edge of the beach access road, keeping my head down and my footsteps quick. I was almost clear of the crowd when I heard it.

Noah: "Y/n?" My stomach dropped so hard it hurt. I didn't turn around. Didn't slow down. If I ignored him, then maybe- "Y/n, wait." Footsteps crunched through the sand behind me. Faster now. Closer. Catching up. I picked up my pace. "Y/n, hey." A hand closed lightly around my elbow. I jerked away so hard I nearly lost my balance in the sand.

Y/n: "Don't touch me." I snapped, spinning around to see Noah. He took a step back, hands lifting instantly.

Noah: "Okay. Okay, sorry." I was already breathing too fast. The moonlight and bonfire glow cut across his face in uneven streaks, making him look too familiar in all the wrong ways.

Y/n: "What do you want?" I asked coldly. Noah swallowed.

Noah: "I just need a minute."

Y/n: "No." I say simply.

Noah: "Y/n-"

Y/n: "No." I repeated, sharper this time. "I don't care what you need. Leave me alone." I turned to walk away again, but Noah moved with me, stepping into my path without actually putting his hands on me this time. Not grabbing. Just blocking. It was somehow worse.

Noah: "Please." He says, lowering his voice like that made this better. "Just hear me out." My laugh just came out sharp.

Y/n: "Are you kidding me?" I ask in disbelief.

Noah: "I know this looks bad but-"

Y/n: "Looks bad?" I repeat. "Noah, you coming anywhere near me is bad." People weren't fully staring yet, but a few heads had started to turn. The party was big enough that most of the noise kept swallowing the edges of the confrontation, but not enough to hide it completely. Noah glanced toward the crowd, then back at me.

Noah: "Can we not do this in front of everyone?"

Y/n: "Then you should've left me alone." The coldness in my voice makes him sigh slightly.

Noah: "I didn't know where else to find you." I actually blink at that.

Y/n: "What?" He rubbed the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable now.

Noah: "I've been trying to talk to you." A cold, humorless laugh pulled at me again.

Y/n: "Well, congratulations. You found me. Now leave me alone." He hesitates, then says the one thing that guaranteed this conversation was about to get so much worse.

Noah: "It's about my brother." Every muscle in my body locked. The sounds of the party seemed to blur for a second yet again. Noah saw it happen and pushed on anyway, like an idiot. "He hasn't been himself, Y/n." I just stared at him. Blankly. But Noah kept talking. "He's... he's a mess, okay? He misses you. He's been crying, he barely sleeps, he keeps saying he wants to fix things and-" I just let out one stunned, disbelieving laugh. Again. Noah faltered.

Y/n: "You cannot be serious." I say in my laugh.

Noah: "He just-"

Y/n: "No." I take a step toward him, fury rising so fast it made my hands shake. "No, you don't get to stand here and tell me your brother is sad like that means a damn thing to me." His face tightened at that.

Noah: "I'm not saying it excuses anything-"

Y/n: "Then what exactly are you saying?"

Noah: "I'm saying he's sorry." That did it. Something in my expression changed completely. Not just anger anymore. Disgust. Hurt. Rage so sharp it almost looked calm.

Y/n: "Your brother raped me." The words sliced clean through the night. "He hit me." Noah went dead still. A few people close enough to overhear abruptly went quiet. But I didn't care. I was past caring. "Your brother raped me, and hit me," I repeated, louder this time, my voice shaking. "And you came up to me at my friend's party to tell me he's been crying because he misses me?" I am in complete disbelief at how hard he's trying here.

Noah: "Y/n-"

Y/n: "No." I point at him, hand trembling violently now. "Do not say my name like we're having a normal conversation." He looked around, panicked now, like maybe he was realizing too late how badly he'd miscalculated.

Noah: "I know he hurt you-"

Y/n: "You know he what?" I snapped, cutting him off again. "Hurt me? Is that what we're calling it now?" My chest was heaving. People were definitely staring now. Not the whole party, but enough. Enough for this to become a story by morning. "He didn't hurt me, Noah. He violated me. He terrorized me. He made me feel like I was losing my mind, and then he raped me, and hit me, and you have the nerve to stand here and tell me he misses me?" Noah looked sick. Good. He should.

Noah: "I'm trying to help." He says weakly. I just laugh again, and this time it sounded closer to breaking than humor.

Y/n: "Help who?" He doesn't answer. "Because it sure as hell isn't me." I try to move around him again, but Noah reached out instinctively, just enough to catch my wrist. I just froze. Every bit of color drained out of my face. Noah realized his mistake immediately and let go, but it was too late. My entire body had already gone rigid. Noah held both palms up.

Noah: "I'm sorry, I wasn't-" He cuts himself off and stares at me. And then, like he still somehow hadn't learned his lesson, he says, "He loves you." That was it. I shoved him. Hard. Noah stumbled backward in the sand, catching himself before he fully went down.

Y/n: "You are out of your damn mind." I say, voice cracking with fury. "Do not stand there and talk to me about love like your brother didn't destroy every good thing he ever touched." Noah looked stunned now. Actually stunned. Like he hadn't expected me to explode. Like he thought this conversation would go differently.

Noah: "I just thought you should know-"

Y/n: "I should know what?" I demanded, cutting him off once again. "That the man who raped me and abused me is crying because I'm not around anymore? That he's miserable? Good. I hope he is." The words came out loud enough that the people nearest to us definitely heard. The people by the bonfire had gone quiet. A girl near the cooler was openly staring. "Jason put me through a ton of shit. I am traumatized by many things now due to him!" Noah's face hardened, some mix of shame and frustration and anger finally pushing through his guilt.

Noah: "You think I don't know he did something unforgivable?" He snapped. "You think I don't know he screwed up?"

Y/n: "No, I think you know exactly what he is." I shot back. "I think you've always known exactly what he is, and you'd still rather protect him than tell the truth." I stepped closer, tears burning behind my eyes now but nowhere near falling. "Fair would've been someone stopping him the first time he put his hands on me. Fair would've been someone believing me before it got worse. Fair would've been your family not acting like I ruined his life by leaving." Noah's jaw clenched.

Noah: "He hasn't been okay since you left." I went very still. Then I looked at him like I genuinely couldn't believe he was stupid enough to say that out loud. Which, to be fair, I genuinely can't believe it.

Y/n: "Did you really just say that to me?" Noah didn't answer. He didn't have to. I just shook my head, slow and disbelieving. "Go to hell. You and your brother can both go to hell." I then turn and walk away before he could stop me. Fast. Not back toward the party, but away from it. Down the darker stretch of beach where the bonfire light didn't reach as well and the music faded behind the crash of the waves. I could hear him call my name once. Maybe twice. But I didn't turn around. My hands were shaking too hard and my throat was too tight. By the time I was far enough from the party to breathe without feeling like people were staring holes through my back, I stopped near a cluster of trees and pressed both hands to the top of my head. "Jesus Christ." I whispered to no one. My pulse was all over the place and my skin felt too tight. I should leave. I needed to leave. Right now. I reach for my phone. Nothing. Shorts pocket. Nothing... My stomach dropped. No. No, no, no. I'd had it earlier. I know I had. At some point between Lani dragging me over to the drinks and Noah ambushing me, I must've set it down somewhere. "Are you kidding me?" I muttered, already turning back toward the party. The walk back felt longer this time. And the music got louder with every step. So did the dread. I didn't want to go back near him. I didn't want to risk another confrontation. But I couldn't exactly leave without my phone, and if I asked Lani for help, I'd have to explain why I was suddenly on the verge of a breakdown. So I cut around the far edge of the party instead, behind the coolers and beach towels and half buried folding chairs, heading for the darker side near the dunes where I vaguely remembered setting my jacket down earlier.

Girl: "Noah?" A drunk voice called from somewhere behind her, not directed at me, just loud and careless. "You coming back or what?" I just ignored it. I keep walking, scanning the sand, until I see something near the edge of the dunes. A shape. Someone on the ground. At first I thought maybe some drunk idiot had passed out. Then I got closer. And the world just stopped. Noah. He was laying on his back in the sand, one arm thrown out awkwardly at his side. There was blood on his shirt. Too much blood. A shot wound... For a second, I couldn't process what I was looking at. Noah. Noah, who had been yelling at me a few minutes ago. Noah, who had just followed me across the beach. Noah, who had just stood in front of me and talked about his brother missing me like that was supposed to matter. Now motionless. Now pale. Now very obviously dead, or close enough to make my stomach churn. My feet moved before my brain did.

warning: i dont think anything. just a little fluff. also yes i realize im about 2 and a half months late posting this but oh well🫣

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Joe: "Sooo, April fools is tomorrow!" Joe announces as he walks into the living room, making me chuckle a little and maybe even Nick and Kevin. "Which means, my dear siblings, you should all prepare yourselves. Because I’m coming for you first." He says making me chuckle again. April Fools in this house is basically a month long event for Joe. Not even. He's always pulling pranks. But, it’s harmless, mostly funny, and a little exhausting sometimes. But, on the day of April Fools, every year me and Joe have a small competition of pulling pranks allll day long. A full on prank war that lasts from the moment we wake up until bedtime. Joe sits down next to me, looking over to see what I'm doing on my phone, while Nick and Kevin just kinda do their own thing. He rests his head on my shoulder as he continues looking at my phone with me. Literally just watching what I'm watching on TikTok. You might be surprised, but this is about a typical Jonas family afternoon. You know, when none of us are working.

***

Y/n: "AH!" I scream as I wake up, sitting up in the process as I hear a loud alarm sound off. Not your typical phone alarm to wake up to. One that goes off with the sound of a screaming goat. My brain immediately knows who's behind it despite me being half asleep. "REALLY JOSEPH?" I yell loud enough for him to be able to hear from my room, and I can faintly hear his laughs from down the hallway. He’s gone full on, just like every year. My bed is sprinkled with confetti, and there’s like 20 balloons sitting around on my floor. I roll my eyes but can’t hide the smile creeping onto my face. Typical Jonas chaos. I throw the covers off and swing my legs over the side of the bed, already anticipating the battle ahead. Now I'm just waiting for Joe to notice that I put an airhorn underneath his desk chair. Well, I was waiting. After about a moment or two, I hear a loud horn come from the direction of Joe's room, making me burst into laughter.

Joe: "AN AIRHORN? REALLY Y/N?" He yells from his room. I just keep laughing as I continue getting ready for the day.

***

Y/n: I walk downstairs to get ready for breakfast after getting dressed for the day. I walk in the kitchen and see Kevin making pancakes for all of us. Once we all get sat down at the table, I see a hand set my plate down in front of me but it isn't until I see my pancake for me to realize who it is. I scream a bit, catching the glimpse of a spider on top of my pancake, until it hits me that it's a fake spider. I grab the spider and look at Joe, knowing it's him. "Really? You know how much I hate bugs."

Joe: "Exactly. Easy prank." He says and winks a bit making me roll my eyes as I laugh a little. Eventually, everyone gets sat down and we all say our prayer before we all dig in. As we're all eating and laughing, talking about random things, Joe's ringtone goes off. Well, let me repeat that. The ringtone I set for him goes off. A baby crying over and over and over again. "What the-?" He asks himself in confusion as me and the rest of the boys laugh. "When did you even?" He asks referring to when I happened to change his ringtone.

Y/n: "That's what happens when you leave your phone laying arounddd." I say and laugh a bit. Kevin shakes his head, as he gets a piece of pancake on his fork.

Kevin: "You two are exhausting. It’s not even noon yet." He says as he laughs a bit.

Nick: "It's a tradition with these two Kev." He says with a laugh before taking a bite of his pancake.

***

Y/n: While I’m out running some errands that I need to do, I run by the store to get a few groceries. As I’m looking around the chips, I hear a ding. I look at my phone and see a message from Joe in our Jonas Fam group chat.

—--------------------------------------------------------------

Joseph🙄: You were the one to put a fake coffee spill on my computer weren’t you baby sis?

—-------------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: He texts making me laugh a bit. I then start typing out my response.

—------------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: awwweee how did you know?🙃

—-----------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: The three dots pop up almost instantly.

—----------------------------------------------------------

Joseph🙄: Because my heart stopped for a solid 5 seconds

Joseph🙄: I almost called Kevin

Joseph🙄: You’re actually evil

—--------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: I laugh quietly to myself, grabbing a couple bags of chips off the shelf and tossing them into my cart.

—-------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: says the one that woke me up with a screaming goat

Joseph🙄: That was ART

Joseph🙄: yours was psychological damage

Nicholas💞: Psychological damage Joe?

Joseph🙄: IT LOOKED REAL

Joseph🙄: I THOUGHT MY COMPUTER WAS GONE

Kevin♥️: I swear I leave the house for one hour🤦

—-------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: I smile to myself, shaking my head as I push my cart a bit.

—------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: anywayyy i got the stuff

Y/n: anybody want anything else before i leave?

Y/n: that doesn’t involve me going to 50 places?

Kevin♥️: Nope

Nicholas💞: I’m good

Joseph🙄: Yeah

Joseph🙄: Hurry and get home

Joseph🙄: I need my revenge

—-------------------------------------------------------

Y/n: I roll my eyes, smiling as I slip my phone into my pocket. I still have one other place to run by before I go home.

***

Y/n: As I leave the last store, right before I head home, I almost make it to my car before I feel something at the edge of my foot, causing me to fall forward. I land on the ground with a hard thud and I groan in pain for a moment before I try to stand up. Key word; Try. The moment I put pressure on my knee, it hurts so bad I fall hard onto the ground. And, with my luck, of course there is like no people around. For about 5 minutes I just try to stand up to get into my car on my own, but then I realize it’s about useless. Thankfully I see my phone close to me and I grab it, calling the first person I see in my contacts; Joe. The phone dials his number and I wait and he answers fairly quickly. “Joe?” I ask as it sounds like he answered the call.

Joe: “Hi little sis.” He says in a teasing tone and I can hear the laughter in his voice.

Y/n: “Joe, I fell and my knee hurts really bad. I think I need you to come get me. I can’t stand up on my own.” I say to him and I can just hear his laughter through the phone.

Joe: “Wow Y/n. Great prank. But I don’t believe it at all.” He says on the other end with more laughs. Shoot. I should have known he would have thought I was pranking him. “Well I have to get back to my work, but I love you and I’ll see you later.”

Y/n: “Wait Joe-” I start, but he hangs up before I can say anything else. He’s a lot of help every other time but when it’s April Fools, he thinks everything out of the norm is a prank. I can’t blame him though. I would think the same. After thinking and staring at my phone for a moment, I decide to call Kevin. He would definitely believe me. I hit Kevin’s name on my phone and dial quickly, my hand shaking a little.

Kevin: “Hey what’s up sis?” He asks, and I can hear a small sound in the background. He’s already driving, heading somewhere.

Y/n: “Uh, Kev, I accidentally fell. And my knee really hurts. Do you think you could come get me?”

Kevin: “You fell? Yeah hold on. Where are you right now? I’m with Nick.”

Y/n: “I’m over by the uh-”

Kevin: “Oh wait. I see your car. Hold on one second sis.” He says as I look around and see Kevin’s vehicle driving up to the space next to mine. I hang up the call as both he and Nick get out of the vehicle. Relief floods through me the second I see them. I let out a shaky breath I didn’t even realize I was holding as Kevin rushes over to me, Nick not far behind. "Hey, hey. What happened?" He asks quickly, crouching down in front of me, his voice immediately shifting into full protective mode.

Y/n: "My knee really hurts. I can’t stand on it." Nick kneels beside Kevin, his eyes scanning me carefully.

Nick: "Did you hurt anything else?"

Y/n: "Just my shoulder a little, but it’s mostly my knee." I say, wincing slightly as I shift.

Kevin: "Okay, don’t move." He says gently, the big brother tone coming out more. "We’ve got you." Kevin carefully helps me sit up a little straighter while Nick grabs my bags and sets them aside. They both exchange a quick look, the kind they always do when they’re silently communicating, and then Kevin turns back to me. "We’re gonna get you into the car, alright? Nice and slow." I nod, gripping onto his arm as he helps me up just enough to move, but the second my foot even barely touches the ground, pain shoots through my knee again.

Y/n: “Okay. Nope. Nope.” I say quickly, grabbing onto him tighter.

Kevin: "Alright, alright. Don’t put weight on it.” He says, steadying me immediately.

Nick: "I’ve got her." Nick says, stepping in to help support me from the other side. Together, they carefully help me into the passenger seat of Kevin’s car, making sure my leg is positioned so it doesn’t hurt as much.

Y/n: "Thank you." I say as I lean back against the seat, letting out a small breath.

Kevin: "Of course." He says without hesitation, shutting the door gently before walking around to the driver’s side. "Nick's getting your car for you. We’re taking you to get that checked, okay?" He asks and I just nod a bit.

***

Y/n: "Wow. I didn't know that." I say to myself as I scroll through my phone. "Why do I always end up on the weirdest side of the internet?" I mumble, scrolling through random posts just to keep my mind off my knee. Then, I hear a knock on my bedroom door before it opens and shuts. I glance up from my phone already knowing who it is. I watch as Joe walks in and sits next to me in the chair next to my bed. He stares at my knee for a few moments like he's trying to figure out what to say to me. He stays quiet for a second longer than usual, which is rare for him. His eyes flick from my knee to my face, guilt written all over them.

Joe: "I am so sorry Y/n... I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." I look at him for a second, the guilt on his face way more than I expected.

Y/n: "Joe-" He shakes his head a little, cutting me off before I can brush it away.

Joe: "No, seriously. I should’ve just come. I didn’t even think. I just assumed it was another prank and-" He exhales, frustrated with himself, running a hand through his hair. "You called me because you needed help, and I just laughed." He says as he stares at my knee, and I swear I can see a few tears fall down his face. "I'm the worst big brother ever."  My expression softens immediately when I see the tears fall, and I shake my head a little.

Y/n: "Joe, you’re not." I say softly, shifting slightly in the bed despite the discomfort. "It’s April Fools. You thought I was messing with you. I don’t blame you."

Joe: "I don’t care if it’s April Fools." He says, softer this time, but more serious. "If you call me like that, I should show up. No questions asked." He lets out a quiet, shaky breath, still not looking at me. "I should’ve known though. Your voice... it sounded different. I just-" He stops and swallows, clearly beating himself up over it. He leans forward slightly, resting his arms on his legs, like he’s trying to stay close but not accidentally bump me. "What’d they say? Is it like… sprained? Or worse?" I glance down at my knee for a second before looking back at him.

Y/n: "They said it’s most likely a bad sprain. Maybe a small tear, but nothing too serious." I say softly. "I just have to stay off it for a while." His shoulders drop just a little at that, like he’s been holding his breath this whole time and he lets out a breath of relief.

Joe: "I just hate that I wasn’t the one you could count on in that moment." He says still beating himself up over it.

Y/n: "Joe." I say, my expression softens even more. I pat a spot on the bed next to me and he hesitantly walks over and sits on the bed with me. "Joe, you are someone I can count on. That’s why I called you first." I say honestly as I hold one of his hands. "One mistake doesn’t change that." That hits him a little. I can see it in the way his expression shifts. Still guilty, but less harsh on himself. "Who can I count on to make me laugh when I'm upset?" I say with a smile and he chuckles a little before answering.

Joe: "Me."

Y/n: "And who can I count on to stay with me when I can't sleep at night? Or to make me food when I'm hungry?" I ask and he knows the answer to all of them is him. "And who is the first person I want to go to when I have a problem?"

Joe: "Kevin." He says and I just chuckle a little.

Y/n: "You, Joe. Yes I go to Kevin and Nick about some problems, but I go to you more. You've been my best friend since the moment I was born. You've been there for me more than anyone." I say and he smiles a bit. Rather than either of us saying anything else, he leans in and gives me a long, tight hug.

Joe: "I love you so much Y/n." He says softly in the hug. "You're my favorite little sister."

warning: slight making out (if you even call it slight lol), arguing a bit, slight cursing, 6014 words loll

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

Y/n: Me and Jesse both walk in through the front door after our little date night and as Jesse shuts the door behind us, Michelle runs over to me, smiling brightly.

Michelle: "Aunt Y/n! Look what Steve gave me!" She says holding up a chocolate chip cookie.

DJ: "Yeah right Michelle. You tricked him and took it from him." DJ says while laughing a bit making me laugh a little too, Jesse standing behind me watching all of this unfold with a big smile on his face.

Y/n: "Well Michelle you better hurry and eat it before Steve tries to steal it back from you." I say making Michelle laugh before running off.

Stephanie: "So, how was dateee nighttt?" Steph asks in a slightly teasing tone, making both me and Jess chuckle a bit. Jesse wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me a bit closer. 

Jesse: "Well, Steph, it was fantastic." He says making both DJ and Steph look at each other while saying 'ooohh' in a teasing way. "What? Can't a guy take a beautiful woman out to dinner?" He says shrugging casually before looking at me and smiling making me smile back while slightly blushing.

DJ + Stephanie: "Uncle Jesse ewww!" They say in another teasing way making us chuckle again.

Y/n: "I'll be right back." I say to Jesse before making my way up to his bedroom. Well, it's now our shared room, despite all the Elvis posters everywhere. As well as mirrors, and guitars, and hair products, and well, you know, what makes Jesse, Jesse. I step inside quietly, closing the door behind me, the hum of the family downstairs fading into the background. The room smells faintly of his cologne and that lingering hint of hairspray, the chaos of his life somehow condensed into this one space. I walk over to his bed, our bed, and I set my purse down and my jacket and right when I'm about to leave, I grab the picture of us on his side table, and I just look at it while smiling. It was the night when he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. After a moment I hear the soft click of the door, twice, and footsteps before I feel hands lightly sneak around my waist and light breathing on my neck, making me smile again. "I'll never forget this night." I say as I turn my head slightly to look at him, his hands still wrapped around my body.

Jesse: "I won't either. It's the night you made me one of the happiest I've ever been." He says as we slightly sway in the position we're in. He smiles at me back before giving me a quick kiss. I feel my cheeks warm at the quick kiss, a soft smile tugging at my lips as I rest my hands lightly over his.

Y/n: "Who knew that me not wearing a jacket that one night on my way home from work would change my life." I say reminiscing on the night we first met.

Jesse: "You would've gotten sick if it wasn't for me sweetheart." He says making me smile more.

Y/n: "Even if I had gotten sick you wouldn't have left me alone." I say with a chuckle turning around in his arms so that way we're facing each other.

Jesse: "You're damn right I wouldn't have. Like I would have let this beautiful girl suffer. Besides, it all lead to this..." He says with a smile as he leans in and kisses me softly again. I melt into the kiss, my hands resting lightly on his chest, feeling the warmth of him wrap around me. As I pull back just slightly, I smile up at him, my cheeks still warm.

Y/n: "Everything just feels right with you." I say softly looking up at him. Jesse grins slightly, brushing a strand of hair from my face with his fingers.

Jesse: "It's more than right, sweetheart. It's perfect." His eyes hold mine, warm and steady, and he leans in again, slower this time, savoring the moment, but before our lips meet again, I hear him say something else. "Have mercy." He says softly, our lips meeting once again. I smile into the kiss, bringing my arms up to wrap around his neck. The kiss deepens just slightly, soft and lingering, Jesse's lips warm and steady against mine. I feel him gently guide me backward, my back pressing lightly against the cool wall behind me, the contrast making the closeness between us even more intense. I can feel the steady beat of his chest against mine, the warmth of him wrapping around me, his hands firm but tender on my waist, guiding me just slightly so our bodies sway together. My fingers tangle lightly in his hair, feeling the faint stiffness of hairspray and the warmth of him beneath my palms. My lips move with his, soft and slow, savoring the gentle tug of the kiss. His tongue brushes mine ever so lightly, playful and sweet, teasing just enough to make my heart flutter. My knees feel weak, but I lean into him, trusting completely in the warmth and gentleness of his hold. He softly puts a hand on my cheek, his thumb lightly brushing over it. "My God you're perfect." He says breaking the kiss for one moment before attacking my lips again. We continue kissing, getting lost in each other for another few moments before I pull apart. I look up at him, and I can tell he's a little confused by my sudden movement, before I look behind him, seeing Michelle, DJ and Stephanie all smiling mischievously. Jesse follows my gaze to see where I'm looking, finally seeing the girls himself as he turns around. I can't help but laugh softly, covering my mouth with my hand as I watch their little grins and teasing expressions.

Stephanie: "Uncle Jesse, Aunt Y/n, you don't have to do that right in front of us!" She says in a teasing tone, causing all of the girls to laugh more.

Jesse: "The door was shut." He says to the girls as he playfully glares at them.

Michelle: "Oh puh-lease!" She says even though they all know the door was shut before. I don't even say anything, I just cover my mouth trying to keep from laughing so loud. Jesse just playfully glares at the girls more before pointing to the door.

Jesse: "Out!" He says and all of the girls laugh while leaving the room. Jesse goes over to the door and shuts it again before locking it this time. As he checks to make sure it's locked, I move over and sit on our bed, watching him. As he turns around, he sighs and walks back over to me. "Now, where were we?" He asks leaning down close to me with that smirk on his face. His lips capture mine again, making me lift my head up to meet his. He breaks loose for a moment and hovers just above me for a moment, letting his eyes roam over my face, his hands resting lightly on either side of me on the bed. "You're killing me, sweetheart." He murmurs, his voice low and teasing. "Sitting there like that, looking at me. Have mercy." He murmurs, tilting his head again so our lips meet in another slow, tender kiss. His body hovers over mine, careful not to overwhelm, letting the moment stretch as we savor the closeness and warmth between us. My back hits the mattress and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him just slightly closer, letting out a soft sigh as I melt into the kiss. My heart flutters at the way he's so gentle yet firm, holding me just right, and I realize I could stay like this forever, lost in the warmth of him.

***

Y/n: "Is there seriously no one else here?" I ask myself as I walk into the kitchen quickly to answer the phone that keeps ringing. "Hello?" I ask as I pick up the phone.

James: "Hello. Is this Ms. Y/n Hayes?"

Y/n: "Yes this is she?" I say confused.

James: "My name is James Patterson, and I am with the Brooklyn, New York Let There Be Write Association. We wanted to get in touch with you about a job opportunity. A member of the San Francisco Writing Associationrecommended you to us after reading some of your work." He says bringing up my current job.

Y/n: "Recommended me to you?"

James: "Yes, Ms. Hayes. Your short stories and essays have really impressed them, and they thought your style would be a great fit for our upcoming projects. We'd love to set up an interview with you to discuss a writing position with our publication." He says making my eyes widen a bit. Me working in New York? But my life's here in San Francisco. Jesse's here in San Francisco... My chest tightens, and my thoughts spin.

Y/n: "An interview... in New York?" I ask softly, almost to myself.

James: "Yes ma'am. The interview will be this Friday. And we will pay for your plane ticket, your hotel, all of it."

Y/n: "Mr. Patterson, can I have some time to think about this?"

James: "Yes ma'am. Of course. This isn't a decision to take lightly. But we wanted to make sure you had the opportunity to consider it. Your talent deserves to be seen."

Y/n: "Thank you Mr. Patterson. I'll get back with you in a day or two." I say and we finish our conversation before hanging up the phone. After the phone's hung up, I stand there for a moment and think. How am I gonna tell Jesse? Will this ruin us?

***

Y/n: "Hey Jess." I say making him turn to face me a bit making him stop grabbing his stuff for tonight. I'm sitting on our bed watching him and once he faces me, I decide to back out of it for right now. "Um... never mind." I say and give an awkward chuckle. He squints at me a little, clearly not buying it. The duffel bag in his hand slowly drops onto the chair beside him as he tilts his head.

Jesse: "Never mind?" He repeats, raising an eyebrow. "Sweetheart, you don't look at me like that and then hit me with a 'never mind.'" He lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he walks over toward the bed. The mattress dips as he sits beside me, turning so he's facing me fully.

Y/n: "I just lost my train of thought." I say giving a small shrug.

Jesse: "Sweetheart," he says warmly, leaning a little closer, "you don't get that nervous over a lost train of thought." His hand reaches over, gently taking mine in his. His thumb rubs lightly across my knuckles, the simple gesture instantly calming me a bit, but not enough. "Talk to me."

Y/n: "Jess, you've got a show you've got to get to. You're getting late." I say making him check his watch. He sighs a little before standing up, my hand still in his.

Jesse: "Alright." He says reluctantly. "But now I'm gonna spend the whole show wondering what it is." He says with a small chuckle. He leans down slightly, his free hand coming up to cradle the side of my face for a moment before pressing a warm, lingering kiss to my lips. It's soft but affectionate, the kind of kiss that says more than words. When we break loose, he studies my face for a moment like he's trying to read every thought running through my head. "You sure you're alright?" He asks me softly. I just nod a little, and despite him not being convinced, he leans down and gives me one last peck. "I love you sweetheart."

Y/n: "I love you babe." I watch him for a moment as he grabs his jacket and slings his bag over his shoulder. He gives me that familiar grin, the one that always makes my heart flip, before heading toward the door. "Please be safe." I say as he turns around for a moment.

Jesse: "I will darling." He says and smiles before he heads out of the room again, this time actually leaving. I hear his footsteps moving down the stairs, followed by his voice greeting everyone downstairs. I can't help but laugh quietly to myself as I hear the chaos downstairs, and then a moment later, the front door opens, then shuts. I let out a long breath and fall back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. My fingers absentmindedly twist the edge of the blanket as my mind starts racing again. New York? The words alone make my stomach twist... I sit up slowly, running a hand through my hair before my eyes drift toward the picture frame sitting on Jesse's side table again. I pick up the picture again, tracing the edge of the frame with my thumb.

Y/n: "Why couldn't this call have come like... a year ago?" I murmur to myself. Now Jesse isn't just someone I'm dating. He's... my home. My eyes drift around the room. The guitars leaning in the corner, the mirrors, the stacks of hair products on his dresser, the giant Elvis poster watching over everything like always. This room is so him. Loud, chaotic, dramatic. I let out a quiet sigh and hug the picture lightly to my chest. My mind keeps spinning, running through every possible outcome. If I tell him, will he think I'm leaving him? Will he ask me not to go? Will he tell me I should go? The thoughts won't leave my mind, well, that is until my stomach all of a sudden starts feeling... wrong. I pause mid-thought, my hand still resting on the picture frame. The uneasy feeling in my stomach twists again, sharper this time. I press my hand lightly against my stomach, trying to ignore it, but the feeling only grows worse. The twisting feeling in my stomach rolls again, stronger this time. I quickly sit up straighter, pressing my palm more firmly against my stomach. "Alright, what is going on?" I mutter to myself. For a moment I try to convince myself it's just nerves. Anyone would feel sick after a phone call like that. A job interview across the country? In New York? My brain has been running in circles ever since. "Maybe I just need some water." I say to myself as I stand up to head to the bathroom. "Hey Deej! Can you bring me a glass of water please?"

DJ: "Sure Aunt Y/n!" She yells back from downstairs. I slowly make my way into the bathroom, one hand brushing along the wall for balance as another wave of nausea rolls through my stomach.

Y/n: "Okay... that's definitely not just nerves." I mutter under my breath. Right as I make it to the door of the bathroom, DJ catches up to me with the glass of water.

DJ: "Aunt Y/n, are you okay?" DJ asks me concerned as she hands me the water. She walks with me into the bathroom as I take a sip before setting it on the counter.

Y/n: "I have had a night Deej." I say as the water doesn't help with the funky feeling in my stomach. "Can you shut the door?" I ask her and she quickly shuts the door for me, continuing to stay in the room with me. Ever since DJ has gotten older, we go to each other for a lot of stuff. Before either one of us gets a chance to say anything else, I face the toilet and drop to the floor, the contents inside of me coming out.

DJ: "Aunt Y/n, this is more than nerves from a phone call." She says concerned to me. "Should I call dad? Joey? Uncle Jesse?" She asks as I go to take another sip of water, letting the vomit taste go away as much as possible.

Y/n: "No, not yet..." I say as I try to breathe. Then, my eyes widen as I realize something. "Deej, in my bedroom, in my purse, I have a pregnancy test. Can you grab it for me?" Her eyes widen a little at my request, but she nods quickly, trying to stay calm.

DJ: "Okay, Aunt Y/n." She hurries out of the bathroom, her footsteps quick as she goes to grab the test from my purse. A few moments later, she returns, holding it out to me carefully like it's fragile. She waits outside of the door for a couple minutes before coming back in after I've peed on the test. I lay it face down on the counter and wait. She stays quiet, giving me space, but her presence is steady, like a little anchor. I can hear her soft breathing as we both wait, the tension in the room thick. Finally, after about 5 minutes, I slowly lift the test and turn it over, my heart hammering in my chest. My eyes immediately lock onto the result. I feel my stomach twist, not from nausea this time, but from pure anticipation. The world feels like it's holding its breath with me. My hands tremble slightly as I grip the edges of the test. "Aunt Y/n you're pregnant?!" She asks in pure shock, but hell, so am I.

Y/n: "Promise me you won't tell anyone yet Deej. I'll tell everyone when I'm ready." I say and she nods.

DJ: "I promise." She says before I realize something else.

Y/n: "Deej..." I say looking at her. "Jesse is going to lose his mind..."

***

Y/n: I feel the mattress underneath me sink a bit, waking me up.

Jesse: "I'm back darling." He says carefully moving a strand of hair out of my face before leaning down and giving my head a little kiss.

Y/n: "Hey baby." I say groggily as I wake up from my much-needed nap. The thoughts about the phone call and my pregnancy played in my mind so much I passed out. I still need to tell him about both, but I still don't know how.

Jesse: "Hey sweetheart." He says softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "You must've been exhausted. You were out like a light." I sit up slowly nodding my head as Jesse studies my face for a second, noticing the slight tension there. "You sure you're alright? Earlier you looked like something was bothering you." My stomach twists again. This is it. I have to tell him.

Y/n: "I actually..." I say and I fiddle with a ring on my hand. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something." I say hesitantly. Jesse notices my nervous state, mostly because of the fact that I'm messing with my ring. Jesse's eyes immediately drop to my hands as I keep twisting the ring around my finger and his eyebrows slowly pull together.

Jesse: "You only do that when something's really on your mind." He says referring to the ring. I take a breath, trying to calm the racing in my chest.

Y/n: "Well, um... Yesterday morning I got a phone call and—" Suddenly Jesse's eyes widen like something just hit him.

Jesse: "Oh man!" I just blink, suddenly the one confused.

Y/n: "What?" He jumps up from the bed quickly, running a hand through his hair.

Jesse: "I completely forgot to tell you!"

Y/n: "Tell me what?" He starts pacing a little, clearly excited.

Jesse: "The show tonight! Sweetheart, it was huge. I mean huge!" I stare at him for a moment, half amused and half nervous now that my moment disappeared. "The crowd was packed, the band was on fire, and this guy from a music label was there. He said we sounded the best we ever have!" I smile softly, even though my mind is still spinning with everything I haven't said yet.

Y/n: "That's amazing, Jess." He smiles proudly and sits back down beside me again.

Jesse: "Yeah, but wait, it gets better." He says one of his hands grabbing mine and holding it. "After the show, the band and I started talking about maybe doing a small tour. Nothing crazy, just a few cities. You know, test the waters." He says to me excitedly while my heart skips a little. Tour? New York? A baby? Everything suddenly feels even bigger. "Nothing's official yet, sweetheart. Just talk right now. But can you imagine it? The Rippers on the road?" He smiles brightly at the thought. "Crowds screaming, lights everywhere, the band rocking the house every night? It's like my dream is finally coming true!" I smile softly at him, even though my mind is racing. He studies my face for a moment, but he lets out a small chuckle anyway. "I'm sorry. Guess I got a little carried away." He says chuckling a bit. I shake my head gently, squeezing his hand a little.

Y/n: "No, don't be sorry. I like seeing you excited like this." I say as I mess with the ring again.

Jesse: "You're doing the ring thing again darling." He says rubbing his thumb lightly over my knuckles. "Talk to me."

Y/n: "Well um-" I start, but before I get anything else, we hear a voice at the door.

DJ: "Uncle Jesse? Aunt Y/n?" Jesse sighs dramatically and leans his head back for a second.

Jesse: "What is it with this house and timing?" I can't help letting out a small laugh, even though my nerves are still buzzing in my chest. "What is it Deej?" He asks walking over to her.

DJ: "Dad called everyone down for dinner." Jesse looks at her, then back at me and, for a second, he looks like he's about to tell her to go away.

Jesse: "Right now?"

DJ: "Yeah. Dad said if you two don't come down soon, Joey is gonna eat your portions." She says with a smile. That makes Jesse groan.

Jesse: "Gladstone would." I laugh quietly, covering my mouth for a second. Jesse looks back at me, his expression softening again when he sees the nerves still written all over my face. He studies me for another moment, clearly debating something, then sighs. "Alright we'll be down in a second Deej." He says and she nods before heading to the kitchen. Jesse walks back over to me and offers his hand to help me up from the bed. I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. "You good?" He asks holding both of my hands. I just nod again.

Y/n: "Yeah." I say and Jesse's hand slides gently to the side of my face as he leans in. His lips meet mine in a soft, quick kiss, warm and reassuring. It only lasts a moment, but it's full of affection, like he's silently telling me everything's going to be okay. When he pulls back, his thumb lightly brushes my cheek before he smiles at me.

Jesse: "Let's go eat dinner." He says and I nod before we both walk downstairs into the kitchen.

Danny: "Ah! There you two are." He says as me and Jesse walk down the stairs into the kitchen.

Joey: "Finally. I was about to claim your food if you didn't come down."

Jesse: "Touch my garlic bread and you're walking funny tomorrow, pal." He says making everyone laugh a bit.

***

Jesse: "Okay. Now, tell me what's up." Jesse says as he shuts the door coming into the bedroom. Jesse was in the living room watching a movie with the girls after they begged him to, but I had a headache, so I just came in the bedroom to read a book until they got done. Well, it's done now. I take a deep breath, gripping the edge of the blanket for a moment before looking up at him. 

Y/n: "Well, um... Jess... I got a phone call yesterday." I start softly, my voice trembling just a little. Jesse immediately sits on the edge of the bed, leaning forward slightly, his expression full of concern. "It... it was from a publishing company in New York." My hands twist the blanket nervously. "They... they want to interview me for a writing position. They... they even said they'd cover the plane ticket, hotel, everything." I swallow hard, my stomach tightening at the words.

Jesse: "Wait. New York?! When are they wanting this interview?" He asks as he stands up.

Y/n: "Friday..." I say scared of how he's going to react.

Jesse: "Friday?! Y/n that is a day away!" He says as he starts pacing a bit. "They want you on a plane tomorrow?! You should have told me about this yesterday!" He says kind of angry. I don't blame him. I would be too.

Y/n: "I know... I just- I didn't know how to tell you!"

Jesse: "You didn't know how to tell me?" He stops pacing for a second, his voice quieter now, but you can hear the edge of hurt underneath. "Y/n, this is important! You could have just told me!"

Y/n: "I know, I know!" I raise my hands, trying to calm him, but my voice trembles. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you. I just... I didn't want to hurt you or make you upset!"

Jesse: "Hurt me? Y/n, you're not hurting me. You're just dropping a bomb on me out of nowhere!" He says as his hands rake through his hair in frustration.

Y/n: "I didn't choose the timing! They called me, Jesse! I had to decide quickly!" I say, my chest tightening, words tumbling out too fast. "And now... I just... I don't know what to do!"

Jesse: "Yes Y/n. They called you and you didn't tell me about it yesterday when it actually happened." He says in anger.

Y/n: "Jess, I was scared! I didn't know how you would react!"

Jesse: "Scared? Now you're scared of me?"

Y/n: "Jess- no! That's not it! I-"

Jesse: "If you're that scared of me, then maybe you should just leave!" He says in pure anger cutting me off, breaking my heart. My love, my home... pushing me away... My chest tightens even more, and the sting of his words hits me harder than I expected. My throat closes up, and I can't think straight. Before I decide to say anything else, I push past him and go out the bedroom door. Part of me hopes that he would follow me, but he doesn't... I make it to the front door and put my hand on the handle, but before I open it, I look up the stairs to see if Jesse is following me, but after a moment of waiting, I open the door and shut it behind me going into the cold, night air.

***

Y/n: I walk into the Let There Be Write offices as I attempt to find James Patterson. It's been two days since I've seen Jesse and my chest still feels like it's tied in knots. I mean shit, I just lost the love of my life and my home. "Excuse me, I'm looking for James Patterson." I say softly to the receptionist, my voice trembling slightly.

Receptionist: "Oh! Right this way, Ms. Hayes. He's been expecting you." She smiles politely and gestures down the hall. I follow her down the long corridor, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor. Every step feels heavier than the last, my thoughts bouncing between Jesse, the interview, and... everything else. We stop outside a glass office, and the receptionist knocks lightly. "Mr. Patterson, Ms. Hayes is here."

James: "Ah, yes! Come in, Ms. Hayes!" His voice is warm, welcoming. I step inside, my hands clutching my purse. He gestures to a chair across from his desk and shakes my hand before we both sit down. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I know it's a lot to ask." He smiles, noticing the tension in my shoulders. I just nod politely, my voice barely above a whisper. 

Y/n: "Of course, Mr. Patterson. I appreciate the opportunity."

James: "I've read through your submissions from the San Francisco Writing Association. Your work is... impressive. You have a voice that stands out, and we'd love to explore how it fits into our projects." He says as he leans back slightly, watching me carefully. I just nod, taking a shaky breath, my stomach twisting again, a mixture of excitement and guilt. "Now, I know this is a big move, but we'd cover everything for the interview. Travel, accommodations, even meals. All we want is to see your talent in person."

Y/n: "Thank you." I whisper, my heart hammering. "I-I really appreciate it." I say to him, but my mind is still elsewhere. I glance at the glass walls, imagining Jesse pacing back at home, wondering where I am, maybe still angry, maybe... hurt... 

James: "I understand if you need time to think. Relocating, even temporarily, is a lot to process." He says and I just nod again, swallowing hard.

Y/n: "Yes. I do need some time."

 James: "Take the day, Ms. Hayes. I'll be here to discuss next steps whenever you're ready. You're talented, and this is your moment." I give a small smile, standing up.

Y/n: "Thank you, Mr. Patterson." I say before I turn and step out of his office before walking out of the building itself, the city air hitting me again. This is my chance, but... is it worth leaving my home? Jesse? Why do I even keep thinking about him? He told me I should just leave... I take a slow, shaky breath, letting the crisp New York air fill my lungs as I walk down the sidewalk. The city buzzes around me, honking taxis, hurried footsteps, chatter spilling from cafés, but I barely hear it. My thoughts are still back in San Francisco, back in Jesse's arms, back in our bed. My chest tightens as I picture him pacing, worried, maybe still angry. I clutch my purse a little tighter and my stomach twists again. Not from nerves this time, but from the weight of the secret I'm carrying. I'm a million miles from home, and it's only been two days since I've seen Jesse, but the absence already feels heavy and suffocating. I stop in front of a small park, watching the pigeons scatter, and for a moment I let myself imagine Jesse here. Maybe he's pacing, maybe he's angry, maybe he's... hurt... I swallow hard, blinking back the sudden sting in my eyes. I'm doing this for my future. I remind myself. But the words feel hollow when my mind is still full of him. What am I doing? I whisper to myself, glancing down the busy street. This opportunity is everything I've ever wanted... but at what cost? Jesse... His smile, the warmth of his chest against mine, the way he'd wrap his hands around me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. He's everywhere in my thoughts, and it's impossible for me to ignore. After a few moments of being lost in my thoughts, I finally start making my way back into the Let There Be Write offices. I push open the glass doors and step back into the office, the air-conditioned cool washing over me. The receptionist gives me a polite nod, and I make my way back down the corridor, my heels clicking against the polished floor. Every step feels heavier than the last, like I'm walking through fog, my thoughts still trapped back in San Francisco.

James: "Ms. Hayes, welcome back." James Patterson rises from behind his desk, giving me a warm, encouraging smile. "Take a seat. We'll get started when you're ready."

Y/n: "Actually, Mr. Patterson, I don't think I am able to take this job." I say to him and, surprisingly, he smiles. Does he know...?

James: "I completely understand Ms. Hayes. Your life is in San Francisco."  I let out a quiet sigh, feeling the weight of the decision lift slightly now that I've spoken it aloud.

Y/n: "Thank you for understanding Mr. Patterson."

James: "Of course, Ms. Hayes. Talent like yours deserves the right timing and the right place. San Francisco sounds like it's where your heart is right now. Stay true to it. Opportunities will come and go, but the things that truly matter are those you carry with you." He says with a polite smile.

Y/n: "Thank you Mr. Patterson." I say with a smile before I step out of James Patterson's office, the quiet hum of the city around me feeling strangely heavy and light all at once. My chest feels looser than it has in days, yet a small part of me still twists with guilt. I clutch my purse a little tighter, staring at the sidewalk as I make my way back to my hotel. Every step toward my hotel feels like I'm dragging a backpack full of thoughts, each heavier than the last. The decision is made. I'm staying in San Francisco, but the ache in my chest refuses to ease. Jesse. I can't stop thinking about him... Once I finally reach my hotel room, I put my key up to the door and I open the door, stopping in my place once I see what's in front of me. I freeze in the doorway, my heart skipping a beat. Jesse sitting in the desk chair in my room...

Jesse: "Y/n." He says standing up as he finally sees me for the first time in days. The faint shadow under his eyes tells me he hasn't slept much. And that he was probably crying... My mouth goes dry, and I can feel my chest tighten.

Y/n: "Jesse..." I whisper, my voice barely carrying. He takes a slow step toward me, his eyes glistening faintly, a mix of relief, worry, and something deeper I can't quite name.

Jesse: "I just... I had to come see you one last time. I'm so sorry I overreacted the other night. I know you'll do amazing for this writing company here in New York."

Y/n: "Jess, I didn't take the job." I say making his eyes widen a little.

Jesse: "What? But this is your dream Y/n."

Y/n: "It is but... opportunities will come and go. The things that truly matter are those you carry with you." I say quoting what Mr. Patterson told me earlier. His eyes soften, relief washing over his face, though a faint trace of hurt still lingers. 

Jesse: "You... you stayed? For me?" His voice cracks slightly, and he takes a hesitant step closer, almost afraid I might change my mind again.

Y/n: "Jesse, my life's in San Francisco. You're in San Francisco. I would rather lose a job opportunity than my home." I say softly and he exhales sharply, as if he'd been holding his breath for days. Then, without thinking, he pulls me into a tight hug, burying his face in my hair. 

Jesse: "God, I missed you so much," he murmurs, his voice muffled. "I'm sorry for what I said... and for pushing you away. I was scared, Y/n... I didn't want to lose you." 

Y/n: "I know Jess." I say as I rub his back softly. "So was I."

Jesse: "I'm not doing the tour." He says as he pulls back, making me stare at him in shock.

Y/n: "What? But Jess-"

Jesse: "You're my life, Y/n. I don't care about the fame or the tour, as long as I have you. I care about us. About you." He says making me smile.

Y/n: "About our baby..." I say smiling, catching him off guard. He blinks for a moment as he stares at me.

Jesse: "About our what?" He asks in shock, checking to see if he heard me correctly. I just nod a little as some tears start to spill out. "You're pregnant?! I'm gonna be a dad?!" He asks, mostly himself, as I watch him while chuckling a bit. "Oh my gosh Y/n!" He says in shock as he quickly hugs me. He hugs me for a moment before putting a hand on my cheek and kissing me deeply. I can feel the warmth of him, the steady beat of his heart against mine, and it makes my chest flutter in a way I've never felt before. His lips move against mine with a soft insistence, exploring, savoring, as if committing every curve and warmth of my mouth to memory. He finally breaks the kiss for a second, just enough to rest his forehead against mine, his eyes shining with emotion, and whispers, "I love you... so much sweetheart."

warning: abuse (pretty sure that's it)

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

Y/n: The tears don't stop rolling down my face as I walk the sidewalk of San Francisco, the night air cold to the touch as I walk away from my house. Every word from earlier still echoes in my head, and my chest feels tight, and each step is heavier than the last, but I can't go back. At least not yet. The streets are quieter than usual tonight. The streetlights cast long shadows, and the distant hum of traffic does little to drown out the chaos that still lingers in my mind. I hug my jacket tighter around myself, hoping for some kind of comfort, but the fabric does very little to warm the ache in my chest. Then, just ahead, a neon sign flashes in the darkness: "Live Tonight: Jesse and the Rippers." Why does the name Jesse sound so familiar? I pause for a moment, staring up at the neon lights. Jesse... The name tugs at something in the back of my mind, like a memory I can almost reach but can't quite grasp. I shake my head, trying to push it away. It doesn't matter. Right now, all that matters is getting out of the cold and away from, well, everything. I hesitate for a moment before stepping inside, letting the loud music wash over me. All of it is a little overwhelming, but in a way it's better than being at home. I walk up closer to the stage just to see who this Jesse is and by the time he runs out on the stage with his guitar, it finally hits me. It's Danny Tanner's brother-in-law that he mentioned to me. The name was in the back of my mind because Danny only mentioned his name to me once when we first met on the set of Wake Up San Francisco. Jesse is up on the stage, his guitar in hand. Even from the back of the room, I can see his dark hair glint under the lights, his grin wide and effortless, the kind that makes everyone in the room lean in a little closer, mesmerized. For a while I listen to him, still trying to calm my tears that have been spilling, which ultimately doesn't work especially when he sings a song that I can relate to. I watch him sing and play and for a moment I see him look over in my direction, but he doesn't look away. He can't be looking at me, can he? For a while we just kinda stare at each other but then, I see him say something from the stage.

Jesse: "Are you okay?" He mouths in my direction. I just smile a bit through my tears, and once someone else gets him to turn his attention elsewhere for a moment, I escape through the crowd. If he was referring to me when he mouthed that question, then maybe this is his answer.

***

Y/n: "Thank you for everything Danny." I say to Danny as we are currently in his living room. I stand up and get ready to leave when I'm stopped.

Stephanie: "Y/n, do you really have to leave?" She asks pouting making me chuckle a little.

Y/n: "I'll be back soon Steph." I say and ruffle her hair a bit.

Danny: "Okay girls you two go run upstairs and play." Danny says as Stephanie and Michelle run upstairs together.

Y/n: "Well, I'll see you at work tomorrow, Danny." I say and smile walking towards the door.

Danny: "See you tomorrow." He says smiling as he gives me a small wave. I shut the door behind me and as I turn around, I'm stopped in my spot. Jesse? We both stare at each other for a moment before he speaks.

Jesse: "You're... the girl from the concert, aren't you?" He asks lifting his finger.

Y/n: "Yeah..." I say hesitantly with a small chuckle.

Jesse: "I searched for you everywhere after the concert. I couldn't find you." He says before kind of snapping back to reality. "I'm Jesse. Jesse Katsopolis." He says as we shake hands for a moment.

Y/n: "Y/n Parks." I say hesitantly again.

Jesse: "Wait. Why are you here?" He asks me confused. Wait why is he here?

Y/n: "Danny offered for me to come by after work?" I say as I point towards the door.

Jesse: "Oh so you're the Y/n he mentioned that started working on the set with him." He says realizing.

Y/n: "Yeah. And you're the brother-in-law he mentioned to me." I say as it finally hits me why he's here right now.

Jesse: "Yeah." He says as we continue to look at each other for a moment before I look down at my watch.

Y/n: "Shoot! I've gotta get home. It was nice to meet you." I say as I run away quickly in hopes I'll get home in time. I'm so tired of wearing long sleeves all day everyday but what other choice do I have?

***

Jesse: "Hey." I hear a voice say from behind me and I see Jesse walking over to me. What is he doing here while I'm at work?

Y/n: "What are you doing here?" I ask him with a small chuckle as I continue arranging some of the papers on the table in front of me. It's been a few weeks, and we've gotten a little closer.

Jesse: "I came by to see Danny at work." He says making me raise an eyebrow while looking at him. "Okay I came to see you." He says making both of us chuckle.

Y/n: "I figured."

Jesse: "So, you, me, the pizza parlor, and ending the night at the house this friday night?" He asks leaning against the table a bit while looking at me.

Y/n: "Are you asking me on a date?" I ask with another chuckle.

Jesse: "Maybe." He says with his typical smirk.

Y/n: "I'll be at yours by 7." I say making him do a single clap with his hands out of excitement.

Jesse: "Friday can't come soon enough Y/n!" He says as he walks away, giving me a quick wink in the process, making me chuckle a bit.

Y/n: "I want to think different but, who am I kidding he's adorable." I say to myself as I continue working.

***

Y/n: Jesse opens the front door for me as we make it back to their house. I walk in and, surprisingly, nobody else is in the living room. "Wow, it's quiet in here." I say with a chuckle kind of surprised.

Jesse: "I mighttt have told them to keep out for a while." He says leading me over to the couch, both of us sitting down next to each other.

Y/n: "So, this was your plan all along? Lure me out for pizza and then keep me here so we can... I don't know. Talk?" I ask with a chuckle, looking at him. Jesse just grins a little, leaning back casually with one arm draped over the back of the couch.

Jesse: "Maybe. But I wanted to do something a little more than talking." He says with that smirk on his lips looking at my lips. We both stare at each other for a moment, both leaning towards each other slowly before closing the distance. My heart races as I feel his lips on mine and it's soft at first, like he's checking to see if I want this, and I do. More than I've ever wanted anyone before. Once he knows, Jesse deepens the kiss slowly, his hand moving to cradle the back of my head, tilting me just enough to pull me closer. The world around us seems to blur, the quiet of the house fading until there's only the two of us and the steady rhythm of our breathing. Everything feels electric. The warmth of his touch, the pressure of his body so close to mine, the way my heart feels like it's going to burst with every second that passes, all of it feels amazing being with Jesse. I pull back just slightly, my forehead resting against his as I catch my breath, heart still racing a mile a minute. Jesse grins again, that familiar playful sparkle in his eyes never fading, but there's a tenderness there too. His thumb lightly brushes against my cheek in a gentle, lingering motion as our foreheads stay resting against each other. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He says with a small chuckle.

Y/n: "Same here." I say breathless with another small chuckle. Jesse leans in again, just enough to brush his lips against mine in a softer, teasing kiss, as if savoring the moment without rushing. His hand slides from my cheek to the small of my back, drawing me a little closer, and I let out a soft sigh, my hands instinctively finding their way to his shoulders. I close my eyes, melting into the warmth of him, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under my hands. Every touch, every gentle pressure of his lips against mine makes the world outside disappear completely. I can't help but deepen the kiss slightly, tilting my head to match his movements, wanting this, wanting him, more than I thought possible. "Wait. What time is it?" I ask breaking the kiss realizing it's getting later by the minute. Jesse looks at me in confusion before checking his watch.

Jesse: "10:02." He says to me making my eyes widen subconsciously. My stomach drops, and my chest tightens as the words sink in. 

Y/n: "Oh no." I whisper, my voice shaky, glancing at him with wide eyes. "I-I have to get home. Now." I say as I stand up quickly and as I'm about to rush towards the door, Jesse's hand grabs my wrist stopping me.

Jesse: "Hey. What's going on?" He asks me softly as he stands up as well, but before I get a chance to say anything, the fear in my chest threatens to spill over, which Jesse notices. His grip softens slightly, but his eyes stay locked on mine, serious and protective. "Y/n... Are they... They don't hurt you. Do they?" He asks me worriedly as he looks at me. I just shake my head quickly, biting my lip to hold back a panicked sob.

Y/n: "I-I just... I have to go. Please, Jesse. I can't be late." I say as he continues looking at me. I give him one more quick kiss before I rush out of the door.

***

Y/n: I stand at the front door, waiting for somebody to open it, the cold air hitting my skin. It's been three days and I haven't shown up to work once. I couldn't. After a moment, the door opens swiftly and I see Danny at the door, his eyes widening as he sees me.

Danny: "Y/n, are you okay? You haven't shown up to work in days." He says letting me in as he hasn't seen me in three days. I haven't seen anyone in three days. Danny, the girls, Jesse...

Y/n: "I'm okay. I've been sick." I say lying to him.

Danny: "Well all that's here right now is me and the girls, but I was about to go out with Joey. He ran out to run an errand and was gonna come back and get me. You're welcome to hang out with the girls if you want."

Y/n: "Thanks Danny." After a while of me and Danny chatting, Joey eventually shows up and he and Danny eventually make their way out the door. Danny said that DJ is out with Kimmy and that Michelle and Stephanie are upstairs taking naps. After a moment I finally sit down on the couch and find a movie to watch on the tv. I curl up on the couch and watch the movie for a bit, letting the time kind of get away from me a bit. Then after a while, I hear the doorbell ring, and I jump up, hoping it's Jesse, but as I open the door, my smile vanishes.

Dad: "So this is where you've been hanging out huh?" My dad says as he and my mom both make their way into the house, shutting the door behind them, as I back up trying to get away from them. Despite my attempts to get away from them, my dad grabs me and immediately throws me on the floor, making me groan out in pain.

Mom: "The people in this house probably know about everything, don't they Y/n?" My mom asks me, hinting to everything they do to me. I just stay silent, the only sounds I make are my sobs from the beating. "Don't they?!" My mom yells, scaring me more.

Y/n: "No they don't..." I choke out as best as I can.

Mom: "Stop crying. You're just pathetic." She says as she continues to beat me.

Dad: "No one will EVER care about you, you pathetic little-" He says but cuts himself off as he continues beating me. Both of my parents beat me enough to where there's blood coming out of me, but even then, they don't stop. I curl up on the floor, every inch of me trembling, my breath coming in ragged sobs. My body aches from the blows, my arms and legs bruised, but the fear in my chest feels heavier than any pain. I want to scream, but my voice is barely a whisper. I continue to take all of the beating before I hear the door open and slam shut.

Jesse: "Have Mercy!" I look up and I see Jesse standing at the door in shock. Jesse's eyes widen as he takes in the scene before him. Me on the floor, bruised and shaking, my parents looming over me. His usual playful grin is completely gone, replaced by a sharp, protective intensity. He drops his motorcycle helmet and rushes forward, kneeling beside me. I cling to him, still trembling, tears streaking my bloodied cheeks. His chest feels warm beneath my face, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel a bit of safety. Jesse's eyes flick toward my parents, who are frozen at the doorway, unsure what to do now that someone else is here. "It's okay, I've got you. You're safe now." He says softly, glancing back down to me before back up to my parents. "How low of a parent do you gotta be to do this to your own daughter? HUH?!" Both of my parents just stand there unsure of what to say or do before Jesse's voice booms through the house again. "GET OUT. NOW." My mom opens her mouth to argue, but Jesse's eyes lock onto hers, icy and unshakable. "You're done here. Both of you. If you step one foot closer to her, I swear-" He doesn't even finish the threat as the weight behind it is enough to get my trembling parents to stumble toward the door, muttering curses that sound weak and hollow in comparison to Jesse's presence. Jesse doesn't take his eyes off them until the front door slams shut behind them. Once he knows for a fact that they're gone, he turns back towards me and his gaze softens. Jesse kneels down beside me again, gathering me into his arms. His hands are warm, steady, holding me like I'm the most fragile thing in the world. I cling to him, letting the sobs I'd been holding back finally spill over, my tears soaking into his shirt. "It's okay. You're safe now. I've got you. I'm never letting you go back there again."

***

Y/n: The next morning, sunlight streams gently through the curtains of Jesse's bedroom, casting a warm glow across the space. For the first time in what feels like forever, I wake up without the weight of fear pressing down on me. My head is pounding with a headache, but just the fact that I'm not at home makes it feel a little better.

Jesse: "Morning, sleepyhead." He says next to me, looking at me with that familiar grin as he lays next to me. "Sleep okay?" He asks softly.

Y/n: "My head hurts." I say as I carefully touch one of the knots on my head.

Jesse: "Yeah. Be careful for a while." He says as he carefully puts his hand over it for a moment. I just smile a bit at his protectiveness and he smiles back. We both look at each other for another moment before Jesse softly puts a hand on my cheek and gives me another small kiss. We kiss for a while, the warmth of his lips and the gentle pressure of his hand on my cheek. Everything feels calm for the first time in so long, like the world outside no longer exists. Well, that is until we hear a voice and pressure on the bed.

Michelle: "Uncle Jesse! Uncle Jesse!" The little 3-year-old of the house says excitedly.

Jesse: "Hey Munchkin!" Jesse says scooping her up in his arms and giving her a bunch of kisses. Once he stops and sets her down, Michelle reaches up to his hair. "Ah watch the hair! Watch the hair!" He says before Michelle runs off to probably find Joey. I can't help but smile at the sight of Michelle running off, her little feet padding across the floor. The chaos of the house feels comforting somehow, like life moving around me is normal and safe. I stretch a little and glance at Jesse, who's still grinning from holding her.

Y/n: "You love them all like they're you're own daughters." I say in awe at how adorable it is.

Jesse: "Yeah I do. Almost as much as I love my girl." He says wrapping an arm around my shoulders softly, looking into my eyes. I feel my cheeks get warm at his words, and I can't help but smile a little.

Y/n: "Really?" He grins in response looking up at me. The sunlight streaming through the curtains warms the room, and for the first time in forever, I let myself just breathe, letting the past fade a little, because here, with him, I'm safe. As he looks at me, I smile more and I put my hand on his cheek and kiss him deeply, never wanting to leave his side. Jesse melts into the kiss, his hand sliding from my waist to the small of my back, holding me close as if letting go is unthinkable. When we finally pull back, just enough to breathe, his forehead rests against mine again. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

warning: mean comments from other girls, not eating, almost passing out

_______________________________________________

Danny: "Michelle, no cookies at breakfast." I hear my dad say chuckling while taking the cookies from my 5-year-old little sister.

Y/n: "Hey Uncle Joey." I say as I walk past him sitting on one of the bar chairs. Despite Joey not being our real uncle, like Uncle Jesse, he's still an uncle figure in my eyes, so I'm the only person that calls him uncle.

DJ: "Hey Y/n, don't forget that today is our science presentation." She says as I grab a bite of a grape.

Y/n: "Yeah. I've got everything ready. Except for excitement." I say taking another bite of a grape. I walk over to dad, letting him kiss my head.

Danny: "Have a good day at school." He says doing the same for DJ. I walk over to Uncle Joey and Uncle Jesse, and they give me a kiss also.

***

DJ: "Kimmy, Steve does not!" DJ says while chuckling as she lightly punches her shoulder.

Kimmy: "Oh please. The guy practically trips over his own feet every time you walk into a room." DJ rolls her eyes, but I can see her trying not to smile. I lean against my locker, spinning the dial.

Y/n: "Maybe he just needs better balance." I joke with a small shrug.

Kimmy: "See? Y/N agrees with me." She says grinning making me chuckle. DJ just shakes her head as we start walking toward class.

DJ: "You two are impossible." She says chuckling. As we turn the corner, a group of girls from another class walk past us, laughing loudly.

Girl 1: "Did you see her hair today?" One of them whispers to the others. "It looks so bad. They all start laughing. I instinctively reach up and touch my own hair for a second before dropping my hand quickly.

Me: They weren't talking about me, I tell myself. Still, a small knot forms in my stomach. Kimmy keeps talking about something Steve did in class yesterday, but I only half-listen as we stop outside the classroom.

DJ: "Earth to Y/N." She says nudging me lightly with her elbow. I just blink coming back into reality and look over at her.

Y/n: "Huh?" She just laughs a little.

DJ: "You okay? You've been quiet since we got here." My older sister asks a little concerned, her smile never leaving her face. I just shrug, forcing a small smile.

Y/n: "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the presentation." We walk in and take our seats as the classroom buzzes with students talking and setting their projects on their desks. Posters, models, and cardboard displays are everywhere. I place our project carefully on the table while DJ straightens the papers next to it like she always does. Across the room I hear a couple of girls whispering again.

Girl 3: "Her outfit is so weird." One of them mutters. I glance down at my own shirt for a second before quickly looking away.

Y/n: Stop it, I tell myself. They're not talking about you.

Nick: "Hey gorgeous." My boyfriend says walking over and giving a small kiss to my head.

Y/n: "Hey." I say with a hesitant smile and chuckle.

Nick: "Blow them away today." He says giving me two thumbs up as he walks away making me chuckle a bit. I look over to Kimmy and DJ and they're both grinning ear to ear.

Kimmy: "You two are so cute. Y/n with the second most popular guy in school. DJ maybe you'll wind up with Steve!"

DJ: "Like the most popular guy in school and the captain of the wrestling team would want to get with me." She says with a slight scoff as she continues setting up. "He's so cute though!" DJ and Kimmy continue talking but my brain drifts away subconsciously. I look over and see a mirror, and I get a small glimpse of myself. My crimped dark hair, my thick coral colored sweatshirt t-shirt, and my blue jeans and black doc martens.

Y/n: Do I... even look okay? The knot in my stomach tightens again, and I quickly look away, forcing my focus back to the table. DJ is straightening the papers, completely unaware of my internal panic, and Kimmy is chatting animatedly about Steve. I force a small smile, hoping no one notices how tense I am. Stop it. Just focus on the project. Don't think about... anything else.

Girl 2: "Ugh, look at her sweatshirt." One of the girls from the back mutters, loud enough that I catch it. "It's like... she's trying to hide how big she is or something." They say and laugh a bit. My stomach drops. Heat rushes to my cheeks. I quickly look away, focusing on the volcano, but the words echo in my mind.

Y/n: Maybe if I just... lost a little weight, everything would fit better. From the corner of my eye, I catch Nick glancing back at me. His grin is encouraging, but even that doesn't quiet the spiral of self doubt. I pull in a deep breath and start stirring, trying to tell myself it's enough that DJ and Kimmy are here, that the project is ready, that I can just... do this. Then I hear another whisper, just barely audible over the chatter.

Girl 4: "She's actually kind of... chunky. No wonder she wears those sweatshirts all the time." The words slice through me, sharper than I expected. My hands freeze mid-stir. My ears feel hot, my throat tight. I want to disappear, shrink into my chair, somehow erase myself from the room.

DJ: "Okay. We're up." My older sister says to me smiling.

***

Y/n: I walk down the stairs in the kitchen and walk over to the table. I grab a cookie from one of the plates and I start to eat it, but then the words replay over again in my head, so instead, I just put it back. Before I get a chance to think anything else, I hear the back door open, and I see Nick walk in. He grins the moment he sees me, shutting the door behind him and walking into the kitchen like he's done a hundred times before.

Nick: "Hey." He says softly and I try to smile back.

Y/N: "Hey."

Nick: "I have to meet my parents at home, but you left this at school." He says stepping towards me and handing me my cross keychain with my initial. The one Uncle Jesse gave me on my 10th birthday. For a second my chest tightens. I hadn't even realized I lost it. I take it carefully from his hand and look at it.

Y/N: "Oh. I didn't even notice." I say quietly. "Thanks." Nick just shrugs a little, leaning against the table.

Nick: "Found it by your desk after class. I figured you wanted that back." He just watches my face for a moment, like he's trying to read me. "What's going on?" He asks making me look at him.

Y/n: "What?"

Nick: "Something's bothering you. What's wrong?" He asks me softly.

Y/n: "Oh. It-it's nothing." I say with a hesitant chuckle.

Nick: "Now I know that's not true." He says straightening and walking a little closer to me. He stops in front of me and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. "You can talk to me." He whispers.

Y/n: "Um..." I say hesitantly as I look down again. "I heard some girls talking about me today... They called me chunky, and that I wear my sweatshirts and my sweatshirt t-shirts to hide it..."

Nick: "I knew I saw you put that cookie back." He says before lifting my chin up to look at him. "Those girls don't get to decide how you feel about yourself. And you definitely shouldn't stop eating cookies because of them."

Y/N: "But what if they're right?" Nick just shakes his head immediately.

Nick: "They're not." He says straightforward. "You're amazing, okay?" He asks me and I nod, despite me not feeling that way. "And you're mine." He says smiling, making me smile a bit too. Nick looks over at the cookie plate, grabs a cookie, and puts it in my hand. "I've gotta get home. Don't let those girls stop you from enjoying what you enjoy." He says and turns his head to kiss my cheek, before waving and walking out the back door. I stare at the cookie for another second before setting that same cookie back on the plate.

***

Michelle: "I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm coming! I'm here." She says as she runs into mine and DJ's shared room.

DJ: "What is it Michelle?" She asks smiling as she walks over to her. I continue sitting on my bed with my journal in my lap and pen in my hand, but I stop for a moment, watching Michelle and DJ.

Michelle: "There's a cute boy here looking for DJ." She says innocently while smiling.

Y/n: "Steve's here DJ." I say with a small chuckle. DJ's eyes widen for a second, and then a grin spreads across her face.

DJ: "Steve? Here? Now?" She asks, half in disbelief, half excitement.

Michelle: "He's waiting! He's waiting! He's waiting!" Our 5-year-old sister says over and over as she runs down the hallway out of the room. DJ bites her lip to keep from squealing, her hands fidgeting slightly as she straightens her shirt.

DJ: "Okay. Okay. Don't freak out. Just... play it cool." She says to herself. She glances at me, giving a quick, reassuring smile.

Y/N: "You've got this, DJ. Just be yourself." I tell my older sister. DJ nods, taking a deep breath, and then heads for the door. I watch her go, and once she's out of sight, I sigh to myself and look back down at my journal. Ever since all of that happened three days ago, I've tried getting into writing a bit. It's gone pretty well, but now I'm stuck on how to continue. I sit there for another three minutes before I decide to walk downstairs. I walk into the living room and along with seeing Steve and DJ, I see Nick there also. Once Nick sees me, he walks over to me and hugs me.

Nick: "Hey you." He says smiling. Right as we break loose, before I get a chance to say anything, I feel the world spinning and right before I collapse to the floor, Nick catches me quickly. "Woah." I feel my chest tightening as my knees buckle, Nick's arms are steady around me, holding me up before I even hit the floor. My heartbeat feels loud in my ears, and for a second, I just cling to him, trying to ground myself.

Y/n: "I-I'm okay..." I whisper shakily, though my legs still feel wobbly. Thankfully DJ and Steve didn't see that, or DJ would for sure tell everyone. Nick tightens his hold just a little, keeping me upright.

Nick: "Hey, hey... Take it slow. You're safe." He says to me softly, his voice steady and calm. I can feel his warmth through the thick sweatshirt I'm wearing, and it's oddly comforting. I take a shaky breath, letting my head rest briefly against his shoulder. The room, the laughter, Steve and DJ's conversation, all blurs around me for a moment, but Nick's presence keeps me grounded. I take a deep breath, trying to let it all go. The panic, the fear, the self-doubt. Even if it's only for a moment. But, I'm finally starting to lose a little weight. I can't completely break loose yet.

***

Y/n: I walk into the kitchen, and I see Uncle Joey cooking, Uncle Jesse sitting on one of the bar chairs, dad sitting at the table reading a newspaper, and Stephanie sitting next to dad. It has now been four days since that day happened, and my weight is finally becoming smaller.

Joey: "Hey Y/n." He says glancing up at me before going back to stirring the food in the pot. Before I get a chance to answer, I hear a voice.

Kimmy: "Hola Tanneritos!" Kimmy says barging through the back door with a giant smile on her face.

Danny: "Kimmy-" He sighs putting down his newspaper. He starts to say something, but Kimmy beats him to it.

Kimmy: "Oh, not now Mr. T. I have big news for DJ!" She says excitedly. "Where's your sister?" She asks me.

Y/n: "Upstairs with Michelle." I chuckle before she runs off.

Joey: "So, Y/n, I'm making your favorite for dinner. Spaghetti. Want to taste test?" He asks lifting the spoon. I want to say yes, but I keep thinking about it.

Y/n: "Um, thanks Uncle Joey, but I'm still pretty full from lunch. I think I'll pass." I say hesitantly with a small chuckle.

Stephanie: "Don't listen to her." She says making me look at her shocked. "She didn't eat at lunch. I saw her in her room writing at that time."

Danny: "Y/n is this true?" My dad asks me as he stands up. I finally sigh and give in knowing I can't hide it any longer.

Y/n: "I'm finally starting to lose weight dad! After four days it's working!"

Danny: "Four days?!" He asks surprised.

Jesse: "Y/n, you better sit down and eat right now." Uncle Jesse says very stern.

Y/n: "But if I eat I'll gain weight!" I say before rushing upstairs to mine and DJ's shared room where I see DJ and Kimmy gossiping over something in school. I run in and jump on my bed catching both DJ and Kimmy off guard.

Kimmy: "Woah. Everything alright there?" She asks but I can't even answer cause if I do, I'll burst into tears.

DJ: "Y/n what-" DJ starts but cuts herself off when we see Uncle Jesse walk to the doorway.

Jesse: "DJ, Kimmy, you think you could give us two some privacy for a bit?"

DJ: "Sure Uncle Jesse." DJ says before both her and Kimmy walk out of the room somewhere else. Once they leave Uncle Jesse shuts the door and walks over close to me.

Jesse: "So, angel," he says walking over and sitting down next to me on the bed. "Want to explain what's been going on?"

Y/n: "No. Not really..." I mumble quietly hugging my knees.

Jesse: "You can't do this to yourself Y/n." He says softly. "Skipping meals? That's dangerous. Especially you doing it for four days." He says emphasizing on the 'four'. "Why did you start skipping meals?" I hug my knees tighter, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes, my voice barely above a whisper.

Y/n: "The girls at school. They said I was... chunky. And that I wear sweatshirts to hide it..." I say hesitantly. Uncle Jesse shakes his head slowly, his expression softening, but there's a firm edge to his voice. He sighs before speaking again.

Jesse: "Those girls? They don't define who you are. They don't see your heart, your brain, or all the good things about you. And trying to shrink yourself to make them happy? That's not healthy. It's hurting you, not helping you." He says and I just look down embarrassed at the fact I'm even having this talk. "You know I was bullied before too, right?" I sniffle quietly, looking up at him, bringing my legs down.

Y/n: "You were?" Uncle Jesse nods, his voice gentle but serious.

Jesse: "Yeah, angel. Kids at school used to tease me so much for my name. I begged my mom to let me change it. I even tried to disappear and hide. And yeah, she let me change it, but the only thing that mattered, was learning to stand tall and not let those words define me." I sniffle again, letting a few tears slip as I finally allow myself to feel. 

Y/n: "I-I just wanted to fit in..." Uncle Jesse smiles softly, brushing a hand gently over my hair, letting me lean into a hug.

Jesse: "I know, angel. I wanted that too. But fitting in isn't worth hurting yourself. You have to stand tall, even when it's hard. And remember, you're not alone in this. You have me, Joey, your dad, DJ, Stephanie, Michelle, and even Kimmy."

Y/n: "And Nick..." I say mostly to myself as I feel guilty for not even telling him about me doing all of this.

Jesse: "Even Nick." He says softly. "You're not alone. We've got you. All of us." He says as he looks at me and ruffles my hair a bit while chuckling before straightening it back out for me.

Y/n: "Thanks Uncle Jesse. I love you."

Jesse: "I love you too, angel." He says softly, giving me a warm smile. "And I'm proud of you for talking about it. That takes courage, you know?" He says before I hug him properly. "Ready to go eat something?" He asks as we pull apart. I nod and he chuckles a bit. "That's my girl."

***

Y/n: "News? Ugh heck no." I say changing the channel on the tv while I sit on the couch. After a moment of flicking through channels, I see someone walk in from the kitchen.

Jesse: "Hey angel." Uncle Jesse says as he walks in with a plate of something, Uncle Joey following behind him. Uncle Jesse sets the plate down on the coffee table and I see that it's a little bit of steak. Everyone knows that steak is one of my favorite foods. "You've been doing better eating the past couple days, I thought I would surprise you with one of your favorites." Uncle Jesse says sitting down next to me on the couch while Uncle Joey is on my other side on the arm rest.

Joey: "Go on Y/n. Eat a little bit of steak." Uncle Joey says in one of his character impressions that makes me chuckle a bit.

Stephanie: "JOEY!" Stephanie yells from upstairs.

Joey: "I'll be right back." He says before rushing upstairs leaving only me and Uncle Jesse again. I stare at the steak on the plate, my stomach feeling slightly nervous. It smells amazing, and for the first time in a few days, I actually feel a little excited to eat. I pick up my fork, hesitating for just a moment before taking a small bite.  I chew slowly, letting the flavor settle. It's rich, comforting, and really good. It's obviously Uncle Jesse's steak. I can feel a tiny spark of pride as I take another small bite. I then swallow, feeling a little more at ease. The knot of worry in my stomach loosens slightly, and, for the first time in days, I don't feel guilty for eating. I take another bite, then another, slowly realizing that maybe I can enjoy food again.

Y/n: "You're the best Uncle Jesse." I say as I happily eat, making Uncle Jesse smile. "I love you."

Jesse: "I love you too angel." He says ruffling my hair a bit again.

Y/n: "Thank you for this. For everything." I say before taking another bite.

warning: like literally nothing loll (but im back with another storyyyyy🥳 i hope it’s good lmao😭)

—————————————————————————

Y/n: “Maxie!” I say excitedly when I see my older brother walk in through the front door. He immediately has a huge smile on his face as he kneels down to hug me tightly.

Max: “Hi Y.” He says with that big smile. He’s always been my favorite sibling and i know for a fact im his.

Y/n: “I missed you so much Maxie!” I say giving him a bear hug. He may have only been gone for a day for school with Phoebe but even a little bit of time passes and i miss him.

Max: “I missed you too squirt.” He says chuckling slightly as he goes to ruffle my hair a little, making me laugh.

Phoebe: “You spoil her Max.” My older sister says watching us while smiling a little.

Max: “Of course i do.” He says picking me up and carrying me. “She’s my little sidekick.” He says making me smile again. As i look at him smiling he immediately looks at me and smiles back. He’s never this sweet around others im just the lucky one.

***

Y/n: “I love you Maxie.” I say as i hug him while we watch a movie. As I say that he immediately looks at me and smiles. His eyes get softer and i can tell he loves hearing that.

Max: “I love you too Y.” He says softly to me. He always wants to seem tough so he doesn’t really like all the lovey dovey stuff, but when it comes from me, he’s like the softest person ive ever met. We may be a little older than we were before but im still his little baby sister. We continue hugging for a few minutes while watching the movie when all of a sudden we hear an alarm go off. We both look around confused and mom, dad, and Phoebe all come down the stairs confused as to what’s going on too.

Barb: “Whats going on Hank?”

Hank: “Something or someone’s outside.” He says kind of in panic mode but not much of it. “Max, take Y/n to your room. She’ll be safe down there.” He immediately nods and carries me to his room. When i get there, he sets me on his bed and kneels in front of me for a second.

Max: “Stay here, okay Y/n? No moving.”

Y/n: “But Max-“

Max: “Stay. Here.” He says firm. I just nod a little scared and he makes his way out. I just sit there for a few moments when all of a sudden i see a green light in front of me. I shade my eyes a little from the brightness when i see this one guy in front of me meaning he teleported in. Wait. It’s that one villain i heard mom and dad talking about. Shadowshock…?

Shadowshock: “Exactly who i was looking for.” He says smiling at me evilly while i just look at him scared.

Y/n: “Max!” I yell for him but before I get a chance to say anything else, Shadowshock grabs a hold of my arm and teleports us both somewhere else.

{Max’s pov}

Max: I hear her scream. The fear in her voice. Me and Phoebe immediately look at each other and rush to my room, mom and dad behind us. I burst my door open and i look to my bed. Gone…

Hank: “Shadowshock was here…” He took my little sister… I can already feel the rage and anger building up. Angry at the fact that I couldn’t keep her safe, and scared at the fact that I may never see her again.

Max: “He took my little sister…” I say staring at the spot she was sitting at on my bed full of anger. “He’s gonna pay for it…” My fists get tighter the angrier I get.

Phoebe: “Max don’t worry. We’ll find her.”

Max: “You don’t know that!” I say my anger exploding. “Y/n was the only person to fully understand me!” I say pointing as a few tears trickle my eyes, but I hold them back. “And now she’s gone.” My voice gets a little softer as I look at them before I run out. I need to find her…

***

Barb: “Max! You’re 30 minutes late from curfew!” Mom says as she watches me walk in the door.

Max: “I still don’t wanna be here.” I say coldly as I press the button for my lair and going down my slide to my room. I get in and see Dr. Colosso on my desk.

Dr. Colosso: “Rough day?” My former-villain-turned-rabbit asks me.

Max: “It’s always a rough day.” I say before I hear my mom talking to my dad upstairs.

Barb: “I don’t know when he’ll get out of that evil phase.” I hear her say to dad.

Max: “It’s not a phase!” I say to myself laying on my bed. I lay there for a minute before sitting up and opening a drawer on my desk, pulling out a picture of us. I just stare at it for a few minutes when I feel a tear fall. “Where are you Y/n?” I ask sadly.

***

Oyster: “So we’re playing prom, right?” My band mate Oyster asks.

Gideon: “I hope Barbs there.” He says fantasizing about my mom again.

Max: “Gideon! Still my mom.” I say looking at him in disgust. “Yeah im up for it.”

Wolfgang: “Wolfgang!”

Oyster: “We gotta head home. See ya later buddy.” He says and they all walk out leaving me alone in the living room. Today’s the anniversary of Y/n’s disappearance so it’s been bugging me more than normal. Right when im about to go into my lair I hear Phoebe.

Phoebe: “Trust me Max. We all miss her.” She says knowing how down im feeling today.

Max: “Not like I do.” I say coldly before going down my slide. I make it into my lair when I see an incoming call from Dark Mayhem. “Finally!” I say before answering the call.

Dark Mayhem: “Hello Max. Do you want to know how to be a true villain?”

Max: “Yes! I do!”

Dark Mayhem: “Excellent. I’ll tell you exactly what to do.”

***

Max: I’ve taken the rest of my family’s powers. Now all I have to do is get Phoebes. “Where is she?” I ask myself inside of prom.

Phoebe: “Max, what are you doing?” She asks when she notices me looking around.

Max: “Looking for you.” I say holding up the orb that has the rest of my family’s powers. Phoebe had accidentally heard my plan from Dark Mayhem so she knows exactly what it is. She uses her telekinesis to take it out of my hands but I use mine also. We continue trying to get it when we hear a voice from behind us. We both look and see Dark Mayhem with Son of Scalestro and Fairy Pinchess behind him. Then we see the rest of our family run in.

Phoebe: “Max you don’t have to do this.”

Max: “You know exactly why I have to do it.” I say, my voice still a little cold.

Phoebe: “Do you really think Y/n would want this?” She asks making me stop for a second to look around, the anger still fueled inside me.

Dark Mayhem: “Come on Max. You want to be a true villain right?” He asks as I look around. Then, I see someone else come falling in from the ceiling. She has on a white mission suit with blue and purple details, a white mask, dark brown hair and she immediately takes the orb from my hand when im caught off guard.

Billy: “Woah. It’s Skystrike.” I hear him say in awe.

Nora: “She’s amazing!” I hear Nora say also. I just continue looking around not saying anything.

Dark Mayhem: “Skystrike huh? You just had to try to ruin my plans again.”

Phoebe: “Come on Max. Y/n wouldn’t want this from you.”

Max: “None of it’s bringing back my sister.” I say still cold as ever when I see Skystrike take her mask off all of a sudden. My eyes immediately get softer and my fists unclench themselves a little.

Y/n: “Hey Maxie…” She says kind of quietly with a small smile on her face. She may be older, but she’s still my little baby sister.

Max: “Y/n…?” I ask in shock as I feel a couple tears fall. She’s the only one that’s ever been able to make me cry. When I see her nod, I immediately run up to her and bear hug her. “I never thought id see you again…”

Chloe: “MAX!” I hear a voice say making me scream just a little. Oh. It was just a dream… I look up and see Chloe next to my bed.

Max: “Chloe? What are you doing down here?”

Chloe: “There’s a monster in my room and im scared.” She says clutching her stuffed toy Phoebe got her.

Max: “I promise there’s no monster Chloe. Come here.” I say patting the spot on the bed next to me. “You just had a nightmare. Like me…”

Chloe: “Did yours have a monster too?”

Max: “Not exactly but it was scary.” I may have lost my Y, but I guess I have Chloe now. Definitely doesn’t make me miss Y/n any less… I’m not giving up. I’m gonna find her. “You’re safe here. Go back to sleep.” I say and she nods and falls back asleep in my arm.

***

Max: I’ve already taken all of my family’s powers to give to the Villain League and I almost make it there when all of a sudden I see someone drop down in front of me stopping my steps. Skystrike… “You again…” I say coldly as I glare at her.

Skystrike: “It doesn’t have to happen like this Max.” She says softly trying to stop me from doing this.

Max: “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know what im capable of.” I say but she stands strong.

Skystrike: “Actually, I know everything about you Max.” She says confidently. What…?

Max: “The only person that knows everything about me would be my little sister.” I say making her chuckle just a little.

Skystrike: “Full name, Maximus Octavius Thunderman. Twin brother of Phoebe Thunderman, only 20 seconds younger. Birthday: March 22, 1999 making you an aries. You have a teddy bear named Grizzly Gus and your nickname, Maxie…” She says smirking making my eyes widen. Maxie… Only one person has ever called me that… She slowly takes off her mask revealing an older, but undeniable face of my little sister… My grip on the orb loosens and I feel weak for the first time in years.

Max: “Y/n…?” I ask in shock.

Y/n: “You’re better than this Maxie…” She says coming near me slowly.

Max: “It’s really you…?” I ask once again making her nod a little. I can feel a couple tears trickle my eyes and I can feel my knees becoming weak. Once my brain fully comes to the realization, I immediately drop the orb and embrace my older, little sister in a bear hug, full blown crying for the first time in years as it’s been years since ive even seen my little sister. “I missed you so much Y…”

{Y/n’s pov}

Y/n: “I missed you too Maxie…” I say hugging my older brother back. When we break loose, I grab the orb and look at him. “So, you wanna continue with that villain life?” I ask knowing he’s gonna say no. As I thought, he immediately shakes his head no in the tears. “I think you know where these go then.” I say referring to the powers in the orb. He immediately nods and takes the orb from my hand and I look behind him and see the rest of the family looking in shock making me smile.

Barb: “My baby…” She says as some tears start to fall from her eyes. She immediately goes in for a hug which I respond to.

***

Y/n: And, like old times, me and Max are both sitting on the couch watching a late night movie. It feels so great being back home and being next to my favorite older brother. It’s just silence between us, other than the sounds of the movie, and his arm wrapped around my body like old times.

Max: “I love you squirt…” He says looking at me with love in his eyes. I just smile looking at him before resting my head in his shoulder.