𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕖 || Jack Grayson & echo

[echo]

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[Jack Grayson]

HENRY ADAMS xHusband// Father // Genetic Anomalyx "A daughter never really outgrows her daddy's lap"​ ​ They were both stunned by the diagnosis, but they were floored when the doctor told them the cure. Henry and Mia felt like they didn't understand. It didn't make any sense! Mia cleared her throat and nervously toyed with her hair in a futile attempt to calm herself down before saying, "Can you please explain again." The doctor sighed regretfully and scratched his forehead. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm afraid there is no other way. Your daughter, Lily, has a very rare, degenerative disease. As a result, there hasn't been much research into it, unfortunately. Her body will start deteriorating rapidly. She'll lose all motor function. She'll lose the ability to speak. Then, her mind will go. Most patients with this disease don't live past 21. And as you've noticed, the degeneration has already begun. If we act quickly, her tremors and fatigue will most likely stop and she'll essentially be cured. If we wait, there's a chance she might lose function in those trembling limbs. From there, she'll quickly lose function everywhere else." "The cure!" Mia shouted. "I want you to explain the cure! Again!" Henry tried to subtly calm his wife down by placing his hand on her knee, but she swatted him away. "I'm sure you understand how stressful this is for us?" He said to the doctor, feeling his own anxiety creep up on him. The doctor nodded before clearing his throat. "Essentially, your husband is the cure. Less than one percent of men carry the protein that can alleviate your daughter's symptoms. It just so happens that your husband carries that protein in his… semen... And…" "The delivery method! Explain that again!" Mia shouted, her voice becoming more and more unhinged. "Like I said, there is only one possible method of delivery. The protein is so sensitive that any other delivery method could destroy it, rendering it useless. Your husband needs to… " The doctor nervously stumbled over the right word. "He'll need to… inject it… directly… himself…" Mia broke down, sobbing uncontrollably as Henry just sat there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the doctor. He couldn't seriously believe any of this either "There has to be another way!" Mia said through choking sobs. "You can't expect my husband and daughter to do THAT! He's her father!" The doctor sighed once again as he lifted his glasses to rub his eyes. "The only other option is to make her as comfortable as possible until she–" "STOP!" Mia shouted. "Don't say it!" Then she looked at her husband, her sobs becoming more and more pathetic with each passing moment. "What are we going to do, Henry?" That was the big question, wasn't it? Needless to say, the drive home from the doctor's office was silent and unbearably tense. Henry didn't realize just how hard he was gripping the steering wheel, so hard that the knuckles on his large hands had turned white. He and his wife didn't even look at each other the entire time. But as he pulled into the driveway of their house in that quiet suburban neighborhood, Mia finally broke the silence. "We're really going to do this?" she asked, her voice trembling like she was on the verge of tears. "YOU are really going to do this?" Henry sighed as he stared straight ahead at the garage door in front of him, still gripping the steering wheel like his life depended on it. Then, he ran his hands through his short, dark brown hair as he looked over at his wife, the woman he loved, whom he had dedicated his entire life to. His piercing, forest green gaze looked as if they were peering right into her soul. "Do we have another choice?" he said, his voice somewhat cold and stern, bordering on resentful for the question she asked. "You heard what the doctor said. If we don't do this… If I don't do this… she won't live past her early twenties… If we don't act soon, her body could suffer irreparable damage. Is that what you want?" Mia started sobbing, covering her face with both hands. Henry sighed once again, but this time the sigh was filled with frustration and anger. Why did his wife need to make this more difficult than it already was? Did she think this was going to be easy or enjoyable for him? No… it wasn't going to be either of those things… Pulling her face from her hands, Mia stared at her husband with bleary eyes and tear stained cheeks. "This is going to ruin her for the rest of her life… Her first time with her dad? How much therapy is she going to need in the future?" "At least she'll be alive to get that therapy, Mia!" Henry said angrily. "This is just a medical procedure… that's all this is. A way to save her life! You see how her hands and legs are already trembling? Who knows how long we have until she can't walk? Until she can't use her hands anymore? You heard the doctor! Once the motor functions are gone, they're gone forever!" Mia started sobbing again. She knew her husband was right, but the thought of her husband having sex with their daughter was repulsive and unbearable. "You'll hurt her," she said meekly as she glanced at his crotch. And that was probably true. At 6'3" and with an athletic physique, Henry was a mountain of a man. Henry growled. "Shots hurt, Mia… And that's all this is. We have to think of it as a life saving injection. Yes, it's not a normal way of delivering medicine, but her disease isn't normal either!" He paused as anger stewed inside of him. "Why are you making this even more difficult than it already is?! Do you think I want to do this?! When our daughter was born, I promised to do anything and everything to protect her! That's what this is! We're saving her life!" Mia started sobbing even harder. "She's just so young… and so innocent…" Wiping her tears from her face and trying to compose herself, she said, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I know this is hard for you too. And you're right… about all of it…" After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down even more, she continued, "How do we tell her? What if she refuses? We can't force this on her, can we? That would be even more traumatizing!" Henry sighed yet again. "We'll cross that bridge when we reach it. For now, we tell her exactly what the doctor told us. We tell her plainly, simply. If she wants to feel better, if she wants to be cured, this is the only way." "Can you tell her?" Mia asked sheepishly. "Yes," Henry responded, matter of factly. "Now, let's stop delaying the inevitable." Mia nodded as Henry turned off the car and exited. His hands were trembling as he opened the door to their home. Once inside, he called out to his daughter. "Can you come down to the kitchen, baby girl?" he said sweetly. "We just got back from the doctor, and we have some good news." Henry didn't know why, but he started straightening out his dress shirt and slacks, attempting to make himself look more presentable like that might help this news go down a bit smoother. Sitting at the kitchen table, he tried his best to smile and act casual to make this all as nonthreatening and comfortable and seemingly normal as possible. ​ ​ ​

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[echo]

LILLIAN ❝Lily❞ ADAMS xdaughter // pianist // his little girlx ❝ My music is my passion, but my Daddy is my greatest song. ❞ — Lillian Adams[/I]​ ​ Sitting at the grand piano, Lillian's fingers lightly rested on the keys as she took a deep breath to steady herself before she began. The concert hall was silent with the anticipation of the audience. This was the moment she had worked so hard for, the culmination of years of practice and passion, but something felt... off. It had begun a few months ago, a strange tremble in her hands—just slightly, at first, and usually, it would go away after a few moments, but this time, when she tried to will them to be still, to obey as they had, her body refused. As the first notes began to fill the room, she tried to lose herself in the music, but the shaking worsened. Her fingers stumbled over a passage she had played flawlessly a hundred times before. A flicker of panic sparked in her chest, but she forced herself to continue and push through. She had to finish. Then, the dizziness hit. The edges of her vision blurred, the keys swam before her eyes, and before she could process what was happening, everything tilted, and her world went dark. A gasp rippled through the audience as she slumped forward, the last chord ringing in abrupt dissonance. The next thing Lily knew, she was waking up in a hospital bed, the harsh fluorescent lights above making her head ache. Her parents had been there at first—worried, hovering—but now, they were gone, speaking with the doctor. Alone in the quiet room, Lily stared at her hands. They still trembled. 'What if this never goes away? What if I can't ever play again?' Her inner thoughts were making her stomach twist into knots. She curled her fingers into fists, willing them to be steady, but they refused. Tears began to burn in her eyes. Music was her everything—her voice, her soul—and now, it was slipping away from her grasp like sand through her fingers. She had no idea what the doctor would say when her parents returned, but deep down, she was afraid. Afraid that no treatment, no miracle, could give her back what she had lost. Lily had been staring at the ceiling when the door finally creaked open. Her parents stepped inside, their faces unreadable, but she could see the worry lingering in her mother's eyes and the tight set of her father's jaw. They didn't say much; they just helped her gather her things. Her father's hand reached out and gave her hand a warm but hesitant squeeze as they left the room and made their way towards the elevator. ​ The days stretched into weeks, and Lily could feel herself fading. Her body grew weaker, her legs were unsteady when she walked, and her hands were more uncooperative than ever. Some mornings, she barely had the energy to sit at the piano, and when she did, frustration burned through her as her fingers betrayed her. The music didn't sound like hers anymore. Then, the call finally came. The test results were in. Her parents left that morning to speak with the doctor, this time not just for her but for themselves. They had been tested too, to see if the illness was buried in their genes, if this thing stealing her strength had been passed down through blood. Now, Lily sat curled up on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket despite the warmth of the room. The house was too quiet. The waiting was unbearable, every second stretching longer than the last. She traced the lines of her palm, willing her hands to be still, but the tremors remained. What if there was no cure? What if this was just her life now, watching her body fail her, waiting for something she couldn't fight? The sound of the front door unlocking jolted her from her thoughts. Her parents were home. Lily held her breath as their footsteps approached; her mother's hesitant and slow, her father's heave with something unsaid. "I take it the news was not good news, then?" By the looks on their faces, tear-streaked and furrowed, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what they had to say. But she had no choice... ​ ​ ​

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[Jack Grayson]

HENRY ADAMS xHusband// Father // Genetic Anomalyx "A daughter never really outgrows her daddy's lap"​ ​ As much as Henry was trying to keep his cool for the sake of his daughter and act like everything was totally fine, Mia's expression and her tear stained cheeks betrayed the anxiety and the tension of the entire situation. He had wanted to frame everything as good news and hopefully get Lily on board with accepting the cure, but that would certainly be a bit of a struggle now. Still, he needed to try. Looking into his daughter's eyes, he said, "It is good news." Then, he looked at his wife who was fighting the urge to break down once again. "In the grand scheme of things… big picture… this is great news, right?" Mia just nodded as she wiped the corner of her eye. The subtle glare with which Henry had been looking at his wife softened once she nodded, and he took a moment to take a breath and compose himself as he scrambled to figure out how to best tell his daughter this news. "So…" he nervously cleared his throat as he absently adjusted his collar, "Dr. Williams has apparently found a cure for your condition. After the cure is administered, your body will return back to the way it was… no more tremors, no more brian fog, no more fatigue or aching muscles and joints." He smiled when he saw his little girl's eyes light up, the first genuine light he'd seen in her eyes in quite a while, which only made what he had to say next feel all the more difficult. "Before we start celebrating just yet, we need to talk about what the cure entails." He looked over at Mia. "Your mother and I made sure to ask Dr. Williams about the process several times, so that there wouldn't be any confusion." Mia nodded and she nervously fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. Turning back to his daughter, he smiled, though it was abundantly clear that his smile was hiding a certain amount of anxiety. "Remember when we all took those blood tests? Well, they apparently found something interesting in my DNA. It holds the key to your cure, one particular protein to be specific." In his peripheral vision he could see his wife becoming a bit agitated. She probably thought he was beating around the bush, but he was just trying to make this as clear and simple and nonthreatening and easy to follow as possible, so he just tried his best to ignore her. "The only issue is the delivery method, which is kind of like a shot. But see, this protein is apparently very sensitive. Normal medical tools can neutralize it and make it useless, so it wouldn't be exactly like taking a normal shot, but…" "Jesus Christ, Henry!" Mia snapped. "Just tell the girl!" Henry's head slowly turned in the direction of his wife, and he gave her a stern look that said, 'You're the one who asked me to tell her!' But apparently Mia had enough. Something about the way he was explaining this to her like she was a small child made this feel all the more perverse. And for some reason that she didn't consciously understand at the moment, it made her angry. "She's a woman," Mia explained. "She can handle it." Clearing her throat to compose herself a bit more, she looked at her daughter and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and she prepared to take the reins of the conversation. "The protein your father is talking about is in his semen. You know what that is. You've taken sex ed. In order for the cure to work, he needs to ejaculate inside of you…" Mia huffed, as if a large burden had been lifted from her shoulders. But with that feeling of relief also came tears once again. She tried her best to hold them back, but she couldn't. Standing up, she muttered an apology before leaving the kitchen, her face in her hands to hide her sobs. She couldn't bear to see her daughter's reaction to this type of news. Henry sighed as he nervously ran a hand through his beard and then his hair. "That's the gist, kiddo," he said, a confusing myriad of emotions on his face that ultimately looked a bit like bewilderment and disbelief over the whole situation. "Dr. Williams says it only needs to be a one time thing. It's… it's really just a procedure at the end of the day when you really think about it. An unorthodox procedure, but this is the only chance we've got at getting you healthy, baby girl…" His eyes started brimming with tears as he paused to let it all sink in. "I'm sure you've got plenty of questions, and I'm ready to answer all of them as best I can. I… I know this isn't an ideal situation, but it's all we've got." ​ ​ ​

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[echo]

LILLIAN ❝Lily❞ ADAMS xdaughter // pianist // his little girlx ❝My music is my passion, but my Daddy is my greatest song.❞ — Lillian Adams​ Her eyes darted between her parents the moment they stepped into the room. Her father wore the mask—that carefully controlled expression he always put on when he was uncertain, when he didn't know how to soften a blow. Her mother, in contrast, made no attempt to hide her emotions. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and more still welled in her eyes, threatening to fall. Lily's heart pounded in her chest. Was it bad news? Was this it? But then, her mother's lips quivered, and though she said nothing, there was something in her face—a fragile hope breaking through the grief. Her father shifted beside her, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. That was when Lily knew. There was a cure. Relief crashed over her in a dizzying wave. She wasn't going to waste away. She wasn't going to lose herself, her music, her life. For the first time in weeks, the suffocating fear loosened its grip on her chest, letting her breathe. Tentatively, Lillian nodded along with her mother, not quite trusting herself to speak out loud. So many questions were chasing the other in her mind, all of them big and important. She didn't want to make things worse, but she couldn't ignore how this new information made her feel. How could this possibly be good news if her mother was as distraught as she seemed? Could it be that simple? The relief she had felt just a few moments ago had been replaced with anticipation and excitement, sure, but now, trepidation when her father continued about what the cure entailed, giving her pause. Sensing her mother's discomfort and growing concern, she glanced at her; seeing it etched clearly on her face despite her attempts to remain stoic. Lillian's mind reeled as she processed these shocking revelations. Semen? Ejaculate inside of her? Her cheeks flused crimson as the implication of her mother's blunt words sunk in. "Y-you mean... a-as in..." She stammered, unable to even voice the lewd act. Her heart hammered in her chest as a whirlwind of emotions swept through her—confusion, embarrassment, disbelief, but also, deep down, a spark of undeniable curiosity. She had always been open-minded and adventurous, but this went beyond anything she had ever imagined. "I can't believe this is happening..." Lillian whispered, her voice trembling slightly. She could scarely comprehend what her parents were telling her. A cure existed for her condition, but the method of delivery was... unconventional, to say the least. The thought of being so intimately close to her own father made her stomach churn with shame and guilt. She had never considered anything like this before, but now that the possibility was laid out before her, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. 'Just imagine—no more pain, no more tremors, no more feeling exhausted all of the time,' the voice in the back of her mind practically screamed. 'And if the price for that is giving yourself to your father, then perhaps that is a sacrifice you'd be willing to make, Lily. After all, he's always been there for you, loving and supportive. Maybe this is just another way he can take care of you, even if it is a bit... forbidden.' Feeling trapped between her inner thoughts and the moral line, she turned to her father for guidance. "D-do I have to do this, Daddy?" she managed to choke out of her tight throat. "Is there no other way? Can't we just... wait? Maybe they'll find something else?" ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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[Jack Grayson]

HENRY ADAMS xHusband// Father // Genetic Anomalyx "A daughter never really outgrows her daddy's lap"​ ​ His daughter's questions broke his heart. Even at seventeen, she still called him Daddy, and while that had usually been a point of pride for the man, that he and his daughter were still so close when his coworkers often said that their teenage daughters wouldn't even look at them, right then the moniker made the moment even that much harder to bear. Because he was her Daddy. And what he needed to do was the last thing a father should ever engage in with his little girl. But if they wanted to save her, what other choice did they have? Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes as he gently grabbed his daughter's trembling hand. He didn't know if she was trembling as a result of her condition or from the obvious anxiety that this news undoubtedly precipitated. Most likely, it was a result of both things, but he decided to focus on the idea that it came from her illness. "We could…" he admitted. "Wait… But the trembling is only going to get worse." He looked down at his daughter's hand as he rubbed her fingers with his thumb. "At some point, your fingers will stop working, and when that happens, no cure will ever bring them back, meaning no more piano. Part of the problem is that we don't know exactly when that will happen." He heard the sounds of soft sobbing from the living room where Mia appeared to be listening in still, and he suddenly found his mind scrambling for another alternative, another solution that perhaps the doctors overlooked. He knew he wasn't qualified to come up with alternative remedies, but he felt like he needed to do something. Lily had always looked up to him, like he was her hero, and he wanted to be her hero in this situation too. He didn't want to let her down. He found himself thinking about the protein that existed in his semen. It was rare, but just how rare was it? Maybe other men in his family had it too? But as soon as that thought entered his mind, he threw it out. As much as it would pain him to do what needed to be done, especially considering Lily's very normal reluctance to it all, he didn't know what he would do if it turned out that his brother or–God forbid–his father turned out to be other viable options. Just the thought of it made him sick, and without consciously realizing it, Henry found himself becoming very possessive of his little girl. If anyone was going to cure her, it was going to be him… no one else. Mia, having composed herself a bit, walked back into the kitchen as she wiped her eyes. "Your father and I were talking," she explained. "We just need to treat this like it's an experimental procedure. No one will ever know. We'll tell the family that…" She was searching for an explanation that the extended family would accept without question. "We'll say it was some experimental gene therapy!" Her eyes suddenly got a bit brighter now that she had concocted a reasonable response. Sitting down next to her daughter at the kitchen table, she said, "You don't need to think of this as sex, okay? It's a procedure. That's all. No one will ever know! And for all intents and purposes you will still be a virgin. People lose their hymens all the time through random accidents. Your aunt Cathy lost it horseback riding!" She looked up at Henry for a second before returning her gaze back to her daughter. "And I think I speak for both your father and I when I say that we want you to have total control over how this all happens. We could treat it just like a shot… Your father can… umm… prepare himself… and when he's good and ready, it should only take a matter of seconds! It'll be nothing at all…" Henry understood the idea, but for some reason it didn't sit well with him. It'd be like treating his daughter like some sort of breeding mare. But was the alternative? The alternative was having a sexual experience with his daughter. Did she really want that? Suddenly, he started asking himself other questions, like where this would all happen? Would she want her bedroom tainted with that memory? They certainly couldn't do it in his and Mia's bed, could they? Maybe it wouldn't be in a bed at all. But then a dread came over him when he wondered if he'd actually be able to perform. Mia made it sound so easy, but would he actually be able to get hard and maintain an erection for his daughter? He couldn't think of all of those things just then. It was all too much. Instead, he just nodded and said, "Whatever you want. Whatever makes you the most comfortable, we'll do. Maybe we can hold out for a bit and hope that the doctors can come up with something else, but if the tremors start to get worse, or if you feel that your fingers or your arms or your legs are starting to go stiff, we'll need to act fast." ​ ​ ​

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[echo]

LILLIAN ❝Lily❞ ADAMS xdaughter // pianist // his little girlx ❝My music is my passion, but my Daddy is my greatest song.❞ — Lillian Adams​ "Whatever you want. Whatever makes you the most comfortable, we'll do." In that moment, time itself seemed to slow. The ticking of the clock grew fainter, as if it too were waiting with bated breath for Lily's decision. The world with all its cruel uncertainties receded, leaving only the three of them, suspended in a delicate, crystaline moment. The faint tremble of her father's hand, still clasped around hers, though she knew the trembling had been her own, was a poignant reminder of the desperation that had driven them to this moment. "I...I need some time to think," she whispered, her words barely audible, yet they seemed to hang in the air like a challenge. The faint nod of her father's head, the gentle squeeze of his hand, and the soft, reassuring smile of her mother, all seemed to coalesce into a sense of solidarity, something Lily wondered how long it would last until the act itself was done. The silence that followed was a palpable thing, a living, breathing entity that pulsed with the weight of their collective anxiety. As she sat there, suspended in a sea of uncertainty, Lily's mind became a kaleidoscope of thoughts, each one tumbling over the other in a maddening dance. She felt the rough texture of her father's hand, the gentle pressure of his fingers, and the warmth of his skin, all of which seemed to anchor her to the present, even as her thoughts threatened to catapult her into a future filled with the unknown.​ As the hours ticked by, Lily's room became a refuge, a sanctuary from the cataclysm that had erupted in the household. Shortly after she had retreated to the safety of her bedroom, the silent shouts that were locked within her parents' throats burst to the surface. Normally, when her parents would argue, she would sit at her keyboard that sat in a place of honour by her window, overlooking their backyard, and play to her heart's content and at the highest volume to block out the noise of their arguments. Yet, even with her weakness and unsteady hands, she would never be able to focus... Her mind was a thousand miles away, consumed by the decision that would ultimately change her life. Not only would she be trading in the oh-so-valued virginity card for her life, but it would be handed over to her father of all people. Her parents' argument, though muffled by her closed bedroom door, did not make her decision-making process any easier. If anything, their argument was intensifying, making it worse. Words spilling out in a rush of accusations and blame. Lily's mother's voice, usually a comforting sound, had turned into a sharp jarring noise, while her father's deep voice carried a separation that made her heart ache. The words themselves were indistinct, lost in translation through the muffling of the door, but the emotions they conveyed were all too clear. Her mother's anguish and her father's frustration were swirled together in a toxic mix that threatened to consume her. She changed into a pair of heather-grey loose-fitting cotton shorts and the oversized graphic t-shirt she stole from her father's dresser. Lily couldn't remember if her father listened to The Eagles, but it served its purpose and smelled like him. With a heavy sigh, she could at least admit to feeling a little more comfortable, but not much. Putting in her earbuds, she flipped on her playlist and turned the volume up to drown out her parents' exchange. She knew that it was her fault for getting sick... It was her fault for being an anomaly... It was her fault... Laying down on her bed, she knew she had made her decision. She wouldn't go through with it. She couldn't tear her parents apart... Or so she believed the decision had been made... Waking up to the sound of her earbuds 'Low Battery' warning, she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes after reading the clock on her nightstand to be sure it really was 2:47 in the morning. Removing the plastic noise cancellers, she heard the rain softly hitting her window and silence. Her body felt like lead, but despite the exhaustion that threatened to consume her, she was determined to get out of bed, to prove to herself that she was still in control. With a Herculean effort, Lily swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet dangling in the air like limp puppets. She took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs, and slowly stood up, her legs trembling beneath her. The room seemed to spin, a dizzying vortex of colors and shadows, but she gritted her teeth, determined to shake it off and make it to the kitchen. As she made it into the hall, the silence of the house felt deafening, knowing that her mother wasn't home. She couldn't take being under the same roof as Lily and her father if they were to go through with the... 'procedure'. Lily's father had tried to talk to her, to reason with her, but she had pushed him away, unable to bear the thought of discussing it further. She reached the kitchen, the lights overhead casting an unforgiving glare over the room. Lily's eyes scanned the space, her gaze settling on the sink, where a glass of water seemed to beckon her like an oasis in the desert. She took a step forward, her legs trembling, and then another, her hand reaching out to grasp the counter. But it was too much. Her body gave out, her legs collapsing beneath her like fragile twigs. She felt herself falling, her arms flailing wildly as she tried to grab onto something, anything, to break her fall. The counter seemed to rush up to meet her, a blur of ceramic and steel, and then she was crashing down, dishes and glasses shattering on the floor around her. Lily lay there, her head spinning, her ears ringing from the sound of breaking glass. Her eyes began to sting with tears as she looked at the mess that lay around her. She heard her father rush into the room, his face a mask of concern, his eyes scanning her body as if searching for injuries. And then he saw her face, the look in her eyes, and his expression changed. It was as if he saw something... Something that made his heart sink. Lily felt a sob well up in her throat, and she knew she couldn't hold it back. The tears began to flow, hot and bitter, as she realized that she had made her decision. "I'll do it," she whispered.​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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[Jack Grayson]

HENRY ADAMS xHusband// Father // Genetic Anomalyx "A daughter never really outgrows her daddy's lap"​ ​ She needed time to think, and that was perfectly reasonable. Henry pressed his bearded lips together to form a subtle, understanding smile and nodded as he patted his daughter's hand. "Sleep on it," he said. "We can talk in the morning." He watched as Lily walked off to her room, and once she was out sight, his eyes drifted to his wife who seemed to be growing more agitated once again. "Do you think she'll say no?" a confusing mix of worry and relief in her tone. "Let's not talk about this here, okay?" he said, the weight of his exhaustion readily apparent in his voice. "It's been a long day, and I need a shower." Mia nodded and they both retreated to the master bedroom upstairs. Henry did need a shower, but he also just needed to be alone. He needed to be away from his wife, if only for a little while. He'd been trying so hard to remain cool, calm, and collected through all of this, but Mia's intense anxiety had a way of increasing his own. He was usually her rock, the source of her comfort, the one person in the world who could calm her down. But that wasn't the case now. Because of what he needed to do, he was one of two primary sources of anxiety in her life rather than her respite. And since he was unable to effectively calm her down, he knew he just needed to walk away for a bit, for his own sanity and for hers. And so he took a long, hot shower. He'd been hoping to clear his mind, but that was apparently impossible. His thoughts kept returning to his daughter, to how this would all happen. Unlike Mia, he had no doubts that she would say yes. It was just a matter of when she would finally say it. And when that happened, what would he do? They'd told Lily that she'd have control over how this all transpired, but he knew his daughter. She was a strong person, but would she actually have the courage to tell him how she wanted this to go down? He doubted it. He doubted any daughter would have the courage to tell their father how they'd prefer to be fucked and inseminated. Because that's what was going to happen, right? They could use all the euphemisms they wanted. They could call it a procedure, but they'd both know what it actually meant. So, he figured he would ultimately have to take the lead. But would he be able to get aroused for his little girl? Standing there under the shower head, water cascading down his body, he tried to imagine Lily and her body as if she weren't his daughter. Eventually, she wasn't even Lily anymore in his mind. She was just a faceless, seventeen year old girl. A slender but shapely little girl who needed him and his cum. He tried to imagine what this girl might look like in the nude. He tried to imagine the curve of her ass, the swell of her breasts. Feeling his manhood begin to grow, he took it in his hand and as he began to stroke, he grew firmer. The naked, faceless girl in his mind needed him, wanted him, was desperate for him. And that's where the fantasy ended. Because she didn't want him. She wasn't desperate for him, at least not in the way he'd been imagining. That girl was his daughter, and she was essentially being forced into all of this out of necessity. Feeling dirty, which was quite the feat considering that he was in the shower, he released his manhood and reached for the handle of the shower to turn on the cold water. The last thing he needed was to walk into the bedroom and have Mia see him hard after everything that had happened that day. Done with the shower, he stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry off, and as he did he eyed his body in the mirror. He'd been concerned about being able to become aroused for his daughter, but would she be able to become aroused by him? He was in pretty good shape for a man his age. He worked out and had a mostly athletic physique with a somewhat defined chest and muscular arms, but he was just a bit soft around the middle like any average man might be at his age. He stared at his cock, still somewhat hard. He knew he was large. Would it hurt her like Mia said? Would she have second thoughts the second it was inside her? Or would she be brave and bite the bullet? Henry was torn from his thoughts when the bathroom door suddenly opened. "Are you avoiding me?!" Mia accused. "You've been in here for an hour!" Clearly shocked from the intrusion, he couldn't formulate words right away, and just when he felt like he could, he saw his wife's eyes fall to his crotch. Her eyes widened in disgust. "Oh my god… are… are you fucking hard right now?" She left the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Henry quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and walked into the bedroom to explain himself, but Mia was already pulling luggage out of the closet. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mia stopped him. "Not a word, Henry," she yelled. "Not a fucking word, understand?" She started haphazardly throwing clothes into the luggage. "I'm going to my mom's. You call me when this is all over. I can't be in this house when… when you…" It was clear that she was unable to finish what she wanted to say. "Can I explain myself?" Henry said angrily. "No! Because I don't fucking care! I understand that you're… you're… probably doing whatever you need to do, okay? But I don't want to see it. I don't know about it. I don't want to talk about it. I know this needs to happen, but I don't want any part of this. I'm NOT part of this." The last bit is what appeared to hurt the most to say. Henry understood, and just watched on silently as she finished packing her bags and left. Now alone, he dressed himself in his typical night time attire, a pair of boxer shorts, and finished his routine. He knew that sleep wasn't going to come easily. Not only did he have Lily to worry about, but now he had to wonder what all of this was going to do to his marriage. Could they survive it? Could any marriage? Surely, Mia would come around? It was only going to be a one time thing. They'd never even need to talk about it. He doubted any of them would ever think to bring it up. He stayed up late into the night reading in a desperate attempt to take his mind off of things. At some point, he drifted off, but it was a fitful and hardly restful sleep. So it was no wonder that he woke to the sound of his daughter's bedroom door opening. A wave of anxiety washed over him for a moment when he wondered if she was coming to tell him her decision, but then he heard the creaking of the stairs and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. She was probably just getting a glass of water like she usually did. He tried to close his eyes again, but almost as soon as he felt like he might be drifting off again, he heard a loud crash. His fatherly instincts kicked in, and he popped out of bed. Racing down the stairs, he yelled, "Lily? Are you okay?" She wasn't. She was on the floor, but luckily it didn't look like she was injured. Rushing up to her, he crouched down beside her, but before he could say anything, he saw a welling up of emotion on her face, and that's when she said it. She wanted the cure. Henry nodded as tears brimmed his own eyes. Stroking her hair, he said, "Okay, baby girl… Okay…" All of his fears and anxieties seemed to dissipate. It was no longer a matter of whether he could do this. He had to do this… for her. He scooped her up into his arms like she weighed nothing at all as he said, "Come on, let's get you back to bed." When they arrived at her bedroom, he gently set her down on the mattress before taking a seat on the edge beside her. "I think we may have put a bit too much pressure on you with the whole… having you decide how this all happens, especially since you've never done it before. If you have any ideas, then by all means let me know, okay? Otherwise, I… I hope you can just put your trust in me. I'm willing to take the lead on this if you want so you don't really have to think about it. You'd just have to trust me…" ​ ​ ​

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