g1rlken

[g1rlken]

Too sweet 111

Rupert Campbell Black x fem!baddingham reader, godfather!Tony

⋆˚࿔ part 1 part 2 part 3 ˚⋆𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Summary: ITS THEIR WEDDING!!!!

Warning: arranged marriage, mild wearing, Rupert, haven’t proofread yet

Word count: 6.7k+

There weren’t many high end fashion boutiques like the ones back in London. However Lady Monica booked the finest boutique in the town for the entire day so her beloved niece-goddaughter could try on all the dresses to get to the perfect one. Even the children were excited with the wedding preparations.

The bride herself was the least interested in anything to do with the wedding but she sucked it up anyways. “Monica had to go test the cakes and the flower coordination so she sent us.” Basil said referring to him and his acquaintance for the day, Archie. He had the same look on his face as the bride, his cousin. As if they were on a very meagre pay roll for a difficult job. “But trust me, we will help you select the finest dress.” Basil was already going through the rack, sliding aside them with pace and scrutiny.

“We are not wasting time on this we are picking the first dress I try on.” Y/n said crossing her arms not even into the prospect of selecting through dresses to try them on. Archie lounged on the armchair on the side of the boutique.

“You may not have the groom of your choice but heavens be damned if you don’t get the dress of your choice, come on, show some enthusiasm!” Basil said trying to lift her spirits but which resulted to barely make a change for her. All of this irked her, not that she was against dress up. On the contrary, but the situation of this dress up it was rather unpleasant.

Whining got nowhere with Basil so she sighed and gave in, moving to the trial room to try on another dress. Then another and another and other. Standing on the small stage in front of the boutique mirror she began, “Come on just pick one!” Y/n exclaimed irritated on her recent other trial.

“I am just not feeling it” Basil said, he was somewhat more excited about the wedding which was an ordeal to the bride herself.

“They’re all white and flowery Bas!” The ever ebullient bride scoffed out of exhaustion of having to try even more dresses. The store assistant approached them and almost immediately like a moth to flame, Basil was onto charming her. It seemed to work too as the two conversed giving herself a break she sat on the arm chairs of the boutique next to her cousin.

“You know father has always said there’s not much use he can make of me except for marrying me off for a fat dowry” Archie told her as she sat closing her eyes and placing her head in her hands “I would have never imagined you’d end up in my place. Would truly like to thank you for your service-“

“Is that supposed to make me feel better about this?” She asked inhaling sharply, she knew her cousin had a good intent but it wasn’t hitting the mark.

“If you let it” Archie shrugged and leant back in his chair, he wasn’t obligated to niceties. No Baddimgham ever is, he truly felt bad for her.

After much whining about the slow process of dress liking the trio finally picked a dress, well Basil did. As odd as the group was, the only one fixated on finding a prefect dress was Basil. There was too much at stake for him being the best man as well as the bride’s uncle. The bride herself however had the whole fortune at stake to be in this place to begin with.

With a strong opposition and a lot of negotiations with Lady Monica and everyone else who was a self proclaimed wedding planner, the bride got scraps of her choices. She wasn’t interested in picking out centre pieces, table clothes, the flowers or even her hair for the day. Her choices relayed only on the fact that she was not to invite any of her friends and acquaintances from back in London. She could not be associated with a marriage like this or a man like Rupert with her ever modern new deal democrats friends from the city.

The wedding was planned in a haste but there was no way you could tell by the extravagance of the decor. Her family had really spent the money on the wedding as if it wasn’t happening because of the sure risk of their bankruptcy. She refrained from giving inputs at this point. “You have got to be kidding me!” She exclaimed reading her wedding vows which Basil had written for her, “I vow to cherish you for the end of my days? End of my days? Really?” All she could do was tolerate for the two year time window she had been given, might as well say it if it was proper. “I am definitely not saying that I think the heavens above have sent our souls pre attached this is so foul!” Scoffing at how idiotic it sounded in the first place.

“You can’t edit your vows three hours before the wedding!” Basil exclaimed, somewhat offended with the fact that she found problems in his fine writing piece: her wedding vows. Who knows groom better than the best man? Though given the regard the bride held, she could have had any bystander write it up for her.

“I am not editing this I won’t be saying this at all!” Fisting the paper in her hands she threw the crumpled ball in his direction.

“Uncouth behaviour y/n” Basil caught the paper in his hand and opened it trying to straighten it out again because he wasn’t going to rewrite any vows and he was sure y/n wouldn’t do so at all.

“You don’t owe that man any vows just say thank you or god bless all guests, something like that” Tony suggested with a shrug leaning against the table.

Nodding, obviously aligning with the rudest way out y/n was down with that suggestion. The only one who held the same dread with this marriage if not more was her godfather. “Thank you all for attending or I am so grateful for everyone in attendance?”

“Are you grateful for everyone who’s going to be attending?” Tony questioned.

“No.”

“-There we have it. Go with thank you all for attending.” He shrugged, both of them spoke the language weaved out of the same threat it seemed.

“See now that wasn’t so difficult.” Tilting her head at Basil to highlight how ridiculous her vows which he wrote for her sounded.

“You asked me to help you-“ Basil was halfway through his very viable defence when the Lady Baddingham interjected.

“You aren’t even dressed yet?!” She exclaimed looking at the bride of their house who was seemingly in a relaxed lounge state by the armchair. Hurrying her out of her seat and the men out of the room. “Come on, it is the wedding day!” She emphasised on the and shut the door.

Everything was picked out, from the hairpins to her dress neatly laid out on the dresser. So perfect up to a T it almost felt like a well practised dance. Looking at herself in the mirror she couldn’t recognise where she stood in the dance, was she the performer? The audience? Or maybe the performance itself? Everything felt so choreographed and pre-decided and by everything she obviously deemed Rupert. This wedding was just a little charade for the mirror her life had been, decisions she made but had she taken a moment to look around she would have never pursued law, come back from London, accept inheriting Corinium, marry the man she was about to. Nothing made sense. Oddest thing about not feeling any wedding jitters was that she had this feeling in her stomach perhaps all her life that she had been so familiar with it. Her godmother kissing her on the top of her head, bridesmaids she barely ever met after middle school all gushing over her barely pulled her out of her thoughts.

Pictures of the bride…countless! Pictures of the bride in every possible lighting at the mansion but what’s unfashionable in keeping the guests waiting if it’s the bride? Most of solo shots were here trying the hardest not to sulk and the obviously exaggerating photographers went on with it. “You look gorgeous.” Tony commented as he came into her eyesight, taking in the whole wedding attire on her. It was difficult not to see her as the little girl who he would have to chase around to send off to school, his little girl. His firstborn, even as a godfather she was the first one to let him attain a fatherly sense.

“You look awful.” She joked, almost numb to the flashlights the small smile didn’t seem to run away if only for the first time ever since she had put on the dress. It felt a bit disarming to see him caught off guard. Her uncle had been her anchor for as long as she was old enough to formulate coherent thoughts. To see him stunned and pausing was surprising. “What’s wrong?” What wasn’t.

No words could suffice just how much emotions were coursing through the man at the moment. He wanted to tell her to get out of here, make a run for it? To the hell with all of this and that fucking Rupert. Was the company even worth this heartache? He could feel his chest tighten as the reality settled in even harder. He shook his head as a response taking her face in his hands, it was as if her eyes never changed and he knew he had been in these very shoes countless times. Holding her face tight like this, first days of school, fancy dress, exams, driving test, races…everything she was too nervous to say she was nervous about. Even now he was met with those same eyes but only nothing he could do this time.

He didn’t realise he had teared up until she pointed it out, “Hey…” she trailed off furrowing her brows in confusion and delight, wrapping her arms right around her godfather. “You know better than anyone that cameras are harsh to a crying face” she said patting his back without letting go.

He held her against him tight, in his head a little ugly thought having a big epiphany that she had grown up and out of the life he had built for her and when he would let go she would no longer be his little girl. Perhaps no one would’ve been the best choice for how spoilt and pampered he had raised her but the choice was Rupert was all people and not even hers. A single tear streamed down his face, “I am so sorry you have to go through this” he mumbled against the top of forehead.

It felt indecent to blame everything on her uncle’s greedy business endeavours but if she had someone to placate it all for. It felt even worse now, he saw her beyond a good business deal ploy, in actual tears perhaps she had never seen him like that, ever. Shame gnawed at her as she thought back to the night not so long ago when she accepted a kiss from Rupert even before all of this, her short comings were honest mistakes but the man who raised her was foolishly throwing away her life for his wrong doings? It felt awful she even had that perception to begin with. “You have nothing to be sorry for…” he had given her years off his life into raising her in ways beyond any father would. She had never been denied a single thing she ever wanted and yet repayment is ugly all of a sudden. When did she get so sickeningly selfish she thought to herself, “We’re family. We stick together” she said pulling away and wiping the tears off his face “You have done so much more for me, this is a rough patch for Corinium and that’s your entire life’s work. Your legacy. This is not too high a price to save it alright?”

Tony knew he had done a good job at a lot of stages in his life, a lot of different roles but this outcome, she was a miracle work. Baby angel. He did not have the words to convey that, pulling her into his embrace again. “Oh this is ridiculous!” Basil’s voice did not pull them out of the hug, Raynna simply smiled at him through the shoulder and invited him in. Lady Monica wasn’t too late to follow behind the bride.

“This is going to make a lovely portrait!” Lady Monica exclaimed, maybe don’t frame it. The bride thought to herself. Not because of the once in a life time family hug but because of the bridal air of it.

The wedding bells were ridiculously loud, if it wasn’t for the spending on this facade no one could tell the millions in debt they had. Lady Monica went all out or was it Basil, the way the flower girls held one of a kind petals of water lilies you can’t even find in this season. “Lord have mercy” she muttered under her breath before taking her uncle’s arm to walk down the aisle. It wasn’t that long, her groom at the end of it not even a sight so distant but she refrained looking at him at all. A sense of finality to all this hadn’t yet reached her or maybe she did not want to let it reach her. Accepting her uncle’s firm nod with a small smile she started walking alongside him, everyone’s awe of her did not seem to soothe the jitters she finally felt.

The groom, if he was in any distress it wouldn’t show and he never was. Anxiety was not a word in his books. However the anticipation of when she would finally meet his gaze gnawed at him. Every second was a question of how right of a decision this was. It stood isolated to his heart. This did not feel any different than the night they first kissed. He would have never imagined to see her in a white dress walking down an aisle for him then, if only he had known. At times his infatuation surprised him. As far as self referential qualities went he knew he was not famously known to be a sufficient lover. He knew that about himself too. But then she finally looked at him and he knew he wouldn’t be short of the greatest love stories for her if she let him. However wrong the circumstance of the decision was he knew he wouldn’t repeat what he had because at first his marriage had been a cakewalk and got stale at the end of it. This one is about to have a problem from start like a tangled chain and in this moment when she’d finally decides to meet his eyes he knew he could spend eternities detangling the chain of their relationship.

He took her hand in his as she climbed up the stairs from Tony’s hands, disregarding the sour expression the man had on his face. Unlike the one he always had for Rupert this one was the most sour and filled with disdain if he had to rank them but he didn’t pay much mind to it like every time. “You look breathtaking, sweetheart” he muttered in her ears kissing her cheek as she stood in front of him, never letting go of her hands in his.

“Not your sweetheart” she said in a soft voice through a smile of gritted teeth which only made him smirk wider. Nothing phased him nor charmed her. Truly a match made in heaven Rupert through to himself.

This could not get over with any sooner, the priest went on forever and she wished if she were to drown out the words which she did but not with a price she liked paying. Drowning into his eyes, the faintest glint in them an invitation of the journey onto a soft life perhaps. It wouldn’t be like the bustle of the city, waking up after three missed alarms, rushing from one place to another, loud and late pub days you can’t miss: being the sober company for girlfriends who would drink their lives away chasing after indecent men and crying about them in these pub nights and then the incessant spendings on dresses and shoes as they would talk about politics over coffee with a breakfast which was in too much of a shitty weather to be enjoyed at all. Her friends who were not present here and would not be in her life when and if they found out about the conservative member of parliament she decided to marry. Alongside that her uncle’s house, waking up to no alarms but literal screams. Shouting at the house help, Lady Monica, her cousins, Basil, the extremely loud phones calls, even louder TV. His house wouldn’t be like that and she hated that she almost fancied it, a gentle life. Not as his wife or his anything per se but it was difficult not to imagine the serenity in the house of a man who chose to lower his voice when talking to her just out of habit. Was this too bad?

“I do” he spoke which brought her out of the thoughts he was too lost in as well, apart from the crisis her family were facing he couldn’t help but wonder if he subjected her into a corner she couldn’t back out of. A kiss is one thing but a marriage, it may have been their only way out but he would have never been to keen to help Tony out. If there something he was sure about, she would have been her bride with or without the crisis. It was just the time that wasn’t on their side. However it wasn’t too far to think that the gamble of a marriage he had weaved himself into could not make her miserable. They were very different to begin with but there wasn’t anything non familiar with her, she was a breath of fresh air, her differences were unique, he had never come across anyone who carried themselves the way she did and he doubted he ever will again, for a man with abundance of everything and nothing for once in his life he had felt a shortage and it was her. Without her his life felt like a lack and he would do everything to have her evolve in, a love can only hope.

“I do.” She said as curtly as she could almost like a reply because she caught her family’s eye standing behind him down the small steps, Tony moreover. Even if it all seems like a perfectly shallow fairy tale it would change nothing. This was still the man who was only marrying her to bully her uncle in a way, however charming or handsome. It changes nothing.

With a deep breath as they were to exchange the vows Rupert went first, “Love has never found me in the best of circumstances nor have I been the most correct receiver, for you, I vow to cherish you so much so endlessly that I become a white noise in my life with your laugh being its main and consistent one…” he trailed off holding her hand even tighter but had a meekness about their grip. “Everyday I want to hear you laugh, everyday I want to be the one to make your first cup of tea and then reheat it should you sleep in” that one received a laugh from the guests (but obviously not Tony) “I vow to respect your wishes, your taste, your opinions and even your whims if you could simply grant me the favour of letting me bask in your light.”

The bride had never heard something so genuine and hadn’t even expected it, right off his heart. He didn’t even have that written down anywhere or carried it in a paper…he was simply letting his heart speak. Not only was she flustered and taken aback by it she was dumbfounded he was even capable of something like this. With a deep sigh and new found anxiety of failing this she opened the speech her and Basil were writing…it wouldn’t be as intimate as his was. How did he even memorise such details of routines about her? “I uh-“ she fumbled with the paper hoping it would magically have something coherent in it, “I vow to…” she trailed off hoping the crossed out sentences like ‘cherish you for the end of my days’ ‘love you forever’ make any sense but it was too much of a scribble to read through. “I vow to be honest and be kind to your jokes when you try a bit to hard to get a laugh out of me, I’ll add sugar in my tea when you’re not looking and-and I promise I won’t stand in between letting you getting used to my wishes and taste and opinions and whims, I vow to honour you wanting to know me.” It took a lot to say that and she looked back at the paper in her hands to seem like that wasn’t impromptu.

“You may now kiss the bride” The officiator’s words hung in the air and in a hazy blurry awaiting moment Rupert leant forward, but hesitated. It was the smallest of all possible interactions when she nodded and he could swear he saw a small smile on those lips when he gently held her by the waist and crashed his lips onto hers. Ceremonial and for the sake of it, she wanted to think but her body reacted differently than her constitution as she kissed him back, soft. Like the way he would call her name, like the way he is holding me. Stop it. Before she caught herself liking it more than she could afford liking him she pulled away, hand on his blazer flaps she straightened them only to busy herself from not looking up at him. Man and wife!

The cheers, flowers and congratulations coursed through the gardens as the two walked down victoriously, Rupert was victorious. Clutching her hand onto his chest as they walked and laughed through the pathway. For the first time he didn’t assume that this would make a beautiful portrait because she was next to him, smiling almost trying to mirror his. He took one in his eyes and she was his most beautiful portrait.

He could barely take his eyes off of her, it was the surreality yet to settle in for him. He actually went through with it, she did. This time last year he would’ve choked on air if he was told he would be married to Tony’s dear dear world of a niece and perhaps a month ago he would have had a big laugh as to the fact that she even looked in his direction without a scowl let alone agree to marry him. Yet here they were. Watching the dinner carry itself out and about as their guests indulged in food and gossip.

His bride was timid for a change, Rupert surprisingly sober as he followed her gaze onto the various guests, “None of your fancy crowd show up?” He asked her leaning back in his chair.

Shaking her head she put down her fork to look at him, “didn’t invite them.”

“Why not?” He asked, clearly neither Lady Monica nor Basil seemed to have pull back on the guest list, for a hasty wedding it was not a quiet affair.

“Do you invite all your friends to your business encounters?” It was simpler to clarify and insert the strictly-business state of marriage into this situation than to be in an internal struggle about it all the time.

He had to pretend that did not sting a bit, it was nowhere evident on his face. “Touché” he said with a small nod. “Clearly wouldn’t be good for your reputation” he scoffed.

“You are finally catching on” shifting in her seat to face him forwardly she smiled.

“I am curious” he continued “How long do you plan to lay low from your friends about being married…? Do you think they’ll never find out?” He air quoted the word friends and stifled a laugh.

“Do you think we will last that long?” It was proving hard not to one up him on every snarky remark, he would have to try very hard to get on her nerves which he did but she did not let it show.

“I am wounded” he said and he actually was as he sarcastically put a hand to his chest to mock a physical wound, he would have preferred that. Rolling her eyes she went back to crowd gazing their wedding guests out of boredom until the music took a different course. The festivities were seemingly endless.

The first dance. Bride had so far eased herself into the wedding and ceremonies of it all, especially since their wedding kiss but it was difficult not to stiffen up with how his hands grazed around her lower back, guiding her through the dande gracefully. A firm yet gentle grip of her hand and waist. He obviously took a note of her flustered body language and was too good to pass up on, “Are you nervous?” He by the side of her face gently as the guests all watched in awe.

“Of course not” she repeated with the perfect, teethy smile. The one you give to a guest overstaying their welcome. That’s what the dance felt like. She would have wanted to enjoy it and that mere thought is what irked her even more. Without a warning he spun her and brought her even closer only to test her claims of not being nervous.

“You are finally catching on” he repeated her words from earlier with a cocky grin and swayed her to music. Everything else, even the music itself seemed a background noise to Rupert after having her this close.

“Stop manhandling me” she muttered trying to steady herself within his grasp which wasn’t much needed because well, she was in his grasp.

“You just put that in my head” he teased before going in for the dip, his hold tight onto her waist. He did not gauge she was a bad dancer, she wasn’t. But not as confident as him and the manhandling bit just add to his amusement. He brought her back up after the dip, stealing a small kiss on her cheek and the guests all cheered.

Tony, in a table far off with his eyes away from the nonsensical charade. “This is burning my eyes” he said looking away, with head in his hands as his wife watched the newlyweds with a smile on her face.

“They don’t look that bad together” Archie commented god only knows to what benefit.

Tony looked up from his sulking and shot him a deathly glare, “your cousin just married the devil to save this family from doom and that’s the empathy you hold you bloody moron.” He spoke to the boy through gritted teeth.

“He probably didn’t mean it like that” Lady Monica tried to undo the damage which wasn’t made or reversed from any comments.

“What a shitshow.”

-

By the end of the night everything was too exhausting for Rupert’s lady wife. The car ride back to his mansion which was not that far from the house she grew up in was way too bumpy a road all of a sudden, it was taking forever, she was too tired and the most absurd one of it all “I already miss my room” one of the many complaints she made to him on their way from the wedding venue to his manor.

He parked the car and it was somewhat a short walk to the inside of the manor, “Couldn’t you have dropped me at the doorstep and then parked the car?” She said with a sigh looking at the pathway to the door.

“Is this the part where you tell me you miss your chauffeur too?” Rupert commented as he locked the car and made his way to her side to open her door. Offering her his hand to get out which she obviously declined and got out herself.

“It is too cold!” She exclaimed and it wasn’t one of the unreasonable complaints she had recently listed off. It was a bit chilly and the wedding dress, however elegant provided insufficient warmth required to withstand the night’s cold.

Without wasting a second he took off his blazer placing it only her shoulder delicately and much to his surprise she did not stubbornly decline it, she much really be cold. She didn’t put her hands through the sleeves just wrapping his closely against her shoulders, he smiled at how his blazer sized her in. “Shall we?” He asked leading the way taking her side but she took (barely three) deliberate steps only to stop.

“My feet are killing me” it wasn’t entirely untrue despite the exaggeration, the heels, the dancing, the dancing in the heels was perhaps a bit much for one day and the property still laid out far to reach to the doorstep of his manor.

“Mine don’t .” Rupert spoke pacing closer to her in ready position, “I could carry you”

She was quick to respond taking a step back as he was already leaning towards picking her up, “don’t even think about it” she scoffed, “Do not get cheap with me I do not like to tell you this again and again.”

“What’s cheap about picking you up?” He asked with furrowed brows because she wasn’t entirely wrong, he was cheap when he wanted to be. Came overly naturally to him. But in this moment he wasn’t, it was more of a helpful gesture. “You said your feet are killing you!”

“You are not carrying me” she said, stern on her decision as she shot him a warning glare. He paused and she well enough stood patiently as he thought of an alternative and he immediately took it upon himself to find one as well.

With a deep breath he removed his shoes one after the other, he wore the classic heavy socks anyways so the pavement wouldn’t be so hard on him either. “I should be fine I’ve got socks on” he spoke kneeling down to help her take the straps off her heels and help her into his shoes.

“You don’t have to—“ she was interrupted by him already getting to it and his eagerness to be so chivalrous made her unable to finish the sentence. Maybe he just wanted to get inside sooner than having to deal with her whine about her feet in heels.

“Better?” He asked once she was in his shoes, comically so but at least her feet won’t hurt to walk now. With one hand in hers and other holding her feels by the strap dangling off his finger he guided her inside with slow deliberate steps trying to maintain her pace.

It was a pleasant night it, she tried everything not to look at him because he would surely be looking back in her direction. However the gardens surrounding them painted a picture of the night which was the provenance of all this, the exact spot where she was looking for Ryder and found him instead. And how they found each other fate that…her mind wandered back there naturally and it was almost as if he could read it he asked, “trip down the memory lane?” Rupert teased her with a cocky little smirk on his face which perhaps never left.

“Shell shock more like” she said rolling her eyes as she held the blazer around her shoulders tighter. It wasn’t a defence mechanism to turn down all his advances, it was just difficult to digest them.

“Really?” He said genuinely taken aback by the exaggeration she could let out ever so simply, leaning a bit forward to meet his eyes hoping she would joke about it but clearly she was serious. “I didn’t realise you get so uncivil when exhausted”

“You have that effect on me” with a shrug she stood at the smaller step of the door as he opened it, moving out of her way to let her in first.

“After you” he said wanting that little banter to die down, as she stepped inside his home. It was already too late in the night and all the house help had retired. He took the blazer from her once inside. Taking in the scenes of his house, surprisingly well kept with poor furniture choices, he was a man after all. Perhaps not everyone would have her dear aunt’s touch in house aesthete. So many horse murals. She wanted to joke, ‘you put the show in show-jumper huh?’ but decided against it give he had already called her uncivil once. “Do you want me to show you around?”

The new bride wanted to take him up on that offer but it seemed like too much walking, “Can we do that in the morning?”

“—Amongst other things?” He joked almost as if he head that one right up his sleeve.

“What a classless joke.” She scoffed averting her gaze ever so uninterested only to make it seem like she wasn’t flustered on the inside hoping it did not show on her face.

It did show on her face. “God forbid a man tries his luck” he says walking backwards so he could face her as they walked towards the stairs.

“Piss off” she said, not out of snarky remarks she simply didn’t want to entertain his crass remarks any further. Walking up the old wooden flight of stairs she took in the surroundings.

Once upstairs he showed her to her room, as per the marriage agreement, strictly business as they called it. Her own room and not wanting to share his bed and he wanted to do nothing to breach any boundaries. He had known she was a complexly stubborn, stubbornly complex lady and yet he had chosen her once. He infuriated her as did she infuriate him but eventually he had fallen quite hard for her and somewhere within, he knew she did not dislike him as much as she claimed to. It was unexplainable but he could feel it in his bones he would make this little lady his. However long it takes, he was willing to wait more than she was willing to make him.

He leant against the doorframe as she walked inside the room, looking around with a small ever courteous smile, “I will be right next door” he told her, “Between both our rooms the bath is adjoint, if you don’t prefer it I could use the one down the passage” he told her.

“It’s alright, I used to share mine Archie.” She told him as she sat on the bed, letting her shoulders slump as the day’s exhaustion overcame her, leaning her head against the wooden bed pillar.

“I promise you it will be better than sharing it with a hormonal teenager.” Crossing his arms he joked and it got a chuckle out of her. A genuine one, with the softest sound of a laugh he could swear it was like a melody he would want in a tape recorder.

“If you say so” she agreed, unable to not find it funny as she thought of it. Not exactly giving into his humour that she had repeatedly found crass but perhaps it just grew on him for this moment.

He nodded just taking in the pause of time, the wedding dress still on her. His room right next to the doorframe he was standing against and it had been years since there had been somewhat a resident in this house or in this room at all and here she was. His bride. He was taken aback by his own comprehension of the situation too, despite its obvious lack of romance and chivalry or even the acceptance of it from her side. He was so beyond smitten. It was almost love. It had been a long time since he was this close to the term without having spent a night or a week in physical rendezvous, this was way too different. A different he wanted to embrace. “You look so beautiful” he spoke softly as he thought out loud.

Without a jab or an unfashionable comment she allowed him to present that comment as intended. A small smile, not as small as she thought and a nod, “I am tired.”

Ever beautiful. Rupert stood straight as he uncrossed his arms, a slow motion. “I see…” he trailed off with a sigh of having to take his leave, “If you need anything I’ll be right next to you.”

“Right next door” she repeated, mirroring his motion of leaning off the support.

He blinked his eyes at her as he smiled, “Rest well, my love” waiting for her to correct him again about not being his nor love.

“You too” she repeated plainly but it was perhaps the most romantic she had allowed herself to be so around him. She stood up to move to the dressing room and change out of the dresser as his voice stopped her in her motion and she turned to face him again.

“Wait” he spoke, but didn’t follow up with anything else. Wanting to take the sight of her in her wedding dress one last time before the night becomes a memory for the rest of his life. “Just want to take a look at my bride one last time.”

It was somewhat heartening, ridiculously heartening as to how sweet he could be. It was as if he could never indulge in incuriousness. She stood in her place, bare for him to take in as if she were a glassed pastry and he was a man on a fast. He took a step further inside the room. His pace wasn’t fast, steps gentle, she stayed in her place unflinching. He grew even closer and she thought he might just kiss her to draw the dagger in and she would kiss him back or so and so. As he leant forward she was almost sure of it, nothing would have to come over her to dislike this. Not even by a bit. Captivated by him staring deep into her eyes it felt like she was at the altar with him again only this time she might even like it more and not deny herself the solace of a lover’s lips against her own.

If only. He reached for the drawer behind her opening it in one swift motion and got out one of his cameras. “May I?” He asked. She felt her spirits crushed, foolishly so. She would have said yes in an instant if that question didn’t come in regards with a picture.

Not disinterested in the picture but ever disappointed in the interaction she thought would have awaited her. She just nodded, allowing him to take a step back. He snapped a few pictures, quite a few. Until he took one where she laughed at something he said, caught off guard. He made her laugh. With his pictures and the camera he decided to finally retreat for the night, “Good night then.” Blowing a soft kiss her way, receiving an eye roll he closed her door behind him gently.

Leaving the new bride in her room, visiting the dressing room she found her stuff had already been well settled into the closets. Her eyes fell on the wooden table on the side, a big envelope. Within opening its sheath it seemed to have revealed a painting of her and Ryder; a morning scene. She wore the same polo in the painting she wore the day she’d kissed him and proceeded to call it a mistake.

The backside of the beautiful artwork had a small note, ‘Could never be a mistake to me. All my love, Rupert.’

—

Don’t hesitate to send me your wedding thinspos!!! I’d love to know my dear reader’s wedding vision

Let me know if you want to be in the taglist!! xx

STAY HYDRATED

🏷️@playbucky @theoceanandthestars @omgbrianab @melancholicandmessy @nebulastarr @sarahsobsession @yentroucnagol @peaky-marvel @moonyslonelyheart @drmeghanjones @bacatemlo @saltyfriendsaladbandit

[g1rlken]

POSTING PART 3 OF TOO SWEET TONIGHT !!!!! ITS A WEDDING AND YOU ARE ALL INVITED !!!!!!!!!

[g1rlken]

Hiii, hope you're doing well!!!!!! I was wondering if you're planning to continue the too sweet series? Love your work sm!!!!!!!!! 🫶

Honestly: yes. I have left so many fics unfinished and I loved that one beyond words this has motivated me to finish it and so I will!!’ Expect the new part REAL soon I’m working on it as we speak

[g1rlken]

I love you guys so much I could explode

I assure you: somebody, somewhere, is on the exact same wavelength as you are.

[g1rlken]

I’m so sorry I keep on abandoning you folks I feel like a deadbeat

[g1rlken]

so excited to read part two of "Last golden thoughts"

It was so well written. Are we getting a happy ending? 🫦💞

Love you anon this made my day!!! And yes absolutely I’m sorry to spoil it but I can’t write a sad ending because I am an asshole like that the ending will be happy trust

[g1rlken]

oh my GOD i just lost my shit over your ex!husband!bucky piece. 93 excuses to see her genuinely had me staring at my wall for a little bit and SILVER SPRINGS REALNESS. cannot wait for part two!! please please tag me if you can if you make a part two <3

AWWWAGAHSHS YOURE TOO KIND!!!! Im working on it and honestly this motivates me soooo much ill try to get it done real soon I just need to finish my finals 😭

[g1rlken]

The MDNI warning no longer applies to me

[g1rlken]

This is for those out there who were never taught the simpler things in life, or are living alone for the first time. I hope this reaches you and helps you in some way x

I went through all of these to find the perfect, most simple instructions for each. I'll add more things over time if needed/requested <3

Video instructions:

How to plait your hair

How to fold a T-Shirt

How to shave your legs

How to write + send a letter in the mail

How to ride a bike (with one of the people in the video learning how to ride one themselves)

How to tie a tie

How to sew a button back into a shirt (by hand)

Kitchen safety

Written instructions:

How to make pancakes

How to wash your hair

How to fry an egg

How to clean blood off your underwear

Your first kiss

Making a resume

Creating a personal budget

How to clean cuts and scrapes

Brushing your teeth

Guide to showering and bathing properly

Staying safe on the road/in your car

How to use a washing/laundry machine

How to hand-wash laundry

44 smoothie recipes

Basic recipes for living alone

A simple house-cleaning schedule

Home maintenance (for each season)

How to make an every-day simple salad

Cleaning stains from clothes

Tips for finding a good psychiatrist

Booking a doctors appointment (with a dialogue)

Dealing with an unfair workplace

[g1rlken]

Last golden thoughts

Bucky Barnes x fem!exwife reader

*follows the original thunderbolts plot line and thunderbolts!Bucky

Warnings: minor spoilers, mild swearing, angst?

Word count: 4.7k+

summary: Congressman Barnes’ marriage did not end for the better only for his paths to cross again with his ‘wife’ in the most unpleasant fashion where he last expected her to be

an: you guys went crazy over this so I had to finish this in two days we are sooooooo back

—

​As red guardian’s fancy, gaudy and however bulletproof-ish limousine made a flip at Bucky’s detonator. The relieved group of delinquents inside were overcome with shock, bracing themselves for the fall, gripping handles tightly as the surprisingly present airbags opened in their faces. Ghost was the first one out evidently being more equipped to exit in the blink of an eye. Others fell with a thud a collective ache in everyone’s joints, groaning trying to find their way out ever so impatiently. Ghost broke the door open as Bucky was getting closer. In the front seat red guardian needed most strength to be extracted out of the vehicle.

By then Bucky had reached with a task at hand, Ava and Yelena focused more on trying to get red guardian out, “Not cool man” Alexei said in his heavy accent to the long haired who they’d assumed was here to help them.

With a swift tug with his metal arm Bucky pulled the backseat door right off its hinges, before he could lean John was already on his way out, the person following John out made his eyes widen. “You?!” He exclaimed putting his hands on her shoulders instinctively but she brushed him off and got out herself. “Have you lost your mind?! Don’t tell me you were in the goddamn vault with these-“

Standing up on her feet instantly, trying to regain balance given her vision was a bit dizzy after going through a flipping car. “You lunatic-“ she lunged at him but she was still evidently dizzy and had weak steps, he easily dodged. “You could have gotten us all killed!”

“Stop, stop!” Bucky’s hands were surprisingly of a gentle grip on her shoulders yet again, wanting her to find her footing again. “Are you alright?” He asked scanning for major injuries, if he had known she was in the car he would approached in a way less reckless way.

“Get off of me-!” Taken aback by his might to just downplay the weight of the situation, falling into old habits like they were getting reunited or something.

“Husband mode eh?” Alexei commented with a snicker, Bucky took it well, someone else didn’t.

“He’s not my husband!” She barked almost instantly and pushed Bucky even further, even after he’d let go off her shoulders.

Another truck circled around them, “With me” Bucky told them expecting them to follow without much resistance was really some heavy wishful thinking.

The red guardian was already walking, a lot of faith in the metal armed man when Yelana stoped him by his arm, “And why should we just follow you after you crashed us?”

“Bucky you do realise you could get years for attempted murder on captain America-“ Jon was stopped mid sentence by the others taking an offence at him calling himself captain America and less bothered by the attempted murder.

“You were all being chased by trucks with machine guns and I’m sure more are on the way. This is the middle of nowhere if you have better options than getting in the truck you’re all very welcome to do so” Bucky said crossing his arms, the truck driver probably one of bucky’s favour agents got on his bike and left the truck for him.

Red guardian was the first to pitch in to agree with him, Yelena and Ava had their suspicions. “It’s the worse of two I suppose” Ava said with a sigh.

“It’s not like you have anything on us and we outnumber you so there’s that.” Yelana started walking as the rest followed, no obvious threat so far.

“If it’s our help you need Bucky you know you can just ask.” Walker said with his ever high confidence in himself, it never fails to be less staggering.

“Are you people actually considering this?!” Y/n was the only one who stayed put in her place not trusting everyone’s and especially bucky’s instincts to follow him into god knows where, “We can’t trust this man-“

“‘This man’ honey? Really?” Bucky quoted her absolute disregard for their history like he was some stranger she detested so much. He wasn’t walking back to the truck either, well aware of stubborn she was he was ready to let this play out for a while and eventually take matters, her, quite literally into his own hands.

“Don’t call me that!” The disgust on her face was as though he had committed at atrocity, the others had already started accommodating themselves in the truck for her to get her point across.

“You know all this anger really isn’t good for your health.” He told her, leaning a bit forward and she stiffened.

“You know what would be good for you? Letting me be” she told him uncrossing her arms and the last of her ‘loser’fest team were already walking into the truck.

“Why would you get yourself into this mess? You know you are better than this and please don’t tell me you were in the vault” it felt so natural to fall back into old habits for Bucky. The soft scolding with an undertone of concern and frustration. He didn’t miss this feeling of dread that he was yet again so close to losing her but he was grasping at straws into conversations with her, after the divorce she had blocked his number, locked their old apartment just recently because he kept finding reasons to visit her over and over. Even stopped all streaming subscriptions he couldn’t even work through without her so if this was the conversation he could make he’d take what he can get.

“You are the last person I’m answerable to.” She clarified him losing his keeping tabs privileges on her as their marriage fell. It was the least pleasant feeling to be harsh against anyone, even him, despite of what he did. But if it she acted even a bit less colder it would give him hope to no end. So she kept it up and walked across him, he stayed unmoving from her way and her shoulder brushed his somewhat rudely she didn’t even account it. He felt good about her casually striding against him as if his touch didn’t repel her anymore. Idiot.

Before she could climb into the back of the truck with the rest of them he stopped her getting inside himself first and swiftly started cuffing everyone, “hey what the hell” Yelena said struggling against him but those high tech binds were so swift she couldn’t retaliate in enough time.

“Come on Bucky you know me is this really necessary?” John scoffed trying to break free of the cuffs but or was no use.

“She was right” Ava said nodding at the woman standing outside the truck unfazed Bucky would pull this, trying to make the run for it into ghost mode but the cuffs kept her hands in place so she couldn’t even move forward in her projecting form.

“You, in the front” Bucky said looking back at her and she obviously defied it.

“Why?” She scoffed not wanting to walk into his plan after he literally cuffed all her acquaintances. “We are not your little evidential gifts against Valentina”

“She did try to kill you all” Red guardian chimed in as Yelena nodded about the fact.

“It doesn’t align with our principles if he is the one who turns us in, we could do it ourselves” the fact that ‘Congressman Barnes’ would get all credit for brining Valentina’s assets in after they risked their lives to get out really didn’t sit right with her.

“Why would we turn ourselves in at all?” Ava questioned not really into the idea of getting under oath whatsoever.

“Exactly. It is up to us what we decide not him” So glad the others saw her point at least now, despite of walking into getting themselves tied up.

“It really isn’t” he shrugged and pointed to another one of automobiles from vault’s base at a far distance. “Say no and I’d leave you all here to fend for yourself.” No one but her would be ready to call his bluff. He knew that she knew that too well that he would rather fight off nearly everyone in that truck than put her in harm’s way but he had to convince the others somehow and it seemed to work well enough as he got out of the back container to get into the driver’s seat.

“Why doesn’t she get tied up?” John questioned as she had to walk to the passenger seat on Bucky’s uncalled for demand.

“She is the missus!” Red guardian said stating the obvious and a shrug, already under the cool influence of Bucky to question it.

“They’re divorced” John pointed out

“Doesn’t seem like it was mutual” Yelena commented gaining a snicker from Alexei.

-

In the front, looking out the window as Bucky pushed it on the accelerator, “Where are we going?”

“New York” he answered her without much debate or resistance, if he were to recall there was never a time he could lie to her. He would never want to.

She didn’t have much questions to ask because she didn’t want to give answers to the ones he would ask back, not without consulting the rest anyways. Besides she would rather turn herself in than to afford another conversation with him. With a heavy sigh she looked out the window crossing her arms.

He looked in her direction, eyes softening despite the gravity of the situation they were in. The exhaust on her face was evident, “There are some pain killers in the cabinet.” He told her.

No response for her equated to her disinterest in taking them, he knew she hated any sort of antibiotics or meds just to push through her pain but it was worth the shot, as stubborn as she was he hates her open wounds. He opened the cabinet and got out the patching kit, whilst his other hand was still on the steering wheel. He opened the pack between his teeth and applied antiseptic on the patches, without asking he put it on her forehead where she’s seemed to have taken a bad hit. “Ow” she grumbled in pain but needless to say it was a required patchwork for the bleeding. “I’ve got it” she said taking it from his hand on her forehead into her own.

Her palms against his arm…he hadn’t felt it in so long. His hand was much larger in her comparison he’d always noted that. Being reminded of that again made him want to intertwine his fingers in hers and hope she could undo every moment he had to be away from her.

Eventually he took his hand away and put it on the driving clutch, even though it wasn’t a manual drive, he just couldn’t contain the life coursing through him after her hands touched him against. It’s these minuscule of interactions with her that gave him so much purpose. At first when he saw her in the flipped car he felt awful she was here in the first place but now he has her right next to him on the road to New York and he feels bad for wishing the miles are longer than they usually are.

“Hey this is not a manual drive” she was quick to pick that up when he didn’t take his hand off the clutch for a while being lost in thought, unrecovered from her touch.

“Oh” he nodded taking his hand off and back to the steering, “I know” he had to shift the conversation “You practised on our old manual when you were renewing your license right?”

“Your old manual was a good car” she said emphasising on ‘your’ given the fall out.

“I wonder why we let it go.” He was left bemused trying to remember what was the reason to let it go given it wasn’t a bad car.

“You wanted to let it go because it was taking up too much space in the garage after the engine got way too old to be repaired” She reminded him thinking back to it now, it had become an old junk but the two of them held onto it for quite a while. Working on it on the weekends, basically he’d work on it and she would keep the conversation. She had a joke that Bucky was pursuing his abandoned mechanic dream every weekend on that car, that black sleeveless vest top laying his biceps all bare and as hot as he was working on the engine she hated the grime and the smell of automobile oil, he would purposely encage her between his arms and kiss her all over, then shower together later. Snap out of it.

“Had a good run with it, it even had a cassette player system” Bucky looked at her but she wasn’t looking back at him. Clearing her throat she shifted in her seat, they got rid of that car before they had a conversation of getting rid of their marriage but maybe the forthcoming was evident.

“It didn’t have that you modified it that way because we had a lot of cassettes between us” she corrected him as her lips curled into a small smile.

“Oh right” he nodded mirroring her smile, it just happened with him involuntarily every time she smiled and this was his first time in a while. “I think I lost some from my set, I maybe have 10-12 tapes left which is crazy given my set had about a 100”

“How would you lose them you never took them out of the house?” She asked with a faux confused look on her face.

“Exactly! It’s like they just vanished” he told her shaking his head, “I think the house needs a bit going over for me to find them”

Just humming in response she leaned back in the seat as the two fell into silence again, it wasn’t comfortable but it wasn’t awkward either. Nostalgia was often ugly. Their minds were going through ugly sweet things, Bucky’s mind wasn’t going through nostalgia it was in its usual state: consistent reminiscing of their marriage. In his life he didn’t have much things to lose in the first place except for her, she was the last golden thoughts he could have before he’d sleep and the first before he’d wake up all day, everyday. He didn’t have much to think back to fondly but it changed when she walked out of his life.

As he drove through the terrains, glancing through both the side view mirrors then back at her, she had fallen asleep. Leaning against the window, her eyes closed with a completely serene expression on her face he hadn’t seen in so long. She had actually fallen asleep around him. The scene had a strange intimacy to him, the fact that her mind still considered him safe enough to fall asleep around. Even after all dodged calls and messages, all the get-outs, changing her ways to not come across him in the city, telling everyone her mistrust in ‘this man’ yet she could fall asleep with him at the wheel just like the old times.

When they reached the abandoned safe house Bucky didn’t deem it proper to wake her up when she was already so exhausted. The others tied up and over explaining the Bob situation did not let her absence go unnoticed “What did you do with her?!” Ava asked, high suspicions it wasn’t good.

“We should have listened when she told us to be careful about you, he probably left her back there” Yelena said with a scoff, such a decorated man stooping so low.

“Woah woah” Bucky was crazed at the fact that these people assumed that he would hurt her, of all people. “She is still in the truck, she was sleeping very soundly so I didn’t want to wake her up.”

The red guardian snickered, “A real lover!” He commented in a positive way.

“Grow a pair, Bucky” John scoffed leaning against his binds, the man was on the phone for a while and would’ve happily disregarded Walked’s comments anyways.

“Are you like the podcast men?” Alexei asked facing Walker.

“—What does that mean?”

“Toxic masculinity, not good, insecure—bad just bad, are you them?” Alexei listed off his

very accurate descriptions of men who run podcasts.

“Men who run podcasts aren’t all that” Walker said rolling his eyes at the man’s poor judgement of those guys. “Besides Bucky is not a real lover, he’s freshly divorced”

“Do you not see the wedding ring?” Alexei asked nudging in bucky’s direction, the thick gold band was hard to miss: by anyone.

“Probably just wears it because it’s real gold or something” which was a bit ironic because even as a separated husband he didn’t have one on.

“On his wedding finger?” Ava asked raising a brow as she indulged in the divorce too, tied up they had nothing better to talk about.

Before Yelena could pitch in her two cents too, Bucky got off the phone and started freeing the set of ‘thunderbolts’ out of their ties. Giving them a brief explanation of wanting to help Bob they were all on board, as they headed back down to the truck, it was empty. The back and the front, the highly trained ex assassin went full into visible panic mode with her out of sight. A specific drop of his heart only her absence could cause him to feel.

It was difficult trying to explain to the bunch of all-of-a-sudden-ride-or-dies god knows where she picked up from, that her husband of three years and counting with a small bump of divorce of four months would be the last person in this world to hurt her. However difficult it was he managed to get his point across and decided they were off to a detour before getting to Valentina’s HQs.

Once they loaded back in the truck he drove with determination to get where he had deduced he would find her. Their old apartment, she kept her original gear there. If there was one thing he knew about her she was to never back down from a fight, however big and impossible. That had been his biggest fright throughout their marriage, not a single bone in his body had moved on from.

Bucky thought he could fetch her back down himself but he thought wrong, apparently they did not trust him with her so all or thunderbolts went up the six story building. As expected the door was open, “How many times have I told you to keep this locked?” It really wasn’t difficult to fall back into old habits. Always leaving in a hurry, always forgetting to lock doors. He thought to himself but it wasn’t just about locking the door when he hoped the door was open.

“Again?!” She exclaimed walking out of the bedroom into the living fixing the belts around her gear, her old gear. The most trusted one. It was a superstition of hers really, Bucky knew it affected nothing no combat flexibility or space…it was just old. “How did you all not manage to lose him?”

“We didn’t know if you left or he did something” Ava filled her in about her doubting their capabilities to lose Bucky by choice.

“He wouldn’t.”

“—I wouldn’t!”

Both of them said at the same time.

To avert the sync she refocused on strapping her knives into her suit, in all places and possible belt gaps. “Hey, is that mine?” Bucky’s attention went to the set of two in her hands she was about to fixate.

“No it’s not.” Caught, she hurriedly tried to wrap it in her suit.

“Yes it is, those are mine!” He huffed; it had been a long while since he had to be in a position where he would need all his knives but he remembers and counts all the ones he’s had and he knew exactly which ones were missing, surprisingly right after the divorce. “That set is a wedding gift from Sam if I remember correctly!”

“Exactly! It was my wedding too I can keep them!” She stood her ground, well aware it was a set of two, one for him&her type but it was too beautiful to break the set and she wanted both those knives. He hadn’t noticed it this entire time.

“You don’t get to keep them both I get to keep one.” He argued, validly so. “I can’t believe you just took these both with you letting me know once”

“You never asked! All this time you kept coming at my place for the pillow covers, cushions-literally last month you knocked on my door because you thought I took the tv remote with me! You never asked about these” she pointed at the knives and somewhere along the lines both of them knew Bucky was just finding reasons to see her again and she was allowing it too.

“Wow” Yelena commented at the desperate measure. Given the time they were short on this bickering was too intresting to be stopped abruptly.

In the haste to keep the knives to herself in her suit dropped it, giving Bucky the leverage to pick it up and examine it. He bent down to get it and found stored cassettes in the coffee table. “You have got to be kidding me!” He exclaimed frustrated as he got out all the cassettes, he thought were missing. “You had these the whole time?!”

“—I must have packed them by mistake when I moved out” she shrugged trying to downplay how purposeful it was but he saw through it.

“These are all my classics, you didn’t even ask me before taking them in the settlement?!” Bucky huffed going through the tapes.

Cursing under her breath she face palmed herself, for some reason this day was getting way too long. “Look I know the divorce agreement never said-“

“I didn’t even read that” Bucky scoffed shuffling through the tapes he thought he had ‘lost.’

“You signed it without reading?” Surprised she raised her brows.

He put the box down on the coffee table and nodded with a shrug, making a mental note that he will come by at her place over and over for all the tapes and not just take them altogether. There were around 93 tapes in there which belonged to him. 93 excuses to see her. “It was you, I just trust you.”

“See!” Alexei cackled giving Walker a big pat on his back for being right about the lovers fact. “Very silver springs”

“Silver springs?” Yelena asked raising her brows at the refrence.

“Like the song.” Alexei spoke with his thick accent ‘Like zhe songh’ “Never get away from the sound of a woman that loved you” he even relayed the lyrics from the group, Ava nodding at the obvious relation.

“He still wears the wedding ring though” Yelena pointed out trying to frame the dynamics of who’s who for the song reference.

“He would be Stevie Nicks.” Ava clarified stating the obvious as Alexei smiled wide at her, nothing like someone getting the perfect reference.

“What the hell?” The ex wife in question did not take that insult lightly, she didn’t point it out all these months why he still kept wearing the wedding ring. “Real good manipulation tactics, Congressman Barnes.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Bucky exclaimed unsure how he got under the bus even though the Silver Springs refrence say very right with him. Eire how that refrence came up when no one knew he’s been having sessions of that song in his car ever since she left.

“You need to take off that wedding ring and the whole oh-she-left-me boo hoo theatrics like it wasn’t a mutual decision!” She let out unable to keep it in after these months of heartbroken yet preserving congressman Barnes, all the press issues.

“You know it wasn’t.” Bucky shot back, “I just didn’t want to you to work for Valentina and look what you’re gearing up for! The woman who tried to incinerate you!”

“It was a miscalculation of the job I took up and I got myself alive out of that” it was so frustrating trying to debate this again.

“You chose working for her over me! Over our marriage!” Bucky’s voice grew a bit louder than when he said before and the others just witnessed this break out awkwardly.

“Shouldn’t we let them have this conversation privately?” John muttered looking for the cue to exit this scene.

“No.” Alexei, regardless of his fanboy tendencies towards Barnes, he was somewhat interested in witnessing this, he was the least tensed person in the room. Ava and Yelena didn’t want to exit for the sake of interjecting just in case.

“No I chose a life you couldn’t dictate!” She cried out just as intensely as his voice. “And do not put this on me as if you don’t know what you did.”

“I saved your life that day. Just like today.” Bucky said in a lower voice flatly. Very unbothered and cold to the notion of saving her life, it was such a given to him. She would put herself in such situations and he would just have to make do. Reckless with not much thought but he could always rely on himself to keep that head over her shoulder.

“You put me in danger that day!” The agony in her voice was so evident, “You let me work on that assignment for months and on the final day—you leaked my coordinates on purpose so that Congressmen Barnes can have the best packet, you wanted to Valentina dragged to court and you got that at my expense.”

Putting his arms on his hips; taking in a deep breath. It was planned yes, he gave the feds her location for the OXE group mission she was put on, he could have told her to never take up the job but it had already led to so many countless fights. She had helped him through his electoral campaigns, supported him through it all but it just wasn’t the right fit for her. Combat was all she had known life to be so far, so her let her have her gigs. However he didn’t realise she could also work for Valentina without much thought and by the time he could pitch in she had already accepted the joke. He could have stopped it then too, but he didn’t. There was a bigger gig for him in it, exposing his wife’s secret assignment is how he got Valentina into impeachment proceedings.

Bucky wasn’t proud of keeping it a secret from her the entire time she was working on that assignment but it didn’t prove to be non fruitful, “I am the one who had to bear the expense of you leaving because you didn’t have it in yourself to stay, you just ran. Like a coward. Like always.”

That was a poke at a really old wound, she wasn’t a habitual leaver but at times when stuff got emotionally thick her fight or flight response was not fight. The first time, before they were even together…she always stayed away and distant and after their job was done, Sam upholding the shield. She just left. Leaving everything between Bucky and herself to be unsaid and be lost in fragments of season he just went after her, got the girl and the resr was history. Wretched, domestic, sad, far, a marriage in their history. However she couldn’t stomach that, “You piece of shit-!” She lunged at him full force and he barely held up his defence. More than happy for her to have at it.

“Woah woah woah” Walker spoke as chaos erupted in the small living room itself, not even out in the field yet.

Yelena got a hold of her however Ava wasn’t into the idea of not letting her get her frustration out, Alexei pulled back away, “We are the thunderbolts. Thunderbolts don’t fight ourselves. Not like this.” He said as the fight seemed to break.

“I am no teammates with any of you, especially that man!“ anger still coursing through her she pointed at Bucky as Yelena kept swaying her farther.

“Yeah yeah I think he gets it” Yelena tried to soothe her anger down so he could move on from this outburst.

“Can we just move on with the task at hand?” Before John could even finish that sentence Bucky was walking out the apartment broodingly, slamming the door open out of his way.

She stayed in her place taking in a few deep breaths in order to process it fast enough as everyone left, Yelena stayed with her, nodding off to red guardian in a small look that said ‘I’ve got her.’ “You okay?”

“-Yeah…let’s just get going.”

-

Please let me know if this story is a drag…for some reason it seemed better in my head than this! Regardless tune in for final two if you liked it! ;)

tags: @blowingbarnes @pattiemac1 @scrumptiousloser @suffragette-cities @toaster-fork @accoochtrement @forthelovelyheart @western-nightss @itsmeamysworld @taniamunson @dakota-rain666 @seventeen-x @bvckys-doll

[g1rlken]

GUYS DONT U WORRY IM STARTING ON IT THE RESPONSE IS CRAZY !!!!

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and if my mind can’t stop thinking about Thunderbolts* Bucky (freshly divorced) reuniting with his ex!wife reader to take Val down but…the divorce was messy…too much drama if you will. Would anyone be interested to read a yearning ex husband Bucky (who still wears their wedding ring mind you) with the ex!wife reader who starts tweaking if that man even breathes in her direction

I wrote it!!!!

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dont cry my crazy bunny girl... a beautiful march awaits you and me

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Can you write for Rupert? He just seems such a beautiful yearner. Completely besotted.

I DO KEEP ON WRITING FOR HIM SKEKWKSKWKSKSKKS and I will!!! Do you guys want me to continue the series more or one shots more?

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Too sweet

Rupert Campbell Black x fem!readerseries list

Summary: Godfather Tony’s dear niece arranged to marry the obnoxious townie MP the city law graduate can’t stand…

part 1

part 2

part 3 upcoming!

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! 🩷

[g1rlken]

Fleetest Melancholies 4.

Alex turner x ex!fem actress reader

read part 1-4 (pinned)

word count: 3.9k+

Summary: the confused apologetic angsty aftermath of Alex and his past lover falling asleep together causes an even more angsty reaction but yearning for the win this one is toooo cute in the end

Warning: cuss words, angst, proofreading later

As the dawn broke the setting felt rather unfamiliarly pleasant. Comfort of last night’s events seeping in as y/n arose out of her sleep with the soft white light of the day cracking in through the windows. A grey day like always of the grassland, no sun in sight just the monotone clouds filling in white in place of the gold of sun. With the casual accepted absence of sun y/n was also reminded of someone else’s absence in her bed.

Her eyes held the exhaust of all the crying she had done yesterday and the act of crying herself to sleep however she remembered more than just crying to sleep. Then recalled the arms that held her when she did so, Alex who as starkly absent as of now. It wasn’t even that late in the morning yet, seeing the disheveled bedsheets beside her and the extra pillows which spoke that someone had been there y/n still had to think harder to perfectly recollect if Alex was actually there. The entire scene came back to her bit by bit, slow and profoundly comforting even after everything. Yet she still doubted if it was a dream or if she actually lived through that. Can’t be a dream can it? She could still feel the warmth of his embrace, she could remember what he said.

She quickly took the covers off of her, getting out of the bed in a few strides she reached the bathroom of her hotel room, Alex wasn’t there. Shrill disappointment was creeping in, making her doubt the truth she had lived through. Running her hands through her hair she came back to the bedside area, finding Alex’s jacket draped over the armchair. Oh. She wasn’t deluded. There was a trace of him and what she remembered happening. Intimate in the most saddest way and in the morning he was gone. What a wretched scene in retrospect, she felt hugely embarrassed with herself. The fact that she broke down in front of him only for him to run away.

There was a small voice in her head of humiliating optimism which told her reasonings for Alex’s absence. Perhaps something urgent came up, so that he headed to leave without as much as a word. No text on her phone either, with such heavy disappointment weighing on her she got ready for the day. Attending the hotel breakfast in the hopes of running into Alex otherwise after yesterday’s scene she was to avoid the crew as much as possible.

Expectant eyes searching for Alex in the dining hall during breakfast and she saw almost everyone but him. “Morning!” Richard exclaimed as soon as he spotted here there, sounded casually cheery but still a lot for the actress. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah” y/n said with a small huff at the irony of it, she must’ve had the best sleep last night if only she were in a probable state to comprehend that serenity.

“I have a good news!” He said as he tagged along with her to the nearest table. Seemingly excited to tell her whatever it was.

Correlating his excitement to some advancement in the editing clip or maybe the location, “what is it?” she asked.

“Alex left.” He informed her with a dramatic sigh of relief, after the misery scenario yesterday, what one would consider highly unprofessional. Alex may have left out of embarrassment or to save his face, which is what Richard inferred. But whatever his reason he knew that shooting would be so much easier since they didn’t have a salty man killing everyone’s vibe.

“What?!” She nearly yelled and lowered the shock in her voice, “what? What do you mean?” She asked in a more supposedly composed voice but the horror was evident on her face.

Richard was left so confused with her reaction because he assumed she would be the most delighted with this news, “yeah he went back, first flight this morning.”

“Oh he went back?! All the way back?” The disappointment seeping into her voice was so intense, superficially processing the situation she felt somewhat hurt.

“Why are you acting weird about it? You wanted him gone since your first day here.” Richard added, a sense of exaggerated dread in his tone as he tried to go back to hers.

Extremely engulfed in disappointment the actress didn’t even try to hide it, for a second she felt like being hit by a truck. “He left without a word” she muttered, referring to herself.

“No, he told me he was leaving. Keep him in the loop for the rest of the video and stuff” Richard said relaying the conversation of Alex not leaving without a word but he couldn’t understand why that would bother her. After what happened yesterday he’d assume y/n would want no words from the man. “What’s going on?”

She calculated for a second whether she should enlighten him about what happened or not. Probably shouldn’t, it’s over sharing and borderline non professional but again Richard was a close friend and she was in the thickest of feelings right now. “We slept together last night.”

The colour from his face drained, Richard’s eyes widened and brows raised as he tried to digest that information, “Were you not provided enough oxygen during your formative years as a baby or are you somewhat insane?!” As her friend, he couldn’t accept this at all. How could she just let the man walk all over her twice in the same week in two different ways. “I am going to strangle you-“

“No no Richard no-listen” she interrupted the burst of shock and rage in him instantly “It’s not—wait I phrased it wrong. We didn’t sleep together, we just slept together. Co-sleeping if you will.”

As he adhered that Richard was somehow even more irked, “What the fuck? What did you have to do that for?”

“He came to my room to apologise, for yesterday and I was crying and it was messy, we didn’t even kiss I promise he just held me and we fell asleep.” She explained herself how you would to an extremely conservative parent “And in the morning he was gone but he left his jacket.”

“Wow…” Richard had to take the whole scene in with a deep sigh escaping him. It sounded more like a hostage situation to him than a souvenir but he wouldn’t say that to his friend at this very moment given her fragile mindset towards the situation. “Somehow that’s kind of worse? You didn’t fuck him and yet you got fucked.”

“Richard” she said joining her brows together and said that in a jarring tone “it’s not that bad! I’m not fucked, he just purposely left his jacket for reasons unknown and it’s somewhat unsettling to feel—“

“You are fucked.” Richard said shaking his head and took a huge sip of his water, he had to down this information with something “the worst kind of fucking, like with an invisible dick, a metaphorical gigantic-“

“I get it!” She exclaimed stopping him from relaying more examples on her to compare how badly she was supposedly ‘fucked’.

“How do you feel about his jacket?” He proposed elbows on the table, several ways to look at this situation and he was getting more interested.

“Entertained.” She joked with a little giggle at her own joke which did not seem to land well enough with her friend.

Nudging her elbow in a rather forceful way to throw down sense onto her, “Idiot!”

“He could have also forgotten it there…” trailing off she feigned a wondrous look as though that could be true.

“Forgot?” Richard scoffed “everybody knows Alex is not random nor forgetful with his jacket or his girl.”

“I’m not his girl.” She corrected him and expressed a disapproving sentiment to that statement.

“Said the girl who slept with him and didn’t even fuck hi-“

“Alright that’s enough.” She stood up from her place to leave and get ready for the day given the conversation was getting to the point where she didn’t like to be retold facts to.

—

A week and no text. A month snd no reach out. Agonising, awful stack of days just endlessly awaiting something that couldn’t be put into words or even in thoughts. She was hoping Alex reaches out, perhaps for his jacket, perhaps for that night, perhaps for it all. Why would he though? When did it even become such big of a deal? He just apologised for being a jerk and held her to sleep. There was no telling if he did or did not leave before morning.

But he left his jacket.

The godforsaken jacket held so much hope for a sinking ship, it was becoming an ordeal. Blaming herself for walking all over everything they had she did not deserve the fragment of this want. Felt like a freak trying to get a scent of him through his jacket so she ran it through her washer once and shoved it in her cupboard with the pile of other stuff she had out for donating to goodwill. He did not reach out for his jacket, but that was just a way she wished he’d re-enter her life. But he did not and she could not so this will be the end of it.

Or so she thought, she had bailed from the music video screening. Even though her best of friends from the team and people she had worked with for years would be present she bailed saying she had come down with fever so she would not come across Alex. She had promised herself to make this the end of it otherwise neither could move forward in any sense, rebuilding the same roof in the same rain, making their place flood again and again. There was more a plight to their situation given she wasn’t fully clear as to what she wanted in retrospect. Being better now than she was yesterday did not equate to being proper or well enough. Adding Alex to her routine of hyper fixated meals, he would change that, he would make her try something new everyday. Off of the anti depressants she would face thorough evaluation through him like she were a test subject and he did everything out of so much love she couldn’t risk being suffocated again. Even if he promised to not do that, it was her biggest fear she would fall down the same spiral again and he would be there to witness those pieces.

Packing up for the day as she put her dishes in the sink the doorbell surprised her, this hour? As she reached to open the door, confetti blew in her face throwing her off and it was Richard and all her friends on their team. “You thought we’d just let you have a pyjama party of one if you didn’t show up to the screening?” Richard exclaimed and hugged her as everyone came in, commenting her praises for her work in the music video, basically they had all just transformed her place into a mini party get together so she could be included in the celebration.

“Thank you so much!” She hugged Richard again after receiving everyone’s greetings. There was an unsaid understanding between Richard and her that she purposefully didn’t attend the screening because of Alex.

“Don’t mention it!” He said, Richard would be damned if his best friend missed a celebration of her fine work for her ex so he brought the party here.

“So then this is an after party right?” One of the friends asked as everyone was settling into her apartment, it was a spacious place and not that many people anyways.

“Absolutely!” Exclaiming, rejoiced with the inclusion and idea of not missing the party even if she were in her pyjamas. Room full of people she loved for friends and colleagues, couldn’t be a better place to live through.

“This could also be called a double party because of her nomination!” Ella said as she was settling the food and beverages they’d set into plates by y/n’s kitchen counter.

“Golden globes baby!” Another one said with enthusiasm and the cheers went on and on again. She wasn’t going to attend nor win and she did not have the heart in herself to tell them that and create a pity party in here so she just rejected that thought and embraced everyone’s congratulations like she would have two years ago.

As the night went on, someone was pinged as to location of the after party and they invited as it is. “Yeah I’ll just text you” was the phone conversation. “Wait we need you pick up some more snacks and drinks on your way here, text you that as well—Bye Alex”

The name alarmed both Richard and y/n at the same time, no way he was actually going to go through it. A silent understanding through nods to the side and both of them stood up and met at the quiet corner, “it had to be some other Alex right?”

“Not at this party I don’t think so” Richard said in a hushed tone seeming to appear collected, at least on the outside. “He has to know you live here right?”

“You think he will ditch it if he knows that?” Y/n questioned and as much of a coin toss decision maker Alex was he was also extremely unpredictable to foresee his actions.

“He has to?” Reached asked, it wasn’t a mutual break up and since she lived with him before this, he had to at least know how well settled or safe she was in with her new place. Not in the context of today’s situation but back when they broke up Alex wouldn’t grow un-protective over night now would he?

“I think my dad told him at some point” she shrugged thinking it all through with the possible chances of Alex actually showing up.

“Your dad?” Puzzled her friend was somewhat taken aback.

“Yeah they kind of kept in touch or something but Alex has never showed up at this place” there was little to no faith in her reaction of Alex did or did not show up because both were rather a heartache to reflect upon.

“Look it’s already late if he would get here it would be half an hour maximum” Richard tried to bring the time angle into the ordeal.

“I could just hide in the bathroom till then” The idea popped up and seemed extremely well thought and a great idea to her, confrontations were awful.

“You can’t be serious-“ even before Richard finished that sentence the frantic lady was out of his sight.

Despite their poor judgement and better hopes Alex did show up at the ‘after party’. Small smile, life or the party fitted in almost perfectly. There was no room Alex Turner would walk in and feel out of place. He camouflaged in social circles like wallpaper on matching paint. So, naturally the habituated wallflower was on the hide out until everyone or at least Alex left. Richard kept on giving him timely updates in the same 40 or so minutes everyone had before wrapping up.

When the knock on the bathroom door wasn’t signature Richard knock she assumed everyone had left, as for others who did have to use one there was another one down the hall. Leaning off the sink she opened the door to meet with Alex, her lips pursed and colour in face nearly drained. “Alex-!”

“You…” he trailed off in no hurry to make way inside or move past to let her out. Alex didn’t seem as phased or as awkward she did with the sudden encounter. “I didn’t expect to not see you here at all, here you are”

“Funny” she spoke trying to hold to her wits and maintain as collected sense in her tone as possible.

“Very funny considering this is your house” he pointed out, leaving no escape of conversation for her. Dragging her away from awkward ordeal she considered this interaction to be.

“Yeah I just-I had to throw up” she told him the closest accordant story that came to her mind on spot. “I’m somewhat sick”

“But didn’t you say you had the flu?” He questioned, both of them still at the entrance of her bathroom and Alex was rather comfortable leaning against the wall.

Was he keeping tabs on her? “It’s a sort of evolutionary flu.” There was full confidence stretched in her voice with little to no mistrust in her lie. At least for her.

Alex saw right through her and he made no effort to not let it show, “Evolutionary flu is it?” He scoffed.

“Didn’t you want to go?” She moved out of his way and with difficult past him where he leant on the doorframe, he didn’t even move as she made past him the proximity for the smallest of fragment made the interaction rather tense, for her.

“Ah no I just wanted to check out the place” he shrugged and uncrossed his arms leaning off of the doorframe, he could tell she was somewhere between blushed and unnerved. “Wasn’t invited to the housewarming party.”

“—There was no housewarming party.”

“Yes there was” he said affirmatively, not in a sense of correcting her but in a more tone, “Your dad told me.” Alex had no shame in flaunting his ever unchanging likeness that her father had developed for him.

“Oh of course” She scoffed and wanted to roll her eyes at him but did not want him to make more a scene out of the situation, “Not weird at all!” Something about the fact that he kept tabs on her life through her dad eased and crossed her at the same time.

“It is not his fault he didn’t break up with me and erased me out of existence” He taunted, never subtle. She moved past him with a wince at that taunt, he followed her back to the empty living room.

Seemingly everyone had left, “Don’t, alright. Don’t.” She huffed occupying herself with trying to tidy up the living room so that she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye.

“You never called.” He reopened the conversation they were supposed to have when he was ‘bullying her’, the conversation they were supposed to have the morning he left behind only a trace of him being his jacket.

“You never called.” She emphasised on ‘you’ but their timelines of referring to calling each other were completely different. It didn’t take her to specify that for him to understand when she was referring to.

“You asked me to leave” Alex stood his ground taking small steps around her as she paced about to instantly clean the whole space, the determination seemed as if she wanted to clean the place off him too.

“And you left!” She exclaimed in frustration as she put the stack empty glasses back on the coffee table, the action matching up to her frustration.

Alex was now finally meeting her eyes and his confusion was evident, “I did what you wanted! You are making no sense…” he trailed off with a sigh.

“You know exactly what I am referring to, I asked you to leave when you humiliated me in front of everyone, when you bullied me the entire process of the shoot but then you came to my room and apologised and soothed and held me to sleep and the next day you were gone without a word!” She let out all her anguish in poorly put together words.

“I left my jacket so you would reach out!” Alex exclaimed standing his ground, he knew it was unconventional to leave something non-sentient behind in the most sentient parts of their relationship but it wasn’t traceless or out of no thought. “I wanted you to reach out on your own terms I left how you wanted me to, out of your workspace and I regret what I did during the process I really do, it was immature and selfish again I’m really sorry. But you cannot pin it on me that I didn’t call.”

“You are here to pin it on me then?” She asked, even though his words made sense and his valid reaction seemed more than valid she didn’t want to pan it out as understandable because it wasn’t.

Alex stared at her, a silent contemplation in his head as he let a beat pass “I am here to tell you that I am still in love with you.” He said as if the simplest fact, “I had to let you know and I had to see you, I knew you didn’t attend the screening party on purpose how you didn’t reach out for the jacket just how you didn’t reach out after our break up and that was difficult.”

“No no no no-“ she shook her head inhaling a sharp breath, looking around once again feeling cornered in the big living room. “No you can’t just-“ it was too simple for him to admit that, too simple to say it out loud and expect her to digest. She made her way out of the coffee table passage and he followed the movement.

“ I can’t what?” Alex inquired even though he knew what she was trying to convey. He gently took her hands into his trying to steady her from moving around, also the feel of her fingers within his.

“We can’t do this again” She told him shaking her head, somewhat afraid to meet his eyes with those heavy tides of optimism and hope of rekindling hazardous flames.

“Why not?” Hesitantly he took a step forward but she didn’t pull away. Accessing him to further lean a bit to force her to meet his gaze.

“Alex” speechless as she met his eyes, inhaling sharply she paused. Gently placing her hands intertwined with his onto his chest faintly clutching his shirt as he got closer to her, hypnotised under his gaze as the tension around them seemed to spring away.

Alex could feel time slow down, he felt a softer hand at life with his intertwined in hers. A strange serenity of gentle adrenaline rush coursing through him when he followed her eyesight down to her lips, “maybe we are going too far” she said softly a voice barely above whisper.

Unmoved from his stance or gaze he asked, “we are not going anywhere” fixing a loose strand of hair on her face he mirrored her gentle tone. “This is exactly where I want to be”

“How do you find it in yourself…?” She questioned in the weight of a curious moment of heavy certainties. “To still love me, after everything?”

“Because of what I find in you. You have a fascinating mind and a gentle heart which holds mine as much as yours—even a difficult moment with you is the one I recall every moment until I see you again. I’m accustomed to loving you, you don’t need to feel the same but on most days loving you is all I know-“ before Alex could conclude his answer y/n crashed her lips onto his and he continued the answer within the kiss of same, if not more intensity. Wrapping his arms around her pulling her even impossibly closer. The embrace he’d reminisced this entire time was back to him.

—

Sorry for late update let me know if you want to be tagged for other parts! Drink water ILY

Next part is crazy and angst is on fire pls don’t kill me

Tags: @bewr0210 @lovelikethunder @indierockgirl @turnersverse @stars0flov3r @ghostinyouroom @libertyybellls @ladydraculasthings @armybts20137 @carefulignorantghost @sagegreensimm @supernaturalandpain @chishiyasno1

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Raw. Next question

Alex Hasssel as Rupert Campbell-Black - it's about the oral fixation