#[MR may get either grandkids or more kids] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

atlafan · 4 years ago

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The Good Life - One Shot

a/n: okay so we have business man!Harry, and co-worker Y/N, but also she’s the boss’ daughter???? friends to lovers???? smut??? not proofread????

words: 14.5K

If there was one thing that Harry hated, it was a spoiled brat. He hated when people got whatever they wanted without even working for it. If he ever had kids, he would teach them the value of a dollar. You, however, were an exception to that rule.

Harry steps out of his office, and smells his favorite scent in the world. There was this perfume you’d wear that smells like raspberries. You were officially home for summer vacation, and you had to be here visiting your mother, who was Harry’s boss.

“Carol, is Y/N here?” Harry asks his secretary.

“Yes, she came by to have lunch with Cheryl. She just finished grad school, can you believe it?”

“That’s incredible…so that would make her what? Twenty-three?”

“She turns twenty-four later this summer.” She smiles.

This was good, Harry was only twenty-seven, so that wasn’t that big if an age difference. Carol knew Harry had a crush on you, even though he had never admitted it. He’d been working at the company for five years, so he’s known you for a while now. He’s always kept his distance, though. You went to a private school in high school, and you used to come to the office in your uniform after school. You were a senior at the time, but Harry still felt weird being attracted to you at that time. And sure, Harry’s had a couple of girlfriends that he really liked, even loved. It’s not like he was obsessed with you or anything. He just…thought you were cute.

You and your mother come out of her office giggling. Harry stands up straight and makes sure his tie isn’t all out of sorts.

“Harry, good I’m glad you’re here.” Cheryl starts. “You remember my daughter, Y/N.”

“Sure, hi.” He smiles.

“Hi, Mr. Styles.” You smile.

“Oh, honey, no need to be so formal, especially now that you’re joining the team.” Cheryl beams.

“What?” Harry asks.

“Harry, I know you and I usually discuss new hires, but Y/N officially has her MBA, and well, she really wants to work here.”

“I have since I was a kid. I’m really excited.”

“She’ll be your new assistant. Gotta start her somewhere.”

“But…that’s Carol’s job.”

“Carol is the office secretary, not a personal assistant. You’ve been asking for one for quite some time. I thought you’d be more excited.” She raises an eyebrow at Harry.

Harry looks at Carol, and Carol just smiles nervously.

“I think it’s great.” Carol says. “But a girl with an MBA…that’s a little too entry level, don’t you think?”

“Well, I certainly couldn’t start her as an associate director.” Cheryl laughs.

“It’s okay, I know I need to work my way up. I have, like, zero experience. This’ll be my first real job, so I really don’t mind being Harry’s assistant. I’m good at answering phones and writing messages down.” You smile. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“I didn’t think you would. This’ll be great. When do you officially start?”

“Monday. I was just coming by today to pass in some paperwork to H.R.”

Before the end of the day, Harry knocks on Cheryl’s door. She tells him to come in and he sits down.

“What can I do for you?” She smiles.

“So…why’d you choose me to work with Y/N? There’s plenty of people here that could use an assistant.”

“To be honest, Harry, I trust you. You’re close in age with her, you can give her advice on what it’s like just starting out. You were just a mail boy when you started.”

“That was when I was just an intern when I was still in school.” He chuckles.

“And we just loved you so we hired you. You’ve grown up a lot over the last five years, and you work so hard. I think she could really learn a lot from you. I’ll let you in on a little secret too, she actually asked if you needed an assistant.”

“She did?” He perks up. “I mean, uh, did she now?”

“Yes…I think she may have a small crush on you, but don’t mind her. If it makes you uncomfortable I can have her-“

“No!” He takes a deep breath. “No, it’ll be fine. She probably won’t like me much once she gets to know me anyways.”

“She knows you well enough. You’ve been to the house enough times for parties.” She laughs. “In fact, I’m hoping you and Amy will come skiing with us again this winter.”

“Oh, uh, Amy and I broke up.”

“Oh no.” She frowns. “I’m sorry, Harry.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugs. “Just wasn’t mean to be, but I’ll totally come skiing.” He grins. “Could be dating someone else by then anyways.”

“Very true.”

Monday morning you show up bright and early. You had a nice light purple blouse on with a black pencil skirt. Your mom had taken you shopping for some new work clothes, and you loved them. You had stopped off at a coffee place and grabbed a ton of different coffees and doughnuts. You wanted to make a good first impression. Most people knew you as Cheryl’s littler girl, but you were almost twenty-four, you weren’t a little girl anymore.

Harry always went to the gym before work, and would eat his breakfast in the breakroom before changing. He stops short when he sees you bent over the table making everything look nice.

“Morning.” He says, and you stand up straight right away.

“Hi, Harry…uh, coffee?” You gesture to the table of assorted drinks.

“Maybe in a bit.” He scrunches his face at the drinks. “Any of those just black?”

“Um…no…do people actually like black coffee?”

“I do.” He smirks. “You’ll want to know that. As my assistant, I’ll expect a coffee on my desk every morning.”

“Oh, uh, alright-“

“Y/N.” He chuckles. “I’m just teasing, I can get my own coffee.” Harry shakes his head and reaches to open one of the cupboards. He pulls out a box of protein bars and takes one out.

“No doughnut either?”

“Hmm….” He peers over and sees a chocolate glazed. “Save that one f’me?”

“Sure!”

“Thanks, I’ll have it after lunch.” He slings his gym bag over his shoulder. “Now, I usually go change in my office, so, don’t come in.”

“I won’t…do you always go to the gym before work?”

“Yup, helps wake me up, gets me ready for the day.”

“Cool.” You smile.

Everyone else in the office was very quick to snatch up the things you brought in, gaining major brownie points. Your mom was happy to see you take a little initiative. For most of the day you sat in on various meetings. You and Harry didn’t even have much time to talk. He shares his calendar with you so you can see when he’s busy, and you share yours with him as well. You had a nice size desk right outside his office. You brought some things with you to decorate it, pictures of friends and what not. Right before lunch, a few people come over to Harry’s office, women. One of them is about to open his door, but you stop her.

“Sorry, Mr. Styles is busy.”

“It’s okay, I’m a friend. It’s almost lunch.”

“But he’s on a call.” Your eyes peer over to the screen where you can clearly see on his calendar that he’s busy.

She sucks her teeth and looks at the other women.

“Fine…guess we’ll see him later then.” She sighs and they all walk away. A few moment later Harry slowly opens his door.

“That was brilliant, thank you.” You turn to look at him. “Those three always try to have lunch with me, it’s pretty annoying. Now I have a barrier that they have to get through.” He checks his watch. “Gotta go. Have a good lunch.”

“Thanks, you too.”

You go into Harry’s office and place the doughnut he had asked you for on his desk. When he gets back he smiles and picks it up.

“Wanna split it?”

“Sure!”

It looked so small in his large hand. You take the half from him and eat it happily.

“Come in around four, we can talk about your first day and what the rest of the week will look like. Sorry things have been so busy.”

“It’s okay, I feel like I’m already learning a lot.” You tuck some hair behind your ear. “I’m really glad I get to work for someone so chill. I was worried I was going to get stuck with Phil.” You laugh.

“Yeah, that would’ve been boring. He’s been here nearly thirty years. Think he has grandkids your age.”

“Gross.” You say and it makes Harry laugh.

At four you come into his office with a notepad. He had loosened his tie a bit, and his sleeves were rolled up.

“I’m really glad this place has A/C.” You say.

“Believe it or not your mum had to fight for that. It was before I started, but she made it happen.”

“Probably the hot flashes.” You start laughing and then you stop. “Sorry, TMI.”

“It’s alright. Didn’t think she went through the change yet.”

“Well, you know my oldest sibling is like…thirty-two right?”

“Ah, forgot you were the baby.”

“Hey.” You pout. “I may be the youngest, but I’m not a baby.”

“You’re the most fun. Your siblings didn’t even ski last year on that trip. They just sat around.” He rolls his eyes. “Anyways, let’s talk about your first day, how was it?”

“Good! I was a little nervous, but it was good. A lot to take in, but I’ll catch on.”

“Where do you see yourself going?”

“I want my mom’s job someday.”

“Ambitious.”

“I’m willing to work for it.”

“Well, you’ll have to wait a little while because when your mum retires, I’m hoping that spot’ll be mine.”

“Okay, so I’ll take your job in the meantime.” You smirk.

“Sounds like a plan.” He chuckles. “Anyways, you have a chance to look at my calendar?”

“Mhm, you have a lot of meetings this week.”

“That’s right, so I’ll need you alert for the phone. Oh, and some meetings I’d like you in on to take notes. Makes it easier for me to pay attention if I don’t have to have my laptop in front of me.”

“Okay.”

“This is your first real job, so I wanna make sure you know about burn out. You’ll accumulate time off, use it. Same with sick time. Mental health is important and you may feel overwhelmed at times. You’ll probably feel really tired by the end of the week. Make sure to check in with me about how you’re feeling. If there’s something you need, we’ll make sure you get it, okay?”

“Thanks, Harry.”

“Just paying it forward. This can be a really great place to work, you just need to know the right people. You know Carol, obviously. She’s the best. Don’t be afraid to go to her for help. She was amazing to me.”

“Yeah, her daughter used to babysit me.”

“Right.” He clears his throat.

“I think you’re the only person here that never saw me with braces.” You laugh. “I think you came on when I was, like, a senior in high school.”

“Sounds about right.”

“You were always so polite. I couldn’t believe it. When I got to college I always hoped the boys would be like you, but they weren’t.” You shrug.

“Okay, well, I think that’s enough for today. Why don’t you head home?”

“Would you mind walking me down to my car?”

“Oh, well, I’m not done for the day yet. I usually stay until six just to wrap things up.”

“Okay, then I’ll stay too.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

“You’re not allowed to. Your day ends at 4:30.” He runs a hand through his hair. “But I could take the stroll down to the parking garage with you if that makes you feel more comfortable.”

“If you don’t mind, I felt sort of sketched out this morning.”

“I get here at the same time every day. You can just wait for me if you want in the mornings, and we can walk up together.”

“I’d like that.”

Working with Y/N was great. Harry absolutely loved it. You kept him organized and taken care of. You stalked the cupboards with his favorite protein bars, and had started picking up his coffee, just because you wanted to. He always praised you and told you how much he appreciated everything you did.

You were good at your work too. He could give you a project and you’d have it done within a couple of days. You were determined and efficient. He could definitely see you moving up fast, which sort of made him sad. He’d keep you forever if he could, but that would be selfish. He thought his little crush on you would be distracting, but it wasn’t. It almost made you get along even better.

Your mom always hosted a company Labor Day party. You had a huge backyard with a large in ground pool. You couldn’t believe how fast the summer went by, but you were happy to be in a routine. You loved this pool party, and now you were there as an employee. It was always catered with the best food, and your friends would come by. This year, though, you didn’t invite them. You wanted to seem professional with everyone. You even wore a one piece bathing suit with a little sheer skirt tied around your waist.

You were walking around, mingling, when you saw Harry walk in. Usually he brought some pretty date, but the only thing in his arms was a platter of food he offered to bring, and some beers. You were excited that he hadn’t gotten back together with Amy, or that he had met someone new.

“Harry!” You exclaim when you go into the kitchen.

“Hi, Y/N.”

“You don’t look dressed to swim.” You tease him.

“Not really planning on it this year.”

“But it’s so hot out.”

“Drinks will keep me cool.” He winks at you and cracks open one of his beers. “Does it ever get annoying to have so many people around your house?”

“Well, technically, this isn’t my house anymore. I moved into the pool house last month and started paying my mom rent. I wanted to have a little more freedom, you know? But it’s just her in this big place now so I felt bad wanting to fully leave. She said she’s putting the rent money in an account for me so one day when I do buy a house or something, I’ll have something to start with. Plus, it gets me in the habit of paying bills.”

“Look at you, becoming a real adult.” He nudges you and you both go outside. “You’ll be twenty-four soon, right?”

“Mhm, next weekend. I’m going away with my friends. I’m leaving early Friday, don’t forget.”

“Got it on my calendar.”

He smiles and walks away. Of course he does, he wanted to talk with the other, older people at the party. Your mother adored Harry, she always had. Your step-dad liked him a lot too. You were sipping on some wine while the sun was setting, and the party was dwindling. You go over to Harry who was backed into a corner by one of the ladies from finance.

“Harry?”

“Oh, hi! So glad you found me, how about a tour of the pool house?”

“Sure!”

“Excuse us, she’s been dying to show me all day.” Harry says to the woman. He grabs your wrist and leans in. “Walk fast, or she’ll follow.”

You giggle as you both basically sprint away. You key into the pool house and lead him in.

“Oh, wow, this is actually really cool.”

“Thanks! We sort of used it as a guest house anyways, so it didn’t need much work. Just some paint and new furniture. It’s like a little one bedroom apartment. I love it. My friends can come over and we don’t have to worry about being quiet or keeping anyone up. It’s been working out great for everyone so far.”

“I’m happy for you.” He says, looking around. “It’s nice having privacy, isn’t it? I remember when I had saved up enough to move out.”

“Do you have your own house?”

“Haven’t bought any property yet, no. Suppose I could, but I’m fine renting for now. My place isn’t small though.”

“How come you haven’t yet?”

“I don’t know, I just figured I’d buy a house with someone, you know?” He sits down on the arm rest of your couch. “I mean, what if I bought a house, and the girl I was with wanted a different house? I’d want to make it ours. I’ve always wanted to buy my girl the house of her dreams.”

“I thought you didn’t like buying things for people.” You smirk. “But I suppose that’s really sweet.”

“It’s one thing if it’s a gift. I just don’t believe in giving people every little thing they want. They should work for it, you know?”

“My mom was really good about that when we were growing up. She said no all the time. I mean, we were spoiled a little, but at least we’re not brats.”

“True, you could be way brattier.”

“Hey.” You put your hands on your hips.

“Just teasing.”

Just as you were about to step closer to him, your mother opened your door.

“There you are, people are leaving, and…oh…am I interrupting something?” Cheryl asks, a little too eagerly.

“No, mom.”

“She was just helping me escape from Beth in finance.”

“She’s gone.”

“Great, coast is clear.” He stands up. “Better get going myself. Thanks again for a great party. Sorry Ed had to be traveling.”

“You’ll have to come over for dinner next time he’s home.”

“Sounds good, love hearing his traveling stories.”

He gives your mouth a hug, and out he goes. You glare at your mother.

“I’m so sorry.” She says. “I did interrupt.”

“You certainly cooled things by saying that.” You groan. “I finally got him alone, we were talking about things other than work for once! He likes the way I decorated.”

“Honey…Harry’s a little older than you, and you’re fresh out of school. He may just be looking for different things, we’ve talked about this.”

“It’s not like I’m right out of undergrad. I have my MBA, and I’m doing really well at work.”

“You are, you’re doing amazing. Come on, help me say goodnight to our guests.”

Harry had already gone to lunch when you were packing up your things to leave early for your girl’s weekend. You notice a card on your desk. You open it and smile. A Visa gift card slides out.

Don’t spend it all in one place. Don’t check your email. Have a great time, and happy birthday. – H

You bite your bottom lip and try not to squeal. That was so sweet of him. You pack up your things and head out. You send him a quick text saying thank you for the gift and out you go.

He missed you the rest of the afternoon, but your thank you text made him smile. You told all of your friends about Harry. He had given you a $100 gift card, which was way too much. He had to like you, there was no way he would have given that much money to just anyone.

For Thanksgiving, your family did things a little untraditionally and went skiing. It was something your mother’s family used to scrape together to do, and she continued the tradition with you and your siblings. She bought a huge house in the mountains when you were young. Her friends would come too, sometimes Ed’s parents as well. It was just for people to get together for an entire week, and then share a good meal.

Harry and his girlfriend at the time, Amy, came last year. To be fair you had brought a boy with you too, but it was nothing serious. He would be joining again this year, and he wouldn’t be bringing anyone with him. The house had separate wings, so guests wouldn’t be on top of each other.

There were some other young people there too, along with your siblings and their partners. You were excited to spend time with so many people. None of your siblings wanted anything to do with the family business, which you couldn’t understand. You loved working for your mom.

“Harry!” You hear your mom. “How were the roads?”

“Not too bad yet, just a bit icy.”

“Y/N, help Harry to his room. Look at all the things he’s carrying.”

“She doesn’t need to-“

“Don’t be silly. I’m used to helping you.” You giggle.

You carry one of his bags to his room.

“Thanks.” He walks around and makes sure he has his own bathroom like last time. “Perfect.” He smiles. “I can’t wait to hit the slopes. Is your mum making that green bean casserole again for the holiday? It’s so good.”

“Actually, uh, I make that.”

“Really? Should have known.” He smiles. “Which wing are you in this year?”

“Oh, I’m right across the hall from you actually. My siblings have babies and I didn’t want to risk losing sleep. Is that okay that I’ll be so close by?”

“Definitely. I don’t know who else is going to be here, so it’ll be nice to have a friend so close by. Sure you don’t mind spending so much time with your boss?”

“You’re, like, the best boss ever. Don’t mind at all. Besides, you’re on my turf now.” You step closer to him.

“Oh, is that right?”

“Mhm.”

You hear your name being called from down the hall and you sigh.

“You’ll ski with me tomorrow, right?” He asks before you leave.

“Only if you use the hot tub with me. Gonna need to relax after a long of day of hitting the slopes.” You wink and off you go.

Your mom and Ed make a huge dinner for everyone that night. People were drinking and having a great time. You all head to bed early so those that plan to go skiing and snowboarding, can.

The next morning you get all your gear on, and head to the kitchen. Harry was sipping on his black coffee.

“Should I have made that for you?” You smirk and fill your own mug, adding a little creamer to it.

“You’re off the clock, remember.” He takes another sip. “Want some eggs?” He points to the pan of scrambled eggs he made up for everyone.

“Sure! Thanks, Harry.” You beam.

You both share a nice, quiet breakfast together until everyone else comes racing in. Someone makes bacon, and breakfast sausage to go along with the eggs. Harry offers to drive you up to the mountain, no one really seems to notice.

You and Harry have a great day taking runs together. You stop off for a quick lunch at the lodge. Just as you were bringing over a couple of hot chocolates you see him talking to some random girls. You watch as he laughs along at some joke. You hated watching him flirt. He was too good at it. You walk over and hand him his hot chocolate.

“There she is.” He hooks his arm around you and takes the cup of hot chocolate. “Told you ladies my girlfriend would be right back.” He looks at you with a please help me face. “Thanks for the drink, babe.”

“My pleasure.” You kiss his cheek. “Who are your new friends?”

“Oh, we were just leaving.” One of them rolls their eyes and they all leave.

“Nice touch.” He lets go of you and takes a sip of the warm drink. “Mm, this is good.”

“They were bothering you?”

“They invited me to some party. They have to be in college or something. I told them I had a girlfriend. Sorry about that.”

“No worries, it was easy to play along.” You both smile at each other, and he blushes slightly. “Hope it’s okay that I did that.”

“Didn’t mind at all.”

After a few more hours, your legs were starting to get sore. You take a shower the second you get home, and you all eat another big meal together. Ed gets a fire started. Some people play card games. Harry even gets into a game of poker with some of the guys. You announce you’re going to get the hot tub started.

“Oh, that sounds like fun.” Your sister says.

Your mom watches as Harry gets up from his chair to go to his room to change.

“Janey, honey, stay inside, would you?”

“Why?”

“Because I think Harry’s going to join your sister…”

“So?”

“So, why not give them some privacy?” Ed says.

“Ah, I see, so you’re letting her work for you as a way to match them up?” She scoffs.

“No.” Your mother sounds offended. “I just think they’d make a cute couple, and it’s much more appropriate now, so-“

“Mum, she works for him…”

“There’s nothing against it in our H.R. policy. As long as they disclose things if they decide to date, it’s not a big deal. You also didn’t ski all day. You can use the hot tub tomorrow.”

You get a two piece on and throw a robe over yourself. You go outside to the back deck where the large hot tub was, and get the jets started. You slip your robe off and get in. A few minutes later Harry comes out with a t-shirt and trunks on.

“Alright if I join you?”

“Yeah! I basically asked you to yesterday.”

You look away as he takes his t-shirt off. You look at him once he’s in. You knew Harry was littered with tattoos. You’d seen him without a shirt on plenty of times. He’d been coming to your house and family gatherings for years. Your mom was really good at creating positive work environments where the boss didn’t need to be this person to be feared. She was a woman of the people, and that’s how you wanted to be. Harry had learned a lot of leadership skills from her, maybe that’s why he was such a great supervisor to you as well. You watch as a sigh leaves his lips and it makes you smile.

“What’s better than this?” He asks, looking at you.

“Not much.”

“Do your legs hurt much?”

“A little. I stretched quickly when I got home.”

“You looked great out there today, you’re fearless on those black diamonds.”

“Oh…thanks.” If your cheeks weren’t already flushed from the steam, they would be from his compliment. You knew he just meant your form and not necessarily your clothes, but still.

“Did I tell you that Paula invited me for Thanksgiving?”

“No!” You gasp. “You’re kidding?!”

“Nope.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Jocelyn did too, as if neither of them knew I hang with your family. I told them and they were shocked I wanted to go skiing with the boss again. Your mum’s like family to me at this point.”

“You also don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving.” You giggle. “Why go to someone’s home you barely know when you can basically just go on an early winter getaway?”

“Exactly! I don’t understand the women we work with, honestly. The second the picture of Amy left my desk it was like…I don’t know they stopped seeing me as a colleague and more like prey.”

“Does it bother you that so many women flirt with you?”

“It’s not just the women.” He smirks. “And no…not really. It’s mostly harmless. It’s not like they’re putting their hands on me or anything. And it’s not that none of them are attractive or anything.” He sinks a little further in and rests his head on the back of the cushion provided. “I just don’t want to date someone I work with.”

Your heart falls into your stomach. Why would he say something like this to you? You two sort of flirted at work, but mostly things were professional. He met you every morning to walk you upstairs, and he’d always bring you down to your car. Even if he was in a late afternoon meeting, he’d excuse himself at 4:30 to make sure you got downstairs okay.

“I mean, what’s there to talk about when you get home? I suppose if you work in separate divisions that’s not so bad. But the other person knows what you do all day. Seems a little boring.”

“But on the flip side, that person would know exactly what you’re going through and would be able to relate and understand your schedule. Why did you and Amy break up?”

“Uhh.” Harry has to really think about it. It was so long ago now. “We had started talking about moving in together, and she couldn’t understand why I would never try to get out of work earlier so we could go look at places. I stay late so I can leave my work at work. I would try to explain that to her. And then when I would come home early I’d have to be on my laptop answering emails. She didn’t feel prioritized, which I understood was annoying.”

“See? Someone you work with would totally understand.”

“She was also a couple years older than I am, and I could tell she felt like her clock was ticking.” He shrugs. “I wasn’t ready for all the steps she was, at the time.”

“You do tend to date a lot of older women.” You chuckle. “I think one time you brought a woman almost ten years older than you to one of our dinner parties.”

“I used to go out with a lot of divorced women.” He smiles.

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I was young and it was easy to not commit to them. Some of them had kids and stuff, it was an easy out.”

“So you would date just to…fuck and then leave, essentially?”

“I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but I think deep down I saw it as a way that I could be with someone without fully needing to commit. Again, I was young and stupid.”

“You’re still young.”

“And maybe just a little less stupid.”

“Only a little.”

“And what about you? I think I’ve seen you bring every type of guy home with you. Jocks, artists, short guys, tall guys…”

“It’s easier to bring someone to family functions, you know how it is. Some of them were just friends. I never knew which things you were going to come to.” You say nonchalantly.

“Why would me being there matter?”

You realize now what you’ve admitted.

“You know, there’s a fridge out here full of wine, why don’t I-?” You start to get up, but he puts his hand on your shoulder to sit you back down.

“Just answer the question, Y/N.”

“Well…if we’re talking about being young…I obviously had a crush on you…back then.” You were starting to sweat, and it wasn’t from the steam popping out of the bubbles and jets. “I mean, what other teenage girl liked visiting their mom at work as much as I did? I remember the first time I saw you too, I came in after school to drop something off since I was able to drive myself, and I nearly passed out. You were talking with my mom and I felt too nervous to walk up to you. I never felt more like a child in my life. I gushed to my mom about you, and she told me you actually weren’t that much older than I was.”

“So you’d come around more just to see me? You never said more than hello?” He smirks.

“I was way too nervous. You know I almost asked you to take me to my prom?! How embarrassing.” You laugh. “One of my friends took me, obviously.”

“I remember when you came to the office in your dress.”

“It wouldn’t have been so weird if we got together. I was eighteen my entire senior year.”

“You still had a lot of growing up to do. Eighteen legally means you’re an adult, but other than that you’re still just a kid.”

“I realized that the second I got to college. I had a major culture shock. I mean, I was able to do my laundry myself, unlike other kids, but I definitely learned that a maid wasn’t coming around to make my bed or take out the trash. I grew up even more in grad school when I had my own apartment. My mom paid for it, but still.” You shrug. “I was really on my own.”

“Are you happy you went to grad school right after?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I would have gone back if I hadn’t just done it. You have your MBA, right?”

“Mhm, got it a couple years ago through this online program your mum helped me find. It was the only way I was able to move up the way I did.”

“So…it doesn’t totally weird you out that I had a thing for you?”

“Nah.” He smiles. “It’s flattering.”

You may have been willing to expose yourself, but Harry wasn’t. How could he say he had a thing for you too? It still felt weird to him. There was a reason he kept his distance from you. Now, things were less weird. You were twenty-four and he was twenty-seven, almost twenty-eight. You weren’t a child anymore.

“And it’s not weird to say this to my supervisor either?” You cock an eyebrow at him.

“We’re off the clock, away from the office. Besides that, I won’t be your supervisor forever. You’re doing really well, you’ll move up soon.”

“Thanks.”

You desperately just wanted to lunge at him, throw your whole body and mind at him and have him fuck you right there in the hot tub, but the jets slowly came to a stop.

“Think that means we’re supposed to get out. Not supposed to stay in these things long.”

You watch as Harry stands up, your eyes following the droplets of water falling from his chest. He gets out and grabs a towel quickly. He picks up your robe and hands it to you. He looks in the other direction as you stand up and grab it from him.

“Fucking cold out.” He says and you start giggling.

You both go inside and go to your wing of the house.

“You looked away when I got out.” You say as you reach your doors.

“Pardon?”

“When I stood up and got out, you looked away.”

“I was just trying to give you your privacy.”

“Why?”

Now Harry was sweating.

“Because I’m not a guy who ogles women, okay?”

“Are you sure about that? I see the way you glance at me in the office. You’re always complimenting my clothes.”

“You wear nice clothes. Right now, you’re not wearing much, so I didn’t look.”

“My, what a gentleman.” You step a little closer to him. “I don’t mind if you look.” You whisper and then step away from him. “Goodnight, Harry.”

“Goodnight.” He swallows hard as he watches you walk into your room. He goes into his room and locks his door. He wasn’t sure if you were playing a game, but he wouldn’t play it…not while on vacation with your family.

The next day he finds himself on the chair lift with your mother. You all had enjoyed a nice breakfast together before heading off to your various activities.

“Sleep well, Harry?”

“Yeah, beds are super comfortable.”

“You don’t mind having it to yourself this time around?”

“Not at all, I can really stretch out.” He chuckles.

“How was the hot tub? It working okay?”

“Uh…yeah…how did you know I used it?”

“Well, the second after Y/N left to go change you got up as well. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist.”

“She had mentioned it the night before. I asked her to ski with me yesterday, and she had said yes, but only if I joined her.”

“Right.” She smiles. “Was it just you two out there?”

“It was.”

“And how was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you enjoy spending time with my daughter? Outside of work, I mean. You both work so well together. You’ve helped her out a lot there, you’re almost like a mentor now. She’ll move up quickly. She’ll be your equal before you know it.”

“She’s very bright.”

“She is. Anyways, outside of work, you both also make a great pair.”

They both jump off the chair once they’re at the top of the mountain.

“What exactly are you saying, Cheryl?”

“I’m saying I’m okay with it.”

“Okay with what?”

“If you wanted to date her, ask her out, whatever, I’d be okay with it. She’s grown woman, she can make her own choices. I would just hope you two weren’t scared to go for it because of me.”

“Cheryl…I…”

“If you don’t like her like that, then I apologize for overstepping. I’m not one of those overprotective people that’s going to stand in the way. I just ask that if you two decide to date, you disclose it with H.R. and keep things as professional in the workplace as possible.”

Before Harry has a chance to say anything, she begins her run down the mountain. He was thoroughly confused. Had she essentially just given him her blessing and permission to ask you out? He wanted to, he really wanted to, but was now the right time? On a fucking family vacation?

After the tiring day of taking a crack at snowboarding, you realized skiing was definitely the winter sport for you. Harry had just finished showering and gotten dressed in a sweater and pair of slacks. You were hanging out in your room, just taking some time to scroll on your phone. You hear a knock on your door.

“It’s open!” You call, not looking up from your phone. You were laying on your stomach, with your feet hanging in the air as your knees were bent. Your door opens and you sit up immediately when you see it’s Harry. He leans in the doorway.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

“How was your day?”

“Good, I tried snowboarding.”

“That’s nice. I went skiing with your mum.”

“Oh, I bet she enjoyed that.”

“She did.” He looks you up and down and squints at your comfy clothes. “Get dressed.”

“Why? We don’t need to be fancy for dinner.”

“Yes we do, because we’re going out tonight.”

“Oh, well no one told me.” You say, annoyed that the messaged hadn’t been relayed. You suppose it made sense since you’d all be cooking a lot once Thanksgiving actually came around.

“You’re misunderstanding me.”

You stop short as you reach your dresser.

“Then explain.”

“You and I are going out to eat. I’m taking you out.”

“Why?”

“So we can be alone.”

Your jaw nearly drops. Both of your eyebrows raise at him. It wasn’t exactly the nicest way for him to ask. This was how he spoke to people in meetings sometimes so they knew he meant business. It always sent a surge through you to see him be so…powerful.

“Would you like that?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, you’ve got thirty minutes.”

With that, he grabs your door handle and closes your door for you. You were stunned, but giddy. You pull out a cute sweater and a pair of jeans to wear with a nice pair of boots. You fix your hair and makeup, and you’re ready to go. Harry was waiting for you in the living room. He had already told your mother he was taking you out for dinner, and she had told everyone not to make a big fucking deal about it. He hands you your coat and out the door the two of you go. He opens the car door for you, and then he gets in on his side to start driving.

“So, where are we going?”

“Do you remember that Italian place we went to last year? I’ve got a craving for pasta and bread, lots and lots of bread.”

“Skiing all day will do that to you.” You giggle. “Works for me.”

“Good.”

His glove covered hand reaches for your and he intertwines his fingers with yours, resting the conjoined fist on your thigh. He doesn’t look at you, he keeps his eyes on the road. This was his subtle way of saying that was, in fact, a date. You give his hand a little squeeze to let him know that, in fact, you were okay with it.

Once you’re at the restaurant, he opens your door for you again, and leads you inside. You stay close to him for warmth, it was freezing outside.

“Hello, how many?” The hostess asks.

“Two, please.” Harry says.

“That’ll be fifteen minutes. Here’s a buzzer. Feel free to grab a drink at the bar while you wait.” She smiles and he takes the buzzer from her.

“Wanna grab a drink?” You ask him.

“No, we can just get a bottle ordered for the table.” He notices your slight disappointment. “Is that alright?”

“Yeah, makes sense.”

You both wait awkwardly until the buzzer buzzes and you’re brought to a table. You take your coat off and hang it on the back of your chair, and he does the same.

“You can pick the wine.” He says, smiling. “I’m fine with whatever you like.”

“Well, I’ll wanna pick out something that would taste good with our meal. I was thinking chicken parm.”

“You know, so was I.”

“Perfect, then a bottle of red…some merlot maybe?”

“Sounds good to me.”

A waiter comes over with water and bread, and takes your full order. You butter your bread and take a bite.

“Mm, so fresh.” You say, and dab your mouth with your napkin.

“It’s delicious. I won’t even be mad at myself if I fill up on it.”

The waiter comes back with the bottle of wine and opens it for you both. He pours the glasses and leave you alone after. You both clink your glasses together and take a sip.

“So.” You say.

“So.” He repeats.

“Why is this happening?”

“Because…I-“

“I thought you didn’t want to date people you worked with.”

“You’re the exception.”

You were the exception for a lot of things. Harry only exclusively dated older women, and here you were three years younger than he was. He hated spoiled rich kids. But here you were, not so spoiled, but definitely rich. He hated brats, but here you were, knowing full well how much of a brat you could be if you really felt like it.

“Well, don’t I feel lucky.” You say, sarcastically with a smirk of your own.

“Do you not want to be on a date with me?”

“No, I do. I have for a long time, obviously.”

“Obviously.” He repeats.

“How long have you wanted to take me out for?”

“Too long.”

You smile and bite your bottom lip as he smiles and takes a careful sip of his wine.

“You know you’re cute, come off it.” He says.

“Oh, so you only like me for that fact alone?”

“Not true. I like a lot of things about you, but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of listing them.”

Your food is brought over and you both thank the food runner before diving in. He watches as you elegantly twirl your spaghetti with your fork onto the large spoon so you don’t make a mess. He starts with his chicken.

“This is as good as I remember.” He says. “Much better company this time around though.” He grins and it makes you blush.

“I agree.”

It’s a good date, a really good date. You were able to open up to him about things you wouldn’t normally. You talked about what your friends were doing with their lives. He talked about his friends as well. Some of them were married, some of them were traveling. He was sort of just in the middle, and fine with it. You don’t finish all of your food, the plates were far too big, but you both wrap it up to take it home. Someone was bound to eat it. You’re both given minty chocolates and Harry squares up the check.

“Thanks for paying.” You say as you get your coat back on.

“Don’t mention it.” He says, taking your hand and leading you out of the restaurant.

When he pulls into the driveway of the large house, he only pulls partially in before parking, keeping the car on, heat blasting.

“What are you doing?”

“M’not ready to go in yet. Not sure I want our date to be over already.” He unbuckles and turns slightly to look at you. You unbuckle as well so you can look at him comfortably.

“Good thing it went well, could make the rest of the week pretty awkward.”

Harry laughs at that and nods his head. He grabs a tic tac from his console and pops one in his mouth.

“Want one?”

“Please.” You hold your hand out and he shakes the small container so one comes out. “People don’t value tic tacs enough. They’re the perfect little mints, you know?” You say, sucking on it.

“You’re really cute, you know that?” He leans his are on the steering wheel so he can rest his chin on his palm. He was smiling at you, just truly enjoying your company. “I have that thought at work nearly twenty times a day, and I never get to say it loud.”

“Well, you should. Nothing wrong with an ego boost, right?”

“Y/N.” He chuckles. “Why would I say something that could so easily make you uncomfortable?” His mouth forms into a straight line. “I would never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable where they work. Why do you think I keep my distance, physically? I never lean over your desk, or get too close to you.”

“I appreciate that a lot. You definitely make me feel comfortable.”

“Good. I’d feel terrible if I ever did something…”

“Harry.” You put your hand over the one he wasn’t resting his chin on. “It’s all good.” You smile. “You’ve always been really professional, and respectful.” You give him a reassuring smile. “But we’re not at work right now, so if you wanna get a little closer to me…I wouldn’t mind.”

“So, what you’re saying is…” He lifts his chin from his palm and gently cups one of you cheeks. “If I were to kiss you right now, that would be okay?”

“More than okay.”

He smiles and leans in. You close your eyes in anticipation, and smile once his lips are on yours. You always wondered if something like this would ever happen with him. It mostly happened in unclear, faded dreams. His hand gently moves to the back your neck to pull your closer to him. Your hands find the front of his jacket so you can also tug him closer to you. It was difficult kissing in the front seats of the car, but you were trying to just focus on the way he kissed you.

He sighs happily against you. You get a little carried away and take his parted lips as an invitation to gently bite down on his bottom lip. You let go of him and look up at him through your lashes. He doesn’t let you get to far away before he slots his mouth over yours, and you both essentially grope each other. The windows in the car were starting to fog as you both started breathing heavily, and you weren’t even kissing with tongue! Not yet, anyways. You both still easily tasted like Italian food, the tic tacs only helped a little. Harry could feel the front of his pants tightening and that was when he decided to pull away.

“Right.” He clears his throat and adjusts his jacket. “They’re probably wondering, uh, where we are so.”

Before you can say anything, he throws the car in drive and gets you the rest of the way up the driveway. He gets out and opens the door for you. All you do is smile. You couldn’t stop even if you wanted to. When you get inside various people are hanging around the fireplace. Some people are playing cards, and your mother was in the kitchen getting certain dishes prepared so there was less to do on Thanksgiving itself.

“Hey, you two.” Ed says, with a smile. “There’s some hot chocolate in the crockpot if you’re interested.”

“Thanks, Ed.” Harry smiles and takes his coat off. “Would you like some?”

“Please.” You say and hang up the coats.

Harry gets two mugs and fills them up with the homemade drink. Cheryl smiles at the two of you as you walk in and take a sip.

“How was dinner?” She asks.

“Good, we went to that Italian place we all went to last year. Still just as good, if not better.” You tell her.

“Glad to hear it.” She smiles. “Everyone’s just been relaxing. I think tomorrow we’re taking a trip out for a little hike, and then in the evening we’re going to look at those ice castles. They look so much better at night. Then taking a break on Thanksgiving of course. Too much cooking to do.”

“Sounds good, mum.” You finish your drink and stick the mug in the sink. “Think I’m gonna go get cozy for the night.” You give her a kiss on the cheek and give Harry a look before going to your room.

Cheryl smirks at Harry.

“What?”

“You had a good time, then?”

“Yes.” He chuckles and rinses out the two mugs. He leans against the counter and crosses his arms, studying Cheryl. “What’s your angle with all this? Mum’s usually like me, but you’re really adamant about this.”

“As Y/N’s mother, I want her to be happy. She’s gushed about you for years, and well, you’re both at an appropriate age now, I think it’s fine if you date. I know you really well, Harry. You’re not the type to hurt a girl. Even if it didn’t work out, I know you’d still be sweet about it. I trust you with her. No other angle than I think you could make her happy, I think you could make each other happy. Things didn’t work out with my first husband, that’s why divorce is a thing. Ed and I make each other happy, I didn’t have that before. I see the way you two look at each other. You have something, and it would be silly to not go for it.” She puts her knife down that she was using to chop some vegetables. “I suppose it seems like I’m trying to pimp her out, doesn’t it?” She laughs.

“Little bit.” Harry laughs with her.

“Well, I don’t mean to. She can make those choices on her own.” She looks in the direction you had walked off. “Something tells me she’s waiting for you.”

“And you’re alright with that.”

“Well, maybe just don’t get busy while we’re all under one roof, but it might be nice to have an after date chat, don’t you think? Hang out a little?”

Harry laughs and shakes his head. He makes his way down the hall where his bedroom is. He uses the bathroom, brushes his teeth, and then changes into some sweatpants. He puts a long sleeve bed shirt on as well. He opens his door and sees yours is a crack open. He taps on the door frame.

“Y/N?”

“It’s open.” You say, this time a little less loud. He opens the door and sees you on the bed in your pj’s, snuggled up. “Come in.”

He smiles and closes the door behind him. He sits down on the edge of the bed.

“Wanna watch a movie? This TV has a chromecast.”

“Great idea.” He climbs up the bed to sit next to you as you set everything up. You put an easy going comedy on.

You lean back and he puts his arm around you so you can both get really cozy. It didn’t take long until you both passed out. You woke up in the middle of the night with Harry’s arms wrapped around you, his pelvis pressed to your butt. He liked to spoon, he could sleep comfortably like this with you. You sigh and fall back to sleep easily.

Harry woke up before you. He presses kisses to your temple before getting out of your bed. When you turn over you feel where he slept was still warm. He must have gotten up to start his day. You were a sweaty mess after your hike. You couldn’t wait for the sun to set so you could go to the ice castles and see them all lit up.

Harry held your hand the entire time, he even wraps his arms around your chest as he walked behind you, pointing out different ways the lights hit the ice. It was very romantic. Or, it would have been if your siblings weren’t around with their kids. But nonetheless, it was nice.

The next day you all help cook and set up for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. You sit right next to Harry, and he holds your hand under the table. You had driven up with your mom, but you opt to drive home with Harry the next day. You both were desperate to just be alone together.

“Do you want me to drop you off so you can unpack and all that? I can come grab you later if you want.”

“That’d be great, and I can just drive myself to your place if that’s easier.”

“Whatever works.”

He helps you get all your things inside, and after a few minutes of kissing, he leaves you to go take care of his own things. You shower and freshen up after unpacking, and then hop in your car to Harry’s. You weren’t sure what your evening would look like, but you didn’t really care. You were just happy to maybe do a little more than kiss.

You text him when you get to his place, and the doorman lets you in. You get into the elevator and head up. You knock on his door and he opens it, yanking you in and shoving you up against the wall next to the door. Clearly, he wanted to do more than kiss as well.

He had one hand cupping your cheek, and the other on the side of your neck to keep you in place. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer. His hands drift down your sides, and you feel yourself being hoisted up. You wrap your legs around his waist and he carries you down the hall to his bedroom. You tug at his hair as your tongue slips into his mouth. His molds to yours as he sets you down. He groans into you and it sends a shiver up your spine. You couldn’t take it anymore.

“Get on the bed.” You tell him. He sits down, but your shake your head. “Sit all the way back, I’m not kneeling on the hard wood.”

His eyebrows fly up when he realizes what you’re talking about. He quickly gets back further on the bed. You crawl on, and sit on his lap. He kisses on your neck while you roll your hips down on his. His hands slide to your ass to grope and squeeze at you. You nip at his lips before getting of his lap and settling between his legs. Your fingers fiddle with the button and zipper on his jeans.

“Is this okay?” You ask, looking up at him.

“Yes.” He breathes. “Do whatever you want.”

You grin and slide your hand inside his jeans, palming him above his boxers. His head rolls back from your touch alone. It was something he’s wanted for so long. You tug his jeans down, he lifts his hips to help you, and you get them all the way off. You lift his shirt slightly to kiss on his tattooed stomach as you work your way down. You tug his boxers down and his hard dick springs out, slapping against his stomach. Your eyes grow wide and you look up at him.

“Jesus.” You say under your breath as you start to rub your thumb over his tip.

“Fuck.” He breathes as his head rolls back again. He felt like he was being pampered.

You let go of him, only for a minute, to get some spit on your hand. You start pumping him up and down, slowly at first. You gets yourself settled on your knees, leaning forward so your ass was in the air, and you kiss his tip. He looks down as you swirl your tongue around him before sinking further down on his hard dick. You couldn’t take all of him, even if you tried, so you pump what won’t fit. One of his hands slides down your back and down to your ass to squeeze at you. His other hand works through your hair to hold it back for you. He moans out when you swallow around him and really start bobbing your head up and down.

“Feels so good, Y/N, fuck.” His hips buck up involuntarily, causing you to gag slightly on him. “Sorry, babe.”

You squeeze one his thighs to let him know it’s okay. Your eyes flicker to his tiger tattoo, and if you weren’t sucking him off you’d smile at it. Harry was so interesting. You couldn’t wait to learn everything about him. Like right now, you couldn’t wait to learn how he tasted, how he really tasted.

“Oh god, fuck, I’m gonna come.” He says through gritted teeth. “Y/N, you don’t have to, ah!”

One of your hands slides up to his throat. You just needed him to shut up for a second so you could focus on the task at hand. His eyes were wild while he looked down at the scene before him. Your little hand wrapped around his throat while you sucked on him vigorously. You move up to just suck his tip while his come shoots into your mouth. You suck and suck until he can’t stand it anymore. You pop off him and let his throat go free. You make eye contact with him while you swallow.

“You…you didn’t have to do that.” He says, while trying to get his breath.

“I know, I wanted to.” You wipe the corners of your mouth, and tug his boxers back up. He winces slightly from the sensitivity.

“Alright.” He lifts his shirt up overhead and pins you down, you giggle at his sudden movements. “Your turn.” He unzips, your pants, but you stop him.

“I can’t.”

“Wh-why not?” He pouts.

“I got my period this morning.”

“Of course.” He sighs and hangs his head.

“Sorry.” You giggle and runs your hand through his curls.

“It’s okay, know you have no control over it.” He sits back up against the headboard and pulls you into his arms. “That was really nice, thank you.” He pecks your lips and you smile.

“My pleasure.”

“Want me to order something for dinner? I haven’t had a chance to go grocery shopping yet.”

“How does Chinese sound?”

“Perfect.” He kisses you again before getting off his bed. You lay back and sigh. His bed was really comfy, you could get used to this.

Monday morning everyone was feeling refreshed from the holiday. You and Harry drove separately since you still finished work earlier than him. He walks you upstairs like always, only this time before he goes into his office to change out of his gym clothes, he gives you a kiss and a pat on the bum. He knew he had to be careful, though, not too much PDA in the office.

Once he was changed he comes out of his office. You had his coffee ready to go like always. He takes it happily, but decides to speak up.

“I wanna start getting my own coffee.”

“Why?” You frown.

“I feel weird with you doing that kind of stuff for me now that we’re…involved.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it?” You smirk.

“Hanging out, dating, whatever.” He shrugs. “Getting me coffee doesn’t fall under the umbrella other tasks as assigned.”

“But it did before?” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Only because it was an excuse to have a nice chat in the morning.” He smiles and sips his coffee. “You understand what I’m trying to say, though, right?”

“I do.” You smile at him, and then bite your lip. “Um…when do you, I mean, should we…”

“Let’s see how things go before we go to H.R., yeah?”

He could read your mind, and it gave you some relief.

“Okay.”

He winks at you and goes back into his office. He had a ton of emails to answer from being off last week.

“Y/N?” He calls for you and you go right in.

“Yes?” He shoots his eyes at you. “Mr. Styles.” You grin.

“If I forward you a few emails, could answer some people for me? I hate to make you the middle man, but some of this doesn’t need my attention.”

“Of course! Happy to help.” You smile.

“Thanks you.” He smiles back. “Would you mind closing my door? I have some calls to make.”

You nod and close the door behind you. He forwards you about ten emails, but you didn’t mind. It gave you something to do. You worked fast, so you often would get bored. He’s in and out of his office once his calls are made. When noon finally rolls around he comes out of his office and drums his fingers on your desk. You were standing up, thanks to having that kind of desk, and had your earbuds in. You raise an eyebrow at him and pause your music.

“Yes?”

“It’s lunch time.” He grins.

“So it is.”

“Would you like to join me?”

“Where?”

“Just in my office.” He shrugs.

“Alright.” You smile. “I just need to heat my food up.”

“Great, come in when you’re all set.”

You go to the breakroom to grab your good. You lean on the counter next to the microwave as you wait for your food to heat up. Paula and a couple of other women walk in.

“Oh, hi, Y/N.” She says.

“Hi ladies, have a good Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah, it was good. Probably not as good as yours though. Must be nice to go skiing.”

“It’s an old family tradition.”

“Well, it’s not just family though, is it?” She scoffs and grabs her good out of the fridge.

“Everyone that goes might as well be.” The microwave beeps and you grab your food. “Is there a problem?”

“Not at all.” She shrugs and puts her food in the microwave. “Must be nice, is all.”

“What?”

“To just get everything you want all the time.” Another woman says.

“I don’t…I work really hard for the things I have.”

“Right, must be nice to just pay mommy rent while you live in her pool house.”

“She’s alone a lot. My step-dad is a pilot, he’s not home with her when she’d like him to be. I wanted to move out and she asked me if I’d want to live in our…you know what? I don’t owe any of you an explanation. You can just be bitter.” You scoff and leave quickly. You go right into Harry’s office and sit down with a huff.

“Everything alright?”

“No.” You shake your head and angry stick your fork into your lunch. “There’s a bunch of bitches that work here, and I’m annoyed.” You sigh. “You don’t think everything’s been handed to me, do you?”

“I think you’ve lived a very blessed life, but your mum’s done a good job raising you. I’ve seen you act like a real brat before, but I wouldn’t call you spoiled or anything.”

“Gee, thanks.” You roll your eyes.

“Tell me what happened, what’s going on?”

“Paula and her crones were a little rude to me in the breakroom.”

“They’re just mad because I don’t pay them the time of day, and they’re jealous you work for me. I’m sorry you’re getting the brunt of that.”

“It’s okay…maybe we should go to H.R. sooner then. If they find out about anything before we disclose…they could just make it worse. The whole thing just feels so high school, it’s fucking stupid. Grow up.” You shake your head and take a bite of your food. You look at him. He had his chin resting on his palm, smiling at you. “What?”

“Nothing, you’re just cute when you get all fired up.”

“You think everything I do is cute.” You chuckle.

“You got me there.” He takes a bite of his own food. “We can go down a bit before you leave for the day if you like. I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable with anything. And…I mean…do you want me to talk to your mum?”

“About what?”

“I can tell her that the other women have been rude. I can tell her what they’ve said to me before too. Or I could just straight up talk to them myself. I don’t care.”

“Let’s just go to H.R. first.” You take a sip of your water. “I don’t wanna add fuel to the fire.”

“Fair enough.” He sighs. “So, how would you like to come over tonight? I have stuff to make this chicken and noodle dish in my instant pot. Only takes like thirty minutes once it’s altogether.”

“That sounds amazing, but I can’t. I make dinner with mom on Mondays. We make a big casserole that we can have during the week. You could come over if you wanted. You know how much she loves when you come over for dinner.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be, please, come to dinner.”

“Alright.” He smiles. “Um…” His voice gets a little quieter. “How’s your, uh, are you still, um…?”

“Yes, I still have my period.” You chuckle. “I promise, once it’s done, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He stands up from his desk and comes over to you. He cups your cheeks in his hands and leans in to kiss you. Just as his lips were on yours, there’s a knock on his door. “Jesus Christ.” He groans. He walks over to the door and opens it. “Yes?”

“Hi, Harry.”

“Oh, hi, Jennifer.”

“I came by because I have some of that pumpkin br-“ She stops when she sees you sitting. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Just a little lunch meeting.” You say, standing up. “Lots of emails and meetings to get through this afternoon. Mr. Styles wanted us on the same page. Excuse me.” You stand up and look at him before leaving.

“Leave it open, please.” He says to you and you nod.

“Anyways, I brought you that pumpkin bread you like so much.”

“Ah, thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” He takes it from her and he puts it on his desk.

“Well, you raved about it last year, so I made sure to make more.” She blushes. “How was your break? You went skiing with Cheryl’s family, right?”

“Yeah…it was fun. I get along well with everyone.”

“Must be nice to be so close with the boss.”

“I suppose.”

“Anyways, um, do you have plans Friday?”

You hear her ask it, and your eyes widen with rage. You never really realized how much people through themselves at him.

“Uh, well, this is sort of awkward, but I’m sort of seeing someone, and I’ll probably be seeing them Friday, sorry.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry, Harry.” Her face goes red. “I had no idea.”

“Well, that’s the funny thing about having a personal life, it’s, uh, personal.”

You can’t help but laugh when you hear him say that. You clap your hand over your mouth so they don’t hear you. You watch Jennifer leave his office in defeat. He comes out to you.

“I’m so sorry you had to hear that.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” You shake your head. “So, you’re seeing someone, huh? I wonder how long that’ll take to spread around.” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“Very funny. What did you want me to say, that I have a girlfriend? Haven’t really had that conversation yet have we?”

“Conversation about what?” Your mom says. “Harry, we have a meeting in five, get your laptop. Phil’s in on this one.” She rolls her eyes. “Hi, honey.” She smiles at you.

“Hi.” You smile back. “Can Harry join for dinner tonight?”

“Course he can, happy to have him.” She looks back at Harry. “Let’s go.”

Harry grabs his laptop and follows your mom.

Around 4PM, Harry grabs you so you both can go see Mary in H.R.

“Hi you two.” She smiles. “To what do I owe this visit?”

“Mary, Y/N and I are, uh, seeing each other.”

“Oh! Well, that’s great. Is it serious?”

“It could become serious, it’s still new.” You say. “We just wanted to do the right thing and disclose it.”

“And did this start on company property?”

“No.” You say at the same time.

“Alright then, let me get the forms. Y/N, you know things could get sticky with Harry being your supervisor.”

“I know, we’ve discussed it.”

“And…your mother…?”

“She’s thrilled.” You say with a smile.

“Alright, here you go. Fill these out and bring them back to me tomorrow morning.”

“Can do, thanks Mary.” Harry smiles.

Harry walks you out to your car and gives you a quick peck on the cheek goodbye. He tells you he’ll be over around seven for dinner, and you tell him to bring something to sleep in.

“Wait, so has everyone in our office hit on you?” Your mom asks Harry as she spoons him some lasagna. “Why did you tell me before?”

“It wasn’t really a big deal.” He shrugs.

“It’s bound to get around that he’s seeing someone, and it’ll only be a matter of time before everyone finds out it’s me.”

“Well, then, they’ll just have to deal with it, won’t they? We’re all adults.” She shakes her head as she sits down. “If anyone has an issue, they can bring it up to me.”

Everyone takes a bite of the lasagna.

“Mm, well done, Y/N.” Your mom says.

“Yeah, it’s delicious.” Harry smiles at you.

“Thanks.”

After dinner, you and Harry say goodnight to your mom and head out to the pool house. You settle in on your couch for some TV and much needed snuggles.

“Does your mum ever leave to visit Ed on his routes?”

“On the weekends sometimes, why?”

“Well, if you don’t wanna be alone on the property, you can always stay with me.”

“Aww.” You kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks.” You shift yourself so you can straddle his lap, and bury your head in the crook of his neck. He wraps his arms around you and rubs your back.

“Feels nice to just do this.”

“Mhm.” You nuzzle into him further.

“Comfortable?” He chuckles.

“You have no idea.” You kiss his neck and sigh. “Wanted this for so long, Harry.” You kiss his neck again, and linger a little this time.

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“You’re gonna get me all riled up, and I can’t do anything to you that I want to.”

“I could just take care of you again, I don’t mind.”

“But I wanna be able to take care of you, Y/N.”

You lift your head so you can look at him.

“Just a few more days, then I’m all yours.”

“Can’t wait.”

“So…do we really have plans Friday night?”

“Sure.” He smirks. “Anything you have in mind?”

“I need to go to the mall to do some holiday shopping. Feel up to it?”

“The mall on a Friday after work?” He raises his eyebrows. “You’re serious?”

“I’m an expert shopper.” You peck at his lips. “And if you come with me you’ll get a reward.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.”

Friday after work, you and harry drive out to the mall. Everyone at work seemed pretty cool the rest of the week. Maybe a memo went out? You tried not to question it. All you could focus on was how cute Harry looked in his suit while walking around the mall with you. You at least had the sense to change.

“Let’s see, mom’s been looking for a new baking set, so let’s stop in at Crate and Barrel, first.”

“Sounds good.”

Harry basically just follows you in and out of a ton of different stores. He’s a perfect gentleman and carries all your bags. You insist you can carry some, but he tells you you’re crazy, and you just keep walking. Eventually you walk by a Victoria’s Secret. You hadn’t shopped there in a really long time since it was super overrated, but a wicked idea comes over you.

“Harry, are you getting hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Why don’t we go to Chipotle? Just have something quick? I need to stop into a couple more stores. You know what I like form there, right?”

“The tacos.”

“Exactly, why don’t you head in and I’ll meet you, yeah?”

“Works for me.”

You watch him walk away before going into the store. Your period ended Wednesday, but you two hadn’t had time to get intimate. You look at a few things, and fine a cute little turquoise set that you think he’d like.

“Would I be able to buy this and then go change into it?” You ask the woman at the register.

“Of course, miss.”

You find Harry in Chipotle, and scarf down your tacos. He gets everything you bought into the car and off you go.

“Mine or yours, babe?” He asks.

“Let’s go to yours. Your bed is so comfy.”

“So is yours.” He rubs his hand over your thigh.

“I do my best.” You chuckle. “But I’d definitely rather go to yours tonight.”

He smiles and takes the exit for his apartment. You tell him the bags can just stay in the trunk for now. You both get upstairs, and he sighs with relief when he gets his tie off.

“Just gonna change.” He says to you.

“That’s a good idea, I’ll do the same.”

You follow him in and he raises an eyebrow at you.

“Where’s your bag?”

“Oh, I just figured you’d be give me something to wear.”

“Sure!” He turns to his dresser. “Do you want sweatpants, shorts, just a big…” he turns back to you and his jaw drops when he sees your lingerie. “When…where…what’s happening right now?”

“Why do you think I sent you off to get food?” You stroll over to his and run your hands up his chest. “Do you like it?”

“You look incredible. Been dreaming about this.”

He wraps his arms around you and kisses you. You moan when his hands run down your back and down to your ass.

“I’m gonna treat you so well, make you feel amazing because you don’t deserve anything less.”

He lays you down on the bed and strips down to his boxers. He hovers over you and kisses down your chest. He sucks on the fleshy area that’s spilling out of the top of your lacey bra. His hands move around your to unhook it, and he gets it off of you all the way. He sucks on each of your nipples, swirling his tongue around, really putting a show on for you.

“You always smell so fucking good, I love your perfume.” He says as he kisses down your stomach.

“I knew you liked it.” You run a hand through his hair. “I just had to keep wearing it.”

“Drives me crazy. It’s the sweetest smell in the world.”

He sucks a nice bruise on your hip while his thumb trails over the lace material of your panties. He could see that you’re wet for him already, he can feel it to once his thumb pushes gently inside. You groan while he does it.

“Please, don’t tease me, Harry.”

“But that’s the best part. Gotta really make sure you want it.”

“I do, I swear, please, just take them off.

“You went to all this trouble to buy these for me, shame for them to go to waste.” He kisses you through the material and your hips buck up towards his mouth. “So reactive.” He smirks.

“You know, I could easily just go home and do this myself, so if you want to-“

“Don’t be like that.” He pouts and hooks his fingers into his panties. “I’m simply trying to savor the moment. I’m about to see this precious little cunt for the first time. You have no idea how honored I feel.”

He slides your panties down your legs and tosses them aside. He kisses both of your knees before spreading your legs apart. He gazes at you.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Harry.” You giggle and kick at him. “Stop it.” You were starting to blush.

“Can’t help it.”

He gets settled between your legs and spreads you apart with his thumbs. He uses his fingers to rub around your already slick folds. He sucks the same fingers into his mouth and it makes you bite your bottom lip. His middle finger runs along your center before slowly pushing inside. You gasp when you feel the cool of his ring hit you. He pumps it in and out of you, just trying to gauge how tight you may be.

“When was the last time?”

“When was the last time what?” You grunt.

“You’re really tight, not complaining, but I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I don’t know, um, I can’t really think right now while you’re doing that.”

“Alright.” He takes his finger away from you completely and you whimper.

“The last time it was someone, and not just one of my dildos was over the summer, alright?”

“When do you use the-“

“Not that often, only sometimes. I’ll fucking let you use one on me sometime if it means you’ll just keep working me over, please, Harry.” You pout at him.

“Can’t say no to that can I?”

He uses both of his hands to keep your legs open, and he dives right in. He licks all around you and sucks on your clit harshly.

“Oh my god.” You tug at his hair just as hard it makes him groan against you.

You feel his teeth graze over the little nub, and it makes you clench around nothing. You wanted his fingers again, but he needed his hands on your thighs to keep you open. He pulls up from you.

“Ride my face.”

“What?!”

“Come on, come sit on my face. I’ll fuck you with my tongue, it’ll feel great.”

He lays back with his head on the pillow and gestures for you to come to him. You shrug and straddle his face. You gasp when you feel his tongue on you again. You grip at his head board, and your eyes roll into the back of your head when you feel the slight scruff on his chin rub up against you. He gets his tongue inside you, and you essentially start riding it. His hands grip your hips, pressing bruises into your plushy skin.

“Oh my god, Harry, holy shit.”

The bed was shaking at this point. You thought you might be hurting him, but when you looked down his eyes were closed and he looked like he was in pure bliss fucking you with his tongue.

“Fuck, oh my god, fuck, fuck!” You scream as you feel your release come.

You feel Harry suck on your cunt so he doesn’t miss a drop of anything. He slowly lifts you off of him so he can get some air. His mouth, chin, and a little of his nose were wet with your slick.

“Sorry.” You use your hand to clean him up.

“Don’t be.” He licks his lips. “You taste so fucking good, could do that for hours.”

“How about you use your dick instead?”

“You’re ready for that? We don’t have to move that fast if you don’t want to.”

“Harry, I really want you to fuck me. I’ve wanted you to fuck me for five fucking years, please.”

He grabs you by your throat and pins you down on the bed.

“No need to beg, darling, all you had to do was say you wanted to.” He lets you go and kiss your lips. He stands up off the bed and takes his boxers off. “See, I’m getting nice and naked for you.” He smirks. “Do I need to use a condom or…?”

“Nah, I have an IUD. Wanna feel you.”

He smiles and gets back on the bed. He pumps himself a couple of times and spreads you back apart. He pushes inside you and you can’t help but moan loudly. You’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, and so has he. It’s incredibly satisfying.

“Ngh, you’re so fucking big, it feels so good.” Your head rolls back as he bottoms out.

He starts moving slowly as he buries his face in your neck. He sucks on your soft skin and lets it go with a pop.

“Fuck.” You breathe.

He snakes a hand between the two of you so he rub at your throbbing clit. You knead one of your own breasts, but he swats your hand away so he can do it.

“You just need to tell me what you want, want you like, and I’ll do it, okay?”

“Okay.”

He dips his head to suck on your nipple and your hands move to his back to dig your nails in. You start tightening around him when you feel his fingers rub your clit with more precision.

“Oh, shit. Oh my god, Harry!” You were panting. You felt like your heart was going to beat out your chest. Your back arches when you come again.

“Feel so fucking good, Y/N.” He fucks your through it, and wait for your to calm down before pulling out. You whimper at the loss of him. “Don’t worry, got a nice position for us I think you’ll like.

He sits up against the head board, and gets you in his lap, facing away from him. You were on his dick again and it felt amazing. You back was flush with his chest, and your head was on his shoulder. His tongue was in your mouth while one of his hands was rubbing your clit in rhythm with his thrusts, and the other was snaked around your chest to keep you in place.

His mouth leaves yours so he can kiss on your neck and shoulder. He looks down at the way he’s rubbing you and then at your face. Your head was rolled back into his shoulder and you were biting your bottom lip.

“Feels good, babe?”

“Feels amazing.” You tighten around him.

“Wanna come together?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, just hold on for me.”

He stops rubbing you, and moves both of his hands to your hips. He moves you up and down faster so you were basically bouncing up and down on him. He was hitting your g-spot perfectly.

“Harry, fuck!”

“Hold on, Y/N.” He groans. “Almost there.”

“Harry, please!”

“One second.”

All of the blood in your body was rushing to your ears, you felt like you couldn’t hear anymore. Your vision was starting to go blurry as well. He nips at your earlobe and then you feel his breath on you.

“Come for me, baby.” He whispers and that’s when you let go.

You feel his warm come shoot up inside you. You cry out as your orgasm prolongs. It was so good, so very good. You both slowly catch your breaths from the ordeal. Your legs felt like gelatin as you stood. You desperately needed to pee.

When you come back out he tosses you a large t-shirt. You giggle and put it on, and then crawl into bed with him. He throws his arm around you as you snuggle up to his chest.

“I don’t wanna sound clingy, but I hope you know, I’m never letting you go.” You say, pressing kisses to cheek, neck, and chest.

“Lucky for you, I like clingy. M’not letting you go either.” He presses a kiss to your forehead, and you both get settled into a goodnight’s sleep.

After basically staying in bed with Harry all weekend, you found it difficult to concentrate at work. You had so many scenarios in your head, but the one you wanted most was for him to bend you over his desk, but he made it clear with you that the office was off limits. He explained that he didn’t want to do anything to risk losing his job. You had to respect that.

The holidays came and went. You each got each other something small since you had only been together for about a month, but you spent the New Year together and it was just wonderful. Most people at work knew you were dating Harry. It was hard not to when he’d randomly get you flowers to keep on your desk, or when he might steal glances of you during a meeting.

Once summer came around again, and you had been there for an entire year, you were up for a promotion. You were excited because it involved you having your own office, but you were sad that you wouldn’t be handling things for Harry anymore. You had to train a new assistant, and you were even less thrilled when you saw it was just some girl fresh out of her undergrad. You thought you’d be jealous, but you watched how Harry was with her. She was to only call him Mr. Styles, and he did the same things with her as he did with you. He never got too close, the door was rarely closed if they were alone together, and a picture of you was front and center on his desk. No room for funny business.

He loved staying over at your place, and swimming in the pool with you, especially at night, and especially when your mom was away. You could get away with skinny dipping, which meant getting away with getting fucked in the pool. You’d cook together and hang out almost every night.

“Hey.” He says to one Saturday afternoon as you both were laying out by the pool.

“Yeah?”

“I’m in love with you.”

“Harry.” You chuckle. “You say it like you haven’t been saying it for the last six months.” All he does is pout at you. “I’m in love with you too.”

He smiles and goes back to facing front, taking a sip of his drink. Life was good, life was very, very good.

#harry styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles y/n #friends to lovers #harry styles smut #harry styles smut fic #business man!Harry #pls tag if you reblog #feedback is always appreciated

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beepboop358 · 3 years ago

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Victor Creel Theories

(also includes ST movie DNA series: Star Wars)

Victor Creel is described as "a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950s." We know he will be institutionalized at Penthurst mental hospital, where Peter Ballard works, based on leaked on set pics.

There a few possibilities regarding his character:

He could be a former test subject with some kind of powers and a connection to the upside down (which would also follow the even/odd season pattern of a main character being directly involved with the upside down creatures) I think it's highly likely that Victor Creel will be involved with the mystery/danger in Hawkins in some way, and have a connection to the upside down. He could also be disturbed on top of this, and he could be involved in Eleven's storyline this season.

That he is not a test subject and is ONLY mentally disturbed.

He may be related to one of the already established characters. Most likely Joyce, and maybe Terry but it's a stretch.

Before I go any further into that last possibility, I just want to preface that this idea of an "evil father/grandfather with powers" could be a purposeful Star Wars parallel. The Duffer brothers have already paralleled and used Star Wars references a few times in the show:

In Star Wars, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, and Palpatine is Rey's grandfather (aka the literal worst guy in the universe). A common theme in ST is abusive/bad fathers - that post here. Interesting...

Palpatine is also Anakin Skywalker's father, so Luke and Leia are both the grandkids of Palpatine as well as Rey is, but it's unclear if they are just force midichlorian related or actually dna related as well but I won't get into that here!

Luke and Rey are both force sensitive (have powers), so are Darth Vader and Palpatine; their descendants (kid/grandkid) have powers, and so do they (father/grandfather) The descendants use their powers for good, while the ancestors use their power for evil. Who has powers in ST? Eleven and Will - and they both already have this idea of abusive/bad/evil fathers: Will has an abusive father Lonnie, and Eleven has an abusive father figure Dr. Brenner "Papa".

So... Victor Creel being the evil/bad grandfather to either Eleven or Will and the evil/bad father to Joyce or Terry, would make a FULL Star Wars parallel to people who are morally good and have powers (Will and El - Luke and Rey), discovering they are the descendant of an evil male figure who also has powers (Victor Creel - Darth Vader and Palpatine)

If Victor Creel turns out to be the father of anyone in the show my bets are it's either Joyce Byers or maybeee Terry Ives.

If he was a test subject, its likely he went "crazy" with some of his powers and the government couldn't cover it up so they declare him mentally insane to get him committed, and he probably goes insane being locked away as well. Personally, I think he may be 001 or an early test subject, when they were still working out the kinks of the program, and I think he does have a big connection to the upside down.

The Duffer Brother's on s4: "In Hawkins a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything"....

Now let's get into the possibilities for Creel's storyline/who he could be related to (split into 3 parts).

Part 1: Creel could be Joyce's father

Based on Victor Creel's description as "disturbed" and that he is "in a psychiatric hospital", it could connect him to Joyce's bloodline.

There are several comments in the show hinting to this idea of mental instability in Joyce's family:

s1 ep.5: When Lonnie comes to visit in s1 after Will goes missing, Joyce says to Lonnie "No, don't look at me like that, like how everyone is looking at me, like I'm out of my damn mind" He responds saying "I think you need to consider the possibility that this is all in your head. Remember your Aunt Darlene?" Joyce quickly replies, "No, this is not that."

That conversation, although quick, is very telling. Lonnie is implying that Joyce had an aunt who was mentally unstable - and Joyce clearly knows about her aunt being unstable because she responds to his comment by saying what's she's experiencing is not that (the mental instability of her aunt)

s2 ep.2: Joyce says to Bob, "this is not a normal family", when he suggest moving out of Hawkins.

I used to think Joyce was always was referring to the whole 'my son got stuck in an alternate dimension with supernatural monsters and is now traumatized, and we were sworn to secrecy by the government' thing but maybe she is also referring to her biological family.

s1 ep.2: When they are searching for Will, one of the other police officers, says "Joyce is one step from the edge" and the other officer responds "She has been several steps for quite a while now".

If Joyce is related to Victor Creel biologically, and he did also happen to be a test subject, has powers, or has some other relation to the upside down, this could possibly have contributed to whatever kind of abilities Will has, because he would be a descendant of Creel. But Joyce does not seem to have any powers and neither does Jonathan. If they were related to Creel, it's odd that they both didn't get powers, but Will did. I've always thought Will was born with his powers, like El.

We know almost nothing about Joyce's past, it's never discussed in the slightest in the show, which I feel like is purposeful. We don't know Joyce's maiden name; she doesn't change it back after she and Lonnie divorce. Maybe the Duffers are saving Joyce's backstory for s4 (and possibly s5), like I think they are doing with Will and El's connection. Will, El, Hopper, and Joyce were pictured in a series of 4 tweets posted by the stranger writers, hinting to the main 4 storylines for season 4. My analyzation of this tweet here.

I think it's possible that Joyce's storyline this season could also have to do with her past- not just her searching for Hopper- but also more personal information about her. Perhaps we will see flashbacks of younger Joyce and maybe learn about her biological relatives.

Noah also said this would be the darkest season for Will, so this idea of being the grandkid of someone evil or disturbed could fit into that.

Part 2: Creel could be Terry's father/Eleven's grandfather

The only other person I could see potentially having a biological; relation to Victor Creel could be Terry Ives and Eleven, (because it would complete the Star Wars parallel mentioned earlier) but it's a stretch for several reasons, the main one being that Terry and Becky's father Bill Ives, died in a car crash (year unknown).

So for Victor Creel to be Terry's father that either has to be:

Her adoptive father OR

Her mother cheated and led Mr. Ives to believe Terry was his kid but her father is really Victor Creel, and Becky is actually Bill Ives son (which would explain why Becky has no powers)

Right of the bat it's interesting Terry's father's name is Bill. Bill is a nickname for William (Will Byers full name is William), and Billy's a nickname also for William... Hmmm....

Immediately after El is born, Terry is adamant that Brenner stole her child to use as a weapon to fight the commies BECAUSE SHE HAD SPECIAL ABILITIES - and she's completely right about everything. How does Terry know El had powers immediately after she was born? Because she knows she has developed some kind of special abilities from the experiments as well. When El goes to visit her mother in s2, THE LIGHTS FLICKER, just like they do when the upside down is near, but it's not Eleven controlling it. Her Aunt Becky says it's just the wiring, and Eleven responds: "IT'S MAMA. She wants to talk." And then we see Terry's NOSE BLEED, just like El's does when she uses her powers.

Quick side note about El's biological father is Andrew Rich: (It's revealed in the canon novel Suspicious Minds that Andrew Rich is El's father) He was a college student who got expelled from school due to protesting the Nixon address, making him eligible to be drafted in the Vietnam war, and he died in battle. Terry was involved in the Project MKUltra experiments at Hawkins National Laboratory in College, under the direction of Dr. Martin Brenner, but didn't know she was pregnant at the time. Andrew never even knew Terry was pregnant, meaning she was extremely early on in her pregancy at the time he was sent away, not even Terry was aware yet. It's also stated in this book that BRENNER HAD A HAND IN GETTING ANDREW EXPELLED SO HE COULD SEND ANDREW AWAY. The novel states that Brenner has Andrew drafted because he wants to SCARE Terry, to show her how much power he has over her life. There's definitely some history between Terry and Brenner that we don't know about yet.

If Victor Creel is in fact Joyce's father it's interesting that the powers seem to have skipped a generation with Joyce, and also one kid with the Byers, but if Victor Creel is Terry's father, no generations were skipped in passing down powers. ANYWAYS, this is all just theories and speculation since we have no actual concrete reasons to believe he will be related to Joyce or Terry.

Part 3: The possibility that Creel could be involved in Eleven's storyline this season does not rely on them being biologically related.

**One of the filming locations for this season is the Claremont House, which is RUMORED to be Creel's house and also "Vecna's lair" the new monster for s4 (unconfirmed) This is the house the Hawkins group goes into in the ST4 sneak peek, where they see the grandfather clock striking midnight. If that's true, there's a connection between Creel and the upside down and having powers, which could connect Creel to Eleven. The Duffers: "In Hawkins a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything". This thing "that connects everything", could be Creel's storyline (his possible connection to the lab/upside down/person in the show), because Creel's storyline also spans all the way back to the 1950's and before that, so there's our "long buried" part most likely.

Robert Englund recently revealed in *an interview* that his character Victor Creel gouges his eyes out, making him unable to see. Englund also mentions what it's like working with Millie Bobby Brown and talks about the first time her met her, he doesn't mention any other cast members in detail like he does Millie.

He's clearly working closely with Millie's character Eleven.

But why? I think Creel could be involved with Eleven getting her powers back, and her reliving her past. Once the government baddies realize El has no powers, they're gonna want them back. If Creel was in fact a test subject, maybe there is some kind of connection between them, Such as Eleven revisiting what happened to her in her past and how that could relate to her getting her powers back.

Another thought I had was that perhaps the gruesome murder he committed is somehow related to something that ends up impacting in Eleven's life.

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Whatever Victor Creel's storyline is, it will be an important one, and it will carry somewhat into s5, since he will be a returning character. He is not signed as a series regular, but as a recurring character, which means we don't really know to what capacity he will be in s5. It could be flashbacks mostly, or he could have just as big or small of a role.

Source: indie wire

That detail about eyes being gouged out reminds me of fear street 1666 when the townsmen who was sacrificed to the devil becomes possessed and gouges the kids eyes out. Leigh Janick, director of fear street, is married to Ross Duffer. They both direct and make horror/sci-fi themed series about kids in a small town set in the 80's, who fight supernatural evil with a heavy undertone of queer themes, that are even filmed in a lot of the same locations (the mall, the town streets, etc.) I'm not saying it's the same thing, it definitely won't be. But there's so many similarities between ST and Fear Street, I thought I would mention this as another.

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cooltrainererika · 4 years ago

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A Star Wars Noob’s ideas for fixing the Disney sequels

Okay so just to get this out there, because it won’t leave my mind.

So I’ve been binging on SW lately and the sequels only annoy me more and more by the day. So just wanted to throw my character ideas out into the world. Focusing on characters because I like writing characters way more than plot. Hopefully if I ever actually write this thing, or even somehow pitch it to someone with the right connections to animate it with the actors as voice actors, this wouldn’t have gone viral. But since no one looks at my blog it probably won’t lol. Hopefully.

But just in case, I’ll say that this will probably contain spoilers for a story which may or may not exist by the time you read this.

I’ve deliberately been trying to avoid as much emotional spoilers and normal spoilers as I can before the sequels despite the temptation, so sorry if some stuff is a bit off. Augh I hope I can get the time to watch the full OT and PT soon. I was too tired from hiking when I watched SW4 and I now really wish my dad didn’t show me when I was half-asleep.

Rey: Rainbow of possibilities; Cynical Scavenger, Adventure-seeking Audience Surtogate Geek, or Lawful Good to the core Paladin Padawan with a personal grudge, and may be descended from a family line, maybe not, but currently most likely a Skywalker by blood. Story and other character arcs change dramatically depending on which route chosen.

Finn: Stoic soldier man learns power of friendship, finds meaning of life, causes Stormtrooper mutiny, probably becomes a Jedi and second main character and hooks up with Rey. “What‘s a joke?”. Awkward dork and stunted socially but doing his best. May instinctively find it hard to disobey orders. He may be the one wanting to find his family; but that’s dropped soon enough to focus on what’s ahead.

(Alternatively: Proud warrior guy who acts like a stereotypical North Korean soldier who finds himself outside the First Order, learns power of friendship etc. The rest is the same)

Poe Dameron: What we Japanese people call The Aniki. The funny charismatic ace pilot who keeps everyone sane, overall bro. Wholesome but a bit rough, that guy you would want to share a beer with. But within that easygoing nature burns a hotblooded, determined, dutiful streak, and an even stronger snarky streak. The one with the social skills. Loves his droid like his son though Cynical!Rey and Finn find that initially kind of stupid/strange.

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: Appears to be yet another quietly imposing Star Wars villain with added edgelord factor, but actually a mentally unstable, borderline yandere berserker of a man crushed under the weight of a legacy, with a horrifying inferiority complex, identity issues, and an unhealthy obsession with familial honor, constantly stuck between Dark and Light. Despite his high rank, basically the First Order’s attack dog. Usually has the emotional maturity of a 16-year-old, if not younger. If anyone is, he’s the damsel in distress of this story.

Luke Skywalker: Cuddly sunshine headmaster sage doing his best, has been on many adventures before that are hidden ads to future Lucasfilm projects. May have gone to search for answers as to what is causing recent events, or is still present at the beginning. May survive at the end. He could be anywhere from kind of jaded but at his core still that sweet optimist, to Basically Uncle Iroh, to can-literally-summon-Porgs-by-whistling/Space Sage Mr. Rogers.

Han Solo: General of the Republic Armed Forces or courier who decided military life just wasn’t for him and now delivers important messages through still unstable areas of the New Republic, a war hero, and a dad doing his best. Wants to hold hope but may have at least outwardly given up on Ben, with Poe filling in the void. Has gone clean from his life of crime and still married 30+ years strong with Leia. He would be the one who is the closest to Poe if he’s still in the military and Leia is a Jedi, with Poe being seen as his likely successor. He might die at the end of 8? Maybe Hamill and Carrie would somehow talk him into sticking around past 7? He might still die in 7?

(Side note: I wish we could have seen Old Harrison Ford in a military casual coat-cape. He would have looked awesome in it. I mean no one would really complain that he plays fast and loose with the dress code if there even is one, he’s Han freakin’ Solo and he gives no f*cks.)

Leia Organa-Solo: Preferably a Jedi Knight, leader while he’s away if he’s away as well as their tactician, or senator considering her personality; maybe have basically what Colin Trevorrow planned for her (I mean… why not just use CGI at this point? They’ve done it before. I’m sure Carrie wouldn’t have wanted her swan song to be such a passive role either), with her bond with Luke being a major factor and us actually being able to see it in practice. May have outwardly given up on her son as well, but still is at the end of the day a mom doing her best. Basically a strong, smart lady like how she’s always been.

Chewbacca: How he always is, but he plays more of a role than basically the guy bussing the cast around, an active combat role definitely. Han’s second in command and maybe fellow dad. Possibly the part-time chaperone of the mess that is the new main duo. Also was Ben’s first friend, and you bet there will be drama here.

Lando Calrissian: Business mogul who probably helps the heroes out, maybe by selling them stuff and using his many connections to get information. And/or he’s basically an economic diplomat for the Republic. Has known Ben since he was a child and may have snuck him on too many joyrides without telling Leia, to her chagrin and Han’s amusement.

Grand Admiral Armitage Hux: Basically how he was in SW7. Calculating, manipulative, coldhearted, intelligent, and ruthless, the brains to Kylo’s brawn. Son of former Imperial officers, killed his own father to get where he is. Gives no f*cks, except when he goes full ham. Maybe even he goes cold and pale if Kylo starts getting angry, just to show how terrifying he can be, but I also like the idea of him being one of two people who can manipulate Kylo out of a tantrum and not end up a pile of flesh or choked to death.

Captain Phasma: How she is in supplemental material probably. A walking chrome machine of merciless death. Probably not very talkative, and probably does not take defectors lightly. She may defect at the end or not depending on how truly evil she’s portrayed to be, but I’m thinking she’s likely this cruel disciplinarian who expects complete and utter, machine-like obedience to the end, and Finn flinches at the mere mention of her, though she herself is equally as extremely loyal to the cause.

Snoke: A mysterious being, the likes of which are not of this galaxy. Probably some kind of ancient eldritch abomination who can torment vulnerable minds with an untraceable curse. Not your average Sith, and despite how it may seem it may not be connected to them at all… Or perhaps it is. Or perhaps it itself serves a larger master. It wants to use Kylo Ren for… something. Just what it is is what Luke has been trying to find out for years.

Knights of Ren: Idea borrowed from Thor Skywalker (check him out on YouTube!); possibly a military cult of Sith/Vader worshippers who see Ben as the second coming of Vader, and have aligned themselves with Snoke. Probably basically Kylo’s personal guard and troops. Or possibly directly liked to whatever otherworldly entit(ies?) Snoke is, not being of this galaxy themselves.

Anakin Skywalker: Determined grandpa doing his best for his kids, grandkid(s), and the galaxy. Doesn’t appear often, but plays a major role in the story; maybe he’s the one who led Rey to his lightsaber, and maybe he advises Luke while training Rey, or secretly follows Kylo, trying to speak to him but unable to be seen or heard by him. He’d be the one who ultimately convinces Ben to return to the light, and to, in an echo of the words Ben heard when he was being impersonated, “finish what I started”.

Rose Tico: A probably relatively new, wide-eyed young recruit in the Republic Military, and maybe seeks revenge on First Order for killing or kidnapping her sister. Not sure if she will be needed, but if there’s room for her she might be interesting. Maybe she’s one of Poe’s friends or part of his squad. She could also be the resident girly girl because there aren’t many of those here.

Vice-Admiral Amberlyn Holdo: She’s in the Aftermath books, and those seem pretty good, so she’s probably how she is there. A quirky mostly background character that is probably at most there for Han and/or Leia and Ackbar to give commands to and salute back, but most importantly she actually does her job properly, even if she’s still a bit of an odd person. Also Poe knows her and they have a way more amicable work relationship. Also give her something which actually looks like something military personnel would wear. She could even be a legitimately good tactician who comes up with off-the-wall tactics.

(Side note: I heard that she basically has the Star Wars version of Autism, and while I’d appreciate that as an Aspie myself, I’ll also have to say that Autistic people would probably be terrible military leaders due to us not being able to adjust to sudden changes well and our bad communication skills. So yeah, sorry, unless she’s recast to something like, say, a mechanic or logistics or medic or any other more Autistic-friendly job, that’s going to have to go)

Maz Kanada: …Admittedly not sure what to do with her. But she’s more likely to be an acquaintance of Lando before Han, if she doesn’t know both. In fact, Lando may be introduced early alongside her. But she would still have the important role of keeping Anakin’s saber; how she has it, either Lando found it, or basically what was cut from TFA showing that she’s indeed pretty awesome.

BB-8: BB-8 doesn’t have to change. He’s perfect as he is. Maybe what he can do should be more consistent though. Poe and him are basically Ash and Pikachu, they stick together whenever possible. If Rey or Finn need a droid to tag along and Poe isn’t in the party at the moment, R2 is right there. I once read a fanfic in which BB-8 was actually a droid Luke made for Ben and I liked the idea… though it probably would be a bit of an unnecessary detail in practice.

R2-D2 and C3P0: They’re basically business as usual. They would still have that boke-tsukkomi dynamic they had going on, sometimes with the added childlike cuteness of BB-8 in the mix. If there’s any extra time left for comic relief scenes, or if they’re sent on some kind of mission together, I can see these three messing around doing their thing (or rather, BB being childlike, cute and curious, Threepio being overly nervous, and Artoo being too old for this sh*t and/or BB’s cool uncle/older brother) being both cute and hilarious.

Also Worldbuilding stuff will be featured at the bottom

Elaboration on the “big four” of the sequel cast:

Rey: Aged 19, speaks with Daisy Ridley’s normal accent, not RP (I mean really, her accent isn’t that hard to understand). A whole rainbow of possibilities with this lady, though many don’t realize it. I might be leaning towards her being Luke’s daughter, though her being Just Rey may also be interesting, and her still being a descendant of Palpatine or the main villain could also have potential, though if Finn is a Jedi I don’t think there’s any need for her parents to be nobody. But the three main routes I can think of for her are these three: Cynical!Rey, a Rey with a backstory identical to the canon Rey from her abandonment onwards, Fangirl!Rey, a sort of estimation of a dorky female Star Wars nerd in-universe and the most lighthearted start out of the three, and Padawan!Rey, a Rey who is already Luke’s Padawan at his academy. Maybe making her starting point less crushingly bleak and Fangirl!Rey could work, but it might dilute both ideas, and that characterization might be a bit too similar to ANH Luke.

As is apparent, Cynical!Rey, is, well, cynical. She’s strong and independent, but extremely distrusting, on-edge, and not used to friendly interaction. Think Female SW4 Han Solo but even more antisocial and probably not even bothering with the bravado, and basically with Anakin’s upbringing except she doesn’t even have a loving mother like Anakin did. Fangirl!Rey was my initial idea but I’m starting to become less partial to it because of the aforementioned similarity to ANH Luke, but my idea was she’s basically Harry Potter, living with stepparents who hate her, or she’s still used as basically child labor but her conditions are nowhere near as bad as Cynical Rey’s, and she would have grown up on stories about the Rebels and the Jedi and everything else in the past movies, collecting every single bit of memorabilia she can get her hands on. If one wants to go for very lighthearted and slightly meta for SW7 this is the route. Padawan!Rey could go anywhere, but I’m thinking she would basically be our D&D Paladin; ever since Ben Solo went berserk and ran off to join the First Order, she’s become very protective of her fellow students and has a really understandable personal grudge against him. She might be the strongest pupil left after the Second Jedi Massacre, and by the end maybe she becomes the successor to headmaster of the academy. It is possible that she was found abandoned on Jakku or Luke’s doorstep, however, so the theme of growing up lonely is there, and because being a Jedi is what has given her meaning in life it means a lot to her. But while I don’t want her parentage to be revealed early if it is Luke, it does raise the massive plot hole of why this was never disclosed to her or to Ben.

And yes, I did say fellow students and academy. Wiping the new Jedi Order feels really cheap and it makes the whole hopeful Jedi Starting Anew implication that I’m 90% sure the OT ended on feel very pointless. I’d prefer them still being there, though their inclusion would be obviously way more natural in the Padawan Route. This also has tons of marketing potential for Disney, because I wanted to take IRL realism into account; what’s in it for Disney? Maybe potential to expand on other students and Luke’s academy? It could be like a smaller Jedi Hogwarts/Xavier Institute basically. Though the survivors wouldn’t be too numerous; just, like, four at most. Maybe there would be elements of an Avengers/Infinity War/Endgame-esque team movie, even if the rest are a bit out of focus.

I did think maybe the heroes would still go to Ahch-To after SW7 where Luke would have been hiding with his students researching the new threat, but maybe I could have him stay and sort of take a few cues from Harry Potter by introducing the heroes to the world of the Jedi early and giving them a break in the action as they settle in their new homes, so there’s more time to develop the padawan side characters, what the academy is like, and Luke gets to appear in SW7 as well so there can be a OT trio “reunion” (not a reunion in-universe). Though that kind of messes with other parts I want to include like Rey and Finn having to take on Kylo and getting completely whipped because he’s a rampaging madman before having to be saved by Luke. Also Rey getting kidnapped has potential for developing her trust in others, and her and Finn getting a breather moment at the Republic after the heroes and Han regroup would kind of remove a point where that could be easily slotted in the story. It would also require everything before this to be crammed in the first act.

(Newer edit 5/27/21) I also like her getting a golden double-bladed saber like many fans depict her. It’s not only awesome looking (because she only gets her own saber at the end of TROS… Why?), but it’s more toys for the moichendise! It fits her starting with a staff, it has more reach, and it would fit Cynical Rey especially for her to have a style centered around keeping as much of herself defended as possible. Watching Battlefront 2 footage has made me think about fighting styles a bit, and if she and Finn are a duo how their styles of combat might compliment each other, especially as their relationship develops (coincidentally she and Finn apparently are a very good combination in BF2). A Cynical Rey would probably contrast the most, with a fighting style based on keeping enemies away, trickery, and defense (a good choice for a blade made of light), maybe a bit wild at first but initially her goal in fighting would be to hold out until there is an opening to get the hell out, only staying to fight if she has no other option. Fangirl Rey wouldn’t really have a fighting style initially, and it’s gonna be very dependent on where her arc goes. Padawan Rey would have the most Prequel Jedi-esque, choreographed style, showing a lot of skill though not quite mastering it and with tons of openings at first. A Cynical Rey may have an uncanny skill to detect suspicious people, which would make her trusting the heroes easier, and though this ability isn’t super strong and is more “a slight gut feeling but it could be nothing” than “human lie detector” it could maybe be honed more. And while not quite wall vision like in BF2 (because wat? Where do they come up with this stuff?), maybe she’s good at detecting people’s presences too. These are very apt ambient skills for someone in her position. Meanwhile, Fangirl!Rey would have probably suspected she had the Force already, and her ambient abilities could be whatever, just rather passive abilities unless trained.

If she is Luke’s daughter though, that would open up the can of worms of who her mother is. Just making it so that she died before the events of SW7 might seem a bit… unfortunate? I kind of want Luke to have found love sometime (and seriously with how much of a bombshell young Luke was, in addition to him being such a hero, I’m shocked that he never got one. I can see why Mara Jade wanted a piece of that. *wolf whistle*), but then I’d have to figure out how to incorporate her in this already character-dense story without her having cheaply died offscreen. I might be able to think of something? I could always go digging in the dusty pile of old fan theories, I might find something good. Thor Skywalker did hint at her but his story stopped at the end of where SW8 would have. If I do name her Mara there’s probably going to be extra pressure to do something with her. …But I can’t be the only one who thinks that Daisy Ridley kind of looks like Natalie Portman. Then again I’m pretty face-blind. I guess blond hair and blue eye color genes are also recessive traits for Star Wars humans. Though it seems the height genes skipped a generation because she’s actually pretty tall for a woman at 170 cm - I’m sorry what. That’s as tall as the average Japanese man! Holy sh*t Daisy! She only looks a bit small because she’s often depicted with Kylo and Kylo makes everyone not Phasma look diminutive. I guess Ben would get it from Anakin and Han (though he’s still taller than both of them…), so maybe a taller actress would be cast as Mara (?). And despite Rey’s malnourishment in the Cynical route, this actually isn’t that implausible, because stunted growth apparently only happens if children are deprived from gestation to about 2 years of age.

And again, why wouldn’t Ben know about this? But if this isn’t the Padawan!Rey route (the hardest to incorporate Rey The Actual Skywalker into), maybe Ben took Rey’s assumed death as even more of a reason to burden himself with the entire Skywalker legacy? This would give him a reason to already care about her.

Further edits: According to the Aftermath books, Jakku was a “Lightside Nexus” planet. Maybe this has to do with her powers? (Perhaps she was kept sane by the Force speaking to her on occasion, in dreams or as she lies staring at the ceiling after a long day, showing her the loving life she used to live and unknown to her she will return to someday). Or why she was dropped there? Maybe she was supposed to be living with Lor San Tekka (the old guy Kylo kills at the beginning of TFA), but got lost one day or was kidnapped by bandits to be a scavenger because her small size would have been perfect for getting loot from small spaces? Why not take her back then? This probably is one of the biggest plot knots in the Cynical Rey Skywalker route, alongside who her mother is.

Small detail lightning round before moving on: I once read a Japanese fic, and in it she mentioned she hates alcohol because she saw how it turned people into monsters. I actually kind of liked this headcanon, and maybe a bit unexpected. Though there’s also the route of her just being too used to it, setting her apart from previous more wholesome protagonists even more. Also Daisy would have to start hitting the gym and protein shakes because I think her character design evolving from her thin build to a very athletic, Wonder Woman-esque body type would be pretty good in representing her growth as a character, and combined with her height she would be so very badass looking.

Finn: Probably around 23? Infamous for lost potential, so his backstory is the same. However, I’m thinking that due to his dehumanizing upbringing, he’s a bit robotic and pretty stoic initially, a total opposite to Poe. He doesn’t understand jokes or sarcasm, and now that he’s completely left the life he’s always known, he feels pretty lost. He would basically act like a male Rei Ayanami, though I was going more for Drax at first. Alternatively, he’s a proud warrior type, imagine a stereotypical North Korean/Prussian soldier. He’d be a bit more emotional and probably less cartoonish here (I mean I have compared Star Wars to anime but full-on anime tropes in live action probably looks super corny), and he’s a massive hardass who also doesn’t get sarcasm or jokes and fanatical and would have thought of his fellow soldiers as a collective as his band of brothers and comrades, collectively serving the FO like a smoothly running machine. My initial thought was that after a life of war crimes and the influence a certain pilot whose cell he was guarding who gave him his name, and maybe witnessing the death of a comrade, he had defected from the FO, but I started thinking it would be plausible if he defected from the FO probably by accident. Highly likely to be the second protagonist, if not POV character, and if so I think it’s logical that it’s Finnrey that becomes the canon ship here. In the Padawan!Rey route, he’s the newcomer protagonist, not Rey. If they’re shipped, or even as friends, they may bond over their dehumanizing, harsh backgrounds and the feeling of being lost in the world. Also he likely starts a mutiny. Like it was such an obvious plot point but they never use it for some bizarre reason. It’s like the DM didn’t read his character sheet at all. Actually one didn’t and the other kept forgetting it in the third campaign.

There’s two ways I think his arc could go; first would be a focus mainly on his search for identity and becoming his own person. Second, his guilt about having done the First Order’s bidding for so long. Probably a combination of the two, though I’m not sure how to address them both. He also wants to see his colleagues free from slavery. But I am sure about I’d that he’d have to overcome his conditioning, learning to regain his humanity.

Especially if Rey is a Skywalker and he becomes a Jedi, he’d be the one who the movie makes a point about being from nowhere. He has no idea who his parents are, but it would not even matter in the end, it’s what he makes of his life from here on out. And if he and Rey end up together, which is extremely likely in this scenario, he not only finds his family in the figurative sense with the other Jedi and his new friends plus girlfriend, but in the literal sense as well, going from nameless Stormtrooper FN-2187, to just Finn the ex-Stormtrooper, to Finn the Padawan and then Jedi Knight, to finally, Finn Skywalker, Jedi Knight; maybe the last movie ends with one of them proposing to the other, with SW8 having previously ended with the climactic big damn kiss that cemented that they are a thing now. (Cue Luke jokingly asking when he’s getting grandchildren and How It Should Have Ended!Anakin squeeing over him getting great-grandchildren lol) His name would have this real symbolic value to it with how it changes as he goes from nobody to somebody. Not to mention “Finn Skywalker” is just a freakin’ awesome name. If they make up the leading duo, he and Rey may have some kind of inherent connection, or they progress into two parts of the same whole, even attaining something like a Dyad.

I thought an interesting thing to do if Rey is a Skywalker, and this is Cynical Rey, is a twist on the expected pattern by making him the one who sees the good in Kylo, not Rey. Because while Rey might be his cousin, she’s also a very distrustful person who couldn’t afford to think deeply about people act the way they do when she was growing up and fighting to survive. Meanwhile, Finn knows Kylo, and he also knows what it’s like to be determined to be a killing machine from a very young age, and if he has to forgive himself, or if he’s able to see the light, that Kylo deserves a chance as well. It would be the ultimate show of kindness from him, to show him forgiving the man who works so loyally under the same organization that enslaved him. I can also see Kylo being angry at himself for being unable to sense the Force-Sensitive in their midst.

Maybe he was born on a “Lightside nexus” planet too so that it makes sense that he can keep up with other characters? Presuming he’s in his early 20s, I don’t think him being raised by the Order since he was a baby is that plausible, so maybe he was already an orphan? I can see the First Order spinning their Stormtrooper program kidnapping street orphans as “rehabilitating” them, which combined with good old Victorian style citizen apathy to street children allows them to get away with it. But if he was, say, around 6 years old when he was taken away, it would make sense why he was able to break out of his programming. Perhaps Poe showing him friendship awoke the humanity long dormant in him. But on the other hand, the younger, adolescent soldiers may be beyond saving, and I can see that being absolutely heartbreaking.

I can see his fighting style with a saber being direct, forceful, and pragmatic, but unlike Rey the emphasis would be on engaging and keeping up the fight, and be very disciplined, calculated, and controlled in contrast to Cynical Rey. At least he’d attempt it while he gets used to the properties of a lightsaber, before there would probably be a lot of awkwardness as John is directed to swing this weightless prop blade with a weighted hilt like he would a club or sword. If he isn’t a Force Sensitive, he’s a good sniper just like in BF2, in fact this would be his primary combat ability, though still able to hold his own in melee combat. Though even as a Jedi he’d probably still use a gun as a sidearm, and his good aim would also translate to him being very good at spotting openings and spotting danger from a distance, as well as enhanced ability to dodge.

Poe Dameron: Age 29 (?). A total bro. I’ve kind of come to think of him as this embodiment of the good, wholesome side of traditional masculinity. I can best describe him as the guy you expect to think of when you think of the guy who takes the boys to the bar for beers on the house and hosts Super Bowl night (for the Americans out there). Basically just that big bro/cool uncle everyone likes. I think he’s the least changed from how he is in SW7; he’s a laid-back pilot with no special powers, and while he’s probably the most static and admittedly flat character (and unfortunately more minor than the other two) he has tons of charisma and optimism to compensate, though being the one who keeps everyone sane definitely helps. Not to mention his piloting skills; which, note, are never eclipsed by Rey, because that’s dumb. His skills are a bit more downplayed here, but he’s still extremely good, especially for his age. Despite being the pilot he’s the most down-to-earth, and may be the only one of the big four with any social skills, even if he’s a bit dorky, especially regarding BB-8.

Son of Rebel pilots, graduated top of his class in the Republic Flight Academy, and his background is squeaky clean, no drug trading involved, though he spent a lot of his adolescence and his adulthood in the Academy or in the military, just like in pre-TROS supplementary material. He’s the main source of jokes and wisecracks out of the trio in all but the most dorky of Fangirl!Rey routes probably, teaching Cynical!Rey and Finn what it’s like to smile and laugh. He still has a close relationship with Leia and Han; possibly closer to the latter due to the latter being a pilot and likely still a General. Not sure about him keeping his rank because him starting and staying at the top might mesh awkwardly with the rest of the trio, but maybe he’s still a Commander; whichever makes his inclusion in the main cast most plausible. Due to an adorable Pixiv comic I found he may have been inspired to become a pilot by Luke or Han. I’d like to think that he breaks the hotshot pilot cliché a bit by not being too overly arrogant, immediately setting himself apart from Han by being a wholesome guy there for his buddies from the start, even if he is fond of wisecracking and snarkiness (probably from hanging around Han and Leia), and inside that laid-back personality lies a hotblooded, passionate, unwavering core. Like, he’s not exactly hotheaded like a Latin stereotype (*ahem*), but he’s got this more subtle, but still apparent, underlying fiery hotbloodedness to him, something that especially makes itself apparent in high-stress situations and when it comes to his loved ones. He’d also be Rey and Finn’s mentor of sorts in stuff that doesn’t involve the Force, being their role model for what a functional member of society is. He may make some self-depreciating jokes about being “normal”, but I think mostly he’ll take it in stride. Though I can see him and Han having a chat about this in a more quiet scene.

Ironically, out of the trio he could maybe be said to be the most suited to be a Jedi personality-wise, despite the fact that he has no Force Sensitivity whatsoever; he goes with the flow, he isn’t troubled, he’s happy with the simple pleasures in life, he’s just a good, genuine guy who does good things, passionate but not obsessive, and he’s forgiving, willing to give even an enemy soldier a chance, appealing to the humanity in him. The last one is particularly Luke-like, don’t you think? Oh, to elaborate on the escape; I still like the idea of him giving Finn his name (though another idea I love is a fallen friend giving Finn his name, that would change stuff around a lot from what I am thinking at this moment). I also think that perhaps supplemental material or some flashbacks, or even an animated short could be made showing just how Poe broke Finn’s programming; by showing him genuine kindness, because somehow, despite his lack of Force Sensitivity, he saw that FN-2187 could be talked out of his programming if he was constantly nice to him, befriending him, starting up casual chatter with him, and after a while the trooper starts opening up to this pilot. …Yeah, Luke-like indeed. Though since there is the plot hole of why Finn could be convinced in mere days and why he’s the only one guarding such a high-profile prisoner, a more realistic idea may be that they talk to each other this way a few times, then Poe escapes and Finn goes after him before they both crash on Jakku and have to work together, with Poe immediately being friendly with Finn and later Rey, to his (and her) confusion. (I can just imagine Poe being all chipper and trying to engage Finn in conversation, or telling him “Good job, sport!” after they fight off bandits or something, and Finn just is all deadpan and “We are enemies, we have no reason to fraternize” and I find that kind of cute).

He may ultimately be the most static of the main cast, but I can see him having a huge impact in more subtle ways; like maybe Rey and Finn think of what Poe might do in a given situation in their training, and he could be the catalyst behind why Finn thinks that Kylo can be redeemed, just like how Poe was able to light another way when it felt like there was only one path for him. He also definitely wouldn’t be the type to be so reckless with his men like he was in TLJ, if he’s still a Commander; he cares about his men a lot, and in fact they may be the reason why he tends to act like an older brother. I can imagine a pretty poignant scene with Finn where Finn sees Poe by himself and BB-8 paying respects to his fallen comrades by this handmade cenotaph, as he sets some flowers down and pours a drink to them, and Finn once again is able to see how different the culture outside the First Order is, as he would have never been mourned like that if he died on the battlefield, nor can he imagine he ever would have done so himself. Or maybe Rey is there too, because if this is Cynical Rey she’s only known a life where people exploited each other. Maybe other characters like Jessika (who he’s already close to I think? Did she show up in the movies though?) or Rose would have the opportunity to be more than background characters by being part of his crew, and we’d get some charming scenes about the bond he has with his squadron.

Again, admittedly he’d be the least deep character out of the big four, with his feelings not being explored nearly as much. But he probably doesn’t really hide his feelings much anyway. For any supplementary shorts involving him, they would be mainly lighter stories about his relationship with the OT cast and their families and his friendship with BB-8 and his crew, or action-y ones about missions he’s gone on; as opposed to, say, Finn, which would show his life as an expendable trooper who knew nothing but war, Cynical!Rey and her crushing loneliness and growing disillusionment to the world as she struggles to survive, or Padawan!Rey and her anguish and grappling with the Dark Side in the aftermath of the Jedi Massacre.

I can also imagine him being this adorable Shipper On Deck for Finnrey lol. Just looking at his two friends, all proud, maybe even tearing up like “*sniff* I’m not crying Buddy, you’re crying!” when the inevitable big kiss scene happens. I can also imagine him being the one to tell Finn that “Hey Finn, what you’re feeling is love!”…And then he has to spend hours trying to explain what love even is to him lol. He always has his friends’ back after all. Again, he’s most likely the one guy who isn’t completely socially inept among these dorks. I’ve also had the potential idea that he could maybe be a good cook, and he’d be the one who introduces Rey and Finn to actually good food. Some fics I’ve noticed tend to show him cooking stuff probably for that reason. It’s just kind of cute, and it sets a good example if despite his traditionally masculine, salt-of-the-earth character, he likes some less “manly” stuff like such and sees no shame in it.

He may sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory towards the end, especially because quite frankly he may lose his plot relevance as the story goes on, though it would definitely be way more respectful than a lot of deaths were treated in the sequels. But I also want him to stick around because I want to imagine him being all proud of Rey and Finn after they propose to each other and giddily planning their wedding, and I feel he could have some very good interactions with Ben to build on for any spinoffs taking place after the trilogy. Speaking of…

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: AKA Yet Another Ball Of Lost Potential: Anti-Villain Addition. This is gonna be a doozy, so strap in. He was probably the most developed character here but that just makes his lost potential stick out even more, so I have so much to say about him.

About 27 probably. While people complain about it, I actually like him being a manchild. It makes him a bit unique in this series. It’s kind of like Vader if he didn’t get stuck in that suit and kept acting like Anakin. In fact, that could make him even more terrifying if that feeds into how destructive he can be; at first he seems like your typical intimidating SW villain, not even that bad a leader with a seemingly calm if tense, imposing air, but it eventually becomes clear he’s this terrifying, volatile berserker who can throw some of the most destructive tantrums ever, and is ultimately a pathetic, broken, pitiful shell of a man. …He just happens to be a very powerful shell of a man. Maybe if he becomes emotional or angry enough, he can unleash powerful shockwaves that basically blow up everything around him, or cause mini Force Storms, or cause any number of unpredictable effects. Though he’s not quite constantly raging either; these berserk states are indeed triggered by anger, but I’m thinking that they are also basically weaponized panic attacks, there’s a sense that it’s also a self-defense mechanism that he lapses into when emotions overwhelm him or when he otherwise feels threatened (though whether it’s necessarily involuntary all the time I’m not so sure; but while he’d definitely want to be able to trigger them voluntarily, there will always be some sense that he doesn’t have full control over it). Also a lot of his rage is directed inwards as well, much like with his grandfather. I thought that maybe his unpredictability in these rages would be the key to his destructiveness, though I can see how someone who is out of control would also pose a problem, no matter how powerful; so maybe this is when he becomes the most focused, becoming locked onto the elimination of the perceived threat at all costs, and/or he can be controlled by his Master more directly like some kind of attack animal.

Luke’s first padawan, or at least after Leia or Grogu (I might make him show up as Luke’s first knighted pupil and allude to this, providing more exposition on Kylo, and being one of the Jedi who help fight in the final battle as the Skywalkers go on to take on the final boss (and Grogu’s name being revealed would be a massive hype moment in The Mandalorian)). Due to his storied family, plus the name of his uncle and grandfather’s own master, he had heavy expectations on his (at the time) small shoulders from an early age. However, he had long been tormented by the Dark Side due to an untraceable curse placed upon him by Snoke, and probably a pre-existing anxious personality. The expectations placed on him, or maybe perhaps just self-imposed expectations, only worsened his turmoil, resulting in a festering mess of self-hatred, extreme perfectionism, and an obsession with familial honor and obsessive attachment to his family, especially Luke, that is a nasty combination of hero-worship and the abovementioned complexes and may border on almost incestuous.

There’s three ways for his backstory to go; “Underachiever Ben”, where Ben is either mediocre as a Jedi or still good but outperformed by others, or “Elsa Ben”, where he’s basically like Elsa from Frozen, possessing an extreme amount of power but barely able to control it, possibly due to Snoke’s curse, and a sort of middle ground, where Ben was super strong and a quick learner, but the dark side in him made Luke feel mixed about Ben’s increasing power, which Ben sensed. If the former, Ben becomes increasingly frustrated at himself for being such a “failure”. If “Elsa Ben”, there’s that, and also the added pain of him growing up terrified of himself and able to sense the terror he causes to those around him, so he was taken in by Luke so hopefully Luke could figure something out; he could have been destructive from the start, or maybe he started to become increasingly destructive despite his training. If the middle ground route, he takes Luke’s mixed emotions to mean that he doesn’t think he’s good enough. How severe Snoke’s curse would have been I’m not fully sure on; he could have voices in his head and nightmares keeping him up for days, chipping away at his sanity, tempting him to accept the darkness, or it may have just been an amplifying of his already unstable emotions. They could have even started as the latter and escalated to the former. But I’m thinking that to best explain his behavior I’m leaning towards the Elsa route. Eventually, his nightmares morphed into repeated visits by Darth Vader, his grandfather, who told him about the truth of his lineage and how he became Vader, slandering everything and everyone he ever admired or loved, telling him of his “true” destiny, and how he should give up and embrace it; unable to hear the real Anakin’s ghost screaming at him to not repeat his mistake. This extended campaign of mental torment stunted his emotional growth in many aspects, and at times he may seem to regress even more. Maybe other padawans were afraid of him because of this dark side presence, avoiding him, and/or were jealous of him because of his lineage and relation to Luke. He often felt entitled to be Luke’s right hand, getting jealous at other students and taking any reprimanding, no matter how gentle, extremely personally. Luke would have needed to struggle between not seeming to be biased towards his nephew and giving him the attention he needed, especially because Ben would feel like Han and Leia abandoned him because they weren’t able to help him, but considering how attached he is to Luke this would hurt him. So when Luke went to speak to him one night, or rushed in sensing an overwhelming dark side presence in his room, and was suddenly attacked by Snoke with a vision of what his nephew would become and making him go into fighting mode for a split second, drawing his weapon to protect Ben, and/or earlier admitted in anguish that he had no idea what was tormenting him despite his efforts, the straw broke the pedestal and he resigned himself to his “destiny”. Ironically he’s just exchanging one sky-high ideal for another, but he’s too emotionally immature to realize this, nor does he fully realize the fact that Snoke merely sees him as a malleable, gullible means to an end. Yet he still feels that pesky pull to the light, and he becomes increasingly frustrated with himself that even as a Dark side user, he still can’t be “perfect” or “worth” anything, not even able to sink himself into the darkness and finally rid himself of his pain. For all the privilege and power he has, or because of it, he always feels worthless.

Basically I want to break him down and make his pitifulness obvious, but that’s what makes him sympathetic. He’s nowhere as far gone as Vader, even if he wants to be, kind of like a reverse Jekyll and Hyde situation where the Hyde is dominant but Jekyll hangs on, so to speak? Maybe? Is that the right analogy? Or I guess it is kind of like Anakin but sort of not, but he’s rapidly going down the same route of hurting his family like his grandfather.

From researching a bit, his proposed behavior seems pretty close to the symptoms of BPD, which is actually pretty fitting because I was thinking Luke’s philosophy on the Force would be influenced by a more modern understanding of psychology, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy actually seems pretty in tune with what I understand to be how the Light Side of the Force works (I mean it even has basis in religious meditation…). Perhaps a mystical version of DBT was one of the things Luke was studying in exile. Though obviously it isn’t exactly BPD; portraying an actual, named mental illness not only has way too much baggage behind it, but it breaks immersion. And with him a lot of it will be the influence of the curse, though I think I would rather him have a personality that made him vulnerable to it from the start, so the curse had something to latch onto.

Going with the “Elsa Ben” scenario, his “real” personality is anxious and even a bit shy. While I like the idea of him being cheerful when he was very little, the shyness always being there is also a characterization I like. Combined with his lumbering physique from his teenage years onwards, this made him a kid who gave off an impression of being extremely dorky (an act that would probably be very natural for Adam Driver to pull off lol) and/or withdrawn and aloof, the latter of which may have made some other padawans think he thought highly of himself and start to resent him. Unlike Anakin he’d be probably a dutiful student, almost creepily obedient, probably actively distancing himself from rebellious behavior, though his way of speaking isn’t exactly super formal either because of the influence of the adults around him. In his obsessions lies a genuine love, even if twisted, of his “favorite person” so to speak. He was also a genuinely sweet kid who wanted to please these special people in his life. He could be said to be actually really selfless in a weird way, because ultimately he values familial honor and being “good enough” for whatever higher purpose more than he values himself. TROS implied some sassiness with that Han-like shrug, and while I can maybe see some of Han rubbing off on him like that, that might be something that started from him trying to copy his parents’ air of confidence, and another coping mechanism. He might, like Vader, have a 501st legion 2.0 which Phasma is in charge of and Finn is part of, and show a more nicer side to them. Perhaps he opened up one or two times to Finn specifically; I can see this image of him venting to him while Finn stands still like how someone might vent to their dog, not really expecting Finn to be listening (also sarcasm might help Kylo obscure his true anguish from Finn, because FO troopers don’t understand sarcasm probably).

He will be redeemed at the end… and live. Even if not necessarily paired with Rey. I’m neutral on Reylo (though admittedly I have a weak spot for pairs involving a strong woman and a troubled guy, so it’s kind of growing on me), but I really think this ship, or even centering the story strongly around a platonic relationship between these two, could have worked if it was built up strongly (Though if I were to go this route Finn would have to be established as a secondary character from the start, with Rey as the definitive main character, to focus on this). But either way, he’s definitely going to have to face the consequences of what he’s done, make up for his atrocities at least somewhat, and think about what he truly wants to do from now on. I can imagine him quietly reading stories to younglings as Rey, Finn, and Luke train some other pupils outside, or thanklessly working behind the scenes in other ways. For his haters out there, I could make the pill easier to swallow not just by making the reasons for his fall and how he was slowly and meticulously gaslit more clear, but also making him not as awful. Yes, he’s extremely destructive, but he could show more reluctance, or pause after his berserker rages, staring at the destruction he’s caused as the weight of what he’s done sinks in. He’d of course resent that he still has mercy left in him though. I don’t think that there will be a Starkiller Base, but even if there was he might argue with Hux a bit over whether it’s really necessary, until Hux sneers at him for having mercy, saying that Vader never hesitated when blowing up Alderaan, and Kylo reluctantly backs off.

…Actually, what about making him and Rey cousins? On one hand, if Rey is a Skywalker by blood, a direct daughter of the Master himself no less, Ben is now suddenly freed from carrying the weight of the family legacy on his own. On the other hand… He basically loses the thing he has spent his entire life building his identity around; since his fall would have partially been because of his obsession with Luke, he may become jealous and extremely resentful of her, and/or take this as even more reason for Luke to not “need” him anymore. Or perhaps, he pulls a reverse of “I sense the conflict in you” with her, wanting to “save” her from embracing the Light and wanting her to embrace the “true” Skywalker destiny with him. He could even be overjoyed that he could have someone else alongside him to carry on the legacy with; in this scenario he could have an unhealthy obsession with her that might also start crossing into “are you sure this isn’t incest?” territory. Yeah it’s a “join me and we can rule together” scenario again, but it would be done differently. Or perhaps it’s a mix of some of those. Exploring that and how he chooses to take it could be extremely interesting. Maybe it’s resolved when Anakin tells him to “finish what he started”… not just by saving the galaxy, but by also living the rest of his life loving his family not as an ideal, but as family, like Anakin wasn’t allowed to. And platonic Reylo sounds nice too. Though that’s going to make all that shipping fanart so awkward lol. Well it’s not as if Star Wars shippers haven’t been cockblocked by incest before (though his obsession with family and extremely questionable mental state would probably make such shippers go nuts anyway…).

And going off of Poe being close to his parents, while the main interactions with Kylo from the heroes would be Rey, Finn if he’s the second protagonist, Luke, and his parents, I can see potential for an interesting dynamic and some interesting conversations between them too. Much like how he might react to Rey being Luke’s daughter, I can see him being jealous of Poe and resenting him for being his “replacement”, but after his redemption I can see potential for seeing the start of a friendship between them in epilogue comics, novels, or a mini-series. It would be pretty in-character for my version of Poe to want to help rehabilitate his sort-of stepbrother. Also I now have the adorable mental image of Ben quietly helping Poe (and maybe the rest of his squad) decorate and arrange Rey and Finn’s wedding, or the two surprising Finn with a very elaborate bachelor party, though I’m not sure if those exist in this universe. And because of a certain Inside Llewyn Davis scene I’m also imagining Poe getting Ben to sing with him and BB-8. It’s adorable.

Also if both Rey and Finn are the main heroes, he might have some kind of link with both of them, and the main duo would both contrast him in their own way (lonely scavenger who no one expected anything of and nameless trooper who defected from the First Order vs. someone who grew up in greatness but seemingly threw it away and chose to be in the First Order; and much like Kylo Finn in particular has been manipulated from childhood to do heinous things, so he may sympathize with his situation). Maybe he’s the missing piece needed for both him and the leading duo to reach their full potential, or the main duo are the last piece needed to finally break Snoke’s curse on him, or something. Or it could simply just be Finn showing his growth and strength of character by understanding and forgiving Kylo, despite him now understanding just how badly the First Order treated him, which makes Rey (who, again, might start as this super cynical scavenger or may have seen Kylo go berserk and massacre her friends and betray her Master) come around to the idea. In this scenario it may actually be even more important to emphasize that Rey and Finn are two making up a whole, so as not to bog stuff down. It’s possible to ship Finnrey and want Kylo to have a better ending, what a shock!

Maybe Rey and Kylo could switch places, and he comes back to the light in SW8, which is an idea I’ve seen floated and is something that would make the story truly unique. He would seem like basically a less stable Vader 2.0 at the start, but over SW8 he could be seen breaking more and more out of his own terrible mindset, coming to a head in a cathartic realization that bring him back into the arms of his beloved family. It would also add an interesting dynamic that he and Finn have to be equals now. But that may mean that Rey would have to be killed off and I’m not so sure about that.

Though speaking of her, since in all these scenarios a common thread is that she understandably doesn’t like him, it would be a bit of a twist if Finn sees the good in him but Rey, if she’s a Skywalker, his cousin, doesn’t.

And to bring up Poe again, I also really like the idea of them having been childhood friends and thus knowing each other before the events of SW7; after all, they’re around similar age, it isn’t that far-fetched to think that former Rebel families would be still pretty close to each other, and I’ve seen some adorable fanfics with the concept. It also adds connection between them and adds even more tragedy, even if this relationship may have to be elaborated more in supplementary material due to time. I can definitely Poe speaking like an old friend to Kylo and constantly calling him “Ben”, to his irritation. The abovementioned feeling of being replaced could be what caused Ben to suddenly break off the friendship. And making the main cast kind of tight-knit like this might also help make the cast easier to manage.

Granted, there is the possibility of killing him off, though. I heard that one of the initial ideas for TFA was apparently that Kylo would be a reverse Vader, falling deeper and deeper into the Dark Side as the trilogy goes on. In fact, this may have been where Kylo killing Han may have been leading to. This actually sounded like a super cool idea, but considering the backstory I laid out I thought it would be way too bittersweet for the concluding movie of the saga, and if one were to say Kylo basically has BPD… That might lead to some unfortunate implications. I mean nothing is stopping me from not using the Elsa backstory, and if I didn’t use it maybe this route would be pretty viable, but I’m kind of starting to get attached to it.

—

Other characters:

Hux: I’ve never really been a villain person. I mean I liked sympathetic villains, yeah (but even then I preferred anti-heroes for a while; I’m talking like nothing beyond N from Pokémon levels of “evil”), but straight-up villains I just have merely seen as obstacles. Like back in my Smash fic days I was often like “Eh… They’re there… Because they want to take over the world I guess?”. It’s why I’m having trouble with Snoke probably lol. But for some reason Hux interests me. If I take a guess it’s probably because of the potential he had as an actual foil to Kylo in his own faction. He had so much potential as a villain, and in having this tense dynamic play out. In fact he does seem to have been set up that way in SW7. But yeah, I imagine him as one coldhearted bastard. His backstory, though not elaborated on in the movies, would be much like TFA supplementary material set him up; he’d still have killed his father, but while yes, Brendol was abusive and strict, Armitage didn’t kill him completely because he was a young man who wanted to break free from his strict father, but also genuinely because he knew doing so would be good for his standing. Unlike Kylo when he (most likely) kills Han, he doesn’t regret killing Brendol at all. While he might have a tragic backstory kind of explaining his behavior, it doesn’t bother him at all, while Kylo, who considering what happened to him and how he’s literally under a curse you’d think would have a much steeper fall into unabashed evil, is constantly conflicted. It’s a very Sith Lord-like backstory funnily enough… In fact I’m pretty sure that Palpatine had a backstory very similar to this with his parents.

He’s a very logical, analytical, brutally pragmatic person, and he looks upon Kylo’s emotional state with condescension. I’m increasingly starting to like the idea that he’s somehow able to talk Kylo down, while still being hardly nice. Perhaps he preys upon Kylo’s constant need for approval from others, even if he doesn’t like the person in question (this may also be why Kylo reacts so strongly to Finn escaping as well, in fact. He genuinely cares about people’s loyalty, even from literal no-name soldiers). Though I can’t decide whether he’s this deceptively charming snake or basically an evil Spock. I also can’t decide between him being in this constant state of “Why do I have to babysit this manchild” or giving absolutely no visible f*cks around Kylo no matter what happens, or even straight-up trolling him often, toying with his emotions because it amuses him; preferably two or a bit of all somehow? I can see him using having met Vader as a child to mock Kylo for how much of a pale, childish imitation he is, or reminding Kylo of how much better he is as a leader objectively; perhaps that’s what he holds over Kylo’s head. Or him explaining to Kylo how he was raised by less than stellar parenting and tried so hard to live up to his strict father too… So he brutally murdered Brendol in cold blood (possibly with Phasma’s help), became a better admiral than he ever was, and got over it “Like an adult. Unlike you.”. They’d be in this constant state of delicate, tense equality; Kylo can easily overpower Hux if he pisses him off a bit too much, but Hux is able to walk that fine edge seemingly without much effort.

But when he realizes whatever grand cosmic plot he and the entire First Order has been participating in this whole time is when, ironically, there would probably be a really dramatic villainous breakdown from him. It’s kind of a Zuko and Azula situation with Kylo and Hux perhaps? Or is this Hux more a mix of Azula and Zhao’s roles rather?

——

Worldbuilding stuff: Since I’m more a character person, there isn’t much here, but because the worldbuilding was another issue in the movies I’ll also be adding these.

The New Republic isn’t nuked in the first movie. In fact it stays there for the duration of the trilogy and the hero faction is now its armed forces, not The Resistance (Also that name makes no sense. Seriously. At least name them The Peacekeeper Corps or Vigilantes or something, or since they’re basically Leia’s personal military maybe the Organa Free Army or Organa Corps or something of that sort. No wonder people mistakenly call them The Rebels sometimes. It’s a similar setup to Chrom’s Shepherds in Fire Emblem Awakening, albeit with a better relationship with the kingdom; it would be downright strange if the Shepherds called themselves The Resistance despite literally existing with the queen’s permission, and it still is here. Hell, Leia’s Shepherds is a better name). There would be elaboration on the political stuff going on behind the scenes, and if Leia isn’t a Jedi that’s her plotline probably, though a big part of me wants her to be part of the action instead of being stuck on the homeworld.

Meanwhile, The First Order is made up of Imperial Remnants and people and planets who were unsatisfied with the democratic but still new and fragile New Republic. Basically think White Russians if the Soviets weren’t also awful. It happens a lot in history. While it may have some mining planets in its orbit (not literally, you know what I mean) so it can plausibly refurbish anything Kylo wrecks with his tantrums, Starkiller Base is probably a bit much, and a lot of their equipment might be old Imperial or Rebel stuff, or stolen from the New Republic, with new stuff being produced but not in overly high quantity. Some of the equipment deemed less important might even be kind of crappy due to how old they are. They’d probably be at most an equally powerful faction to the Republic, if not smaller than them, seeming more like a terrorist cell. I don’t have much of an idea why Snoke would want to be involved in it yet though.

But while the First Order might be smaller, the New Republic is hindered by it just now finally gaining its footing, and the military previously only having been used for peacekeeping and sniping stray Imperial remnants. Because it’s peacetime, it might have been kept pretty small, and also the military academies are literally not even 30 years old at this point, so new that it’s possible Poe, despite his youth, was one of the earliest graduates; one of the military’s most high-ranking officers is literally a scoundrel with no formal training - even if he is good at his job - it isn’t exactly a well-oiled machine, though its less rigid, casual structure also does benefit it in some aspects. Also the FO can easily use Kylo as intimidation, and its upper staff is nothing if not driven and motivated as well as ruthless. They may engage in more underhanded actions like sabotage and suicide bombers, or rely on small elite units like the Knights of Ren or small companies of troopers, to poke holes in the enemy just as much as open combat. And maybe if all else fails Snoke causes something really bad to happen seemingly out of nowhere.

While I do think that making the baddies an Empire 2.0 is an… uncreative decision, I want to keep Finn’s backstory, plus it fits Kylo’s story too so blah, I kind of have to keep it. Plus I want to do Phasma and Hux justice. Maybe Snoke or whatever it serves turns into a giant Eldritch abomination and have no use for the FO anymore. And again, reactionary forces are a thing that have existed throughout early modern history. But as already mentioned, due to the nature of the First Order’s existence, maybe the Stormtroopers aren’t kidnapped, but they were orphans picked off the streets, and/or some more dedicated Imperial parents gave them their children? I had the idea that Troopers like Finn are “Junior Troopers”, the child slave type, while older members, “Senior Troopers”, would be legit Imperial revanchists and former troopers. Maybe there’s a separate company of Juniors who think they’re cool by fighting for the First Order, but generally Juniors would be the lowest on the social rung, though some might make it into higher positions, and don’t know any other life than what they have now. Though I also like the idea that Finn was part of an elite unit directly connected to Kylo Ren like the 501st, so he has a reason to be particularly hurt by his betrayal (but that could throw a wrench in the whole Finn was a faceless cog in the machine thing). They’re pretty Prussian in command structure; officers work under mission-tactics, but the rank-and-file are machine-like in their discipline, more than even some actual droids. The Republic’s forces also probably engage in mission-tactics a lot, except how far it is acceptable goes way further down the chain of command, so stuff like the Holdo situation doesn’t happen. If that situation were to happen when mission-tactics were to be expected Poe’s independent action would be seen as reasonable. This would have potential for very interesting battles and tactics, though I’d need a lot of help with those because I’m the furthest thing from a tactician you can find (but even I can tell the bomber scene from TLJ was dumb, which should say something).

I kind of realized that it’s possible that the four OT legacy characters may end up basically representing four major aspects of the New Republic; the Jedi (Luke), law and justice (Leia, if she’s a senator), the military (Han, if he’s a general), and economics (Lando). I think some worldbuilding into how the republic functions should be explored through these characters as they move the story forward, except for the Jedi since they’re obviously a central focus, and Luke might very well be introduced after them, and the military will also get focus for obvious reasons, and Poe exists. The information definitely needs to be conveyed as efficiently and organically as possible through the story, because there’s two, likely three, equally important main characters and an unholy amount of secondary characters who aren’t exactly minor.

May write more later idk. I need to be doing other stuff…

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bidoldaccount · 4 years ago

Text

Grow As We Go - loose ends

word count: 1,937

tying up loose ends :)

ONE ; TWO ; THREE ; FOUR ; FIVE

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"Dad!" Dean flinched as Jack came sprinting into the garage, out of breath with red cheeks. Dean nearly knocked himself out on the hood of a vintage corvette he was rebuilding.

"Jack!" He attempted to match his enthusiasm but failed as he stood up straight, his back popping.

"Dad said we could go to the aquarium!" He said with a wide smile.

"I said we could go this weekend," Castiel corrected, appering behind Jack with a fond roll of his eyes.

"Why can't we go today?" Jack frowned, blinking up at Cas.

"Jack, you have visitation with your mom today," Castiel pointed out gently, laying his hand on the eleven year olds shoulder. Jack's face fell, he settled his eyes back on Dean with a frown.

"Do I have to go?" He asked.

"It's only for a few hours and Mrs. Talbot will be there the whole time," Dean said, dropping the rag in his hand so he could nudge Jack's chin.

"I'd rather stay home with you," Jack mumbled, turning back to Cas, wrapping his arms around him waist and burying his face in his stomach. Cas pressed his hands to Jack's back and rubbed it softly.

"We know buddy, but it'll be good for you to have a relationship with your mom," Cas said, catching Dean's eye roll and giving him a pointed look while Jack wasn't looking.

"She spends half of our visitation on her phone or talking about her real kids," Jack said.

"Jack, you are her real kid," Dean said.

"No," Jack pulled his face away from Cas' stomach and looked back at Dean. "I'm your kid," he looked up at Cas and repeated, "I'm your kid. I have two dads and no mom, and I like it that way," he said.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Cas smiled tightly, his eyebrows furrowed down with soft sympathy. "Why don't you talk to Mrs. Talbot about it, maybe she'll have some advice for you."

"Whatever," Jack pulled away and stomped back into the house. Castiel sighed heavil, taking the few steps towards Dean until he could wrap his arms around his husbands shoulders.

"I hate sending him to her," he whispered even though Jack had slammed the garage door.

"Me too," Dean shook his head, placing his hands on Castiel's hips, holding his husband close. "But we have no choice. Until our next court date when they let Jack tesifty, we just have to show that we're cooperating. Plus, she's missed three visits and Bela started supervising again because she kept him longer than she was allowed. It doesn't look good and Sam is really confident that they'll give us full custody," Dean said, rubbing his thumbs in comforting circles at Cas' hips.

"Sam's biased," Cas mumbled. "I'm just worried that they'll take the woeful mother bit," he said.

"Let's not think about it, okay? Come on, lets go take Jack out for breakfast before he has to go," Dean leaned in to kiss Castiel's lip, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.

"Okay," Cas sighed, reeling in his emotions before they went inside.

They go to court two months later, on a rainy tuesday afternoon. Jack wears a button up that Castiel had ironed with trembling hands. Kayla shows up with her mother, who had actually been very adamant that she had no knowledge of Jack's existence and wanted to be present in his life. She was very reassuring from the beginning that she wouldn't dare fight them for custody because of what good parents they seem to be.

Kayla had smirked their way and they avoided her gaze at all costs. The judge allowed Jack to testify and the boy did so with a calm, even voice. He read from a piece of paper that he spent three weeks perfecting.

"When I was nine years old, I asked my dad, Castiel, why I didn't have a mother like some of my other friends had. He explained to me that when I was a baby, my mother was not ready to have a baby, so she gave me to my dad, Dean. He told me that it wasn't my fault that I didn't have a mother, and it wasn't her fault either, it was just the way life worked out sometimes. When my mother, Kayla, came back, a part of me was excited, because if like happened the way it does for a reason, then maybe I would be lucky enough to have two dads plus a mom. I never thought that I would be sitting here, fighting to stay with my parents. That is what they are. Dean and cas are my dads, that's what they have always been. Kayla has never been my mom, and she hasn't acted like one up to this point. She speaks poorly of my dads, even though I've told her that it makes me upset, she makes homophobic remarks, she took me to a mans house that she claimed was her boyfriend and I sat in a stuffy living room for two hours while she spent time in the bedroom with him," Castiel had to squeeze Dean's hand hand so he wouldn't be tempted to jump out of his seat. Deans jaw nearly popped with how hard he pressed his teeth together.

"I sent picture to my caseworker, Mrs. Talbot," Jack smiled proudly as Bela passed around the evidence. Kaylas eyes had widened and her attorney had objected. Cas stared wide eyed as their attorney assured Kaylas that the new evidence was submitted well before court started. Dean smiled proudly at Jack, and the boy beamed.

"I'd like to say one more thing if I may?" Jack asked the judge, the man gesturing for him to continue, his face was steel but his eyes were soft. Jack smiled at him, then looked towards his parents. "For what it's worth, you'll never meet better parents than my dads. I could list a hundred things that makes them amazing parents, but all I really have to say, is I have never once questioned their love for me. I might be young, but I know what love, and support, and stability means, because I have really good dads. I won't get that with Kayla, and I'd much rather stay in my loving home. Thank you," Jack nodded his head once and threw a questioning look at Bela. She nodded for him to get off of the stand and he did so quickly. He ran across the courtroom and threw his arms around both Dean and Cas' shoulders. They hugged him back tightly, both of them trying to hold back tears.

When the judge awarded them full custody, they cried. They cried right there in the middle of the court room until their attorney guided them out. Sam and his wife, Eileen, and kaylas mother, Judy, met them outside of the courtroom and they took turns hugging Jack.

"Dad, look!" Jack held up a new pair of drumsticks, and Dean looked at Sam with a sarcastically wide smile.

"Jee, Sam, how nice of you," he said through gritted teeth. Sam smiled innocently, then pretended like someone called him. Dean rolled his eyes and looked back to Jack as he opened another Christmas present. He couldn't lie, the sixteen year old was surprisingly good at the drums, Dean likes to take credit for it because of all the classic rock he played when Jack was a kid.

"Daddy, look what grandma Judy bought for me!" Dean looked down at Claire, five years old with the biggest smile on her face as she stood beside a giant box that contained a Princess vanity.

"Oh my, Judy!" Dean looked up at the woman with wide eyes.

"Hush, they're my grandkids, you got to let me spoil them," she said as she passed him. He smiled fondly, watching her plop herself onto the recliner that she always occupies when she visits. One of Dean's favorite outcome from Kayla popping up five year old, is Judy. Once the woman found out about Jack, she'd been a prominent figure in his life. Then they adopted Claire, at two years old after her parents died in a plane crash, and she treated Claire as if she were her blood.

Dean left Judy and the kids in the living room once all of the presents were opened, and he stopped Cas from leaving the kitchen when he tried to pass Dean. Cas gave him a questioning look, but Dean hushed him and guided him into the garage.

"What are you doing?" Cas asked with a small laugh.

"I have one more present for you, but I wanted to give it to you in private, mostly because it's really fucking cheesy," he explained as he walked to his toolbox. He pulled out a square shaped present, wrapped in newspaper because Dean is simple like that. He handed it to cas with red cheeks and stood back with his arms crossed as Cas eyed it. He had a soft smile on his face as he unwrapped it and his cautious smile turned to soft awe as the newspaper fell.

"It's stupid and cheesy but I thought you'd like it," Dean shrugged as Cas started flipping through the photo album Dean put together. It went in order of the years. The first few pages were in their shitty one bedroom apartment, early years of their first dates, the first night Castiel stayed over, and Cas' pride week outfits. Then Jack appeared, laying on Castiel's chest fast asleep, cas smiling wide as his hands hovered over where Jack was taking his first steps, first days of school, arts and crafts gone wrong when everything got covered in glitter, the first time Sam met Jack. Then it was middle childhood, soccer games and school plays, their wedding, in front of the courthouse when they won full custody. Then high school, the first time they took Jack to Pride, that time Cas broke his leg and they mistakingly gave him a bell to ring when he needed them, adopting Claire. Family trips, small moments, days spent at the park, random little things that made their life so worth living, they were all interspersed in there. Some of the notes that Dean kept from the lunches Castiel packed him, pictures the kids drew, notes Dean left for Cas on days he woke up first, copies of their wedding vows. They were all in there. Cas was crying when he finally finished flipping through, and he couldn't speak, so he threw his arms around deans shoulders and cried softly into his husbands neck.

"I take it you hate it?" Dean teased, even though his heart has never felt lighter.

"I love it, you asshole," Cas said, voice shaky. Dean chuckled, wrapping his arms around Castiel's waist, holding him tightly. "I love it so much, and I love you," cas pulled his head back so he could press his lips to Dean's, kissing him hard and passionately.

"I love you too, Cas," Dean whispered between breathless kisses. Castiel sniffled as he pulled away, holding the photo album tightly against his chest.

"Let's go inside, I can feel Claire bargaining with Judy for another slice of pie," Castiel laughed softly to cover up how much he wanted to cry out of pure joy.

"Just let me kiss you for a little longer," Dean said, holding his hips close. Cas smiled, settling into Dean's arms and allowing himself to stand there, in the garage that Dean built, with their family safe and happy inside, and kiss his husband.

#Dean winchester #castiel winchester #destiel #destiel fluff #destiel fanfic #deancas #destiel au #modern setting #jack winchester #jack kline #claire novak #claire winchester

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babbushka · 4 years ago

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Morning my friend! hope I arrived in time for sinday before it closes! May I request #26 "getting older" from the domesticity prompts with Pale or Biker!Kylo? maybe mixed in with either 3 or 20 from the types of kisses prompts? Thank you and happy sinday! :))

“Alright, spill.” You say one evening, coming home from a late night out at the club, a late night out with Pale.

He’d been quiet all night – all day in fact. That wasn’t like him, not Pale, not your man whose mouth ran a hundred miles a minute, always having somethin’ to say. You did most of the talkin’ tonight, not that that was a bad thing necessarily, but if Pale was goin’ through somethin’, you wanted to know what.

“How’s that sweetheart?” Pale asks, and bingo, he even sounds like he’s stuck in his own head.

You block him on the stairwell goin’ up to the apartment. The elevator was out of service, and boy did Pale fuckin’ bitch and moan about that – why the hell was he payin’ so much if the elevator couldn’t even work? But the elevator is out of order for the evening, and you’re makin’ your way up the ten flights of stairs, and you’ve gone up a few steps ahead to block his path.

“Something’s on your mind, I wanna know what.” You say, not unkindly, just firm.

“We gonna do this here?” Pale smokes his cigarette, flicks the ash onto the floor. He doesn’t sound angry, just resigned, tired. You worry about him sometimes, worry that he spreads himself too thin. He knows you’re stubborn and he sighs. “I had a dream last night, alright, that’s all. Nothin’ to write home about.”

“Pale.” You encourage, crossin’ your arms over your chest to show he ain’t gettin’ off that easy.

“It’s just.” He chews his lip, doesn’t know where to begin, how to start. “It was us, ya know. But not us? Older, we were older. We had a nice house somewhere, coupl’a rugrats runnin’ around. Maybe they were our grandkids, I don’t fuckin’ know. But it…it was nice. Real nice.”

“Yeah?” Your eyes soften, this was always a very off-limits topic, it makes your heart pound to hear him even talkin’ about it.

“Yeah. I had grey hair. Do you think I’d look good with grey hair?” He runs a hand through his locks and you smile, of course he’d be concerned about that.

“I think you’d be very handsome.” You nod, voice soft in the stairwell as he climbs up a step or two to be more level with you. You’re still taller than him bein’ up on the steps like this, and ain’t that a funny sight, bein’ taller than Pale for once? You cup his cheeks in your hand and kiss his plush lips, “Silver fox.”

“Is that something…I don’t fuckin’ know.” He mumbles against your mouth, shrugs his shoulders and rests his hands on your waist. He’s vulnerable in a way that he normally saves for crashes from highs, and it makes you just want to hold him, especially when he whispers, “Is that something you’d want? Growin’ old with this ugly mug. Is – do you think you’d want me for that long?”

“I don’t see myself lovin’ anyone else, I only ever picture myself with you Pale. Surely you know that.” You nod, whispering back, the topic of a future together always something that makes your palms sweat, “Is that something you want? Something you’d try again?”

“I don’t know.” His eyes pinch shut, “The kids don’t fuckin’ want anything to do with me, Barb doesn’t want shit to do with me, she gave up on me – I… It failed so fuckin’ spectacularly the first time. I don’t want us to fail.”

The admission is heavy, in the stairwell. He’s had such a bad experience and you know that, you know. You’d be fine never being a Mrs., you’d be fine just you and him. But if it’s on his mind, if the cards are on the table, if there’s some hope that someday you might settle down, you can’t deny that the idea makes your heart race.

“We won’t.” You kiss his cheek, more confident in this than in anything else.

“Ask me again in a year, alright? Let me just have you like this for a little longer.” Pale’s eyes are pleading, and you smile, nod and smile, never wanting to pressure him, to push him into something he didn’t want.

“You can have me as long as you’d like. We’ve got time, we’ve got all the time in the world. And I want to spend all of it with you.” You reply.

And when Pale leans in to kiss you properly, the kind of kiss that’s got your stomach doin’ little flips in your pretty sparkly gown, you smile because he already feels lighter, already feels better. You can tell, just in the way that he holds you, and you’re grateful then, that the elevator was down.

#pale x reader #pale/reader #pale x you #pale burn this #burn this broadway #pale imagine #adam driver character #pale fluff #theold-ultraviolence #cowboy answers

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larryfanficwriter98 · 3 years ago

Text

Chapter Fifteen

*Fake It Until You Make It Real*

The closer they got to the fifteenth the more Louis noticed how nervous Harry became and how stressed he seemed. Louis also noticed Harry's lawyer calling more often which seemed to only stress Harry out more. Louis did everything he could to calm me down and comfort him, but he didn't exactly know what to do or say so he didn't know if he was much help. Despite Harry reassuring him he was helping plenty. When the morning of the fifteen arrived Louis had made sure he and Freddie had been excused so they were there for Harry.

"You really didn't have to be here but I'm glad you are. I told my family not to come, but they never listen to me. They've been to each one so far." Harry said as they entered the courthouse, Harrying holding Louis' and Freddie's hands as he was between them.

"Of course, I was going to be here." Louis said gently, "we're in this together after all remember." Harry kissed his hand before he pushed open the door that led to a waiting area where Harry's family and his lawyer.

"Good morning." Anne said walking over to them and each of them tightly, "how's my baby doing?" She asked rubbing Harry's arm.

"He's been extremely nervous the past two weeks." Louis told her as he snuggled into him, "I don't think I've been much help."

"Oh, hush you've been great." Harry said kissing his temple, "have you seen Maddie yet?"

"Very briefly. We're actually about to go talk to her, me and Johnathan." Gregory said as he checked his watch, "there's absolutely no way you won't get at least scheduled visitations."

"I know I've just lost a lot of these."

"I know but this year is different."

No one mentioned why exactly this year was different and Harry for a moment felt weird about how he had found Louis. Not that he regretted it, but he just wished it were true, that they had met normally and been together for a year and were in love and getting married for the right reasons. Not he needed a husband to see his daughter. He looked over at Louis as he talked with his mother, Freddie sitting on his lap. Was it too soon to be in love? Was it too soon to actually marry him because he wanted to keep him at his side forever? Harry didn't know but he did know that his crinkly eye smile made his heart race and his sass made him laugh harder than he ever remembered laughing. He knew that Freddie had a special place in his heart just like Maddie did and he knew that he wanted to see Louis round bellied full of a child Harry had given him. He knew he wanted to wake up at three in the morning to see Louis feeding their baby either by nipple or bottle, he didn't care. He knew he wanted to see Louis covered with kids...grandkids even...maybe a few great grandkids if they were lucky enough. Harry knew he wanted to see Louis every morning for the rest of his life. Yes, here he was worried that being in love with him was too soon. He scoffed at himself and pulled himself from his thoughts noticing Louis was now standing upfront of him looking amused.

"Sorry I was lost in thought."

"I could tell. What were you thinking about?"

"How lucky I am to be able to spend every day of my life with you." Harry said honestly watching as Louis looked shocked for a split second before he grinned as he stared at him.

"Every day huh?"

"Every single one."

"Even the bad ones?"

"Especially the bad ones." Harry said leaning in to kiss him sweetly, "I'm very lucky you know."

"Well so am I and so is Freddie. He's really...grown a lot this past month and it's all because of you. So independent compared to two months ago. I hate and love it at the same time."

"You think so?"

"I know. He's very lucky to have such a great man to look up to...after me of course." Harry grinned as he looked at him a little teary eyed, "oh darling come here. Darling you are such a great man and such a wonderful dad to Maddie." Louis said gently as he pulled Harry down to hold him.

Harry wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face into his neck holding him tightly as his shoulders shook lightly. Louis vowed to tell him every day how great of a father and man he was from now on as he rubbed his back. When they pulled away Louis wiped the left-over tears away and smiled up at him. Louis knew he should say those words, should say them for multiple reasons, but he also knew that it was too soon. It was much too soon and damn him he wouldn't tell him those words to comfort him because them Harry may not believe them. So instead, he put those words into a loving kiss that he pressed to Harry's lips, because that was the best he could do at the moment.

***

Louis sat beside Anne and held her hand with Freddie on his lap once they entered the courtroom. Louis would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but he was also very confident that Harry would be able to see Maddison regularly. Even if it were just every other weekend for now, he was confident Harry would be able to see her. He also knew Harry would do everything he could at work to be able to spend at much time with her when he did have her even if it meant more nightshifts. Louis would miss him at night, but he also knew that it would be worth it and a tiny sacrifice he would have to make. Harry would work nights, sleep while they were gone, then be up for after school hours before going to work before or after dinner. Well Louis assumed that's how that would work, and Louis would be okay with that, would be willingly to lose Harry at night so Harry had Maddie during the day. He'd miss him and it'd be hard, but it'd be okay.

"We are going to start with the dates Mr. Styles has asked for first which are either the twenty third, fourth, fifth, or sixth of December. Reason being he has not seen his daughter at all during the holidays for three years. Is that true Miss Carpenter?"

"Yes, because hasn't asked in advance. You see we have so many families that they each want to see Maddison and of course I want her for Christmas, so Harry just usually drops a handful of presents off at the apartment. Small things really nothing worth going over to his place with." Hannah said evenly as if it made perfect sense.

"That is because Harry keeps the bigger things at his house because he knows space is limited and he wanted to have toys for Maddison there for when she visits. I have pictures and receipts of everything he bought her for holidays and birthdays over the last three years." Gregory interjected.

"Yeah, because that's not suspicious." Hannah mumbled getting a look from her lawyer.

"Can I see those?" The judge asked. A thick file was handed over to the court officer who then handed it to the judge. The judge looked through the pictures and receipts, screenshots of text messages from him and Harry of what Harry sent over to Hannah's place for Maddison.

"And this room is a toy room correct?" The judge asked showing a picture of the playroom.

"Yes. That is the newest picture with my stepson’s- um soon to be stepson’s toys in them as well. It's why those aren't listed." Harry explained and Louis couldn't help the small smile that spread on his face hearing Harry say it so casually.

"And that is that little boy?"

"Yes Freddie. They just moved in."

"Is there a reason you didn't send the fire tablet over to Miss Carpenter's place this year like you have the previous years?"

"I felt like it was being used too much over there, so I made the decision to keep it at my place. Maddison would come over and sit on the couch playing her tablet and if I took it from her, she would throw a huge tantrum. I didn't want her obsessed with the thing, so she has it very rarely and with Freddie over now she hardly asks for it."

"Miss Carpenter any comment?"

"I gave her the tablet whenever she was bored. That's why I asked Harry to buy it so she wouldn't be bored. It entertained her."

"Why was she bored? Didn't she have toys to play with?"

"Of course, she did she just didn't want to, or she wanted me to play with her and I couldn't so to compromise I gave her the tablet."

"How old was she at this time?"

"I don't know like four?"

"She was three and four." Harry offered.

"Thank you, Mr. Styles. I am going to grant you the afternoon of the twenty third through the morning of the twenty fifth. Miss Carpenter you will see you daughter the afternoon of the twenty fifth. The twenty third Maddison will be dropped off at Mr. Styles' location at two in the afternoon. Thirty minutes late will be a penalty against you Miss Carpenter. Mr. Styles you will drop Maddison off at Miss Carpenter's location at two in the afternoon the afternoon of the twenty fifth. Thirty minutes late will be a penalty against you. That thirty-minute window is not an invitation to be late. It is me being nice considering the weather and traffic. If you do get stuck in traffic you are to record it until you get to the location. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Louis didn't need to see Harry to know he was grinning; he could hear it in his voice and could feel it on his own face. Anne squeezed his hand and he looked over saw she was already crying as quietly as she could.

"The second set of dates are January seventeenth through February fourth. "

"Absolutely not!"

"REASON being is his wedding and instead of going on a honeymoon Mr. Styles and his husband will be taking the kids on a family trip. They will leave the twenty first and will return the second and the extra few days will help her adjust to the time zone. I am granting this request and Mr. Styles will drop her off at Miss Carpenter's location at four in the afternoon on the fourth which is a Monday. If she goes to school that day, then Miss Carpenter can pick her up after school." Hannah huffed but wisely didn't say anything, "now on to visitation. What are you two thinking?"

"I think it should be up to me like it has been the last three years." Hannah said, "Harry's job is too unpredictable and changed too much to be reliable."

"While that is true and I can understand where you and the everyone from the past is coming from, I disagree with their decisions. That doesn't matter anyway, Mr. Styles now has a much more flexible hour schedule due to a number of coworkers agreeing to take his place if he needed them too. Also Mr. Styles' fiancé works at the same school your daughter attends therefore is able to take her home and drive her to school as well as be there during the hours Mr. Styles can't. Maddison has expressed great comfort and a great relation with Mr. Tomlinson so I see no reason why he can't be a guardian for her while in the care of her father's. Mr. Tomlinson has a son and has experience raising little girls from his young siblings, and Maddison talks very highly of him. By my accounts they are more than capable and responsible enough therefore Mr. Styles did you have a specific schedule you were thinking?"

"Honestly, every other weekend is fine. I just wanted to see her."

"You act like you never see her." Harry ignored her and the judge raised an eyebrow at her, "he just seen her for Halloween."

"Yes, and he was supposed to have her longer, but you changed your mind and tried to accused him of parental kidnapping. I've seen both videos, I'm not impressed. Mr. Styles will have Maddison every other week Monday to Monday starting this Monday. Monday when Maddison arrives at school, she will be in Mr. Styles' care until Monday when he or Mr. Tomlinson drops her off then she will be in Miss. Carpenter's care. Then it will repeat the only exception will be the scheduled days I've granted. Following that schedule Mr. Styles you will have your daughter the week of her birthday which falls on a Friday, so we do not need to schedule a time for you to see her. On the matter of custody Mr. Styles gets shared custody rights and Mr. Lambert is denied the adoption request again. Anything else?"

"You're just giving my daughter to him?"

"No, I'm letting a father see his daughter more than two times a year as well as during a time a major change will be happening that will affect not only his life, but hers as well." Hannah huffed but remained silent.

"My client is also asking for more child support to help support her learning disability." Hannah's lawyer said making Louis' eyes widen as he looked at them.

"Mr. Styles is paying four thousand a month in child support to Miss. Carpenter."

"Yes, but that was three years ago, he's making more money now and there's another income in the house now. Miss Carpenter is finding it hard to buy her child what they need with how little she is receiving."

"Mr. Styles I will be reducing your child support payments from four thousand to one thousand a month. Not only will you be having her half of the time now you are also paying for a tutor as well as even though it falls under Miss Carpenter's responsibility. Now is there anything else we need to discuss? No? Good. In six months, we will hold another court date and follow up on the visitation and custody arrangement. We will also discuss America and what is best for Maddison. Child Protective Services will be in and out of your homes at random. They will be looking for various things however I will not divulge that to you. They will also be at the school and will be taking with her teacher and discussing her education and what she talks about. Please stay to collect your schedules and packets. Have a good day." Louis grinned standing up and opening his arms out for Harry who immediately ran into them.

"Every other week. Lou I'm getting her every other week."

"I know Darling, and you have her for the holidays and her birthday and the wedding. See you should never doubt me I told you it would all be okay." Harry laughed as he pulled away.

"Of course, you turn this into an I'm right you’re wrong situation." Harry said though he was grinning as he cupped Louis' face before he kissed his forehead. Then he turned and hugged Anne then Gemma and Robin. They headed back to the side room while Gregory headed to a different room with Hannah's lawyer. They sat there for an hour before Gregory came back with files, one of them he handed to Harry.

"That is your schedule, the days in red are your days and the days in blue are Hannah's. The school holidays are divided equally and there is also a paper for the school to inform them whatever they tell Hannah they also must call you. So, if she's hurt, needs clothes, or needs picked up you'll get a call. It now goes Hannah, you, Louis, and then Daniel. Hannah is definitely not happy about that."

"Thank you." Harry said as he looked over the papers, "when does the child support change?"

"Next month. Two hundred and fifty will be taken out every week from your pay. So, these next two weeks you will still lose one thousand each pay, but next month it'll only be two fifty. Honestly, them asking for more even though you pay for everything was just ridiculous. No judge would have raised that four thousand for one child is insane. This was a relatively easy win for us, fighting for custody shouldn't be too hard especially since she doesn't know you want to. She won't be expecting it until they tell her lawyer closer to the court date, which is May twenty-third, I think her lawyer will be informed in March, she will probably lash out so be prepared for that and they will start to focus on Louis and Freddie. It'll get extremely messy in April."

"Thank you."

"Come on let's go out for lunch. My treat." Robin said, "we can talk about when we can take Maddie for a few hours over food."

#fake marriage #larry stylinson fanfiction #larry fanfiction #larry fake marraige au #nonfamous au #parents au #Wattpad #teacher louis #New Chapter #doctor harry styles

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leviathan-dee · 4 years ago

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DMC Week 2020: Day 6: You Belong Here

(Here’s another small wholesome piece. I really wish we had more interactions with the entire crew in DMC, but the community provides enough to sate that need for wholesomeness). (All prompts were used for day 6). (Alcohol mention, and one use of a curse word lmao).

Family was never a word that Dante had to use too often in his vocabulary. Decades of separation and neglect seemed to stretch, until he finally found where he belonged; in this drunken celebration with his slightly dysfunctional family.

Word Count: 1,755

Characters: Dante, Vergil, Nero, Kyrie, Trish, Lady, Nico

Read On AO3

The scorching July sun seemed to boil every living being which dared step foot outside, merciless rays beating down upon the Earth. Whoever escaped the confines of their four walls were bound to become crispy at the sheer thought of the sun. There were, however, some fools who tempted fate, and proceeded to have an entire barbeque outside.

The Spardas, alongside the Devil May Cry crew, were said fools.

Of course, no one could deny Kyrie, the kindest, most gentle creature to ever grace the planet, a day outside. Especially during a celebration. Especially on a pregnant Kyrie’s birthday.

It was July tenth, the weather being arid and overly vacant of any breezes. This only made the heat far more excruciating. Kyrie didn’t seem to feel the blazes, her skin absorbing the rays to form a honeyed tan which complimented the amber glimmer in her eyes. Whereas Nero, unfortunately, panted like a rabid dog. His skin seemed to turn scarlet at the mere thought of summer. Evidently, the situation turned even worse for the boy since he had to man the barbeque, grilling burgers, as well as sausages, meanwhile being inevitably covered in helix coils of smoke. His beloved watched him apologetically, whilst he continued to sweat up a storm, beckoning the children to pick up their mouthwatering meals.

Dante sat beside an orchard, the apple trees being a godsend for shade in his time of need. Although the Sparda twin could withstand blazing temperatures, it was only for a short period of time; Not an entire day. Brushing his white, sweat-soaked locks away from his brow, Dante grabbed the neck of the beer bottle, letting the bubbles gently glide down his throat. He basked in the sensation for what seemed a whole eternity, whilst the sound of bickering and giggling children filled his ears. It was blissful, to say the least. To feel like he belonged. To have family.

He had hoped Verge felt the same about this reunion.

Thinking about his twin brother, Dante turned to the blue devil, noting that Vergil’s usual scowl was wiped clean off of his visage. Instead, his face was soft, bereft of any tension. He seemed… happy. Relaxed. It was refreshing to see. Albeit his quiet nature, the elder twin continued to lift the corners of his lips, reacting to the children, as well as Nico’s vulgar comments and Kyrie’s deathly glares at the gunsmith. Trish and Lady were the other pair to cause a ruckus, making Vergil smirk anytime they were told off by Nero for using non-family friendly language at the dinner table.

“Aww shit, we’re out of ketchup.” As a slightly intoxicated Lady let the curse word slip, she squeezed the condiment bottle harder, making it spurt out a less-than elegant bowel movement noise, and a pathetic dollop of tomato sauce. The children fell into hysterics, Nero and Kyrie unsure of whether to reprimand the woman, or giggle alongside the kids.

Dante continued to watch the spectacle, a warmth blooming in his chest.

Vergil was happy. In turn, so was his younger brother.

“So, Verge, enjoying yourself?” Sipping on liquid courage, Dante turned his head to his twin.

“Hmm. It appears as though I am.” The blue devil assumed a somewhat distant stare, turning his gaze towards his busy son at the grill. His eyes softened at the sight of Nero. If there was a trace of bittersweetness in Vergil’s expression, it came and went almost instantly. However, Dante knew him better than anyone, and could recognise his elder brother’s ghosts of guilt and regret quickly.

As a sudden breeze eased the tension of blanketing heat, Dante sighed, and recalled a nostalgia fueled memory.

“Remember when mum and dad brought all of their friends to the manor for a barbeque? We ended up playing with the other kids, whilst the grown-ups got drunk?” The scarlet devil sucked air in through his teeth, the memory almost too painful to relive. Vergil recoiled at the sudden recollection.

“I reminisce about those days often.”

“You were a damn sprightly kid, Verge. Always running off and hiding to read. Me and the others had to search for you, only to find you up on that gnarly tree, chomping on some apple.”

Dante continued with the mental memoir, his lips curling upwards. He could almost hear the voices of the children and Vergil’s adamant refusal to climb down. He could smell the delectable cuisine of his father's famous burnt burgers and his mother’s soft laughter. Even the gentle grass lapping at his ankles was as vivid of a memory as the display of giggling children before him.

“And now…” Dante inhaled deeply, a ghost of a bittersweet smile gracing his lips, “now we’re the ones sitting, getting wasted, whilst the kiddos play.”

“What are you getting at, Dante?” Vergil uncrossed his arms, running his fingers through his hair, a tell-tale sign of either annoyance or discomfort. Dante simply waited to collect his thoughts, the image of past times being too much. In retaliation to the thoughts, he inhaled the scent of sweetened smoke, inching himself to the empty seat beside Vergil. He let out an almost elderly sigh as he landed in the chair before continuing earnestly.

“We made it, Verge. We've come full circle.”

Vergil's reforming thoughtful brow wrinkle made its famous comeback, his mind processing Dante's statement.

So they did come full circle.

Dante was so adamant on having something dear to hold onto, he was finally rewarded with a family. Finally rewarded with what he longed for since he was eight years old. Though it was a screwed up little group with issues that would take a few more decades to sort out, it was his family. Vergil was very much a part of that family. It warmed every cold crevice of the blue devil’s beating heart, the melodic rhythm becoming even prouder.

"Christ, Vergil. You have a son, can you believe it? In fact, you're going to have a grandkid. You're going to be the youngest looking gramps to have ever lived." Dante attempted to pinch his brother’s cheek, earning him an irked scoff, alongside a hearty slap to the back of the head. It seemed as though they returned to their youthful selves, ignoring the wrinkle lines that arose with age, and the exhaustion inflicted violet splodges beneath their eyes.

They were kids again, trying their best to catch up on the lost years of brotherly bickering.

...

The air began to cool off as the evening drifted. Nero was unchained from his duties, sipping a chilled beer, pleased hums and sighs resounding from his chest. Kyrie cuddled into Nero’s side, the both of them entangled behind the table. Viewing the spectacle, Dante turned to Vergil once more.

"I think mum and pops would be proud." The statement came out of the blue, yet did not startle the blue devil. Instead, his visage was graced with a saccharine smile, the type that Dante had rarely seen in the man. In fact, it was only witnessed during their eventful, albeit brief, childhood.

"Hmm… I hope so." Sighing, contentment written all over Vergil’s features, he craned his neck up to the trees, breathing in the tender breeze of the summer evening.

Dante continued to reminisce about his nephew, and the love of Nero’s life. Seeing the shy ‘couple’ back in Fortuna, he never anticipated to witness this decade-long result; A great-nephew. Kyrie seemed to glow as she nuzzled into her beloved’s side, with a five month bump becoming a prominent addition to her frame. It was a wondrous thing to Dante, knowing that their little dysfunctional family was ever-expanding. The fuzzy feelings appeared to bloom at an exponential rate, which the scarlet devil attempted to gulp down with bubbling alcohol.

He was proud of them. Proud of the tiny group. His family.

A boisterous Nico interrupted any thoughts, eclipsing the view of the couple with her presence.

"So, 'nother beer for ya, gents?" She offered to provide more drinks, with Dante gladly accepting and Vergil politely declining. Whilst the Spardas’ intoxication was low, Lady and Trish were completely sloshed. Their joyous dancing was evidence of the fact.

Nico turned to the middle of the garden where the pair were swaying their arms about as if they were attempting to fend off mosquitos.

“Lady is gonna regret all that booze in the morning. Not sure ‘bout Trish though.” As the young gunsmith twirled on her heels to approach Nero and Kyrie, the dancing pair of intoxicated women began to beckon Dante.

“Hey! Give us your iconic MJ dance!” Trish slurred not a single word, Dante noting that she was playing the drunk to accompany Lady.

“C’moooon Mr. Sparda. Please?” Lady, however, slurred every word. It wasn’t often she had the time or the energy to let loose, so the evening was some well deserved alleviation of pent up stress and frustration. In the distance, Kyrie giggled at Lady’s tipsiness, earning the birthday girl an amorous peck on her button nose from Nero.

The scarlet devil stood from his seat whilst giving Nico an impish smirk, before summoning Dr. Faust into his palm. It appeared as though the cowboy hat materialised from countless twinkling coils of demonic energy. Nico returned his mischievous smile with her own, silently fist bumping the air. Nero simply sighed and clicked his tongue, mirroring his father’s own mannerisms of annoyance and exasperation.

“Not again…”

“YES AGAIN! HIT IT, DANTE!” Nico joined in on the two buzzed women on the garden dancefloor. As a natural performer, Dante swished the headpiece upon his crown, assuming a pose that could wow the crowd.

For hours, the party continued, each member of the crew joining in on the song and dance. Even Vergil pranced into the centre, grabbing a wasted Lady to waltz with him. Toasts were made, followed by treasured tears trailing alongside the speeches, each word weighing the world. Their love for each other, and this little makeshift family, could not be altered or demolished in any way possible. For each of these members lost someone close to them. Whether it was a father, a mother, a brother, or their entire livelihood. They ultimately found a group of like-minded individuals to fill the void. Nothing could separate them.

‘You belong here’ a tiny cherished voice uttered in the back of Dante’s mind. For the first time in decades, he was happy. He felt like he belonged.

Hell, he did belong.

And nothing could change the fact.

#dmcweek #dmcweek2020 #devil may cry #dante #vergil #lady #nero #kyrie #trish #nico

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nostalgic-pancakes · 3 years ago

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Room 73- Chapter 5/8

Summary: The plot starts spamming the chat, and plans are made

Pairings: same as usual, but this time with queerplatonic intruality!

Read on AO3

Word count: 3130

Warnings: discussions of therapy and the kind of bullshit that happens to you in the foster system, the concept of loved ones dying becoming very real and mentions of parents that yell a lot (Though never child abuse)

Other notes: Hi! Not too big of a fan of this chapter, but I may as well get it out already, it's killing me. I hope you all like this though, and if you have any questions, leave a comment on ao3/ask me here and i’ll answer gladly!

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“Hi.” whispers Thomas as everyone enters the room. He’s been getting better at talking, getting stronger every day. Nobody knows exactly why, but they’re trying to figure out why now, rather than forever ago.

But that’s not important- it’s the first session of their D&D campaign! Virgil apparently has a lot of plans for this campaign.

Thomas hisses again, after everyone has said their hellos, and Virgil and Janus hiss back. Logan remains confused.

They exchange pleasantries for a little while, Thomas regaling them with stories like Mrs. Applebaum and Mrs. Chase wearing each other’s coats yesterday night and walking away, hand in hand, giggling like teenagers even though they’re old ladies with grandkids off in college. Virgil and Logan proceed to then screech about the new Welcome to Night Vale episode, about Frank Chen, whoever that is and then Patton and Remus quietly announce that they’re in a QPR, and Janus and Logan need some explaining but it’s okay, and then when they finish the setup, everyone’s sitting with their laptops, character sheets loaded up and suddenly… nobody wants to play.

Someone else should be here, playing with them as Virgil (probably) shoves all their characters through the wringer (physically and emotionally) and gives them enough comfort to rest easy but that someone isn’t here, he’s in the corner of the Chemistry room, as far away from the chemical cabinet as possible, resting his voice a bit so that he can start talking again in about half an hour after chatting with them during setup, and they don’t know why, but D&D is not something any of them want to do right now.

“Actually guys, I really don’t want to do this right now. Not without Thomas” says Virgil, looking over to the ghost hanging around in the corner, who smiles at them and motions for them to all continue, even as Virgil starts putting their laptop back in their laptop case, then their bag, and everyone is already doing the same.

“Yeah.”

“Mmhm.”

“Thomas, what do you think made you so strong recently?” asks Logan, zipping up his bag after removing his translation notebook and morse code sheet from his bag. It’s honestly a better use of their time, finding out more about their new ghost friend, and perhaps he could come back for good, at the rate he’s going and that’s exciting too.

“I...don’t know? Maybe… naw, no way.” he responds, speaking but it eventually turning back into garbled hissing.

“Hmm? You can tell us- anything like a clue is better than nothing.” responds Logan, pulling out his pen and laying the sheet in front of him on the cold floor. It’s going to start snowing soon- they really need to stop sitting on the cold stone floor so much.

“Um, the people- the people who killed me” everyone winces, Thomas keeps tapping. “They died, in, the fifties I think. Drug overdose or something along those lines. That’s when I started hissing.” Thomas waits for Logan to finish translating, with additional help from Patton, before continuing. “So…” there’s a pause. “Maybe because everyone I loved back then is getting old? Dying maybe? That might be it.” Thomas doesn’t look very happy about that possibility.

“That doesn’t sound very nice, but that is likely the reason. Have you been noticing any recent changes to yourself?” Logan asks.

“Yes. I can hold conversations a lot longer, and sometimes I’m visible to mirrors. I try not to become too corporeal in class, though.” Thomas replies, clearing his throat- indicating he’s gotten some strength back. It’s only taken a few minutes this time, which is the least it has ever taken. He laughs a little, and it’s clear- he sounds like a kid, maybe around their age, which he is. He’d be a good singer, probably. It feels like Thomas is becoming more alive by the day, and maybe he is.

They go on like this for a little longer, forming hypotheses about Thomas’s condition and how to undo it, laughing some and wincing other times at painful memories and good ones, until Patton and Janus get a text from their foster parents telling them that there’s a fam-ily meeting about to happen, and they need to come home. Patton visibly tenses, and Logan doesn’t really know what to do, but Janus takes his hand, shaking a little himself, and tells them that they’ll be there tomorrow, even though he really doesn’t believe it, as much as he wants to. Thomas knows that feeling.

Either way, on that foreboding note, everyone else makes to leave too. Virgil goes next, saying that they have to speak to their friend Hildi (whoever that is) about something they don’t understand. Virgil doesn’t elaborate, though they don’t look very upset either.

Logan soon after, wrapping up his morse sheets after he and Roman engage with Thomas verbally some more. It looks like it may rain soon, the sky grey-blue outside and the phantoms in the schoolyard running for cover, forms sizzling under rain. In this way, Thomas is lucky he died indoors.

Roman and Remus seem to want to go the least, but the rain looks like it’s getting worse and Roman does need to go eat something- he hasn’t since dinner yesterday and it's not like there are edible snacks in a chemistry room- it’s literally lab rule one. Roman tries to put up something of a half-hearted fight, and Remus rebukes, routine, like they’ve done this before and will do it again. They have, they will. Roman argues like he’s convinced himself, Remus like he’s sad, trying to pull Roman to shore, more gently than his usual bombast. They go eventually, just as a light drizzle begins and the school heating turns off, with even the teachers leaving the premises. It’s cold, and it’s dark and at some point Thomas wouldn’t have minded, knowing that he was the dark and the cold and the static but now...

But now he knows that he is becoming more than that.

There’s a little bit of warmth, like that of a tealight within him, that he hasn’t felt in so long that he feel he has almost (almost) forgotten how to feel it but not yet, not yet and he cradles it close through the dark and the wet and the ever-approaching night.

…

Patton walks into the house full of dread. He knows what’s about to happen, and maybe he could have numbed it over in any other house, but he had let himself want, and this is where it got him.

Gosh, Janus really liked being here too, he’ll be devastated.

Janus, honestly, doesn't look very worried, and Patton worries for him.

They find Remy and Emile on the dining table, their designated coffee mugs full of tea this time- peppermint or chamomile or something, probably promotes calm or whatever. Emile had taught him that. Fuck.

What was he going to tell Remus? Roman? Virgil and Logan? Logan latched onto Janus like a drowning man seeing a life raft, and Janus had clung as hard.

Fuck, what about Thomas?

He’s sitting, all too aware of every little thing happening around him in his dread. He wants to take in all the furniture, where he hid when he had panic attacks and where he saw Janus being comforted after his own. He’s always wanted to reach out, take Emile’s hand or Remy’s shoulder and cry, but he didn’t, squashing the hope before it could go anywhere. Guess he was right then, he thought bitterly.

The chairs are arranged strangely- instead of being forced to face Remy and Emile when they got the news, the chairs were arranged in a row- one two three four with the dining table having their mugs in order of age- Emile, Remy, Patton, Janus.

Emile and Remy were already sitting in their seats, smiling at them patiently expectantly. Stop hoping. It’s over.

Patton gets in his chair first. The thought of drinking his tea, with the perfect amount of milk and sugar makes him sick. He doesn’t pick up the cup. Janus, once again not looking very concerned, takes his mug in one hand, the other still with a death grip around Patton's. It’s probably going to bruise. He doesn’t care.

“Hey there, kiddos! Sorry for the short text- traffic was the worst, today.” starts Remy, and Janus relaxes, smiling a little. Patton doesn’t.

“We really just wanted to ask you two something- though it is a bit personal, and you can say no whenever! All we’re asking you to do is try it first, okay?” Wait. What? The fuck?

“What… Do you want us to try?” asks Patton. It’s the first thing he’s said since they got the text, and he needs to know what is actually fucking happening. Emile’s probably figured him out (and Patton hate hate HATES that he’s let Emile do that, but he also doesn’t)

“Well, Remy and I have been talking, and we think it might be a good idea for both of you to see a therapist.”

A… what?

Therapists are expensive, and (usually) need to have you living in one place for a long time. They’re expensive, so they’re a long-term investment. If therapy’s something Emile is trying to do, then that means that they want him and Janus to stay. For a long time.

He thinks of the papers he sees Emile hiding. It all starts to make sense.

In his defense, Patton doesn’t cry. Until that breakdown with Remus on the phone the other week, he genuinely could not remember the last time he had cried- it’s not easy to get him to. But both Remy and Emile always, always seem to know that something is wrong, even if he doesn’t tell them that something is, and Remys takes his hand, even as he keeps his eyes on the teacup, and Patton’s still feeling a bit weird on drinking it, but it’ll be fine. Janus has already said yes, and has long finished his tea and is texting Logan on the couch, but Patton’s still on the table, and his tea is getting it cold, but he drinks it as it becomes lukewarm, reddish-brown liquid rolling down as one of his hands is held by Remy, and they don’t talk as much as Patton and Emile, but it’s nice to have him around- he gave both he and Janus their latest sewing kits.

Janus probably has figured out that Patton’s been acting weird this whole time, and he’ll have to talk to him, which is going to be one of those Emotionally Taxing Conversations, but apparently, those need to be had.

It almost hurts to hope, and every voice in his head is half screaming not to, but Patton is finding himself hoping anyways, and he opens his phone to text Remus to see if his therapist knows anyone.

…

“Di, what the actual fuck.” At least Hildi has the decency to look a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, sorry!! We were like, ten and I didn’t know that was a thing till maybe last year?”

That ‘thing’ being, Hildi’s particular brand of witch having Virgil basically absorb some of her magic… whatever like osmosis. Which is why they can calm people down through contact. Why can’t they calm themselves down through contact? That would be fucking nice.

“Uh… the thing is, it only works with women? Or basically, not men. Are you like… okay with that?” asks Hildi, taking their hand and rubbing in circular motions , which she knows calms them down. Well, it’s working.

Virgil thinks.

“Yeah I think so. My gender is still, you know, a bit fuzzy as a concept. For me it’s mostly a presentation thing. Besides men suck- you magic has a point.”

"Our magic."

Hildi laughs, putting her hand to her mouth as she shifts both their positions on the tree branch, thick and low, that they’re sitting in, able to watch the passersby, but too camouflaged by foliage to be seen. Logan used to be with them more often, back in middle school, hiding from stupid kids who kept trying to break his nose. (they didn’t succeed, but they nearly broke his heart)

But, now is not the time. There are more important things to do. Like figure out what to do with this… magic? And maybe see if it can help Thomas come back.

Virgil wonders what Logan and Roman are doing- Logan’s going to have a fucking field day.

…

“Mom?”

“Yes, Lolo?” replies his mother, tying her red hair behind her as she starts weeding their vegetable patch. It’s her little pet project, and it already looks really good.

“You wanted to tell us something this morning, right?” Mom had sat them down about ten minutes before he and Virgil had left for school, telling them that someone was coming over, and that they’d both get more details later. Well, Virgil was at Hildi’s, for whatever reason, so it was just Logan, probably.

“Well,” starts Mom, whacking her hands on her apron and getting herself a glass of water. “Grampa Ev-Your great-grandfather Everett is going to be coming over for a while.” Okay. Logan doesn’t know Great-Gramps Everett, because Mom doesn’t usually talk about her family. It’s nothing bad, but they’re all fairly distant people. But, from what he knows, Great-Gramps is a pretty decent person, and pretty much wholeheartedly supported both Mom getting married to Amma and Logan and Virgil coming out, which nobody had really expected.

“Okay.” says Logan, not sure about what else to answer with.”

“Logan, you see, there’s one caveat. Gramps is really, really old, and he’s going to be gone soon.” Okay. “So here’s staying here for a week or so to say goodbye. He’s been pretty sick for a while, and he doesn’t seem to be getting better.” Okay. That happens sometimes- Logan isn’t spectacularly sad, but his Mom’s going to be pretty torn up.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry. It’ll… be okay?” Logan tries for some kind of reassurance, but it comes out as confused as he is with this scenario. Mom laughs, a bit wetly, as she takes his cheeks into her hands and looks him in the eye, or as much as she can with how teary her eyes are.

‘Oh, Logie-Bear” (Logan internally rolls his eyes at the nickname) “Don’t worry about me, it’ll be okay, alright? Grampa misses you, so he really wants to see us, now that he’s visited everyone else. I’ll be okay. Don’t you worry, now.” Mom finishes, picking him up even as he squacks light-heartedly, and he remembers the last time Mom cried and he’s so glad that they’ve all gotten better than they were from that day.

“Okay, I won’t worry. Amma and Virgil do plenty of that for everyone.” says Logan, trying for a somewhat lighthearted tone that Virgil sometimes uses with Roman to joke about issues. It’s not great, but it’s better than they were a year ago, keeping it all in.

Mom does laugh, however, still a bit wet, but happy either way. She puts him down on the couch as the next movie in their queue plays, UP or something along those lines.

“You know, Gramps had told me something once.” Logan turns to Mom a little, displaying interest.

“Back when he lived here- the twennies and thirties,” begins Mom, her accent coming in a little. It’s nice. “He had a boyfriend. O’ course, this town was hate crime central back then, but they were happy. Some rowdier kids at school killed his boyfriend, and he was the first to see the body. That's why he hasn’t been here since.” That’s… heavy, and it brings up some unfortunate parallels to Thomas- gay in the twenties, killed.

But that has to be a coincidence, right?

“What was… what was the boyfriend’s name?” asks Logan.

"Hmm?" Mom hums, talking her index along her chin. "Tommy or something. Could've been a nickname for Thomas." Oh, wow. what a coincidence. This also basically confirms Thomas's theory, and as upsetting as that is, Logan's going to think about it later, with his brother, thanks.

Thinking of which…

Logan gets up, suddenly enough to make Mom look up at him questioningly.

"Logan?"

"Sorry, mom- I just need to inform Virgil and the others about something." Seeing the (probably?) concern on her face, he adds on; "nothing bad, there is no need to worry- besides, Virgil would tell on me immediately."

Mom laughs a little. "That he would, baby. Go on- just remember to be back for dinner." She goes to the kitchen to get herself some food, before going back to the movie. Logan takes that as his due to exit, taking with him his carry-bag, which has a stim toy, his phone and charger, and earbuds. These days, it also contains the Thomas Book, and his Morse translation sheets, though he hasn't needed them for a while. He fills his water bottle, taken from his school bag and puts that in too, before leaving the house and going to Roman's, mainly because it's the closest and carrying umbrellas in this weather is a chore with all this wind and rain.

…

Roman's just managed to stomach something, that being pot noodles because mom and dad are not home at the moment, and is currently lounging around the living room, glad to be sitting there without the constant backdrop of yelling. With all this rain, he really was not expecting anyone to interrupt his rereading of Othello (for like, the fifth time, but Roman doesn't give a shit) , and especially not Logan, of all characters.

But there he is, gripping the bottom of his umbrella, and who is Roman to say no? Remus is at therapy with Patton, cheering him on, and mom and dad will not be here to yell. Besides, Logan looks really, really excited, nearly manic, and that's a fairly uncommon look on him.

"Roman, you are not going to fucking believe this."

They have a plan, now. It’s rough, and it’s not the best thought-out thing in the world, but it is a plan.

Firstly, tell Thomas the first thing on Monday about exactly what is happening. Secondly, tell Everett about what is happening, hopefully with photographic evidence and get him to Thomas. Both these steps are doable, as Thomas is notably more corporeal than he was a few months ago, and that can probably be attributed to the fact that all of the other people he cares about have passed away. This may be the final push, but god damn it is Thomas not coming back to life without meeting his boyfriend at least once.

This can work. probably.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #ts logan #ts patton #ts roman #vee's writing #series: room 73 #2021 #do not repost

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kariachi · 4 years ago

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And now, Tummy Ache!

Kelly Turnbull back again!! Love her shit!

Max, you brought them to a place called, literally, ‘Mr Biggies Candy World Wonderland Emporium’. There is no such thing as ‘moderation’.

Ben is also a candy nerd. Nobody is surprised. Alos Max please put some leashes on your grandchildren they are literally sitting in candy bins.

Max, being old, immediately gravitates to those strawberry hard candies every old person in the western world has.

Ben and Gwen immediately run to tell him that something is wrong with the candy. It doesn’t taste right. Twenty bucks says it’s sugar free. (which is a sin, I’ll give them that)

Max: The candy tastes funny Manager: “Are you sure it wasn’t because your kids were rolling around in it?”

I like this guy

They go back to the foctory, hope to talk to the dude in charge, and apparently Ben was expecting some sorta Willy Wonka shit

Mr Biggie is not enthused. By anything, apparently

He has burn out, as diagnosed by Max. Not surprised really

Ben is trying all the candy in the factory to see if it’s all fucked up. So far, yes

He eats until he’s sick and then turns into Cannonbolt so he has more stomach space

Gwen is unimpressed. She is not paid enough for this

Max has been distracting Mr Biggie with pictures of the grandkids

Welp, that’s at least one machine mysteriously busted

Hello Dr Pang, I know we just got a brief silhouette of your monster form but I love you anyway

‘This place seemed so fanciful in the commercials’ ‘That was added in post’ ‘But that mixer has a top hat on’

Mr Biggie just isn’t feeling this shit. He has been doing the same thing the same way every gotdamn day for fifty-fucking-years. Somebody get this man a vacation

Gwen tries to go all inspirational musical and Mr Biggie just ain’t having it. Explains that if you work long enough in anything it loses its luster. Not meanly either just, like this is a fact of life kid and you can’t fix my problems with a song and whatever

Hello again, Dr Pang. Please just don’t throw the chocolate vat at anybody.

Thank you.

He really doesn’t mean any harm

Turns out timing out when stuffed as one of his aliens is not a good idea. Bad time to learn this lesson, Ben

Max having to explain the Dr Pang situation. That alone may be enough for half a point

Ben: I will save the day Mr Biggie: Not really nessecary thank you Ben: *paying no attention*

Mr Biggie has been kidnapped for crimes against dental hygiene

Pang: Stop making candy! Mr Biggie: My hero!

The man is actually crying of joy that his factory being destroyed will give him an excuse to stop making candy

Dr Pang really is one of my favorite villains right now. He’s a Good

Mr Biggie is not having with Ben whaling on his salvation, no sir

Dr Pang and Mr Biggie running off to start a healthy snack company, much to Ben’s distress

8.5/10 I ship it

#achi liveblogs #ben 10 2.os

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squidproquoclarice · 5 years ago

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Would you write a prompt for Old Arthur and Sadie? I need it.

Short but we all needed this! Some Soft!Domestic!Old!Sadithur, prompted by @gentle-outlaw ‘s Grandpa Arthur edits and post from yesterday.

~~~~~~~~~~

April 1936

(Location TBD)

They’d left the windows open after the afternoon shower, the smell of spring coming in with the evening breeze--petrichor, flowers, and green growing things, all fresh and light and wild. Still something of a marvel to Sadie, even forty years after she’d first left the sands of New Austin for the Ambarino mountains, and how many places she’d been since then.

It had been a good Sunday, the kids and grandkids all gone home for the night now. The sound of the radio drifting in from the living room still, where they’d sat and listened to Buck Jones’ weekly adventure with the little ones, excited to hear Jack Marston’s latest tale.

“Still think you ought to be getting co-author credit from Jack,” she said jokingly, hearing Arthur’s footsteps come into the kitchen behind her as she watched the car go down the drive, waving in case any of the little ones looked back, smiling as Matt must have seen it, because he gave a quick double tap on the horn as acknowledgment. “Given Buck’s pretty much some version of you, and Jack’s using some of your stories.”

“Don’t need to ask for trouble by getting credit for any of it. Arthur Morgan’s been dead a real long time, right? Besides, I was never a sheriff,” he said dryly, rolling up his sleeves and heading to the sink. “Or courting a cattle baron’s daughter.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that, reaching for the dishtowel to dry, waiting for him to hand her the first plate, scrubbed clean. “Sure. Cause that’s the important difference. Mr. ‘Oliver Twist of the Old West, gone to the side of good’.” She teased him with the tagline from the radioplay, looking over to see him smiling a little to himself.

“Maybe. Did have a fair maiden save my life like him, though,” he said, gaze on hers as he handed her that plate, that smile broadening into something light and boyish, eyes alight.

Something caught in her chest at that, even after all these years, a tug at her heart. She’d looked at him at Beaver Hollow, sick and fading and dying, knowing in her heart chances were he wouldn’t see thirty-seven. Then at Las Hermanas, after getting through the first six months, watching him in his exhaustion slowly rebuilding his strength day by laborious day, she’d hoped he’d make it to thirty-eight. Chuparosa--their wedding day, seeing him hold Bea for the first time, she’d begun to believe that maybe she could stop holding her breath and praying for the span of another year, and hope for more. Always imagined the TB might well clip some years off his life still, but here he was, stubborn as anything.

She took the plate from him, drying it carefully, putting it on the counter. He didn’t turn back to the sink, standing there, watching her. “I’ll take the ‘fair’, but don’t think I was much of a blushing maiden,” she said teasingly. “Though Miss Adelaide ain’t either, I suppose.”

“Expect they’ll be real happy together, whenever Buck finally gets his head out of his ass,” Arthur replied. “You and me figured it out.” He handed her another plate, his fingers brushing against hers.

Finishing the dishes a few minutes later, he turned to her, saying, “So, could a fella ask a fine gal to the movies next Saturday?”

May 1st coming up--their anniversary. She couldn’t help but smile. “What’s playing?”

“Some kind of nonsense with a singing cowboy. Should be good fun.”

She stepped in, wrapping her arms around him, content to hold him tight and be held in turn in those still-strong arms of his, swaying lightly together to the bright, brassy big band music playing out in the living room. That summer and fall of 1899 was half a lifetime ago now. Some things had changed in all those years. Living a life that included electric lights, indoor plumbing, the radio that brought plays and all sorts of music right into their house, the movie theater in town that played cartoons and talkies, medicine and art and technology that had changed so much in ways she’d never even imagined as a girl.

They’d changed plenty too. Made a life together, raised kids together, let the pain of the past scar over and recede, year by year, growing into different versions of themselves from those two people who’d met one frightful night so many years ago.

Now she’d seen Arthur at forty, then fifty, sixty, seventy, as a father, as a grandfather. Watched those first bits of silver in his hair slowly taking over all of the dark gold, year by year. Spotted all the creases and lines and spots and wrinkles of age coming on over the years. And truth be told, she cherished every bit of it, and he was as fine to her now as he’d ever been. She kissed him, touching his cheek with her hand. “That sounds real fine.”

#sadithur #sadie adler #arthur morgan #rdr2 #sadithur growing old together gives me the feels #Anonymous

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gardner89blog-blog · 4 years ago

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A Wedding Photographer's Guide to Choosing a Wedding Photographer

For some time now, I've had a suspicion that all is not well in the Wedding Photography industry. I'm a wedding photographer and I know all the tricks of "the business". I've also been on the other side of the business helping friends and family choose a photographer for their wedding (I prefer to party at my friend's weddings!)

So, with some suspicions, I surveyed a lot of married people and was astonished to find that 71 % of people said they were not happy with their wedding photographer. This was much higher than I was expecting. Furthermore, an astonishing 85% of respondents said they should have hired a better photographer and would do so if they had their time again Southern Maryland Portrait Photographer .

Read that again, 85% of people were so disappointed in their photos they believe they should have hired a better photographer.

Clearly, something is not right in our industry.

I think there are a number of issues, I think its partly bad photographers, partly good photographers not handling expectations well, and partly couples who aren't, and have no reason to be, experts at understanding this industry.

So here's a little guide, by a wedding photographer, on how to choose the right wedding photographer. Note there are a million other things to consider but these are what I think are the essentials, if you get these right you will be less likely to be disappointed.

1. Style

Style is in many respects the easy thing to get right. You've looked online, read magazines, started a Pinterest account so you now know that you either want a photojournalist style, an editorial style, a retro style. Most photographers will have one style that they stick with so choosing a photographer who shoots the style you want is as simple as looking at the style they normally shoot in.

2. Quality

The second, and in many ways most important, decision you need to make is about the quality of photographer you want. I'm not talking about style here (documentary, photojournalism etc), or cost, I'm talking about the quality of the photographer. How many great photos do they take across the whole day.

Here's an attempt to capture the range of possible photographers for your wedding:

# 1. Uncle Tom. He's always loved taking 'snaps'. # 2. Jane's cousin Pete. He's a keen amateur who might have even studied photography once. # 3. A "professional wedding photographer", found online. # 4. A "professional wedding photographer", found online.

Wait, aren't #3 and #4 the same? No, no, and no! I'd say 50-80% of "professional wedding photographers" are nothing more than con-men and women who think buying an expensive camera makes them professional. Buying a scalpel does not make you a surgeon. Becoming a #4 professional wedding photographer takes years of dedication to photography. It takes commitment and passion and a constant desire to improve your art.

So how can you tell the difference between #3 and #4 professionals?

#3 will bambooz you with a flashy website full of good images from different weddings, they may have slideshows set to music, they will be slick. They will offer you champagne and expensive brochures.

#4 will bambooz you with a flashy website full of great images from weddings, they may have slideshows set to music, they will be slick. They will offer you champagne and expensive brochures.

Notice the difference? There's a key difference there. #3 will show you images from different weddings. #4 will show you images (especially if you ask) from ONE wedding. That's the key difference. A #4 photographer should be able to get good or great quality images across the whole day, not just one of two good images for the entire day.

At Mr & Mrs Wedding Photography our website is designed to showcase three individual weddings, one from a beach, one in a church, and another a destination wedding. We hope this gives our potential clients a feel for the quality across the entire day that they can expect to receive.

So, my #1 tip in choosing the right photographer for your wedding is insist on seeing images from one wedding. That will give you a feel for how many good quality images you are likely to see after your wedding.

Which leads me to expectations.

3. Expectations

The first thing to know is that photographers, even true professionals with years of experience, are not superhuman, they will not get award-winning, magazine quality images of every single aspect of your day from 8am until midnight. It just doesn't happen. If you are expecting stunning images from sunrise to sunrise, you will be disappointed.

Most #4 photographers will give you consistently good images across the entire day and this is what you should be aiming for. There should definitely be some great images in there, the sort you will be proud to hang up on your wall.

I know of two immensely expensive US based wedding photographers. Both are at the top of their game, are in huge demand, and both charge over US$25,000 for their basic packages. I've seen a full set of images from a single wedding and I can guarantee you, if you paid that much money and expected every single image to be a prize-winning image, you would be really disappointed. Some images are truly magnificent, most are really good, a large number are just 'snaps'.

If you end up with 5-10 magnificent images, 30-90 or so really good photos, and the rest nice snaps, then you should be happy.

4. Cheap

Cheap is always cheap. Repeat after me: cheap is always cheap. If you pick a photographer because they are cheap you can expect the quality of your images to plummet. This might be all you can afford/budget for but don't expect miracles and don't expect to be anything but disappointed (particularly if you hope to share the images with your kids and grandkids some day).

Do keep in mind though that your wedding is a once in a lifetime event (usually) and it might seem like a good idea to skimp on photography but really after the day is finished, apart from memories, all you have left is the photos. Imagine your grandchildren sitting down to look at your wedding album and seeing cheap photos. Is that worth it?

5. A recommendation from a friend

If you've seen you're friends wedding photos (all of them) and like them then this might be a good way to go. However keep in mind a few things. 1) Did you see all the photos? 2) How long ago did your friend get married (has the photographer aged in energy or style) 3) Ask your friend what the worst thing about the experience with that photographer was - if they suggest irrelevant things like they didn't like the package the images came in, then that's probably fine, if the photographer missed a key photo, that's not fine.

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alicentsstark · 6 years ago

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Emails Through Family Part 1.

NOTES: Another prompt by the lovely @disneyevilprincessblog There will be another part, part 2! If ya got more Drakgo or Villainstafam prompts send them my way, more than happy to write them!

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Athena only met one of her grandparents, which was Drakken’s mom. Nana Lipsky was dotting on Athena and later on Eric, her two precious grandchildren she would say pinching their cheeks. But Shego’s parents, let alone family was a mystery that Athena was scared to ask about.

The information that Athena picked up on Shego’s past was as followed: She was half Mexican on her mom’s side and half caucasian on her dad’s side. She spoke pretty fluent Spanish, could understand it fairly well considering the villainess watched Mexican Telenovelas once or twice while drinking beer on the couch while Drakken worked on another machine for world domination. That was all that Athena knew about the woman’s past, that was until an email helped her out.

When Athena gets bored, she likes to sometimes snoop around either Drakken’s or Shego’s email accounts. Today, it was Shego’s account, scrolling through old emails until a ping announced that one new email came through. Curious, Athena clicked on it.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Don’t delete!

Sasha, it’s Wesley. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be contacting you since you never send a reply. I wish you would, at least let me come over and see you. Well, let’s see what new things are happening since you left home.

Mami is fighting with Mrs. Rojas again. And yes, Mrs. Rojas is still alive and still the reincarnation of La Llorona. Papi is currently doing a new gardening project for the backyard, I’ll be helping him out and try to rope in Miles to help as well. They still keep your room the same, changed it a bit but otherwise still the same obnoxious color, grey with the black and white curtains. Still, don’t know why you decided on that color....

Mami and Papi are still holding out hope that you’ll talk to them. They miss you. Miles is deflecting answering any questions about you, I think it’s better for him to not think about you, at least that’s my vibe from him. Henry... You know Henry, making a name for himself as GO City’s new crime fighter and CEO. Don’t know how his big ass head can fit through any doorframes ha ha ha. As for your little and favorite (don’t roll your eyes, you know it’s true!) I’m currently pursuing a career as a writer, hammering out my novel. Can’t tell you what it is, gotta keep it a secret hermana.

I wish you’d at least send a hello. Talk to you again soon.

Tu hermanito,

Wes Go

Athena was very glad that Eric was taking a nap because if he found her reading Shego’ s emails, the little boy would no doubt be snitching on her already. Mama’s boy, She thought.

Hermana? Hermano? She searched it up on google translate and put pieces together.

This was Shego’s brother! Younger brother, no less!

Her name was Sasha? Sasha! If only Athena could call her that in person but she knew that the woman would try to melt her metallic face off. She wanted to know more, so did something that might be considered stupid and bold.

Athena answered the email.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Hi! This is Athena. I’m your niece, Sasha’s daughter. It’s a lot to take in, I know but if you want to talk more and without me getting in trouble my email is [email protected], I’ll be more than happy to answer everything! Oh and don’t reply back to her once you are done reading this, just use mine!

-Athena Lipsky

She clicked send and waited for him to reply.

He replied a few minutes later, a notification showing up on her phone. She was glad she deleted the email that Wes sent on Shego’s computer before she got back.

Eagerly, Athena opened it up.

Reply-To: [email protected]

Subject: Niece???

Wow... so my sis is your mom! Didn’t even know she gave birth to a kid!? So did your mom Elop with your dad? How old are you? I’m still surprised! Why don’t we meet? I’d like to meet my niece! Maybe I can take you to see your grandparents! Do you even know who your grandparents are? Has your mom even told you about who she is and her family? Probably not, knowing my sister. Let me know when you’d like to meet face-to-face, I’m fine talking through emails kid.

Your Tio,

Wes Go :)

This was crazy but she wanted to know more. So, Athena continued to chat with her Tio Wes, as she called him. Shego and Drakken merely thought Athena was chatting with her friends, not knowing the full truth.

She finally met her Tio, when they decided to meet face-to-face at the lair. He wanted to meet her while also wanting to finally face Shego. Athena agreed, she was nervous at first but Wes told her, “I’ll take the fall kid, don’t worry.”

The day it came, Athena let Wes into the lair, greeting him with a hug.

The man was around a couple feet taller than Shego, maybe the exact height as Drakken but Athena wasn’t sure. He had some facial similarities like Shego, the same bone structure for their faces, eye colors, and straight hair. Only Wes’ hair was a brown color unlike Shego’s who had dark coloring for her hair, almost black.

“Hey!” He hugged her before Athena let him inside. He wore a red leather jacket, black t-shirt with Nirvana on the front, blue jeans and converse. His hair was cut short, his wavy hair prominent. Athena thought that it made him look a bit badass.

“Who is it?” Shego’s voice announced her presence, sounding annoyed at whoever Athena let in. Turning the corner she stopped, looking at the two figures who were walking towards her. Eric, who was behind Shego carried by Drakken stopped to look at the people.

“What are you doing here?” She said in a low voice that probably no one could hear. Except for the other super-powered person in the room. Wes smiled sadly as if he knew this would be the initial reaction to this surprise. “What? Can’t an uncle get to know his niece and nephew?” He said in an innocent voice, one that he knew his sister hated.

Shego’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Athena. She was going to explain everything to her... right after Shego explained this to Drakken and Eric.

Wes sat at the table, with a glass of water while the small family was holed up in the kitchen. Shego was hunched over the sink, trying to wrap her mind over the fact that her baby brother was in her home.

“Why did you let him in here?” She asked Athena without turning around. Silence enveloped him as she waited for an answer. “I just wanted to know about your life.” was the answer Athena mumbled.

“So he’s your brother,” Drakken asked as he balanced Eric on his hip. “My younger brother. I have two older brothers, Henry and my twin Miles.”

She heard Drakken mutter, “There’s a male version of you?” Before dramatically shuddering drawing a giggle from the kids. Shego rolled her eyes.

“Anything else that I should know about you?” Drakken said. Athena piped up, a smile on her face. “Her name is Sasha.”

Her hands flared with green flames as she pivoted on her heel to face the three people. Drakken had a small smirk on his face. “Sasha? Pretty name.” He said, knowing full well he’ll call her that later. Shego grounded her molars before walking past them to face Wes. She told them to stay put, even as Athena tried to protest, she silenced her with a look before going to where her brother was.

She joined him at the table, sitting down in front of him.

“So,” Wes said. “You have kids. I’m guessing they aren’t baptized?” Shego snorted.”So, I’m guessing you got old.” Her little brother grinned as if telling her, guilty as charged.

“No, they aren’t and probably never will.” She said making Wes look at her with mock-horror. “Whatever happened to the goody-two-shoes of the family? The altar girl, Sasha Roberta Go?” He said in a sing-songy voice.

“Oh please, as if I was the only kid in the family that did the altar job, Wesley. I remember you complaining to Mami about not wanting to show up to that wedding once.” She shot back at her brother before realizing that Wes gave them her full name, out loud for the two people in the kitchen who were wide awake to hear. She hoped Eric was asleep.

Fuck.

“Your middle name is Roberta? Sasha Roberta Go?” Drakken practically cackled loudly from the kitchen along with Athena suppressing a giggle. “And I thought my middle name sounded old, ah!”

“It still does compare to mine, Drew Stephen Lipsky.” She snarkily shouted to the older man.

Silence took over both siblings, as Shego realized how grown-up her baby brother looked. How old was he now? She thought and felt a pang of guilt at not keeping up with his birthday, let alone life. Wes smiled at her, the boyish look on his face that she recognized.

“You don’t answer my emails. Took a kid, your kid by the way and finally get to see you after what? How many years has it been since we’ve seen each other?” Shego could tell there were hints of sadness and frustration that was bubbling underneath. She didn’t blame him. “Do you know how hurt Mama and Papa were after you left? We thought you were kidnapped or...” He paused, not wanting to tell her, “or died” was the underlining, unspoken word.

“Wes,” She began. “I just-I couldn’t be a part of this anymore. Be a team, Henry looming over each of us and wanting to be committed to this life while the other one is passing by? I was done and so I rebelled!”

“So, you decided to turn to a life of crime instead?” He said incredulously. It dawned on Shego that maybe her family may know about what she has been doing ever since she left and for the first time, Shego was truly terrified at what her parent’s reactions may be. “They don’t know. Mami and Papi, they don’t know that you are a criminal. Had to stop them from coming with me to meet their grandkids-”

“Wait a minute.” She hissed at her brother. “They know?!”

“Of course they know! Jesus, Sasha you thought I wasn’t going to tell our parents that their only daughter is alive and has a family? Do you know how much Mami cried when she found out?” He shouted. His body glowing a light hue red, indicating that he was about split into ‘two Wesleys’. He usually did this, when his emotions were high, as all the Go siblings did when that occurred sparking off their powers from the rigid control they maintained. His eyes, the same shade of brown that she had were welling up with tears and truth be told Shego felt a lump in her throat as she pushed it down. “Miles and Henry, I haven��t talked to them with them busy with their lives. Please, Sasha.”

“I don’t know if I can.” It was the unspoken truth that she buried down in her soul ever since she left her family behind. She wiped away the tears that started falling down her cheeks. Wesley hesitantly grabbed her hand. “They hate me, I don’t blame them if they do Wes.”

He shook his head. “No Sasha. It’s not like that, don’t do this to yourself again, don’t isolate yourself.”

Shego let out a shaky breath looking up at Wes. “I can’t go home.”

“Es lo que todos estan diciendo o nomas tu hermana?” He replied in Spanish. Wes got up, the chair loudly scrapping the floor signaling that he was leaving, his eyes angry yet pained as he looked at his older sister. “It’s time for me to go.”

Shego didn’t say anything as Athena and Drakken came out of the kitchen. She didn’t look at them just stared at her brother.

“Your leaving?” Athena sounded disappointed, her face crestfallen. Wes gave her a smile, telling her that he would be around town if she’d like to hang out, which the teen eagerly agreed too. “Maybe all three of us could go hang out?” She looked so hopeful but Wes shook her head, crushing her dreams.

“I don’t think so, Athena. Your mom and I... It’s a bit difficult for us to be in the same room right now.” He said.

Shego spoke up and instantly plunged the knife deeper with her words, “It might be for the best. Adios Wes.”

Since the time she left her siblings that day, Shego hadn’t felt this bad. And for a split moment she could almost hear little Wesley Go crying out her name when she walked out the door.

It rang in her ears like a bell, mocking her. She deserved it anyway.

Shego was laying on the bed when Drakken came in. She made it very clear after her brother left that she wanted to be left alone and that nobody under any circumstance come inside.

Whatever happened between the Go siblings, the talk that they both had, Drakken noted, left Shego rattled.

He quietly made his way over to her noticing another figure sitting on the floor near the bed. Athena sat, looking a bit defeated. He couldn’t blame the poor girl, trying to reunite Shego’s family and learning some backstory to the villainess only for it to backfire. The girl looked up from her moping and gave the scientist a half-hearted smile.

He looked at Shego’s form, everything screaming melancholy. Her dark hair, usually loose was in a messy top bun. She was wearing black leggings and his black AC/DC t-shirt which looked more like a nighttime gown on her. She didn’t acknowledge them, just laid on the bed in silence with her eyes screwed shut.

On her side of the bed, played music from her phone. Some old eighties Spanish song. He had no idea what they were saying, noticing how Shego’s fingers tapped to the tempo on the bed.

Que difícil tiempo para amar Here dando miedo Donde sueño libertad Tengo que callar una vez más Mis palabras sobran Donde hablan los demás

Me falta edad y sin embargo No soy solo la mitad de un sentimiento No soy eco soy sonido Soy un punto en el camino Lo que fuiste alguna vez Mírame, sienteme soy de carne y hueso

“It’s my fault isn’t it?” Athena said, picking at her jeans. Drakken patted her knee in sympathy. “I just thought that they could reunite and I could get to know her a bit better. Guess that was a dumb idea.”

The song continued into the chorus, it sounded like an 80s ballad. He knew it was the eighties because he was familiar with those types of songs from the decade but not Spanish ones like Shego.

Maybe it was one she heard before? He certainly had never heard of the song before.

No soy un reflejo y no es malo lo que siento Mira soy cuestión de tiempo Mírame, sienteme soy de carne y hueso No soy un reflejo hoy, es hoy mi propio vuelo Mira soy cuestión, de tiempo

“No, I say it's brave. Not foolish, I think you even got farther than I did when I tried digging for stuff about her past,” He said to the robot. “So yes, it was brave.”

They stayed in silence until Drakken broke it. “Do you know what song this is? Who sang it?”

Athena shook her head. “No.”

“It’s Timbiriche,” Shego’s voice startled them. She moved around the bed and was now sitting up, her legs dangling over the bed next to Drakken. She was sitting up, strands of dark hair covered her face and when she spoke her voice sounded scratchy as if Shego had stopped herself from crying. But that wouldn’t be correct when noticing her face, her eyes were a bit puffy and reddish. Neither Athena nor Drakken commented on that in fear that she would scream at them or worse.

“What’s a Timbiriche?” Athena asked. Shego sniffed. “It was a band from the early eighties in Mexico, my mom played their songs a lot when I was growing up.”

She went quiet once again as the song continued playing.

Shego seemed to be lost in her thoughts, tapping her fingers to the rhythm of the song that was playing on her thigh.

“I’m sorry,” Athena said to the older woman. “ It’s okay Athena. Maybe it was for the best, me and my siblings-we haven’t contacted each other for obvious reasons.”

“Which are?” Drakken asked.

“Trying not to kill each other, but that’s only the older siblings. But I guess I can add Wes to that list of fractured relationships now.” SHe chuckled.

Athena spoke up, turning to face Shego. “It doesn’t have to be. Maybe you guys can sit down again, talk things through. You seem to care about him and you seemed to miss everyone.” Shego narrowed her eyes. “how did you-?”

Athena grinned rather cheekily. “Robot remember?”

Shego sighed rubbing her face before responding to the offer. “Maybe. But you’ll be coming with me, considering you started this mess in the first place. Can’t believe I’m doing this.”

She really couldn’t but, inside somewhere Sasha Go was still that stubborn goody-two-shoes girl that did love her family no matter how much pain they were and no matter how much she tried to push them away. They would somehow come back to her.

It was an endless cycle with the siblings, one that would come back to Shego no matter how much she fought it. Maybe it was God trying to tell her something? Whoever it was, Shego knew what she had to do.

She just hoped she hadn’t ruined to the point where it would be unfixable.

#drakgo fanfic #latina!shego #shego #dr drakken #athena #eric #team go #villainstafam

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inmy-blueperiod · 6 years ago

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Grandparents Day, Pt. 2

Part 1

based on this post:

1582 words

In homeroom, Peter’s teacher, Miss James, asks for any Grandparents Day papers. Ned, Michelle, Flash, and Peter, along with multiple other students, raise their hand. Once Miss James is on the other side of the classroom after collecting them, Flash turns to Peter.

“So, Penis. Who did you pay to bring in for Grandparents Day?” Flash muses.

“I didn’t pay anyone Flash, piss off,” Peter mutters miserably.

“I’m serious Penis. Who did you pay? We all know that your parents are dead. Along with all blood-related family.”

“I said piss off,” he states, steadier now.

“Answer the goddamn question and maybe, maybe, I’ll leave you alone.”

“I didn’t pay anyone, alright? A few family friends are coming in for me,” Peter defends himself.

“You have a family? Since when-?” Flash gets cut off by Miss James.

“Alright, class. Science history! 2006, 13 years ago today, December 6th, NASA reveals pictures taken that suggest that there is liquid water on Mars! And about a year ago 2018, the probe we sent up started drilling into Mars surface, which changed the science world as we know it. And what does science have to do with technology?” A few hands go up. “Say it with me now, ‘when technology advances, science advances and when science advances, technology advances’. That's right. Today we were supposed to taking more notes, but because Monday is Grandparents Day and some of you won't be here, we’re going to start a project today that’ll be due Tuesday. You’ll have all weekend to work on it; no extensions, but if you do need one, see me privately. Get into groups of 3 and send someone in your group up to get a rubric.” Immediately everyone got up and chatted with their friends. Ned and Peter shared a look before gravitating toward Michelle- or MJ, as her friends call her.

“Hey, losers. Is there something I can help you with?” she asks without looking up from her current drawing of what looks like Abe.

“We want to be in your group,” Ned says firmly.

MJ doesn’t stray from her drawing, “only if one of you walk back up to the front of the room to grab the rubric.”

Peter nods to Ned and walks across the classroom for a rubric. On his way back, however, he gets stopped by Flash; “Penis. C’mon, man. Just answer my question. Who did you pay?”

“Flash, I told you,” Peter sighs, annoyed, “I didn’t pay anyone. They’re, uh, they’re May’s friends.” Well, I mean, he thinks, it’s not a complete lie. May had met Cap a few times and Bucky scared the crap out of her. Same thing though, right?

“May has time for friends? After taking double and triple shifts at the hospital? Yeah, I know that she struggles to feed your pathetic ass. My dad was up at the hospital yesterday for a case. You know, he’s a cop. I tell him that you’re not eating because of May and you leave here. You’d be swept away by a social worker. Poor poor Penis Parker. All alone.”

No. Stop. Stop talking. Shut up. Shut up! Peter’s screaming inside his own head. Don’t punch him. Don’t punch him.

“Flash,” he growls out. “Please. Shut up.”

“Whatever, Penis. But just know that it’s always an option. Don’t piss me off.” And with the ramming of Flash’s shoulder into his, Flash was gone.

When Peter finally got back to his friends, it was evident that he took too long. “Here’s the rubric,” he mumbles. Breathe! Breathe! “I’ll be right-right back.” he chokes out a gap. “Start without me,” he wheezes. He’s already dashing out the door before either friend has time to say anything.

The rest of the day goes by quick with only glares and shoulder “bumps” from Flash; most teachers realize that not many students will be in class on Monday so it’s just projects and study hall all day, which no one is complaining about.

Instead of the usual Happy pickup, today it’s Steve and Bucky, both in baseball caps (as if that would be a good enough disguise) chatting together, leaning against their motorcycles. Steve waves Peter over with a grin while Bucky looks weary of every kid coming out of the building.

“Hey Mr. Barnes, Mr. Rogers. What are you both doing here?” he asks nervously, looking around to see if anyone recognized the heroes.

“We wanted to talk to the office about us coming in on Monday. You know, making sure they treat us like every other grandparent.” Steve chuckles with a shake of his head, “sorry, it’s still funny to hear myself say that I have a grandkid.”

Peter and Bucky crack a smile at each other at Steve’s antics, but Pete is still nervous. “Mr. Barnes? Mr. Rogers? Can you wait until all the kids are gone? I just, I don’t want to make a scene.”

“Sure, kid. Can you go in and tell the office or whoever that we’re coming in for a meeting? We, uh, didn’t call ahead or anything. How does a phone work?? Why is there no buttons? It’s just a surface! What is technology and why does it-?”

Before Bucky goes into a full-blown confusion fest over phones, Peter cuts him off; “sure, Mr. Barnes. I’ll be right back.” And with a smile, he’s off.

A few minutes go by and Peter still hasn’t come back. Steve turns to his best friend, “should we go in? Or wait for him to come out? I don’t see that many kids lingering so I don’t think it would do much harm.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a big deal. And, yeah, you’re right; not a lot of kids. I think we can go in,” Buck replies.

The two super soldiers make their way inside the school and to the office (it’s a miracle they even find the office, (“Why are the schools so big, Buck?” Steve complains. “Because all the kids nowadays are a lot smarter than we were so they want more schooling, dipshit.” and “We can’t get distracted by the portrait of Howard, Buck.” The Former Winter Soldier tears his eyes away and continues walking with a concerned Steve following behind.).).

Inside the school’s office is Peter, arguing with a secretary. “Not another word, young man. I don’t care what you say, whoever you claim is coming in needs to have a meeting. And I do not believe that the previous war criminals would even consider coming for a liar who cannot learn when to let go--" the secretary, Mrs. Thatcher, her name tag reads, is cut off by the clearing of one’s throat.

“I hate to interrupt, but did you just say what I think you said?” Bucky rises to his full height to look more intimidating and crosses his arms to show off his biceps, but Steve and Pete knew the truth; he wasn’t going to hurt this little secretary. “Did you just call my Peter a liar? Because why? Because he knows Captain America? Were you not here when Pete brought in Tony Stark for Parents Day?” Mrs. Thatcher is terrified. That much is evident.

The captain leans towards Bucky, and Peter’s enhanced hearing picks up a whispered “play nice” from Steve.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. Um, I’ll, uh, I’ll get the principal,” she attempts to leave in a frenzy, but Mrs. Thatcher regains control of herself and turns back to the trio. “I’m sorry, Peter. It was wrong of me to call you a liar. I’m sure Mr. Morita will be thrilled to see your guests. And thank you, for your service, I mean. You saved my late father-in-law’s life.” And with that, she's gone to get Mr. Morita.

Cap holds a soft smile and Bucky-- Bucky is just ashamed. The same dread from looking at Howard Stark’s portrait comes rearing back. He’s never saved anyone. He took way more lives than he can count. He sighs and looks over at Peter, not expecting him to be looking his way and definitely not expecting him to mouth “thank you”. The soul world, Buck remembers with a shudder.

Mrs. Thatcher returns, less frazzled than before. "Mr. Morita is currently on a call with a parent, but if you want you can wait here or go explore the school, I can put it over the loudspeaker when he's done if you would like."

The two super soldiers look at each other, not knowing what 'the loudspeaker' was, but Peter accepts for them; "that's perfect; thank you, but instead of calling them 'Captain America' and 'White Wolf' can you say 'Steve' and 'James' instead?" The secretary nods. "Again, thank you so much."

He leads them out the door and to the cafeteria. "This is where the breakfast will be held on Monday. It looks big now, but it fills up pretty quickly." After a few minutes of Peter showing them how it works--he's been to one Grandparents Day with Ned's Grandma before she died.

After the cafeteria, the trio moves on to where the pictures will be taken, and on their way to Peter's locker, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker and the boy winces at the noise. "Steve, James, and Peter, please make your way down to the office. Steve, James, and Peter, please make your way down to the office, thank you." Buck and Cap just look to the ceiling in amazement and Peter can practically read their thoughts; damn. Modern technology.

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such-a-common-girl · 7 years ago

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Maybe More Than Friends (Peter Parker x Stark!Reader)

Word Count: 4,729

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: After Peter joined the Avengers, you were basically forced into spending a lot of time with him, being that your father is being that your father is the Tony Stark. Your relationship starts off fairly innocent being as Peter was fairly shy around you, and not to mention that Tony had strictly forbid you two from dating. But despite your best efforts, the sexual tension between you two is undeniable. And one night while the rest of the Avengers are out on a mission, leaving you and Peter alone, the sexual tension comes to a peak. Peter is 18 in this fic.

Warnings: Extreme fluff. Language. Smut smut smut

You remember the first time you met Peter Parker. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

It was a pretty unexpected meetup. You didn’t even know that he was in the tower. You were working in the lab with another one of your dad’s employees, helping design a suit for the new Avengers recruit, Spiderman. It was your first major job, and you were so focused that you hadn’t even noticed when your dad and Peter walked in.

“Hey, Y/N, meet the new recruit, Peter. Peter, meet Y/N, my daughter.” Tony said loudly as he entered the lab, startling you and making you hit your head on the wall.

“Jesus Christ Dad, you scared me. I didn’t even know anyone was in here.” You had laughed softly. You turn to look at Peter, who you assume is Spiderman, and you’re shocked. When your dad had told you that they were recruiting him, you just assumed he would be older like the rest of the Avengers. But much to your surprise- and maybe happiness- he was around your age. And he was cute.

Peter blushed when he saw you, giving you a small wave. “H-Hi, Y/N.”

“I’m just showing the spiderling here around the tower. You’ll see him around here often. Peter, no making moves on my daughter. Off limits.” Tony said sternly, but there was definitely a hint of humor in his eyes. You had glared at your dad, embarrassed that he would have even said something like that.

“Way to go, Dad. Thanks.” You mumbled under your breath, not loud enough for either of them to hear. It’s not like you’re a little kid anymore. You’re eighteen, not twelve.

“O-Okay, Mr. Stark.” Peter nodded as he tore his stare away from you, making you blush this time. So maybe he was interested, too.

“Oh god, I might’ve just unintentionally played matchmaker.” Tony had mumbled, already starting to usher Peter out of the room. “Well, Peter, here’s your suit we’re working on, but unfortunately there’s no time to stay in this room any longer so let’s move along.”

It was an awkward and embarrassing first interaction, but it was something that you’d never forget.

You had only just moved in with your dad, Tony Stark, after graduating high-school. You had got a great job offer with Stark Industries (something Tony claims he has nothing to do with, but you know that’s bullshit). Much to his happiness, though, you gladly accepted the job. You love your mom and it’s not that you wanted to move away from your small town in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska, but you knew that you were destined for bigger and better things. You did have the brains of your dad after all- the Stark last name definitely lived up to the hype with you.

You started living in the Avengers tower not long after, your own quaint floor to yourself where no one could get in without a passcode. Ever since then, you’ve loved it. It’s nice and private, giving you enough time and space to study and work, but at the same time a little daunting. New York is nothing like Nebraska and you’d be lying if you said that the Avengers weren’t a little intimidating. Tony tried to get you to warm up to them, and you tried, but your shy personality got the best of you. The only one you even felt like you could remotely talk to without getting tongue tied was Bucky, and that’s only because he didn’t talk much, either.

But then Peter came along.

That’s the one thing you didn’t inherit from your dad. Your personality. While Tony was outgoing, cocky, and admittedly sometimes stuck-up, you’re the complete opposite. You’re shy and mostly keep to yourself, and while that turns most people off of being friends with you, Peter loves it. He was patient with you with allowing you to open up with him- mostly because he was the same way. He was shy, too. It took him three months to be able to talk to you without blushing and stumbling over his words. Somehow, you two fit together like a puzzle.

Now, you two are best friends. You hang out with him almost every day (unless he’s out on a mission with the rest of the Avengers), he knows everything about you and vice versa, and you two just feel completely comfortable around each other. You love him to death, much to your dad’s dismay. Tony’s not the biggest fan of your guys’ friendship, always saying that one day it’s going to “give him grandkids before he’s ready.”

No matter how much you try and tell your dad that you and Peter are just friends, you’re not even sure that you believe it yourself. Yes, your relationship is technically platonic. You guys have never once said that you have feelings for the other, or even shared a kiss. But there is definitely something else there and you know that you’re not the only one who feels it. Sometimes whenever you’re watching a movie together, you’ll casually lay your head on him, or cuddle with him. He’ll kiss your forehead before leaving, and he’ll always put his arms around your shoulders if you’re out in public together. And sometimes, just sometimes, you’ll just look at each other in this certain way, and you both know… This is so much more than a simple friendship.

The other Avengers have asked so many times if you two are together, claiming that you’re both “too close” to not be dating. Even Steve thinks so. You guys always deny it, but you guys both know that there’s truth in what they're saying. You and Peter both know that you’re basically in love with each other, but neither of you will act on it, for many reasons.

One reason, the main reason, would be your dad. Neither of you forgot his warning on the first day he introduced you guys. “Peter, my daughter is off limits.” And as much as Peter may love you, he doesn’t want to cross Tony Stark. That’s his hero. He wouldn’t ever want to intentionally go behind his back. You, on the other hand, couldn’t give a shit about pissing off your dad or getting in trouble by him. You’ve done your fair share over the years of doing that. But, you don’t want to risk Peter’s job. If Tony finds out that you’ve broken his rule and gone behind his back… You’re not sure what he’d do to Peter. You’d rather not find out.

“Miss Y/N, your father told me to inform you that he is in the elevator heading up to your headquarters.” FRIDAY blares through the intercom, tearing you from your thoughts about Peter.

“Thank you.” You respond, pushing pause on the TV (that you weren’t really watching, anyway) before walking over to the elevator to meet him. Whenever the elevator dings and opens, you’re surprised to see that your dad is in full Iron Man suit, sans the headpiece, and holding a stack of papers in his hand.

“Woah, where are you going?” You furrow your eyebrows, your heart sinking. You hate when the team has to go out on surprise missions. You always worry about the safety of your dad and Peter. Especially Peter. “Fury sending you out on another emergency mission?”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” He sighs, walking into your living room to set down the stack of papers. “Should be back in a few days tops. Run these papers down to Bruce tomorrow morning by seven, will ya?”

“He’s not going?” You question. Hope rises in your chest- if Fury wasn’t sending the entire team out, there’s a chance Peter’s staying back, too.

“Bruce, Peter, and Bucky are staying back. Bruce will be stuck in the lab the whole time, Bucky probably won’t even be here- who the hell knows what that guy does in his free time. Peter… God, Y/N, just make good decisions, okay? No fonduing. No kissing. Not even any cuddling.” Your dad sighs dramatically, making you roll your eyes. “I asked Bruce to check up on you every once in a while and I’ll have Pepper swing by if I’m not back by Monday. I gave her and Bruce your key code to get onto your floor. I know I’m being overprotective and I know you’re an adult- but please spare me the sass. You’re my daughter, the enemy’s ultimate weapon against me. You need protection. And you already know that you can call Happy for anything. See ya soon, pumpkin.”

“Me and Peter are just friends, remember?” You follow him back to the elevator, ignoring everything else he said besides the part about Peter. You didn’t feel like arguing with him before he goes out to risk his life for the sake of the world. “Thanks to you.” You say the last part under your breath.

“What was that?” Tony raises his eyebrows.

“Nothing,” You smile sweetly. “Be safe.”

“Always am.” He kisses your forehead before heading back down the elevator. You go into your room, deciding to change into more comfortable clothes before making dinner. You throw on a cropped t-shirt and sleeping shorts before walking over to the window to watch the quinjet take off. You’ve never been this alone in the tower without the team. Normally, half of them stay back, keeping you somewhat of company if you didn’t want to be alone. At least Peter stayed back this time.

You debate on if you should text Peter to come over or not when you feel your phone vibrating, a text from Peter coming in. “Speaking of the devil…” You mumble, picking up your phone from its charger and reading the text.

‘Wanna eat some greasy pizza and watch some dumb comedy movies?’ The text reads, making you smile. He always knows how to make you feel better after your dad leaves for a mission.

‘Come on over, P. I’ll order the pizza now. But I’m getting pepperoni this time.’ You send back.

“FRIDAY, please let Happy know that there’s going to be a pizza order coming in for me soon and if he could ever so kindly bring it up to me that’d be great.” You speak out loud to the system. “Oh, also allow Peter access to my floor whenever he arrives.”

“I will inform Happy right away,” FRIDAY responds. “Mr. Parker is already on the elevator to your living quarters.”

You smile a little bit, shaking your head. He must’ve already been in the tower when he texted you. That, or he was already on his way to hang out with you and just conveniently forgot to tell you until he was already almost there. You’re leaning more towards the latter- it wouldn’t be the first time.

Looking down at your outfit, you think about changing into something a bit more… modest, but ultimately decide not to. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just a cropped t-shirt and comfortable sleeping shorts. The shorts are a bit short, and the shirt shows off more than half of your stomach, but Peter’s seen you in a bikini; this shouldn’t be a big deal. Besides… Maybe you want him to look at you.

“Don’t worry about the pizza, I got it!” You hear a voice call out as the elevator dings, a voice you instantly recognize as Peter.

“You know, for someone who only asked me about five minutes ago if I wanted to hang out, you got here pretty quickly.” You tease, walking over to meet him. He must’ve just gotten out of class since he still has on his regular clothes. Normally when he comes over, it’s in-between or just after being “the friendly, neighborhood Spider-man.”

“Hey, I was in the neighborhood.” Peter shrugs, and he hands you a pizza box. You squeal with happiness and run over to the kitchen, setting it down on the counter. “I got you pepperoni.”

“Oh god, you’re a lifesaver.” You hug him gently before grabbing a slice of pizza and walking in front of him to grab a plate from your cabinets. “How was class today?”

“It was crap. You know, I thought that when I got into college, Flash wouldn’t be such a- oh.” Peter stops talking mid-sentence, and you look at him confused.

“What?” You ask. His cheeks are turning red and he’s not looking at you in the eyes, indicating that something is definitely wrong.

“N-Nothing, I’m going to go pick out a movie, okay?” He says. You squint your eyes as you watch him practically run out of the room. Shrugging your shoulders, you decide to not press it. Peter might be your best friend, but he can be a little weird sometimes.

You finish up getting your food before walking into the living area, taking a seat on the couch next to Peter and curling up under a blanket. You can feel him scoot away from you further, and you look at him weird, but he doesn’t meet your stare so you just accept it.

“You want some pizza? You forgot to grab some in the kitchen.” You hold your plate out to him, your entire side of your body now up against his. He tenses at your touch, which just confuses your more, so you set down your plate and look at him, exasperated.

“What is going on with you?” You furrow your eyebrows. “Seriously. You’re acting weird.”

“No, it’s nothing, I promise.” He doesn’t look at you as he scrolls through the movie options on Netflix. You sigh, snatching the remote from his hand and throwing it on the other side of the couch. “Hey, I was using that!”

“Not anymore,” You roll your eyes. “What’s going on? You’re acting repulsed by me.”

“What? Why would you think that?” He finally looks at you, and you notice he looks panicked. “You could never repulse me. You’re beautiful. Wait- I mean, you’re my best friend. Not that you’re not beautiful, wow, because you are. You’re freakin’ beautiful.”

“Peter,” You stop his nervous rambling, a smile escaping your lips. “I got it, thanks.”

“Oh no, now you’re mad at me, dammit.” Peter groans. “I’m sorry, I’m not repulsed by you at all, but theoutfityou’rewearinglooksreallygoodonyouanditturnedmeon.“

“What?” You heard what he said, but you want to hear him say it again. You need to hear him say it again. “Peter, you’re gonna have to repeat that.”

He looks torn but ultimately decides to talk. “I don’t know if I should or not.”

“Why not?” You frown. “Nothing you can say is going to make me hate you. I just wanna know what’s going on.”

“I said your outfit turned me on. Those shorts…” He mumbles, just loud enough for you to hear. “Shit, I’m sorry, Y/N. I- I shouldn’t have said that Now our friendship is going to change, and I don’t want to lose you, and Mr. Stark going to murder me, and I won’t be an Avenger anymore, and-“

You don’t know what comes over you, but you lean over and press your lips against his. It’s only a quick, simple peck, but it’s enough to get the message across. You’re tired of holding yourself back because of your dad- you love Peter, definitely as more than a friend, and now you want to show him.

“Peter,” You whisper as you pull away from him. He looks at you in awe, a small smile peeking through. “Nothing between us is going to change. I can promise you that.”

“I-I love you, Y/N.” He breathes out. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Peter, but I think that’s pretty obvious. Even though you’re a giant dork.” You smirk.

“Hey!” He laughs airily. “What about your dad? He… He could take my job away. He could literally kill me. You know that’s the only reason I haven’t done,” Peter looks at you in a way to reference what was going on between you two, “this, right? Because holy crap, Y/N, it’s been so hard to not tell you sometimes.”

“Yeah, Peter, I know,” You smile, kissing his cheek. You pull yourself on top of his lap, straddling his waist, your need for him increasing. You’ve both held back for so long, the sexual tension between you two always high, and sometimes your own hands just can’t do it for you. You want him. You can feel his erection through his jeans, his eyes lust filled, and it gives you even more confidence to continue. You lean down to whisper in his ear, “But what my dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?”

He doesn’t respond, he only cups your face with his hands and brings you into a kiss. His lips move against yours sweetly; it’s a little clumsy since neither of you are super experienced, but it’s perfect. You’ve never felt so right kissing someone before.

His hands run up and down your bare back, hesitating as they reach your bra. He pulls away, looking at you as if asking for permission.

“You can take it off,” You nod your head, and he fumbles with the clasp for a few moments until it comes undone. You lift your arms up over your head and allow Peter to take off your shirt before removing your bra completely. He looks as your chest in pure admiration before beginning to massage one of your boobs in his hand, twisting at the nipple a bit before taking the other one into his mouth.

“Oh, Peter,” You arch your back into him, wrapping your arms around his neck as he sucks and makes love bites on your chest. For a guy who’s relatively inexperienced, he certainly knows what he’s doing.

You begin to fumble with his jeans, beginning to unbutton and unzip them. You climb off his lap enough for him to remove his pants and for you to remove yours, leaving you both only in your underwear. He looks at your body up and down as you stand in front of him in, unable to contain his smile.

“You are so beautiful, I don’t know how I got so lucky,” He mumbles as he walks over to you and brings you into another kiss, grabbing your waist and picking you up. You don’t break the kiss as you wrap your legs around him, your hands tangled in his hair.

“You know,” You pull away, breathless, “We should probably move this into the bedroom and away from these windows.”

“Good idea,” He laughs, kissing you one more time before he wraps his arms around you tighter and walks you both into your bedroom. He tries to lay you down gently on the bed, but his strength (and undoubtedly also how urgently he needs you) makes it more as if he’s shoving you onto the bed.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” He apologizes, looking genuinely concerned.

“It’s fine, I kind of liked it,” You smirk, pulling him down to you. His fingers travel down your body before stopping at your underwear, looping his finger underneath the top and pulling them down your legs. He begins to rub circles on your clit, your wetness spreading onto his fingers. You moan loudly, unable to stop yourself from bucking your hips up against him.

“You’re so wet,” Peter mumbles before lowering his body, kissing his way down your stomach until he reaches the spot right where you need him. He kisses your inner thighs before, finally, licking a stripe up your clit. You moan ever louder, and Peter uses his left hand to hold your hips down as he begins to quicken up his pace, his right hand now pumping in and out of you slowly.

“Oh, fuck, Peter,” You moan out, your hands gripping his hair. “Fuck,”

Just before you can feel your orgasm starting to near, you pull him up, and he gives you a confused look. “I don’t want to cum yet,” You say in a sultry tone as you push Peter down onto the bed, beginning to remove his boxers. “I want to wait to cum on your cock.”

His eyes go wide as you kiss the tip of his dick, realizing that you were going to go down on him.

“Babe, you don’t have to if you don’t want- oh, fuck,” Peter hisses as you take him into your mouth, swirling your tongue and bobbing your head up and down. You use your hand to pump the rest of his length that you can’t reach as you work on him, his hands holding your hair up in a ponytail.

“Jesus Christ, Y/N, fuck,” He curses, and you can tell he’s straining to keep himself from bucking his hips up into your mouth. You’ve never been with someone this vocal before. You begin to go faster, and you know he’s almost done with.

“I’m gonna come, fuck, so unless you want me to come in your mouth I would stop,” Peter says between grunts, and you release him from your mouth with a pop.

“You’re absolutely amazing,” Peter mumbles as you crawl back up the bed, allowing him to pin you down underneath him. “Dammit, do you have a condom?”

“I’m on the pill, please Peter, just fuck me,” You breathe heavily, and Peter breathes a sigh of relief, both of you happy that you don’t have to stop since you don’t have condoms. He begins to slide his tip up and down your slick, excruciatingly slow before he aligns himself with your entrance and pushes into you.

It’s slightly uncomfortable as he stretches your walls out since you haven’t had sex in a while. Peter notices the look on pain on your face and he stops pushing in immediately, looking at you in concern.

“Are you okay? Do I need to stop?” He asks, and you smile at how loving and caring he’s being. You’ve never been with anyone like that before.

“No I’m good, it’s just been a while,” You explain. “Keep going.”

Peter nods and pushes himself in all the way, earning a moan from the both of you. He begins to move in and out of you slowly, and you wrap your legs around his waist, giving him the go ahead to go faster and harder.

“Oh, fuck,” You moan out as he begins to slam into you, pleasure radiating throughout your body. You run your nails down Peter’s back as he pounds into you, your bed frame hitting the wall repeatedly. You know that neither of you are going to last very long at this rate, but you don’t care.

The sounds of skin against skin fills the room, along with both of your moans, and you’re suddenly glad that the other Avengers are gone. You have no doubt that even with your own floor, they would’ve still heard what’s going on right now.

“I’m gonna cum, babe,” Peter voices, still fucking you so hard you know you’re not going to be able to walk tomorrow.

“Me too, please don’t stop,” You cry out, and Peter latches his fingers in between yours as he brings both of you two your climaxes, his warm cum filling you as your walls clench around his dick.

He pulls out slowly, a bead of sweat dripping off his forehead as he collapses on the bed beside you. Both of you are breathing hard as you come down from your high, your hands still latched together. He turns his head and looks at you, smiling.

“What?” You giggle.

“We waited way too long for that.” He laughs.

“Mhm,” You agree, and you swing your leg over him, pulling yourself on top of him again. “I need to go take a shower, you can join me if you want.”

His eyes immediately get lust-blown again before nodding his head furiously, picking you up and taking you to the shower.

“Miss Y/N, Mr. Banner is on his way up to your floor.” You hear FRIDAY through the speakers of your room, making you groan and pull the blanket up further to hide the sunlight from your tired eyes. Just as you’re about to fall back asleep, you feel Peter shift in the bed beside you, making your eyes dart open.

Shit.

You jump out of bed immediately, desperately trying to find clothes to wear. You had totally forgotten to bring those papers to Bruce last night, considering you were…busy. You and Peter definitely made up for all the missed time, to say the least. In the shower, in the kitchen (unplanned, you were just going to get some snacks when Peter snuck up behind you), in the bed again…. Yeah, you were busy.

“What’s going on?” Peter mumbles from your bed, half-asleep.

“Bruce is on his way up to my floor and we’re both fucking naked!” You whisper-shout. Peter darts out of bed immediately, and just as you’re searching through your closet to find clothes to throw on quickly, you can hear Bruce calling out your name in the other room.

“My clothes are in the living room,” Peter looks at you with wide eyes.

“Shit,” You curse. “Just… Stay in here. I’ll be back.”

You find your robe and throw it on quickly, not even bothering to look in the mirror to make yourself even more horrified. You already know you have sex hair and probably a million hickeys. You quietly shut the floor behind you as you walk into the other room to meet Bruce, hoping to just get this awkward encounter over and done with.

“Hi, Bruce.” You say awkwardly. He looks up from his phone and meets your stare, his eyes widening when he sees your appearance.

“Uh, hi, Y/N.” He clears his throat, and you notice his eyes travel to the pile of yours and Peter’s clothes. It wouldn’t be as bad if Peter’s shirt wasn’t one that the Avengers saw him wear all the time. “I’m just here for the papers…” He scratches his head uncomfortably.

“Yeah…” You cringe and refuse to make eye contact with him, just quickly running over to the table to grab the papers for him. You basically shove it in his hands and rush him back over to the elevator for him to leave.

“Not to pry, but, does your dad know about this?” Bruce asks.

“Absolutely not, and please don’t tell him.” You beg. “Peter would be in so much shit.”

“Yeah yeah, okay… Well… I’m gonna go now.” He points to the elevator and he rushes into it, leaving you alone again. You sigh, your heart beating fast. At least he’s not going to tell Tony.

You pick up the pile of clothes and run back into your room, shutting the door behind you. Peter looks at you in nervous anticipation as you throw his clothes at him, obviously scared you’re going to give him bad news.

“Well, we’re off the hook.” You explain to Peter how awkward it was, but he’s not going to tell your dad. Thankfully. Peter is probably more relieved than you are.

“Thank god,” He mumbles, and you sit down on the bed next to him, and he puts his arm around you. “We’re gonna have to tell him eventually, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know.” You sigh. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

You rest your head on his shoulders and his kisses your forehead, pulling you in closer. Yeah, you’ll probably be in deep shit whenever Tony finds out. But at least for now, you’ve got Peter. Your best friend, your dork, and fortunately for you, the guy you love.

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