#*sprays eloise with water* STOP IT

[titanlights-moved]

“ you know , you’re really cute. “ // emrys @ eloise

Eloise immediately melts. She giggles like a schoolgirl and sways. "I am, aren't I? You're cute too, by the way." The pair's out in public, all the more reason for Eloise to be a shameless flirt. "You look very handsome in that shirt, but i'm sure you're handsome underneath it too."

[totowlff]

extra — powódź zniszczyła ten dom

➝ after finding elisabeth in tears in the bathroom, toto sees no other way out than a serious conversation with his mother

➝ word count: 5,8k

➝ warnings: none

➝ author’s note: this is probably the toughest extra ally has ever written for this story. i hope it is less cruel to you than it was to me.

DECEMBER, 2015

Toto thought it was going to be a nice enough evening. His mom and sister agreed to come to dinner with Elisabeth and him — an opportunity to meet the other women that were most important to Toto, other than his daughter, but Elisabeth had already met Rosi anyway. He picked a restaurant in Vienna he thought sounded interesting. Lili ended up missing her flight from Paris — she, her husband Gerard and her daughter Eloise were there over the holidays with his family. 

Toto couldn’t help but think that Elisabeth looked amazing. She always did, in his mind, but she looked particularly good that night. She wore a navy blue dress, and, while Toto didn’t pay much attention to things like makeup or jewelry, he noticed that Elisabeth wore the ring that he got her for Christmas. Well, Rosi helped him pick it out for her, and Liesl seemed to absolutely love it. She wasn’t one to wear things that are too flashy, normally, but when Rosi pointed out that particular ring in the store, Toto knew that Elisabeth would love it. 

He thought everything was going fine, other than his mother asking what happened to Aurélie. Toto awkwardly explained that they had broken up over a year ago — he was sure he’d told his mother, but maybe not. They didn’t really have the closest relationship. They never had, but Toto tried his best.

He had to get up and use the restroom in the middle of dinner. After he got back to the table, the air at their table was thick with tension. Joanna’s expression was haughty and unpleasant, and Elisabeth’s eyes were locked on her plate of dumplings. They were in the middle of talking about what Elisabeth did for work. Toto thought that was why — there was no straightforward answer, and it was a tricky conversation at the best of times — most people outside of the world of finance didn’t really understand it, that she does some consulting and manages her father’s business interests. She’s very good at it, too, but Toto couldn’t help but notice that his mother seemed a bit surprised.

After saying good night to mom and thanking her for coming out with them, Toto and Elisabeth went back to his penthouse that she had essentially moved into, staying with Toto when they weren’t in Oxfordshire. She still had her apartment in Vienna as well, but it was mostly empty now, and she was preparing to possibly sell it.

Elisabeth said she wanted to get a shower before she and Toto headed to bed for the evening. Toto went about his usual nighttime routine, but was surprised when he heard something that sounded like a woman crying from the bathroom.

He had to check on her.

— Liesl?

Toto didn’t want to barge in on her. He called her name, softly rapping on the door. He could hear the shower water running, and when he said her name, Elisabeth started crying even harder. 

Toto opened the door to see her sitting under the spray of the shower, the water rolling down her back and neck. She was hugging her legs to her body, her forehead on her knees, sobbing her eyes out. 

Toto wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he didn’t ask just yet — he knew whatever it was, wasn’t going to be fixed with her sitting in the shower. Toto stepped into the stall and turned off the water. He knelt down next to her, speaking to her softly, gently trying to get her to untangle her limbs from the ball she was curled into.

— Elisabeth, please, talk to me. Please, baby.

She stopped crying for a second, but started again once she finally looked up into Toto’s face, seeing the worried sadness in his eyes. The look on her face broke Toto’s heart, too. He wasn’t sure if it was something he could fix, but he knew that he had to try.

Elisabeth let Toto take her out of the shower and dry her off, wrapping her up in some fresh towels so she’d stay warm while they talked. Toto knew she probably wouldn’t have it in her to change into some pajamas, but that was okay. He took her hands in his and walked her to the edge of the bed, sitting her down so that they could talk.

She explained everything. 

Toto pulled Elisabeth close to him and wrapped his arms around her, guiding her head to rest against his chest. Her hair left damp patches on the front of Toto’s dress shirt, but he didn’t mind. It didn’t matter, as long as it soothed her. If it would make her feel better, Toto would have held onto her like that forever.

Her Christmas dinner with her family was terrible, apparently. Mathias, after walking in on Elisabeth and Toto in a compromising position during a race weekend, was furious with her, and apparently hadn’t cooled down yet. Toto suspected more — she would have mentioned Christmas dinner earlier, right?

He dreaded asking if it was something his mother had said to Elisabeth. 

Toto’s relationship with his mother was complicated, but ultimately, he did love her. She was somewhat distant when he was a child, but she was very good at a lot of things, and incredibly smart. He’d gotten closer to her as an adult and developed an appreciation for the hardships and trauma she’d gone through in her own life. She left home at a young age to escape the rising tide of a brutal Communist regime in Poland, she came to a new country where she didn’t speak the language, she lost her husband twice — first to a divorce following Sven’s brain cancer diagnosis, and then to the illness itself. She was incredibly good at a lot of things, but being a mother wasn’t one of them. Toto still couldn’t pinpoint what it was — a lack of tenderness, perhaps? She was an excellent grandmother to Rosi and Ben, however. 

But if she said something she shouldn’t have to Elisabeth, it wouldn’t have surprised Toto. It wouldn’t have been the first time. 

Toto remembered the night he introduced his mother to Aurélie. 

One thing that many people didn’t realize about Toto was that he sought to minimize risk in his life. An odd trait for someone in investing and finance to have, sure, but maybe that was why he’d been successful so far. He sought to control as much of his life as he could, especially in the midst of the chaos of his job. He stayed in the same hotel in every different city — the same room, if possible, on trips to races. He ate the same meal for dinner — grilled chicken and vegetables — on race trips, preferring only to eat with Elisabeth or Niki, and to eat lunch by himself. He preferred to minimize chaos and keep things in as much order as possible. Emotions, just by their nature, were chaotic. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having emotions or desired to suppress his, but he felt like he needed to control his, to a degree.

He was passionate, no doubt, especially when it came to racing. He’d long struggled with depression, and had been regularly seeing a therapist for a few years now, but he wanted to be in control of his feelings when possible, and that included love. He desperately wanted to feel something for Aurélie, and thought that by introducing her to his mother and children, it would make her feel like part of his family. 

Toto’s mother loved her. His kids didn’t, but she and Joanna got along like a house on fire. Elisabeth and Aurélie were so different in many ways, though, so maybe Elisabeth was just not measuring up to Joanna’s standards by comparison. After all, Joanna had said that Aurélie “was a lovely woman” during dinner.

— Fuck. Forgive me, Liesl.

She said it wasn’t just that. Toto tried to recall everything they talked about over their meal, but there was one big gap, one big unknown.

— It was when I went to the bathroom, wasn’t it?

She nodded, and Toto’s heart sank. What could his mother have possibly said that Elisabeth didn’t want to say?

It took some begging, as Elisabeth didn’t want Toto to be mad at his mother, knowing how difficult of a relationship they’d had before, but Toto told her that if he did get angry at her, it would be Joanna’s own doing. 

— Toto, please…

— No — he said, cupping one of her cheeks with his hand — I beg you. Please tell me. I need to know.

She sighed heavily. Toto could feel the way her chest heaved as she tried to calm herself down, and described the questions that his mother asked when he had gotten up to go to the restroom. It sounded like Joanna had been quick to jump to a conclusion about Elisabeth — that she was just with Toto for his money, that she was a social climber, hoping to take advantage of him.

He looked down at the floor, trying to keep focused on his breath so he could keep his anger reined in.

— Did she say anything else? — Toto asked, quietly. 

— Well, one more thing.

— What?

— She said she would do anything to protect you from… Whores like me.

Toto inhaled sharply again. Elisabeth noticed him clenching his fists. He took his arm off of Elisabeth’s shoulders, putting his hands on his knees, leaning forward a bit. He remained quiet for a moment.

— My mother couldn’t have said that — he said. It was clear he was trying very hard to maintain his composure. 

— Please don’t be mad at her…

It tipped Toto over the edge.

— How could I not be mad at her? She had no right to treat you like that or to talk to you that way, Elisabeth.

He was furious, but there was a part of him that marveled at the way Elisabeth was begging him to not be angry. His mother had just called the woman he loved a whore and a gold-digger, and said that their relationship wouldn’t last. And that same woman was insisting that his mother did it because she was worried about her son, asking him to try not to be so angry with her. 

“Leave it to Elisabeth to see the good in everyone”, Toto thought.

If only he felt it in him to do the same.

Toto assured Elisabeth that he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, that he saw a future of being by her side as they traveled the world, thousands of possibilities. He said he even saw them having children — a little boy running around their yard in Oxfordshire, with Elisabeth’s eyes and his grandfather’s red hat.

She seemed to be reassured, at least for a bit. They both got up and finished getting ready for bed, but, by the time they’d laid down, Elisabeth had started sobbing again. Toto held her close, sitting up against the headboard, stroking her dark hair as she cried into his chest.

— I’m sorry… I thought I’d be okay, but I keep thinking — she swallowed, trying to continue. Her words came out in gasps — I keep thinking about the way your mom looked at me.

— I know, I’m sorry. She had no right to say those things. I thought she’d love you, because I do — Toto softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of Elisabeth’s head — Especially because, if anything, it couldn’t even be true. Of the two of us, you’re the one that came from a famous family. If anything, I’m using you for social climbing.

Elisabeth lifted her head to look up at him, her expression skeptical. 

— Toto…

He rubbed her back, kissing her again. 

— I know, baby. I’m just joking. But, it just shows you that my mother has no idea what she’s talking about.

They talked for a little while longer. Elisabeth cried some more, eventually falling asleep against Toto’s chest. He let her stay there, watching her as he rubbed her back, doing his best to give her some comfort and reassurance, even in her sleep. Toto didn’t sleep much that night, just dozing here and there. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Elisabeth, and couldn’t stop thinking about how poorly things had gone.

By the next morning, he had decided that his mother’s behavior couldn’t go unanswered. He hated that he had to get up, because Elisabeth looked relaxed and comfortable against his chest, but he needed to take care of this. He ran his hand through her brown locks, gently, until her eyes fluttered open.

— Good morning, my love — he said, quietly — I need to run an errand, but I’ll be back in a bit.

Elisabeth blinked her bleary eyes, trying to focus on his face. 

— Oh… Where are you going? — she said with a yawn.

— I will tell you later, but I’ll bring you back some breakfast. I’ll get some of those croissants you like from Parémi. We can even have them with apricot jam, if you want. They’ll be nice and warm. And I’ll bring you a coffee so you don’t have to make any. You just stay here and sleep as long as you’d like — he told her. He had slid out of bed, at this point, replaced by the pillow Elisabeth was now cuddling with. He brought the duvet up to her shoulders, tucking her in as she sighed happily. 

— That sounds good — she said drowsily — Don’t be gone too long.

He bent over to press a kiss to her cheek. 

— I won’t, I promise.

He got dressed, fixed his hair, and threw on his coat as he went to leave the apartment. As he was reaching out for the door handle, something caught his eye. It was a framed photo that Toto had put up on the wall just a few days ago.

It was a photo from the moment the team’s second World Constructors Championship was assured, when Elisabeth turned to him and pulled him into a tight hug, while he lifted her off of her feet. Their faces were joyous, both mid-yell. They were in the center of the frame, seemingly in their own little bubble, blurred figures of mechanics and engineers in the frame behind them, cheering.

The team’s social media manager, Paul, had shown the picture to Toto while preparing posts for the week after the team’s victory. Toto asked him to omit the photo from any of the team’s social media channels, but asked Paul to send him the RAW file directly from the camera. Paul didn’t ask questions, which Toto appreciated. He had it printed out at the highest resolution he could, and had it framed in a simple black frame. 

It was his favorite picture.

Elisabeth thought it was a bit embarrassing, because she’d forgotten, in the moment, that their relationship wasn’t public yet and she needed to exercise a bit more subtlety, but she admitted that she loved the picture, too. It was one of Toto’s favorite memories, now enshrined in an A4-sized frame on their living room wall.

It made his chest tighten a bit. He was happier than he’d ever remembered being in his lifetime, but there were so many people — his mother, Elisabeth’s brother — that were trying their damndest to snatch it away from them. He was resolved, then, to protect that. He wouldn’t ever let anyone steal Elisabeth’s happiness. Seeing her so upset the previous night was awful, and Toto never wanted to see her like that again. 

As he drove over to his mother’s apartment in Mariahilf, he tried his best to focus on remaining calm. It was tricky, because every time he thought about the things Joanna had said to Elisabeth, it made him feel so angry. 

He pulled up to his mother’s building and sighed as he put the shifter into park.

“Well”, he thought. “Here goes nothing”.

He knocked on the door to his mother’s apartment. Tentatively at first, then a bit more forcefully.

Joanna opened the door. She was visibly surprised to see him at first, but her expression softened into a smile. 

— Totouśka! What a nice surprise! — she said, reaching out her arms to give her son a hug and a customary kiss on the cheek in greeting.

Toto held up a hand to her chest, stopping her from getting any closer. He wasn’t there for formalities.

— Save it, mama. I’m not here for a social visit. We need to talk — Toto said, in Polish. His face was serious and stern. Joanna’s expression fell, and her brown eyes moved up and down the length of Toto’s stature, before she pulled the door open more, gesturing for him to come inside.

— Well, what did you need to talk about? It must be serious for you to come all the way to Mariahilf without calling first — Joanna said as Toto toed his shoes off at the door and hung his winter coat on a coat hook. He bristled at her tone. She was either being deliberately obtuse or sarcastic, and Toto wasn’t sure which option annoyed him more. She was speaking Polish now as well, and folded her arms over her chest as she eyed her son — We can sit in the living room. I can make some tea, if you’d like.

— I think you know exactly what we need to talk about — Toto said, as he crossed the apartment’s foyer, settling onto the edge of the cream-colored sofa in his mother’s living room — And don’t bother with the tea. As I said, I’m not here for a social visit.

Joanna raised her eyebrows, clearly a little taken aback, but gracefully rounded the sitting area, perching herself on a cream-colored armchair across from the couch. As she walked, the light fabric of the long top she was wearing floated behind her, giving her a bit of an imperious aura. She crossed her legs as she sat, folding her hands into her lap. She narrowed her brown eyes a bit.

— I’m sure you’re here about dinner last night — she said — Which means that your… Girlfriend, or whatever she is to you, probably told you what we talked about.

— Do you mean when you called her a whore and told her that our relationship wouldn’t last, and that you wouldn’t let her use me for my money? That was what you talked about, right? — Toto’s voice was even, flat. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to come into his mother’s house with metaphorical guns blazing, but he was exerting a great deal of effort to not start yelling anyway. 

Joanna pressed her mouth into a thin line, nodding. 

— Ah — she said — Well…

— Well, what? You don’t deny that you told her those things, do you? Why… How, even, could you say something like that to her? You had just met her. How could you say that to anyone, honestly? Not to mention… You inferring that she wanted to have a baby with me at the first opportunity?

Joanna threw her hands up in resignation. 

— What do you want me to say? Yes, I said those things, and I meant it. You introduce this new woman who cannot give a straightforward answer about what she does for work, and she’s wearing an enormous ring she said was a gift from you. What was I supposed to think was happening, Totouśka? I’ve seen the women you’ve dated before. I know you’ve hung around with pageant queens and models. I’ve seen what the magazines call you. And Aurélie was a model, but I liked her. She talked about how hard she’s worked to get to where she was, and seemed very smart, easy-going, down to earth. I was thinking, finally, you’re settling down with a nice girl with a good career…

— Mama, why is it any of your business who I date? I am a 43-year-old man, I don’t really need…

Joanna huffed.

— Well, I just remember what you went through when you and Stephanie divorced, I remember how difficult it was on Ben and Rosi. I just wanted to make sure you were making good choices about the women you date, because you have a bit of a tendency to be a little naive and rush headlong into these things. And when things go wrong, they affect you so deeply and…

Toto covered his face with his hands in frustration, and then brought a fist down onto the arm of the sofa, the dull thud cutting Joanna off.

— Stephanie is in the past. There were very specific reasons why our marriage didn’t work out, and they have nothing to do with my life now. Plus, we get along now, because it’s better for the kids. Aurélie is also in the past. I didn’t love her! I love Elisabeth, mama. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That’s why I introduced you to her. You and Lili are important to me, and I’m trying my best to make up for the way things were between us when I was younger.

— Totouśka, you cannot possibly be in love with her — Joanna said, tossing her head back. She leveled a serious gaze at her son — I’m only saying this because I care about you and don’t want you to get hurt again. I will admit, I didn’t realize that she was Niki Lauda’s daughter. Hell, I didn’t realize that Niki Lauda even had a daughter until a few years ago, but she hardly has a personality. She’s very pretty, I grant you, but it felt like she barely said three words to me during the dinner.

Now, Toto was angry. He balled his hands into fists, pushing them into the top of his thighs. 

— Because you hardly let her say a single word before making up your mind about her and calling her a whore and a gold-digger! Sure, she’s shy in social situations, and she was a bit nervous before the dinner, because she was afraid that you wouldn’t like her, and you didn’t! And if you really did care about me, you would know that I’m serious about her, and you will apologize to her for the things you said. Honestly, I couldn’t believe that she told me what you said to her, but I know she wouldn’t lie to me.

Toto’s voice was getting louder, now. He’d all but abandoned his effort to keep himself calm, and now that he’d started yelling, it was becoming harder and harder to stop.

— She is the kindest, most intelligent woman I have ever met. She’s far more accomplished than I am, mama. She has two college degrees, including an MBA. I dropped out of college! Sure, she comes from a successful family, but her career, her highly successful career, mind you, so far has been entirely her own making. She hates telling people who her father is, because she knows that it changes people’s expectations of her. She’s not after my money or status because she doesn’t need either of them! She doesn’t even like it when I buy her things! I’ve tried! She buys all of her clothes, shoes, and jewelry herself! The only things I’ve bought for her was that ring for Christmas, and a dress for the Prize Giving Gala last year. Every idea you have about her is wrong!

Joanna looked a bit stunned. She grimaced and looked down at her hands, still folded into her lap. 

— I just… I thought you were rushing into a relationship with her as some sort of, I don’t know, rebound after you and Aurélie broke up.

Toto laughed in disbelief. 

— That’s something else you have wrong. It was the other way around. I started dating Aurélie because Elisabeth told me she didn’t have feelings for me. She said that because she was afraid. I introduced you to Aurélie to make the relationship feel more real, but I was never in love with her. She was a good, kind woman, but we were wasting each other’s time.

Toto’s voice got quieter again, and he settled back into the sofa, looking down at the intricate Oriental rug in the center of Joanna’s living room. 

— When I had my bike accident, Liesl came to visit me, right away, without hesitation. I told her how I felt about her. I was completely open and honest with her. I could have died that day, so I knew it was time to tell her that I liked her, and wanted to be with her, but she didn’t believe me. She thought I was only saying that because of the pain medication and the concussion, so she left. If you’re worried about me getting my heart broken, I will tell you that it broke then, when I saw her turn around and leave my hospital room. But I knew that I couldn’t pretend to ignore the way I felt about her any longer, and that I couldn’t continue trying to force myself to feel something about Aurélie. It wasn’t fair to either of us.

Toto tipped his head back to the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes from falling. He felt a little embarrassed, as a 43-year-old man, by the prospect of crying in front of his mother, but he couldn’t help it. His feelings for Elisabeth were so overwhelming that they were hard to contain at times.

— Well, if you’re so serious about her, serious enough to introduce her to me and your sister, why is your relationship not even public yet? — Joanna threw her hands up — You can’t be quite that serious if the fact that you’re dating is still some big secret.

Toto furrowed his brows, looking at his mother again. He sighed.

— Believe me, I would rather it not be, but it’s mostly because of Niki, and because of her position with Mercedes, managing his father’s interests in the team. She doesn’t want her father to be upset with her. Her brother was furious when he found out. If it were up to me, I’d never stop shouting about how much I love her to anybody that would listen. Even if they wouldn’t listen, I’d tell them anyway.

— So, what’s the problem? What is she afraid of? Is she just a coward?

Toto glared at his mother, who simply shrugged. 

— No, she’s not a coward. I’m her father’s business partner, after all. Elisabeth told me that I’m the first actual friend Niki has had in a long time, and she didn’t want our relationship to interfere with that, somehow, and isn’t sure what he would think. Plus, she’s very close to her parents — Toto sighed. 

It had taken him many, many hours of therapy and introspection to even begin to heal the wounds that his childhood left on him, but every once in a while, he couldn’t resist the urge to pick at the scabs. It gnawed at the back of his psyche, like an itch that never truly went away. 

— I know neither of us would understand what that’s like — he completed, his voice completely deadpan.

Joanna’s posture immediately went rigid, her face contorting into a sour expression.

— Listen, Totouśka. You know that I was doing my best to keep things together after your father got sick. I had to work to keep a roof over our heads. Do I wish I could have spent more time with you and your sister? Of course I do, but the reality was that I had to work long days at the hospital and come home and take care of the house all by myself. And before you even say it, I know, I let that thing with your school tuition lapse, and I’m sorry, you know I didn’t speak French! It took me long enough to learn German! But really, I did the best I could. You know that I love you and that I care about you, and that I always have — she was gripping the arms of the chair she was sitting in, her nails sinking into the fabric.

Toto rolled his eyes.

— If you care so much about me, then calling the woman I love a whore and a gold-digger behind my back is an odd way to show it.

— I’m just trying to protect you from having your heart broken again! Seeing what you went through with Stephanie, and what it put Rosi and Ben through… I just don’t want that to happen again. Now… I concede that maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge, but what else should I think about a woman on your arm with a ring like that, that I didn’t even know you were dating? Put yourself in my shoes — she shrugged again, and sighed in resignation — Look, I realize what I said was… Harsh, but I was afraid for you… And for Rosi and Ben.

— Well, you’ll be happy to know that Rosi and Ben absolutely adore Liesl, then. They didn’t really care for Aurélie. So, maybe if you don’t trust how I feel about her, maybe you’ll trust what your grandchildren think.

Joanna sighed, defeated. She sat back in her chair, and remained quiet for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Toto simply waited. It gave him a chance to try and calm back down again.

— Well, what should I do, then? Rather, what do you want me to do? — she asked. Her voice was small, shy. She did look like she felt genuinely bad. Toto also felt a little bad about using his children as his trump card in the argument, but, he figured, she did it first. 

— I think an apology is in order, at the very least. But, not right now. I think, if you tried to talk to Elisabeth about this… It’s just too soon. I don’t want this to upset her more than it already has. I think I’ve said everything that I have to say to you. At least, for now.

Toto stood up, with Joanna following suit. They both started walking towards the door, neither of them saying anything. Toto slipped his shoes back on and put on his coat. Before he turned to leave, he gave his mother a tentative peck on the cheek. It had absolutely none of the warmth that their usual greetings and goodbyes had, like it was just an obligation between mother and son.

— I’ll call you once the dust settles. We can figure it out then.

He stepped out the door without actually saying goodbye to her.

When Toto sat in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes, he sighed and sat there for a moment, trying to release all of the tension from his neck and shoulders. He started the car, and started driving back toward the Innere Stadt, to stop at the French bakery a few blocks away from his apartment that Elisabeth had come to adore.

He ordered her favorite coffee, a double cappuccino with hazelnut syrup and nutmeg, and a few of the croissants she adored, with some small containers of the amazing French butter and apricot marmalade they both liked. It was a short drive back to his penthouse from there. 

By the time he got back up to his apartment, everything was still quiet — it didn’t seem like Elisabeth was awake yet. That was fine. He set the bag of croissants and coffee on the kitchen island, and slowly walked toward the master bedroom.

She was indeed still asleep, snuggled into the duvet. Toto stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the way the low winter sunlight streaming in through the gap in the curtains fell across her face, illuminating her features, making it look like she was something divine, some sort of heavenly vision or dream. 

He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch her soft brown hair, running his hand delicately down the side of her cheek. She wasn’t a dream — she was real, soft and warm under his palm. She was real enough to make him feel whole.

Her blue eyes cracked open after a moment, and she smiled sleepily up at him.

— Good morning, my love — Toto said, softly — I’m back. And I got you breakfast and a coffee, just like I promised.

Elisabeth pulled her arm out from under the duvet, grabbing Toto’s hand that was stroking down her face, and moving it to press a kiss to his knuckles.

— I’m glad. What did you have to leave for?

Toto took a moment to consider whether or not to tell her the truth. He didn’t like the idea of lying to her, even by omission, but he knew if it were him, his emotions would still be too raw, not even twelve hours after-the-fact. Even after Joanna insulted Elisabeth, she begged Toto not to be mad at his mother, insisting that she just was concerned for him. She probably wouldn’t like hearing that Toto had gone to yell at his mother on her behalf. 

He would tell her eventually. Just not right now.

— I just went to have a chat with an old friend — he said, quickly, hoping she wouldn’t ask him to elaborate — Now, if you want to stay in bed for a bit longer, I can bring you your breakfast in here, or we can eat in the kitchen. Either way, the croissants are still warm, so you don’t want to wait too long to decide.

Elisabeth opted to rouse herself, following Toto into the kitchen, sipping her cappuccino as Toto spread butter and jam on the pastries. 

They ate their breakfast in almost silence — they usually did, as both of them enjoyed a moment of quiet before starting the typical chaos of their work days. Toto couldn’t help but stare at Elisabeth. Her face was innocent of makeup, her hair was mussed with sleep, her eyes were still not really open all the way, but she was eating her croissant with a small smile on her face.

Toto looked at her, transfixed, until she noticed.

— What’s wrong? — she asked, after swallowing a bite of pastry.

— Nothing’s wrong. I just noticed that you’re smiling again, and… It makes me happy when you’re happy.

— Well, it’s easy to smile when I’m eating my favorite breakfast that the man I love brought me — she said, picking up her cappuccino. She took a sip and set the cup back down on the table, and reached her hand out across the table, lacing her fingers into Toto’s hand that was laying on the tabletop — Thank you, by the way. You didn’t have to go to the bakery just for me, but… I’m glad you did.

— Please — Toto said — It was nothing. I would fly all the way to France for croissants if you asked me to, if it would make you happy.

He wasn’t exaggerating a bit. 

[wastelandcth]

days in the park - cth

summary: calum finds out just how much him and his daughter have in common. 

author’s notes: thanks to @mxgyver​ for sending me this idea that had me screaming over how cute calum and eloise are!

masterlist || request || more doves

Calum remembered waking up before the sun and rushing out the door with his dad to practice. He remembered how the smell of wet grass filled his nostrils as he ran drills with his dad before anyone else showed up to practice. He remembered the adrenaline rush he'd get when he'd scored a goal or when he managed to block a player from taking the ball. He cherished the memories of playing football in his youth, how his passion for the sport took him to a country so magical and far away from home and he wanted his son to experience the joy of football much like Calum had when he was younger. 

Charlie had loved to watch football on the tv with his dad. It was their usual boys day out activity, where Calum would let Charlie eat an obscene amount of french fries while the game played on the big screen of whatever sports restaurant was playing the best game that week. It wasn't long until Calum and Dovey found themselves shopping for tiny cleats and ordering small jersey's with Hood printed on the back. Calum couldn't help the swell of pride in his heart as he took his son to his first ever football practice, almost as if he was watching a flashback happen before his eyes. 

The first time Dovey and Eloise had joined Calum and Charlie to the park during the football season was during Charlie's first practice. Calum, being the supportive parent he'd always been, had made jerseys for all of them sporting the Hood last name and had made sure to get the best seats in the park to watch as Charlie ran drills with his team. Dovey had tried to watch most of the practice, Eloise having taken up most of her attention as she waddled around the grass, trying to catch butterflies and humming along to whatever song had been stuck in her head that day. 

As the season came and went and Charlie had told his parents that he didn't really want to be signed up for another year, Calum couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. Of course he was still proud  of his son, who shot the winning goal at the end of the season game, but he had also expected him to keep playing like he'd done throughout his childhood. One thing Calum couldn't help but notice was that Eloise, who was usually too busy chasing her mom around the playground, had insisted on sitting on the grass and watching the game. At first, Calum and Dovey had thought that the five year old had gotten hurt because there was no way their daughter had ever been so quiet and still while at the park. But the more that Calum watched her during the game, the more he realized exactly what was happening. 

"Papa?" Eloise mumbled as Calum fixed the strap on her car seat, her eyes wide with excitement, "I want to learn about football too!" 

Calum had never felt more excited than he did on that car ride home. Eloise had asked him and Charlie all the questions her little mind could conjure up about the rules and how fun it was to play football. With every question answered, Eloise's eyes grew wider and more questions seemed to fall from her mouth, Calum making sure he answered every single one for his little girl.  It wasn't long before she was practically begging Dovey and Calum to let her play football like her big brother. 

A few weeks later, when Calum had promised Eloise to have a daddy daughter date, the two of them found themselves at the same sports store that he'd brought Charlie too not that long ago. Calum chuckled as he saw Eloise's eyes grow wide when they walked into the store filled with every single sport equipment imaginable. He had a mental list of things to get before they headed off to the park, most of them would be up to Eloise to choose, but he had also promised Dovey to send her as many pictures as possible of the two of them all dressed up. 

"Alright, Elly. We need to pick out some cleats, which one do you think are the ones?" Calum asked as he strolled through the aisle of kid's shoes, a very excited Eloise tugging him along. 

"Those! Those like Charlie's!" Eloise nodded and pointed over at the bright yellow and green cleats that he remembered trying to convince Charlie to put down a few months back. 

"Yeah? You sure?" Calum asked softly, a disgusted look on his face, "Lime green and yellow too?"

"They're perfect, papa!" 

After picking up everything they needed, which had consisted of maybe way too many tiny footballs (but how could Calum say no to Eloise?), the two were off to the park to make the most of their new shared interests. Calum hadn't expected his daughter, who was a force to be reckoned with, to take to the game so easily. After running a few basic drills with the excited kiddo, Calum found himself chasing after her in an attempt to steal the ball back. It wasn't until she scored a goal against him that he realized maybe football was Eloise's sport. 

The car ride home was quiet, a very tired and sweaty Eloise snoring away as the city passed by the windows. Calum had been on the phone with his dad, telling him all about his little girl and how he was excited to sign her up for a league once she was old enough. He'd rambled off about all the things he'd taught Eloise and how quickly she'd picked up on the tips and tricks. 

"Sounds familiar to me, don't you think?" his dad had chuckled at one point, "I remember taking you to the park during the weekends and spending hours running drills with you." 

"I think she's even better than I was back in those days." Calum chuckled, a smile on his face as he remembered his dad cheering whenever he'd score a goal against him. "And it's only her first day."

Back at home, where Charlie and Dovey had been busy giving Duke a bath in the backyard, Calum watched as a very sleepy but very excited Eloise rushed through the house to tell her brother all about her day playing football with her dad. As Eloise told Charlie all about how she could score goals against Calum and how she got matching cleats, Calum couldn't help but chuckle as Charlie's face scrunched up. 

"Now you really are smelly Elly." Charlie nodded as he glanced at the hose in Dovey's hand with a mischievous look. 

Before Calum or Dovey could even stop the chaos that was about to ensue, Charlie had taken the hoes from Dovey and proceeded to spray Eloise, who in turn decided to splash him with the soapy water that Duke had been calmly sitting in. Calum glanced at Dovey who just shrugged, a smirk on her face as she grabbed the bottle of dish soap and squeezed it in Calum's direction. It wasn't long before the entire family was covered with blue dish soap and drenched in water, all four of them playing a game of football while Duke sat off to the side enjoying the sunspot he'd found to watch the chaos that was his family. 

taglist:  @hoodhoran​ @finelliine​ @moonlightcriess​ @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver​ @calpops​ @karajaynetoday​ @notlukehemmo​ @calumrose​ @devilatmydoor​ @lyss-xo​ @lowkeyflop​ @hemmo1996-5sosvevo​​

[drmegwrites]

Monsters (chapter 1)

They thought they were saving you. He thought he was saving you. But what if he can’t stop what you’ve become? Between your history and mental illness, how can you stop yourself?

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Rating: (As of now, T. Later on, probably like) Mature/Explicit

Warnings: angst, brief mention of graphic violence, paranoia

A/N: lolol here it goes. first time posting a fanfic on tumblr. hopefully i’ll figure this all out...

“Honey, you shouldn’t have done that. Someone could’ve seen you,” Your mother scolded you as you were walking back to your parent’s house from the local diner. You enjoyed having your weekly dinner with your parents. Despite being a fully independent adult, you had managed to find a house that was only three blocks away from your childhood home. It was a small town, after all.

Living in a middle-of-nowhere town in the mountains made the inhabitants feel safe, even at night. No real trouble could happen in a place where over half the population was over the age of sixty. Everyone was asleep before trouble could even start. That also meant that there was not a lot going on, which lead to a lot of innocent chatter and gossip. Everyone knew everyone; no one could even cough without the whole town knowing they were ‘dying of pneumonia’.

You gently kicked a small rock along the sidewalk. You had revived your neighbor’s cat last week and you finally felt the need, aka guilt, to mention it to your parents. What your parents didn’t need to know was that Mr. Whiskers wasn’t the only thing you had helped recently. There was a reason your town was known for the population’s longevity rate.

“Oh c’mon. That was the Patterson’s; Eloise would’ve been devastated.” She had just gotten it for her ninth birthday, too.

“Not everyone is going to see your gift as a good thing, Y/N.” Your mother certainly wasn’t wrong. In your peaceful, Godfearing town right in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, anything that wasn’t the norm made your neighbors feel… perturbed. While everyone was kind and loving to you growing up, you could tell that they felt something was off. It also didn’t help that you used to say if you could bring back the dead, surely you could also do some of Jesus’s cooler miracles; turning water into wine, for instance. You got a nice swat on your bottom at that joke. Your parents thankfully saw your power as a blessing and your humor as harmless.

“Yeah, yeah. You said the same thing when that Xavier guy tried to get me to go to his school. I got it.”

“We’re just worried. It would kill us if you got hurt because someone wanted to use you.”

“We wouldn’t have to worry if you had some real protection! And not just that good fer nuthin’ spray in your purse.” Your dad called back over his shoulder.

Your mother had started having hip pain so you walked with her while your father decided to walk ahead to be on the lookout for any danger. At eight at night. On a Tuesday. In a town where the worst crime of the past twenty years was caused by ankle-pecking chicken who had escaped from its pen.

“Daaaad.” You groaned. Not this again. Despite you being rather young, the people of your town thought of anyone still single past the age of twenty-one as a spinster; your father agreed. He was a man of tradition. He wanted to know you’d have someone that cared for you and supported you when he was gone. He just had your best interest at heart.  

But that certainly didn’t mean you had to like it. You were an adult. You had your own job, your own house. You took self-defense classes. You didn’t need anyone else. You were independent, damn it! You could protect yourself.

“Maybe we can settle you with one of the eligible bachelors in town?”

“Mom. You know all of the ‘eligible bachelors’ here. You’ve known them since they were born; they ain’t nothin’ special. Half of them have even thrown up in our house, some of ‘em more than once.”

“Now, that wasn’t Jacob Corley’s fault. He had too much cake.”

“He still ralphed all over my birthday presents.”

Your father let out a quick shout and when you both turned towards him, he was gone.

“Robert?” your mom called out, stepping in front of you with her palm pressed against your sternum. “Y/N, you stay here.”

You tried to be patient, really you did. It must have been five minutes and neither of your parents had shown back up. You took a cautious step towards where they had gone.

“Mom? Dad?”

The last thing you remember was a sharp pain in your neck before you passed out.

----

Steve, Wanda, Vision, Nat, and Bucky sat on the quinjet waiting to arrive at their next mission location. Mission being a loose term. More than anything it was just an environmental survey of the most recently discovered Hydra base.

“Everything within a five-mile radius was wiped out; plants, animals, you name it.” Steve skimmed the mission packet that Tony had given him. Though Tony had welcomed Cap and his comrades with begrudgingly open arms after coming back from Wakanda, he was still hesitant to give Steve (and in no way Bucky) anything that involved directly fighting Hydra agents.

“And Tony thinks Hydra did this?” Wanda asked.

“Well they were certainly involved in it, considering one of their bases is at the epicenter of it all,” Steve said as he closed the file and rubbed his eyes. “Fortunately, since their base was tucked away about twenty miles from the nearest town and it was the middle of the night, no civilians that we know of were injured.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and folded her arms against her chest. “Just every other living thing.”

“Vision was able to grab some intel of a former agent who was there at the time of the blast.” Steve pulled out a small employee picture, which Natasha immediately snatched from his hand.

“That’s Brock Rumlow. He died weeks ago.” She quickly glanced at the picture in her hands before passing it on to the rest of the crew.

Bucky’s jaw clenched when he looked at the photo. He was the one that had taken him out. “And what was he doing in Podunk, nowhere?”

Vision stood next to Steve, his eyes quickly re-reading the file. Not that he needed to. It was already memorized into his database before the jet took off. “According to reports, he was dead for about a week when Hydra put him in cryostasis and sent him to the base. By then his organs would have already started to deteriorate so who knows what they were going to do with him.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow at him, somewhat irritated at the back-seat leading. Curse Vision’s eidetic memory and android programming.

Bucky raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the exchange. “I’m sorry, and Tony said this wasn’t a full team mission?”

“Everyone’s already dead. How much trouble could we have?” Wanda smirked.

----

The first thing you felt was an overwhelming headache, quickly followed by a throbbing pain all over your body. You opened your eyes slowly, reluctant to face what you’d have to run away from next. Red emergency lights tinted the cramped lab, though it looked more like an interrogation room. The mirror that was bolted on the far wall had completely shattered and a sparkling mass of debris slept below. A small stack of bodies congregated at the only door in the room, the only escape. The pool of blood had begun to coagulate under the mass, leaving a sticky residue. Everything you saw screamed of fear and that made the silence more suspicious. What the hell?

Despite the carnage you felt numb, immune to the tragedy. You were grateful that you weren’t squeamish. With blood and guts covering almost every part of the room (including on you) you wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere. You carefully stepped over the hill of corpses and tiptoed into the hallway.

The emergency lights continued down the hallway, but the further you went the red started flickering off and on until you were in total darkness. With your fingers resting against the wall you edged your way around the pitch-black maze. You must have taken half a dozen turns before you saw a dim source of light peering out through a hole in the wall. Was this your chance at freedom? You were alone and this was it. It felt too good to be true. With a slow breath and gentle steps, you continued forward and peaked into the unknown.

The room was lined with dozens of cells facing each other on either side. The room stretched up to a dozen floors with only two sets of stairs, one for each half of the room. Only half of the prison cells were in use, begging the question of why there were so many. However, most of the lower level cells were occupied by a body save for two that were facing each other. At the end of the hallway revealed a heavy steel door with what remained of two dead guards who were probably there to protect it when they were alive.

None of that mattered to you. What mattered was that the cement wall had crumbled which left a large hole to the outside. A silver mist clouded hindered most of your sight, the heavy humidity pressed against your chest. It was going to be a hot day even if the current temperature said otherwise.  Rows of pine trees lined up along the horizon were bare, their bark a sick grey. There was a dull chatter outside and you cautiously craned your head around the wall. A group of four people huddled together. Two men and two women were quietly talking with each other.

“I haven’t found a source of the power surge. I doubt the problem is electrical.” The gray and red figure informed the others. His cape billowed gently as he floated in the air. These people were different. These people were like you.

“It’s too dark to see much of anything, Cap. Maybe you and Buck can scan further inside? Only you and him could possibly see in there.”

“I don’t even think we can see.”

“I sense something.” The smaller woman’s whisper was barely audible, but you heard it. The other man donned in a blue tactical suit must have as well because he turned towards you. Bright blue eyes met yours and your body jerked like you had been hit by a livewire.  You remembered where you were. What you had done.  You needed to run.

“Wait come back!” He called, but it was too late.

You didn’t dare look back. A chorus of footsteps steadily thumped behind you. Even if you had to return to the darkness, you needed to get away from them. Freedom was the only thing on your mind and you were unwilling to let go what had just been given back to you. You were fast, much faster than you remember being. You shouldn’t have even been able to run in the first place. It’s not like they had let you exercise in that hell hole.

“BUCKY.” The blue-eyed man called out again.

“I got her.” A voice came from above you and you looked up to see a man jump from the building’s rafters to right in front of your path. The man, who you assumed to be ‘Bucky’, casually lolled his head from side to side to loosen his neck as if he didn’t just jump from thirty feet in the air. Who did this guy think he was, fucking Batman?

While the other man’s eyes were blue and bright and hopeful, Bucky’s eyes were a freezing, almost silver blue. There was very little life in his eyes, but what was there was hard and determined. Every part of him was sharp from his defined jaw to the cold metal plating covering his left arm.

The others quickly gathered behind you. Trapped.

“How are you still alive? Are you hurt at all?” You looked back to the man in the blue suit who had taken off his helmet and his dirty blonde hair to shot out in all sorts of directions. He stretched out his arm and your eyes widened. What was he going to do to you? You started taking small steps backwards only to bump into a hard, solid mass, quickly realizing it was Bucky.

“I’m Captain America, ma’am. We’re not going to hurt you.” His arm remained open to you, warm and pleading. You stared at him. Captain America. He was defined. There wasn’t a part of this guy that wasn’t muscled. He was quite tall and his smile was warm and inviting. Of course, his jaw was chiseled to perfection as well. This man, who looked good enough to eat, was Captain America? This was Steve Rogers? You felt your face heat up and you were sure you were blushing. BLUSHING. Stop it, you thought. Were you a fucking pre-teen all over again?

Slowly you reached out and gently placed your fingertips in the man’s hand. He smiled, a wave of relief flooded off him and onto you. While news outside the small town where you used to live rarely interested you, you were somewhat aware of who the Avengers were. You knew enough to know their “superhero names” and general backstory, but not much else. Except that you could trust him. Your fingers tingled at his touch. That, and Sarah wouldn’t ever shut up about the guy. You let out a small breath of air you didn’t know you were holding.

Steve’s smile widened, pleased that you were relaxing a bit. “Do you know what happened here?” You looked at him but said nothing. He sighed. “You know anything about a man named Brock Rumlow?”

“Rumlow. Rumlow.” You repeated the name, a low mantra barely above a whisper. There was a quick flash of a memory and you let out a small gasp. You didn’t have to think very hard about the name. “There was somethin’… wrong with him.”

“Geez, how many people were here?” The taller redheaded woman looked around the open space, inspecting for possible threats. No doubt Buck would’ve taken them out already if there had been any.

“There were two guards for every prisoner; the head scientist, two lower heads, and twenty or so lackeys. Counting the other people trapped with me, that’s… 172.” You spoke quickly, trying to get it all out before you could think about it any further. Everyone was dead.

Everyone looked at you quietly, those words being the most coherent thing you had said yet.

“You did that really fast.” Bucky looked at you, his blue eyes widened and jaw dropped slightly with awe.

“It really wasn’t that hard, Buck,” Steve said as he clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. A small smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. You weren’t stupid; you were homeschooled, not raised by wolves for Christ’s sake.

The smaller woman turned to you. She looked softer than the rest, less threatening. “Is there anyone else alive?”

You looked down and shook your head. You felt a tickle on your cheek before you saw a single tear fall to the floor. Despite this, you remained silent.

“Natasha, you and Vision see if you can get the power up and try to get any information off their data base. Bucky and Wanda, let’s head back to the jet.” The sudden movement of everyone going to their assigned place startled you and you stood frozen in your spot, unsure of what to do. Steve took a few steps towards the exit before turning back around to face you. “You coming?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.” Steve gave a small smile and waved you towards him. “It’s not safe here anymore.”

There certainly wasn’t anything left for you here. If you went with them, they might treat you better. They might feed you, shelter you, keep you safe. No. Keep others safe from you.

“Am I supposed to call you ‘Captain’?” You asked. It was an honest question. Or should you even know their real names? You knew Steve’s, of course, but what about everyone else? Perhaps you’d be permitted considering your situation. You knew about Tony Stark as well, but he invited all the attention; the news of the eccentric, brilliant billionaire who spent half of his time saving the world reached all around the world. Who didn’t know him?

“Oh! Right. My name is Steve and as I said this is Bucky and Wanda. The people who are staying behind are Natasha and Vision.” Steve went around stating his friend’s names and Wanda gave you a small wave in acknowledgement, but your focus remained on the man named Bucky walking on the other side of Steve. His eyes refused to leave yours and you fought the urge to run again.

Anxiety prickled at the back of your neck and you fought the sudden shallowness of your breath. Your heart thrummed against your ribcage, trying to break through and fly away. Bucky knew; he had to. He knew what happened and what you did and was going to rat on you because it was all your fault. And yet he said nothing.

“Can I ask what your name is?” Steve asked quietly and you turned. His eyebrows were knitted together with worry as if he thought that the volume of his voice would scare you. His concern made you feel fragile. You were fragile.

“Y/N.”

The ride back to their base was uncomfortable. Being surrounded by people all the time was exhausting. Steve was busy discussing the next few steps with Iron Man, er, Tony, in his earpiece and piloting the plain. Which left you alone to have an unbearably awkward staring contest with the most frightening, attractive man you’ve ever seen in your life. Bucky sat across from you, arms folded, brow furrowed, and you were completely frozen. You had been struck into ossification and you now felt yourself fusing into your seat, soon to become part of the quinjet. He just kept staring at you. You were tempted to slap his face so he’d look in a different direction. It didn’t matter that his eyes were a gorgeous blue, or that his wonderfully chiseled jaw dusted with the beginnings of a beard, or that he had thick, muscled thighs just made to be ridden on…

The only source of salvation came in the form of Wanda, whose presence went wholly unnoticed until you felt a gentle brush against your arm. “You must be so scared.”

“Mostly lost.”

“Lost?”

“What now?”

Wanda took in a deep breath and sighed. “Well, we’re taking you back to our base; very big, very high-tech. You’ll be safe.” She quickly continued rattling off information about their hideout; all the information was rather overwhelming, but you politely nodded your head as if you were listening to everything she was throwing at you. In reality, you had stopped listening after the word “safe”.  That’s all you needed to know. You assumed she was being overly descriptive for your benefit.

A thick grey, wool blanket appeared under your nose and you looked up to see Bucky sticking it in your face.

“Take this.” Even though he had been fixated on you before, he wouldn’t look you in the eye now. A slight flush creeped up his neck.

“What?” you asked. Why would you need a blanket? You had spent god knows how long without one so it didn’t really seem important. If anything, it was a luxury.

“Oh god! Thank you, Bucky. I’m sorry, I totally should’ve gotten you one. I promise I’ll find some clothes as soon as we land.”  Wanda chattered on beside you as she took the blanket from Bucky’s hands.

Clothes? You were suddenly aware of how exposed you were. The shirt and shorts you were given were dingy and stained. Fabric curled back along the holes and tears of your clothing. One of your sleeves was almost completely torn off. Splatters of blood, sweat and other bodily fluids decorated the edges of your collar and shorts. Your shirt had stretched from all the nights you had pulled it against yourself to retain some sort of body heat. The shirt’s neck drooped considerably, revealing the rounded curves of your chest.

You quickly wrapped the blanket around yourself. Shame. Dirty and disgusting, you looked absolutely dreadful.  You had been held prisoner for possibly years, but you still wanted to apologize. You weren’t usually like this. You were better than this… weren’t you? It was so hard to remember.

As you landed, Wanda pulled you off the large aircraft and dragged you into the large building. It was constructed of mostly metal, but at least there were more windows. At least you could see outside at this prison. A series of beeps and whooshes greeted the two of you as you made your way to… somewhere. Was it to another cell? Wanda seemed too nice to lead you there. Bucky or that redheaded woman, maybe, but not Wanda.

You stopped instantly when you saw it and Wanda was pulled back at your resistance. A pot of withered flowers that once held such promise of beauty sat on the table by the window, except the previously green stems were now a dull brown; small, crisp petals lightly decorated the glass tabletop.

“Oh no. Please don’t look at that.” Wanda sighed as she shuffled at your side and placed her hands on her cheeks. “I kept meaning to water it, but I never seemed to have them time. The man I bought them from said they were drought-proof.”

“Pulsatilla; pasqueflower.”

“That’s right.” She beamed. “Never thought I’d be living with another flower-lover. Maybe you can help me keep sure everything stays alive around here. I’m going to grab those clothes.” Wanda chuckled as she started to walk away, unaware of how her comment created a little idea to sprout in your head.

Hesitantly you reached out to the plant, before stopping yourself. You knew you should just leave it alone, but you couldn’t help it. It needed your help.

You reached out again and the tip of your finger brushed against a thin petal.

A tinge of purple color flowed out from where your finger rested. The petal was no longer fragile and dehydrated, but was now soft and felt like velvet. Soon the entire flower was a gorgeous mauve and more colors radiated out towards the rest of the plant. Life bloomed from flower to flower. The stem was once again lush and green and stood in its firmness. You pulled away with a smile on your face once the plant was standing proud and magnificent. It felt good.

“How the hell did you do that?” Your smile disappeared when you turned to see Steve and Bucky gawking at you. They had been following not far behind. Stupid, you were stupid. How could you have let them see? Steve kept looking from you to the newly revived plant, but Bucky just stared at you. Both of their jaw’s clenched and they took a readying stance. Tears started to pool in your eyes. You didn’t want to kill anymore.