#And this little 14/15 year old tells me that she loves my voice

[walmart-miku]

Reminder to everyone that someone you know loves part of you that you hate so pls treat urself kindly <3

[anki-of-beleriand]

A Heart Made of Glass ch.16

Summary: Ten years ago you left Wanda and the Avengers to heal your broken heart. You never stopped being a hero, just as you never stopped being in love with her. But life had to go on.

Now, after all that time, she is back and with her is a young woman needing help and an enemy that may not be as afraid as Wanda to lay a claim on you.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Powered!F!Reader - Scarlet Witch x PoweredF!Reader - Past Wanda Maximoff x Vision - CarolxF!Reader

Warnings: Angst, drama, mentions of cheating, fluff, violence, smut, Switch!Reader, internalize homophobia, hurt, comfort, Wanda being a complete mess, anger management issues, jealousy, Requited/Unrequited love, idiots in love, swearing, mentions of alcohol. More tags as the story progess.

Author's Note: This story is a continuation of Dirty Little Secret I was really surprised at the response I got for the story, I did all the tags you guys ask for but if I forgot someone please do not hesitate to tell me. Thank you for the support.

The end is near, Reader and Wanda finally had some common ground to work with and now the only thing left is a happily ever after.

Please, do remember English is no my mother tongue so forgive my grammar, spelling and funny mistakes.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Epilogue

Chapter 16

A leap of Faith, a simple request

The first meeting in Nepal would be the first meeting of a series of visits Y/N did for over four months.

Wanda had been confused at first, though she found herself pleasantly surprised to find you in her lodge every morning sharing a good story or a training session. Sometimes, the both of you would reach the closest camp in which you would see many alpinists and hikers, all of them getting ready for a summit on Mount Everest or K2. Wanda didn’t dare to press over the sudden relationship she had been building with you, she was happy to receive your words and your caress, to see your smile or feel your lips on hers whenever the mood struck.

Every weekend had become a highly expected moment in her life, Wanda prepared everything to welcome you while also trying to get the courage to have a serious conversation with you. Would you finally stay more than a couple of days? Would you want to stay with her? What exactly was happening between the both of you?

There were many questions that still haunted Wanda, but she had not dare to voice them in fear of breaking the relationship she had with you. So, she opted to keep quiet while enjoying the moments the both of you shared until she was ready to face the reality of her emotions and give the last step towards you.

For more than four months you two had been sharing a relationship through the distance, and Wanda knew she had sworn to fight for you and not let go, and whatever fears or insecurities that had built in her should be put aside in favour of that leap of faith. Wanda had been nervous, but she arranged everything to be ready for your visit and, this time around Wanda was ready to ask you to stay or take her with you.

But, just as she got ready to clear things up within the both of you, just as she got ready to leave herself expose and at your mercy…you didn’t show up.

At first she thought it was normal, your life was still happening right in the outside world and you had been quite busy at your work back in Norway while also with your mission as hero. Wanda checked her phone and her email, but you didn’t send a message and after two days of waiting for you she knew you wouldn’t come that weekend.

Disappointment came rushing inside her mind, she waited for an explanation but nothing came and soon her disappointment transformed in sadness and the old doubts and fears drown her thoughts until she just tried to focus on her routine waiting for you to come the next weekend with an explanation.

The explanation never came and you didn’t show on that weekend.

And then, you didn’t show the next one, or the one after that.

Wanda tried to rationalize the situation, she tried to convince herself that you were busy or perhaps in a highly secretive mission but so far she had not received any news or any big going on in the outside world. It was as if you had vanished, and with you, any form of contacting you. Your phone didn’t work, and there was no way for her to get into contact with Natasha; for a moment Wanda thought about America but then she thought herself desperate and while she was dying to know what happened to you, a little voice inside her head told her perhaps, you grew bored of her and decided to simply not continue her visits any more.

As easily as you had begun this routine, you had decided to cut it over.

This was just a single thought of the many that came rushing inside her mind day after day, Wanda found herself busying herself with different activities inside the compound, she gave herself to the training and to the distractions while finding odd jobs in the temple and the small towns surrounding Kamar-Taj.

It worked, for a little while.

But there was nothing much one would do to quiet down the doubts and growing anxiety inside the heart. Wanda wanted to be angry at you, she wanted to be furious at your sudden dismissal of her, at your silence and sudden disappearance; but she couldn’t. Instead of that, she was just sad, and found herself trying to ignore her emotions while trying to get control of her life.

For over a month, Wanda tried to forget about you.

And while Winter was approaching, and she stood at the edge of a cliff overseen the beautiful landscape surrounding the Himalayas she tried to get a hold of her thoughts and her emotions. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but not a single thought came through her mind, the only thing she could do was feel and that was enough for the time being.

Wanda sensed the approaching presence of someone powerful, she didn’t need to pounder too much to know who was coming her way. With a quick gesture, she tried to wipe away the tears on her cheeks.

“You are quite difficult to locate when you decided to hide away, aren’t you, Wanda?”

Wanda tensed turning to the left, her green eyes gleaming with unshed tears furrowing her brows. Stephen was dressed in his fighting attire, he looked tired and a little dishevelled but otherwise untouched; the older man waved away the unasked question.

“Rough night, nothing important but I mess up and ended up with a house falling on top of me.” He offered a sheepish smile; Wanda raised a brow pressing her lips to hold back her smile.

“Right, what brings you here, Stephen?” Wanda finally asked tilting her head to focus her stare to the mountains. “I was trying to get some alone time, and I just…I don’t think I am a good company at the moment.”

Stephen nodded understanding the hint but ignoring it altogether, Wanda rolled her eyes not wanting to have any type of conversation with anyone. She scoffed when the man stood beside her, his hand reaching inside his pocket producing a single envelope. Wanda frowned tilting her head to the man who was trying really hard to keep his expression neutral.

“I understand, but I think I come here with news and perhaps to alleviate the turmoil you had been experimenting as of late.” The knowing glance he shot Wanda told the young with Stephen knew about her recent heartbreak.

She crossed her arms rolling her eyes while also getting a spark of curiosity, she squinted her eyes when Stephen waved away a single envelope, this time around he lost his smile and was showing a more serious façade.

“My mission took me to Florence, it was a last minute request by Stark and I decided to do so if only to shut the man up.” Stephen said talking a step closer to Wanda. “I met with some people there, and I was told to give you this.”

Now, Stephen had Wanda’s full attention, she grabbed the letter scrunching up her nose turning it around until her eyes fell on the familiar handwriting.

“This is…” Wanda trailed off, her frown deepening while the anger she had ignored up until then came back and she closed it almost throwing it away.

“She was hurt during a mission.” Stephen said before Wanda could speak or do something else, “It was supposed to be a routine safe and rescue mission but they found some troubles, she tried to play the hero role and got badly hurt.”

“She got hurt…” Wanda opened the letter missing the sympathetic glance Stephen sent her way.

“Nobody knew about her visits to you, Wanda.” Strange explained, “They found out as soon as she woke up and started asking for you, I think that may explain her absence as of late.”

“Hn, I didn’t even notice.” Wanda mumbled reading the letter you had tried to write to her, Stephen hid his snort behind a cough.

“Right, so you haven’t been mopping around and…”

“I wasn’t mopping!” Wanda exclaimed, her magic igniting in her hands while her cheeks coloured red. “I just…I was…I…”

“I know.” Stephen said nodding to the letter, “Tony sent a jet for you, it will be there until tomorrow morning, a car is waiting for you as well. Don’t be late.”

Wanda watched as Stephen turned around walking away, she played with her lips before calling out to the older man.

“Are you…I mean, late I’ve been…” Wanda sighed frustrated turning to Stephen. “I’m still trying to find myself, to do right and to get a hold of my emotions, are you sure I should go?”

“Wanda, you have been mopping around because you missed her,” Stephen cocked his head to the side, his eyes finding those of Wanda, “take the word of a man that lost everything for not being brave enough, Wanda, go after her and keep fighting for what you want, talk to her and don’t let any misunderstanding or lack of communication get in the way.”

With those last words, Stephen turned around and left.

Wanda stood there feeling the cold wind hitting her face, she grabbed the letter and went back to the words you had written for her. The explanations and the invitation to go to you, to stand beside you, to be a part of your life.

Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, she lowered her gaze and in a single moment of decision she went back to her cabin to get her things.

It was about time she stopped running from the things she wanted and start running after them.

The Amerigo Vespucci Airport was the second busiest airport in the Tuscany, located in the city of Florence it stood as a welcoming bacon to international travellers into a city that breath Renaissance, culture and history. The private section of the airport was a safe heaven for those who wanted to go incognito to the city, and Wanda soon found herself being attended as the jet landed in the city.

She glanced around while the customs and border protection agent came forth to speak with the pilot. She grabbed her backpack tightly, her eyes glancing around the place before they fell on a dark car waiting silently at the other end of the hangar. The officer spoke in broken English pointing at her then at the passport before nodding and giving back the document.

“It seems we are cleared, ma’am, the driver will take you to the agreed location.” The pilot said giving her the papers back before pointing to the car.

“Thank you.” Wanda offered a nervous smile before making her way to the car, once inside the driver merely gave a warm welcome before driving down the empty streets of the airport to the closest entrance.

Once they left the airport Wanda could enjoy the magnificent look that the city was offering her. She could see the Tuscan Cypress decorating the highway while the people drove without a care in the world. This kind of scenes always brought memories to Wanda, she couldn’t help but remembered being on the run without a chance of enjoying the places they visited or having a chance to actually have friends, go out, have a nice dinner.

Her world had been changing so much, she sometimes forgot there was another world right outside waiting to be discovered. Wanda smiled observing the busy streets with people coming in and out of work, the students enjoying the afternoon sun while running or walking around not a single tourist was on sight which told Wanda this was a part of the city reserved for the Italians living in the city.

She wondered if you were aware of her visit, if perhaps you had planned all of this just to get her out of the coldness that was Nepal into the warm that was the region of Tuscany at the moment. But so far she had not received a single call, and no body had come for her to the airport. She played with the idea of calling Tony but decided against it, if the man wanted to contact her he would have done so as soon as she entered the plane; a part of Wanda knew why they had kept silence, they were waiting to see how the story would end.

Wanda couldn’t blame them, she was also waiting patiently to see how her story with you would end.

Soon they left the busy streets to enter a more residential section of the city, Wanda watched as they went up the terrain with less people walking around and many houses protected by high fences and beautiful trees. She felt her heartbeat that tad bit faster, her hand sweating lightly while the tingles in her lower abdomen intensified.

The car turned around a corner and soon she found herself watching full properties, all guarded by wooden gates and walls protecting their inhabitants. She wondered just what kind of place where you located at, when the man turned one last time going up a hill until he reached a gate standing tall protected by a stoned arch and cypress sneaking out of a stoned wall. The man lowered the window while showing an ID to the gate’s security system, soon there was a small bell and the doors opened right in front of them.

Wanda could hardly wait to see you, she was glancing out of the window while playing with the words inside her head. The car stopped at the main gate, and Wanda couldn’t help but gasp.

“Wanda!” America came running wrapping her arms around the young woman who couldn’t help the shock from showing on her face.

“America?” Wanda returned the hug, stepping aside America gave her a weak smile.

“I missed you, you know?”

“I missed you too.” Wanda shrugged lightly, “I’m sorry I just…”

“I know, Y/N told me some things so…I get it.” America bounced on her feet running to where the bags were left. “But now, you’re here so I can forgive you for that.”

Wanda chuckled grabbing one of her bags and going with America inside the house.

The place was enormous, with two living rooms and a single dining room leading to the backyard and the pool Wanda could understand why they chose such location. America was talking non-stop, she told Wanda about school and the life in Norway; for Natasha and Yelena had been important that America learnt the basics while also learnt about her powers so whenever they had any easy mission America went with them.

“But this one, well it went out of control and…”

“Where is she?” Wanda finally asked when they reached the second floor.

America winced tilting her head, “she is asleep, pain medicine really takes a toll out of her.”

Wanda furrowed her brows; she glanced around trying to guess which one was your room but her eyes found those of America who was shooting her a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t worry, she will be up in no time.”

“I just…” Wanda brushed some hairs out of her face, “I just found out, after a month of not having any new from her I just…”

America pressed her lips together, after a moment of hesitation she pointed to the left to a long corridor leading to a single wooden door. Wanda hesitated for a moment but before she could move America placed a hand on her arm, her eyes twinkled strangely while she put on her best serious face.

“I’m glad to see you here, Wands, and I know you and Y/N had been seeing one another for some time,” Wanda could tell that in the last couple of months America had changed, no longer was she looking tired or scared, if anything she was looking more mature and relaxed, responsible as she grabbed the bags and stepped back.

“I really want for you guys to be happy, perhaps this could be your chance, you know?”

Wanda smiled nodding, “I know.”

“Good then, go before Natasha and Yelena get here, they get really overprotective of Y/N when she is in that state.” America turned around leaving Wanda alone.

With a sigh and wiggling hands, Wanda made her way to your room.

The place was covered in different shades of blue, the balcony faced the pool and the backyard, and the fresh wind of the afternoon was sneaking inside the room mixing the smell of flowers and nature inside your room. Wanda softened her features when her eyes fell on your sleeping form.

You were on your side, deeply asleep with your hand right above your face and one leg placed carefully on a pillow. It was protected by a cast, and your face and head were covered with bandages. You really were hurt, and soon Wanda realized all around the room there were medical implements to help out during the healing process.

With a knot on her throat, Wanda approached your bed her trembling fingers caressing your cheek while the tears blurred her vision for a moment. All this time, she should have looked for you, perhaps insist to try and see what happened instead of letting her own insecurities and her own fears to cloud her judgement.

“What took you so long?” Wanda almost fell down from the bed when you spoke, you offered a lazy smile your eyes fluttering opened.

“Y/N!”

“Wanda!” Your voice was hoarse, wincing as you turn on your back.

“You were awake?” Wanda asked with reproach in her voice.

You tried to sit down, it was taking some effort until Wanda came right in to help you out. Her arms wrapped around you, and she was close enough to feel your warmness against hers. You offered a smile shrugging.

“I was just resting not sleeping, thank you.” You rested your back on the wall, taking a good look at Wanda who decided to sit on the bed.

“You…” Wanda started finding the words strangled in her throat and her eyes filling up with tears.

“Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about this.” You started grabbing her hand in yours, your thumb drawing circles on the back of her hand.

“It’s okay, I…” Wanda trailed off, she didn’t want to sound foolish by telling you the million questions that came to her mind.

She was not ready to share with you her inadequacy and her self-doubt. You nodded lightly, softening your features while squeezing her hand tenderly.

“I should have said something, but I just…I wanted you for myself.” You said softly, trying to clear your throat.

Wanda leaned to the closest bedside table where a single glass of water was resting, you took the glass grateful before continuing.

“I didn’t want anyone saying anything at all, I just…”

“I get it, I know what you mean…” Wanda hesitated before lifting her hand to brush away some strands of hair, she leaned in her lips parting slightly. “Y/N…”

You lifted your hand cupping her cheek in your palm, leaning in closing the distance by brushing your lips against hers. The kiss was soft, a simple gesture of reassurance for you and her, it last but a few seconds but it was enough to leave Wanda trembling and you with a racing heart.

“I missed you, Little Witch.” You mumbled pecking her lips, Wanda smiled nuzzling her face on your neck.

“I missed you too.”

Wanda leaned back, glancing out of the window before returning her eyes to you.

“I thought you didn’t want to continue with your visits.” She finally revealed looking away from you. “I thought I messed it up all over again, and I just…Y/N, what are we doing? What does it mean this? I just…”

You could see the conflicting emotions in her green eyes, how confused she was about what had happened in the last couple of months in which, once more, your relationship with her had shifted. You made yourself that questions moments before the mission, you had been standing by Yelena’s side when you realized how deeply in love you were with Wanda, how your feelings for her were the same they had shifted and they had matured and at the moment they were more intense.

You weren’t the only one thinking that, or even experimenting it. Seeing the anguish in Wanda’s face told you she was just as deeply sensitive with the whole situation as you were.

“Walk with me?” You asked tenderly, Wanda furrowed her brows before nodding.

“Yes, sure I…” She stood up watching as you signalled the far wall where a single crutch was resting.

“You need help? I mean there is only one.”

“Yeah, I didn’t break the leg per se, but I did some serious damage to the muscle and the joint, so walking is difficult.” You explained standing up with her help and that of the crutch.

“So, you are at my mercy?” Wanda asked wiggling her brows, you raised a single eyebrow shooting a daring glance.

“You want to try that theory out?” The blush that form on Wanda’s face was beyond adorable and you couldn’t help but laugh. “Good, perhaps later we could see if I am or not at your mercy.”

“I know that I am at yours.” Wanda finally said walking past you and opening the door for you to come out of the room.

Your heart jumped happily, your smile growing at the sight of Wanda there with you once more. With a chuckled you limped engaging Wanda in a conversation about the mission that had left you out of commission for a while.

__________________

“When did she get here?” Yelena glanced out of the window of the kitchen, she squinted her eyes following you and Wanda as the both of you strolled through the yard.

“Uhm, around three?” America put the spoon on the gelato Yelena brought for her, “I think so, she came here in one of Tony’s cars.”

“Of course it was Stark.” Yelena huffed turning around, she lifted a hand pointing an accusing finger at America, “and you let her in!”

America rolled her eyes, she knew Yelena tended to be highly protective of Y/N but as of late her arguments against Wanda had worn thin and she was just trying to get a hold of what was really happening and how everything would end, Much like everyone in the life of Y/N and Wanda.

“Please, you and I both know they have been seeing one another for more than two months, nobody thought of telling Wanda about the mission and she was really affected by this.” America rested her cheek on her hand, her eyes on Yelena.

“What?” Yelena grabbed her own gelato shaking her head.

“Do you think they will go back to being together?”

Yelena leaned back against the counter, she thought about the things that had happened in the past. She had been there, and she had heard the story and the wounds, but after they learnt the full story and went through so much, forgiveness was not a crazy thought. You had been so happy as of late, singing and laughing, being a different kind of person and Yelena knew she owed it to Wanda coming back and wanting to be a part of your life.

“I think it is a possibility, but this time around if something were to go wrong…” Yelena left in the air the possibility of negative consequences, America tilted her head thoughtful.

“I think this time around could be different, and I think that’s the reason why they had been dancing around one another, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that if this time around everything goes well, they have seen how their lives could turn out to be. The twins, and the house and the married life, everything would be possible and happiness would be there.” America shrugged, “I just thing sometimes we are more open to the negative outcome instead of the positive one because we are afraid of getting hurt or getting lost in the feeling.”

“You don’t have a right to sound so wise,” Yelena scoffed shaking her head, America smirked.

“I learnt from the best.”

“Oh, thank you…”

“I mean, Natasha…”

“Brat.” Yelena threw a paper towel that America grabbed in the air, she was about to throw it again when a heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

“Children, please.” Natasha gave her sister a glance before turning to America, “what are you two discussing about?”

“Y/N and Wanda.”

Natasha lifted a brow, her eyes following the stare of Yelena until she found Wanda and Y/N standing in the far corner of the yard.

“When did Wanda get here?”

“This afternoon.” America explained, Natasha softened her features as she watched your smile and the easy conversation growing between the both of you.

“I guess that’s good, right?” Natasha ruffled America’s hair winking at Yelena who chuckled at the gesture.

“I guess, what do you think?” Yelena gauged Natasha’s face, she was waiting for a signal that revealed the real thoughts of Natasha but the woman was a tomb.

“I think we need to make more food, and you two have a mission tomorrow so no staying up late watching silly movies.”

“You know I am a highly functional adult and that I can go to bed whenever I want?”

“I think you are an adult, but the functional part is up for debate.” Natasha replied chuckling at the offended expression in Yelena’s face.

America laughed ignoring the mocking glare from Yelena.

“I am a trained assassin, you know, I can…”

“I’m just going to say two words,” America smirked in triumph lifting her hand and lifting a finger when she said those two words, “Kate Bishop.”

Yelena opened her mouth and then closed it again, her cheeks coloured red with her hands wiggling to try and make a point that was lost when Natasha came closer to her to close her mouth by putting two fingers under her chin.

“She got you there, sis.”

America laughed standing up before running away from the kitchen, Yelena screaming in Russian while going after her. Natasha shook her head taking a sip from the glass of juice she just poured for her. The day was getting old, the sun was already gone and the sky was changing into a darker version of blue, yet even with the drop of temperature and the sudden changed you and Wanda were still outside.

Natasha sighed.

Peace was so odd at times, but it was for moments like this that she lived for. With a final glance she turned around and went the living room her voice reaching out the two kids that were laughing and screaming on the second floor.

“America! Yelena! You have to prepare dinner!!”

You welcome the change in atmosphere from the confines of your room.

In the last couple of days, Natasha had done nothing more than babying you under the medical recommendations. It had been a necessary evil considering you were out of commission for over two weeks. Wanda listened carefully to your story, with each word her heart shrank making the very fibre of her emotions trembled under the possibility of you not surviving such an incident.

“It was really confusing at first, I woke up with everything hurting and in a hospital with Natasha and Yelena all over me,” you stopped walking turning to Wanda, your hand seeking out hers feeling the softness of her palm against yours, “I remembered right away that you probably were asking where I was and why I haven’t called at all.”

Wanda stiffened her eyes drifting away though her hand tightened lightly around yours.

“I just thought you would be busy, I knew you have your job and the occasional missions.” Wanda tried to downplay the turmoil she went through when you didn’t show on that first weekend, then the second one, and then the third one.

She was not ready to admit to you that she had been lost, and that the old insecurities came back to push her to the edge of feeling alone and not enough. You tilted your head taking a closer look to the young woman standing in front of you, observing how her lips tensed and her eyes refused to look at you directly; the way she kept a hold of your hand and the sudden softening of her voice told you all you needed to know at the moment.

“You know I would never walk away from you without telling you first, Wands.” You winced moving from one foot to the crutch on your right hand. “I never told anyone I was going over to Nepal to visit you because I didn’t want them snooping around in my things, I wanted this to be ours.”

There afternoon sun was fading away slowly, and the wind of the Tuscany region enveloped both of you in a warm embrace. Wanda lifted her free hand only to let it fall again, her eyes flickering to your face then to your lips and finally to your joined hands.

“I know.” She finally stated though her voice trembled, lacking the conviction your were looking for.

“Are you still doubting what is happening here, Wands?” You asked stepping a little closer, Wanda offered a weak smile shrugging.

“What is happening, Y/N? I’m still…You have come and go for over five months, and we have talked and we have shared amazing moments and still I am not sure as to where I stand eith you.” Wanda didn’t want to be so honest all of a sudden, she wasn’t looking to actually be honest and broke with such a tirade but the trip and the lack of sleep coupled with her worries about her own situation brought this over.

Your eyes dropped alongside your smile, your hand never let go of that of Wanda but you did tried to take a step closer. Wanda didn’t fight, instead she also came closer trying to get a hold of you to see if the questions she had would be answered.

“I thought everything had been clear, but I guess we never did talk about it clearly, did we?”

“Not really.” Wanda mumbled lifting her hand towards her hair, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t bring this over and…”

Wanda trailed off completely, her body stiffening when you leaned forward placing a peck at the corner of her lips. She could feel the heavy stare of someone watching them from the house, while you came at her without any shame or hesitation.

“I think I told you before, the same way you have told me, Wands. I don’t want this to be over without at least giving it a try.” You squeezed her hand offering a half smile, “I guess I wasn’t clear enough so, let me set the record straight and ensure there are no more doubts in you.”

Wanda opened her mouth to ask what exactly you mean by that, but at that moment the both of you heard Natasha calling out to you.

“Y/N!! Your medication! Now!”

You winced turning to see Natasha standing by the threshold, her hands on her hips and a knowing glare shot your way. Under that stare you understood Natasha had a second intention for the call out, you snorted turning to Wanda who had a glint of disappointment in her green eyes, you chuckled winking at her.

“Don’t worry, Little Witch, tomorrow we will have the house for ourselves and we can continue with this conversation.” You then nodded towards the house, “now let’s go, I really am feeling the pain kicking in and perhaps taking the medication won’t be as bad with you at my side.”

Wanda offered a half smile, her helped you out before taking a deep breath and speaking closer to your ear.

“You want me to play nurse?”

You almost fell down on your face, turning to the mischievous smirk she was now wearing. You chuckled nodding.

“I would like that very much, Little Witch, but Nats would probably kill you if we get sidetracked.”

Wanda snorted though whatever tension she had worn moments ago soon dissipated; she opened her mouth then closed again until she just shrugged turning to you.

“Well, we always have tomorrow, right? You did say we will have the house all for ourselves.”

Now, that comment hit you straight in your mind and core, and you couldn’t help but laugh while trying to cover up your flustered cheeks. Wanda sighed in relief, her doubts quieted down by your reassurance and the welcoming committee she had from your part, seeing you again had made her happy and Wanda soon realized there was no place on earth she would rather be as long as she was by your side.

Wanda just needed to let her last doubts aside to take a leap of faith and confessed this to you. There was nothing more she wanted that be yours for as long as you wanted her, and for you to be hers for as long as you allowed her to have you.

______________

You limped around the kitchen grabbing cups and bowls from the cabinets placing them carefully on the counter.

The music coming from your phone filled the silence in the kitchen, coffee was the very first thing you always prepared before anything else and the strong smell of the coffee was soon filling out the room. You limped to the fridge glancing around until you found the milk and the orange juice, putting them out you went to grab some of the strawberries almost falling on your face.

“You really love putting yourself in harm’s way, don’t you?” You chuckled feeling the arm around your waist making sure you were not hitting the floor, Wanda was smiling down at you helping you up on your feet.

“What can I say? I was just waiting for a cute hero to come and rescue me?” Wanda rolled her eyes but never lost her smile you grabbed the strawberries and then close the door.

“What were you doing?” Wanda finally asked looking around the kitchen then at you.

“Breakfast?” You tried limping towards the coffee maker, “I just thought I will make breakfast and then we can go into the city.”

Wanda tapped on the counter playfully, her smile just growing with her eyes following your every move.

“The city? You have plans for today?” Wanda leaned forward excitedly; you lifted your face blinking confusedly at Wanda.

“We have plans, Wands. You and Me.” You replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, Wanda tilted her head with her heart missing a beat at the sight of your grin.

“I…let me help you, I think it would be faster.” Wanda winked at you going to help with the fruit and the cereal.

You watched her out of the corner of your eyes, a shiver of pure pleasure and contentment went through your body and settled on your lower abdomen your heart twisting painfully your chest. You knew the moment you made the decision to go after Wanda that everything could turn out with the both of you, love had always been there but sometimes people needed more than love to build up a relationship.

The last couple of months you and Wanda had done just that, build a relationship that went beyond the initial passion and juvenile love you felt for one another. You chuckled when she put the bowl filled with cereal, milk and strawberries right in front of you before putting a chair closer so you could accommodate.

“I was supposed to be working on this and served you breakfast, you know?” You were about to stand up and go for your coffee but Wanda winked at you placing a mug filled with coffee.

“Black, two spoonful of sugars and, of course, enough coffee to kill you instead of waking you up.”

“Damn, you’re the best.” You were about to say something else but Wanda was faster than you and soon her lips when on yours giving you a soft kiss before stepping away. “Wha-what was that?”

“I like my breakfast with a kiss from you, I was getting use to it I just thought…” Wanda was losing her confidence as she started talking but whatever else she was going to say you took the chance to cut it out by another kiss.

“Shall we eat and then hit the road?” You asked putting a strand of hair behind Wanda’s ear.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds… nice.”

Ten years ago their relationship had been different.

It was filled with passion, sex was something you knew pretty well and took advantage of as a way to escape reality, a tool used for missions or in your leisure time. For Wanda it had been the first-time experimenting emotions and pleasure she had been forbidden to practice or to even think about during the war consuming her country. Your conversations had been everything, music and movies, books and hobbies, it had been an immature relationship that had meant the world to you.

Wanda taught you about being in love.

Your broken heart had bled for a very long time, not really understanding why after everything the both of you had shared it ended up with Wanda looking for comfort and love in another’s arms. With time, you understood why, and while you didn’t have to like the answer it was something you were trying to make peace with.

Now, ten years and some months later you stood right before the very same woman you had fallen in love within your teen years. Whatever love you held for her changed, and instead of diminished with time it slept until your paths crossed again and it grew into something different.

This time around your conversations were different and while passion was still present, it was not about the physical connection.

You found Wanda’s eyes across the room, her facial features completely relaxed wearing a soft smile while listening to the explanation done by the guide. You were sitting down on a bench brough specially for you, the discomfort on your leg had started almost ten minutes ago but you didn’t want to leave the city just yet, not when it was pretty obvious Wanda was happy.

“Where next?” Wanda asked slightly giddy, her eyes sweeping around the Piazza della Signoria admiring the architecture and the sculptures and the fountain of Neptuno.

It was a warm day, with sweet breeze and streets filled with people running around the busy streets of Florence’s downtown. The weather had been kind of warm accompanied by a sweet breeze that made it easier to walk around, the conversation was directed to meaningless subjects that brought laughter to Wanda with your heart missing a bet whenever you glance into her green eyes.

“Well, there is another place I want to show you but it is not the right time yet,” you watched at the time before turning to Wanda.

“Which place?”

“Oh, it is a surprised, Little Witch.” You winked at her taking her hand in yours, Wanda fixed her position so as to not bother the crutch and your leg.

“Okay, so far I have liked the surprises you have given me, so wherever you want to take me I’m all in.”

“Good then, next stop would be the Gardens Boboli.” You declared limping slowly towards the closest street leading to Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo.

It was the moment the both of you stepped into the garden that you realized how well you knew Wanda.

She was completely stunned by the sight, her mouth hanged open and her eyes gleamed amazed by the architecture of the place. You smiled behind her, your heart skipping a beat under the charm of her smile and her stare. Wanda was standing right beside you forgetting about her doubts and her fears, and letting herself go enjoying the moments she had always dreamt to share with you.

You enjoyed taking her to new places, you heard her stories about being on the run while being completely lost and sometimes confined to a room or a place without the opportunity to enjoy the world out there. You always thought it was kind of sad, to be so afraid of what would happen to you if you showed yourself the way you were to not really enjoy what the world had to offer. One of the things you enjoyed the most was the expression on her face whenever you told her a new story or showed her a new place, it was a world of pure discovery and it told you exactly what you wanted and with whom you wanted to be with.

After eight hours of just walking and talking, spending most of the morning getting to visit the most important places in the historical Florence, you started feeling the pain in your leg and body. You concealed your pain taking deep breaths while limping heavily down the streets, Wanda stood by your side completely aware of your discomfort.

“Y/N, please I know you wanted to show me this place but…I mean, it can wait, you don’t look well.” She stood right before you, her free hand cupping your cheek with concern.

You winced trying to offer a smile but coming out with a grimace.

“I know, I know it’s just this is the best part.” You pouted letting out a huff while nodding to the hill that was just a few meters away.

“What can be so important that you’re risking this pain in your leg?” Wanda finally asked cleaning up some of the sweat in your forehead.

“You.” The answer came before you could stop it, but there was only honesty in your words.

Wanda stopped her movements locking her eyes with your, she felt her cheek colouring red while her lips curved into a tiny smile.

“You’re such a sweet talker.” She softened her tone, though the small frown of concern never left her features.

“Is it working?” You asked, Wanda snorted looking away.

“You know it is.” She finally said wrapping her arm around your waist and making sure to give you the much needed it support to hold your body.

“Good then, help me out and then I will do whatever you want.” You winked at Wanda who could merely rolled her eyes at your words.

“I will hold you to that.”

You chuckled holding back any exclamation of pain while walking the last few meters to the top.

“This, my dear Wanda is Piazza Michelangelo.” You presented the place with a flourish of your hand, your grin grew when you realized Wanda had been surprised by the sight.

She didn’t let go of your hand while stepping closer to the balcony, her head turned to you then back again before she caught sight of your grimace.

“This is beautiful.” She mumbled taking you to one of the steps overseeing the city.

“So, was it worth it?” You let go a breathy whimper, intertwining your hand with hers.

“It is worthy mostly because I’m with you.” Wanda confessed resting her head on your shoulder. “But I don’t think it will be enough to justify the pain you are going through at the moment.”

You snorted but said nothing else, for what seemed like hours the both of you sat in silence observing the buildings and the landscape that was Florence. The magnificence of the Duomo governing a city that had been the birthplace of the rebirth of mankind. You closed your eyes allowing the warm on Wanda’s hand to bring comfort to your heart.

“Yesterday you were questioning our relationship as of late.” You broke the silence, never taking your eyes from the city.

“I was just confused, and a little angry for not having heard from you in a while, Y/N.” Wanda started trying to explain her emotions. “These last months had been like a dream come true for me, I never thought I would be close to you again, or that we could be like this.”

“You never thought I would forgive you.” You stated, Wanda shook her head unable to answer to your words.

“I never thought I could forgive you, Wanda.” This time around Wanda lifted her head turning to face you, her hands on yours. “last year I finally understood many things about you and about me. I even got to understand our relationship and what exactly had happened to the both of us.”

The sound of muffled conversations filled the silence in between, you could see people laughing while enjoying their time together in such a place. The sun was starting to face, but the day was still far from over: to your left Wanda sat facing both the city and yourself, and you had to wonder if perhaps you were doing the right thing.

“When I started our visits I did so without any specific expectations,” you continued furrowing your brow, trying to have the conversation of your life with such a pain was not an easy task. “I thought it would be good for you and me to see where this really was going and if it was worth it.”

“And, is it?” Wanda inquired rather frightened by your answer.

You turned to her, your lips curving into a smile and your eyes gleaming with deep emotion.

“It is worth it, Wanda. I don’t want you to be alone anymore, and I don’t want to be away from you either.” You stated putting your hand in your pocket, Wanda held her breath when you pulled out a small box from it.

“What…” She remembered the box she opened all those months ago in which she discovered the plans you had made for your future with her. She was trembling by then, her heart almost leaving her chest and a horde of wild butterflies fluttering their winds inside her abdomen.

“It is not what you think it is, not yet anyway.” You lifted your free hand before opening lightly, inside was resting a single necklace made of white gold and a single Tourmaline stone matching Wanda’s eye.

“Why…I mean, what…” Wanda trailed off not really knowing what to say, you shrugged making sure you were putting it on her, your lips right beside her ear.

“With this necklace, Wanda, I want to promise myself to you.” Your whispered sent a shiver down her back, you sighed staying still gathering your strength to continue. “I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past, and I want to believe that second chances mean a new chapter in our lives. So, please accept this as an offering for you to be with me and, this time around, let’s just see where it gets us.”

You found yourself being hugged by her, your eyes were wide open and your arms stood rigid at your sides. You could feel the wetness on your neck, the sign of her tears and the soft whimpers leaving her lips while she poured her answer in the embrace. After a while, your own arms moved to return it, closing your eyes while enjoying the closeness of the woman you had fallen in love with all those years ago and had not stopped loving ever since.

When Wanda leaned back, you could see those green eyes twinkling with the same love she had always showed you, the same one that had changed over the years but instead of diminished had transformed itself and had mature enough to love and let herself be loved.

“I love you.” Wanda whispered those words without any fear of rejection, she finally let go of what she had been holding all this time, all the pain, and the suffering had broken and now all that stood before her was a future you were proposing. “I just love you, I can’t imagine anybody else by my side, I just can hope this time around I don’t disappoint you, or hut you, I don’t want to I…”

“Hey, that’s fine, one step at a time, okay?” Wanda nodded holding your hand, at that moment a sharp electrifying pain went through your leg and abdomen making you gasp clenching your eyes closed.

You had been trying to hide the fat your leg had been killing you for quite some time, the position you were in had not been ideal and after a while the pain became far too much. You hated this only broke the moment you were living with Wanda, the young witch was on top of you right away checking over your leg and your body with a concern look.

“What is it? Does it hurt too bad?”

“It’s nothing.” You grumbled clenching your fists, Wanda dropped her stare frowning at you.

“You look in pain,” Wanda grabbed your hand stepping closer to you while crunching up her nose, she was examining you. “You have been walking all day, of course you’re not okay.”

You tried to wave away her concern, trying to stand up only for your legs to feel weak all of a sudden. She was right on you to hold you up.

“I think I can… ugh…” You sat down closing your eyes for a moment, Wanda knelt beside you brushing your hair and cupping your cheeks.

“I think it is enough, I can carry you and we can go to the car,” Wanda checked you over trying to remember how far away from the parking lot the both of you were.

“N-no, that won’t be necessary, we still have a lot to visit and…” You tried to stand up but Wanda put a hand on your shoulder shaking her head.

“Don’t be stubborn, I can see it hurt you.” Wanda cupped your face in her hands, placing a kiss on your forehead. “Let me help you, please?”

She grabbed your hand in hers, her eyes pleading to you to stop your stubbornness. You closed one eye, the other one falling on the gemstone she was now wearing. With a grumbled, you nodded accepting her help.

“Okay, we can go home…I don’t have energy to take us there, but I can take us to the car.”

“Are you sure? I think I can help you out and we can make our way over there.” Wanda continued brushing your hair away and wiping your forehead.

“Yeah, it is close enough for me, and I don’t think I can actually walk.” You replied sheepishly, Wanda rolled her eyes already knowing you would act the tough act until you really felt helpless.

With a flicker of your hand and her help, the both of you crossed the shadows until you ended up right in front of the car. After that, the ride home was done in relatively silence, your pain increasing as the time passed by. Wanda couldn’t help but sent worried glances your way, her hand on yours trying to calm you down by distracting you with stories or questions you were ready to answer.

The Villa was still empty, Natasha had gone into the city on some sort of mission, and Yelena and America had left earlier without giving any sort of explanation. You grabbed Wanda tightly, almost falling on your face when another jolt of electricity went through your body.

“Sorry.” You mumbled; Wanda shook her head making sure you rest comfortably on your bed. “We were having a good moment, and I really wanted it to be more romantic, the sort of moment in which I will clear up your doubts but…”

Wanda sat facing you, her hands making quick work on your shirt and pants, her fingertips moving delicately with the frown still in place. You grabbed her hand in yours kissing her before helping her out in the process of getting you into more comfortable clothes.

“You don’t have to be sorry for that, I enjoyed our time together and we still have time for a conversation.” Wanda replied making sure you were quite comfortable on the bed.

“I don’t want you to think I left because I preferred the mission, or because I didn’t want to be anymore, you know?” You were breathing hard by then, the injury on your leg had been bad enough to let you feel useless while having one of those attacks.

“I know.”

“I was enjoying our little meetings; I think we never got a chance to do what we did on them.” This time around you smiled feeling the softness of a cotton towel on your face, fresh water touched your lips and you welcome the beverage while also trying to swallow the pills Wanda placed on your hand.

“I enjoyed them as well, I was afraid you have grown tired of me, that perhaps you had finally gotten what you wanted it before leaving.” Wanda confessed finally sitting down at your side, her hand on yours.

You shook your head putting her hand to your lips, the heavy doses of the pills alongside with the tiredness of the day was catching up with you.

“Thank you for coming here, and for not turning me away, Little Witch.”

Wanda softened lightly she leaning in placing a kiss on your forehead.

“Don’t mention it, Love, I’m here.” The endearing term slipped her lips without noticing, you gave her a quick stare before smiling. “Let me give you the last pill and then I leave you to rest.”

You frowned shaking your head grabbing her hand, “no, please just…”

“Y/N you need to take the medication,” Wanda started but you cut it off shaking your head.

“No, I mean, don’t go.” You took a deep breath, your voice coming on short gasps, “Stay with me, please? I want to be with you.”

Wanda felt the warm on her cheeks, she broke into a timid smile that didn’t go away walking around your room grabbing the last of the pills before placing it on your tongue. You drank more water shifting slightly to leave an open space for the other woman.

With some hesitation, Wanda took her shoes off and her jeans, she grabbed a pair of shorts and then went right in with you on the bed. Wanda stayed still her back resting on the pillows chewing on her lips until you snuggled closer to her.

“You don’t have to be so tense; you know?” You closed your eyes, a playful smile on your lips. “I am not in the right physical state to offer you some interesting games to help you relax but I am not against them if it helps.”

“Y/N! I thought you were sleepy?” Wanda shifted her body to welcoming you in her arms, you chuckled observing her red cheeks and dilated pupils.

“I am but you were just so tense, let me just rest for a while and I promise you later on I will bite if that’s what you need.”

Wanda rolled her eyes finding adorable your chuckled and your expression just as you started falling asleep. She let her fingertips caress your head, while she too close her eyes.

This was all that she needed it.

This was all the comfort she was seeking out.

A day ago, she had been mad, but most of all, she had been heartbroken believing herself a fool for ever thinking you could forgive her past sins. Or for even entertained the idea you would want her back in your life, now she was just lying there with you in her arms, fast asleep and a necklace that sealed a promise between the both of you.

With a whispered, ‘I love you’, from her part Wanda too fall asleep with the same content smile you were wearing in your sleep.

_____________________________________________________________

Next Chapter: Reader and Wanda have some fun together, Natasha comes with news and Yelena and America had started a new secret group everyone knows about but they like the ilussion of secrecy. Reader and Wanda have stop running and as time passes they finally take one last step towards happiness.

[supergirl000983]

Going Home

Travis Wheatley x Dutton!Reader

Warning: Smut, Language,

Note: No one ever writes for Travis, so I decided I was going to. Also, he's not a whore in this. lol

The Middle Child

The Youngest Daughter

The Favorite Child

Y/N Dutton…well technically she had been Y/N Wheatley for 8 years now hell she was the only one outta her siblings that seemed to be popping out more than one kid. Then again that was more because even after being together for 15+ years her and Travis still couldn’t keep their hands off each other. That’s actually how they ended up in their position now with her bent over his office desk and him fucking her from behind. “With the bruises you will have on your hips I’m gonna owe you flowers.” Travis said as he leaned down kissing his wife’s neck. “Fuck flowers buy me a fucking horse and fuck me for the rest of our lives.” She said turning her head to give him better access. “God, I fucking love you” he said as he brought his hand around to rub circles on her clit after a few moments they both reached their climaxes. After a few minutes he pulled out and kissed his wife’s shoulder and popped her on the ass. “I’m almost positive that you are pregnant with baby #5 after that.” “Well considering we’ve been fucking like rabbits in heat I would hope so.” Y/N said after they were both dressed. Y/N turned and hugged her husband knowing she had to tell him the real reason she came in here. “We need to go back to my dad’s ranch for a little bit I’m not sure how long. I just know he called and said he needed all of us there for a little bit.” She said looking up at him with hopeful eyes. “Ok. We will leave in the morning I’ll have Rayden and Harlow help Stetson and Wren-Leigh pack. If you will go ahead and get our bags packed, I’ll get the SUV read and have Lucas follow behind us with the truck and horse trailer?” He said as he pulled her, so her head was on his chest. They stayed like that for a moment with him rubbing her back before there was a knock on the door then the voice of their oldest child Rayden who was 14 years old. “Mom Aunt Beth’s on the phone she said Uncle Jamie is in deep shit with the rest of the family.” Y/N walked over and opened the door to take the phone and reminding her child to watch his mouth. “Hello?” She asked “God, do you ever answer your fucking phone? I have called your mobile like 4-5 times.” Beth scolded her. Y/N felt bad as she looked over and saw her phone on Travis’s desk. “Sorry I was busy handling something.” “More like busy handling a certain horse trainer.” “What did you call for Bethy?” “Jamie is running for Governor of Montana, and I need my dear sweet sister’s help to take him down.” “We will be on the road first thing in the morning.” Y/N said before disconnecting her son’s phone then handing it back to him and sending him to go pack and help his younger siblings pack. “Holy shit. What the fuck is Jamie thinking. Like Governor? He wants to be governor now?” She said as she crawled into her husband’s lap on the couch of his office. “I don’t know darlin.” He said wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the forehead before standing up with her and carrying her to their bedroom. Sitting her on the bed he started to pack for both of them. “Make sure you pack your green hoodie.” Y/N said as she walked to the bathroom to pack up their bathroom bags. After she got done packing the bathroom bag, she helped Travis finish packing. Then they parted ways with a kiss so he could go start loading bags in the car and she could walk through the house to finish helping the kids pack.

She came to a stop in front of her youngest's room where Harlow was helping Wren pack. "Why don't I finish packing Wren's bag and you take your stuff down to your daddy ok?" Y/N said as she walked up to her daughters. "Ok Mama." Harlow her 10-year-old daughter said as she grabbed her 4-H duffle bag, and walking out the door. "Mama are going to see Grandpa?" Wren her 5-year-old asked looking up at her. "Yeah, baby we are. Mama and Aunt Bethy have to take care of something for grandpa." She said looking down at her blonde headed child that she swore she could have had completely by herself. "Does that mean I get to see Uncle Rippy?" the small child asked as she grabbed her stuffed moose who she took with her everywhere. "Yes, baby that means you get to see Uncle Rippy, and Uncle Kayce, Aunt Monica, and Tate." "TATE?!" Wren screeched as she stopped in front of her dad that had just walked into her room to get whatever was left.

"Wren-Liegh Wheatley inside voice." Travis scolded as he grabbed her 4-h duffle from Y/N. "Sorry daddy I'm just really excited to see Tate." The small child looked a Travis with the same puppy dog eyes her mom uses. Travis gave his youngest a kiss on the head before sending her to go help her siblings feed their horses. "How do feel about leaving late tonight instead? Get there a lot earlier if we do." Travis asked his wife as he set the bag down and brought his hands to rest on her hips. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'll let Beth know we will be there earlier." She said leaning up to kiss her husband. As they kissed Travis's hands moved down to grab at her ass, but before it could get to heated, she pushed away a little keeping her hands on his chest. "We will definitely finish this later." She said as she fully pulled away and went to walk past him, but he was quicker, and his hand made contact with her ass. "Yes, we will." He said laughing following her out to the vehicle.

[taexbankai]

I only want you

Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a story in about 6 years so i’m extremely rusty so PLEASE bear with me😭. I wanted to make a story that had smut but an actual plot with it so there will definitely be more chapters coming out! Also if there’s any spelling or grammar mistakes i apologize! I’ve been writing this story while at work so i read over it but i miss stuff sometimes

————————

The first time i met satoru was about 13 years ago. I was only 5 years old, my big brother suguru was 8. Suguru came home one day after school and asked our mom if he could bring a friend over after school tomorrow. My mom said yes and that was what started it all

the next day after school suguru came home and he brought his friend.

“hello, nice to meet you! I’m satoru gojo” the white haired boy said as he introduced himself to my mom.

“hello gojo nice to meet you! are you hungry? would you like anything to eat?” My mom said as she smiled at him

“yes please” gojo said as he returned her smile. I on the other hand couldn’t stop myself from staring at him. His pretty white hair and his beautiful blue eyes were so new to me, i couldn’t help but want to get closer to him.

“this is my little sister y/n” I heard suguru say which snapped me out of my thoughts. Gojo came over to me with a smile on his face

“hello y/n, i’m suguru’s best friend nice to meet you” he said as he looked right into me eyes

“h-hi” I said as i looked down at my feet, too shy to look him back in the eyes. I heard him and suguru laugh before suguru asked him if he wanted to go into his room and play the game. As they walked upstairs i immediately went into the kitchen to talk to my mom.

“mom, suguru’s best friend is super cute!” i said thinking back to how he smiled at me when he introduced himself to me, a smile slowly finding it’s way onto my face just thinking about him.

“aww, y/n’s first crush is her big brother’s best friend” my mom teased as she laughed at me.

——— time skip a few years sorry y’all lol

I am now 14 soon turning 15 and a sophmore in highschool. My brother and his best friend are now seniors in high school. I’ve become closer to satoru but my once innocent little crush has turned into being full on in love with him. Once i turned 14 i realized my feeling for satoru were more than just a little crush.

“i’m serious shoko!” i said to my best friend on facetime while combing my hair before bed

“ but y/n why gojo out of all people? he’s not even cute” shoko said to me with a very unimpressed look on her face as i ranted to her about satoru for the 15th time today

“ i’ve decided to just suck it up and tell him how i feel at my birthday party. I invited him and he said he’ll definitely be there” i told her as i turned off my room light and turned my led lights on as i laid down in my bed

“okay and what about your brother? he’s not gonna be happy about you wanting to date his best friend” shoko said

“i know… that’s why i just won’t tell him” i said as i looked over to my clock

“ anyways it’s almost 12 so i’m going to go to bed, text me when you get up bestie” i told shoko as i turned on my side, grabbing my phone charger

“okay, goodnight bestie love you”

“goodnight, love you too”

“y/n are you up?”

i woke up to someone knocking on my door

“hmm?” i said while turning on my other side curling into a ball, slowly falling back to sleep

“i’m coming in” i heard my brother’s voice say as my room door opened

“y/n what flavor cake did you want for the party? i need you to tell me now because i want to put in a order so it’s ready by saturday” suguru said as he sat down on my bed and pulled his phone out

“you can pick” i said, pulling my blanket over my head, desperately trying to go back to sleep

“okay, i don’t want to hear any complaints then” he said as he sighed and laid down next to me while on his phone

“get off! you’re on top of my blankets” i said to suguru, annoyed that he laid down on top of the blanket instead of underneath

“nah” he said and turned on his side. I angrily got up from underneath my blanket and tried to pull the blanket from underneath suguru

“you’re so heavy!” i said as he just sat there and laughed. After 5 minutes of pulling i just gave up and laid back down trying to go back to sleep

“who all did you invite to the party?” suguru suddenly asked me

“not that many people. Shoko, satoru, and a few other friends from school” i said as i looked at him. He nodded and started texting someone on his phone

“why?” i asked, curious now

“no reason, just wanted to know if i could invite some people” he said

“eww, you wanna invite your girlfriend” i said teasing him

“shut up. and she’s not my girlfriend” he said as he slightly pushed me

“yuki is always over and you’re always hanging out with her, you might as well just date her” i said

“enough about me, when are you going to get a boyfriend” he said to me slightly laughing

“ i already like someone right now” i said accidentally. my eyes widened once i realized what i said

“oh really? who is it?” suguru asked as he locked his phone and put it down, his attention now fully on me

“it doesn’t matter who it is” i said as i turned and looked at everything but him

“i wanna know who, just in case i gotta beat him up” suguru jokingly said

“can you not be an annoying big brother for like 5 minutes please?” i said as i rolled my eyes and started laughing

“no really though, i want to know” suguru said. just when i ran out of excuses to give him his phone started ringing

“you can just come inside the doors unlocked. I’m in y/n’s room” suguru said. the person on the other side of the phone said something before suguru hung up

“who was that?” i asked

“satoru” he said

“don’t think i’m letting you off the hook. I wanna know the boy my little sister has a crush on” suguru said in a mocking voice

“y/n has a crush on someone?! who is it?” satoru said as he suddenly bursted into my room

“both of you get out of my room!” i said, now super shy since satoru came into my room

“you can tell me, i won’t tell anybody” satoru said as he sat down on my bed. He looked at me over the top of his black glasses

“next time toru” i said as i grabbed my phone trying to distract myself

“now can you both leave so i can get in the shower?” i added, trying to change the topic as i stood up and began walking to my bathroom

“wait, what flavor did you want your cake? i’m helping suguru get stuff ready for the party” satoru asked me as he stood up and stopped me by grabbing my shoulders.

“white” i said quickly without giving satoru a chance to respond before turning around and going into my bathroom

“now both go you get out” i said as i closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower water

———————

first chapter is done! i really hope you all end up enjoying the story as i continue writing it 😭 please lmk if it’s terrible or if you’re actually liking it so far!

[seniasworld]

It's Been Three Weeks ...

(this post is simply to get my own thoughts and feelings regarding Liam Payne's death out. skip if ya don't care. <3)

It's been three weeks since Liam Payne has passed, and I am still having a hard time wrapping my brain around it. I am an old Directioner, as I discovered the boys and their music when I was about 14 or 15 and I adored them up until Zayn left the band. I remember being so shy about the fact that I, a teenage girl, was influenced to adore these 5 boys who were also teenagers at the time. Thankfully, I realized that it isn't a bad thing to find some sort of comfort in strangers, and no, I was not part of the group who failed to respect their privacy and boundaries as fellow human beans. I loved them dearly and unfortunately, cut that shit off once I had bigger life things to worry about.

About three months before the news of Liam's death, I had finally committed to deleting thousands ...thousands of memes and pictures that came with being a Directioner during their prime. I had so many photos that I hadn't even looked at in years taking up space in my drive and I had do either pay for more digital storage (lmfaooo yeah right) or delete things I didn't need anymore, so that's what I did. Oddly enough, it was kind of a relief to get rid of 99% of those images, as I really felt it was a nice way to reconnect with that part of my life without shame or guilt, but appreciation and love.

However, I received the news of his death from the only Directioner friend I stayed in touch with all these years. The same friend I stayed up all night with, talking about the boys, waiting for songs to release, crying on Skype together when the wind slightly shifted in our little world. The only friend who I committed to meeting in person multiple times throughout our lives. She sent me a news clip on TikTok and girl, when I tell you my hear sank ...shit was SUNK. I didn't want to believe it, so I didn't. I was in such a great state of denial and shock that I couldn't even find it in myself to have empathy. All I wanted to do was prove that it was some misinformation or some stupid prank. I guess that's one way to cope, right?

Anyway, the teenage girl in me was devastated. I instantly recalled certain posts that were made either on here or on Twitter back in the 1D days that talked so much about how we would miss these days and they would pass us by so quickly and before we knew it, we would be grieving the loss of one of our boys after going so long without being so obsessively invested in their lives. I couldn't believe that we were losing one of them so soon. I couldn't stand the fact that I felt guilty for not being more invested than I have been in each of their music careers, even though I shouldn't. Really, I was just surprised at the fact that an influential part of my childhood ...or rather, teenage years, was just gone and it took his passing for me to realize the impact they all had.

I considered myself a Harry girl, and iykyk, us girlies were in the trenches, but my point with this is that I still loved all the boys. I don't know if I can truly express it, but watching their interviews, performances, vlogs, interacting with them on Twitter even though I was lost in the sea of fans, even just listening to their voices in their music was comforting. I appreciated so much that these boys were told from the very beginning that they wouldn't be successful and then they just blew it out the water. I appreciated so much that even though they were put together as a last resort and even lost X-Factor, who they were as people was what caught our attention as fans. For me, they were a safe space. For a lot of us, they were physical evidence that creative, funny, and compassionate people exist and that they can be boys/men. For a lot of us, they were simply all we had to get through each day.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that some of the news that surrounds Liam was always positive. In fact, I was kind of mad at him for my own reasons for a bit before he passed. But the fact is, his presence in the band was crucial and so heavily valued that you didn't even have to be a 1D fan for his death to impact you in some way. His voice was beautiful and the way he carried himself compared to the other boys, especially when they were younger, was unique and powerful. I am so sorry that this has happened to him and I am so hurt for those in his life who actually knew him and loved him personally. I wish it didn't take death for people to realize that compassion, patience, and accountability go so fucking far no matter who you are and what you do. I wish he was in a different situation that would have never allowed for him to go the way he did.

I want to remind you, if you are still reading this, to understand that mental health takes a huge toll and informs our thoughts and behavior. Addiction is indicative of one's inability to face themselves. And let me ask you: how many people do you think you are wiling to face when you struggle to face yourself?

We must be kind to others, but more importantly, we must be kind to ourselves. It's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes do not make you a bad person, and holding yourself and the ones you love accountable IS an act of love that will benefit the world around you.

I think this is all I have on the matter, for now. I am still quite sad, as I have experienced personal losses this year alone, so my heart goes out to those who have also been effected by Liam's unexpected passing.

If you ever want to chat or share any thoughts, follow and shoot me a message. I'll be around.

Goodnight. x

Yesenia

[rorywritesjunk]

I can’t tell where the journey will end But I know where to start

Prequel to my Kid Buggy fic, set about 11-ish years before that story.

Buggy meets you by chance when he needs his buttons sewn back onto his jacket. He’s young, up and coming, and he thinks everyone should cower before him wherever he goes, but all you do is smile at him.

Rating: PG-13ish just for some swearing. Warning: Buggy’s in his early 20s. He’s an asshole. He just is because I wanted to write him loud, demanding, everything. Chapter warning has drinking, a drunk and all over the place Buggy, and Sunny just quietly being "what the fuck". Also it's Buggy's birthday. A/N: I have no idea when Buggy became a Captain, so he’s a fresh faced captain in this. No clue how long this fic will be. I actually have started rewriting it after chapter 5 because I realized I wanted to change some things up.

Title comes from “Wake Me Up” by Avicii.

TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @ane5e @kingofthemfingpirates @the-angriest-angel @tiredemomama @valen-yamyam16 @i-reblog-fics-i-like @plethora-of-fickleness @uhnanix

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13 + Chapter 14 + Chapter 15 + Chapter 16 + Chapter 17 + Chapter 18 + Epilogue

Chapter 6

“I think she’s heartbroken.” Benji said as he and Miss Pins watched you stumble around the shop, looking through stacks of fabric and spools of thread looking for your tailor’s chalk that was tucked up in behind your ear. You had been acting… odd since you told Buggy to leave the shop three weeks ago. You managed to sew a customer’s order to your lap, sewed cuffs inside out on another one, and just now you spent the last hour looking for the blue piece of tailor’s chalk that you tucked behind your ear. 

“Oh?” Miss Pins replied, head resting in her hand as she watched you look through the same stack of fabric again. “You’re a kid, how do you know about heartbreak?”

“I was in love with a girl and she broke my heart.” Benji told her as you finally found the chalk and set it on the table. “We were 12. She told me she wanted someone nicer, which was dumb. I am nice. I just voice my opinions.”

“Well, don’t get hung up on that young romance. Someone else will come around.” The old woman said as you started looking for your scissors next. They were in a cup in front of you along with other tools. “This is really sad. Did she like the idiot that much?”

“I think so.” Benji frowned. “I didn’t like him.”

“Neither did I.” Miss Pins sighed. “So of course Sunny would.”

“Why did she like him?” Benji asked. Miss Pins shrugged.

“She’s always been kind, ever since she showed up here all those years ago.” Your boss replied. “No matter who someone was or how awful they were, she would just be nice to them.”

You finally found the scissors and held them up triumphantly before pausing and staring down at your work. It took you so long to find the tailor’s chalk that you forgot why you needed it and the scissors. You were distracted, half expecting Buggy to come bursting into the shop any moment now with some silly little thing to fix on his jacket, but you were quite firm when you told him to leave that one day, so he must have taken it to heart. You weren’t going to see him again.

Was it fair you got upset because he couldn’t remember your name? But at the same time, the way he reacted was more hurtful. Something stupid like your name. It repeated in your head nonstop and you wished it wouldn’t. He was just so mean about it. Sure, he had been rude and a bit of an ass since you met him, but it was never mean. 

You remembered what you were working on. A customer wanted his jacket to have reinforced stitches in the sleeves but more room in the shoulders to allow him better movement when he used his sword. He had come into the shop and while you even thought he was handsome, you didn’t hide your disappointment that it wasn’t Buggy. Miss Pins gave the job to you and the man paid ahead of time, so you immediately started working. 

Maybe Buggy would show back up.

~

You had been fast asleep until you were woken up by someone yelling outside the shop. You heard your boss shouting from her bedroom window at whoever it was, but you got up to see what was going on. You heard her shout Dammit Buggy! So you headed downstairs to the shop and opened the door. 

Sure enough, Buggy was standing there, glaring upwards at Miss Pins’ window. He swayed where he stood, a bottle clutched in his hand before he raised it up.

“You’re loud too, Miss Pins!” He shot back before shrieking and jumping out of the way. Miss Pins had dumped a cup of water on him. “Hey!”

“Buggy?” You stepped out of the shop and closed the door behind you. His eyes lit up when he saw you and he had a big smile on his face. His face was flushed and he looked so happy to see you.

“Su-Sunny! You’re still here!” He slurred, grinning as he dropped the bottle and threw his arms around you, catching you off guard. “I thought maybe… maybe you left and never wanted to see me again!”

Oh, this was a happy and drunk Buggy. You could smell the alcohol on his breath as well coming off of his clothes. You wondered how much he had already. It was best to send him on his way, to not get involved, but you worried what sort of trouble he would get into if you left him alone, so you called up to your boss’s window that you’d be back later, you wanted to make sure he got back to his ship safely. You picked up the bottle and put your arm around his waist, keeping a firm hold on him to keep him from wandering off.

“‘S my birrrrthday!” He announced as he slung an arm over your shoulder, laughing loudly as you made your way down the road and toward the docks. “I’m… I’m two months… After you. I’m younger.”

“You definitely are.” You mused as you tightened your arm around him. He looked at you with a smirk.

“You’re touching me.” He lifted his arm to have another drink and realized he didn’t have his bottle. “Where-”

“I have it, Buggy.” You told him, holding it up to show him. “No more, okay?”

He looked grumpy until his hand popped off and grabbed it from you, bringing it back to himself. Smirking triumphantly, he raised the bottle to his lips and continued drinking. You weren’t opposed to drinking at all, but you also didn’t want to be around a drunk pirate right now. You wanted to be home and sleeping.

“Which one is your ship?” You asked when you came to the docks. He lowered the bottle and frowned as he looked at them before pointing to one furthest to the right. You hoped he was right as you walked with him to the ship, still keeping a hold on him. Once you dropped him off you’d head back home, but he turned to you with bright and excited eyes.

“Have a drink with me!” He pleaded. “It’s… it’s my birthday.”

“I know it’s your birthday, you told me.” You reminded him. “And I don’t want a drink, Buggy. I need to get home.”

“Please?” He asked as he stopped in his tracks. You kept your arm around him and looked over at him. The happy and bouncy Buggy was gone, replaced with someone different. He looked unsure of himself right then as he asked you, turning his gaze to his feet. You were going to regret this but you sighed and nodded.

“One drink.” You told him, and before you knew it, he was smiling again and taking hold of your hand, leading you up to his ship with his chest puffed out proudly, looking quite happy once more. You followed after him, shaking your head as he led you to what you figured was the captain’s quarters. One drink, that was it, then you’d head home.

He finally finished the bottle and tossed it aside before stumbling over to a cabinet for more. You took a seat on his bed, watching him as he rummaged around before pulling out two glasses and a bottle. He grinned at you, wagging his eyebrows as he brought you a glass and opened the bottle, but you took it from him.

“The birthday boy shouldn’t be pouring his own drink.” You told him as he plopped down beside you. You didn’t trust him to not spill it everywhere so you poured him a glass before your own, setting the bottle out of his immediate reach (which was silly because he could still grab it with his Devil Fruit powers). “Cheers, Buggy.”

He smiled brightly and let his head rest on your shoulder as he gripped his glass tightly. “You’re nice.” 

“I’ve been told that.” You chuckled. “Thanks.” 

“No, no, no, you’re so nice.” He continued gushing. “And… y’know, I’m gonna marry you. You’re so nice, Sunny, and I’m not married, y’know, so we should get married.”

You choked on your drink and set the glass aside, coughing a bit before clearing your throat. Oh, he was so drunk. You reached up to pat his cheek gently. “You’re not going to remember any of this tomorrow, so don’t propose marriage to me yet.”

He tossed his drink back before giving you his glass. You put it beside yours, not wanting to fill it back up. The moment your hand was free he took it in his own, entwining his fingers with yours as he continued his drunken rambles.

“We’ll get married, because you’re so nice to me, and I’ll be so happy.” He continued as he turned to look up at you. “I want to be happy with you, Sunny.”

“Buggy, I want you to be happy too.” You told him. “I don’t know if marrying someone will make you happy, however.”

“Is it because I was an asshole on your birthday? Is… is that why you won’t marry me?” Buggy asked with a frown. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I was mean. I was an asshole. I like you a lot and got scared ���cause I couldn’t remember your name, and you have a nice name, and I didn’t get you a present.” He suddenly dropped your hand and stood up, marching back over to his cabinet. “Wait, I wanna sh-show you somethin’!”

Oh, Drunk Buggy was just a bit everywhere. Happy, excited, emotional, and apologetic. It was kind of fun to see in a way. He rummaged through the cabinet before hurrying back over to you, tripping over his own feet before falling onto his bed beside you. He held up something and you took it. They were photographs of two young boys, one with a straw hat and red hair, and the other had to be Buggy going by the bright red nose and scowl. 

“That’s me,” He pointed to himself in the photo. “Wasn’t sure if you knew. And that’s Shanks. We… we were best friends on a ship together and then we weren’t.” He frowned. “Haven’t been for a few years.” He sat up on the bed and leaned into you again. “You’re really nice.”

“Thank you for apologizing for my birthday, Buggy.” You told him as you looked through the photos. There weren't many, and they were old, showing their age in their wrinkles and fading color. Buggy certainly was a cute little kid. “I’m sorry I was rude to you.”

He straightened up and put both of his hands on your cheeks, turning your head so you faced him. He glared at you and you wondered what was about to happen, but his gaze suddenly softened and he looked down at his lap, his hands still on your cheeks. “Don’t you ever apologize because you’re perfect and have done nothing wrong ever.”

You put both of your hands on his and moved them off your face. “Buggy, I think you need to go to bed.”

He turned red suddenly and pulled away from you, looking down at his lap as you got to your feet and removed his hat, setting it down on a nearby trunk. You noticed he went quiet but decided not to say anything as you looked for some kind of sleep clothes for him, or did he just sleep in his everyday clothes? When you looked back over at him he was struggling to remove his shirt. You sighed and went to help him get free of it. When you saw his face again, he looked away once more.

“What’s wrong?” You asked as you knelt in front of him to help take his boots off. You didn’t trust him to do it himself, afraid he’d topple over and hit his head. 

“I never… with… with anyone before.” He mumbled as he gestured between the two of you. For a solid minute you stared at him as you tried to process what he was thinking, and when it hit you, your face burned as you set his boots aside. “So um…”

“Neither have I, Buggy, but that’s not what I said.” You told him firmly. “I told you it’s time for bed. For you, not me. You need to get some sleep.”

“Canyoustaythenight?” He blurted out. “Please? I don’t… want to be alone.”

You stared at him for a moment, trying to wrap your mind around this. You didn’t intend for any of this to happen. You were just going to bring him home before going back to your place to crawl into your bed, but he managed to get you to stay for a drink (that you didn’t finish) and now he wanted you to spend the night. 

He was looking at you like you were the only thing that mattered in his world right then. It was a little hard to say no, but you did want to make sure he would be okay, so you removed your own shoes before putting your hands on your hips. “Where are your pajamas?”

He shrugged as he fell back on his bed, stretching out across it. His entire body separated for a moment before snapping back together and honestly, it was momentarily horrifying to see it all happen at once. You needed him to explain this but not when he was drunk. You sighed and nudged him to get under the blankets, which he did, watching you once more with bright, excited eyes as you got into bed beside him. Almost immediately he wrapped himself around you, resting his head against your chest as he closed his eyes and sighed happily. 

“So nice, so soft, warm.” He mumbled quietly. You took the chance to remove his bandana, pleasantly surprised to see how long his hair was. Why did he keep it all hidden? You ran your fingers through it as he made himself comfortable against you. “I don’t wanna be away from you again, please, ‘msorry.”

“Get some sleep, Buggy.” You told him as you pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Okay? No more talking.”

“Imma marry you.” He sighed. You rolled your eyes and wondered what you needed to expect the next morning.

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 ao3

When the doorbell rings, it isn’t Lucas. It’s Erica.

“Lucas is coming,” she says, hopping off her bike and picking up a plastic bag that’s looped around the handlebars. “I told him to give me five minutes.”

“Sure,” Eddie says. He tips from concern into something approaching bemusement as Erica throws the bag at him; when he catches it, he feels the coldness of it, opens it up to find two tubs of ice-cream.

Erica side-steps him into the hall, calls over her shoulder, “Hurry up, Eddie, or it’s gonna melt.”

Eddie laughs. “Hi to you, too.”

When he reaches the kitchen, Erica has already opened the freezer to clear a space, Steve watching her from the counter with a look of benign amusement.

“I’d better be compensated for this,” Erica is saying. She points at the space she’s made, and Eddie dutifully slots the tubs inside. “This goes against the you supplying me with free ice-cream for life deal.”

“You literally ate my ice-cream,” Steve says. “Besides, I kinda figured that contract was null and void when Scoops went kaput.”

Erica shuts the freezer door. “I didn’t have a contract with Scoops, I had one with you.”

And she stops. “Have,” she corrects quietly.

No longer able to focus on putting the ice-cream away, her hands fall to her sides. Her little smile drops, and all at once, Eddie is reminded that she’s just eleven years old.

Steve’s face softens. “Why’re you really here, Erica?”

“Lucas,” Erica starts, then pauses—but that’s an answer all of its own, Eddie thinks. She collects herself, looks Steve directly in the eye. “He might not… get it all out.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Steve says.

“He was…” Erica glances down. “I don’t wanna see him like that. Ever again.”

“Hey, look at me.” Steve’s tone is gentle. “I’m sorry.”

Erica sighs loudly; Eddie can hear the frustration and hurt in it, but mostly the love. “You don’t have to—that’s not why I’m telling you,” she says. “I don’t…” Her eyes widen a little. “I don’t know why I’m telling you.”

Steve smiles at her, lifts up one arm in offering. He makes a beckoning gesture. “Help a guy out? I don’t have travelling by bar stool down yet.”

“Was that meant to be funny? Pathetic,” Erica replies, but she’s heading over to him as she says it, lets herself be pulled into a hug.

Steve whispers something in her ear—Eddie half-hears it as a crack about her ice-cream preferences, and she giggles a bit, does a more dramatic sigh and says, “Nothing can cure your poor taste, Steve.”

She settles into the hug.

Eddie thinks of the slip up she made. Had, have. Past, present. Hates that she was forced into thinking of Steve in the past tense—for even a second is a second too long.

As Erica heads out, she turns to Dustin, who’s sitting out on the driveway, waiting for Lucas to show up.

“Look after him,” she says with an intensity that might’ve been funny if Eddie hadn’t known all that had caused it.

Dustin chuckles slightly. He jerks his head back to the house, where Eddie stands at the front doormat. “Which one?”

Erica grins, looks a little lighter. “I meant Lucas, but guess you’ve got your hands full. You’re the babysitter now.”

As she gets back on her bike, Eddie calls after her. “What, don’t I get any orders?”

She glances at him over her shoulder, one foot on the pedal. Her gaze lingers for a couple of beats, and he thinks of her staring him down at Hellfire, sharp and analytical. But now there’s a softness there, too.

“Keep doing whatever you’re doing, I suppose,” she says, and her lips twitch into a smile that’s just pretending to be sardonic, and Eddie feels his heart swell.

-

Dustin sits with him on the stairs. When Lucas arrived, he barely said a word, not even to Dustin, instead heading through the hallway like someone marching towards the gallows.

They stay put, giving a semi-illusion of privacy—voices can travel far in this damn house—but they can hardly hear anything right now, just the soft rumble of speech, the rise and fall of a question, then silence.

“Can I tell you something?” Dustin mumbles haltingly.

“Sure,” Eddie says, and means Of course you fucking can. Always.

“It was my fault,” Dustin says into his knees, “with… Max. When I was—Lucas, he came to get me when you, um. When you drove away.”

Eddie doesn’t know what his face is doing, but he feels a pang of guilt which Dustin must notice, because he nudges Eddie’s forearm.

“I was kinda… freaking out. A lot, actually. By the time we got to the house, Max, she—she��d already stopped listening to her tape. I… I gave her time to think about it, you know? If we were quicker, we might’ve…”

Stopped it. Eddie’s all too familiar with that sentiment.

“You know, like with Steve. He… he must’ve thought about—about it for ages when he…” Dustin clears his throat. “When he saw the clock.”

Eddie doesn’t have the heart to tell him that Steve had made his decision in a split-second, like it was inevitable; like he’d already committed to it long ago, stared that awful option down and came to the conclusion easily, if it meant everyone else would be safe.

-

“This is stupid,” Dustin announces after another five minutes have passed without them overhearing anything, not even the whisper of a voice.

He’s down the stairs before Eddie can even think about stopping him. Even if he had been quick enough, he’s not sure if he would’ve decided to stop him in the first place. Shit, he’s not all that sure about anything; there’s no guidebook for this.

He follows Dustin into the kitchen, sees him standing by the fridge; Lucas is sitting at the counter, holding a glass of water Steve must’ve instructed him to take.

Steve is speaking with a quiet urgency, his eyes pleading as he considers Lucas searchingly. “You don’t—don’t need to be nice to me or anything, dude. I can take it. Don’t, like… tread on eggshells on my account.”

“It was my fault,” Dustin interrupts.

Lucas frowns, shakes his head.

And Eddie and Steve speak in unison, a firm rebuttal: “Dustin.”

They jolt in surprise, glance at each other—and then Dustin snorts and says, “Holy shit, that was like a sitcom. Did you, like, practice that or are you just losers?”

And that makes Lucas laugh into his glass of water.

And then… maybe it helps, the echo of laughter in a room, even if it’s only for a moment.

Because suddenly Lucas just launches right into it: how he ran back inside, Dustin in tow and, still catching his breath, it had taken him a few seconds to realise that he couldn’t hear Max’s tape playing.

“Erica noticed first,” he stays, staring into the glass of water. “Her voice went all strange and—I’d never heard her like—like that before. Then she pointed, and I saw… Max had taken her headphones off.”

He grips the glass tightly. The back of his hand dashes away the tears at first, but then he just lets them fall—slow and sluggish tracks, like he’s not even aware that he’s crying anymore.

“Steve, she was… She was begging. For—for him to…”

Steve breathes out, passes a hand across his face. “Jesus, Sinclair, I’m—”

“I love her so much,” Lucas whispers with a certainty that’s much greater than his years, “but I c-couldn’t reach her. It was like she—the only thing that stopped her was…”

“When everything went to shit,” Dustin says when it’s clear Lucas can’t go on.

And it’s like Eddie can hear it, suddenly—that oppressive silence. Feeling like there was no air left to breathe, that there never would be again.

“Steve? Steve.”

Steve’s eyes, glassy and gone, no light behind them. The awful stillness of his chest.

The world ripping apart.

Eddie presses a finger hard to the inner corner of one eye, a vain attempt to block out the image. He thinks of the kids being thrown to their knees with the force of it, a window shattering—and as the rest of Hawkins screamed with no understanding, they would know exactly what it meant.

Lucas and Dustin look like they’re reliving it, too, their faces drawn.

Eddie thinks back to the RV, when Nancy first laid out the apocalyptic vision that had been forced upon her. Eddie, once again a silent watcher in the crowd, his eyes drifting over them all, noticing every twitch, every grim set to their mouth—a horrifying sense of resignation. Eddie thinking yet again that Jesus, they’re used to this.

He had thought that he’d reached his breaking point with Chrissy’s death, and then…

But the others, they’ve had years of this, stretched thin like elastic. Eddie remembers as they began the drive back to Hawkins, as the rest of them gradually dropped off to sleep. Remembers thinking, right before he caught Steve’s whisper, How much more can they take?

It’s Steve’s voice that brings him back. He starts a little at the sound.

“Lucas, you… you would’ve reached her, okay? You’d have brought her back, I know that you…”

There’s a look that passes between the three of them, Steve, Dustin and Lucas: some shared understanding. They’d barely talked about what happened when Vecna’s curse took hold of Max, apart from the song that saved her. The most Eddie is aware of is that it happened in the graveyard.

The rest is not for him to know, he thinks.

“Look, I’m not—I’m not in her head, but I don’t think she wanted to—to—” Steve says, and he stumbles a bit over the words, voice growing a little thick with emotion. “She was… scared. Really scared. And that’s—that’s on me, man.”

For barely a second, Steve’s eyes flicker over to Eddie’s. Then he looks away.

“I’ll talk to her,” Steve says, and it sounds like I’ll fix it, I’m sorry, I swear. His shoulders tense, and Eddie can practically feel it, another load this fucking selfless boy takes on like it’s as natural as breathing, and he kind of wants to cry.

He doesn’t.

-

Max doesn’t ring the doorbell, opens the front door so quietly that Eddie only notices when a gust of wind shuts it behind her.

After a grateful phone call from Steve, Claudia Henderson had given Lucas and Dustin a ride home; the emptiness of the house is now all too apparent as Max stares Eddie down in the hallway.

“Hey, Red,” Eddie says, aims to be soft enough to soothe, not too much for fear that it’ll get her hackles up. He can feel the tension within her, can almost hear the grinding of her teeth. He can’t fuck this up. One wrong move, and she’ll run.

He gestures through to the living room. She clips him with her shoulder as she barges past him, and that’s fine; if it makes it hurt a little less for her, he’ll take more than that.

She stands in front of the couch where Steve sits. She wraps one arm around herself, a move Eddie recognises. Unconscious self-defence. He thinks of her voice over the walkie, still managing to laugh at Steve’s movies. Marvels in a horrified sort of way at how long she’s been pushing everything down.

“I’m sorry,” Max says. She looks down at the floor.

Eddie moves slowly, stands at the end of the couch, not too close to Max. Steve turns to him very slightly, eyes flitting between the two of them.

Eddie doesn’t need to hear it to know what Steve means. Be careful.

Eddie barely moves his head in a nod. I know.

“I’m not staying long, so just.” Max raises her chin, and her eyes are burning—and people who didn’t know any better might call that defiance. Eddie doesn’t. “Just tell me.”

Steve opens his mouth, then closes it. He glances down at the coffee table, where the cracked tape still lies.

“Tell you what, Max?” he asks, so quiet, so worried—like he’s scared that with just one word, he’ll ruin everything.

“What I did wrong,” Max says. She scrubs at her eyes, blinks up at the ceiling, and Steve’s face falls.

“You didn’t—”

Max sighs harshly. “I’m not stupid. You can—” She turns to Eddie, and he watches in horror as she squeezes her eyes shut, bracing herself, like Eddie might crack first, might give her the judgement she’s desperately searching for. “You can say it.”

“Max,” Steve says.

“I fucked up the plan. It was meant to be me. There—there must’ve been a reason that he—”

“No,” Steve says, and the word is strong, his resolve clear. “Max, listen to me. No.”

But Max shakes her head. “I must’ve done something, I know I did, I made him get in your head—”

“That’s not how it works,” Steve says, kind but firm. “Max, it was—nothing is worth you—”

“You’re a fucking hypocrite,” Max whispers. “I was marked already, asshole, he was coming back to claim—”

“Oh my god, no,” Steve repeats. “Max, what? He had no claim on you, you never deserved—”

“And you did?” Max challenges. Her lips are trembling.

“No,” Steve says, gentle. “But… hey, listen, it. It would’ve been—”

“No, it wouldn’t have been!” Max explodes, and she’s shaking where she stands, like she might break apart. “It wouldn’t have been worth it or okay or whatever bullshit you were about to—”

“All right, all right—”

“You would’ve been gone.” And all at once, she goes very still. “You were gone.”

She pinches the skin on the back of her hand, hard enough to hurt, and Eddie thinks that’s enough.

He walks over, as slowly as he can. He doesn’t touch her, but he stands close enough that she could reach out if she wanted to.

God, Red. Please let me help you.

Max snarls as he lifts one hand in offering. “Fuck off,” she breathes, and she strikes out, hits him in the chest. It’s hard enough for him to have to bite back a gasp, but that’s fine; as far as he’s concerned, she can hit him all she likes.

But that doesn’t last long. At some point, her hand clenches around his shirt, and she just holds on.

Hardly daring to breathe, he slowly reaches out and steadies her, both hands around her elbows.

“Easy, I’ve got you. You wanna… walk with me? That’s it, there you—”

Eddie only lets go after he leads her to Steve. She sobs, once, twice, then the dam breaks as Steve sits up, pulls her close.

“Max, I’m so sorry,” he says. “It wasn’t fucking fair. Shh, hey, hey, there was nothing you could’ve—oh, baby.” His voice fades away for a moment, the barely held back tears audible. He kisses her temple. “Oh, Max, I’m so sorry. I’m here, okay? Shh, shh. Hey, we made it, huh? We’re gonna be all right.”

She cries it out for a while—eventually, all Eddie can hear is her stuttering breaths, slowly evening out.

“Oh,” Steve sighs shakily, and he strokes Max’s hair off her face, catches Eddie’s eye and mouths over the top of her head: She’s asleep.

Eddie gets a blanket from the arm of the couch, tucks it around her—knows that Steve won’t be moving one inch, not even when the angle he’s sitting at is bound to make his leg ache.

“I’ll call her… mom?” Eddie says, cautiously.

Steve thinks about it, then nods. “Yeah,” he murmurs, presses another kiss to Max’s temple when her chin dips down in sleep. “That should be… Lucas said that they’re both staying with his folks for a bit.”

As Steve’s speaking, a tear falls down his cheek. You’d never have known, Eddie thinks, not unless you were looking for it.

On impulse, he runs a hand through Steve’s hair before heading to the phone, and hopes that it says enough.

-

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Steve says dully. He’s fiddling with one of his pills, rolling it back and forth on the counter.

Eddie pauses, mid-taking a can of Coke out of the fridge. It’s just the two of them again, an exhausted Max picked up by her mother, who somehow barely batted an eye when Eddie answered the door and led her to her still sleeping daughter; Dustin picking up schoolwork—of all things—from his house.

“Like what?”

Steve swallows the pill dry, which makes Eddie inwardly wince.

“I hoped it wouldn’t be like this,” he corrects, not answering the question.

Eddie leans against the counter with his hip, opens the can. Waits.

“It’s just… I spent some time thinking about it, you know? Well.” Steve laughs humourlessly. “Not like I had that much time to… weigh it all up, but…” He sighs. “I thought they’d be okay, if…”

Eddie sets down the can before his hand can shake.

“It’s just. Like. I know you weren’t there for it all, but I guess I kinda… got used to them bouncing back? Sort of. Um, we all needed to.” He swallows. “I had to think that they’d be okay,” he whispers. “That was, like, one of the only thoughts that kept me from…” Steve shakes his head, eyes far-off again, and for a moment they’re in the RV, and Steve is saying, gaze fixed determinedly ahead, Listen, I can see a clock in the middle of the goddamn road, okay?

“From losing it,” Steve finishes.

There’s a tremor to Steve’s fingers as they drum on the counter, uneasy taps.

Eddie reaches over, gently stills him—two of his fingers resting on Steve’s knuckles.

“They bounced back from monsters, Steve,” he says slowly. “Not from… not from losing people.” From losing you.

Steve covers his eyes with the hand Eddie isn’t touching. Breathes in and out. Shudders.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, choked. “Just… ignore me for a second, Eddie.”

At first, Eddie tries to, because that’s what Steve had asked, but then Steve’s hand moves on the counter, until he’s gripping onto Eddie’s hand tightly; and Eddie holds on as Steve’s tremor moves up through his arm, his chest, until it’s all of him.

Do you see the gaping hole you would have left? Eddie thinks. Bites down on his lip to keep from crying, because this isn’t about him. Do you see how much they would have missed you?

Do you get it now, how much they love you?

But as Steve weeps for his family, for himself, Eddie can’t hold back the thought, as inevitable as the tide going out.

I would have fucking mourned you forever.

-

Sometimes in between the afternoon and evening doses of medicine, Steve drifts off into a kind of waking sleep—he’s still there enough to be roused if someone asks him a question, but his head nods sleepily more often than not, half-caught in a dream.

In the quiet, Dustin returns, finds a gap in the couch so he can sit next to Steve without jostling him—then sets about doing homework, and Eddie can’t begin to imagine how he’s focusing on it. But then again, Dustin has the kind of mind that once wanted to solve a Russian code for kicks in the summer vacation.

It’s peaceful.

Peaceful until Steve’s head jerks up with a ragged gasp.

And before Eddie can even say anything, Steve grips Dustin by the shoulders.

“Oh, you’re—” Steve exhales, chest catching on it. “Oh.”

His eyes are wild, darting all over Dustin, face cracked open with a vulnerability he’d never show if he was fully awake. His hand reaches up, moves through Dustin’s hair, searching, searching.

“Steve,” Dustin says, but it’s not a question. Like he kind of knows, understands just enough without being told.

And as Steve cups the back of Dustin’s head, Eddie gets it. He’s looking for blood.

“It wasn’t real, Steve,” Dustin says, with a clarity and kindness that makes Eddie think oh, I fucking love you, Dustin Henderson. “We’re good. Okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Steve answers, hooks his chin over Dustin’s head and hugs him. -

When the phone rings, Eddie picks up quickly; Dustin and Steve are both fast asleep, heads lolling onto the back of the couch.

It’s Wayne—and he doesn’t sound all that surprised to hear Eddie answer.

“How’d you know I was still here?” Eddie asks.

“Made an educated guess,” Wayne says. He sounds fond. “That and Joyce Byers called.”

Oh, Eddie thinks. And then, of course she did.

“We’re on the list,” Wayne says, “to get re-housed. S’going quicker than expected. Reckon that they,” he stresses the word like it’s a capital They, “don’t wanna give folks too much time to complain.”

He says it with such ease, and Eddie’s suddenly thrown back to him arriving at the trailer, small and angry and afraid, and Wayne just looking at him, saying gently, “Well, kid, we’ll make it work.”

Eddie sighs into the receiver. “I’m sorry—”

“Ed, shut the hell up,” Wayne says through an obvious smile, and Eddie chokes out a laugh that’s slightly wet around the edges.

-

The phone rings again, and this time it’s Jim Hopper.

“Look alive, Munson. Got a number for you.”

“Oh, uh.” Eddie runs about for a notepad and pen. “Okay?”

Hopper fires off a number which Eddie copies down and underlines, just because it feels like that’s the kind of thing he should do.

“That’s a private number, got it? Ring if there’s any trouble.”

“Um, sure,” Eddie says. “I’ll, uh. I’ll tell Steve.”

“No, kid, that’s for you,” Hopper says before abruptly hanging up.

When Eddie sets the phone down, Steve is sitting up, Dustin stirring and grumbling a complaint. He hears Steve laugh under his breath: “That’s what you get for trying to do math right now, dude.”

Eddie sits cross-legged on the floor in front of them. Thinking.

“You okay?” Steve asks.

“Jim Hopper’s fuckin’ weird,” Eddie says distantly.

Steve snorts. “Wow. And that’s coming from you.”

Dustin giggles himself awake as Eddie flips him the bird.

-

Jonathan Byers comes round just as Dustin heads upstairs to use the shower which—okay, sure. Eddie’s getting used to the whole people coming and going thing, and in theory he knows that obviously Jonathan’s been around for this since the beginning, but it’s another thing to see it in person.

It’s like an annoyingly stubborn part of his brain is still stuck on high school, looking at Jonathan and Steve in the same room, whining: But that’s not right—your kind don’t mix.

Jonathan’s polite, Eddie will give him that, but it’s obvious from the outset that he’s just here to speak to Steve.

Eddie leaves them to it in the living room, but it’s hard not to overhear, even when he’s doing his best to concentrate on the hum of the microwave as he heats through casserole.

“She’s staying in her room a lot, and you know what her mom’s like, Steve, she won’t—”

“Yeah, Robin said she tried to call, got no answer.”

“The most I could get her to talk was when she was with Holly. It’s like she doesn’t want to leave her alone.”

“Yeah, I… God, I don’t know. Wish I knew how to…”

“Me, too. But you’ll… you’ll call right, if she…? Fuck, it scares me sometimes, she’s so quiet. Don’t know if she’ll even turn to anyone.”

“Yeah, Jonathan, ‘course I’ll… Look, it’s just. It’s just been a lot, man. For all of us. She just needs some time, I think.”

“Yeah, I—sorry. I just worry.”

“Me, too.”

Eddie punches the buttons, sets the microwave on again before it can screech at him.

Jonathan leaves soon after that, gives Eddie a slightly awkward but sincere smile, bids goodbye to Steve with a, “Look after yourself, Steve.”

There’s a weight behind those words.

“Wheeler okay?” Eddie asks, once the front door has shut.

Steve sighs. “Hope so.”

The silence is heavy, and because Eddie can’t leave well enough alone, and apparently has a compulsion to put his foot in his mouth when it comes to this pair, blurts out, “Yeah, I kinda thought you two were a sure thing, man.”

Steve gives him a sideways look that Eddie can’t quite read. “Do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

Steve shrugs. “Like… imagine other people’s futures.”

It’s not said, but Eddie can hear the instead of your own loud and clear.

The embarrassment is expected. What isn’t is how he strangely welcomes it—no-one’s seen him like that before, cut right down to the core of him.

It’s his turn to shrug. “Kind of? It’s… you know what this town’s like, man. People and, like, how it’s all gonna turn out… some folks’ lives are easier to imagine than, uh. Others.”  

It was a bit like solving a simple puzzle piece: it had been easy to imagine Nancy and Steve together, to picture them as they were back then, young and sweet in the school corridors… using the belief in them as a sure thing to try and keep himself from losing it in a world turned (literally) upside down.

Steve’s lips twitch at the corners into a little smile. “Thought your whole thing was how people can defy expectations, or whatever.”

“Yeah, well. Even I’m not immune to hypocrisy, Harrington.”

Steve huffs a laugh. Hums. “I think I was always meant to love her,” he says, slow and thoughtful, “just… not in that way.”

“…Oh.”

Steve’s smile shifts into something melancholy. “I think we were both lonely, y’know? And, like… too similar. We both got trapped in our heads whenever shit went sideways. So if we needed, like, help or just… we couldn’t… couldn’t reach each other. Does that make sense?”

Eddie nods faintly.

“Eddie, can you promise me something?”

Eddie nods again, holds Steve’s gaze. Anything.

“Nance, if she—if she comes to you, just… be there for her?”

Eddie opens his mouth, but Steve keeps talking.

“I mean, ‘cause, you’re a good listener, man. And you’re kind. You can… see people.”

And Eddie suddenly has to hold his breath. He knows what Steve is referring to, thinks of how he recounted his meeting with Chrissy in the woods, as the group hiked from Skull Rock. I don’t know, man, I just knew something was up with her. Like, something was really wrong.

But the way Steve speaks to him—there’s more underneath the words. Kind of sounds like You can see me, too.

Eddie swallows through the burning in his throat. “I will,” he promises.

[sidekick-hero]

Lay all your love on me

This is for Alice (@yournowheregirl), who had this wonderful idea of Eddie taking care of a sad Steve. I tried to make it as soft and loving as possible and I really hope you like it!

Happy Valentine's Day, my dear 💜

(steddie | explicit | 4.6k | AO3 Link)

Valentine's Day used to be something Steve loved.

Back in the old days, when he had ruled the halls of Hawkins High and all the pretty girls had hoped to be his sweetheart for that day, to find a card from the Steve Harrington in their locker, Valentine’s Day had been his favorite day of the year.

With Nancy, it had also been a pretty great day. He had learned that she liked the ballet, so on their second Valentine's Day together, he had taken her to Indy to see a performance of the local ballet, and even though it hadn't been his thing, the look on her face had been the best gift she could have given him. That and the amazing blowjob in his car when they had parked in a cornfield on the way back to watch the stars.

Halloween '84 had changed all that. After that fateful party, Valentine's Day had become as much bullshit as the rest of his love life. The breakup had not only made him miserable, it had made him doubt everything he thought he knew about himself.

The next Valentine's Day he had spent getting drunk at some stupid party and sleeping with a girl he didn't even know the name of. Not his proudest day, but misery loves company, and he vaguely remembered her telling him she had been dumped the same day. They had both been looking for a meaningless distraction.

February '86 saw Steve Harrington pulling babes again. Only none of them meant anything. He went through the motions; card, chocolate, roses - the whole nine yards. But his heart wasn't in it. Lisa - or was it Lucy? - had giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek when he showed up at her house. At the movies, they had sat in the back to make out and she had jerked him off while muffling his moans with her clever tongue in his mouth. It had been nice.

She hadn't returned his calls the next day.

In ’87 his life had changed once again. The near end of the world had put things into perspective for him. It had made him realize that it wasn’t meaningless dating he wanted but a partner. Someone to love and cherish. Someone who would love and cherish him in return. Someone who made him want to be better, who challenged him and supported him. Someone who was in it for him, Steve, and not for his reputation or his looks or the money he no longer had.

For one hot minute he had convinced himself that someone was Nancy, that she was still it for him. But that was as much bullshit as it had been in ‘84. Nancy and him, they had their chance, and it did not work out for a reason. He wanted to settle down, she wanted to make it big. Live her dreams and be the strong, fearless, and passionate journalist she deserved to be.

So when Dustin calls him at an unholy hour on the morning of February 14, '87, he picks up on the sixth ring and grumbles, "What the hell?”

"Steve, that's no way to answer the phone." Dustin sounds indignant, the condescending little shit.

"That's how I answer my own goddamn phone when someone calls me on a Saturday before the sun comes up, Henderson."

Dustin remains silent on the other end of the line, and Steve can hear his raised eyebrow. It's a showdown, a battle of wills that Steve will not lose. Not to a goddamn 15-year-old.

The silence holds.

And holds.

"Harrington residence, Steve speaking." He grunts through clenched teeth. It's too early for this shit.

Dustin doesn't even try to hide the smugness in his voice. "Steve, I need you to drive me and El to the miniature golf course this afternoon."

"I have to what now?"

"Aren't you listening? Jesus Christ, Steve." The little bastard is spending too much time with a certain metalhead, Steve thinks. "Me and El have a Valentine's Day date at the miniature golf course this afternoon." The Duh at the end is clear in his tone.

"No, I get that, although how a nice girl like El would want to spend Valentine's Day with someone who can't even say please or thank you is beyond me."

"Oi!"

"But I don't see why I should be the one to drive you. Can't Hopper drive you?" Steve knows that Hopper would love any reason to spy on the boy dating his daughter.

Apparently Dustin does too. "Steeeeeve." He whines. "Come on, man. You know how Hopper is. This won't be a date, but a stakeout followed by the most awkward interrogation ever." When Steve says nothing, Dustin adds, "Don't you want us to be happy, Steve? After all we've been through, don't you think we deserve some happiness, some normalcy?"

Steve folded up like a house of cards.

"Fine. You win. Goddamn it. I'll drive you and El to your date. Happy?"

"Thanks, Steve, I knew I could count on you. Can you pick up Will, Mike, Max and Lucas on the way?"

"Yeah, yeah - WHAT?" He must have heard wrong.

"Oh yeah, Mike and Will want to go to the movies for Valentine's Day, 'cause that's not so obvious, you know? And Max and Lucas are going to the arcade. That's where it all started for them, and the last few years have been really hard on them - "

Steve needs to stop being such a goddamn pushover for these kids, he really does.

"Okay, Henderson, I get it. I'll pick them up." Steve cuts off the tear-jerking monologue. He hears Dustin's enthusiastic 'Awesome' and his own 'Always the goddamn babysitter' comes out fond instead of annoyed. He's so whipped by these kids.

And that's why Steve spends most of his day driving a bunch of 15-year-olds around. And Robin, who calls him just as he's about to leave the house to ask if he can give her a ride to Vicky's. It's her first time spending the night there.

It seems that everyone has a date for Valentine's Day. Everyone except Steve, which makes him the perfect designated driver.

The icing on the cake is that even Keith has managed to get a date, so after dropping Max and Lucas off at the arcade, he heads over to Family Video for his late shift.

Here he has to advise couples on the most romantic movies, help guys find something sweet and plotless enough to make out with without missing too much, or point some girls in the direction of romantic comedies they can watch over ice cream while dreaming of their Prince Charming sweeping them off their feet.

When he finally drags his tired body to his car, it's already 10:30 pm. His feet hurt, his head hurts, and worst of all, there's a heavy weight on his chest and a queasy feeling in his stomach that he can't really explain. He just feels... sad.

Nothing happened. Everyone was fine, even happy. So why is he feeling so sad?

Steve decides to just go home, have a generous helping of the expensive scotch his father hides in his office, and go straight to bed. Tomorrow the sadness will be gone and he will be back to his normal self.

When he gets home, there is another car parked in the driveway. For a horrible second, he thinks it's his parents, but then he recognizes the beat-up van, and he smiles for the first time all day.

Eddie is sitting on his front steps, a six-pack of beer next to him and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The front light comes on as Steve approaches and the light makes him look unreal, like some kind of appearance straight from heaven.

He looks up and his eyes light up as they fall on Steve. The smile Eddie gives him is a bright and happy thing, even his dimples seem to be so happy to see Steve that they have to come out to say hello. The heaviness in Steve's chest doesn't go away, but it feels a little lighter than it did back in the car.

Eddie gets up and starts walking toward him as Steve comes closer, drawn together like magnets. They stand close, almost touching, when Steve asks, "Eddie, what are you doing here?" He wishes he didn't sound so breathless.

"I figured you'd probably be home, so I came to hang out."

"Oh, great, so you assumed I didn't have a date on Valentine's Day? Jesus, thanks for the vote of confidence. I didn't know I was that pathetic."

The queasy feeling in his stomach is back and it turns his insides sour, the crushing heaviness adding to the sensation. He knows in a distant way that he is being unfair, that Eddie didn't mean anything by it. But it hurts. He hurts.

Steve's sudden outburst catches Eddie off guard. His body swings back, away from Steve, and his doe eyes look even bigger as they scan Steve's face. Steve hates that Eddie almost looks scared for a second. He hates that Eddie thinks, even for a moment, that Steve might hurt him.

"Eddie, I..." his voice breaks, unable to articulate what he barely understands himself.

But it is enough for Eddie to understand. His face softens and he moves back into Steve's space.

"No, I guess I was just hoping you didn't have a date so we could both be single together today and spit in the face of this capitalist holiday."

Steve can't help but roll his eyes at Eddie's dramatic antics. Eddie smiles at him, a gentle thing, and his hand slowly rises to Steve's face before Eddie realizes what he's doing and lets it fall back down.

"Are you okay, Stevie? You don't seem, I don't know, yourself." Eddie tilts his head to the side. "Did something happen, sweetheart?"

It's the goddamn sweetheart that does it. Steve's whole face crumbles and before he even knows what's happening, tears fill his eyes and make his vision swim. He tries to swallow the feeling down, to get himself back under control.

He loses the fight against himself and the first tears start to spill down his cheeks.

"Oh, hey, shit, Stevie. Sweetheart. What's wrong?"

Eddie swoops in and takes him in his arms, as naturally as breathing. Like they do it every day.

Steve tries to speak but can't. He wouldn't even know what to say if he could, so he just pushes further into Eddie and shakes his head where it's pressed against Eddie's chest.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. But how about we go inside, huh?" Eddie's arms are still around him and he speaks the words directly into Steve's ear.

Steve nods against his chest but doesn't move. Eddie chuckles, the sound vibrating through Steve's body where it's still pressed against Eddie's. Future Steve will be so embarrassed by his behavior.

Steve jumps when he feels Eddie's hand pat his ass.

"Sorry, I was just -" now the hand wanders to his front "trying to find your -" and the hand dips into his front pocket where it closes around his house keys "aha!"

The keys jangle as Eddie opens his front door and Steve takes a shuddering breath. He's not sure if he's glad or disappointed that Eddie didn't try his other pocket first.

They make their way inside and Eddie leads him to the couch in the living room where Steve sits down with a heavy sigh. His eyes had closed on their own, and when he opens them again, Eddie is hovering over him, his eyes soft but his eyebrows knitted in worry.

Steve tries to smile up at him, to tell him it's all right, wants to say sorry, man, not the Saturday night you had in mind, huh? but he can't. He fucking can't. Instead, he asks, "Can you stay?"

Eddie can. Eddie does.

He sinks down on the couch next to Steve, thighs pressed together, shoulders touching. They just sit there, breathing, for several minutes.

"Today just - sucked. I don't know. I just, I - fuck." Eddie looks at him, Steve can feel his eyes on him, but he doesn't say anything, lets Steve find his words.

"I don't want to feel like this, man. Like - " Steve sighs, searching for words. "Like I'm alone." He holds up his hand before Eddie can speak. "I know I'm not. I do. I know I have Robin, the kids. But they all have someone, you know? Someone special. Someone they want around because they love them, because every day is better with them in it. Not because they can do anything for them. Just because they are - they are their person".

Steve looks at Eddie with so much longing in his heart that it threatens to drown him. "I want to be someone's person."

When Eddie doesn't say anything, just looks at him with big eyes, Steve lowers his eyes again and looks at their knees instead. "Sorry, I don't want to be such a bummer, you can go if -"

The hand on his cheek stops him.

"Steve Harrington, you already are someone's person. You have been for months."

Eddie leans in, leans his forehead against Steve's and looks him in the eyes as he says, "I came here hoping you wouldn't have a date so I could feel like I was your Valentine's date. And you can punch me in the face for that if it means you stop looking so fucking heartbroken. But Steve. You are my person, okay? My favorite days are the days I get to see you, even if it's just so you can bitch at me about one of the kids. I want you around all the time. Some mornings I have to force myself to do stupid things like clean my room or take a fucking walk so I'm not standing on your doorstep at the crack of dawn."

Steve can't help but chuckle at the sound of indignation in Eddie's voice when he says clean my room, like it's the worst chore in the world. Eddie smiles at his reaction.

"I want to hear your laugh more than I want to hear Metallica live. I know it's not much. But you are my person and you will never be alone.

Steve is in Eddie's lap before Eddie can even close his mouth.

"Say it again. Eddie, please. Say it again." Steve almost begs, his lips inches from Eddie's.

"You, Steve Harrington, are my person."

Their first kiss is sweet. Sweeter than Steve would have expected, if he had ever allowed himself to think about it. He jumps right in, wants to show Eddie what his words mean to him, but Eddie immediately slows them down. He makes their kisses small and soft, just lips against lips, and Steve swears he could die from the sweetness of it all.

But at some point their kisses begin to grow longer and longer each time their mouths meet. They also become deeper as Steve slides his tongue between Eddie's supple lips. Steve has never kissed a guy before and he expects it to feel different. And it does, a little. There's stubble on Eddie's cheek where Steve's hand is cupping it, and there aren't soft breasts pressed against his chest, but another hard, muscular chest. But so many things are the same. Eddie lets him take control and there are little gasps and soft moans coming out of their mouths as they hold each other.

It's only when Steve begins to rock against Eddie in his lap that Eddie pulls away. Steve chases his lips, desperate for them to continue, addicted to the feeling of Eddie.

"Steve - Stevie, hey, baby, stop for a minute." Steve does, not sure what's wrong. Eddie cups his cheek, where not long ago tears had made their way across his skin. "Are you - is this okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Honey, you were so upset just a few minutes ago. I don't know, I just don't want to take advantage of you. I don't want you regretting this tomorrow."

Steve is pretty sure that Eddie is his person too.

"It's more than okay. This feels so good, Eddie." As if to prove his point, Steve rocks against him again to let Eddie feel how good it feels for Steve.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You want me to make you feel even better, baby?"

Steve wants. Oh, how he wants.

He doesn't answer, just dives right back in and crashes their lips together. What started out sweet and tender turns messy and desperate in seconds. It's as if Eddie has unleashed some kind of hungry beast in Steve's chest.

He bites Eddie's lower lip and enjoys the feeling of Eddie's hips thrusting up in response. Eddie's hands roam his body, never able to stay still for long. The metal of his rings feels warmer than Steve expected, like an extension of Eddie's thick fingers on his skin.

A high-pitched whimper falls from his mouth as Eddie's thumb finds his nipple and strokes over it, again and again. His shirt is in the way, restricting the movement of Eddie's hands, so he pulls his hands from where they are buried in Eddie's hair to pull the shirt off his body.

Eddie's mouth catches his nipple before Steve can dive back in for another kiss.

"Shit. Fuck. Eddie." Steve's hands find their way back into Eddie's hair, unable to do much more than hold on for the ride. The heavy feeling in his chest is forgotten. All Steve feels is heat and desire and some undefined thing starting to bloom where the heaviness used to be.

He's lost in the sensation that is Eddie, all around him. His smell, his skin, his fucking mouth. Suddenly there are teeth scraping over his already abused nipple and Steve almost loses it and comes in his pants like an inexperienced freshman. Jesus Christ.

Steve feels Eddie's smug smile against his skin. He wants nothing more than to feel more of him, to feel everything, so he reaches for Eddie's fly with only slightly trembling hands. He has already undone the button and is about to pull the zipper down when Eddie's hands close over his. Eddie's sinful mouth has left Steve's nipple to say something, and Steve shudders at the sudden coldness he feels on his spit-slick skin.

"Sweetheart, slow down. Let me make you feel good, okay? No need to reciprocate. I just want to take care of you."

Steve melts at the sentiment behind those words, and his heart soars at the knowledge that, for once, someone wants to take care of him, not the other way around. But if Eddie thinks this will make Steve want to devour him less, he must not know Steve at all. Instead of slowing down, he slaps Eddie's hands away and goes for the zipper of his jeans again.

"You make me feel good, Eddie, so good. I wanna make you feel good, too. Wanna feel you." Steve babbles, trying to coordinate his rocking hips and searching hands. There is too much blood going south for him to multitask efficiently.

Eddie growls deep in his chest and grips Steve's wrists tightly. "I said slow down, sweetheart." With that, Eddie puts Steve's hands behind his back, one over the other, and doesn't let go.

"You want to run this show? Go ahead. Take what you need, baby." He leans back against the couch and looks up at Steve with dark, dark eyes.

Steve whines at the loss of contact, at the restriction Eddie has put on his hands, but his face is flushed and his erection is straining against his jeans. He's never done this before, never been exposed like this, his needs and desires laid bare by Eddie's skillful hands and gentle heart.

So Steve takes what he wants, just as Eddie asked.

He slides forward to sit more firmly in Eddie's lap, so he can feel Eddie against him as he begins to rock back and forth more urgently. There's delicious pressure against his dick, but it's not enough. No matter how fast or slow he moves, he can't get anywhere near where he wants to be.

Steve clenches his thighs and presses down on Eddie's firm thighs as he rolls his hips back and forth, moans and groans falling from his lips with increasing desperation. He wants - he needs -

"Eddie, please. Please, it's not enough, I need - " Another breathy whimper.

"What do you need, baby? Tell me. Everything. I'll give you everything."

Eddie is just as affected as he is. His pupils are dilated to twice their normal size, the beautiful brown of his irises swallowed by hungry blackness. His hands tremble where they still grip Steve's behind Steve's back, and Steve squeezes them gently. It calms a part of him to know that he's not alone, that they're in this together. It gives Steve hope that it means something to Eddie, too.

"I need you, Eddie. I don't care, I just want you. I wanna feel good with you."

Before Steve knows what's happening, the hands around his wrists disappear and slide under his ass to where it meets his thighs. Eddie leans forward and brings his lips right up to Steve's. Before he kisses him, deep and dirty, he whispers against them, "Hold on tight, baby."

He barely manages to wrap his hands around Eddie's shoulders before the other man stands and lifts him into his arms. Steve instinctively wraps his legs around Eddie's waist and the hands under his thighs press him tightly against Eddie's body.

Holy. Shit.

They stumble up the stairs and Steve feels Eddie tremble under his weight. He wants to ask him to put him down so he can walk, but his mouth is busy being devoured by Eddie's lips and tongue.

Thank God he left his door open because he doesn't think Eddie would have been able to hold him up and open the damn door. As it is, they tumble inside and towards his unmade bed. Steve is glad that Eddie is too busy to see the plaid monstrosity that is his room. He wants Eddie to have a nice, mind-blowing orgasm before he has to see this.

He expects Eddie to drop him on the bed, maybe even throw him down in another show of strength. Eddie does not.

Instead, he drops to his knees on the bed and lowers Steve onto the mattress with such gentle care that Steve almost forgets why they're here. He's still hard and aching in his jeans, but the burning need has subsided for now. He lifts his hand to Eddie's cheek, cupping it gently as he looks deep into the soft chocolate button eyes.

"Hi," he whispers.

Eddie leans down and nudges Steve's nose with his own.

"Hi," he replies, smiling down at Steve.

Their next kiss starts out sweet - lips sliding against each other, little nips and kitten licks, but soon the fire between them is rekindled. Eddie is still kneeling between Steve's spread legs, and as he leans back to look down at Steve, his hands find their way to Steve's jean-clad thighs.

"Let me take these off you, yeah?" Steve nods and watches with rapt attention as Eddie slowly undresses him. "So goddamn pretty, Stevie. You're gorgeous, inside and out."

His cheeks are burning and he's afraid that the tears that are starting to gather in his eyes will fall if he doesn't do something. He grabs Eddie's left hand, stroking his hipbone, and pulls him closer so he can kiss him. "You too." He tugs at Eddie's shirt to show what he means. He still means both.

Eddie removes his own clothes with efficiency, and Steve thinks that next time he'll take his time to uncover and appreciate every inch of Eddie's body.

Soon they're both naked, Steve on his back with his head on the pillow and Eddie still between his legs. They drink each other in and Eddie leans down to plant a soft kiss on Steve's lips. He seems to be waiting for something, but Steve doesn't know what.

"Eddie, tell me what to do, what do you want?"

"Baby, you don't have to do anything, okay? Let me do all the work for once. I want to." He chuckles at Steve's puzzled look. "I really do. I want to make you feel good. I want to see you fall apart at my hands and I want to put you back together again. If you let me." He gently bites Steve's jaw. "Please say you'll let me." Another bite at his throat, just as soft. "Please, baby, let me make you feel good."

Steve squirms on his sheets, his hips jerking in a futile search for friction.

"Yes, anything. Please. Anything. I want you to."

After that there is no need to speak. There are sounds from Steve's lips and showers of dirty praise from Eddie's, but both know what they want, what they need. Like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, soft protrusions and sharp edges fitting just so.

Eddie takes his time, kissing and licking every inch of golden skin he can reach. When he bites, it's soft, affectionate. It still leaves marks and Steve welcomes each one because they mean this is real, this is happening.

Steve lets Eddie do what he wants to him, pliable and so responsive to every touch, to every word of worship and praise, that Eddie kisses against his skin. He never knew it could be like this, never felt so completely loved and cared for. It seems like days go by as Eddie worships every single part of him.

When Eddie finally takes him in his mouth, Steve thrashes against him, overwhelmed by the sensation. He's on edge for what feels like hours, gripping himself tightly at the base to hold back his orgasm.

He's still in Eddie's mouth and Eddie has the audacity to smile up at him through long lashes, his lips stretched wide around Steve's girth, winking at him. Steve's groan is almost painful. He has to look away or not even his hand will stop him from spilling his release into Eddie's cocky mouth.

Not to be deterred in the least, Eddie begins to suck on the head as if it were his favorite lollipop. His tongue swirls around the head and dips into the slit before his mouth sinks down on him in one swift motion.

"Fuck, Eddie. Jesus Christ."

The throaty chuckle is what does him in. Before he knows what's happening, before he can even think of stopping it, he comes down Eddie's throat in hot, messy spurts.

"Shit! No, no, no, no. Fuck. I'm so sorry, Eddie, oh God, I don't know what happened, I didn't mean - "

Eddie silences him with a soft kiss, lips slick with Steve's release. He strokes Steve's cheek and smiles down at him with a blissful expression on his face. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen, baby."

"But. It was so fast. You didn't."

"To see you lose it like that, baby. To see you writhing and moaning and being so overwhelmed with pleasure that you can't help but come? Steve, sweetheart, that was better than any orgasm I ever had. I wish I could have recorded it, I'm afraid no memory will do it justice."

Steve looks at Eddie, sees the genuine joy on his pretty face, the warmth and affection in his big brown eyes, and wants to believe him. Wants to believe that he didn't have to do anything to deserve it. But it's hard.

"What about you?"

"Nothing. It can wait. Right now I really want to hold you and bask in the afterglow for a while. And maybe later we can get something to eat and watch a movie. What do you think?"

Steve thinks he's in love.

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

Thank you @legitcookie for being a wonderful cheerleader and beta while also being sick af. Toughest cookie in the jar 💜

[differenzeartistiche]

Gavin Creel is 47 today!

It’s my yearly tradition to bring back this old post of ranked performances to celebrate the birthday of this wonderful performer, so here we go! Updated this year with Into the Woods!

Gavin Creel, 16 performances, ranked!

16. Nick Piazza in Fame

This show has some merits, although it’s definitely not one of my favorites. It’s Gavin’s professional debut, and I can forgive him some naïveté in an otherwise competent, beautifully sung performance. His rendition of “I wanna make magic” is lovely.

15. Charles Darnay in A Tale of Two Cities

Ok, so this was a concert performance, so it’s not really fair to compare it to the others, but I’ll just throw it in here. Mainly because it’s such an unusual show for Gavin. It’s something that tries very hard to be on the level of Les Miserables, without much success, and Gavin is not a huge fan of that kind of show. That said, it’s a nicely sung performance of a classic romantic hero role. Nice, nothing more.

14. Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles

Great show, poor but still competent production. The role is easily the most boring in the whole play, but he gets to sing the cute “With Anne on my arm” and he nails it.

13. Troy in American Horror Stories

Oh this was a fun one, Gavin playing outside his comfort zone, far removed from his preferred genre and into an over-the-top, sexy role that is rather unique in his career. I wish the material he had to work with was better, but his scenes with Aaron Tveit were superb.

12. Hollis Bessemer in Bounce

Sadly a lesser show by Sondheim, I still love some aspects of it, and Gavin’s wide-eyed artistically-inclined dreamer is one of them. His big solo “Talent” is the best song of the show and touches me on a very personal level.

11. Matthews in Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

Gavin voicing a Disney villain! A Disney villain with a secret! A Disney villain with a French accent! Talk about playing against type. There’s something of Kodaly here, and of Lumiere and of Pepé Le Pew. You can tell he had a blast recording this role, and the design is exquisite.

10. Cinderella’s Prince / The Wolf in Into the Woods

This is Gavin at his hammiest, and I’m here fot it. He obviously has loads of fun with the Wolf, oozing sleaziness from every pore, and as the Prince he’s perfectly balanced between superficial, phony and clueless, you can really believe that this candy-colors clothed fool was “raised to be charming, not sincere.”

9. Bill in Eloise at the Plaza / Eloise at Christmastime

Effortlessly hilarious on screen as he is on stage, he goes full-on old-time Hollywood star in the Christmas-themed sequel and I love it. A mix of Dick Powell and Fred Astaire.

8. Dr. Pomatter in Waitress

Sara Bareilles’ little gem of a musical often finds its strength in the absolute realness of its characters, flawed human beings looking for a little sparkle of happiness. Drew Gehling’s Dr. Pomatter was awkward and fun and sad-eyed, but I think Gavin wins infusing the character with tenderness and truly lived-in melancholy. A few weeks in a well-worn musical could be seen as a footnote in a great career, but it’s such a lovely performance, enhanced by the incredible chemistry he has with Bareilles.

7. Bert in Mary Poppins

My introduction to Gavin and since then I’ve come to appreciate him as heir to impossibly gangly male leads like Dick Van Dyke, so this feels like such a natural fit. I find the show a little bloated, but watch him defying gravity in that “walking on air” scene: it’s irresistible.

6. Ugly in Honk!

Having him play the ugly duckling ALSO feels like a natural fit. Gavin’s at his best when he plays lost and confused dreamers, and the fairy tale touch with the surreal setting makes for a wonderful variation on that theme.

5. Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me

Easily the odd man out of the list. The evil, scheming, suave and self-centered Kodaly is a delightful departure from all the romantic leads and clueless buffoons of Gavin’s career. The showstopper “Ilona” brings out all the manipulative nature of the character, a snake that always finds a way out and always gets what he wants. A remarkable performance that makes me want to see him branch out into even more strange territories.

4. Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie

Again with the old-time charm and humor. Millie is a show dominated by women, and Gavin’s male romantic lead manages not to be swallowed whole by them by being so wonderfully easy-going, hilariously aloof and occasionally sassy. It does also help that in “What do I need with love” he has one of the catchiest numbers of the show.

3. Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!

PUDDING. That alone deserved the Tony. It’s an overwhelmingly funny turn that makes the best of the original, almost vaudevillian nature of the show. So full of tricks and ticks and winks to the audience, deliciously aware of its own absurdity, it’s the kind of scene-stealing performance that not every actor can pull off. And oh my god, has anyone ever sung Jerry Herman’s beautiful tunes so gorgeously? You almost wish he could have sung “Put on your Sunday clothes” in its entirety.

2. Elder Price in The Book of Mormon

Somewhere between the rubber-faced humor of Jim Carrey, the earnest straight man hilarity of Jack Lemmon and the physicality of Dick Van Dyke. A perfect combination that captures the sarcastic, yet disarmingly sweet nature of the show, with its hints of meanness and self-devouring doubt.

1. Claude Hooper Bukowski in Hair

Unquestionably the masterpiece of Gavin’s career. A towering performance that starts with the iconicity of the role and the visuals associated with it and finds the core of Claude’s humanity: a scared, earnest, sometimes self-centered, mostly clueless young man that has to face something so much bigger than himself, something that is so far from the made-up world of fake accents and films in space that he has created for himself and that will eventually consume him. Moments like “Where do I go” and “The Flesh Failures” are moving and brutally honest.

[toongrrl-blog]

More Benvi Playlist

What are you doing just sitting there? Listen to some tunes at least ;)

"Let's Leave the Lights On Tonight" Johnny Rodriguez

We’ll let them old memories die

We’ll be just you and I

Somehow it all feels so right

2. "A Matter of Trust" Billy Joel

Let’s leave the lights on tonight

I'm sure you're aware, love

We've both had our share of

Believing too long

3. "Feels Like the First Time" Foreigner (also a Trenor song)

When the whole situation was wrong

And I know that it must be the woman in you

That brings out the man in me

I know I can't help myself

And it feels like the first time

You're all that my eyes can see

Like it never did before

Feels like the first time

Feels like the first time

Like we've opened up the door

Like it never will again

4. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" Nina Simone or The Animals

Never again

Baby, do you understand me now

Sometimes I feel a little mad

Well, don't you know that no-one alive

Can always be an angel

5. "Torn Between Two Lovers" Mary MacGregor

When things go wrong I seem to be bad

Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool

Loving both of you is breaking all the rules

Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool

6. "Never Really Over" Katy Perry (suggested by @fishyyyyy99 )

Loving you both is breaking all the rules

Two years, and just like that, my head still takes me back

Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over

Oh, we were such a mess, but wasn't it the best?

7. "Hanging on the Telephone" Blondie

Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over

It's good to hear your voice, you know it's been so long

If I don't get your calls, then everything goes wrong

8. "Listen to Her Heart" Tom Petty

I want to tell you something you've known all along

She's my girl

And you just can't creep up behind her

And you can't understand that she's my girl

It's gonna tell her what to do

Yeah, she's gonna listen to her heart

She might need a lot of loving

But she don't need you

9. "Fools Rush In" Ricky Nelson

Just open up your heart and let this fool rush in.

Well, open up your heart and let this fool rush in...

10. "It's Now or Never" Elvis Presley

I spent a lifetime

Waiting for the right time

Now that you're near

The time is here, at last

It's now or never

Come hold me tight

Kiss me my darling

Be mine tonight

Tomorrow will be too late

It's now or never

My love won't wait

11. "Act Naturally" Buck Owens or the Beatles or Buck Owens w/ Ringo Starr

Well, I hope you come to see me in the movie

Then I know that you will plainly see

The biggest fool that's ever hit the big time

And all I gotta do is act naturally

12. "Queen of Hearts" Juice Newton

Playing with the queen of hearts, and knowing it ain't really smart

The joker ain't the only fool who'll do anything for you

I'm laying out another lie, I'm thinking 'bout a life of crime

'Cause that's what I'll have to do to keep me away from you

13. "Send Me No Flowers" Doris Day

Call me up and say that you're on your way

Til you're back how lonely I'll be

Send me no flowers today

Instead of sending flowers come back to me

And love me just as I love you

14. "Time Won't Let Me" The Outsiders

Can't you see I've waited too long to love you

To hold you in my arms

Time won't let me

Time won't let me

Time won't let me aw

Oh

15. "Head Over Heels" Tears for Fears

I wanted to be with you alone

And talk about the weather

But traditions I can trace against the child in your face

Won't escape my attention

You keep your distance with a system of touch

And gentle persuasion

I'm lost in admiration, could I need you this much?

Oh, you're wasting my time

You're just, just, just wasting time

Something happens and I'm head over heels

I never find out till I'm head over heels

Something happens and I'm head over heels

Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart

Don't, don't, don't throw it away

16. "Just What I Needed" The Cars

I guess you're just what I needed

(Just what I needed)

I needed someone to feed

I guess you're just what I needed

(Just what I needed)

I needed someone to bleed

17. "What Is Life?" George Harrison

What is my life without your love?

Tell me who am I without you by my side

Oh, tell me what is my life without your love

Tell me who am I

18. "Hello It's Me" Todd Rundgren

Think of me

You know that I'd be with you if I could

I'll come around to see you once in a while

Or if I ever need a reason to smile

And spend the night if you think I should

19. "All This Time It Was You" Ginger Foutley

You were right there from the start

And what might be the strangest part

Is while I sure enjoyed the view

Of seeing everything brand new

It's still you

20. "Words" F.R. David

Words don't come easy to me

How can I find a way to make you see I love you

Words don't come easy

Words don't come easy to me

This is the only way for me to say I love you

Words don't come easy

21. "Sway" The Kooks

Still I need your sway, because you always pay for it

And I, and I need your soul

Because your always soulful

And I and I need your heart,

Because your always in the right places

22. "Stay Awhile" Dusty Springfield or She & Him

Oh, I hate to see you go

Tell you what I'll do

I'll be good to you

I'll make you glad that you are mine

So come on baby

23. "Hysteria" Def Leppard

I gotta know tonight

If you're alone tonight

Can't stop this feelin'

Can't stop this fire

24. "Slowly" Ann-Margret

Come on and kiss me again but this time slowly

Not so fast, make it last, you're talking too fast

Honey make it last, oh, not so fast, yeah

25. "I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden" Lynn Anderson

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There's gotta be a little rain sometime

When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go

26. "Baby I Need Your Loving" The Four Tops

Empty nights echo your name

Whoa, sometimes I wonder

Will I ever be the same?

27. "The More I See You" Chris Montez

The more I see you, the more I want you

Somehow this feeling just grows and grows

With every sigh, I become more mad about you

More lost without you and so it goes

28. "Expressway to Your Heart" Soul Survivors

I was wrong, baby, I took too long

I got caught in the rush hour

A fellow started to shower

You with love and affection

Come on, look in my direction

29. "Here It Comes Again" The Fortunes

Then there's nothing left for me to say

You no, you no, you no you broke my heart

Here it comes again, that feeling

Here it comes again

30. "Rhaspody in the Rain" Lou Christie

And in this car our love went much too far

It was exciting as thunder

Tonight I wonder where you are

The windshield wipers seemed to say

"Together - together - together - together"

And now they are saying

"Oh, ne... ver, ne... ver"

Ooh-wee, ooh-wee, baby

31. "I Saw the Light" Todd Rundgren

Though we had our fling (we had our fling)

I just never would suspect a thing (suspect a thing)

'Til that little bell began to ring (began to ring)

In my head, in my head

But I tried to run (I tried to run)

Though I knew it wouldn't help me none (not help me none)

'Cause I couldn't ever love no one

Or so I said

But my feelings for you

Were just something I never knew

'Til I saw the light

In your eyes (in your eyes)

32. "Party Lights" Claudine Clark

Too late and mama dear, oh tell me, do you hear?

We're partying tonight

I tell you, I can't sleep, because across the street

Oh-oh, oh-oh, I see the party lights

33. "She's Got the Devil in Her Heart" The Beatles (Susan J. Douglas thoughts on this song's meaning was "just how long were we going to behave ourselves, anyway, especially when behaving yourself as a girl meant not having any fun?")

I'll take my chances

For romance is

So important to me

She'll never hurt me

She won't desert me

She's an angel sent to me

She's got the devil in her heart

No, no, this I can't believe

She's gonna tear your heart apart

No, no, nay, will she deceive

34. "The Hard Way" Mary Chapin Carpenter

Show a little inspiration, show a little spark

And show that things that drew me to you and stole my heart

And tell me something I don't know instead of everything I do

And look at me as if I mean something to you

Our hearts are beating while we sleep, but while we're wide awake

You know the world won't stop, and actions speak louder

Listen to your heart, and what your heart might say

Everything we got, we got the hard way

35. "Big Shot" Billy Joel

Because you had to be a big shot, didn't you

You had to open up your mouth

You had to be a big shot, didn't you

All your friends were so knocked out

You had to have the last word, last night

You know what everything's about

You had to have a white hot spotlight

You had to be a big shot last night

[lyon-amore]

What if…? Duskwood Chapter 15

Chapter 14 ————————————————————————————-  

*Macie POV*

 I look at the phone as I try to focus. As much as I want to, Jake's not going to text me today, is he? I sigh going back to work.  Inside me there was a little voice like my parents saying 'Macie, forget about him, he's hurting you and he's not good for you'. I already know... I know perfectly well... But maybe I'm the one who's put a lot of pressure on him, wanting to know about him. I have grown up in an environment where research was the main thing, looking at people and every detail was important. Ah… How my mother hated it… 'Why don't you focus on playing with dolls or anything else that doesn't involve interrogations?' And yes, I played detective with my Barbie and listened to my father read the reports of his investigations, my mom was mad because I was only six years old, which over time I learned thanks to my father.

Why do I remember this now? Maybe because I'm betraying my investigative principles with my feelings. Dad never got emotionally involved. It was one of the rules. The important thing was the truth for those who really asked for justice. And that's what I should focus on.    "I won't let him dominate me," I tell myself, fixing the script that someone had messed up with a bunch of typos. "I'm going to focus. I will focus..."     Two minutes later, he was already in my head.    "I can't focus…" So this is what it feels like when you're really so in love? Well I hate it.    "Tick tock, tick tock" Lian approaches my table, gesturing on her wrist as if she had a watch. ". Time is running out to decide whether to go to the anniversary as a couple with Aiden or alone."     Ugh… Right… I was faking that too, I almost forgot that I have a life outside of research.    "Are you going or are you going to pass?"    "I don't know yet." I'm actually waiting for a confirmation from Jake. I don't want to have a date with another guy without knowing that he really likes me ", I don't really want to party either-"    "Stop right there." she points her finger at me, with a lost look. "You? Macie Connors that when you see a day off the first thing you do is want to have a good time? What happens?"    "I'm just really busy lately," and I'm not going to deny it. I have a bunch of little notes in my room about the investigation.     Until now I have not realized that I’m dealing with three things at the same time: private life, love life and detective life, all without rest, because when I get home, I think about everything that happened during the day. Oh! And we are going to add the threats of a kidnapper to the list, why not? Whoever I tell this to, they wouldn't believe it. And better not to.    "Busy is not enough" she crosses her arms, looking at me like an angry mother, "it seems you've changed."    "For better or for worse?"    "Mmm... how to say it?" She begins to think, a little doubtfully "I've never seen this Macie, it's like you're serious all the time."    "Me? Serious?" I let out a laugh. The last time they said that to me was when I was sixteen.    "Every time you come back from eating you look like another person."     <<Because it's when I come back from something that made me happy in a long time. >>     Lian doesn't know anything from before we met and I prefer it to stay that way. I've suffered enough to call attention again. When I get back, what I do is think about everything Jake and I have discovered. Something that makes me partly distract from my real work    "Hey… If you need to talk, you already know that Aiden and I are your friends right?" Her face of hers changes completely. It breaks my soul to take her away from all this. She was always a great support in my life, her and Brian. But I can't make her know.    "I know Lian, don't worry, everything is fine." I smile trying to calm her down.    "I hope so…" she sighs, relaxing "Well, I'll go to work too."    "See you later, Lian."     I feel like the worst friend in the world. When I get home, I throw away the clue paper for Jessy's initialed bracelet. Although I always thought it wasn't hers, I wanted to at least write down the theory for Jake, my partner. I talk a bit with Jessy and Richy to end the day. Jessy is worried about Richy, while he seems to laugh at the situation when I ask him if he has committed any sin, since he has been marked by The Man Without a Face, how can he laugh? My question was totally serious, I mean, maybe in another context I could have asked it, but… I don't know… I wouldn't be able to joke if in my case it was Lian who had been kidnapped. Of course, this from my point of view as a researcher, I analyze the group and its actions. That should have understood.

Sitting at the table, I jot down Jake's name in the possible theory that he gave the bracelet to Hannah. I have too many theories with Jake. Is he running away? Is he married? Is he Hannah's lover? Who is Jake really? Is he hiding or is he hiding something? As guilty of Hannah's disappearance I don't have a theory because the investigation doesn't make sense then.

Henry tugs on my pajama bottoms and I pick him up, caressing him carefully.    "What's up, sweetie?" I speak to him as if he were a baby "Did you want me to pet you? Is that?" he sniffs my face and I laugh at the tickling he does "I know, I've been so busy lately that I hardly pay attention to you."     I get scared when I receive a call on my phone. I was afraid to receive them at night, it is never good news. I let it ring for a while longer, seeing that he put 'Unknown'. It was him.

I like scary movies because I know they're not real. I’m one of those who starts to analyze them and see that everything can be impossible due to some ridiculous situations, but that doesn’t mean that seeing something that scares you gives you adrenaline. But I can only stand it in fiction. In real life… In real life I would faint at the sight of real blood, I can't even smell it if the meat is undercooked. Therefore, I can't stand the kidnapper's threats. Because I know it's real. He can really hurt me. Not a screen. 

The phone continues to ring. It is very persistent. I wouldn't know if it's for fear of another threat or because I'm alone in my house. The times he has called me I was with Jake. Now, in a big, silent house and with no one to tell me that everything will be fine, I’m a little afraid to answer. I don't realize my finger is shaking when I accept the video call. 

I look closely at the scared screen. It might look like one of those cheesy internet videos you watched as a teenager 'Looking for Slenderman in the woods!' where you later see a ridiculously poorly made 3D figure. But I knew this wasn't from some ridiculous YouTube person. It was from the kidnapper himself. I hug Henry tightly, swallowing nervously. 

I let out a big sigh of relief when the video call ends. I hold Henry to my chest, trembling. I want to think that I’m safe here… Right? Although my first instinct is to text Jake, terrified. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie Jake?! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I didn't realize how much I needed him right now until I saw his name written on it. I'm really not as brave as I appear to be, huh? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jake Yes. I saw it too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I feel relieved when he answers me, almost more secure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie What are his intentions? Jake I don’t know Macie. I believe that there is more to come. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I don't know why his words don't reassure me at all.

 I had been reading those words, until I noticed the following messages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jake Macie? Macie are you there? What's going on? Macie I… Sorry, is that the video call... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I didn't dare tell him that he had scared me, it would sound ridiculous. A 26-year-old adult being scared by a lousy video… It was laughable… If it hadn't been for the same person who had chased your friend through the woods... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jake Are you alone at this moment? Do you need company? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 And there he was… The kind Jake… The one who wanted me by his side. All my worries seem to melt away when I talk to him. Also fear. I smile reading to him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Macie I just need a minute to calm down You don't think it could be a cursed video, do you? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I try to joke around to take the fear out of my body, going to bed together with Henry still in my arms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jake We'll find out in seven days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I let out a laugh reading the reference. I feel like he said it to play along with me and make me feel better. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jake Are you sure you are alright? Macie Yes I’ll be fine Jake I have recorded the video. Maybe we should look into it. But tomorrow. I do not want you to see it at this hour again. Macie Thanks 🙂 Jake :) In any case, I will be on the lookout again for another call that happens. But do not hesitate to let me know if you need me either. Macie Alright Sorry if I interrupted some important work... Jake This was much more important. Rest well Macie. Macie Good night Jake ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I keep my phone next to me on the bed in case of an emergency. Henry is the first to fall asleep, while I take a little longer, as if waiting for another video call from that crazy man. Will the makeup I'm wearing manage to hide my dark circles? I feel that I have slept very little or rather: nothing.

 I put a coffee on my table. The second one this morning. The only thing that relieves me is that I'm going to see Jake.    “That's too big coffee,” Aiden laughs, walking past my table. “Didn't you have breakfast?”    "Eh... Nope." I answered, looking at the coffee. Is it really that big?    "Has someone invited you to be his partner for the party?" He asks me, a little nervous.    "No, no one" I lean in a little and whisper ". I think they don't dare out of fear."     He lets out a laugh and slaps the papers out of his hand.    "If no one has asked you so far" I look at how his eyes shine "do you think I still have a chance?"     I exhale a charged breath, looking at the table to avoid meeting his eyes.    “I'll let you know ahead of time if I'm going,” I finally tell him. I think it would be good to continue using him a little more so as not to raise suspicions with Lian and that her talent for romance discovers that I am like this for another man ", I promise I will reject everyone who asks me."    "Are you really capable of breaking their hearts?"    "Only for the first man who ever asked me: Yes."    "Then I'll be waiting," he says goodbye with the sheets in hand and the smile of a Hollywood actor.     I don't understand how he doesn't dazzle me like the rest. I mean… Not even before meeting Jake had I noticed him so much. I guess in Jake I've found what I've always wanted in a man, but until now I didn't know it. As soon as Jake opens the door, I see him handing me a coffee. I caught it surprised, looking at him.    "Thank you." I answered, drinking my third coffee of the day. Today I don’t sleep.    "I thought you wouldn't have slept after last night's video." He replies, following me. "Are you still scared?"    "I wasn't scared," I lied, leaving the coffee on the table "I just wasn't expecting 'If you watch this video at midnight you could die'" I look at him and raise an eyebrow. ". Although it surprised me more with your messages, I thought that you didn’t know what others felt by message."    "I still failed my guess." He sighs, scratching the back of his neck.    He hasn’t failed. I'm really a little scared. I don't want the next video he sends me to be of Hannah in danger. I couldn't take it because of the guilt that he hurt her because I was investigating.

I smile a little knowing that he knew how I felt. I feel special.    “Okay, let's go watch that video” I say, clapping my hands togethe. ”, prepare it.”    “We have changed roles and now you are the boss?” He teases, going to his chair.    "Sorry boss, I'll shut up and let you talk." I joked, taking the chair and putting it next to him.     As soon as I sit down, he plays it. I try to see something significant, but nothing. There didn't seem to be anything that stood out.    "Mmh, the call came from the forest again…" I commented, resting my head on Jake's shoulder as he stared at the screen. I take another sip of coffee before falling asleep, it's good to be like this with him "Somehow it seems to be important."    “You are absolutely right about that.” I look at Jake who doesn't take his eyes off the screen, then holds up his hand, counting. "Cleo was jogging in the forest when she was being filmed.” He holds up finger. "Richy was in the forest when he was marked.” He holds up another finger and then he looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Do we have a legend come true as suspect?"    “Who you gonna call?" I ask, humming the tune at the beginning of the question.    “Ghostbusters?" He lets out a laugh before becoming serious again "But I was being serious" I see how he crosses his arms, without taking his eyes off me ", the first time you told me about the man without a face I didn’t really take it too serious" he maintains his green eyes fixed on me, making it clear that in the end what we were investigating is important. "However, now I think it is very possible that our perpetrator is hiding behind the legend."    "I would like to add something to that-"    "Please, don't let it be 'I told you'."     I laughs and shakes my head. I'd like to tell him, but seeing as he's come to that conclusion himself, I'll let it slide.    “It seems like people are supposed to stay away from the forest."    “I totally agree with you on that" he quickly turns off the computer screen, as if he didn't want me to see anything "Isn’t there going to be an extensive search of the forest happening soon?"    "Yes, next Sunday." I get up from my chair, remembering that I have also brought food. I think I got used to doing it, already in case of an emergency, "But apparently Duskwood’s forests are huge." I commented, while I did the same ritual as always in the kitchen. I remember that time when my tire got a flat, there was nothing but forest. Stephan would love to explore it with Sky for sure. Come to think of it, I'm sure Stephan would be terrified of Jake, he doesn't like hackers at all.    "They are indeed." Has he been in Duskwood? "Something else: I need your help Macie.” He walks over to me and turns the stove down.    "I’ve been waiting for that already" I say as I wink at him.     He looks at me with a small smile. I'm sure he must be laughing at me in his head.    "I enhanced the prescription from Hannah’s cloud some more and was able to make the doctor’s name legible again.” He leans on the counter with both hands and he looks at me. ”It appears Hannah went to see a certain "Doctor Ulric Barrett". I want you to find out the password to his computer for me.”     I nod briskly. I'm going to do something cool hacker! Wait… How can I get a password?    "How am I supposed to do that?" I ask, a little lost.    "It is not uncommon for people to choose things for passwords that mean something to them." He now looks at the food, waiting for it to heat up. "A beloved family member, a number sequence that has a certain meaning to them..." he is saying while he renumbers with his hand "Many people are openly sharing such personal information about themselves."     Why is it that I now understand how my cousin feels about hackers?    "You mean..." I say, thinking about what I think I'm thinking. I see how he smiles, without saying anything to me "On instagram, Facebook and others."    "Exactly." He finishes heating up the food and puts it on plastic plates, while we go to the table, putting mine back and I put the cutlery on ours. "What does Ulric Barret like? What he doing in his free time, what kinf of pictures is he uploading" he sits down and moves the cover in a circular way ". That might lead us to his password."    “Alright."    “Very well. Tell me the password as soon as you figure it out-“    "Right now I'll get to it."    "But first-“    "Yeah, yeah." I pick up the plate, rolling my eyes. “You shouldn't worry about me, you know?“    “You forget basic necessities when you do it.“    "No way!“    "I know you haven't slept by the look on your face.“    "I was watching movies.“    "Or that you were worried about the video call."     I ignore his comment. I don't want him to know, because if he does, it might take me further away from this investigation. With this new lead we have, maybe we'll get something important out of it. I put my best face on Jake, pretending to be okay.    "Jake, I really didn't care about the video call" I comment quietly ", what is he going to do to me? He is in Duskwood, I am here."    “Right, we shouldn't worry.“     I give him a smile and he returns it. He's already worried enough about Hannah that he's worried about me. 

I start looking for Mr. Barret on the internet and I find different accounts. I hit the first link, Instagram. I read the information: Duskwood psychologist, he loves rainy days, tea, dogs, nature, books and music... Nothing remarkable, it's time to look at the photos. I go looking one by one, in case I see something that catches my attention. It is then that I meet an adorable dog.    "How cute!" I exclaim out loud, without realizing it.    "What's the matter?" Jake looks at me letting out a sigh for scaring him by my scream.    "I'm looking at his dog," I replied, looking at the photos of her "I wish I could have a dog…"    "Are you saying that for Henry?"    "No, allergy…" I answered annoyed "The password is Laula" I answered confidently. I can tell that he loves his dog from the photos, I think it's important. She is so cute dressed to celebrate her birthday.    "Something good that you have taken from looking at the photos of her."     I look at Jake with an excited smile.    "Thank you for doing me the great honor of investigating."    "You're welcome," he laughs, and I watch as he braces himself. "Wait, let me try it."     Even for five words he is very fast typing. It seemed that he had given a single touch to a keyboard. He is so fast with his fingers, what else his could do with his fingers? Steal? Maybe he is a thief? Hmm... Lots of theories...    "Yes! It worked!"     I’m contagious with his joy knowing that it has worked.    "You can’t even begin to imagine how many times such a simple search is enough to gain access to a computer." I can see from his expression that he's telling the truth, what kinds of computers has he gotten into? Is it done illegally or because he works on it?    "That really makes me think." I say worried. I don't think my passwords are easy to guess, but I'm already afraid that they can get into my accounts. But I trust Jake wouldn't.    "You did a really good job," he congratulates me, and the smile he gives me makes my face heat up. I've fallen back into his charm again, no matter how much I don't want to. "I thank you for your help."    "We are an awesome team." I replied with a laugh.     Jake looks at me and I see how he starts to turn more and more red. He pulls his hood up, avoiding looking at me. Too late Jake, I've realized.    "Yes, I feel the same way." I manage to see a smile.     The atmosphere relaxes. It's the Jake who opened up to me. 

I can't stop watching him, my heart doesn't stop beating fast. I remember when he closed the door on me, at that moment I would have wanted one of those kisses that take your breath away. I wish it had happened, it didn't bother me that he was the one to do it, especially since it's what I want the most.    “God…” I hear him say, as he stares at the screen.    “What happen?" I ask worried.    "He may be a psychologist, but his entire desk is a mess," he comments, letting out a big sigh. "So then I better take care of the doctor’s computer now."    "Aren't you going to order it?" I arch an eyebrow, doubtful.    "No, not that" he laughs, although he doesn't seem very encouraged, ", I'm going to have to look through all the folders he has, it will surely take time to find something."    "I guess then I'll leave you working while I go to work." I get up grabbing my things. "Good luck, Jake."    "Thanks Macie."    "And…" I put my hair back better, smiling shyly "Thank you really for worrying about me, I think you were the only one who noticed that I didn't sleep well..."    "Please don't hide your thoughts" His voice sounds deep with his concern. I fixate on his hand, squeezing it tightly. He's not only worried, but he's also furious about what happened ", it's important to me that you're okay."    "Okay," I control myself by not approaching him and even kissing him on the cheek. I have to be more determined. I can't cut myself for the next one. For today I let him work. "Let me know when you have something."    “You'll be the first to know.” he teases, along with a laugh.     I nod and leave the apartment.

 Jake… am I selfish if I wish that after this investigation, you wouldn't go after Hannah but me? *Jake POV*

 I controlled myself enough last night not to locate her house after that call. I don't know how I was able to leave her alone, all because I thought I might put her in danger when she needed me the most. But it's true, as long as she isn’t in Duskwood, everything will be fine. She really didn't look good... I don't know how she manages to keep smiling despite what she's been through, is it so I don't worry about her? She shouldn't do it, not for me. This makes me care more about her mentality. I need her to be okay. And I don't even think about it because of the investigation, but because I care about her. I press my hands hard on the table. I have to calm down. Think about something else. 

I think when she has rested her head on my shoulder, I have been able to smell her shampoo. That calms me down. I take a deep breath trying to keep the image of Macie calm, if I imagine her scared... I don't think I can control myself from wanting to break something.    "I feel like I lost to you, Macie." I commented, placing a hand on my shoulder where she's placed her head.

Chapter 16  

[franstastic-ideas]

Can I have the entire 50 character ask thing for your favorite sisterhood girl pls I like hearing about them

Ohhhh, don't make me CHOOSE!

I know I've already spoken quite a bit about Akari, but maybe I still haven't enough!

1. Canon I outright reject

Her being fifteen.

Akari's age should be up to interpretation, and I say this is a 21-22 year old woman who happens to be short.

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

Hikari and Akari are one and the same, not separate people with an uncanny resemblance to one another.

3. Obscure headcanon

She has a deep, lovely, womanly voice...

Akari doesn't quite laugh out loud, so much as give a soft, breathy chuckle or snicker. But, if and whenever she does laugh, it sounds like the crowing of a Murkrow.

4. Favorite line

Not exactly my favorite, but it's the funniest in and out of context:

*said in the calmest of tones and with the most serene of smiles*

"Thorton, would you kindly shut your mouth?"

5. Best personality trait

She's extremely perseverant. She would have to be to have endured as much as she has in Hisui, as well as be perceived as a near unstoppable force by the general public.

6. Worst personality trait

Akari is extremely guarded about her softer emotions and can come off as cold because of that.

Due to her ambivalent sentiments towards the possibility of entering a romantic relationship, she either ignores the affection given to her by an admirer or will play the oblivious game for as long as possible (when she's not, you know, actually being oblivious).

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

As stated above, she is a 21-22 year old woman to me who just happens to be short - perhaps 5 ft. 2 in.

As for her weight... she's lost quite a bit since her arrival in Hisui.

8. Unpopular opinion about them

I'm personally not at all fond of her being characterized as this innocent, naive little creature that Volo takes great and perverse pleasure in manipulating and betraying.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

Her mere existence was enough for me to love her.

But Akari possibly being the only protagonist to have embarked on a second adventure depending on personal interpretation definitely caught my interest.

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book)

When she calmly asserts herself against Kamado during the trial that will decide Volo's fate.

No matter how much Kamado raises his voice arguing that he can no longer be trusted to keep his word and needs to be punished severely for his actions, Akari responds to him with a calculating coolness.

11. Faceclaim for the role

Akari has a design already, so I'll share my voice claim for her instead: Kikyo (Willow Johnson) from Inuyasha.

12. Crack headcanon

Akari won't allow herself to show any weakness - but thinking about Wheatley, her Rotom back in Sinnoh, reduces her to such a visibly miserable state, always letting out a deep sigh before saying:

"I miss my Rotom, (name). I miss him so much..."

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

Actually considering for all of a moment eating the only-Arceus-knows-how-outdated Old Gateau she found in the Old Chateau.

14. Most heroic moment

Ask anyone in Hisui and they'll tell you it's when she survived her banishment and managed to quell Origin Forme Palkia's frenzy, thereby saving the entire world.

And then after that, taking down a deranged Volo on Mount Coronet's peak along with none other than The Renegade, a Legendary Pokémon created by almighty Sinnoh/Arceus with a history so violent that it warranted what was intended to be eternal banishment to The Distortion World.

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

Akari turning her back on Volo after he lowered himself to his hands and knees begging for her forgiveness.

It's something she almost immediately began to regret. That desperate, tearful expression of his wouldn't leave her mind.

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

She truly does want someone to love her. A man that will love her and only her to the point of obsession.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Golden Afternoon by Circus-P.

"I'm invincible To all the rage, the hate, the pain of fate I am vulnerable To all my rage, my hate, the pace at which I change"

18. What they’d go to see a therapist about

Every single hardship she experienced in Hisui honestly warrants therapy, but she has too much pride to ever even momentarily consider attending a session.

19. Vices/bad habits

Akari tends to treat others in a similar manner to how she is treated. She won't stoop to pettiness or cruelty, but she will behave more coldly towards those who have wronged her.

20. Scars

Emotionally, her father abandoning her she was still small. He said being a married man with a child wasn't what he wanted out of life after all, so he left Twinleaf Town and never looked back.

Her mother fiercely believed that he would return, but once the realization he wouldn't finally struck her, Ayako stopped speaking for a while and accidentally neglected Hikari. Jun was Hikari's source of sunshine during this time.

Physically, I sometimes imagine she has a small to medium X-shaped scar on her chest from her battle with Lord Kleavor, and a few burns from the one with Lord Arcanine.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

Berry Juice, or Razz Berry Tea

22. Best physical feature

Her long, flowing, slate-colored hair has caught the eye of several.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

Lemon and Lavender~

24. Most annoying habit

She tends to intimidate others with her silvery gaze, something that more often than not isn't intentional.

25. 3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

Considering Akari did get dropped in the middle of nowhere, nowhere being Hisui, there are a few things she would have liked to have brought with her: her previous team members, but there are six of them rather than three.

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with [insert character of your choice from the same fandom]

If she and Volo were trapped in an elevator, there are two drastically different outcomes that may occur:

Volo will try to take this opportunity, since it seems they're going to be in here for a little while, to get some smooching done - since people keep giving them less than appreciative stares when they do so in public.

Or, in the event that Volo doesn't know how elevators really work, despite his best efforts, he almost immediately spirals into a panic and begins blaming himself for this event - because surely this is Arceus punishing him for his past sins and she just happened to get caught in the crossfire.

27. Their guilty pleasure

Volo's obsession with her.

It's secretly everything she's ever wanted, and once Akari has confirmed it's entirely sincere and unwavering, she becomes just as obsessive over him.

28. How they feel about [insert character of your choice from the same fandom]

She holds a deep admiration and respect for Touko, due to her complete lack of hesitance in expressing her thoughts and feelings.

29. Eating habits

Prefers and has a high tolerance for spicier flavors.

She even crafts a new type of Lure Cake made specifically for attracting Fire-types (not that people are supposed to eat those).

30. Sleeping habits

Akari believes that her day begins whenever she wakes up, so she can be an absolute beast when forced to leave the comfort of her bed or futon.

31. If they had a Tumblr Tacklr what would it look like?

Her account is one the Sinnoh League required her to make in order to answer questions for interviews, and that would be the only thing she ever uses it for.

32. Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

Whenever Sariel, her Alpha Togekiss, slurps someone (gives them a big, slobbery lick).

It takes every last ounce of her willpower to keep her composure sometimes, depending on how extreme the reaction is of the person slurped.

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

Her wedding day and the morning after.

Akari doesn't quite understand why she would be crying when she's never felt happier before.

34. How they react when they are feeling X emotion (sad, angry, excited, scared, etc.—can specify as many as you like)

Sometimes Akari smiles or chuckles when she isn't necessarily happy.

35. Their idea of a perfect day

An afternoon spent in the arms of her beloved as their Pokémon play together outside - with no annoying calls from the League demanding her presence.

36. Their favorite season

Hisui/Sinnoh doesn't experience any seasons due to having a cool climate year-round, but Akari does prefer cooler temperatures over warmer ones.

37. What they really think about themselves

A strong trainer and someone worthy of respect, but otherwise no one particularly extraordinary.

This is reflected in the first act of 'What Once We Were', Akari is described in a decidedly neutral manner, but come the second act when the story shifts to Volo's perspective, his adoration towards her is so powerful it affects the narration.

38. Favorite holiday

January 12th, the day diamond dust always falls on Snowpoint City.

39. Favorite game

I feel as though Yume Nikki and all its various fangames are something she would enjoy.

40. Favorite book

The Curse of Mankey Island (half-joking)

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

Her beloved~

But, if her lover isn't an option, her dear friend and fellow sister Touko.

42. 3 comfort items

Her Buneary Poké Doll, Old Gateau, and apparently Wheatley.

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

Her favorites are Tamato Berries, Jubilife Muffins, and as previously mentioned Old Gateau.

She dislikes extremely bitter berries, Coconut Curry, and anything Irida cooks.

44. Their happiest memory

Akari doesn't have one in particular that she would place above the others: choosing her starter ad setting out on her journey with Jun and Kouki, becoming the new Champion of Sinnoh, meeting other girls like her at the World Tournament...

Receiving her starter in Hisui from Professor Laventon and finally feeling some sense of normalcy return, followed by her first encountering Volo, who was one of the few to show her kindness and respect without having to prove herself beforehand.

45. Their favorite celebrity

Haruka, current Champion of Hoenn and fellow Contest Star!

46. The person they most admire

Touko, as mentioned above, but she also holds a great deal of respect towards Kotone for her persistent warmth and kindness.

47. Their dream job

She's content with her position as Champion of Sinnoh and one of the strongest trainers in the world.

48. Scariest moment of their life

Volo's betrayal.

That moment was her worst nightmare brought to life.

49. Favorite toy as a child

Her Buneary Poké Doll, Alice, that Jun bought her with his own allowance for her seventh birthday.

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

Akari has forgotten everything about her father to the point that she can't recall his face or even his name.

She's fine with this.

[anki-of-beleriand]

A Heart Made of Glass ch. 11

Summary: Ten years ago you left Wanda and the Avengers to heal your broken heart. You never stopped being a hero, just as you never stopped being in love with her. But life had to go on.

Now, after all that time, she is back and with her is a young woman needing help and an enemy that may not be as afraid as Wanda to lay a claim on you.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Powered!F!Reader - Scarlet Witch x PoweredF!Reader - Past Wanda Maximoff x Vision

Warnings: Angst, drama, mentions of cheating, fluff, violence, smut, Switch!Reader, internalize homophobia, hurt, comfort, Wanda being a complete mess, anger management issues, jealousy, Requited/Unrequited love, idiots in love, swearing, mentions of alcohol. More tags as the story progess.

Author's Note: This story is a continuation of Dirty Little Secret I was really surprised at the response I got for the story, I did all the tags you guys ask for but if I forgot someone please do not hesitate to tell me. Thank you for the support.

I am back!! This chaptr took longer than I anticipated, I didn't know exactly how to continue even though I have an aidea of what I want. So here it is the new chapter, hope you guys like it!

Wanda is finally getting there, and Reader has to face so harsh truths about herself and those around herself.

Please, do remember English is no my mother tongue so forgive my grammar, spelling and funny mistakes.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Epilogue

Chapter 11

Wanda and Scarlet

Everyone left as soon as you disappeared with the twins upstairs. 

The time seemed to pass without your consent, and by the time the twins had fallen asleep and you were back on the first floor the world around you felt different. You stepped into the living room, your shadows flickering to make sure you were alone while you wandered around the place to take a closer look at the pictures decorating the place. You had always like pictures, and in general, you were good at photography; you realized every single one of the pictures you were seeing had a single purpose: to tell the story of yours and Wanda’s life.

It started with a simple friendship, the both of you were young and as the images move through the years you could see fear behind the attraction, the realisation of love and the tentativeness of a relationship until, at the end, all you could see was a happy ending. You tilted your head, your eyes checking the images over and over again until they fell on a missing section. A missing part of the timeline.

“We broke up one day,” you held yourself tight, your ears twitching with your eyes narrowing lightly, the woman behind you approached slowly, her voice sending a shiver down your back.

Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, her voice carried the weight of unwanted memories. 

“I was scared, it was the first time she said she loved me.” You turned slightly looking at the woman out of the corner of your eye.

“Did you cheat on her?” You couldn't help but ask, your voice dripping with old resentment. 

Wanda finally stood beside you, and she was so much different than your own Wanda. Taller, calm, with a confidence that poured out of her with an electric jolt of power you were not familiar with. The woman dropped her eyes, then you found yourself looking into her green ones.

“I broke her heart, and then I started dating Vision.” Wanda pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing lightly. “I pretend to be normal to honour my parents by being what they expected me to be.”

You clenched your jaw, the tension evident in your posture. 

“We almost got married until…I almost lost her.” Wanda whispered, her face breaking into a mask of pain. “She had disappeared on me, I couldn't reach her out and then, one day she…she came back and saved me and Vis…”

Wanda let out a bitter laughter, tears rolling down her eyes. 

“I almost lost her because I was afraid and I just…I couldn’t let her go afterwards. I fought hard to earn her forgiveness, and her love again.”

You swallowed down your own tears, turning away from this Wanda before letting your eyes wandered around a story you had always wished for. You could feel the weight of her stare on you, the poking of her presence waiting for the right moment to either talk to you, or push for answers to questions you were not ready to hear.

In the end you stopped on the one picture you had feared, the one you had seen before but with a different individual smiling back at you.

“They look like you…and me.” You finally said turning to Wanda, this time around the smile that broke her façade was one of pure bliss.

The other woman stepped forward, her eyes drifting to the picture and then to you. She had seen enough inside your head to know this might hurt in ways she could only imagine, and a part of Wanda was completely baffled by the mistakes done without a single thought of the consequences. She had to wonder, though, how much of those mistakes grew into resentment and how many of them were fear of allowing love in.

“They were our little miracle.” Wanda whispered, her voice softened all of a sudden before she closed the distance between you and her, and this time around you couldn’t look away or stepped away from her overwhelming persona.

“They were possible because of you and me, Y/N.” Her words made you shiver, the touch of her skin against yours was electrifying. “We weren’t even trying, and when I found out it had been me the one getting pregnant I was scared of you finding out.”

“Why?” You finally asked furrowing your brows, Wanda cocked a brow with her eyes gleaming challenging at you.

“Because of your thoughts, because of your doubts.” Wanda sighed cupping your face with her hand, “when I approached you my main fear was of you thinking I cheated.”

Your body tensed hardening your stare trying to ignore the tenderness and the understanding in those green eyes you had dreamed about so many times. It still hurt. It hurt like the very first time you fell in love with her, and the first time you saw the video of her and Vision. You closed your eyes, but never stopped feeling the woman in front of you, so much like your Wanda, yet so different than her.

Wanda opened her lips, her heart yearning to get you closer to feel as if you were real. As if you were her Y/N, but she couldn’t stop feeling the coldness, the anger, the sadness pouring out of you from your every pore.

When Wanda spoke again, she did so with the same tone of voice she used that very first time. The one that had always told Y/N that she was loved that she was cherished, that she was everything Wanda needed.

“When I told her about the pregnancy, Tommy and Billy made sure to help me out. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why…” Wanda let out a breathless chuckle, “but when I told her, it just clicked. It was as if she could feel them, and she could sense the familiarity in them. They were as much hers as they were mine.”

“I felt them.” The words left your mouth before you could prevent it. You lifted your face to the ceiling, furrowing your brows while your powers ignited with the familiarity the twins brought to you. “It was strange, yet familiar…And I…”

You stopped right before you could say more than you meant to, you lifted your eyes only then taking notice of how close this Wanda was to you. You could feel her warm breath on your face, her eyes gleaming with a deep green that showed all the love she felt for you.

Correction, for the version of yourself in this universe.

Not you.

Never you.

Your whole demeanour changed in the blink of an eye. Your body tensed, and you stepped back until there was only coldness and distance between you and Wanda. And in that moment, your heart broke all over again for the things you had just discovered in a world that was not your own.

“I can’t…” You whispered; Wanda lifted her hand but she hesitated stepping back as well.

It was in that moment you thought about the videos you received; those chapters of a story Wanda had lived in world she had created. The twins that had come to life as the children of Vision, the sudden mess that became out of such a magic, and then the piercing pain inside your chest when you realized Wanda was even further away than where she had been the first time the both of you broke up.

Your mind quivered breaking into a flow of memories you had tried to contain behind the shadows, and your chest shrank into a deep void filled with coldness and emptiness that left you breathless with desperation clinging to your senses.

Wanda stepped back; she creased her brows watching as your powers flickered around her. You clenched your jaw tilting your head until your footsteps take you out of the house. The world around you trembled surrounding you in complete darkness until all that was left was the single, crimson light of Wanda gleaming in the distance.

“Why are you so hurt, Y/N?” She asked, and her voice was like a dagger piercing your soul and twisting the memories of what could had been.

Instead of answering, instead of voicing your frustrations you broke down with tears rolling down your cheeks and the woman you loved holding you tightly. You hugged her tightly knowing, in this world, she was yours as much as you were hers and, even if it was for a brief moment, you could pretend this was your life.

And that was all that matter at the moment.

________________________________________________

You had been watching the routine from afar.

Billy and Tommy were extraordinary, their powers had been developing along with their physical attributes under the watchful eye of your counterpart and Wanda. Your heart twisted every time they looked at you or addressed you in such a familiar and loving way. The way kids sought out their parents, and it broke your heart the same way it was breaking Wanda’s.

“You were quite good to them, though I am pretty sure Billy noticed you were not his mother.” The voice was familiar to you, you had heard him a thousand times teasing and overall being a complete nuisance until he was finally killed by Thanos.

Loki Odinson was looking completely different to the Loki you had met back home.

His hair was around his shoulders, and he was wearing a dark suit with a tie matching the green of his magic. He gave you a quick once over, his eyes cold and calculating, while his hand twitched around calling upon a spell. You turned completely getting your body ready for a fight, the god smirked and soon you let out a gasp filled with an exclamation of pain as your back hit the ground.

“Not as fast as you used to, I see.”

“You just wait until I get use to this stranger’s body, then you will wish I was this slow.”

“Indeed.” He replied with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice, he stood by your side stretching out a hand to help you up.

You eyed the hand before taking it, the strength he used was enough to tell you he was not someone to mess with. Yet, there was something different about this Loki; he was calmer, more collected and with a hidden force that made you curious just to know the story behind the Asgardians in this universe.

“So, you played for the good guys in this universe?”

Loki scowled at the question walking past you until he reached the porch steps sitting down.

“I have never been part of the bad guys, but I have never seen eye to eye with Thor or some of those idiots he calls friends,” Loki leaned back settling his eyes on you, “I find it insulting to label people in such a black and white vision of life, when you and I know, that people and everyone in general is just…”

“Complicated.” You finished narrowing your eyes at Loki, the young male smirked tilting his head to one side.

“Exactly. Now, let’s get down to business, how much do you know of what happened before you got here?”

__________________________________

Another day sneaked through the clouds, the sun shone right above the heads of the agents surrounding the area around the dome. 

Yelena was playing with the knife you had given to her for her birthday, her eyebrows creased together while the TV got ready to play the same chapter of your boring life over and over again. Yelena wished whoever was controlling the show would at least get new ideas, or at least let all of you spice things up because this was getting ridiculous.

There was a loud beep coming from the screen, and the image in the TV flickered between colours and black and white. Yelena almost fell off her chair when you appeared on the screen, this time around the story was different, and for the first time Yelena wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing.

“Natasha! You better come here right now!” 

*****

The morning light sneaked through the bedroom curtains. The warm of a single ray of sunshine shook you from your slumber, without really opening your eyes you tried to cover up your face knowing that full consciousness poked through your brain.

Continuing with your marvellous sleep would not be possible anymore.

You furrowed your brows, turning to the side while stretching your arm to try and hug the woman you shared your bed with. 

Wanda.

A jolt of electricity went from your brain to your body, your heart beating at an anormal speed while you sat down in the bed. You glanced around the room but everything was the same as the day before, and the before that one. You frowned lifting a hand to your face, your thoughts came crashing down without any specific order.

Your wife. Her name was…

You turned to your bedside table, your mind flashed the memory of a single frame with the woman holding onto you smiling brightly. Your frown deepened, the name dancing inside your mind but unable to make sense.

It's going to be okay, my love, don't take the pill. Don't take it and you and I will be together again.

The voice inside your head whispered, the sweet tone was familiar, your heart jumped with anticipation. You turned on your side ready to leave the bed when the door of the room opened and another woman came right in.

She had dark hair, her lips full and red, while those eyes gleamed with a strange light.

“Good morning, baby, did you sleep well?” She came onto you leaning in to seal her words with a kiss.

It felt wrong, but you answered to the kiss lazily with the pretension of being just awake for a couple of minutes. The woman narrowed her eyes though the smile never left her face, she leaned back before making her way to the curtains and opening them with a yank of her hands.

“Today is a beautiful day, and last night was just amazing my love, I really enjoy it when you let me use you hard.” Her words pretended to be flirty, with a teasing undertone she tried to converge with the sultry stare she sent your way.

You shifted uncomfortably, this time around you wandered through your body to validate the veracity of her words. You didn't feel sore, but of course it could also be the effect of the drug or whatever it was you were in. You stood up making your way towards the woman.

Agatha.

Your face broke into another smile, your arms wrapping around her before leaning in to suck on her pulse point. Agatha lifted her hands closing them around your biceps, a sudden gasp left her lips and she tilted her head to give you more access.

“I love it when you let me be in charge, love.” You whispered in her ear, your lips teasing the shell of her ear, your eyes narrowing when the fixated on the flickering reality behind the woman.

“Mmm, I can tell you want more, but today we have the event in the school and we cannot miss it, I'm still competing for first place in the desserts contest.” Agatha stepped back her eyes dark and dangerous, a hint of lust gleaming inside them.

This was the very first time you approached her out of your free will, and the woman was excited. If you were already looking Agatha out and making these advances it meant her magic was growing bending the reality and helping her get what she wanted. Soon Scarlet and Wanda would no longer be an issue and you would be next.

“Very well, but you won't escape, Missy, I will have you later on.” You winked at her turning to make your way to the bathroom, Agatha called out to you stepping closer while lifting a single pill in her hand.

“I will wait patiently for you, now be a good girl and take your medication and take a bath.” 

Your smile never faltered taking the pill you put it right away in your mouth swallowing in front of the woman before entering the bathroom to get ready for the day. Agatha stood there for a moment, her eyes squinting trying to catch anything unusual but soon the shower started running and you started humming distractedly. The dark-haired woman smirked and left, the world around her flickering from purple to red.

*****

The day was bright and warm.

It was a complete contrast of the weather America had suffered in Norway. She glanced at the sky, then at the buildings around her, noticing for the very first time the forms of other people walking around the lanes in front of their homes. She frowned stepping back inside the house where Wanda had been recovering after her session with Agatha, she knelt beside the other woman lifting a hand to measure the temperature.

“Today I don't have a fever.” Wanda opened her eyes offering a half smile to the teen.

“That's good.” America sighed checking Wanda before sitting down on the floor. “You look weak.”

“I'm okay.” Wanda sat down slowly, she grabbed the pillows on the sofa tightly clenching her eyes close. “Scarlet is the one doing most of the work.”

America scoffed looking away from Wanda, that was another part of this crazy plan she didn't like. Whatever had happened before America came into the game, Wanda had detached herself from her powers and the part of her that had always been ready to fight for you. She had seen the suffering behind those green eyes, the pain in Wanda’s voice and the defeat in her posture, she had come to terms that you would never be Wanda’s and that she would always be in love with someone that didn't want her back. 

The world had been unfair to you and Wanda, and the both of you had given into miscommunications and pride to even attempt a shaky friendship. America pursed her lips glancing at the coffee table where Wanda had placed the necklace she wore at all times. 

“You are Scarlet.” America finally replied, locking her eyes with those of Wanda, “you and her are one and the same, you told me yourself that you could feel everything she did and that…”

“I know.” Wanda stood up on shaky legs, she pressed her lips together leaning in to grab the necklace. “Let's get ready, Agatha is finally confident enough that the world around her is of her own creation and we need to make the most of this chance to wake Y/N and get her help to break the spell.”

“Wanda?” America asked tentatively, she could tell the other woman tensed waiting for the question.

America hesitated before stepping closer, “are you sure this is going to work?”

“It has to.” Wanda sighed glancing to the floor, “Agatha won't rest until she had completed the ritual and drained me of my powers, then she would move onto Y/N…”

“And finally, me.” America wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes tearing up hating people around her kept being hurt because of her powers. Because of who she was.

Wanda put her hands on her shoulders, she offered a tender smile and her eyes gleamed with determination.

“Nothing bad is going to happen, we will make this work and then we will deal with Agatha.”

“Would you fuse with Scarlet?” America gauged Wanda's expression, she could see the fear behind those green eyes. “I mean, she is you after all and perhaps in that way you and Y/N…”

“Even if we were to do this, America, she is…she would never…” Wanda let out a heavy sigh, her hand putting her hair back holding onto everything she wanted to say, everything she had been experiencing ever since she got a chance to see you again.

“It's never going to happen, she doesn't love me anymore and I broke any chances to be with her a long time ago.” 

America opened her mouth to say something but Wanda silenced her with a gesture of her hands.

“No, she is not…when I accepted this I knew what I was getting into.” Wanda couldn't help the bitterness in her voice, “I knew it would hurt and we would never be nothing more than allies, I just…”

There were no more words, Wanda strsightned up turning her back to the teen.

“I’m going to get ready, I suggest you do the same.”

Wanda didn’t say anything, without tuning around she made her way back to her room and got the bath ready. She held back her tears, tired of the pain this reunion with you had brought to her heart. She knew she had to pay for her sins, what she didn’t know was how high of a price she would have to cover for everything to at least be forgiven. She had been paying her mistakes from day one, without a single moment of peace or redemption.

The water fell on her washing away the painful pressure resting on her chest, her fist clenched tightly as she went along with the plan, with the memories, with everything Agatha made her lived all over again in order to get deeper into her powers. Wanda was not completely sure she understood, and Scarlet had been unable to be cooperative unless you were involved; everything turned out to be a complete mess, and the young witch had to wonder if perhaps outside this reality there was someone trying to help them out solve the mess they were in.

If there was someone out there that was not blaming Wanda for yet another invented reality.

Wanda closed her eyes, her body flinched with the sudden jolt of electricity that went through her limbs all the way to the very core of her soul. She clenched her jaw close, the world flickered for a moment until she felt the pulse of energy gathering around her hands. Scarlet was ready, and they were running out of time. With a single sigh, Wanda turned off the water and went to get ready.

They only had one chance, she needed to be fast if they wanted to safe Y/N and themselves before it was too late.

And, after seeing her weakened state, Wanda knew time was not on their side.

___________________________

Time was relative.

And, apparently, space bent to the laws of time.

Loki had been very clear in his explanation of the multiverse, and his role in getting you in the right timeline and the right body. You heard everything he told you, with your mind taking the bits you thought important while trying to understand those you found hard to believe in. The theory was solid, but it certainly was meant for someone with a deeper knowledge on these matters like Hank, Tony or even Bruce. You went along with the game, believing what the god was saying to you while formulating a plan that could help you out without disturbing the timeline or the multiverse.

But for Loki to make it work, he would need time, and that meant you would need to live in a world you already found was destroying you little by little.

Without a doubt, this universe was going to be the dead of you.

When you were young and left the Avengers, you used to torture yourself with the ‘What ifs’. What if you forgive Wanda, what if you had been enough, what if you and her were still together. What if.

You remembered those long nights in which you imagine a normal life with her, the thought of getting married and forming a family. These thoughts grew inside your mind until you hit the rock bottom and you had to start a real healing process, you had accepted what happened and you stepped out of the shadows to move forward. You were a hero, with or without the Avengers, you were still pretty much a person that could help others so that was what you did.

You never forgot Wanda, and those little what if scenarios would come at nights or on those specific moments in which you were alone with your thoughts. Your heart used to ache with the shadows of the past while facing the light of the future; and now, trapped in this world, you were face to face with the biggest what if there was dancing inside your mind.

What if you give yourself a chance to love her again?

What if you forgive her?

The door of the basement opened and closed with a heavy thud, you shook your head turning to see Wanda Maximoff coming down the stairs with a plate filled with sandwiches and a three glasses of orange juice. Your eyes went from the tray to the woman then back to the book you had been staring at, Loki snorted knowingly sitting down while flickering his hand around.

The lights grew in intensity, and Wanda shot a quick glare to Loki before shaking her head in defeat. She settled her tray on the table taking a seat right beside you, her eyes softening lightly as they read on your face the torturing thoughts dancing inside your head that multiply when you realised Wanda had prepared your favourite sandwich. The young woman offered an affectionate smile before turning to Loki.

“It is quite evident they had been dream-walking, whoever has been doing it, at least, has become quite adept at it and has been creating a complete mayhem while doing so.” Wanda grabbed a sandwich furrowing her brow while opening the book and showing some graphics filled with runes and letters you did not understand.

Loki tilted his head eating in silence while glancing at the graphics, he turned to you then back to Wanda who continued speaking while filling up in the gaps that you did not know. Those that you had not been a part of while on in this universe.

“When we first encountered America, she told us about the multiple encounters she had with strange creatures chasing her around the multiple universes.” Wanda pursed her lips furrowing her brows, “something happened though, there was a moment of peace and then when they came back, she fell into our world.”

“Is this the part in which everything else happened?” Loki asked tilting his head thoughtfully, “but there was a moment of peace as well, was it not? Stark mentioned a time of peace in which she was getting use to this place…”

“And to us, yes.” Wanda shifted lightly, her eyes flickered to where you were already finishing your sandwich, your tongue tucking out cleaning your lips before you went back to your food. She couldn’t help but smile at the gesture, it seemed that some things didn’t change in between universes.

“Dream-walking is a powerful technique, not just anyone can do it and whoever decides to enter in such a realm of dark magic usually gets affected,” Loki leaned back closing his eyes for a moment, “whoever is behind this know what they are doing, and they had probably been planning this for a very long time.”

“I’ve been having dreams I shouldn’t have, dreams with Scarlet sneaking inside a different reality.” You chewed on your lower lip drinking from the glass before continuing, “some of them are pretty real, everything that she does it’s usually pretty real, yet I know it is not Wanda. It feels different, she is different even if they look the same.”

There was a moment of silence in which you tried to ignore the stares from Loki and Wanda on you. You distracted yourself with the food and the beverage while playing with the ring on your hand, you shifted on the chair ready to speak until Loki beat you to it.

“You said you saw a rune before the explosion, right?” Loki inquired, he produced a piece of paper and a pen that lend you waiting for you to draw what you saw.

“Yep.”

Wanda observed as you drew the rune, she leaned forward softening when her nose caught up with the aroma of your shampoo and special scent that was innately yours. She couldn't help the hand that rested on your arm, nor the tenderness behind her caress. You shifted on the spot, your back going rigid the moment you felt the familiarity behind the touch.

“There is something I don't understand yet, why do you call her Scarlet and referring to her as a third individual?” Loki finally asked furrowing his brows, you scrunched up your nose turning to Wanda then to Loki.

“Because they are not the same?” You knew something was not right the moment those words left your mouth.

Wanda and Loki glanced at one another, breaking their eye contact almost right away. 

“What?” You could see the hesitation but it was Wanda the one who answered.

“I am Scarlet, Y/N. That was my alias when I was part of the Avengers.” She clarified, you noticed just how closed she was to you, the twitched of her lips just as her hand cleaned up the crumbs of bread on your clothes and face. 

“Okay, well…look, I don't know what happened there, but my Wan…” You scoffed at the slip, stepping back and giving your back to Wanda you spoke again, “Wanda and Scarlet are certainly not the same. If anything…Scarlet is more…”

“Daring? Powerful? Mischievous? Straightforward?” Loki cocked his head, he smirked when you turned to him, narrowing your eyes. “That's Wanda alright, I will add an annoyance, and a pain in the ass.”

“Thank you.” Wanda glared at Loki who bowed his head, the relationship was almost as confusing as seeing Steve squirmed when talking to Loki.

“I wouldn't describe it like that…” you trailed off remembering the dreams, the touches and her words. 

You clenched your hands, this world was certainly driving you mad. 

“Is it possible this Scarlet is from a different Universe?” You asked looking at the circle on the floor, “perhaps a more deranged and obsessive version of Wanda from a different Universe?”

Loki stiffened at the question, he shifted from one foot to the other before stepping forward with a flickered of his hand a book appeared out of thin air. He grabbed the article, turning to Wanda before stepping forward into the circle.

“A cup of tea would be nice,” Loki sat down on the circle opening the book in front of him, the world soon darkened only to ignite a green flame. 

You stood your ground, stepping inside the circle making the magic around it flickered dangerously. Your eyes went black, leaning forward with your arms firmly placed at your sides.

“Answer the question.” You demanded to which Loki merely shrugged.

“Wherever there is a Wanda, there is always a Scarlet Witch, Y/N. They are one and the same.” Loki then twirled his fingers sitting Indian style while closing his eyes, the electric current of his magic pushed you away. “The fact that you are telling us there are two versions of Wanda only tells me what I should look for.”

“How can you know this? How can you be so sure that they are not two versions of different universes?”

“Because something like this has already happened before.” Loki waved his hand away frowning, “now, hush, I need to do this right or else I may take far longer than necessary and you need to go back to your timeline before something catastrophic happens.”

You observed the god with his hands position to the sides, flickering as the book finally revealed golden pages and he smirked. You were about to speak again but your body went completely rigid when a hand placed itself on your shoulder, you turned around only to see Wanda looking directly at you. Her touch was tender, and almost tentative, but it was enough for you to stop whatever you were about to do or ask. For a brief moment she waited, until you finally relaxed and stepped back.

“Come, this may take a while and I think we still have a conversation pending.”

You hesitated with your shadows flickering around you, whatever power or will to fight you had in you was soon eased out when Wanda sought out your eyes. You swallowed down your weakness before this woman, and without a single word you turned around and left the basement. The door close behind you with a flash of gold and green filling the basement before the closed door stopped any other intrusion from the magic.

You rested your back against the door, the young woman standing beside you bounced for a moment before she went into action and made her way to the kitchen. At first, you only follow her with your eyes, the confidence she was usually wearing faltered from time to time, and you could see the tension building up inside her while she grabbed the tea pot and got everything ready. Her back was turned towards you, but you were completely sure she was pretty aware of your presence and what you were doing.

After a while, and once it was pretty obvious Wanda had nothing else to do but wait for the water to boil you pushed from the door walking towards the kitchen and sitting down on a chair near the counter.

“When I first learnt about my powers, I started hearing this voice inside my head.” Wanda started talking out of nowhere, you sat down waiting for the story to continue.

“It was not a stranger's voice, it was mine though it held an influence and power that soon became part of me.” Wanda turned around, this time around she made sure it was impossible for you to look away. “While I was being experimented on, the voice kept on infusing me with confidence and power, I understood that the magic in me was talking but then…”

Wanda trailed off and her face broke into a painful mask of the past. The memories came rushing in, she lifted a hand to grab her arm hugging herself protectively. You swallowed down holding onto the counter, your heart twisted wanting to go over there and comfort Wanda. You clenched your jaw, looking away and hating the emotions running rampant inside of you.

“I was then given to my parents, my adoptive parents.” Wanda put a hand on her forehead, her voice breaking lightly. “She never told you?”

“She decided to cheat on me instead of trusting in me.” You replied through clenched teeth.

“It's so easy to judge others, isn't it?” Wanda shook her head leaning forward. “Have you ever asked her about the experiments? About the abuse? About the training?”

“Perhaps it was different from her that it was for you.”

Wanda leaned back, lifting her chin, “perhaps, but something tells me our worlds differ in the way we react to the past.”

“Does it make a difference?” You leaned forward, for the very first time spitting out anger while hitting the counter. “She broke my heart in the worst way and then…then came back with a set of troubles that only brought confusion and memories I didn't want!”

Wanda shook her head pointing a finger at you.

“If this is what you think then, you never knew her and you never understood her.” Wanda opened her mouth to say something else but she stopped, her eyes taking in the form of her wife and her heart yearning to have her back. To feel the sweet caress of her eyes on her. 

“She should have been more open, then. I was patient! I was always there for her! Even after Pietro died…”

“What?” Wanda paled at this, she opened her eyes trembling while she approached you, a piercing pain breaking through her chest.

You blinked confusedly shrugging, the anger still lingering in your features. 

“The day she became part of the team, that day Sokovia was destroyed. Pietro died saving Clint.” You hesitated to take notice of the pain crossing Wanda's eyes, “I'm sorry.”

Tears piled up in her eyes, her hand went to her chest. It was quite evident this news affected her greatly, even if her own brother was alive and her country was still pretty much a functional place with a stable government and amazing landscapes. You looked away, unable to face the tears or the sorrow coming from Wanda.

“And then, she lost you.” She whispered, leaning back, Wanda opened her mouth before closing it again. 

You shrugged, passing your hand through your hair, everything was messed up. Your emotions, the situation, the fact your heart ached to comfort Wanda, that you still wondered if perhaps being with her was possible. 

“I just…I want this to end. I don't know if this was…”

“You really don't understand,” this time around Wanda approached you with a tentative stare in her eyes. You stepped back the muscles of your face tense, with your chin lifted slightly.

“I think I understand enough after I saw her fucking Vision while she was still dating me.” You spat out, your eyes black while your powers flickered behind you.

Wanda had seen it.

The treason, the broken heart, the pride and the anger, but she had also seen the love, the nostalgia, the confusion as to what to do, how to proceed. She had seen enough to approach you, to place a hand on your shoulder. This Wanda had seen it all, and she had lived it before; the only difference was that she never hide herself from who she was and what she was experimenting with you. She had to face it because if she hadn't done so, she would have lost you and she was not ready to let you go.

It was getting harder to breathe, your thoughts came rushing inside your mind creating a spiralling of emotions that pierce through your very soul. Those green eyes were looking at you with understanding, there was a hint of sadness there but also hopefulness, and you just dropped your shoulders with your eyes glancing to the window.

“I can't look at you without remembering my pain,” you mumbled grabbing your chest, “I can't be here, and I can't be part of this fight if it means I have to be close to you. To her.”

“You still love her?” The question made you shiver, the darkness in your eyes increased and this time around the shadows wrapped around your body.

“It doesn't matter.”

“It does to me.” Wanda squeezed your shoulder tenderly, there was a hint of a smile but otherwise the woman was trying to be as open as she could be with you. “I can't believe she did what she did, it was something that crossed my mind but I never…”

“Yes, well, things are different in every universe, right?” You tried to move away but the hand tightened her hold and Wanda kept you closer. 

“When I broke things up, and I started dating Vision something happened.” Wanda started, her voice carried the weight of memories while her magic flickered around you and her. “It was confusing at first, denying you, denying me, trying to convince myself that I was living in sin and that I have to change to be the perfect daughter, to be the person I was raised to be.”

You listened carefully, it was the very first time you heard Wanda after what happened. And while this experience was completely different to the one you lived with your Wanda you could perceive the similarities. The relationship with Vision, you running away, the conflict in the world, the need for the Avengers to save the day, everything came crashing down and the fight was almost lost because Wanda had lost herself and her mind. She was becoming a different person, her powers getting out of control. Until she was faced with her powers and the presence inside her mind.

“It was strange, at first, but it was as if I had created a different version of myself, a powerful one that had no limits on the magic she could use, my magic,” Wanda then let out a bitter smile, “I almost killed my Y/N when she tried to reach out to me, that was what made me snapped.”

“I don't understand…” you crunched up your nose, creasing your brows while replaying the story inside your head, “what do you mean another person? Powerful? I mean, my Wanda created a whole new reality for her and…Vision.”

“Are you sure it was for him?” Wanda stepped back letting go of you, “there is something about this whole mess that has been bothering me ever since America stepped into our reality.”

“You mean, besides my consciousness being trapped in the body of your wife?” The sarcasm in your tone made Wanda roll her eyes, though this time around she did smile.

“The magic feels familiar, yet tainted. As if there was something else in there.” Wanda leaned back against the counter, “you mentioned a Scarlet and a Wanda, I was never two different people in here, I became the Scarlet Witch and owed my powers the same day I decided to fight for you and your forgiveness.”

You tensed turning away from the intense stare Wanda was shooting your way.

“I don't pretend to defend my counterpart, her sins are her own, and her demons had been chasing her far enough to leave her alone in your world,” her words crashed the barrier in your heart, and not for the first time you longed to see your Wanda and comfort her. You had seen the loneliness, the misery, and the weight of her mistakes wearing her down.

“But, have you considered perhaps Scarlet is her way to escape who she really is? That perhaps, everything comes down to this Agatha and the world Wanda created for herself?”

You couldn't answer the question that left a burning mark in your mind, the house started trembling and soon the air filled with magic. You and Wanda turned to the door where the sheer strength of the magic being used was making it tremble on its hinges. 

“What's happening?” You narrowed your eyes, your body getting ready for whatever would come out of the door. 

Wanda approached the door tentatively, her hand stretched out but before she could reach the doorknob there was a small explosion. Out of instinct, you grabbed her through the shadows putting her out of harm's way while the hall got completely destroyed. Your arms wrapped protectively around Wanda, your eyes wide open as they glanced at the woman that was kneeling beside you.

“Are you okay?” 

Wanda swallowed down, nodding, she looked away from you, turning her attention to the hall. There was no more magic, and everything was silent. The place looked trashed but otherwise the house was silent, with only remnants of humming power prickling at your skin. You couldn't help but set your eyes on Wanda, the woman holding onto you submitting to your protective embrace. 

“Loki.” There was real concern behind Wanda's voice, with some reluctance she stood up getting ready to go down the stairs when Loki finally appeared behind the threshold. 

“Loki! Are you alright?”

Wanda was on him in no time , her hand gleaming red scanned the body of the male frowning before slapping his arm. Loki scoffed, rubbing the spot she had hit, glaring at the woman.

“What was that for?”

“I told you not to trash the house!”

“Yes, well it wasn't my fault.” He stepped past Wanda, directing his eyes to you. “Tell me everything you know about Wanda and Scarlet, and what exactly do you know about this Agatha.”

You cocked your head, your nose crunching up with just a hint of hesitation in your eyes. The world might have changed in this part of the universe but Loki was still Loki; what could he do to help? What was more, why was Wanda looking at him as if he held the answers to this mess?

“We don't have time for this, but I'm not the Loki you know…” here Loki trailed off, his feet taking him to the teapot, every single moment measured and carefully designed for him to serve himself a cup of tea.

Wanda came behind you, you sensed her hesitation before she too stepped past you and joined Loki in the same activity. You couldn't believe the strangeness of this world, the obvious power these two individuals held, and the secrets behind their powers. You glanced at the mug in front of him, then at an admiring Loki.

“By mere chance, I ended up in a place where all the timelines are stories I can tamper without any effort.” He shrugged, taking a sip from his tea, “while witches and wizards everywhere need to dream walk or steal the powers to reach other realities, I can do so by stepping into the sacred timeline.”

“What is…?” You started and for the first time you saw real annoyance behind Loki's face.

“I could explain to you my part of the story, but I believe our main focus must be for you to go back to your world, and our Y/N to come back.” Loki shrugged, looking at Wanda sideways, “that's why I need you to tell me everything.”

There were many questions in your mind, but with a nod you opened your mouth telling them about your first encounter with Wanda, whatever you found out about Agatha and then the subsequent explosion that led you to this world.

___________________

Wanda was ready to hit someone.

She really was ready to give up and do something drastic. The red magic concentrated on her hand, her eyes gleaming dangerously until a soothing hand wrapped around her forearm, America was torn between being amused and slightly concerned. For what seemed weeks they had been trying to get their plan into motion but every time they got to it you were ensnared deeper into the hex Agatha had placed on you.

The days were changing slowly, instead of the temporal loop they had experimented on those first days, now it was possible to go from one day to another, different days, different scenarios. Agatha was growing stronger while Wanda and Scarlet weakened little by little.

“You told me we had to be patient.” America stated trying to block Wanda's eyes from the scene playing in front of her.

Wanda huffed looking away from you and Agatha.

“She is doing this on purpose, she keeps using Y/N by having her under a spell, and we…”

“We are working on a solution, and the solution is here.” America rolled her eyes, still not believing she was the adult at the moment.

America knew most of Wanda's reaction was jealousy, the other part was guiltiness. Whatever was happening in the basement whenever Agatha dragged Wanda down, America knew the young woman had to face things she was not ready to face. Wanda usually came from those sessions tired, drained and miserable, while it became difficult for her to handle her magic.

America pursed her lips glancing at you and Agatha, Agatha placing your hand on her abdomen while you looked at her adorably. The principal of the school and the woman America and Wanda had met the first time they arrived in Norway were smiling congratulating the happy couple.

“How did she get the…” Wanda couldn't even said it, she turned around and everyone seemed to be having a good time in the school grounds.

“Well, you told me that's what you did…”

“Her magic was not like mine, she really is draining all my powers and here I am…” Wanda turned around and walked away.

America followed her walking faster to keep up with the other woman.

“Wanda, it's going to be fine, this is what we have been waiting for, right? We got her distracted and then you tried to wake Y/N…” America then hesitated pursuing her lips, “you told me your counterpart would help, right? With the signal she would help…”

Wanda stopped her passing, she squinted her eyes before nodding curtly.

“She said she would help.” Wanda didn't want to share her concerns with America in regards to her counterpart.

When they had met, Wanda had been scared out of her mind. The woman standing before her held the full power of chaos magic while being a construct of an inexistent reality. She had spoken harshly to her, blaming her for your indifference and for you to seek out other arms to be happy. Wanda had seen her life in replay, the past and the mistakes, the pain and the wrong decisions, everything that had led her to be alone and forgotten, trapped in a hex out of her control.

“Wanda?” America asked tentatively, Wanda straightened up shaking her head before offering a shaky smile.

“Let's do this.”

America smiled nodding, Wanda sighed begging to whoever was listening to her that this worked, or else, she didn't know what would happen once Agatha had gotten what she came for.

“You know what to do, right?” Wanda asked a very enthusiastic America, the young woman nodded with a smirk forming on her lips.

“Yep, please, Wanda just go for her… I know things will be okay.”

Wanda watched as America left ready to join the rest of the teenagers she had known back at school, soon she pretended to be just like everyone else trapped into the loop while Wanda sneaked around ready to reach out to you. With a single tap into her magic, she signalled Scarlet and soon she felt the surge of power going through her body as an answer. 

There was a loud bang, everyone exclaimed in surprise and soon people were laughing and clapping. While Wanda saw the subtle flickered in the reality, the purple changed into a light red. It was time. Without wasting more time, Wanda sprinted towards you spotting you right away while you laughed at some of the kids putting you away ready to show you some of their works and Agatha was distracted by the mother's asking about her pregnancy. The scene was so absurdly familiar, and stereotypical Agatha never noticed Wanda coming closer, or you walking into the school building.

The place was completely quiet, there was not much light but whatever light sneaked inside the building was enough for Wanda to locate you in the far corner of the building. Her heart skipped a beat, she glanced around knowing at any moment the reality could break and Agatha could get everything under her control.

“Y/N?” She called tentatively, you turned around with a scrunched-up nose and brows knitted together.

Your eyes met hers, and Wanda felt her breath taken away. You looked just the same, the way she remembered, with the same serious facade and the eyes filled with kindness and wonderment. She wished she could reach out to you, that she could gain your forgiveness…

The distance between the both of you shortened, but before Wanda could say anything you did something that left her and Scarlet defenceless.

You kissed her.

Wanda gave in right away, her eyes opened wide only to close slowly while she submitted herself to the kiss. Your lips on her sent an electric jolt through her body until her heart was twisting inside her chest and a hoard of butterflies exploded inside her lower abdomen. She forgot her own name, and everything stopped when your arms pulled her close and your warmth engulfed her with your teasing lips eliciting sweet whimpers of need.

For a brief moment Wanda forgot all about her past, she forgot the problem they were in and even why she had been looking for you. Wanda gave in, and kissed you back with the same tenderness, with the same need, with the same love.

“My Love, I missed you so much.” You said smiling tenderly at her, Wanda whimpered when you went back to her, your lips pressing tentatively before you pressed your forehead against hers.

“By the gods, Wanda, what's going on? Where is everyone? Billy and Tommy? Are they Okay?” You broke the kiss cupping her face in your hands, your questions soon went through her foggy mind, and Wanda felt as if a bucket of cold water fell on her.

“What?”

“Is it Pietro with them?”

Wanda felt her world crumbling around her, and you just went to kiss her again when a ball of purple mist came in between the both of you exploding and sending you flying away from Wanda.

You groaned, hitting the wall, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

“Honey, I can't take my eyes off of you or you go back to Wanda's arms, tsk even after she fucked Vision you’re like a lost dog after her “

You pressed your hands on the ground lifting your face, your brows knitted together while Agatha held onto America and Wanda. You eyed the woman in front of you, she wore a dark dress floating just above the ground with America trying to grasp for air. Agatha smirked at you, her free hand twitching slightly until Wanda fell on the ground with a purple rope tightly wrapped around her neck.

“Wanda!” You stood up stretching your hands and your eyes darkening completely, you hardened your features stopping only when you heard the groan of pain from America and Wanda.

“Nu-uh, dear, I can be quite jealous and if you even care about these two you will lower your guns and…”

You were not even thinking about the threat, you had found an opening in the hex and in the powers used by the woman in front of you. Your fingers wiggled, and the shadows went into attack mode but you weren’t the only one joining the fight without giving it a second thought. Scarlet and Wanda had been planning it all along, they knew they needed one another to bring Agatha down, the same way the did that first time but they were not counting on you.

Or, the golden and greenish spark of magic that broke into their space, the explosion that followed blinded everyone, and soon they were there no more.

_____________________

The charts and the monitors were going into overdrive, Tony was trying to fix some of the readings with Monica and Friday helping him out while Carol was standing outside the dome getting ready for action.

Yelena and Natasha stayed behind, they had been watching the fill show for more than a couple of hours watching the time passed differently entering into days and nights as if time didn’t really matter.

Yelena was chewing on her lower lip, hitting the table as soon as she saw you running towards Wanda crashing your lips against hers.

“I told you! Didn’t I?” Yelena turned to Natasha pointing an accusing finger at her.

Natasha rolled her eyes trying to go back into the scene, getting other angles only to see Agatha freezing the scene around her and grabbing America harshly by the neck. She saw the way she roughed America up, putting her to her before making her way to the school. Her eyes went from one screen to the other, this time around she noticed Scarlet breaking the chains around her arms, legs and neck, almost crawling outside the house faltering before gathering some energy.

“Yes, Yelena, you told me, you are amazing at this but…” Natasha pointed to the screens, Tony and Monica coming over shaking their heads.

“Whatever the hell is going on is…” Tony trailed off turning around to see a huge explosion affecting the dome.

The earth trembled, and soon everyone right outside was running around screaming orders in different languages.

“Guys, you need to see this!!” Carol was standing right outside the trailer, her face was completely paled, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Natasha was about to exit but stopped when Yelena grabbed her hand, she turned to her sister to see the concern in her eyes.

“That’s not her.” Yelena was completely serious, with just a hint of fear in her tone.

“I know.”

“Who was that?”

“I don’t know, Yelena, but…”

“Hey, you two, you better come out because we just got a huge problem right now.”

Yelena scoffed turning to Tony, “what could possible be more important than the fact that was not Y/N?!”

Tony tilted his head shrugging, “perhaps the fact they just disappeared.”

“What?!”

Natasha and Yelena soon joined the rest of the team outside the trailer, the cold winter breeze of the north hit them straight in the face. The town was left almost untouched, with people on the ground being attended by the medical team; the dome had disappeared but besides some buildings being scratched and the people around being confused and left on the spots, there was nothing else indicating something strange had happened.

Natasha stepped forward watching the streets, and the sky, her heart almost leaving her chest when she turned around to see everyone looking at her. Yelena came forward as well, she crossed the street glancing around until she realized she was right in front of the street Agatha had used to name the street you were living in.

“What…what happened? Where are they?” Yelena finally asked turning to Natasha who merely shrugged just as baffled as her sister.

Instead of watching the same destruction Wanda had provoked a few months ago, what they found was a city that had been frozen in time. With all the inhabitants trying to remember what had happened, why they seemed to be a little disoriented; meanwhile, Yelena and the others had to wonder where you and the others had gone to.

“Where are they? Where is Y/N?!” Carol asked turning to Natasha and Tony. “You told me this would be fine! That you guy would find an answer before anything happened! Well, guess what, something happened!”

But there were no answers, and while everyone was fighting over what they should have done, or discussing what they should do, Yelena grunted exasperated running back into the trailer ready to get her eyes square while watching the screens. Something must be hiding in the broadcast, something she probably missed, something that would bring you safe and sound back into their reality.

At least, that’s what Yelena hoped for.

______________________________________________________________

Next Chapter: Loki miscalculates and creates a vacoon in the multiverse, Wanda has to face her counterpart and two different versions of Reader, America is ready to save the day and it was Agatha all along.

[isthisfree]

15 questions for 15 friends

Thank you @kato-neimoidia and @starwalkertales for tagging me! These were fun the answer.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes. My legal first name is my aunt's middle name and her name came from her god mother. My middle name is my other aunt's middle name and it came from her aunt, so my great aunt. The name I've gone by since I was born though is from my mother's best friend from college. A couple of years ago my mom told me that she just wanted to name me after her best friend, but my aunts are the type that would feel slighted by that, so she got lucky that the name I go by is a shorten version of my legal name. So really I never had a chance in the whole people pleasing department lol

2. When was the last time you cried?

The last time I had a full cry, not just a couple of tears escaping, was last September. I found out my cat I've had for 15 years has cancer and that it is terminal. He's still going strong though!

3. Do you have kids?

Nope

4. What sports do you play/ have you played?

I played soccer as a kid, but just rec leagues, nothing serious.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Yes! Unfortunately though if I don't know someone really well I tend to have a hard time recognizing it when other's use it. So sarcasm and I have a love/hate relationship.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I don't like to look at people directly unless I am close to them, so I notice their voice first. If I do have to focus on someone new, it's probably hair. At an old college job I had to semi-permanently cover a shift and I would always start it by introducing myself to everyone else there as the manager on duty in case they needed anything. I introduced myself to the same woman 3 times before she finally told me. I had zero recollection of her. Felt sooooo bad.

7. What's your eye colour?

Brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings for sure. I'm a big baby when it comes to scary movies. Luckily I wear glasses, so I can just slide them down my nose so I can't see the screen if a part is too intense.

9. Any talents?

Umm, I like to crochet, mainly blankets, and cross stitch.

10. Where were you born?

East Coast of America, then moved down south when I was 2. Been pretty much in the same place ever since.

11. What are your hobbies?

I like to read, crochet, cross stitch, watch tv/movies. I also really like to work in my yard. I've planted around 120 bushes since I moved in. (Don't tell younger me, she will never believe I willing do yard work now). Also Obikin should probably be listed here too. Those idiots (affectionate) take up a lot of brain space. (no complaints)

12. Do you have any pets?

Yes, one cat.

13. How tall are you?

5'2"

14. Favourite subject in school?

I loved history

15. Dream job?

Retirement lol.

I'm getting a little anxious about tagging others, so please consider this an open invite. (sorry for the cop out.)

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 8: Have Yourself a merry Little Christmas (1/3)

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Word Count: 2166

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Note: This story was first posted in 2014

Chapter 1: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Notes: This story was originally written in 2014. Killian is perplexed by all the lights and music and hustle and bustle that starts to appear around Storybrooke just after Thanksgiving, but luckily Henry helps him figure out what this “Christmas” is all about. He makes it his mission to help Emma overcome the pain of her past so she can truly get into the spirit of the season.

It all began to appear at the end of November, as far as Killian could tell. Last Thursday, Swan had invited him to join her and her family for the celebration of something called “Thanksgiving,” a holiday, as best he could tell, which consisted of gorging oneself on exorbitant amounts of food and then watching a sporting event called “football.”

The next day, the entire feel and tenor of Storybrooke changed in an instant—brightly colored lights adorning every conceivable surface, evergreen wreaths twined with ribbons, gracing doors and walls, portraits and figurines of a rather portly man with a long white beard and a red coat wherever one looked. Most mystifying of all, the fairies, who Regina had managed to free from the sorcerer’s hat, had erected a replica of a stable in which a woman, several men, cows, horses and a donkey knelt before a tiny baby lying in what looked like a manger. 

Even the music that blared from every shop and eating establishment had changed. It appeared a holiday entitled “Christmas” was fast approaching.  Judging by the songs of the season, Christmas involved a jolly man who drove a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer (one of which had a red, glowing nose), a deity who came to earth as an infant born of a virgin, families and loved ones spending time together, peace and goodwill among all, and gift giving.

It was utterly bewildering.

Killian sat in his booth in the diner, sipping his coffee and waiting for Swan’s lad to join him for breakfast when the most perplexing sight of all met his eyes.

The bell above the door chimed, and Killian’s eyes widened as he watched a very bad-tempered Leroy step inside dragging a gigantic fir tree behind him. A generous coat of snow covered the dwarf from head to foot and fell from the tree in clumps.

“Leroy!” Granny bellowed. “You’re tracking snow all over my diner.  What do you think you’re doing?”

“Sorry, sister,” Leroy muttered in a voice which proved he was anything but. “You asked me to bring you a Christmas tree, and a Christmas tree I brought.  Ain’t my fault Mother Nature chose today to dump on us.”

“You couldn’t have shaken the damn thing off before you came in?” Granny continued, her hands planted on her generous hips.

Leroy glared. “Look, you don’t like the way I do the job you gave me?  Do it yourself.”

Granny rolled her eyes, and then threw up her hands. “Fine, just put it in the corner, get it decorated and stop blocking my doorway.”

Christmas involved bringing trees indoors and decorating them? What an odd custom.

Leroy grumbled under his breath as he hoisted the massive fir onto his shoulder and crept laboriously toward the corner Granny indicated. He fought with the tree for some time, cursing under his breath as he tried…and failed…to hold it steady while simultaneously securing it in the stand Granny had placed in the far corner.

“Hey pirate!” Leroy called from beneath the tree’s boughs. “I could use a hand or two.”

Killian grinned, set his coffee back upon the table and got to his feet. “Alas, dwarf, I have but one to lend.”

Leroy emerged from the tree and fixed a surly scowl on Killian. “Not in the mood for jokes.  Just get your leather clad ass over here!”

Killian sketched a mocking bow and ambled in the dwarf’s direction. “As you’ve deigned to ask so politely, I’m at your service.  What precisely do you need of me?”

“Just hold the damn thing steady while I get it screwed in.”

Killian complied, holding the tree still, while Leroy tightened screws fastening the trunk into a stand of sorts.

“Now, next job: untangle the lights and string them on the tree,” Leroy commanded.

“Er…” Killian said, scratching behind his ear, “what the bloody hell does that mean?”

Leroy glared for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Don’t you know anything about Christmas?  Grab that string of lights over there, untangle it, and wrap it around the tree.”

The bell over the door chimed once more, and Killian looked up to see Henry, rosy cheeked from the cold and bundled within an inch of his life, walk in. Mentally heaving a sigh of relief, he turned to Leroy.  “Sorry, mate,” he said, “I’ve plans to dine with Swan’s lad.  I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to assist you.”

Leroy continued to mutter as Killian made his way back to his booth, but otherwise, mercifully, kept his opinions to himself.

“Hey Killian!” Henry called as he peeled off his hat, scarf, gloves and coat and plopped down in the booth.

“Good morning lad,” Killian greeted with an affectionate ruffle of the boy’s hair, “how are you this frigid morning?”

“Starving,” Henry said, grabbing a menu. “I could eat an elephant.”

Killian laughed. Such was the lot of a pre-teen boy.  Swan had complained just last night that her lad was eating her out of house and home.  “I’ve yet to see elephant on Granny’s menu.  Suppose we settle for pancakes and bacon?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Killian flagged down Ruby, who appeared with the lad’s usual hot cocoa with cinnamon.   He placed their orders, and then sat back in his seat, watching with amusement as Henry swiped a generous dollop of cream from the top of his beverage with one finger and then happily licked it clean.

“So why’d you ask me to have breakfast with you?” Henry asked after taking his first sip and sighing with contentment.

Killian grinned. “Does a man need a reason to ask his mate to dine with him?”

“Well, no,” Henry said, “but when you called last night, you said you had things you wanted to discuss.”

“True enough,” Killian remarked after taking another swig of his coffee. “As the days pass, it becomes increasingly evident to me that I need to ascertain just what this ‘Christmas’ holiday entails.  I asked you mum about it, but she seemed unwilling to discuss the matter.”

A shadow passed across the lads face. Killian watched him closely.

“Yeah,” Henry said, uncomfortably, “she doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with Christmas. I was hoping now that she’s gotten settled in her new apartment, she’d let me help her decorate, but she doesn’t want to put up a tree or stockings or make cookies or anything.”

“These are traditions of the holiday?”

“Yeah, and Mom wouldn’t even discuss any of it,” Henry took another sip and frowned. “It was kind of like that last year too.  She finally put up a tree for me, but she really didn’t want to.”

“And it’s important to you to observe these traditions?” Killian asked carefully, trying to assess the root of the lad’s obvious unhappiness.

Henry shrugged. “Yeah, but, I mean, it’s not that.  My other mom is doing all the Christmas stuff and so are Grandma and Grandpa.  It’s just that I’m worried about Mom.  It doesn’t seem like she’s just being a Grinch or something; Christmas seems to really upset her.”

What precisely was a “Grinch?” No matter.  The import of the lad’s words was clear enough.  “Would you like me to talk to your mum?”

“I was hoping you would,” Henry admitted. “If anyone can make her feel better it’s you.”

Killian grinned. “It would be my pleasure, Henry.  I’ve plans to meet your mother for lunch.  I’ll broach the subject then.”

“Thanks, I’m really glad she has you.” Henry looked away uncomfortably.  “Look, Killian, about what I said back when the Shattered Sight spell hit…”

Killian waved the lad’s words away with a negligent move of his hook. “Don’t concern yourself mate.  You were cursed; I’d hardly take your words to heart.”

“Still,” Henry said, “I just, you know, wanted you to know that I didn’t mean it. I do like you, and, well, I like how happy you make my mom.  I never saw her this happy, even when she was just about engaged to Walsh.”

Killian clapped Henry on the shoulder. “It’s mutual lad.  I enjoy the time we spend together, and I love your mother more than life itself.  I must say it’s heartening to hear that I make her happier than a charlatan in simian form.”

The wolf girl returned with two steaming plates of pancakes. Killian grinned in amusement as he watched Henry tuck into his breakfast with the gusto of one who hadn’t eaten in a week.  When the lad’s worst pangs of hunger were apparently sated, Killian returned to the subject at hand.

“Now, to return to the original topic of this discussion. I was content to merely watch the town’s dealings with regard to Christmas until I received your grandmother’s invitation to the town Christmas party.  Now I find it incumbent upon myself to learn what is expected of me with regard to this holiday.  For example, what precisely does a ‘dirty Santa gift exchange’ entail?”

Mary Margaret, as the current mayor of Storybrooke, had evidently decided that the best way to foster town unity and holiday spirit was to throw a party upon the occasion of Christmas. It was to be held on the eve of Christmas itself, and Swan’s mum had assured him that it would be an evening filled with joy and laughter.  She’d further assured him that he was free to spike his cup of eggnog with as much rum as he pleased.

“It’s awesome,” Henry said around a mouthful of bacon. “It’s kind of like a gift exchange and a game all wrapped up together.  Everybody brings a wrapped present, and then…”

The lad went on to describe a game worthy of a pirate—full of theft, strategy and the winning of loot.

“So, it would seem gift giving is an important part of this holiday?” Killian asked.

“Yeah,” Henry said, drawing out the syllable. “It’s not, like, the most important part of Christmas, but people like to give each other gifts at this time of year.  It’s a way to show people that you care about them.”

“Aye,” Killian said, nodding his head, “but that leads me to my next question. What precisely is a man expected to give to the woman he loves?  I’ve heard multiple renditions of a song which seems to provide a roadmap, but I find it difficult to believe that Swan would wish me to gift her with drummers and pipers and lords and dancers and multiple aviary creatures.  And what use could she possibly have for eight maids a-milking?”

Henry chuckled. “That’s just a song; no one actually gives their true love that kind of stuff!  But can I be there if you decide to give my mom eleven pipers piping?  Please?”

Killian took a bite of his breakfast and grinned. “I think I’ll avoid that particular spectacle.  I must say, I’m much relieved.  I hadn’t a clue where I was to find ten lords a-leaping.  If that quite motley list is not an example of the proper Christmas gifts for a man to give his true love, what is?”

Henry shrugged. “Nothing in particular, I don’t think.  Just give her something heartfelt—something that shows her how you feel about her.”

“That, I believe I can manage.”

Henry shook his head in evident disgust. “I’m sure you can.  You and mom are so sappy together it’s kind of sickening.”

Killian ruffled the lad’s hair again. “Just wait, Henry.  Your day will come.  One day you’ll find true love, and then you’ll be as ‘sappy’ as anyone.”

“Maybe,” Henry said skeptically. “So is that all you wanted to know?”

“I have but one more question to ask,” Killian said, dragging his last bite of pancake through his remaining syrup. He took his bite, chewed thoughtfully, and then looked at the lad.  “It seems mistletoe is quite important given its prominence in the music I’ve heard during the past week.  To my knowledge, it’s nothing but a weed, something of a nuisance.  Might I inquire what its purpose is during Christmastime?”

Henry groaned, and then buried his face within his hands. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you’ll never use it with mom when I’m around.”

–Up next, Killian takes Emma to lunch (and for a walk in the snowy woods), and gets to the bottom of just why she’s so resistant to anything related to Christmas. In true Killian fashion, he helps lift her spirits and get over some wounds from her past.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[murfeelee]

End of Year Asks

Saw this questionnaire on my dash, and couldn’t resist!

___________________________________________

1: Song of the year? The Rumbling (Attack on Titan OST). AoT started 2022 off CORRECT, lemme tell you.

2: Album of the year? The Bleach Thousand Year Blood War OST. That Quincy Imperial March gets me going! I can’t wait for the official release.

3: Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year? Kaho Nakamura, from the Belle (2021) OST. Every song she sang was EXCELLENT, her voice is LITERALLY a bell.

4: Movie of the year? The only movies I’ve watched this year are anime, and Belle was my favorite, even though it came out in 2021.

5: TV show of the year? TV: AMC’s Interview with the Vampire. Anime: Bleach.

6: Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you? Bleach TYBW S01E01, the hype was real--Bleach is BACK, baby! \(^0^)/ This has been the year of astounding adaptations. We waited TEN YEARS for this, and it was PERFECTION.

7: Favorite actor of the year? Jacob Anderson. My mind was blown, seeing Grey Worm from Game of Thrones turn into THIIIIIIIIS sexy AF vampire, WTF?

8: Game of the year? God of War: Ragnarok. Only been waiting FOUR EFFING YEARS for the sequel.

9: Best month for you this year? June & July, when I was on Summer Break.

10: Something that made you cry this year? So much anime, too much homework.

11: Something you want to do again next year? Go to an anime convention.

12: Talk about a new friend you made this year. I met a nice girl in my Greek class who’s super sweet. We study together and spend most of the time fussing about how much we hate Greek. XD

13: How was your birthday this year? I don’t even remember. My Halloween was lovely though.

14: Favorite book you read this year? The only books I read lately are for school, and none of them are what I’d call favorites.

15: What’s a bad habit you picked up this year? Getting fat off of junk food. I’ve never been this big in my life. I’m depressed.

16: Post a picture from the beginning of the year:

I really didn’t sim much this year--the only pic I posted in January was from my New Years miniset. U_U

17: Post a picture from the end of the year:

My newest hyperfixation--I make myself tired.

18: A memorable meal this year? I ate raw fish at a sushi place for the first time. Never again. At least I wasn’t the one paying. DEEP FRY my food, please, thanks.

19: What’re you excited about for next year? My fave professor’s coming off sabbatical next year, so I’m stoked! I was dead bored this year.

20: What’s something you learned this year? A lot. How much of it will be relevant to my research though....? HA.

21: What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year? The extra layer of dust over everything, cuz I ain’t in the mood to clean.

22: Favorite place you visited this year? My mom’s is the only place I ever travel to.

23: If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be? Get more sleep, idiot, and put the Pepsi down.

24: Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions? Not really U_U I didn’t get around to doing any Dragon Age or Cyberpunk stuff this year. And I only did a little bit of the Untamed gameplay. The most headway I made was with Bleach, but I didn’t even finish the Substitute Arc--I really wanted to get to the Soul Society stuff.

25: Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one: I REcreated plenty of sims from a bunch of new fandom INSP gameplays, including: Bleach, The Old Guard, Critical Role, and Interview with the Vampire. I think my favorite has been Caduceus from Critical Role.

I had a lot of fun making him and his CC with all the mushrooms, and the lot I built for him, full of plants and stuff. So rarely do I indulge in High Fantasy, because it’s HARD to do fanciful gameplay--especially for MEN, since everything’s female-oriented in The Sims 3 communitty--unless I make the CC myself--which I hate doing. But I really wanted Caduceus in my game, so, alas.

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Thanks for reading!

Happy Simming, and Happy New Year!