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everythingmp3 · 6 months ago

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in good hands

adult!Van x fem!reader

working at Lottie´s retreat has its regular routine, which suddenly gets disrupted when you cross paths with one of her old friends. lucky for Van, you are in a giving mood and might just know how to help her unwind after a stressful day.

warnings: minors dni. smut, reader "tops" but just lightly

author´s note: hii it´s been a while since I’ve dropped a Van fic but I found this in my drafts and edited it a little bc I thought some of you might enjoy it during our painfully long wait for season 3! so here u go, something lighthearted <3 (this is set during 2x7 when they’re all off doing their little therapies, a brief Lottie appearance at the end)

people might have assumed that the way you found your job at Lottie´s compound was some exciting story, but it really wasn´t; nobody recruited you, there was nothing cult-like about it, you simply needed a temporary job and had found it online.

they were going to pay well, on top of giving you a whole cabin to yourself, so the decision to send off your resume and accept their offer had been a very easy one. the place was serene and refreshing after coming there from your place in the city and your new boss, Lottie or “Charlotte” as everyone called her, seemed sweet in both a maternal and sisterly kind of way way. you could see why everyone was enthusiastic about the community she´d created there, but to you it was just a way to earn money, you didn´t buy into the whole spiritual aspect. still, you were glad to play along for anyone who wanted you to, agreeing with others that your time there was very “transformative” and that you were eager to create a “safe space” for any guests that you worked with.

still, some nights it all got a little boring and lonely, about a month into it, you almost felt like you were living in a monastery: no friends, no internet, no junk food, no way to let loose and it didn´t help that hardly anyone at the camp was on the same wavelength as you. you got along with everyone but nobody stood out to you as someone you´d wanna get close to, have fun with, get in trouble with, so you were left to your own devices; sometimes you stole some liquor from the dining hall and drank that on your own at your secret hiding place that you´d discovered about two weeks into being at the compound. it was a spot in the woods, you had to walk about five minutes to reach it, an old bench close to the lake, nobody ever bothered you there.

one day you were particularly tired and exhausted, people had unloaded a lot of emotional bullshit onto you, so around 7 pm you were ready to escape and to have at least an hour to yourself, just sitting there on that bench listening to the birds and trees, zoning out, trying to let the stress of the day go.

while you were already there, Van was still deciding where to go to be left in peace while drinking what she´d just gotten out of her truck. wherever she looked, she saw people dressed in purple who absolutely would not approve of her plan, so her last resort was going into the woods. she almost laughed to herself about how ironic it was, that the day she reunited with her old friends was also the day she went into the woods for the first time in ages.

she was hoping to maybe find a large tree stump she could sit on, but a few minutes into walking she saw something she didn´t expect: you, sitting on a bench. at first she thought fuck. that would have been perfect. for a moment she wanted to turn around, but once she saw that you weren´t wearing purple she got curious, it also helped that you looked rather attractive, even from behind, so she decided to stay. Van didn´t want to startle you, so she tried to sound very calm and polite as she approached you tentatively.

“sorry I really don´t mean to bother you-” you turned around, taken off guard, a little annoyed by the fact that someone else had found their way to your spot, but once you saw Van you knew immediately: oh that´s not a guest. you were confused, she could tell, “I´m a friend of Lottie´s, I was just looking for a place to chill for a moment, but I can leave” your gaze fell from her striking face to her hand that was holding a bottle of what looked like tequila, so a smile spread across your face, “oh no, it´s okay! you can sit if you want. if I can get a sip of that..” you said in a mischievous tone. Van nodded, relieved you didn´t mind her presence, she came over and sat down, handing you the bottle, “here you go. so are you..” you realized you hadn´t told her anything yet “oh right, I work here. so.. shhh” you held an index finger to your lips, grinning, before you took a big sip of the liquor, exhaling after ��yeah this is good”, she smiled, eyeing you curiously, “so, I take it the job isn´t all that easy huh?”. you shrugged, looking back at her, realizing how hot she was now that she was sitting so close, the faint scars on her face somehow adding to it, “oh it´s fine, really, this beats any of the other jobs I had so I won´t complain to you. but you know... the whole enlightenment and personal growth obsession does get annoying sometimes.”

she laughed, realizing that you might be the exact person she was looking for, someone who shared her suspicious mindset, “okay I take it you´re not a “believer” then?” you shook your head “nope, absolutely not, I am here to earn money and help people. that´s it, I´m not looking to see the light or whatever the fuck” you took another sip, she let you, more interested in your thoughts than getting fucked up, increasingly glad she had the guts to approach you, “I see. and how do you help? what´s your job title?”, you passed her the bottle as you explained it, “well. I am sort of a physical therapist but the amateur version, nothing super medical, just massages and stuff like that, helping with tension or soreness or just general discomfort.” she didn´t expect that, “really? so you´re good with your hands then?” the moment she said that she realized how shamelessly suggestive it was, but before she could backtrack she saw a flicker of intrigue in your eyes, a pleased smile as you answered, “you could say that, yes”. it dawned on you then that she also found you attractive, and you were starved for genuine excitement, for pleasure, so you challenged her, staring into her eyes, intensely “I mean, I can tell from looking at you that you could also use some help physically” she raised her eyebrows, things were getting interesting“oh really? how so?”.

without warning you reached out to squeeze her shoulder, feeling her wince, “yeah, just as I thought. tense as hell”, an authority to your voice, you saw right through her and she felt her face flush, your grip was harder than she expected, it was turning her on. “well driving for about six hours straight will do that” you were sympathetic then, “oh okay, that´s a lot. I mean, I´m off the clock but I could make an exception if you wanna let me try something” you smiled, kindly, a sweetness to your tone, but not without a certain danger in it, she could tell, and she was getting nervous, but what did she have to lose? so she said “sure. okay..” you nodded, determined, gesturing for her to turn her back to you, “right, please tell me if anything hurts too bad” you instructed, her face burning up by then from the anticipation of your touch.

“you have really nice hair” you said, drawing out the really for emphasis, as you moved it to the front so it wouldn´t be in the way, letting it spill down her chest as you placed your hands on her shoulders, near her neck, slowly pressing your thumbs down through the fabric, “oh thank you” she said, her voice giving away that she was almost a little shy then, it felt exhilarating, to have a hot stranger being that that attentive and charming out of nowhere. the surroundings helped her with relaxing, the sun was setting and the sound of small waves crashing on the shore close to you filled the air. the moment she felt your fingers digging into her flesh her whole body reacted, at first it hurt a little but then she realized you knew exactly what you were doing, there was a distinct skillfulness she could detect, so her muscles relaxed into your palms.

“good?” you inquired, sort of cocky because you knew it was, her eyes were closed by then, “hm, yeah, feels nice”, her voice was smooth and deep, you almost told her to keep talking so you could hear more but instead you silently, diligently continued your touches, moving towards the space between her shoulder blades, pressing down enough so the circles you were drawing could loosen her up, you wished you could have touched her bare skin, a few noises of discomfort escaped her but you could tell it was the good kind of pain, the kind that signaled to you that her body was reacting well. after a few moments of silence and focused pressing and squeezing on your part, she spoke up again,“the people here are spoiled as hell huh? getting treated like this by a pretty girl” you perked up then, your hand moving up to her neck, your touch lighter, almost sensual, closer to a caress than a massage, she could tell that it wasn´t something you´d do to any guest, “did you just call me pretty?” you said, leaning close to her, your head almost resting on her shoulder then, your voice playful, she still had her back turned to you, Van knew there was no going back from that,“well. you are.” she said, matter of factly.

“wanna say that to my face maybe?” you teased, tapping her to signal that she should turn around, which she did, slightly disappointed that you´d stopped touching her, giving you an intense look, “you´re that starved for compliments huh?” she teased back, tilting her head, “I am starved for a lot of things” you were bold then, her expression shifted, a sudden need came over her as she scanned your face, her gaze involuntarily stopping at your lips, “I can tell”, her voice somehow even deeper than before, sending a shiver down your spine. you did not have any shame left in you by that point, moving closer to her, close enough to feel her breath, pressing yourself against her a little while staring at her, your hand on her thigh, “you know. I can think of something else that might help you relax..” she almost blacked out for a second as you said that, your hand placement killing her, your breath on her neck, she had no idea how you´d figured out that she was into being overpowered by other women, but it felt too good to push back. you were almost purring at her as your hand wandered down to her zipper, undoing it for her, but her own hand moved to your face then, grabbing you rather hard, stopping you, “jesus maybe give me a kiss first” she whispered as she pulled you in and you immediately matched her eagerness, her soft lips a thrilling sensation, both of you clearly worked up by that point, kissing turning into making out within a split second, neither of you holding back with the desperate sounds that left you, for a moment Van had the upper hand, feeling you turn needy from her touch, and since you´d initiated she had no problem taking advantage of the fact that you weren´t wearing a jacket, she reached under your shirt and grabbed your chest firmly enough to leave bruises, forcing a whimper out of you, it had been a while since she´d hooked up with anyone and she groped you in a way that made it very clear, taking what she wanted without much regard, but you liked it, feeling wanted like that. once you pulled away to try and breathe, you resumed what you´d started doing before, making sure she was fine with it, “can I?” you sighed against her cheek, breathing her warm scent in, hearing her take unsteady breaths, she nodded, “hmm” a sound of approval, so you pushed your hand down her undone jeans, slipping your fingers into her underwear, the heat of her skin already delicious before you even went further down.

her hand was gripping your arm with force as you did this, the moment your fingers met the wetness that had collected from her arousal you let out a barely audible “god..”, it was all you wanted in that moment, to feel her growing even wetter, so you slid two of your fingers between her lips, getting them all slick before slowly moving them up and down, really savoring it, hearing her moan a little, followed by a soft “fuck”, her nails digging into your skin by then, you couldn´t keep it that slow so you added some pressure to it, some force, the way you knew it felt best from masturbating that way, paying attention to the rest of her body too, kissing the side of her pale neck, all the way to the middle of her throat, which was easily accessible since her head was tilted back in pleasure. you focused on her clit then as you briefly ran your tongue over her neck, making her whine from the double intensity of your fingers and your mouth, “you´re so fucking hot” you sighed before kissing her again, feeling her struggling to kiss you back, in disbelief over having someone so your type practically melting into your hands.

“fuck don´t stop” she begged, as you found the exact right rhythm, her clit throbbing by that point, “go on, cum for me” you cooed as you felt her losing her composure, her hips moving upward to meet your hand, a desperation to it, so you did your best to really put all your strength into the last few moments of getting her off, her underwear a soaking mess by that point, she bit down on her lower lip as she came, almost drawing blood, your face deliberately near hers to hear the sound of her climax, “that´s it” you praised as you slowed down but still kept touching her, getting your fingers covered in her juices even more, the heat and velvety texture a sensation that almost got you to cum as well then. Van was so dizzy with heat that even those light lingering touches felt heavenly, but finally you let go, trying to regain a sense of where you were and what had just happened, a satisfied grin on your face as you looked at her, her face all flushed, her cheeks glowing red as she zipped up her jeans with unsteady hands, shaking her head as she returned your look.

“I think am starting to like this place..” she uttered in a breathy tone, you smiled, "good, I am doing my job right then”, she nodded, grinning, “yeah, I think you really found your calling” enjoying the attention you were showing her with, the afterglow of the endorphins that had unexpectedly rushed her tired body. “oh fuck I think the others might be looking for me by now” she realized that it had gotten dark, her phone was still confiscated of course, so Van knew they might get worried if she randomly disappeared without a trace.

“right, okay, I should get back too I think” you said, standing up, suppressing a laugh as you saw her struggling to put weight onto her still slightly shaky legs, “oh you´re enjoying this huh?” she said, pushing you forward as she approached you, “if I wasn´t running late I´d get you back right now”, you blushed at the thought, “is that a threat?” you asked as she caught up to you, “maybe” she uttered, adjusting her hair and clothes. “well in that case, if you do end up staying here, my cabin is number 7. if you wanna follow through on that”, she couldn´t believe how bold you were being, but it did thrill her, and after a day like that, driving home at night seemed awful, so she thought why not stay until the morning? your offer made it much easier to abandon her escape plan “sure, I´ll keep that in mind” she said, meeting your eyes one last time before you were on the camp grounds again, walking towards the main area.

"you know I saw you guys earlier. in the parking lot", you confessed, "you did? well, believe it or not that was the first time I have seen most of them in like.. 20 something years", that was not what you had thought, "wait really?", "hmm." , she couldn´t help but take the chance of maybe making you feel a little jealous, "actually one of them is my ex. to make things even more awkward..", you laughed, "damn, you have more going on than me, that´s for sure", she looked back at you then, "really? nothing fun you´ve gotten up to here so far?", you shook your head "couldn´t you tell, with how I ambushed you just now?" she laughed, "right, no, it was kinda obvious."

the moment you approached the road that lead to dining hall, you could both see Lottie making her way in your exact direction and let out a simultaneous, “fuck.” as you saw the tall brunette looking straight at you. Van would have to talk to her but you took the easy way out, whispering a “good luck” to her as you excused yourself, avoiding eye contact with Lottie as you passed her, only a brief wave and barely audible “good night” as she was busy fixing Van with her gaze, the look of someone who was about to start an interrogation, her arms crossed. of course she could tell, that blush on both of your faces, the way Van looked at you as you walked away, it was clear as day what you two had been up to. once Van stood in front of Lottie she decided against an apology or justification and went straight for a joke to try and diffuse the tension.

“I think you should give that girl a raise”, she said, Lottie nodded and raised her voice, “oh I am sure I fucking should after whatever it is that you just made her do”. Van protested, acting offended, “made her do?? I´ll have you know that your worker pursued me, thank you very much”, and Lottie couldn´t help but crack a smile then, shaking her head in disbelief, “you know I expected a lot of things to go down when we all reunited earlier, but this was definitely not on the list”. Van shifted her weight, an almost girlish expression on her face then, “well. I mean if it makes you feel better, coming here definitely did help me relax”, “you know what, if that´s what it took then I´m glad. not that I´d ever pimp my workers out on purpose but hey. what happens happens” Van nodded, “exactly. also, you can´t act like you´re so holy, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a hot girl around here and.. considered things” Van teased, Lottie gave her look that said careful, “believe it or not I don´t have ulterior motives” Van laughed, “sure, you never do.” a familiarity to their exchange that made both of them feel a little nostalgic, in the end Lottie was just glad to see Van smile, after all this time she could tell that life had worn her old friend down, and if having some fun with a pretty girl could get her spirits up, who was she to judge? “okay. ready to go back to the others?”, “no.” Van answered, dryly, Lottie smiled, “me neither” as she linked arms with Van and dragged her off to where the other four were waiting.

as they walked Van tried to keep it in mind, “number 7”, the cabin that she might have to casually walk past later that night.

#van palmer x reader #yellowjackets #yellowjackets x reader #van palmer

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lvis44 · 1 year ago

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Sweet Escape - Pt. 1 // LH44

Lewis Hamilton x Y/N

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, swearing, jealousy, flirting while with someone else (kinda cheating but we won't go that far), age difference, insulting/derogatory language, 18+ (no smut thus far but suggestive themes), not edited

Word Count: 5.6k

Summary: Paradise is supposed to be fun and relaxing... a Sweet Escape, but when unspoken feelings and jealousy rise to the surface, everything can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.

Notes: This is the official Part One of Sweet Escape, you can read the Prologue here, but this can also be your starting point if you don't want the backstory. Do your best to look past any errors in the surfing section, I've never surfed a day in my life lol. It may seem like we get into the drama quick but there's so much more to come, buckle in folks! I am not a professional writer and all of this is a work of fiction and is strictly for fun. Enjoy!

---

As the van pulled up to the massive estate, you couldn’t help but gasp. Charlotte laughed from beside you, taking in the property herself.

“Well, he’s never been one to do things halfway.” She chuckled, rolling her eyes slightly.

The home was the size of a small hotel and the property sprawled on for ages. You were somewhere in the Caribbean on an island you had never even heard of, it had taken three flights just to get there. Lewis claimed it was one of his favorite places on earth, but he's said that about more places than you can count.

“My girls!” Miles' voice came loudly from the doorway as you unloaded yourselves from the van.

You turned just in time to see the large man bounding down the driveway like a child, arms open with a massive smile on his face. He crashed into you while wrapping an arm around you, grabbing for Charlotte with the other. You both laughed at the aggressive affection as he squeezed you both tight. Anyone watching the scene would think it had been months since you’d seen him, not two weeks. He’s a lot like Lewis in the sense that he loves extremely, but he’s by far more open with it.

“Hello!” You laughed, your voice muffled against the tall man's chest.

When he finally let you go, he quickly moved towards the back of the van, collecting your bags.

“Heads up, Talia’s here.” He mumbled to the two of you, an unamused look on his face.

Miles had also not been a fan of Talia when he met her. You’ve never been sure if he noticed how she treated you, or if it was for an entirely different reason, but you knew for a fact he didn’t particularly enjoy her.

“Oh, we know.” Charlotte said, raising her eyebrows in an equally annoyed expression.

You couldn’t help but giggle as you all made your way toward the house. You took solace in knowing you weren't alone in your displeasure of the extra guest. Miles showed you each to your rooms and told you to come say hello to everybody once you’d settled in a bit. Before he left your room he pulled you into another tight hug.

“It’ll all be good, we’ll have a blast.” He said quietly into the top of your hair, planting a kiss there before making his way out of your room.

The bedroom was larger than yours at home, there was an attached bathroom and a large closet. In the middle of the room sat a king size bed that looked like it was made of clouds, it faced a balcony door, looking out over the Caribbean Sea. You had the feeling of not belonging for a split second, being surrounded by more luxury than you could fathom. You quickly had to remind yourself that if you didn't belong, Lewis wouldn't have made sure you were able to come. You really had to thank him again for all that he had done. You made your way into the bathroom to freshen up a little bit, hoping to splash away some of the long plane ride. As you got ready to go downstairs and greet everybody you heard movement in the hallway. You truly hoped it was one of your friends as you stepped out of your room, unfortunately you weren’t that lucky. Talia was walking down the hallway towards you, dressed in a bikini fit for Sports Illustrated. You understood why Lewis had been interested in her, he wasn’t looking for anything more than physical, and how she looked right now made it easy to look past her attitude.

“Hey.” You did your best to be kind, hoping to avoid any tension.

She said nothing, just looked you up and down and kept walking, making her way out to where you assumed everyone was. You rolled your eyes at her childish behavior and trailed along behind her, hoping to find your friends. As you stepped out the large door you were greeted by the sound of laughter and conversation, the warm sound like music to your ears. There was soft music playing as you looked around at the scene. Your friends were sprawled out on expensive looking patio furniture, facing toward the large infinity pool that showcased the beautiful view of the sea down below. Your eyes searched the group, hoping to find Lewis. You spotted him, over by a bar on the balcony, Talia already attached to his hip. As if he could tell you were looking at him his eyes found yours, a big smile gracing his features as he saw you. He brushed Talia off, much to her annoyance and made his way over to you.

“I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep up there.” He laughed warmly as he pulled you in for a tight hug.

Hugs from Lewis were always amazing, he would squeeze you so tight you almost couldn't breathe. His big arms completely engulfed you in the most comforting way, he would never let go until you did.

“Sorry,” You laughed as you pulled away, “just wanted to freshen up a little bit, long flights.”

He smiled in understanding before grabbing your wrist and pulling you along towards everyone. He had a habit of dragging you around when he was excited.

“Look who finally decided to show her face.” He announced loudly.

You were greeted with big hugs from everyone. The second that Lewis wasn’t next to you, you couldn’t help but notice Talias possessive touch had been returned to him. You weren’t sure if you were imagining it, but you almost felt like he looked annoyed. You decided to ignore her and catch up with your friends, some whom you haven't seen in quite some time.

The afternoon carried on uneventfully, everyone drinking and joking around. You had changed into your swimsuit, hoping to catch the last few rays of Caribbean sun. You had felt his eyes on you when you walked out of the house, he had Talia perched on his lap but his attention was fully on you. You wanted to be disgusted by the man but you couldn’t find it in you, instead you added a purposeful sway to your hips and made your way over to one of the lounge chairs. It didn’t take long for him to appear next to you, thankfully alone.

“I feel like I haven’t gotten to see you at all since you got here.” He said, placing his sunglasses on his face as he settled into the chair beside yours.

You couldn’t help but giggle a bit, “I wonder why.” You didn't look at him but you could see the confusion on his face in your peripheral

“What?” The confusion was evident in his voice.

“Nothing,” You pushed the topic aside before turning your head towards him with a smile, “How have you been? It’s been a while.”

His face lit up, ignoring your previous comment. He filled you in on everything that had happened over the last few months, talking about races, his new training routine. You couldn’t help but laugh as the beautiful man beside you rambled on like a little kid. He noticed your amusement, cutting himself off with a bashful look.

“Sorry, sorry,” He chuckled, seemingly embarrassed by himself, “it’s just easy to get carried away with you.”

He settled back into his chair, his head rolling towards you to keep eye contact.

“Okay, it’s your turn, I wanna hear every single thing that’s been going on in your life.” He then settled even further into his chair, crossing his arms behind his head as if he was getting ready for you to read him a book.

“Well, not much to tell really, life has mostly been work and more work.” You told him, glancing over at him.

“Come on, something must be going on in your life. You're young, fun, attractive, you can’t possibly be just working. You need some fun every once in a while.” He frowned over at you.

You couldn’t help but catch the comment about you being attractive, you knew he was just being kind but it still made your skin heat up ever so slightly.

“I did go on a date…” You trail off, waiting to catch some sort of reaction from him.

“Oh?” His tone is inquisitive yet almost harsh.

“Yeah, he kinda sucked though. He talked about himself most of the time, asked at the end of dinner to split the bill, and then still tried to get me to go back to his place. Needless to say I won’t be seeing him again.” You laugh to yourself, thinking about how much you had hated the night.

“Don’t, he sounds like a proper tool. Dickhead didn’t know what was in front of him.” He says gruffly before letting out a deep sigh, “Y/N, you can do a whole lot better than that. You deserve so much better than that.”

You smile over at him, “I know, that’s why I went home alone and blocked his number.”

He gives you a bright smile, extending his fist to meet yours, “Atta girl!”

You hear her before you see her, a loud scoff coming from behind the two of you. When you look up she’s partially kneeling on Lewis’ chair, clearing her throat obnoxiously.

“I could use a little help here.” She says in an annoyingly sultry tone, waving a bottle of sunblock in the man's face.

Lewis lets out a small huff, so quiet you could have easily missed it before pushing himself up from the chair.

“Yup,” His tone comes out clipped before turning back to you with a gentle smile, “I’ll see ya in a bit, yeah?”

You return his smile, simply nodding before he’s trailing off behind Talia like a lost puppy.

You didn’t end up seeing Lewis at all for the rest of the night, only during dinner with everyone while his attention was directed elsewhere. You only knew he had gone to bed when you heard her calling out for him later in the night.

“Lewis,” her whiny voice carried through the large house, “come to bed! I’m lonely!”

Miles rolled his eyes so aggressively at that, you worried they might get stuck in his head. At least you weren’t the only one who was disgusted.

. . .

The next day was spent down at the beach, the water was so clear you almost couldn’t believe it was real. Lunch and drinks were packed in various coolers as everyone toted their way down the narrow path to the sand.

“Holy shit.” You mumbled to yourself, stopping at the bottom of the trail, causing Lewis to almost run into the back of you.

You only realized you had blocked him rather abruptly when you heard his warm chuckle right behind you, much closer than expected.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it.” He said quietly, placing his hand on your back, guiding you forward slightly so you were no longer blocking the path.

“It’s stunning,” you said, eyes wide as you turned toward him, he was still close to you, standing just by your side, “thank you again, so much. I really never thought I would ever be somewhere like this.”

He shook his head with a soft smile, “No need to thank me Y/N, this trip wouldn’t be the same without you here. Besides it was me being a bit selfish, I missed you.”

You couldn’t help but blush slightly at his comment, you had missed him too but to hear him admit it made you feel some type of way. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it. You always felt honored to be the recipient of his attention in any way, much less his affection.

“Come on, it’s even better up close.” He said, grabbing your hand and pulling you along toward where everyone was already setting up blankets and umbrellas.

You could feel Talias eyes on you but you did your best to ignore it. Lewis is an adult and he is allowed to interact with his friends, she doesn’t own him. As far as you're aware they’re not even really together.

You dropped your stuff next to where Charlotte and Miles had put their own. Miles hadn’t wasted a minute, bounding toward the water like a lanky child before throwing himself into a large wave. You and Charlotte exchanged a look before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

“We’re friends with absolute man children.” Charlotte said through her laughter, shaking her head as she went to lay down her blanket.

“Maybe, but you love us.” Lewis piped up, a cheeky smile on his face, teeth on full display.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that grandpa.” She sends back at him, sticking her tongue out.

“You watch it young lady, I’m only two years older than you. You’re gonna be just as ancient as me soon enough.” His tone is playfully stern and he can only hold his fake scowl for a second before breaking out into a big grin.

Out of the corner of your eye you see him settle down on the blanket next to Talia as he takes off his shirt. They look like they’re ready for a photoshoot, two perfect bodies on the most perfect coastline. You turn your attention back to laying out your own blanket as he turns his attention toward her, talking quietly in her ear. She lets out an annoying giggle, one that seems to be more for show and less a reaction to whatever he just said.

“Alright, y'all are boring, who’s coming in here with me?” Miles shouts out from the water before falling back into another wave.

“Gimme just a sec.” Lewis hollers back, moving to stand up.

Daniel is already making his way down to the water and Charlotte is taking off her cover up, ready to head down herself. You do the same, putting on some sunscreen and tying back your hair.

“Come on, just for a few minutes, the water here is incredible.” You hear Lewis attempting to persuade Talia into the water.

“No, I told you, I don’t swim.” She half scoffs at him.

You almost want to roll your eyes, it would be such a shame to miss out on the beautiful sea. Lewis is shrugging as you turn toward him, obviously not in the mood to try any harder.

“Y/n?” He says, you can tell he meant to say more but stopped short when he saw you. Even through his sunglasses you can tell he’s checking you out much more than he should be, especially with the company sitting just behind him.

You’re not wearing anything particularly fancy, just a black bikini that you’ve had for a few years. It has the most support of any that you own and buckles instead of ties so you figured it would be best for the ocean. You raise a slightly accusing brow at him, urging him to continue.

He shakes his head ever so slightly, breaking himself out of what seemed to be a trance, “You comin’ in?”

“Hell yeah.” You say enthusiastically, jogging toward the water without waiting to see if he’s following. He appears at your side rather quickly, much more adept to running in the sand, or really running at all. You both slow down slightly. Once you're sure you’re far enough away you mumble to him “She’s fun.”

He looks at you with a small smirk but still manages to look like he's reprimanding you, “Leave her alone, it doesn’t matter.”

Once you’re close enough to the water that the tide is lapping at your toes you let out a shriek. Two large arms have wrapped around your torso from behind, picking you up in the air. He’s now running at full tilt into the water.

“Leewiiiisssss.” You scream out through a fit of laughter.

Just as his name comes out of your mouth, he’s throwing the two of you directly into a wave, the water completely engulfing you both. As you come up, sputtering slightly, you’re still in his arms. You free yourself, turning around to slap him in the chest before pushing your now drenched hair out of your face.

“Warn a girl next time.” You curse at him, still blinking the salt water out of your eyes.

You're met by nothing but boyish laughter as he takes in your slightly distraught state, “Aww it’s okay, you won’t melt.” He fakes a pout at you, making you flip him off before turning to swim over to where everyone else is, laughing themselves.

You don’t make it very far before the same arms from before are wrapping around you again, facing you toward the shore as another large wave crashes over the two of you. You managed to prepare yourself for it a little better than the last, this one actually making you laugh.

“Sorry, didn’t have time to warn you for that one.” Lewis says into your ear, his voice quiet and light. You can feel his warm breath against your skin, making you shiver despite the sun and warm water. You detach yourself from him, very aware that everyone can see you.

“My hero, thank you sir.” You tease him with his title as you swim away.

He follows after you, joining the rest of the group. Everyone swims and plays around for a good hour before deciding to head back up to the beach. Lewis and Miles share a look before Miles grabs you, pulling you further down the beach.

“So Y/N, Lewis and I have decided we’re gonna teach you how to surf.” Miles announces proudly

“Oh, hell no.” You start to protest, trying to pull away.

Lewis has already made it up to a part of the beach where you see an array of surfboards and kayaks that you can only assume belong with the house he’s rented. You see him selecting the perfect board, not paying particular attention to your dismay.

“Yup, sorry, it’s ain't up for discussion.” Miles simply shrugs, still pulling you along.

It takes them only a few minutes before you’re caving, they’re both well aware that you rarely say no to them.

“We already worked on your stance while we were in Malibu, now we’re just gonna try that in the water.” Lewis says as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

“Just watch and learn baby, watch and learn.” Miles is yelling out as he's already jogging toward the water, surfboard under his arm.

You watch miles paddle out, trying and failing to catch more than a few waves making you laugh slightly. You can feel your nerves subsiding a little bit but they’re definitely still there. Lewis can tell, he sees the tension in your body.

“C’mere.” He says, his hand outstretched towards you, gesturing for you to come to the board he has laid out in the sand.

You do as he says and let him arrange you on the board in the proper stance, so you can remember what he taught you almost six months ago.

“So you want to bend your knees and lean into it a bit.” His voice is soft and reassuring, he places his hands on your hips, pulling them back slightly to get into the proper position.

His hands are large and warm on your bare skin. As he pulls your hips back you notice how close he’s been standing, your ass just barely grazing over the front of his swim trunks. It's only a moment but you notice it, making you gulp. He must notice it too because he’s immediately stepping back as he clears his throat.

“Looks good, it's all about balance, you’ll be fine.” His tone is shorter now, but still offering the slightest bit of comfort that you need.

The boys finally get you out into the water after showing you multiple times how to push yourself up on the board. You had thought surfing was supposed to be relaxing, Lewis always explained it as his form of meditation, but the more you run drills with them the more you realize it’s a proper workout. You know you must look like a sweaty mess as you all head into the water. Lewis shows you a few times again how to work with the board in the water before you’re being sent off to try it on your own. They both watch, sitting back on their own boards, as you try and fail multiple times. You’ve wiped out more times than you can count and only managed to actually get up on the board twice.

“It’s not gonna happen guys, I’m not meant for surfing.” You call out to them as you struggle your way up onto your board once more.

“Come on, it’s your first time, it takes some getting used to.” Miles tries to cheer you on.

“Look, there’s a perfect wave coming in right now. We’ll take it with you.” Lewis offers, paddling his way over in that direction.

You’re still not quite sure how you managed to pull it off, but somehow it did end up being the perfect wave. You managed to get yourself up and ride it a short distance, it was maybe fifteen seconds but you were proud.

“She did it, she fucking did it!” Miles is already cheering as you make your way toward the shore.

Lewis quickly scoops you up in a big hug, pressing a big kiss to your cheek. It’s not an uncommon thing for him to do but it still makes you rather flustered. He places you back down giving you a big high five.

“Seeee,” He draws out in a teasing tone, a big smile on his face, “we knew you could do it.”

“Well I barely did it, but that was a ton of fun.” You laugh, overjoyed that you managed to do it at all.

“Barely is better than not at all.” Miles says, clapping you on your back.

“Come on, let's go cool off and then we can head back over to everybody. We’ve accidentally abandoned them.” Lewis says with a laugh.

The three of you make your way back into the water, floating your way over closer to where your friends sit. Miles makes his way back up to the group quicker than you and Lewis, the two of you bobbing around in the beautiful water a few minutes longer.

“See, this is what I mean,” He starts, looking up at the clear sky with a squint in his eye before looking back to you, “today wouldn’t have been nearly as fun if you weren’t here.”

“What a sap.” You tease him, shaking your head.

“Nah, Y/N, I mean it. I’m really glad we met you.” His voice is sincere, his eyes holding so many more emotions than you can even try to decipher.

“Me too.” It’s all you can really say but you truly mean it, you’re so grateful for this little chosen family you’ve become a part of.

You could tell Talia was in a mood as you made your way back from the water. Lewis simply throws a towel at you, making her roll her eyes. You noticed how she moved away from him as he settled down onto the blanket next to her. She seemed jealous. You could hear her whispering to him in a harsh tone but you couldn’t hear what she was saying.

It didn’t take very long for Lewis to stand up and start packing their things, announcing that they were heading back up to the house and they would see everyone later. You heard Daniel make some off handed comment, telling them to use protection. You didn’t hear either of them respond, assuming Lewis had chosen to flip him off instead. The rest of you chose to stay down on the beach for a little while longer, waiting the short while until the sun started to set.

As you made your way into the house you could already hear the yelling, everyone exchanging uneasy glances as you headed toward the kitchen to unpack your coolers.

“If you want to fuck her so bad why the hell am I even here?” Talias shrill voice cut through the house loudly.

“Jesus christ, she’s one of my closest friends. How can you not understand that?” Lewis was harsh in his response.

You glanced at Miles, unsure of what to do. There was nowhere to go to avoid listening to their conversation, if that's what you could even call it. He shrugged back at you, equally unsure of how to navigate the situation.

“You think I’m a fucking idiot? I see how you look at her, she gets all of your attention any time she’s around. You think I don’t notice?” Somehow Talias voice has managed to get even louder, “And what the fuck was that with you two in the water, huh? All giggly and flirty, like she doesn’t know how to swim? Showing her how to surf just so you could touch her?”

“I haven’t seen her in months and I barely got to even speak to her yesterday because you were jealous. Anytime I was even remotely close to her you found a way to pull me away.” Lewis is fully shouting now, something you have never heard from him in nearly two years of friendship. Sure you’ve seen him upset, but never have you heard him yell at anything other than a football game he was a little too invested in.

You can feel your friends glancing at you sympathetically. It’s not lost on anyone that they’re arguing about you. Everyone is trying to busy themselves, starting on making dinner, but it’s barely working, everyone is interested in the fallout of the fight happening down the hall.

“She’s a fucking gold digging bitch, how can you not see that? She wants to fuck you just as much as you evidently want to fuck her, so why don’t you go right ahead. She’s just as much of a whore as all the other ones you seem to keep in rotation.” Talia spits back at him, scoffing at the end.

You widen your eyes, frozen as you hear the way she's speaking about you. You feel Miles come up next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you in against him.

“Don’t listen to her, we love you.” Miles mumbles into the top of your head, pressing a kiss there.

“Don’t you dare, ever, speak about her that way again. I fucking mean it. I’d also keep in mind that you're, as you say, part of my rotation.” Lewis’s voice comes out harsh, threatening, “I want you gone.”

“Oh you want me gone? She’s the one that shouldn’t even be here, I paid for my ticket here, we all fucking know she weasled cash out of your pocket for a nice vacation.” She just about screams back at him.

“Gone. Now.” His voice is icy, sending a chill down your spine. That’s not the Lewis you know.

You can feel your eyes start to well up as their bedroom door slams. Lewis appears at the end of the hallway, still in his swim trunks from earlier. He quickly looks around the room as everyone stares wordlessly at him. He doesn’t meet your tear filled eyes, almost grimacing when he sees your face but saying nothing.

“Lewis-” Charlotte tries to speak before getting cut off.

“I’m going on a run.” He says abruptly, already walking away from the kitchen toward the front door.

He’s still barefoot and shirtless as he walks out the front door, slamming it hard behind him. The silence in the house doesn’t last long as you hear more commotion from the bedroom at the end of the hall. She’s swearing to herself and it sounds like she’s dropping things. It doesn’t take long until Daniel see’s her down the hallway.

“What the hell are you doing?” He shouts, already making his way down the hall.

This quickly gets everyone's attention, straining to look where he’s headed. You see her with an arm full of her stuff, making her way toward your room, throwing things into the doorway.

“If she wants him so fucking bad, she can fucking have him.” Talia screams back at him, not stopping for a second as she makes her way into your room.

This quickly catches both yours and Miles’ attention, heading down the hall yourself. When you make it to your door you see her grabbing your things, throwing them into your suitcase. You can’t help but be confused. What the hell is she doing?

“Hey, chill out. Everyone’s just upset, let’s take a breather.” Miles is trying to reason with her but it evidently isn’t working as she continues throwing your stuff into your bag, still muttering to herself.

With your bag in hand, she pushes past the three of you, tossing your stuff into Lewis’s doorway. When she turns to face you all you finally see her cheeks are covered in tears, snot running down her face. She looks genuinely hurt and you almost feel a little bad but you quickly push it aside, thinking of all the things she just said about you.

“I’m pretty sure I heard Lewis tell you to leave.” Charlotte says from behind you, her voice calm but cold.

“Yeah? Where the hell do you want me to go? It’s almost eight o’clock at night, I’m kinda stuck here. So sorry to be a burden.” Her voice is riddled with sarcasm as she throws her hands up in the air.

She doesn’t wait for a response as she once again pushes past you and into what used to be your room, slamming the door shut and locking it. You stand there, outside the door, absolutely stunned. It’s not until you feel Miles and Daniel guiding you away, back towards the kitchen that you snap out of it, finally getting mad.

“What the hell was that? How am I the bad guy?” You ask no one in particular, heading towards the bar just off the kitchen.

“You’re not the bad guy, she’s apparently just bat shit crazy.” Steph pipes up.

It makes you feel better hearing that from her, you two have never been all that close and only hung out a few times. You always have a good time together but really don’t have much in common. So if even she can see that it's not your fault, that must mean something.

“I mean she’s certainly crazy, we can see that, but Lewis shouldn’t have brought her here if was just gonna flirt with someone else the whole time.” Someone else says.

“He’s not flirting with me, he’s just like that.” You try to defend yourself, and him.

Charlotte looks at you with sympathetic eyes, “Hun, he’s definitely been flirting with you. Yes, he’s flirty with everyone, but it’s different when he’s flirting with intention.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You feel a little flustered at this point. A little embarrassed that everyone seems to know, confused as to why he would possibly be flirting with you, and almost excited that this crush you’ve had might just be reciprocated.

“Honestly, I’ve seen him flirt with countless women to get in their pants,” Miles starts, giving you an apologetic glance at his wording, “but it’s pretty rare that I see him flirt because he actually likes someone. Char’s right, the way he flirts with you is definitely different. And I love the dude, but it’s not fair to either of you.”

There are nods of agreement from your other friends and you feel your cheeks get hot.

“Okay, okay,” You put your hands up, trying to deflect away from the topic, “where am I supposed to sleep tonight? She just locked herself in my room and put me in a very much occupied room.”

“Well, I mean you could always sleep with Lewis and see where it goes.” Daniel says with a smirk.

It takes all of a second for Charlotte to make her way over to him and slap him on the back of the head, hissing at him, “Not the fucking time.”

“You can sleep with me, I know it’s not perfect but we can be cuddle buddies.” Charlotte says kindly, giving you a gentle smile.

Noone ends up eating dinner, dispersing from the kitchen rather quickly to avoid the awkward air that has set over the house for the night. You, Charlotte, and Miles end up in the living room doing your best to ignore the situation through means of alcohol. By the time eleven o’clock rolls around all three of you are more than tipsy and both Charlotte and Miles get up, ready to head to bed. Lewis still isn’t back and you can't help but be a bit worried. He would usually be in bed by now but he still isn’t even home. You send them both off to bed, telling them you’ll be up just a little longer. You sit in the living room in silence, nursing a drink, for almost an hour as you start to get drowsy. You try your very best to fight it off, hoping to stay away until Lewis is home, but you can only fight your exhaustion for so long.

As you drift off to sleep, the clock nearing twelve thirty, Lewis is still nowhere to be seen.

#lewis hamilton #sir lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton fanfic #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x you #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton blurb #team lh44 #lh44 #lh #lvis44 #formula one #fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 fanfic #driver x reader #f1 drivers

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beefromanoff · 8 months ago

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Project Mockingbird Ch. 11

summary: the team leaves for a mission, Charlotte keeps training, a new friend is introduced.

pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

author's note: hiiii, finally returning to this story since my other one is wrapping up - go read it here (masterlist)! this one is somewhat uneventful, but I wanted to set things up for the next few chapters I have planned. there's a lot coming that I can't wait to write! let me know what you think - I am easily persuaded to write faster with positive affirmation LOL

tag list: @bangtanxberm @scott-loki-barnes (let me know if you want to be added <3)

chapter list

_______________________________________

It was the ass crack of dawn.

The hot coffee cup burned her hand as Charlotte stood in the Quinjet hangar, preparing to see her friends off for their mission. It was the first live action they’d seen in quite some time, the result of significant seismic activity from the other world tripping some of the sensors at the compound and piquing the team’s attention enough for them to want to check it out. After a day of heavy intelligence vetting and briefings, they were ready to take to the skies.

The sun’s earliest rays weren’t even close to breaching the horizon at this hour. Charlotte wasn’t even sure why she woke up to see them off. She hadn’t gone to any of the mission intelligence meetings all week, despite the open invitation. After insisting she didn’t want to be a member of the team, it seemed counterintuitive. The lines were admittedly blurred, seeing as she trained with them in combat simulations almost every day of the week. The SHIELD agents weren’t nearly a challenge for her, and the team was almost…too much of one. Over the past few weeks, she’d obliged Bucky. She’d been working with him on the side, learning skills she couldn’t just mimic.

He’d taught her everything he knew about weaponry, dating back to the first war he fought in. Charlotte wasn’t sure why they had antiques like that on the property at all, but she supposed it was helpful to know. After a week, she knew how to load, unload, clean, and fire just about every weapon on the entire compound. Bucky’s favorite had been the long range sniper arsenal, something she wouldn’t have guessed. Someone who was so skilled at hand to hand combat, preferring to take his shot from being hidden in the woods. Ironically, that would probably end up being her position should she ever go into a live mission. It would allow her to use her precision and heightened senses without putting her body at the same risk as hand to hand would. They both seemed to acknowledge that, so they spent extra time on sniper training. When it was all said and done, she could shoot an apple out of Peter’s hand while he swung across the lake from half a mile away. Even Bucky looked impressed.

They’d gone over other languages, he taught her the three he knew. She took it upon herself to learn a fourth, pulling an all-nighter out of spite after their lesson the previous day ended in an argument. While that wasn’t uncommon for them, it still filled her with rage and a bitter desire to tell him to go to hell. Which she did, by showing up the following day having perfected the three languages he was teaching her and an additional one, making her the second most fluent on the team behind Natasha. No one really even knew all the languages she spoke.

Lately, it had been a mix of strategy and intelligence. They’d go through mission plans and “intercepted” intelligence, and work through coming up with a team strategy. For someone who never seemed to want a leadership role on the team, it was clear that it came naturally to him. There was more to it than she ever thought, this type of training made her feel the most naive. She’d come up with an entire strategy, only for Bucky to immediately point out the flaw that would get half her team killed. She always thought she was smart, but when it boiled down to it, she’d always been able to memorize or mimic her way through difficult situations. Even back in the casino, she wasn’t Rainman. She just memorized the rules and executed basic strategy, increasing her bets when it was favorable. In battle or mission strategy, there was no one to copy. Nothing to memorize. No rules or guidelines or anything to help her along the way. She had to learn to reason, to think through every outcome in a split second, to understand how an enemy might think and head them off. It was grueling, frustrating, and led her nearly to blows with Bucky at the end of every session.

It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, necessarily…it was more that his teaching style didn’t align with her learning style. He was direct, intense, no-nonsense. She was used to picking things up perfectly on the first try, leaving her frustrated from the jump with things that didn’t follow that rule. His intensity and her agitation usually led to her feeling like he was talking down to her, making her hostile and him annoyed. But they stuck with it, showing up day after day.

This week had been the first in nearly a month that they hadn’t met multiple times, with Bucky being occupied with briefings for this specific mission. Maybe that’s why she showed up this morning to see them off. It had felt surprisingly quiet and solitary without being in training with them all every day. So here she was, coffee in hand and eyes still heavy, waiting to say goodbye for a few days.

The entire compound hummed with a sense of purpose as everyone geared up for departure, their first mission in a while. The hangar was a flurry of activity as engineers prepped the jet for takeoff and triple checked the arsenal onboard. The team stood in their locker-room of sorts, finishing their own prep. Charlotte stood in the doorway, watching them prepare. Steve slung his shield over his shoulder, clicking it into place on his back. Nat was doing a quick check on her Widow’s Bite wrist packs, ensuring maximum destructive potential. Sam and Wanda were both already dressed, but seated on the bench beside each other, looking less than awake at this hour. To her right, Bucky moved slowly. Not due to fatigue or lack of caffeine, but some haunting sense of deja vu that seemed to plague him in the moments he suited up. Sliding a gun into his thigh holster and another into the strap on his back, he turned. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were glazed. Like he was somewhere far, far away from the locker room. She knew the feeling.

“Earth to Barnes,” She quipped, raising an eyebrow. His gaze met hers and seemed to snap back to the present moment.

“Good morning sunshine.” His tone was dry.

“I guess this means I’m off the hook for training today, huh?” Her tone was light, baiting him.

“You could practice on your own, you know.” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes, but I could also not do that and spend the day basking in the sunshine on the dock instead.” She pretended to weigh her hands. “Tough call.”

He looked her disapprovingly but said nothing, not acknowledging that she was fully dressed in her training uniform, and stepped around her to head to the Quinjet. She tried not to take it personally that he wasn’t in the mood today. He was probably getting in the zone, or whatever they did before missions. Although she initially declared her disinterest in this when she joined the team, a subtle feeling of exclusion gnawed at her.

"Hey, Cap," Charlotte said, a small smile playing on her lips as she shook it off and approached Steve. "Bring me back a souvenir, okay?"

Steve grinned. "Count on it, Charlotte. You take care of things here."

The banter between them felt easy, familiar. The team had never pressured her or questioned her decision to stay out of active duty. Yet a seed of doubt lingered in her mind. As Natasha passed by, loading a small handgun, Charlotte followed her out.

"Don’t have too much fun without me." Charlotte remarked.

Natasha smirked. "Yeah, it’ll be a real rager. I should be saying that to you."

“Yeah, me and all the agents who are so fond of me. Things’ll really get crazy around here.” She rolled her eyes.

“We’ll be back before you know it.” Nat paused at the foot of the ramp, hair blowing as the engines began to roar to life. She gently bumped Charlotte’s shoe with her own. “See you in three days.”

“Go kick some ass.” Charlotte forced a grin.

The other team members filed up the ramp after her, murmuring various goodbyes and patting her on the back. It was only three days. An intelligence mission. She wasn’t sure why it felt like she was sending them off on a years’ long voyage.

As the ramp began to ascend with a hiss, she caught a flash of dark hair walking inside the jet. Bucky locked eyes with her, pausing briefly. Charlotte gave a half-hearted salute to him, hoping to elicit a grin. He simply nodded and continued on.

The engines flared and the jet soared out of the hangar. The silence that followed was deafening. Around her, SHIELD agents began to return to their posts now that the jet had taken off. She could see small groups of early risers beginning to arrive at the compound, reliving those who’d worked the night shift. The sky had only just turned from black to a dark blue-gray, sunrise still an hour or so away.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways, Charlotte decided to go for a run. She downed the rest of the coffee, still hot enough that she felt it all the way down to her empty stomach. She was already dressed in training gear, but another thought crossed her mind. Turning on her booted heel, she headed back for the locker room.

Just about anything the team would need for any mission ever lived in this room. It was a long room, with alcoves built into the sleek walls every few feet for a new team member. In each person’s equipment bay, they had 2-3 training suits, and 1-2 combat suits hanging. Several drawers near the bottom housed various bits of gear specific to each person. Nat had ample supplies to restock her Widow’s Bite, while Bucky’s was full of ammunition. Of course, there was an entirely separate wing of the engineering building dedicated to housing the massive amounts of weapons manufactured here, as well as developing new tech. This was just where the most commonly used things got to go.

Standing in front of her own locker, Charlotte crossed her arms. Just like everyone else, she had two training suits hanging, the third on her body. A second pair of lightweight combat boots sat at the base. She tugged open the drawer and found a few holsters she’d worn for a training exercise, but nothing else. Why would she need her own artillery if she wasn’t going on missions? The only reason she was given a locker here was because she no longer trained with the SHIELD agents.

Taking a deep breath, she stalked to the back of the room where she knew extra equipment would be kept. Right where she knew it to be, a thick tactical vest hung in an empty bay. She pulled it on and pinched a button down by her ribcage, the tech immediately cinching it to her body. In a few moments, the lightweight vest was full of at least twenty pounds of firepower and ammunition. Several more were strapped to her legs. The one thing she’d forgotten…shit. A hairtie.

I’ll bring it back later. She thought to herself as she plucked one out of Wanda’s drawer and pulled her hair into a tight bun at the base of her head. It was early enough that no one was around to notice her armed to the teeth before sunrise. Good. She didn’t need anyone asking questions or pressing her for this silly urge. She looked left and right before breaking into a light jog towards the trailhead into the forest.

She might not be an Avenger, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t train like one.

_________

Charlotte walked with purpose through the compound, her mind still focused on the training session she had just completed, notes with things she could improve running through her mind. It was mid-morning, the compound cafe a flurry of activity as the day picked up. She barely paid attention as she made her way to the coffee machine.

“Didn’t get called up to the Major Leagues?” A voice sneered from behind her. Charlotte didn’t have to look to identify the agent taunting her.

Charlotte shot back, "Someone had to stay here to babysit."

“Whatever helps you sleep at night. We’ve all heard about your defects.” She taunted. “I guess HYDRA lost their touch after Barnes. A one-hit wonder.”

She grit her teeth but ignored them, not wanting to get baited.

Another agent chimed in, "Yeah, we've got Captain America and the Winter Soldier, and they still felt like we needed another lab experiment. Maybe it’s part of some charitable outreach program?"

It was all Charlotte could do to keep from crushing the cardboard cup in her hands. In through your nose, out through your mouth.

“At least her collar is cute.” One of the agents boldly leaned against the counter next to her and flicked her bracelet.

Fuck it.

In a split second, Charlotte had the agent by the throat, pinned to the cabinets behind her. With her free right arm, she swung an elbow back, hitting the agent she knew was standing there. He cried out as his nose crunched and began to gush blood. Shifting her weight, she kicked backwards with her right foot and caught the final agent square in the abdomen, spilling her coffee and knocking her on her ass as she struggled to catch her breath. Charlotte’s eyes flicked to the agent she still had pinned to the wall, now kicking her feet as her eyes turned red.

Her right fist curled, ready to strike, but a commanding female voice cut through the noise. "Enough!"

A woman with a no-nonsense demeanor emerged from the crowd that had gathered. She wore a white coat, indicating her role in the science department. Charlotte recognized her from the lab, but couldn’t recall ever interacting with her. The agents that stood gawking dispersed and scurried back to their duties. She was pretty, her tan skin and dark hair striking. She was smaller than Charlotte, but had a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude that stood six feet tall.

"I suggest you all remember where you are and who you're speaking to. Disrespect towards a fellow agent won't be tolerated," she warned, her tone sharp. “By us, or by the fellow agent.” Her eyes flicked to Charlotte’s, the slightest smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Charlotte slowly lowered the female agent to the ground, releasing her grip on the woman’s throat. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

“You should be thankful you were at Ms. Rossi’s discretion today. If I were in charge of your discipline, my recommendation would be dismissal from the program altogether.” Their eyes widened at her threat, one of them still trying to staunch the flow of blood from his nose. The woman looked at Charlotte inquisitively. “Unless Ms. Rossi still feels that recommendation is warranted?”

Three sets of eyes, simultaneously fuming and pleading, flicked to Charlotte.

“They can stay.” She picked up her coffee cup, completely undisturbed by the scene. “Consider it charitable outreach.”

“Very well.” She fought back a grin again. “Now, I suggest you get cleaned up and get to training before Agent Hill starts asking questions.”

The agents clamored to their feet and dispersed, shooting one last glare at Charlotte. As they walked away, Charlotte took a breath, willing the rage to cool down.

The woman who had intervened approached her. She offered a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about that. Some people here forget their manners. I'm Calla, from the science division."

Charlotte nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Calla. I'm Charlotte."

"I know who you are," Calla replied coolly.

"Right," Charlotte said, a mix of gratitude and wariness in her eyes. “I’ve seen you in the lab. Sorry I haven’t said hello, I’m usually there so Bruce can talk me out of decking someone.”

Calla waved her off. "Mind if I join you for coffee? Now that it’s quieted down around here.” She gestured to the oddly empty room.

Charlotte smirked. "It’d be a shame not to enjoy it."

They settled into a table outside, the spring sun warming their skin as it rose higher in the sky.

Calla took a sip of her coffee before diving into her background. "So, like I said, I'm Calla. I've been working with Dr. Banner for a while now."

"Bruce?" Charlotte asked, her curiosity evident. Clearly she hadn’t been paying close enough attention when she barged into the lab before.

"Yeah, the big green guy. We've been researching superhuman enhancements, trying to have an understanding so that medical technology can serve the enhanced community as well as the human community. My specialty is in genetics, neurology, cell mutation, the whole shebang," Calla explained.

Impressed, Charlotte nodded. "That's... intense."

Calla chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. I was recruited by Bruce himself after I graduated from MIT. But before that, I served in the military for a few years. Did my first contract and left because I felt I couldn't innovate the way I wanted to. Found a home here, though. I’ve been living on the compound for the past two years."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You live here? There are other residential quarters?"

Calla nodded. "Yep. Not many people know, they don’t want agents thinking they can just move in. There’s a small set of units above the lab. Bruce stays there sometimes, a few of the engineers live there. Maria has a room but she refuses to stay in it. Says she needs a break from this place.”

"I can see that," Charlotte chuckled.

The conversation flowed seamlessly, talking about the quirks of the team and life on the compound, her time in the military. She didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to get back to the lap. It was Charlotte who checked the time, realizing she was late to a flight simulation. She’d made a personal goal of learning to fly a Quinjet before the team returned and a brave agent from the hangar that morning had offered to help her.

As they finished their coffee, Calla hesitated for a moment before blurting. "Oh, and I'm engaged to Sam Wilson."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Sam as in the Falcon? He’s engaged?"

Calla grinned. "Guilty as charged. We met when he came in a couple weeks after I arrived and needed stitches, but the doctor on call wasn’t around. I helped him out, we talked about our experience serving, and we just never really stopped talking."

Stunned, Charlotte stared at her slack-jawed. “This whole time, Sam, Sam has had a whole fiance?” She thought through all the time they’d spent together, all the evenings she’d seen him in the common room. “So, when do you…?”

“I’m kind of a workaholic.” She shrugged. “We have breakfast together every day, he pops in between training sessions, we alternate between who shacks up with whom. Most of the time I make him come to me.”

“I guess chivalry isn’t dead after all.” Charlotte still gaped at her. “But he eats dinner with us every night…does that bother you?”

“He eats two dinners.” Calla laughed. “I think he honestly prefers it that way. That man is a bottomless pit.”

“So why keep it a secret?” Charlotte furrowed her brows. “And why tell me now?”

Calla toyed with the empty cup in her hand. “I was the one who wanted to keep it a secret. I was new here, and young, and didn’t want to get a reputation for being the new girl sleeping with an Avenger. I wanted to make a name for myself first. Sam wanted to shout it from the rooftops, literally, but he respected me. So we kept it a secret for almost two years now, although I’m pretty certain Natasha figured it out immediately. I told Bruce a while back. Other than that, you’re the first person to know.” She smiled. “To answer your question, I just figured it was time. What fun would a wedding be without any wedding guests.”

“Well, I’m honored.” Charlotte lifted up her empty cup. “To the future Mrs. Wilson.”

Calla lifted hers and grinned. “To those punk agents finally getting what was coming to them.”

#bucky barnes #avengers #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #winter soldier #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff

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soralinklokidottirofmirkwood · 1 year ago

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Rock on: Xinyan x best friend reader.

Age: 15 Reader is childhood friends with Xinyan after her family moved from Qingce village to Liyue Harbor when she was a year old. She lives next door to Xinyan and they immediately become best friends after their parents became friends then 14 years later they start a duo band together.

Flashback no one’s POV:

2 year old Xinyan is happily playing dolls with 4 year old Yun Jin while there parents had tea on the porch and everyone in Liyue Harbor was doing their own thing when a wagon stopped in front of a house that was on sale “Oh looks like we have new neighbors.” Xinyan’s father said as a man with black hair and brown eyes got off the wagon while helping down a woman with pastel purple hair and purple, pink and blue mixed eyes with star shaped pupils, she had a sleeping baby on her back wrapped in a white cloth with a tuff of black fading to pastel purple hair in a tiny tail.

The couple began unloading the wagon but some stuff was falling “Let’s help them.” Xinyan’s father said getting up with Yun Jin’s father while their wives went to the woman to greet them “Hello, welcome to Liyue Harbor! We’re your neighbors.” Xinyan’s father said bowing “Thank you, I’m Yao! This is my wife Meiling and our 1 year old daughter Y/N.” he said happily gesturing to the woman with the baby still on her back now awake revealing that she has both parents eye colors one was brown like her father’s eyes but it was mixed with amber and red while the other was like her mothers eyes, both with the star shaped pupils.

While the adults are unloading the furniture your mother sat you down in your playpen with two more girls a bit older then you “Hi I’m Xinyan.” the little girl with sun kissed skin, sunset colored eyes and her black hair with yellow highlights pulled into high pigtails held by red ribbons.

The other girl with red eyes, pale skin and black hair with purple highlighted hair in twin braids held by red clover knots introduced herself next “And I’m Yun Jin.” She said “I’m Y/N.” You said happily “Let’s play.” Xinyan said taking out a wooden doll while you and Yun Jin did the same.

At 5:00 the adults finished unpacking while you and the two older girls continued playing but you all started getting sleepy “Would any of you like some tea?” Your mother asked “Yes please.” Yun Jin’s father said “Yes! Tea would be nice.” Xinyan’s father said as your mother went to the new kitchen to put tea on the kettle “Ohh looks like the girls feel asleep.” Xinyan’s mother said smiling as she sees you, Xinyan and Yun Jin asleep in the playpen with your dolls next to you three while the adults awed at the sight “Looks like Y/N is making friends already.” Your father said smiling while helping your mother bring out snacks.

End of flashback 14 years later during the lantern right:

You stand by Xinyan on the stage as both of you played your guitars while Hu Tao raps.

You smiled as you see your other friends such as Xiangling, Xingqui, Chong Yun, yun Jin, the traveler and the girl from Fontain Charlotte whom you’ve became fast friends with after she interviewed you and Xinyan on your band and how you two started it.

After the concert:

You are happily sitting down next to Xinyan eating rice buns that you made yourself that you call Rolling Riff buns, they look like the rice buns but you added bits of meat, shrimp, crab meat and Junyun chili peppers into it with chopped vegetables in the shape of lightning bolts “These are rocking Y/N.” Xinyan said happily munching on one of the electric purple buns “Thank you, I added meat, shrimp and crab into the buns.” You said happily eating your specialty dish “Hey they’re about to light up the fireworks, let’s go.” The older girl said grabbing your hand as both of you still had a bun in hand.

You and Xinyan both stand by each others sides as you wait for the fireworks to start and you began to remember your first lantern right together when you two were little “This reminds me of our first Lantern right.” The older girl said making you smile as you popped another bun in your mouth “Yes, only with more friends.” You said happily glancing at your other friends who were all gathering to watch the fireworks “Let’s go over.” Xinyan said once again grabbing your hand.

You, Xinyan and the others are all happily watching the fireworks as they decorated the night sky with the lanterns, jade chamber, the frost nail over dragon spine, the blue glow of the Narukami shrine in the distance of Narukami Island (apparently the shrine glows blue after you complete the Sakura cleansing ritual quest) and the stars making the night look beautiful “Hey Y/N one last concert for tonight but acoustic this time?” Xinyan asked making you smile “Let’s do it.” You said grabbing your guitar with Xinyan doing the same and both of you played a soft melody while memories of you two as kid’s playing imaginary instruments to playing actual instruments then performing your first concert together.

Later:

You and Xinyan walked home together after having fun on the last night of the lantern right “See ya in the morning Y/N.” She said hugging you as you hugged back “See ya Xinyan.” You said as you both broke the hug and went to your own houses, walking into the living room after taking off your shoes you greeted your parents “how was the concert?” your mother asked making tea while your father took out the Sakura Mochi he got on his business trip to Inazuma after the vision hunt decree lifted “It was great and I made a new friend named Charlotte! She’s from Fontain.” You said sharing with your parents what happened today “That’s great dear.” Your father said bringing the Mochi to the table as you helped carry cups and plates to the table while your mother brought over the kettle.

After nighttime tea with Sakura Mochi you bathed and went to bed looking forward to what tomorrow brings.

#platonic #genshin impact #xinyan #x reader #childhood #teyvat #liyue #fluffy #neighbors #good friends

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the-oc-lass · 1 year ago

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Nimona OC - Charlotte Swiftheart/Corova

Hey I had a weird and freaky thing happen today. I was trying to take a nap and was turned onto my right side, putting a bunch of pressure on it, and then my eyes and mouth started to twitch and I thought "huh, that's weird. I'm going to open my eyes and see how I feel" and then came to realize that hey, I can't fucking open my eyes, and I can't move my right side, and I just laid there trying to get my dad's attention from across the couch with only my left hand and the ability to move my mouth but not speak, and I thought to myself "come on. Just open your fucking eyes" and finally I did and I was completely fine.

But no, I don't think I had a stroke. I think it was a dream. A freaky dream, but a dream nonetheless. Anyway, this is why I don't take naps.

But enough of my traumatic nap, I have more content. ENJOY.

First, Previous, Next

Charlotte lightly kicks the door open, then she and Nimona drag Ballister over the threshold. They move him across the room, and Charlotte carefully deposits him on the couch. Once he's safely down, she sighs and rolls her shoulders, looking around.

"This place was so magical to me when I was a kid. Now it's just...Sad looking," she says, setting her hands on her hips. Nimona sighs.

"Yeah..." Charlotte looks over, watching Nimona's face morph into mischief. "But it doesn't have to be." Oh, Charlotte doesn't like that look.

"Nim, you just broke Ballister out of prison. You do not need to be going back in public right now," she says, an unimpressed look on her face as she crosses her arms. Nimona grins at her.

"I'll just be gone for, like, 30 minutes!" she says. Charlotte raises an eyebrow.

"Nim," she says, a warning in her voice. Nimona groans.

"Come on, Chari, don't be such a wet blanket," she says, but she's already backing toward the door. Charlotte blinks at her, unimpressed gaze unmoving.

"I'm serious, Nimona." Nimona cups a hand around her ear theatrically.

"What? Sorry, Chari, can't hear you! Be back later!" she says loudly, before turning and rushing out the door before Charlotte can stop her. The blonde sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, then walks toward the door and closes it. The least she can do is clean up while Nimona is gone.

Just as she's finished neatly setting Ballister's armor aside and has covered him with a blanket, Nimona bursts through the door.

"I've got the stuff!" she declares, carrying in two bags in her arms, and another with the tail emerging from behind her. Charlotte raises an eyebrow at her as she looks at all of the bags.

"And how did you-" She cuts herself off, then sighs. "Never mind, I don't want to know. What did you buy, Nim?" Nimona proudly sets her haul on the coffee table by the couch, starting to unload it as she talks.

"I got some super metal decorations for the lair, some grub because boss's fridge is empty, and...oh, look at this!" Nimona proudly holds up a box to show it to Charlotte, and Charlotte smiles as she realizes it's a board game. Not just any board game, though. World Domination. She remembers playing it with Ballister and Ambrosius when they were kids. Ballister always liked the game, but she can now admit that she and Ambrosius were extremely sore losers. Must be a Goldenloin thing.

"Looks like a good way to pass the time while you two hide from every knight in the kingdom," she says. Nimona blows a raspberry and sets the game aside.

"We're not hiding. We're plotting," she says. She suddenly pulls some papers out of one of the bags. "Speaking of, I got some stuff to update the murder wall!"

"I sincerely doubt that Ballister has a murder wall, Nim." Nimona scoffs.

"Whatever. Do you want to help decorate or not?" she asks. Charlotte glances around the very dull, sad looking hideout, then down at Ballister. He's probably going to be unconscious for a while. Finally, she sighs.

"Alright, what the hell? Where do you want to start?" she asks.

2/?

Lovely tagged people:

@ammonitetheseaserpent @perfectkittystranger @madlad06 @xxlunadrawsstuffxx

#nimona #nimona oc #nimona 2023 #nimona movie #ballister boldheart #who is once again present but unconsious #original character #oc: charlotte swiftheart/corova #nimona nimona #nimona netflix #nimona film

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shadowdavutoglu · 1 year ago

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where: the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel who: @la-petitmortss when: midafternoon Technically, Bora had promised his mother he'd help unload a shipment of antiques from up north. But the truck had come early, and Bora had worked late the night before, and his brothers had ended up unloading before Bora got there. By then his mother was fully occupied with sorting and pricing the new merchandise, so she'd shooed him away from looking through it. But he'd managed to escape with an envelope of photos, and now he sits at the bar of the Savoy hotel, ice melting in his half-finished Tom Collins as he flips through the old pictures, learning about strangers he'll never meet. --At least, until Charlotte comes in. Catching the glimpse of movement in the mirror behind the bar, he looks up and rolls his eyes. "You couldn't go anywhere else?" But he slides over nonetheless, so she too can use the mirror to watch the rest of the room behind them, even as he flags down the bartender and orders a whiskey straight. "I'm going to need something stronger to deal with this."

#la-petitmortss #bora and charlotte #event: general #hi I love them already #rpg: lf

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youshouldhavepaidattentiondad · 2 years ago

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Loved Sweetly: Chapter 6

Ao3

"Well, here we are!" Charlotte announces cheerfully as Sam parks the car in the driveway in front of their house.

Trent frowns, titling down his sunglasses. "Aren't guest houses usually in the back of the property?"

Blinking, Sam glances towards the backseat. "Kid, there is no guest house. This is where we live."

"Really?" Trent asks incredulously. "But it's so small. It's like a dollhouse." He unbuckles his seatbelt before climbing out.

Sam waits until the back door closes to mutter "what the fuck" under his breath.

"Baby steps," Charlotte reminds him before getting out as well.

A heavy sigh escapes Sam. He pops the trunk and joins them outside.

Once they unload Trent's suitcase and the shopping bags, they head up the walkway.

"So this is the living room," Charlotte says as they enter the house.

Trent glances around as he pulls off his sunglasses. He doesn't say anything as he follows her to a small hallway.

"That's mine and Sam's room," Charlotte tells him, pointing to the right. "That's the bathroom." She walks to the door at the end of the left side of the hall. "And this is your room!"

She opens the door. It's a modest room, with a double bed, a small desk, and a dresser. They file in, Sam moving to set the suitcase on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Trent drops the shopping bags on the bed before setting his aviators on the nightstand. His eyes stay down, not looking at either of the adults.

"You want some space, kid?" Sam asks.

"...yeah," Trent finally answers.

Charlotte pats his shoulder. "Okay. Just let us know if you need anything, alright?" She waits for him to nod before taking Sam's hand, leading him out of the room.

They end up in the kitchen. Charlotte sits on the counter while Sam leans back against the fridge.

"So what do we need to do?" Sam asks as he pulls off his sunglasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Let's see…" Charlotte hums thoughtfully, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater. "We need to enroll him at Hatchetfield Middle School. We can't afford the private school the Monroes were sending him to."

"Right." Sam nods. He can only imagine how well that's going to go. "Need to get him on our insurance too."

Silence fills the air between them as they both try to think of what to say next. Charlotte continues fiddling with her sleeve as Sam stares up at the ceiling.

The faucet drips into the sink, the 'tink' of water against metal practically deafening in the quiet.

"...how the hell are we gonna do this, Char?" Sam asks, not for the first time. "We don't know anything about raising a kid."

Charlotte sighs, forcing herself to look at her husband. "I don't know," she admits. "Maybe we can both take some time off work to help adjust to… all of this."

He runs a hand back through his hair. "Yeah… yeah that's a good idea." He bites the inside of his cheek, hesitating. "Hey, Char-"

Before he can finish the thought, Trent walks into the kitchen, carrying a tortoiseshell cat in his arms.

"Oh! I see you met Bas," Charlotte comments as she slides down from the counter. "It looks like she likes you!"

Trent glances down at the purring cat in his arms. "Bas?"

Smiling, Charlotte says, "It's short for-"

"Bastard," Sam interrupts with a grin.

"Sam!" Charlotte gasps, reaching back to smack his arm.

Laughing, Sam rubs the spot where he was just hit. "What, she is!"

Bas meows loudly, turning her large green eyes on Sam.

"Oh, you know you are," Sam retorts, looking at the cat seriously. "You're just acting all nice and sweet because there's someone new in the house.

As Bas gives another meow of protest, Charlotte rolls her eyes fondly, as though she's seen this exchange many times. "Her name is actually Princess Basilette, but we call her Bas for short."

Stroking the top of Bas' head, Trent looks down at her almost curiously. "...we were never allowed to have pets. Mrs. Monroe didn't like animals."

Sam and Charlotte exchange glances. "Well, you have one now," Sam tells him, "Do you like her?"

"Yeah," Trent confirms before adding, "She's really soft."

"She's also a huge cuddlebug," Charlotte informs him. She moves over to Trent's side, brushing the hair out of his face. "We got her a couple years ago-"

As she tells the story, Sam watches the two of them with a small smile. He knows this is the calm before the storm. He can feel it in his bones.

But he'll take this moment as a victory.

#sam sweetly #charlotte sweetly #trent sweetly #trent monroe #hatchetfield universe #black friday #tgwdlm #nightmare time #loved sweetly #chapter 6 #bas the cat

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gale-heart · 11 months ago

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My departure all those years ago had worse ramifications than I realized.

Things came to a head between us three weeks in. Three weeks of barely communicating enough to function in the field, then failing even that as we unraveled into fights that made a dragon want to be anywhere else. (As large and deadly as Serendigos is now, he looked for all the world like he was doing his best to become a very small and uninvolved boulder.) Then, after the last and worst Primalist scuffle, we just…stopped. Ran out of steam, I think, after the adrenaline died down and we made sure Seren wouldn’t lose his wing. I was exhausted from pouring everything I had into the mending (crude, clumsy work—it did the job, but barely) when Kerrius surprised me by breaking the ice first. Calmly, even.

He wanted to know where I’ve been all this time, and why I didn’t try to write when I was back in Feralas.

Everything ran cold for me. It had never occurred to me back then that others would know about the small group effort to rehabilitate Eldre’thalas, or that I was there however briefly. It makes sense word of the slaughter would have rushed back to Darnassus—and the old bird made sure to specifically implicate me in his “witness” statement, after all. Kerrius’ mentor, it turns out, was one of the investigating Sentinels into that mess. It took more than ten years for it to occur to me that I never bothered telling my brother anything after I left, even to seek comfort or let him know when I was safe. Nor did I once ask what he was up to, until just months ago.

I told him everything. About the old man and his insidious dismantling of my autonomy, the attempts to make a new arcan’dor, the morrowgrain, the addiction, Mythandos, the disastrous last portal and how I ended up a part of the Fence. I’m sick by now of recounting the details, but he deserved honesty from me. To my (selfish) relief, he at least looked properly horrified by the time I got to the end of our time in Dire Maul. He’d earnestly assumed I’d found myself a cushy job somewhere as a scholar or portal mage and went on to live a comfortable, safe life without concern for aught but myself. He hadn’t known that my current stability and wealth were only very recent acquisitions perched atop a precarious pile of actual traumas. No wonder he’s been bitter—it very much would appear from his perspective that I’ve been flaunting my apparent good fortunes in the face of his loss. It’s good that we’ve cleared the air in that regard, then.

I’m afraid it was still too little, too late.

He’s not sure now what he thinks, or whether he still wants to have contact with me. I may have tried mending this bridge out of genuine remorse and a desire to reconnect with my brother, but we both know now that I treated him rather poorly towards the end of our time together (regardless that it wasn’t outright malicious intent on my part), and I failed to realize just how badly I hurt him when I abandoned him. As of yet I haven’t given him enough in the way of reason to believe my sincerity or that it’ll last. After all, it was made clear before how little I thought of leaving him by the wayside—how can he trust that I won’t do it again? He likes the Fence enough now that he doesn’t mind helping with mercenary jobs once in a while, but he’s asked that I continue to leave him alone for the time being, at least until he sees enough proof of my own change to want to try and be siblings again. There’s a non-zero chance he may decide he still doesn’t want anything more to do with me.

I’ve only arrived home a couple hours ago. I briefly considered crossing the street to wake Charlotte, but the hour is far too early for diurnal folk, and in any case I’m still too raw to want to unload any of this onto anyone else. When I couldn’t get to sleep, I found myself digging through my satchel; now I have all my old journals gathered around me, and tea for clarity of mind.

I won’t be able to rest until I have a better understanding of what other times I’ve been so thoughtless, and who else I’ve inadvertently hurt. If I’m going to become better, I need to first identify where I consistently fail.

#character logs #journal #ic

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laxmipharma · 1 day ago

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easymovinglaborhelp · 1 year ago

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independencetowingcharlote · 7 days ago

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beanybean5000 · 18 days ago

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wrestlemania 39 (2023)

saturday

suck it: 4

michael cole ‘unloading’: yall i literally swear someone told him in the past that i was gonna be here doing this, bc why would he leave me hanging like this, michael i thought i knew you

—john cena vs austin theory, us title. more like austin Thiccums, amirite? 👀

—men’s fatal four way tag team match: that shit was craaaazy

—seth rollins vs logan🤮paul. the orchestra conductor for seth’s entrance. he shoulda kept that harness on. pissed that logan🤮 is a good performer, bc i fucking hate him. seth killed it, as usual

—becky lynch, lita, trish stratus vs. damage control: noiiiiice. when are they gonna kick bayley outta damage control, i’m sick of her and i love dakota and iyo

—rey mysterio vs dom mysterio. nooooo, bc i hate to say it, but dom actually looked so good. DAMIAN WITH THE BRAIDS. why is this the best match of the night so far? dom’s in ring work is getting so much better (i’m sure it also helps that, hello, in case you missed it, that’s his dad)

—charlotte flair vs rhea ripley, smackdown women’s title: charlotte with the puffy ballgown coat. wow wow wow, as expected, match of the night, loved them both getting crazier as the match went on

—pat mcafee vs the miz. yall can never make me hate the miz, and you could never make me care about pat mcafee like michael cole does

—the usos vs sami zayn & kevin owens, undisputed wwe tag team titles: bruh when sami and jey almost kissed 😔. obviously this match was good, but i do wish charlotte and rhea were the main event

sunday

suck it: 0 😔

michael cole ‘unloading’: again, ZERO! bout to start counting how many times he says ‘goodness’ instead /hj

—brock lesnar vs omos. this was my poop break, my partner said it was cool when omos threw lesnar across the ring

—women’s fatal four way tag team: shotzi, natty, chelsea, and sonya all looked sooooooo good. my partner said, “ronda rousey always looks like she’s about to piss on people.” shayna deserves so much better than to be chained to ronda, like wtf. ending was bs. y’all gotta stop making shotzi tap out, shoulda had natty get the double tap out on sonya and chelsea

—gunther vs sheamus vs drew mcintyre, ic title: drew in the white? 👀 we haven’t had a ludwig announcement in a while, so i’m glad they brought him out to do it. having titus on commentary was fun. sheamus literally had the people on their feet MULTIPLE TIMES and yall still tryna keep this belt from him, yall pissin me awwwwwwff!!!! every time they mentioned that he’s never won it, it made me more mad

—bianca belair vs asuka, raw women’s title. aaaaasukaaaaa. the divas of compton for bianca’s entrance 😭😭 i love bianca, but i was sooo ready for asuka to win.

—snoop dogg getting the miz was so funny, they did well recovering from shane getting injured. also, this was probably funnier than whatever they had planned tbh. snoop dogg winning a match and holding up his belt? i mean, come on.

—edge vs demon finn balor, hell in a cell. i don’t have a lot to say, but this was really good.

—roman reigns vs cody rhodes, undisputed wwe universal title: the person w the ‘overrated’ sign while cody came out. there were a lot of intimate touches going on 👀 i just personally do not care about cody finishing the story. good match tho

night one was definitely better than night two, but this whole show was better than the shit they gave us @ wrestlemania 38 (2022). and where was charles robinson all weekend? 😠

#bean watches wrestling #wrestlemania 39

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leftycanwrite · 8 months ago

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Healing wounds on Blood Mountain

Michael parked his speedy Audi in the wooded parking lot for the Byron Reece trailhead. He told me it would lead us up to the top of Blood Mountain, where we would camp for the night. We were in the Chattahoochee National Forest, a place where many hopefuls begin a trek north, traversing the Appalachian Mountains via the AT. And where he and I would try to find some peace among a whirlwind of recent tumult.

He started pulling gear out of the trunk of his car while I examined the wilderness before us, leaves beginning to turn into an autumnal rainbow in the hours before dusk.

I was happy to be with my big brother, the Eagle scout. Death seemed so far from us now. He would lead the expedition and help me excavate my mind from the recent trauma. So I followed him, no questions, just trust, like always.

He had everything packed and ready: water, food for the night (including S'mores makings), first aid kit, sleeping bags, tent, jet boil, toilet paper and a shovel.

I only had a few essentials that I could not forget: special gauze, antibiotics, antibiotic ointment and an elastic band that I could cut to fit over my head and slide down on my neck to keep the weeping wound that was sliced open, beginning under my chin and moving down and over to just below my left ear, from becoming infected.

It was the first time in weeks I had gotten a whiff of the outdoors. After nearly dying on the operation block during a routine wisdom tooth extraction, I wasn't sure I would see anything except what was in front of my hospital bed again, intubation and catheters kept me sedentary for days.

To me, it seemed like this trip to Blood Mountain was just another hike. Although I believe that for Michael, there was a greater purpose. Nature had healed many of his wounds. Maybe he thought this would help to heal mine.

Growing up, Michael was pretty much my second caretaker. In pictures of my baptism, you can see his gleeful, toothy tween smile bobbing to the left and right of my baby self through a series of photos. My sister Molly on the other hand, looks non plussed. Michael was the self-appointed doting older brother, and since day one, he never missed a beat with me.

When mom put me down, Michael would pick me up. He fought with her when I had to have braces with a cage that would keep me from sucking my thumb; he couldn't bear to see me cry so. One summer, when he came home from Emory, he unloaded the "Crocodile Mile" from his truck. At the time, it was the summer must have, a slip-n-slide where you'd run and slide on your belly through a wet Crocodile mouth. Michael was so excited that he spent his first hour home setting it up so my friends and I could have a wild glissade. He even did a run himself.

Hoisting the heavy-looking pack on his big shoulders, Michael made it look easy. His years as a scout taught him to pack light, pack neat, leave no trace and to bring only what is necessary....like S'mores. He double and triple checked that I had all my medical supplies. Even though I was 19 on this outing, mom said he had to watch out for me. I wasn't out of the woods yet. So he worried and stressed so that I wouldn't have to.

It was my first time to Blood Mountain, and this part of Georgia. Since he lived in Atlanta, he thought I could get out of Charlotte and see something different for a while, so he invited me to stay with him, excitedly planning what we could do during this special brother-sister bonding/healing time. A hike seemed in order, nay tradition.

Michael was a boy scout but I was an honorary boy scout, having come from a long line of scouts, including my father and grandfather. As Troop 41's scoutmaster, my dad had already carved out his own legends. He never missed an opportunity to take his family camping, including taking his toddler daughter on treks through some difficult terrain and wilderness in hopes she might come to enjoy it as much as he did.

Michael let me know what the plan was for the night and how we would be reaching the top of Blood Mountain. Our trek would be decent, with a steady elevation to the summit. But the view from above would be worth it. We would be camping on the summit's smooth granite bald, with the wild Appalachian mountains and their broccoli forests spilling out below us.

As we walked, we wondered why it was called Blood Mountain, coming up with all sorts of theories, but none close to some of the more widely accepted reasons, including the fact that near the mountain a sanguine battle between the Cherokee and Creeks in the aptly named Slaughter Gap.

I was a bit weak, so we had to stop more often than we had planned for. We estimated hiking the 5 miles would take about 2 hours, but it took more like 3. We arrived at the summit just as the sun was setting and the cold sinking in.

We set up the tent together. Michael had bought me a compact North Face two-person tent the previous year for Christmas, as I was attending Appalachian State University. He figured it would come in handy. But he also wanted to test out if his notion of a good tent was right, so he asked me to bring it to test out.

Once we got the sleeping bags and mats rolled out, he started on dinner and I worked to carefully disengage the bandages that were stuck on my newly forming neck scar.

At just 19 years old and about to enter my sophomore year at Appalachian State University, my mom decided it was the moment for me to get my wisdom teeth pulled. It did not turn out well.

I was put to sleep but then woke up in the middle of one of my teeth's extraction. I was shaking and moving around, unable to comprehend where I was or what was going on. I remember the oral surgeon yelling "shut up, shut up" and then I succombed to blackness again.

When I woke up, it seemed like a bad dream. Then, four days later, I was admitted to the hospital with a massive abcess, my mother finally surrendering that my blackouts, nausea and fever were caused by something much greater than dry sockets.

My neck was cut open, drained, packing put in and antibiotics administered. My teeth were swabbed with a sponge on a stick and I peed through a catheter. I had a tube down my throat so could not talk, all my needs written on pieces of random paper, things like "don't let the nurse with the crazy eye take my blood sample, she can't find an artery to save her life."

When Michael and Molly arrived, they gave my parents a reprieve from the helter skelter of four days of their youngest child in the Intensive Care Unit. And for me, their youthful presence and jokes between us were a breath of fresh air.

But Michael remained long into the night, as I fell into a dreamland and a tube took over breathing for me, injecting air into my lungs when it deemed my breathing too shallow or not fast enough. Sometimes this foreign jolt into my system would wake me up. After one such awakening, I found that my hand was wrapped in something warm. Michael had fallen asleep in a chair, his head resting next to my right leg, his left hand interlocked with my right. I cried quietly, so grateful for my brother.

in the pink hues of setting sunlight, he asked to see my new scar. I couldn't yet stand to look at it, afraid still that any sudden movement would make my head fall off. He always had an affinity for gross things. He missed his calling as a doctor, we used to joke. But he said it looked good, there was a bit of old puss still clinging to one of the flaps of open neck skin, but overall clean. I put the ointment and gauze back on with the elastic to hold everything in place and we enjoyed our ramen in silence...everything already said, or being said in that moment.

We went to bed, as you do when you're camping, just after we finished eating. Michael hung any food stuff in a nearby tree, just in case bears were around. We got in our sleeping bags, wished each other a good night and dozed off.

I was never good at camp sleeping. Too many new sounds, smells and on this particular night, sights. I woke up to a light so so bright that I roused my sleeping, farting brother. The moon was full and the sky was so clear that it seemed nearly like the sun was rising. We stepped out of the tent to gaze at the moon's silver light, shining upon us. We were its only witnesses, or liked to think we were.

We were beautiful in that moment. Peaceful, my brother and I.

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