#Day 6578 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bellaireland1981 · 2 years ago

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Stubborn Hearts |3

Summary: Reader (Firecracker, Sunshine) has been in love with Bradley since she was a young girl. Growing up the two were inseparable, apart from short periods of time when she was on the West Coast with the Kazanskys. One faithful decision by her dad to block Bradley from going to the Naval Academy resulted in a huge rift between father and daughter and left her without Bradley in her life. Now all grown up, she’s called back to the west coast at the same time as her father and Bradley. Her mission, according to her dying godfather, is to mend fences with her dad and Bradley. Can stubborn hearts be healed?

(I suck at summaries for real).

This will have multiple chapters… this is 3 of ??

Characters: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mitchell! Reader, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Daughter! Reader, The Dagger Squad, Shay (OC), Penny, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky

Word Count: 6578 (OOPS)

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Death of character, TGM Spoilers, Illusions to Smut (later on ), Turbulent relationship with parent, Friends to lovers, …Please let me know if I’ve missed any!

A/N- This is my first time writing for TGM. I do not own the characters or plot lines from the movie. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY OR REPRODUCE MY WORK ON THIS OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM! Reblogging is always welcome! Feedback is MUCH loved and appreciated. THANK YOU to @waywardodysseys for all support and bouncing ideas!!

Ch 1 Ch 2

Taglist: @gracespicybradshaw @memoriesat30, @khaylin27, @snekssss,

(IF I FORGOT ANYONE WHO ASKED TO BE TAGGED, MESSAGE ME!)

You spent the next day helping your aunt by running errands so she could stay home with your uncle. You could tell he was getting weaker and more tired by the day. It broke your heart seeing him that way.

Determined to take some of the burden off your aunt though, you’d offered to go get the groceries and pick up new meds, the doctor had ordered for your uncle to keep him comfortable.

You were in the produce aisle of the store when your phone dinged with an incoming message. You pulled the cart to the side, out of the way of other shoppers and checked your phone.

Shay: Still on for the Hard Deck tonight?

Deciding it would just be easier to talk to her, you called her so you could continue shopping.

“Hey!” She answered, picking up on the second ring.

“Hi!” You replied, “I’m grocery shopping for Aunt Sarah so decided it was just easier to call. Are you busy?”

“Nope!” She replied, “I’m on my lunch break. I actually brought lunch to Aunt Penny. We’re just soaking up some sunshine and eating outside of the bar.”

“Sounds great!” You said, “To answer your question, yes, I’m still planning on coming tonight, but the original terms and conditions still apply.”

“Yes!” She exclaimed, laughing, “Also, Aunt Pen said she wants to hear all about your chat with your dad. I’ll just put you on speaker.”

“Hey, Kiddo!” Penny greeted you. “Spill the tea!”

“You’ve been listening to Amelia too much” You laughed, “It went really well… better than I obviously thought it would. We hashed a lot out and I realized it was mostly lack of communication, stubbornness, and neither of us knowing how to navigate any of it. I think we both realize neither of us are mind readers and being hard headed doesn’t get us anywhere.”

“Anyone could have told you both that.” Penny laughed, “I’m glad you both finally came around. I know you didn’t believe me before but your dad really did miss the hell out of you.”

“I missed him too. Honestly, I didn’t realize how much until I saw him and it all hit me in the gut.” You admitted. “He’s coming over after work to see Uncle Tommy and have dinner, so it’ll be a little later when I get there tonight.”

“That’s fine.” Shay said, “Time with your family right now is more important.”

“I’ll definitely be there after dinner though.” You assured her. “I’m gonna finish up here so I can get Uncle Tommy’s meds and get them back to him.”

“Give them both my love.” Penny said, “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Call me when you’re on your way so I can be on the lookout and start my duties as your bodyguard!” Shay said, only half teasing.

“I will” You replied, laughing, “See you both later!”

You quickly grabbed the rest of the food on the shopping list, adding a few extra treats you knew your cousins liked, before heading to the checkout. It wasn’t long before you had everything loaded in the Jeep and was on your way to the pharmacy, the final stop before heading back home.

After arriving home, you carried all the groceries in, putting them away while your aunt took the meds to your uncle. She came back down as you were putting away the last of the groceries.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” She said hugging you, “He gets so tired so quickly, I hate leaving him now.”

“Of course, Aunt Sarah” You replied, “I’m happy to help in any way that I can. I wish there was more that I could do.”

“You being here does more than you know.” She assured you. “You were essentially our first child, Sweetheart. Before the kids were born, we lived for those stretches of time you’d come to stay with us. Tom loved having his little shadow follow him around when you were little. He loved taking you to the base and showing you the planes. Everyone called you Ice Nugget or Little Ice until you were about 10 I think. Do you remember that?I think when your dad came back from deployments he was always a little jealous of just how close you and Tom were. Tom would mope for weeks after you’d leave.”

“I do remember.” You said, wiping tears that had started to fall. “I used to mope around the house in Virginia after having to go back too. Bradley would do his best to cheer me up. Carol used to have to sooth dad’s ruffled feathers, assuring him I did in fact still love him too, but it was the stability I was craving and mourning when we’d get back.”

“I know it wasn’t easy getting bounced back and forth all the time but never think you weren’t wanted and loved by all of us, Sweetheart.” She said, reaching over the brush the stray piece of hair that had fallen in your face. “You had a whole village that loved you and helped to raise you.”

“I never doubted you and Uncle Tommy loving and wanting me, or Carol for that matter.” You assured her, “I knew my dad loved me but it really did feel like he didn’t want me. I know now that that wasn’t the case.”

“I would have told you how much your dad wanted you, sweet girl” She said, smiling, “His way of showing his love and his need to care for you was making sure you were with people who loved you as much as him when he couldn’t be there.”

“I’m glad he’s coming to dinner tonight. He needs time with Uncle Tommy.” You said, “I promised Shay I’d meet her at the Hard Deck tonight after dinner though. If she doesn’t live up to her promise of protecting me from Bradley she has to buy me copious amounts of alcohol. I’m not sure what state I’ll be home in.”

“Maybe Brad will have had an epiphany and realize he’s an idiot for pushing you away. That way you two can talk things out and your liver won’t suffer.” She offered. “If not though, call us, your dad or an uber to bring you home.”

“I doubt he will have been enlightened in the 48 hours since I’ve seen him, so I promise to call for a designated driver in the event that I need one.” You said. “I’m going to go shower and figure out what to wear in the meantime. I might even do my hair and make up. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet another hot aviator tonight and forget all about Bradley Bradshaw.”

“Or… you get all dolled up and show him what he’s missing.” She countered, “Make him jealous. Worked like a charm on your uncle when he was too stubborn to act on his feelings with me.”

“That only worked because Uncle Tommy was madly in love with you, Aunt Sarah.” You reasoned, “Brad would have to first be in love with me, and he doesn’t even like me.”

“I wouldn’t bet money on that, my sweet, clueless niece.” She teased, “I would bet money on him having feelings though.”

“Why does it feel like everyone has a magic 8 ball or sees something that I’m clearly missing?” You ask, shaking your head, “I swear you’re all drinking the wacky juice and are seeing things that aren’t there.”

Your aunt just laughs, tells you you’ll see it one day as she starts pulling things out to get dinner going.

You head upstairs to your room. You pull your hair into a messy top knot to keep it from getting wet, then jump in the shower. Deciding what to wear takes a lot longer than you’d anticipated. By the time you made a decision it looked like a tsunami of clothes had hit your room. You’d have to clean it all up tomorrow for sure. You shoved all the clothes into a pile to sort then. In the end you settled on a simple white gauzy sundress that came to just above your knees. It had spaghetti straps that tied at your shoulders, leaving you back bare. You planned on wearing your crop denim jacket with the dress, knowing it would get cooler when the sun went down.

With your outfit finally chosen, you left the dress hanging up on your closet door and tackled your hair. You carefully pulled it down from the top knot and combed it out. It fell in natural waves to the middle of your back. You decided to go with the waves instead of fighting to tame them. Adding a little product to help define the waves, you scrunch your hair until it was styled the way you wanted it. Finally satisfied, you washed the product off your hands and decided to do light makeup. You hated the way a full makeup look felt on your face so you often just tended to do the bare minimum. You did however, make sure to add mascara and eyeliner so your eyes pop and lip gloss that you’d have to re-apply before you go to the bar later. All that was left was to get dressed and you decided you’d do that after dinner. You pulled on cut off jean shorts and an old Navy t shirt ended up with from somewhere and headed downstairs.

“Well you look…. Cute” Your Aunt said when you’d entered the kitchen. “Not the outfit I thought you’d go with… but the hair and makeup look good.”

“This isn’t what I’m wearing” You laughed, “I chose a sundress but decided to be comfy until after dinner.”

“Fair enough.” She said, “Go keep your uncle company and play scrabble with him while I finish getting this all ready.”

“Ok!” You agreed, “Let me know if you want me to help with any of the dinner prep.”

“I’ve got it covered, and the kids will be back soon to help too.” She assured, shooing you out of the kitchen.

You grabbed a couple of bottles of water and headed into the living room where you Uncle sat, staring out the window that faced a huge backyard.

“Hey, Uncle Icey” You said, using your old nickname for him and sitting down next to him, “Wanna play scrabble?”

He looked over and smiled widely at the name. Nodding his head and sitting up straighter.

“Ok! I’ll grab a TV tray stand so we can set it up closer to us.” You said, “That way you’re still comfortable.”

You set up the board and the two of you started to play, quickly losing track of time. In the end, your uncle still managed to beat you with some crazy 30 point word you weren’t fully convinced actually was a word.

“I’ll take your word for it, but I think you cheated.” You grumped at him playfully, cleaning up the game while he sat back against the couch and beamed while watching you.

“Still giving her a run for her money, huh Ice?” Your dad’s voice sounded from across the room.

You looked up and smiled at him, motioning him into the room. “Always, but he cheats!” you exclaimed. “Did today go any better?”

“Yes and No.” Mav answered, coming around the couch to where you stood with your uncle.

“It’ll get better, Dad” You assured him, “Give them time to get all the cockiness outta their system, then they’ll listen.”

Your uncle quietly chuckled from his position on the couch. You beamed at him and winked.

“It worked for the poor instructor that had you and Uncle Icey at Top Gun!” You laughed, “I’m going to go change and see if Aunt Sarah needs help.” You hugged both your uncle and dad before heading out of the room to let them talk.

________

Up in your room, you changed into the dress you’d chosen for the night, slipping on some strappy tan sandals to go with it. You’d thought about wearing your converse sneakers but decided you’d go the more dressy route. You picked out some simple gold hoop earrings and your favorite pendant necklace to finish out the look. The necklace had been a gift from Bradley the last birthday he celebrated with you before life had imploded. It was a small gold sunburst with an opal stone in the middle on a dainty gold chain. There’d been a time when you’d never taken the necklace off. It had meant the world to you that he’d picked out such a beautiful and meaningful gift. You wore it for a while after he’d left but eventually it just became a painful reminder of what you’d lost. Wearing it again felt good. You decided that no matter what happened with him at this point, you’d continue to wear the necklace… if nothing else, as a reminder of happier times.

Ensemble complete, you gave yourself a final onceover in the mirror, satisfied with the overall look and headed downstairs for dinner.

“Now that's what I meant by dressing for the part.” Your aunt said, catching sight of you when you entered the kitchen. “You look absolutely breathtaking.”

“Wow, Y/N!” Your cousin said, looking up from where she was getting plates out. “You look so pretty!”

“They’re right, Firecracker.” Mav said coming into the kitchen. “Absolutely beautiful. You look so much like your mom.”

“Thank you.” You said, twirling and laughing, “It’s fun to dress up once in a while.”

“That’ll definitely capture Brad’s attention.” Your aunt teased, “Make him regret being an ass at the last encounter.”

“I don’t know that Rooster deserves my girl’s attention.” Mav said, in full on dad mode. “I don’t know that he’s good enough for you, Firecracker.”

“Dad, you’ve always said that nobody is good enough for me.” You reasoned, shaking your head. “It doesn’t matter though because he isn’t interested in me. He doesn’t even like me or want to be in the same room. I am dressed up for myself.”

“Regardless, if he hurts my kid, he’ll be doing far more than the 200 pushups he’s been doing.” Your dad remarked.

“DAD!” You exclaimed, “Why are you making him do 200 pushups?”

“The squad made a bet, whoever gets shot down in training does 200 push ups.” he explained, “They were cocky, thinking they’d best me and before you get mad, they came up with the terms.”

“Idiots.” You sighed, “Navy aviators are all idiots.”

“If it makes you feel better, Rooster almost had me.” He said, “He hesitated though. That worries me. He also got in his head and ended up leading us below the hard deck.”

“He feels he has a lot to prove.” Sarah guessed, “It’s messing with his head.”

“That is dangerous up there and in missions.” Mav stated.

“Just… don’t rule him out yet, Dad.” You pleaded, “Give him the chance to prove himself.”

Dinner went well. It was nice to all be together. For a little while you could almost pretend that nothing was wrong. That your uncle wasn’t reaching the end of his life rapidly. Your dad wasn’t training the only guy you’ve ever loved to fly a mission that could get him killed. It was just… a normal family dinner. Well as normal as could be with your less than conventional family.

After dinner your aunt shooed you out of the house, insisting you go have fun. Mav offered to stay behind and help with cleanup and visit some more until your uncle was too worn out.

“Have fun, Firecracker.” Your dad said as you gathered your stuff to leave. “Give him hell. If you need a ride home, just call me and I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks, Dad” You replied, hugging him tightly, “I’m really happy to have you again.”

“You never lost me.” He reminded you. “Never will.”

With a final wave to your family, you headed to the Hard Deck. As promised earlier, you’d texted Shay to let her know you were on your way. She promised to be waiting when you got there.

You spent the drive over giving yourself a pep talk and deep breathing to calm your nerves. Worse case scenario, you could always leave if it was too bad. You knew Shay would forgive you. You also had Penny who would have your back if needed. It would be ok… you hoped.

Pulling into the lot, you found a spot open and parked the Jeep. You glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure your eye makeup and hair still looked good, then with one final deep breath you got out and headed into the bar. There were already a lot of people in the bar, but you spotted Shay immediately as she was already heading your way.

“Hey! You made it!” She exclaimed happily, “And you look fucking hot! Let’s grab drinks and claim a table tonight!”

“Thanks! You’re going to give a certain Aviator heart failure tonight yourself!” You replied, “Drinks sound amazing… I think I need liquid courage to be your wing woman tonight.”

You followed Shay as she weaved through the people and made her way to the bar. You kept your eyes straight ahead, refusing to scan the bar looking for anyone in particular.

“Well, hello again beautiful ladies.” You heard the familiar Texan drawl saw as you reached the bar. “It must be my lucky night.”

You could see Shay blush at his words, as she slid up to the bar next to him. You opted to stand on her other side, so she was sandwiched between you and Hangman.

“Play your cards right, Hangman and it may just be your lucky night.” You teased, nudging Shay. “You’ll have to up your game though to be worthy of my friend, Shay here.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” He winked at you before leveling Shay with a downright smoldering look and megawatt smile. “You two feel like joining my friends and me tonight? Get to know one another better?”

Shay gave you a look, letting you know it was totally up to you and she’d go with whatever made you most comfortable.

“That’s up to Y/N, Hangman.” She said, even though the purpose of the night was to help her get to know and possibly score a date with him. “Before any decisions are made though, we need drinks.”

“I can take care of that. And, please, call me Jake.” He said, turning to get Penny’s attention. “Penny, my dear, these ladies are drinking on my tab tonight.”

“You don’t have to do that,” You said quickly, “I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary.”

“My momma raised me to be a gentleman, Y/N.” He informed you with a playful sincerity, “Also, Penny is kinda intimidating too.”

You and Shay laughed at that, happily accepting the drinks.

“Alright, but next time I’ll return the favor.” You declared. “I doubt your mom would be mad if you let a friend buy you drinks.”

“Fair enough.” He agreed. Penny brought the drinks over to you and Shay. You’d both opted for cocktails this time. Both needing something stronger to calm the nerves.

“Before it gets too busy in here, how did it go at dinner tonight? Did Mav say if he was coming in?” Penny asked.

“It went well. I think Dad and Uncle Tom had a good visit. He didn’t sound like he was coming in but he wouldn’t take much convincing if you wanted to see him.” You teased, “And he said to call him if I needed a ride home.”

“You missed it the other night before you got here…” Shay said, her aunt’s comment triggering the memory, “Your dad got the bell rung on him! Then his card got declined so the second bell meant he was tossed overboard!”

“Shut up! No way!” You laughed, “Penny! You’re a legend! Who got to do the honors?”

“That would be Payback, Coyote, and Hangman here.” Penny supplied, laughing at the shocked look on Jake’s face.

“Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is your dad?” He asked, recovering from the shock.

“Y/N Mitchell” you introduced yourself formally. “In all fairness, until just recently, we had a…complicated relationship. And, knowing Penny, he probably fully deserved to be tossed overboard.”

“It made for a little bit of an awkward first day of training.” Jake laughed, “Payback and Coyote are going to die when I tell them this.”

“Tell us what?” The aforementioned pilots asked, joining your little group at the bar.

“We tossed her dad overboard the other day, boys.” Jake said, “This is Y/N Mitchell. And this beautiful lady, is Shay Benjamin. I’m trying to convince them to join our group tonight.”

“No way!” Payback exclaimed, tipping his head back, roaring with laughter. Coyote joined in, shaking his head, “That’s too much.”

“Rules are rules.” Shay said smiling before taking a sip of her drink and looking over at Jake.

“Absolutely.” You agreed, “Like I told Jake, he probably had it coming so no worries.”

“Well the two of you should definitely join us.” Coyote said, catching on that he needed to play wingman for Jake.

You took a large drink of your own cocktail, hopping the liquor would hit your system faster.

“Lead the way.” You said, attempting a brave smile, one you hoped nobody saw through.

“Yes!” Jake said, happy at the victory. “Right this way, ladies.”

As the self-proclaimed gentleman he was, he offered his arms to both of you, leading you over to the rest of the group gathered at the pool table. Coyote and Payback stayed back to get a round of drinks for everyone else.

Thankfully, upon reaching the back table, there was no sign of Bradley. You remembered Phoenix from the other night you’d been there. The other aviators were unknown to you.

“Alright, we’ve got new friends!” Jake said, “Shay, Y/N, meet the squad!” He went around the table pointing to and providing a name for everyone.

“Yes! Females!” Phoenix cheered happily, “Halo, we have more chicks in the group!” f

“Finally!” Halo agreed, “Welcome to the squad!”

“Are we allowed to join a squad if we’re civilians?” You asked, laughing at their enthusiasm but understanding the lack of females in their immediate circles.

“Y/n, your dad is Maverick. Shay’s grandfather was an admiral…” Jake said, “I’d say you both qualify as squad members.”

“Holy Shit!” Phoenix said, “You’re THAT Y/N?” She threw a look to Bob, who subtly nodded back.

“Um… maybe?” You said, completely lost.

“Oh, tonight is definitely going to be interesting.” She replied, seemingly to herself.

Deciding you were going to need much more alcohol for this, you tossed back the remaining cocktail, swallowing it down. Thankfully, a refill wasn’t too far behind and another round appeared at the table. Shay and Jake headed to the Jukebox to pick out music while you got to know the others around you.

They were quick to set you at ease, telling you stories from training so far but also from their first time through Top Gun. You especially tuned in whenever they mentioned Brad. You didn’t want to be obvious and ask where he was, but not knowing when he’d pop up was setting you on edge.

After finishing your second cocktail you excused yourself to go to the bathroom, partly because you really needed to use it but also because you needed a minute to collect yourself.

You were washing your hands when the door opened and Phoenix walked in.

“You ok?” she asked, coming to stand next to you.

“Yeah, I’m good” You smiled back, drying your hands off with a paper towel before tossing it in the nearby trash. “Why?”

“I should have put it together the other night when Rooster came back to the table looking like he’d seen a ghost, then took off quickly after he watched you leave.” She said, “But when Jake told us who your dad is, it clicked into place. You’re Rooster’s Y/N.”

“I’m not Rooster’s anything anymore.” You corrected her, sadness seeping into your voice. “He made it abundantly clear.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, Y/N.” She said, “When we were in Top Gun together, we became pretty close friends. He was drunk one night and told me all about you. I think it was your birthday or some important day. He’d been off all day and then made it his mission to get as drunk as possible. You’re definitely something to him still.”

“Not the impression I got the other night. Or in the last decade of radio silence.” You said, “It’s ok though. I’ve learned to live with it and move on.”

“He’s a guy. They’re idiots by nature, with the emotional maturity of toddlers.” She said, “Doesn’t mean they don’t feel the emotions though.”

The door opened and Shay peeked her head in. “Hey, just wanted to warn you that Brad just pulled in. He hasn’t actually entered the bar yet.”

“Thanks, Shay.” You said, smiling, “I guess it’s show time.”

“I’m ready to be your bodyguard.” She said, “As promised.”

“You’ll have more than one if you need us.” Phoenix said, “But maybe give him a chance.”

“She tried that last time and it didn’t end too well.” Shay said, coming to your defense. “Although maybe now that the shock has worn off?”

“Exactly!” Phoenix said, “Let’s go get you a fresh drink and claim the pool table.”

The three of you headed out of the bathroom and to the bar. Jake cocked his head in silent question when he saw the trio of you together. Shay smiled and shook her head. You offered a smile of your own letting him know you were ok. Your first impression of Jake had been right. He wasn’t your type, but he would make a really good friend.

“Penny, we need more alcohol!” Phoenix declared, “A certain barnyard animal is incoming and my new bestie here needs to be far more drunk than this!”

“Coming right up” She said, laughing, “Hangman’s tab still?”

You said no at the same time as Shay, Phoenix and Jake himself said yes. You hadn’t even seen him sneak over to join your group. Glancing over though, you saw him standing behind Shay, his hand resting on her hip. You smirked at him, knowing at least tonight seemed to be working for Shay. You would endure whatever was about to go down for her sake.

Penny pushed the drinks across the bar towards you all and you grabbed them before heading to the pool table.

You sat down at the high table close to the pool table, your back facing the door. You didn’t need to see him come in to know he had. The others in the group called out to him when he walked through the door.

“About time Bradshaw.” Jake yelled. “Recovered from all your pushups?”

“Fuck you, Hangman.” Bradley shot back, “You did more than I did today.”

“And I’m clearly in better shape than you are.” Jake retorted, throwing a wink your way as he delivered the line. “Rooster, meet our new friends. This is Shay, and Y/N. They’ve become honorary squad members as of tonight.”

Shay waved and you kept staring at your drink like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“Nice to meet you, Shay.” Brad said, “Y/N, can I talk to you?”

“I’m good here with my new friends thanks,” You replied, sipping your drink. You knew it was a petty thing to say, but you never claimed to not be petty. Shay laughed quietly, understanding the dig.

“Rooster, I feel the need to beat you at pool tonight.” Phoenix said, jumping to your rescue.

“Sure” He said, going over to pick up a pool cue, his eyes staying on you as he did so. You continued to sip your drink and ignore him, focusing instead on whatever story Jake was telling across from you. At least, you tried to pay attention. You absently played with the sun pendant on your necklace, your nerves absolutely wrecked.

“Y/N, Shay said you’re a pilot?” Bob asked, pulling you out of your head.

“Yup!” You answered, “I was bitten by the aviation bug at a young age. My dad and Godfather were pretty key in that.”

“Who’s your Godfather?” Jake asked, “Anyone we know?”

“Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky” You supplied, “I just call him Uncle Tommy though.”

“Holy shit. He’s a legend.” Jake replied, “Also, I’m sorry to hear he’s not doing well health wise, Y/N.”

“Thanks” You said, looking down at your drink. “He is a legend.”

“With connections like that, why didn't you join the Academy or enlist or something?” Coyote asked, joining the conversation.

“Zero interest.” You simply said, looking up to catch Bradley standing rigid, hands locked like a vice around the pool cue and watching you with a look in his eyes you couldn’t place.

“So what do you fly?” Bob asked, guiding the topic back to safer ground. Bless that sweet man’s heart.

“I flew charters when I lived back East. I own my own little Cessna too, that I try to log as much flight time in as I can.” You answered.

“Did your dad ever give you a call sign?” Jake asked.

“Not really a call sign” You laughed, “My dad calls me ‘firecracker’. My uncle and other aviators here on North Island called me ‘Little Ice nugget’ or just ‘nugget’.”

“Firecracker is pretty appropriate” Jake laughs, “I thought it would be ‘Sunshine’ though, or something like that with the necklace you keep messing with.”

“No…” You said quietly. “The necklace was a gift from another lifetime.”

Jake was quick to pick up on the shift in your tone, but didn’t know what he’d said to cause it. Shay, noticing your drink was nearly empty again, suggested the two of you head to the bar to get another one. You were 3 drinks in and figured another wouldn’t hurt. You’d already have to call an Uber or your dad to come get you.

You carefully hopped off the stool, swaying a little from the alcohol, but Coyote was quick to steady you. You thanked him before following Shay to the bar.

“Thanks” You said when you were away from the group. “On the bright side, he seems content in not talking to me, so that’s great.”

“Y/N, he hasn’t taken his eyes off you the entire time he’s been here.” Shay said, “He definitely wants to talk to you… you just did a great job shutting him down.”

“I’m too afraid to talk to him.” You admitted, “If I don’t talk to him I can hold onto hope that someday maybe I’ll get my best friend back.”

“How��s it going over there girls.” Penny asked, coming over to the side of the bar you were standing at.

“Need another drink, please.” You replied

“That good, huh?” She said, “I may get the pleasure of seeing your dad tonight.”

“Penny, you don’t have to wait for me to be drunk to see my dad.” You laughed.

“Pen, can I get another beer please?” Brad asked, coming up behind you. You shot a look at Shay for not warning you, only to see her making flirty heart eyes with Jake across the bar. “Add Y/N’s drink to my tab too.”

“Her drinks are already on Hangman tonight.” Penny said, winking at you.

“They were. I’ll get the rest of them.” He said firmly.

“Why doesn’t anyone think I can pay for my own damn drinks?” You complained.

“Sweetheart, never complain about men wanting to buy drinks” Penny said laughing

“You planning on ignoring me forever, Sunshine?” Brad asked, taking a drink of his beer, “Or can we talk like adults now?”

“Careful, Rooster.” Penny said delivering your drink, “Don’t make me ring this bell on you. You’ll be buying drinks for more than just Y/N here.”

“Sorry, Penny,” He said, looking sheepish. “Can you please, convince her to have a conversation with me?”

“Ugh, Fine!” You said, exasperated and tipsy. “MIght as well get this over with while I have a good buzz going. You want to talk, Bradley? Then by all means… talk.”

“Can we step outside? Or at least find a place slightly more private?” He asked, not unreasonably.

You picked your drink up and headed towards the door that would lead out to the patio overlooking the beach. Bradley followed close behind, nodding at Phoenix and Jake on the way by.

Once outside the noise level immediately dropped. The music was muted by the sounds of the ocean.

“You didn’t seem too inclined to want to talk the other night.” You said quietly.

“Sunshine, it was a bit of a shock seeing you.” He admitted, “I probably didn’t handle it the best.”

You stayed quiet, looking out to the water instead. Honestly now that you were face to face with him, you weren’t even sure what to say or where to start.

“I’m surprised you still call me ‘Sunshine’.” You commented quietly.

“That’s your name.” he shrugged. “I’m surprised you still have the necklace.”

“I haven’t worn it in forever.” You admitted, “But couldn’t part with it.”

“Did you know?” He asked.

“About dad pulling your papers? Or about him being here at Top Gun as an instructor?” You asked, needing clarification,

“Both.” He said.

“I didn’t know about him pulling your papers until you’d stormed into the house yelling, and then slamming out of the house…and my life.” You said, struggling to keep your voice steady and devoid of the emotion swirling inside. “I confronted him after you’d left, asking him what the hell had happened… he told me then what we’d done. I was furious. I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail every time. I went to your house the next day but you weren’t there either.”

“And now? Did you know he was here to be the instructor for this mission?” He asked, his own voice rough with emotion.

“Yes. But not until I got here and Uncle Tommy told me.” You replied

“The other night when I saw you here, you didn’t think maybe I could use a heads up? Knowing what happened in the past? Did I really deserve to be blindsided?” He asked, his tone hardening to cover his feelings.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now, Bradshaw?” You seethed, years of anger and hurt breaking through the walls you’d built and flooding your system. “You do not get to get mad at me and tell me about what you deserve and don’t deserve. I fucking tried to tell you but you cut me off saying you needed to get back to your friends! So, FUCK YOU Bradley Bradshaw! Fuck you for you leaving ME when you were made at my DAD. FUCK YOU for throwing away our friendship. You know who didn’t deserve to be treated like trash, to be thrown away on the drop of a dime? ME! I didn’t deserve your anger Bradley. I didn’t do anything except love you. All I’ve ever done was love you.”

You hadn’t realized you’d started to cry until you felt the drops of tears fall onto your hand, You angrily wiped them away, not wanting to let Bradley see you cry. It had felt good to release the anger you’d kept locked in but the stretching silence wasn’t helping to calm the bubbling anxiety you now felt.

“Would you rather I stuck around and allowed the anger and resentment I had towards Maverick eat at me and cause me to lash out at you too? I thought by walking away I was saving you from getting hurt.” He said quietly.

“Newsflash, asshole, you leaving and going radio silent hurt fucking worse than anything.” You said, your voice cracking.

“Yeah, well, having your Godfather pull your papers to the academy, and block you from following in your father’s footsteps didn’t feel so great either, Y/N” He yelled back, “Especially when he’s the reason your father is no longer alive. So forgive me if I felt the need to cut myself off from the person who ruined my life. If it meant cutting you out of my life too, well it was just collateral damage I suppose.”

You felt like you’d been slapped. For what felt like forever you couldn’t get air into your lungs. Whatever buzz you had going for you coming into the conversation was now completely gone. In its place was left a horrible pain where your heart should be.

“Then let me do us both a favor and remove myself from your life once more.” You whispered, not trusting your voice anymore. You would not let him see any more of your tears. He no longer deserved the right to your pain. Reaching up behind your neck, you unclasped the necklace you’d once loved, but now knew would only bring pain in seeing. You removed it and carefully set it down on the wooden table next to you. You didn’t care what he did with it now, you just didn’t want anything from him, anything to remind you of him. You started to turn away when his hand landed on your wrist, desperate to keep you from walking away.

“Sunshine, no.” He said, immediately realizing he’d fucked up, once again. “Please, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I wasn’t thinking. Please, don’t do this… put it back on. I didn’t mean it. I don’t want you out of my life…not anymore.”

“I stopped being your ‘Sunshine’ a long time ago, Bradley.” You said, defeated, “It’s too late. All we seem to do is hurt each other at this point. Maybe you did us both a favor before.”

Not giving him time to respond, you pulled your hand from his grasp and walked back into the bar. You desperately needed to hold it all together until you could get home and then you’d allow yourself to break down.

“I’m going to beat his ever loving ass!” Phoenix said, seeing the look on your face when you walked over to get your purse.

Jake and Shay turned towards you at Phoenix’s outburst, Shay immediately coming over to you.

“Sweets, you ok?” Jake asked, coming up behind Shay.

“Y/N, what happened to your necklace?” Shay asked.

“I’m going to go.” You simply said, not trusting your voice. You were barely hanging on as it was.

“Y/N, you can’t drive like this.” Shay said, “Even without alcohol, you’re in no state to drive.”

“I’ll call my dad to come get me.” You said, “I just can’t stay here.”

“I can take you home, Y/N.” Bob offered, “That way you’re not waiting long.”

You looked up when the door opened, seeing Bradley coming in, you quickly agreed to the offer.

“Thank you, Bob.” You said, “Shay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She gave you a quick hug before Bob led you out the front to the parking lot. In your haste to get out of there, you once again missed the look of complete remorse and devastation on Bradley’s face as he watched you leave. You also missed Phoenix punching him in the arm and calling him every name in the book.

A/N: I PROMISE to start fixing the broken hearts!!! :) Thank you so much for reading!!!

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #miles teller #top gun fanfiction

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alpaca-clouds · 1 year ago

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NaNoWriMo Day 6

Alright, now we are getting somewhere. While I am definitely sick with COVID right now, I am good enough to write. And today I finally got to the juicy stuff. Aka the drama. The nice drama llama. Where Astarion is once more standing in his own way and shooting his own leg so to speak.

But also, that big ass action scene killed me. It killed me!

Wordcount: 29 878 / 50 000 (+6578)

Chapters: 13 / 23 (+2.5)

Favorite Bits

Suddenly, the worry was overwhelming. It had happened so fast, but… Tav would not die because of a single arrow, right? Astarion had been there, when this stupid bard had been hit with all sorts of magics. A single arrow could not kill that man, right? But then again… A single well-placed arrow could kill anyone, right? It could not have hit the heart, though. And the lungs… It would not kill him, right? That would not kill Tav that quickly. He wanted to check. He needed to check. But right now, there was nothing he could do. Just run after Karlach, trying to ascertain whether the stupid bard was still breathing.

Tav sighed. He took a deep breath, before pulling himself up by the balustrade of the stair. “Astarion. I know you are worried. But this is the right thing to do and…” “No!” Astarion shook his head. “No. This is not ‘the right thing’, darling.” He snarled that word. “This is just your stupid little hero complex acting up once more. Those fucking drow are not your problem and they are most certainly not mine!” “It is my problem. Because I just cannot let this happen right here under my nose and…” “It is your fucking hero complex. Nothing else!” Tav came over to him, trying to take his hand once more. He was still pale like death, with a thin film of sweat on his face. “Please, calm down.” When he tried to look Astarion in the eyes, Astarion averted his gaze. “Astarion. Please. I mean… Maybe you are right and it is a hero complex. But you and I both know that nobody else is coming for them, right?” “So what?” Astarion hissed. “They are drow. And duerga. And all those people down there do is to go to war with each other and enslave each other, right? So who cares? Why would I care?” “Because nobody else does.” “So?” “Astarion.” The bard pressed his hand. “You know how it is to pray for someone to come and save you. And how it is when nobody does. Do you really…” Again Astarion pulled his hand out of the other man’s grip. “I don’t fucking care. Stop acting as if I am supposed to care! That is not me! Don’t try to turn me into you, because I am not you!”

“I told you, my boy,” the too familiar voice spoke from the back of his mind. “Your dear bard friend wants to change you. Just like me he wants to turn you into his mirror image.” Turning around, it was almost as if Astarion could see him. In between the veil of rain – in the shadows of the street lanterns – he was standing. Cazador. His arms behind his straight back. His red eyes directed at Astarion. “You are not real,” Astarion whispered. “I killed you. I killed you!” “Yet, you cannot let go, can you?” Those red eyes were glowing through the night. Two red dots in the darkness. Only that they were not really there. It was all inside of Astarion’s mind. He knew it. He knew that. But he could not just not see it. He turned around, making his way towards the lower city gate. He just… He needed to hunt. If he drank some blood, he would heal up by the time the next dusk came. Yeah. He just needed some blood. He had not drunken in two nights, had he? Last night… Last night with Tav. He had been carried away. He had not even thought about drinking. And this night… He needed blood. Just a bit. Just enough to heal himself. “I do not understand, why you keep lying to yourself.” Cazador was following him, his voice so well audible over the constant petering of the rain. Of course it was. Because it was all in Astarion’s head. Because it was his mind keeping his old sire alive. “You have been lying to yourself for ten months, haven’t you? Telling yourself that you can be something else than what I made you.” Astarion tried not to listen. He tried to. But breathing was hard right now, with his ribs hurting as they did. He couldn’t focus on it. Or rather, trying to focus on it, just made everything worse. “I made you. I created you, you insolent boy. Killing me does not undo that.”

#nanowrimo #voice of the voiceless #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #bg3 fanfiction

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restaurantequipment003 · 1 month ago

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numbersbythebook · 6 months ago

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Euphrates, Othniel, Babylon

written by Will Schumacher

I posted on the number 4 a few years back. It is consistently associated with dividing one thing from another. The 4th Hebrew letter is dalet and its pictograph is a door. A door separates what is inside from outside. The physical created world is also depicted by the number 4.

In the Bible the number 4 seems to represent the separation of the physical world.

The first “4” in the Bible is in Genesis 2:

Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

The 4th river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

God later tells Abraham the Euphrates is the edge of the Promised Land.

Genesis 15:18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

So, the number 4 is about dividing the physical, and the 4th river, the Euphrates is the physical dividing line on the east of the covenant Promised Land. What is further interesting about the Euphrates is that it went through ancient Babylon. Its like God is painting a picture of His people on one side of the Euphrates and on the other is Babylon/not His people.

The New Testament mentions the Euphrates twice and only in the book of Revelation. The second time it is mentioned is a reference to how Cyrus conquered Babylon. His army dug channels to divert the Euphrates and they entered through the dried up river bed. Cyrus is a type of Christ.

Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Strong’s G2166=Euphrates. Strong’s H3566=Cyrus. The following verse is interesting because it is verse 2166 with a gematria of 3566. Many see “him” as Christ.

Exodus 23:21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

Strong’s H6578=Euphrates. Verse 6578 is about Othniel:

Judges 3:9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

Othniel is also a type of Christ. He defeats a king of Mesopotamia. Babylon was located in Mesopotamia.

Judges 3:10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

I posted on Othniel awhile back.

Joshua 15:15-17 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. 16 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

Kirjathsepher means “the city of books”. Othniel means ”the lion of God”. He is from the tribe of Judah. Achsah means “anklets” or “fetters”. She is in bondage.

So we have the Lion of God from the tribe of Judah taking a city of books and marrying someone who was in bondage. We have the New Testament picture of this in the book of Revelation. This is the only time Jesus is called a lion in the Bible. The book is the book of life:

Revelation 5:1-5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

This story of Othniel is a picture of the completed redemption work of Jesus and thus as king sitting down at the right hand of the Father as the owner of the Church/book of life. Jesus as the lion refers to His Kingship. The lion is called the king of the jungle/beasts.

Othniel is Strong’s H6274.

Verse 6274 from the end of the Bible. Perfect match.

Mark 15:2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.

Jesus defeated “Babylon” on the cross and will again permanently defeat Babylon at His coming.

Babylon is described in Revelation 18 as being full of the “unclean”. Strong’s G169 is used twice in this verse, once as ”unclean” and once as “foul”:

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

The first verse in the bible with a gematria of 2166 matching the Strong’s number for the Euphrates is about the clean vs unclean:

Leviticus 11:47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Jesus uses “eating” as a metaphor for doing God’s will.

John 4:32-34 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Leviticus 11:47 is verse 3045. Strong’s H3045=”know” as used in the tempting of Adam and Eve. They also “ate” and believed the lie that they could know good from evil:

Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Strong’s G3045=”dainty” is used in Revelation referring back to the story of Adam and Eve and man not being able to discern good from evil apart from God.

Revelation 18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

As I said earlier Othniel is a type of Christ being the lion of the tribe of Judah defeating a king of Mesopotamia/Babylon. His Strong’s number is H6274. There is only 1 verse with a gematria of 6274 in the Old Testament and it is again about the clean vs unclean:

Deuteronomy 14:7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

It would seem that obedience to the law of eating clean vs unclean is akin to relying on God to define that which is good and that which is evil. The children of God are wise in that they rely on God to define good vs evil and Babylon is full of the unclean because they have decided for themselves what is good vs evil in their own eyes

#euphrates river #strong's numbers #gematria #jesus christ #babylon #revelation #othniel #bible numbers

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aronarchy · 1 year ago

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[transcription of the Twitter thread:

Think it’s an exaggeration to talk about “McCarthyism” with respect to efforts to shut down criticism of Israel? I give you: HR 6578, intro’d 12/5, a bipartisan bill to create equivalent of the House Un-American Activities Committee—but this time targeting critics of Israel.

see: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6578 Bill text: https://millermeeks.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/millermeeks.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/millia_065_xml.pdf press release: https://millermeeks.house.gov/media/press-releases/miller-meeks-wasserman-schultz-salazar-gottheimer-miller-moskowitz-introduce

This bill would create new Congressional body with broad subpoena authority to force Americans to testify and produce “evidence” related to the committee’s mission to “investigate the facts and causes of antisemitism in the present day.”

Under this bill, every member of the committee—who serve for the life of the committee—has the authority to do everything the committee is authorized to do.

And note that if called to testify or produce evidence, under this bill you can’t plead the 5th. Under this bill you are legally required to self-incriminate.

And for folks who say, “antisemitism is surging—this is necessary”—I’d note:

(1) The intent behind this bill is EXCLUSIVELY to target criticism of Israel and Zionism. This is clear from the whereas clauses (100% about Oct 7 and its aftermath) and from the press release.

(2) The agenda behind this bill is clear from the fact that nothing like this was introduced during the Trump era or since to deal with surging antisemitism in the form of open activities by white supremacists and literal NAZIS in the US.

(3) The Biden Admin has produced a massive initiative to fight antisemitism. The Admin doesn’t need advice from a Congressional commission designed to showcase (more) grandstanding, anti-Palestinian and anti-free speech campaigners and to subject US citizens to witch hunts.

This is just a breathtaking piece of legislation.

That the GOP wants to formally open an era of modern McCarthyism, with criticism of Israel/fake concern about antisemitism as hooks to target progressive Americans, is no surprise.

That 4 Democrats joined is just mind-boggling.

/end transcript]

[image ID: screenshots from the bill text document which read,

(d) SUBPOENA POWER.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of any evidence relating to any matter which the Commission is empowered to investigate under this Act. Such subpoenas shall be issued by agreement between the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission, or by the vote of a majority of the members of the Commission. The attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence may be required from any place within the United States at any designated place of hearing within the United States.

(2) FAILURE TO OBEY A SUBPOENA.—If a person refuses to obey a subpoena issued under paragraph (1), the Commission may apply to a United States district court for an order requiring that person to appear before the Commission to give testimony, produce evidence, or both, relating to the matter under investigation. The application may be made within the judicial district where the hearing is conducted or where that person is found, resides, or transacts business. Any failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as civil contempt.

(3) SERVICE OF SUBPOENAS.—The subpoenas of the Commission shall be served in the manner provided for subpoenas issued by a United States district court under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the United States district courts.

(4) SERVICE OF PROCESS.—All process of any court to which application is made under paragraph (2) may be served in the judicial district in which the person required to be served resides or may be found.

(e) IMMUNITY.—Except as provided in this subsection, a person may not be excused from testifying or from producing evidence pursuant to a subpoena on the ground that the testimony or evidence required by the subpoena may tend to incriminate or subject that person to criminal prosecution. A person, after having claimed the privilege against self-incrimination, may not be criminally prosecuted by reason of any transaction, matter, or thing which that person is compelled to testify about or produce evidence relating to, except that the person may be prosecuted for perjury committed during the testimony or made in the evidence.

/end image ID]

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gacrbocaraton · 1 year ago

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tharros-auris-black-asimi · 3 years ago

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Singed Daffodils (Chapter 1)

Pairing: King Bucky Barnes x Princess Female Reader

Summary: Ever since you had been young, you knew that you were in love with James Barnes. When you were arranged to marry him, you had been over the moon.

Then throughout your short-lived, doomed marriage, you realized he didn't love you. The divorce papers had been written up and just like that, the two of you weren't married anymore.

Thirteen years later, to avoid scrutiny and even more possible scandal, you're marrying him. Again.

But you've learned your lesson now. Falling in love with James will just spell trouble for you.

James however, is determined to undermine your plan. Every step of the way.

Chapter Warnings: Heavy angst, previously arranged marriage, mentions of divorce, secret children, minor scandal, marriage of convenience, unrequited love (for now)

Additional Notes: Hello all! This has been sitting in my laptop for a while. Originally, this was supposed to be a Regency!Bucky, but then I changed it to a King!Bucky after some thought. I decided to play around with a modern royalty AU this time around, and just to avoid confusion, this fic does not correlate with my Prince!Bucky fic called Breathin at all. They're both separate fics and universes. So hopefully that clears up the confusion.

As always, if you'd like to show this fic some love on the AO3, you can do so here.

Word Count: 6578

You felt like puking.

You felt deathly sick to your stomach.

You wanted to crumble to your knees in despair.

You wanted to run out of the room.

You wanted to desperately scream and shout for someone to end you, to give you mercy, and to end your sorry existence.

“Do you think if my ex-husband would mind if I jumped out of the window, Mother?”

Never had you ever wanted to rip off the wedding dress you were wearing more than in this moment.

Your mother didn’t say anything at first.

Rather, she could not muster up the correct words in order to soothe you that everything was going to be alright.

“I’m sure he would mind, dearest.” Those were the only words that came out of her mouth.

Undeterred, you continued to stare at your reflection in the mirror, a bland, cold, emotionless expression on your face.

“I’m sure he would.” You muttered to yourself while your eyes remained cold and unkind.

A sudden knock at the door garnered both of your attention.

“Come in!” Your mother called out.

The doorknob twisted and turned before the person managed to push it open with a huff.

In tumbled your daughter Pamela. Her chestnut hair, the same color as the man you were forced to marry, was braided and fell down her back. Her purple dress, complete with the Barnes Royal Jewels on her necklace and the earrings she wore shone when the sunlight hit it. And wore a small heeled black shoe with a strap. Because she was technically Princess now, she did a little curtsy to you, giggling as she did so. The thirteen-year-old looked ecstatic seeing you in your wedding dress.

“You look so pretty Mama!” she complimented you excitedly.

Even though it was one of the worst days in your life, you couldn’t help the smile on your face.

No matter how much you felt as if you were walking down the aisle to your own personal hell, seeing your darling girl made that realization just the slightest bit bearable. For her, you would do anything.

Which was why you would plan to go through with this.

Even though you didn’t want to.

“Thank you, baby.” She rushed toward you as you gently engulfed her in a hug. Being all the more careful so you wouldn’t smudge or smear the makeup that Wanda Maximoff, the Queen’s Personal Assistant had applied on you a few hours ago. The shimmering eye shadow made your eyes pop and considering it was a wedding, your second one to your ex-husband, in particular, Wanda had thrown away the nude lipstick idea out the window. She had chosen to apply red lipstick instead.

You thought it looked quite nice. Even if all you wanted to do was sink into the floor.

“Mother, can I speak to Pamela for a second?” Your voice floated around as your mother simply pressed a kiss against your cheek before leaving the room, the sound of the door closing behind her giving you somewhat of a reassuring feeling.

Guiding her to the vanity where Wanda had done your makeup, you sat your daughter on your lap. The two of you gazing into the mirror.

“I know I told you who your father was. I just want you to know that even though I don’t love your father anymore, I want you to know that none of this is your fault.”

Roughly around six months ago, after the death of your father, your mother had been announced as Queen Mother, and then your cousin had been crowned King.

Almost everyone had known about your failed marriage to James nearly a decade ago. It was a dark cloud that followed you around, those pitiful looks and sometimes sneering words that reminded you of your own misfortunes.

People had pitied you. They had given you soft words of the same thing.

I’m so sorry you went through that.

To be in a loveless marriage, how sad.

How terrible you must have felt, to be in love with a man that didn’t love you.

Other people snarked at you.

To be in love with a man that didn’t love you. How sad.

Why did you marry a man that didn’t love you?

How could you have married a man that didn’t love you?

All of these words and either pitying or taunting looks had followed you for the past ten years. And then after your cousin was crowned King, you had been sent back here due to a political endeavor. A show of good faith and goodwill, because your cousin was too busy with his new duties. Thus, you were sent in his place.

You always thought the crown suited his head. Never yours.

When you brought your daughter along on the trip, she had been excited. She had never seen James’s country before. Because of course, being in your cousin’s Royal Court and being the Advisor to the King, you knew all about your geography. You still remembered James’s country. Even if your marriage had been short-lived.

The first week had been okay. The two of you had been given a room in the palace to stay in. Sleeping and waking up in the palace had been a far away feeling. It was like living another life. You remembered waking up next to your husband, even though he’d always turn away from you.

That had been a different you. You didn’t recognize that person anymore.

For the first month after arriving, you had avoided King James. Quite well, if you said so yourself. The only time you had ever spoken a word to him was when you had first arrived.

“Pamela. Remember what I told you.” You said to your little girl quietly.

“Don’t talk to strangers, don’t run around everywhere, say hello, please, and thank you, and always stay near you.” Pamela recited the things you had told her on the plane on your way here in the guest room the two of you were staying in.

“Good job,” You squeezed her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” She asked you, just making sure. She knew how nervous you had looked when you and she had gotten off the plane together, being careful to avoid any paparazzi, thanks to the private jet.

“I hope so, little butterfly.” Ruffling her hair, you told her to stay put in the room while you had walked to the King’s conference room.

James heard footsteps in the hall coming closer and closer to the room.

Already, it had been a long day. He had gone from meeting to meeting and greeting all of the guests.

He was growing tired.

But, he had yet another meeting to attend.

Inwardly, the man wanted to groan.

All he wanted to do was retire to his personal bedroom and just have some time alone to himself.

Luckily for him, this was his biggest meeting, but also the last. Everyone from the neighboring countries was going to get together, just to say hello and catch up, and see the progress in each other’s countries.

Being this however, James was not stupid.

Of course, it had been royal protocol that his Chief of Staff, Nebula send all of the invitations via email. The pale-skinned, blue-haired woman had assured him that everyone had responded and that almost all of the neighboring kings and queens were going to attend.

Well.

Almost all of them.

The newly crowned King, your cousin Kurt Wagner had declined to attend, due to dealing with his late uncle’s affairs. So instead, as a peace treaty, he sent you.

Naturally, that sent shock waves throughout his kingdom.

Some people were excited.

Some people were furious.

And some people, well, they just didn’t give or shit or decided not to care.

The people who were excited, well they had made their presence known on the good ole Internet. Yelena Belova, the Royal Spokesperson for the kingdom, had cheerfully informed His Majesty of the new gossip.

“Oooh! And Anneliese says that oooh… it doesn’t spell good for you, Yasha.” The blonde Russian woman winced in sympathy.

See, after his failed marriage with you that had led to him marrying Dot shortly thereafter, two years down the line, Dot had annulled their marriage and had run away with some foreign prince, claiming that she had fallen out of love with him and suddenly, just like that— James was alone again.

Yelena heard James heave a heavy sigh. “I don’t care what my popularity percentage is, Yelena.”

He could care less about popularity percentages. He didn’t care what the randos on the Internet said about him. They could slander his name, drag it through the mud all they wanted. He didn’t care anymore.

He had reached the stage of nihilism, it seemed. Or as Yelena and Natasha, Yelena’s older adopted sister nicknamed it, his stage of enlightenment.

Whatever the hell that meant. James did not feel enlightened in the very slightest.

His therapist whom he saw every Friday told him it was a case of depression. A deep sense of longing. Like he had been chained, restrained. Held down and was frozen in this odd state of mind while everything else around him moved on and bloomed, while he had been left to linger.

Heck, his therapist was even concerned with the amount of checking he kept on you.

“Do you think, Your Majesty, that you’ve found yourself in love with her?” Mantis had questioned him. The Asian woman fixed him with such a look that it didn’t even faze him. Not one bit.

What other word could explain his deep feelings? These deep feelings that he had developed for you towards the end of his marriage to you, the feelings that were still here, even after all these years? Even though, from his knowledge and from Yelena, Natasha, or even Nebula’s quips that you were no longer speaking to the press, and had led a low-key life serving in your father’s court as the Royal Advisor?

Truly, what other words could he use to describe these deep-seated feelings?

He knew for a fact if he had gotten on a plane to get on one knee to propose to you properly that you would immediately reject him. You would probably flee from him screaming or demanding him to get his ass back to his country.

“This is where you belong, Your Majesty.” Your words had come back to him. Before you boarded that damn plane to go back to your country. Your home.

“You’re a good man, Your Majesty. I hope she’ll make you happy. She’ll do… a much better job than me.” Your words hadn’t been assuring then, and they sure as hell weren’t assuring now.

“I don’t think I’ve ever stopped feeling like this. I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling like this.”

James was shot back to his present, his reality when the doorknob twisted, and suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Your heels click click clicked on the hardwood floors as you silently closed the huge door behind you.

It seemed you were the first person here.

As always.

An audible, almost irritated sigh came from you in annoyance.

“Always so punctual with your time,” James remarked lightly, a smile caressing his delicate features. You saw that little dimple that appeared on the sides of his mouth whenever he smiled.

For an eerie moment, something inside of your chest ached. It hurt. You felt it deeply.

“Well,” you nervously cleared your throat. Feeling just as flighty, jittery, and nervous as you first did when you had met him as a child. “My mother always taught me to be punctual. It’s either that or everyone left and I arrived late.”

“No, no, no. You’re early. Just on time. We’ll have to wait for everyone else to come in.” James hurried to sit you down. Sitting yourself into the chair, you looked every bit regal. You sat up straight, with your head looking straight. Your hands were intertwined together, your palms shaped like the Egyptian pyramids. Your hands sat comfortably on top of the table.

You sat on the other end of the table, near the wall in the back. While James sat at the front, near the door. Sitting and looking the very image of the King that he was.

“You haven’t cut your hair.”

Your comment made James chuckle. A little awkwardly, you noticed. Your ex-husband hadn’t been one with words. Even when the both of you were mere children.

Tucking a piece of his chestnut hair behind his ear, he began to speak. “I found that this hairstyle flatters me. I quite like it. It sets me apart from the other kings.”

“Especially from Prince William from England, yes. Although I daresay he has not aged well.” Your remark didn’t fly past him as James chuckled, his chest heaving up and down due to his amusement.

“No, I wholeheartedly agree with you. He has not aged well.” Humming, James heard his iPad ping with a notification. An email from Yelena had popped up, talking about the trade deal with the Americas.

Indeed, the current President of the United States was… fine. James quite liked the man. The current was mellow and humble. His predecessor? Not so much. From what he knew of the former President, he had caused an insurrection, and his supporters, or as Yelena lovingly put it, his cult members were going to be trialed very soon.

It wasn’t that James disagreed with the term. Oh no no no no. He had seen a few videos of the former at his rallies. It screamed cult meetings to him. Absolutely distasteful, in his opinion. The former President’s wife was at least easier to handle. She had been a bit more tolerable. Just enough that James didn’t want to kick her out.

If the two of you had still been married, he knew that the much older man would have made leery comments toward you. It was what he had done when first meeting him in the Oval Office.

“You look awfully dull today, Your Majesty.”

Your snippy comment had James breaking out of his stupor, once again. “My apologizes,” were the only words that he used in response to you. “I am deep in thought.”

“Mmm. About what?” You implored of him.

“The… former President of the United States.” You saw the grimace on his face.

And boy oh boy, even if he was your ex-husband, you still felt pity for him in those regards.

Even though you abhorred the two-party system and America’s politics as a whole, your extreme dislike of the current President’s predecessor ran deeper than that.

A whole entire circus, you had told your mother once. The former President and his administration had been like an entire circus act.

The insurrection at the nation’s capital had been the cherry on top. The icing on the cake, so to speak.

Just like the rest of the world, you had your eyes glued to the screen in pure and utter horror, watching the madness unfold.

“Ah.” Came your pleasant tone.

“He made some… unsavory comments about you when we first met.” The most, if not, the unpleasant look was on His Majesty’s face.

“Me?”

To say you were shocked was one thing. Surely the former President knew of your history together! Surely he knew that such things were not to be touched upon! To even entertain the subject was something that was deeply uncomfortable for the both of you.

“Yes.” James gritted his teeth.

The both of you had been young when the two of you had married. It had been something that had been set in stone, even before you both could be old enough to object to such an idea. After it had failed, it had left your fathers in an odd, unsettling tension with one another.

You had never seen your former husband this… upset before. He looked truly unsettled. “You know I do not care what that buffoon has spoken of me, James. I am a grown woman. I can handle his horrid comments. Even if they are leery.” Uncapping the cap of the water bottle that had been placed on every seat at the table, you took a sip of your water.

“I know.”

His voice was lower, rougher. It had a harder edge to it. His tone made your toes curl. Your core clench.

Even after all these years, he still held somewhat of a hold over you. You still felt like that young, silly, stupid girl who believed in fairy tales. That young girl who had been enamored by stories of princesses falling in love with their princes and living happily ever after. Those sort of things.

“So I don’t think we should worry much about it, no? If we’re lucky Your Highness, he’ll be thrown in jail with the rest of his cult worshipers.” Your snide note caused James to chuckle again.

“I think you may have a point,” James concurred with you. A smirk curled its way onto your face as you took a sip of water, just as the doors opened.

Everyone had rushed in, offering their apologies as you idly drank your water. Keeping your eyes watching everyone, because you knew that they were watching you now, too.

Everyone in this room at least knew of your history.

Everyone in this room knew.

But James didn’t care.

His eyes remained on you for the rest of the meeting.

And then, a few weeks after that, the number one thing that you didn’t want to happen, happened.

Never ever, would you ever forget that day.

Just like today.

Just like the day that James told you he wanted a divorce, and that the papers had been written up. And just like the day you had stepped back onto that plane that took you home back to where you had mourned.

It had been an unusually sunny morning.

That should have been a warning sign for you.

Just yesterday, Pamela had been thrilled to explore the palace with you. King James had been off for a meeting out of the country, so you were good on that end. You wouldn’t have to worry about looking for ways to sneak your daughter around, to see her father’s palace and home. To explore her father’s country.

And that was what exactly the both of you had done. You had quietly shown her around the more secretive places around the palace that no one knew, or either never dared to explore. You even showed her the Royal Gardens.

Well, with Daisy Johnson-Ward, who was the Royal Guide. The both of you weren’t friends by any perchance, but you had always been nice to her when you had been married to James.

“This is so pretty mama!” Pamela had whispered to you, looking over all of the flowers in the garden.

However, one patch of land made you stop in your tracks.

This certain patch of land, separate from all of the rest, had a big bunch of your favorite flower. They seemed to only bloom in that spot, compared to the rest. And it wasn’t that the rest of the flowers didn’t look pretty, no. They did. They really did.

This plot of land, however?

It left you with an odd feeling. A deep solemn feeling.

“His Majesty is very fond of that particular flower,” Daisy remarked. Pamela’s eyes it up. “Really?” The thirteen-year-old gasped in excitement. She was absolutely buzzing with energy.

“That’s Mama’s favorite flower!” Pamela gleefully informed the brunette woman.

Daisy raised an eyebrow at that.

Her husband, Grant Ward, who was the Royal Gardner, had told her that His Highness had specifically requested that the plot of small land be untouched. No flowers were permitted to be planted there. Her husband had been so surprised, so shocked, so bewildered at seeing his king planting the flowers himself. Grant had to quietly step out of the Royal Gardens to report his findings to his wife and friends.

“And His Highness was there? Planting flowers? Those flowers? By himself?” Melinda May, who was a part of His Highness’s Royal Guard, questioned her longtime friend.

“Yes,” Grant nodded in all seriousness. “He was on his knees, planting the seeds and watering them himself.”

“Oh my,” Jemma Simmons gasped dramatically. Leo Fitz, her husband looked very keen to continue listening to the current conversation that was happening.

“His Highness looked very depressed though. I heard him talking to himself. He said that Her Majesty loved those flowers.” Grant lowered his head a little.

“Which one of Her Majesties are we talking about?” Leo pondered.

“The nice one,” Jemma piped up.

“Ohhhh,” the entire group, (excluding Jemma), said in unison. They immediately got who Jemma was talking about.

Unlike Dot, James’s people liked you. Adored you, even. Throughout your short-lived marriage, you had spent time with the locals, getting to know your people and getting to know the different issues that resided in your husband’s country. Needless to say, your popularity percentage had been pretty high.

Hell, the people had nicknamed you as “The Nice One” after James had married Dot. His popularity percentage had dropped significantly. Not that it had been in good numbers when the people found out that the two of you were getting a divorce. They had dropped a little, but when he married Dot?

Those numbers went down faster than you could say “Space Jesus.”

“Did His Majesty ever tell anyone what type of flowers they were?” Daisy asked her husband. “Daffodils,” was Grant’s answer.

A collected murmur rocked the group.

“… Oh, is it?” Daisy asked the little child, having come back to the present. “Uh-uh!” Pamela nodded enthusiastically.

As your daughter and the Royal Guide indulged in their conversation, you couldn’t help but feel like something was about to go terribly wrong.

The terrifying feeling manifested three days later.

You had awoken to shouts coming down from the hall.

“… Your Majesty, please think about what you’re about to do…” a woman’s voice was echoing loudly as you had stirred from your sleep.

Pamela herself was occupied on the iPad you had brought along for the trip, playing an aquarium game. The low music and sound effects from her game hadn’t fully woken you up yet. You were still groggy, still half-asleep.

She looked up from her tablet when there was a loud knock at the door.

That had jolted you awake.

“Mama,” James heard from the other side of the door. “There’s someone at the door. I’m gonna go answer it.”

“Pamela, no—“ your words of protest were unheard by the young girl as she hopped right out of the bed and zoomed to the door.

James heard the lock turn before the door was pulled open.

Any anger he had been feeling had melted away when your daughter laid her eyes on him.

She looked up at him with the same eyes as yours. Little Pamela peered her eyes up at the man who ruled this kingdom.

Knowing her manners, Pamela curtsied. “Good morning Your Highness!” she greeted him jolly. There was a sparkle in her eyes that reminded him so much of you.

You had looked at him that way once. Unlike the woman who was currently still tangled in her bedsheets, groaning.

This was a terrible time.

He knew that.

When Nebula had woken him up with the articles and the tabloids, not to mention the pictures— James had woken up and gotten out of bed at once. The blue-haired young woman had never seen His Majesty ever this energized. She also turned away, allowing him the privacy of getting dressed. Even though she didn’t roll that way and was in a loving relationship with a woman who also worked in the palace named Sharon Carter, she still gave her king the decency.

And because James slept completely naked. She had seen his legs though. And she had caught a glimpse of his penis.

Also no, she would not be going into detail about what his junk looked like.

That was just an invasion of privacy.

“Pamela,” his voice was rough. A little bit scratchy.

Peering her eyes at him, Pamela nodded. Signaling that His Highness had caught her full undivided attention.

“I need to speak to your mother and you. Is that okay?” He asked her.

Her eyes went wide. She gave him an encouraging nod.

Eventually, you had gotten up and changed into a new pair of clothes. You and Pamela were whisked away to a more secluded part of the palace.

Holding onto Pamela’s hand, James nodded to Nebula. You watched the young woman, seeing as she pulled out her phone and pulled up the photos.

You nearly almost fainted when you saw them.

It was you and Pamela, along with Daisy in the Royal Gardens.

You were about to be sick.

You felt that horrid, ice-cold feeling. Like someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water, ice cubes, all over you.

“Our sources are working hard to find out who the perpetrator was. We’ll find them, Your Majesty.” Nebula swore.

“Thank you, Nebula. You’re dismissed.”

Bowing to her king, you watched as Nebula turned around before swiftly exiting the room. She looked both ways before offering you somewhat of a smile as best as she could, before closing the door. You heard her heels clicking on the floor before the sound vanished altogether.

That left you and your daughter alone.

Alone with King James.

An awkward silence stretched over the room as James did not quite know what exactly to say.

What could he say?

What could he say that would make the dire situation between the three of you better?

Pamela saw her father visibly swallow before she spoke.

Her father was just as attractive as her mother had described him when she had been young.

“Your father was a remarkable man. Tall. He had chestnut hair. And his eyes were perhaps the bluest of blue I had ever seen in my life. He was very tanned too.” She had remembered giggling at your description of her father.

Looking back on it now, in this moment— you were right.

Like always.

“I know you’re my father,” she informed him softly.

A look of surprise crossed over his face.

“My mother told me about you when I was young. As soon as I could walk and talk, I guess.” James saw Pamela give a shrug before she continued. “I consumed anything or everything I could get on you. So, it didn’t really surprise me when Uncle Kurt wanted my mother to come here. He’s busy. And… I knew the risks of coming here with my mother. She wanted me to stay home. But I insisted.”

You physically grimaced at that.

It was true. When James looked at you.

You hadn’t wanted her to come here.

You had wanted her to stay home, back in your home kingdom. She would be safe there. She would be free from the tabloids, free from the paparazzi.

But Pamela had told you.

“… this would be my only chance to meet you. Or see you. In person. I wanted to know what my father looked like in the flesh at least once.”

It had been a gamble, coming here.

Pamela however, was indeed stubborn.

You didn’t really know if she got that from you, or from James.

She sure as hell didn’t get it from you.

So it surprised her when James strode to make his way toward her and got on his knees. Like he was about to say a silent prayer. And then he embraced her tight. She could smell his cologne. It smelled musky. She liked that. It suited him.

“I’ve always wanted a daughter,” his rough voice brought her back. Pulling away from a little, she saw the tears that were forming in his eyes.

She was moved. The emotions overwhelmed her, and she started crying too.

You, though?

You didn’t know how to feel.

Having not kept up with the gossip all that much with James, you didn’t know if he had any other children.

You didn’t even know if he had any children with Dot. After the divorce, you made sure to distance yourself from James. Even news about him.

So you were pretty out of the loop.

However, that did not stop your feet from moving and joining the little party. Pamela held your hand pretty tight, and James’s hand was put on your shoulder.

It made you look at him.

And then he spoke the three words that changed your life.

“Let’s get married.”

So… that was how you got here.

In a wedding dress.

Your face full of makeup.

Your feet in heels that you knew that you were totally going to kick off of your feet after the two ceremonies. You had a second dress that you were going to change into, right after you recited your vows and were crowned queen in the church.

Being crowned queen was something you never would have expected.

Like ever.

Back during your first marriage with James, his parents still had been King and Queen. George and Winifred were always so kind to you. But, after the divorce, you ceased contact with them. You knew throughout the years your mother still kept in contact with them.

However, about five years back, they had stepped down and James had been crowned king. Said they needed to retire, was their excuse.

Retirement certainly suited them. They were much happier. James’s three younger sisters, Rebecca, Mary, and Frances were also going to attend the wedding. Rebecca was the second eldest, while Mary and Frances had turned out to be twins. Fraternal twins, to be exact. So no Parent Trap for the Barnes Royal Family there.

The entire family was brunettes. The chestnut hair was a tiebreaker. It had been the tiebreaker for Pamela when the pictures had been leaked to the public. Immediately, everyone knew.

That damn chestnut hair.

But back to the wedding.

You hadn’t wanted to do this.

Not at first.

At first, your answer to James had been a flat-out “No.” But James had told you to quietly reconsider it, to see if your answer would change.

The next couple of days after his sudden and very nontraditional marriage proposal had been avoiding the press as much as you could. Wearing disguises. Not bringing Pamela to many places, in fear of the press catching the both of you. Hell, even James had provided you with four guards to protect you and Pamela, if you had brought her places. If it was just you, then it was just two.

That was how quickly your life had changed. In a split second, everything in your world had been flipped on its head, like someone flipping a coin.

In those couple of days, Pamela had been oddly quiet.

Until the last day.

“Mama?”

It was late.

The two of you were getting ready for bed.

Pamela herself had been laying on the bed, hearing the bathroom door open. You had finished drying off your hair. Putting her tablet down, she looked at you.

“I think you should take father up on his proposal.”

That sent you in for a loop.

“What?”

Never ever had you ever felt this flabbergasted in your life. Ever!

“Uh-huh.” Pamela was nodding with herself.

You however, were not as easily persuaded.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” You asked her as you climbed into bed.

“Well, I mean—“ Pamela chewed on her lip a little. “It would be nice. I mean, you don’t want to do the whole co-parenting thing, do you?”

No. No, you did not want to do the whole co-parenting thing.

Besides, how the hell would that even work? Would you just fly out Pamela every six months, just to let her see and spend time with her father? Would you really pay money just for all that? To fly her back and forth?

As you thought about it, definitely not. Especially now, with the scandal that the press was blowing up?

Absolutely not.

“Think about it, mama.” Pamela pointed out to you. “You won’t have to fly me back and forth. Plus, I’ve seen the popularity percentages. You’re like, super-duper popular. Yeah sure, your percentage might sink a little by marrying father, but at least we’ll all be together.”

At least we’ll all be together.

Pamela’s words echoed through your mind even now. She smiled at you from where she sat on your lap, just as she did when she had been younger.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.

“Darlings!” your mother came from behind the door.

“They’re starting.”

Your mother was walking you down the aisle, considering that your father was six feet under, and Kurt was still busy. He couldn’t just drop everything.

So you would be the person that would be walking yourself down the aisle.

Oh yeah.

You were a single unit.

You were kinda proud of that.

Adjusting your veil, your mother gave you a loving look.

“You look beautiful, darling. Wanda did a good job with your makeup. You look like a bride.” Your mother’s voice was whispered. The both of you were behind the door of the chapel. After the ceremony, you would be crowned queen at the church. Pamela would be crowned princess.

But that was after exchanging your vows. That was with Bishop Wilson when there would be as many people. This event was going to be televised, streamed, all the works.

For now, you were marrying the same man you had been married to, once upon a time.

Again.

The two flower girls at the front looked back at quickly waved at you, smiles on their little faces.

You gave them a smile back.

Briefly, you wondered if Queen Elizabeth of England would have had your head on a spike for your coronation dress. You were going to be crowned queen in front of your people. And James’s people.

However, you couldn’t think about those thoughts any longer because the music started.

The two white double doors opened, and your mother walked down the aisle first. From where you could see, James had walked in from the side, walking up the small steps to the head of the altar.

Then, the groomsmen and the bridesmaids walked in. Pairs. It had been Pamela’s idea. King Steven Grant Rogers, dressed in a black suit, kissed your cheek, before kissing his wife.

“Good luck,” he whispered to you, and the two flower girls. He gave them a bright smile before walking with the groomsmen.

Your matron of honor Queen Rogers, with her hair nicely styled and wearing the color of soft dusty pink, dress, and heels. She turned to you, smiling.

Queen Rogers was your childhood friend. Like how King Steve Rogers was to James.

“If he fucks up again, I’ll make sure to grab Steve’s sword to teach him a lesson,” she whispered to you. You couldn’t help yourself.

You let out a very unladylike snort, which made her snort too.

“You look beautiful, girl. We should have tea together after your honeymoon.” She suggested as she looked over your veil. The veil was a cap shape, so your crown would fit on top of your head. It was better than the original suggestion from your mother. She had suggested a Bella Swan from Breaking Dawn type of veil.

You had shot that dream down in its crib.

Hell to the freaking no.

“If you can fly over, we can totally have a tea party. Just like when we were kids.” you joked. The two of you giggled like you were little girls again before she walked down the aisle.

The two flower girls walked down the aisle and followed. Sprinkling flowers down as they walked until they reached King James and Bishop Wilson.

Curtsying to their king, the two girls split and walked either left or right to make space.

That just left you.

Traditionally, your father would be the one to walk you down the aisle. But, considering he was six feet under, you would be walking down yourself.

And when the song that you chose to walk down the aisle to play, everyone stood up.

Walking into the chapel was a weird experience for you.

Because yes, you had done this before. But that had been thirteen years ago.

And still, nothing changed about this chapel.

It was still the same. It was still just as big. Big enough to hold fifty people. The altar was still just as elegant too.

Your grip on your bouquet of daffodils tightened as you kept your head up high. Your gaze focused on James and Bishop Wilson.

As soon as you reached the altar, you slowly walked up the stairs, as to not ruin your dress. It was long. You had to walk your feet in order to not trip. Your wedding dress was made up of pure satin with a scoop neckline. Your coronation gown was a satin gown like your wedding dress, but the skirt was bigger and flared out, so you could move easier.

After the wedding ceremony, you would change into your coronation gown at the church. Then, you would recite your oath to be crowned queen.

Everything was changing so fast.

James extended his hand out to you. His blue eyes gazed into yours, and you swore that he was staring directly into your soul. That bundle of nerves that had struck you when you had been younger, struck you again. He looked regal and the image of a king with his black uniform, complete with the maroon red, and silver colors of his kingdom. His sword hung at his hip, and the crown that proclaimed him as king, complete with all of the ruby jewels and the way the sunlight that peeked through the windows reflected the smooth gold and silver.

Out of the corner of his eye, James saw it.

Pamela mouthed him an I love you both.

James and you turned to face Bishop Sam Wilson. The African man, dressed in his white and gold-trimmed bishop robes began to speak about marriage. Which delved into the discussion of children, as he spared a wink to Pamela, who smiled bashfully at him. As Bishop Wilson concluded his speech with the fact of marriage was not an excuse for men’s carnal lusts and appetites, you and James looked at each other.

“Do you take this woman?” Sam asked.

“I do.” James’s voice was loud and clear as he looked at you. For the slightest moment, it gave you a sense of deja vu. And your heart clenched.

Just like when you had been young and you had been standing here, a thought sneaked into your head. It cemented itself there, just like way back when.

Cause for a moment, you really thought that James actually gave a shit about you. Like he was actually in love with you.

But you knew better.

He was just doing this to guarantee your safety. To give you a home. To keep you stable.

So when Sam asked you “Do you take this man”, the only words that came out were—

“I do.”

Taglist: @bxnnywriting, @greeneyedblondie44, @hawsx3, @sunflowerfive

Other Tags: @buckysswinter

#king!bucky barnes x princess!asian!reader #king!bucky barnes x princess!reader #bucky barnes x asian!reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction

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xildove · 3 years ago

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Xildove 1.9 Dream Address Update

Well it only took me a handful of days to whip my island back into shape (mostly) post-Direct, but here we are! I was also lucky enough to have 2AM rain again, my favorite time and weather combo. ☺ This will be my last DA update before messing around in 2.0 for a while. 😊

DA-4778-6578-1155 (10/19/21)

More details below if you're interested! I hope you enjoy your visit, please tag me if you post. I'd love to see! 🖤

I've always considered myself a pretty lax Resident Rep, so you're not going to find any one area on Xildove that's taken literal days to complete. I barely terraformed during the first 8 months of ACNH, but I've enjoyed every day on the island. It's an island for folx like me! 🙃

There are, however, some not-so-secret things around Xildove:

You'll find an umbrella and a ladder near the airport, which is very close to the plaza.

You can use the ladder if needed for high up areas, but most photo spots can be accessed with a bit of creativity and hopping.

With that said, there's a secret pipe that leads to Magpie's cottage at the back of the island, which in turn leads to the Graveyard Overlook. If you can't find it, use the ladder and work your way backwards.

There is 1 Gnome on my island. Yeap. Just one.

My and Magpie's houses are very decorated and I encourage you to check them out if you visit! My partner doesn't play as much, but her place is also pretty cute.

Wow, you made it to the bottom! Thanks so much for your interest. 🥰 Let me know if you visit Xildove!

DA-4778-6578-1155 (10/19/21)

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steele-soulmate · 2 years ago

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Tattooed Wings, CHAPTER 27, Peter Steele & OFC, Soulmate AU

SUMMARY: Mary Claire Bradley meets her soulmate- literally- the famous Peter Steele of metal group Type O Negative. But will obstacles including trauma, stalkers, and toxic family members get in

WARNING: mentions of child rape (nothing graphic) PTSD, milk kink, soft smut, grinding, assault

First rewritten reworking 06/20/2023

Second rewritten reworking 10/18/2024

CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 2401

“Sweetheart?” Peter asked me as he was pulling out of his parking space, one hand on the steering wheel, his other hand resting on my popped out stomach. “Do you want to go to urgent care? You’ve been through a traumatic experience- are you sure little girl’s alright?”

He got his answer in the form of a strong kick right where his hand was positioned over my tummy.

“I really want to sleep,” I answered drowsily, interlacing our fingers together. “And tomorrow I can call da from faire and ask him if it’ll be alright if I stay home from Friday set up tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “I’m sorry, but I just need to call my sister real quick.”

“Which one?” I asked as he dialed.

“Cathy,” he explained. “She looks after my apartment while I’m out.”

“Hey there, baby brother!” a woman answered the other line. I felt awkward as Peter greeted his sister.

“Mary Claire was assaulted tonight so I’m going to crash at her place tonight in case she needs anything,” he explained.

“Oh no! Is she alright? Is the baby alright?” Cathy asked.

“Hi Cathy,” I greeted her. “I’ll be bruised tomorrow, but other than that I should be fine.” I saw Peter glanced at me before cupping my cheek. “Physically, I’ll be okay. The bruises will heal.”

“It’s not the bruises that I’m worried about,” Peter muttered. “Hey Cathy, can I ask you a favor?”

“Say no more Peter,” Cathy said. “You take care of your girl and I’ll look after your kids.”

“Kids?” I interrupted, peering at my soulmate with squinted eyes. “You never said anything about having kids.”

“Smokey, Felix and Mittens,” Peter told me, a small smile on his face.

“What is up with kids getting oddball names these days?” I scowled. “High school is going to be horrible for them, the poor things.”

Peter and Cathy both started to laugh as my soulmate reached into the glovebox and pulled out a photograph.

“Oh, you’re a crazy kitty daddy!” I exclaimed at the sight of three young cats. One was a dark smokey gray, the second was black with white socks and the third had a patchwork quilt like pattern on his fur.

“Get off my lawn, you darned kids!” Peter joked, getting another laugh from his sister. “No really sweetheart, I grew up with cats- it’d just be weird for me not to have a cat.”

“Oh,” I smiled. “Gideon- my older brother, he once found a cat while walking home from school and he puts the poor kitty into his backpack. He gets home tells mom that Mr. Patches followed him home.”

Peter laughed again before being cut off by a “MEOW” that came from Cathy’s end.

“Sorry, that was Felix,” she apologized.

“KITTY!” I gasped with excitement, clapping my hands together.

“Felix wants me to tell you that he misses his daddy to pieces right now,” Cathy said in a motherly tone of voice.

“How’d you figure that out?” Peter asked.

“Well, Felix is sitting by the front door crying,” Cathy said point blank.

“Poor kitty,” I cooed softly, wincing as little girl punched my insides. Peter automatically began to rub calming circles into my stomach, successfully calming little girl down.

“Take it easy in there, won’t you now, little girl? Mommy has had quite the night,” Peter chuckled quietly, rolling to a stop at a red light and leaning over to place a kiss onto my stomach.

“Peter, do you want me to drop off some clothes for you at her place for you?” Cathy then asked.

“Uh…” Peter glanced over at me.

“Sure, the address is 6578 Sweetwater Lane, suite number 382, and it’s in Upper East Side, zip code 90012,” I rattled off to her. “I can text it to you, if you need.”

“Oh, no need!” Cathy said. “I got it right here- 6578 Sweetwater Lane, suite number 382, 90012, right?”

“That’s me!” I grinned. “I’ll tell the front desk to let you up when I land, okay?”

“Great, thanks!” The three of us chit chatted for a few more minutes before Cathy had to say goodbye. The second she hung did so, my chest was tightening again. I let out a little gasp, my hand flying back up to my heart.

“Sweetheart?” I could practically see the worry in Peter’s voice as he turned onto Sweetwater Lane.

“I’m fine,” I panted. He didn’t look convinced as he turned into the parking lot. The next thing I knew he was carrying me through the front door, Jackie looking on worriedly as I curled up into Peter’s arms.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured as he dropped me onto my bed. “I’ll be back in a minute, yeah?”

“Please don’t leave me!” I begged, latching onto his wrist and trying to drag him back into me. He sighed before kicking off his boots and crawling into bed with me, wrapping his strong arms around me as I snuggled into his side.

“I got you sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing my forehead. “You’re safe now.”

~xoXox~

I drifted in and out of sleep for the next several hours. Peter only got up to use the bathroom and to grab a snack- I also heard him talking to Jackie and Sammi, probably telling them what had happened during our first date. At one point, he came back into my bedroom, dressed for sleep in sweatpants and an oversized shirt. I just sat up and reached under my pillow for my nightdress.

“Peter, can you help me dress for bed?” I asked him. He nodded, approaching the bed and held his hands at the ready. I began to unbutton my dress before letting him take over. He at last had me in only my bra and underwear, but he kept his respectful green eyes on my face as I reached around to undo my bra. I sighed with relief as my bra slipped off and I held my arms up for my nightdress to be slipped over my head.

“Peek a boo,” he teased me when my head had popped out of the neck hold. I giggled, pulling the rest of the nightdress down, sighing as the soft cotton kissed my skin.

“I see you,” I rhymed to him with a little smile.

“Hey sweetheart, are you hungry?” Peter wanted to know. “I think Jackie is making burgers.”

“I’ll try to eat,” I muttered. “My body is still in ‘fight or flight’ mode, so anything I eat will probably come right back up again.”

“Fuck,” Peter sighed, scooping me into his arms and exiting my bedroom. I only let out a soft coo as I rested my ear over his heart, losing myself in the beat.

THUD THUMP

Sure enough, Jackie was in the kitchen while Sammi lounged on the couch, her sketchbook and colored pencils in hand. Both sisters looked up as Peter entered the common area, sitting himself in the armchair with me in his lap still.

“Is this okay, sweetheart?” he asked in a soft voice, his nose gently tracing the mermaid tattoo behind my ear. I only whimpered out a meek little “Yes” in response before straddling his lap and curling into him.

“Hey MC, since you and Peter will be staying home from set up tomorrow, do you have anything in mind that you want to do?” Sammi asked kindly, trying to start up a conversation.

“Bake some more bread, maybe watch a movie or two?” I shrugged.

“What movie do you want to watch, sweetheart?” my soulmate murmured gently, his hands rubbing calming patterns into my back.

“Disney Pixar’s Monster Inc,” I answered automatically. “It’s a really cute movie. And maybe even Tangled…”

“I haven’t seen those movies yet, sweetheart,” he informed me as Jackie came over with a bowl.

“Chicken noodle broth,” she announced. “It’s the only thing our big sister can keep down following a panic attack.”

“Come here now sweetheart,” Peter cooed, taking the bowl and beginning to feed me. I just sank into the love he was showing me, humming in content as he spoon fed me. My hands were fisted into his hair, my eyes closed as I slipped into a half awake, half asleep state of mind.

A knock sounded at the door and Sammi jumped up.

“I got it!” she announced, skipping over to the front door and opening it. “Hello?”

“You must be Mary Claire,” greeted the woman on the other side of the door. “I’m Cathy, Peter’s sister.”

“Uh, I’m Sammi, actually,” my baby sister corrected her. “Won’t you come in?”

“Hey,” Peter whispered, setting the bowl off to the side and adjusting me to a more comfortable resting position. “How are things?”

“Uh…” Cathy stalled, shifting between Sammi and I as my baby sister collected the broth bowl and took it into the kitchen to be stuck into the dishwasher.

“OUT OF THE KITCHEN!” Jackie yelled, chasing Sammi out of the kitchen. “I swear, if you’re not going to bother learning how to cook, you don’t belong in the kitchen!”

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on, I was bussing MC’s broth bowl!” Sammi yelped as she hid behind Cathy. “Don’t kill the busser! Besides, you don’t chase MC out of the kitchen!”

“Because I know what the difference is between the cheese grater and a serving spoon is,” I deadpanned, deciding to alert everyone to being awake. “How long was I out for?”

“About forty minutes,” Jackie called out from the kitchen. “Do you want more?”

“No thanks,” I called, cuddling into Peter more, resting a hand onto my stomach and cooing as I felt little girl moving around.

“Are you alright in there, little girl?” Peter murmured, also placing his hand on my stomach.

“Hey Peter, where can I put your stuff?” Cathy asked, holding up a small duffle bag.

“I can put it on your bed, alright MC?” Sammi announced, taking the bag and bouncing off without waiting for a response.

I remained quiet as I listened to Peter and Cathy talking about random things- Cathy’s daughter, who had completed her residency and was now a full-fledged doctor at Lincoln Memorial, family get togethers of the past, prank wars that Peter instigated in his youth, among other things. I wasn’t paying much attention, drifting in and out of restless sleep as I nestled in the safety of my soulmate’s arms.

I woke up a while later to Peter placing me back into my bed, pulling the blanket up over me before climbing in. I made a soft noise as he maneuvered me onto his lap.

“Sweetheart?” Peter murmured, his hand on my shoulder. “Can I see your tattoos, please?”

I stood and slipped out of my nightdress, baring my near nude body for his gaze and his gaze alone. I stepped between his knees and took his large hands into mine. I took a deep inhale of breath before looking into his emerald green eyes.

He touched my right hip, where the words “Once Upon a Time…” were written in fancy calligraphy. He then switched over to the other side, where his spider tattoo rested. His eyes darted up to the right side of my collarbone, where the words “I’m Not an Angel…” were written. Next, he picked up my left wrist and admired the charm bracelet that was tattooed onto my skin with charms such as Rapunzel’s lantern, Eeyore’s tail, Dumbo’s feather, Tinker Bell’s wings, the enchanted rose, Snow White’s poisoned apple and Cinderella’s glass slipper were inked dangling from the daintily inked bracelet. He glanced up at my arm and ran his finger across the watercolored Rapunzel on my bicep, smiling as he compared the inking to his own soulmark. His eyes darted up to my soulmark of a heavy masculine bald eagle on my right arm and a snarling panther on my left arm. Peter’s eyes darted down to my thighs, where he carefully fingered the mermaid scales on the right side. He then looked to my right arm, where there was a mermaid tattoo, also done in a watercolor style. He turned me around and placed a hand on the angel wings that decorated my back, dragging his fingers down to tickle the butterfly that rested just underneath the feathers. His hand then went up to my shoulders, where there were dual tattoos that matched each other perfectly; they were from Tangled, the one on the right shoulder was the sun motif and the others on the left were a grouping of three floating lanterns. He finally yanked me closer to him where he pushed back the red curls from my left ear to admire the mermaid stamped behind my ear.

“Fuck,” he murmured, turning me again so that I was now facing him. “You’re perfect.” He took my hands into his and kissed the tattooed backsides of them, resting his cheek on the alpha symbol on my right fist.

“I’m far from perfect,” I whispered, amused by how affectionate he was being towards me. I suddenly got an idea- I pushed him flat onto the bed and climbed into his lap before smuggling under his baggy shirt and popping my head out the neck.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” he asked me with a hearty chuckle as I shifted, already feeling comfortable with how close my soulmate was to me.

“I’m cold,” was all that I said before kissing him. “Good night.”

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PETER STEELE TAGLIST

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