#I saw this jump scare of a promotion after I read the new chapter

[skylernightmare]

Ehh... Webtoons... just a tiny question...

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?!

As if the new Chapter wasn't anxiety inducing enough...!

[simsadventures]

Gilded: Chapter 2: Our House (The Mess We’ve Made)

Mobster! Steve x Reader

Summary: Steve doesn’t like to be questioned, and you learn that the hard way. When he wants something, he gets it, and now he wants to have everything over with as quickly as possible. But there are a few bumps on the road. 

Warnings: mafia au, swearing, violence, blood, threats, violence on women, slight mention of a rape, fluff, I mean, Steve is very demanding here, but it’s a theme so… 

Word Count: 6087

A/N: I’m beyond excited that you guys liked the first chapter so much and are giddy for the next one. So, here we have it. More of our arranged couple and more mafia stuff. Let me know what you thought, and again, thank you for reading! xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist 

< Previous Chapter 

“You did what? Are you fucking kidding me right now? Y/N, I love you, but you must have hit your head real hard because this is not like you, at all,” Caroline reasoned, but you could see she was close to losing it completely. 

They were both waiting for you to come home that night, and you first had to make sure neither of them would talk about anything you were about to reveal. You trusted both of them with your life, that wasn’t the issue, but you were afraid that if they talked outside of your apartment, Steve might know and the things he could do to them would be the core of your future nightmares, you were sure of it. When they finally agreed, you got to explaining. But you didn’t even get a full sentence out before they started jumping in it, asking questions and wildly swatting their hands, trying to make you see just how stupid of an idea it actually was. 

“Do you think I don’t know it sounds insane? I do, but also like, it’s gonna take care of so many issues, and, I mean, all he needs from me, as far as I understood it, is to go to a few events with him, go to some vacations with him and that would be all. I mean, I can still have the job I actually enjoy and don’t have to slave in that fucking pub with all those weirdos, and I won’t have to worry about money,” you tried to sound reasonable and sensible, but from the looks on your best friends’ faces, you weren’t doing too good of a job. 

“Right, right, cool. So, you wanna tell me that the most notorious fucking mobster in America will let you live here, with us, while he parades you around the city at night? Or that he doesn’t have enemies you should worry about? Or what about the fucking police, Y/N, huh? Have you thought of that? You will be affiliated with a known criminal, and they will start to notice you and your life won’t be as easy as you picture it,” Aidan sighed and massaged his temples, the stress of it all getting the best of him. 

You sat down next to them and smiled at them fondly. It was sweet that they worried so much about you, and just the mere thought that there were people on this planet who gave a shit about you, even to the point of yelling at you at 11 PM on Wednesday night was heartwarming. You understood their reservations, you really did, but you also knew this all before you said yes to Steve. You knew it wouldn’t be as easy, and while you weren’t sure whether you would have to live with Steve in Manhattan or somewhere else, or if he let you just be on your own, you knew you could take it. The police didn’t scare you, you’ve had enough training in diverting the police from yourself, so the police was the last thing on your mind. Besides, you were signing petitions left and right to defund them, so… You were pretty sure they already knew your name from the demonstrations in front of their precincts. 

Enemies were a bit more challenging to handle, but you were sure Steve wouldn’t want his new wife to die on his watch. How would that look for him? So really, all that was at stake was your sanity and your integrity, and thinking about it, Steve didn’t ask you to do something illegal. The only thing he wanted from you was to be a good girl, marry him and be by his side. And you could do that. And you were only human, Steve was a sight to behold, so you didn’t mind being connected to him, even though he specifically told you he wasn’t attracted to you. 

That one still stung, but maybe it was for the better. You wouldn’t have to worry about doing something stupid when the other party was completely uninterested, and knowing it, you could just never let your body have even a minor crush on him, so the situation really resolved itself even before anything could have happened. 

“I really think I can gain more than I can lose, you guys. I didn’t imagine my life being like this, far from it, and maybe Steve and his money can help me get where I want. And I won’t even have to sleep with him or anybody else. He even talked about putting a no-sex clause in our contract so that I would be safe even on paper. You always tell me that I’m not taking enough risks and that I stay rooted in my comfort zone. Well, this is quite the improvement, isn’t it?” You laughed, and they both just shook their heads but chuckled nevertheless. 

“You are a psychopath, babe,” Aidan muttered but gave you a side hug, and Caroline soon joined. 

“We love you and worry about you, that’s all. But if you feel good about this, then so do we. I just hope he’s ready for our wrath if anything even remotely bad happens to you,” Caroline said, and the three of you started to laugh. You would bet somebody like Steve would be scared shitless from two 20-something-year-olds who, one who was scared of wasps so much she almost fainted every time she saw one, and the other having a hard time peeling a grapefruit. Yup, they were the combat duo you would bet your money on in a fight, for sure. 

Waking up, you had a good feeling about the decision, even more so than the night before. You had mulled it over and over in your head, seeing that this was the way out of everything and also your way to a lot of those things you wanted to have by now. You even thought of the saying, sometimes, the only way out is through, and this was your through. There was no foreseeable way of getting out of debt, of getting out of the depression caused by your hectic and unsatisfying life. Your way through it was accepting Steve’s money and his help for a year, freeing you from the shackles of your current life, in a sense. 

That it would come with a different kind of shackled you were sure of, but everything was better than your life now because you really couldn’t even call it a life. You wanted so many things, see so many places, but the world wasn’t made for the people playing by the rules, slaving in their ordinary jobs. No, this capitalist world was made for sharks, and you had been disguised as a sheep for too long. 

When you got to the gallery, you were welcomed by a sight that surprised you, and not in a good way. Where you were used to sitting every day for the past two years was another girl. She was pretty, and you bet she was wonderful, but at that very moment, all you saw was that somebody replaced you. 

You swiftly unlocked the door and walked in, the girl standing up immediately to greet you with a shy smile and a wave. You couldn’t be a complete bitch to her, after all, this was way above her pay grade. So, you just nodded and strode towards the offices where the director sat. 

“Good morning, Ms Y/L/N. I see you have met Laura, our new receptionist. And before you say anything, I just wanted to tell you that we appreciate everything you had done for this gallery for so long and that we thought it was time for you to learn some other skills, as you are more than capable of that,” he smiled warmly, and you weren’t sure if it was a nice way of saying you were let go of, or if you were promoted. 

“What does that mean, Mr Jones?” You asked incredulously, not really in the mood to search in between the lines. 

“You have become my personal secretary, Ms Y/L/N. Congratulations! I know you have the aspiration of becoming a curator, so, this way, you could get a little closer to art even though there is still some way to go, naturally,” he winked and chuckled, and you let yourself relax with the news. 

Wow! Your life was already taking a turn for the better, and all you had to was to go with your gut and risk a little. You wanted to laugh out loud at the universe and its mysterious ways of working. But, thinking of mysterious, your mind suddenly pictured Steve and his devilish smirk, and your smile faltered. 

“And may I ask, why now? Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful for the chance, and I will do my best to succeed in expectations. I just wonder what happened that the chance has come now?” 

Mr Jones scratched the back of his neck, and you gritted your teeth. You already knew that it wasn’t the universe praising you for your bravery. No, this had nothing to do with the universe. 

“More things have come together, to be quite honest, Ms Y/L/N. First, my long-time secretary left for her maternity leave a few weeks ago, as you might remember, and I have been looking for her replacement ever since. And I forgot what an amazing student we had here, who is already established with the clients and with our partners, and that this will be a win-win situation for everybody. And your fiancée was quite adamant that your resumé is remarkable and that I should give you a chance,” he smiled and piled gathered in your throat. 

How Steve managed to persuade Jones to do this was beyond you when you left him only a few hours ago, most of which were during the night, so there wasn’t much room for negotiation between the parties. You just hoped people wouldn’t start treating you differently when they realised your affiliation. That was the only thing you obviously didn’t think through: the opinion of the society. And since the New York society had been one of the most judging and selective ones even back in the 19th and 20th century, you knew not that much has changed since. People were afraid of Steve, with a good reason too, and now they might become frightened of you too. Fucking awesome. 

“I want to assure you that my fiancée won’t be present in my work life, however notorious he is,” you tried to sound as confident in what you were saying as you could, but you weren’t sure if you were doing a good job. But Mr Jones just smiled and sat down, signalling for you to sit down opposite of him, and he started talking about business and about what the job actually was. And while you tried to give him your full attention, there was this angry voice in your head, ready to bite Rogers’ head off. He would meet your famous wrath sooner than you thought, but it was all his fault anyway. 

The job was, actually, quite impressive. As your boss told you, you got to meet several artists already, you could sit in the meeting where they decided what kind of art the gallery was interested in, and you soaked all that in like a sponge. You were radiating by the end of the day, and the wrath subsided a little, but only till the moment, you saw a black SUV parked in front of the gallery and one of the turtlenecks standing beside it. 

You decided that if Steve could do what he wanted, so could you and so you walked in the opposite direction than was the car, leaving the turtleneck yelling your name and running after you. But you ignored him completely, even when he reached you and patted your shoulder, slightly bewildered that you recognised him and still decided not to do as he said. Oh, these obnoxious mobsters needed to learn that they couldn’t get everything they wanted. 

“Miss Y/L/N, please, you need to come with me. Mr Rogers is waiting for you in the car,” he said, and you finally stopped and looked him deep in the eyes while you folded your arms across your chest. You hoped you looked intimidating, but since the guy was wearing a pair of sunglasses you couldn’t be entirely sure whether it worked. But you didn’t relent and just stared him down, and when he shifted uncomfortably, you knew you were winning this contest. 

“Would you please come with me? Mr Rogers hates to wait,” he mumbled the last thing, and you would have snickered if you weren’t so determined to be the tough guy there. It was only when you heard other footsteps somewhere behind you, and the guy in front of you actually flinched that you realised the big boss himself was there to get you. 

“No, Mr Rogers really doesn’t like to wait, Y/N. Is this the way to treat your fiancée?” Steve asked when he reached you, and you shuddered from the poisonous undertone in his voice. Safe to say, it might not have been the best strategy to try and walk away from him, but you had decided for it once, and now you were gonna stand by your decision. 

“Oh, I don’t know, darling,” you hissed but continued before he could comment on your behaviour, “is intimidating my boss to give me a promotion a way to treat me? You really think you have control over everything and everyone, Steve, but let me tell you something. This is my fucking life, and you have no fucking right to march in and do as you please!”

He just raised a brow, and his nostrils flared before you felt his hand on your upper arm, squeezing it so tightly you were sure your arm wasn’t getting any blood. But you didn’t want him to win, which would definitely happen if you pleaded with him, so you just gritted your teeth and stared him down. Steve nodded at the guys around him to leave you two, and they took a few steps back, sure enough to protect their boss but to give him at least some privacy with you. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are, talking to me in that tone, huh? I think you’ll understand soon enough that disobedience is punished greatly here, honey! So, stop acting like a brat who gets off from causing scenes in public and come with me. And, for your information, this is a fucking order, and I dare you to move from me again,” Steve spat in your ear, and you trained your eyes on the ground. 

Well, not your best idea, you had to admit that, and you valued your own head enough to just shut up and follow him. And by following him, you meant walking beside him because Steve obviously didn’t trust you enough to let go of your arm, even if his grip loosened slightly. 

He thrust you in the car with a force that could scare many, but it only just slightly surprised you. When he finally sat down next to you, he bid the driver to just go and stared out of the window, not addressing you in any shape or form, and you huffed in annoyance. 

“Look, Steve, you brought me here for a reason, so what do you want? I thought we agreed to meet tomorrow and not today, in broad daylight in front of my job.”

“Show some respect!” He roared, and you saw the eyes of the bodyguards, or whatever they were, flick towards you in fear. It was funny how such huge men were clearly so afraid of one of them. You remained calm, however, and just remained looking at him. Then you realised something. He didn’t mind your mouth the night before that much when the two of you were alone, but he couldn’t stand it when people were around. He needed to be the man, his people needed to know that nobody treated him differently and that not even his future wife could disobey him, let alone publicly. You swallowed your pride and shifted your gaze elsewhere. 

“I’m sorry, Steve, I’ve had a long day, and I’m taking it on you now. I just wished you spoke to me before you called my boss, but still, thank you for the opportunity,” you muttered meekly, and the triumphant look on Steve’s face spoke volumes. He just hummed and patted your shoulder, his own shoulders slacking and relaxing. These people were so easy to read, you were actually quite astounded that they weren’t played like violins by some secret agents or something like that. Well, you thought, at least you could play them, and it would make your life a little easier if you did it well enough. 

“I came because we needed to discuss more things, honey. I had a pressing matter to attend to yesterday so I couldn’t stay longer, but I have the whole afternoon reserved just for you today, so we can go over all the parts of our agreement in great detail and that we can start planning our wedding,” he flashed you a smile, and it was your time to tense up because if you were to have a wedding soon, which was clearly something Steve wanted, you needed to get a move on and that stressed you out. The arrangement might have been just for a year, but you knew that Steve’s wedding was supposed to be magnificent, showing all that he obtained and all that the mere mortals couldn’t have. You included. 

But then you realised something. 

“Sure, but I need to take care of something first if you don’t mind,” you added quickly seeing the mobster next to you tensing up again. “As I no longer work at Joey’s pub, I need to get my things from there. My boss called me this morning telling me that I still had my work shoes and other stuff there and that I should pick it up or they’ll throw it away.” 

“Just give the address to the driver, we’ll get it, and then we’ll go to my place- oh, excuse me- our place and discuss what we need,” he said simply, and you followed his orders. 

The rest of the drive was silent, and you could unwind a little, reminisce about the 24 hours you have had. From taking the subway anywhere you needed to, to driving in an armoured SUV with the most prolific mafia boss of the USA, your life took quite the turn. You needed to set some boundaries with Steve, but you needed to do it tactfully and, most importantly, alone. You hadn’t known him at all, but you knew the type. There would be reasoning with him as long as he thought he had a free choice and knew that his position wasn’t neither threatened nor questioned.  

This was a part of your agreement that you actually didn’t mind. Joey’s pub was not the fanciest of places in New York and while some of the customers were lovely and tipped well, the weekend sort was made of sleazy assholes who would touch you without your permission and not having to be around them would definitely be something you could get used to. 

The boss who’s name wasn’t Joey, surprise, surprise, but Thomas, nodded your way when you came in. The pub was only half full, but the odour of mixed sweat, beer and vomit was ever the same. Gosh, how you couldn’t wait to be out of there. 

Taking the places of the little box by the box with beer cans, you scanned the supply closet one last time and nodded as a goodbye. However, when you turned around, you bumped into somebody, and it sent you flying back a bit as you didn’t expect anybody to be there with you. You looked up to see Thomas standing there, looking pissed. 

“Funny! I never knew you were on the market, pussycat. And now I find out you are newly engaged and to Mr Rogers no less? I thought you said you didn’t want a relationship,” he sneered as he neared you and you instinctively took a step back. That he had a crush on you, you knew, and you told him multiple times that you weren’t interested, that you weren’t looking for a boyfriend and that you just wanted to be left alone. You scoffed at his immature behaviour now and tried to push around him without saying a word because you knew there was no talking to people like him. But he wouldn’t let you go, of course. 

“Maybe if I fucked you, you would see that I deserve you just as much, huh?” He hissed and took your already sore arm, yanking you towards him till you were pressed tight against his chance. You still remained calm, knowing that trashing and screaming would get you nowhere. 

“Let me go, Thomas. Steve is outside, and he is waiting for me, so I suggest you take your disgusting hands off of me and just let me go,” you tried to reason, but, again, there was no such thing with dumbasses like him. What was more, he probably didn’t like your remark about his disgusting hands, and so, without warning, he slapped you right across your left cheek. 

That made you gasp for the first time because till then, you really thought he was just playing and that he would let you go, but now seeing the bewildered look on his face, you suddenly realised that maybe you didn’t have the upper hand in the argument. 

“Like fuck he is, what would Rogers do in these parts, huh? I bet it wasn’t even him who called me last night and that you were just trying to get the upper hand. But guess what, you fucking whore, you are not getting out of here until I fuck you unconscious,” he roared and you gulped, trying to think of possible escape routes. But you were in a fucking supply closet, so there was literally just the one door, and Thomas was occupying the whole space in front of it. So, you’d just have to fight your way through. You were a little rusty, but this big-bellied idiot would stand no chance. 

But before you had the opportunity to execute your plan, the door behind him flew open and revealed one fo the turtlenecks (you made a mental note to actually learn their names because this was just awkward) and a very angry-looking Steve. 

Thomas faltered in his movement towards you and checked who had the audacity to interrupt him. The shock and fear on his face were priceless. 

Steve didn’t waste any more time as he lunged himself at the man and punched him straight in the nose, and the sickening crack you heard must have meant Steve broke it. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care enough to pity Thomas. You warned him, even though you didn’t expect Steve actually coming to your rescue. There were some advantages to being tied to him, it seemed. 

The turtleneck then took Steve’s place by Thomas, probably so that he wouldn’t escape and Steve marched towards you, still looking too pissed for you to stand calmly under his searching gaze. 

“Did he hurt you?” He sneered but didn’t wait for your reply as he checked your face, seeing your puffed left cheek which told him all he needed to know. The bruise already forming on your arm was both from him and from Thomas, so he didn’t comment on that, but Steve wiped the trickle of blood in the corner of your mouth before he turned around and now calmly walked towards Thomas. 

“Next time that degenerated brain of yours even thinks of her, I will come and slice your throat. Am I clear?” Steve spat into Thomas’s face who just nodded, probably glad that he got out of it so easily. What he didn’t see coming (and to be honest, neither did you) was the turtleneck suddenly pulled out a big-ass knife out of somewhere and the air filled with the bone-chilling cries as he cut Thomas’ finger off as if it was the most normal thing to do before he wiped the knife on Thomas’s shirt and tucked it back in his pocket. The blood flowing from the wound was thick and almost purple, and you had to shut your eyes at the scene. But the image was already seared into your brain forever. 

“Fucking rapist,” Steve said and kicked the already laying man, motioning to the turtleneck and you that you were to follow him. But your legs weren’t listening to your brain, as you were just watching Thomas writhing in pain, wailing and sobbing, and all that because he dared to touch you. An involuntary shudder shook your body, and it as only when you felt an arm around your torso, pulling you to the person’s side that you woke up. Steve didn’t say anything as he came back and wrapped his arm around you, walking you out of there, probably used to that people were dazed when they saw that much blood. And that was just a cut-off finger, how would it look if a person actually bled out there?

“Here, have a piece of chocolate, it should help you,” Steve whispered into your ear as he handed you a little piece when you finally made it to his car, and you took it without question, savouring the sweet taste on your tongue as it streamed into your system like the most delicious medicine. You took a deep breath, your brain recognising that it was a different environment and that the stench of the pub was long gone as was the blood. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” you heard yourself saying meekly, but there was no reprimanding him, there was no anger in your voice and Steve heard that. He knew it was the shock of the scene talking because you weren’t one of them. You didn’t see blood on an almost daily basis as he did and you had the right to be surprised. 

“I actually had to, Y/N. He touched you, he hurt you and nobody hurts what’s mine. And you are mine now or will be very soon, and I can’t have dickheads like him running around the city thinking they are invincible. You are under my protection, and the whole world has to realise that,” he tried to make you see his point, and when you nodded solemnly, he saw you understood it. You might not have been ok with it, but that was another thing, and that would take time. Steve hoped people wouldn’t be so dumb and try anything on you, but, the truth be told, inwardly he knew he would have to protect you more often than not because some people had a death wish. 

“Are you up to discussing our marriage, or do you want me to drive you home?” He asked, and you looked at him for the first time since the pub scene. You shook your head and chuckled a little, not understanding where was this coming from. It was apparent that there were many layers to Steve Rogers, but his mood swings were giving you a headache already. One second he was the infamous mobster and the other he impersonated a caring boyfriend? 

“I’m fine, Steve, thank you. I was just taken by surprise because I thought I would have to take him down myself, and I probably wouldn’t cut off his finger in the process, but we all do our things. I’m good for a discussion, if you are,” you gave him your best encouraging smile and Steve stared at you in disbelief for a moment before he averted his eyes towards the driver and gave him a signal that he was to take you two to Steve’s mansion. 

Three hours later, you regretted your decision greatly. Steve and you had been talking the whole time, trying to reach a compromise that would be suitable for both of you considering your marriage and your wedding. You were quite surprised when Steve came up with things that were up for discussion because you really thought he would just come with a set of rules for you to follow, and that would be it. Well, the set of rules was there, but so were other things, like where you’d like to live (it was either the New York mansion which he called the apartment or some villa he had in Hamptons, apparently), what were the countries he could take you (which was actually a nice touch) and others. You didn’t give a damn about a lot of the stuff, but the countries were something that caught your attention. 

“I would love to visit different places, that’s beyond doubt, but I do not wish to be taken to California, ever,” you insisted, and while Steve tried to inquire why it was that California was on your hard-no list, you wouldn’t budge. You just told him that you weren’t a fan of the hot weather and the swarm of people you heard was in LA and that it was the only place where you wouldn’t go with him, under no circumstances. After a while, he gave up and just jotted it down with a nod. 

“Now, to the sex thing, do you want it on paper that I don’t want you in this way or are you good with my word?” 

You felt your cheeks heating up, but you tossed your pride away again. This was a business meeting, and Steve was actually extremely honest with you, so the best you could do was to be frank with him as well. 

“I’m good with your word, thank you for asking. What I’d like on paper is that you won’t trade me with information. I don’t wanna wake up one morning to be chained by some of your pistol-buddies who wanted to fuck Steve’s wife,” you raised a brow, and Steve chuckled and licked his lips, which was something that got your attention. You snapped at your brain to stop the thought flooding your brain, and a part of you considered putting licking his own lips around you on the hard-no’s list for a second. 

“Alright, I will never do that, and I will put that in our contract. Now, have you decided where you want to live? And no, your own apartment isn’t an answer. I’m willing to pay the expenses so that your friends can stay there, but you are coming to live with me, either here or in Hamptons. So, which one is it?” 

“Here,” you answered after a while, “I have my job here so I can’t be going back forth to Hamptons every day. Speaking of my job, will you require my presence at every meeting? I’m just asking if I even have a chance attaining my job as is, or if I should quit now because you will never let me go there again.” 

“I would have let them fire you if I thought about not letting you work there anymore, now, wouldn’t I? Most of the meetings that I will need you are at night, so your work is fine. I hope your boss will give you enough vacation days because we will need those, but other than that, I think you will be fine at the gallery. Besides, I’ve assigned a personal bodyguard for you who will go everywhere with you, so you won’t have to worry about anybody attacking you,” he concluded, looking proud of himself. You, on the other hand, were bewildered. 

“A personal what now? Steve, I can’t just show up at work with some huge guy in all black following me everywhere I move. I saw the looks from some of my coworkers, and they would never accept me if I had a bodyguard, c’mon,” you were desperate now because just the thought made you shudder. 

“This is not negotiable, so just learn to live with it. Alright, I think that’s all from that, and we will both sign it before the wedding. Now, the wedding will be next week. I already hired planners, so that the only thing you need to care about is the wedding dress. It’s just for a show, and if it were up to me, we would just go to the city hall, but the world needs to see this wedding, so we’re doing it in the Weylin. Write down your favourite colours and flowers, the cake will be red velvet, and that’s not negotiable, but everything else you want, you write down, and the planners will do it. Also, write down all the guests you’d like to invite, family and all that, so we know how many guests we’re having,” Steve rambled on, but your mind wandered towards your family. 

None of them would be attending the wedding, and your heart gave a painful tug at the thought. You had always wanted your dad to walk you down the aisle, and he was so excited to do so, but now that wasn’t possible. And your beautiful mother… The memories made your eyes water, but you blinked the tears away quickly enough so that Steve wouldn’t see them. But he was used to reading people, so he saw your reaction to him mentioning a family very clearly, he just decided against commenting on it. Yet. 

“Alright, I’ll send you all the lists by Saturday, if that’s good enough, and I’m actually good with red velvet. It would be a problem if you said some cakes with loads of nuts because I’m extremely allergic to a majority of those, you should know about that, but red velvet is fine enough,” you nodded, and Steve did as well, glad he didn’t have to fight you on that one. Not that it would be a fruitful fight since the red velvet was his favourite type of cake on Earth. 

“I want you to move in before the wedding, I’ll have a room set up for you tomorrow, and you can bring whatever you want from your home. You will have access to my credit card, but I’m warning you, excessive spending will not be tolerated, alright?” 

You scoffed and rolled your eyes but bowed your head in mocked understanding. Steve had obviously spent his life with women only caring about the sum on his credit card, while you couldn’t care less. The card would be good for the wedding dress, but that was about it. You realised a long time ago that the fashion industry was one of the most dangerous ones for the environment, and while you still shopped from time to time, you tried to reduce it to a minimum. And if you did shop, you loved local stores and fair-trade manufacturers, who vowed to keep the well-being of the planet their number one priority. 

“I’ll take it that you understood it. Fine, so, you’ll move in tomorrow, I think my people can manage it till that. So, they’ll pick you up, let’s say, around 8 PM? That enough time?” 

You blinked and took the information in. He wanted you to move in tomorrow. Not in a week so you’d have time to actually pack and say goodbye to your friends, even if you still planned on meeting them every other day or so. You wanted a goodbye sleepover where you’d just laugh and drink and hope that the year would be a good one. Or, at least, not a disastrous one. 

“That’s definitely not enough time, Steve. Can’t it wait till next week? I need to say goodbye to my friends, and it’s already late, so we can’t do it tonight and just… Give me at least till Saturday evening, Steve, please,” you tried to bargain, and while you saw he wasn’t the greatest of fans, he agreed eventually. That ended your discussion, and you were soon driven away from the house you would soon call yours.

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Yeehaw Leo… it's all because this song came on one day (I don’t even really listen to country anymore so it really is fate). Leo is based off that song, each chapter is going to be based off a yeehaw song too.

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Beta: @the-most-slyterin-hufflepuff & @punkkkboi

TW/CW: Smut, terrible yeehaw sayings and jokes, injuries, mentions of past death/suicide, minor character death, underage drinking, mentions of past arrests, cringe

Chapter Songs (listening in order is recommended):

Chapter 13:

Anchors Away

Clay was bored, wandering around the mall with nothing to do. Thomas was at practice, Noelle was at work at the aquarium. He was alone again and he really didn’t like it. Leo was busy cleaning the apartment for his mom who is showing up later tonight and Reg was hanging out at the rink.

Clay thought about going to the rink but everytime he goes for longer than 20 minutes he gets a head cold. He was walking past a recently closed store and heard faint music coming from inside. He walked in and noticed a small table set up with two men who were jokingly singing along to the song.

Clay took note of all the posters around the small store.

‘Feeling like you need a purpose in life?’ Yeah, he does. Everyone around him is doing actual things with their lives. Reg has started going to art school for errotic photography and portraits. Leo has been selling horses over video calls with rich clients and helping his mother set up times for the clients to go down and visit the horses at the ranch. Obviously, the hockey boys are playing hockey. Noelle is a year away from graduating and was recently promoted, and Clay just kind of existed…

Leo jokingly called him a houseboy when he mentioned how he just stays at home and cleans, now that's all he is ever called by Leo and Reg and it really makes Clay feel worthless. He knows they don’t mean anything by it but…. It still stings.

He moves on to the next poster. “Want financial benefits, healthcare, and more?”

That would be nice, to make his own money for once instead of his parents randomly filling his account with too much money. Something he knows he shouldn’t complain about but he wants to make a name for himself.

‘Join the U.S Navy.’ He paused, he doesn’t know a lot about his birth family, but he does know they were in the military. He has no clue which branch and he knows if he asked his parents they would help him in a heartbeat. But maybe this was a way to find out on his own.

He left the mall feeling lighter, a pep in his step.

He just enlisted in the navy. He was going to make something of himself and maybe even feel like he isn’t just watching his friends and partners pass him by.

Then it hit him, the one thing Leo and him promised each other they would never do is join the military. Because they both know how it fucks people up. Leo lost his uncle, and Clay’s dad lost his own father to PTSD from not having proper care after. Maybe he just screwed up…. But there was no going back now. He wouldn’t.

Walking in the house, Noelle was looking beautiful. She was wearing a pair of sweats rolled up twice at the waist and one of Clay’s old ratty t-shirts. Her curly hair was in her normal ponytail and she was putting on her sneakers. She looked tired from work.

Earlier in the week when Clay and Leo announced Eloise was coming to visit for a few days Noelle started stressing immediately. She has always worried about meeting parents because they always seem to dislike her when they first lay eyes on her, she blames it on her chronic RBF. Clay reassured her that Eloise would love her and actually already loves her from all the stories Clay has told her on her weekly calls.

Eloise was coming tonight, fuck! It was his birthday today and he forgot to mention it! Oops...

Thomas was sitting next to her, freshly showered in his own sweats and t-shirt looking relaxed, he was wearing some socks with little hamsters on them that Clay found for him a while ago. It made his heart jump and he felt his face stretch into a smile. He was scrolling through his phone and Thomas’ whole face opened up in a bright smile as soon as he saw Clay. He made Clay feel so special in a specific way, a way that is so different from how Noelle does and he loves them both.

He needs to tell them that.

“I have something to tell you guys… honestly, I don’t know how you will react but what's done is done.” He puts his hands in his jean pockets and taps the hell of his boots to the toe of his other boot. He was fidgeting and knew the other two noticed. It made him even more nervous.

“That doesn’t sound like good news.” Thomas looks at him a bit worried. His smile was still there but it fell slightly and Clay just wanted to fix it. He noticed Noelle had paused stomping on her shoes, oddly similar to Logan, it made him want to stop what he was going to say but… communication is important!

“Well, I first need you guys to promise me something, then I will make Finn and Logan promise the same thing when we see them because I know I will have to tell them.” He has to tell them, so they are ready for Leo just, not being okay.

And it was all gonna be Clay’s fault.

“What's the promise?” Noelle finishes putting on her shoe and looks up at him. She is trying her best to keep her face neutral but he could tell the wheels were turning in her brain.

“Do not tell Leo, I need to be the one to tell him… and I know he isn’t going to react well. Same goes for Reg but I will probably tell him a lot sooner than Leo.” He keeps on switching his feet that he is tapping and finally looks at them.

It’s now or never.

“I enlisted in the navy today.”

“Okay, Reg and I are going to pick up Ma and then we will be right back!” Leo has been all smiles all day. Finn knew he was close to his mom but this is just adorable.

“Drive safe!” Leo and Reg wave as they leave the apartment and as soon as the door closes Clay is standing in front of Finn and Logan who are snuggled together on the couch. Logan was wrapped up in Leo’s favorite blanket that his grandpa made for him before he passed away. It was a woven blanket with an image of Peanut on it. That blanket has seen Leo and Clay in their worst moments.

He was surprised Logan wasn’t scared of it given his fear of horses.

“Alright you two, I need to tell you something and it needs to be kept secret from Leo and Reg, if you so much as tell them a peep I will never forgive you. That will make family reunions super awkward.” Finn looks up from his phone where he and Logan were reading the comments on their latest tiktok on their joined account.

“Don’t look at me.” Finn raises his hand on surrender and looks at Logan who rolls his eyes annoyed and snatches Finn’s phone away to keep reading the comments.

“I enlisted in the navy-” Clay didn’t even get the full sentence out before Logan had thrown the phone down on the cushion next to him and Finn covered his mouth with his hand looking shocked.

“YOU DID WHAT?”

“Mama!” Leo hugs Eloise tightly as she drops her bags to hug him back. “How was the flight?” He squeezes her tightly before noticing her new hearing aid is flashing is three blinks then a pause and three more blinks. “I think your hearing aid is dying. Make sure to charge them when we get home.” She either ignores him or doesn’t hear him even though she can normally hear him this close.

“Rick was a great pilot as always, even let me bring y’all some moonshine he made. It's watermelon and raspberry!.” Eloise pulls away after one last squeeze and sees Reg and her smile widens. “Reg! I’m so happy you’re here!” She waits for him to open his arms as an invitation to hug him so she knows he is comfortable with her touching him and she does as soon as he opens his arms. Tighter than she did Leo. “Have you been eating well? How about sleeping? Did you ever enroll in college?”

“Yes, yes and yes.” Reg can’t help but laugh when she picks him up still hugging him and sways him around. He isn’t used to this much affection from a mother figure but… they love it.

“I’m so proud of you for following your dream.” She pulls away and smiles at him with a sincere smile and brushes his hair back. “Your hair looks nice by the way.”

“Thank you.” Reg and Leo help her with her bags and pack them into the truck and drive the short way back to the apartment. Talking about everything and anything. The door man sends a wink Eloise’s way and she holds up her left hand where her wedding ring is. Letting him know she is taken. Walking up to the apartment they smell an odd smell through the door and everyone shares a look.

“I promise it doesn't normally smell this way unless… oh no.”

“What does that mean!?” She leans over to Reg to whisper as Leo fiddles with his key in the lock.

“It means Finn and Logan tried to cook something.” Reg whispers to Eloise as Leo opens the door, Clay was the first to greet them, smiling his million dollar smile he hugs Elosie so tight it surprises her.

“Hello Bluebell! I was surprised I didn’t see you at the airport. How are you doing sweetheart! Twenty years old today! You’re all growing up so fast.” She kisses his forehead and they pull apart. “You look good. Your mother wants you to call her later tonight so she can sing happy birthday.”

“It's your birthday!” Noelle pipes up and looks at Clay offended. “And you didn’t tell us!” He cringes before turning to her.

“Oh, I guess I forgot.” He walks over to her and kisses her cheek while Eloise puts her hand on her chest from just how cute they are.

“Seems like that should have been the first thing you told us this morning instead of, ‘ I feel like a jellyfish’.” Thomas laughs a little and kisses both Noelle and Clay’s cheeks. “So cute.”

“It slipped my mind!”

“Okay, what is that smell?” Leo leads Eloise towards the kitchen after she is done fawning over how cute those three are. Finn and Logan are suspiciously standing in the way of the countertop right next to the stove. “What are you hiding?”

Finn turns bright red and Logan looks anywhere but Leo. Eloise sets her purse on the counter and walks over to them, giving them both kisses on the cheek.

“What did you make us?”

“Well… we tried to make a cake from your cookbook-”

“It didn’t go very well.” They both move to the side to reveal a lopsided cake with some diluted frosting dripping off and random coconut flakes floating around on it. “Can you at least tell what it is?” Logan casually turned the plate so the ‘good side’ was facing Leo and Eloise.

“Umm… not really. Do you mind just telling us?” Eliose was examining the cake, trying to figure out what cinnamon cake she had in her cookbook. None that she can remember.

“Something called,” Finn walks over to the book and notices Clay and Reg standing to the side with their phones up and probably recording. “Divinity Cake.” The room was suddenly really still and quiet. Eloise looked like she was about to cry and Leo was just staring at the cake in shock.

Then Eloise brokedown in laughter, to the point where she was laughing so hard she was on the ground holding her stomach and crying. Finn and Logan were visibly confused and looked to Leo for an explanation, only to find him trying to conceal his laughter in the crooks of his arm.

“Oh my god! What is so funny?” Logan looks at the cookbook and then back at the cake. It looked terrible but they tried their best! They didn’t burn the house down at least.

“Oh my lovely lovely boys.” Leo wraps an arm around both their shoulders and pulls them in close so they are all cheek to cheek for a moment. “Divinity cake is usually cooked for your in-laws in the south.. To prove you are worthy of being a good wife.” explains through his laughing breaks. “This is amazing.”

Eloise eventually stands up and dabs her eyes so she doesn’t smear her makeup. Pulling the two embarrassed boys into a tight hug. “Y’all are so sweet. Thank you for the cake.” She gives them both sloppy kisses on the cheeks and then pats where she just kissed. “Alright I’m going to put my things in the guest room and then we can cook something up for y’all to eat.” She smiles and takes most of her bags to the guest room but forgets her purse. “Finn, would you be a dear and grab my purse for me?” She calls out and Finn being the sweetheart he is, grabs the bag and tries to take it with him as he walks past.

The bag won’t budge, Leo is watching with a smile on his face and his arms crossed. Finn tugs at the bag again and eventually gets it off the counter, it nearly knocks him over with how heavy it is. He scurried to Eloise’s room and gave it to her. She holds it like it’s nothing.

He makes his way back over to Leo and sinks into his chest, his face buried in his neck. Logan is still poking the cake, showing off just how gelatinous it is. Clay and Reg are comparing videos that they took and laughing at how they zoomed in on different faces. Sending them to each other.

“I’m sorry we messed up the cake.” Finn looks up at Leo and sees the sweetest little smile, showing his dimples off. Finn has noticed Leo’s tan from the summer is fading and it is making the small scar across his nose more prominent. It was cute.

“Honestly, it’s better than anything else y’all have made. Plus, now Mama can teach you how to make it the right way for the next time she visits.” Leo kisses his eyebrow and wraps his arms around him as Finn pouts even more. Logan eventually makes his way over and rests his head on Leo’s shoulder.

“Maybe it still tastes good?” He closes his eyes and rubs his cheek on Leo’s soft shirt and tough shoulder, massaging his jaw muscles. His arms are crossed.

“We can try it afte Mama and I make some food, how about y’all pick out what you want so she can put on her mini cooking show.” Leo feels the boys lean off of him and smiles as he watches them pour over each page of the book looking for a meal they want.

“Alright, I’m ready to cook.” Eloise comes back into the room and gathers everyone so they are sitting on the other side of the counter, unless they are Reg or Leo because they are allowed to help cook. Finn and Noelle have taken the two seats while Clay and Thomas are on either side of them watching and Logan is in between them.

They all watch as Eloise explains what she is doing in hopes it helps them understand and make them want to try and make this on their own. Logan gets in trouble for focusing on Leo instead of what she is teaching and she gives him a smirk.

“You remind me a lot of Wyatt, you know that? Around the same height too.” She smiles as she fiddles with her ring after she washed her hands to get the rest of the flour off her hands. Leo is watching the food in the oven as he leans against the counter and nods in agreement with her.

“I do?” Logan looks at her a little confused, he sadly never got the chance to meet Wyatt but he always pictured him as more of the strong and silent type who was also tall, giving Leo his extra few inches of height.

“He was 5’10 and the sweetest man I have ever met, he was goofy and carefree like Finn and always had this hard look in his eyes like you do. Unless he was looking at Leo or I, or in your case Leo. Please don’t look at me like that.” Leo snorts and smiles.

“That would be kinda weird.” He turns his head over his shoulder and smiles at his boys. “Why don’t we tell them some stories about dad? I never really talk about him because… well, it still hurts.” Eloise smiles a little sad at her son and gives his arm a comforting squeeze. Her love language.

“Well, he was in the air force.” She notices Clay looking away, Noelle suddenly looks uncomfortable and Thomas looks a little sad. Something was off. “He and his twin brother Wess joined at the same time, and flew fighter jets together. His brother was shot down and Wyatt made Leo promise to never join. After he came back he vowed to never leave again. He kept his promise.” She smiles at the image of him coming home still fresh in her mind. “He was in love with music, sometimes I think he loved music more than us. He tried to get Leo to learn how to play instruments but the poor boy is so tone deaf he couldn’t figure anything out.” She laughs a little as Leo smiles. “I remember when Leo was being taught the guitar Wyatt would be thrown into laughing fits when Leo would play the wrong chords and smile up at him like he just did something.”

“I thought I did!” Leo laughs a little and turns around to face everyone else. “Look It took me forever to learn rhythm, and now I can dance like there is no tomorrow… still can’t sing though.”

“Ahmen!” Clay pipes up and ducks as Leo throws a spoon at him.

“Shut up!”

“Wyatt did manage to teach Clay how to play fiddle somehow, do you still play?” Eloise checks the food in the oven and determines it's not done.

“I haven’t played since… yeah I haven’t played in a while.”

“He was so proud of you. Wyatt was also a sportsman. He loved sports, especially baseball. So when Leo came home and told Wyatt he joined the team, they went out back and played catch for, I don’t know, hours.”

“My arm was sore the next day.”

“He came to every single game of Leo’s besides one, and was his biggest fan. He made shirts with Leo’s player picture on them and wore them to every game. No matter how many times Leo begged him not to!” The timer goes off and Reg gets the food out of the oven.

“Is this done?” He asks, Eloise comes over to check and nods.

“Looks good! How about we eat?” She smiles and has everyone line up so she can dish it out for them.

Thomas and Noelle are getting ready to leave when Eloise asks Clay to join her outside. He gives them a worried look but follows her. Outside is cold, and there is a bit of snow on the railing of the balcony.

“Talk to me Clayton, something is wrong, I noticed it earlier.” She looks at him and taps her foot as he pulls out a cigarette and lights it. “Clayton.”

“I joined the navy, and I haven’t told Leo, and I ask that you don’t tell him either because he needs to hear this from me.” He is looking out at the traffic below so he doesn’t have to watch her face. He knows she is upset with him.

“Is that what you really want to do?” She walks up next to him and joins him in looking at the traffic. Clay has always admired how strong Eloise is, she has been through a hell of a lot and still has this calm and stable energy.

“Yes.”

“Then you made the right choice.” She turns and looks at him, smiling in a way that he knows is trying to hide her sadness. She ruffles his hair as he finishes his cig and puts it out on the bottom of his boot. “Have you told Noelle and Thomas?”

“Yeah.” He knows his short answers sound hostile but he wants to be away from this conversation.

“They support you?” She always makes sure he has support, it hurts sometimes. Like he can’t just get support himself and he always needs help.

“Yes.” She nods and walks back towards the door.

“Then you better spend as much time with them as you can.” She goes inside, leaving Clay to think about everything by himself.

It was dangerous.

He walks back inside and they leave. Noelle turns around from the passenger seat and smirks at Clay. He was in for a fun night.

“I’m off to bed boys, we have a busy day tomorrow!” Elosie kisses her boy's cheeks and walks to her room.

“I like you mom.” Logan says as he tackles Leo to the ground straddling his back with his scented markets in hand. He tugs at Leo’s shirt, he complies and takes it off. Logan has been dying to do this all day.

“I hope not too much!” Leo crosses his arms under his head until Finn sits down next to him and he pulls his thigh so it's underneath Leo’s head. Leo shivers as the cold marker hits his skin and Logan begins coloring.

“What other stories do you have about Wyatt?” Finn rubs his fingers over Leo’s short hair that has really grown out over the past month, it was starting to curl at the ends making Leo look sweet.

“He used to read to me when I was little, then when I was able to read I would read to him until he fell asleep and started snoring.” Leo smiles and Finn can feel it on his leg. “He was also my coach for little league baseball for a bit and he was great but not everyone liked that he was my dad. Other parents thought I was getting special treatment. Also he would argue with the umpires and get in trouble!” Leo bursts out laughing and Logan gorans.

“Leoooooooooo! Be still!” Leo calms down and lets Logan keep coloring the flowers of his back piece.

“Sorry sorry, I just remembered when he got kicked out of a game because an umpire called Clay out when he was safe. It was hilarious. He called the umpire a muppet.” Smiling Leo yawns and blinks a few times.

“You can fall asleep, we will wake you up and go to bed when Logan finishes.” Finn is scrolling on his phone and is petting Leo’s head as he feels it get heavier with sleep. Finn looks up at Logan after making sure Leo is asleep.

“We need to tell him we love him.”

“Yeah, we do.” They smile at each other and share a peck before going back to what they were doing.

The next morning Finn and Logan wake up with a Leo sized dent in the bed and not Leo. They wander out to the kitchen and get smacked in the face with the smell of blueberry pancakes. They float into the kitchen and smile at the sight. Eloise has her hair in curlers and is in a thick grey robe and Leo’s sweatpants because she doesn’t own a pair. Her face is free of makeup and it shows how well she has taken care of her skin over the years. She is flipping a couple of pancakes while Leo sips on some apple juice. Just chatting away about the plan for today.

“Okay so after family skate is the party at Pascal and Celeste’s.”

“I won’t be at family skate dear, I have some work to do today.” She puts the last pancake on a plate, making sure that each plate has two, she takes two plates over to the table while Leo carries the other two.

“Ma, you promised me you wouldn’t work while you were here.” He sighs and sets the plates down. He sighs and sits down, not noticing the other two people in the room, he starts poking at his pancakes with his cheek on his hand and elbow on the table. Sulking.

“I know sweetheart but these people are someone who your Daddy tried to sell to for years. They plan to get two mares and then I will be at the party. On time. I promise.” She puts the dishes from cooking in the sink and fills the pancake batter bowl with hot water before grabbing her cup of coffee and walking over to sit next to Leo.

Logan and Finn share a look. They shouldn’t be listening to this.

“Okay but, just please be there towards the beginning of the party. I want to introduce you to my-... the team.” Leo furrows his brow not understanding why he about called the lions his team, when he doesn’t even play hockey.

“I will try my best, Merigold.” She pats his hand and Logan and Finn make their entrance, yawning and stretching as they walk over to the table. “Morning boys.”

“Morning!” Finn smacks a kiss on Leo’s temple as he walks past and Logan does the same, taking their seats and chowing down.

Later that day Eloise was putting her hair in a ponytail as she checked to make sure there were no creases in her uniform. Well, it's not a uniform but what she likes her and Leo to wear when they go to sell.

A black tall-neck turtle neck with long sleeves and tight to the body. Some khaki colored riding pants with tall back socks and brown riding boots. Professional yet comfortable. She was selling to the Malfoy family today, the father is buying these mares for his sons wedding coming up. She is still convinced that they only want their mares because Wyatt is gone, making Knut horses more desirable.

They were in contact with Wyatt for years and were not very nice. She knows she needs to make this sale though. Walking out to the living room to grab her purse she sees Leo moping on the couch by himself. She sighs out of her nose, walking over to him and petting the top of his head.

“I promise I will be there tonight, with moonshine.” She smiles as Leo rolls his eyes.

“I trust you.” Then he stood and gave her good luck and a hug before walking back to his bedroom… not the master bedroom. She takes a deep breath and leaves the apartment.

The rink was cold, Leo was bundled up in his new coat, hat and gloves while rocking his normal jeans and boots. His brand new skates were in hand, not broken in so he was wearing two pairs of tall socks just to help against blisters. Clay actually owned a pair of skates and has been skating since he was younger because he has family in Montana that he would visit for the holidays.

Jerk.

Leo was sitting in Finn's stall just trying to stay warm while he watched Noelle tie one of Clay’s skates and Thomas tie the other. Leo had to admit, he was so happy for Clay, seeing him with that sappy smile makes Leo know that he’s okay. He never smiled like that with Ashley.

Logan walks over to him, completely ready to skate and looking good. He was wearing his favorite well worn sweats and Leo’s new thrifted sweater that was dark green, showing off his eyes. He was wearing his normal cap backwards and Leo has always found it funny that Logan will never wear a hat forwards.

“Ready to get laced up?” Leo nods and holds out a skate to Logan. “You’re very quiet right now, are you that cold?” Leo just narrows his eyes and gives a short nod. Logan shows him how to lace up and once his other skate is on he stands up and nearly falls over.

“This is going to be terrible… is there a dentist nearby? I have a tendency to fall teeth first into the ground.” Licking over his chipped tooth absentmindedly he looks around. There were kids running around in skates and jumping into other players arms. He smiles a bit and rests his elbow on Logan’s head who is wear much more worn down skates so Leo is a fucking giant to him. “You’re the perfect height.”

“Yeah yeah, lets watch you try and walk. Then we can find Finn who I’m guessing is talking to Syd.” Logan helps Leo take a few steps knowing Leo has no balance at all. In skates or not. He has witnessed this name trip over nothing.

“Whose Syd?” Leo starts walking on his own and feels like this isn’t so bad.

“My oldest sister. Aubry is here too. They also play professional hockey. So… don’t get on their bad sides.” Leo stops walking.

“You never mentioned your sisters will be here! I thought I was meeting them when we go to visit your parents in a week! Oh boy… Do they know about you and Finn?” Leo continues walking after Logan grabs his hand and leads him out of the tunnel.

“Yes they know about me and Finn, I told my family first because… well my parents love him and my sisters all had a bet so… yeah. But they don’t know about you because I didn’t know if you were ready for that.” Leo stops him before they completely exit the tunnel and presses him up against the wall, kissing him softly.

“Thank you.” Leo smiles when Logan does and they pull apart to see they are the last out of the tunnel. Walking out Leo stops in front of the ice. “Yo, I don’t know if I have enough ego to let me fall face first onto the ice in front of a whole hockey team yet.”

“What, you aren’t up for the challenge?” Clay skates right up to him, not as seamless as everyone else but still pretty well. He has this challenging look in his eyes and Leo knows exactly what is going to happen. “I knew you weren’t good at everything.” Leo launches himself at LCay who skates out of the way just in time for Leo to miss and barely holds himself up as he glides across the ice.

“Clay! When I get my hands on you, I swear!” Then he falls flat on his ass and gorans laying down, staring at the ceiling annoyed. This sucks.

Clay is having an absolute field day, Laughing his ass off as he skates up to Leo and helps him stand. Patting his back for a moment and letting Leo get his balance he then pushes him over and skates away.

“CLAYTON!” Leo falls basically into a middle split and it distracts Finn from his conversation with Logan and his sisters, hitting Logan’s chest until he looks over at Leo who is still being taunted by Clay and now Reg.

“I didn’t know he could do that.” They share a look and both seem to get ideas around the same time because their faces get all reg and they high five.

“Who is that?” Sydney is readjusting her hat as she looks at Leo. “He’s a cutie, I wouldn’t mind getting a piece of that.”

“Agreed. He is really handsome.” Aubry nods in agreement and Logan is suddenly possessive. He glares at them.

“Back off, he’s mine!” He crosses his arms and turns his attention back to Leo who is now talking to Katie who has made herself at home on his leg. Leo looks like he is trying his best not to shake from how cold he is.

“You have Finn, let us have our fun.” Aubrey hits his shoulder and skates over to Leo and Katie. “Need some help?” Katie smiles at her. Leo looks up at her and gives a shy smile because he is embarrassed. Nodding she holds out her hand, Katie grabs his other hand and helps him up. With Katie on one side and Aubry on the other, Leo starts more skating and less falling over.

“Awww they are so cuteeeee.” Sydney smiles at them and hears Logan grumble, looking at them annoyed and Finn is still snorting everytime Leo stumbles. But Finn has this look in his eyes that Sydney has only ever seen him give Logan. She hopes there isn’t anything shady going on between those three.

Eventually, Aubry and Leo stake back over to Finn, Logan and Sydeny who are all still chatting on the ice and sipping their hot chocolate that Celeste brought.

“Can I have a sip?” Logan holds up his cup over his shoulder to Leo’s lips, because Leo is behind him, and holds it as he takes a sip. “Mm, so yummy. I’ve never really had this before. Hot chocolate?” Leo doesn’t really drink warm drinks at all, even the coffee is normally cooled down to where it isn’t hot, sometimes iced.

“You should have Finn make you some, he is really good at it.” Finn kisses Logan's forehead and smiles.

“It’s like the one thing I learned how to make properly. Alex taught me! He is coming to the party later tonight if you want to meet him.”

“I’d love to meet him! Now, I’ve met Aubry. I’m guessing you are Sydney? Logan talks about you guys sometimes but I don’t know a lot.” Leo smiles at her and reaches his hand out to shake hers.

“You have a southern accent…” Aubry and her share a look.

Logan is definitely not keeping him from them.

[hyuniepot]

the butterfly effect. || chapter one

chapter word count || 3,214

genre || thriller, angst, drama

members || mark lee, na jaemin, lee jeno, huang renjun, lee donghyuck, zhong chenle, park jisung

warnings || mentions of death, implications of depression

pairing || fem!reader x jaemin || slight fem!reader x mark

synopsis || you never thought you’d be able to play with fate so easily, especially not through some shady app. but you suddenly must say goodbye to what you know and hello to a new world where everything seems perfect.

a/n || reposting this chapter because tumblr made it glitch out for some reason ;-; praying everything works out this time!! as always, send me a message or an ask to be added to the taglist.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

You used to be scared of butterflies.

Yes, the thought of it is silly, but you were. You didn’t like bugs at all, the pretty ones included. The thought of them crawling on your skin made you ill. But there was one thing you loved, and that was your friend, Mark. And unlike you, Mark loved butterflies. So when he asked you to go to a butterfly exhibit with him, you sucked it up and said yes.

And you realized that day that butterflies were beautiful. They were harmless, and you giggled as they landed on you, excitedly showing Mark as you conquered your fear of them. Mark helped you conquer a lot of your fears.

And ever since he left, you felt more fearful than ever. Losing him made you realize how fragile life really was, and you hated it. You hated feeling like everything was on the verge of being lost.

“You good?” you jump at the sound of Jaemin’s voice in your ear. You blink, realizing you had completely zoned out. You were sitting next to him on the bus to school. You quickly glance out the window once more. The butterfly you had been admiring was gone.

You nod. “I’m okay. Just tired.” you respond.

Jaemin grins and grabs onto your hand. “Okay. Just checking in.” he says softly. “Um, we’re all gonna get food after school if you wanna come. It’s just a really nice day, it’d be a shame not to go out in it, you know?”

Truth be told, you had been feeling weird lately, and going out with your friends (or, to be more accurate — your boyfriend and his friends that you were friends with by association) was probably what you needed. “That sounds nice.”

The bus had arrived at school. Jaemin stands and picks up his bag, letting you out in front of him. You exit the bus and you’re met with the warm air enveloping you, the sun hitting your eyes and making you squint. Jaemin exits the bus as well, his frame blocking the sun from blinding you. He puts his arm around you, and you grab onto his hand out of instinct.

“Hey guys, got room for more?” you feel another arm around your shoulder.

“Hyuck, no. You’re gross.” Jaemin groans, rolling his eyes.

Hyuck gasps dramatically. “That’s mean. You didn’t even consult with your girlfriend first.”

You smile. “Sorry, Hyuck. But I’m only interested in Jaemin.” you tell him.

Hyuck removes his arm from your shoulder and crosses his arms. “What a low blow…” he mutters. Hyuck was your childhood friend. He grew up with you and Mark. He was like a happy virus, and you weren’t sure if you would have survived losing Mark if he hadn’t been there for you.

You giggle. “Sorry to break your heart.”

“You’d think after months of being rejected he’d give up, but he’s a trooper.” Jaemin adds.

Hyuck rolls his eyes this time. “It’s only because you guys are gross and kissy-kissy in public. We’re in school,” he says, moving away from his spot next to you. He puts himself in between you and Jaemin. “Leave room for Jesus.”

“Oh my god, Hyuck,” you laugh. “You are so annoying. You’re lucky you’re my best friend.” you tell him.

Hyuck grins and sticks out his tongue, turning down a hallway as you guys pass it. “You’re damn right you’re lucky,” he calls. “I’ll see you guys later!”

Jaemin shakes his head, laughing. “He’s such a weirdo. Love him, though.”

You reach your locker and lean against it. “He is. You learn how to deal with him after so long. I’ll meet you outside the entrance doors after school. Do you guys know where you’re going to eat?”

Jaemin leans up against the locker next to yours. “Nah, not yet. We’ll figure it out before the day ends.” he tells you. “You have a good day, alright?” he pecks your cheek.

You smile. “I will.” Jaemin gives you one last grin before turning and continuing down the hallway.

[12:39 p.m.]

“What kind of weird shit do you read at night?” Naeun asks, scowling at Jiwoo.

“It’s not weird!” Jiwoo cries, turning her phone screen towards the dark-haired girl. “There’s real proof!”

“What are you guys talking about?” you ask, taking a seat next to Naeun.

“Apparently there’s an app that can change your fate,” Sungyeon speaks up, holding back a laugh. “Jiwoo found it.”

Jiwoo turns her attention towards you. “See! You’ll believe me, right?” she turns her phone to you.

You furrow your brows and decide not to answer her question. You read the article she had pulled up.

According to the 13-year-old who downloaded the app, ButterFly, his wish came true a mere 3 hours after sending it into the ButterFly HQ. The young boy wished for his cat to come back to life, who had been dead for nearly a month. A few hours later, a cat showed up at the boy’s window. It was identical to the one the boy had.

ButterFly, a self-proclaimed life changing app has been growing in popularity as people hope to change their past. But the real question is, does this app really change a life or is it simply coincidence?

“Jiwoo…” you say softly.

“Come on,” she whines. “I can’t be the only one who thinks it could actually be real!”

“I’m afraid you are.” Sungyeon tells her, taking a bite of her food. “It’s just a coincidence. The only success story they have is something so… normal.”

“If they want to impress me, they have to come up with something way more exciting than a kid finding his cat.” Naeun says.

Jiwoo pouts, turning off her phone. “But… it’d just be so cool if it was real.”

“I agree, but an app should never be trusted for something like that. Plus, if an app had the powers to change the trajectory of someone’s life, wouldn’t the butterfly effect happen?” you asked.

“She’s right,” Naeun says. “Fate is not something to play around with.”

Dejected, Jiwoo surrenders and turns her attention back to finishing her lunch.

“What is that again?” Sungyeon asks. “The butterfly effect?”

“The idea that even tiny changes can make huge and unexpected changes,” you explain. “Like a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a typhoon.”

“Hmm,” Sungyeon hums. “That’s interesting.”

“Yeah, like if Jiwoo was born as a boy, maybe she’d be dating you and you’d be a millionaire for some reason.” Naeun takes a drink from her water bottle.

“What?” Sungyeon cringes.

“Hey, what’s that face for?” Jiwoo cries. “I think I’d be a cute boy.”

You laugh and shake your head as your friends continue to playfully banter about who would be the cutest boy in a parallel universe.

[3:30 p.m.]

You stand by the entrance doors, rocking back and forth on your heels. You try not to look too awkward as you wait for Jaemin and his friends. You wave to Naeun as she leaves, and are relieved when Jaemin appears a few moments later. He immediately spots you and makes his way to you, smiling. His friends, Jeno and Renjun walk behind him with Hyuck, loudly talking about something.

“Hi,” Jaemin says. “Did you have a good day?”

You grin. “It was fine. How about you?” you start walking away from school, taking hold of his hand.

“It was good. I have some annoying homework, but…” he trails off.

Renjun suddenly runs past you, turning around with a disgusted look on his face. “Hyuck, for the last time, I will not hold your hand!”

You turn your head to see a pouty Hyuck. “I just wanted to fit in!”

You laugh and roll your eyes, turning your head back towards the sidewalk in front of you. You all make your way to a nearby restaurant. You sat next to Jaemin in a booth and Jeno, Renjun, and Hyuck all squeezed into the one across from you. You all ordered drinks.

“Oh, Jaemin,” Jeno says, picking his bag up from the floor. He pulls out a notebook and hands it to Jaemin. “Thanks for your notes.”

Jaemin nods. “No problem.”

“Jeno,” Renjun says, shaking his head. “You’re never gonna learn if you keep copying Jaemin’s notes.”

Jeno shrugs. “It’s not like I do it all the time,” he says, defending himself.

“You borrow my notes, too, though… so Renjun kinda has a point.” Hyuck says, leaning back as the waitress sets his drink down in front of him.

You pull out your phone as the boys argue yet again just to see what was happening on your social media. It was mostly random tweets and posts from people you knew, but there was something that caught your eye. It was a promoted post from ButterFly. It had no likes or anything, despite being promoted to your Twitter timeline. And it wasn’t just one. After a few scrolls, you saw another ad from the app, just with a different caption. You saw another one before shaking your head and exiting the app. You opened Instagram, just to be met with the same ad.

Don’t be afraid. Having the chance to change your fate is much more fun than you think.

The caption sent chills down your spine. It didn’t sound like something that should be promoted. You clicked the link the ad provided, but it simply took you to the app store. Your curiosity was getting the best of you. You wanted to download the app, but something was holding you back.

Jaemin nudged your shoulder, making you jump.

“Huh?” you ask. Everyone’s eyes were on you.

“Do you want something to eat?” Jaemin asked.

“Oh,” you look at the waitress next to the table, notebook and pen in hand. “I’m okay.” you reply.

The waitress nods before turning around and entering the kitchen. You stand up from your seat at the booth. “I need to go to the bathroom.” You shoved your phone into a pocket on your bookbag and rushed to the bathroom.

You shut the door behind you, walking to the sink. You looked at yourself. You looked tired, disheveled. You couldn’t get rid of the feeling you had felt since waking up. You could barely even describe it. It almost felt like dread, but it was more of an unexplainable sadness. Not even being with your friends seemed to help it. You turned on the water, splashing your cheeks with cold water. How had you been so enchanted by the ads of that app that you had become completely oblivious to what was going on around you?

You dried your face before you heard a small knock on the door. “Hey, are you okay?” You opened the door and saw Jaemin. His eyebrows were furrowed in concern.

You forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, sorry…” you say, stepping out of the bathroom.

“You’ve been acting… strange today. No offense,” Jaemin says.

“None taken,” you sigh. “I know I have. Everything just feels off today, I don’t know why.” You tell him.

Jaemin puts his arm around you and you both begin walking back to the table the others were at. “It’s okay to feel that way… I think everyone does. It just sucks to watch you feel so sad.” Jaemin says. He sighs. “I really hope you start feeling better soon. I miss hearing your laugh.”

You smile. “I miss it too,” you say, reaching the table. Jaemin scoots into the booth and you follow after. You try to ignore the horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach and have a good afternoon with your friends. You ended up starting to feel better. You stole some of Hyuck’s food after panicking and not ordering some of your own. You laughed at everyone’s jokes and dumb arguments, and before you knew it, an hour had passed. You all decided to stop being a bother and leave. You waited outside as everyone paid; Jaemin offered to pay for you since all you got was a drink.

“Are you heading home?” Jeno asked Jaemin.

He nodded. “I’m gonna walk this one home and then head home myself,” he said, resting his head on yours.

Jeno nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Renjun and Hyuck also waved goodbye. They were all going to Jeno’s. You went your separate ways, and as much as you loved them, you were glad to be alone with Jaemin. Your house wasn’t too far, but even if it was just a few minutes, you were glad to be with him.

“Are you just gonna go home and do homework?” you ask.

Jaemin nods. “Yeah… it’s probably gonna take some time.”

“Sorry baby,” you say. “I’ll facetime you once my mom gets home,” you tell him.

Your mother worked late, so you were in charge of looking after your younger brother, Jisung, until she got home. He was only 2 years younger than you, so it’s not like it was hard, but you still felt obligated to keep tabs on him.

“You don’t have to,” he says. You both walked through your driveway and to the front door. “But if you want to, however… I would love it if you did.” he grins as you open your door.

“Well, then expect a call later,” you say, grabbing both of his hands.

Jaemin leans in and kisses you, and for a second, it feels like everything is okay.

“Gross!” a voice yells. You jump away from Jaemin and turn around.

“Jisung, your sister and her boyfriend are smashing their faces together again!” Chenle, who was standing in the kitchen, yells. Jisung’s pokes his head around the corner.

“Shut up, Chenle.” you say, grinning. “You’re not a child, kissing isn’t that weird.”

You step inside, taking off your shoes and setting your bag down. Jaemin steps in behind you and walks to the kitchen, putting Chenle in a headlock. “You little jerk,” Jaemin teases.

Chenle giggles, trying to get out of Jaemin’s arms. You walk to the living room where Jisung had gone, continuing his video game. “How was your day?” you ask.

“Good.” Jisung says, eyes still glued to the TV.

“That’s good,” you look back to the kitchen and see that Jaemin has released Chenle, and is now talking to him. “Do you have homework?”

Jisung nods. You watch the TV, and watch his character die. Jisung sighs and sets the controller down, turning to you. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Can you try and get it done before Mom gets home?” you ask.

Jisung nods. “Yeah… Chenle and I have the same homework so we can do it together, I guess.”

You nod and go back to the kitchen. Talking to Jisung sometimes felt like talking to a brick wall. “I better get going.” Jaemin says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You walk him to the door. “I’ll see you.” you grab both of his hands again, never wanting to let go. Jaemin kisses your cheek and turns.

You bite your lip. Why was this horrible feeling back so suddenly? “Hey, Jaemin?” you call after him. He turns back around.

“I love you.” you say, almost too softly. For a second you weren’t even sure if he heard you, but he gives you that classic smile, the one that made you fall in love with him in the first place.

“I love you too.” he blows you a kiss before walking away.

[9:41 p.m.]

You sat down on your bed, freshly out of the shower. Since Jaemin had left, you helped Jisung and Chenle with their homework, did your own homework, and facetimed Jaemin for a bit while he did his. And then you took a long shower in an attempt to clear your head.

You look around for your phone, finding it hidden in a blanket on your bed. You answer some unread texts and then open Instagram again. You’re met with the same ads from before. Your heart drops.

Without thinking you click the link again, pressing download. It downloaded in no time. Your thumb hovers over the icon of the app. The moment you muster up the courage to click on it, there’s a knock at your bedroom door.

You jump, startled, but get up and open it.

Your mother’s exhausted face greets you. “Hi sweetie. I’m going straight to bed, so… goodnight. I hope you had a good day.”

You smile, shakily exhaling. “Today was fine. Goodnight.” you say, not wanting to delay her sleep anymore.

She gives you a warm smile before going to her room. Before you close your door, Jisung appears from the staircase nearby. “You going to bed?” he asks.

“Uh,” you open your phone, looking at the time.

ButterFlyHQ

Greetings. What is your name?

You ignore the notification. “No… but I’ll probably be in my room for the rest of the night.”

“Oh, okay… well… goodnight then.” he says, going to his room which was right across from yours. He closes the door without another word.

You press your lips together and shut your door as well, laying down on your bed. You opened your phone and clicked on ButterFly.

1 Unread Message

ButterFlyHQ

Greetings. What is your name?

You hesitantly enter your name. You regret it as soon as you responded — maybe you should’ve used a fake name.

ButterFlyHQ

Hello, (y/n).

What do you wish to change?

Wow, straight to the point… You think.

You wonder what you should enter. You try to think of the most outrageous thing you could think of, something completely unimaginable. Something that would surely trigger the Butterfly Effect.

There were things you actually wanted to change.

You wanted your mother to stop being so stressed.

You wanted Jisung to be happy.

You wanted to stop feeling so insecure about you and Jaemin’s relationship.

You wanted Jiwoo to finally pass trigonometry.

Okay, the last one was a bit dumb, and actually imaginable. And then you thought of the most impossible thing.

You

I want my best friend to come back to life.

You almost laugh as you sent the message. But your faint smile fades at the immediate response.

ButterFlyHQ

What is your best friend’s name?

This was suddenly feeling too personal.

You

Mark Lee.

ButterFlyHQ

Understood. We will try our best to meet your request.

You stare at your phone. Now what? You turned your phone off and set it on your nightstand, plugging it into the charger before laying down and staring at the ceiling.

Great, now some random stranger knows some girl thinks an app can bring her friend back from the grave.

When you got the chance, you were gonna chew Jiwoo out for bringing that app up. You get under the covers and close your eyes, trying to sleep. But your mind was racing. You finally feel yourself drifting, your mind finally giving you some peace.

Your last thought before you finally fall asleep is Jaemin. You just wanted to be with him again, his arm around your shoulder, his fingers lazily intertwined with yours. You felt yourself smiling before finally falling asleep, unknowingly saying goodbye to your last normal day.

[seateajessi]

Chapter 1

Wc: 1.8k   

@chokemeanakin​ request, my very first fanfic hope you like it <3

There it was this familiar feeling of fear, anger, and frustration creeping into my mind consuming my very soul ​and leave my body frozen.

I failed.

I needed a moment to realize what just happened, a moment I missed to dodge the shot that split my lightsaber in half.

Not that It was of great use to me, now that I was lying on a destroyed federation tank, probably deadly injured and without any support that could turn things for the better.

The stars dancing over me confirmed my worries and slowly a jabbing pain kept me from breathing in more of the burnt air that wavered over the battlefield.

That was it.

That was the end.

The end of a traitor, of someone who left her troops in the middle of a crucial fight only to hunt down a phantom, a specter. There were clear orders to be followed, there was a code that showed a Jedi how to lead, how to live, and most importantly how to survive.

Especially the last part seemed more reasonable to me, as I was dying on that piece of metal junk.

My vision began to blur and the sounds of the battle surrounding me became numbed.

I desperately tried to reach my communicator and I believe more color left my face when I felt the warm blood on my finger.

Tears formed in my eyes as I started to realize what I had done, in what position I had brought not only my troops but the whole galaxy, the republic ... and General Skywalker.

I winced at the thought of Ani, we were friends since we first met as younglings at the temple.

The mission we were sent to was most likely one of the most significant, it held the potential to capture General Grievous and end that monster once and for all. After a defeat of General Grievous and his droids, the Jedi council and chancellor Palpatine were informed by republic supporters that Grievous fled to the Outer Rim.

Palpatine made it clear that two of the most powerful Jedi should execute this mission to ensure certain success. The council was as confused as I was when the chancellor recommended me for this mission, of course, I was a Jedi knight but I was neither a master nor the chosen one, on the contrary, I had never felt strongly connected to the force or was especially skilled with the lightsaber. If it wasn't for the severity of the situation and the lack of available Jedi, the council would have never even considered sending me on this mission.

I closed my eyes and gasped at the pain that slowly numbed my body and my consciousness.

In the Carlac system, we finally tracked a sign, in hindsight obviously way too easy and after we landed on Carlac it didn´t take long and an army had surrounded us. Any communication was blocked and Anakin and I were separated right at the beginning of the battle.

The snow-covered planet made it difficult to keep an overview, heavy blizzards made it nearly impossible to see more than two feet in front of you.

Tiny sobs escaped me when I thought of him being out there alone facing this gigantic army of battle droids. In the Jedi order was no personal attachment allowed and that was the hardest price to pay in order of being a Jedi. He had to be dead by now, yet I didn´t feel any change in the force.

The tears burned in my eyes, realizing that everyone could be dead by now and my weak connection to the force could easily hide it from me.

My thoughts became disorientated and the aching pain had now reached every limb and bone in my body.

My eyelids became heavier and it started to snow again, flakes nearly as big as my hand, they really looked beautiful combined with the fading sunlight.

Something felt so familiar with that picture and for a moment it soothed my pain sending me into something between sleep and unconsciousness.

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

The nightmare that haunted me was the same as I dreamt it almost every night for as long as I could remember.

Usually, I was wandering through a cave until I would spot daylight and hope to escape this hell only to stop before a dead end every single time. A horrifying scream fills the cave, echoes, and becomes louder and louder until I´d crouch on the ground. Desperation and fear would paralyze me until the cave would begin to crumble and collapse burying me.

This time was no different and with a loud gasp I opened my eyes, adjusting to the harsh mechanical lights that were directed on me.

I couldn´t make anything out in the glaring light, apart from the metallic room that surrounded me, and the fact that I was levitating in the middle of this room, held in some sort of slowly spinning electrical captivation.

It was a wonder that I survived the shooting before but there was no way I would live long enough to...my train of thought was interrupted by the opening of the door.

Battle droids of course and behind them a horrendous creature, half a robot and half Kaleesh.

"General Grievous", I stated, trying to sound as unaffected as possible.

His pestering laugh filled the room as he eyed me carefully.

"I´m a Jedi", my voice sounded horrible, an embarrassing mixture between voice cracks and whispering. Why was I even talking to him, I silently cursed myself.

"Jedi scum for sure, but what´s your name little Jedi?"

"Emerald", I answered slowly starting to feel the pain coming back.

"Is this even a name?", the droid next to Grievous chattered, "Never is that a name.", he continued clearly sure of himself, "We found her on the top of a tank, and her lightsaber was broken. I have it right here. Look at it yourself." he proudly held my lightsaber in front of Grievous face.  

"What am I supposed to do with it you stupid droid?", the Kaleesh snarled. "You´re soon will look like that saber, Jedi scum. Droids, guard her." with that he stamped out, leaving me with that awful sound of "Rodger, Rodger" echoing through the room.

The thought of Anakin and the clones haunted me, there was no way I would give them up so easily.

This was my chance, a new sparkle of hope gave me life, the moment a somewhat brilliant idea came to my mind.

With my most suffering expression, which I didn't even need to fake that much I wailed "Oh, no. I´m gonna die, I can feel it. If I die now, Grievous can´t kill me. How are you gonna explain to him that you let me die when you were instructed to guard me." I sighed dramatically and slowly closed my eyes.

"Is she dead?", "Hey you, Emerald Jedi.", "I think she is dead", "We need to check, I was just promoted." the discussion continued until I roughly landed on the ground, hearing the two battle droids​ approaching to check on my health.

I quietly groaned at the aching pain that definitely originated from the left side of my body.

I felt the cold metal hand on my throat, clumsily checking if I was still alive. "I think she is...dead?!"

I calmed myself collecting everything that's left of my strength and grabbed the droid and ripped his head off. "Whaaat the", the other droid screamed in shock, still compensating why I was still breathing, which made it easier to grab his blaster and shoot it.

I gasped again, this time out of physical exertion, this little fight had brought me near unconsciousness again.

Struggling to set one foot before another I reached the door and opened it, trying to be as quiet as possible while sneaking out of the metallic hellhole.

There were only a few other droids, the base definitely didn´t seem heavily guarded, which was somehow strange.

"Grievous, you know that it is of utmost importance that the Jedi girl...", I froze and slowly approached the corner the voices were coming from. "Skywalker has to walk into our trap..." My heart made a little jump when I realized that Anakin probably wasn´t dead. "...Sidious ordered that she is only to be killed when Skywalker watches." I frowned and carefully retreated. The pain became more unbearable by the second and I still needed to find a way out of here.

Still, I couldn´t keep my mind from start rattling about what I just witnessed.

What in the force's name did they mean by setting a trap for Anakin. I wasn´t sure who the other one was, but I was definitely planning on figuring that out.

I needed to get to our ship and contact the fleet, call for help and inform the Jedi council about this.

I looked for something that would keep me alive and my luck had turned at least that's what I thought the moment I spotted a little something above me.

It seemed like there was some sort of container that had a medical sign-on. My shoulder made a terrible sound as I tried to reach for the switch to open it.

The pain that shot through my whole body caused me to abruptly slump down to the hard metal ground.

Before I could hit the ground hard, I was caught by a pair of strong arms that seemed familiar to me.

Could this be... "Ani?", I croaked and turned around, tears once again forming in my eyes as I saw his eyes full of concern and his hurt expression.

"You promised me you weren´t going to do anything reckless", he whispered and tried to sound taunting but his voice broke when he turned me a bit and saw my side.

I  tried to form a laugh that sounded more like Grievous coughing, due to the amount of blood that came with it.

"Don´t worry it´s gonna be fine. Help is on its way, we-we contacted the fleet.",

My hand clutched for his that tried desperately to soothe my pain somehow.

"Ani, please hold me", I whimpered holding on to him even stronger. I couldn't read the expression that crept on his face but it scared me.

"They are gonna pay for this, every single one of them." he hissed and my stomach turned.

"Just look at me, Ani, please. It´s not that bad.", I whispered caressing his cheek and tried to smile. His expression softens and he carefully picked me up. "You´re so cold, Ems." I huffed and grabbed his hand pressing it against me, placing a soft kiss on his palm. A sad smile graced his face while he covered me with his robe. "See, I´m here, don´t worry.", he placed in return a kiss on my head.

"Ani, I´m scared." I whispered and I don´t know what hurt more the stabbing pain in my side or how his eyes became watery.

I ran my hand softly over his chest and buried myself into his strong arms. I barely felt the pain nor the burning sensation that had caused his touch.

And once again I drifted into sleep, only this time I felt as safe and warm as I never had before.

[itskateak]

Mint Ice Cream & Bubblegum Kisses - Chapter Two

(Bucky Barnes x Single Dad!Reader)

Series Summary: Y/N L/N works as an intel specialist at the Avenger’s Compound. He scans chatter on the international - and intergalactic - level for any information that might be helpful to the Avengers and other agents. But he’s also a single father to a beautiful eight-year-old girl: Angelica L/N. It’s tough raising a little girl on his own and working a full-time job, but he’s managing. A promotion has him launched up in rank at the Compound, leading him to work directly with the Avengers team. The only problem is it’s a 24/7 job. Life around the compound gets a little strange when his daughter is added to the mix of enhanced humans and ex-assassins.

Chapter Summary: Adjustment to a new environment is always difficult, but Angelica seems to be taking it well. Y/N meets the other members of the team and watches as they take Angelica in as one of their own.

Word Count: 3.3K

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of bullying, like one swear word

A/N: The Scott mentioned is not Scott Lang. I'd like to make that very clear just in case there was any confusion. Updates should come much quicker. I just got hung up on this chapter for some reason. :P

Taglist is still open! If you want to be added, come stop by my inbox and send me a <3!

Masterlist

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ 

Y/N brushed his hands off and sighed. He'd just finished unpacking the last of his things. The last week had been filled with packing boxes and making trips back and forth from the house. It was tiring and strange to move from the house they'd been in for ten years. He placed his hands on his hips, looking around his new quarters. 

The room was large with more than enough space for all of his things. Books lined up neatly in bookshelves, other trinkets scattered along the shelves. Pictures of Angelica hung on the walls, only broken up with a few nature shots. He straightened his shirt out and jumped as arms wrapped around his waist.

"Papa!"

"Holy - Angelica! You scared the living daylights out of me." Y/N placed a hand on his chest, his heart beating strongly. Angelica giggled and bounced past him to flop on his bed. Her hair was pulled up out of her face since she'd been working to set up her room, too.

"I need help hanging my fairy lights." Angelica rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin up with her hands. She kicked her feet back and forth idly, looking up at him with doe eyes.

"Well, I just finished up with my things so let's go do that," Y/N sat on the edge of the bed and gestured for her to climb onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he stood, shifting her further up. "We can finish unpacking the rest of your things, too."

"And then can we get some ice cream from Pop's?" Angelica asked, her legs swinging as they walked down the hall.

"Kiddo, I have to get some work done to set up my office for Monday. Maybe after school and the library tomorrow." He said, letting her slide a little. She squealed, tightening her grip around his shoulders. 

"Papa! Stop! Don't let me fall!" Angelica laughed, her hands clawing at her father's shirt.

"Baby, I'd never let you fall," Y/N grinned and squeezed her leg gently. "That time on the boat in Cape Cod should be evidence enough."

"I'd never heard you swear so much." 

"The water was cold and I didn't expect to fall!" Y/N defended himself. When she was six, they had gone to Cape Cod with a friend for summer break. On a particularly warm day, that friend had taken them out with a speed boat. Angelica had gotten a little too close to the edge when they were anchored and had slipped. He'd caught her, but in turn, fell overboard into the cold water. "I don't swear often around you but it just slipped out."

"Yeah, fourteen things just slipped out." Angelica snorted. "And the combinations used were just - mwah - Magnifique."

"Angelica Ellaine L/N, I will drop you right here, right now." Y/N threatened playfully. "And where did you learn that? Magnifique?"

"Our neighbor, Scott! He comes to visit Miss Irene sometimes to play dress up." Angelica waved her hand in a poor imitation of a drag queen's flamboyant gesture. "You better work, dahling! Yas!"

Y/N laughed and nudged her bedroom door open with his foot. She was just down the hallway from him, but with enough space in between to have some distance and privacy. He turned and let her fall onto the safety of her bed.

"Where do you want the lights?" He asked and picked the strand of lights up. They were little warm lights in plastic jars that mimicked fireflies in jars. Angelica liked them the most out of all of the ones she had since they reminded her of her favorite movie: The Princess and the Frog.

"Above my bed! They're really nice to read by." Angelica sat up and pointed to a location near her pillows. There were at least four piled up, as she liked having many, claiming that it felt like sleeping on a giant cloud.

"Okay. Scoot, then, so I don't step or fall on you." He gestured for her to move and she scrambled off with a giggle. "Be prepared to hand me the command hooks."

"On it!" Angelica rifled through a plastic bag, looking for the package of hooks. She poured a bunch into her hand and bounced back over to where her father was.

Y/N carefully stood on her bed, balancing on the soft surface. He dropped the lights at his feet and held his hand out for a hook. He centered the hook with the wall, thankful the bed was centered as well, and firmly pressed it against the ceiling. After giving it a second, he bent down to grab the lights.

"Do you want them to hang low?"

"And to wobble to and fro?" Angelica countered, placing her hands on her hips. "Can you tie them in a knot?"

"I'll tie you in a knot." He mock threatened, looking at her over his shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned it. "Do you want them to hang low?"

"Can we play with it?" She asked, head tilted, her sass melting away now that she was focused on something else. He swore his child had the attention span of a goldfish or the brain of a monkey. She would see something shiny and get distracted very easily.

"Well, I need to know where to put the other hooks, you dork." Y/N hung the lights on the hook, perfectly centered. He grabbed one end of the strand and held it up, moving it to show different degrees of slack. "Tell me when."

"Uhhh.....there! Perfect!" 

"Yeah, that looks perfect." Someone said from behind them, startling them both.

They turned to see who it was and were greeted by a red-haired woman leaned in the doorway, arms folded over her chest.

"Hey, little monster. Don't think we've met." She smiled and gave a small wave to Angelica. "I'm Natasha Romanoff."

"You're Black Widow!" Angelica beamed, eyes wide. She was nearly vibrating with excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I'm Angelica."

"Nice to meet you, Angelica. I saw the door open and thought I'd come say hi. The others might stop in, too. Barnes and Rogers are on a mission right now, though, so don't go looking for the fossils." Natasha hitched her chin at Y/N. "Might want to move that to the right just a touch so it can be even on the other side."

"Thanks, Natasha." He held his hand out for a hook again. "Kiddo, you're starstruck. Hook, please."

Angelica didn't move and he sighed, shaking his head in amusement.

"If you ever want to learn how to defend yourself, little monster, then talk to your dad and come find me. I like the lights." Natasha winked and disappeared from the doorway.

"Are you gonna hand me a hook?" Y/N teased, turning to look at his star-eyed daughter. 

"Black Widow likes my lights." She grinned.

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ 

"Okay, lunch break?" Y/N asked, stretching his legs out. He'd been on the floor for an hour or so unpacking the rest of her decorations and trinkets. The muscles in his thigh seized up and he hissed under his breath, massaging the side of his leg gently.

"Ugh, yes, please." Angelica bounced off her bed and onto her feet. "Carry me?"

"Ha, that's funny. You have two legs. You can walk." He snorted. "Come on, let's get some lunch."

Angelica slipped her hand into his and they walked together to the common room. She skipped along beside him, humming some random tune. She was settling into their new home well. He was afraid she would be uncomfortable with the new change and struggle to adjust. But everyone had been welcoming so far.

"And I told her she was crazy for doing it, but she just went in, guns blazing. Literally." A voice drifted from the kitchen followed by laughter. "I hate it. She's gonna get us killed one day."

"But you have some good stories to tell." Another voice, accented, floated into the hallway.

"Damn straight."

Y/N poked his head into the kitchen and smiled. "Hey, Sam. Wanda."

"Hi, Y/N. And mini Y/N." Sam Wilson leaned against the counter and waved at Angelica when she came into view. "I'm Sam Wilson and this is Wanda Maximoff."

"Nice to meet you. Angelica, yes?" Wanda's eyes crinkled up when she smiled. Her chin was resting in her hand and an unopened bottle of water rested just in reach.

"Yeah! And you're Scarlet Witch and you're Falcon, right?" Angelica bounced on the balls of her feet, her excitement lighting up her eyes.

"Wow, yeah. That's who we are." Sam said, looking to Y/N with an amused smirk.

"She's kind of a fan." He shrugged, looking at his daughter who was practically bursting with enthusiasm. When he'd told her the full details the week before, she had gotten up from the dinner table and bounced around like a kangaroo on a sugar high. Like many other kids her age, she looked up to the Avengers as heroes. 

"Well, now, I guess you're an honorary Avenger. Welcome to the team, little one." Wanda glanced at the clock and her eyes went wide. "Oh! I'm supposed to be training with Stephen in ten minutes. I should run and change."

"Yeah, you should. You know how he gets when you're late." Sam snorted, rolling his eyes dramatically in Angelica's direction. She giggled.

Wanda hopped off her stool, swiping her water bottle, and wiggled her fingers in a wave, red energy floating through the air around her hand. "See you around, little one." She left through the kitchen's other door.

"C'mere, kid. Let's pick a name for you." Sam rounded the counter and picked Angelica up, setting her on the stool. "I'm thinkin' something magic-related."

"Hey, Sam, have you eaten lunch?" Y/N asked, moving to the fridge to see what he could make. He looked through the drawers, finding it easiest to make sandwiches with what they had. 

"Nope. You offering to cook?" Sam sat on the other stool and reached for his phone.

"I'll make you a sandwich. I'm not cooking anything special." Y/N placed a packet of cheese and a container of ham on the counter. He grabbed the bread and a couple of knives, starting to make Angelica's favorite sandwich: ham and cheese with brown mustard and mayonnaise. Where his kid had picked up a love for brown mustard, he had no idea, since he didn't really care for mustard.

"Thanks, Y/N. So, Angelica. Let's get you a team name." 

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ 

Y/N shifted his desk to face the door, moving it to be perpendicular to the right wall. That was one thing he hated about being in a cubicle. He had always hated it when people snuck up behind him. Now, with the glass walls, he could see when people came up to his office. The windows behind him also brought natural light. Another thing his cubicle hadn't had.

He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, a little too warm from moving things around. He dragged his desk chair around and sank into it, leaning back. There were plans he wanted to implement into his office, but that would happen over time. So far, he had a desk and a couple of monitors. Picture frames and smaller trinkets would decorate his desk and walls soon. 

At least there was a couch and an extra chair. He'd have to get an end table and a coffee table for visitors. But those plans were for later and not right now. What mattered was that he could work comfortably for the time being and have space for Angelica to do homework.

"Ooh, fancy!" Angelica, speaking of the little mischief-maker, appeared in the doorway. She ran towards the couch and jumped over the armrest, flopping onto the cushions with a squeal. "So, this is where all the super-secret stuff is gonna happen?"

"It's not that cool. I just have to stare at a screen and make sure no one's doing anything bad." Y/N swiveled in his chair with an amused smile. Maybe he should get a plant or two, he thought. Or one of those small fountains that provided bubbling water as background noise.

"Catching bad guys before they do the bad things is pretty cool," Tony said from the doorway, hands sunk in his pockets. "Nice to see you're getting all settled. If there's anything you'd like to add, just tell Friday and we'll get it for you."

"Thanks, Tony." Y/N straightened up, shifting to face the door. A teenage boy stood just behind him, looking like he didn't know what was going on. "Angelica, you remember Tony, right?"

"Hi, Tony!" Angelica sat up, her knees over the armrest. She waved enthusiastically.

"Hey, munchkin. I just came by to introduce one of our team members. He's here over weekends for training. This is Peter Parker. Pete, this is Y/N L/N, our intel specialist." Tony placed his hand on the shoulder of the teenage boy and pulled him forward.

"Hi, Mr. L/N." Peter smiled and waved shyly. He didn't know what to do with his hands after that, moving them to his hips, then clasped them in front of him before folding his arms over his chest and tucking his hands against his chest.

"And that's his daughter, Angelica. You two will get along famously," Tony pointed to Angelica, who rolled backward on the couch and bounced to her feet.

"Which superhero are you?" She asked, straightening out her skirt and using her foot to pull the leg of her leggings down since it had bunched up on her calf.

"I'm...I'm Spiderman," Peter said, lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug. He seemed very nervous like he wasn't sure about meeting them today. Y/N wondered if Tony had just dragged him down to his office without telling him what was happening.

"No way! You used to swing by our apartment like once every week!" Angelica grinned. "That's so cool!"

"Knew it - I called it. Didn't I call it?" Tony pointed between Angelica and Peter before turning his finger to himself. "Anyway, Pete. If you have any intel from in the field or if you need intel, Y/N's your man. It's gonna be great!" He backed out of the room with a smile. "Gonna be great!"

"Is he always like that?" Y/N asked, laughing. Of all the people he'd met so far, Tony was by far the most entertaining. He was unpredictable and had quite the personality.

"Uh, yeah. He's, uh...He's always like that." Peter nodded for a moment too long and the silence became a touch awkward. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Y/N. You, too, Angelica." He held his hand out like he was offering to shake someone else's, but since they were so far away...it didn't quite work.

"Please, just Y/N. It's nice to meet you, Peter. What you do is pretty incredible." Y/N smiled and watched as Peter's shoulders relaxed. He seemed to be an anxious individual around people he didn't know.

"Oh, uh...thank you." Peter's face turned pink and he looked at his feet with a shy smile.

 "Hey, kiddo. Don't you have some homework to catch up on?" Y/N turned to his daughter. Getting the attention off of Peter would probably help his nerves. 

"Awww, but it's Friday!" Angelica whined, wrinkling her nose up and looking at her father with disdain.

"And you have a week's worth of work to catch up on." Y/N raised his eyebrows in a typical fatherly way. It had been easier to just pull her from school for a week to move everything from their house into the compound and to get used to the new environment.

"Uh, I have some homework, too. We could do it together?" Peter suggested, hooking his thumbs under his backpack straps.

"You wouldn't mind?" Angelica asked, spinning around with a dazzling smile.

"Yeah. It's totally fine. I could use the company while suffering through geometry." Peter wrinkled his nose up in a similar manner, obviously not fond of the subject.

Angelica turned to her father with wide, questioning eyes. She was barely concealing her enthusiasm, beginning to bounce on the balls of her feet again.

"Why are you lookin' at me? You live here and I trust you not to get into trouble." Y/N said with a laugh. "You know the rules."

"Don't terrorize people. Pranks should be harmless. And snitches don't get cookies." Angelica recited, counting on her fingers. 

Peter looked between them with amused confusion. "Snitches don't get cookies?"

"Our neighbor, Scott, taught it to her at three years old. It's just been a thing since then." Y/N explained. "Scott's a personal accountant by day and a drag queen by night."

"I'm gonna miss seeing Scott." Angelica looked at her feet sadly. "He always brought the prettiest shoes."

"Nothing against us visiting Irene and Scott from time to time, kiddo. Now, go on. You've got a bunch of homework to do and I know your math teacher gave you a good amount." Y/N gestured with his head for them to go.

Angelica perked up suddenly. "Did you say geometry earlier?"

"Yeah?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You should show me some! I'm learning percentages right now, but it's super boring." She took Peter's arm with a grin and pulled him out of the office.

"Have fun and don't be a devil child!" Y/N called after her and she gave him a thumbs-up before passing his office front.

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ 

Y/N scrolled through his phone aimlessly, laying on his stomach in bed. He still wasn't used to calling it his, since he'd only been living there for a week. The room was dark because of the late hour, but he wasn't quite ready to sleep. Having a kid didn't mean much time alone to just exist, so he would take every moment he could. Not that he didn't love his daughter, he did, but he needed those few hours alone at night to recharge and relax.

His phone buzzed with a text from a number he didn't recognize. 

???: Hey, Ciara. This is Larry. :)

Y/N: I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number. I'm not Ciara.

???: Are you sure this isn't right? This is the number Ciara gave me.

Y/N: Considering I'm a guy and my name is Y/N, yeah. Pretty sure she gave you a random number. Sorry, buddy.

???: Oh...dang. Thanks for being so nice about that.

Y/N: No problem. Have a nice night.

???: You, too.

Y/N deleted the conversation, not worrying about it. It had happened to him before - on both sides - so there really wasn't anything strange about the interaction. He sighed and switched back to Facebook, looking at his feed. A memory popped up and he smiled.

Angelica's first day at school in kindergarten. She was smiling, a gap in her front teeth from losing her first tooth. Her hair was in braided pigtails and she was wearing a dress with a pair of Disney sister characters on the front. My little girl's growing up so fast. Lost her first tooth yesterday, and now she's off to school for the first time.

He remembered that day vividly. She'd been so excited when she came home, talking up a storm about the friends she had made and the things they were learning. When she went to bed that night, she slept like the dead.

The next day, though, was one he really remembered. She was supposed to do a "my family" drawing at school, and a few of the kids had noticed she had only drawn her dad. After saying she didn't have a mom, they'd teased her until the teacher made them stop.

When he picked her up, the only thing she said when he asked how her day went was: Why don't I have a mom? The car ride had been awkwardly silent after that, and he explained it to her over dinner. 

I'll always be here for you, though, Angel. I promise. Nothing in the world can take me away from you.

 ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

Taglist:  @supernaturalwintersoldier​ @shadowolf993​

[fanmoose12]

Partners

Characters: Petra Ral, Levi, Hanji Zoe x Levi Genre: Action / Mystery / Romance Rating: T

Detective!au

Summary: when Petra was promoted to a detective and partnered up with legendary Levi Ackerman, she felt like the happiest person in the world.

But, as she soon found out, detective Ackerman she used to admire so much was actually a far cry from the ideal policeman Petra thought he was. He was rude, harsh and easily annoyed. And, in addition, he still hadn’t moved on from the death of his previous partner - detective Hange Zoe.

Chapter 2/?

Chapter 1

The loud shrill sound of her ringtone woke Petra up. She groaned, turning on her side, a hand reaching out to the bedside table. She cursed as she nearly threw off the lamp in her haste to get to the annoying device. After a couple of awkward bumps and clashes, her fingers finally touched the smooth surface of her phone. She answered the call immediately, not sparing a glance at the display.

"Y-yes?" she asked, not even trying to hide the sleepiness from her voice.

"Petra, it's your new partner, Levi," and, oh god, it woke her up fast. Faster than a bucket of cold water ever could.  "There had been a murder and Erwin asked us to investigate it. I'll text you the address, come as soon as you can. I'll be waiting."

And then, before Petra could give him any kind of an answer, he ended the call. For a few long seconds, Petra just sat on her bed, phone still near her ear.

There has been a murder? And she was going to investigate it? For real, not like yesterday's case, where everything had been already dealt with by Levi? Gosh, someone had actually died, it shouldn't make her so excited. But it did.

She all, but jumped out of her bed, trying to get ready as fast as possible.

*** When she arrived to the tall apartment complex, where a murder had happened, Petra was surprised to find out just how many police officers were there, especially considering the late hour. In the distance, she even saw Oluo, who was arguing with a lonely pedestrian. Petra wanted to come up and say hi, but she knew she had no time for that right now. She would surely apologize to him, but later.

As she neared the entrance, Petra saw that Levi was leaning over the brick wall. Was he waiting for her? While she was approaching him, she noticed that the circles under his eyes were even more prominent than yesterday, especially under the light of a street lamp. Furthermore, he was wearing yesterday's clothes. Did he not come home after work, Petra wondered, as Levi finally looked up at her.

"You came sooner than I expected," he told her, his voice, as always, calm and disinterested. "Let's go inside, the murder happened in the apartment on the fourth floor."

"Who is the victim?"

"A woman in her thirties. She was found by her roommate, who came home after a night shift."

Petra nodded, absorbing the information. "What was the cause of death?"

"A cut to her throat."

"Oh," Petra breathed out. It was not what she expected.

“It’s your first murder case, right?” Levi asked, his voice gentler than Petra was used to. “If you don’t feel like you can do it, you don’t have to.”

“I’ll be fine,” Petra told him sternly. She tightened her hands into fists, raising her head high. She won’t show him any fear. She was strong. She could do it. She will do it. “C’mon,” she urged Levi, who was staring at her with furrowed eyebrows. “We have work to do.”

The apartment, once Petra stepped inside, was surprisingly clean. After hearing about slashed throat, she expected to see splashes of blood, or, at least, signs of a struggle. Instead, the living room was neat and tidy. Petra would have even called it cozy, if she didn’t know that a person was murdered there.

“Where is the body?” Levi asked a member of forensic team. It was a tall and light-haired man, Petra remembered seeing him at the precinct. If she wasn’t mistaken, his name was Moblit Berner, and before the death of Hange Zoe, he was working closely with the infamous duo.

“Detective Ackerman!” Moblit threw his hands in the air, stopping Levi from taking another step. “Please, you can’t go in here!”  

“Moblit,” Levi growled. “What do you think you’re doing? I was appointed to this case by Erwin. So move the fuck away.”

“C-captain Erwin?” Moblit paled at the mention of his superior. “But detective… you really shouldn’t see it.”

“I’ve been a detective for more than ten years,” Levi pushed past Moblit. “Dead bodies don’t scare me.”

“It’s not just a dead body…” Moblit whispered, but Levi paid him no mind.

He walked inside the bedroom, where a body was found, Petra hot on his heels. She glanced over his shoulder, her nerves getting to her after all those warnings from Moblit. But… The bedroom seemed as clean as the rest of the apartment. There was no blood, no guts, no everything. Just a young brown-haired woman lying in her bed, looking so peaceful, as though she was simply asleep. Petra actually felt relieved at the sight, she was expecting something much, much worse.

Pulling on the sterile gloves, Levi swiftly reached the bed, his sharp eyes taking every detail of a crime scene. However, as he moved the victim’s head to take a better look at her wound, Petra noticed that his hands were trembling. She watched him curiously, Levi didn’t seem to be disgusted or wary by the corpse itself. He touched the wound without any kind of remorse, but, for some reason, he avoided looking at the victim’s face and his moves were strangely reluctant, as he pressed his hand to the mop of brown hair.

“She looks nothing like her,” he whispered, under hus breath, continuing with the inspection.

“Detect—”

Before Petra could finish, Levi’s eyes landed on a small bedside table. He tensed immediately, staring at it with wide, unblinking eyes.

“Detective?” Petra called again, feeling more than a little unnerved by rhe unexpected change in him.

“Son of a bitch!” Levi suddenly shouted. “Motherfucker!”

Petra watched him in silence, shocked and bewildered by a sudden outburst of a man, who always acted so calm. She reached out, meaning to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, but before she could do so, Levi turned on his heels, storming out of the room.

Before Petra followed after him, she glanced at the table, curious as to what possibly could get her partner so furious.

The table was almost empty, save for a pair of broken, bloodied glasses. Next to them, lay a note. Petra carefully lifted it up, reading the contents.

Think you can catch me without her?

Neither note, nor especially glasses made any sense to Petra. She hurriedly exited the room, searching for Levi. She didn’t have to look for long. Levi was in the middle of the living room, his hand tightly wrapped around the elbow of some obviously panicked police officer.

“Where the fuck is Erwin?” he asked in a low, dangerous voice, squeezing the man’s elbow tighter.  

“I… I don’t know, detec—”

“I’m here, Levi,” said a deep baritone, which Petra momentarily recognized as Captain Smith’s. “So please let the man go. You’re scaring him.”

“We need to talk,” Levi hissed. “Right fucking now,” he added, dragging Captain Erwin with him.

He led him to the small side room, which probably served as a study. Unable to resist her curiosity, Petra followed after them, crouching in the dark corridor and hoping they won’t see her.

“Levi, please calm down,” Captain Erwin tried to placate him, laying hands on his shoulders.

“Calm down?!” Levi sneered, throwing Erwin’s hands off. “How the fuck can I calm down, when that fucker has returned, just like told you he would, and now he’s trying to play his stupid games with me?”

“We don’t know if it’s Zek—”

“It was her glasses, Erwin!” Levi screamed. His voice was filled with so much pain and anguish that Petra felt her heart clench in sympathy. “It was her damn glasses,” he repeated much quieter.

“Are you sure?” Captain Erwin asked softly.

“Of course, I’m sure,” Levi shakily ruffled his hair. “I was the one, who bought them for her, after that idiot lost her previous one. That bastard is back, I’m sure about it too.”

“It can’t be,” Captain Erwin shook his head with a determined look. “It’s a copycat or a follower, but it’s not Zeke.”

“And what makes you think so?”

“Because Zeke died two years ago. And so did Hange,” Captain Erwin squeezed Levi’s shoulder. “It’s past the time you move on,” he added, before pushing past Levi and walking out of the room.

It happened so quickly that Petra didn’t get the chance to run away from her hiding spot. However, as he went past her, Captain Erwin paid her no mind. Either, he didn’t see her or he simply didn’t care.

But Petra knew she won’t get such luck with Levi, so she started moving, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she went past that room, she couldn’t help, but throw one last glance at her partner. And what she saw, broke her heart.

Levi stood there, in a dark, empty room. His fists, and his whole body, were shaking, as he took one labored breath after another.

He looked so vulnerable, so fragile, Petra felt a barely resistible desire to come closer and comfort him. But she knew he would never accept her help, he didn't need her sympathy. So she ignored the painful clenching of her heart and walked away.

Returning to the living room, Petra wasn't sure what to do next. There were still members of forensic team and other policemen walking around, looking for samples of DNA or other evidence. Watching them, Petra contemplated her next move - should she help others with the investigation? Should she wait for Levi? Or, maybe, it'd be best to investigate on her own?

Before she could decide, a hand fell on her shoulder. She swiftly turned around.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," a man from forensics, Moblit, said. "Just wanted to say hi," he smiled softly.

Petra smiled back. Moblit's awkward friendliness made her feel at ease for the first time, since she set foot in that apartment.

"You're Detective Levi's new partner, right?"

"Yeah," Petra nodded, trying very hard not to cringe.

“He can be a real asshole sometimes, eh?” Moblit asked with a look of understanding in his eyes.

Petra let out a small chuckle. “Something like that, yes.”

“He was different before,” Moblit continued, his gaze becoming distant. “Still not the easiest guy to deal with, but… when Detective Hange was around, she managed to somewhat soften his edges.”

“You recognized her glasses too,” Petra looked at him carefully. “So you knew her well?”

“Detective Hange… was an incredible woman. She was a great detective, but before joining the force, she was attending a medical school. She often helped us in the laboratories and I worked with her closely. It’s a shame you haven’t met her,” he said with genuine sadness. “You would have liked her.”

“Yeah, she was great, I get it already,” Petra mumbled, fed up with hearing about how her predecessor was so much better than her.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” her cheeks flamed, as she realized she had said it out loud. “I didn’t to disrespect her or—“

“It’s fine,” Moblit gave her another sympathetic look. “You probably had a long day. You should rest, we’ve done all the work here anyway.”

“But—”

“I’ll explain everything to detective Levi, don’t worry. Just take it easy.”

Petra nodded shakily, moved by Moblit’s kindness. Acting on an impulse, she reached out and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I really needed it.”

“If you ever need someone to listen to you bitching about your partner, you can always come down to the forensics department. I don’t mean to brag, but we have the biggest tea collection in the precinct, and Nifa always brings some delicious pastry.”

“I’ll be sure to visit,” she promised heartily, smiling softly.

"Petra."

That voice sent shivers down her spine, destroying the warm atmosphere that surrounded her conversation with Moblit. Petra slowly turned around.

"Yes, detective?”

"Let's go, there is nothing else we can do here for now. We'll start cracking this case tomorrow."

Petra stared at him in shock. Levi looked just as he usually did - calm, collected. His mouth was pressed in a hard line and his eyes were a mixture of boredom and indifference. All signs of that broken, grieving man Petra had seen before were gone. It left her speechless.

"C'mon," he urged, turning around. "I'll give you a lift to your place."

"W-what! You don't have to, sir!"

Levi glanced back at her, his grey eyes boring into hers with the already familiar look of annoyance.

"You're right, I don't. But I want to, so shut it and let's go. And, for the love of God, don't you call me sir ever again. Just Levi is fine."

"Um, okay, Levi!" Petra beamed, feeling her heart skip a beat. So deep down, Levi was really a kind and caring man.

However, before she followed after him, Petra turned around one last time, her eyes sweeping over the apartment. With only a few policemen still present, it looked so peaceful. It gave her creeps. It made her feel like... Something was coming. Something terrible. Something that will ruin many lives. Maybe, including her own.

Petra shook her head, clutching her fists. Whatever was going to happen, she'll be ready. She won't let anything break or destroy her.

She won't become another reason for the sadness in Levi's eyes.

[all1e23]

Swallow [Pt.10]

Chapter: Half Gone

Pairings: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky learns you’ve been hiding some things and makes a decision that will change everyone’s future.

Warnings:  Adulty themes. Yes, I’m a grown-up, and I said adulty themes. General foreboding. Sweet, soft, protective Bucky. (Yes, that’s a warning. That could kill you!) Protective big brother Clint.

A/N:   The first half is a flashback from Bucky’s pov. It’s after the flashback from chapter 4, so this is right after they broke up and before she left town. Three more parts loves! My plan is to finish up chapter 11 tomorrow and get the last few chapters posted by Tuesday. We will see though. You know how it goes with RL and all. Also, remember you love me and I make you guys happy with Astrophile, okay??? Send me love because I’m needy.  No beta so read at your own risk. ;-)

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are my jam though! Thanks!*

5 years ago 

The morning brought a new onslaught of pain Bucky wasn’t equipped to handle in his dejected state. He spent the night in a fit of restless sleep. Every time he succeeded in dozing off, he was cursed with visions of you, the only part of his heart that’s worth a damn, walking out of the clubhouse and his life. In the hours he spent awake, praying it was all a terrible nightmare, he was drowning in her broken pleas begging him to leave and love her more than this God-forsaken club.

A deep pulsing ache was pounding in his head as he slowly sat up. The pain in his head and empty bottles on the floor of his room were there to remind him this was no nightmare, but the cool metal of her ring against his skin burned -- the added weight was unwelcome, and he wished he didn't have to bear it. she had given him everything she had, and he shoved it back in her face all because he was scared. Scared to leave the club, this town and scared that part of the reason she loved him was who was because of this club. 

Stupid? Maybe, but it haunted him regardless. 

He didn’t know how to be anything else other than this. All he’s ever been was this club, Bucky didn’t have a plan or goals or anything close to the dreams you had. His only dreams are filled with loving you, and the part of him that made a promise to your dad was glad you wanted to end things. Your love was toxic and bad and all things... good and right in his shitty life. He couldn’t let you go, not yet. He was going to fight for you until you told him not to. 

6:04 a.m. 

The alarm clocked glared back at him, regarding him with enough judgment to make Bucky hate the damn thing. It just stared at him, waiting for him to make a move. 6:05 a.m. You would likely still be asleep, but he couldn’t wait. He needed to tell you he loved you and how utterly stupid he was. He needed to feel your hands on his skin and have your lips on his or he wouldn’t make it to see tomorrow. He had to find you and fix this-- right now. 

Bucky jumped off his bed, kicking the empty bottles around his floor as he gathered clothes that were thrown about and his bag. A black shirt, his leather and a pair of jeans he found crumbled in the corner of the room, he didn’t have time to worry about his choice in fashion. He had to make things right, and he had to do it now because he couldn’t live this life without you. 

Steve slowly stood up as Bucky came barreling down the stairs. “Buck? We’ve got chapel in a few hours. Where are you going?” 

“You’re gonna have to run it without me. I’ve got somewhere I gotta be, Stevie.” 

~

“I guess I should have known you would show up sooner or later. How was your night, Buck?” Clint greeted the brunet in the doorway to his house, obviously refusing to let Bucky passed the threshold. 

“Hey, Clint.” Bucky blew out a breath and chuckled at the uncomfortable strain between them. He should have known this wouldn’t be easy when he had to get through Clint. “This is awkward. I need to talk to Y/n. I know she probably told you what happened, but you know how much I love her. I was an idiot, and I know I shouldn’t have said anything that I did last night I just--- I need her, Clint, you know? I love her, and I’d like to say sorry if she lets me.” 

Clint’s tough act faltered just enough that allowed the door to open fully -- still blocked Bucky’s path, but he could at least see into the house. He might be mad at Bucky, but he was no fool. Anyone with eyes could see how much Bucky loved his sister, his love had never been in question -- at least not to Clint. 

But it doesn’t mean, Clint had to like it. 

“I don’t know what happened last night. She wouldn’t tell me but, yeah, you were a fucking idiot from what I could get out of her,” Clint shook his head and let his arm drop -- along with the protective big brother performance. “ She’s not here Bucky.” 

Dread washed over him. There were plenty of people who would love to hurt her because of who he was, and he may have driven her right into their arms. He pushed the panic down and took a deep breath, and asked, “Okay, well, where did she go? I’ll bring her ass home and get it all sorted out.” 

Clint’s eyes grew dark, and Bucky didn’t have to be a genius to know Clint was about to deck him. Natasha walked up and put a hand on Clint’s shoulder, tugging him back into the house and out of the way before continuing in his place. “No, James. She’s gone. She loaded up her jeep around four this morning and left. I don’t know where she went, but she promised she would call me when she got there safely.” 

“Wait --” Bucky couldn’t breathe.  “She’s gone?” His vision had gone blurry. “Like gone for good? She just grabbed her things and left without a goodbye…” 

The beating in his chest had stopped, and he knew this was it. He always knew this day would come, he’s always known you were too good for him, and he’s never been foolish enough to think he deserved your love, but he didn’t think it would happen like this. 

He thought he would at least get the chance to say goodbye. 

“I think she thought you two already had your goodbye.” 

Natasha has never seen Bucky look quite like this before. He looked vulnerable, abandoned, and broken. A new scar was added to the mangled mess he called his heart, and he could pinpoint the second it tore his chest open. Natasha took a step forward to grab his hand, intent on making him come inside, she doesn’t like the idea of him driving when it looked as if he had just been torn apart and shoddily patched back together. 

“Why don’t you come in and I'll--” 

Bucky shook his head and stumbled back down the stairs. “I can’t stay Tash. I gotta -- I have to go.” 

Bucky floundered on inept feet back to his motorcycle regarding the black duffle bag on the back with thoughtless, senseless hope. It was stupid of him to think he could simply show up and say sorry; tell you how much he loved you, he made a mistake, and he’s ready to go whenever you wanted to go. You’ve waited long enough and he was stupid to think you would still be waiting after every terrible thing he’s done to shatter your heart.

Too little, too late, Barnes. 

The front door to the clubhouse flies open, and Bucky stomped through, heading straight for Steve. He slapped his hand to his chest, pressing something against the rough leather. Their eyes met for a brief uncertain moment before he was gone, he grabbed a few bottles from behind the bar, ignoring every nervous stare and uneasy glance. Steve looked down in his hand and ran a finger over the president’s patch. Gaping up at Bucky from his bar stool, there were frayed pieces of string and leather where the patch once stood over Bucky’s heart. 

Nothing was there now, it was empty and tattered -- just like him. 

“What the hell is this Buck?”

He shrugged, uncaring and unthinkingly. “I’m done. It’s your club.” 

Bucky pushed through Sam and Steve, blew right by Tony and little Peter, taking the stairs two at a time. Ending the questions and the stares with a final slam of that echoed through the club. 

Steve looked over at Sam. “What the hell just happened?” 

“I think you just got a promotion.”  

~

“Steven…” 

“Peggy, I’m not going to let him drink himself to death. He's acting like an idiot. I can’t run this club without him, and I don’t want to. He can’t just waste away because she’s gone.” 

“He's not an idiot. He’s brokenhearted. Put us in their shoes, darling. Where would you be if you lost me, hm? Nowhere good, I think we can agree on that. Be gentle.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and left him alone in front of Bucky’s door. They had to navigate this on their own -- like brothers. 

Steve doesn’t knock. He has spent days and days knocking on his door every hour on the hour, then at random times to check-in. Bucky never answered anyway. Steve pushed the door open and winced at the mayhem before him. The room was dark, covered in trash and beer bottles, but the mess didn’t end there. Bucky sat perched on an old wooden stool by the window, dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep or the booze -- Steve isn’t sure, but both needed to stop. He was still wearing the same dirty jeans he had on the last time Steve saw him and that damn chain he refused to take off. At least he took off the filthy shirt he seemed to be so fond of lately. 

Steve couldn’t recognize the man in front of him, and he never wanted to see his best friend like this again; only he couldn’t fix it -- he wasn’t the one Bucky needed. 

“Come on, Buck. We’ve got some stuff we gotta deal with. Why don’t you get dressed and come down?” 

Bucky didn’t answer. He took another drag of his cigarette and flicked it out the window as smoke fell from his lips. He wasn’t interested in anything that had to do with the club. His patch was gone, and he had a good reason for passing it on. He was done the moment you asked him to be-- just too stupid to make the right choice.

“I need you and so does the club.” Steve implored him. “I want to help. I don’t know how.” 

“There’s nothing you can do Steve. Y/n’s gone. I’ve got no idea where she went, no way to contact her, and even if I did, she wants nothing to do with me. No one can do anything to help me. Least of all this damn club.” 

“Well, you can’t just hide away in here and live on stale chips and whiskey.” 

Bucky finally turned to face Steve, his eyes were dark and nothing like the blue they were when they were kids. “Did you not hear me? I fucked up. She’s gone!” Bucky bellowed. “What the hell do you want from me? What am I supposed to do, huh?” 

Bottles clattered together as Steve pushed his way through the room and dropped into a low squat in front of Bucky, holding out something small and black in his hand. Bucky inspected the piece of material in Steve’s hand, staring at the white letters glaring at him in stark contrast to their black background: Vice President. 

“For starters, you’re going to get up, shower and get some food in you. Give your niece and nephew a few cuddles, and you’re going to put the damn vice president patch on your leather because this is your club, not mine and you need to be at the table with me. I can’t do this without you. Then you’re going to wait.” 

Bucky took the patch from Steve’s hands and looked down at him, brows furrowed and a dark scowl on his face, “Wait? Wait for what Steve?” He sighed and gave Bucky a fond albeit exasperated smile, the kind you save for your clueless, slightly reckless sibling when you have to save their necks once again. 

“Y/n, Buck. She will come back. Somewhere in that bourbon filled head of yours, you know that; she will come back to you. She always does.” 

--------

“Okay, are one of you going to tell me what the hell is going on in here?” Bucky crossed his arms over his chest watching Steve and Tony with half amusement and half fear -- the fear was beginning to win out.  Something wasn’t right, and he was worried Y/n was in trouble. His only peace of mind was Clint not being in the room. If she was in danger, there was no way Steve would leave Clint out this talk. 

They would never hear the end of it if they did. 

“Buck,” Steve started, switching from foot to foot as his brain worked out the possibilities of Bucky knocking him out the second the words left of his lips. There was a decent chance that was how this whole thing would play out. Bucky would tolerate a lot from Steve, more than anyone else, but calling the love of his life the possible rat was not one of the things Bucky would offer a reprieve for. 

Bucky swore under his breath and looked between Tony and Steve. Their uneasy expressions made his heart sink. “For Christ's sake. Did they threaten her life? What? I’m about to lose my mind over here.” 

Steve blew out a breath and passed over the pile of photographs that Tony had collected. “Eddie is a detective. He’s been passing information back about things he’s seen and details about the inner workings of the club. He didn’t get much since he was never brought into chapel or fully initiated, but he probably has enough to put a few of us away for bullshit petty crimes.” 

Bucky flipped through the photos slowly as Steve went on. He knew Eddie was trouble from the moment he stepped into the club -- he could feel it. If it had been Bucky’s call, he would have tossed him out on his ass right then, but he gave up say in those decisions a long time ago. He flipped to the middle of the stack and froze at the grainy black and white photo before him, letting the rest of the images fall to the floor. His gaze was glued to the swallow on the thin computer paper in his hands.

That wasn’t right, but it was her. Bucky knows every line of that tattoo and every single inch of her skin, terrible resolution or not -- that was his girl. 

“What the hell is this?” Bucky asked, looking up at Steve. 

“Buck, listen--” 

A hollow laugh bubbled up from his chest as Bucky tried to control his temper, he stepped towards Steve holding out the picture and spoke again. “What. The. Hell. Is this?” Tony stiffened up next to Steve as if he needed to protect the club president from some threat -- Bucky being the threat. Bucky turned to look at Tony and snapped. “Seriously, Tony? What are you going to do?” 

“Kind of depends on what you do.” 

“Just for shits let’s see what you got--” 

Steve groaned and held his hands out against their chests, pushing them apart, scolding the pair.  “Are you both done? Get it all out of your system? Because we have bigger issues to deal with besides your egos.”

Tony held up his hands and stepped up back, but Bucky didn’t back down -- not that Steve expected him to. 

“You know she’s not the rat. Whoever talked to Eddie, if anyone even did talk, knew things she doesn’t know about. The things Eddie has on the club happened while she was gone, so how the hell could it be her?” 

“I know, Buck,” Steve answered calmly because he needed Bucky calm for what he was about to ask. “But we need to figure out why she’s meeting with him in secret and keeping it from you. Would she make a deal to save Clint?”

“No!”

“Fine. Okay. Would she make a deal to save you?” 

That Bucky couldn't answer. 

You wouldn’t sell him out, and he knew that, but would you make a deal to keep him out of prison? To keep him there with you even if it was for only a little longer? He couldn’t answer out loud because his heart knew the answer. Your hearts were one and the same, so he knew precisely what you would do -- the same thing he would. He would trade his life for yours without a second thought, he would do whatever he had to keep you safe, and Bucky doesn’t doubt you’ve done the same. 

But he wouldn’t admit that to the club, and as much as he hated it, Steve was the club. 

The double doors swung open with a clumsy dramatic flair that could only belong to Clint. They slammed shut behind him, and some of the tension seemed to have found an escape while the doors were open, leaving room for a new strain to fill up the air around them. Steve looked past Bucky to meet Clint’s eyes.

“Not now Clint. This-- we are in the middle of something.” 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I know what you’re talking about. Thanks for letting me know you’re in here talking shit about my sister by the way,” Clint added with an air of annoyance. He handed the over wrinkled card to Bucky, not Steve. He had his reasons, and all of them had to do with keeping his family safe. “Y/n gave it to me. It’s not whatever you are thinking.” 

“And what do you think I’m thinking Clint?” Steve prodded evenly, not allowing Clint to goad him into a petty fight -- everyone was upset, and fighting wasn’t going to solve anything. 

Bucky flattened the card in his hand and stared at the words printed on the small piece of white cardstock. He already knew what Clint was going to say before he said it and Bucky knew what he had to do to make all this go away.

“I’m not sure, but unless you think she’s completely faultless in this, you’re fucking wrong. Eddie threatened her with jail time, Steve. The dick said if she didn’t testify against you and Buck, he had enough to send the rest of us to prison, myself included. She didn’t know what to do.” 

Bucky felt sick -- everything burned and his stomach twisted into knots. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

After everything you’ve been through together you didn’t know you could come to him with anything? He was racking his brain to try and figure out what he had done over the years to make you feel like you couldn’t come to him when you were scared. He really thought you knew how deeply his love burned for you and how far he would go to keep you safe. He had to get away from all this. Bucky couldn’t stand to be in that room, in the God damn clubhouse for a second longer. 

The picture Steve had given him was thrown onto the table, and Bucky stalked towards the doors, crumbling the card in his hand; he had someone to visit. Steve’s voice and boots called after him, “Bucky, where are you going?” 

“Out, Steve.” 

“Bucky--” 

He paused at the doors and looked over his shoulder at his best friend. “I gotta cool off, Steve. Just give me some damn space, okay?” 

Steve paused and gave him a small nod. 

“Okay, Buck.”

Bucky nodded, quick and tremulous. His fumbling fingers zipped his leather up, and he tucked your ring under the protective layer as he stormed out of the room. Clint clapped his hands together and looked at Steve and Tony, “Way to go. Who had the bright idea to talk to Bucky first and not me? He’s punch first and talk later when it comes to Y/n.” 

“Right, because you’re always so level-headed?” Steve countered, gently shoved Clint out of the double doors and looked back at Tony nodding to the photos. “Keep all that in the safe. I need to talk to Y/n.” 

Clint huffed and shook his head. “Not without me around, you’re not.” 

“What do you think I’m going to do her? She’s practically my sister--” 

“Yeah, well, she’s actually my sister.” Clint’s growl was cut short by the sound of Bucky’s bike starting up in the garage. 

“Is Bucky leaving?” Everyone spun around to you find standing at the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide and pleading with them. Begging for what, Steve didn’t know, but he could take a few guesses.

The sound of the motor grew quiet the further Bucky got from the front doors, and dust clouds could be seen from the windows as his bike sped down the dirt road that led up to the clubhouse. You glanced at Clint and Steve. Steve knew you could tell by the look of disappointment on his face-- even though he was trying to hide it. Your eyes quickly fell to the floor, and within seconds you felt an arm come around your shoulders, you figured it was Clint, but when you looked back up it wasn’t your brother. 

Steve smiled and gave your shoulder a squeeze. “Come see the kids. Henry and Emma were babies the last time you saw them, and you haven’t met Morgan yet. She’s a mini Tony, but it turns out all that sass is cute when it’s coming from her.” 

“Steve… What-- Is he…” 

“He just needed a minute to cool off that’s all Y/n. I’m sure he will be back before you can blink. Buck can’t be away from you for long, and you know that.” 

Bucky only needed a minute to cool off, and he would be back. It sounded all well and good -- so perfect you could wrap a bow on it.  Steve was good at that. He has always been better at that than Bucky. Bucky wears too much of his heart on his sleeve, and it made his anxiety and doubt easy to spot. Steve was good at that kind of talk; the rousing speech that made the crowd feel better, smarter or stronger and led to the belief it would all be okay as long as everyone stuck together and did what was right. 

This time, his words didn’t seem to carry the same weight they usually did. 

Your heart knew better.    

Previous // Next 

[ot5ismyhome]

Bloodbound Chapter 18- Preparing for the dark

Read from beginning here.

Wanda and Howard walked the empty corridors of The Rogers Innovative. Their footsteps ricocheted against the marble floor. They enjoyed the silence and each other’s company.

“Sooooo?” Wanda dragged.

“So?” Howard asked raising his eyebrows.

“You’re a vampire” she stated with a small smile.

“Yeah” he nodded. “What gave it away?”

“The memories” Wanda said. Howard froze for a second but she didn’t notice as she continued, “The same happened with Steve and Bucky.”

Howard resumed walking, “It must have been awkward as hell.” He laughed.

“You bet” she joined him. They both walked in silence again.

After a long silence she spoke again, “So, the child in your memory-”

A lump formed in Howard’s throat thinking about his past. “Tony. We don’t see each other eye to eye anymore. Never had.” His eyes watered talking about his family.

Wanda noticed his despair as she put her hand around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. He leaned on her shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut, letting the tears stain her dress.

“Have you ever reach-”

“I did once long back. I really want to now, but I don’t think I deserve forgiveness for leaving him and Maria.”

“Hey. Don’t talk like that” Wanda said softly. “Reach out to him. Let him know you still want to build the relationship. If you don’t you might regret it.”

Howard nodded not able to get any words out.

…..

Steve and Tony drove to Fountain of Youth. The Fountain of Youth was one of the largest health foundations on the east coast of America. When they entered the building, they were interrupted by the receptionist in the lobby.

“Please state you purpose of visit”

“We are here to meet Jiaying”

“Do you have an appointment?” he asked.

Before Steve could speak Tony intervened, “You might not have recognised us. He is Steve Rogers and myself am Tony Stark” extending his hand for a hand shake. The man accepted his hand and smiled at him. He pointed them towards Jiaying’s office. As they walked away Tony commented, “Power of money, my friend.”

They knocked on her door and waited outside. They heard Jiaying’s voice asking them to enter. They went inside her office. Steve took in the room he was standing. It was neither big nor small. It was sufficiently spacious. All the things were arranged neatly and looked perfect. In the left corner of the room, the table was laid near the window. Jiaying was sitting behind it. She was surprised to see them. She greeted them and asked them to take the seat.

Steve filled her on the details of the upcoming hearing. Jiaying listened patiently to what Steve had to tell. Steve left out the Maximoff twins. He decided to handle one problem at a time. There was no way he could convince Jiaying if he told he just changed a human last night. After Steve finished his narration, Jiaying looked at Tony. She eyes bore into his skull as if reading his mind.

“You aren’t involved with them?” she asked after a long time.

“No. God no. I didn’t know about this.”

“You also don’t have proof for Rumlow’s involvement?”

“Yeah. But we have a hunch” replied Steve

Jiaying maintained her serene composure. Her face revealed nothing. Steve and Tony didn’t move a muscle. They waited for Jiaying to say something. They were afraid to ask. Afraid to know the answer. She finally spoke, “You have my vote Stark.”

Both of them let out the breath they didn’t know they were holding. Steve smiled and thanked Jiaying again and again. Tony promised to help her if she was ever in need of anything.

She smiled. “You both are most welcome. But now I have work, I have to leave.”

They left her office and walked down the corridor. They both had a giddy smile plastered to their face. To the onlookers they would look like two foolish men but they didn’t care. They were going to win. They exited the hospital and walked to the parking. Once near the car, Tony left a small shout of victory. An old man who was crossing their car gave tony a weird look. “This is hospital. Not a theatre young man.”

“Oh Sorry. My husband just woke up from coma after 70 years. Taking him home.” Tony cracked pointing at Steve.

The old man shook his head in disappointment, “You both are going to hell for that” he shouted angrily.

Tony just laughed to himself as he pulled his car out of the drive way and drove off into the road. “You being in coma for 70 years wasn’t a hard for him but the possibility of us being husbands is offensive” laughed Tony.

“Yeah, homophobic ass.”

“I half thought of showing him my fangs and say I just came from hell”

“He would have had a heart attack on the spot.”

“I would say good riddance.”

“Couldn’t agree more. Humans need to change a lot. I have been around for long to know that humans haven’t progressed much. On Science, they have reached a higher level but on humanity they have got long way to go.”

After dropping Tony, Steve deposited the folder in the security vault of his home. Later he drove to The Rogers Innovative to begin the new day.

When Steve entered his office, Pietro jumped from his place in front of Steve. “I have got good news to cheer up this gloomy atmosphere. Guess what?” Pietro spurted out. Without allowing Steve to answer he ranted on, “Coulson says that I am getting promoted to Level 2.” He punched the air. “Can you believe it? I will be Agent Maximoff, Level 2”

“Congrats in advance?” Steve laughed.

“The investigation me and Thompson conducted had some pretty good info. And Coulson was impressed by our work.”

“I know you will make it one day. I never doubted you” he smiled.

Pietro’s face dropped. “But I didn’t believe in you always. I thought it was Tony behind the smuggling and you and Natasha were behind feral attack. I thought you guys tried to kill me.”

“It’s okay, kid.”

Pietro gleamed like a small kid.

…..

The sun peeked out of the horizon, starting a new day. Work at Rogers Innovative went on as usual. Pietro didn’t report to work, he stayed there. Natasha still hadn’t shown up and Steve was becoming more worried. But she is the second most powerful vampire in America, she will be safe he thought. Everything else was just the same. But no one was able to fully concentrate on their work but they made it through the day. Even though they had three votes against Rumlow’s one they were scared.

Pietro was the one who didn’t seem much affected. He lounged in Steve’s office all morning. He was bothering Steve with all kind of questions related to vampire world while Steve answered him patiently.

“That weird drink you gave me, how did you guys come up with that?”

“Loki created it. The first vampire turned five humans into vampires. Only they had immunity against going feral. Others easily succumbed to the blood thirst and detached themselves from their human life. As the generation progresses, chance of becoming feral increases. For a long time, only the ancient vampires existed. Then Loki invented an antidote ‘Draught of Frost blood’ which helped newer ones.”

“Who’s Loki, man?”

“Founder of American civilization”

Their conversation was interrupted by sudden opening of the door. Steve frowned at the man who had entered. He was one of Rumlow’s clan. He gave the scroll to Steve. When Steve was reading the message, the man gave a calculating look at Pietro.

Steve noticed it and said to Pietro, “Pietro, excuse us.” Pietro gave a nod and walked out. Steve read the scroll. As expected, it was the calling for council meeting to try Tony’s case.

Pietro went to his sister’s officer. But got chased out when he kept accidently knocking things of her desk. He went to Howard’s lab to talk with him. When he entered, Howard was sleeping on the couch. He didn’t want to disturb him so he left. Then he went to Coulson’s office.

He talked with Coulson non-stop. Coulson shared with him the stories of his early field days. Coulson had a meeting in the afternoon but Pietro stayed in his office while Coulson attended. Coulson returned from his meeting to see Pietro sleeping in his chair with his leg on the table. Hearing Coulson entering, Pietro woke up startled.

“I think we’ve been spending too much time together.” Pietro lowered his legs. Coulson continued angrily, “I’m the Director of S.T.A.K.E. Remember that.”

Pietro stiffened. He stood up, “Sorry, sir.”

Coulson laughed, “Sorry. I have always wanted to do that. I saw the opportunity and couldn’t help. Strangely, it didn’t feel like myself.”

Pietro relaxed. He chatted with Coulson for some time and went to the VIP lounge. He watched TV for the rest of the day. After the office hours, Pietro took a blood pack form Steve’s freezer and returned to his position in front of the TV. His fangs descended and he bit through the blood packet. He was drinking blood when the door opened and Piper entered. Pietro panicked. He feared that he had been caught.

“Calm down. I’m also a vampire.” Piper said. “It was fun seeing you panic though.”

Pietro smiles sheepishly in response.

“Steve left and he asked me to baby-sit you. Everyone else is in Steve’s office. Let’s head there.”

Pietro and Piper went to Steve’s office and joined the others.

[i-write-and-therefore-i-am]

One Monstrous Miracle (Part Three)

Wazzup? I have been hit with the inspiration bug and I felt drawn to work on this story while I have all this fun isolation time. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but I have this story all mapped out, so don’t be afraid of it being abandoned. I’m gonna finish this baby if it’s the last thing I do! As always, I’m self-conscious of this chapter, especially with characterization but please do let me know how you feel about it! I had fun writing it, and I hope you have fun reading it! (Forgive any mistakes you see, I am only babey).

Previous-Next-First

Pairing: Aziraphale/Human

Summary: More barging in, some tenderness, some threatening. All in a day’s work.

Warnings: This got SIGNIFICANTLY longer than other parts, so forgive me. There’s more cursing, but I think I’m just gonna have to resign myself to the fact that this is who I am now.

Word Count: 2,889

Men are stupid. It is a lesson that every person that considered themselves attracted to men learns at some point in their life, and it was a lesson that you had apparently forgotten. You had let yourself get pulled in by the promise of exquisite, centuries-old books and now you were paying for it.

You had assumed post-breakup position: laying across your sofa in your old, but still very fluffy pyjamas, a carton of ice cream on your lap with the sound of crap telly playing in the background. You weren’t even paying attention to what was happening on screen, but you knew that the alternative was to sit in silence until it was time for work, and you didn’t know how much of that you could take.

You couldn’t understand what exactly your problem was. Aziraphale hadn’t really done anything wrong, had he? He had been the perfect gentleman from the moment you had met him and yet something in you felt…betrayed. The thought of how angry Aziraphale had gotten, the crashing sound that had come from his sitting room window, the memory of the rage in his eyes frightened you. This man who had lovingly repaired priceless works of literature, who had patiently sat and enthusiastically listened to you rant about all the things that had happened to you over the course of the day, who had somehow remembered every single one of your favourite dishes and had cooked them all himself just because he had wanted to had transformed in front of your eyes. He’d become something terrible and dangerous, and that was your problem. The switch had been too much for you, and your fear had turned into hurt.

It was ridiculous, really. You knew that it was, but that didn’t stop you from avoiding the familiar little bookshop from then on. Partly out of residual confusion and dismay at what had happened, but mostly out of an overwhelming sense shame at how poorly you had dealt with the situation. You’d run away sobbing as though Aziraphale had hit you, when all he had done was defend you fiercely to someone who seemed to be an important figure in his life. No, you wouldn’t be stepping foot near the shop anytime soon if you had anything to do about it.

Unfortunately for you, you had a great less “anything” to do with it than you thought you had.

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It had been another long day. You enjoyed your new promotion and you were eternally grateful that you had gotten it in the first place, but it came with a truckload of new responsibilities that left you singularly exhausted on the bus ride home that evening. In your efforts to avoid Aziraphale at all costs, you had recently taken to riding the bus again, much to your wallet’s chagrin. Again, the foolishness of your actions was not lost on you, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to grow up.

The bus came to a stop and you followed the stream of tourists out onto the pavement. You felt almost like you were in a daze, mechanically turning and walking towards your apartment. Your eyes seemed to see through everything, out of focus and not really paying attention to what was going on around you. Distantly, you noticed that the air had begun to smell faintly of vanilla, like the nearby bakery was baking a wedding cake. In your tired state, you had forgotten that that particular bakery would have been closed long before you had even stepped foot on the bus earlier. Your neighbourhood was not a particularly dangerous one, but it was never smart for a young person to be out so close to dark without being at least somewhat aware of their surroundings. Though you couldn’t have known this, every potential mugger, or killer, or other type of criminal suddenly remembered something urgent that needed tending to on the other side of the city. Speeding motorists found their gas petals to be a tad bit wonky, keeping their vehicles moving along at well under the speed limits. Streetlamps that had long been neglected by the council clicked on, lighting your way home. Just for shits and giggles, for no reason at all (except for one very good reason that you were not at all privy to and were unlikely to be in your lifetime), you lifted your head and turned to look across the street.

Your heart skipped a beat. It was him! It had to be. He was standing in the middle of a group of people, none of them particularly interesting in anyway, so his shockingly white curls and light brown coat stood out like a sore thumb. Your heart beat wildly in your chest. It had been so long since you had seen the man, and the ache you felt as you tried to get a better view of him was almost too much to bear. Unbidden, your arm began to raise itself and his name flew to the tip of your tongue, but before you knew it, he was gone.

You thought about the incident all the way to your building and up the stairs to your flat. You had half a mind to call Aziraphale and demand to know why he was hanging about on Dean Street not ten minutes ago, and where the hell had he gone between the two seconds it had taken you to decide to call out to him and the moment you’d realised he was no longer there. You decided, thankfully, that you probably weren’t going to come at it from the right angle, especially not over the phone, and that you’d be better off continuing as you were. You put your keys and purse down and hung up your coat, thinking about dinner but unable to keep the memory of Aziraphale’s kind smile out of your mind.

You cooked yourself some pasta, not in the mood for a proper meal. You loved cooking, you really did, but it didn’t seem to have the same… ‘umph!’ to it that it had before this whole fiasco with Aziraphale. You had turned on the television so that you could have a bit of background noise while you worked and let yourself focus on the familiar rituals of boiling and straining and stirring. Before long, you had a plate of your favourite pasta along side a glass (a rather full one, mind you,) of your favourite wine. All was well.

Your serenity was interrupted by loud pounding at your door, as if someone were trying to knock the whole bloody thing down. You jumped, nearly spilling your wine all over your face, but you saved yourself at the last minute. Furiously (gingerly) putting the glass down on your kitchen table, you stood up from your chair, intending on giving whoever was on the other side of that door a piece of your mind. Apparently, you weren’t moving quite fast enough for them, because they knocked again, and you swore you could hear the hinges give a little and the force they were being put under. You stomped over to the door, unlocked it, wrenched it open to find—

“What the fuck?” It was Aziraphale’s angry friend. He stood right outside your door, smirking at you like the little shit he probably was. Your brain paused, hit rewind, and started again. You remembered the incident in Aziraphale’s living room and you tensed, preparing yourself for a deluge of indeterminate nonsense about you being mortal? And that somehow being a problem? He was just as unnerving as he had been when you had first seen him, still swaying, still upending the Universe. The real question of the hour was—

“How do you know where I live?!” You screeched, attempting to shut the door in his face, only to be met with his arm. He smirked and advanced on you, forcing you to walk backwards into your own flat. You looked around desperately and saw a hardcover textbook that you had been using to refresh some technique for work. You grabbed it and pointed it towards him, trying to look threatening. The man reached his hand out and you backed away.

“Don’t! Don’t come any closer!” Crowley stopped moving forward, but he didn’t look the least bothered by your performance. He chuckled, leaning against the door frame.

“Well I was going to introduce myself, but it seems you remember me. Let’s put a name to the face, shall we? My name is Crowley and I understand that I may be…how do you say, fit a f? I am sorry, love but you aren’t quite my type.” He finished by making a show of looking you up and down, which only fuelled your annoyance.

“Answer my question! How do you know where I live? Why are you even here?!”

“I’m afraid that was two questions, which one—”

“ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTIONS!” You demanded. Crowley frowned behind his pitch-black sunglasses (which he wore inside, hours after the sun had set) and seemed to grow more serious.

“I—that’s not how I was supposed to start this. Force of habit, you know, it gets the best of us all.” You didn’t respond, waiting for this strange man who had barged into your life on two separate occasions and had brought you nothing but irritation to explain himself.

“See it’s…I…you are—” He stopped, annoyed with the difficulty he was having. You were annoyed that he was still in your flat. “Aziraphale isn’t well.”

Your heart stopped. What? How could that be? You had just seen him! What was wrong? Was he dying? What if—

“He misses you, love. He won’t admit it but he does. He feels awful about what happened and that you were scared or whatever and ran away and he’s been wanting to call you for weeks but he’s too scared to. He’s not himself, Y/N.” This was not what you were expecting to hear. Aziraphale missed you? He’d been thinking about you? You basked in this knowledge for a couple of seconds before your mind stuck on something.

“How do you know my name?” There hadn’t been time for introductions when he had interrupted you and Aziraphale, and you definitely hadn’t said it since he’d interrupted you now.

“Angel talks about you all the time. It’d be grand not to know your name but noooo. Everything is always “Y/N that” and “Y/N this”. “Isn’t Y/N perfect Crowley?”” He’d pitched his voice higher to indicate he was mocking Aziraphale, but you had barely noticed. This was getting to be a bit too much for you to handle. Did Aziraphale…could he actually…did he feel the same way about you that you did about him? Was it even possible? Crowley must’ve seen your confusion on you face because he softened a little.

“Look. Come back to the shop. At least just talk to him, tell him you’re not angry anymore. You’re not angry anymore, right?” He waited for you to respond. You realised that no, you weren’t angry. You missed him sorely, and if you could have him back in your life, even if everything that Crowley had told you was false, it would be more than enough to just be friends again. You shook your head. Crowley grinned at you.

“Brilliant. So, go to the shop, do whatever you two do, and I won’t have to hear about “lovely Y/N” anymore. It’s win-win-win for everyone.” He turned to leave but stopped, sighed heavily, and turned back around. “Uhm. While I’m here, uh. Aziraphale wanted me to…you know…” He cut himself off. He seemed to do that a lot for a man who had no qualms about breaking down doors and interrupting other people.

“You know how people say things that they don’t mean?” He asked, looking up at a water spot on your ceiling. You nodded. He looked down and nodded too, his lips twitching in a smile. “Good. See ya around, love!” And with that he left, the door closing behind him on his way out. You imagined that whatever had just happened was as close to an apology as you were going to get from the strange man--if that was actually what he was trying to do.

You stood and stared at the door for a good while before dropping the book on the ground and sitting heavily onto your sofa. There was so much to think about now, and your mind was absolutely buzzing. You decided that tonight was a very good night to finish off that brand-new bottle you had just bought yesterday.

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Your palms were sweaty. Your knees were trembling slightly, but that wasn’t as bad as sweaty palms. He would feel your sweat and be disgusted and kick you out of his shop before any of your nasty oily sweat got on any of his precious books. Or, replied the competent part of your brain, you could wipe your hands on your jeans and open the damned door already. Your stomach twisted as you raised your hand and pushed on the handle and walked through the doorway.

You were greeted with the sweet sound of bells. The smell of old books and wax and something that Aziraphale carried around with him washed over you, relaxing your shoulders and planting a stupidly stupid smile on your face. You were totally in love with this man, but his bookshop came a close second. You wandered around at first, partly interested in the books and partly biding time until you had to deal with the Aziraphale in the room. It wasn’t difficult to lose yourself in all of the old volumes, and you were so particularly engrossed in one that you were completely oblivious to the man behind you on the stairs.

Aziraphale was beside himself. He had been up in his apartment brewing some tea when the sound of the front door drew him out to the shop. He’d come down the stairs, expecting to find some customer that he would have to fight tooth and nail to keep from buying one of his books but instead he’d found you. After the way you had left, in tears and clearly terrified, he had not dared to hope that he’d see you again. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He couldn’t help himself from watching over you as you walked home, performing the self-same miracle that had kept you safe last night (however, he was  not responsible for you looking up at him, that was something else entirely and it had spooked him something fierce). That was all he had allowed himself to do, baring himself from calling you or visiting you, thinking that if you were so frightened of him, you would not appreciate him initiating contact before you were ready.

He ached for you. He thought of you every day; of your smile, your eyes, your intelligence, your passion for his books and your genuine desire to understand him. Over the time you were apart, he’d come to realise how much he cared for you and how much it hurt to not have you in his life. He watched, unwilling to break your concentration as you ran your fingers reverently along the books, mouthing their titles silently. You were beautiful, even with your hair in the messy bun you preferred on days you didn’t have to dress up for work, in ripped jeans and an old sweater. He couldn’t just stare at you all day, so he forced himself to break his trance and clear his throat.

Predictably, you jumped, hitting your hand on the thick wood of the bookcase. You cursed loudly, bringing your hurting hand to your chest. Panicked, Aziraphale rushed down the stairs and to your side, already reaching for your hand.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, my dear, please forgive me! I didn’t mean to startle you, I just…Oh I feel awful!” You let him take your hand in both of his, everything you had meant to say before stepping into the shop floating away as you watched Aziraphale fuss over your hand. You smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay, Azi.” His head shot up and he stared, wide eyed in wonder. You had been the only person to call him that, and he admittedly missed the sound of it while you weren’t with him. You covered his hands with your other one, squeezing gently. “It’s okay.”

He could scarcely think. Or breathe, or do anything but blink at you like the besotted fool he was. You were here, in front of him, touching him, speaking to him, looking at him like that, like perhaps you had missed him just as much as he had missed you. Out of instinct, out of an urge that had plagued him these long months that he had known you, he slowly lifted your bruising hand up to his lips, giving you plenty of time to pull away, to leave him and never set eyes on him again. When you did none of those things, he pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to your knuckles, and then another on the angry red spot that had hit the case. Your breath shuddered in your chest, and you could do nothing but stand there.

Conversations would be had, nothing to personal, nothing close to admitting whatever it was between you, but you didn’t need that. There was an understanding that life without the other person was not worth the trouble. All was truly well.

Tag List:

@chelsdub​, @a-hoe-for-vanya​, @lordbeezyprinceofhell​, @aelin-thefirebreathingbitchqueen​, @beetlebway​, @dreamerkim​, @petalduck​

(Let me know if you want to be added. If you’ve asked before and you aren’t tagged, it means tumblr didn’t let me tag you for whatever reason, so ask me again! If you don’t want to be tagged anymore, also let me know!)

[ikenbar]

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice Ch2 Pt3

Warnings:... there really isn’t any. Unless you’ve got a problem with some fluff and plot development... oh, and cliff hangers :)

(Chapter One parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,  chapter two’s prologue, parts one and two here :))

((Please read the author’s note on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D))

Chapter Two:

Part three:

I walked into the familiar building with Sam’s hand in mine. Gavin walked next to us with the perp perched over his shoulder. Sam swung my hand playfully as he looked around. I kept my eyes trained on him. I couldn’t quite pull myself from his smile. “Hey, wait!” Sam’s face filled with realization as he looked up at me, catching my eyes perfectly, “Did you say Officer Gavin was your neighbor?!” I nodded wryly. “Really?! So you’re Sr. Yells-a-lot!! Jeez, from the way Ike talks about you, I always pictured you as an old m-”

“OK!” I shouted over Sam, cutting him off uselessly, “Let’s not mention nicknames I give to an officer of the law while we are in a police station.” Sam’s smile only grew as he watched how flustered I had gotten. I swear, that kid had a whole dark side that he hid so well behind those puppy eyes. I stole a glance at Gavin who was looking at me skeptically. He opened his mouth but was cut off by an approaching officer. The officer was chubby and smiled joyfully as he neared us.

“Ike!” He greeted me with open arms, “What a nice surprise! We haven’t seen you here in ages!”

“Landsman,” I folded my arms, refusing his hug, “Wish I could say the same but I can’t.” I flashed a glare towards Gavin, who didn’t seem to notice my movements. Officer landsman chuckled.

“Same ‘ol Ike.”  Landsman directed his attention to Sam, who promptly jumped at the sudden attention, “So this is the perp you were talking about, Officer Gavin? Ah it seems the criminals just keep getting younger.” Landsman shook his head playfully as he pulled Sam into a bearhug, cradling his head in his arms and dramatically petting it, “Ah the youth of today. Getting so carried away with the ‘fun’ they are always having.”

“I’m not the perp!” Sam laughed pushing Landsman away from him.

“Oh?” Landsman tilted his head, “Then what’s your name, kid?”

“I’m Sam.” Sam held out his hand politely, “Sam Bearhreak.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Mr. Bearhreak!” The officer shook Sam’s hand. Gavin gave me a confused look.

“How is it Landsman gets to know his name and I don’t?” He asked with a tinge of offense.

“Landsman didn’t sit me next to a sleeping perp in the back of a police car.” I gave Gavin my arched eyebrow. Gavin returned my gift with a frown. Sam poked my arm, directing my attention back to him.

"How do you know so many people here?" He asked, "Sr. yells-a-lot, Officer Landsman, you talk to them as if they were your old friends!" I hesitated.

"You don't know?" Landsman chuckled, "Ike was a bounty hunter!"

"What?!" Sam's jaw dropped.

"Yeah! A dang good one too!"

"Landsman!!" I protested. 

"What?" Landsman looked nervously at me, "I thought you were proud of that! She brought in ten criminals a day! The fastest I had seen anyone do it! Not even Gavin… is… that…." Landsman made eye contact with a scowling Gavin. Landsman cleared his throat and stopped talking.

"You were a bounty hunter?!" Sam looked at me with distance in his eyes. Whether it was from fear, or from confusion I didn't know. What I did know was that I didn't like it.

"I'm retired." I said patting his head reassuringly, "I stopped after a year and a half. I don't do it anymore, I promise." Sam's distance was replaced by worry. I bit the inside of my lip sheepishly.

"Don't worry, Sam." Gavin spoke up, looking past me to catch Sam’s stare, "She wasn't as good as Landsman makes her out to be."

"Thanks." I sarcastically mumbled. Sam laughed nervously. It was almost as bad as not hearing him laugh at all. 

“Why don’t I get you a nice cup of hot chocolate as the adults start talking.” Landman said as he stood up and offered Sam a hand. Sam’s soft, growing smile soon dissipated as he heard those words. He looked at me nervously. 

“I don’t know.” Sam pulled closer to me, “I want to stay with Ike.” My gut turned uncomfortably. I didn’t want to leave Sam either but I knew how grueling interrogations could be. I didn’t want Sam to see a side of me that I had purposely left behind all those years ago. Something had to be done.

“Landsman’s right.” I said pushing Sam closer to the officer, “But, how about you show Sam your hidden donut collection as well? You know, to seal the deal.” Landsman gave me a mixed look. As did Sam. I bent down next to Sam. “You’ll be alright.” I reassured him.

“I’m not the one I’m worried about.” Sam whispered slightly.

“I’ll be alright too.” I stroked Sam’s hair gently, “I’ll meet you for hot chocolate soon, ok?” It took Sam a long moment before he slowly nodded. He gave me a quick hug before turning to Landsman. I watched silently as they walked away.

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Gavin’s voice was soft. I hated the way it sounded. What does a cop know about caring? Nothing. That's what. The perp moaned slightly on Gavin’s shoulder. “Welp, that’s my cue.” Gavin said, waving to a police officer a couple of feet away, “I’ll set him up in an interrogation room so Officer Sean will be the one to check you in. Try not to break anything while I’m gone.”

“I’m gonna break anything.” I muttered childishly as Gavin walked away and Officer Sean approached me.

It felt as if I had been waiting for hours in that empty room. Since all of the interrogation rooms were occupied, I was put in the waiting room. The room was nice and cozy. Couches and chairs took up the middle of it and a coffee table, which I had my feet firmly planted on, made for a good centerpiece for everything. I looked down at my watch for the twentieth time. Forty six. It had been forty six minutes since Officer Sean dropped me off there. I groaned and slid down the couch slightly. If this was Gavin’s way of angering me it was working. Sam had been left alone in the police station for far too long as it was. He was already having a bad day. I couldn’t be yet another reason to make it worse.

I rubbed my face, trying to wipe away the tension I was feeling. I couldn’t believe Sam got tied into this. Just because I couldn’t shut my mouth and get along with my neighbor. Mister Rogers is turning in his grave because of me. I grunted and shifted my position on the couch, restlessly. "That no good, pathetic, excuse for a cop." The thoughts in my head escaped my mouth as I sat in that empty room, "Who the hell does he think he is!? The moment I get out of this police station, I am gonna-"

"Gonna what?"

The door opened and I stopped my murmurings. Gavin walked in with an arched eyebrow and a folder in his hand. “Finally.” I huffed, “You realize I could have grown a vegetable garden big enough to solve world hunger from the amount of time you’ve kept me here?” Gavin locked eyes with me. Something about his stare was off. It was softer than if it was before. So he chooses now to feel bad for me. I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, He should have thought about that before he locked me in here for nearly an hour.

 Gavin walked further into the room and sat on the couch across from me. I folded my arms and glared at him. He carefully placed the file on the coffee table.

“Would you... like some coffee?” He asked awkwardly.

“No thanks.” I answered, defiantly, “If I say yes, you might make it an excuse to travel to Costa Rica to brew it, thus leaving me here longer, making me tend once more to the vegetable garden.” Gavin sighed and held his eye contact with me. His gaze was steady and had an emotion that was unrecognizable to me. My stare was stronger; full of determination and hatred. Whatever that emotion was in his eyes, I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand him.  Does he even realize how he isn’t just hurting me here? Didn’t he care when he saw how scared Sam was? How scared Sam was of… me? Ugh, why must Gavin be such a… cop?

 Gavin held his stare as he leaned back on the couch. He folded his arms and finally spoke up, “Why don’t you save us some time and tell me everything happened before I got to the scene?” His soft voice turned into one of business. 

“Because you care so much about saving time.” I rolled my eyes. I tapped my shoulder for a moment, in thought. When I decided to speak up, I chose my words very carefully, “Sam and I were walking home from school. There is a shortcut down an alley so we decided to take it. That man you found came out from behind the dumpsters and pointed a gun at us. He told us to go with him but we refused. He fired the gun. I punched him. He dropped the gun and fell to the floor, unconscious. Sam and I were debating how we were going to take him to the police station when you came.” I became silent and waited for Gavin to speak. He didn’t. He just looked at me with a sense of anticipation. “....That’s it.” I added.

“Oh really?” He asked, “That’s not what Hickman said.”

“Who?”

“The gunman. He woke up just a little bit ago and confessed to the whole thing.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “He confessed?!” This just adds to the theory I had going in my head since the car ride.

“He confessed out of fear.” Gavin said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the coffee table, “He told me that he shot the gun three times and he hit you every. Single. Time. But you didn’t bleed. The bullets just fell to the floor. Care to explain?” It was my turn to be silent. Millions of excuses came to mind.  He saw the holes in my fashionable shirt and made an assumption! The gun was firing blanks and he didn’t realize it! This is all just a prank to promote my new TV show, Guns VS Glam!! Come on, Gav, you would trust a criminal more than you’d trust me?! But the more I thought about how I could get out of the situation, the more I realized how useless it would be. If my theory was right about this guy, people could be in danger. I had to be honest with Gavin if I wanted to keep them safe.

“I’m bulletproof.” I deadpanned. Gavin shook his head, clearly taken aback.

“What?” He asked, slightly laughing.

“I’m bulletproof. It is part of my powers as an evolved human being.”

Gavin wasn’t laughing anymore. His face became serious as he slowly sat up. He searched my eyes for any lies. I grew impatient and leaned forward in a hurried whisper, “Long story short, I’m an evolved human being with super abilities unknown to man known as Evol. There are loads of us that live in secret so the government won’t do experiments on us. I’m only telling you this because I think the perp knows this. I think he knows about Evolvers. When he shot me the first time, he acted as if he was afraid but his eyes remained calm. There wasn’t any sign of fear in them. No dilation or raising of the eyelids, nothing. You’d think he was high or something but he was putting up such a front to act as if he were terrified of me. He started shaking and shot me again as if he thought he missed. He even dropped the gun. When I came at him, he didn’t move to defend himself. He just let me knock him out. And then he immediately confesses when he wakes up?! Something isn’t right here.” Gavin still had his eyes trained on me. His expression was indistinguishable. He was clearly lost in thought. I groaned impatiently, “I know it’s a lot to take in but if his guy knows about Evolvers then millions of lives could be at stake. He could be trying to expose us, which could cause a war larger than you will ever know. It will send a panic into the human race as people start mistrusting everyone around them. Life as we know it would disappear. Everyone you love, everything you cared about, torn away as we are thrust into a battle against the natural man. I know it’ll be hard for you to do, but I need you to trust me. I know you don’t and I know you likely never will, but you have to. This one time. If anything happens it would be my fault. I can’t live with that. So, please, Gavin.” I took Gavin’s hand in mine, “Trust me.” Gavin’s eyes looked at our hands then back at me. There was a moment of silence as he made his choice. 

He furrowed his brows and nodded.

“Alright.” His tone was one I had never heard before, “I trust you.” Relief washed over me as I sighed. Gavin leaned slightly forward in thought, “Do you know the gunman?”

“No.” I matched my tone to Gavin’s, “Which leads me to believe he may be working for someone who knows me. Someone who knows I’m an Evolver.”

“Who knows you’re an Evolver? Does any of your family know? What about the people you put away as a bounty hunter?”

“Sam knows.” I looked down in thought, “So do my foster parents. As for the people I put away…” A memory came to mind. I was chasing after a mobster down an alleyway. A car was waiting for him at the end of it, honking noisily. He was nearing it steadily and I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch up to him in time. I made a split decision. I took one of the dumpsters in the alley and chucked it at the mobster. It flew in the air and landed right in front of him, stalling him just enough for me to catch up and take him down.

 I cringed slightly. “There’s one.” I awkwardly muttered, “but he is behind bars. It can’t have been him.”

“Well then, there is only one way to find out who it could be.” Gavin said matter-of-factly, “We have to ask Hickman himself.” I looked up at Gavin. His eyes were full of determination. I straightened my posture and matched his gaze.

“Right.” I nodded with courage. Gavin nodded back and looked down at the table. He cleared his throat slightly, his ears turning a slight red

“I… uh… need my hands back.” His voice was awkward as he evaded his gaze both from the table and me. I looked down and saw that I was still holding his hands. I felt my face burn as I quickly pulled them back.

“S-sorry.” I muttered, rubbing my face casually to mask my red cheeks. Gavin swept the file from the coffee table and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it. I leaned back on the comfy sofa and waited for the door to shut... I looked up and saw him still standing at the door.

“You coming?” He asked, gesturing to the door.

“You… want me to come with you?” I asked, stupidly. Gavin’s face fell into one that only an idiot would receive.

“Do you want to know who paid this guy?” Gavin asked. I nodded, “Then come on! I don’t know who you put away. I need you there to tell me if the name he gives us is real. Besides,” Gavin rubbed his neck and looked away from me, “you could tell this guy was lying to you with his eyes alone. I could use that in an interrogation.” I slowly nodded and stood up.

“Give me a moment to talk to Sam first.” I said as I walked through the door. I scanned the area for any sign of my little brother.

“That will be kind of hard to do.” Gavin closed the door behind us.

“And why is that?” My tone returned to its initial darkness.

“I took him home.”

I blinked.

“...you what?”

“I took him home. I didn’t know how long we would keep you here and he didn’t do anything wrong so I drove him home after he gave me his story.” Gavin’s eye contact with me seemed sincere. I leaned away from him slightly, “Which strangely matched your initial story perfectly, might I add. It almost makes me wonder what kind of kid he really is."

“OK, one more question.” I said, “Who are you and what have you done with my crabby neighbor?” Gavin chuckled. That was the first time I had heard him laugh. The sound made me slightly uneasy… but it wasn’t an awful sound.

“Maybe I’m not as bad as you make me out to be.” Gavin gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked past me. “Which reminds me, Sam told me to tell you to call him when you get released.”  I stared at him as he walked down the busy hallway. Was he just… nice to me? To Sam? What happened to that heartless cop I once knew? Did Sam say something to him to make him change?... Did I say something to him to make him change? What... I shook the thoughts out of my head. There was no time to be thinking about these things. There was a criminal that needed to be taken down. I quickly caught up to Gavin and walked with him down the hallway and to the interrogation room.

(Next part to be posted on Wednesday April 29th)

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 4: False Alarm

(from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)

…in which their cat’s gone missing and Y/N doesn’t know what to do.

Word count: 3.7k

Chapter 3: Handcuffs - Niall can only think of one way to solve his best friends’ conflict.

Wattpad link

A/N: For those who did not know, I went through a terrible week and couldn't write, so I had to postpone this update until Sunday. This chapter is shorter than the previous ones, but the next will be as long as usual. Thank you for reading! Love, Allie. (Btw, who loves Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Audrey Hepburn?)

.

.

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“No, no, no, this is not happening to me!”

When Layla heard Y/N’s scream, she was in the living room watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Normally she would just shrug it off because it could be another cockroach in the tub. But as Y/N shouted out her name specifically, she had no choice but to click pause and go see what it was.

Her best friend was sitting on the bedroom floor, back pressed against the closet. Once she spotted Layla, she rose immediately to show her the phone. “I missed my period,” she cried out, looking utterly distraught. “I haven’t checked the app in so long and just now realized I’m two weeks late. I can’t even remember the last time I was late!”

“Okay, calm down.” Layla raised her hands, taking a deep breath. “As far as I know, stress can cause irregular and missed periods, and you’ve been working your ass off lately. No wonder.”

“But I threw up yesterday and this morning too.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that...” Y/N paused, shutting her eyes as if she was afraid if she said it, it would come true. But she couldn’t avoid the thought forever, she had to tell somebody. “I think I’m pregnant.”

“Don’t joke like that.” Layla snorted, but Y/N was quick to seize her arm.

“Harry and I had sex without a condom on our honeymoon once and I forgot that I wasn’t on the pills!” The girl said in one single breath, but Layla could hear every word loud and clear. Her eyes bulged out as her jaw dropped. She took a few seconds to figure out how to react to this news.

“How could you fucking forget, dumbass?!” She raised her voice, smacking her best friend on the arm. Y/N jumped away, rubbing the sore spot as she pouted. “We were on the beach and...and there were stars and...it was very romantic and—”

Layla cut her off by putting up one hand. “Spare me the details, please. I’ve seen enough in the last five years, I’m surprised I’m not traumatized yet.”

Y/N huffed and ignored that joke as she went on, “but the point is, I already took the emergency pill in the morning!”

“Those pills don’t always work you know.”

“I know, I just...don’t know what to do now?” The distressed girl collapsed onto her bed, her face was pallid, and her heart was pounding so hard that her chest might explode. “I can’t...I can’t get pregnant now. My husband is drowning under a pile of work, and I just got promoted.”

Standing with her back against the closet, Layla glanced up at the ceiling. She thought for two seconds and looked back to Y/N. “Have you taken a test?”

Y/N propped herself up on her elbows, frowning as she mumbled, “n-no.”

With no hesitation, Layla jumped right at her and dragged her straight towards the bathroom door. “Do you have one of those pregnancy sticks?” Y/N nodded, her mouth turned into a frown. “Good. Now get your ass in there and pee on it, then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

“But what if I’m really pregnant?”

“Just fucking get in there!” Layla grumbled as she pushed her best friend into the room and shut the door. The problem was temporarily solved. Now it was time to go back to her favorite movie.

Every one of Layla's friends knew how obsessed she was with Breakfast At Tiffany’s. She couldn’t recall how many times she’d watched that film and fallen in love with Audrey Hepburn all over again. So when Y/N asked her to come over for a movie marathon Sunday, she had been so excited, knowing her best friend had never seen this one before. But here she was, watching it alone because Y/N was taking forever in the bathroom with that pregnancy stick.

“You’re gonna miss the iconic scene! Holly is putting on her lipstick!” Layla shouted with a mouth full of popcorn and muttered along the famous line “a girl doesn’t read this sort of things without her lipstick,” while grinning from ear to ear.

“Layla...”

The soft voice pulled her attention away from the TV screen. She meant to scold at Y/N for interrupting her, but as soon as she saw her best friend’s pouting face, she knew something had gone wrong.

“H-How was it?” She immediately stood up and walked up to Y/N, who gave her a slight shrug. Y/N didn’t say a word, still, Layla already had her answer. What else could it be when Y/N seemed this agitated? A positive. Definitely a positive.

Frowning, she wrapped both arms around Y/N to pull her in and lay a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry..." she said. "You’re gonna be a great mum."

“But I—” Y/N could barely begin when Layla shushed her with a wave and turned back to the screen. Audrey’s character Holly was now crying in the rain because she’d lost her yellow cat. This was Layla's favorite scene, there was no way she could miss it.

“Cat! Cat!” She mumbled along with Holly, placing both hands on her chest. No matter how many times she had watched this one, she always got emotional as if it was her first. However, her mood was ruined by another scream so loud, that her ears went deaf for a few seconds. She widened her eyes at Y/N, who was now looking from left to right like she was going insane.

“Where’s Treasure?!” She shouted.

It was then that Layla remembered she hadn’t seen the white cat that entire morning. She scanned her eyes around the room, looking slightly concerned. “You told me you were gonna give the cat a bath. But then you screamed, and I came in to see you on your bedroom floor.”

“Right...I was...I was about to give her a bath...” Y/N tried to steady her breath while pacing back and forth. Immediately, she stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw fell slack as she pointed a finger to the front door which was wide opened. “Who opened that door?!”

“You did!” Layla scoffed. “You told me you burnt something in the kitchen, so you let the door opened for the smoke to fly out.”

“Shit...no, no, no!” Y/N wailed, her face contorted. Nam had been cat-sitting Treasure for so long and never had there been a problem. But as soon as he took a day off and let Y/N do the job, Treasure ended up missing. How could she be so careless? If something happened to her cat, she would hate herself forever. Harry would hate her too. She couldn’t let that happen. And so she freaked out and told her best friend, “We need to go find Treasure!”

“Calm down, she’ll come ba—” Layla didn’t get to finish her sentence. Y/N pushed her aside and ran out of the flat in a heartbeat.

“Meow!” 

The sound caused Layla’s head to spin. For a second there she had hoped it was Treasure. But unfortunately, it was from the movie. Holly Golightly had found her yellow cat in the alley, and while in tears, she hugged her pet as soft music began to play. Layla exhaled, rolling her eyes. She knew she’d be damned if Treasure never came back again, and so she paused the film to follow Y/N out of the flat.

.

.

.

As the girls got to the lobby, they bumped into Ben, who was on his way to visit them. The smile on his face slipped just as Layla screamed “Treasure is missing!” and Y/N pushed him aside to rush towards the door. Confused, he snatched her arm and pulled her right back.

“Let’s all calm down now. Treasure’s a smart cat. She won’t go far,” he tried to reassure the nervous girl, but those words seemed completely useless as she hissed and brushed him off.

“She’s my cat okay? You don’t have a cat, you don’t get it!”

Y/N’s aggressive reaction left Ben confused. Eyes widened, he turned to Layla, shooting her a look of concern as he assumed she would know what was going on. But her mouth snapped shut instead of giving him an answer. Something about their behaviors made Ben think Y/N’s lost cat wasn’t the biggest problem here. He stepped forward, gently rubbing her arm and leaning down so their eyes met.

“Hey, just take a deep breath and—” Y/N barely let him finish. She grabbed his shoulders then shook him violently. “I spent five minutes with my cat and now she’s missing! How am I gonna look after a human baby?!”

“Okay, dude, stop. You’re scaring him.” Layla literally had to drag her away before she ripped off Ben’s shirt. It took the man around five seconds to figure out what she meant, and once realization dawned on his face, he gasped, covering his mouth.

“Are you pregnant?”

“No, I am not!” Y/N answered, but Layla quickly clarified. “She’s still in the denial phase.”

Ben’s reaction to the pregnancy news was entirely different from the girls had expected. He clasped his hands together, bouncing up and down before reaching out to caress Y/N’s belly. His eyes literally lit up when he smiled at her. “Is it a little Y/N or little Harry?”

“Oh my god, does anyone with a dick know how pregnancy works?” Layla cried out as she smacked his hand away, and he instantly shot her a glare.

“Someone with a dick who’s not into dicks might.”

“Enough with the pregnancy talk!” Y/N raised her voice, sounding exhausted and frustrated at the same time. She knew if she let these two argue it would never end, thus the best solution at the moment was to stay calm as Ben had said. There was plenty of time later to worry about being pregnant. “Now.” She sighed. “Let’s split and find Treasure before something happens to her.”

.

.

.

The search had gone on for almost three hours. They had been to every place in their neighborhood where they assumed the cat might be, but it was hopeless. How could they find such a tiny creature in a city as big as London? A child might be easy to spot, but Treasure was a cat. God knew where she might be. She could've been kidnapped and nobody would've cared or noticed. That, however, was the last thing Y/N wanted to think of right now.

Heartbroken and disappointed, Y/N returned to her building, trying to catch her breath while sweat was dripping down from her forehead and soaking her entire back. There she met Layla, who was also in the same nervous state.

“Y/N, I’ve looked everywhere, can’t find her.” Layla breathed, both hands on her hip as she looked around, squinting her eyes. “Let’s just hope Ben returns with good news.”

That didn't calm Y/N's nerves at all. She slowly released a shaky breath and flopped down on the step behind them. Hugging both knees, she muttered, “this is all my fault. How am I supposed to tell Harry?”

Layla could only sigh as she took a seat next to her friend. With both arms around Y/N’s shoulders, she spoke, “this isn’t your fault. It’s just the pregnancy hormones that make you feel this way.”

But Y/N shook her head. Layla didn't understand that response, yet she had a feeling there was something else she did not know. Without waiting for her to wonder, Y/N blurted out, “I...I didn't take the test.”

“What?" Layla’s green eyes shot open. “What the fuck does that mean?!”

“I-I was about to but I got scared...”

“Fuck, dude…” was all Layla could whisper before letting the silence sink in, and they sat like that, both were thinking on their own. It did sound like a bad thing at first. Y/N let Layla and also Ben believe the test was positive, thus they had been worrying all for nothing. But as Layla thought again, she realized this could be better. She tapped her best friend on the shoulder to get her attention. “But hey, it means you might not be pregnant. We still have hope.”

“Actually…” Y/N’s voice was so tiny Layla could barely hear that word. "That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Huh?”

Y/N sighed, chewing on her bottom lip as she pondered before speaking up. “I know this may sound insane but...we had a pregnancy scare before and...and it was a false alarm. So if it happens again, I think...” She paused right there. Just like before, she was afraid to say something and have it become a reality. But she trusted Layla, and she knew if she was going to confide in anyone other than Harry, it should be Layla.

“What if I can’t have babies?” Y/N spoke at last. Her voice shuddered, and the anxiety was clear in her tone. “I know I said I didn’t want to have kids now...but what if when I’m ready, I still can’t?”

Layla’s expression softened at once. She put a hand on Y/N’s shoulder as a tiny smile formed on her lips. “Hey, don’t be so pessimistic, everything will be fi—”

“You don’t get it." Y/N shook her head fast, her chapped lips pressed together as her eyes swam with tears. “That’s all Harry’s talked about since our wedding. How am I supposed to come back tonight and tell him I’ve lost our cat and I cannot have babies?”

“He’s not gonna leave you because you can’t get pregnant. Harry’s not like that.”

“But he’ll be disappointed…” She shook her head, her eyes were filled with tears. “I don’t want Harry to be sad and disappointed. I want him to be happy.”

“Hey.” Layla exhaled as she cupped her best friend’s face. “I’ve known Harry for five years, and I‘ve never seen him happier than when he’s with you. That idiot loves you. He’s gonna love you if you go bald and lose all your teeth. You think he gives a fuck if you cannot have babies?”

“No…”

“Say it with confidence, bitch.”

“No,” Y/N spoke louder, trying not to laugh as she wiped away her tears.

Layla giggled, rolling her eyes. “And let’s not make assumptions so soon. We don’t know for sure if you’re pregnant, or if Treasure is really missing. Want me to call H?”

“No, don't.” Y/N shook her head slowly, now more relaxed than before. “He’s having lunch with his suppliers...I don’t wanna bother him.”

Layla said nothing else as she nodded. They sat there for a little while, watching people passing by and waiting for Ben to come back, hopefully with some good news. But the thing about living in London was that, one second it was sunny, and in a blink of an eye, it was raining cats and dogs. That Sunday was no exception. It began with a raindrop on Layla’s arm which instantly caught her attention as she lifted her face up. She opened her mouth to warn Y/N about what was coming for them, but as soon as the first sound escaped her lips, the rain came down like a giant waterfall.

“Shit!” She cursed, standing up quickly, yet Y/N was still sitting there, unbothered by the unexpected shower.

“Hey, dumbass, stand up!”

“No, Treasure can’t be out there in this rain!” Y/N shrugged her best friend’s arm away, keeping her hands above her eyes so she could with water was splashing down on them. Layla kept repeating that Treasure would be fine, but neither of them knew if that was true anymore. They didn't want to think of the worst scenarios because it would break their hearts to even imagine. However, the rain turned out to be their stroke of luck. A familiar purr made their heads turned to the other side of the road. This time, Layla was sure it wasn’t from any movie scene.

“Treasure!”

“Meow!”

The white fur ball hopped off the brick wall and ran across the street to jump right into Y/N’s arms. Y/N forgot about the cold as she pulled the wet creature to her chest, giving her soft kisses all over. “I will never let you out of sight again,” she promised, squeezing Treasure tightly.

Standing on the sidelines, Layla ignored the rain pouring down on them three. "My favorite scene," she mumbled, her lips curved into a peaceful smile. The moment was beautiful and warm. But then a yellow cat jumped right out from the bush behind them, causing Layla to scream and almost fall down into the puddle at her feet.

“Tiger?” Y/N raised both eyebrows as the creature approached her and rubbed its face against her leg.

“Jesus Christ, how many cats do you secretly own?!” Layla shouted, making her best friend giggle.

“This one isn’t mine, it's Mason’s.”

“Harry's hot cousin?”

“You mean ‘annoying’?” Y/N snorted. “Yeah.”

That was when Ben came back, holding a black umbrella and looking startled to see the girls standing in the rain. All out of breath, he announced with an enormous grin, “that lady over there said that she saw Treasure with a yellow cat, they were heading to the park and—Hold up!” The man halted when he saw those little troublemakers staring back at him. The look on his face made both Y/N and Layla burst out laughing.

“Okay, Romeo and Juliet,” Y/N sighed as she picked Tiger up with her other hand. “Let’s get you both dry and cleaned.”.

.

.

.

As soon as Harry got home, he dashed into the bedroom. His hair was wet from the rain, but fortunately, his clothes were mostly dry. With a sigh of relief, he leaned against the door, smiling as he saw his wife and their cat snuggling up together while watching a movie. As soon as Y/N spotted him, she cheered, “daddy’s home!” And Treasure meowed in joy when he came in to kiss both of their heads.

He stroked his wife’s cheek in concern. “I ran into Ben earlier. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, it was a false alarm.” Y/N nodded, pressing her moist lips into a gentle smile. “She was only going on a date with Tiger.”

“Mason’s cat?”

She nodded again, and both of them turned to look at the guilty one.

“Guess I don't have to wait until we have a daughter to worry about her and the boy next door.” Harry chuckled while shaking his head. He expected Y/N to laugh along like she normally would, but instead, she kept a straight face. It wasn’t her not finding his joke funny, it was something else, he could tell.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Harry asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he met her eyes again. Instead of telling him the reason, she responded with a question which left him surprised.

“Did Ben tell you about the other thing?”

He stuck out his bottom lip, shaking his head slightly. “What other thing?”

“That I thought I was pregnant, but I wasn’t?”

Harry felt his entire body go numb as he heard that. He didn’t know how to respond because he couldn’t read her expression, so all he could do was stutter and end up shaking his head. “He um…no, he didn’t mention…Are you okay, love?”

“Layla took me to the hospital. All those pregnancy symptoms were caused by stress,” she whispered and blinked her sweet eyes at him. Harry had no idea why she seemed so sad. She had been rambling on about how they couldn’t afford a child at this point. He thought she should be happy instead.

“Oh, that’s a relief, right? You don’t want to have kids now,” he said while rubbing her back as she scooted closer to rest her head on his shoulder. She was quiet for a while to think before she spoke. It was always bad news when Y/N was quiet. He knew her well to realize when something was bothering her.

“Yeah, well...I...” She hesitated. “Maybe...I won’t ever...have kids.” As she pulled away to see how he reacted, he tried to remain calm, yet ended up gawking at her. She gulped, reaching out to squeeze the hand he put on her lap. Her voice shuddered as she went on. “I have high FSH levels, which means low chances of getting pregnant.”

“Oh” was his instant reply. That was a terrible comment to your wife saying she might never have children, but he wasn’t in his clear mind to come up with something better. He was shocked, yes, but he wasn’t upset about the news, not even the slightest.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke quietly, giving his hand another squeeze.

That was how he knew, she forgot. She forgot how much he loved her, and they were married, and nothing in this world could change the fact that, they were together in this forever.

“No, don’t be sorry, love.” He pressed his forehead against her, watching her eyelids flutter as she held his gaze. “This doesn’t matter to me, you do. Besides, having low chances doesn’t mean impossible.”

"But it’s still unlikely...I’m so sorry," she apologized once more, despite knowing he hated it when she blamed herself for something that wasn’t her fault. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like it was. "We’ve talked about having kids since forever, and now I’m telling you that it might not happen, I—"

“Hey.” He grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to pay attention to his words instead of her own. “This isn’t your fault. This doesn’t change how much I love you. Told you at our wedding, didn’t I? I’ll love you forever, and that means with or without babies. We can always adopt ours, like Brad and Angelina, yeah? We’ll be a family of ten if that's what you want.” With tears in her eyes, she nodded fast, exhaling a warm laugh that got him chuckling as well. “Let’s not lose hope,” he reassured her. “I’m sure we’ll get kids of our own one day.”

“You believe that?”

“Yeah.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. “But I’m happy with the way things are now. We’re already a happy family. You, me, and—” Sighing, he turned to Treasure, who was patiently waiting for her name to get mentioned. “And this little lady who left home with the boy her parents had warned her about.”

Y/N giggled, hugging the cat close to her chest and pulling her husband closer to kiss him passionately. The film on her laptop was still playing, and she knew Layla would be so mad that she didn’t watch until the rolling credits. However, everyone knew how it would end, with Holly Golightly kissing her lover Paul while holding her cat.

[tuaparadis]

Man or A Monster (Day 4: Death)

The Umbrella Academy Inktober 2019.

— Summary: Every single one of them knew the academy was broken. They never really knew how much until Ben died. Vanya didn’t have to rub it in, and she certainly didn’t have to let everyone else in the world know about it either.

or

The Hargreeves reacting to Vanya’s portrayal of Ben and his death.

— Disclaimer: I love Vanya! I love all the Hargreeves. This is not a Vanya hate fic, so if you try to promote it as such, leave. This is just how I imagine the Hargreeves’ reactions would be.

— Other: Reblogs appreciated <3 Also, read this on AO3

___

The last thing Luther expected himself to do was to sit in the corner of his room —away from his mirror at all costs— and read Vanya’s book.

After his accident, he had never considered coming out of his bedroom unless it was to use the bathroom or eat. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything anymore. He was never going to be the same ever again, there was no possible way to go back.

Maybe if everyone had stayed, he wouldn’t have almost died.

But deep down, he could only blame himself. He wasn’t careful enough on that mission, the others made their choice when they left. The world needed Luther and he had failed everybody. Including his siblings.

He was hesitant about reading the book. For starters, the copy he had was dedicated to his father, but he wasn’t going outside to buy one for himself. He knew Reginald would never read it anyway. Having nothing better to do that day, that week, that month, Luther had started the book. He didn’t agree with a lot of things, but he knew he and Vanya had a very different childhood.

What he didn’t expect to see was everything in Ben’s chapter. He was entitled to his own opinion almost every time, and he never backed out. That’s what made him a leader, according to Reginald. And even though he didn’t want to let Vanya’s view affect him, it did.

She had no right to talk about it like that. She wasn’t there. She didn’t see what he saw. What they all saw. And she didn’t know Luther’s intentions when he gave Ben that order.

Luther knew he pushed Ben a lot, and he knew how much the horror scared him. Everything he ever said or did to him was for Ben’s own good. That was how he saw it. What he didn’t know, was that when he ordered Ben to let the horror out, he also sent him to his death. He didn’t know.

And Vanya didn’t know the guilt he felt. So, of course, she had to claim that it was partly Luther’s fault her brother died.

He was mad now. Mad at Vanya and mad at himself. Because what if it was true? What if it was his fault? What if it was his fault that the family fell apart soon after? Was it all because of him? Because he wasn’t good enough?

Maybe his body looked the way it did because it’s what he deserved for killing his brother.

___

Ever since Diego landed eyes on that book, he knew whatever was inside it was going to be totally inaccurate.

Buying it only proved him right and with every chapter, he had to take a break. The chapter about himself gave him more than one reason to stab whoever agreed on publishing the book.

But Ben’s chapter just confused him more than anything.

There were some parts he didn’t disagree with at least. Blaming the leader. But Diego always wanted to be the leader. Would he be want to be blamed for Ben’s death just because of that title as well? Nobody would.

But some other parts were just… too far. He wasn’t mad when he read the part, he was furious. He knew Vanya and Ben were close at some point, but her portrayal of what happened on that mission made it look like they were strangers. Maybe they were, maybe they lost touch.

Diego wasn’t personally that close with Ben.

He tried to teach him how to throw knives at some point, so he wouldn’t have to use his powers to fight, it just ended with a bleeding wound on the side of Diego’s face, which left him a cool scar in the end. And now every time he looked in the mirror, he always saw a little Ben hopelessly trying to throw his knife at the target.

But it didn’t matter anymore, because Ben was dead and every time he looked at the scar, those nice memories he once had were replaced with Ben being ripped to shreds right in front of him. And Vanya, well, wrote what she wrote about that.

She shouldn’t have.

It was going to be hard to forgive her if he ever had the intention to.

___

Blaming others was something Allison did almost all her life, and she had no right to judge Vanya of doing the exact same thing. But it still caught her off guard seeing someone else do it.

Allison cared about Vanya, she always had, even though she was never the one to include her in things. She didn’t take the role of the loving sister as she wanted, and she never really understood why not.

She was upset and angry about everything in that book. The chapter about her fiddled with her career for a while, but rumors were spread and sooner or later, things were sorted out.

But she couldn’t blame Vanya for how she saw things. She was always excluded from everything, and she lost both the people that cared for her. No wonder she snapped.

It was always Five or Ben who invited her over to play games in the limited amount of free time they had. Allison didn’t know how much things shifted between Ben and Vanya’s relationship after Five’s disappearance. She did now.

And it made her think about her relationship with Ben. She knew he looked up to her, and she had noticed he was shy to talk to her at times. They hadn’t spent as much time together as the Holy Trinity Vanya, Five and Ben had, but she still knew him.

He felt like the only voice of reason in the academy at times and she trusted him with things she couldn’t tell anyone else, not even Luther.

Vanya’s new point of view on Ben really took her by surprise, to say the least. Seeing someone —who was the closest to Ben, mind you— talk about him like that just didn’t click. It didn’t feel right.

Allison would try her hardest to leave it in the past, but it was going to be hard. Harder than anything she’s ever done up to that point. Dealing with the reality of things was never her strong suit.

___

Klaus didn’t have anything else to distract himself with whilst in rehab, and Ben’s nagging about checking Vanya’s book out had lasted longer than a week.

So he gave it a chance.

He himself had always been intrigued to read it, but he knew Vanya had opened a can of worms in that book that he didn’t want to be reminded of ever again. That did not stop him from picking it up, sitting on a chair —with a ghost Ben behind him— and starting to read.

He hadn’t expected anything different when he reached the chapter about himself. He hadn’t been the greatest sibling, he was never rude to Vanya or anything like that, he was just… in his own little world most of the time.

Klaus didn’t want to read Ben’s chapter. He could tell Ben didn’t want to either, but both of them ended up scanning the entire thing.

The Ben in that chapter was not the Ben Klaus knew.

Sure, maybe death changed him, which it most likely did. He didn’t really know Ben when they were younger, only the dead version. And if he had to describe Ben the way he knew him in three words, it was would be ‘loyal little asshole’, which was the opposite of how he was described in that sorry excuse of a book.

Not only that, but Vanya’s view on his death just awakened something in him. Something that made him break the silence in the room by angrily throwing it back in the bookcase, which only made some other books fall down and join Vanya’s on the ground.

He respected the hell out of Vanya, and he was even jealous of her. She didn’t have ghosts screaming in her ear, she didn’t have to get locked in a mausoleum every week, she didn’t have to go on missions and kill people so she could come back home safe, she didn’t have to watch her brother die.

No, none of that. She just had to stay home, play the violin, help around with chores every now and then, join Grace when she cooked and play chess with Pogo. But, she was excluded and ignored and Klaus honestly felt for her. Nobody gave a shit about him either, he was useless on missions, so if anything, he could identify with her on that.

She still had something to say about Ben’s death, despite not being there, which just really upset him.

___

Vanya’s book was the only thing Five had left that reminded him of home.

It was the only thing that reminded him of his humanity, of what his life used to be. The apocalypse hadn’t been easy. Time travel was a bitch.

For him, it might have just been months since he time traveled, but for everyone else, for his family, it had been fourteen years. That was longer than the number of years he’d been alive for.

He missed a lot of things, according to Vanya. Taking his sweet time while reading everyone’s chapters, he landed on his own. And it really made him think about how Vanya felt about his disappearance even before he started reading. She meant a lot to him, and he meant a lot to her.

She lost her best friend, and she was never going to see him again because Five was going to be stuck here, alone, forever for the rest of his life. He would never find a way to get back. He had nothing and no one, it was just him and some mannequin he decided to hold onto, simply because it had a human face. How pathetic.

But at least Vanya didn’t have to live like that. At least she still had Ben, right?

No. Ben had died.

Ben had died, and Vanya was alone. Which made Five feel even more guilty about not listening to Reginald when he said he wasn’t ready.

If he was there, he would have grown up, and he would have moved in with Vanya, and help her out through her depression and be the best friend and brother he promised to be. And maybe if he was there, Ben wouldn’t have died.

He could have used his spacial jump ability to help the rest of the team escape before it was too late. Maybe he could’ve fixed everything if he wasn’t foolish enough to rebel against their dad.

There was something that confused him in regards to the book, though.

When he had left, when he had died for everyone else, Vanya was in mourning. But, from what he could see in Ben’s chapter when he had died, Vanya reacted differently. Maybe it was a new way of coping, but she didn’t sound sad. She was angry.

Five wasn’t there to watch him die either, so he couldn’t understand what Vanya was saying in that last part, or, well, trying to say. He could tell she hadn’t found the right words for it. But he was sure, without a doubt, that it backfired.

He liked the book anyway, but maybe it had another use for him. Holding onto it to read it over and over again was not going to make him time travel back, but maybe, he had a chance to. And he needed a pen.

He just had to find the right equation.

__

If Ben could interact with the real world, he would have picked up the book and thrown it against the bookcase the exact same way Klaus did. Not out of anger, not really. He wasn’t angry at Vanya.

He was just shocked.

There was no other way he could describe it. Except maybe being hurt. Yeah, he was shocked and hurt. Really hurt.

He had always encouraged Vanya to speak up for herself whenever she could. Even though he didn’t know what it was like to be a shadow for everyone else back then, he tried to support her as much as he could. Both him and Five did.

Five.

Vanya and Five were best friends. Ben was also a really good friend to them, but it was always Vanya and Five, at least in his eyes. He never complained though. He got it, sometimes things are like that, it was fine.

When they lost Five, his only thought was his sister. So he tried to be there for her as much as he possibly could. But as the days went by, she grew more distant, and eventually, she pushed him away. He didn’t blame her for that. However, she had no excuse to make him the villain of the chapter, as well as the rest of his siblings.

He wasn’t the one who pushed her away first. He didn’t ignore her first. He didn’t ruin their friendship for the loss of someone else.

And she really didn’t have to blame someone other than Ben for dying.

Vanya wasn’t there to see what happened. He was honestly glad she didn’t have to watch him die, however that didn’t change the fact that his death was his own fault.

Maybe, if he had listened to Luther sooner, he would have survived. Maybe if he hadn’t hesitated, he would have had time to calm the horror down before it ripped him to shreds, before he traumatized his family, having to watch it happen.

Before there was nothing left of him to even bury.

So yeah, he was upset about that. About the entirety of the book, honestly, or at least of what he was able to read before Klaus snapped and made a scene. And even after all of that, he still felt guilty. He didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her, to anyone. He just really wished he could talk to Vanya, to clear some things up.

But he was never going to because Ben was dead. He was dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it, not Klaus, not anyone.

He was going to feel this way for the rest of eternity and there was nothing more horrifying than that.

___

That moment plays in my head every day I wake up, despite how blurry it is. I remember our mom telling me that the specific mission was going to be dangerous. Of course, I got worried but knew that there wasn’t too much to worry about anyway. The Academy was strong, the enemies were ordinary.

Our mom suggested I learn a new piece on the violin instead of focusing on my other studies for that day, to which my father agreed. So I did.

Missions always took at least a few hours, but this time they hadn’t returned the time they usually did. This was a wakeup call for my father. I remember him putting on his monocle and leaving the mansion. I remember him starting the car as I watched him from the window.

I remember hearing the car an hour later from the distance. I remember backing away and watching my brothers and sister as they entered the house. That’s when I realized one of them was missing.

When I heard the news from our mom that Ben had died, I didn’t know if I was stuck in a nightmare or not. I remember freezing in place, and I remember how an invisible bullet went right through my chest, and I remember having the urge to throw up all over the floor.

I hadn’t felt more grossed out in my life up until that point. I knew how vulnerable Ben was, and how eager he was to please my brother Luther and my dad. I didn’t know it would cost him his life.

At the same time, I felt like I was hearing the news of a stranger.

Ben had changed a lot. When Five left, he tried to talk to me, to make sure I was okay. But then he gave up on me. I needed time to heal and he didn’t give me enough of it. Ben had left me in a time of need and the abandonment was too much for me to take.

I had nobody. I was alone, and nothing has changed about that.

That didn’t change the fact that I was shocked by his death. He was still my brother, whether I liked it or not.

Everyone knew Ben didn’t like to use his powers. He was ripped to shreds by them and the thought, the image of it even right now, as I’m writing this, makes me feel like someone is twisting my guts and making a knot out of them.

He never wanted to use his powers again, he had told me so. And now that he had to, he died. Maybe if my siblings had done more work, if they had protected him, if they had tried harder, Ben wouldn’t have had to unleash the horror. Maybe he wouldn’t have died.

But the truth was that Ben had already died for me, four years prior to that, when he decided he didn’t care about me anymore.

[peggysousfan]

New Years Series Chapter 5

Here is chapter 5! Fluff and angst all mixed in here. This is set after season 1 and before season two. It’s more of an Au tbh. Theres banter and fluff, and a sweet ending. Enjoy :)

"Would you STOP coming in through the WINDOWS, it scares the hell out of me." Daniel exclaims as he sets down his book.

"Sorry." Peggy says while latching it closed behind her.

"Peg, why are you here? Can't the case wait?" He exasperates. She chuckles and hands over a warm box.

"Why? Are you getting tired already?" He playfully glares and takes the offering. When he opens the lid he moans in delight and takes it to the table.

"Thank you! God I'm starving, I haven't ate all day." He reaches in the box and takes out a slice of pizza to eat. As he does, Peggy leans against the table and places a file with several individual papers next to the box. "Can it wait till we eat first?" He asks with a mouth full. She laughs at him and takes a slice for herself. She licks her lips in anticipation before biting down, and Daniel can't help but watch.

"What?" She asks, and then he looks away; caught like a child eating cookies from the jar.

Daniel's ears and cheeks flush red as he stutters. "Uh..n-nothing." She tilts her head to the side and looks him up and down with squinted eyes.

"Are you sure you're alright, Daniel? You seem flustered all of a sudden." He takes another bite and starts to go through the papers, nodding at her question. "Daniel."

He chuckles slightly and avoids her gaze. "I said I'm fine, Peg." She squints her eyes at him but drops the matter anyway.

"Alright...if you say so," She teases, making him look up at her and chuckle.

"As a matter of fact, Agent Carter, I do say so" He smirks, making her turn red.

"We're off duty, 'Sousa'. " She emphasizes, making him laugh.

"Okay, okay, okay. I do say so 'Peggy'. Better?"

"Much better," And they laugh again before finishing off their dinner.

While Daniel looks through the file she brought, she can't help but watch him work. The way his brow furrows when he thinks, when he puts his pencil behind his ear as he re-reads something, and the way leans back, all relaxed, as if he's nearly got it all figured out. These are the things Peggy Crater notices about Daniel Sousa, and she loves to watch him work.

Flashback:

2 weeks previous, nearly a month after the Stark case and dealing with Leviathan, Agent Carter and Agent Sousa were called into Chief Thompson's office; a new case was brought in. A gang on the lower east side of New York sprung up on the radar for estranged weapon sales. The informant of the SSR said they may be connected to Hydra weapons. Nearly a week into the case and they already had a lead. Peggy and Daniel stayed in a car, in close proximity, staking out an old  abandoned mill. For hours they sit and come up with nothing, and Peggy began to get bored.

She grumbles and moans from the ace in her back and tries to stretch, only to brush against Daniel and graze his face with her elbow.

"Oh bloody hell! I'm sorry Daniel I didn't mean to-"

"Its fine, Carter. Don't worry about it." She glances away for a moment before looking back at him. "Peg, its fine. Seriously I know you didn't mean to," He laughs, making her relax a bit. "You'd think this being a car from Howard Stark, that it'd have more space."

She hums in agreement but then looks down. "Well it doesn't really help when we have hoards of take out crowding us as well." As she says this he glances down and then back up at her and laughs; making her heart swell. "What? Daniel why are you laughing like that?" As she begins to laugh too.

"This is your mess, Peggy. You ordered all of this!" He says, trying to stop laughing. But every time he looks at her and then glances at the food, he laughs again.

"It is not!" She replies, affronted. "I'll have you know half of this is yours." He gives her a look as if to say she was crazy. She huffs and turns away, her body facing the steering wheel. "Fine, a third of it is yours." She crosses her arms in a pouting position.

"Awe, come on Peg." He nudges her and pulls a smile from her lips. "You know I was just fooling around with you. Do you forgive me?" He asks as he keeps nudging and poking her, making her break out in a grin

"Yes, alright. I forgive you." She turns to face him again and that's when she realizes just how small the car is.

Her knee brushes against his and her hand on the seat grazes his. They both look down at the close proximity and down at their hands. Before either of them are aware, their fingers intertwine and hold each other. They look up again, their faces so close they begin to breath the same air. Peggy looks down at his lips and back at his eyes, and Daniel does the same. At the same time they lean in, their noses graze against each others, making them pause. As their breathing becomes uneven, they lean in more; nervous and excited all at once. But before their lips meet, a noise occurs outside; the gang has finally arrived. Peggy clears her throat and leans back, grabbing her gun and loading it before they both exit the car to apprehend the criminals

End flashback:

Daniel begins to sense he's being watched, so he looks up at Peggy and she slightly jumps with a start an immediately looks away; her cheeks creep with a blush.

"Something wrong, Peg?"

"No." She clears her throat and reaches for a piece of paper. "Nothing at all."

Daniel doesn't buy her answer or her shy smile. So he stands up and walks around the table where she stands. When he gets beside her he leans against the table and crosses his arms, waiting. SHe looks up at him with a raised brow.

"May I help you?"

"I don't know...maybe." He shrugs his shoulders and keeps his arms crossed, looking at her. She smirks and then tries to make her face neutral.

"Daniel what are you doing?" Although her question is meant to be serious, her small chuckles takes that tone away.

"Observing." Peggy smiles at him and steps closer.

"Observing what? Hm?" She mimics his arms and crosses her own.

"You." She takes another step closer, now in his personal space.

"And why is that?" She smirks, causing him to do the same.

"Cause I can."

"Is that so?" He hums in confirmation while Peggy sets her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. If you can observe me, I can observe you." She counters against him.

"Oh really? Because...I wasn't 'observing you work."

"No? Cause I saw you." His smirk slowly forms into a grin, and so does hers

"Did not."

"Did too." Peggy bites her bottom lip in an attempt to keep herself from smiling, but it doesn't work.

When she looks in his eyes, all she can see is a glisten of excitement, and before either are are of what's happening, she jumps at her chance. Her lips crash into his and her hands grab the front of his shirt, pulling him close. Daniel uncrosses his arms and instinctively wraps them around her back.He pulls her closer and she leans in, her body pressed fully against his. His hands run up and down her back before they stop; one grazes through her hair as the other stays on her waist. As they break apart for air, Peggy still keeps her grip on him, leaning her forehead against his as they catch their breath. Daniel leans back and kisses her temple, making her giggle and look up at him.

"This still doesn't mean I didn't see you watching me."

"Oh bollocks! I thought that would work." Daniel laughs so hard he leans back and falls into a chair, making her laugh at him.

"Not funny, Peg!" He exclaims, although he couldn't help but laugh at it himself.

"Yes. Yes it is." She walks over to him and straddles his lap, making his laughter die down.

But before he says another word, his lips are filled with her kiss, their lips move together like the waves of the ocean. She runs her fingers through his hair as he holds her close, never wanting to let go. As their lips part once more, Peggy doesn't stop there. She peppers kisses along his cheek, head, and neck, not once stopping. He nudges her head back and the kiss again, longer and deeper. Peggy takes her hands and brings them to his chest, resting on his shirt. At this, Daniel pulls away and is brought back to reality.

"W-we can't do this. I'm sorry Peg, we just- we can't."

"Why?" She leans back, slightly, only enough to look at him.

"Because this is going to end very badly and I don't want you to get hurt." He looks down to avoid her eyes, but she lifts his chin and kisses him quickly.

"Why are you saying this will end badly? We've hardly started, Daniel." As confusion fills her face, Daniel sighs and glances away.

"Because, Peg...I'm leaving." She blinks away the tears that start to form and focuses on the meaning behind his words.

"Leaving?" Her voice cracks. "W-where? Why? Daniel-"

"I'm moving to Los Angeles because I got promoted...as Chief." As the words settle in her mind, a pit sinks into her heart. Just when everything began to feel right again, it all tumbles down. Daniel sees the state she's in and wipes away a loos tear. "Peg?"

"I-I'm very happy for you, Daniel." She smiles sadly and gets off of his lap, creating a physical barrier to match the emotions one. She starts to grab the file and head towards the window.

"Peggy, don't. Please. Just-" He grabs her by the hand and stops in her tracks, refusing to look back at him. "Be honest with me, Peg." At first she hesitates, but caves in from the whirlwind of dread that is eating away at her.

"I don't want you to leave." she turns toward him and watches him shrink back. "I-I want this- us. I-I don't want to be left behind again, Daniel. I ca't- I won't-"She cries, but he takes her face in his hands and brings his lips to hers, wiping away the warm tears that fall.

"Come with me." She starts to decline but he stops her. "Peggy, come to LA with me. Dottie Underwood is behind bars, the drug cartel Thompson can deal with, and the SSR can find you a place to live." She smiles through the tears and looks into his eyes. "Just say yes."

For several moments she stays quiet, debating her options. But none will ever amount to this. "Yes." At this Daniel smiles so brightly she can't help but laugh in return before he cuts her off kisses her breathless. "I just have one question..."

"What's that?"

"Uhm...." She hesitates and shakes her head, but he pulls her closer by her back and looks into her golden brown eyes. "Would it be okay if-well if I wanted to live with you instead?"

Daniel pulls back, shocked, and Peggy starts to worry if she should have never asked. But before her fear could grow, he kisses her again with all of his strength.

"It's more than okay, Pegs." He pulls her into an embrace and holds her close.

For the rest of the night they  put up their work and rest. After all this time they finally opened up to each other and now they are  ready to start a new life together.

[honeymoonlover-moved]

Iron Angel [Prologue] // MCU OC

summary: the story of the estranged daughter of tony stark and her journey growing up amongst aliens, gods, and super soldiers - maybe this was fate

word count: 2,566

warnings: slight smut if you squint your eyes (like it’s barely smut), unplanned pregnancy, kissing/making out

a/n: y’all I did it. i finally started writing for my oc. i’ve had this character/idea/story in mind since infinity war came out (yes it took me this long leave me alone lol) and i’m happy to share it with y’all! ask to be added on the tag list here! sorry if the “read more” isn’t working!

SERIES MASTERLIST // MASTERLIST // WATTPAD // PROLOGUE / CHAPTER 1

August 1st, 2000.

Katherine was in disbelief. Sitting on the toilet seat, she stared at the little stick in her hand.

Two lines, staring right back at her.

How could this be possible? She was on the pill and never missed a day.

How did this happen? Why did this happen? Maybe this was punishment. Maybe this was the universe’s way of telling her that she should have stayed in Boston and not follow Tony all the way back to Malibu. Maybe she should have listened to her mother. Maybe she should have stayed away. Or maybe the stars aligned and this was meant to be. Maybe this was fate.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stood up and walked towards the sink. She placed the pregnancy test on the sink and washed her face. After turning off the facet and drying her face, she met her reflection on the mirror. Her face was red and blotchy. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

In and out. In and out. In and out.

Pregnancy tests can be wrong. They’re not always reliable. She probably just had a stomach bug.

“It’s okay,” Katherine whispered to herself. “I’ll just make an appointment with Dr. Garcia, and I’ll find out I’m not pregnant, and things will go back to normal, and everything will be fine.”

She grabbed the pregnancy test and tucked it under her shirt. Even though she peed on a couple of minutes ago, she didn’t want Tony to see it just in case he was in the room. She didn’t want him to find out and wanted to wait until she knew. Walking back into their shared bedroom, she slipped the pregnancy test into her purse and started to get ready.

“Come back in bed Kat,” Tony mumbled, sheets covering his naked body.

“I can’t. I have to get ready for work,” she answered, as she was changing into a white button down. “And you need to get ready too before your late again.”

“I’m the CEO, I decide when to go to work. And since I’m your boss, I order you to come back to bed with me.” Katherine looked over her shoulder and saw Tony with a smug smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes and threw the pants he discarded the night before at him.

“Get up loser.” Tony caught them and started to get out of bed. Katherine tried her best to keep herself from smiling, but the corner of her lips betrayed her. Pulling a pair of black trousers up, she felt Tony’s body coming from behind. His hand caressed her hair and softly kissed the side of her head.

“Kat, you are amazing you know that?” Tony said as he peppered her face with kisses. Katherine now had a huge grin on her face and felt her cheeks warm up. “So amazing.” His hands slide down her waist as he continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and for a couple of seconds she forgot what happened in the bathroom not too long ago. Then she felt his hands crept under her shirt, onto her stomach and jumped away.

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked her, slightly surprised by her reaction.

“Um- uh, your hands are cold.” She stammered, turning around to face him. She felt her heart beating rapidly and her face heating up even more.

“Oh okay. I’m sorry for my cold hands.”

“It’s fine, it just freaked me out a little.” Tony reached out for her hands and pulled her closer. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers.

“You’re such a weirdo,” He said, pulling back slightly and resting his forehead against hers.

“Well, your dating this weirdo.” Katherine nervously chuckled.

“Yeah, and I also love you, so I guess that also makes me a weirdo too huh?”

“I guess so.” At this moment she knew no matter what happens Tony will always be there for her. All the anxiety she felt slipped away and right then and there, it was just the two of them. Maybe it’s not so bad she’s pregnant. All she needed was right here.

“We do still need to get ready though,” She said pulling away from him. “And put on a pair of pants.”

After Tony and Katherine fumbled around the room to get ready, they made their way to the car where they found Happy standing by it.

“Good morning Happy,” Katherine said, wrapping her arms around him for a hug.

“Good morning Dr. Pham.” Happy responded with a smile.

“Happy I told you-you didn’t need to call me that.” She said as she pulled back.

“I know, I know. I just like how it sounds. It’s official ya’ know.” He said opening the car door.

“Why don’t you call me Mr. Stark?” Tony asked as they got into the car. Instead of answering, Happy slammed the door closed. “Thanks.”

“Oh Happy, you gotta love him,” Katherine said.

“Who’s side are you on?” Tony responded. Instead of answering, she started to laugh. Happy slid into the driver’s seat and started driving. Along the way, some jokes were thrown around and for a second Happy was about to slam on the breaks and hurl Tony out of the car. After 30 minutes of driving, Happy finally pulled up to Stark Industries. He quickly ran out and opened the passenger side door. Tony and Katherine stepped out of the car and before Katherine walked into the building, Tony twirled her back to him and pressed his lips against hers. She melted into the kiss for a couple of seconds, then pulled back not wanting anyone to see what they were just doing.

“Tony I told you to tone down the PDA.” She said, as her cheeks warmed up from embarrassment.

“What? I can’t kiss my girlfriend before she heads to work.”

“When your girlfriend works for you and doesn’t want her co-workers to think she’s just sleeping with the boss to get promoted, then yes.”

“Everyone already knows we’re together.”

“I know, I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

“Okay, okay, fine. Can I at least get a kiss on the cheek?” He asked, turning his cheek to face her.

“Of course,” Katherine answered. She leaned in to peck his cheek, but Tony quickly moved his face, so her lips landed on his lips. “Tony!” She exclaimed, after being tricked.

“Gotta go. Have a good day at work!” Tony quickly pecked her lips again and started heading into the building, leaving Katherine standing there astonished.

“You guys are so cute,” Happy said, standing beside her. “It’s gross.”

“Oh shut up.” She said, playfully rolling her eyes. Walking inside, Katherine exchanged a couple of good mornings and hellos with her coworkers making her way to her office.

“Good morning Dr. Pham,” her assistant Carolyn said, standing up from her desk that sat outside her office.

“Good morning Ms. Carolyn, how was your weekend?” Carolyn trailed behind her as they made their way into the office.

“I met my boyfriend’s family, and we had dinner at some Italian restaurant. I don’t remember what it was called. How was yours?”

“Tony had another party, so what’s new,” Katherine answered, sitting at her desk. “Do you mind closing the door, I have to ask you something in privacy.”

“Of course.” Carolyn closed the door and sat on the chair in front of the desk.

“Please don’t tell anyone this, but I need you to make an appointment with Dr. Garcia.”

“Wait, isn’t she your gynecologist?” Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Yes-”

“But you already had your checkup? Why would you need to visit her unless you-” She gasped and covered her mouth. “Are you pregnant?” She whispered.

“Yes-no, I mean. I’m not sure. I took a pregnancy test this more, and it said I am, but you can’t always rely on those you know?” Katherine felt her anxiety build up again. She felt her heartbeat thumping in her ear.

“Does Mr. Stark know?”

“Not yet. I don’t want to tell him until I know for sure.”

“Okay… I’ll make an appointment. Do you need anything else?”

“No that’s all for now. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Carolyn stood up and made her way to the door. Before she left, she paused and looked back. “You and Mr. Stark would be great parents.” A small smile graced her face.

“Thanks,” Katherine said, smiling back. Carolyn nodded her head in response and walked out.

Katherine leaned back and let out a sigh. She had no need to panic or freak out. Despite how terrible of a father Howard, she knew Tony was never going to be like him. She knew he was going to love that child with all his heart and always be there for him. She knew that their child was going to grow up in a home where they are loved and accepted and never feel less than what they're worth. But she was still a little scared. She was going to be a mom, and she didn’t know if she was ready. Only time will tell.

A couple of days went by since that morning. Katherine had her appointment with Dr. Garcia, and Tony still didn’t know. Once in a while, Katherine would forget she might be pregnant and go on throughout her day like nothing happened. But the universe would remind her again and again. Everything baby related started coming out of nowhere, and that was all Katherine would see. Babies in strollers, baby clothes, pregnant mothers all seemed to be everywhere. Even her research at work started to relate to babies in some way, shape or form.

“Dr. Pham?” Katherine heard Carolyn say, as she was working on one of her experiments. She looked up and saw she had a nervous expression etched on her face. “Dr. Garcia is on the phone.” Katherine’s breath hitched, and she nervously gulped.

“Okay, I’ll be over there. Continue on without me.” She said to her lab techs. She felt ringing in her ears as she made her way towards her office and it got louder the closer she got. After closing her office door, she slid into her seat and hesitantly picked up the phone. “Good afternoon, Dr. Pham speaking.” Her voice was shaky, and her heart started to thump harder.

“Good afternoon Dr. Pham, it’s Dr. Garcia. I have some exciting news. You’re pregnant!” Katherine’s eyes widen, and everything fell silent. As Dr. Garcia continued to talk, the only thing she could hear the was her heart beating against her chest. She was pregnant. A little baby was growing inside of her. She was going to be a mom. Tony was going to be a dad. Everything was going to change. “Dr. Pham? Dr. Pham are you still there?”

“Y-Yes. Sorry, I was just trying to process that I’m pregnant.” She chuckled nervously.

“It’s okay, take as long as you need.”

“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “How many weeks am I?”

“You’re three weeks pregnant. The embryo is the size of a pinhead. Do you have any more questions?”

“Um, I think that’s all for now. Thank you.”

“No problem Dr. Pham. Make sure you call in and book your prenatal appointments. Have a good rest of the day.”

“You too.” Katherine put down the phone and leaned her head against her hands. How was she going to tell Tony? After a couple of minutes processing what she just heard, she calmly collected herself and walked out of her office.

“Dr. Pham what did she-” Carolyn paused when she saw the look on Katherine’s face. She didn’t need to hear anything to know the answer to the question she was about to ask. She just nodded and continued to do her work, knowing that was what Katherine wanted her to do.

As Katherine walked back to the lab, she felt the world around her slowing down. All the noise around her blended together, and she felt alone. She walked back a glass wall and saw Tony at a board meeting. He looked over at her and winked as he was listening to one of the board members talking. She nervously smiled back as she continued to walk down the hall. Maybe this wasn’t bad. Maybe this was fate.

Once she made it to the lab door, she scanned her company badge, and the doors opened.

“Anything wrong?” One of her lab techs asked when she walked over to the computers.

“No, everything’s fine.” She answered with a smile. Everything was fine.

The rest of the day flew by and the following morning crept in. Katherine decided not to tell Tony right away and wait for their three-year anniversary dinner that night. After work, they were planning to have dinner at this restaurant in Beverly Hills which is where they had their first date. It was going to be perfect.

Katherine’s eyes fluttered open and found herself lying across Tony’s chest. Gently resting her hands on his chest, she looked up and admired him as he slept. He was still asleep with his mouth ajar and snored softly. His skin slightly glowed underneath the sunlight, and his forehead had little crease marks.

“I know you're staring,” Tony mumbled, his eyes still closed.

“I’m enjoying the view.” She quipped back. He opened one eye and saw Katherine with a big grin on her face. “Happy anniversary.” She sung, leaning in a placing a soft kiss on his lips.

“Mhm, yes.” He mumbled in response. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her down for another kiss. Tony’s hands moved to the side of Katherine’s head, gripping onto her hair as their lips molded with one another. He then swiftly flipped her onto her back, hovering over her as she giggled at the movement. Her hands moved from the side of his torso to his back, gently holding onto him. Tony pulled back ever so slightly, the only sound in the room being their heavy breaths. “I love you.” He whispered.

“I love you too.” She whispered back.

“No, I’m in love with you. You feel this?” He asked, grabbing her hand and placing it on his chest. Katherine felt Tony’s heartbeat and his chest heaving in and out. “That’s for you. You have my heart, Kat.” She felt her eyes water as she stared into his eyes. She moved his hand onto her chest.

“And you have mine.” Tony leans in again, and their lips met. A symphony of emotions poured out, and all they felt was each other.

At work, Katherine was giddy all day. She was glowing and felt invincible, and nothing can ruin her mood. It was the best day of her life.

Right when she walked into her office, she stopped.

“Hello, Dr. Pham.” Obadiah Stane said, leaning against her desk. Katherine felt her smile falter and fear seeped into her eyes. “I should be congratulating you on your anniversary with Tony, but it seems like there something bigger we should be celebrating. Why don’t you close the door and sit over.” He pointed to the chair in front of him.

Katherine closed the door behind her and slowly walked towards him,.

Maybe this was fate, maybe this was fate, maybe this was…

tag list: @wazzupmrstark @considerablylethal @starksparker @hollandroos @hey-its-grey @madmadmilk @screamholland @spiderboytotherescue @sunriseparker @h-osterfield

[gotboredwrote]

Chapter 1: The Enticing Introduction of the American

[[The American Publicist // JRD]]

Pairing: John Richard Deacon x Reader Word Count: 1.8K (yeah kinda short, but they’ll get longer, I promise) Style: Multi-Chapter Warnings: Nothing yet, one mention of body shape, but in a completely positive way (it’s Roger, who are we kidding?) Summary: Y/N was just hired to become a co-manager and publicist for the band Queen. The boys had never travelled abroad, so meeting an American was . . . intriguing, to say the least. Permanent Author’s Note: To clarify, I write because I get bored. Nothing is meant to be professional in any way, nor is meant to offend, cause anxiety, cause anger, cause sadness, or promote disagreement among readers in any sort of (semi)permanent way. A/N: 1. Warnings will be per chapter, so as to know what to expect in each chapter (just seems easier that way). 2. Summary is for the entire story, so don’t expect that to change throughout the chapters. 3. Word count will be per chapter, so as to know just how much you can expect to get into (again, seems easier). 4. Don’t expect anything to move too fast in this story – I want to make this have some juicy (ew why did I choose that word) buildup. 5. I’m sorry if you aren’t American and you’re reading this, I hope that isn’t awkward for you!

Masterlist // Previous Chapter // Next Chapter // Masterpost

~

Queen had only been formed in the last year and a half, John Richard Deacon having joined exactly one year prior to today, hence why the boys, mainly Freddie, decided to throw a small affair for the shy man. It was not so much that they wanted to celebrate him, even though they did, but they also wanted to celebrate two huge accomplishments - getting a song played on the radio, and getting signed to a label! Things seemed to be looking up, and John began to realize that maybe this was not going to be a “side project” after all. As if that feeling had not kicked in enough, Miami crashed the party with some news.

“Boys, I just got off the horn with the label, and they feel that Queen is going to be huge. Too huge, in fact, for one person to manage alone. They’ve decided that it is critical that I have a partner in crime who can also double as a publicist of sorts. I brought said individual with me because I would like you all to meet and decide if this is going to work.”

Miami gestured to the door, and all the boys gaped. “Hi there! I’m Y/N, it is so great to finally meet you! I am so excited to watch you all work and make real names for yourselves!”

The boys listened intently to the individual’s words, collectively looked back at Miami, then back at the individual. Roger piped up first, followed quickly by Brian.

“You’re a girl?”

“And American?”

~

“I’m sorry, is that a real problem?” You had not worked with a British band before, and you have never experienced backlash like this from any other band. You actually could not tell if they were genuinely distressed or if there was a hint of mere confusion in their tones.

“Oh, no that’s not it,” Brian replied. “I think the way to put it is that we were not expecting to need a publicist, let alone a second manager. That is the reason for our response, well, um, be-besides the obvious.”

So, it was just confusion. That make you feel slightly better. After Brian’s response, you got a few minutes to really take all of them in because they had started chattering among themselves while Miami showed you around the studio. You would steal glances their way while Miami would discuss a small detail about a particular item hanging on the wall. Freddie Mercury was clearly the most flamboyant of the bunch, hand gestures accompanied every word that slipped past his lips. He also wore tight fitting clothes of extremely bright colors, and that is saying something considering this is the early seventies. He seemed like the kind of guy that people would either love or hate, and you find yourself falling into the prior without really having spoken any words to him. Seated to his left was the one that had spoken the most to you since you walked in – Brian May. You had heard some rumors about all of them, but the one thing about Brian that surprised you the most was that he went to school for astrophysics. He truly did not strike you as someone who would pick that as a major, but he definitely appeared smart, so at the same time, it did not surprise you. He also looked like he was attempting to reach hair-band-status hair, and you thought he was doing a mighty fine job. Across from the soon-to-be doctor was the band’s drummer, Roger Taylor. The rumors swirling around him were not your favorite things, but you decided to not pass judgement until you actually sat down and chatted with him. You had heard that he was a womanizer of sorts, and by his shaggy clothes and fluffed-out blonde hair, you could not help but assume something to that affect was true. Otherwise he actually seemed soft-spoken, and like he genuinely cared about his friends. Before you could get a look at the fourth member of the band, Miami escorted you by the arm out of the booth and into the control room, where there were a couple couches, a bunch of scattered pieces of sheet music, and a large, looming control panel that helped mix all recorded pieces of music. Miami said that you could sit right here for two minutes while he went and grabbed something for the both of you from the vending machine, and before you could even say thank you, he was out the door. Initially, you had completely forgotten to glance back over to the band to get your initial look at the fourth member and was just looking around the booth, since you would be spending more time here than in the booth with them. You got up to take a better look at the control panel, since you were genuinely curious if it was different than an American one. Eventually you had finished grazing over it, satisfied with finding out they are almost exactly the same. You were about to make your way back to the couch and you felt that weird sensation of someone drilling holes into you by staring seated deep in your core. You looked through the large, glass pane atop the control panel to find that the fourth member of the band was, in fact, staring at you, but not in the drilling-holes kind of way. It was almost nostalgic. The fourth one was the shy bassist whom they were partially celebrating this afternoon John Deacon. He was the quiet type around ninety-five percent of people, the other five percent were the members of Queen, their staff, and his family. He had been playing the bass for years, and it came as a bit of a shock when they were told they got a record deal and this would no longer be “just a hobby.” From what you were told, he was patient, friendly, kind, quiet, and basically, if you look up “good” in the dictionary, his face would appear right there. You made eye contact with the man, and his cheeks turned up and revealed the most adorable smile you had seen in your entire life. He had the sweetest crinkles to either side of his eyes that made his whole face light up, nearly as bright as the sun. It caught you by surprise that he was looking at you and not paying attention to his bandmates, and the smile was just icing on top of the cake. It was not intentional, but Miami swung the control room door open right at this moment unfolded, which made you visibly jump.

“Oh gosh, dear, I’m sorry. Not exactly sure what you were doing that made that scare you, but I am sorry.”

“It’s okay, no worries, Miami.” You were clutching your hand to your chest attempting to catch your breath and looked back through the panel. You saw John chuckling under his breath a little, and you shot him a small glare accompanied by a warm smile.

“Ms. Y/N, if you would so kindly follow me, I want to take you back into the booth with them, allow you to meet them one-on-one, and just briefly get to know each other.

Miami bent his arm as to allow you to take it, and he escorted you back into the booth. You and Miami made your entrance, and they boys concluded their little conversation. They all went to stand up as if they needed to address you in such a proper manner, and you simply started to laugh.

“Guys, please. You all know I’m not the queen, nor am I royalty in any version of the word. If we are gonna get to know each other, I would much rather just sit and talk. If that isn’t your style, I totally get it, but I don’t see a need for such formalities if we are going to be seeing a lot of each other.”

“You heard the lady, sit your bums down and let’s get down to business.” It seemed like Miami would be on your side throughout this whole endeavor, and honestly, a wingman did not sound like a terrible idea.

The boys resumed their positions in their little circle, Miami sat down next to Roger, and you plopped yourself between Miami and John, a little closer to John than Miami. “Unless anyone has anything critically important they would like to start this conversation with, I would like to properly introduce myself and give my oral resume.” You were given some small nods and smiles, John giving you the same one as before. Freddie piped in with an “Of course, darling, we are all ears!” and you felt like they were actually intrigued by you.

“Alright, so. As I mentioned before, my name is Y/N Y/L/N, and I have been working with record labels since I was sixteen years old. I have gotten lucky enough to work with a number of big, American rock bands, including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones, and have even helped a few of the bands I’ve worked with earn Grammy awards. I love what I do, and have the utmost confidence that I can help you guys achieve global status, assuming that you are willing to work with me.”

The boys were all looking at you and taking in each word you said with intense concentration. At first, they did not say anything to you. It was a little unnerving, honestly. They exchanged glances, and the smiles came back to their faces. Freddie then jumped up, grabbing your wrists in the process, and yanked you into a bone-crushing hug. “Of course we are, darling! Miami’s great, but it will be fabulous having two minds working together!”

“You’re also pretty fantastic to look at, different from British girls, so-”

“Roger! Be nice!” That was another thing about Brian – he did strike you as extremely respecting, as well, and it was coming out full force.

You all sat back down, and a number of things began to happen. Roger, Brian, and Freddie started a conversation amongst themselves, but Miami shushed them. He wanted to get started on the game plan for the new album, now that you had been officially accepted into the group. Freddie was mimicking Miami’s gestures, since Miami was a very serious person, which elicited a chuckle from both yourself and Roger, and an eye-roll from Brian. Meanwhile, John being the quiet soul he is, simply showed you that he accepted you by placing his hand right above your knee and lightly rubbing small circles there, accompanied by his signature smile. You would have to ask the boys if that was normal at some point.