#I say that because today my friend told me that I am the Golden Retriever Friend

[cinnamonspicewritingroom]

More Than Diamonds

Pairing: Prince Friedrich x Princess! Reader Description: Britain has gained themselves a new royalty nearing the debutante ball of 1813. Princess Amelia of Siam was sent as the new Ambassador of Siam. In Britain Princess Amelia was able to find her family, but will that be all? Tags: Slow burn, Coming of age, Time-Travel, Back to the past, Friends to Lovers, Royalties, Oblivious!FLxObvious!ML, Jealous! Friedrich, Slightly Possessive! Friedrich, Black cat gf, Golden retriever bf Timeline: S1&S2

Chapter 8: Put-on-a-show kinda girl

This was it, the start of the social season and the day her cousin, Daphne Bridgerton is going to debut in front of the Queen of Great Britain, Queen Charlotte. While the actual presentation is not going to start in several hours, as the Queen has promised, Amelia is going to see the procession of the debut and has sent a carriage to pick her up as a guest. Amelia will also be introduced as the Ambassador and Princess of Siam making her an official guest of the country. 

“Princess Amelia.” Amelia saw Queen Charlotte walking toward her with open arms. Behind her was her ladies-in-waiting and Brimsley in tow. Amelia quickly curtsied to the Queen. 

“Hello, your Majesty. You look magnificent today, just like any day. The Palace too is beautiful as always.” She smiled at the ladies-in-waiting who curtsied at her and Brimsley who bowed his head. 

“You look perfect.” The Queen took her face on both of her hands, turning her face around before stepping back to see her whole attire, nodding in satisfaction. 

“I am glad you are here, child. Come now,” Amelia nodded and quickly walked beside Queen Charlotte as she was explaining the set up and decorations of the Palace today. 

***

After being toured around the Palace, the Queen brought Amelia to the room where the debut will begin. At first Amelia was about to be placed next to the Queen on the podium, but then she explained how that will not be good for her image as she is here only to observe and to be introduced as guest, therefore she came up with another alternative after all the debutantes are done. 

“... Rather than them introducing themselves to me, I am here as a guest of Great Britain, so I should introduce myself to them. I will do that after all the debutantes get their chance.” The Queen hummed as she contemplated, but then her mouth started to form a cunning smile. 

“Well then, Princess Amelia. You better put on your best show today as the representative of Siam.” Amelia chuckled. 

“Fortunately disappointment does not exist in my dictionary.” She smiled at the Queen. 

As now she will actually be introduced in the crowd and not to simply be mentioned, she needs her formal Siamese clothes. She cannot represent Siam wearing a westernised gown. Amelia quickly checked on her wrist watch, there were still a good one and a half hours and fortunately based on protocols she always kept extra clothes in the carriage. 

Amelia quickly told Lynn on the change of plan. Lynn told her it is okay as she already did her hair and makeup, so only the clothes were left. There are around 100 to 130 debutantes. Daphne’s name is in D, so she could just join the Bridgertons on the side and change her clothes after she is done. Yep, everything is according to plan. 

***

Despite the frequent sarcastic exchange between them, he could say he has grown considerably close with Amelia. They could talk about plenty of things he could not talk about before with his family members, either because they are female or they do not get it. 

Last month, during the preparation of Daphne’s debutante dress with Amelia’s Dai Viet seamstresses, Anthony even asked whether his mother will sponsor Amelia for debut, unfortunately when they asked Amelia she rejected with the sole reason of she is from Siam and it is a bit too late to prepare for such an occasion.

However, despite whatever she said, why is she here in the debutante room? Anthony could feel his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.Their eyes met and Amelia briefly waved at him. He trudged towards her with the rest of his siblings. 

“Why are you here? I thought you do not want to debut,” He hissed lowly at her ear. 

“I have no choice!” Amelia hissed back at him, making him confused, then Amelia remembered that he was not there in her house when she offered Daphne to use her seamstresses. Amelia looked around, making sure nobody was looking before she hissed back at him. 

“I was personally invited by the Queen!” She huffed, crossing her arms. 

“She thought I wanted to debut and offered me the Royal Family’s seamstress, but as I did not know anything about this season's- culture, I told her I’m going to just watch this year and decide next year if I want to debut.” Anthony let out an ‘Ah,’ so that was probably why Amelia asked about the social season.

“You do know this means next year you probably cannot reject her;” Benedict who was listening the whole time whispered, making Amelia look at him pointedly.

“Not if I can do something about it,” Benedict looked amused. 

“My brother or my father can prevent me debuting by rejecting the Queen as I am not searching for a suitor. Marrying outside of Siam means they will lose their best diplomat. As if brother or father will allow that to happen.” Amelia explained before Eloise butts in. 

“What are you guys talking about? Daphne is next-” This made Amelia take a sharp breath. After her cousin, she will need to change into Siamese clothes. 

“Miss Daphne Bridgerton- Presented by her mother, the right honourable, the Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton.” The door opens to reveal Daphne Bridgerton, her cousin, looking extremely beautiful. White dress with gold accents and the back that form trains. Her hair was up in a bun and accessorised with white feathers giving her an angelic look. 

She walked alongside her aunt, Violet Bridgerton, both looked extremely elegant. Then in the middle Daphne walked by herself, approaching Queen Charlotte, dropping into a curtsy. As trained, she waited, but then the Queen herself lifted her by the chin. 

“Flawless, my dear.” before proceeding to peck Daphne on the forehead. 

Silently, Amelia slipped out of the room just as planned and was briefed to every staff member. Outside, she quickly met Lynn and Hugo who were waiting for her.

“Princess, let’s go.” Amelia nodded and followed Lynn and Hugo to a room provided by Queen Charlotte. Hugo opened the door as Lynn and Amelia walked in, then he closed the door for them, waiting outside the room. 

“Are you ready, Princess?” Hugo’s eyes went to Amelia, next to him, standing tall and straight. In front of them is the giant double-door to the debutante room. 

“Hugo, according to Britney Spears, There's only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe-” Then her eyes met Hugo, his confusion well apparent on his face. 

“Well baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kinda girl.” Her eyes returned to looking straight ahead as the doors opened.

***

After all the debutantes got their turn, they all thought it was the end, when the debutantes and their mamas were ushered inside the room. Daphne and Violet quickly found the Bridgertons. 

“What is going on?” Eloise asked as she watched the debutantes filled the room. In all her years, this has never happened before, therefore Violet could only shrug her shoulders as she shook her head. 

“I do not know, this has never happened before.” Violet looked around, chatters were everywhere. Suddenly the chatters got louder as they saw Queen Charlotte stood up from her throne and raised her hand in motion to ‘calm down’.

“Good morning my people. I know this is unexpected, however this year, Great Britain is welcoming a guest from the Kingdom of Siam. I would suppose several of the Parliament members have met her before, the new Ambassador of Siam.” The chatters returned, especially among the men in Parliament. 

“With frequent involvement between Siam and Great Britain that will come in the future, I will ask you to treat them with respect and kindness. Now I would like to invite the Princess of Siam with me.” Queen Charlotte motioned to the Palace staff.

“Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Amelia Chaiya Kanika from the House of Chakri.” The door opened revealing Amelia. 

(Left: The Clothes, Middle: Bun, jewelries, tiara, Sbai and sash belt, Right: Makeup and bangs)

She looked very different, elegant and mature as she was clad in a blue traditional Siamese clothing, the Siwalai, that is more tight-fitting than what the women in Great Britain wore. Her makeup was light, only her eyes stood out and her hair was up in a bun with a glamorous tiara adorned by diamonds. The amount of diamonds she wore rivalled the Queen herself. 

However, that was not what caught them off guard, but that she was escorted by the Prince Regent, George IV himself. He escorted her like all the mothers did to the debutantes before pausing to let Amelia approach the Queen and performed her curtsy. 

Watching her walk like this reminded Anthony of the first time he saw her in the Palace of Westminster 3 months ago. Like before, her presence effortlessly commanded the room. Her walk was as graceful and fearless as before, without hesitation and full of confidence. Then better and more stable than other debutantes, she dropped, performing a perfect curtsy. That day everyone was grateful the Princess was not a debutante. 

***

It was such a shame that Princess Amelia of Siam is not a debutante, if not Queen Charlotte would have named her Diamond of The First Water instead of Daphne Bridgerton. Her first public appearance and introduction as the Ambassador of Siam is similar to debut. 

The Queen could also see several eyes captivated by the mere sight of Princess Amelia. It seems like debut or not, the Princess of Siam will receive plenty of callers. What a shame, Queen Charlotte sighed. She would have enjoyed playing matchmaker for the Princess. Although 10 years older, the new Duke of Hastings is eligible and so is the Duke of Wyndham. Well, there is always next year. With that she exited the room followed by her ladies-in-waiting and Brimsley.

***

Anthony could sense it, the many eyes on both Daphne and Amelia. His sister, he can understand, after all she is a debutante and searching for marriage prospects, but Amelia? She is not even a debutante. His protectiveness over both girls rose. The audacity of these men, thinking that they deserve either of them? He would definitely crush their spirits down.

“I never thought I would see the Prince Regent here…” Colin remembered the fiasco earlier. 

“Yeah, what was that about, Mel?” Benedict looked at their cousin as Amelia blinked. 

“Ah, I broke my heels,” She lifted enough of her skirt to showcase the broken heel making them gasp at the sight of it. 

“Hugo was supposed to help me, but then Prince George came over and asked me what happened. After I explained, he said he will escort me as a show of friendship between Siam and Great Britain.” Hyacinth came to her side. 

“You were great Mel, like an actual Princess.” Amelia would have given her a snide comment that she is an actual princess, but she just looked so cute.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” Hugo bowed his head before standing straight. 

“Princess, we need to go now. You have a meeting with Prince Edward and the new Duke of Hastings after lunch time.” Hearing this Anthony opened his mouth, but Amelia defeated him. 

“Right. I will be going first, I need to bid Queen Charlotte goodbye.” Amelia curtsy and turned around, everyone created a path as she approached the door. 

***

Amelia found the Queen in the green house, drinking tea with Lady Danbury. The servant who saw her quickly told Brimsley of her presence. After a while, Amelia was allowed to meet the Queen. 

“Your Majesty, Lady Danbury.” Amelia curtsy as them, as perfect as her introduction. 

“Princess Amelia. I heard you were officially introduced as the ambassador?” Amelia nodded at her with a smile. 

“I was, it was quite a spontaneous plan tho,” She chuckled as Queen Charlotte shook her head. 

“I think it was magnificent. You were flawless dear. If you were a debutante I would have made you Diamonds of First Water.” Lady Danbury looked impressed, while Amelia just laughed and thanked her graciously. 

“What brings you here, my dear?” Amelia looked sheepish as she told the Queen. 

“I am here to bid my goodbye as I am needed in the Palace of Westminster.” As much as the Queen wants them to eat lunch together, what can she do when it is work related. With that Amelia bid them goodbye.

Words: 2089 words

More Than Diamond's Master List

IMPORTANT NOTES A/N: Hello, how are you guys? I hope you are well. Regarding this story that is following Julia Quinn's hit series, Bridgerton, I would start by saying I read the book first before I watch the Netflix series, thus I apologize if there are some differences with the Netflix version, but I will try to make it as similar as possible. I would also ask the readers to be kind when criticizing this story as this is my first time to actually publishing my work in the open. For the story, as you can see there is a time-travel tag. Our reader was sent back to the past with all the knowledge from the future. If you are also confused with Davika's education, I actually based her using Spencer Reid, a character from Criminal Minds. I also made Friedrich to be a year younger than Benedict when in actuality, he was born in 1794, 2 years younger than Daphne. If you are not interested or felt like those 2 themes ruined a historical romance story, then please do not leave any bad comments as you can just stop reading this story. Thank you for waiting this story to update, I was on vacation an went to many countries abroad for several weeks. Thank You Very Much! Much Love, Cinnamon Meilleure's Writing Room

[appleofhereye]

Apple of Her Eye

How I wish to feel the beauty of breathing once again. 

Today is certainly no ordinary day. I got up, glanced at my reflection in the mirror, and observed how my face was looking. "My eyes are glistening," I murmured to myself, as if it received a message that it'll be the show's star. Some time passed, and I finally finished getting ready. My guise deemed somewhat professional, as I got into my car and drove away. A billboard containing the words "BioNeu Hospital, your pillar in sight" then greeted me. With a tad of fear, I shrugged and went inside the rotating doors. The head of the hospital told me that the event would be held in their function room, and the truth was proven as numerous heads turned and gazed at my being as I arrived. Public speaking was never my jive; it made my skin crawl by thinking of the judgment I would receive. However, there is a sole reason for all of this; it is all for that person.

My thoughts dissolved when I heard the enthusiastic master of the ceremony's voice, a signal that the event was about to start. Messages of remarks here and there filled the ambiance of the room. "And now, the interview that I'm sure everyone's been waiting for is next! Ladies and Gentlemen, please give the warmest welcome to Dr. Theia Stoll," the host uttered. Those words made my body stand up and march toward the wide podium. The interview went surprisingly smoothly until the last question arose. " Dr. Theia, your work has certainly changed the lives of the people who were once deprived of seeing. What is the reason behind pursuing the field?". The question echoed inside my head. I was already expecting this situation, but the answer remains a challenge.

Twenty years ago, I was a different person. Seeing the world was never a part of my capabilities. Back then, I was always wondering what wrong I did to the gods for not blessing my life with sight. Everything was pitch black. Because of this, my perception of living was full of negativity. The eternal love of my parents was the only thing that held me from ending my misery.

I thought the 6th of August would be like every other dark day, but no, it was not. I found it really cheesy whenever my best and only friend, Emily, gushes about her crushes as if she's in a rom-com movie. She'll always say, " Theia, I swear it's as if everything is in slow motion whenever our gazes meet! If only you could see it with me, you might finally believe me." Based on the tone she was using, it probably came with eye-rolling. Like Emily described, I felt the same on that day.

"Theia, right? Were you named after the goddess of sight? I am a fan of the story.", some masculine voice said. That voice, how would I describe it? It's as if angels went down from heaven and strummed a harp. I just gave him a nod. "I'm Kalix, by the way.", he followed. From then on, we became inseparable. At first, I thought he was just another high school guy who does nothing but waste his life. Boy, was I wrong. My days were filled with bliss, and I felt what colors looked like.

Out of all his good traits, I appreciate the most that he never, not even once, made me feel that my blindness was a disability. Kalix has always made me believe that I am the best woman alive. He never raised his voice at me. Encouraging voice messages filled my inbox day by day. And I cannot even believe that someone has the patience that long! Kalix always made sure to join my walk home even if my schedule conflicted with his. Indeed, a golden retriever’s qualities are similar to his. Mom and Dad were so happy because, finally, their daughter had someone that loved her as she was. It was the kind of love that would make you appreciate life and live in it.

However, life was also the culprit because it hit me right in the face. What happened? Let's go back to when we celebrated his 20th birthday. Kalix called me to walk by their garden. He broke the air and said, "I have something to tell, my love." I waited anxiously with cold palms held together. What could he possibly tell me?

Kalix took a deep breath. "I have been attending regular checkups. This has been going on for 8 years. Theia, I have long been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease." Those words felt like wrecking balls banging through my head. Before I could react, he talked again. "The doctor told me that in the 9th year, I would start to forget almost everything." Tears started to stream down my face, followed by a burst of anger. After several minutes, I finally got the courage to speak. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" I asked him. Kalix explained that he did not want to waste our limited time; he wanted to savor every moment. Honestly? I get his point. It just feels unfair because he and I doesn’t deserve this fate. I cannot even imagine that what we have will all fade to a blur. “How am I supposed to act by the time he forgets?” and “Should we keep on trying and make him remember me every single day?” Those are the thoughts I kept asking. Once again, I felt that the colors in me were starting to disappear. Darkness was the subject of my vision. The memories of that night were filled with pain and despair.

Kalix and I agreed to not talk about the revelation. Instead, we hid the truth from ourselves and made the most of the remaining year. He made sure to prepare me when that day came. I despised time so much because of how it blows by with just a snap. On the 6th of August, I went by his house to spend time together. He greeted me with a confused look. As if he's wondering why a stranger had casually barged into his home. Without hesitation, I walked fast and left. Tears filled my face as I walked. The funny thing is, that day was the first time we met, and now, it was the day that he permanently forgets.

From then on, I promised to make a way to physically see him. I strived hard in my academics to become a doctor. My blindness became my subject of research as I stepped into college. Seeing Kalix was all my heart desired. With that, I successfully crafted an eye transplant that doesn't only transfer the cornea but the whole eyeball. The eight years of research was worth it. I became the first tester of the transplant. Of course, worry crept into me as the thought that it all might go wrong crowded me. However, I believe that Kalix was always beside me every step of the way because everything went well. I, Dr. Theia, changed thousands of the blind's lives.

"Did you get to see him?" A reporter asked, and I nodded in answer. My goal was fulfilled, but the burden in my heart remains. For the first time, I saw how gorgeous of a man he is. He does look like Kalix, my Kalix. Sadly, we're merely strangers in this world. The greatest lesson I've learned in my experience is that some people we cross paths with are only meant to stay for a while. However, it is in our grasp to use that particular experience in something life-changing. Kalix is the sole reason why I have come this far. With this, I have no regrets.

About the Authors

Franzeen Balbiran graduated in the year 2035 Magna Cum Laude at the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After graduating, she became a loving wife and a caring mother to three children. As a fan of romantic-themed novels, she then pursued to start her writing journey. Her first written novel entitled “Inside a Mirrorball” became a hit and received multiple awards, including the New York Times best-seller title in 2041. The latest novel, “Apple of Her Eye” was a joint work with Marcus Villarino. The inspiration behind the book was when they met a blind old lady that shared her regrets because she did not have the opportunity to see what her greatest love looked like. Franzeen continues to share her imaginative mind with her followers through reading platforms like Wattpad, Fictionaut, Camp Nanowrimo, and many more.

Marcus Villarino attended the University of the Philippines Diliman and graduated in 2027 with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, where he grew fond of writing poems and stories. He makes use of real-life situations and experiences and adds layers of metaphors and allegories to form unique and enthralling fictions that span a multitude of genres. His breakthrough came with the historical romance trilogy Texas Bluebell, consisting of "Texas Bluebell" (2036), "Highway 15" (2037), and "Goodlands" (2040), all of which became New York Times best sellers. Marcus is currently a husband and a father of one, and he and his family relocated to and currently reside in Denver, Colorado. He is also a polyglot, fluent in 5 languages, and is also a guitarist.

11-HUMSS A Finals - 21st Century Literature

by: Balbiran, Franzeen Villarino, Marcus

[callme-l]

Fun fact: the Golden Retriever's friend doesn't know that he is the Golden Retriever's friend, so if you try to tell them that "Yes, you are the Golden Retriever's friend", they will absolutely deny it, but they don't know anything, exactly like a Golden retriever

[pies-writes-and-more]

infatuation

word count: 1,779

pairing: Bokuto Kōtarō x Fem!Reader

warnings: maybe some swearing, a sad boi Bokuto but just for a bit promise haha also i haven’t fully proofread this so im sorry if it makes: no sense LOL 

a/n: i am falling more and more in love with this adorable himbo just look at him lol. This fic idea is honestly all thanks to @satan-ruler-of-hells​ because they are practically my muse in life so thank you satan ilysm <3 i hope you guys like it! Gif below is not mine - credits to the original creator!

haikyuu masterlist

Bokuto knew from the very second he laid eyes on you that he would love you with every cell in his body. He finally understood what it meant to be infatuated with someone (Akaashi had told him just the other week about the English and Japanese words for infatuation and almost immediately, Bokuto knew that that was how he felt about you). He looked at you and felt like his whole life had led up to this moment.

He spent weeks trying to get on your good side, though you just laughed a little at him and awkwardly slid away. But just like most people, you couldn’t avoid his happy-go-lucky attitude forever. He always seemed to leave you alone if you truly wanted him to, but he bounced around you like a golden retriever, grinning from ear to ear. You knew that Bokuto had quite the reputation to go 110% for anything he wanted to, and so you weren’t that surprised when a bouquet showed up at your desk before school after weeks of him flirting with you.

The volleyball captain stood awkwardly in the doorframe of your classroom as you stared at the flowers, a glow to your skin as you gently touched the petals. You liked him - you liked how honest he was about his feelings, how unafraid he was to show you, you liked that he talked so highly about his team members, that he even told you about some kids at another school that he had mentored for a bit. You really liked him, even if maybe you weren’t as enthusiastic in your actions. You turned to look at him, a smile on your lips making him sigh from relief. He shot you a wink and started to come into the class before Akaashi dragged him away, saying he also had class to attend to. 

When Bokuto finally asked you out, confessing to you with a grin on his face, “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I really like you, Y/N-”

“Bokuto, you left presents for me every day this week and you’ve been screaming it across campus that you like me,” you pointed out with a laugh. “I think I noticed.”

Bokuto’s jaw had dropped but he still managed to pull off that wide grin of his, “Oh! Good! So you got my signals! Would you like to go out with me then? We can go anywhere you like!”

How could you say no to that adorable sweet smile?

Everyone was well aware that Bokuto was infatuated with you, he looked for you at each of his games, spun you around in tight hugs every time he saw you acting like it had been forever since he had last seen you, and you were the second most thought about topic on Bokuto’s mind (besides volleyball, of course).

He talked about you non-stop, sometimes enough to get on the Coach’s nerves and earn himself a few extra laps. 

“-and then after practice today I’m going to go study with her because I’ve got that math testing coming up and she said that she would help me and-”

“Bokuto, you come off real strong ya know that?” Konoha chuckled, shaking his head slowly as he picked up another ball to practice serving with.

Bokuto tilted his head slightly, trying to decipher what his teammate meant, “Strong? What do you mean?”

Konoha just glanced at the team and smiled a little awkwardly, “I mean... don’t you ever think what you’re doing is a lot?”

The captain considered these words for a moment, a furrow in his brow the more he concentrated, “But... how is she going to know how much I like her if I don’t show her?”

“Just be glad she isn’t feeling suffocated by all your over-the-top acts of love,” Akaashi piped in, though almost immediately regretted it. His eyes glanced over at Bokuto, seeing the quick droop in his hair and expression.

“Suffocated?” Boktuo repeated with wide sad eyes. Could it be possible that you didn’t actually want him to do all the things he was doing? Could you actually hate everything he was doing and wish he would be different?

Akaashi tried to insist to his best friend that you obviously liked his actions enough to go out with him so he probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but it all fell on deaf ears. But the next morning, Bokuto decided that if it meant keeping you next to him, he would change how he was.

The next day, you were surprised to find no Bokuto standing at your locker with a smile and an eager story about something that happened at practice. You hung around just for a few minutes longer, wondering if he got held up somewhere, but eventually just shrugged it off, assuming he and Akaashi were busy.

But even throughout morning classes, you didn’t get any text messages, no memes being sent through any social media platforms, no snapchats of his bored expression when he was clearly supposed to be learning.

Was... something wrong? You thought back to the last time you saw him, just before yesterday’s practice, when he had covered your face with kisses like he always did and beamed when you told him you’d see him tomorrow. “I can walk you home if you’d like!” He had offered.

“You’ve got practice in like 5 minutes, Bo,” you rolled your eyes with a smile. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry!”

He had shouted some compliments at you as you left making you laugh more as you waved goodbye to him.

Had something been wrong then too as you hadn’t noticed?

Bokuto seemed to be dodging you during break times. You’d see a flash of his dyed hair and by the time you got to where he last was, he had disappeared again.

Was he avoiding you? Was this his way of trying to break up with you? Your expression tightened into a frown - after just a few weeks, was Bokuto trying to ghost you in the most immature way possible? Sure, you knew he was childish and didn’t like to hurt people’s feelings too much, but you never expected him to try and disappear from your life like this.

You knew he had practice tonight so at the end of the day, you waited by the gym, awkwardly giving smiles and waves to his teammates as they walked in.

Soon, Bokuto’s eyes caught yours and he froze, looking around for some sort of escape. Your heart dropped just a little - so he really was trying to avoid you.

“H-Hi Y/N,” he smiled nervously, slowly walking towards you and trying to see if he could maybe slip past you.

“Are you trying to break up with me?” You demanded, searching his eyes for guilt or sadness, or any sort of emotion really.

But Bokuto just stared at you with shock, his head tilting the way it did when he was confused (which was often, to be honest), “W-What?”

“You’ve been avoiding me all day. And you didn’t come find me in the morning... or at lunch... and you haven’t texted me all day. It feels like you’re trying to run away from me,” as you spoke, you felt a bit of shame growing in you. Were you just being clingy? Were you overreacting for no reason? Maybe Bokuto was just busy today. Maybe he just needed space. Maybe you had gotten used to him being around you had started getting too clingy to him and he needed to get away from you. “If... If you needed space you could’ve just told me.”

“I don’t need space! I thought you did!” Bokuto gaped at you, reaching out for your hand but hesitating and pulling his arm back suddenly. “I thought... maybe you thought I was too much. Or suffocating you with how much I like you. I know you’re very independent so... I didn’t want to chase you away because I like you so much.”

“Suffocating me?” You repeated in surprise. You hadn’t ever really considered that. Sure, Bokuto came on strong but there was a sort of confidence in it that you really admired. You loved that he told you what he thought with barely a filter sometimes, you loved that he showed you all the time how much he loved you because you were honestly sure you were unlovable for a while. But where you felt like you were the darkness, he was a gleaming sort of light. A happiness that you never understood but always envied, a courage embedded in him that you wanted to get to know more and more, a gigantic heart that you could never understand how or why it chose you. “Bokuto, I am... completely infatuated with you.”

Bokuto watched you, his eyes getting bigger and bigger as the seconds passed. He knew that word (now in two languages) and he knew that was exactly how he felt about you. He grinned and quickly picked you up into a hug, squeezing you tightly, “I missed you so much today. Trying to keep away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he whined, his smile not letting up the whole time.

You laughed and snuggled into his neck, squeezing him tightly, “Don’t go ignoring me like that ever again okay! I missed hearing from you all day. You’re the best part of my day,” you told him with a loving tap to his nose, making him beam all the more. 

“Never again! I promise! I’m much too infatuated with you to ever leave your side again, I swear!” he laughed, emphasizing his fancy new vocabulary and making you giggle. 

“Okay okay, go practice before you’re late. Then you can walk me home okay?” You told him and he jumped up excitedly, running off to make sure that practice went by quick so he got to be with you. You just watched him with all the love in your eyes, sitting in the gym and focusing on how he moved, how he soared, how powerful he was.

As practice went on, you couldn’t contain your laughter as Bokuto scolded Akaashi and Konoha for making him believe that he was too much and coming on too strong, insisting that you were the most perfect girl in the world so of course he had to show you how much he loved you.

His words just filled you up with so much joy, you could barely sit still. You were completely in love with Bokuto, but until you were ready for those words, infatuation really did seem to fit quite nicely.

haikyuu taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added!)

@al0ehas @aurumk @neko-chii1 @thisnoodlewritesao3 @satan-ruler-of-hells @trashy-simp @jeppiet @tobi-momo @darkvadeeer @haikyuutothetop @livy384 @babyshoyo @jesssobs @b-bakana​

[weasleylangs]

swipe right / f.w

Summary: Finding your best friend and your biggest crush on Tinder is always awkward.  Pairing: Muggle!Fred Weasley x Muggle!Fem!Reader Warnings: Discussions of sex, language, alcohol, food/drink mention.  Word Count: 6.9k (this is the longest thing i’ve ever written)

AUTHORS NOTE / hiiiii... this is my first fic in SO long but thank you for waiting for me!!! a huge thank you to my lovely rosie @spacexcowgirl for inspiring this fic and also listening to me ramble on about it for hours on end as i was writing it and for also beta reading it guys this fic rly wouldnt exist if it wasnt for rose so.........

/ also, george’s girlfriend in the fic is named ‘em’ and she has no physical description besides also using she/her pronouns. i’m trying this out so even people who aren’t (primarily) fred simps can self insert in this fic!!!

taglist / @amourtentiaa​ @weelittleweasley​ @lumos-barnes​​ @lumosandnoxwriting​​ @loveboyhalo​​ @harrysweasleys​​ @freds-slut​​ @rcwenaclaw​​ @barneswidow​ @fandomhideout​​​

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

Y/N stared at her screen, the Tinder profile of Fred Weasley staring right back at her, teasing her ominously. She eventually decides to lock her phone to avoid the familiar and unwelcomed feelings rising in her throat. The last thing she ever expected to see during her mindless swiping at 1am was her best friend’s Tinder profile. 

She knows it’s hypocritical to feel this way but she’s also not stupid. She and Fred both have had their fair share of dates and hookups thanks to dating apps- they’re in the twenties and single after all. But she can’t shake how weird she feels finding Fred. Like she’s stumbled across something private.

Y/N unlocks her phone again, curiosity eventually making her cave after staring at her ceiling blankly for way too long. 

‘Pros: I’m an Aries (I’ve been told that's a good thing). Cons: I’m an Aries (I’ve been told that’s a bad thing).’

It’s a short and simple bio, much like her own but she has to stifle a choked laugh. She and George’s girlfriend have said these to both the twins and she feels a sense of accomplishment that she can’t explain. Almost like Fred thinking of her while he sets up his dating profile means something. 

She hesitates a moment, debating between swiping left and never thinking about Fred and dating profiles ever again and swiping right just to see what happens. Y/N’s definitely making it a bigger issue than it has to be, which is why she doesn’t realise when George’s girlfriend and her roommate suddenly appears in her doorway holding chocolate.

“Em, it’s 1am and you have work tomorrow?” She questions and the girl in the doorway shrugs, making her way into the room and sitting down without an invitation.

“I can vaguely hear you monologuing next door,” she laughs as she breaks a line of chocolate off the bar and hands it to Y/N. She groans, in her moment of panic she completely forgot about the fact it’s late and their bedroom walls are paper-thin. “All I heard was something about Fred and the word fuck. I hope I’m not interrupting anything…” she winks and Y/N cringes, Em’s usual 15-year-old boy humour shining through as she pops the piece of chocolate in her mouth. 

“You’re hilarious,” Y/N says rolling her eyes but she can’t deny the fondness that’s there for her best friend. “No, you’re not interrupting anything, rather the opposite actually, look.” She passes her unlocked phone to Em and Y/N wishes she could have captured the shocked look on Em's face.

“Fred has a fucking active Tinder?” She’s quickly swiping through his profile and she hates to admit he has good pictures, but when she gets to his bio she snorts and rolls her eyes. “That’s something you say, Y/N.” 

Y/N feels her face go red at Em’s comment. She’s acknowledged this already but when someone else says it she feels like she isn’t being as far fetched as she’s convinced herself. While she outright refuses to acknowledge her feelings for Fred to anyone who isn’t herself, she knows Em knows without having to tell her. Call it best friend instinct, ‘dating-his-twin-brother’ instinct, whatever she pleases, which is why when there’s a mischievous glint in Em’s eyes, Y/N immediately is reaching for her phone. “No.”

Em whines, rolling onto her back. “Why not, you’re so boring!” 

“I am not swiping right on Frederick fucking Weasley.” She feels her face becoming warmer as she says it. Em gives her a look as if to say ‘I believe you’ with a glint in her eye that makes Y/N know she doesn’t. “I’m just never going to open the app again!”

Em rolls her eyes but the fond smile on her face is unmistakable. “And do what, love?” 

Y/N falters for a second before shrugging. “Not perceive his profile. It’ll be gone into the abyss of people who live in London and I’ll never think about it again.” She’s smiling, thinking she’s concocted the most perfect plan.

-----

It wasn’t the most perfect plan, for when Y/N is hanging out with Fred two days later she’s faced yet again with the ‘Tinder Predicament’ as dubbed by Em. Fred and Y/N are sitting in their favourite park, the new spring weather of London on their skin as they soak up the friendly sun rays after a harsh winter. Y/N is laying on her stomach, the book open but she’s barely reading as she pretends to listen to Fred ramble on about only God knows what. 

It’s 11am, not too early for the park to be empty but busy enough that other people are turning up, mostly couples. Y/N tunes Fred out, quickly getting lost in her own thoughts. Do other people think we’re a couple? she thinks to herself. She knows if Em could read her mind she’d say yes and Y/N is quick to push the thought out of her mind. 

Everything is interrupted when her phone lights up with a ‘You’ve got a new match!’ notification and before she can hide it from prying eyes, Fred’s wolf-whistling. 

“You’ve got dating apps, do ya, Y/L/N?” he teases and Y/N wants the Earth to swallow her up, she can’t think of a worse situation to be in. 

“Yeah, don’t you?” The second the words leave her mouth she regrets them. Fred’s smirking at her, a signature smirk of his he only does when she knows he’s up to something. Unfortunately for her, she is on the receiving end of that something.

“Something along the lines of ‘looking for a golden retriever boy?’. Ring any bells, darling?” Y/N feels her blood drain from her body and Fred releases a laugh that can only be described as a full-body chortle. “You know I have one, darling. Besides, you popped up last night. I already knew.” 

Y/N groans. This shouldn’t be as embarrassing as it feels but it’s Fred and knowing Fred has seen her dating profile was low on her wishes for this week, or for her entire life for that matter. 

“Did you at least swipe right on me?” 

It’s said with a teasing manner, falling right out of Y/N’s mouth before she can stop it. Her curiosity always gets the best of her and she wants to kick herself for it. But she doesn’t even notice Fred’s slight falter, the red tint kissing his cheeks and emphasising the freckles across his face at the comment. “You’ll have to swipe right on me to find out.” 

She can’t tell if he’s joking. But Fred is always joking. So she laughs and pushes him slightly, “If I come across your Tinder profile, I’m reporting it.” 

“It would be a blessing from the universe for you to come across my dating profile. I’m sure you’d appreciate my bio.” 

“Let me guess. ‘6’3 if it matters’?” Fred scowls looking down at her and she knows she looks way too proud for that comment but she doesn’t care and after a few seconds, Fred doesn’t care either. He starts to feel a small shred of jealousy from knowing Y/N has a Tinder profile, but he swallows it, tabling it for later when he isn’t with her.

“Why do you have the app?” He blurts out, annoyed at himself for letting it slip out. “Just… Curious, y’know?” He adds on when he notices Y/N looking up at him with an eyebrow raised. He doesn’t really want to know, but the words are out there and the cute scrunch of Y/N’s nose as she thinks of an answer almost makes it worth it.

“Male validation, mostly,” she laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck when she hears Fred laugh along with her. “I don’t know, Freddie.” She says, exasperatedly. “I barely use it. What about you?”

“Sex, if I’m honest.” Now it’s his turn to awkwardly laugh because he knows he answered that way too quickly and a little too honest for his own comfort. Y/N’s been his best friend for years, probably knows him best besides George but she didn’t really need to know he uses his Tinder profile to hook up with people. 

When Y/N doesn’t respond immediately, Fred takes it badly. He knows she would never judge him, not about anything and especially not this, but his thoughts get the best of him and sometimes he can’t help it. He has no idea Y/N is in her own head, jealous other girls get to hold Fred at a distance closer than she ever will. 

He clears his throat and checks his phone to see no notifications besides a direct message from Lee Jordan. He knows George isn’t expecting him home- cursing his brother when he remembers George demanded the flat to himself (and in turn, also Em) today for a few hours. “Hey, uh. I’ve gotta go. Emergency with George apparently.” 

He knows he shouldn’t have lied, it’s not even a good lie but it was the first thing he thought of. He notices Y/N’s eyebrows furrow before she shrugs, nodding before closing her book. “That’s okay, I was getting tired anyway. I might pop back to my flat for a nap.” 

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Fred asks and his chest feels warm when Y/N meets his face with a smile. 

“Of course, Freddie.” 

She watches Fred leave, her thoughts getting the best of her. She knows for a fact there is no ‘George emergency’- she knows George is with Em probably being sick and in love and she’s sure Fred knows this too. The realisation Fred made an excuse to not spend time with her hits her like a truck, her mind frantically searching for what she could’ve possibly done to upset her best friend. 

“Fuck,” she whispers to herself, the second she realises.

-----

To: Em > if you come home tonight dont mind me being drunk x 

Y/N sends the text as she stands in the kitchen, pouring herself her second glass of wine before it has even hit 6pm. On her way home, she stopped by the liquor store, picked up her favourite wine and decided to drink away the anxieties of upsetting Fred.

From: Em > ill be home. ill pick up chinese on the way. save me some wine!!! x

She smiles down at her phone, knowing Em would always be there without even realising it. She sits down on their couch and turns on the television- old reruns of early 2000s sitcoms playing on almost every channel. 

It’s 20 minutes late when Em turns up. She’s nursing the Chinese food as if it’s a child as she tries to unlock the front door without dropping the food or her bottle of wine. She smiles proudly at Y/N the second she gets in, putting the food on the table before she grabs her own wine glass. 

“What happened today?” 

Y/N is caught off guard but she shouldn’t be shocked. She doesn’t usually drink and when she does, it’s very rarely without Em. “Nothing’s wrong!” she says, skulling the rest of her wine when Em gives her a knowing look.

“You were with Fred today and now you’re sad drinking. What happened?” Usually, she loves when Em is her all-knowing best friend, but right now she wishes she’d shut up. 

“Nothing happened!” She’s adamant to not say too much. She knows it’s probably all in her head, that she and Fred will be fine in a few days but when Em gives her one more knowing look, she breaks. “Okay, fine. I think I upset him today.” 

Em’s confused, to say the least. Fred, for as long as she has known him, has never been upset with Y/N- even on accident. She has the tall redhead wrapped around her finger. “How?” she questions, because she truly can’t think of a single thing that Y/N could do to hurt him. 

Em places Y/N’s food in front of her when she starts speaking. “We were talking about Tinder- don’t give me that look he saw a notification and it came up and he asked why I had it. I said I don’t know and when I asked him, he said he uses it for sex,” Y/N says softly, pouring herself another glass of wine before continuing. “I didn’t say anything when he said that, because… Well… You know why.” 

Em does know. She knew the second she became Y/N’s roommate their first year of University that she had feelings for Fred and she knew immediately Fred liked her too but Y/N’s never believed her. “You think he got upset you didn’t say anything about sex?” 

“I think he thinks I was being judgemental.” Em sighs at Y/N’s response. She loves both her best friends- they’re her favourite people besides George but she knows they can be idiots. They sit in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the forks against their Chinese containers before Em grab’s Y/N’s phone, unlocking it.

“Well if Fred’s using Tinder for sex, so should you!” she says matter-of-factly and when Y/N groans from the kitchen sink, Em speaks again. “It’s true! He likes you but won’t tell you, you like him but won’t tell anyone! Who’s a good meaningless shag going to hurt?” 

That’s how they end up in Em’s bed, cuddling under the duvet with ice cream and Y/N’s Tinder profile open on her phone. “You’re so fucking picky, holy shit,” Em says when Y/N scrunches her nose up at the sixth consecutive guy. “It’s a shag, not a hand in marriage, love.”

“They don’t do it for me!” Y/N is avoiding the elephant in the room- that she’s comparing every guy that pops up to Fred. “I have to be attracted to them for this meaningless shag you’re preaching about… See, he’s cute!” His name’s Cormac, he’s 21 so only a few years younger than Y/N and he’s not bad looking. 

“He looks like a douchebag!” Em exclaims and Y/N groans. 

“You told me to stop being picky!” 

“Stop being picky doesn’t mean saying yes to the first conventionally attractive guy we see!” Em exclaims as she swipes left on poor Cormac. Y/N gets up to pour herself and Em one more glass of wine each and she hears Em starting giggling to herself when the new profile shows up, hiding the phone from Y/N’s eyes when she walks over. Without even questioning Y/N, Em swipes right and immediately she starts howling laughing. 

‘New Match!’ the screen reads and Y/N feels her breath hitch when snatches the phone from Em’s hands and she sees who she matched with.

Fred, 24. 2km away.

“I remembered after dinner, you said he told you to swipe right to see what he did,” Em says proudly, and Y/N regrets even mentioning it to Em offhandedly. Y/N’s eyes are transfixed on the tiny screen. There’s no way he seriously swiped right, she’s sure it’s only a joke- people jokingly match with their friends all the time. “So here you go, Freddie swiped right on my lil Y/N/N.” 

Y/N shakes her head at this. “I’m sure he only did it as a joke. People do that when they find their friends on Tinder all the time!” she says, sitting back down on the bed and cuddling up next to Em. “You were telling me to swipe right on him last night, after all.” 

Em looks at Y/N and sighs, clearly sensing how uncomfortable Y/N is feeling right now from the confrontation of her feelings for Fred. “I was telling you to swipe right because I know you’re in love with him,” she says softly, not missing the way Y/N’s eyes soften at the mention of her feelings for Fred. “I’m sorry if I’d known-”

“Don’t apologise! I’m just going to ignore the fact we matched,” she says softly, unlocking her phone and immediately exiting from Fred’s profile. The tension from a few moments ago quickly dissipates as Y/N receives another match, this time from a boy named Neville who Y/N knows is friends with Fred’s little brother. 

“When did you swipe on Nev?” Em asks and Y/N shrugs. She knows she probably did it to be funny, like what she thinks Fred’s done to her, but the more she thinks about it, Neville isn’t a bad match. He’s nice, friendly and now he’s in his twenties, he isn’t bad looking either.  

“Nev’s sweet. If he asked me out I’d say yes.” She says. She isn’t lying- there’s been times she’s considered going on dates to avoid her feelings for Fred, to get over him once and for all but whenever it gets to that point, she chickens out. “I know you want a meaningless shag, but I think maybe a date would be a good idea. You know?”

Em nods, pulling Y/N closer to cuddle her and suddenly feeling bad about preaching for meaningless sex. “Maybe you’re more of a date before shagging kind of girl, and that’s okay.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

-----

Em’s fast asleep and Y/N’s overthinking next to her when she gets a message from a match. Y/N rolls her eyes when she sees the time reads 2am; knowing whoever's messaging at this time is just looking for a booty call but she opens the notification nonetheless.

From: Fred > i can be a golden retriever boy :) 

She smiles at the message, Fred’s presence always does that to her. She never expected him to message her on tinder considering she’s convinced it was just a joke swipe right, but this is probably just a joking message too. She checks his bio is still the same Aries joke before quickly replying.  

To: Fred > good thing im a big aries fan then ;)  > how tall are you though? im sure youre well aware it matters

She hopes Fred laughs at her messages because making Fred laugh is her favourite pastime. The three dots signalling Fred’s typing pops up and her heart starts to race.

From: Fred

> im 7’5 if its that important :/ 

She giggles and when doesn’t know how to reply after that, she exits out of their messages, but it’s not like she has to keep a conversation with Fred going. She’s trying to think of a funny message to send Fred when she gets another message; this time from Neville.

From: Neville > hi Y/N! i hope this isnt a weird time to message you, i just finished grading some work. i was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime this week? we were kind of friends at school, after all, and it’ll be nice to catch up :) 

The message from Neville is sweet, and she almost feels guilty reading it. Attached is his number and everything and Y/N feels her throat closing up. She would feel terrible going on a date with Neville despite what she claimed earlier, knowing her heart currently belongs to Fred. 

But Fred’s lack of interest in her is eating at her as much as her own feelings for him do, and she knows she deserves better than to sit around and wait for him any longer. If Em was awake the date would already be confirmed, she knows that much so she decides to say yes to Neville, to at least put herself out there. She can imagine the little Devil version of Em dancing on her shoulder as she begins to type out a reply to Neville.

She doesn’t even think to look at who it’s being sent to before clicking send. But by then it’s too late- she doesn’t even know how she ended up back in Fred’s messages but now she wants to roll up into a ball and die.

To: Fred > hi neville! id love to grab dinner one day, here’s my number and we can organise it tomorrow because im going to bed now! x

She’s staring at the message for so long she doesn’t even notice the ‘???’ she gets back from Fred. She quickly copies and pastes the message to the right recipient this time before plugging in her phone and rolling over to sleep.

Em’s slight snoring lulls her to sleep, thoughts of Fred filling her mind before she passes out for the night. What she doesn’t know is that while she falls asleep, Fred lays awake, staring at his ceiling. Contemplating the knowledge he has knowing Y/N’s potentially organising a date with one of  his little brother’s best friends. 

-----

Fred hates this feeling; this feeling of jealousy in his stomach that’s threatening to spill out of his throat. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about Y/N accidentally messaging him about a date with another person all morning and he knows George is getting annoyed with him. 

“Why are you being such a prat this morning?” George had asked when Fred scowled at his brother for simply standing in the kitchen. Fred had huffed as a reply, grabbing the milk for his tea before sitting down at their table to munch on his toast.

“Not being a prat,” he says, words muffled by the food in his mouth and George gives him a disgusted look before taking a bite of his own toast. “Do you remember Neville Longbottom?” 

George nods, of course, he knows Neville. “Ron’s friend? Super nice bloke. Think him and Hannah Abbott just broke up, why?” 

Fred shrugs, he’s almost positive it’s the same Neville now. “Think Y/N’s going on a date with him, that’s all.” When George raises his eyebrows, Fred speaks again, “Just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going on a date with a prat.”

“Wanted to know who she is going on a date with in general, more like it,” George mutters under his breath. He knows Fred better than he knows anybody, better than he knows his girlfriend and almost better than he knows himself. “You sure you’re not jealous?”

Fred squints at George. “Why would I be jealous?” Fred stands and makes his way to the kitchen to wash up his dishes and he almost drops them in the sink when George speaks again.

“Because you’re in love with Y/N?” He says it so casually Fred almost chokes on air. He’s never thought about himself and Y/N in that way. Sure they like to cuddle when they’re drunk and they spend every waking moment together but he’s not in love with Y/N.

Is he?

“What makes you say that?” Fred asks quietly, hoping to hide the red blush forming on his cheeks. George might be his best friend and twin brother but he knows he would never live it down admitting he has feelings for Y/N. 

“You two are worse than Em and I, and we’re actually dating,” George speaks as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “When Em first met Y/N, she asked how long you and she had been together for, mate.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Fred says a little too quickly. 

“I’m sure it doesn’t, Freddie,” George smirks as he speaks, getting up to wash his dishes now. Fred stands in the kitchen, nursing his cup of tea as he contemplates George’s words. Sure, he always knew he had some kind of feelings for his best friend, but being in love was another whole ordeal. It means wanting long term commitment, probably a house together, maybe marriage, perhaps kids if Y/N wanted them and the longer Fred sits with these in his mind, he quickly realises he does want all that and even more with Y/N. He’s probably wanted it with her for a while and he just hasn’t ever realised.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, low enough for George not to hear but when Fred doesn’t have a rebuttal to George’s words he knows he’s accidentally sent Fred into an existential crisis. 

“Look, Fred. If Y/N going on a date bothers you, you need to tell her.” George knows he’s about to cross some lines that he promised himself he would never cross but it’s getting dire in his eyes. “Y/N likes you and deep down you know you like her too, even if you’re oblivious. She deserves to know and if you’re too much of a chicken to admit it to her, then you don’t get to be bothered about her going on a date with Neville Longbottom.” 

Fred huffs. He knows George is right, but he can’t help but feel like he truly noticed too late. He swiped right on her on Tinder hoping she would swipe right back and they could go from there. But he knows Y/N only swiped right to see if he had done it first, that she only swiped right out of curiosity and right now, Fred is cursing the app under his breath. 

“Well, fine, yes I like Y/N, but I can’t just stop her from going on a date. That’s controlling and mean.” Fred states and George just sighs. “I’ll talk to her after her date, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”

George stares at him. “Since when are you mister Que sera, sera, Freddie?” Fred shrugs, not understanding the reference George made. “Since when are you just letting it happen?” George translates when he notices the blank stare on Fred’s face.

“Since right now. I don’t want to come off controlling to Y/N.” Fred says. In actuality, even though he knows George would never lie to him, he’s scared. Y/N is his best friend and the last thing he ever wants to do is ruin his closest friendship all because of some jealousy. 

“Okay fine, but if she gets a boyfriend, I’m sorry mate,” George says and he knows putting the threat of losing Y/N romantically on the line is harsh, but it’s what he has to do. He’s watched the pair pine for each other for years and he’s sure this is the last straw. 

“We’re going out with the lads in a few days, by the way! Maybe you can stop moping enough for a shag!” George calls out and Fred flips him the finger as he walks off to his bedroom. 

-----

Y/N and Neville decide on getting dinner together three days later. It’s a Friday so neither of them has to worry about work or coursework the next day, which is perfect. Neville tells Y/N about his favourite Italian restaurant right near Old Street subway station in Shoreditch, so that’s where the pair decide to meet. 

It’s rather busy when Y/N gets to the station. Neville has apologised profusely for still being fifteen minutes away but she reassures him it’s fine and that she’ll meet him outside the station so they can walk to the restaurant together. 

Y/N’s on her phone, texting Em and telling her she’s safe when she feels a presence next to her. She tenses up quickly but she soon relaxes when she looks at the person next to her and realises it’s Fred. 

“Hi,” she says, smiling. She hasn’t seen him since the day in the park, but they’ve texted and called so she’s sure everything is fine. “What are you doing all the way on this side of London?” 

Fred smiles and shoves his hands in his jeans pocket before replying, “Grabbing a drink with the lads tonight, love. What about you?” His tone is casual and Y/N has to stop herself from checking him out. He’s dressed in a nice dress shirt, it’s orange and on anyone else, it would clash with his hair but Fred somehow manages to pull it off. He’s got a black jacket over the top of his shirt, alongside black jeans that show off his long and muscular legs on and his outfit is paired off with a pair of boots on his feet. 

He’s not making it easy to get over him, that’s for sure. 

“I’ve got a date,” she’s shy when she says it, looking away from Fred and then back down at her phone. The time reads 6:47pm and Neville’s train will be getting in any second now. She’s trying to get over Fred and the last thing she needs is Fred lingering when said date turns up. 

“Ah yes, with Neville, if I remember correctly,” Fred’s teasing and Y/N has to force a laugh out. She blocked out the fact she’d accidentally messaged him instead of Neville and was hoping he would forget as well. But this is Fred she was talking about, and Fred never lets up a chance to tease Y/N for something.

“Yeah, Neville Longbottom,” she says and she catches the look of recognition that flashes across Fred’s face. “He was friends with your brother in school.” 

Fred nods in acknowledgement while he can’t decide whether or not he’s happy with the confirmation that he was right. He’s sad and jealous, that much is obvious, but he’s a little happy. Happy that even though Y/N is going on a date with someone who isn’t himself, it’s someone he knows would treat her like she deserves. 

“Neville’s a good guy, I’m happy for you,” he forces out and Y/N smiles up at Fred and he wants to sink into the Earth. The smile on her face is one he wants to be the cause for forever. “I should get going, tell Nev hello for me!”

He pulls Y/N into a quick hug, presses a quick kiss absentmindedly on the top of her head before letting her go and crossing the street and making his way to the bar he’s meeting Lee, George, Harry and Ron at. 

Y/N watches him leave, dumbfounded. The kiss on the top of her head is nothing less than usual; Fred’s always been touchy with her but now it feels weird. All she wants is to call out to Fred and demand the redhead take her on a date instead. 

But before Y/N can do anything drastic, she hears Neville call out her name and she turns around quickly. He’s just as sweet and cute as she remembers and even if she wishes Fred was the boy she was on a date with, Neville is someone she would be friends with above anything. 

“I hope you weren’t waiting too long!” He says when he reaches her, kissing her cheek as Y/N pulls him into a hug. His presence is comforting and he smells like cinnamon and Y/N feels herself instantly relax.

“Not too long!” She replies as she begins walking towards the restaurant with Neville. During Spring, the cold weather still returns at night so their hands are shoved inside their jacket pockets to keep warm but they’re walking closely together. “I ran into Fred just before, so he kept me company.”

“Good, I’m glad,” Neville says as he grabs the door to the restaurant, “can’t have a pretty girl waiting outside a subway station alone.” Y/N feels her cheeks heat up at his comment. 

They’re quickly seated and wine is ordered. They’ve been placed in a booth right near the window, where they’re able to watch the City of London go by. “How’s teaching going?” Y/N asks when she remembers Neville recently graduated and got an immediate job offer at the Agriculture department at a college in Surrey. 

“It’s going well! I specifically teach the floriculture courses so I love it, of course,” Neville’s smile couldn’t get any wider. Y/N specifically remembers his constant fascination with plants and flowers in school and she couldn’t be happier for him to be doing what he so clearly loves, “What about you?” 

“Being hammered by my postgrad coursework,” she says, laughing and taking a sip of her wine. “My job at the bookstore near my flat doesn’t suck but I definitely don’t work as much as I used to, unfortunately.” Neville raises his glass, almost to say I’ll drink to that when the waiter comes over to take their order.

Dinner goes quickly, conversation flows easily between the two and soon enough the bill arrives and Neville grabs the cheque before Y/N can even say anything. “You can grab it next time.” 

Y/N falters at this. She knows she should say something to Neville; that this has been nice but there won’t be a second date. She’s too caught up in her panic and she’s beginning to curse Fred Weasley under her breath when Neville gently places his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the restaurant. 

“Are you okay?” Neville asks when they get outside. He noticed the tensed look on Y/N’s face the second they got outside and when she nods and sighs he takes it as a sign to stop walking.

“This has been nice, Nev,” she starts and she feels terrible even though she knows it’s better, to be honest. “But I don’t think I’m-”

“Ready for a relationship?” Neville finishes for her, and he’s not condescending when he says it. He could tell even before dinner was finished that she probably felt that way and he doesn’t mind. “I don’t think I am either. But this was fun, was it not?” 

Y/N nods, smiling as the anxieties of hurting Neville wash away. “It was fun!” she says, “I hope we can do it again. Even as friends?” 

He nods back, a warm smile gracing his cheeks. “Of course.”

They walk back to the station together, promises of seeing each other again soon leaves their mouths as they walk to their respective platforms. 

From: Neville  > thanks for tonight. i forgot to mention, please tell me when you’re home safe!

She smiles down at the text, shooting Neville a reply of reassurance that she will before opening her messages with Em to let her know she’s on her way home. She’s jumping through her apps, Snapchat that she only uses for filters, Facebook she only uses to check the ‘Dogspotting’ group until she lands on Instagram. 

She sees a story from George and when she opens it, she immediately regrets it. It’s their friendship group, that much she expected but she sees a girl sitting next to Fred nursing what looks like a Gin and Tonic and Y/N feels sick. 

She immediately closes the app, pretending she didn’t see it. She has no right to be upset over this but it plagues her thoughts for the entire subway trip home.

That’s when she decides she’s going to demand answers from Fred. She doesn’t know how, or when or if she’ll even do it without Em forcing her to, but she knows she deserves better. That she doesn’t deserve to hang on the end of every touch, every word of Fred’s in hopes he’ll hold her closer than arm's length while she desperately wants more. 

-----

The next night, Fred’s laying on his couch in an uncomfortable position searching Netflix at 10pm when he hears a knock at the front door. He knows it isn’t George, or any member of his family for that matter and any normal person would ring before coming over this late at night. So when Fred gets up and looks through his peephole to ensure he’s not about to be murdered, he’s shocked to see an angry-looking Y/N.  

He opens the door and she’s immediately inside, pushing past Fred’s body and when she turns around, she has the most determined look on her face he’s ever seen. 

“I’m annoyed at you.” Fred’s taken aback, he tries to think back at their interaction the evening before, trying to piece together anything that would annoy Y/N but he’s coming up blank.

“What did I do?” He wearily asks and when Y/N purses her lips together and looks like she’s about to cry Fred has to resist the urge to apologise without knowing what he needs to apologise for.

“I’m annoyed at you because,” she pauses and takes a shaky breath, “I’m annoyed because I went on a date last night. I went on a date with the loveliest man I’ve ever met. And I spent the whole fucking time wishing I was on a date with you. And I’ve spent all of today debating coming over here and telling you that so I drank half of Em’s bottle of wine for some liquid courage and here I fucking am!” 

That’s the last thing Fred was expecting to come out of Y/N’s mouth. “Well, that’s not-” 

“I’m not finished.” She stares at Fred and he immediately shuts up. 

“I’ve been in love with you for years and it’s not fair on me anymore, Freddie.” Her voice is shaking like she needs to get everything out as soon as possible. “I need to know if you feel anything for me, even in the slightest, because if I need to move on, I’m begging you to be honest with me.” 

Fred feels his heartbreak at how sweet, how broken, how defeated Y/N looked standing in front of him right now. He can see the need for an honest answer swimming in Y/N’s eyes and he’s never felt braver to admit his feelings than he does right now.

“I’m an idiot,” Y/N scoffs but lets him continue, “because I didn’t realise how fucking in love with you I am until I almost lost you. I thought…” he pauses, looking for the right words and when his eyes meet Y/N’s, there’s a softness there that wasn’t there previously. “I thought what we had was normal; the cuddling, the constant need to be with each other, the constant subtle touches. But George knocked some sense into me.” Y/N lets out a breath as she laughs, of course, it was George’s doing.

“I’m in love with you, and I think I have been since we were 17. So I’m so fucking sorry, for ever letting you think you meant any less to me, my love.” 

Y/N’s eyes are overflowing with tears at his words and Fred panics for a second before he sees the biggest and most loving smile overtake Y/N’s face. “Fucking hell, you big dummy.” 

She crosses the room, quicker than she’s ever moved before and pulls Fred’s 6’3 frame into her arms. She feels Fred pull her away, only slightly, so he can look down into her eyes and cup her cheek with his hand. His thumb is providing comfort as it strokes across her cheek and wiping away any stray tears. 

She cups the outside of his hand with her own and brings her face to the side to kiss his palm. This is the closest the two have ever been and both their hearts feel like they could beat out of their chests at any moment. It’s the adrenaline from this moment that causes Fred to blurt out his next question, without any hesitation.

“Can I please kiss you before I die?” 

Y/N laughs as she looks up at Fred. She doesn’t even give him an answer, she just pulls the tall boy down before locking their lips together. They’ve both kissed plenty of people, had many first kisses whether it be with first dates or partners but they can both agree this is the best kiss either of them has ever experienced. 

Y/N is pouring everything she can into the kiss, knowing she will never get tired of the taste of caramel that she will forever associate with kissing the love of her life. She presses her lips harder against his, her tongue running along Fred’s chapped lips asking for more before he opens his mouth to massage his tongue with hers. 

Fred decides to be a tease, pulling back slightly before capturing her lips again and biting her bottom lip slightly. This action pulls a moan from Y/N’s throat, soft enough that Fred almost misses it but he can’t help but smirk into the kiss. He wants nothing more than to kiss Y/N for the rest of his life, but eventually, he has to pull away to catch his breath and the whine that leaves Y/N’s mouth might be the cutest sound he’s ever heard in his life. 

“I hope to God you know I’m never letting you kiss anyone else ever again, holy shit,” she says, cheeks flushed red and when she looks at Fred she thinks she’s fallen even further in love with him. His hair’s messy, thanks to her running her hands through it and his lips are slightly swollen. She thinks this might be the most beautiful she’s ever seen Fred in her life and if this is how gorgeous he looks after a few minutes of kissing, she’s secretly anticipating how gorgeous he’s going to look laying in her bed, naked. 

Fred smiles dopily down at her, “Don’t worry darling, I never want to be with someone who isn’t you ever again.”

[sleepingtimber]

I am having so many thoughts tonight and I need to jot it somewhere, aaand this blog doubles as a therian diary so hey hi ignore me

As a psychological therian, the way I understand my identity is complex and weird. For a long time I assumed my child self spent so much time pretending and wanting so badly to be an animal that it, with the help of my neurodivergencies, developed into my alterhuman identity as I got older. But I think maybe there was always a little something there.

I spent much of my younger years as an animal. A dog, to be specific. I grew up around dogs since I entered the world. My family dog raised me alongside my human parents. I spent so much time with her, sharing her dog bed and drinking out of a bowl on the floor because she did and I wanted to be just like her. Our other family member's dogs too. I always went to curl up in their beds, sit in their kennels, eat and drink from a dish on the floor, and run around on all fours.

In fact, most of my childhood was also spent on all fours. Any family gathering we had I'd do laps around the house and they'd say "oh there goes the little animal!" followed up with "what animal are you?". To which I'd reply with whichever one I was in that moment. My special interest through all my childhood was animals, so I would be whichever one I was fixated on that week. But one that always reoccured was a dog. A specific dog, I even gave this dog a name and pretended to be him most often. My entire family evenyually knew him by name and when I'd run around, I'd get "hello [dog name]!" and "oh there goes [dog name] again!". But to me this 'character' I'd play as was an extension of me, perhaps even an alternate version of myself.

When I was in middle school I was the 'weird wolf kid'. All my peers knew that about me, and their parents only knew me as wolf kid, not even my actual name. One day, a kid in my class decided to target me on the bus ride home. He said "why do you like wolves? They are evil" and "all they do is kill! All wolves are violent and mean!" He kept insisting these things, and the whole time I argued back and got much more worked up than probably seemed rational. It felt like a personal attack. I think it was because he was attacking my special interest, but I wonder if it was also partly because it felt like a jab at me specifically.

The same year I had a week where I felt so strongly connected to golden retrievers I spent gym class the whole week doing dog behaviors because it was the only physically active class and because of that I felt I could just be a dog. All through middle school and even part of high school I would show off my 'party trick' to friends where I could run on all fours really well. Any excuse I could find I'd take, any gym class that allowed for it or friend who asked I'd run like a dog. I was so excited to wear a tail every day of 10th grade, but I began to realize that was 'weird'. I didn't really realize it wasn't 'acceptable' or 'normal' until I finally realized I was being stared at and whispered about. I stopped wearing it in public at some point throughout that year.

The same year when a friend told me about therianthropy and asked if I was also a therian, I told them "I wish I was. But I don't think I count, and I don't want to be a faker." I wanted to be myself, but I was scared. I had pushed it all down to a point of thinking I couldn't possibly be therian, even when presented a safe space to explore and embrace it. After that I forgot about it for 3 or 4 years.

Looking back and writing this out, I really do think my alterhumanity has been here since the beginning. Maybe a little differently to how it is now, but part of me has always been canid. It was a little seedling that sprouted into what I am today because I accidentally nurtured it so much prior to high school. Kid me made sure it was strong enough to last through those dry seasons, and I finally learned to let it bloom. I am so happy about who I am and that I can be myself now!! I just wish teenage me could have been able to accept and be himself too.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Hey friend! Just wanted to check in on you? How’s everything going? Feeling any better? If not I’m here if you need to talk! ♥️ just dropping by to let you know you’re not alone and we are here! Hoping you are feeling better!

Update: school has messed up my sleep schedule. And they can’t be doing that to me. I’m 29, I can’t bounce back like I use to when I was younger with little sleep. Lol I get grumpy and cranky 😂 also my roommates birthday is today, and she turned 21. 😅 and they were listening to 2000’s music and said it was classics. And that made me feel ancient for sure. lol even thought 29 isn’t even old. But man that made me feel it for sure!

Oh also I saw you’re bi?! Me too! And when I came out to my parents, my mom was totally cool with it. She seriously said “that’s nice sweetheart, but what do you want for lunch and I still love you no matter what.” She’s an angel. But I almost killed my dad. He’s not a fan of being gay and everything. So when I came out to him, I was so nervous we would get into an argument so I hurried and told him “ hey dad, I’m bi.. anyways, Jurassic park is on” and I didn’t look at him when I said that, so I had no idea he was taking a bite out of his sandwich and he starts choking. Like legit choking. I almost had to go give him the Heimlich! I was freaking out thinking if he died the news would be like “bisexual killed dad for liking both genders” and yeah. It was a bit chaotic. 

I was hoping that made you laugh or smile just a little to brighten your day/ night since I’m not sure what time it is for you! Lol but anyways I hope you are doing good!

Fun fact again. I found out today I have a golden retriever personality.. lol it reminded me of bokuto for some reason!

Here’s a visual of me cheering for you! 👇🏻

♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hi cherry!!! Ahhh I'm doing MUCH better thankfully! Just getting into a new routine is hard for me and everyone in the house. Honestly I'm so excited for the weekend because we don't have to get up 🤣 I suffer from pretty severe depression and anxiety and sometimes I just really get in my head about things but thankfully I've been able to accomplish stuff this week so I've been in a MUCH better mood 🥰

Ok I feel the bounce back thing 😅 I'm 33 and a nightowl. So lile getting me up before 9am is hard. Unfortunately when you have kids who ride a bus, you need to get up at 6am 😫 so I'm just over here being the whole cast of the walking dead. My oldest kiddo asked me if he could make my coffee in the morning and I'm like "😐😑 sounds suspicious what do you want?" 😅

Also, oh to be 21 again!! I sometimes miss those days when I'd go out every thursday-saturday drinking. Like I'm pretty sure my iunity is so strong from all the UV I use to drink 😫

Someone once called the early 2000's "vintage" and I about said "✌🏻 out life I'm done". Then someone more ruined by saying "wow you were born in the 1900s 😱" and I went thought the entire spectrum of emotions with just that one statement.

Ahhh I freaking love the bi-pride support! Honestly we live for supportive family, parents, friends, whomever! I'm so proud of you for telling them!! I honestly haven't told my parents and I probably never will 😅 I have supportive parents but at this moment I don't feel like I need to tell them. I'm currently on a hiatus from dating and relationships until I can figure out exactly what I want so basically my plan is to bring someone home say "Hey this is my partner" and go from there 😅 but again I am the Oikawa of my family so I live for drama!

Also yes we loove the Bokuto energy!! My personality type is ESFP which is also Bokuto's personality type! You and I probably are very similar then 😍 honestly poor Akaashi, man's has got to be exhausted 🤣

[just-some-gt-trash]

2.- Glitch

AND I AM LATE TO MY OWN OROMT LIST WUUUUUU

Tbh I underestimated how much my writing has improved since my last monthly list, and therefore how much time I need to write.

But here is day two! On day five!

Pairings: Lomoceit

Summary: Logan was created with the purpose of providing humans with all the knowledge they needed. Unfortunately, his creator passed away before he was launched to the market, leaving him activated on his old house. His existence has been pretty boring since then. Until a cute couple moved next door.

—————————————————————————

Logan was looking out the window as usual. It was one of his usual activities since he didn't really have anything else to do, but today was different. There was a couple moving next door.

Logan had seen them go in and out of their new house for hours. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, and it didn't exactly get boring either. He was analyzing the way they walked, the way they carried boxes, and every movement they made. He was programmed for that after all.

It didn't take long for the sky to get dark so he started the “night shift” for the house. It only turned on all the lights and made sure the energy saving settings were off. He didn't know why he was still doing it since there was no one living in the house, but it helped him establish a routine.

A soft nuzzle against his legs snapped him out of his thoughts. Well, the house wasn't completely empty. Perhaps saying there were no humans living there was more adequate.

Logan kneeled down to pet the head of the house dog, Thomas. He knew dogs were quite affectionate creatures, especially this one, so pets were the way to go when trying to calm it down. “It is still not time for your dinner Thomas”, he reminded it “I’ll make sure to feed you as always. Do not worry about that.” Thomas only walked away in response, most likely to go take a nap or something.

Logan sighed and looked back out. Apparently the couple decided to stop for the day. It was logical, they must be tired from working all day after all. Still, Logan couldn't really understand why he was so disappointed he couldn't see them anymore. He would have to wait for tomorrow.

There was some movement on one of the windows from the neighbor's house. One of the humans pocked their head through the window and looked out, making direct eye contact with Logan. The human smiled widely and waved at him. Logan only stepped aside and closed the curtains of his own house. Having a relationship with a human wouldn't be a good idea.

Patton was unpacking his collection of snowglobes. The shelf above the chimney was the perfect spot! He was loving every single minute of unpacking and redecorating their new home. Him and Janus had taken a big step when they decided to move together, and Patton couldn't be happier.

Well, he could. Patton noticed his neighbor had been looking at them through their window. Janus would freak out, but Patton thought they just looked lonely. He really wanted to go and introduce himself but didn't have the chance, until now.

Janus was out looking for a job nearby, so Patton had the house all for himself. He had spent the previous days trying out their new kitchen and had plenty of pastries to offer to his neighbor. So Patton packed some cookies up on a nice gift bag and headed out of his house.

Patton rang the doorbell of his neighbor’s house and waited patiently for someone to answer. A couple of seconds passed and Patton decided to try again, still nothing. “Hello? Is anybody home?” He was starting to get a little bit desperate and started ringing the doorbell multiple times in a row.

A groan could be heard from the other side of the door before it opened. A tall and slim man wearing formal clothes stood in front of him “Good morning. I politely ask you to stop playing with my doorbell and go back to your own house.”

Patton smiled at them “Hello. I’m Patton, he/him pronouns,” he extended his hand towards him.

Logan raised an eyebrow and sighed. He took Patton's hand and gave a firm handshake “You may call me Logan, and I suppose pronouns are not quite suitable for me but I’m mostly referred to as a male.”

Patton blinked “so… he/they?”

Logan shrugged “however you want to adress me is fine for me. It's not really something I’ve thought about before.” Perhaps he could look more into it later.

“Well, whatever makes you comfortable then!” Patton nodded with a wide smile. He had never met someone so formal with their words like Logan. He reminded him of an old fashioned butler.

Logan nodded back slightly. “Now as I was saying.” He felt a gentle nudge on his legs as he asked Patton to leave once again.

Patton looked down and gasped. “You have a dog?!” He kneeled down to pet it happily.

Logan was taken aback by Patton ignoring him. He looked down at them “I do, theoretically. Thomas doesn't exactly belongs to me but I do serve as it's caregiver.”

“It's adorable. Is it a golden retriever?” Patton loved dogs. He loved all animals but was unfortunately allergic to cats so he couldn't get one. He was halfway through convincing Janus to get a dog though!

Logan shook his head a bit. “Thomas is a red golden retriever, you may notice a variation on the color of its fur.”

Patton nodded, “that makes sense. You're so lucky to have a cute dog like this one.” Patton chuckled softly as he kept petting Thomas.

Logan hummed, “I suppose I am. It does need a lot of physical activity and special diet needs, but I’ve managed to accommodate its necessities.”

Patton smiled softly, “sounds like fun! This good guy must have the time of his life going on walks.”

“Ah,” Logan pushed his glasses up, “not exactly. Neither Thomas nor I get out of this house. It can run around in the backyard and I make sure to keep it entertained. I also built a rather complicated machine that helps it keep the healthy levels of exercise it needs.”

Patton looked up at Logan with wide eyes “woah. Wait, you seriously never get out of your house?”

Logan shook his head “I don't.” As much as he wanted to 'info dump’ on Patton, his purpose and functionality must remain a secret until his official release to the public. “I am not quite fond of being outdoors.”

Patton frowned a bit. “Well, maybe we could go out one day!”

Logan blinked “Pardon?”

Patton stood back up and nodded with a smile. “We can take Thomathy for a walk, or just explore the neighborhood together! Oh! And I can bring my partner Janus! I’m sure you two will get along!”

That… surprisingly didn't sound bad? Logan hummed as he tried to understand why. “As uh, lovely as that sounds, I’m afraid it won't be possible.”

Patton's smile dropped “oh, it's alright. I guess we can come visit again sometime then?”

Logan thought for a bit, having humans around wasn't a good idea. He wasn't supposed to be interacting with anyone without the host’s permission in the first place, but he knew he wasn't going to get it either way. “That can be possible.”

Patton’s smile returned, and Logan couldn't help but smile back at that. “Sounds like a plan then! Should I uh… give you my number?”

“You can. Just tell it to me and I’ll memorize it to call you later.”

Patton nodded and did that. “Then I’ll be seeing you and Thomas soon!” Patton gave one last pet to the dog. “Oh! And I almost forgot!” He handed Logan the bag of cookies, “I backed these earlier in the week but they're still good and I figured I could share some with you!”

Logan took the bag, he couldn't eat but it was just an act of courtesy. “Thank you Patton. We’ll be pleased to have you around again”

And with that, Patton made his way back home. He waved at Logan as he walked away.

Logan waved back and instructed Thomas to go back inside the house before closing the door behind them. He looked down at the cookies with a small smile. He felt something warm on his chest… and then it became pain.

Logan groaned and rubbed his head. He looked at his hand as it started glitching. The censor on the ceiling started beeping. “Thomas, I need to inactivate myself.” He walked to the living room and left the cookies on the coffee table. “I’ll be back to feed you.” Logan looked up at the censor and his physical form pixelated away until he disappeared completely.

Logan hadn't had any manteinece whatsoever since his creator passed away. He hadn't had any issues until now. Did it have anything to do with Patton visiting? Either way, he needed to rest and let the system analyze him.

Patton took the batch of cookies out of the oven just in time. They would be heading to Logan’s house to hang out soon and he figured he would bake for him again.

Janus wasn’t as excited as his boyfriend. “Are you sure this Logan guy wants me there?”

“Of course!” Patton nodded, “he never said you couldn’t come.”

Janus sighed, “that still doesn’t mean I’m welcome in his house.”

Patton took off his oven mittens and looked over at his partner. “Come on Jan, we need to meet new people. You haven’t been that friendly with your coworkers.”

“They keep misgendering me.” Janus defended themselves, “I don’t want to be friends with people that can’t do something as simple as respecting pronouns.”

“I do not believe there’s not a single person in that office that uses they/them for you” Patton walked closer to them as they talked. He took their hands. “I know you don’t like new people, but I already did half the work for you,” he chuckled a bit. “Logan is not a complete stranger, and he sounds smart! You could probably talk about techy stuff.”

Janus rolled their eyes a bit at Patton. “Fine, just because you say he’s nice.”

Patton smiled and gave Janus a quick kiss “I promise, we’ll have a fun time!”

Logan was freaking out. Not only was his glitch getting worse no matter how many times the system told him there were no errors, but his creator’s family finally found out he was dead.

Based on the information they shared with him, they weren’t really close to their family and they thought they were crazy for trying to be an inventor. It was no surprise for Logan that it took them weeks to hear the news, but he wasn’t expecting them to want the house either.

Logan didn’t know how, but he was scared. Those people visited early and even called a shelter to come and take Thomas with them. They weren’t even going to keep it! Logan was able to call them and cancel of course. One of his assigned tasks was to take care of the house dog.

If, no, when they manage to move in it’s not going to take them long to find out the censors around the house are apparently doing nothing and then they would get rid of them. The probabilities of Logan ending up in the trash was 85.6%. The other 14.4% were the probabilities of him being recycled.

They left about an hour ago but Logan didn’t know what to do. Those humans were… dumb, for the lack of a better word. They were used to farm life and most likely knew nothing about technology. Even if Logan revealed himself to them, they would be useless, maybe even a burden, taking care of him.

The doorbell rang, shit. With everything that happened, Logan forgot about Patton and Janus’ visit. Well he didn’t forget, but his processing system didn’t categorize it as a priority. Logan took a deep breath as if he needed oxygen and hoped he wouldn’t glitch while they were here. He would kick them out, but he was really looking forward to hanging out with them for some reason.

Logan opened the door and offered them a warm smile. “Good evening, it’s a pleasure to have you both here.”

Patton smiled back at him “Thank you for inviting us Logan.”

“You’re welcome.” Logan nodded slightly and stepped aside “you can come in.”

Patton nodded and walked inside hand in hand with Janus. Thomas ran to them excitedly and almost tackled Patton. “Woah there,” he chuckled, “it’s nice to see you too buddy.”

Janus held the bag of cookies so Patton could pet the dog. They smiled a bit at it and looked back at Logan. “I’m Janus, they/them pronouns.”

Logan nodded “It’s nice to finally meet you. Patton mentioned you in the little time we talked the other day.”

Patton blushed slightly and chuckled. “Well, they are the love of my life after all.”

Janus blushed darkly and gave Patton’s foot a slight kick.

Logan looked between them as he tried to analyze the situation. There was no way of making it less awkward but he was still going to try. “Would you like to go outside? There’s a back porch with a small living room where we can spend some time, and Thomas would get to run around and play with you if you want.”

“Sounds good to me!” Patton nodded. Thomas had gotten off him as soon as it heard ‘outside’.

Janus nodded in agreement “As long as there’s not any mosquitos attacking me.”

“The porch has an anti-bug system installed as well as a radiator and plenty of lighting in case the evening gets too cold,” Logan explained. “I can guarantee there won’t be any mosquitoes bugging us.”

Patton snorted at the joke and Janus rolled their eyes. “Great, you found someone with the same licking for dad jokes Patt.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I understand.”

“Mosquitoes, bugging us.” Patton tried to explain, “don’t tell me the joke wasn’t intentional.”

Logan recalled his words in his mind and finally understood. “Ah, no, I’m afraid it wasn’t. But I can certainly make some jokes if those are of your liking.”

Patton smirked, “oh please. I love Janus’ annoyed face every time I make one” he chuckled and kissed his partner’s cheek.

Logan didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel quite right to see Patton and Janus interacting as a couple. He was well aware they were dating and all but seeing them being so affectionate with each other made him feel… glitchy. “Why don’t you go ahead while I put those aside?” He looked at the bag of cookies on Janus’ hands, “just go all the way down the hallway and you will see a clear door.”

Janus nodded a bit and handed the cookies to Logan before walking away, Patton and Thomas following behind them.

Logan hurried to the kitchen and closed the door behind him. He started to glitch again, the bag going through his hands and falling to the floor. This was bad, he couldn’t let Patton or Janus see him like this. He picked up the cookies and left them in the pantry next to the previous batch Patton gave him, which remained untouched, and went outside with the humans.

Things were going surprisingly well. Logan got the chance to get to know the couple better and even talk to Janus alone while Patton was in the bathroom. He hadn’t glitched again and was having a really fun time with them. Everything was perfect, but of course, it didn’t last long.

Logan’s sensors detected a car parking in front of the house. The same car that had been there earlier, oh no. Logan excused himself to go look outside, only to confirm that those humans were in fact his creator’s family again. Logan started one of the security protocols of the house and locked the doors. He had to figure out how to get Patton and Janus out of the house.

To make things even worse, Logan started glitching again. He was running out of time! His systems must definitely be overheating right now. He held down his glitches and would try to repress them as much as he could. He went back outside “Alright, I’m going to have to be completely honest with you two now.”

Patton looked at him with a confused look “What’s wrong?”

“I am going to explain everything that is going on, but you are going to have to trust me. There’s some people trying to come inside the house. We can’t let them know we’re here.” Logan tapped a specific spot on the ground and the coffee table rose up revealing a staircase going down into the ground. “No one knows about this place, we’ll be safe if we go down there.”

Janus stood up and pulled Patton with them. “What?! You seriously can’t expect us to go in there.”

Logan had started the ‘sleeping mode' on the house and the lights inside turned off. “Please. I am well aware that we don’t really know each other, and you have absolutely no reason to trust me. But I don’t want you to get in trouble within your first month of living here.”

Patton looked inside as the lights went off, them at the secret entrance, and then at his partner. “We have to Jan.”

“No we don’t. He could be trying to kill us or something,” Janus pulled Patton away. “We’re leaving.” They were about to open the door to go back in when they heard footsteps from the inside and stepped back. They looked at Patton, who gave them a reassuring nod. They sighed “fine, but I swear if you try anything sketchy.”

“I won’t. This is merely for your safety.” Logan made a hand movement towards the stairs, instructing Thomas to go down.

The humans gave each other one last look before going down as well. Logan followed them and made the entrance close behind them.

Downstairs was a secret bunker his creator made in case of an emergency. It was equipped with one of Logan’s sensors, tools in case he needed fixing, food and water for humans and dogs, and Logan’s ‘heart’. It wasn’t really a heart of course, it was just a large cpu that contained all his programming and archives.

Janus looked around the room, focusing on the cpu as they admired how advanced it was. “What is this place?”

“A bunker, technically.” Logan knew it wasn't able to protect humans from all natural or human created disasters, but it definitely made the chances of survival bigger.

“Alright, and why did we have to come down here then? Who are those people?” Janus was getting quite defensive. Logan was nice and all but this situation made them feel like their safety was at risk.

Logan let out a sigh. “I promised I would explain.” He stood under his sensor and looked up at it. “This house is not my property. All of this belonged to my creator.”

Patton raised an eyebrow. “Your creator? You mean your parent?”

“If you would like to see it that way.” Logan had never thought about it like that. “The thing is, I am not human. I am a virtual home assistant. There are censors all around the house that allow me to materialize in a room and control the different electronic devices such as lights or security systems. I was created to help humans with their daily tasks through the day, as well as provide knowledge about any subject of interest. What I do not know I can learn through the internet.

Patton and Janus looked at each other as Logan explained. Janus let out a dry chuckle “so you’re like Siri.”

Logan winced, “please don't call me that. Siri is not as advanced as myself and it's obsolete in comparison.” He fixed his glasses and spoke quite proudly.

Patton couldn't help but chuckle at that. He let go of Janus’ hand and walked closer to Logan. “You're a hologram then?”

“Not exactly. Every molecule of my body is digitalized but I do possess a physical form.” Logan reached to grab Patton's hand. “I am able to touch and interact with other physical stuff around me as long as I’m activated. There's also a setting that keeps me in ‘voice mode’ just like other virtual assistants.”

Patton intertwined his fingers with Logan’s “and you're here all alone? Well, with Thomas.”

Logan looked down at their hands and nodded, “I am. My creator passed away not that long ago, but their family just found out about it.” He glitched, making his fingers go through Patton's. “The censors in the house are the only thing that keep me… alive, in a way. If those people move here and don't uninstall them properly-”

“You disappear,” Janus interrupted them. “And even if they don't, without someone checking your systems, you'll keep failing.”

Logan nodded and glitched again. “There must be some kind of error on my program but I'm not being able to detect it.” He walked to his cpu, “the only thing I know is that it started when Patton first visited.”

Patton walked back to Janus, “you can fix him!”

“What? Me? Why should I? We barely even know him and I wouldn't even be able to decipher his code without any sort of help from the developer,” Janus explained.

Patton sighed, “we can't just leave Logan to die.”

“I wouldn't die, I would just cease to exist,” Logan looked back at them. “My creator had several journals where he explained all the process of my development. All the information needed for me to function is here,” he tapped the cpu a couple of times.

“Please Jan.” Patton took his partner’s hands and squeezed them, “we can't just do nothing. I would do it myself but I know nothing about computers and programming and all that stuff you do.”

Janus looked at between Logan and Patton, they sighed. “Fine, but it’s going to take time. I’m not completely sure when I’ll be able to activate you again. We would have to take the cpu to our house as well as the censors and install them there.

Logan nodded, “I understand. The cpu itself it’s enough to have me active on a monitor, so I’ll be able to guide you through the whole process. We can get started as soon as the people upstairs leave.”

And they did. Patton and Janus managed to move the cpu to their home and connect it to their computer. A digital version of Logan lived on the screen and he was still able to communicate with the humans. Besides working on getting Logan’s physical form back, they started doing more hanging up nights. They got to know each other better, but that only seemed to make Logan’s errors worse.

Janus made some significant progress and was able to activate a mini Logan using their phone as a sensor. He was even able to walk around the desk freely. But they still couldn’t find the cause of the glitching.

Patton made sure to help with what he could. He took care of Thomas, who was now living as their dog, and made sure Janus didn’t overwork.

During one of the many casual talks Janus and Logan had, the topic of pronouns came up. “How did you know you wanted to go by they/them?”

Janus shrugged, “It’s not really something like a big revelation or something. I just came across the non-binary label and different sets of pronouns, they/them just sounds right.”

Logan hummed. He had gone through all the articles he could find online about the topic and still didn’t fully understand. “Would it make sense for me to use them? I do not really have a gender and I’ve been thinking about that since Patton introduced himself. My physical form can be altered through my code and I don’t know how being a boy or a girl feels like.” He started rambling about his worries. Did he want this only because it was logical?

Janus listened as they kept working, they eventually stopped to look at the small assistant sitting on their desk. “If you want to try it, go ahead. It’s not a bad thing to change your label or how you want people to refer to you as you discover more about yourself. You become more sentient with every new code and every upgrade you get. I suppose it resembles your growth, not as an artificial intelligence, but as a person.”

Logan looked up at them, “that… makes sense…” He glitched, and an idea came to his, their? Their mind, “that’s it!.” Logan stood up and walked to Janus’ phone to go back into the monitor. They looked through the codes until they found what they were looking for. “I become more sentient with every upgrade, but I haven’t been upgraded in months,” they looked at Janus through the screen. “Somehow I was able to develop a wider range of emotions, more than the original intent. I’ve become more advanced than my last upgrade.”

Janus’ eyes went wide as they understood what Logan was saying, “you need an upgrade, one that allows your system to process those emotions as part of you and not as an error.”

Logan nodded, “exactly. Do you think you can do it?”

“Well, we’ve come this far. I’m sure an upgrade won’t be as hard as it sounds.”

Logan chuckled a bit and looked back at their codes. “You know, I do want to try going by they/them pronouns. The agender label sounds like the most accurate for me.”

Janus smiled softly and tapped the screen with one finger. “Welcome to the club then.”

Logan looked back at him and placed their hand on Janus’ finger. They smiled and glitched again as that warm feeling on his chest returned.

“Are you ready Patt?”

Patton bounced on his feet with excitement, he had Thomas running around him. “I am! Come on come ooon! Activate them!”

Janus chuckled and kissed Patton’s cheek. “Patton, darling, I present to you,” they tried to reach up to activate the sensor but underestimated how tall the ceiling was. “Oh come on!”

Patton held back a laugh and grabbed his partner under their armpits to lift them up. “There you go!”

Janus yelped and blushed, “this is the last time I let you pick me up…” They both knew that wasn’t true, but Patton would let them think it was. “As I was saying, I present to you” they turned the sensor on.

It glowed with a dark blue light and projected a beam of light under it. Several pixels appeared and fused together until Logan’s physical form was completed. “L.O.G.A.N 6.4!”

Logan opened their eyes and let them adjust to the light in the room. Their scanners recognized Janus and Patton as the new hosts, and Thomas as the house dog. “Greetings, your L.O.G.A.N 6.4 has been successfully upgraded and activated, please wait for previous data to download completely.” Logan stood still as they finished their upgrading process. They blinked once they were ready.

“Logan?” Patton walked closer to them, a bit worried something went wrong and they went back to default mode.

Logan smiled softly, “it’s me, hello Patton”

Patton squealed and hugged Logan tightly. “It worked! It really worked!”

Janus joined the group hug happily. “It’s so nice to have you back Lo.”

Logan wrapped their arms around the humans with a slight blush. They didn’t glitch this time, not that it surprised them since they fixed that issue, but it felt different than they expected it to feel. “It’s nice to be back.”

Their systems weren’t able to fully comprehend every emotion just yet, but Logan was sure of something. They never wanted to live alone again. No, they never wanted to live without Janus and Patton again.

[dancingintheraindreamingonday]

You will always be the winter soldier - Chapter 5

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Author’s Note: 

This is a flashback of your past with Bucky. Somethings weren’t witnessed by Bucky or you because I just want to give more details about the thoughts of other people as well. So this is definitely written in a third person perspective. This chapter is really long but I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway. 

Bucky sits in a plane to Munich. Sam got information that the leader of the Flag smashers are currently working there. 

Bucky remembers the last time he was in Germany. It feels like an eternity ago.

„Tell me why I need to watch this series again.“, Bucky looked absolutely annoyed. 

„Its a classic. Everyone knows this series. It’s like general knowledge.“ You answered while scribbling something on your paper. 

„ And why aren't you watching this series?“ 

„Well my love, I know this series by my heart.“, you smiled at him and then saying the exact same thing the actor said on the screen proving him that you really do know this series.

Minutes later you closed your math book with a loud thump and throwing it on the ground. 

"I'm sorry. I don't want to torture you with this series. Maybe I can make it up to you." You winked at Bucky and kissed him on his right cheek. 

„Probably you will find a way.“, Bucky smiled mischievously and kissed you right on your lips with both of his hands on your cheeks. 

You and Bucky weren’t virgins but you both never had sex with each other yet. It made you nervous. 

And Bucky was nervous as well.The last time he had sex was an eternity ago and women changed through the times. Now women are so much more emancipated and strong-minded.

You kissed him. On his face, throat, neck and down his torso. You wanted him as much as he wanted you. 

In this night you and Bucky didn’t have just sex- you made love that night. It was something absolutely soft, and warm and caring about it. 

There was no much of talking and there was no pressure- it was just pure love without saying the word itself. 

Everything changed from that night on. From that day on you both were a couple, without labeling it.

Two weeks later Bucky accompanied you to university. It was something he did regularly and you enjoyed it. It gave your the feeling he was just a normal guy spending time with his girlfriend. And James from Bucharest was  indeed almost a normal guy. While you were bubbling about a math problem no one except math students could understand, he noticed a man.

Bucky knew when he was being followed and it agitated him. 

Now that he wasn’t just concerned with his life but also concerned with your safety it made him anxious. 

He grabbed your right arm and pulled you in a small alley.

You looked at him confused and scared. „What’s going on?“, you asked not understanding his sudden behavior. 

„I wanted to give this to you.“ Bucky pulled out a small mobile phone from his pocket. You looked confused because you already had a smartphone in your trouser pocket. 

„It’s a safe line. So, if you’re in danger or you just think you’re in danger- call me and I will come and get you.“

„You’re scarring me. Are you in trouble? Are WE in trouble? Do we need to run?“ You looked at him, touching his face to make sure he calmed down.

„No. Don’t worry. Everything’s alright.“ Bucky lied. „I’m just taking precautions.“

You doubted this reassurance.

„I can ditch university. I can come with you.“

„No. It calms me down to know that you’re safe at university.“ 

„Okay. But don’t forget: If you jump, I jump, remember?“ You quoted the movie you both watched last night. 

„You’re stuck with me. Where you go, I go.“

He kissed the palm of your left hand. „I’m not going anywhere.“, Bucky lied again. 

And with that he accompanied  you to university. As he left, you walked into your class and you took out your phone and your homework. You checked the latest news. The day before there was a bombing in Vienna but on this day there were breaking that there’s a picture of a suspect. The picture showed no other than Bucky himself. Your heart stopped for a moment and you couldn’t think clearly. This explained his behavior and fear. You knew he was innocent- no doubt about that. You knew the man you fell in love with and James would never do such thing. The only conclusion was that he was being fraud by someone else. You decided to skip the class and go home to find James. 

When you arrived outside, the campus was quite empty because the majority of the students were already in their classes. As you walked to the gate a man was calling you.

„Hey! Wait!“ He jogged to you. 

„You’re working with Bucky, aren’t you? You’re his accomplice.“ The man in front of you assumed. 

„None of your business.“, you muttered. You wanted to pass him but he stopped you by grabbing your shoulder. 

„My name’s Sam Wilson and you really need to come with me.“, he said, scarring you with his words.

His grip was so tight that you couldn’t break free.

„Im not coming with you. Who do you think you are?“

„I’m working with Captain America.“ He said. You could hear the pride in his voice.

„So? That doesn’t make you an authority. I don’t trust you.“

„You saw the picture, didn’t you? You saw the picture of him in the newspaper. You don’t strike me as a dumb person, yeah? You know what this picture means. They are after him. They are already here. So I need your help.“

„Why do you need my help? He’s innocent. That picture is fake and I know it. But do you? Do you believe in his innocence or what aim do you really pursue?“

Sam didn’t answer but he also didn’t let go of you. So the only thing that you could do was to kick him between his legs. But your head start wasn’t for long. You can’t outrun an athlete. He caught you with his hand which made you stumbled and you fell face forward on the ground. Your lip was bleeding. 

„Im sorry. I didn’t intend to hurt you.“

As you looked around you saw police officers pointing their guns at you and Sam. 

„You called the police?!“ You asked unbelievably.

„Ey. They’re pointing their guns at me too. So no- I didn’t call the police.“ 

They handcuffed you both and took off. Sam talked with someone via earpiece: „I’ve got her but the police got us both. I’m sorry.“

At the same time, Bucky, Steve and King T’Challa were also handcuffed. Steve looked at his childhood friend and shared the information Sam just gave him: „I’m sorry, but they’ve got her.“ 

To say that Bucky was furious was an understatement: He would burn down the whole city if they’d hurt her. 

When you arrived at the office in Berlin you couldn’t stop all the questions that were floating in your mind. „Why are we here? Since when is Germany responsible for crimes that happened in Vienna or Bucharest? Why were German police officers in Romania? What the heck is going on?“ You asked but everyone was ignoring you. 

Minutes later a man entered the room and you realized that this was Tony Stark. „Who is that?“ He asked, pointing his finger at you. You didn’t bother to answer him. You just turned your head away. „Alright. Kinda mean but we will get the answers anyway.“ He sat down next to Steve. „Is the thing you have with him even legal?“, he asked you again.

„You tell me. He was born in 1917. I was born 80 years later.“

Tony scrunched up his nose. 

The screen was turned on and you saw James. „Why is he in a cage? Why is there no lawyer? Is this how Germany practices its law now? Did you tell him his right to silence?“ You asked almost aggressively 

„You’re audacious and naive.“, said a man in a suit. 

„Stop insulting me. James is as innocence as I am. He wasn’t in Vienna and I told you that from the beginning. And no one in this damn room is listening. You’re just looking for a guy to take the blame. I don’t know how America treats their suspects but here in Germany they have human rights as well. They have dignity and they are still treated with respect and decency. All people have rights. We learned that 70 years ago and we will never ever forget it, understand?“, you spatted. „You imprisoned and treat him as if he’s a monster.“

„My dear child, do you know what he just did today in Bucharest? The damage he caused?“, the man screamed. 

„But it were you with the loaded guns, right?“

„He’s not just a suspect. He’s the delinquent.“

„In some countries there is a trial for this question to be answered, but you seemed to be hangman and judge in once.“ You provoked him. This was so unlike you that you really couldn’t understand the anger that was inside you. 

„I like her.“ Tony said. „She’s loyal like a golden retriever.“

„Stop insulting me even more. I’m defending the man I love that doesn’t mean I’m a puppy wagging its tail.“ 

Before anyone could say anymore to worsen the situation the power was gone for merely seconds but the power was back, Bucky disappeared from the video. Everyone in the room turned around and looked at you. 

„How are you going to explain this.“ Tony asked you 

„Kid, you stay here. Don’t even think about leaving this room.“ As Tony walked downstairs he asked himself if you’re related to a woman he met over 20 years ago who happens to have the same last surname like you did. No, unlikely. Almost impossible. 

Bucky, in his winter soldier mode only had one aim: to kill as many people as possible. But something was off. He hasn’t been the winter soldier for quite some time and the impact you had. The thought that you were hurt made him even more lethal. His priority was to find you and made sure you were okay. So everyone who fought him was a threat, an enemy.

It ended in a cafeteria where Bucky held a gun to the head of a seemingly important man. Bucky was circled with dozen of agents, all pointing a gun at him. 

„Where is she? Where is (y/f/n)?“ Bucky asked

„She’s okay. You don’t need to worry about her.“, Steve assured Bucky

„I don’t trust you. I need to see her.“ 

„We can bring her here. So you can see it for yourself.“ Steve suggested while Bucky just nodded. 

Steve and Tony ran upstairs and Tony grasped Steve by his arm. „What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You can’t bring her downstairs to him. He’s dangerous and she’s just a kid. You can’t control him.“

„He isn’t dangerous and I don’t think he would hurt her. After all they are something like a couple. She knows him. And we will be there as well. Trust me, Tony. Nothing will happen.“

So they both accompanied you downstairs. 

You’ve got nervous, shaking uncontrollably. „You don’t have to do this.“ Tony said. 

„And I’m really sorry that I compared you with a golden retriever. I just think that loyalty is a great character trait.“

You smiled at him. „It’s alright. I’m sorry too. For being so angry and impulsive and arrogant.“

„Are you scared?“ Tony asks. „No, I’m not. I trust him. I trust the man I love. He isn’t the winter soldier anymore. And that he remembers me in this moment- that’s a good sign, isn’t it? So I had a little impact on him.“

Steve opened the door. You felt all the eyes of the agents on you. Thats really made you uncomfortable but you tried to ignore and only concentrate on James. You tried to relax. Your hands where cold as ice- something that always happens when you get nervous. You walked towards him. „You need to let go of this man, James.“, you pointed with your eyes at the man. „I’m alright. I’m safe.“ You approached him. „You really need to let go of him.“ Your voice was firmer. „The agents here are scared of you. They see you as a threat. So I’m begging you: let go of him.“ 

And Bucky let go of him. „They hurt you.“ He stated looking at your bruised lips. „No, they didn’t. I stumbled.“ You reassured him. „James, you need to put down the gun as well. The avengers aren’t the enemy. We can trust them. I do. I trust them and I think we might need their help.“ And you kissed him. Right in front of anyone. You heard the thump of the gun greeting the ground as James let go of it. 

You broke the kiss and caressed his cheek. But before Bucky could say anything you looked to your right and something you saw made you so scared. You pushed Bucky with all the strength you’ve got, making him stumble a few steps backwards. But that was enough to take his spot. 

Bucky saw the redness on your shirt before he heard the bang of the gun. Steve and Tony screamed „NO!“, but it was already too late. You looked at it and all the color of your face vanished. You started to fall but Bucky caught you, laying you softly on the ground. Soon you lost you consciousness.

Steve used the chaos to get Bucky out of there. „They will help her. But you need to come. It’s not safe for you here.“ 

During that time agent Sharon Carter kept Steve and Bucky informed but Bucky had a really hard time. „She’s still sleeping. You are not missing anything.“ She assured him. 

When you woke up you were greeted by non other than Tony Stark itself. He read a German magazine. „Do you understand what you’re reading or are you just looking at the pictures?“ 

He looked up and grinned. „Really nice pictures. But I also get help with the translating.“ He pointed to his high technology-glasses. 

„How do you feel?“

„Exhausted but okay.“ 

You looked around and you saw James standing in the door frame. „James“ you whispered, reaching out for him. „I’m so relieved that you’re fine.“ Bucky looked at Tony who faintly shook his head indicating that you were still oblivious about the fight in Leipzig and the separation of the avengers. 

„What happened after I passed out?“, you asked

„You mean after you got shot.“, Tony corrected you. 

„Why did you pack?“, you ask James, forgetting the last question you just asked. 

„I’m leaving for Wakanda. They offered me to free me from the mind control and I’m gonna take that chance.“

„Take me with you. I want to be with you. I can’t imagine a life without you. Please, James.“ 

He looked you deep in your eyes. You could see how he’s debating on the inside. „Okay.“ And he kissed you passionately. 

Tony didn’t like that idea at all. „Okay, lovebirds. We better should look for a doctor to sign the release papers and you can rest a bit more.“ He ushered Bucky out of your room and when the door closed he let go of his facade.

„You can’t take her with you. Thats really selfish of you. She’s kid. She can’t throw away her life for you. She is not your psychologist. You know exactly what you are. You’re a murderer. Nothing will ever change that. You’re destroying her life. And you don’t care because after all you will always be the winter soldier. Nothing will change that.“

Bucky looked at Tony like he just got slapped. „I know who and what I am. I will never be good enough for her. Yeah, maybe I’m selfish taking her with me but I can’t imagine a life without her. I love her and I will protect her. I promise.“

„But can you protect her from yourself?“ 

As you packed your belongings James waited outside your room. „You don’t have to go with him. You don’t need to throw your life away. You don’t owe him anything.“, Tony stated. 

„I’m not throwing anything away. He’s my future. He’s anything I’ve ever wanted. Wakanda will be an adventure and I’m ready to take it.“

Tony suppressed all the things he wanted to tell you. He hugs you and said instead. „If he hurts you in anyway, call me. I’ll come and get you.“ He caress your hair and without noticing he took a single hair of you. He needed to know who you were to him. He couldn’t ignore his curiosity anymore. 

Chapter 6

@inlovewith3 @jackiehollanderr @homesicam @dreamydreamerwriting @losers-club6 @gengen64 @agentsofsheilds @crimson-darling @akkinda10 @xemine @bubblegumholland @chipilerendi @iamasimpingh0e @bbmommy0902 @madddiiee26 @teenagedreams-bucky @aya-fay @idontknowwhatthisisfam @w-wolfhxrd @useless-creature-213  @angywritesstuff @supernaturalcat7 @harrys-stan @geek-and-proud

[deliciousangelfestival]

xWicked Romance : Chapter 4 : He’s cute.

Character : Mob!Steve Rogers x Retired Assassin Female Reader

Summary : Steve was hoping to meet the right one until he met her. But is he ready to be with her? He thought his life already dark because of his job. He wouldn’t able to find a woman that strong enough to face the hardship to stand beside him. Turn out his life is nothing compared to her. 

Warning : No smuts, since I don’t know how to write it. Peace y’all.

Steve woke up because he felt someone softly brushing his hair. He opened his eyes, finding her hand stopped. Both of them are lying on his bed.

Her head still laying on his arm, he move her body closer to feel her warmth. He bury his head into the crook of her neck and mumbled "Don't stop."

“That’s a nice way to wake me up.” His voice sounded deeper and raspy. 

(Y/N) chuckled softly when she heard his voice. “You’re too excited last night.”

She suddenly turned her body and jumped off the bed. 

“Where are you going?” Steve was surprised that she's easily escape from his arms.

“Stay there; I’ll be back.”

When she left the room, Steve noticed she was wearing his shirt and boxer. 

The smell of bacon and pancakes made him look at his door. She came in, bringing a tray filled with food, a glass of water, egg, bacon, pancake, and coffee. It's been a while since he had breakfast in his own house. 

Steve is confused if today is his birthday or not? He never got pampered like this. Usually, it was him the one who did this kind of thing. Not the other way around. 

He sat up, the blanket only covering his waist this time. (Y/N) gently put the food tray on his lap. She saw Steve had a confused expression on his face.

“You need a big breakfast to start your day.” (Y/N) said.

“How did you manage to do all of this?” Steve asked after he finished drinking water. 

“Because I woke up too early. I made breakfast for both of us.” (Y/N) said, walking in with another tray of foods. She sat beside him and kissed his side lips. “You completely tired me out last night.”

Steve gave a loud laugh; he never could imagine a girl like (Y/N) not just brave but also good at cooking. He didn’t notice she was able to slip out from his arm. Because of his habit he got from the military, Steve could get awake so easily even with a small voice and movement.

Both of them enjoy their breakfast together, a few dirty jokes there but not much since it’s still early in the morning. After that, they have another hot session in the bathroom. (snu snu time.)

The time they spent together (Y/N) told Steve he is free to ask anything from her. She’s pretty sure if she tells him everything about how she grows up, he wouldn’t believe any word that came out of her mouth. 

Steve doesn’t mind it; he prefers her life to be mysterious. She never failed to give him a surprise. He likes her spontaneity. Perhaps some day she could give him a heart attack. 

While they put on their clothes (Y/N) phone vibrates with a pop message from Peter saying he’s downstairs to pick her up. 

“Do you have to go?” 

Steve felt the time was not enough when she told him that she needed to go. 

“Come on, just stay a bit more,” Steve asked her with a pleading tone. He holds her wrist when she is ready to go out. (Y/N) saw his puppy eyes couldn’t help blurting out, “So cute.” 

Steve get worried; no one would dare to call him the mafia boss cute. At the moment, he questioned his masculinity. In which part she saw him cute. 

“I have too.” Her finger caressed his cheeks and touched his beard. “Let’s have dinner tonight. Okay?”

Steve answered, “Alright, see you tonight.” Before he released her, he gave a surprise kiss on her lips. 

With hazy eyes, he pulls away while (Y/N) is still shocked with the kissed “Wow.”

Steve chuckled and winked at her. “That’s a sneak peek for tonight.”

(Y/N) smiled, she doesn’t want to light a fire from Steve. She closed the door and left the house. 

When she walked out, (Y/N) saw two older couples get out of a car. She knew who it was. They are Steve’s mother, Sarah Rogers, and the former mafia boss Joseph Rogers. 

She looks at them as a couple; they look lovely together. But (Y/N) noticed when Sarah looked at her, she became a scary mother in law like on the TV. 

Sarah walk like a lady and stop infront of her. She told (Y/N), “Listen carefully. Regardless of what happens between you two. I can’t accept you. I know you are different from any other woman. Even if you can stop Brock with just one bullet, I’m not going to let some girl use my son again.” 

After she said her words, Sarah turned and left (Y/N) alone while Joseph finally followed her. 

Sarah walks too fast; she turns and talks to her husband, “Is she still looking?”

Joseph glanced through his shoulder “Yeah, and she’s waving at us.”

Sarah was bewildered. “What kind of woman Steve got into this time?” She thought the woman would get angry, but it turned out she’s still there and waved at them. 

“First, it’s a C.I.A then a journalist. Now what?” Sarah sighed. 

Joseph also feels the same way as his wife. Their son picks a girl that always reveals their business. It’s pretty funny seeing his wife getting so worked up. 

“Alright, don’t get mad. Let’s meet our son.” Joseph hugged his wife's shoulder. 

When the bell rang, Steve hoped it's (Y/N) the one who stands in front of his door. He didn’t even check the monitor; he quickly opened the door. 

"You're back…." Steve didn’t even finish his speech. His smile dropped when he saw his parents.

"Stevie." Sarah hugs him. 

"Mom? Dad? What are you- AHHH!!!” 

Steve hissed when his mother pinched his chest. He looked at his father with a look of ‘What’s all that about?’

Joseph answered, “We met her when we arrived.”

Steve finally understands why his mother became moody this morning. 

“I can see why you like her. She seems different.” Joseph whispered at his son while Steve nodded all the time. 

Sarah suddenly jumped in. “Are you sure she’s good for you? What’s her job? Please don’t tell me she’s a lawyer or a judge?”

Steve patted her back to calm her down. “Mom, calm down; I’m not dating from that side this time. She’s an analyst in automotive for a private company.”

“Ooh, that explains the nice car,” Joseph murmured. Sarah glared at her husband. 

“I hope you don’t get a heartbreak this time.” Sarah felt pity towards her son, Steve could be scary when he’s mad, but when he’s sad, he looks like a golden retriever puppy. 

He understands why his mother asked him this cause she saw how broken he was when his relationship ended with Peggy. 

####

From day one, they have obstacles because of their jobs. Peggy stands to abide by the law while he already saw how corrupt and hypocritical the government is. He saw his comrade die for nothing. 

His world almost crumbled when he found out that Peggy was ready to put his family into jail. And the most hurtful thing is that she did that to get a promotion. 

'What am I to you?' He asked her this question. She was unable to give him the answer.  

####

But behind the thunder, there’s a rainbow; his mother, Sarah, she used to not give a damn about what Steve and her husband did in mobster stuff. When she found out her son got used, she went livid. 

She told her son to make them regret treating him like that. Sarah knows her son is a mobster, his life is always related to dark stuff, but he always makes sure to treat his own woman like a queen. 

And right now, he knew he moved too fast with (Y/N), but he felt like she shares the same value with him. 

.

.

.

In the afternoon, Steve is in the car with Sam and Bucky. They’re heading to the hospital right now. 

Steve was looking at the window; he could see his reflection. He suddenly remembered what (Y/N) said in the morning, “Guys.”

Bucky and Sam ‘Hmmm’ at the same time.

“Do I look cute?”

Sam stops the car abruptly. Suddenly everything became silent. While Bucky cursed, “What the f#%* Steve?”

“Alright, the answer is pretty clear.” Steve scoffed, he doesn’t want to continue; their reaction is enough for him. 

Sam and Bucky are confused because their friend just asks them nonsense questions. 

“Well, we have arrived,” Sam said; he looked at Bucky. “You follow him; I will stay here. Make sure he doesn't get plastic surgery.”

Steve rolled his eyes and got out of the car with Bucky. 

“Is she the one who said you’re cute?”

Steve nodded.

“Hmm, you completely whipped. Well Steve, I completely understand,” Bucky tells him they’re in the same position since he’s with Natasha. 

Both of them stopped at the V.I.P patient room. They saw two bodyguards standing in front of the door. The bodyguard steps away when Steve approaches them. One of the bodyguards opened the door for him. 

Steve turns to Bucky. “Wait here.”

“Sure.”

Steve walked into the room; he thought Brock still fainted. It turns out he’s awake and eating. 

Brock was wearing a neck brace, his two legs wrapped in a cast, his left arm also wrapped in a cast, and his elbow fractured. 

Brock lifted his head when he saw Steve. He clicked his tongue. 

“Your girlfriend almost killed me.”’

“Huh?” Steve responded. 

Steve didn’t know that (Y/N) visited Brock before him. 

####

What happened 4 hours ago 

It was Peter who picked up (Y/N) at Steve’s place with her car.

She gets into the car and puts on her seatbelt. “Let’s go back to my apartment first; I need to change my clothes. I have to meet someone later.”

“Who?”

“A friend, he got into an accident last night.”

“Hmm.”

When they arrived at her place, Peter asked, “Let me guess your sick friend is Brock?”

“Yes.”

Peter shook his head. “Poor guy.”

.

.

At the hospital.

Brock is feeling drowsy because of the painkiller. Because of the car crash, his neck got the impact. 

He saw a shadow figure in front of him, “You!!!”

“Good afternoon Rumlow.”

“Hmph!!!” Brock wants to strangle her; he remembered her from last night. 

(Y/N) walked closer to his infusion bottle; she took out something from her pocket. 

“Wha--”

“You see, Rumlow, I kinda like Steve, but the Tom & Jerry fight between you and him has to stop. I don’t want you to appear and ruined the romantic moment like last night.”

Brock finally could see what she’s holding in her hand. (Y/N) notices he is looking at the syringe that she has.

“What inside this syringe could put you to sleep forever. You know what I’m capable of, right?”

Brock cursed, “#$%^*!!!”

(Y/N) nodded. “Correct, so if you still want to leave, just stay 1 million km from us, okay?”

Brock defeatedly answered, “Okay.”

“Great, go back to rest.” She opens the cap of the syringe and injects it into his infusion bottle.

“Bi*$#!!”

“Relax, it’s just another painkiller for you.” After she said that, Brock eventually fell asleep. 

When he woke up, his bodyguard gave him a food container with a small note 'I'm sorry, she’s pretty scary.'

####

Back to the present

“Really?” Steve was astounded.

“Your new girl is crazy.” Brock clicked his tongue. He can’t imagine having a girlfriend like (Y/N).

In Steve’s mind, her threat towards Brock is nothing. His heart fluttered when he knew what she did for him. Never in his life, a woman would threaten his rival for him. He never get spoiled like this. 

Steve chuckled; he got up from the chair and mumbled on the way out of the hospital ward, remembering what (Y/N) had done for him “My cute devil.”

He finds it cute, though; he never had a brave enough girlfriend to threaten his rival. He used to be the one who protects his girl. 

Steve wants to meet her again; lucky for him, she texts him first and gives her location. 

.

.

.

Steve arrived at the high-end restaurant that, even for him, it’s difficult to book a table. She won’t stop giving him a surprise. He saw her wearing a dress that fitted her figure. She looked beautiful and confident.  

“(Y/N).”

(Y/N) raised her face gently, the corner of her lips moving upward when she saw him. 

Steve felt like he could drown in it. Both of them had dinner together. While they’re eating, he needs to say something important to her. They were having wine when he grasps her hand. It made her look at him. 

He has to say it to give her the chance to walk away “(Y/N); I like you. I feel a connection between us. But being with me means sometimes you will be facing unexpected things. I know you are strong, but I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

She tilted her head a little and looked at Steve in front of her. She pinched his chin lightly. “Steve, I don’t care how many enemies you have.”

“I will kill them one by one.” 

She wasn’t saying a flirty line towards him instead of a deadly one. Everyone said she’s scary, but for him, she’s a great blessing in his life. 

“You know that I’m capable. I don’t mind working as your partner. Not just as your girlfriend.”

‘Thump!’ Steve's heart fluttered when he heard that word.

“Girlfriend?” 

“You don’t want to?” (Y/N) raised her eyebrows. 

Steve quickly answered, “Please be my girlfriend.” It would be crazy to decline it; he wants to show the world that she belongs to him. He’s afraid if he’s too late, she will slip away from his finger. To put it more plainly, Steve may not have met another woman like (Y/N). 

A/N: Thank you for the likes and reblogged my post. 

To my followers and people who liked my post, I hope you don’t mind if I tag your name:

Tag:

@samwinter09

@colorfulpeachpurseghost

@marce170018

@stepheewdgirlie

@juliealma1

@valhalla-kristin

@fivebefore21

@iloveshawnieboi

@sarahbellesaurus

@kesyakesh

@xkarmenvlx

@jemimah-b99

[anagentinwriting]

Lifeline - Part 6

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 2800+

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Language

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

A few days after your stroll with Steve, you finally had a day off of work, well, more like the next three days, which was a relief. Taking a stool at the kitchen island, you let the hot mug warm your hands. It was a long night with nightmare after nightmare resulting in little to no sleep. You would have slept in, but today is the day you were signing your lease. It was time to stop using your brother as a crutch and get back out into the world by yourself again. Now, all you had to do was tell Thor.

You blew the steam off your mug, hearing Thor come barreling into the kitchen, patting you on the shoulder before grabbing a mug from the cabinet. He has a huge smile on his face, pouring himself some coffee.

“YN, you will never believe what happened yesterday? It was marvelous.”

“You got laid?” you yawned, rubbing your eyes. How he never looked tired still bothered you. I mean, his energy was always way more than you could handle. It was like he was from a different planet sometimes. 

“Yeah, well duh, but besides that?”

“What happened?”

“Steve, you know, Steve--” you nodded your head slowly, wondering where he was going with this “--He rescued a dog from a burning warehouse, and now he has adopted it and called it his own. Here look at the pretty boy.” Thor reached for his phone in his pocket and showed you a picture of the dog. It looked like a golden retriever mixed with something else, but you couldn’t place it. “Steve named him Cosmo.”

“Aww, he’s cute. How did this even happen?”

“He heard a dog barking, ran inside, rescued it, and then got his ass chewed by Danvers. It was hilarious,” he chuckled. “Steve was like the building isn’t clear and Danvers was like don’t you dare, but then he was like blegh and took off--” he smiled, shaking his head to himself. “--once Steve took off, Bucky went right in after him. I tell yeah, those two are like two peas in a pod.”

“The adrenaline makes you do crazy things sometimes.”

“Yeah, but still, crazy morons.” He shook his head. “How are you doing this morning? It sounded like you had a rough night, and not to be harsh, but you look kind of terrible.” He pointed his finger at you, waving it over you as your mouth dropped open.

“Thanks so much for that uplifting compliment, brother.” You rolled your eyes, unable to hide the annoyance in your voice. “It’s fine, a few nightmares here and there, but it’s a take it day by day kind of thing, right.” He nodded. “But there is something I wanted to talk to you about?”

“What’s that?” Thor asked, taking a sip of his mug. “Darryl, my good man, good morning.”

“Good morning to you both,” he nodded at each of you. He grabbed a mug from the cabinet, stepping over to the coffee maker, which Thor was still standing in front of.

“What did you want to tell me?” Thor asked, not even noticing Darryl trying to get some coffee.

You sighed, rolling your eyes. “Thor, move. Darryl wants coffee.”

“Sorry pal, I didn’t see you there.” He smiled, patting him on the shoulder, and moved out of the way. 

Darryl nodded his head at you as if to say a silent thank you. He filled his mug and took the stool next to you. Thor watched him the whole time before his eyes connected with the clock.  “Oh, shit, is that the time. I have to get to the station.”

“I’m moving out,” you blurted out, forcing Thor to stop dead in his tracks and face you. 

“Ahhh...what?”

“I’m moving.”

“No, you’re not. I don’t want you to move out. Darryl--” he pointed at him “--Darryl doesn’t want you to move out.” 

You turned around on your stool to look at him. “While Darryl has been sleeping and living on the couch for the last three months.”

“Darryl doesn’t mind. Do you, Darryl?”

“Well, actually…” Darryl started, but Thor cut him off. 

“Darryl, please stop talking--” Thor held up his hand at him “-- I am trying to have a conversation with my sister.” He turned back towards you. “What if he finds you? Who is going to protect you?”

“I don’t need your constant protection. I can handle myself; besides, I started training with Val, and she has been teaching me a few things.”

“Really? Like you were protecting yourself when you were married to that guy for what...6 years. Yeah, real fine job you did protecting yourself there.” You glared at him, shaking your head. “And what about when you had your breakdown a couple of weeks ago, or how you just told me you’re having nightmares.” You bit your tongue, trying to hold back what you really wanted to say to him.

“Well, I am gonna leave you two to it,” Darryl started to stand up.

“No, Darryl, sit and stay,” Thor stated, forcing him to sit right back down. Darryl stared wide eyes at you and nodded to himself. This must have felt like torture to him, similar to when a friend is getting yelled at by their parents, and you’re like this is a nice wall.

“Darryl, it’s fine. Go and get ready for work.” He stood back up from his stool.

“No, Darryl, sit back down.” He sat back down.

“No, go, Darryl, you have to get ready for work.” He stands up and swiftly walks out of the kitchen to the living room, grabbing his suit and rushing towards the bathroom. 

“Darryl doesn’t even work today?”

“Yes, he does. If you would ask him a question now and then, instead of making him do your chores.”

“He likes doing them.”

You roll your eyes, shaking your head. It was like arguing with a child; once he sees something shiny, he changes the subject. You stood up and took a deep breath. “Thor, I’m moving. I found this cute little one-bedroom condo a few blocks from work in a great neighborhood. It sits in a nook with two other condos and has a top-notch security system. There’s even a neighborhood watch, and the price is too perfect to pass up.”

“But why move when you’re not ready to be out on your own again.”

“You’re the only one saying I’m not ready. Thor, I need to start living for myself again; instead of using you as a crutch that I constantly fall back on.” He shook his head. “It’s the next step, and I need to move forward.” You bit your lip, marching past him towards your room.

“I bet Loki would agree with me,” he yelled down the short hallway.

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned on your heels to face him. “That’s where you’re wrong, brother. He sided with me on this one--” you pointed to yourself  “--he wants me to move on and get my own place. He wants me to FIND myself again, but you...you don’t. You don’t know what it was like living with someone you thought you could trust. Someone you thought loved you and then...then he--” your voice cracks “--forget it, you’re not even listening to me.”  

“Sometimes, you’re just as stubborn as Loki.”

“Well, he is my favorite brother, and that shit is bound to rub off on me sooner or later.” You turned back on your heel and slammed your door closed. 

“THEN, WHY DON’T YOU GO MOVE IN WITH HIM THEN,” Thor yelled, hearing it echo down the hall to your room. 

You bit your lip and swung the door open. “MAYBE I WILL, OR BETTER YET, I'LL JUST GET MY OWN PLACE,” you replied, slamming the door again. 

_______

“Steve, I need to tell you something,” Bucky grunted as he bench pressed with Steve spotting him. 

“What’s that pal?”

“There is this girl, while more so a woman than a girl, but I’ve seen her on more than one occasion if you know what I mean.” Bucky put the barbell back on the rack and sat up on the bench to switch out.  “And man, she’s something else. At first, when we hooked up, it was, I’m not gonna lie, it was hot. The best I’ve ever had. I won’t tell her that because she’ll get all cocky about it, but now I am starting to wonder if I’m the best she ever had, you know?” 

“Buck. I don’t think you’ve ever talked about a woman like this before. It’s almost like you’re catching feelings for her.” Steve leaned down on the bench as Bucky started spotting him. 

“No, I’m not; besides, what do you know, man?” Bucky scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Last I heard, you didn’t know a thing about women.”

“Yeah, well, they can be complicated, but you’re telling this to the guy who was married before,” he chuckled, getting fifteen reps in before sitting up. 

“Why do you always use that line? It's not fair because I have no comeback to it.”

“That’s why I use it,” he chuckled as Bucky shook his head. “It shuts you right up.”

Steve glanced over when he heard a door slam from the locker room. Thor stomped out, wrapping his hands angrily for the punching bag. He grunted, cursing under his breath. 

“Hey, you alright, Thor? You’re really taking it out on that punching bag?” Steve asked, looking over at Bucky, who had a smirk on his face from watching him. “Thor, what’s up?” Thor made a face at them and continued to beat up the bag when the alarm blared, forcing them to stop everything, suit up, and get into the truck.

“Alright, gentleman, it sounds like we have a lady stuck in a donation bin. We have word she has been in there for at least 3 hours, and on this hot day in Los Angeles, best guess it is well over 100 degrees in that metal container. We will have to work quickly to get her out, so here’s the plan…”

______

On-site, Steve got out of the truck and followed Thor to one of the gear hatches. A few news crews were already on the scene along with a crowd of people watching from the barriers the police set up. He sighed, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. It was a scorcher today, and the inside of the bin was only going to get hotter for the woman trapped inside. 

“Steve, I’ve noticed you have a way with words,” Thor admitted, trying to find the saw.

“I have my moments,” he smirked with a half shrug.

“My sister wants to move out,” Thor confided, scratching his beard before grabbing the saw. “She found this condo.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yes and no,” he sighed, following behind Steve to the donation bin where Val was talking to the woman inside.

 “Hey, boys. Her name is Maggie Lang, and she’s conscious, but she’s burning up. She’s sweating profusely and feels like she could pass out at any minute, and judging by the increasing heat index, it is not going to get any better, so let’s hurry this up.”

“Maggie, go to the other side of the bin as far as you can and cover up with this jacket," Steve advised, handing her his fireman's jacket. "This will protect you from any of the flying sparks while we cut the hinges off." Steve stepped away from the container, shooting Thor a quick nod.

“Ready,” Thor announced as he turned on the saw and started cutting the door hinges. Everyone backed away, and after he got the last one sawed off, the door creaked, falling to the ground. Maggie was holding onto an ugly rabbit stuffed animal, looking very flushed and dehydrated. Val and Sam ran over to check on her.

“Whoa, you went in there to save that ugly thing,” Sam asked, smiling down at the toy.

“It’s my daughter’s,” she breathed.  “My ex-husband got it for her, and I accidentally threw it in the donation bin.” 

_______

Steve started carrying equipment back to the truck when Thor came up next to him. “The thing is, since you’re new…newish, you might not know that YN was married.” Steve widened his eyes at him. “Technically, she still is married, but she left him and ended up on my doorstep.”

“I see,” Steve added, narrowing his eyes, stuffing the equipment into the hatch.

“It wasn’t a happy marriage. It was destructive and took an emotional toll on her, both mentally and physically.” He ran his hand through his short hair. “I don’t think she’s ready to be out on her own yet. I mean, how is she even going to protect herself if he comes around?”

“Think you’re underestimating her man?” Thor stopped what he was doing, furrowing his brows at him. “She got out. She left him. Leaving those toxic relationships is the hardest part. Besides, hasn’t it been three months? If he knows where she is, why hasn’t he come around.” Thor nodded. “You should be proud of her and encourage her. She is moving on and trying to make a new life for herself without her ex.” 

“But my point is, she’s leaving again, and I don’t want us to lose touch like we have in the past. She’s always been close to Loki, so with me getting to know her again has been great.” 

“It’s not like she is moving back across the country, Thor.”

“I know, but we had a fight recently, and she said she was going to either move out or go back to live with Loki.”

“She probably didn’t mean it; besides, if she moves into the condo, you can go visit her anytime you want. YN is building a new life for herself, and you should be proud of her.”

“You’re right, Steve.” He patted him on the shoulder, a huge grin hitting his features. “I am proud of her. I should talk to her after this.”

“Yeah, you should.”

“You sound like Bruce. He is really good at giving advice.”

“Bruce?”

“He is the one that popped my dispatcher cherry. I’ll tell you the story sometime.”

Steve chuckled. “Sounds great.”

_______

You sat on the couch with Darryl on the other end, flipping through the channels, hoping something good would show up. Earlier today, you went and signed the lease on the condo, and you could start moving in tomorrow. It was a big step for you, and you were going to take it whether or not Thor supported you. You needed to do this for yourself.

“YN,” Thor shouted, entering the house, making you jump a little on the couch.

“In Darryl’s room,” you yelled back to him. Thor came in and stepped in front of the television, so you couldn’t see the screen. “Excuse me?  We were watching that.” 

“Are you positive you want to move?” He stepped over the coffee table and sat on it. 

“Yes. I signed the lease earlier today, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind.” 

“Great, that’s fantastic,” he nodded, giving you a thumbs up. “I don’t want to change your mind. I want you to do it.”

“Really?” Your eyes widened, then narrowed with suspension. “Why the sudden change of heart?” 

“I realized I was being childish,” Thor admitted, and you nodded in agreement. “I want you to be happy, and if this is what makes you happy, I’m with you, but are you going to be okay living by yourself?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, making him narrow his eyes at you. “But I have to try, right? I 

mean, the only reason I do feel ready is because of you.”

“Me, why?” 

“You convinced me to start over and make a new life here in LA. You took me in, kept me safe, and he still hasn’t come around. Sure, he called the one time, but that was it. I was scared when I left, but you helped me feel safe again. I still have a long way to go before I start to feel myself again, but I am getting there with your help and the friends I have made here. To be honest, I don’t think I will ever be fully ready to be out on my own, but the hardest step is taking that first step.” 

His face broke out into a huge smile. “I’m proud of you, sister, and I’m sorry about earlier.” 

You smiled at him and leaned over, pulling him in for a hug. “You’re forgiven, and thanks for everything, Thor.” You pulled back from him. “Oh, one more thing, I’m moving in tomorrow.”

“Great...yay...so soon,” Thor pulled you in for another hug, squeezing you tighter. From the quick glimpse you saw in his eyes, he wasn’t ready for you to go, but you loved how he was trying to support you.  

“So, I can have my room back, now?” Darryl asked from the couch.

_____

AN: Thanks for reading Part 6! She is finally moving out!! And Darryl just might get his room back! When I was trying to figure out who Thor's roommate should be, I instantly thought of Darryl. I mean, he technically is Thor's Earth roommate, right! 😂😂 So, Bruce popped Thor's dispatcher's cherry....kind of makes you wonder what went down, am I right? 😉🤔 And what about that teensy tiny little comment Steve made, any ideas what might have happened there?! Anyways likes, reblogs, and comments always welcome. Until next week...thanks again!

[darthwheezely]

Fredcanons!

Hi Fred Weasley makes me happy so like why not make random headcanons about him? Honestly? Yk? And like this will be the first of many parts I bet, if you want me to do other characters lmk! Anyway, this is gonna be long but honestly I could care less, enjoy fellas

Warnings: diet smut, high calorie diabetes inducing soft Fred, light angst

It’s practically canon at this point but the way this man works with numbers is absolutely insane.

It’s also kind of sexy but I don’t make the rules-

It’s been said before by someone on here that he’s the guy that impresses his dates by being able to automatically calculate tips for dinner dates and the like on the spot, and I adore that so much

Which means, words and abstract concepts can be a bit difficult for our lil ginger golden retriever. As we saw in Order, his handwriting needs a bit of work and so does his grammar - it’s something he’s really self conscious about, too

This boy is obsessed with American baseball

I really don’t know what it is, I think it’s because the men on the diamond hitting a fast flying ball reminds him of Quidditch or maybe it’s the sounds of American girls cheering all of these robust men on-

Regardless, it’s a thing and he loves it, period

Fred finds it horrendously embarrassing, but he had an imaginary friend growing up

Let’s be specific, an imaginary dog. Named Boris.

Molly has basically made it clear enough that raising a large amount of large boys under one roof was kind of like manning an animal shelter already damn molly which led to Fred being hopelessly in despair

So jokes on them, he got his own dog. A big, loud, Australian Shepherd named Boris.

So imagine this lanky five year old like refusing to eat a meal until Boris gets his first and demanding that he takes his own baths because “erm, Boris doesn’t want to bathe with Georgie, mum, he said he smells”

This lead to Fred being told he smells but that’s neither here nor there

Fred had Boris until he was about 7 and then he lost him while playing with the gnomes

This lead Molly to buying Fred and George a goldfish named Boris II: The Return of Boris and they referred to him as that. The whole title. Every time.

Fred was also that kid in middle school (1st-3rd year) that was like lightly obsessed with Canada

“Is it even real?”

“Jesus, Freddie are you even real?”

George stumped him with that one

Freddie became quite the ladies man come 3rd and 4th year, btw

And by ladies man I mean-

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven...-“

“Oh god, no please don’t say it please don’t say it- (George)

“-because I, too, am still recovering from the impact ;)”

All jokes and funny business side, he did start learning girls found him hot shit and honestly?

He didn’t know how to process that.

He’s so used to being the goofy guy or the cute guy from whatever class or just one of the Weasley’s that like-

Him? Attractive?

Well, shit, better start acting like it then huh?

And thus was born the personality we know Fred to have today

Not saying it’s all manufactured, but he definitely isn’t as 100% cocky and impulsive as everyone would like him to be

More often than not, he’s kind of a nervous person. Would he tell anyone that? Absolutely not, he’s got a reputation to uphold

But he’d be lying if he said he hasn’t found himself laying awake at night wondering if his pranks are cool enough, does his mom like them enough, does George think he’s enough

Does he think he’s enough?

Honestly, he battles with this for a lot of his school time basically up until the shop opens and starts running

Because that is time where he does really begin to blossom as a person in every facet

There’s something about walking into the shop and seeing a gaggle of kids know your name and want to be like you and know you that makes him feel like he did something right

But anyway back to Ladies Man Fred Weasley (please I rolled my eyes so hard)

He is an experienced fella in bed, this is also pretty canon

I mean look, he’s got Bill Freaking Weasley as his older brother

Any questions he ever had he asked Bill

“Look, Freddie, they’re gonna want you to find this thing called the clit-“

“I’m sorry the what?”

“The clitoris, Fredward, take note they’ll dump you on sight if you can’t find it.”

“...”

“Bud, that was a joke-“

“*exhales strongly* OH THANK GOD”

He’s also a consent king. Period.

Consent about literally everything when it comes to sex, if y’all have never slept togsther or have a routine of what you do, expect him to be consistent-“

“Is this okay?”

“Am I hurting you, love?”

“Please tell me if something’s wrong, okay?”

Fred’s favorite thing in the goddamn world is kisses

So many kisses

Please lord Jesus hes in need of kisses

Forehead kisses, arm kisses, leg kisses, eyebrow kisses - if it’s on your body and it’s accessible to him, he’ll kiss it I swear

So please do yourself a favor and kiss him. Please

Or I will-

If you use she/her pronouns, expect this boy to be protective af if y’all are friends

Fred is 100% the guy you can feel totally comfortable giving your drink to at parties

He waits by the bathroom to make sure you’re okay too

Basically just an angel that is all

[kpopmalereader]

prepare ; won kunhang

• summary: you and hendery take your first vacation together, a trip to meet your family and visit your hometown • pairing: won kunhang x male!reader • word count: 2117 • to do

You walk into your apartment, expecting to be greeted by your golden retriever of a boyfriend. Seeing the kitchen and living room unoccupied would make you think he left already, but his shoes strewn across the entranceway and the covers you folded this morning spread over Hendery’s spot on the couch makes you believe he’s still here.

You venture further into the apartment, hearing a groan come from your room. You stop for a second before hearing mumbling and another cry. The second is louder than the first, and you start to grow worried.

“Okay, okay, okay.” 

You hear him repeat the word more times than you can count and slowly open the door. He’s standing in front of the full-body mirror in button-up shirt and slacks. You watch as he straightens his back and smiles. It’s a much smaller smile than you usually would see from him, and it does nothing to help your understanding of the situation. “Hello, it is very nice to meet you. I’ve heard,” He stops and shakes his head. “It is- It’s very nice- It is-”

He groans again and ruffles his hair. He leans down and fixes what he just messed up, straightening his shirt.

You step into the room softly. You don’t want to disturb what he’s doing but also want to make sure it isn’t undue stress doing him in.“Whatcha doin’?”

He sighs and turns, shoulders slumping. He seems almost sad, and you walk forward, picking his chin up. “I’m trying to practice for when I meet your parents,” He mumbles. “We leave today, and I don’t want to get there and say something that makes them think negatively of me.”

You turn him around and stand behind him, pointing at his face in the mirror. “That is Won Kunhang. He is one of the best people I have ever met. I am very in love with him. I have told my parents and my entire family as much.”

“I want to make a good impression.” He states, criticizing himself in the mirror. 

“You will.” You ruffle his hair, giving it it’s natural fall instead of the gelled-back style he had it in. “By being yourself. You can wear this shirt because you look good in it, but why don’t we untuck it, and you can stop worrying about using the exact right words when meeting my parents.”

He turns and leans against the mirror. His eyes are downcast, and your heart aches for him. He whispers when he speaks. “I want them to like me.”

“Love,” You sigh and wrap your arms around him. “They will because you are the sweetest, funniest, and most caring person I know. No one can resist loving you, Hendery. I couldn’t.”

He reaches up and picks at his bottom lip. You take his hand and hold it against your chest. The concerned expression doesn’t wipe from his face, and you hold his cheeks.

“Hello, it is very nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things about you, and I’m glad you invited me.” You smile at him and nod your head. “That’s all you have to say.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“It’s what I did when I met your parents,” You kiss his nose lightly. “If you want, you can even add a few things about me that you like. Say they raised me well.”

“If I wasn’t your boyfriend- if I was your sister’s boyfriend or your cousin’s... Would you like me?”

You wrap your arms around his neck. “If you weren’t my boyfriend and someone else in my family got to you first, I would be devastated I couldn’t date you.”

He looks down at you. “But would you like me?”

“Yes! Yes, I would like you. And I would be willing to bet my parents would have looked at me and said they wanted me to find someone like you.”

“Really?” His voice is small and hopeful, and you nod your head, trying to convey everything to him.

“Really. I promise. My parents will love you. My cousins will love you. My aunt will say she wishes everyone in our family could find someone like you. My nieces and nephews and little cousins will love to play with you and want to spend the whole trip with you. Now, put this shirt back in your suitcase so we can go.”

*

Hendery rubs his hands together. He breathes in and out deeply, preparing himself to knock on the door. You hold his hand lightly, swinging them slowly. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

He smiles, and his face falls again. He scrunches his face and smiles again, making small changes to his facial expression. He rolls his shoulders and squeezes your hand. He nods.

You bump your shoulder into his and reach over, knocking on your parent’s front door. It takes a second for your mom to get to the door, but when she does, Hendery’s grip on your hand grows even tighter. You smile at your mom, and she envelopes you in a hug. She pulls back and holds your face. “It’s been too long!”

She lets you go and turns to Hendery. “Hello!”

“Hel-” He’s cut off as your mom wraps him in a hug, patting him on the back. “Oh.”

“Come in, come in! Find a seat.”

You smile at him and pull him inside. He follows right behind you, bumping into your back when you stop sooner than he expected. You smile, introducing him into countless family and family-friends and people you’re not sure are related to but have come to every event since you were born.  Hendery sits next to you as you eat, asking hushed questions about people he’s met.

You hook your foot around his ankle and smile at him. “Not so bad, huh?”

“Get their honest opinions of me when I’m not around.” He mutters before stuffing his face with your mom’s home-cooking.

*

Music plays throughout your house, bouncing off the walls and entering through crevices and cracks in the building. Hendery wakes up in your childhood room alone. He sits up and sees the door cracked. He can hear your voice singing and laughing along with the song. He walks through the house quietly, not wanting to disturb the normality. He rounds on the kitchen, seeing you, your mom, and a young child dancing around the kitchen with wooden spatulas in hand.

You turn around as you dance, spotting Hendery standing a few feet away. You point to him and call him in, throwing your arms in the air. “Join us.”

“I like the view.”

You shake your head and dance over to him. You stick the spoon in front of his mouth, smiling wide. You stop singing, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

He sighs and grabs the spoon. You giggle at continue to dance along, singing the song as loud as you can without it being categorized as yelling. He starts singing along quietly, swaying back and forth with the music. Your mom looks over and smiles, picking up the young family member. They dance together, and she not-so-subtly hip-bumps you closer to Hendery. You grab his hand and start dancing with him, forcing him to loosen up. He watches you for a while before really joining in, hopping and moving with you.

Your laughs ring through the kitchen and up the stairs. You pull him closer and kiss his cheek. “Still nervous?”

*

You walk hand-in-hand with Hendery. You seem calm. Content. He’s enthralled with your face, your smile, how the feeling of belonging flows from you without stop. You point at a storefront not far in front of you, waiting for him to look up. He pulls himself from watching your face and looks over.

“That is a restaurant. It’s only been there for about a year. Before it was a restaurant, which no one really likes, by the way, it was an antique store. And it was run by this man, he was great, he was one of the nicest people ever, but he retired a few years back and closed it down. He searched for someone to take it over, but he didn’t have any kids, and no one around here knew how to run a business.” You shake your head. “He and his wife moved a little while after the shop turned into a restaurant.”

You smile softly. “My mom worked next door, it used to be a little boutique, and sometimes her shifts would last longer than school, so I would come here instead of going home. Sometimes I would sit behind the counter next to the piles of hangers, but I would visit Mr. Claude some days. He would show me around the different finds, telling me that there was always something great about everything.”

Hendery watches you as you look at the not great restaurant. The wind blows your hair to the side, and your eyes sparkle. “He would point to an old, stained china set that nobody would buy and tell me all about how if someone could clean it up, they would see that it was an amazing set that was passed down from generations, but something happened where it was accidentally given away, and the original owner’s great-great-great-great granddaughter had spent her entire young adult life looking for it but could never find it.”

“Or! I would beg my mom to buy this ancient stuffed bear, but she thought its eyes were creepy, so she never got it for me. He would keep it by the register and tell me that I should look for someone I thought was worthy enough to have it. And an older woman walked in one day, and I told Mr. Claude she seemed nice enough to take care of him. And, by some miracle for my 7-year-old self, she got some stuff and walked up to the register and started talking about how the bear looked exactly like one she had when she was a kid and how she would love to buy it, but she only brought enough money for the other things. I just lit up and looked at Mr. Claude like it was the best thing ever, and he told her if she could promise to take the best care of it, he would give it to her for a discount. I was amazed. I didn’t stop talking about it for weeks.”

Hendery smiles along with your story, your excitement at remembering your story exuding off of you. It makes him excited, and he never wants you to stop talking.

You point at a big, white marble building up the street. “That is the library. It is the oldest building in town, even the Court House is younger, and I spent most of my high-school years there.”

You gesture across the street. “The building there is the old school-house. There’s a park behind that everyone chips in to fix up and replace every few years for the new kids in town. The school-house is mostly used as a museum now, but sometimes Town Meetings are held inside. I don’t know why we have Town Meetings.”

He watches you, not worrying about running into the street-lights, too focused on listening to your recounts of stories. You continue to speak. You tell stories he can’t wholly follow sometimes, not knowing most of the people you refer to or the place names. He watches your hands fly up when you repeat something exasperating someone once said about your small town and giggle to yourself as you remember old inside jokes he doesn’t want to ruin with asking questions about it. After a few stories, you realize you’ve been talking for a while and look a bit flustered, ears turning red.

“Sorry, I know you’re probably not that interested.”

“No. No. Tell me everything,” He nods and holds your hands tighter. “I don’t want to miss any details.”

You sigh happily, bumping your shoulder into him. “When I lived here, I didn’t like it much, but after I moved, I realized I really did. Everybody knows everybody, and it’s nice being able to walk everywhere. I don’t know…”

Hendery kisses your temple. “It’s sweet. I like seeing how happy it makes you. Maybe we can get a house somewhere like this in the future.”

“Seriously?” You look up at him with a bright smile, eyes shining endlessly.

He laughs and nods his head. “Yeah, of course. We can buy a vacation house and visit on breaks. We’ll get to know everyone, and you’ll get new small-town stories to share.”

You bite your lip and nod slowly. “I would like that.”

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

Klaine it up! 2, 7, 12, 21, 50

Okay...I got this. PROMPTS FOUND HERE

2 - you accidentally sprayed them with yogurt when you open the lid the wrong way. 

This was not Kurt Hummel’s first time opening yogurt but it might’ve well have been. He was sitting at a picnic table in Central Park on his lunch break from Vogue.com having just picked up a BLT, sweeten iced tea, and strawberry yogurt from his newfound favorite sandwich shop. It just happened to be two blocks down from the Vogue offices too. 

After eating half a sandwich, he found himself watching three young girls practicing their hula-hooping skills. Of course, while entranced by the colorful swirls of plastic, Kurt grabbed his low-fat yogurt and pulled at the lid, and the minute he did another man was being dragged by his golden retriever over to Kurt’s table. 

Before he could stop it, a splash of light pink yogurt was splattered across the front of a bright blue polo. 

“Shit, I am so sorry,” they both said. 

Kurt had a lap full of puppy and the man covered in yogurt. 

“She’s really friendly and has a fondness for bacon,” the man said, gesturing to the sandwich. “And who can blame her.” 

With that comment, Kurt pushed his meal away slightly. Out of reach of the dog’s mouth. 

“I usually am way more careful with my food,” Kurt said. 

The handsome man only laughed, “it’s no big deal, do you happen to have a napkin?” 

“Oh yes!” Kurt reached into his bag to grab one. 

“Thanks,” he said, “come here, Lacey.” 

The puppy sat right at his side and waited. Kurt stood up to wipe the yogurt away while the man kept Lacey still. 

“I can...” he started to say but Kurt was already pulling away having cleaned it up the best he could. 

“Lacey and I also share a fondness for cute boys but I don’t suppose...” he trailed off, blushing. 

Kurt still wasn’t used to being flirted with but this wasn’t small town, Ohio. 

“And who can blame you,” Kurt replied, already grabbing a pen and paper from his bag to write on. 

THE REST OF THE PROMPTS CAN BE FOUND BELOW THE CUT

7 - you both do the side-to-side dance when you try to pass them in the grocery store aisle

Kurt told his dad to pick up an extra heavy whipping cream three days ago when Burt asked if Kurt needed any other ingredients for Thanksgiving dessert. He told him. 

“I only need 3 things: dark chocolate, heavy whipping cream, and almond extract.” 

Burt had gotten everything but Kurt needed whipping cream for both the chocolate mousse itself and the whipped topping he planned to make. Now he was at the crowded grocery store one day prior to Thanksgiving. Exactly where he didn’t want to be. 

 Of course, every grocery store made you walk all the way to the back of the store for dairy products. I’ll just grab milk and eggs real quick, you think, then suddenly you have a cart full of snacks you didn’t need. 

Kurt found the red and white carton fairly quick. He backed up and started to make his way to the self-checkout. Before he could think about the temptation of potato chips, he was stopped by another body. 

They both stopped and shifted their feet to make way for the other. From right to left and back again for several seconds before both falling into pits of laughter. Kurt looked into deep hazel eyes that twinkled at him. He wondered how long he could do this dance just to stare at them some more. 

“That’s my fault, I came around the corner too quick,” he said. 

Not quick enough, Kurt thought, we could’ve fallen to the floor. You on top of me would be quite nice. 

“No, it’s all me,” Kurt replied, “I should’ve been watching where I was going.” 

He fumbles into his pocket for a business card. Isabel’s one-month anniversary gift. 

“If you’re in town longer than tomorrow, I’d love to buy you some coffee as an apology,” Kurt said, handing the card over. 

“Oh.” Kurt watched him scan the card, flipping it over in his hands. “I’d love to, Kurt.” 

A shiver ran down his spine. Maybe he should thank his dad for forgetting the cream. 

12 - you kick a ball and your shoe flies off, hitting them in the back of your head

Blaine used to hate having an older brother. Growing up, he felt constantly in competition with Cooper’s larger-than-life personality. Now that Cooper had settled down in LA with Lisa, his wife, and had two wonderful kids, having an older sibling didn’t seem too bad.

It was summer break, Blaine was free to leave the confines of his NYU dorm room. He was trying to get lost in the sunshine of California to forget he was about to start his final year of college. Time with his niece and nephew was sure to put any nervousness out of his head. 

They were playing soccer in the park when it happened. It was bound to. Everyone in LA was hot. It was like the law. 

Cute boys and Blaine’s non-existence coordination weren’t a good mix. 

Blaine went to kick the ball and caught sight of a bicep. An unusually pale bicep. A rare sight in sunny Los Angles. Arms, Blaine fantasized, he’d love to see wrapped around him or possibly pushing his legs apart. 

He was sure he tighten his laces. This is why Blaine Anderson didn’t wear sneakers. Missed the ball by an inch but the force of his kick sent something flying through the air directly towards the cute guy: a sneaker. 

It happened so fast, Blaine heard the yell of surprise before realizing his sock was exposed. Once he realized what happened, he rushed over to the man. 

“Fuck, I am so sorry,” Blaine said. “Can I do anything?” 

“Well, an aspirin would be great,” the man teased. 

Blaine sat in the grass and chuckled. Still extremely embarrassed. 

“Not exactly the fairytale I always dreamed of.” 

“Fairytale?” Blaine asked, scrunching up his nose in confusion. 

“Cinderella,” he said, like it was obvious, “a lost shoe as it were.” 

“I’m not Cinderella,” Blaine told him, “sorry to say. I’m more of a Blaine.” 

“Kurt.” 

“It’s nice to meet you.” 

“I do believe this is yours,” Kurt said, handing over the shoe. 

21 - Almost spilling a drink because you met their eyes and got distracted thinking how cute they are. 

His dad always said pour your drinks yourself. Blaine became that friend who grabbed drinks for everyone for this reason exactly. He wasn’t sure what the occasion was exactly but his study buddy from his songwriting workshop invited him. It was at some loft in Bushwick but Blaine didn’t mind the adventure. 

Until tonight he had no reason to venture to this part of the city. 

“Blaine!” Elliott exclaimed, pushing a solo cup into his hand, “Drink up, karaoke at eleven!” 

Then he disappeared into the crowd. Blaine headed straight for the kitchen and poured the toxic mixture down the sink. He found a new cup and started reading the labels of the bottles spread out across the counter. Mixers and any alcohol of your choice seemed to be available. 

Rum and coke sounded good. He went into the fridge for a cold soda first. Blaine was happy the kitchen was empty he wasn’t quite ready to start making friends. As far as he knew, Elliott was the only friendly face here tonight. 

He poured the rum in for some semblance of tracking his alcohol intake. The last time he got drunk, he dialed the professor he TA-ed for, who thankfully overlooked that incident. Blaine cracked open the coke and while he poured surveying the living room. 

People were dancing to an upbeat pop song that Blaine strangely didn’t recognize and others were mingling in doorways or sat on scattered sofas and chairs chatting. He caught a pair of blue eyes in the crowd. 

The man they were attached to was stunning. If he hadn’t blinked, Blaine could’ve mistaken him for a marble statue carved by the gods. They didn’t lose eye contact as he walked towards the kitchen. It wasn’t until the man stood on the other side of the counter that Blaine noticed his hand was covered in soda. 

“Papers towels are behind you,” the man offers. 

Blaine set the now empty can down and spun around for paper towels to clean up his mess. 

Just great, he thought, make a fool out of yourself. That’ll score you some points. 

He cleans up his hand before wiping down the puddle of bubbling coke on the counter. 

“I don’t think we’ve met,” he continues, “and this is my party so I like to know all my guests.” 

“Your party?” Blaine stutters. 

“It’s my birthday.” 

“I’m Blaine,” he introduces. “Elliott invited me. We have a class together.” 

“Oh, you’re Blaine. From songwriting workshop.” 

“That’s me.” 

Elliott’s obviously talked about him before to this man. This gorgeous, completely out of Blaine’s league man. 

“God, he’s relentless,” he says. “I’m going to kill him.” 

“Um, might I ask why? I can leave if there’s an issue.” Blaine knows when he isn’t welcome. 

“No, no,” he replies, “don’t go. It’s just he’s been trying to set us up for months now.” 

It all clicks.

“Oh god, you’re Kurt.” 

“That’s me, the birthday boy. and you are Elliott’s idea of the best gift ever.”

Blaine blushes. “I don’t know if I can I've up to that but if I can have the next dance I can try.” 

Kurt nods. “I’d like that, Blaine. A lot.” 

50 - getting paired up on an amusement park ride that requires even-numbered riders

All of Kurt’s friends hated rollercoasters. Rachel didn’t like heights, Elliott refused to do anything with loops, and Santana, well, she was too caught up in her new girlfriend to be bothered. 

“I only wanna hear screaming tonight,” she told him. 

So, Kurt waited in line himself. Some fun day at Coney Island this was turning out to be. He was so glad he was spending the day with friends. Kurt rolled his eyes. 

The woman directing the ride gave Kurt his row number and moved down the line. Behind him someone tapped on his shoulder, Kurt turned around and found himself looking at a curly-haired man around his age. 

“Guess we’re both odd men out then, I’m the single rider in my group today.” 

“Oh, um, no, my friends were too chicken to even ride,” Kurt said. 

“I’m really surprised Wes and David are good to go. They both hate being upside-down.” 

Kurt smiled.

“I'm Blaine, by the way.”

“Kurt.” 

The ride emptied out and Kurt crawled over to the far seat. They buckled themselves in and listened to the instructions to keep all body parts inside at all times. Then, the bar came down and the ride launched. 

After the ride ended, Blaine and Kurt were chatting all the way down. Wes and David trailing behind them.

“That second loop really threw me,” Blaine was saying. 

“I saw,” Kurt exclaimed, “I thought you were going to fall out of your seat.” 

“Downfalls of being short and compact.”

When three more people joined their day at the park, no one questioned it. 

[stories-by-rie]

Chapter 4 - Heart of Silver

Four years before Evelyn gets herself cursed, she helps Ariel with their Mare-situation, and meets up with a ghost.

words: 1967 || masterlist

Ariel’s whole apartment is their study, was what Evelyn had thought the first time she had entered it. She made sure to touch absolutely nothing as she followed them inside their bedroom. It was subtle, but the signs were clear to her. The sheets that looked simply tossed aside in frustration, the light disorder of everyday items, and the assortment of cheap sleep aids on the nightstand. What truly set these aside from any other plausible explanation, though, was the slight smell of foul balm.

    “Is it on my bed? I feel like it is on my bed,” Ariel mumbled and looked with a frown around their room. 

    “That’s most likely. Many Mares don’t leave their host’s beds. They probably can still feel your dreams. You might want to change your sheets after this,” Evelyn answered. “Not because of the My Little Pony print, just because that beast is actually smelling really bad.”

    Ariel just laughed at that and stepped into the corner, out of Evelyn’s way.

    It had been nearly a full year since Evelyn had worked with ghosts and monsters, so the smell made her stomach turn at first. Ariel must have long gotten used to the odor. But as soon as she clasped her fingers around the vial in her pocket, her instincts kicked in. She pulled out the vial with the golden sleep sand, as well as the net. Carefully she placed the sand inside the net and then stepped back to watch the outcome. It did not even take two minutes – surely this had to beat some kind of record – until the Mare took the bait, its shape turning solid before their eyes as it lunged at the sand and Evelyn pulled the net together around it.

    It was as if Ariel was woken out of some kind of stupor.

    “Are you kidding me? Was that all?” they exclaimed and stared at the Mare, now visible to them once more. The rotten blue skin did nothing to comfort either of them, even if it was caught securely.

    “Yup. The sleep sand smells like happy children's dreams, so Mares can’t resist the temptation. Though this one ran so fast, it did not seem that happy with yours, to be honest.”

    “I told you I have weird dreams,” Ariel mumbled and crouched down to the Mare that was just the size of a golden retriever. Then they looked up and grinned. As if their experience with the monster was forgotten, just because it was dealt with. Evelyn grew a bit self conscious at the smile, and only managed to return it shallowly.

    “Thank you. For your help. You’re really good at this. We should hunt monsters more often. It was really fun, even if the time with you was just this short.”

    And that just sounded like Ariel had enjoyed spending time with her. Like they wanted to be friends and meet frequently for coffee, talk about problems and successes, trust each other with secrets – like friends do. Warmth and sadness spread through her. Sadness, because ever since she had seen Ariel in that club a few weeks ago, she had thought that Ariel was pretty cool, and that it would be fun to be their friend. Yet that thought was ultimately drowned out by the knowledge that Evelyn’s understanding of friendship was simply not reciprocated. She committed too much. Trusted too much. Eventually got hurt too much. Even if she dared to try, it had been too long and any knowledge about the how had been lost in time. All she was, was a constant stranger. Alienated to an extent where a simple friendship was an enigma to her, social norms were lost on her – really – she understood that Mare better than humans if she allowed her mind to put it that pathetically.

    So, naturally, Evelyn did what she did best. She smiled, hummed, and then avoided them whenever she could. Just for a little bit of distance, she told herself in the beginning. Maybe another few weeks would be long enough without it being weird if she asked Ariel for a coffee. Or for hunting some ghosts. If Ariel would have been serious in their comment, they surely would approach her first anyway.

    Really, that one exception with the Mare hadn’t changed anything. It was just that now that she had seen those monsters again, it was really easy to spot them. Like some border in her brain had been crossed, and now she was in a territory where they just were much more visible. And since professional companies were quite expensive for the people who had chosen not to get such specific insurance, it was just a necessity for Evelyn to help out every now and then. Perhaps, it was also that she felt a little more alive when she lured monsters in her traps and sent ghosts off.

    As the matter would not leave her mind, she felt the need to talk about it with the liminal ghost that haunted the university’s library on Friday nights. It was not easy to meet her. Like most ghosts, showing her ghostly body to living humans was highly restricted, which in her case meant that she was only visible between one and four am, only to liminal people. Unluckily, Evelyn was one of those liminal people, such who were ghosts in heart.

    “You look a little lost today,” Leonie said, tracing the lines in the wooden table with her ghostly fingers.

    “You say that every time we meet,” Evelyn sighed, but couldn’t deny that it was true. From the look that the ghost was giving her, there was no reason to lie. “Lately, I have been working a lot as a ghost-hunter again,” she confessed. Speaking it out loud felt freeing. “Monsters and creatures and ghosts and,” she trailed off a bit, getting lost in her barely-there reflection of the library’s big panorama windows.

    “And?” Leonie pushed gently.

    “And all the like, you know?” Evelyn resumed, her voice a bit thinner now. She barely even knew what she had started that sentence for.

    “Do you have fun?” Leonie looked at her intently, with her slight smile. The few lights at the library’s entry flickered.

    Evelyn sighed and rested her head on her hand. “I suppose? I mean, I am really good at it. It was easy to forget how normal that kind of life has been. It feels a bit like I am falling back into it. Just that it is a soft fall. As if someone was holding me.”

    Leonie smiled and the lights flickered. “Is there someone holding you?”

    As if she was all-knowing. Of course, Evelyn’s thoughts instantly jumped to Ariel, even if she hadn’t met them since the Mare situation.

    “No,” she mumbled and looked down onto the table. “It’s more the work itself that catches me.”

    “I imagine it must be a little comforting to fall back into well-known hands.”

    “Hm.”

    “It must be easy to let go. If you know that you will be caught.”

    Evelyn’s gaze flicked up to her for a second. Was it easy? It seemed impossible to say, even if it really should be.

    After a few moments of calm silence, Leonie asked, “You don’t agree?” To which Evelyn really couldn’t answer anything, and hence settled on a tiny shrug. The time ticked by, both of them fine with the silence of the late night. It wasn’t the first time that Evelyn sat next to her, perfectly content with just not being alone. But this time, the ghost kept glancing over at her, waiting for her to speak about what she had come for. 

    “Leonie,” she finally gave in, slowly allowing herself to voice the thought that had been on her mind for a while now, “it does feel nice. And it is not really the work that fills me with this deafening feeling, really.”

    “Then what is it?” Leonie asked and finally the words flowed out of Evelyn as if she had practised them.

    “It’s just that it feels nice to be of use again. While studying, there really has been nothing at all for me to do. Except to learn for my own benefit. The work is different. I see the change and the happy faces when I am successful. I think it was a good decision to return to that. But it does not chase the feeling itself. And that person – Ariel – they gave me that. And I like them. I think I would enjoy being their friend. Maybe try to be at least. But honestly, I don’t understand what they want from me. I think it’s just work as well? I helped them with a job. I was useful. And I am not certain if I can do that. Become friends just out of usefulness, you know?”

    Evelyn tapped her finger quickly on the table, trying to somehow get the pressure out of her that boiled and boiled and threatened to burn her from the inside. Unnamed feelings that wanted to be spilled. Bopping her leg up and down helped dissipate them a bit.

    “How about you just talk about it with them?” Leonie suggested. Evelyn just scoffed.

    “That would be so weird, and you know it. You don’t go to people and say ‘Hey, please give me your definition of friendship and also don’t use me for my skills because that might break my heart’.” She stared right at the ghost – through the ghost as a lamp flickered to life for a pathetic second – and then sighed. “It would be very easy, though. If I ever had the courage to talk to them like that.”

    “What if you just stick around and find out? Nothing close yet. Just one or two meetings to test the waters?”

    Leonie’s idea was reasonable. The logical thing to do. But still, Evelyn winced and looked away to the window front where the small town's lights were merely tiny dots.

    “You are lonely,” Leonie stated as a matter of fact, not a question, and of course she was right. Evelyn thought a lot about it, and still didn’t know how to feel about it. There was a warmth to that loneliness. 

    “I chose to be alone. It was my decision,” she mumbled.

    “But that is voluntary. Loneliness is not. Not always, at least. There’s a difference between those things, Evelyn. The nice kind is called solitude. You have passed that.”

    Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek. Leonie always did that, saying things she didn’t want to hear. Even if she knew that she was often right, at least deep down. But so what? Maybe she had become lonely. That wasn’t that different from enjoying solitude.

    “You know that it’s the chemicals. You have been alone too long. I’m pretty sure talking to dead people doesn’t count as socializing. See? I can make out how you are trying to hold back the tears. You know that I am right,” Leonie added and when Evelyn looked back to her flimsy eyes, the movement alone was enough to let the tears drop. “It’s okay to be lonely. I can only guess how hard it must be if the solitude that has been your home starts to feel like loneliness.”

    Evelyn buried her face in her arms on the table, hiding away the tears and quiet sobs that she could not bear to show openly.

    “Maybe,” Leonie whispered into the morning, one of her ghostly hands on Evelyn’s head, “it would be worth it to try it out, no? To fight back a bit, just in spite.” And with those words she was gone, the sky outside starting to turn more blue than black; enough to shy the ghosts away. 

Not much later, Evelyn left too.

_____

previous chapter || WIP intro || masterlist || next chapter

[eastertag]

Pretty in pink

@fallenfurther gift for @willow-salix

—

Her mobile, which had fallen into the crack in the sofa, buzzed violently. Wriggling to the side, Selene retrieved it and tapped open the new message.

Gordon: Please say you know who did it?

Gordon: I don’t want to get the blame.

Selene: Did what?

Gordon: Thunderbird One is pink.

Selene couldn’t believe the words before her, but her instincts told her Gordon wasn’t lying. Pushing John’s arms up abruptly, she went from lying on him to standing in seconds. Her man gave her a bemused look but didn’t move.

“Where’s the fire?”

“Thunderbird One is pink.”

“What? That’s a joke. Gordon’s pranking you.”

Selene thrust the phone under John’s nose and watched his eyebrow raise. He stood slowly, understanding all the possible implications of such a statement, and together they headed to the lift. Taking it down to Thunderbird One’s hanger, they joined Gordon in gapping up at the rocket plane. There before them was indeed a pink Thunderbird One. At least the details were pink. From the usually blue engine compartment with its white one and the blue detailing on the bottom fins were now the colour of FAB 1. Even the nosecone was a darker shade of pink. A grin crossed Gordon’s face as he started to chuckle.

“I look forward to your funeral,” John spoke entirely deadpan.

“I didn’t do it.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Because whoever did is a freaking genius!” Gordon exclaimed. “This is the prank of the year and whoever did it deserves a medal of bravery.”

“More like a medal of stupidity,” countered John, “if we get a rescue and Scott has to fly with One like this, all hell will break loose.”

“Should we tell him?” Selene asked, wondering if she should message her best friend or not.

“Be my guest,” Gordon responded cheerfully, phone in hand and snapping evidence of the crime. John wandered up to the Thunderbird, a frown of thought on his face. Selene followed, watching her man’s every move as he scrutinised the pink stripes. He opened his mouth to speak.

“What on earth? Who did that? What the hell is going on?”

Scott’s voice went from surprise to anger as he stormed up behind them. His fists were clenched and shaking. They all cared deeply for their individual craft and this was a complete violation of his. Had someone painted Thunderbird Four a new colour, Gordon would be just as furious.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Not as bad as it looks!?” Scott spat at John. “Thunderbird One is PINK! How would you like it if I painted Thunderbird Five pink?”

“I would like to see you try that, and it’s not like anyone sees Thunderbird Five that often.”

A growl came from the eldest Tracy, though John didn’t flinch. He knew even, as Scott was going red with fury, his brother was not a threat, so he continued to be the voice of reason.

“It appears to be a simple wrap, probably designed to be temporary.”

“I jolly well hope so.”

Selene just observed as Scott stormed off to the side of the hanger towards the adjustable platform. He jumped up into the driving seat and moved it up to his Thunderbird. Climbing on, he raised it so he could examine the damage. His hand reached out and stroked the darker pink hexagons that surrounded her white one, the hurt in his eyes clear to all. John shook his head, while Gordon sniggered to her left. No doubt the man was snapping more photos. Scott rose higher and let himself into the belly of his ship.

“On no! They are SO dead.”

The anguished voice from inside the Thunderbird had Gordon running past to call the platform down. Selene and John were right on his heels, climbing up and being raised above the ground. She was thankful the closest one had been the lift with the guard rail, as she held on tight. Carefully stepping into Thunderbird One the reason for the cursing became clear. Everything that had been blue was now pink. Even Scott’s seat, which he had climbed up to like a monkey, had been sprayed pale pink with deep pink cushions. Selene bit her lip to fight the grin, though Gordon just collapsed in peels of laughter.

“Incredible,” John gawked from her side. “I’m impressed by the effort they’ve gone to, though this definitely screams Brains’ handiwork. I suggest finding him to ascertain the best way to remove it all.”

Selene herself was struggling to take in the dramatic colour change. It was like being in a completely different vehicle. It was almost like Penelope had come in and redecorated to her tastes and claimed it as her own. The blue figure of Scott above them looked very much out of place in his own Thunderbird. The man jumped down before her, a frown creasing his forehead. He slipped a hand under Gordon’s elbow, lifting the crying man to his feet.

“Good idea, John. The sooner this is sorted the better.”

They watched the commander drag Gordon out, who was trying to dry his eyes and snap a few more photos at the same time.

“If you could keep those photos off social media, I’d be very grateful.”

“Hey!” Gordon yelped as he was dropped onto the platform bed. “The world has a every right to see these. They are golden!”

“I promise they won’t be released today, however Gordon has got a point. If released at the correct time, they could be invaluable.”

Selene looped her arm through John’s as they followed after the grumbling Scott, carefully stepping onto the platform. She did snap a quick photo for herself, just in case, knowing that John would have Gordon’s photos saved somewhere safe soon enough, which she could just ask to see. The platform lowered smoothly, and they clambered down the ladder. Scott decided the ladder was too slow and threw himself athletically over the rail to the floor. He started running only to grind to a halt when Sally rounded the corner with a pink baldric in hand.

“There you are Scott,” the wise woman smiled, “I’ve been looking for you all over. I need you ready to launch in the next half hour otherwise we’ll be late.”

Selene joined the men around her in shock. Not one of them had considered Sally would be culprit. The woman was a plotter and mischievous, but this took the biscuit.

“You did THAT?” Gordon gawked; arm thrown high in the direction of the Thunderbird.

“With Brains’ help, yes.”

“I’m not launching Thunderbird One until it’s all removed.”

Scott’s eyebrows knitted together as he crossed his arms. Sally didn’t falter, passing a data pad to Scott as she passed.

“Yes, you will. I just have to pack this, then we can launch.”

Gordon stared after his Grandma his wide brown eyes full of a newfound respect for the matriarch. John peered over Scott’s shoulder, reading whatever was meant to convince Scott the Thunderbird One needed to be pink. The man’s tense body slumped with a sigh.

“Don’t you dare call me out for a rescue or I’ll disable the bagel machine on Five AND ensure none make it safely to the island for the next month.”

John raised an eyebrow, and his emerald eyes glinted as a sly smile crossed his face.

“You know I can’t promise that.”

“I’m taking the second seat. I cannot miss this for the world.”

Gordon gleefully ran towards the stairs up to the changing rooms and docking area. The colour slowly drained from Scott’s face as he realised that having Gordon there would be worse than being called out on a rescue. Selene could almost here the jokes and puns Gordon would rain over Scott.

“No way. You are not coming.”

Scott shouted after the aquanaut, who had just lept up the first few steps. Gordon threw himself onto the handrail, cupped his hand to his mouth and bellowed.

“Grandma! Can I come?”

“It’s up to Scott who can come along, but I believe you are on standby for rescues.”

“John’s here. He can take my place.” Gordon latched the eldest Tracy and brought out the puppy eyes, “Please, Scott. Let me come along.”

“No.” The commander was back, standing straight and certain, “The only person who I will allow to come is Selene.”

“Sure, I’m in.”

Selene gave Scott an appreciative smile. She intended to make the most of this opportunity, as Thunderbird One would be reverted back to her original colours the moment she returned. A dimpled grin of gratitude was sent back.

“I need to go suit up. I’ll see you inside.”

The man jogged off towards the elevator, while John held the tablet out before her. Taking it, she scrolled through an email exchange that had occurred over the past few days. It was the first email that tugged her heartstrings and explained Scott’s quick change of tune.

Dear Make-a-wish,

My name in Leanne Darcy Brown. I am ten years old, and I have incurable medulloblastoma. I am having chemotherapy to help prolong my life so I can do as many things as I can, but I don’t have much time left. I have always loved planes and wanted to be a pilot. I have been to many air shows and love sitting in the cockpits of the planes they have on display.

My wish is to fly in Thunderbird One. It is my favourite of the Thunderbirds as it is the fastest, and it would be awesome to go at top speed in it. Although, if I was the pilot of Thunderbird One it would be pink and not blue, as pink is a much better colour. I know this might not be possible as Thunderbird One needs to be ready to help people, so my other wish is to go up in a stunt plane and do loop-the-loop, and other cool tricks.

Thank you,

Leanne

Selene blinked as John pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on her head. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and grounded herself, letting the world settle to the sound of John’s heartbeat.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

John’s voice was soft as his brushed against her ear. Twisting, Selene gazed up into his dazzling eyes and smiled. They both knew she would be going; she always went when she was need, and Scott would need her. The boys did charity events whenever they could, doing their best to spread hope and raise money to help those less fortunate. They experienced losses on rescues, each having people that held on longer than others, but at least they had tried to save them. Sometimes meeting the people they could do nothing for, despite all their resources, could be tough. Sally climbed down from the lift and set it moving to its original position, before heading towards them.

“Shall we get going?”

John pressed his lips to her forehead, and she stole a quick kiss, before breaking apart. Selene looped arms with the matriarch, and they headed towards the changing rooms. The spare seats for One were already in position for them, so they climbed in and allowed the mechanism to load them into the ship. Moments after they clicked into place, Scott’s chair extended out to collect him.

“Everyone ready?”

Scott glanced over his shoulder as Thunderbird One ascended to her launch station in silence.

“We’re A-okay back here. You just worry about getting to those coordinates on time.”

Sally chimed from beside her, clearly happy to be flying. There was a speed demon in her. The woman was buzzing, arms shaking slightly.

“It’s turned out perfectly, hasn’t it?”

“It definitely meets her pink dream.”

“Brains’ has done a fantastic job on such short notice. I was behind on the inbox, which I always regret as it means I miss emails such as these. When I saw it, I knew just had to do something. Brains was with me at the time. It was his suggestion that we make Thunderbird One pink for the day. He told me to just arrange it all timing wise and leave Thunderbird One to him. That man is a genus.

“You could have given me a warning, Grandma.”

Sally just waved away her grandson’s comments like an annoying fly, making Selene laugh.

“So why is today so important?”

“Oh, the foundation managed to secure Leanne on a stunt plane flight, so they’ll be at an airfield making all the clearances needed simple. The airfield was happy to accommodate us despite the short notice. Leanne is also taking a turn for the worst, her mobility is becoming poor to the point that she’s struggling to walk, and she’s on a fair amount of medication to keep her comfortable. It’s starting to become a now or never situation. The poor dear. Hopefully this will give her a day to remember.”

Selene reached out and held Sally’s hand as she wiped a tear from her eye. The doctor part of her must understand what’s going on with the child. Rubbing circles on the woman’s skin, there was a lot to marvel. The woman’s determination and care, efficiency and resolve. She had brought a girl’s dream into reality, and it was fantastic. Even if Selene didn’t appreciate pink as much as Lady Penelope, she could appreciate how Brains had used two shades to keep all the small details of the ship, including the logos and warnings located about them. The Thunderbird slowed and Scott landed effortlessly. They all disembarked onto the tarmac, where two suited ladies awaited with their wide eyes on the ship. Their name badges read Kaia and Dakota.

“Welcome and thank you for your response and generosity. May I be the first to say Thunderbird One looks incredible.”

“I’m sorry it was such a late response. This is Scott and Selene.”

There were handshakes all round before they were led into the nearby hanger and escorted into one of the offices. Selene quickly spotted Leanne, dressed in an International Rescue blue flight suit, chatting away to a woman in a similar, but white, flight suit. There was a spread of food and drink beside them, and there were three other adults standing to the side of the room. The couple with teary eyes and smiling warmly at the child were Leanne’s parents, and the other was a male nurse. Selene nabbed a sandwich from the platter and munched away as she stood beside Scott. Everyone stayed silent, letting the room be filled with the excited ramblings of Leanne, who still hadn’t noticed the newcomers. Stealing a ham sandwich earned a raised eyebrow from Sally, and a jealous side glance from Scott. Apparently, there was an etiquette she had forgotten. Finally, the nurse cleared his throat and Kaia introduced them.

“Leanne, this is Sally Tracy of International Rescue and her grandchildren, Scott and Selene.”

Selene held in a chuckle as the child’s jaw dropped and her eyes zeroed in on Scott. His uniform and tall certain demeanour clearly stating who he was. Her chestnut eyes sparkled with excitement as her hands flew to her cheeks.

“Hello Leanne.” Scott introduced himself, stepping forward and kneeling before her so he was at her level. His presence was calming, and he was giving her his best dimpled smile. “I hope you’ve had a fantastic time in the stunt plane. I used to enjoy performing similar manoeuvres when I flew in the Air Force.”

All Leanne could do was nod, completely star struck.

“Well, I can’t promise you any stunts, but I can show you around Thunderbird One before taking you and one of your parents up for a quick circle of the planet.”

“Y-Yes please!” She squeaked.

“Before we head out, I have this for you.” Sally stepped up behind Scott and held out the bright pink baldric, “so you can be one of us.”

The delight almost burst out of Leanne to the point she that she was shaking. Sally helped slip the loop over her head and secure the baldric in place. The child ran her fingers over the iR logo. With the blue of the flight suit, she really didn’t look amiss next to Scott. Her father stepped up and helped Leanne to stand, before looping his arm through her elbow. It was the moment the reality of the situation first hit Selene. With her father supporting her, she could walk but it was clear she was struggling to balance. Scott moved to be the other side of her and engaged them in conversation, though Selene knew he was primed to help if needed. They all followed out to the tarmac. There were many exclamations of wonder at the sight of Thunderbird One. A few tears were shed, and many photos taken. It was a pleasure to see Leanne’s face lit up and full of life as she posed next to Scott. Everyone was allowed inside for a view before Leanne and her father were strapped in for their flight. Selene put her arm around the mother as the air around them was whipped up by Thunderbird One’s thrusters.

“Thank you,” she sobbed, “You can’t imagine how much this means to us, and to Leanne. She fought so hard. Then to find out it had come back. All her dreams shattered, but this. This was just perfect.”

Rubbing gentle circles into the woman’s back, Selene guided her back inside to wait for their return. Selene gave her ear to the woman, letting her spill and release her feelings, knowing that the simple act of talking can help lift some of the weight. Her own heart ached for the family and their situation. Medical treatments had come so far, but there were still times when that progress had yet to come far enough for everyone. People were still being lost. Slowly the mood lightened, and the conversation moved on to lighter topics. The food was offered to them and they happily snacked as the spoke. They put aside a plate and bottle of pop for Scott. Sally’s wrist pinged to indicate the imminent return of the Thunderbird. Again, they all left to go to the tarmac, although this time the nurse had a hoverchair in tow. The grins on both Leanne and her father were priceless as they headed over laughing. Leanne was helped into the chair after a hug with each of them. Scott slipped his arm around Selene’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze, which she returned. They waved goodbye before climbing back into Thunderbird One. They launched immediately, allowing Leanne to watch the machine from below.

“Do you mind dropping me off in Kanas? I’ve planned a weekend away with some friends, and this saves me flying back out tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, Grandma. You got any requests Selene?”

“Just home for me.”

Thunderbird One landed beside the house and they waved goodbye to Sally. Scott sat in the vacated seat as he scoffed the sandwiches they’d saved gratefully. Selene could see the emotional weight that sat on the man’s shoulders. She leant over and rested against him. He would talk when ready. As the man glugged down the cola, the comm bleeped and John floated before them.

“Scott. There is a couple of climbers stuck on a mountain and Thunderbird Two is currently deployed.”

Scott sighed. The world knew when to pick its moments.

“You okay with a quick detour, Selene?”

“I’ll be here if you need me.”

Scott gave her a smile before climbing up into his seat.

“Send us the coordinates. Let’s just hope they don’t mind pink.”