#I sent this to my friend asking her what she thought and she thought it was from Ao3

[liahaslosthermind]

𝑬𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏

Summary: The 4 times the Night Court’s Shadowsinger mentioned… someone, and the first time his family got the promise of an answer. 

Content: Angst, with the promise of future fluff

Warnings: Angst, I like making Azriel sad sorry, I also take the ‘mate talk’ in the Azriel/Nesta/Bryce bonus chapter and rewrite it to fit this story. I also haven’t read CC yet so apologies if Bryce is OOC Azriel x OC [not introduced in this part]

*Slight spoilers for the Azriel/Nesta/Bryce bonus chapter

Bryce turned to the fae female next to her, “You have a mate, don’t you?” Nesta simply nodded in response, a slight smile forming on her face, followed by a deep blush. “Do you?” The red head directed at Azriel.

Nesta’s stomach dropped. She knew it was a sore subject for the Shadowsinger. What with everyone else in his family being mated except for him-

“I do.” He said, a trace of apprehension in his voice. Nesta’s head snapped to face him so quickly that her vision spun for a moment, causing her to stumble.

Regaining her footing, she barked out, “Azriel? What the fuck do you mean?”

The trio stopped walking for a moment, tension settling over the once calm night air. She gave him a demanding, and slightly betrayed, look. Even though his eyes met hers, Azriel kept quiet. Bryce simply looked between the two, face wrinkling in the awkwardness of the moment.

“Ah. A sore subject, I guess?” Bryce laughed, or tried to, it only came out forced and uncomfortable. 

“Who, Az? How come I had no idea? Does anyone know?” There wasn’t anger in her voice, just hurt. 

He had to bite back his usual replies, the ones he gave to his family when they tried to ask questions or bring up the topic without him bringing it up first. Not that he ever did. 

“She’s-” he swallowed. Cauldron, when would he finally be able to talk about her without wishing the world would swallow him whole? “It’s not something I want to discuss right now, especially with present company.” He sent a pointed look at Bryce. He couldn’t hide the misery in his tone this time though as he took a deep breath and continued, “I will tell you about her, Nes. One day. I’d just rather do it on my own terms. On my own time.” Nesta opened her mouth, seconds away from arguing, when he put a hand on her shoulder, “Please.” he begged, softly. 

The glimmer of silver in his eyes caught her off guard, gave her such a knee jerk reaction of protectiveness that she gave him a crushing hug. It was strange, this feeling. Azriel, the broody, closed off, terrifying, annoyingly perceptive, kind, and unbelievably loving friend she never knew she needed had just revealed a part of himself she could tell he kept locked away for good reason. The thought that even the mention of his mate could bring him to tears made her heart break in a way she thought impossible after all she had been through. 

She took a deep breath as she pulled away, “When you’re ready,” she agreed.

He smiled back at her, while it was genuine, one of the few he reserved for his family, there was still insurmountable pain in his eyes. 

Nesta turned back to Bryce, “Can you play more of your music? Just none of that screaming one.” She asked, shaking her head at the memory of the Death Metal genre she hadn’t liked when the redhead had played it for them. 

She smiled softly as she felt Azriel squeeze her hand in a silent Thank you before he let go. 

The High Lord sat, feet propped up on his desk. “When do you head out for Rosehall?” He asked.

Azriel, standing by the window to the right of his brother, answered, “The morning after Solstice.” Rhysand grimaced when he heard the mask of indifference his Spy Master had in his voice. “I still need to pick up a gift before I go.”

Rhys took it for the invitation it was. “Would you buy her something from me? On my account this time.” He tried to put on his commanding-High-Lord voice as he said it, but he knew very well that Azriel wouldn’t listen to the last part of his request even as his brother smiled in agreement as he walked out of the room, sending an inclination of goodbye to his High Lady in the chair across from her mate. 

“Rosehall? What female is he visiting the day after Solstice?” Feyre spoke into her mate’s mind. 

Despite Rhys’ usual inability to keep anything from his mate, he couldn't bring himself to explain, couldn’t bring himself to cross the very clear lines his brother had set all those years ago. 

“It's not my story to tell. And don’t ask someone else, if any of them know, they also won’t talk.” 

Certainly not the answer she had expected, as was evident by the look on Feyre’s face.

“And if I ask Azriel?” she inquired.

“It will just bring up things he isn't ready to share. He will come to you- come to us- some day.” ‘One day’ Azriel had promised his family long ago, long before their family had been as big as it was now. “I just pray it's under better circumstances.” 

Feyre froze, feeling the weight of mixed negative emotions flowing down from her mate’s side of the bond. For once, she was even more confused after asking Rhysand for more information. 

“Well, I believe we’ve reached the threshold of faked amiability before one of us attacks the other. We should quit while we’re ahead.” Eris said as he stood up from his chair, starting to grab his papers without so much as a glance to his reluctant hosts. Even years after their alliance was set in stone with the agreement from the Night Court to back Eris’ claim to his father’s throne, even after fighting beside them in war, these faked niceties could only go on for so long before the claws came out. 

No one in the Night Court’s Inner circle could say there was anything but relief to see the Autumn Court’s High Lord walk away. But before they could let out a breath of relief, Eris stopped and turned to the Shadowsinger. 

“I have received word that your… gift has been finished. I will send someone to get it to you within the week.” 

Azriel’s head quickly snapped to Eris, “And they were able to meet all my requests?” He asked, not caring that everyone else in the room watched the interaction with fierce intrigue. 

The eldest living Vanserra boy scoffed, “I assured you they’d be able to.” Azriel let out a relieved breath at that. While he’d known Eris’ court capable of such a thing, it wasn’t much more difficult than lesser magics, but hearing it confirmed ignited hope he didn’t know he still carried.

“Thank you. She’ll love it.” The Spy Master replied earnestly, much to Eris’, as well as the rest of the Inner Circle’s, shock. 

The red haired fae simply schooled his features and nodded in response before winnowing away. 

Despite the heaviness all the secrets and questions caused, everyone remained silent as they watched Azriel slip out of the room. 

The dining room had been filled with loud chatter for the weekly family dinner. Love filled teasing and relentless jokes put everyone in a good mood. Nothing felt better to the Night Court’s Inner Circle than being all together. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end. 

“I’ll be leaving for a few days.” Azriel told Rhysand, who was sitting to his left at the head of the table. “I’ll be back for Solstice.” He quickly added. 

“I thought you were leaving the day after?” 

“I was, but the package I had been waiting on came, and I’d like to deliver it as soon as possible. I’ll drop your gift off too.” With that, Azriel got up, nodding a quick goodbye to his family, before disappearing into his shadows.

It wasn’t a request to have a few days off. He hadn’t asked if his High Lord could spare not having his Spymaster for a little. He didn’t even wait for any sort of goodbye from the rest of his family. He just left, the house sending his place setting away to be cleaned, as if he had never been there in the first place. 

Once again, everyone had questions, concerns, for their friend. But no one spoke up, as per usual. 

Until the one fae in the room with truly no information in the matter grew concerned enough with everyone’s immediate change in attitudes. 

“Where is he going?” Elain asked, looking between her friends and family. 

She saw on everyone's faces, in their eyes that refused to meet hers, that no one would tell her. Till she sent a look, full of concerned innocence, to Cassian. 

“Rosehall” He blurted out. “Or at least, I assume that's where he is going.” The last part was directed towards his older brother. 

“Where is this Rosehall?” Feyre asked, feeling he invitation Elain’s question had opened into the untouchable subject. 

The High Lady, like her second oldest sister, sent a look to Rhys, knowing he'd break for her under an embarrassingly small amount of pressure. 

“None of us know,” he gave in, “He goes at seemingly random intervals. Sometimes he’s there, often, for months. Then he will go quite a while without any visits.”

“Is it his mate? Is that who he is seeing?” Nesta inquires. 

The word seems to suck all the air out of the room. His mate. Azriel’s mate. Their brother’s mate.

Nesta’s stomach drops at the looks she receives from Cassian and Rhysand. 

They didn’t know. 

As she opens her mouth to speak, she’s cut off by a palm smacking the table.

“Enough! You all know damn well this isn’t what he would want. The only reason you all seem so comfortable talking about it is because he's gone, too preoccupied to leave a shadow behind.” Mor argues. “He has asked one thing of us in the 500 years he has been by our side, to let him- let them- be.”

With that, she winnowed out of the room, leaving a suffocating mix of guilt, confusion, and concern behind. 

Everyone could feel his presence the second he got back to the house. The light and happy Solstice air seemed to vanish in an instant. The shadows suddenly alive and wreathing. 

Rhys and Cassian had gotten up to check on their brother. While he had said he’d be gone till Solstice, they had assumed he would be there the full day to celebrate with everyone. But he had missed celebrations, for both Solstice and Feyre’s birthday, had missed dinner, and had sent no indication that he was even alive. His mental walls had been as fortified as ever, not letting Rhysand nor Feyre in the numerous times they had tried to check in. 

Their walk over to their brother’s room became a run, followed by the rest of the family, as they heard a loud crash. 

The room was dark, but they could make out the faint outline of the broken mirror and Shadowsinger standing in front of it, holding his hand as blood seemed to drip from a wound. In the dark, the sight was unsettling, but in the light, it was far worse. 

Cassian moved quickly, leaving Rhysand and the rest of the Inner Circle by the door in stunned silence. 

“Woah-” Cassian said as he lifted Azriel’s hand, causing his brother to pull back in startled shock. He hadn’t known they were coming. Hadn’t sensed their presence even then they were right in front of him.

“It’s okay, Az. But we need to clean out the wound. Make sure there aren't any shards in-” The general stopped as he looked at the Spymaster, seeing the tears streaming down his usually stone cold face. 

All he could do was help him sit down as Mor, seemingly better equipped to handle the situation, came over to kneel in front of her long time friend. 

“Az?” She took his uninjured hand in hers, her other hand going to his face to wipe away the tears. “Come on, maybe you shoul-”

“She’s gotten worse.” He admitted, his voice noticeably wobbling, “So much worse, Mor.” 

Mor quickly looked at everyone else, seeing the shock, the empathy, and worse of all, the pity. She knew more than the others, not the full story, not even close, but enough to know that their reactions were part of why he kept all of it a secret. He couldn’t handle their emotions on top of his.

By the time she looked back, she saw that Azriel had noticed it too. She could see him shrinking back into himself, trying to hide everything. 

She couldn’t let it happen again. 

“Let me in, Azriel. Don’t pretend, don’t go through 200 more years of this.” She pleaded. Luckily, this seemed to pull him back out. “Let us all in, please?”

“I can’t- I don’t want pity.” He admitted.

Rhysand spoke up this time. “Is that what you think this is? Just pity? Az, come on. We all love you, we want you to be happy. But we don’t want fake happiness. Seeing you like this makes us all upset, because we love you. Please, let us prove it. Let us in.” Rhysand begged. 

Azriel gave them all a onceover, emotion showing so clearly in his face, in his eyes, that no one seemed to be able to breathe. 

He took a deep breath before speaking up, “Tomorrow. I’ll explain- show you all, tomorrow. For now, I’d just like to celebrate Solstice, and your birthday, Feyre, with my family.” 

The air lightened up a little bit at the promise. Tomorrow, they’d all face what Azriel had been dealing with alone for 200 years. But tonight, they would all celebrate Solstice, the return of light and promise of a brighter future, as a family. 

[angstywaifu]

No Strings Attached - Garrick Tavis

Request: reader is fwb with Garrick you could even include some spice and they start to fall for each other but they’re not exclusive so one night she sees him talking to another girl and she feels extremely hurt seeing it. then she decides to ice him out and branch out to hang out with other people and he sees her talk to another guy and gets really jealous and feels very possessive. and then they get into a massive angsty fight Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Smut. Unprotected Sex (P in V). Angst and fighting. Jealousy.

Masterlist | Support Me

“Cmon sweetheart, just one more. For me.” Garrick whispers in my ear as his fingers dig into my hips as he guides me up and down on his length.

As per usual, Garrick was determined to get another one out of me. This would be the fourth? No, fifth? Fuck, I had no idea. My brain all foggy from the amount of times he’d pulled another orgasm from me. He was addicted to pulling them from me, and I was addicted to the way he made me felt.

The familiar knot in my stomach tightens again as I dig my nails into his shoulder as my lead lulls forward. Garrick notices the shift, grabbing tightly onto my waist as he holds me up, slamming his hips into mine hard and fast. I barely had time to process what was coming as I shatter in his arms, my whole weight resting in Garrick’s hands as I go limp. Eyes rolling back into my head, mouth open in a silent moan as my legs tremble either side of his. I feel Garrick shudder beneath me, his thrusts faltering as he comes undone beneath me.

He gathers me in his arms rolling us to the side as he lays my head down on my pillow, whimpering at the loss of him as he removes himself from me. I barely register him cleaning me up and tucking me into bed as I fall victim to my exhaustion and fall asleep.

The next day it’s back to normal. Everyone none the wiser to how Garrick and I had spent most of our night as we walk the halls the next day. Which is how I wanted it. Garrick and I were just friends. Friends who hooked up a few times a week. An arrangement that worked for both of us since it had started last year. No strings attached, no feelings and no exclusivity. Though neither of us had hooked up with anyone else despite this.

”Quinn and I are having a girls night in her room, did you want to come?” Imogen asks me as we leave the gym, both of us in desperate need of a shower after the training session we had just done.

I turn my head to look at her and tell her I’m in, but two figures behind her across the courtyard near the Rotunda catch my eyes. Imogen turns to look, both of us watching Garrick as he leans up against the wall talking to girl in second wing. I watch as he raises a hand, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I don’t miss the way she tips her head downwards slightly, and I’d bet any money she’s blushing. I instantly see red. Wanting to march over there and pull her away from him, tell her to stay away. I shouldn’t feel like this. I shouldn’t want to do that. We were just friends. Friends who slept together. Nothing more. Why the hell did I feel like this?

”Sorry, I’ve got plans.” I tell her in the most monotone voice I’ve heard leave my lips as I turn and make my way to the dorms.

Another year done and over. Thank god. I’d been craving a drink since seeing Garrick talking to that girl two weeks ago. Since then I’d been avoiding him, which was pretty easy considering we’d all been sent away for War Games for five days and we were in different Wings. But since that night I’d opted to hanging out with my squad, mainly Imogen and Quinn. Something I knew Garrick had noticed as Imogen had told me Garrick had asked about me after I’d walked off when he’d approached our group at challenges. Even now I can feel his eyes on me across the room. It was not like me to ignore him like this, but I honestly couldn’t trust me feelings.

Movement next to me pulls me from my thoughts, one of the first year repeats sitting next to me. I remembered him from the start of the year. The scattering of freckles across his face had always stood out to me. He’d been apart of our squad till he hadn’t been chosen at Threshing. Which was a shame, from what Quinn and Imogen had told me he was one of the best in our squad.

”How was war games?” He asks me as he fills up his cup from one of the pitchers from the middle of the table.

”Tiring as usual. There’s only one time of year I will ever have thoughts on wanting to be back here, and that’s war games.” I tell him with a smile as he fills up my now empty cup.

We fall into conversation easily, laughing and telling stories and jokes. Something I had missed during the last week. And it was nice to be talking to someone new. Something to take my mind off what had happened. Though it’s not long before my mind wanders back as a tall looming figure hovers behind me, casting a shadow over me and onto the cadet I now know as Sawyer. I watch as his eyes widen as he looks behind me. A look I associated very well with Garrick.

”We need to talk.” He growls out from behind me.

I can practically feel the anger rolling off him against my back. I can see how worried Sawyer looks. Yeah, he was pissed.

”What do you want to talk about?” I toss over my shoulder before chugging the rest of my drink, definitely needing more alcohol in my system to deal with whatever was about to happen.

”In private.”

I turn and look at him. Yep. He was pissed. His eyes are narrowed at me, his jaw ticking from the strain of clenching it. Great. I tear my gaze from his, standing and pushing past him as I head towards the door, leaving Sawyer behind. I push through the door leading into the rotunda, barely making it a few steps before Garrick grabs my arm.

”What the hell was that?” He snaps, gesturing back towards the dining hall.

”Really? I could be asking you the same about you and the cadet a few weeks back in the courtyard.” I snap back as I gesture towards the door leading towards the courtyard.

His brow furrows as he looks towards where I point. “What are you talking about?”

Anger flares with in me. “That blonde who you had in the courtyard a few nights before War Games started. Tucking her hair behind her ear as she blushed and giggled at you.”

”So that’s why you’ve been ignoring me.” He drawls in a monotone voice.

”I haven’t been ignoring you. We’ve been away at War Games if you hadn’t noticed.” I retort as I walk a few steps away, needing to clear my head of the anger that was raging through me.

”Says the one who has walked away whenever I’ve joined the group and has been mysteriously absent from my bed.” He states as he walks over and steps in front of me.

”What do you want Garrick? Want me to confess that even though this isn’t technically exclusive that I’m a little jealous you start showing interest in another girl for the first time since this started happening? That maybe I realised I need to put some space between us and put effort into my other friends or find some new ones?” My voice echoing around the empty rotunda as I glare up at him.

”Please he didn’t want to be your friend.” He scoffs at me.

”Well I wouldn’t know because you couldn’t resist playing possessive guard dog after I start talking to a guy that isn’t you!” My voice cracks at the end, a tear rolling down my cheek that Garrick’s hazel eyes track.

”Trust me, there’s only one things guys want from girls in here.” Garrick looming over me as he takes a step towards me.

I scoff and shake my head at me. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that. Hope she can warm your bed till she also figures that out.”

”Sweethe-”

”Don’t. You don’t get to call me that anymore.” I snap at him before turning and storming back into the rowdy dining hall, wiping away another tear that rolls down my cheek.

[mewhenimanangel]

need that, hamzahthefantastic

—synopsis. mandy invites you to hangout with some of her friends. christmas vlog vid

notes 🫧: guys i need hamzah bad

— 🐞

you sighed with content as you finally landed on an outfit you liked. it was a plain long sleeve with a pair of loose dark wash jeans, you weren’t sure what everyone else would be wearing so you picked something simple.

your phone buzzed, mandy asking if you were on your way to her house. you sent her a voice message as you threw on your coat and grabbed your keys along with your purse and phone.

mandy had invited you over to hang out with her, martin, and hamzah and his friends, who you knew from 4freakshow.

you'd never met chase and claire before, but you've hung out with martin and hamzah a few times with mandy.

you met her when she was in nursing school, becoming friends after a few awkward encounters. she introduced you to martin and after a while you met hamzah, in person at least, since the two of you already followed each other.

you parked your car outside their house and adjusted your lip gloss in the rearview. you were a little nervous for some reason. maybe it was the fact that you were late, maybe it was the new people you were meeting, or maybe it was the vlog.

you have your own youtube channel but being apart of other people's videos always made you feel a little awkward.

you texted mandy that you arrived and headed for the front door, martin opening it before you could knock.

"someone's a little late" martin joked as he let you inside. "oh my god i forgot you guys went bald. that was a freaking jumpscare." you teased.

mandy came up to give you a hug "i know, they look insane. i did not approve." she said  before you were introduced to chase and claire. chase walked up with the camera, focused on you. "hi youtube" you stuck out your tongue.

"now that y/n is finally here, the trio outfit is complete." claire handed you a set of pajamas, matching the ones her and mandy had on. you grinned and complimented the set before hamzah came out from the back hallway.

"oh hey, didn't know you got here already" he dapped you up. "boi yes you did, literally went to the bathroom to fix his hair" claire teased. "oh wait..." chase joined in, making you laugh.

"i don't know why he's got this freaking tuque on anyways. embrace the bald dude, embrace the skin." martin pulled his beanie down and rubbed hamzah's bald head, urging hamzah to push him away.

"yo! he just fucking sniffed me" hamzah laughed, grabbing his beanie from his hand. "we're just cucking the viewers i guess" martin said, leaving everyone just staring at him awkwardly.

"yeah anyways, y/n you could go change in my room" mandy told you. "heh, just be careful what you find in there" martin leaned into a shrug. "dude stop" hamzah flicked his hand over martin's head.

once you were changed, chase made you do a twirl for the camera and you posed before tripping out.

"so how come y/n gets a pajama set, but you said no to me?" martin asked mandy. "cause she's one of the girls and you're not a girl"

"plus nobody told you to wear them freak ass leggings boi" hamzah teased him and you laughed. he looked over at you, taking in the fact that he made you laugh.

hamzah always thought you were really pretty and cool, even back when you first followed each other during the 4freakshow days. you didn't even have a youtube channel back then, only posting random tiktoks he thought were funny.

"alright y'all let's get to baking, i'm hungry" chase said behind the camera before flipping it towards him.

you stood next to hamzah as claire pulled up the recipe on her tiktok and her, mandy, and chase got started on measuring things out.

“you can’t just do it willy nilly style brah, measure it” you told martin as he began pouring sugar into the mix. “sometimes you have to live life on the edge, y/n” martin scoffed.

as you continued baking the cookies, you realized how glad you were that you decided to come. martin and hamzah were always a hoot but you really liked claire and chase too.

“noo it was my legs and he said ‘you’re scratching your ass’” claire defended herself from chase and hamzah’s teasing. “girl no i was right behind you”

“we’re having booty cookies” “we got fucking booty flavor” you and hamzah joked at the same time, causing you to crack up and slap his arm.

you took your hand off, not expecting his bicep to be so strong. he nudged you with his elbow, still laughing.

“so, are you actually gonna help bake, y/n?” chase playfully raised his eyebrow. “right, standing here doing nothing” hamzah added. “oh bitch says you, who’s actually done nothing. mr. nonchalant baldhead.” you joked, grabbing the camera from chase and putting it in hamzah’s face.

“boi get outta here boi” he laughed.

while the cookies baked, you guys moved on to putting up the christmas tree. you sat down with chase and claire and began unfolding the branches of the tree. hamzah followed suit, taking a seat on the floor next to you.

rudy walked up to hamzah, who grabbed him with one hand under his belly and placed him in his lap. “awww rudy, who’s a cutie cootie coo. ah poochy poochy poo” you reached over hamzah’s leg to pet the dog.

you scratched behind his ear, unknowing of hamzah staring at you while you did it. “alright let’s put in some freaking work guys” claire said and hamzah lifted rudy into the couch behind him.

“why do you literally manhandle everything that comes your way?” you teased. “like in the video where you’re flinging around fish” hamzah just chuckled in response.

“wait chase, i like your leggings” claire said from behind the camera. “what these aren’t leggings?”

“i’m just saying i’ve never seen a boy wear leggings, it’s a compliment”

“they’re not leggings, they’re thermals! they’re long johns..long johns?” martin retorted, displaying his leg out in front of the other. “you’re wearing fucking leggings”

you and hamzah stifled your laughs in the corner as they continued and martin teared up, walking off with the camera as a bit. “claire you actually made him cry” you giggled.

you felt hamzah lean himself closer to you, taking advantage of the laughing fit everyone was in.

after a while, the cookies were done as you finished decorating the tree, adding a little christmas bunny along with everyone else’s personalized ornaments.

you turned around to hamzah manspreading on the couch, trying to ignore your thoughts about how sexy it was and followed everyone else into the kitchen.

you all iced the cookies before doing a taste test, “boi crumbl cookie could neverrrr” you joked, as the cookies actually turned out bad. “this shit is way too sweet oh my god” hamzah said, spitting his into the trash. “ew dude have some manners” martin scolded him.

once mandy ended the vlog, you all lounged around her living room until you got a emergency text from your roommate.

“bruh, my roommate messed up something with our dryer. i have to go” you frowned. “awww noooo” chase frowned with you. “it was really nice meeting you” he said. “yeah, you’re funny as fuck” claire added. “oh i love you” you hugged her before getting your coat off the rack.

“im so glad you actually came” mandy said. “well thanks for inviting me” you playfully stuck out your tongue. “i’ll see you next time we hang out in like four to six weeks” you said, sarcastically. “ugh tell me about it” she smiled as you dapped martin.

hamzah came out from the bathroom, “you’re leaving?” he asked. “yeah my roommate needs help” you pressed your lips together. “oh…..it was cool seeing you though” he dapped you up, pulling you into a small hug. “you too” you smiled, holding his hand a little longer before your phone buzzed again.

“anyways merry christmas and happy holidays everyone! byeeeee” you closed the door behind you and head for your car.

lvryn

Liked by hamzahthefantastic and others

lvryn mini dump 💩

user omg is she the reason hamzah was acting so mysterious this video

user yall saw the way they were so close to each other this video

user love your whole life 😍

— 🐞

[lanaroff]

Is it too late? Part 2

Paring: WandaNat x Daughter Reader

*****************************************************************

Y/N had miscalculated.

She thought she was getting better, stronger, smarter. She thought she had control. But as she lay on the cold pavement, blood pooling beneath her, she realized just how wrong she had been.

She had picked a fight with the wrong men. Armed, organized, ruthless. Not just common street thugs but something worse. A gang that knew how to fight back. And they had.

Pain throbbed through her body—her ribs felt shattered, her head was spinning, and she could feel the warm, sticky sensation of blood seeping from a wound on her side. She tried to move, but every attempt sent sharp agony through her limbs. She was barely conscious when she heard them talking.

"Is she dead?" one of the men muttered.

"Not yet," another one answered, cocking a gun. "But she will be."

Panic surged through her. She tried to lift her arm, to fight, to do something, but her body betrayed her. She was helpless.

And then—

A blur of red and blue. A web shot rang out, followed by a grunt of surprise. The gun clattered to the ground. Y/N barely registered the commotion as her vision swam in and out, but she knew someone else was there. Someone fast. Someone strong.

Spider-Man.

Peter took down the men in a matter of seconds, his heart pounding as he shot web after web, disarming and knocking them out. Once the last of them was on the ground, groaning in pain, he turned back to the beaten figure lying in the dim glow of the streetlights.

He approached cautiously, his breath catching when he noticed the masked vigilante barely moving. "Hey—hey, are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside them.

No response.

Carefully, he reached out and pulled back the mask.

His stomach dropped. "Oh my God—Y/N?!"

His best friend. His friend had been the one out here, fighting, getting herself beaten to a pulp. Panic set in as he gently lifted her, ignoring the blood staining his suit. "Shit, shit, shit," he whispered, trying to keep his hands steady. "You’re gonna be okay, I promise. Just—just hang in there."

He didn’t hesitate. He webbed up the unconscious criminals for the police and took off, cradling Y/N as he swung through the city.

The Avengers Compound, Medbay.

Bruce Banner had seen a lot of injuries in his time, but when Peter Parker burst into the compound with Y/N’s unconscious body in his arms, his stomach twisted.

"Help! I need help!" Peter shouted as he landed inside, his voice laced with fear. "It’s Y/N—she’s—she’s hurt bad!"

Bruce was already moving, calling for Dr. Cho. The medical team rushed forward, lifting Y/N onto a stretcher and wheeling her into surgery. Peter stood frozen, blood—her blood—coating his hands.

Then, Bruce turned to FRIDAY. "Call Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff. Now."

Back at home, Natasha and Wanda had just settled into bed when FRIDAY’s voice cut through the quiet.

"Mrs. Maximoff. Ms. Romanoff. There is an emergency at the Avengers Compound. You are needed immediately."

Wanda sat up instantly, panic flashing in her eyes. "What? What happened?"

"It’s Y/N."

Confusion struck both of them. "What do you mean?" Natasha asked, already throwing the blankets off. "She’s sleeping."

But something about it didn’t sit right. A horrible feeling churned in her stomach as she moved, faster than she ever had, bolting toward Y/N’s room. Wanda followed closely behind.

Natasha pushed the door open in a rush, eyes scanning the darkened room. The bed was empty.

The window was wide open.

"No," Natasha breathed, stepping closer. "No, no, no."

Her heart pounded as she turned to Wanda, whose face had gone pale. "She’s gone," Natasha said, voice shaking. "She snuck out."

Wanda covered her mouth with a trembling hand, horror settling deep in her chest. "Nat… where is she?"

Neither of them had time to answer because, in the next second, they were already running for the car.

The drive was a blur. Wanda clutched Natasha’s hand tightly, her other hand trembling against her lap. Her mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. "Nat, I—I can’t—"

"We need to be strong," Natasha said firmly, though her own voice wavered. She squeezed Wanda’s hand, anchoring her. "No matter what happens, we have to be strong. For Y/N. For each other."

Wanda nodded, but her breath came shallow, her chest tightening with every second that passed.

By the time they reached the compound, Peter was waiting for them, his face pale, his eyes red-rimmed. "Mrs. Maximoff, Ms. Romanoff—"

"Where is she?" Natasha demanded.

Peter swallowed hard. "Medbay. It was bad. I—I found her in an alley. She was fighting these guys, but there were too many. She was—she was bleeding, she was barely conscious—" His voice broke. "I didn’t know it was her until I took off the mask. I didn’t know."

Natasha’s hands clenched into fists. Wanda’s breath hitched, her hands covering her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

Bruce approached them, his expression grim. "She has several broken ribs, a gunshot wound to the side, severe bruising, and a concussion. She lost a lot of blood. The next few hours are critical."

Wanda couldn’t breathe. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. She turned and bolted down the hallway, desperate for air.

Natasha was after her in a second, grabbing her wife before she could collapse. "Hey, hey—look at me. She’s alive. She’s fighting. But she needs us to be strong."

Wanda gripped Natasha’s arms, her whole body trembling. "She was supposed to be safe, Nat. She was supposed to be home. How—how did we miss this?"

Natasha’s jaw tightened, her own guilt crashing over her. "We’ll figure it out. Right now, she needs us."

Twelve agonizing hours later, Dr. Cho stepped into the waiting room. Natasha and Wanda jumped to their feet, hearts pounding.

"She made it through surgery," Cho announced, offering them a small, tired smile. "But we had to put her in an induced coma to let her body heal. It’s going to be a long recovery."

The relief was instant but bittersweet. Wanda broke down in Natasha’s arms, sobbing, while Natasha held her tightly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"She’s alive," Natasha whispered. "She’s alive. That’s all that matters."

But even as she said it, her heart ached with the knowledge that when Y/N woke up, they would have a lot to talk about.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Okay but consider this...

Lillith did not, in fact, order Alastor to go to the hotel or protect Charlie (per say)

In fact, she might have slapped the exact opposite order on the deer, because she knew what a nightmare he could be.

It would be inifinitely more fun to have her reveal that when she drops in for a visit.

"So you sent Alastor here to protect me?"

"My dear, I told him explicitly not to fucking come here in order to protect you. But he's a wilful bastard and I should have known better." Lillith sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"So why did you come here?"

"Why, pure spite and a desire for entertainment my dear. Why not?"

"...if that's true, why didn't you ask for my soul in our deal? I... would hope my mother would trade it for your own."

"She may have, she may not have. She could just force me to release it to her too, you know that's in her power."

"That didn't answer my question..."

Lillith laughs, "Darling, I think you actually endeared yourself to the Overlord when you fought that horrid mantis woman on television. He genuinely enjoys that level of chaos... and the fact he remained against my many subtle attempts to have him leave, means perhaps the stubborn deer might actually like you."

"Preposterous, it's mere entertainment..."

"Like Rosie? Like Vox? Are they entertainment? You let her hug you and didn't even try to bite Charlie once. Oh don't get steamed, deer, I'm just yanking your tail... it's not a bad thing to care for someone. And my-... Our darling daughter..." here she winked, having scryed the initial song battle between Alastor and Lucifer, grinning widely. The two were so similar when it came to theatricality, and yet, so different in terms of everything else. "here is just the sort of creature that no one but the bleakest of fools could fail to care for."

"...how dare you imply I have any emotions, you wretched diva." The tone was mock offence and joviality, and only Lillith's echoing laughter stopped Lucifer from defending her majesty's honour.

"Oh, you do, and I'm sure you're quite fawn'd of Charlotte, you antagonistic anachronistic ancient artifact." She bounces back, airily.

"Ho, I know one should never ask a lady her age, but I don't think there's a number high enough for you to provide in answer."

"I missed these little banter sessions, Bambi, it got quite boring without someone mocking my every waking moment."

"And your husband is a poor substitute for your cruel wit, Siren, and yet... we made do with what we had. Now, how are you here? I thought Adam's little nonsense kept you pinned in place?"

"I believe Niffty took the pest out on my behalf and snapped the threads binding me there. Do get her something pretty from Rosie's and put it on my account, I know the demonic doll will adore anything from her boutique."

"Hello, can I get a word in edgewise?" Lucifer has this too-cheerful grin on his face, waving his hand like an eager student aiming for the attention of the teacher. "Hi, your husband, hello. Quick question, what the fuck are you talking about? How do you know the bellhop? How is Adam involved in any of this? And again, what the FUCK is going on here?"

"Oh... did I not say, my love?" Lillith coos, a trembling note that she knew angels used between one another to help settle ffrazzled nerves. It was always a delightful amusement to see Lucifer's ruffled feathers settle. Intriguingly, the little ex-orcist does to, and then looks confused about it. "Why, I was trapped in Heaven with my boorish first fool of a 'husband', to prevent more 'rebellion nonsense'. I had to make a rather clever deal to help Alastor get back to Hell, and I technically own his soul... but we've been friends for decades, dear. You've met twice..."

Ah, that might be why Alucard was so pissed to be dismissed, Lucifer realises. Wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten a face.

"Charlie was abooooout ten at the time, in terms of age, my dove..." Lillith prompts. "The television sinner was there too? Do you recall that?"

"...no. But a lot of those decades were a foggy mess." Lucifer admits, trying to work out how he forgot a guy with a tv for a head. Wait, he remembered the guy with a tv for a head. "Did the television have a yellow sweater on and I kept subtly asking how the fuck he managed to get it on given the neckhole didn't seem that stretchy?"

Audience applause played from the air. "That's the one. The secret was, of course, velcro down the back. He'll say he used his powers to put it on, but he didn't have that ability back then." Alastor explains. "I do believe it was a vaguely productive meeting, even if you were only physically present, your Lowness. Why, I recall we'd taught deer Charlotte at least four new swear words by the time we left..."

Charlie, whose eyes were wide as she Recalled Something, felt her mouth fall open. "Oooooh, so you're the ones who taught me to say [very long and complicated series of words that seem to be sending Lucifer into a state of rage as yet unattainable to sinners with every syllable]... right? I said that to dad when he told me it was bathtime and I didn't want to, and he had to go set something on fire before he came back to talk about 'good words and bad words'."

Vaggie looked horrified, and snapped a glare at the radio demon.

Alastor's grin was WIDER than it should be possible to get. "Are you telling me, my dear Charlotte, was that his Majesty's tantrum was the reason that half of pentagram city was burned to the ground shortly after we left that day? Oho, that's just... delicious."

"Well I shouldn't have said it..." Charlie agonised, "I'm sorry Dad. I mean, it was a while ago,but..."

"Oh, you're not to blame Char-Char... this fucker is." Lucifer launches for Alastor, whose tendrils are manifesting... and then a startled bleat escapes as Lillith yanks him practically into her lap by the collar.

"Hold, Luci, there was no harm done in the long run. And you know I found it hilarious, in the aftermath." Lillith waves it off. She turns to the Overlord trying to right himself. "And you, you terrible influence, I do hope you haven't taught our darling anything worse while I was away?"

Charlie, caught back on the bleat sound, is watching on with stars in her eyes. She blinks. "What? No, he hasn't... well, unless you count [a strange warbling static came out of her mouth as her lips moved in what seemed like words]?"

Alastor's ears went flat in shock. "I promise you I didn't teach her that... I had no idea she could even hear that frequency, nuch less verbalise it!"

"I heard you tell Vox he should-..."

"DO NOT REPEAT THAT!" Alastor just about begged as static spilled about the room. "Do you WANT your parents to reduce me to atoms?"

Charlie blinked. "No? It was a pretty creative threat, but it wasn't that bad..."

Lucifer was pulling at a mental thread from the conversation. "Hold on, can we back up to the part where the deer was in Heaven...? How did that happen?"

Angry static filled the room until it was oppressive. Vaggie clutched at Charlie's arm whilst also putting herself between Charlie and the Overlord.

"Enough of that..." Lillith murmured and tugged at an antler. She received an indignant noise that Alastor wouldn't ever admit to with a gun to his head. "They were going to find out eventually you overdramatic cervine... might as well out with it."

The ears pinned flat. "No."

"Fine, I will... this canibalistic mass-murdering psychopath somehow got accidentally redeemed whilst fending off angels during an extermination. I strongly suspect it was because, even though they had just been fighting to the death, he still put himself in the way of those who would have killed Vox..."

Charlie was flickering between shock, anger, confusion and something that looked like it wanted to be weepy and affectionate. Hopefully she didn't settle for the latter because Lillith and Lucifer would have to pin the deer in place to avoid Alastor throwing himself out a window to avoid the whole mess.

"You... you knew it was possible... and you didn't TELL ME?!" Charlie yelled, settling on Anger.

Alastor grins, "Well, you never directly asked, did you?"

Charlie steamed, then pivoted in the old Charlie Fashion (TM) to joyful. "It's possible?!"

Lillith also adds, "From what I have heard around Heaven, it may not have been the first time... they just keep it quiet. And... well, if someone gets up there who starts doing things like, say, eating Cherubs because they were furious they were trapped there... they usually just killed them off. Unless, of course, they had the Queen of Hell there who could convince them to try another way."

"You ate CHERUBS?! They're like CHILDREN?" Lucifer is aghast.

"They are infuriatingly too-positive little nightmares with no common sense or ability to accept anyone else's viewpoint. Yes. they were delicious."

"...well, okay they're a bit of an experience but eating them?!"

"Most of them are centuries older than myself, they had enough time to learn to back off. I warned them, they persisted, I got to try angelic veal..."

Vaggie looked like she wanted to throw up. "Don't. ever. say that phrase again."

"What, angelic ve-...?"

"You stop taunting my future daughter in law or I order you to let them pet your tail." Lillith warns. It's an empty threat, she was a major proponent of bodily autonomy (anyone who'd been trapped with Adam would be) but Alastor didn't need to know that.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would. Now, shall I continue? Lovely. We made a deal, with Adam cosigning because I was under his contract, to allow Alastor to return to Hell as a Sinner... with a few rules that the oaf created. Particularly the one around not raising an army against Heaven, and some poorly worded nonsense about not sharing the secrets of angelic steel and implying he should not be 'fucked with' which we took to assume meant no fighting the fool. Because he certainly made passes at both of us."

Lillith's mouth turned down in distaste. Alastor looked like HE was going to be sick.

Lucifer's expression flickered demonic. "If he wasn't dead, I'd kill him again..." After everything Lillith went through in the Garden, to be trapped with a man who could never learn from his mistakes, was blind to making them. Revolting.

"Didn't want to take the Dickmaster for a spin, Bambi?" he snipes, distracting himself with the casual patter of argumentation with the overlord.

"Why, your majesty, I was busy with your wife... although comparatively, I do have good time management skills, I suppose I COULD have managed if I tried..."

"You did WHAT?!"

Lillith was trying so hard to keep a straight face as she threw a pseudo seductive expression at Alastor. "Oh darling, he's not ready to know about that..." she purrs. She sees her husband attain an almost orange colouring. "We're joking, dear... I promise."

"Dad? Try counting to te-... fifty-seven." Charlie intervenes.

"One, two-... wait, why 57?" he says, colour settling again.

"Because the number was so unusual you'd get curious about it and drop out of your funk to ask."

"...you really are so clever, Char-Char, we really made something amazing when we created you."

"Daaaaaaaaaaad, please... not in front of Vaggie." she flushes.

"Unclench, your Lowness, your wife is aesthetically pleasing but we are but friends." Alastor shrugged.

"Because you liked Vox, right?" Lucifer was awarding himself a mental medal because he REMEMBERED bits of the conversation. Wasn't that sad?

Alastor snarled. "Hardly." Oooh, that seemed like a sore spot. Time to press.

"Didn't like you back, huh? Fair. I can't fucking stand you, and-..."

"Lucifer, leave it." Lillith said. It wasn't harsh or sharp, but it conveyed that she knew something about why the Overlord's expression had fallen behind that smile, even as he forced whatever emotion that meant back into a box and reasserted the mask. "It's complicated, and now is not the time for that conversation. Suffice to say, no one slept with Adam outside of his exorcists, but I did manage to get Alastor back to Hell as swiftly as I could in order to have him covertly assisting Charlie."

"How? If you wouldn't let him at the hotel, then how does that help?"

"Destabilise the Overlords, be more lenient about the souls on his chains trying out the hotel, spread information about the place in a covert manner that wouldn't get a target on you, so many underhanded things my dear. Though, I am glad he disobeyed... I hadn't realised how little you understood of management and staffing."

"Heh, yeah... it was the best we had."

"Charlotte, you could have ordered palace staff to come and help at the hotel, you were always too kind."

"Oh, I dismissed them when you left with Charlie..." Lucifer adds, sheepishly.

"It seems there is a lot I need to do in the interim, then." Lillith sighed. "Alastor, would you be open to helping me manage these tasks, even without the deal in place?"

"...I kept the last hotel together with magical duct tape and elbow grease, it's a matter of pride now to continue in the role." Alastor shrugs, as if unconcerned. The collar shatters with a snap of elegant pale fingers. "Thank you... now, what was it you needed seen to? I will need to schedule in a few hours to go and tear the Vees limb from limb, but outside of that, my calendar's quite open."

"Wait, we need to discuss everything we just learned! I have questions!"

"Later, Charlotte. Now is the time for action..." Alastor replies, radio dial eyes flaring, already planning on how he would prepare the Vees for dinner.

"How dare you talk to our daughter that way, Alastor, deer?" Lillith teases, tugging at his ear and laughing as he snaps his teeth at her fingers. "Oh, don't fight in front of Charlotte, she'll end up with a complex or something..."

"On top of her glaring daddy issues you mean?"

Alastor doesn't like the way Lucifer's expression goes from furious to cold, cruel delight in a heartbeat. "Well, it's on you to fix now as well, bellhop... seeing as you claimed her too. So, how about some..." the world seemed o slow down like a horror movie, "Family... therapy...?"

"...If you'll excuse me, I'm going to beg Vox to kill me."

Charlie leaps for him, "No, he's kidding!"

"So am I, Charlotte... do take a breath. Your parents are apparently comedians this afternoon, and I think we'd all best steer clear of them until whatever madness has swept over them, passes. Now, would you like to come and watch me dismember an overlord? You and Vagathat could even tag-team Velvette if you wished..."

Vaggie looks like she might pass out.

His ears flatten. "Ah, I believe I hit another slang term and I'm not going to like what it really means... am I?"

Lucifer curls half his wings around the Overlord, as one might companionably sling an arm over their shoulder if they were at comparable heights. Clearly having decided that he can torment the other better if he REALLY leans into this madness between them all.

He steers the deer towards the corridor as Lillith follows behind, unwilling to miss the fuss.

"Well, you're gonna love this, Al... husbando nuero uno, honey, deerly beloved, blood moon of our life..." Laying it on thick, but Al looked ready to claw his own ears off with each passing endearment. "...but tag-teaming used to mean fighting in tandem, and now it means-..."

The door clicks shut, but seconds later every radio in the c=vinciity blasts an air raid siren and something that sounds mysteriously like a clown falling down the stairs.

Charlie counts to ten, breathing hard.

"What the fuck is my life...?" she whispers.

Vaggie consoles her as best she can, tossing up if Charlie outweighed the insanity of her family enough to propose. She blanches, momentarily, imagining having to ask Lucifer and Lillith and Alastor's permission, before catching herself.

Sure just the first two, right?

Right?

But then she recalled the look in the royal couple's eye, and their infamous penchant for committing to the bit... and resigned herself to like, dragging a sinner home and offering it to the deer for his blessing. Or something insane like that.

"No matter what, I love you, Charlie..." she murmurs externally. "Let's go take a walk in the garden to calm down, okay?"

"...yeah, I could use fresh air after all this."

There'd be so much to talk about later, so much to ask... but for now?

Charlie needed cuddles and connection.

And, based on the sounds downstairs, someone needed a first aid kit or a priest... so they'd be taken the back staircase to avoid all that. The smoke alarms began to blare.

Vaggie tugged Charlie away from the choas just a little faster.

----------

no idea where this was going, it spiralled on me

it could be funny tho

[shadow211e]

Justin at been watching her from the shadows as she waited for him to arrive. She was so nervous, but already noticing how guys were starting to glance at her as they walked by. Justin had given her the earrings to wear for their date. He was smirking at how her body looked now. The earrings had given her a hot slutty body, the dress she picked out was showing off her tits and thighs, she clearly didn't even really realize what she was picking for herself. The simple girl was so boring before but now she was going to be his. "Izzy, so glad you decided to come." "Thanks, look you promised one date and you'd stop harassing my boyfriend." "Of course." "You look stunning." "Thanks," she said not knowing with the magic earring he gave her changed into a hot slutty one. The attention from guys was getting her horny.

He walked to her and she stood up, he leaned in to hug her and then went to plant a kiss on her cheek, she turned her head and he felt her lips push against his. She blushed as she pulled back. "Oh god I'm sorry," he said. She giggled "no that was my fault. I thought you were going to kiss me and I moved, and I guess that caused the kiss." "Well it was really nice." "Thanks," she blushed.

The date was going nicely, Justin was admiring how much Izzy was changing right in front of him.

Justin was driving her home, when he passed his house, he pointed it out "anytime you wanna come over and hang out, that's my place." She looked "why not now, we don't have to rush me home right?" "Of course not," he smirked knowing she was becoming his. He pulled into the driveway and led her into the house. It wasn't too much longer for the two of them to end up in his room. Her hands were all over his. He looked at her "what about your boyfriend?" "Why is he here? Are you going to tell him?" "Never." "So stop worrying," she said as she pulled off her top, exposing her round tits. They started going at it, ending up fucking until like 3 or 4 in the morning. She put on a simple black top and some of his sweats as he dropped her off at her house. She kissed him deeply, "can't wait for the next time." "Oh?" "If you don't wanna that's fine." "Nah babe, but how about you stick with the loser, I love fucking a cheating slut like you." "God that's fucking hot, I didn't even think about that, I was gonna end it, but your idea is fire." "See you soon babe."

No one at school really noticed the change in Izzy, the magic of the earrings helped with that. They all always talked about how she was so hot and kind of slutty but always was seen "dating" one of the nerdiest guys in school. She would make a show about loving him so much but a few people wondered. Only a very small select group of friends, girls she never talked to before she was changed but now who she thought were her closest bitches, knew the secret relationship she was having with Justin. None told anyone out of fear. Izzy was known from being a bit of a ruthless bitch. Hot and ruthless and feared at school. She sat passenger princess in her boyfriend's car, looking out at Justin getting into his truck. She smirked and her boyfriend asked what was up. She looked at him "Look at that asshole trying to compensate with that lifted truck." "Yeah well, he hasn't been tormenting me for the last few months so I could care less what he has been up to." "That's good," she said as all she could think about was the text she had sent to Justin and how tonight she would be bouncing on his cock in the bed of the truck. The plans were she would excuse herself to the bathroom at her anniversary date with her boyfriend and go fuck him in the parking lot, and come back to the date saying her stomach was bothering her to be brought home by her boyfriend let Justin's cum leak all over his car seat by time she got home. Justin would show up later to fuck her the rest of the night after ruining the nice dinner plans her loser boyfriend had. The thought excited her a lot.

[arcadia-smith]

Part 1 ; Part 2 ; Part 3.

TW: Brief mention of sexual assault, injuries and torture.

Simon Riley x Reader.

The interpreter's Prayer

Part 4

***

The crackling bonfire cast flickering shadows across the clearing as you approached, its warmth pulling you in like a gentle embrace. Simon's voice, low and unmistakable, drifted through the air as you took your place beside him, the scent of smoke and pine mingling with the cool night breeze.

"No, we're not talking about that," he said, his tone firm.

A playful smile teased the corners of your lips as you settled into the circle of friends. "Not talking about what?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.

Johnny, always quick to jump into the fray, grinned as his fingers absently twirled strands of Jessica’s hair. "First times," he said with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"First times as in…" you paused, letting the words hang in the air before breaking into laughter. "When I first shot someone or when I first had sex?"

The group chuckled, the sound mingling with the crackle of the fire. These were the nights you cherished—nights where the weight of duty and danger melted away, leaving only camaraderie and shared laughter. It was rare, this peace, but all the more precious because of it. Though the job often demanded sacrifices, it had also given you this strange, wonderful family.

Jessica tilted her head, her eyes glinting with curiosity as she looked at you. "Wait, have you ever actually shot someone? I thought your job didn’t involve carrying a gun."

You shrugged, reaching over to snag Simon's beer, your fingers brushing his for the briefest moment. "Just training dummies," you admitted with a grin. "And Simon, once. By accident. During training."

The memory bubbled up, and you couldn’t help but laugh, the sound light and carefree. Simon’s gaze flicked to you then, his expression unreadable, though the firelight danced in his eyes as if it had been caught there by fate.

Before anyone could comment, Johnny leaned forward, his grin widening. "And what about first times in the bedroom?"

Simon shot him a withering glare, and if he’d had something in hand, you were sure it would’ve been thrown in Johnny’s direction.

You rolled your eyes, bringing the beer bottle to your lips. "My first time is way too embarrassing to talk about," you said, your voice tinged with mock horror. But as you glanced at Simon from the corner of your eye, your lips curved into a teasing smirk. "Though I think he was more scared than I was."

The group erupted into laughter, the sound ringing out into the night, mingling with the fire’s crackle and the rustling of trees in the wind.

You smiled to yourself, the warmth of the moment sinking deep into your bones.

"And for the record," you hummed "he's been my only one. And I intend to keep it that way." You smirked at Simon, handing back the bottle and resting your chin on his shoulder.

He was the first and only one to touch you like you were something sacred.

And every time you thought about it, you swore to yourself—and to whatever power might be listening— as long as you lived, that he’d be your first, your last, your only one.

Johnny raised his eyebrow "And what if you guys divorce?" He questioned, then quickly added "You'd be living in some kind of celibacy or what?"

"He's not gonna divorce me," you stated seriously "He'd end up dead faster than he could even spell the word 'divorce'."

The fire crackled, but the tension that followed your words crackled even louder. Johnny let out a low whistle, shaking his head with an amused chuckle.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he mused, sipping from his own bottle.

Jessica laughed, nudging Simon. "Well? You gonna say something, or are you just gonna let her claim ownership like that?"

Simon exhaled sharply through his nose, his lips quirking just slightly at the corners. He shifted just enough to bump his shoulder against yours, his voice as dry as ever. "Not much point arguing when she's right."

That sent another ripple of laughter through the group, though Johnny still looked intrigued, his mischievous streak refusing to let the topic go. "Okay, but for real," he said, leaning forward. "You’re saying if—hypothetically—things went south, you’d just swear off everyone else? Forever?"

You tilted your head, considering it for half a second before shrugging. "Yeah. Probably."

Jessica made a sympathetic sound. "That’s kind of… romantic. In a really intense way."

You smiled, glancing at Simon again. His fingers tapped absently against his knee, a quiet, thoughtful rhythm. It was rare for him to engage in these kinds of conversations, but you could tell he was listening—really listening.

Johnny, however, wasn’t done. "Man, that’s crazy. No offense, Simon, but what if you—"

"Don't," Simon cut in flatly.

That one word shut Johnny up fast. The easygoing smirk dropped from his face, and for a beat, silence settled over the group, thick and heavy.

Simon didn’t look at anyone in particular, but his posture had shifted—less relaxed, more certain. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his voice quiet but firm. "There’s no ‘what if.’"

It wasn’t a grand declaration. It wasn’t a poetic promise. But it was final. Certain.

Jessica exhaled, breaking the tension with a small smile. "Well, damn," she murmured. "That’s gotta be the most Simon way to say ‘I love you’ I’ve ever heard."

The fire crackled. Someone chuckled. Johnny shook his head with a grin, finally relenting.

***

When you finally pried your eyes open, the sterile glow of hospital monitors greeted you, casting eerie shadows along the walls. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled your lungs—so different from the cold, unforgiving concrete where you'd last been. Instead of icy ground beneath you, there was the unfamiliar embrace of a soft mattress, the weight of blankets cocooning you. Someone had even dressed you—not in your own clothes, but a thin hospital gown. Still, it was something.

A dull ache radiated through your limbs as you shifted, every muscle screaming in protest. The simple act of lifting your head sent a wave of pain rolling through you, pulling a sharp groan from your lips. The sound stirred the figure slumped beside your bed. You hadn’t even noticed him until now.

Simon.

His head snapped up at the noise, sleep still clinging to the edges of his tired eyes. “Love,” he murmured, voice rough and low, as if afraid speaking too loudly would shatter you. He reached out, fingers desperate to find yours—but before you could think, before you could even understand why, you recoiled.

His hand stilled midair.

The flicker of hurt in his gaze was brief, but you saw it—felt it. If he had been wearing his mask, it would have spared him the shame of letting you see. But here he was, exposed, and you had pulled away like he was something to fear.

The silence stretched between you, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. Then, without another word, Simon rose to his feet. “I’ll get the doctor,” he said, voice measured, carefully controlled. “Let her know you’re awake.”

You watched his broad frame disappear through the doorway, a hollowness settling in your chest.

What was wrong with you?

Simon was your husband—your anchor, the one person you trusted beyond all doubt. And yet… you’d flinched. Like he was a stranger. Like he was—

Your stomach twisted.

Your hands trembled as you pulled the blanket tighter around yourself, as if its warmth could replace the one you had just turned away. You squeezed your eyes shut, pressing the heels of your palms against them, trying to force away the chaos swirling inside your mind.

Minutes later, Simon stepped back into the room, the steady rhythm of his footsteps shadowed by the softer ones of Dr. Brooks.

She offered you a gentle, almost apologetic smile. "Good to see you awake, Miss Riley." Her words floated in the air like fragile glass, her presence measured as she moved to the bedside. She checked the monitors first, but when her gaze finally met yours, there was something else there—something deeper.

"We've given you some pain medication, but it may be wearing off soon. If you need anything, just ask." Her voice was careful, too careful, wrapped in a kind of tenderness that felt suffocating. There was pity in her tone, an unspoken understanding that made your skin crawl. She was speaking to you like you were made of porcelain, like the wrong word might shatter you into pieces.

"You should stay in bed for a few weeks—let your body rest, heal. You have a few broken ribs, and there was some internal bleeding, but we managed to control it quickly. And as for—"

She hesitated, but you already knew what was coming. And you couldn’t bear for Simon to hear it.

"Simon... could you leave us?" The words left you hollow, your voice distant, barely your own. You didn't even look at him.

You knew what Dr. Brooks was about to say. And you knew that, deep down, Simon had already pieced it together the moment he saw you. But somehow, it felt like if he didn’t hear the words out loud, it might hurt just a little less.

For a moment, silence filled the room, thick and heavy, pressing against your ribs more than the bandages ever could. You could feel Simon’s hesitation, the weight of his presence lingering like an unfinished sentence.

“Love…” His voice was quiet, cautious, but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his gaze.

“Please.” The single word escaped you in a whisper, barely holding together.

A beat passed. Then another. Finally, with a sigh that carried more than just air, Simon turned and walked out. The soft click of the door closing behind him felt like the final note in a song you never wanted to hear.

Dr. Brooks exhaled, her professional mask faltering for just a second before she continued.

“As for the other injuries…” she hesitated, choosing her words with precision, like she was afraid of how they would land. “There was damage. Some bruising, some tearing… We treated what we could, but the healing will take time.”

Time. That word felt hollow, meaningless. Time wouldn’t undo what had been done. It wouldn’t erase the weight pressing down on your chest or the way your skin felt foreign, tainted.

"You need to talk to someone. You can’t go through this alone." Her words continued, but they became muffled, distant, as if the space between you and her was stretching further by the second. "Your husband hasn’t left your side since the moment you were brought in..."

But the moment she spoke, your mind drifted elsewhere, retreating into a place too dark to name. Her voice faded into the background, replaced by the pounding of your own heart, the rush of thoughts you couldn’t control.

You wanted to believe that the damage done to you was only skin deep, that it could be patched up, hidden, forgotten. But the truth sat in your chest, heavy and suffocating. It clawed at you, impossible to ignore.

What did you even feel anymore? Anger? Hurt? A mixture of everything, swirling and crashing together in a storm you couldn’t escape?

Disgust.

The word came unbidden, rising in your throat like bile. Disgust at what had been done to you, but more than that—disgust at yourself.

Your hands trembled as you pressed the heels of your palms against your eyes, desperate to stop the flood of tears that had started to spill over, uninvited and relentless. You couldn't stop them. They rolled down your cheeks, burning in their rawness. But it wasn’t just the pain of your body—it was the pain of something deeper, something you couldn't look at yet.

You wanted to scream, to tear away from it all, but you couldn't move. So you stayed frozen, letting the tears fall, hating the weakness, hating the feeling of being so... broken.

The days blurred together, each one spent curled up in the sterile confines of your hospital bed, barely moving, barely breathing. Shadows stretched long across the walls as time crawled by, indifferent to your suffering.

Simon rarely left your side. He sat in the heavy silence, shoulders weighed down by words he couldn’t say. He brought flowers—delicate things that wilted too quickly—and crayon drawings from Mia, vibrant splashes of color against the stark white of the room. He spoke softly, telling you how she was, how much she missed you, but his voice always carried something else. Something he tried to hide.

Your mother visited when Simon had to return home to your daughter, filling the room with quiet reassurances that never quite reached you. Even Johnny and Jessica came by, their presence another reminder of the life waiting beyond these walls.

You were never alone, and part of you clung to their presence, to the warmth of their concern. But another part—a darker, more restless part—wanted nothing more than to be left alone. To not endure the careful whispers and the sidelong glances filled with pity. To not feel like something fragile, something broken.

Then, after weeks trapped in that limbo, the hospital doors finally released you.

Crossing the threshold of your home, you steadied yourself, the air thick with a silence that shouldn’t have been there. You almost heard the echo of Mia’s small feet pattering against the hardwood, her excited squeals as she ran into your arms. But the house remained still.

Your legs felt unsteady as you made your way to the living room, sinking into the couch, exhaustion pulling at you like an anchor. Simon lingered nearby, his gaze settling on you, unreadable.

"Where’s Mia?" Your voice barely rose above a whisper.

Simon hesitated before answering, choosing his words carefully. "She went to London with your mum." He moved toward you, slow and deliberate, stopping at the armchair instead of beside you. There was distance between you now. A space that hadn’t always been there. "Figured you wouldn’t want her to see you like this."

A sharp silence fell between you.

You swallowed hard, his words settling deep, somewhere raw and exposed. Of course, you had seen yourself in the mirror. The bruises, the swollen reminders of what had been done to you. The stranger staring back from the glass.

"See me like what?" The words came out sharper than you intended. Before he could respond, the dam broke. "I feel it, Simon. The way you look at me—like I’m something ruined. That pity in your eyes—"

"No, stop." His voice was urgent, pleading. "That’s not it at all, Love, please." He reached for you, fingers hovering, hesitant.

His face flickered with something—pain, frustration, something deeper. But it wasn’t enough to stop the words from tumbling from your lips, raw and unfiltered.

"And I see the disgust when you look at me." The bitterness in your voice cut through the air, sharp and unforgiving. "And you won’t even touch me!" The dam broke, and the tears came hot and fast, spilling down your cheeks. The pain tore through your chest, twisting, burning—you couldn’t even tell if it was the ache of your bruised ribs or the weight of something deeper, something raw and unseen.

Simon flinched. Then, suddenly, the restraint in his voice snapped. "I don’t touch you because you won’t let me!" The words came fast, almost a plea, not laced with anger but something worse—hurt. A deep, aching wound in his voice, in his eyes, in the way his fingers curled into fists against his thighs. You had never seen him like this before.

Silence. Heavy. Unbearable.

And in that silence, the distance between you grew wider.

[mcu-fan-fics-blog]

Routine V

Mini Series

Wanda Maximoff x fem wife!reader

Summary: Routines can get tiring quickly, especially when you’re the only one working towards keeping them.

A/n: We meet again friends. I am very happy to be updating this fic once more. Also happy to inform that I have found a direction in which to take it!!! I hope you enjoy reading it.

Word count: 1400 approx

She was at a crossroads, there was nothing that she could do to stop you from leaving. She hadn’t stopped pacing the room since you left. That's when she saw it… Her saving grace. Maybe if she did this one thing she could at least open the door if not maybe just unlock it, something. At this point that was definitely better than nothing. Your passport and what looked like important papers were left sitting on the kitchen counter. You had left in a furious haze, something was meant to be left behind. You just didn’t think it would be your passport and work visa. That was the one thing that you thought you had in lock, the one thing that you couldn't forget… And you forgot it. Truthfully you knew that something was missing the moment that you stepped into the car with Kate, but you chalked it up to the stress that Wanda had caused.   

There was a time that anything that remotely felt like a fight was a no go. You never wanted to fight with Wanda, nothing about arguing with her seemed pleasant. In the beginning it was obvious she was scared and all of it was new. You danced around obvious issues the two of you had. One issue was a rather big one being Vision. It was strange their connection. It was something you knew would have easily gone the other way had you not been in the picture. They understood each other; you felt like the odd man out in your own relationship with her. It wasn’t until you exploded one day that the issue was addressed. Thinking back Wanda should have seen this coming. It almost ended the relationship before it really even began. She was tempted to call you, she really was. But she’d just crossed a very big boundary. Instead she texted Kate.

Her text was read almost immediately the text bubble kept appearing but nothing was sent. Wanda instead sent another message. ‘I’ll meet you at the gate, lose Y/n for a minute and I’ll give you her passport.’ She only received a thumbs up and she was on her way. It was high time Wanda started taking action. She wasn’t going to fail you now. 

You were lying. You had no idea where you got the confidence from but it was a complete lie. You loved her so much it hurt. She didn’t read your mind that time and it hurt that she believed you. Tears welled in your eyes, this day wasn’t supposed to go like this. You were supposed to leave peacefully, and now you had no idea what you were doing. She shook you. Wanda came into your life and turned it upside down and now she’s done it again. It was rough. Kate had been fidgety for the past twenty minutes. “Are you okay?” You managed to get the words out. She stilled wide eyed. “Uhm shouldn’t I be asking you that?” You hummed. “Probably… I’m just tired of the same thing over and over again.” You sighed. “There are so many things that I wanted to say. But she was right in front of me and the words disappeared.” Kate nodded, her eyes still fixed on the road. 

“Do you think… that uhm you’ll get back together?” She asked the obvious question. It only made your shoulders deflate more. Not because she asked, “It’s not up to me.” but because of how pitiful the answer was. And it was entirely up to her. You hadn't even been able to bring yourself to draft the papers. The fear that she’d actually sign them still managed to keep you up at night. What if she did, what then? “My heart… it aches constantly. Like something was ripped from me.” Kate cleared her throat. “You’re leaving Y/n… You're going abroad for god knows how long.” You nodded. “How else can I show her what she’s doing to me? Years Kate I’ve put up with it for years.” Kate nodded. “I did not suffer in silence, I let her know at every turn how she was compromising us.” Your words were laced with anger and conviction. And so quickly the sadness gave way to raw anger.  

Wanda felt she should have thought this entire situation out more. Here she was in her car on her way to the airport, filled with hundreds if not thousands of people. And the most daunting part being that you’re unaware. Her mind was already starting to hold her hostage. She made the treck mostly on autopilot. Then there was the whole getting through security, nothing her powers couldn’t handle. Only she somehow couldn’t. She had not felt this lack of control since ultron, she was tripping where she had learned repeatedly not to. It was overwhelming navigating through the masses of people trying to get to their flights, homes, families. Everyone's thoughts traversed constantly. Eventually and not without struggle she had found Kate, near a coffee shop.

“Finally! I thought you’d make this hard for me.” Kate’s words washed right through her. The only thing she could hear now was an angry ring, mocking her. She shook her head softly trying to dissipate the sound. Then she stilled, she could sense it. Her powers out of pure reflex sought you out. And another pang of sadness ran through her. She’d never been able to sense your anger. A slap in the face a testament as to how unwelcome she truly was. A tug at her arm brought her back. She was clutching your passport in her hand. The folder already in Kate’s possession. Kate sighed. “Are you okay?” She relented and finally asked the question. That seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. She let go of the Passaport like it burned her. Kate noticed her distress and asked again. “My powers… are acting up, I'll be fine.” Kate nodded, not fully convinced. 

Kate had decided she’d throw Wanda a life line. She did not think someone could make a change so drastically in a matter of hours. This Wanda that was standing in front of her was not the same one she witnessed yell indignantly at you. This Wanda looked defeated, vulnerable. “She’s still waiting for you…” Kate said. Taking the woman in, and for a moment she wasn’t sure Wanda had heard her. Then tears started rolling down her face. “I don’t think she is…” the words came out tersely and clipped. “She's angry, she has every right to be. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s waiting… so give her time.” Kate sighed, taking a step back. “Fight for her…” She turned on her heel and walked away. Wanda seconds later managed to do the same. Her resolve slowly cemented.

Kate made her way back just as you started looking for her. She looks slightly flushed. Two coffees in hand, a folder tucked in between her arm and torso. Your eyes widened at the sight. “I didn’t even realize I was missing that!” You exclaimed. Taking a cup out of her hand, and the folder at the same time. “Kate, you're a lifesaver.” She nodded, taking a long sip of her drink. Then silence followed, you could have sworn you felt something. It made your heart race. You remembered the familiar feeling. A slight fuzz just out of reach in your mind. You couldn’t help but look around. Could it be, or was it just her lingering in your mind. Then once again Kate brought you back into the present. “Here your boarding group is about to be called.” Kate pulled you up from your seat making toward the line now forming.

Right as your ticket was scanned. She pulled you to the side slightly. “Promise you’re coming back.” You managed a small smile. “I will, I don’t think your mother will keep me away forever.” You joked. Keeping an eye on the people boarding. Kate nodded trying to reassure herself. “You forgot your passport… she brought them here. That's why I was gone for a minute.” Your heart started racing. “I didn’t want to keep it from you.” Then before you could even respond an airline worker was ushering through into the boarding tunnel. The last thing Kate managed to say was for you to call her when you landed. 

A/n: Please leave a like if you liked it!!! Late because I completely forgot to schedule. :(

Tag list: @fxckmiup @username23345 @xxxtwilightaxelxxx​ 

[ode-to-fury]

Playing Games

Pairing: Rook/Lucanis

Summary: What if there was some sort of mask festival in Antiva the night before the Rookanis wedding like they have in Venice in the Count of Monte Cristo? What if Teia insisted Rook had a bachelorette party? What if I was thinking about that scene from mamma mia? What if Lucanis was slightly drunk and Rook was a dramatic little bitch and I wrote a stupid little drabble about it?

Rook leaned against the wall, watching as people danced through the marketplace, laughing and clapping along. She was tired, but this was nice, not being the centre of attention for once, being able to sit back and observe, and just be.

Even though she wished Lucanis was here. She hoped he was having fun, wherever Illario, Viago, and Davrin had taken him.

“What is such a beautiful woman doing standing by the wall while there is dancing in the streets?”

The voice by her ear when she thought she’d been alone startled her so badly she reached for her knife. She turned toward the stranger, intending to at least break the nose of whoever it was for scaring her, when she saw the man was wearing a crow mask that covered only half his face. The bottom half was bearded and his mouth was grinning mischievously, while dark brown eyes twinkled at her from beneath the mask.

A crow mask? She thought, smirking at him. Really?

Not that she would’ve expected him to be especially inventive when it came to masks, but still.

Her own was in the shape of a lion, but also left the bottom half of her face bare. Both of them wore ridiculous matching costumes, and she assumed Illario had picked his just as Teia had picked hers.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. Teia had made them both swear they would not spend tonight together, but apparently he had had other ideas and Illario did not care as much as Teia about tradition. Or he was too drunk to care, judging by the wine she could smell on her assailant’s breath. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Well, if he wanted to play games, she could indulge him.

“I could ask you the same thing, signore,” she said lowly, and his grin widened.

“I was looking for a partner that would match me,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand.

“Oh?” 

He brought her hand up and kissed the knuckles delicately. Absurdly, when her eyes met his again, she blushed.

“I think I may have found her,” he said, “But she still has not told me why she is alone.”

“I am getting married in the morning,” she said, and couldn’t help her giddy smile at the proclamation. “My friends and I are celebrating.”

“Ah!” He said, covering the hand he held with his other one. “A last night of freedom for you both, yes?” 

His accent always got worse when he’d had something to drink. And he was acting like a boy. It was driving her wild.

“That is one way to think of it, signore,” she said lowly. He grinned boyishly, leaning forward to kiss her, but she pulled back. She wasn’t done with her game yet.

“Signore!” She said in a scandalized tone, pulling her hand from his and touching it to her chest. She turned away from him dramatically. “I am afraid I cannot possibly kiss you!”

She whipped back toward him, affecting an aura of deep worry.

“My betrothed, you see, is a Talon of the Crows!” she took his gloved hands in her own, took a step toward him, thoroughly enjoying her performance. She knew he was too. There’d been a chapter just like this in one of the books he liked.

“He would surely kill you if he knew!”

“I am sure he would not mind,” he said lowly, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips trailing over the edge of her mask.

“No man could think to keep such a treasure to himself.”

She blushed again. At his voice, at his words, at the way his pupils dilated beneath the mask. She caught his hand and held it to her face.

“He could,” she said stubbornly. “I assure you, you risk your death!”

“For you, bellissima,” she almost purred at the way the Antivan rolled from his tongue, the way he leaned toward her again, “I would risk much more.”

And beneath it all he was still her Lucanis, so when he kissed her, it was soft, and sweet, and filled with love. They both grinned into it, and for a moment the noise around her faded away, and there was just him and the taste of red wine on his tongue.

“So,” she said when he pulled away, still close enough that their noses touched, her performance finished for the night, “Was it worth your life?”

“That and more, amore,” he murmured, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “Why don’t we leave the others to their revels?”

“Teia will murder me,” she said half-heartedly, though his hands on her waist and the small of her back were making Teia seem like less and less of a concern.

“No she won’t,” he said. “It’s past midnight, and she wouldn’t hurt you on our wedding day.”

He kissed her neck, the mask scratching against her cheek slightly. 

“I need you, cuore mio.”

She needed no further reason to take his hand and let him lead her away from the festivities. None at all.

[imnotaacat]

hii idk if you take requests so feel free to ignore this, but i’d love a sequel to badges where jackie finds out reader is the one married to steve

Helloooo, here is the second part, I hope you like it and enjoy it, I hope it lives up to what you imagined the second part to be. Thanks for the support for the first part. 💗 Ignore the title so simple lol.

Wonderful wife

Or Badge part 2

— Sumary: You and Steve are married and work for the same company, but your employees don't know. One day you mix up your badges and have to return them before anyone notices.

— Warnings: Fluff, no use of Y/n, some dirty talk (I think that's all)

A/n: English is not my native language, sorry if something is written wrong, I hope everything can be understood. :)

From that day on, Steve and you, or rather, Steve, began to be more careless in his treatment of you. He began to leave coffee or candy on your desk "without any of his employees noticing," then he began to call you to his office, many more times than normal, being a boss and his employee. So rumors and gossip began in the office. However, what alerted your coworkers was the day you arrived together.

Jackie was getting out of a taxi, when she saw Steve's car; at the same time she saw someone else sitting in the passenger seat, and the surprise was seeing you get out of his car and say goodbye with a big smile. Steve left you at the door, while he went down to the basement to park his car, Jackie ran to the building, and began to tell everyone that you were Mr. Harrington's lover, and that she would look for his wife to tell her.

The other employees simply didn't believe her, and called her a liar, responding with laughter, others thought that Steve probably saw you walking to work and gave you a ride. Her friends, on the other hand, believed her completely, and started a "revolution" against you.

Two days ago, they played a "prank" on you, Jackie came to your desk, and handed you an envelope, telling you that it was for you, and that it had been given to her by a woman outside the building, this seemed strange to you, you simply left it somewhere on your desk. At lunch time, most of the office was empty, so, you opened the envelope, you couldn't deny that you were curious to know what it was, inside there was a letter folded in half.

"What's that?" Someone asked behind you, after turning to look, you knew it was Edward, or Eddie, as he asked you to call him. He was your best friend, he was the first person to talk to you on your first day at work, he was a couple years older than you, but he really did seem like a kid.

You shrugged. "I don't know, Jackie gave it to me and said a woman gave it to her at the entrance." Eddie snatched it from your hands and started reading it and then started laughing. "What does it say?" You asked, Eddie handed it back. The letter said something like this.

"Honey, I know you're dating my husband, Steve, your boss. (The word was highlighted) Steve doesn't know that I already know he has a mistress, and I order you to stay away from him. You don't want to meet me, there's a reason I haven't shown up at the company." You laughed and Eddie started laughing again.

"It looks like it was written by a teenager" You said, still laughing after a few seconds.

"I know" Eddie replied. You took the letter, tore it up and threw it in the trash.

Nothing happened all afternoon, however the worst started the next day, from the moment you arrived at the office, the eyes were on you, the whispers between the employees, even some insults.

"God, what did you do to the whole office that everyone looks at you as if they wanted to kill you." Eddie said, arriving at his post.

"I don't know, since I arrived they started looking at me like that."

"I heard that Mr. Harrington's wife showed up and sent you a message."

"Do you really think it's her?" You asked incredulously. Eddie laughed.

"No, Mr. Harrington wouldn't marry a woman who behaves like a teenager." Eddie paused. "Besides, I think the mysterious Mrs. Harrington is you" he said, pointing at you.

"Me? Why would you believe that, Edward?" You said, letting out a laugh.

"Mmm I don't know, my intuition tells me so." He said with a smile, as he turned to his desk.

During the day, the dirty looks and whispers started to be just annoying. But they didn't bother you, you knew it wasn't true, you weren't anyone's lover and Steve wasn't unfaithful either... Or was he? You couldn't help those thoughts from coming to your mind, due to everything that was happening, but you had known Steve for a long time, you knew that in his adolescence he was nicknamed "King Steve" for his charm with girls, but you also witnessed his change, so, you shouldn't worry about anything.

During lunch, you and Eddie had lunch again in the office, while talking about your adolescence and how "idiots" you were according to Eddie's words. He told you how in his adolescence he was the "geek" and outcast of the town, just for liking metal and the Dungeons and Dragons board game, which seemed like illogical reasons to you.

"I always wanted to learn how to play D&D, but like you already said my parents thought it was satanic" You commented laughing.

"I know, 'the game that's killing children'" He said, quoting that magazine that was published so long ago, widening his eyes and raising his voice, making it more exaggerated. Both of you started laughing out loud.

Without realizing that someone was watching you, Steve.

He knew he shouldn't distrust you, but he also noticed that you spent a lot of time with Edward, and the way you spent time with him, or how he made you laugh, made him jealous.

Neither Eddie nor you heard the footsteps heading your way, as you were immersed in your laughter and conversation, so you both jumped when you heard the voice behind you.

"Miss Spencer" Steve said. Eddie and you turned to look at him. And you recognized his tone, as well as the expression he had on his face. A frown, a serious expression, a clenched jaw, clenched fists. He was jealous, you smiled.

"Mr. Harrington" You and Eddie greeted Steve at the same time.

"Miss Spencer, after lunch, I need you to be in my office, I have to consult you about some things." You nodded.

"Sure, I'll be there." Steve nodded and went back to his office, although he stayed a few meters before, to continue watching what you were doing.

Finally, lunch time ended, you went to the bathroom to make sure you didn't have a trace of food between your teeth or any part of your mouth. After that, you headed to Steve's office, knocked on the door and after hearing a "come in" you walked in. You smiled as you saw Steve concentrating, frowning, you walked over to him and got behind his chair to see what he was writing. From what you could see, he was responding to a client; when he finished, he put it in the envelope and then stood up from the chair.

"Sit down" He said pointing at the chair in front of his desk, you frowned. Once you did he kept talking. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You looked at him confused. "Steve, what are you talking about?" He sighed.

"What I was saying about you... Last time we said we would tell each other everything" You sighed and nodded.

"I thought it wouldn't be important, plus I didn't want to distract you with office gossip, which I can handle, and which we both know isn't true." You paused. "Right?" You asked. Hearing that, Steve relaxed his face, and both of you were surprised, your voice had sounded a little higher in the last question.

"Oh dear, you know I would never do that to you, you are my wife, and I would do nothing to hurt you." He said approaching you with a smile, you smiled too, as you got up from the chair and Steve kissed you.

"A while ago, I saw you very happy with Edward" He said while he was very close to you. You laughed.

"Oh, Eddie is just my-" Steve interrupted you.

"Eddie?" He asked.

"Are you jealous?" You laughed denying. "Eddie is his nickname, everyone in the office calls him that, at his request." You said, Steve nodded.

Steve's arms were on your waist, or maybe a little lower, yours were playing with his jacket and tie, Steve kissed you again, after a few seconds, the kiss began to get a little more and more intense, and he began to push you towards his desk, your butt hit his desk, with one of his hands he separated your legs, so he could place himself between them. This was getting more intense, they had to stop.

"Steve, no... We can't do... This here" You said between kisses, but Steve didn't seem to stop. "Steve" you whispered again.

"Why not?" Steve began to tell you without moving away from you. "Why can't they find out... That you're my wife?" Steve's voice was already agitated, both of your chests were rising and falling, and you could feel how hard he was starting to get.

You laughed. "We can do it at home, there you'll hear me scream all you want" You said with a mischievous smile, playing with his tie.

"Are you really going to leave me waiting until we get home?" He said before closing the space between you again with a kiss and a smile.

At the same time the door opened. "Mr. Harrington, here's your-" The voice was interrupted after hearing something fall to the floor.

Steve and you didn't even separate, more than your faces, you saw the person who was standing at the door, completely surprised, it was Jackie, then you looked at the floor, where there was a large brown stain, on the white carpet, and who was also Steve's favorite, once again you turned to see Jackie, who didn't come out of her "trance"

"Oh no" You whispered when you saw Steve's face.

"Miss Thompson!" Steve shouted.

"Mr. Harrington, excuse me, I came in and saw you with-"

Steve interrupted her. "You didn't see anything! How many times have I told you to knock before entering?" He said, quite annoyed, the employees were already starting to look out to see what had happened. You quickly left the office to look for the people in charge of cleaning.

Steve never yelled at his employees, only when they REALLY didn't obey some rule, can you imagine being in an important meeting, and his employees just walk in like that? That would give him a bad impression, that he has no respect or authority. Besides, he wasn't even mad because he hadn't knocked on the door, or because you and he had been interrupted, (well, maybe about that, yes a little), but he was more upset about his carpet, because it had been a gift from his grandfather to him, when he was a child, his grandfather passed away a few days after giving him that gift.

The cleaners arrived as quickly as they could and put some towels on the carpet to see if they still absorbed some, but the drink was already absorbed by the carpet. Everyone knew how important and precious that carpet was to Steve.

Steve simply watched as they picked up the carpet and carried it out of the office, Jackie was crying somewhere, being comforted by one of her friends, while you watched Steve, tears starting to appear in his eyes, you wanted to go comfort him and hug him, but you knew it wasn't wise at the moment, so with a look you promised to come back later.

Steve ordered everyone to return to their work stations. Your feelings were also present, you knew how important the carpet was to your husband, although for any employee it could be just any carpet, but for him, it was the last memory he had of his grandfather, who had been like his father.

You returned to your desk to try to work, but you couldn't because you didn't know how your husband was.

"Hey, what happened?" Eddie asked in a whisper. It really made you laugh. You told him what happened, and he really made you laugh with the expressions he made.

"Do you think I'll fire her?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know, we know that rug is important to Ste- Mr. Harrington." You said with a nervous laugh, praying that Eddie wouldn't notice how you called your boss. Eddie nodded, looking at you with his eyes half closed. You knew that Eddie already suspected something.

Finally half an hour before the end of the work day, you got up from your desk with the excuse that you and your boss hadn't finished talking.

When you entered you saw him sitting at his desk, his gaze lost somewhere in the office, you left your things on the desk and quickly went to hug him, you even questioned in your mind his condition because of the carpet, but you also knew that his childhood and adolescence had not been the best, having two parents who traveled every week, he practically lived alone, and it was his grandparents who took care of him. You heard him start to sob again.

"Oh love..." You hugged him tighter. "I promise I will do everything to get the carpet back safe and sound" He nodded, he looked like a child who had been robbed by a lollipop

Both Steve and you knew that your relationship would already be exposed, today in the office. So you weren't even going to worry about hiding it, you put on your engagement ring and your wedding ring, a wine red suit that perfectly matched Steve's tie and his blue suit.

You entered together, hand in hand, which brought many surprised faces and a few whispers. Steve stood in the middle of the office.

"Today, my beloved wife," he said, pointing at you, "will begin her duties as Director of Operations. Her office, as you know, is next to mine. She will be in charge of authorizing each project for each client, and believe me, she is a bit demanding," he said, laughing. You laughed as you patted him on the shoulder.

"The time I've seen you work with me, believe me, I've seen how good you are. I've seen your evolution and how you've improved in this time. I want you to know that our treatment or behavior will not change," you said with a smile. In the back of the crowd, you could see the distraught faces of Jackie and her friends.

"Jackie, please come to my office," Steve said. "I'll see you later," Steve said with a smile.

You headed toward your desk, with a smile that grew bigger as you looked at Eddie.

"The mysterious Mrs. Harrington, huh?" He said laughing, you laughed too.

"You know you'll always be my best friend right?"

"Don't change the subject, you told me he's crazy, and I ended up being right."

"Well, no one could find out, Eddie." Eddie smiled.

"I'm glad it's you, and not some woman with a teenage complex." You laughed as you finished packing your things into a box.

"Do you want to see my new office?" You asked with a smile. He took the box in response.

"I'll help you carry it." You laughed.

When they arrived you saw Jackie leave Steve's office, followed by Steve, the girl only gave you an annoyed look, you glanced at Eddie to see if he had seen the same thing as you, once she disappeared from his field of vision, both of you laughed.

"I think someone got up in a bad mood today" Eddie said laughing.

"Probably." You played along.

Both of you walked through the door, Steve looked down. The office was quite similar to Steve's, a large window in front of the door, white walls, and a glass door.

Eddie left the box on the desk as he went to see the view, which was very good, you had the view of the entire city.

"You definitely have the best view" He said, turning to look at you and Steve, who had already entered the office.

"No offense Mr. Harrington." The three of you laughed.

"Tell me Steve, Eddie." Steve said with a smile. He was now at your side, with his arm around your waist. Eddie nodded with a smile.

Eddie noticed that the moment between you was getting more intimate. "As much as I want to stay, I have work to do, so I have to go." He said laughing. You and Steve nodded, and Eddie left the office leaving you and Steve alone.

"So, how did it go?" You asked and Steve rolled his eyes.

"Well, she apologized, and then she begged, for me not to fire her, and then she blamed you for her firing and well, when I told her that it wasn't just because of what happened yesterday, it was her firing, you could say that she accepted it, and now I think she's in human resources." He shrugged.

You stayed silent looking at the city, Steve had his right arm on your waist, and you had your left arm on his. With your left arm on his, you were. His left arm took your chin and with a smile he gave you a short kiss.

"I love you" He said, still with faces centimeters away from each other.

"I love you too" You replied with a smile.

I would also like you to give advice or recommendations. I hope it's not too long or boring. I would appreciate your comments. 💗

[clarisse0o]

The Mayor - Chapter 27

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternate Universe: Mayor and Architect

Words: 1000

Masterlist

———————————————————————

My brain was an open construction site, impossible to organize. I had completely lost control of the situation, Lucy’s words replaying endlessly in my mind.  

I tried to avoid Alessia as much as possible at the start of the week, guilt gnawing at me from the inside. I had pretended to be at a construction site far from the city.  

And then came the climactic point: Thursday, the day we were to sign the papers to buy the house, marking the beginning of a new chapter together.  

Lucy had sent me a message on Monday:  

 "How are you today?"   

I should have replied with the truth:  "I have a knot in my stomach, I can’t stop thinking about what you said, I feel awful."   

Instead, I typed:  

 "I’m fine, thanks. And you?"   

A pitiful response.  

 "I see you’re not in the mood to talk. I’ll wait until you’re ready. And I meant what I said yesterday."   

I didn’t reply.  

I didn’t know what to say, how to respond, or even what to do. As usual, I fled from the problem, refusing to face it head-on.  

The days passed, consumed by painful questioning and endless self-doubt.  

By Thursday morning, I was utterly exhausted. I hadn’t slept a wink, spending the entire night thinking.  

I convinced myself that I needed to grow up, that my relationship with Alessia was solid, and that I couldn’t throw it all away for a fleeting passion. Lucy had confessed that it was more than just sex between us. Fine, but where would that lead? Nowhere.  

I also decided not to tell Alexia about my lapse. She would never forgive me.  

 "You look awful! Still not over your food poisoning?"  Alexia teased as she arrived.  

I had lied about food poisoning to explain my absence from the presentation in Lyon on Sunday morning. She gave me a playful wink and added:  

 "So, today’s the big day! You’re officially becoming a responsible adult with this house purchase!"   

If only she knew. I had wanted to tell her everything so many times, to confide in her. But I couldn’t. Lucy had asked me not to speak of our affair. And deep down, I was afraid of disappointing my friend.  

So, I stayed silent, bottling it all up.  

 "Yep, first purchase for a new life!"   

I delivered the sentence in a flat, monotone voice.  

 "Cheer up, Ona! At this rate, the notary might refuse to let you sign those papers!"  she laughed.  "I’m so happy you two are together. You’re perfect for each other!"   

Her words warmed my heart. She was right.  

That afternoon, I was supposed to have lunch with Alessia at the main square before heading to the notary’s office. It was the first time I’d seen her since the weekend, and I felt a deep apprehension. Could I lie to her, hide all this?  

She arrived with a radiant smile—the smile I loved so much, the one that always eased my doubts and instantly loosened the knot in my throat.  

 "Hi, my love! I missed you this week! Tell me everything, I don’t even know how it went in Lyon! Judging by your face, it must have been exhausting,"  she laughed.  

I was so ashamed.  

Still, I recounted the weekend briefly, changing the subject quickly. I was lying to her, something I had never done before. Our relationship had always been built on unwavering trust in one another. But I couldn’t tell her about this—it would destroy her. Destroy us.  

The lunch passed quickly. Alessia talked about her latest surgery, an open-heart operation on a newborn. She always impressed me—such a talented surgeon, yet so humble.  

As we sipped our coffee, my thoughts were interrupted by a laugh behind me, a laugh I recognized all too well. I turned.  

It was Lucy, seated at the counter, drinking coffee with two other men.  

My throat tightened. What were the odds of her being in this café?  

Actually, quite high, I realized. We were in the main square, opposite the town hall, in the most popular café-restaurant. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?  

Lucy caught my eye. She looked surprised.  

She stopped talking, excused herself from her companions, and walked toward us.  

No. Not this. What are you doing, Lucy?  

 "Hello!"   

She stood in front of us, a wide smile on her lips.  

 "Hello, Madame Bronze! Nice to see you again!"  Alessia replied warmly.  

 "Likewise! How are you?"   

Alessia answered, politely returning the question. I didn’t say a word—I couldn’t speak.  

 "What brings you here?"  Lucy asked.  

She was constantly seeking my gaze, while I desperately avoided hers.  

 "We’re going to the notary’s office! You’re looking at the future homeowners of your town!"  Alessia beamed. Proud. Beautiful.  

Lucy’s face darkened slightly.  

 "Congratulations. I wish you both much happiness. Goodbye."   

She turned on her heel, throwing me one last fleeting glance before walking out the door. A glance that electrified me to my core.  

 "You could have at least said something. I know you don’t like her, but still!"  Alessia scolded me.  

I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable—clammy hands, a heart pounding uncontrollably. I felt hot and dizzy. The knot in my stomach that had plagued me all week was now unbearable.  

 "I’ll go pay, and then we can head out!"   

She got up to leave.  

I grabbed her hand abruptly, suddenly.  

I looked at her now.  

 "I can’t, Alessia."   

[ellewelle]

Just bros being dudes

In book twenty four Achilles “longs for his manhood” and by that point he has brises back. platonic yeahhhhh sureeee.

“Now you lie here slaughtered, and my heart has no want of food or drink i only want of you” yeah, straight

Have his ashes mixed with his boyfri- I mean best friends ashes. Yep, just besties

Calling his “bestie” his most beloved on several occasions. Mhm, totally not gay

Literally going insane after pats death. Yuppers, no homo there

Crying so loud the gods at the bottom of the goddamn ocean could hear him. Totally hetero

“Why true heart do you come hither to lay these charges upon me. I will of my own self do what you have bidden me.” Yes yes, only the straightest of friends call each other true heart

"Draw closer to me, let us once more throw our arms around one another and find comfort in the sharing of our sorrows."

using the same language to mourn patroclus as andromache used for hector. really good mates

Heterosexuals you say? Surreeeeeeeee

edit: I love how no one has openly objected to this post

[shirogane-oushirou]

meowdy... <3

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

My mom just sent a message to the family group chat suggesting that my siblings download the 'For the Strength of Youth' magazine on their Gospel Library app and talked about how much the youth magazines helped her testimony growing up and like, cool. Fine. Don't know why the 'sending random spiritual thoughts in the gc' thing started out of nowhere when it hadn't been a thing for a decade but this is just another one of those, and you're ofc allowed to talk about things that are significant in your life.

I don't think sending the 'What I Did When Someone Close to Me Challenged My Faith' article right afterwards was strictly necessary though 🙃

[roaringroa]

gonna travel to see family for the holidays, i’m bringing wlw books for my closeted cousin, rock on little lesbian it will get better!

[unganseylike]

also im literally the most mature and bravest person ever i reached out to the friend i stopped talking to for the last month (bc of antisemitism) to get coffee.