#I wrote this all when I should of been asleep with important things to do tomorrow but that's fine

[itsprashimusic]

Monaco and Monza

Summary - Charles, his favourite person (and their puppy) before, during and after the most important race wins of his life.

Pairings - Charles Leclerc x fem!Reader

Warnings - no use of y/n, google translate French and Italian, r can make decent conversation in French and Italian, possible inaccurate timelines, it is hinted that R is not from France or Monaco, honorable louis tomlinson appearance bc I am a former louie girlie, R has blue light glasses, cuss words. Happy reading🩵

W/C - 3.9k

A/N - i write all my female Rs with a desi in mind. Written in 2nd pov. I wrote R with a mindset and likes similar to mine, you are free to skip this fic if you don't like it.

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Before Monaco

An hour had passed on the three hour flight from Imola to Nice. Charles was asleep and Leo was curled up in your lap. Sitting in an oversized top and sweatpants, you were quite comfortable while doing some work. You work for a company that allows you to work remotely, which is a huge blessing considering your longtime boyfriend travels the world every other week.

The tiny pup yawned big as he woke up from his nap. You scratched him under the chin. Leo moved around in your lap, found another comfortable spot and went right back to sleep just as Charles also moved to find another comfortable position to nap in. You smiled to yourself and continued working.

Soon the plane landed in a private airport in the French city of Nice. Your bags were handled by the hired help, and Charles insisted on carrying your laptop bag for you. This left you walking along his side with Leo in your arms, still sound asleep. The boat ride to Monaco didn't take long and the drive to your shared apartment went by in a blur.

It felt nice being home during race week. You left Leo in his bed and joined Charles in the living room. Coming up from behind you hugged him while softly asking, "Qu'est-ce que tu penses?" (what is on your mind?). Even after all these years you still cringed at your accent.

"The race" he replied.

You sighed as you remembered the dnfs, mechanical failures and team errors that Charles had to endure. Year after year, the pain just kept getting worse as you watched from the grandstands and eventually the garage.

"You should focus on the positives. The team has been performing well and this season has been different than the last 3, there is hope." you weren't sure if what you said was the right thing. You kissed him on the cheek and moved around the couch to come and sit next to him.

"It is not easy when every other time I have had hope, it has been ripped away and torn into tiny pieces," Charles said while looking defeated. You felt sad seeing him like this. You just held your arms out and let him fall into your embrace. With the couch being big enough for two people to sleep on it, soon you and Charles fell asleep, still in the hug.

During Monaco

Photographers snapped photos of you and Rebecca, Leo's leash entwined with your hand. The two of you were spotted outside the Ferrari hospitality an hour before qualifying. Charles was busy with his engineer and strategist and asked you to give him some alone time. So, you thought a small walk around the paddock with your puppy and good friend would be beneficial.

Eventually the crowd of fans surrounding you and Rebecca who wanted to see Leo was getting quite large, so you politely said goodbye to the fans, picked up the pup and made your way back to the Ferrari motorhome. You got a text from your boyfriend.

Can you come to my drivers room?

You entered the room and put Leo down, allowing him to calm down and drink some water from his very own water bottle and attached bowl. "Darling, do you need something?" you asked Charles as he looked tense.

You moved closer to him. Charles caught you by surprise when he pulled you even closer and hugged you extremely tight. "Je ne me sens pas bien," (i don't feel good) he whispered. "C'est bon. Tout ira bien. It's ok, you'll be ok." you quietly kept repeating to him until Leo began demanding attention with his big brown eyes and soft whines.

Charles wiped the few tears that escaped and picked him up with a new smile adorning his face. For a moment, it was just the three of you, your perfect little family. There was a knock at the door, followed by a Ferrari team member informing Charles that he was required in 5 minutes. Charles placed a wet kiss on your forehead.

"Thank you for supporting me the way you do. I love you so much, mon cœur," (my heart) he said, his lips still on your forehead. The pair walked out of the room and split ways. You had the hired help watch Leo for the duration of qualifying in a private room.

You sat with Charles' family just as the Sky Sports camera panned on you. You smiled when you saw yourself on the monitor and gave a small wave while sitting next to Charlotte.

Even though you knew that Charles would easily clear Q1, you could not help the anxiety that made its way throughout your body. He crossed the line and made it to Q2. With the next session, your anxiety worsened. But within 15 minutes your nerves eased.

Q3. This was it. As the minutes slowly turned from 12 to 2, you were feeling sick. Charles' sleek Ferrari flew over the finish line and your hands flew to your mouth. Pole Position. At his home race. At your home race. The cameras focused on you to get your and his family's reaction.

At parc ferme, Charles ran over to his team who hyped him up even more. He signed the wheel and posed for the photos, the smile never leaving his face. Even after finishing up his media duties and making his way back to his family and you in the motorhome, his smile remained ever present. You swore he never hugged you tighter than that.

Race day. The day that actually mattered.

You entered the paddock a few steps behind Charles, Leo once again in your hold. You didn't get a lot of time with Charles, considering he was the man of the hour after securing pole. The two of you shared a moment together before he had to head out for the national anthem.

"Comment te sens-tu, chérie?" (how are you feeling, darling?) you asked him while he changed into his race suit. He looked up and the look on his face gave you your answer. You smiled and he continued wearing his suit. There were butterflies in his stomach. That meant he felt nervous, hopeful, anxious and confident all at once.

Charles was out on the track, and you once again joined his family in the motorhome. At that point though, it would be more appropriate to call them your family. You and Charles have been together for a long time. The pair of you had seen each other at their lowest and highest. When Charles lost his father and when for nearly a year you could not get a job. When news of Anthoine's death reached Charles, he was on holiday with you and your family in another country. Your family gave him the comfort he needed. When you got news that your parents contracted covid, there was nothing you could do sitting in your apartment in Monaco. Pascale was like a second mother to you.

The race began. You found a place to sit and watch the race. Charles was in the lead. A huge crash. A totaled redbull and a red flag. You felt the butterflies creeping up from your stomach to your throat. The race resumed and continued. Piastri was close to Charles, but not enough to threaten his position. It felt like time slowed down during the final lap. You had an earbud plugged in one ear and could hear Crofty's iconic last lap commentary.

The number 16 Ferrari flew past the checkered flag and fireworks flew out from the sides of the track. Charles' family members were already hugging each other and some of the team members who were there. But you didn't move. Tears were flowing down your face and a smile was etched on your face. The first person you moved to hug was Charlotte, the older woman was like an elder sister to you.

The camera's stream kept cutting from Charles out on the track to you and his family in the motorhome. Everyone quickly left the garage and made their way to parc ferme. You saw Charles pull up and stop in front of the 1st place stand. You watched from the back as he ran to his team, Arthur and Lorenzo pushed their way to the front. After getting weighed, the team moved to allow you to come to the front where Charles walked towards you.

Normally, you and Charles would keep the pda on the lesser side when cameras were around, but not this time. The forever smiling face, messy-haired and slightly teary-eyed boyfriend of yours pulled you directly into a powerful kiss. His left arm was around your back while his right hand was half on your face and half on your neck. You could hear and feel all the cameras going off around you.

Charles broke the kiss but kept your foreheads connected. You held both of his hands. "Tu l'as fait," (you did it) you repeated in all the languages you knew while nodding your head. You could see the tears welling up in his eyes again. He quickly blinked them away, "L'ho fatto," (i did it) he said in Italian quickly kissed you once again before hugging you.

You stood below the podium and watched as he received the trophy he had been waiting his entire life for. You were still crying. The tears would not stop, and they only got worse when Charles made eye contact with you after he was presented with the medal. He mouthed the words I love you. So much. Thank you. You could only hold your hand to your heart in response.

After Monaco

Even after a full day, you could still smell the fragrance of champagne wafting off of Charles.

You and Charles had celebrated his win on Sunday night in a club. He was practically glued to your side the entire night. No matter who he was talking to, either he did it while having an arm around you or holding your hand. By the end of the night, you were left with a very clingy and very drunk boyfriend. With Joris's help, you got Charles into the car. He drove the both of you home.

Back at the apartment, Charles seemed to have sobered up a bit after you made him eat some food.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" Charles was lying down on the bed and was lovingly staring at you.

"All the time," you answered while changing for the night.

You finished changing and joined Charles in bed. Leo who was previously perched near Charles' feet climbed onto you and snuggled up on your chest.

Charles got your attention by saying your name, "I want you to understand what I mean when I say this. I love you. I appreciate you so much, even I cannot comprehend it. You have supported me throughout my years in Formula 1 and Formula 2. You have stood by me all these years, even when you had to sacrifice your job and sleep schedule for me. Je veux que vous compreniez la profondeur de ce que je dis." (i want you to understand the depth of what i am saying).

His eyes kept moving around but eventually rested on your face. He looked into your eyes when he finally spat out what he truly wanted to say.

"Mon cœur, mon âme, ma vie, je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec toi. Veux-tu m'épouser?" (My heart, my soul, my life, i want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?)

I took you a second to process what Charles said. You looked down and saw him holding a simple gold band with three small diamonds set in it. His free arm was laid across your stomach under Leo, who woke up when he sensed his mom feeling strong emotions.

Tears filled your eyes, your heart began beating faster and you were sweating a bit. Leo moved to the bed and was now licking the tears that fell from your eyes. You felt like you couldn't speak, but you very much knew what your answer was.

Before Monza

The summer break was perfect. You used your paid leave and were fully able to enjoy your time with the entire family. The photos of Leo that Charles posted to his instagram were adored by the fans. Your insta account remained private, but you still posted the dog nonetheless.

Neither of you announced the engagement just yet, wanting to keep it to yourselves for a while. Fans got curious when they saw a new ring around that special finger after Charles' win in Monaco, but since it was quite simple and small, they thought nothing much of it. You were known for wearing many different rings on the same finger, so people thought it was just another ring you fancied.

Unfortunately, after your long break, you were required to come back to the office for a few days for important meetings with the higher-ups of your company. That meant you missed the race in Zandvoort and Charles podium. But you made it up to him by joining him in Monza, his adopted home race.

Walking in the streets of Monza with a loved Ferrari driver was always quite the experience. Leo loved the attention from all the fans, he was a born extrovert. You and Charles had lunch at one of your favourite restaurants. The both of you sat in a relatively private section of the restaurant.

"I missed you at Zandvoort," Charles said before eating a morsel of his favourite pasta. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I tried to leave as early as I could, but by the time the meeting finished it made no sense to come," you said wishing you could have been there for him. Ever since Monaco, the team had been struggling. It brought back painful flashbacks of 2022 and 2023.

Things were not the best between you and Charles during the week you were out for work. The timings never seemed to match, when he had the energy to talk you were too burnt out, and doing all of this while also planning a wedding was not easy. It put a small strain on your relationship which seemed like it was reaching its breaking point during this weekend.

During Monza

You spent the rest of the week working. In between the free practice sessions, you were spotted with a pair of blue-light glasses on and bent over your laptop and a notebook. Leo was either sleeping in his carrier by your feet or was with Arthur or Lorenzo.

You barely saw Charles the entire weekend. He was either busy with his engineer and strategist or was filming content. It only made the strain in your relationship even worse and left Rebecca having to hear your side of it for most of the weekend considering both the boys were quite busy.

It was only before qualifying that you managed to get a moment with Charles at all.

"Charles, I know this is an important race for you, but we need to talk," you sternly said leaving no room for arguments. Charles was about to protest but you simply pulled him by the arm to his drivers room.

"Pourquoi tu ne me parles pas?" (why are you not talking to me?) you folded your arms while facing him. "You have been avoiding me ever since Thursday!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were too tired and 'fagged out' to want to talk," he replied sarcastically and with air quotes. "Je ne comprends pas pourquoi tu dois te comporter comme ça!" (I don't get why you have to behave like that!) Charles started walking around angrily and went off rattling away in French at such a fast pace you could not understand what he was saying.

"Just stop!" you yelled. "Just tell me why you are angry at me," you said, softer this time, almost in defeat.

"I don't like it when you are so busy with your work that you do not have time for us," Charles whispered after a long pause.

"And how do you think I feel when you are so busy with your work? I am required to go to the office at least every six months. You travel around the world every other week. You have less free time than I do, but have you heard me complain? So, instead of getting angry that I had to leave for one week to discuss plans for the company's future with the CEO, you should be happy that it was only one week out of the 52 in a year."

By the time you finished speaking, Charles had his hands over his face and was standing quite far from you. He whispered something inaudibly. With a confused look on your face, you moved closer to your fiancé. Upon feeling your body heat in the cold room, he removed his hands from his face and repeated his words.

I'm sorry.

The both of you wrapped yourselves in an embrace and for 5 minutes were only apologising and promising to do better in the future. You left the room after giving him a kiss. You headed down to the garage wanting to watch quali with Arthur who was watching Leo while you worked.

The timer began the countdown into Q1. Normally you would've been feeling quite nervous, but you were distracted by the charming british singer sitting next to you. Being a young girl during the height of One Direction was something else entirely. Your childhood dreams of meeting your favourite singer from the famous boyband had now come true.

Soon it was time for Q3 and you got a photo with Louis who by the time Q3 began, just like the rest of the world, fell in love with Leo and his photos. Charles put in great laps, but ended up only p4 alongside Russel.

Charles finished with his media duties and met up with you inside the motorhome. You were on a work call when he walked into the room. Leo was in the corner of the room scarfing down his food as if he hadn't eaten in years, his ears flopping all over the place.

You cut the call frustrated, removing your glasses from your face and placing them on your head. "Est-ce que tu vas bien?" (are you good?) he asked while holding you from the side and kissing your temple. You nodded and just packed up your things while Charles gathered his things as well.

The grandstands were filled with a sea of red and occasional yellow. Your outfit consisted of only red, yellow and black. Charles had left for the paddock earlier, so you made plans to have breakfast with Rebecca and leave for the paddock together.

You walked around before the race with Leo on the leash in front of you, Rebecca by your side. "So, how is wedding planning going?" she asked, her beautiful scottish accent making you smile. "We are still looking at venues. All we know is that it's going to be sometime in August of next year."

The drivers would soon be called for the national anthem. So, you went back to the Ferrari garage looking for your soon-to-be husband. You found him sitting next to Arthur, water bottle in hand. Leo instantly ran towards him and began climbing up his dad.

"Just do your best. Give it your all. Je t'aime tellement." (i love you so much) you sent Charles off with a hug. Leo was fast asleep in his carrier, so you joined Arthur down in the garage. You put on the large red headphones and waved at the camera when you saw yourself on the broadcast.

Halfway through the race, it hit you that Charles could possibly win. It was a stretch considering he was attempting a one-stopper. But as lap after lap went by the possibility of that dream coming true seemed more and more likely. His tires were probably gonna look like chewed-up bubblegum by the end of the race, but if he managed them just right...

He did it. He fucking did it. The roar of the Tifosi was stronger than ever. Unlike his last win, this time you were not seated. You were jumping up and down, cheering as loud as you could, matching the energy of the Ferrari team members around you. Some of them hugged you.

While Charles was finishing his cool-down lap, the mechanics and other team members rushed out to greet Charles in parc ferme. You stayed close to Arthur, knowing that you could possibly get pushed in the wrong direction. With a hand around your back, he guided you to the front where you could see the beautiful red car pull up.

Charles came running toward the team, moving quickly to try and hug everyone possible. As he moved from Arthur to hug you, from the corner of your eyes you could see more cameras making their way towards you. FLASH! And that was how one of the iconic photos of Monza 2024 was born. Charles' arms wrapped around you and he had his visor up, his eyes filled with so much emotion. You were smiling widely in the photo and had your hands on either side of his helmet. But the part that made the photo iconic was that your left hand was facing the camera, and in that, you had tucked away all of your fingers except the one with your engagement ring.

Winning the Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver is always special, so you watched the podium celebration from inside the motorhome, wanting him to enjoy the moment with the team and the Tifosi to the fullest.

After Monza

For the next two days, the streets of Monza were filled with Ferrari flags being either hung from somewhere or people waving them around. It seemed like every other Italian was asking for an autograph from Charles or a photo with him. But it wasn't just Charles and Ferrari who were the talk of town. So were you.

That photo of you and Charles just after the race had gone viral. At first, people were freaking out, wondering if the two of you were really engaged or if it was a joke. Only when Charles reposted the photo to his story did fans really start freaking out.

Congratulations were pouring out of everyone's mouth who had seen the photo or heard of the news. You didn't mean for the news to overshadow Charles' incredible win on 38-lap old tires. But it didn't. As a matter of fact, the win and engagement news gelled well together, neither taking away from the other.

The night before the team would be heading to Maranello you and Charles laid in the hotel bed, Leo fast asleep on his own bed. "I'm sorry for not asking if you'd be fine with me announcing our engagement," you said in a soft voice while drawing shapes on his torso. Charles, who had you wrapped around his side, kissed your forehead and said, "Je suis content que tu l'aies fait," (I am glad you did it).

The next morning Charles posted a photo of a formal dinner the two of you had with not just his but also your family where the engagement was announced. Of course, Leo was in the center of the photo.

A/n - honestly idk what i even wrote. i am tired af and just needed to get this out of my system. Hope you enjoyed reading🩵

[idkwhatever580]

Want to Want me

Pairings: Natasha romanoff x reader

Prompt: Nat can’t stay away from y/n in the night. Y/n wants something more than some midnight mayhem. Maybe Nat needs a push.

Warnings: smut, use of safe word, slight angst then happy ending, there is smut in the beginning but I’ll mark it off so that people who don’t want to read that stuff can still see the fluffiness

I will mark off where the details of intimacy cut in but there will be some things eluding to the smut before and after the set marking places

A/n: I’m using a lot of pictures in this one guys 😭 I’m sorry hope y’all like it though… also I wrote the smut while on a plane 😭

Natasha’s pov

It’s the middle of the night and I can’t sleep.

I’m so hot

My sheets are on the floor I have my fan on full blast and nothing is working. I’m about to take all of my clothes off which won’t do much since I’m already in a bra and shorts.

Why won’t this feeling go away?

It’s the feeling that I always get when I think of her. I can’t get her out of my head but nights are especially long when I feel this way.

I have to do something about it.

I grab my phone and pull up y/n’s number and send her a text.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me

Are you awake?

Y/n

Yeah. Are you alright? It’s late you should be asleep

Me

Couldn’t sleep.

Y/n

Is there something on your mind that’s keeping you up?

Me

the only thing on my mind is you.

Y/n

Is there anything I can do to help?

Me

Can I come over?

Y/n

Of course. You’re always welcome here with me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second she says yes I jump out of bed. I almost forget to throw a shirt on before leaving.

Nobody’s pov

Nat is texting you again. She wants to come over and you don’t know what to do.

Of course you say yes. Why wouldn’t you say yes?

She’s amazing. Everything about her is perfect. But the only downside to this little fling you guys have going on is the fact that you have a heart. And you couldn’t help but to fall in love with her.

Of course you’d never tell her that.

Lately though, something about this has been bothering you. There’s this nagging feeling of dread every time you see her now.

And it only makes you feel worse. How can you dread seeing the girl you’ve fallen in love with?

She is on her way to your room as you are lost in your thoughts and the only thing you can think about is how she only wants you for your body.

At least that’s what it feels like in this moment. But you think back to all of the times after she had just given you mind blowing orgasms and every time she would look at you like you were the most important thing in her life. Then you’d fall asleep together and you’d wake up alone.

You’re brought out of your thoughts when there is a knock at the door.

The door cracks open and Natasha slips in.

“Hi”

She walks toward you and you say

“Hey Nat…”

She starts crawling on the bed towards you and says a simple but direct

“Want you.”

You smirk and say

“Yeah?”

She nods her head and says

“Mhmm. Couldn’t sleep.”

You pout at her in fake pity and say

“Aww did the tough Natasha Romanoff have a hard time sleeping because she’s all hot and bothered just from thinking of me?”

She rolls her eyes at you and says

“Shut it”

Smut starts about here

She leans in to kiss you and you let it happen.

She’s sucking you in. Again. And all you can think about in this moment is how she’s going to get her fill, clean up her mess, and leave.

Except she’s not really cleaning up her mess is she? She’s leaving you a wreck in your own mind.

“Hey. You alright there?”

You nod your head when Nat’s voice cuts through your head.

“Yeah”

She squints trying to analyze your body language, she knows something is off.

“Are you sure? You seem like you’re lost in space somewhere”

“I’m fine”

Your voice is soft and sweet. And the smile you shoot her is convincing. Her eyes are full of worry though. Soft and tender but caring and gentle.

“If you don’t want to do this you don’t have to you know that right?”

You furrow your eyebrows and says

“No I want this. I want you”

I want you to want me is more like it though

She continues with your consent and you two make out.

It’s sloppy and you can feel her heat radiating onto your skin making you feel hotter.

This heat is making you want to strip your clothes off.

So you tug at her shirt and she lets you take it off. Then she takes yours off while she’s at it.

Her lips immediately find your chest and she starts nipping and sucking your breasts.

It feels good so you think you might as well enjoy it.

Your hand finds home in her hair while the other holds her free hand.

After a bit more of this Nat decides that it’s time for her to move down. She starts kissing her way down your stomach and to your thighs. While she is moving down she is whispering into your skin.

“You’re so pretty. So perfect.”

This makes you try to hide from her by putting your hands over your face but she stops everything to pull them away saying

“Don’t hide your pretty face from me detka”

She kisses your hands softly and then moves back to her original place.

She looks to you for permission with a slight tug of your undies and when you nod she slowly pulls them off your legs.

Then she kisses her way back up and makes sure to stop at the scars that lie on your thighs from all those years ago. Making sure to give them extra attention along with your stretch marks.

It makes you swoon. But you’re horny now and you want her to hurry up so you move your hand back into her slightly sweaty hair and tug her softly to where you want her. She chuckles and says

“Eager now are we?”

You roll your eyes and say

“Hurry up you goof”

She smiles and says

“A masterpiece takes time honey bun. Be patient”

Her stupid poetry or whatever is a bit annoying but she doesn’t waste much more time.

She dive into your core and starts licking and sucking around your clit to tease you.

When she finally flicks her tongue over your bud it makes you moan softly.

The way she is eating you out is no different from all the other times. But something is different.

It doesn’t feel right. The things she’s doing to you are not making you feel like you normally would.

Smut ends about here

You start to overthink and the images of just now flow into your mind.

The way she looked at you when she asked if you were okay. Her eyes were full of caring. Not seeming anything like a fling would have ever done.

The way she whispers into your skin to remind you how pretty you are.

The way she kisses the scars and stretch marks so softly as if you are a piece of glass that could break any moment.

The way she called you a masterpiece

You snap back into the scene and you softly say

“Nat. Stop please”

She shakes her head while continuing her actions not realizing you’re actually wanting her to stop. Usually you beg her to stop when you’re getting overstimulated so she thinks that is the case. But you sigh and softly say your safe word

“Red”

She immediately stops everything she is doing and sits up.

“Are you okay? Did- did I do something wrong?”

Her tone is slightly shaky. As if she was terrified at the thought of hurting you or overstepping. You don’t think you’ve ever seen Natasha vulnerable in that way. Like a lost puppy. You shake your head a bit aggressively and say

“No no no it wasn’t you at all. I just.. I don’t think I’m in the right mindset right now for this. I’m sorry”

She shakes her head and touches your arm softly saying

“No don’t apologize. I’m glad you told me. That’s a good thing.”

Her demeanor switched back to being kind and stoic. There’s an awkward pause as you sit up and cover yourself with a sheet.

“Is there anything I can do for you in this moment?”

You think and say

“Um. You should- you should go. I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head and gathers her clothes and says

“No no. It’s okay I get it. You need some space. If you need anything I’ll be in my room”

You send her a tight lipped smile as you nod your head. She finishes dressing herself and then she slips out of the room but not without giving you a glance.

You’re not even looking at her since you’re spaced out.

Everything in her wants to reach out for you but she shakes her head to tell herself no silently and leaves to her room.

You huff out a heavy sigh and fall back onto your bed.

All of these thoughts are flooding your mind.

If she doesn’t love you then why does she do all of these things that make you think she does?

It’s just how she is. She doesn’t know anything other than this way of flirting. It’s how she gets what she wants.

That’s what you tell yourself at least.

You decide in this moment that you’re not going to let her have you anymore. She doesn’t deserve you if she doesn’t want all of you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natasha leaves y/n’s room a mess. She ends up bumping into Thor on the way back to her room since he had just gotten back from his mission.

“Woah Lady Natasha, where are you going in such a hurry? Everything in order?”

She sighs and nods her head. He smiles and pats her shoulder not knowing what is troubling her. But they part ways and go to their respective rooms.

The second Nat is in her room she lets her walls down and fully processes what happened.

She was showing signs of not wanting to do it and she said yes regardless. Oh my god did I just hurt her? Is that sexual assault? She said yes. I double checked but she didn’t say no but that doesn’t mean she wanted it. Oh god. I sensed something was wrong but I let her say yes. I’m horrible.

I let her say yes because I wanted her to want me.

She’s never going to forgive me. I have to tell Clint. Wait. No. He’s not the right one for this situation. He would just go all dad on me, and I don’t need that right now.

Maybe I’ll tell Wanda. She’s a girl and gets things like this. But not right now she’s asleep. I’ll tell her instead of training. Y/n is supposed to train tomorrow so I don’t want her to get uncomfortable when she sees me.

The next day rolls around slowly. Natasha couldn’t get a wink of sleep that night. She finally fell asleep around 5 am though and woke up at 11 am.

Out of character for her. The team had Friday constantly checking her vitals just in case.

When she finally woke up she got slightly ready. But she didn’t care enough to make herself look presentable. Just brushing her teeth and changing into clean clothes.

All she could think during her time getting ready was y/n.

She’s like a drug and I can’t stop abusing it. But she must have noticed I love her. I just. I can’t imagine life without her. It’s like I am addicted to getting high off of her. Which is why I need Wanda’s advice. She knows y/n better than anyone.

Natasha walks into Wanda’s room to ask for her advice but unfortunately she’s nowhere to be found.

She looks around the room and checks the bathroom and closet for good measure. Still nothing. But as Nat is walking out of the bathroom to exit the room and search elsewhere she notices Wanda’s laptop screen.

What is on it makes her stop in her tracks and her feet change trajectory. Once she makes it to Wanda’s very cutely decorated laptop on the desk she takes a better look at the screen to make sure she saw it correctly.

It is a very noticeable picture of Nat and Y/n together.

Natasha tilts her head and decides a little snooping won’t hurt. After scrolling a tiny bit, she realizes that Wanda has a stockpile of pictures of Y/n and Nat together with little labels.

The head title of the file reads

They’re in love and here’s proof

Nat furrows her eyebrows and thinks outloud

“Y/n isn’t in love with me. Is she?”

After mulling it over with her own conscience (fighting with her conscience) she decides to send the file to her personal laptop and she leaves Wanda’s as it was.

She walks runs her happy ass back to her room and locks the door.

She opens her laptop and takes a deep dive down into this file.

Each photo has a little comment below them of Wanda expressing what she thinks about them.

It seems to be a lot of rage and vents…

(A/n: just wait 😭)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CAN NOBODY SEE HOW Y/N IS LOOKING AT NAT??? SHE’S HEAD OVER HEELS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wished I never promised y/n that I wouldn’t tell her secret to Nat. But I can’t break her trust. And she needs to do this on her own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again. Y/n is googoo eyes for Nat and Nat is oblivious. Maybe I should devise a plan to tell Natasha without telling her. It’s not like I would break the promise if Nat happens to see a fake diary entry. Or maybe even the real thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What universe is Nat in??? She must be crazy to be a TRAINED SPY and not notice this woman’s love for her

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another day another reason to cry. Why can’t Natasha see how she looks at her? I swear Nat has a crush on her too. I definitely have less proof on that theory but I am like 80% sure because I’ve read her thoughts on accident and they were totally about y/n.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the state of delulu I need to be in. If Nat can’t put two and two together now then she never will. But seriously. Y/n looks at her like she is the only girl in the world. It’s cute but Nat needs to open her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Awwwww look at these two cuties. IF ONLY NAT WOULD OPEN HER FUCKING EYES AND SEE HOW CUTE THEY ARE TOGETHER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ugh. I can’t tell anyone else so I guess this is just turning into my vent space. Y/n just came to me crying. She thinks that maybe she’s crazy. And she won’t let me convince her otherwise. She says that Natasha looks at her like she loves her but within an instant that look is gone and replaced with coldness. Idk what to do at this point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now this… this is pure fluff. And the thing is. Y/n is head over heels. But she thinks Nat doesn’t even like her because Natalia won’t open her eyes to see the beauty she has right in front of her face! Ugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nat and braids go hand in hand. Y/n and Nat need to hold hands and JUST FUCKING KISS ALREADY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Absolute total cuteness overload. This must be leprosy lice love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not them literally dancing to a love song. If only they knew. I hear both of their thoughts and someone needs to start praying for me because idk how much longer I can last. Some of the unholy ones are hard to handle. I try my best to block them out but I’m still learning how to control my powers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just friends my ass YOU’RE IN LOVE STUPID IDIOTS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last two entries throw Natasha for a loop though…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just walked in on Y/n and Nat. I need bleach for my eyes but at least they’re together now. It took them long enough. Thank god they didn’t notice me though. That would have been an awkward convo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: I lied. Y/n just came into my room and told me how they have been friends with benefits for a few months. She said how she has fallen in love with Nat and she couldn’t do it anymore. So she broke it off with her and the look Natasha gave her broke her heart.

I wish Nat would open her eyes and get her shit together. Maybe none of this would have to be happening if she just got some balls and realized that she likes her too. I can see it in Natasha’s eyes.

Now I have to endure even more of this pain. Why am I hurting? It’s not even me whose heart got broken. I feel like I’m watching a movie and both of the characters are too stupid or blinded by their thoughts to realize that they could be together.

Maybe I should tell Natasha. What’s the worst that could happen? Natasha’s feelings aren’t returned and Y/n never forgives me for breaking her trust. Right. Nevermind on that thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last entry was from yesterday. When y/n broke it off.

There’s no way that it’s a coincidence that this file ended up in Natasha’s hands. Maybe a sign from whatever God is real.

Whatever it is. Natasha is grateful.

She knows that her feelings are returned and all she has to do now is get her girl.

But how?

Nat thinks and decides to just tell y/n rather than wait for some extravagant reason or plan to surface.

“Friday where is y/n?”

Friday responds with

“Y/n is just about to leave for a mission ma’am. You will find her at the loading docks for the quinjet.”

Natasha’s eyes widen. She has no time to lose.

She sprints out of her room in her messy clothes and almost plows through both Sam and Bucky on her way but she manages to avoid a crash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She makes it to the loading dock right as you are about to board the jet and she runs up and yells

“Y/n wait!!!”

You look at her and quickly try to get on the jet faster. There is no way you’re about to face her right now. You can’t do it.

But the redhead is persistent. She hops into the jet before you can close the door and forces you to talk to her.

She is panting and slightly red from running which is weird. Her stamina is incredible. This run must have been rough or something.

Natasha approaches you with her beautiful green eyes piercing into your soul.

“What do you want Natasha? I have to go”

“I know! I know but please. Let me speak”

You sigh and nod your head to let her finish.

“I- I can’t let you go without telling you what you mean to me. You’re the one that I want to want me.”

Your eyebrows raise as she breaks her walls down completely, there are agents walking near so the thought of her being vulnerable indicates this is serious.

“And if- if you still want me then you have me because I love you Y/n and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do just to have you with me even for one more night.”

You roll your eyes and scoff saying

“You just want to get into my pants. That is what this is?”

She shakes her head aggressively and says

“No! No! Please I’ve been too scared to say it. I didn’t want to lose what we had. I thought that I’d be able to handle it. That having some of you was better than having none of you but you breaking it off made me realize that you mean more to me than I could have ever imagined”

The look on your face is shocked. You’re just so dumbfounded.

Your thoughts are running a thousand miles per minute and yet it took you forever to process her words. So while you’re processing her shoulders slump and she says

“I’m sorry. I thought you felt the same. But I shouldn’t have said anything. You can go on your mission now.”

She turns around and steps off the aircraft and gets about halfway back to the inside area when you finally click and run after her saying

“Nat!”

She barely has any time to turn around before you’re jumping into her arms. Thankfully though she is stable enough to catch you and not fall over.

The embrace is tight and hope filled but nothing is said until you turn your face towards her ear and whisper

“Baby I’m yours”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: I hope y’all liked it!!! I didn’t know where to end this so I chose a line from the song because that’s how I roll lolll

Masterlist

Taglist

@ilovesnat @ihartnat @marvelnatasha12346 @moistblobfish @justarandomreaderxoxo @lovelyy-moonlight @symp4nat @ale-estrabao

[wolf-star-chaser12]

Little Notes

| Little Notes - word count: 2874 - jegulus/starchaser oneshot

no warnings |

James knew he should give the book back to Regulus, but the sticky notes inside made it almost impossible. When he opened the book to see whose it was, he didn’t expect to see several sticky notes with Regulus’ handwriting inside. 

James meant to give it back right away, he did, but the sarcastic comments and responses to the boring history book made it automatically interesting. It didn’t help that James also had a slightly massive crush on the book’s owner. 

James wanted to know everything about Regulus, Sirius was only so much help after all. He felt guilty, reading the first few notes. It felt like he was trespassing on something private even if it were only witty remarks as to why people throughout history were stupid and what they could have done better. But if he wanted to know Regulus better, there was nothing more intimate than knowing one’s thoughts.

James' curiosity overpowered his guilt. So he spent the next hour reading through the boring history book, only made better by Regulus’ remarks. At first, it was just chuckling and little huffs of laughter, but then it grew louder and louder. After three warnings to keep quiet by Madame Pince, he was finally kicked out of the library for laughing too hard and loud.

James walked up to the Gryffindor tower, wiping away tears as he remembered the whole ass paragraph Regulus wrote on why Dumbledore was incompetent and could have easily been defeated by Grindlewald. James respected their headmaster, but Regulus had some pretty strong points as to why he wasn’t truly the strongest wizard.

The Marauder’s room was strangely quiet but a quick look at the map showed that Sirius and Remus were in the astronomy tower and Peter was in the greenhouse probably checking on his plants. Another quick look showed Regulus in his room with Crouch and the Rosier twins, along with Marlene’s girlfriend, Dorcas.

James smiled as he thought of their little group, he always wondered how they managed to become friends with Pandora, but nobody could turn her away. Then again they probably didn’t need to since she was Rosier’s sister. But why Dorcas was friends with Crouch and Rosier remained a mystery. She insisted they were secretly soft and refused to let anyone know it, but she also admitted they were as insane as they appeared.

James was caught up in thoughts of Regulus and his friends, but mainly Regulus. He definitely needed to give the book back to him tomorrow. But he also wanted to know more about him. Just then, James had a brilliant idea. He would respond to each of the little comments, even the paragraph.

James spent the better part of two hours writing little responses on the sticky notes. At one point he wondered where Regulus got the sticky notes but then he quickly dismissed it thinking it wasn’t important. He was the most productive he had ever been, writing silly little responses to Regulus. If only he were this productive with his actual schoolwork. By the time he finished writing responses, Peter had already fallen asleep and Sirius and Remus stumbled in, hand in hand. 

“Prongs! You’re still awake? Don’t you have quidditch practice in four hours?” Sirius asked.

James looked at the clock that every dorm had— the only clocks that worked throughout the school, just so they could get up in time.

“Shit, I got carried away. But so do you, in case you forgot.”

Remus’ brows went up in surprise. “You’re doing homework? You? James Potter?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes. He decided to go with it since he didn’t want anyone to know yet about his maybe not-so-little crush. James knew Sirius would be fine with it and support him, but things were still tense. After Regulus ran away with him, they were still trying to figure out how to be brothers again.

Thankfully the couple left him alone and he soon put away the book, falling deep asleep.

—

If James weren’t the captain of the quidditch team, he would strangle himself for making him get up so early. He wasn’t going to complain, it was worth it responding to all the little notes and getting an up-close look at Regulus’ mind.

James didn’t know when he would be able to see Regulus, at least not until dinner. Even then, he would probably be in the kitchens, away from everyone else. They didn’t have potions that day— Regulus was so smart he was in the seventh year’s class. James sighed as he thought about how smart Regulus was, how beautiful and deadly. It was his own fault when Sirius snuck up on him during the practice he was supposed to be leading.

“Okay, that’s it. Practice is over,” Sirius shouted. 

The team looked relieved to be dismissed even ten minutes earlier.

“You can’t do that,” James said in disbelief. 

“I can, I will, and I just did. Besides, you’ve hardly been leading practice today. Marlene is doing all the work.”

James felt a stab of guilt. Was he really so caught up in his thoughts of Regulus that he wasn’t able to focus on quidditch? Apparently so. He flew down with the rest of the team, hoping to avoid his best friend for a moment longer. 

“Not so fast.”

James grunted as he was pulled back hard by his quidditch jersey. He and Sirius stared at each other before James began to run his hands through his hair nervously.

Sirius sighed. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

Sirius punched James on the arm. “Don’t be dumb. What happened?”

“Noth– nothing happened I swear mate.”

Sirius glared at him. It was unnerving how much the Black brothers looked alike. They practically looked like twins, the only difference was their height, hair, and eyes. Not to mention the way they held themselves. But their glares could kill. Luckily for James, he was practically immune to the death glare.

Suddenly, Sirius’ eyes lit up with mischief and sheer joy. “You were thinking about someone, weren’t you?”

James grinned, unable to help it. 

Sirius gasped, “You weren’t doing homework last night were you?”

“Nope,” he continued smiling.

“What were you doing?”

James shrugged. “Eh, just writing.”

“Who is it?”

James' smile faltered then. Sirius wouldn’t be mad, but was it the right time? Regulus made him so happy with his mean comments and sarcastic responses. There had to be something wrong with James, but if there was nothing wrong with Regulus, then what was so wrong with loving him?

Oh. It wasn’t a slight crush. No, it was so much more wonderful than that. He, James Potter was in love with Regulus Black. As simple as that.

Sirius seemed to misunderstand James’ silence for something else when he pulled him in for a hug. James held him tight, not caring that it wasn’t something most boys did. But Sirius was his brother, he would gladly hug him any time.

“I won’t judge you, or be mad. You know that right?”

“I know. Just don’t know if it’s the right time to say anything.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to. Do they make you happy?”

With no hesitation, James responded, “Yes.”

They pulled away from each other, and James’ hands were still on Sirius’ shoulders. “He makes me so happy, you have no idea.”

“Oh yeah?” Sirius said. 

“I’m just worried he doesn’t feel the same.”

“Well, if he doesn’t, it’s his loss.”

James grinned even wider. “If he doesn’t, I’ll woo him.”

They left the pitch and headed down for breakfast. James hoped he would see Regulus, even if it was in passing. James knew he and Regulus had a gap between classes around the same time, he would try to find him and give him back the book.

When the time came, James was buzzing with excitement. Just the thought of being able to talk with the beautiful boy made his heart soar. He knew he was cheesy and romantic, but that wouldn’t stop him. Looking at the map, Regulus seemed to be walking from Ancient Runes to the library. Much to James’ delight, he was alone.

He rushed through the halls, only slowing down whenever he saw a professor or prefect— even though he needn’t worry about prefects since he was Head Boy. James arrived shortly before Regulus did, which was perfect because he could say he had just found the book.

Regulus looked like a dream with his curls framing his pale face. He always looked perfect— at least that’s what James thought. Regulus walked up to the table where he left his book and looked confused for a second when he realised it was gone.

“Regulus,” James said breathlessly. “Hi.”

Regulus scowled but his ears turned slightly pink. “Where’s my book James.”

He called me James.

“Wher– oh! Here.” James handed him the book, trying not to show his nervousness. What if he didn’t like it? What if it made him mad? 

“James, why did you have my book?”

Regulus’ green and grey eyes were so pretty, James could get lost in them forever. “I just found it, I figured you didn’t want anyone to accidentally take it or put it away so I was going to give it to you but you just got here.” He was rambling and he knew it. But the boy in front of him made his mind melt like butter.

Regulus looked at the book suspiciously before saying, “Thanks.”

“Y-yeah.”

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. 

“Right, I’m leaving.” Regulus walked bruquely past James and out of the library. 

James was too dazed from counting Regulus’ freckles— he counted fourteen before he left. James wanted to feel a little disappointed at the interaction, but Regulus didn’t outright insult him or ignore him for once, so James was more than happy. He walked out of the library and to his next class with a lovesick expression.

—

Regulus didn’t immediately think there was anything off about the book. James seemed to be telling the truth so he wasn’t worried. He walked to his next class and met Pandora on the way.

“Did James give you the book yet?”

Regulus stopped and looked at her with a confused expression. “How did you know?”

“I know all sorts of things.”

“I know that,” he said exasperatedly. “But you know everyone’s secrets and little details. This wasn’t even a secret.”

Pandora giggled. “Of course it wasn’t a secret. I saw him take your book last night after he got kicked out my Madame Pince for laughing too loud. I was going to grab it myself but he got to it first.”

Wait what? “Last night?”

Pandora nodded. 

This instantly made Regulus suspicious of the book, but he wouldn’t be able to check it until he finished this last class. All throughout Transfiguration, Regulus’ thoughts kept straying to James and the book. Pandora said James was kicked out for laughing, but why was he laughing? Surely he wasn’t laughing at his notes, was he? 

“Panda?” he whispered, quietly enough so Professor McGonagall wouldn’t catch him.

“Yes?”

Regulus hesitated. “Why was James laughing last night?”

Pandora smiled sweetly, instantly knowing what Regulus was really asking. “Your little notes you always make.”

Regulus felt dread pool in his stomach.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “He wasn’t making fun of them, he kept muttering how funny you were and how smart too.”

Regulus felt a funny little flutter in his chest. He tried to concentrate on the rest of the lesson, but his thoughts were filled with James and his laugh. Oh, how he would give anything just to hear James laugh. The things he would do to be the one making him laugh. 

He was gone for James Potter, his brother’s best friend. 

There was no way someone like James would possibly like him. After all, he was only “Sirius’ little brother.” James would never see him any other way. Impossible.

Pandora leaned into him again. “Maybe when you stop blushing and daydreaming about him, you should open the book.”

If Regulus wasn’t blushing before, he sure was now.

As soon as Transfiguration finished, Regulus tried as subtly as possible to rush to his room. Judging by Pandora’s smile, he wasn’t that subtle to her.

When he got to his room, he noticed the curtains around Barty’s bed were spelled shut and there was a silencing charm around it. Thank Salazar, Regulus would kill Barty first and then Evan if they forgot it again.

Regulus closed his curtains but didn’t bother putting up a silencing spell. Opening the book, he had no idea what to expect, but it was not this— little notes under his little notes. Butterflies erupted all throughout his body and he knew he was sporting the biggest blush ever. He read through the notes like his life depended on it. James’ notes were variations of his if he had said something sarcastic. 

“Pathetic. I could do better.”

“Could you?”

“Honestly, I’ve never seen so little common sense from someone. There’s a reason history is documented just so people don’t repeat it.”

“Clearly this guy doesn’t understand that.”

“I could’ve done that in half the time and with less mess.”

“I would love to see that happen.”

“She left obvious traces. I wouldn’t have gotten caught.”

“She truly shouldn’t have left the gloves there.”

Some were actual notes that gave his opinion, meaning James took the time to read through the passage of a class he was no longer in, just to give his insight. It was the most adorable thing Regulus had seen. The giggle slipped past his lips before he blushed in embarrassment at the noise.

A dramatic gasp sounded from Barty’s bed. “Did you hear that Rosie?”

Regulus shoved the book under his pillow.

Evan pulled back Regulus’ curtains with delight. “It was actually Regulus.”

“Impossible,” Barty said.

“Bat, do you think someone is using polyjuice potion?”

“No one is dumb enough to sentence themselves to death by impersonating Reg.”

“I’m right here,” Regulus scowled.

“You just fucking giggled,” said Evan.

“Shut up,” he growled. Regulus shot them a glare that made them fidget from nervousness. 

Barty dropped it, surprisingly. “We’re about to go to dinner, you coming with us?”

Regulus sighed. “I’ll meet you there.”

They smiled and left the room. 

Regulus spelled his curtains shut and cast a silencing charm this time. He grabbed his pillow and screamed into it before dissolving into giggles. He put the pillow back and took a few breaths to regain his composure before heading to the Great Hall.

—

James swore he wasn’t stalking Regulus, maybe, but when he looked at the map and saw Regulus heading towards the Great Hall, James jumped up and nearly ran to intercept him. He didn’t know what he was going to do or say, but he would figure it out.

Turning the corner, he nearly tackled Regulus to the ground. The boys jumped back before either one could get hurt. Much to James’ delight, he noticed Regulus blush from his ears to his neck before he scowled.

“Do you ever pay attention?”

“To you, yes,” James smiled.

Regulus gaped and flushed a deeper red before he found his words. “You shouldn’t go through other people’s property.”

“Yes, well, it’s technically not yours but the library’s.”

Regulus raised his brow. “Why?”

“Why what?”

Regulus cleared his throat. “Why the notes?”

James hesitated. “Because… You never really talk to me— in fact, this is the longest conversation we’ve had. It felt like it was the only way I was going to talk with you.”

Regulus studied him carefully, visibly relaxing. “I’m not, I don’t.” He took a deep breath. “I’m not good at talking.”

“I know,” James smiled fondly. 

“Then why bother trying?”

“I want to get to know you, Reg.”

“But why?” he asked softly.

Forget wooing, James would just tell him. Maybe not that he was in love, but that he had feelings.

“I like you. As in, I fancy you and want to date you.”

Regulus stared at him with wide eyes. When he still hadn’t responded, James began to get nervous.

“I-I mean of course, if that’s something you’d like. I probably shouldn’t have sprung this on you since you don’t like talking about feelings or feelings in general. But I like you and I was planning on wooing you but then I thought it would be better to just tell you but you probably don’t like me back and I should’ve stuck with wooin–”

James’ rambling was cut off. Because Regulus Black kissed him. He was kissing Regulus Black. In the hall where anyone could walk by and see them. 

He was kissing Regulus.

“I’m not good at talking.” Regulus looked at James. Green and grey on hazel eyes. “But I can try to show you.”

“I’ll take anything and everything you have to give me.”

“It’s not very much, James.”

“It’s everything to me.”

“Even the little notes?”

“Even the little notes.”

James took Regulus to the kitchen for their first unofficial date. It might have taken them longer than necessary because James kept stopping to kiss Regulus.

[ghostofskywalker]

'Tis The Season

Wanda Maximoff/Reader

Fictober 2024 Day 1 of 31

Words: 756

Summary: How early is too early to start putting up Halloween decorations? According to your girlfriend, never.

Note: happy october everyone! this was one of the first fictober fics i wrote and i knew immediately that it had to be day one :)

Wanda Maximoff Masterlist

The first shock of the morning was the realization that the shades on the windows were pulled up, and that was not how you had left them the night before. The sun was bright today, and the fact that you had just woken up certainly did not make it easier to deal with. Stifling a groan, you turned (with the intention of using your pillow to block out some of the morning rays), but you stopped before you could truly plunge yourself back into comforting darkness. 

The space on the bed next to you was empty, the second surprise of the morning. Wanda was a notoriously late sleeper, and she had a bad habit of convincing you to stay with her longer than you technically had the time for. This wasn’t usually a problem when you were staying at the Avengers’ compound, but the fact that the two of you now owned a house about 10 minutes away meant that you had been more than just fashionably late to some important meetings. 

But now, it was like she had never been there in the first place, despite the fact that you knew you had fallen asleep with your arms around your girlfriend last night. Intrigued as to what had caught her attention, you reluctantly got out of bed, catching a glance at the scene out the window. With leaves lush and green on the trees and pillow-like clouds already in the sky, it was the picturesque ideal of a summer morning. Last weekend, you had gone down to the beach with Wanda, and the early August weather was perfect for an evening bonfire. 

But the third (and most jarring) shock of the morning was the fact that even though Mother Nature had her sights firmly set on summer for the foreseeable future, your home had apparently not gotten the message. Fake pumpkins, leafy autumn garland, and cartoonish malefactors were splayed out along every counter and table in the kitchen, and your girlfriend was in the middle of it all, hands on her hips as she attempted to decide where everything should go. 

Now, things were starting to make sense. Last year, you had gone out with her to shop for a costume, and you could see her eyes light up as the two of you walked through the winding aisles of the halloween store. Now that you had some decor stored away from the previous year, she didn’t have to worry about what the stores had to start putting things up. And besides, she was technically a witch, so you shouldn’t really be surprised that she clicked with the holiday celebrating magic, darkness, and the otherwise slightly austere. 

You yawned, and it caught Wanda’s attention. “Good morning,” she said, walking over to you so she could place a kiss on your cheek. Somehow, she even smelled like pumpkin pie. “I was wondering when you were going to get up.” 

“What’s all this?” you asked, raising your eyebrows at some of the (slightly tacky-looking, if you were being honest) decor splayed out on the table. “Did I somehow sleep three weeks and no one told me?” 

Now it was Wanda’s turn to look confused. “What?” 

“It’s barely August, why are you putting out halloween decorations out?” 

“It’s not ‘barely August,’ it’s practically fall already,” she said, laughing at the face you made. “The pumpkin coffees are coming out soon, so I figured we could get a head start on the festivities.” 

“What about the end of summer?”

“There’s nothing stopping us from going down to the beach and coming home to a sufficiently spooky home.”

There was nothing you could do to resist the face she made, and you couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face. “I do suppose that they’re already selling these kinds of decorations in the store…”

“Exactly,” she said, leaning in to place a soft kiss on your lips. “Now come on, I think I need a second opinion on where to put the ghosts, and then once we clean up a little I’m going to make pumpkin pancakes.” 

Your stomach growled at the mention of food, and you reached down to take Wanda’s hand. You could live with some slightly spooky decorations taking up residence in your home for a little longer than you previously expected, and you also began to mentally plan out the perfect pumpkin picking/jack-o-lantern carving date to surprise Wanda with. 

Though of course, that would have to be scheduled for after the pumpkins had finished growing.

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[bi-bi-buckleys]

Here’s a quick fic I wrote when I was meant to be working. I refuse to accept this new version of Maddie the writers are trying to sell us. Posting before the episode airs so I can live in denial a little longer ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maddie had just walked out of her favorite local cafe with a modified version of her favorite latte (decafe, low fat sugar free vanilla, ugh) when she sees someone familiar sitting at one of the outdoor tables to her right.

“Tommy!”

Maddie forgot. Just for a second. Just for the split second it took her to say his name. Oh right. You’re not dating my brother anymore.

Oops.

Tommy looks at her like a deer in headlights. He recovers quickly enough and stands from the table.

“Hey, Maddie! How are you?” He’s trying to sound chipper, but after he hugs her she sees the sadness haunting his eyes.

“I’m doing well, how are you?”

“I’m….I’m ok.”

It’s a lie and they both know it.

“How’s Ev-Buck?”

“Heartbroken. Baking every time he thinks to call you. His fridge is packed.”

Tommy smiles sadly and Maddie feels a stab of guilt for telling her brother to move on. She thought Tommy left because he didn’t love Buck, but that’s not the feeling she’s getting right now.

“He asked me to move in with him. But he never said he loved me. He said he admired me.” Tommy blurts out like he hasn’t had a chance to really talk about it.

“Oh.” She didn’t know that part.

“Yeah. And the thing is, I love him. So much. I would love him to be my forever. He’s sweet, and funny, and smart, and ridiculous, and even covered in boils he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He’s everything to me. But how can I commit to moving in with a man who asks me to move in because he admires me? Because what happens when he realizes he doesn’t love me the same way I love him? It wouldn’t just break my heart, Maddie: it would destroy it.”

Maddie can’t see through the tears in her eyes. She’s never heard anyone talk so earnestly about loving her little brother before. She can tell Tommy really means it. He broke both of their hearts that night.

“Sometimes my brother thinks that by saying one thing, the other thing is implied. He gets ahead of himself. I’m sure you’ve noticed that, for as smart as he is, his train of thought can be kinda all over the place.”

Tommy laughs, but it's sad and full of just how much he misses Buck.

“He says he can see a future with you, and I’ve never heard him say that before. He also said your happiness is as important to him as his own. Tommy, he wants to call you so bad but he’s terrified of you turning him down again. He’s been hurt before, but I’ve never seen him this miserable. You should talk to him. I’m not saying move in with him, but I think you should hear what he has to say. And I think you should believe him.”

“Is he working right now?”

“Nope. Last I heard he was making a pineapple upside down bundt cake.”

“Wow.”

“I know. Seriously, his fridge is packed. It’s concerning.”

“Thanks, Maddie. I’m gonna go talk to him.”

Maddie gives him a hug and watches as he practically runs to his car. She laughs and wipes the tears from her eyes. She starts to think that maybe the universe did give her brother his special person after all.

~~~

Later she gets a call

“So you talked to Tommy?” Buck whispers.

“I did. I told him to talk to you.”

“What happened to ‘move on’?”

“That was before he told me all the things he loves about you and that ‘even covered in boils, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

Buck gives a small laugh, and she can tell he’s blushing. “He uh, h-he really said that?”

“Yes he did. Word for word. So, did you talk?”

“Yeah we uh- we talked. For a long time. About everything.” His voice was even quieter now, but she could hear his happiness.

She knows the answer before she asks, “Why are you whispering?”

“Because Tommy’s asleep next to me.” Maddie can practically see the smile on his face.

“I’ll let you get some sleep, too then.”

“Yeah, I think I probably should,” Buck laughs and Maddie rolls her eyes at the wink wink tone of his voice.

“Goodnight, Evan.”

“Night, Maddie. Oh, uh hey…thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After they hang up, Maddie can’t stop smiling. Knowing her brother is happy and loved by someone who was willing to put his heart on the line for him. Someone who loves him so much it scares him. Someone who realizes what he walked away from, and went back despite knowing it could end in pain.

Yeah. She’s pretty certain Tommy is Buck’s special person.

[mintpurrfect]

hi, I saw that you came back and if you don’t mind, I also want to ask you to write a one shot with seong taehoon x reader where the reader admits to her boyfriend that her stepfather (maybe someone else, it’s not so important) sexually harassed her and maybe tried to go further (if you know what I mean), how he would behave (this is a pretty tough request, so if it’s too much and you want to write it, then everything is okay)

⩇:⩇⩇ — finding out

⤿synopsys﹕ seong taehoon finding out that his lover's stepfather sexually harassed them and even tried to go further.

⤿character﹕ seong taehoon x gn!reader

⤿genre﹕ hurt/comfort(?), angst-ish

⤿warnings﹕ lower case, tons of cursing, upsetting themes/topics, mentions of sexual harassment and neglectful parenting, reader's got a bad relationship with their family, used the word “manipulated” once at the end but not really in a bad way?(pls inform me if I forgot something)

⤿note﹕ hello, I'm back! (again) I'm sorry this took so long. I honestly didn't know how to write this. I wrote a fanfic format but I can't seem to write it so I changed to this hc type of writing instead. I find this quite hard to write but I managed to finish it. kinda rushed. not proofread.

￫ you were staying at his place for quite some time now.

￫ before, you'd only come crashing by every once in awhile, but lately, you have been staying the night, and would often hangout all day at his place recently.

￫ he knows that you didn't really have a good relationship with your mom and step-father, but never asked why. taehoon thinks that he should wait for you to open up instead of trying to force you to because he didn't want to push you away and possibly make you close yourself off even further.

￫ ever since he learnt that your family situation isn't the best, he started being nicer to you compared to before, although he was still the same teasing and condescending jerk, he held back from bullying his sweet little lover.

￫ just like the past few weeks, you're currently laying beside him on his bed, soundlessly asleep in his arms. taehoon was nearly about to doze off, when all of a sudden, he heard you whimper in your sleep, sounding like you were in pain.

￫ taehoon froze, observing you for a moment just in case he was only hearing things, but you did it again, this time, with a sniffle following it.

￫ he immediately pulled you closer against his chest and began whispering comforting words by your ear, accompanied by soft pecks on your head and temple.

“It's okay, you're safe. I'm right here.”

￫ once you calm down, he sighs and starts caressing your upper arm, rubbing soothing circles on your skin.

￫ when you woke up and finally registered that you were safely tucked in his warm embrace, you couldn't help but begin to cry, letting out all your pent up emotions.

￫ he didn't say anything besides the occasional sweet words he'd whisper against your hair as he hugs you tighter than ever.

￫ it lasted for a while. your cries and sniffling were the only sounds resonating within his quiet bedroom.

￫ when you calm down, you apologize for crying to him, but he just pinches your cheek gently, telling you not to worry about it.

￫ the moment you feel your chest lighten a bit and his warmth, you slowly spoke up, finally letting it all out in the open for him to hear. you told taehoon about how shitty your stepfather is, how terrible and vile that man is to the point that he didn't even deserve to be called human.

￫ you basically poured all the things you've been bearing alone, telling your boyfriend about how your stepfather tried to force you into things you didn't want, things that made your skin crawl and your stomach to crunch in pure disgust.

￫ and let me tell you, the moment you told him about the horrible and disgusting things that bastard did and tried doing to you, he only saw red, his mind going blank, only thinking of different ways to make that shitty asshole pay for what he made you go through.

￫ of course he held back, at least, for the time being, only listening to your words and letting you open up to him while holding you protectively. all the stories you were telling him made his blood boil. he just wanted to beat the living daylights out of that stupid stepfather of yours.

￫ the moment you're done, he comforts you for the rest of the night while simultaneously trying to calm himself down.

￫ be ready for what comes next after he finally found out about what you've experienced. he will, without hesitation, march into your house and beat the shit out of your father.

￫ one day, you'll just find out from your mother that apparently, a "burglar" had broken into the house and your stepfather was "unfortunately" the only one home and got beaten up when this person had caught sight of him and decided that he should be threatened to keep shut about what happened.

￫ you had an inkling feeling that this mystery person was somehow linked with your lover, but when you went to ask, subtly of course, he seemed to have not known anything so you just dropped it. (of course taehoon was only acting innocent from all of it, thinking that it would be better for you not to know.)

￫ it was also safe to say that you have been practically adopted by his father and now, you were going to start living with the seong family, no buts, no excuses. that decision is final and already set.

￫ hansoo considers you as his child now, even if you and taehoon are not married yet, he says that it'll happen someday anyway so it was no problem having you live with them.

￫ when you stopped rejecting the offer and began living with them, finally, taehoon would sneakily manipulate you into cutting off ties with your shitty stepfather and your neglectful mother without you realising it. he may or may have not also threatened them into not contacting you ever again.

￫ not to mention that if he was soft with you before, he became even more so now. He would still tease you but he stopped throwing rude remarks. he started showing you more that he does care and how he loves you. even if he found it quite embarrassing, he'll gladly say “I love you” more frequently if it makes you happy <3

[softguarnere]

ok dove, my love, the writer I aspire to be bc your fics are actually 🤌 I was wondering if you could mayhaps appease my craving for a Joe Toye x sick reader fic? I'm quite literally dying of bronchitis and a double ear infection and I have done nothing but reread your work bc it's literally like drugs for me oml

anyway I hope you're doing okay and autumn treats you wonderfully!! <333

In Sickness and In Health

Joe Toye x reader

A/N: Hey Sky! You are too sweet, oh my goodness 🙈 Thank you so so much! I'm so sorry that you're sick, and I hope you're feeling better now 💕 Get well soon beloved, and I hope you enjoy this! (This is written for the fictional depictions from the show - no disrespect to the real life veterans!) Also, just a reminder that my requests are closed; I wrote this as part of catching up on requests that were already in my asks Warnings: unspecified sickness

This isn’t how it was supposed to happen, you can’t help but think for the millionth time today. But no, every time you think about your original plans for the weekend, the temperature of the room feels even hotter, the pinpricks of sweat on your brow and neck even more prominent, and the pain in your stomach even worse.

“Joe,” you sigh when the man in question takes a seat on the bed, making the mattress at your feet dip under his weight.

He holds up a hand, stopping your sentence in its tracks. “Don’t you dare apologize again.”

His voice is gentle, but you can’t help leaning back onto your pillow and sighing. Because you are sorry. Really, really sorry, for just about everything you can think of. The fact that you travelled all this way for your husband’s reunion with his old army buddies, only to get sick the night before; that he’s taking care of you when he should be catching up with old friends and reminiscing over memories; that he won’t listen to you when you insist that he can leave you here.

“You should go see your friends.” They’re probably all down at the hotel bar by now. Even though the reunion won’t officially start until tomorrow, some of them are probably pregaming.

“I can’t. Not when I’m taking care of you. I made a vow, remember? In sickness and in health.”

I really do have the perfect husband, you can’t help but think to yourself. How many other men would shrug it off, or sneak away once you were asleep? Strange, how the roles have been reversed here, with you insisting that he go, that you can fend for yourself.

You sigh again. “I just – I feel bad. We came all this way to see your friends, and all you’ve gotten to see so far is the inside of this hotel room.”

But Joe only shrugs. “Well, the reunion doesn’t even start until tomorrow. Maybe you’ll feel better by then. We’ll just see what happens. Besides,” he rushes on before you can continue. “A lot of the guys live in Pennsylvania anyways. If we want to see each other, we can just make the drive some other time.”

“But Joe,” you stress. “This is the Easy reunion. This was important to you.”

“You’re important to me,” he deadpans, but his eyes are soft. “I won’t be able to enjoy any of it if I’m worrying about you the whole time.”

Oh. You had been so caught up in worrying about him enjoying himself that you hadn’t even considered that. Maybe the combination of the sickness and the medicine has clouded your judgement. Or maybe just your love for him has.

“You should rest,” Joe suggests. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

You want for him to hold you, to make you feel better. But unfortunately, there are some things in the world that not even a man as strong as Joe Toye can fight off, and sickness is one of them.

The two of you have been together for quite some time now, though, and he knows you well enough to read your mind. Without even asking, he kicks off his shoes, adjusts his prosthetic leg, and curls up beside you on the bed, wrapping you in his arms.

“Let me know if you get too hot,” he whispers. When you nod, he repeats his sentiment from earlier. “Don’t worry, okay, (Y/N)? We’ll see what happens in the morning.”

The morning feels like such a distant time. Right now, the only time that means anything is that which you spend in his arms.  

[sidekick-hero]

Here it is, the next chapter of my entry for the @steddiesummerexchange. This is a gift for my dear friend @starryeyedjanai 💜💜💜 Her prompt was 'Steve can't get his inheritance until he marries someone'. Shout out to @acasualcrossfade for being the best beta reader there is!

Pairings: Steve/Eddie, Robin/Chrissy Characters: Steve, Eddie, Robin, Chrissy, Max, Dustin, Wayne Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake Marriage, Platonic Stobin, Platonic Hellcheer, idiot4idiot, Friends to Husbands to Lovers, Humor and Fluff and a smudge Angst

Summary:

When Steve's grandmother dies, he finds out that he can only get his inheritance - half a million dollars - if he marries someone. It's her way of forcing Steve to live a heterosexual life. Sucks for her that gay marriage has been legalized since she wrote her will. Sucks for Steve that he doesn't have a man or woman in his life to marry. Cue Eddie Munson, roommate and best friend of Robin's girlfriend Chrissy and the guy Steve has had a crush on for years. What could possibly go wrong?

Read on AO3 - the fic is finished and has 4 chapters, the last one will drop June 24

Chapter 1| Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Chapter 3 (4.7k) under the cut

Luck is on his side because Eddie is home. He looks like Steve just woke him up—pillow crease on his cheek, hair a mess, and his face softer than usual, making him look younger.

It's a sweet sight, one Steve might get used to if they actually move in together. For the first time, the thought doesn't fill him with dread and sadness about losing Robin as a roommate.

"Steve?" Eddie asks, blinking in confusion. "Birdie's not here, sorry." He sounds half-asleep, his words slightly slurred.

Of course, Eddie would think he was looking for Robin. Despite what Chrissy and Robin say, Steve and Eddie getting married will change things. Like, Steve will start seeking Eddie's company and they'll spend time alone without their friends as buffers.

"No, I know she's at work. I wanted to talk to you. I texted you that I was coming over."

Eddie’s face lights up with understanding. "Oh, sorry, my phone's in sleep mode. Had a late shift at the bar and only got home around 2. Then I had to open the garage because Bernie sprained his ankle, so I was catching up on some sleep."

"Ah, shit, I'm so sorry, man," Steve apologizes quickly, wincing. "I didn't mean to wake you. It's not that important, go back to sleep, we can talk tomorrow or—"

Eddie cuts him off with a hand on his shoulder. "No, no, it's okay, really. Come on in. You couldn't have known, and I should get up anyway if I don't wanna mess up my sleep rhythm."

Steve snorts. "From what I hear, you have as much of a sleep rhythm as Robin has a brain-mouth filter."

"You wound me, Harrington. Just because it's eclectic doesn't mean there's no rhythm. My sleep schedule is more jazz than pop."

Steve chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Eddie steps aside with a playful swat to Steve’s shoulder. “I feel like you’re not taking me seriously here.”

Steve only hums in response, so Eddie changes the topic. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

They move into the kitchen, and Steve takes a seat at the highbar Chrissy and Eddie installed two years ago. Steve remembers helping with that project, along with Eddie’s friend Jeff. It was a fun afternoon—just them chatting, sharing a big pizza, and working with their hands. It shouldn’t have surprised Steve that Eddie was good with his hands. After all, he’s seen him play guitar and mix drinks expertly when he bartends. He also knows Eddie makes most of his money fixing cars and motorbikes at a friend’s garage.

Still, seeing Eddie aptly handling tools and oiling up the wood had been… an experience. One he had revisited in his mind more than once when he couldn’t sleep and was too weak to fight off the urge any longer to jack off to thoughts of his friend.

“Earth to Steve, do you copy?”

Eddie’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts, and he realizes Eddie is now standing much closer than before.

“Uh… sorry, I zoned out. What did you say?”

“I,” Eddie starts, speaking slowly and deliberately, “asked if you wanted a coffee. And before that, I asked what you wanted to talk about. You haven’t answered either question, so here’s a third: Is everything alright?”

Eddie's probably joking, but he sounds a bit worried, so Steve musters a mostly sincere smile.

“Yeah, man. I’m good. Just… it’s been a long day. Long days. Coffee sounds good, I haven’t slept much.”

“Sure, coming right up.”

Steve watches as Eddie prepares their coffees, his thoughts drifting again as he watches Eddie’s surprisingly broad back move under his worn t-shirt. It looks soft and thin, sporting a couple of holes, and looking incredibly comfy. He idly wonders how it would feel to wrap his arms around Eddie’s tiny waist from behind, pressing his front against Eddie’s back, with his chin hooked over Eddie’s bony shoulder and his cheek against Eddie’s.

It’s a nice thought.

“Your coffee, my liege.”

A cup of coffee appears in front of Steve, startling him out of his daydreams about Eddie. It's the second time he's drifted off today, and he really needs to get his act together.

“Thanks, man. Do you have some milk?”

“Already added it. Two sips, no sugar, right?”

And, yeah, that’s exactly how Steve takes his coffee. He just had no idea Eddie knew that too.

His surprise must be obvious because Eddie's ears turn red. He hides his mouth behind a strand of hair and mumbles, “Just noticed you always make it like that.”

Steve's heart skips a beat. It's a small thing, but it means a lot to know that Eddie is paying so much attention to him, even if it's just as confusing as the time Eddie decided to fall on his own ass to save Steve's birthday cake. Or the time he drove over to Steve and Robin's apartment to make sure Steve had actually turned off the stove that morning because everyone else was at work.

It doesn't fit with the way he rebuffed every attempt by Steve to get to know him better when they first met. Or this conversation he overheard between him and Chrissy about two months after Robin and Chrissy started dating. The one where Eddie had asked why Robin was always bringing that rich asshole jock over.

Everything about Eddie keeps confusing him, making the conversation he needs to have with him even harder, so he takes a sip of coffee to buy some time.

It's good, strong but not bitter, and just the right amount of milk. He hums appreciatively. "Thanks, Eddie. It’s perfect."

Eddie smiles shyly and sits across from Steve, cradling his own mug. "So, what's up, man? It seemed pretty urgent when you knocked on my door."

Steve takes a deep breath, knowing he has to get this right. "I, uh, told Max and Dustin about us. You know, the whole fake engagement thing. Only, I didn’t tell them it’s fake, obviously."

Eddie raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? And how'd they take it?"

"Well, they believed it. Max was cool about it," Steve lies, remembering how serious Max got about his issues, something he doesn't want to unpack right now. "And Dustin... well, he was a little hurt we didn't tell him sooner, but he's on board. He'll be a groomsman, just FYI." Steve pauses, rubbing his neck nervously. "The thing is, I kind of told them a story about how we got together. And I'm not sure it matches what you've been telling people.”

Eddie's eyes widen in amusement. "You made up a story? This I gotta hear."

Steve groans but feels a bit relieved that Eddie seems cool about it. “Okay, so… it had to be convincing. Max and Dustin have known me forever, so they know that I’m someone who,” Steve pauses, feeling vulnerable admitting he falls fast and hard, an incurable romantic at heart.

“Someone who…” Eddie prompts.

“Someone who usually rushes headfirst into relationships. I hook up a lot, but when I date, I fall pretty fast. Robin says I have a trigger-happy heart, whatever that means.” He knows what it means, and that Robin’s right, but Eddie doesn’t need to know that. “So I told them I had a crush on you but wasn’t sure how you felt until a movie night, where we both reached for the chips and our fingers touched, then we kissed, and the rest is history. I proposed pretty fast after that, too, because I wanted to put a ring on the guy I had been crushing on for so long. They ate the story right up.” Steve adds the last part hastily, realizing how cliché it sounds.

Eddie laughs, shaking his head. "I can't believe they just bought it like that, it sounds like something straight out of a romcom. But you know what? I kinda love it."

Steve feels almost dizzy with relief. "You do?"

"Yeah, it's cute. And I haven't told anyone yet, so we can stick to your story."

Steve lets out a sigh of gratitude for Eddie’s easy acceptance before the implications of what Eddie just said sink in.

"You haven't told anyone yet?"

The hurt in his voice is more obvious than he wants it to be, but he can't help but wonder why Eddie wouldn't tell anyone. Sure, it's not like they're in a real relationship, but it still feels like Eddie's ashamed of him or something. Deep down he knows that he's way too invested, but it's hard not to get caught up in it all.

Eddie must have heard it too, because his eyes soften as they search his face. "No, not yet. I... wasn't sure you wouldn't take it back, to be honest. And I didn't want to have to explain to people why I told them I was getting married and then had to say 'oops, my bad, never mind', y'know?"

There's some color in Eddie's cheeks and he's fiddling with his rings, his eyes darting away from Steve's. He grabs Eddie's hand and stops him from twisting his thumb ring.

"You really thought that? But - why? I mean, if anyone was going to take it back, I thought it would be you. You're doing me a huge favor here, in case you've forgotten."

Eddie's hand feels warm in his, the skin under his palm softer than he expected. He squeezes it to emphasize his words and desperately wants to give in to the urge to caress his knuckles with his thumb, too.

He doesn't, figuring it's a line he shouldn't cross.

"I told you, I don't mind. And I get something out of it too, so it's not like you're twisting my arm or anything. I guess it's just hard for me to believe that someone like you would want to marry someone like me. Even if it's a scam."

"You mean someone who's a rich asshole jock?" Steve asks, his voice bitter as he remembers Eddie's words to Chrissy.

Eddie's eyes widen in obvious surprise. "What? No! What makes you..." Eddie begins, but trails off, the color draining from his face as he curses at the realization. "You heard that, huh?"

He looks pained as he asks, his hand twitching under Steve's as if he wants to pull it away but doesn't dare.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry for eavesdropping, but you and Chrissy were discussing it right in front of the bathroom I was going to use."

Eddie groans, finally pulling his hand away so he can bury his face in his hands. His voice is muffled when he speaks.

"No. Fuck, no. I'm sorry, Steve. That was... That was before."

"Before?"

"Before! Before I got to know you. Before I realized that I might be a complete idiot who prides himself on going against the grain and being open-minded and all that shit, only to go around judging people by their appearances instead of giving them a fair chance. The only asshole in this room is me." He groans again, a sound of pain and despair. "God, I can't believe you heard that crap and went on thinking that's how I fe - that's how I see you."

"Isn't it?" Steve couldn't help but ask, stunned by the sudden turn of events. He thought that Eddie had gotten over some of his resentment over the last few years, but it's hard to believe that he sees Steve so differently.

"It isn't!" Eddie almost yells, clearly wanting Steve to believe him. Then his voice softens again, "It's not. It didn't take me long to realize that you're a really good dude, Steve.”

And that is... a lot to take in. While he may need some time to let Eddie's words sink in, his heart doesn't seem to have any trouble taking this new realization and running with it, judging by the warmth spreading through his chest.

Eddie likes him. Has for some time, it seems. Maybe not in the same way that Steve likes him, but it's nice. Really nice.

"I won't," he tells Eddie.

"You won't what?"

"Take it back. I'm still all in. That is, if you are too."

A slow smile spreads across Eddie's face, the first hint of dimples adorning his cheeks. He returns it with one of his own, and for a long moment they just look at each other, the air around them thick with something. Something he dares not name, but that makes the hairs on his arms stand up.

Then Eddie breaks the moment by shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Looks like I have to make some phone calls today and share the great news."

"Great news? Did I miss something?" Steve jokes and Eddie rolls his eyes with a scoff.

"Had a clown for breakfast, Harrington?"

Right on cue, his stomach growls loudly. "Actually, I skipped breakfast."

Their eyes meet again and they both burst out laughing. When they calm down a bit, Eddie gets up from the table and claps his hand.

"Okay, this won't do. I can't let my future husband starve before he makes me an honest man. Let's go get something to eat, on me."

Steve gets up as well, still grinning happily. "You don't have to, I can pay."

"I know I don't and I know you can. But I want to. Sometimes people want to do nice things for you too, Stevie, and you have to let them. It's rude not to, y'know. Besides," Eddie adds, his voice getting serious, "I want to make it up to you. The shit I said, I mean."

He looks so earnest that it makes Steve melt a little. It's not that he needs it, he forgave Eddie long before they ever talked about it, but it feels like Eddie does.

"Okay. Thanks, Eds. I could go for some blueberry pancakes."

"Good choice, good choice. Lou's Diner?" Eddie's smile brightens again, both cheeks now dimpled, and Steve is glad he gave in, if it means he's the one causing that look on Eddie's face.

"You know how to treat a guy."

"I try."

Eddie disappears into his room to get his wallet, then rushes back, grabs his hands and drags him toward the door.

He doesn't let go until they're both on the sidewalk, walking side by side to the diner, their fingers brushing with almost every step.

"Okay, so I'm calling my uncle and the boys today, you already told Max and Dustin. Chrissy and Robin obviously know as well. Anyone else we need to tell?"

The question makes Steve falter in his steps and Eddie, who didn't notice at first and kept walking, rushes back to him when he realizes that Steve is no longer next to him.

"What is it? Is everything okay?"

Steve shakes his head. "No. I mean, yeah, I'm fine. Everything is fine. I just remembered I have to tell my boss. And my team."

"You think they'll react badly?"

With a sigh, Steve nudges Eddie's shoulder with his own and starts walking again. It's easier to talk about it when he doesn't have to look at Eddie's face.

"I don't know," he admits. "I want to say, no, they're good people. I mean, they are. But... back in high school, I thought my friends were good people, too. That they cared about me. Turns out they didn't. My best friend, Tommy... We used to fool around sometimes. He always said it didn't mean anything, that friends help each other out sometimes, no big deal. That's bullshit, of course. I just didn't want to admit that I liked guys as much as I liked girls. Then, the first semester of senior year, I had a girlfriend that I really liked. Loved, actually. Tommy didn't take it well. I guess he was jealous because I stopped making out with him and he told everyone how I liked dick. That I was trying to touch his.” Here Steve rolls his eyes at the irony of it all. It was Tommy who had always been so eager to get his hands on Steve. “Everything changed. My teammates on the basketball team refused to change in front of me, my friends started talking about me behind my back. Even my girlfriend looked at me differently after I admitted to her that I 'kind of like boys, too'."

It's like a dam has broken, all these words coming out of him. Eddie doesn't say a word, just walks beside him and lets him get it all out. He reaches for Steve's hand again, though, holding it in his own in silent support, his thumb stroking his knuckles in much the same way Steve had dreamed of doing to Eddie earlier.

When Steve is finished, Eddie squeezes his hand.

"Did you know that about 600,000 people go missing every year in the U.S.? Who knows, maybe this Tommy will join them soon. Wouldn't that be a shame?"

Steve can't help but burst out laughing. The grin Eddie throws his way tells him that's exactly what he hoped would happen, obviously proud of himself for making Steve laugh.

"I appreciate the...offer? Threat? Fun fact? But it's okay, I'm over it. It sucked big time, but it also made me realize that they were all rich asshole jocks and I didn't want to be one of them anymore." He winks to take some of the heat out of his words.

"Okay, fine. The offer's on the table, though. But seriously, I get it. You're afraid your team will let you down like those assholes did."

"I guess. Which is probably unfair, but -"

"Once burned, twice shy."

"Exactly. Is that stupid?"

"No, it's not." Eddie reassures him. "I think it's perfectly normal to be cautious after what you've been through. But maybe your teammates are surprising you. Every time you talk about them, they sound pretty awesome and like you have a great relationship with them."

Steve didn't even realize he was talking about his teammates so much, or that Eddie was paying attention when he did.

"So how about this: Our apartment has this common area out back. We could have a little barbecue out there with Max and Dustin and the girls on the day you tell your team. That way, we can take your mind off of it if it doesn't go well, or, my personal favorite, we can celebrate that they took it well with a couple of burgers and some beer."

Eddie sounds sincere, his hand around Steve's as firm and sure as his voice.

"That... that would be great. You really think that would be okay?"

They reach Lou's Diner and Eddie turns to face him, his big brown eyes full of an emotion Steve can't name. "Yeah, I'm sure. All in, remember?"

On impulse, Steve rushes forward and wraps his arms around Eddie, pressing his face into his neck. After a moment of surprised hesitation, Eddie's arms wrap around him in return. He squeezes Steve tightly, his hand gently rubbing his back.

Steve doesn't let go for a long time.

Eddie is so screwed. He's not known for making particularly smart decisions, but this has to take the cake. Offering to fake marry the guy he's been head over heels for years.

Stupidity of epic proportions, your name is Eddie Munson.

In his defense, he didn't come up with the idea. No, that honor goes to Chrissy and Buckley. But Eddie could have said no when they pitched him their idea on how to help Steve get his inheritance and at the same time flip that horrible woman he's unfortunate enough to call Grandmother the bird.

As if Eddie has that much sense of self-preservation. It's like they never even met him. So of course he said yes, and when Steve told him, all earnest puppy eyes, that Eddie didn't have to do this, he made up a story about needing a loan for the record store he and Jeff were in the process of buying anyway. He's not looking forward to that awkward conversation when that particular truth comes out, but that's a problem for future Eddie.

Present Eddie is freaking out because past Eddie offered to throw a barbecue for Steve to make him feel better after coming out to his team at the firehouse. He invited Steve's little sister Max and made sure that Dustin came all the way from Boston to join them, with Robin, Chrissy, and Eddie there as backup in case Steve's team reacts badly and he needs his favorite people to cheer him up.

"Could you please stop freaking out, Edward? Robin and Steve are going to be here any minute and you looking like you're seconds away from bolting is not going to help anyone."

"I really don't like this tough love thing you've got going, Chris. Where's the sweet, innocent girl who ambushed me in the woods to buy weed from me and then never left?"

"She became friends with you," Chrissy quips back and presses a quick kiss to his cheek, still grinning.

Eddie, unable to keep up the fake annoyance any longer, cracks and, with a cackle of laughter, grabs his best friend and spins her around until her pearly laugh echoes through their apartment.

That's how Steve and Robin find them, clearly amused by the antics they've just seen.

"Did we miss something?" Steve asks with a smile and Eddie's heart flutters at the sight.

"Nope," he answers, popping the 'p'. "Just the usual occurrence of Chrissy being a menace to me."

"Watch it, Munson. That's my girlfriend you're talking about." Robin chimes in and walks over to greet Chrissy with a sweet kiss.

"Stevie, it is your sacred duty as my future husband to defend me!" Eddie cries out as Steve just stands there watching them with amusement.

"Oh no, no, no. I refuse to be dragged into this."

Robin actually cackles like some kind of supervillain. "Damn right. Steve knows I have access to his hair products and I have no qualms about using that knowledge against him."

Eddie throws up his arms and stalks off to the kitchen to get the things they need for the barbecue.

Later, he stands by the grill, watching Steve flip burgers with the ease of someone who’s done it a thousand times. The backyard is filled with the people closest to Steve and him, their laughter and conversation filling the common area. Eddie's heart feels incredibly full at the sight.

He nudges Steve gently. "You okay? You haven't said a word about how it went. Has me a bit worried, to be honest."

Steve nods, though Eddie can see the pensiveness in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm good. I guess it went better than I thought it would. They hated that I didn't tell them sooner, but Jim talked some sense into them. He said I didn't owe them anything and that he was sure I had my reasons."

Eddie gives him a reassuring smile. "They'll understand when you tell them what you told me. And even if you don't, it sounds like they care a great deal about you. They'll get over it."

Steve takes a deep breath and nods. "I hope you're right." Then he looks at Eddie through his lashes, a wry twist to his mouth indicating Steve thinks Eddie won't like what's coming next. "I might have invited them all to our wedding. Y'know, to make it up to them. But I'm sure I could tell them -"

"That's fine, Steve. Really. In fact, I didn't expect anything else. I was hoping Uncle Wayne would have someone his age at the wedding to talk to, and your captain sounds like the perfect guy for the job."

Eddie quickly begins to realize that he would do anything for Steve, as long as it meant Steve would look at him the way he does now. His hazel eyes are all soft and warm, the little smile that curls the corners of his mouth almost intimate. They lean in close, both gazing at each other, lost in their own little orbit. So close, Eddie can see the freckles on the bridge of Steve's nose and the swirls of gold and green in his eyes. It wouldn't take much to bridge the gap between them, just a slight tilt of his head, a few inches of space he'd need to push forward. Just a few teeny-tiny inches...

"Ew, gross! Get a room, you two. There are children present." Max's voice cuts through the thickening tension between them, startling them apart.

Steve looks at her sternly, his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. "Excuse me?"

Eddie, on the other hand, just sticks his tongue out at her.

Dustin, who had been talking with Robin, also turns toward them, adding his own two cents. "I can't believe I didn't call this. You two are so obvious, it's embarrassing."

Usually, Eddie would tell Dustin off for his tone, maybe even tease him about missing all the clues with that genius brain of his, but that would be risky. Sure, maybe there had been clues from his side, but he sure as hell doesn’t want Steve to know that. So instead of doing one of his favorite things in the world—teasing Dustin—he keeps quiet and just rolls his eyes at him.

Steve, however, chooses a different approach. He ignores both his little sister and Dustin in favor of continuing their conversation.

"So, how did your uncle take the news of your betrothal?"

The phrasing makes Eddie laugh. "Stevie, you sound like Birdie and Chrissy made you watch Pride and Prejudice with them." When Steve doesn’t respond, only his cheeks slightly reddening, Eddie can’t help but cackle. "They did, didn’t they? Don’t worry, I’ve been swooning over Mr. Darcy since I was a teenager. I'm happy to be your Elizabeth Bennet."

For a moment, Eddie's afraid he said too much, revealed too much. But Steve’s just smiling at him like the thought amuses him, so Eddie thinks they’re good. He really hopes so, because now that Steve mentioned his talk with Wayne, he remembers the old man’s words.

When Eddie had told him about the wedding, asking if he’d come, his uncle had been surprisingly unsurprised.

"It’s that Steve fella you’re always going on about, isn’t it?" he had asked, like he’d been waiting for something like that to happen. It had made Eddie cringe. Seems like he had talked a lot more about Steve than he thought he had.

"How’d you know?" Eddie still had to ask.

"Because you’ve been smitten with that boy for years and he would be stupid not to want you back. And my nephew doesn’t fall for stupid."

It was then that Eddie had wished more than ever that he could tell Wayne the truth, ask his advice. But just like Steve, he didn’t want to pull his only family that mattered to him into his mess. Besides, Wayne sounded so happy that Eddie finally got to have the love he deserves that Eddie couldn’t bring himself to tell him that no, Steve just needed him. Liked him, maybe, from the looks of it, but not love. Never love, not for Eddie.

"Hello, Earth to Eddie. Do you copy?" Steve asks, sounding once again like the nerd Eddie knows he secretly is after years of hanging out with Dustin Henderson.

"Yeah, sorry, just remembered that I have to put the garbage bin out tomorrow."

Steve looks a bit doubtful but lets it drop. "So, your talk with your uncle, how did it go?"

"It went well. He’s excited to meet you."

Another of those soft smiles graces Steve’s face, and Eddie learns that he’s quickly becoming addicted to causing them. "Good, that’s good. Me too. He sounds great."

Only two more weeks until the most important person in his life and the guy he’s secretly in love with, whom he’s fake marrying, will meet. What could possibly go wrong?

[wishingstarinajar]

I know, I know I'm a scratched record

But I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the Wakfu finale when you get to it!

I just finished watching it and it's uuh... hmm. I read people saying the finale was "satisfactory" but I am not fully on board with that sentiment.

Too much left unanswered, not enough wrapped up, too rushed to get to the end.

I know the Waven game is a continuation of sorts, it takes place decades after Wakfu's conclusion so that game might hold some answers or closure, buuuuttt... I'm not interested enough in the game to play and find out. I guess I've grown a bit tired of the whole cross-media info/lore some franchises love to do (like Blizzard and covering important info across the Warcraft games, books and short stories).

Wakfu season 4 obviously has an open ending, no matter that it is the final season, so who knows what might follow. I'm just a little saddened that the story picked up a little too late this season but the animation, particularly during action scenes, was pretty great... when not using the same static images of characters xDD They loved that a little too much but I understand the budget wasn't that big so I can't really fault Ankama for it.

Did I like this season? Mmmyyeeaaah, it's a mixed bag. Better than season 3 but not better than the first two seasons or even the OVA episodes. Glad it exists but I don't feel super satisfied with its conclusion.

HEAVY SPOILERS ahead, so be mindful but gonna share some thoughts:

Seeing Joris play a bigger part in the second half of the 4th season, and him vibing with Adamaï made me very giddy and happy. Love that for them, hope they become good friends. And thank fek neither of them died. RIP, Qilby, Armand and Brakmar (maybe?). The guys who needed to redeem themselves got their chance, at least.

Goddess Eliatrope was a big disappointment and an unlikeable character but I guess that was kind of the point...? Angry that she totally ignored Chibi and Grougal, like what the fuck even? Didn't even show a hint of acknowledgment towards them. What if they wanted to meet mom, huh?? And what even happened to Baltazar and Glip, who were in Emrub with the same kids that were asleep in Goddess Eliatrope's belly? What did she do with them?

But hey, at least my headcanon that the Sadida and Eliatropes will combine into a single kingdom/people (which I also wrote about in my Rebirth fic) actually happening was pretty satisfying x'D It even has Wakfu-infused trees, om nom nom.

A little frustrated with Necroworld (not the same Necroworld from the Transformers: Lost Light comics) because it's supposed to be a different planet in some other universe but it had dofus (dragon eggs) and races of the Twelve like Sadida, Sram and Sacrier. It was pretty confusing... Imo, it should have been something similar to The Upside Down (Stranger Things), or an alternate version of the world of Twelve rather than a completely separate place. But eh...

Why did nobody care about the state Inglorium was in, or that the Gods have disappeared? That bothered me so so so soooo much during the first two episodes; nobody non-Eliatrope or non-demigod cared that their God/Goddess was... well... gone. Aside from God Iop, where are they?? Hated the disinterest, hated the silence around it. Guess that's a mystery that will be unraveled in some other media.

Yugo grew tall and handsome and I'm not afraid to say it. Happy for him, though him suddenly growing so quickly was a bit silly. I figured there would be a time skip to justify his 'growth' that we saw in promotional images and teasers. Won't complain though, he deserved to finally be in a body that reflects his actual age, it took him long enough!

"Bootleg Alys" from the Dofus movie made a cameo in episode 11 which made me snerk. (I noticed a few more background characters from the movie that were re-used in episode 11.)

And that's all I have to say, at least here on Tumblr. It was quite a ride.

A big thanks Ankama and all the Kickbackers that made it possible; this show had its ups and downs over the past decade but it was enjoyable and loved. It still holds a special place in my heart and I will keep a tiny eye out for more Krozmos stuff in the future (like Welsh & Shedar, gimme!!).

[brynnmclean]

in the core of everything drums a beat - snippets round up post

Actually, not a bad idea to have some kind of post with all the Hellblade fic fragments I've posted so far. In vague order of how they should fit together chronologically in the fic:

Chapter one

Rough draft of chapter one where Thórgestr is having a lot of fever dreams (there was an earlier post with a small section that I think is still my favorite in the chapter)

Also from chapter one, but I think @eisoj5 asking me for "and" as a word in that WIP meme remains hilarious, so here's that post

Chapter two

Part of chapter two and the introduction of my Irish healer OC Iseult

Thórgestr awake and making a very bad joke about getting stabbed, my beloved

First Senua Giantsbane name drop!

"Is my father dead?" "He's alive. He's an exile."

I'm really fond of Fargrímr and I do think he cares about Thórgestr, so this is a nice little moment for that

Chapter three

Intro to the chapter where half-asleep Thórgestr eavesdrops on a conversation between Senua and Fargrímr

There is so much in the game about Thórgestr's dad so why not feature a dream of his mother, here's her introduction

I gave her some very specific spirit vibes :)

You know, lot of emphasis on being your father's child, but Thórgestr is also his mother's son and I think that's important. Also I know surnames are patronymic, but there was that whole thing in the game about the importance of names, chosen names included, and so I really dig the idea of Thórgestr privately thinking of himself as Eindridson. (Also I like prophecies and love the idea of Eindrid as ghostly fate-spirit predicting how Áleifr will die... Honestly, chapter three is a fave!)

Thórgestr probably forgot what his mother's face looked like, so of course he's afraid to look away from her when she appears in his dreams

You ever write a bunch of fun images and then have a friend brainstorm plot developments with you later when you're at a loss on what kind of object you might need characters to go find, so of course your friend is like, "hey, you already wrote what you need." Just me? (thanks @allatariel <3)

Chapter four (current one I'm working on)

The beginning of the chapter

Part of a midnight conversation between Senua and Thórgestr, early in the chapter

A moment I think is cute at the end of that scene

The beginning of an important conversation between Ástríðr and Thórgestr.

"Your father is gone. So is mine. But I’ll have what I’m owed. Tell me, Thórgestr," Ástríðr says, "what is your regret worth? What of your word?"

please I want the beginning of this next scene to be down, I've been struggling

UPDATED: This is now Chapter six because I have lost control of my outline again!!!

A funny part of a conversation with another OC, this one a Bjarg skáld who pitches a marriage of convenience between Senua and Thórgestr to his utter bewilderment

Chapter... uh, current outline says eight... JUST KIDDING it's Chapter ten now

One of my favorite parts I've written for the whole damn thing even now -- Thórgestr doing sword drills alone on a beach near Bárðarvik

Thórgestr and Fargrímr conversation snippets one and two that are actually part of a larger scene

Other posts:

My fanmix / fic playlist post

Others Narration transcription posts (6 total)

My video games screenshots tag

The overall tag for this fic is hertan writing tag

Feel free to author subscribe on AO3 if you want to catch the fic drop whenever that happens in the future

[wizardfrog69]

Hello~I hope you're doing fine! I would like to request daza as a brother figure i with a teenage gn!reader(or fem!reader both is fine) where he saw a little blood on their sleeve when reader is asleep and then finds out they have sh scars

Please feel free to ignore if you're not comfortable with this topic.

I'm still sick but I feel better than yesterday.

I do feel comfortable writing for this topic, and I think mental health awareness is a great and important thing, especially with younger people.

It's okay to not be okay, and it's okay to want and/or need help. We all need help sometimes. The challenging part is always asking for help.

Thank you for the request!

'•.¸♡it's just a small cut♡¸.•'

Bother figure Dazai x teenage reader (platonic)

Angst/comfort

Tw! Self harm, depression like symptoms

If this subject is triggering in any way, please do not read. Your mental well-being is more important.

Masterlist

Enjoy!

You walked out of the bathroom, your arm stung a bit, but you tried to pay it no mind. There was not a lot of blood. You whipped away what you could, so no blood should have gone through your clothes, but you were mistaken.

There was no reason to bother Dazai over something so small and irrelevant, so you never bothered him with anything. You were only overreacting, being dramatic, right? Maybe you felt horrible, like something was eating away at you from the inside, and no matter how many times you tried to claw it out, it would never leave, but it was not that serious. There is no reason for you to cry over this stupid shit. There is no reason to keep... there is no, there is nothing anymore.

Thinking exhausted you, everything did. Who knew existing could be so tiring. You lay down in bed, wishing for all your thoughts to finally go away, but they wouldn't. They kept on haunting you until you fell asleep.

It was late, later than usual, but Dazai finally came back. It was dark and quiet, so he assumed you had fallen asleep. He walked into your bedroom to see if you were asleep after knocking on your door. When he saw you asleep, he was glad to see you safe and sound, that thought did not last long as he saw a red spot on your sleeve. Seeing this sight nerved him, he did the only thing he thought of doing at the moment, making sure you are alright.

Dazai walked up to your sleeping form, pulled your sleeve away, and examined the scar on your forearm. He left the room as soon as he entered, thinking about you, if you were okay or not.

You woke up to the smell of Franch toast flooding every corner of your room. With a wave of tiredness, you stood and left for the kitchen. 'Good morning!' Dazai chirped. 'Morning.' You yawned back. 'So, what did you do?' 'Hm?' 'You never make breakfast, and you always whine about even being near the stove.' 'Oh come on, I've made food before!' 'Ya, once, when we first met. And you're burning the bread.' 'Oh!' Dazai quickly looked back to the pan and managed to scrape the burning piece of bread from the pan and lay another piece in its place.

A plate filled with burnt and semi burnt French toast was placed onto the table. Dazai handed some things to add to the toast to make it more edible. You resorted to honey. He sat in front of you, a look of worry coming over him. 'What's wrong?' You asked, confused. 'I know you are hurting yourself. Could you please tell me what is wrong?' His usual enthusiastic and joking tone turned into a serious one. That was why he made the toast. 'I don't want to talk about it, not yet anyway.' 'Okay, you don't have to, but if you need to talk about anything, I'm here. I'm here to help you with whatever you need.' 'Yeah...' You sighed to yourself, you were not ready to talk to him but you wanted to try.

༺♡༻ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ⋆ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 ༺♡༻

I hope you are okay and that everything will turn out fine.

Sorry, I've been somewhat busy and distracted, so it [the thing I've wrote] might sound odd or different.

Have a wonderful day/night and remember that there are people out there who care about you, maybe they have not said so, or it doesn't feel that way but I can promise you there is atleast one person (or animal) out there who cares about you. :)

-love, Az

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

how does the 2022 movie shit on the novel?? (I love the 2022 movie and haven’t read the book)

Hiii so first off I wanna thank you for this ask from the bottom of my heart because this story is deeply important to me and I've been seething about it for two years straight and now I finally have an excuse to talk at length about the problem without sounding (completely) unhinged. I'd also like to clarify that I'm not mad at you or anyone else for liking this movie especially if you haven't read the book. I actually think that as a standalone film, it's pretty phenomenal. The acting, cinematography, and soundtrack are really on point. The problem isn't that it's a bad movie, it's that it's a bad and seemingly purposefully disrespectful adaptation.

So now I'll get into why (buckle up). As my followers know, War Movie Commentary is not typically the focus of this blog so uhhhh sorry y'all we'll be back to your regularly scheduled brainrot soon enough, but if any of you care deeply for literature or history or the history of war, or are familiar with this book or movie, I urge you to hear me out. Sorry, It's long. I kinda ran with it lmfao

So the first and most important thing to be aware of when discussing the disrespect of this adaptation is that, while it is not technically an explicit memoir, All Quiet on the Western Front is not a work of fiction. Everything that happens is based on something either the author or a soldier he interviewed really experienced. The main character is based on the author himself. Remarque's middle name was Paul before he changed it, he entered the German military at the same age as Paul, he had a passion for writing and poetry like Paul (a passion which if I recall correctly was omitted from the movie, but my memory may be off) and several of the things that Paul experiences are directly taken from his own life. While it is not explicitly a memoir, it is a collection of the real lived experiences of these soldiers, put to page in the form of a story with names changed. I think it is inherently disrespectful to dramatically change the events of a true story, but the way in which the 2022 movie went about it somehow took it further than just that.

So one thing you should know if you haven't read the book, which I HIGHLY recommend, Remarque wrote a preface to the book that was included in all the movies EXCEPT this one, and it states the exact purpose of the story. this is quoted from memory,

“This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who come face to face with it. It will simply seek to tell the story of a generation of men who, while they may have survived the shells, were destroyed by the war.”

He explicitly did not want it to be sensational, or “an adventure.” He wanted to tell real stories about real people, and all those stories were scrapped in favor of what we got. If you remove maybe two scenes and changed the title and character names, the film would not even be recognizable. How can you (not you the asker but the general you) do that to real people's lived experiences? How can you disgrace the author’s wishes like that? The book takes a humanistic approach. You learn about these people, you care about them. You spend time with them goofing off in boot camp, hassling newbies in the trenches, playing cards in the latrines, you see Paul go home and you see how his time at home affects him. How his father parades him around, how he lost interest in everything that once made him happy, how he sees Russian POWs and knows that they are just like him, how his mother, dying of cancer, strokes his hair and cries when she thinks he is asleep because she knows her baby has been lying when he said that things were fine, and he's going back into that hell.

I cannot go into everything the movie portrayed differently to the book because I would have to just copy and paste practically the entire script lol. And having differences isn't inherently a bad thing! Both other movies added or removed or slightly altered a scene here and there. But there are two specific scenes, at the beginning and at the end, that I think are the most indicative of this movie’s failure and disrespect.

In the beginning of the book, which is not told in chronological order, we are introduced to the main friend group and find out that their friend is dying in the infirmary. They visit him, they crack jokes and tell him he's lucky he'll be going home, but he's obviously not improving. He is unaware that his leg has been amputated. One of them asks for his boots, since he has nice military boots, for when he “goes home”, and the others kind of shut him up. Later they discuss how they all know Franz is dying. Paul reminisces about Franz, how he was always timid, how his mother made Paul promise to protect him. He goes to visit Franz again, and he's doing real bad. The author describes in detail how you can see the death in his face. He is now aware his leg was amputated. He wistfully tells Paul that he wanted to be a forester when he grew up, and now he never will. Paul tries to reassure him that “prosthetics are great these days!” (This was written in 1920 lmao) and insists Franz will go home. Franz asks “Do you think so?” And then when Paul remains insistent, he quietly replies, “I don't think so.” He tells Paul to give their friend his boots. Paul sits in silence with him, foreheads pressed together, watching as his friend slowly dies from infection. His internal monologue is distressed about the orderlies ignoring them. “I want to grab them and I want to scream, ‘his name is Franz Kemmerich, he is nineteen years old, he doesn't want to die, don't let him die!’” As he hits in silence until the end. All these characters are emphasized to be nineteen years old.

This is the most important scene in the book. It sets the tone for the whole rest of the story and happens very early on.

Meanwhile in the movie, an unnamed character who we vaguely see hanging around Paul gets instantly blown to shrapnel and his severed leg gets blown off and Paul finds it, cries for 8 seconds, and we move on.

So that's a pretty big failure, I would say. This was the point in the movie I started getting a real bad feeling.

So that's the beginning, now the ending which, while it is the insulting cherry on top of the disrespect pie, I cannot get over how absolutely ridiculous this film ending is. First of all, the whole bit with the military officials? Not in the book at all. That big end battle after the armistice for literally no reason? Yeah, that didn't happen. I don't know how the writers forgot that you cannot completely fabricate an entire battle in a film about an actual war that really happened. And what disgusted me was they have Paul die in a vicious killing spree, bashing heads in, storming the trench (in this fake battle that didn't happen) stabbing people, shooting people, strangling people, throwing bombs, going nuts, getting nearly DROWNED IN SHIT WATER. Need I remind you this was the self-insert of the author who they had doing this? I get what they were trying to to do, show how an innocent non-violent guy got “broken” by the war but that is not faithful to the story. It borders on fetishizing violence, which as previously mentioned was the exact OPPOSITE of what the author directly stated that he wanted his work to be perceived.

Paul did what he had to do, but he was never sadistic and never liked killing and certainly never went on a killing spree. Again, this is meant to represent the AUTHOR.

So how does he die in the book? It's where the title comes from. “He fell in October, 1918 on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to a single sentence: All Quiet on the Western Front. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long. His face bore an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.”

Bit of a different picture, innit? Look, I don't mind movies being different to books, I don't particularly mind this movie as it stands on its own, but it chewed up, shat out, and stomped on Remarque's legacy and it absolutely devastates me to know how he would feel if he saw what they did to his story. The rage I feel on the behalf of a person who just wanted to tell his real story is unfathomable.

[padfootagain]

Your Song

Hello! Today we’re answering a request sent by an anon: “Heeey! I got this idea last night for a Ben imagine and it’s so cute that I know you’re gonna kill it. Listen, what about a singer reader writing a love song for Ben??? Like, you are working on your new album and Ben keeps asking you to show him a glimpse of it. He’s just super excited (we love a supportive boyfriend) and you keep telling him to wait, so it’s the single release day and at 12am (that’s the time music release on spotify, right?) he grabs his phone and he listen to the song and he’s just so emotional that you wrote the song about him!!! Like, there’s a specific moment when the lyrics just hit him and he’s like “is this about me?“ JUST IMAGINE. Honestly, I think that writing a love song to someone it’s one of the greatest gestures of love if you are a musician. I’m just a hopeless romantic 💗💗”

Thank you so much for the request! I hope you like what I’ve written for you!

Also, apologizing for the bad poetry of the lyrics…

I hope you all enjoy this cute fic! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x reader

Warnings: Extreme fluffiness

Summary: You’re a singer, and your new album is about to come out. As he listens to the first single for the first time, Ben suddenly realizes who your songs are about.

Word Count: 2048

Ben Barnes’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist

Ben was overexcited, to say the least.

Perhaps it was a little ridiculous to get so excited at his age about something as mundane as a song, but then again, he enjoyed simple pleasures in life. And he also had a more important reason to be excited about this piece of art: you were its creator.

A new song coming out was always a bitter-sweet experience. There was the excitement of the release, the relief of the abandonment of something you had worked so hard on. But there was the apprehension of reactions as well, the worry that it might turn out to be a terrible fiasco.

This time around though, you seemed happier than usual about the release, your team had noticed the changes with ease. They all thought it was because of your relationship with Ben, about the fact that it was the first time some of your music was coming out while he was by your side, encouraging you and looking at you with all the pride in the world held in his gaze.

And it was true that his kind words and his support towards you were the main reason behind your calm behaviour. But there was also excitement and tenderness this time around, because of the meaning behind your single.

After all, this song was about Ben.

You had refused to let him hear it before it would come out. You were strict on this decision, no matter how many times he had pouted at you and given you his most adorable puppy eyes. No matter what he tried to convince you, your answer remained the same:

“Not yet. You’ll listen to it when the world does.”

But tonight was the night. Ben was struggling not to fall asleep before the clock would strike midnight.

You laughed at him as he yawned once more.

“You should go to sleep, darling,” you admonished, but Ben shook his head, blinking his tiredness away as he focused again on the page of his book.

You were both lying in bed, your backs resting against the bedpost and your comfortable pillows, side by side under the warm covers, both of you reading.

“I want to listen to your song as soon as it comes out. Do you know for how long I’ve been waiting for this? And you over there… being all secretive…”

“Me?” you answered, summoning your most innocent tone, which made him merely roll his eyes.

“Yes, you. You’re lucky you’re unbearably gorgeous, or I would be very upset about all this.”

“Oh, but my natural charm gets me out of trouble, then?”

“Obviously. What else could it be?”

“At least it makes things even between us, as I find you too charming to ever be mad at you for more than five minutes.”

He grinned at that, rewarding you with a peck on the lips.

He glanced at the time again.

Ten minutes left. He heaved a sigh and put away his book. Instead of reading, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer, and you easily yielded, melting against him.

“I’m so proud of you for releasing your music,” he mumbled against your temple. “I’m so happy for you, darling.”

“You haven’t even heard the song yet. Perhaps it’s terrible.”

“Not a chance! I know how talented you are. I have no doubts it will be wonderful.

You grinned up at him, your smile unbelievably tender.

“Thank you, for believing in me this way.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, love.”

You let his hand wander under your t-shirt, rest against the warmth of your skin, right across your ribs, his thumb tracing circles there.

“If you hate the song though, you need to tell me,” you ordered, but Ben merely rolled his eyes.

“I will most definitely not hate it.”

“You need to promise!”

He heaved a sigh, but promised anyway.

“You are being absolutely ridiculous.”

“Perhaps. Still, I want you to be honest with me.”

You were surprised by Ben’s tone when he spoke again. The coldness in it didn’t match the tenderness of his embrace.

“Well, you didn’t tell me why I couldn’t listen to it earlier so…”

“It wasn’t ready! And I want to be here. And… I wasn’t ready. It’s difficult to release a song. You know how it feels, you’ve done it too. It’s unnerving, in a good way, but it’s still difficult. You’re letting a little piece of yourself go, show the world something you’ve made out of your own heart… it’s tough, to be vulnerable like that.”

“I know, love. I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”

He kissed your forehead to make amends, and forgiving him was so easy… as easy as breathing.

You cuddled and stole kisses for a while, until Ben’s phone rang, an alarm blearing across the quiet room.

“MIDNIGHT!” he cried, overexcited as he reached for his phone.

You laughed fondly at him.

He hurried through Spotify, finding your page with ease. You both lied down to listen to the song, sharing some earpods, staring at each other with your cheeks smudged against your pillows. You reached for his hand before he would play the song for the first time.

“Ready?” he asked, and you nodded, a shy smile on your lips.

He pressed play, the small triangle turning green and with it the first notes of a love song ringing through your ears.

He was grinning already, pride shining in his dark eyes as he stared at you, listening closely to the intro.

And then your voice was there. Airy, flying high as if to reach for stars, a warm sound perfectly fitted to the lyrics, to the rhythm, to the words you spoke. And he loved it, every second of it.

And it was a love song, it was easy to guess. He listened to the first verses with a smile on his lips, without thinking too much of it. But then, the chorus came, and he frowned hard. Or rather, he was too taken aback to think or breathe and slow down the racing pace of his heartbeat.

Cause there you were by the beach on a summer breeze

Dark eyes darker than the night and

Laughing so much we couldn’t breathe

So that’s what being happy means, holding your hand?

You and the waves and the remnants of cheap beer

You blushing under a streetlight like

You’re afraid I don’t want you near

But you’re everything I’ve ever wished to be mine

You and your accent and the way you pull on

All my heartstrings and now all I can sing is your song

He stared at you, the light of your bedroom shy and quiet, like the night outside. From a proud smile, his expression turned into one of confusion, although it was tainted with hope.

Because the first night he told you he loved you, you were in Malibu, after buying beers at a small bar by the sea.

And for a moment he pushed the thought away. Of course; he loved you, and he knew you loved him but this… you couldn’t be writing about him…

But then the song went on, your voice was back, and details piled up, reminiscence of times shared together, and there was no more doubt to have by the end of the next verse.

I was afraid when you flew across the globe

I was too used to be the one

Running off and letting things die

I was almost surprised when you called the first time

Midnight and lights everywhere and your voice

Rambling about a day wearing someone else’s life

You could have forgotten all about our night

It was strange to be someone else’s choice

Even if it took us three tries

To connect the screens and our lives

You in a green hotel room

Me alone in my bedroom

By then, Ben had tears in his eyes. Because that was you and him. When he left to work on a project in Canada a few months into your relationship. You had confessed that you thought he wouldn’t fight for you, but he did. And that night, when he called, there was such a terrible wi-fi in his hotel room, it took him three tries and fifteen minutes to finally be able to hear and see you.

The chorus played again, and Ben reached for your face, palm spread across your cheek so he could draw patterns on your cheekbone. He let his first tear fall at the beginning of the bridge.

I apologized because I wasn’t used to this

Being treated right and falling asleep

In arms that didn’t hurt when they held me

Not sure how to handle this but I’m trying honey

Writing real love songs are never easy

Still if it’s yours I guess I’ll make it

Turn it in my mouth until it sounds sweet

Like your voice in the morning

The way I love you too much to speak properly of it

One last chorus and then the guitar and piano grew quiet. There was no beat anymore, and Ben didn’t let another song start. Instead, he turned the music off, reached to take off the earpods and put them away. Not a word passed his lips. He dried his wet cheeks on his sleeve, lying down again, in the same position, on his side so he could face you.

“Do you like the song?” you asked in a shy whisper, and Ben laughed, shaking his head as if this was the most ridiculous question you had ever asked.

Still, even if he knew the answer already, it was hard to believe it. So, he asked, just to be certain.

“Is the song about me? About us?”

Slowly, you nodded.

“You wrote a love song about me?” he asked, voice shaking with emotion, and it was your time to shake your head at him as if he was silly for asking such question.

“Of course, I did. Who else could I write about?”

“I don’t know.”

But before you could reply, Ben was leaning closer, holding onto your cheek once more so he could pull you to him and kiss you until none of you could bear the lack of oxygen and the pounding of your hearts.

“I love you,” he whispered, his forehead pressed to yours, his eyes still closed. “I love you so much, Y/N. And I’ll always love you. I’ll always be here.”

“I love you too. And well… I take it that you liked your song.”

He laughed at that, holding you close, so close it should have hurt but it didn’t. It never did with him.

“I loved it. Thank you, it was perfect. You’re perfect.”

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

Taglist : @sergeantbuckybarnes @reg-arcturus-black @wolfmoonmusic

[lina-linny]

Summary: Wooyoung takes care of you when you're sick.

words: 1.2k

When I woke up, I felt exhausted. I couldn't move. My whole body ached and it felt like I my hole body suddenly weighed more. My head was pounding when I tried to sit up, so I sank straight back into the pillows. My nose was blocked and my throat hurt. My head was also pounding and I knew I had more than a normal body temperature even without measuring it. I just wanted to go back to sleep. I briefly considered whether I should drag myself to work despite everything, but I decided against it. I wouldn't be any help to anyone in my condition and would only infect everyone.

I reached for my phone with trembling fingers. After calling in sick to work, I hesitated for a moment but then wrote a short message to my boyfriend Wooyoung. I didn't want to infect Wooyoung but I knew I needed some medication that I didn't have in the house and I didn't really trust myself to run halfway across the city to get it. I knew that Wooyoung was always busy because of his job as an idol and I didn't want to disturb him. But all my other friends or relatives lived too far away to help me. Besides, Wooyoung always said I should ask him more for help when I needed it and not always deal with everything myself.

Shaking, I forced myself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. There I checked the medicine cabinet again but, as I had feared, the medicine I needed was missing. I sighed and dug the thermometer out of the same cupboard and stared blankly at the red display that clearly showed I had a fever. When I looked in the mirror, I definitely looked like I had a fever too. My face was white and I was sweating while I had actually been freezing cold since I got out of bed. I groaned, ran my hand through my hair and somehow managed to get my wobbly legs to carry me into the living room. I fell onto the sofa and switched on one of those incredibly stupid TV shows. After the MC's first sentence, I was already asleep again. It was exactly what my body needed.

But when suddenly the doorbell rang, I woke up. Trembling again, I walked to the door and had to lean on the small shelf next to it to avoid collapsing. Carefully, I opened the door and looked directly into Wooyoung's smiling face.

I could see in his eyes that he was concerned about me, but he tried to play the witty and cheerful boyfriend to cheer me up.

"Hi y/n!" he beamed at me.

"Hi Woo."

He held a small bag from the pharmacy in his hand, and I was about to gratefully take it, then simply close the door and let him go back to his work while I returned to the TV. However, Wooyoung thwarted my plans and easily slipped past me into the apartment.

"I'll make you some tea," he called from the kitchen, while I just stared at him in astonishment. "Woo, I'm sick. You'll catch it. Besides, you probably have enough to do." Wooyoung just smiled his sweaty smile and urged me to finally close the door. I closed the door with a sigh, knowing that even though I was anything but happy that my boyfriend was now here, it was pointless to argue with him. In the end, he always got his way. As I sank back onto the sofa, I knew that my legs wouldn't have held me for a second longer anyway.

Wooyoung dropped onto the sofa beside me, handed me the cup of tea, and pulled me into a warm and secure hug. I was too weak to fight back, but everything in my body resisted.

"Woo, sweetheart, you shouldn't cuddle with me. You'll get infected. I don't want you to get sick because of me. You s—" Wooyoung interrupted my monologue with a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"Stop worrying, Princess," he mumbled into my hair, planting another kiss on it.

"I don't want you to be unable to work or anything because of me," I whispered. As he pulled me even closer, I could hear the smile in his voice.

"y/n, you know, I really don't care if I can work or not. If I can at least be with you. You're the most important thing to me. I'll stay with you until you're better. My little Princess, I don't know what I would do without you, so be quiet and let me cuddle with you. You come before almost everything, understood." He pressed me, if it was even possible, even closer and showered a million tiny kisses on my hairline.

I sighed, knowing I couldn't win this argument, and finally relaxed into Wooyoung's far too comfortable hug. "Love you, Woo." I felt a bit dizzy because of the fever, so I closed my eyes. Wooyoung took the now-empty teacup from my hand and placed it on the table next to my sofa without breaking the hug. "Love you too, y/n. You should get some sleep, Princess."

-

When I woke up again, I found myself next to Wooyoung in my bed. I resisted the urge to press a kiss onto his perfect lips. I was still sick, and kissing was one of the dumbest things you could do with a cold. When I tried to get up, Wooyoung gently pushed me back into bed.

"I'm not letting you get up until you're feeling better. Understood?" I chuckled lightly at the seriousness on his face.

"Lie back down and tell me what you need."

"Tea," I replied. I sank back into bed, and my boyfriend swung one of his legs over me, now kneeling above me. He grinned mischievously for a moment and then planted a brief kiss on my lips. I shook my head tiredly as Wooyoung giggled and left the room to make tea.

When he was gone, I immediately missed his hug, and it got a bit colder. I hoped he would come back quickly. Woo walked back into the room with the teacup, handed it to me, and settled into one of the chairs in the room instead of returning to bed with me. I looked at him in confusion. Couldn't he just come back to me?

Wooyoung chuckled when he noticed my expression.

"What's wrong? Do you miss me already? I thought you didn't want to infect me." I groaned in annoyance. This little brat could sometimes get on my last nerve. My boyfriend grinned provocatively, and I countered with my best puppy eyes. "Woooooooooooooo, can you please just come over here and cuddle with me? I'm tired." Wooyoung burst into laughter. "Who allowed you to be so cute, Princess?!"

I smiled tired, feeling a bit better when I saw Wooyoung stand up and throw himself back into bed next to me. I closed my eyes as I found myself in his warm hug again. I smiled faintly as Woo planted a short kiss on my hairline. "I love you, y/n." "I love you too, Wooyoung." I snuggled up to Wooyoung and soon drifted into a light sleep.

[parasite-of-sentience]

Waning Kiss of Sunlight; Marley, Annika

intimate fluff piece i wrote a while back for the modern AU for Marley and Annika enjoy!

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The gentle jingle of keys accompanied the quiet muffled laughter. This floor was entirely reserved to them; but it didn't hurt to be courteous as you can be. Especially when you get home in the dead of night. The Stairwell would soon be abuzz with the sounds of the 'normal' day starting. Admittedly, Annika was still a bit tense on the idea of actually going out during that time. She took the second to gaze earnestly at her girlfriend's eyes shut in laughter, framed by golden brown. Once in her mind the color of early dawn; It was a color that belonged to Marley alone in her mind. Vampire or not, nothing that reminded Annika of her could harm her.

Oh wait, Her girlfriend? Annika didn't even know if either of them had said it out loud yet. They've had their trials of miscommunication aplenty. Even if Marley gave her that warm smile; Even if she sauntered in to their flat, her own home holding their groceries; Even after everything they've been through; It probably wouldn't hurt to just ask! As tempting as the wild imaginings are; they should stay as imaginings till they became real, beautiful words coming from her lips.

She returned from her thoughts with the sight of the small box gripped between Marley's fingers. Already laden with plastic bags at the register, Marley insisted on the last minute impulse purchase. Annika wondered the entire way home if she should suggest just dropping it into a bag. She relented, as her roommate seemed determined to hold it like was the most important thing in the world. The set of trendy, thick wired earbuds was a strange choice. Had something happened to her nice noise-canceling headset?

"I'll put these away, you need way more time than me to get settled." The slight, teasing tone brought her back to reality; and a redness to her cheeks. She'll have to figure out how to broach the topic tomorrow. If Marley needed help with a brand new headset, She would gladly give it her all. Annika well understood how important they were to her. Unwinding with music was her way of coping with the busy nonstop world outside.

That would have to wait for now. She turned to the room with an exaggerated sound of offense. She wasn't wrong however. dressing down layers, unfastening buckles and wiping off makeup; That took time and effort! Finally in her perfectly reasonable layers of sleepwear, her eyes dwindled on the movement at the edge of her vision. Her admittedly neglected bathroom mirror gave an eerie echo of herself in the half light. Annika couldn't help but look down the hallway, for Marley; for a comforting presence.

No, I can do this myself! She flicked up the first light switch. the one that gave her just enough to do her makeup with. With more hesitation she peeled back the tape holding the 2nd one in place, and gingerly lifted the pall of dark upon her. She winced, she'll readily admit that. As her eyes adjusted, looking back was no monster. No awful thing hiding from the lash of the sun. Just Annika Wilkerson. A lovely, human woman.

Above all, I want you to love yourself… Marley's wish to her repeated again. And again. And again. It repeated as she craned her neck in the mirror; flashing her pointed teeth in a bashful grin. it repeated once again, in her own voice. "Above all, I want you to love yourself…" The point to herself, and the imperious command to her own echo were admittedly a bit extra. Her reflection seemed to agree as she broke into a bashful smile. the sounds of footsteps and shuffling next door told her that her time was up.

She wondered how many episodes of her show they would watch tonight, before one of them inevitably fell asleep. Crossing the doorframe the next sight, as it typically had since they started sleeping in the same bed; Dazzled her. Marley was rarely bashful about showing skin. Convincing Marley to not wear her dirty jeans to bed was a previous days labor. Surviving the sight of Marley in just her underwear, was her cross to bear. Those long toned legs could kill and they nearly did every night. Annika had long accepted Marley was the kind of girl who wore just her sports bra outside. Yet with her legs exposed, her entire wiry body felt softer, and realer. Normally Marley would barely react to being seen like this. It made her feel a bit like a voyeur to be honest!

But today was different already, Marley had an air of restlessness. A question seemed trapped behind her pursed lips. She rolled the new earbuds in her fingers nervously. The rare blush on her face was clear. Her own question must have been clear on her face. What's wrong? before she could ask them out loud, Marley shook her head with a gentle smile. Nothing, would you humor me? Annika could feel the earnest request Marley sat on the beds edge and looked to her expectantly. A soft giggle escaped her she assented. She'd never seen Marley like this, what did she have planned?

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Earbuds in, Marley confirmed that her heart was in fact somewhere in her throat right now. Breath in, Breath out. She checked the settings on her phone. tentatively, she ticked the volume a little below her usual comfort zone. She noted the subtle warbling of vibrations, traveling through the thick wire from her phone. This is silly, what am I doing? a few clicks, and the familiar comforting dreamy electronic music. A gentle, yet powerful voice, singing of acceptance. With the familiar tune her shoulders loosened. Shut up me, I can do this.

Laying herself down proper; she adjusting her long tired legs. She tried to quiet the nagging voice in her head telling her how much space she was taking. Nerves made Marley feel alien, like a harsh sweaty stone against Annika's beautiful sheets. Turning over to face The dear girl in question she imagined complaints in tone Annika had never spoken in. A curled frown of disgust that Marley had never once in her life witnessed. Instead she found her Annika, staring at her with those earnest eyes that she knew so well. Waiting for her.

Her nerves evaporated. She couldn't imagine failing her, Not while those twinkling jewel eyes watched her. Despite this, it took all her effort to lot let her hand shake. Marley removed an earbud and and gingerly offered it over. The gesture didn't need further Elaboration as Annika wordlessly took it and set it in her own ear. The rumbling sounds of someone else moving the cord tickled a her own ear. She clicked back the song back the beginning. The gentle rustling, traveling in waves through the earbud, compounded with the embarrassed wavering of her heart. Marley couldn't help but hold her own pillow closer to her face, Hiding her growing redness.

Yet still, she couldn't help but watched Annika. The serious expression she wore as she listened gave her the courage to see this through. Her hands clasped together between them. Marley has seen her do that plenty to control her fidgeting. She look like she was giving a impassioned prayer. Marley couldn't help but be a bit jealous of how cool she was being right now.

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How bad is it? I must be shaking the entire bed right now! Annika held her hands tight together willing herself still, with all the heart she could muster. This is so cute! Did Marley know how much she looked like a cat curled up to her? Did she know how much her long powerful form, that always seemed strong enough to carry her away; looked slight and vulnerable in the dim light. Did she know that when she looked at her with those honey dark eyes, begging for acceptance; it would be the utmost cruelty to look away!?

The warbling miniature earthquake down the cord reminded her of the tie between them. What would probably drive Marley's sensitivity to sound wild any other day; was her Vein tap to Annika this night. At the end of that cord passing their subtle shifts and moves between each other; Marley's phone played her comfort music to them both. Annika had to wonder just how close they would have to be to hear the other side.

Before she knew it, her body was making the subtle shifts closer. Annika couldn't help but indulge her curiosity. She leveled her eyes to Marley, and Brought her whole body just centimeters closer. What am I doing!? She wanted to yell at herself. she could see Marley's eyes widen as she shifted closer. Awful girl, you've killed the mood! Annika's self flagellations ended quickly; when she noticed Marley loosen her grip on her pillow. Like the coaxing of a cat, Marley inched closer and closer to her.

Moments passed of this snail's dance. accompanied to the sounds of Marley's ethereal Music, the shift of sheets, and the rumbling of the cord. after what felt like ages they were so close she could feel Marley's breath. God, she's so warm. people are this warm right? Face to face with her she couldn't help but smile.

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Stop making that Expression. Marley spoke to her own flustered frown; and not to the giant goofy grin on Annika's face. That same expression admittedly made it hard to take her seriously in this moment. Inches from her own face however it hardly mattered. Annika would affect her in this way no matter what. That unwavering smile only gave her the courage to stay her course, Even the tickle in the back of her spine, whispering vile warnings to run, couldn't make her turn back.

The race continued, in cautious, precious millimeters. Marley leaned her head tenderly towards Annika's. The moment she could feel heat near her own skin, the tingling reached new heights. Her own heartbeat fought the song playing in her ear. Where she faltered, Annika met her halfway. The Mutual touch of skin felt strange to her at first, but above all; Annika was soft and warm.

Feeling her limit approaching, Marley pulled back. A little too quickly in her opinion. As Annika's face came into view, her blush was evident. Marley could only imagine her own face matched. The look in Annika's trembling Eyes, one of want for her alone, drove her to make decision. Against her own instincts and apprehension, Marley chose boldness.

She leaned in once more, she could feel the courage leaving her by the moment, till she could feel hot breath on her own lips. the touch of lips was brief, but was enough to wake up something scared and wounded within her. The wounds won, and Marley recoiled ever so slightly. She had a moment to curse herself, before she saw Annika's own look of concern.

In a moment Annika would blame herself. The thought emboldened her to one more fleeting act of courage. Leaning herself in once more she let their lips meet. She had feeling she was supposed to be doing something else other than letting them touch. She had a feeling her eyes were supposed to be closed. She had a feeling maybe neither of them knew what they were doing. She had a feeling she would remember this feeling regardless.

Marley finds the end of her boldness before long, and they part. Annika's expression was a mix of of many, including she assumed an apology for not knowing what to do. The joy in it was evident, however. She hoped her own matched in Annika's intensity. Feeling a shift near her hand she noticed Annika's on the other side of the sheet, separated by the thin fabric. This would have to do. With a new song gently playing in their ears, and each other in their eyes; The Two enjoyed the closeness. Sleep would come for them when it did.

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Dawn? Annika blinked herself awake No, something more important. She relished her first sight in the dim light. Golden brown hair framing Marley's closed eyes. Annika felt the urge to touch the subtle waves. Before she stop herself, she realized her fingers were entangled in something. separate by the sheet alone, their fingers became entwined in the night. She couldn't resist giving Marley's hand a gentle squeeze. When she wakes up, I'll ask her if we're girlfriends then!

[bluemoonjayy]

ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴡ

[𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑜 𝑥 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟]

𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘔𝘈𝘙𝘠: ʏ/ɴ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀʙᴜꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴇꜱᴄᴀᴘᴇ

[ANGST/FLUFF]

WARNINGS: Abusive parents, mentioning of suicide, physical violence and mentioning of it but not much cause I don't wanna traumatize people 😭

PLAYLIST:

Freaks by surf curse

Embrace by pastel ghost

Daddy issues by the neighborhood

Black out days by phantogram

[I RECOMMEND THE SLOWED VERSION]

BEFORE READING

- english is not my first language so if I make some mistakes tell me

- i never wrote an angst before so please don't judge :')

- this is inspired by my situation unfortunately so if you're in too I just wanted to say that I'm here if you wanna talk 🫶

⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚.⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚.

-we are tired of your behavior!- me and my parents are arguing as usual

They're abusive and hit me without a reason since I was a baby and this made me develop depression and really high switching moods

-you're tired? I should be tired of yours!- I scream meaning every word I said

I am infact tired of all of this

I used to be the most happy kid in the world when I was little and they managed to break her entirely like a piece of glass

She was too young to understand at the time but I'll take revenge for her

They won't hurt her ever again

Tears try to make their way down my cheeks

“I can do it, I know I can” I think

-you’re such an ungrateful bitch! We did so much for you and you pay us back like this?- my dad gets closer and I get scared

“Please don't hit me…”

In fact he does

He hits me in the face

Tears finally start to roll down my eyes and I feel my head hurting so bad

-we do this cause we love you- my mom says, worst excuse ever

-if you really loved me you wouldn't hurt me- I run to my room and close the door with my key so they won't enter

As soon as I do that I sit down with my back laying to the entrance

I need to escape

It's 10 pm and my parents are sleeping

I take the chance and get out of the house by the window to not wake them up

Bringing with me some clothes and other important things, I head myself to Chris and his brothers's house

He's my boyfriend and I know I can always count on him

I text him that I'm coming

15 minutes after

I knock at their home and Chris opens the door letting me in

-y/n, I love you and all but I need to know what happened- I never told them about the things that happen in my house

-fine...but first let's sit on the couch- we do as I say and I explain everything that has been going on with my parents and my mental health

You can tell by his face that he's angry at them, just hate for the actions that they did to this poor soul that just needed love and protection

The people that had to give them the most instead managed to break her whole

If he was them he would've treated her better

She's his everything and he won't tolerate to see his precious girl feel like that

-i don't know what to do...- I cry because of all the accumulated stress that I had

The boy hugs me, really worried for my mental and physical health

-honey, I'm here don't worry- he caresses my head slowly

I manage to calm down

He kisses my forehead

-thank you, love- I softly smile and he does too

-can I know why you didn't tell me before?- Chris asks

-i was worried that you wouldn't have believed me, like the others- I explain -nobody helped me so I tried to end it all some months ago but it didn't work...-

My boyfriend caresses my cheek and I close my eyes trying to relax for a moment, I don't want to cry again

-im gonna help you- he suddenly says -you can live with us so you won't see your parents again- I open my eyes and look at him

I couldn't believe it

-really? oh my god, thank you so much!- I kiss him, It was slow and passionate

Some seconds after we detach

-anything to see you happy- he takes my hands and I smile again

We head to his bed and lay on it cuddling till we both fall asleep

Its the beginning of something new

.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳..˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳..˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.

It's really short so I apologize 😭🙏

BYE <3