#I’ve got a series in the works to cover the other houses + the church

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Epilogue)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer? Big thank you to @snowbellewells for making the cover pic set!

Word Count: 1176

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list):

@jennjenn615 @laschatzi @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @kmomof4

@linda8084 @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 

@therooksshiningknight @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64  @anmylica 

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @i-will-sing-no-requiem @bluewildcatfanatic @laianely

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Epilogue

Neither Emma nor Killian wanted to wait any longer than necessary to be wed, and so a month after his proposal, in the garden of the little House of Dreams, they were married in the church in the harbor.  It was a small, intimate ceremony, only their closest friends present–the Nolans, of course, Granny and Marco (who had only a few days before tied the knot themselves), Captain Nemo, Gideon and Violet, Johanna, and Lance Du Lac.

Mary Margaret and Emma had spent many happy hours working together to make Emma’s wedding dress and veil.  It was a rather simple ensemble, but Mary Margaret thought she’d never seen a more radiant bride.

Emma knew she’d never forget the moment she began her walk down the aisle–on Captain Nemo’s arm.  She’d looked to the end of the aisle and seen Killian standing there, devastatingly handsome in is black tux, his eyes shining with love and happiness.

Butterflies, she thought as she walked.  She had butterflies thinking of spending the rest of her life with this man.

As the two of them said the vows that would bind them together forever, she didn’t feel the panicked, trapped feeling she had at her first wedding–as though her “I do” was a shackle around her wrist, and his was the locking of her prison door.  No, this time, their vows felt like she was given wings and was finally free to soar.

The kiss he’d given her when they were pronounced husband and wife was almost scandalous–how filled with desire and passion it was, right there in the church before God and everyone–but Emma couldn’t bring herself to care.  This was right, this was beautiful, this was as it was meant to be.

After the ceremony, they’d adjourned to the garden outside the House of Dreams for a small reception.  Johanna, who had returned a week before the wedding, and Mary Margaret had outdone themselves with refreshments and a lovely, three-tiered wedding cake.  The afternoon was spent with laughter and joy among their nearest and dearest.

“So, what are your plans, now that you’re married?” David asked.

“I’m selling my house,” Emma said. “There are too many memories there–and aside from the summer with Killian, all of them were dark and dismal.  That house holds too many ghosts.”

“You won’t move far, will you?” Mary Margaret asked quickly.

“Unfortunately we must,” Killian said.  “I’ve still got my job in Montreal.  We’ll take up residence there.”

“Oh what a shame!” Mary Margaret said, clearly crestfallen. “We’ll all miss you dreadfully!”

“Indeed we will,” Granny said with a decisive nod of her head.  “Now Emma, dearie, the two of you must visit often.  On that I absolutely insist.”

“Of course we will,” Killian promised.  “Every chance we get.  My summer on the island was the happiest of my life, and I know Emma will miss all of you.”

“Well, since we’re talking about changes,” David said after a moment.  “Mary Margaret and I have some news as well.  The old Morgan place up in the glen just went on the market–Ingleside, I think they’re calling it–and Mary Margaret and I have decided to buy it.”

“You’re leaving your House of Dreams?” Marco asked, eyebrows raised.  “But you always seemed to love this house so much!”

Mary Margaret sighed.  “We do.  This house has been dearer to me than anywhere I’ve ever lived, and it breaks my heart to leave, but David convinced me it’s the right decision.”

“Between the two of us, Johanna, and now baby Leo, we’re bursting at the seams,” David said.  “You know we’ve always wanted a large family, and when more little ones come along, well our House of Dreams will no longer suit our needs.  The price of Ingleside couldn’t be beat, and so we chose to act.”

“My biggest concern,” Mary Margaret said, “is that the House of Dreams will go to someone who won’t love it and care for it the way we did–or worse yet, that it will stand empty and simply decay.”

Emma and Killian looked at each other for a moment, and then Emma nodded, knowing what he was thinking without him needing to voice it–and completely agreeing with him.  

“We might have a way to allay that fear,” he said. “Emma and I have talked about wanting to summer here on the island–to make it a yearly thing.  What if we bought your House of Dreams for our summer home?”

The suggestion had been met with great enthusiasm by all present, and so they had yet another thing to celebrate on this gorgeous fall day.  

And celebrate they had, until the sun began its slow descent into the west.

Finally, when it was time for Emma and Killian to leave for their honeymoon trip, their friends saw them off with cheers and applause.

Killian had booked them a luxurious private berth on the train for the first leg of their trip, and as the countryside sped by, he and Emma sat together, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, her hand covering his heart.

“Are you happy, love?” he asked softly.

She smiled, too overcome with emotion to speak.  Instead, she took his face in her hands and brought him down for a long, slow, leisurely kiss.

The verse from Psalm 30 came into her mind then: Weeping may endure for a night, but at the dawn there is rejoicing.

Her long, agonizing night was finally at an end, and the dawn had finally arrived.  Emma couldn’t wait to discover what this new day would bring.

The end!

Notes:

–Thank you all for reading and commenting! (And happy birthday to Krystal!)

–One other change I made from the actual book: In the book, Owen (Killian) brought Captain Jim (Nemo) a copy of his book on his return to the island, and the next morning Anne and Gilbert (the Nolans) found him with a smile on his face, and his book open to the last page.  He’d apparently passed away of old age just after finishing the book.  I, however,  had no intention of killing off Captain Nemo.

–That’s it for this story, but if you’re interested in what happens with the book characters moving forward:  (SPOILERS FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN READING THE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES BOOKS) Anne and Gilbert move to Ingleside and have 5 more children (bringing their total to 3 girls and 3 boys).  Leslie (Emma) and Owen have two children–the first they name after Leslie’s deceased brother and the second after Persus Ford (Elsa in my story).  They come back to the House of Dreams to live every summer, and their family and Anne and Gilbert’s continue to be great friends.  Miss Cornelia (Granny) and Marshall Elliot (Marco) eventually adopt a little orphan girl who ran away from the orphanage.  Several years later, at the end of World War I, Leslie and Owen’s son comes home from the war and marries Anne and Gilbert’s youngest daughter.  And, of course, everyone lives happily ever after! 

[floralcrematorium]

thoughts about the asian characters(easia, seasia, south asia, west asia)!! do you have future plans to draw any of them?

YES!!!

literally the only thing stopping me is that i cannot draw men. i’ve been pushing myself recently with the fruk sketch and i actually had started a little drawing for Piri from the ask game a while ago, but I haven’t finished him yet. gave him a really cunty pose but can’t figure out what clothing i want to stick him in 🤔

i’ve got quite a few unfinished sketches lying around, notably of miss vietnam, but i’ll release this little concept of miss taiwan from my band au, lest i fear she will never see the light of day:

i don’t think i’m gonna stick with this outfit for band au, i was just kinda fucking around and finding out. i really just wanted an excuse to draw some flowy fabric with all of her movement but didn’t want to cover up her whole body with a dress. i was listening to “hot to go” while drawing this and you can tell

i’ve been putting off drawing china for a hot minute. he’s been a favorite of mine for a long time, but i’m unsure of what i want to do with him. i don’t have any ships for him and when i do draw him, i want to make sure he turns out fantastic. i feel like i can’t get my other two favorites, france and norway, right and am so scared of having yet another fav that i just can’t draw the way i envision them

i’ve had the idea of doing a series of illustrations with piri and food for a hot minute now. more so comics than standalone illustrations, but i digress. i’ve been wanting to learn more filipino recipes because until some of my family members were interested in learning more about their culture/heritage when i was a teenager, the only pinoy dish my mother could make was pancit. we’d have vietnamese cha gio every now and again, but a lot of my experiences with filipino food are either things i barley remember from church events or family friends’ houses when i was a kid or in that period of exploration when we’d go out to eat at filipino restaurants. not going to get into why i’m not well connected with my heritage on main (it’s complicated and i also chronically gaslight myself into thinking that i’m not allowed to connect with my heritage for a variety of reasons), but i’d like to learn more, and i think the recipe comics would be a good way to do so. i don’t know if or when i’ll get it it, though :( a lot of my drawing comes from a spur of the moment “i have to get this out of my head NOW” and the projects i actually have lined up and planned get pushed further and further back (i am. eyeing the hetagirls art nouveau portraits nervously bc i’m halfway done but haven’t touched that project since april)

food is also just hard as hell to draw, i’ve never been good at it. i did a little triptych in college with filipino food in gouache and it was a disaster

all this said, you Will see an art nouveau portrait of miss taiwan soon. soonish. she’s meant to be after czechia, but the whole art nouveau portraits thing came to a stop because i can’t figure miss czechia out, so i may just skip straight to taiwan. also been wanting to do that “draw SEAtalia in your style” template for a hot minute. hell, i never did the DTIYS template i made for china (or france) because i’m just really bad at starting the things i want to do 😭 i make things feel too precious in my head and then get worked up when they don’t turn out right

anyway, TLDR i am dying to draw more piri in the future. ideally i’d like to draw everyone at least once, but piri has my attention. and miss vietnam — i hold a soft spot for her too

thanks for the ask!

[lachless]

Sorting the Black Eagles from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

This sorting uses the Sorting Hat Chats system, which is a modified version of the Hogwarts house system from Harry Potter.

Here’s a link to a detailed explanation, and here’s another with some different terminology. But to summarise:

Your primary house is WHY you do things. Lion primaries have a gut sense of right and wrong; they derive their morals from their instincts. Bird primaries decide on their sense of right and wrong from the evidence in the world around them; they derive their morals from their reason. Badger primaries focus less on ideals and more on people and groups; if it helps someone, it is right. Snake primaries focus on people too, but they prioritise their chosen people above all else.

Your secondary house is HOW you do things. Lion secondaries head resolutely and stubbornly for their goals; when met with a locked door, they kick it down. Bird secondaries collect tools and knowledge to help them; when met with a locked door, they have the key, or they know how to pick locks. Badger secondaries put in the slow, hard work, and they network with people to come to their aid; when met with a locked door, they knock. Snake secondaries search for the clever way to work around their obstacles; when met with a locked door, they notice the open window.

You can model a primary or secondary house, which means you adapt its system of tools or morality in addition to that of your own house. Houses can burn, meaning that you loose faith in your ability to be moral with your primary or solve problems with your secondary. Finally, houses can explode, meaning you loose yourself in a house to the expense of all else.

This is the second part of a series sorting Three Houses. You can find the first, sorting the Lords, over here.

Now, without further ado - let’s begin.

-

HUBERT VON VESTRA is a pretty clear Snake primary, with Edelgard as his most important person. He agrees with her ideologically and believes in the world that she fights for, but more importantly he simply believes in her. If she needed him somewhere else, that’s where he would be.

His secondary is also pretty straightforward. He’s a Bird secondary, the planner behind Edelgard’s revolution who’ll examine every angle, every plan and every poison to ensure they’re prepared for whatever the war throws at them. Like Claude, another Bird, he’s the one who sets up contingencies in case they lose, in his case his letter outlining the existence and location of Those Who Slither in the Dark. (It’s a damn shame these two can’t support, by the way, I’d love to see how these two masterminds would interact). Appropriately enough, this gives him the Villain Sorting, which further reinforces Villain Vibes that he seems to enjoy exuding.

At first glance FERDINAND VON AEGIR struck me as one of the felt primaries - Lion or Badger - because of how damn heartfelt he always feels when he talks about his morals, but on further inspection I think that comes from his secondary. His primary is actually a rather loud Bird Primary, who adopts the nobility system as the framework for his moral code but who refines his system from what he learns and encounters. He has a notable separation between his instincts and his morals in a way that’s characteristic for Birds - he tells Caspar he should consider “following moral convictions rather than instincts”, and proceeds to basically explain one of the core principle of his Bird system, that he feels being a noble entails helping those less fortunate and setting a good moral example.

As for his secondary, he’s certainly a straightforward one - Lion or Badger - and he seems to value social harmony and building connections with people and as a part of the way he navigates the world to such an extent that I think Badger secondary suits him best. His secondary seems to interact with his primary in a very interesting way - he tells Hubert in their supports that debate and voicing his opinions is so important to him because the process of debate allows him and his debater to realise new truths they might have been blind to. In other words, he uses his Badger to fine-tune his Bird.

Speaking of Hubert, their supports together are an interesting look at a straightforward and a circumventing secondary who struggle to understand how each other’s methods could be useful, and form a fierce rivalry because of it. It’s the core of their dynamic. Ferdinand finds Hubert’s circumventing Bird to be underhanded, while Hubert finds Ferdinand’s straightforward Badger naive. Their support chain ends with them realising that each other’s methods both have strengths, and in their paired ending they balance each other as the left and right hands of the Emperor.

LINHARDT VON HEVRING’s secondary is so overpowering that we might as well get it out of the way. He’s a Bird secondary, committed to spending his days unlocking whatever knowledge he feels drawn to investigate. He’s patently uninterested in making his knowledge actually useful, in a way that’s characteristic of a lot of Birds - for the most part, he doesn’t collect knowledge for what it could do, he collects knowledge because it’s shiny.

The problem with sorting Linhardt, however, is that he’s one of those cases where his secondary is so strong that it obscures his primary, because his actions are almost more motivated by his secondary than by anything else. I’m going to tentatively claim he’s a Lion primary from how motivated he is by what he feels drawn to. Sort of like a glory hound Lion, except instead of glory he’s looking for shiny Bird sec knowledge.

In contrast to Ferdinand, CASPAR VON BERGLIEZ actually is one of the felt primaries. Ferdinand starts talking about separating moral convictions from instincts and Caspar has no idea what he’s talking about, what’s this guy on? You just see someone in trouble and you help them out, simple as that, the idea of building a system rather than feeling it is foreign to him. From his lack of focus on groups I’m going to narrow it down to say he’s a Lion primary.

He’s also a pretty easy Lion secondary. When you see someone in trouble you need to help, what you do is you charge in and fight the guy who’s posing a threat, go straight for the source, no hesitation! It’s the Double Lion as the Revolutionary on a smaller scale. He struggles a lot with being impulsive, and a lot of his supports focus on him learning to think before he acts so he doesn’t wind up with consequences he wasn’t prepared for.

BERNADETTA VON VARLEY is a difficult one to sort, because both of her houses are unquestionably burnt when we first meet her. She spends a lot of her time both during the war and before it simply trying to survive, to get by day by day, and she also doesn’t seem to hold a high opinion of her ability to do much of anything, healing included. That said, she does unburn to various extents depending on her route, support chains and ending, and based on what we see here I’m going to suggest she’s a burnt Lion primary. I don’t think we see her longing for people or community to centre her the way I’d expect for a Loyalist, beyond simply longing for friends in a way that’s natural for anyone, but we do see her longing to know what’s right. Her line at the beginning of Crimson Flower where the Black Eagles are pledging allegiance to Edelgard is interesting to note here. She wonders if she’s doing the right thing, but oh! The Professor is here, and they know what’s right, so she can trust them! Burnt Idealists, and Lions especially, have a habit of latching on to someone they trust as a guide for their compass, and I think that’s exactly what’s going on here with Bernadetta. I think she’s a Lion rather than a Bird because she seems to struggle with wanting to know how to feel, not how to think.

Her secondary is harder, because burnt secondaries tend to be harder to distinguish until they unburn. We see her comforting herself by making crafts and art, distracting herself with work - this could indicate a Bookkeeper Badger, but it could just as easily be a model she’s built to pass the time in her room. That said, I think her dialogue in later supports could also suggest she’s learning the Courtier Badger skillset, there’s definitely an argument that she’s keying into people’s vibes like a Badger. The evidence is still a little thin on the ground here, but of the four I think Badger secondary fits her best.

DOROTHEA ARNAULT is a pretty clear Snake primary. She makes it clear that she fights for the Professor, and perhaps Edelgard if on Crimson Flower. She appreciates it when their ideals line up with her own, sure, and it’s a good way to her heart - but once you’re in her heart, that’s why she’ll fight with you. Interestingly, she seems to associate inner circle Snake loyalty pretty closely with romance. She’s kind of baffled by the idea that Hubert, another Snake, could feel so intensely about Edelgard without it being romantic, and her quest to marry a good, moneyed man to take care of her when she grows old seems to be very Snake-coded in the way she wants to be loved. That said, she also seems to let people into her outer circles pretty easily, and she loves doting on her friends.

I think she also has a Badger primary model that she uses for things outside her people. The personhood of the people around her, generally, matters a lot to her, and she’s quite wary of the way the nobility in general can dismiss that.

As for her secondary, we’ve got ourselves another Badger secondary. Like I said before, she loves doting on her friends and caretaking in that very Badgery way. She’s also very good at Courtier-ing, although I think she has a model that she uses on top when she has to sweet-talk nobles for her job. Could be Snake or Actor Bird - without much evidence to decide it either way, I’m going to guess Actor Bird simply because it seems easier to learn for a lot of people and is therefore generally more common. She doesn’t seem to enjoy using this model very much, and associates it with the general unpleasantness of a lot of the nobles she has to deal with.

Finally, with PETRA MACNEARY we find the Black Eagles’ resident Badger primary. She’s a pretty easy call - she’s always focused on Brigid and her friends as her groups that she wants to help and protect. She’s a universal Badger who refuses to dehumanise anyone because of what they or their people have done, which comes as a surprise for a few people who expect her to hold a grudge against the people of the Empire for the events of the war between the Empire, Brigid, and Dadga. Caspar especially expects her to hate him because his father killed hers, but to Petra, he’ll always be a person before he’s the son of her father’s killer.

She shows a few signs of a Bird secondary in the way that she dedicates a lot of her time to uncovering information about Fodlan, but I think this is a model that she developed in response to being essentially kidnapped to live in a foreign country from a young age. I think her inherent sorting is yet another Badger secondary, who focuses more on Bookkeeper Badgering and hard work. She talks a lot about making herself strong, making herself a weapon, so that she can serve her people in a way that can be typical to Badgers. (Birds, the other built/prepwork secondary, tend to think of external tools rather than making themselves one.) Per her supports with Byleth she seems to struggle with exploding and overworking herself a bit here and there.

TLDR;

Hubert: SNAKE BIRD

Ferdinand: BIRD BADGER

Linhardt: LION BIRD

Caspar: DOUBLE LION

Bernadetta: LION BADGER with a burnt primary and secondary that unburns to various extents over the course of the game

Dorothea: SNAKE BADGER with Badger primary and Bird secondary models

Petra: DOUBLE BADGER with a slightly exploded secondary and a Bird secondary model

[subwaysurf45]

A Starry Night (pt. 1)

Summary: The first day of college didn’t go as planned. But who knew one bad high could cause a great friendship?

Pairing: College!Bucky x Reader

Warning: weed, drinking, angst, crying

Words: 4,517

Mini-Series Masterlist!

Main Masterlist

“As much as I love to study and work,” you huffed between lugging the last of all your clothes from a box onto your twin mattress, “I want to experience some things in my first year,” all the clothes were out of the box, the last one you needed to empty. 

Natasha, your roommate, swung her legs off her desk chair, “I get it,” she flipped her red hair over her shoulder out of habit, “there were things you missed out on because of your parents, it’s normal.” Natasha had seen your parents turn from the fun ones to stricter than the Catholic Church in a matter or seconds. She’d been your friend since grade seven when you were put on the same intramural spike ball team by chance, you both ended up quitting and joining the STEM club. She was there before, during, and after the incident. 

“I’ve drank before, you know that, but I’m saying I want to get fucked, I want to blackout and get a crazy hangover, y’know?” You stacked your shirts together and shoved them all in the tiny space in your closet. 

“Not sure you wanna get a crazy hangover-”

“You get what I’m saying, I know about the headache and all that but I just want to party and finally be free,” Nat nodded and watched as you shoved your pants into the other drawer. 

Today was the day you had moved into your dorm, making it your first day at college. Natasha moved in two days prior by luck of the draw, this whole time she was texting pictures of your very small place, it got tons of natural light to make it look bigger. The mattress pad you brought from home was still wrinkled and not fully puffed up but when you laid on it the original mattress it made it way better. Two twin beds and two desks with the chairs that can’t be tipped over, the rest was up to you. Nat had already put up a few posters and polaroids but you were still stuck on the necessities, it took longer than expected. Classes started in two days so this was technically ‘frosh-week’, but it was more ‘frosh-couple of days’ in your opinion. Nat had already been invited to a house party and she asked if you could tag along, the host didn’t know you but that said sure either way. You didn’t have party clothes because your mother went through everything you were bringing and took out the lace bra you bought along with anything that showed your stomach, Nat had good clothes, she knew that was going to happen and came prepared. You placed a few knick-knacks on your desk, a stress ball, and your laptop. Once the bathroom situation was sorted out you both decided to grab some well deserved coffees. 

The café wasn’t too far away, with the sun out it felt nice to let it bounce off your skin. A plain grey hoodie from the thrift store and some biker shorts that were Nat’s were what you were sporting, it seemed most people did the same. Natasha liked to show her body and you were fine with that, you would love to as well. Her belly button piercing showed with every step of her walk and her hair was pulled back. 

“You still drink that sweet coffee?” Nat giggled as she opened the door. 

“No I don’t, I drink cold brew, thank you very much.” You punctuated the end of your sentence with a little smirk, in high school you only got caramel macchiatos while Nat got black coffee, she always bugged you about it and still did after you changed to cold brew in senior year. 

“Hi, what can I get for you?” The, most likely, fourth year asked from behind the register. 

“Medium cold brew with a splash of almond milk and a medium iced americano with two-”

“-three-”

“-Three shots of espresso, please,” Nat tapped herr card to the debit machine and headed over to the other side, “I think you’re addicted, babe,” you laughed as Nat tried to cover her face. 

As the lady with the septum piercing was making both your drinks a guy walked up to Nat, “hey, Nat, what’s going on?” his voice was quite deep, he was also built like a greek god. The shiny blond hair and the perfect blue eyes had Nat’s mouth watering, his muscles seemed to ripple under his fitted gym shirt. 

“Jus’ gettin’ coffee,” she was drunk talking to him, when she snapped out of her dreamy state  and remembered you were here she shook her head quickly, “this is my friend, Y/N. Y/N, this is Steve Rogers, the host of the house party tonight.” 

“Hi,” you smiled and stuck you hand out for a shake, “I hope I’m still cool to come even though I wasn’t invited,” you tried to play it off but that was for sure the dumbest thing you’ve said. 

“The more the merrier,” Steve laughed, his teeth were perfect, “I got some of my buddies coming too, they’re bringing the drinks and most likely weed, hope that’s okay?” Steve turned to you. You knew Nat had smoked and drank before, when Steve turned to you it felt nice, like he was already checking in with you, he most likely did the same to Nat when she was first invited. 

You were about to answer but your drinks were ready, as you turned to grab them Natasha started talking, “she’s good with that, we did it a few times in high school, but we aren’t avid smokers, per se,” with your back turned you could hear Nat’s blush spreading all the way to her ears. She wasn’t lying, you had smoked before but only took one drag before freaking out and going home to get scolded by your parents. 

“No worries, trust me,” you turned back to them and Steve looked at you, “this isn’t high school shit, if you don’t want to drink or smoke, no one will get mad, we’re all here to find friends and have a good time,” shrugged his ripped shoulders, “plus,” he laughed before telling the joke, “the more weed for Bucky, the better.” you were supposed to understand that joke, but you’ve never met a ‘Bucky’ before. 

As you both walked back to your dorm Natasha introduced you to a few other people and Sam, who lived with Steve and this Bucky guy. Sam was a real sweetheart, he complimented your hair and talked about his program. Engineering. 

“Really?” You gasped. 

“Ya,” Sam nonchalantly shrugged.

“You want to build plane engines?” Your jaw was still hung open and your eyes were still wide, 

“that’s incredible!” 

“My dad did it, I want to do it,” Sam pulled you both for a one armed hug, “I gotta go, see you tonight!” He called over his shoulder. 

With an overly dramatic huff your back hit against your now fully puffed up mattress. You did a final organize of all your school supplies and had a small war against your bins when trying to get them under your bed. Small beads of sweat lined your forehead and your grey hoodie was darker under your arms, the little fan your mother had bought was doing a good job, not a great one. Nat was in and out of the room, sometimes she’d purposely knock over the things you just organized with a cackle but you’d both laugh it off. She’d be getting phone calls and text messages, part of you was worried she’d leave you for other friends but when Nat caught your eye she’d nod and send you their social media information. Even Sam, who you met just hours ago, had sent you a text during your organization moment, he said he wanted to get to know you and Nat more, he and Steve wanted to get you both in their friend group. 

“What are you going to wear?” Nat turned around in the bathroom, her side leaning against the doorframe. 

“I don't know,” you sighed, “my parents went through everything and took out my party clothes,” you sat up and gave her a knowing look. 

“I’m guessing they said no drinking?” she gave a sympathetic look, Nat was the only one allowed to talk about that stuff. 

“They said no partying, but they can’t control me,” Nat nodded with a wide smile, “and I know you said that during high school, but I feel it now,” the random burst of confidence rushed through you, you shot up and walked over to Nat’s closet, “give me something nice to wear, this is my first party ever and I need to impress these new guys.”

“But not too much, Steve is mine,” Nat laughed as she walked over, “here, try this.” 

It was just a tank top, but full of shimmers. Not the cheap kind where they fall off, but the fabric itself was subtly sparkly. You’d wear black jeans, which were yours, with it because the top was the statement piece. It was time to get ready anyway, Nat was in the bathroom to start priming her face. You slipped on her pushup bra and threw the shirt over top, it fit nice. There was a very old and dusted full length mirror but it was enough to see just how good you looked, everything worked together, this was the moment you’ve been waiting for. 

Until the phone rang. 

“Oh shit!” You yelled as you saw the caller ID, “my mom can’t see me like this, what do I do?” You called to Nat who was unfazed in the bathroom. 

“Don’t answer,” Nat shrugged, “you can’t bring your phone to the library and the book club is very, very formal…” that little smirk grew again, “right?”

In awe you just looked at her, “you can get out of it all, can’t you?” both of you began to laugh over the sound of that haunting ringtone. You crammed in the bathroom and Nat tapped your lips with some gloss, “thank you,” you squeeked, “I don’t want a ton, you know that.”

“Do I ever,” Nat giggled and kept doing her makeup while you watched the number of missed calls pile up, part of you wanted to answer but the other half knew they would win. You needed to be firm and let them know you weren’t a kid anymore, they couldn’t attach those strings and act like the puppeteer all the time. After one deep breath Nat walked out, “you can answer if you want, I’m not trying to get in your head and pull you the other way.”

“No,” you just watched it flash again and again, “it’s just…” you sighed and looked at her. 

“I know,” she nodded.

“They care, they care a lot and sometimes it’s too much but-” you cut yourself off, not wanting to think about that, “they have a good reason, y’know? It’s not like they are strict for the fun of it,” you picked up your phone and silenced it, shoving it in your back pocket. 

Nat wrapped an arm around your shoulder after making it outside in the crisp fall air, “you know you’re responsible, I know you’ll be overly responsible tonight,” She glanced at her phone for the address and took the turn, “but have some fun, you really deserve it.” 

The party had already begun, it was dark in and out of the house but the outside didn’t have music or coloured lights all around. It wasn’t crammed like the movies from shoulder to shoulder but there were pockets of people standing and talking, they paid you both no mind. Nat kept your hand in hers as she navigated the hallway, looking back with a smile. When she made it to the backyard Steve, Sam, and another guy were sitting on the couch. There was a bong, rolled joints, beers- empty and full -as well as some water bottles. 

“You made it!” Steve jumped up and walked over, Sam quickly followed. Hugs were passed out but the one other guy was still sitting, rolling another joint. As Sam applauded you for coming you couldn’t help but get distracted by the sound of a lighter starting up many times, you’d look over to see this guy leaned very close to the joint and looking concentrated; his tongue poked out between his lips. 

Everyone sat down and you were last to find a spot, you ended up joining the mystery man on the two seater couch. The bounce when you sat down startled him out of his work, “oh, shit,” he looked up and giggled, “didn’t hear you guys walk in, welcome,” he turned to you, “we haven’t met, I’m Bucky.”

A calloused and dry hand met yours, “Y/N,” you spoke softly, eyes darting around to all the weed that would get you in so much trouble if your parents saw. 

“Y/N,” he tested the sound, a smile growing, “very pretty.” he looked at you longer than normal before looking away to shake Nat’s hand. His hair fell perfectly down to the middle of his neck, it was wavy and beautifully brown. All you wanted was to see his teeth and that smile he kept casting towards you, it seemed to ignite something. 

You felt swallowed by the couch but chose not to let it eat you whole, conversations were already starting and you were just sat there, looking around. Everyone’s voices were mixing together, a yell and loud laugh came fair and far between. It was calm to you, nothing like what your parents had said. Part of you always knew they over exaggerated drinking, parties, and drugs after what happened but you didn’t think they went too far over the top, but they did. No glass was breaking and no one was fighting, just peace. Your head slowly leaned back and rested on the top of the couch, the sun was fully down and the stars were out. There was less light pollution here, you could see stars for miles on end without any strain. There was a bounce but you thought nothing of it, until smoke started to get in the way of the stars. You looked over to see Bucky doing the same thing, head leaned back and looking up. 

When he noticed you had looked over so he tilted his head to you, “what exactly are we looking for?” he whispered, there were still voices in the background that didn’t concern either of you. His knuckles lightly tapped your thigh, when you looked down you saw him holding a joint. 

“I’ve never done it right before,” you whispered, not meeting his eyes. When he didn’t respond you looked up, he seemed to be fighting with something. 

“You want me to teach you or do you want me to pass it on? It’s totally fine if you don’t want to smoke,” though you just met him you could tell he was being genuine, no smirking or laughing, just a real question to make you feel as comfortable as possible. 

“Pass it on,” you muttered. Bucky gave a curt nod and leaned over you to sluggishly pass the joint to Sam, when he came back his head was closer to you and his thigh was touching yours. “Thanks,” you whispered, focusing on the stars. 

He brought his hand and patted your thigh before dropping it back down to the couch, “don’t worry, no one will pressure you and that shit, it’s stupid,” Bucky looked over to you, you felt this urge to look at him, “do you want to at some point?”

“I think so,” you nodded. 

“Cool,” his face lit up a bit, “just tell me and I’ll show you, it won’t be weird or embarrassing, I’ve taught Steve,” Bucky laughed and sat up, you followed, “isn’t that right Steve?” Bucky cut through his and Nat’s conversation. 

It seemed to be the shit eating grin Bucky was giving Steve because he understood, “Bucky, I swear, you didn’t teach me,” Net perked up, Steve just rolled his eyes. 

Bucky turned to you, “I caught this punk watching a youtube video on how to smoke, he stole my pre rolled joints and everything,” Steve was pink and covering his face, Nat was laughing. You just giggled and nodded along, “I find it very nice when someone asks to learn, in my opinion.”

You were in the conversation, talking with everyone. You and Nat shared some embarrassing stories and it was then that you were reminded of how strong your bond was with the red head. Natasha knew all the stories about you, she was there that day in court. Not once did she edge a story but pull away or even give a snarky look, silently saying ‘I have dirt on you’. She told stories about the time where you got hit in the face three times with only seconds between during dodgeball or when you threw up right before your band performance, you ended up playing your flute with a little left over on your lip. You spilled a few things to Steve, noticing the brewing chemistry between them. Natasha graduated after getting into a fight with another girl over nothing, she lost a nail so when she held her diploma she did it strategically. Or when she was score keeping the football game and a player was running her way, when she realized the player would run into her and the scorekeeper’s table she got up and ran away, leaving the football team’s head coach’s laptop to get absolutely wrecked. 

Near the end of the story time Bucky had passed the joint to you, asking again if you wanted to try. You’d become loose, you had a few beers. You said yes. Bucky was very happy, running inside to get one of his many lighters. 

“A gift,” he laughed, he was very high, “let’s go,” he talked you through it. In the middle of your exhale you began to cough, everyone giggled and so did you but Bucky laughed his way through patting your back. “Don’t worry,” his eyes barely open, “it happens.”

It came over you fast but smoothly, you were definitely high. While Bucky was telling stories about getting boners during his high school presentations you were laughing along with hooded eyes, your giggles would come out of nowhere but erupt into laughter. Bucky, who was higher than you, would laugh as well for no real reason. Nat looked at you a few times, silently checking in with a subtle thumbs up, you bit your bottom lip and nodded. Nat was a drinker rather than a smoker and even then you could hardly tell when she was drunk, she was able to sober up when taking care of you. 

You pulled out your phone to check the time but wasn’t expecting the full brightness, it took a second before you realized you had over a hundred missed calls and you had been at this party for three hours. It was a little past two in the morning. Bucky looked over to see where the brightness was coming from and managed to get a glimpse of the number of missed calls and the most recent text in your family group chat that read: we aren’t doing this again. 

“You should call them back,” Bucky said normally, a volume where everyone could hear him. 

“Who?” Sam leaned over. You turned off your phone and brought it up to your chest, “come on, who?” Sam sntached the phone out of your hands. He turned it on and saw everything. “Someone’s in trouble!” he sang like a child. 

“Give it back,” the world was spinning while you reached for it, making you miss. 

A more stern voice cut in, “give it back,” Nat said harshly, no trace of alcohol on her tongue.

Bucky leaned over to Sam and took the phone, “we should call them,” Bucky wiggled his eyebrows, “tell them that their daughter is higher than a kite,” Bucky turned on the phone again and was met by a call coming from your parents. His eyes quickly flashed to you, they were bug eyed and full of pure terror, “...or not…” he sounded like he was asking a question. The phone was still ringing and your breathing got faster, Nat came over and sat beside you. Your hand was flush against your chest as you began to rock back and forth, “what is happening?” Bucky turned to face you, he sobered up as well. 

“I don’t want to be high anymore,” you whispered. Your vision was tunneling and all you could picture was the incident. The flashing lights and your family, the courthouse and the lawyers, the papers and the therapists, all of it. Little whimpers came with your gasps for air, your legs were slowly curling into you while your arms crossed over your chest. The ringing in your ears sounded soft but it was completely blocking the sound of Bucky and Nat trying to talk to you. Your eyes focused on the phone that began to call again, you’ve heard the ringtone so many times it was all you could hear even though it wasn’t actually breaking through the dull ringing. 

Nat took your phone and put it behind her, your eyes didn’t move and were now looking at the little table that held the weed and drinks. Your hand reached to your left and gripped Natasha’s shoulder, she placed a hand over yours as well. Though it was fuzzy Steve and Sam ran inside, you didn’t know what they were doing. The table turned into Bucky’s face instantly, he was crouching in front of you, both hands on your legs as he looked up and met your eye line. You were looking through him, his face was fuzzy but you could faintly make out tear tracks running down his cheeks. The blurs came back and it must have been Steve and Sam, Bucky looked over his shoulder and then moved out of the way. 

Cold water was shot in your face. 

The fuzziness and the ringing went away but the rapid and shallow breaths stayed for a couple minutes. Bucky went back to where he was crouching and talked you down, “it’s alright, just keep breathing, you’re doing amazing, keep going,” his voice was soft and so light, you were almost able to tune out his sniffled, “I’m so sorry, that was probably so scary, shit, I’m sorry,” he whispered and rest his chin on your knees. 

With one final shaky breath you were back, Nat kept rubbing your back. You looked around to see Steve standing, looking very concerned, with an empty glass of water and Sam with a towel, Nat looked extremely sad and was resting her head on your shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered and stood up, Bucky stood with you, “that was so uncalled for, that shouldn't have happened, I don’t-”

“Nat told us that your parents are controlling and not to bring your parents up in conversation,” Steve cut you off, Bucky nodded and looked down to the ground, “we are terrible friends for that, I’m sorry.”

“F-friends?” you looked at Steve then Sam then Bucky, “we’re friends?” you were genuinely shocked. 

“If we aren’t, I want to be now,” Sam let out a breathy laugh, “before all that when we were just talking, you and Nat were great,” he looked to the other boys for confirmation, “you’re really funny, and we can definitely forget what happened just now and if you ever want to talk we can be serious really quick, we’re not going to push you.”

“You guys are really laid back,” you looked at Bucky, “and it’s okay, I forgive you.”

“Thanks,” Bucky sniffed, “why don’t you guys stay over, I feel a pillow fort brewing…?” He leaned in with a smile, trying to sell you both on staying. 

“I’d love that,” you linked arms with Bucky and walked inside, everyone was gone, “it gives a chance for Nat and Steve to cuddle,” you whispered to Bucky. 

“Ladies and gentleman,” Sam jumped, “she’s back!”

The morning came soon, you ended up leaving the pillow fort and making your way to someone’s bedroom. It felt weird to sleep in someone’s bed but you slept over the covers so it wouldn’t be too weird. The ceiling was very boring but it seemed to be the best space for you to project images of last night on, it was flat and one colour so the blurry shapes seemed clearer. The internal battle to call your parents had been fighting within you for a while, your phone sat plugged in on the bedside table. The missed call was still present on your screen. 

With less than one ring your mom picked up, “-fuck were you thinking? You almost killed us! We were so worried and you thought it was just ok to not call us, did you not see our calls?” you weren’t on speaker but you could hear her voice loud and clear from your phone sitting on your lap. 

“I joined a book club, no phones in the library,” your voice slurred from lack of sleep. 

The call lasted a total of five minutes, you didn’t talk at all. You were reminded of what happens when drinking is involved, how that can change a family. They went into detail about everything, it ended up making you cry. You were done with hearing and talking about what happened as well as getting blamed, it wasn’t your fault, even lawyers told you so. But it still hurt whenever it was brought up. When you got the chance to hang up, you took it. 

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, “yeah?” Your voice sounded sad, it was obvious.

The door opened to show Bucky holding a croissant on a plate with an iced coffee, “hey, stranger,” he walked in, “I see you like my room the best?” He went to the bedside and placed the food there. 

Your eyes went wide, “oh god, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“Don’t,” Bucky sat on the bed, right next to you, “I asked Nat for your coffee order, here you go.”

“Thanks,” you smiled. 

It wasn’t hard for Bucky to pick up on you crying, he could see your eyes that were red and puffy as well as a unwiped tear track on your neck. You could see his sympathetic look even though he tried to hide it, most likely not wanting to come off as condescending. You shifted closer and he did the same, his hand coming up and rubbing your back. He was looking at you and you were looking at him, his eyes went from one feature to another, trying to find clues written on your skin to help him answer the question he’s had since your breakdown last night. 

What the hell happened?

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The Replacement - Part ten

Negan Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 9

Warning: Swearing and smut

A/N: I know that Negan's hair is super short in this scene, but I totally love JDM's hair and this was not one of my favourite looks on him. So I gave him his gorgeous hair back in here.

With the events that had happened at the festival, the communities were all on high alert, making sure that everyone was safe and far away from Whisperers territory.

You made it your duty to double down on your training of the youngsters, with what happened at the festival you knew that killing children was something that the Whisperers were not shy of doing. You couldn’t do much physically yourself but at least you could make sure your students were prepared to properly defend themselves.

With winter nearing, Negan and you also had to double down on stocking up on the food inventory as well as anything else that would be needed.

Time soon flies by fast and before you knew it, winter had arrived. With it some relief came as signs of the Whisperers had vanished. Yet another dilemma had also arose with in the community, the Kingdom after all these years had began to decay and soon there was no other option but to abandon it.

It was decided that all the occupants of the Kingdom would be relocated to Hilltop and doing so was a major mission to take on, especially with a huge winter snow storm about to hit.

Once the storm had started the solar power had ceased to work and soon the temperature had begun to drop.

Judith, R.J and you were busy in the kitchen preparing snacks when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it” Judith announces and goes to answer it.

“Who is it Jud?” you call out to her from the kitchen only to see Gabriel and Rosita enter. “Oh, hey guys.”

“Evening Y/N. We came to get you guys, Eugene just informed us that there’s no hope of getting any power back with this storm. The temperature will be dropping even more soon so, it’s been decided for all to gather either at Aaron, Nora’s or the church to keep warm at the fire place.” Gabriel informs you.

“Ok, we’ll get ready then” you respond, “we might need a few things depending on how long this storm is going to last.”

“We’ll take the kids so long and I’ll sent someone over to help” Gabriel responds in agreement, “we should also probably get Negan out of his cell, if he stays down there he’ll freeze to death.”

“No need to. He’s upstairs, I went and got him awhile ago” you answer and Rosita raises a brow at you.

“What?” you stare back at her, “I wasn’t going to let him stay in that cell in this weather, he would die. Michonne made him my responsibility and if she came back and found out I let him freeze to death... I’d be in deep shit.”

“Aunt Y/N!” Judith gasps out at you in shock, covering R.J’s ears.

“Sorry kiddo-” you grimace in apology.

“You’ve been around Negan too long. You’re beginning to sound like him” Gabriel mutters, shaking his head at you.

“Actually, I’ve been like this before I met Negan” you respond defending Negan.

“So, you have that man in the house while Michonne’s kids are here?” Rosita grills you.

Releasing a breath of frustration, you respond, “he’s properly restrained in my bedroom and the door is locked from the outside.”

Rosita raises yet again a brow at you. “What? It made more sense to keep him closer to where I can keep a better eye on him” you shrug in reply.

“Ok, we get it.” Gabriel ends the conversation, “go and get him. We’ll take him with us and then I’ll send someone to assist you.”

Once everything was sorted downstairs, you rushed up to get Negan. Quickly you shut the bedroom door behind you, locking it from the inside.

The truth was that you hadn’t locked it in the first like you said nor was Negan restrained. You trusted Negan and knew he would never hurt the kids, so you had left him to get comfortable and rest while you had been busy with the kids.

“Negan, baby. Wake up.” You gently rock him awake.

Slowly Negan begins to wake up and stares up at you through his sleepy hazel eyes, “hey…” he smiles at you then.

“You need to get up. The temperature is dropping to much and there’s no power. Everyone’s going to the church to keep warm at the fire” you tell him.

The storm had really started to pick up when you finally reached the church with the needed supplies. Making your way up the steps you were caught off guard when you noticed people exiting from it, curious at what was happening, you pushed through the exiting crowd to enter the church.

“We could always tell Y/N that it was an accident...” you overhear Rosita’s remark.

“Tell Y/N what was an accidently exactly?” you raise a brow in question as you walk pass her and the rest to stand close to Negan.

“These asshats were gonna leave me here, chained up to freeze to death!” Negan answers you.

You glare at Rosita accusingly, waiting for a response to what you just heard. “What?” she smirkingly shrugs at you, “mad I almost let your boyfriend become a popsicle?”

Negan’s eyes widen in fear at her comment while you take a calm breath and reply through clenched teeth, “he is not my boyfriend, he is my charge.”

“Whatever makes you sleep better at night. Let’s just go before we’re stuck in here” Rosita shrugs you off.

Uncuffing Negan, “sorry that I left you alone with them” you squeeze his hand in apology, making sure no one notices though.

“It’s ok” he smiles down at you, returning the hand squeeze.

It was a difficult trek to make to Aaron’s, visibility had become extremely bad that everyone was being led in a single file towards it while holding onto a rope.

Things seemed to be going steady until what sound like barking was heard from a distance.

“Dog!” Judith yells out and before you knew it , she had let go of the rope and was rushing towards the barking.

“Judith” Negan and you both scream out at the same time and rush to go after her.

“Negan!” you yell out to him as he was ahead of you. “Y/N, go back! I’ll get her!” Negan orders you.

“No. She’s my responsibility so I’m going with you!” you tell him.

“Fine, but stay in front of me.” Negan gives in.

It was extremely difficult trying to locate Judith in the storm, nothing could be seen and the wind was tossing debris and other objects all around.

Negan and you were calling out for Judith when suddenly you heard Negan scream out in pain.

“Negan?!” you cry out in concern when you saw him on the ground. “Dammit!” Negan painfully groans out.

“Negan your leg!” you notice then that a piece of debris and sliced his leg.

“I’m ok. It’s just a scratch. We have to keep looking for Judith” Negan brushes it off.

The two of you continued to search for Judith but you were distracted by your concern over Negan when you noticed he was limping.

Eventually you heard Dog barking, following it you finally found Judith and him.

You grabbed a hold of Dog and Negan tossed Judith onto his shoulder. While attempting to get back you came across a building structure and Negan lowered Judith down against the side of it.

“Hey you ok?” Negan checks her over as you watch over them while holding onto Dog. “I’m ok” Judith whispered in response.

Negan then takes his coat off, placing it around Judith, “I know why ya doing this. You just want to get a lil extra Negan-time, aren’t you?” he softly chuckles, “I tell ya something kid. That dog, he better pop golden nuggets. Ya hear what I’m saying-”

Judith then looks down at Negan’s injured leg, “your leg looks like shit.”

“Judith!” you gasp out in shock. Negan smirks, pressing his forehead against hers, “language- Miss Grimes.”

“Sorry Aunt Y/N-” Judith crooks out in response. “It’s ok. She’s right, it does look like shit” Negan snickers out in her defence.

Taking the scarf off from around your neck, you then tie it around Negan’s leg to try and stop the bleeding.

“That’s fine like that sweetheart, thanks. You grab the dog and I’ll carry her” Negan picks up Judith then once you were finished.

“Maybe I should carry Judith” you respond in reply him.

Negan shakes his head at you, “you wouldn’t be able to, you know that.”

“But your leg…” you try and argue.

“I’ll be fine. You grab the dog and keep a hold onto me as we walk. I don’t want us getting separated” Negan orders you.

You reluctantly give in and the three of you along with Dog set forth to reach Aaron’s house.

Once Negan and you reached Aaron’s house you were greeted by a concerned Gabriel. “Thank goodness you guys found her” Gabriel lets out a sigh of relief seeing Judith in Negan’s arms.

“Gabriel, do you mind taking her, Negan injured his leg and it needs to be seen to” you request of him.

“Of course. Take him to the kitchen, I’ll send Siddiq to you guys to have a look at it” Gabriel responds.

“This is the best I can do with limited supplies” Siddiq informs you guys once he finished patching up Negan’s leg. “It’ll need stiches though but we’ll have to wait until the storm dies down.”

“Thanks Doctor Baby Daddy” Negan replies, snickering softly at the look Siddiq gives at his remake.

“You guys should get out of those clothes or you’ll be soaked from the melting snow” Siddiq instructs Negan and you.

“This is the best I can do for you guys” Aaron hands you two pairs of sweatpants and some flannel socks. “There aren’t single blankets left either, only this big one, so you guys will have to share it I’m afraid” he gives you an apologetic look at the fact you’ll have to do so with Negan.

“It’s so fucking cold, you’re shivering. Come here baby” Negan pulled you in closer to him.

“Its because we don’t have our coats, it’ll take a bit for us to warm up…” you whisper back at him in response.

“Well, I have great idea to help us warm up real quick…” Negan nuzzles into the side of your neck.

“Negan. No.” you soft scold him, yet still continue to bury yourself underneath him for warmth.

“Come on baby... ya killing me here... You, lying here in my arms, underneath this big-ass blanket” Negan argues his point.

You turn onto your back slightly to look into his eyes “we aren’t alone, someone might see us. Besides that, you’re injured.”

“We’re in this corner, far away from them. There ain’t much light and everyone’s asleep… The blanket is massive. They’ll never know…” Negan pushes further.

Lifting his head up, Negan looked around the room to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied that the cost was clear, he tips down to kiss you, making sure to pull the top of the blanket over your heads to cover anyone from seeing it.

Slipping a hand into his hair, you find yourself pulling Negan deeper into the kiss as you part your lip to allow his tongue access into your mouth.

“So, is that a yes?” Negan smirks against your lips.

“We’ll have to quiet” you tell him.

“That’s more a you problem than me…” Negan softly snickers.

“Shut up Negan, before I change my mind” you warn him.

“Yes Ma’am” Negan goes back to kissing you.

Slipping a hand into the front of his sweatpants, “Jesus. How are you so hard already?” you stare up at Negan in surprise.

“Baby… I’m always hard whenever I’m around you…” Negan mumbles in response to you.

Negan’s hands were then at the waistband of your pants, hastily assisting in getting them off. Negan and you settle into a comfortable position; both of you on your sides, your back against his front and one leg draped over his.

Taking one last look around the room, Negan begins to prob at your entrance with his erection. “You ready baby?” Negan whisper in your ear and you nod at him in response.

“Don’t forget… you have to be quiet…” he smirks against you neck while pressing kisses into it.

“Shut u-” you’re suddenly interrupted mid sentence by Negan thrusting his cock into you, resulting in you having to bite deep into your lip in order to stifle the loud gasp that nearly passes them.

“God… you feel good…” Negan softly groans against your neck and you softly whimper, trying your best to remain quiet.

Someone lets out a low cough and you slightly tense up, causing Negan to hiss out as you clenched tightly around him. “Relax… they’re still asleep” Negan reassure you after double checking around the room again.

It was a slow, somewhat romantic pace as Negan carefully rolled his hips forward into you repeatedly.

If was a difficult task to adhere to, having to control your need to be loud whenever Negan would pull out and push his length back into you.

Soon it seemed like you would lose the battle when your orgasm begun to near and Negan sensing it, places a hand over your mouth to try and stifle your sounds.

After a few more thrusts from Negan, your climax then hits. Causing Negan’s hand to slightly slip from your mouth as you walls clamp tightly around him.

Not having any choice, you bite into Negan’s hand as you try to remain quiet through your orgasm. Negan’s mouth latches onto your neck then as he gives a few more thrusts into you and cums deeply inside you, sinking his teeth into your flesh to stifle his own sounds of pleasure.

Once the both your breathing were evening out, Negan then removes his hand from your mouth and lifting his face from your neck. “Shit. I forgot to ask you if it was ok to stay inside”

“It’s ok. It’s kinda difficult to pull out in the situation we’re in… Clean-up would be impossible without looking suspicious” you reassure him with a smile.

Negan smile back at you, placing a kiss against your lips. “We should probably get you redressed. Don’t want anyone questioning why ya not wearing pants” he snickers in response.

“Probably should do that yeah” you softly giggle at his remark.

Once you got your pants back on, you comfortably settle back into Negan’s arms and you both soon fall asleep.

Part 11

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[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

Unfaithful | Final Chapter

Series Summary: After dreaming of your perfect wedding since you were a little girl the big day is almost here. But after meeting the priest you start to question your relationship.

Pairing: Hot Priest x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2718

Warnings: all the angst with a side order of fluff, FINAL CHAPTER

A/N: this is it, the series finale. I really hope you guys enjoyed the series and that this ending does it justice. Thank you for the lovely comments on previous chapters, I love you guys! Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :)

Part Five | Masterlist

- - - - -

“We need to talk”

“I think you said enough yesterday” I say dismissively as I stand up.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”

“But you did!” 

“I know this is no excuse but I was really drunk”

“You're right, that isn’t an excuse. What you said to me really hurt”

“I know and I am so so sorry. I think I thought that if I could make you hate me then it would be easier for me to not love you.”

I pause, trying to make sense of what he’s just said. 

“That’s stupid”

“I realise that now, but at the time my alcohol infused brain thought it was genius.” He says and I can't help but be slightly amused “Look Y/N, I need you to know I didn’t mean any of what I said yesterday. And I really hope you don't hate me, though I don't blame you if you do”

“I don’t hate you” I take his hands in mine and look deep in his eyes “I could never hate you, you mean too much to me now. I couldn’t have got through the past few weeks without you, so you're not getting rid of me that easy”

I give him a gentle but sincere smile and he lets out a sigh of relief. 

“It didn’t work anyway” he says and I respond with a confused look “My genius plan failed… I still love you” 

Before I can say anything else Eva appears at the door.

“There you are!” She calls and I quickly release the priest’s hands as I turn to look at her. She looks from me, to the priest and back to me “everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine. This is the priest who’s doing the wedding.” 

“Oh uh, actually… I’m not anymore” he says, suddenly awkward again. 

“Can you give us a minute?” I say to Eva and she nods before disappearing back inside the house. I turn my attention back to the worried looking priest “What do you mean?” 

“I can’t be there today” 

“Are you serious? We need you!” 

“I know it’s unprofessional to pull out this late but so is kissing the bride behind the groom’s back, so…” he lets out a small nervous chuckle “I’ve arranged cover already. Father Crilly. He’s a good priest, he’ll make sure it all runs smooth”

“You're a good priest! You can make sure it runs smooth!”

“I can’t” he says, looking down at his feet

“Of course you can”

“No I can’t!” He snaps, looking back up at me. I notice tears starting to form in his eyes. “I can’t because I want it to go wrong. I want there to be a reason for this wedding not to happen, for you not to marry him… instead of me” 

My breath catches in my throat as I look at him, not knowing how to respond.

“Father…” I almost whisper “I- I don't know what to say”

“You don't have to say anything”

“You know how much mean to me-”

“Please don’t” he interrupts but I carry on 

“-but I can’t leave Daniel. I’m sorry”

“I can’t pretend to understand why you would marry a man who treats you the way he has, but if you love him even half as much as I love you… then I respect your decision. I’m not going to get in your way.” 

He turns to leave but I grab his arm gently stopping him. 

“Are you gonna be alright?” I ask and he gives me a small nod

“It’ll pass” 

I watch as he walks out my driveway and disappears down the road, taking deep steadying breaths before putting a smile on my face and heading inside to get ready. 

After all, today is to be the happiest day of my life. Right? 

— — — — 

So far the rest of the day has run smooth. I explained to Eva and the rest of the bridesmaids that the priest had to pull out last minute, making up some excuse about a family emergency, but that he’d arranged cover so there was nothing to stress about. Eva, as my substitute maid of honour, took on the job of alerting Daniel to the last minute change so there would be no confusion when he turned up at the church and found Father Crilly waiting for him. 

A few hours later I descended the stairs in my beautiful white dress to the sound of the girls showering me with compliments and my aunt Lynda sniffling into a hankie. 

“You look like a princess” she says, pulling me into a slightly too tight hug. 

It wasn’t long till the cars arrived and we were on our way. The bridesmaids pilled into one while me and Aunt Lynda got into the other. Lynda rambled on about something but I couldn't really hear her. Too busy staring silently out of the window. The closer we get to the church, the more I can feel the panic rising in my chest. 

“Y/N? Are you okay?” She asks as she squeezes my hand gently, pulling my mind back into the car.

“Yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” I reply as convincingly as possible. 

“It’s okay to be nervous. Hell, I was more nervous the second time than I was for my first”

“I didn’t know you were married before uncle Steve?” 

“Yeah! It was long before you were born. We were school sweethearts. Like you and Daniel, only less in love. We thought we were in love but looking back now I realise we were too young to really know what that meant. Your dad tried to warn me. Said Troy and I were better off as friends, but we didn’t listen. He was great for relationship advice was your dad, bit of a self proclaimed love expert.” She pauses, going watery eyed again “I’m sorry he’s not here”

“Me too” 

“I’m sure wherever he is, he’ll be watching over you today. Your mother too. They’d both be so proud” she squeezes my hand again and smiles tearfully. 

“Don't make me cry. If I ruin my makeup Eva will kill me” I laugh, wiping under my eyes.

“I know, I’m sorry.” She says, handing me a tissue “no more crying, this is a happy day!”

— — — — 

By the time we arrived at the church the bridesmaids were waiting outside with the photographer and the new priest. The photographer camera flashed at me as Lynda helped me out of the car and lead me to the church. Looking up at those wooden doors, I was glad I had Lynda to cling onto. My legs felt like jelly. 

Father Crilly introduced himself to me before heading inside the church. The bridesmaids, Lynda and I waited outside until we heard the music start, signalling the beginning of the ceremony. The bridesmaids began their walk up the aisle and before long the music changed again to the bridal chorus.

“Here we go” 

We walk into the church, stopping just inside the doors. I glance up to the front of the church to see Daniel looking back at me, a smile spread across his face. A smile I can’t make myself return. Instead I keep my eyes down, focusing on the floor as we walk up aisle. I can feel every set of eyes on me, but I keep mine fixed on my feet that carry me closer and closer to my future. 

We reach the top and Lynda gives me a kiss on the cheek before going to join the bridesmaids on the front row. Daniel takes my hand in his, whispering “you look amazing” into my ear as Father Crilly begins the ceremony. 

His opening speech goes by in a blur. I try to listen to every word he’s saying, to keep myself planted in the real world but my mind is spinning and my heart is pounding. I can’t stop thinking about what Lynda said in the car. What if Daniel and I aren’t in love? We just think we are because we’ve been together so long. We’re just used to being with each other. 

I also can’t get the priest out of my head. Worrying about him. Wondering what he’s doing now, whether he’s thinking about me. I replay our last conversation in my head. 

‘I still love you’ 

‘I want there to be a reason for this wedding not to happen, for you not to marry him… instead of me’ 

I try to push his words from my mind, focusing instead on his final ones. 

‘It’ll pass’

But what if it doesn’t. 

“If any person present knows of any lawful reason why this marriage can’t take place they should speak now or forever hold their peace” Father Crilly pauses. 

A tense silence fills the room. 

I look out across the crowd of friends and family sitting silently in their seats, a small part of me hoping the priest will burst through the doors dramatically declaring his love for me as he sweeps me away to live happily ever after. 

I shake the fantasy from my mind and turn my attention back to the man I’m actually about to marry. Daniel is also looking out at the church crowd. He looks nervous. I give his hand a gentle squeeze and he looks at me.

“Are you okay?” I whisper and he nods, but I can tell he’s not. As he looks away from me again my mind starts to spiral, panic rising in my chest. I can’t do this. 

‘It’ll pass’

 I think I’m making a mistake. 

‘It’ll pass’

These feelings are too intense to ignore.

‘It’ll pass’

These feelings of love. Not for Daniel. For the priest. I don't want them to pass. 

“I object” I say quietly, staring down at my hand enclosed within Daniel’s. I can feel his gaze on my face as a wave of gasps and shocked murmuring works its way through the church. 

“What?” He says, a nervous laugh escapes his lips but the smile fades as my sad eyes lock onto his.

“I object” 

“To- to your own wedding…?” Father Crilly asks, voice full of confusion.

“I can’t do it. I can’t start a marriage with a lie.”

“Y/N? What are you talking about?” Daniel asks, gripping my hands tightly in his own, afraid to let go. 

“When you marry someone, there shouldn’t be any secrets. You have to be able to confess anything, trust them with everything… I need to be honest with you.” I pause, building up the courage to say what I need to say next. “Daniel I-”

“I cheated on you” he blurts out, earning another gasp from the crowd

“…what?” 

“I’ve been having an affair…” Daniel repeats “Tiff and I… we, uh-”

“Tiffany? My best friend Tiffany?” I ask and he nods “How long?”

“Maybe we should continue this somewhere else” Father Crilly tries to move us but I ignore him.

“How long Daniel? How long have you been sleeping with my best friend behind my back?”

“A few months I think”

“You think? What, you don't even remember?” I bring my hands up to my head, rubbing circles on my temples as I turn my back on Daniel and take deep breaths. 

“Y/N, please listen to me. I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you-” he puts his hands on my shoulders but I shrug him off.

“You say that a lot for someone who has repeatedly hurt me. Emotionally…” I turn back to face him “physically. And every time I make excuses for you, brush off the insults, hide the bruises because I thought I was in love with you. But I’m not. I don't love you. I haven’t loved you for a long time. I was just too scared to leave you. But I'm not scared anymore”

“I really think we should talk this through somewhere private” Father Crilly tries again but I shake my head. 

“I’m done.” I take Daniel’s hand and look him straight in the eye “Thank you for finally setting me free” 

I remove my engagement ring and place it in his hand before turning and walking back down the aisle to exit the church. Daniel runs after me, stopping me once we’re outside. 

“Y/N! Please just let me explain-”

“Did you ever stop to think how I would feel?” I spin around, taking him by surprise “When you were with her, did you consider me at all?” I pause, giving him the chance to respond but he doesn’t “See that’s the difference between you and me. All I ever do, all I’ve ever done, is think about you and how you’d react. A few days ago I kissed someone-”

“What?! Who?!” He yells, anger creeping onto his face

“Don't you dare get angry with me after what you’ve done!” I respond and he takes a deep breath “I could’ve done more. I had the opportunity to sleep with him. But I didn’t. Because I kept thinking about you, about how you would feel. And what you would do to me if you ever found out”

“I love you”

“No you don’t. If you did you wouldn’t have slept with my best friend. You don't love me, and that’s fine. I don't love you either, cause if I truly did then I wouldn’t have kissed the priest. I think we both just convinced ourselves we were in love because everyone else thought we were this fairytale love story. But maybe we were better off as friends.”

“Maybe” he says quietly, deep in thought “I’m really sorry, about everything. I treated you…terribly” 

Hearing a sincere, genuine apology from him, I finally feel at peace with it all. 

“It doesn’t matter now” I say, giving him a small smile “do you love Tiffany?”

He thinks for a moment before gently nodding his head. 

“I think so, yeah”

“You should tell her” I say, gesturing behind him as Tiffany comes running towards us. 

“Eva texted me.” She says breathlessly “Y/N, I am so sorry I should have-” 

I cut her off by pulling her into a hug.

“It’s okay” I say, releasing her and she looks at me in shock as I hand her my bridal bouquet “I hope you two are happy together. Really I mean that” 

I turn and walk away. 

“Where are you going?” Tiff calls after me.

“To get my happy ending” 

— — — — 

“Y/N?!” 

The priest looks at me confused as he answers his front door. 

“What are you doing here?” He asks.

“You lied to me” I say deadpan “you said Father Crilly would make sure it all ran smooth. But it didn’t. Something went very very wrong during the ceremony.”

“What happened?” He looks genuinely concerned

“Well a few things. The bride objected, and then the groom confessed to cheating with the former maid of honour. Then the bride confessed to kissing the former priest and they both confessed to not loving each other.”

He stands looking at me for a few moments, taking it all in. 

“Wow” he finally says “so not smooth then?”

“No” I burst out laughing and the priest joins in before turning serious again. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, searching my face.

“Yeah” I say after a moment, “more than okay, I’m great. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders”

“That’s good”

There’s a comfortable silence before I speak again. 

“You know, during the ceremony I kept hearing you in my head. Saying ‘It’ll pass’. And I realised something”

“What?”

“I don't ever want this feeling to pass. This feeling I get when I think of you, when I’m with you.” I pause to take a breath “I love you” 

“I love you too Y/N”

I smile. 

“So what happens now?”

He takes a step toward me, closing the gap as he brings his hands up to my face and crashes his lips to mine.

— — — — 

I started this story by saying every girl dreams of her perfect wedding day. 

Well mine ended up being far from perfect. 

But as I lay here wrapped in the priest’s arms, for the first time in a long time I’m happy. I’m free. 

And I’m in love. 

[lost-in-the-80s]

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Pairing: Axl Rose x (fem) reader

Words: 2,546k

Requested by: @sugwinter

Summary: You, one of the most prestigious actresses in Hollywood, meet Axl Rose at a party and the two of you just can’t stay away from each other. 

A/N: I’m sorry Tarantino, but the title fitted too well for me not to use it. Thanks for the request, darling! I LOVED this concept!! I hope you like it 💗

Note: This is the second version of it, since I didn’t like the first one. Tell me what you guys thought of it :)

Tag list: @roger-taylors-car @ladieswttda @teasid @metalheartofgold @slashscowboyboots @ginny-rose-sixx @rumoured-whispers @normatural​ add yourself to my tag list :)

Once upon a time in Hollywood, there was a smart young woman named Y/N. She had always been ambitious and very determined so she knew she wanted to be an actress at a very young age.

When she was 16 she started running after her dreams. Coming from a poor neighborhood in Los Angeles, she’d take the bus every day after school and go to Hollywood, distributing resumes at every set she could find, hoping to get any type of work that could bring her closer to her dream.

The chance came a few months later when she was hired to be the director’s assistant. Her work consisted of getting coffee, organizing his table, staying with him while filming and distributing the scripts to all the cast members.

He was directing a sitcom and one day the main actress didn’t show up for the filming, realizing that the two of them looked alike, he asked Y/N to take her place during that day.

She did such a good job, that the following year he called her asking if she would be interested in taking part in a movie.

That was the first of many jobs, 10 years had passed after that. It was 1991 and Y/N was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, any movie with her name on, joined countless people in cinema lines just to see it. 

She didn’t just make movies and series, but she extended her career,  taking part in some modeling jobs for major brands and appearing in video clips.

That’s how she met Steven Tyler, the infamous vocalist of Aerosmith. She had said in an interview that Aerosmith was one of her favorite bands and got surprised when the band’s manager got in touch with her a few days later asking if she would want to take part in a video clip of theirs. 

Doing small talk before the footage they found out they had the same zodiac sign, Aries. After that the two of them got really along, Steven invited her to have dinner with him and his wife and soon all of them became good friends. 

That’s how she ended up here, on March 26th in front of his mansion, a bottle of expensive wine wrapped as a gift in one hand while the other rang the doorbell. 

“Y/N! Come in!” It was Steven’s wife.

“Hello, Teresa, how are you?” She hugged her.

“I’m fine!” She smiled tenderly at Y/N.

There was rock music blasting from the speakers sprawled around the living room, where lots of people were dancing and having fun together. Steven was known for having many friends.

“Ste!!” She shouted, lifting her arms to get a hug from the man.

“Y/N! I’m happy that you came!”  He hugged her while smiling.

“Happy birthday!!” She let go of him. “Here, I brought you a gift.”

“Ohh, this is one of my favorites!” He smirked checking out the bottle. “I’ll take it to the wine house before someone decides to drink it.” He gave her a small smile, turning around. 

That’s when she saw him. He was talking to some people, his hair half-covered by a blue bandana. He was already looking at her, smiling in her direction when their gazes met. 

A shiver ran through her body at that moment. He was beautiful, an adjective she hardly used with men. But damn, she had never seen a man like that before. Everything on him looked perfect, his beard, his hair, his eyes and the shape of his face. 

He lifted his beer in her direction and she gave him a small smile, contemplating if she should go and try to talk to him. However, a friend of hers showed up, blocking her plans.

After a few minutes of talking her friend walked away, but the ginger man had disappeared. Walking towards the kitchen she got herself a beer and went to the backyard where some people were smoking, including Steven.

“Can I have one?” She asked, stopping beside him.

He handed her the cigarette, without saying anything. The two of them just stayed there, looking at the night sky in silence. 

“What’s up?” She frowned, turning to look at him.

“What do you mean?” He looked down at her.

“You’re quiet tonight.” She drank from her beer, still looking at him.

“That makes two of us.” He smiled at her.

“Fair enough.” She grinned. “You go first.” Y/N pointed at him with the bottle while taking the cigarette to her lips.

“I was just thinking… I’m already in my forties.” 

“Annd?” She prolonged the question, raising an eyebrow.

“I thought I’d be dead by now.” He said giggling, making her laugh as well.

She shook her head. “Quit using it and I’m sure you’ll live a very long life, Tyler.” 

“I’ll try, I’ll try.” He puffed some smoke. “What about you? What’s going on that little head of yours?” He touched her forehead with his index finger, giggling at his own gesture.

“There’s a guy inside…” 

He raised an eyebrow, instigating her to keep talking.

“He seems familiar.”

“How does he look like?”

“He’s ginger, with a bandana and leather jacket.” She dragged some smoke.

“Oh, that’s Axl. He’s from Guns n Roses.” He threw his cigarette on the pavement, stepping on it.

Realization took hold of her face. “Oh yeah. Paradise City! I remember now.”

“Did he catch your eye?” He asked smirking.

“You know how I am. I’m weak on the knees for a ginger.” She smirked back.

“Let’s go inside then, I’ll introduce the two of you.” 

She followed him inside the house, putting out the cigarette in an ashtray she found on the way.

They found him in the kitchen, putting some punch on a red plastic glass nearby the counter. 

“Axl!” He shouted over the music, stopping nearby the man. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet..”

Fuck, Steven. You really know how to be discreet. She thought to herself.

“Axl, this is Y/N.” With a hand on her back, he led her closer to him. “Y/N this is Axl.” He grinned at them.

“Nice to meet you.” Axl said, extending his hand for her to shake.  

She shook his hand giving him a small smile.

“I was just telling Y/N that you guys released a new album this year…” Steven looked at her. 

“There’s two of them actually.” He answered while taking a sip from the punch.

“So I’ve heard! But I didn’t get the chance to listen to them yet.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty recent… Did you listen to the previous ones?”

“I did! They’re quite impressive, I must say.”

He smiled at her. “I’ve seen some movies of yours too.”

“Oh, did you? What did you think of them?”

“They’re… quite impressive.” He mocked her while grinning. 

She giggled. 

“Ste, can you help me with something?” Teresa showed up, hugging Steven from the side.

“Of course my darling.” He hugged her back. “Sorry guys.” Giving them a small smile he left with Teresa. 

“Punch?” He asked seeing that her bottle was empty. 

“Yes, please.” She placed the bottle on the counter. 

Axl handed her a glass, their fingers brushing against each other when she took it from his hand, making a strange electricity run through their bodies.

“Do you live here? In L.A I mean.” She asked before taking a small sip of the beverage. 

“I do, even though I’m never at home. I’m out on tour now, came back just for a few weeks.”

“It must be really tiring to be always traveling.”

“Well, it is, but it’s worth it. After all I get to do what I love.” His eyes shined while he spoke and she smiled at his passion. 

A tall guy came to the counter trying to get some punch for himself, making the two of them move.

Starting to lead him towards an adjacent living room, she asked. “Have you always wanted to be a singer?”

“No really, my family is very religious so I started singing in the church’s choir. Then someone told my mother that I could sing and she made me take classes almost every day. It was very exhausting, but it made me realize that I actually liked to sing.”

Arriving at the room, nobody was there and the music made itself lower, allowing them to talk in a normal volume. They sat on the purple velvet couch. 

“I would’ve never guessed. And are you still religious?”

“I mean, I don’t go to church anymore, but yeah, I’m still very religious.”

She nodded drinking from her glass. 

“What about you? Have you always wanted to be an actress?”

“Yes! I remember being 3 or 4 and sitting in the living room, I’d point to the TV and tell my mom that I wanted to do that.” She smiled with the memory, her eyes getting a different glist. 

“That’s a sweet memory.” He smiled at her.

And so they carried on with the conversation, talking about their favorite things and their ambitions, never letting an uncomfortable silence fill in. Even if they were sure that if the silence set in it would not be uncomfortable. The two were too comfortable with each other for this to happen.

Axl was leaning against the couch casually, his legs spread open while S/N had removed her high heels and was sitting with her two legs sprawled on top of the couch.

“And how did you end up in Los Angeles?” She asked.

“Well, when I was 16 or something, this boy from my school, he’s my rhythm guitarist now, he started a garage band with some other dudes and asked me to be their vocalist.” 

He paused getting closer to her.

“In the beginning, I was very shy, there would be days where I’d literally leave before I could sing anything. But after some time I got used to it and eventually realized that it was nice to rehearse with them.”

“However the band didn’t work out and when Izzy graduated high-school he moved to L.A, he said he’d start a band here. He asked me to come with him, but I was kinda scared of coming to a big city like this, so I stayed in Lafayette.” 

He looked around, realizing that the music had stopped. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t listened to anything for a good while. “I think we’re the only ones who are still here.” He giggled.

“No shit! What time is it?” She touched his arm, turning it towards her so she could see the time on his wristwatch. “Fuck, it’s almost 5 am.”

“Wow. We should go then.”

“Yeah!” Getting up she got her heels and purse and followed him through the house.

There were some people passed out in the living room and Steven and Teresa were in the kitchen, nearby the sink, talking quietly.

After saying their goodbyes Axl and Y/N exited the house. The cool breeze involved their bodies, even though they could see the sun starting to shine on the horizon. 

“Did you come driving?” He asked.

“No, I got a taxi actually.”

“Come, I’ll give you a ride then.”

They got into the car and Axl started driving slowly down the street. “Where should I take you to?”

“I live in Venice.”

“Alright then.” He turned right in a bifurcation.

Checking the interior of the car, Y/N realized it was a convertible one. She gasped. “It’s a convertible! Open it up, please!” 

He giggled pressing a button that opened the bonnet. “Why are you so impressed? I’m sure you have at least three of these in your car collection…”

“I don’t have a car collection. I don’t even have a car” She turned around on her seat. The bonnet was fully open and she enjoyed feeling the breeze on her hair.

“Why not?” He frowned, looking at her for a brief moment.

“You’re gonna laugh at me.” She sat still on her seat, placing her feet on the dashboard. 

“I promise I won’t.”

“Fine… I don’t know how to drive.” 

“Wait. What? But what about all those movies where you were driving?” He looked at her, trying to see if she was joking.

“I wasn’t really driving, silly.” She giggled.

He laughed along.

“Anyway, you were telling me about how you ended here.”

“Oh yeah! So, Izzy came to L.A and I stayed for two more years. I got a job and stuff, but I was always getting in trouble. I’d spend the night in jail and they’d let me go in the morning ‘cause it wasn’t a big deal. But then I got in trouble one more time and they told me they’d arrest me for real if they got me again. So I realized I should leave the city.”

“Hmm, so you’re a bad boy…” Y/N smirked.

“I guess so…. But you’re no saint yourself! You’re not best friends with the press…”

“Well...yeah! The problem is that I don’t know how to be politically correct, I just know how to be me, and people don’t usually like when you give them your honest opinion.”

He looked at her and saw that she was looking through the window.

“On top of that, I have a high tendency of not giving a fuck… I like to live, you know? I like to go out and enjoy every moment, I like to live in the present. But apparently, you’re a bad influence if they see you leaving a club at 3 am every weekend.”

With every word she said, the more he wanted to know about her. She was so much more than what he had thought. 

It was a long drive to Venice and accompanied by the soft music playing on the car radio they talked all the way, never getting tired of each other’s voice.

“That’s my building.” She pointed to a big white building in front of the beach.

“Fully delivered.” Axl said smiling, stopping the car in front of it and turning around to look at her.

“I really liked spending time with you.” She smiled.

“Do you think we could do it again on a date?” He asked expectantly.

“I’d love that! What about Friday?”

“Friday’s good for me. I’ll pick you up at 7 pm.” 

“Okay.”

The two of them just stayed still, looking at each other without saying anything. 

“Is it too early for me to kiss you?” He asked smiling.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you try it?” She smiled back.

And so the two of them leaned in, involving each other in a quick kiss that turned into a passionate one.

After a few seconds, she pulled away, catching her breath and opening the car door.

“Goodnight, Axl.” 

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

Little did they know that this was the beginning of a beautiful love story. Full of struggles and problems but that eventually worked out. They found a way of accepting their differences and getting along in a way that few couples could do. And after many years people still talked about them, after all, they became the most iconic 90s couple. 

[shewillreadyou]

Me before you: Chapter 3: Excuse me miss

A/N: This is a TRR AU. Liam is already married, but see’s Riley and wants his cake. If the readers are receptive this might turn into more than a mini series. Enjoy!

Disclaimers: Most characters are property of Pixelberry

Warnings: Language, adult content, mild sexual innuendo. 

Word Count: 3468

Catch up: Haven’t met you Yet  For Real

Prompts: None 

Pairings: Drake & Riley

Song inspiration: Luther Vandross Take you out & Wait for Love

Be Kind: Hit the heart button, leave a comment or reblog. It makes a writer so so happy.

The hot water cascaded down his sculpted body. He groaned as he ran his hands through his luscious chocolate locks. He lathered his shoulders as thoughts of her ran through his mind. He was captivated by her. She seemed to consume his every waking moment. Liam had crossed the line yet again. Every time it seemed his transgressions got more and more out of hand. He refused to allow his friend’s actions to ruin his final couple of days in the states. 

Bastien had taken over the King’s detail while they were in Waxahachie for Savannah’s wedding. For the next 48 hours, Liam was not his charge, he was his friend. His thoughts went back to her. She represented hope, possibility, promise. He had no idea what was to come, but he knew that it would be an exciting adventure if she was at his side.  

As he pulled his white henley tee shirt over his head, his mind went back to the conversation he had at the reception with his cousin Tyler, who was a cyber-security analyst with the Department of Homeland security. Drake explained to Tyler that he would no longer be sitting with him and the rest of the bridal party because the girl who he had been telling Tyler about who works in advertising, who he met in New York was there, and he intended to spend as much time with her as he could. She was something special. She could be the one. “So you invited her to Sav’s wedding?” he inquired. 

“No, actually she is the friend of Sav’s college roommate, Mackenzie, and came as her plus one. I had no idea she would be here.”

 “Sounds like fate.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that of all the places in the world this one person could be, she is here at your sister’s wedding... in Waxahachie, TX. If this girl is the one, you’re screwed. You might as well spruce up your resume. She’s a career woman. She is not going to move to Cordonia for you, and you suck at long-distance relationships. I can probably get you in at my job. My guy Rob in HR owes me a favor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get the courage to ask her out,” he told Tyler.

The truth was, he could easily see a future with Riley. She’s beautiful, honest, smart, quick-witted, and kind. His cousin’s words bounced around in his head as he pulled on his favorite distressed jeans giving himself a quick once over in the full-length mirror in the room his Mom had decorated for him at the ranch after she returned to the states when his dad passed.

He opened his laptop and took a look around the room. The Walker Ranch had been in his father’s family for several generations being passed down to the eldest male child, like each generation before. Drake stayed in Cordonia after his father died and was handsomely compensated by the crown. His college education was covered, and he and his sister received a stipend each month. Drake was always taught to do a lot with little and to save the rest. For years he lived at the palace and saved every penny. Being friends with Liam, he learned how to invest wisely and he did pretty well in the stock market. His newest pastime had been real estate investment. He had been buying foreclosed homes in and around Dallas and having his Mom’s brothers and his cousins fix them up before selling them for a generous profit. 

He was curious, he was now the rightful owner of the Walker Ranch. It had struggled in the past, but because of his business plans and wise investment, the family business was as strong as it had ever been and his mom was nearing retirement age. What if he and Riley did end up together? He knew the plan was for his cousin Miranda to replace his mom when she was ready, while he retained ownership, but where would that leave him? He pulled up the DHS website and clicked on the careers tab. He was reading a description of a position that he believed he would qualify for, Intelligence Analyst.  

Just then Liam plowed through his door without warning. 

“Li! What the fuck man?” he shouted as he closed his laptop abruptly. 

“My apologies, I hope I'm not interrupting.  I just wanted to apologize if I offended you. You were right, any woman can be a lot. Carsyn is not speaking to me, she thinks I'm interested in Riley.”

“You are interested in Riley. She's just not interested in you and it's killing you. Let me ask you something, why is it so hard for you to grasp that a smart beautiful woman would be interested in me over you?”

“It’s just.. It’s not that. I'm not accustomed to rejection. It intensifies my want for her.”

“ I hate to cut our conversation short but I have to head out. I’ve got a few stops to make before I pick up Riley.”

“Then I shall take my leave. Enjoy! Smart man, planning a date when it’s going to storm. I’m sure you won’t have a problem closing tonight,” he said as he left the room.

The evening came and Drake drove along the winding Country Road towards the city. He tapped his thumb against the steering wheel to the beat of Chris Stapleton’s, “Starting Over.”

Then he switched from Prime country to the Heart and Soul station on his XM Radio. If he was going to have her in his life it meant embracing all aspects of it. He knew that music was a big thing for her and although she would listen to a little bit of everything she loved R&B and Jazz.  A song by Luther Vandross came on and to his surprise, it was not very different from the country music he listened to all the time. The chorus was catchy and very fitting. 

“Excuse me Miss, what's your name? Where are you from, and can I come? And possibly, can I take you out tonight?”

He found himself humming the tune as he stepped into the local Nursery to pick up a houseplant to go along with the Pinot Grigio he bought as a gift for Riley.  He decided on a Prayer Plant. 

It was relatively low maintenance and he thought it would be entertaining to watch it curl up in darkness. He didn't want to do the same flowers and candy that everyone does. He wanted to take her something that she would keep for a while, and possibly would make her think of him when she saw it.  As much as he didn't want to admit it the thought of her dating someone else while he was back in Cordonia was driving him insane. 

He was nervous and he couldn't figure out why. They were just going to hear some live music.  But he wanted to impress her so badly. He knew that it was more likely that he would end up putting his foot in his mouth but with her, for some reason, it did not matter. When he pulled up in front of her place he put on ChapStick, and reached into his glove box, sprayed on some Chrome, and checked his breath before quickly gathering the gifts for her and heading toward the door. He tucked the house plant under his arm as he smoothed over his clothes as the elevator took him to her floor.  A small lump formed in his throat as he approached her door. 

She opened the door and his breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance. She was dressed in a denim outfit with matching stiletto boots and oddly enough, the denim matched his jeans. It would almost appear planned. He was secretly thrilled. She smiled at him and he was sure he forgot his own name for a few seconds. She stretched up on her toes and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

“Hey Drake, you smell delicious.”

 “Hey. Thanks. These are for you.”

“Aww, you brought me a houseplant and wine? I’m not worthy, but I love it. Thank you. Come in! I promise I’m almost ready.”

She sat the plant on the counter and placed the wine in her wine fridge. 

“You look greeeeat,” she squealed. 

“Thanks. So do you.”

“So how’d you know what kind of wine I like?” she asked as she finished her eye makeup in the mirror. 

“Observant, I guess. I saw a bottle in the trash when I was here yesterday.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Are you ready?”

He stood moving to open the door for her. “After you.” They made it downstairs as a couple of her neighbors made it home from what he only assumed was church. He couldn’t figure out if the staring was due to her outfit or if it was because she was with him. He looked at her in awe as she strutted with confidence to his car. 

He opened the door for her and she smiled before thanking him. 

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. She was rattling on and on about the artist performing in the festival and he was secretly praying she wouldn’t ask him a question that required an intelligent answer. She kept touching his biceps and his hand. Her hands were so soft and he was sooo turned on. He hoped that she didn’t notice the bulge in his pants and think that he was a creep. He wondered if she kept touching him because she was nervous too?

“Um, Ri? You good?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You are extremely chatty and you keep touching me.”

“I’m excited. I’ll try to keep my hands to myself, but the way this henley hugs your arms,” she wiggled her eyebrows. 

He let out a low chuckle as he quickly glanced at her for the seventh time.

“Are you ok?” 

“Yeah, never better. Why?” 

“You keep looking at me.”

He grinned keeping his eyes on the road. They were nearing the venue when she glanced at his pants. He immediately assumed that she spotted his retreating erection. 

“What?”

“We’re matching you know. People are going to think we did this purposely.”

“Do you care what others think?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“Good because we’re here.”

They parked and he asked her to stay put for a moment. He got out of the truck and grabbed a blanket and wicker picnic basket. He walked around the truck and opened the door for her and she blushed furiously as she stepped out.

They made their way to a free spot among the crowd. Riley noticed a few glares from both men and women, who obviously had an issue with she and Drake being there together. Then she smiled as one woman gave her a smile, wink and thumbs up as she stood to the side watching while Drake spread the blanket and invited Riley to sit. She knew that some people would have opinions of them being an interracial couple, but Drake didn’t seem bothered. In fact, she thought it showed how courageous he was. When another woman mouthed, “That’s a good look!”

She bit the inside of her cheek trying not to smile. The truth was she didn’t need any validation. She knew Drake was a catch. The fact that he was easy on the eyes was a bonus.  

“What’s in the basket?”

“Uh, a little something my mom helped me with.”

He opened the basket and pulled out wine glasses, a bottle of her favorite Pinot Grigio, cheese, cashews, summer sausage, deli turkey, sliced cucumbers, grapes, strawberries, whipped cream and 2 brownies. The opening act took the stage and Drake pulled Riley close. 

“I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am,” she said coyly as she settled between his legs.

They cuddled for a bit before eating, until one of the performers played a rendition of The Gap Band’s, “Outstanding.” She jumped up and pulled Drake with her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and swayed back and forth with Riley. She felt so comfortable in his arms, he actually had rhythm. There went another stereotype out the window, it just felt right. 

After several acts had gone on and several glasses of wine later Riley settled in his lap as a performer started to play a slower song. “I love Luther,” Riley squealed as she began to sing along.

Knowing love the way I do

I can say for certain that it's true

There's a chance for me and you.

I surely feel like the time is near

The picture in my mind is very clear

I think love has brought us here

I remember not too long ago

I was just a lonely person

With a lonely heart, yeah

And I was hoping there could one day be,

Be a chance

For me to get the love

That I'd been missing

Sometimes love takes a long time

Wait for love

And you're gonna get the chance to love

Wait for love, wait for love oh, my

When you take the chance on love you'll see

It's not a waste of time if you truly believe

The impossible can be..

So hold on tight if you think you're right

Cause nothing hurts as bad as when you see

You gave up too easily

Now I remember spending all my time

On a dream that kept me wishing that you could be mine, yeah

And I was hoping there could one day be, be a chance, whoa

I never stopped believing there could one day be, be a chance

For me to get the love that I'd been missing

Sometimes love takes a long time

Wait for love, and you're going to get your

Chance to love

Wait for love, wait for love

And you'll get the love that you've been missing

Sometimes love takes a long time

But wait for love

And you're going to get your chance to love.

Drake couldn’t help but hang on to her every word. He wondered if she was trying to send him a message through the lyrics. She had a voice like an angel and when the song ended he was breathless. 

“Ms. Riley sings too?”

She giggled as she rested her head on Drake's shoulder, her back to his strong chest. He fed her  grapes then strawberries with whipped cream soliciting jealous glances from some nearby onlookers. She made sure to let her lips and tongue graze his fingers.  For a few blissful moments, they both silently enjoyed the closeness.

“You know, this is pretty cool,” he whispered in her ear.

She smiled as his breath tickled her ear. Feeling the effects of the wine, she paused for a few moments before she responded.

“What’s that?”

“This. Us. The festival. It all just feels right.”

She wordlessly looked up at him. She wondered if she could will him to kiss her with her “come get it eyes.”  Suddenly, a torrential downpour covered the venue, leaving Drake and Riley scrambling to gather the blanket and basket before sprinting to his Jeep. Before they could get there he stopped snaking his arm around her pulling her close. 

This was it, he was going to do it, it was now or never. If she was the onehe wanted to look back at their first date and tell a romantic tale of their first kiss in the rain. Now was the time. He leaned in and when she opened her eyes her lips found his instantly. It was everything she expected and more. It was hungry and passionate and lustful and it made her lady parts twitch. When he pulled away he watched her for signs of regret, but her eyes said she wanted more. 

“Hurry, get in,” Drake urged her as he took the time to throw the basket and blanket in the back.

They were both soaked. She laughed hysterically when he finally got inside. 

“This entertains you, does it?”

She nodded as she continued laughing, her eyes were clenched tightly. 

He went back in taking her lips again as it continued to storm all around them. Her hands roamed his body and her eyes went wide when she made contact with the bulge in his pants. Another stereotype out the window…Drake cupped the back of her dripping head with his left hand deepening the kiss while his right hand explored the soft skin of her thigh as a soft moan escaped her. Suddenly his phone rang, “Mama’s Song” by Carrie Underwood blasted from his pocket startling Riley. Drake huffed and looked at her with apologetic eyes before answering.

“Mom? What’s up?”

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your date Drizzy.”

Riley smiled.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“The power is out and the generator didn’t kick in. I gave Larry the weekend off..”

“I’ll be there as soon as I get Riley home safely. Sit tight.”

“Thanks Driz. How’d it go? Did you kiss her?”

“Mom! She can hear you.”

“Hi, Mrs.Walker.” Riley chimed in.

“Hi, sweetheart. Did he kiss you?”

Riley laughed again. 

“Bye Mom!”

Drake ended the call and turned to Riley, cheeks flushed red.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” She asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“For the way, tonight is ending. For my Mom.” 

“Nothing could ruin today. Not even your Mom Drizzy,” she laughed again.

‘Geez, Ri that was below the belt.”

His comment made her think about his bulge and she began to blush.

“Are you blushing?”

“Maybe.”

“Why?”

“Oh, it’s too embarrassing to share.”

“Now you know I won’t stop until you tell me.”

When they pull into her neighborhood the entire area is pitch black. Her building was also dark. 

“Good thing I have candles.”

“Or you could go back to the ranch with me,” he said shyly.

“Really? I don’t want to put anyone out.”

“It’s just Mom and I. Liam and Carsyn should be out for the evening. Besides, I promised you dinner and it’s Sunday, I bet my mom cooked.”

“I can’t meet your Mom looking like this. I’ll be ok.”

“Riley, I’m not leaving you alone in the dark.”

“If you want to spend more time with me just say that.”

“Fine, I want to spend more time with you and I’m not leaving you alone in the dark. My Mom would kill me. Pleaaase! I can get you one of Sav’s outfits. I promise it will be an adventure.”

“Okay, I’ll go. But only because you’re so cute when you beg.”

He bit his lip. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Drake Arrington Walker!” she warned.

“Too much?” He smiled.

When they arrived at the ranch, Drake showed Riley to his room and gave her towels and a change of clothes while he went to help with the generator. She quickly showered, pulled her hair up into a messy bun and moisturized with his Nivea lotion that she found on the counter she walked back into his bedroom pulling on the leggings she borrowed. She was still bare from the waist up when the door opened. Her back was turned when she looked over her shoulder to reprimand him.

“Drake!” 

“Riley, it’s me, Liam.”

Riley screamed as she scrambled to cover herself.

“Get out!”

“My mistake. I thought Drake was in here. But this, you are much better.”

“Get. Out.”

“Come on, what’s a little fun between friends?” he asked as he closed the door.

Before she could answer Drake barreled into the room, his fist connected with Liam’s jaw before he tackled him. 

“Have fun with me you bastard, I told you to leave her the fuck alone,” he yelled as Bastien pulled Drake off of Liam. Riley watched the entire scene in horror from the corner.

“Get the fuck out Li!” 

After Bastien escorted Liam back to the guest house, Drake checked on Riley.

“Are you hurt? He didn’t touch you did he?” 

“No, I’m more embarrassed than anything. He walked in without knocking while I was changing.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about him.”

“What in tarnation is all that racket back here?” Bianca asked as she turned the corner.   

“Just Li being a creep. Everything is fine Mom.”

Riley stood when Bianca entered the room. 

“Riley, this is my Mom, Bianca. Mom, this is my Riley.” 

His eyes went wide as soon as the words left his mouth. He grimaced as Riley extended her hand to his Mom. Bianca pulled Riley into her embrace instead. 

“It’s nice to meet the girl who makes Driz nervous.”

“Mom!”

Riley laughed.

Come on darling, I know y’all were supposed to get dinner. It’s Sunday so I cooked some pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans and for dessert, banana pudding funnel cakes.

“Oh my God, Mrs. Walker, that sounds amazing. Drake, you were holding out on me.”

“Not, really. Maybe I wanted to cook for you first.”

@txemrn @pixie88 @secretaryunpaid@khoicesbyk @blackkingliamstan @mom2000aggie @shannonwrote @hopelessromanticmonie @chemist-ana @rideordiechronicles @lucy-268 @dcbbw @darley1101 @maurine07 @sfb123 @bbrandy2002 @kingliam2019 @schnitzelbutterfingers @lem-20 @choicesficwriterscreations @no-one-u-know @jessiembruno @queenrileyrose @thefrenchiemama​ @somersetmummy​

TRR: @twinkleallnight  @bebepac @mainstreetreader @romereadingshop @romewritingshop @lem-20 @texaskitten30

[broadstbroskis]

surprises- pt 8 | mat barzal

oooffff it’s been quite a long journey and thanks for sticking with me through the wait! it’s finally here- the next and last part of surprises! thanks to everyone for reading, thanks for all your lovely feedback and kind words throughout this series, and all the support as i worked through this last part! it’s meant the world to me and i hope you all enjoy this last part!

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7

When you wake up one morning to absolute silence, you get suspicious. No baby cries, no sounds of Mat breathing next to you, nothing.

But when you investigate, you find Mat sprawled out on the couch, holding Maeve against his chest, and they’re both passed out. She’s grown, definitely grown a lot since you brought her home, but his hand still covers most of her body. You reach for your phone, snapping a picture (to add to the many you’ve taken of the two of them over the past month), only to fumble it when you see the instagram notification on the front screen. 

Mat’s tagged you in a post and you sit down on the floor in front of the two of them as you slide to open it. And then, you gasp, immediately reaching to cover your mouth and hide the sound, as you look through the roll of pictures that Mat posted.

One Month with Maeve: You Like: eating, sleeping, anything your mom does You Dislike: tummy time

When you look up, Mat’s watching you, with a hopeful look on his face. “Hi.” He says quietly.

“Hi.” You return, flipping your phone around to him. “I call bullshit.”

He laughs-gently and quietly, so as not to wake Maeve-and then grins. “Oh yeah? On what?”

“That she likes anything I do.” Maeve’s just...so content anytime she’s in Mat’s arms. Anytime he’s just in her proximity. She’s recently started to recognize his voice, turning her head for it anytime she hears it...sometimes even over FaceTime. “You are definitely the favorite.”

Mat kisses the top of Maeve’s head gently; it’s a favorite thing for both of you right now, you’re pretty sure. “Maybe, but we still like anything you do.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “We?”

“Yeah, both of us.” Mat says, like it’s something he says everyday, totally normal and casual.

Cheeks flushed, you stand up. “I’m going to go make breakfast.”

“We’ll come.” Mat stands, careful not to jostle Maeve too much.

“You don’t have to.” You offer. You know how tired he is all the time now, between Maeve and playoffs. He could use all the rest he can get.

“I want to.” Mat settles himself on one of the chairs by the counter and re-adjusts Maeve. “I feel like I barely get to see you guys right now.”

“Somebody’s gotta pay off that nice, big house.” You chirp, pulling out the eggs to make omelets.

Mat laughs. “Can’t even move into it yet and it’s already costing me money.”

“Don’t think about the price tag until you get paid this summer.”

“Once again. You cannot max out my credit card in the Target Home Section. Even with a bonus this year.”

“I gave you the most perfect human ever and this is how you repay me?’

Mat looks down at Maeve, unable to stop the smile that grows over his face, and in return, you feel one spread across yours as you watch him. “Go crazy.”

-----

Two Months with Maeve: You Like: the new hockey mobile Uncle Tito bought you, when your mom and i talk to you You Dislike: the carseat, more tummy time

When you slip into Maeve’s nursery in the new house (just barely unpacked, but still the most unpacked room in the entire house by far), Mat’s got the same sad look on his face that he’s worn for the last three days, standing in the middle of the room, watching her sleep. You give him a minute, see if he notices your presence, and when he doesn’t acknowledge you, you slide behind him and wrap your arms around his waist, dropping your head between his shoulder blades. “You’re still amazing.”

Mat’s laugh is hollow and you know he’s thinking about how he was held scoreless for the last two games this series, thinking about all the things he could have done differently so that they weren’t eliminated. “You’re biased.”

“Like I’ve ever held back from telling you that you suck before.”

It’s not a smile, but the corner of his lips do turn up. “Fair.”

You smile, hiding the grin in his back. “We’re happy to have you home more.”

“Even though this means we won’t get to put Maeve in the cup?” You can picture his eyebrows raise with the question, even though it’s dark and you’re not even looking at him.

“I mean, she would have looked really cute in it.” You poke his side. “But I’ll get over it. We’ll just have to take cute baby pictures with her somewhere else.”

“You mean, like this new house we just moved into?”

“This new house we just moved into where every room is either filled with boxes or has no furniture?”

You feel Mat hesitate. “Maybe there’s a park nearby.” He says and you laugh. 

“Maybe.” You agree, slipping around to curl into his side, so you can both watch Maeve sleep.

-----

Three Months with Maeve: You Like: that new activity mat, music, afternoon walks You Dislike: pop goes the weasel, noisy birds on the walks

“These came out so good.” Molly enthuses, beaming as she stares at the pictures of Maeve that you and Mat had professionally taken, shortly after your conversation about it, to send out in cards to everyone you know.

“Right?” It had taken a little to decide where you wanted to have the pictures taken, the house still not finished and immediately eliminated. Almost all the parks nearby had been eliminated by your photographer due to lighting and the one that hadn’t, had been nixed by you. You and Mat had both scrunched your nose up at the thought of bringing Maeve to the beach already, as well as a few other suggestions. In the end, though, you can’t imagine anyone will be shocked to see the ice rink in the background of a few of the pictures, and it seemed only fitting. 

As usual, Maeve’s perfectly at ease in Mat’s arms, who’s beaming down at her, in your favorite shot of the afternoon, as you hang onto his arm gently to keep yourself upright, the same wide grin on your own face as you look at the two of them. There are so many other shots from the day- Mat skating while holding Maeve; the two of you laughing while you move easily on the ice; close ups of Maeve sleeping peacefully in Mat’s arms, just happy to be close to him (unless it’s the proximity to the ice- she is definitely his daughter). And then there’s all the candids.

“Some tough choices for the photo wall.” Molly muses.

“Gonna need lots of frames.” You agree, as the back door opens and Tito walks in, bouncing Maeve gently in his arms, closely followed by Mat and Brian. 

“Alright, patio’s done.”

“Perfect!” Molly claps her hands together and you give her a look because she sounds too excited. “Great timing.”

Tito huffs, still bouncing Maeve, who’s smiling away at him and probably going to start giggling at any minute. She’d laughed for the first time last week and it felt like since then, she hadn’t stopped. “We said we’d have it done in time, didn’t we?”

“In time for what?” You press, skeptically.

“Yes, “Molly ignores you completely. “But I honestly didn’t believe you.”

“Rude.” Brian teases. “The lack of faith.”

“Yeah.” Tito adds. “What’d we do to deserve this?”

“What are you three talking about?” Mat huffs, and you feel ten times better already that you’re not the only one left out.

“Oh!” Molly blinks, like it’s only just occurred to her that she hasn’t actually told you what’s going on yet. “Right. You two are going out tonight. We made you a dinner reservation and we’re going to stay here and babysit while you do.”

You hesitate, relieved that when you look over to meet Mat’s eyes, you see the same look. “I don’t know.”

“We’re not going to force you to go.” Brian says, before Molly or Tito can jump in, with what’s certain to be a much less soft comment. “We just thought you could use a couple hours out. Without having to worry.”

It’s not...the worst thought, if you’re honest, and you can see the idea growing on Mat as well. “I mean, we’re probably still going to worry.” He says, even as you can see him start to grin.

“What, now, you don’t trust me with your kid?” Tito says, feigning hurt. “And to think, I almost made godfather.”

“Because YN’s brother almost didn’t show up.” Mat throws back at him.

“Classic Christopher.” You grin at the memory of your brother literally running into the church last month for the baptism only just in time. 

“You two go get moving; we promise to take perfect care of your baby.” Molly says.

“Team Baby.” Tito sticks his free hand, the one not holding Maeve to his chest, into the center of the circle you’ve all formed, and stares at you all expectantly, until each one of you piles a hand on top of his. “Team Baby!” He cheers again, and then he steers Maeve over to her activity mat and lies down on the floor with her.

“Go.” Molly gestures and it doesn’t take much more for you and Mat to turn and start getting dressed because that’s her I mean business face. “Dress nice!” She calls after you. “Suit, tie, dress, heels. The works!”

“Where could they possibly be sending us?” Mat mutters as the two of you climb up the steps toward your room, and you hide your snicker much better than he does.

“Mathew!” Molly calls, warningly.

“First shower.” You call dibs to him, and rush past him for it, laughing at the look on his face.

While Mat showers after you, you fix your hair and makeup, and then step into your closet, already pulling a face at all your dresses before you even look at them. 

You’re starting to feel more like yourself after giving birth, finally, after three months, but you don’t feel completely there. You’re not sure you ever will, that’ll you’ll ever feel that easy and carefree again, or that you’ll ever look the same again, and you’ve talked with Grace and Lauren, and are coming to terms with it. Have come to terms with it, really. The trade-off for Maeve’s smiles made everything worth it.

But.

But you don’t have a single dress that fits the way you like now.

There are four dresses on the floor of your closet and at least five more that you couldn’t even bring yourself to try on before you find a charcoal colored slip dress that’s covered in a pattern of dark sequins. The strappy heels that go along with it are an old comfort; they, at least, still fit you.

Mat’s holding a tie up in the mirror when you come out of the closet, like he’s debating if he actually has to wear it, but the second he sees you through the glass, his eyes go wide and the tie drops from his hand.

“Now those hands aren’t going to earn you that new contract.” You tease, unable to handle the thick silence that’s fallen between you.

“What?” It’s like he didn’t even hear the joke; his eyes are roaming up and down. “Fuck. You want to skip dinner?”

You actually kinda do. You’d seen Mat leaving the old apartment all spring in a suit on his way to the airport or the arena, all the way up until they’d been eliminated, so maybe it was just the context of the evening, but he looked unreal tonight. You nod, but then immediately bite your lip...which just makes Mat groan. “They’re not going to let us just stay here, though.”

Mat grins, reaching for your hand. “Trust me on this.”

“I do.” You smile at him, squeezing gently in return,

And it takes the two of you almost thirty minutes to leave the house after that, despite the heated looks in your bedroom, because neither of you wants to leave Maeve again once you see her, but Molly shoves you out the door with threats about missing your reservation, and once the door’s closed, that’s all it takes for Mat to turn his gaze right back to you.

There is, blessedly, still furniture in his old apartment, still his as he continues to decide whether to sell it or rent it, and you’ve never been so thankful for his unusual moment of indecisiveness as he lies you down into his old bed, pressing kisses onto any spot of skin he can find.

-----

Four Months with Maeve: You Like: playing with your toes, sitting, laughing and babbling You Dislike: when anyone takes a toy from you

Expecting Mat, you’re a little surprised when you turn and see that the form that’s flopped down in the shade beside you and Maeve is actually Tyson. “How’s my best girl?” He coos at her, as entranced with her as anyone else has been since you and Mat had come up to Canada last week to see Mat’s family.

Maeve giggles, babbling some noises back at him, and reaching her hands out for his curls. “Don’t.” You warn him, but he’d learned that lesson already this week, and he intercepts her with his thumb instead, a wide grin on his face. “Sucker.” You tease.

“How can you say no to this face?” He cries and yeah, when she’s laughing and smiling like that, you can see what he means. Especially because it’s Mat’s smile she seems to have inherited, even if it looks like the rest of Maeve’s features might be all you.

“Mmmm, you get used to it.” You tell him anyway, and Tyson grins knowingly, so you close your eyes, relaxing in the sun for a moment, confident that someone is watching your baby and you can get a few minutes of rest.

It doesn’t last long, because shortly after closing your eyes, you feel something heavy and wet plaster itself to you and you open one eye to glare, which is as much as you can be bothered with out by the lake. “Mat!”

He’s already grinning down at you, water from the lake dripping from his face to yours. “You looked a little hot.”

“I was very comfortable.”

Mat lays his head down on your chest. “Well, now I’m very comfortable.”

“You are the most annoying person I’ve ever met.” You say, and you don’t need Tyson to laugh to know that you don’t sound serious at all.

“Liar.” Mat says, and you can feel him grinning against your skin. “You love me.”

You pause for a moment, unintentionally, as you move your hand up to play with his hair, but it’s long enough that you feel the smile start to slip from his face. “Yeah.” You tease. “I guess I do.” 

Mat’s grin returns and he presses the softest kiss to whatever piece of skin he can reach, but before he can say anything else, Maeve starts babbling away. “I know.” Tyson coos at her. “They’re so cute it’s disgusting.”

“Hey!” Mat frowns. “Let go of my baby so I can push you down.”

Tyson laughs. “Well thanks for that get out of jail free card!”

-----

Five Months of Maeve: You Like: hide and seek, bananas, applesauce You Dislike: peas (can’t blame you, kiddo)

“Do we really want to try peas again so soon?” You frown at Mat, holding up one of the other jars of baby food.

He shrugs. “Gonna have to jump back in eventually.”

You pull a face. “Spoken like the man who didn’t get puked on.”

“We get puked on like ten times a day!”

“It was green!”

He laughs. “I’ll do the peas this time.”

You laugh. Sucker. “Deal.”

It’s super gratifying then, to see that Maeve hates the peas this time just as much as she had before. She’s not about Mat’s airplane noises once she realizes what’s on the spoon he’s trying to feed her with and none of his usual tricks are working to try and calm her down once she starts crying. 

But when Mat looks at you for help, you don’t do anything but laugh, continuing to film the entire disastrous event. “Really?” He gives you a look.

“Not so cocky now, huh?” You fire the video off into, like, three different chats- the one with his family, to Team Baby, and the Islanders Moms chat, because he could probably use the ego deflation- and then reach for Maeve, who settles almost instantly against you, her crying quieting as you hold her against your side.

“Sure.” Mat grumbles, dropping the spoon against the high-chair’s table. “All calm now.”

“Oh hush.” You tell him, with a smile, knowing exactly what he’s annoyed about. “You’ll go back to being her favorite in an hour; don’t worry.”

Mat tries to hide his grin by ducking his head to clean the high-chair but you see right through him.

-----

Six Months of Maeve: You Like: bouncing, rolling, wiggling, literally any kind of movement You Dislike: teething (but we dislike you teething too), staying still

“I think she’s going to really start crawling soon.” You remark to Mat, the two of you both seated on the floor, opposite sides of the room, to catch her before she could wriggle into any walls.

She hadn’t quite pushed herself up there yet, but she scooted around pretty well.

“Don’t say that.” Mat groans, reaching out for Maeve and ignoring her cry of protest as he placed her back on the ground, safely away from the wall. She gave him a look, but then went right back to rolling around, rolling onto her back and then over to her stomach again, scooting toward you. “Fuck, imagine when she can walk. Chasing after her.”

“Inability to sit still for sure comes from you.” You try to distract Maeve with a toy, watching as she puts it in her mouth and starts to gnaw on it. Her first tooth had come in the other week, an absolute nightmare, and you were pretty sure another one was following. 

“Can’t prove that.” Mat says, eyes fond as he watches Maeve.

“Wanna bet?” You tease. That’s an easy phone call to make.

“Have I told you how pretty you look today?” Mat beams at you and you burst into laughter because you haven’t showered and you’re covered in baby formula.

“That’s what I thought.” You grin, and then reach out to pull Maeve away from the coffee table.

-----

Seven Months of Maeve: You Like: blocks, knocking down block towers, clapping blocks together, anything blocks You Dislike: noise-cancelling headphones

“These are so cute.” Grace beams, scrolling through the pictures on her phone and simultaneously bouncing a wriggly toddler on her lap. “I’ll send them out as soon as we get upstairs.”

You smile, thanking her already, fixing the earphone covering Maeve’s tiny head. It’s the Islanders’ home opener, Maeve’s first game actually attending, and there’d been a well-documented photo shoot with all the kids prior to the group of you heading down to the glass, to wait for warm ups to start. 

She wasn’t a big fan of the headphones you’d placed on her ears, constantly reaching up to bat them off, but she was looking around, eyes wide as she stared at the crowd around her, even after both teams skated out for warm ups, unable to grasp what exactly was happening.

But she was smiling, beaming the whole time, a grin that only got wider when Mat skated up to the glass in front of you and put his fist up against it. She reaches for it as you bring her closer to the glass, grabbing out for it as he taps it with a grin, and then she babbles a bunch of nonsense when she’s stopped by the glass, retracting her hand immediately.

You and Mat both laugh and he gives one last tap on the glass to you both before skating off to rejoin warm ups.

He absolutely lights it up that night, but the gifs of the the three of you at the glass during warmups cycle through the internet for days.

-----

8 Months of Maeve: You Like: your favorite blankie, Cheerios, cheese You Dislike: i really tried with those peas, kid

You’d do literally anything for some sleep right now, even just a power nap. Mat had been gone on a road trip for a few days now, due back shortly, but Maeve had been so clingy the entire time he was gone, not even wanting to be held by Molly when she’d stopped in to visit, and fussing anytime you’d walked away from her. 

She was playing with a couple of her toys on the floor right now, and it took everything in you to keep your eyes open to watch over her. You contemplated moving her into her bouncer, even as she kept side-eyeing you to make sure you were still close, just in case you accidentally dropped into a nap. 

Suddenly, an arm drops over your shoulders and Mat’s pressing a kiss to your temple. “You look sleepy.”

“I’m exhausted.” You lean against him immediately. “When did you get in?”

“Just now.” He squeezes gently, smiling and waving as Maeve, who’s abandoned her toy the moment she saw him, clapping her hands together and beaming at him, babbling at him happily. “She keeping you up at night?”

“She’s just…” You trail off, not sure how to describe what Maeve is right now. Because on one hand, she’s not normally this clingy, and it’s certainly a change of pace. But it’s not a bad thing to have her so close to you all the time, for her to want to be so close to you- you don’t dislike it at all. “I’m just tired.”

He presses another kiss to your forehead, but before he can say anything, Maeve reaches her arms out for him. “Da!” She’s frowning, probably because Mat’s been ignoring her in favor of you. “Dada!” She reaches out again, and this time Mat’s face lights up, both of yours do, as he sweeps her into his lap.

“Say it again!” Mat prompts, tickling her, which of course doesn’t get her to do anything but giggle.

“Dada.” You try, leaning closer, and she repeats it then, but won’t say it again, for all that Mat tries, struggling out of his arms right after that, to go back to playing.

Mat runs his fingers through his hair, looking absolutely floored, and you still haven’t stopped smiling either. Your baby’s first word! You have to tell everyone! But there’ll be time for that later; Mat’s comfy to lean against right now and he doesn’t look like he wants to go anywhere either, so you press a kiss to his cheek and then lie your head back against his shoulder, content to watch Maeve play with her blocks.

-----

9 Months of Maeve: You Like: walking, giving your mom and I heart attacks while walking You Dislike: sitting still for any length of time (stop laughing at me mom)

“You,” Mat sweeps Maeve off her feet and up into his arms as she toddles past him. “Went from walking to running in like two days! Give your mom and I a rest, kiddo.”

“She gets that from you.” You tell him, tiredly. He’s not wrong though. She’d started pulling herself into standing not long ago, and then shortly after, taken her first steps, and then it felt like the next day, she was off to the races. You spent most of your day chasing her around the house now; she almost never wanted to be picked up anymore.

Even now, she was squirming to get out of Mat’s arms and be back on the ground, already starting to whine about it. Mat obliges, and she takes off- or as well as she can; she hasn’t quite mastered it yet, her feet make that distinct slap noise on the floor that you associate with all babies walking. 

Mat chases and brings her back, but you two quickly have to settle each on one side of the room, eyes watching Maeve and turning her between the two of you. “She needs a friend.” You mutter, steering her back towards Mat, for what seems like the hundredth time in ten minutes.

Mat nods furiously. “Suddenly I understand why people have more than one of these.”

You burst into laughter, loud enough that it stops Maeve for a second. But only a second; she’s right back to toddling over toward you, throwing herself at you, giggling along with you for a moment there. “One of these?” You call Mat out, and he joins you in laughing, as Maeve uses your arm to pull herself back up and starts walking again.

Mat shrugs it off laughingly. “You know what I mean.”

You do. “God, I used to not even imagine being able to have another one of her, but god, if another one meant they could entertain each other; I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“I’d have five more if it meant we didn’t have to chase her like this.” Mat pulls Maeve back into the room, a small noise of protest coming from her until he puts her back on the floor.

You give him a look. “You can find someone else to have five more with.”

When Mat smiles at you, it’s softer, not his usual bright beam. “Alright.” He says. “We won’t have five more. Two or three more.” You side-eye him, trying to gauge how serious he is, but he must take your silence for agreement, because then he does beam.

-----

10 Months of Maeve: You Like: patty cake, waving, causing chaos You Dislike: bananas, apparently, even though you loved them last month

“Tito!” You gasp excitedly, only just remembering to pick Maeve up and bring her with you, ignoring her fuss in favor of Mat and Tito walking in the door with something much more exciting. “Why didn’t  you tell me you were getting a dog?”

Luckily, she’s easily swayed by the dog, eyeing the wriggling puppy in Tito’s arms. She still doesn’t look like she’s 100% certain about it, but it certainly captures her attention; she stops moving in your arms entirely, blinking at the dog, unmoving.

“Uhhh.” Tito says, in response to you, looking at Mat and then back at you. “Not exactly what happened.”

Mat grins. “So you wanted a dog, right?”

Your jaw drops and the next words are out before you can even think about stopping them. “Shut the fuck up.” And then you immediately wince, because you’ve been on Mat recently about watching his language around Maeve, who’s soaking up words now like an absolute sponge. 

But Mat only laughs, reaching to pull the puppy into his arms, and stepping closer to you and Maeve slowly. “Her name’s Blue, but we can change it.”

“Boo!” Maeve repeats, which really ices the cake on that one, and brings a smile to both of your faces. She’s reaching out for the puppy as Mat steps closer, and you prepare yourself for the worst, but Maeve bursts into happy giggles the second her hand touches the puppy.

Blue sniffs her tiny little hand tentatively, and then licks it happy, and Maeve giggles even harder as she does. “I might cry.” You announce. “This is the greatest day. I thought you’d never cave.”

Tito snickers. “He was worried he’d come home one day and you’d brought a stray home.”

“I considered it.”

“Thought this was better.” Mat agrees. “At least I got to screen for a good one.”

“All dogs are good dogs.” You state firmly. “Let’s put her down and let her explore a little.”

“Come on, Menace.” Mat takes Maeve from your arms, who goes happily, reaching for his hair as she does, but you’ve both caught onto the move by now, so he intercepts her hand with his thumb. “Let’s go follow your new best friend.”

-----

11 Months of Maeve: You Like: baby dolls, baby doll stroller, your fancy new cup, Blue You Dislike: puzzles- you’re not really about toys you sit for anymore

“How soon,” Mat starts one night, when you’re getting ready for bed, both child and dog already asleep in crib and crate from an exhausting evening of playtime. “Is too soon, do you think, to bring Maeve out for a skate?”

You’ve got a mouth full of toothpaste, but you think you still manage to convey what you want with a look. “You’re asking me this question?”

“Good point.” You rinse your mouth out and join Mat in bed. “Maybe we’ll start with mini-sticks and a soft ball.”

You burst into laughter. “You think she’s ready for that?”

“Oh she’s got this walking thing down now.” He brushes that off. “My girl’s an expert.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, we knew that was coming.”

Mat grins. “Work on that hand eye coordination now.”

You give him a look, trying to decide how serious he is, and then when deciding that he’s absolutely 100% serious, you press a kiss to his shoulder-the nearest spot of him that you can reach. “Please don’t kill our baby.”

Mat’s already scooting in closer to you, already half asleep because this asshole somehow manages to fall asleep like the second his head hits the pillow basically, and he throws an arm over your waist. “Mmm, kay, promise.”

-----

It was a mistake to sit down, you knew that before you even did it, but you’re exhausted from the day. Between spending your morning getting ready for Maeve’s birthday party, playing hostess throughout the afternoon, and then starting the clean-up process, you honestly think you could fall asleep right here against this wall that you’re leaning against.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you slip it out-it’s another message from Molly, probably just more pictures that she took throughout the afternoon-but it’s the instagram tag from Mat that really catches your attention.

The app opens to a picture of the two of you standing on either side of Maeve and her smash cake, both wearing happy parent smiles, as her hand brings another fist of icing to an already-covered face. There’s a picture with the three of you standing with his parents and sister; another with Maeve, Tito, Molly, and Brian; and the last one, just you and Maeve, sitting on the floor and her trying to play with the party hat Molly had put on your head, right after you’d fixed the bow on her headband.

1 Year of Maeve: Happy Birthday to our favorite girl! It’s been an entire year with you already and your mom and I can’t wait to see what comes in the next one

You can’t help but smile at both the caption and the pictures, unable to settle on one and still scrolling through the post when you feel Mat sit down next to you. “Somebody’s getting sleepy.”

The same dopey, fond smile is definitely still on your face as you turn to look at Mat and Maeve, who’s curled in his arms in a way she only does now when she’s absolutely exhausted. But she’s fighting it for sure, eyes fluttering shut and then popping back open again. “Big day.” You agree with him. “And it was a nice day. But I’m happy it’s just us now.”

“Yeah.” Mat says, and it almost sounds like his thoughts are completely in another place for a second as he shifts around on the floor for a second. “It was a great day.” It was; it truly was, and even though there’s still a mess to be cleaned, you’re perfectly content to just sit here for a while longer with Mat and Maeve. When he settles, you lean your head against his shoulder, reaching your hand out to rest it on Maeve’s tiny little wrist. “Hey.” Mat says gently.

“Hmm?”

“Marry me?”

“What?” You laugh, until he brings a hand out to you and opens his fist to show off a diamond ring, and then suddenly you’re not laughing at all. “Oh my god.”

“I just-I want a million more days like this with you,” Mat smiles. “I want forever like that. Marry me.”

“Yes.” You breathe. “Yes, god yes, of course.”

And immediately, Mat’s kissing you, or well, trying to, because you’re smiling and kind of crying, and he’s still holding Maeve in his arms, so you both pull away pretty quickly. “I love you. God, I know I don’t tell you that enough, but I do. So much. It-”

“I love you too.” You cut him off. “I really can’t imagine doing this with anyone else.”

Mat beams at you and you reach your left hand out, biting your lip to avoid giggling as he fumbles a little, one-handedly sliding the ring onto it. But he succeeds, and you admire the ring on your finger, as you lean back against Mat’s shoulder.

The silence that follows is comfortable; the only sound the slight wheeze of Maeve’s breathing. “I think she’s finally out.” Mat says quietly, after a moment. “I’ll take her up?”

“Nah.” You clutch at his arm. “Just-let’s just stay here for a while.”

Mat smiles against the side of your head before he kisses it gently. “Okay.” He kisses it again. “But you know you’re stuck with me forever now, right? Not going anywhere.”

You squeeze his arm. “Not stuck.” Mat beams. “Well, I guess I might feel differently in a month or two.”

“Brat.” Mat says fondly. 

“Yup.” You grin and then throw his own words right back at him. “But you’re stuck with me forever now.”

“Never stuck.” Mat says, and it sounds like such a promise that you can’t help but lean over and try to kiss him again.

[that-soft-earth]

JonMartin Post-Canon Fic pt 1 (The Magnus Archives)

SPOILERS for MAG200/end of series Contents: JonMartin, tooth-rotting fluff, hurt/comfort, so much hurt/comfort, brain injury, hospital scene, kissing, disabled Jon

This is a very messy WIP and I’m not going to take the time to do proper research so don’t assume any of the real-world details are accurate. Depictions of disability based on my experience & those of close friends. A later part of this fic can be found here.

Martin sat by Jon’s bedside, mesmerised by the rise and fall of his chest. Now a hospital gown covered that horrible wound that Martin had seen after going through the gateway, somehow miraculously stretched across by angry pink scar tissue, fibrous and almost web-like… though that didn’t bear thinking about. Martin reached to take Jon’s hand, but stopped, shivering at the memory of another time he had sat by Jon’s bedside. But it wasn’t like that now. Jon was breathing, his heart beating normally, the doctors said. When Martin took his hand and squeezed, he sometimes squeezed back. Sometimes pulled it away, which Martin tried not to take personally. Sometimes murmured things that didn’t sound like parts of statements, didn’t sound like anything much at all. “Martin?” Jon croaked. “I’m here,” Martin said, springing to his feet. Jon was staring straight ahead with a panicked expression. “Where – I can’t -” “Right here, I’m right here,” said Martin, reaching for Jon’s hand. Jon flinched and raised his hand weakly as if to defend himself. “It’s me, Jon, you... recognise me, right?” Martin said, his voice cracking. “Yes, your voice, it’s just, everything looks…. Everything looks…. It’s not…” An edge of panic was creeping into Jon’s voice. “Try closing your eyes, maybe,” said Martin. “Oh, that’s better, it’s almost… Almost…” Jon lapsed back into unconsciousness. “Jon? Oh… alright, that’s, that’s progress, I suppose,” Martin said with a shaky laugh. But would there be more progress, he wondered? Judging by when they left Salesa’s, Jon could barely function without the Eye. Martin thought about a life of nursing a half-conscious Jon, and dread settled in his stomach, immediately chased by guilt. He had gotten what he wanted – Jon, alive, with him, and out of danger. And if he had to devote the rest of his life to caring for as much of him as had made it through, that was what he would do – the fierce, burning devotion within him never wavering. Was he selfish to want more? Would Jon have wanted this? To live trapped on the edge of consciousness? A lump formed in Martin’s throat at the thought of losing Jon again. A soft knock at the door interrupted his racing thoughts.

------ “I must say the scans are not exactly like anything I’ve seen before, and it’s hard to say without knowing more about what happened, but the symptoms are consistent with an acquired brain injury. That’s an injury that happens to the brain without an obvious knock on the head, maybe from oxygen deprivation, internal damage, several things. An explosion, you said?” the doctor looked at Martin quizzically. “Well… yes. It’s… yes.” “And you’re still not going to tell me anything else about it? What caused the explosion, what might have caused the brain injury?” “No… sorry.” “Well, the good news is there doesn’t appear to be internal bleeding, but there do seem to be some parts that are just…. Missing,” she said, frowning. “Mostly in the visual cortex, which would explain why he couldn’t see you, even though his eyes are fine. But there’s damage across the whole brain.” “Ok. Ok,” said Martin, struggling to keep his breathing even. “So, will he get… better?” The doctor took a deep breath. “Ok, so. Brain injuries can be complicated,” she said gently. “The brain can be amazing at adapting and reconfiguring itself. I would expect to see some improvement over the short term, and have him awake and up and about. But it’s impossible to say in the long term what the effects will be. The most likely outcome is that there will be some permanent effects, and some that will lessen with time and therapy.” “Alright,” said Martin, letting out a long, shaky breath, “I can do this. We can do this.” ----- Having discovered that his bank card wasn’t working, their names didn’t show up in any medical databases, and his phone hadn’t had reception since they arrived, Martin surmised that this London, though familiar, was probably not their London. They had taken cash with them to the safe house, and Martin had divided it into their wallets before leaving, just in case. He hadn’t thought of it once during their journey, but thankfully they had both still had their wallets on them out of habit when they went through the gateway, more due to forgetting they were there than actually choosing to bring them. There was enough to secure a motel room and food for a couple of weeks. As they left the hospital for the motel Martin still asked the taxi driver to try Georgie’s address in the satellite navigator. “I don’t use that thing,” the driver said gruffly. “Humour me? Please.” “Alright,” he said. Address not found. Stomach sinking, Martin relayed his own address, where he had lived for years. Address not found.  “There’s not even a Queen Street in that borough,” said the taxi driver. “Are you sure? Comes off Northern Road, after Smith Street, before Church Street,” he said. “Northern Road, yes. No Church Street, no Queen Street. Trust me, mate. I’ve been driving London since before you could read,” the driver said irritably. “Oh, er, sorry, I must have gotten mixed up. Haven’t been to London in a while…” he said with a nervous laugh. “And, er... The Magnus Institute?” he said, barely able to squeak out the words. Jon, leaning against him, stiffened but stayed silent. “Never heard of it,” the driver snapped. “Probably in Edinburgh or something. Now where can I take you? In London.” “Oh! Right. Sorry. At the hospital they recommended a motel...” ----- The next week in the motel room Martin remembered little of, just a haze of worries and plans about what he was going to do, how they were going to live without records or friends or family, punctuated by hopeful periods of Jon’s lucidity. He sometimes spoke clearly, and seemed to know where they were. Other times he woke disoriented, trying to see – or trying to See, maybe, it was hard to tell. Each day he slept a little less, and spent more time simply sitting upright, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes, responding hazily to Martin’s questions. Martin had to coax and gently bully him into eating, showering, getting changed. He had bought a prepaid phone on one of his shopping trips, quickly stealing away while he thought Jon would stay asleep. In between trying to get food into Jon, and then himself, he looked for a job, realising they would need a place to live, furniture, and trying not to panic about it all, trying not to let himself spiral into thoughts about what they had escaped. Who they had left behind. “Martin? Where are you? What - where am I?” Jon’s voice barked from the bed. “I’m right here, Jon. Close your eyes, listen to my voice, I’m right here,” Martin snapped grumpily, by now used to the routine. “Martin… I’m sorry…” Jon’s voice was uncharacteristically small, hurt and confused. “Oh, no, Jon, no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-” he strode to the bed and took Jon in his arms, freezing guilt flooding through him. “I wasn’t thinking, I’m so sorry,” he said miserably. “No, no, it’s fine,” Jon murmured, his eyes still shut tight but now fully aware. Jon slid his hands up Martin’s upper arms, around his back, feeling the tension in his body. “What’s wrong, Martin?” he asked. “Nothing, really, it’s just… ever since you, since we got here, it’s been… a lot. It’s been so much,” said Martin, his voice wavering. “And it shouldn’t be, without the, the monsters, and the hell domains and saving the world and everything, it should be easy, just normal life, but somehow it’s just… too much for me,” said Martin, tears welling up in his eyes.  He swiped at them angrily. “I know you can’t understand all this right now. I shouldn’t be bothering you with it.” “Oh, hey, no,” said Jon, pulling Martin towards him, “I understand what it’s like with, ah, a lot in your… in your…” he reached up and touched the back of Martin’s head, tenderly. “In here.” That gentle touch was enough to pull the held-back sobs out of Martin. He hid his face in Jon’s shoulder and gave in to the sobs wracking his body, as Jon rubbed his hand slowly down Martin’s back, soothing him quietly, patiently. “I’m here, Martin. I’m here.” The wave of despair subsided at last, settling into a more manageable trepidation. Martin drew back, sniffling. Jon leaned forward, and planted a kiss beside Martin’s mouth. Martin realised with a pang of longing that they hadn’t kissed, properly kissed, since… well… He didn’t want to think about that. He longed to press his lips to Jon’s, kiss him hungrily, forcefully, but he could feel the weakness in Jon’s body, the effort it took to even sit upright. “You lie down. Get some rest,” said Martin, his lips aching. “You too. Rest,” said Jon, trying to sound firm. ----- The second week, in some ways, was even harder, though full of small miracles. Their money was not going to stretch to a third week, Martin knew. Somehow he stumbled into the job in the community centre, for which he was not especially qualified, and who didn’t miss a beat when he claimed to be “between leases”, and even gave him leads on finding a flat nearby. It did mean he had to leave Jon alone during the day, and although he was now alert most of the time, Martin worried what would happen if Jon woke up alone. “I suppose I could, er, leave a note for you?” Martin wondered aloud. “I don’t know if I could… you know… see it well enough to…” Jon trailed off. “Oh, right, of course, silly me,” fretted Martin. “I’ll be fine, Martin. Go out and be the breadwinner,” Jon said with a sardonic smile. Jon was still asleep when Martin was ready to leave the next morning. He thought about waking him, but decided against it. He grabbed one of his jumpers from the pile of unwashed laundry accumulating beside the bed, balled it up and pushed it into Jon’s arms. Jon pulled it towards himself without waking. -------- On their last night in the motel, Martin bustled around, tidying and checking every crevice, although they had few belongings to worry about. The flat they were moving into was a sad and dingy little thing, but Martin’s heart was buoyed by thought of it. “Martin – when you have a moment, could you come here?” Jon said from the bed. “Yes, love?” Martin sat down beside him. Jon, eyes open but unfocused, reached out gingerly to Martin’s face, finding his cheek and cupping it. Jon slid his thumb to the corner of Martin’s mouth, and purposefully closed the distance between them, kissing Martin’s lips unreservedly. A tingling warmth swept through Martin’s body, and he let out a long “Hmmm” of relief as he settled into the kiss, feeling for a moment completely at Jon’s mercy and desiring nothing else. When they parted, Jon’s hand was still on Martin’s cheek. “I didn’t want to miss your mouth this time,” Jon said breathlessly.

[ficforce]

Little Lady Part 4

Joker/52 x Reader SFW Before Series one

A shudder ran down Y/N’s spine as she felt dark, glass-covered eyes land on her, she could always feel it when Giovanni looked at her by the way her skin crawled, “Did you have fun, Y/N?” There was no point in pretending she didn’t know that he knew where she had been all afternoon and with a defeated exhale she turned on her heel to follow him to his office. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood up as they got closer to his office – she knew he was already there. Her Captain. Giovanni was not her Captain; he was just accommodating her presence there for someone else. Taking a breath before walking into the office behind Giovanni, she immediately spotted the large man stood in the middle of the sparse room, his green eyes dull as he stared at her. Y/N tried to ignore the sound of skittering feet and buzzing wings; the shelves all around were filled with vials of insects. She didn’t understand Giovanni’s obsession with bugs. “He trusts me.” Not waiting to be told to speak, not needing the prompt, the woman began her report, “Jo- Five-Two trusts me enough to share personal information, it’s skewered and he plays it off as being stories about monsters and lions. I am certain I could get him to show me where he resides in The Nether, even get information on what he is doing.” “We’re not interested in what he’s doing, complete your mission.” Her Captain took a step toward her and it took everything in her power to not move, to not react or show even a hint of fear, “Does he still believe he’s special? That he’s different?”

“Yes.” She felt goosebumps all over her body the second he was close enough that she could feel his body heat. He leaned down to speak behind her ear, “Are you different?” It was a loaded question, so heavy Y/N thought her knees would buckle, “Are you special?” “No. I am part of a group, we are a collective. We are one, sharing the same thoughts and protecting the Church.” Her voice was monotone, almost dead as she repeated the words he had beat into her over the years. He knew best though, he did this to protect her… so that she didn’t get burnt up with everyone else. The Captain brushed his finger along her cheek, watching as she didn’t even flinch, “Then complete your mission, Five-Two.”

x- - “What’s the news, Licht?” Joker closed the door behind him as he entered the little underground hideout, “You look into the kid I riled at the Rookie games?” He watched as the young scientist mixed up a few brightly coloured liquids, his tongue poking out as he got it just right. “He’s recently finished his final year of training, Mr Devil’s Footprints has a reputation,” Tilting his head back he grinned at the other, “How was your date?” They fell into easy conversation, drinking coffee and messing around with the formula of a new weapon Joker could use if in a pinch. The younger man poked and prodded until Joker told him more about Y/N - he liked to keep her all to himself but he also enjoyed bragging about how sweet his Little Lady was. Maybe one day he would introduce her to Licht and clue her in on what they were doing; she always seemed to understand more than he thought she would. Maybe she would understand that he was searching for the truth, he was trying to figure out why the world sucked and then he would fix it. “I tried looking her up. Y/N doesn’t have much of a history - she seems a little boring for someone like you, Joker?” He shook his head, “Normal house, normal school, joined the Fire Force, average graduation and then joined Company 3,” smoke from his cigarette formed into the letters ‘A to B’ before shifting into a heart, “Maybe I like boring? Maybe I like the simple things in life?” “You’ll want a wedding and babies next, how you gonna save the world?” Licht watched Joker choke on air and the long-haired man told him to shit up; though the scientist couldn’t miss the other’s blushes.

Two weeks passed since their rendezvous at the hotel and Joker hadn’t managed to catch Y/N alone at all. If he had thought she were capable he would have suspected she was avoiding him, somehow able to give him the slip but she wasn’t that skilled. She had always jumped or gasped when he appeared out of nowhere. There was always someone with her, she never seemed to be where he was used to her being… When he did get a chance it was too perfect. She didn’t even scare when he stepped up behind her in the hallway, “Hey, Little Lady.” Y/N turned her head to look at him over her shoulder and smiled, “Hey, stranger. You been busy or something?” “Me?” The man blinked at her dumbly, “I’ve been trying forever to get you alone, I was gonna ask you on a date but I couldn’t get the chance,” taking her hand he gave her a gentle tug, “So now I gotta kidnap you.” That was all the warning he gave her before telling her to go get changed and meet him outside. Joker waited for her in the alley, brushing a stray hair from his black sweater and patting at the appliqué ‘J’ he had sewn on himself. It was his favourite casual top and he knew it was soft for cuddling in; he hoped to get lots of those. She was taking too long… Tying his hair into a ponytail and adjusting his bandana over his eye Joker decided to go and check on her. Barely two steps forward and he saw her around the corner, “Wow…” The woman had put on an outfit that flattered her perfectly, his purple eye couldn’t stop admiring her, she’d dressed up for him and was even wearing the purple scarf he had ‘helped’ her choose. “I thought you were kidnapping me.” No sooner had the words left her that Joker was making good on his promise to take her out. Y/N was surprised that he had taken her to a rooftop of an abandoned building a few blocks away - there, she found he had set up a table and two chairs. He even added a white table cloth. “You… this is…” There was a bottle of wine in an ice bucket and two glasses waiting for them, “This is perfect.” Y/N looked at him as he grinned, he was drifting smokey love hearts her way and she wafted them away with a small smile, “I suppose this makes up for the trouble you got me in with my Captain.”

“That bird faced geezer,” the man pulled a chair out for her and tucked it in as she sat, “You can handle him.”

“Giovanni isn’t a problem,” Y/N leaned her elbows on the table and then rested her chin on her fist, “He’s just useful.”

Joker’s smile dulled a little, leaning back in his chair, “Useful?” That was a very strange way to talk about her boss, “What’s he do? Lay you eggs?” “Joker, who do you think replaced the monster that ran away, the one from your story?” His eye narrowed and Joker looked at the woman seriously - this wasn’t right - she seemed different. Usually, she was cheery with him, usually, she would fall into a small rant about the idiots she worked with and then they would talk about anything and everything. She wasn’t being as open, her body language was stiff and her tone was off. “It was just a story, Little Lady, I guess they just stole another one… Are you okay?” Maybe the sunset dinner was too much, he’d overstepped and was messing things up. She’d dressed up for him and here he was dressed in his casuals, “I can take you somewhere nicer if you wa-” “Did you ever think about the poor little monster that took your place?” Y/N’s jaw was tensed as she stared across the table at him, he glanced down to see her hands were fisted on the edge of the table. The sensation of adrenaline rushing through him was unwelcome, he shouldn’t feel this way when he was with her. Joker poured them both a glass of wine and took a sip to try and calm his sudden nerves, “I just wanted to get out of there, Y/N.” “Sorry,” All of a sudden her body relaxed and she reached across the table to hold his hand, “It’s been a hard week and your story kind of freaked me out - I had a few bad dreams.” “Dreams?” Taking another sip he nodded, “I didn’t mean to upset you, but don’t worry about that stuff, I’ll protect you, Little Lady.”

Y/N smiled gently at him, “I don’t think you’re a monster. I’ve really enjoyed being with you, Joker, at first I really didn’t know what to think - you scared the hell out of me and I panicked… I really thought that was it for me but then you rescued me from that closet.” He could have left her there to die or even killed her himself, “I didn’t appreciate the stalking either but you were just trying to get my attention, right?” Y/N got up from her seat and headed to the edge of the roof, the sun was going down and Tokyo was lighting up in front of them. “I really love watching the city, so much movement and life, the lights are so pretty too… And the sun always feels so warm, even on cold days.” Something still felt off but Joker got up and stood behind her, his arms either side of her body as he held onto the rail, “You’re one of the only people I know who appreciates something as simple as traffic at night and sunshine… You’re right though, I wanted your attention - I followed you around like some lost dog and you were kind enough to pet me.”

“I was looking for your weakness, to see what made you work and how to get past your defences.” She felt him laugh against her back and she turned around - his arms wrapping around her waist loosely, “You shouldn’t laugh, I might be serious.” She was saying some very strange things tonight. “You’re making me nervous, and not even because you dressed up so nice for me.”

“I wanted you to remember me looking my best.” Joker opened his mouth to speak, his expression confused at her words before it morphed into disbelief as he felt a sharp pain slide through his ribs. A shuddering breath escaped him, slowly his gaze turned down to focus on her hand wrapped around the hilt of a knife. “I want you to remember me looking pretty, being different and feeling almost special to someone.” Y/N twisted the knife sharply; his punctured lung being skewered and torn before a rush of blood began to soak into his sweater when it was pulled free. “I want you to see what the monster that replaced you could have been if she’d been left with her family. You said you wanted to get out of there, that the world sucked - and you’re right, it does suck. It sucks because I lost my family, it sucks because I was forced into a deep, dark hole and told to survive. It sucks that I had to fight and strip away anything that made me unique. And Why?” Somehow she had been able to keep her voice level and her tone calm, she cleaned the blood off the nice with the corner of the table cloth.

“Because you wanted to get away.” Joker’s arm stretched out to grab her, fingertips barely brushing her clothes as she stepped back out of his reach. He stumbled and fell onto his hands and knees, crimson painted the cement beneath him and the man coughed up blood and fluid. “The Holy Sol’s Shadows really are monsters. I hate them, I hate all of them and it really fucking sucks, Five-Two. It sucks that I wait in the dark, trying to fit into the collective, thinking the same way, doing the same things but no matter what… the Captain always finds fault with me.” The Captain? His hand clamped over the bleeding wound in some sort of attempt to stop the bleeding, “Y/N… I… you can- ugh…fuck…” “I can what?” Y/N pulled her chair out and sat down to watch him collapse onto his side - gasping like a fish on dry land, “Run away? They’ll just get a new ‘Five-Two’ and I’ll put some other kid through this hell. You tainted the number; no matter who takes our place they will be ostracised.”

“L-little… La-” spots danced in front of his eye, his vision blurring as he began to lose consciousness. “I… I loved - I l…!” Joker gagged as blood and bile forced its way up into his mouth. “I’m not your ‘Little Lady’ or Y/N. My name is Five-Two and if you really loved me - you’ll die.”

Y/N picked up her wine glass and took a drink, “I knew that there was no way I could face you head-on, it’s why I ran the first time… I didn’t plan on getting myself caught but you tried to offer me comfort, you showed me a steak of kindness and I knew then and there that was the way to beat you. To sit and play a nervous rookie whilst you pretended to be a hero.” Watching him drag himself over the floor to get closer, she tipped her glass to allow the expensive red wine to pour onto his head and run down his hair to join the blood under him. “You’re not a monster.” The woman placed the glass back onto the table and stood to leave, “Monster’s don’t fall in love or care so much about a world that sucks that they want to fix it… you never belonged to the shadows. I’m sorry you don’t get that happy ending you wanted.”

Though his ears were filled with the sound of rushing blood and a too rapid heartbeat, he could hear her walking away, Joker tried to reach out, wanting so badly to stop her - to save her. What had he done?

He was going to die but all he could think about was how Y/N was going back to that place, how he had ripped the sun out of her hands to bask in its light. Why did the people he met, the people that helped him… why did they always have to die or suffer just because of him?

He was cold. And it was getting dark… A brief thought swept through his mind like smoke from his cigarettes; He wondered if she still had his card. x - - The End

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch29. The Sokovia Accords Part 2: No, You Move.

Summary: Whilst discussing the proposed accords, Steve gets some bad news which makes everything pale into insignificance. And then, another ghost from his past comes back to haunt them.

Warnings: Bad language, Smut! (NSFW, Under 18s) Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: Elements of this have been reworked/rewritten…for reasons which will become apparent at some point! And I’ve also added in the scene with Natasha at the church. I love the banner and edit too from @angrybirdcr​.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 29 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

 Steve had hoped that the more casual setting would defuse the seriousness of the situation. But that went out of the window an hour or so later when Rhodey and Sam started going at it. Steve was sat in the arm chair carefully reading through the accords packet with a deep frown, Katie perched on the arm of the chair reading over his shoulder. Tony was reclined on the chaise to their right with his hand covering his face as Sam and Rhodey argued, Natasha sitting patiently down by Tony’s legs waiting for them to be done. Vision and Wanda were on the sofa to their other side, neither having said much.

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional medal of Honour,” argued Rhodey from behind the chair. Katie turned to look at them both. “Which is one more than you have.” He mocked Sam.

“So let’s say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they Low-Jack us like a bunch of common criminals?” Sam shot back.

“A hundred an seventeen countries want to sign this. A hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you’re just like, no, that’s cool. We got it.”

“How long are you going to play both sides?” Sam snapped.

“I have an equation.” Vision spoke loudly before Rhodey could reply, causing both men to quiet down and everyone to look at him. Steve lifted his head from the packet bringing his arm up to rest on Katie’s thigh.

“Oh, now this will clear it up,” said Sam sarcastically.

“In the eight years since Mr Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.” Vision steeped his fingers together as he looked around a everyone.

“Are you saying it’s our fault?” Steve asked tensely, his hand on Katie’s leg became heavier.

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight isn’t an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey exclaimed, believing that Vision had solidified his point.

Katie shook her head sighing,

“Sorry Vision, I disagree.” Everyone’s attention now turned to her. “Being supervised is one thing. But from what I’ve read these Accords want us to give up total control of what we do and when we do it.” She paused as Steve’s arm slid from her leg to wrap around her back. She then turned her attention to Tony and looked at him as he remained still, hand over his face. "Clearly this has been in the pipeline for some time now, so why are we only just hearing about it?”

Tony glanced at her from underneath his hand, not offering an answer, as she continued.

“And less than a week to come to a decision on something like this? They’re trying to back us into a corner without giving us any proper time to discuss or negotiate the terms and its wrong.” She finished simply, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

“Boom.” Sam repeated from behind her.

“Tony.” Natasha addressed him as he removed his hand from his face. “You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper verbal,”

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind,” Katie raised her eyebrow.

“Kiddo, you know me so well.” Tony scoffed then groaned, standing up and moving over to the kitchen area with a sigh "Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache. That’s what’s going on. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort.” Another frustrated sigh escaped him as he faffed with something in the sink. “Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”

Tony moved to the other countertop slapping down the coffee mug and coffee pot before pulling his phone from his pocket and dropping it onto the fruit basket, then turning it on revealing the hologram of a young man.

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way,” said Tony with fake carelessness. “He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk; see the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun.” He spat sarcastically, “He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor guess where: Sokovia.”

He slammed his mug down as he stared round the room in anger, whilst Katie looked over at Wanda who bowed her head the moment her home was mentioned.

“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were 'kicking ass’.” Tony ran a hand down his face before taking a drink of his coffee. “There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.” He concluded, walking around the counter to lean back against it holding his arms over his chest.

“Tony,” Steve began gently. “If someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up.”

“Who said we’re giving up?” Tony questioned.

“We are for not taking responsibility for our actions.” Continued Steve. “This document just shifts the blame.”

“I’m sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant.” Rhodey interrupted “This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not HYDRA.”

“No, but its run by people with agendas, and agendas change.” Steve shot back, earnestly.

“That’s good.” Tony answered, re-joining the group. “That’s why I’m here. Look, Cap, me and Kiddo, when we realized what Stark weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, we shut it down and stopped manufacturing.”

“Yeah, but Tony, we chose to do that.” Katie jabbed at her chest as she blazed at her brother, her voice gathering momentum and volume. “If we sign these then the next time something like that happens we won’t have the right to choose!“

"What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go?” Steve continued his hand gently rubbing at Katie’s back. He was glad they were on the same page, but he didn’t want her getting upset and falling out with Tony. “What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us?” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

Tony looked down at the couple who both stared back at him. He rolled his eyes again. Of course they would be united on this, they were united on everything. But there were bigger things at stake here. If they didn’t agree, they’d be forced to retire, and the team would be split up. And he couldn’t let that happen.

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty,” Tony explained, his tone almost pleading.

“You’re saying they’ll come for me?” Asked Wanda quietly.

“We would protect you,” Vision added placing a gentle hand on Wanda’s shoulder.

“Maybe Tony’s right.” Natasha spoke, turning her eyes to both Katie and Steve, trying to get them to see her point. Katie looked at her incredulously, and Steve’s mouth fell open a little in surprise. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off-”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam frowned, interrupting her in disbelief.

“I’m just…reading the terrain.” She sighed. “We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

“Focus up – I’m sorry, did I just mishear you, or did you agree with me?” Tony looked at her.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I want to take it back now.” She groaned but Tony was quick to cut in.

“No, you can’t retract it.” He said, waving a finger at her. “Thank you. Unprecedented. Case closed I win.”

As Katie shot some annoyed response back to Tony, something along the lines of him being ‘an egotistical, arrogant prick’, Steve felt his phone going in his pocket. He shifted slightly to pull it out and glanced down. It was a message from Peggy’s son, Michael.

‘She’s gone, in her sleep.’

As the meaning behind the words sunk in, his throat tightened, and suddenly the damned accords didn’t matter anymore. Taking a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest, he felt the familiar sting of tears in his in his eyes but he didn’t want to break down, not here, not in front of the team.

“I have to go.” He breathed out, handing the Accords to Katie before standing and leaving the room quickly without meeting anyone’s eye.

He made it to the stairwell, leaning against the railings, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself down but he couldn’t. The tears began to fall and he slumped down onto one of the steps. Which was where Katie found him a few minutes later, shocked to see his shoulders were shaking. She said nothing until she had made her way down to him, wedging herself on the step beside him between him and the wall.

“Stevie?” She asked quietly inspecting his face, seeing the tears across his cheeks. “Sweetheart, what is it.”

“It’s err..” He sniffed and wiped at his nose with a finger, not looking at her “It’s Peg. She’s gone.”

“Oh, no.” Katie muttered, dropping her head. Poor Peggy. She had been quite ill over the last few weeks and the Doctors had said it was unlikely she would recover, but the both of them had been hoping to get to see her to say their goodbyes. Katie felt the tears sting her eyes as she opened up her arms and Steve immediately fell into them. Sometimes it was much too easy to forget how young and inexperienced life wise he actually was at heart and Katie simply held him, as she felt his tears hit her neck. Gently she ran her fingers through his hair as they sat still, not saying a word.

"Will you come with me to the funeral?” His voice was hoarse and muffled but she heard him anyway

“Of course I will.” she said looking at him as he pulled away, his eyes red. She reached up to wipe his face with the back of her hand as he rest his forehead against hers. “Of course I will.”

***** London was caught in the middle of a summer storm when they arrived, four days later. The wind and rain whipped Katie’s hair about her face as they stepped from the StarkJet onto the tarmac of Gatwick Airport. They made their way towards the waiting car, Steve’s large hand taking her smaller, and somewhat colder, one in his as they walked, Sam pacing at his other side. The drive to the hotel was filled mainly with Sam and Katie chatting as she pointed out various landmarks to the man, Steve remaining silent on the whole apart from chipping in when he was spoken to.

His sombre mood continued through to the evening, and when Katie told him that Sam was meeting up with some of his old Air Force buddies and suggested that the two of them head out for something to eat, he was torn between wanting to go out and try to enjoy some time with her, and this strange urge he felt to simply curl up in the relative safety of the hotel room with her, alone. And then there was the war which was raging inside him, an internal battle in the depth of his conscious and mind. He was married to Katie, he loved her, more than he’d ever loved anyone. And yet, here he was grieving so much for a woman who, when all was said and done, he hadn’t actually known for that long. Peggy was his past, Katie was his here and now, his future, his forever. So why did he feel this way?

“Stevie.” Katie’s voice gently shook him from his thoughts and he turned away from the view of the Thames he’d been observing through the floor to ceiling window of their suite and faced her. “We don’t have to go anywhere to eat if you don’t want to.”

“I’m sorry.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I just, I feel…”

“Upset? Tired of pretending you’re okay?” She supplied and he gave a little huff of laugher, shaking his head as he looked at the soft, deep blue carpet of the room.

“You know, are you sure you don’t have some kind of secret mind reading power?” He looked at her once more and she smiled softly.

“No, I just know you.” She stepped forward and held out her arms and Steve moved to fall into them, his cheek resting on her head as he let out a shaky breath. “You don’t have to hide it in front of me, you know.” She pulled back to look at him, her hands cupping his face.

“I love you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “You know that, right?”

“Of course I do.” She frowned before her head tilted to the side as she considered what he had just said, suddenly understanding. “Wait, is that what’s bothering you? How I feel?”

His lack of response spoke volumes as he looked down once more, his large hands gently wrapping around her wrists, moving her hands to her side so he could lace his fingers between hers.

“Oh, Steve!” Katie shook her head and her fingers tightened around his. “You’ve every right to feel how you do, Peggy meant a lot to you.”

“She did, yeah, but so do you.” He glanced at her, his blue eyes shining with tears. “In fact, you mean more to me than anything else ever has. I just wanna be sure you know that.”

“If I didn’t know it, I wouldn’t have married you.” Katie shrugged simply. “But, Soldier, just because you love me the way you do, doesn’t mean that you never loved Peggy, or that you still can’t in some ways.” When he didn’t reply, Katie studied him for a moment, before she took a deep breath. “Steve, look at me, please.” He did as she asked and she gave him a soft smile. “It’s okay, I promise you I understand.”

He gave her another little smile as she stood on her toes to brush her lips against his. “Now, I’m gonna draw you a bath. You’re gonna get in, and you’re gonna relax.”

“Is that an order, Ma’am?” He smiled and Katie chuckled.

“Yeah, it is. And you know what else I’m gonna order? A fuck tonne of room service.”

It was Steve’s turn to chuckle as she smiled. “Then we can raid the mini-bar and bunker down for the evening. How’s that sound?”

Steve smiled, his hand reaching up to brush a piece of hair behind her ears. “It sounds okay, but would be a whole lot better if you said you were gonna join me in the bath.”

Katie smiled, her eyes flashing a little as he leaned down and captured her lips with his, the kiss slow and deep. Her arms slid up round his neck, fingers softly skating along his hairline and he let out a contented sigh as she broke away, his forehead pressing to hers, hands softly flexing on her hips. Without another word she pulled away before taking his hand, and gently leading him through the suite to the bathroom.

***** Steve didn’t sleep well that night. His mind was in overdrive, his subconscious showing him people he hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. He dreamt about Peggy, Bucky, Howard, the Howlies…and Katie. Even in dreams about his past she was there, ever present, just like she was in his life. When he woke up from a particularly vivid flashback about crashing back into the ice, he jerked bolt upright with a yell, his breathing desperate and ragged. Katie sat up beside him, her hand on his clammy back as she gently soothed him, her calm and quiet. Steve swallowed, turning to face her as she sat looking at him, concern etched on her face. She made to get out of bed to fetch him a glass of water but he stopped her, his large hand curling gently around her arm. He needed her, and he wasted no time at all in making sure she understood that. As she lay underneath him, her hands wrapped around his back, nails biting his skin, he fucked her, hard and fast, into the mattress, the relief washing over him like a tidal wave. When he evened out, he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him, his hand carding through her hair as hers traced random shapes over his chest. The pair of them lay still, gentle and loving touches and kisses being shared as they simply talking until the sun rose. And then Steve found himself back over his wife once more as he stuffed himself insider her again, only this time he made love to her, as softly and as gently as he could, needing to feel every single inch of her against him as he surrendered to that bliss that only she could ever make him feel.

They took a room service breakfast and at just before Eleven they met Sam in the Reception of the hotel and made their way to the church. Steve, who had been asked by Peggy’s family to be a pall bearer, hung back outside as Katie and Sam took their seats along the front pew of the Church. It wasn’t long before the choir began to sing and Katie turned as the procession walked down the aisle. Steve held the front right-hand corner of the coffin, carrying it with stiff steps, his cheeks wet, eyes red rimmed and full of tears. Katie felt Sam squeeze her shoulder, and she turned to face him briefly.

“My heart is breaking for him, Sam.” She whispered through her own tears as Sam dropped his hand to take hers, as they both watched the six men place the coffin at the front of the church. Sam released Katie’s hand with another gentle squeeze and they shuffled down to make room for Steve who took her left hand, seeking out her comfort and contact as he stared at the picture to the side of the coffin. It showed the Peggy he had known, back in the Forties, standing tall and proud in her uniform.

When the choir song ended they all sat, Steve staring down at his wife’s hand wrapped in his, and he began to play with her wedding and engagement rings, twirling them round her finger, his mind straying to his wedding and how he had told Katie at the toasts he was only strong because she made him that way. He was so glad she was with him now. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt her hand contract around his, quite hard, and he looked up at her. When he did she nodded her head in the direction of the podium. Steve’s eyes followed then did a slight double take at who was stood there.

Agent Thirteen of Shield special service and his ex-neighbour.

“Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of Shield.” The woman who’s name Steve recalled being told by Natasha was Sharon, began, sounding nervous. “But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy.”

Peggy’s Niece? Steve couldn’t believe his ears. All that time she had been living across the hall, spying on him…and she was Peggy’s niece?

“She had a photograph in her office, Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But, it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I barely told anyone we were related.” Sharon glanced down at Steve, like she was offering him some form of explanation.

“I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage at a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either.” Sharon swallowed before she continued, her voice becoming stronger. “And she said, 'Compromise when you can. But when you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty, to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, 'No, you move.”

Katie glanced at Steve then to Sam, the three of them sharing a knowing glance. Those words were powerful, especially given the situation with the Accords. And for Steve, it was almost like Peggy was speaking to him, still giving him advice even in her death.

Despite the utter sorrow he was feeling, Steve couldn’t help but smile at the sentiment.

Thanks Peg…

*****

Katie watched as Steve leaned against the end of one of the pews, lost in his thought. He’d by passed the part where they were actually putting Peggy into the ground, saying he didn’t want to see it so instead, Katie had given him a moment to pay his respects along, waiting for him to give her some direction as to what he wanted to next.

As always, he seemed to know she was there before she even made a sound and he looked up, giving her a small smile as she walked down the middle of the church aisle towards him.

“Hey, Sweetheart.” He smiled as she stopped in front of him, opening her arms to give him a hug.

“How you doing?” She asked softly, her lips brushing his temple as he pressed his face into her neck.

“I’m okay.” He assured her, pulling back. “Just, suppose it’s sunk in that she’s actually gone, you know.” Katie gave him a sad smile. “When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out that she was alive. I was just lucky to have her.”

“She had you back, too.” Katie looked at him.

“Yeah, and at least I knew where she was, unlike Bucky.”

“Don’t give up on him just yet, love.” Katie rubbed his arm as he placed a kiss to her forehead. Steve glanced once more to the front of the church and Katie followed his glance to look at the flowers placed on the alter.

“It was a nice service.” She said, her arm looping round his waist.

“Yeah, it was.” A familiar voice spoke and both of them whipped round to see Natasha strolling towards them. Steve let out a little scoff and looked down, shaking his head.

“You know, I thought I saw you before but convinced myself I was seeing things.”

“Well, I was sorta in the area.” She shrugged. There was a pause before Steve voiced what was on his mind since he’d left the compound a few days ago.

“Who else signed?” Steve asked.

“Tony. Rhodey. Vision.”

“Clint?” Katie asked.

Nat smiled slightly. “Says he's retired.”

“Wanda?” Steve looked at her.

“TBD” Nat answered. Katie looked at Steve before Nat took a deep breath. “I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet.”

Steve sighed and bowed his head.

“Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path.” Nat continued. “Staying together is more important than how we stay together.”

“Are you trying to convince us or yourself?” Katie asked and Natasha merely held her gaze.

“What are we giving up to do it?” Steve shook his head as Natasha turned to him. “I'm sorry, Nat. I can't sign it.”

“Me neither.” Katie added. “Not as they stand.”

“I know.” Nat smiled.

“Then what are you doing here?” Steve looked at her.

“Well, like I said, I was in the area.” Nat’s eyes flicked to the alter. “Plus, knowing who she is and what she did. I might never have met her but, well, it felt right to pay my respects.” She then looked back at them both. “Plus, I wanted to see you, check you were okay.” She said the last part to Steve more than Katie and he gave her a little smile as she moved to give him a hug.

****

They decided to go to the wake, and Katie took the chance to seek out Sharon where she was standing among a group of people, making polite conversation but clearly looking for a way out, which Katie was happy to provide, squeezing her elbow gently, and gesturing with her head for the blonde woman to follow her.

“I really am sorry about Peggy,” Katie began as they settled at an empty table. “She was a phenomenal woman.”

"Thank you,” Sharon said softly. “That means a lot. You know she liked you?”

Katie chuckled “She told me once or twice.” “I think she was happy that Steve found someone.” Sharon smiled. “Someone that makes him happy.”

Katie glanced at where Steve and Sam were waiting at the bar. Steve shot her a glance over his shoulder and smiled softly, before Katie returned her attention to the woman opposite her.  

“So this accords thing?” Sharon changed the subject “It’s really happening?”

“Looks that way, yeah.”

“And where do you stand on it?”

“I’m not signing” Katie shook her head. “Not the way they stand, that’s for sure. And seeing as they don’t seem to want to negotiate terms, it’s a non-starter.”

“Does Steve feel the same?”

Katie nodded. “And Sam.”

Before Sharon could question her further, Katie’s eyes flicked to a point over her shoulder and she gave a side smile as the boys approached.

“Ladies,” Sam baritone smoothly, sitting in the seat next to Sharon and setting down a drink in front of her. From the look on the blonde’s face, this surprised her, but she accepted nonetheless with a thanks. Steve sat next to Katie handing over another glass of wine, whilst pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“You okay?” She whispered before he pulled away completely. He nodded and cleared his throat.

“Yeah. I saw just telling Sam about what Nat said.”

“And I was cheering to an honourable discharge.” Sam snorted sarcastically as he raised his glass. “Again.”

“Sorry, for jumping in but, if you’re not signing the Accords then what does that mean for you all?” Sharon looked round the table

“I dunno.” Steve smiled softly, shaking his head.

“Ultimate fighting?” Sam cut in, and Steve snorted as Katie laughed. “I told you, you’d be great at it.”

"More like an early retirement.” Steve stated, a small smile playing on his face.

“Not really that early though is it, Cap?” Sam continued his ribbing “I mean like you are hundred or whatever…”

As was natural with these type of functions, a few hours later people started to leave and eventually Peggy’s children headed over to the table to say their goodbyes. As they all stood to offer their condolences once more, something Michael said about Peggy being a woman of many surprises, brought back something which had been weighing heavily on Steve’s mind since he had left the church.

When Sharon stated that she was heading back to her hotel, Steve suggested that she walked with them, but for the most of the short walk, he remained silent, brooding over his thoughts. And it was only when they reached the door to Sharon’s hotel that he spoke, telling Katie that he’d meet her and Sam in their hotel bar in a couple of minutes.

She shot him a puzzled look but he had simply shook his head in a silent instruction not to argue. So, she merely shrugged, linked her arm through Sam’s and they crossed the road and headed straight inside, crossing the lobby.

“What’s all that about?” Sam asked as he held the heavy wooden door open for her. Katie shrugged and stepped into the room.

“Beats me, he obviously has something on his mind.” She said, walking into the large wooden bar which curved along the back of the circular room. “Can I have…” she trailed off as she spotted the TV on the wall behind the bar tender, which was programmed to the BBC news.

Her eyes widened and she felt Sam stiffen besides her.

“Is this…is this live?” She asked the guy who was waiting to serve them. He nodded. “Can you turn the volume up?”

He nodded again and obliged.

“…at the moment we know that over 70 people have been injured and that number is rising. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.”

Katie swallowed as the picture of the suspect flashed across the screen. It looked like Bucky alright.

“Shit.” Sam said, from behind her.

“Go, get Steve.” She urged, “I need to call Tony.”

*****

“My mom tried to talk me out of enlisting, but, um, not Aunt Peggy. She bought me my first thigh holster.” Sharon smiled as they walked through the lobby.

“Very practical.” Steve nodded.

“And stylish.” Sharon smiled as she stopped by the elevator, pressing the call button before she turned to look at Steve.

“CIA has you stationed over here now?”

“In Berlin, Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

“Right. Right.” Steve nodded. “Sounds fun.”

“I know, right?” Sharon chuckled.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Steve took a deep breath, finally voicing what was on his mind. “When you were spying on me from across the hall…”

“You mean when I was doing my job?” Sharon interrupted but Steve ignored her.

“Did Peggy know?”

Sharon considered him for a moment, before she let out a gentle sigh.

“She kept so many secrets. I didn’t want her to have one from you.” Sharon lay her hand on his arm, and Steve felt the weight lift off his shoulders. He had been so scared that Peggy had been lying to him for the past few years, to hear that she hadn’t was a relief.

“Thanks for walking me back.” Sharon nodded to the elevator “Tell Katie and Sam I’m grateful.”

She moved to give Steve a hug, and he obliged, but the broke apart when they both heard footsteps running towards them.  

“Steve…you gotta see this.” Sam urged and Steve frowned, looking at him, before he spotted Katie running into the lobby, and looking round.

He moved instantly towards her, and she spotted him, hurrying straight towards him.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asked, his hands gently curling round her upper arms.

“There’s been a bomb in Vienna.” She explained, taking a deep breath. “A deliberate attack on the signing ceremony.”

Steve felt himself grow cold. “Is everyone okay?”

“I got through to Tony and they’re all safe but the King of Wakanda. He’s dead, Steve” Katie took a deep breath. “And…” She trailed off licking her lips as she took a deep breath.

“Katie, what is it?” Steve’s voice wasn’t unkind but it was firm as he looked at her, and she threw her head back, looking at the ceiling for a moment before, with a monumental effort, she looked back at him, swallowing deeply.

“It’s Bucky, Steve.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “It looks like he’s responsible.”

**** Chapter 30

**Original Posting**

[passionate-hedgehog]

Impasse

Impasse is a 3-part series revolving around Reader entering society in Regency-Era London. Completely inspired by me binging the entirety of Bridgerton in less than 24 hours, Impasse will end with either Duke Damien Haas x Reader, or Courtney Miller x Reader.

♥Part 1♥

Pairings: Eventual Damien Haas x Reader, Eventual Courtney Miller x Reader

Warnings: None, lovelies

Word Count: 1433

A/N: I got an anon req for a Courtney Miller x Reader fluff, but then this happened...and it’s bigger than it was meant to be...I’m well aware that I’m tagging names that aren’t in this installment of Impasse. But just wait! They’ll be in the next two parts. This will be a 3 part series only. It will not be updated every day. But my prompt notebook series will be a “filler”. If you’ve watched Bridgerton, then can we be friends and discuss the ending?????? OMG. Enjoy♥

The town square was a-flood with decorations for upcoming festivities. The tall posts of oil lamps were strung with vines covered in roses. Streets and walkways were swept clean regularly in hopes that those with higher society ranks would make their way through and be impressed. Building fronts were wiped, banisters were polished, windows were crystal clear. Excitement was buzzing all around for the beginning of The Season.

The House of Topp was alight with anticipation. The youngest of the twins, Y/n, had been prepping to come out to society. She was beyond that of the average age for girls to enter the court. Most of the time, this would bring a disadvantage to the families, joining society so late. To Y/n, however, this would only make her more assured.

 Viscountess Topp had long-since passed, moments after delivering her youngest children; Shayne and Y/n. They lived with their father and also their eldest brother, Ian. Once Ian grew to be a man respectable in age and career, Viscount Topp left the household for business quite some years later. He never returned, but often wrote to recount his family on all of the happenings amongst himself and his work. Rumors flew, as they often do in society, that the Viscount found a new love, maybe even sired more children. Of course, the household of Topp denied all and every rumor. 

       Many in society had been waiting to see what had become of The Honorable Y/n Topp.

----

The young housemaid fretfully knocked on the bedroom door in an attempt to wake the sleeping woman on the other side. “Miss Y/n! You must get up and begin the preparations for today’s event! Miss Y/n? Please! You know how much work has to be put in for you to be presented in front of Queen Charlotte. Miss Y/n?”

“Step aside, Caroline. You’ll never get her to respond with such a mollified tone.” The head housekeeper turned from the young woman to the white oak door separating the two servants from the slumbering girl. “Miss Y/n! You must wake up this instant! I will NOT sit by and let you squander your chances to withhold your family’s honor and pride. You have until the next ringing of the church bell before you’re bottom is sitting down in the day room for your morning tea. Do I make myself clear?”

The housekeeper walked away leaving Caroline in wait for her charge. But soon enough, Y/n emerged from her quarters. The two looked at each other and giggled.

“One of these days she’s going to rip the door off of the wall,” Y/n said as she raked her fingers through her hair while the two women made their way to the day room. 

“I can’t imagine how any of your future children will behave, with a mother that likes to test the patience of the help.” Caroline tittered.

“Caroline…” Y/n looked at her with a mark of disdain.

“My apologies, Miss Y/n. I know your stance on having a baby. I just can’t help it sometimes. I’ve known you since we were in leading-strings.”

This caused Y/n to smile ever so softly. “Back when it was the three of us against the world.”

“I know you miss her, M’lady. I do, too. But our friend is doing what she loves. Surrounded by what she loves. That is what’s important to the story.” Caroline laid a gentle hand on her arm.

“When did you get so wise, my dearest friend?”

The cocked eyebrow should have been enough of an answer. “You have never worked for someone like you.”

After entering the day room, Y/n approached her family, giving them kisses on the tops of their heads. “Good morning, Big Brother. I hope you slept well.”

Ian put down the articles he had been reading to make eye contact with his sister. “Are we talking quantity or quality?”

“Hmm, I suppose that question means you did not. Please don’t work yourself into an early grave. Shayne will let this home fall to rubble.” Y/n took a seat next to her twin, setting into her fruit platter and tea.

“Pardon me, dear sister? What makes you think you could fair any better?” Shayne turned to his sister, flicking her elbow.

“Oh, I’m sure it would be just as disastrous. That is why our brother needs to retire at a decent time tonight. We know he’s not off gallivanting about trying to raise a raucous, nor does he acquire the skill of stealth. We know he’s not leaving after the sun leaves. He’s working. He’s working for us and our home. But sometimes he works too much.” Y/n stood up from where she was sitting. “I’m off to become presentable for her majesty. Ian, dearest brother, please take better care of yourself. At least for this night. You deserve it.”

---

It is tradition, that when a young woman presenting to the queen, that they are to be accompanied by their mother, or governess. While Y/n had neither of those, she was not shy about her intentions. She walked down the carpet with a smile befitting a crown of daisies and baby’s breath. She kept her head up to the onlookers, but her eyes down, to the feet of the queen.

Her majesty had sounded rather curious but ultimately pleased with what was before her. She gave her pleasant regards to the curtseying young woman and waved her away, waiting for the next one.

Y/n and her handmaid stood to the side of the room, patiently waiting along with the others to be sent out. Her job for the day was done. The next morning would bring her callers, potential matches for marriage. While the act was what she knew she was getting into, it was one she most detested. Y/n watched her eldest brother work to the bone for most of his life. Ian would have to find and wed someone capable of being with him as he carried on the family name. Her twin, Shayne, didn’t have such responsibilities. He was free to join military ranks, or travel, or receive the highest education. He had spoken on the latter quite often, but Y/n guessed that he was too worried to leave his only family behind. But Y/n? Her duties were as they always were and would be for the firstborn daughters; to enter society and be wed to someone with financial status. She would carry on the name of her husband and raise children for him. It was a fate that she often fought with herself over. How could she be a mother when she didn’t have one next to her in her whole life? How could she be a decent parent when her own father left his family behind to do God knows what in God knows where?

Arriving back at the manor, Y/n and Caroline made their ways back to the drawing-room, to share discourse with her twin. She had wanted to share her experience of presenting to the queen with Shayne, maybe share a joke about the others. She wasn’t expecting, however, to meet more than her twin standing at the tea table. 

“Lord Haas?” Caroline raised her eyebrows as her charge choked on her words.

“Miss Y/n. How lovely to see you again!” The Duke walked up to Y/n, bowing in front of her. “You look as beautiful as ever.”

The two young women shared a quick look before they both turned their attention back to the men standing before them. “I...thank you, Lord Haas. I had to put on everything to meet the queen today. I’m honored that you think so highly of my efforts and the efforts of my maids. I’m surprised to see you here, however. Your duties as a duke have left you some spare time?”

“As a matter of fact, I came here today to speak with Ian. I have a...question...I’d like to present to him. Is he around?” The Duke held his hands behind his back while peering around the room.

Shayne spoke up. “He had to run a quick business errand. He should be back before nightfall. Would you care to stay until then? We can catch up.”

“Thank you, dear friend, that sounds perfect.” The man turned to Y/n and gave a nod. “I look forward to seeing you during my stay here in town. I believe it will be even brighter, now.”

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with aka "Jake"

aka "Jake" has 83 stories at Gossamer, but don't miss her website for fics because a number of them come with cover images and/or illustrations you can't see at Gossamer. She's written some of the most epic and well-known stories in the fandom, including Abaddon's Reign and The Mastodon Diaries. Big thanks to aka "Jake" for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

It does surprise me! It just goes to show the series has amazing staying power and there are many excellent writers in the fandom who were able to capture the essence of Mulder and Scully and expand on XF canon every bit as successfully as the writers of the TV show. Some even more so.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

Like any online community, there were upsides and downsides. But what impressed me most were the lasting friendships that spilled into real life. Overall, the folks I encountered in the fandom were kind, helpful, talented, and inspiring. I’m still in contact with many of them and even meet up regularly with a couple of people who I consider my closest friends now, though we live far apart. Readers could be especially encouraging, poking authors with virtual sticks to get them to write more and faster. An amazing group called the Mastoholics formed to spur me on while I was posting The Mastodon Diaries as a work in progress. Several of them traveled to my house for a mini-con after the story was finished. Other folks called betas provided invaluable editing advice to authors. I was lucky to have several very good ones, but especially appreciated mimic117 and xdksfan. They went beyond proofreading; they pointed out confusing passages, missing plot points, and anything that seemed OOC (out of character). This polishing was a vital step before posting. To think they did it for nothing but the love of fanfic. It was a considerable time commitment.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

There were several key sites for posting and discussing fic when I started writing in 1997. These included Ephemeral, Gossamer, and Haven. Several sites issued writing challenges, like Haven, The Project, and The Church of X. Others gave out awards, like P1013 [Lilydale note: short for Prometheus1013] and the Spookys. I Made This! Productions invited authors, including me, to write episodes for virtual seasons of the show. I recall joining a couple of listservs early on, too.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Overall, it was an uplifting experience. My writing improved tremendously thanks to honest feedback and several key collaborations, particularly with co-authors Brandon D. Ray and the Secret Squirrels. I’d never written anything longer than an office memo when I started my first fic. I had nowhere to go but up. These gifted and generous authors helped me grow as a writer. Collaborating with them made the experience of writing even more creative, exciting, and special.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

The first episode I watched was The Field Where I Died. It hooked me immediately. Back then, there was no way to go back and watch the earlier episodes. It wasn’t until several years later I was finally able to watch the first 3 seasons on DVDs.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I stumbled upon Ephemeral where I read a fic called Acadia by RivkaT, which was set in Acadia National Park in Maine. If I recall correctly, it was a casefile with an emphasis on Mulder and Scully’s relationship. It felt like an episode of the show. I was thrilled to find a seemingly endless supply of XF stories that allowed me to extend my enjoyment of the TV series. It wasn’t long before I considered writing a story myself, a case file, although as mentioned above, I had no previous writing experience, just the desire to write down and share my ideas about Mulder and Scully.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I haven’t been active in the fandom for quite some time. I have no idea where writers post or readers go to find fic. That said, to keep my mind off the pandemic and other disheartening news this year, I began writing a new fic, which I plan to add to my site in September.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

No, I never joined any other fandoms.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Sadly, no fictional characters have captured my heart and attention the way Mulder and Scully did.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

Yes, I do still watch XF. Before Seasons 10-11 aired, I rewatched the entire series and both movies. I enjoy the stories as much now as I did back in the day.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

No, not for ages. I’ve never read any stories from other fandoms.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

There are so many great authors and I’m hesitant to name them for fear of leaving someone out and hurting their feelings. Like a lot of fic writers, I was inspired by Prufrock’s Love beautiful way with words. Mountainphile wrote taut, realistic case files that I admired. David Hearne took on unique perspectives. To name just three.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I think my best writing may be in my long, post-col story Abaddon’s Reign. The story I most enjoyed writing was The Case of the Exuberant G-Man. It was a fun story that seemed to write itself.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

As mentioned above, I’m finishing up a new fic now and plan to post it on my site on or near the anniversary of the airdate of Season 1’s episode Squeeze. My story takes place in 2023, 30 years after Eugene Tooms was mangled to death in an elevator. I wanted to explore the idea of Tooms returning. How would that be possible? And what would Mulder’s and Scully’s lives be like five years after losing their son at the hands of CGB Spender and learning Scully was pregnant once again? I honestly thought I’d never write another fic but here we are.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

Often from the unanswered questions left by the show, the off-screen scenes we didn’t get to see.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

The majority, no. Years ago, I told my sister I was writing XF fanfic and she looked at me like I’d grown two heads. We didn’t speak of it again. More recently, my sister-in-law discovered my work. She’s a big XF fan and still reads fanfic, so her reaction was very accepting. Back in the early days, fanfic wasn’t considered serious writing and had a pretty bad reputation, which honestly didn’t jibe with the truly fine quality of some of the writing in the fandom. Sure, it wasn’t all good but there were some real gems.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

All of my stories are on my site at akajake.net.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Just that I’m pleased there are folks like you who are helping to continue the tradition and fun! Thank you for interviewing me and giving me the opportunity to stroll down memory lane.

(Posted by Lilydale on September 1, 2020)

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Spider-Man Movie Villains

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, he does whatever a spider can. And what do spiders seem really good at? Amassing huge quantities of hatred and animosity! True to the wily arachnids that inspired him, Spider-Man has quite the impressive gallery of foes, one that I might say rivals Batman as the greatest in comic book history with how colorful, crazy, and creative they are. Even villains derivative of one another, like Hobgoblin and Green Goblin or Carnage and Venom, manage to carve out unique niches that help make them fun and memorable.

And thankfully, these qualities usually translated pretty well to film! I’ve talked about how good Mysterio, Vulture, Kingpin, and Prowler are before, so now it’s time to cover the others all in one fell swoop! From the Raimi trilogy, we have Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Harry Osborn, Sandman, and Eddie Brock/Venom; from the Andrew Garfield duology, we have Lizard, Electro, Rhino, and Harry Osborn again; and leftover from Into the Spider-Verse we have Olivia Octavius, Tombstone, Scorpion, and that film’s brief take on Green Goblin! Oh, and why not throw in Riot from Venom while we’re at it, because he sucks way too much to get his own Psycho Analysis.

Motivation/Goals: A lot of villains are motivated by the classic motivation: revenge. All of the Green Goblins manage to have this as a main part of their actions, making them remarkably consistent and very easy to discuss. The Norman of the Raimi films wants to take out his anger at being frozen out of his own company, and his son wants revenge for his death, while the Harry of the Garfield films wants his vengeance because Spider-Man wouldn’t help cure him of his otherwise incurable disaease that would kill him (a fact made worse because Spider-Man is his actual best friend, Peter Parker, who is coldly condemning his pal to death). The only one who doesn’t really fit is the Spider-Verse take on Green Goblin, and that’s more because he has extremely limited screentime and spends all of it fighting Peter and being scary as hell.

Eddie Brock/Venom is a very interesting case as both halves of the character are motivated by different reasons. The symbiote half is, of course, motivated by the fact that Peter has tried to rid himself of it via using a church bell to kill it. Eddie, on the other hand, has the most absolutely hilarious motivation ever: He wants Peter Parker to die because Peter exposed him for submitting fraudulent pictures to J. Jonah Jameson. Eddie literally breached journalistic ethics but apparently Peter’s to blame for exposing his literal, actual crime! And he prays to God for Peter to die! This version of Eddie is cartoonishly hilarious.Finally, we have Max Dillon, AKA Electro, who is lashing out at a world that did nothing but belittle and demean him, giving him a far more sympathetic motive for revenge.

Kurt Connors is an interesting halfway point between the Doc Ocks and the villains above, because he is not really evil and his whole transformation came about for altruistic scientific reasons, as he tested his serum on himself because they were going to test it out on the public without consent. While the serum drives him mad, he initially only goes after those who were going to use his formula with people as guinea pigs.

Interestingly, the two Doc Ocks contrast each other. While both of them are doing evil deeds for scientific reasons, Otto Octavius is being forced by his tentacles and genuinely wishes to make the world a better place otherwise. Olivia, on the other hand, is a gleeful sadist who doesn’t care who she hurts as long as she can get some sort of scientific knowledge from it.

Sandman is interesting case because his motivations are entirely sympathetic and despite being the man who killed Uncle Ben, it was entirely accidental and he always regretted it. He only ever wanted to get money to save his daughter. It’s really hard not to sympathize with a guy who turned to desperate measures because the American health care system sucks even in a universe where a dude dressed in a bright red suit swings around New York.

Then there are all the rest. Aleksei Systevich, AKA Rhino, is just a criminal, and has barely any screentime to establish a motivation beyond that. This is especially hilarious because the ads really hyped this guy up, only for him to get maybe five minutes of screentime, with most of it at the very end of the movie before the credits (we don’t even get to see his final battle). Tombstone and Scorpion are basically just lackeys for Kingpin, with little established beyond that. Scorpion almost shows up entirely out of nowhere, just popping in for the fight at Aunt May’s house and then the final battle. And then there’s Riot, who just wants to start a symbiote apocalypse on Earth.

Performance: Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Thomas Haden Church as Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman in the Raimi trilogy are, in a word, iconic. Dafoe brings a gleeful, cackling hamminess to the Goblin that perfectly suits him and manages to steal every single with how delightfully, cartoonishly evil he is combined with some hilariously chummy moments with Spider-Man. Molina as Ock goes in the opposite direction of hamminess, where instead of making Octavius cartoonishly evil, he gives him this air of gravitas to the point where he somehow manages to make this villain with giant metal tentacles that are controlling his mind come off as sophisticated and serious as Hannibal Lecter. Church meanwhile just looks eerily perfect as Sandman, as if he were ripped straight from the comics and put onscreen, and then of course there’s how well he manages to sell the emotional moments of the character.

The Harrys are a rather mixed bag, sad to say. James Franco and Dennis DeHaan aren’t really bad actors, but they unfortunately have the problem of living in the shadow of the actor who played their dad (Franco) or being in a really awful movie with a terrible script (DeHaan). Franco at least makes up for this by being hilariously, cartoonishly evil to the extent of his dad in the third Raimi film, but DeHaan unfortunately falls rather flat. Topher Grace as Venom is a choice that seems baffling until you realize Raimi cast an actor like this on purpose because he hates Venom so much he didn’t want to give him any dignity.

Jamie Foxx as Electro seems odd at first, but I feel it’s actually a great casting choice, and despite how unbelievably stupid the script is, he’s actually able to do a fairly good job. If his character was in a better movie, he’d probably get a lot less flak (and he’ll be getting his chance soon enough, apparently). Overall, he’s the best part of the Garfield films. Rhys Ifans and Paul Giamatti as Lizard and Rhino are serviceable, but neither film they’re in really gives them much to work with. Giamatti at least gets to steal the show with his brief scenes by being an absolute ham, but Ifans is sadly a bit forgettable in his role (though not for lack of trying on his part).

Now onto the Spider-Verse ensemble! Considering how I gushed over her delightful performance as the Wicked Witch of Westview in WandaVision as well as the fact she is solely responsible for me resurrecting this series from its long hiatus, it should come as no shock at all that Kathryn Hahn as Olivia Octavius is just perfect. Controversial opinion, I know, might get some flak for this hot take. Jorma Taccone as Green Goblin, Joaquin Cosio as Scorpion, and Marvin Jones III as Tombstone all do well for what they’re given, but it’s clear most of the love among Kingpin’s henchmen was given to her (and Prowler, but he got his own review where I talked about how great he is).

Oh, right, Riot. I forgot about him. Riz Ahmed, who plays the human villain Carlton Drake I forgot to mention because he’s incredibly boring, is a really good (and sexy) actor. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to be quite as good and sexy as an actor like him should be in his dual role. In an interesting subversion of how things usually go, he ends up being rather bland compared to the hammy, bonkers hero. This was Tom Hardy’s show, and no one was stealing it from him.

Final Fate: The Raimi films were all made during a time when, if your name wasn’t Magneto and you were a superhero movie villain, you were dying, a trend I’m certainly glad is finally starting to die off. Thankfully, Green Goblin manages to stick around and posthumously influence Harry, so in his case it’s not so bad. Harry and Doc Ock both manage to overcome the darkness in their hearts at the end and sacrifice their lives to help save the day, while Eddie dies after becoming such a simp for the symbiote he leaps into it while Peter is blowing it up. With Sandman, Peter actually has a touching reconciliation with Sandman at the end, forgiving him for the death of Uncle Ben before Sandman dissolves into dust and floats away on the breeze. And no, this is his power, not Thanos’ snap reaching across time, space, and dimensions; Sandman actually gets out of these films alive.

The other villains actually get off easier, as most of them go to jail. From the Amazing Spider-Man films, DeHaan’s Goblin and Rhys Ifan’s Lizard both end up in prison, and it’s safe to assume that the villains of Spider-Verse are going to jail alongside Kingpin. Octavius was hit by a bus, sure, but considering how popular she ended up being it would be really dumb to have that actually kill her. With Electro and Rhino though, it’s really ambiguous, the former because he’s made of electricity and the way he was defeated means it is possible he survived, and the latter because we never actually see the outcome of his battle with Spider-Man. If the film they were in was actually good and warranted sequels, we may have found out what their true fates were, but at the very least Electro is moving over to the MCU alongside Molina’s Doc Ock.

Oh, right, forgot Riot again. He dies.

Best Scene/Best Quote: I’m combining these this time just to make it easier on me, because in at least in a couple cases the two are the same.

Green Goblin has a lot to choose from, to the point where it’s easy to cop out and just say every scene he’s in is amazing. I’ve always been fond of his chummy chat with Spider-Man on the rooftop, or the scene where he terrifies Aunt May, or the scene where he attacks the parade and vaporizes the board of directors with pumpkin bombs.

Dock Ock is easy: the train battle. This might be one of the best action scenes in any superhero movie ever, and since he’s the villain in it, it almost goes without saying..There’s a reason this scene is singled out so often.

Eddie Brock and DeHaan Goblin actually have their best scenes also be their best lines. Eddie praying for God to kill Peter Parker and DeHaan!Harry screaming “YOU’RE A FRAUD, SPIDER-MAN!” after Spidey refuses to give him a life-saving blood transfusion are just so absolutely hilarious and memorable that you can’t hate them.

Aside from the powerful forgiveness moment at the film’s end, I think it’s really indisputable that the best scene from Sandman, and perhaps the Raimi trilogy as a whole, is the scene of Sandman’s creation. Words really can’t do it justice, so just watch:

Electro’s best moment isn’t even actually part of the movie, unless you want to count his rendition of “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” No, his is from a Tumblr post, proving definitively that Electro’s power can not be contained.

For Olivia, I’d say either of the reveals for her are great. You can go with the twist that she’s the Doc Ock of Miles’ universe, or the twist that she might have fucked Aunt May. Either way, you can’t really go wrong.

The rest of the villains… yeah, I’ve got nothing. At least with Rhino you can say his entire time on screen was fun, but the rest? Nope. They’re kind of just there.

Final Thoughts & Score:

Green Goblin

Where to begin with this guy? He is everything I look for in a great villain: he’s hammy and cartoonish, he can be terrifying and threatening when he wants to be, he has a ridiculous yet memorable costume, every word out of his mouth is hilarious and memorable, and he’s played by an amazing actor. It’s hard to dispute that Doc Ock is the best villain in Raimi’s trilogy, but Goblin is definitely the most fun. If you thought he’d get less than a 10/10, you thought wrong.

Doctor Octopus

Aside from Green Goblin, Doc Ock is Spidey’s most iconic and memorable foe, nd this adaptation of him does not disappoint. By making him a more tragic and somewhat anti-villainous figure and putting him in the hands of someone as awesome and talented as Alfred Molina, they managed to make such a cartoonish villain retain that comic book silliness while still being a legitimately imposing antagonist. I suppose it helps that a director who knows how to balance silly and serous like Raimi helps. It’s absolutely not a shock that the MCU wants to bring Molina back, because really, I can’t see anyone making the dubious doctor nearly as cool as the 10/10 performance Molina gave.

Harry Osborn

Franco’s Harry has an interesting arc, but one that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense under scrutiny. Frankly, his descent into villain is handled well but when he actually gets to be a villain in the third film, things fall apart.. But at any rate, he gets to be cartoonishly hilarious while he pettily ruins Peter’s life, so I think a 3/10 is warranted just for how goofy he is.

Eddie Brock/Venom

For the longest time, I hated Eddie Brock, but loved the Venom symbiote for its fantastic design… A design hampered by the fact Topher Grace keeps sticking his face through the symbiote and talking in his normal voice. But then one day I remembered Eddie literally prays to God for Peter Parker to die, and I realize that as crappy as this version of Venom is, he’s undoubtedly hilarious. A 3/10 mainly because of how hilariously bad he is, though the design of the symbiote is unironically great. Shame Grace kept sticking his face through and that Raimi hates the character.

Sandman

Sandman is a villain who deserved a better movie. Sure, Spider-Man 3 is fun and funny, but a character with this much depth and emotional weight deserved a film of the caliber of Spider-Man 2. At any rate, he adds a bit of class and dignity to the proceedings, and Thomas Haden Church really nails it. He’s a 9/10 for sure.

Lizard

Lizard is just a very boring villain, which is a shame because Lizard is not a boring villain in the comics and other media like the cartoons. I don’t really know if he was the best choice for Spider-Man’s first outing; I’ll at least give him that he’s a more inspired choice than doing the Green Goblin again, but that doesn’t score him higher than a 4/10. As boring as he ends up being, that library fight was pretty cool and had a great Stan Lee cameo, so I can’t say he’s the bottom of the barrel.

Electro

Electro is a villain who desperately deserved a better movie. While his backstory as a nerdy fanboy who got kicked around by the world is nothing new, or fresh, or original, Jamie Foxx manages to make the character work fairly well even though almost everything around him is unbelievably stupid. The fact he managed to make “Don’t you know? I’m Electro” sound cool and badass is a testament to his skill, and thankfully he’s coming back in the MCU in some way, so I guess Electro’s power can not be contained to a single movie. Still, this iteration only manages to get to a 6/10, because while all the elements of greatness are there, he’s hampered by the abysmal writing.

Rhino

Paul Giamatti certainly looks like he’s having a blast here. His attitude is almost infectious, but alas, his time is too brief to bring any great joy, and his jarring appearance out of nowhere at the end of the film certainly do him no favors. Still, Giamatti keeps Rhino from sinking any lower than a 5/10.

Harry Osborn

This Harry is just a joke. His arc makes no sense, his actions are unbelievable, and he ends up looking like a really poor Warwick Davis Leprechaun cosplayer. The only thing of note about him is that he’s a Harry who becomes the Green Goblin before his father, something that doesn’t happen very often, and that’s not enough to score this loser higher than a 2/10. Not even killing Gwen Stacy makes him any more impressive, and that’s a real shame.

Olivia Octavius

Olivia Octavius is widely beloved by just about everyone who sees the film.. myself included. This is just a really fun, clever twist on Doctor Octopus, and it’s the sort of character you really hope gets a Harley Quinn-level break into becoming an iconic character across multiple forms of media. Kathryn Hahn’s fun performance and the wonderful design and fight sequences really make Olivia a 9/10.

Tombstone

Tombstone is a villain you might actually forget is in the movie, which is a damn shame. He’s an albino black man, a badass bodyguard, and has a striking design, but he gets a single line of dialogue and is tasked with bodyguarding a man who not only has cyborgs under his employ, but who murdered Spider-Man with his bare hands. Tombstone ultimately feels really superfluous, which is a shame because around the same time Into the Spider-Verse came out he had a very memorable and well-liked appearance in the Spider-Man video game. It’s a real shame but I gotta give this version of Tombstone a 2/10.

Scorpion

Scorpion has a lot of problems of Tombstone above, but he makes up for a lot of his flaws by having a really cool and striking design. Does it really make him a great villain? No. He’s not particularly well-characterized and he’s really just there to look cool and give Olivia backup. He’s a 4/10 at best, saved from being lower only by his awesome look. Looking cool really can get you far in some cases.

Green Goblin

Out of all the really minor villains in Spider-Verse, this version of Norman might be the best. His role is tiny, only appearing during the scene where the Peter Parker of Miles’ universe gets killed, but his battle with Spider-Man is what sets the entire plot in motion. His cool and terrifying design definitely help make him stand out enough to earn at least a 6/10.

Riot & Carlton Drake

Look, there’s a reason I kept forgetting these guys. They’re not memorable in the slightest. Venom may be a fantastic work of art, but that’s because Tom Hardy kills it in his dual role as Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote. Drake is just a boring corporate villain, the kind I hate talking about and the kind I’d only ever even bother mentioning in a review like this. And Riot is just a generic Big Gray CGI Monster for the hero to have a final battle with. Neither of these two are particularly interesting, and neither deserves more than a 2/10.

That’s it, right? There can’t be any more villains, I must have covered them all. Well, not quite. There’s one more character who is most certainly an antagonist and who I really, really want to talk about. And you’re absolutely not going to believe who it is.

You ready?

Psycho Analysis: Emo Peter

“Now wait,” you may be asking, “Emo Peter? Really? How does he count as a villain?” Well, as Schafrillas pointed out in his video on Spider-Man 3, Emo Peter is actually the antagonist for much of the second act. Peter, influenced by the symbiote, becomes a raging jackass and hurts and alienates everyone around him by being a colossal douchebag, not to mention how violent he gets as Spider-Man. This is very much an extreme case of the hero’s greatest enemy being themselves, because literally, Peter’s enemy in the chunk of the movie with Emo Peter is his own overinflated ego

Motivation/Goals: I mean, at the end of the day, it’s still Peter. He still wants to do the typical Peter Parker stuff, he’s just a jackass while he does it.

Performance: It’s Tobey Maguire busting loose and getting to act like an absolute doofus. There is literally nothing about this that isn’t amazing and I’m sorry if you can’t see it.

Final Fate: Peter eventually comes to realize that maybe the symbiote making him act like an egomaniacal tool is not a good thing, and so rebels against it, ultimately leading him to the roof of a church where Eddie Brock is praying for him to die and, well, the rest is history.

Best Scene:

Best Dance Move:

Final Thoughts & Score: Emo Peter has gotten a bad reputation over the years, but Schafrillas’ video really made me rethink why. As he puts it, Emo Peter comes off not as someone cool, but as what a loser thinks a cool person would be (which makes him still a loser). It seems fairly likely that the audience isn’t supposed to be rooting for Emo Peter or finding him cool, but instead finding him insufferable, ridiculous, and funny. We’re supposed to be laughing at Peter’s egomania, at his absurd and hammy showboating, not cheering him on and desiring to emulate him.

And that ultimately makes it more satisfying when Peter overcomes his ego and decides to rid himself of the symbiote. It might seem like I’m giving Spider-Man 3 a lot of credit here, but even Sam Raimi half-assing a movie wouldn’t leave things completely devoid of underlying brilliance. Emo Peter isn’t a villain in the sense that he’s some superpowered antagonist, he’s a physical representation of the negative impacts of fame and ego on Peter. This is Peter letting go of what makes him a hero and just reveling in being an absolute jerkwad to everyone around him.

I love the memes as much as everyone else of course, but Emo Peter is also a pretty clever symbolic foe. But even though I’m giving him an 8/10, we all know the real reason why he’s scoring so high:

Ok, but that’s it now, right? No more Spider-Man villains? Well, maybe for now. But don’t forget:

There’s gonna be Carnage.

[pettyprocrastination]

Rip Out Our Seams and Stitch Us Together

Maxwell Lord x Valerie Lord x Black!Reader

Chapter Four

Word Count:

Warnings: Angst, Val is a bit of a bitch, also poorly written smut. Oral sex (fem receiving) be gentle with me I went lite on the smut because i’ve NEVER WRITTEN THIS BEFORE.

Summary: After a long day at work you get a visit from your richest customer and learn more about the ruthless trophy wife than you’d expect. 

Tag List: @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa​ @captainsamwlsn​ @readsalot73​ @zeldasayer​ @cinewhore​

Chapters: 1/2/3/4

“So what are they like?”

You raised a brow at Cassie, who you were currently walking to her car. It was something you did each night after the shop closed, you would usually stay for another hour or so but you wanted to make sure she got home safe before late. Mostly to make sure she wouldn’t wake up late for school the next day. 

Cassandra was a good kid. Smart as a whip and dedicated as hell, she was saving up for college so she worked any time she was free, which was right after school every single day. You knew that eventually, you'd have to bring more people on board for the shop, but right now you had a comfortable level of close knit customers that the pair of you could handle with ease. 

“Who?”

She snorted and bumped her shoulder against your arm. “You know, the Lords.”

“You tell me, you see them every time they come into the shop.” Which was true, but each time she seemed to freeze up and lose the ability to speak. Upon learning what they were actually like, the glitz and glam wore off pretty damn quickly in your opinion. 

“But you get to talk to them!” She unlocked her car before clamoring in and poking her head out of the window. “Seriously though, how are they?”

You pondered for a moment before giving her a dignified response. “Dickish. Goodnight Cass!” The teenager laughed before pulling out of the parking lot and driving home, you watched until her car was out of sight before turning around and walking back to the store. The only light you had was the streetlamps passing the corner and the flickering neon signs of the twenty four hour restaurant across from you. 

Until the bright headlights of a car driving right up to the sidewalk in front of your store. 

There’s a brief moment of panic in your heart before you steady yourself. It’s late, you're alone, a black woman in D.C with nobody at her side, you've been in this position before and will continue to be as such. The door is only a few paces behind you, if you had to, you could turn and sprint to make it in time. 

Your planning process melts away when the engine of the car turns off, the driver side door opens and a long leg wearing a red stiletto heel steps out, followed by another. 

“Mrs.Lord?”

Sure enough, Valerie Lord walked up to you at ten thirty at night, heels clicking with authority against the asphalt and a smile. 

She looked...off-put. 

“Hello Stitches.” Maybe it was the lights of the lamps above playing tricks on you, or just your lack of sleep, but you could’ve sworn you saw a little tremble in her painted lips. “Mind if I come in?”

-----

“I just figured I’d pop in.” She set her purse on the counter, looking around the store before her eyes settled on you again. It seemed like she was trying very hard to be nonchalant with you and it made the entire situation seem even more off. “See how much you’ve gotten done.”

“How much I’ve gotten done?” You quirked a brow at her. Last time you saw them they spent more time arguing with each other than actually giving you feedback. “Well I’ve got a few ideas but-”

“Lovely!” She clapped her hands together and you fought the urge to cringe at her voice. It sounded too shrill, too high pitched and forced, all the other times it has been smooth, an almost husky lure, but tonight, it seemed tense. 

In fact, all of her did.

Her smile was a touch too wide, you could see the strain in her cheeks, her hair mussed and face slightly raw, as if she had rubbed all her makeup off just to put it all back on. Her blue eyes, usually sharp and calculating, were glassy, as if she was fighting back tears. 

You knew the feeling a little too well. 

“Why don’t you bring those out for me and I can have a look.” She sniffled and turned her nose at you, most likely to hide the tears building in the corners of her eyes. “To make sure I’d actually wear them of course.”

“Oh, uh, yeah sure.” You turned on your heel to go into the backroom. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Right before the door you froze, pondering for a moment before an idea, albeit one that could easily blow up in your face, formed. 

“Is something the matter?” Her voice quivered as she spoke, but she covered it with a sharp hissing tone. 

“Uh, no.” You turned around and let out an awkward chuckle. “I uh, just forgot where I put the book is all, don’t worry. I remember now!” You spun on your heel to the door across from it, opening it quickly and clamoring up the stairs. 

Valerie watched your form disappear up the stairs and scoffed. “I hope your sewing skills are better than your organization skills!” She heard a series of clinking and frantic footsteps coming from whatever was above your store that you were sifting through to find the design book. She took a deep breath, taking a moment to dab at the corner of her eyes. 

Keep it together goddamnit. You didn’t lose it in front of Maxwell's business partners, or your own fucking son, so you certainly wouldn’t lose it in front of a seamstress with a shop smaller than your kitchen. You're Valerie fucking Lord. Act like it. 

The last words rang through her head like the church bells on her wedding day, the same day they were first spoken to her by her new and oh so charming mother-in-law. 

“You're about to become Valerie fucking lord.” The elder woman hissed, gripping the tearful bride’s wrist so hard Valerie feared it would break. “Act like it! Quit sniveling, smile happy for the photographers and say ‘I Do.’! It’s not that hard, my son that has to do all the heavy lifting!” The woman who somehow only came to Valerie’s shoulder but still made the psychiatrist feel two feet tall. She sneered at Valerie, with her hair perfectly done, makeup immaculate, and a designer wedding gown made to fit her body like a glove. 

“If your sorry excuse of a mother was still alive she’d be appalled by what you became.”

She laid a hand on the counter to ground herself in the situation. She was here, at your shop. She’s fine, she’s fine.

Her hand came down on the smooth cover of a notebook, her plucked brows scrunched up when she realized this was the same one you had during their consultation. Another loud thunk from above her. 

So what the hell were you looking for?

The stairs creaked as you walked down them, arms out and your focus solely on not dropping or spilling anything on the tray in your hands. Valerie felt her heart clench, you carried the tray over to the counter, gently setting it down. It held two cups of what seemed to be steaming hot cocoa, along with bags of marshmallows, big, small, and colored. 

“What-” Her voice came out watery and weak, she cleared her throat before she spoke again. “What, the fuck is this?”

You looked up at her with a sympathetic smile. “I uh, had a rough day today.” One hand came up to hold the back of your neck. “Hot chocolate usually helps me feel better, would you like some?”

She knew you were lying. She wanted to tell you to go fuck yourself. She didn’t need your help, the useless pity of a woman who couldn’t even dream of owning half of the things she did. She was Valerie Fucking Lord. 

But when she looked at the tray that you had put together, all for her, she couldn’t find the strength to say the words. 

You had already begun to set a cup in front of her. “Big marshmallows or little ones?”

Valerie finally let her voice crack as she spoke. 

“The little ones.”

-----

The pair of you drank in silence for the first few minutes. Valerie was thankful for that. Every time she tried to find her voice it would die in the back of her throat. You didn’t seem to notice, or at least you pretended not to. 

“It’s got to be hard.” You answered a question she didn’t ask. Why did you do this? “Living the way you do.”

Valerie scoffed. “Oh yes it’s very hard living with a walk in closet, endless funds and a staff that waits on me hand and foot. It’s a struggle but I do survive.”

You narrowed your eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Of course it isn’t. You wouldn't know how I live. Because you live like this.” Valerie waved a hand around the store. “Meanwhile I live in a house so big my husband and I can live on separate sides and not even see each other for a month! I look like this-” She gestured to the designer red dress that fit her body and had a slit up the leg before pointing to you. “Meanwhile you look like-”

Her voice vanished in her throat when she looked at you, a woman who worked for her, a black woman living on her own and making it her way in a world that didn't want her to, a woman that owed her nothing besides the service of sewing, that had extended an olive branch to her when she came to you late at night because she didn’t have anywhere else to go and she repaid you in the classic Lord way. 

By being a class A bitch. 

“A chick who shops at thrift stores?” You finished for her. She looked down at the mug in her hands, her thumb trailing over the cartoon hearts that danced along the brim. 

“Like somebody who doesn’t have to hide.”

You laid your hand on the cool surface of the counter top instead. 

Your hand released the handle of your mug to reach across the counter, so close to holding her hand in yours, feeling her smooth skin and the way it would flush under you. But you worried you would instead feel the way she would rip it from your grasp, shouting obscenities and those words at you, before promising you that her husband would hear about this. 

“Just because we have different struggles doesn’t mean we don’t still go through them.” Your voice was gentle, like a wrap being laid over her shoulders that took away her tremors and shakes. It made her feel warm all over in a way she wished it didn’t. “We all get days where everything feels like it’s too much. It’s nice to have somebody in our corner when we do.”

She looked up from the mug to finally meet your gaze with a watery smile. “And here I thought I was the one with the degree in mental wellness.”

The corner of your lips tilted up and Valerie pretended not to notice the way her heart hammered in her chest. “I’m afraid I don’t know as many big words as you do Mrs.Lord, but I do know that a good cup of hot cocoa and a friend to talk to can help on a bad day.”

“Valerie.”

“What?”

Her watery smile was replaced with a confident grin. She leaned over, plucking a marshmallow from your cup and plopping it into her mouth with a wink. “My friends call me Valerie.”

There was a split second where you were frozen, simply staring at her and she wondered if she had overstepped, if she had gone too far but then a big grin grew on your face and she felt her heart pick up again. 

“Valerie it is.”

“And for what it’s worth-” Her eyes ran over the rings on your fingers, to the chain on your chest with an impish smile. “-I think you look pretty good in thrift store clothes.”

“Do I now?” You settled your head in your hands and grinned at her. Valerie squeezed her thighs together at the way you smiled, preening like a prize animal under her attention. 

“Good enough to eat.” She purred, you dipped your head back and laughed at her words. The moment was interrupted when another heavy noise came from above them. 

“Okay, this is driving me insane.” She pointed to the door you had come through. “What in God’s name is up there!”

“Oh!” You waved a hand in the air before answering. “It’s my apartment.”

“You live above your shop?” Her eyes looked ready to shoot out of her head and you snorted. 

“Well not all of us can afford a giant mansion Mrs.Lord, besides, the shop was my pop’s and when he died I took it over.” You smiled wistfully at all the memories you had in the shop growing up, as well as the tiny two room apartment you and your father lived in above it. “It just didn’t seem right to leave it.” You waved a hand through the air dismissively.

“The noises are probably from my dog.”

“You have a dog?” Valerie’s voice was a combination of fear and awe. You puffed your chest out and smiled wide. 

“Sure do! Cujo is my pride and joy. He was a rescue but he’s got a heart of gold.”

Valerie stared at you for a moment. 

“Cujo?”

“Yeah! You know, from Stephen King?”

She shook her head at your reference. 

“Seriously!? The movie came out last year, it was phenomenal!”

Valerie scoffed. “I'm afraid I have more important things to do rather than see a movie about some dog.”

You tsked, shaking your head solemnly. “That’s a sad way to live.”

She knew you meant it as a joke but the words weighed heavy on her heart. It really was.

“Do you want to meet him?”

As you asked the question she was already slipping out of her chair and making her way to the door. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then!”

Valerie never had the chance to own a dog. Her parents were always out on sets, filming movies and going from place to place for photo shoots, interviews, and premieres. A dog would fit into that life just as well as a child would. 

Even though she never had a pet, she absolutely loved dogs. 

Every time she went on the street and saw somebody walking a dog, there was an internal battle within her to stop herself from crouching down and petting whatever canine her eyes landed on.

“Uh fair warning though.” You unlocked the door and looked behind you at her. “He’s very big, and very affectionate. But he doesn’t bite! People just see him and get scared at first but-”

“I’m not some little girl stitches.” Valerie huffed. “I know not to run screaming from a puppy.”

You shook your head. “Whatever you say Val.”

Valerie was so struck by the nickname you gave her, she didn't even have the time to register the positively massive dog that jumped at you the moment the door opened. 

“Oh hello my handsome boy!” Your voices was at least three octaves higher than she was used to. “Did you miss me! I missed you!”

The dog in question was a pit bull, a large black mass with eyes that could almost be described as gold, that jumped and butted it’s head against you. 

You gripped the dog’s collar in one hand while setting the other on his rear with a little tap. “Alright settle boy, settle.” The dog plonked it’s bum onto the hardwood floor, tail wagging from side to side and it’s tongue lolled out in a happy grin. “Valerie, this is Cujo.”

Cujo looked up at her, panting and practically vibrating with energy. She looked over to you, who held such adoration in your eyes for the dog it made her own heart hurt. 

“It’s okay.” Your voice was soft, gentling coaxing her forward. “You can pet him if you’d like.”

She reached out with one hand, slowly setting it atop his head and bringing it down in one smooth motion, when she pulled it back the dog turned his snout down and lurched forward, presenting his head to her in search of more pets. 

“Looks like he’s got a favorite Lord.” Valerie ran her hands over his smooth fur, and even let him lick her! Oh if Max could see her now. 

“That’s not a hard contest.” Valerie scoffed. “Maxwell is petrified of nearly every animal and bug in existence.” 

The image alone of Cujo bounding after Maxwell in search of tummy rubs, only to see the multi-billionaire run away while shouting for help was enough to make you cackle. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“Maybe next time you all come down to get your measurements down I’ll let Cujo come say hi.” You turned to the pitbull and began talking in a baby voice again. “Hear that buddy? If you scare the funny looking business man, mama will give you a treat!”

As you spoke, Valerie flicked her eyes over the hallway that welcomed her into your home. It was lined with posters of bands she didn’t know, small mugs and souvenirs lined the bookshelf and window sills, a small quilt laid folded up on a table. The colors clashed, the theme was overbearing and cluttered, but it felt more like a home than her own house did. 

But it was a home that she didn’t belong in. 

“I think it’s time I head home.” Valerie turned to you and swore she saw a frown flash over your features before you nodded. 

“That’s probably a good idea, it’s getting late.” You turned and pat Cujo on the head once more. “I’ll be right back buddy, will you be good for me?” 

The dog let out a deep ‘boof’ as a response and you grinned. 

“Atta boy!”

Maybe it was the fact that you asked her what marshmallows she wanted, or that you took the time to reach out to her instead of using that moment of weakness as leverage like anybody else would have, or the way you smiled at her when she pet your dog, or the way you preened at her compliments, but Valerie couldn’t get out of your house fast enough to escape how you made her feel. 

Her heart didn’t stop beating frantically until your shop was nothing but a dot growing smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror of her car.

It was almost midnight, Alastair was no doubt asleep and Maxwell would be soon enough. Whether it be in his office passed out on a stack of papers or in his bedroom on the other side of the house, neither one would worry where she is. 

She turned into the parking lot of a hotel before turning it off. She didn’t bother trying to sneak in through a back exit or pay the front desk employee off, she simply waltzed in with her head held high straight to the elevator ahead. The employee didn’t bother to welcome her, or even ask if she needed a room, they knew if they asked her anything they’d be fired the next day. 

Any hotel employee in D.C knew if they saw a Lord at their establishment, they kept their mouths shut about it or else they’d end up penniless within a week. 

The moment the silver doors shut behind her, Valerie fluffed her hair, wiped away any tears and adjudged any smudges on her makeup. She stared at her reflection in the compact mirror 

You may have been allowed to see her moment of weakness, but nobody else would.

The elevator stopped and she snapped the compact in her hand shut. 

This was her deal with Max after all. They didn’t meet their side pieces at home or in public, for the good of their name and simple respect for one another. Late night rendezvous became normal for Valerie just like quick fucks before a meeting became mundane for Maxwell.

She only knocked on the door once before it was opened wide, revealing a grinning shirtless man who was built like Adonis. 

“You're late.” The man answered, the moment the door shut behind her his hands were on her, roaming her body and yanking up her skirt while his lips attached to her neck with a needy groan. “I’ve missed you so much baby.”

Robert was a model, a handsome man from the deep south who came for a fresh city start. He quickly found a job in flexing his farm-bred body and smiling pretty for the cameras. Valerie found his voice, deep grit with a southern lilt, alluring at first. But tonight it just annoyed her. 

It wasn’t the voice she wanted to hear. 

She pushed her way out of his grip with a scoff. “I’m a busy woman Robert, don’t expect me to come running every time you need to get your dick wet.”

The man began to unbutton his pants with a smile. “But I’m not the one who called for this little meet-up, am I honey?”

Her eyes, cold as ever narrowed into slits. Valerie laid down on the bed, not even bothering to take off her heels before pulling up the skirt of her dress and spreading her legs. “Why don’t you put that fucking mouth to use for once,-” She shot him a venomous look, plump lips bent in a frown. 

“-And quit it with the fucking pet-names Robert, I’m not your high school sweetheart.”

The man shook his head. Valerie was never sweet during their trysts, but she seemed especially bitchy tonight. He didn’t make an effort to ask why, instead he simply pulled her lace panties to the side and ran his tongue along the seam of her cunt. 

He looked up, already opening his mouth to make a comment on just how fucking wet she is for him, when her hands tangled in his air and shoved his face back between her legs. 

“Not tonight.” She breathed out, her eyes shut and head dipped back. She gripped his hair hard enough for him to feel a sting in his scalp, but he said nothing. “Just..not tonight.”

Valerie didn’t have the time nor the patience for Robert’s frat boy peacocking tonight, to hear him boast on how ready she is for him and how she takes him so well when all his voice would do is pull her away from the images in her mind. 

Instead of the short, gelled hair of a model between her fingers, it was yours. Long, soft, curls threaded in her hands as you sucked on her clit. The gentle husk of your voice coaxing praise and sweet words against her thigh, pulling away from her core to tease her legs with feather-light kisses. She’d want to complain, order you back on her, but with the sweet smile and look of adoration in your eyes it would vanish. 

Would your eyes flutter shut as you slide your fingers inside her pussy while you sucked on that beloved little bundle of nerves, curling just right so that she’d cry out for you, or would you watch? Eyes open and focused solely on her as she fell from ecstasy. 

It wasn’t the heavy hands of a farm boy turned coke-snorting model that gripped her plush thighs, but the slender palms of a seamstress, so used to creating beauty but now working on unraveling it. Would the cool metal of your rings bite against her flushed skin? Would you moan against her dripping core, breathe fanning out against her as you groaned out just how sweet she was?

Her hips bucked up against your mouth, thighs tightening around your head as you pulled her closer and closer to her climax. Your fingers setting an unforgiving pace inside her that she didn’t even know she needed so goddamn bad from you until you gave it to her. 

“Fuck!” Her back arched like a woman possessed, toes curling as you pulled away only for a moment to coo out her name. 

“That’s it Val-” You nuzzled between her thighs, the tip of your nose just brushing against her clit in a way that pushed her over the edge. “-cum for me, baby.”

The great Valerie Lord bit down on her lip as she came, so desperate to keep your name from falling off her lips that she felt her own blood on her tongue. 

She laid there in a haze, tremors of the after shock slowly subsiding, a small smile grazed her lips when she felt your lips press to the inside of her thighs. But the bliss was broken when the sound of a zipper met her ears along with a cocky voice crooning out. 

“I got you good, didn’t I baby?”

Her eyes shot open and sure enough, the fantasy was gone. She wasn’t finding ecstasy in the cluttered home with you between her legs, but instead laid spread open on silk sheets in a five star hotel while a dazzling super model with washboard abs in front of her. 

The bottom of her Louboutin heel pressed against his bare chest, pushing him back and back until he nearly slipped off the edge of the bed. 

“Not tonight.” She said simply, getting up and ignoring the slight shake in her knees as she did. 

The man furrowed his brows, before turning his head and scoffing. “You know if you were anybody else I’d be offended, but I guess it’s expected from a Lord. Ain’t it?”

Valerie looked at her reflection in the mirror, swiping away the smudge of lipstick against her cheek and setting each stray hair back into place until she looked just as flawless as she did when she walked in. She didn’t bother looking at Robert as she spoke. 

“If the way I fuck is so tiresome, go find somebody else cowboy, I assure you I’ll have no trouble doing the same.” 

She grabbed her purse from the night stand, opening the door before freezing in the doorway. She turned to Robert with a sultry smile. “One more thing Robert baby.”

At her sweet coo, the man puffed out his chest and grinned. “What is it sugar?”

Her face fell as she plucked a cigarette from her purse and set it between her teeth as she spoke with disdain. 

“Call me Val one more time and I’ll fucking ruin you.”