#I've been grinning like an idiot for the past 10 minutes

[elloello777]

I just read the first proper Solangelo interaction in the Blood of Olympus and AHHHH they're so CUTEEE idc that they're arguing the whole time they're adorable and I love them

[my-mind-is-incognito]

Wanna Duet? (Hugh Jackman x Reader)

summary: you're an interviewer sitting down with 2 of the hottest celebrities, both fresh off their latest movie. during the interview, one of them feels the need to shake up the script a bit

warnings: None that I can think of, other than intense yearning for an unattainable man (tbh isn't that why we read and write these sort of things anyway?)

author's note: Um, hi. It's been a couple of years since I've contributed to this site and this particular blog, other than reblogging other people's much more notable work. But the new deadpool movie, as well as Hugh Jackman, has literally got me hostage by the ovaries and I just needed to put this random fantasy into words and put it out there into the world. Please be gentle. I haven't written anything in years and it is so weird to me now.

When you call my name

It’s like a little prayer

I’m down on my knees

I wanna take you there

In the midnight hour

I can feel your power

Just like a prayer

I wanna take you there

The lyrics to that familiar song softly tumbled from your lips as you studied the notecards in your hand while your shoulders softly rocked to the beat. You wanted to make sure the questions were etched in your brain; as a journalist tasked with interviewing celebrities, you needed to maintain your A-game when it came to these video shoots with the Hollywood elite. You couldn’t afford to stumble over your words or, even worse, have an awkward silence creep into the conversation. 

A knock at the door brought you out of your reverie, and Maggie, the producer, poked her head in. “They just arrived,” she informed you. “Ten minutes.”

You flashed her a thumbs up and got out of your seat to loosen your stiff muscles and fight the enormous grin spreading across your face. Today’s scheduled shoot was one you were particularly looking forward to: a simple sit down interview with two of the hottest stars, fresh off the premiere of one of the most anticipated movies of 2024. Somewhere on the premises, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were waiting to speak to you, and your Marvel-loving heart was hammering in your chest in anticipation. The butterflies were certainly in hyperactive manic mode today. 

Maggie studied you with a laugh. “Excited, are we?”

“Aren’t you? We’re about to meet Deadpool and Wolverine!�� You took a few deep breaths, channeling your professional side. But soon, the facade fell and you were grinning like a jittery idiot. ”How are they? Are they as ridiculously gorgeous in person?”

Maggie grinned. “Yes, plus super nice. Definitely making the top 10 nicest guests list. Hurry up and get out there.” She then left and shut the door behind her.

Biting back the urge to squeal, you took a few composing breaths and willed your heart to stop racing like a schoolgirl in love. Picking up your phone, you started scrolling your phone for a song. Singing was always a typical warm-up exercise for you; it helped you loosen up and provided an outlet for your nervous energy. Showtunes were usually your go-to songs, and you had a particular soundtrack stuck in your head for the past few weeks. 

“Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for,” you sang softly, shimmying your hips to the beat of the song. “Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor.”  Another hip wiggle on beat as you spun on your heel and held out a dramatic fist in the air. “And buried in your bones, there’s an ache that you can’t ignore, taking your breath, stealing your mind, and all that was real is left behind…

Don’t fight it’s coming for you, runnin’ at ya

It’s only this moment, don’t care what comes after

Your fever dream, can’t you see it gettin’ closer?

just surrender cuz you feel the feeling takin’ over

It’s fire, it’s freedom, it’s flooding open

It’s a preacher in the pulpit and your blind devotion

There’s something breaking at the brick of every wall it’s holding

All that you know

So tell me, do you wanna go?

Where it’s covered in all the colored lights

Where the runaways are running the night

Impossible comes tre, it’s taking over you

Oh, this is the greatest show!

We light it up, we won’t come down

And the sun can’t stop us now

Impossible comes true, it’s taking over you

Oh, this is the greatest show!”

You blew out one more calming breath and grinned with confidence before striding out the door. Time to get to work.

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

“So I’m sitting there, my brain melting in my skull from all these fucking hot wings, and the first sentence out of my mouth is ‘I CHEAT AT WORDLE!’”

You and Hugh burst out into laughter as Ryan recounted his and Hugh’s recent experience on Hot Ones. As expected, the interview was going without a hitch. Both men were excellent subjects, genuinely enjoying the process and providing laughs amongst the crew in between the Q+A. Their bestie banter and overall chemistry was so contagious that it brought everyone at ease. And also as expected, both men gave you the urge to subtly fan yourself with your notecards. While both had the leading man looks, Ryan had a dry wit and a delivery that was deadpan and entirely on point, never failing to get a laugh from everyone in the room. Meanwhile, Hugh had a megawatt smile and an Aussie timber in his voice that had you shivering in your chair, and his laughter was as warm and pure as sunshine itself.

“So, Hugh, you’ve mentioned how you were still doing Music Man when you were cast to return as Wolverine. Did the mental and physical preparation for this role clash with your preparations for your Music Man performances?”

Hugh chuckled. “It’s funny you mentioned that, because I had actually lost a bit of weight while doing Music Man. I mean, it’s eight shows a week and each show is a cardio workout like nothing else! So I had to start increasing my calories and, you know, pumping iron in between shows and it got to the point where I actually split my pants onstage during a show!”

You gasped while Ryan just shook his head and laughed. “Yes, the legendary Jackman ass returned, as jacked as ever!” Ryan snarked, which had Hugh guffawing. “Oh, easy there, buddy. No need to break a hip on top of that.”

You futilely hid your laughs behind your notecards, genuinely enjoying this experience. “Well, guys, this has been an absolute pleasure. As a Marvel fan myself, this movie has been long awaited and completely worth it. Any parting words you’d like to leave the audience before we sign off?”

”Actually,” Ryan suddenly interjected, shooting an offhanded smirk at Hugh, “I had a question for you.”

Well, that was unexpected. “Wait, really? For me?” you asked, confused. 

”Yeah, betcha didn’t see this coming, but yes, the tables have in fact been turned. The interviewee is now the interviewer.” Ryan crossed his legs and placed his hands on his lap, smiling mischievously. “See, I happened to be skittering around backstage, and whilst—“

”Whilst?”

”Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking, Hugh Bear. It’s very rude. Yes, whilst skittering back there, I happened to pick up on some backstage karaoke from a certain interviewer.”

Your eyes widened and you hid your gaping mouth behind your hand. “Oh God.”

“Do you deny it?”

“You heard that?!”

Ryan pointed an accusatory finger at you. “Don’t your DARE hide that angelic voice from us, ma’am!”

Hugh switched his focus between you and Ryan. “Wait, did I miss something? What’s happening?”

”Dude, get this. I heard her singing Greatest Showman in the back and she sounds amazing!” Ryan nudged Hugh before holding out a hand to you reassuringly while you continued to gape. 

“Is that right?” Hugh inquired, interest piqued.

You laughed nervously, shielding your face in your hands. In the back of your mind, you wondered if your makeup was good enough to hide the flush spreading across your face. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing.” 

“Please don’t confuse my enthusiasm for mockery!” Ryan was quick to say, holding out a reassuring hand. “Honestly, I had chills hearing you. Your voice is gorgeous! And clearly you have excellent music tastes due to your song choices. Seriously, I loved it!” Ryan gushed. “My question is, where did you learn to sing? Like, I’m literally jealous because out of the three of us sitting here, I have no musical talent whatsoever, and my singing usually results in children crying. But yours just sounds so good!”

”I wanna hear her sing now,” Hugh remarked cheerfully. “High praise from Ryan is definitely a good voucher.”

“Oooh, that would be so great, Hugh. You could audition her, because her choreo needs a little bit of work. Kinda limited, but I’m sure your rusty hips still got enough wiggle in them to teach her something.”

Both men laughed and leaned forward, their attention on you, and you couldn’t help but cower behind your papers and burst into another fit of panicked giggles. “I have no idea what is happening right now,” you remarked shyly.

Ryan got out of his seat and stood beside you. “Audition jitters, I get them all the time. Here, I’ll coach you through it!” He cleared his throat and adopted a more professional tone, gesturing between you and Hugh. “Alright, so you are at your callback audition. The casting director—obviously, that’s me—liked your stuff and now I wanna do a little screen test with our leading man—that’ll be Hugh.” 

At this, Hugh leaned forward and shook your hand warmly. “Hey there, I’m Hugh Jackman. I’ll be doing this scene with ya.”

You shot a quick glance at Maggie, who silently urged you to play along. So you chuckled and firmly shook Hugh’s hand. “Pleasure to be working with you, sir.” He replied with a warm smile that made your stomach somersault.

Ryan clapped his hands. “Alright! We are looking for some chemistry between our two leads. Let’s see, what’s a good duet song?” He eyed you expectedly. “I won’t ask Hugh, because the man is a neverending jukebox of showtunes. Now’s your chance to put a quarter in him and pick a song.”

You fidgeted in your seat, pausing to think before replying, “Okay, if we are going to do this, I just want to get this off my chest. Hugh, I am a HUGE fan, not just of your work as Wolverine, but your musical roles as well.” In response, he patted his heart and mouthed ‘thank you’ while Ryan rolled his eyes and made the yak-yak motion with his hand.

You continued. “So, if we could, and this is something I’ve always wanted to do…could we sing ‘A Million Dreams’ from Greatest Showman together?”

His eyes lit up and he nodded. “Yeah! I’d love that!” 

You practically bounced in your seat, shaking out your hands in pure excitement while a huge grin spread across your face. “Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening!”

Hugh got out of his chair and gestured for you to do the same, which you did quickly. “Gotta make it like a real audition,” he informed you with a wink that got you giggling.

Ryan scooted his own chair back and sat back in it, much like a director overseeing a scene. “Okay, are we all good? Pay no attention to the multiple cameras looking at you or the lights beaming down at you, mmkay? It’s most likely nothing new for you. And…action!”

Hugh made a big show of clearing his throat a few times. “Sorry, I’m not warmed up,” he said.

“No one cares, Hugh.”

“And there isn’t any music.”

“Still not caring, Hugh.”

“Thanks, Ryan.”

With the rest of the crew laughing, Hugh finally took your hand in his and, gazing into your eyes, began to sing:

Every night I lie in bed

The brightest colors fill my head

A million dreams are keeping me awake

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it’s gonna take

Oh, a million dreams for the world we’re gonna make

You were mesmerized by his singing. Listening to him on recording did absolutely no justice for him. Never in a million years (no pun intended) did you think this could be happening to you, that Hugh Jackman could be singing one of your favorite songs directly to you. You forced yourself to focus on your breathing and remember your cue. And when it came, you were more than ready to belt out:

However big, however small

Let me be part of it all

Share your dreams with me

Ryan was flashing you a thumbs up while the rest of the crew were cheering you on. Hugh was grinning ear to ear, clearly enjoying himself.

You may be right, you may be wrong

But say that you’ll bring me along

To the world you see

Hugh nodded encouragingly, joining in:

To the world I close my eyes to see

I close my eyes to see

He got down on one knee, clutching his chest dramatically as he still held your hand.

‘Cause every night I lie in bed

The brightest colors fill my head

You grinned in reply and posed cutely in response.

A million dreams are keeping me awake

A million dreams, a million dreams!

As he shot back up, he spun you around, and the two of you both dramatically sang back to back, harmonizing on the final verse.

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it’s gonna take

A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make

As you held that last note, you felt Hugh wrap his arms around your shoulders. Knowing your role, you smiled and leaned against him.

For the world we’re gonna make

The end of the song was met with thunderous applause from everyone on set, with Ryan being particularly enthusiastic in his clapping. “You got the part!” he exclaimed.

You laughed breathlessly as you and Hugh separated. You clutched your face, grounding yourself from the incredible high you were flying on, all while that silly smile on your face still shone brightly. 

Hugh clapped you on the shoulder. “Very well done!” he remarked. “I’ll be sure to keep you on call as my backup leading lady.”

“Oh my god, stop,” you beamed, still a bit breathless. “Karaoke is one thing, but I dunno about leading lady stuff.”

He smiled and gently kissed your hand. “Don’t sell yourself short,” he replied with a wink.

Maggie caught your eye from behind the camera, signaling you to wrap it up. Remembering your job, you quickly looked at the camera and said, “Uh, Deadpool and Wolverine is out in theaters now! Many thanks to Hugh and Ryan for joining us today!”

“Cut!” Maggie announced.

And thus ended probably THE most exhilarating interview of your entire career!

[hyunjilicious]

A/n: This was initially supposed to be the beginning of a longer fic but I ended up changing the plot a bit and this little thing doesn't fit in there anymore. So there's basically no plot here, just 3 bff's minding their own business when one of them decides to ask for a hickey :) you know, like all friends do.

Warnings: there's no smut, but I still wouldn't be comfortable with anyone underage reading it, so 18+ PLS. Also they're just friends but there's a hyunjin x reader x felix type of thing implied... idk... I love them both too much :/ (highly unedited, don't look at me, I just want it out of my drafts thank you) 1.4k

"Ok, I know this is gonna sound stupid, but bear with me for a second?" Hyunjin said, breaking the 10 minutes of silence that followed yours and Felix's relentless complaints about work and the last minute tasks you had been given. Once that topic had been exhausted, you each settled in a corner of your queen sized bed, entrapped by your phones. That was until Hyunjin spoke up.

"Yeah, what is it?" Felix answered but Hyunjin waited until he had your attention too before continuing.

"Can one of you give me a hickey?" 

Felix didn't even bother trying to answer, confusion just fell upon his features as he stared ahead, then at Hyunjin, who didn't even bat an eye, and then at you.

"Um?" you frowned, "Can you elaborate?"

"There are these girls at work that like me, I mean I think they do, and I've basically done everything to tell them I'm not interested but like… they don't get the hint, and they're very sweet, so I don't wanna be rude to them.. I figured this would be the best idea"

"You figured this would be the best idea?" Felix deadpanned.

"Yeah… they never walked up to me and told me they like me, so what kind of entitled asshole would I be if I just went to them and said 'Hey, I get that you're obsessed with me but I'm not interested'?"

Felix just blinked. "First of all, obsessed is a little bit too much, don't you think?"

"I agree. That's why I want a hickey"

"Just say you have a girlfriend"

"But I don't" Hyunjin shook his head, "That would be a lie. A hickey is just a hickey, and it'll make them assume I have someone"

"Or you could just talk to them" Felix tried again.

"Or you could just shut up and give me a hickey"

"I've never given anyone a hickey, I'm not doing it"

"I can do it" you offered, much to Felix's disappointment. It seemed that for whatever reason he assumed you'd be the rational one, but if anything, you understood very well what it was like to want to avoid difficult conversations.

"Thank you!" Hyunjin exclaimed.

"Come here"

"What? Now!?"

"What? Do you need to get ready? Need a moment of silence?"

"Um, no?" Hyunjin shily mumbled as Felix laughed in the background, "I just didn't expect you to do it now"

"We can do it later"

"No, no, no. Now is good"

"Ok, lay down" you instructed and shuffled closer to him. 

"Oh my god" Hyunjin chuckled as he let his weight fall back onto his shoulders while you straddled his hips. He watched you tuck your hair behind your ears and lick your lips, which made nervous giggles break past his lips as he threw his head back. "This feels so professional"

"Yes, y/n, the hickey master" you mocked and grabbed his hands, one forceful pull later and he was down flat on his back against the mattress. "Tell me if it hurts"

"I've gotten hickeys in the past, it wasn't that bad"

"Yeah because you were turned on and it was sexy. Now that's not the case"

"Hey, you're sexy" he grinned which made you slap his face away so you wouldn't have to see his eyes anymore.

"Oh god, I need to see this" Felix giggled and crawled closer, settling right next to you and directly above Hyunjin.

"You're breathing right into my face"

Felix wasn't having it, so he just smiled down at his friend. "You like it"

"Idiot"

With your lips inches away from Hyunjin's exposed neck, you found yourself struggling to find a starting point. Something felt off, a bit unnatural, and it made your ears tingle. "Ok, this is weird, but I don't know how to give hickeys without kissing too, so-"

"Kiss me, I don't mind"

"You're willing to make this sacrifice, huh?" Felix teased.

"Ok, but tell me if this starts to feel awkward, ok?"

"Y/n, you're both basically on top of me, one about to bite me and the other one looking at me like I'm a science experiment, awkward doesn't even begin to explain it"

"I'm sorry" you laughed, and despite the hurricane of thoughts that rushed through your brain at that exact moment, you shook your head one last time and finally closed the distance between the two of you.

Doing this robotically and by the book was never going to cut it, no matter how much experience you had and how many techniques you knew. So putting your faith into Hyunjin to tell you in case you went too far, you decided to do this right.

With your back arched and your body fully pressed against his, you snaked one hand up into hair, curling your fingers up around his roots as your lips started working on his still intact skin.

The kisses that initially started off as gentle and soft, turned fervid in a matter of seconds, your lips mercilessly sucking his perfect skin, morphing his light complexion into a perverse shade of red. 

Unconsciously, as you worked on the hickey on his neck, the hand that had been previously lightly tugging at his roots traveled down, gripping his chin and caressing its way down to his shoulders. 

Completely lost in the taste and feel of your best friend's skin, you failed to register the unnatural feeling of his hands on your thighs. You knew they were there, you felt their warmth down to your bones, but it never occurred to you that that had never happened before. So you let yourself get driven by his touch and refused to show any signs of slowing down as his curious hands made their way to your hips and then to your ass.

Fully engrossed by everything that was going on at once, you failed to notice the way Hyunjin was panting beneath you - his chest heaving up and down as his shaky, hot breath ran against your ear.

Once you figured you had him warmed up enough, you gave his neck the last bit of preparation which came in the shape of you licking up his jugular before you returned to your initial spot and sunk your teeth into his skin with no warning.

"Holy f-" he grunted, more than surely involuntarily bucking his hips up into you as his fingers dug into your hips. 

But it didn't deter you, you kept going - sucking, biting and licking all the right spots, keeping a steady pace until you felt satisfied with your work.

"Ok-" you said a bit out of breath before returning to pepper his traumatized skin with feather light kisses, "I think this should do it"

When you pushed yourself up to admire your work, Hyunjin hurried to hide his face behind his hands. "Oh my god"

"Was it good?" you grinned, placing your hands on his waist, ready to tickle a compliment out of him in case you needed to.

"I need a minute," he panted.

Deciding to give him the space he said he needed, your eyes moved to Felix. Despite not uttering one word, his face said a lot, his red cheeks, wide eyes and shy smile were enough to get the message across. 

Instantly, you opened your arms calling for a hug, but he just mirrored you and welcomed you when you finally crawled over to him. He gathered you close against his chest and pulled you down, the two of you now tightly wrapped together next to a still speechless Hyunjin.

"Was that awkward for you?" you whispered, hiding your face in the crook of his neck from the sudden wave of embarrassment that washed over you. 

"No, don't worry, it wasn't awkward-" he assured you with a kiss on the top of your head. "It was a… good tutorial"

"I still find it shocking that you've never given a hickey before" 

"I think the reason for that is because I always hated receiving them," Felix confessed, which prompted Hyunjin to come back from the dead, one long pointer finger up in the air.

"That's because you've never gotten one from her" 

"Ok" Felix laughed, "Can we stop with the hickeys? I feel like I'm high-school all over again. Adults don't have hickeys"

"No," you corrected, "Adults don't have hickeys in places others can see. Except that one" you pointed to Hyunjin. 

"You're just jealous"

"Of what? The hickey I gave you?"

"I don't know" Hyunjin gave up with a sigh and lazily rolled off the bed, "I'm gonna have a shower"

"Have fun!" you both laughed and then settled back into a tighter cuddle once the room fell into silence again.

What is this abrupt ending? Idk either, I'm sorry 😖

[short-honey-badger]

Peppermint Tea 27 - Lavender 8

Okay. So I've had this chapter in the back burner for a while. Just fluffing the bare bones of it every now and then. We are introduced to a couple of new characters of my own creation. Forgive my lack of creativity on names and appearances.

Note!! I've posted this part once and then took it down like 10 minutes later when I realized I wasn't happy with it. I apologize to the ones who have already read this part. There have been some changes!

I really hope you enjoy! This plot has definitely thickened, and more drama Llama has come. I'm pulling out all the stops.

Warnings! Drinking and Shanks fucks up big time! A bit of a time skip happens. Also, a SURPRISE!

Masterlist

Shanks is drunk. Far more inebriated than he had planned to be, but the sake and rum were tasty, and he and his crew were celebrating a raid gone perfectly. The hoard that Yasopp had found at the end of the fight, if you could even call it one, had been the cherry on top. The group of organized bandits had been at work for a long time, stealing and taxing the villages of this island until everyone was as poor as dirt.

A child of all people had begged Shanks and his crew to take care of the bandits. The redhead had seen another kid in this one’s place, a big sneaky grin and mischievous eyes, and had easily caved. Lucky Roux had found the trail to the hideout quickly, and it was over after that. The bandits and their leader didn't stand a chance against someone like Shanks.

So now, they sat in the bar that had the most booze, going through the bandit hoard for anything they may want for themselves. The villagers had been adamant that the entire crew took something as payment, and Shanks wasn't about to say no to anything for free. He was a pirate, after all.

The Emperor had caught sight of a beautiful hair clip, one simple but ornate with tiny blue jewels embedded in the silver material. Shanks had thought of his treasure, specifically his Snowflake when he'd seen the hair clip and had swiftly pocketed it before losing himself in the copious amounts of booze that flowed around him.

Now that Shanks was thinking about you, he realized just how much he missed his treasure. It's been just over two weeks since he last saw you and tasted your lips on his. Far too long since he'd been able to bury his head between your legs and bring you to the edge over and over before you were begging him to let you come. Or having you ride his cock until you were nothing but a sobbing mess who couldn't remember anything other than the names of the two men who you belonged to.

It’s been three months since the first time Shanks had gotten the privilege of making love with his little treasure. In his drunken state, these two weeks felt like that long ago, and Shanks sighed dramatically and slumped over the bar, his mug of ale sloshing dangerously over the lip, “Benn when can we go back to _’s island?”

Shanks is far from quiet, and the bar is still filled with other pirates. People are listening in, most uncaring for the drunk pirate lamenting about his want for some woman. But to one, the old man hears your name, and recognition lights his brain.

Benn slaps him on the back of his head, a scowl on his face as he narrows his eyes at his Captain. The idiot was drunk as a skunk, “You need to be more careful, Shanks.”

The redhead pouts at Benn, dark eyes glassy, and then he drunks straight from the bottle of sake he holds. He wipes his mouth, “I know what I'm doing, Benn. No one here could ever beat me in a fight. I can protect _ just fine.”

“That's not the point, Shanks,” Benn hisses at him and tugs his Captain close by his black cloak. He shakes him, trying to knock some sense into the other man. Beckman knows that Shanks could be irresponsible, but this was ridiculous.

“Think for a damn second. If someone overhears and spreads a rumor that an Emperor of the Sea is head over heels with her. It's over. You know her past, you know who would be after her. Not to mention that Mihawk would kill you.”

The redhead sees everything that has gone so well the past six months with you and Mihawk all go up in flames. His treasures would despise him, and he would have no choice but to accept that, because it would be all his fault. Already ruining something good.

He spirals further when he thinks about the news you had shared with him and Mihawk the last time the three of you had been able to get together.

--------

You stand before the two men. Shanks can tell that you are nervous, snow has gathered around your feet, and he fights the urge to pull you close and demand what's wrong. Mihawk sits beside him, concern swimming in his ringed gaze. Hank lays on the floor between the three of you, big dark eyes trained on his human.

You begin to pace, picking up the now massive orange fluff ball and holding him close. You hold Sukuna close to your chest, threading your fingers through his thick fur. They watch you take a deep breath and then turn to them, eyes wide and full of trepidation.

“My period hasn't started yet. I keep careful track of it, and it's been fifty-two days since my last one. I-I’ve been really sick in the morning and feeling weak, and all my books say that I'm probably… pregnant?”

Mihawk nor Shanks like the fear in your voice, but your announcement has both of them star-struck. There was a baby inside of you? Made by one of them? Shanks pictures a little girl with bright red hair and golden eyes, chubby cheeks, and a brilliant smile. It's picturesque and perfect in his mind's eye, a beautiful mix of all three of them.

Hawkeye is the first to stand from the couch and go to your side. He takes your face in hand, calloused fingers holding you so carefully, and then dips down to press his lips to yours. Dracule is a mess of emotions, but elation wins over all of it. Never in his life did he think that he would have this chance, and he vowed that he would not squander it. As he kissed you, Mihawk came to the harsh conclusion that he no longer had a choice in keeping his involvement in her past a secret. The warlord would have to tell you.

Shanks eyes his lovers, a smile playing on his lips as he stands to gather his treasures close. He drops a kiss to the back of your head and sneaks his hand around your stomach, a look of wonder coming over his face as he strokes your belly.

“A kid, huh?” Shanks murmurs, and his haki creeps forth, wrapping around you and Mihawk, “I think we can swing that.”

---------

Shanks seems to sober up a bit at the harsh reminder. He sits straight, frown replacing his easy-going pout. his first mate is right, and his chest feels tight with guilt at his incompetence. Had he really been that loud? Fuck. Shanks doesn't remember. He licks his lips and pushes the bottle of sake to the side, suddenly not in the mood for any more drinking.

How could he be this dumb? Shouting your name to the heavens in a drunken stupor, needing his first mate to come in and literally shake some sense into him.

“Thank you, Benn,” Shanks croaks and runs his hand through his hair, grimacing at the state it was in. Gods, what was wrong with him tonight, “Let's head back to the ship, yeah?”

Benn stands, tossing some berri to the counter, “Best idea you've had tonight, Captain.”

The old man stands to go to the bar and order a drink, watching the two men stumble out of the bar. Though he looks unassuming dressed in regular clothes like a local, it is far from the truth.

Wiseman is an old member of the Big Mom pirates and remembers the destruction of the Nammu Isles and the two members of the royal family who escaped. They knew of the location of one, but to hear the name of the princess who was thought to be dead was interesting news that his Captain would be delighted to hear about.

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

Thousands of miles away, a man sits at a dingy bar. He wears a navy uniform, and a Vice Admiral coat clings to his shoulders. His white hair is shaggy and unkempt, and a pair of brilliant green eyes stare into the sake he holds in his hand. He is clean-shaven with a sharp jaw, though his face is marred by a single scar that crosses vertically on the right side of his mouth. No one bothers the man, for which he is very grateful.

Today was his baby sister's birthday, and he always made sure to take off from any kind of work to mourn her. She wasn't dead. At least he didn't think so, but it's been twenty-two years since the last time he'd laid eyes on his sister. He couldn't visit her, it was far too dangerous for that, so the best he could do was make this day for her. Just like he used to before their home had been taken.

The officer knows back his sake, and the bartender helpfully refills his cup. He sits there for another hour before his peace is broken by one of his subordinates.

“Vice-Admiral Delemur?”

He sighs heavily, and a scowl crosses his face when he gives the younger man his attention. His crew knew better than to bother him on this date, so this had better have been important, “Yes, Nitchell?”

The young man gulped in the face of his superior, and Delemur cursed whoever had allowed this wet behind-the-wear recruit into his platoon. Wait. Fuck. That had been him. Was he an idiot? He focuses back on the kid when he speaks up.

“Vice-Admiral Smoker is here to see you. Said he would wait for you on the docks, Sir.”

Smokey was here? Well, that changed things now, didn't it? Smoker, and when did he get Vice-Admiral? He'd been a Captain last time they spoke- was one of the two people in the Navy who knew about Delemur's sister. The other was Sengoku, even if the white-haired man wasn't a fan of the Fleet Admiral.

Delemur stands and pushes his cup into the recruit's hands, “Here. Finish that for me. Be a good kid, and pick up my tab, too.”

He leaves the kid blubbering at the bartender and disappears, body dropping to the ground and turning into dust. He flies past citizens and pirates alike until he arrives at the docks. The officer finds Smoker at the end of the docks, and he reforms beside the other man, the scared side of his lips twisting up in a welcoming smirk.

“Hey, Smokey. Long time no see,” He murmurs and the other man gives him a matching smirk, “Nice coat.”

“Tomura, still a smarmy ass, huh?” Smoker drawls, and shifts the two cigars in his mouth to the opposite side. He looks at his old friend up and down, seeing the drunken haze in those green eyes. The Vice-Admiral knows what day it was, it's why he came to seek Tomura out when he found out that the other man was only an island away. Not to mention that he had news that the other man might want.

“You know it,” Tomura quips back dryly. He shifts to look out at the raging ocean, and two pairs of knuckle dusters clink on his belt. He licks his lips and eyes his friend out of the corner of his eyes. While it's good to see Smoker, it's odd that the other man would go out of his way to see him, even on this particular day, “Whatcha doin’ here, Smoker?”

Tomura doesn't know if he is thankful or not that the other man has never beaten around the bush. But he does know that he hates the look of pity that Smoker gives him.

“Someone's been talking about your sister, Tomura. Rumor says that it came from Red Haired Shanks singing her name, which started circulating about a week ago. News travels fast in the Grand Line, but there's not been a peep from him about her since.”

Tomura sober instantly and orders his crew to start packing up the second Smoker finishes telling him about the rumors surrounding his little sister. He can hardly see through the film of red that threatens to block out his senses. His hold on his devil fruit fluctuates, his body a weird mix of dust and flesh.

The G-5 Vice-Admiral wishes his old friend good luck and departs as quickly as he'd shown up. While he'd like to go with Tomura, he unfortunately had orders to return to Impel Down for prisoner transport. Smoker grips his friend by the forearm, hand tight enough to leave fingerprints behind, “You watch out for those damn, pirates. Good luck, Tomura.”

The white haired man books it to his ship, shouting orders to his crew that lingers around the docks. They break into action right away, most of them running to the ship to begin readying it to sail. Tomura goes straight to his cabin, dropping to his knees and pulling out an old trunk that is full of old documents and things from his past. He bypasses everything until he finds the old log pose that would lead him to where he needed to go. Back to the safe house. Back to his sister.

@writingmysanity @djbumblebee @goth-mami-writer @myradiaz @fluffybunnyu @bookandstar @foggyturtleknightangel @browneyedhufflepuff @anastasiyax @jaguarthecat

[waltwhitmansbeard]

hello friend it is nice to see you😛<3<3 hb 10."You owe me for this." with anything and anyone of your choosing!

10. "You owe me for this."

"I wanna do something stupid."

Very little slips past Orym's notice, but Ashton's sudden appearance him jump. "I—what?"

Ashton plops down next to him, his long legs akimbo as he joins Orym on watch. "For Fearne. I wanna do something stupid."

Orym looks over at where the woman in question is sleeping, curled up around a campfire, snuggling Little Mister close to her chest. "O...kay? Why?"

Ash rolls their eyes like Orym's being dumb on purpose. "To show her that I like her."

"Oh, well, I'm pretty sure she already knows that, Ash."

"Still. I want ideas."

"And you're coming to me?"

"Well, yeah." Ashton shrugs. "You're her best friend, and you're the only one of us who's been married, so you at least know something about romance."

Orym cannot begin to figure out how he's supposed to feel about any of that. "Okay, fine. You want to do something stupid to impress her."

"Yes. And not just stealing something. I do that all the time."

Orym drums his fingers atop Seedling's hilt. Something stupid that impresses Fearne. Well, a lot of stupid things impress her, but Ashton has a point; Fearne likes display of chaos, of wanton idiocy. He imagines they make her think of home.

"How about a scavenger hunt?"

Ashton perks up at that. " A scavenger hunt?"

"Steal something from her, something important, but then make her work to get it back. She likes to be challenged."

They think that over for a minute. As they do, Orym watches the moonlight reflect rainbows in the wound on Ashton's head. Oh, gods, the chaos these two will bring together.

Ashton finally snaps his fingers. "I've got just the thing."

.

Fearne wakes up with a note crumpled in one of her long-fingered hands. She opens it and reads in abysmal handwriting: I've stolen something you treasure. Better come find it. —A

She spends the rest of the morning following an increasingly elaborate series of clues, wandering around their camping site until she finds a little hole in the ground covered in fallen tree branches. She kicks them away and peers down to see Orym, face and hair covered in dirt and looking unbelievably bored. "Hey, Fearnie."

"Orym!' She leans down to help him out, but before she can, Ashton appears from around a nearby tree, grinning from ear to ear.

"Congratulations," he says, stealing a quick kiss. "You won the game."

Orym, using Seedling to claw his own way out of his imprisonment, glares up at the two of them. "You owe me for this."

Neither of them are listening, though, and Orym flops onto the ground with an annoyed sigh. Idiots.

[polakina]

the company of whiskey

'scars do heal' chapter 10

pairing: captain price x reader

rating: explicit

outline: the missile was gone. the job was done. what came next was the decision that would either make or break you.

warnings: canon typical war and violence, mentions of sexual activity, smut, shower sex, creampie, begging, flirting, dirty talk

requests are open! hope you enjoy, petals <3

a/n: this is it. the final chapter. i've loved writing this, and it feels sad to finish it, honestly. hope you've enjoyed this series as much as i've enjoyed writing it

masterlist II 'scars do heal' masterlist

II

The helicopter ride was fairly quiet, only the whirring of the blades filling the sound of the metal compartment. The helo swayed slightly every now and then with the weight of the missile suspended below. It made you nervous. Such a deadly weapon only held up by metal ropes and hooks.

Gaz sat opposite you, and you swear you saw him looking at you when he thought you didn’t notice. But then again, you felt eyes on you constantly while in that helo. From everyone. Price was sat up at the front with Nik, you couldn’t hear what either of them were saying, but you wished someone would say anything back here. It was eerily silent.

The plan was set. There was an old rig out at sea that Hassan had used a few months ago when he transported the missile between his men. They used it as a safe house of sorts, nobody able to track him out there or see what he was doing. It was the perfect place to detonate the missile safely and out of the way of innocents. 

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Ghost kick Gaz in the ankle, and you were growing tired of whatever secrets they were keeping. “Got something on your mind, Gaz?” You asked, quirking an eyebrow at him, seeing him look at you like a deer in headlights.

“Nah, no. Nothing,” he shrugged off, looking to the ground. But you saw Ghost’s mask twitch upwards in a grin. Something was going on here. But pressing him on it wasn’t going to help the mission at all. You had to stay focused.

-

“I’ll keep her down here until you guys are done,” Nik shouted over the helicopter blades. He’d set the helo down on shore back on land after dropping both you guys and the missile on the rig. Soap had managed to rig a time-lapsed detonation, accessible from the control room at the rear end of the rig. Ten minutes was the maximum it could give you. Ten minutes to get off the rig, onto the boats still tethered to the lowest level, and as far away as possible. 

You and Soap were in the control room, you observed as he sorted out the detonation. You didn’t really know how he did it, but it was fascinating to watch him excel at something besides being a fucking idiot. Price was pacing, his phone ringing constantly. It was Shepherd. It had been Shepherd blowing up his phone for the past few hours, but he had been ignored, which enraged him even more.

“For fuck’s sake,” Price growled, pulling the phone from his pocket and answering it. Finally. Putting it on speaker, you all gathered around the cell, listening in closely. You could have been in a different room and still have heard him. His bellows could have shattered glass.

“Price where the fuck are you?! My missile is gone. The Shadow Company is gone. And you left Graves handcuffed to a fucking pipe like a stray dog.” Soap chuckled quietly at that last one. That was his idea. 

“You’re lucky we didn’t kill him, General,” Price spoke lowly, his tone dangerous. “It’s not your missile. It never was. You’re not using this to weaponise your army, to wipe out a whole fucking country.”

“You’ve got no authority here, Captain. You'd do well to remember that.”

“You act as though you’ve got a say in this, Shepherd. You’re not starting a war, not while we’re breathing.”

“You’re going to regret this, Price. I’ll have your command, your task force. Everything.”

Price grinned, but you could tell he was furious. You all were. “Once we’ve done this, we’re coming for you, Shepherds. You’d do well to remember that.” Not really the time to be having these thoughts, but it was so attractive the way Price held himself through that conversation. So commanding. Authoritative. Jesus, you needed to pick a time and place and this certainly was not it. Hanging up on the General, Price motioned for Ghost and Gaz to follow him, leaving you and Soap alone. You stood by the door, clutching your weapon tightly in your hands, eyes peering out into the darkness. The others had gone to check on the lifeboats, doing a sweep of the rig as they went. You were stationed in the control deck while Soap finished up. The waves lapped at the sides of the metal structure, and it sounded as though the rig swayed with violent waves crashing up on it.

“So,” Soap cast you a wavering glance. “How long you been fucking the Captain, Nix?” If your finger was on the trigger, you probably would have pulled it accidentally. Your head whipped round so fast it almost detached from your neck.

“What?! The fuck are you talking about?” You glared at him, but he had this mischievous smirk on his face, as though your facial expressions had confirmed it for him. Only he would feel so confident asking such an out of pocket question. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Phoenix,” he rolled his eyes. “I’ve had my suspicions for a while now. Just answer the question.”

You sighed, your face showing a nonchalant expression, but inside, your heart was erratically racing in your chest. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Soap. Where did you even get that idea from? It’s so ridiculous that I’d be sleeping with my-”

“Gaz caught you both when we were all waiting for Nik to show up in the helo.” Well that stopped you dead in your fucking tracks. You side eyed him, and he noticed, causing him to laugh. A proper belly laugh erupted from his throat at your ‘caught red-handed’ expression. 

“Ummm…so…right okay. Yeah, I can’t defend myself here,” you admitted, shaking your head defeatedly. 

He chuckled again. “Nope, you can’t. So answer my question. How long?”

You huffed, turning towards him. 

“Since Chicago, when we were hiding from Shadow Company,” you admitted, it felt a lifetime ago that you were in that motel room.

Soap’s eyes widened. “Jesus, that long? I’m surprised you kept it hidden so long. Cap wasn’t nearly as subtle about it as you though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You didn’t see him after you got kidnapped by Hassan, Nix,” he looked over. “He was scary. Protective. Never seen him like that before.”

You smiled a little, casting a glance outside the door. “Huh. Never knew that.”

You waited in silence until Soap finished off, grabbing the receiver and following you outside, the two of you descending down the rig to the bottom level where the guys were waiting for you. 

“Feel like I’m gonna have to apologise to Gaz,” you giggled, walking down the steps hurriedly, Soap following close behind.

“Yeah, probably.”

-

The heat from the blast burned at the back of your necks as the boat drifted away from the rig. The missile was gone, as was General Shepherd’s leverage. He was going to be on all of your tails now, figuring out your every move. All you had to do was stay one step ahead.

“Laswell is meeting us tomorrow evening so we can plan our next move against Shepherd,” Price said as you boarded Nik’s helo.

“Our next move?” Gaz asked, looking puzzled as he took a seat beside you. “I thought that explosion was our last.” Price just shook his head, speaking through comms since it was the only way to hear him over the blades.

“Shepherd’s going to do everything to find us after he finds out what we did. That’s why Laswell is coming to us. She has ideas for a plan. But nothing she could discuss over the phone. Too risky.”

The ride was quiet. Price was no doubt thinking of what to do next, and it looked like Ghost was doing the same, from what you could see as he sat across the helo from you. His eyes were like pin fires, darting around the floor as the cogs turned in his head. 

Soap was asleep. Completely flat out. His head lolled to the side and he nearly whacked it on the metal walls behind his skull until Ghost noticed. He gently laid his palm on the side of Soap’s head, and guided it to his shoulder. Soap didn’t wake up once as he slept against Ghost’s broad shoulder. 

You smiled at Ghost and he caught your eye, pupils piercing into yours as his head tilted to the side in a warning. We never speak of this. It was as though he said it directly into your ear. You nodded once and turned to look at Gaz.

Gaz kept his eyes down, his hands fiddling with one another. “Oi,” you nudged him gently. Your comms were cut off. Nobody could hear eachother anymore. But Gaz could hear you. He turned his gaze to you slowly.

“What’s up, Nix?” He smiled, nudging you back.

You sighed, leaning your head on his shoulder. He sat half a head taller than you, so it wasn’t uncomfortable on your neck to lean against him. “Feel like I have to apologise to you.” You felt his shoulder shift as he looked down at you. Gaz poked your arm gently with his finger.

“What have you got to apologise for?”

You tilted your head up. He knew exactly what you were talking about. Your eyebrows raised in that ‘really?’ sort of way and he looked away quickly. “Don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Liar,” you smiled. “You know exactly what I’m on about. You just don’t want to talk about it.”

He laughed gently, his shoulders shaking and rocking your neck back and forth. “Talk about what? How I got a full view of your ass in broad daylight and our Captain fucking you? Get why I wouldn’t want to talk about it?”

Your eyes widened and you couldn’t stifle your chuckle. “You saw my arse?!”

He nodded between laughs. “Yep. And then some. Can’t lie though, it’s not a bad arse you’ve got there, Nix. Not as good as mine, but pretty damn good.” You both laughed with one another, happy to have that whole memory and scarring experience for Gaz behind you.

-

Alejandro and Rudy had departed you, but left behind the keys to the Mexico safehouse if you were ever in need of it. They had their vaqueros to take care of, and you didn’t blame them for parting with the 141 when they did. They had done their part, this wasn’t their fight. Not anymore. 

Nik dropped you and the boys off just at the cusp of the Mexican border. Price had arranged with Javier and Manuel to leave a truck by the drop point so they didn’t have to walk the six hours to the safehouse. It was ready and waiting with a full tank of gas. You took the passenger seat beside Price, who took seat as driver. Soap and Gaz took the two back seats and Ghost opted to ride in the truck bed. You didn’t question why. He needed the time alone. All of you had been through so much these past weeks. These past months. Time alone would do you all some good. 

“All good, love?” Price asked you, his voice quiet. He patted your thigh gently, squeezing once before releasing his grip and moving his hand back over to his own lap. But you caught it before he could move it too far away, taking his hand in your own, your fingers tickling along his calloused, bruised knuckles.

You smiled at him, turning your head towards him. “Home stretch, John. We’re nearly there,” you grinned, squeezing his hand in yours. He returned your smile, turning back to face the road, his fingers still intertwined with your own.

The barn was quiet when you arrived. Eerily quiet.

“I’ll check around back,” Soap said as you all clambered out of the truck. He nodded in your direction and you followed him around the back of the barn, clearing the small sheds on your way. It was clear. The place was empty. You were safe here. For now. 

After eating, filling your stomachs after what felt like the longest time, you all sat around the meeting table in the centre of the open space. Laswell was meeting you across the border in a Texan bar the next night, so all you needed to do was to wait until then. From what Price had said, she was to help take down Shepherd, stop his plans and his deceptive ways. To take out Graves and the Shadow Company so that they could never find another way to leverage their army. With Graves and Shepherd gone, there would be no war. No death. No genocide.

“So this is it. Our final job,” Price was the first to break the silence. Ghost sat opposite Price, with Soap on his right. Gaz stood by the door entrance, keeping a wary eye through the window for any signs of…well, anyone. “We meet with Laswell. Secure the plan. Then we’ll be well on our way to take out Shepherd.”

Ghost leaned forward, resting his hand on Soap’s knee. “And what comes after that? We take out Shepherd, then what are we?” It was a fair question. One that Price couldn’t answer right now.

“We focus on the task at hand right now, Ghost. What comes after, we’ll figure that out later,” Price said.

“We can figure that out over the drinks that Cap promised us,” Gaz smiled from his place in the doorframe. You smiled with him.

Price huffed a chuckle, leaning back in his chair. “But right now, we should sleep. Rest before tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day ahead of us.”

And that was that. There was nothing else to do but sleep. But to wait for the morning that was to come. Tomorrow would bring you some comfort, knowing how to take out Shepherd and his pawns. You’d find comfort in the plan that would be made. You’d find comfort in the whiskey you would drink, and the men you’d drink it beside.

Gaz retired to his bed first, a passing comment about being able to sleep in a room alone since he knew who’d be doubling up now. It only made you laugh as you turned your attention to Ghost, who’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

“Sure…Ghost and I have no issue with it,” Soap smiled, oblivious to the knife-cut tension in the room. “Right?” He turned to Ghost, who only stared at him in return.

Ghost rolled his eyes, ignoring your faint giggle stifled by your palm. “Shut up, Johnny,” he whispered.

“Well, while you two have a little lovers quarrel,” you managed to say, holding back a smile. “I’m going to search for a shower. There has to be one here. This palace is fucking huge.”

Gaz was already asleep by the time you’d walked past his room. His snores filled the hallway and you swear you saw the doorknob shake from the vibrations. He and Soap were in serious contest here, you couldn’t tell who was louder. Eventually you found the shower. It was the room next to the bedroom no doubt for yourself and Price, since Soap had already dumped his and Ghost’s things in the bedroom at the other end of the hall.

Stripping yourself of your clothing, you didn’t even let the water warm before stepping under its cold embrace. Goosebumps appeared on your arms and chest, your nipples hardening under the cold water. You let it run down your body, into your hair until your head felt heavy with the weight of it.

Eventually, the water warmed, and you sighed peacefully. You were thankful that you’d picked up some bathing supplies. Mango was your favourite scent, so when applied to your body it soaked the air in that scent you loved so much. Your eyes drifted closed under the water as it beat against your skin, your face, your hair. 

You might have been in there for too long, but at this moment you didn’t care. This was your selfish moment of calm before the storm. In the trance of the shower air clouding your vision, the scent filling your senses, and the warm feeling that the water calmed you with, you didn’t hear the bathroom door click as it opened. Or hear clothes fall to the floor behind you.

But you felt a hand touch your stomach and you panicked, only for a second. Until you recognised the familiar touch.

“Easy, love,” Price whispered in your ear, stepping behind you. “It’s only me.” A sweet smell invaded his nose, and he smiled at it. “Mango?”

You nodded, turning your head, pulling your hair away from your face and behind your ear. “What are you doing in here?”

He smiled, kissing your shoulder, his arms wrapped around your waist. “Can’t I enjoy a shower with you? Before shit hits the fan?”

“Of course you can, John. Showering alone is not nearly as fun.” Your head tilted back as his lips met your neck, kissing your wet skin softly. His beard brushed against your skin and you couldn’t help but giggle at the ticklish sensation. “Didn’t think you’d be so bold though, while your men are sleeping down the hall.”

“Darling, when have you ever known me to be someone who isn’t bold, hmm? Besides, it's not like its a secret anymore. They practically forced us into the same room together,” Price smiled as you gasped, feeling his hand drift lower. “I think it’s best to relieve a little tension before tomorrow. Clear our heads.”

You turned to face him, his hands gently kneading at the flesh of your ass. Your hands came up to the sides of his neck, his wet beard now soft under your fingertips. “Is that all this is? Clearing our heads?”

He smiled, dipping his head to kiss your lips softly, passionately. “Not to me. To me, this is all I need. It means more to me than that.” You cupped the back of his head, tangling your fingers in his hair. Your kiss grew deeper, his tongue parting your lips and licking into your mouth. Price pushed you up against the tiled wall, the cold feeling soothing your burning skin from his touch. With your bodies pressed against eachother, not a breath of air between them, you could feel everything. How he hardened with each waking moment of kissing you, how his wandering hands grew more firm with each inch of skin he explored.

His hands gripped the backs of your thighs, hoisting you up, wrapping your legs around his waist before focusing his touch back on your arse, holding you up. Your weight was resting between his body and the tiled wall, secured in place as he gripped and groped your skin, kissed and bit at your lips gently, pulling your bottom lip between his teeth.

“Please,” you whispered, almost pleading. He loved when you begged for him. It only egged him on further. “John, please.”

His lips kissed your neck, your collarbone, before devoting its attention to your tits. He pushed you up, higher against the tile. Sucking on the soft flesh around your nipples, his teeth left marks and his lips left red bruises. You covered your mouth as you moaned softly into your palm. The enclosed space of the bathroom would only amplify the noises you would make, and you really didn’t want them hearing you from their rooms.

“What do you want from me, love?” He muttered against your skin, his eyes tilting to look up at you. “Tell me.” He sank you down lower, slowly. You felt the tip of his cock tap your clit as he lowered you down the tile to meet his eyes head on.

“I-” You cut yourself off with a soft gasp as he teased the entrance of your cunt with his cock. “John, please.”

He just smiled, grabbing his cock at the base with one hand while holding you up with the other. “Use your words.”

God, you loved it. This side of him. The way he pulled words from your throat with such little effort. “Fuck me. John, please fuck me.”

That was all it took. He sank you onto his cock without a further word. He groaned quietly, feeling you tighten around him, gripping him with force until you finally adjusted to his size. You bit your lip, stopping your moans from filling the air. “Atta girl,” John praised, kissing your neck, sliding his cock in and out at an easy going pace, the sounds of skin on skin being the only thing you heard. “You got it, baby.”

His thrusts became more forceful, pushing into you harshly. His hand on your ass guided your body above him, bouncing you on his cock. You couldn’t keep quiet anymore, wrapping your arm around his neck to keep steady, the other digging your fingernails into his shoulder painfully deep.

But he was quick with it, his free hand covering your mouth the second your own hand left it. His little finger rested just under your nose, and you breathed heavily with each thrust, feeling your own breath blow warmly back into your face.

The water hit his back harshly, the temperature you had set the shower for burning sharply into his skin. How you could even shower in these temperatures was something he’d never understand. But he’d learn to get used to it.

Your eyes rolled, head pushing back against the tile with heavy pressure to the point you thought you were going to crack the tile. “Come on. Come on, darling. I know you’re close.” He knew your tells by now. Your thighs tightened around his waist, your ankles interlocking at his lower back, caging him against you. Your orgasm was powerful, violent as it hit you. Your walls clamped around his cock, unrelenting as you came. Moaning into his hand, your head lolled forward, your muscles squeezing around bone as your high overtook you.

Price followed not far after, a more shortened version of your own orgasm, but just as powerful. His thrusts halted suddenly and his cock twitched inside you, spurting his seed inside your walls, coating your insides with his release.

He kissed the side of your head, letting his hand fall from your mouth to rest on your hip. “There’s my girl,” he smiled, resting his forehead against yours. “Told you it’s good for clearing your head.” You couldn’t help but smile, laughing softly.

“As long as this doesn’t stop, I think I’ll be good,” you said softly, a pang in your chest preparing you for any sign of a rejection. For him to tell you that you’d just remain professional after all this was over.

But he smiled, kissing your cheek before letting your feet touch the floor, reaching behind you to switch the shower off, stopping the water in its tracks and allowing for cool air to hit your bodies. “That sounds like a good plan to me, rook.”

Drying yourselves, you returned to the bedroom and climbed into the soft bed, covering yourself in the sheets. His body pressed against yours, a warm broad chest hitting your back. That’s how you slept, encased in his arms, his breath against the back of your neck as he hummed gently in his sleep, sending you to your own slumber.

-

The bar was quiet, and dark. But that’s how you liked it. Nobody questioned your presence in the bar. Everyone went about their time in the bar, finishing their drinks and often ordering a second in replacement. You sat at the corner of the bar, Ghost on your right, Price on your left with his hand resting on your thigh comfortingly.

“Glad to see you all alive, still,” Laswell announced her presence from behind you. She watched as you all turned to face her, a smile on yours and Gaz’s face.

“Kate,” you smiled, standing to embrace her. “Glad to see you made it.”

“You too, Nix. Heard it’s been pretty rough for you guys recently,” Laswell said as you all seated yourselves at the bar once more. She patted John on the back as she sat in the empty stool.

“You’ve got no idea, Kate,” Price responded, smiling at her. “But we’re out of the woods for now.”

Kate motioned for the bartender to bring her a drink, and he nodded and poured her a glass, sliding it down the bar into her waiting hand. “Not for long. Shepherd is pissed. At all of you. He’s going to bring heavy fire down on your heads once he finds you.”

“Not if we find him first,” Ghost muttered from your right hand side, his fabric mask showing his eyes, and the rage you saw in them even more evident now.

Laswell smiled. “Exactly. So that’s what we’ll do. But first, a drink. You lot stopped a war. I think that’s cause for a celebration, don’t you?”

“Well, if we’re drinking,” Gaz pointed out from the end of the bar. “I heard that drinks were on Price.” A low chuckle emanated from the group and Price accepted defeat.

“Yeah, I suppose they are,” Price admitted, waving down the bartender and ordering a round for you all. 

You were quiet, as you sipped your whiskey, and Ghost noticed. Price had conversation with Laswell about the upcoming ambush you were planning. He nudged your arm, eyes meeting yours filled with concern.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Nix?” He saw your fingers trailed across the deep scars left by Hassan’s men all that time ago. Ninety two days worth of suffering that had been forced upon you. Your eyes deep in thought, your face fixed in a brooding glare. 

“Nothing, just…thinking.”

“About?” He questioned, coaxing a full answer out of you.

You sighed, dropping your hand from your slashed arm. “About whether all of this, the shit we’ve been through as a team. Hassan, Valeria, Graves. Whether it’s all going to be worth it. Whether we can actually beat Shepherd. Or this will have all been for nothing.”

“Hey,” he said softly, leaning against you gently, little weight on your shoulder. “We’ll make it worth it. Scars do heal. I would know,” he gestured to his own arms, adorned with his own faded scars. “It all depends on whether you let those scars consume you, or fuel you into getting your own revenge.”

You smiled softly. “Is that what you did?”

He looked away momentarily. “Not at first. But I learned. And now I guess I’m teaching you the best way to handle it. We’ll finish this. One way or another.”

More drinks flowed as your plan came together. Now you just had to enact it. Then you’d be free. You’d all be free of the grip that Shepherd had on your throats. No one singular man could be left to start this war. As a team, you had to make that happen. With the 141 by your side, you felt more confident. You could do this.

This was what the 141 was made to do. Now only one man stood in the way of your freedom from this caged war. But not for much longer.

His time would come soon.

[belovedholland]

hii. can i request a one shot for peter or tom with maybe the 4 times he stands her up on their dates and the 1 time he doesn’t/finally shows up? im really in the mood for some angst to fluff lol. shankuu

One last chance || pp.

[The pictures are from @/rryyaan on tiktok]

》 summary: The four times Peter stands you up on your date, and the one time he actually shows up, but it had become too much for you

pairing: Peter x reader

w/c: 6.3k (how? idk)

warnings: Angst, one swear word

a/n: I've been working on this request for way too long, I'm so sorry it's first finished now, but I really liked the idea.

This is my longest fic yet, and the first thing I have written for Peter, so I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you @tshluvr for all the help, ily <3

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A little less than 4 months ago, Peter had asked you to be his girlfriend. It was romantic and something you would never forget. He had texted you to meet him at the park, and when you arrived he stood there with a bouquet of your favorite flowers in one hand, and in the other hand a box of heart shaped chocolates.

The sun was shining bright that day, so the two of you sat down underneath a tree, the shadow cooling you both down nicely. You talked for hours, ate chocolate and ended up all over each other making out.

The two of you had such a good date, that you never acknowledged the time, it wasn't until Peter mentioned the stars that you saw it was half past 12. You both went home with wide grins covering your faces.

It was the most perfect date you had ever been on. Knowing Peter and how caring he was, you knew he would make every date special. You knew every date would be just like your first. Or at least that's what you hoped for.

When you had been together for three weeks. Peter had asked you out on a second date, the first date where you were an official couple. It had been a long week at school. You had gotten plenty of hard assignments, which meant you and Peter hadn’t gotten much time to spend together, and therefore Peter decided to ask you to go out for dinner on that Sunday, hoping it would make a good ending to a bad week.

It wasn't anything fancy, just a dinner at the nearby restaurant. You had found a cute yellow dress, your makeup matched the yellow color, alongside some silver jewelry. Peter had told you, he would come to your house to pick you up, that’s what he had told you at least, but he never showed up at your door. After waiting fifteen minutes you came to the conclusion that you must have heard wrong, so you walked to the restaurant alone.

You arrived at the restaurant, but Peter was nowhere to be seen. You sat down at your reservated table, and then you waited. You waited and waited. It had been 10 minutes since you arrived, 40 minutes since Peter was meant to pick you up. You were confused as to where he was. You felt awkward sitting there in a restaurant all by yourself with no food in front of you. 

The waiter came over once again, asking if you needed anything, you told her that you were heading out, and that you were sorry for taking up the space. It had become too much for you to sit there alone in silence, and if you were honest; you didn’t think Peter would even show up, cause otherwise he would have already.

You had never in your wildest dreams imagined Peter could be the guy to stand someone up on a date, but here you were anyway; walking home alone, angry at Peter, but really you were just sad and confused. 

At school the next day, you just wanted to ignore Peter, you still weren't in the mood to talk to him. But that plan was quickly ruined, because the second Peter saw you walking to your locker, he made his way towards you. Any other day your heart would have melted at that, but not today. He embraced you in a tight hug, and told you how sorry he was, and that he was an idiot for not texting you. You just silently agreed with him, grabbed your books, and left him, not saying another word.

You felt a bit mean from being cold to him, but you also thought he deserved it. 

At lunch he sat in front of you, he explained that it was his job at Stark Industries that came in the way, that he was working late, and the time slipped from him completely. Peter had never really told you what he did for the job, you just had your assumptions, and whenever you asked, he gave you a half complete sentence and then moved to the next topic, but you weren’t really phased by that.

He asked you out on a new date, that hopefully would make up for his stupidness. You knew he felt bad about standing you up, and you couldn't be mad at him for much longer, so you agreed to the date right away, with a half smile creeping its way to your lips.

The date took place a few days later, Peter hadn't told you anything about it, as he wanted it to be a big surprise. You were so excited to see what he had planned, that you completely forgot how the last date ended, or at least what was supposed to be a date.

He had in total told you two things about the date.

1: You should wear something you would normally wear on a weekday.

2: To meet him at the same park as your first date.

That got you even more excited. Knowing that you already had had an amazing and romantic date there, thinking this one would be just as good. Expectations way too high.

You got ready, put on some of your prettier daily clothes, did a bit of makeup, and sprayed on your favorite perfume, which also just happened to be Peter's favorite.

You excitedly went to the park, looking around for Peter. You first went to the tree, you sat under on your first date, but he wasn't there. So you decided to walk around the park, you looked for him everywhere, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He couldn't possibly have stood you up again. You thought to yourself as you were standing under the tree again. This tree was all good memories, but it was about to turn into a memory you didn't want to remember. You wanted to look at the tree, and remember how Peter had kissed you all over your face as you sat in its shadow. Or how Peter had hugged you tight into his warm body when you got a little cold. You wanted that tree to be a memory of your cute first date, and how Peter got you completely flustered. You didn’t want to look at the tree and want to cry. 

You didn't really know what to do. Should you wait a little longer? Call Peter? You decided against it, as you just wanted to go home. But you made a quick stop on the way.

You entered the building, took the elevator to the fourth floor, walked down the hall and stopped in front of the door labeled 437, you then knocked on the door twice.

You heard the sound of the lock twisting, and the door opened, revealing May in a flower printed apron.

"Hey Y/n, what a pleasure to see you. I'm sorry, but Peter isn't here, can I help you with anything?" May asked, a bright smile across her face, one she bore with such ease, and also quite the opposite of yours. You had been to Peter's home plenty of times, a few times while dating, and so many times during the last couple years as friends. Therefore May knew you very well, she was like a second mom to you.

"Do you by any chance know where he is?" You asked, defeat overcoming you.

"Yeah, he went to the Stark tower a few hours ago, why?" You tried playing off your disappointment, but May could see right through you."He said he would be back at around 8 pm., so two hours max. You are more than welcome to stay and eat, I can get you something to drink in the meantime. Tea? Coffee? Soda? Whatever you want." She said with a big inviting smile, but you shook your head.

"No it's okay, thank you though, I think I'm just gonna go home." You gave her a quick hug, and went your own way. 

You couldn't believe it - or maybe you could -  Peter had stood you up again, and yet again for the Stark Industries. He hadn't even told May that you were supposed to be on a date.

The fact that he stood you up on that day wasn't even the worst. What really hurt was how he acted, when you came back for school the next day. He never said sorry. In fact he didn’t even mention it. He acted as if it never happened, as if he did nothing wrong, so you decided to just straight up ask him, hoping he would realize his mistake and apologize.

“Peter,” he looked up from the notes he was taking for the current class. “Did you forget something?” His eyes widened immediately, by the way you were asking him, he knew he had forgotten something, just not what, so he made a guess. 

“Did we have homework for biology class?” He had forgotten.

“No, you just forgot to write down the equation.” You pointed to his notes, he thanked you, wrote it down, and got back to listening to the teacher. 

At that moment it felt like he didn't care about you. It felt like he cared so little, that he had completely forgotten the date, that was meant to be a sorry for standing you up on the date before. But you knew, that wasn't true. You knew he cared about you, a lot. And that's why you decided to forgive him. You had known Peter for years, and you knew he didn't mean to hurt you. You would just forgive him, and act the same way as him, as nothing had happened. 

He is busy and can't do anything about it, be grateful for the time that he does spend with you. Those were the words you began to tell yourself from that point moving forward.

-❁-❁-❁-

You had now been with Peter for 3 months, most of the time everything was good. You had spent plenty of nights cuddled up on his bed while watching a movie, he showed you love and affection, and every minute you spend together, you feel even harder for him.

As if you were falling from a high cliff, hoping that you would eventually stop falling, and you would land in his strong arms. And then when you eventually did stop falling, Peter wasn't the one to catch you, you landed harshly on what felt like knives. 

That was the way you would describe how you felt, when Peter had for the third time stood you up. And once again - to no surprise - he said it was his job at Stark industries that got in the way.

At least he knew what he had done. He knew what he had done and how it made you feel. So he did everything he could to make you feel better, plenty of days spent together, wrapped in each other's arms, he would help you with the classes you weren't as good in.

He really did everything to make it better, and that had you falling again. As if the knives you had fallen on had become hands that pushed you off of a new cliff. Falling for Peter all over again. Falling for him even after he had missed three dates.

Peter was a charmer, a real softie, that would do anything he could to make it up to you. You would always be falling for him, and you couldn't do anything about it.

Peter asked you on another date a few weeks later, you trusted him. He wouldn't make the same mistake four times, right? No, you were sure this was gonna be a good date. Peter was an angel, he could never possibly stand you up again.

But here you were, crying in your bed, because Peter never showed up at your door to get you. You knew he wouldn't be at the restaurant, so you just went straight to bed.

For the first time since you started dating, you considered what his real feelings for you were. If he even wanted you, cause it didn't feel like it. Why would he want to be with you, just to miss four dates? If he really cared about you, he would have showed up, at every single one. If he wanted you he would have made an effort.

But at other times, he was the sweetest, the sweet Peter that came to your house to spend all day with you just to cuddle and watch a movie. At times like that you felt like you were his world, like he didn't care about anything other than you. At times like that you felt like he might even love you, the same way you loved him. You had never told him that, scared he wouldn't say it back.

Maybe he didn't want you, maybe he didn't want to waste his time with you, but why would he then even ask you on the stupid dates in the beginning?

You wanted to scream and cry. He had stood you up on a total amount of four times in a row. That must be some sort of new record. All your emotions were bundled up, and it made it hard for you to know how you actually were feeling.

You were confused, that you were sure of. You were angry, you wanted to punch him, scream at his face, telling him how bad he broke your heart. You wanted him to feel the same pain he had left you with. But not to hurt him, just so he could understand. 

You didn't know what to do, you couldn't keep doing this, that's all you knew. You couldn't keep fighting for him, if he didn't even give the amount of effort that was needed in your relationship. You could not continue to be so miserable.

But what could you do about it? The thought of breaking up with him crossed your mind. And the second it did, you tried to get rid of it. You loved him, you loved him so badly it hurt, those four dates broke your heart like nothing had done before, but you still couldn't break up with him.

You knew you deserved better. But you didn't want better, you wanted Peter, and you hated that. You hated that you loved him so bad.

The sound of your phone vibrating, made your head shoot up from the pillow. The wet tear-stained pillow.

You grabbed your phone in the dark, and saw that you had received a text from Peter. Just the thought of him made you cry even more.

The text was simple, yet so heartbreaking.

Peter♡: I'm sorry, Mr. Stark needed my help and I couldn't say no :(

Of course it was his job, it always was. You decided to just let the text be, not answering him. Right as you were about to lock the phone, another text popped up.

Peter♡: I hope you can forgive me

You knew Peter well enough to know that he was sorry, or at least you hoped so, you couldn't bare the thought of him not caring, but lately that's how it felt. Laying your phone down and dwelling off to sleep felt like the best and only thing you could do, so that you did.

-❁-❁-❁-

"Hey babe!" Peter exclaimed as he came up behind you, and wrapped his arms around your wait, pulling you into a hug and left a soft kiss on your cheek. Another day at school, another day you had to see Peter, but you were far from the mood to do so. When you didn't respond he then kept going. "I hope you're not too angry with me." You just stood still, like he wasn't even there.

He dropped his arms from around your body, and moved to face you. "I'm sorry I missed our date."

"I'm not feeling like talking right now." You said and turned away from him and started walking towards your class, leaving him in the hall.

"Y/n!" He called after you, then ran up and stopped in front of you, to block you from leaving. "I'm really sorry I missed it, mr. Stark said he nee-" Peter began, but was interrupted by your mumbling. 

"Of course it was him." You said under your breath. 

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, brows knitted together in confusion.

"You are always so busy with him." You said matter-of-factly, not in a hard or mean tone, but a defeated one. 

"No I'm not." Peter laughed lightly and shook his head.

"You have stood me up on our last four dates, all because of Tony Stark. So yeah, you are always busy with him."

"I'm sorry okay, I'm really sorry, please forgive me," he pleaded, eyes soft, looking deeply into yours. "Please forgive me," he pleaded again. When you didn't answer, he took your head in his hands, and started kissing all over your face. "Please," kiss, "forgive," kiss, "me," kiss. You couldn't help the small laughs that left your lips.

He pulled away, his warm hands still on your cheeks, he had a soft smile from hearing your laughs.

"How can I not?" You shouldn't have, and you knew that, but you couldn't help it. You loved Peter, and would do so much for him and your relationship, even if that meant suffering from his lack of effort.

"Thank you." He said after giving you a big passionate kiss right on your lips. "Let me make it up to you," he said, making you curious. "I will take you out on a date, and-" He began but you cut him off right away.

"Peter, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I promise I will be there." 

"You said the same thing with the previous dates too."

Now he was the one to look defeated, it hurt him to see you like this; shoulders down, your head hanging low, and the lack of energy that he was so used to seeing. "I know, and I was stupid, but I promise you. Mr. Stark won't be in the way this time." He said with pleading eyes. He knew what he had done, and he wasn't gonna do that again. "Look, I will even text him, tell him I will be busy on that day." He said as he pulled his phone out from his pocket.

"Peter," you placed your hand on his, trying to stop him.

"What day? Should we say this Saturday? That it will be." He said not even letting you answer, and he was already texting out a message on his phone. "There, told him I'm busy and that he shouldn't call me, doesn't matter how urgent it is."

He looked up from his phone again, meeting your eyes. You didn't know what to say, in reality you didn't really feel like going on a date, you just wanted to be yourself for a bit. As much as you adored Peter in this moment, and how much he was trying, you just wanted to be alone, or at least at distance from him. The idea of him standing you up again was too much. 

"Gotta go, see you." You didn't even get to say anything about the date, before he gave you a kiss on the cheek and left, leaving you alone and confused.

You so desperately wanted everything to be okay between you and Peter, you wanted to deny all the bad feelings in the relationship. But you couldn't hold it in longer, you felt miserable, and you simply couldn't do it anymore.

As much as you loved Peter, you needed to get away from him, as much as it would hurt the two of you, you had to break up with him. When and how, was just the big question now.

You really didn't want to end things with him, because you did truly love him, every bit of him. It would absolutely break your heart to end things, but you were already hurting so bad, and it needed to stop.

-❁-❁-❁-

Saturday came around and you had decided to give Peter one last chance to make everything better. You had decided to facetime MJ as you got ready, hoping she could calm down your nerves, which she did. 

“What if he doesn’t show up?” You asked sadly, looking at MJ through the screen, waiting for an answer.

“Y/n/n, I’m sure he will, he loves you,” she reassured you. “And if he doesn’t, then I’m gonna kick his ass and kiss yours.” She joked, an attempt to lighten up your mood, which – by the sound of your giggles – seemed to have worked. “Hey! I got you laughing, that's good.” 

You quickly finished getting ready, and told MJ that you would text her. As you were walking to the restaurant the nerves suddenly hit you like a brick falling from the sky.

What would happen if Peter didn't show up? What would happen if he did? Would you actually break up with him? Would everything go perfectly?

You had no answer to your own questions. You couldn't predict the future and had no full idea of what you were gonna say and do in every of the possible outcomes.

But you knew something was going to happen. Rather that would be good or bad, you didn't know. Maybe he would show up, make you happy and fix everything. Or maybe he wouldn't show up, and he would break you even more. You obviously hoped for him to fix your  relationship, but to be real; you had no hope in that happening. You expected the worst, which just sadly also happens to be the most realistic. 

You got to the restaurant, found your table, and started waiting. A few minutes passed and you ordered a glass of water.

A few minutes turned into 10.

10 turned into 15.

You were counting the minutes, each one of them. And with each minute that went by, so did your tiny bit of hope, until none was left, and you finally stood up from your seat, and placed the water bill on the table. As you silently left, and walked through the doors, you shot MJ a quick text that read “guess who didn’t show up”. 

You locked your phone, and saw your own reflection on the black screen. Even on the unclear image of yourself, it was clear you were sad, your eyes squinted slightly together as you were fighting the tears. 

The street was very much the opposite of busy, only a few people walking along on the two sides. A quiet Saturday evening, one that you don’t happen to see often, especially not here in New York. The sound of cars from roads in the background could be heard, and the lampposts lit up the otherwise dark street, bringing a little bit of life to it.

“Y/n!” Your head shot up from the ground, at the sound of the familiar voice calling your name from behind you. You slowly turned around, and was met by your boyfriend – if you could even call him that – standing down the street in a dark blue dress-shirt, with a jacket on top. 

You didn���t know what to do or say, so you just did the easiest; turned your back to him, and kept walking. Peter was quick to run towards you, as he kept calling your name, praying for you to stop and talk to him, instead of running away. 

“Y/n, please.” He finally reached you, walking behind you, he softly reached out for your arm, to stop you from walking. 

“You’re late.” You gave up running away from him, and finally stood still. Peter walked around you, so he stood in front of you, his eyes trying to find yours.  

“I know, I’m sorry.” He told you genuinely. His one hand still lingered on your arm, and his other reached up to hold your chin with his thumb and index finger, lifting your chin up softly, your glossy eyes finally meeting his.  

“You should have been here 15 minutes ago.” 

“I really am sorry, but I’m here now, can’t we just go back to the restaurant?” he asked, looking into your eyes. “Please?”

"No, Peter!” You told him, raising your voice. The sudden change in your voice taking him aback. “You have stood me up five times now! 

It wasn’t hard for Peter to see how hurt you were. Your voice on the verge of cracking, lips quivering, the corner of your eyebrows tilting upwards, and your eyes filled with tears. It broke Peter to see you like this, and knowing it was his fault didn’t help at all. 

“Peter, I'm miserable.” You said, defeat taking over your voice. That was the one that hit him the hardest. Miserable. He never wanted you to feel that way, he loved you. As your boyfriend it was his job to make you feel loved, and he did the opposite. 

“Y/n-” Peter started, but quickly stopped again as he realized he had no idea of what he even wanted to say, he just wanted you. “It’s my job at Stark that makes me late.” He tried reasoning, even though he knew it did no good. 

“You always say that, but is it even true?” Peter looked at you confused, so you elaborated. “Is your job just an excuse to not see me?” He looked down at the ground, not bearing to look into your broken eyes, but he could still hear your voice; quiet and monotone, as if you were giving up on everything, which you were when it came to Peter. 

You looked so defeated and broken, and it killed him to know that this was all his doing. If he had just told you the real reason for him being late, everything would be different, you would understand – at least he hoped you would –, if you knew what he really did when he was working, all of your questions would be answered. 

“Do you not have anything to say?” Peter looked up into your eyes again, opening his mouth, waiting for something to come out, but it was silent, so he closed his lips together tight, and anywhere but into your eyes. When he didn’t say anything, you finished it all. You couldn’t do it anymore. “We should break up.” You told him, your eyes burning from all the tears.

“Y/n please-” His eyes instantly went to yours, and one of his hands graced over yours softly. His touch burning your skin more and more by every second that passed. His worst nightmare came true, and it was all his fault. His heart was aching and burning; tightening around itself. His airway felt like it was closing, and he was suffocating in his own air, not able to think clearly anymore.

“Peter no, it’s over, I can’t do this anymore.” You withdrew your hand from his, and as much it hurt for you to do, you turned your back to him, and started walking. Leaving him standing there in the middle of the street, and all he could do was watch you walk away from him. 

Neither of you had ever felt a pain stronger than this one. But that is how love goes. The more you let someone into your heart, the easier it is to break it. Peter didn’t just break your heart, he also broke his own. 

"I love you!" Peter then suddenly yells after you – before you turn around the corner –, in hopes of you to turn back around, and run into his arms. As if the simple three words were enough for him to make it up. He just wanted to be sure that you knew he loved you; cause he really did. At any other given moment you would melt at the words, but now they felt like knives to your back. 

You looked at him from over your shoulder, and shook your head. "Don't give me that bullshit," you told him loud enough to hear from the distance. "If you really loved me, you would have shown up." 

The words hitting Peter in realization. Actions speak louder than words. He wished he could have realized how your relationship was going sooner, and if he had, it wouldn’t have ended in this way. But he couldn’t change that. You had already left, and was now out of his sight. 

He could run after you, but he knew it wouldn’t change a thing. 

-❁-❁-❁-

The next couple weeks were weird, for both you and Peter. All contact between you two was gone, no calls, no messages, and you never spoke anymore. Though you still saw each other, considering you had some classes together. But you never spoke, you didn’t even share a quick glance of eye contact, not even when you passed him in the hall. 

Just because you didn’t look directly into his eyes, didn’t mean you wouldn’t look at him. You had so many times found yourself gazing at him, at the most random times, and when you did, you always wondered what went wrong between the two of you. Still wondering over the real reason that Peter never showed up to your dates. 

But you weren’t the only one finding yourself looking. Peter did the exact same, and even more often than you – if that was even possible – he just couldn’t help it. It was all his fault, and now he could only watch you from a distance. There wasn’t anything Peter wanted more than for you to take him back, if he just explained everything and said sorry, you would be happy again. 

He missed you so bad, yet he did nothing to try and make everything better. He just watched you from a distance, quietly admiring all your features, thinking back to all your happy memories together. 

As much as he loved you, he let you go, because he knew at one point you would find someone else that could make you happy. Someone that wouldn’t keep secrets from you, someone who would actually be there for you, and most importantly someone who wouldn’t break your heart. That’s what you deserved. 

“Hey, look at me, not Peter.” MJ says bringing you back to reality, you turn your head, eyes focused on her instead of Peter. 

“I should hate him,” you tell her. “Why do I not hate him?” You asked out loud, in sincere wonder. He broke your heart so bad, he left you crying at night, every night. Yet you couldn't hate him. You could only love him. 

“Y/n, you deserve better. Someone who will be there, and I might know a guy.” She had tried for some time now, to help you move on, and convincing you to let Peter go. You knew she was right. But you didn’t like the idea of going out with someone who wasn’t Peter, it felt wrong. 

“MJ, I don’t thi–” You started, but before you could deny her – yet again – she interrupted you. 

“He’s from my economy class, and he’s really nice. Please just try going on a date with him. Just one date, then I will stop.” 

“One date?”

“One date.” She confirms.

So there you were getting ready for a date, with a guy you hadn’t even met yet. You had no idea what to expect, or how to feel. You wanted to get over Peter, you really did, but your mind would always go back to him. Maybe the guy was really nice, but it wasn’t fair on him, not when you weren’t over your ex. 

While you were finishing getting ready, Peter was out on patrol, swinging around New York, looking for crime to fight. He had always loved being Spiderman, and swinging around the beautiful city, but now after your break up, it had become a constant thing for him to do. 

Most people would go on a walk, run or drive around to get their mind off things, and swinging was Peter’s way. So that’s what he did, all the time. 

It had been a very quiet night, not much had happened. There was a small robbery, that Peter had quickly stopped with no mess done, and a few car thieves, but that was about it. He took another swing around, and then landed on a rooftop. As he looked down at the street filled with people, his eyes landed on one person; you.

He smiled to himself, adoring your features. But his face fell immediately, overtaken by a frown, when he realized you weren’t alone. You were walking next to a guy, your arm linked with his. Who was this guy, and why was he with you?

Curiously Peter watched the two of you as you were talking and laughing, Peter’s mind went straight to your laugh. It had been a long time since he had last heard it, yet he could imagine it clearly in his head, he could never forget such a beautiful sound. 

As you walked into a restaurant, that’s when Peter realized what this was; a date. You were on a date, with someone who wasn’t him – not that you had been on many dates together anyway – but that had been his fault, and he knew that very well. 

He hated himself for it. If he had done better, it would have been him, who was sitting opposite you right now. If he hadn’t kept secrets from you, he would be the one making you laugh and smile like that. As he watched you, Peter felt so many things at once.

Jealousy; jealous that another person took his spot, and made you happy. He wanted that to be him, not some random dude. 

Sadness; sad about what had happened, how it had ended, and the thought of how he broke your heart. Sad about the fact that you had clearly moved on from him.

Anger; angry at himself for not being what you needed. Angry that he never told you, and that your relationship had gotten to the point it had. But mostly angry that he was the reason you broke up.

He could feel his eyes watering underneath his mask. His emotions became too much for him, and he couldn't bare looking at you anymore, it only hurt more. So he stood up and swung away, needing to get away.  

-❁-❁-❁-

Peter knew what he had to do, and that was to explain everything to you. But not so you could forgive him, just so you could understand, that’s all he wanted, for you to understand, and hopefully not hate him. He had a little bit of hope that you could maybe be friends if he explained. 

So the next day – which just happened to be a month after your break up – he put on his Spiderman suit, and swung over to your apartment. He knew you wouldn’t talk to him, so hopefully this would work. 

On his way towards you, he practiced over and over again what he would say. And as he did he got more nervous by the second. What should he say? How would you react? Would you understand and forgive him? Or would you be even more mad about the fact that he kept this secret from you?  

Before he could think about it anymore, he was next to your window. His heart was beating out of his chest, his hands sweating – which made it a little harder for him to stick to the side of the building – and he reconsidered if he really was going to do this. Maybe he should just swing away and forget it. But he did it anyway, closing his eyes and knocking on your window a few times. 

He sees your hand reaching over to the window handle, and carefully opening the window. “Hello?” Your voice sounded, a bit shaken by what was happening. Peter then moved to your window, his red and blue suit in sight, and you stepped back from the window, as he slowly crawled through it. 

Peter heard your heartbeat rising as he was standing in front of you, a shocked expression written all over your face. After a minute or two you opened your mouth, about to say something, but before you got the chance, Peter ripped off his mask in one swift motion, revealing the face that belonged to your ex. 

“I never told you what I did for my job at Stark, because I didn’t want you to get hurt, but you ended up hurt anyway. I’m sorry I never told you.” You just closed your mouth again, as your mind ran miles, and your body completely froze. “Please say something.” Peter begged you. 

“Then why are you here?” You finally got out. 

“I saw you last night on a date with that guy, it just made me realize how bad I missed you. And I just needed to explain.”

“So this is why you never showed up?” He nodded, and everything was back to being silent between the two of you. You were still in somewhat shock, while Peter waited for you to say something, anything. He wanted to know what was going on inside your head, wishing he had the power to read minds. "He is actually a really nice guy. But I could never love someone as much as I love you" You tell Peter, looking into his soft and apologetic eyes. 

Now you were the one to make Peter shocked. He engulfed you in a tight hug, his strong arms hugging you impossibly close to his body, and his head buried in the crock of your neck. “I love you, I’m so sorry for everything.” He told you as he pulled back and stared into your heart warming eyes, and he could feel a tear of happiness rolling down his cheek. 

“I love you too.” He smiled lovingly at you before taking your face in his hands, and kissed you until you could hardly breathe. “Please don’t keep any more secrets from me.”

“I won’t.” He said and brought you in for another kiss.

—

– reblogs & comments means more than you think

—

Taglist:

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[makilovescofi]

Sleep - Tim Drake x reader

Tim and y/n are sleep deprived mfs

I finally left my room after hours of editing my essay to perfection. I looked at myself in the mirror, jeez I need to take care of myself. After staring at shit for a hot minute, I fixed my posture, brushed my hair and washed my face to refresh myself.

I miss my boyfriend so I drove over to the mansion. Yes, it might be a little late into the night but I'm sure Tim is in a crappy physical or mental state right now. I knock on the door and was met with the best butler to ever exist across all universes.

"Miss Y/n, it's a pleasure to see you this evening, you're here for Master Tim, yes?"

"Yes that's right, it's good to see you too." I make a lame attempt to smile, trying to defy my tiredness, at Alfred and he let me by.

"Master Tim is in his bedroom," I briefly thanked him and make my way to Tim's room.

"Tim?" Knock knock "Baby?"

A muffled sentence managed to make its way through the door. I took that as a sign to enter. The door opened effortlessly when I've only turned the doorknob.

"Tim?" I saw a small tuff of his hair just over the chair he sat on. Gamer boy. He has several illuminating monitors, they were the only thing lighting the room.

"Hey baby," his late response didn't even feel like it was directed to me. I proceeded to walk next to him. I turned around and leaned against his desk, my face facing his.

"You look like hell,"

"Yeah?" He spared me a glance, "I just got back."

I crossed my arms, "I assume 'I-just-got-back' was several hours ago." His pupil twitched to the bottom of the screen to check the time.

"Shhit"

"Ya shit, come on, let's go to bed,"

He opened his mouth to protest, "I'm almost-"

"Liar, you take another hour to finish up with work,"

He grumbled like the baby he is. He didn't say anything, soon after there were a few more clicks and taps from the keyboard and mouse.

He pushed away from his desk and turned to me, "happy?"

"Very," I smiled to him and gave him a peck on his forehead. "Thank you baby~."

"Ya ya, don't blame me if there's a war I could've prevented." I can't tell if he was kidding. I gave him another kiss.

He's got really dark eyebags, his eyelids are getting red too. Beneath the red and the black, he's got fair, pretty skin. He's so handsome, very pretty-. Well he hasn't been out in the sun for a solid 24 hours. Touch some grass dumbass.

I completely forgot that I was staring at him. "Y/n?" Oh he said my name.

"Yes?" I stared for too long.

"Quit staring, I'm going to the bathroom, we can watch a movie if you want?" He's so cute omfg-

"Of course!" I quickly kissed him and went to the kitchen.

After he washed up and I grabbed some snacks, we sat down on his bed to watch a movie. We sat there for 20 minutes deciding what movie to watch.

Kidding.

We decided to have a Matrix marathon. We watched it plenty of times, we both know the goal is to sleep. But why sleep when I can look at his pretty face.

No, no, I need sleep.

Tim glanced at me, "You're staring again. What's with you? Take a picture already." He smiled nervously. He's probably wondering if there's something on his face.

"Nothing, I just love you. You're an idiot for not sleeping."

He looked at me weirdly, "What does that mean!? You can't say shit about sleep either."

It wasn't long before we ended cuddling in the couch, legs intertwined. Tim's warm breath settled on my skin. It was so calming, I didn't realize I feel asleep with him.

-Jason's pov

Tim hasn't shown his face in the past 10 hours. That's not a problem, but he normally comes out of his room at this time.

'Watch him be dead in his chair.' I mentally groaned. It's time for him to touch grass. I walked to his room and saw an odd lump close to his chest. Upon further inspection, it's clearly y/n huddled against his chest, and the 3rd movie of the matrix was playing. I grinned to myself.

Get it ig🤷‍♀️.

I took my time taking photos, making sure they looked good. I can't wait to show it to everyone.

[snapdragon-mina]

Critical Beauty

A/n: This is my part of the POCuties Playlist Collab :)

I love bo with my WHOLE heart. I'm sorry if it seems rushed or ooc, ive been hella stressed lmao. Anyway, enjoy this fic based on Critical Beauty by Pentagon.

Warnings: Swearing? I think that's all.

•••

You became friends with Konoha Akinori rather easily when you transferred. He was fun to be around and you guys just clicked. After a few weeks of friendship, he offered for you to come watch him and the team practice.

"Hey, (l/n), you don't have anything to do after school... Do you?" He asked.

"Uh no, not that I know of. Why?"

"I wanted to see if you'd come watch me and the others practice." He shrugged as he relaxed in his seat keeping a watchful eye on the clock.

"Volleyball practice? That's a bunch of hot sweaty men in one place, sir who do you take me for?" You held a look of disgust on your face as you looked at him. Konoha snorted and shot you a look.

"You don't wanna know."

You faked offense but agreed to watch his practice after class.

You arrived shortly after practice had already begun. You opted for quietly taking a seat as nobody had even seemed to notice you slip into the gym. You were there for a good five minutes before Konoha realized you were already here. He had stopped dead in his tracks, piquing someone's attention.

"Wait, (l/n), when did you get here?"

You rolled your eyes at the question. "Been here for like 5 minutes, thanks for finally noticing tho." As the two of you were joking around you could feel someone else's eyes on you.

"Konoha, why is the one with that phat ass staring at me-"

As soon as those words left your lips, Bokuto froze and all eyes were on him. Akaashi bumped his shoulder against Bokuto's and that knocked him out of his semi-frozen state. "What's your name?" He blurted out almost immediately.

You raised an eyebrow but answered him nonetheless. "I'm (l/n) (y/n); Konoha's only friend."

Konoha flipped you off at that.

"I'm Bokuto Kōtarō, Its nice to meet you (l/n)-chan!" He smiled really wide up at you.

"(l/n)-chan, huh? Okay." You smiled back down at him and he swears he felt his heart swell.

•••

At this point the entire school knew. A few days ago, you bumped into Bokuto in the hallways. As you went to apologize, his eyes lit up and he reached into his bag, pulling out a -somehow perfectly intact- flower. "(l/n)-chan! This morning I was walking, and there was a rose. If you like it you can take it!"

"Oh, thank you, Bo. Pink is actually one of my favorite colors." You smiled as you gently took the rose from his hands.

His eyes widened slightly at your smile and shifted his eyes away. "I never knew you liked pink... But now that you're holding it in front of me, It suits you." He walked off before you could notice the growing warmth spreading through his face.

That wasn't the only time, though. Over the course of three months, you would receive dozens of gifts. Anything ranging from flowers, to food, to jewelry. He always said something that made it super obvious how absolutely infatuated he was with you. However, his dumb ass didn't even realize he was being obvious until you called him out during his latest gift.

Bokuto came up to you after one of his practices. "Something annoying but sparkling was strangely in my pocket. I swear I don't know how it got there." He handed you a silver ring with some sort of gem inside of it. Was it real? You have no idea but you wouldn't put it past him if it was. "You can have it, since my fingers dont fit."

You looked at him skeptically before slipping the ring onto one of your fingers. His face started heating up again as he watched you and you could've sworn you heard something along the lines of: "it fits on your finger so well that it gives me chills."

"Are you positive you have no idea where it came from?" You asked, peeping the ring that looked eerily similar to the one he just gave you, on his finger.

"Yep! Not a clue. It's just a coincidence that the same one happens to be on my finger too."

At this point you'd had enough. You stared him directly in his eyes, not saying or doing anything; waiting for him to crack.

He started shifting his weight from leg to leg under your gaze. "Don't stare at me like that." You didn't let up. "Fine, what are you curious about?" He tried to look anywhere but directly at you.

"Bo, you keep gifting me these little gifts. I really do appreciate them, but I need an explanation." You crossed your arms and waited patiently.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I don't need to say the obvious again, it's written all over your face."

You grinned. "I'm not saying anything in response until I get a proper confession. Details and everything." Bokuto's eyes widened.

"I'm not ready to-"

Your smile softened. "That's fine, Bo. I already adore you as is, so I'll wait for you. Just do it when it feels right for you." The panicked look on his face dissipated and he nodded.

"Okay! Wait for me until then, please." And with that he ran off to do God knows what.

•••

Four more months and Bokuto was still giving you gifts, but he had yet to actually "confess properly". You were patient through it all and then one day, Bokuto stopped giving you gifts.

Your thoughts were spiralling as you questioned why. Why would he stop? Did he mean to? Did this fucking idiot go broke buying me all that shit? You shook your head as you walked towards you locker. You almost didn't notice Konoha standing there with a smug little shit eating grin as he held out a letter with a little heart seal on it.

"Konoha what are you-"

"(l/n)-chan I'm so in love with you, please make me the happiest man in the entire world and accept my confession!" It was obvious that he was faking. He could barely get through a word without laughing.

"Eat shit and die." You laughed as you snatched the letter from his hands.

"It's actually Bokuto-san's letter. He was supposed to give it to you like a week ago but he chickened out and Akaashi-san had to get the letter from him. He asked me to deliver it to you since we're in the same class and all."

"Oh say less" He waved goodbye to you and walked off, leaving you with the letter. You carefully opened it and read it to yourself silently.

"I would fall over and die if I said this in person, but this is a letter! :)

Day after day I live for you, I'll give you everything. If Im with you I swear everywhere will feel like Hollywood. You have the best smile I've ever seen and everytime you smile I feel really hot, it's like I'm addicted to you. I just want you to know that I really really really like you.

-Bo <3"

You smiled softly before placing the letter in your bookbag and getting what you need out of your locker.

After class ended for the day, you walked towards the gym as you knew volleyball practice was being held today. The moment you pushed the door open, Bokuto's head snapped up and he looked at you. "(y/n)!"

"Ooh first name basis I see. Okay then, Hi Kōtarō." You smiled. He returned it as he dropped what he was doing and rushed to give you a hug. You returned it with a laugh. "Dude, you're all sweaty."

He pulled away and apologized quickly. "So uhm, did you? I mean, did Konoha give you my letter?"

"He did. Kou, you are the absolute fucking cutest." His smile grew almost 10 times wider. He looked and felt nothing but pure euphoria at that response. You could hear his signature "Hey Hey Hey" outside with how happy he felt. He all but peppered little kisses all over your face.

"Bokuto-san we have to finish practice." Akaashi called out and Bokuto nodded and promised that he'd take you out on a real date as soon as he was able to.

"I swear I'll make you as happy as you made me."

[pod95]

Pairing: Finn Balor X Reader

Word Count: 983

Warnings: None, it's all just adorable fluff

Description: This is the first chapter of my new series of Finn Balor One Shots. Hope you enjoy!

You and your boyfriend Fergal have decided to get a kitten together, and Fergal might be even more excited than you are.

Paw Prinxe

The cars zoomed past on the other side of the highway. The sun was shining brightly and your boyfriend Fergal was happily drumming his fingers on the steering wheel along to the radio. You studied the excited smile on his face, which had been there since you told him he could get a cat.

"So have you got a name picked out yet?" you ask him, knowing full well that he'd had a list prepared for days.

"I'm thinking Loki for a boy. Or maybe Simba," he pondered, "and for a girl I've narrowed it down to either Mochi, Ruby or Willow. Oh, or Yuki."

You chuckled to yourself upon hearing him list off his choices. He'd been frantically googling cat names for days, asking every person you'd interacted with for suggestions, and he still hadn't made his mind up.

"Well we're nearly there. Better make up your mind soon."

You pulled up outside of the address you'd been given. As Fergal knocked on the front door, you reached into the back seat to get the pet carrier.

"Hey! You must be y/n and Fergal!"a kindly older lady opened the door and welcomed you both inside. "I'll show you to the kittens and you can pick whichever one you want."

She left you in a large lounge with 6 adorable kittens and one very proud mum.

"So how old are they?" you asked the lady

"Nine weeks today actually. There were 8 but 2 have left."

"Any health conditions the mother has we should know about?"

"Nope, she's in perfect health" the lady smiled.

You looked over from your conversation towards Fergal. You couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by kittens and grinning like an idiot.

He was playing with one using a mouse toy, while two others play fought in his lap. One had even climbed its way up his arm and perched itself on his shoulder. You had a horrible feeling that he wouldn't be able to pick just one.

After playing with the kittens for around 10 minutes, he walked up to you triumphantly holding a tiny white kitten with beautiful blue eyes.

"Yuki!" he beamed, holding the kitten out to you. She was very cute, and as you placed her into the pet carrier on the floor, one of the other kittens ran over and started clawing at the bars and meowing frantically.

"Those two are best friends. It's gonna be hard for them, being separated. You can take them both if you'd like," the lady piped in.

Fergal's gaze snapped towards you,  with the largest, saddest puppy-dog eyes he could muster. How could you possibly say no?

"Fiiine!" you feigned annoyance, but you always knew you'd never be leaving here with just one kitten. "What are you going to name him?"

"Loki!" he beamed.

You thanked the lady and headed back to your car. You offered to drive home so that Fergal could sit in the back seat with the kittens.

On the way home, you stopped by a pet shop to get some supplies for the kittens. Knowing that you would regret this decision, you let Fergal go in while you stayed with the kittens. He returned to the car with bags full of supplies, treats and toys. These cats were going to be so spoiled.

After arriving home and placing the carrier in the floor, it took them a while before they set paw out of their hidey hole. Fergal just wanted to play with the kittens and sulked on the sofa when you told him to leave them alone until they were settled.

Eventually, they started to explore your house, diving onto surfaces and crawling into hidey holes. Fergal sat on the floor, trying to tempt them over to him with treats, pouting when they jumped off of him to explore some more.

He reached into one of the bags and pulled out a laser pen, moving it around frantically trying to get the kittens attention. Both of the kittens started chasing the red dot, wiggling their hind legs playful and jumping at it whenever it stayed till for long enough.

He focused the beam onto your legs, smirking mischievously at you as two tiny kittens dove at you, clinging to your legs, Yuki's claws getting stuck in the process. She looked up at you and let out a tiny mew. You unhooked her claw and lifted her up, placing a soft kiss on her head before putting her back down and watching Fergal playfully chase them around the floor.

After an entire night of playing with the kittens, you and Fergal cuddled up on the sofa to watch a movie, a very sleepy Yuki and Loki on each of your laps. The purring of the kittens was very relaxing, and by the end of the movie Fergal had nodded off on the seat next to you.

"Baby," you gently shook him awake. "Let's go to bed. OK?"

Fergal groaned and sleepily opened his eyes. As he dragged himself off the sofa and up to bed, you filled bowls with food and water for the kittens. You looked around for them to bring them their food, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Smiling, you sighed to yourself and carried the cat bowls up to your bedroom.

Fergal had already fallen soundly asleep. He was smiling softly and cuddling both of the kittens to his  chest. You laughed to yourself, shaking your head and placing the cat bowls on the floor. You climbed into bed next to him, kissing his forehead gently and laying next to him. What an adorable softy your handsome prinxe was.

[tuiccim]

Take a Hike

Pairing: Bucky X Reader

Words: 1498

Summary: Fluff. Just fluffy fluffiness. I am surrounding myself in fluff at the moment. 

Sandwich, check. Bottles of water, check. Trail mix, check. After all, what’s a hike without trail mix? You pack your lunch into your knapsack. Today was a perfect day. You had finished your work early and were eager to get on your way. You had found a high rated hiking trail less than an hour’s drive from the compound and you were excited to get going. The weather was outstanding. Warm without being hot and the outdoors was calling to you. Before leaving, you informed FRIDAY of your plans. In the garage, you made a beeline to your motorcycle. Excited to have an excuse to ride. 

“Where you headed, doll?” Bucky’s voice pulls you to a stop. 

“Oh, He..Hey, Bucky.” You stutter like an idiot. You are always so nervous around him. He was a nice guy and everything but for some reason he set you on edge. No, not for some reason, for one particular reason. The man is simply gorgeous. He makes your mouth water. The idiotic school girl crush you harbor for him drives you crazy and makes you a stuttering mess around him. "Found a trail a little ways from here I want to hike. Seemed like a good day for it."

"You like to hike?" He asks.

"Yeah. Love it. You?" 

"Yeah, I do." Bucky smiles. "I was thinking of taking a ride myself."

"Perfect weather for it." You say, turning back to your bike.

"Would you, uh, mind some company? It's been a while since I've been on a hike." Bucky asks.

"Oh, uh, no. I wouldn't mind company." You try to hide your surprise at him wanting to join you. 

"Great. Can you give me 10 minutes to grab some stuff?" Bucky asks as he walks to the elevator. 

"Sure. I'll be right here." You say. 

-----

Bucky is elated. He'd been trying to find a way to get to know you better since he met you. You always seemed so nervous around him and he never seemed to be able to catch you without other people around. Tony had installed you at the compound a couple of months ago, introducing you as a brilliant mechanical engineer to which you had snorted, rolled your eyes, and said you were just a glorified mechanic. Prettiest damn mechanic Bucky's ever seen.

"Steve!" Bucky spots his best friend walking towards his bedroom and jogs to catch up to him. 

"Hey Buck. What are you up to?" Steve asks.

"Grabbing a couple things. Going on a bike ride and hike with (Y/N)." Bucky grins.

"Finally asked her out?" Steve smirks.

"More like, invited myself on her outing." Bucky shakes his head.

"Good luck." Steve swats him on the back.

"Thanks." Bucky runs into his room and grabs his pack before hurrying back to the garage. He feels a little relief seeing you still there leaning against your bike. 

"Ready?" You ask with a timid smile.

"Yeah, Doll. Let's go." Bucky says.

-----

You and Bucky ride alongside each other as you make your way northwest. The roads curve and the wind whips past you as you go. You love the free feeling of being on your motorcycle and, if the smile on Bucky’s face for most of the ride was any indicator, he felt the same. Nearly an hour later you arrive at the trailhead. 

“I almost didn’t want to stop.” You say to Bucky with a grin, but then your nerves return full force. “I mean, um, I just don’t get to ride as often as I like.” You turn away to secure your bike. 

“I know what you mean.” Bucky says to your back. “You ready to hit the trail?”

“Yeah, ready.” You start on the trail and feel awkward with the silence. “It’s a five mile loop. Supposed to have some great views.”

“Sounds great.” Bucky says from beside you. “You haven’t hiked this before?”

“No, I found it on a trail website. I was looking for something within an hour of the compound.”

“How often do you do hikes like this?” 

“I try to do them at least once a month, but we have a crazy work schedule. And making sure everything’s always at the ready keeps me up at night sometimes.” You laugh lightly. 

“Yeah, I can imagine. It’s easy to forget all the things that have to go on behind the scenes for the team to function.” Bucky says. 

“Compared to what you all do, I have the easy part. I just make sure everything is in working order and then send you off with it.” You smile at him. “What do you do in your spare time? I mean, besides riding your bike and getting roped into five mile hikes?”

“I thought I was the one who roped you into bringing me on your hike?” Bucky laughs.

“I guess so.” You bite your lip.

Bucky starts talking, taking some of the pressure off of you. Before long you find yourself talking back almost as much. You discuss hobbies, motorcycles, friends, the team, movies, music, and your crazy ass family. You’re shocked how much the two of you have in common and find yourself laughing with him easily. Your nervousness slowly fades away as you learn more about him.

About three miles in, you stop in a picturesque spot and take a few pictures with your phone. You even snap one of Bucky when he’s not looking. His profile against a backdrop of forest. A large flat stone on the side of the trail makes for a great picnic spot and you pull out your sandwich and a bottle of water. Bucky sits next to you and pulls out a water. 

“Would you like half my sandwich?” You ask. 

“I was just kicking myself for not packing any food.” Bucky smiles as he takes the sandwich. You pull out the bag of trail mix and hand it over, too. Bucky grins, “Yes! Trail mix. The ultimate hiking food.”

You laugh heartily, “What’s a hike without trail mix, right?”

Bucky chuckles. When the mirth dies down he glances at you several times as if he wants to ask something. 

“What?” You finally ask him. 

“You… you always seem so nervous around me. Like you’d jump out of your skin if I said boo. Why? Are you scared of me?” Bucky asks. 

“No! Of course not. I’ve never been scared of you.” You smile. 

“Then why are you always so nervous around me?” He asks again. 

You groan inwardly. “Any chance I can take the fifth?”

“Nope. I’ve been trying to get a minute alone with you to ask since I met you and never seem to be able to.” Bucky says.

“Really? Why?” You ask. 

“Uh-uh. You first.” He says.

“Because… um…” You stutter.

“Come on, Doll. You can tell me.” Bucky says. 

You can feel your cheeks beginning to burn, but you take a deep breath and plunge in, “Because you’re the most attractive man I have ever seen and, um, I get tongue-tied around you.” You put your face in your hands and then chance a look at Bucky. He has a huge grin spread across his face. “Shut up!” You laughingly yell. 

“I didn’t say anything!” He defends. “Can’t help that I think that was the cutest answer I could ever hear.” 

“And you?”

“Me what?” 

“You said you’ve been trying to get a minute alone with me since we met. Why?” You throw a peanut at him from the bag of trail mix which he catches and eats. 

“So I could ask you why I make you nervous.” Bucky smirks at you. 

“Why do you care?” You narrow your eyes at him.

Bucky looks at you for a long moment before he smiles, “Because you are the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life and I’d jump through hoops if it gave me the chance to spend some time alone with you.”

You smile, “Haven’t had your eyes checked lately, huh?” 

“Supersoldier, doll. Don’t need it. My vision is better than perfect. So, I can see exactly how beautiful you are.” Bucky grins and slides closer to you. “Any chance we could call this a first date?”

You smile and duck your head, “Yeah. I can work with that.” You look up at him as he leans closer to you. You shift towards him and your lips meet. He’s gentle and thorough and absolutely the best kisser you have ever encountered. When you part, his hand is on your cheek, he looks into your eyes for a moment before planting one more peck on your lips. He stands and helps you up. 

“Still got a couple of miles to go, Doll.”

“Let’s hit it.”

“Maybe on the drive back we can find some dinner? It could be our second date.” He smiles at you and takes your hand as you start back on the trail. 

“I can work with that.” You say with a grin.

Masterlist

[phoenixhalliwell]

Well Helloooo Nurse

Pairings: Will Miller  X Gender Neutral Reader ( Nurse Lark but goes by the name of Birdie) 

Word count: 1887

Author's Note: Good Evening all, welcome to the Will Miller show. Please be gentle as it’s my first time writing for him. I also have no idea how the inside of an ER works, i’m just winging this whole thing lmao  I hope whoever stumbles on this enjoys it :) 

Hope you don’t mind the tags: @lilacyennefer​ @cinewhore​ @dignityneeded

Thanks to his idiotic brother, Will ends up in the ER. Benny in an attempt to make amends, tries to be his wingman. 

Throwing yourself down into your chair, you let out a small cry at the relief at finally being off your feet. To say it's been a long week is an understatement. Your back is in agony, your stomach won't stop growling  and there's a throbbing pain behind your eyes . The ER has finally quietened down after a disastrous morning and you're counting down the minutes until it's home time.  

'Is it just me or is time moving slower?'

You glance at the clock. Another 20 minutes  and you are free for the next two days to do absolutely nothing. Closing your eyes you smile at the thought of the large glass of wine, warm bath and take out that awaits you when you get home. Your happiness is short lived though when you hear your name being called out.

'Urghhh, just leave me alone'

"Birdie, my good friend. How are you? You are looking fiiinnneee today, is that a new pair of scrubs."

Opening your eyes, you glare at your friend Letti who is currently batting her eyes at you. You scoff. You  know for a fact you look like shit. Your hair looks like a bird's nest ( no pun intended) and you're pretty sure that your scrubs have seen better days.

"What do you want?" you narrow your eyes at her.

"You know how you're my absolute best friend and you love me so much? Could you find it in that golden heart of yours to stay on just a little longer and cover the end of my shift. It's only a couple extra hours. I wouldn't normally ask but Scott has managed to ship the kids off to his mum's tonight and it's been so long since we've had adult time, if you catch my drift. Please. Help me out here Birdie I am dying" She begs.

'Pfft least you're getting the option for adult time' you think to yourself.  You watch as she clasps her hands to her chest and starts to give you the sad puppy dog eyes .You can feel your resolve start to crumble. Groaning, you throw your head back in defeat.

"Fine, but you owe me one and you better believe I will collect" you sigh. Letti fist pumps the air before grabbing your face and giving you a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I fucking love you Birdie. I will name my next child in your honour"  she promises.

"Yeah like I haven't heard that before" you snort, wiping your cheek. Letti suddenly thrusts a clipboard into your hand before rushing  you through your next patient, eager to get home to her husband. You're not really listening to her, nodding along  every so often as you try to decipher the chicken scratches on the paper in front of you.  

' Did a child fill in this form?'  

You hear snippets of what she is saying: "Hotter than sin..... If I wasn't married...  wouldn't be able to walk straight"

You are finally able to pick out the important information:  

Exam Room 3 - William Miller, 40, laceration to left arm.

'Ok I can work with that'

Calling out your goodbyes to Letti  and telling her to have a good time, you make your way to exam room 3 to get started. Drawing back the curtain, you step into the room and  call out

'Mr Miller?'

"Yes?" two voices answer at the same time.  

" They are talking about me Dumbass, I'm the one that's currently bleeding no thanks to you. Please excuse my brother, he was dropped on his head a lot as a child"  your patient apologises to you. You let out a snort at the quip.  It's not until you get a proper look at his face that  your laughter is quickly cut off.

'Oh' is all you can think before your mind goes blank. Sitting in front of you is a man you can only describe as an Adonis.  Even though his face is twisted slightly in pain, you would gladly stare at him  for the rest of eternity. Beautiful  blue eyes, soft blond hair, a well groomed beard. Your mind  takes you to some bad places when you think about that beard.

'Hotter than sin indeed...."  

A choked out laugh causes you to tear gaze away from William and over to the other man in the room who waves at you looking far too amused.

'Oh god, he knows I was checking out his brother' You cringe internally.

"Hi I'm Benny in case you were interested" the other man jokes. He is also a fairly attractive man  -you can see some similarities between the two. However, Benny has nothing on his brother. You shyly nod your head in greeting before making your way to Will's bedside.

"Ok Mr Miller, I am Nurse Lark. From what I could make out from your form, it says that you have a laceration on your left arm. Is this correct?"  you ask the older Miller.

"Yes that's right. Sorry about the scrawl, Benny didn't make it past the 3rd grade."  Will  teases.

"Fuck you dickhead" Benny hisses back.

"Boys, settle down, this is an ER  not a playground " you interject. Both men mumble their apologise and you try not to laugh. Gently picking up Will's arm, you turn his arm left to right to get an idea of  the extent of his injury. He's lucky in the fact it's not too deep. Unfortunately it cuts directly through the tattoo on his lower arm. Potentially a future scar but that was out with your control. Raising your head, you notice how close you are to each other's faces. Will stares back at you and you lose yourself for a minute.

"For fuck sake, get a room" You hear Benny mutter behind you. You cough and busy yourself getting the equipment you need to start patching Will up.

"I'm sorry but this might hurt a little"  you warn him in advance.

" Don't worry about me, I'm tough as nails " He smiles reassuring you.

You nod before getting started. So focused on your work, you didn't notice Will admiring you from where he sat. He liked the way  your eyes never wavered from your task despite Benny blabbering on in the background. How your nimble fingers made quick work of his wound. He thought the way you stuck your tongue out slightly in concentration was the cutest thing.

Benny was quick to notice his brother's heart eyes and started snickering.

" You know what Will? Maybe if you're a good boy the nice nurse will kiss it better once they are done"

You glance up in time to see Will's face turn scarlet. 

'Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter'

"That's it, Benny get out now!" Will  growled.

Benny sighs dramatically and sulks out the room but not without muttering "just trying to help you get laid dickhead". You glance back at Will who is now staring up at the ceiling, looking as though he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"It's days like these I really wish my parents had got me a puppy instead of a little brother"

"Well from what I've seen of him so far, the man is basically a gold retriever in human form" you joke back. The laugh he lets out catches you off guard.

'I  could get used to that sound.'

You had to stop yourself from sighing and scolded yourself for acting like a love sick fool instead of the professional you are.

The conversation came easy for you both after that.  You started by telling him your name before the both of you shared little tidbits about each other. Will seemed like an interesting man from what information he gave. He was funny and incredibly smart.

'He's perfect'  is all you could think. However, it didn't take long after Benny got asked to leave to finish patching the rest of Will's arm up.  

"Well Mr Miller, I guess that's you done. Please make sure to keep the area as clean as possible and have someone help you change your bandages"

You feel sad at the idea of him leaving. It is evident that he feels the same by the way he stalls collecting his things. He looks like he's debating with himself before he finally turns to you looking determined.

" Would you maybe like to go to dinner with me sometime? I know we haven't met under the best circumstances but I had a really great time talking with you. I'd end up hating myself if I didn't at least ask"

Your heart races at the question and you don't hesitate to tell him yes. His face lights up and you find yourself falling a little more for Will Miller. Grabbing a pen from your top pocket, you hastily write down your phone number and hand it to Will. You both wish each other goodnight before parting ways. You find yourself grinning and bite your lip to try and contain your glee.

" Guess  I will be naming my first child Letti"

 Outside the hospital

Benny leans against the wall (pouting like a child) and waits for his brother . He still can't believe he got thrown out of the room. It feels like forever and a day before Will finally makes his appearance with a smug grin on his face.

'He looks like the cat that got the cream'

' What's with the grin man? Did they give you the good shit for the pain or something?"

Will shakes his head before showing Benny the piece of paper in his hand. A set of digits.

"William, you sly dog" Benny laughs in delight before he slaps Will's arm. He's quick to realise his mistake when his brother grunts in pain clutching his bad arm. Benny panics and makes to touch him but is stopped in his tracks.

"Don't . Fucking . Touch me.  Just get in the fucking car. " Will hisses. He marches off to the car park, swearing under his breath.

'Well that victory was short lived' Benny thinks, following his brother.

Bonus Scene - Date night

'Is it just me or is time moving slower?'

You glance at the clock for what feels like the millionth time. Another 10 minutes before Will is suppose to arrive. It's been so long since you were last on a date and you can't remember being this nervous. You look down at your outfit and run a hand over it to make sure there wasn't any creases. Will had text earlier to let you know to dress casual for your evening out but wouldn't give you any more information. The sound of the doorbell interrupts your thoughts and you let out a nervous giggle.  Trying not to seem too eager, you give yourself a beat before  opening the door. You feel yourself go weak in the knees. Will is dressed to impress - A black leather jacket over a soft grey t-shirt with a nice pair of black jeans that does wonders for him. He lets out a soft laugh at the way you are blatantly eyeing him up before doing the same to you. He lets out a low whistle.

"Well hellooo nurse"

[cocastyle]

The In-Between Chapter 4

Stranger Things x It Crossover

with some Bill Denbrough x reader

Word Count - 5,710

Warning - cursing (if some people don’t like that kind of stuff)

A/N- ahhh chapter four is here!! so I got a little carried away with this chapter and had to cut it down (this only means that chapter 5 is already partially written so yay). this is a pretty action packed chapter, but I hope you guys like it! we are so close to the Party and the Losers’ Club meeting🤩I’m super excited!! thank you for all the love and support!

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

T H E I N - B E T W E E N

Intro The Losers’ Club The Party Prolouge 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Epilogue

As much as it pained the Losers to have to wait another day to save Mike, they knew it would be no use if they went into the whole situation more tired than they already were. So after getting the few hours of sleep that they could and having to go through another dreadful day of school, you could say they were a little impatient by the time there was only a minute of the school day left.

Y/N bounced her knee up and down, her toes being the only thing touching the ground as she violently shook her leg. Her eyes were trained on the clock at the front of the room and she was biting her lip nervously, the only thoughts she could think of being that she wanted nothing more than for the school day to be over.

Bill watched the girl silently from his assigned seat across the class. Back when the teacher had allowed them to sit anywhere, the two had sat side by side. However one pair of girls had ruined it for everyone the day they kept talking during class which meant the teacher could think of nothing more to do than create a seating chart.

Y/N was placed at the front of the room while Bill was in the back, but Bill didn't complain. He would've liked to sit next to the girl, but luckily for him, his spot in the back gave him the perfect side view of the girl's face, allowing him to admire her from afar without her even noticing.

In that moment, his eyes kept flickering between the clock and Y/N who he hesitated on a little bit longer each time. It was only when the bell rang that Bill seemed to snap out of his thoughts and he was quick to get up from his seat and race over to Y/N, grabbing onto her hand and dragging her out of the room as the teens raced to find their friends.

Neither of them had to go to their lockers and it seemed the other Losers didn't either because Beverly, Richie, Eddie, Ben and Stan were already waiting by their bikes when the two made it.

"Finally! You two just couldn't save your make out session for later, could you?" Richie asked causing both teens to simultaneously blush and glare at the boy.

"Shut up, Richie," Y/N muttered as she reluctantly let go of Bill's hand and got onto her bike. "Come on. We can go to my house."

The others nodded and not even fifteen minutes later they were at Y/N's house, locked away in her basement with papers and pencils on a huge table in front of them.

"The portal you guys saw," Y/N began as she took a piece of paper and drew a long line across the middle of it, "it goes to a place called the Upside Down. I know I've mentioned it before, but I don't think I've ever really explained it. One of my past teachers once explained alternate dimensions like this. Think of this line as a tightrope and the tightrope represents our dimension."

Y/N drew a little stick figure on top of the tightrope before saying, "For an acrobat, they can only go backwards or forwards along the rope since the rope is flat. They can't turn upside down or they will fall off."

She then drew a tiny dot on the rope. "This is a flea. Now the flea is different than the acrobat. It can go forwards and backwards, but it can also go up and down meaning that it can get into the other dimension. The portal is like what makes us fleas, allowing us to cross over into this other dimension if that makes sense," Y/N explained.

"I'm confused," Stan muttered. "How does something like that even exist?"

"We don't know. It's just kind of been there and we don't exactly know why it's all decay either," Y/N replied.

"Why do we have to be fleas to go into the Upside Down?" Richie asked gaining everyone's attention. "I don't want to be a fucking flea!"

"What? Richie-" Y/N began as she shook her head.

"I don't want to be a flea, Y/N!" Richie exclaimed while Eddie shook his head at the boy.

Before Richie knew what was happening, Eddie had whacked him on the back of the head. "You idiot, we aren't going to turn into fleas. It's just a metaphor, dumbass," Eddie said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh," Richie said as his eyes lit up in realization. The others just shook their heads in disbelief.

"So what's the game plan then?" Beverly asked.

"Yeah, how are we going to save Mike? We can't all go to the Upside Down, right? What if the portal closes?" Ben asked although Y/N knew he only asked because he didn't want to be the one to go into the portal.

"That's where my experience with the Upside Down comes into play. Now I've only been in there once, but I know enough to make my way around and stay safe. We don't need everyone going, so I'll just go and have a rope tied to myself so that you guys can pull me back if I yank hard enough," Y/N explained.

"I-I-I'm going w-w-with," Bill declared causing the young girl to look at him with raised eyebrows.

Y/N let out a small laugh before shaking her head as she smiled at the boy, "No, you aren't."

Bill furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "I-I-I'm going, Y/N," he insisted.

The girl shook her head. "You don't get it. I am the only one who knows what this place is like. I'm not about to bring any of you, especially you, into that place. It's just not happening," Y/N told him.

"I-I-I will be fine b-b-because I'm with y-y-you, but I w-w-will not let y-y-you go in there a-a-alone even if you d-d-do have experience w-w-with this thing," Bill said, crossing his arms as he gave the girl a serious look that told her he wouldn't back down.

Y/N frowned, obviously not pleased with Bill's decision, but nodded. "Fine, but you aren't allowed to leave my side even for a second, got it?" she asked.

Bill smiled and let his arms fall back down to his side. "W-W-Wouldn't want to be a-a-anywhere else," he said. Y/N felt her face heat up at that and she quickly looked away while the others all looked at her in amusement.

"So what do we need to do now?" Eddie asked.

"Well we can't exactly just waltz right into the Well House," Y/N explained. "We're going to need supplies like weapons of any kind, flashlights, masks and rope."

"Lots and lots of rope."

- - -

"I can't believe you're doing this," Eddie muttered, his face pale as he stared at the pulsing goo in front of him that lined the basement wall of the Well House. He looked as if he might puke or pass out. Maybe even both. "That thing looks like an infection just waiting to happen."

"Oh, hush. They'll be fine. It's just decay anyways," Beverly noted from where she was tying the rope around Y/N's waist, remembering what Y/N had said about the Upside Down being a world of decay. She finished tightening the rope before standing back and looking at the girl who grinned at her.

"Be careful and go kick some demogorgon and It ass while you're at it," Beverly told the girl. Y/N smiled and the two girls high fived before Beverly gave her a quick hug just in case something were to happen.

"Remember, we are just trying to figure out what is going on in there and hopefully you guys will find Mike while you're at it. No unnecessary fighting if you can help it," Stan said.

Y/N nodded and the two did a small fist bump before Y/N turned to see Bill talking to Richie, Eddie, and Ben. Her eyes locked with Bill's and she gave him a small nod. "Ready?" she asked.

Bill nodded and pulled his bandana up and over his mouth and nose, a technique Y/N had advised him to use to keep the decay out of his lungs. "Ready," he nodded.

Y/N nodded back and put the bandana over her mouth and nose as well before looking over at Richie, Eddie, and Ben and saluting then. Eddie chuckled and waved to the girls while Ben quickly saluted her back. Richie tried to hide his small smile as he rolled his eyes at the girl, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling at her goofiness and looked to the ground.

Bill lightly grabbed onto Y/N's hand, instantly gaining her attention for a moment. Their eyes locked and he squeezed her hand slightly before she squeezed back. The two then looked before them and took a deep breath before pushing their way through the goo portal, the ropes attached to their waists staying on the other side with the Losers where a huge pile of rope they had managed to find from town laid by their feet.

It took about a minute for the two to break out of the other side of the portal and about fifteen seconds for their eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness around them. Y/N shuddered at the sight before her, the familiar sight of decay in front of her bringing back too many memories.

Bill let out a small gasp, his eyes wide as he looked around and muttered, "What the hell. . ."

Y/N ignored the boy and was quick to flip on her flashlight. "Let's go," she said, her hand still tightly holding onto Bill's as she took a step forward.

She held onto him so tight that Bill thought his hand might break, but he knew she was just afraid and thinking of her many experiences with the world they were in so he held her back just as tight and rubbed a thumb along the top of her hand.

Bill followed at her side and pulled his flashlight out as well as the two began to walk deeper and deeper into the Upside Down. Bill didn't know what to think as he looked around, still shocked at the place that was before him.

They seemed to be in the Well House still, or at least a version of the Well House. Bill had thought the house was already broken down, but this just proved how much worse it could be where half of the building was practically crumbling to ashes while everything was covered in a grayish green decay.

The teens quietly made their way up the stairs of the basement and began to make their way towards the front door, making sure to be quiet enough not to let It or the Demogorgons know they were there.

"We should check outside first. Mike's bike was left outside, so maybe we could find clues," Y/N told him in a whisper and Bill nodded in response.

Luckily the door was already open so all the two had to do was step over some of the broken wood from the door before they were outside. Bill almost gasped louder at the sight of the outside world.

Just like Y/N had said, the scenery around him reminded him of Derry. There were buildings and streets identical to the ones he was used to seeing every day. The only difference was that this landscape was covered in decay and a green and gray tint to everything.

Bill could only stare in shock, so Y/N gently tugged on his hand as she pulled him forward. They couldn't afford to get distracted or separated. Not in a place like this.

The two walked down the front stairs and Y/N dragged Bill over to the same bush that Mike's bike had been in, only the bush was nothing but a bunch of broken twigs while all that was left of a bike was the rusty handles broken in pieces on the ground.

Y/N frowned and bent down to pick a metal piece up. She stood up and studied it for a minute before looking up and around at the scenery in front of her. She was quiet as she looked around, her eyes scanning the area as if she were waiting for something to happen or looking for clues to anything alive having walked through these parts.

Her questioning gaze was soon answered when a small almost screeching noise came from the house behind them. . .the same house they had just walked out of.

Y/N's eyes widened while Bill stilled beside her. "W-W-What was th-th-that?" Bill asked as he looked to the girl beside him confused.

Y/N shook her head and turned to look at the house, but as soon as she heard what sounded like claws scrapping across the ground as something started running through the house, she immediately burst into action.

Her grip tightened on Bill's hand and she bolted, yanking the boy forward as she yelled, "Run!"

All she could hear was her own heart beating in her chest and the cries of a demogorgon as she ran. She knew Bill was yelling at her, possibly trying to figure out what was chasing them and what they were going to do, but she wasn't able to function or process his words so all she heard was a muffled voice yelling from behind her.

Y/N didn't know where she was running as they rushed forward, but she knew that she had to find somewhere to hide, someone where the demogorgon would have trouble finding her. Why she thought the creepy woods was a good idea, she had no idea. But then again, everything in the Upside Down was creepy so how could the woods be any different?

"This way!" Y/N yelled as she pulled Bill into the forest with her. All the trees were bare of leaves, some of them even having branches and twigs broken in odd angles, but there were so many of them bundled together that it was easy for the girl to find them a hiding spot between two large trees towards the middle of the woods.

Y/N had to remind herself to keep her breathing low, that it didn't matter how scared she was. If the demogorgon heard her breathing, then it would be able to find her. It took a second but she finally managed to get her breathing to almost inaudible.

The only problem was Bill who was holding onto her hand with a deathly grip as his other hand held onto his chest. His eyes were looking around frantically and his breathing was almost so rapid that his body shook with every breath.

Y/N frowned sadly before quickly turning her body so that she was in front of the boy. Her hand was quick to go over his mouth, instantly making his breathing ten times quieter. Bill stared at her with wide eyes and she tried to remain calm as she looked at him.

Sweat was dripping down both of their faces and fear was evident in their eyes. Bill shook below her touch and Y/N gave him a sympathetic look before letting go of his hand so that she could brush her hand through his hair, a small gesture she always did when she needed to calm him down.

It seemed to help a little bit and he just blinked and watched her silently as she kept her hand over his mouth. Once she knew he was calm enough for her to look away, Y/N peaked her head out and around the tree so that she could look back in the direction they had just come from.

A snap of a twig had her pulling back and practically launching herself at Bill, the two huddling together as Y/N kept her hand over his mouth and bit her lip to keep herself quiet. Both teens were shaking as they heard the crunching sound of dead twigs and leaves and Bill squeezed his eyes shut before leaning into the girl more, never having felt this scared except for three years ago when they had fought Pennywise.

He hadn't even seen the thing, but it didn't take much for him to realize why Y/N was so freaked out and the sound it made only added to his own fear.

The two were so quiet that the crunching of the leaves and twigs was the only sound that filled the air. So when the sound suddenly paused before starting back up again and growing distant as it did, the two knew they were safe. Y/N waited a moment after the sound had disappeared before pulling away from Bill and looking around the tree.

She let out a small sigh of relief once she saw that the coast was clear and she turned back to Bill before pulling her hand away. Their noses were touching from how close they were, their rapid breaths mingling together as they stared at each other.

"W-W-What was th-th-that?" Bill asked, his eyes frantically searching Y/N's as if they held the answer to his question.

"A demogorgon. Something you do not want to meet," Y/N breathed out. She let her eyes flicker over Bill's face before she looked at him worriedly and used a hand to cup his cheek, her thumb rubbing his skin as he leaned into her touch. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Bill instantly nodded. "Y-Y-Yeah, I'm okay," he told her before he reached up and brushed a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

He knew how much the Upside Down and the creatures inhabiting it had affected her. There had been countless nights where she had showed up knocking on his window with tears in her eyes and where he had held her in his arms as she cried and shook in his hold from how frightened and upset she was. Bill had never minded much especially since Y/N returned the favor whenever he had nightmares of Georgie and It.

Y/N let out a shaky breath and nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm-"

Her sentence fell on deaf ears as an ear piercing scream filled the air. Y/N instantly tensed while Bill looked at her confused. Y/N ignored the boy as she quickly pulled away, her eyes wide as she looked around. "That scream. . ." She muttered making Bill furrow his eyebrows.

"W-W-What scr-" Bill didn't get to finish because Y/N's wars were suddenly filled with another scream that made her eyes widen.

"It's Mike!" she cried out. "This way!" Before Bill could even get up, the girl had bolted and by the time he was up, she was already gone.

"Sh-Sh-Shit," Bill muttered as he realized him and Y/N were now separated. "Y/N!" he cried out, but there was no response. Knowing there was no way in hell he would be leaving without her, Bill took a deep breath before running in the direction she had went, silently wondering to himself what screaming she had been talking about.

The screaming may have not been real for Bill, but for Y/N it was very real. So real in fact that she didn't even think twice about running off to find Mike. She knew about the horrors that came with the Upside Down so she could only imagine what was happening to him at that moment.

However, it wasn't until she reached a small clearing where Mike was standing with a blank expression on his face that she realized she had been tricked.

"Mike?" Y/N called out, confusion laced in her voice. Upon realizing it was him, she let out a sigh of relief and ran over to the boy, a smile on her face. She reached the boy in a matter of seconds and was quick to wrap her arms around him in a hug. "Thank goodness you are okay! I don't know what I would've done if I-"

The girl fell short as she realized Mike wasn't hugging her back. Confused, Y/N pulled way to see that Mike was staring at her with a blank look on his face, his eyes wide as he just stared at her in silence.

"Mike?" Y/N questioned, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Come on. We don't have time for games. We have to get out of here."

Y/N turned to leave but before she could even take a step, Mike's hand was suddenly grabbing onto her wrist before he let out an eerie laugh.

"Oh, but games are so much fun, Y/N," a voice that didn't belong to Mike told her. The girl tensed at that and slowly looked behind her to see that Mike had disappeared and been replaced by It.

The clown grinned at her, his sharp teeth shining as his eyes stared at her. "We can play a game," It suggested while Y/N shook her head and began to pull against It's iron grip. Tears were in her eyes as she struggle, but It didn't seem to notice. "The other kids love my games. You can float too, you know. You'll float too. You'll float too. You'll float too! You'll float too!"

It's voice was so loud that Y/N's ears hurt. Letting out a strangled cry as tears began to stream down her face, the seventeen year old tried deservedly to escape his iron grip. It just laughed and Y/N's eyes widened when the clown's mouth opened up to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

Just when It was about to clamp it's teeth into her arm, Y/N remembered the rope around her waist and yanked on it before using her leg to sweep It out from under his feet.

On the other side of the portal to the Upside Down stood the Losers' Club who were all staring at the portal ahead of them with frowns on their faces. "You think they're okay?" Stan asked quietly, his voice just above a whisper.

As if having heard his voice, the rope that belonged to Y/N suddenly began to move forward faster than any of them had seen. Beverly's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed ahold of the rope, only then realizing that Y/N was tugging against it to signal that she needed them to get her out.

"She's pulling on the rope! Y/N needs help!" Beverly exclaimed, the others' eyes all widening as they hurried over to the girl and began to pull on the rope.

Y/N let out a small sigh of relief as she began to run, the rope pulling back against her not only helping her run faster but also telling her that her friends were trying to help her.

She had lost It a little ways back, but Y/N was no fool and knew that he was not far behind. Stumbling through the woods, Y/N was barely paying attention and accidentally slipped onto the ground.

The girl let out a groan as she sat up, but it was only then that she realized the tugging on the rope had stopped. Y/N furrowed her eyebrows, a small panic rising in her chest as she hesitantly reached out for the rope and began pulling on it. It was as if the rope was as loose as could be and before she knew it, Y/N came face to face with the frayed end of a rope.

The rope, her way back home and the connection to her friends, had been cut.

"No," Y/N muttered as she felt the bubble of panic rising in her chest. "No. No. No. No."

"Y/N, please don't run! We can all be friends down here!" It's voice sang from a little ways away causing the girl to drop the rope in her hand and scramble to her feet.

Y/N didn't know where she was going at this point, the rope not being of any help anymore. Everything in the woods looked the same and the longer she ran through it, the more scared and upset she got. She just knew that she had to get away from It.

She hadn't even realized she was crying before her vision got so blurry that she was literally just stumbling around. Her breathing was heavy as she ran forward, her eyes flickering all around her.

Hadn't she passed that tree a minute ago? Why did everything look so familiar? Wasn't that the place her and Bill had hid from the demogorgon?

Y/N froze at that. Her eyes wide as she realized Bill was no longer with her. When had that happened? She didn't know whether to be relieved since he didn't have to deal with It or scared because she didn't know what was happening to him.

"Bill!" Y/N cried out frantically, tears streaming down her face even more as she suddenly became frightened for Bill's life. "Bill!"

A loud screech from behind her made her jump as she realized both the demogorgons and It were now after her. Knowing she had to find Bill, Y/N took a deep breath before running back into the thicker parts of the woods, making sure to still run away from the creatures that were following her.

"Bill!" Y/N yelled as the branches on the trees scratched her face and pulled at her hair. "Bill!"

She ran through the thick trees for a second longer before she suddenly came stumbling out into a small clearing. No sooner had her feet touched the ground that something came barreling into her side causing her to hit the ground as she let out a scream of terror.

Y/N squeezed her eyes shut as she began to cry, knowing that this was it. A fucking demogorgon had gotten her and she was about to die. She really hoped Bill had found his way out, that he had made it back to the others and that they would work with her friends from Hawkins to kill these motherfuckers.

"Y/N?"

The girl's thoughts were hushed at the sound of her name and she slowly blinked her eyes open to see Bill propped up above her. "B-B-Bill?" she questioned, still leaning back slightly and shaking because she wasn't quite sure if this was actually the boy that had stolen her heart or some sick hallucination caused by the clown.

But then she saw the rope attached to his hip and the concern in his eyes as he gently reached up and cradled her face in disbelief before hugging her tightly. "F-F-Fuck. Don't sc-sc-scare me like th-th-that," he muttered as he held her close to his body, stroking her hair and pressing a kiss to her temple as he did so.

And she knew it was him.

A loud sob left her lips as she clung onto the boy, a feeling of relief washing over her at the fact that he was okay. However, the two didn't get long to comfort each other before a loud almost howl like screech filled the air.

Y/N perked up at that, instantly remembering why she had been running in the first place. "We have to go," she told him before she grabbed onto the rope around his waist and began to yank on it. Within a couple of seconds, the rope was starting to pull Bill up onto his feet and through the woods. Bill was quick to grasp onto Y/N's hand and the two began to run as fast as they possibly could in the direction the rope was pulling them.

It didn't take long for them to exit the woods, the Well House coming back into sight. Y/N silently wondered if the house had been that close all along and if the woods had just been a trick of her mind.

A red flash of lightning came from behind them and Y/N felt the hairs in the back of her neck stand up. She hesitantly looked behind her before gasping at the sight of the Mind Flayer, a creature from the Upside Down that she hadn't seen in two years. She had thought he was dead.

"We got to go!" Y/N exclaimed, pulling Bill along faster towards the house. A howling screech filled the air before it was followed by another one and then another. It didn't take much for Y/N to realize that the Mind Flayer had sent a herd of demodogs after them.

"Shit," she muttered as she pushed Bill into the house, glancing back to see a herd of demodogs and demogorgons running out from the woods they had just come from with the Mind Flayer right behind them.

Bill looked outside as well and his eyes widened before he quickly grabbed Y/N's hand and began to pull her towards the basement. The two could hear the creatures that were hot on their trail and for a second they both even swore they heard the sound of Pennywise laughing from behind them.

But then they saw the flashing portal and didn't even think twice before lunging inside, the two flying through and onto the floor of their world causing the Losers to all jump back in surprise.

"Holy shit! You guys okay?" Beverly asked as she hurried over to help them up, but neither of them made a move to get up. Y/N had started to cry while Bill held her close to his body, his eyes trained on the portal in front of them as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Guys? Why aren't you talking? What's wrong?" Ben asked worriedly.

"Yeah, what the fuck happened in there? And why the hell was Y/N's rope cut?" Richie questioned in anger as he held up the frayed end of the rope that had been on their side.

"What about Mike? Did you see Mike?" Eddie asked.

The questions all came barreling at the two, but neither were able to process just what their friends were asking. Y/N was shaking as she held onto Bill, the boy shakily holding her back as both of them stared at the portal in front of them.

Just then, the lights above the group began to flicker causing everyone to look up confused.

"Oh no."

The Losers all froze and turned to look at Y/N, their faces paling slightly at the look of sheer fright and panic on her face. "What's wrong?" Stan asked, not knowing if he actually wanted to hear the answer.

However, he got his answer sooner than he expected when a slimy looking hand pushed its way through the goo portal on the wall. Before any of them could blink, the face of a demogorgon appeared, it's whole face opening up like a flower to reveal rows of teeth as it screeched at them.

Everyone let out a scream while Richie yelled out, "What the fuck! What the fuck!"

The next few seconds were a blur as everyone scrambled towards the stairs, tripping over each other as they did. The demogorgon chased after them, but somehow the teens were able to be just a step ahead of the creature.

They ran towards the front door and Y/N quickly pushed her friends outside before they all stumbled across the front yard. The demogorgon was right behind them and Y/N pushed her friends across the street only to trip and land just on the other side of the road.

"Y/N!" Bill cried out once he saw that the girl had fallen behind. He went to run back, but it was too late, the demogorgon was already standing above the girl with its mouth opening up even wider if that was even possible. Y/N whimpered and tried to crawl away but the demogorgon's hand was suddenly latching onto her ankle.

But its hold on her disappeared almost as quickly as it had happened. The hold was suddenly ripped away as a car came barreling past the group, the front of it hitting the demogorgon so hard that the creature went flying back.

The Losers all blinked in surprise before looking to the car that had stopped in front of them. Y/N was breathing heavily as she pushed the strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail out of her face.

Her lungs and ankle were on fire as she looked up at the car and she was shaking out of fright, but she still managed to smile as the window rolled down to reveal that face of Steve Harrington. The boy ran a hand through his hair before glancing down at Y/N who was lying on the ground still.

"L/N, still don't know how to stay out of trouble I see," he mused, the corners of his lips twitching up slightly as he looked at the girl.

Y/N let out a laugh of relief that had the Losers all looking at her with wide eyes, wondering how the hell she was able to laugh after what had just happened.

Then they saw the smile on her face and the way she looked at the boy as if she couldn't believe her eyes and they knew this person was obviously important to her and she was relieved to see him. This all together made them look to the boy confused, wondering just who the hell this guy was.

"Harrington, still don't know how to drive I see."

* * *

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[anochuu]

When we quarrel

⤷ Genre: Angst, Fluff

⤷ Min Yoongi x Reader (Oneshot)

⤷ Summary: Sometimes our emotions can get carried away

Having a period was not the best time of the month. It maybe bring a positive high into your vibe nor it could give you the baddest mood if looks can kill people right from your eyes.You sat grumbling on the couch as once in a while your eyes took glances at the clock ticking and hanging on the wall right across from the room.

The aching on your lower abdomen-detailedly in your pelvic region adds more migraine to your head that is now pounding hard resonating throughout.It is past curfew time,you thought. And why is your husband have not gone home yet?

Right on cue you had just think that way,the door out of the apartment you two lived in opened as the system went 'clicky-cling' signing someone had just entered in and the light lit up by it.

You heard shoes that ade carelessly dropped onto the floor and the shuffling of the person as it gets nearer to where you are currently sitting on the couch. Your eyes snap up when the figure you have waited finally appear right across the room and when he sets his eyes on you,you could clearly see a visible jolt of surprise for a second there;startling him as he place a hand over his heart,

"Holy shit, you gave me a fright." He heaves out a deep relief sigh knowing it is just you.

But you being peevishly annoyed at his voice right now could only throw death daggers at the male and he who noticed your silence and with that looks of yours,knew something is up,

"Uh—babe,is something wrong?"

"Where have you been? It is past your curfew.” your voice trails off after a long silence,crossing arms in front of your chest and sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Yoongi rose an eyebrow,he tilt his body around lightly just to take a glance at the clock hanging on the wall where you keep on looking at earlier,

"The—curfew’s at 10 p.m? I thought it's suppose to be on 11,no?" he sheepishly grins at you that made your blood boils more and the aching on your lower abdomen gets worsen.

"This is the third time,Min Yoongi! Are you even sure you're not off and about to get some drinks with your co-workers!?" you raise your voice much to his surprise.

Now seeing you mad is rather a rare occasion and getting worked up over some incoherent reason.

"What?" His forehead creased;

"I work my ass off and stayed back at the office and you said i'm off drinking?"

You scoffs,now standing up straight from the couch; "Oh yeah? Then explain the smell of smoking whiff on your yesterday's suit,"

He groans; "I told you it is not from the club! Namjoon asked me to smoke and so i did,and that is all!"

"Liar!" You being overly stubborn-headed spat right at him almost instantly after his short explanation.

You believed him,heck you are sure as hell he would never cheat on you but now that you are this far you will not hurt your ego back not to mention the period got your mood went hot-headed blood pressure.

The male sighs once more for the umpteenth time for today and now with you acting strange got him at the edge of the line. He rake his fingers through his hair locks,

"(Y/n),i'm tired—let's just stop this ridiculous argument and gets some sleep alright?"

But seeing you only staring-or more like glaring onto the ground to burn a hole and kept quiet,Yoongi’s shoulder slump as he lets out another sigh but in inaudibly. He then made his way over to you and as soon as he stood in front of you,he lowers his hand just to grab yours.

But as he was about to touch you,you yank your hand away from him and spun your heel around;stomping your way ahead from the male to the bedroom you two shared.

Yoongi placed both hands on his hips as he shook his head frustratedly and tries to comprehend what is going on with your usual attitude whilst he loosen up his tie that circles around his collar rather harshly before taking it off and threw it carelessly on the couch.

He then follow you suit in to the bedroom and just to see you had lied down on the other side of the bed with your back facing him.He closes the door and then the light.Not even bothering to change his white shirt and pants back to more of a comfortable clothes,he then lied himself down on the empty side of the bed and facing the other way resulting you two's back are facing each other.

The clock ticking was the only noise produce within the silent atmosphere and it manage to slowly drift the male off to his dreamland. But not to the continuous shuffling weight he heard and felt on the other latter's side. His eyebrows furrowed and for a moment the movement stopped and he would have thought in relief and go back to sleep which only felt a few minutes of closing eyes.

Then again, she shuffles,

"Can you stop moving?" He complaint, but only silence is answered from her.

While on the other hand you could only toss here and there in hoping the pain subsided and god,why does it hurt so much now of all times? You glance to the side whose back is facing you and for sure he is mad at you right now.

Stifling moan of pain coming out of your mouth,you tried to stop moving for a while just until to make sure Yoongi’s breathing went in and out slowly as a sign he has fallen asleep.

Once you confirm he is,you got up from the bed as quiet as you could and left the room with your heart in your mouth not even bothering to close the door.You waste no time as you slump your hectic body down onto the couch and your hands automatically clenches on top of your abdomen.

"God.." you sigh heavily,the cramp is seriously getting worsen

You try to sat up and face the clock,studying it to see what time is it again?

The beads of sweats starts to form around your forehead and temples considering the symptoms of having period always causes fever for you.

You did not realise the figure approaching you from behind before encircling their arms around you,pulling you to his embrace.

"Idiot,just tell me if you're in pain."

You could only stay in silence before speaking up, "Aren't you suppose to sleep?"

"How could i fall asleep right after we argued?"

You pull away from him and just to halt around to face him properly, "Sorry," you apologize;

"My mood got carried away..”

"I know," he hummed whilst pulling you onto his lap and close the gap between you two

"You and your bad mood—i've dated you quite a long time ago lets me know your attitude,"

You pursued your lips and kneeled between his legs, "Sorry," you apologize again,

"The cramps are killing me" you hissed in pain,

Yoongi then duck his head down,hugging your hips as he buried his face on the warmth of your belly,

"What're you doing?"

"Healing your pain." his voice muffled but clear enough for you to hear him.

You rolled your eyes but you still could not help to smile by his cuteness.And then an idea popped into your mind like a bulb.Though his face always comes off as a rude and stoic man, deep down he is just a boy with soft and fluffy heart.

"I know how,"

With that,Yoongi tilt his head up to see you looking down at him, "How?" he asks,

"Go buy me chocolate and ice cream."

"What!? At this time!?" almost instantly he lets go of his hold from you,

"Oh pleaseeee~! I'm craving for 'em so much right now!" you drag your voice along as you plead

"No,you're crazy."

You stuck your bottom lip out and shot him the glaze look over your eyes and bats your eyelashes in attempt to make him grant your pleas.

Sighing heavily one last time,he got up from the couch,  "Fine,what flavours do you want?"

"Yeah! You're the best!" you flail both arms into the air

"I better be," he snorted; "Just because i love you,alright—or else i might have throw you out of the window right now."

"Mhm,love you too." the end of your lip pulls into a small smirk.

He went to grab his both wallet and phone which placed on the table near the exit door,

"I'll be back—"

"Oh,and buy me pads please!" you yelled yet before he could finish his own sentence.

"....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"

                                        -Bonus Ending-

"Which one is the 'Wings' brand!?" Yoongi hissed on the phone on his hand while the other free one hovering around the section of the ladies' pads.

"Jesus,i never knew girls' pads have to be in a lot of brands," he mutters underneath his breath.

"Just take any 'Wings' brand," you uttered nonchalantly through the phone,

"What the fuck—which is why i did not know which one is better!" this time not realising he spoke in much higher tone causing two female customers who stood a few meters away from him to stare at him obviously,

He who clearly notice this pops a vein on his temple, "What the hell you looking at?"

You heard faintly by the shout of his voice and making you laugh to your heart's content and imagining the red heat on his face and ears.Taking mental note to yourself to shower him with kisses as soon as he walks right in through that door.

[irepookie]

Infinity Chapter 5: IT CAN'T BE LIKE THIS FOREVER

Summary: QUEEN AU where Roger Taylor (aka Rowan Queen) is a young single dad struggling to make it into music industry.

Warnings: not really. Just fluff, sappiness and swear words here and there

Disclaimer: I don't own the pictures. The boys are based on Queen, but Piper, Gina and Callie are mine.

Chapter 5: Basically Row's and Piper's first day on their own, narrative shifting from normal to Row's inner train of thought.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Throughout his life, Row would regularly look back with infinite fondness and amusement at the first day he spent on his own with his daughter.

But today, as both him and his week old infant cried in each other's ears, he didn't think either of them would make it through another 24 hours, let alone long enough to look back and laugh at it.

He thought he wouldn't get to the end of the parenting book he was with at the moment with his sanity intact.

He had read many books that contradicted each other. And this one was no exception.

Some said to follow a feeding schedule.

Others to do so whenever she'd demanded it.

Some said that bathing was bad for the umbilical cord.

Some others recommend to rub it with alcohol to help it fall early.

And others said not to touch it. To simply leave it alone.

Then there was Callie and her usual phrase echoing on his head "The best thing is to follow your instincts".

But that didn't help a damn either cause his instinct was messed up.

He had also read somewhere that sharing bed was good at the beginning. That it helped preventing SIDS.

Then on the next book, that sharing room was fine at first, but that bed was a risk factor in SIDS.

But hold on.

What the hell was SIDS?

They mentioned it everywhere. He went through all the pages until he found it, only to be left breathless when finding out what what it stood for:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Whose exact cause was still unknown , and although there were some preventive stuff to do -on which, by the way, all the bloody books differed- there was nothing 100% safe.

So, they meant his little Piper could just fucking die for no goddamn reason, and he wouldn't be able to do nothing about it? What the fuck! It wasn't fair!

So he found himself on the phone, dialing the number he always recurred to in times of trouble.

"I think I broke her, mom" he said as soon as he heard her pick up.

"You can't break a person, Row"

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

"Don't be overdramatic. You didn't expect it to be easy, did ya? Or you thought she was gonna be like a doll, huh? Like those that have a switch for when you get tired of playing house?"

"No but I didn't think... I mean she was much quieter in the hospital."

"Well, darling, she must have sensed the move or something."

"You mean she doesn't like my place?"

"No, you silly. Although there's room for improvement in the style... But that's not the point. She just needs time to get used to it. Also I bet she can sense your unease."

"Uh?"

"Babies have this sixth sense when it comes to the emotions of those around them. Specially mother's... Or well, in this case, you. So if she senses you're frustrated, she'll get more distressed."

"Oh." was all he could say.

"Where is she now?"

"She's right..." He looked down at the bundle he had been holding and rocking only to realize it was a bunch of dirty clothes.

Where was she? Had he lost his daughter after 5 hours? Fuck! Fucking idiot

For a moment, he forgot where he had put her and a million terrifying thoughts flashed on his head.

She wasn't crying at the moment.

And that was good.

Right?

Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was the worst thing.

Maybe one of the pillows on the sofa had fallen over her and suffocated her.

Or maybe he had mistaken her for a dirty bundle of clothes and put her in the laundry and...

"Rowan?"

"She's asleep on the bed." He suddenly remembered, peering at his bedroom to check he was right. He was. She was asleep, right in the middle of the mattress, exactly where he had placed her 10 minutes earlier.

"Then take this chance and sleep. You're good at sleeping."

It was definitely a good idea. So he hung up and tiptoed to the bedroom. He reached the bed and froze, trying to think of a way of climbing in without startling her awake.

Maybe the matress sinking at his weight woke her up. And if he got past that, perhaps if he dared to move or rolled in his sleep, he'd wake her up... Or worst; he had heard about the hundreds of kids that died overnight suffocated by their parents.

No. He decided he couldn't sleep with her.

So he got the bunch of dirty clothes and laid on the floor besides the bed, using the bundle as a pillow. He fell right off to sleep.

He woke up four hours later, and the room was still silent.

Shouldn't she need something? Shouldn't she have woken me up?

Once again, a feeling of fear invaded him as he jumped to his feet, and put a small mirror in front of her nose to make sure she was still breathing.

She was.

He sighed with relief and pecked her forehead before tiptoeing out.

He decided to make a sandwich or something, cause his stomach was roaring. Halfway through eating it, he ran his eyes through the parenting book he had left opened on the counter:

<<If your baby sleeps 4 straight hours or more wake them up for a feed; otherwise they could become dihydrated...>>

Fuck. She had been dozing for 4 hours and 20 minutes.

So he hurried into the bedroom, and leaned over the tiny bundle, a smile escaping his lips. She did know how to sleep after all. And she looked like an angel. So peaceful. Calm. It almost hurt him to disturb her. But he had to.

"Hey lil'raisin. C'mon, it's snack time" he said, gently lifting her up. "Hey, lovie. Wake up" he knew one thing he shouldn't do under any circumstances: shake her. Or make harsh movements. As that would lead to Major Danger #2:

Shaken Baby Syndrome. And that was under his control.

So he blew on her cheek instead and got her to open her eyes "Hey, Sleeping Gorgeous" he greeted, holding her up so they were face to face.

She looked up at him, directly into his eyes and something inside him melted.  

Perhaps she had finally settled. Maybe now they were both fresh and rested she'd go easy on him. He could do this.

But then her face scrunched up and she whined.

"Oh no, no, no, baby, what is it? Don't cry. Don't cry. C'mon." Then he felt a warm liquid on his hand. "Okay, okay, message received. Let's do this"

He got a towel and unswaddled her, hoping he'd be able to remember how it was done afterwards and praying for it only being number one. It was, but he hadn't folded the nappy correctly and it had leaked all over the onesie, the blanket and... His duvet.  Goddamn it.

He sighed. If he kept calm, she'd sense it. "Okay, me darl. Shh. Hold on a second.  Where... Where've I left the nappies? Where?" He looked around the room but no sight of the pack. Shit. Last time he had changed her in the living room? So it had to be there. "Okay, hang on a minute sweets. I'll be right back" he ran out to get the pack, as the wailing got louder.

"Alright. Alright. I've got it, I've got it. I'm here. Hush" he managed to do it surprisingly fast and without new incidents. "Alright, alright. Almost done. C'mere." He lifted her up, checking the nappy was properly sealed, and went to the kitchen area where he had left the last clean onesie.

On his way, he found the pinky he had been looking for earlier as well "Hey look at this. Here it was." he washed it with water and put it in her open mouth. She began to suck instinctively, calming down.

Thank. Fucking. Goodness.

He sighed in relief.

He could do this.

He laid her down in the kitchen counter, so he could wash his hands, throw his wee stained t-shirt to the washer and unfold the onesie. She squirmed a little, but kept quiet.

"Alright, let's put this on you. Please don't squirm too much, darling. I don't want to hurt you." he pleaded.

"Okay, it's all done" he announced 10 minutes later, when he finally managed to button up all the miniscule buttons on the onesie. Bloody miniscule buttons made for small mothers' hands.

"What's next? Oh yes, bottle. Alright. Coming right up"

Just when he had put the bottle to warm up, she spit the pinky, and began fussing. "Hey, love , here" he put it back, but she spit again. "You ain't buying it, are you? You're hungry, and the pinky isn't fooling you." He chuckled "Clever girl. Alright, it's almost done so don't worry, okay? It's almost there" he took her back into his arms, and paced around until the microwave beeped.

He made a mental note to never again waking her up before the bottle was done.

Never again.

"Okay Princess. Here's your cocktail, made with love." he announced, as he carried her to the couch and sat down, propping her up and watching as she immediately sucked into the nipple, face relaxing instantly.

"Yea, you were hungry right? That's what happens when you sleep through lunch time. I hope you've learned your lesson, and that next time, you let me know alright?" He grinned, as a hand closed around his hair.

But she suddenly pulled away from the nipple and began to  fuss again, halfway through the bottle "What? That's all? You're done? So much impatience for half a bottle? No, you've gotta keep going. C'mon" he offered the nipple, and she rejected it, hand pulling his hair

"Ow! Ow! Pips, no honey. Let go. C'mon. C'mon dear, let go." he set the bottle aside and used his free hand to untangle hers from his hair. She cried louder. "Hey, okay, okay, you can pull my hair off if you keep quiet. Uh? Deal?" He got more cries in response. His face fell.

"But you never did this in hospital. You didn't give Daddy hell like this. Why now? Why do you do this when I'm all alone? Am I such a bad dad? I mean I'm following every step. I'm doing my best. Please give me a break" he pleaded, changing her to an upright position.

He was doing nothing wrong, was he? He was doing everything just like he had been taught in hospital.

Well except maybe...

He had an idea and laid her on the couch "Alright, shhh. Let's try this one" he said, unbuttoning her onesie again, -making a mental note to ask Len if he could get him some bigger ones that wouldn't take forever to deal with- and bringing her back to his chest. She instinctively snuggled up, and quieted within seconds at the contact of both their skins.

And he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. "So you just wanted this? Well you should've said so earlier." He did both, out of amusement and relief.

Fuck he had cried more these past 7 hours than in the entire last decade. It was ridiculous, really. That someone so little could have such a big effect on him.

"So, where were we hon?" He offered the bottle and this time she did latch, body glued to his, and grey piercing eyes looking right through him, as if she was staring at his soul, as if she was reminding him why he was doing all this. And all the  worries that had crowed him until that moment, just disappeared.

I can do this.

He didn't detach her from his chest for the rest of the day, as that seemed to keep her at peace and he didn't mind it. Rather enjoyed it.

So he changed his peed sheets and threw the nappy away, made himself some coffee and broke the mug in the process, as he struggled to do the whole thing with one hand. Then he had to pick it up and cut himself off with one of the shattered pieces.  However, he didn't mind: it was worth it as long as she remained undisturbed.

"Are you two better?" Mom asked when she called in the evening.

"Yes, yes. We're... We're alright. Got the ultimate trick. I think we came to an understanding."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Where is she, by the way?"

"Right here." he pressed his lips on the top of her head, rested on his shoulder.

"Has she eaten properly?'

"Aye. Then spat some of it on me and... Yea. I think she's good." she had finished both bottles fairly quickly.

"And you? How are you eating?"

"Managed to eat half a sandwich. So not too bad."

"Finish it."

"I'm fine, mother."

"Row by neglecting yourself you're putting her in danger too. So eat properly and stay sane for the sake of you both, okay?"

He sighed. "Alright. I'll finish the stupid sandwich."

"And eat some food or whatever. Vitamins."

"Shit, this is like being 10 again."

They hung up and Row did as told, in spite of himself. Mom had a point.

So he finished the sandwich and grabbed an apple, eating it in bites, chewing it slowly and as silently as possible so he wouldn't disturb his daughter.

Damn it was cold. He'd have to turn the heat on, which he never did cause the bill afterwards was terrifying. But hell, both of them were half naked in February. And he had already spent a fortune on that prune sized person, might as well keep her alive and warm.

Then he laid down with her cuddled on his bare chest as she breathed in uneven, scary patterns, which Callie had told him were normal.

And soon, he found they were breathing in sync, every breath he took was three of hers. Or 5. Or none.

But it was normal, he reminded himself. Her breathing system has to develop still. She's fine.

He was exhausted, but completely wakeful at the same time, cause he was hypnotized by the sight of his little sleeping prune.

Like he would be countless nights in the future.

Because there was no better remedy for panic, no better way to put his thoughts in order and make him feel the strongest, happiest man on Earth than the sight of his daughter sleeping.

🥁🥁🥁🥁

As always, a big Heya to my only reader friend, @definitely-darcy. As you know I'm nervous about this chapter, but I enjoyed writing it a lot. So I hope you like It.

Xx ~Pookie

[hippityhoppityyourenowmyproperty]

Reset! Rant (part 2)

Chapter: 10

In this chapter Wally shows up at Helen's house and confronts Thad with his earlier actions. (That being killing the clone.) He expresses his worry about Thad being around Bart and the potential threat he's posing to him.

Stopping when Wally didn't move out of the way, Thad glared up at the Flash. "What are you looking up?" "A killer." Wally replied. "You're not going anywhere alone with Bart."

...................................."Thanks." Then Wally looked to Thad. "Still, killing isn't the answer."

That's right, Wally is the one who tries to make sure that no more harm will come to Bart from the hands of Thad. No, not Helen is giving him the "Killing isn't right and I will not accept you going around murdering any more people" talk, it has to be Wally. Wally, the guy who can't be in the same room as Bart for more than ten minutes without getting into a fight with him is more concerned with his welfare than his actual surrogate mother. Once again, Helen comes off as irresponsible in her duties as his guard.

Around a mouthful of egg and sausage, Bart mused, "So what does that make a robot dog?" Reminded of his own dog begging by his chair, Bart dropped a piece of sausage on the floor for Dox.

Raising an eyebrow, Thaddeus eyed Bart. "I have to wonder if I was lied to about being a clone. Moments like that would be better explained if I was the original and you were the copy. So much could be excused by a bad splice."

What he's suggesting is: "I'm better than you and you are inherently flawed." And yes, both Helen and Wally heard Thad's put down, but neither of them spoke up about it. That implies that they think what Thad stated about Bart is right/doesn't need to be corrected.

Chapter: 11

Thad: "Max is why I'm helping. That he is too important to loose is why I'm leading. Bart lacks the capacity of forethought that is requiered in an operation like this."

This will become pertinent later when talking about Thad's hypocrisy.

Thad: "Until we encounter Rival, do not use your meta human abilities under any circumstances." Kon frowned and remarked, "Don't spoke the locals. Yeah, I think we can figure that one out for ourselves. We don't all ride the short bus."

"I was more concerned about Bart", Thad added.

"Hey! I know how to not use my powers!" Bart protested.

Thad muttered under his breath, "That's obvious."

That's judging and criticizing disguised as advice and a put down. And yes, Kon is a massive dick for saying the shortbus insult for the same reasons Thad was a douche for using the insult on Bart. Expressing his disdain through this term is still extremely inappropriate and unacceptable.

"I don't like him. He's a bossy jerk." Kon said to Bart as he leaned back. "Inertia? Yeah but at least he's helping."

Bart is saying that Thad helping him with bringing back Max justifies his shitty behavior. It obviously doesn't. Firstly, Thad is not doing this because he wants to do Bart a favor. He's solely doing this because he wants Max back. He's doing this for himself. If Carol or Helen had vanished, he wouldn't lift one finger to help find them. Secondly, him helping Bart does not excuse his toxic behavior. He can't just treat Bart however he likes because they're both working towards the same goal. He's still a dick for calling Bart these names.

Chapter 12:

"That was foul" Thaddeus remarked sourly. "Though we would have been here already if Bart hadn't missed a decimal point in the time coordinates.

"I couldn't hit it!", Bart defended, "Your arm was in the way!"

This is and excellent example of accusing and blaming coupled with senseless judging and criticizing. Thad is chewing Bart out for something that is completely irrelevant and unimportant, and that doesn't negatively affect him in the least. Furthermore, saying this after they landed didn't help Bart or the others in any shape or form. He's solely critizising him because he can and because putting Bart down makes him feel more powerful and superior. Then you have the fact that he's blaming Bart for something that is out of his control. He couldn't have changed it if he wanted to. It's not his fault that he missed it, like Thad wants him to believe. And, the most ironic part of course, is that Thad himself is responsible for Bart not being able to do what Thad reprimended him for not doing. If it wasn't for Thad, Bart would have been able to press the button. After Bart calling him out on his flawed logic and pointing out that Thad's accusations are unjustified and don't make sense, Thad stops responding. He drops the subject and ignores Bart's complaints. Moreover, we can't skip over the fact that Thad was adressing Bart's friends when critizising him, and not Bart himself. He's trying to get them to turn on Bart. He wants them to join in on ripping on him. 'Look at this idiot and be displeased with him', he's saying. 'Look at how dumb he is for having a minor mess up that doesn't affect us and that I'm really responsible for.' Abusers will often call people out on their (insignificant) mistakes or shame them for their personality flaws in public when in front of their friends or in privacy in order to humiliate and embarrass them. It's another insidious way of damaging their self worth and taking power away from them. Being exposed to a treatment like this for an extended period of time is like poison for a person's self esteem and sense of self worth. Sooner or later, nothing the victim of the abuse does or says will be good enough. Seemingly everything they do is wrong. The recipent of the abuse will start questioning their personality as a whole. The abuse will destroy a person's self confidence and self value and make them exactly believe what their abuser wants them to think of themselves. They're 'just' words, but they have a huge impact on a person. They can appear harmless and innocuous but they're not. It's a sentence that seems for a lot of people normal or acceptable, but it's lethal for someone's self esteem.

Thad: "I've taken Max into the speed force before to help him reconnect with it."

Thad uses I instead of we. He 'forgets' to mention that Bart helped carry Max into it after Thad tried to kill them and then left. Bart was the one who actually carried Max through the most dangerous part of the speed force, namely the speed storm. If anyone deserves credit for saving Max, it's Bart.

Kon's laughter managed to reach their ears. "I should have brought a camera! That was epic fail!" He was still laughing when their staggered to their feet. Inertia pressed his hand against the ball's wall with a rude gesture.

....................................

"We could do another practice run," Inertia suggested,"Superboy is close to Max's mass and he's invulnerable." ....................................Inertia saw the display read almost at the goal point where Morlo would shut down the run and grinned. He let go of Kon, hopped to one side and kept running. Kon and Bart crashed down and were pasted against the transparent wall, spinning at a sickening rate. With an extra burst of speed, Inertia kicked the ball faster and then vibrated out of it. Crossing his arms and laughing, he watched Kon and Bart spin around in the ball. When it finally came to a stop, Kon and Bart cralwed out of it. Inertia leaned over Kon "You're right, that was hilarious. I should have brought a camera." Impulse pulled the trashcan towards him and draped over it. "No more spinning", he moaned,"I hate spinning." .................................... "So, are we ready for the real run?" "As soon as Impulse gets back up," Morlo answered.

"I hate spinning" Impulse weakly repeated into the trashcan.

Inertia strode towards the sleeping rival. To Empress he asked: "How long will he stay unconscious?" "Hard to say," She replied. "So, you should move fast. You don't want him waking up while you're running."

So apart from that Bart shouldn't experience nearly as much nausea from spinning around as Thad should because his father was a Tornado Twin and that DNA string was removed from Thad's biology, and that Thad was only written to be more impervious to vertigo to make him appear superior and more "in control" than Bart, this is were Thad's action once again cross over to highly irresponsible, petty, selfish and, quite frankly, douchey behavior. He forces Bart and Kon to experience extreme vertigo because his ego can't take one joke. His pride was so wounded that he had to inflict pain on both of them so that he could regain the respect he thought Kon owned him. He doesn't care that Bart, who did absolutely nothing wrong, suffers as well. He probably views it as a bonus to humiliate Bart again. Thad only cares about reigning in Kon for his comment, it's not important to him who else gets hurt in the process. All he cares about is himself and how he feels, the rest of the world can go die if it were up to him.

The things he does are also very reckless and, dare I say, impulsive. They're on a time limit here. Empress used her voodoo magic on Rival to temporarly render him unconcious. Temporarly being the key word here. She admits that Rival could wake up at any moment and that she doesn't know how long she will be able to maintain control over him. And what brillant move does Thad, the boy who has supposedly as much brains as Robin has, pull? He holds them up with unnecessary pranks because he can't take his big ego being damaged. If Thad dislikes arrogant people who like to ridicule others so much, then he should take a good look into the mirror and start changing his ways. He his more oblivious to his own behavior than Bart is, and that's so ironic. Thad is supposed to be smart in this, but this was a reckless and selfish move. Rival could wake up at any moment, Thad actively endangers everyone that's in the lap with them. He risks Rival breaking free and killing even more people because it's more important to him that Kon 'knows his place'. By the way, great job on making Bart, your partner whom you need to success with carrying Rival through the speed force, trust you. What was it what you said about Bart again? That he lacks the capacity of forethought that is requiered in an operation like this? My, how the tables have turned.

Chapter: 13

Another possibility dawned on him. "What if that's why they weren't doing much to help Max in the first place?" His vision tunneled on the skillet with which he was cooking with and he clenched his jaw. "Why didn't they tell me? Why do I always have to be left in the dark?"

Thad's voice broke in,"Because you're an idiot. You would just brainlessly jump in and do the stupidest thing possible."

Another insult from Thad designed to make Bart even more anxious about his deep insecurities and shame him for having ADHD. Carol sits next to Bart while this scene happens, and she says nothing to comfort Bart and ease his concerns, nor does she tell Thad to lay off Bart or make him understand that his behavior is unacceptable.

"We're traveling through time, moron," countered Thad, "We can return later tonight, no matter how long it takes."

And another degrotary term linked to Bart being nd.

Chapter: 14

Shaking her head again, Meloni answered,"Sorry, sunshine. You said that it was a timeline that wouldn't happen? I'm guessing that the me that helped you was from the other timeline. She never existed here, so I don't remember any of that."

"Oh."

Thad rolled his eyes and snorted. "I can't believe you had to be told that." Bart scowled at him.

"Jerk."

"R*tard", Thad shot back.

Meloni stood up and pushed her dying hair away from her face. "I'm going to get dressed. If you're hungry, help yourself to the kitchen."

This. This is what convinced me to write this rant. To use the r-word on someone is offensive and repulsive for the same reasons the shortbus insults are unacceptable, but it's way worse. This is the most obvious way of saying: "You're inadequate/weird/not functioning properly/dumb because you are neurodivergent and because of that you should be ashamed of yourself and you deserve to feel bad." Being called a r*tard is like a punch to the face. It's extremely hurtful and damaging. It would be detestable if Thad would have used it on someone who didn't have ADHD, too, but for him to use it on someone who has it is just down right loathsome and shows us what a contemptible and vile person Thad is. You don't call this someone unless you really want to make them feel hurt and worthless. You don't do this unless you are a dispicable person. Calling nd people this is not okay, it's not funny, it's not harmless, stop using this word and start watching your language. If you can't see by now how abusive Thad is in this, then I don't think you will ever understand it. This is so unbelievable disrespectful and inexcusable, so goddamn contemptuous and insolent on Thad's part that I honestly expected Bart to finally snap and grind Thad's face into the dirt. Thad is such a condescending and self-entitled asshole in this that I hoped for someone to finally confront him with consequences for his shitty actions. But nope, he gets away with it yet again, all the while people will still criticize Bart for having minor mess ups. And this brings me right to my next point: Meloni's reaction, or rather, lack thereof. Meloni. HEY MELONI. You want to say something about your own child being called a r*tard right in front of you? You want to reign Thad in for insulting Bart like that? My god, how much do you have to hate your child to let someone call him the r-word right in front of your eyes and let them get away with it? She's not showing the slightest signs of disapproval or anger. We are supposed to see Meloni as a good parent, but she really isn't. She's terrible at parenting. Her standing up and leaving the room comes off as a "Oh my god you two are so annoying with your endless bickering, can't you get along?" She should have been livid and angry about Thad's comments, but she's not. Alone the degrading "I can't belive you had to be told that" should have been enough to set her off, but it doesn't. She shows the same apathy to Thad's verbal harassment that Helen shows. She's a neglectful and shitty parent. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let her take care of Bart and Thad out of concern for Bart's mental health. In fact, I would call the child service on both Helen and Meloni for their horrible "parenting" style. And by the way, r*tard isn't stared out in the original.

This whole scene is so disgusting and disturbing that it made me feel physically sick while reading it. I couldn't believe what I was reading, I really couldn't.

Chapter: 15

Thad:"I still reserve the brotherly right of beating the ever loving snot out of you whenever you get too annying."

No, no you fucking don't. This is the opposite of what being brothers means. You don't get to hurt Bart just because you feel like it. Stop being so entitled. Just so you known, he threatens Bart in front of Meloni and despite a soft spoken "Thaddeus." We get no reaction. This is especially careless on her part when you remember that the the "still" implies that he already beat him up for being annoying before. You see how upon learning new informations he immediatly tries to twist it around so that he can further justify his abuse?