#It's been YEARS since she's laughed and the kicker

[oculusxcaro]

Khare doesn't laugh like a normal person. On very rare occasions when something humorous has happened, she may lose control and let slip a very quick, quiet 'Hah!' but it's so quick and quiet you may not actually hear it or mistake it for a completely different sound. The reason for this is because Khare was told she had an obnoxious laugh as a child and subsequently decided she would never laugh again.

[pedrospatch]

what he didn’t do

Preoutbreak! Joel Miller x Female Reader

summary: You’re very recently divorced, but that doesn’t stop a certain handsome, brown-eyed neighbor from taking you out on a date.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. divorced reader, no massive age gap (no specific age is mentioned, but reader is in her early 30’s and Joel is 35) slow burn, 10 year crush kind of deal. reader talks about her past relationship. mentions of food and alcohol. soft, caring Joel. first date fluff.

word count: 5.1k

a/n: so um how are we all doing after today, we still alive out there? 👀 no one asked for this, this fic is purely self indulgent, my lonely single ass is convinced that pre out break Joel would be just the most amazing gentleman on a date, he would be so perfect and just take the best care of you and treat a girl right…so here is what i whipped up.

He’ll treat me right, put me first, be a man of his word

stay home ‘cause he wanted to

always fight for my love

hold on tight like it’s something that he can’t stand to lose

Joel wasn’t all too sure how it even happened.

Earlier that afternoon, he’d gone on over to your place to deliver a piece of mail that the postman had accidentally put in his mailbox instead of yours. While Joel was there, you’d kindly asked him if he could recommend a good plumber that you could call because you had a stubborn leak under the kitchen sink that you needed to get looked at sooner rather than later. Wanting to save you both the hassle and the expense of having to hire someone, Joel had told you to hang tight for a minute and rushed back over to his house, only to return with his yellow toolbox in hand so that he could fix it for you, which he’d done in fifteen minutes flat—and now, just a few hours later into the evening, he was getting himself ready to take you out to dinner. 

And the real fucking kicker of it all was that he had been the one to ask you out, proposing the offer while his head had been buried in the cabinet underneath your leaking kitchen sink. At least that way, if you had rejected him, you wouldn’t have been able to see the look of complete and utter embarrassment on his face. But much to Joel’s surprise, not to mention, his relief, you’d eagerly accepted the invitation and even suggested tonight would be the perfect night if he didn’t have prior plans or commitments.

Hell, even if Joel did have prior plans or commitments, he would have canceled them for you without a single ounce of hesitation.

He’d discovered he would do just about anything for you.

Joel shrugged into the light tan, button up shirt that Sarah had helped him pick out earlier just before he’d jumped in the shower. At thirteen, she lived with her nose buried in fashion magazines lately and she didn’t trust him to successfully choose a proper outfit for the occasion on his own without guidance. It had been well over a few years since Joel had been on a date, as she had so kindly pointed out to him while she’d rummaged around through his mess of a closet. Although he insisted that it wasn’t a date, his teenager had scoffed and called him out on his bullshit. “Well, what else do you do you call it when two single adults go out to dinner together alone?” Sarah had challenged him as she held up a couple of different shirts up against his chest, searching for the perfect one. “Especially when one of those two adults has had the most obvious crush on the other one for what, like ten freaking years now?”

“It wasn’t that obvious,” he’d muttered to her in response. Peering at her curiously, he couldn’t help himself as he had asked her, “Was it?”

“Dad, your crush on her has been about as subtle as a brick to the face.” Letting out a huge laugh, Sarah had shoved the shirt she’d selected into his hands and tossed the losers right back into his closet. “Here, wear this one with those dark jeans, the bootcut ones. Don’t roll up the sleeves like you always do. And for the love of all that is holy, at least make an attempt to run a comb through that hair of yours,” she’d advised on her way out the door, leaving him to it.

Joel sighed and buttoned up the shirt, then tugged on his dark blue jeans and a pair of black leather boots—the only pair he owned that weren’t totally worn down to the soles. He finished getting dressed and proceeded to roll up the long sleeves of his shirt up to the middle of his forearms, tucking in the cuffs as neatly as he could. He could already hear his daughter scolding him over it, but screw it, Joel wanted to be comfortable, especially now that warmer weather had arrived in Austin. 

After rubbing just the slightest hint of his favorite sandalwood cologne on his neck and on the insides of his wrists, Joel finally left his bedroom and made his way downstairs, trying his absolute hardest to pay no mind to the nerves that were threatening to creep up on him. He entered the living room where he found Tommy sitting on the couch with Sarah, a plastic blue bowl of popcorn nestled between the two of them. Sarah, who had been busy shuffling through a stack of movies in her lap, looked up when she heard him walk into the room and narrowed her green eyes at him. “Come on, man! What did I say earlier about the sleeves?”

“You told me not to roll ‘em up. But I chose not to listen to you,” Joel quipped, eliciting an annoyed sigh from her. 

Tommy smirked at him. “So motherfucker, you finally did it, huh? You finally asked her out on a date.” His smirk widened. “Only had to wait, what, about ten fuckin’ years?”

Joel glared at his younger brother. “How did you even—?” He stopped abruptly and his dark brown eyes flickered over to Sarah, who shot him a guilty smile from where she sat. “Really? You just had to tell him?”

“Sorry,” she apologized, sheepishly. “It slipped.”

“Damn, big brother. Y’know, word on the street is that she just signed the divorce papers at the courthouse earlier this week,” Tommy remarked, taking a swig from his bottle of Lone Star as he leaned back into the couch. “You’ve got some real big fuckin’ balls to ask a freshly divorced woman out on a date that quick. I’ve gotta admit that I’m actually pretty fuckin’ impressed with you, Joel. Didn’t think you’d have it in you.”

“It ain’t a date,” Joel muttered out the lie, picking up his keys from the coffee table. “We’re just goin’ out to dinner is all.”

“That’s a date,” Tommy and Sarah stated together in unison.

Joel let out a heavy sigh, deciding that it was better for him to ignore their antics rather than to play into them. “You.” He pointed an index finger at Sarah. “Might not be school night, but I don’t want you stayin’ up too late. And you.” He turned his attention to Tommy. “I don’t want you havin’ any of your little female friends over while I’m out tonight, especially not while Sarah is home. That understood?” 

“Yes dad,” both their voices chirped together once again. 

Rolling his eyes, Joel bid them a quick goodnight and left the house, making his way across the lawn and over to your place. You lived in the smaller, single story yellow house right next door to his.

You’d moved in next to Joel and Tommy several years ago—Sarah had still been a toddler then and he had just started getting used to life as a single father. Joel would never forget the first time that he laid his eyes on you. He had been in his driveway, taking a look under the hood of his old truck, a hunk of garbage Ford Ranger from the nineties that he’d finally gotten rid of a couple years back and replaced with a Chevrolet Silverado instead; it hadn’t been much of an upgrade, but at least it didn’t break down on him as often. Joel had noticed a moving van in the driveway of the house next door, but he hadn’t given it a second thought. He had been so engrossed in what he’d been doing, but at some point, he looked up from the engine and turned his head at the precise moment that you happened to walk by with a cardboard box in your arms. You’d caught his gaze and offered him what had to be the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his entire fucking life. Joel had just set his wrench down and was about to head over to offer you some help when a man emerged from the back of the moving van with another box. He gave you a quick kiss on the cheek as he led the way into the house. 

Turns out, that man had been your husband.

To say Joel had been sorely disappointed by the fact that you were married had been an understatement to say the least.

It hadn’t taken all too long before Joel met his new neighbors, although he often saw more of you than he ever saw your husband—the man traveled across the country for business and he would be gone for several days, even several weeks at a time. You were a homemaker and to help make life a little less mundane, you’d started something of a daycare in your home, offering to help fellow neighbors who needed someone to watch their younger children during their nine to five work schedules.

When Joel found himself putting in a brutal number of hours in at his construction job, he had struggled to find someone who was willing to look after his then three year old for such extended periods of time. You’d happily volunteered to help him out and you would watch Sarah from sunrise to about sundown for him without a problem. When she started kindergarten two years later, you continued to help Joel out, going as far as taking her to school for him and then picking her up afterwards. You’d never had any children of your own, but you still had maternal instincts, and as Sarah grew up, whenever she would need a woman’s guidance, she would go straight to you without hesitation and you were always there for her no matter what, no questions asked. 

Joel couldn’t have been more grateful for you.

He’d seen and spoken to you just about every day for the last decade—he’d even go as far as saying that the two of you were good friends, though since day one, he found himself longing for a hell of a lot more than just your friendship. Joel had thought he would have to shove his true feelings for you down for the rest of his natural born life, that is, until several months ago when he’d noticed the moving truck parked in your driveway one late afternoon as he and Sarah came home from one of her soccer games. Nearly in tears, Sarah had immediately hopped out of the pickup before Joel could even cut the engine and ran over, demanding to know why you hadn’t told her that you were moving—that’s when you fessed up and explained to her that you weren’t going anywhere, but your husband was.

Through whispers in the neighborhood, Joel discovered that you had filed for divorce and although no one knew the exact reason why, many suspected it had been your husband’s constant traveling for work that had done it. Denise, the nosy blonde woman who lived across the street from him swore up and down that he must have had some kind of adulterous affair behind your back—Joel simply told her she needed to lay off her dramatic daytime soap operas. 

Regardless of the reason why, you were now officially single.

And Joel was taking you out to dinner.

Whether it was an actual date or not, that hadn’t exactly been established. 

He made it up the front porch and inhaled a deep breath, exhaling it slowly through his nose before he knocked on your front door. When you opened it just a few seconds later, all of the wind had been knocked out of his lungs by an invisible force.

You wore a sky blue sundress with a sweet, white floral pattern printed all over it. Thin straps tied together at your shoulders and the hem of the skirt fell right to the middle of your thighs revealing a lot more of your silky smooth legs than he had ever seen before. You’d kept your makeup fairly light, and your hair fell loosely and naturally around your shoulders. Joel noticed you wearing a silver necklace, a butterfly pendant hanging from the chain. He recognized it, because he’d bought it for you, although it was Sarah who had gotten all the credit. She had given it to you as a gift for your birthday that passed by a few months ago. 

“Hey!” You beamed at him. “You’re right on time.”

“Hey.” Joel swallowed dryly. “You look really beautiful.”

You smiled shyly. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” You returned the compliment, admiring the way the sleeves of his shirt hugged his biceps. “I have to hand it to you, you definitely clean up well, Joel.”

“Next time that you see Sarah, you’d best thank her. She deserves the credit,” he stated, eliciting a small laugh from you. “Are you all ready to go?”

You nodded, grabbing your purse and keys from the small glass table beside the door. You stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind you; after making sure that you’d locked it properly, you followed Joel across your front lawn and over towards his driveway. He led you to the passenger’s side of his dark blue Silverado and opened the door for you, holding his hand out to help you climb up into the seat. The gesture prompted you to shoot him a strange look.

He frowned a little. “What’s the matter?” 

“No, nothing,” You quickly assured him. You placed your hand in his larger one, the contact causing a jolt of electricity to shoot up the length of your spine. 

Joel helped you up into the truck and closed the door before making his way around the front of the vehicle and climbing into the driver’s seat. He shoved the key into the ignition and the pickup roared to life. He watched as you put on your seatbelt and then reached out, giving it a tug to make sure you were buckled in well enough. “Just makin’ sure you’re safe is all,” he uttered softly as you tossed him another puzzled glance. He reached over his shoulder for his own seatbelt and buckled it in before finally pulling out of the driveway. 

Out of his peripheral vision, Joel could see you wringing your hands together in your lap in something of an anxious manner—were you nervous?

In an effort to comfort you and ease the nerves, Joel reached out and turned up the volume of the radio. He normally kept it on his favorite country station and was just about to ask what station you preferred when you let out a tiny, excited gasp and turned to him, a radiant smile breaking out onto your face. 

“Oh, I love this song!” You told him, bringing your hands together in an enthusiastic clap. You then started singing along to the familiar lyrics. “Heads Carolina, tails California, somewhere greener, somewhere warmer, up in the mountains, down by the ocean—”

Joel turned briefly, raising an eyebrow at you. “Nineties country fan, huh?”

“Duh,” You replied playfully. “Nineties were and will probably always be the golden age of country.”

He grinned, turning his attention back onto the road. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Biting back another smile at his words, you turned to look out of the window, nodding your head and tapping your foot along to the beat of the song as you watched the streets of Austin pass by in a blur of lights and people. 

Joel had chosen to take you to Antonio’s, a locally owned Italian place that was somewhere between casual and upscale dining. “Wait,” he told you, noticing you reaching for the door handle as soon as he’d parked in front of the restaurant. He jumped out of the driver’s seat and walked around, opening the door for you. Just like when he’d helped you into the truck back at his house, he offered you a hand to help you out of it. He kept his dark brown eyes on your feet, making sure you that didn’t fall or lose one of the brown sandals you were wearing. “Careful.”

“Thank you,” You said kindly to him as he closed the door behind you. Your breath hitched in your throat when you felt him place his hand on the small of your back as he ushered you inside of the restaurant where a hostess led you to a small, round table out in the back patio. You thanked her and reached for your chair, but Joel instantly stopped you.

“Let me,” he insisted, pulling it out for you. He helped you into the chair and noticed you give him another strange look, similar to the ones you’d given him when he’d helped you into the truck and when he’d checked your seatbelt. “Why do you keep lookin’ at me like that? Do I have somethin’ on my face or what?” He asked jokingly as he took his seat across from you. 

You hesitated, but then confessed, “I’ve never had someone pull my chair out for me. I’ve never had someone open the car door for me or make sure I’m wearing my seatbelt.” You offered him a small, sheepish smile. “You don’t know how nice that is, Joel.”

Joel stared at you in complete disbelief.

Before he could say anything, a younger waitress appeared at the table to take yours and his orders for beverages. “I’ll just have a cabernet, please,” You ordered, politely. Not wanting to be the asshole who ordered a beer at an Italian place, Joel asked her for a glass of red wine too. She returned moments later with the drinks and then offered to take your orders for food. Both you and Joel decided on a chicken penne pasta dish that looked absolutely delicious. As soon as the waitress took your menus and disappeared back inside, you looked up at Joel and noticed his eyes were fixed intently on you. You felt a slight heat flood your face. “What is it?”

“Nothin’,” he answered, shrugging his shoulders innocently. “You just look really beautiful, that’s all.”

“You said that already,” You reminded him, letting out a breathless little laugh.

“I know.” Joel picked up his glass of wine. He took a quick sip before adding, “But someone as pretty as you deserves to hear it over and over again.”

The night went by fast, much too fast.

One minute, you were both enjoying your dinner and digging into delicious pasta, and the next, the table had been cleared completely, and so had all the other tables surrounding you—you two were the very last patrons in the restaurant. You and Joel had been so lost in conversation that neither of you had realized it was almost eleven and the restaurant was about to close in five minutes. 

“We’ve been sitting here talking for three hours,” You gasped lightly.

Joel chuckled. “Time flies when you’re in great company.”

You looked the bill on the table, which the waitress had dropped off over an hour ago, and reached for it, but Joel was quick to snatch it away from you. 

You pinned him with a stern look. “Come on, Joel! You fixed my kitchen sink for free, paying for dinner is the least I could do—”

“A lady never pays on a date.”

Your lips parted slightly in pleasant surprise. “Oh. So this is a date?”

Joel laughed as dug his brown leather wallet out from the pocket of his jeans. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be. But I still ain’t lettin’ you pay.”

“I do.” You told him softly after a minute. “I do want it to be a date,”

Joel’s eyes met yours across the table and he smiled, looking relieved. “Good. ‘Cause I would’ve been kinda crushed if you’d said otherwise.”

He dropped a couple of twenty dollar bills on the table and stood up. He noticed you about to do the same when he shot you a warning glare.

“Oh. Right.” You giggled and waited until he stood up and held his hand out to you, helping you out of your chair.

As the two made your way out of the restaurant and out to his truck, Joel didn’t let your hand go.

“Thank you again for inviting me out to dinner tonight,” You said sweetly as Joel walked you up the porch steps to your front door. You rummaged through your purse and pulled out your house keys, pausing for a brief moment as you peered shyly up at him through your eyelashes. “Would you like to come in for a drink?”

Joel’s heart skipped an anxious, but eager beat. “I think I’d really like that.”

You turned back to your door and your hand trembled slightly as you jammed the key into the keyhole to unlock it and judging by the way Joel let out a soft chuckle beside you, you were certain that he’d noticed it. You pushed the door open, closing it behind you once the two of you had slipped inside. Setting your purse and keys down, you gestured for him to follow you into your living room where you nodded for him to have a seat on the dark blue velvet couch before you walked towards the kitchen. “What’s your poison?” You called out to him over your shoulder as you began rummaging around in your cabinets for two glasses. 

“I’m partial to scotch,” he called back. He then added, “If you’ve got it, of course”

“How do you take it?”

“Neat’s just fine.”

You giggled as you prepared a glass of scotch for him and a glass of red wine for yourself. “Oh you’re just so classy, aren’t you Miller?” Before anything, you did a quick mirror check in the stainless steel toaster on the kitchen counter, making sure that not a single hair was out of place. You then took a deep breath, picked up the glasses, and walked back out into the living room. Handing Joel his glass, you took a seat beside him on the couch; you sat close to him, so close that his arm was pressed against yours. Somehow that wasn’t even remotely close enough. You wanted to be closer and hoped he felt the same. 

“By the way, thank you again for fixing the sink for me,” You told him after taking a sip of your wine. “You probably saved me a couple hundred bucks.”

“Oh, it’s nothin’ really,” Joel reassured you. He nudged your arm. “If you ever need me to take a look at anythin’ around the house, please don’t hesitate to call me. I don’t want you reachin’ out to plumblers and electricians, those crooks will see a sweet little lady like yourself and see nothin’ but fuckin’ dollar signs. I don’t want anyone takin’ advantage of you, so when you’ve got a problem, you call me first alright?”

You gazed down into the burgundy depths of your glass, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “I really appreciate that, Joel.” You brought yourself to look up at him, admitting, “Now that I’m living alone, it worries me. Having to take care of this house all by myself.” 

Joel gripped his glass tightly, a hesitant expression on his face. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

“Of course.”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. And if it offends you in any way, you’re more than welcome to just give me a good kick in the—”

“Joel!” You rolled your eyes, shaking your head at him. “Just ask me the damn question already.”

“What happened between you two?”

The smile on your face faded away, but you didn’t seem upset at him. “Well, what all have you heard?”

Taking a sip of his scotch, Joel shrugged. “Couple of rumors here and there, but I ain’t the type to believe in gossip. Would rather hear the truth from the source.”

“What did Mrs. Adler have to say about it?”

He snorted into his glass. “That you two probably could have saved your marriage had you just gone to church.”

You couldn’t help but laugh—Mrs. Adler was nice enough, but that woman could really be something else. She was always telling people they had to get right with Jesus. 

“So?” Joel prompted you. “What did he do?”

You sighed and turned your body slightly, angling it towards his. “He did quite a bit. Put me through hell, to be honest with you. But you know, I’m not the type to air someone’s dirty laundry. So, I’m not going to tell you what he did.” You paused, your fingers lightly tapping the sides of your glass. “But I’ll tell you what he didn’t do.”

Joel nodded silently, but in understanding.

“He didn’t treat me right. He didn’t treat me the way I deserved. He never wanted to spend time with me. He never wanted to be home with me, which is all I ever wanted from him. He’d travel so much for work, and when he would finally come back after being away, I would be so excited to just be with him.” You scoffed bitterly at the thought of it. “The minute he landed, he would drop his luggage off and head straight to some bar with his buddies. All I’d want is for him to just stay in with me for a night, watch a movie with me, talk with me because I missed him so much while he was gone. But he never chose me. He would never put me first, no matter how many times I asked.” You shrugged and leaned over, setting your glass of wine down on the wooden coffee table before leaning back into the couch. “It probably sounds really stupid but—”

Joel placed a hand on your bare knee, causing your flesh to erupt in goosebumps. “It doesn’t sound stupid at all.”

Finding a bit of courage, you placed your hand on top of his and continued on, “He never made me feel like I was someone worth fighting for, you know? Like my love was something worth fighting for. He made me feel like nothing, Joel. It got to the point where sometimes I believed it—I felt like I was nothing.”

Joel gave your knee a gentle squeeze. “I sure as hell hope you don’t feel that way now,” he said, his lips tugging down into a frown. “Because you’re fuckin’ everythin’.”

Your eyes flickered up to meet his and you had to silently remind yourself to breathe.

Leaning over, Joel set his glass down on the coffee table right beside yours. He turned to you and lifted his hand, touching the side of your face, his thumb delicately sweeping over the silky skin of your cheek. “A woman like you deserves the world and nothin’ less. You know that, don’t you?”

“Joel?” You whispered out his name, your heart racing in your chest at a rate that you were certain had to be much too fast for the human body to withstand. 

“Yeah?”

“Can you please kiss me?”

Joel’s hand cradled your face gingerly as he obliged, leaning in so his lips could meet yours in the kiss that he’s been aching to give you for the last yen years. He was gentle and he was sweet with it, but after a minute, he found himself lightly nipping at your bottom lip with his teeth, silently asking permission for more. He felt your lips part slightly against his and he eagerly deepened the embrace, his hand moving to the back of your head while his other found your bare knee again.

Another wave of courage washed over you and you placed your two hands on his chest, pushing him back against the soft, velvet fabric of your couch. You swung a leg over both of his and straddled his lap, your hands now clutching fistfuls of his shirt. 

Joel’s own hands went to your hips and he groaned into your kiss.

You pulled away from him, the tip of your nose lightly touching his as the two of you struggled to catch a breath.

“Let me be the one to treat you the way you deserve,” he murmured after a minute, lifting one of his hands to brush your hair back behind your shoulder; his fingertips lightly brushed against the strap of your dress, and it took every ounce of strength he had in him not to pull it down your arm. “Just give me the chance and I’ll hang the moon for you, darlin’—hell, for you I’ll hang the entire fuckin’ galaxy.”

Your heart swelling at his words, you grinned just before pressing your mouth to his once again. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Joel chuckled with a smile against your lips.

You clung to him with fervor, kissing him with a passion that had the both of you seeing stars. Your hands were everywhere, touching, feeling anything part of him you could, eliciting another groan from him as you started grinding down into his lap. Your fingers went to the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel more. 

“Whoa, whoa.” Joel caught both your hands in his and let out a breathless laugh. “Hey. Slow down, sweetheart.”

You looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh I’m sorry, I-I thought you wanted—"

“Oh I do want it, trust me. Pretty sure you can feel how much I want it.” Joel chuckled again, knowing damn good and well that you could feel how hard he’d become for you as you sat in his lap. His hands toyed with the hem of your sundress. “Seein’ you in this dress all night, trust me I want nothin’ more than to have you right here, right now. But I like you way too fuckin’ much to risk messin’ this up by movin’ too fast.”

You pouted at him. 

“Oh c’mon darlin’ put that lip away.” Joel lifted his hand, taking your chin between his thumb and index finger. “All I’m sayin’ is that we ain’t gotta rush this. Trust me, you’ve got me hooked already and I don’t plan on goin’ anywhere, alright?”

You almost groaned out in frustration.

He just had to be a fucking gentleman when it came to sex, too.

You sighed in defeat, resting your hands lightly on his chest. “Fine,” You relented with a tiny eye roll, causing him to grin in amusement. You playfully poked his sternum. “But if you don’t fuck me senseless by the third date, we’re going have a problem, Miller.”

Joel groaned, feeling himself grow even harder at the way such a filthy statement had come out of a woman with the face of an angel. “Keep talkin’ like that and you’re goin’ to make it impossible for me to wait that long.”

“Maybe that’s the goal,” You winked at him.

“Just stop talkin’ and c’mere.” He pulled you forward, fusing your mouth to his once again.

[bri-cheeses]

Fall Break — Part 1

Rosekiller microfic | Word count: 643 | Part 1 of 3 | We’re finally back after a very long and much needed break :) | Have Barty and his mom being sweet | Btw this was definitely supposed to be finished last week but (ironically) Thanksgiving got in the way |

-

Barty dropped his bags by the door, kicking his shoes off. It felt good to be back on familiar territory, in this place where he had spent all his Thanksgivings since he was a young child. The floorboards still creaked the same, the door opened with the same amount of slight resistance, and his shoes still slotted easily onto the rack just like they had when he was a kid. For that reason, and perhaps that reason only, he would never not be grateful that his mom had gotten the house in the divorce. Because despite all the subpar memories Barty had in this house, he couldn’t imagine not getting to come back here for fall break.

But even the nostalgia of seeing the old house again paled in comparison to his mother’s beaming face when she rounded the corner to see Barty standing on the welcome mat, still in his coat as she wrapped him in a crushing hug.

“Hey, Mom,” Barty squeaked out. His smile hurt his face, it was so wide.

His mom pulled back, giving him the chance to see her beautiful dimples and shining eyes. “Welcome home, Barty.”

Barty couldn’t say anything for a bit. His throat had closen up, because he still remembered how things had been around this time last year, with his dad fluctuating between icy cold silence and floor-shaking bouts of yelling that had his mom aging another year everyday. To have her looking so young and happy once more was really all that Barty had hoped for when his father had finally moved out, and so he could do nothing but stand there with her like that for a second or two, just soaking up being in each others presence once again.

“Dear me,” his mom exclaimed, interrupting the moment, “I almost forgot that I had hot cocoa on the stove!” She turned before he could get more than a confused noise out of his throat, but she didn’t leave without tangling her hand in Barty’s to pull him down the short hallway and into the kitchen. “Take a seat, take a seat,” she said, making sure he was comfortable before making a beeline for the oven. There, a small metal pot sat, overflowing with dark brown liquid that had clearly been boiling over for some time now. Barty’s laugh bubbled up out of him before he could stop it.

“Oh hush, you,” his mother teased, but there was no heat behind it. “You better be nice to me, or I’m not going to let you have any.”

“You wouldn’t,” Barty responded. His cheeks were beginning to ache from smiling so much, which he really didn’t mind, if he was being honest.

His mom waved a hand at him but didn’t argue, too busy fluttering around the kitchen and pulling out two mugs to pour the hot chocolate in. Barty watched on in amused silence as she tried in vain to not spill anything before eventually giving up and ladling it out into the cups, the cup scraping across the counter as she slid it to him. She chattered away all the while, asking him about everything from how his studies were going to how Regulus was faring in such a different environment compared to his old, private college. Barty responded easily, comfortable from his perch on the counter stool while he filled his mom in on everything new with his life.

Barty had just finished talking about how Regulus seemed to be doing just fine with the adjustment, considering he was now talking to James Potter of all people, and was busy picking up his drink to take another sip (because it was actually quite delicious, despite his earlier misgivings) when she hit him with the real kicker.

“Okay, okay, enough about Regulus’s love life–what about yours?”

Barty almost dropped the mug.

-

(Part 2 is here)

[salemofthe0pera]

you against yourself ; mark lee smau

[viii tequila rose]

mark genuinely thought if God zapped him right then and there he'd be fine with it. after many awkward introductions the group settled into cliques amongst the living room. renjun, winter and hyuck took the couch closer to the wall whilst chenle, jeno and jaemin took the one adjacent to it. jisung took the liberty of the recliner in the corner, stretching out his limbs across the faux leather and loudly claiming his height meant he got a seat to himself. for whatever reason that could correlate...

which left mark with the floor which just so happened to be where y/n had perched herself as she wanted to save all the comfy seats for her guests. mark swallowed thickly, his nerves and saliva chasing down his throat as he stiffly sat a distance away from the girl.

y/n gave him a side glance, confusedly noticing his stiffness. she scooted over, tossing a blanket over the pair and leaned back against the couch. "we had history freshman year together."

"yeah haha, you're right." mark gulped, his voice coming out a shaky squeak.

"and english sophomore year."

there was the kicker. mark squeezed his eyes shut, an embarrassed flush covering his cheeks. he reached behind to scratch his neck and then subconsciously touch his nose.

"your nose seems better, that's good."

mark laughed at her sarcasm, feeling a weight off his shoulders as he turned to look at y/n. "thanks, i'm mark."

"yeah dude, I know." she snickered, shaking his outstretched hand.

her smile was familiar and warm to him. a sense of relief washed over him and they both turned to look at the tv as the movie, that chenle forced everyone to agree on, started playing.

his thoughts wandered as the characters moved across the screen. his junior year had been a blur of homework and music, it seemed like he barely had time for himself anymore. he couldn't remember the last time he'd hung out with friends or relaxed in the slightest. the hobby that used to be an escape had turned into something he wanted to escape from. he sighed softly, zoning back into reality as the climax of the movie began. he stood from his seat, moving to the kitchen to get some water and stretch his legs.

y/n was perched on the counter when he turned the corner, legs tucked underneath her in a criss crossed position. her sweater swallowed her frame as she drank a steaming drink from a halloween snoopy mug.

"you okay?" she asked mark, looking up from her phone.

"umm, yeah im uh im okay." he breathed. "was just gonna get some water."

y/n nodded, opening the cabinet behind her and grabbing him a cup. mark curled his lip up at the batman emblem plastered on the side.

"what? you a superman fan or something?" y/n laughed at his disdain.

"spiderman is more my forte." mark smiled, taking several gulps of water. he polished the glass, going back in for another cup.

y/n laughed softly through her nose, gesturing to his shirt with a quirk of her eyebrow. "yeah I can see that."

mark froze, glancing down at his shirt to see his spiderman graphic tee. he mentally faced palmed, he'd totally forgotten to change out of his shirt before heading over.

"the fit is a tad atrocious." y/n smiled into her mug.

mark laughed, looking at his clothes the back up at her. a big, red spiderman t-shirt hung over his baggy cargo shorts. the blue nike dunks on his feet did not match his red crew socks. he kind of did look a bit ridiculous he thought, like a mess of spray paint graffiti.

"okay okay, maybe I did forget to change but at least my outfit has color. some of us look like an endless void." mark joked, gesturing to the all black ensemble y/n was wearing.

y/n raised an eyebrow, a smile dancing on her lips. she fluttered her black knitted sweater with her free hand. "what's wrong with black?"

mark flushed, scratching his scalp once more, a nervous tic he'd had since middle school. along with picking at his shoelaces and pant hems, hence the frayed ends of all of his pairs of bottoms. "nothing dude, I like it. I think it's cool."

y/n smiled again, content with the response and hopped down from the kitchen counter. "your hair makes up for the atrocious clothing choices so I guess its fine. come on we're gonna miss the ending of the movie."

with that she breezed past him, leaving him to think once more. they'd known of each other for awhile now, mutual friends and shared classes however weren't enough to connect the fully.

he hadn't spoken to her since english, pre-nose break. once sophomore midterm exams ended she didn't really talk to anyone around her anymore. mark had study groups with the grungy girl but he never had the chance to get to know her. suddenly always so closed off and reserved, she only talked to her roommates and occasionally their mutual alumni friend taeyong.

mark placed his cup in the sink, running a hand through his fresh black undercut. she said his hair was cool.

"gi, i swear it wasn't on purpose girl. come over right now!" winter said into her phone as mark circled back to the living room, she flashed a peace sign and duck lips at the boy before talking into her phone again. she hung up on the mystery caller with a kiss before padding back over to the group. they'd finished the movie, now chatting amongst each other.

"the queen giselle is on the way everyone!" winter announced, her sweater paws raised in the air.

chenle perked up from his seat, and by seat he was sprawled across jaemin and jeno's laps. he glared at winter and then huffed dramatically. "oh hell no, she and I have beef."

"yeah, beef because she rightfully slapped you because you said her contour was 'giving tire marks'." y/n hummed, she had taken the open spot on the couch beside renjun.

"okay? so what if it was, she needed to blend it."

y/n rolled her eyes, sipping the last of the contents in her mud before reaching over to give chenle a soft hit on the top of his head. he yelped dramatically, and flopped across an unsuspecting jaemin's lap. he whipped his phone from his pocket, opening his camera and then pointed behind jaemin at the wall.

"yo, jaemin whats over there?"

jaemin's dumbass turns, unsuspecting of the rapture that's about to happen, hears a shutter click! he freezes, slowly turning back around to look at chenle. there's an unmistakable look of utter disbelief and anger in his eyes and then he lunges at chenle.

"oh you bitch!"

a shrill scream erupts from chenle as jaemin tackles him to the ground. chaos and noise bursts from everyone in 9301 as half the group laughed and records and the other, responsible, half attempt to break them apart.

"word star!!!" jisung laughs, recording the pair of boys as they scuffled on the carpet.

y/n has a tight grip on jaemin's shoulders, hugging him form behind. "ill shave you bald if you dont stop!" she threatens.

"do it! it'll take care of the cowlicks!" chenle giggles behind mark earning a slap upside the head from jeno.

a knock on the door interrupts the noise, everyone freezing to stare at the dark, wooden door.

winter hops up to open it, revealing a newly ginger haired giselle holding a bottle of tequila rose in one hand and her duffel bag of a purse in the other. "mother has arrived bebes!"

y/n drops jaemin to the floor, he hits the ground with a thud and a groan as the culprit practically jumped giselle. the ginger squealed, hugging both her friends before ushering herself into the living room.

"I brought tequila rose so we could play a game." she said happily, setting the black bottle down on the coffee table with a giant thud.

renjun gave her a side eye, inspecting the unopened bottle of liquor before nodding in mock approval.

"wait isn't this the shit that tastes like peptobismal." jaemin piped up from his place on the floor.

"no you bitch, it tastes like strawberries and cream." gigi retorted, grabbing 9301's collection of shot glasses from the kitchen.

giiselle was once a tenet of 9301, moving out over the summer to live down the road in a townhouse with her boyfriend and friend karina. jaemin was a fortunate replacement however, y/n always said meeting the man at their old job was a stroke of luck from God Himself.

"tequila rose tastes like my pussy." winter ( attempted more like) whispered to giselle with a stifled laugh. earning a chorus of groans and words of disgust, making winter and giselle laugh harder.

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[9.24] {hey gang I added giselle bc I need mother representation besides renjun, also # plot is forming}

1.4k words

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[kaytheday]

Young and Stupid - Ace and Soda

Young and stupid, but not in the way you might think.

Bright eyes and a closeness that only exists between kids who’ve known each other since birth. Ace’s teeth were shining and Sodapop was laughing that big smile that split half of his face as she climbed up on his back. Ace had never felt more comfortable than when she was next to Sodapop. Not in her Aunt's house and definitely not on the fire escape in that alley she slept in with Steve when things were bad at home.

Sodapop was comfortable. Since they were kids, she had always felt a certain ease with him that nobody else in her life could quite match. It helped that Soda fell in love with her on the spot but that wasn’t all. From the beginning, they could tell each other anything. He let her feel like a girl without making her feel bad about it. He was nothing like anyone she’d ever met.

It was the same for Sodapop. With Ace, everything seemed to be… easier. He could always tell Ace the things that neither of his brothers should hear. She was also one of the only members of the gang who wouldn’t hesitate to give him physical contact if he needed it. Dallas definitely wasn’t like that.

Ace thought they seemed to fit together perfectly. Filling through all the cracks that the other lacked. What was it that her Gram used to say? That their souls must have been made from the same stardust? Or something like that anyway.

It didn’t matter, in that moment, Ace knew that whatever her Gram had said was most certainly true. She and Sodapop were cut from the same cloth. Souls made from the same stardust.

Young and stupid, but not in the way you might think.

There were so many teachers at Will Rogers high school that thought the reason Soda dropped out was because he was stupid. But Ace knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. There was no world where you could convince her that Sodapop was stupid. He had known so many things about her that she hadn't told a soul. He was good that way, picking up on all the little things about people that everyone else seemed to look over.

Ace was eleven when she found out what happened to her dad. He had died, she’d known that much before. What she hadn’t known was that he was strung up from a tree in the Greenwood district after being tortured for hours. The kicker was that he hadn’t done anything. Not really. He had supposedly whistled at a white woman but Ace knew there was no way that was true. Black men in Oklahoma had been killed for far less than that.

It shouldn’t have mattered to her. He had been dead for years but finding out how he had died reopened the wound and made it hurt all the worse.

Sodapop had found her sitting on the porch of her aunt's tiny apartment smoking a cigarette and shaking. He was holding a beat up basketball and two coke bottles, he had likely come over to see if she wanted to go and do something. If it had been any other member of the gang, they would have seen that she was in a bad mood and left. But not Sodapop.

He noticed something was wrong immediately. Sitting down next to her and slinging an arm around her. Instead of asking her what was wrong, or worse, telling her everything would be okay, he just sat with her.

Then she had finally collapsed under the weight of it all and she’d cried. Heavy sobs that left her throat aching and his shirt covered in snot.

Soda never complained though, he hadn’t even tried to understand why she was so upset. Soda never would be able to anyway and he probably knew it. So he just held her and reminded her that he was here and he was never leaving.

Despite how insignificant Soda felt, it was exactly what Ace needed. To be held and told that there was someone in her life who would never leave.

Young and stupid, but not in the way you might think.

Ace can remember the night when Sodapops parents died.

It was nearly two in the morning when she heard the rocks hitting her window. She stepped over Steve and Bales, trying not to wake them as she went to the window to see what the hell was going on.

It was Sodapop throwing them, he looked terrible with a pale face and red rimmed eyes. But despite the fact that he looked like he was about to pass out, he had the energy of a lighting bolt. Quick and sharp with the ability to hurt despite that dangerous beauty.

Before she knew it, Ace was scrambling out the window and down the fire escape. Trying to get to Soda before he did something reckless. There was no doubt that she’d seen him at his worst moments, but nothing like this.

So there she stood in front of him trying to figure out what was wrong.

“It’s nearly two in the mornin’ Sodapop. What’s wrong?” She could have told him he was stupid or reckless for coming to find her at this hour but to be honest, with the state he was in, she was glad Soda had found her instead of being alone.

“You wanna go do something? Get outta here?”

“Soda what’s wrong?” She repeated instead of answering. She knew him better than anyone and nothing about this felt right.

“Nothin’s wrong.” He tried for a smile but it came out pained and watery. “I just need to move. I need to do something.” He shook out his hands and pushed them back into fists.

“Okay.” She said slowly. She could help him… whatever it was. “We can go do something. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Was all he said before they started off.

They walked around the town for hours in the dark. They ended up at a park, both starting on the swings and running all through the playground. Eventually, Ace was left sitting on the ground as she tried to stay awake. Sodapop ran himself ragged on the monkey bars and the slide and then the swings. He was talking, saying everything that he could never tell his brothers and she was listening.

It wasn’t much but it was exactly what he needed. For someone to actually listen to him.

Finally, only when the sun started to come up did she cut him off.

“Soda we gonna keep playing on these monkey bars like we’re six years old or are we gonna go see your brothers?” He gave a sigh and hopped down.

“We may not be six years old anymore Ace, but we’re still young ain’t we?”

Young and stupid, but not in the way you might think.

Greasers from the East side didn’t get to be young and they didn’t get to be stupid but that’s still how people painted them anyway.

Painted as young juvenile delinquents even though Ace and Soda both grew up way before their time.

Ace’s parents both died before she turned ten. She was shuffled around various homes and she quickly grew accustomed to taking care of herself. Even though she had an older brother who would do anything for her, it wasn’t quite the same thing as having a mother. She was the one that had to learn how to be a girl and she wasn’t even good at that.

Sodapop’s parents died when he was sixteen. Suddenly he had to step up and help Darry with the bills and help keep Ponyboy out of his own head. He had to be an adult at sixteen and on top of that he had to push down all that grief and keep going.

Greasers didn’t get to be young and Ace and Sodapop were no exception. They both grew up well before other kids their own age. They were forced to take care of themselves while every adult in both of their lives failed them in some way.

Greasers were painted as stupid criminals with minds full of bricks even though Soda and Ace both had to be smart to survive.

Ace had become an expert at disguising herself. She had to be. Boyish clothes, unkempt hair, and a bad attitude became her best defense against the prying eyes of men. Expertly, knowing how to keep wandering eyes and unfriendly hands away from her took skills and smarts that a less intelligent person wouldn’t have been capable of. Ace had been doing this since she was born, it was her only defense and it required her to be smart.

Though many teachers would disagree, Sodapop was not stupid. He could read people easier than any book and always knew exactly what they needed. You have to be smart to keep your family together and play both sides of the same coin with your brothers. But you have to be even smarter to understand how to deal with the feelings of Steve Randle.

Greasers didn’t get to be stupid and Ace and Sodapop were no exception. Not when you have to protect yourself from the dangers of Tulsa and not when you have to keep your family together.

Young and stupid, but not in the way you might think.

That night both of them were young and stupid. They really were the only ones who could fix things for each other. Smiling as they pushed all the cares of the world into the deep recesses of their mind and just enjoyed each other. Like two matches. Like twin flames. Like two stars in the sky. As close as family. Blood mingled together as the world crashed down beneath them. Closer than family.

In the end, all they have is each other. Greasers stick together and Sodapop and Ace are no exception. They may be young and stupid but as long as they have each other, they’ll come out okay.

A03 Link

[serxinns]

Sweat treats~ Chap 2

Tw: Blood and death!

Yandere Bnha ships x undercover hero reader

Once you reach your house close and lock the door, you quickly put on your undercover Hero suit with most importantly your hero mask "Xin I'll be back sweetie!" Xin mewed and went back to sleep you grabbed your suitcase and went out of the house you pressed a button and a few seconds later it became a motorcycle you hopped on it and drove to your boss agency

"Ah there you are birdie~," Keigo said as he smirked keigo was your agent partner and boss he was in charge of striking down and killing villains and you were either the backup up or his getaway driver they walked you in the meeting room where ziki kicker and, Maharu was in "alright since everyone is here.." he drops the documents papers for everyone in the room "There's a villain planning to steal a valuable and powerful jewelry kept safe in the safe kitkari, you, and maharu find the bombs and remove them carefully while me birdie and buns (aka Mirko) will take care of her ourselves which means y/n and maharu will pretend that they're partners" you all agreed with his plan and head out with your spy car "Oh and make sure you dress up nicely and use your fake identit s and disguise make sure theyre not real " Mirko stated "hm I wonder why do we?

Time skip cause I'm lazy

Once they made it to the ball 2 large men were guarding the door "Name and partner name?" The men said pulling out their hands for any type of ID "I'm Marshall Rover this is my lovely wife Sasha Willwood " "ok get in next " "Zachary west and my lovely wife Mary~" Ziki tried fake flirting with Kitkari (aka mary) wich Mary pretended to be flustered "ok get in" you and Mahara looked at each other and nodded "State your name?" "Um I'm f/n (fake name) and this is my husband uh..moose?" Marharu and the others stared at you Keigo and Kitari tried not to laugh while Ziki and Miriko rolled their eyes the guard eyed at the both of you while you smiled at them trying to keep their cool "yea your on the list get in" you sighed in relief and walked pass the large fancy doors

and you were amazed when you saw how well done it was it felt like you were a background character in Cinderella "Well damn no wonder, why ms Miriko told me to dress nice this place is beautiful" You stared in wonder head turning at each angel to feast upon the view like a child 1st discovering candy stores unaware that hawks were chuckling at your reaction "gotta pay attention birdie don't wanna miss our target~" you snapped out your daze "Oh! Im so sorry I'll do better next time my mistake mr hawks" you made a small bow to him while Ziki snickered at you and he chuckled "That's all right now let's focus"

"Good luck!" Kitkari winked at you while she and Ziki ran off with their gear they sped away the 4 of you spread out by slow dancing to spot the red-haired woman, "look!" Marharu whispered pointing at the small crown near the food table you see the red-haired woman, the woman's name was Diana famous for stealing valuable things and has been on the run for 4 years now nobody ever caught her because of her quirk camouflage and another quirk called lava, "Mr ha- I mean Keigo I see her.." you whispered making sure nobody heard you "let ziki and kari know and I'll grab the attention of everyone in the party for a while you finished the job" suddenly Keigo went on stage and choose some music while miriko played piano with him

Your eyes sparkled at how smooth your boss's voice was and how Mirko was amazing at playing the piano and also singing with him heck you were almost distracted keigo spotted you and gave you a wink and a charming smile which made you blush while Mirko gave you a seductive wink and blow a kiss you blushed and looked away in embarrassment, Maharu changed his finger to the tip of a sniper while you had a gun in your pocket (his quirk is a firearm which allows him to form limbs as any gun his drawback is running out of bullets and losing energy) "ziki when I tell you now you turn off the lights" "on it"

3

Maharu got his aim and shot ready

2

Keigo and miriko was getting ready to fight in case they missed

1

"NOW!" You turned off the lights and heard bullets flying and people screaming and running away "Did...you get it?" You turned on the light and saw people screaming seeing the redhead on the floor blood streaming down her head everyone was running in different directions "IT THEM!!" The 2 men said pointing at the 4 of you joining them were like 100 guards guns locked and loaded "...RUN!" The 4 of you dashed off going up the stairs and down the hall "KARI ZIKI GET THE CAR READY're going TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF "

Miriko was jumping back and forth throwing punches and kicks h at the guards but there were too many and had pretty strong quirks the 4 of you made it to the roof Mirko used her leg to knock off a piece of a metal pipe and tied it around the door to block it off while you used for your quirk to try and block off the exit making them harder to get to you, "cmon cmon cmon!"m

Your mind was running wild screaming even though the doors were about to open at any minute nails and bolts falling apart while the door kept staying strong shaking back and forth "We have no choice just jump!!" The 4 of you jumped as far as you could just when the guards finally busted down the door a red sports car drove underneath the 4 of you crashing you and their fall and quickly driving away quickly.

After everyone got dropped off at their designed area with a bunch of goodbyes and teasing you were the last to drop off "Good job on today's mission Birdy did amazing today~" "yea honey bun you did amazing today!" You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly "Eh it wasn't that good the two of you were amazing, especially your singing and piano playing!" They both chuckled at your praise "well have a goodnight!" The two of them watched as You rushed off into your "house "you know baby our little employee there is kinda cute i wonder are they single?" "Patience love Patience let's get to know them 1st before we ravaged them" he playfully glared at her whole they sped off into the night

Time skip to the next day

You arrived at the lovely day at the cafe maharu was a bit cranky while ziki was being a little shit as usually "Hey y/n ready to start the day?!" "Yes and you better not steal any of the expired treats KARI" she giggled while you playfully put of the middle finger at her you heard the bell behind you and immediately turned around giving them your biggest smile "hello my name is y/n and welcome to the cafe!"

Y/n!! Y/n!!

You looked up to see a familiar green hero suit freckled and green messy hair, brown eyes and pink cheeks with slightly longer hair

"Iuzku!? Ochaco!?"

[mal-urameshi]

Hearts Under Pressure

A/N: Hey hey everyone! So in my dusty Asks, I remember I had asked about what trope you wanted and a good few of you mentioned Academic Rivals/Enemies to lovers! Now here's the kicker. I distinctly remember, IIRC, @roseamongroses put in a detailed request, however, tumblr at the time deleted it? Because I never touched it. But it had been on my mind ever since and I was like yo! When I have time I must make it a reality! So in my comeback, I'm doing my best to give you guys some decent literature while dusting off my rust! Let's goo!

Pushing, shoving, crowding, loud murmurs and squeaking of shoes against tile and or hard-wood floors. All tell-tale signs of students who are eager, desperate, essentially feral to find out about their academic standing.

Sighs of relief, woeful groans and the occasional hiccup leading to wails of horror wafted through Shuri's ears.

This was not new to her, nor did the reactions of her colleagues phase her. Shuri staggered forward as another worried student fought and shoved their way to the front of the crowd in hopes to find their name at a decent rank.

Shuri had no need to fight her way to the front row, however. Her eyes automatically zoned in on the name at the top of the list.

'Shuri Udaku.' stared back at her in bold font.

That was all she needed to know. Turning away, she manoeuvred herself out of the classroom and headed down the hallway. And just like that the first semester of her second year had concluded.

The courses weren't particularly hard, yet her colleagues never posed much of a challenge to her. Their efforts were decent at best, but they were a far cry from being able to intellectually stimulate her.

For the entirety of her academic tenure thus far, she topped every class she'd been in. The lecturers praised her and certain students envied her performance. That was to be expected.

Don't get her wrong, she wasn't bragging or being boastful, nothing of the sort. She was simply unmatched.

Glancing at her watch, she decided to go get something to eat to kick off her week-long break.

Monday came quickly which meant classes had resumed. Shuri adjusted her shades as she walked through campus. Her first class was in the next five minutes so she hurried along the parking lot.

The revving of an engine caught her ears, and right as she turned around her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.

Luckily, the car braked in the nick of time, else she would have been road kill.

The driver's side of the car opened and a short girl with cornrows stepped out, "Yo! I'm so sorry! I coulda killed you just now. Thank God I didn't, right?" The girl tried to laugh it off, "I thought I fixed the braking issue but I should take a look at it later."

Shuri took a step back from the...she gave the car a once over. It was a red Ford Mustang. It looked to be in great condition. Save for the questionable mechanics.

"I'm just grateful you didn't kill me. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a class to get to and I'd hate to be late." And with that, Shuri turned on her heel and walked off to class.

Not before looking back at the girl one last time. She was cute.

It seemed Bast herself was looking out for Shuri as she somehow made it to class with time to spare. She took out her notebook and began scribbling some notes as the teacher broke down the syllabus for the semester.

Twenty minutes later the door to the classroom opened, drawing the attention of the class.

"Sorry Teach! I was looking for a parking space but I couldn't find one. I had to improvise."

Shuri recognized the girl as her almost-murderer from earlier.

"I don't need excuses. Just find a seat so I may continue with my class."

The girl nodded and looked for the closest vacant seat. Once seeing one she made her way to it. In her short trek, she recognized Shuri and waved to her before she sat down.

Shuri gave the lecturer her utmost attention after that and once it was time to leave she packed up her things and began her departure. However, something, or rather someone still seated at one of the desks caught her eye. It was the girl who almost killed her from this morning.

She was fast asleep. Was she even paying attention after she came in? She'll miss her next class if she kept that up. Not that it was any of Shuri's business how this girl chose to spend her time.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Shuri poked the girl which caused her to rouse.

"Class is over. You should vacate the room. Unless you have another class scheduled here?"

The girl sharply inhaled and rubbed her eyes, "Oh shit. I didn't realize I knocked out. That lecturer was so boring, talking in Times New Roman font and all that." She chuckled to herself.

Shuri didn't humor her with a laugh. Clearly she doesn't have her priorities in check if she willfully fell asleep in classes as she does.

Having enough chit-chat, Shuri walked out of the room and headed to her next class, but she heard hurried footsteps following behind her.

"My name is Riri by the way! And sorry again about this morning. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Shuri looked down at the girl, "No. I'm not dead, so we can put that whole thing behind us."

"Oh, okay. By the way, I like your accent, where is it from?"

"I'm from Wakanda." Shuri simply stated.

"That's cool! But I still feel bad about this morning. Here's what, if you have trouble with any of your school work, I can tutor you, no charge."

Shuri nearly faltered at the proposition and couldn't help the smirk that formed on her face.

'She wants to tutor me? Someone who is unable to stay conscious during a class session.'

What a laughable proposition.

"I have not seen you here before. Are you new?"

Riri haughtily rubbed her pointer finger under her nose, "Yea. I just transferred here on scholarship."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks!"

Shuri stopped at the door to her next class, "This is where we part ways. I'll see you around."

"What a coincidence!" Riri pointed at the door, "This is where my next class is!"

Shuri pushed open the door, "After you."

Riri found herself a seat and Shuri opted to find one higher up the rows. She preferred a more secluded space for optimal performance.

However, as class went on, she couldn't help but stare at Riri during the duration of the class.

She didn't take notes, she looked bored and at times she had her head on the desk, which gave the impression that she was sleeping.

Was Riri just here for attendance?

It's such a shame that a scholarship was wasted on her. Granted, she didn't know her that long but just off her disposition in class, Shuri had all she needed to know about the girl.

As the weeks progressed Riri made quite the name for herself. One, she was quite loud and rowdy. Getting into it with entitled white boys. Something about them not paying their dues.

Shuri was fairly certain it was perhaps an issue with scamming. As far as she knew, Riri charges for doing other people's assignments. But as far as she's observed the girl learns nothing in class. Having not seen her take a single note since she came here.

Hm. Well, she doesn't have to be good at the work if you think about it. She is charging them to do the assignment, it doesn't have to be correct. Shuri respected the hustle. Taking advantage of lazy students to make ends meet is one way to do things.

Hopefully Riri knew what she was doing. She had everything to lose with that scholarship and everything.

Not that Shuri particularly cared. Exams will chew the poor girl up and spit her out in due time.

Midterms rolled around soon enough and a tale as old as time, Shuri was ready for them. It just so happened that Riri and her shared almost every class she was enrolled in this semester. So they saw each other quite frequently but with very little interaction.

It wasn't that Shuri was avoiding the girl but they definitely wouldn't have anything in common so it made no sense trying to interact further. Saving herself the trouble made the most logical sense.

To Shuri's surprise, though it shouldn't, Riri was the first person to leave the room after submitting her paper. That was to be expected of someone who barely paid attention in class. She gave a mental clap for her not staying and wasting her time.

It went on like that for the rest of exams as well. Within the first hour or less, she was the first out of the room. Pity.

And yet, Riri didn't look like she had a care in the world. She joked around and carried herself with that same laid-back air about herself.

It befuddled Shuri, but as the Americans say, if Riri liked it, then she loved it.

The next week rolled around as results were finally posted from midterms.

Pushing, shoving, crowding,loud murmurs and squeaking of shoes against tile and or hard-wood floors. All tell-tale signs of students who are eager, desperate, essentially feral to find out about their academic standing.

Sighs of relief, woeful groans and the occasional hiccup leading to wails of horror wafted through Shuri's ears.

This was not new to her, nor did the reactions of her colleagues phase her. Shuri staggered sideways as a worried student fought and shoved their way to the front of the crowd in hopes of finding their name at a decent rank.

Shuri had no need to fight her way to the front row, however. Her eyes automatically zoned in on the name at the top of the list.

However, her mouth hung in shock at the name in bold font.

'Riri Williams.'

Her eyes dropped to the second rank where her name was placed, 'Shuri Udaku.'

"Impossible." Shuri licked her lips in disbelief.

"Holy crap! I'm number one here too! That's 5 outta 7. " Someone said beside her.

Shuri looked to her side and regarded Riri who had a satisfied smirk on her face.

"You were this close, huh?" She looked up at Shuri, "You're a decent rival."

Shuri's eyebrow twitched behind her shades.

This...this girl who never pays attention in class, who blusters and boasts around campus like she owns the place. Never takes notes. She bested her in academics.

Clearly the lecturers were off mentally because there was no way she topped her 5 out of 7 times.

Shuri shoved her hands into the pockets of her tracksuit and walked out of the classroom. Much to her surprise and slight annoyance, Riri was by her side.

"Bet you wished you took me up on my offer in tutoring you now." Riri boasted.

Shuri scoffed, "I don't need help with tutoring."

"Says the girl that's second to me." Riri sing-songed.

Shuri stopped and turned to Riri. She raised her sunglasses to look at her properly, "I suggest you don't get too comfortable. Luck was at your side this time around."

She didn't know why she was so agitated. Yes, actually she did know. It was because Riri beat her.

"Nah, I don't believe in luck." Riri crossed her arms, "It's all skill and brains. My offer still stands, I'll tutor you free of charge. My dorm's always open."

Shuri gave her a once over before replacing her sunglasses, "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

She has an attitude, beauty and brains. A trifecta.

Riri shrugged, not trusting herself to answer.

A few days later, after their papers were returned, Shuri sought Riri out. Luckily it didn't take long as she was munching on a sandwich under a tree.

"I want to compare grades." Shuri demanded as she plopped herself down opposite Riri.

"Well hello to you too." Riri eyed Shuri.

"Yes hello, now let me see your papers. Quickly."

Riri rolled her eyes but did as was told. Shuri removed her shades and went over each question. Her frown deepened with each paper she compared.

Riri bested her by varying percentages. Ranging between two or point five.

Shuri threw the papers on the grass and rubbed her forehead, "And here I was thinking you were an idiot and would eventually drop out."

"Excuse me?" Riri narrowed her eyes. She really didn't want to get into it with this girl.

"I want to extend my deepest apologies for judging a book by its cover. Because you never showed an interest in class up until this point, I was under the impression you would have flunked out. But your grades say otherwise."

"Uh. Thanks. It's light work for a genius, you know?"

"So I assume you knew all the material before hand?"

Riri nodded, "Yea, I went over the syllabus before each class and brushed up on what I needed to know and just show up for attendance. It's not that hard."

"At least I was right about one thing." She stretched herself out on the grass and cradled her head in her palm.

"Don't get comfortable though. That was only a one-time thing. I had gotten complacent is all."

"If you hadn't gotten complacent then you wouldn't be so tight about me pulling the rug out from under you. That sounds like a you problem."

Shuri exhaled through her nose. She was right. She shouldn't take out her frustrations on her. Clearly she was intelligent. Riri had more depth to her than Shuri gave her credit for, so it was indeed a 'her' problem.

"You look good without your shades. I mean you look good with them on too, it's just that you look better with them off."

Shuri laughed, "Thank you. I love your straightbacks."

"Thanks." She took a bite out of her sandwich, "You know I assumed you had social anxiety or something."

"Why is that?"

"You always sat to the back of the class and with your shades on too so I assumed you don't like to make eye contact. And you don't talk to anyone. Only time you did was when I initiated a conversation with you."

Shuri nodded, "I get why you may assume that. I just tend to be in my own world and nobody approaches me. I've been told I am intimidating and that I stare a lot so I wear my shades. But it's mostly because I think I look cool with them on. Don't you think? I look mysterious and all that."

Riri braced herself against the tree and wheezed in laughter, "Because you look mysterious?!"

"And cool." She clicked her tongue, winked and waved finger guns.

"You're corny as hell, Shuri."

Shuri's mouth gaped while holding a hand over her chest, "I am not!"

Riri smiled and shrugged as Shuri gathered the papers and neated them.

"Well, I'm glad you came along, you'll make things more interesting for me, seeing that I met my match and all."

Riri gave Shuri a look, "Are we still talking about academics here?"

Shuri smoothed a hand over her undercut in contemplation, "Do you want me to be talking about something else?"

"If you wanna say something, you should say it with your chest. I don't care for beating around the bush." Riri said matter-of factly.

"Okay. Seeing that I clearly don't need your tutoring I'd like an alternative offer in you making it up to me. Since my family could have been mourning my death and all that."

"Go on." Riri encouraged.

"We should go out on a date together." Shuri looked at Riri and waited on her reaction.

"Okay, sure. We can do that." RIri grinned.

Shuri fist pumped in glee, "Good how's tomorrow after our last class?"

"Sounds good."

[typicalopposite]

Is it too early to talk about Christmas?? As a mother I’d say YES! Keep that money hungry stress filled holiday away! As a fic writer ���� hehehe welllll imagine with me… if you will…

Tommy, who has never cared much for the holidays… He didn’t have the best home life, his adult life was filled with hiding and lying about himself and sadness… and loneliness… until Evan, of course.

Evan who loves the holidays! Evan, who convinced him to do a couples costume for Halloween. Evan, who convinced Tommy to host thanksgiving at his house, so he could get to make the bird this year. He’s never had a big enough place to host… and yeah they aren’t living together, but like Tommy could say no to that face (we know that face).

Evan who has been Holly jolly mistletoe and reindeer since Black Friday (honestly since the Christmas decor hit the shelves it just came out in full force after thanksgiving)

And Tommy tried to keep up. Truly… he did. He tried to slap on the best smile and be cheery and merry and have the holiday spirit. It’s not like he’s the grinch… or Scrooge… he just… He doesn’t get it.

And Evan picks up on it so quick… Tommy feels terrible! He stops requesting holiday movies, or activities... but the kicker is when Tommy finds out about the 118 toy drive through Lucy who is helping out at the sister station.

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me about this?” He asks.

Evan’s face goes red and he bites his lip. “Well— I know it’s not really your thing… Christmas, I mean… and I get that, I swear I do. I just didn’t— I knew you would come if I asked… and I didn’t want to pressure you…”

Tommy melts. Absolutely melts. He pulls Evan into his arms and kisses him. “What time should I be there?”

And when he arrives and they come to him in need of a Santa — Evan was the original choice but he is currently occupied with activities. Apparently the Christmas spirit finds (and possesses) him because he agrees. Which is where Evan finds him shortly after. Jee clinging giddily to his hand. His eyes light up when he meets Tommy’s — who is doing his best to make the impression believable. The kids are buying it— well most of them.

“Hey Tommy!” Jee says as she climbs up onto his knee.

“Uh— oh no, little girl, I’m not Tommy,” he says, and has to bite his jaws to stop from joining in Evan’s laughter.

Jee tilts her head, confused. “But you look like Tommy,” she says.

“You know what… come to think of it, I actually have got that a lot…” he says and adds in a, “Hohoho…” laugh that has Evan covering his mouth with his hand to muffle a snort.

Jee goes on to tell him what she wants for Christmas and he spends about an hour talking with other children; all the while he keeps catching Evan staring at him with this awestruck look. He actually has a really good time that day… catches Evan under the mistletoe every chance he gets… and it doesn’t automatically make Tommy love Christmas. But he is 100% sure he loves Evan… and if that means dipping his toes in new things he didn’t care for before he’s willing to do so.

[nonnienonnon00]

Maya and Carina Season 7

So here's what I think would be a great a Season 7 kicker for our fave wives to finally start a family. Its just a thought.

Opening scene

Skyline of Seattle - we zone in on Maya and Carina's apartment. Maya is trying to leave for her shift - but Carina keeps blocking her from going.

Carina, holds onto Maya's hips and kisses her neck,

"Bambina, I have the day off - I think that should mean that YOU should take a day off with me." She kisses Maya's lips, deepening the kiss - smiling as she then moves to kiss Maya's face.

Maya is defenseless and quite frankly is considering staying at home with her wife,

"Babe, you know I want to but I gotta go." She looks deep into Carina's eyes and just marvels at this beautiful woman she gets to call her wife.

"Hmmm, you are something else Dr Deluca."

Carina gazes into Maya's eyes and just sighs. She's never felt a love like this before - its so big in her chest - almost tangible - she can feel it, taste it on her tongue.

"Ok ok, if you must. But just know I'm going to be alone in this apartment all day, doing God knows what to keep me entertained." Carina smirked.

Maya knew exactly what that meant,

"Oh you are mean. Now I'm going to be picturing you doing THAT all day."

Carina laughs a little at her wife,

"Good! That's what I want you to do. Ok go before I decide to tie you down to the bed and have my way with you."

Maya's eyes bug out at just the thought,

"Carina! Ok I'm leaving! I love you so much." She kisses Carina again and walks out of the apartment.

Carina, sits down at their dining table and smiles to herself. The past few months they really took time to get reacquainted and focused on building their foundation. Now everything feels stronger between the both of them and Carina knows that Maya feels the same way.

Just then Carina gets a phone call from a clinic downtown. Confused she answers,

"Hello."

"Hi, I'm looking for Andrea Deluca. We've tried his contact number for a while but it seems to be inactive. We do have a Carina Deluca here on file as his next of kin."

Carina's heart breaks abit at the thought of her brother. Its been a few years since he died but the sting of just hearing his name is just as strong as it was in those beginning stages of losing him.

"Hi, yes this is Carina Deluca. Andrea is my brother, he passed away a few years ago."

Carina closes her eyes as the pain seeps in - just a few moments ago she was about to devour her wife in their hallway and now here she is about to speak about her dead brother.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. We were not notified of this so he is still on file her at the clinic."

Carina's brow furrowed,

"What is this about? Why are you looking for my brother?"

The lady on the phone clears her throat,

"Mam, this is Seattle Sperm Bank: Sperm Bank & Cryobank. We have your brothers specimen here and we were just calling to let him know that we are moving offices. We've been contacting our patients to let them know all month. Your brother was the last on our list."

Carina froze. Sperm bank? Why did he go to a sperm bank?

"Mam, we can arrange for his specimen to be destroyed if you would like."

Carina immediately blurted out,

"NO! I mean, no. Please don't do that. I will come down to your offices today to discuss. I'll be there in 30 minutes."

"Sure not a problem at all. We will see you then."

The amount of questions that passed through Carina's mind as he moved around the apartment to get ready were crazy.

What did this mean?

Was he ok?

Would we want to destroy it?

Maybe this is how it was always supposed to be?

Would we even be able to take it?

What about Maya? What would she think? Would she say no?

______________________________________________________________

Scene cut to end of the day, Maya is heading home from her shift with a huge smile on her face. They tackled a crazy warehouse fire but managed to make it out unscathed. Andy was a great captain. She always knew she would be. But for now all Maya could think about was her wife. She desperately wanted to see her.

She walked into the apartment and settled down her backpack. It was unusually quiet. Rounding the corner, she found Carina sitting on the couch with a piece of paper in her hand.

"Carina, are you ok?"

Carina looks up at her wife with tears in her eyes. She hands the paper over. Maya reads it slowly,

"I don't understand. How did you get this?"

A tear streams down Carina's cheek,

"The clinic randomly called me today. Andrea put me down as his next of kin. They obviously couldnt get ahold of him."

Maya speaks under her breath,

"He went to a sperm bank? Why would he do that?"

Carina takes a breath,

"He did it when he went on meds for his condition. When he was manic and got diagnosed. It is quite common that it can effect your reproductive system so I guess he wanted to be careful. He always wanted to have a family." She smiled at herself.

Maya knew she needed tread carefully,

"This document says that its been transferred to you?"

Carina looks at Maya,

"I couldn't let them destroy it Maya. Andrea put me down as his next of kin but also as his proxy should anything happen to him I would have control on his profile with this clinic."

Maya nodded along and stared at the page,

"Babe, look at me. What are you thinking?"

Carina took a deep breath,

"I know this may not be ideal but we could never decide on a donor and then things with Jack didnt work out - which honestly I am kinda happy about. This just feels like a blessing but I dont want to do anything that you dont want - especially after everything we went through last year. I want us to make a family and be happy. But most importantly I want us to do this together."

Maya reached for Carina's hand, taking a deep breath and said,

"OK so hypothetically what would this look like? How would we do this?"

Carina picked up her wife's hand and kissed her fingers,

"Well, I guess it would be your egg with Andrea's sperm and I would carry. So in a way we would make an actual DeLuca-Bishop baby. And honestly just the thought of carrying your baby makes little butterflies in my tummy." Carina looked and Maya with so much hope in her eyes.

Maya also felt the butterflies at the thought of Carina doing this but before she they went any further she knew she needed to lay down some rules.

"So if we do this, I need to say a few things and I hope you won't get upset or offended. Can I do that?"

Carina nodded with that hope bubbling in her heart.

"I need to know that if we do this, have our baby like this that it won't be some sort of replacement for Andrew. I just want our baby to have their own life and not have this huge thing hanging over them cos of what happened to your brother. Please don't hate me for saying this."

Maya could feel the worry rising in her chest. Carina reached over and cradled her cheek,

" Bambina, I could never hate you for saying that. I love how much you want to protect our baby. But I want you to know that I would never allow that to happen. Our baby will never live in the shadow of my brother."

Maya smiled at Carina and pulled her against her body. Carina tucker her face into her wife's neck and took in a deep breath. The scent of Mayas perfume always managed to calm her down when her mind started racing.

Maya kissed Carina's forehead and hugged her body to her own on their couch. She knew that Carina must've been through a rollercoaster of emotions that day.

Taking a deep breath Maya said,

"Let's do this. Let's make a baby this way. A real DeLuca-Bishop."

Carina looked up at her wife and smiled so wide her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest.

Before she could lean in and kiss her wife, Maya smiled saying,

"Your gona have my baby."

Carina felt those butterflies again,

"Our baby".

[olsenmyolsen]

Lots of Love

master list

dark master list

Post AoU (WandaNat)

Word Count: 2.9K

TW: Mentions of Hydra, Ultron, Pietro Death

It has been four months since Pietro Maximoff was killed by Ultron.

In those months, no one had grieved more than his sister, Wanda Maximoff.

Between leaving the only home she'd ever known in the worst state it had ever been in—the culture shock of America. Testing, training, and above all else, trying to live free once again... it hasn't exactly been easy for the young woman.

Sure, the team, The Avengers, have tried to be there for Wanda. Steve acting as a mentor and trainer for her abilities. Sam there for a good laugh when he wasn't tracking down leads for Steve's missing friend. Clint becoming somewhat of an Uncle with trips to the farm to see little fat Nathaniel and is always there to help with any questions regarding her newfound home.

For instance, a few weeks after Clint got Wanda her first-ever phone, she was confused by words and phrases being thrown at her.

"Clint." Wanda, with her accent still heavy, approached the man who had an arm around his wife as the two sat in the living room watching some reality trash. Wanda secretly stayed up late and watched the night before. "Sam texted the chat and said, lol,what does this mean?"

"It means lots of love," Clint responded without a second thought, earning a slap on the arm from Laura. "Not it doesn't." "Yes, it does." He countered. "Wanda." Laura sat up. "It used to mean lots of love. But everyone uses it to mean laugh out loud nowadays."

While Laura's explanation correct. It confused the witch even more. She looked at her phone and back to Laura. "So when I wrote, Sam Clint mentioned he was going to work on the house today and show me how to tend the horses, but all he's done is sit on the couch for the last two hours. Is this normal? He thought I was joking?" Wanda states, deeply unaware of how insulting the text sounded to none other than Clint's one good ear.

However, Laura laughs hard as Wanda stands beside the couch with an awkward feeling around her.

Clint musters up the strength within him to let Wanda know that, yes, Sam thought she was joking and that maybe she doesn't have to be Avengers-level observant when on the farm.

"Anyways, Birdman clearly doesn't understand the amount of work I do, but he will during training on Monday." Clint winks at Wanda, who shrugs. "I guess." Wanda still a little lost answers, honestly.

"Here, why don't you come sit, and I'll get started on those chores." Clint has Wanda take his place while Laura gets ready to start lunch. "You okay, though, right?" The guy with the weapon choice of two strings and stick asks, earning a nod from Wanda.

Truth be told, Wanda was doing better today. She just kept getting lost in her thoughts. She was excited to be an Avenger. To help others. Fight for the greater good. Save people from a cold, abused life she had while with Hydra. But training was exhausting. Especially when her powers grew more and more each day, that just meant pushing herself further and further.

Sometimes it worked. Like when she could lift and move Steve several feet in the air.

But there were still setbacks. And those hurt Wanda. It made her feel small, like no one would trust her if she accidentally threw Vision just a little too hard into a stack of mats one more time.

Thankfully, Vision has an indestructible head.

But you see what I mean? These last four months haven't exactly been easy for the young woman.

"You start with Romanoff this week, right?" Laura asks as she enters the room again.

There was the last little kicker—the Black Widow.

Ever since the red jacket incident, the only women on the team haven't said, well.. anything to each other. But the two women knew why. Natasha intimidated the younger woman, while Wanda's powers frightened and angered Natasha.

Years of trauma and memories were pulled back to the front of Natasha's mind in a snap, and it destroyed her. Days after the fall of Sokovia. No one saw Natasha.

Days turned into two weeks before Steve was surprised to find her alone in the vast training room before sunrise. Knuckles and feet bloodied. However, she still didn't talk. And when she did, it was in Russian. Something the old man didn't know.

The only person on the team to know Russian. To be able to communicate with Natasha was playing host to the enemy from three weeks prior.

And then the witch was back in the compound. Everyone greeted her. Except one. Everyone showed her around. Except one. Everyone apologized and tried to make conversation about the rise and fall of Ultron. Except two. Tony and Natasha. But Stark is a story for a different day.

So those weeks turned into months, and Wanda and Natasha could be in the same room, but whenever the younger one opened her mouth, the older one would leave, not without a glare or longing stare of curiosity. Those became normal.

So when the question was asked. "You start with Romanoff this week, right?" Wanda started praying to everyone and anything that Natasha Romanoff wouldn't kill her.

_

Wanda and Clint step into the smaller gym reserved for Wanda's training. "Don't sweat it. I talked to her." Clint tried to reassure the enhanced individual, but what he says does the opposite. "Thanks, Clint." She manages to reply through a panic hidden beneath her smile. "Should I warm up-"

"You're late!" The booming voice of Natasha scares Wanda and Clint. "In the future, Clint, if I say I want Wanda here at 7, what time do you think I mean?" Clint rubs the back of his neck, realizing his fuck up. "6:30." Wanda gives Clint a crazy look as he hides his face. "So she's late," Natasha emphasizes. "You can go."

"But I thought I would..." His voice trails off as Natasha raises her eyebrow. She's in a mood already, and Clint doesn't want to end up on the inside of a punching bag. Again. "Good luck, kid. I'll see you later." Clint frantically leaves Wanda without any protection.

"Alright. Stretch. Let's go." Natasha doesn't give Wanda any time before she's already in the middle of the floor doing a pose Wanda has never seen before.

Wanda tried her best to follow suit, but she can't bend like Natasha can. Natasha knows this, too. For the last month since Natasha got the word she'd be training Maximoff, she started doing expert-level training poses three times a day. Even on the days when she was busy, she would find a way to excuse herself to train.

So, as Nat does her moves flawlessly, Wanda falters at every step. Making a smile crack onto the Russians' face. So the little witch needs more help than she thought. Excellent.

"Am I really going to be a pretzel when I'm doing stealth missions, or is this just to punish me?" Wanda complained 45 minutes after Clint left. "It's not called the pretzel." Natasha quickly warns, making Wanda roll her eyes. "Doing stretches like this will make you more nimble." Natasha stops doing her pose and lets out a big breath before standing up in front of Wanda, lying on her back.

"You know I can move things with my mind, right?"

Now Natasha rolls her eyes. "Using your powers won't mean anything if you can't fight or escape a situation using your body. Get up."

Wanda groans, completely tired at Natasha, who hasn't even broken a sweat. She knows I'm not a widow, right? I can't just do what she does? Wanda thinks to herself as she follows Natasha across the room.

However, Wanda goes from thinking about all the stupid poses she just did, to pretzels, to watching Natasha. She walks with pressure on the front of her feet. It makes her silent, Wanda realizes. Wanda's eyes move up Natasha's legs covered by fabric, but the toned muscle underneath can still be seen. The higher Wanda goes, the more her breathing picks up.

Natasha walks in front of Wanda, aware of the wandering eyes behind her. She can sense them from miles away if she wanted to. But here, right now, Natasha feels Wanda's eyes scanning down her back to her butt. Again.

Stop staring

Wanda lifts her face to see Natasha stopping and turning to face her with a smile. Those thoughts weren't Wanda's own. Were they Nat's?!

Green

Wanda goes to open her mouth, but Natasha stops her with a punch thrown to her hip. Not using ALL of her strength, but the Russian could've been kinder.

"Ow fuck!" Wanda screams, using her favorite American curse word. "What the hell?!" She lifts her eyes up to see Natasha with a smirk on her face in a fighting pose.

She's such a poser, Wanda thinks as the pain in her hip subsides.

"You need to be ready at all times. Observant always." Natasha takes a step towards Wanda, who puts up her hands. "So instead of staring at my ass, you could've been assessing threats!" Wanda's cheeks go red. She was caught. And those thoughts she heard were Nat's. Shit.

"Oh please, you're not the first person to ever look." Natasha snarks, dismissing Wanda's embarrassment. "Now, will you try to train or think about me some more? I can do both. Can you?" This makes Wanda want to fight. She doesn't like being called out for a mistake like this one. She didn't even mean to stare at her ass that second time! (She did.)

Plus, seeing Natasha saying this many words in this close proximity is throwing Wanda for a loop. If she didn't know any better, Wanda would think Natasha was being friendly.

"No powers. Remember." Wanda nods. "You should speak up when I talk to you, Maximoff." Wanda glares daggers that bounce off the redhead. "Yes. No powers."  Natasha smirks. This the first time she's been able to get under the skin of the person that sent her spiraling.

After circling each other once more, Wanda tries to make the first move. But Natasha was counting on it. When Wanda lunges forward, she fully extends her arm—mistake number one. Romanoff grabs Wanda's bicep and pulls her off balance before Nat sweeps Wanda's legs, causing the younger woman to fall face-first on the mat.

"Wow. Are you sure you've been training with Steve?" Natasha mocks with a smile. Whether it was her intention or not, Wanda is getting upset. But when her face, back, and ass land on the mat in succession, followed by mocks, Wanda thought she went from being upset to pissed.

It didn't help that every time the Widow got the upper hand on Wanda, she could hear Natasha's thoughts.

Red jacket

Sloppy

Should've grabbed here instead of here

"You're trying to fail."

Green eyes

She can't rely on her powers

"You're made of marble."

Like I said. Wanda thought she was pissed. So when she got up from the mat quicker than Natasha anticipated and charged, Natasha couldn't do anything but take the hit as the two fell to the mat again. Wanda quickly holding Natasha's hands above her head. "Finally!" Natasha exclaimed through the tiny amount of pain she felt. "It's about time you got that emo anger back."

She immediately made this a lesson that Wanda failed to see it was. Even though Wanda used all that she had without her powers, Natasha didn't flinch. 'Emo Anger.'

For the multi-hundredth time since entering the compound, Wanda was hurt. It was written on her face. Natasha could look up and see it but wasn't sure what to do. For the second time since the flight back from Sokovia, Natasha saw Wanda as something other than the opposition. She saw something else. But first...

She was about to see Wand cry.

That chipped away at the rough exterior Natasha had built up since they met. "Hey Wand-"

The tight grip Wanda had on Natasha's wrists melted away as the more petite woman started to cry. Her body sliding off of Natasha's, landing on her side. Natasha quickly and without thinking wraps her arms around Wanda, sending jolts of electricity through their bodies.

It was then Natasha realized that, yes, she was terrified of Wanda's power but not Wanda. For the last four months, Natasha had been observing Wanda. At first, it was a way to protect her team members from an outside threat, but it slowly and somehow became a crush that hadn't made itself known till this second.

As Natasha held Wanda close, the witch cried more. She was mentally tired and physically exhausted. She was sure Natasha hated her even more now, and all she wanted was her brother. She wanted to speak to him one last time. Tell him that he was loved. That her favorite shows weren't the same without his complaints. She wanted to see him.

But here she was, lying on the floor, crying into the arms of the Black Widow.

"Let it out, Wanda... It's okay.." Wanda, through her calming tears, heard the sweet murmuring of Natasha. And through more sniffles and confused thoughts, Wanda couldn't help but say: "Do you hate me?" Natasha peered over Wanda's face.

Green eyes

Pink lips

Wanda's sad-looking eyes opened wider at the sound of the other woman's thoughts. "I don't hate you, Wanda."

"But you did." Wanda counteracts. Natasha thinks as she moves a hand up and down the witches back. "I did. But that was misplaced. I'm sorry for that." Wanda couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her brain was still stuck on the thoughts from earlier.

Natasha is thinking about her.

Natasha doesn't hate her.

Natasha apologized.

Natasha.

Wanda looked up to see Natasha already looking at her. "Are you feeling better?" Natasha asked. "Yes. Thank you." Wanda answered, but neither one moved. Natasha kept her arms around Wanda. While Wanda kept her face near the crook of Nat's neck. "Cinnamon."

"What?" Natasha had a smile people would pay to see. Or would be killed if they saw it. "Your hair. It smells like cinnamon. The great Black Widow uses cinnamon-infused shampoo." Nat rolled her eyes but couldn't help but be happy in this moment. "Lavender." She replied. "That's what you use." Natasha looked down at the smiling teammate, who wiped her eyes free of any remaining evidence of tears.

She saw it—a smile on Wanda's face.

A smile that Natasha made happen.

Beautiful 

Wanda pushed her head into Natasha in an effort to hide the fact that she read her thoughts and to not let Nat see her blush.

"Natasha." Wanda's muffled voice hit the spy's ears. "Yes?" Wanda was nervous on what to say next. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. "Your thoughts... I can hear them. I promise I wasn't trying. They were just loud."

Silence.

When Wanda had the courage to poke her eye out of Natasha's neck, she saw her staring away. "I think we should end training. I'll let Steve know that-" "Wait, Natasha, I didn't mean-" Natasha tried her best to pull her arm out from under the witch, but the Black Widow trained Wanda. So, in one fell swoop. Wanda gripped Natasha's arm back and kicked her forward, so Natasha surprisingly was on her back once again.

In an instant, Wanda was on top of her.

"It's okay," Wanda spoke closer to Nat's face than ever before. "You're not who they made you to be." Natasha's eyes became sad, knowing that Wanda had seen the memories she made her relive months ago. "You're not made of marble, Natasha. You're made of so much more. I like you because of that."

"You like me?" Natasha's voice cracked. She was thankful no one else was around to hear that. "Well, I don't hate you. And you don't hate me." The woman on top spoke.

Slowly and carefully, Wanda began to lean into Natasha more. "Is this okay?" Wanda asked. Natasha nodded and brought her face up until their lips softly touched one another. A quick kiss turned into another and another until the nervousness was gone, and all that remained was the lust for more. "Natasha.." Wanda began to moan as Nat's roaming hands slid down Wanda's back.

Natasha smirked. An accent never made her name sound so good.

In the far corner of the gym, Clint was retracing his steps. It had been over an hour and a half, and no one had yet come out of the room. Alive or dead. So Clint took it upon himself to make sure everything was alright.

But once he saw his two teammates tangled with one another, he decided to exit and text his wife.

"I think I'm going to have to make some upgrades to the guest bedroom on the second floor."

"lol."

dividers by @/benkeibear

[marcelinesghost13]

Hi Blog,

So a lot of things have happened in the last couple days. So I figure this would be a good time to get this she shit out of my head.

Let's start off with wife okay... So she is doing her normal negative hot and cold BS like always when she text me.. but today she asked me to give her a call. So I called her and asked wants up. She said that her lawyer called her and told her that the cop she filed a report with Putin a false report to get her in trouble. That's why the DA is going after my wife and the doing have and real evidence to charge her with anything. So here's the kicker she wants me to give her $1000 for the lawyer can try the case for her. I told her I'll figure out away to get her the money. She needs a good lawyer that way he can turn around and sue the city for lying about what happened.

So there's a person I've been talking to on one of my social media accounts. They are very nice and kind to me. Plus I'm actually attracted to them... Which I wasn't expecting. I really do like talking to them a lot about different things. Then also make me laugh a lot. The part that sucks is IDK if I'm ready for new relationship now. Yet there's something that pulls me to them and I understand why. I keep telling myself it's best I'm alone right now for I can figure out me. Then again it could be my hormones just being crazy and fucking with me. Well in any case I feel so hot for them it drives me crazy sometimes. I totally understand and know we'll never be together ever and over time they will just fade away maybe.

Okay as for other stuff going on... Couple days ago I showed up at work was full on girl makeup and posted a photo on Tumblr and Facebook. I made a lot of the guys very nervous and uncomfortable. To the point where one of my Sergeants had to talk to me about what was going on. He didn't know I was a trans girl. The needless to say the conversation was a bit awkward for him. But after I explained everything he was okay. Also I got a haircut well more like a trim . I asked a hairstylist to give me something more girl like but she didn't really understand me so all I got was the trim. I can totally feel like the missing hair. I know that sounds silly and crazy but it's totally true. There's days that drives me fucking crazy then there's like two inches missing and I know it. It'll grow back and I'll get used to it I'm just not there yet.

What else happened to me I bought my first sports bra. I'm very proud of myself for doing the research and figuring out what size I am because after all I do have breath..... and I'm not talking about man boobs. My doctor actually did a test to see if they were just like I said man boobs or if they were actual breasts and yeah they really are. She told me that I should have been wearing a bra since puberty. I did not even know that. So I went out and I got me a sports bra. And I actually like it. It feels more natural to me to have something like that on. I like the material I like the feel of it. I like the fact that it holds my girls in place. I've told my Queens about what I did... Some of them want me to start getting like other types of bras but my oldest sister she's like just stick with the sports bra you're just way too active. And I'm going to have to agree with her about that. I did try a couple other bras on which element and I do not like the feel of them. I'm just way too much of a tomboy to wear some of those other types of bras.

Then yesterday I went to the eye doctor and haven't been there in a couple. She years. The eye doctor said that my eyes are actually getting better and that I should start taking a special kind of vitamins to help my eyesight. I told her okay I will definitely do that. After the appointment is over I got some contacts which are so nice and comfortable... I so totally missed having contacts. Also got a pair of very girly cat looking glasses I absolutely love what they look like and once I get them I will be definitely taking a photo.

As far as day goes I get to meet my new counselor for the very first time I am so beyond nervous to meet her. I don't know how it's going to go I don't know which is going to want to talk about I just don't know and I'm so scared. I'm sure everything will be okay and I'm probably totally overthinking. The only thing I hope I don't do is cry. So after that is said and done I will probably write a blog about it.... I definitely know I'll write a blog about it. That would be everything that has happened in the last couple days. I've done so many different first this week. Just one more baby step after another baby step. I know at some point I will eventually get to my goal.

180920240802

[fstwdsstuffandthaaangs]

Until the heart stops beating.

It's been a whole year since the corruption in the Commonwealth ended with the imprisonment of Pamela Milton and now it's people could finally live in peace.

One day,Daryl decides to open up to Judith about a painful part of his past.

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

It's been a whole year since the corruption in the Commonwealth ended with the imprisonment of Pamela Milton and now it's people could finally live in peace.

Many good people had fallen to achieve a better world but now they lived in the hearts of the survivors who could finally take a long break after years of struggle and suffering.

Daryl Dixon was sitting on a lonely bench in the middle of one of the city's huge and peaceful gardens.

The misfortunes experienced over the years had taken their toll on him, and in his heart, the scars of life were still healing.

-"Hello Uncle Daryl!" Judith's enthusiastic voice snaps Daryl Dixon out of his thoughts as the cheerful girl approaches him, greeting him with a smile.

-"Hey Jude, what brings ya' here? Weren't ya' playing with the other kiddo?"- The man asks with a smile.

-"We weren't playing! I'm training them to become great warriors! Just like you!"- Judith answers while sitting next to him.

-"I ain't no warrior, Judith."- Dixon laughs at the girl's witticisms.

-"Of course you are! Y'all are! You, Aunt Carol, Aunt Maggie...!"- Judith exclaims, not giving up.

-"You see lil'ass kicker,we're not warriors, we just did what we had to,the right thing."- Daryl wisely explains.

-"Well, you are to me, without warriors like you,we'd never have been able to have what we now have."- Little Grimes speaks while looking around her. -"This is already a home, a happy place to grow and have a future...like Eugene and Max, for example, with their new baby! Have you met her? Her name's Rosie and she's very cute."

-"She is... She reminds me of you when you were that age." Daryl laughs softly, remembering that time, now so many years ago...

-"When will it happen to you Uncle Daryl?"-Judith suddenly asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Dixon raised an eyebrow in confusion.

-"Well, you know, fall in love and start a family! Be happy! If someone deserves it, that's definitely you!"- The girl responds with a smile and at those words,the smile on Daryl's face faded a bit, although Judith didn't seem to notice and continued speaking: -"I fell in love with Hershel and one day we will get married!"

When Judith said that, Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at the little girl's joviality, but he didn't interrupt her and let her continue speaking: -"Have you ever been in love uncle Daryl?"

Daryl didn't expect that question at all and at first he didn't know whether to answer or not since it would open many painful memories that he'd kept only for himself, however, after a few moments, he decided to answer:

-"Yeah...once, a long time ago."

-"Really?" Judith exclaimed surprised and Daryl nodded with a slight smile.

-"And who is it?"- the curious girl asked tentatively, still surprised but eager to know more about this hidden side of uncle Daryl.

- "You didn't get to know her Jude..." Daryl responds, sighing as he begins to open up the past again.

The girl didn't interrupt, prompting Daryl to continue and looking at him with wide, expectant eyes.

-"Her name... was Leah."- He confesses.

-"And...what was her like?"- Judith asks being all ears.

-"Well...she was loyal, brave, daring...sometimes so hardheaded and irascible..."- Daryl chuckles slightly before continuing: -"But deep down she had a great heart, and a great soul...and she could be so tender..."- The man says closing his eyes and had a soft nostalgic smile on his face.

-"And...what happened to her?"- Judith asks again, fully immersed in the conversation, and when Daryl heard this question, he felt a pang in his heart, remembering what had happened.

He didn't know how to answer this and it took him a while to figure out a way to do it:

-"You see...sometimes, because of the cruel circumstances of this life, a person's demons can end up taking the total control."

- "Is that why she's not here anymore?"- Judith asks sadly and Daryl nodded looking down ruefully.

"Do you miss her?"-the kid asked innocently.

-"Uhmmm."-Daryl nodded silently again and Judith didn't say anything else, she just remained silent, sitting next to him and feeling very bad for her uncle.

-"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked."- She apologized after a few moments.

-"Don't worry kiddo, everything is fine."- Daryl assures her, smiling slightly and rubbing her little shoulder, however, Judith felt bad and didn't know what to say, so she kept silent until she found the right words, the same words that her Uncle Daryl once said to her to comfort her:

-"You know what Uncle Daryl? Nothing can take the place of someone you love being gone, but that doesn't mean that everything that follows is gonna break your heart."

When Dixon heard those words, he smiled and nodded in agreement with Miss Grimes, because love doesn't stop when time passes,or you live in different places,not even when somebody's gone. Little Sophia, her brother Merle, Beth, Glenn, Leah... all those people who were now physically gone, each and every one of them would continue to live in Daryl's heart until it stopped beating.

[soob1nn]

MAIN FRIEND GROUP - HOGWARTS DR

THE ENCHANTED UNITY

This special group of friends can be best described as the heart of my social world. They were the ones I spent the most time with, sharing countless moments of laughter, support, and unforgettable experiences. In the tapestry of my life, they held a prominent place, like stars that brighten the darkest of nights, casting a warm and comforting glow over the landscape of my cherished memories.

FREDERICK AUSTING DAFT

Let me introduce you to my best friend, a Gryffindor guy who’s an ace Quidditch chaser in his fifth year at Hogwarts. He’s like a brother to Oliver Wood and the Weasley twins, and the four of them are pretty much inseparable.

What’s incredible about this guy is his boundless passion for Quidditch. Seriously, it’s like he’s got a never-ending stash of Felix Felicis somewhere because his energy levels are off the charts.

And here’s the real kicker: he’s a huge foodie. Seriously, I’ve seen him devour so much junk food you’d think he’d be as round as a Bludger by now, but somehow, he manages to keep it off. It’s a bit of a Hogwarts mystery how he pulls it off.

Beyond all the Quidditch and food madness, he’s just a regular, down-to-earth dude who brings so much positivity into our magical world. Sometimes I want to punch him in the face for all the stupid stuff he does, but we’re lucky to have him around; whether we’re watching a nail-biting Quidditch match or just hanging out, sipping Butterbeer and enjoying a good laugh.

JASMINE SLORA

Jasmine Slora, a proud Slytherin, might not be a big fan of school, but she sure knows how to bring the magic to parties. In her fifth year, she's making a name for herself as a Quidditch chaser, showing her fierce competitive spirit on the pitch.

When she's not chasing Quaffles, you can find her indulging in her creative passions. Jasmine's a talented artist, with a knack for painting and drawing. Whether she's wielding a broomstick or a paintbrush, her dedication to her hobbies shines through.

Jasmine is an open-hearted individual and proudly identifies as bisexual, celebrating love in all its forms. Her unique blend of party spirit and artistic flair adds a touch of enchantment to the Slytherin common room, making her a cherished member of the house.

FELICITY DANKWORTH

Felicity Dankworth, our friendly Ravenclaw scholar in the fifth grade at Hogwarts, is an intellectual powerhouse. She's perpetually engrossed in her books, a dedicated reader with a passion for uncovering the secrets and stories hidden within.

Coffee remains her beloved companion, and you'll often find her sipping it while poring over her studies. It's the fuel that keeps her curiosity alive, even during the longest library sessions.

Felicity's heart is equally captivated by her feline friend, a black cat named Annabeth. This mysterious and affectionate companion has a special place in her life, providing comfort and companionship as she navigates the magical world of Hogwarts.

PENNY HAYWOOD

Penny Haywood and I have been inseparable dorm mates ever since we entered Hogwarts. Not only is she my best friend, but her presence radiates an aura of undeniable cuteness and sheer adorableness that brightens the gloomiest days.

What's unique about Penny is her delightful penchant for sipping on tea while she takes a moment to relax with a cigarette. It's an odd yet oddly charming combination, and it's just one of the many intriguing facets of her personality.

Penny's heart is deeply entwined with the natural world, and her love for both nature and animals is a source of inspiration. She'll often spend her free time in the company of furry and feathered friends, immersing herself in the tranquil beauty of the outdoors.

In the grand tapestry of life, Penny Haywood is like a colorful thread, weaving her passion for tea, her endearing quirks, and her unwavering love for the natural world into a unique and enchanting mosaic that I'm privileged to call my best friend.

[pocketramblr]

5 ask game: au where Izuku and All Might finds out via 23 and me that their related

Disclaimer to maybe dont surrender your DNA like that in real life ok let's gooooo

1- so lets say there was trend five years ago or whatever of pros reacting to their dna test type thing, not fully for the ancestry location thing (both bc scientifically thats eh but also bc im pretty sure culturally japan is not the target demographic for that) but because it also gives a count of how many of your own family generations are quirked, better than a general estimate or trying to calculate from two sides of your family.

2- All Might did this because it required relatively little of his time and because he had tested previously before that he wouldn't ping as quirkless- instead, eight generations which leads to many asking 'woah dude thats really high, are you a descendent from that glowing baby or something' but he laughs it off like any other question on his quirk. to the side, a few more people nervously give the quirk singularity theory another look

3- the real kicker though is that it also lists how many relatives of yours have taken the test, and puts a number on your results sheet. All Might isn't expecting there to be any number there at all- but there is. people buzz about him having a family and he denies it, wondering if perhaps its a second or third cousin.

4- woah oh oh turns out while Toshinori had been raised by his father then uncle, his mother had married and had another son! since Toshinori has too much time on his hands with only being able to use his quirk (*checks notes*) uh eleven hours a day instead of twenty (and is so lonely. yikes), he looks into it- not the dna testing place, but tracking his parents online and finding names. he thinks about reaching out since his mother's dead anyway, and sends a letter to one Midoriya Hisashi explaining that he's his half brother and wanted to offer the chance of connection, but no pressure since they weren't raised together, feel free to ignore this letter, just found out and thought it funny.

5- He gets a reply from one Midoriya Inko instead, explaining that she's his sister-in-law and that Hisashi works abroad, though she's forwarded his message to him. She admits that Hisashi calls home less and is hopeful he might with a chance of more connections, and anyway she and their son Izuku are a bit lonely too, would he like to meet?

So ensues Yagi Toshinori's and Midoriya Izuku's first meeting.

[bitchyfoxymama]

Survive - HoTD Zombie Apocalypse AU - HoTD x F!Reader PT 4

Warning: death, zombies, birthing, cursing

A/n: THE END OF AN ERA! sorry it's about 500 words shorter than my other chapters but I'm happy with it.

***

It's been 5 years since the start of the outbreak, since we lost so many people. We've gotten along pretty fair considering the circumstances. We've fortified the cabin and surrounding acres of land, made it safer and the fences stronger. We've even taken in some stragglers before they set off, our little cabin acts as a halfway point/resource center for those still around. Life is good. 

"Hello my dear wife," Aemond says as he comes into our shared room, "and how is our little ass kicker?" He gently places a hand on my swollen belly. 

"They are kicking my bladder every hour on the hour, it's as though they know it annoys me to no end," I laugh. I begin to stand from the vanity with Aemond's help, "how is the fence holding up? I know last month it was starting to cave in slightly." 

"We were able to reinforce it, Jace and Aegon went into winterfell and found stronger fences"

"Good, it'll be good to add some perimeter to the current fence so we can add the garden into the fence for extra security," I say while we walk out of the room.

There are always new faces, survivors from all across westeros. Dornish folk who had come this way in search of supplies or any news of what may have happened. 

We have been able to share information and trade supplies. In the last five years that word spread, of a group of Samaritans, who help those as well as shelter anyone in need. 

Alys Rivers is one of the people we have sheltered, she is knowledgeable in herbal medicine. She is Jace and Joffery’s cousin and had received word that we were surviving and she was able to find us.

Aemond has his hand on my lower back to help guide me down the stairs   

“Good morning Alys!” I say as I see the woman talking with Jace in a corner. 

“Morning, is the tea I've brewed helping with your morning sickness?” she asks while excusing herself from Jace. 

"Yes, the tea is working so well! I truly appreciate you and you medicinal knowledge, it's been a huge help," I tell her while holding both of her hands. 

"And remember, when the time comes and you need to have Aemond or anyone get me, I've delivered plenty of babies helping my mother back in Harrenhal. Before all this" she gestured. 

"Of course! I would never trust anyone else with helping deliver my baby" I say as I run a hand over my swollen belly, "well I have to be off, Nyra and I are going to be in the garden, we have some tending to do," 

"Well if you need anything, just shout," she says while giving me a hug and then walking away.

"Aemod, do you mind helping me out to the garden?" 

He smiles as he leaves a new visitor's side making his way to me. 

***

Nyra and I were tending the garden, rather she was while I watched the littles, being nine months pregnant was difficult but I still wanted to be of use. The garden was just outside the cabin's gates so Nyra and I were armed.

"So have you and Aemond thought of a name for the little one yet?" 

I laugh, "well we want to wait to see-" a scream cuts me off. I ready my knife, I look to see one of the dead breach into the garden. The scream came from little Aegon. He comes rushing to us uninjured. I stab the thing in the skull. Turning towards Nyra only to see a dead thing approaching and as if on instinct I push her and Aegon out of the way, only to be bitten in the shoulder before stabbing that one in the skulls as well. 

"Fuck," I feel a gushing between my legs, seeing liquid below me, "Nyra, the baby!" 

"Shit, Y/n why did you do that my sweet girl, it's going to be ok. Rhaena! Get Aemond and Alys! Come sweetling you need to lay down," 

I do as Nyra says and lay in the lush greens of the garden, the pain in my shoulder causing me to wince. I begin my breathing. 

"Ok, sweet girl I'm going to need you to push ok? On three. One, two, Three! Push!" Alys says as she quickly kneels down by my legs, ripping away my underwear. 

I push with all my might. "Hgh! Fuck! Where is Aemond, he needs to be here!" 

"I'm right here my love," he says as he grabs my hand.

"OK now big push!" Alys says as she moves more of my dress out of the way. 

"FUCK!" I scream, pushing as hard as I can as I feel something come out of my body. A baby cries. I laughed exhaustedly, looking down at the baby in Alys arms. 

"It's a boy, it's a beautiful healthy baby boy," she says smiling at me. 

"A boy," Aemond says, kissing my forehead.

"Luke, I want to name him Luke," I say as Alys brings him to Aemond. 

"Oh sweet girl," Nyra says as she coos over Luke and kisses my forehead. 

"Oh fuck I have to push again," I moan out. 

"What? A-another baby?" Aemond asks, shocked.

"It could be the after birth," Nyra says going back into place, "now push" 

I push again, and another crying baby is heard. I can feel the tears fall from my eyes, happiness and sadness all mixed. Happiness that my babies are healthy, sadness because I would never be able to watch them grow up. 

"Visenya, she should be named Visenya," I say smiling at Nyra before wincing in pain, "I want to hold them at least once." I whimper out.

Nyra and Aemond hand me both Luke and Visenya, "hi little ones, I'm y-your mother, I have waited for you for years and to finally meet you! I'm sorry I can't be with you for the rest of your lives but you will be loved." I kiss both of their heads and look up at Aemond, "I'm ready," 

I smile up at him sadly as I watch the tears fall from his own eyes. He kisses me, our tears mixing as they fall to the ground together. 

"Nyra please take them, I can't have them here as I do this," he sobs out. 

Nyra kisses my own forehead just before she leaves, tears in her own eyes as she carries our children away. 

"I need you to-to know there are letters I wrote to them. In this world we now live in we have to be prepared for anything." I laugh, "so I have them under our bed and I want you to give it to them when they are older," 

"I will. I love you so much Y/n," Aemond says as he kisses me once more. He brings out his own pistol and places it against my forehead. 

"I love you, I'll never stop loving you," he sobs out. 

I take a deep breath in. 

******

Aemond stayed there in the garden, cradling Y/n's head in his lap. Screaming out at the world. He walks back towards the cabin. Face stoic as he enters. Tears are had as his children are held by both Helaena and Cregan. Alicent runs up to her son and pulls him in close. He lets his walls down and cries into her shoulder. 

The Stark/Targaryen/Velaryon clan close into a huddle as they all mourn their family member Y/n Stark. A strong woman who in the face of an apocalypse saved those she could and avenged those she couldn't. She was a leader and a lover, someone who would have been a great mother to her two dear children. She will be missed but never forgotten. For now though, the family had two new members to look after and care for. 

*******

“Papa! Mama left these for us, we found them while we were playing!” A grown 6 years of age Visenya says while running up to Aemond, holding a journal. Her twin Luke is not far behind. Both children share the dark hair color and eye color of their Stark mother while they have the sharp features of their Targaryen father. 

“Is that so? Well then, why don't I read it to you while you go to sleep?”  Aemond says as he picks up his children and guides them to their beds, “Everyone in bed and ready for a story?” 

The twins shake their heads vigorously. Aemond goes to take a seat on  Luke's bed. 

"To my future children, I'm your mother, a member of the great house Stark. I want to tell you all the things about my life in Winterfell and the life I have lived with your father. I'm sorry if the reason you are reading this means I'm no longer with you," Aemond chokes up on that line, Visenya, and Luke cuddles up to their father "but you must know that I love you very much. Now let me begin from when I first met your father," 

****

Tag list: @valeskafics @anaisbambia @wanderingcl0ud @dothrckis

[bolton-buried]

So, update for episode two. For a couple reasons. First, it really doesn’t look like anything happened to Mr. Al-Ghizawi, nothing paranormal, anyway. And secondly, Mr. Al-Ghizawi died the same day we took this footage.

Mrs. Al-Ghizawi said that her husband loved paranormal investigation series, and requested that I take what footage we have and create something in memoriam. We didn’t have much due to the episode being cancelled and I deleted most of it, but there were a few clips I didn’t.

Anyway I lied and I did finish this on my work computer.

So here you go.

[[Video ID

Charlotte, dressed in greys with her hair in a tight bun, stands between the camera and a suburban home. She adjusts her rectangular glasses as she introduces the episode.

“Just under one year ago, a woman came to the Magnus Institute with a statement. Penelope Al-Ghizawi claimed to have found a box of mysteriously altered photographs of her husband. The kicker? They were Polaroids, leaving no room for digital alteration. That’s why the team and I are visiting her home in Stoke Bishop, to learn what we can about a potential paranormal cause.”

Cut away to inside.

Penelope Al-Ghizawi, a large woman in a yellow sundress, sits on the couch, holding a Polaroid photo. Charlotte sits next to her, a hand resting on her knee. Penelope’s eyes are red and tears trickle down her cheeks, but she’s smiling and laughing—just not hard enough to cause tears.

“I’m sorry, I. I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s a stranger who used to own my husband’s suit—that’s all.”

Harold speaks from behind the camera. “Ma’am, would you prefer I stop filming?”

“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. My husband’s upstairs, if you’d like to speak to him.”

Cut to Angie’s talking head. Her blonde curls are somewhat succeeding at escaping her low ponytail, but that may be by design.

“I got a sense of what was happening immediately. A lonely spirit has inhabited this home, and imposed itself onto the old photographs, forcing viewers to mourn for someone they—”

“Script.” Harold says from behind the camera.

“Hmph. The box containing the photographs was thrown out several months ago. Mariner Al-Ghizawi claims that he had purchased a box of frames alongside his suit at a thrift store, but couldn’t bring himself to toss the old photos, until he saw how they were causing his wife distress. Happy?”

Cut to footage from within a bedroom. Mariner, a pale man of skin and bones with a few tufts of white hair, is propped up on the bed. He playfully nudges Desmond, whose red hair is half up in a messy bun. Charlotte speaks in a voice over.

“Sadly, when you’re in the business of reporting the facts on the paranormal, it’s your lot to bark up a lot of wrong trees. There really is just a miscommunication between a lovely couple in this week’s case. But as always, stay safe out there. You never know what’s just out of sight.”

The screen fades to black, then to a placard reading “In Memoriam: Mariner Al-Ghizawi. Loving husband, kind soul, lover of paranormal series.”

The screen fades to black, but before the video can end fully, it cuts to Desmond, again in a bedroom lit in colored LEDs.

“I’ve been visiting Pens up in Stoke Bishop. She’s a lovely woman, and I think she’s been lonely since her husband died, so she appreciates the company. And she’s a great cook—not the point.

“I read through the statement she gave to the Institute. I found it interesting to note that, the entire box of photos she’d found upstairs were photos on developed film. None were digital, and all of them showed the shorter man with dark skin—not the Mariner I met.

“I checked while I was over there. Every photo in her house seems to show the tall, pale man I met on my first visit. And get this—none of them are on film. They’ve all been printed.

“I don’t know what this means yet. But I’ll keep you all posted.”

End ID]]