#Scheduled to post tomorrow morning cause I’ve done too much on the tag today I think :)

[graysanatimony]

Every time I see this one of two jokes comes into my head and I hate myself for it, it’s always either

a) that man is not a fucking top

or

b) gladly 😎🕶️🤏😉

[waveypedia]

wait what did disney do?? well i mean they done tons of stuff so what did they do this time

amphibia, which has been airing consecutively for the past two months, had its season finale scheduled for tomorrow. it’s been scheduled for months and pretty hyped up and promoted by the crew, and there’s been a lot of buildup in the show itself.

a couple hours ago (less than twelve hours before true colors would debut) disney announced that true colors would not premiere tomorrow and it would be suspended indefinitely.

this is a pretty awful move on its own, because with the show’s weekly consecutive airing, it’s a lot easier to get ratings up and audiences excited as opposed to dropping an episode in the middle of nowhere. the dedicated fans are going to pay attention, of course, but casual fans who like watching amphibia on saturday mornings might not. and it’s also the season finale. they had all this buildup and now we have to wait. i also heard something offhand about international/streaming releases on may 9th that could cause the episode to leak, resulting a lower view count and fan reactions on the actual airdate. disney also has a history of not promoting amphibia as much as they’ve promoted some of their more popular shows (and fucking over all of their shows in general, but that’s a whole other can of worms).

the crew most likely didn’t know either until or right before we did, because they’ve been posting all kinds of promotional art for weeks now, and it hasn’t stopped today. they’ve put a lot of time and energy into both the season/show as a whole and this culminating episode, so it’s a really shitty experience for them too.

we don’t know why disney suddenly postponed true colors. at first, we thought it was a scheduling issue, and they dropped it to focus on another event airing that day - a “halfway to halloween” special event to promote an upcoming show called the ghost and molly mcgee. but multiple crew members both inside and out of amphibia have confirmed that’s not the case at all. it’s also unrelated to next saturday’s big city greens marathon (since some speculated it might air next week). i’ve also seen a couple angry comments putting down molly mcgee because it ousted amphibia, which is completely unfair. it’s disney’s fault, not molly mcgee’s. i’m worried it might not get the audience it deserves because something out of both of the crews’ control.

dana terrace mentioned on twitter that it was something about “cowardice”. this is pretty vague, but i think it basically means the amphibicrew went above and beyond with this episodes and pushed the boundaries of animation. i accidentally saw a spoiler (:/) so i thiiiiiink i know what she meant and it’s probably not what you’re thinking but it’s still not something you’d expect to see from disney at all. so that’s probably why they panicked and pulled the plug all of a sudden - but if they had problems with true colors’ content, they should have told the crew when they pitched the episode. and lord knows disney monitors their shows’ content meticulously. i mean what they should be doing is allowing their shows to flourish and animation as a medium to grow, but maybe that’s too much.

this is completely horrible on its own, but unfortunately, the saga continues.

i’m editing this post as of 5/2/21 (original was posted on 4/30) to change some information that’s now been debunked by the crew. sometime this morning, before i woke up, true colors leaked. itunes apparently didn’t get the memo that it wasn’t airing yet (whether disney didn’t tell them or their releases are automated is up in the air) and a couple people put it on youtube. this is basically a nightmare for the crew. leaks are pretty dangerous for ratings and could cause the actual airing to flop. the best thing to do is not to watch it, but a bunch of people already have, and some of them have posted spoilers. so be careful and block spoiler tags! i’d generally avoid the main tags too, just in case.

they also switched the 9:30 slot true colors would air in for an amphibia rerun, which means the timeslot is still available. i’ve seen a couple people speculate the episode might not be finished, but the crew’s been promoting it tirelessly, so i don’t really think so. it’s just such an odd decision and i’m worried it’s going to mess up multiple shows. what the fuck disney.

[bl00dgutsgl0ry]

I Don’t Lose.

Pairing - Tartaglia/Childe/Ajax x Reader

Warnings - VERY mild angst, so much so that I wasn’t even going to tag it at first.

Other Comments - I promise I am working on asks! I just kinda wanted to post this little drabble, since I was working on it before I went on hiatus! Anyway be prepared for my garabgo posts to come back up on your pages >:^))

      Childe’s work schedule was horrendous; and calling it a schedule is an overstatement if anything. Now (Y/n) knew that Childe’s time out for work was going to be long, but it seemed as though recently the guy just couldn’t catch a break. He’s been gone for about three months now, with the only contact being a couple of hastily written letters.

      (Y/n) and Childe were never officially dating each other, but they had gotten pretty close over the time that they’d known each other in Liyue. Though he’s not the only person the young traveler had gotten close to. (Y/n) was extremely sociable and charismatic, which is what drew Childe to them, but it also attracted a certain ex Geo Archon.

      Zhongli seemed to always be asking for (Y/n) to accompany him every where or vice versa, borderline addicted to their presence with him. He had grown used to it when they were trying to set up the Lantern Rite a couple months back. Childe was still in Liyue at that point in time so the Geo Archon knew to keep his distance, but now with the Harbinger out of the picture he didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

      Zhongli was aware of how Childe felt about (Y/n) even if Childe himself wasn’t fully aware of his feelings, and in addition to that he was also Childe’s friend too. So there was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that it was wrong to try to steal (Y/n) while Childe was off on a mission. He couldn’t help but think though, that he would be a better match for the traveler. He wasn’t going to be gone in a different part of Teyvat for months at a time, and if they permitted him to he could even accompany them on THEIR travels; something Childe was unable to do.

      Everyday Zhongli made it his mission to get (Y/n) tea to help start of their day, and much to his ignorance the traveler had started to expect the small cup of professionally brewed tea at their doorstep with a soft smiling Zhongli gently holding it out to them, before being invited inside the small apartment in the middle of the busy harbor.

      And today was no different, at least not to Zhongli or (Y/n). The traveler smoothly opened their door, being greeted by the ex Archon before opening the door a little wider for him to walk in and set the cup down.

      On a completely different side of Teyvat, it was Childe’s last day in Inazuma for the mission he was sent on, yearning to see the young traveler who had captured his heart. He had sent out a letter to them about a week before to give it enough time to reach them, telling them that he was going to be Liyue for a while after this mission which he was excited for, before quickly jotting down the place he wanted to meet (Y/n) and the estimated time he would be getting there; 13:00 sharp.

      It was now 15:03 and (Y/n) and Zhongli had set out on a daily commission which he had offered to help them with. It was always fun when Zhongli came along with (Y/n) on their mission, as it got lonely traveling through this unknown place with no one but Paimon by their side; so the company and help was greatly appreciated.

      Childe on the other hand, was not having as great of a time, as he had waited around in the previously mentioned spot for about an hour before giving up and deciding to go straight to their apartment. There had to be a logical explanation as to why they never came, maybe they didn’t get the letter? Childe had a habit of letting himself into (Y/n)’s apartment and today was no exception. As he quickly picked the doors lock and let himself in, he once again was let down, as his expectations were not met and (Y/n) was no where to be found in their cramped apartment.

      He couldn’t help but search around their home, looking for the one thing that would have notified them of his arrival; half heartedly hoping that it wasn’t going to be their wanting them to have a good reason as to why they never came. But after a couple minutes of searching, he found the familiar envelope with his name written across the corner in fancy calligraphy. It was sat atop the small side table next to the young travelers bed; irritating Childe even more. Not only had (Y/n) not even bothered to open the envelope, but they went through the length of setting it next to their bed, giving them another chance to open it this morning.

      Meanwhile Zhongli and (Y/n) had just finished up the rest of the commissions they needed to get done, but (Y/n) couldn’t help but feel as though they were forgetting about something. Zhongli was in Heaven right now, he loves spending the entirety of his day with them, nothing brought him more joy than seeing the way (Y/n) would celebrate to themselves a little when finishing off a couple treasure hoarders, or an angry hoard of hillichurls. The day was coming to an end though, and it was starting to get dark so the idea of getting food then going home really resonated with the two.

      As usual once they got into the harbor again they went straight to Wanmin Restaurant, as much as they liked the other expensive restaurants that Liyue Harbor was full of, nothing could compare to to homestyle meals of Wanmin. As the pair was finishing up their meals, Zhongli had placed a large hand atop (Y/n)’s.

      “(Y/n) it has been a pleasure spending the day with you as always. I thoroughly enjoyed fighting the ruin guard with you, and I am disappointed that our day is coming to an end. I was wondering if you would let me accompany you again tomorrow?” Zhongli’s hand had began to gently hold (Y/n) and their face was dusted a light shade of rose. Zhongli sat their waiting for what felt like an eternity for their answer; he spent this time memorizing every detail on their face as to never forget it. 

      (Y/n) smiled shyly and nodded before giving Zhongli’s hand a subtle squeeze and finishing off their meal.  Zhongli could feel a sense of dread forming in his heart. He new Childe was back in Liyue, which he knew because he had spotted him staring at the back of (Y/n)’s back for the entirety of their meal; How the traveler didn’t notice this he would never know.

      (Y/n) noticed the small change in Zhongli’s demeanor and the way his eyes stayed fixated on something, causing (Y/n) to turn around and see what the ex Archon was staying at so intensely. When their eyes met with Childe’s cerulean ones, they gasped quickly getting up and rushing over to him. Zhongli sighed, before quickly footing the bill and going to follow (Y/n).

      “Childe I didn’t realize you were coming back today! When did you get here?” There was something odd in Childe’s eyes, as the way he was staring at Zhongli with such malice made (Y/n)’s blood chill a little.

      “Yeah, no wonder you didn’t know (Y/n). You disregarded my letter like trash. I got here a little after noon, and waited for you at Wangshu in for almost an hour.” Childe’s voice was serious and deep, something the traveler had rarely heard come from Childe. (Y/n) pulse was racing, the look in Childe’s eye was never a good thing. 

      “And you. I had a thought of you doing this but I brushed it off cause I never thought you would. Clearly I was wrong. But here’s something you don’t know Zhongli. I. Don’t. Lose. So your advances on (Y/n) aren’t going to do anything. I am willing to do anything to anyone who tried to take away my world, you are not an exception just because we’re friends.”

      Zhongli rolled his eyes before chuckling to himself, only further infuriating Childe; and before anyone could stop him the Harbinger pushed Zhongli to the ground, quickly materializing his hydro blades and pointing them at the ex Archons throat, his amber eyes widening with shock.

      “Like I said Rex. I don’t lose. Don’t ever touch what’s mine again, no matter how long I’m out of Liyue for.” Childe’s arm wrapped tightly around (Y/n)’s should, roughly pulling them against his side; before walking off and leaving Zhongli on the ground. The walk back to (Y/n)’s was filled with tense silence. Once they had gotten back into their home, Childe unloaded everything.

      “Why (Y/n)? Why would you not even try to open my letter? Have you gotten tired of me? I know my work is crazy and hectic but you have to be mine. I’ll go crazy if I see you with anyone else.” 

      “I never got a letter from you Ajax! Zhongli had been bringing my mail to me so I only ever saw what he had given me. I need you to trust me! Doing that to Zhongli in the middle of the harbor was uncalled for and you know it.” Childe’s eyes were staring into (Y/n).

      “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to Zhongli later, but tonight it’s just gonna be you and me. I need to make up for all the time I’ve been gone. Who knows what Zhongli has done to you.” Childe’s signature smirk was back on his face, bringing (Y/n) an odd sense of comfort before nodding in agreement. (Y/n) giggled in response before lightly punching Childe’s arm.

      “So does this mean we’re official?” Childe barked out a laugh before pressing a soft kiss to (Y/n)’s lips.

      “What do you think?”

[nicolewrites]

We Stand, Fate-Tested - VI

And I finally start to earn that mystery genre tag here. Exams are almost done and then hopefully I'll be able to work some more on this story during social distancing. I already know chapter 7 will be a doozy, so get prepared.

Also, just a reminder to check dates as we’re jumping ahead a little in both timelines. 

Rating: T+ Genre: Mystery, Friendship, Romance Characters: [Byleth/My Unit, Dimitri B.], [Byleth/My Unit, Claude R.] Words: 5,800

A strange symbol discovered during the dig has strange consequences. / Rhea delivers unpleasant news.

AO3 | FFN

VI - Am I Dreaming Or Awake

Old Monastery Ruins, Garreg Mach University - 19 Pegasus Moon, 733 AU

It was spectacular. She had noted the elegance of the old architecture the first time they had been down to the excavation site, but it was something that caught her off guard every time she came down here.

Byleth passed the security sign-in table and flashed her ID badge as the guards nodded at her and she moved over to the supply table. Shovels and trammels and boxes of gloves were littered over the table along with a carafe of coffee that someone had bought for the team. Byleth helped herself to a small cup of coffee and walked further into the chamber.

They had begun in one of the main tombs of the monastery. It was the one that had been worked on all those years ago, so Seteth had chosen it as the initial starting point for the current excavation. It was also the only chamber that had been approved for inhabitants by structural engineers. The two other known crypts were still under investigation to see if they were structurally sound enough to support a bunch of archeologists digging around in them. Then, of course, there were rumours that there were dozens of other sealed-off chambers down here somewhere.

Byleth sipped her coffee as she walked forward through the in-process dig. It was early, just past 6, so the only people who had arrived were herself, Seteth, and Harriet, one of the post-docs in Seteth’s lab. Byleth picked her way towards Seteth who was crouched in a marked square as he assessed a handful of ancient coins he had unearthed. She cleared her throat and he looked up.

“Good morning, Byleth,” he greeted politely as he stood up. “Reporting for duty?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I assume I can take the same sector as before?”

Seteth shook his head. “No, I’ve actually assigned that to James today. He’s working with Annette, Ingrid, and Ignatz over there. Harriet will take Lysithea and Linhardt, but I was hoping you would be able to manage Claude, Edelgard, and Dimitri.”

Byleth was surprised. Usually, Seteth split the undergrads into pairs, not a pair and two trios. Additionally, he usually had her working with Lysithea and Linhardt.

Seteth continued, not concerned with Byleth’s surprise. “I want you guys to start over there. I’ve already marked your area for the day.” Seteth gestured to the far wall of the tomb.

Byleth could see the staked-out area. It was further away from the main body of the dig than anyone else had been working, towards a crumbled section of what was probably a statue. She turned to Seteth and raised an eyebrow.

“Why the new site? We’ve been working fine in other places.”

Seteth sighed. “I’m starting to think there isn’t much in this particular chamber. As much as I hate to admit it, most of what was here was recovered by Catherine five years ago. She did good work while she was down here.”

Byleth smiled sympathetically at her advisor. “Seteth, we’ve only been working for a few weeks.” She gestured to the coins he had unearthed. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

He chuckled. “It’s a small start,” he admitted. “I do have an admission to make though,” he continued. “I intend to send a group of people up to Fhirdiad to retrieve some additional supplies from the National Museum this weekend. I was hoping you would be willing to do that.”

Byleth blinked. “Leave the dig and go to Fhirdiad?” She was almost a bit offended. She had spent so much time preparing for the dig and helping to prepare the undergrads that it felt a bit cruel to ask her to step out on a trip for errands.

Seteth hummed. “You would leave Saturday morning early and make it to Fhirdiad by the late evening. Sunday you’ll collect the supplies and come back. You should be back late Sunday night in plenty of time. I actually hoped to send some of our students with you.”

Byleth put a hand on her hip. “Which students?”

“Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude,” he explained. “Dimitri lives in Fhirdiad and both Claude and Edelgard have residences there due to their parents.”

Byleth sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it. I don’t have a car, though, you know that.”

Seteth shrugged. “You can borrow mine or take one of theirs if they have one. Flayn is in town for a while so I won’t be troubled if you do take mine.”

Byleth nodded. Before she could respond, a chatter of noise caught her attention and she turned and saw a gaggle of people at the sign-in desk including all of the undergrads. Seteth nodded to her and made his way towards them to assign their duties for the day. Byleth trailed after him, biting her lip.

Seteth was just giving out the directions when Byleth caught up and Claude caught her eye with a smug grin as Seteth explained that they would be working together that day and the next. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Since her trip to Almyra at the end of the term, she and Claude had become even closer. He still liked to bother her about random historical or archeological things and it happened even more frequently than it had occurred in the previous term because now she wasn’t his TA.

When Seteth finished the briefing, he turned to her. “Could you ask them about this weekend?”

Byleth nodded. She walked over to the supply table and plucked a pair of gloves out of one of the boxes, snapping them on. The undergrads were mostly chatting amongst themselves, but Claude turned his full attention to Byleth as soon as she approached.

“So, a new quadrant?” he questioned. Byleth shrugged.

She glanced at Edelgard and Dimitri who had also turned their attention towards her. “Good morning,” she greeted the three of them.

Edelgard smiled. “An early one,” she noted jokingly.

Dimitri laughed. “Claude, Ignatz, and Annette are the only three crazy enough to normally be up at this time.”

Annette gasped, offended. “Hey!”

Ignatz just chuckled. “Archery events are good at being scheduled super early.”

Ingrid laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m normally up too. Felix really doesn’t know how to stop messaging at 6 am when he’s up and going to fencing.”

Most of the undergrads filtered away then, leaving Byleth with her trio of students. She straightened her shoulders and fiddled with the hem of one of her gloves.

“Are any of you busy this weekend?”

Claude’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Uh,” he muttered, looking caught off guard.

Dimitri frowned slightly. “I’m supposed to celebrate Felix’s birthday tomorrow night, but not beyond that,” he admitted.

“Well, Seteth has asked the four of us to go to Fhirdiad to pick up some supplies. We’ll be back by Sunday.”

Edelgard pursed her lips. “I suppose that makes sense, but why all four of us?”

Byleth winced as she recalled a reason why Seteth might have chosen to send away Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude in particular. Claude picked up on her expression right away and he laughed dryly.

“Probably has something to do with that argument last weekend,” he noted.

Edelgard and Dimitri both flinched as they all recalled the bitter verbal sparring match that had occurred the last time they had been on-site together. Claude had identified something Edelgard had unearthed before she had had the chance to and she had snapped at him. Claude had retorted right back which had caused Dimitri to step in and defend Edelgard. Of course, then both of them had snapped at Dimitri for intervening where he wasn’t needed. Tensions had been prickly between them all since, much to the discomfort of anyone forced to work with them.

“Well, maybe this will be a good thing,” Dimitri offered.

Edelgard huffed and turned her full attention to Byleth. “Where are we working today?”

Byleth gestured to the far-off plot. Edelgard nodded, grabbed a clipboard from the supply table and stalked off, heading in the right direction. Claude rolled his eyes at the dismissal from the Prime Minister’s daughter before he followed in her footsteps, spinning a small shovel in his hands.

Dimitri sighed. “This is weird for us, Byleth,” he admitted to her. Byleth eyed him curiously and Dimitri frowned after his friends. “It’s almost like being down here brings up some unspoken tension between us that we didn’t know existed.”

Byleth took a deep breath. “Well, let’s not let grievances get between us and work, alright?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

Dimitri immediately walked over to join the others at the dig spot. Byleth took a bracing breath and followed after them. She was going to need all of her patience today if the three of them were going to be as snippy as they had been previously.

Byleth was about to kneel down next to Edelgard to begin her own digging when something on the wall caught her eye. She stepped over the boundary rope and narrowed her eyes. The three students paused in their own work to watch her. There was something etched faintly in the crumbled stones.

“Dimitri, hand me a brush please,” she requested. Dimitri fumbled with the brush for a moment before he pressed it into her palm.

Claude crossed the rope to stand next to her, eyes sharp and curious. “What do you see, Teach?”

Byleth ran the brush gently over the surface of the wall. A few layers of dirt drifted off, but it was clear that the sigil she was curious about was more deeply buried. “Something right here,” she murmured quietly, gesturing to the area she was brushing.

Claude made an affirming noise and this drew both Edelgard and Dimitri closer as the four of them stared at the mark on the crumbled wall. Byleth pressed the pointed handle of the brush against the mark and scraped at the stone. Dust and dirt fell away, revealing the pattern more fully. Byleth brushed it again, clearing away more layers of dirt until she’d uncovered what portion she could.

The carving was some kind of looping pattern. It was incomplete, with probably only a third of it intact, but it seemed weirdly familiar. Byleth lowered the brush and lifted her hand. She pressed a gloved finger into one of the pattern’s grooves. As soon as she touched it, it felt like something in her had been electrocuted. She jerked back, glancing between her finger and the stone.

“Teach?” Claude questioned. He sounded concerned, but Byleth’s curious instincts were stronger.

She pressed her hand against the marking again and felt a similar prickle of energy. This time she didn’t pull back, pressing her palm to the stone as well. The energy spiked and Byleth blacked out so fast she didn’t realize it was happening.

-

She dreamt of the weird throne again.

This time, the chamber was intact and not in the state of decay she normally saw it in. Byleth turned, assessing the massive room. It was some kind of tomb, she already knew that, but she wanted to find a hint of where it was. Massive stone statues decorated the four corners of the tomb, but as she turned toward the throne again, there were two figures standing in front of it.

She tried to step towards them, but her feet were anchored in place. She blinked and the figures blurred as if they weren’t really there, but they didn’t fade away. It appeared to be a man and a woman, but their details were fuzzy no matter how hard Byleth tried to focus on their features.

They were conversing quietly. Byleth heard the murmured timbres of the two voices and reaffirmed her suspicions of one man and one woman, but the words themselves felt like they were travelling through water to reach her so she couldn’t pick out anything in particular.

She tried again to force her body to move quickly, but a pulse of energy rippled through her so strongly she almost keeled over. She reflexively lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly When she lifted her head again, the figures were gone and her surroundings had changed. She was staring at the throne head-on from the base of it.

Byleth exhaled in surprise. She lifted a hand carefully and touched the stone arm of the throne. Oddly enough, the stone felt hot to the touch. The warmth tingled in her fingertips and there was a flash of white before her face. Byleth’s vision whited out from the burst of light, but when it came back to her, there was a sigil floating in front of her face.

It was the sigil that had been carved in the stone at the dig site but complete, with intricate loops and a crisscrossed pattern. It hovered in the air in front of her as she kept her hand pressed to the throne. Byleth lifted her free hand and tried to touch the symbol. Her hand passed through it cleanly, but she could feel a warmth emanating from it.

“Byleth!” a voice cried out, loud and sharp and concerned.

She spun, drawing her hand back to her chest. She was alone in the chamber, but her sudden turn caused her vision to dim as quickly as it had during the dig and the dream faded.

-

Byleth blinked open her eyes slowly and immediately winced at the bright sunlight overhead. It took her only the briefest second to realize that someone was holding her in their arms and her head was resting against a shoulder. Voices filled her ears as her senses returned to her and she let out a low groan. The arms holding her instantly tensed and Byleth tilted her head and looked up to see that it was Dimitri holding her.

“Byleth!” Seteth exclaimed.

She tipped her head away from Dimitri, ignoring the faint ringing in her ears and saw her thesis supervisor standing next to him, staring at her in concern. “Seteth?” she mumbled.

“Teach, are you okay?” Claude asked. Byleth’s eyes flicked to him where he stood next to Seteth. Edelgard was hovering on Claude’s other side.

All four of them looked extremely concerned. Byleth shifted in Dimitri’s grip and flicked her eyes back to him.

“Can you put me down?” she requested. “I’m fine,” she said.

Dimitri frowned, but he did lower her to her feet. Byleth was surprisingly steady on her feet, but all of her muscles felt weirdly sore.

“What happened?” Seteth asked. By his tone, it was clear this was not the first time he had asked the question. He also had clearly directed it at the three students, not at Byleth.

“I touched that symbol and then everything went black,” Byleth said, answering him anyways. Seteth frowned.

Edelgard folded her arms. “But, why would that make you pass out?” she prompted.

Byleth shrugged, genuinely puzzled. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But, I feel fine now.”

Seteth studied her face with a creased brow. “You’re not going back down there today,” he said firmly. “Or tomorrow.” Byleth opened her mouth to protest and Seteth shook his head sternly. “Absolutely not,” he insisted.

Byleth huffed. “Seteth, I’m fine.”

“Byleth, you just collapsed. I don’t really think it’s fair to say that,” Dimitri said gently.

She pressed her lips into a line. She glanced around and noticed that they were standing at the courtyard just outside of the entrance to the dig site. She couldn’t have been unconscious for that long if they had only gotten this far when she was out.

“How about you and I go back to the lab and do some cataloguing?” Claude suggested, lifting the clipboard he was holding. “We can get started on entering this stuff into the database.”

“That’s agreeable,” Seteth consented. “I still want you to call Flayn tonight though.”

Flayn was a nurse and Byleth knew that Seteth wanted Flayn to do a full check-up, but having Byleth call her was his way of compromising with her. Byleth sighed and nodded.

“I’ll call her later,” she said.

“Great, well if that’s settled, we can head out, Teach,” Claude said cheerfully.

He gestured towards the main university campus and Byleth sighed again and headed in the direction of the lab with Claude following on her heels. They walked in silence right up until they entered the building when Claude finally couldn’t hold his tongue.

“What happened, Teach?”

Byleth glared at him half-heartedly before shrugging. “I fainted, apparently,” she muttered dryly.

Claude laughed. “No, what did you dream about?”

She stopped mid-step and stared at him. “How the hell do you know that I dreamed?”

He shrugged. “Honestly, that was a wild guess, but I’m glad it was correct.”

Byleth groaned and kept walking, trying to outpace Claude. He mostly kept up and caught up right outside the door to the lab.

“Was it bad?” he ventured carefully.

“Confusing,” Byleth corrected and slipped past him into the lab.

“Confusing,” Claude echoed as he followed her. “Care to elaborate.”

“Same throne, but there were people. I couldn’t hear or see them clearly,” Byleth said shortly.

She dropped into her chair and grabbed a pad of paper. Closing her eyes, she conjured the symbol that had appeared when she had touched the throne. She grabbed a pencil and made a very rough sketch of what it had looked like. She slid it across the table towards Claude.

“I saw this too.”

His eyes widened as he obviously recognized it from the dig site. He slid his pen off of the clipboard and carefully drew a half-circle around the part of it that Byleth had uncovered. He tapped the pen tip against the page and stared at her.

“What does this mean?”

“I have no idea,” she sighed. Byleth rubbed at her temples. “Everything about this is giving me a headache.”

Claude laughed at her. “Well, let’s do something distracting then.” He grabbed a TV remote from one of the shelves and pointed it at the lab TV in the corner.

Most of the time, James just used the TV to play whatever satellite music channel he wanted, but sometimes Seteth or Harriet would have the news on in the background as they worked. It appeared that Seteth or Harriet had been using it last since it was playing the news when it turned on.

“Enbarr Police are investigating the mysterious death of a woman recently identified as Monica Ochs,” the TV reporter explained.

Every muscle in Byleth’s body went completely rigid and she rose to her feet, staring at the screen in disbelief. The screen changed from the reporter at a desk to two images: one a plain portrait photo and the other a police sketch of the same girl. Byleth’s blood ran cold as ice as she recognized the police sketch. Both detailed a woman with delicate features and a slender face. She had dark red hair and thin lips.

Claude looked between Byleth and the TV. “Teach?” he inquired.

“I know her,” Byleth said reflexively.

“Ochs was identified as a person of interest in a murder investigation in the central city of Remire five years ago. A witness described the sketch on the right which was identified to be Ochs. At the time, police had been unable to locate Ochs for questioning and the investigation was eventually left unsolved,” the reporter continued.

Claude touched Byleth’s arm. “You knew a wanted murderer?”

“I described that sketch,” she said numbly, pointing to the police sketch.

Claude’s hand on her arm tightened and he immediately shut the TV off. “What?” he said, sounding startled.

Byleth sank back into her seat and stared blankly at the table in front of her. Her blood was racing and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Monica’s face was engraved in her mind. It had been for five years and it was jarring to see it again after so long. Her hands trembled and she was shot straight into a memory of a dark rainy alleyway in Remire as her father bled out in her lap with sirens wailing in the background. She started to feel lightheaded.

Byleth didn’t realize she wasn’t breathing until Claude forcibly placed himself between Byleth’s chair and the table and gripped her face between his hands. “Byleth, you need to breathe,” he ordered. “Breathe out,” he instructed sternly.

Byleth exhaled and Claude shook his head, shifting a hand to press against her stomach.

“Exhale,” he said harshly.

Byleth pushed out more air until it hurt and Claude nodded and she took a desperate breath in out of reflex. Claude continued coaxing her to breathe for several minutes. Byleth’s chest ached from the action of it. The fuzziness at the edges of her vision she had barely processed faded and Byleth started to come back to herself. Her eyes were burning and her head was pounding and her cheeks were wet as she belatedly realized she was crying.

Claude was kneeling on the floor in front of her, still holding her face and staring at her with a concerned expression on his face. “Are you alright?” he asked her quietly once her breathing had settled.

Byleth closed her eyes and felt her whole body tremble with a half-sob. “She killed my father,” she whispered.

Claude said something sharp in Almyran which was probably a curse before he gently pulled her head down so that he could press their foreheads together.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “I can’t imagine what this feels like. Do you want me to get Seteth or someone else?”

“No,” Byleth mumbled. With Claude’s forehead pressed against hers, she could feel his breaths gently fanning against her face. She focused on breathing in time with him. His presence was calming and comforting. “Just don’t leave,” she added quietly.

- ~ - ~ - 

Fhirdiad Royal Palace - 3 Pegasus Moon, 7 AU

As soon as the servant had left the chamber, Dimitri kissed her. He kissed her like he was drowning and she twisted her fingers into his hair as she kissed him back. He hardly waited a minute into the kiss before his hands were under her thighs, lifting her up so her legs closed around his hips.

Byleth broke their lips apart to trail kisses along Dimitri’s jaw as he walked slowly towards the bed. A growl rumbled in his chest and she almost laughed at the sound. She tilted her head further to try and kiss at his neck, but the collar of his shirt impeded her motion and she huffed.

“Dimitri,” she complained, tugging at the collar.

He laughed, a low rumble that she felt resonate through her body. He dropped her abruptly back on the bed and climbed onto it after her. Byleth instantly went to work at the buttons on his shirt, her fingers slipping over the silk-capped buttons as she struggled with them. Dimitri finally managed to get his shirt open and he leaned back to slip off his jacket and shirt.

Byleth was able to admire her husband for a moment before a pang of deep-seated guilt flooded her chest and her smile dropped. Dimitri dropped his jacket and shirt to the floor, but as he turned back towards her, Byleth pulled her knees up to her chin and cast her eyes to the side, withdrawing from him. Dimitri paused and stayed seated on the end of the bed as he watched her.

“Byleth?” he questioned softly.

She closed her eyes and inhaled shakily. She pressed her forehead against her knees and wrapped her arms over her shins, her fingernails digging into the sides of her calves. Dimitri didn’t press her for words, but she felt the bed dip as he started moving towards her slowly.

“Can I touch you, my love?” he asked carefully.

Byleth opened her eyes and saw him kneeling on the bed next to her. She tipped sideways into him and he caught her, wrapping his arms around her. They sat in the middle of their bed for a long moment without saying anything. Dimitri ran his hands through her hair soothingly, pulling out combs and pins and placing them aside until her hair was limp down her back. Byleth closed her eyes again and let him remove all of the pins without complaint.

“The court hates me,” Byleth said quietly once Dimitri had finished his task. Her husband tensed, but she didn’t let him cut in. “I see it in the way that they whisper when we’re together. The only reason they’re not open about it is most of them are scared to death of Felix and Ingrid. The common people can’t be any better.”

“Byleth,” Dimitri murmured. “The people love you. You are a hero of the Unification War and the leader of the Central Church of Fódlan. You have been a wonderful queen and no one looks down upon you,” he assured.

Byleth twisted so that she could look him in the face. “We have no heir, Dimitri,” she said bluntly. “We have stripped the politics from the church and we are building a free Fódlan. The people want security on the throne.” She ran a palm along Dimitri’s bare chest. “I bear no children, that we can be sure of.”

Dimitri frowned. “We are young yet. There should be no worry of children yet,” he said stubbornly.

Byleth pursed her lips and let her hand wander up to touch the side of his face. “Ingrid and Sylvain have three beautiful daughters. Annette and Felix have a son with another on the way. Mercedes and Dedue have two of their own.” Her thumb grazed Dimitri’s cheekbone. “We are outnumbered, my love.”

Dimitri closed his good eye and shook his head. “You are my wife, Byleth. The court does not get a say in that matter. There were certainly no protests when we were wed.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “There were,” she countered. “They were just never brought to your attention.”

Dimitri stared at her. “There were?”

“Some of the church officials didn’t like the idea of the union because they rightfully thought I would remove power from the church to distance state and religion. Seteth had them removed from their positions of power. Some of the nobles didn’t like the idea that the Saviour King would marry anyone other than their own flesh and blood. Especially someone who was born a commoner. Felix and Sylvain and Ingrid are quite good at squashing rumours in court,” Byleth explained sadly.

Dimitri looked pained. “You’ve carried this for 6 years and you never told me? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

She kissed him between the eyes. “You had enough to worry about. I loved you and I was good enough at ignoring whispers. I believed in what we were doing.”

“You say loved,” he mumbled, looking almost nervous.

Byleth kissed his lips. “I love you,” she corrected herself. “I will always love you.”

“We can figure the rest out later,” Dimitri murmured.

Byleth sighed wistfully at his optimism. “Dimitri, I do not know how much longer the kingdom will wait for an heir.”

He scowled. “We went through hell to create this kingdom.” His hands on her waist tightened possessively. “They can wait.”

Byleth pecked him again. “I’ve asked Seteth to take me to see Rhea,” she confessed suddenly. “She has settled in Zanado and Catherine keeps watch over her. Seteth has agreed to accompany me.”

Dimitri stilled. “When?”

“Three days from now. After I return to the monastery.”

He considered her words for a moment. “I suppose I cannot come with you.”

“No,” Byleth agreed. “Seteth says she will likely only speak with me.” She cupped his face between her hands. “I’m sorry I won’t be here to receive Ashe and Petra with you.”

Dimitri chuckled faintly. “I’m not worried about Brigid. Ashe is a good friend and he and Petra are a well-suited match. I do sorely miss his skills as a scout and spy,” Dimitri added.

Byleth shifted so that she was facing Dimitri fully, kneeling between his legs. She reached up and pressed her palms against his bare chest, pushing him back against the mattress. “I miss having all of our friends around, but there are certainly certain perks of having just us around.”

Dimitri’s hands squeezed her waist as he guided her on top of him and they didn’t need words for the rest of the night.

-

Somewhere in Zanado - 6 Pegasus Moon, 7 AU

“Byleth,” Seteth said, catching her attention.

She turned towards him, tearing her attention from the small house that was just down the road. “Yes?”

Seteth gave her an unreadable expression. “I am unsure if what Rhea is willing to tell you will actually be of much help. I am also sorry that Flayn and I were unable to tell you more ourselves. I had hoped to avoid this.”

Byleth touched Seteth’s arm. “Flayn is alright,” she assured. “She wrote last week saying she is safe and is travelling with Ignatz.” Byleth smiled faintly to herself. “I still almost can’t believe I never noticed the connection there.”

Seteth frowned. “I wish she would have stayed.”

Byleth squeezed his arm. “She is young at heart, Seteth. You cannot be her concerned father and her overbearing older brother at the same time. Let her have this time.”

He nodded. “We are not here to discuss my relationship with my daughter.” He gestured towards the house. “Come.”

Byleth followed Seteth towards the house. Catherine stood outside, straight-backed and poised, just as Byleth remembered her. She was carrying Thunderbrand and her hand rested comfortably on the Relic’s hilt.

“Hello Catherine,” Byleth greeted once the knight had nodded in greeting to her.

Catherine’s eyes were sharp and not exactly welcoming. “I wish you didn’t have to have this conversation.”

“Rhea said she would have it,” Byleth countered sternly.

Catherine backed down immediately and opened the door, gesturing for Byleth to enter. Byleth stepped past her and into the small house and closed the door behind her. She heard Catherine and Seteth start talking in quiet, muffled tones.

The house was small and Byleth had stepped right into the kitchen. Rhea was seated at the table nearby, her posture straight and neutral as Byleth approached and sat across from her. For a moment, neither of them spoke, until the silence became so heavy that Byleth grew uncomfortable.

“Seteth told me what you did,” she began.

Rhea’s lips tightened. “I saved your life.”

Byleth forced her expression not to show her distaste. “You used me to try and resurrect Sothis,” she corrected.

“I created your mother,” Rhea said, ignoring the accusation. “I did many things to try and save my mother, but creating your mother was one of my many regrets. She was born dead and I saved her by placing the Crest Stone within her heart.”

This much, Seteth had known and had explained to her. She also knew the story of her parents’ meeting and getting married thanks to her father’s journal.

“My father bore the Crest of Flames too, didn’t he?” Byleth questioned.

Rhea looked straight into her eyes and the pale green of them was cool and unflinching. “I gifted it to him when he saved my life all that time ago. When he and your mother conceived, I feared for you. I did not know if Sitri could bear children. My concern was apparently warranted. You were born without a heartbeat so your mother begged me to transfer the Crest Stone to you to save you. I did and you lived and she died.”

Byleth felt her face twitch with pain and she inhaled sharply to regain her composure. “So you placed the Crest Stone inside of me and that is why I have no heartbeat.”

“That is why you are alive,” Rhea corrected. “You would have been dead without it.”

Byleth frowned. “What am I?”

“I don’t know. Your mother wasn’t truly mortal, and neither were you, but since you merged with the goddess it has been far more complicated than that.”

Byleth twisted her hands and pressed them, below the edge of the table, against the flat of her stomach. “I’ll never be able to have children, will I?”

This time there was a glimmer of sympathy in Rhea’s gaze. “My dear,” she said softly, “I don’t believe your body could ever handle that stress.” She studied Byleth for a moment and Byleth caught a flicker of guilt in Rhea’s face. “There is something else about the Crest Stone too,” she continued softly.

Byleth felt ill, but she had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was going. “Sothis kept its power contained when she was inside me. It’s been killing me since then, hasn’t it?”

Rhea looked down as the guilt swallowed her expression. “The Crest Stone’s power is not meant for mortal bodies. There is a reason your mother was so frail. It is likely then, that its power is eating you from the inside out. But, without it, you are dead anyway.”

-

An hour later, Byleth burst out of the house, slamming the door open, and scared both Catherine and Seteth. She immediately stalked away from the house, trembling with grief and pain. Seteth followed immediately while Catherine disappeared to check on Rhea.

“Byleth!” Seteth called. He ran ahead to cut her off and grabbed her by the upper arms, forcing her to acknowledge him.

“The Crests came from the blood of the Nabateans. The Relics came from their bones,” Byleth said. Rhea had confessed the origin of the weapons shortly after admitting Byleth was running on borrowed time.

Seteth looked saddened, but not overly surprised. “I suspected as much,” he admitted.

“I’m dying,” she said next.

This appeared to catch Seteth more off guard as his hands dropped from her arms. “What?” he demanded.

Byleth closed her eyes. “Sothis kept the Stone’s energy at bay. It’s consuming me slowly now that she is gone.”

“Then we remove it,” Seteth said sternly.

“I’m dead without it,” Byleth continued. She opened her eyes to look at him and saw the grief and sadness in his face. “Thank you for bringing me here to answer my questions,” she said. “I would like to fly back alone to have a moment to think, so feel free to stay here and catch up further if you would like.”

She didn’t wait for a reply before she headed off to where they had left the wyverns they had flown here on. She did hear his footsteps following behind her as he pursued her, but he did not try to speak to her again and for that she was grateful.

[hispeculiartreasure]

All We’ve Got is Time - Chapter Nine | B.B.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

AU: If They’d Survived/Post-War/Window Washer!Bucky Barnes

Rating: Teen

Word count: 5,500

Chapter 9/24

Warnings: A bad word, a barely-violent bar skirmish

AN: Thank you for patiently awaiting this chapter! This posting schedule is much, much more suitable. You are all so lovely and supportive. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! And send me an ask if you’d like to be tagged.

Fun fact, the Commando Cocktail was actually on the Stork Club’s drink menu in the late 1940s! It definitely had a more sensuous namesake but I just took an opportunity and ran with it 😉

Chapter Eight

‘All We’ve Got is Time’ Masterlist

First thing in the morning the bullpen is already abuzz with squeals and giggles. The typists of the office huddle around their sweet friend as she holds out her hand, the square cut diamond sparkling in the morning light.

“It’s beautiful, Dorothy. Congratulations,” you purr, squeezing her fingers after perusing the jewelry close-up. 

“I’m assuming he asked you in an insanely romantic way?” Millie sighs, chin perched in her hands.

“Yeah, tell us the story!” Frances giggles. 

Dorothy settles into her chair, eyes shining. As she begins her tale Suzy leans in to you and whispers, “We’re dropping like flies around here. Alice last week, Dorothy today. And they’re some of the youngest. If you come in next week with a ring I’ll toss you out a window.”

You hide a smile behind your hand. “Relax, Suze. It’s sweet.”

“So sweet my teeth are gonna rot,” she grumbles. 

“Cynicism is not a good look on you.”

Suzy huffs and turns a dazzling smile to Dorothy as the remaining girls continue to ask questions. The two of you take steps toward your desk and Suzy sighs deeply. “All of a sudden people are marrying like there’s no tomorrow. Five years ago if people were getting hitched after courting for six months your parents locked you in your room until the vapors wore off.”

“Are you jealous?”

The redhead scoffs. “No, but. . . the change has got me. . .” she twists to you, the cynic having been replaced by someone much more forlorn. “It’s got me feeling like I’m behind, ya know?”

“Aw, Suze.” You take her hand in yours. “I get it. The war changed a lot of things, a lot of people.”

“Yeah. Guess so.” A moment passes before she clears her throat and takes her hand back, smoothing her skirt before she motions to your desk. “You’ve been busting your tail this morning. Why’d you get here early?”

“I’ve got lunch plans. Wanted Flannery to know I wasn’t shirking my job by staying out long. Would you believe she was here when I came in at 7?”

“Lord, does that woman sleep?”

“Unclear.” You both turn to watch the back of Flannery’s head bent over her desk, firmly ignoring the fuss over the engagement ring.

“Well. Hope you have a good lunch.” With a wink and a bounce of curls Suzy is gone.

Your fingers fly over your typewriter as you eye the clock, praying your boss doesn’t approach your desk with a new task before lunchtime. With a record number of letters typed, addressed, and sealed up you leave your swivel-chair spinning when your break begins.

Wicker basket in hand you savor the sunshine on your skin as you walk a few blocks to the building Bucky’s team is currently working on. You round the structure, lifting a hand to shield your eyes against the high sun as you look for your boyfriend among the people hanging off of the skyscraper. It’s almost laughable how much he stands out from the other men in his crew.

Where most of the boys are thin and gangly, Bucky is lean and formidable. His work was neat and efficient, an obvious routine to his movements. While you did enjoy your view from several stories down. . . 

Bringing your fingers to your mouth you whistle shrilly, causing every head to swivel down to you. You can’t decipher many of Bucky’s features but you can tell he’s smiling the same dopey smile he’d had after you’d shared that first kiss a few weeks ago.

Around the grin he yells, “What’re you doing here, Sixth Floor?”

“Bringing you lunch, Sergeant! Unless you’d rather me go,” you shout back, tossing a thumb over your shoulder.

“I’ll be right down.” You watch as he slowly descends, breathing a sigh when his feet safely meet the ground.

“Hello, beautiful,” a kiss lands on your cheek while he dries his hands on a towel.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.”

You toss him one end of a thin blanket you’d packed. “I’m assuming you’re not too good for a picnic?”

He catches it with a hum and mirrors your unfolding, settling it to the ground beneath the shade of a tree in the courtyard. “I dunno. My delicate sensibilities may be set off-balance.”

“Are your delicate sensibilities offended by sandwiches and fruit?”

“I think they can be persuaded to cooperate, unless you forgot the coffee.”

“You think I’m stupid?” you say as you pull the thermos out of your basket.

Arranging your skirt to maintain modesty you take a seat on your blanket. Bucky sits near before reclining to rest his weight on his elbow, body turned toward you.

“Today been okay?” you ask as he takes the wrapped sandwich you offer.

“Just like any other day. It’s blazing hot up there; one of the guys almost had a heat stroke.”

“Goodness, I hope you’ve been drinking water.”

His eyes soften as he replies, “Yes ma’am. By the way, I have an appointment with a local job counselor next week.”

“Bucky, that’s fantastic!” you enthuse, grabbing his arm.

“Fingers crossed he can help me figure out how to head towards being a mechanic.”

“I sure hope so. I’m proud of you for reaching out to him. This is a great start.”

Before you can ask why he’s gazing at you adoringly he asks, “How’s work been?”

“Busy. Our business year is almost done so our mail has been stacking up. Plus I’m pretty certain Anderson’s mistress broke up with him: he’s been in an extra testy mood. Oh, and Dorothy got engaged last night.” 

“I thought that happened last week?”

“No, that was Alice.”

“Hard to keep it all straight,” Bucky mutters as he guzzles his cup of coffee.

You can’t help a giggle. “That’s exactly what Suzy said. Dorothy seems happy, though.” Bucky only hums in thought.

The next several minutes are quiet, spent enjoying each other’s presence as you people watch and eat.

“Dinner tomorrow?”

“Mhmm,” you hum affirmatively around a mouthful of grape.

You sense a hesitancy in Bucky as he stares at his cookie. After a big gulp he says, “Do ya wanna do drinks after with Steve and Peggy?”

Your stomach drops. “You want me to meet them?”

“I do.”

A million thoughts stampede through your brain in the span of three seconds. This is a big deal. They mean a lot to Bucky. These are his best friends. What if they hate me. What if I’m not good enough, what if one word from them means Bucky never speaks to me again? What if-

“Only say yes if you want to, I don’t wanna pressure you-”

“No no no no,” you blurt, shaking your head. “I want to. It’s just. . .”

“Just what?” Words leave you, an empty silence hanging in their place. “Tell me,” Bucky nudges, hand tangling with yours.

“It’s an intimidating prospect.”

“Because of what they do? Really, they aren’t that big of a deal, just have jobs that-”

“Not intimidating because of who they are. But who they are to you, Bucky.” His eyebrows furrow, so you continue. “Steve has been your lifelong best friend and you’ve been to war and back with Peggy, literally. I’m honored that you want them to meet me but at the same time. . .”

“Wait -” he leans back. “Do you think they aren’t going to like you?”

“There’s always a chance-”

Bucky had the nerve to laugh - not a laugh of derision, but genuine disbelief. “Not a chance in the world. Steve knows you’re special. He knows me better than I know myself, he’s seen how I’ve been since you. And Peggy. . . she may be a harder sell. But that’s got nothing to do with you. It’ll go fine. Okay?” And with his fingers running up and down your arm, who are you to question him?

“Okay.” You shove half a cookie in your mouth to stave off the urgent impulse to run away.

------

“They’re late because they already hate me right?”

Bucky scoffs, leaning his elbows onto the table in the back of the club. “How can they hate you when they don’t even know you? I already told you, Steve called before I left to pick you up. Something popped up at work and a meeting was going to run long. They should be done right about-” he checks his watch, “-now. They’ll be here soon. But to me it sounds like you’re complaining about getting extra time with me.”

You shove at his arm and grumble, “Oh shush.” All he does is chuckle. The band playing loudly from the corner does little to calm your nerves. Every few minutes you pat down your hair for flyways and make sure your dress isn’t wrinkled. You twirl the ring on your right hand over and over before Bucky’s hand stops your fidgeting with a gentle touch.

“You okay? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

“Just because I may always seem confident doesn’t mean I am. Few people get to see me with the jitters.” You slant your eyes to his. “Consider it an honor of yours.”

He opens his mouth to presumably soothe you before something over your shoulder catches his attention. “There he is.” You turn as Bucky stands to greet Captain Steven Rogers and suddenly you understand why Connie is such a fan.

You’d seen the posters and pictures of him in uniform but seeing him sport a suit and tie was another ball game. Somehow his golden hair shines bright under the dull lighting which also cast a beautiful shadow across his broad shoulders. He seems impossibly taller with every purposeful step to your table, jaw set in a firm line. 

But then the biggest smile washes across his face as he steps into Bucky for a hug. As men do, they pat each other on the back and part - suddenly Steve’s attention is all on you. Blue eyes so similar to Bucky’s grow warm.

“It is so nice to finally meet you,” he offers his hand. “You’re all he’s been talking about.”

You laugh and grasp his hand, introducing yourself. You glance to Bucky, worrying he’d be bothered by the admission of him discussing you. He’s remarkably at ease, shoulders dropped, face relaxed.

“Where’s Peggy?” Bucky asks.

Steve gestures dramatically as the three of you take your seats. “She was pulled aside for a private meeting on our way out the door. But she shouldn’t be too long.”

“Never thought you’d be the one in a relationship with work-life balance,” Bucky jabs.

“And you never miss an opportunity to badger me about my work.”

“Yes, I’ve heard you two are quite the pair,” you look between the two men.

Steve raises an eyebrow. “Oh, we’ve got some stories.” As he dives into a story involving a rock mysteriously hurtling through the window of the Barnes’ family home you can’t help but be a bit shocked.

His presence commands attention but his demeanor is overtly disarming, daresay gentle. With a boy-ish charm he animatedly tells the story, strongly disagreeing with Bucky’s adjustment of details. You were expecting a hardened war hero, rough and tumble with scars to show for it. This extremely young man was the last thing you were expecting to walk through the door. You feel a peace settle over you as the men tell their childhood story in tandem.

Bucky gives you a moment of eye contact and his lips twitch to a smile. Not so bad right?

The delightful verbal sparring is interrupted by three giggling women - well, girls. They bounce up to the table, looking barely old enough to be allowed into the bar. Gushing about Captain America this, Howling Commandos that, they talk over each other getting louder by the moment. Steve smiles tight and you take note of how much his posture has shifted. Shoulders squared back, adjusting his tie every few moments. Several autographs later the women are finally guided back to their table by a helpful waitress.

Viscerally experiencing a shift between Captain Rogers to Steve to Captain America had you reeling. Seems the duty of being America’s Golden Boy came with some steep costs. Minutes later the same waitress reappears, apologetically placing a drink to your table.

“A Commando cocktail for you sir, from the same three ladies.” Steve sighs and pushes the drink to the middle of the table, decidedly ignoring the eager glances of the gaggle of girls across the room. “May I refresh anyone’s beverage?”

“I’ll have a Sidecar and she,” Steve points to the empty seat next to him, “will have a whiskey, neat.”

“Make that two,” Bucky adds. 

You indicate that you’re still working on your first before eyeing the gifted drink between you. “The Commando cocktail. . . did your special ops team have a drink named in your honor?” you ask, perplexed.

Bucky moves his head from side to side. “Could be us. Could have a different meaning. I hope to God it’s not us, you’d think someone would have the decency not to mix bourbon and absinthe in our honor.”

Steve changes the subject to avoid any more embarrassment on his part. “I hear you’re a mechanic,” he leans in with interest.

“Was,” you correct. “Now I’m just a secretary.”

“A typist,” Bucky corrects you in turn. “And I’d say your skills are still pretty up-to-date.”

“Updated enough to do a house call? My Harley’s been making a funny noise, maybe you’d be able to fix it,” Steve says with a chuckle.

“I’d love to take a look at it. Is it high-pitched or low? The vibrations in motorcycles tend to knock the batteries dead fast.”

Steve does his best to smother how impressed he is behind his drink. 

“Don’t know what good fixing it will do ya Steve, you’re just going to end up throwing it at something again,” Bucky scolds as he takes his own sip.

“Doing. . . throwing. . . what?” You ask.

Steve blushes, moving to answer when Bucky interrupts him. “This guy has thrown more bikes at enemies than days I spent as a POW. Just ‘cause you’re strong enough to toss ‘em doesn’t mean you should, pal.”

A clipped British accent floats over your table. “Don’t tell me you two are at it again over those motorbikes.”

You turn toward the voice and realize you had not known the definition of intimidation until you’d seen Peggy Carter. She almost perfectly matches Steve’s earlier confident stride except for the click of her heels. After a full day of work her makeup was flawless, accompanied by chestnut hair curled to perfection. High-waisted trousers followed a perfect line to her feet - paired with her simple white blouse and she was one of the most stunning women you’d ever laid eyes on.

The three of you stand as she arrives at the table. “Bucky, always lovely to see you,” she gives him a brief hug before turning on her heel to face you. There’s a sharpness to her gaze as she quickly looks you up and down. “Peggy Carter, pleased to finally meet you.” The handshake you share is firm, inspecting. Just like that, every defense you’d relaxed with Steve was right back in place.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Peggy.” She nods once and narrows her eyes slightly before turning to Steve.

“Hello, darling,” she hums to him with a subtle touch to his arm.

“Did your meeting go okay? Looked intense,” Steve pulls Peggy’s chair out for her before she sits and Bucky does the same for you.

“Bureaucratic nonsense, I’m afraid. I’ll fill you in later,” brown eyes cut to you and Bucky before giving a miniscule shake of her head. “Now what were we discussing?”

“We were talking about the ace mechanic at the table.” Was that a hint of a brag you heard in Bucky’s voice? 

“Ah, yes. I heard of your time working in the factory. Do tell us more,” Peggy says breezily before sipping her whiskey.

You share the same story you’d shared with Bucky on your first date - though slightly less eloquently. While Steve reacts encouragingly and asks questions, Peggy sits in relative silence. Every time you turn her way, she’s watching you. Anyone passing by the table would just see someone listening; you could see the analysis rolling through her mind.

Once the conversation shifts you feel a warm hand gently resting on your knee for the briefest of moments. A sweet, It’s okay gesture from Bucky while he reminisced of their days overseas. Mere weeks into this and he could already read you like a book. Then again, reading each other was what started this whole thing, wasn’t it?

“. . . don’t you think?”

The awkward silence prompts you to shake out of your thoughts and glance around the table, everyone looking at you expectantly.

“I’m sorry, say again?”

Peggy drains her glass before setting her steeled gaze on you. “I was just observing that working with some men can tend to be draining. Have you shared that experience?”

You nod, choosing your words carefully - just as carefully as the question had been posed.

“I believe some men have difficulty accepting that a woman might be more knowledgeable in their field, due to their own presuppositions. I had hoped the way women stepped up to work during the war would have been celebrated but it only seems to have threatened the men that came back. I do hope that changes over time.”

She hums and adds a small, “Indeed” while Steve gives a sympathetic smile. “And how did you come to find out about Bucky’s war record?” The suspicion in her voice is minute, but still detectable.

“He had mentioned serving in Europe on our first date, so I knew he was a veteran. I didn’t find out about the. . . special operations until about a week later. One of my coworkers put two and two together when Bucky visited work one day and spilled the beans.”

Bucky grins in Steve’s direction. “She’s a big fan of yours, Stevie. Practically said she’d marry you on the spot.” Once again, Steve’s cheek dust pink. 

“For which I apologized to Bucky for. It was mortifying. And unfair to have that reveal sprung on Bucky with no warning.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Bucky insists, hand finding yours under the table.

Abruptly Peggy stands, prompting the two boys to jump to their feet. “I’m going to powder my nose. Would you like to join me?” she directs your way.

“Umm. . .” Bucky catches the hint of panic in your eye and tilts his head. What’s the worst she can do? “Sure. Could use some freshening up myself.”

“Lovely. Excuse us, boys.” Peggy leads the way through the clusters of people, past the bar to the restroom. The door clicks behind you and you’re afraid Peggy will be able to hear how fast your heart is beating. She rummages through her handbag for a moment before settling herself in front of the mirror. You take a position to her right, utilizing the other half of the mirror. 

Uncapping a tube of lipstick Peggy expertly applies a fresh coat to her already rose-petal-red lips. Even the way she applied makeup was daunting. And you can’t shake the feeling that she’s waiting for you to speak first.

 You clear your throat as you brush your fingers through your hair. “Thank you for taking the time to meet us tonight. I know how important you and Steve are to Bucky.”

“Hmm, yes, it’s our pleasure. They are very important to me as well. Both of them.”

Oh boy.

“The three of us have been through a war together, after all. You don’t come out of that without feeling a certain level of loyalty. I believe Steve and I share a concern for Bucky’s wellbeing.”

“Have I done something to make you particularly suspicious of me?”

As she turns to you, her softened features take you by surprise. “Whether he admits it or not, Bucky is an attractive, semi-notable public figure who happens to be attached to an extremely public figure. I wouldn’t put it past a woman to use Bucky to try to get close to Steve. Girls have tried before.” She checks one pin behind her ear before stepping to the door again.

You blink several times before responding. “And you think I’m one of those girls?”

“Not anymore.” She takes a few steps back to you. “My main concern for him now is the fact that he’s. . . in a vulnerable place. The war left many soldiers trying to find their footing. I want to make sure he doesn’t get tipped over in the process. I’d hate for him to feel any unnecessary pain if I could have headed it off from the start.”

“I. . . I do care for him, Peggy.” You face your reflection again, hands resting on the sink. “I had absolutely no intention of becoming romantically involved with someone. And then he was so kind to me in an environment where men have been. . . less than kind. Everything I learn about him draws me in closer. The last thing I want to do is be a source of pain or volatility.”

With a shaky breath you search for eye contact again, finding a new warmth emanating from hers.

“Well, I suppose we can work with that,” she offers as she opens the door. The tense air shifts and you give a small smile as you pass through the door and begin to follow her back to the table.

You are just stepping around the bar when a feminine “That’s okay, really. . .” catches your attention. Following the voice, your attention is drawn to a young couple standing by the bartop. Although every moment they were starting to look less like a couple and more like a man with wandering hands. The girl tries to step back which only results in his meaty hand fisting into the side of her dress and pulling her chest to his. Based on her expression what the man had to say was less than proper. She struggles to step out of his grip which only seems to tighten the more she wiggles.

You’ve had enough of that. 

You detour from the route you and Peggy had set toward the table. Peggy picks up on your absence and turns to watch you curiously.

“Excuse me,” you state more than ask. One pair of panicked eyes and another pair of glazed-over ones come to rest on your face. “Is everything alright here?”

“Ev’things swell, sweet dish. We’s just having a lil talk.” 

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

“Is that true, Miss?”

“Um, I- I’m-” she attempts to squeak out before the man bellows again.

“Was my word not good enough for you? You tryin’ ta grandstand your feminine chops for some cool cat?”

“I was speaking to Miss-” you turn expectantly towards the girl who’s looking younger by the minute.

“Cartwright. Helen,” she whispers.

“I was speaking to Miss Cartwright so if you’d please take a step back, sir.”

“I don’t gotta do nothin’ you tell me to.” You pull Helen behind you which only makes the man more belligerent. He starts yelling less-than-appropriate words and soon his anger rounds on you. 

Drawing up to your full height you stare the man dead in the eye. “Is this the way you treat all women? Or just the ones smaller than you?”

A giant hand wraps itself around your forearm, jerking you towards him. “Now listen here bitch, I-” Before he can finish his drunken thought, perfectly manicured fingers clutch his wrist. He’s violently pulled away from you, arm pinned behind his back - his face making intimate contact with the bartop. 

“Now now,” Peggy coos. “That’s no way to treat friends of mine. Seems like you need a moment to cool down.” The brute strains against Peggy’s grip, a foot kicking back every so often. You land a spiked heel directly to the top of one of his feet, digging in for good measure when his howl of pain can be heard over the tune of the band. “Thank you for that, dear,” Peggy says, clearly enjoying the situation. A scuffle is heard behind you but you’re too focused on making sure the boar doesn’t hurt Peggy to pay it much mind.

“Looks like you two have things handled, but could I be of assistance?” Steve strides next to you, honeyed voice contrasting sharply with his stern gaze.

Peggy blows a puff of air at a curl that had fallen in front of her eyes. “Would you mind escorting this gentleman to the curb? I believe fresh air is in order.” 

“My pleasure.” With the back of his collar fisted in Steve’s hand the bully has no choice but to have his face unceremoniously unstuck from the bar and pushed toward a back entrance. Peggy follows closely, speaking in the man’s ear the whole way out, waving off a pair of security guards. 

You can feel Bucky’s presence but turn your attention to the now-shaking young woman, bringing your hands up to her arms. “Helen, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

She shakes her head. Tears hang stubbornly in her eyes, fighting not to show how shaken she really was over the ordeal. 

“I’m sorry he put his hands on you. Do you have anyone you can call?” She nods, reaching for the purse hanging off of her wrist. “That’s great.” Your eyes drift to Helen’s waist. “Oh dear. Looks like you didn’t make it completely unscathed.” 

Helen’s gaze follows yours before she lets out a dismayed sigh. “I just picked this dress up from the cleaner’s yesterday.” She fingers the ripped fabric of her dress. Now tears are flowing freely.

“It’s only ripped on the seam, that can be fixed in a jiffy.” You look over your shoulder at Bucky and ask him to retrieve your light coat from the table. He’s gone and back in a flash and you drape it over Helen’s shoulders. “Take this to cover up on your way home. Let me find a pen and paper and I can write down the information for my favorite seamstress in the city. Her prices are fair and her work is solid.” A scrap of paper and a pencil are produced from your purse and you add your information at the bottom. “In case you need anything else while you’re in the city,” you explain as you hand the note over.

“How can I get your coat back to you?” Helen asks as she buttons it closed.

“Don’t worry about it,” you dismiss. “It’s almost summer and I was due for a new jacket anyway. Just stay safe, okay?” You wipe a few leftover tears from her face and nod in encouragement as she heads to the phone booth by the entrance.

“Are you alright?” Suddenly you’re hyper-aware of Bucky’s close proximity, his hand gently raising up your forearm toward a lamp on the bar.

“Um, I think so. He grabbed me pretty good but it shouldn’t be too bad.” You rub the area the drunk had gripped and hiss softly at the tenderness of your skin. “It’ll heal.”

“I guess I don’t need to tell you that was incredibly stupid?” Bucky attempts to sound nonchalant but the slight edge to his voice gives him away.

“Probably not. But it’s better this than something even worse happening to Helen because I ignored it.”

“My God, there’s another one of him.” You both face a newly arrived Peggy who is taming her curls, Steve not too far behind.

Bucky grumbles, “Evidently.”

“That took an exciting turn. What say we cut a rug to forget that jerk?” Steve steps to your side. “May I have the honor, ma’am?” He asks, offering a hand to you.

“Me? Oh, sure.” You settle your hand in his lightly, looking to Bucky for his confirmation. He quirks his mouth to one side, nods subtly. He’s harmless.

As Steve gives you a simple twirl onto the dance floor you notice Peggy in Bucky’s arms a few couples away and you can’t help but wonder what they’re discussing. As you and Steve move around the room Peggy speaks steadily, Bucky hanging onto every word.

“You alright?” Steve’s deep voice snaps your attention back to him. He’s watching you empathetically.

“Just been a bit of a rockier night than I expected,” you say with a half-hearted chuckle. You catch yourself relaxing in Steve’s arms - not the way you did in Bucky’s, obviously. But there was still a soothing sense of security coming off of Steve in waves. “I pictured this going much differently.”

He breathes a laugh as he spins you out and brings you back in. “It’s going about as I expected, except I wasn’t the one causing trouble tonight. Thanks for that.”

A genuine smile breaks your sobriety. “Just hope it didn’t ruin yours and Peggy’s opinions of me.”

“Hardly!” he says with glee. “I already knew I would like you and the bit at the bar probably sealed the deal for Peg.”

“Really? Because I got the feeling she isn’t my biggest fan.”

“Ah, she’s just protective and tough. The first time she got really angry with me she grabbed the nearest pistol and fired four shots at me.” Steve laughs at how comically wide your eyes grow. “I deserved it. But there’s a lot of love and care beneath the cool gazes and harsh tone.” He catches your eye and clears his throat. “Although I’m not the one who told you that,” he whispers conspiratorially.

A grin overtakes your face. “Thanks for that. Makes me feel a little better.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s driving you crazy not being able to hear what they’re talking about right now, huh?”

You sigh, the pair of you circling around where Bucky and Peggy are in both your sights. “You’re not wrong.”

“Did Bucky ever tell you the specific effects the serum had on me?”

“Made you super strong, super fast? That’s the gist of what I got.”

“To accompany that, all my senses are heightened. I can smell my favorite bakery across the city, can read signs a mile or two away. And,” he looks down at you mischievously, “I can hear just about every conversation in this room.” 

“You can? That has to be insanely overwhelming.”

“It was for the first few months. Then I learned how to tune certain things in and out. You wanna eavesdrop with me?”

You shake your head, “Oh, I don’t-umm, I’d hate to pry.”

“You don’t have to. I’m going to.” Oh, you really like Steve.

Steve turns you so he has a clear view of his best friends and seems to focus intently beyond your shoulder.

“Peggy said something about being careful how quickly he moves forward with you. Bucky just asked Peggy why she was trying to scare you away earlier. She says she was testing your resolve, which stood up better than she expected,” he spares a glance to you, “Bravo to you on that. Peggy says she admired your action with the young woman at the bar. Bucky’s not surprised that you stepped in when there was trouble . . and now they’re just talking shit about me, which is their usual topic of discussion. Did that help?”

“It did. Thank you, Steve.”

“Anytime.”

Quiet follows for a few bars of the song, your brain mulling over the whole night.

After another turn Steve asks, “You haven’t met the family yet, right?”

“Right. Bucky’s dodged the subject more than once. I haven’t pushed it.”

Steve grimaces. “I can’t really blame him. I love the Barneses like they’re my own, but they can be overwhelming sometimes.”

“So I’ve gathered. Honestly, all I know is that he has three sisters and that was only shared in a few asides.”

“Three sisters, all younger. Becca, Rose, and Evelyn. He’s close to his Ma and Becca. Him and Rose don’t have many issues, mostly because they never spent a lot of time together. Things with Evelyn are strained because she’s turning into an adult and Bucky is having a hard time letting her. And his father. . .” Steve weighs his words. “His father is old-fashioned and always will be. They don’t get along.”

“Sounds like that’ll be a fun meeting.”

“When the time comes, you’ll do great.” Steve was so earnest in his reassurance you couldn’t help but believe him.

“May I cut in?” you turn to Bucky’s voice, glad to see him smiling.

“Only if you trade for this gorgeous partner of yours,” Steve teases, mocking a bow to Peggy.

“Oh sod off,” she scolds as Steve pulls her close while the band begins playing a new song.

You nestle into Bucky’s side with a hand tucked in his, relishing in the ease of a moment alone together.

“You good?” Bucky whispers when the song has almost come to an end.

Pulling back, you match his amorous gaze. “Yeah. I’m good.” A soft kiss meets your temple and you practically melt further into Bucky.

“Thanks for coming tonight.”

“Thanks for asking me.”

“Try not to be too much trouble next time, huh?”

“No promises, Barnes.”

Chapter Ten

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[captain-kingliamsqueen]

Morning Workout! - Liam x Mc

Pairing: Liam x MC

Word Count: 2804

Masterlist

Warning: Curse words 😂

 ASK IF YOU WANT TAGGED! SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE!

I always notice every single spelling mistake or issue after I’ve posted…so apologies in advance! 

Tags aren’t working so I will be tagging in the comments.

It was early in the morning when Riley woke to an empty bed. Nearly every morning Liam would wake early to go for his morning workout. Riley climbed from the bed and made her way over to the window as she looked out at the palace gardens, she watched him doing push ups. Riley made her way to the kitchen where she began preparing breakfast for the two of them, by the time she was finished, Liam was just getting back to the apartment. He made his way over to the breakfast island where Riley stood pouring them two cups of tea, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as he nuzzled his head into her shoulder. “good morning beautiful” he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss against her cheek.

“you’re all sweaty” she smirked

“mmm you love it” he chuckled causing her to giggle

“how was your workout?”

“it was great! nothing like some fresh air first thing in the morning”

“I missed you this morning” she whispered

“mm I missed you too, now…I can’t help but feel hungry when I smell whatever it is that’s cooking” Liam smirked

“you have a herb and tomato omelette”

“it smells amazing” he whispered

Once Riley had put out the food onto plates and Liam placed the cups of tea at their seats, they both sat down to eat.

“how are you feeling this morning? did you sleep well?”

“I couldn’t get comfortable all night; my legs were and still are killing me”

“you didn’t say anything last night, what happened?”

“okay don’t laugh…but it’s my palates and yoga…I’ve never felt so much pain in my life” she giggled

“from palates and yoga?” he smirked

“I knew you would laugh; I’m being serious, I think I over done it, I must have pulled a muscle or something”

“okay, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh…I just didn’t think you could pull a muscle doing something like that”

“you are so lucky I love you” she laughed to herself “have you ever done yoga or palates?”

“no, I haven’t” he replied as he took a sip of his tea

“then you wouldn’t understand how much muscle and strength actually goes into it.”

“it can’t be that bad surely”

“oh…you don’t think it’s that bad? I bet you couldn’t last a full week doing my fitness routine”

“a bet huh?” Liam smirk “I think if I have to do your routine you should do mine, and what happens if I successfully complete the challenge?”

“I will do whatever you want in the bedroom” as soon as she said it, he placed his fork down on the plate and looked at her with a smirk.

“anything?”

“Anything” she smirked “but…what if I succeed?”

“if you successfully complete the challenge, I will relieve you of your duties as queen for a whole week”

“a whole week? No meetings…no obligations?”

“nothing but free time”

“deal” they both reached out and shook hands.

“starting tomorrow” Riley smirked

“why tomorrow?”

“my legs hurt too much today” she laughed causing him to chuckle.

The next morning Riley awoke to Liam nudging her. “stopppp…what is it?” she groaned refusing to open her eyes.

“you need to get up” he mumbled

“no, leave me alone…crazy person” she mumbled as she pulled the duvet around her a little tighter

“it’s time for your morning workout”

“five more minutes…I need to sleep…if I get up, I’ll be cold”

“nu-uhh come on, time to get up”

“eugh fine” she groaned, half asleep, as she climbed out of bed, then headed for the bathroom.

Liam frowned as fifteen minutes passed and Riley didn’t return from the bathroom. He couldn’t hear water running so she wasn’t showering or using the tap…he couldn’t hear her moving around. He sighed as he pulled the duvet back and climbed out of bed

“fuck its cold” he groaned. He gently knocked on the bathroom door then awaited a reply…nothing.

“Riley?” he called…again…nothing he pulled the handle down and opened the door, calling her name as he did.

“rile-” he chuckled at the scene in front of him…Riley sitting on the toilet, with her elbow leaning on her leg, and her head cradled in her hand, hunched over, sleeping.

“Riley!” he called with a laugh as she jumped awake.

“Liam!!! Why are you so mean to meeee” she moaned as he walked away shutting the door behind him, then he headed back to bed.

Just a few minutes late Riley emerged from the bathroom with a deathly glare for Liam as she went to the closet to dress in her fitness wear.

“Liam?” she called

“shhh I’m sleeping” he grinned with his eyes tight shut.

“what time is it?” she asked

“six am” he smirked

“SIX OCLOCK ARE YOU CRAZY!! THAT’S CRAZY PEOPLE TIME!!! THE SUN ISNT EVEN UP YET!”

“we made a deal, you do my routine, I do yours”

“fuck you” she smirked as she walked towards the bed.

“you know you want to” he grinned “you could easily just give up now and we can stay in bed for a little bit…maybe do a little of the activity afore mentioned”

“as tempting as that is…I will not forfeit this bet…nope” she smirked as she leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. “I Love you”

“I Love you too…now go…you’re already behind schedule” Liam smirked as he watched her walk out the room.

“enjoy” He chuckled as he drifted back to sleep. It was about forty five minutes after Riley had gone that Liam awoke again. He climbed from the bed and stretched then made his way to the window, it was just a few seconds later that he spotted his wife running through the garden. Liam made his way to the bathroom then back to the bedroom where he changed into his fitness wear. he eyed Riley's yoga mat in the corner of the wardrobe then shook his head. I don’t need a mat.

He moved the living room table back to give him some room, then he picked the television control up from the sofa. as soon as he pressed the tv to come on, Riley's newest yoga DVD came on the screen. As the DVD began, he stood himself in the middle of the space he had made.

“alright everyone today we’re going to start at the back of our mat, in our child’s pose.”

Liam watched as the woman on the screen kneeled onto her mat, so he copied her, kneeling on the floor.

“feet and knees together, interlace your fingers behind your back, then open up as you look up towards the sky, inhale…exhale. Take the chest all the way down forehead to the floor and your arms up as high as possible.”

“what on earth is this…” he mumbled as he attempted to copy her. “this isn’t exercise”

“slowly rise to kneeling position, keeping your fingers interlaced. Open the chest, arch the back, slightly look up…exhale and take it all the way back down to your child’s pose”

“this IS a child’s pose...” he huffed as he done as told.

The woman done the same routine four or five times before moving onto the next.

“arms reaching up, releasing the fingers, then sinking back over to child’s pose this time reaching forwards. Moving onto all fours, and up into downward facing dog.”

“I really hope no one comes in here right now” Liam chuckled as he moved into the position, he done as the woman told and he went from that pose to a plank pose then back again. He watched in amazement as the woman on the screen asked him to reach his right leg up to the sky and hold the three-legged dog pose. I don’t think I bend that way. he didn’t give up, he done as he was told. Giving out a huff when she asked him to bend his right knee and move his left elbow to the floor, then he was to start circling his leg.

It was about twenty minutes into the DVD when the woman asked him to move into the bird of paradise position. His face dropped when he seen what she wanted him to do

“what on earth is this! Do I look like a contortionist?”

As much as he didn’t want to…he done it anyway.

Just seconds later, the was a knock at the door then it opened.

“if that’s anyone but riley” he mumbled as he looked up expecting his wife he was met with Drake with a smirk on his face.

“what the fuck are you doing?”

“Drake!” as Liam went to move out of the pose, he struggled and fell forwards landing on the hard floor with the thump.

“eughh” he groaned as Drake laughed

“when did you start doing yoga?” he laughed

“I made a bet with Riley she has to do my workout routine and I have to do hers.”

“oh really? Well I hate to break it to you but, ive been in the stables since five this morning checking on the new foal, Riley’s sitting on the bench right under the window, eating a sandwich…every fifteen minutes, she gets up and runs past the window” Drake laughed

“that sneaky little…just wait.”

“what are you gonna do?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

After Drake left, Liam showered then dressed for his day before heading out to his meeting, Riley had done the same when she returned not long after he left.

by the time Riley had returned it was hitting seven o’clock, Liam was not long returned from his meeting as well. As she walked into the apartment, she couldn’t hear anyone at all.

“Liam? Are you home?”

“I’m in here” his voice carried through from the bathroom. She took off her shoes then followed the sound. Once she reached the bathroom she smirked. There he was lying in a bubble bath

“wat’cha doin?”

“I’m relaxing…you can come and join me if you’d like”

“mmm that sounds like a great idea” she quickly tied her hair up, then undressed before making her way over to the bathtub. She watched as Liam moved his legs slightly for her to climb in and sit between them, she didn’t fail to notice the grimace on his face as he moved his muscles.

“is everything okay?” she asked as she climbed in, sitting in front of him, leaning back onto his chest, letting the heat of the bath relax her muscles.

“yeah, everything’s fine” he smiled, as she turned and placed a kiss on his lips.

“how was your day?” she asked him

“oh, it was great… how were your meetings?”

“they were fine, I made the deal with the ambassador”

“that’s great” Liam whispered as he wrapped his arms around her torso.

A short while later, the two climbed out of the bath and headed for the bedroom to get ready for bed. As they walked out of the bathroom, Riley noticed a slight limp in Liam's walk.

“are you sure you’re okay?” she asked

“yes, I think I just slept funny or something”

Riley knew Liam was aching from the yoga, she also knew he would never admit it, so she thought she would coax it out of him. whilst she was in the walk-in closet finding what she was looking for, Liam was in the bedroom, with just a towel wrapped around his waist, looking through his chest of drawers.

“Oh, I forgot to ask, did you work out?” she asked with a smirk as she opened her lingerie drawer and pulled out a lace bodysuit.

“yeah, I did, I done it as soon as I got back.”

“and how did it go” she tried not to let him hear her chuckle

“it was alright”

“so, you didn’t have any issues at all?”

“nope…not at all”

“good” she smirked as she appeared at the closer door in just the bodysuit. “then you won’t mind if we…” Liam's eyes bulged out of his head when he seen her standing there. There was no way he was going to be able to “perform” up to standard with the pain he was in…he was aching in places he didn’t even know he had. riley grinned as she slowly made her way over to him. she wrapped her arms around his torso from behind, running her hands up and down his chest a she placed gentle kisses against his back, she moved her fingers to the top of the towel and undone the fold that was holding it in place, she smirked as she watched it fall to the ground. Riley's hands slowly made their way down towards his thighs, she watched in the mirror as he closed his eyes. Not my thighs, not my thighs…

“Riley…” he moaned.

She took his hand in hers, then guided him over to the end of the bed, she climbed on, and sat herself at the top of the bed waiting for him to follow. She watched as he stood at the end of the bed not moving. With a smirk she gently ran her hands down over the lace suit, she watched as she physically seen him gulp.

“well…are you going to join me?” she asked

“I…um…. I…no”

“no?” she asked exaggeratedly, before getting on all fours and crawling to the end of the bed, stopping in front of him, she moved to her knees, so they were at the same height.

“what do you mean…no?” she asked as she placed her arms over his shoulders, then moved forwards placing a passionate kiss on his lips, then moved to his neck, then his chest.

“Riley…I-”

“what is it, Liam? Tell your queen why you won’t make love to her…”

“dammit Riley I can’t!!!” he stepped back. Riley threw her head back in laughter.

“why?” she laughed

“because I’m aching all over…what the hell did you do to me!” he tried not to laugh.

“and why are you aching all over? Come on, I wanna hear you say it”

“because I hurt myself doing yoga!”

“AHHAA I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU, YOU WOULDN’T LAST A WEEK! admit it! my work out is just as hard as yours!”

“alright! Alright! I was wrong…I’m sorry…I will never doubt your methods of exercise again!”

“that’s right! You thought it would be easy because it just looks like silly poses but in actual fact…they are harder to do than your work out altogether.”

“I’m sorry” Liam smirked

Riley stood from the bed with a smile “I’ll be back in a moment, go lie down” Riley whispered

“where are you going?”

“to get you a hot press for your legs”

“you don’t have to do that”

“just lie down, sweetie, I’ll be back in minute”

That next morning, Riley was again woken to Liam giving her a dig.

“you’re crazy…leave me alone…let me sleep!”

“we made a deal”

“Liam…I already proved my routine is just as bad as yours why do we have to keep doing it”

“well if you don’t want your week free of any duties”

Riley groaned as she threw the duvet back and climbed out of the bed, she dressed then headed outside.

Liam waited ten minutes then climbed out of bed, he stood at the window and watched, drake’s theory was confirmed, dead on half past six Riley ran past the window, she looked up and seen Liam watching, she smiled and waved then carried on. Liam then made his way to the bathroom, taking the bucket from the under the sink, he filled it with cold water then carried it out to the bedroom window, He then made his way to the kitchenette where he opened the freezing taking out the huge bag of ice, he had lifted from the kitchen downstairs, the day before. He carried it to the bedroom, ripping open the top he emptied the contents into the bucket. He grinned as he opened the window, and leaned out, looking down, three floors below, there lay on the bench was Riley, laying back reading a book. Liam smirked as he lifted the bucket to the sill, holding it so it didn’t fall.

“you look a little warm after all that exercise sweetie! Let me help you cool down!!!!” he laughed as his wife looked up at him like a deer in headlights, he smirked as he turned the bucket upside down, emptying the contents over her, Laughing as she attempted to move but clearly wasn’t fast enough.

“LIAMMM!! THAT’S FUCKING FREEZING!!!”

Within five minutes, the apartment door flung open, revealing a soaked Riley, with Bastian standing not far behind her with a smirk.

“good morning, my love” Liam smiled as she glared at him.

“did you have a good workout?”

[a-splash-of-stucky]

Priorities | Two

Pairings: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky breaks his promise. 

Warnings: Implied smut, nudity, language. Angst. The ‘baby talk’

Word Count: 3.2k

Notes: Written for @buckyofthemyscira‘s 5k Disney Writing Challenge.

I said the angst would get worse and it does! Brace yourselves :D

Series Masterlist | My Masterlist | Tags are open, add yourself here

“Let’s have a baby,” says Bucky.

You’re about five minutes post-orgasm, still trying to catch your breath and calm your galloping heart, so it takes a few seconds for your brain to actually register and process what he’s just said. You lift your head from where it’s pillowed on his chest and look at him through narrowed eyes.

“You wanna what-now?”

“A baby,” he repeats, as he rolls onto his side, forcing you to scoot back and give him some space.  Bucky slings an arm over your waist loosely, fingers idly tracing the bare skin at the small of your back. You prop your head up one elbow so that you can look at him properly.

“Why?” you ask.

Bucky shrugs. “Maybe ‘cause we’ve been married for almost two years? I dunno, I just feel like...we’re in a good position financially, Tony’s all but guaranteed me a promotion, your business is thriving — maybe it’s time, y’know?”

You bite your lip as you mull over his words, not yet convinced. “I dunno,” you mumble, “Having a kid is a pretty big commitment.”

“I know, but—we’re in a good place, aren’t we?” he asks, shifting forward to press his forehead to yours.

“I guess so,” you reply hesitantly. “I just...I need some time to think about this, okay? I want that with you, don’t get me wrong but...I’m not sure if I’m ready, yet.”

Bucky smiles at you, soft and tender. For a moment, he looks exactly like the boy you fell in love with, all those years ago. “Of course, honey,” he murmurs, bending to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “I’m not saying we gotta do it now — whenever you’re ready, doll. It’s no rush.”

You flash him a smile in return, and pray that he won’t see past the mask that you’ve painted on your face.

Sensing that the conversation is over, you slump into the pillows, groaning in relief as you stretch out your pleasantly-exhausted muscles. Bucky rumbles low in his chest as he slides his hands down your naked back, stopping to cup the swell of your ass.

“Maybe...maybe we could start practicing, though?” he asks hopefully.

You bark out a laugh as you turn to glare at him playfully. “You’re insatiable, Mr Barnes,” you tease.

“Can’t help it, when I’ve got such a pretty wife,” he replies, moving to cage you in with his forearms, forcing you to roll onto your back. You hum as you loop your hands over his neck and tangle your fingers through his hair, bringing him in for a filthy kiss.

“Perhaps you should try your best to convince me — I might make up my mind, sooner,” you say huskily, as you nose along his stubbled jaw.

Bucky pulls back, eyes dark with lust and gleaming with promise. “Challenge accepted, sweetheart.”

—

a-sprinkle-of-sunshine posted at 2.36PM: Kids??

I know I don’t usually make posts on a Sunday, but something’s just happened and I’d really like some advice.

In my last post, I talked about the current status of my marriage (btw, many thanks to everyone who left a supportive comment/piece of advice!). Today, I’d like to share with you a further development.

This morning, my husband brought up the subject of children. Specifically, he brought up the subject of us having children. Basically, hubby said that he wanted to have them. I should also say that he wasn’t in any way pressuring me to have them soon, which I appreciate.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, you all know that I’d like to have some children of my own, one day. I want to raise kids with him, but I do have some reservations.

A friend of mine sent me an interesting article a couple of weeks ago (link), which it got me thinking. From observing my friends and acquaintances, I think that this is an issue that applies to many of us in long-term heterosexual relationships.

So many women are basically “married single mothers”. They’re single mothers, despite having a husband or male s/o at home.

Let’s assume that mom and dad are both working (as is the case for hubby and I). In most families, when dad comes home, he puts his feet up on the table and chills out by playing on his Xbox or phone or whatever. He doesn’t offer to help with the dishes, he’s not cooking dinner, he’s literally just sitting there. Sometimes, dad doesn’t even come home until it’s almost midnight.  

Meanwhile, mom’s there trying to make sure that dinner’s on the table, that the kids have done their homework, that they’re doing okay in school, that they’ve packed their bags for the next day — looking after the kids, basically. My point is, in most heterosexual families as I’ve described, there’s a clear gender split in terms of child-raising responsibilities.

I don’t want that. Yes, even though I work from home and could devote a lot of time to child-upbringing, that’s not what I want. I want my husband and I to raise a child together, to have equal responsibility, to share the burdens and joys. I don’t want my children to see my husband as a stranger, y’know?

But, with the way that hubby is getting busier and busier by the day, well — I think it’s quite likely that, if we have kids, I’m gonna end up as a married single mom. In my heart of hearts, I believe that our marriage will suffer if we have a baby now. I’m scared that my husband won’t be there to watch them grow up

I know, I know — I NEED TO TALK THIS OUT WITH HIM, and I will, I promise. I’m just...I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I need to think about it, for a bit.

Anyway. Any and all advice on this matter would be much appreciated, especially if you’ve been through a similar situation.

—

Sundays are for chilling out, but apparently, Bucky didn’t get that memo.

You’ve been trying to get him out of the house all day, to no avail. The two of you had rolled out of bed at around lunchtime and, after sharing a long shower, had wandered to the kitchen to cook up some pasta. In the middle of your meal, Bucky had gotten a call from Tony, which was filled with clipped sentences and terse voices. Since then, he’s stationed himself at the kitchen island, laptop open and papers spread out in front of him, frantically making last-minute changes to his designs.

“I’m sorry, honey — maybe later?” he’d said, when you’d suggested going out for a walk.

“Sweetie, I’m busy right now, I’m sorry,” he’d said an hour later, when you’d asked him if he wanted to watch a movie with you.

“Sorry, doll, this code’s got a major bug in it, I gotta try and sort it out, I can’t go right now,” he’d said, when you’d asked if he wanted to go somewhere for dinner.

You want to scream at him in frustration.

You know that you need to confront this issue sooner rather than later, but you don’t have the strength to deal with it right now. After ordering dinner from a nearby Chinese takeout place, you curl up in front of the TV for — yet another — quiet night in, alone. The fact that you’re having dinner by yourself is kind of ridiculous, given that your husband is literally sat twenty feet away from you.

Since you’re not getting much company from Bucky tonight, you decide to head to bed early.

You sigh as you curl up on your side of the king-sized mattress, frustrated by the fact that your husband just — doesn’t seem to have time for you, anymore. A part of you feels guilty for being angry at Bucky, given that he’s only working so hard so that he can save up more money and give you a good life. Nonetheless, you can’t help thinking that there must be a limit to how much he should be working.

It takes two to have a marriage, after all.

You lie in bed, dozing in and out of dreams whilst you wait for your husband to call it a night. Sometime after eleven, you’re awoken from your light slumber by the feeling of the bed dipping with Bucky’s weight as he climbs in. He presses a kiss to your temple as he slides under the covers and curls himself around your back, slipping an arm around your waist to pull you closer. You reach back to give his hip an affectionate squeeze.

“Hey, doll, sorry — didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispers.

“S’okay,” you mumble sleepily. “You got your work done?”

“Yeah,” he replies, burying his face against the back of your neck. “Sorry our Sunday got ruined, though. Tell you what — my schedule’s free on Tuesday evening, why don’t I make a reservation at Giovanni’s and take you out for dinner, huh?”

You hum in agreement, lacing your fingers with Bucky’s where they lie over your stomach. “M’kay,” you murmur, “G’night, Buck.”

“Sweet dreams, doll.”

—

When Tuesday evening rolls around, you find yourself sitting at your dressing table, putting the finishing touches to your eye makeup.

You’re in a good mood, today — you had a productive meeting with Peter earlier this afternoon, and he’d gone away promising to look into some of the problems that you’ve been having with your website. Your supplier has gotten back to you with a reasonable price quote for the limited edition notebooks that you’re selling for autumn/winter, and you’ve scheduled the blog post that’s supposed to go up tomorrow.

All in all, a fulfilling day.

Despite being buoyed by your high spirits, there’s a lingering seed of worry in your gut. Your reservation for Giovanni’s is at seven, and Bucky still hasn’t texted you to say that he’s left work, even though it’s already half-past six.

You’ve dressed up nicely for the occasion, putting on a blue dress that compliments your skin tone and fits your body perfectly. You’ve paired the dress with some strappy heels, and have put a little extra effort into your hair and makeup too.

Your phone rings just as you’re swiping on your lipstick.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Bucky says breathlessly. “I just checked the time.”

“Are you on the way?”

“Uh...no,” he says slowly, “I’m still tied up at work.”

You set your tube of lipstick down on your vanity, his sentence settling in like a boulder at the bottom of your stomach.

Of course he’d say that. Of course he’d have to go and ruin what was otherwise a good day.

“You’re coming home late?” you ask, voice a little shaky.

Bucky sighs. “Yeah, honey. I really can’t wriggle my way out of this one.”

You purse your lips. “Okay. I understand.”

“You do?” Bucky asks, sounding relieved.

“Yeah, of course. Your work’s more important than your wife, I see that,” you say sharply. It’s a low blow, but you’re pissed off, and you want your words to wound him deeply, just as he has hurt you.

His sharp inhale on the other end of the line tells you that you’ve achieved your goal.

“No, sweetie, c’mon, just try to understand what I’m—”

“No, you try and understand how I’m feeling, James,” you hiss, fighting to hold back the hot tears of anger brimming in the corners of your eyes. “Am I not — important to you?”

“No,” he says fiercely, “Sweetheart, don’t think like that, I’m just making sure that when we have kids—”

“Oh, when?” you say angrily, “It’s a ‘when’, now? We’re having kids, that’s confirmed, is it? Are you even gonna be there to watch them grow up?”

Bucky exhales harshly. “Honey, we’re not having this conversation on the phone—”

“No? Then when the fuck are we gonna have it, James Buchanan? Hmm? Because you’re hardly ever home, and even when you are, you’re too busy thinking about work to listen to me, anyway.”

“Doll—”

“No, don’t fucking ‘doll’ me. I just��just whatever,” you sigh tiredly, as you scrub your hand over your face, the fight suddenly bleeding out of your system. You’re tired of this. You don’t want to deal with this shit anymore.

“Our reservation’s at seven,” you say, “I gotta go, or I’ll be late. Bye.”

You hang up before he gets a chance to reply.  

You want to hurl your phone against the wall. You want to scream and shout and tear your hair out. You want to rip this fucking dress to shreds, all because of Bucky. He’s just so — ugh.

With an exasperated harumph, you turn back to the mirror and fish a tissue out of your makeup bag, using it to dab at your eyes. You won’t cry, right now; Bucky’s not worth your tears. You finish putting on your lipstick, spritz on a little more hairspray, then pick up your purse and flick off the bedroom lights.

Bucky might not be coming on this date night, but you might as well treat yourself. God knows you deserve it.

On impulse, you pull out your phone and speed dial Wanda. Natasha’s on a business trip to Milan this week, so she won’t be able to join you, but you haven’t caught up with Wanda for a while — this might be a good way to salvage a bad situation. You’ve known Wanda since high-school, and you consider her to be one of your closest friends.

“Hello?” she answers, after a few rings.

“Hey, it’s me,” you say, “Listen, I know this is kinda random, but are you busy tonight?”

“Uh...like now? No, why?”

“You wanna go out for dinner with me?”

“Uh...Wait, like now now? Where? Why?”

“Giovanni’s, and I’ll tell you why when we get there.”

Wanda pauses as she thinks over your offer. “Yeah, why not, they’ve got good wine — lemme just text Vis and I’ll be right over, ‘kay?”

“Cool. Reservation’s for seven, under the name ‘Barnes’.”

“Okay. See you in a bit.”

—

“So, you gonna tell me what this is about?” Wanda asks, as the server clears your menus and re-fills your wine glasses. “You’re all dressed up, but I have a feeling that that’s not for me.”

“Bucky was supposed to take me out on a date,” you reply, as you take a sip of your wine.

“And? What happened?”

You shrug your shoulders indifferently. “He got caught up at work.”

Wanda leans back, folding her arms across her chest as she looks at you critically. She’s wearing a black shift dress, and has piled her long brown hair into a loose bun on top of her head. In addition to her favourite lace choker, she’s also wearing her signature dark lip and smoky eye-liner.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there somewhere. You’re not telling me something,” she says, after a long pause.

You chew on your lip hesitantly as you fiddle with the edge of your napkin. “It’s nothing, just—we kinda had a fight over the phone.”

Wanda clicks her tongue sympathetically as she leans forward to rest her elbows on the table. “What was it about?”

You shake your head, unwilling to talk about the fight when it’s still so fresh in your mind. “It’s nothing, forget about it.”

Wanda arches an eyebrow, clearly displeased by the fact that you’re bottling up your emotions. “I mean...if it was actually nothing, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I? Something’s clearly up. C’mon. Spill.”

You sigh, internally admitting defeat. “Well...okay. He’s been working on this big project, and — uh...actually, it’s not just that.”

She waits patiently as you try to find the right words.

“He’s busier lately...like, a lot busier. It’s been getting worse the last few months, but it all started about a year ago, I’d say. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for him, and I know that he’s doing this for both of us, but—I feel like I’m not the most important thing in his life anymore.”

You huff dryly. “That seems ridiculous to say, ‘cause if you think about it, he’s working so hard because he wants to give us a good life, but...I feel like he went and did this without me, y’know? Without talking to me, I mean. Like, I don’t need a fancy house with a backyard and a garden and whatever — I just want my husband, at home, with me.”

Wanda nods sagely. “He’s doing what he thinks is best, which — fair enough, that’s great, but that’s not necessarily what you want or need from him.”

“Exactly.”

Wanda hums thoughtfully as she takes a sip of her wine. “Sounds like you guys need to have a heart-to-heart.”

“I know, but he’s never home!” you whine, “How am I supposed to talk to him if he isn’t there for me to talk to?”

Wanda sighs as she shakes her head. “I dunno, babe, I can’t help you there.”

“I know you can’t,” you sigh, “It’s okay, we just need to work things out between us.”

She nods in agreement. “So was this date night supposed to be his way of making things up to you?” she asks.

“No. Well — kinda. He was busy doing work on Sunday, and he said he’d take me out tonight, but, well. I guess that didn’t happen, huh?”

“So that’s why you had a fight?”

“Basically,” you reply. Just then, the server comes over with your food. You get one whiff of the fragrant, delicious smell and already, your stomach rumbles in anticipation.

“Well, babe,” Wanda says, as she digs into her pasta, “If you ever need a place to stay — like, if you need to be away from him for a while or whatever, you’re always welcome to use our spare room.”

You smile at her gratefully. “Thanks, Wan. I hope I won’t need to, but thank you for the offer.”

“No probs. Are we getting dessert after?”

“Sure, why not. I’m paying for this using his card anyway, let’s cash out.”

She cackles gleefully.

—

Bucky doesn’t get home until it’s half past midnight.

He’s exhausted from a day dealing with catastrophe after catastrophe, but more than that, he feels like shit for not taking you out like he’d promised. You’d sounded really upset on the phone earlier, when he told you that he couldn’t make it. Bucky’s tried calling you about half a dozen times since then, and left you several texts, but you haven’t responded to anything.

He’s not sure what kind of mood you’ll be in.

When he shoulders open the door to the apartment, Bucky is greeted by pure darkness. With a weary sigh, he toes off his shoes and turns on the lights.

His eyes are immediately drawn to the blanket and pillows piled up at the end of the sofa, clearly meant for him. You’ve been kind enough to leave him a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to change into, but there’s no note or anything else with the items.

He knows that if he were to try the door to your shared bedroom, he’d find it to be locked.

Well then. A night on the couch it is.

[glaceontea]

Of Peasantry And Princes [2]

So, sometime recently (around Friday afternoon), I hit 1000 followers.

So, I decided in celebration I’m going to start posting Of Peasantry and Princes. There’s no strict schedule just like Cheerleader, but I’ll start writing it more often so you’ll see chapters every 2-4(ish) weeks?? Thats generally the timeframe for Cheerleader so it’ll be the same for this AU. Anyway...

Tagged: @starlight-sanders​, @sanspie122​, @80s-addict​, @watch-me-introvert​, @princeyandanxiety​, @imin-loveanon​, @the-real-numba-one​, @importantrunawaystudentstuff​, @memedreamqueer​, @gracefullyinsanedancingunicorn​, @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch​, @wentzdayz​, @just-a-random-word​ (if you want to be added/removed from the tag list pls tell me :D)

Warnings: Mentions of potential poisoning, swearing

Ships: Logicality and Prinxiety

Previous Chap

Roman felt disappointed and sad leaving his love, as he always did. They barely saw each other, as Roman was a Prince and was much higher in class than the peasant Virgil. He frowned as he and Patton rode their horses toward the castle, taking the short route this time.

After only a minute of silence on their fifteen-minute long journey, Patton decided to speak up.

"Guess what I did?" He asked. His bubbly tone and the sound of pure excitement in his voice made Roman's charming smile return.

"What is it, Patton?" Roman asked, looking over at his best friend and sitting up slightly.

"I kissed Logan," he whispered, almost as if he were afraid the horses would share his secret. A grin broke out on Roman's face at the sight of Patton's dreamy look.

"He's that smart peasant from Virgil's village, correct?" Patton simply nodded, removing one arm from his grip upon the horse and moving it to his lips, gently brushing his fingers across them. Roman laughed and shook his head. His friend had never had a romantic experience before. He was lucky in that way, well, in Roman's eyes anyway. Roman hated how much romantic experience he'd been forced to have, simply because he'd been courting women since he turned 13. His parents, the King and Queen, reminded him how lucky he was to even have a choice in his marriage. Most families married to each other because of feuds, so that they have more power. Luckily for Roman, he didn't have to have as arranged of a marriage as most, because everyone loved his parents.

Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to court men, because that was frowned upon. Hs parents didn't mind gay people too much, but they had a reputation amongst the Christendom to uphold, and Roman understood. Although, he was upset he didn't get to share his identity openly, and he didn't get to brag and gush about his adorable boyfriend to anyone except Patton.

"Are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about right now?" Patton asked, pulling Roman from his thoughts. Roman looked up and smiled weakly.

"Yes."

"Hey, at least you've got lenient guards that let you roam your kingdom as you please. At least you can see your boyfriend, right?" Roman felt his body slump as the usual wave of sadness hit him, the thought of not being able to see his boyfriend making his heart ache.

"But I do not get to visit my love nearly often enough! I do not get to shower him in gifts or endless love, for distance and class split us apart! It is tragic!" Roman exaggerated. Patton just laughed and shook his head.

"As always, Roman, covering your grief with humour. You cannot hide it from me." Roman ignored him, continuing to think of what to do.

Click. A plan. A plan that would surely not fail, as he had already told his parents he was monitoring Virgil's village this morning. Oh, yes, he'd done it!

"Patton!" He shrieked, causing his friend to jump in fright. "I've got it! All I have to do is get Virgil to work in the castle! It's so simple!" Patton looked up at him quizzically, wondering what could possibly be going through the royal's head.

"But, Roman, how?" He asked, wondering what the plan was.

"Well," Roman began, "When I left this morning, I told mother and father that I was heading to Virgil's village with you to check up on how they are doing! All I have to tell them is I found an incredibly hard-working peasant, and he can come work for us! I'll tell them his name, they'll say yes and I will retrieve him like the noble prince I am!" He informed the stablehand.

"You, Roman, are a genius," Patton stated with a smile. "Although, could you possibly suggest that Logan be a stablehand with me? You know my workload is heavy and that I need some help, and I know Logan works incredibly hard all the time. So... please?" Patton asked, a smile on his face. Roman rolled his eyes, grinning widely.

"Of course." They galloped into the castle grounds, straight towards the stables. They dismounted and Roman left the horses to Patton. "I will go inform mother and father of my request, I'll see you next time, Patton," he said with a bow, making Patton laugh and shoo him off.

-

"Mother? Father?" Roman asked as he entered The Solar, the place where the two slept and relaxed away from the bustle of the Great Hall. The pair had previously been sitting and talking about god-knows-what. They both looked up after their son's uncharacteristically meek entrance into the room. Roman smiled at them and crossed to the other side of the room, where they were seated. "I would like to talk to you about something."

"Well, go ahead, Roman," his father prompted. Roman arrived in front of them and grabbed the sides of his outfit nervously, then quickly unclenched his hands and stood up tall, feigning confidence.

"I would like to request that, um," Roman began, "that one of the peasants from from the village I visited today be moved to castle duties. Oh- two, actually," he corrected, remembering Patton's request last-minute. "One would be a boy named Logan, my age, I believe, who is one of the most hard-working and intelligent of the village. I would- I would like to request he become a second royal stablehand here." His father looked at him with a single raised eyebrow, intrigued, while his mother simply kept her hands folded in her lap and listened patiently.

"And how can you prove he's not going to harm the royal horses? They are very important to the castle and our kingdom and are high-maintenance, we wouldn't want him to lose any on us, would we?" The King asked. Roman redoubled his efforts to comes across as confident, trying his hardest to make sure his parents would genuinely take him seriously.

"Well, as I stated previously, he is incredibly intelligent. Patton, you know, our current royal stablehand, has talked to him the many times I've visited the village, and he said he believe he'd make an excellent stablehand, even better than Patton himself!" The King and Queen looked at each other, nodding in approval.

"I suppose we can move him up here. What about the other one, did you state his name?" Roman knew it would be harder to get Virgil here, but he was determined to succeed.

"Um, no, father. His- his name is Virgil." He watched nervously (but tried not to show it) as the King furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

"Virgil... that name sounds... familiar," Roman's mother muttered in her sweet voice. Roman's hand twitched.

"Roman, isn't Virgil the peasant who loudly opposes the church?" Fuck.

"Um... yes, father, but-"

"And what makes you think that a peasant such as him could possibly work for our castle and not harm us?" The King boomed, making Roman flinch.

"Well, while he does oppose the church and their beliefs, I... don't forget that I do too, father." Roman's father looked up at him and nodded, calming slightly.

"I suppose, but-"

"Also, father, he is ridiculously hard-working. He does so much for his family... it's actually really admirable." His mother gave him a strange look, but he simply continued, "He does half of his family's work load, and it's a big one, mind you. He's only got his mother and father, and they do the other half. Even though he doesn't share your beliefs, he works hard keep his family safe and alive, and I believe he would do the same for us." Roman smiled a little, thinking of how much Virgil would love to work in even the same building as Roman.

"Well," Roman's father began, slowly, "He does sound like quite the worker, even though he isn't at all reluctant to state his beliefs." The King chuckled. "From the description you've given me, I think he'd be good at working here. Besides, that chancellor of yours is very slack. Perhaps we could replace him with Virgil..." Roman's heart fluttered. If Virgil became his chancellor... he would be working with him almost constantly. "Actually, we shall make him a cook for a week, and if he either poisons you or is not very productive, he won't replace your chancellor, but if he is good we'll make him so. I'll say yes, to both of them. It'll be good for that Patton boy to have less work too, he works ridiculously hard on those horses. Are you going to retrieve them from the village?" Roman nodded, furiously trying to fight off the grin along with the urge to hug his father.

"Patton and I will retrieve them tomorrow, father. I shall go tell him now, thank you." He turned to leave, starting towards the door with a small spring in his step.

"Oh, and Roman," Roman spun around quickly. "Thanks for bringing us new peasant workers, it makes the nobles' jobs significantly easier." Roman smiled and continued back out of the room, speeding up to run as soon as he was out of his parents' sights. He almost ran into a few of the peasants before making it outside, greeting a 'good afternoon' to each one, contradictory to his usual bratty behaviour.

"Patton! Patton!" He yelled as he neared the stables, his friend not even turning his head to acknowledge him. He only hummed to say he'd noticed his presence, grooming a horse carefully and stroking it's mane. "I- I did it!" Roman squealed, out of breath but incredibly excited. Patton spun around, almost startling the horse before he calmed it quickly. Patton exited and guided him away from the stables, shaking with excitement.

"Are you serious?" He asked. Roman just nodded and beamed at his friend, who began jumping up and down on the spot. "I'll get to work with Logan!" He rejoiced.

"Also, father said that if Virgil works well as a cook for a week, he'll make him my chancellor!"

"But what if he doesn't work well in your father's eyes?"

"I'll allow him into my quarters anyway, my guards are really close to me, remember?" They already know I'm in a relationship with Virgil, they'll certainly allow him in there when I explain who he is." Patton smiled.

"I'm excited for you!"

Me too.