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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch47: The Terrible Twos Part 2: Fuck off, Clown.

Intro: In the fourth year since the snap, Jamie enters the terrible twos.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So this chapter is kind of a little different to the others here really, as it’s almost like a collection of long drabbles detailing their life over 2022. And just a little reminded, Phobias, Steve admits to Katie he has a fear of clowns…keep that in mind! @angrybirdcr really did outdo herself with these edits too...

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

Chapter 48 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

September 2022

“Mom.” Emmy’s voice was soft and Katie instantly looked up from her laptop. “Where’s Dad?” “He’s gone for a run, well as much of a run as he can with Jamie hanging off his back.” Katie said, frowning slightly as she saw her fifteen year old daughter wasn’t dressed for school. “Is everything ok? I can call him.” “No, it’s fine. It’s you I wanted to talk to.” Emmy hovered from one foot to the other. “I err…”

She looked down at her feet, a huge flush on her face. Katie closed her laptop and stood up. “Em, what’s wrong?” “I think I, well, no I know I err… I started my period and…” “Oh, Sweetie.” Katie chuckled slightly as she wrapped the girl into a hug. “You feeling okay?”

“Erm, I got cramps and I’m really tired.” Emmy mumbled, her cheek pressed against Katie’s shoulder “And, I err, I got some on the sheets.”

Katie smoothed back Emmy’s hair and shrugged “It’s no big deal. I’ll get you some painkillers and why don’t you go have a bath, I’ll sort your bed and then we’ll sit and watch shit on TV all day. I can stay home.”

Emmy nodded eagerly, and peered up at her mom. “Snacks?”

“Dur.”

“Thanks Mom.” Emmy hugged her tight.

“It’s okay, I know how it feels. And, just for the record, beinga woman sucks at times but other times it’s kinda cool.”

“Cool?” Emmy frowned, stepping back a little.

“Yeah, you get boobs.” Katie gestured to her chest “They tend to fascinate most men.”

Katie followed her daughter upstairs where Emmy retreated into the bathroom, whilst Katie found her some pads before she stripped the sheets down and headed to the utility room at the side of the kitchen that held their washing machines and dryer. She was just turning the machine on when the door opened and Steve stepped in, Jamie on his back, giggling away. Steve’s face was red from the brisk November air and the part of Jamie’s cheeks which were visible from beneath his hat and above his scarf were also tinged pink a little.

“Laugh it up, Pal.” Steve shook his head, as he bent down so Jamie could slide off his back “That’s the last time I’m taking you.” “You said that yesterday, and the day before.” Katie smirked, taking the kiss Steve offered, ignoring Jamie’s noise of disgust. “You love it.”

“Hmmm.” Steve made a non-committal noise in his throat. “Any breakfast going or shall I start some?” “Go get a shower and I’ll make it. We can eat together when Emmy’s out of the bath.”

Steve frowned “Shouldn’t she be on the bus?”

“She’s not feeling too good.” Katie shook her head. “I told her I’d stay home with her, today.”

Steve’s frown deepened as he shrugged off his running jacket. “What’s wrong with her? She sick?” “It’s nothing a day in front of the TV, a heat pad and a blanket can’t fix.” Katie gave him a significant look. As ever it took him a while to cotton on, but when he realised what she was saying, Katie really had to bite back the laugh as his face rearranged itself into a look of surprise, which flickered to pure dumbfoundedness as he struggled for a reply.

“Don’t worry, I got it.” She grinned, patting his chest.

“Momma?” A voice came from the kitchen and Katie turned to face Jamie who was stood by the fridge “I’m hungry.” “Yeah, I’m gonna start breakfast now, baby.” she smiled, “Eggs and toast ok?” “Nomm!” He grinned as he padded over to the table and pulled himself up into a seat. Steve had to give a snort, without his seat he could barely see over the top of the table. He made his way over, lifted Jamie easily with one hand causing the boy to cackle before he replaced him back on the booster and scooted him closer.

“That better?” He asked, dropping a kiss to his son’s head.

“Fankoo, daddy.” he grinned.

“You’re welcome, Buddy.” Steve said straightening up. He turned to Katie “I’m gonna go shower then I’ll come help.”

He showered quickly, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a red plaid button down ready for his meetings that day and headed onto the landing, just as Emmy was emerging from the larger bathroom wrapped in a robe.

“Hey, Sweetie. Your Ma said you’re not feeling too good.”

She shrugged, “Not really.” “Will a hug help?” He asked and she smiled, nodding. He opened his arms and she stepped into them as he gave her a soft but firm snuggle.

“Thanks, dad.” she said softly.

“Any time, baby.” he dropped a kiss to her head. “Now I’d go get dressed if I were you, before your brother eats all the breakfast.”

*****

When Steve came back that evening, his girls were pretty much in the same spot they had been in all day. When he asked if they’d moved at all, Katie grinned and pointed out that they were both in clean sets of Pyjamas and Jamie was in bed, so of course they had moved, and that they were getting take-out for Dinner because she couldn’t be bothered to cook and it was Friday after all. With a good natured roll of his eyes, Steve cast one final look at them over his shoulder before he headed upstairs to change, leaving them to watch Love Actually. It was nowhere near Christmas, but he knew what they were like when it came to their soppy films, so he left them to it.

When he came back downstairs they were deep in conversation, so he paused for a moment at the door. He didn’t mean to listen in, but he didn’t want to interrupt. And if he was honest, there was something so pure and innocent about their chat that he simply couldn’t help it.

“You know, I still never forgave Adam Rickman for breaking Emma Thompson’s heart.” Katie sighed as Emmy scoffed.

“Has Dad ever bought you a really crappy gift?” she asked.

“No.” Katie replied. “He’s very thoughtful. Although the best gift he gave me wasn’t one he bought anyway.” “Your emerald?” Emmy asked, and Katie made a noise of affirmation. They fell silent for a moment before Emmy spoke again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Course.”

“If anything happened to Dad, do you think you’d ever like date again?”

Steve frowned slightly as he heard Katie exhale “That’s deep Em. I dunno. I don’t think I’d ever be able to love another man the way I love Steve. In fact I know I wouldn’t. What on Earth made you ask that?” “Oh, Brooke is trying to get Jen dating but she keeps saying she loves Brooke’s dad too much and I kinda think it’s sad as he’s been dead for years. ” “Yeah, well, the thing is Em when you’re in love, and I mean truly in love, it consumes you. That person becomes as much a part of your life as you are and to lose them like that…well I can’t imagine what a hole that would leave in their place.”

“Yeah, suppose.” “You’ll figure that out soon enough.” Katie chuckled.

“Was Dad your first love?”

“He’s been the only man I’ve ever truly been in love with, yes.” Katie replied “For most people a first love and a true love are very different things.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, for instance my first love was a guy called Mikey, he was my first boyfriend. I wasn’t much older than you, dated him for about twelve months.” Katie mused. “He was the first guy I ever slept with. Then there was Grant and we don’t talk about him, ever as he was an asshole.”

Emmy gave a snort

“But your dad, well, he was different. We cared so much about each other before we even started dating. I mean, if I’m honest, I loved him way before he even asked me out.” “Who made the first move?” “He did.” Katie smirked and at that point Steve gave a scoff and walked into the room.

“Liar.” “Oh you so did!” Katie looked at him, unabashed he’d been listening. “You kissed me after Rumlow’s party. You’d have kissed me before that as well if you hadn’t been such a chicken shit.” Steve rolled his eyes and flopped onto the seat at the opposite side of the coffee table. “You didn’t exactly push me away.” “Dur.” It was Katie’s time to roll her eyes as Emmy snorted “I’d been waiting for you to make a move for months.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at her as the teenager quipped. “You were still a bit slow on the uptake back then I see.” “Err, less of your cheek young lady.” He shot back and she giggled.

“You know the first time we had sex he literally ripped my pants off.” Katie grinned at Steve and he pulled a face as Emmy cackled.

“Jesus, Doll.” He flushed bright red.

“Wasn’t the only time either.” “Okay,” Steve stood up with a sigh, shaking his head, as Emmy cackled. He wasn’t particularly keen on discussing his sex life with his fifteen year old kid. “I’m gonna get the Thai Menu.”

Katie watched him go before she winked at Emmy and stood up, following him into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his shoulder. “I love how after all this time I can still make you blush.” “You’re a damned nightmare.” He chuckled as his hands rest on top of hers, using them to pull her closer as he turned to face her.

“But you love me.”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” He smiled, dropping a kiss to her lips.

****

Steve didn’t quite rip Katie’s pants off that night, but it was still passionate enough to send them both into an orgasm induced sleep almost straight away. But Steve was a light sleeper, not as light as he had been once-upon-a-time, as sleeping besides his wife gave him a sense of peace. That said, his super-soldier hearing always woke him should something be out of place, so when he was pulled from his slumber it took him a while to realise that the soft voices he could hear downstairs was the TV. Knowing it could only be one person, he swung his legs out of bed and pulled on a sweater before he padded down the stairs.

“Emmy?” He asked gently as he opened the door to the living room. The teenager looked up from where she was sat, knees tucked up besides her.

“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged and his sharp eyes didn’t miss the movement her hand made over her tummy. “And lying in bed was doing my head in.”

“Did you take anything?” Steve asked and she looked at him. “For the pain?”

“Oh,” she flushed slightly, “yeah, but it hasn’t worked yet.”

Steve nodded and headed into the kitchen, putting on the kettle. He made the pair of them a hot drink, stuck another heat-pack in the microwave and then paused as he passed the cupboard where he kept his secret stash.

Well, if this wasn’t an occasion it was called for then what was?

Emmy looked up as he walked back into the lounge. He placed the peppermint tea down on the table in front of her, before he passed her the heat pack and then wordlessly produced the Dairy Milk bar from his sweatpants pocket.

“You’re giving me your chocolate?” Emmy looked at him.

“Don’t tell your brother.” Steve said as he sat next to her, flopping his feet up on the coffee table.

She grinned and unwrapped the bar, offering him a piece which he took and shoved in his mouth.

“You’re pretty clued up on all this given you’re like a hundred and five.” She grinned cheekily

“Yeah well, I’ve been with your ma for ten years so I picked up a few tips.” He shrugged. She took a sip of her drink, rearranged her blanket and then picked up his arm so she could snuggle into him. He gently ran his hand over the back of her head as she got comfortable.

“What we watching?” He asked.

“Bad Boys.”

Steve chuckled. “I like this one. That is if I’m not too old to keep you company for a while?” “Nah.” She grinned as she placed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re good.” Katie found the pair of them flat out on the sofa the next morning, Emmy’s head propped up on a pillow as she snuggled up against Steve, her back pressed to his chest as the solider was stretched out down the sofa behind her, arms around his daughter as they slept.

****

October 2022

“All set?” Katie asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs as Steve walked back into the hall having loaded their bags into the car. They were heading off to Tony’s lake-house for a few days where he was throwing a bit of a Halloween party, nothing major but it was a chance for the kids to get dressed up in costumes and eat a load of candy whilst the adults could kick back and drink. Katie was looking forward to it for two reasons. Firstly, it was always nice to gather together with friends and family, well those of them that were left post snap-it made her feel normal, and she could push that persistent feeling of sadness that seemed to manifest on a daily basis, back down into the depth of her mind. And secondly, she was a little excited because she had no idea what Emmy or Jamie’s outfits were going to be.

Emmy had asked a month or so ago if she could be in charge of getting the pair of them costumes and Katie had agreed, simply handing over her card when she wanted to order whatever it was off the internet. She’d even resisted the urge to check her statement to see what it was, as Emmy had demanded she didn’t try and find out. Katie had a sneaking suspicion that Tony had also been involved in these costume choices, as the last time her brother had been over a few weeks ago, the pair of them had been huddled on the large arm chair, sniggering as they looked at something on Tony’s phone. With that in mind she was expecting Jamie to come down in some form of Iron Man or Captain America costume and she had every intention of filming Steve’s response.

“Yup. Locked and loaded.” Steve nodded, dropping a kiss to her cheek.”As soon as the kids are ready we can go.”

“No rush.” Katie shrugged, looking at her watch as they walked into the kitchen. “We don’t need to be there for a few hours.” She wrinkled her nose and slapped at Steve’s hand as he went to peek under the foil wrapped plate on the side. He sharply withdrew it and grinned at her.

“Tell me that’s a pie.”

“Apple and pumpkin, but it’s for the party.”

Steve pouted and she laughed and jerked her head behind her. “There’s another there as I knew you wouldn’t be able to wait.”

“You-” Steve pecked her lips “-are” another peck “-the best.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Captain.” She smirked as his lips hovered over hers and he deepened the kiss slightly, both his hands sliding down to give her ass a playful squeeze before he stepped back and walked over to his coveted prize. Steve peeled back the little cloth that was over the top and gave a little groan that was positively sinful as he inhaled the smell.

“Don’t eat that straight out of the pie dish,” Katie warned him as he made his way to the freezer for the ice cream, “I was gonna cut a few slices for the kids to munch on the way.”

“Then they can get their own.” Steve grumbled a little, but he grabbed a plate none the less.

“Oh yeah, where from?” Katie asked, her hands on her hips.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Steve muttered as he cut himself a huge slice of the coveted pie. He ladled a generous amount of vanilla ice cream on top then carried it over to the breakfast bar, sitting down as Katie gathered the rest of the food items she had said she would bring which included a huge dish of Mac and Cheese that she’d coloured green with food colouring, spaghetti and meatballs that were supposed to be worms, cinnamon and apple cookies in the shape of pumpkins and a batch of home-made raspberry and cherry gin which had been done using the raspberries and cherries from the brambles and trees in their small orchard at the bottom of the garden. She began packing it all into a hamper as Steve took the first bit of his pie and gave another groan.

“You know,” he swallowed, waving his fork at her as he gave her a playful grin, “I think this pie is actually better than sex.”

Katie looked at him, arching her eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“It’s a very close call.” He nodded.

“Well maybe I should make you a pie once a week instead of letting you get me on my back.” Katie looked at him, closing the lid on the basket and pushing it to one side, leaning over the breakfast bar.

“Okay, first off we have sex way more than once a week,” Steve pointed his fork at her, “and second-“ his eyes glinted cheekily “-you’re not always on your back.”

“True.” Katie pursed her lips and reached for his fork, snatching it from his hand, “but if you think I’m baking a pie more than once a week you’ve got another thing coming.” She used the fork to take a piece of the sweet treat along with a large blob of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth, closing her eyes. She moaned a little, ensuring that the noise that left her throat was as sinful as she could make it, before she opened her eyes and used her thumb to wipe at a little trickle of ice cream in the corner of her mouth. With her eyes locked on Steve she sucked her thumb clean and smirked a little at the familiar glint of dark in his eyes that he always got when he was turned on.

“You’re lucky you’re the other side of the breakfast bar.” He leaned forward a little, elbows resting on the marble surface, his voice a low timbre that sent those familiar sparks up Katie’s spine.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Katie asked innocently, ignoring the sudden flutter she’d felt between her legs at his tone.

“Because if you weren’t you be in my lap right now testing my theory.”

“Shame.” She nodded, looking around. “I mean it’s not like you could reach and drag me over it or anything.”

“Well I could,” Steve agreed, “but there’s a piece of pie in the way. And it’s too good to waste.”

“You’re a jerk!” Katie shook her head as Steve laughed, before he leaned back in the stool and patted his right thigh.

“C’mere pretty girl.”

Katie grinned, the sound of him calling her pretty girl always did things to her, as did the soft instruction to ‘come here’ in his Brooklyn accent. She rounded the bar and he reached out, easily pulling her onto his lap so she was perched sideways, legs hanging over the side of his right thigh as he curled his left arm around her waist, right gently resting on her thigh. Katie’s right arm slid round his neck and he titled his face to look at her.

“Just for the record you taste far better than any pie you make.” He grinned and Katie’s mouth fell open at his dirty comment.

“Steven Grant Rogers!” She snorted, slapping his shoulder slightly and he laughed, his hand on her thigh tightening its grip slightly, fingers curling round the toned muscles which were evident once more due to Katie having started training again. Steve actually kind of missed the softness that she’d had since having Jamie but he was damned if he was going to tell her that. He leaned towards her slightly, his nose bumping hers a little as she gently trailed her hand over the nape of his neck, nails scratching just below his hair line above the collar of his black sweater.

“Love you.” He muttered gently, his lips brushing hers and she smiled, her fingers tanging in the hair at the back of his head.

“More than apple pie?”

“Infinitely Mrs Rogers.”

“More than Mac and Cheese?”

Steve hesitated and Katie scoffed.

“For the record I love you more than anything.” Steve chuckled, pressing his lips to hers. “Well, apart from the kids.”

“I’ll accept that exception.” Katie chuckled, her mouth finding his again. The kiss deepened, Katie letting out a soft sigh as his tongue brushed against hers, tasting the apple pie and Ice Cream he had been eating before. Steve’s hand skated up the outside of her thigh coming to rest on her hip, finger tips brushing the strip of skin where her top had ridden up slightly as her own hand fisted slightly in his hair. Completely lost in one another they almost missed the little footsteps coming down the stairs and the giggles in the hallway.

Almost.

Steve pulled back, looking at Katie who grinned. “Play your cards right we can finish this later.”

“At Tony’s?”

“Won’t be the first time we fucked in his spare room.”

Steve snorted at her and patted her ass as she hopped off his lap.

“Mom, Dad!” Emmy called. “We’re ready!”

“We heard!” Katie called back as Steve stood up, grabbing his plate of pie. He took another bite before he wandered into the hallway where he collided with Katie who had stopped dead just outside the door. Frowning he looked up and felt his heart jump.

A clown.

His 2 year old son was dressed as a fucking clown.

And not just any clown, which would have been bad enough, but that bastard clown from IT. The film he refused time and time again to watch because of said bastard clown, which was now stood on the bottom step of the stairs holding a red balloon.

And suddenly, all he could see was that damned clown at Coney Island chasing him through the stalls, Bucky’s laughter echoing in his ears, and then that fucking mirror maze where he’d had the panic attack as he was surrounded by them.

The plate holding his precious pie slipped from his hand and dropped to the tiled floor, where it broke into 3 pieces, its contents splattering all over the grey slate.

“Woah, Dad, didn’t think it would be that scary!” Emmy grinned from behind Jamie as she stood in her outfit, which was a superb replica of the Wicked Witch of the West complete with full green face-paint and a broomstick.

Katie looked over her shoulder at Steve and she could see from his face that he was really struggling to keep it together. Trying not to laugh at the expression of sheer horror on his handsome features, she clamped her lips together and turned to Emmy.

“Your dad’s…” she took a deep breath, trying not to laugh “He’s scared of clowns.”

“Oh…” Emmy frowned “Uncle Tony said he would love it.”

“I bet he did.” Steve bit out a little harshly and Emmy looked at him.

“Are you mad?” She asked and seeing the look on her face Steve inwardly cursed his phobia and his damned brother in law.

“No, honey,” he shook his head, “not at all…you both look…” he trailed off.

“Daddy, look!” Jamie grinned, and he jumped off the bottom step. “Balloon!”

He toddled over towards Steve who automatically took a few steps back and Jamie stopped in front of him, right by Katie’s side, a confused expression crossing his painted face. “Daddy?”

“Yeah, pal…I gotta…” Steve exhaled “I gotta put some stuff in the car so we can to go to Uncle Nee’s okay?”

“Kay…” Jamie said a little quietly.

Katie watched, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter as Steve went to move round Jamie, turning sideways so he could keep his eyes on him, before he pushed past Emmy and bolted up the stairs taking them three at a time.

The hallway was silent bar the sounds Lucky was making as he cleaned up the remnants of the pie on the floor, not wanting to miss a single crumb of his human food treasure.

“Em, why don’t you two take Lucky and go get in the car, we’ll be out in a little moment.” Katie smiled at her.

“Okay. Come on Jay!” Em grabbed his hand but Jamie, clearly now finding the reaction his dad had amusing, turned to his mom and made a little growling noise at her. Katie gave a fake scream and jolted back, causing Jamie to cackle a little, tilting his head back in mirth before allowed Emmy to lead him away.

As soon as they were out of sight and earshot Katie started to laugh. She laughed so hard that she had to retreat to the kitchen to sit at a chair. She doubled over, clutching at her stomach, trying to gather her breath as the tears poured down her face. Try as she might, she couldn’t get the image of Steve fighting the urge to punt his own son into another room out of her head.

Eventually she managed to sort herself out enough to grab her phone and swiped over to the number she wanted.

“Hey, Kiddo.” Tony greeted

“Tony, you…” she started to laugh again “You better be able to run fast because Steve…he’s…”

Tony chuckled. “He liked the costume then?”

“Tony he freaked, like, seriously. Poor Steve. I expected some form of full Captain America outfit, not that!”

“Well, on this occasion the Spangles just weren’t enough”

“You’re a little shit, you know that?”

“It’s been said.” He conceded. “Did you get it on video?”

“No.” Katie sighed “I was going to but when I saw Pennywise on my damned stairs I knew what was gonna happen so…”

“Shame.We could have played that back later. For science.”

At that point Katie looked up as Steve walked into the kitchen, glancing round.

“He’s not in here…” She chuckled and Steve glared at her, before he gestured to the phone.

“That Tony?”

She nodded.

He reached out and snatched the phone off her. “You’re a dead man,” he growled down the handset, and Katie could hear her brother’s roar of laughter before Steve hung up and tossed the phone down onto the table.

“Calm down!” Katie laughed, standing up. “Steve, it’s just a costume.”

“Katie, they freak me the hell out!” he shook his head “You don’t…” his hands dropped to his hips and his head dropped. “Did you see his face when I backed away?”

“Oh, he’s fine!” Katie rubbed Steve’s arms. “He couldn’t care less.” Steve took a deep breath and she looked at him. “Do you want me to get him to change?”

Steve shook his head “No, he was so pleased with himself…plus, I don’t fancy that particular tantrum now do you?”

“Not really no.”

Steve shrugged “Then I guess I’m stuck with it. Come on, let’s get gone. Sooner we get there the sooner I can carry out my threat to kill your asshole brother.”

Steve grabbed the food hamper and headed out to the car with it, settling it onto the trunk of the car as Katie got into the passenger side. Once Steve finished his usual checks to ensure the door was locked, he climbed into the driver’s seat ant they set off.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah buddy?” Steve asked, glancing in the mirror automatically and once more was confronted by that fucking clown. He swallowed and turned his eyes to the front.

“No scared, daddy. I not a real clown.”

Katie chuckled as Steve pulled out of the drive onto the road. “I know pal, but it’s Halloween. Everyone gets scared at some point.”

Jamie nodded, accepting his answer and turned to look out of the window. As they approached a junction, Steve checked the mirror again and then sighed, shaking his head.

“You’re gonna hafta drive.” He looked at Katie.

“What?”

“I can’t do it.” He shrugged “Every time I check the mirror, all I can see is…”

“Are you being serious?” Katie looked at him.

“Absolutely.” Steve unclipped the seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

And right then Katie vowed that if Steve didn’t kill Tony, she was gonna.

****

December 2022

“Did he go down alright?”

Steve dropped onto the couch, picking up one of the super strength beers Thor had send him as part of a pre- Christmas testing package, lifting his arm up so Katie could settle into him.

“Very well, actually,” he narrowed his eyes taking a pull of his beer, “almost suspiciously so.”

Katie chuckled as she replaced her glass and dropped her head to Steve’s shoulder as she pressed play on the remote. The two of them simply stayed like that, the odd movement and hands stroking shoulders, thighs or knees as usual, comfortable in their own little world, the light of the fire and twinkling of the Christmas lights giving the room a cosy, comfy ambience. They were about thirty minutes into the film when, Katie felt Steve’s head move off the top of hers and she glanced at him and saw the beginnings of a smile forming on his face.

“What?”

He looked down at her. “You know,” he said, a light in his eyes that she knew all too well, “It’s Friday, Emmy’s out, Jamie’s in bed…” Steve trailed off and raised an eyebrow at his wife. She grinned too, mirroring his expression.

“I like where this is going,” she smirked and within seconds, her legs had been pulled from underneath her drawing a giggle from her lips as she lay flat on the sofa, Steve hovering over her. Katie wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips met, and she was just beginning to thread her fingers through his hair when they both heard a shout.

“Heeeeeyyyyy!”

Steve dropped his head and groaned. “I’ll go.”

He placed one last kiss on her lips before he stood up off the couch and headed into the hall way.

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” he said as he headed up the stairs, seeing Jamie stood in his doorway at the baby gate.

“No sleep.” Jamie’s response was a whine.

“Not an option pal” Steve shook his head, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You know Santa won’t come if you don’t.”

“Can’t sleep.” Jamie tried again, and Steve had to bite back the smile that was about to cross his face. His son had certainly inherited his, and his wife’s for that matter, tenacity.

“Did you even try?”

There was a pause and Jamie furiously nodded his head in a blatant lie.

“Sure you did.” Steve rolled his eyes “Well what do you think would help you sleep?”

“Story, daddy!”

At those words a smile spread across Steve’s face. Over the last six months, Jamie had taken a real interest in the tales he told him, so much so that they had swapped night time readings of chapters from books for Steve’s real life stories, most of them being pulled straight from the streets of Brooklyn or Manhattan during Steve’s own childhood or adulthood pre-serum.

“One more.” Steve caved and Jamie shrieked with delight. “But!” he continued in a warning tone, “You have to be quiet.”

Jamie stilled immediately and clapped his little hands over his mouth before he turned and ran, diving back on his bed. Steve chuckled and made his into Jamie’s room, as the two year old climbed under his Iron Man Duvet cover (Thank you Tony for that one…) and peered up at Steve as he settled down next to him, his son setting under his arm, snuggling into the crook of his arm against his chest.

“Did I ever tell you about the time that I went to the theatre-”

Katie didn’t wait for Steve to come back down, she knew full well that he would have been coerced into one more story. Their son had his dad wrapped around his little finger, and Steve at times found it simply impossible to say no. She glanced up at the clock, noting that it was almost nine… they could watch the film in bed. She turned the TV and tree lights off, she took the empty glass and bottle into the kitchen, let Lucky out for a pee whilst she made sure all the doors were locked before letting the now slightly older and slower dog back in.

“You staying here tonight, Luck?” She asked, and the dog yawned, stretching as he rolled onto his back in the dog basket which was placed in the hallway under the stairs. “Take that as a yes then.” She scratched behind his ears before standing up and creeping up the stairs to the door of her son’s room, which was open enough for her to peek through.

She loved Steve’s stories almost as much as Jamie did, if not for the same reasons. Jamie loved their action and adventure, often joining in with his own loud whoops and laughs, but Katie simply loved listening to Steve’s voice as he narrated. His tone would change from low and dramatic to loud and comical, and Katie found it simply adorable. A pure, unadulterated moment of love between father and son that made her heart swell every single time she watched or overheard.

“And then, all of a sudden this man appeared, in the alley way. And I didn’t have anything to protect myself with. So I picked up a trash can lid, and held it right here, like a shield.” Steve drew his arm across his chest. “Like Cap?” Jamie said, thrusting his Captain America bear at his dad.

“Just like Cap, yeah, Buddy.” Katie smiled to herself, Jamie was still too young to really understand about their history with the Avengers. He knew about who the Avengers were, well what he could grasp being so young, thanks mainly to Tony and Natasha, but he had no idea about his dad’s alter ego. And for now, it wasn’t important, they were just a normal family and long may it stay like that.

Katie watched as Steve continued to talk as he sat up on Jamie’s bed, his back against the headboard as his mini-me, led besides him, looking up at his father, eyes wide and full of adoration. These were the moments that brought out all of Steve’s best characteristics, and Katie simply loved him all the more for it. Smiling to herself she headed into their bedroom and tossed her clothes aside before she stepped into the shower in their en-suite.

Steve could read his son’s body language like a book, and about ten minutes after his super hearing heard Katie leaving where she had been stood outside the room listening, he could feel the little boy starting to droop slightly, one small hand fisted into Steve’s white t-shirt, the other was in front of his small face, thumb in his mouth as his index finger gently rubbed against that Stark nose. A few moments later he glanced down and in the dim glow of the dinosaur night light, he saw his son was fast asleep. Gently, he moved and stepped off the bed, tucking the duvet up under Jamie’s chin before he stooped, dropping a kiss onto his head, his hand gently caressing the shock of blonde hair. With a last look back he closed the door to, leaving it open just a chink, and headed into their room.

Katie was just emerging from the en-suite wearing a bathrobe, long hair piled up on her head.

“He has you wrapped around his finger.” She grinned, sliding her hands up her husband’s chest.

“Oh, and you don’t?” He muttered, hands connecting at the bottom of her spine.

“You gonna read me a bed time story then, Captain?”

“I got a better way of getting you to sleep.” He murmured, dropping his lips to hers, and she grinned as he backed her towards the bed. “There’s only one problem.” “Oh yeah?” She asked, as his arms pulled her closer, his lips trailed down her neck, mopping up the speckles of water from the shower that remained.

“Yeah, this is in the way.”

He softly kissed at that spot beneath her ear, his hand dropping to the belt of her robe. She grinned as he pulled at the tie and gently shrugged the robe off Katie’s shoulders, allowing it to drop to the floor as his lips claimed hers again. He wrapped an arm round her back, tugging her onto her toes so he could take a nipple in his mouth and she let out a groan as she looked downwards, moving her hands to undo the chords on his sweat pants.

“Off.” She muttered, pulling at the bottom of his t-shirt. He released her temporarily so she could slide it up, before he pivoted and dropped them both onto the bed, trapping her in between his hands and legs.

A familiar warmth exploded along her lower abdomen as he kissed her, one hand on the side of her face, the other sliding to her hip and across her stomach, making its way slowly between her legs. She arched her back and groaned as he slipped two fingers inside her, feeling him smirk against her neck.

“Fucking drenched aren’t you, Sweetheart?”

She let out another groan at his words. “Only for you.” A low growl rolled in the back of his throat as he slammed his mouth onto hers, shucking off his sweats as he began to kiss her chest, then stomach, before going down her legs. He set his mouth to her, lapping at her, her sweet, salty tang, so familiar yet so delectable, and as he worked her, it was all she could do to mewl softly, and grip one hand in his hair as she writhed at his touch. His tongue flicked strongly and he sucked at her clit gently, before upping the pace as she whimpered, trying so hard to keep her noise down. Steve continued to tease and nibble and when he took her swollen clit between his lips again Katie let out a silent scream as her orgasm hit her hard, causing her knees to turn inwards, squeezing around his head, involuntarily. She fell back against the pillows with a sigh of satisfaction and looked down as Steve crawled back up her body, leaning forward, placing his hands on either side of her head.

“God, you’re gorgeous.” He whispered, making her grin before he crashed his lips onto hers, the sudden action drawing a small grunt from her mouth. She reached down taking him in her hand and he took in a sharp breath as he pulled away from her mouth, sliding his fingers down her legs. He moved her legs apart and pushed into her, a low sigh of satisfaction leaving both their lips before he began to move, burying his face into her neck, nipping at the spot under her ear gently. She keened underneath him as he grew more urgent with his thrusts, her eyes locking onto his as he gripped her hands at either side of her head, leaning back down to kiss her fervently. He was hard, fast, desperate for hris release and she met each of his thrusts fervently with her own hips happy to give herself to him.

“So good,” He praised in a low voice, dragging his face against her hair before he looked at her. “I’m close, tell me you are…”

Katie responded with a moan, “Stevie.” and then her legs shook and she came again, closing her eyes as she tightened around him, burying her face into his neck to stifle her noises as the spasms came involuntarily around him again and again.

“Oh, fuck, Doll.” he stuttered, biting his lower lip as his eyes fluttered closed before his rhythm stilled and he let out a soft groan as he came, the utter bliss consuming him fully. He fell forward, head dropping into the hollow of his wife’s neck to catch his breath, his body slumped on top of hers, his familiar weight pressed her into the mattress as they both came down from their high. Katie ran her fingers through his hair, pressing soft kisses along his shoulder as her nails gently scratched at his scalp, causing Steve to hum out a soft sigh of contentment as he lay still, enjoying her touch.

“Stevie?” she muttered.

“Yeah?” “How long do you think we have before Jamie realises he can climb the baby gates now?”

“I’m amazed he hasn’t already.” Steve leaned up on his elbows to look down at his wife “Why?”

“Because I think we might need to invest in a lock for our door.” she grinned “For when you’re reading your baby momma her bedtime story.”

*****

Chapter 49

**Original Posting 1 2 3**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x original female character #Katie Stark #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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skateboardtotheheart · 4 years ago

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Sticky Note Love

The long-awaited PART THREE of my Nick/Pretty Lacrosse Boy(aka Tyler Doyle) fics! You can read parts one and two HERE on AO3, or search “Slow On The Uptake” and “Varsity Letter Jackets” on my blog!

Thank you so much to everyone who has been enjoying my silly little extremely niche ship of Nick and some random, pretty extra on the show. These two bring me an insane amount of joy and I’m so happy you guys are feeling it too. For some bonus content, check out @zendrella and my Twitter AU, where Tyler and Nick are included!! This fic is being crossposted to AO3, just like the others, so you can read it there if you’d like- click here!

SUMMARY: Nick and Tyler and officially dating, and both of them are convinced they’ve never been happier. Over the first month of their relationship, Nick keeps finding lime green sticky notes- on and in his locker, in his textbooks, even in his house. Each one is signed by his boyfriend, and Nick isn’t sure he’s ever going to stop smiling.

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Neither Nick nor Tyler were sure their first date could have gone any worse.

Tyler had texted Nick about five minutes before he was supposed to pick him up that he'd be late; one of his dogs had puked all over the shoes Tyler had been wearing, so he'd had to clean that up, clean the mess that hadn't made it on his shoes, and then Tyler spent about five minutes rummaging through the closet or a different pair of shoes until he just gave up and took a pair that belonged to Dylan. When he'd finally made it to the Danforth-Evans residence, Nick had come out of the house sparkling. Literally. Arabella had decided to throw an impromptu princess party, it seemed, and had thrown some glitter over Nick as "good luck"- Tyler didn't have as many complaints as Nick over that, though; he looked really pretty. Then there was the poor waitress with a full tray who had gotten tripped by a toddler running away from their parents and had spilled almost half of the tray right onto Nick. Nick, in his surprise at the sudden lap full of salad and cool drink running down his shirt, had bumped the table hard enough to topple some of their food off of it and onto Tyler instead. The entire evening seemed to be one mishap after another. Low gas in Tyler's car, a wrong turn in Hollywood that got them stuck in traffic, Nick having a moment of panic as he realized he'd completely forgotten an important homework assignment due the next day. By all accounts, it was an awful first date.

But the entire time, they never ran out of things to talk about, kept trading shy but happy smiles, and gently held hands as they waited for traffic to finally move. The night had ended with Tyler walking Nick to his front door, both of them laughing at everything that had gone wrong. It ended with a hug neither of them wanted to let go of because the other was warm, and smelled nice, and holding them comfortably, and it just felt right. It ended with Tyler whispering good night in Nick's ear before pulling away from the hug and pressing a light kiss to Nick's cheek, face tomato red as he promised to text Nick later. It ended with Nick being too impatient for Tyler to text him that as soon as he was up in his room, he was shooting off a good night text to thank Tyler for a nice- albeit disastrous- evening. It ended with a promise that this wasn't the only date for them.

It only took one more date before Tyler kissed his lips instead, leaving both of them a giggling mess as hands rested on cheeks and ran through hair. It took three dates total before Nick called Tyler his boyfriend for the first time. Nick didn't think he'd ever see Tyler smile wider than when he'd heard the word come from Nick's mouth, and the rest of his sentence got derailed as Tyler kissed him instead. The kiss had been more smiles than anything, but it had both their stomachs doing flips and their hearts fluttering heavily but happily.

It was the day after that the notes started. Nick hadn’t been expecting it, and he’d blushed so hard that first time he was sure that his entire body temperature must have risen. It was the morning after Nick had called Tyler his boyfriend, that they’d made the relationship official, and Nick found the first note stuck to the metal door of his locker. It was a lime green sticky note, the shade Nick knew his boyfriend’s favorite color to be. It stood out against the blue of his locker, and it was bright enough that Nick had been able to spot it from the other end of the hallway. He approached his locker with confusion at the bright green, glancing around to see if anyone else's locker had also been branded with some type of note. When it became evident that it was just his own, Nick frowned a little, finally reaching his locker. His backpack hung off his arm as he reached out, pulling off the folded in half note stuck to the metal. Nick unfolded the little piece of paper, finding himself smiling almost immediately at the black pen scrawled across the lime green.

I can’t believe I get to call you my boyfriend. I don’t think I’m gonna stop smiling all day. See you at lunch, handsome ♡ -T

Nick could feel the heat under his skin rising up his neck and onto his cheeks, and he smiled goofily down at the piece of paper in his hand. It made his cheeks hurt, eyes squinted so that it was almost difficult to see. He’d been floating on cloud nine since last night, his steps feeling lighter and a hum following him around the house this morning that had his fathers watching him with raised eyebrows and small, knowing grins. Tyler made Nick’s heart skip beats and his stomach flutter and his head spin. He could honestly say he’d never felt like this before- not when he was dating Carrie, not during that brief stint when he’d had a crush on Julie, never. Tyler was just. . . special.

Amazing.

And he was Nick’s boyfriend.

He knew Tyler was just as excited as himself that their relationship was official now, but being able to see it written out in this little note, seeing a little drawn heart and Tyler calling him handsome, was something so comforting and happiness inducing. Nick wasn’t sure how long he stood at his own locker, just reading over the note again and again, but was shocked out of his reverie by the warning bell alarming overhead, letting students know classes started in three minutes. Nick was quick to tuck the note into his pocket, sorting through what he needed and depositing the rest in his locker. He had four classes before lunch, and Nick was sure he’d spent more time staring at the note from Tyler than he did paying any attention to his teachers.

During their shared music class, Carrie had nudged him, a question in her eyes. Nick had just smiled and shrugged, not quite willing to tell her about the note, but Carrie had glanced down at the paper then taken one look at the lovestruck smile on his face before rolling her eyes fondly. When Nick finally did reach lunch, the only time during school that he and Tyler really saw each other, he found that he’d beaten his boyfriend there. At their usual table were a few others from the lacrosse team, but the seat in which Tyler usually sat was still vacant. Nick, only slightly disappointed by the lack of his boyfriend in the lunchroom, sat down at the empty seat next to Tyler’s, greeting their teammates Cameron, Jack, and Adam as he did so. Just as Nick was pulling out his phone, to check if Tyler had texted him, he felt arms wrap around his shoulders and a chin rest on top of his head. Nick smiled at the feeling, grasping Tyler’s hands in his own and looking up at the awkward angle to meet his boyfriend’s eyes.

Tyler smiled down at him, looking blushy and almost nervous. Removing his arms from around Nick, Tyler sat on the lunch table bench. Tyler leaned into Nick’s space once more, pressing a feather light kiss to his cheek and whispering, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “Hey, handsome.”

Nick blushed at the clear reference to the note Tyler had left him this morning, and at the clear display of affection. They hadn’t quite figured out their comfortability with PDA yet, only venturing into holding hands so far, but Nick was filled with warmth at the action, leaning over to bump Tyler’s shoulder with his own.

“Thanks for the note,” Nick responded as a greeting, to which Tyler ducked his head down and smiled.

“So you liked it?”

“He’s been staring at it all day,” Jack sold him out with a snort. Nick spun his head around to glare at his teammate, mouthing “traitor” at him. Jack was in three of the classes Nick had gone to this morning, and much like Carrie, had tried to ask what had him so distracted. All the lacrosse boys that they ate lunch with knew the two of them had been going out on dates so when Jack had seen Nick enraptured with a little sticky note, had jokingly asked if he’d received a love letter from Tyler. Apparently Nick’s blush had been enough of an answer because Jack had let out a surprised laugh at his correct guess, then turned back to his work. Tyler, however, looked pleased at Jack’s words, flashing a smile of thanks to their teammate before looking back to Nick.

“Good to know,” he said softly, bumping Nick’s knee under the table.

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The notes stuck both to and slipped inside his locker continued. Nick found them in the morning before classes, during the day, and after school before lacrosse practice. They weren’t there every day, but over the past three weeks, Nick had amassed a pretty good collection of lime green sticky notes, black ink across them. Some were sappy and cute, like that first one had been.

I “borrowed” Dylan’s year pass to the mini golf place. You, me, a few windmills- what do you say?? I’ll pick you up at 6 ♡ -T

My mom asked “how’s your boyfriend doing” last night and holy crap I love hearing that word -T

I can’t believe I let you wear my letter jacket today YOU LOOK SO CUTE AND IT��S HARD TO FOCUS -T

Some were more simple, just little messages that Tyler thought would make Nick smile when he saw them.

Good luck on your test today!! -T

Say hi to Arabella for me when you get home :) -T

Just so you know- I parked in the east lot today instead of the west. See you after school! -T

Each one had Nick feeling on top of the word, smiling at them and then carefully placing them in a folder to take home with him later. At lunch or after school, Nick would plant a kiss on Tyler’s cheek in silent thanks for the notes.

Today Nick and Tyler were at the Danforth-Evans house after school, hanging out to study, maybe watch a movie. They’d awkwardly passed by Nick’s parents lounging on the couch together, Nick practically dying in embarrassment as his father had called after them that the bedroom door had to stay open. Tyler had the nerve to laugh at his boyfriend’s flushed cheeks and groan of annoyance, earning him a light slap against the arm as they made their way to Nick’s bedroom.

Tyler had never been in here before, and a smile graced his features as he stepped inside. Nick gave him silent permission to wander around the room, looking at whatever he wanted, while Nick moved to sit on the pale green comforter of his bed. He watched as Tyler admired the three guitars sitting in the corner of his room- the bubblegum pink electric sitting proudly in the front- and smiled at the lacrosse stick pinned above the closet door.

"Are these. . ." Tyler began asking, fascinated by something on Nick's dresser. "Are these my sunglasses?"

At the finished question, Nick felt heat rise up his neck. Tyler turned around to face him, holding up a pair of blue glasses with black tinted lenses. It was the pair Tyler had loaned him after Nick had gotten a concussion and the sunlight was too bright for his headache. Tyler must have taken Nick's silence as answer enough, because he let out a laugh as he looked down to the sunglasses in his hand.

"I didn't even realize you'd kept them," Tyler's voice was quiet, pitched slightly higher. Nick thought he could see a smile on his boyfriend's lips.

"Y-yeah, well, they, um. They reminded me of you, so, yeah," Nick rambled out, not quite looking at Tyler. Tyler looked up at him, an almost glassy look in his eyes.

"Sorry, is that- is that weird to tell you?" Nick asked, cringing a little as Tyler turned around to set the sunglasses back in their place on his dresser. He heard Tyler laugh quietly as he turned back around, taking the few steps over to the bed to stand in front of where Nick stood.

"No, it's not weird," Tyler picked up one of Nick's hands, twining their fingers together. Nick gave a small tug, signalling Tyler to sit down next to him. "I think it's kinda cute. I mean, you really kept them because it made you think of me?"

Tyler was blushing too now, a layer of awe in his voice like he couldn't believe anyone would ever do something like that. It made Nick think that maybe Tyler had no idea he’d been keeping those lime green slips of paper, either. Nick squeezed Tyler's hand, bumping their shoulders together.

"Well, it's not everyday the cutest guy you've ever seen drives you to urgent care. Gotta remember the occasion somehow," Nick's voice had teasing laced through it, but he knew the sincerity shown through by the way Tyler smiled brightly down at their joint hands.

"Plus," Nick continued, "don't know if you heard, but even before you were my boyfriend- I was kind of embarrassingly into you."

Nick wasn't sure Tyler ever looked prettier than when he was smiling, shades of pink on his cheeks. Nick could write a set of notes as big as the ones he’d received from Tyler dedicated solely to how pretty his boyfriend was.

"Don't tell your boyfriend I told you this," Tyler started, "but he'd been trying to get the courage to ask you out for a year before you beat him to it."

Tyler sounded shy and quiet, keeping his eyes trained on their joint hands. Nick stared at him with surprise, his mouth opened slightly.

"You never told me that."

A year? Tyler had liked him for a year before they started dating? It filled Nick with warmth along with the surprise.

"Just want you to know that being embarrassingly into each other goes both ways."

When Tyler finally looked at him, with the blush still on his cheeks and a shy look in his eyes, Nick couldn't stop himself from leaning forward to kiss him. He kept it short, aware of the wide open door, but didn't resist when Tyler put a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him back for another, slightly longer kiss. When they pulled back, smiling to each other, Nick scooted closer to Tyler on the bed, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Since I guess we're doing romantic confessions today. . ." Nick started, making Tyler laugh, "I don't think I'm ever gonna get tired of kissing you."

Tyler let out a high pitched whine, almost like a squeak, tensing as he covered his face with his free hand.

"Damn it, Nick, you can't just say stuff like that!"

Nick picked his head off Tyler's shoulder, laughing at his blushing boyfriend's expense.

"I thought I'd stop constantly blushing around you now that we're dating, but it's your goal to prove me wrong, isn't it?"

"T, all you need to do is look at me to make me blush. Pretty sure we're on even playing ground."

He could see Tyler smiling from below the hand still covering his face. Nick peeled the hand away, holding that one in his own as well. He retook his position with his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, smiling as he felt Tyler press a kiss into his hair. They didn’t end up getting much studying done or a movie watched in the end. They were mindful of the open door, though, so they fell back onto the bed, laying next to each other and talking, laughing, trading soft kisses back and forth. At one point, Nick got up to use the bathroom, and he came back to Tyler now on the floor, Arabella in his lap with her sparkly purple tutu splayed over his thighs. Tyler had his arms around her middle, speaking lowly to her, giggles filling the room as she nodded along with whatever Nick’s boyfriend had told his little sister. The two of them together was an unfairly adorable sight, Nick decided, and his heart skipped a beat when they both spotted him, matching grins blinding him.

Arabella stayed with them the rest of the time Tyler was over, running between her own room and Nick’s to introduce Tyler to all her favorite toys and bestow her favorite princess crown on Nick’s head. It wasn’t until after Tyler left that evening, having gone home for a family dinner, that Nick found the first note that wasn’t left in his locker. He was grabbing a pair of shorts from his dresser when a familiar lime green caught his eye, stuck to the sunglasses.

I’m never gonna get sick of kissing you either See you in the morning, dork :P -T

PS- tell Ari she’s my fav Danforth-Evans

Nick let out a laugh at the post-script, shaking his head fondly as he moved to grab the old shoebox from under his bed, placing the paper gently in the box along with the rest of the notes. He tucked it closed once more, putting it back in position and heading downstairs to his family.

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As it turned out, the note in his bedroom wasn’t a one time occurrence. When Nick had woken up in the morning, the mirror on the inner door of his closet read out to him:

HOT DAMN- looking good, Danforth-Evans -T

It made Nick laugh to see it, knowing Tyler must have placed it there when Nick had excused himself from the room to use the bathroom last night. The notes he found in other various places around the house for the next few days, however, were a little more confusing.

There were a few more in his room- on his guitar, taped to his headboard, one stuck to his window claiming “no view is better than you xoxo”, and other places he should have noticed them way earlier- one stuck to the coffee pot the next morning claiming that Tyler would be waiting at the school with a latte from that coffee shop Nick loved, one next to his toothbrush in the bathroom. Nick didn’t say anything about the notes magically appearing in his house, but three days in, he rolled his eyes fondly at the lime green paper stuck on the inside of his favorite book, and texted his boyfriend.

Okay I’ll bite

Which one of my family did you bribe to help you with this

i’m sorry i have no idea what you’re talking about

i absolutely did not collude with your sister about leaving you notes and you should be ashamed for even accusing me of that

Nick couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him at his boyfriend’s text, a warmth filling his chest at the idea of Tyler and Arabella interacting. He remembered the conspiratorial smirks on his boyfriend and sister’s faces when he’d come back from the bathroom the other day.

So if I go talk to Ari right now she’ll have no clue what I’m talking about?

bold of you to assume she would ever give me up nick danforth-evans i’m totally her favorite now

Carrie is and always will be her favorite but I’m loving the enthusiasm

Sure enough, though, when Nick knocked on his little sister’s door- interrupting a tea party with her stuffed animals and a number of Nick’s old Hot Wheels toys- asking her about the appearance of the lime green notes, she just burst into giggles. Not an actual word to say that it was Tyler, just gave him a cheeky smile and told him to close his eyes. Nick rolled his eyes, but agreed, and opened them again when he felt an adhesive on his forehead and the tickling of paper on his nose. He stuck his tongue out at Arabella for sticking the note on his forehead, which set her off giggling once again, and pulled it off.

Told Ari to give you this one when you inevitably figure it out. She’s surprisingly sneaky for a 7yo. Give her a hug for me as thanks for helping?? Hope you enjoyed our little conspiracy ♡ -T

Nick hugged Arabella tightly, placing the note gently in his pocket until he could put it with the rest. He joined his sister in her tea party, a wide smile on his face he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get rid of if he tried. It was such a silly, little thing for Tyler to be doing over the past month, but Nick loved it. He loved the smile it brought to his own face, and the thoughtfulness from Tyler, and the extra layer of joy surrounding their relationship through the notes. Overtime, the notes never really stopped. They lessened- only to be saved for special occasions or a day when Tyler was feeling particularly sappy- but as always, each one brought a smile to Nick’s face and found a home in his neatly kept shoebox under the bed. They were something to pull out and reread when Nick was having a bad day, when he was feeling sentimental, or for that time Tyler was bed-ridden with the flu for a week and damn, Nick really missed him. And if shortly after they started dating, Nick found that his own favorite color was also becoming lime green, that was no one’s business but his own.

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this, and that it rotted your teeth like it did mine. I have the tag list below but let me know if you’d like to be added!

tag list: @zendrella @blackholeunderyourbed @sunsetcurve123 @williexmercer @idontknowimbadatthis

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #fanfiction #nick danforth evans #pretty lacrosse boy #tyler doyle #sacha carlson #ryan mcewan #nick jatp #jatp fic

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a-mandala-rose · 4 years ago

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You Spin Me Right Round...

I’ve never written a meta post about an episode before, so with only three episodes left, I figured this is the perfect time to start. It typically takes me a few days to process and gather my thoughts, because much like Dean this season, I’m rather slow on the uptake. By the time I have something to say, it usually feels like the moment has passed. But what the hell. We’re three episodes from the end and I have FEELINGS.

To start, I’m going to back up a moment and talk about 15X16 (see “slow on the uptake,” above). Lots of fans, myself included, found themselves frustrated with watching what at first glance seems to be your run of the mill MOTW episode. A *good* MOTW, for sure, but still, with only four episodes left to go, it felt like we should be past this by now. In fact, “aren’t we past this?” seemed to be the theme of the entire episode and that alone should have clued us in that despite appearances, this episode was anything but just another MOTW. If that was too subtle, Billie’s pointed “you’re working a case? Now?” should have been a dead give away that we needed to look deeper. And many tried, but the most a lot of us could come up with was the brothers’ big emotional argument at the end and even that was a giant moment of “been there, done that.” Why at what should be a pivotal point in the series are we rehashing the same arguments we’ve been watching for the past 15 years?

Jumping ahead to 15X17 for a moment, we see Dean absolutely breaking down. He’s losing it. Imploding. Leaving aside all of the problematic comments about and to Jack (we’ll come back to that), Dean lays out the crux of the problem when he and Jack are talking in the Impala: he doesn’t know what’s real. Like he’s been saying all season, he’s lost the perspective to be able to tell what about his life has been his choice and what has been Chuck’s machinations. He’s stuck in Chuck’s hamster wheel. Going ‘round and ‘round. Repeating the same scenes, lines, hunts, and arguments on a loop. Wait…why does that ring a bell?

Back to 15X16 and NOW it makes sense. Why are we stuck in yet another MOTW episode? Why is Dean lying to Sam again? Why is he once again sacrificing someone he loves, leading them ��into the meat grinder?” Why is he backsliding on all that great emotional growth we saw last season? Why is he repeating the same destructive patterns that thanks to Kaitlyn, we know he’s been stuck in since childhood? IT’S THE HAMSTER WHEEL. Round and round we go…but whose hamster wheel is it?

Back to 15X17, LOTS going on in this episode and I’m not going to touch on all of it. But some highlights [and these are in no particular order because 1) I’m scatterbrained as hell and 2) the fuck does it matter anyways, because as we’ve established, we’re just going around in a big ass circle here]:

We see some absolutely masterful manipulation by Chuck. Manipulating Dean in order to manipulate Amara because he knows thanks to their “bond,” she’ll never turn on Dean…unless he betrays her first…which brings us to two of the biggest points in this episode. First off, we learn that Chuck didn’t write the Dean/Amara bond, which, as many more brilliant meta minds have pointed out before me, mirrors Dean and Cas’ profound bond, which we learn at the end of the episode was also NOT written by Chuck (and in fact pisses him off quite a bit, to put it mildly.) This reminds us that though he claims to be omniscient, Chuck is definitely NOT omnipotent and while he may be able to control space and time, one thing he can’t control is human emotional bonds and relationships. And this friends, this is important. In fact, it’s everything.

Right before Chuck confesses that Castiel is, as Cas fans have long insisted, the very embodiment of free will (more on that later), Sam references Eileen, which, yes, is very sweet, but also...also, is a call back to their relationship, specifically, to Eileen’s fears that her feelings for Sam weren’t genuine. She wonders what about her and Sam’s relationship was real and what was Chuck, which we knew at the time was a mirror to Dean’s “What about all this is real?” The answer, of course? “We are.” And now we have confirmation: emotional bonds/relationships are REAL. They might be manipulated by Chuck, but they aren’t created by him and clearly, he can’t understand them. That’s illustrated several times in this episode. His reaction to Dean’s “icky” bond with Amara. His inability to "feel the love" of the angels she took him to see. His cold manipulation of his sister. The throwback to the way he threw Adam and Eve, his first human children, out of the Garden and then used their sons to further his own plans. His consternation with Castiel for not doing as he was told after he raised Dean from perdition.

Chuck doesn’t understand and didn’t create emotions. Which seems obvious wen you think about the fact that his first sentient children didn’t have them. Emotions are a specifically HUMAN creation and that is what makes humans so frustrating and incomprehensible to Chuck. It’s why he hates them. Not only are a few of them very disobedient pets, as a whole they've created something he cannot. What a blow to the ego that must be.

The second thing referenced by Amara and Chuck’s conversations about Dean is his betrayal of her. Chuck’s telling Amara that Dean is sending her to the “meat grinder” is not a coincidence. That language is a deliberate mirror to Dean accusing his alternate future self of sending Cas to the meat grinder in The End (That’s only one of several parallels Unity makes with The End. For a much more thorough accounting, check out castielslostwings’ Twitter thread.), which, as I referenced above, also parallels Dean’s willingness to send Jack on a suicide mission. What do these things all have in common? Each time, Dean is ignoring his own instincts, his own “moral compass,” in favor of a plan. In The End, he regrets his choice to say no to Michael…to veer from Michael’s, aka God’s, aka Chuck’s plan and is trying to recreate it by killing Lucifer/Sam. Now he’s following Billie’s plan, even though it clearly feels wrong to him. We can see that in the way he tries to distance himself from Jack. The way he tries to convince himself that Jack isn’t family. That he’s different from Sam and from Cas, even though he’s told Jack before that he IS family. Even though when he was angriest with Jack and distraught with grief over Mary, he still told Belphegor that Jack was “our kid.” We can see it too in the way he reacts equally defensively when Sam brings up how they’re about to betray Amara in 15X15 and again in 15X17 when we can see Dean flinch when she tells him they’ll always help one another. This feels wrong to him, but he’s doing it anyways because he thinks he has no choice.

Looking back over seasons’ past, the two ever-present themes in Supernatural have been free will (obviously) and found family. They’ve always been intertwined. We’ve watched time and time again as Sam, Dean, and Cas choose one another. But now we have those two themes coalescing more than ever before. Every time any of them chooses “the plan” over their family, shit goes sideways. And now we know it’s because, as Chuck has made pretty damn clear in his manipulation of Billie’s plan, he’s omniscient and he controls all time and space. All plans are HIS plan.

But what doesn’t he control? Emotions. And the bonds they create between people. It’s in choosing one another that Team Free Will has always thwarted Chuck’s plan. Dean refusing to go down the path laid out for him in The End. Cas refusing to "hurt Dean Winchester." Sam refusing to reap MoC Dean. Dean refusing to shoot Jack in that cemetery. The boys refusing to hurt one another, again and again and again. The boys choosing one another again and again and again. And I think that's what Chuck really wants to break. Why he's so obsessed with getting his ending. This is what Becky was getting at in her critique of his story. Chuck doesn't understand his characters, because he doesn’t understand feelings. He hates this creation of humanity that has become more important to them and more defining of them than anything else, including him. So, he wants to conquer it. He wants to manipulate the situation to make his characters choose something of his divining over their emotional bonds to one another. Those bonds he didn't create and that he, in all of his omniscience and power, cannot sever.

15X17 confirms that free will is real. Cas chose to disobey. That wasn’t written by Chuck. And speaking of Cas, let’s look at our biggest two parallels of the season: Dean and Cas. (Sorry Sam. Sit this one out.) Cas, who Chuck has just identified as the epitome of free will. Cas who, once a mindless soldier, abandoned heaven’s plan. Who found his new purpose when he chose to become a father. Who follows his instincts over the plan because “something went wrong” and “the plan changed.” Versus Dean. Dean who has spent this entire season feeling trapped. Who keeps choosing “the plan” over his family and finds his cage getting smaller by the minute.

Back to 15X16. I asked before whose hamster wheel is Dean on? Dean says it’s Chuck’s, but that assumed that free will was a lie. Now we know it’s not. Free will is real and Chuck never even had to take it away from Dean. Dean gave it up as soon as he started following someone else’s plan instead of his own. Dean’s hamster wheel is of his own making.

There are so many more things I could say about 15X17. For starters, those chapter titles…are they referencing Chuck’s story? Or are they chapters in his death book, the one we saw in this episode and Chuck himself referenced? After all, Billie’s read that book, so she must have known “her” plan would fail. But she went down that path anyways…And speaking of Billie, I haven’t even touched on her or the Empty. The Empty says Billie wants “everything back where it belongs” with angels in heaven and demons in hell. Wait. That sounds familiar. Oh yes! My new favorite demon, Zack, said that in our other most recent “just a MOTW” episode. It seems Rowena wants something similar. Isn’t that interesting? And speaking of Rowena, if there’s one thing this show loves, it’s duality. Parallels. They’re everywhere…except, it seems, when it comes to the queen of Hell. Who will mirror Rowena? How interesting that we visited that empty throne room in Heaven last week…

BUT…the main thing here is this: Unity. This episode was about unity and now we have a unified Chuck and Amara. We’re going to need a unified TFW in order to defeat them. Because that is the key to defeating Chuck. Choosing one another…choosing our found family, the ones we’ve created those bonds with…again and again and again.

#supernatural #meta #Mandaladoesmeta #Season 15 #spn 15X16 #spn 15X17

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achillestiel · 4 years ago

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All That Glitters | Chapter Eleven | Ao3 Link

For the entire elevator ride, Dean tried to push Jack's words out of his head. He didn't want to think about the past right now and dwell on its failures when he knew that Cas waiting for him. He pushed every single thought of failure out of his mind as he rode the elevator to the stop floor and walked down the hall. Why was he so nervous? Why the hell did it feel like his heart was going to leap out of his chest as he knocked on the door to Cas' room?

"Hello Dean " Cas said once he'd opened the door.

"Stealing my number off Charlie's phone, very ingenious." Dean said. "How did you get a phone? We normally take them off contestants, even the suitor."

"A clueless intern gave me one after I mentioned needing to contact my father. Your boss was right when she said half of them were slow on the uptake." Cas said as he motioned for Dean to come into his room. After shutting the door he pulled Dean in for a deep kiss but Dean jolted back. "I turned off all the cameras. No one can see us. It's just us here." Cas said, knowing what Dean was thinking. "Just stop overthinking Dean. I was thinking that after today we could have a date of our own."

"Really? Damn Cas, that's...cute?" Dean offered as he walked into Cas' suite. "Holy shit, look at this place. Damn, my room is the size of a box and I'm sharing it with Adam. I love the kid but he snores like an asthmatic buffalo." Dean said as he looked around the huge suite.

"Yes, I think the network is trying to butter me up." Cas said with a laugh as Dean looked around the huge space, decorated in sleek greys and white. "So, are you hungry?"

"Starving. All I've eaten today is a power bar and a damn salad. I swear the thing was 90% leaf."

"Salad, really? Not that I'm calling you fat, you're far from it, but you don't seem like the salad type." Cas said.

"I'm not but when you're stuck between Mr Health Freak Sam Winchester and 'Don’t Eat That Damn Doughnut Dean, I'm On A Diet' Josie, you have to suck it up. She's always like it around this time of year, what with Emmys coming up." Dean said with a roll of his eyes. Last year Josie had actually tackled him to the ground so he wouldn’t eat a burrito in front of her.

"No offence, but the idea of this show winning an Emmy is ridiculous."

"You'd be surprised. We've won a fair few awards over the past few years." Dean said with a laugh as Cas took his jacket and lay it across a nearby chair. "God, we won big the first year I was a producer. Sam had finished up with film school and I'd brought him on as part of the camera crew. We swept the board in our categories. Josie was so drunk out of mind that she dragged me to her hotel room and said 'Winchester, if you weren't my gay son I'd marry your twink ass.'" Dean recounted, his laughter filling the room. "Before I could even reply to that she passed out on the bed. I stayed in her room all night to make sure she didn’t throw up on herself or her dress. I had to carry her to the bathroom at four in the morning so she could throw up in the bathtub."

"While I try to erase that mental image from my brain, do you want to follow me out to the terrace?" Cas asked with a laugh.

"You have a terrace?" Dean asked. "Damn, all I have in my room is tiny bottles of shampoo and a smart mouth brother." Cas let out a warm chuckle as he took Dean's hand and lead him outside. The terrace was a gorgeous space filled with plants and sumptuous looking sofas. The Manhattan skyline served as a backdrop and Dean noticed, with a smile, that Cas had dotted candles in strategic places. Invisible speakers were playing music, a slow and moody jazz number. It screamed romance.

"Like it?" Cas asked.

"Mr Collins, you're trying to seduce me."

"Yes. Yes, I am" Cas said bluntly. "Is it working?"

#All That Glitters #deancas fic #destiel fic #fic #deancas #destiel #there's badly written smut at the end of this #i just can't write smut but i needed them to bone so badly

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twoblueheartslocked · 4 years ago

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Seblaine Para- Present Day (Early April/Year 1)

Para: The Warmest Bed I’ve Ever Known

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Seblaine.

Sebastian: @colorsicantsee

Blaine: @twoblueheartslocked

Time: Present Day- Early April. Around a week after Blaine asks Seb for some naughty texts.

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Info: Blaine and Sebastian take their physical (and mental) relationship to a new level.

Warnings: This particular para features Smut and some embarrassment that turns out just fine. This rp mentions past abuse(Physical, mental and sexual), anxiety, depression, self deprecation, negative body image, drug use, alcohol use, cussing, death(parents).

Extra Warnings: (This RP is not Kurt Hummel friendly. You’ve all been warned.)

Extra Notes: Under Cut because of length and sensitive content. Work is unedited as usual.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine had spent so much time not being touched, or being touched when he didn’t want to be over the last few years that he was surprised at how easily he folded under Sebastian. Sure, he’d been in love with him for over four years now, but the damage Kurt had done to him, to his mind and body, seemed irreparable to him for so long. He’d closed himself off, flinched anytime someone came too close to him, froze up whenever his own fingers brushed over the back of his neck as he was dressing each day and he’d hardly allowed himself to look past his face in the mirror. Yet here he was, sitting on his couch with a lapful of Sebastian, his new boyfriend, it still felt surreal to call him that, legs straddling his hips and very slightly rocking, down into him in such a sensual way that Blaine wanted to cry with how good it felt. His fingers were gripping tightly against his hips and Blaine wanted nothing more than to slide them up under his shirt just to feel the heated skin that covered the dimples of his back. He was terrified to take what he wanted.

It had been a week since Blaine had the idea to let Seb send him a dirty text, it had been a week since Blaine humped into his hand and pillow while he listened to Sebastian gasp his name into the phone. He had thought he’d feel dirty, or disgusted with himself after but he just wanted more. Wanted to call Seb and beg him to come over and take back the control he’d lost over his life. He’d refrained, afraid that Seb would reject him and even more afraid that Seb would get there and he’d back out, or he’d fuck it up and do it wrong and Seb would leave dissatisified. He’d kept himself from calling the other man for almost a whole week before breaking down and asking him over to dinner. They’d planned to have a meal and cuddle up on the couch to a movie. Blaine loved it when Seb spent the night.

Blaine never got around to cooking anything. After a bit of conversation Seb had sat down on the couch and given him this look, eyes heavy with lust like he was still thinking about their phone call and maybe he was because the next thing he knew Sebastian was showing Blaine his hands and reaching out to him, asking softly he could kiss him, and then asking even softer if he could move to his lap. Seb’s tongue was slding against him so god damn slowly that Blaine wasn’t sure how he was managing to breath because it felt so fucking good. The fingers of Seb’s right hand were pressed lightly against his jaw and the other hand was resting against his shoulder, Seb’s slender fingers curled and Blaine could hardly feel them, but he could feel Seb’s control, and the restraint he was displaying, could feel how his boyfriend was holding back. He wondered how Seb would touch him if Blaine would just give him permission, if he would just let Seb have a little control too.

The voice in his head, the one that told him to just breathe and that he’d be okay was screaming at him to act, screaming at him to let Seb touch him harder, and to let himself take what he wanted, what was clearly being offered to him. Just take it all back, Blaine. This is what you want, what you need. It’s everything.

So with tentative hands he moved from Seb’s hips and let his fingers find Seb’s on his shoulder and very slowly, scared he’d bolt from his nerves and past fears, he pressed Seb’s fingers to the back of his neck. His breath hitched and he closed his eyes as flashes of Kurt’s claws, his tearing nails washed over him, and for a moment all he could think of was dark painful bruises but he forced himself to open his eyes. Forced himself to look up at Seb with his heavy eyes and kiss swollen lips, surprise evident on his features. He looked up at him and let himself trust for the first time- in a long time. This was Sebastian. Sebastian who had been patient, Sebastian who had talked Blaine through everything on their phone call just focused on you and me, B. I’ve got you. Sebastian who he had loved so hard when they were younger and still loved today. Sebastian who he had let go even though he didn’t want to… And finally Blaine let out a breath and nodded, pressing his neck into Seb’s fingers, relearning how to enjoy the touch he once loved so much. He lifted his face to Seb’s, lips slightly parted for another kiss.

“It’s okay, please… I want you to touch me.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian had been a tense ball of lust the past week. He knew that he had to give Blaine time and space but they had both caved in. Seb knew that nothing could happen as his driver whipped through the crowded streets but he also thought that something might, and that thought alone was worth the wait.

He showed up to the apartment and took a deep breath at the sight of Blaine in the doorway. Seb wanted to rush forward and fall into his arms but they made it to the couch and managed to speak a little. Blaine had asked if he wanted any wine and Sebastian said no, that he needed to take a break. The other man, ever graceful and kind, didn’t question him and maybe that was the moment Seb offered his hands up and they began to kiss.

All at once, he was in the other man’s lap and he could feel him, feel that he felt the same way. Sebastian made sure to move slowly and keep his hands where Blaine would notice them. His body naturally rocked into the other man and the only coherent thought that passed through his mind was that he could exist on this couch, in this intoxicating moment, forever.

Sebastian looked down at Blaine as he felt his hands slide up his body, watched as he placed his hand on his neck. His face broke out into a wide smile despite his lust blown pupils and sore lips and hazy brain. His hand was on Blaine’s neck, that was huge. Seb nodded and made sure his hand was light against his skin as he leaned in for another languid kiss.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine’s breath sped up as Seb leaned back in to kiss him, he slowly let his eyes fall closed even though a part of him was terrified that he’d see Kurt in front of him. He didn’t. An imprint of Sebastian’s pretty face lived behind his eyelids this time, home, where it used to be always and where he should have fought harder to keep it. He kissed back hard, and pressed his neck into Seb’s hand a little bit more, letting the other man feel that he was learning to trust him, that he wanted this. For the first time in such a long time he didn’t seize up, friends had accidentally touched his neck before and he remembered their guilty faces when he’d stop moving and look at them with wide, accusing eyes, even though he didn’t blame them. Not really. Sometimes things happened. He wondered if he’d still have moments with even Seb now, if maybe one day Seb might touch him and he might freeze up. That was okay though, right? Some things took time even if he was brave enough to face it right now, it’s okay to get scared again. His therapist had told him that and he had to believe it.

All he knew was that right now, in this moment, Sebastian was everything and he wanted nothing more than to put his trust in him. He could feel the silent scream to just let go bouncing around in his brain and he wanted wanted wanted. He let his hand fall away from Seb’s, let Seb’s fingers graze the back of his neck as he moved his to grip at Seb’s hips, helping them in their journey to send Blaine into madness as they rolled down onto him, the friction setting him on fire in a way he’d forgotten he could feel. Their combined lust burned through him and he was suddenly certain that he could do this, he could take back his life and control what was going on around him, he could control what happened to his goddamn body this time. He thought so anyway, and maybe he was wrong, maybe he’d panic and Seb would be forced to pick up his pieces again but Blaine knew that if he didn’t try, if he didn’t reach out and ask he’d regret the night and all that could have happened. It didn’t matter that there might be other times. Losing his parents had taught him that a person wasn’t promised that. He was just a little slow on the uptake.

He pulled back, his fingers gripping a little tighter on Seb’s hips as if they were the tether keeping his man from floating away from him.

“I-I um… I want-” He bit his bottom lip to fight back a groan of either frustration from his stuttering or arousal from Seb’s hips, he couldn’t be sure. “I think that y-you should take me into the bedroom.” His words were a slightly altered echo of the words Seb had said to him all those years ago on the one perfect night where Blaine had gotten to press and move inside of Sebastian, had gotten to completely love his body- the last night of true happiness, just before the waves of despair had come crashing down over him to slowly him. He wanted to take the pain back, he wanted Seb. He needed to pull himself up. Breathe in, breathe out. You’ve got this, Blaine.

“Please.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian’s body stilled as Blaine spoke. He ran his thumb gently over his Adam’s Apple and watched his face. “Okay, B.” He felt a shiver of anticipation run a teasing finger up his spine as he gently removed himself from the other man’s body. Sebastian stood up and put his hands forward, palms up so that he could pull Blaine up from the couch and so that he could see them and feel at ease. He pulled Blaine towards the bedroom as he walked backward in the tiny space. Seb’s face broke out into a smile and he felt giddy. He couldn’t quite believe that any of this was happening and suddenly the backs of his knees hit the edge of Blaine’s bed. Sebastian lifted his hands so that Blaine knew where they were going and slipped them under his shirt. He felt the trail of hair on his tummy and the defined bones of his hips. The ache of desire swirled around low in his body and he thought that his want had to be bone deep.

Seb slowly removed Blaine’s shirt and slipped his fingers into the band of his sweatpants, “you sure?” his voice was low and gentle and they were standing so close together that he could see the goosebumps the other man had sprinkled over his forearms.

“If you want to, you can take my clothes off first.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine swallowed as Seb’s thumb ghosted over his Adams apple, it had been far too long since anyone had touched him there that gently, that intimately. He let himself be led the short distance into his little cubby hole bedroom, the lack of door making everything easier to get to while at the same time bringing him a little bit of comfort. His nook of a room with it’s queen sized bed against one wall, hardly leaving room for a nightstand, had always made him feel safe. And lately, with Seb here, he’d felt even safer. His breathing was shallow as his parted lips turned up into a smile of awe at Sebastian’s smile. The man was beautiful, his teeth on full display and his eyes crinkling in a way that pulled at Blaine’s heart and almost made him want to cry. He bit his bottom lip to keep himself in check. He needed to stop crying all the time. He was happy.

Goosebumps prickled over his skin as Seb very slowly and gently lifted his shirt over his head, his arms automatically went up to assist and he was surprised by himself, six months ago he’d have never considered letting anyone see him shirtless. He knew he’d lost too much weight over the last few years, and he wondered if Seb had taken note. Still, he felt a small pang of disgust by his own body, and he was certain that his stomach was sticking out a little too much and he instantly wanted to hide himself away. He looked up at Seb, his green eyes wide and his smile still breathtaking and wide over his features. He could do this, wanted to do this.

“Yes, I’m sure.” His voice was hardly there as he placed his hand on top of Seb’s, not sure if he could let him see just yet. “But, I want to see you first…” He swallowed hard and his hands shook as he let his fingers reach just under his shirt to feel the dusting of hair and the slight raise of freckles and moles that made the most perfect constellation across Seb’s skin. He let his fingers trace softly for a moment before lifting Seb’s undershirt and sweat shirt up and over his head. He let them fall from his hands before stepping even closer to his boyfriend, his arms slipping around his torso and pulling their body's flush together, he sighed at the familiar tingle of their skin touching and he wanted so badly to press his lips against every exposed inch.

He licked his lips, his hand sliding slowly up and down Seb’s back, tracing the little dimples just above the waist of his sweats, his fingers relearning the old bits and memorizing the new. He looked up at Seb, his eyes wide as he asked silently if he could keep going, Seb nuzzled his nose into Blaine’s neck and it let Blaine know what he needed. He slid his hands down the back of Seb’s sweatpants, his fingers cupping the curve of his ass gently and he wasn’t surprised to find that Seb wasn’t wearing underwear, and the knowledge gave Blaine such a thrill. His cock twitched and he wondered if Seb could feel his desire as they stood there pressed together. He took another deep breath and told himself that he was doing okay, that Seb liked his touches and that he was allowed to look at him, he was allowed to enjoy this, before sliding his hands to the band of his boyfriends pants and then pushing them down the expanse of his long, toned legs. Seb was hard and everything about his naked body was just as he remembered, only Seb was a little taller and his hip bones stuck out a little more and Blaine wondered if he ate enough or if it was something else that made him thinner. He made a note to make sure he was okay later.

Slowly, and full of so many fucking nerves, Blaine let his fingers ghost over Seb’s cock trying to remember how to touch another person without fear or resentment, trying refamiliarize himself again- nights of years past flashed through his memory, nights where Blaine had first stroked Seb into orgasm or the time Blaine had gotten to feel him thick and heavy on his tongue, had gotten to taste him and it was the sweetest taste… And he realized he was going to get to do it all again. He could touch and taste and feel… He moaned softly at the thought and licked his lips as he looked back up at Seb. “I’ve missed you so much…” He said it almost passively, mostly to himself as he brought his lips up to meet Seb’s, his tongue begging for entrance and he felt like he’d never get enough.

His breath hitched, and he noticed that he was trembling so hard, like he’d never done this before, nerves and want chasing each other though his body as he let himself coax Seb back onto the foot of the bed and helped scoot him up so his head was against the pillows. He let himself settle in between Seb’s legs and a little gasp left his lips and god he wanted to cry with want. He leaned down and tentatively licked back into Seb’s mouth, kissing him slow and deep for a moment as his hand cupping his face as if it were precious, and he supposed it was before he moved them gently over his body, exploring some more.

Blaine was suddenly and uncomfortably aware that he still hadn’t taken his pants off, afraid to show himself or to accidentally see himself. He knew he needed to get past this. He needed to relax. Seb wasn’t Kurt. He reached for the folded up lap blanket, afraid that Seb might judge him, or roll his eyes… But he knew better. He always kept the NYU blanket near in case his heat went out during the night as it was wont to do. He opened it before putting it over his shoulders and covering his back up. He wished so hard that he could do it with his pants on, but it was unfair to Seb, Seb deserved so much more than a half assed fuck with clothing still on, but he was so scared to be seen. Why was he still so scared?

“I- could we be under the covers? I-I’m not ready to- I don’ t know, I’m just nervous to be so exposed.” And suddenly he was scared that he was messing up.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian could feel Blaine tremble under his fingertips. He wanted to make the other man comfortable and wanted to make him feel good. Blaine would deny it but he deserved to feel wanted. Seb would move as slow as the other man needed and he hoped his actions made that feeling clear. “We have all night, B.”

He nodded and lifted his arms for Blaine to remove his shirt. Sebastian loved how his boyfriend’s (boyfriend!) calloused fingers felt as they ghosted all over his skin, how strong they felt as they cupped his ass. He never truly knew that being weak in the knees was a real thing until this moment, as he stood in Blaine’s arms full of want and desire he thought he might fall all the way to the ground floor of the crumbling apartment building.

He kissed Blaine slowly and grasped his shoulders, sighed as he felt his fingers gently graze his cock. “I’ve missed you too.” Sebastian’s entire body felt on fire from those whispered words. He let himself fall back onto the bed, let his legs fall open for Blaine. Seb gasped as the other mans settled in between his legs, they were both so fucking hard that he wasn’t sure how long either of them were going to be able to last. Sebastian didn’t even care, he just wanted to feel Blaine inside of him, hear him gasp his name, feel his hot skin and tangle his fingers in his hair. He had been fantasizing about this moment for so long and he wanted everything.

Seb let his hands drift all over Blaine’s body, nuzzled his nose into his neck and kissed him. “You’re so hot, B.”

Blaine looked amazing under the blanket, the outline of his cock pressed against a naked Sebastian through his sweatpants. Sebastian would thrive off of this memory for the rest of his life.

“Yeah, of course. It’s kinda sexy.” He smiled his Blaine only smile and wiggled his hips underneath the other man. “Can I help you get rid of these?” Sebastian noticed that his voice was low and breathy but couldn’t bring himself to care. He gripped the waistband of Blaine’s pants, looped his fingers under the band of his boxers and waited for permission before he began to push them down.

“Let me know where your condoms are.” Sebastian whispered against the warm skin of Blaine’s neck. He kissed Blaine’s lips softly, “the nightstand?”

Blaine’s POV:

Every time Sebastian called him hot, or sexy or any variation of the words Blaine would wonder what exactly he saw when he looked at him. All Blaine saw was a mess and he couldn’t grasp what Seb was seeing, it wasn’t good for him to think that way and he knew that, but he couldn’t help himself. Even so the words sent a shiver up his body and he wanted to believe them. Sebastian certainly looked like he meant them. He was hard against Blaine’s tummy and Blaine was just as hard against him. He gasped, surprised by the wiggle and the sensual way Seb rocked his hips into him. God he was so tightly coiled, so tense and nervous and he wanted so damn badly to just relax, to just let his body take control.

Sebastian was underneath him, beautiful in his naked openness and his legs were spread for him, he was smiling his special smile and playful and understanding and Blaine was so fucking happy and proud of himself for coming this far without incident. He just needed to breathe. He swallowed, fighting a smile because of course Sebastian would find a way to make him feel like his insecurities were okay. Of course he’d say the covering himself up was sexy. And of course he’d want to help him take his pants off. Seb had seen him before, many times when they were together in high school. Blaine had grown comfortable and free with him, confident and sure of himself. But, Kurt had ruined Blaine’s body image, ruined all the accapance of himself and he’d done it dirty. Blaine wanted this though, he wanted to let Seb see him at least a little. He just needed his brain to catch up to his body.

“O-okay.” The word was so soft that he hardly heard himself speak. He shifted his hips so that he could help Seb push his pants and underwear down. He blushed as his cock fell heavy and hard against Seb and bit his lip hard to keep from moaning just from that contact. Seb’s voice was slow and raspy and Blaine loved it when he sounded like that, raw and open just like the both of them were right now and actually every single time they’d spent time together the last four months. He shivered again at Seb’s words, as he nodded, telling him that yes, he’d put them there just in case. He wanted to tell Sebastian that he hadn’t even had condoms up until the other day, hadn’t needed them or wanted them in his apartment, but their phone call had helped him see that he really, really wanted to be able to be intimate with his boyfriend. Wanted to show him so badly that he was wanted and worth so much more than he had given himself credit for over the last four years. He wanted to show Seb that he was so much more than those other men gave him credit for.

His hands shook as he took the little black and gold wrapper from his boyfriends slender fingers and blushed a deeper shade of red when Seb pressed the lube into his hand. Blaine knew what to do, but it didn't stop him from worrying. Didn’t stop him from thinking that maybe he was being too slow, or too careful. Before he could think too hard about it, he opened the package and managed to slide the condom on himself, scared that if he waited he’d panic and back out, his fingers were clumsy like he’d never done it before but he managed, his cock throbbing from his own touch and god fucking damn it, it had been years. And then his middle and index fingers were coated and slick and he was looking into Seb’s eyes, asking permission before pressing them against his entrance, circling them once, twice before slowly pressing them into Seb’s body. A little noise left his parted lips and a flood of heat rushed to the bottom half of his body. The tight slickness of Seb’s body around his fingers was almost enough to make him see stars. Just this act, the crook of his fingers and the pull and the heat and the lewd wetness made him want to moan like he was already inside of him.

He settled in closer, wanted to be pressed as close as he could and leaned forward and kissed Seb again, this time moving his fingers to the rhythm of their lips, his free hand snaking up to rest against Seb’s sensitive neck and he wondered if Seb ever felt this good with other men, the way Blaine was feeling just from this small act. Wondered if Seb could ever come just from this. And his thought made his breath hitch.

“I-Is this okay?”

Seb was illuminated and gorgeous as he looked shyly down at his upturned face in the dim, magical glow of fairy lights strung up throughout the tiny apartment.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian propped his head up on the plush pillows of Blaine’s bed. He licked his lips as he watched him slip the condom on with shaky fingers. Seb hummed approvingly and hoped that it was encouraging. He knew that Blaine struggled with self image and it made Sebastian’s brain short circuit when he thought about it. To him, Blaine was it and he wanted to show him just that tonight.

He groaned low and made sure to keep his eyes on the other man. Just Blaine’s fingers inside of him felt amazing. Sebastian let his legs fall open a little bit more and sighed as Blaine touched his neck. He turned the kiss a little messy and pulled away with a low moan, “Yeah, B.”

Seb grasped onto Blaine’s shoulders and kissed him deeply, moved his hips in rhythm with Blaine’s movements.

“I’m ready when you are.” It was basically a moan but he didn’t care if he seemed needy. Sebastian had been dreaming of this moment every time they made out and cuddled in this very bed. Every time he got himself off quietly in Blaine’s shower after a heavy twenty minutes of touching over the clothes and kissing until their lips were sore.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine let himself get caught up in the movement of his fingers and the way Seb’s hips slowly rocked up to meet them. He wished that he could see better and if it weren’t for the damn blanket, meaning his insecurities, he’d be able to watch. The thought of being able to watch his fingers slide back and forth inside of Seb made his cock twitch and he made a promise to himself that next time he’d figure out a way to let himself be more exposed. He wanted to explore every inch of Seb with his eyes and hands and mouth and he knew by setting up boundaries he was hindering himself. He knew it was easier said than done, but right now he had to make himself the promise or he’d go crazy thinking he’d never get the chance.

He wasn’t sure how long they laid there kissing, and he wasn’t sure when the last time he’d gotten to enjoy anything like it. Every time he got to press close to Sebastian and let him kiss him senseless it did something to him. He’d spent almost four years stunted and used and ridiculed that each press of lips or slide of tongue felt sacred and cherished and sometimes his anxiety slipped in and snickered to him he’d lose it all one day. And those days he’d find himself kissing Sebastian harder, and holding him closer. He could live in their kisses and he’d never want for anything else. It was the best feeling in the world and he was so caught up in this kiss, this moment that his stomach flipped when Seb told him he was ready. He was reminded that he got to have more. That Seb was his.

He nodded, his breathing shallow as he slowly withdrew his fingers and used his hand to prop himself up, hovering just above Seb so that he could focus on his face, so that he could see that it was Seb with him. His body tingled with desire and anxiety and he felt like he might explode at any moment. He used his free hand to line himself up and looked down at Seb for the okay. He got it in the form of a brilliant smile and a hand pressed to the small of his back, guiding him and then he was pressing inside, could feel the beautiful give and stretch of Seb around his cock and he didn’t stop pushing until his hips were flush against Seb’s body and and everything was warm and tight and Blaine moaned low and long, his voice singing right along with Seb’s little gasps and then Blaine was seeing stars as he came so fucking hard his vision went a little blurry. His moan turned into the pleading word no over and over again and he could have sobbed.

“No, no, no… oh my god, please… I’m so sorry.” His face was hot and his embarrassment ran deep into his gut as he held on tightly to Sebastian’s body with no choice but to ride out his sudden and strong orgasm- bordering somewhere between pure bliss and a harsh bone deep shame. As his pleasure subsided he hid his face tightly in the crook of Sebastian’s neck, willing himself not to cry as he waited for what was sure to be an onslaught of familiar criticism. What the hell was wrong with him? How had he managed to fuck this up so badly… He wanted to disappear, the only thing stopping him from getting up and hiding in his bathroom was the fact that he didn’t want Seb to see him. He deserved so much better than this. Seb deserved better than him.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian bit his bottom lip and watched Blaine’s face as he pressed into him. The other man looked beautiful in his concentration and everything felt better than his best daydream. He stretched around the other man and the ache felt delicious and perfect and they were so close that he swore he could feel Blaine’s heartbeat. Seb had never been treated this well, or rather he hadn’t been since the last time they were together when they were teenagers. The past years were full of quick hook ups and rough hands. His body felt like it wasn’t his and he was usually too fucked up to bring himself to care. Blaine had made him feel so wanted and needed in this moment and every touch and sigh felt intense and perfect.

Suddenly Sebastian felt the pressure of Blaine, felt his hips stutter and his words mingle on a moan. He could feel the other man’s embarrassment hang in the air and he wished he could swat it away like an annoying gnat. He laid a hand gently on the back of Blaine’s neck and held him close. Sebastian’s lower half of his body still ached but his emotions took over and he knew he needed to comfort his boyfriend.

“B, shh. It’s totally okay. Don’t be sorry, I had fun.” Sebastian pressed a kiss to the side of Blaine’s head. “You treated me so fucking well. And you looked fucking amazing and felt even better.”

Blaine’s POV:

And just like that Blaine’s anxiety over the possibility of Sebastian getting upset with him sort of whooshed out of him. Normally it would have taken ages for him to calm down after something like this, and while he still felt embarrassed and nervous, he didn’t feel scared like he had moments ago. Sebastian had this ability to make him feel better in very few words, he supposed he’d always been able to do that to him. He was sure that there’d be other times when it took more than lovely words and a gentle touch, but right now it was perfectly what he needed. He let Seb’s words fall over him softly and he truly believed them. He had no choice, not really. The other man spoke gently and the murmur of his lips against his skin left Blaine with a tingle of hope, and the sweet way he’d let his fingers rest against his most sensitive spot gave him strength to open his eyes and look down at Seb.

Sebastian had managed to do the complete opposite of what Kurt would have done and it made Blaine love him impossibly more. He sniffled, thankful that he had not started sobbing on top of everything else. He took a deep breath, Seb’s little kiss leaving him with little goosebumps over his neck. He wondered if Seb had ever been so soft with anyone else before, or if he was telling the truth a couple of months ago a dinner when he told him it was all for him. A little pang of guilt brushed over his heart and he had to force it away. Things happened the they happened and he couldn’t change it, all he had was here and now and he needed to show Seb just how incredible he was.

“I forget how sweet you are sometimes, you hide it behind venom so much, but you never could fool me.” He swallowed hard, his cheeks still red and he propped himself up on his elbow over Seb and then eased himself out of his body before pulling off the condom, trying not to draw attention to his heated face as he tossed it in the little bin under his tiny nightstand. He licked his lips as he turned his attention back to the man under him. He shifted a little so he was more comfortable on top of him, making sure they were still safe under the little cover over their naked bodies, and smiled softly down at him- his fingers toying with the little hairs at the base of Sebastian’s neck.

“I-...” He cleared his throat and forced himself not to look away. “It’s been over three years since I’ve been allowed to, you know… top. I was always made to bottom even when I didn’t really want to and- I-” He swallowed hard, knowing that trauma was still rattling around in his mind and body and he needed to let it loose soon but right now he wanted to make Seb feel good, needed to show him how much he meant to him. “I guess I got eager. I just wanted to make you feel as good as possible.” He ducked his head and pressed a kiss to Seb’s lips, letting his mouth linger for a moment before speaking again, his free hand cupping his face and cradling him close. “Do you think I could have another chance?” He tried to sound confident, but his nerves were still coursing through his body as he pressed a little kiss to the pulse point in Seb’s neck, his lips pulling into a small smile against the thump of heartbeat there that meant so much to him as if the smile could protect it.

“I-I think I can do better.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian reveled in the feeling of Blaine’s fingers on the back of his neck. Even when they were younger he always played with the little hairs on the back of his neck. It was familiar and intimate and made a thrill run through his veins. Seb ran his own fingers gently over Blaine’s arms and back, tracing an unknown pattern.

“You always could see right through me.” His voice was more gentle than he expected it to be and he felt a thrum of something inside of his stomach that he couldn’t quite describe.

“I understand. For the record, you did make me feel good and you can have all the chances you want.” Seb smiled up at the other man and tilted his chin up for another kiss. He sighed when Blaine pressed a soft kiss to his neck, that had always been his weakness. Sebastian’s body felt full of fire and he could feel himself start to get hard again against B’s tummy. He felt his legs fall open a little bit more.

“Show me.”

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine swallowed and nodded down at Sebastian. He couldn’t get over the fact that Seb was being so understanding, it was strange and very new to him, but deep down he knew it shouldn’t be so strange. Memories of their giggles and imperfectly perfect intimate moments from when they were younger linger in his head as he moved slowly to grab a new condom from the bedside table. He remembered times when their teeth would clack, or clothes would get stuck and Seb’s easy smiles and grins were always the first thing to lighten the mood. So, of course Blaine shouldn’t have been surprised that he wasn’t upset or going to take anything out on him.

“I was one of the only people that you let get to know the real you, of course I saw right through you.” He bit his lip and smiled down into green eyes that he missed getting lost in. He dipped his head and pressed another little kiss just as Seb’s legs opened more for him. Blaine’s cock jumped from the movement and he let out a little noise of want knowing that Seb wanted him just as much back. He pulled back enough that he could get use his hands properly and with shanking fingers managed to get a clean condom over his cock, he had gotten hard and ready faster than he thought possible and Seb’s long legs, heavy eyes and soft vulnerable voice were to blame.

“I want to make you feel even better, I want to show you how much I’ve missed you…” He took the lube from the table and slicked his fingers back up, gently letting them probe and slide back in, his cock twitching because Seb was still wet from before, still open even though Blaine had hardly done anything at all. He sighed, his eyes never leaving Seb’s face, he wanted to watch the subtle ways it changed, wanted to see the different things his touch could get a reaction out of. He leaned in, his left hand sliding under Seb’s shoulders and neck to hold him close, his right hand withdrawing from Seb’s body and wrapping round himself so that he could guide. He licked his lips, a soft “You’re sure?” Getting caught in his throat. Seb’s head was back, his neck exposed and his lips parted, Blaine didn’t need any more than the slight head nod and little reassuring smile and he was pressing in again and god it felt even better than before.

His breathing was shaky and his whole body was trembling like he’d never done this before all over again. But this time he’d get it right, this time Sebastian would know how much he meant to him. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself lie there and pressed so close to Sebastian for a moment, willing himself to breathe and then he was moving, slowly at first and then his hips were rolling in a little faster before pressing deep and god how had he ever let Seb go. He spread his own legs a little wider, pushing Seb’s open with them, giving himself a better angle. He gathered his boyfriend closer, holding his body tightly to his, his free hand moving to cup his face and then to cradle the back of his neck so he could kiss him hard and sweet. And he fucked into Seb and kissed him so slow and deep and for so long their moans trapped themselves between their lips and Blaine wanted to be selfish and keep them there forever.

He was lost in their passions, had now idea how long they moved together like this, and he’d be fine if they were never found again.

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian couldn’t speak much anymore, all he could muster to do was nod as pleasure thrummed through his veins. His hands found their way to tangle in Blaine’s mess of curls as he pressed into him. Little moans fell from his lips as the other man began to move more confidently, the glow from the Christmas lights infiltrated the blanket and swathed them in a soft amber glow. Sebastian could see Blaine’s face and feel his heavy breaths wash over his skin. His thighs ached as the other man spread them a little wider and the action was so simple yet so bold and sexy that it made his own hips stutter and he knew he was close.

Soon heat was flooding through Sebastian as they kissed, a satisfied cry fell onto Blaine’s lips as he came in between their bodies, his toes curled and his fingers scrambled for purchase against his boyfriend’s slick back. It was an intense orgasm and Seb’s body trembled with every press and movement of Blaine. He had never been held so closely, had never been given so much undivided attention. Sebastian didn’t fucking care about Blaine’s neighbors, he hoped the whole building heard him.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine watched with heavy eyes as Seb fell apart underneath him, he held onto him tighter, making sure his boyfriend knew that he had him and that he wasn’t going to let him crash alone. The cry of pleasure Seb made as he came, low and loud, sent goosebumps all over Blaine’s body and he’d give anything to be able to hear it over and over again. He pressed a kiss to his neck, and then back to his lips. Seb’s fingers were still tangled up in Blaine’s hair and his other hand was sliding freely up and down his back, pulling him closer and normally Blaine might freeze up at that, but Seb’s touches were needy and soft in a way that only Sebastian could make them and he pressed his head and arched his back into them, relishing in the feeling. Everything was building up as he thrust into Seb’s body, his boyfriend was watching him with heavy eyes, encouraging him to keep going and Blaine wanted nothing more than to live in this feeling. But, the pressure was building the slide, the pull the echo of Seb’s pleasure still ringing in his ears and the fact that it was Seb under him, that was everything and before he knew it he was coming hard and fast and he tried to keep his voice down but it was almost as loud as Seb’s and his cheeks were heated as he pressed his face into the crook of Seb’s neck and he tried to breathe evenly as as came down.

Finally, after what could have been hours but what probably was just minutes, Blaine pulled himself up on shaking arms and looked down at Sebastian. He wanted to hide his face again because he’d done that. And he was a little ashamed at how good it felt, but that was just Kurt ingrained in his mind and he knew, deep down that he didn’t need to feel shame about wanting to feel good anymore. Maybe he’d still have moments, but right now he felt so fucking good, and all because of Seb, that he felt like he could do anything. He ducked his head down and pressed a kiss to Seb’s lips, letting them linger there for a moment before pulling back and very gently pulling out. He pulled the condom off, this time much less embarrassed, and after disposing of it he eased himself off of Seb so that he could lie on his side next to him. Everything felt perfect, he felt perfect, Seb seemed to feel the same. So why was there a little nagging thing in the back of his head right now? Why was his heart starting to hurt like an ugly bruise?

He furrowed his brow as he looked at Seb, his arm snaking out to wrap around his waist and to pull him a little closer under the little cover he was using as a shield. Everything was perfect, he’d overcome so much in one night, and sure, they had so much to discuss, but that could wait for another day... what could he possibly have to worry about. He was happy and in love, and no, they still hadn't said that yet, but it was there- still hanging between them after all of these years and-... that was it. The last time Blaine and Seb had been this close Blaine had woken up on top of the world with the intentions of telling Sebastian that he loved him later that night. Only… he’d never gotten the chance. Before he could do it his whole world had been shattered like glass and then two weeks later Blaine had thrown the leftover shards away when he broke up with Seb. That had to be it. Blaine was getting too close to telling Seb how he felt again, and Seb had to leave tomorrow for class and Blaine was going to have to send him away and worry that he’d be next, that he’d lose him for good.

Well, just don’t make plans to tell him that you love him and it’ll all be fine. Seb will make it home and then he’ll make it back to you and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Blaine knew that was a silly thing to think, and that his therapist had shot down all the stupid ways he’d tried to cope with his parents death by blaming himself and so on in the past. She’d have a hay day with this one. He cleared his throat and let his fingers gently trace over a few peppered freckles on Seb’s chest.

“It’s so silly but…” He swallowed hard, knowing that if they were going to do this, if they were going to be in this relationship, that Blaine needed to share his insecurities with Sebastian in order for it to work. “I’m scared for you to leave tomorrow, Seb. I’m scared something bad will happen to you on the way home. I know that the chances are slim and that you’re not driving, but the last time I was this happy…the next morning-” He shrugged, intentionally leaving out the part about love and feelings, and knowing that any other time he would be nervous but that this was a special case and he was acting extra crazy. “Could you promise me that you’ll call me as soon as you’re safe? Or maybe even talk to me while you ride home? Your driver won’t care, and look- I know it’s needy, but I’ll stress if you don’t. Just this one time and then I promise I’ll stop acting like a psycho.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian placed his hands on either side of Blaine’s face and ran his thumbs over his cheekbones. His body already ached in the most satiated way and he missed the thick feeling of the other man inside of him. He didn’t want to leave a bed other than his own for the first time in years. This was the part where Seb would usually pull himself together and slink out of the front door. The part where the other person would throw the covers off of him and expose him to cold midnight air or ask him when he was leaving or ask him for cab fare. Blaine’s bed, this warm bed with mismatched pillows and too many blankets, this room swathed in Christmas lights, was a perfect place. Sebastian didn’t feel afraid to sleep there, had never felt nervous in this room. Now that he was naked and vulnerable, it still felt comfortable and perfect.

“It’s not silly. We can talk while I’m in the car. It’s not a problem at all. But hey, maybe stop calling yourself names. I don’t like it.” He understood where Blaine’s sad mind was dwelling because his did the same thing sometimes. Sebastian hadn’t experienced the loss that the other man had and wasn’t in therapy but he knew fear and loneliness and feeling cursed. He knew what it was like to hate yourself and stare at your own reflection with contempt. Sometimes Sebastian wondered if he was a crook, he spent all these words building Blaine up but still treated himself like shit most days. He shook the thoughts away because he felt too good and liquid and comfortable to get distracted by storm clouds.

“He can’t care. I pay him.” Sebastian’s face broke out into a smile and he cuddled into Blaine. His entire body felt spent and his mind trailed back to lovely thoughts. Seb’s eyes kept falling closed as they breathed together in a soft, pleasant silence. He pressed a few lazy kisses to Blaine’s lips before he wrapped a long leg around the other man and fell asleep, the ambient sounds of New York played on outside of the window as Blaine’s radiator kicked on.

Blaine’s POV:

Sometimes when Sebastian took the time to reassure Blaine with sweet words and soft touches Blaine would notice a look about him, this faraway troubled expression that he’d quickly cover up and move on with before Blaine could ask about it. He wondered if maybe it had something to do with the years Seb had gotten himself into trouble, or if it had something to do with how Seb had turned down alcohol tonight. Either way, Blaine made a note to bring it up. Now that they’d come this far, and Blaine had let himself get so vulnerable and Seb had as well, Blaine knew they had a few things they might need to discuss in the future. But right now Seb was warm and close and he’d made Blaine smile even though he still felt a little crazy about his request so he let it go and just held Seb close. He let his head fall back into his lumpy but soft pillows, Seb’s arms around his torso and his head on his chest, and one long leg wrapped around him and it was careless and intimate and he found himself dozing off to the sounds of Seb’s even breathing and the low clunk of his heat kicking on.

---

He had been dreaming about sex. Hands and lips and teeth and tongues and at first it was scary and his unwanted lover's eyes were the blue of nightmares and the murmuring in his ear was too high and hissing and Blaine struggled to wake until suddenly there were arms around him and they were kind and gentle and full of love and when Blaine looked at him his lover’s eyes were the green of the sea and swirled with a deep blue and they were warm and he was looking up at Sebastian and Seb’s lips were on his and his tongue and teeth and hands and they were exploring and tasting and touching and Blaine’s hips rocked into his person and it felt so good and he wanted more but when he reached out nothing was there except the dark and he kept reaching until his eyes were opening and he realized he’d been asleep and he was slowly humping into Sebastian’s stomach.

“Oh.” His voice was soft and raspy and his face was hot. How many times was he going to act like an inexperienced teen tonight? He’d managed to roll over sometime in his sleep, his chest was now pressed against Seb’s and Seb’s leg was still hooked over Blaine, sort of pulling him closer and Blaine’s dreaming mind must have thought this was a good angle for sex. Apparently a belly button sufficed… He shrugged off the first part of the dream, chalking it up to his body’s way of purging out the bad and replacing it with the good, but that was too deep for three in the morning and had he really just tried to dry hump his boyfriend in his sleep?

He shifted, trying to cover his situation and thankful that Sebastian was sleeping, but no matter what he did his body would just not calm down, he was hard and horny and god, he wanted him again… And it didn’t fucking help that they were both naked and his cock was still pressed into Seb’s stomach and he still looked really fucking good sprawled out and naked on his bed with hardly anything covering him up and how was he supposed to get out of this? He sighed softly and tried his best to ease Sebastian’s leg off of him, maybe he could sneak into the bathroom without disturbing him… he rolled onto his back, hoping he could just scoot down towards the bottom of the bed, he didn’t care that it would leave him uncovered- he really just needed to avoid further embarrassment. And when he looked up to check if Seb were still sleeping he found that he was looking up into the same sea green and blue swirled eyes from his dream. Shit.

“I-um… this isn't what it looks like.”

Sebastian’s POV:

Sebastian was suddenly woken up by the sting of cold air that only the wee hours of the morning brought. The covers had been yanked off of him a bit and his blurry eyes saw Blaine trying to scoot off the bed.

“B?” his voice was raspy with sleep. Sebastian rubbed a hand over his face and sat up. He blinked a few times and noticed that Blaine was hard underneath the blanket and the scene was a little bit comical to his tired brain.

“What is it then?” Seb teased with a wide grin. “Looks good to me. C’mere.” He patted his hand against the pillows. Once Blaine was situated in his normal side of the bed, Seb’s mind began to churn with dirty thoughts. He bit his bottom lip and his cock throbbed, he wanted to feel B again. “What would you say to round three?” Sebastian displayed a hand before letting his long fingers trail slowly over Blane’s stomach. He let his hand ghost over the other man lower, and lower, and lower…

Blaine breathed a low yes and they were kissing hard and fast and Sebastian’s hands were everywhere.

Seb scrambled for the discarded bottle of lube and box of condoms that were lost in the sheets. “I want to try something different. Do you trust me?” He lifted his hands, one with the lube and condom. Sebastian pressed his hands against Blaine’s shoulders and began to sit up.

“Lay back against the pillows.” Seb leaned in and gave Blaine a slow kiss and a small smile before he kneeled in between his legs.

He rubbed his thigh reassuringly, “can I put this on you?”

Sebastian held up the foil packet before expertly putting the condom on the other man with his permission. He made a show of preparing himself (it didn’t take much after the night’s events) and straddled Blaine’s hips before sinking down.

The sound of Blaine’s old, squeaky mattress mingled with Sebastian’s gasps and the honking of horns, the ruthless beat of wind against the old brick building.

/fin.

#Para: The Warmest Bed I've Ever Known #para #seblaine #seblaine para #seblaine smut #CW #TW #triggering content #seblaine rp #seblaine canon divergence #colorsicantsee #twoblueheartslocked #seb #sebpara

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what-is-your-plan-today · 5 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner One Shot: Growing Pains

Intro: No matter how much you want them to, your kids don’t stay kids forever…

Warnings: None, just a bit of bad language and Katie embarrassing Steve to shit!

Takes place in the SSB universe, November 2022.

“Mom.” Emmy’s voice was soft and Katie instantly looked up from her laptop. “Where’s Dad?” “He’s gone for a run, well as much of a run as he can with Jamie hanging off his back.” Katie said, frowning slightly as she saw her fifteen year old daughter wasn’t dressed for school “Is everything ok? I can call him.” “No, it’s fine. It’s you I wanted to talk to.” she said, hovering from one foot to the other. “I err…”

She looked down at her feet, a huge flush on her face. Katie closed her laptop and stood up. “Em?” “I think I, well, no I know I err… I started my period and…” “Oh sweetie.” Katie chuckled slightly as she wrapped the girl into a hug “I’m not gonna lie, being a woman sucks at times but other times it’s kinda cool.”

“Cool?” Emmy frowned.

“Yeah, boobs.” Katie said, gesturing to her chest “They tend to fascinate most men.”

Emmy gave a low chuckle before she bit her lip. “I err, I got some on the sheets.”

Katie smoothed back Emmy’s hair and shrugged “It’s no big deal. Look, why don’t you go have a bath, I’ll sort your bed and then we’ll sit and watch shit on TV all day. I can stay home.”

Emmy nodded eagerly “Snacks?”

“Dur.” Katie said, following her up the stairs. Emmy retreated into the bathroom, whilst Katie found her some pads before she stripped the sheets down and headed to the utility room at the side of the kitchen that held their washing machines and dryer. She was just turning the machine on when the door opened and Steve stepped in, Jamie on his back, giggling away. Steve’s face was red from the brisk November air and the part of Jamie’s cheeks which were visible from beneath his hat and above his scarf were also tinged pink a little.

“Laugh it up, pal.” Steve shook his head, as he bent down so Jamie could slide off his back “That’s the last time I’m taking you.” “You said that yesterday, and the day before.” Katie smirked, taking the kiss he offered, ignoring Jamie’s noise of disgust “You love it.”

“Hmmm.” Steve made a non-committal noise in his throat “Any breakfast going or shall I start some?” “Go get a shower and I’ll make it. We can eat together when Emmy’s sorted.”

Steve frowned “Shouldn’t she be on the bus?”

“She’s not feeling too good.” Katie said, “I told her I’d stay home with her.”

Steve’s frown deepened as he shrugged off his running jacket. “She ok?” “Yeah, nothing a day in front of the TV and a blanket can’t fix.” Katie said, giving him a significant look. As ever it took him a while to cotton on, but when he realised what she was saying, Katie really had to bite back the laugh as his face rearranged itself into a look of surprise, which flickered to pure dumbfoundedness as he struggled for a reply.

“Don’t worry, I got it.” Katie grinned, patting his chest.

“Momma?” a voice came from the kitchen and Katie turned to face Jamie who was stood by the fridge “I hungry.” “Yeah, I’m gonna start breakfast now baby.” she smiled, “Eggs and toast ok?” “Nomm!” he said, grinning as he padded over to the table and pulled himself up into a seat. Steve had to give a snort, without his seat he could barely see over the top of the table. He made his way over, lifted Jamie easily with one hand causing the boy to cackle before he replaced him back on the booster and scooted him closer.

“That better?” he asked, dropping a kiss to his son’s head.

“Fankoo daddy.” he grinned.

“You’re welcome kiddo.” he said straightening up. He turned to Katie “I’m gonna go shower then I’ll come help.”

Katie waved him away with a smile. He took the stairs two at a time and headed into their bedroom. If he was honest he’d been shitting himself about this day for ages. He’d watched Emmy grow up way too fast for his liking over the past few years and now…well he didn’t even want to think about the whole bringing a boy home thing that was going to pop up sooner rather than later he suspected. All he knew was he was thankful for Katie’s level head. He showered quickly, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a red plaid button down ready for his meetings that day and headed onto the landing, just as Emmy was emerging from the larger bathroom wrapped in a robe.

“Hey sweetie.” he said “Your Ma said you’re not feeling too good.”

She shrugged, “Not really.” “Will a hug help?” he asked and she smiled, nodding. He opened his arms and she stepped into them as he gave her a soft but firm snuggle.

“Thanks dad.” she said softly.

“Any time baby.” he said, dropping a kiss to her head “Now I’d go get dressed if I were you, before your brother eats all the breakfast.”

*****

When Steve came back that evening, his girls were pretty much in the same spot they had been in all day. When he asked if they’d moved Katie grinned and pointed out that they were both in clean sets of Pyjamas and Jamie was in bed, so of course they had moved. Although they were getting take-out for Dinner because she couldn’t be bothered to cook and it was Friday after all. With a good natured roll of his eyes he cast one final look at them over his shoulder before he headed upstairs to change, leaving them to watch Love Actually. It was early in the season, not being December until the week after but he knew what they were like when it came to Christmas so he left them to it.

“You know, I still never forgave Adam Rickman for breaking Emma Thompson’s heart.” Katie sighed as Emmy scoffed.

“Has dad ever bought you a really crappy gift?” she asked.

“No.” Katie said honestly. “He’s very thoughtful. Although the best gift he gave me wasn’t one he bought anyway.” “Your emerald?” Emmy asked, and Katie made a noise of affirmation. They fell silent for a moment before Emmy spoke again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Course.”

“If anything happened to Dad…do you think you’d ever like date again?”

Steve frowned slightly as he heard Katie exhale “That’s deep Em…I dunno. I don’t think I’d ever be able to love another man the way I love Steve. In fact I know I wouldn’t. What on Earth made you ask that?” “Oh, Brooke is trying to get Jen dating.” Em said “but she keeps saying she loves Brooke’s dad too much and I kinda think it’s sad as he’s been dead for years. ” “Yeah, well, the thing is Em when you’re in love, and I mean truly in love, it consumes you. That person becomes as much a part of your life as you are and to lose them like that…well I can’t imagine what a hole that would leave in their place.” Katie said gently.

“Yeah, suppose.” “You’ll figure that out soon enough.” Katie chuckled.

“Was dad your first love?”

“He’s been the only man I’ve ever truly been in love with yes.” Katie replied “For most people a first love and a true love are very different things.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, ok, for instance my first love was a guy called Mikey. My first boyfriend. I wasn’t much older than you, dated him for about twelve months.” Katie mused “I loved him, he was the first guy I ever slept with. Then there was Grant and we don’t talk about him, ever as he was an asshole.”

Emmy gave a snort

“Liar.” “Oh you so did!” Katie looked at him, unabashed he’d been listening “You kissed me after Rumlow’s party. You’d have kissed me before that as well if you hadn’t been such a chicken shit.” Steve rolled his eyes and flopped onto the seat at the opposite side of the coffee table. “You didn’t exactly push me away.” “Dur.” it was Katie’s time to roll her eyes as Emmy snorted “I’d been waiting for you to make a move for months.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at her as the teenager quipped “You were still a bit slow on the uptake back then I see.” “Err, less of your cheek young lady.” he said and she giggled.

“You know the first time we had sex he literally ripped my pants off.” Katie grinned at Steve and he pulled a face as Emmy cackled.

“Jesus, Doll.” he flushed bright red.

“Wasn’t the only time either.” his wife shot back and Emmy’s laughter became louder. “Okay,” Steve stood up with a sigh, shaking his head, not particularly wanting to discuss his sex life with his fifteen year old kid. “I’m gonna get the Thai Menu…”

Katie watched him go before she winked at Emmy and stood up, following him into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his shoulder.

“I love how after all this time I can still make you blush.” “You’re a damned nightmare.” he chuckled as his hands rest on top of hers, using them to pull her closer as he turned to face her.

“But you love me.”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” he said, dropping a kiss to her lips.

****

He didn’t quite rip her pants off that night, but it was still passionate enough to send them both into an orgasm induced sleep almost straight away. But Steve was a light sleeper, not as light as he had been once-upon-a-time as sleeping besides his wife gave him a sense of peace. That said, his super-soldier hearing always woke him should something be out of place, so when he was pulled from his slumber it took him a while to realise that the soft voices he could hear downstairs was the TV. Knowing it could only be one person he swung his legs out of bed and pulled on a sweater before he padded down the stairs.

“Emmy? ”he asked gently as he opened the door to the living room. The teenager looked up from where she was sat, knees tucked up besides her.

“Couldn’t sleep.” she shrugged and his sharp eyes didn’t miss the movement her hand made over her tummy.

“Did you take anything?” he asked and she looked at him. “For the pain?”

“Oh, ”she flushed slightly, “yeah, but it hasn’t worked yet.”

He nodded and headed into the kitchen, putting on the kettle. He made the pair of them a hot drink, stuck the heat-pack in the microwave and then paused as he passed his cupboard. The cupboard where he kept his secret stash.

Well, if this wasn’t an occasion it was called for then what was?

Emmy looked up as he placed the peppermint tea down besides her, passed her the heat pack and then wordlessly produced the Dairy Milk bar from his sweatpants pocket.

“You’re giving me your chocolate?” Emmy looked at him.

“Don’t tell your brother.” Steve said as he sat next to her, flopping his feet up on the coffee table.

She grinned and unwrapped the bar, offering him a piece which he took and shoved in his mouth.

“You’re pretty clued up on all this given you’re like a hundred and five.” she grinned cheekily

“Yeah well, I’ve been with your ma for over ten years so I picked up a few tips.” he shrugged. She took a sip of her drink, rearranged her blanket and then picked up his arm so she could snuggle into him. He gently ran his hand over the back of her head as she got comfortable.

“What we watching?” he asked.

“Bad Boys.” she said.

Steve chuckled “I like this one. That is if I’m not too old to keep you company for a while?” “Nah.” she said, grinning as she dropped a kiss to his cheek. “You’re good.” Katie found the pair of them flat out on the sofa the next morning, Emmy’s head propped up on a pillow resting in Steve’s lap as the solider was stretched out down the long side of the L shaped sofa, fast asleep, arm round his daughter and a huge shit-eating-grin on his face.

Tags

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lucastheunlucky · 4 years ago

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Glance Over || Luke&Jared

Location: Yum!Pizzeria Time: Sunday, 7/26/20 early morning, @themidnightfarmer TWs: Mentions of gun violence, emotional abuse Summary: Jared stops over to help Luke clean up the shop early and hang out for a bit, but Luke gets a phone calls he’s been expecting.

Lucas will be haunted by the ten pockets and olive conversation with Jared for the rest of his damn life. But listen, he loved this dude. Jared could do anything stupid and Lucas would probably feed into it. The fact Lucas had been able to open up about Gotch and they both got to talk about their species while rock climbing had been a huge relief to Luke. Him and Miles shared a difference of opinion on revealing that information, but he wanted to trust the people closest to him. Luke knew he was an exceptional liar, but he didn’t want to be one with his friends and family anymore. He wanted to be honest and open, to feel vulnerability in a better way than he ever felt in the past. Miles said continuously since he’s been back that he ‘wanted this all over’ and Lucas' mind constantly told him, ‘then go with him’. Proving he was still not to be trusted with things involving Gotch.

But after the funeral for Charlie, and the dreams he’s been having involving victory. He really had to wonder what he would do. But he brushed those thoughts aside, and pulled out a small water gun and tossed it towards Jared, taking another out and started immediately attacking his friend while he opened the pizzeria. “Didn’t expect that did you!” Luke’s playful side surfaced to drag a little fun into a mundane thing like cleaning windows.

Jared was increasingly at ease now that the secrets were out. He could relax and not worry about saying the wrong thing to Luke. And it was definitely a relief. Increasingly, he found himself wanting to hang around the other. Luke was fun, very good company, and felt very safe to be around. This is how friends should always feel, Jared had decided.

Reflex was the only thing that saved the nymph from dropping to the ground in an attempt to catch the water gun. He barely caught the object but was slow on the uptake of the action. His shirt got very thoroughly soaked in the first few seconds before his brain could catch up and he could retaliate. “Woah hey THAT’S NOT FAIR.” he whinged ducking away from his friend and trying to hide comically behind a trash can. Hand raised from behind the can squirting water inaccurately in the general direction of Luke in the hopes of getting him back. But Jared was laughing, soaked or not, they were both kids at heart.

“Not fair is right, this is a battle!” Lucas laughed richly, and leaned up against the doorway and took cover just inside it. He took mild pity on the other, but not enough to give notice, Lucas still used all the water in his gun quickly. It was Sunday, and a lazy one at that, there wasn’t really anyone on the streets, and if they were, Lucas would just give them a shrug. “Hm, I’m out,” he peaked around towards the trash can. “Truce already Jared? I actually brought these out to clean the window in a more fun way.” He placed a bucket of suds on the ground, knowing he was fully exposed and would get thoroughly shot up. “Take pity on me!” He joked, and started to clean the window. “I’m sensitive, and can’t take you bullying me.” Lucas continued to tease and joke.

Luke tried for a truce, but Jared kept on spraying his own gun randomly, without looking over the top of the trash can, just moving his hand in the hopes that he’d get the other. As soon as Luke said he was out, Jared peaked over and emptied his last two sprays into his side before emerging. “You started it.” Jared laughed, tossing the water gun into the open bucket trying for one last splash on Luke before they started to do something else. The nymph bumped his elbow into Luke and snorted “I’m sure you’ll live, little bit of water right?” he teases before stooping down to refill his gun, not for a renewed attack and instead to actually use it for helping to clean the windows. As he dunked the gun back into the bucket he looked up. “So, what’s the special going to be today? And do I get a complimentary poll of olives for helping?”

“I always start it,” Lucas admitted with a laugh, using the large sponge to suds up the window well so Jared could shoot it off. They were both decently tall though, so reaching the highest parts weren’t too difficult. “Special is for my friend Adam this week, so its got the olives, onions, special sauce, and you can get it also with some anchovies if you want it more salty. I bought a fresh batch this week and they smelled good when I fried them up. Nice and crispy too, so the crunch is nice with the soft textures.” Lucas stepped away to let Jared spray the window, not that he cared at all about getting wet like Jared had pointed out. Making chores fun was always better than simply doing them alone. Lucas’ phone vibrated in his back pocket, and he ignored it. “Dude, its not a ‘pool’ its a ‘poll’, two different things nerd.” The phone stopped and immediately vibrated again.

“You do, you’re the bully here.” Jared poked his tongue out at Luke as he said this. “You know me bud, I’ll eat anything you give me. But only if you don’t make me share.” A heavy pout was directed towards Luke at this jokingly. Jared even went as far as to risk altering his eye colour a little by glamour to make it a little more effective. The pout dissolved into a laugh easily within the next few seconds however, water gun in hand it was hard to hold up the act for long. “Hey, I want what I want. If you can’t provide me with my own olive pool then maybe I should find a new Pizza place huh?” Jared teased glancing at the sound of a phone going off, and patting his jeans pockets to check it wasn’t his own. “I got the window, grab your phone bud.”

“It’s probably just a spam call or something, no one needs me this early on a Sunday,” Lucas hated that this phone was interrupting their fun, but at Jared’s insistence, he wiped his damp fingers on his jeans and fished it out. The moment he saw it though it clicked off, and immediately called again. A bad feeling settled in his stomach, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and the long, deep scar on his arm ache. He didn’t know the number, but the insistence had his instincts flaring. The phone stopped ringing again, and called again. He closed his eyes, and clicked the call, bringing it to his ear.

“Ignorin’ me?” The voice on the end drawled out. A southern lazy sound that made the man sound like he was still tucked in bed. Lucas swallowed, but couldn’t speak. “Fine, heard someone wasn’t in town anymore who had been protecting you. But also hadn’t realized you formed a decently sized pack in White Crest.” A laugh, and Lucas’ hands shook, he leaned against the window to keep himself steady, and palmed his face with a release of held breath he didn’t realize he had inhaled and kept inside.

The nymph took over the sponge, and had his back to Luke as he got in about the top corners of the next window over. Jared was oblivious to the mood that had taken over his friend, obliviously humming quietly to himself as he washed away a small spider web from the frame. The moment shattered however when he heard the shaky breath being released from Luke over his shoulder. There was also the soft thunk of Luke's body slumping into the window.

Jared dropped the sponge into the bucket again and turned with an awkward smile, unsure what was going on. But what he found behind him sent his mind racing. With careful hands he reached out to catch Lukes attention. Jared mouthed to the other, trying to ask who was on the phone, what had happened. But he wasn’t very sure he was getting anywhere. Settling a steadying hand on Luke's shoulder, Jared motioned for the phone. Asking audibly this time. “Who is it? What’s wrong?”

Lucas had his eyes covered with his hand, the darkness not as pitch as he wished for it was a beautiful sunny day. Disappointment etched away at Lucas, towards himself. He had told everyone who knew that he was ready for this, and though physically he always was, it was like a leash bound around his neck the second he heard his voice. An invisible muzzle that could so easily tug him in the direction he wanted. Luke didn’t know how to stop it from happening. Every time, outside these moments he felt confident, but now, he only felt scared.

Jared’s voice came through the fog, and when Luke peeled his hand away and his friend came into his sights it was the strangest thing. The world that was blurred came back into focus and for the first time in years, he wasn’t alone when he called. Luke’s eyes were wide in surprise at this revelation, but the fear of it was consuming on his expression. He pulled the phone down and hung it up. Only a second and it rang again. The vibrating sound loud to his sensitive ears. “It’s him--” he managed to say. “The one after me. I don’t know what to say. How to set anything up. All the stuff I planned with my pack, and my head is just blank.” The phone vibrated, and vibrated.

The explanation made Jared’s heart race. He was calling, the threat was very much real. Jared kept his hand steady on Luke's shoulder and started to think aloud. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn’t. But at the moment they needed to figure out what to do. First of all, staying on the street was likely safer than going somewhere out of sight. Eyewitnesses were everything when you were being threatened. Anyone on the street might be able to at some point down the line back them up. And so Jared squared his shoulders but offered Luke a soft and open expression.

“Did you have a plan for this? Were you ready? Is there a step to take that we need to do?” The nymph left no space for Luke to tell him to butt out. He was here now. He was going to do all he could. The blond paused and then held his hand out. “I’ll answer it?” Would that make it better? Jared wasn’t sure. But even talking to his tormentor sounded like a truly awful idea at the moment for Luke.

“They are torn,” Luke said honestly. “Some want to have him arrested, others want to…” He didn’t know if he should put ‘kill him’ into direct words. “Set up a trap for him. I didn’t think he’d call already.” He said instead. The phone vibrated and vibrated, and clicked off only to call again. This was such a bad idea, ignoring him. When Jared held his hand out Lucas’ entire soul left his body. “No! Are you crazy? No. No--” he repeated a few more times, and squeezed his eyes closed for a second before answering the phone on speaker. Jared’s presence was literally everything right now. Lucas’ mind was clearing up and suddenly anger came to life as smoldering coals in his gut.

“Who’s there with you?” Gotch asked in instant inquiry when the phone picked up. A lazy sound, calm without a hint of anger or any frustration.

“No one, are you in town?” Lucas barely got out.

“Blonde hair, tall-- does he work at the pizzeria too?” Gotch spoke close to the receiver of the phone to the point a scruff of beard caught on the edge of it making a scratching sound. Lucas immediately, and with strength, flipped their positions and pressed Jared against the window, putting his back to the road, and facing him to block him entirely from sight. It’s always been a drive by. The flashed frantic sound of gunfire, and every instinct in him was terrorfied he’d hear it right now. But nothing happened, yet. Just the quiet of the street.

“Turn around,” Gotch said and Lucas hung up again. His heart was racing and his features were wolfish, the bones in his face shifted subtly, eyes a molten gold, and his chest stretched under his shirt as a low growl rumbled in his chest. “Don’t let him see your face,” Lucas said roughly between them. “Please--” he half begged Jared, cause he knew his friend could contain bravery. “There is a back exit in the pizzeria, please run.”

Okay so the options were not as neatly laid out as Jared would have liked. But in situations like the one they found themselves in, the options tended to change on a dime. The nymph withdrew his asking hand when Luke shut him down. But was glad that -when he answered again- at least Jared could hear what was being said.

One moment the two of them were standing as if they always took tense calls in the middle of the street, and the next Jared stumbled to a stop, with Lucas blocking his view of the street. But surely that didn’t matter, surely Luke was the one being threatened here. This was backwards in the nymphs eyes. Standing on his toes he tried to look over Lukes shoulder. This guy was nearby, he was close. So surely they’d be able to see him as well.

But the fight left him when Lucas’ voice gained a tone he’d never heard before. Concern flashed across Jared's face, blue eyes making contact with the new hue that had taken over the usual brown of the werewolves. “No.” The answer was simple. And Jared only had a single moment to be apologetic about it before he gripped Luke's arm and, using all his fae strength to fight against it, moved Luke's arm so that they were standing side by side. Not looking for Gotch in the street, and not showing his face openly, but he wasn’t going to go. “You’re coming with me.”

“Why?” Luke asked immediately, and hated himself for it. Why didn’t they understand how awful and dangerous this was? That his friends and family always stood there when he asked and begged them not too. There was a reason profoundly known to Lucas, but reason couldn’t always be obtained in these direct situations involving this hunter. Too much time hearing what would happen to those he cared about if he didn’t comply, and even a visual of that young wolf Charlie that they just buried after her face was half blown off because of him. It wasn’t possible to understand the cruelty, to gauge when a line was crossed and it turned into that direction.

Lucas’ chest was rising quickly. Still expecting gun fire, or the patter of feet as hired help would move around and surround them. But still nothing presented that he expected, and so he turned around. Bracing his arm and shoulder to still keep Jared’s face out of view, and looked at the stopped truck behind him. Sitting there just looking was Gotch, looking worn, and more gray, but his eyes were very different. The shirt was tied off just under the shoulder, a few people were in the bed of the truck, all with concealed weapons. Gotch just looked at them, and then waved them to move, and the truck started driving away, the men in the back bed laughed, even waved towards them as a taunt.

All of his body half shifted, and the rumble in his chest ached as he transformed more. Stretching his shirt, and claws pointed out in blackness, and his mouth crowded in fangs, the skin along his face splitting in tracks of blood as it shifted the bones in his jaw to accommodate. Hair raced over his arms, and down his legs. He was about to run after it, Gotch knew he would-- and Lucas didn’t realize it as he was about to launch off into a full run.

“Because doing things alone is stupid.” Jared knew Luke hadn’t wanted an answer, he was well aware that it was more of a frustrated and scared noise than the actual word. But he answered anyway, it was all he could do. He didn’t know the full extent of the trouble, he knew the minimum at best. But the nymph wasn’t scared of something bad happening, not to himself at least. He was worried for his friend over everything else.

Jared didn’t turn to look. Instead he watched Luke. The slightest shift of terror and Jared wasn’t above doing something completely drastic. His ears were sensitive, to mirror the increased hearing range of some of his charges, so he heard the click of the ignition, and the jeers of men as they passed by. But still Jared did not take his eyes off Lucas. Not even to identify the terroriser for who he was.

The shift perhaps should have been shocking or even terrifying to watch. But the nymph was practically born to take all manners of terrifying things in his stride. Instead of recoiling like another might, Jared reached out and drew Luke in. He turned the wolf, and tried to catch his eye. “Inside. Please?” He requested of the other. “We have to figure out what to do.”

Inside. That one word barely made it through him, as the truck drove away, the scent of exhaust lingering. He was wound up, like a coil or a spring, and there was a feral second where he was considering thrashing Jared through the window without a care and chase after them. But Lucas realized quickly that this situation would have been different if it had been set up how Gotch wanted. The hunter didn’t know him and Jared were friends again, that he wasn’t as alone as in the past.

“Fuck-- dammit,” he quickly darted down the steps and out of the street, knowing it was early but still transforming on the fucking street. His mind was racing, and he wanted to break something. “Dammit!” he resisted destroying his clean shop, and instead dropped down into a squat and gripped his head tightly. Trying to calm down.

The nymph stood, calm in the face of the danger he was being presented as Luke decided whether to take the instruction or do something a little bit more drastic. Jared waited, just like he waited when he’d gained yet another distrusting creature on his farm. You treat them with respect, with the patience they need. But you don’t bend to their will. If Luke wanted to go, he could. But when he did, he’d recognize that it was against logic, and it was directly against Jared.

The blond sucked in a sharp breath when Lucas hurried inside. He took a moment to himself to finally glance back in the direction the truck had driven, before following inside with a more shaky step than before. The nymph walked to Luke and mirrored his position close to the ground and knocked their knees together. The effect this whole situation was having on Luke was incredibly heartbreaking to watch. So Jared steeled himself. “So, how do we rid the world of a coward like Gotch?”

Lucas glanced up. “We kill him.”

#x: jared #x: glance over

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jabbers-written-world · 5 years ago

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Jabber’s Writings

Blossoms of the Heart

All right, ladies and gents and nonbinary friends! As it stands, I am currently beginning work on a novel series called Blossoms of the Heart. I don’t know how many books will be in the series. I don’t know how many of you will be interested. I don’t even know how this series will end! But guess what. That’s where you guys come in.

Blossoms of the Heart is planned to be a series of novels surrounding the female lead. Princess Alyria of Belanor. She is nineteen years old, and her father King Aldric has sent her to live at the secluded family estate, far away from the castle. Now, you may be wondering why he would send his daughter away. Is there a threat? Did she anger him in some way? Perhaps he’s ashamed of her behavior? None of these, my friends. The plot here is something far more interesting and exciting.

King Aldric has sent Princess Alyria to live in the family estate, alongside fifty young men all vying for her hand in marriage. Yes, that’s right. King Aldric has sent his daughter to live with her suitors, for as long as it takes for her to finally choose a husband. Now, this may seem like unfair treatment, to leave his daughter alone with fifty young men all competing for her. It even seems like it could be dangerous. So many possibilities for what may happen if these gentlemen are left unchecked, with only the princess.

Well, that’s just it. Alyria has insisted to her father that she would rather marry for love, than just for politics or because she’s told to do so. So, he is letting her make her own choices, and get to know these young men on her own, so that she may possibly fall in love with one of them, and finally take a husband. To protect their family line, and so that he no longer has to worry about what will happen to their kingdom when he is no longer there.

Oh, and don’t worry. She isn’t left alone with just her suitors. She has all of her most trusted attendants and staff right alongside her as well. All of these individuals are present for her protection, her support, and to ensure she is well taken care of while she is away from the castle. All of them as well, are people her father trusts most with his daughter’s well-being. And they are as follows:

Harrison, her direct attendant and confidant, as of the last seven years. He is elusive, and hardly shows his true feelings, but he is the most capable individual of all the staff present. In a test years ago to earn a place attending to royalty, as is Belanorian custom, there was no one who could compete with this man.

Devon, her favorite cook who has a mysterious way of knowing all that goes on around him, despite rarely leaving the kitchens. He’s a riddle, inside a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery and bound in an enigma. He tends to keep to himself and not cause much trouble, but there are others who seem to want to cause trouble with him.

Elias, the groundskeeper she adores dearly and who manages the horses, though for some unknown reason he doesn’t dare enter the estate unless absolutely necessary, and it could be due to what seems like a secret feud between him and Harrison.

Haru, the secondary captain of her father’s guard who she has known since they both were children, and who so often is like an older brother to her, especially in the way he teases her and even perhaps bullies her a little.

Crosjando, the weaponsmaster who has taught her self-defense and genuinely cares for her safety, and who also manages the excess energy of the suitors by keeping them busy in the training yard.

Gintoki, the king’s advisor who has been lent to Alyria in case she may need his input on these matters (don’t worry, he has another he can rely on back at the castle), and while he may be a bit of grump, he is calmed by his cat and does genuinely care about the princess despite his gruff attitude. Though, he too may have a bit of a feud, and his is less than secret.

Rowain, the king’s most loyal soldier who has also been lent to Alyria for her time at the estate. He is bound by an oath of honor and a life debt to serve King Aldric in whatever his wishes may be, and he is genuinely loyal to the man, and to Alyria. He is her greatest asset alongside Harrison and Gintoki.

Vasha, the djinn that was once given to King Aldric as a gift but instead bonded to Alyria and so now follows her everywhere. He’s mischievous and clever, and more than a little prideful, but truth be told, what djinn isn’t? He doesn’t always obey Alyria, and instead prefers to tease her, but she trusts him with everything. More so than anyone else.

And of course, Alyria has a few maids and housekeeping staff around the estate as well. Which is of course beneficial, since her male attendant Harrison cannot accompany her for certain tasks regarding her privacy. It would be far too indecent to have a man assisting the young lady in bathing or changing her clothes. And that is why the female staff are present for such things. Still, they all report to Harrison, as he is head of staff.

Now, that brings us to the suitors. Fifty young men of all sizes and species, and varying ages, and they are all vying for Alyria’s attention. Some are more polite than others, some are crude, some are lords in their own right, others are of the more common people. The king left it all up to Alyria to decide, and so did not discriminate based on class or species, especially considering that Alyria herself is half-fae. That being said, let us discuss these young men. They are as follows:

Adam, the quiet and loner-ish half-Minotaur from Kalein. He is 21 years of age, and due to his Minotaurian heritage, he has been largely discriminated against. Even King Aldric was hesitant to allow him as a suitor, but gave in with only one condition. If Adam could defeat the strongest castle guards in fair combat, then he would be requested to protect Alyria and stay by her side even if he doesn’t win her affections. Adam agreed, and defeated the guards with barely any harm done. Only minor scrapes, and nothing at all that painful. He treated the men with kindness in battle, and intentionally did not hurt them. He only subdued them, and so has been allowed as one of Alyria’s suitors.

Aden, the charitable half-elf from Kalein. 19 years of age, he is genuinely kind-hearted if perhaps just a little reckless at times. But what he lacks in impulse control, he makes up for in generosity and.. perhaps a little too much honesty. It may be a benefit that he’s as straightforward and direct as he is, even when admitting to his feelings, or it may be off-putting and drag him down instead. Aside from that though, Aden is always willing to lend a hand, to anyone who needs it.

Aladi, the enthusiastic Ha’adani tailor with stories to tell. Also 19 years of age, Aladi has an abundance of energy and good cheer, even if there is a hidden darkness behind it. He has his secrets that he’s hiding behind that smile, and it isn’t just that he used to be a thief. Still, he’s kind and always there to help cheer someone up. The problem is that he has fast hands and a fast tongue. So, by the time Alyria or anyone else may have caught up with the conversation, he’s already taken measurements and mentally chosen fabrics.

Alekai, the younger of a pair of half-demon brothers from Tesak. 19 years of age, Alekai can be considered the more mild-mannered and sweet-natured of the two brothers. He’s often the one apologizing for his brother Eivan’s temper, and is more adaptable and not quite so stubborn. Still, he blames himself for the injuries his older brother sustained on his behalf, and if he could turn back time and fix it all, he would. He loves his brother, but he worries that the elder of the two hates him and blames him for all that happened.

Archer, the gluttonous demon monkey from Belanor. Like quite a few of Alyria’s suitors, he is 19 years of age and full of life. He’s stubborn and a bit of a hot-head, and honestly, he thinks more with his stomach than with his head. He’s an honest sort, even if he is a little slow on the uptake from time to time. He loves to eat, and will happily do so all day, but don’t think he can’t defend himself. Oh, and don’t ask why he’s a monkey without a tail, he doesn’t like to talk about that particular incident.

Arten, the chivalrous knight of the Belanorian guard. 23 years of age, and one of the older suitors at the estate, Arten has actually known Alyria, or Lia as he calls her, for a good portion of her life. Orphaned at a young age when his parents were killed by undead, Arten trained to become stronger and specifically, to fight the undead. When he was sixteen, he offered his services to King Aldric, who.. at first didn’t take him seriously. But when a roaming skeleton attacked the king while out on a hunt, and the creature was quickly dispatched by Arten, King Aldric gave the young man a high honor, and of course made him a member of the guard.

Avis, the ever-praised phoenix of Ha’adan. 21 years of age, and raised as a god. Avis knows he isn’t truly a god, but all he has ever known was growing up in a shrine in Ha’adan, and told he was their god. He has no knowledge of where he really came from, but he knows he isn’t of Ha’adani heritage. Recently, he left the shrine to venture out on a sort of pilgrimage to hopefully find answers, though he is a bit shy when meeting new people. However, while roaming Belanor, he took one look at Aurelia and was infatuated.

Balthazar, the gentleman dragon of Belanor’s seaside. 19 years of age, Balthazar comes from a long line of dragon chieftains, but he was separated at a young age from his clan and instead found himself washed up on the shore of an abandoned shipyard. He has tried over the years to find his clan again, only to learn in recent years that they had all been slaughtered. So he is the last in his line, and it is up to him to carry on their heritage. Upon discovering he was the only one left, Balthazar at first attempted to throw himself into the sea in a fit of despair, but he was rescued by an avian Beast named Marius. The two have been friends ever since, though Marius may deny it. Still, Balthazar knows. They are definitely friends.

Bartleby, the feral but friendly Beast of Belanor. 21 years of age, Bartleby used to be a pirate plundering ships on the high seas. It was a good life for him, but it wasn’t meant to last. A wild storm, coupled by an attack from a serpentine sea beast, and Bartleby washed up near-dead on the shores near the shipyard that had by then become a permanent home to Balthazar and Marius. And with Balthazar’s soft spot for broken things and people, the bear-like Beast was nursed back to health. But no sooner had he recovered and gotten back on his feet, when he was abruptly arrested and thrown in prison for his crimes against the Belanor Empire. He was set for the gallows, soon to be hanged until dead, when Balthazar once again came to his rescue. To this day, he still doesn’t know how the dragon pulled it off, but now he is utterly devoted and loyal, and where Balthazar goes, Bartleby goes.

Blaine, the not-so-angelic angel from Oslana. 18 years of age, and with a bad attitude for the record books. Blaine is far from being the most angelic of angels, and his black wings have nothing to do with it. For one thing, he actually can’t fly. His wings were badly broken when he was a child, and never quite healed the same. But the fisherman who raised him has always done his best. However, now that there’s a dire shortage in Oslana, Blaine has reluctantly come to Belanor to ask for aid. Though, he has yet to actually ask for it. Instead, he set himself as one of Alyria’s suitors, perhaps to gain her assistance first before discussing the problem with her father.

Caine, the blinded serpentine blacksmith of Ha’adani heritage. 20 years of age, Caine has only live in Belanor for the last five years. Before that, he spent much of his life in slavery in the deserts of Ha’adan. He was born to a slave mother, and so has never known freedom until he escaped while in transit to a new master. Surviving on his own has always been difficult, after he was blinded at the age of two, but for a naga at the size he is now, it’s gotten even harder. Still, he made his way to Belanor, and found work for himself as a blacksmith. But when he heard of the call for suitors, well.. he figured why not give it a try.

Cale, the young lord from Oslana. 19 years of age, Cale does his best to be a kind and forgiving person, but he does have a bit of a stubborn streak. So while he is always willing to help out, he may have his own opinions about how things should be done. And he will stick to them. Now, of course his father sent him to court the princess of Belanor, simply for the money and political power that could be gained from the union. Cale, however, has his own reasons for courting Princess Alyria, and his are genuine and honest, and only for the sake of love.

Dantalion, a demonic prince of Belanor with a darkened past. 22 years of age, Dantalion is polite and charismatic, but his life hasn’t really been quite as charmed as a prince’s should be. But of course, demonic politics are those of a separate realm, and so may not always be acknowledged by those living across the veil. Summoned by a warlock and bound to the man, forced to call him ‘master’, Dantalion has been wretchedly abused for years. Only recently was he finally able to escape, and he ran straight to the king, setting himself as a suitor to the princess, citing his own nobility as the prince he truly is, and if all goes well, the warlock who he is still bound to will be dealt with, and he can truly be free again.

Dezimir, a flirtatious Pennari from Roveska. 19 years of age, and very confident in himself. Not many know what a Pennari is, as they are only found in Roveska and some small islands off the coast of Kalein. They are unusual to say the least, and could even be mistaken for elves. Except.. for the tail. And the fact that they tend to be a little broader and even more lanky than elves. The species runs to tallness, and has one very particular trait that is genetic to the breed. Addiction. But not quite in the way anyone might think. Pennari are often more likely to be addicted to an activity, rather than substance. And Dezimir is no exception. His addiction is somewhat more lewd than he probably should ever admit in front of the king, but at least it boosts his confidence. And his flirtatious charisma. But everyone should be careful if he is forced to go too long without tending to that addiction.. Because he can, and will, turn dangerously feral and could cause serious harm, only by pure instinct and a genetic code in his very existence.

Eivan, the elder brother of the pair from Tesak. 21 years of age, Eivan is stubborn and has a very short temper. Also, it probably doesn’t help that he’s actually shorter than his younger brother. And the fact they’re both half-demons certainly doesn’t do him any favors either. Still, he would do everything in his power to protect his brother from any harm that may come to him. And the proof is in the prosthetic arm and leg he has, from an incident in which he defended his brother from being attacked by a monstrous beast. And now, in recent years, he and Alekai have been forced to flee their home, and they settled in Belanor, trying to start their lives over again. And now, hearing the call for suitors, they’ve realized there may be something they can do, for all those like them.

Elliot, the Doomwood mage of Belanor. Everyone knows Doomwood Forest is a place of nightmares, but the people who live there either had no choice, or they settled there to protect the rest of the kingdom. To keep the monsters at bay in the forest and prevent them from spreading across the rest of the kingdom. Elliot is one of those people. Training as a mage, he does what he can to keep the spectres and ghasts and undead, and all manner of monsters from leaving Doomwood. But he’s still training, only 18 years of age, and all he could do for now was to cast a barrier spell over his hometown, hoping that it’ll defend them, and keeping the monsters interested long enough that he can get help, and better training in the capital city. However, his plan was somewhat derailed as he developed a crush on the princess, and so now is among her suitors trying to win her affections.

Ferrin, the half-fae swordsman of Oslana. 19 years of age, Ferrin is not quite all he seems to be. At the surface, he is stubborn, blunt, and confident, even occasionally a bit too confident. But he does know when to back down and when to shut his mouth. He’s not the idiot he occasionally pretends to be, and he is loyal to those who earn it. He appears as a wandering swordsman, roaming the land with no ties to anyone. But that is far from his real story. Truth be told, Ferrin is actually a prince among Fae, but being that he was only half-blood, he was deemed unfit to ever inherit the throne, and was cast out, his memory of his heritage erased. He feels drawn to Princess Alyria, though, like she might have the answers to fill in the blanks he can’t remember.

Ferris, the boisterous Kaleini pirate of the high seas. 20 years of age, and already captain. Ferris started out as a cabin boy, and worked his way up the ranks faster than anyone had ever seen. And when the previous captain was lost to a sea monster attack, the crew was left without a leader. And they chose Ferris. Even men older than him who may have deserved the position in their own right, chose the wild and adventurous young man to lead them to glory. Which worked out for the better, seeing as he lost a leg in that same attack, now living with a prosthetic in its place. He’s been captain for four years now, and now he’s suitor to the princess, alongside two other members of his crew.

Garrick, the second-sighted scaredy-cat from Doomwood Forest. 20 years of age, Garrick has a gentle and kind heart and he’s even perhaps protective of those who need him to be, but he’s also so easily frightened that he may even burst into tears if he’s scared badly enough. Like Elliot and Arten, Garrick comes from Doomwood Forest, born in one of the two known towns in the woods. But he wasn’t born like the others. They can see the physical monsters, and perhaps they know of the rest. But Garrick can see it all. Spectres, ghasts, spirits and all other creatures otherwise unseen. As a young child, he watched his family get carried off by spectres and dragged deep into the woods, never to be heard from again, except for the occasional lingering screams. He has recently come to King Aldric for help, but was distracted as he found himself infatuated with the princess, and just seeing her made him forget his fear, if only for a while.

Geilver, the second son of a Belanorian lord. He was not the one who was intended to be suitor to the princess. His elder brother was the one their father would rather have sent, but as the elder of the two happened to be away on an overseas journey, Geilver was instead the one sent to court Princess Alyria. He is 21 years of age, and is actually rather overconfident, even perhaps to the point of mild narcissism. And he likes to talk, especially about himself. Still, underneath all of that bravado, is an uncertain young man who is deeply loyal to his brother and would like to see him home safely. His father sent him as a suitor for the politics of the affair, but Geilver just isn’t interested in that side of it.

Ifari, the mysterious fae of Ha’adan. His age is a mystery, and really all that is known is his species and his gender. Very few have even seen more than his eyes, his face usually covered by a cloth mask. He is actually the advisor to Prince Rukh, and followed him to this whole affair if only to keep the poor-tempered prince in check. But.. now he too has made his own decision to court the princess. And no one knows what reason he may have for it.

Karval, the foul-mouthed troll from Teris. 16 years of age and the youngest of all the suitors, Karval fled his home country and didn’t stop running until he collapsed in Belanor. His breed of troll is unique only to Teris, and they are hunted for sport, like they are no more than animals. Karval lost his parents to hunters at a young age, and was forced to survive on his own, dodging all manner of dangerous people and animals. He has had a few close calls though, and even he feels it’s a miracle he’s even alive today. Nursed back to health by a kind Belanorian duchess, she has more or less adopted him as her unofficial son, so to speak, and it was she who sent him to court the princess, telling him that if he can gain influence with the royal family, he may be able to use it to change the way things are for his people.

Kin, the devilishly clever kitsune mercenary from Koshima. 21 years of age, Kin is a mercenary who was hired by a lord in Belanor to guard his home and possessions. However, the lord thought little of him, and refused to pay Kin what the job was truly worth, instead only offering the barest of bare minimums. Offended by the man’s rudeness, a state no one should ever want a kitsune to be, Kin simply left the man to fend for himself, instead roaming the kingdom looking for work that would actually pay. When he heard of the call for suitors to the princess, he joined among them. For even if he isn’t chosen, he may still offer his services to protect the royal family.

Lowell, Belanor’s free-spirited bookkeeper. 19 years of age, and.. only technically a bookkeeper. Truthfully, he’s the old man’s apprentice, and he’s easily distracted from his real work. It’s that that led him to become a suitor to the princess, believing in his own charms to help win her over. However, his teacher almost didn’t allow him to do so, reminding him that their work was far more important. But, after some persuasion, they came to an agreement. If Lowell does not succeed in this endeavor, then he will return to his duties with renewed diligence and will never stray again.

Lyric, the patient and watchful nymph from Umai. 18 years of age, Lyric is a lotus nymph who grew up in the lotus ponds and the shade of their trees, in a monks’ temple in Umai. While he isn’t actually a monk, he enjoys their companionship and finds comfort in following their teachings, and joining them in meditation and prayer. They are his family, and he is their beloved lotus child. It was they who sent him on his worldly journey when he was of age, as all monks must do, and that was how he discovered the princess and her father’s call for suitors. But he has to be careful. As a nymph, he can’t venture too far from his source without risking his life, and so to travel, he carries a piece of home with him. A lotus seed, tucked carefully in his pocket. But he may die if that seed gets lost, so he needs to watch his possessions wisely.

Marius, the wild and aggressive avian Beast of Belanor’s shores. 21 years of age, Marius has a foul temper and an even fouler attitude. He’s not fond of most people, and usually minds his own business, acting as lookout around the shipyard and guarding Balthazar from harm. Together, the two of them fixed up the yard and made it livable, even perhaps functional as a proper cargo dock too. Except Marius’ attitude does tend to scare away potential customers. However, he has his reasons for being aggressive, though he won’t speak about it to anyone.

He was once a brawler in the arenas, enslaved in the underbelly of Belanor’s darker districts. He was forced to fight for his life, and was the reigning champion for quite a while before he was finally defeated, and tossed to the streets, left to die from his wounds. However, he was found by an old man called Magnus, who returned him back to proper health, and taught him how to work in the shipyard. But when Magnus was killed in an attack from raiders, the loss shattered Marius. He became foul-tempered and bitter, and he returned to the arenas with a renewed vengeance. But he wasn’t a slave this time. He was free to come and go. And he did leave after a while, only to return to the shipyard on a whim, and that is when he saw Balthazar, and made his own private oath to always protect him no matter what. So now he’s followed him all the way to become a suitor to the princess. Go figure.

Mikhael, Oslana’s feline farm boy. 22 years of age, Mikhael is generally friendly, though he can occasionally come across as rather forceful and aggressive, being rather loud on occasion and bearing a pretty bad temper. Sometimes that temper causes him to storm off in a fit of rage, especially if he has repeatedly failed at a task. He can be kind, however, and also has a great sense of humor. Which, actually helps considering his start in the world. Abandoned as an infant one stormy night, he spent the entire night in the rain, shivering and hungry, only to be found the next morning by a farmer and his wife. They quickly adopted the young feline Beast, and raised him as if he were their own. Now he’s a grown adult, and he does well in keeping pests out of the barn, and works hard to help his father tending the fields. But.. Well, he isn’t entirely sure how he ended up as a suitor to the princess of Belanor, but that isn’t to say he entirely minds.

Montague, the cursed son of a Belanorian lord. 17 years of age, Montague was probably not his father’s first choice to send as suitor to the princess. But, similar to Geilver’s situation, his older brother was not available as an option. So, the lord sent his unfortunately cursed son. Montague was cursed as a young child, after he managed to offend a witch living in the woods. Now, when he gets too excited or angry, or is incapacited and weak, Montague transforms into a river otter, and he has no control over doing so. Only time will tell how this will work out. But at least he’s a friendly sort.

Nathan, the feline member of Kalein’s pirate crew. 20 years of age, clever and quick on his feet, Nathan is never short of something to say, and he certainly puts on a show of confidence. Of course.. That confidence is mostly fake. He has been on the pirate ship he calls home since he was two years old, and has actually never set foot on land. This is uncharted territory now, and he has no idea what he’s doing. He just followed his captain, and may or may not have taken interest in the princess himself as well. But.. hopefully at least Ferris knows what he’s doing.

Niklaus, Roveska’s best kept secret. His age is a mystery at this point, even to him. But he is more than certainly a gentleman, polite and mostly keeping to himself, except to restlessly roam the halls at night. However, to those he does encounter in the night, and in the moments around dawn and dusk, he is charming and dignified. He became Princess Alyria’s choice of his own accord, and perhaps simply out of curiosity, but truth be told.. He hasn’t done this sort of thing in 200 years. Niklaus is a vampire, and one of the oldest still existing in Roveska. After a storm of raids on vampire castles, the slaughter of many by overconfident vampire hunters, Niklaus and a few others are now kept secret under the protection of the Roveski government. But.. Niklaus apparently no longer wants to stay in hiding.

Nora, the dragon bookworm from Teris. 18 years of age, and with quite a story to tell, Nora is one of only a few on the outside now that is privy to one of Teris’ darker secrets. While things may seem rather pleasant on the surface, at least if you aren’t a Terisian troll, underneath all that charm and political majesty, there are prison camps in Teris, where the Crowned Prince or.. someone who may simply look eerily like him, has been throwing all those who he disagrees with or simply dislikes. Until a few months ago, Nora was trapped in one of those camps, until he and three others managed to escape. The rest have gone into hiding, but Nora is looking for help. Setting himself as suitor to Belanor’s princess, this may be the most strategic opportunity to gain aid from Belanor.

Orson, the wild and untamed bear warrior of Belanor’s forests. 22 years of age, and barely more than a feral animal, Orson comes across unfortunately rather aggressive, pushing and generally being a rather physical individual, he is actually rather sweet and loving, but.. Well, he comes by it honestly. He was abandoned in the woods as an infant and expected to be eaten. However, instead of devouring the human child, a mother bear who had recently had her own cubs simply adopted him and raised him like her own. So Orson was raised in the woods by a bear, and as such is the case, he’s unfortunately rather disconnected with civilized society and is easily confused. No one is sure how he got the approval of the king, but having recently ventured into town, Orson has become suitor to the princess, largely due to an interest in learning human courtship, and curiosity about her as well.

Pallum, the winged loudmouth of Kalein’s plundering pirates. 18 years of age, Pallum generally comes across as a very angry bird. He has a quick temper, and he’s very loud and aggressive when he’s upset, but he can be calmed as easily as he’s angered. This little harpy has a lot to compensate for though, considering he’s a runt. As such is the case, many adult harpies in his clan tried to simply kill him, seeing him as useless because he was so small. However, Pallum survived every attempt on his life, until he was simply exiled instead. And that was how he made himself at home in the crow’s nest of a pirate ship, and quickly earned his place as the barrelman. And now that his captain and another member of the crew decided to court the princess of Belanor, that’s what he’s going to do too.

Pteryn, the littlest angel in Belanor. 17 years of age, and largely considered a runt among angels, he’s determined to prove all those who doubt him wrong. He’s stubborn, and a little bit naive, but he has a kind heart and is always willing to help. He is just as trained in combat as any other angel his age, even if they might have tried to stop him from training at all. And now he has pledged his life to King Aldric, in addition to becoming a suitor to the princess. All to prove himself just as strong as any other.

Rai, Oslana’s wandering warrior of the demon sword. He is 19 years of age, and he was human once.. But he has since become a demon of rage and hate. He comes across as cold and unfeeling at first, but he is actually surprisingly agreeable, and even friendly. Perhaps a little forceful with his friendliness, but it is only because most of his emotions have been suppressed by his sword. He gets easily frustrated, or angered. Most of what he can feel is anger in some form or another. Still, he is usually understanding if what aggravated him was an accident. But beware if he is intentionally crossed, for he will be on a very dangerous warpath.

He has been an orphan as long as he can remember, alongside his younger sister, and together the two of them struggled to survive on the streets. At least, until they were called before the Prime Minister. They hoped that perhaps they would be saved, and something would be done for the starving children in the streets. But they should not have hoped at all. His sister died only a few weeks later, and Rai barely made it out with his life, only to find his way to an old and long-forgotten battlefield.. Where he found the Azel Sword. He took hold of the weapon, and his life was forever changed as he was twisted and warped into something no longer human. He is out for blood now, vengeance for all wrongs that had been done to him. And yet.. Maybe Princess Alyria can soften this tormented soul.

Reiss, Kalein’s most stubborn half-fae. If anyone of these suitors could really be considered a wild child, it’s this 17-year-old. He comes across as rude and even inconsiderate, but truth be told, he doesn’t actually know much of human culture, as much as his family may have tried to teach him. He was orphaned at a young age, and was instead raised by the mountain trolls near Roswater. They tried their best to teach how humans live, and even about fae. But there wasn’t much they really knew either, so it was difficult for him to learn. Instead, he lives as the trolls do, hunting and foraging alongside them, even joining in the occasional playful wrestling match.

Recently though, he has set out from home to venture into the world and learn what he can. Or.. rather what he has interest in, which unfortunately isn’t much that would actually help him in the societies outside his home. But, due to a growing interest in Princess Alyria, perhaps there is some hope for him yet.

Rukh, the winged prince of Ha’adan. While his age is unknown, he has lived much of his life praised and practically worshipped. He is a very rare being himself, named for exactly what he is. A rukh. It is due to his existence being seen as a blessing, that he has known nothing but praise, and so he has turned out rather spoiled, and rude. No one has ever told him ‘no’, and so he has a bit of a foul temper whenever someone tries. Only one person has ever been able to get away with it, and that is his advisor, Ifari. And now, at the suggestion of Ifari, Rukh has left his home in order to learn more of the world, and in doing so, he has insistently set himself as one of Princess Alyria’s suitors.

Sadir, the silent warrior of the Ha’adani deserts. There isn’t much known about Sadir, not even his age. All that is known is that he is a half-demon, and he is a rather reclusive and elusive individual, even with all his curiosity. He typically keeps to himself and very rarely speaks, even when spoken to. He often comes across as somewhat gloomy or melancholy, but if asked, he won’t say much more than that those who come near him will only get hurt. Still, for whatever reason that is known only to him, he has come to play suitor to the princess.

Sindar, the charming Ha’adani sailor of the high seas. 23 years of age, and practically swimming in his own charisma, Sindar is the type of individual many young men dream they could be. He is a man of courage, of charm, and of independence. A free spirit living his life upon the seas, a new adventure has been brought to his attention, by a very particular tailor in the bazaars of Ha’adan. Now, he is a suitor to the princess and ready to sail those uncharted waters.

Sun, Umai’s most mischievous monkey. 19 years of age and ready to face the world, Sun is an energetic young monkey Beast with what he considers a great sense of humor, even if others may disagree. However, beneath his carefree attitude and his penchant for mischief is an anxious and stressed young monkey who would do anything to keep those he cares about safe. Though.. that may be on the more difficult side.

Sun was one of eight children and his life started out happy. Until their town was raided and he and his family were sold into slavery. He put up with years of abuse before he was given a chance to escape. He broke loose, but turned back to save his family too. However, his mother shooed him away, telling him to just run and not to worry about them. If one of them was free, that was all that mattered. So he ran. He ran as far as he could, only stopping to rest when he couldn’t bring himself to go any further. He became a brawler in a few underground arenas to train himself so that he may one day save his family. Now, he’s become a suitor to Princess Alyria, with the hope that she and her father may give him the help he needs.

Taeval, the last of Kalein’s oldest breed of dragons. 20 years of age, and the last of his kind, no one is quite sure where Taeval came from. He is a gentle soul, however, calm and respectful. He is always there to support those who need him, traveling only to learn what he needs to and to help where he is needed, before disappearing again to return somewhere else. However, now something has drawn him to become a suitor to Belanor’s princess, and no one is exactly sure what that might be.

Takhal, the prideful and spoiled Oracle from Ha’adan. 18 years of age, and somewhat of a spoiled brat, Takhal has been praised from his early years and onward, which has led him to be rather arrogant and even childish. He boasts about his accomplishments, and how powerful of an Oracle he is. But.. little does he know, he was kidnapped in infancy as part of a far greater plot. And underneath his bravado as well, is a scared and lonely child. But he saw Princess Alyria in a vision, and now has come to understand why.

Titian, a fierce Norland warrior with a dangerous curse. 21 years of age, and he is already as foul-tempered and bitter as an old man with too many bad memories. But there is a reason for the aggressive way he behaves. Titian is under a curse, and so is possessed by a spirit of anger, turning him into a Berseker. The only emotion he is allowed to feel much of is anger, and so he comes across fairly aggressive and rude.

But the truth is that he’s looking for someone. The man who raised him in place of the parents who bore him. After an attack on their hometown, by soldiers who claimed to be from Belanor, the only father Titian has ever known has disappeared. So now he has come to Belanor, both to seek out his father, and to get vengeance for the attack on his home.

Toris, the sweetheart of Oslana with a dark secret. 21 years of age, and generally rather shy and gentle, Toris seems utterly harmless, and for the most part he is. Except for one tiny detail. He has in fact killed a man. But of course, as with all good murder mysteries, there is more to the story. Toris was a slave for many years, shuffled from one lord to another and to another, and he had even just simply grown used to it. Or at least.. he thought he had. As his last master was dealing out punishment yet again, something inside Toris snapped, and he murdered the man in a fit of rage. Now he has fled to Belanor, and perhaps the princess can find a way to help him.

Vince, Princess Alyria’s oldest friend. 19 years of age, and another one who comes across somewhat aggressive, the truth is that Vince is lonely, and he has a lot of trouble expressing it. But it’s no wonder he is the way he is. His birth was an accident, and his aristocrat mother immediately decided she wanted nothing to do with the half-troll monstrosity she had given birth to. She ordered her servants to get rid of the infant, and they would have.. if they hadn’t fallen in love with him themselves. Still, they knew they couldn’t keep him, and so took him into the forest, giving him to a troll woman who was out foraging for berries.

She gladly took him and raised him as her own in the troll village that was her home. But, despite all the love she offered him, Vince knew he didn’t fit in there. He remained lonely and misplaced, even venturing to the edge of the forest to look upon the estate that belonged to the woman who had given birth to him. Several times when doing so, however, the woman caught sight of him and sent her hounds to chase him off, not even knowing that he was her son.

At some point while he was young, Vince happened to encounter Princess Alyria and her father, and the two have been friends ever since, ultimately growing up with each other. And now that he’s heard King Aldric calling for suitors for Alyria, Vince is determined to win the heart of the only one who ever made him feel like he truly belonged.

Warren, the changeling child that replaced a Belanorian lord’s son. 19 years of age, and a bit pushy and snappish, Warren is a tough nut to crack on occasion. He comes across as rude and self-centered, and is generally fairly difficult to get along with most of the time. But the truth is that he is deeply insecure and very sensitive to insults. While he was raised as the son of a Belanorian lord, the truth is that the real son of the lord was stolen as an infant, and replaced with the changeling child that is Warren.

However, Warren genuinely believes he is the lord’s son. He knows nothing about changelings, and the lord as well is unaware of what Warren is. As such is the case, when Warren’s form shifts even a little, it makes him panic and he believes it’s some strange disease that flares up from time to time. So, he mostly tries to ignore it, and now, of course, he has been sent to court the princess for the sake of politics.

Yukito, the lone warrior from Koshima. He is 21 years of age, and he generally comes across fairly moody and lonerish, even perhaps a little cold and unfriendly. But underneath it, he does actually genuinely care about others and would give his life to protect everyone around him. He is diligent and hard-working, and very loyal despite his grumpy attitude. Whatever drew him to court the princess of Belanor, though, is something only he knows.

Yuri, the Belanorian noble that grew up on the streets. 18 years of age, and fairly confident in himself and even a bit flirtatious, but.. could that be just a front he puts up? Nah, couldn’t be. Or.. could it? Yes, it is. The youngest in a family of ten kids, Yuri was mostly ignored as a child, and so developed a bit of a habit of showing off just for the attention. However, when he was about ten years old, his home was raided and his family scattered. He has no idea where any of them are now, and since then, he grew up mostly on the streets, learning to cheat, gamble, and steal to survive.

He’s been arrested several times for his thefts, somehow managing to talk his way out of most of his possible punishments. Still, he’s stolen a few too many things by now, and was set for execution. Except.. he was recently pardoned by the king, who saw that the young man still had some good in him, and had hope he could be rehabilitated. Now, Yuri has set himself as a suitor to the princess, hoping maybe she’s that rehabilitation the king wants from him.

Zoroaster, the mercenary from Teris. 20 years of age and highly trained with a sword, Zoroaster spent most of his life at sea. He hardly knew his own parents, and was instead raised by a crew of naval warriors from Norland. However, his ship was recently sunk by pirates, killing most of the men on board, and so he has lived ashore in Oslana for the past year. Training himself further in swordsmanship, he is now nearly unrivaled with a blade, and he has come to Belanor now, as suitor to the princess, and to offer his services in her protection.

Zuri, the naive Beast of Ha’adan. 21 years of age, and a member of a rare clan of Beasts known as Bengalit, Zuri is.. Well, he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, to put it lightly. He’s easily trusting of most people, despite what his best friend Sindar may tell him. He can of course defend himself if things turn out wrong, but he likes to look for the good in everyone, really. He trusts Sindar with his life as well, and will follow him to the ends of the earth, which.. is of course how he became a suitor to Princess Alyria as well.

#;; the word of a beast (jabber writes)#writing #romance #novel discussion #critique welcome #be prepared for the longest post ive ever written in my life #and i know who to blame #this took me twelve hours to write #and after that long of writing #you start to hate things about it #don't follow my example kids #just don't #you'll never want to write again

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kee-writestrashh · 6 years ago

Text

Soot & Healing Salve

Charlie Weasley x Reader

ao3

words: 2120

summary: anon request- I was the anon aking if you write for Harry Potter. Do you think you could do something with Charlie or Bill? They don’t get enough recognition

author’s note: okay, but whoever you are, i want to kiss you. I love, love, LOVE the Weasley family and had so much fun with this! enjoy!

It was the opportunity of a lifetime. How could you have said no? It was like everything in your life had led up to this moment. Not many mediwizards got this chance, and especially not American mediwizards. But here you were, about to start your first day on the job as a mediwizard in Dragon territory Romania.

This is what you were made for. Growing up in Boston to a muggle father and witch mother. Your father was a captain of the Boston FD and your mother was a healer in a private Bostonian wizarding hospital. Your life was full of emergency services. You wanted to be like your father, a fireman. Upholding the family tradition of firefighting. But then your Ilvermorny letter arrived, as your mother knew it would, and your only focus was to be the wizarding equivalent to a paramedic, a mediwizard.

Working under pressure came easy for you. Almost as easy as preparing potions while people in pain were screaming at you. You had an uncanny ability to prepare doses and make immediate diagnoses at the drop of a hat. Fresh in the field you gained attention from the higher ups and long time veterans of the field. And your heart was bursting when your commander told you he had put your name in for a job opening as a mediwizard in Romania. But getting the owl to tell you that you had been selected almost made your heart stop. How could you be so lucky?

And now you stood near the medical tent, going through routine wand check and a basic rundown of your skills. You took the shiny badge from your new commander and pinned it proudly on your uniform. A warmth glowing inside of you that surely shone through your eyes.

“Aye, everything seems to be in order. Your partner will escort you to your first station and get you settled in. Welcome aboard, (Y/N).” The commander said, giving you a wan smile.

You fixed your uniform robes and walked out of the tent, eyes scanning the vast land before you. You couldn’t wait to take some pictures to send back home. You were just making mental note of what you would take pictures of first when a voice came from behind you.

You turned at the voice and noticed a redhaired young man roughly your age. He was covered in black soot, which made his smile dazzling against the sun. “You’re (Y/N) then? I’m Charlie. Your partner asked if I would come show you the way. He’s a bit tied up at the moment helping one of the other dragon wranglers who got in a spot of trouble.”

You eyed Charlie up and down and raised a brow, “A spot of trouble, huh?”

Charlie gave a broad smile and a shrug, “The job gets boring sometimes, and well, you can’t just turn down a dare. Word of the wise, pepper makes a dragon sneeze just as well as a person.”

You gave a small laugh, “No wonder you lot are in need of more mediwizards.”

Charlie gave another innocent shrug and pointed his thumb over his shoulder, “If you’ll follow me then.”

You fit right in with the crowd you worked with. There was really never a moments peace. Sometimes lunch and healing salve went almost hand in hand. Dragon wranglers were wild, and that’s all there was to it. They seemed to have no sense of self preservation. ‘Live in the moment’, Charlie would tell you every time you tended to his burns. You almost came to the conclusion that he was stained in dragon fire soot.

“You smell like a house fire.” You said, tending to the seventeenth burn on Charlie in two weeks.

You were beat. Working around the clock. There were shifts, but even in your few hours off, it wasn’t enough to actually rest. The mediwizard force was really outnumbered and overworked. However, the job was so high stress, not many could make the cut. And now you understood why. You were running on dragon fumes. Quite literally. The constant brimstone smell made your head a bit light from time to time.

“Uh, (Y/N)...” Charlie said, wincing in pain and jerking his arm away from you. “That’s peanut butter.”

“Peanut butter...” You mumbled, dipping the butter knife back into the peanut butter jar. Then the weight of the words hit you and you snapped awake, “Peanut butter!”

You looked down, and sure enough, you had slathered peanut butter on Charlie’s burn, but only after you had made a healing salve and jelly sandwich for lunch. You gave a frustrated sigh and shook your head. “So sorry, Charlie.” You said, pulling your wand from your robe and giving it a small wave.

Charlie reached in his pocket and held out a flask, “You could do with a pick me up.”

You looked from flask to Charlie and raised your brow as you often did with him. He was a trouble maker. He gave a crooked grin and shook the flask at you.

“Go on. A shot of firewhiskey will do you some good.” He urged.

You took the flask and a small swig. the heat in your throat waking you at once. You gave a small cough, feeling like you could breathe fire as well as any of the dragons in the field. A small shake of your head, handing the flask back.

“Is it always this busy?” You asked, hearing a dragon roar, shouting, and feeling the heat of the dragon fire, even if it was a ways off. You moved the peanut butter away and pulled the salve toward you.

Charlie gave a huff, “Not usually. It’s breeding season. And there are more males than there are females that are ready to breed. It’s a nightmare out there. Males will try to eat everything in sight that even moves. Thinks it will try and make a move on his lady. Watched one rip a tree from the ground and chew it up into splinters because the wind made the branches move too much.”

You applied the ointment and tutted. “Males.”

Charlie laughed, a small sigh of relief leaving him as you applied more of the ointment. “Your salve is the best. It soothes immediately and takes the burn out.”

You gave a small shrug, “Spearmint and lavender.”

“When do you get off?” He asked, catching you off guard.

Your voice seemed to stick and you stared stupidly at Charlie.

“Next crew should be in in about three hours.” Adam, your partner, spoke up as he walked into the tent to set up the cauldron and start another batch of Draught of Peace.

“Well then, how about an actual lunch?” Charlie said looking from Adam back to you.

“What?” You said stupidly.

“She’d be delighted.” Adam answered for you, prodding the bottom of the cauldron with his wand to light the fire underneath.

“I’ll see you in three, then.” Charlie said brightly, leaving your table and slipping out of the tent.

“You’re kinda slow on the uptake aren’t you?” Adam chuckled, ducking under your table to grab the potions kit.

“I am not!” You said defensively, feeling your cheeks warm.

“He’s been hinting for like two weeks.” Adam continued casually, taking out a set of brass scales and giving his wand complicated little waves.

“Tuh.” You hissed in indignation, pulling out your patient report, and pausing slightly when you wrote down Charlie Weasley. Had you really been so obvious at becoming dumbfounded about being asked out? Though, you couldn’t remember the last time you had even made time for a date, or even an event out with friends. You were always too busy with school work you’d say. You’d always take extra shifts.

You shook your head at yourself, consulting your watch to guesstimate the time in which Charlie had walked into the tent for medical attention. “I’m headed to the station.” You said, gathering up your items to move from tent to the station, fifty meters away. Adam simply grunted, biting his tongue as he carefully added potion ingredients to the cauldron.

“Well look at that.” You said, throwing your quill down and standing from your seat three hours later as the next crew came in. “I actually got all my reports done today.”

Adam looked over your shoulder, “And in legible writing even. Go you.”

“Oh hush. My writing is so much better than yours.” you quipped, placing the thick stack of papers in a file folder. “Good luck guys! See you in thirty six!” You tittered, waving at the new crew as you hung up your uniform robe to leave. Alice gave a dismissive wave and her partner Chris gave you a rather rude hand gesture. he looked as tired as you felt. You giggled, stepping back outside of the building, waiting on Adam.

“Chris seems real enthused today doesn’t he?” You said, falling into step with your partner until you reached the apparating point on the edge of the field.

“Commander denied him vacation until breeding season is over because we are so short handed.” Adam said with a small yawn. “I’m sure Charlie will be here momentarily. I’m headed to take a loooooong nap.”

“Enjoy! See you tomorrow-ish.” You said with a small smile, giving Adam a small wave as he turned on his heel and disappeared with a faint ‘pop!’.

“Hey! (Y/N)!” Charlie called loudly, waving at you. You turned and smiled at him. “So, late lunch. Early dinner. Whatever it is. I owe you for the great care you’ve given.”

“Hows your arm?” You asked.

Charlie held up his arm, there was a very large, shiny scar forming.

You frowned at the scar, “I should have been quicker.” You said, taking his arm and running a finger along the pink skin.

“I think it adds a bit of flavor.” Charlie chuckled. “There’s a pub in the nearest little town. They make amazing sandwiches. Their beer selection is pretty great too. What do you say?”

“Lead the way.” You beamed, taking him in. He was soot free for once. You weren’t even sure that was possible. He smelled nice too. Not like brimstone or healing salve.

He was right. So very right. This tiny pub was exactly what you needed. You felt like some starved animal as you ate two sandwiches and... how many glasses of beer was it now?

Charlie told you all about his time at Hogwarts and his love for magical creatures. He pressed you endlessly for information on Ilvermorny. He then continued the conversation by talking about his family. Very large family. his four youngest siblings still at Hogwarts. His youngest brother being best friends with Harry Potter, and how a couple years ago they had written to him asking if he would pick up an illegal dragon from the school.

“She’s a real beauty. We call her Norberta. As beautiful as a Norwegian Ridgeback as there ever was. I’ll have to introduce you sometime.” He said fondly before telling you about his older brother Bill, who was in Egypt breaking curses for Gringotts.

You told him about your family, and how your father was a muggle. This made Charlie laugh and tell you all about how fascinated his father was with muggles, and plug and batteries. That made you laugh loudly.

“You know, they’re working out all the kinks... but they’re going to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament. Going to be hosted at Hogwarts. They want us to supply some dragons for one of the three tasks. I’ve been put on that detail. We’ll need a couple Mediwizards on hand, to make sure nothing too horrible happens. You and Adam should put in. I’d love to show you Hogwarts.”

You gave a small grin, elbows on the edge of the table as you held another pint in your fingertips. You took a sip and gave your lips a small smack. “It almost sounds as if you plan on getting hurt.” You quirked your brow again. “I was going through my reports. You have some pretty novice mistakes going on for a top dragon wrangler...”

“Would you believe me if I said that maybe the dragons and I have an agreement that they only slightly maim me so that I can see you? I wasn’t lying when I said your healing salve is the best.”

“Oh, so you only like me for my medicines?” You asked in a mock scandalized tone.

“That, and your soft hands.” Charlie said giving a shrug as he often did when he was called out on something.

“No shame in you is there? You are very charming, Charlie Weasley.”

#kee_writestrashh #charlie weasley x reader #charlie weasley #AO3 fanfic #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #the weasleys #the weasley family #dragons #harry potter imagine #wizarding world #mediwizard #fluff #hp #hp fic #charlie weasley imagine #pre triwizard tournament #charlie in Romania

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richincolor · 7 years ago

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Group Discussion: Love, Hate & Other Filters

A searing #OwnVoices coming-of-age debut in which an Indian-American Muslim teen confronts Islamophobia and a reality she can neither explain nor escape–perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Jacqueline Woodson, and Adam Silvera.

American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school, a boy who’s finally falling into her orbit at school.

There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.

Review copy: ARC via publisher

Welcome to the Rich in Color discussion of Love, Hate & Other Filters. **Beware, there are some spoilers ahead.**

Crystal: There are so many reasons for me to love this book. Maya’s voice had me from the very beginning with the words, “Destiny sucks.” Her wry humor had me smiling so many times. Her passion for creating movies is also awesome.

Jessica: Seriously, what an opening line. Maya’s voice definitely grabs you from the get-go. I didn’t think of this until you brought it up, but the way Maya’s passion for filmmaking provides yet another lens for her life is fascinating. I’m looking at the cover (what a great cover), and what the title means is finally registering. I know, I’m a little slow on the uptake. Maya see her life through the filters of love, hate, and the narrative bent of filmmaking. And, on a meta level, the reader sees Maya’s life through her romance, the Islamophobia that harms her, and the snapshot moments of other people’s lives leading up to the terror attack and its aftermath. It really paints a complete picture.

Audrey: I agree, I really enjoyed Maya’s voice and the frequent camera/filmmaking references. Her little asides about how things would go if this were x sort of movie were fun. I really enjoy reading about characters who have passions that seep into many corners of their lives, and Maya’s habit of filming things was a great way to establish her character (and plot-relevant). Sometimes the best way to get to know a person is to dive deep into the things they geek out about, and Maya’s passion for filmmaking was a great way to get to know her.

Karimah: I liked Maya’s voice as well and agree with you Audrey that her “teen movie” asides were great. It gave us a great insight into who she is and how she sees the world, and I truly connected with her. I giggled a couple of times at some of her comments and loved that she had a great sense of who she truly at such a young age.

Crystal: Maya is facing several challenges because of family expectations. Her dreams do not exactly match up with their dreams for her. The love in the family is easy to see, but that doesn’t mean there is smooth sailing. In some ways it makes it even more difficult. It’s hard to go against the wishes of people who love you and want the best for you. I adored Maya’s aunt. If we all had a Hina in our lives, what a wonderful world it would be.

Jessica: I think what really grabbed my heart early on is Maya’s introduction of Hina, where she says that despite being so different, Hina and Maya’s mother are actually best friends. This really set the tone for me of how much love Maya had in her family. Her parents may have had very specific ideas and goals for Maya, but you knew that in the end, they would come to accept what made Maya happy — just like how Hina and Maya’s mother are best friends.

And of course, on the surface, Maya’s parents seem unreasonably strict, and Maya struggles against those restrictions. But when her parents shut down and rule out Maya’s dreams, not out of a desire to control her, but a desire to keep her safe in the aftermath of a terrible event, you can again tell that they do it out of love, even if they aren’t necessarily right. I think anyone – especially anyone from an immigrant background – can recognize that parental instinct, those warnings to keep your head down, do the safe thing, don’t stand out, stay safe. That really hit home for me.

Audrey: As an adult, when I’m reading YA, I often find myself torn between the parents and the teens. On the one hand, I totally get why Maya’s parents have those expectations for her and why they’re so upset when she springs her own desires on them; on the other hand, I sympathize with Maya wanting to forge a life outside of those expectations. Hina was a great character, not only because she often took Maya’s side, but because she established a model for Maya to follow. Hina is living proof that Maya can build a life that suits her while–someday–forging a more equal relationship with her parents.

I really empathized with Maya’s parents’ fears after the terrorist attack and how immediate the backlash was for their family. They remembered the Islamophbic outbursts of violence after the September 11, 2001, attacks, so of course their first instincts were to protect their daughter. While I wish they would have listened to Maya more, I can’t entirely fault them for their reaction.

Audrey: Were there any other characters you particularly liked besides Maya? I was very fond of Violet. She was close to everything I want my YA heroines to have in a best friend. She didn’t have as much screen time as I’d hoped, but I appreciate her support for Maya and how she cheered her on all the time.

Crystal: I totally loved Hina. Like Audrey said earlier, Hina proved that it was possible to carve out a life that fits your own dreams. She knew what she wanted and worked on maintaining relationships in spite of the hurdles.

Karimah: I liked Violet as well. I’m glad that she knew how to best support Maya in her budding relationship with Phil and was completely supportive of her after the terrorist attack. She was a great best friend for Maya and I love that she was written in such a manner. I also liked Phil as he was much deeper than the typical romantic lead. Usually the romantic lead is this idealized version the “popular hot guy” but he was actually the total opposite. I mean, the way Maya described him he seem attractive, but he had a secret himself and had the same family tension as Maya. He was also so sweet to Maya and supportive of her as well.

Crystal: The format of the book is a little unusual. Maya’s story is sequential, but it is interrupted with brief moments from another perspective. These interstitials (a new word for me) definitely add mystery and suspense. Some of them are also very unsettling. What did you think of this choice in the storytelling?

Jessica: At first, I was a little on the fence about it, because I knew where the story was going. I didn’t know how I felt about portraying someone about to commit a terrible crime. It was haunting and beautifully written, and definitely added a layer of suspense. It was, ahem, a great filter for the book. At the same time, I still am not sure how I feel about the portrayal of the terrorist in the aftermath (spoilers ahead, stop reading if you haven’t finished the book) — I guess, I’m always a little leery of narratives that show an abused child becoming a criminal when all too often, people who commit hate crimes are the privileged and angry, not the people who are most vulnerable in society. The terrorist had a mix of privilege and resentment, along with a terrible upbringing, so it’s certainly not a black-and-white narrative that I’d condemn. But it does unsettle me.

Anyway, that’s my long-winded way of saying, I think it added a lot to the book, while also shaking up my preconceptions about a lot of things.

Karimah: Since my WIP has interstitials (didn’t know that is what they were called) has them, I really enjoyed them. I felt like it gave us an insight into the terrorist’s mind as he leads up to the act. I like how they allowed us to connect to different people who were affected by the act as well. It brought the terror of the act, aside from how Maya’s family is affected, to life. However, like Jessica, I was a bit annoyed by the narrative of the abused child becoming a criminal. I felt like it was an “easy out” for the terrorist instead of being real with that he just had hate in his heart and a desire to cause destruction. I get it was trying to humanize him, but with so many terrorists of his ilk called “lone wolf” and humanized when Black and Brown victims of police are demonized, it hurt.

Audrey: The interstitials felt very cinematic for me. Maya’s the main character of this movie, if you will, so the camera mostly sticks with her, but the interstitials were brief cuts to the danger that had been building unbeknownst to her. That ramped up the tension for us as a viewer/reader, and then afterwards we got to see the truth unfold on the periphery while we stayed with Maya (because her story was the emotional center of the story). I think it was a fitting narrative device for this book.

But like you said, I was really disappointed that the abused child backstory showed up. Maybe I’m just bitter and angry and frustrated (hi, all of last year), but I’m entirely uninterested in any story trying to mitigate angry white men’s hateful actions, especially when we saw how much Maya and her family were hurt because of it.

Crystal: One last note about the romances. I had to smile with her first love interest. The actions were fairly innocent, but the descriptions were still quite sensual. The second romance was filled many roadblocks, but was a unique set of circumstances. It was complex and I also appreciated the ending that seemed very realistic. (Trying not to spoil too much here, but it’s not a fairy tale.)

Audrey: I thought it was great that Maya had two love interests and how both of those stories came to different conclusions. It was nice to see how messy feelings could get and how Maya tried to navigate both romantic options. (As a side bonus, I really liked the fact that the guys didn’t know about each other, so we didn’t have to endure any jealous posturing.) I’m really happy we got to see Maya exploring her feelings and sorting out what her heart really wanted.

Karimah: I really, really loved both romances because they were just so real and I feel that Maya handled both of them so well. She was honest with herself and her feelings and rightfully made the right call with her first romance and I loved the slow burn that was the second. It was refreshing that all of them were honest with each other and were able to talk through their issues. It’s so healthy and teens need to see what healthy relationships can look like. And I like that the end was more about Maya being in love with herself, standing up for herself, instead of a “happily ever after” with a significant other (sorry for the spoiler).

If you’ve already read Love, Hate & Other Filters, we’d love to hear your thoughts! If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, we recommend you get it soon.

#samira ahmed #love hate & other filters #long post

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