#after I drew her she decided to follow me and bless her for that :'D

[mitamicah]

I may not have the Joker Out boy or Käärijä and crew notice of my art* but Jere's tattoo artist is now faving quite a few of my stories so I guess that's something x'D

(sorry for being annoying :'D)

*that often - I see you häärijä and Mikke from october-november, Jan from janaury and Nace from last month x'D

[ellievickstar]

A Court of Little Shadows (Chapter 3) 

Warnings: None just Ember being unnaturally scary for a teenager and scaring the living crap out of the high lords

Previous chapter: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

The two weeks that the inner circle was around flew by fast which consisted of meeting upon meetings upon meetings of discussing about the meeting Roth the high lords. Despite the fuming sentries, we all decided that it may be beneficial for us to attend. We would be introduced as under The Night Court, in a way I would be their lady, not High Lady. The sentries despised the idea but y understood that in terms of safety this was important. 

I had only a few hours until after, Mathew had helped me braid my hair, cauldron bless him, and I kicked him out after to change into my chosen dress, simple, not a ball gown but one that reminded me that I was still a child, still only thirteen years old. It was modest and it was a shade of dark navy blue. 

Her dress because I am lazy as frick :D

I had selected my closest sentries to follow me, except Marcus, he drew the short stick and had to stay. He looked as if he was about to kill Renee considering the fact that she gave out the sticks since she was going to stay home anyways. 

“I know that look,” Mathew muttered as we exited the wards and glamours if the court, “You’re anxious, you don’t know what’s next,” I glanced at him as I just sighed. Not an answer, not a proper one at that but the message was clear, I just needed time. 

With the help of the winged sentries, we managed to fly pretty well. Mathew flew on his own, Noah carried me. Grey and Elliot was going to shadow walk to the palace to check for others, they would warn us if there was danger. 

By the time we got there Night, Day, Dawn, Winter, Autumn and Summer had arrived. I only vaguely remembered what happened to the Spring Court and the Night Court besides some questionable alliances with High Born on the Spring Court’s end, since I hadn’t paid attention during that meeting. 

“Who are you,” One of the Autumn Court Lords demanded. Elliot and Grey who were in the corners between the shadows stiffened and casually reached for their weapons. 

“My name is Emberly Black, High Lady of the Shadow Court,” I tried to be as poised and as gracefully as I could but I could not help myself and fidgeted with the hem of my dress. “The Shadow Court is a myth and even if it were real it would belong to the Night Court,” The Lord hissed, he looked to be one of the oldest so I assumed that he was Eris. 

“The Night Court has signed agreements that the Shadow Court is their own to rule, they fend for themselves and they have a small territory, they do not belong to the Night Court and The Night Court was sworn to secrecy until they wished otherwise,” Rhysand quickly explained. He must be desperate to be so polite. “And how old is she?” The High Lord of the Winter Court, Kallias stared at me, his eyes narrowed, a soldier assessing it’s new opponent, most of the courts did.

“I honestly have no clue why you have to ask him when I’m standing right here, I am 13 years old and my mother died when I was a child, I can rule my court just fine and yes I can peer into your minds like the Night Court, it is honestly so easy and for you to be centuries older then me you need practice,” I rambled, annoyed that they would try and speak of me like I am not there. That was when the High Lord’s stilled. The whole room stilled as the Hight Lord of the Summer Court asked, “And how old were you when she died,” “Five, I saw her die at the hands of a High Lord, or at least my spies did,” I answered simply. 

All the High Lord’s glanced at the Autumn Court, the Night Court and the at me again. I just shrugged before creating a chair out of thin air and sat down. Well not exactly thin air, I used my powers to make one out of shadow. They gawked at me like some creature. Mathew growled at all of them, he knew what does stares meant, they glanced at Mathew, then Noah, the rest of the shadow warriors and then to all the shadows at every nook and cranny. “

“Oh don’t worry I don’t need spies for meetings I’m in but I am going to advice you that no matter what you do I’ll always be able to know because you cannot go somewhere where there is no shadow,” One of the peregryn guards swore softly as everyone was silent, I tilted my head slightly and smiled, a chill flooded the room. No, I was not a monster to feat, but if I wanted respect, I needed them to fear me, regardless what they believed. 

“So,” the Thesan, High Lord of the Day Court, Elliot had schooled me before we came here, “Why do you need this meeting Rhysand?” 

Rhysand cleared his throat, “Surely the invading armies landing on our shores explain enough.”

“So you called all of us and her,” Helion, High Lord of the Dawn Court, challenged, a pointed glance at me, “to do what exactly? Raise a unified army,” I ignored the exclusivity and the clear passive aggression.

“Among other things,” Rhysand said mildly, “We—,”

Then the whole world stop as as fast as lightning, Tamlin, The High Lord of the Spring Court, ally of Hybern, I last heard, winnowed into the chamber itself.

tag list: @moonfawnx @bankerfrog @younxii @hideing @flightlesslittlebirdie

A/N: Do you love Ember as much as I do? And please give me your opinion on her and Mathew, cause best friends to lovers is aMAZing also I just realised that it’s peregryns not pagans. Please ignore my humble mistake. I really want to add more drama :D

Next part is out now!

[jumbojamba47]

I Love You

Pt. 2 of Guest Room

A/N: Thank you for loving my little ball of garbage enough to warrant a second part. I’m feeling warm and fuzzy. Also... I kinda.. sorta.. really got carried away with this. I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. Shout out to my irl friends who had to deal with my gleefully rubbing my grubby little paws together all day. 

A/N PT. 2: TUMBLR QUIT BEING A BITCH AND JUST LET ME UPLOAD MY STORY IN PEACE PLEASE I’M BEGGING YOU. The last try uploaded to my main and my stomach dropped out of my ass lmao. Fifth and hopefully final time. (I’m so sorry for the notifications spam for everyone I tagged)

PAIRINGS: Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Stucky 

Warnings: 18+, Angst (like so much I’m sorry), Smut, Swearing, Mentions of Alcohol Consumption

Word Count: 5702

Hollow. It’s the only way she can describe the feeling of deep-seated emptiness that settles in her as she watches the quinjet disappear in the distance. What’s that noise? She casts her eyes around her surroundings when she suddenly feels a dampness on her collarbone. Reaching up a hand, she feels moisture on her face.

Oh.

The sounds were coming from her. At the realization of her sobs, pain wracked her frame with nowhere to go.

What was she thinking?

She wasn’t.

When she left Clint in a hurry, she hadn’t even paused to consider what she would say to you if she caught you. What did she feel for you? What could she have told you? Her life conditioned her to believe love was for children. She wasn’t one.

And yet…

She couldn’t deny that there was something about you that always drew her in to you. Every hidden interaction with you pulled onto all five of her senses demanding her full attention until there was only you in front of her; drawn straight into your orbit like a moon of Saturn. Each and every private encounter made it more difficult for the hardened assassin to pull herself away from you only to act unaffected by your presence in public.

Was that love?

It doesn’t matter.

You were sunlight. You were the warm embrace of home calling out to every damaged member of this family seeking acceptance for their past sins and a place to belong.

And she?

Well, she was damaged beyond repair.

She refused to be the one to tarnish your light. And she knew, if she gave in to her weaknesses, you could never really shine. You meant too much to the team. To her. A part of her could also admit to fear. Fear of what would happen if she hurt you.

If you hurt her.

She could live with never knowing what it felt like to call you hers. To hear you whisper her name in the early morning light your sweet features the first things she lays eyes on in your shared haven.

But she knew. She’d never recover if she could have you and lose you. If she were to tear her walls down, only for you to look inside and decide it wasn’t worth it.

That she wasn’t worth it.

With a steely resolve in her eyes, Natasha turned on her heels and began to make her way back towards the gym. She had a few weeks to get her head screwed on straight. She’ll lock away and bury anything she might have felt for you if given the chance. When you’re back, she’ll apologize for the hurt she’s caused you and maybe, just maybe, you’ll let her stay a part of your life.

If, along the way, she refuses to let her mind wander to thoughts of you with someone else, well, that’s her prerogative.

xxxx

You sit in heavy silence on the quinjet. Thoughts of last night’s interactions with the red-headed assassin plaguing your mind. You still feel a pang of pain when you remember her rejection. With a mental shake of your head, you resolve to table your emotions for now to focus on the mission at hand.

You’ve been tasked with leading a team to infiltrate an underground drug trafficking ring disguised as a bi-monthly art auction. Once you arrive at your destination, you’ll be allotted two months of integration and data retrieval before another team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents will be sent in to assist in the take down. You’re leading the team with Scarlet Witch and Falcon following your lead. Agent Hill was chosen to tag along strictly for backup and onsite supervision should the worst come to pass.

Sam and Maria sit up front; you can hear the sounds of quiet banter trickling back towards you while they try to respect your privacy, believing you to be mentally preparing yourself for the road up ahead. Wanda sits opposite you. Your emotions scream at her from across the jet, but she has the decency not to read your actual thoughts.

Still, she can’t help the concerned glances she sends your way.

Noticing her attention on you, you shift your body to turn towards her.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“I could ask you the same. Where did you disappear to last night? I tried to find you after you were pulled away by Natasha, but I couldn’t find you.”

You let out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry. My heads been a mess lately. I didn’t mean to leave you on the dance floor like that. It was a rough night.”

A hand rises to nervously play with the hair on the back of your neck. You look to the floor.

“I also owe you a bit of an apology for how carried away I got last night. You’re amazing Wan, and I don’t want to lead you on in any way.”

She lets out a light laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, draga mea. We were just two friends who had a little too much to drink, having a little fun. No hard feelings whatsoever.”

You wince and she instantly knows that was the wrong thing to say.

“You know, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener. Pietro used to say it’s because I had big ears when we were children.”

She reaches out a hand across the aisle to let it rest on your knee. After an internal debate, you decide to divulge everything to her. From your first interactions with the assassin and your instant connection to the fallout from last night.

Listening patiently, Wanda’s eyes widen slightly when you mention what the events that occurred in the ex-soviet’s room.

By the end, Wanda is livid with righteous indignation on your behalf.

“Well, she’s a fool for letting you go.” She squeezes your leg.

“I can’t claim to understand what’s going through her head, but you have to know her feelings aren’t a reflection on your worth. You are the glue that holds this team together and we all love you. Natasha, she…” she pauses, “she’s been through much. More than any of us will ever know. Her experiences have closed her off. But you’re both strong. Maybe you’re not meant to be, but I know you can bounce back from this. We have a few weeks before we’re due back and, in that time, I guarantee you we can get your spirit back up and bouncing like usual.”

“Damn right, we can!” You hear Sam interrupt from the front of the plane.

You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and let out a light laugh.

Yeah, things weren’t okay.

But maybe they will be.

xxxx

The mission goes off without a hitch and it does wonders for your confidence. As soon as you landed at the safehouse, you and your team had set to work securing the perimeter and preparing for your upcoming roles in the undercover mission. Sam moved first, infiltrating the ranks of the dealers as he uncovered the hierarchy of the operation and fed maria intel to pass on to headquarters. You and Wanda were posed as a wealthy young couple from new money, tasked with getting close to the heads of the drug ring in order to gain access to the final auction where you ultimately took down the entire operation with the aid of several agents.

Despite the smooth execution, you all still found yourselves with extra downtime between stakeouts and it led to the four of you growing closer. One of your favorite pastimes became group binge-watches of The Fairly Odd Parents and Wanda had taken to calling you Cosmo, the husband of her cartoon namesake.

           “ETA: 5 minutes,” called out Hill.

From your seat, you could see the compound looming over the horizon. You take in a nervous breath and release.

Next to you, Wanda can feel your apprehensive tension and takes a moment to give your hand a firm squeeze.

“You’re okay, Cosmo. Remember our talks. You have strength. You know your worth. You’ll be fine.”

You send her a grateful smile and a nod. Your fingers squeeze her back briefly before you move to stand by the doors of the ramp as you hear the jet begin to touch down.

She’s right. During your time away, you came to terms with the fact that it’s not Natasha’s fault that she doesn’t feel the same way as you do. You know you have no control over other people’s feelings, and you owed it to the both of you to face this head on, maturely.

As soon as the jet’s ramp meets the floor of the hangar, you’re met with a wall of pure muscle that really should come with a warning label. Your feet are lifted off the ground and suddenly you’re swinging in circles. You laugh as Bucky’s long hair tickles your nose.

Wait a second.

Is that?

“James Buchanan Barnes. Put me down this instant.”

He stiffens. That’s his name. That’s who he is. He is James Buchanan Barnes. Former sergeant and integral member of the Howling Commandos. The Winter Soldier. Melted down and reforged by Hydra. He was a legend. He was a nightmare. He was feared. He was… terrified.

Christ. Hearing his full name falling out of your mouth in that tone never failed to instill the fear of God into him. Not even his ma, bless her soul, could quite measure up to the intimidating aura you exuded when he knew you were ready to tan his hide.

You stood before him, hands on your hips, feet shoulder width apart, stance strong, eyebrow peaked… and deadly.

“Did you break into my room and steal my hair mask… again?”

The others stand back, watching in amusement while he starts to sweat.

“D-doll, of course not! You explicitly told m-me your room was off limits while you were go-”

You cut him off as you step closer.

“Don’t you lie to me, Barnes,” your eyes narrow and he gulps when you push your face closer to his.

“I can smell the macadamia oil, you heathen.”

Just as you’re about to launch into a lecture about respecting other people’s belongings, you’re interrupted by the sound of Steve’s voice.

“You gotta admit, at least it’s better than smelling the greasy mop he always ends up with after training.”

Your entire demeanor lightens up as you whip around to take a running leap at your favorite Man with a Plan.

“STEVIE!”

He catches you in his arms. “Good to have you back, sugar. We missed you around here.”

You hear a soft exhale of relief come from behind you.

Tilting your head back from where you’re perched in Steve’s arms, you narrow your eyes at Bucky and make a silent gesture to indicate you’re watching him. This is far from over.

He gulps.

“Well, c’mon then, we’re all dying to hear how the mission went. The others are waiting for you in the lounge.”

You stay wrapped around your friend’s dorito shaped torso but make the effort to wriggle your way around him so you’re clinging to his back like an infant koala. He rolls his eyes but does nothing to deter you, choosing to move his arms in support of your legs instead.

“Onward, my trusty steed!” you giggle.

As one, you all make your way towards the main common area, taking the time to drop off your luggage in your respective rooms as you go. Eventually, you make your way to the lounge and as you’re carried in, F.R.I.D.A.Y. blasts the loud trumpets of a herald through her speakers.

Huh, Tony must’ve upgraded her sense of humor.

Greeting the others, you use your hands in Steve’s hair like an oversized rat with a penchant for cooking to guide him towards your favorite lounge chair. Sam and Wanda move towards the kitchen to look for the good snacks they couldn’t have undercover while everyone else gathers around the remaining lounges.

From the corner of your eye, you can see Natasha hovering off to the side near Clint but you can’t quite get yourself to make eye contact yet. You wait for everyone to settle in. Wanda approaches you with two mugs of tea in her hands offering you one with a “just the way you like it, Cosmo”. It’s punctuated with a wink and she perches herself on the arm of your seat, bringing her own around to rest across the back. Her hand finds its way to your hair playing with a few strands to keep you grounded while you purposefully train your eyes away from a certain side of the room.

Wanda really did become your rock in the weeks away. While you never repeated anything from the night of your party, you fell into an easy companionship with the young mutant that led to you each being comfortable around the other. She knew how hard your return would be for you and made it her next mission to make sure you knew you had a solid support system in place.

Seeing the close interaction between the two of you, Bucky and Steve both shoot you cheeky grins and eyebrow wiggles that have you holding up a throw pillow just under Wanda’s current line of sight. She glances down, smirks and hurls the pillow at the two men using her powers, ensuring she adds a boomerang effect to ricochet off the face of one in order to hit the other stunning both of them.

“Nice!” You give her an enthusiastic high five as she wiggles her fingers at the recovering men.

“I just learned that one on the job. I have to keep practicing for muscle memory.” She states in a faux haughty tone while you snicker at the indignation on your Brooklyn Boys’ faces.

Across the room, Natasha watches you. She knew she missed you while you were away, but nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of emotions that crashed into her when she finally laid eyes on you after weeks apart. You still had the same mischievous spark in your eyes. Your nose still crinkled just the slightest bit when you laughed. Your smile could still light up an entire room like the Fourth of July.

God, she missed you.

She watches your raucous banter with the resident super-soldiers with a fond smile teasing the corners of her lips. She takes note of the casual arm slung across your shoulders, the hand tangled in your hair, and something inside of her burns. Her jaw clenches.

She’s not yours to have.

Clint nudges her shoulder with a pointed look. She realizes she’s been emitting a soft growl. Focus Romanoff! Where is your training? She strains but ultimately fixes her posture until she’s the posterchild for casual aloofness. Her best friend snickers but chooses not to comment on the slight rigidity he can see in her shoulders.

Tony claps his hands to gain everyone’s attention.

“Alright alright, Hermione’s new parlor tricks aside, we all know why we’re really here.”

In his best imitation of Fury’s gruff voice, he growls out, “Hill. Debrief report. Judgement on (y/hero/n)’s execution?”

Rolling her eyes but playing along, “All objectives executed to perfection. Leadership skills exemplary, sir!” she tosses in a mock salute.

It’s quiet before everyone breaks into cheers and congratulate you and your team on a successful job well done. You’re beaming when you hear Sam chime in with, “You better watch out Cap. (Y/l/n) could give you a run for your money as team captain. We might be shipping you to a retirement home sooner than we thought.

Your best friend grins at you with pride and mirth shining in his eyes and you feel warm inside.

“I think we could come to a truce and work together. Co-captain sound good to you doll?”

“I don’t think so Steve. I’ll leave the captaincy to you. I don’t think I could handle dragging the metal chicken wing over there back in line every day,” you respond with a laugh, sticking your tongue out at Sam. You draw out a squawk of offense and everyone bursts into laughter.

You turn your head slightly and find yourself making direct eye contact with the very same pair of vivid green eyes that still visit you in your dreams. You swallow down the rising emotions and offer her a small smile. She looks startled at first but relaxes slightly and gives you one of her own in return.

Maybe you could do this.

You spend a few more minutes catching up with the rest of the team, learning about what everyone has been up to while you were away. Checking the time, you slowly pull away from Wanda, who still has her weight resting on you, and announce that you’re going to head to your room to wash off and settle in before you have to fill out your mission reports.

Everyone bids you goodnight and you exit the room, walking the familiar pathway towards your own residence. Your ears pick up quiet footsteps behind you causing you to turn your head slightly.

A small sharp inhale escapes your lips. Your eyes betray you with a quick scan of her nervous form standing in front of you. Her hair is a little longer and the circles under her eyes are just the slightest shade darker. She still looks just as breathtaking as the day you walked out of her room. Her presence instantly brings you peace and you curse yourself under your breath.

Mentally slapping yourself, you plaster on a casual smile.

“Hey Nat. Been a while.”

You cringe.

Really? Been a while? Really?

She steps towards you, “Hi (y/n/n),” she responds softly.

“Listen I-”

“Can we-”

You both let out a nervous chuckle.

“Sorry. Go ahead, you first,” she says.

“Listen, Nat. I owe you an apology.”

She stills. What could you possibly have to apologize for? You’re not the one who broke the heart of the love of your life just because you had commitment issues.

Stop that. She’s not your love of anything.

She opens her mouth to interrupt but you press on.

“It wasn’t fair of me to try to push you into something you clearly weren’t comfortable with. You made it clear that you didn’t love me the way I loved you. I never wanted to make you feel like I would demand anything of you. You’re more than entitled to your own feelings and it wasn’t okay for me to project what I felt onto you.”

Frozen in place, her mind could only focus on two words.

Loved? Felt?

And didn’t that sting?

She can feel her throat start to constrict but she goes along with it.

Maybe it’s for the best.

“It’s okay (y/n/n). I understand where you came from and I’m partially to blame for letting things go on for as long as they did without taking your feelings into consideration.

“Friends?”

A small, okay large, part of her brain screamed in agony that this was wrong.

Instead, she smiles and nods opening her arms.

You gingerly step into her embrace, one arm comes up holding her shoulder while the other gently cups the back of her head in a familiar hold.

Her arms come up to wrap themselves around your middle, squeezing slightly.

If either of you noticed the other inhale just a little deeper, neither of you chose to comment.

xxxx

Several weeks go by and you’ve settled back into a familiar routine. Wanda has officially been adopted into you and your boys’ infamous trio and the brunette witch could often be seen joining in on your foolish antics around the compound. At first, the three made a pact to ensure you would never be exposed to prolonged periods of alone time with the woman who damaged your tender heart. Often times, you’d catch yourself alone with the assassin only for one of the others to immediately swoop in to whisk you away and drag you into some activity before you could draw each other into a prolonged conversation

It took you a few days to catch on to what your friends were doing. While the sentiment was greatly appreciated, you couldn’t miss the slight look of hurt that crossed Natasha’s face whenever you were pulled away from her. Eventually, you had to put your foot down, taking them aside one day. You told them that you loved them and appreciated their concern. But you’re an adult and you can handle your affairs well enough on your own.

They backed off but still continued to keep a wary lookout. They couldn’t help it. You were their favorite.

Your interactions with the devastatingly gorgeous avenger were still a little stunted and you both miss the longing stares you direct towards each other on occasion. Still, you’re getting better.

It still hurts sometimes but you’re okay as long as you still have her in your life. In any capacity.

You think you’re getting better. It stills hurts but you’re okay as long as you still have her in your life.

xxxx

You’re in the gym talking to Sam one afternoon as he spots you in the weights section while Natasha and Clint are sparring on the mats.

“The team’s decided to make an appearance at a new nightclub Aluminum Alloy Man bought out on a dare tonight. You in, sugar?”

You laugh at the latest nickname he’s given Stark but shake your head no.

“Sorry Sam but I’ve got a date.”

You hear a particularly loud grunt come from Clint and turn your head slightly to see Natasha apologizing while he’s doubled over catching his breath.

“Oh? Anyone we know?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

You roll your eyes.

“With myself, you dork. I’ve been dying to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail and I finally have the downtime to sit through it. There’s a bottle of wine and a couch calling my name and I intend to capitalize.”

He laughs but nods understandingly.

“That’s fair. You good here? I better head out to get ready.”

“Yeah, yeah, you go ahead. Have fun tonight!” You wave him off wiping the sweat off the back of your neck with a damp towel.

“(Y/L/N)!” You hear your name called out from across the gym.

“Care to spar? Clint’s tapping out. He’s a wuss.”

You start to hesitate but choose to nod instead, stepping into the ring, setting your towel on the rope to dry.

You begin to circle one another assessing each other’s weaknesses. She makes the first move lashing out with a swift kick to your ankle, aiming to leave you off balance. You dodge out of the way and retaliate with a series of jabs towards her torso. This goes on for several minutes each of you landing several hits when Natasha launches herself off your bent knee, intending to use her signature thigh grip of death to bring you down.

Not today, Satan.

You bring your arms up, wedging them between your neck and her legs before she can get a grip. You latch onto her legs tightly before you swing her around your body, tackling her to the floor. You move your hand to cradle the back of her head to ensure it doesn’t smack into the ground, bringing yourself much closer to her body in the process.

You’re both panting heavily, stuck, mesmerized by the intense look in each other’s eyes. You have one leg between her thighs, knee pressed to her core, puffs of air intermingling between you.

Is she? Leaning towards you?

Oh, you definitely felt that wiggle of her hips against your knee.

You wet towel drops to the floor with a wet smack and just like that, the spell is broken.

You both scramble apart and you move to pick up the offending object.

Behind you, Natasha clears her throat sheepishly.

“So, I couldn’t help but overhear your big plans for tonight while you were talking to Wilson. Is there room for one more? I was actually planning to do the same, but I hear Monty Python is much funnier with good company.”

Everything inside of you screams that this is a terrible idea. But here’s the thing, you thrived off of terrible ideas.

“Sure, why not? We can start when everyone else heads out?”

Sure you would have declined, she brightens considerably and throws you a grin.

She starts walking backwards towards the door.

“Great! It’s a date! I mean- not a date-”

She smacks herself right into the door.

You let out a small laugh.

“I know what you meant.”

“Right. Yes. I’ll see you tonight!” She scurries out the door.

You stay standing there in the ring watching the space she just occupied.

On the other side of the door, Natasha leans heavily against the metal.

What have I gotten myself into?

xxxx

You bid goodbye to your friends and make sure to tell them to call you should they need anything. Once everyone is out the door, you turn around, inhale deeply, and set to work.

Despite everything, and your unfailing determination to not fall down the same rabbit hole, you can’t help but want to take care of Natasha in any capacity you can.

So, you take extra care to grab her favorite snacks, her go-to brand of wine, a couple glasses, and an oversized hoodie you always kept in the back of the closet, on hand just for her. She had a tendency to relax in thinner loungewear, but you knew once she settled in, she stubbornly refused to get up for anything no matter how cold she got.

As you set everything down on the coffee table in front of the oversized, plush couch in the center of the movie room, the beauty in question makes her way towards you in, surprise surprise, a thin tank top and shorts.

You roll your eyes but toss her your sweatshirt and she grins at you before hastily throwing it on, snuggling into the warmth. You both settle onto opposite sides of the couch, the wine and snacks split between you. The movie plays and you find yourselves relaxing. Like magnets, you eventually gravitate towards each other, sharing jokes and snacks, yelling at the large screen in front of you as the Black Knight stubbornly refuses to die.

Without realizing each other’s movements, she winds up leaning against you while your arm is wrapped around alternating between playing with her hair and rubbing soothing patterns across her shoulder and biceps.

You feel a shudder come from the deadly ball of fluff in your arms and only then do you realize your positions. You can’t bring yourself to move.

“Cold?”

“Yeah,” she nods. Attempting to burrow herself further into your clothes.

You pull her closer to you until her legs are resting over yours, head tucked under your chin, puffs of air tickling your sensitive neck.

Bad move (y/l/n).

You forget how to breathe. Natasha turns to look at you when she feels you still beneath her.

Oh. Oh god.

She didn’t realize how close she was to you and from this distance, she can see every detail of your ethereal beauty in the dim light of the movie lighting.

You turn your head to take a quick peak at her but suddenly you’re drowning in a sea of green. Your breath hitches when green is replaced by red and suddenly plump lips are crushing your own.

You moan and your hands scramble for purchase as the angel in your lap twists to straddle you. Fists tighten in your hair while she nips at your lower lip, close to drawing blood. She tugs at your shirt and you get the message. You desperately rip away your top while she follows suit before she pushes you onto your back spreading out on top of you.

A loud groan escapes your lips as the vixen in your arms finds the sensitive space right below your ear. Unwilling to be out done, you wrap your legs around her hips and gracefully flip yourselves over, trailing kisses down the crevice of her breasts, mapping your way down her body. Like Copernicus charting the stars. Reaching your destination, you pull apart the draw strings of her shorts with nothing but your teeth, earning a moan of approval from the writhing redhead. You smoothly slide back up her body, meeting her desperate lips in a searing kiss while your hand finds her center, already feeling the slick wetness ready for you. Natasha’s limbs fly to wrap around you as you set a steady pace pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Knowing she needs the extra push, your other hand moves to pull aside her bra before you deliver a harsh nip and a firm curl of your fingers.

She sees stars.

No.

She sees galaxies.

You continue to move, determined to prolong her pleasure for as long as possible.

You’re rewarded with the crack of her voice as she hurdles into the abyss.

“God, I fucking love you.”

It slips out of your mouth completely unbidden.

But it’s too late.

The damage can’t be undone.

Just like that, she snaps back to reality.

She hastily sits up. Your hand falls back into your lap as she quickly stands picking up her shirt.

“We can’t do this.”

“Natasha, I-”

“No.”

“Natasha, would you jus-”

“I said no!”

You feel like you’ve been here before.

She turns to make a hasty retreat, but you catch her hand in a tight grip before she can get too far.

“Why do you keep running from me? Am I so repulsive that the thought of being with me has you running for the hills?”

“Not everything is about you, (y/l/n),” she bites out.

Neither of you hear the team returning but all of them can hear the yelling coming from your direction and they run towards you.

“No. You always do this! Every time I think we’ve gotten to a good place; you freeze me out.”

“That’s the thing! We were in a good place! We were having fun. We had each other when we needed it and nothing more! We were so good like that. We can still be like that!”

Tears fill your eyes.

“It’s not enough.”

“Why can’t this be enough?!” she cries.

“This has to be enough,” she whispers looking at anything but you.

A hand moves to grip hers gently. The other rises to cup her chin to guide her eyes to yours.

“This could be so much more. Let me love you the way you deserve.”

Staring into your eyes, she can see you dying a little more inside the longer she stays silent.

She pulls away from you.

Okay.

You thought you could be fine with just floating in her orbit. Maybe you underestimated how long it would take for you to heal enough to allow it. Or maybe you couldn’t do this at all.

Your head tilts towards the floor. Your lips break into the softest, most heart-breaking smile she’s ever seen.

“I’m always going to love you Natasha Romanoff. But I owe it to the both of us to know this won’t be enough for me. This can’t be enough for me.”

A whimper is caught in her throat but she can’t bring herself to move when you step back away from her.

“I love you. I don’t want to,” you breathe out.

Natasha swears she hears something inside her shatter.

“I’m sorry I don’t give you the strength you need to pursue your own happiness. I really hope you find someone who does. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy.”

You make me happy.

Just say it!

Her body screams in protest with every fiber of her being.

“Bye Tasha.”

You turn and only then do you realize that the two of you aren’t alone.

Wanda steps forward. She wraps her arms around your shoulders as she leads you away throwing a glare at the assassin.

Natasha takes a step in your direction.

“(Y/n) wait-”

She stopped by a metal arm blocking her way.

“Haven’t you done enough?” Bucky growls.

“And what do you know about what I’ve done?” She shoves him away.

“I know you hurt them! AGAIN!” he snarls, “You need to get your shit together before I’ll even THINK about letting you come anywhere NEAR (y/n) again, Romanoff.”

Her blood boils. She scoffs, “Big surprise, their guard dog immediately snaps to attention at the first sign of trouble. Tell me Barnes, does your master feed you well?”

She regrets her outburst immediately, but she’s too angry, too frustrated, too exhauseted to take it back.

“Don’t forget who trained you, Natalia,” comes out in a menacing hiss.

Frantically, Clint’s eyes snap from her to the ex-soldier advancing on her. He immediately steps between the two, placing a hand on her arm and turning towards the larger assassin.

“Whoa now, you know she didn’t mean that. Emotions are just running high right now. Let’s all take a step back. I could use a hand, Cap.”

Despite his own roiling emotions, he needs to maintain his professionalism as team captain, releasing a heavy puff of air, he moves to place a firm hand on Bucky’s shoulder, pulling him to his side.

“Clint’s right. We can’t do anything to fix this right now. Everyone, disperse. We’ll regroup in the morning.” He sends a piercing glare at the redhead.

Hearing another growl, Clint whips his head back around, “As entertaining as it would be to make a compound wide betting pool with Tony on a wwe rumble between you and two tag-teaming super soldiers, maybe we should take a second to cool off outside, yeah” he hisses at her.

Gritting her teeth, she nods, allowing Clint to pull her down the hall and out the door.

As she catches a glimpse of the hall leading to your room, all she can think is one thing.

She let you slip through her fingers… again.

Tagging some incredible people who expressed an interest in pt. 2:

guys im so fucking sorry this keeps showing up in your mentions.

@natasha-danvers , @thelastavenger-3000 , @ohfuckno , @imnotasuperhero

[thecardsimagine]

"gods don't interactwith humans, don't you know why they stay away and keep distance? Love makes gods mortal" not in the prompt list, but can you do this with Nadia? - ty

That’s an interesting one anon! Inspired me for some Priestess!Nadia, though I needed to make some minor changes to make it fit, hope you don’t mind! :D Thanks for requesting ^-^

≿————-————-   ❈ ————-————-≾   

“H-Hello?” you called out, looking around the big hall, full of pillars and floor-length windows, coating it in the light of the afternoon sun. “Hello? Is there anyone to speak to? Please, it’s important!”

You marched on, trying not to get fascinated by all the marvelous architecture and fancy decor. Statues of old priestesses watched over the carpet rolled out to those approaching the temple’s altar, and they made you nervous with their wrinkled faces and stern looks. Vesuvia had never been a humble city, always full of beautiful flower arrangements and pretty streets, but this was on another level of beauty entirely.

It made you feel the weight of only being a regular citizen.

For you to even walk this path, allowed to meet one of the priestesses, was a blessing alone. You couldn’t ask for more, especially when you came with no offerings to make and just because you had a sorrow to deplore onto the faithful ladies of the temple.

“I am here,” you heard someone call out as you passed the last pillar before the throne. Head turning to the side, you were blinded by the sun shining through the stained glass. But through squinted eyes, you were able to see the form of another human being, setting down what seemed to be a watering can before she approached.

It wasn’t until she stood right in front of you, that you could make out her features, staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes you had ever seen. Her hair was incredibly flowy as it slipped over her shoulders, framing her face in graceful waves of it. You were caught speechless as she mustered a tiny smile, reaching around you to tenderly lead you towards the altar. “This way, please.”

From below, it was hard to see the many pillows surrounding the stone table, but they got clearer now that she brought you there. A soft push on your shoulder and you sat down, being handed a cup of tea that she drew from a pot. It was still steaming, and judging by the book on the table next to the cup and pot, she must have had prepared it for herself minutes ago.

“Thank you...” you mumbled, slowly unfreezing from the stunned state of mind you had been in. “I’m Nadia,” she introduced herself as she took place across from you, her movement more graceful than you had ever seen anyone behave. “I’m the head priestess. How can I help you...?”

“Oh!” you finally managed to snap out of the trance, embarrassed that you had been more than quiet after making such a ruckus, causing a lot of trouble for the woman in front of you. “I’m [Name], forgive me for bursting in here so late without notice, Ma’am.”

Waving her hand she threw in a calm, “Nevermind that, what is troubling you?” while also pointing to the tea in your hand. Thankful for the moment of peace it would give you, you took a sip, letting the flowery aroma of roses and vanilla spread through your body, making you sigh deeply as you set the cup down again.

“It’s my aunt... I am very worried. She hasn’t been able to eat or drink for days, always coughing with a hight fever. No doctor has a solution for it. I was hoping to find some, well, divine help?”

She chuckled at the brief hesitation in your voice, well aware that many people would frown upon such an act, as they didn’t see any purpose in it. “Very well,” she agreed, holding out her hands. You stumbled a bit over what to do before you realized she expected for you to hold out your hands in return, setting the cup down on the ground quickly to carefully put your hands in hers.

When she took a deep breath, softly squeezing the hands in hers, you noticed how soft hers were, completely different from the calloused and rough ones you were used to. It calmed you to feel the warmth shared between your palms, and you followed her example, taking a deep breath. It was a while that you two remained in silence, but you didn’t want to break it until she closed her eyes and instructed you.

“Try to form your wish in a way that the gods will be able to pick up on it easily. You don’t have to say it out loud, they’ll be heard no matter what, but you may if you’d prefer that.”

You nodded, gripping her hands back as you closed your eyes too. Perhaps she was just there as an emotional support, or maybe she was the transmitting force between you and the gods she were talking about, but if you had a chance on helping, you wanted to make sure you’d be heard.

“Please let my aunt get better. I don’t want to lose her too... she is all I have left,” you said firmly before biting your lip, feeling awkward about admitting something so personal in front of the priestess. When you caught a glimpse through your eyelashes, you saw her simply nodding, her eyes closed and expression serious. She was mouthing words that you couldn’t make out, but you decided to let her do her thing, returning to a quiet, mediative state while she worked, thinking that was the best you could do.

Only when her thumb brushed over the back of your hand did you come back from it, being greeted by a soft smile and warm gleam in her eyes. “Will it work?” you asked her in a whisper, almost ashamed to even bring up any doubts. “Only time can tell. Everything the gods do has a reason. Whether they can help your aunt or not depends on the greater plan.”

“Sorry...” you mumbled, nodding understandingly. “It’s just so hard to believe in gods when you can’t even see them. All you can do is hope they are there and listening. The signs that they are there are unrecognizable...”

If you had spoken out of your place, she didn’t mind it, shaking her head softly, her hands still holding yours reassuringly. "Gods don't interact with humans, don't you know why they stay away and keep their distance? If they tend too much to all our little needs, their holiness will vanish. Love makes gods mortal, especially the one for us human.”

“I see,” you acknowledged her words, slowly retracting your hands and placing them in your lap. “I just wish we had a way of knowing.”

When you got up, she followed you right away, leading you down the stairs again and even walking you back to the entrance. “That’s why we priestesses are here, to make them known,” Nadia explained and you hummed in thought. Before you could leave, her hand tapped your shoulder, making you face her again. “I am afraid my guidance is all I can offer, but you are always welcome to return. I sincerely hope your aunt will feel better soon, try to believe in your actions, in what you are doing, for her and your sake.”

Nadia waved after you as you walked outside again, the door closing slowly behind you. You were still skeptical about the existence of the gods, but you were lying if you said you didn’t feel a little better, having been able to get your mind off in meditation and by listening to Nadia’s words.

When your aunt finally did recover, you still had a hard time believing in the gods you had prayed to that day, but you bought flowers before going back to the temple, hoping that would thank them for their help. Even more so, you hoped that Nadia, who you met for the first time as she was watering the flowers by the windows, would like them.

There were feelings you wanted to tell someone, though this time, quietly, but maybe Nadia had been right about the reasons behind everything. Without your aunt's sickness, you’d never have approached a temple for help after all, and you would have never met her. And your blessings only grew as you walked inside the temple again, finding her at the altar, smiling at you.

[rw-deactivated]

The Girl and Her Shadow — a Blood and Ravens story

Genre: Dark fantasy

Word Count: 935

Warnings: None (let me know if I missed anything)

A/N: I decided to post more of what I'm writing after occasionally disappearing for days or so. Some of the stories may not be that good but those would not be the final versions yet :D

General writing taglist (ask to be + or - ): @euphoniouspandemonium

The girl once had a shadow, and it followed her everywhere but the darkness. But the world was bleak and gloomy, and the shadow left her in the midst of cold and hunger. The girl hated her shadow as she grew up sheltered by the dead and her tenacity to escape the desolate land. At last, she reached the end of the world where trees grow and creatures live in freedom. She blended in her new environment, rubbing her gray skin with soil as to imitate the people living in the prosperous land. Festivities were held everyday: people dance and sing, pleasuring themselves with the abundance denied from the girl's land. But the girl joined the celebration each day until it became her validation to belong. She made friends, and lived a stable life as a potter.

All the while, her shadow followed her as the darkness against all the light in the world. When the girl saw her shadow once more, she drew battled against it until darkness blanketed the sky.

She saw it in lamplights and campfires, and it made her mad with hopeless endeavors to annihilate it. The girl distinguished all the sources of light in her house, blocked her fireplace with an old door, and shattered all her lamplights to drive the shadow away from her. She lived in darkness once again but now, she didn't need her shadow anymore.

But her isolation can go no further. Her pots were disfigured from being crafted without light, her food was always cold, and blankets won't suffice enough warmth for the coming winter.

When she decided to emerge from the darkness, her shadow became detached. It followed her in alleys, and sat away from her when her friends came over. The shadow was lonely and amorphous against a corner, just watching.

But she took no notice and considered its detachment as a blessing, a way to live normally, for all the people that dwell in this bright world had no shadow to carry. None of them has ever had a shadow friend or a shadow foe. The girl had always considered it as being fortunate.

One day, a merchant took interest with the disfigured pots she made during her isolation. She failed to notice that her pots had formed into abstract figures that depicted various images from different angles. The merchant observed the sculpture to be a dancing woman, the other merchant who passed by saw waves crashing against mountains. The girl only smiled because she could see neither but a mass of clay.

She went to her workshop, shut the windows and turned off all the lights to make those sculptures again. The merchant was so enthusiastic that he commissioned the girl to make more. Since she saw no art from her creations, she continued aimlessly, letting her fingers decide what the clay would shape.

She made twenty overnight, and the merchant's fascination increased, remarking that the figures became more elaborate than the previous ones.

And so the girl created more until she became known to merchants and marketplaces.

One night as she was working, a voice spoke her name. But she did not stop from running her fingers over the wet clay for she could not see where the voice came from. It seemed as though it came from everywhere and all at once spoke to her.

“What are you?” she whispered.

The room fell silent until it responded in an orneiric voice, “I'm you.”

The girl knew at once that the shadow came back to perturb her life.

“Go away,” she threatened with seething anger. “I don't need you. I never did.”

“That's a lie.” Dreamy. Dangerous. The shadow was beside her. The girl felt it in her fingers, cold like a blade, waiting to cut her.

But instead, the girl felt the shadow within her fingers, aimlessly shaping a figure that would soon fascinate the masses.

“I never left,” it said as the pottery wheel ceased. “I never forgot.”

-

The girl knew the shadow was beside her as she laid in bed, consumed by her musings, by the things she missed and misunderstood. The shadow never left. Never forget. It was there on the gray, bleak land, invisible but present, the presence the girl had unconsciously ignored because she stopped believing. In exchange, she did nothing but damage and abandoned it for the sake of belonging into the world that wasn't made for her. She peeled away the soil from her skin, polished his gray complexion in the mirror, and began freeing herself. All along, the shadow was with her.

When she set off to sell her remaining creations, the people were astonished to see a shadow following her. In their eyes, it was filthy and grim, a mark of a sinner and his impurity.

The crowd erupted with questions but one hang suspended in the air, “What happened to you?”

“I was born like this,” replied the girl.

They journeyed back to the path they took, and found the desolate land, as bleak as the day they left it.

She discovered the power of being alone but she would not trade it for the joy of having her shadow. The girl and the shadow ruled the place, and as a greeting, the ravens cawed at them and infested the gray sky.

No sooner civilization of their own clawed from the graves, and the undead corpses of those who died in the bombing rose again. The girl and her shadow became the ruler of wastelands and catastrophes. And the civilization they rebirth rejoice and honor them to no end.

[magicalmerry]

✨🍯🌻☀️HAPPY LITHA AND MERRY MIDSOMMAR TO YOU ALL!☀️🌻🍯✨

I hope that everyone had a blessed Summer Solstice (Or Winter Solstice/Yule for my friends in the Southern Hemisphere!) I had a fairly productive sabbat, in comparison to usual, this year. I was woken up earlier than usual, but, in a way, it was kind of a blessing since I was able to spend more of the day awake enjoying the Sun’s light instead of observing my usual nocturnal schedule. I got up and poured myself a glass of orange juice and stepped out into the backyard to enjoy it while soaking in the warmth of the sun’s light, and then after some household chores, I made myself a wonderful brunch scramble of hash browns, eggs, and ham to enjoy with my coffee. 

Unfortunately, since we are still in quarantine due to the pandemic, I am trying to minimize my visits to the Outer World so I do not put  my mother’s health at risk. Typically, I like to go out and get fresh flowers for my altar, but I decided to just use what I have at home to decorate. So I poured some of my dried orange peels into one of my smaller chalices I always keep on my altar and placed eight (8) sunflower seeds to represent the Wheel of the Year and the sabbats around the base of the chalice as well as acting like rays of the sun extending from the center point of the spread, with a ninth (9th) seed underneath in the center to not only create the alchemic and planetary symbol for the Sun (☉), but to use the power of nine (9) to amplify more power into this solstice spread. 

As I stated in my Dedication posts ( I & II ), I was going to dedicate myself to the Norse Goddess Freyja after she agreed to become my matron, and I wanted to make it a special day, so I chose to wait to perform my dedication on the solstice. Freyja always radiates warmth when I think about her, and one of the cards I pulled in my first spread about her was The Sun, so I thought it fitting to wait until Midsummer. I got all dolled up with a very summery look, donned one of my favorite dresses, and put on my special amber necklace with a few orange colored rings to further represent Freyja’s warmth. 

Next, as part of my Dedication to Freyja for the solstice, I have been wanting to further decorate my wand I made. Eventually I'd like to find some nice cording to wrap around the handle and find a crystal to hang from the base, but with trying to keep my Outer World visits to a minimum, I decided to do a simple carving of the Fehu rune ( ᚠ ) above where my hand rests when holding the wand. I had considered doing the symbols for the elements, but liked the idea of the Fehu rune better to let Freyja know that my practice and magic is tied to her since magic is one of her many aspects. I will still add to my wand, and I’ll be sure to post a picture when it is complete.

Later in the afternoon, I took outside with me my cauldron, the dried remains of my flower crown from Beltane, my large citrine cabochon, and my vial of honey from my first offering to Freyja. I waited until the peak of the Sun’s light for where I live, and then took the remains of my flower crown and remembered back to Beltane and thanked it, then burned it in my cauldron. I had planned on leaving an offering for the Fae as well, but it looked like it was going to rain again, so I decided against it and I was also pressed for time to complete my rituals. 

Then came my Dedication Ritual. Again, unfortunately I was a little pressed for time, so I wasn’t able to really take my time with the ritual and had to kind of rush through it. I called out to the goddess to make myself known and adorned my shield maiden circlet. I don’t remember the exact wording, but asked her to accept me as one of her devotees and that I would, from this day forward, serve her until the need for our partnership is through. On instinct, I grabbed the vial of honey, and clutched it to my chest, then opened it, taking a small dab of the liquid gold on my finger and drew the Fehu rune on my forehead. That wasn’t something I had planned, but I just felt called to do so and it felt so right. 

After that, I brought everything back inside, and using the ashes from burning my Beltane crown, I made my first ever batch of Black Salt, or Witch’s Salt as I’ve come to hear people call it. I finally attained some activated charcoal from a friend recently (thank you!) and that was the only ingredient I had been missing to make some. So now I have some Black Salt for some added protection in spellwork and just for every day use as needed. 

I had forgotten to set out my crystals and tools before going outside to soak up the Sun, so at this point I cleared some space on my window sill and placed them to charge. A funny thing happened though when grabbing my tarot deck, and I didn’t put two and two together until the day after. My deck was the last thing I grabbed to set out to charge, and I wanted to make sure the sunlight was hitting the cards instead of just the box they live in, so I took the lid off, and with the rush of air from removing the lid, a few cards came out, but the one that flipped to face me was the High Priestess. I acknowledged it, but didn’t truly understand until the next day. I have pulled the High Priestess a few times in personal readings about my relationship with Freyja as a representation of her, and I had a revelation that that card revealing itself to me was her acknowledging my dedication. I feel very happy about this connection and as small as the acknowledgment was, I now know she has heard me. 

While waiting for everything to charge, I decided to sit at my altar because I was super inspired to create a new sigil! I had seen one recently while roaming the internet and thought to myself that I’d love to work on creating more sigils to use in my practice. I felt super inspired by the energy of the Sun and created A Sigil for Drawing in the Energy of the Sun (Drawing Down the Sun).

Since Litha fell on a Saturday this year, I also had my weekly D&D game with my friends, and to subtly continue my solstice celebration, I made a simple cocktail of Kraken Spiced Rum (spices for warmth), orange juice (fruits of the season and symbolism of the sun), with some lemon-lime soda (more citrus!). I imbibed on my drink while having a merry time with my s/o and friends, and closed out the evening by assembling the spread pictured. In retrospect, my spread seems to be largely and subconsciously reflecting the sigil I made, which I found very fascinating that it echoed what I had drawn so much without realizing it sooner. 

In my leaf dish, I have my new sigil, the rings I wore in my ritual accompanied by my smaller citrine cabochon and my honey vial. Between the dish and the chalice, which unfortunately blocks it, is my sunstone cabochon for masculine energy and representation of the Sun. Then beneath that is the chalice filled with dried orange peels and the sunflower seeds as described earlier. Then beneath leading downward is my black onyx for protection, and although known for balancing the male and female energies, was giving off a very strong male energy to me that day, followed by my large citrine cabochon for prosperity and warmth, a small flat stone I found a couple of months ago that just gives off a friendly and soothing vibe (and I also enjoyed that it added to the black/yellow/orange scheme), capped with my wand cradled upward to keep the energy in the spread. Also displayed prominently is my deck with the High Priestess facing outward proudly.

This was, as I said, probably my busiest, most involved, and productive celebration of the sabbats so far, and I’ve written a novel of a post about it. I hope that you all had a wonderful solstice whether it be summer or winter where you live, and please feel free to share with me how you celebrated! I’d love to hear about your traditions!

~Have a Magical Day~

[rosesforshego]

𝓘𝓯 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓜𝔂 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓭, 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 8: ᴍɪᴅᴅᴀʏ ꜱɴᴀᴄᴋ

August 29th, 6:30 am.

Drew paced through the vacant halls of Middleton High with a thin piece of stick paper between his fingertips. Awaiting his coworker’s arrival, he occupied his mind with what he had planned for the day ahead—experiments, meetings, and slowly working his way through the lab reports stacked upon his desk at home. But what he anticipated the most was not for the surface of his desk to bask in the light of day once more, it was for his lunch period.

Lunch was the time of day where Drew felt the tension in his shoulders melt into the air of his classroom. Savoring each bite of the sandwich he made the night prior, he could indulge in the wonders of his life that often kept the gears within his mind turning. This was the time in the school day where he truly felt peace and, though his bundle of nerves ate away at him, he felt it was time to share that peace with another.

When Drew learned that Sheila shared the same lunch period as him, he was ecstatic. Finally, a colleague that he enjoyed conversing with had the same time off as him. It was a blessing for the lonesome Drew Lipsky. All he had to do was ask her to join him and he’d be golden.

But, therein lies the problem: Drew, himself, was too chicken to ask. Instead, he fell back upon what was familiar—passing notes. . . like school children. The note between his fingers slipped further into the crevices, descending to his palm. There was the off chance that she’d reject his offer, but it was less painful for her to simply not appear than to say no straight to his pleading eyes.

He continued his journey through the windy corridors of the school, noting the excellent work he and his colleagues had done to liven up the blank walls. Colorful posters hung with pride as the teachers wished a good school year upon the students who passed the signs. It was the least they could do to comfort the in-coming freshmen.

The cluster of posters dwindled as the wall quickly approached a large set of lockers. He drew closer to the metal that would horribly clank as each door slammed shut for the day. Oh, how he despised that sound—it would ring in his ears for minutes after the clamor subsided. He never liked to be out in the halls with the students for that reason, and that reason alone. Otherwise, he didn’t mind the crowd. He easily slipped past groups of students—some of which stopped to engage in a friendly conversation with their chemistry teacher—as he made his way to his distant destination. He enjoyed the aura of familiarity the chaotic hall brought. Maybe it was the years of experience with Middleton High that made the sea of students bring a smile to his face.

He gazed at the lockers, each bleeding into the last as they sat with conformity—the only aspect about them changing was the number displayed by each lock. Quietly, his eyes trailed to locker 134. He smiled.

This locker, in particular, belonged to his niece, who he loved dearly.

Only a few days into the school year and Kim Possible had adjusted to the life of a high schooler with ease. She effortlessly was asked to join the cheer squad, she had already started to indulge in other extra-curricular activities, and she was on a one-way track to academic stardom—all while saving the world from ravenous villains who, in Drew’s opinion, should have no reason to be so involved in his niece’s life.

As sad as it was for Drew to see the light of his life mature with such intensity, he was proud of her—of the woman she was becoming.

A few lockers down the hall stood Ron’s. As Drew approached it, his elated smile settled into a faint frown. Ron, too, attempted to make the adjustment to the new lifestyle, but it seemed as if the world was out to get him. Picked on, teased, pushed through the crowd, Ron was thrown around the halls of Middleton High like a ragdoll. He was even banned from entering D Hall by a group of delinquent students who have been hunting him since preschool.

Drew shook his head at the thought. When will the pettiness end?

The burdens Ron brought with him were hard to shake from his shoulders, no matter how hard he tried.

Drew quietly brushed his fingertips against the cool metal. Within the half-hour, this particular locker would signify its life with a piercing squeak that Drew could audibly hear within his mind. Ron would haphazardly stuff his unnecessary belongings into the metal walls, along with Rufus, who loved to use Ron’s locker as his personal home, then go about his business as if he didn’t have a care in the world—ignorant to the atrocities that plagued his social life at the hands of students who thought of him as lesser.

But Drew knew.

Drew knew the deep hardships Ron faced and he understood why Ron decided to place his best-foot-forward. It stopped him from indulging in the pain.

Drew wished he was like Ron Stoppable.

A short, faint sigh escaped his parted lips as he reluctantly removed his fingers from Ron’s locker. Drew, despite himself, hoped that this day would be different—less demeaning—for both of them. But Drew knew that he could scream his soul’s most urgent wishes and the world would respond by spitting in his face.

He shook his head to rid the thought. No. He must battle his pessimistic, cynical mind—swallow the horrid thoughts before they consumed the little seedlings of hope he had left. It was all he had, and he was not going to let the world strip him, or Ron, of that luxury.

Drew continued his journey through the corridors, collecting crumpled papers and gum wrappers, filling empty garbage bins with discarded litter—the reports that should have been brought home to mothers and fathers. Along his route, he closed a few lockers that were left neglected after the shrill bell sounded off at two-thirty the day prior.

“How could they be so careless?” he muttered through gritted teeth.

The belongings, that were nearly left out in the open, begged to be stolen. But, really, what of the few contents that were left within the confines of the four walls held value? Drew knew how much those damn chemistry textbooks cost, but the students didn’t care.

He let an incoherent grumble rumble in his throat, slipping past his neutral demeanor.

All he held was a simple wish: for the week to be over.

“Two more days, Drew,” he whispered, hoping that the sound of his voice would give him the support he craved, “just two more days.”

His fingers fidgeted, sliding the note between them as he conducted his second lap through the halls. As his watch ticked dangerously close to six forty-five, Drew hovered by the grand entrance to the school in anticipation for the arrival of the woman he sought after. All he wanted was to pass the short message to her; a little meet me in my room for lunch, nothing more. He figured that their shared lunch period would be ample time to discover more about each other over some delectable, homemade sandwiches, stuffed with deli-meats—if that’s what she liked to eat.

A faint hum rumbled within his chest. Sure, she accepted his peace offering of half a ham and cheese sandwich a few days prior, but he couldn’t help but let his mind wander, conjuring the many possibilities as to what made her taste buds sing. Peanut butter and jelly? Nah, too bland. Sheila seemed to be the adventurous type—peanut butter and jelly must bore her.

Frozen dinner? Soup? Leftovers? The options that Drew naturally found himself drawn to were too ordinary for such an extraordinary woman. Though, as his mind spun with various unimportant answers to his silent question, Drew understood next-to-nothing about her personal life—a life full of rich experiences that were encased in a thick, mysterious aura that remained impenetrable by Drew’s defenses.

He pondered for a moment. Maybe he could take advantage of her vulnerability while she ate. . . whatever it was she ate for lunch. With her guard down, there would be the opportunity for his pervasive questions to slip past that aura—

“Drew?”

His head snapped in the direction of his name, carried through the silence by a sweet, supple voice.

“Sheila?”

She chuckled, her mahogany glove covered her lips to muffle its intensity, “You look lost.”

“Oh, erm—” what the hell was he supposed to say? Sorry, just speculating about your eating habits? He bit his lip. He had to lie. He could not tell her the truth. That would be embarrassing.

“I arrived early for a meeting—”

Bullshit. He nearly winced at the booming voice within his head.

“—and had some time to spare. So, I decided to take a little stroll.”

“Mmmm,” Sheila hummed, crossing his field of vision to rest upon the wall beside him, “enjoying the scenery?”

“Not particularly,” he admitted, “you would not believe the amount of garbage I’ve collected today.”

Sheila raised an eyebrow, her teeth chewing on the corners of her uncovered bottom lip, scraping dead skin, “Since when did you join the janitorial staff?”

“Give them a break,” he responded, a little quicker than Sheila had expected, “they’re overworked.”

“Aren’t we all?”

Drew’s first reaction was to verbally agree with her statement—maybe dive into a long conversation about how exhausted this week from Hell had made him, but, before he could open his mouth, his attention quietly fixated on the shimmering green of Sheila’s eyes. Once full of a youthful spark, her irises faded into a dull and diluted emerald, shadowed by the semi-dark circles that appeared under her eyelids. Upon closer inspection, Drew’s gaze followed her protruding, strong cheekbones that led to folds that rested beside the corners of her frowning mouth.

Concerned, Drew felt his thoughts resurge in a chaotic tizzy. Was she sleeping? Eating? Stressed? Day four into her new job and she started to look a little worse for wear.

His worry seized control of his heart, causing each beat to strike a nasty, piercing pain into his ribs.

Drew opened his mouth. He desperately wanted to ask if there was anything he could do to ease the distraught nerves that consumed her, but he quickly closed it before the words managed to emerge from his throat. As fascinated, nearly infatuated, as he was with the woman who stood before him, he knew next-to-nothing about her. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her away with his obsessive compassion.

Instead, he brought the note in his hand into the shared space between them.

“Speaking of, I have to get ready for class,” he said, reluctantly—his eyes downcast onto the yellow paper in his hand, “But I wanted to pass this along.”

He gently placed the note, covered in crude penmanship, on top of the books she held within her arms.

“A note—?”

“See you later.”

Without uttering another word, Drew Lipsky’s slender legs quickly carried him through the hall. He turned the corner and vanished before a dumbstruck Sheila could respond—a pleasantly unexpected note within her possession.

♥♡♥

12:20 pm.

Sheila found herself in quite the compromising position. One hand braced against the vending machine, the other forcefully inside the metal retrieval box, she looked like a crook that she had thwarted ten years prior. Though looking back on the situation, the man just needed a bite to eat—it was rather unfair for her and her brothers to throw that poor man in prison. She snickered under her breath as her arm snaked its way towards the goods that laid beneath the glass, desperately clawing at foiled bags to reach the Doritos, that she paid for. They were stuck on the top shelf.

A bite to eat. She remembered the sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the man behind bars. Henry told her it was for the good of the city—men like him commit one, simple crime, then become addicted to the life of a criminal. She believed him.

If only he could see her now.

Her starved mind (and stomach), as idiotic as it was, truly believed for a brief moment that she could reach the top shelf from the depths of the machine. She peered up at the goods displayed before her as she stretched her arm to uncomfortable lengths, not even coming close to the Doritos that clung to its metal coil for dear life.

Sheila started to believe that her brilliant plan was never going to work.

Regardless, she continued to rake her hand through whatever snacks she could grasp to bring herself closer to the prize that was rudely taken from her. She was a good citizen—refused to steal food that she didn’t pay for—so she neglected the package of fruit snacks that tauntingly brushed against her exposed arm.

A good citizen with her hand stuck in a vending machine.

A good citizen, my ass.

If she wasn’t in the Middleton High teachers’ lounge, with the possibility to be surrounded by her coworkers within mere seconds, she would’ve let the few tears of frustration slip from the pools in her eyes.

“Sheila?”

She winced.

Great. He always had to barge in when she was most vulnerable, didn’t he?

“Uhh,” Drew stuttered, forcibly grabbing whatever words swam in his mind as fast as he could to stop the silence from growing between them, “bad timing?”

She reluctantly turned to face him, her hand still deep within the machine, “Y’think?”

The crack in her voice alerted him, but he didn’t mention it out of respect for her dignity. Instead, he moved closer, closing the large gap between them as Sheila’s eyes grew wide with terror.

She tried to open her mouth, but her jaw refused to relinquish its control. So, she screamed within her mind—her perceived voice sending shockwaves of pain as it pierced her thoughts, ordering Drew to stay away, to turn around, to leave her so she could wallow in her defeat. Unfortunately, Drew, as intelligent as he was, could not read minds. He could barely pick up on obvious social cues. Sheila’s pleas were left unheard as he descended to her eye-level—her gaze caught within the deadly web of his piercing, wandering eyes, laced with confusion towards her criminal-like position. She dared not utter a word and turned back to the sight of her gloved fingers grasping at the coils of the machine, climbing the rungs until she ran out of arm.

She had escaped him. . .  but not for long.

“What are you doing?”

Elbow deep in her new lover, Sheila pointed her free hand towards the bag that clung onto its tight, metal coil, “Trying to reach those chips.”

A brief chuckle escaped his lips and hovered in the still air between them. It would be rude of him to say he found amusement in the awfully compromising scene before him, so he didn’t, but that damned chuckle only deepened Sheila’s frown. How dare he make a mockery of her predicament.

“And your genius plan was to grab them from all the way down here?”

The lids of his eyes laid heavily across his irises as he looked down at her form. He held his position steady over her—a sense of authority as if he had the high ground in a situation that he should not be a part of in the first place. Sheila squirmed, uncomfortable under his gaze—one that displayed a hint of playful jest that, somehow, brought ease to Sheila’s mind, despite her seemingly criminal actions.

A smile broke through his thin lips and Sheila couldn’t help but reciprocate. She shook her head, the curls of her hair brushed against her shoulders as her eyes rolled away from his and to her elbow that was jammed in the metal. Drew’s trailing eyes followed her lips as she turned away. There was something charming about her. A charm that kept him awake at night—his thoughts plagued with her smile.

“Shaking it didn’t work,” she admitted, hoping that Drew would understand her justification for this particular predicament.

“Clearly.”

She huffed. In her sporadic attempt to continue her moronic plan, she was left ill-prepared for his comeback.

 Drew receded from Sheila’s personal space and lifted his frame off the floor. With a grunt, he stretched, cracking his spine to alleviate the tension built between his bones. Sheila eyed him, curiously, as she watched his face morph from its euphoric twists into a clam, calculated state. He stepped around her, careful to leave her untouched, and placed himself beside the machine. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, quick to retrieve a few bucks before Sheila could protest.

To his dismay, she caught onto his plan, “Oh, no, you don’t have to—”

“Why do you want these, anyway?” he asked, disallowing her protest to continue. His greatest weapon against her was to fill the conversation with his curiosity.

He slipped a few dollars into the machine, “You know how bad these are for you, right?”

“I’m hungry.”

The coil turned, dropping the chips onto Sheila’s arm. She winced as the sharp edge of the bag collided with her skin. It stung but made no mark with its departure. She carefully dislodged her throbbing arm from its position and grabbed the bag that rested within the retrieval.

Horrified, Drew’s mind spun with the possible outlook on her impoverished life that she, unknowingly, admitted to.

Was this all she had?

“Please don’t tell me that this is your lunch.”

“No,” she stated as she pulled herself off of the floor.

Drew nearly sighed in relief. Sometimes, he didn’t mind when his mind was wrong if it meant that Sheila was nourished.

After all, maybe she just needed an extra something to go with her—

“It’s my midday snack.”

Drew furrowed his brows. His mind is never wrong. He should’ve known.

“So, lunch.”

“No, lunch is a meal.”

Drew would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so concerned for her well-being. He shook his head, maintaining a small smile to ease Sheila’s nerves, which did nothing to settle his own.

Sheila left the vicinity of the vending machine to grab her bag that perched on a nearby chair. Carefully, the strap wrapped around her shoulder, ready to depart from the teachers’ lounge and embark on the short journey to Drew’s classroom. She wasn’t going to ignore his pleasant invitation.

With a silent understanding, Drew dropped the subject and opened the door, motioning for Sheila to follow. She did, obediently—ready to leave the machine and its wicked ways behind, never wanting to be seen with her arm inside of it again.

Drew was the first to break the still silence that fell upon them.

“Do you think the school’s going to reimburse me for the two dollars I spend on those chips?”

Sheila rolled her eyes. Her hand collided with the side of his arm in a playful slap that caused Drew to recoil beneath her touch. His smile widened; a faint laugh encouraged her playful nature as she settled into the comfort of his aura—the tip of her shoulder brushing against his arm.

“No, but they better reimburse me! I need those two bucks back.”

[xtolovers]

The Best Of Us

The Last of Us Joel/OC  Rating:M

AO3

Joel and Ellie nearly die on their way back to Jackson,  Wyoming.  Traumatized, tired and with a tentative new bond between  them, they move forward into a new, very different life. Luckily there  are new friends to be found that are not easily deterred by their wounds  and flaws. And there is a woman who likes to laugh, to get into other  people's business and help and heal were she can. Maybe she can help  heal their bond. Maybe she can move more. It has been long since either of them had a home.     

Chapter 2: Nursing Suspicions     

Something wet splashed in his face and washed the darkness away with it. Slowly he blinked his eyes open. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” The woman was kneeling above him, with a soft smile and a canteen in her hand, the pale purple sky above her.  Passed out again, goddamnit. With a grunt he took her outstretched hand and together, they heaved him up to his feet. Relieved, Joel found that the world had stopped spinning. “Also kinda the land of the dead.” The woman— Liv, it came back to him— rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue up at the teen peeking over the edge down at him. “Very helpful Jesse. Maybe he’s got amnesia— is this how you wanna break it to him?” “He fell into  mud  Liv. ” “Men have forgotten more over less.” “ Or so they’ve told you.” She laughed, but quickly concealed it as an outraged gasp. “You just wait till I get up there and we’ll see how big you’re talking then.” “Well, come on up then.”

She turned to him then, but Joel looked around, half expecting Ellie ’s stretcher to lie on the ground, only to find it nowhere to be seen. A tap on his shoulder drew his attention to a branch and the tip of a sneaker, barely visible over the ridge. Apparently they’d managed to grab on before he blacked out. Liv nodded towards the spruce-ladder. “You ready? I’ll go behind you.” She looked confident in her assessment, but he was a good head taller, and a lot heavier than her. “Doubt you can catch me.” “No, but I’m soft. I’ll cushion the fall,” she said with a grin, and to his mortification, he could feel his cheeks warm. “Ah, there. A little color. Well, if you fall, I’ll have to climb down again anyhow, so I’ll just spare myself the trip. Now. Up you go.”

Happy to look at nothing for a minute, Joel followed her instruction and set about climbing out of the ditch. It was both easier and more difficult than he’d have thought; easier to traverse, but exhausting physically. Every muscle in his body was straining, his whole body felt heavy as lead. After the first three feet he nearly lost consciousness again, his left foot slipping from its hold, and he sliced his leg open on the cut-off branch. A round of curses erupted — not just from him — and he held on for a second, gathering himself. He bit the inside of his cheek and nodded his quiet acknowledgment that he was okay, before he slowly continued his way upward. Above him, both men had lain down at the edge of the ditch, reaching towards him, ready to help, and as soon as he got close enough, they grabbed onto him and nearly lifted him up just by themselves. With a mumbled  thanks  he hobbled over to Ellie and collapsed next to her, relieved to find her safe. He tried to untie her binds, and the kid next to him bent down to help as he saw Joel struggle — his fingers were weak and his skin chaffed raw from his efforts to climb the ditch throughout the last days. While they were working, Eugene bent down again and lifted Liv over the edge, clapping her shoulder good-naturedly afterwards, sending her staggering. The man was tall, broad-shouldered and clearly strong, his wild mane of greying curls the only thing making him look less threatening. “All right. Let me see your ankle real quick.” Liv wiped her hands on her jeans and knelt down at his feet. She made quick work of it, cleaning the wound with a rag and some water Jesse handed her, before she tied the rag around his leg to stem the bleeding. “Not too deep, but I’ll probably have to stitch it up later.” She stood and exhaled heavily before studying the sky. “Let’s take them up to the lodge, then we can make some food and clean up. See how we go from there.” Eugene nodded. “Sounds like a plan. You’re better riding with me, buddy. Can’t have you fall of the horse if you black out again.” He wanted to argue, but Liv declared that she’d take Ellie so she could keep an eye on her, and as much as Joel didn’t want anybody to split them up, he knew that they were right. He’d have to trust them— no help if he keeled over with both of them on the horse. “All right.” He accepted Eugene's hand and climbed up in front of him.

Liv carefully lead the way, trying to keep Apollo steady beneath her so the girl wouldn’t get shaken up too badly. She was burning up in her arms, the fever doing it’s best to burn off the infection, but without a proper exam, Liv was worried about her state. The last patrol that came through had been a week ago, and the rains had started after, but by the looks of them, they’d been down there for  days. “  What ’s her name?” She glanced over her shoulder to Joel, who was watching her like a hawk. “Ellie.” His voice was still raspy from disuse. There was no doubt he was Tommy’s brother; they shared the same eyes and jaw, and while Liv hadn’t met him, Tommy had told her his brother had been at the plant back in autumn. What troubled her more was the haunted look the familiar eyes held— she was used to seeing traumatized people, their world made sure of that enough, but Joel looked like trauma on legs. His whole focus was on the girl in her arms, she could feel his eyes boring into her back, or rather,  through  her, always careful, always calculating, making sure they weren ’t harming her, although she could see him fighting it, trying to push down the impulses of survival. Maybe she should be more careful— there was something almost…  feral about him, and she had seen the look that crossed his eyes when she suggested lifting the girl out of the pit, a look that calculated what leverage Liv could give him if he attacked her, should any harm come to the girl — but he was also barely standing, and she had Eugene and Jesse with her. She figured that as soon as they were safe and she could patch them up, he ’d relax, too. He was in survival mode, something she knew all too well. So she made sure to stay in sight, to keep him calm and move slowly. Jesse kept bickering with her, apparently picking up on her carefully kept ease and trying to help her, bless his heart. Eugene was silent for once, but didn’t look bothered at all. Then again, little ever bothered Eugene. About half an hour later, the roof of the ski lodge came into view over the tree tops. They hadn’t seen stragglers in weeks, but she’d rather be too careful than be surprised with two injured people under her care. On her sign, they dismounted, and she handed the girl to Joel, who looked almost ghostly pale. She tried to catch a look at his ankle, but as far as she could tell, there was at least no fresh blood. After she dismounted, she took her bow and arrows over and nodded to Jesse, who dutifully shouldered his rifle. “Well go and see if it’s clear, just to be safe. You stay here with them.” “Is this some kind of comment about my sneaking skills?” Eugene scoffed, but Liv saw the glint in his eyes. She patted his cheek as they moved past them. “So glad we understand each other, Eugene.” At her nod, Jesse and she left the path and sunk into the woods, deciding to approach from the side, where they wouldn’t be spotted as easily. Jesse stayed next to her, and she felt fondness well up for him. He was a good guy: responsible, level-headed, loyal to a fault. This was the fourth patrol she was doing with him— he’d just turned sixteen and had started his training with her out in the field.

For the last months, he’d been stationed to help her out at the Med Bay, and had impressed her thoroughly by never flinching or hesitating to wash, shave or massage body parts that weren’t his own, something most struggled with. All Jackson inhabitants landed as her apprentices now and then, so they’d learn something and Jackson wouldn’t be left without medical help should something happen to her, but most that came were either squeamish in general, or expected only to treat the most gruesome wounds, cut some flesh and set some bones, easily forgetting that most of her work still was  nursing  . Jesse however, despite clearly having goals to fulfill a different role in the community later, had taken on his duty with a grace that was uncommon for his age, and had been an immense help. That ’s why she was out here in the first place— everyone had patrol duty now and then, but Liv had made up some excuses about checking up on the first-aid stashes they kept at the outposts, opting to take Jesse with her as her current apprentice. This had the benefit of also counting as patrol training, effectively qualifying him to apply for group patrols after his service with her was over. Liv had the feeling he knew what she was doing, but neither had breached the subject. For her, it wasn’t necessary, Jesse, she was sure, didn’t want to say something, afraid that might make him look insecure. His carefully crafted grave maturity was important to him, in the hopes of securing the bigger responsibilities he craved. Liv, unable to try and be helpful, had almost pulled him aside when he first came under her tutelage, and told him to loosen up a bit, but she soon found that Jesse wasn’t uptight at all— unless there was responsibility to be carried, so she let him be. No, he was alright. As always, she didn’t have to tell him much. He was new to this, but not new to reading her body language and understanding what she wanted without many words, and he was a natural. Jesse wasn’t the first teen she’d taken along, but he was the best, and she was proud of how far he’d go. They stalked the perimeter of the building, just behind the tree line, but found no movement anywhere. On her sign, they rushed to the doors, and as he slid the doors slightly open, she peered in, bow drawn taunt. “Clear.” They slipped inside, and Liv exchanged her bow for the revolver that she’d stuck into the back of her jeans. They split up, methodically screening the side- and backrooms, before meeting up to check the hallway that went back out to the utility sheds and the old abandoned parking lot, but found nothing. Relieved, they dropped their cautious stance and made their way back through and down to the others. “You really think that’s Tommy’s brother?” She threw a glance at Jesse, but he seemed more curious than bothered. “Yeah. Tommy told me he already passed through a couple of months ago. Besides, they got the same eyes.” “If they were already here, why didn’t they stay?” “I don’t know.” Liv had asked Tommy the same, and he’d closed off and said they had something else to do. She knew Tommy well, and the way he’d evaded her had made her neck tingle. Still, if Tommy didn’t feel like disclosing it to  her  , Jesse didn ’t need to know more, even if it were only her guesses. “He said they still had some business to wrap up somewhere, but that they might come back after.” Which wasn’t entirely true. Tommy had said that  Joel might return, and from the way he said it it sounded like it ’d be a couple of weeks at most. When winter came around, Liv felt like Tommy deflated a bit, and she’d theorized it had to do with his brother not returning. When she asked, he’d brushed her off again. At least Jesse seemed satisfied with the answer. “Seems like they’ve been through some stuff. You think his daughter will live?” She hesitated. “I can give a more confident answer about that in an hour.” The rest, she left unsaid. Liv knew that Joel’s daughter was dead; Tommy and she had often talked about Outbreak Day on their patrols, and she knew the story of how he saw his niece die that day, killed by a FEDRA soldier, and what it did to his brother. This girl was also too old to be another daughter; she had to be thirteen or fourteen, and Liv knew that Tommy and his brother had stuck together for a couple of years after the outbreak. If she were Joel’s, Tommy would’ve been there when she’d been born. She had no clue what was going on, but she was sure that she wouldn’t get any answers out of Tommy, or Joel for that matter. Especially not if I can   ’t keep them alive. “Clear?” Eugene called up to them when they came into sight, and Liv simply waved her arm. Eugene helped Joel up on Apollo and set Ellie in his arms, before he mounted himself and led them up the hill. Liv and Jesse turned around and walked back towards the lodge. “Can you get a fire going and boil some water for me?” With a nod, Jesse jogged ahead to the far side of the cabin where they stored some firewood, while Liv went over to the bar and grabbed the key they’d hidden on a small ledge beneath it. With it, she went to open the back room they kept locked, were they had stashed medicine, bandages, drinkable water and some non-perishable food rations. Usually the patrols carried their own rations with them, and they always kept something “free” to grab that they left outside their locked stashes, so stragglers would have something to eat and grab, but each watch post had a hidden stash for the Jackson patrols in case anything happened. While she grabbed what she needed, she heard Eugene talk outside, and as she stepped out of the room, Joel was stumbling inside, carrying the girl. “Put her down over here.” Liv gestured to one of the two sprawling couches surrounding the two luxurious fireplaces that hung free from the ceiling, in one of which Jesse was just piling up firewood. She dumped all she’d taken on a table that she pulled over, sat her backpack down and pulled out the sandwiches she’d taken with her. Then she shoved both her canteen with the slim rest of water that was still in it and the food in Joel’s hands. “Drink this, slowly, and then eat a couple of small bites. Just one or two,  slowly  . I know you ’re hungry— “ he interrupted her with a nod. “I know, otherwise I’ll just throw up.” He gave a small sardonic smile and a light bow of his head. “Not my first time starving, I’m afraid.” Liv sighed. “ Didn’t think so, but you’d be surprised by how many people will still make themselves sick despite knowing better.” “Hunger will do that to you.” “Well, be smarter.” Satisfied by his dutiful unscrewing of the bottle, Liv turned her attention to her work. Jesse had successfully started a fire and she sent him to fill up three pots of water and set them to boil, when Eugene came over to them. He was carrying the blanket from his bedroll— they’d planned on staying the night— and spread it over Ellie, who was now laid out comfortably on the sofa, before he settled against the armrest near her head. “Signed us in.” “Thanks.” “Anything I can help?” “ We’ve got that basin in the back. Could you fill that up with some water from the brook? Just to clean up.” He nodded and lumbered out, and for a couple of minutes, they all worked silently. Liv prepared some bandages and the small bottle of iodine she kept for emergencies, to treat the girls arm. For the smaller and less dangerous wounds, she got out some cloves of fresh garlic that she kept in her pack and had Jesse peel, crush and boil them. “ Garlic is the best natural disinfectant we have, vinegar helps too. Witch hazel helps with healing, and cherry bark acts as a painkiller if you boil it,” she explained to Jesse, and after showing him each, added them to the garlic water, then set some of the bandages in to soak. Eugene had prepared the small tub, poured the boiling water in and chased down a relatively soft cloth. Under Joel’s watchful eye, she first cut open Ellie’s sleeve, then the improvised bandage. The cut was deep, that was easy to see, even though it had scabbed over completely. The angry, red, swollen skin surrounding it was a bad sign, but it could be worse.

“Could be better, could be worse. I can treat her here, for now, but I’ll be much more relaxed the sooner we get her to Jackson. If you two leave now and ride fast, you’ll be back by sundown. I’ll give you a list for Ellen of things to prepare for me, and some I need for the way. Get Tommy, get a truck, get someone to relieve us for patrol, and come here at first light.” As expected, both complained. “That’s too dangerous.” “You’re alone with two injured people, it’s too risky.” “I know what I’m doing. We haven’t seen anyone in months. We’ll barricade the doors, and Joel is exhausted, not incapacitated. I’m pretty sure he can still hold a gun if necessary.” Eugene looked at her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. That’s what’s worrying me. “It’ll be fine. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.” Before they could complain again, Liv mustered her best Maria impression. “No discussion. You can disagree all you want, I’m afraid I’ll have to pull rank here. Now, go. You’re losing light.” Jesse was displeased, that was easy to see, but Eugene knew her long enough. He clapped him on the back and they both went to their horses. Jesse gave her his bedroll and both of them tried to give her their food. She took half of it and insisted they eat the rest. “We’ve got rations here, and they shouldn’t eat that much anyways right away. If the kid wakes up at all tonight.” She rubbed her face wearily and shooed them off. “Hurry, but don’t risk anything, okay?” “Barricade the doors and keep the lights low. Keep out the generator at night.” “I will, but we need a fire.”

“We can see the lodge from the east gate, right?” Jesse asked. “I’ll stay up and take watch there with someone through the night. If you’re in trouble, flash the lights or give us a visual, and we’ll come and get you.”

“Someone like Dina, maybe?” Eugene asked as they mounted their horses, making Jesse blush quite a sensational shade of red and sending him mumbling. Trying his best to keep his dignity, he kicked his horse into a trot and started away from them. Eugene chuckled before he sobered up and pointed at her. “Be careful.” She gave him a mock-salute and he rolled his eyes before he turned to catch up with Jesse. When he caught up, both kicked their horses into a gallop, quickly vanishing around the corner. With an uneasy sigh, she grabbed Apollo by the reigns and led him inside the entry hallway. Let   ’s do this.

[groggycascade]

Breaker Campus - Frosh Week, Pt. IV

All credit to Sean D. 

Darren’s eyes were wide in fear as Dean Patricia secured the last remaining strap over his wrist. She took a step back and took in the sight. The boy was tied spread eagled to a wooden X. His clothing had been removed, and a very tight Speedo was forcibly put on him. He didn’t have much fight left in him after the brutal kick from Dean Patricia’s pointy-toed pump. She liked the Speedo. They were several sizes too small and his penis and balls bulged out, barely being contained. She liked that it was very easy to see his balls - which were of course the targets. Let’s be honest, she thought, a naked scrotum wasn’t very attractive. This was much more pleasant on the eye, but a girl could still see what she was kicking.

Darren was hanging vertically on the contraption, in standing position. Dean Patricia had already informed him he would be castrated. She had so many options. Two quick and hard kicks with her pointy toed shoes... she was confident she had the accuracy and strength to pop one nut with each kick. Or she could flip Darren horizontal, lower him to ground level, and crush his nuts with the heels of her high heeled shoes. She hadn’t decided yet how it would end, but she knew that she shouldn’t let him off so easy by immediately taking away the source of his boy pain. She should toy with him for a while and have some fun.

First, there was some administrative business to get out of the way. Dean Patricia was putting in place a system. And systems followed rules and patterns.

“Everyone, I would like to welcome special guests to the stage.”

The room hushed. A clacking could be heard on the stairs. Darren’s eyes widened as he saw his mom and younger sister come onto the stage. “Mom! Please help me!” He almost screamed at her.

Darren’s younger sister Lizzy had the widest smirk on her face that one had ever seen. Ever the younger sister, she saw her older brother splayed out like that in those ridiculous speedos and couldn’t help but start laughing at him. “Nice outfit”, she teased. “How’s it hanging?” She said as she pointed and laughed at his penis and balls bulging out of his ridiculous looking Speedo.

Darren’s mom couldn’t also help but smile at the situation, but she also had a serious look in her eyes. She stood by Dean Patricia.

“Ladies,” said Dean Patricia, addressing the room. “I’ve invited Darren’s mother, Rebecca, and sister, Lizzy, here, not just as a courtesy, but as a matter of protocol. You see, no boy has a decision making authority. How his balls are treated, the pain he suffers, us girls get to have complete control over that.”

There were whoops and cheers.

“Now, ultimately it is the closest female relatives of every male who have the final say over their fate. The mother, sister, or aunt, of every boy in this school signed him up to come here. They each signed on the dotted line, knowing what kind of treatment to which they were subjecting their son, brother, nephew...” She let this sink in on the boys in the audience. She saw many forlorn looks and desperate faces as the boys realized that they weren’t in this school by some mistake. That their closest female relatives had INTENTIONALLY sent them here, to be subjected to daily and endless pain. And possibly to suffer the worst fate that any male could! In that moment, it was like each of boy had just gotten a swift kick between his legs. Dean Patricia smiled.

“Now, when it comes to planned castrations, such as this one, it is important that a sentence be passed and duly authorized with the consent of the male subject’s nearest female relative.”

Dean Patricia took a piece of paper and began reading. She turned to Darren’s mother and sister. “Rebecca Smith, the authorities or Breaker Campus have deemed it fit to castrate your son. However, under the rules, it is not our sentence to pass.” She handed her the sentence paper. “What say you?”

All eyes were on Darren’s mother. She looked around the room, then to her son. He started pleading with her. “Please mom, please...” She looked to her daughter Lizzy.

“As the mother and legal authority over my son, Darren, I...”

There was a pause, “... designate my daughter, and Darren’s sister, Lizzy, to pass the judgement and pronounce the sentence.”

Lizzy’s eyes widened, she squeeled loudly and jumped for joy. “Thank you mom! Thank you!” She hugged her mom. The ladies in the room all clapped.

For his part, Darren’s face went white. With his mom, he had hope. She had given birth to him after all. But his little sis? She had learned about his boy weak spot at a very young age and took to calling it his pain button. She loved kicking, stomping, hitting that pain button whenever she could. Still, she was his sister. Would she really go the next step? He looked at her with hope and pleading in his eyes.

Lizzy took the sentence paper from her mom. She began to read, “I, Elizabeth Smith, being the sister of Darren Smith, do assert my right as the nearest female relative to pass judgement on whether or not my brother should be castrated.”

There wasn’t a sound to be heard in the room.

“I HEREBY DO... GIVE MY CONSENT TO ALLOW THE CASTRATION OF DARREN SMITH, MY BROTHER.”

The room erupted into cheers as the girls all clapped and yelled their support. Darren’s eyes were so wide. Lizzy looked up from the paper and locked eyes with him for what seemed like an eternity. She had the look of a gloating, self satisfied little sister who was now going to beat her older brother once and for all. Permanently. There would be no come back from this. This was her ultimate win over her big bro. He would live the rest of his life as a eunuch because of HER.

Dean Patricia said, “Lizzy, thank you. As the authorized female representative, would you also like to read the sentence?” Lizzy nodded yes.

The room went quiet again. “Darren Smith. You are hereby sentenced to be castrated. The method of castration will be as follows...”

There was excitement in the room as all the girls waited to hear how this boy’s balls would be taken from him. There were a list of options in front of Lizzy. She could pick any one of them. Would she, at the last minute, show her compassion and sentence him to a relatively painless chemical castration? Or a quick work of a sharp knife to quickly remove his balls after he had been given a pain killer?

She continued. “The method of castration will be testicular obliteration. While still connected via your spermatic cord and while still in the scrotum, your testicles are to be crushed into mush until no solid parts remain. At that point, you will have been deemed to have been castrated. The remains of your boyhood should be left inside your sac as a painful reminder of the fate you suffered. Eventually, the mush that was your prized manhood will dissolve into nothingness.

“Further, the method of crushing is to be as follows. Your testicles are to be kicked and stomped by female or females duly authorized to carry out the sentence.

Lizzy was beaming and looked at the room and then her brother as she read the last part. Her voice was full of joy as if she was telling everyone she had just won the lottery.

“The sentence of castration hereby announced is the MOST PAINFUL method of castration known to mankind. The intent is that you WILL SUFFER before your testicles are taken from you. Should you pass out from the pain, you will be revived. This will not be a quick sentence. It will be slow and painful.

“May God show no mercy on your balls.”

The room broke out into deafening cheers.

After a minute, Dean Patricia quieted them down.

She turned to address to auditorium jammed with students. Most of those students blessed not to have orbs hanging between their legs were giggling and musing about what would happen next.

“Ladies,” said Dean Patricia. The room went silent. “Please look under your chairs.” Most girls in the room drew plain white blank pieces of paper, but there were 10 who drew red.

“The ladies with the red cards, please come up to the stage.” The girls excitedly rushed up to the stage. They were ready for whatever part they would play in this exciting event.

The girls stood neatly in a line on the stage. “Girls, you will each deliver two kicks to this boy’s testicles.” They squealed with joy and jumped up and down.

As they were randomly selected, the girls were of all sizes. Some were petite, two were taller than average with long and fierce looking legs. And another few she knew were athletic. She looked down to their shoes. The girls had all been told to come to the assembly with their favourite nut-crackers, and they didn’t disappoint. There were knee-high platform boots, metal tipped shoes, metal studded shoes, a nice pair of pumps with a slightly rounded toe, and pair of steel-toed dockers - that was particularly brutal she thought, and smiled.

The girls lined up directly center across from Darren’s spread eagled legs. “Ladies, I think it only appropriate that the first kick go to this boy’s lovely sister, don’t you?”

Lizzy smiled and walked over to the front of the line. She was wearing a skirt, white stockings, and a pair of black Mary Janes. They were a very heavy and very hard shoe. Darren has been kicked many times by his sister but never by a shoe as hard as that. His eyes widened with fear as he watched the row of girls across from him, all intent at exerting maximum force and damage on his most sensitive body part.

Darren’s eyes rolled back and he began to feint from sheer terror. Dean Patricia swiftly walked over, took the weight of his gonads bulging out from his speedo into her hand, and then squeezed - hard. His orbs became more oval and less round with each passing second. She wondered how long it would take the alarm bells emanating from his nerves to reach his brain. Not long. After a few seconds, his eyes opened wide and he gasped for breath. Satisfied, Dean Patricia let go and walked to the side.

She nodded to Lizzy.

“Ready for this big bro? I know you’ve always liked my love taps. How else is a sister to share her affection for her bro? Well, I want to show you how much I really love you.” She started walking towards him.

“No, no,” he pleaded as she got closer. Her foot arced back. Darren closed is eyes. As if that would magically make it all go away, thought Dean Patricia.

Lizzy put everything she had into the kick. The risk with that, thought Dean Patricia, was that she may miss. The speed and force of the kick was impressive as her leg arched upwards between her brother’s legs.

WHAM

The sound of her hard Mary Jane smashing into her brother reverberated throughout the room. And most importantly, it landed precisely on target. It was a brutal toe punt. The upward arcing wide toe of the Mary Jane had no trouble landing on both his nuts. And the Speedo worked beautifully. Darren’s poor orbs were held in place. No escape. They took the full force of his sister’s kick. Tied to the X and unable to move, there was no way for his body to absorb the kick. The Mary Jane finished its arc flat against his pubic bone. For a moment, Darren’s testicles seemed to entirely disappear as there was nothing between her shoe and his pubic bone. Patricia thought that maybe Liz had just done the deed and castrated her brother in one swift kick. But the POP or SQUICK sound that Patricia had heard so many times before didn’t come. As her leg finished its arc and the shoe started moving away from the V between his legs, his testicles re-appeared.

There was a split second of silence, and then... Darren screamed at the top of his lungs. Not a short yell. A prolonged, loud, screeching scream of agony. For what seemed like a long time, every girl in the room watched this poor boy scream at the top of his lungs, wide smiles on their faces.

She could see his balls were starting to swell. She had gotten him really good. All the girls cheered. Lizzy took a bow, walked over to her brother and gave him a triumphant look. She then stepped aside and the other girls began.

WHAM

SMACK

THUD

First up was a petite blond in classic pumps. The first kick landed solidly on his left ball. The second on his right. She had hoped that by concentrating her force on one at a time, she may be able to pop his nuts, but to no avail.

Next up was one of the tall girls wearing steel studded flats. As Patricia watched the arc of her leg, she couldn’t help but think that basic physics would mean that a wider arc would allow for more build up of momentum. Not good news for Darren. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets as her steel studs dug their way into his trapped and swollen gonads. Then came the second kick, just as fierce.

Patricia walked up and inspected Darren’s package. Sure enough, the steel studs had drawn blood. The kicker high fived another of the kickers as all the girls cheered.

Then girl three, then four, then five and six.

Girl seven had the steel toed Dockers. Patricia couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed that there was a real chance this girl would end all the fun here and now. With steel toes, the chance of fully rupturing one or both of his balls was likely. The look on the girl’s face showed she was thinking the same thing. She gave Darren a cold smile that said “I’m about to nut you,” as she ran up to him and delivered a kick as hard as she could. If this landed accurately... Darren would be a eunuch in three... two... one...

As Patricia had predicted with Lizzy’s kick, the force of this other girl’s kick had undermined its accuracy. The cold steel toe only grazed Darren’s Speedo-covered sac as it sailed upwards, directly into his penis, crushing his penis against his body. Darren howled of course. Having his penis full force kicked with steel toes was a painful endeavour, and he would no doubt be terribly bruised, but at least he was still a boy.

What the girl should have done, thought Patricia, was compose herself, take a breath, and deliver a more focused kick. With steel toes, she wouldn’t need full force for a rupture. But the girl was clearly frustrated and she launched another full force kick. This one even worse than the first, landing behind Darren’s sac. Of course he was still in a lot of pain, but the girl walked away disappointed.

The remaining girls finished their kicks. They all bowed to the crowd, who cheered, and then they left the stage. Patricia thanked the girls for their enthusiasm.

She went up and assessed his balls. They were swollen to two or three times their normal size. They were like soft plumbs in her fingers as she rolled them around, not the harder nuts that they were before. He howled as she dug her fingers into his nutmeat. Even without any touch, he would have been balling from the pain of having received all those kicks. Having them squeezed hard was unbearable.

“Oh my boy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She smiled.

[notalwaysthevillian]

Brewing Love

Warnings: Anxiety, food mention, first date jitters

Pairings: Remile; background Logicality & eventual Prinxiety

Word Count: ~1.5k

Based on this post by @teacupfulofstarshine!

Read from the beginning!

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 4

The next morning, Remy breezed through his morning routine. With twenty minutes left before he had to be at the shop for his shift, he decided to head in early to see if Patton needed any help with the pastries.

When he got there, he found Patton on the phone.

“Can you repeat that? Slower?”

Remy couldn’t hear the words on the other end of the line, but he could tell that they were freaking out.

“Oh, V! If you wanna come stay with me and Lo - no, you wouldn’t be bothering us at all, I promise!”

“I have a spare room.” Remy offered, putting his apron on. “Whoever you’re talking to can stay with me.”

Patton’s eyes lit up. “Really? Oh that’s great! V, I have a friend who has an extra room. He’s offering to let you stay...No, I didn’t. He just offered...yeah...he’s Logan’s cousin...okay! I’ll let him know. Talk to you soon!”

After hanging up, Patton threw his arms around Remy, covering his apron in flour. “Thank you so much!”

“Do I get to know who I’m housing?” Remy asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“His name is Virgil! He and I were best friends in high school.” Patton’s peppiness disappeared as he talked. “We went to colleges on opposite sides of the country. I should’ve made a better effort to keep in touch, but we stopped talking. He called me in a panic this morning - I think on instinct. His boss just fired him from his job and his landlord is evicting him.”

“Poor guy.”

Patton nodded, pushing a recipe over to Remy and moving about the kitchen. “I’m glad he’s moving in with you, even if it’s only until he’s back on his feet. I miss him.”

“He’s welcome to stay as long as he needs.” Remy started shaping some dough. “You and Logan were there for me.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Remy smiled, seeing nothing but sincerity in Patton’s eyes. “You know, I can’t wait to be your cousin-in-law.”

Patton giggled. “I can’t wait either.”

“For what?” Logan asked as he entered the kitchen. His eyebrows drew together as his eyes landed on Remy. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I just thought I’d come help -” His excuse died as Logan fixed him with a look. “I’m too excited for my date tonight and finished everything I needed to this morning.”

“Awwwww!” Patton squealed. “Now I see the family resemblance.”

“Patton!”

Seeing the redness in his cousin’s cheeks, Remy simply raised an eyebrow. Patton was quick to explain. “Logan was so excited for our first date that he got to the restaurant an hour early.”

Logan buried his face in his hands to prevent them from seeing just how red his face was. Sensing his distress, Patton pressed a kiss to the top of his head. When he looked up, he saw Remy staring at them with longing.

Flipping down his sunglasses, Remy headed back out to the cafe to start the machines.

Remy found himself staring at the clock whenever he had a moment.

And he had a lot of moments.

The cafe was unusually slow that Saturday. With the number of times Remy had wiped it down, he was surprised there wasn’t a hole in it.

Just as he reached the last hour of his shift, the bell over the door went off and a steady stream of people flowed in. Roman lead the pack, stage makeup still on his face. He waved at Remy before heading over to choose his mug.

Being able to insult most of the customers during the last part of his shift was a blessing. Most of his nerves about his date had vanished by the time Logan announced that they were closing.

The last of the customers filed out, with Roman hanging back.

“Roman, we’re closed.”

“I know, Specs.” Roman grinned as Logan rolled his eyes at the nickname. His face took on a seriousness that Remy had rarely seen. “Thank you. For last night. We had sold maybe half of our tickets before then, but we were officially sold out an hour before the show this morning.”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Your talents will likely increase our business. I am happy that it is beneficial for the theater as well.”

Roman waved before heading out of the store.

Remy cleaned up at lightning speed, leaving as soon as Logan told him he was free to go. He raced to his apartment, opting to dress up a little more for this date. After giving Chai the attention she deserved, he ducked into his closet.

“No...no...no...n- actually.” He held up the black blazer. “This could work.”

Bzzt.

Grabbing his phone, Remy grinned when he saw who the text was from.

Em: We’re going to grab dinner before if you wanna join us! We’re heading to Marco’s. Hope you like pizza!

Remy: Gurl, you know I love it. What time?

Em: Five! See you soon :D

Glancing at the clock, Remy groaned when he realized it was only three-thirty. He hung the blazer back up in his closet, opting to get dressed later. As much as he loved his baby, he didn’t want to be covered in cat hair when he left.

Over the next thirty minutes, Remy managed to wear Chai out. She curled up in a ball next to him as he watched a quick episode of Steven Universe.

By four thirty he was hopping in an Uber and heading over to Marco’s pizzeria.

He spotted Emile with two girls through the window. When he walked in, Emile flashed him a smile that made him weak in the knees.

“Girls, this is Remy!”

“So you’re the cute barista.” The brunette said, leaning on her elbows. “Emmy here has told us some good things about you.”

Remy gently touched Emile’s wrist, turning it to see the charms for the day. “Oh, have they now?”

The blonde nodded, practically bouncing in her seat. “Mhmm! They said you were super nice.”

“Guys!” A beautiful blush spread across Emile’s cheeks. They shook their head before gesturing to the brunette. “This is Valerie, and her girlfriend, Iona.”

“You can call me Io.” Leaning over, she placed a kiss on Valerie’s cheek. “What kinda pizza do you want?”

Valerie moved so that they could share a menu, giving Remy a pointed look. He quickly followed her lead, leaning closer to Emile. “What kind of toppings do you like?”

“Oh, I don’t like a lot of toppings.” They said, trailing a finger down the menu. “Oh, I love margherita pizza!”

“Margherita pizza it is.” Remy flipped the menu closed and put it away. He moved to hold their hand, but hesitated. Was that okay?

Emile noticed, biting their lip before gently taking Remy’s hand. He gave it a squeeze, trying to ease any worries or doubts they may have had - and also some of his own.

“I like that blazer on you. It makes you look handsome.”

Blood rushed to Remy’s cheeks. He heard the girls giggle and mumble something about ‘cuties’. “That’s - thank you. You, um, you look pret-lovely! You look lovely.”

“You can say pretty, I don’t mind.” Emile teased, looking up when the waiter came over.

They placed their orders immediately. As the waiter walked away, Valerie focused her attention on Remy.

“So, where do you work?”

“Oh, I work over at Get Roasted. That’s where Emile and I met, actually.” He linked their fingers together as he talked. “From the first moment I saw them, I thought they were beautiful. If only they’d noticed I was flirting sooner.”

Emile flushed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, darling.” Emile appeared to melt at the nickname. Remy made a mental note before raising their joined hands and kissing their knuckles. “All that matters is that we’re together now.”

“Awwww!”

Io’s outburst had them all laughing. The four of them continued to chat about various things before their pizza came. They dug in, finishing the pies quickly.

“Your checks.” The waiter put them on the table.

Remy snatched them both before anyone moved.

“Remy -”

“I’ve got this.” He got out of his chair. “You get the popcorn. Deal?”

As Remy walked to the counter, Valerie turned to Emile. “He’s such a keeper.”

“You think so?” They asked, watching Remy swipe a card.

“He paid for both of our meals. You said he was an absolute gentleman at open mic night - even when you said you didn’t realize it was a date. What’s holding you back from such a man?”

Giggling at the Disney reference, Emile shrugged. “I just...I’m worried that he’s not how he seems, you know?”

“He’s the whole package, Em.” Io chimed in. “Handsome, sweet, generous. If you don’t snatch him up, someone else will.”

Emile watched Remy joke with the cashier. Their heart swelled as they looked on. “Yeah. You’re absolutely right.”

Add yourself to my taglist here! (Or send me an ask if it doesn’t wanna work!)

Quick reminder: From now on I’m only using my specific taglists for multi-chaptered fics. So if you’re on my general and you want to be added to another one, just let me know! (Via ask please)

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[bunny-wk-fanfic]

I’d love to see some Dr. Strange pieces (second request hehe). Like maybe wizard meets modern miko in the feudal era kinda thing? And then encounters her again in the future(present)? Ohhh what if it’s in the same universe as Daddy Dearest? :D

I apologize for the long wait, here is your request.

If the situation weren’t so… stressful, Kagome would be laughing. Inuyasha was currently a puppy, a fluffy little ball of yapping energy that was gnawing on Tetsaiga’s sheath.

“Um, was that really necessary?” Kagome eyed the man that turned Inuyasha into a puppy. Lips twitching at the high-pitched growls he was making as Sango pulled him off the fang.

“Are you saying I should have let him attack me?” the male asked in return as he fixed his appearance with a huff, eyeing her as if she had done him a personal wrong.

“I wouldn’t have allowed him to go that far.” her scratched behind a fluffy ear, only to pull the Kotodama out of his fur to the stranger’s gaze. “With this, he would have been subdued before he even got that far.” it was now her turn to eye him. Brows furrowing at his obvious outfit that clashed with their surroundings in color and style.

“You aren’t of this time.” his statement had her gaze locking with his once again.

“Nor are you.” her head tipped to the side. “Nor are you Japanese. So, why are you here?” while the man hadn’t made any further move against them, that didn’t mean much while they were hunting Shikon shards.

“Forgive me. I’m Doctor Steven Strange, and I require an item of great power.” he could only blink when they suddenly became defensive.

“What sort of item, Dr. Strange?” Kagome fingered her bowstring, wondering if a barrier would stop his magic from affecting them any further.

He raised his hands slowly, his cloak rippling against the wind. “A few items, honestly.” his hands made a few flicks until he was holding a sword. “But first, I need this sword blessed.”

Everyone looked at the sword. It wasn’t of Japanese origin, based on the design. It was straight and double-edged, looking something more like it came from Europe.

“Why?” the question was automatic from Kagome. Before she helped this stranger gain a blessed blade, she wanted to know why. How often had their group crossed paths with those that were using such tools to kill indiscriminately? Too many to keep count.

“Well… to fight against evil of course.” his reply was slow, as if it were obvious. Seeing that they weren’t convinced, he held the blade at rest. “I’m dealing with a minor leak from Hell. Everyone I come in contact with kept pointing me East and further into the past. So I would greatly appreciate if you could help me.”

Lips pursing, Kagome turned to Miroku, the both of them speaking in hushed tones until Kagome finally stepped forward. “Alright, hand over the sword.” when she wasn’t handed the sword, she raised a brow. “You want it blessed or not?”

He was hesitant in handing it over, not that she could blame him, she was a school girl in the past. Nothing that looked like a holy woman. The metal was cold against her skin, almost biting. There was a low thrum of power, possibly magic that had already been added to the blade or helped in its creation. “The magic it already carries, it might not allow the blade to be blessed. Or allow the blessing to last.” she didn’t wait for a response, instead, she began the process on blessing the blade per Miroku and Kaede’s instructions.

Her hands gave off a pale glow, the blade quick to swallow the blessing until it too began to glow. It took a few moments, but the blessing was finished, the glowing slow to fade. “Anything else?”

The Doctor accepted the now blessed blade, awed as his gaze went from it to the young woman. Her head tipped to the side as he continued to stare at her.

After that, Strange followed after the small group to gain the rest of the supplies he needed, after he returned Inuyasha to his true form, of course. Inuyasha had not taken to Strange’s presence very well, the only saving grace to the whole ordeal, was that he had no memories of being a puppy.

Kagome spoke with Strange every chance they were not moving, in turn answering his questions as best she could. Seeing her learn what she could from him, about his magic compared to her own and if they could be in any way combined. With Miroku throwing in his own theories pissed Inuyasha off, often spouting how it was his job to protect her.

Eventually though, he acquired all that he needed and it was his time to depart. Kagome was actually sad to see the Doctor go, but she understood that they both had things they needed to do. “Well, this is farewell Doctor. If only for now.”

Dark brows pinched as he took in her odd phrasing, and the mischievous look about her. “Yes.” eyes narrowing slightly, he gave polite words to the others. While he had not been as close to them as he had with Kagome, due to her origins, he was still a mature adult. “I wish you success in your endeavors.”

“And you in yours.” she offered a bow with a bright smile. “Don’t forget to come to this part of the world if you ever need help, Doctor!”

With a raised brow, Strange decided to ignore the statement and depart to return home. The talisman around his neck glowed as he activated the required magic and stepped through the portal back into New York, now fully prepared to deal with the demons leaking through from Hell.

With swift moves, he went directly to where the breach was, pulling the blessed blade to face the demons. He managed to deal with a few single demons, preparing a clearing to seal the breach entirely when a bright flash of light from behind alerted him to of a demon that snuck up behind him.

Spinning about, his eyes widened when his gaze landed on Kagome. It was her, perhaps a few years older, but it was her. And rather than the traditional bow he had seen her use while in the past, she now held a more modern compound bow.

“What’s up Doc?” the greeting was in English, though her accent was still present, the teasing smirk, and her bouncing steps threw him off. A waggle of brows, she began to fire into the hoard of demons. “You seal while I cover your back?”

Seeing her taking care of the demons with ease, as was due to her duties and abilities, Strange took the opening she was giving him and began to prepare for sealing the breach. Looking into it he would do afterwards, as well as after he spoke with Kagome to get some answers. With the items he had gathered in the past, he began repairing the breach. Once it was done, he too focused on the demons that were still present, fighting easily alongside with Kagome.

It was over quickly, some piles of dust behind that was quickly swept away with the wind. Strange began to use magic to repair major lingering damages while Kagome tended to the few people that got caught up in the chaos.

Kagome was seeing to the last person when Strange approached her. “Why did you follow through with me?”

She finished taking care of the long bloody gash on the person’s leg before turning to the Doctor. “Really? I got here the long way, Doctor.” she smiled at his confused expression as she slung her bow. “It’s been a few years since you left, Doctor. So that, plus a long flight from Tokyo, brought me here. If you’re not including the time it took to get here from-!”

“KAGOME!” the voice echoed from above, a familiar suit of technical armor hovering above drew everyone’s attention. Already, the people were once again filling the streets to record all they could on their cell phones. “I thought I said no, young lady!”

Strange could only frown. He knew of Stark, had crossed paths with him a few times while he still practiced medicine. Since his coming out as Iron Man, he also kept up with his ‘heroic’ feats. So he wasn’t all that surprised to see the billionaire present. It was his tone and words that were throwing him off. Instead, he watched the man land and stalk forward as the suit ‘peeled’ away to reveal the man himself.

“I said it was too dangerous. Not only that, I don’t want to have to tell your mother.” Stark slowed down as he got closer, shivering slightly at some memory. “That woman terrifies me.”

“Dad.” the long-drawn-out word had Strange whipping around to face Kagome in complete shock. Her gaze remained on Stark as she attempted to calm him down. “I told you, I’ve dealt with far worse while in the Feudal Era. And let’s not forget the Chitauri.”

Lips pursed as a raised finger drooping as his eyes narrowed on Kagome, her smirk growing as the silence stretched on.

“Wait. You’re Stark’s daughter?” he raised a brow at her cheeky grin.

“Freaky, isn’t it?” with a wink, she skipped over to Stark. “Come on, Dad, it’s time for some lunch. My treat!”

While she was hugging him and planting a noisy kiss on his cheek, Stark was literally giving him the stink eye to only which Strange could raise a brow instead. The suit snapped back into place, easily allowing Stark to pick up his daughter. “I’ll be watching you, Dumbledore.”

Kagome’s laughter quickly disappeared as Stark flew off. Shaking his head, Strange returned to the Sanctum, wondering what else was in store, now that he knew Kagome was also in the present. Not surprising as she had been wearing a school uniform in the past. And was Stark’s daughter of all things.

“What a strange universe.” 

[cssns]

Drumroll please! Please help me welcome @darkcolinodonorgasm to the CSSNS!!!

I am so tickled to welcome Sara to the event this year! Everyone go say hi!!!

Tumblr Name

darkcolinodonorgasm

How long have you been in the CS/OUAT fandom?

Phew, since 2012? I binged the first season the summer before s2 aired.

When did you start shipping Captain Swan?

Since the very beginning :'D

What drew you to this event?

I'm a sucker for everything supernatural and fantasy, so I wanted to challenge myself into writing something that - hopefully - will bring justice to the genre I love the most.

What inspired your topic?

You mean the fics I'm going to write? Well, since I've now decided to write the modern Ladyhawke AU and the follow up to my Hades and Persephone AU, I'd say for the first one, the movie, of course, but I wanted to give it a modern twist, and now that I've outlined it, I know there'll be an influence from the movie, but also lots of "me". I also didn't want to have a Charmed-like fic since on Charmed the Halliwells helped two cursed lovers, and Once Upon A Time offers many characters and a mythology I could play with. For the Hades and Persephone AU, instead, I've always intended to have a modern day version of it, but since I've already written a one shot set in ancient Greece, I decided to have a sneak peek into their future.

If you would like to share a snippet/sneak peek/summary of your fic or artwork, please use the space below.

"Once upon a time, the morning he was blessed to wake up with her next to him, Killian would usually take in her sleeping form, the curly mass of blonde hair covering half her face, lifting with each breath she took, tickling her nose so she would scrunch it, frowning in her sleep because her own hair disturbed her. He would then push the golden strands away from her face, and Emma would just wiggle close, throwing her arm around his torso.

«Good morning, love,» he whispered, caressing her swan neck with his knuckles, his wedding ring glinting in the dim sunlight. Killian sighed. He missed when she would bat his hand away and he would catch it, intertwining their fingers and admiring the light catching on his mother’s ring, the one he’d used to propose."

- from the still untitled modern Ladyhawke AU.

"After years - ages - of ruling over the souls of the departed, the King and Queen of the Underworld decide to take a vacation. Leaving their eldest son in charge, Emma and Killian take a tour around the world, acting more like tourists than gods, meeting family along the way and, finally, managing to work off the tension."

- still untitled Hades and Persephone follow up

What are you looking forward to most about participating in this event?

Everything! AIl the other stories I cannot wait to read and the fanarts I cannot wait to see! I'm so excited!!

Ohhh man!!! I LOVED Ladyhawke!!! And really, is there anyone more suited to Hades and Persephone? I cannot WAIT to read these! Her first MC will post on June 4 and the second will post on June 26. Everyone go say hi and welcome @darkcolinodonorgasm to the CSSNS!!!

[antivancoffeelover]

2018 fics, a year in review

i’m a madman, but even my crazy ass probably won’t finish and post another fic in the last 6 hours of 2018, so here are all the fics i posted on ao3 this year, plus some thoughts on each!

Hemlock Honey and Silver

this was my last ever supernatural fandom fic. literally the end of an era for me since i was in the spn fandom for so damn long and wrote so much fic, about two-thirds of which has been orphaned on the archive at this point because i didn’t like the stories anymore lol. 

i do like that one, though, and i’m actually alright with it being my last ever spn/destiel fic

Fire In Your Veins

this was my first time posting thorki fic! i was so, so nervous about it, but everyone in this fandom is so chill and lovely. i still like this one, and i don’t think i write enough 69ing lmao. also this fic was obvs the start of something bigger bc. i mean. i’ve written so much damn fic now lol since i only started posting in june. i was worried that i wasn’t going to be writing anymore, or that i’d never be posting on ao3 again because it had been literally 2 full years between hemlock honey and silver and the fic that preceded it. then i fell into thorki and i started writing fic and it’s just been such a huge, huge thing. bc i’m also writing original stuff again for the first time in forever.

Underdressed and All Out of Time

a direct sequel to fire in your veins, i really like it. i felt like i was able to characterize loki fairly well in this one bc i was very insecure about the way i wrote loki when i started out

A Thousand Teeth, Yours Among Them

who doesn’t love a fic title from a hozier song? i remember writing this fic and wondering if it was any good and if my characterization was okay and still being nervous and insecure in my writing, but it’s been very well received so i kinda got my inner critic to stfu which is nice lol. i also really enjoyed doing this vignette style story

To Always Face the Sun

what if :) loki was happy :) and thor had his brother back :) lol i really liked writing this and having loki being such a little shit tbh. can we tell that i like a happy ending in fic?

Blue On Gold

so i wrote an arranged marriage fic where they never actually get married and it’s still 15.8k lmfao. also the return of the vignette style, which was fun bc i got to do short, impactful scenes and build the narrative with them. i remember sitting at my desk at work, on my phone, writing this fic, then coming home and editing on a damn tablet bc my laptop bricked earlier this year

the warmth of your doorway

i meant to capitalize the title but at this point i’ve decided to leave it lol. i really loved writing this bc i felt very confident in the way i was building the scenes and the detail i was able to incorporate. i feel like this is where i really kinda go my voice back and i start to come into my own, if that makes sense? one of my fave fics i’ve ever written tbh. there’s a longer ‘verse for this, but after i finished this fic i got too distracted by new projects to try and continue it lol

Tell Me

this was my first trans!loki fic and he’s a trans man, and god i love it. i’ve got another ftm loki story as a WIP in my gdocs bc this story showed me how much i fucking love writing trans characters, and i really enjoyed the dynamic i put into this fic. there’s a sequel planned lol it’s gonna be dirty

Interwoven

i still haven’t managed to ever find the post that inspired this damn fic and if you wonder whether that drives me up the wall the answer is yes (: and fun fact! i intentionally never describe loki’s genitals in this fic, bc i was picturing him as a trans guy since i’d just written tell me and now i have a massive obsession with writing trans romance and erotica

Tie Breaker

in this house we love and appreciate bottom thor!!! also i loved writing the sparring at the beginning. it makes me wanna write more fics w/ brutal fight scenes lol. thor’s slutty drunk cape outfit is iconic and i’m gonna read that comic just for that outfit honestly

Pretense of Subjugation

i became drunkenly obsessed with loki manspreading on the throne of asgard and this was the result. this was the first thorki fic of mine that i’d had beta’d and it was vastly, vastly improved by it. the tips @ktspree13 gave me when she helped with this fic have affected literally every single fic i’ve written since

Double and More

so this is not the first thorki fic i ever posted, of course, however it is the first i ever started writing. i got to the point where loki’s in thor’s lap and then i kinda blanked out and let the fic sit for like... 2 or 3 months? then i opened it back up and i was like “oh i like this i should finish this” which is why i don’t delete anything anymore bc there’s always a chance i’ll come back to it

Ringback Tone

y’all owe @thotki for the wondrous idea they presented in discord that ended up creating this fic. i think i wrote this fic in like 3 days bc of how much fun i was having with it. the dirty talk was my favorite thing to write in this and i remember distinctly having this [:< moment when i was daydreaming about it

Seldom All They Seem

there was an impromptu bottom thor day back on 20 oct and this fic was my contribution. we can never have enough time travel, can we? i remember i think i took like a four day weekend from work and part of my motivation was literally wanting to finish this fic in time to post it lmfao

Fluffy Thorki Sunday Ficlets

i started doing fluffy thorki sunday back when i was on bourbonbucky and i continued it here, and i’m proud that i’ve written at least 1 piece for fluffy thorki sunday every sunday since i started. i love doing fluff and smut, and honestly even when my mood has been shit, i’ve always felt motivated to try and improve it at least enough to write some nice fluff. i put all of these on ao3 once i moved blogs

Let Love Disrupt

this is another fic we owe to discord lmao. i remember posting this when i was either very drunk or very tired and having to keep going onto ao3 on my damn phone browser to correct minor shit, and some not so minor shit like a typo in the title bc at first it said “distrupt” and that’s why i only post when i’m awake and sober now lmfao

Without Fear

i love werewolves (: a whole bunch (: and this fic is something dirty and wonderful that i’m proud of and THERE’S ART bc @nekokat42 is a blessing and takes commissions. kot i love u :3

On the Other Side Like Always

i have a lot of feelings about this fic. there’s an entire future in this ‘verse that i would so love to write, but i’m stuck on where to go with it. as it stands i am satisfied with this as a story of thor and loki coming together, and a story about how loki does something out of desperation but is finally given something genuine and comforting in his life like he’s always deserved. THERE’S ART from the wondrous @boltplumart / @mrhiddles bc allie is perfect :]

Runaway

when i tell y’all i’m a trash gremlin king. i do have a thing for writing underage characters with adults (probs due to messy personal history lmfao ain’t gonna look at that too closely) and so writing this one was a fun little bit of self indulgence. also it’s dirty and really plays into codependency, which i always like writing bc it’s a fun thing to explore in fiction

Sunset Rhapsody

this fic. was supposed to be. two thousand words. at most. then thor smiled at me, as the writer, and was like “i want to own him” and we ended up with 11k of thor’s obsessive bs and loki being brutal. joking aside, i love this fic, i love what i did with it, i have an original story i wanna write for my size kink anthology that will follow a similar thread to this one. also that torture scene. i don’t recall if i ever properly wrote torture before, but this did kinda make me squirm a bit when i was writing it and if you’ve read it you know precisely which scene i’m talking about lmfao

Right to Guard

this fic was honestly very emotionally satisfying for me in a pretty visceral way. writing thor just surrendering to love and spoiling the fuck out of loki was pretty damn cathartic. 

A Bite of Lamb

me making sure i never lose my title as a trash gremlin king. honestly writing thor’s POV in this fic was like >.> at myself a couple times bc it felt distinctly dark in a way i’d never written another character. a very, very unhealthy kind of obsession and this twisted logic where he’s trying to make it all okay. i really fucking love this damn fic tho and i’m happy with how it came out. 

Seamless

i was so, so frustrated and pissed off at work that i needed to let that shit out, so that was channeled into this very guilt-ridden turned tender fic, and i really enjoyed writing it. loved writing thor taking care of his baby sister. also! KOT IS FUCKING AMAZING and drew this bc they’re such a good fucking person ;A; like they sent me a message and just said “really liked this scene” and i was D Y I N G and i still am. thank you again, kot!

The Way A Rose Blooms

this was written for the thorki secret santa exchange! i drew @chickcheney and honestly the list of prompts was so, so good. bottom thor, arranged marriage, semi-public sex and trying not to be caught, body worship. i was like “damn did i draw myself wtf” bc that is all up my alley. 

Sugar Cookie

i honestly could not think of a better fic to finish off 2018 for me than sugar cookie. porn and emotions that’s all this is, but it features loki as a trans woman being loved and appreciated as she is with nothing extra expected of her and it was so satisfying to write. it makes me want to write original romance with trans women, which i’ll definitely do bc i loved writing this hungry and tender story and i’m very happy with how i ended it. 

so that was 2018 for me! 

[deepestuniversallove]

Selfship Positivity Day

So I heard that today is a day for some selfship positivity! I want to also thank a few people for tagging me in their posts!

I have joined the self-ship community on tumblr in early 2018. I have really started self-shipping when I was around 7 years old and fell in love with Bonkers D Bobcat, who was my first crush, but I promptly gave up on him when I saw that he had a crush on Fawn Deer in canon (as a kid I thought that canon was what was real, so....). I had a few minor crushes on a few other characters as well (like Johnny from S.O.S. Croco), but never actively self-shipped with them, I just found them really cool.

Then at 11 years old, I went to see the First Pokemon Movie and fell in love with Mewtwo at first sight. After Bonkers, he was the first character I actively started to self ship with, and he has been a great inspiration and help for me; I was raised in an emotionally abusive household, emotionally neglected, starved for affection that I never got. Plus my mother has narcissistic personality disorder and only sees me as a living plaything and extension of her - which this is no fun way to grow up. Add to this that I was pretty much the social outcast at school, and you would probably understand why I always had suicidal ideations, depression and eventually developed avoidant personality disorder. So yeah, seeing Mewtwo, neglected by the scientists who refused him warmth and him going against Giovanni... I wanted to be like Mewtwo, just as strong as him. Daydreaming of him in the evening was what kept me sane and gave me the feeling that at least someone loved me, even if he was fictional. Plus, through him, I learned about genetics and science and decided I wanna go into science (which led me to being a Biology PhD student today) - which led me into choosing Biology, Chemistry and English as my majors in our german school system.

I have always drawn the occasional self ship picture or sketch with Mewtwo, but back then, I mostly focused on shipping other pairings from other franchises. I came to the internet for the first time in 2005, when I joined Deviantart through other self shippers who had their sights on various Sonic characters and shipped their own OCs with them. In fact, I have made my own OC named Jamai Dark to ship her with Shadow the hedgehog.

The first picture with Mewtwo was one that I tried to trace from “Mewtwo Returns”. Though I still focused more on shipping other pairings and on the Sonic franchise. In any case, the Mewtwo artists back then were a huge inspiration for me.

My first fanchild with Mewtwo, Kunai, was posted online before I ever posted any of my selfship pictures, and even then, I avoided outright saying that she was supposed to be the daughter of me and Mewtwo because of the backlash I feared. I simply enjoyed watching the more daring artists who outright were able to profess their love for Mewtwo, which I didn’t have the courage for at first. My first other self shipper that I found was @desert-fairy-vixen, who had remained a loyal friend ever since I started out on Deviantart.

At 16, I became involved with a boy around my age and entered a relationship with him. He forbid me Mewtwo, stating that he wasn’t necessary any more, so I tearfully bid Mewtwo goodbye, writing him a poem as well as drawing one goodbye picture.

However, my relationship with my boyfriend was not that good, and without Mewtwo, I simply felt lost. My frist boyfriend belonged to a religious cult and was homeschooled; he was also heavily brainwashed that religion trumps over all, so I tried for years to reconcile his religion with my science, only finding that it was impossible. I have still stayed with this guy for 6 years, when he had started to control me even more with his abusive grip. I ended it with him then, and was heartbroken, feeling that I didn’t deserve Mewtwo after having left him to be with my boyfriend. So I couldn’t jump back into self shipping. Instead, I shipped certain pairings from the YuGiOh series, as well as Digimon, in the meantime. It was actually when I hit the Digimon stage that I started to self ship with Arukenimon. I also had a crush on Eridan Ampora.

In 2013, I had a dream in which Mewtwo fought and protected me from zombies. That was the point at which I decided that I want to be with Mewtwo again. Why deny myself this? Why hide?  And so I drew my first comic in which I tried to remember my past with Mewtwo, and this is how I met my first self shippers on Deviantart who also self shipped with Mewtwo. In fact, @sweetwhitechoco was one of the first I openly talked with when it came to Mewtwo. I have watched Lullaby-of-the-Lost and Kokoro-Tokoro from afar and didn’t dare to talk to them because they were out of my league, but seeing other people post self ship Mewtwo art made me want to do the same.

I only found out about the self shipping community on tumblr in 2017, after having had haters who told me that my self ship is vile and bestiality. Finding an entire community of self shippers was a blessing after having gone through such shit. I think I am still not over the fact that I have tried to give up Mewtwo when I came together with my abusive ex-boyfriend for the first time. Sometimes I wonder if Mewtwo would really want to be back together with me, or I feel unworthy of him. I can only hope that I may overcome this one day. Or it’s just a symptom of my AvPD, because I tend to push away those I love to not taint them with my imperfections.

In any case, onwards to the shippers I met on here!

@star-platinums-wife was one of the first self shippers, and through her and her followers, I got to know more self shippers. Though the concept of having a self shipping blog is what I have seen from @gamzeeismyboyfriend for the first time, and this was actually when I decided to post my selfship art on my blog too.

@asa-de-ouro is one of the best friends I could have hoped to find, and she is the mom friend for sure!

I also got to know @husband-of-lucoa, who is also a great friend and really loved by both Lucoa and Palutena! They both told me so!

@lightningsconsort Your love and devotion to your queen Lightning is such an inspiration, I wish you both many happy years together for the future!

@slyvivi has such a cute self ship with Necrozma, it is always a delight to see someone who also self ships with a Pokemon! You and Necrozma are so cute together, and I am sure that he sees you as the Light of his life. And @come-along-here-and-spin-with-me, you and Oracion are also such cuties together!

@lildreamysoul, you are an absolute Queen, and I kind of count you in as “above my league”; I love the ideas you have for self shipping! Making your own self ship mugs? A book with collected artworks? Acrylic charms? Like dang, you make me want to try this out as well!

@mrs-rock-light You reminded of the time when I found Zero so cool! :D I am glad that he found someone to be happy with in you! God knows after all his fights, he certainly deserves some happiness for a change!

@charles-self-inserts I am so honored that you wanted my self ship to be included with yours in a comission! ;__; thank you so so much for that!

@only-mewtwo Highfives! You and Mewtwo are so cute together!

@malt-tango :D I love all the discussions about details for fanfics that I can have with you, and I love your idea for my fanfics. It is thanks to you that I am now even attempting to write my self-insert more true to myself which I didn’t have the courage for before.

@plucky-belmondo AHH, you and Richter are so cute, and I love all the awesome designs that you made for your self-insert for Smash Bros! Amazing!!!

@goldenworldsabound  :D You, Spock, me and Mewtwo need to go out on a date together. :D

@rulersofthekoopakingdom You and Bowser are so cute! *_* <3 <3

I hope all of you had a great self ship positivity day! :D If I haven’t mentioned you in here, I am still probably watching you from afar and being too shy to say anything. ^^;; whoops.

[buckysgoldenheart]

A Part of The Team: Part 2

Bycky x Reader

Part 2

Based off (Request: Hello! Would you mind doing a oneshot where Bucky and Reader just got married and he becomes more protective of her and sweeter and clingier and his team mates tease him about it ? 😅)

Warnings: Bad language word

Words: 1525

Bucky was extremely lucky and damn, if he didn’t know it. On one hand, he had an amazing wife that he was proud of in both her passion and her strength, but part of him, she would be ashamed to know, was so thankful that there wasn’t a mission that could take her away from him.

It had been four whole months and not a single global catastrophe. Small missions sure, but nothing Steve or Tony couldn’t take on single handedly. So, in the meantime, Bucky took every second of Y/Ns presence as a blessing. He always had really, but ever since her last mission, he couldn’t shake his underlying fear. He wanted a future with this woman that just being married didn’t guarantee, not in this job, but nevertheless, he wanted one.

He wanted the sweet, little 3-bedroom house outside of the city where they could raise their two children, one boy, one girl. Hopefully as beautiful as his beautiful wife.

So, four months for her to heal, to get back on her feet, was an utter miracle and Bucky would thank whomever he needed to for making it happen.

“You’re lost in thought again, Mr. Barnes.” Y/Ns melodic voice soothed from his right.

He turned his head to see you on your side in the bed, facing him, with your hands tucked up under your head. You smelled of lavender. How did you always smell of lavender?

Bucky removed his hands from under his own head and turned to face you. “I have a lot to think about.”

“Oh, do you? That’s uncharacteristic.” You chuckled.

Bucky gaze turned slightly predatory at the tiny jab and, in an instant, he was on top of you, tickling your sides, making you giggle in that way of yours that drove him mad.

“You’re going to regret your words, Mrs. Barnes.” He warned, then leaned down to pepper kisses along your neck before sucking on the sweet skin.

“Not likely.” You snickered between your moans.

He released your now, sensitive skin, and trailed his kisses up your jaw to your lips. They were chapped after a night of sleeping, but you loved it. Then, he parted them further and slipped his silky, soft tongue in to caress your own.

The two of you bounded down the stairs, hand-in-hand and smiling, to go meet your friends for breakfast.

“Oh God, they’re glowing.” You heard Steve, breaking your trance, and snapping your head in his direction.

“Glowing how?” Nat questioned with a squint in her eye.

“You know Nat, glowing…In a sexual manner.” He finished with a whisper.

“Steve said ‘sexual!’” Tony pipped up as he entered the kitchen from behind you.

“Shut the fuck up Tony!”

“Dear God, we are just letting all the wild animals out of their cages today, huh Capsicle?”

“What can I say? You just bring it out in me.” Steve grumbled into his coffee cup.

Tony looked to you with a look of fabricated adoration. “He always knows what to saw to just melt my heart.” Then, he continued his strut over to the refrigerator to pull out a carton of eggs, but you knew about three minutes later he would decide he was too lazy to actually cook and settle for some cereal instead.

He moved to put them back sooner than you thought, but you stopped him.

“Keep the eggs out, Tony.” You said, walking over to him, taking the carton as he held them out for you.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Bucky followed close behind and wrapped his arms around your waist as you removed some eggs. He kissed your exposed shoulder.

“Eggs?” You questioned.

“Sure.”

He kissed your cheek and released you so you could prepare breakfast and moved to sit by Steve at the island counter.

“You two are awfully lovey this morning.” The blond man smirked, but Bucky was not in the mood for his friends jokes. So instead, he changed the subject to benefit his own teasing.

“How’s Sharon?” Bucky smiled, a little too mischievously.

Steve had developed some serious feelings for the woman after their shared kiss, but he didn’t know how to handle it exactly, so his best tactic was to avoid the issue altogether until he had no choice but to face her again.

“Well, that is certainly hitting a man below his sensitive, super soldier belt.”

Bucky said nothing, waiting patiently for a reasonable answer. Steve only rolled his eyes and huffed.

“I’m working on it.”

Bucky smiled and grasped his friends shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“I’m sure you’ll get there.” Bucky smirked, just as you set a plate of eggs down in front of him. You pulled up the chair and sat yourself down, so you could join the conversation, but more importantly, eat. You were starving after your morning with Bucky.

Just as you were reaching for your fork to dive into the fluffy eggs, your husband grabbed your hand in his. You smiled at him and he smiled back before you began to wiggle your fingers out of his clench, but he only gripped harder.

“Nope.” He said, oddly serious.

“What?”

“This hand is mine.”

“How am I supposed to eat my food?”

“Use your other one.”

You puffed out a little breath that caused a strand of hair to float away from your face. “But, I want to use this hand.”

“Sorry doll, but that really isn’t my problem.”

“We are married dear, I thought my problems are your problems.”

“That’s debatable.” He said with that annoying, smug look on his face that only ever reminded you of why you fell in love with him in the first place.

“Ok, how about this?” He raised an eyebrow at your question, assuming there wasn’t a damn thing you could say to make him let go of you. “If you don’t let go of my hand, then I won’t do that thing you like for an entire month.”

Instantly, his eyebrow dropped back into place and his lips parted in a slight shock. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

It took all of one second for him to drop your hand so fast it nearly jerked from its socket towards the floor. He stared at you, unblinking, when Steve cleared his throat overenthusiastically, switching both your and Bucky’s attention to him.

“Look kids, as much fun as this is, it’s a little too early in the morning to hear about your bedroom relations.”

At Steve’s words, Bucky saw his opportunity and his eyes lit up as he chuckled. “Steve, would you prefer we leave so we can get back to our bedroom relations?”

The silence that followed was deafening and hysterical and your giggles began to bubble up over your straight face. Bucky followed and soon you were both laughing so hard you didn’t even notice when Steve mumbled a ‘bye’ and left the room.

You felt bad, but lately, Steve had been so sensitive to any talk of sex in any form by anyone. More so than usual, that is.

“Did we cross a line, Buck?”

“No. Our boy will be fine. He’s just nervous about this ‘Sharon’ thing.

“I could talk to her…”

Bucky turned his head to you before stuffing a bite of eggs past his lips. “Give him a week. If he doesn’t make a move, then yea, maybe you should give her a call.”

“You don’t think it would make him mad?”

Bucky just shrugged his shoulders like a little boy after being asked if he was the one who drew on the wall with crayons. For some reason, he felt guilty for Steve not having someone yet. To Bucky, it just seemed like there was a lot of Steve’s time spent looking for him and not finding someone to share a life with like he had when he found you. “I just want him to be happy.”

“I know, baby.” You smiled and reached up a hand to run your fingers through his silky hair. You wanted Steve to be happy, too. He was the one to convince you that Bucky wasn’t such a bad guy and that he deserved a chance almost 2 years ago. Steve deserved to be with someone just as much as anyone else and you knew Sharon was the woman he would choose, if he only had the nerve to set aside all worry and just go for it.

Getting the two of them together would be your new mission, since you hadn’t been on one in four months. Not that you didn’t enjoy the peace, but it was like telling an artist not to paint, or a chef not to cook. Missions were your job and you were trained to factor them into your life, so now that they were not, you felt a little out of place. Honestly, you needed to find some way to occupy your time, especially considering your husband would never let you on another mission again once he found out your little secret. And give it another month or two, there would be no keeping it from him even if you wanted to.

  Tags: @dugan365 @moonlightimagination @pietrotheavenger @marvel-fanfiction @dani-si @alyssiamking @wintersoldier98 @then-there-was-me-emily @prxttybirdz @tessvillegas @xceafh @jazzwoman897 @sebstanchrisevanchickforever19 @fandoms-who @meganwinchester1999 @ufffg @debra77 @rebelliouscat @seargantbcky @anise-d-castle6 @projectxhappiness @buckybarnesappreciationsociety

[elementalwriter67]

Will you be mine?

Pairings: Jason Todd x Reader

A/N: I swear this one is happy.

Word Count: 5840

Summary: (Y/N) goes out on a date with someone for Valentine’s Day and Jason gets jealous.

“I’m gonna go get some more popcorn.” (Y/N) said as she stood up from her spot beside Jason and stretched. Discreetly Jason bit his lip and his eyes traveled the length of (Y/N)’s body as she stretched, and his eyes followed after her as she walked out of the living room where they had all been enjoying one of the days off with a movie marathon. All around him, the others started snickering and he glared at them all in annoyance.

“What?” He all but growled and the others kept snickering at him and he rolled his eyes.

“They’re laughing at how you have yet to confess your feelings for (Y/L/N) so you continue to ogle her as she walks away,” Damian answered his eyes never leaving the book he was reading and Jason scowled at him.

“I was not ogling (Y/N)!” He defended himself and at that Damian looked up from his book and gave Jason a deadpanned look.

“No you were totally ogling (Y/N), little wing there’s no denying that we all saw it,” Dick spoke up and Jason turned his annoyed scowl on Dick.

“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel Jason, it’ll be a lot easier than just watching her from a distance,” Barbra suggested and Jason shook his head.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I don’t have feelings for (Y/N),” Jason said turning to look back at the screen and to hopefully avoid any more scrutiny from his siblings. He wasn’t fooling anyone, not even himself, with that line though. It was blatantly clear that he had feelings from (Y/N), he always gave her these lovesick looks when she wasn’t looking, and he was always the first one to cave to any idea that (Y/N) came up with, plus he would ogle her when he thought no one was looking but all of them were always watching the two of them. And while they all thought that it was cute and all they were starting to get annoyed with how neither of them had made a move on the other one especially since (Y/N) hid her feelings for Jason about as well as he hid his.

“Hey! You know what you should do! You should ask her to be your Valentine tomorrow!” Steph suggested and Jason cringed at the volume of her voice.

“Steph keep it down! I don’t want (Y/N) hearing you!” Jason hissed and Steph rolled her eyes.

“Come on Jason, she’s not going to hear me she’s all the way down in the kitchen.” Steph waved him off and he gave the ceiling an exasperated look. There was a blessed moment of silence before Dick spoke up again.

“If you don’t ask her, I will,” Dick stated with all the confidence in the world and Jason’s eyes widened as he sat up a little straighter fighting the urge to go over there and kick Dick’s ass, jealousy rearing its ugly head.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jason growled. Yes Jason loved (Y/N), there was no lying about it to himself or to anyone else, and while he would never actually tell (Y/N) how he felt because he didn’t think he deserved someone as nice and caring as (Y/N) but he would be damned if she would date Dick. She could date anyone else she wanted but if she ended up dating Dick that was it, he would rather die again than watch that relationship. Dick smirked at him, clearly knowing what he was doing to Jason who continued to glare at him.

“I will unless you do it first.” Dick said and Jason opened his mouth to fire off a threat but was stopped when (Y/N) walked back into the room carrying a precariously piled up bowl of popcorn.

“Unless who does what first?” (Y/N) asked as she set the bowl back down on the coffee table which had been situated between all of them so they could all reach it easily. She looked at Jason and Dick who were having a stare down and then glanced around at Damian, Tim, Steph, Damian, and Cass who all just shook their heads.

“Dick d-” “Hey (Y/N) what are you doing tomorrow for Valentine’s day?” Dick asked before Jason could say anything and (Y/N) glanced at Jason as she sat back down next to him. Jason was glaring at Dick, which was nothing do.

“I was just going to stay home tomorrow why?” She asked him and Jason tensed up beside her while Dick clapped his hands together a large smile spreading across his face.

“Fantastic! Then would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow?” Dick asked and (Y/N) gave him an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry Dick, but you’re not really my type and well just no you’re more like my best friend.” (Y/N) answered and Dick’s eyes widened while the others burst out in laughter. Jason threw his head back and laughed partly in relief and partly at seeing the shock on Dick’s face. (Y/N) gave him another apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry Dick, I really hope you weren’t hoping for a yes.” (Y/N) cringed a little silently praying that she hadn’t hurt Dick as she smacked Jason and lightly kicked Tim for still laughing. Jason and Tim quickly cleared their throats and tried to stop laughing but ended up giggling instead.

“Oh don’t worry about it (Y/N) I was only asking because I’ve got nothing planned tomorrow either.” He said with earnestly in his voice and (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him.

“Really? You’re not hurt?” (Y/N) asked and she watched as a gleam came to Dick’s eyes as he glanced at Jason and then looked back at her. Jason paled when he saw the gleam in Dick’s eyes and one of his hands wrapped around a throw pillow that resided between him and the arm of the couch.

“No you didn’t hurt me, actually I was just asking because I was trying to-” Dick was cut off by a pillow to the face and before anyone could ask any questions or say anything else Jason filled in the silence.

“Hey! Why don’t we get back to our movie marathon, yeah?” Jason asked as he leaned forward, ducking the retaliation pillow in the process and grabbed the remote off the table and hit play on the movie again.

“That’s not fair! That was a cheap shot!” Dick shouted and Jason glared at him as he turned the volume up on the TV.

“Shush the movie is playing!” Jason hissed and Dick glared at him before he fell back against the couch with his arms crossed over his chest and a pout on his face. Jason smiled in satisfaction before he settled back into the couch and threw his arm up over the back of it. (Y/N) leaned into his side and curled up on the couch her attention solely on the movie, completely missing the light blush that dusted Jason’s cheeks and the spike in his heart rate. Mentally Jason cursed himself for reacting like that, this wasn’t the first time they had cuddled like this to watch a movie, not by a long shot, but after what just happened and how close Dick had come to revealing his secret he was worried that one of them would say something else about his crush on (Y/N) and he really wasn’t ready to have her know yet. He waited for several tense minutes for one of them to say something but thankfully none of them did and he finally relaxed enjoying the feel of having (Y/N) pressed this close to him.

~Hours Later~

~(Y/N)’s P.O.V~

“Thanks for the ride home Jay.” (Y/N) said as the two of them walked to her apartment, and Jason gave her a relaxed smile.

“I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” Jason said as (Y/N) unlocked her door. She rolled her eyes and opened the door as she walked in, Jason following after her.

“Three years of friendship and crime-fighting partnership and you still walk me home like your afraid that I’m going to get mugged or something.” She commented as she walked to her kitchen.

“Hey, this is Gotham, not Metropolis, being mugged is the least of your problems. What if you had been kidnapped?” He asked and (Y/N) rolled her eyes a fond smile spreading across her face as she leaned against her island and looked at him.

“Then I would have broken out and kicked their butts. I’m just as capable of taking care of myself as you are Jason you know that.” She wasn’t really upset with him. Actually if she was being honest with herself she was kind of happy that he had walked her home because this was the first time that she had gotten to be alone with Jason all day, and while she valued the others and loved them all as siblings sometimes she just really wanted alone time with Jason despite the fact that they got alone time like every day.

“I know that but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about you. You’re my best friend (Y/N) I don’t want you to get hurt.” Jason said and (Y/N) felt a pang in her chest at best friend. She both hated and loved those words because it brought her closer to Jason but drew an almost uncrossable line between the two of them as well and that’s what she hated. She wanted so desperately to be more than friends with Jason, to be able to say that he was her boyfriend like so many other women assumed but she was too afraid to tell him. Too afraid that if she did he would say no because there were so many other women in the world who were better than her in every way that she really couldn’t blame Jason if he decided that he wanted one of them instead of just plain old her.

“I know Jay, same goes for you too you know.” She forced a smile on her face. Confusion threatened to overtake her face when she saw what she thought was disappointment or hurt flash in his eyes but it was gone before she could get a good look at it. Shaking her head softly she put a genuine smile on her face as she walked up to him and hugged him tightly her eyes closing as she rested her head against his chest. It took him seconds to respond to the hug and he was resting his head on top of hers as he did.

“Thank you though for driving me home and then up to my apartment.” She said as she let go of Jason but he held the hug a second longer which caused a faint blush to spread across her cheeks as she stepped back from him when he finally let go. She looked down at the floor for a couple of seconds suddenly nervous and shy about having him in her apartment.

“Well… I guess I should get going then. I guess I’ll see you later then.” Jason said a hint of nervousness in his voice and (Y/N)’s head shot up to look at him and a smile spread across her face, the shyness and nervousness leaving her completely.

“Oh yeah definitely. Hey, be careful on your way home alright?” She asked and Jason smiled at her and gave her a wink as well.

“Don’t worry about me sweetheart careful is my middle name.” He said and another blush spread across her cheeks as she giggled and rolled her eyes at him.

“Somehow I seriously doubt that.” She mused thinking back on all the times on patrol when he had stupidly and recklessly done something that had upset both Bruce and her.

“Ah! You wound me!” He exclaimed putting a hand on his chest as his eyes widened and she rolled her eyes smiling despite herself.

“Yeah, yeah, get going, you weirdo. Don’t want you driving that bike of yours without your helmet this late.” She said as she gave him a light shove towards the door and he chuckled throwing his hands up in the air in surrender.

“Alright, alright, I’m going. I’ll see you later!” Jason called as he headed for the door.

“See you later!” (Y/N) called back seconds before he closed the door behind him and she sighed, sagging back against the island. She stood there for a few minutes smiling before she pushed herself off the island and started for her bedroom to change into her pajamas when there was a knock at her door.

“Jason, how did you have time to leave something in my apartment?” (Y/N) asked as she opened the door only to be greeted by a guy holding a vase full of roses and a card sticking up out of them. (Y/N) opened and closed her mouth a couple of times an embarrassed blush heating her face as she stared at the delivery guy.

“I ah, sorry thought you were someone else.” She muttered and the delivery guy shrugged like it happened all the time and just handed over the flowers.

“Oh, ah, thank you.” (Y/N) said and the delivery guy just rolled his eyes and turned and walked away. She sighed as she stepped back into her apartment and kicked the door closed.

“Whoever said chivalry and kindness were dead in Gotham?” She muttered to herself as she walked into her kitchen and set down the flowers down on her island. Plucking the card from the flowers she read it ‘Will you be my valentine?’ followed by a phone number. She stared at the number for a full minute debating on whether or not to call the mysterious number, a part of her thinking that it was Dick. Eventually, she decided to just call the number the worst that could happen was that she would have to get a new phone if it was one of the rogues or some creep.

“Dick really? You sent me flowers and you even got a new number for me to call? Asking once wasn’t enough?” (Y/N) asked before the other person could say a word.

“Ah, (Y/N), this is David,” David said and (Y/N) stared ahead of her, her mouth wide open and a frustrated and annoyed feeling inside of her that was directed directly at herself. After almost a full minute of silence, she groaned and smacked her hand against her forehead.

“Hi David, I’m so sorry I didn’t give you a chance to answer the phone.” She muttered as she walked to the living room and fell onto her couch. (Y/N) had known David for about two years now after they had met early one morning when she was doing a caffeine run for Tim after Alfred had taken the coffee maker and espresso machine away from him.

“It’s alright (Y/N) I take it it’s been a long day?” David asked and (Y/N) shrugged to herself.

“Not really, anyways you sent the flowers?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about hiding my number I thought this would be more fun. Do you have an answer for me?” David asked his voice hopeful and (Y/N) bit her bottom lip. It wasn’t that (Y/N) didn’t like David, she did, just not in that way but she also didn’t want to hurt him by saying no. Plus what were the odds that Jason actually liked her back? Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go out on a date with David, he wasn’t that bad of a guy from what she had seen plus maybe it would help her get over Jason since she clearly had no chance with him. Releasing her bottom lip she sighed softly before forcing a smile on her face.

“Sure I’ll be your valentine for tomorrow.” (Y/N) tried to make her voice sound as happy as possible and apparently that was good enough for him.

“Fantastic! I’ve got a whole day planned out! I’ll be at your apartment to pick you up at nine! How does that sound?!” David sounded so enthusiastic about the day that (Y/N) was kind of glad to have said yes to him because it made him so happy.

“Sure sounds great, I’ll see you then.” (Y/N) said.

“See you then,” David said before he hung up the phone. (Y/N) hung her phone up and dropped it on her stomach with a sigh.

“Well, this should be interesting, to say the least.” She muttered to herself.

~The next day~

(Y/N) hummed softly to herself as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror braiding her hair in as fancy in a manner that she could make it herself. Her phone ringing from her bedroom called her attention and she huffed in annoyance as she held the end of her braid tightly and walked to get her phone.

“Hey, Jason what’s up?” (Y/N) asked when she answered her phone and she put in on speaker before taking it with her back to the bathroom.

“Nothing much, I was just wondering if you’d like to hang out today?” He asked. A large smile spread across (Y/N)’s face and she started to get excited before she remembered who was going to pick her up at nine and what she would be doing all day. Sighing she finished her braid and picked up her phone, taking it off speaker.

“That did not sound like a happy sigh,” Jason commented and (Y/N) chuckled softly.

“You would be correct in that assumption.” She said as she walked out of the bathroom and to her kitchen, she had ten minutes before David would be here to pick her up.

“I’m really sorry Jay, I would love to hang out with you today but I have a date and he said that it was going to last all day.” (Y/N) told him as she cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder as she bent down and put on her shoes.

“But you said no to Dick.” Jason was full of confusion when he spoke.

“You’re right I did and I stand by that no, I’m talking about David you know the guy I met at the coffee shop two years ago? He sent me a bunch of flowers and asked me out.” (Y/N) shrugged lopsidedly as she walked back to her kitchen.

“Yeah, I remember David, what I don’t remember is you liking him,” Jason commented and (Y/N) sighed.

“I honestly don’t know if I like him like that or not so I figured I’d go on this date to find out if I do.” There was no way in hell that she was going to tell Jason the truth. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Jason finally said something.

“Are you sure that you really know this guy? What if he’s a serial killer or something? What if he works for Joker?” Jason asked and (Y/N)’s shoulders fell and she shook her head, a smile crossing her face at Jason’s concern.

“Jay, you honestly think that David could be any of those things? You’ve met him. He’s dorky and he has like no balance what are the odds that the dudes the henchman of Jokers?” I asked him and there was another beat of silence.

“Alright, what about Riddler? Have you done a background search on him? Are you sure that he’s a hundred percent sure that he’s safe?” Jason asked and (Y/N) sighed when she heard a knock on the door.

“Look, Jason, I appreciate the sentiment and the concern but David isn’t any of those things. I’ve got to go, I’ll talk to you later.” (Y/N) hung up the phone before he could answer and took a deep breath. She wasn’t nervous or excited about the idea of any of this, in fact, she didn’t even really want to go now that she stopped and thought about it all she wanted to do was go watch a couple horror movies because what better way to celebrate valentine's day than with blood and horror. But she had already said yes to David and backing out on him now would just be rude and counterproductive. Releasing the breath she walked up to the door and plastered a smile on her face.

“Hey, David.” She said looking him over, he wasn’t dressed overly fancy which was good but his hands were behind his back and while (Y/N) could guess what was behind there it still made her uneasy.

“You look amazing (Y/N),” David said as he looked her over and she gave him a polite smile.

“Thank you, you don’t look bad yourself.” (Y/N) said and she watched as a faint blush dusted his cheeks and he glanced down at the ground. Oh bless his heart he really was in love with her, and she was really going to feel bad if this didn’t turn out in his favor.

“Thank you. Oh! These are for you!” David exclaimed as he pulled another bouquet of roses out from behind his back and (Y/N) had to stop herself from frowning at the sight of them.  One vase full of roses was enough but a second slightly small bouquet of them was pushing the cringe and overly sweet envelope that enveloped valentine’s day.

“Oh thank you, David, they’re beautiful.” (Y/N) said as she took them from him. “Ah wait here.” (Y/N) told him as she disappeared into her apartment for a minute and set the bouquet of roses down on the island with a tired sigh. This was going to be a long day. (Y/N) had no problem with people being romantic and stuff, in fact, she was a romantic at heart, but there was a line in the amount of romance that she wasn’t willing to cross and that was the overly sweet and gushy line with the people going you hang up first no you. All that was just too cliche and ugh for her to handle. She was going to have to cross that line today though because that looked like the only option she had. Plastering another smile back on to her face she walked back to David who had obediently stayed put in her doorway waiting.

“Ready to go?” He asked and (Y/N) nodded her head as she grabbed her purse and jacket because the temperature in Gotham never stayed the same.

“Ready.” She said and David moved so she could step out in the hallway. Once her door was closed and locked David took her hand and together they walked towards the elevator, (Y/N) trying desperately to ignore how clammy his hands were.

~End of the Day~

~Jason’s P.O.V~

Jason couldn’t take it anymore, he was this close to putting swinging down there and rescuing (Y/N) from David and giving the guy a good kick while he was at it. All day Jason had been watching the two of them, carefully avoiding (Y/N)’s wondering eyes and any of his siblings’ eyes if they were out and about. All day he had been watching them, watching as (Y/N) suffered through all the gushy and cliche and over the top embarrassing things that David put her through and the whole time she was smiling but the dumbass (as Jason had started referring to him as) apparently couldn’t tell the difference between a happy smile and a forced one. It was all hard to watch honestly, especially since he knew (Y/N) so well and on several occasions he had to stop himself from jumping down there and stealing her away just to spare the both of them.

Now though it was finally the end of the date and he couldn’t be happier but he was going to have to do some serious damage control he could just tell. Standing up from his perch he stretched and groaned in satisfaction. He took a minute to think about what he was going to do before he smiled and handed over to his apartment and then to (Y/N)’s to give her a valentine’s day surprise worthy of her.

~At (Y/N)’s apartment~

~(Y/N)’s P.O.V~

“I had a really good time with you today David.” (Y/N) said keeping up her face that she had actually enjoyed the day. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been (Y/N) knew that, but it had still been pretty bad. She had found out that David was actually an extremely boring date, they had gone to a cafe for breakfast which had decent food and decent coffee but not as good as Alfred’s breakfast. After that as they were leaving the cafe some asshole had spilt his coffee on her as she walked by, and she was the one to get upset not David. So she had walked around all day with a coffee stained shirt because David insisted that they couldn’t go back and let her change. Then they had gone to see the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie and that was the single most uncomfortable and nausea-inducing movie on the planet but David seemed to like it. And that didn’t exactly fill her with confidence. The rest of the day had gone down the toilet, wine stains had joined the coffee, some douche had hit on her (or at least had started too the guy had suddenly cut off before he could really finish) and again David had done nothing. The guy may not be a serial killer or a henchman but he was an unobservant asshole when it came to dating.

“(Y/N)? (Y/N)! You there?!” David shouted snapping her out of her thoughts as he waved his hand in front of her face.

“What? Sorry.” (Y/N) muttered and David smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. I was just wondering if you would be willing to go out on a second date with me?” He asked and (Y/N) had to almost physically restrain herself from paling and retreating into her apartment.

“Ah actually, you know what, I’m really tired and I really need a shower, is it alright if I call you tomorrow?” She asked unlocking her door as she spoke and David’s eyes widened.

“What? Oh yeah sure of course.” David said with a smile and (Y/N) forced one back as well.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, see you!” (Y/N) rushed out as she quickly opened her door and slipped into her apartment. She had to stop herself from slamming the door closed as she stood there leaning against it with her hands flat against it almost like she was afraid that he would kick down the door. At the sound of footsteps retreating from her door (Y/N) let out a sigh and turned around to sag against the door in relief.

“You look like shit,” Jason said as he stood in the living room looking at her.

“Ah!” (Y/N) screamed as she nearly hit the ceiling with how high she jumped. “How did you get in here?” (Y/N) asked glaring at him and he smiled winking.

“Oh my god you came in through the window? Why can’t you just use the key that I gave you?” (Y/N) asked as she walked up to him and shoved him while he chuckled.

“Where would be the fun in that?” He asked and (Y/N) shook her head a fond look on her face. Her original plan had to be to come inside take a shower and then pass out in her bed but seeing Jason had done wonders for her mood.

“You’re such a weirdo.” She said and he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Says the girl who regularly enters her own apartment through the window as well,” Jason said and she opened her mouth before slowly closing it while squinting at him.

“Touche. Anyways what brings you here Jason?” She asked as she turned away from him to take off her jacket and hang it up.

“Well I know you had a bad day and everything so I thought I’d swing by and we could watch a couple horror movies and hang out and eat some pizza from that place you like on 5th,” Jason said and he hadn’t realized what he said until it was too late. (Y/N) froze in the middle of taking off her coat, she didn’t turn around to face Jason though and just stared straight ahead.

“How did you know I had a bad day?” She asked squinting at the door.

“Ah, well, ah, um, well you’re shirt it was stained and all and I saw it while I was out walking today.” Jason rushed to find an excuse and slowly she turned around to face him, the large light brown coffee stain and dark purple stain in full view.

“You were watching me weren’t you!” She shouted and Jason threw his hands up in the air.

“What! No, I wasn’t! I told you I saw you while you were out walking!” He shouted back.

“Bullshit! You were following me! Because if you had really been out walking when you saw my shirt you would have grabbed me and ran unless you were watching me and didn’t want me to see you! Oh my god Jason I can’t believe you!” (Y/N) shouted as she finished taking off her coat. Yes, she was upset with him but it wasn’t for the reason that he was probably thinking, she was upset that he hadn’t swooped in and saved her from that crash of a date.

“Ok yes, I was following you! But can you blame me?! I was just worried about him doing something he shouldn’t have or you know leading you into a trap or something.” Jason said as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck looking down at the floor. (Y/N) stared at him for a couple of seconds thinking for a couple of minutes as to why Jason would actually do it because while those were valid answers him avoiding her gaze was what really was tipping her off to something else. A blush spread across her cheeks as her eyes widened and her heart fluttered a little at the mere thought of what it could have been.

“Oh my god you’re jealous aren’t you?” (Y/N) asked her voice full of excitement and her heart beating rapidly in excitement. Jason’s head snapped up to look at her his eyes wide and a blush forming on his cheeks.

“What?! No! I’m not jealous of you and David! Oh please! I would never be jealous of something like that!” Jason shouted and a large smile spreading across her face as she looked at him, fighting herself from jumping up and down. He still wouldn’t look at her and that was enough of an answer to tell her that he was lying to her.

“Oh my god you are! Do you like me, Jason?” She asked her voice soft and hesitant almost at the end and Jason was silent looking away from her and everywhere else before sighing and finally looking at her.

“Yes, I like you. Actually no like isn’t the right word, love is more appropriate here.” Jason muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked back down at the ground before sighing again. (Y/N) opened her mouth to respond to him a large and happy smile on her face, her irritated and bad mood from earlier completely gone now but Jason spoke up instead.

“Look I understand if you don’t love me back, actually I wasn’t really planning on telling you today but I guess the cats out of the bag. I just couldn’t help getting jealous when I heard about you going out on a date with David and I’m sorry about following you and not saving you from that disaster of a date but I love you.” Jason said as he took a step back from her. (Y/N) stared at him for a minute silently willing him to look her in the eyes and when he didn’t she stepped up to him and gently grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. He still refused to look at her and she giggled softly, she had never seen this embarrassed and shy side of Jason before and honestly she found it a little cute.

“Jason Todd, will you just look at me?” (Y/N) asked and slowly Jason looked at her. She smiled at him and leaned up and kissed him as passionately as possible. It took Jason a few seconds of wide-eyed staring before he began kissing her back and his eyes slid closed. After a few minutes, they pulled away a wide smile on (Y/N)’s face and a dopey happy one on Jason’s.

“I love you too Jason.” She said and Jason chuckled and kissed her again. After a couple minutes, they pulled away again blushing heavily and still smiling happily at each other.

“So, guess that leaves one thing left to say,” Jason said after a few seconds of silence and (Y/N) tilted her head in curiosity.

“What?” She asked.

“Will you be my girlfriend, Valentine?” Jason asked and (Y/N) couldn’t stop the squeal as she hugged him.

“Yes!” She shouted and Jason chuckled hugging her and resting his head on top of hers.

“Ok, this has now turned out to be the best valentine's day ever.” (Y/N) muttered and Jason kissed the top of her head.

“Hell yeah, it is. Now no offense or anything, but you want to go take a shower now? You’re still kind of covered in coffee and wine.” Jason said and (Y/N) suddenly jumped away from him her eyes wide in horror.

“Oh my god, I completely forgot about that. I’m so sorry if I got you dirty somehow.” She apologized and Jason chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart you didn’t, now go take a shower and throw on your pajamas, the pizza will be here soon and we’re watching your favorite horror movie!” Jason called after her as she ran to her bathroom.

“I love you!” (Y/N) shouted over her shoulder.

“I love you too,” Jason said as he smiled and headed back to the living room to finish setting up the living room and everything else.