#and this lady behind me gave the stink eye when i said peace be with you to her

[salmonellaandcheese]

living for christmas eve mass gossip. social highlight of the year.

[farity]

Sorrow, part 5

Elyse awoke to find herself being held, and for a moment began to panic.

This man didn't stink of liquor, she thought as she tried to steady her breathing. When she dared look up, she saw his pale hair falling like a curtain over his shoulder, his aquiline features at peace as he slept, and realized she was in bed with her new husband.

Aemond had both arms around her, one holding the bedcovers secure round her back, and the other on her elbow. Her hand was on his chest and she felt her face warm and her fingertips tingle at the touch.

When she lifted her head, his eye opened, looking around for a moment before meeting her gaze. Her panic had faded when she'd realized it was him, and she gave him a small smile before pulling back.

"I'm sorry you ended up sleeping here, I'm sure your own bed is more comfortable."

He regarded her for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "It is much more comfortable, indeed." He groaned as he sat up and she looked away as he stood, away from the sight of so much bare skin and muscle.

There was a knock on the door and the young maid from the previous night came in. "Your Highnesses," she curtsied. "We have guests for breakfast."

"Who?" Aemond asked immediately, unaware of any scheduled visits.

"I don't know, my prince, I was just sent to make sure you are both in the dining hall by the next bell." She quickly took the tea tray from the night before with her before leaving.

"I will have a lady's maid sent to you," Aemond told her before going back to his own rooms, and Elyse found herself missing his warmth.

* * * * *

"Take whatever you need from my coffers, I want her to be comfortable. Clothes, anything she may need."

"Of course, Your Highness."

Aemond had asked three different servants and none of them knew who was visiting the keep. It was highly unusual and dread began to take hold in his stomach. He added a second dagger to his belt, wondering if he would need every weapon he had at his disposal.

He had woken up to find his wife looking up at him and a shock of need had barreled through him. Her fingers on his chest, her hair tickling his nose, he'd never woken up with a woman in his arms before and had wanted nothing more than to push her onto her back and lose himself inside her. And he'd known it was the exact thing that would send her running, so he'd left the room as soon as he could.

What she had told him earlier had horrified him and reinforced his belief that he had done the right thing in taking her with him. He could only hope that with time she would leave all that pain behind and be happy someday. With him.

"Aemond."

He turned and found that every thought and worry had fled his mind.

Elyse stood before him wearing a simple grey gown, her hands clasped together as usual, her blond hair had been braided and falling in a single plait over one shoulder. At her neck was a tiny red gemstone handing from a thin gold chain. That, and the plain silver ring that he'd managed to procure so hastily were the only two adornments she wore.

He would speak to his mother about opening up the jewelry vaults.

"Elyse," he said, savoring her name. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile, and took his arm when he offered it. "We shall have to get you a grander ring soon," he said and she immediately brought her hand up.

"I like this one," she said softly, looking down at her wedding ring, "it's what you gave me when we married." She thought for a moment, then added, "I should choose not to change it."

Something bloomed in Aemond's chest, and he felt that most distressing of reactions, heat behind his good eye. He cleared his throat, and said, "well then, maybe some ear bobs. You shall tell me what-"

She stopped walking as they entered the dining hall, her hand digging into his arm, and he turned to see what had upset her.

"No," she whispered.

He looked at the two men standing next to his grandfather and his mother - a tall man wearing a wicked sword at his hip, and next to him, his wife's former brother-in-law.

"Aemond," Ser Otto said, and Elyse felt terror begin to envelop her, like black shadows covering her shoulders and chest. Her eyes landed on the table, and she rushed to grab a knife from one of the settings.

She put the knife to her throat and turned to face their guests. "You shall not take me."

"Elyse," Aemond said gently, but she gave no sign of hearing him.

* * * * *

She was going to slit her throat in front of him and Aemond was not going to be able to stop her, to reach her in time, and he would fail in the one thing he had promised her - that she was safe with him.

"Come on, sweeting, let us go home, where you belong."

"Elyse," he said again.

He could rush and tackle her, or grab her arms, but he wasn't sure she wouldn't harm herself in that split second.

"Please," he begged.

"Elyse, stop these silly games-"

"You laughed," she sobbed, blade still at her throat, "you laughed while he hurt me!"

Aemond's eye went to his mother, who was now staring at Elyse with something beyond worry. What have you done, mother.

"You cheered him on! When he couldn't fuck me because he was too drunk, you gave him your dagger to use on me!"

The old lord had the grace to look mortified for a moment, but Elyse wasn't done.

"He stuck that hilt inside me and you all laughed while I screamed and bled on that floor," she continued as tears fell down her cheeks. "While he hurt me so badly the maester said I would never bear children."

Aemond turned to his grandsire, who was looking like he might be sick. "Elyse," he tried again. "Wife."

At that, she turned to him, and saw her eyes focus on him.

"I will not let him take you."

"Promise."

He extended a hand to her. "I promise."

She looked at him for a few seconds and he could swear his heart stopped while he waited for her answer.

Elyse brought the knife down slowly and let Aemond take it from her hand. He placed the knife in his jacket pocket and wrapped his arms around his wife. "I will never let him take you. On my life, Elyse, I swear it."

He looked over her head and glared at his mother and grandfather. "Will you be throwing them out now or shall I have Vhagar deal with them?"

"I shall ally with the Princess Rhaenyra," the lord spat out.

Ser Otto sighed. "I am sure the Princess will welcome your three horses and ten soldiers, my lord. Now, leave while you can."

While the argument continued, Aemond led his wife back to his chambers.

* * * * *

She was cold, so cold, and couldn't stop shaking. Aemond kept speaking to her and it wasn't so much the words but his soft, soothing voice that began to seep into her very bones.

He had the maid start a fire in his rooms, and had settled her on a large chair, with enough blankets around her to survive a Winterfell year. "Tea," he'd barked at some other servant, "with something to make it sweet," and a minute later a tray was brought.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

He held her while she cried, the shame and embarrassment coursing through her only adding to her fears. How long would this man tolerate her constant tears, her nerves?

"Don't be." She felt him kiss her hair, and then he was pushing her braid out of the way to examine her neck. "I want to make sure there's no mark."

He tilted her head this way and that, and then kissed her temple.

"Thank you," she said softly, and felt Aemond's lips trail down her jaw, to where she had pressed the knife against her skin. He kissed the spot, his breath warm, and she shivered.

"Drink your tea," he said, pulling back, and handed her the cup. "Are you warm enough?

At that she smiled shyly. "Yes, thank you."

He sat on the floor next to her as she sipped at her tea. "Shall I have breakfast brought in?"

"I'm not hungry," she replied, "but you must be."

* * * * *

He had the kitchens send in a huge breakfast, hoping to tempt her to eat something. She'd finished two cups of tea, and when he offered her a morning bun covered in spiced sugar, she took a small bite.

Aemond began to tell her about his routine, what his day was usually like, what his interests were. She listened and drank more tea, and took small bits of food that he handed her.

But he noticed that she liked the morning buns best of all, and he would tell the servants to ensure the kitchen staff made them every day.

"I will be speaking with my mother and grandfather," he said when they had finished eating, "and I wish to know if you would like to be present."

She pressed her lips together, and he noticed some golden sugar at the corner of her mouth. "What will you say?"

"That if they do not stop acting against our marriage, we shall leave King's Landing."

"You do not need to do that."

"Elyse, I will not spend our days wondering what the next plot is. We are married, and they will accept it."

"But now they know," she smiled sadly, "that I cannot give you children."

Aemond rose and walked over to where she sat. "Aegon has children," he told her, "and I did not marry you for the ones you might give me."

She said nothing, but when he smiled down at her, she raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You have some sugar here," he nodded at her mouth. He reached over to brush it off and saw the way her cheeks turned pink at his touch. Her eyes were huge as she gazed up at him, and he wanted her, so badly.

To his surprise, she grabbed his hand and kept it against her face, closing her eyes for a moment.

When was the last time she had been touched with kindness? When had she last slept without fear of being woken up to be mistreated?

She stood then, and reached up to place her other hand on his cheek. "Will you show me?"

Anything.

She'd trusted him with all the details of her personal hell and the least he could do was show her the scars of his own. He reached up and pulled off the eyepatch, and waited for her reaction.

She turned his face to the side, her fingertips exploring the scar, he thought, since he had little feeling on most of that part of his face, but when she reached up and placed a kiss on the very bottom end of it, he closed his eye and felt her warmth seeping through him.

He reached down before he could think about it twice, and kissed her lips. Her soft gasp had him stopping himself before he could haul her up against him, but she didn't pull away, and he didn't stop the kiss.

She linked her arms around his neck and he dared grasp her waist, lightly, until he felt her sink against him. He dared not deepen the kiss, but her mouth was warm and sweet against his and he could wait, he could wait as long as she needed to take things further.

When she sighed, pulling back, he whispered into her hair. "Elyse."

There was a small knock at the door. "Pardon me, may I take the trays?"

He turned to nod at the maid and then took Elyse's hand. "Let's go have that conversation.

* * * * *

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

School House Blues

Fandom: The Mandalorian

Collection/Series: Western AU- Putting Down Roots

Pairing: Din Djarin x Female Identifying Reader

Writer: @writings-of-a-hufflepuff​ aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long​

Warnings: N/A

Request from Anon:  Hey so I saw your post that said requests for certain characters were open and I was wondering if I could ask for a din djarin x plus size reader with this prompt please? : (19th c) I’m the town’s school teacher and you’re the gruff wanderer/traveller/cowboy/outlaw/etc. That’s come to town. You help me fix the school house and wrangle the little demons I teach. I was thinking the kid could be one of her students! Thank you so much in advance ♥️♥️

Summary: When the bounty hunter strolls into your little mining town you don’t think much of it, but with a little boy in his wake and your school house in disrepair, he becomes more than just a passing visit, but a welcome constant.

Notes: You know me too well, Western AU/historic AU Din is so good as a concept and ughhhhhh this was so wonderful to have requested and I hope desperately that it’s good!

Reader isn’t really specified as plus size just because it didn’t really come up in the story? Although she is described as being quite soft and sweet in appearance. 

Archiveofourown

He comes into town with one hand clenched around his horse’s reins, guiding the bay and white creature with a bounty hogtied swearing and cursing over its rump, and the other hand holding a little boy of no older than six at his hip. It’s quite the sight, one that momentarily distracts you from your grief at the fact you’re teaching your children out of a saloon now since your schoolhouse was burnt to the ground. 

He’s imposing or he would be if the little boy wasn’t smiling up at him with big brown eyes. It’s hard to be imposing when you’re clearly the world of a small child and it makes you smile from the porch of the saloon. You’d been organising the boxes of donations the townsfolk had put together, since all your books, slates, chalk, paper, pencils, and the like had burnt in the fire, when he strolls past. He glances over at you and tips his head, hat dipping over his chestnut eyes and it flusters you for a second when you finally see his face. 

He’s handsome, incredibly so, too handsome to be in your small mining town you think. Deep brown eyes, a prominent nose and plump lips set in a perpetual pout. His jaw is sharp and his beard and moustache are trimmed neatly, despite the bruising on his face and the layer of dirt from the road he’s truly beautiful, a thought that flusters you further. The small boy sat comfortably at his hip and playing with the fabric of his suspenders is adorable, soft round cheeks and large brown eyes, but he doesn’t look much like the man and you’re curious what the story is there. 

The boy is old enough to be in school with you, to sit and learn his letters and to read while the older kids move on to learning about science, history, mathematics and poetry. There are a couple of children his age in your class, Timmy and Mary-Beth, both just getting the hang of gripping a pencil correctly. You wonder if he won’t be joining your class soon or if he and his guardian will be out of town before you can even consider preparing for a new student. 

You watch the man hitch the horse outside the Sheriff’s office, the one that’s not got a sheriff at the moment. You hope he’s not looking for quick pay, the lawman that resided in the Sheriff’s office at the moment was just there until they could find a new sheriff. He’d have to telegram out to get the bounty money. Your last sheriff had up and left after being shot at by a couple of drunk miners, he’d decided that was enough and quite the same day. The town had been a little more unruly since and it was beginning to make you and some of the other townsfolk uneasy without someone to keep the peace. The temporary lawman had been lazy and uninvolved thus far. It was after the sheriff quit that your schoolhouse burnt down and you weren’t sure it was coincidence. 

You watch the man place the boy on his feet and say something quietly to him before brushing his hair fondly. He grabs the bounty off of the horse, and slings the man over his shoulder. It’s impressive that he doesn’t struggle up the steps to the office even with a fully grown man thrown over his shoulder, the little boy follows after him as he goes inside. 

You return to your organisation. There aren’t that many books, not like you used to have. But, while you wait for some of your teaching associates across the country to send you items, they will do. There’s enough paper and some slates for all your students to practice their writing and get their work written down which is a relief and even a globe that the general store owner, Mr Hewitt, had found in a back cupboard for you to have. 

You’re trying to lift one of the boxes of books when he comes back out again, the little boy still trailing behind him, but this time something shiny is pinned to the man’s blue shirt. You don’t think too much about it as you struggle to lift the box, your heavy skirts not helping you move much, hindering your progress and causing you to trip each step forward you take. 

You hear his boots on the wooden stairs before you see him, he towers over you, as he takes his hat off, more polite than most men in town. You get a better look at the shiny thing pinned to his shirt and realise it’s a sheriff’s badge. The same one the old sheriff used to wear, you look from it to him and then down when you hear a little giggle. The little boy is still following after him, a sweet smile turned on you this time as he leans around the man’s legs to watch you.

“Miss, I can take that.” He gestures to the box in your hand, it’s not a question, and it’s straight and to the point. But, you’re grateful for the offer and hand it off to him without complaint. He’s stronger than you, that’s clear to see, his arms thick from years of hard work.

“Thank you…” You wait for him to tell you his name, trailing off as you lead him into the saloon that has been set out for the school day. There is a black board at the front, tables and chairs littered around the room, the liquor shelves have been emptied for books to replace them. 

The fact that Mr Karga had offered the saloon for the school was a miracle and while many in town grumbled about their favourite place of vice no longer admitting them during the day time, most were supportive of the decision to help the kids continue their school. Nevarro wasn’t a large town and mining was its main source of income, but the children deserved a chance to do more than just become miners and the school helped them do that. You helped them get into colleges on scholarships, to find jobs as clerks and apprentices in other parts of the country. 

“Din Djarin.” It’s a nice name, rolls of his tongue like honey. He doesn’t smile, not really, not properly, but there’s a little crinkle at the corners of his eyes that soften his face and make him seem warmer somehow. 

“And this little one?” You smile at the little boy as he begins to bravely step out from behind his guardian to greet you with a smile. He is a quiet boy, not the usual talkative sort you find with a six year old, but who knows what he’s been through even at this young age. 

“Grogu, he’s my…” He furrows his brow, clearly thinking hard on the right word. That alone tells you he is not his son by blood, a small fact that makes him even more interesting. Not many bounty hunters would take in a small child. “Son.” he finally says. Deciding it is the best term. Grogu isn’t his by blood, Din knows this, but the little boy he’d found all alone surrounded by death, was slowly becoming like a son to him. Aliit ori'shya tal'din. Family is more than blood. 

“Will he be joining my class? I run the school, currently we’re based here...in the saloon. Not my ideal place to teach but needs must.” You gesture around you to the makeshift classroom. You don’t like that the place still stinks of liquor or that at night it goes back to being a saloon where people drink, gamble, and fight. But, you don’t have a better place right now and the children need somewhere to learn. You can teach in any building, even if you dislike this one. 

You fit the image of a school teacher he thinks. You look like a respectable young woman, dressed appropriately, all neat and proper. Your hair pulled up and pinned away like it’s supposed to be. Everything about you is proper. Part of him wants to see you become ruffled, stop being so demure. It’s a thought that makes him frown at himself, the thoughts inappropriate especially towards a lady like yourself.

“Yes. We’ll be staying for awhile. What happened to the school house, Miss…?” He took on the job as sheriff the moment the lawman offered it, the pay was good, gave him his own accommodation and it meant he could settle down for a bit, give the kid an actual childhood. Bounty hunting was something he was good at but it wasn’t exactly safe to do with a six year old in tow. At least this job used his skills catching lawbreakers and put them to use in a place the kid could grow up. It helps that the teacher of the town is pretty too, he thinks. 

You give him your name before answering his question, “Well, after the last sheriff quit, the schoolhouse burnt down and along with all the things we had in it. Luckily it was at night and none of us were in the building. Burnt right down to the ground, nothing left…” You say it with a heavy sigh, thinking of that sweet little schoolhouse. The white painted wood, the familiar rows of desks with names carved in them, your favourite collection of university level texts at the back for the older and more advanced kids to explore. You had been teaching in that schoolhouse for the last five years and in a way it had become a second home for you, if you weren’t at your own little home, then you were in the schoolhouse marking work or planning lessons for the coming days. 

“Anyone know what caused it?” 

“No. We didn’t exactly have the mind to investigate and if it wasn’t an accident it was probably just some drunk who didn’t know any better. But, we make do and Grogu,” You crouch down next to the small child, moving your skirts to do so comfortably, “will fit right in, I think, don’t you?” The little boy smiles at you and giggles, before hiding behind his father’s leg again. 

“Have any plans been made to rebuild the schoolhouse?” Sheriff Djarin it seems is very straight and to the point, his tone isn’t unkind or aggressive, but his words are clipped, short, brusque as if he’s not quite used to being more flowery or saying much. You supposed a bounty hunter didn’t typically need to say much, but you hope he’ll become more comfortable with talking, at least to you, as time goes on. 

“No...i’ve been trying to put some pressure on the mayor to get it done but...he just doesn’t seem to care all that much now there’s a temporary solution.” You say as you begin unpacking the box that he brought inside, exercise books are brought out and sorted into piles, ready for the children to write their names on the covers and start afresh. 

He frowns, brow furrowing deep, lips turned down at the thought of the schoolhouse just never being rebuilt. It’s clear to him that saloon isn’t the place for a school and it’s even clearer that you are distressed with your new working arrangement, that you miss having a building that is entirely your own and entirely dedicated to teaching young minds. 

“I’ll sort something out. Is class starting soon?”

“Yes, not...not long now.” You double check the clock realising the kids will begin arriving in less than an hour and you feel wholly unprepared for the first day of school since the schoolhouse burnt down. 

You watch him crouch in front of Grogu, hand ruffling his hair fondly, “You’re going to stay here today, get some learnin’ in ya. I’ve got things to do, but I'll be back later, promise.” You’re surprised and warmed when he puts out his pinky finger for the kid to grab, a little promise that seems to you like something more. You wonder if the boy was scared of being left again, if this was Din’s way of reassuring his new son that he wasn’t going to leave him. The little boy wraps his whole hand around Din’s pinkie not quite understanding how the promises work yet.

“Have a good day of teaching, Miss Y/N.” He nods his head at you, grabbing his hat as he walks out the saloon with a purpose. The hat is placed on his head the moment he’s out of the doors and it’s that little element of politeness that surprises you. He carries himself like a gentleman but looks like any other rough and tumble man wandering the west. But it’s his treatment of Grogu that confirms the sort of man that he is. 

I’ll sort something out. You smiled to yourself realising that perhaps the new sheriff would be the best thing to happen to this town in a while. Someone who actually got things done for once. 

“Do you want to find your seat? Maybe do some drawing before class starts, Grogu?” You ask the little boy smiling at him as he nervously shifts from foot to foot, looking back out the doors as if hoping his father would walk back in. It’s clear he hasn’t had to do this before, be separated from him and left with a stranger, but you put on your softest smile and gentlest voice and wait patiently for him to nod his head before offering him your hand. 

He takes your hand and you help him get settled into his seat, you decide to put him near the front so you can help him easily and get him settled near you. He only knows you after all, and you think being around all the kids and far away from familiarity might be too much. You give him some paper, scrap bits that you don’t need anymore and a pencil leaving him to draw while you get ready for class.

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

The school day goes...well, it’s hectic and your hair is frizzy and falling out of the updo you styled it in that morning by the end. The children are unsettled in this new environment, the older kids, those nearing adulthood frustrated by the younger kids who can’t seem to focus or be quiet. Your brain feels too large for your skull and you sigh out a goodbye to your students as they leave out the saloon doors, one or two shoving through the swinging shutters much faster than needed. 

Grogu is the quietest of your students, sweet and attentive, he doesn’t speak a word, but follows your instructions well. He is behind on his writing letters and reading, that much you know from working with him, but he’s a quick learner and applies himself with a determination you rarely see. He doesn’t always play well with others. At lunch time you’d noticed him stealing food from the other children. It continued despite giving him your own lunch knowing his father hadn’t had time to prepare him something after coming straight into town and getting to work. He doesn’t share well either, but seemed to understand when you sat him down and talked to him about it. You suppose that being away from other children and only travelling with your father figure who would share his food with you without a thought, it must be confusing. The manners that he now has to observe, the rules of society that he’s never had to worry about until now. He looks suitably admonished despite the gentle way you chose to talk about it with him, that alone makes you think he’ll likely stop stealing the children’s cookies and be more willing to share. 

“David, careful!” You call out when one of your older students nearly gets trampled underneath the sheriff’s horses’ hooves as he runs across the thoroughfare without looking. 

“Sorry, miss!” David calls back over his shoulder, still storming ahead your warning lost on him. 

You sigh heavily and rub at your temples, stress enveloping you. A tug, swift and sharp on your skirt has you looking down. Grogu has a hand fisted in the fabric, pulling to get your attention. Once he has it, his arms open, hands up towards you, opening and closing, a universal gesture to be lifted. 

It surprises you, he is...quiet and reserved. You expected time to be needed before he was comfortable with you in any respect, especially after having to tell the boy off. Instead, he lets you lift him to your hip, hands reaching for strands of your hair and twisting them, surprisingly gently between his chubby little fingers. 

You watch your students run in different directions through town, their books and lunch pails in tow. Some stop on the open green, playing games together before their parents demand them back home for dinner. The warm little body in your arms is a soothing presence and the boy almost looks like he wants to say something, but just makes a soft cooing sound instead.

“Not much of a talker are you, little one?” He almost shrugs his little shoulders before looking up at the sound of heavy footsteps and clinking spurs. The sheriff leads his horse up to you, eyes following David with a shake of his head. Clearly, just as bemused as you at his lack of common sense.

Grogu smiles and giggles happily at the sight of his father, arms reaching out for him. You pass him over to Din, trying to ignore how close you get to the man to do it. He radiates warmth and smells woodsy mixed with some sort of soap he must use. This close you can see little birthmarks dotted across his neck. 

You step back once the boy is settled in his arms and smile, soft but tired. “Sheriff, how was your first day on the job?” 

He gives you a humoured smirk, one you’re not expecting, it takes you aback slightly. He looks...charming, approachable. Little dimples at his cheeks that soften his features in a way that makes you want to step closer. With a huff, not quite a laugh, he says, “Eventful.”

“That makes two of us, sheriff.” He notices the tired creases beneath your eyes, the once unrumpled appearance now dishevelled, hair coming out of its updo and blouse and skirt wrinkled and creased. You look like you’d had a rough day and he hopes Grogu wasn’t part of the cause. He still hadn’t figured out how to discipline the kid, he always turned those big brown eyes on him and he just couldn’t tell him no. 

“Din. Call me Din.” 

“Then you should call me Y/N.” There’s a moment of silence. You stare at him, at the way his hat casts shadows over his face, at the gentle hold he has on Grogu, the open top buttons of his work shirt and the dig of suspenders into his shoulders. He stares back at you. The gentle softness of your cheek, the marks that make your skin your skin and not someone else's. 

“We’re going to start building the schoolhouse as soon as the wood shipment gets here, I sent a telegram off today to get some good lumber in.” It surprises you in the most delightful way. When you said the mayor had been dragging his heels you meant it, but you hadn’t expected this new face to come in and make a start on what the mayor had been reluctant to do. 

“We’re?”

“I’ve convinced some of the men around town to pitch in and I know a thing or two about building.” In truth he’d intimidated more than persuaded. Most of the men were lazy, and had more concern for their own vices than for helping out. But, a mixture of convincing them they’d get their saloon back and reminding them that he was now the town’s sheriff seemed to get a few of the stronger and more skilled townsfolk to agree to help. 

“You’re the sheriff. You shouldn’t be building the schoolhouse, Din. You’ve got more important things to do.” You feel bad that he’s doing this, being quite so involved, when he’s starting a new job, one that takes up most of his time. Being a sheriff is a full time job, almost 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He has people to keep in line, criminals to catch, laws to enforce, and building a schoolhouse wasn’t on his list of priorities. It’s sweet and makes your heart ache oddly, but you feel guilty for adding another thing to his plate. 

“This is important, Miss...Y/N. The kid can’t learn in a saloon forever and you can’t work here forever neither.” He can see how desperately you want your schoolhouse back and something in him wants to provide that for you, to care for you. He tells himself it’s also for the kid, that his son deserves a proper schoolhouse to learn in. That all foundlings, all little children deserved a place to learn, like he had growing up in the covert.

“At least...at least let me and the children bring food and water down once you get started. I...you’ve not even been here a whole day and you’re already doing more than anyone else ever has...Thank you, Din.”

“It’s my pleasure, meg ba'jurir” You do not understand what he calls you, but you recognise that cadence, the rhythm of the language. Can almost see the symbolic nature of the alphabet. It surprises you that he knows what you’re sure is Mando’a, having only heard one other person in your life ever speak it. Mandalorian family groups were uncommon, but where they were they seemed to keep people in order, to value community. It made sense that he would take on the job of sheriff, adopt a child not of his own blood, if that were the case. 

You bite your tongue and don’t ask, you don’t know him and it is too personal to ask about his upbringing, culture or heritage. Perhaps, after you know him better you can ask, but you can almost hear your headmistress at school reminding you about manners and decorum even in a little mining town. 

“He didn’t...he didn’t cause any trouble today did he? He’s not used to being around others or...we’ve been on the road for a long time now.” He looks down at the little boy sitting at his hip, who’s playing with the metal star on his shirt. He knew that Grogu could be difficult, sweet, adorable, hard to say no to, but undisciplined and not used to the rules that people usually abided by. 

“I...I did have to have a word with him today…” You can already tell Din’s disappointed. He clearly loves the boy, but part of loving a child is wanting better for them and getting in trouble isn’t part of that. 

Din sighs heavily before catching the boy’s eye, “Ad’ika…”The boy clearly knows what’s going on and hides his face in his father’s shirt, suitably embarrassed about his behaviour. You think that’s enough to probably deter him from stealing from other kids in the future. You also think you might bake him some treats and use them as an incentive to work hard. You suspect bribery would work well with Grogu. 

“He paid attention beautifully and he’s already doing so well with learning his letters, but he’s...he’s quite…” You try to think of the best way to say that the boy just can’t resist taking other children’s food. 

“You don’t have to spare my feelings, Y/N. You can tell me.” You look Din in the eyes, deep brown meeting your own and sigh out before speaking.

“He likes to steal the other children’s food. I gave him my lunch and he still tried to steal Charlie’s cookies and Mary Beth’s macarons. I know he’s probably used to food being a thing he can just have since you’ve been travelling as a family unit…”

“Osik... I forgot to give him lunch. I am a terrible father…” Din looks at his feet, free hand rubbing over the scruff on his jaw. You feel the instant need to reassure him. 

“You’re not a terrible father. You just came into town this morning, immediately took on a job, and instantly went to work. You’re not a terrible father.” You hesitate, but reach forward anyway, a hand on his arm giving a quick reassuring squeeze. 

“Vor entye, Y/N. Thank you. Have you eaten?” 

“Oh…” You hadn’t really thought about it, that you’d given your food to Grogu to stop him going hungry and that you’d spent all day teaching with little more than the porridge you’d made yourself that morning to keep you going.

“Don’t even think about lying to the sheriff.” You did in fact consider lying to him, but the look he gave you reminded you of an overbearing mother hen who wouldn’t let you get away with it. Combined with the fact he was indeed the new sheriff, you felt it best to stick to the truth for now. 

“No...I haven’t.” You admit, feeling suitably admonished by him and a little guilty for even considering lying about. 

Din adjusts Grogu on his hip and nods his head behind him towards the street, “Come, I’ll buy you dinner at the café.”

“You don’t have to, Din. I can make dinner at home.” You think back to the soup you were going to make that night, and even though you haven’t the energy in truth to make dinner, you can’t ask him to buy you it. It is too much and unnecessary. Any good teacher would have made sure their students were fed. 

“You kept my ad fed in place of yourself. I’m buying you dinner.” His voice left no room for argument and so you found yourself following after him across the street towards Reeva’s Café. 

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

Din’s presence in town becomes apparent very quickly. He does not allow the men to wander drunk through the streets, start fights, or harass women. He does not suffer law breakers or those who cause the peace to break. He is swift, effective, and there isn’t a member of town who doesn’t respect his authority even if some don’t particularly like having to listen to him. 

For you it is a refreshing change. You don’t worry about the children wandering around town in the evenings or about walking out of your home at night. You don’t worry about your meager belongings being stolen or a fight breaking out in the saloon on an evening and ruining the few bits you have for the school. 

He is quiet and polite, not much of a talker, but everything he does shows a man of honour and good morals. He is sweet with the children as well. 

It had become common place for him, while waiting for the lumber to begin the schoolhouse, to come into the saloon while you were teaching. He said it was because the day time left little for him to do as sheriff, but you think he just enjoys helping with the children. They make him smile. A real smile. 

Sometimes he just sits with his son on his lap and helps him with his letters, other times he wanders between tables helping those who need it or using his presence to quiet the children after an exciting lunch break. Reminding them to respect you, their teacher, and listen.

Your favourite, and the childrens’ favourite times were when he’d sit down and tell them stories of his travels. For a man who didn’t speak much, Din Djarin was a natural born storyteller. 

That’s how you found yourself taking a step back, sitting on one of the saloon bar stools off to the side as Din took your place at the front of the class. He had an ability with the little ones that amazed you, none were ever scared of him despite his height, posturing or the guns holstered at his side and slung over his back. He always managed to make them smile and laugh, always got their curiosity going and inspired them equally. He made it a point whenever he talked to your class to share stories of both men and women he’d met who’d done amazing things, you could tell he was trying to get the girls in your class to see they could be more than housewives or washerwomen and you appreciated it. 

“So there I am standing toe to toe with the biggest grizzly you’ve ever seen…” He gestures with his hands, standing at the front, arms out front to show just how large this grizzly bear was. His voice took on a different, more dramatic quality then normal. Grogu clapped his hands from his seat on your lap, the little boy having grown increasingly comfortable around you.

“Now this grizzly has to be 8ft standin’, and he’s the angriest bear you’ve ever seen and i’m sure that’s the end of me. I’m about to become a grizzly bear’s dinner, Sheriff Djarin stew!” You laugh along with the kids at the prospect of Din becoming stew for a grizzly bear, you’re never sure how much is fiction or truth in his stories, although part of you wouldn’t be surprised if they were all completely true. He was...he always seemed larger than life despite being so quiet. Like some sort of figure out of a western story.

“When out of nowhere, charging between me and this mean grizzly, comes the largest bull moose I've ever seen…” 

“What’d you do?” Mary Beth pipes up, big blue eyes open wide. 

“Well, I got the he-” He stops himself looking at you, you raise an eyebrow reminding him that cussing around the children would not do well for him, “-out of there as quickly as I could! One thing you should never do is stay around to fight a grizzly, never ends well to go toe to toe with one. That moose was being kind and giving me a chance to get away.” It amuses you that he always manages to twist a moral into the story. This time about kindness and helping those weaker than yourself, along with a healthy dose of not getting into situations with angry grizzly bears of course. 

“Well, I think it’s time I let Miss Y/N, get on with her mathematics lesson.” Groans and grumbling rises up from your students as you place Grogu in his seat and begin making your way to the front. You watch Din frown at them, hands on his belt, leaning into one hip more than the other. He is the perfect picture of a disappointed father. Lips twisting downwards, pulling on his moustache. 

“Hey, now! Miss Y/N always makes your lessons fun so don’t you start giving her trouble or else i’ll have to stop coming in for story time.” It’s a threat that promptly has them settling quietly in their chairs and getting their books and pencils out.

You rest a gentle hand on his arm when you reach him, quietly telling him thank you. It’s heavy with meaning. Thank you for being there for the children. Thank you for providing them with stories. Thank you for always settling them and reminding them to respect me. Thank you for thinking about the schoolhouse. Thank you for settling the town and keeping the peace. 

He just nods at you with the smallest hint of a smile, enough to make you feel the tiniest bit flustered as you watch him walk to the chair where he’d left his hat, holsters, and lasso. 

“Say goodbye to the sheriff, children.” You tell them as all of you watch him make his way to the doors. He stops before them and tips his hat at you all with a smile, but the moment he’s out the doors it drops and in his place is the hard sheriff who won’t stand for trouble. 

                        ��                          ---------------------

Once the lumber comes in and the plans have been drawn up and approved by yourself, at Din’s insistence, the work begins. The schoolhouse design had been run past you because Din didn’t want to miss anything that was needed or that would help you teach. He had told you not to worry about size, scale or cost, that the community was pitching in and that the mayor had found a fund tucked away somewhere for the school. The fund miraculously appeared after Din had a long meaningful chat with him.

He wouldn’t tell you that he’d made threats against the mayor about digging up some of his dirty laundry, but he had. The mayor had a lot of skeletons in his closet and also a nice stack of credits he was sitting on in his own personal mayoral vault. The fact that the mayor had been so reluctant to rebuild the schoolhouse when he easily could have almost made Din see red, but he didn’t think it would look good if he beat the man to the curb as sheriff. He was supposed to be upstanding and law abiding, if he wasn’t why would any of the townsfolk be? 

A few days into the project you decided it was time you made good on your promise to come to the site during lunch time with the children to bring water and some food. You and the children collect pails of water and the baked goods you’d made the night before, trudging through the streets. You held Grogu on one hip, the small child the slowest of his classmates, and carried a heavy pail of water in the other, so heavy your shoulder slumped down on that side to accommodate the weight. 

The children were happy to help, after all, many of their fathers and older brothers were working on the school site and it was a chance in the school day to see people they cared about. You were also sure they wanted to ask the sheriff a multitude of questions and beg for a story, but you’d reminded them that they weren’t there to get in the way or interrupt the work, just to offer food and water.

You’d reluctantly admitted to Reeva that you found the sheriff attractive, after the older woman badgered you day in and day out about the time you spent with him. You could admit he was handsome. His eyes were deep brown and spoke more words then he often did. He had both a look that could intimidate and also soften into something warm and safe. The beard and moustache he sported made him look ruggedly handsome and his shoulders were broad and wide. He looked like he’d stepped out of a story book or from an illustrated newspaper short story. Rugged but clean, dangerous but kind. 

You had to admit though that this was your favourite look on him. As you came upon the building site he was busy sawing a plank of pine in two. His shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow exposing his strong forearms and thick wrists. His suspenders had been flung off his shoulders, resting at sides no longer covering the strong back that was tensed as he worked. The top few buttons of his shirt had come undone, almost indecently so to show a pronounced collar bone, strong neck, and dark chest hair and the brown hair on his head had begun to curl from the sweat he was working up. It shouldn’t have been attractive. He should have looked like any other man working up a sweat, you shouldn’t have wanted to wipe his brow and brush your fingers through the curls of his hair. But you did. 

Taking a deep breath to compose yourself you look down at the little boy at your hip, “Should we go say hello to your father?” 

“Papa!” He clapped his hands at you in confirmation. You’d slowly learnt that papa was one of the only words he said, you weren’t sure if he chose not to speak or simply couldn’t. But, given his increasing aptitude with writing his letters, you thought it likely that he simply chose not to speak. 

The call instantly has Din’s head popping up from his work like a startled deer and you watch as his eyes roam across the children until he catches sight of his son at your hip. The smile that lights his face is so bright that it’s almost blinding, there is a longing you feel whenever you see his happiness to see Grogu. Some deep part of you that desires that sort of family bond. He loves his son so deeply, it doesn’t matter to him that their blood isn’t the same and part of you wants desperately to be part of that love and happiness. 

“Children, hand out the food and water, will you? But be careful!” You remind them as they run towards familiar faces, it is still a building site after all, and the last thing you need is a child getting hurt in any way. 

Din finishes sawing the plank before striding over to you, hand pulling a rag from his back pocket to wipe the sweat from his brow. You look...radiant. The summer sun shining over you, causing your skin to glow, your hair to shine. Your smile is as soft as your eyes and you're gentle in the way you hold his son to your hip, like he belonged there. Like the two of you belonged together. Din can admit that he enjoys your company more than he probably should, he can even admit that a part of him deeply desires you, wants you to join his family unit, become part of his aliit. You’re tender and kind to all the children you teach, your children as you often call them, and you’re incredibly kind to Grogu who you treat with more understanding than most school teachers ever would. You keep order in your classroom through kindness and mutual respect, not through fear or punishment. The maternal shine to you draws him to you in a way that, had he not been Mandalorian, he might be ashamed of. But, family is everything to him, Grogu is everything to him and if he is to put down roots here, he can’t help but consider putting down roots with you.

It’s a silly thought though, you’ve not known each other long and he isn’t well to do or gentlemanly. You’re far better educated than him, kinder than him, and it is a pipe dream that he doubts will ever come to fruition. It doesn’t help that he struggles at times to even talk to you, let alone make his feelings known. 

“Miss me, Ad’ika?” He calls to the little boy, carefully pulling him from your arms when you offer him. If you allow yourself to, you can almost imagine he’s taking your own child from you, that the two of you have formed some sort of family. But, you are just his son’s teacher and he is just the sheriff of your small town. 

The boy babbles at him, not real words, nonsense, or attempts at words that don’t translate, but you can see that improving. Can almost imagine what settling down here can do for the boy, give him a chance to learn, grow, make friends, and find some stability and safety. 

“He’s been itching to come over all day, they all have. I was struggling to get them to focus on their history lesson.” You had 15 children all desperate to get out of the saloon and visit their fathers for lunch. It had been a...very difficult lesson to say the least and you still felt a little frazzled. 

“History?” The boy tugs at his father’s hair and you watch him wince as he speaks, pulling little chubby hands from brown curls. 

“The fall of the empire and the rise of the republic. Not the most riveting subject for them I'm sure, they much prefer when I tell them about different societies rather than politics.” You want to say like Mandalore and the Mandalorians because you want to draw him in, desperate to have more of his time even when he’s already doing so much for you. You enjoy the odd hour here and there when he takes over your class and becomes the teacher, where you can just sit and listen, learn yourself. 

“Mandalorians believe that our history is our future. We learn it as soon as we can walk.”

“So it is Mando’a you’ve been speaking?” It warms you to see him open up to you like this. He is a private man, quiet, and insular. While he can yell with the best, and demand attention, can intimidate and even persuade, it’s all part of his job. The face he puts on as sheriff. He is quiet about himself, sharing little and not so often. You revel in the trust placed in you wherever he tells you a little something more about himself. 

“You noticed?” Most people don’t even know Mando’a exists, let alone recognise that the words he slips into his speech are such. He finds they slip out more around you, than with others. He’s comfortable with, he is happy to share himself, his culture with you and it...it is a startling discovery about himself. He has been insular and closed off for longer than he would like to admit. 

“I can’t speak it and I..I don’t know it well, but, I recognise the cadence. I grew up in Naboo and there was a Mandalorian there, she used to speak it when I would sit and practice my letters with her.” Atin’a Caivass was a kind woman to you even if she could be hard. She had been one of your teachers, always pushing you harder, to do better. Yet, it had never felt frustrating or like a chore, the Mandalorian had always made it a desire to impress her, but also to prove to yourself that you could. She had always been kind to you and the other children, gentle but firm, like you were one of her own. You saw similarities with how Din treated the children. He was kind and gentle, but never overlooked an opportunity to firmly correct their behaviour or mistakes. A perfect balance. Not too soft and not too harsh. 

“You never learnt?”

“She was very protective of it and I...I was always too afraid to ask.” You confess. You had always been fascinated with it, like any young child when faced with a new language, but you had always believed it something sacred, and had worried that you would offend her if you asked to learn. “Ad’ika? What does it mean?”

He can’t help but laugh at your pronunciation and sounds it out for you, “Ah-Dee-Kah, it means little one.” 

“Ah-dee-kuh?” You are even more beautiful, he thinks when you butcher his language, trying so hard to get it right that your eyebrows scrunch together and your eyes crinkle at the corners. 

“Ah-Dee-Kah” The little one squirms in his arms and he places him on the ground, only to watch him plunk himself on his bottom and play with the dirt. He had always had a fascination with dirt and rocks, more so than any of the toys he had actually brought or made him. 

“Ah-Dee-Kah”

“Perfect.” You smile blindingly at his praise and he wonders if he can forgo his job as sheriff and simply teach you Mando’a every minute of every day. “You can always ask. If you want to learn. It’s nice to hear it from another person’s lips, not just mine.”

“I would like that very much...maybe when you’re less busy? You’re rather booked up at the moment, what with being sheriff, storytime for the children, and building a schoolhouse. You’re a busy man, Din Djarin.”

“I like to keep my hands busy.” You look down at your feet before looking back up at him, unsure how to respond to what you were sure was meant as a perfectly innocent comment. Din almost swears, osik, once he realises how that sounds, lifting hand to the back of his neck to rub it. 

The silence that you fall into isn’t uncomfortable necessarily, but feels almost solid, like a physical thing and not just the quiet that comes with two people not talking for a moment. There’s a tension there that is not wholly unpleasant but hard to describe or pin down. 

Seeming to remember the pail of water you’re carrying you place it in front of him, “Water, so you can clean off or if you’re thirsty. There’s some pastries somewhere as well, to keep you all fed...Can’t have you keeling over on us or else we’d never get our schoolhouse.” 

You take a step back and cast your gaze around, making note of where each of your 15 kids are. You’re caught watching Jerome splash water on Annie, about to go and tell him off when you hear splashing much closer to you. 

You thought he couldn’t excite you more than he already had. Thought that Din Djarin couldn’t possibly tempt you more, cause your well-mannered sensibilities to crumble further. You were utterly, terribly, ridiculously wrong. 

There’s something to be said about the man pouring half a pail of water over his head to rub away the sweat and dirt from a hard day working in the summer sun. He flicks his head back, long neck outstretched as water droplets fall like mirror glass over his tanned skin. His hair sticks to his skin, kissing it in a way you realise you desperately want to and his shirt clings to broad shoulders with the familiarity of a lover. 

You spin back around away from him flustered, determined not to look as you march towards Jerome. You decide in that moment that perhaps it’s best not to bring pails of water at lunch time. You might just not survive to see the school built. 

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

For the next two months your routine features lunch time trips with the children to bring water and sometimes food to the men building the schoolhouse, and the odd afternoon story time hour when Din feels confident enough to leave the others to continue working without his guidance. Each day the schoolhouse comes together more and more and each day you fall a little bit more in...in whatever these feelings for the sheriff were. 

You also have the startling realisation that Grogu has wormed his little way into your heart in a way that none of your other students have. You have a soft spot for the little boy, especially as he becomes more vocal, begins to say more little words, including the delightful name ‘Miss Y/N’. 

Din is a temptation in himself, each time he teaches you another word or phrase in Mando’a and his lips wrap around syllables or every time he works hard to build the schoolhouse muscles pulling taut underneath the weight of wood. He tempts you in a way that no one ever has and you can’t quite explain what it is about this man that makes you desire to be in his presence, to kiss him, to hold him, to be close to him both physically and emotionally. You want to know everything about him, to understand him better than you understand yourself. 

In some ways it is a relief when the schoolhouse is finished and in other ways it feels like a loss. Part of your routine, part of the day where you always see Din was no longer needed or necessary.

When you bring the children over at lunch time, it’s to show them the finished building, the one they’ll be in come Monday morning once you have the time to move all the books and other odds and ends into it. They’re all excited as are you, to see it...it strikes you in the heart so badly that you can’t move your feet, can only stare at the building with tears in your eyes. 

It’s beautiful. Not large, but larger than the old one. Freshly painted white, with a school bell hanging out front. It strikes you that this isn’t just a schoolhouse, but it’s your schoolhouse. Din had been adamant about building it for you. 

“Children, why don’t you go inside and take a look? You’ll be here on Monday!” You wave them all off as they run ahead and up the wooden steps, throwing the door open none too gently. “Careful! We only just got it!” You call out and receive a series of sorries back. 

“Shall we go find your buir?” You look down at Grogu, who’s hand is holding the heavy fabric of your skirt. He smiles up at you and nods his head with a quick little ‘papa’ that has your heart warming. 

You hear him before you see him, “Now don’t go breaking the tables when we’ve only just put them together, girls!” Already laying down the law to 3 of your children as you enter the schoolhouse. They had seemingly been swinging on tables in a most ill-mannered fashion that has you putting on your teacher-face and raising an eyebrow at them from behind Din. They promptly stop and return their feet to the floor with an abashed look.

“Sorry, Sheriff. Sorry Miss.” They call to you both before scurrying away in hopes of avoiding punishment, leaving you, Din and Grogu alone in the main room for the building. You let it go. It isn’t an issue, they need to learn to respect things, and not damage them, but that does not have to come at the cost of punishment when a quick look and a reminder does enough. 

Din spins at them calling out to you, faster than he seems to have expected, looking decidedly dizzy for a second before the mask of sheriff falls right back into place. 

“Y/N, how do you like it?” He opens his arms wide and gestures to the main room of the schoolhouse. A large blackboard already nailed to the wall at the back, rows of tables and chairs set up so every child could see you. A desk at the front for your things. It is sweet and fits your needs infinitely better than a saloon ever would. You even note the bookcases along the walls, enough space to place many of your books for the children to have easy access for when they wish to learn something more than you could teach them. 

“It’s...it’s wonderful, Din. It’s beautiful. I...I can’t thank you enough...I...I’m a little lost for words.” You can feel the happy tears starting to pool in your eyes again, the gratitude making you a little bit emotional. “I don’t think I can ever repay you for this.”

“You...you don’t need to repay me, Mesh’la. This...you and the children deserve a school, a place to teach and learn. You don’t have to thank me or repay me for doing what the damn mayor should have done in the first place.”

You nearly don’t do it. Nearly let that fear that wells up inside you and the proper manners, the belief that you were about to be far too forward than was ladylike, stop you. But, you think back to his kindness, his gentle nature, the calm and order he’s brought to town. The son of his that you have a large soft spot for. The handsomeness of his features, the sharpness of his profile. The gentle hand he always places on your back as he helps escort you somewhere. The respect he shows you at every turn and his willingness to share his culture and upbringing with you. You think of all the things that make up the Din Djarin you know and you think of what he has come to mean to you. 

With a silent prayer and an apology to your late headmistress for being more forward than is ladylike, you push yourself forward and into him. Lips soft and chaste lifting to meet his, only briefly. You do not push for more than a second of contact, but it is enough, you hope, to get the thought and intent across. That he is someone you would like to get to know more, that he is someone you could happily be courted by, even marry one day.  

He doesn’t even have time to blink, it happens so fast. One minute you are standing a few steps away from him thanking him, the next your lips are pressed to his in the shortest sweetest kiss he’s ever had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of. It takes another second for him to realise what’s happened before he’s reaching a hand out to cup the nape of your neck and drag your lips back to his for a significantly more substantial kiss that leaves you a little breathless. 

When you pull away from each other you don’t go far. Din presses his forehead to yours, hawkish nose pressing into your cheek, a soft touch that grounds you with his presence. The hand at your neck, rubs a soothing thumb across your skin. Your own have chosen to grasp at the suspenders over his shoulders, to keep in close proximity. 

“I’d very much like to court you, Miss Y/N.”

“I think i’d like that, sheriff.” 

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

Mando’a Translations

 Meg Ba'jurir - roughest way I could get to someone who educates or a teacher with meg being who and ba’jurir being educate

Osik - Shit

Vor entye - Thank You

Ad - son

Ad’ika - Little one, term of endearment for small children

Buir - Father also Mother basically parent. 

Mesh’la - Beautiful

Aliit - Family (Clan)

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

Taglist for this fic: 

@lex-ham​

[theredsuzuran]

Muzan x reader ~ Lily [pt 2]

Took me forever to complete this song fanfiction, wouldn't have been possible if my friend didn't help, thanks to him. Please check out the first part to understand it better. Here.

Warning : abusive themes, mention of blood and gore.

Enjoy

She knew she was hypnotized.

The sound of a loud slap echoed throughout the room, your father who was furious about your escape have just hit you hard on your face infront of everyone, including the servants. On other hand your mother holding your father's arm tightly to prevent him from hitting you any further.

"Get away, you callous women, it is for you that she tried to run away, you should be ashamed of yourself", he shouted, shoving off your mother roughly onto the tatami floor.

"This is wrong, the Gods will punish us", she murmured under her breath making muffle sounds, your father dissatisfied by her futile attempts of protests turns his attention away from you to hit her right in the stomach with his bare fist in pure fury, making her scream in agony coughing out mucus. Your mother being a fragile women of timid personality, rarely talked to anyone let alone protest or stand up against vile play, always seen behind the shoji doors praying to the gods and chanting prayers, constantly intimidated. Witnessing your father abusing her inhumanely infront of her children, family members as well as the servants, evoked a sense of rebellion inside of you.

"Don't hit my mother, you are angry because of me hit me instead, as much as you like, but not her", you growled furiously at your father, making your mother jolt towards your direction as she shook her head violently.

"Stay away from this brat", he said apatheticly, disappointment hinted in his voice turning his head away from you once again in utter disgust. Receiving such cold treatments from your father made your heart shattered in pieces. Then, your uncle step up.

"Take her to the room and increase the guards, this shall not happen again", your father ordered the servants which was immediately followed without any hesitation or delay before you could protest you were taken away. However you wonder why did your mother reacted that way?

__

As the time passed by, you grew up to be an elegant lady mostly within the confinement of four walls, while pushing down all the jovial moments deep into the unconsciousness... your mind engulfed with the thoughts of your demise. It was getting harder and harder each day for you to keep your sanity intact. A constant state of melancholy always prevailed within your aura, even your own shadow seem deceitful.

Walking on cold thin nights

Then the night of that cursed full moon occurred. You glanced at the starry night from the now open window of your cell with your souless (e/c) eyes. Succumbing towards the void of eternal darkness. Heaven knows what grave sin you might have committed to receive such heavy punishments. As you were busy getting drowned in your own thoughts the shoji door slightly opened and the maids rushed inside your room one by one with cloths and accessories in their arm.

"It's time m'lady" the head maid bowed respectfully infront of you, then motioned the other maids to help you get ready. You could feel them pitying you, sympathizing the miserable state you're in. You simply nodded and get up to dress for your deathbed. At this point you didn't care much you just want it to get over soon, trailing off in the sea of your own distorted thoughts.

You approached your family to bid farewell before heading towards the palanquin. Everyone wishpering behind your back something that they are not allowed to speak infront of you. That didn't bother you anways but you wish you could atleast see your mother for the last time. Is it that hard for a mother to witness her daughter's departure that she needs to constantly hide indoors avoiding her like plague?

A herd of maids accompany you as your bridesmaid to mount Akakura. The norimono stopped infront of a shrine. The bitter cold outside and the solemn atmosphere made it difficult for you to enter through the main gates. All of them left at once after escorting you inside the shrine. While you sat there facing the kami observing the interior, The light of the lamp beside you flickering slowly. The shrine was enormous filled with shofisticated designs, paintings and detail descriptions of the great folklore of Japan. Gods like susanoo killing Yamamoto no orochi in order to restore peace, you were completely lost admiring the aesthetics of the shrine.

But then it broke,

Did she awoke again?

"This is not what we were expecting", you felt a strong gust of wind behind your back as if something was breathing behind your back, you could feel saliva dripping over your expensive uchikake and to your exact horror was standing your living nightmare, a disfigured seven headed monster signifying those of a dragon and a serpent hovering on top of you covering almost the entire shrine glancing directly at your fragile figure with pure malice and hunger.

"Nay, certainly not, she's not one of them, fufu", another head cooed grinning creepily. You looked at them with utter confusion, raising your head slightly to look over that hideous thing above you.

"What do you mean?", Asking almost frustrated, your voice still shaking.

"Oh", the head at the centre replied, his voice calm and steady, facing you with it's long wide neck, his eyes glowing dangerously, inches away from your face, breath stinking of something you'd probably not keen to know as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I fear mortal, but you are not blood-related to any of the seven maidens we have devoured so far", you were taken aback. Not related? You were bewildered, unable to process the new set of information displayed before you, fresh stream of tear forming in the corner of your eyes.

"No, you are lying", You snapped at them angrily.

"What a clueless human, what do we gain by that?", The head in the left hissed irritatedly.

The ground beneath you seem to slide open whereas the sky above began to crumble. For eighteen years you have been raised by people who are not even blood related to you but most importantly they were using you to save themselves, you stood their perplexed, overwhelmed with the new reality. How cruel can people become? An urge to confront your parents came in demanding for an explanation, about their selfish lies, for hiding your true identity, stealing your childhood and a chance to live a normal life. Now that perfectly made sense why your mother always prayed to the Gods for forgiveness, barely talking to you or look in your eyes and why your father is so detached towards you and not your siblings. They were never your own and you were never there's.

"Those human thought they could deceive us, we will kill them", head to the left spoke.

"No, not so soon, they might have deceived us but the girl lying below us is a marechi, no no no we cannot let her go" the main head chuckled darkly, showing its true nature all of them at once looked at you with their protruding eyes, as you shut your eyelids for the worse accepting your misfortune, a heated argument broke among the seven heads.

"You have eaten all the seven women previously, I will have this one" the right head hissed, accompanied by other heads, all of them screaming and cursing at each other. You notice the unlocked gate it must have been open since the demon arrived. It was your golden chance to escape, as they were busy fighting, you took advantage of the situation, slowly crawling your way towards the entrance of the shrine . They seem to not notice you trailing off their sight.

"Stop fighting with one another, we all are literally the same, anyone of us eating her would be enough to make us stronger and please that man", the head at the center erupted fuming with anger.

"She's gone, she's gone", one of the head shouted. Indeed you were missing the only thing left was the wataboshi you wore on top.

Then she ran faster than-

You ran through the dense forest lifting your kimono, the smell of fresh air hitting your nostrils, the feeling of nostalgia came back as you can finally taste that long lost freedom you constantly craved for since forever but unfortunately that didn't last long. As you were running blindly you could feel something gigantic chasing from behind. Being too frantic you stumble and fell onto the ground your leg getting caught in the fabric of your kimono in the process.

Start screaming, "Is there someone out there?"

Please help me

Come get me

"You thought you can ran away from us? What a foolish human", the sound of loud laughter resonated through out the woods. The demon wrapped its tale around your waist squeezing you tightly in attempt to crush your defenseless body lifting you up opening its mouth to shove you inside.

Behind her she can hear it say-

"Let go of me!" You screamed on top of your lungs, a last desperate attempt to exist. When out of the blue a large mascular tentacles flew towards your direction cutting the tail swiftly in a blink of an eye, releasing you from its bone breaking grip but instead of crashing against the ground, you were caught by a pair of strong masculine arm. You looked up in disbelief. A familiar fair male in texudo emerged, his flawless features shining underneath the moonlight coming through the branches.

"Muzan..."

"We met again (y/n), I hope am not too late", he smiled at you gazing softly. Tears came rolling down your cheeks as you cannot believe was it real or just a dream.

History always seem to find it's way of repeating itself.

His previous soft look instantly changed to that of a menacing one as he trailed his glance towards the disfigured monster.

"Crouch down and lower your heads", all the seven heads bow down infront of the demon lord, Cowering with fear at once as if they were struck by lightning.

"Pardon my lord, we didn't realize you have arrived before us or else-", the demon yelped immediately like a lost puppy.

"Who gave you the permission to speak?" Muzan replied indignantly, his eyes glowing threateningly at the petrified creature. You knew he was a demon but you were unaware that he held such authority making a powerful demon like Akai that supposedly haunts the mountain for centuries to lower his head in terror on his command. What was unknown to you that he infact was the progenitor of these morbid creatures.

How ironic being saved by none other but a demon.. being first of his kind.

"Have mercy, my lord" the demon begged, while one of his head thought why's he saving that human girl?

"Why am I saving that human girl? Go ahead, continue", muzan narrowed his eyes making the demon quivered with shock. He can read my mind?

"What makes you answer my authority?" The demon lord demanded furiously, veins popping out from his head.

"Beings like you should not be allowed to exist" with that said, his one arm stretched, injecting a sharp blade into the creature allowing his blood to overflow, creating chaos in the demonic cells of that creature eventually turing it into a pile of molten flesh.

It's over, the nightmares. Fresh tears rolled down your face, mixed with all sorts of emotions, the tables have turned, the heavens seems to have listen to your prayers. A pair of large hands cupped your face breaking you from the chain of thoughts

Follow everywhere I go

"Why are you still crying, dear?" Muzan replied with his smooth, monotonous voice, removing his hand as he placed you gently on the surface. His mood changed in a matter of seconds, you wonder how much more he was capable of doing beside that but brushing aside those feelings of negativity you moved closer.

"Took you long enough" engulfing him in a tight hug, startling him in the process. The idea of being intimate with a lowly creature was good enough to make him puke in disgust. How can a mortal like you have the audacity to touch the all mighty kibutsuji Muzan? He believed himself to be above everything even viewing his own subordinates as puppets of his play. His twisted sense of morality speaks that affection holds a person from attaining superiority and is a sign of weakness, the more ruthless and cold hearted the more close you are to perfection. He shows no value to people who possess such emotions which he is foreign to. Your vulnerability makes him want to ripped you to shreds, torment you and break your mind, yet he finds himself at ease. It was hard for him to admit that his pride was hurted against someone so delicate and somehow he felt those feelings of warmth to be tolerable with you, even to the extent of craving it.

After a while, a sudden realization hit your senses as you parted from the tight embrace, your (s/c) countenance painted with dark shades of red, averting your gaze from the demon. The moon shone brightly above you exhibiting your breathtaking beauty just like a piece of art. The way your shiny (h/c) locks fell over your smooth skin, the way your pulm lips parted to speak and the way your eyes sparked with adoration, was enough to drive him insane. From the very moment he laid his eyes upon you, he knew a masterpiece like you belonged only to the epitome of perfection. He will do anything to keep you to himself.

Top over the mountains or valley low.

"(Y/n), you have a very rare blood, a marechi" said muzan, as you recall the conversation you had with the demon in the shrine saying something similar on this note.

Give you everything you been dreaming of

"What's with that muzan?" You asked curiously, to which muzan's tone changed into that of a viscous one.

"Its a great meal for demons", silence broke out as you were too shock to say anything. Muzan knew he can take advantage of that situation and mould you the way he desires.

"(Y/n) are you scared of me?"

"No", you replied almost immediately with no hesitation.

"Do you trust me?" He questioned again looking at you directly with his glowing ruby orbs. Beginning his sick games of manipulation.

"Yes I do, with all my life, you are the only one who saved my life not once but twice, you cared so much for me when no one did" you paused.

"Beside my mother"

Just let me in, ooh

"Your family abandoned you, when you needed them the most" he replied creating doubts about inside of you, making you back off a little towards a tree.

"My mother was helpless" you answered.

"They used you for their own benefit", pinning you against the tree, he whispered venom into your ears. The proximity between you two, send shivers down your spine. Seeing you helpless excited him, making him determined to claim you even more.

Everything you want in gold, I'll be the magic story you have been told.

"How do you k-know?" You trembled, gasping your mouth and before you could lift your hands to cover your face muzan held your hands into his bigger ones looking directly in your eyes.

"Tell me (y/n) am I wrong?", you knew he wasn't although it didn't make sense.

"No.." is all you replied, satisfied with your answers muzan proceeded into the next step.

And you will safe under my control.

"I want to keep you safe, (y/n)", he moved closer to your face.

"You and I shall rule the world"

"I don't know muzan"

"No one can harm you ever again"

"But-"

"Don't you want to be free?"

Free? That's what you have been wanting for so long, freedom. He made you believe that you can be a boundless bird stretching its wings in the infinite magnitude. All of your doubts stopped growing from then and there, muzan knew he has struck the right cord, creating a ray of false hope about your vision of a perfect free world, thereby controlling your perception just like a predator luring his victims with lies. Seems as if you were destined to be deceived.

"Yes" you replied hypnotized by his convincing.

"Then become a demon"

Just let me in, ohh

Muzan moved his hand across your face caressing it gently, his face inches apart from yours, as his lips crashed against yours. For someone who recoiled from physical touch, to be felt loved by something that isn't supposed to be God's creation. A warm feeling crept inside of your chest as it was pressed against his. Feeling your joint heartbeats.

I never bothered to feel my chest for a heart beat, now I do. As I looked down to see my hand moving towards my face, the slimy red droplet broke away, disconnecting our lips. Demon? This man who gave me this new life? His eyes, so calm and fiery, How can I feel such duality? I lifted my other hand, without knowing it went to his chest, On his chiseled chest, there. You thought.

"A demon?" You replied with your now quivering lips turning your face away with embarrassment, realizing your lips connected with burning passion. Your eyes teared up you know not why, to be embraced by one who was supposed to be cold, to be embraced by someone who stood against armies through out time, you wanted to be with him.

"you will be", said muzan, as you felt your consciousness fading away, you know now why... Why all of them follow him, despite the abuse..Despite the sacrifices... you know now why your body moved craving for his touch although you could feel your throat burning yet it didn't matter, the warm embrace is all that you wanted.

That night you abandoned your humanity.

[impala1967dwinchester]

Dean Winchester: Pose

Picture found off of Google search 

Pairing: Dean x reader

Pov: Deans (Mentions of Sam X Eileen only once)  

Warning: cute Dean, Dean being funny, posing for Dean, maybe a kink i don't know, lots of sleep 

Summary: Dean buys you a new and very expensive camera thinking about how you said that you wanted to take pictures while you guys were in different states for hunts. What you don't realize is that Dean wants to take pictures of different scenery.

Word Count: 1.6k

Masterlist

Taglist: @akshi8278 @deanswaywardgirl 

I bought her a camera, not any camera an expensive camera. She always fussed about how on trips to motels and long drives she wanted to be able to have memories about where we were.

Like any good boyfriend would do I bought her a camera. Partly to stop her from pushing my buttons about a camera, but mostly because I wanted to see her smile.

I gave it to her as a random gift. Setting the box in front of her and sitting down next to her. She was in the library, just her and I. "What's this?" She asked.

"This my dear is called a gift." I said lightly pulling on the string connected to the green bow that was wrapped around the box.

"I can see that Sherlock, but I'm asking you what it is?" She said having a sassy tone. I rolled my eyes and spoke. "Well, that would ruin your gift now wouldn't it."

I pushed the gift closer to her. She dramatically huffed and set her phone on her lap. She quickly undid the green bow and tore through the newspaper that wrapped the gift.

Y/n could just barely see what the box said. "Dean?" She said excitement starting to crack through her voice. "Hmm." I hummed in response.

"Dean did you... is this..." Y/n said getting caught up in her words and most likely her emotions as well. "Yes, I did. And yes, it is." I said gently patting her thigh.

The camera was a brand-new Canon camera. Mostly made for taking scenery pictures. A wonderful camera according to all of the Amazon comments.

Unwrapping her gift Y/n tore into the box. Unfolding the flaps and opening the box. Taking the bubble wrap off of the many accessories that came with said camera.

Y/n pulled out her phone, searching up a video trying to figure out how to use her camera. “You know that there’s a packet of instructions and other such things in the box, right?” I asked her, taking her phone from her grasp.  

Looking up at me her eyebrow frowning, and giving me a stink eye. “I thought you didn’t know what instructions were?” She said coming back with a sassy comment.  

“Here.” I said pulling the packet from the box along with the camera. I unwrapped that. Setting it up, putting in an SD card, and taking the first picture on the camera.

The very first picture on her camera, was Y/n. She was smiling, dimples showing, eye bright under the flash of the camera. I can see the bookshelves, and the bindings of all books behind her.  

“Does it look good?” She questions me. I roll my eyes in love and frustrations for her question. “Of course, you look amazing my dear.” I said turning the camera around so she can see herself in the screen.  

At the start of our next hunt, I pack my bags, along with Y/n doing same. For this hunt it is just her and I. Sam and Eileen already on route to another hunt out near the coast.  

We pack the impala, and we are off. What I didn’t know was that Y/n and both packed her camera with her, and was going to use it the entire drive to our destination.

Our drive was peaceful, the radio playing my rock music, and both Y/n and I humming and singing. At one point I looked over at Y/n and she had her camera out taking pictures of the passing lands and hills. Bringing my attention back to the road, I continued to drive.

A few miles down the road I again look over at Y/n, this time instead of Y/n facing and looking out the window, she has her camera pointed towards me, I could see her finger pointer bouncing rather quickly on the button.  

“How many of those pictures are you going to take of me?” I asked bringing my attention back to the road again. “I plan on taking as many pictures of you as I want.” She said moving her head in a very odd way.  

The rest of the drive was fine. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Y/n set her camera done, and back into her bag. I then feel her, lightly place her head on my shoulder snuggling closer to me.  

“Are you tired dear?” I asked her. The only response I get it is a soft hum. “Okay my dear, I’ll wake you when we get there.” I spoke. Turning down the radio and cranking the heat up.  

The sun sets, and rises again. Just barely rising over the hills. I pulled in to another shitty motel. I pull into a spot, shutting the engine off, and gently waking Y/n up.  

“We are here, love bug.” I said kissing her forehead. Her eye flutter open, and she yawns, stretching her arms. Talking through her yawn “Where are we staying?” Y/n asks.  

“At another shitty motel, I thinks it's called the Clover” I said, “Let’s go get us a room, I need my four hours of sleep.” I said squeezing her tightly in my grasp, before letting her go and getting out of the impala.  

I headed to the front desk, getting a key to our room. A small flirt with the young lady at the front desk to speed the process up. When I leave the front desk, I see Y/n had her bags and my bags are next to her on the ground.  

“Let’s go get some sleep baby.” Y/n said, handing me her bag and linking her pinky together. I of course unlocked our room, and let Y/n walk in first, setting out things on the small kitchen table.

Y/n flops onto the not so bouncy bed. I strip of my boots, jeans, and to many flannels. “Wow, big boy. I thought we were going to sleep.” Y/n said a silly tone falling into her words.  

“I’m going to sleep, but I would like to sleep next to your bitchin’ body.” Y/n rolled her eyes before removing her boots, jeans, bra and then her shirt. Dean watched, something that he always did, something that Y/n had allowed long before they were together.  

I watched as Y/n lightly lifted the back of her shirt up unclasping her bra and removing it from the bottom front of her shirt. “You’ll have to show me that trick.” I said winking at her before falling into bed with her. “I sure will, lets sleep now.” She said, curling up against my side.  

I wake up long before Y/n does, like I had said before I only ever really need four hours of sleep. I leave Y/n to go find coffee and food, when I come back Y/n is still asleep now cuddling against the pillow that I was laying with.  

Sitting and looking through my phone. I wanted so badly to get on with this hunt, but the idea of it being just Y/n and I for a few days before the adrenaline and rush of this hunt was needed. Seemed like a great idea. Still seeing that Y/n was asleep.  

I dug out Y/n’s camera, and turned it on. I went over to the blinds just barely opening the shades. So, the morning afternoon sun can stream in finding their way to beam over Y/n’s body.  

I moved around the room, finding that as I did so I could get better angles of her face, body and hole frame. After what seemed like ten pictures, I had taken Y/n stirred in her sleep. Opening her eyes and cringing at the sunlight that had fallen on her face.  

“What are you doing?” She asked her morning voice a little deeper than her normal everyday “Well my dear, I’m taking pictures of this lovely creature in front of me.” I said pointing at her. In return she pointed back at herself.  

She giggled and smiled, taking the moment because it was there, I caught another picture of her smiling, hair a mess, the tips of her ears deepening as she giggled more, the top of her chest just barely showing.  

“You know you are beautifully photogenic.” I spoke. Y/n’s eyebrows furrowed and she gave me a look of ‘I’m sorry what did you just say’ her nose scrunched. “I’m sorry. That makes utterly no sense.” She said turning her face away from the beaming sun.  

“You understood what I meant, so that means it meant sense.” I said, knowing that I had only confused myself with my statement. I sat down next to Y/n leaning against the headboard.  

“Are we going to the hunt today? Because if so, I need to go get a shower, and get my FBI suit on.” Y/n said. I grabbed Y/ns hands before she could slip from the comfort of her boyfriend, “No hunt for today. We can start in a few days' time.” I said dragging her slower to my body.  

Grabbing the camera from the night stand table. I looked over at Y/n, “Take a picture with me my love.” I spoke. She smiles and slightly shook her head before leaving her head against my black Henley, I could feel like heat of her cheeks even through my shirt.  

“Alright you ready baby?” I asked. Again Y/n shook her head, figuring it out I was able to take that picture the flash now not needed because of the sun light falling into the room.  

“I love you.” Y/n said cuddling up closer to my frame. Smiling down to her, kissing her temple and speaking into her temple an. “I love you too my dear.”

Completed on: 03/21/2021 

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch49: An Old Friend

Intro: After five years of more or less domestic bliss, Katie’s fear that their peace will be one day shattered comes to fruition as a man they long thought dead appears at the compound.

Warnings: Bad Langauge. Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

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

A/N: And so we begin the Endgame timeline...and as with all the parts, it has it’s own little banner as made by the talented @angrybirdcr​ who’s made another lovely edit for me here!

Chapter 48 Part 2

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

  May 2023

“Emmy this room is an utter disgrace!” Steve said exasperatedly as he looked around at the various items of clothing scattered around her bedroom. DVDs lay on the floor instead of in the designated rack, the bed was unmade and various school books were tossed onto the rug instead of at her desk.

“Chill Dad.” She mumbled as she sat cross legged, tapping at her tablet, music blaring from her stereo. “Chill?” He shot her a look “Seriously, we spent a fortune doing this room up last month. Get it tidied.” “Yeah, yeah.”

Steve grit his teeth, jaw twitching with annoyance before, after a moment’s deliberation, he crossed the room and turned off her music.

“Hey I was listening to that!”                                  

“Well, now you’re gonna listen to me.” He stood cross armed looking down at her. “I mean it Emily, get this sorted now, or you can forget going to Philadelphia with Brooke.”

“But, it’s all organised, we leave first thing in the morning!” “It can be unorganised.” His threat was simple but it had the desired effect.

“Fine.” She groaned, tossing her tablet to one side. “Thank you.” Steve replied, sarcastically before he left the room, shutting the door behind him. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen where Katie was prepping lunch, Jamie sat in a chair at the table on a booster seat, colouring in an activity book.

“Look, Daddy!” he pointed to his picture. Steve leant over, one arm on the back of the chair and glanced down at the elephant his son had coloured in purple.

“A purple elephant.” He nodded “Creative.”

“Like in Dumbo!”

“Of course.” Steve smiled, Jamie’s Disney film of the moment. It was one Steve could remember seeing at the theatre before he joined the army. It still creeped him out slightly, the scene with all the drunk elephants. So much so he was convinced the animator had been on some kind of mad drug fuelled trip when he drew it. He ruffled his son’s hair and then moved over to where Katie was slicing up a cucumber for the salad, reaching round to steal a piece as he dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“She tidying it?” Katie asked, her eyes not moving from her task.

“Only because I threatened to stop her going to Philly.” he snorted, leaning on the counter, looking at his wife. He reached into the salad bowl to snatch a piece of pepper and Katie slapped his hand. He grinned as she looked at him.

“Bet that went down well.” “Don’t care. Her attitude stinks.”

“She’s a teenage girl, Steve” Katie smiled. “That’s not the point.” “Honey, just shut the door if the mess bothers you that much.”

Steve sighed, and rubbed at his temple. “I’m surprised the door even opens with the amount of crap on the floor.” Katie gave a little chuckle before she looked at him. “Can you get me the dressing out of the fridge?”

He pushed himself off the counter and opened the fridge. “Caesar or Ranch?”

“Caesar.” She nodded after a moment’s deliberation. “Oh, and the cooked chicken please.” Grabbing them, Steve turned back to Katie and passed her the items, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Do you think I was too strict?”

Katie placed the knife down and looked at him. “Stevie, stop second guessing yourself.” She reached up to run a hand down his cheek “You’re a great dad. All I’m saying is it’s not out of the ordinary for her to have an attitude. She’s fifteen. I was a nightmare at that age, as I’m sure Tony will delight in telling you.”

“Speaking of your brother, what time is he expecting us to drop Jamie off?” “Oh he’s coming to pick him up.” Katie said. “They’re in town anyway so said he’ll be here later this afternoon. I just hope Emmy does as you told her.” “Huh?”

“Because if she doesn’t, you’re gonna have to carry through with your threat. And that means you’ve just flushed our night alone down the lav.” Steve let out a groan, he hadn’t thought about that.

A little while later Katie called Emmy down for lunch. She appeared in the kitchen with a scowl and Katie saw Steve bristle slightly so she decided to get in there first and back him up.

“Straighten your face, young lady.” She ordered sternly as Emmy sat down. “Your dad’s right. That room is an absolute dump.” Emmy sighed and reached over for a warm pitta bread, piling her plate with the salad before she took a deep breath.

“Sorry. I’ll tidy it, I promise.” Steve looked at Katie who gave him a wink as they began to eat.

“Emmy I colourded you a picture.” Jamie pointed to the book which was to his right, out of the way of his plate.

Emmy smiled, and looked at it. “Aww dude that’s awesome. Is it to pin up on my board?”

He nodded and she bopped his nose gently, smiling back.

“I staying at Moo’s tonight?” He asked, turning to his mom.

“Yeah.” Katie looked at him as he picked up a piece of the pitta bread she had sliced into smaller strips for him “Is that okay?” He nodded. “Uncle Nee gives me juice pops. The red ones are my bestest.” “I thought you liked the blue ones?” Steve asked, swallowing his food. “Because they’re the same colour as Cap’s Suit?”

“Red ones better.” Jamie nodded. “Like Iron Man.”

Steve looked at Katie who was biting her lip, trying not to laugh at the look of utter indignation on his face.

“This is good, Mom.” Emmy nodded at the food on her plate. “Better than the incinerated breakfast dad gave us.” Steve half-heartedly glared at his daughter. “I burnt one egg.”

“One too many.” She quipped, and Katie grinned, reaching over for the jug of water. Steve beat her to it and poured her a glass, sliding it over to her before he did the same for Emmy, Jamie already had his in a tippee-cup by his plate. 

“Thanks.” Katie smiled at him before she turned to Emmy “Hey, did you get your grade back for your English essay last week?”

“Oh, yeah, I got an A.” she shrugged.

“Emmy that’s great.” Steve nodded at her, smiling.

“Yeah well don’t get used to it. I don’t think I’ll get one again. I may have upset my tutor.”

“Why?” Katie frowned “What did you do.”

“Well, he’s assigned us a book that is totes inappropriate.”

“What book?” Katie interrupted to ask

“The Colour Purple. I mean it’s good but…”

“Yeah, that is kinda heavy…” Katie frowned, having read the book herself. “What’s the angle?” “Race, gender, and bigotry in the early twentieth century. ”Emmy shrugged “I would have thought To Kill A Mockingbird would have been better but when I voiced my opinion Mr Tozer didn’t like it.”

“So what did you say to upset him?” Steve arched his brow.

“Exactly that. And then he told me it was his way or the highway. Don’t worry, I refrained from calling him Hitler.”

“I guess we should be pleased then.” Steve snorted. Emmy flashed him a grin and went back to eating.

The family made chatter for the rest of their lunch until Jamie poked at his mom’s arm.

“Yes, Sweetie?” “I done now. Fankoo.” He grinned, his plate completely cleared.

“You’re welcome, honey” Katie ruffled his hair “Cake?” He asked hopefully.

“What do you say?” Steve prompted gently.

“Please.” Jamie nodded.

“Do you think about anything but food?” Emmy looked at the small boy.

“You know he doesn’t.” Katie sighed. “He takes after your father in that respect.” “That’s not all I think about.” Steve grinned, as he raised a suggestive eyebrow at his wife over his glass of water.

“Yeah well, thankfully he is way too young for that.” Katie winked as she stood up to get the fruit cake she had made the day before to cut everyone a slice. As she did, she had to bite back the smirk as Emmy sighed at Steve’s blatant sexual reference.

“Gross.”

****

Emmy did tidy her room, so she was dropped off at the coffee shop early evening with her bag which Steve was sure contained more clothes than she needed for the four nights she was away. He made a comment to that effect and the fifteen year old just rolled her eyes and explained she needed two outfits a day,  just in case. Just in case of what, Steve had no idea, and he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know if truth be told. He made small talk with Jennifer over a coffee for a while, instructed his daughter to behave and loudly told Jennifer that if she was any trouble to pack her home straight away. Brooke rolled her eyes but gave him a hug goodbye anyway as he left.  By the time he had gotten home, Jamie had already been picked up leaving the two parents alone. Steve had been planning to take Katie out, but when he suggested it she shook her head and pulled a magnum of Champagne out of the fridge and held it up.

“I got a better idea.” She grinned “Hot tub party for two and take out.” “Champagne, pizza, you in a swimsuit.” Steve grinned, pulling her to him. “Baby, I’m sold.”

Needless to say there wasn’t much relaxing done in the hour they were in the tub, quite the opposite if truth be told. Hands and lips were all over the place, pawing at skin and kisses being exchanged with avaricious force. By the time they’d called for pizza, Katie was feeling thoroughly defiled as she sat on the sofa, wearing one of Steve’s button downs and tore into a large slice of pepperoni as if she hadn’t eaten for a week. Steve grinned, tucking her damp hair behind her ear and dropped a kiss to the side of her head. They settled down to watch a film, but Katie was flat out before it was even ten minutes in and she didn’t even stir bar to murmur something to Steve when he carried her up to their room.

Steve woke the next morning, wrapped around his wife, her warm body pressed to his chest, one arm under her neck, the other draped over her waist. He sighed in contentment, it was bliss, knowing there was nothing to get up for. No constantly hungry three year old to feed, no lunches to make, no school runs, no meetings until later, nothing. Snuggling into her closer, the arm that wasn’t trapped underneath her swept her hair away from her face, before his lips skated over her jaw and down the side of her neck. As her eyelids fluttered his large, gentle hand trailed down the curve of her hip and slid between her legs, caressing the inside of her thigh. Katie took a deep breath, shifting automatically, still half asleep, spreading her legs a little wider. She rolled her head over her shoulder, blinking and she was met with those blue eyes she loved so much, the owner wearing a devilish smirk.

“Morning.” He rasped, his voice low with sleep and desire.

“Good morning.” She grinned, biting her lip as his hand moved back up over her stomach to her breasts underneath the shirt she was wearing and he began to tease her softly, causing her to moan as he rolled a nipple between his fingers, the sensation burning in her stomach. She rolled onto her back and Steve settled between her legs, her arms winding around his neck as he captured her lips with his, soft and slow before he pulled back to peel his shirt off her body, tossing it down the side of the bed. He turned his gaze downwards, eyeing up her blue lacy panties before he groaned and lowered himself over her again, kissing her and sliding his tongue along hers. Katie wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding against him to get any friction that she could. His hands trailed down her sides and under her back, fingers gently grabbing at the waistband of the lace before he broke the kiss and unhooked her legs from around his waist. He gently pulled her underwear down, shimmying under the covers as he removed the garment and then kissed up her right leg, his lips hot as he made his way from her ankle up to her inner thigh, pushing her legs open wider.

His actions were controlled, slow. There was no rush after all. His mouth and tongue gently worked her to distraction, flicking at her clit over and over. She was a writhing mess within minutes, her hand fisted in his hair, the other grasping at the sheets, the noises flowing freely because they didn’t have to be quiet. Her fingers tightened on his scalp and she gave a cry of his name as her hips bucked upwards, her legs tensing slightly before they flattened against the bed, her breathing heavy and ragged. With a smirk at how easy he could undo her, Steve moved back up the bed, one hand pushing his sleep pants down. Without a word he lined himself up with her, letting out a loud groan as she slid a hand between them, stroking him before guiding him inside. He moved slowly, deliberately, until every inch of him was sheathed. Katie’s eyes rolled back as he stretched her, her groan was loud as he laced his fingers into hers. Steve let out a shaky little whimper as he moved his pelvis slowly, pushing back against her hands.

Every thrust was deep, slow, measured, his mouth moving from hers to her jaw, neck, collar bone. The house was quiet, nothing but the sound of soft cries and kisses could be heard as Steve continued his thrusts, whilst his wife purred into his ear, and he let go of her hands to bring one of her legs up round his hip. She let out a cry at the change of angle as he picked up the pace slightly, but not much, Katie’s nails raking down his back as her pleasure rose. The sensation made him shudder and he doubled his efforts, her hands sliding down, grabbing at his flexing ass, urging him on and, as always, he was happy to oblige.

“Shit, Stevie,” the cry of his name turned into a complete babble which died in her throat as she tightened and pulsed around, him, her body shaking with pleasure.

“God, Doll,” Steve was right behind her as he came with a low moan, his hips thrusting until he was completely spent, his head buried in the side of his wife’s neck.

Katie tipped her head back in satisfaction, sighing softly as Steve pushed himself up slightly. He gently ran his nose up her throat, taking her bottom lip between his and he let out a loud, satisfied sigh of his own. He loved his kids, beyond anything but man he enjoyed being able to take his goddamned time making love to his wife without the patter of little feet across the hall meaning they were about to be interrupted. “Baby,” he said softly, his lips gently smoothing the skin underneath her ear “Hmmm?” She asked, her hands creeping into his hair as her head rolled to the side, eyes still closed in pure bliss. “Look at me, kitten.” She obliged, and emerald green met ocean blue as she held her husband’s gaze. He gave her a soft smile, and she reciprocated, the affection on his face blatantly evident. “I love you,” he said, as she reached up and gently brushed the longer strands of his hair back over his forehead, “more than you can ever know”

“Will that still be the case when I’m old, grey and wrinkly but you still look like you’re straight out of GQ magazine?”

Steve frowned as he looked at her, this wasn’t the first time she had mentioned that. He shook his head and sighed softly, unable to do anything but repeat what he told her the last time she’d raised the issue.

“I told you baby girl.” he gave her lips a quick peck, “it’s me and you till the end of the line.”

After a lazy breakfast, Katie headed off to collect Jamie from Tony’s and Steve made his way into Manhattan for the two support groups of the afternoon. The first one was always the busiest and it took a little longer this week as they had a few new faces. This didn’t surprise Steve, people were still five years later coming to terms with opening up about their heartache or problems, but the core of the group were always welcoming. He had an hours break before the second, slightly quieter group so he took a walk. Their air was damp and there was a gloomy fog descending over the city, making it darker than it would normally be for the time of day, but it wasn’t cold. He grabbed a coffee from the shop round the corner and headed back to start the second meeting.

The meetings always followed the same format. There was ten or so minutes of everyone arriving, grabbing refreshments, saying hello and then they would form the usual circle and Steve would start the discussions with a chat about something he’d done or seen that week that was positive before moving to something he’d done or seen that week that wasn’t so positive, and then invite other people to comment and do the same, gently coaxing them into opening up.

“So, I went on a date the other day.” A man named David sighed. “First time in five years. I didn’t know what to talk about.”

“What did you talk about?” Steve pressed gently, patient as ever.

“Same old crap, you know? How things have changed. My job. His job. How much we miss the Mets,” David paused taking a breath, “then things got quiet. He cried as were serving the salads.”

“What about you?” Another man, Ian, asked hopefully.

“I cried,” David trailed off, “just before dessert,” There was a slight pause, “but I’m seeing him again tomorrow, so…”

Steve gave a small smile. “That’s great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump, you didn’t know where you were gonna come down. And that’s it, it’s those little, brave baby steps we gotta take, you know, to try and find purpose.” He paused and looked around the group, biting the inside of his cheek. “I went into the ice in forty-five right after I met the first woman I’d ever loved. Woke up seventy years later and met the love of my life. She gave me hope, she gave me a purpose, a reason to keep going in the crazy new world I’d found myself in.” He paused again and looked around at the attentive faces assembled in a circle. “You gotta move on. The world is in our hands. It’s left to us guys. We gotta do something with it. Otherwise, Thanos should have killed all of us.”

Steve let the meeting roll for a little longer, everyone discussing what he had said before it came to a natural end and, with a glance up, he saw Katie and Jamie pushing open the door, Katie holding a huge box full of brownies.

“Looks like you’re all in luck!” Steve nodded towards his wife as Jamie ran across to his father who smiled and swept him up into arms, planting a kiss onto his head before replacing him on the floor. He looked over at Katie and she smiled back, placing the box of treats down on the table. She often did this, popped into a few of his sessions over the week with some form of snack for them all when she had time, her way of helping out, and Steve loved her for it. 

Over the next ten minutes or so, various people drifted over to the side of the room, greeting Katie and grabbing a brownie. She gave David a hug and cheekily told him to behave on his next date as Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead in greeting as they waved the man away.

“How long where you at the door?”

“Long enough.” She told him, knowing instantly why he was asking.

“I meant it.” He turned to look at her. “Every word you know.”

“I know, and for the record you’re the love of my life too.” She grinned “My husband, my baby daddy…” 

Steve smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. 

“Gross.” Jamie gagged, sticking his fingers in his mouth, an action he had learnt from Emmy.

There was a pause before Steve grabbed Jamie and launched into a tickle attack until the boy was screeching and running from his dad who chased him round the hall. Katie watched her boys as Jamie feinted left and Steve let him get away, before the little boy dived under a table and out the other side of it, cackling in a way so like his father.

“Don’t think that’s gonna save you, pal.” Steve easily vaulted the table, picking Jamie up, throwing him over his shoulder, patting his backside once with a large hand.

“Momma, help!” Jamie’s voice was punctuated with laughter and with a grin Katie strode forward and her hands went straight to Steve’s sides from behind, and she began to tickle him.

“Oh sh-stop it!” Steve cackled, his ridiculously ticklish nature was always his downfall. He let Jamie down as Katie continued her attack and he whipped round, grabbing her and spinning her round. He folded her arms across her chest, pinning her back to his front as he dropped his mouth to her ear.

“You’re gonna pay for that later.” “Promises, promises Captain.”

****

There was a presence to Katie’s right and she felt the soft weight of a hand against her cheek. It was too small to belong to her man, but the perfect size and weight to belong to her boy.

“James,” a soft, deep voice whispered, warning in the tone, “this is the second time I’ve told you and there won’t be a third. Leave your ma alone. She’s sleeping.”

Katie sighed and stretched. “It’s okay, I’m awake”  

Jamie giggled and surged forward giving her a peck before falling back onto his father’s pillow, "Morning Momma!”

“Good morning, Sweetie.” She yawned rolling onto her side, dislodging Lucky who had been asleep with his leg resting on the back of her knees.  As ever Jamie had his stuffed Cap bear with him, along with God knows how many other toys all which adorned Steve’s side of their enormous bed.

“Morning, Baby.” Steve bent over from behind her, pecking her cheek too.

“Hey.” She smiled, rolling her head to catch his lips, noticing his bare, damp chest from the shower. “What time is it?”

“Little past seven. Somebody-“ Steve glanced at Jamie, “-was awake at half Five.” “Not sleepy daddy.” “Really, I didn’t notice.” Steve replied, sardonically. Katie chuckled as Jamie frowned, the sarcasm utterly lost at him.

“Momma, we hided in the fort.”

Steve and Jamie had made a blanket fort in Jamie’s room last night in which they had hidden in for their bed time stories. Jamie had insisted they left it up, and considering it wasn’t in the way, Katie had been happy to oblige. Steve, who had gotten a lot better with dealing with the mess Jamie left around over the years had resisted the urge to fold away the blankets and his wife had pulled him out of the room when the pair of them had popped in to check on Jamie before he could change his mind.

“Mighty fine Fort it is too.” Steve ruffled his son’s hair.

“What time are your meetings today?” Katie asked, looking at Steve. His groups ran at different times during the week. This way, it made sure that there was a day or night everyone could attend at least one session a week.

“Last one finishes at four today. Why you ask?”

“Well, I thought seeing as we didn’t see Nat at the weekend, we should pop in.” “Auntie Nat-Nat, yay!” Jamie clapped his hands “Maybe she can come see my fort.” “You should tell her about it.” Steve nodded, before his attention turned to Katie. “Might convince her to leave the compound.” “Yeah, maybe.”

“What do you fancy for breakfast?” Steve swiftly changed the subject.

“I can bake some cinnamon rolls if you want?” “You don’t have to do that.” “I know, but they’re already made so just need to go in to the oven and I also I know someone id going to ask for pancakes and he isn’t having them three days on the run.” “Waffles?” Jamie whipped his head round, hopefully.

“No.” Katie shook her head. “Cinnamon rolls or cereal, your choice.”

“Can I have both?”

“You two will eat me out of house and home.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Yes, if you want both you can have both.”

“Cool, man.” Jamie nodded, in a way that was so like Emmy it made Steve turn back to face his wife from where he had ben stood at the dresser pulling out his clothes, a smirk on his face. The pair of them watched as their son announced he was going to get dressed and dropped onto the floor, heading out into the hallway, Lucky following.

Katie watched as Steve pulled on a pair of sweats and she cocked her head to one side.

“Did you seriously call me Jamie’s Ma before?”

Steve grinned. “Sorry.” “Makes me sound like I’m ninety” she snorted.

“Try actually being ninety.” Steve scoffed, and Katie laughed as he started to crawl over her in the bed, pushing her back gently.

“Hate to break it to you, Captain Badass, but you’re actually a hundred and five.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Steve muttered gently, his lips pressing to hers. She happily melted into the kiss her hands straying up and down his bare chest, before she pulled away knowing that if they carried on she’d be wanting a lot more.

“Stop it.”

“What?”

“This.” Katie pouted.

“I only wanted a kiss.” Steve looked at her, eyebrow raised. “You have a dirty mind, Mrs Rogers.” “Years of being with you.” She shrugged and Steve laughed, standing up. As he headed across the room Katie couldn’t resist one last quip. “Nice ass…daddy” Steve turned round, a wicked grin on his face as he held his arms out at either side of him, as he walked backwards for a few steps. “It’s all yours, momma.” He smirked, before turning round and heading out to help Jamie get dressed.

The rest of Katie’s day was pretty much the same as it always was. She dropped Jamie in at the day-care and headed up to her office for her fifteen minute start up meeting with Soray. After going  over her diary for the day, she spent most of the morning sifting through the mountain of emails and responding to the ones she needed to. After a quick chat with Emmy at lunchtime, the girl enthusiastically telling her all about how her and Brooked had run up the Rocky steps and were eating a tonne of Philly cheesesteak, Katie headed up to the boardroom for the Monthly Financial Review. Escaping at little after three, she picked Jamie up and headed to the store to grab something she could make at the compound for dinner. Once Steve was home they all jumped in the car to make the hours drive up state owards the compound.

Steve drove easily down the highway, one hand on the steering wheel, the other laying on the arm rest in between the front seats, whilst next to him Katie hummed along to the John Legend playlist that was playing. Steve cruised the Audi onto the bridge which would take them out of Manhattan and frowned gently as he noticed that the cars ahead were all coming to a halt. As Steve slowed the car down, Katie too narrowed her eyes as people started getting out of their cars, heading to the side of the bridge, pointing.

“Wait here.” Steve instructed, climbing out of the car, Captain mode engaged.

“What’s happening?” Jamie asked.

“Daddy’s gone to see.” Katie turned to smile at him before she turned back, watching Steve approach the side of the bridge and speak to the nearest man before looking down. His mouth dropped opened and he turned, jogging back to the car.

“You’re not gonna believe this!” He shook his head, excitement all over his face as Katie climbed out of the car. “Come see.” He opened the back door of the car and unstrapped Jamie from his seat. Picking him up in his arms, Steve made his way to the side of the bridge, wife by his side and he pointed downwards.

Katie felt herself gasp at the sight- a small pod of whales leisurely making their way through the Hudson River.

“Wow.” She whispered.

“What are they?” Jamie asked

“Whales.” Steve replied. “Humpbacks, I think.”

Steve tried to keep the smile on his face genuine, but he hated it when Jamie saw something out of place in the new world that he was born into which would have been perfectly normal in the world that they once knew. Whilst a pod of whales in the Hudson was an astounding sight for sure, and would have been unheard of even before the Snap, the fact that it was Jamie’s first time ever seeing a whale made him slightly sad. They had been a pretty common sight around the ocean waters in and around the bays leading out into the North Atlantic. That was until Thanos had killed half of them.

Jamie giggled and pointed out that the biggest whale was being followed closely by a slightly smaller one, and then an even smaller one after and then a tiny one.

“Daddy, Momma, Emmy and Jamie.” He smiled at Steve who chuckled, smoothing Jamie’s hair back.

“Come on Kiddo, let’s go see Auntie Nat” When they arrived at the Avengers compound, the sun was just beginning to set. Steve drove round to the rear entrance and the gate creaked open as the ANPR scanners recognised the car. He parked the car in their old designated spot before he collected the bag of ingredients from the trunk that Katie had bought to make dinner with. Together the three of them headed inside, FRIDAY welcoming them all as they made their way towards the living area, and they could hear Natasha closing up a meeting.

“Nat,” Rhodey’s voice was almost pleading but Nat cut him off

“Please.” She begged.

Katie had a feeling she knew what she was talking about, or rather who. She glanced at Steve as they rounded the last corner to the large meeting-slash-living room and it was then that Katie could hear Natasha trying to stifle her cries. At that point Jamie ran in and jumped onto his Aunt’s lap hugging her tightly.

“Don’t be sad, Auntie Nat-Nat.” He whispered, and Natasha took a deep breath, leaning her head against her nephew’s with her eyes closed hugging him back.

Steve leaned against the bookshelf for a moment as Katie walked into the room, taking the bag of ingredients off Steve as she took in the sight of Natasha’s dinner of a peanut butter sandwich which rest on top of the table.

“You know, I’d offer to cook you dinner, but you seem miserable enough.” Steve opened, looking down at her with a smile.

“So I’m gonna do it instead.” Katie smiled, holding up the bag she’d brought, dropping it onto the table. “Chicken stew, dumplings and chocolate cake for after.”

Natasha looked at them, a smile playing on her face as Katie sat down across from her. “You guys here just to feed me?”

“And to see a friend.” Steve shot back.

Natasha leaned back into her chair, Jamie still on her lap. “Clearly, your friend is fine.”

“Bull.” Katie mimicked her stance, eyeing her. Natasha avoided her gaze and the room fell silent.

“You know we saw a pod of whales as we were coming over the bridge.” Steve broke the silence, changing the subject.

“In the Hudson?” Natasha raised her head slightly, sounding impressed.

“There was a Jamie whale and a daddy whale and a momma whale and an Emmy one!” Jamie gushed and Nat smiled.

“I haven’t seen whales in the Hudson ever, even before.”

"Well, there’s fewer ships, cleaner water.” Steve shrugged

Natasha sighed looking up at the ceiling. “You know, if you’re about to tell me to look on the bright side, umm, I’m about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich.”

“Sammich?” Jamie looked up hopefully and Natasha tore off half of one side before passing it to him.

“Sorry.” Steve sighed pushing himself off from the bookshelf, his jacket slung over his arm. “Force of habit.”

He tossed his keys onto the table, dropping his jacket over the back of a chair before sitting down next to his wife, glancing at Jamie who was now eating a small piece of the sandwich, then at Natasha. The woman looked tired, pale and such a far cry from the stoic, well-groomed Natasha Romanoff he had first known. But then again, they were all a far cry from the people they had once been.

“You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on, and forget what happened.” Steve crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. “And some do. But not us.”

“If I move on, who does this?” Natasha asked simply with a shrug.

Katie sighed. “Maybe it doesn’t need to be done.”

“You know, I used to have nothing. And then I got this- this job, this family.” Nat smiled sadly and looked down at Jamie before she looked back up, the tears evident in her eyes. “And I was better because of it. And even though they’re gone, I’m still trying to be better.”

There was a pause as Katie wiped her eyes, a tear having escaped down her cheek and Steve gently placed his hand between her shoulder blades, rubbing softly.

"I think we all need to get a life,” he joked, breaking the sad silence, and Natasha forced a smile nodding to him.

“You did.” At her words, Steve gave a smile. She was right, he had. Whilst he and Katie had been extremely lucky over the last five years, that didn’t stop them thinking about the people that hadn’t, and the friends they had lost.

Katie reached for the bag she had placed on the table. “I’ll go start dinner.” She was mid-way through standing when a small, holographic screen popped up in front of Natasha indicating she had a notification of sorts. She flicked it to the side, bringing the video feed to life behind Steve, who looked over his shoulder as the video began playing.

“Oh, hi, hi! Is anyone home? This is, uh, Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport, in Germany. I was small, then I got real big.”

Katie left the bag where it was and whipped round, to see Scott on the screen, stood in front of his van. Besides her Steve stood from his seat, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“This…this is impossible.” Katie breathed, shaking her head. “He was…”

“Is this an old message?” Steve asked, his voice quiet, not taking his eyes off the footage.

“Ant-Man! I know you remember Ant-Man.”

Natasha’s reaction was much the same as theirs, confused awe as she sat up, breathing deeply. “It’s the front gate.”

“I really need to talk to you guys!” Scott continued to yell his voice becoming desperate.

The three of them remained frozen for a moment, absolutely lost for words, before Jamie broke the silence.

“Who’s that?” He asked, jumping down from Nat’s lap. “An old friend.” Steve swallowed, turning to Natasha who was fishing in a drawer for the key to the main gate which had been padlocked shut for years as no one used it anymore. She found it, tossed it to Steve and he caught it expertly before heading off to go meet Scott.

**** Chapter 50

 **Original Posting**

[oikawaplssteponme]

𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖: part 5

“It’s always been you. Has it always been me?”

✨part 1

✨part 2

✨part 3

✨part 4

pairing: Tobio Kageyama x fem!reader

rating/warnings: [a few swear words but that should be it]

synopsis: You liked him. He liked you. Easy right? Well, maybe not as easy as you thought.

a/n: hiii 💓 sorry i didn’t post this part sooner, ive been busy with other such things :) this is chapters 9&10 and things will be getting interesting the next few parts after this 🤭 just a reminder that my requests/asks are open all the time and so is this taglist. just ask and ill add you :)) okay enjoy xx

•

Nine: all that matters

You felt as though someone had taken your heart, stepped on, and gave it back to you. You couldn’t think of any plausible reason why Koi would say that to you. This wasn’t the same Koi that always supported you. You knew that if you were in her place, you wouldn’t have said those things, even if you truly believed them.

“Don’t give me that face Y/N, it's just my opinion. See this is why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d freak out,” Koi huffed.

“Well I’m obviously not gonna like hearing that you think that the guy I like doesn’t actually like me.”

“Hey now I never said that. All I said was that I think that I’m more his type than you. That's no reason to get pissy with me Y/N. The truth can hurt.” Koi crossed her arms and looked you dead in the eyes. You couldn’t tell whether you wanted to cry or scream.

“Hey ladies, get into first formation,” your coach interrupted. You took a deep breath and got into your spot.

Your practice felt like it lasted forever. You wanted nothing more than to just get as far away from Koi as possible. She acted as if nothing was wrong, continuing to joke with you all practice. You played along.

“See you tomorrow Y/N!” called Koi as she turned to walk home. You waved goodbye and began your trip home.

“Hey wait up!” you heard a voice say behind you. You turned to see a sweaty Kageyama running towards you. Your face instantly lit up. Once he got up to you, he gave you a tight hug.

“Oh my gosh you stink,” you joked. Kageyama released you from the hug.

“Oh sorry,” he blushed.

“It's okay,” you smiled at him, taking his hand as you walked home.

“How was practice?” you asked.

“It was good. We have a practice match tomorrow, you should come watch,” he said. You turned to him with the biggest smile.

“You want me to come watch you?”

“Yeah why wouldn’t I?” Kageyama squeezed your hand. You felt butterflies enter your stomach.

~

“Do you want to come inside to study?” you asked, pointing to your house.

“Yeah sure,” smiled Kageyama.

You walked up to your front door and went inside. Once again, your family wasn’t home yet. You led Kageyama up to your room and you set down your bags. He sat down on your bed and you made your way to your closet.

You were still in your sweaty practice clothes so you decided to change. You grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a clean t-shirt. Not thinking twice about Kageyama, you simply got changed. After you were dressed, you turned around to see a red faced Kageyama.

“What?” you asked. He caught his breath.

“Uh, nothing,” he said as he snapped back into reality. You chuckled and grabbed your school bag and went to sit next to him. He grabbed his bag as well. You pulled out your homework and began to complete it. Kageyama grumbled as he struggled through his english homework.

“Do you want help?” you asked. Kageyama looked at you and shook his head. He knew you had one of the best grades in class but he wanted to try to do it himself.

“Nope, I’m good,” he replied. You nodded and went back to your work.

~

You finished your homework in less than an hour. You repacked your school bag and set it on the floor. You moved to rest your head on Kageyama’s shoulder.

“Are you finished yet?” you pouted. He smiled.

“I can finish it later,” he said, putting away his things.

He wrapped his arm around you as you two laid back on your bed. Your head rested on his chest. You couldn’t help but feel so at peace whenever you were with him. Well, that peace was short lived when Koi’s words began to run through your mind again. You felt your gut clench.

“Kags?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a type?” Kageyama gave you a funny look.

“What do you mean?” he asked. You sighed and sat up to face him.

“I guess what I’m asking is, am I your type?” You worried that Koi might be right. Kageyama tilted his head.

“Why does it matter? I like you,” He said taking your hand. He could tell something was wrong. You still felt uneasy.

“I don’t know. Someone said some stuff to me and it got me thinking. Well, overthinking actually,” you frowned. Kageyama pulled you towards him.

“I promise that whatever they told you isn’t true. You’re all that matters,” he said. Kageyama placed his hand on your cheek, moving his thumb back and forth. You smiled pulling him into a tight hug.

“I promise Y/N,” he whispered in your ear. His soft words sent a chill down your spine. You released him from the hug but pulled him into a kiss. He kissed you back sweetly, holding you close. Your arms wrapped around his neck while he held onto your hips.

“Hey Kags,” you stopped kissing him for a moment.

“Yeah?”

“Please make sure your phone is on silent.”

~

“I should go,” yawned Kageyama. You pouted as you checked the time. 10:23pm. No part of you wanted him to leave.

“I think you shouldn’t,” you smiled, gripping onto his arm. He laughed.

“Trust me I don’t want to but I was supposed to be home 20 minutes ago,” he replied. You sighed, letting go of his arm and sitting up.

“Is your practice match right after school?” you asked.

“Yeah. It's in the normal gym,” he said. You nodded. Kageyama grabbed his school bag and his other things. You two walked downstairs before reaching your front door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” he smiled.

You knew you would but there was just something about seeing Kageyama leave that broke your heart. You didn’t think saying a simple goodbye would be so hard but it was. You became so attached to him and you weren’t even dating; technically at least.

“Okay,” you whispered. Your eyes felt glossy but you didn't know why. It just felt like each goodbye wouldn’t be followed with another hello.

“Hey I’m just a couple houses away, and I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning. Don’t be sad Y/N,” Kageyama set down his bag to pull you into a hug. You gripped onto his shirt.

“Okay,” you said faintly. You physically couldn’t say anymore because if you did you would just tell him to stay. Kageyama moved his hands to hold your face. He noticed the water forming in your eyes. You just smiled, shrugging your shoulders like it was no big deal. He kissed the top of your head before releasing his hands from your warm face. He picked up his things and opened the door.

“Goodnight Y/N.” He gave you one last kiss on the head.

“Goodnight Kags.”

•

Ten: girlfriend

You didn’t sleep that night. You couldn’t. You felt incomplete. You felt silly about how strong your feelings had gotten for Kageyama. How attached you had become to the short-tempered setter. Everytime you were with him, it just felt as if the world had stopped and it was only the two of you. You always worried about people leaving you. You knew that if Kageyama did, you would never recover. After what Koi had to say about him, you were doubtful over yourself. Thoughts like those are what kept you up at night.

When morning arose, you were more than excited to get your day started. You immediately got yourself cleaned up and changed in your uniform. Your coach had cancelled your practice today due to being sick so it was perfect that you could make it to Kageyama’s practice match. You even packed a bag of clothes to change into after school for the game. You grabbed your bags and went downstairs. You put on your coat and hat after grabbing something to eat. You put on your school bag and went outside.

He wasn’t there. You waited for about 5 minutes for Kageyama but he wasn’t there. You felt your heart sink. Was there a chance that he forgot? He wouldn’t forget, he promised. You knew that if you waited any longer you would be late, so you decided to start walking. You walked by yourself for some time, looking back every so often to hopefully see Kageyama. You had been walking for almost 5 minutes before hearing fast footsteps behind you.

“Y/N!” You turned to see a sprinting Kageyama. You let out a sigh of relief.

“I thought you forgot about me,” you said once he finally caught up to you. He tried to catch his breath.

“No, no I would never. I left my volleyball bag at my house so I had to go back and get it. Then I noticed that the lights in your house were all turned off so I assumed you had already left,” Kageyama explained, “I’m sorry if I scared you.” You turned to him and kissed his cheek.

“No worries Kags.” He took your hand and you walked the rest of the way to school.

~

The school day was long. You were so eager to watch Kageyama’s game that time seemed to never pass. You would check the clock constantly but of course nothing would change.

Finally when the bell rang signaling the end of the day, you sprung up from your seat rushing to your locker to grab your change of clothes.

“Y/N!” a familiar voice called. Your heart sang seeing it was none other than Kageyama.

“ Hi Kags,” you smiled.

“Put this on.” He handed you a black hoodie. Your eyes grew. You took the hoodie with joy. Before you could say anything, he was running to the gym.

“I’ll see you at the game!” his voice trailed off as he continued to run off. Your face was hot and tense from how hard you were smiling. You grabbed your bag and headed to the locker room.

You happily changed into a pair of leggings, a strappy tank top, and Kageyama’s hoodie. The hoodie was soft and it smelled like a mix of pine and vanilla, just how Kageyama often did. You were just about to leave the locker room when someone walked in.

“Oh hi Y/N, what are you doing?” asked Koi.

“I’m gonna go watch the boys volleyball practice game,” you said, without even thinking twice about it.

“Oh that sounds fun! Mind if I join?” Koi asked. You tensed up. You couldn’t say no without sounding mean but you also were still mad at Koi for those things she said the other day.

“Are you sure? It's just a practice match, it's probably gonna be really boring,” you said, trying to come up with anything that could convince her not to come.

“Yeah, we can cheer on Kags together,” smiled Koi. Your heart stopped. Did she just call him…

“Uh sure, then let's go,” you said.

~

The pit in your stomach only grew as you walked closer to the gym with Koi. Once you got inside, Kageyama spotted you right away. He ran towards you and wrapped his arm around you, not even acknowledging Koi.

“You look cute. Where is that hoodie from?” joked Kageyama. You smiled, giving him a nudge.

“Very funny. Uh Kags, you know Koi?” you gestured towards your friend who seemed to be annoyed by the lack of attention she was getting.

“Uh yeah I think so,” he said, looking at Koi. Koi gave him a big smile.

“Hi Kags. Good luck today,” smiled Koi. Did she just say it again?

“Oh uh thank you,” Kageyama turned to look at you, “I’ll see you after the game okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Good luck,” you replied. He gave you a hug before running back to his team.

You and Koi sat on the floor of the upper level of the gym. You dangled your feet over the edge and rested your arms on the railing that kept you from falling.

“So you and Kags huh?” said Koi suddenly. You turned to face her.

“Uh yeah, what about us?”

“Oh nothing,” she said, “just thinking out loud.”

“Right,” you sighed. You didn’t have the energy to ask her about it more. Whatever she had to say you knew it wouldn’t be good.

The practice game was against Nekoma High School. You had heard of them before due to their reputation around Karasuno. They seemed to be a very well rounded team.

The first set was tight but Nekoma took it. Kageyama seemed flustered with himself. He was off today and couldn’t understand why.

“Shake it off, get this next set,” you cheered. Kageyama didn’t look at you as he normally did when you cheered. You couldn’t blame him though, you knew how seriously he took volleyball, practice game or not.

“What’s with Tobio?” Koi asked. You shook your head.

“I’m not sure,” you replied.

“Maybe something is making him nervous,” she said. You turned to look at her, seeing the sly smile appear on her face as she looked down at Kageyama. You looked at Koi, then at Kageyama, and back at Koi. I know damn well she doesn’t actually think she is making Kageyama nervous. He never gets nervous.

“Maybe,” you sighed.

~

“Get this point Kageyama!” yelled Daichi. It was the second set and Nekoma was at set point. Kageyama was up to serve. You watched intently as he spun the ball in his hands.

“Let’s go Kags!” shouted Koi. You rolled your eyes without even thinking. Kageyama jumped and looked up to the two of you. He didn’t really make a face, he just looked at Koi, then at you, and back down to the ball.

The whistle blew and Kageyama tossed the ball up for his jump serve. The toss was off, causing him to hit the ball straight rather than with a downward spin.

“Oh god…” you mumbled to yourself as you watched the ball travel much farther than suitable.

“Out!” yelled the Nekoma libero. He let the ball drop. From where you were seated, you couldn’t really see whether or not the ball was in. The whistle blew and you looked to the ref, seeing him give the point to Nekoma.

“Well that was a shit game,” said Koi as she got up from the floor.

“They tried their best.”

~

The two of you went downstairs and waited outside the gym as the boys had their meeting. You sat on the ground and Koi sat on the bench. You watched as the boys slowly started to trail out of the gym one by one. Kageyama was the last one out. His head hung low but he made his way over to you.

“Hey,” he said softly. You got up to face him.

“Hey you played well, okay?” You gently moved some of his hair from his face to see his sweet eyes.

“You’ll get them next time Kags,” chimed in Koi. Kageyama brought his head up.

“It’s Kageyama, please.” He said plainly. Koi’s eyes widened and so did yours.

“Oh yeah sorry.” She said. You looked at Kageyama.

“Did you want to head over to my house? We can grab some boba on the way,” You asked. He nodded, taking your hand.

“Great let’s go, I’m starving.” said Koi, moving to stand next to Kageyama.

“Oh uh Koi I think-“ you began.

“Koi, I was hoping to spend some time with my girlfriend...alone. If that’s okay with you,” interrupted Kageyama. Your heart stopped. Girlfriend? Koi huffed.

“Yup totally fine. I’ll see you two later.” Koi rolled her eyes and left without saying another word. You looked at Kageyama with wide eyes.

“Girlfriend?” His face turned a bright red.

“Oh uh yeah I’ve been meaning to ask you. Sorry, I just said it without thinking.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously. You smiled.

“I was starting to think you were never gonna ask,” you said with a smile. Kageyama smiled back at you and you started to head to your house.

~

[taglist OPEN: @vangoghpoets @vangoghmusings @lilnuances @jennasquishy8 @ladybird-00 @moonlightsof @maii-thirsts @tamaguchi (the tags were acting funny so I hope I got the right usernames, if not and you wouldn’t like to be part of the taglist lmk!)]

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Prologue: Onset of Injury (Sy)

Characters: Captain Syverson, various OMCs

Summary: Sy’s POV, the night and the mission that ended his military career and set him unknowingly on a path to true love.

Catch up on all chapters right here!

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings:  Language, violence, attempted military talk, feels…

Author’s Note: Okay friends, most of what I know about military ops I learned from watching movies…so, this may not all be accurate. But I think most of the terms and jargon are in line, even if this mission wouldn’t necessarily go down like this.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

Tags: 

@onlyhenrys

@cavillryarchive

@summersong69

@titty-teetee

@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

@oddsnendsfanfics

@omgkatinka

@thisismysecretthirstblog

@misslaland

@speakerforthedead0

@tumblnewby

@suavechops

@radkesgirl83

@wheretheriversrunintothesea

Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@

Captain Logan “Sy” Syverson had done a hundred briefings like this one. They were going into a compound with some low level goons, mid-level players, and one big boss. Two teams. Two entrances. One exit. The roof. Air extraction. Minimal undesirable casualties. Five or six mid to high level prisoners.

“Alright ladies, here’s the plan. The compound is central city. Alpha team, we’ll get dropped off by transpo two blocks south of the front entrance, Bravo team, same for you, two blocks north of the back entrance. Bravo, you head east and down once inside, Alpha will go west and up. Standard flanking formation. Stay frosty in there. These guys aren’t cub scouts. They will shoot on sight. Do your best not to be seen. Once the lower levels are cleared, we work our way to the top where we should find the big Kahuna. Do your best not to kill anyone in a suit. Tac gear only, unless it’s your life or theirs. These guys have intel the brass wants. Supposedly.”

Heads were nodding. Lopez raised his hand. The other guys laughed, but Sy appreciated the respect.

“Ricky?” He pointed at him to accept the question.

“Sir, what about evac?” He stood tall and sharp. He was new to the team, but Sy liked him already.

“That’s a great question, and thank you for raising your hand. Take notes on teacher’s pet here, class.” Everyone including Lopez laughed.

“There’s a stairwell to the roof in the master bedroom. That’s the LZ for our helo. They should be less than five mikes out, so we shouldn’t have time to order pizzas or anything after we clear the compound. So once the call is made, you won’t have long to get up the stairs. The helo can’t stay grounded for too long without drawing attention. We will need to keep an eye out for unfriendlies off compound being warned about our presence, and for survivors. Listen, I can’t stress this enough. I know it’s not easy to kill. And I don’t encourage it if it’s not necessary.  But these are bad people and they would kill you, the man next to ya, your sister, your parents, or your dog if they could.”

Aika, Sy’s German Shepherd whimpered in the corner but was ignored.

“Kill them for your brothers. For your neighbors. For the children you don’t even have yet. Because what do we do?”

“We embrace the darkness and the suffering.” His teammates that had been there for a while repeated the first part of the sin-eater credo.

“And why do we do it?”

“So that our fellow man is free to live in peace.” they finished the mantra as they had so many times before.

“Fuckin’ A. We roll in one hour.”

~~~~~~~~~

The drop and the entry had gone off without a hitch. Sy's Alpha team were like shadows, the very finger of death for the unjust and evil in the compound. Everyone they encountered was quietly subdued, whether by strategically placed blades, silenced firearms, or in some cases, the literal snapping of necks. Bravo team was just as successful. But Alpha team wasn't finding many prisoners.

The real problem came, though, when they reached the top floor where the big kahuna was supposed to be. Everything had gone dark, even though it had been lit up like Christmas, the Fourth of July, and the Super Bowl all in one when they were making their approach to the compound. Someone had squawked. Raised a silent alarm. Something.

"This…this doesn't smell right, captain." Harztler voiced what was running silently through Sy's mind. "This level was like Times Square when we got here. Now nothing? It stinks."

"I can smell it, Jake. I don't like it." he activated his comms. "Bravo team, we are sitting ducks up here, what is your twenty? Over."

"Sir, we are wrapping up down here, and getting the targets ready for evac. We should be on route in less than ten mikes. Over."

"Push it to five if ya can, private. We don't like the look of this bedroom. Over."

"Is this the moment to be questioning someone's taste in interior design, captain? Over."

"Shitcan that disrespect, private, or you'll be digging latrines alone next time we have survival drills. Over."

"Understood, sir. Will try to push to five mikes. Over."

"That'd be best. Over and out." He signed off with Lopez, amused at the inferior officer’s joke, even though he couldn’t show it openly.

Hartzler has just started to suggest possible reasons for their unease when the sound of rapid automatic firepower rang out from one of the floors below them.

“Fuck.” Both men said in unison followed immediately by frantic shouts from Sy’s radio.

“*crackle crackle* we are taking heavy fire! Kominski is down! Lopez is hit! Alpha team! Captain, do you copy? Over!"

"I'm on my way, Fuller. Hang tight. Over and out." Sy said and looked at the men on his team, "Hartzler, you and Goldberg signal the Helo for evac ASAP and get to the roof. Schmidt, Freeman, you two come with me to back up Bravo team. We meet at the LZ in five. That's not a big window, gentlemen, we'll radio if we hit any snags. Clear?"

"Clear." a round of nods and affirmations came from the rest of the team. Sy turned for the exit to the room, checking his clip, and putting one in the chamber. Stakes were higher than ever.

The last three steps to the ground floor were half blocked by a slumped corpse. Kominski. Sy fought the emotion building in him as he remembered David showing him photos of his two young daughters, Charlotte, who was seven, and Renee who had just turned five. And his gorgeous wife Sasha. His high school sweetheart. He was distracted enough  by thought of the soon to be grieving girls, that he missed the pool of blood, Kominski's blood, on the black tile steps. His knee twisted unnaturally. And he could almost feel the protest of his muscles and tendons.

"Fuck! Mind your footing on these last few, boys." he winced, limping on toward the firefight. He signaled the men behind him to stay against the wall and follow him quietly until he gave the signal to attack. There were three men in tactical gear firing from behind a bar in the corner, pinning what was left of Bravo team in their position behind an overturned dining table. It was just Fuller and Lopez now. Sy took the opportunity during a slow point in the enemy's fire to enter, managing to shoot all three immediately, single handedly ending things.

"Alpha team, secure the area. Fuller, Lopez, what is your status?" Sy asked the men.

"Lopez is hit pretty bad in the leg. We've got a tourniquet in place. I am…uninjured. But our prisoners have been…neutralized by friendly fire." Well, fuck. That was the mission blown.

"Ammo?" Sy asked, frustrated.

"Depleted, sir." they hadn't planned for this.

"Fuller, you and Schmidt get Kominski up the stairs, pronto. We ain't leavin' him in this hell hole. Freeman, you watch their backs. Keep 'em covered in case there are any more of these assholes lurkin' around the place. Lopez, I'm gonna help you up them stairs. Can you get up?"

"I'll try, sir."

"Okay, roll out." Sy went to help Lopez to his feet. The boy wasn't hardly 160 pounds soakin' wet.

It was slow going, with Kominski and Lopez in tow, but they made it back to the bedroom just as the sound of the helicopter began to grow, and the roof began to quiver from the wind kicked up by the blades.

Sy made Schmidt and Fuller go first, as they had the biggest burden. Then Freeman, in case they needed another hand getting Kominski's body into the hold. His knee burned after the four flights he'd already done supporting Lopez, but the private had lost so much blood. He thought he'd have to carry him up this last flight to the roof. The boy was pale as a…sheet. He didn't let himself think of an apparition.

When he felt safe enough, and ready, he told Lopez the plan and hoisted him over his shoulder on his uninjured side. His knee protested angrily, but he proceeded, ignoring the pain, forcing it down with those emotions about the Kominski family.

Relief washed over him as he made the last step and his boot crunched against the loose pea gravel of the roof top. They were almost out of the woods.

Until a massive explosion in the HVAC unit knocked him off balance and took him down to his knees, Lopez's added weight a contributing force in what he was certain was now a broken leg bone given a very clear and distinct pop he'd heard even over the noise of the fire and wind. He had heard it from the inside. He thought  it would be the tibia, but his knowledge of anatomy wasn't anything to write home about. He dropped the boy with an agonized howl. The heat from the blast bit at his back as he tried to find the strength to stand. But he couldn't. His team was charging toward him and the private. And for once, he was overjoyed to receive help. Fuller and Freeman got Lopez under each arm and dragged him the few yards to the open hold. Schmidt helped Sy up as best he could, but the Captain was in excruciating pain.

"Captain, we gotta go. These assholes are gonna blow up their own property to get us. Come on. It's not far. You can make it." Schmidt let his CO lean on him all the way to the helo.

Sy noticed tied up in one of the bucket seats of the hold, a man in maroon silk pajamas and brown leather loafers without socks. An Iraqi, early sixties, hair and beard still dark black. Their primary target. Mostafa Kassab.

"Where'd he come from?" Sy shouted at Hartzler.

"He was hunkered down in that corner over there when we came up to signal the chopper." the sergeant lit up with pride. "Fuller told me their prisoners didn't make it. I'm glad we found Kassab up here, or the mission would have been a total waste.

As they took off, Sy looked from the covered body of Kominski to the prone form of Lopez, who was paler than ever and glassy-eyed. It was hard in that moment to think that even ten of Mostafa Kassab could be worth one of these men he was lucky enough to call friends.

As he examined his knee, beginning to swell and looking a much different shape than he ever remembered, he thought about what this could mean for him, as a captain, as a soldier…as a man. If he could even call himself a man if he had to take away the title of captain and soldier. This was his calling. He wasn’t sure how he’d go on if…but, he’d wait to think about that when he got back to base and the medic’s tent. After all, what was the worst that could happen? It wasn’t like he was hurt bad enough to earn a discharge letter…was he?

Up Next: Chapter One: Evaluation

[schrijverr]

Welcome, my friends

The whole premise here is that Raph is Willy Wonka and they go to kill some kids and eat some candy.

On AO3.

Ships: none

warnings: though either vague or mentioned there is child death in here. Tell me if I missed anything or if you want me to tag something!!

~~~~~~~~~~

“Where are we going?” Raphaella asked.

“Marius got to pick and he wanted to go to earth, to understand Tim better or something.” Nastya answered, “Though I think Brain is going to an alternate timeline than Tim's, just to be safe. We don’t want to ruin the timeline accidentally.”

“Anything interesting you know off in this timeline?” Raph was ever so curious.

“You’ll just have to wait and see, I think we’re coming up on it now.” Nastya shrugged.

Raphaella hurried to the window to press up against it as they landed, it was an industrial planet and she couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity.

Before she could pin it down Ivy called them all together to go over the planet, so that they would know what to expect. She began: “So, this planet is earth, but not Tim's earth exactly, but it is broadly similar if industrialization had proceeded like on the other earth we visit from time to time to do gigs.”

“Is there anything fun to do?” Jonny asked.

“Fun or violent?” Ivy replied.

Jonny shrugged: “I don’t care, it’s broadly the same.”

“Well, it’s most well known for it’s candy factory, run by someone named Willy Wonka” Ivy said, “That could be fun.”

Raph perked up and said: “Oh, we’re here! I have a great fun plan. We will need some fliers printed and get a few things set up, but it has so much potential. You all can be oompa loompas and-”

She got interrupted by Ashes, who said: “What the fuck are you on about, Raph?”

“I’m Willy Wonka.” she told them in lieu of an explanation.

“You’re who?” multiple people asked at the same time.

“Willy Wonka.” she repeated as if that would clear anything up, then she clarified further, “It sounded better than my actual name for marketing and I started it so that I could do both science and fund said science until I could make myself immortal and fly away.”

“You,” Tim said, “ran a candy, let me repeat, candy factory?”

“Yes, now if I’m correct we’re just after I left, but I never really told anyone or left it all in good hands, so we can do this now and I really do have this marvelous plan that we can-”

She got cut off yet again, this time by Jonny: “That sounds boring.”

“You’ll get to kill some kids.” Raph said as a peace offering

“Sold. Let’s go help Raph murder some kids.” Jonny started to get up, clearly done with the whole brief.

“Wait, no, killing children would be wrong.” Brian stopped him.

“We’ll only kill bad children.” Raph said, “Don’t worry about it, Brian.”

“Bad children?” Brian asked.

“Yeah, you know, those kids who will later become bad people and hurt others. We can flip your switch if you’d like?” Raph answered.

“Maybe.” Brian whispered.

“Alright, so that’s settled, let’s get to the killing of kids.” Jonny said, already in a much better mood than at the start.

They gathered their stuff and landed, for once not in the middle of no where to be inconspicuous, but right in the middle of a big industrial complex. Raph gave them a brief rundown of her operations here, it was mostly run by robots, she called oompa loompas.

There she explained her plan with golden tickets and finding the right person to leave it for. Jonny groaned: “But this is all so boring, Raph. When will it get fun?”

“Right now.” Raphaella said as she handed him a piece of gum, “Here.”

Jonny grumbled some more and put the piece of candy in his mouth and started to chew. Everyone except him seemed to notice the gleam in Raphaellas eyes as she watched him chew, so they looked closely as Jonny started to swell and swell and turn blue.

At some point he noticed too, but it was too late by then and he was already rolling, as he rolled away Raph called after him: “And that’s how it will be fun!”

After that they all were on board. Brian, TS and Ivy helped Raphaella plan, while Nastya explored the machinery around her and the others fucked around with the candy.

Then the day came, when the gates would open and the few lucky kids would enter the magical factory of Willy Wonka. Everyone was in their places, some more giddily than others, awaiting their part.

It took a while, but soon enough Raph entered the room with the chocolate river, followed by a group of people. One of the boys rushed to the riverside and started to drink out of the river. Raph was giving him the stink eye over it and Jonny thought that this was his cue.

He hadn’t been that satisfied to hear that most of the child murder was going to take place at the hands of the invention instead of his own, but no one had told him he couldn't help.

So, he slid into the river as well as swam over to the boy and subtly pulled him into the river, dragging him over to the pipe and sticking him in it, before climbing out behind a bush. He met Raphaellas eyes and winked as she grinned back.

Then she got distracted by a lady, presumably the boys mother. Raph blew on her flute and all came out in their uniforms among the oompa loompa robots, looking like idiots, as they sang a disapproving song about the kid in question, before the group moved on.

They were later called again, this time to roll away a girl who turned into a blueberry. Raph as Willy told her father they were going to squeeze her to save her, but Jonny and Tim had already decided to pop her like a blueberry balloon.

The other girl got taken by a shoot, but beside Raph they hadn’t been there on the floor working, instead they were waiting on her down below.

After that they didn’t see Raph until she came by to tell them what had happened before boarding Aurora.

When she was done, Jonny huffed and crossed his arms as he said: “It almost feels like we did something good today and I don’t like it.”

“We murdered three children.” Brian replied, voice a bit shrill.

“Yeah, yeah, but it had a happy ending, very boring honestly. I wanna pick the next planet.” Jonny told him, the comment got him some pushes and shoves as the others ribbed him slightly as they left the planet to seek another story.

[yamithediaperdork]

Blackmail is such a UGLY word (Inuyasha)

Blackmail is such a ugly word

Living in the era he did, and being what he was one would think that fox demon named Shippo had seen it all, double so considering all of the adventures he had been on with the half demon Inuyasha and the rest of their friends. And yet one would be wrong because at this moment Shippo was having to pinch himself from breaking into a fit of giggles and giving up his hiding place in a bush as he watched the big strong and bad ass Inuyasha crawl around on all fours dressed like a infant. Gone were the fire rat robes and in their place was baby blue mittens with white trim at the wrists on his hands, and baby blue booties on his feet that again had the white trim at the ankles,And a baby blue bonnet on his head with the the frills on the head that helped protect the baby once again white. those were cute enough, but it the was the blue plastic pants around his hips bugling from who knew how many layers of cloth diapers that had the kit biting down on his touage as Inuyasha babbled loudly and swung his massive diapered rear back and forth before plopping on his padded read and sucking on his thumb. 'I am SO glad I decided to follow him now!' the fox demon snickered in his head.

The last four times they returned to the village because Kagome had to go back to the modern world Inuyasha had declined to go with her and would instead insist he had some sort of secret training to go do off by himself. He also made it clear that a swift and brutal death awaited anyone who tried to follow him and after they had found Koga with the snot beat out on his and in just his undies tied to a tree, he was believed.   Of course there were rumors, it was just a small village after all and the most believed one (Because no one could see the half demon actually training himself that hard for the 2-3 days if not longer Kagome would take to come back.) Was that he had a lady friend out in the bushes that he met with. It would also explain the strange scents that came off of him when he came back. Well, If Inuyasha was being a two timing dog (Pun not intended) then Shippo was gonna catch him in the act using a funny little device Kagome had given him from the future that let him capture images and save them. With his camera in paw, he set out ignoring the warning from Sango and Miroku that if Koga had been caught.. "Please! I'm WAY smarter and more tricky then him! It'll be a breeze!" He had boasted. Well, it hadn't exactly been a breeze and more then once on the 3 hour hike he wondered what he'd gotten himself in and had almost been busted by Inuyasha.

The cabin they came up to was by the forest while not being in it, and next to a lake thankfully as Shippo might of forgotten his canteen in his rush to keep up with the dog demon. the grass was soft and green, or at least looked like it as Shippo had hidden himself in a wild berry brush to A) get cover and B) feed his rumbling gut before it gave him away and Inuyasha took one last look around, blushing now and then had gone into the one room cabin.(Again, this was a assumption on Shippo's part just based on it's size.) He'd been too busy pigging out to first notice when Inuyasha had came back out and it was only when a weird coo'ing and gurgling noise like a baby would make he zoned back in. 'Wait does he have a baby out here?' Was Shippo's first thought and then well...he kinda did!

Inuyasha coo'ed and giggled, he just loved his big baby time and how big and silly he felt during it. Getting everything he needed for it though had been a mortifying and humiliating endeavor and taken the better part of a year to set up. Thankfully the cabin had already been here and from the dust and smell of it had been long since ditched (or it's previous owner eaten) so He had THAT going for and he'd been able to set up a makeshift nursery in there having nailed part of a fence to either side of the cot and replacing the mattress. he didn't have a changing table per say but some soft blankets laid out on what had once been a dining table. Sure compared to the nursery's he'd seen in Kagome's time it was crap, but considering he was working with what he could trade for he felt pretty damn proud of himself. he flopped back on his back and sucked on his thumb, wishing he could get one of those little sucky thingies he'd seen babies use but he'd pushed his luck getting Kagome to get him a booklet on how to fold cloth diapers, stammering he wanted to be ready if he ever had a kid. She'd just rolled her eyes and Bam, Booklet and the end of leaky diapers and pin pricked thumbs. He was thinking about what Kagome would say if she ever found out about this and shut his eyes, picturing her taking picture after picture of him and for a second the image was so vivid he sworn he COULD hear the click of her camera..then tugged his thumb out his mouth and blushed crimson. "Wait a second.." he COULD hear it and narrowed his sense in on the source and growled, getting up and starting to charge over as best he could with his bulky diapies on and in his mittens and booties. "WHOEVER YOU ARE MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR GOD, YOUR DEAD!" He yelled.

Shippo was yelping and fumbling with the stupid camera, he had seen Kagome do it somehow where it didn't make noise and now wished he'd paid attention. Inuyasha was charging in like a bull and he tried to think of something, anything useful he could say because he was pretty sure just because they were semi friends didn't mean he wasn't about to have a messy end. 'Wait..wait..she said something..about clouds?' Shippo thought and then rolled out of the bush just as Inuyasha got then and stood up holding out the camera and wagging a finger. "Ah ah ah puppy! this camera is linked to Kagome's cloud!" he said, not even sure what it meant but it sure paused the rampaging baby. "The second it starts to get damaged all those BABY pictures I took of you get sent to her. AND only I can get rid of them. Kagome set it up for me so you wouldn't steal it." he added smugly, lying his tiny furry ass off but it DID sound like something she'd do. "Then I'll just leave the camera alone and smash YOU." Inuyasha growled, trying to look menacing but Shippo just started to laugh."WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?" "You DO recall how your dressed right now puppy wuppy. And give it up, you can either do as I say from now on, or EVERYONE finds out biggggg baddddd Inuyasha is just a cute baby butt." Shippo said and folded his arms. Inuyasha growled and snarled.. then hung his head and slumped. "This is blackmail you know.." "Blackmail is such a ugly word..I prefer to think of it as pup sitting a diaper wear dummy...Now sit boy." Shippo said, taking a perverse delight in his power of the big baby as Inuyasha plopped onto his diapered behind. "Goood boy~"

Crawling on all fours on the command of the brat was bad enough but Shippo had taken it a step further and so he was riding on Inuyasha's back and smirking. "You know, you don't make a half bad steed Inuyasha..if you ever wanna give up on the hero thing.." Shippo chuckled. "Watch it shrimp or I'll-" Inuyasha started to growl. "Do nothing but get yourself outed like a diaper wearing LOSER." Shippo said smugly. "By the way, from now on when it's just the two of us, you're gonna call me Master." "...isn't that a little much even for you?" Inuyasha asked, trying to temper his anger and word it in a way to make the fox demon think twice. "Well I was going to have you call me daddy..we can switch to that if you pre-" Shippo started with a giggle. "Master is fine! I like it master!" Inuyasha said quickly and almost face planted when he felt the fox pat his pampered bottom. "Good boy!" Shi- er Master said and Inuyasha whimpered, thinking about how much this was all going to suck.

Getting into the babies nursery Shippo put two hands over his nose even as he slid down. "What is that STINK!? Don't tell me you actually crap yourself!!" "I uh..well see..I.." Inuyasha mewed, on his knees and looking down, poking his index fingers together. "When did you even get time to do that?!? I followed you out here!" "I um.. didn't.. clean my diapies before I left last time Master." Inuyasha admitted sheepishly. Shippo made a disgusted face and then shook his head. "Hope you have a shovel here because your about to go outside and bury the treasure deep." Shippo said and then sighed at the blank look on the pup's face. "Go dig a hole dumb ass, and dump your diaper pail in it, then bury it. and dig deep." "But..but..I don't have a lot of spare diapers, so after I change out of these I;ll have to clean the dirty ones before I can get changed!" Inuyasha whined. "And that's MY problem how? get to it diaper butt before I decide this isn't worth my time and just ruin you!" Shippo demanded, deciding that he loved this feeling of power. what made it all the sweeter was when Inuyasha just nodded and mumble a soft yes sir and got to his feet and walked out with the offending pail. Shippo would of said something about how he should crawl but realized there was no way for him to get it outside then unless it was on his back and Shippo did NOT wanna risk those smelly things falling to the floor.

Mostly certain he was out of earshot of Master, Inuyasha whined and growled as he clawed at the earth (After of course removing his baby mitts.) This just wasn't fair! Why out of all the people who could of caught him and maybe let him play out his humiliation fetish for a bit before he throttled them did it have to be HIM!? And with that stupid camera thinge too! Inuyasha couldn't be sure the fox had said was true or not, he'd never really paid attention to all of that future crap Kagome had and he was paying the price for it now. 'Maybe I can ask her about it when she comes back.I can handle three days of this, and there's no way Master will risk bringing me back to town like this. if everyone see's me like this then he loses his control and I'll fucking end him!" Inuyasha thought and then smiled. he didn't realize it but as his plan formed in his head and he realized this was a temporary problem at best, his massive diaper rear had started to wag back and forthwith him semi half in the hole now. 'Heck, if this is only for a few days, I might as well sit back and try and enjoy myself even!' The Half dog demon thought, a silly grin on his face.

Watching from the window and seeing Inuyasha perk up, Shippo just shook his head even as he used something called 'video' to record the pampered pup's antics. 'Oh Inuyasha, give me some credit' He thought and chuckled out loud. 'I already have a perfect way to explain your diapers and it'll be your baby stuff that I'll keep to myself. One way or anther, you're never getting back out of diapers.' the 'treasure' so to speak was buried and Inuyasha waddled back as fast as he could and set the pail down, not noticing that the camera was still record on the table as he sat up on his haunches like a begging dog. "Did I do good master?" he asked, and oh god, his touage was hanging out of his mouth now. "-Snek-.. VERY good, Turn around from bum pats Loser." "Yes sir Master!" Inuyasha coo'ed and Shippo just looked into the camera shaking his head and jerking a thumb at Inuyasha then came over and rewarded the pup, patting and rubbing the slick plastic and Inuyasha went face down and ass up in delight. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun.

The end.. for now

[platonicone]

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 27 - When need becomes want

What is a cure for longing? I wonder…

The Sun was beating down brightly, peeking through the curtains. All the birds, who wakes people up with their melodies, had retreated to their nest. Aranea impatiently knocked at the door to Squall’s room.

A relentless banging on the door finally woke up Squall from his slumber.

He groggily got up and made his way towards the door to stop the annoying banging. He opened the door, still half asleep.

“Come on, wake up sleepyhead. It’s way past noon,” she announced, irritated.

“Already?” he whined, rubbing his eyes.

“You know, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting. We had a date this morning,” Aranea teased, leaning against the door.

“Sorry, I overslept,” he confessed, sheepishly.

“It’s alright. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours. We can go sightseeing then,” she suggested.

“No. He does not step outside of this manor until our medics have checked him,” Luna contested, approaching from behind. “Squall, are you sure you are okay? It is unlike you to sleep so much.”

“I am fine,” he reassured.

“I am worried about you. I know what kind of toll it takes to heal someone,” she raised her concern.

“How did you know?”

“I can sense when Oracle’s powers are used,” she lied, and he bought it. “I’ll have our best medics check on you immediately,” she spoke with urgency, still not making eye contact with Squall.

“I am okay,” he tried to reassure. “I was just tired, that’s all.”

“And you were unconscious for a long time before that. You are getting checked by our medics and that’s final. No more argument.” Her authoritative voice which left no room for disagreement.

“You are not even married and she scolds you like a wife,” Aranea added in a mischievous voice.

“Whatever,” Squall remarked, getting annoyed.

“Squall, you should go freshen up. I’ll have Maria set up the lunch and our medics will come to check on you after that,” Luna proposed.

“Fine,” he resigned.

“I guess we’ll take our tour in the evening,” Aranea said with a shrug.

Squall nodded and retreated to his room.

After getting ready, he went straight to the dining room and found Luna waiting on the table. He looked at the huge standing clock in the room it showed 2 p.m.

“You should have eaten already. It’s 2 p.m., you didn’t have to wait,” he noted, sitting down on the chair.

“I was busy, I just got free,” she spoke, staring at her empty dish.

The retainer quickly brought out food and served them. Maria brought out a special soup for Squall and served him.

After taking just one spoon of it, Squall immediately recognized that taste. He asked, “Did you make it?”

Even though Luna was not looking at Squall, she knew this question was intended for her. Luna glared at Maria, and she responded, “I-I m-made it, Master Squall. Is it not to your liking?”

“It is perfect,” he admitted.

The the corners of her eyes crinkled, and a tiny smile of satisfaction formed on Luna’s lips, which she tried to conceal quickly. Noticing that, Squall said, looking at Luna, “Thank you, Maria.”

“Y-You are most welcome master Squall,” Maria replied nervously.

The rest of the lunch was quiet and uneventful. As soon as the lunch was over, Luna quickly left, giving no chance to Squall to strike any conversation.

Squall retreated to his room where medics were waiting for him.

His medical checkup lasted a lot longer than he would have liked. By the time they were finished, Aranea was already waiting for him.

“Ready to go scar-face?”

“Yeah, can’t get out of this manor soon enough,” he complained.

“Lucky for you, Aranea is here for your rescue,” she declared, giving a thumbs up. “We really need to get you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing that ever since Fociaugh Hollow and it’s starting to stink.” She said jokingly, pinching her nose.

“Whatever,” he shook his head, brushing off her criticism.

Together they made their way out of the manor and into the streets. Upon closer inspection, he found that what appeared to be a floating island were mostly supporting by a column of naturally formed rocks. This whole structure seemed to defy gravity as the top of the column was wide enough to support an entire town, and it got narrower as it reached the ground. This oddity alone made for a spectacular view. The entire town was connected via bridges.

The town looked even more beautiful than what he saw from the balcony of his room. The streets were full of street vendors selling a variety of products such as household items, food, clothes, and herbal medicines. Like rivers merge into the sea, all the bridges converged at the center square.

It was a huge open area with a gigantic fountain in the center and lush green grass surrounding it. The kids played around the fountain, splashing each other with water. The teenager played various games in whatever open space they found. Youth can be seen strolled around with hand in hand. Families huddled together in a picnic. The spectrum of whole life was visible in this area.

There was one bridge to the north which leads to a temple. Hymns from there could be heard in the center square, in spite of all the ambient noise. All these elements combined to create a serene environment.

“To think that war could destroy all this peace,” he commented with a heavy heart.

“A few people’s lust for power can destroy so many lives. War promises the everlasting peace for the victor, but in reality, the only thing war leaves behind is chaos.”

“How ironic that we destroy peace with the promise to create more peace in the future,” he summed up his thoughts, as they moved through the crowd.

He noticed an elevated platform at the far end of the fountain, which he figured must be used to address the congruent mass.

As they moved through the town, Squall couldn’t help but notice the intimidating presence of the Empire soldiers on every juncture.

“Do you normally have so many Neiflhem troops here?”

“Tenebrae is a sacred ground where pilgrims from all over the world get together. The Empire had agreed to have minimum surveillance and occupation here. However, under the pretense of protecting the Oracle due to recent events, the Empire has deployed a whole regiment here. As long as they can keep the Oracle confined to Tenebrae, she is not a threat to them.”

“But Luna’s next covenant is in Altissia. If they block off all the points of exit, that might be a problem.”

“Yes, we are aware of it and we are trying to find a solution for it,” she revealed, getting in a line at one of the food stalls.

Squall gave her a quizzical look.

“This right here is the best street food in Tenebrae.”

They grabbed a bite and then proceeded to an apparel store to get a new wardrobe for Squall.

After sightseeing the town, they finally returned to the manor.

“So....should we?” she asked with a playful wink.

“W-What?”

“You know. I picked you up from your home. I took you on this wonderful date. And now that we are back, do I get a kiss? Or do we go straight to your room? I am sure Luna won’t mind,” she teased.

Squall was shell-shocked to hear that. His face turned beet red in an instant. Looking at his reaction, Aranea broke into a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh God! You should have seen your face,” she managed to say that between her laughs. “If I knew that’s all it takes to embarrass you, I would have done it sooner.”

Squall was enraged, but he masked his emotions. He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his hand gently. He looked straight into her eyes and said, “Aranea, I have a confession to make.”

Aranea’s laughter disappeared in an instance.

“Ever since I saw the first time, I knew you were special.”

“Oh no,” she mumbled, as dread filled her eyes, but Squall was reluctant to let go of her hands.

“The way you look, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile, and your sense of humor, it all,” he paused for dramatic effect as he saw the color drain from Aranea’s face. “It all makes my blood boil and I hate you so much.”

“Oh, thank God!” she exhaled loudly. “Hate is good. For a while, I thought you were going to say something stupid. It scared the crap out of me.”

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he replied with a smirk.

“You son of a--,” instead of finishing her sentence, she kicked him hard in his shins.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like you deserved it.”

“What kind of logic is that?” he complained, hobbling on one leg.

“Whatever!”

“Hey, that’s my line,” he protested.

“Whatever,” she repeated slowly.

Once Squall and Aranea parted ways, he went inside the castle. He took a peek at the chamber room and Luna was busy dealing with various delegates. She looked tired. Their eyes briefly meet and she smiled before quickly attending the guests.

He got changed into new cloth, which for the most part was very similar to what he already had. There was still some time till dinner, so Squall decided to explore the manor.

He could oversee a huge garden in the back of the manor, but the door leading to it was locked. That garden looked very familiar to him.

He ventured further into the manor and eventually discovered the royal library. He decided to take a look inside. From the looks of it, half of the library seems to be renovated, perhaps from the fire 12 years ago, he thought. The royal library seemed to contain every book imaginable. Perhaps the only book Squall could use right now was ‘how to understand women.’ Even since waking up on the train, Luna had been avoiding him, and he did not have the slightest idea why. He spends the rest of his evening browsing through various books.

One of the retainers came looking for him when it was time for dinner. Upon entering the dining room, he saw that there were many people already sitting at the table.

‘Great, another awkward dinner.’ He thought.

As expected, the dinner was rather dull with the royals talking among themselves about topics he was least interested in. Without Luna to talk to, he was starting to feel like an outsider. 'No wonder Aranea never stays here.'

As soon as he finished the meal, the medic from earlier came over and gave him two pills. Not wanting to make a scene, he took the medicine and quickly exited the room.

He stood on the balcony of his room, looking around absentmindedly. In matter of a few days he went from being an integral part of Luna's life to an observer. He felt that Luna needed him before, but now he was not sure if she even want him around. They were drifting apart and he wanted to know why. He needed to know why she was distancing herself from him. His mind was confused and his heart was in pain.

The surrounding temperature dropped suddenly as Gentiana walked from behind him and joined him in the stargazing.

“What are you doing here?” Squall asked, surprised to see her.

“I felt your loneliness, so I came to be with you.”

“How did you know?”

“Squall, I am always with you,” she chuckled. “Since I am still junctioned to you, a form of me lives in your mind. I feel all your pain, joy, sadness, and love. I experience it all with you.”

“When you say it like that it sounds very creepy,” he remarked.

“Such is the nature of junctioning. We get to experience what it is like to be human and in return, you get to use our powers,” she spoke with her eyes closed.

“Hmm.”

There was silence once again.

“Squall, I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“After a very long time, I experienced what fear felt like. When you were suffering at the hands of Ramuh, I was afraid that you might die. I felt your pain and anguish. I wanted to help, I did. But I couldn’t. My duty is to observe and guide humanity and not to interfere with it directly,” she confessed, her internal turmoil was evident in her voice.

“Unable to act on your feelings because you are bound by your duty, I think I can relate to that.”

“How do you find courage when facing your own mortality? You knew that you could have died, so why go through it? Are you not afraid of death?”

“I am afraid of death, just like everyone else. But sometimes you have to ask yourself, is my cause worth dying for?” He stated.

“I do not understand.”

“The thing with mortality is that there is no escaping it. You know someday you are going to die, but you try to make the best out of the limited time you have. You try to give some meaning to your life. Some people find meaning in wealth, accomplishments, friends and family, spirituality, or helping others. At that moment I just had to find my own calling.”

“And what was yours?”

“We all live for ourselves but to live for the betterment of others is a noble cause. One small sacrifice to the betterment of the world. That was my calling.”

“For you, it was more than just that, was it not?” she probed.

“When you care for someone deeply, you find the courage to overcome your fears.”

“You have changed, Squall. You have changed so much. Last time you said, ‘the hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?’ And now you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the same world. That is admirable.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly happened 'last time’? Why do Astrals want me dead? Who is Arydran, and why does he think we fought together? Why did Ramuh say that I escaped from Bahamut’s exile? What is going on here?” He had asked all these questions before, but Gentiana had avoided answering them every time. He was hoping it would be different this time.

“What is with humans and their fascination with the past?” she wondered.

“I don’t know much about humanity, but if someone is out there to kill me, I'd like to know why.”

“The ‘last time’ as you call it, we refer to it as the Omen,” Gentiana revealed. “Omen was a failed timeline where the prophecy failed and the world was plunged into the darkness.”

“And the Astrals thinks that the prophecy failed because of me?” he questioned.

“You played a key role, one could say.”

“The hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?” he repeated her line from earlier. “Who is she?”

“She is someone with whom your destiny has been intertwined for eons.”

“That still does not answer who is it?”

“That is for you to figure out,” she replied with slight hostility in her voice. Her tone took Squall by surprised, and he decided not to push this topic any further.

“From what I can gather, Astrals assigned me a mission, and I failed, which plunged the world into the darkness. So now they want revenge. That much makes sense. But you are an Astral too, how come you don’t want to hurt me?”

“Because I,” she seemed to at a loss of words. “Because I am different,” she said, looking at him.

“How? Why?”

“Why the sudden interest in me? I thought we were talking about you?” she tactfully dodged the question.

They must have chatted for at least half an hour before Squall said, “Hey, thanks for coming. It felt great to just let it all out.”

“Anything to put your heart at ease,” she replied with a smile.

“We should do this often,” he proposed.

“I've waited millennia to hear that,” she replied joyfully.

“You are very cryptic and strange sometimes,” he noted, shaking his head.

She smiled and disappeared, leaving behind spectral ice particles suspended in the air.

Squall went back inside the room and lay flat on his bed. “Why can’t anything ever be simple in my life,” he thought as he stared at the ceiling. He fell asleep shortly after.

The next day, he met up with Aranea at their designated training ground. He was still recovering from Ramuh’s attack, but he figured the best way to get back in shape would be by training.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” Aranea warned as she readied her spear.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he replied, drawing out his gunblade.

She embodies the classic Dragoon class, able to fight airborne, uses jump attacks, wears black armor and wields a lance.

As their duel began, he quickly realized that she was very agile and powerful. Her signature attack is Highwind.

“Did you know that your girlfriend is setting up a healing camp?” she informed him during sparring.

“No way, she is not fit enough for that,” he remarked, as their weapons clashed.

“Tell that to her. We all tried, but she wouldn’t listen. She gave us the same long speech about looking to ease the suffering of others rather than protecting ourselves,” she spoke, deflecting Squall’s attack.

“She can be so unreasonable sometimes,” he stated, blocking her attack.

“You should talk to her,” she suggested.

“I would if she let me. She would do anything to avoid me, it seems,” he revealed.

“What did you do?” she asked, as their weapons clashed again.

“I wish I knew,” he admitted. “I saved her life, and now she is mad at me. I don’t understand women.”

“Ha ha ha,” she laughed mockingly before launching another volley of attacks.

Once his training was done, he returned to the castle around noon. Their meals were quickly becoming a public affair as dignitaries from many provinces joined them frequently. Luna seemed preoccupied with arranging everything for the healing camp.

Squall was once again alone in his room. With nothing to do and no one to hang out with, he was bored out of his mind. Luckily, the atmosphere suddenly got cold around him.

“Gentiana,” he uttered. “I was starting to think that you would not come.”

“I did not know you were waiting for me,” she remarked as a small smile played on her lips.

“Do you want to go for a walk? I feel like a prisoner in this castle,” he proposed.

“Sure, anything to ease your heart.”

Their walk was a perfect calibration of silently accompanying someone and infrequent chat. Even though they did not speak much, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

The next day was the start of a week-long healing camp. He’d hoped that he could talk some sense into her as blessings can take a severe toll on her health, but she had avoided him successfully.

Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to get her blessings. Her day started early with a healing session followed by rest to recover her strength. She would have her lunch at the campsite, and it was followed by another healing session and rest. Their dinner was followed by the same pattern. She only came back to the castle to sleep at night.

At least he used to see Luna at their meals, but even that had stopped now. Even since he woke up, not once did he have a proper conversation with Luna. He needed to know why she was avoiding him, but he would have to wait for the right moment as they were constantly surrounded by people.

Since Luna was always busy, Leon’s day was divided into two halves. Training with Aranea in morning and evening strolls with Gentiana.

His conversation with Gentiana was often very philosophical in nature. Gentiana would often talk about topics such as immortality, karma, spirituality, morality, the meaning of life, etc. While Squall would often talk about duty, dedication, seeking happiness, processing emotions, etc.

One day while returning from their evening stroll, Gentiana suddenly said, “Thank you, for being such a great teacher.”

“What did I teach you?” he asked confused.

“I find it very difficult to understand human emotions. When I try to follow other humans, I get overwhelmed by their emotions. With you, it’s easier to follow since you suppress your emotions so much. It’s like you only process one emotion at a time, which makes it easier for me to learn.”

“Hey! I am more complicated than that,” he protested.

“I believe an appropriate response to that is,” she paused. “Whatever,” she said, imitating Squall.

Squall gave out a sigh, “Looks like I did teach you something after all.”

Gentiana couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. This was the first time he had heard her laugh. Her divine laugh was nothing short of a melody.

He just shook his head, and they continued their evening stroll.

It was morning. The Sun peeked through the sky provided gentle warmth. The sky was different shades of orange. The birds were singing their melodies. A distant hymn echoed through Tenebrae. It was a serene morning, but it was ruined by the frequent clanging of metal.

Squall and Aranea were sparring as per their morning routine.

Aranea had knocked down Squall, which infuriated him. He launched a volley of relentless attacks, forcing Aranea to go on defense.

“Good. Looks like you are recovering your strength,” she praised, blocking his attack.

“Still a long way to go,” he admitted, thrusting his gunblade forward.

“There are still two more days left for the healing camp. How about we take a field trip tomorrow,” she asked, deflecting his attack.

His eyes lit up upon hearing that.

“I am rather bored here, let’s do it,” he affirmed, as their weapons clashed again. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll go treasure hunting for Frozen Tear of Shiva. Tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” she stated, pushing him back.

“Can’t wait.”

During his evening stroll with Genitana he asked her about something Aranea had mentioned in the morning. “Gentiana, what is Frozen tear?”

“Where did you hear that?” she asked, with her eyes closed.

“Aranea told me about it.”

She chuckled in response. “When Shiva’s heart was filled with pain, she cried. Human calls her tears Frozen tear.”

“I did not know that Astrals cried,” he stated bluntly.

“Although we don’t experience the range of emotions that humans do, we do feel some basic emotions like love, hate, anger and kindness to name a few.”

“Why would you cry? You are an Astral,” he asked, still not grasping the concept of mighty Astrals crying like humans.

“Just as humans, when the pain becomes unbearable, tears escape from my eyes,” she said looking at him.

“When were you in such pain?”

“First was when I saw Hyne die in front of my eyes. Next, was when Niflheim attacked me.”

“I wonder how does it—” he was about to say something when Gentiana raised her hand, indicating him to stop.

“We are being watched,” she proclaimed. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings.

“We are in the center square, surrounded by hundreds of pilgrims. Of course, we are being watched,” Squall dismissed her caution.

“No, its him. He is here, I can sense him.”

“Who?”

“The Usurper is watching us.”

Author's notes:

So, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

PS: I was wondering if someone can make me an image of Squall x Luna for this story. I would be very grateful for that. Thanks in advance.

[multifandom--imagine]

(requested by anon)

➽ How did you meet

• Your meeting was particularly unusual. If it was at the wrong time it is quite questionable. • You met in a hospital, the day of the death of your grandmother, your second mother, as well as "guardian angel".

• The doctors contacted you because you were one of the closest relatives and after communicating your death, they asked you to come and give a final greeting.

• And it was that day that you met him, before entering her room, you noticed an old man who was absorbed in watching your grandmother's helpless body, caressing her head.

• You had never seen that man, so untidy you doubted he could be acquaintance of your grandmother (lady of the order and cleaning).

• But you didn't pay much attention to his presence, not even when it came out of the room, giving you the chance to enter.

• In a blink of an eye he disappeared into the corridor, leaving behind a heavy smell of tobacco and alcohol.

• You met him again at your grandmother's funeral. It was a rainy and cold day, like your mood, bitter and empty.

• You looked at the coffin that was swallowed by the earth, without noticing the presence of the old man next to you.

• It was his scruffy stink that made you wake up from your depressive state.

• "My God, does it seem like smoking time?" you said at the edge of the nervous.

• The man gave you a quick glance, settling the dusty rustic jacket and taking the consummate cigarette between his fingers he blew the heavy smoke in his face and giggling he said to you "I'm not afraid of cancer"

• This sentence sent you on a rampage.

• "Well the person who was burying under the earth has been cut short by a cancer, so if you want to keep on being a asshole, you can take your fetid jacket and go fuck yourself" you whispered through clenched teeth and threateningly approached the figure of man.

• The man smiled almost amused at your words ... ah silly human, if only you had known who you were against.

• "I remembered your grandmother, very kind and faithful, surely you didn't take a shit from that good woman" he ventured to comment on the man. • "My grandmother never told me about you, probably because people like you didn't count for shit for her"

• Ouch! Someone has just touched a sore point in Czernobog's soul.

• Without thinking too much about it, the man took a last plentiful shot at a cigarette, then took the butt and threw it on your shoes and without saying anything else left, leaving you in the cemetery all alone.

• THAT’S A BINGO! EH EH EH

• However the story does not end here.

• "The most lovable man in the world" came back a few days at the bar where you worked as a waitress.

• He had ordered several drinks and well ... he was drunk to say the least.

• He was so drunk that he almost fought with another client, threatening to smash his testicles with his hammer.

• ...... ok?

• It is pointless to say that a couple of punches and that lout, half Russian and half American, lay on the floor of your senseless bar.

• Your boss was going to leave the body on the street, but as much as you hated that piece of shit, you would never have had the courage to let him make that end so cruel, it wasn't what your grandmother had taught you.

• so you decided to drag it to your apartment. You lived practically above the bar where you worked.

• But obviously you threw it on the sofa and then you took refuge in the room, collapsing exhausted from sleep.

• The next morning you woke up and going to the kitchen you realized that your apartment smelled terribly of alcohol.

• so you opened all the windows to let the air change, making Czernobog wake with a start.

• "What the fuck..." he said through gritted teeth and then stared at you in shock for a few seconds "We didn't fuck, right?" he asked you in no uncertain terms.

• You looked at him unkempt, shaking his head.

• The expression of the man seemed disappointed for a few seconds, only to shrug, adding a sustained “Luckily".

• whatta.piece.of.cosmic.shit.

• "Anyway you are in my apartment and I do not accept that you scrunch everything, then lift your ass and go and wash, as it should" you said in a stern tone indicating the bathroom.

• With a lazy line the ancient god went to the bathroom to wash as requested.

• When he came out of the bathroom he smelled decidedly clean even though the aroma of tobacco did not give up.

• his gaze settled on your butt, because you had your shoulders busy preparing breakfast.

• He would probably have thrown you a slap on the ass if he wasn't reported for sexual harassment.

• You turned towards him sipping a cup of coffee and schairendoti the voice you said: "Anyway you should thank me, I saved your ass. If it wasn't for me, my boss would have thrown you on the roadside"

• "Thanks..." he murmured too proudly.

• "Sorry? I didn't hear you right"

• "I said thank you, fuck"

• "If you know my grandmother, you will already know my name"

• "(y/n)" he said without blinking "You have a nice shit name" he added, as he looked out the window, lighting a cigarette.

• "Then what's your name, asshole?"

•"Czernobog"

•"You have a shitty name than mine"

➽ Skinship n’ cuddles

• Old marpion

• As I said before, he would be very tempted to give you some pats on the ass, but in the early days of your relationship Czernobog prefers to stay on his own.

• Only when the situation becomes more intimate then the old god brings out the beast in him.

• Your first kiss was one of the most intense.

• You were probably entertaining with your usual pungent conversations, but then a long exchange of glances was enough to completely reverse the situation.

• Czernobog got up from the sofa and advancing quickly towards you, he took you by the hips and slammed you gently against the wall.

• in less than a second your lips attacked in a fierce languid struggle.Your tongues sought each other out, creating sensual snaps and perverse verses.

• Probably the old god would grab your face with one hand, to subdue you even more and with a predatory gesture would bite your lower lip until a small trickle of blood came out.

• needless to say, you slapped him in the face.

•despite the somewhat ferocious contacts, Czernobog also has its tender side.

•Especially when it's sad. A striking example is the death of Zorya.

•You found him on the couch, dark and with a cigarette in his hand. He did not utter a word and his eyes were empty.

•But when he felt your delicate hand tracing the outline of his hollow and wrinkled face, he couldn't help but let his face fall on your chest, letting bitter tears fall on his cheeks.

•Probably the night would end with you two embracing on the sofa, while the arms of the old god wrapped your soft and young body, so fragile and precious, while its nostrils intoxicated with the white perfume of your living skin.

• Your nights of passions are certainly the most brutal in the world. Trapped clothes, broken bed, neighbors complaining about the constant mess. In short, we understood each other.

•Surely his favorite position is the doggy style or simply squeeze yourself between his body and the wall.

• your ass will turn purple for continuous spanking

➽ Arguments

• Arguing with Czernobog is a daily and frequent thing.

• This god is practically born to discuss and be melodramatic and the war obviously accentuates all the components.

• surely your most serious and heavy quarrel was when you found out he was a god. You have almost destroyed your home as well as your relationship.

• probably, you would try to stay calm, but instead he would immediately start to fight with cruel and angry tones.

• you would probably both end up throwing the house objects at you and cursing each other.

• Even if cruel Czernobog would never dare raise his hands with you or beat you, he would never forgive him. Rather it insults you heavily, it still doesn't do you any honor.

• In the end, you would be chasing him from home in the worst cases and he wouldn't show up for days and weeks. He would probably show himself around as if nothing had happened.

• Rare times he apologizes, put your soul in peace

➽ Dates

• Let's be clear, Czernobog hates the city as much as the new gods.

• Probably on special occasions it would lead you to take some walks in the countryside or in the woods, and although you suck, he would insist on hunting animals or telling you how he killed cows.

• Often it takes you to some bar or pub, nothing fancy, after all it is Czernobog.

• He probably will never introduce you to other gods, he would be too afraid to put you in danger.

• Sometimes you spend whole afternoons at home playing chess or drafts, or watching a few films on netflix together.

➽ Some of your conversations

you: "So why did you and my grandmother know each other?"

Czern: "Well you know your grandmother has Slavic origins"

you: "And ... then?"

Czern: "I am one of the many gods who prayed, and probably after her death, I lost the only faithful fuck I had left"

you: "You what ?!"

Czern: "What the fuck are you yelling at, woman? I'm the fucking god of death so what?"

***

Czern: "Zorya is dead"

you: "I'm sorry ..."

Czern: "Do you want to know what the fucking funny thing is?"

you: "..."

Czern: "is that a fucking god of death shouldn't give a fuck about who dies or not, we will all sooner or later, woman. Yet although I am aware that if the new gods don't take you away from me, it will be my own hammer that kills you, I think I would go mad more than I am already seeing you dead, rather I'd rather kill myself "

#12

– Taiga 🐯

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 14x12 “Prophet and Loss”

me: (◕︿◕✿)

i’m too soft™ for this

03:26pm

i am NOT READY in any way, shape or form

but i have a standard-quality video file and a 720p one is downloading slowly

i saw the promo video thing, dean’s phone battery died and i swear my heart died with it

i’m with cas on the “no suicide please” train

on the one hand, this is a deadly duo episode and i don’t trust them. BUT, they have been less awful recently. so. i’m like. expecting some gay. but that gay is ultimately gonna feel like queerbaiting, right?? LET’S HOPE NOT

fingers crossed for real gay, just in case i jinx it by doubting it

-

03:29

HERE GOES

-

03:31

the box underwater

THIS BETTER BE A DREAM

-

03:32

THE TERROR ON DEAN’S FACE IS MAKING MY HEART POUND I DON’T LIKE THIS ONE LITTLE BIT

-

03:33

the blood on the walls from his fingers

jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez

;~;

-

03:34

so far enjoying the directing here

dean’s got a red light saying nope, not changing his mind

sam’s behind him every step of the way

now sam’s trying to build a bridge between them (art on the wall)

-

03:38

just............ sitting here............. recoiling constantly from the screen while this dude does whatever he’s doing to his girl

deeply uncomfortable

-

03:41

so dean hasn’t even told cas and jack

oh man

-

03:42

OH MAN SAM ALREADY TOLD CAS

OH MAN

-

03:42

the fact dean shoulders open the bathroom door without touching it and dries his hands on his jeans is a) so beautiful, and b) so relatable

-

03:45

the guy with the knife again

i winced away from the screen so hard i pulled a muscle in my neck

goddamn i forget how wearing earbud headphones means i can’t just close my ears or move away from the distressing noise

-

03:39

sam: “if we could not have conversations that sound like deathbed apologies, i would really appreciate..”

i fricking cannot with my emotions right now

also john winchester is an asshole

-

03:56

THE SMILE

;A;

“it’s so good to hear from you!!!!”

;A; ;A; ;A;

-

03:58

dean: “so thank you, and, um........................ it’s good to hear your voice”

;~;

-

04:01

why do people say “you don’t have to do this” when tied up and in danger

i find that a strange thing to say? idk

-

04:50

more red lights

a lot of red lights in this

-

04:07

another one

-

04:14pm

switching to 720p because the download’s finally done

also do women actually wear those kinds of frilly night gowns??? or is that just what people imagine “lady life partner who died violently in the night to further the manpain” to wear

-

04:17

sarah: “you wanted him... you still do.... you didn’t come here to find peace, you came here to the place where you became one with him”

sounds gay and evil

-

04:19

sarah: “you can’t.... because you are him”

i mean that makes sense, if an angel is in a host for a long time and does the same acts over and over and feels certain emotions, the host’s brain pathways would form that way, to continue doing and feeling those things

but also i guess nick said yes in the first place, and continued to allow lucifer to use him, because he was that way inclined to begin with

......you know, by the same logic, jimmy probably had feelings for dean tbh

-

04:22

i kept expecting sarah to explode in a justified ghostly rage and set the walls on fire

but here we are..........

not with a bang but with a whimper

-

04:23

kjasdufshfsdhfhFDSKJGJDSJGSJDKGJKDJGJDJGJKGJKGDFJKKJG

this screenshot of cas is a screenshot of me reacting to this screenshot

(also the noise dean’s brain is making)

-

04:25

“doctor”

this screenshot doesn’t show the subtlety of all his movements  BUT HE’S FUCKING trying not to look THRILLED LOOK AT THAT ALMOST-SMILE OMG.

just a hair’s breadth from flustering and looking down the way he did with dr. sexy maybe??? tbh he also looks sad, he would be a lot happier if he weren’t about to lock himself in a box for eternity

the lil gulp as well ?

definitely lowkey flustered, i’m calling it

-

04:29

yup, cut to sam and the real doctor WHILE DEAN AND CAS HAVE A SILENT CONVERSATION OFF SCREEN yes/yes?

-

04:32

“oh, no. no, please don’t compare this with your suicidal plan. just stop.”

he SO MAD

i love cas more than words can say

-

04:34

cas: “so then.......... this is goodbye?

THE LOOK IN THEIR EYES

MY HEART IS BREAKING OH NO

-

04:35

And then SAM INTERRUPTS

ARE YOU KIDIDNG ME

ARE YOU FSDUFVJSDGVJ ING KIDDING ME

well at least that means there’s still something to be said between them, still eternally unsaid

-

04:37

cas: “dean, if there’s a spark, a hope, then i have to try”

aaaaaaand there’s the parallel again, if cas can save donatello then he can save dean

-

04:38

YELLOW LIGHT GREEN ROOM

WE’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE

and of course cas was the one who, by appearing, changed everything

-

04:43

this is so stinking cute i love seeing them together doing ANYTHING AT ALL i love them both so much

-

04:44

also they talk v close and it feels v intimate

i can feel their body heat from here

-

THEY GOT CLOSER

-

04:45

I HAVE MISSED SEEING THEM TOGETHER AND NOT ANGRY OR ACTIVELY DYING

-

CAS’ LIL SMILE

-

04:47

dean: “cas’ll catch you up”

BUT IS DEAN GONNA LEAVE FOREVER AND LEAVE CAS OH NO

-

04:50

sam: “donatello never quit fighting, so we could help him, because he never gave up”

OH MAN THAT GOT ME RIGHT IN THE DEPRESSION FEELS

I LOVE THAT THEY GAVE JARED THOSE LINES

-

04:51

sam: “i believe in us” *punch*

okay but i laughed and i probably shouldn’t laugh

but i did laugh

-

04:52

dean: “okay sam. let’s go home”

ok time to cry

-

04:52

dean: “but i do believe in us”

(cas walks up)

“i believe in all of us”

P E R F  E C T

-

04:54

the end screen is white from the impala lights and i’m crying this was beautiful and perfect and HOW THE FUCK DID THE DEADLY DUO PULL THIS OFF

thAT PARALLEL BETWEEN DONATELLO AND DEAN THOUGH

THAT WAS LIKE...... ACTUAL WRITING

this was great??????/ and i’m emotional??????/ more emotional that i have been for ...um, pretty much every episode for like... 2 or 3 seasons, maybe

this was a 10/10 easily

jeeeez the suicide thing and sam talking dean out of it

look

y’all know how much i love dean and cas, and seeing them in the same place at the same time

but sam’s moment at the end was the best part of this whole thing

.........but. also.

i feel like dean and cas had a scene cut. as always. there was something missing there that i feel we were promised and didn’t get. please god let us get an actual conversation between them??? about their feelings for each other????????? it kind of sickens me that we haven’t had that yet. and it’s clearly almost happening, again and again and again and it’s definitely a romance trope, interrupted before they confess their feelings

a high point: dean and sam saved the asian kid from being killed by fire, that was both good and cool and i was very relieved

i’m a bit frustrated that nick is still ... happening

but at the same time, i find nick like 350% more interesting and enjoyable to watch than lucifer

there was a lot going on in this episode, as there always is in the buckleming episodes, but i watched in stops and starts because of cats and food and the wind slamming my door and my sister texting me, so if there were pacing issues i didn’t notice. it seemed pretty smooth to me idk

but i did really enjoy this, besides the gruesome murders and latino murdery guy (who was the best friend of the older twin brother (dean parallel), technically making the murdery guy a cas parallel?) killing people in horrible ways and then killing himself :/

also dean saying the guy was a psycho and then punching him out felt a liiittle bit like “people with mental health issues are evil and dangerous” and that felt uncomfortable EVEN THOUGH the guy WAS a bad murdery sort, and the whole episode was clearly also about helping people with depression or suicidal designs for themselves.

(now i type all this out, i’m realising the underlying messages of this episode were kind of messy. just a bit.)

edit: OR maybe that was dean’s self-hatred talking

(how and why did the next prophet in line have an enochian tattoo, if the pick is random? was it just coincidence? or did he get that tattoo after donatello started whispering to him?)

sarah...... she was clearly angry, and ghosts that’ve been around a long time tend to get verrrry angry, as i recall? she could’ve done some angry ghost stuff, that would’ve been more satisfying maybe (but on the other hand, the quietness of nick’s exit was also impactful)

i enjoyed the transition of red lights and backdrops throughout the episode to yellow and white, and then the green in the room at the end

anyway. yes. really did expect more on the dean-and-cas front, but i also expected to be let down, so i don’t really know where i stand on that. i just want more of them interacting in general ;~;

next week: MORE EMOTIONS!!!! YAY

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch49: An Old Friend

Intro: After five years of more or less domestic bliss, Katie’s fear that their peace will be one day shattered comes to fruition as a man they long thought dead appears at the compound. Warnings: Bad Langauge. Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

May 2023

“Emmy this room is an utter disgrace!” Steve said exasperatedly as he looked around at the various items of clothing scattered around her bedroom. DVDs lay on the floor, out of the cases instead of the designated rack, the bed was unmade and various school books were tossed onto the rug instead of at her desk.

“Chill Dad.” she mumbled as she sat cross legged, tapping at her tablet, music blaring from her stereo. “Chill?” he shot her a look “Seriously, we spent a fortune doing this room up last month. Get it tidied.” “Yeah, yeah.” He grit his teeth, jaw twitching with annoyance before, after a moment’s deliberation, he crossed the room and turned off her music.

“Hey I was listening to that.”                                  

“Well now you can listen to me.” He stood cross armed looking down at her. “I mean it Emily, get this sorted now, or you can forget going to Philadelphia with Brooke.”

“But, it’s all organised, we leave first thing in the morning!” Steve glared down at her. “It can be unorganised.”

“Fine.” she groaned, “I’ll do it.” “Thank you.” he said, sarcastically before he left the room, shutting the door behind him. He made his way downstairs to the kitchen where Katie was prepping lunch, Jamie sat in a chair at the table on a booster seat, colouring in an activity book.

“Look Daddy!” he pointed to his picture. Steve leant over, one arm on the back of the chair and glanced down at the elephant he had coloured in purple.

“A purple elephant.” he nodded “Creative.”

“Like in Dumbo!”

“Of course.” Steve smiled, Jamie’s Disney film of the moment. It was one Steve could remember seeing at the theatre before he joined the army. It still creeped him out slightly, the scene with all the drunk elephants. So much so he was convinced the animator had been on some kind of mad drug fuelled trip when he drew it. He ruffled his son’s hair and then moved over to where Katie was slicing up a cucumber for the salad, reaching round to steal a piece as he dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“She tidying it?” Katie asked, her eyes not moving from her task.

“Only because I threatened to stop her going to Philly.” he snorted, leaning on the counter and looking at his wife. He reached into the salad bowl to snatch a piece of pepper and Katie slapped his hand. He grinned as she looked at him.

“Bet that went down well.” “Don’t care.” he shrugged. “Her attitude stinks.”

“She’s a teenage girl, Steve” Katie said with a smile “That’s not the point.” “Honey, just, oh I dunno, shut the door if the mess bothers you that much.”

He sighed, and rubbed at his temple “I’m surprised the door even opens with the amount of crap on the floor.” Katie gave a little chuckle before she looked at him “Can you get me the dressing out of the fridge?”

He pushed himself off the counter and opened the fridge “Caesar or Ranch?”

“Caesar.” she said after a moment “Oh, and the cooked chicken please.” Grabbing them he turned back to Katie and passed her the items, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Do you think I was too strict?”

Katie placed the knife down and looked at him “Stevie, stop second guessing yourself.” she said, reaching up to run a hand down his cheek “You’re a great dad. All I’m saying is it’s not out of the ordinary for her to have an attitude. She’s fifteen. I was a nightmare at that age, as I’m sure Tony will delight in telling you.”

“Speaking of your brother, what time is he expecting us?” “Oh he’s coming to pick Jamie up.” Katie said “They’re in town anyway so said he’ll swing by a bit later this afternoon. I just hope Emmy does as you told her.” “Huh?”

“Because if she doesn’t you’ve just flushed our night alone down the lav.” Steve let out a groan, he hadn’t thought about that.

A little while later Katie called Emmy down for lunch. She appeared in the kitchen with a scowl and Katie saw Steve bristle slightly so she decided to get in there first and back him up.

“Straighten your face young lady.” She ordered sternly “Your dad’s right. That room is an absolute heap.” Emmy sighed and reached over for a warm pitta bread, piling her plate with the salad before she took a deep breath.

“Sorry.” she said gently “I’ll tidy it, I promise.” Steve looked at Katie who gave him a wink as they began to eat.

“Emmy I colourded you a picture.” Jamie pointed to the book which was to his right, out of the way of his plate.

Emmy smiled, and looked at it “Aww dude that’s awesome. Is it to pin up on my board?”

He nodded and she bopped his nose gently, smiling back.

“I staying at Moo’s tonight?” Jamie asked.

“Yeah.” Katie looked at her son, as he picked up a piece of the pitta bread she had sliced into smaller strips for him “Is that ok?” He nodded “Uncle Nee gives me juice pops. The red ones are my bestest.” “I thought you liked the blue ones?” Steve asked, swallowing his food. “Because they’re the same colour as Cap’s Suit?”

“Red ones better.” Jamie said, nodding. “Like Iron Man.”

Steve looked at Katie who was biting her lip, trying not to laugh at the look of utter indignation on his face.

“This is good Mom.” Emmy nodded at the food on her plate. “Better than the incinerated breakfast dad gave us.” Steve half-heartedly glared at his daughter “I burnt one egg.”

“One too many.” she quipped, and Katie grinned, reaching over for the jug of water. Steve beat her to it and poured her a glass, sliding it over to her before he did the same for Emmy, Jamie already had his in a cup by his plate. 

“Thanks.” Katie smiled at him before she turned to Emmy “Hey, did you get your grade back for your Essay last week?”

“Oh, yeah, I got an A.” she shrugged.

“Emmy that’s great.” Steve nodded at her, smiling.

“Yeah well don’t get used to it. I don’t think I’ll get one again. I may have upset my tutor.”

“Why?” Katie frowned “What did you do.”

“Well, he’s assigned us a book that is totes inappropriate.”

“What book?” Katie interrupted to ask

“The Colour Purple” she said “I mean it’s good but…”

“Yeah, that is kinda heavy…” Katie frowned, having read the book herself “What’s the angle?” “Race, gender, and bigotry in the early twentieth century. ”she shrugged “I would have thought To Kill A Mockingbird would have been better but when I voiced my opinion Mr Tozer didn’t like it.”

“So what did you say to upset him?” Steve arched his brow.

“Exactly that. And then he told me it was his way or the highway. Don’t worry, I refrained from calling him Hitler.“

“I guess we should be pleased then…” Steve snorted. She flashed him a grin and went back to eating.

The family made chatter for the rest of their lunch until Jamie poked at his mom’s arm.

“Yes sweetie?” “I done now. Fankoo” he grinned, plate completely cleared.

“Ok honey” she ruffled his hair “Cake?” he asked hopefully.

“What do you say?” Steve said gently as he looked at him

“Please.”

“Do you think about anything but food?” Emmy looked at the small boy.

“You know he doesn’t.” Katie sighed. “He takes after your father in that respect.” “That’s not all I think about.” Steve grinned, as he raised a suggestive eyebrow at his wife over his glass of water.

“Yeah well, thankfully he is way too young for that.” Katie winked as she stood up to get the fruit cake she had made the day before to cut everyone a slice. As she did she had to bite back the smirk as Emmy sighed at Steve’s blatant sexual reference.

“Gross.”

Emmy did tidy her room, so she was dropped off at the coffee shop early evening with her bag which Steve was sure contained more clothes than she needed for the four nights she was away. He made a comment to that effect and the fifteen year old just rolled her eyes and explained she needed two outfits a day,  just in case. Just in case of what, Steve had no idea and he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know if truth be told. He made small talk with Jennifer over a coffee for a while, instructed his daughter to behave and loudly told Jennifer that if she was any trouble to pack her home straight away. Brooke rolled her eyes but gave him a hug goodbye anyway as he left.  By the time he had gotten home, Jamie had already been picked up leaving the two parents alone. Steve had been planning to take Katie out, but when he suggested it she shook her head and pulled a magnum of Champagne out of the fridge and held it up.

“I got a better idea.” she grinned “Hot tub party and take out.” “Champagne, pizza, you in a swimsuit.” Steve grinned, pulling her to him “I’m sold.”

To Steve, their evening felt like one of the many nights they had spent at the Compound in their tub outside. Needless to say there wasn’t much relaxing done in the hour they were in there, quite the opposite if truth be told. Hands and lips were all over the place, pawing at skin and kisses being exchanged with avaricious force. By the time they’d called for pizza Katie was feeling thoroughly defiled as she sat on the sofa, wearing one of Steve’s button downs and tore into a large slice of pepperoni as if she hadn’t eaten for a week. Steve grinned, tucking her damp hair behind her ear and dropped a kiss to the side of her head. They settled down to watch a film, but Katie was flat out before it was even ten minutes in and she didn’t even stir bar to murmur something to him when he carried her up to their room.

Steve woke the next morning, wrapped around Katie, her warm body pressed to his chest, one arm under her neck, the other draped over her waist. He sighed in contentment, it was bliss, knowing there was nothing to get up for. No constantly hungry three year old to feed, no lunches to make, no school runs, no meetings until later, nothing. Snuggling into her closer, the arm that wasn’t trapped underneath her swept her hair away from her face, before his lips gently skated over her jaw and down the side of her neck, and as her eyelids fluttered his large, gentle hand trailed down the curve of her hip and slid between her legs and caressing the inside of her thigh. Katie took a deep breath before releasing it with a shiver shifting automatically, still half asleep, spreading her legs a little wider. She rolled her head over her shoulder, blinking and she was met with those blue eyes she loved so much, the owner wearing a devilish smirk.

“Morning.” He rasped voice low with sleep and utter desire.

“Good morning.” she grinned biting her lip, as his hand moved back up over her stomach to her breasts, underneath the shirt she was wearing and he began to tease her softly, causing her to moan as he rolled a nipple between his fingers, the sensation burning in her stomach once more. She rolled onto her back and he settled between her legs, her arms winding around his neck as he captured her lips with his, soft and slow before he pulled back to peel his shirt off her body, tossing it down the side of the bed. He turned his gaze downwards, eyeing up her blue lacy panties before he groaned and lowered himself over her again, kissing her and sliding his tongue along hers. Katie wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding against him to get any friction that she could. His hands trailed down her sides and under her back, fingers gently grabbing at the waistband of the lace before he broke the kiss and unhooked her legs from around his waist. He gently pulled her underwear down, shimmying under the covers as he removed the garment and then kissed up her right leg, his lips hot as he made his way from her ankle up to her inner thigh, pushing her legs open wider.

His actions were controlled, slow. There was no rush after all. His mouth and tongue gently worked her to distraction, flicking at her clit over and over. She was a writhing mess within minutes, her hand fisted in his hair, the other grasping at the sheets, the noises flowing freely because they didn’t have to be quiet. Her fingers tightened on his scalp and she gave a cry of his name as her hips bucked upwards, her legs tensing slightly before they flattened against the bed, her breathing heavy and ragged. With a smirk at how easy he could undo her, he moved back up the bed, one hand pushing his pants down. Without a word he lined himself up with her, letting out a loud groan she slid a hand between them, stroking him before guiding him inside. He moved slowly, deliberately, until every inch of him was sheathed by her. Katie’s eyes rolled back as he stretched her, her groan loud as he laced his fingers into hers. Steve let out a shaky moan as he moved his pelvis slowly, pushing back against her hands. Every thrust was deep, slow, measured, his mouth moving from hers to her jaw, neck, collar bone.

The house was quiet, nothing but the sound of soft cries and kisses could be heard as Steve continued his trusts, whilst his wife whimpered into his ear, and he let go of her hands to bring one of her legs up round his hip. She let out a cry at the change of angle as he picked up the pace slightly, but not much, until Katie’s nails raked down his back as her pleasure rose. The sensation made him shudder and he doubled his efforts, her hands sliding down, grabbing at his flexing ass, urging him on and as always he was happy to oblige.

“Shit, Stevie,” the cry of his name as the lights went off before her eyes turned into a complete babble which died in her throat as she tightened and pulsed around, her body shaking with pleasure.

“God, Doll.” he was right behind her as he came with a low moan, his hips thrusting until he was completely spent, his head buried in the side of his wife’s neck.

Katie tipped her head back in satisfaction, sighing softly as Steve pushed himself up slightly. He gently ran his nose up her throat, taking her bottom lip between his and he let out another satisfied sigh of his own. He loved his kids, beyond anything but man he enjoyed being able to take his goddamned time making love to his wife without the patter of little feet across the hall meaning they were about to be interrupted. “Baby,” he said softly, his lips gently smoothing the skin underneath her ear “Hmmm?” She asked, her hands creeping into his hair as her head rolled to the side, eyes still closed in pure bliss. “Look at me Kitten.” She obliged, and emerald green met ocean blue as she held her husband’s gaze. He gave her a soft smile, and she reciprocated, the affection on his face blatantly evident. “I love you,” he said, as she reached up and gently brushed the longer strands of his hair back over his forehead, “more than you can ever know”

“Will that still be the case when I’m old, grey and wrinkly but you still look like you’re straight out of GQ magazine?”

He looked at her, this wasn’t the first time she had mentioned that. He shook his head and sighed softly, unable to do anything but repeat what he told her the last time she’d raised the issue.

“I told you baby girl.” he said, giving her lips a quick peck “It’s me and you till the end of the line.”

After a lazy breakfast, Katie headed off to collect Jamie from Tony’s and Steve made his way into Manhattan for the two support groups of the afternoon. The first one was always the busiest and it took a little longer this week as they had a few new faces. This didn’t surprise Steve, people were still five years later coming to terms with opening up about their heartache or problems, but the core of the group were always welcoming. He had an hours break before the second, slightly quieter group so he took a walk. Their air was damp and there was a gloomy fog descending over the city, making it darker than it would normally be for the time of day, but it wasn’t cold. He grabbed a coffee from the shop round the corner and headed back to start the second meeting.

The meetings always followed the same format. There was ten or so minutes of everyone arriving, grabbing refreshments, saying hello and then they would form the usual circle and Steve would start the discussions with a chat about something he’d done or seen that week that was positive, something he’d done or seen that week that wasn’t so positive, and then invite other people to comment and do the same, gently coaxing them into opening up.

“So, I went on a date the other day.” The man named David sighed. “First time in five years. I didn’t know what to talk about.”

“What did you talk about?” Steve pressed gently, patient as ever.

“Same old crap, you know? How things have changed. My job. His job. How much we miss the Mets”  David paused taking a breath “Then things got quiet. He cried as were serving the salads.”

“What about you?” Another man, Ian, asked hopefully.

“I cried,” David trailed off, “Just before dessert,” There was a slight pause, “But I’m seeing him again tomorrow, so…”

Steve gave a small smile “That’s great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump, you didn’t know where you were gonna come down. And that’s it, it’s those little, brave baby steps we gotta take, you know, to try and find purpose.” He paused and looked around the group, biting the inside of his cheek, “I went into the ice in forty-five right after I met the first woman I’d ever loved. Woke up seventy years later and met the love of my life. She gave me hope, she gave me a purpose, a reason to keep going in the crazy new world I’d found myself in.” He paused again and looked around at the attentive faces assembled in a circle “You gotta move on. The world is in our hands. It’s left to us guys. We gotta do something with it. Otherwise, Thanos should have killed all of us.”

Steve let the meeting roll for a little longer, everyone discussing what he had said before it came to a natural end and with a glance up he saw Katie and Jamie pushing open the door, Katie holding a huge Tupperware box full of brownies.

“Looks like you’re all in luck!” Steve said, nodding towards his wife as Jamie ran across to his father who smiled and swept him up into arms and planted a kiss onto his head before replacing him on the floor. He looked over at Katie and she smiled back, placing the box of treats down on the table. She often did this, popped into a few of his sessions over the week with some form of snack for them all when she had time, her way of helping out, and Steve loved her for it. 

Over the next ten minutes or so, various people drifted over to the side of the room, greeting Katie and grabbing a brownie. She gave David a hug and cheekily told him to behave on his next date as Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead in greeting as they waved the man away.

“How long where you at the door?” Steve looked at her.

“Long enough.” She told him, knowing instantly why he was asking.

“I meant it.” he turned to look at her. “Every word you know.”

“I know, and for the record you’re the love of my life too.” she grinned “My husband, my baby daddy…” 

Steve smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. 

“Gross” Jamie said, sticking his fingers in his mouth.

There was a pause before Steve grabbed Jamie and launched into a tickle attack until the boy was screeching and running from his dad who chased him round the hall. Katie watched her boys as Jamie feinted left and Steve let him get away, before the little boy dived under a table and out the other side of it, cackling in a way so much like his father did.

“Don’t think that’s gonna save you, pal.” Steve said, easily vaulting the table and picking Jamie up, throwing him over his shoulder, patting his backside once with a large hand.

“Momma, help!” Jamie’s voice was punctuated with laughter and in a bid to help her son, Katie strode forward and her hands went straight to Steve’s side from behind, and she began to tickle him.

“Oh sh-stop it!” Steve cackled, his ridiculously ticklish nature was always his downfall. He let Jamie down as Katie continued her attack and he spun round, grabbing her and spinning her round, crossing her arms across my chest, pinning her back to his front as he dropped his mouth to her ear.

“You’re gonna pay for that later.” “Promises, promises Captain.”

****

There was a presence to Katie’s right and she felt the soft weight of a hand against her cheek. It was too small to belong to her man, but the perfect size and weight to belong to her boy.

“James,” a soft, deep voice whispered, warning in the tone, “this is the second time I’ve told you and there won’t be a third. Leave your ma alone. She’s sleeping.”

Katie sighed and stretched. “It’s okay, I’m awake”  

Jamie giggled and surged forward giving her a peck before falling back onto his father’s pillow, "Morning Momma!”

“Good morning sweetie.” she yawned rolling onto her side, dislodging Lucky who had been asleep with his leg resting on the back of her legs.  As ever Jamie had his stuffed Cap bear with him, along with God knows how many other toys all which adorned Steve’s side of their enormous bed.

“Morning, baby.” Steve bent over from behind her, pecking her cheek too.

“Hey.” she smiled, rolling her head to catch his lips, noticing his bare, damp chest from the shower. “What time is it?”

“Little past seven.” he said gently “Somebody…” he glanced at Jamie “was awake at half Five.” “Not sleepy daddy.” “Really, I didn’t notice.” Steve replied, sardonically. Katie chuckled as Jamie frowned, the sarcasm utterly lost at him.

“Momma, we hided in the fort.”

Katie snorted. Steve and Jamie had made a blanket fort in Jamie’s room last night in which they had hidden in for their bed time stories. Jamie had insisted they left it up, and considering it wasn’t in the way Katie had been happy to oblige. Steve, who had gotten a lot better with dealing with the mess Jamie left around over the years had resisted the urge to fold away the blankets and his wife had pulled him out of the room when the pair of them had popped in to check on Jamie before he could change his mind.

“Mighty fine Fort it is too.” Steve ruffled his son’s hair.

“What time are your meetings today?” Katie asked, looking at Steve. His groups ran at different times during the week. This way, it made sure that there was a day or night everyone could attend at least 1 session a week.

“Last one finishes at four today. Why you ask?”

“Well, I thought seeing as we didn’t see Nat at the weekend we should pop in.” “Auntie Nat-Nat, yay!” Jamie clapped his hands “Maybe she can come see my fort.” “You should tell her about it.” Steve nodded, before his attention turned to Katie “Might convince her to leave the compound.” “Yeah, maybe.” she sighed.

“What do you fancy for breakfast?” Steve asked.

“I can bake some cinnamon rolls if you want?” “You don’t have to do that.” “I know.” she smiled “But they’re already made so just need to go in to the oven and I also I know someone…” she looked at Jamie, “is going to ask for pancakes and he isn’t having them 3 days on the run.” “Waffles?” Jamie said, hopefully.

“No.” Katie shook her head “Cinnamon rolls or cereal, your choice.”

“Can I have both?” he asked.

“You two will eat me out of house and home.” Katie rolled her eyes “Yes, if you want both you can have both.”

“Cool man.” Jamie nodded, in a way that was so like Emmy like it made Steve turn back to face his wife from where he had ben stood at the dresser pulling out his clothes, a smirk on his face. The pair of them watched as their son announced he was going to get dressed and dropped onto the floor, heading out into the hallway back to his own room, Lucky following.

Katie watched as Steve pulled on a pair of sweats and she cocked her head to one side.

“Did you seriously call me Jamie’s Ma before?”

Steve grinned “Sorry.” “Makes me sound like I’m ninety” she snorted.

“Try actually being ninety.” he said, and Katie laughed as he started to crawl over her in the bed, pushing her back gently.

“Hate to break it to you Captain Badass but you’re actually hundred and five.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” he muttered gently, his lips on hers. She happily melted into them, her hands straying up and down his bare chest, before she pulled away knowing that if they carried on she’d be wanting a lot more.

“Stop it.” she mumbled, biting her lip.

“What?” he asked, cheekily.

“This.” she pouted.

“I only wanted a kiss.” he looked at her, eyebrow raised “You have a dirty mind.” “Years of being with you.” she said simply and he laughed, standing up. As he headed across the room Katie couldn’t resist one last quip. “Nice ass…daddy” Steve turned round, a wicked grin on his face as he held his arms out at either side of him, as he walked backwards for a few steps. “It’s all yours baby Momma.” he said, before turning round and heading out to help Jamie get dressed.

The rest of Katie’s day was pretty much the same as it always was. She dropped Jamie in at the day-care and headed up to her office, for her 15 minute start up meeting with Soraya to go over her diary for the day, which was pretty clear for once. She spent most of her time sifting through the mountain of emails and responding to the ones she needed to. After a quick chat with Emmy at lunchtime, the girl enthusiastically telling her all about how her and Brooked had run up the Rocky steps and were eating so much Philly cheesesteak, Katie headed up to the boardroom for the Monthly Financial Review. Escaping at little after 3, she picked Jamie up, headed to the store to grab something she could make at the compound for them all and once Steve was home they set off towards the compound.

Steve drove easily down the highway, one hand on the steering wheel, the other laying on the arm rest in between the front seats, whilst next to him Katie hummed along to the John Legend playlist that was playing. Steve eased the Audi onto the bridge which would take them out of Manhattan and frowned gently as he noticed that the cars ahead were all coming to a halt. As Steve slowed the car down, Katie too narrowed her eyes as people started getting out of their cars and heading to the side of the bridge, pointing.

“Wait here.” Steve said, climbing out of the car, Captain mode engaged.

“What’s going on?” Jamie asked.

“Daddy’s gone to see.” Katie said. She watched Steve approach the side of the bridge and speak to the nearest man before looking down. His mouth dropped opened and he turned, jogging back to the car.

“You’re not gonna believe this…” he shook his head as Katie climbed out.

“What…”

“Come see.” he opened the back door of the car and unstrapped Jamie from his seat. Picking him up in his arms, he made his way to the side of the bridge, wife by his side and he pointed downwards.

Katie felt herself gasp at the sight- a small pod of whales leisurely making their way through the Hudson River.

“Wow.” Katie whispered.

“What are they?” Jamie asked

“Whales.” Steve replied, “Humpbacks, I think.”

Steve tried to keep the smile on his face genuine, but he hated it when Jamie saw something out of place in the new world that he was born into which would have been perfectly normal in the world that they once knew. Whilst a pod of whales in the Hudson was an astounding sight for sure, and would have been unheard of even before the Snap, the fact that it was Jamie’s first time ever seeing a whale made him slightly sad. They had been a pretty common sight around the ocean waters in and around the bays leading out into the North Atlantic until Thanos had killed half of them.

Jamie giggled and pointed out that the biggest whale was being followed closely by a slightly smaller one, and then an even smaller one after and then a tiny one.

“Daddy, Momma, Emmy and Jamie.” He said, smiling at Steve who chuckled, as he smoothed Jamie’s hair back.

“Come on Kiddo, let’s go see Auntie Nat” When they arrived at the Avengers compound, the sun was beginning to set. Steve drove round to the rear entrance and the gate creaked open as the scanners recognised the car. He parked the car in their old designated spot before he collected the bag of ingredients from the trunk that Katie had bought to make dinner with. Together the three of them headed inside, Friday welcoming them all as they made their way towards the living area, and they could hear Natasha closing up a meeting, she was talking to Rhodey.

“Nat,” Rhodey’s voice was almost pleading but Nat cut him off

“Please.” She begged.

Katie had a feeling she knew what she was talking about, or rather who. She glanced at Steve as they rounded the last corner to the large meeting-slash-living room and it was then that Katie could hear Natasha trying to stifle her cries. At that point Jamie ran in and jumped onto his aunt’s lap hugging her tightly.

“Don’t be sad Auntie Nat-Nat.” He said, and Natasha took a deep breath and leaned her head against her nephew’s with her eyes closed hugging him back.

Steve leaned against the bookshelf for a moment as Katie walked into the room, taking the bag of ingredients off Steve as she took in the sight of Natasha’s dinner of a peanut butter sandwich, resting on top of the table.

“You know, I’d offer to cook you dinner, but you seem miserable enough.” Steve opened, looking down at her with a smile,

“So I’m gonna do it instead.” Katie said, holding up the bag she’d brought. dropping it onto the table. “Chicken stew, dumplings and chocolate cake for after.”

Natasha looked at them, a smile playing on her face as Katie sat down across from her, “You guys here just to feed me?”

“And to see a friend.” Steve shot back.

Natasha leaned back into her chair, Jamie still on her lap. “Clearly, your friend is fine.”

“Bull.” Katie said, leaning back and eyeing her. She avoided her gaze and the room fell silent.

“You know we saw a pod of whales as we were coming over the bridge.” Steve broke the silence, changing the subject.

“In the Hudson?” Natasha asked, raising her head slightly sounding impressed.

Jamie perked up.

“There was a Jamie whale and a daddy whale and a momma whale and an Emmy one!” Jamie gushed.

Nat smiled “I haven’t seen whales in the Hudson ever, even before.”

"Well, there’s fewer ships, cleaner water.” Steve shrugged

Natasha sighed looking up at the ceiling, “You know if you are about to tell me to look on the bright side, umm, I’m about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich.”

“Sammich?” Jamie looked up hopefully and Natasha tore off half of one side before passing it to him.

“Sorry.” Steve sighed pushing himself off from the bookshelf, his jacket slung over his arm, “Force of habit.”

He tossed his keys onto the table, dropping his jacket over the back of a chair before sitting down next to his wife, glancing at Jamie who was now eating a small piece of the sandwich, then at Natasha. The woman looked tired, pale and such a far cry from the stoic, well-groomed Natasha Romanoff he had first known. But then again, they were all a far cry from the people they had once been.

“You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on. And forget what happened.” Steve crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. “And some do. But not us.”

“If I move on, who does this?” Natasha asked simply with a shrug.

Katie sighed “Maybe it doesn’t need to be done.”

Both Steve and her thought Natasha was on to a hiding for nothing. The Avengers were over.

“You know, I used to have nothing. And then I got this- this job. This family.” Nat smiled sadly and looked down at Jamie before she looked back up, the tears evident in her eyes. “And I was better because of it. And even though they’re gone, I’m still trying to be better.“

"I think we all need to get a life,” Steve joked and Natasha forced a smile nodding to him.

“You did.” At her words, Steve gave a smile. She was right, he had. Katie and he had been extremely lucky over the last five years, but that didn’t stop them thinking about the people that hadn’t, and the friends they had lost.

Katie reached for the bag she had placed on the table. “I’ll go start dinner.” she said, standing up when a small, holographic screen popped up in front of Natasha indicating she had a notification of sorts. She flicked it to the side, bringing the video feed to life behind Steve who looked over his shoulder as the video began playing.

“Oh, hi, hi! Is anyone home? This is, uh, Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport, in Germany. I was small, then I got real big.”

Katie left the bag where it was and whipped round, to see Scott on the screen, stood in front of his van. Besides her Steve stood from his seat, unable to believe what he was seeing. This was impossible, he was snapped…

“Is this an old message?” Katie asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.

“Ant-Man! I know you remember Ant-Man.”

Natasha’s reaction was much like Steve’s, confused awe as she sat up, breathing deeply “It’s the front gate.”

“I really need to talk to you guys!” Scott continued to yell his voice becoming desperate.

The three of us remained frozen for a moment, absolutely lost for words before Jamie broke the silence.

“Who’s that?” he asked, jumping down from Nat’s lap. “An old friend.” Steve said after a pause, turning to Natasha who was fishing in a drawer for the key to the main gate. No one used it anymore, anyone visiting used the rear entrance, the main one having been padlocked shut for years. She found the key and tossed it to him and he caught it expertly before heading off to go meet Scott.

[madamebaggio]

(Yes, I am repeating gif sets, but that sentence is actually going to be used in this chapter, so I think it’s fair)

Chapter 3

Lady Beatrice carried most of the conversation alone. The woman wouldn’t stop talking as the coach travelled the way to Londinium.

Sansa was particularly good at nodding and smiling at the appropriate moments, and Beatrice hardly needed help to continue the conversation. Maggie seemed to be adept of the same technique, because she was also merely smiling and nodding along.

Sansa had one adventure in King’s Landing with memories she’d rather not have. She could still smell the stench if she closed her eyes, feel the disgusting air of the city clogging her throat. The rottenness of the people reflected on the city, quite clearly.

After she was attacked by the men while walking on the streets, she vowed never to step out of the Red Keep again; not that she had that much choice upon the matter. There was a part of her that expected Londinium to be somewhat the same. She could picture the dirt on the roads, the hungry people, the disgusting smell all around.

Somehow it was not as terrible as she’d feared. It didn’t stink as much as King’s Landing did, but that must have something to do with the weather. When she’d walked down the city it had been a boiling hot day, this had to worsen the smell somehow. 

The roads in Londinium were not paved, and it had rained during the night, so there was mud everywhere. However, Maggie and her aunt knew exactly where they were going, and Sansa hardly saw anything through the window of their coach.

Sansa knew very little about Londinium, since Vortigern hardly ever went there and never allowed Katia to go. Maggie obviously knew it a bit better, and they were taken directly to the places the women wanted to go; most of them dressmakers. Sansa didn’t have any money -everything she had was ‘graciously’ given to her by Vortigern -so she couldn’t order dresses like Maggie and her aunt were doing, but she didn’t mind it at all. She was happy to sit and observe the whole spectacle.

“Aunt, Sansa and I will go ahead and visit Frederick, if you do not mind.” Maggie called suddenly, as Beatrice was discussing yet another dress with the seamstress.

“Oh yes, dear.” Beatrice spoke absent-mindedly, waving her hand. “See you later.”

Sansa said nothing as Maggie passed her arm through the Stark’s. “Frederick makes lovely combs. Maybe we should get you one for your beautiful hair.” She spoke as they left the dressmaker.

“That is very kind of you, lady Maggie, but I do not have money of my own.” Sansa indicated politely.

“Nonsense. It can be my present for you.” Maggie waved the concern away.

That was the moment Sansa became absolutely sure that Maggie had some kind of plan for her. She brought her to an unfamiliar city and was now leaving Beatrice behind, to take Sansa somewhere else. Perhaps it would be a good moment to confront her, but there was still a morbid curiosity inside Sansa to see what she was planning.

They walked for a few minutes, while Maggie indicated places she knew when something actually happened. Although, much later, Sansa was convinced it wasn’t what Maggie had planned, it was just Fate taking care of things.

They were coming down one of the streets when a group of young men started yelling that the Born King would come to save them all from the Fake King.

Sansa had heard whispers of rebellion, but since she was always in Camelot she’d never seen such open defiance against Vortigern. Maggie herself looked perplexed by the display, and that was even before the Blacklegs appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh lord.” Maggie murmured in shock.

It was like it only took a second to start: suddenly the young men were being attacked by the Blacklegs, however the guards were in smaller number and the people around did not stand and let it happen. They charged against the guards with whatever they had in their hands.

It was an uprising, right in front of her eyes.

Suddenly, the memory of that moment, so long ago in King’s Landing, came flooding through Sansa’s head. The men that grabbed her, tried to tear her clothes apart… But this time there would be no Hound to save her.

“We have to go!” She told Maggie urgently.

Maggie nodded and turned to look for an alternative way out, when someone crashed into them. Sansa was separated from Maggie and pushed away to one of the side streets. She looked around, desperately trying to find the other lady again, but when she failed to locate her, she started to move.

She was alone in a place she didn’t know at all. If the people were so angry at the King, a noble woman could easily become a target. She pulled her hood up, trying to hide heir hair; its color drew too much attention.

She had no idea how to go back to the dressmaker, but she started walking purposefully away from the mass of people.

Until someone stepped in her way.

It was a man she’d never seen before: he was tall -taller than her, which had become rarer and rarer lately – his shoulders were wide and his arms were obviously strong, his hair was a dark blond, pushed back. Now his eyes… They were sky blue, but they were freezing and locked on her.

And he was not moving.

“Let me pass.” She spoke with more bravado than she actually felt.

He snorted. “No. Should you really be out of your cage?”

He knew who she was. And he had some nerve. “I’m not in a cage.” She hissed, even as Cersei’s voice droned in her ear: “little dove, little dove…”

He arched a brow at her, then crossed his arms over his chest. “No? Where do you figure you are?”

“None of your business.”

His look made it quite clear he was vastly unimpressed by her. “I hope you aren’t trying to run. You won’t get very far.”

“Where would I run to?” She snapped before she could stop herself. Why was she arguing with this idiot? “I am alone here, just as I was alone in King’s Landing.” She finished, more to herself than to him, because she didn’t owe him an explanation.

The stranger gave her a flat look, before taking a step in her direction. Sansa reflexively took a step back.

“If he knows you’re here, he’ll rip the houses apart looking for you, princess.” His voice might not be raised, but the fury in it was clear. “Go back to your golden cage and leave us, small folk, in peace.” He paused. “Pretty bird.” He added as an afterthought, like he was really trying to get to her.

Sansa took a deep breath. She couldn’t antagonize this stranger; she was alone in Londinium, without any idea how to get back to wherever Maggie or her aunt were. She should be quiet.

However, when he turned his back to her, dismissing her so easily, something snapped inside her, just like the night before. She was tired of being dismissed.

“Do not call me a pretty bird.” She spoke, her voice firm. “You know nothing of me.”

He turned back to her, his expression somewhere shocked and peeved. “I know enough.” He replied, coming closer again. “You’ve been living inside the castle, the favorite pet of the King.”

“Who do you think you are?” She demanded. “You’re nobody to tell me who…”

He stepped up to her, less than a palm of distance between them. “Who do you think I am?” He spoke, his voice dangerously soft.

Sansa wasn’t sure why it happened, but suddenly she understood exactly who she was.

“The Pretender…” She murmured, eyes going round.

He was the one fighting against Vortigern, giving hope to the people. He was the one they called the Born King.

He snorted. “Careful who you call ‘Pretender’, princess. I have a sword that claims I am the King.”

“Oh yes.” She spoke without thinking much about it. “And yesterday a fish told me I shall be the Queen.”

He made a show of looking her up and down. “I wouldn’t kick you out of the bed.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I have no choice in my life; I was given to Vortigern as a present. I live under his roof, but I will not be involved in any of this.”

“You won’t have a choice, sweetheart. Soon everybody will have to pick a side.” He pointed out.

“I’m not even from here!” She protested. “I didn’t ask to be dragged here. Why do I have to…” She stopped and pressed her lips together. “Why are you here?”

It finally seemed to click in her head: he’d been looking for her. Somehow, he found her in the middle of Londinium, stepped in front of her. Somehow, he knew exactly who she was, even though she was sure she’d never seen him before and she hardly ever left Camelot.

She took a step back, a bit scared. “What do you want with me?”

“Calm down.” He asked.

“You knew who I was. You were looking for me!” She accused.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Red.” He snorted, but it didn’t sound honest.

“Vortigern won’t care if you hurt me.” She hurried to say. “I’m nothing to him!”

“I’m not here to hurt you.” He rebutted quickly.

“And I should just take your word?” She asked, incredulity bleeding into her voice.

He didn’t reply, because he obviously knew how ridiculous it was to ask her to simply trust him like that.

He took a step back, then took a deep breath. “I am not here to hurt you.” He repeated firmly. “But if you think you can hide forever inside the castle and not be part of this, just because you are not from here, you’re mad.”

“So I should be on your side?” She threw at him.

“From what I’ve heard… You don’t have much luck with Kings you’re given to.” He started backing way, his eyes on her. “You might want to make your own choices this time around.”

Despite this whole situation, Sansa couldn’t hold in the derision in her voice. “And you are supposed to be my best choice?”

He was already farther from here, still walking backwards, his eyes still on her. “I’m not the one keeping you on a cage, am I, little bird?”

Before she could retort he turned and disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

“The nerve of that…”

“SANSA!”

She turned, seeing Lady Maggie breathless coming in her direction. She was between two of the guards that had accompanied them on this outing.

“Lady Maggie.” Sansa sighed in relief. “I’m glad to see you’re fine.”

“I’m more worried about you.” Maggie seemed genuine at least. “You know nothing of the city… Are you fine?”

Sansa nodded. “Yes. Do not worry.”

“Did anyone bother you?” Maggie pressed.

“No one important.”

XxX

Arthur should’ve known that this was a waste of his time. He had no idea what Maggie had seen in that girl, but she was no fighter. She would not take sides, too busy protecting her own hide.

Exactly like he’d been doing not so long ago.

Arthur had to give it to her: she stood up to him far longer than he’d expected. She was young, far too young to be of any use. He didn’t know what Maggie had in her head.

“So… What happened to the lass?” Back Lack asked as Arthur went back to the place they were hiding.

“She’s no use.” He declared.

“Why do you say that?” Bedivere asked curious.

“Because I talked to her.” Arthur told him dryly.

Bill snorted. “Well, that explains it. Even if she was somehow inclined towards our cause, I’m sure your charm convinced her of the opposite.”

Arthur gave the older man an unimpressed look.

They could say whatever they wanted. Lady Stark was not his problem.

But those blue eyes… They came back to haunt him later on.

XxX

Sansa was brushing her hair, the meeting from earlier still clear in her mind.

She was not as naïve as the so called Born King seemed to think she was. She knew Vortigern cared nothing for her, and was only using her for something, even though she still didn’t know what for. She didn’t think he’d protect her if something were to happen, especially a war.

But what should she do? Jump in the arms of the first man that came to her, claiming to be the True King? Should she swoon while she was at it?

The thing was… She was pretty sure that, if she were younger, she might have done exactly that. She’d been so stupid once, that the tale of a King coming from nowhere and rescuing her would be like a dream come true.

She was happy that stupid Sansa didn’t exist anymore.

“Come in.” She called after hearing the knock on her door.

“Lady Sansa.” It was Maggie. “I just came to see if you are fine.”

After Maggie found her, they went to look for Beatrice and immediately went back to the house. Sansa had no idea what had happened to people in the city, if more guards had arrived.

“I am. Thank you for asking.”

Maggie closed the door behind herself. “Did you… Did you see anyone in the city?”

“Besides the one who claims to be the Born King, you mean?” Sansa asked, putting her brush down.

Maggie was frozen by the door. Sansa gave her one of her most polite smiles. “No, I did not. Was that your intention?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You wanted me to meet him, didn’t you?”

“Lady Sansa, I have no idea…”

Sansa shook her head. “It is fine, lady Maggie. Forgive me. I am just a stupid girl saying stupid things. If you do not mind, I am very tired.”

“Of course.” Maggie recovered quickly, going for the door. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, you will.”

Sansa watched as the woman closed the door behind herself. Now, that… That was interesting.

***

(Notes: Bad news, guys... My life is about to be turned upside down. I quit my job, but I still have to stick around for a month to help until they find a replacement. However, I still have to start working on the new place, so for a month I will have two jobs. That means I am so fucked right now. So... It’s very unlikely I will manage to write anything for the next month... But life is life. I hope you guys don’t give up on me!)

[merikathryn-blog]

SOA: Sins of Our Fathers Part 6:  Shopping and Waiting

Kari and Jax got up early and packed up to leave.  Jigger came racing in and said that they have to stay for a few more days.  Kari said, “Jigger, I love you.  You know that.  However, I am not wearing the same dirty clothes for a few more days.  I need clean clothes and my bed.  The one here is lumpy and old.  I am so out of sorts.”  Jigger said, “You have to stay for a few days to get the cover story for Danny.  We have to get some word of mouth coming back from SAMCRO in Cali to give Danny the street credit that he will need to be undercover.  Chibbs will be here in five days.  I need you to be here when he gets here.” Kari said, “I guess I will be shopping for clothing to tide me and Danny over for a few days.  Thank you for making this happen.”  Jax and Kari hopped on the motorcycle and headed into town. They stopped at a few biker shops and found some great leathers.  Jax bought a plain leather vest.  They bought enough clothes to last for a few days.  Jax went into a lingerie store while Kari bought underwear.  The sales clerk thought they were a couple so she put them in a room so Kari could model the underwear for him.  Kari looked at Jax and said, “Are we really going to do this?” Jax said that they would be posing as a couple, so seeing her in her underwear would need to be a fairly normal seeming occurrence.  Kari made a stink eye face and decided to comply. The situation made Kari feel uncomfortable but Jax’s logic was solid.  Kari picked out a couple of plain jane bras and panties.  Jax said, “No, No, Darlin’.  You are going to be posing as a biker’s old lady.  Biker old ladies are sexy.  Sexy begins with the underwear and how it makes the woman feel.  You should feel sexy because you know that under your clothes you are one smokin’ hottie.  Let me pick out a few things.”  Jax went into the store and picked out some very sexy bras, panties, camisoles, nighties, and other pieces that would make Kari look very hot.  Jax already knew that there was one smoking hot woman under that rough exterior.  He took the pieces to Kari with a very confident look on his face.  He sat down in the chair in the room with Kari and said that he was waiting to see the clothing on her.  Kari looked at the pieces and said, “Didn’t they have anything made with more than a string and band-aids?”  Jax looked at her and said, “Yes, but any biker’s old lady would not be caught dead in them.  So, put on these matching sets and let’s see if we can make you into one hot babe.” Kari looked at him skittishly and said, “Okay, but you have to turn your back while I put them on.” Jax said, “You realize that everyone will have to believe that I have seen you naked and that we have had sex multiple times.  You still want me to turn my back, Sweetie?”  Kari just slowly took off her shirt and revealed her tattered old bra that looked like something a nursing home patient would want to throw away. Jax said, “Hell, Darlin’. What old lady did you steal that tattered old thing off of?  It is a really ugly bra. I would throw that piece of crap away.” Kari said, “It is my comfortable bra. I am not throwing it away.”  She asked Jax which one of the slutty pieces that she should try on first.  He held up a matching demi bra set that was made out of black leather with metal studs on it and panties that were a thong with the same leather and studs on the front. Kari turned her back because she was feeling very exposed at the moment.  She put on the bra and panties.  The bra pushed up her amazing breasts and the thong barely covered her pussy. Jax said, “That is what a biker’s old lady should look like.  Damn, you are most definitely a biker’s old lady.”  She then just turned her back to him, completely blushing.  He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.  He rubbed them very suggestively.  He handed her a pink lacy set and said, “These are the same size so they should work without trying them on.  He also handed her a lacy blue set and a lacy green set. All of these are the same size. You will look amazing in them and not have to try them on for me.  All we have left are some teddies and a couple of sexy nighties.  You can try them on and we can leave.  I did not do this to make you be uncomfortable.  I did this to make sure that when we are out on the street undercover you will be able to hold it together.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am really enjoying looking at a very beautiful woman in some of the sexiest clothing that we could find.  I can’t say that it isn’t turning me on, because that would be lying, Babe.”  Kari said, “If we are being totally honest, you turn me on with your sexy little smirk and your sparkling blue eyes.  I have to remind myself often that you are not Jax Teller.  You are Dany Weir and my best friend.  I have to deal with that.”  Jax said, “I am sure that all of the items I picked out will fit.  We can go back to the Cathouse and have some beers before we go to bed.  I remember I stay on my side of the bed and keep my dick to myself.”  Kari said, “Thank you for understanding.  After I get through teaching you everything I know about Danny, if we are still feeling this sexually frustrated, then we may just fuck and get it out of the way.”  Jax said, “Alright, whatever you say Darlin’.  I can’t say that the thought of having a night of tearing the bedsheets of the bed with you hasn’t crossed my mind. It has often.  I could fuck your brains out on command from you.” Kari rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Aren’t you just a regular Prince Charming?”  He gave the sly little smirk that he knew drove her wild and said, “I am all about the fairy tale, Sweetheart.”  Kari rolled her eyes and said, “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”  They headed back to the Cathouse with all of the items they purchased.

Kari was still very uncomfortable everything considering that she had worked very hard to get away from the outlaw biker lifestyle.  Now, because of the case and the insertion of Jax Teller into her life, she was diving back into the life head first.  David was a legacy biker and he knew her history.  He protected her from the life ever coming back to her and making her feel like the victimized child.  He was the wall that made sure Kari never going feel anything less than strong and valued.  He was her fire and she was the water.  He kept her awake and alive and she kept him calm and comfortable.  Together, they had a peaceful, fun and exciting life.  David had already lived the outlaw biker life. He wanted a nice retirement with a beautiful wife whom he adored and doing the things he loved to do.  David loved Kari on a level that few people experience in their lifetimes.  Kari loved David on that same level.  People always wondered how two seemingly completely different people ended up together. People did not realize that right below the surface, they were the same.  Now, her mind was spinning because she had lost both of her true norths. David was the one who kept her centered and grounded.  Kari spiraled into chaos when he died.  Danny, who was the epitome of justice, right, and goodness, stepped in and pulled Kari out of the chaos and back into safety.  Even though Danny and Kari were not sexual partners, they were soul partners.  He understood Kari on a level that she had only seen with David.  She felt Danny’s death extremely hard and now she had Danny’s little care package that she had to mold.  Jax Teller was the care package and everyone’s life, including Daniel’s life, depended on it.  While inside she was spinning out of control, she had to hold it together on the outside. She would get herself together, somehow. Right now, she had to put on her happy face and go into the Cathouse Lounge.  She had to be the bad ass biker old lady that they all thought her to be.

Kari lifts her head up high and walks into the Cathouse Lounge.  The men again give her the cat calls and the “Hey Baby” leers.  She prances into the bar like she owns the damn place.  She looks over at Skinny and blows him a big kiss.  She knows that these actions are the ones she must take. Jax walks in behind her.  Skinny said, “Hey kid!  How are you keeping up with Kari?  She is an act of fucking nature.”  Jax smiled and shook his head.  “Skinny, nobody can keep up with a woman like that.  We are all fucking lucky that she allows us to live in her world,” Jax said.  Skinny answers, “Amen, Brother!  AMEN!” Kari walks up to the bar and says, “I need a pizza and a beer. Can you hook me up, Good Lookin’?”  The guy behind the bar did not know if he was scared or turned on.  He said, “Yes, Ma’am.”  Kari immediately snapped back and said, “I am no Ma’am.  That is much too respectable for me.  You can call me Honey.” Those words just dripped off of her lips.  The young man immediately got her a beer and offered her basically anything he could possibly lay his hands on.  Jax walked up and said, “Hey Sweetie.  Are you leadin’ this helpless horny young man on?” Kari just licks her lips and said, “Is he young, dumb, and full of cum?”  The young man quickly stammered, “Yes, Honey?!?!”  Kari cracked up.  She could not hold it in.  It was a loud and robust genuine laugh.  Jax had not ever heard a real uncontrolled laugh.  It made a smile came across both of their faces.  Jax looked at her and said, “Now I see the biker’s old lady seeping up to the surface.  I am glad to finally meet her.”  Kari said, “What is it that makes you think that the biker’s old lady was never on the surface?  I could just be the opposite.  It could be that the biker’s old lady that is always there and the criminal profiler seeps to the surface ever so often.”  Jax said, “I would never argue with a biker’s old lady. They are normally meaner than the bikers they are with.”  Kari said, “Well, I’m not a biker’s old lady anymore.  My husband has been gone for over a year.”  Jax said,” Just because the biker is gone does not mean the old lady attitude went with him.”  The pizza finally arrived.  Kari looked at the nervous young bartender and said, “Can I have a beer with a really good head on it?  I love having sucking down good head.”  The young bartender dropped the glass of beer he was filling.  Jax looked at him and said, “Can you make two of those?”  The kid just nodded.  He could not even speak.  He barely got the beers sat down when Kari picked up a piece of pizza. She held it up above her head and put the end of it in her mouth as she hummed the word, “Yummy.”  Jax looked down and laughed as the young man left the area. Jax said, “Are you proud of yourself?  He’ll probably will spend ten minutes in the bathroom now and will need to wash his hands twice before he can pour me another beer.”  Kari giggled and she and Jax ate the pizza, drank beer, and talked to each other like normal people.