#and gwen just found it funny and went along with it

[scepterno]

do you ever think about

[iridescentparkers]

vanilla palm trees → one - be cool, peter parker

vanilla palm trees → one - be cool, peter parker

summary ⇢ it’s been years, he should get over it, right? but, peter just can’t. he looks up, he sees her. he goes to bed, he dreams of her. he wakes up, he can smell her. he goes out one night and he sees…her. no, not gwen but his ticket to stop moping around on the anniversary of her death. what is meant to be one quick night of putting sadness on the back burner, is now a blossoming new love that feels all too perfect for peter. was this new woman in his life meant to be? or was this just another set of poorly dealt cards that would leave him walking away empty handed. all or nothing, right? ↝ college!au ↝ one night stand gone wrong trope | masterlist

parings ⇢ tasm!peter parker x female reader

warnings ⇢ very angsty, mentions of death

a/n ⇢ for the sake of this, let's all just pretend that my tasm timeline is accurate! guys please let me know what you think <333 love this and you guys sm!!! like truly! like your feedback and suggestions will be highly encouraged and taken into account! THIS IS 18+ !!!!!

AS HE SAT IN HIS DIMLY LIT ROOM, listening to the dancing melodies of classical music, Peter Parker would never care to admit that his life was completely and utterly depressing. 

When his best friend Harry would see him sulking, better yet wreaking of his dull life, Peter would say something along the lines of,  ‘It’s not completely sad’ before failing to pinpoint the little amount of good he still had going for him. 

‘God, what a sad kid.” Harry would joke, but Peter never once found it funny. 

He swore up and down his life didn’t even suck that bad. Like, actually. He could look at the cityscapes in his apartment adjacent to his 80k-a-year institution. That was always a plus! Especially to drown out his roommate and girl..friend each weekend, forcing Peter to shove a pillow over his head to drown them out.

Alright, maybe it does suck. But.. just a little bit.

His roommate and Carmen were at it like rabbits…again. This time, Peter threw on his earbuds to drown out the uncomfortable noises pouring through the walls.

It wasn’t even 10PM yet. Harry had broken their rule. “Guests” were allowed between 10PM-12AM Fridays, and sleepovers could not go past 10 AM. 

Peter muttered under his breath as he attempted to get more work done. The pounding and thudding of his wall let him know maybe it was time to take a break. 

He reached over to grab and rested his camera on the pane of his foggy window, wiping condensation off as he found the perfect muse. Most Friday late nights, Peter watches out his window as people enter and leave differently from how they entered. 

Whether they were drunk off of their ass, stumbling into a cab with the help of friends or others nearby, or even completely sober. Sometimes leaving is more than just a party of one. 

All of his life, Peter was an observer. Peter always lingered on the sidelines wherever he went. He didn’t mind capturing the essence of everyone else. It taught him more about others and made him more aware of people's character. Although his friend seems like a douche, Harry is caring. He just has an odd way of showing it. 

As he captured the picture of people passing on the city street, he heard the two next door begin to die down a bit. Harry was Peter’s best friend since kindergarten. He was always the boy next door, a star athlete, and always on the front lines, Peter’s direct opposite. It almost didn’t make sense, their friendship, but it worked. They both loved their dynamic and were always there for each other. 

He had been there since the beginning (even before the campus fame got to his ego) and was there for the worst of it all. Especially 4 years ago. And to Harry, right now, there was nothing worse than watching his best friend sit alone in his new apartment on a youthful Friday evening.

With three sharp knocks, Harry entered Peter’s room with a sly grin creeping on his face, “All I’m saying is no senior in college with at least half a brain is studying on a Friday night. Especially right before Thanksgiving break.”

“Jesus, Harry. You couldn’t wait 2 hours to bring Carmen over?” Peter remarked after turning in his desk chair to face Harry. 

“Sorry, Parker, she has an early morning. She’s gone now,” he apologized, buttoning his shirt and shaking his arms to lower his dress shirt sleeves. “But you don’t. Let’s go out, you and me, what do you say?”

Letting out a deep huff, Peter lowered his camera and turned around in his chair, “Should you be going out considering you almost lost your academic scholarship from partying your ass off all of last year?”

“Considering what’s coming up, I’m going to ignore the ass-hole territory dig you just took at me,” Harry remarked. “And would you drop the whole grumpy act for once? Have fun with me tonight, please?” 

“Your definition of fun is not my definition of fun.”

“Pfft,” he scoffs. “How so?”

Peter narrows his lids, “Getting high in the back of your car and hooking up with the closest girl within reach is not my definition of fun.”

“It can be,” he smirks, leaning further against Peter’s bedroom door frame. “Halloween was amazing.”

“No, Harry,” Peter insists before pushing his reading glasses further on his face and turning his chair again towards his desk.

“I know what this is, Parker,” he insists, inching closer to Peter and taking a seat on his bed before forcefully turning Peter towards him in his chair. Peter catches himself from the spin, readjusting himself in his seated position, “You need to get laid-”

“No.”

“Yes, y'know-”

“Harry!”

“...that is why that stick is wedged so far up your ass-”

“Absolutely not-”

“You need a beautiful woman to come over tonight and pull it out, ease you up a little bit.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Is it?” He asked, walking over to place a hand on Peter’s back and turning his chair around to face the bar across the street. “Have you been over there since you moved in?”

Peter watched as he pointed to the photos dangling by a singular pushpin on his corkboard, “Maybe it's time you stop taking so many creepy photos and get in there, get your groove back!”

Harry moved his hips to an imaginary rhythm, feeling the beat of the bar washing over him in the moment, “That was the most ridiculous thing you could have ever done. Now I am for sure staying right here.”

“You're telling me you don’t get lonely here, by yourself?”

“Not one bit.”

“Your bed doesn’t ever get cold at night? Wouldn’t it be nice just to feel a set of lovely breasts nuzzled atop-” He soothed cupping his hands and placing them close to his face.

“Harry, Enough!”

“Sorry Parker, didn’t mean to hit a nerve.” Harry apologized walking towards his window and glancing down at the business below, horns and lights accessorizing the city streets. “What are you going to do for the rest of the weekend? Besides,”

“Study.”

“Study.” Harry snarked, as they commented in unison, Peter grinning as Harry rolled his eyes at his response,” Figures.” 

Peter picked up his pencil and wrote more notes on his homework, “Come on Peter, don’t be a pain and just join me. One night? Please, that's all I ask.”

He cut his eyes at Harry, glaring at him at him, only for Harry to pretend to beg, squeezing his palms together as he mouthed dramatic pleas. 

“Fine,” Peter gave in. “It has been a while.” 

Harry did a small cheer before moving to his bedroom, “I’m going to get ready.” 

“Did all of your other friends have plans?”

“Maybe. But that’s not important right now!” Harry shouted as he ran into his bedroom and shut the door. 

‘It was too much’ was all Peter could think, walking along the sidewalk as streetlights blinded him alongside his friend. The two passed through gushes of smoke from the burning cigarettes and crowds of strangers on the city street. 

Peter and Harry found their way to Alonzo’s, their neighborhood bar. The bar is dim and secluded by the brick and little surrounding the building. The name was familiar to Peter. The girl whose family owns the place was in Peter’s physics class…and Harry’s bed. 

“Do you have to have sex with all of Manhattan?” Peter murmured, “Do you know if she feels comfortable with us being here?”

“It was so long ago she probably won't even recognize me,” Harry assured as the two approached the front door. “And, sleeping with ‘all of Manhattan’  does help to get free drinks now and then.”

Peter stopped, placing his hands in his pockets as he glanced narrowly toward Harry, “That’s why you slept with her?”

“Slow your roll, Parker. I didn’t know she owned the place until after the fact.” Harry assured as the two entered. “And…she doesn’t own it…her dad does.” He stated so ‘as matter a of fact.’

The place was college kid-infested, with students from all over the city. The loud chatter and music would beat in Peter’s chest as he moved around the room and settled on two stools at a table on the other side of the square bar, squeezing past loads of unhinged college chatter and young, tipsy adults. 

With his shoes now sticky, Peter huffed as he sat, slowly regretting his choice to come out with his friend. Harry moved to the bar, shuffling past the kids surrounding it.  

“Two beers, please,” Harry requested to the woman behind the bar as he settled in his seat, the bartender not moving an inch.

“Ma’am, can we please get two beers?”

“Would you give me a sec, we have a full house this evening-”

The woman turned and stopped mid-sentence as she looked down at Harry. The v-neck clung to her body and was paired with a black apron and casual flair jeans. Her hair was clawed back with a brown clip, overflowing with dark brown curls. Her protruding brown eyes met his, narrowing as anger instilled within her tall stance.

“You.”

“Me,” Harry smirked, adjusting the front of his hair into place as he leaned further in his standing position. 

“Harry, right? 

“Right,” he smiled, twisting his head to the side, raking his eyes up and down along her curvature.

“Two beers, on the house.” 

“Thanks, umm-” he told her, his mouth gaping at the woman. She smiled at him, clicking the pen in her hand before simultaneously dropping it with her smile.

“You forgot my name.” She angered, curving angry lines along with her new frown along her face. 

“No, it’s uh- Give me a moment-”

“Alexis.” she interrupted. I’ll add those to your tab.” 

The two sat and drank beer, after beer, and threw back a couple of shots, the burning sensation still sitting even though Peter was not a tequila virgin. He now found himself alone, trying to pace himself and put some solids in his system.

“Do you ever wonder why he would risk his life? All those years, every waking minute of every day,” the bartender had asked Peter, who was now seated at the bar.

“Who, Spider-Man?” Peter slurred, biting a french fry. “All the damn time." 

"Why do I do it? No clue. Why does anyone do it?” He murmured to himself, swirling the remnants of alcohol in his beer bottle. 

The bartender quirked her right brown and continued counting the cash in the drawer. As she looked down, a woman approached the bar, a couple of seats to Peter’s right. The woman then turned her body, leaving an arm on the side of the bar. 

Booooy was he drunk. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, her skin glistening under the bar lighting. It could have been the drunk goggles, but it didn’t matter. He needed to talk to her. 

The woman pursed her lips, swallowing the remaining liquid from her glass. Peter watched them as she finished the drink. Her speech slurred like Peters, but her eyes were hooked on the bar screen, watching as Spider-Man swung himself from building to building. 

She leaned more over the bar, settling in her hips as she stirred the straw in her glass. As she moved, the clunky jewelry on her wrists and around her neck moved with her. The woman was wearing jeans that hung low on her hips, decorated with flowers along the curve of her ass with pops of reds, purples, and blues. The red tank she wore clung to her skin as she adjusted her stance, matching the flower clip on her head. 

It was time for him to leave, but maybe Harry was right. It's time to get over Gwen. It's been so long, how could he still be so...single?

Harry had wandered off with some of his football buddies about an hour ago, and now Peter was alone near this beautiful, mysterious woman. 

Maybe it wasn't time to head home. Not yet.

Peter chewed the inside of his lip as he turned away from the repetitive clips playing on the local news channel. He leaned his arm on the side of the bar, mirroring the stance of the woman in front of him. She narrowed her eyelids, 

“Hmm,” she hummed, stirring around the straw in her empty drink and looking at the bartender. “I don’t.”

The woman glanced over at the opposite end of the bar, “You have been staring for a long time. Are you just going to stand there, or buy me a drink?”

He took in the woman in front of him. Her subtly yet sweet scent, how her hair fell in front of her face, and even how, “You're engaged.” 

“I’m not. Trust me,” she remarked, pulling the diamond off her ring finger. It would have alarmed sober Peter, but drunk Peter did not care. 

He held eye contact with the woman, “I’m not even supposed to be here right now. I should be at home.”

“So why are you here, then?” The woman asked, inching closer to Peter as she placed a hand on his lower arm. Peter looked down and then back up at the woman, leaning in close to whisper in her ear. 

“See my friend over there at the other end of the bar? He dragged me out to this bar, begging me to bring someone home tonight instead of moping around at home. And that’s why I came over to you. I don’t want to disappoint.”

“Disappoint? Excuse me?” She asked, turning her body as her brows dipped inwards on her face and anger curled upon her lips. 

“No sorry- not like that,” Peter assured, throwing his hands up in worry. “Sorry, I- I am truly, sorry. That is not at all what I meant. It's been a while since I have done this." 

"You saw what I was wearing on my finger, I'm not exactly true to this either." She laughed, and Peter then joined her. "You want to show me exactly what you meant?” 

Peter grabbed the woman’s cheek, pulling her into him as the two melded into one. The hot and stickiness from the college bar air dissipated as he pulled her closer. The woman fell from the barstool and moved her hands behind his neck, taking more control of the kiss. Peter moved his other hand just above her waist before pulling her away. 

“I think you’re beautiful,” he commented leaving his hand on her hip. “Probably the most beautiful woman here. What if, we got out of here?”

The woman smiled, placing a 20 down on the bar, “I’ll get my coat.”

[amazingmsme]

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Spider Scorned

AN: Took me long enough, but I finally finished my spiderverse fic! I had such a blast with this one, I hope y'all enjoy! Miles has some serious beef with Miguel & they just need to spend some quality time together!

After defeating The Spot, things started to settle down. The multiverse was ultimately safe, for now at least. And things were actually going pretty well for Miles Morales. After they won, Miguel officially welcomed him into the Spider Society, even giving a tense, begrudging apology. It wasn't much, but it was a start. But now, he was able to see his friends on a semi-regular basis and even picked up a few new tricks of the trade. He buckled down on his classes and managed to pull out an A in Spanish by the end of the year. After months of waiting, he received an acceptance letter in the mail. Of course, his parents threw a huge party to celebrate, bragging to their friends about how smart their son was. As much as it could embarrass him at times, he couldn't be happier that they were so proud of him.

Naturally, there were a few hiccups along the way. The biggest being when he was home alone after a patrol, standing in the kitchen eating straight out of a box of cereal, still in his suit. It was the middle of the afternoon, both of his parents working. He had his headphones on and didn't notice the front door open, and suddenly his father was standing right in front of him, mouth agape as he stared him up and down. It took a long lecture and lots of explaining and apologies on Miles's part, but they understood why he was doing this, and more importantly, why he kept it a secret. His dad even revoked his grounding after he heard the truth!

To top it all off, he was getting called on for missions more frequently, and he found himself spending more time at HQ. He felt needed and accepted among the other spiders, which is more than he could've hoped for. Honestly, Miles doesn't think he's ever been happier. Things were going great for him.

So why the hell was he being so petty to Miguel? Everything worked out fine in the end, yet it still seemed the teen harbored a strong grudge towards him.

Peter B. Parker liked to think of himself as an excellent observer. He also liked to think that he knew the kid pretty well. It seemed like every time Miguel so much as entered the room, his expression went south. He'd go quiet, shrinking in on himself, shooting glares at the man. If the man addressed him, his responses were short and full of sass, if he didn't outright ignore him.

Peter knew where the kid was coming from. Hell, Miguel's scared the crap out of him more than a few times, and the things he said to Miles was out of line. But he apologized for that! It should be water under the bridge, or so Peter thought. It hurt him because he knew Miguel was a good guy, you just had to get to know him. And it seemed that was the last thing Miles wanted to do.

Pavitr, Miles, Gwen and Hobie were sitting around a table playing go fish when Peter and Miguel walked in. Pavitr had pulled out his phone and leaned over to show Miles a video of some guy trying boba for the first time and choking. Right at the funniest part, he glanced up and caught sight of Miguel, the laugh trailing off and smile falling flat. Pavitr was too busy laughing to notice, but stopped when he realized Miles wasn't laughing along.

"Well I thought it was funny," he said quietly, tucking his phone away. Miles snapped out of it and was quick to assure him, "No, it was really funny! Show me again when we're not playing the game."

Miguel snorted as he poured himself some coffee.

Miles furrowed his brows, "What?"

"Oh nothing. Nothing at all," he said as he walked past. Miles rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"Can you two at least try to get along?" Peter groaned. Miles shrugged.

"Cool with me. Truce?" Miles held out his hand for him to shake. Miguel stared at him skeptically before walking back over him. His form loomed over Miles where he sat at the table and reached for his extended hand.

At the last second, Miles pulled back, running his hand through his hair. "Sike."

Miguel took a deep breath, visibly holding himself back from lunging at the kid while the others at the table snickered to themselves, Hobie looking the most amused. He turned on his heels, muttering angrily under his breath.

"Work with me here," Peter said exasperatedly, to which Miles gave a smug, satisfied grin. Peter rolled his eyes, following after Miguel.

"Gwen, got any two's?"

"Go fish." She bit her bottom lip as Miles drew a card from the deck, and spoke up. "You know, he's really not a bad guy. Wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer."

"Yeah, well maybe you should tell him that," he sassed.

"She's right y'know," Hobie said. "No one loves stickin' it to the man more than yours truly, but even I know when to give it a rest." He laid down his cards, leveling his gaze at Miles. "He's a prick, but he's damn good. Who knows, you might have more in common than you think," he teased, playfully smacking Miles in the arm before pulling him in a headlock, messing up his hair.

"Alright alright, I get it," he said, shoving him away with a shy smile.

"So you'll be nicer to him?" Gwen asked hopefully.

"I guess, sure."

Turns out, it was a half assed effort. He really did try to be nicer when he was around, but it was obvious he was still afraid of the man, clamming up as soon as he laid eyes on him. And he just happened to be busy every time he was called to go on a mission with him. He was on a mission with Peter when they had to call in backup, and he nearly ran into a billboard when he saw who came to their aid.

Miguel wasn't stupid- he knew the kid didn't like him. But hey, he didn't care about him all that much either. But it made him feel shitty, serving as a grim reminder of what he'd done to him. Peter lessened the tension between them, but Miguel could still sense the lingering fear that enveloped Miles every time he was in his presence, could hear the rapid thumping of his heart any time he drew near. And the way he watched his every move: as if he'd snap at a moment's notice, was more than annoying to say the least.

Miguel had called upon Peter for his input and Miles naturally tagged along. He wasn't exactly subtle with the way he looked him up and down as he spoke, watching with a judging eye. Peter kept cracking jokes to try to lessen the tension, frowning when neither one had so much as chuckled by the fifth attempt. He looked up from the screen and gently smacked Miles in the side.

"What's the matter kid? Don't tell me you're too cool to laugh at my dad jokes."

"Nah, it's just 'cause I'm here. I apparently sap out all his joy when I enter the room," Miguel snapped, not afraid to call it how he saw it.

"W-what? That's not true!" Miles insisted, completely shocked by the abrupt nature of his statement. Peter locked up, unsure of how this would play out.

"Yeah, then what is it? You hate me that much or somethin'?"

Miles thought about his answer before he spoke. A rare occasion, I know. "No, I just... think you're meaner than you have to be... sometimes..." he trailed off, getting quieter as he spoke. He refused to meet his gaze and subconsciously scooted closer to Peter, who watched the exchange and sighed.

"Kid, he's not mean, you're just falling for his schtick."

"Hey!" Miguel interjected but Peter shushed him.

"Miguel's got pretty thick skin, you just gotta get used to him. Once you do, you'll realize he's just a big ol' softie. Like me!"

"I am nothing like you," he deadpanned.

"That's one thing we agree on," Miles scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Are you always such a smart ass?" Miguel asked, hands on his hips.

"Easy, he's just a kid!" Peter said, turning around in the computer chair.

"No, he's a cocky high schooler. You're what, a freshman?"

"Just finished sophomore year actually," Miles corrected.

"Probably took pre-cal," Miguel scoffed.

"Nah, I took that last year," he bragged, a cocky smirk on his face, though his eyes held a look of fear that he couldn't shake. There was a tense moment of silence as they stared at one another.

Miles caught a glimpse of Pavitr walk by the doorway and instantly saw his way out of the situation.

"Pav, hey wait up!" he called and ran out of the room to catch up.

"Miles! How's it goin' dude?" Pavitr's voice rang out and their distant conversation echoed down the hall.

Peter groaned as he stood up and stretched. "Why'd you have to go and start shit?" he asked with a tired look.

"I didn't start it!"

"No, you literally started it!"

Miguel sighed. "You heard him, he thinks I'm mean."

"Then show him you're not," Peter insisted, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. Miguel shrugged him off.

"I don't know if he'd let me at this point," Miguel quipped, leaning against the desk.

Peter looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself short. Miguel furrowed his brows and straightened his posture. "What?"

"Nothing, I just had a stupid idea. You'd probably hate it, forget I said anything," Peter said, setting the bait.

Miguel let out another sigh. "What is it?"

Peter hesitated, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. He hoped Miles would forgive him...

"The kid's crazy ticklish, that's all I'm gonna say," he said, holding his hands up in the air.

"What? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just show him you know how to cut loose. Let him see you without that stick up your ass," Peter snickered. Miguel shot him an unamused look, reaching out to squeeze his hip in retaliation.

Peter yelped and jumped away, wearing a large grin. He threw an arm around his shoulders and gave him a shake. "That's the spirit! Now go show the kid how fun tickle monster O'Hara can be!" he cheered in encouragement, drawing out

a scoff of disgust from the other man.

"Don't call me that," he demanded, earning a chuckle. He glanced at Peter from the corner of his eye and broke into a smirk. "You're real weird, you know that Parker?"

"Yeah yeah, I get that a lot. But trust me, it'll work," he reassured. Miguel was hesitant.

"How do you know?"

"Just trust me."

Miguel waited until he saw an opportunity, and it didn't take long before one presented itself. Miles was sitting in a beanbag in the corner of an otherwise empty rec room when he waltzed in. "Miles, just the spider I wanted to see," he greeted, sitting on the beanbag next to him. Miles stared at him like he had grown a second head.

"Uh, hi. Wha- what did you wanna talk about?" he stuttered, struggling to sit up straight in the beanbag.

"Peter thinks it'd be a good idea if you got to know me. And I have to agree, so I thought we could play twenty questions. Go ahead, ask anything you want." Miles pondered for a moment before thinking of a question.

"So your fangs... could you like, milk the venom like they do with snakes?" he asked, curiosity and excitement in his tone. Needless to say, the question caught the older man off guard.

"What? No! You can't even milk snakes!"

"Can too! I saw a video where they got venom from a rattlesnake like that! You put gauze or cheese cloth or something over a cup and make them bite it, and they shoot out all this venom," he explained. Miguel considered this for a moment.

"Hm, interesting. I didn't know that." He shifted in the soft chair, getting more comfortable. "I guess it's a possibility. Alright, my turn. What's your favorite food?"

They went back and forth asking questions, and Miguel noticed the way Miles relaxed as the conversation wandered.

"Did you get to do a senior prank when you were in high school?" Miles asked, leaning a bit closer in anticipation for his answer. A mischievous gleam sparkled in Miguel's eyes as a long forgotten memory resurfaced.

"Yeah actually. Oho man, it was a great one. A few of us covered the entire floor in shaving cream. I'm talking classrooms, halls, the cafeteria, bathrooms, even the gym. We broke in during the night so we'd have enough time to do the whole school." He shook his head and chuckled. "Everyone was slipping and sliding all over the place. It took us hours to clean up afterwards, but it was worth it." He couldn't deny the swell of pride he felt when he heard Miles let out a quick huff of laughter.

"That sounds like a good one! I wish I could do something like that."

"Why can't you? Just gotta wait two more years, plenty of time to come up with a good prank."

"No, it's not that. My new school doesn't allow senior pranks and stuff like that," he explained, disappointment etched on his features. "It's... pretty pretentious."

"Hm, that's a real bummer. Maybe you'll have to fix that," Miguel suggested with a playful punch to his shoulder.

"Maybe," he agreed, ideas already bouncing around his head. "Your turn."

"Man, 20 questions is a lot more than I thought," Miguel feigned cluelessness and innocence, as if he didn't have this question lined up from the start. "I got one. Are you ticklish?" he asked casually. It was comical the way Miles snapped his head up to look at him with wide eyes.

"What? No," he said quickly, defensively. He was about to ask the next question to change the subject but was cut off.

"See, now that's funny. That's not what Peter said," he drawled, flashing a smug grin. Miles felt a chill run down his spine. He knew this was fishy from the start, but had ignored his gut feeling. A rookie mistake.

"Heh, good thing you're too mature for that sort of thing, right?" he asked nervously, watching him like a hawk.

"Y'know, I'm not so sure. What do you think?" Miguel asked, a dangerously playful edge to his voice. Miles gulped.

"Was this whole thing just a set up?" he asked, his entire body tense. He was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Miguel shrugged. "If that's what you wanna call it, sure."

It only took a second before Miles shot up to make a break for it. Strong arms immediately wrapped around his waist and brought him back down, right into Miguel's lap. He was thrashing and already giggling, yet still managed to grab ahold of Miguel's wrists to keep him at bay.

"Must be pretty ticklish if you're already laughing," he teased, twisting his hands free. He grabbed both of Miles's wrists and raised them over his head.

"Ihihi'm not! Let mehe gohoho!" Miles protested, trying to roll onto the floor.

"Nah. Gotta say, you've made me real curious now. Well, guess I better not keep you waiting!" He wasted no more time and latched onto his side, squeezing and kneading softly. Miles was already lost to a bout of bubbly giggles as he curled in on himself.

"Why ahahare you dohohoing this toho meee?" he squealed, legs scrambling for purchase and finding none.

"To show you I can be fun," he said, as if that should be obvious. "And you really don't know me if you think I'd let this information go to waste."

"Thihihis is fuhuhun?" he asked, sounding incredulous even through his laughter. Miguel couldn't help but smirk.

"See? Glad you agree," he said smugly. Miles let out an annoyed, giggly groan.

"Not whahat Ihihi meant!"

"Really? You gotta choose your words more carefully. Someone could take your words outta context and do this," he emphasized his point by squeezing his hips, causing Miles to jolt in his lap as if he had been electrocuted. "Y'know, since you said you were having fun an' all."

Miles was sure he was going to die. Whether it would be from the tickling or embarrassment, he wasn't sure, but he was going to die.

"Ohoho my gohohod, shut up ahahasshole!"

Miguel froze, hands poised at his sides and ready to strike. "What did you just call me?" Miles breathed in a few gulps of air while he still had the chance. He shook his head, eyes wide with a mix of panic and excitement.

"Nonono I didn't mean that, it just slipped out!" he insisted, but Miguel wasn't having it.

"What did I just say about choosing your words wisely?" he asked. Miles attempted another escape instead of answering, and was caught just as easily as before. "Well if you can call me names, clearly I'm not working hard enough."

He dove for his belly, pulling back at the last second, but Miles still screamed anyways. He felt a warm flush rise to his cheeks, glaring at the man as he laughed. He glared at him and shoved his chest.

"You are being an asshole!" he whined, grabbing his wrists and pushing with all his might to keep them away from his belly.

"And you're really asking for it," Miguel deadpanned, slipping out of his grasp with ease. And just because he felt like messing with the kid a little more, he did another fake out, earning another shriek of anticipation, followed by an embarrassed pout as Miguel let out a hearty chuckle.

"What the hell man? Just get it over with if you're gonna do it!"

"A little eager, eh amigo?" he asked, drumming his fingers against his sides. Bubbly giggles filled the air as Miles folded in on himself like a lawn chair, shaking his head frantically.

"N-no!" Miles denied, twisting from side to side and trying to work his way out of Miguel's strong grasp. He kneaded his sides, immediately thwarting the halfhearted escape. A stream of loud squeals and cackles escaped Miles as he squirmed around like a worm on a hook before curling into a ball in his lap.

He snorted when Miguel reached down to squeeze his knee, kicking his legs out. This granted him free access to his belly, which he took full advantage of. He formed a claw with his hand and dug into the soft pudge around his midsection and giggly shrieks filled the air.

"Wow, you're ticklish just about everywhere," he mused, smirking when Miles whined through his laughter.

"Ihihi ahaham not!" he cried out, legs kicking against the floor. Miguel arched a brow, clearly amused at the reply.

"No? Try proving me wrong then," he teased, pinching up his ribs. Miles arched his back, boyish giggles pouring past his lips.

"Screhehehew you!" he cried through his hysterics.

"Well that's not very nice. And here I thought we were finally bonding," Miguel said in a deadpanned tone, though the sly smirk gave him away.

Without anywhere to turn, Miles yelled out for help. "PEHEHETEHEHER! HELP MEHEHE! I-I'M BEING TORTURED!" he cried out dramatically. Miguel shook his head, an evil chuckle slipping past his lips.

"You know he's not gonna help you, right? I mean, this was all his idea. Practically made me do this," he taunted.

Well that was news to Miles.

"HE WHAT?" he shrieked before falling back into a wild fit of laughter.

"Yup. He sold you out faster than you could say tickle tickle tickle!" he teased, digging his claws into his ribs and shaking them against his ribcage. Miles doubled over with a screech, laughing as he kicked his legs in the air. He reached up to hide behind his hands so he wouldn't have to look at Miguel's stupid, smug face.

Miguel shook his head and grabbed his wrists, pulling them away from his face. "Oh no, no puedes esconderte de mí," Miguel teased. Miles thrashed, growing even more flustered by the playful taunt.

"Oh cohome ohohon!" Miles whined, tugging on his arms.

"Everyone keeps talking about these "bleeding armpits" of yours. Let's see what that's all about, huh?"

"No!" he screamed out, but it was too late because Miguel was already tickling under his arms. Miles slammed his arms down to his sides, trapping his tickling hands in place. He was cackling hysterically, blushing when a few snorts managed to slip out.

"Gehehet out of thehehere!" he pleaded, nose scrunched and mouth open in a wide grin. Miguel hummed in thought, drilling his thumbs in the center of his hollows.

"Mmmm no, I don't think I will," he teased smugly. He was about to comment on how the suit markings are practically a bullseye for what seemed to be his worst spot when a sharp elbow cracked him in the face.

He reeled back, hand clutching his now sore, and apparently bleeding, mouth. Miles rolled off his lap and sprawled on the floor, panting for breath before he noticed Miguel's busted lip.

"O-oh my gosh, did I do that? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" Miles rambled out an apology, cutting off when Miguel held up a hand to silence him.

"It's fine, it was an accident. Besides, this is nothing," he said smirking and gestured to his bloodied bottom lip. "Honestly it surprised me more than anything," he reassured, not wanting Miles to feel guilty over something so small.

"Still, I didn't mean to hit you in the face," he apologized, paused for a second and seemingly grew a bout of confidence, puffing out his chest. "B-but you were asking for it! Seriously, that's what you get for tickling Spider-Man!"

The retort made Miguel bark out a laugh, ruffling the kid's hair playfully. Miles rolled his eyes and shoved him away, but the smile never left his lips.

"Yeah yeah, it's all my fault. Now run along, go tell your friends how you managed to survive tickle monster O'Hara," he teased. Miles cringed at the nickname and let out a long, suffering groan.

"Don't call yourself that," he said, equal parts whiny and sassy. It only took a stern look from Miguel to have Miles running out of the room. Miguel chuckled to himself, pulling out his phone to take a selfie of his busted lip.

Peter had just sat down in the cafeteria about to chow down on a slice of pizza when he felt his phone buzz. He looked at the screen, noticing a new text from Miguel.

He opened the message, huffing out a laugh when he saw the picture of Miguel's busted lip with the caption, Mission Accomplished.

He tucked his phone back in his pocket, taking a large bite. He wasn't even done chewing when he heard fast paced footsteps skid to a halt behind him.

"You sold me out! What the hell man?"

Yeah... Mission accomplished.

[chipistotallysane]

I wrote a bit for what I am now dubbing my Forever Trapped AU! This is when Ben meets Rook and how Rook finds out about the trauma Ben went through because of the Forever Knights :3

-------

It was going so good.

When Ben had met Rook, he was expecting him to know what happened all those years ago. The issues he faced because of the Forever Knights were still present after all, no matter how much time had passed. He thought Gwen would’ve at least told him a little bit.

The thing was, Rook didn’t know a single thing. He only knew the Forever Knights as some villain of the week. A menial foe the (in)famous Ben Tennyson left for his partners to deal with. Rook was a clean slate, he wasn’t going to act all weird around him (except for the small idolization he had, but that would fade fast). In the eyes of Rook, Ben would be… as close to normal as he ever could be.

That fact alone made him want to cry happy tears and hug the living daylights out of him. That wasn’t very normal though, so he played it cool. Rook was a bit strange sometimes, but hey so was Ben. He was funny (in a deadpan-sarcasm sorta way, which Ben had too!), and an amazing fighter, and they got along great! Rook was basically his best friend at this point, and they teased and laughed at each other just like best friends do. He couldn’t be more happy, and he must’ve texted Gwen at least a hundred thank you’s and another two hundred for Grandpa Max and Kevin for this. He was slightly nervous to be without them at first, but with Rook and his newfound normalcy he felt like he could take on anything that came his way.

Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. Especially with Ben Tennyson.

The day had started normal as ever, deceptively normal. Ben woke up, brushed his teeth, took a shower, ate breakfast. Then he got an alert about some goons or whatever trying to infiltrate a local museum. Seemed like a typical villain of the week, some easy shit for Rook and him to wipe the floor with. He was dead wrong, of course.

That’s where he was now, at the museum; locking eyes with the leader of the Forever Knights (what was left of them) and feeling so, so impossibly small. If he could go back and do something different he might’ve rather crashed the prototruck than be here, now. It was already bad enough that his vision was blurring because he was holding his breath again, but Rook was here. He could see his blurry shape to the side of him, probably confused as to why he was frozen in place. He wasn’t supposed to know. They were supposed to be normal friends. It had been going so well.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen my most informational experiment after it escaped, I almost couldn’t recognize its human disguise.” the knight said, not to Ben but to his followers. Ben tensed up bad at the way he talked, it’d been so long since he last heard himself talked about like that. Six years, six years had passed and here he was; frozen in place like the terrified kid he was when it first happened. He hated how they didn’t even address him. He hated himself for being so scared, for almost believing he could be normal. He hated how Rook was standing there, probably looking at him all concerned and wondering why his normally cocky and semi-reckless partner was acting like this.

His vision was going dark, he needed to breathe he needed to BREATHE-

He felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately shoved whoever it was as hard as he could away. The sudden action caused him to start breathing again, faster than usual but at least he was breathing. He blinked a couple times, his chest heaving and he realized he shoved Rook. He hadn’t expected the reaction and fell onto a glass casing, which was now broken. If he hadn’t had his protoarmor, if he had landed wrong-

The Knights took this opportunity to grab both him and Rook, using some strange device they had found to open up what looked to be a large steel box, and locked them inside. Ben scrambled to get to the door before it shut but to no avail. He was stuck here, he was too scared to do anything so now both him AND Rook were getting kidnapped and Ben didn’t know if he could do that again. He definitely couldn’t let Rook go through that. He should’ve done something, anything. His nails scraped the metal of the floor as his breathing quickened, his chest getting tight and his eyes burning.

“Ben? What is going on, what is wrong..?”

He tensed, shoulders going stiff as he watched Rook cautiously make his way over to where Ben was sitting. He was trying desperately not to make that stupid gasping noise you do when you hold back a sob. He couldn’t even respond to him, he couldn’t say anything because it was all happening over again.

He noticed Rook’s expression, it wasn’t fear like Ben’s was, it was confusion, and concern. Like he dreaded. It caused a pain in his chest, because he just wanted to be normal with him. He didn’t want Rook to have to see this ugly side of him. Before he knew it, he choked on a sob and then all the tears started to flow out of him like a river. He tried to bury his head between his knees, keeping his face out of sight. Rook would know why he had those perma-eyebags now. He would know everything and all his normal would be gone. Rook would hate him for lying, for pretending he could be just like how people saw him. The hero, Ben 10 who was brave and cocky and never backed down.

“...Ben, may I touch you? I do not want to scare you like last time.”

He lifted his head up a bit to respond, but no words came out. It was like they were all stuck in his throat, turning to air as soon as they were about to be spoken. He looked at Rook again, thinking about it. He nodded very slowly, lowering his head again. He wouldn’t hurt him. He wouldn’t.

Rook wrapped an arm around him, making Ben hold his breath for a second, but starting to breathe again shortly after. The touch was distracting him, making him focus on something else. Rook rested his head on Ben’s shoulder. His hair was soft, he could feel some of it. Slowly but surely he got used to his hold, his tense shoulders relaxing. His breathing was mostly normal except for the occasional hiccup, and he was still crying. He didn’t want to be different, he didn’t want their friendship to change. He just wanted to be his best friend, his normal alien fighting best friend.

“Are you feeling better?” Rook asked, barely a whisper. Ben nodded, faster this time. He did feel better than earlier, at least a little bit. Rook seemed content with this information, humming.

And then, Rook started to purr.

Ben barely noticed at first, it was so soft. But gradually it got stronger, and Ben’s eyes went wide. He didn’t know Rook could purr, he knew he was cat-like but this was full-on cat behavior. He looked at Rook, who looked at him back.

“Cat purrs provide many health benefits… one of which is to lower stress. Mine may not be exactly the same, but I thought it could help until you wish to talk.”

It did, it did help a lot. He still felt a nagging dread but it was easier to manage now. It wasn’t all consuming and trying to destroy him from the inside out anymore. He swallowed, opening his mouth to respond.

“...Thanks, partner…” his voice was scratchy from crying, and he could barely talk above a whisper. He was close enough to Rook where he didn’t have to, however. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself more.

“Of course,” he said gently, sickeningly sweet and it did something to Ben that he really didn’t want to unpack now. “Does this count on our tally of me saving you?” Rook asked, lightheartedly.

Ben let out a short, raspy laugh, “you wish, Blonko.” He felt the other’s purr get slightly stronger at him saying his chosen name, and he smiled a bit. This was a good distraction.

They stayed like that for a while, probably 20 or so minutes before Rook spoke up again.

“Do you wish to talk about it now?”

Ben hesitated, it was… a lot to talk about. Especially while he was here in this… containment cell…? He wasn’t sure. He eventually nodded his head, deciding it was better to just get it over with.

“When I was young, like- a couple weeks after I had gotten the omnitrix… I busted it. I got turned into Grey Matter and couldn’t turn back. This… guy found me and kidnapped me, and for a while it was just some villain of the week type shit… until it wasn’t.” he paused for a second, taking a breath. “Grandpa Max and Gwen didn’t find me in time, I got sent to this castle-type place, run by the Forever Knights… they don’t like aliens. They uhm…” his breath hitched a bit, recounting what had happened, “they did a lot of… experimenting. I was there for a month before I escaped…”

He took a deep breath, finishing his recount of events. He didn’t tell Rook everything, but he didn’t need to, he got the gist. He didn’t need Rook to know about the dissections, the lobotomy thing, any of the details.

“I just… I didn’t want you to know. You were the first person I got close to who didn’t, and I really liked being normal friends with you. I didn’t want that to change because of my dumb issues…”

Rook squeezed him a bit, gently, “your issues are not ‘dumb’, nor will they change the way I view you. You are still my friend, and my partner.” he said simply.

Ben felt his eyes well up a bit, but grinned and wiped them away. He said it like it was obvious, and it had been. It had been obvious, Ben could just be a little dense. That was okay though, it was all okay right now.

“Thanks dude,” Ben said, lightly punching Rook’s chest affectionately, “wanna get out of here? I think these Knights are about to get a visit from my good friend Way Big.” he grinned widely, nerves still all shaken up, but he could deal with it now.

Rook smiled, “I thought you would never ask.”

[silent-raven13]

On Wednesdays we wear pink

Pavtri happily showing Gwen his update vlog on his life: Hehehe, look I totally added this cute cat holding a cup of Chai character on the side! I'm loving this new feature for Spdr So-City app! Lyla is a genius. -Lyla heard this went she sent a happy chibi sticker in his Smartphone being pleased by the new update-

Gwen saw his socials being completely customize: Wow, I just put a black background filter with white fonts, the bright white hurts my eyes at night. -Pav's background had a colorful Mandala pattern and his profile picture being updated-

Pavtri: Awe, no cool posters? No Barbie. Dats pretty boring... it's giving basic!

Gwen fake gasps: Not you calling me basic! I got no time to go all web design like you!

Pavtri: But it's so much fun. Lyla made it like Myspace, very old school but better and advanced!

Gwen: Myspace? Wow, that's so crazy! I wasn't even there when dat happen.

Pavtri giggles: Me neither. Anyway, I'm seeing everyone's page and some of them had already updated their page! -Showing Gwen of their close friends' So-City pages- I really like Peni's

Gwen nodded: Yeah, I think her's is pretty sweet. -Her blue eyes spotted Hobie wearing pink along with Miles- Ohh looks like the love birds are here.

Miles holding his boyfriend's hand with a smile on his face: Hey guys, what's up!

Pavtri: OMB, you two look so cute in pink! What's the occasion?

Hobie shrugs: On Wednesdays we were pink! -This made Miles laugh-

Gwen caught the joke and giggle: Ohhh I get you.

Pavtri looks confused: What? Is that a thing?

Miles: You never watched Mean Girls?

Pavtri: No! What is dat? Wait, I don't think my world has that... maybe... ugh, curses multidimensional changes!

Hobie chuckles: Neither my world. Sunflower was joking around with Ganks and I was miffed.

Miles: I had to explain to him about some Mean Girls joke since Danika, Ganke's girl loves that movie. We always watch it when she's in the mood for it. Anyway me and Hobie watched it, and he thought it would be funny to wear pink since today is Wednesday.

Hobie: Movie was okay. Not my cup of tea. Found the jokes tasteless.

Gwen: I never knew she would like Mean Girls then again, she does like Heather.

Hobie arched his eyebrow: What's that one about?

Miles rub his chin: It's an 80s movie and I think you'll like it. Same concept three mean girls name Heather and a girl name Veronica. Veronica like this bad boy and they kill the main Heather, it's focus on toxic love? -He eyes Gwen thinking he got the movie-

Gwen: Kinda. There's a lot going on.

Hobie didn't look pleased: I can't stand Bullies, Sunflower.

Miles: Then maybe you'll like But I'm just a cheerleader. -he knows his boyfriend has a complex taste in movies. Sometimes he criticize the shit out one if he doesn't like it and he rarely watches them. If anything he mostly stick to Horror/thriller or psychological films. Anything that he can dissect. Comedy is always a hit or miss, he did find Hangover assuming.-

Pavtri whines: I wanna see Mean Girls! Can we have a movie night to watch!

Miles: Sure! It's a cult classic!

Gwen: Maybe we should watch Rocky Horror Picture Show, too. I know, you haven't watched it yet.

Hobie gasps at his Sunflower: LUV, you never saw it! -Now that's one of his favorite movies-

Miles: Sorry, bae! I never felt ready to watch it... I dunno doesn't-

Hobie cut him off: No, we're gonna watch it! You'll find it amazing! In my world, we do a full blown show and wreak havoc on the streets all for Anarchy! We'll watch it tonight!

Gwen: Maybe we can do Saturday? I'm free that time.

Pavtri looks at his schedule: Me too!

Miles nodded: Same.

Hobie: Alright, Saturday. At your place, luv?

Miles agreed: Sure, I'll let Danika know. She loves that movie like gurl will make a Mean Girls party. I wouldn't be surprise if we have to dress up.

Pavtri's eyes gleam: I still have my Barbie shirt! We can all wear pink!

Gwen: I totally want to be Janis.

Miles: Hahaha, I'll let ya know.

Hobie kisses his boyfriend's cheek: Luv, you would have to wear the Christmas outfit. -His body turns even more brighter and sparkling hearts appeared-

Pavtri blushes: Opp! I dunno what that means but by the looks of it, it gotta be dirty!

Gwen cracks up seeing Miles' shocking face: Hahaha, Miles have to do the dance and wear knee high boots!

Miles flick his boyfriend's forehead: BONK! Go to Horny Jail! -he huffs-

Hobie whines and begs for his sweet Sunflower to wear the outfit, but Miles ignores him. Gwen had to show a picture to Pavtri about the outfit and dance scene so he understood. Of course, the two were teasing Miles to do it, too.

[w33nies]

Qué Maravilla CH.5 - 'Double Take'

Previous Chapter Next Chapter Miguel O'hara x SpiderReader rating: E for Everyone bby warnings: none? lots of angst tbh summary: the story of how you and Miguel met. From Peter's perspective art is not mine!!!! @ohitsujiza2.0 on instagram!!!!

------------------ Ch.5 - Double Take ------------------

‘Whatever happens we’ll make it work.’

When Gwen Stacy visited Peter B. Parker he was cradling Mayday to sleep in his New York Apartment. There was this fluorescent orange light that caught him by the corner of his eye. When he got up towards the window for a better look, he saw her standing there in front of a portal wearing a pleading, almost despairing look on her face. She didn't have to ask, he knew exactly why she was there. And he immediately moved to grab his web shooters and strapped his baby carrier to his chest. 

“This is super bad parenting,” he cooed, pinching Mayday’s cheek, earning a lively laugh from the baby, “Don’t tell your mom, okay?” He then opened the window and jumped down to meet the girl waiting for him below. 

         As cliche as it sounds, he remembers the day like it was yesterday. The day that turned Miguel from an endearing idealist into a cold and unyielding autocrat. You try witnessing the collapse of an entire alternate universe and see how easily you forget. That day was the only time he saw Miguel have a breakdown. He didn’t even think he was capable of having one, as silly as it sounds. Nonetheless there he was standing behind Miguel’s cowering frame, erratic coughs as he was gasping for breath in between harsh sobs. Peter remembers vividly as he stood there with hand hovering in mid air just above his back. At that moment he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to comfort him. He didn’t know what to say. It all happened so fast. The more he tried to force himself to condole Miguel, the more and more the gravity of the situation began to weigh on him. His entire family. All those lives. Hundreds of millions of lives just...gone. 

 Peter was one of the few people who knew Miguel before and after the incident. To this day he still has a hard time explaining to people just how different of a person Miguel was when he had you and Gabriella. Not only was he happier but his approach to leadership and the culture of The Spider Society was unrecognizable. When Miguel found you and Gabi he had patience. He had hope. He had trust in himself and others. He was a team player. When Miguel had you he was a joy to talk to. He was never condescending or harsh. He was funny, like actually really funny. He’d laugh. He had this kind of booming cackle that you could hear from the next room over. The kind of laugh that would make you laugh. The difference from then and now was truly like night and day.

So naturally when Miguel came to him with his proposition to maintain the sanctity of the multiverse, how could he refuse? After everything that went down he at least owed him that much. That was the sentiment he had been riding on for ages and to a certain extent he still did. Call him stubborn, but the shock of that day weighed on him constantly. Blaming the incursion on broken canons was just easier than admitting that there was so much they just didn’t know about the multiverse. That theory had brought him a sense of security, a safety net he was too scared to abandon after what unfolded that day. The real reason he tagged along wasn’t because he had any interest in revolution, he tagged along to look after Miles. To make sure everyone would be okay. To act as a mediator of sorts when things eventually went sideways. 

         It was Peter who found out about your existence first. You were the local spiderman he had to contact when an anomaly appeared in your dimension and you were very good at what you did.

“Hey I don't usually do this,” He leaned on the horn of the now unconscious Rhino, “but there’s someone I really think you should meet. At HQ.” 

“At HQ?”

“That means headqua-”

“-I know what it means thanks,” you raised your hand to stop him, “So what? Are you gonna take me to your leader?” you joked sarcastically. 

“I guess you could say that, well he’s more like my boss. You’ll love him. He's super smart. And tall and strong. He also has great hair and-”

“-Why does any of that matter?” you cut him off confused

“Oh. No, I didn’t mean to- That’s not what I mean…,” He waved his hands frantically while thinking of a way to recover, “...I mean, maybe he’ll recruit you then you’ll get this sick watch!” He lifted up his wrist and pridefully pointed at the contraption on his wrist, “Miguel hates when we call it a watch though, so I just say Goober or Gizmo or whatever,” he twisted his wrist in the air, further examining the tool as if he was viewing it for the first time, “ He hates those too though, but I think they just roll off the tongue better than ‘multiversal-dimensional-travel-gadget of justice’ or whatever crap calls it.” 

You stood silently, mulling over the invitation. The longer you stayed quiet the more Peter would ramble like an amateur salesman and the more he was silently cursing at himself for doing it. ‘You idiot! She probably thinks you’re in some weird dimensional cult.” Just before he was about to admit defeat and take his leave you finally spoke up.

“Sure why not,” you gave in with a shrug, “What’s the worst that could happen.”

“That’s the spirit!” Peter quickly began pushing the buttons on his ‘gizmo’ until a portal appeared. 

“After you,” he said, stepping to the side with a bow while motioning you towards the portal. You took a moment to gawk at the mind bending site before you. It was the first time you had seen one afterall. After the shock wore off, you stepped through.

“Miguel?”

“What?” Miguel was bent over with his back to the two of you working on some tech laid out before him, wearing rimless rectangular glasses. “Can’t you see I’m busy.” 

“There’s something- well, someone I think you should meet.” Peter spoke with a grin and nudged your side playfully with his elbow.

Miguel however remained glued to his work, “A new recruit?” 

“Yeah.”

“Later,” he spoke curtly, ‘I’m working.”

“I think you can spare a few seconds dude, come on.” 

“Can't… I need to draft designs for new multiversal travel gear. The current design is too rudimentary and the exposed wires are causing too many problems.” 

“Miguel, man, you’re really gonna want to-”

“-Peter!” Miguel slammed his fists on the workbench, the sound startled the both of you. Regretful, he puts his head in his hands and composes himself, “Please,” he said in a softer, pleading tone but somehow just as demanding as earlier.

Parker turned to you apologetically, “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “ He’s under a lot of stress right now-”

“-It’s okay,” you murmur back. Just then a fallen piece of Miguel’s experiment catches  your eye. You pick it up to examine it closer, “Is this the part of the watch you use for the projection feature?”

Miguel scoffs and slowly begins to turn towards you, “It’s a lot cooler than a-,”

He freezes the second he sees your face, looking you up and down as if to double and triple check to see if his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Once he was sure he wasn’t hallucinating he abruptly stood up from his chair with his mouth agape and finger weakly pointed in your direction.

“That’s pretty smart.” You nod, impressed, and oblivious to Miguel being practically starstruck by you. 

“You-you….”

“Oh here,” you spoke handing him back the piece, “Sorry it fell and I was just looking at it-”

“-Thank you.” He responded almost immediately, he never took his eyes off you. 

“No problem. Oh wait,” you realized, “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself I’m-”

“-I know who you are.”

“Oh...” You shot an alarmed look at Peter. The second hand embarrassment was strong from him. To be honest, he’s not sure what he expected would happen, but this was a lot more anti-climatic. ‘Maybe I should’ve thought this through’ he mentally chided himself. ‘I’ve got to do something, and fast.’

“Welp.” Peter clasped his hands together unceremoniously, “ I mean I’d love to chat! But I’m-I’m sure Miguel will want to tell you about everything and show you the ropes. That is if you want to join of course I would never put that kind of pressure on you. This isn’t like some weird spider cult or something like that- WHAT AM I SAYING? HAHAHA! I’ll be outside. Have fun!” then hastily slammed the door behind him and wiped the sweat off his brow. 

‘Man being a wingman is hard.’ 

Peter never knew for sure what you guys talked about after he left. He tried prying into Miguel afterward and was met with his usual curt demeanor, but considering the fact that you decided to join was a good sign. He and anyone with a pulse could tell you two liked each other. All that was left was for you guys to figure it out. 

        Peter and his fellow comrades sling through the smoggy air at high speeds until land on the roof of the now abandoned warehouse. Luckily, they manage to arrive just  before you guys so they pause to take a moment to absorb the view of the unfamiliar city.

        “Yeesh, this place is a nightmare.” Spider-Noir Spoke spoke, anchored on the wall with one hand looking out into the skyline      

“You’re telling me,” Peter Porker said, landing right after him, “I can see two completely separate buildings that are currently on fire.” 

        “I’m giving it to you square, Pork,” Noir uttered , “Imma need a couple put downs after this. I’ll be dog-gone-tired. Practically livin’ in the speakeasy.”

“Can you guys actually understand what he's saying?” Hobie interjected with his deep cockney drawl. 

“I know you’re not talking,” A certain blue toned holographic Spider-Byte quipped her hands on her hip. 

         “Quiet!,” Gwen whispered vehemently, “They're coming.”

Everyone quickly scrambles for a makeshift hiding spot just as you and Miguel jump through one of the various holes in the structure. After landing you do a slow 360 turn to get a full grasp of your surroundings. Each crunching step makes you hyper aware of the debris that litters the ground. Besides the obvious shambles and disarray there are many other oddities about this scene. Random colorful splatters of paint litter the wall, still wet to the touch, a work bench full of sophisticated tech and weaponry. Broken chains scattered all over the floor, and a heavily damaged punching bag that had a large divot in it, like some creature had taken a bite out of it.

As you and Miguel investigate, the eavesdropping spiders begin commuting in hushed whispers through the call features of their web watch. “Look at them.” Pavitir says peering through a hole in the roof  “This ‘will-they won’t they’ relationship they have going. So close yet so far.” He sighs dreamily, resting his chin on his hands “Don’t you guys just love a slow burn romance.” 

“Yeah,” Peter responds, full of endearment, " they're good for eachother.” 

 “Has Miguel told them ?” Pavitir continues, “ About, you know, their…history?” 

Peter lets out a small sigh, “No, he hasn't.” 

“Ugh, that somehow makes it even better.” Pavitir was now swaying his legs back and forth in the air, peering down at the lovers from his peephole on the roof.  “The tension between these two tensions is crazy. How can they even concentrate?” 

Gwen rolled her eyes, ”You say that about everyone.” 

“Only when it’s true, ” he proudly put his palm to his chest. “I'm very good at reading people. Like how you and Miles-”

“-Pav! Shut Up.” Gwen loudly whispered, now completely flustered.

Spider-Byte’s blue-toned avatar gave a small chuckle and rolled her eyes. “Peter, remind me again why you brought your baby on this very dangerous, high stakes mission.” 

“She’s learning. Everybody knows the best way to learn is under extreme pressure. Plus, she’ll be quiet.” Peter plants a small kiss to the top of Mayday's head then brings a finger to his lips, “Shhhhh”. 

“Shhhhhhhhhh.” The baby sputtered in response before giggling in her hands

“See? She’s a fast learner.” Peter then plants another kiss on her head. 

Gwen and Hobie exchanged amused looks from their shared hiding spot, “I'm not sure that-”

“Can we PLEASE be quiet?” Peni Parker sat in her giant collapsible robot hiding in the midst of the rubble just outside the building,

“Before we all become interdimensional wanted renegades.”

“Oh yeah, right, activating stealth mode.” Peter brings his attention back to the skylight that he established as his spying spot.”   As he silently eavesdrops Peter's thoughts drift to his protegee Miles.  “Hang in there kid,” Peter mumbled to himself with his eyes glued to the scene, “Wherever you are, just hang in there.”

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

Maybe a prompt idea? Im kinda new to this so i hope you like it! This is a summer prompt idea!

Maybe Gwen is relaxing on a lounge chair or sunbathing and Peter 3 being the goofy bf he is, decides he wants to sneak up and tickle her. But at first she doesn't know what it is, she feels something scratch her foot and she keeps feeling it but no one is there so she brushes it off! Then Peter 3 kinda popping up like "surprise" and Gwen is just like "i knew it"

Lee!gwen ler!peter3

Pool Antics

Summary: See prompt above 😄

(This idea was so funny and it made me chuckle just to think about it ❤️ I can totally see Peter 3 doing this to his poor girlfriend until she finally retaliates 😁 Hope you enjoy Anon, and happy summer everyone! :))

There it was again. That annoying little tickle along the bottom of her foot. And of course, when she looked, no one was there.

Gwen huffed. "Peter, I know it's you."

No response came, just the sound of voices chattering and laughing along the pool area. Speaking of her slightly obnoxious boyfriend, where was he?

Gwen scanned the pool until she saw a head of brown hair moving along the side of the pool. It almost appeared like he was climbing along the side of the pool wall. The young blonde rolled her eyes before promptly closing them. As long as he was occupied, he wouldn't keep messing with her.

That hope lasted a minute before another finger glided up her foot.

Gwen immediately opened her eyes and yanked her feet away. "Peter!"

But there was the head of brown hair bobbing around the pool.

"If it's not him, then who---?"

That's when a suppressed huff came from under the chair she was in.

Gwen immediately stiffened. "Peter?"

No response came.

The young blond moved to peek under the chair when a familiar face suddenly popped into view. "Surprise!"

Gwen squealed and immediately curled into a ball. "Peter!"

The taller man grinned. "The one and only."

Gwen looked between her boyfriend and the head of brown hair she had been following earlier. That's when the person popped into view. It was Peter 1 bobbing along the pool, not her boyfriend.

Gwen groaned. "I knew it was you!"

"How dihid yohou not see mehe? I've been under thehere for lihike 5 minutes."

The smaller blond motioned to the youngest playing along the side of the pool. "I thought that he was you!"

One must have sensed they were talking about him. He turned and waved to the two before another figure appeared behind him and pulled him under. A second later, One went flying before Two popped his head up out of the water.

Three chuckled at the other two. When he looked back, Gwen glared at him.

"What?"

"You scared the crap out of me!"

"So?"

"So!" Gwen crossed her arms. "I'm mad at you!"

"Aww, please don't be mad babe. I was just playing!"

Truth be told, Gwen couldn't stay mad at him for long. She knew it was all in good fun, but she still wanted to pout a little.

"Babe, please?" Peter whined as he tried his best puppy dog eyes.

Gwen flicked down her sunglasses and leaned back. "No."

She heard a huff. "Fine."

A second later her glasses were pulled away from her face and she was lifted into someone's arms. "Ack! Peter!"

Peter grinned at her then rushed the pool.

"Peter don't you dare!"

He didn't listen and both of them went soring into the pool. When Gwen resurfaced, she found the culprit grinning next to her.

Gwen smirked. "Oh now you're going to get it!"

She then chased her boyfriend across the pool.

When she finally managed to catch him, Gwen jumped on to Peter's back before digging into his sides.

"Ah! Gwehen! Noho!"

"Tickle, tickle Peter."

Needless to say, today had turned out to be a pretty great day.

[practically-an-x-man]

what's YOUR favorite first kiss scene/romance scene you've ever written? :)

Oooh man, that's a tough one! There are a lot of moments I like, and for me it also really depends on the context surrounding the scene.

I really like Ophelia and Peter's first kiss, it's very emotionally-charged (they're from different universes, and Ophelia is worried she'll die when she gets sent back because there's nothing they can do to protect her from her laboratory explosion, it's just random chance):

“Olly…” he whispered, so caught up in his thoughts that he found himself reaching for her hand. She jerked it away. “Don’t do this, Peter.” she told him, voice stern and yet somehow wavering. She took a step back - a small step, but it put some much-needed space between them. She swallowed hard, then spoke again. The tremor in her voice had grown more pronounced. “Don’t start this. We both know it won’t end well.” Until about fifteen seconds ago, he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to start this. Or even consider it. His mind had been at war: genuine intrigue and, let’s face it, attraction to Olly versus his still-unresolved grief over Gwen. It felt like a disservice to even consider dating someone else, even after almost ten years. Then there was the part of his mind that questioned whether he had a type or was just looking for some kind of replacement: after all, they were both intelligent, funny, scientific women, the similarities were clear. There was just too much contention in his mind to make a decision. That is, until he learned he might not get a second chance. It seemed like Olly had learned to read his mind, or maybe she’d just seen something in his expression. She seemed to be good at reading people, after all.  “I’m sorry you lost Gwen. Really, I am. I know what it feels like to have a list of people you’ve lost,” she said, “Don’t add me to your list, Peter. Please. It’s best if we just… just let this go, okay?” “Is that what you want?” he asked, his mouth once again moving faster than his brain, “To let this go?” Ophelia dropped her eyes to the floor with a grimace, muttering so quietly under her breath that he practically had to lip-read to catch any of it. And he mostly missed what was said, though it sounded like something along the lines of “goddamn puppy-dog eyes”. In the next second, she’d grabbed the lapel of his lab coat in one hand and had shoved him back against the wall. Peter’s back hit the concrete, and his eyes went wide- how had he managed to misread the situation so badly? His mind was already jumping into Spidey-mode, trying to come up with some sort of defense to this unplanned attack, and then- And then her lips were on his, and all his thoughts cut off.  Well. He liked this a lot better than an ambush. Before he had time to process his next move, Ophelia had pulled back and released her grip on his coat. Peter felt strangely dazed, like her scent of machine oil and citrusy shampoo had struck some sort of spell on him. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his head before he did something stupid like tripping over his own feet or trying to kiss her again. Olly sighed, passing a hand over her face. Her skin was flushed, and she took another, strangely clumsy step back. Her violet Converse squeaked against the linoleum floor. Every sound seemed somehow enhanced, louder than it should have been. It felt like the first time he’d come into his Spidey-powers, before he’d adjusted to his enhanced senses. “That’s… that’s what I wanted,” Ophelia said, sounding forlorn, “But we both know it’s something I can’t have.”

But I also really like Quinn and Billy's first kiss - again, it's better with the wider context of the fic. Quinn's in love with him and has been for years, but he's been dating another woman (though inwardly, he's also in love with Quinn and has only just realized it). Fun fact: right after this scene, Billy's other girlfriend catches them in the act, and proceeds to drop them 12 stories off a building during the mission.

“I’ll go let the others know the plan, then,” Billy said, starting to move towards the door, “You still getting ready? Need anything?” “Nah, I’m okay. Be down in a sec.” He made his way to the corner of the room before Quinn spoke up again.  “Wait, Billy?” “Hmm?” “Be careful.” they advised, rubbing at the back of their neck, “When you’re in there, be careful. This whole thing just… it gives me the wrong vibe. And I know you don’t like the whole ‘luck’ thing, but-” He never let them finish. Quinn was so caught in their speech that they hadn’t noticed him crossing the room, not until he pressed his palm to the wall behind them and they realized he’d boxed them into a corner. His eyes were locked on hers, emerald-green irises centered by pools of endless dark. Quinn couldn’t look away.  “But?” Billy repeated, his voice rumbling low almost in warning. It should have been a warning. Another time, the logical side of Quinn’s brain would remind her that he had a girlfriend, that they’d been dating for years, that she was just downstairs and could return any moment. But the logical side of Quinn’s brain appeared to have shut off entirely. “But… um, I…” she tried, her throat gone dry.  Billy leaned closer, impossibly closer. He was enjoying this, maybe a little too much. And maybe, past the pounding of their heart and the clouds brewing in their mind, Quinn found themself the same. “For luck?” Billy whispered, green eyes still glinting dangerously. They were convinced, then, that he was of the Unseelie Court. He was a Fae, come to take her name and her voice, to put her under his spell, to leave her lost and wandering. Well, she said, Take it. That name never belonged to me anyway.  She closed the gap, and the world fell away.

Quinn's and Billy's relationship dynamic is really fun to write every time, not just their first kiss. It's kind of hard to describe, but they were incredibly close friends and teammates for years before pursuing romance, so they still act like friends even after falling outrageously deep in love.

[clarktooncrossing]

Hey there people of today and robots of tomorrow! It's me, Clark, back at least with another #throwbackthursday, just in time for the highly-anticipated Across the Spider-Verse! With Miles set to swing across the big screen again, I figured how would be a good time to show off this piece I made in 2020 featuring my characters from 3K. 3K is set in the year 3000 (hence the super subtle name) where robots are as common as people. So much so that a group of them band together in order to defend the planet from internal and external threats. One of its founding members is AH, a robot who went blind after seeing years of war now fighting for peace. Yet in another dimension she is one of a handful of robots who is infused with the powers of a spider, AH herself dawning the mantle of SpidAH-Girl. She fights crime in New York City alongside her friend ERN-E (Classic Spidey) and EMIL-E (Spider-Gwen).

In case this pic doesn't make it super obvious, I am a huge fan of Mayday Parker's Spider-Girl, her series acting as a gateway for my eventual love of comic books. Having fallen in love with the Raimi trilogy around the same time I discovered Google, I stumbled across the cover for The Amazing Spider Girl #1 and my life was never the same after. May zigged in everyway her father zagged. While she wasn't as physically strong as Peter was, I'd argue she was mentally and morally stronger than her old man ever was. Where Pete thinks that someone dies every time he fails, May sees it as somebody lives every time she succeeds. Along with that she has faster reflexes, a keener spider sense, can magnetize surfaces with her adhesion abilities, and even inherited her mother Mary Jane's sense of style. This is most evident by the fact that she looks way better in Ben Reily's spider suit than Ben himself ever did. On top of that she's a big brother, which is also cool.

I have draw AH as Spider-Girl before, as seen with this sketch from 2019-

However, this pic didn't keep me up until 1 or 2 AM. What can I say, when I get an idea in my head, nothing stops me until I see it completed. Especially when the end result turned out so great. I liked how AH looks in both her super suit and casual clothes, not to mention her lil' logo was a nice personal touch. If I were to change anything now it'd be to swap out EMIL-E's Spider-Gwen outfit for MJ's Spinneret from Renew Your Vows. EMIL-E and ERN-E are supposed to be a couple and by now I've jumped aboard the Miles x Gwen ship. It's the one time I will ever ship a Spider-Man with Gwen outside of Spectacular Spider-Man. Otherwise the reason I drew EMIL-E like this was because of a Halloween pinup my friends SIM-N and I did for Halloween back in 2016.

Looking back now, I wish we had named these pin ups something other than Playbot. Chock it up to be being a dumb teenager. Speaking of dumb, hey tumblr, screw you and your limit on image size! This is an art sharing website, I should be able to upload files regardless of size! Especially when I wanna share these old Halloween pin-ups later this year!

For now though, there's other retro Spidey art to show! Such as this DUDEL I made for SIM-N back in 2016.

For those of you wondering, the robot in the Jessica Drew suit is Monova, a bad@$$ character he designed that he now criminally underutilizes. I'd ask him why that is, but he never gives me straight answers! However, he did leave this comment when he saw this pic:

Monova: Okay you two definitively need to get married soon

So, y'know, that was funny. XD

With all that said, I hope you all enjoy this nostalgic trip through my past Spider-3K work and enjoy Across the Spider-Verse when it comes out tomorrow! I know I will! Until then, MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[shivasdarknight]

30! for the whole group!

{original question collection post - curious about anything else?}

30. What was their highest point in Shadowbringers? Their lowest? What caused it? 

OH THATS A GOOD ONE because this is a goddamned rollercoaster. It's the most convoluted for Surkie, so I'll get some of the others out of the way first. (under the cut because Long)

Gwendoline's highest was absolutely reuniting with Y'shtola and making sure she's okay since they've been together for a few years at this point. While it wasn't a long time on Gwendoline's end, it was still extremely stressful - especially since Surkukteni was a wreck through all of that - and then you add on a very emotional Y'shtola who hadn't seen Gwendoline in three years. Lowest was watching Surkukteni deteriorate. She had been keeping a pretty serious secret from her and had been meaning to tell her after Stormblood, but this and that led to it never being discussed. So by the time they reached Amaurot, she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to say it or not and kept quiet. It ate at her; nothing she could do could slow down the light and it just got worse. Yet even after expunging it, Surkukteni continued to spiral and there was little Gwendoline could do except provide distractions.

This one is funny to me just because of how Seraphin is as a character compared to the rest of the group and how casually morbid or socially/legally immoral they can be (they're all fundamentally good people, but there's still a necromancer in the group and all three study highly illegal and often questionable magic), but his high was finally getting the chance to once and for all resoundly kill Emet-Selch. It's not even contradictory to who he is as a character because the build up to this is the fact that he was orphaned by the Garlean conquest against Ala Mhigo, was raised by adoptive Ala Mhigan family, and so much of his life has been characterized by how he and his loved ones are impacted by the damned empire that this bastard founded. So while it's not toppling Garlemald like he would prefer, getting to kill The Fucking Emperor is still pretty high up there. The lowest is unsurprisingly a matter involving the end of Shadowbringers, since watching your friend and close ally ruin herself for the sake of everyone else Fucking Sucks - not as bad as the friend who is doing the dying obviously, but Seraphin still feels like shit since he got in on the plans Urianger was pulled into. And part of why he was, was due to the fact that he would undoubtedly try to stop it before it went through, so he's still holding onto being understandably lashed at for lying - and god, Surkukteni doesn't know about the shared lie between him and Gwen yet. One unique to him at least was when G'raha got captured and was assumed potentially dead, and then the further crystallization sucked. Not because Seraphin harbors feelings for the guy; they just get along and by being let in on the plan to try and keep Surkie alive (hopefully) he grew to at least Give A Shit about the Exarch.

Teodore's high point definitely was the free access to Amaurot after defeating Emet-Selch and realizing that the ruins wouldn't fade - at least, not yet. He kept himself from making any plans due to the dire situation they'd found themselves in, but he lets himself get more invested in studying what this means for his research and the impact on the group - especially since this lines up with an odd quality of his godkids, who both have extremely faint aether in comparison to everyone else on the Source, and he's wondering if they might be Shards of someone (they are! :D they're of the 4th and he's traveling with one Shard, and kills the other! because ofc they're the fragments of charon and hermes). Gestures above again because he really cannot stand the fact that the youngest of the og group is the one solely bearing the burden of the Lightwarden's aether. Keep in mind that Teodore is in his 40s as of SHB, while Surkie was just about to turn 30 or so? He met her when he was in his late 30s and she was 24. But as far as the post patches are concerned, that would genuinely be Zadnor. He's in a bad position in that raid series because Zirnghota - his goddaughter - has now joined the team in her search for her brother, Glyndwr. And unfortunately, Glyndwr is being extremely difficult and it nearly gets him killed a few times. And again: that's Teodore's godson. It also doesn't end with Glyndwr being sent home because the resistance he faced from his own family spurred him into more drastic action, and this open ended question of if he's going to be okay is greatly distressing to Teo especially in the lead up to Endwalker.

I have to include the post patches in order for anything good to happen to Surkukteni. Because not even surviving the light and finally putting down the emperor helped, because everything during 5.0 was so fucking awful for her that it didn't do much beyond leaving her feeling hollow. Because it's done; what now? Where does she even have to go? Her low was so fucking low that it stretched into the post patches. Not even nearly dying from being the one who absorbed all the light was really her lowest because there was so much shit. Having to put up with her brother's bullshit with Emet-Selch; being the only single one of the ARR group + Katsuro, made especially worse since 3 of the Scions were the partners of Gwendoline (Y'shtola) and Katsuro (thanuri); that single stuff was compounded by her brother trying to micromanage her flings and not giving her space to breathe; constantly seeing Ysayle in Cyella (i write her as Ysayle's 13th shard, so even worse) + the bet to even have a chance of briefly being with Cyella while Katsuro went through None of those hoops; nearly losing Esteem, actually losing Ardbert; unresolved feelings for someone she hasn't seen in over a year, unresolved feelings from someone she assumes is dead and was never allowed to grieve - 5.0 was her lowest point. Prime point to feel used, disregarded, and just seeking out what dangerous coping mechanisms she could find to try and dull the pain until she could just move onto the next thing. This is all made so much worse by Elidibus up into 5.3, made worse by Misija mauling Surkukteni's little sister, Altan, and then of course everything to do with Werlyt and having to be around Gaius. 5.0 and much of the lead up to 5.3 was the lowest point for Surkie in all of msq. And it only got worse as the expac went on, and she found herself unable to even feel relief when 5.0 was over. The high point is literally this fic. Like that's not to dismiss anything with Surkukteni and her feelings around Estinien, it's just that fic is the absolute high point for her so much it also kind of threatened to ruin her from how overwhelmed she was to go from extreme lows to This Specific High. Yes, getting with Estinien officially during 5.3 was a high point, but that was off of the heels of thinking that Elidibus had killed him because of That One Instance and the fact he just disappeared to where even Tataru had a hard time finding him. But when you compare her breaking down because she thought he was dead too and the relief that he wasn't mixed with the guilt of having to admit that she broke their no-strings-attached arrangement and all of that to finding out that Ysayle has not been dead for the past four years and the two can actually be together it's. Fundamentally clear why that one's a higher point. Especially when Katsuro got to mourn his dead and she didn't. There's also the fact that she was embroiled in relationship bullshit while only ever having one relationship and that was abusive, her unresolved grief was around someone she loved but was never allowed to grieve properly, and then the guy she's starting to like is so loathed by her brother she can't say shit about it but it's fine for Katsuro to be literally sleeping with the enemy? Yeah, lot of baggage and lot of shit she's gone through that makes reuniting with Ysayle so much more overwhelming for her. Sure, if you want to talk canon there is the fact that bonding with Cyella is a highlight, especially because of how similar they are, but there's not a lot in the realm of strictly canon that is a high point. Reuniting with Ysayle in 5.3 is that high point, so a strictly canon situation would have Surkie Severely fucked.

[yelspyder]

hi! Can you write gwen x fem reader classmate headcanons? As in they were both randomly assigned for a project which then they become close friends after? Ty! (You can remove anything from my request)

˚‧⁺.-“I was an innocent being, then my buddies came along”

↳ summary: Gwen as your classmate

↳ characters: Gwen Stacy

↳ Fem! Reader

↳ notes: I didn't know if you wanted it to be platonic or romantic, so I left it platonic but it can still be seen as romantic if you like. anyway, I hope you like it and thanks for asking.

The moment the teacher assigned you two to work together in a project, Gwen sighed. Great, another group project with someone she doesn't even know well. Sure, you've already apologized to her when you bumped into each other in the hallway and such, but never a real conversation.

The moment you sat down next to her to discuss the project, she was just quiet, listening to what you have to say. She didn't have anything against you, but she really didn't want to compromise. Although introverted, she always knew how to handle social situations.

Gwen tried her best to keep a friendly face while occasionally adding insight to what you were talking about. For the rest of the class, you were planning your project.

Right at the end of the class, you agreed that she would go to your house so you could start the project. The project was simple, but it would count as the grade for the quarter, so it should be spotless by then.

Gwen felt a little strange the first time she went to your house. She wasn't used to going to her own friends' houses, let alone that of a classmate she wasn't even friends with, but everything went well and the project had already started.

Gwen found out that you lived in the same neighborhood and took the same bus to and from school. When you found this out, you'd walk past her apartment to walk to school with her, discussing the project.

At one time or another, you scheduled to stay at school developing the project, or go to your house. The next few times, though, Gwen felt more…welcoming to be in your home. She appreciated you offering to play some games at your house, as you were already well under way on this project. It was cool how you made an effort to communicate with her, even though she wasn't very communicative.

She liked how your mother treated her like she was her own daughter, or how your younger brother interacted with her at times. She felt appreciated.

After that, Gwen found herself wanting to hang out with you more. Was funny. Finally having a friend as a girl was nice. Sure, Peter was a good friend and an important person to her, but she really missed having a friendship with a girl.

Slowly but surely, a friendship formed. She was starting to open up more and even have some genuine conversations with you. Whenever you arranged to meet somewhere to continue the project, it ended up with you convincing her to have some fun. You've taken her to the bowling alley, had ice cream while you tell her some gossip, and you've even played chess, although you lost every game because you were so bad at it.

The end of the term was approaching and the two of you had already finished the project, so there would be no more reason to see each other, but Gwen found herself wanting to spend more time with you.

During the project, you became good friends, and Gwen didn't want to lose that friendship. She didn't want to lose touch with you, she didn't want to stop talking about anything and everything that came into her head on her way to school in the morning, she didn't want to stop playing the random games you suggested.

So, she decided that she didn't want to lose this friendship. Now, in the morning, she was the one waiting for you at the door of your house to go to school together. She would show up on your doorstep out of the blue at times when she knew you were free on the weekends with some fun game for the two of you to play.

After the end of the project, you were already great friends. Your mother always invited her to dinner at your house, your younger brother now saw her as another sister to him. It became an almost weekly event for her to come over to your house and you played games like 'Guitar Hero' and even 'Just Dance'. Sometimes she would invite you to her band rehearsals and it was really fun to watch Gwen rehearse, although you did get a little ringing in your ears afterward.

That project wasn't so bad, after all.

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

No Matter What I Have to Do

Fandom: Marvel, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker

Word Count: 1379

Note: Dark!Peter Parker

TW: Blood, Guns, Mentions of death

Three days. You have been locked in this room, this cage, for three days. No food, very little water, and no idea what these men are planning on doing to you. But you haven’t given up hope yet. Because Peter will be coming for you. It’s only a matter of time, but you know he will come.

You had met Peter Parker about a year after his last girlfriend, Gwen, had died. He was a broken man, but you could see past the hurt and guilt to the sweet, funny, loving person underneath. It had taken a lot of patience and persistence, but eventually, Peter had opened his heart once again. Then, it took almost six months after you started dating for him to tell you the truth about everything. Who he was, where he went at night, what really happened to Gwen.

And while you had been a little angry at first that he had kept his life as Spider-Man a secret for so long, you understood. He was worried that knowing the truth would put you in danger. And in the end, he had been right.

One of the local gangs had started moving guns in and out of the city and Spider-Man had been working tirelessly to stop their organization. Apparently, the gang didn’t like that too much. So they began trying to find Spider-Man’s weakness. Anything they could exploit to get him off their backs. And that was when they found you. Photos and videos taken across multiple rescues and foiled crimes placed you on the scene with Spider-Man more often than anyone else. So, they took a calculated risk.

On your way home from work one night, a van pulled up next to you and three men jumped out. The next thing you knew there was a needle in your neck, and you were waking up in this room. The one you had been held in for the past three days. But Peter was coming for you, he just had to be.

For the third night in a row, you curl under the threadbare blanket and try to get some rest. You finally manage to drift off to a fitful sleep when the sounds of gunfire blasting from the other room startle you awake. The men who captured you had been rough, leaving bruises and a few scrapes, but you hadn’t ever seen one of them draw a weapon since you had been here.

You jump out of bed and back as far away from the door as you can. When you bump into the far wall, you slide down it and curl into a ball on the floor, burying your head in your lap. After a few minutes, the gunfire begins to lessen and eventually stops.

Then suddenly, the door bursts open and you hear someone walk into the room. Shaking slightly with fear, you try to shrink deeper into the corner. That is until you hear a familiar voice softly call out your name.

Your head shoots up and you spy the red-and-blue clad superhero that you know oh-so-well. He tears off his mask and takes a few hesitant steps towards you.

“Peter!” you exclaim as you clamber to your feet. You rush to him, and he gathers you in his arms, squeezing you so tightly you struggle to breathe. But you don’t care, because all you have wanted for the last three days was to be back in his arms.

But as the embrace lingers, you begin to register a wet sensation soaking into your clothes. Finally pulling away from Peter, you look down and gasp as you see your clothes are now spotted with blood in a dozen different places. Frantically, you begin to run your hands across his costume, trying to locate the source of his injuries. However, while your hands come away bloody, you don’t find any wounds that would explain the mess.

Peter gingerly takes your wrists, avoiding your bloody palms. His face is glowing with love for you as he whispers, “It’s okay. It’s not mine.”

You stumble back a few steps, pulling your arms from his grasp. You know he has spilled blood before, but the amount that now covers both of you along with the callous, uncaring way he said that, shocks you. Peter doesn’t fight like that. He doesn’t injure or kill unless it is the absolute last resort. And even then, his guilt and shame take months to get over. But at the moment, he is calm with a huge smile on his face as he gazes at you.

He steps forward and pulls you back into another tight embrace. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I wasn’t going to let those bastards take you away from me. I will not lose you like I lost Gwen. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen.” He releases you from the hug, but still keeps one hand tightly wrapped around your forearm. “Now, let’s get you home.”

You nod slowly, still trying to process what is going on, what he might have done. Peter puts his mask back on and pokes his head out the door. Once he is sure the coast is clear, he turns to you and says, “I’m going to carry you out of here, but I need you to do something for me, okay?” You nod tentatively so he continues. “I need you to keep your eyes closed until we get outside. It will only take me a minute to cross the warehouse, but you cannot open your eyes. Do you understand?”

“Yes, but Peter-”

“No questions. I just need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

You hesitate for just a second but then nod again. However, you softly whisper, "Peter, I'm scared."

Smiling once more, Peter says, "Don't worry. No one will ever hurt you again. I promise."

With those words, he scoops you into his arms with your arms and legs immediately wrapping around his body, your chin resting on his shoulder. He pats the back of your head and whispers, “Eyes closed” and walks out of your cell.

The first half of the way through the warehouse is no problem. You keep your eyes closed tightly just as Peter asked you to. However, the farther you get from your cell, the harder it gets to resist the urge to peek. So many questions swirl around your head. Why was no one trying to stop you from leaving? What did all that blood on Peter really mean? Why did he want you to keep your eyes closed?

But it is the smell that finally pushes your curiosity over the edge. The tang of blood and gunfire that still lingers in the air. So, despite what you promised, you can’t help but open your eyes. And immediately slam them closed one again. Within that one-second glance, you saw things that you know you will never be able to forget. Even now, the images dance behind your eyelids, taunting you with the things that Peter did. The lives that he took and the brutal way he took them. It takes everything in you not to vomit all over his shoulder.

But as you tense under the realization of what happened, Peter assumes you are just hugging him tighter, so he returns the squeeze and rubs his hand up and down your back as he murmurs love-filled words of comfort. And when you get outside the warehouse, he takes off his mask as he sets you down and runs his thumb over one of the bruises on your cheek as he whispers, “I love you, and I will always protect you. Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll never let anyone touch you again. No matter what I have to do to make sure of that.”

As he pulls you in for a kiss, you can’t suppress the repulsed shiver that runs through you as his words sink in. And once again mistaking your reaction for affection, Peter deepens the kiss. He seems completely unaffected by what he did here tonight. If anything, he seems to think saving you justifies all of his actions. But as he holds you close, you wonder how things are ever supposed to be the same again.

[viaviainternet]

do you have any random truly devious hcs? i'm so desperate for content literally where is book 5 <///3

of course! i agree, im definitely being as patient as i can with the book too, but i’m glad maureen has posted updates, and it’s good to know it might come out soon! but i’d love to give you some of my headcanons!

i don’t think there will be any spoilers necessarily, but some of these will be talking about things that happen later in the books :)

every minerva student is god awful at bowling. they all went out bowling, and they all got gutter-balls almost every time.

if ellie was actually going to sit down and learn the saxophone, she’d only learn careless whisper by george michael and play it anytime david and stevie are hanging out (@minervahouse and i have had this exact conversation talking about this 😭)

stevie is banned from playing clue with everyone. the minerva group played it once and of course stevie kicked all their asses, so now she’s only able to be an observer so everyone else can have a chance at winning. (i plan on writing a post about this because i found this so funny)

david and ellie occasionally play the game smash or pass about the teachers, and they were both completely shocked by each other’s answers.

david managed to find stevie’s spotify account, and looked through it to find the type of music she likes. he then proceeded to listen to almost every single album she listens to.

before david left ellingham, stevie stole one of his old sweatshirts and kept it for herself. david hadn’t even noticed until one time they facetimed each other, and stevie was wearing it.

nate has a crush on mudge (and vise versa), and janelle always teases him for it because along with stevie, he has serious blushing problems when it comes to mudge.

ellie is definitely collects crystals, and uses tarot cards. every once in a while, she gives everyone tarot card readings.

everyone just continually makes fun of hayes. and yes, he does deserve it.

the candle ellie knocked over was a michael cera jesus candle. (you’ve definitely read my old posts here if you understand this..😭)

if david had a tik tok account, it would seem like just a fanpage for stevie.

david teases stevie for only reading murder mystery novels, and she claims she doesn’t. so he asks for proof, and she goes into her closet and grabs out percy jackson books, and david sits there, thoroughly impressed.

they are all swifties. with the exception of hayes of course. and at every party, ellie steals the aux and strictly plays taylor swift and lorde. hayes claims he’ll go deaf, and ellie insults him, and tells him to suck it up.

stevie is a huge taylor and phoebe stan, so after nothing new came out, it did not help her mental health AT ALL.

after the sherlock-hercule costume incident, david and stevie have just committed to doing couples costumes on halloween. and their favorite costume they’ve done together is peter parker and gwen stacy. stevie actually enjoys dressing up with david because she knows she’s not being a full and complete idiot because she’s doing it with him.

so those are all of mine i can think of right now! if i think of any more i can make another post going along this one as well, and i hope you enjoyed!

[marvelouspeterparker]

a warm december

pairing: college!peter parker x reader

request: Since it's the holiday season, I was wondering if I could request something with Peter and female!reader where they're dating but reader doesn't know that he's Spider-Man and one night when it's particularly cold, Spider-Man comes crashing through reader's window. Turns out the heater in his suit failed and since he has issues with thermoregulation, it's up to reader to warm him up? Can be either fluffy or smutty or a combo. Author's choice! 😉 by anonymous

warnings: some soft-ish smut, unprotected sex (u already know to be safe, wear protection y’all) 

word count: 3.6k

notes: so i was clearing out my inbox but when i came to write this i figured i should make it a full fic instead––also u can imagine this takes place like the second week of december so it can be for either hanukkah or christmas or kwanzaa or anything! happy holidays <3

It felt good to be back home for the holidays. You had a good time at college but you were happy to be done with exams. You were also more than grateful to be able to sleep in your own bed in the comfort of your own home. You had made a lot of good memories thus far in all your classes, in your dorm that you were able to decorate the way you wanted with your roommate, Gwen––but you had missed your family and you had missed your boyfriend as well.

You and Peter’s colleges were only a few hours away from each other, so you could have visited each other, but your schedules were too busy and something always seemed to come up on both your ends. You were both swamped with work and sometimes you just didn’t have the energy to travel, but you both understood. 

So instead, you and Peter had facetimed and even used zoom to talk for hours after class when you both were free or at night before you went to bed. He’d even met some of your friends and he’d won them over almost immediately, his charm never ran out. You’d also met some of his friends as well, the one you’d seen most was named Harry. He was a flirt, but you knew it was all in good fun––you both liked to see Peter flustered and annoyed, but out of love of course. 

Unfortunately, you had yet to see Peter since you had gotten back. You understood that he needed some time to settle in, and you knew for certain that May missed him more than anything. You’d been home for a couple days now and you’d spent your time catching up with your parents, and helping decorate the apartment. You put up some white fairy lights in your room, wanting to feel the holiday spirit a little more in your space––the lights always made you feel more cozy too. You smiled to yourself as you turned them on, already feeling more calm before looking in your desk and grabbing the small spider-man snow globe you’d gotten at the store a few years back. Peter got weirdly blushy when he first saw it, but you never really asked why. 

You set it down on your dresser and went to find your midtown high sweatshirt, it was one of the warmest ones you had. Though the heat was on in your home, you could still feel the cold air seeping through from the walls and the windows that looked out into the city. You could see the small figures of people walking down in the cold street, bundled up, the lights in every window of the buildings across the street. 

You were about to make sure the window was closed properly when a figure appeared on the outside of your room, slowly opening the window. You stood frozen in fear, too shocked to even scream. Your eyes widened when you realized who exactly was making their way into your room, the famous red and blue suit contrasting with the white specks of snow falling outside. 

“You––You’re Spider-Man––” You were stuttering in disbelief as the hero stood in your room, closing the window quietly. He turned around immediately, it seemed he hadn’t thought this through. The eyes of his mask were wide, almost frantic as he looked at you and put a finger up to his lips, gesturing for you to be quiet. 

You nodded slowly and quickly closed your door, making sure your parents were nowhere near. You locked the door just in case. You had already said goodnight, so they probably wouldn’t come by anyway, but you never know. 

You turned back around and took a few deep breaths to calm yourself down. Surely there was an issue? Spider-Man wasn’t known to make home visits––

Your brows furrowed when you focused on the masked hero in front of you. He was almost hunched over, his limbs moving slowly as they trembled. You stepped towards him, your hands outstretched but sticking close to you as you were unsure of what to do.

“Are you okay?”

He paused, looking down, muttering something to himself that you couldn’t quite hear. “I––Shit. I didn’t want you to find out like this, I swear.” 

You only looked at him, even more confused. 

He tried to stand up straight and you could hear him wince as he looked up at you. “I––” He cleared his throat. “Please don’t be mad, okay? I just didn’t tell you because I wanted to protect you and I could never figure out the right time to say it––” He pulled off his mask and your eyes widened, a gasp escaping you when you took in his familiar features. His eyes were wide and apologetic, his hair fluffy and messed up, but as you looked closer you noticed his nose, cheeks and red were all a painful red, his lips almost blue.

You closed the distance between you, your hands coming up to hold his cheeks and you could feel his body sigh in relief from the warmth of your palms. “Peter, oh my god! Are you okay?” Your eyes were scanning his features, the only thing on your mind being your worry for him.

You could feel his eyes watching you carefully up close as you held him gently. “You––” Your eyes flickered up to his when you noticed the trembles in his voice as he spoke up quietly, almost as if he was scared. “You’re not mad?”  

You pouted at him, “No baby I’m not mad. I understand, really. It makes sense why you were so busy all the time.” You gave him a small smile but it quickly slipped off your face when you focused on the boy in front of you. “But you’re freezing Pete. Doesn’t the suit have a heating feature or something?” 

He looked at you for a moment, his eyes sparkling as he wondered how he got so lucky. “I um––” He shook his head, trying his best to pay attention when a shiver ran through his body. “Yeah it––It does but the thermoregulation malfunctioned earlier when I um…” He trailed off and you raised a brow, trying to catch his eye.

He looked down and licked his lips, already starting to feel his face a little more in the temperature of your room. “I kinda…” He scratched the back of his head. “Bumped into a building earlier?...” 

You paused and Peter looked up when you didn’t say anything, whining your name when he noticed you trying your best to suppress a smile. “Oh come on it’s not funny!” 

You bit your lip, nodding as you tried to calm down. “Of course, right. I’m sorry.” You rubbed your thumb across his cheek and you could see him warming up to you again, subconsciously pressing his face into your palm. “It’s just, you really bumped into a building? How did you even do that, Pete?” You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

He rolled his eyes but you could see a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. “I uh––I was swinging by the park where we had our first date and I kinda got distracted, started daydreaming about you honestly.”

You smiled at him, recognizing that the fresh blush on his cheeks was no longer from the cold.  “Aww Pete,” you cooed, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. Your lips connected softly, your movements familiar despite the months you’d spent apart. When you pulled away, the both of you were smiling wide. “Missed you, Pete.” 

He wanted to reach out and hold you so badly, but he knew that his suit was cold, especially his hands, so he let his arms lay limp at his sides. “Missed you more and more every day.” He leaned in and pressed a short kiss to your forehead, the small gesture making your cheeks heat up. 

“I’d let you take a shower to warm up, but my parents would probably see you…”

He nodded, “No, it’s okay! I was...Actually hoping you could warm me up? If you don’t mind, of course––”

Your eyes brightened as you watched him stutter, he was still as cute as ever. “Okay. I think you have some clothes left over here too, so I’ll get them.” You went over to your dresser and looked through the drawers to find the sweats and hoodie he’d left over for you. 

Peter pressed the middle of his chest and sighed as he let the damp material slide off of him. He stepped out of it and put it on your chair along with his mask, before putting his hands together and blowing hot air in between them. He was shifting from side to side, rubbing his hands together quickly as he waited patiently. He just really wanted to hold you. 

You quickly turned around when you found the clothes, pausing in your tracks when you noticed that he’d gained some muscle since the last time you saw him. Your mouth ran dry as your eyes trailed down his body. “Um––” You set the clothes at the end of the bed. “You know I think sharing body heat is a good way to warm you up.” 

His eyes widened, “Yeah, I mean, sure. That––that should work.” 

You took your sweats off, then your sweatshirt, along with your shirt and you could feel his eyes burning through you. You got into the bed, beckoning your boyfriend to come closer. “C’mere.” 

He rushed over and got under the covers, a small smile on his face as he laid down next to you. His hand was inching towards your waist but he paused, looking into your eyes. “I tried to warm my hands up but they’re still a little cold––”

You laughed at how cute he was being and grabbed his hand, bringing it over to hold you. If anything the cool feeling of his fingertips soothed you as he dug them into your waist softly. You moved closer together until you were sharing a pillow, your noses almost grazing each other’s.

You brought a hand up to play with his hair, your legs tangled together as he pulled you as close as possible. He sighed contently and let his eyes flutter shut for a moment. There was a satisfied and almost reminiscent smile on his face when he looked back at you. “Missed this.” 

You bit your lip and took your hand away teasingly. “Missed what?”

He immediately pouted, “Hey––” He whined, dragging out the word. He took your hand and placed it back in his hair and you couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable he was being. “Don’t be mean to me. I had a rough night.” He gave you the best puppy dog eyes he could muster and you rolled your eyes.

You leaned in and pressed a kiss to his nose. “Such a baby.” 

He gave you a cheeky smile. “Your baby.” 

“Yeah,” You smiled, still playing with his hair. “My baby.” 

You pressed your lips against his and he pulled you impossibly closer, breathing slowly as he kissed you deeply. Your heads tilted in sync, your mouths moving together, softly and sweetly. He raised himself up on one arm so he was hovering over you slightly and unintentionally rubbed his thigh between your legs, making you sigh and squeeze your legs around him, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck. He pulled away when you hummed into the kiss.

You looked up at him, pure want and adoration in your eyes. “Need you, Pete. Wanna feel you.”

He nodded and looked into your eyes, his thumb caressing your cheek. “Haven’t felt you in a while, have I?” His voice was soft as he took in your features. “I’ll give you anything you want, princess.” He pressed a quick kiss to your lips before sliding his boxers off, as you slipped off your underwear. 

He climbed over you and settled between your legs, and as cheesy and weird as it was, he felt at home. “Do you want me to––” He looked down, and you easily filled in the blank. 

You raised a brow, “How exactly is that going to warm you up, Pete?” 

He blushed, his eyes darting around you. “Well I just––I haven’t tasted you in a while…”

You could feel yourself getting flustered and he could hear your heartbeat quicken but chose not to comment on it. “Maybe tomorrow, babe.” You swore you saw his eyes light up. “But for now, get in me please.” 

He nodded immediately. “Yeah, yeah okay. Let me just––” He was about to slip a hand down when you stopped him. He paused and you grabbed his wrist gently and brought his hand up to your mouth, slipping two fingers in eagerly as he watched you in shock, his jaw dropped. Your eyes were innocent as you looked up at him, your lips wrapped around his fingers, sucking and wetting them thoroughly. 

When you let them go with a pop you simply smiled and shrugged. “They were cold.” 

He let out a breath of laughter in disbelief, before coming down to kiss you passionately. Your hands came up and held his face and you sighed when his fingers came down to spread your lips and rub your clit. “God, I missed you.” He said when pulled away, looking down at you in awe. 

He rubbed his fingers along your slit, collecting and spreading your wetness and teasing your clit before slipping his fingers inside of you, biting his lip at the way your head tilted back, your eyes fluttering shut as you moaned. He leaned forward and pressed small kisses along the column of your throat, enjoying the way he could feel your pulse under his lips. He trailed his kisses up to your sweet spot, each one lasting longer and becoming more sensual as he reached it. 

The vibration of his voice felt good as he spoke up against you, his fingers thrusting into you at a pleasing pace. “That feel good, baby?” 

You swallowed and nodded, licking your lips. “Mhm. So good.” 

His lips curved into a smile against your skin, still pressing kisses as he marked your neck––it’d been a while since he’d been able to do this and he was going to savor it as much as he could. When he was done putting the finishing touches on his first love bite, he sped up his fingers and decided to press his thumb against your bundle of nerves. You gasped as your thighs clenched around him unconsciously, your hands coming down to hold his arm. 

He pulled away from your neck reluctantly, finding that he’d found comfort resting his lips against your skin––he’d have to ask you if he could leave more marks later on. He noticed the look of desire in your eyes, the way your lips were parted almost in a silent plea. 

You were close but you still wanted to feel him. You wanted all of him. “Pete I need you––”

He licked his lips “Can tell you’re close though, baby.” He pressed harder against your clit and you whined, your hips bucking desperately, making him smile. “Just wanna see you fall apart on my fingers. Haven’t seen it in way too long.” He was looking at you from under his lashes, his eyes somehow filled with both hunger and tenderness. “Gonna let me watch you cum on my fingers, princess?” 

You breathed out and nodded, the pleasure clouding your thoughts. “O––Okay.” 

He kept the same pace, knowing what you needed to tip over the edge and grinned absentmindedly when your thighs trembled and weakly tried to shut around his hand. He gently pushed them apart and slowed his movements, rubbing your clit softly as you mewled and ground your hips into his touch slowly to feel the extent of your climax. His eyes were trailing over your features, the furrow between your brows, the way your eyes rolled back before they fluttered shut, the way you bit your lip when the peak of your orgasm washed away. He was so in love with you and everything about you. 

He gently slid his fingers out of you and brought them up to his mouth to lick and suck them clean. His eyes were still watching you absentmindedly that he didn’t even realize you were staring at him, your mouth open in shock and lust. He only snapped out of it when your hand reached down to grab his cock.

“Shit––” 

You rubbed his tip through your folds, getting it wet as you stroked his hard member. He easily took over for you and held your thigh as he slid in slowly, letting you accommodate to the stretch and feel every inch of him that you’d missed for all these months. 

“So good––Feel so so good.” He groaned as he bottomed out and felt your walls practically suck him in where he belonged. His head fell back for a moment as he got lost in the pleasure––you felt much better than his hand. 

His hands dug into your thighs as he took a moment to collect himself, not wanting to finish just yet. He leaned forward so that his body was pressed up against yours, since you were doing this to share body heat after all. You wrapped your arms under his and around him, letting your fingertips dig into his back as he started to thrust into you, slow and deep.

“Missed being inside you.” He grunted out, his lips grazing yours. It felt nice to finally be connected without any barriers in the way, skin to skin as you poured your hearts out to each other. You could feel your heartbeats and your breaths syncing together as you went on, Peter’s hips thrusting into you at a faster pace as one of his hands squeezed between you to rub at your sensitive clit. 

“Gonna give me one more, yeah?” His remark was more of a statement than a question as he stared into your eyes, the look in them warm and wanting. You found yourself nodding anyway, smiling to yourself when you noticed his lips curve up at your response. 

With a few more purposeful thrusts and rubs of his thumb, you were tipping over the edge, Peter not far behind as he pressed his lips against yours urgently to muffle the both of your moans and cries.Your legs tightened around his waist, pulling him in as he rutted his hips into you, releasing inside you with a long and satisfied sigh against your lips. 

As you settled down from your highs, your fingers slowly released their grip on his back, your limbs sinking back into the sheets as you relaxed. You pressed a few small kisses to each other’s lips, the last one lingering a bit before you pulled away from each other. Peter watched you for a few moments before kissing both of your cheeks and pulling out of you slowly, biting his lip as he focused on the sight between your legs.

Though you tried to let Pete stay in bed in the warmth of the sheets, he insisted that you’d done a good job warming him up, and kissed you hand before making his way over to find the package of baby wipes on you always kept on your dresser to clean you up. He noticed you’d already taken out the little spider-man snow globe and smiled to himself, feeling a light coating of blush rise to his cheeks.

He made his way back to you and pressed a knee onto the bed as he cleaned between your legs gently, apologizing quietly when you jolted at the feeling. The wipe was wet and cold, but it was also soothing––Peter’s hand that was caressing your leg also helped soothe you as well. He quickly discarded the wipe in the trash near your bedside as you plugged in your phone and got ready for bed, the two of you working like clockwork. 

Peter made his way back under the covers with you and with open arms as you scooted closer to him, resting your head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around you, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You nestled further into him, the both of you had sappy smiles on your faces. 

“So, are you warm enough now?” You asked, slinging your arm and leg around him.

“Definitely. That was way better than the heating system in my suit.”

You laughed and pinched his side teasingly, making him whine playfully. 

A comfortable silence fell upon the room and you waited a moment before speaking up again. “I’m glad we can do this again.” You admitted quietly.  

He knew exactly what you meant, how you felt––because he felt the same. He’d been counting down the days until he’d be able to hold you again. He held you tighter. “Me too. Couldn’t sleep as well at first without you by my side, you know.” His hand mindlessly traced patterns on the bare skin of your back.

You looked up at him. “You never told me that.”

He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling. “Didn’t want you to worry.” He looked back down at you and his eyes were so focused on you that he didn’t blink for a moment, just taking all of you in. “Now that I’m with you, I’m not letting you go until I absolutely have to, though.” 

You let out a sound between a hum and a content sigh and tilted your head up to meet his lips with yours for one last sweet kiss before you went to sleep. “I’m okay with that.” 

He smiled cutely and you rested your head back on his chest. 

“Goodnight Pete.”

“Night sweetheart.” 

––❊––

give me feedback! :)

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Soulmate AU Part 4 (final part):

Uther continues to be very OOC and Merlin is presented to the Kingdom; luckily enough, everyone already loves him. The Future starts to come together...

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3

The summer passed in much the same way the previous year had; awkwardly polite conversation between Merlin and Uther, Leon panicking at everything, Gwen being exasperated, Morgana and Merlin pissing about, and Arthur watching it all with exponentially growing fondness.

Eventually, it was Yuletide again. Yuletide meant Arthur’s 18th birthday. Arthur’s 18th birthday meant revealing Merlin to the Kingdom; announcing him as The Crown Prince’s Soulmate.

There was an odd mix of feelings surrounding the upcoming event. Both Arthur and Merlin were ecstatic at the idea of not having to hide and sneak around anymore, but Merlin was a foreign peasant boy. The common people would love him, Nobles and Foreign dignitaries? Not so much. Granted, Arthur had a powerfully intimidating presence, when he chose to display it, Morgana could glare anyone into submission, and even Leon was known to be passive aggressively threatening when it concerned Merlin’s safety and respect, but not all could be daunted into compliance. Merlin would surely face discrimination.

That, and the growing spotlight meant that it would become much harder to keep his magic a secret. With Uther’s insistence that Merlin be... part of the family, they’d already had a few close calls.

Thankfully, not much else had changed, or it had changed for the better. Arthur and Merlin still scared everyone else shitless when they popped up to each other, but Morgana’s visions seemed a lot less terrifying now. Leon still had heart palpitations when Merlin and The King were in the same room, but Gwen, Gaius, and Hunith relaxed more; the Physician especially could see the pride glowing in Uther’s eyes, and the awkward fondness he held for Merlin (even if that wouldn't protect him if Uther discovered his magic).

Nevertheless, no ones’ fears or aspirations stopped the passage of time (though Merlin, in his increasing power, had put it on his “List of Things to Try Before I Die”), and Arthur’s crowning ceremony crept closer, day by day.

Hunith, Merlin, Leon, Gwen, and Gaius were gifted front row seats to the event, and as annoyed as Uther was at having the front row taking by commoners, a servant, and a young knight, he didn’t dare argue; he’d learnt that it was pointless now. Morgana was stood behind Uther’s throne at her own seat, giving Arthur a rare smile, not a hint of teasing in her expression, and Arthur returned it easily, comforted by the dream she told him she had the previous night (of adoring crowds and a grinning Merlin) despite his nerves.

The ceremony of course went of without a hitch, a rare smile on Uther’s face, and tears on all the faces of Arthur’s front row.

After an uproarious round of applause and chants of “Long Live The King, Long Live The Prince!”, the room cleared, leaving only Uther, Arthur, Morgana, Merlin, and a few faceless guards.

(Gaius, Hunith, Gwen, and Leon rushed off, wanting to be at the front of the crowds in the courtyard when Arthur and Merlin were presented to the Kingdom.)

Merlin didn’t hesitate in rushing up the steps to Arthur, wrapping his soulmate in a tight hug and whispering his pride into his blushing ear. For once, Morgana didn’t roll her eyes at the display of affection; Arthur may have occasional spurts of arrogance, and the two of them still acted like immature children occasionally, but she loved them both dearly. Uther did roll his eyes, though he could not hide his fondness from Morgana, who raised (yet another) teasing eyebrow at him. He glared at her half-heartedly before clearing his throat, and the boys jumped apart with a start.

He wordlessly nodded towards the door of the Throne Room, and walked out regally, his steps fast and heavy and his cloak billowing behind him. Merlin and Arthur followed quickly, hand in hand, and Morgana walked closely behind them, the guards bringing up the rear. The group finally made it to the large double doors that opened out onto the balcony above the courtyard, though it was two corridors previously that they began to hear the cheering and festivities below.

Arthur could feel Merlin’s hand shaking in his own, and squeezes it comfortingly, giving him a reassuringly soft smile as he murmurs, so Uther can’t hear them:

“Don’t worry, it’ll only be a few minutes, then we’ll come back in. You’ll be introduced to nobles and such during the feast,-”

When Merlin begins to look even more distressed, Arthur rolls his eyes good-naturedly and continues before his Warlock can interrupt him:

“-yes, I know, we’ll have to mingle, but this evening, it’s just us and the others. We’ll take some food and wine back to yours, and we can have some fun and all fall asleep in front of the fire together. Alright?”

Merlin takes a deep breath and nods, but before he can say anything, Uther stops his conversation with one of the guards and abruptly turns around, his face tersely concerned.

He takes one look at the boys before tutting and stepping towards them. Arthur freezes in shock as Uther begins to run a gloved hand through his hair, neatening it out and flattening it properly under the newly placed crown before stepping back again with a satisfied nod of the head. Arthur’s wide eyes stare straight ahead, and Morgana (having snuck in front of them to watch the whole ordeal) has to stop herself from snorting at his face. If she thought that was funny... well.

Next, Uther’s eyes move to Merlin, where he gives an even more disapproving tut and steps forward once more. He removes one of his gloves quickly, wetting his thumb with his tongue before wiping it just a little too harshly along Merlin’s nose, muttering-

“How the hell are you always so Godamn grubby?”

-to himself. Morgana doesn’t manage to hold in her giggles at that, clamping a hand over her mouth as she dedicates this whole scene to memory forever. Arthur is staring at his father with not even an attempt to hide his bafflement, but at this point, Uther is too busy brushing invisible lint off of Merlin’s shoulders to notice the incredulous stares from the three teenagers (and all the guards).

He finally steps back, huffing out a sigh, and muttering-

“That will have to do, I suppose.”

-before turning back to the doors and gesturing to the guards. Morgana, and Arthur have only a moment to regain their composure before they are ushered out on the balcony; Merlin staying back as he had been informed to do that morning, though he can hear the cheers get impossibly louder as the three royals greet their people.

Arthur glances back, just quickly, giving him one last smile before facing his people and standing in support of his father’s kingly speech:

“My people! Today, on this year’s Winter Solstice, my son has come of age!-”

The crowds had quietened significantly when Uther began, but another cheer went up at his words, and he paused, holding a silencing hand up:

“-I now present him to you, as Crown Prince Arthur Pendragon, heir to the throne of Camelot, my successor!”

His hand moves to gesture at Arthur, and the Prince steps forward as The King steps back, a wide smile on the blonde's face as his people cheer for him. He waves back, eyes searching the crowd for Hunith, Gaius, Gwen, and Leon; they meet gazes just as Uther steps forward once more, holding his hand up again:

“There is other news! It is...-”

He looks to Arthur, settling a hand on his shoulder and giving him a small smile. His voice quietens a little, but it can still be heard by the crowd:

“-it is with great pride, that I announce-”

The moment ended as quickly as it had started as Uther turns back to the crowds below, raising his voice again:

“-that my son has found his soulmate!!-”

Arthur had been expecting loud cheers, but their audience grows quiet and still at the announcement, as if frozen in suspense. As he peers over the stone barrier, he can see almost everyone in the crowd pairing off slightly, pulling their soulmates closer as they wait with baited breath to see their Prince’s partner.

Inside, Merlin takes a deep breath, but relaxes slightly when he sees Arthur unclench his own nervous fist, holding it behind him in preparation, invitation, for Merlin to take it in just a few moments:

“-I present to you, a close family friend of the royals,-”

(Morgana scoffs and rolls her eyes, but thankfully no one is paying her any attention.)

“-a skilled physician in training, and a trusted citizen of this Great Kingdom,-”

He gestures towards the door behind him, and Merlin takes his first shaky step forward, coming into line with Arthur as Uther finishes:

“Merlin, of Ealdor!”

Arthur and Merlin walk to the front of the balcony, hand in hand, as the loudest cheers Merlin has ever heard explode from the crowd. Despite the thunderous noise, Merlin can still pick out the cheers of his mother, uncle, friend, and older brother, and the leisurely applause from Morgana behind him, and he smiles in spite of his nerves. Arthur squeezes his hand once more, and they raise their joined fists to the crowds as they grin, struggling to hold in their laughter at the sheer amount of joy on the faces of everyone (bar Uther, of course, he just looked marginally happy)  present.

Merlin has become even more recognised around the kingdom; normally seen trailing Gaius (who is also well-known, and well-loved) or, as inappropriate as it might be (at least according to Uther’s council), hanging around with Morgana and Gwen during the day. The castle’s servants and the majority of the knights had guessed that Merlin was the soulmate of either Prince Arthur or the Lady Morgana, what with how often he was with them and the way King Uther was apparently ok with that, and gossip spread like wildfire. But the loud cheers just drive home how well-loved Merlin is, and he tears up in response.

Merlin and Arthur finally step away from the edge of the balcony, and Uther continues his address of the people, though it passes by in a bit of a blur for Merlin, and he tunes out fairly quickly. He’s vaguely aware of Arthur running a soft thumb over his knuckles, and Morgana stepping towards him to clutch the edge of his tunic (loud crowds had never been her thing), but the speech and the cheering are drowned out by his racing thoughts.

~

Uther’s speech finally came to an end and the crowd dissipated. The King rushed off immediately, after sending what could almost be described as a respectfully fond nod in Merlin’s direction, but Morgana, Arthur, and Merlin luckily had nothing pressing to attend to before the feast, and had around an hour of time to waste (read: relax).

Despite Leon escorting the three of them to Merlin and Hunith’s home dressed in full armour, sword strapped to his hip, the journey took twice as long as it normally did, with various nobles and citizens alike wanting to stop them in the street and congratulate them. Arthur and Merlin were endlessly polite and extremely grateful for the support of their (now shared) people, but Leon’s forceful insistence that they “have somewhere important to be, My Lords, My Lady” went quietly thanked.

Hunith, Gaius, and Gwen met them at the house, and a round of tight hugs was shared; all staring fondly when Hunith wouldn’t let Merlin go for love nor money, whispering tearful exclamations of pride in his ear.

The hour felt like it passed in mere minutes, but it was enough time at least for Merlin to relax a little. Morgana and Gwen helped Hunith get ready, and Merlin definitely did NOT tear up when she came out of her room dressed like royalty, a string of Morgana’s pearls around her neck. Arthur and Morgana had deliberately stored a spare set of clothes here so they didn’t have to go back to the castle to change, and the Prince just about managed to force Merlin into a new jacket and cloak (”Why?!”  “Because you have to, it’s protocol, you have to be dressed differently.”  “That’s fucking stu-”  “Merlin, I love you, but shut up and get changed.”  “...Prat.” ) .

The seating arrangements weren’t too terrible. As per normal, Uther sat at the head of the table, with Arthur around the corner on the King’s right and Morgana to his left. Merlin sat in between Arthur and his mother; Leon was, unfortunately, on guard duty, though thankfully he was being assigned to Prince Duty (training, hunts, patrols, bodyguard, etc) more and more, meaning he was stood at the wall behind the two boys. 

Thankfully, the only stranger anywhere near Merlin was a respected Camelot noble seated opposite him, and he seemed far more interested in boasting about his son to the King in the hopes of winning him a knighthood than he was in Merlin, and payed barely any attention to him other than the occasional distasteful glare (they did not go unnoticed by Arthur, and simply guaranteed that his prick of a son wasn’t going to end up anywhere near a sword).

So all in all, the feast wasn’t too bad. Merlin’s stomach was turning a little, but Arthur’s hand on his thigh under the table and his mother’s shoulder occasionally brushing against his own calmed him right down, though he still kept well away from any alcohol or too-rich foods, worried about making a fool of himself or turning his stomach even more.

The Gang also had Gwen serving them. Morgana had given up on her pleas to have her join them at the table fairly quickly; she could argue with Uther endlessly on many things, but she knew she was never going to win this one. At Guinevere’s insistence that today wasn’t about her, and Morgana shouldn’t ruin Uther’s tenuous good mood on Arthur’s birthday AND coronation AND soulmate-reveal-day, she gave in. But Merlin appreciated the feeling of friendly eyes, both Leon’s and Gwen’s, on his back for the course of the feast.

Just like during the celebrations of Arthur’s knighting ceremony, the tables were cleared from the room to make way for music and dancing, though this time Arthur and Merlin didn’t have to hide their partnership.

Merlin’s stomach turned more at the mingling he was forced to do, answering awkward questions about the purity of his blood and where he came from and his education and his understanding of social etiquette, almost all of which were phrased in condescending and/or downright spiteful ways. But the way Arthur’s arm, looped through his, tensed, and the scowl the Prince sported when Merlin couldn’t bring himself to, partnered with Leon’s comforting shadow (and even Uther’s, when the question’s strayed into cruelty) made him feel at least justified in his discomfort.

Morgana, at the quiet request of Merlin, spent the entire night by Hunith’s side, shielding her from the malicious glaring of nobles who felt cheated by her accidental winning of a position in the royal family. She was granted at least a little respect due to her being a relation of Gaius, who was highly respected and close to the King, but that was about as far as her favour went, and she was eternally grateful for Morgana’s steadfast presence and silent-but-deadly brand of defence.

The night passed slowly, but not so unpleasantly that Merlin was too desperate for it to end, though that changed rather jarringly when he found himself without Arthur for the first time. The Prince and Merlin had been stood next to each other, though involved in different conversations; thankfully for Merlin, he had been having a rather lovely chat about country-life with the wife of a knight. It was when she was pulled away by her husband to converse with another that Merlin realised that Arthur had also been pulled away by whoever it was he had been talking to.

Merlin tensed when he couldn’t immediately spot his soulmate through the crowd, but took a calming breath when he did spot Leon stood dutifully against the opposite wall, Guinevere next to him. That was fine, it wasn’t Arthur, but it was better than nothing, and he allowed his anxiety to swirl in his lungs for only a moment before he began his soft-stepped journey across the hall. 

He caught Leon’s eye, thankfully, and the knight frowned slightly at the empty space next to him before sending a reassuring smile his way, nodding in encouragement and understanding.

Alas, he only made it halfway when he was stopped by a rather harsh hand on his shoulder.

He turns around, barely swallowing a gasp and a flinch, only to come face to face with the noble he had been sat opposite during the feast. The hand was uncomfortably tight on his shoulder, and Merlin wanted more than anything to push it away, but instead he forced a smile on his face and bowed his head respectfully, hoping beyond hope that Arthur would make a reappearance or Leon would see his discomfort and be able to come up with an excuse to abandon his post:

“Lord Otto, a pleasure to see you again.”

The drunken Lord let out a huff of sarcastic laughter, pressing his thumb even more severely into Merlin’s collarbone:

“Hmm, a pleasure indeed. Tell me boy, how is it that you, a peasant, think yourself worthy of such a magnificent soulmate?”

Merlin’s eyes widen in shock. No one had been so obviously disdainful, but the over-indulgence in alcohol, the Lord’s privileged seat at the table, and Merlin's lack of any sort of protector had evidently given him a boost in confidence. Merlin stuttered for a few moments, not quite sure what to say, before quietly coming out with:

“Well... I... don’t really know, I-”

He’s interrupted by a far softer hand on his other shoulder, but is even more shocked when, instead of Leon or Arthur, he found The King stood by his side, flicking an incredibly scornful gaze between Lord Otto’s hand and face. It does nothing to dissuade the Lord, and Merlin can’t disguise his wince this time when the hand once again tightens it’s grip.

Merlin had hoped he’d been subtle, but the clenching of Uther’s jaw tells him he had not been; before he can worry about what social rule he had broken and how Uther was going to punish him for it, The King finally settled his glare on Otto’s face:

“I must insist that you remove your hand from my boy’s person, and refrain from making such improper inquiries.”

His cold tone almost sends a shiver down Merlin’s spine, but the confusion of having Uther being in defence of him (a Warlock) stops the reaction before it even starts. The Lord glances up at the crown sitting strongly on Uther’s head, seemingly reminding himself of his company, before dropping his hand from Merlin’s shoulder as if he’d been burned.

He bows his head shallowly, making himself look as subservient as his pride could manage, and Uther gives him a barely restrained look of disgust when he looks up again, interrupting any quivering apologies he might have made:

“It’s getting rather late, and you’ve indulged enough for one night, do you not think? I suggest you end your evening here, Lord Otto.”

All three knew that it was not a suggestion, and Otto bows once more before muttering a humiliated, red-faced “Right you are, Your Majesty” and waddling out of the hall, towards the guest chambers.

Merlin let out a breath, his face just a little flushed as Uther spares him a quick, concerned glance before pushing him gently towards an on-going conversation between Arthur and a group of knights on the other side of the band. Merlin lets out a relieved breath when he sees his partner, but quickly frowns in concern when he then sees the tense line of Arthur’s shoulders and the way his eyes were darting around the room. He’s obviously paying only the shallowest of attention to the conversation at hand; but then they meet gazes, and the tension drains out of him as he sends a relieved smile Merlin’s way.

Arthur politely excuses himself from the conversation, using the blinding smile that only made an appearance when he was manipulating courtiers and nobles, before making his way through the crowd towards Merlin, evidently trying to disguise his desperation. Merlin was absent-mindedly aware of Uther keeping pace with him, the supportive hand on his shoulder-blade not leaving even when Merlin sped up slightly.

(If Merlin had been thinking about anything other than just being at Arthur’s side again, he would’ve found the odd mix of disgust and gratitude for Uther’s presence very confusing.)

They finally reach each other and Arthur grabs Merlin’s hand gently, pulling him to his side and landing a soft kiss to his cheek. Uther finally removes his hand from Merlin’s back, and it’s the absence of touch that reminds Merlin of The King’s presence. He turns quickly, hand safely in Arthur’s grip, to give Uther a flushed, timid smile:

“I... uh... thank you, My Lord.”

Uther gives him a tight smile, though you’d have to be blind to miss the slight fondness in his expression as he shakes his head:

“Hmm, I’ve been looking for an excuse to get Otto out of here for at least an hour, the man is intolerable, his incessant rambling about his unremarkable son even more so.”

Merlin nodded awkwardly and tightened his hold on Arthur’s hand, but before either boy can say anything, Uther lets out a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders and settling hesitant hands on one of their shoulders each:

“I... am proud of you both, and I wish you all the happiness in the world. One day, this Kingdom shall be yours, and it will be golden under your rule.”

Merlin almost manages to forget the whole... unforgivable genocide thing, and gives The King a weak, though grateful smile, running his thumb over Arthur’s knuckles when he feels the blonde shake slightly. Arthur tears up at Uther’s words, but thankfully manages to keep his voice steady as he quietly replies:

“Thank you, father, we will do everything in our power to live up to your legacy.”

(An utter lie, considering they plan on undoing pretty much everything he’s known for the moment they come into power, but Uther doesn’t need to know that, and the sentiment remains.)

Uther gives Arthur one last gentle smile, before lowering his hands and straightening his posture, going from awkwardly doting father to detached mighty King within a second. He nods at each of them before turning and walking regally away, his cloak billowing behind him and his golden crown shining atop his head.

Arthur tilts his head in question and tugs Merlin’s hand slightly when he sees the small frown on the younger’s face:

“Merls? What did Otto do? He didn't hurt you, did he?!”

Merlin looked up at him in shock before blinking away the surprise and chuckling:

“Ah, no, nothing like that, just asked how a peasant ended up with such a magnificent soulmate.-”

Arthur looked like he wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or offended on Merlin’s behalf, so he settled for an odd mix of the two:

“-That didn’t bother me though, it was... Uther called me his boy.”

Arthur dropped his chin slightly in shock:

“He what?”

Merlin shrugged:

“He said “I must insist that you remove your hand from my boy”. It was very... disconcerting, and oddly endearing considering what he’d do if he knew what I was.”

He whispered the last part quietly, and Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise before chuckling quietly:

“Wow, never thought I’d see the day. My father being protective of a commoner and telling me how proud he is all in one evening, perhaps the world is ending.”

Merlin snorts, rolling his eyes and softly responding:

“Hmm. He may be a bit of a prat, but he does love you, and he has his moments.”

Arthur narrows his eyes at Merlin good-naturedly, a smirk dangerously close to breaking out on his face:

“You know Merlin, you may be right, but you’re still the only person I allow to say it aloud without sanction.”

Merlin just smirks and raises an eyebrow; Arthur laughs, and the world feels right.

~

It was late by the time Arthur and Merlin finally decided to call it quits. Morgana, Gaius, and Hunith had left around an hour ago, Gwen following them the moment her shift ended. Technically, someone had come to take over from Leon about halfway through the night, but he stuck around, patrolling the shadows of the room with one eye on Merlin always.

(The boys had insisted that he should go home and relax, but were quietly grateful when he stayed.)

They had been wanting to leave for hours, and normally they could easily get away with such an absence, but this particular celebration was in their honour, it wouldn't do to leave too early, so they finally made their way out of the hall when the crowds had halved and it was approaching midnight.

Uther gave them one last pat on the back when they said goodbye, and the tension practically melted off them when they stepped foot outside, despite the freezing temperatures of winter in the dead of night.

Leon stepped out just a moment after them, and the three of them make quick work of the journey to the house, not wanting to dally in the frigid air and just a little desperate to find themselves in the comforting presence on the family they had built.

They arrive just in time to find Hunith pouring out mugs of hot chocolate (a luxury that Merlin and Hunith never had in Ealdor), and Gwen adding another log to the fire. The next round of hugs was quicker than the last; everyone was tired and eager to settle down, to push the insensitive questions to the back of their minds and revel in the positive feeling of things moving forward.

Arthur had removed his cloak immediately upon entry, folding it precisely and leaving it on the table in the hall, his golden circlet following shortly after, cushioned by the soft fabric, but Merlin excused himself to their bedroom, changing into comfier clothes and washing his face. He had been looking forward to leaving all night, but now that he was home, he found all he wanted to do was collapse in bed and sleep, Arthur securely in his arms.

A knock at the door broke him out of his slow moving thoughts, and he frowned slightly, Arthur wouldn’t knock:

“Come in.”

It was Leon that opened the door, having rid himself of his sword and most of his armour (a pain in the arse, considering he’ll have to wake up early to put it all on again, but oh well), and he stepped into the room, quietly shutting the door again behind him. Merlin sent him a tired smile, but Leon saw through it and raised an eyebrow:

“You alright, Birdy? Anyone in particular you’d like me to embarrass during training or council meetings?”

Merlin laughed and shook his head:

“No, that definitely won’t endear me to people. Honestly, it was a lot better than I was expecting, and having Arthur scowling at people and Uther defending me was rather entertaining in the end.”

Leon snorted, muttering a quietly amused “yeah, I bet” before stepping forward and enveloping Merlin in a tight hug, one hand on his back, one in his hair, holding him close. Merlin melted into the embrace, clutching the back of Leon’s tunic tightly as the older man swayed on his feet slightly, murmuring:

“I’m proud of you, little brother. You handled everything just fine, the kingdom loves you; you’re doing great.”

Merlin lets out a deep breath and steps back, though was grateful to feel Leon’s hands still on his shoulders as he replies:

“Thank you. Honestly, I’m just exhausted, I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this for the rest of my life, and I... I don’t want to disappoint Arthur.”

Leon rolled his eyes good-naturedly and ruffled Merlin’s hair:

“You could never. He loves you more than anything in this world, Birdy, you’re made for each other, after all. He would abandon all of this in a heartbeat if he thought it would make you happy.”

Merlin frowns slightly, clenching his jaw:

“Yeah, I know, that’s what worries me. We’re meant to... bring about a golden age or whatever, and we can’t do that if we leave, but I’m not sure I’m going to be any good at the... politics, or the court manipulation or anything that comes with... with running a Kingdom. I know it’s a long way off but...-”

Leon nods in understanding and squeezes Merlin’s shoulder softly:

“You’ve got plenty of time to learn. And hey, if you want to stay away from the politics? Fine, Arthur and Morgana have plenty of expertise in that area. You’re a physician, Merls, not a courtier, and the kingdom already loves you, not because you’re a good politician or anything like that, but because you’re a good person, and you’re worth loving. Just keep being yourself and you’ll be absolutely fine. And besides, you’ll always have us lot to fall back on when you’re unsure; you’ll never be alone, little brother, I’ll make sure of it.”

Merlin nods and sniffles slightly at Leon’s words, giving him another tight hug. They step back into the hall, and Leon gives Merlin’s hand a gentle squeeze:

“Ready? I can tell them you headed to bed, if you just want some sleep?”

Merlin smiles and shakes his head, pulling Leon to the living room, where everyone is undoubtedly crowded around the fire surrounded by blankets and pillows.

~

From that day forth, Merlin’s life becomes a lot more... official.

He was officially given sword-fighting lessons by a few of the older knights, though thanks to the lessons Leon, Arthur, and Morgana had given him already, he held his own pretty well, and they were more than impressed with the skill level of someone they had assumed was a complete beginner.

He was officially invited to the occasional council meeting (at least the boring, everyday ones). He was always a silent spectator, his participation discouraged, though his presence expected; Arthur always made a point to ask his opinions afterwards though.

His new duties and lessons, on top of his pre-existing duties as the Physician’s Apprentice, AND having to keep his magic hidden and his reputation intact, was all somewhat overwhelming for Merlin, but the steadfast support of Arthur and Morgana when it concerns politics, and Gaius talking Uther down when The King wants Merlin to be more involved in court life, definitely help him in everyday life. Gwen’s hugs and Leon’s hair ruffling are certainly God-sends as well.

The oddest thing was the way people addressed Merlin now. He wasn’t even of age yet, but people were calling him Lord, and servants bowed at him in the corridor. There wasn’t much he could do about the nobles without making some incredible social faux pas, but he always flushed at the servants and insisted they stop bowing and just call him Merlin, at least when no one else is around. 

Thankfully, both visitors to the Kingdom and local nobles tone down the snootiness, especially when Uther publicly shows Merlin respect and rumours (correct rumours) spread of Arthur and Morgana’s protectiveness.

Merlin’s birthday was celebrated minimally, though there was, once again, a mix of feelings upon the realisation that he was now only one year away from being of age, and things would surely get even more intense when that happened. But they all tried to push it from their minds, at least for the time being.

As winter broke and the sun came up on what was undoubtedly a Spring day, Merlin felt the most refreshed he had in a long time, though his mood dropped instantly when he, Arthur, and Morgana were summoned to Uther’s private study... only to be given another mini, awkward “I’m proud of you” speech, and given a week off.

Of course, Arthur was still somewhat expected to keep up with his training at least a little, but really, there was nothing forcing him to.

They exited the study flushed with pride and excitement at the prospect of doing whatever the hell they wanted for a week, and met Gwen in the hall. She was worrying her lip between her teeth when they saw her, but she instantly relaxed and raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw the grins on their faces, and Morgana explained what had happened.

It was that evening, whilst relaxing in Arthur’s chambers, that Merlin heard the dreaded echo of “Emrys...” in his head.

He groaned, dropping his head in his hands, out of both frustration and the pain of another’s voice unexpectedly materializing on the inside of one’s skull.

It was just Arthur and Merlin in the room, and the Prince immediately moved from his own chair to kneel in front of his soulmate, running his hands up and down Merlin’s arms as he shakily asks:

“Merls? What’s wrong?”

Merlin just looks up at him blearily, one hand taking Arthur’s and the other rubbing his temple:

“Fucking... scaly arsehole.”

Arthur tenses and frowns as he answers:

“I thought he had given up months ago? Why is he calling you now?”

Merlin shrugs, slumping back in his seat:

“Who knows, he didn’t say, he just-”

“It’s important, bring your little... friends, if it makes you feel any better.”

“-never mind. He just said it’s important, and I can bring my “little friends” if I want.-”

He snorted in dry amusement before continuing:

“-as if I would’ve listened if he told me to go alone anyway. I really thought that me thinking “Fuck Off” as loud as I could helped him get the hint. Apparently not.”

Arthur rolled his eyes before looking to Merlin in concern:

“Well... do you want to go? Or do you want to just hope he goes away again?”

Merlin sighs, but before he can answer, the voice echoes once again:

“I will not go away this time, young Warlock. This is important, and I have very little else to entertain myself with, other than being an annoyance to you. Come.”

He huffs in frustration, standing abruptly and taking Arthur’s hand, dragging him to where their swords are kept as he grumbles:

“He’s not going away this time. Let’s fetch Leon and head down.”

Arthur dutifully follows, strapping his sword to his hip and locking the chamber doors behind them, not speaking until they were approaching Leon’s door:

“No Morgana or Gwen?”

Merlin halts, clenching his hands tightly as he thinks for a moment:

“Hmm. No, I don’t want to freak them out. We can tell them what happens later, but I don’t want Morgana to have to face him again.”

Arthur nods, and knocks quietly on Leon’s door. He opens quickly, and Arthur and Merlin are thankful that they didn’t wake him, though quickly notice his panic when he sees their grave faces and swords.

The explanation is quick, and within a few minutes the trio are making a stealthy journey down to the Dragon’s Lair. There are no dramatic appearances this time, the great lizard is already perched regally on the edge of the platform, waiting for them.

He tilts his head when he sees their tense forms at the gate:

“I’m grateful that you did not bring the Witch.”

Arthur and Leon look to Merlin in confusion as he bristles, tightening his grip on the sword at his hip as he speaks:

“Yeah, well, I didn’t fancy you trying to kill my best friend again. What do you want?”

The dragon does what the trio guesses is the closest to an eye roll and dramatic sigh that his great form can manage, before lowering his head and speaking in English:

“If you won’t listen to me, I suggest you use your new found, though temporary freedom to meet with the Druids. They have all relevant information on the prophecies, you can learn of your destinies from them. The closest camp is a day’s ride from the Eastern border of Camelot.”

Merlin raises an eyebrow, but Arthur beats him to it:

“And how would you know that? How did you know we had time off?”

The dragon tilts his head and huffs out a dry laugh, the hot air making the trio sweat under their thick cloaks (it may have been Spring, but it was still cold) :

“I know a great many things, young King.”

Merlin and Arthur can practically feel the way Leon tenses, even from a  few paces away. The man, ever the knight, was obviously incredibly uncomfortable with the idea that this dragon knew the goings on of the world, could listen in on conversations, all while being chained in the basement. Before either knight can say anything, Merlin tilts his head, a challenging look on his face as he regards the dragon:

“You... you keep saying destiny, but destiny is pre-written, the whole point is that it’s going to happen no matter what anyone involved does, no matter the interference. So why are you so desperate to have us know it, and work towards it? Us knowing or not knowing won’t alter things either way, unless it’s all a pile of shit and you’re manipulating us.”

Arthur smirks at Merlin’s quick mind and Leon looks impressed, the two of them turning their own challenging gazes on the rather thoughtful looking reptile. He mutters something along the lines of “you weren’t so bloody clever last time,” before lowering himself even closer to the ground, closer to Merlin:

“If I were manipulating you, then I wouldn’t send you to a third party known for being pacifist and unbiased, would I? Destiny isn’t completely certain, it is simply one of many likelihoods, the most... benefitting likelihood, is the destiny of you and your soulmate.”

Merlin scowls:

“Benefitting for who? Something tells me that one day you’re going to ask us for something, and we’ll be powerless to say no, thanks to all this... help you’re giving us, and it’ll be a mistake. So, benefitting who?”

The dragon shifts his jaw in such a way that resembles a smirk, speaking once again in the rasping language that Leon and Arthur don’t understand:

“Do you not want magic, yourself, your people, to be free, Emrys?”

He raises himself to his full height, stalking towards the ledge and stretching his leathery wings out. The trio manage to hold their ground in his dauntingly large presence, but their hands do tighten around their weapons:

“Go to the Druids, tell them Kilgharrah sent you.”

With that, he tips himself over the edge, falling for a second before snapping his wings out once again and shooting upwards towards the shadow-bathed ceiling, thick chain clanging loudly with the sudden movement.

Merlin huffs and turns to ascend the steps without another word, grumbling to himself about “stupid fucking dragons” and “my one week off and I have to deal with this shit” . Leon and Arthur look to each other with a shrug and a mix of genuine concern and mild amusement on their faces, before hurriedly following Merlin back through the castle.

~

Thankfully, it took almost no effort for Arthur and Morgana to get Uther to allow them to leave the Kingdom on their little vacation. It being under the guise of “visiting Ealdor” meant that it was perfectly within the realm of reasonable requests to have Leon tag along as “protection” as well. Guinevere was coming because they of course would need a servant whilst they were out and about (though Uther was definitely beginning to suspect that something more was at play between Morgana and the serving girl).

Unfortunately, Hunith was unable to get the week off work at such short notice (mother of the Prince’s soulmate or not), and there was no way they’d be able to justify asking The King for Gaius to tag along, so they didn’t even try. But they set out the next afternoon, having filled Gwen and Morgana in on Kilgharrah’s rather vague and annoying directions.

Neither of them were particularly happy that they had gone to see the Dragon without them or that they were just... doing what he said, but destiny or no, consulting the Druids on Morgana’s visions and Merlin’s magic was still a good idea, and they’d never get a better chance.

Just like Kilgharrah said, they found the Druid camp two days into their journey from the city, almost a day’s ride beyond Camelot’s border. They had to be careful, wear disguises, but they were travelling through virtually untouched wood so they didn’t run into anyone, not even a pesky group of bandits made an appearance.

When the first tents came into sight through the trees, the group stopped to take a breath and prepare themselves, giving each other one last round of dubious looks before beginning to walk again.

They barely make it to their third step when Merlin pauses and takes a stuttering breath, clenching his fingers around Arthur’s sleeve in a white-knuckled grip. The others crowd around him worriedly, but relax (only slightly) when he looks more confused than anything else. Before they can ask what’s wrong, he peers between them towards the tents:

“Uh... how are you- are you Druid? Is this one of you?”

Arthur’s eyes widen as he realises:

“Someone’s in your head again?”

Merlin nods distractedly but doesn’t move his gaze, speaking louder:

“Hello??”

Finally, a middle-aged man steps out from the camp; he wears floor length, dark green robes, and his silver hair almost falls to his shoulders. He gives the group a kind smile before finally focusing in on Arthur and Merlin, bowing his head slightly:

“My Lords. Our seers saw you coming some days ago, and we felt your presence the moment you entered our wood, Emrys.”

Merlin clenches his jaw slightly:

“Please don’t call me that, my name is Merlin... and... Kilgharrah sent us?”

He says it as if it’s a question and the Druid gives Merlin an assessing gaze, before nodding slightly. Before he can verbally respond, Leon steps subtly in front of the others. Morgana rolls her eyes at his protectiveness and Arthur huffs, but before they can challenge him, he asks:

“What do you mean, you felt his presence?”

He tilts his head again and smiles slightly, as though amused:

“Em- Merlin is rather powerful; we can sense him from miles away, his magic is incredibly... distinctive.”

Merlin frowns, holding Arthur’s hand protectively in his own as he side-steps Leon:

“What does that even mean? I’m not that powerful.”

The man shakes his head slightly and gestures behind him:

“Come. I imagine you have many questions about many things. The camp awaits your presence, My Lord.”

Merlin frowns at the title, but the Druid turns his back and begins walking back into the centre of the camp before he can challenge it. He gives a small shrug and a quiet “well, here we go” to the others before following his trail, Arthur’s hand still clutched tightly in his.

They all receive peculiar looks as they walk through the camp. Life seems to stop as everyone pauses what they’re doing to stare at the intruding teenagers (and Leon), but they keep their heads down, all letting out a relieved sigh when the man leads them to a tent, gesturing for them to sit around a table, and closing the fabric gently behind him.

He turns around with relaxed shoulders and an easy smile, not acknowledging that none of them are sat down and are instead gathered in a huddle by the table:

“My name is Iseldir. Druids don’t have strict hierarchies, but I’m considered the chieftain here, welcome.”

He looks at Merlin as he speaks, and the young Warlock nods slightly. He opens his mouth to speak, but shuts it again with furrowed brows; Iseldir raises an eyebrow and Merlin hums thoughtfully before trying again:

“I was going to introduce everyone, but something tells me that you already know who we are.”

Iseldir smiles again and nods, the expression on his face looking something similar to pride:

“Yes, I know who you all are. I see that you are learning to trust your instincts, My Lord.”

Merlin grimaces:

“It’s just Merlin, please. It’s bad enough that everyone at the castle calls me Lord now, I’m not even of age yet.”

The Chieftain’s smile widens in amusement as he nods, and Morgana is the next to speak up, her hand clutched tightly in Gwen’s as her voice shakes only slightly:

“We were sent here to learn about our... destinies?”

Iseldir nods, politely ignoring the way Merlin reaches behind him to grab Morgana’s wrist comfortingly, and how Leon and Arthur rest their hands near their swords:

“I have everything we need laid out here; it isn’t too complicated and we should get through all of it by this evening.”

The teenagers finally move to the seats, but make no effort to hide the way they shuffle the furniture to be sat closer together. Morgana and Merlin are sat in the middle, Arthur and Gwen flanking them protectively; Leon remains standing, a hand on each of his magical kid’s shoulders and a blank, though slightly challenging look on his face. Iseldir raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t comment, moving to sit on the opposite side of the table and shuffling a few papers around before looking up with a smile:

“Let us begin.”

~

The general mood of the room could be judged accurately by how tense Leon was at any one moment. Though he remained standing, he was relaxed and curious when Iseldir told them about the extent of Merlin’s powers (which Merlin looked incredibly dubious at), and he smiled proudly when they were told of Merlin and Arthur’s intertwined destinies (the nature of their soul-bond means he already knew they had some sort of great future, and this only proved it). 

It was when Iseldir hesitated slightly as he gave Morgana a pitying look that Leon tensed up, and tightened his grip on her shoulder.

“You must all remember that destinies are... tricky. They are incredibly difficult to avoid, but it isn’t impossible; the future is not set in stone.-”

Morgana takes a deep breath and straightens her back, taking Merlin’s hand in her own and settling her face into a determined grimace:

“Just come out with it. Just tell me.”

Iseldir gives her a comforting smile as he nods, turning a sheet of incredibly ancient looking paper over and pushing it across the table towards them. On the scroll is a old, rough charcoal drawing of a woman with long, dark hair, her clothes somehow elegant and tatty at the same time. Her face is covered by a hood, but her arms are outstretched and violent looking flames extend from her hands, burning and destroying all the foliage drawn around the edge of the paper.

Morgana reaches a shaking hand out to touch the drawing but withdraws her hand before she makes contact, ignoring the tears gathering in her eyes as she looks up at Iseldir again:

“That’s me, isn’t it? Burning things?”

Iseldir nods slowly before speaking, his voice low and gentle, understanding:

“It is said that if you come into your full power, you will unite with The Once and Future King’s Bane. Your heart will freeze over, you will become consumed by hatred and fear and bitterness, and you will work tirelessly to bring about the downfall of Camelot, the downfall of Albion.-”

Arthur interrupts:

“Albion?”

Iseldir moves his gaze to the Prince, giving him a tight smile as he explains:

“The Kingdoms to be united under one name, Albion, with yourself as King.-”

He looks back to Morgana, his smiles turning just a little encouraging:

“-Like I said, the future is not set in stone. Arthur’s Bane came into existence several years ago, we’re keeping close watch on him; he has yet to show any... troubling, signs, nor have you.”

Merlin scowls slightly in though, before slowly saying:

“Arthur’s Bane is... a person?”

Iseldir raises an eyebrow and nods, letting out a breath of subtle relief when Merlin seems more genuinely worried than murderous.

Gwen is the next to speak up, her voice strong and her face determined:

“None of that is happening,-”

She reaches forward and aggressively turns the scroll over, squeezing Morgana’s hand as she continues:

“-not ever.”

Leon’s gasp has everyone’s eyes drawn to the overturned sheet, only to see a colourful image appear on the paper. The first figure to materialize is clearly Morgana, though in this drawing she is grinning, hood down, eyes golden and flowers in her hair. Next, Merlin and Gwen appear either side of her, Merlin’s eyes also glowing as he summons matching flowers in Gwen’s hair, Gwen who is pressing a kiss to Morgana’s cheek. Leon and Arthur appear next, in full armour with bright grins, a golden crown on Arthur’s head.

Iseldir chuckles, looking up at Merlin who is giving himself a satisfied nod as the golden glow fades from his eyes:

“Trusting your instincts indeed; you didn’t even need an incantation, very impressive.”

Merlin shrugs before turning to Morgana with a grin. She returns it with a shaky one of her own, once again feeling not-quite-so-scared thanks to the ever-comforting presence of her family.

~

They slept that night in a large tent that had been prepared for them, and were woken up early the next morning. They were given a proper tour of the camp and introduced to a few people. 

Leon had questions about how the camp was run, in terms of enforcing rules and staying safe, so he was quickly introduced to a few of the elders. Whilst he had been reluctant to leave the others at first, Arthur’s teasing laughter and Morgana’s rolled eyes convinced him to spend the day away from them, learning about as much of Druid politics as he could.

Merlin and Morgana were quickly introduced to the strongest magic users, and whilst Merlin was taken aside to be given some lessons on healing using magic, Morgana was taught meditation techniques and breathing exercises by the camp’s most respected Seer.

Gwen sticks mostly with Merlin; whilst she had no magic to heal with, the herbal knowledge that was being shared was fascinating and she was eager to memorise as much of it as possible. She of course wandered over to check on Morgana occasionally, at first out of concern, but then out of pride, out of a desperation to never forget how relaxed and happy and at-home her soulmate looks.

Arthur spends the morning with Merlin, but quickly grows bored. Perhaps he should take more interest in healing considering how often he and the knights get injured, but he’s already got Merlin, Gaius, and now Gwen, so why waste the effort? Instead, he finds Morgana and the Seer. The sense of relief he feels to see his sister looking so at ease with such an easy smile gracing her face is almost overwhelming, but he doesn’t disturb them, sitting a little way away and silently watching them.

The Prince didn’t even realise he had fallen asleep until the tell-tale pop and the sudden shadow of someone stood above him jolts him from his nap. He opens his eyes blearily to see Merlin crouching next to him, an amused smile on his face and his hand out-stretched:

“Come on sleepy head, the others are waiting for us, it’s time to eat.”

Arthur takes a deep breath, allowing Merlin to pull him up before he stretches and rubs the sleep from his eyes. The sun was only an hour or so away from touching the horizon and he could see no one else in the little patch of woods Morgana had previously been sat in:

“Morgana?”

Merlin smiles softly, taking Arthur’s hand and leading him back towards the tents:

“Happy. She joined me a couple hours ago and we were practicing some simple spells, turns out she has more magic than just visions-”

At Arthur’s slightly affronted expression, Merlin chuckles and rolls his eyes:

“-You were exhausted, Arthur, don’t deny it. You got this holiday because of how hard you’ve been working, we didn’t want to wake you. We’ll show you a few tricks tomorrow alright?”

Arthur pouts and huffs slightly, fighting the smile trying to appear on his face as he nodded his agreement. Merlin just laughed at him again as they entered the meal tent, finding spaces with the other three.

~

The next morning was just as relaxed, though this time the five of them stayed together. 

Leon, Arthur, and Gwen sat against a fallen log as they watched Merlin and Morgana show their magic off. A small audience of Druids had gathered as well, on account of Lord Emrys’ presence, and whilst Morgana tired quickly, not used to having such free access to the magic that had been inside her for years, Merlin could go for hours. He used few actual incantations, manipulating water and flowers and floating lights with just a little concentration and some imprecise waving of his hands. 

Noon, unfortunately, came rather quickly, at which point Leon sighed and stood up, giving Merlin a sad smile before looking to Arthur:

“If we want to be home with a day to spare, we should start the journey soon.”

Arthur nodded in agreement and the rest of the group joins Leon in standing. The Druids disperse fairly quickly, but Iseldir stays with them, giving Merlin a pat on the back and a wide smile:

“It was a pleasure to have you here My Lor- Merlin.”

Merlin snorts in amusements but nods his appreciation, and the five of them wander over to their tent to gather their belongings whilst Iseldir collects the horses. 

It’s only half a candle mark before they’re riding back out into the forest in the direction of Camelot. The teachers and elders, including Iseldir, wave them off with proud smiles, and whilst Merlin and Morgana are sad to leave this sanctuary behind, they were grateful for the freedom and safety and lessons they’d had, even if it was less than two days. Their utter faith that things would change when Arthur took the crown, that one day Camelot would feel just as safe, gave them something beautiful to look forward to as well.

Their journey home was just as uneventful as the journey out. When they finally pulled up into the courtyard with a day and a half of their free week left, Leon took everyone’s horses to the stable and informed a servant to tell the King of their arrival, whilst the others headed straight to Merlin and Hunith’s house. They had to wait for Hunith and Gaius to finish their actual jobs, but soon enough the whole group was crowded around the kitchen table. 

Arthur and Gwen (who, though no one else would admit it, has the best memory of all of them) re-tell the prophecies and destinies.

Both Hunith and Gaius were furious once again at Morgana’s so-called destiny, but smiled proudly at her determined disposition, and the obviously magical drawing (the flowers seemed to move and the golden eyes definitely glowed off of the page) that Merlin pulled from his pocket. The others hadn’t even realised he’d kept it, but are grateful.

Next, Merlin and Morgana talk about their lessons. Gaius was intrigued by the healing knowledge Merlin and Gwen had gained, and after double checking that the door was locked and the curtains were drawn, they even showed off a few spells to their captive audience.

(There were times that Merlin showing off even the slightest bit of magic would give Hunith a heart attack and nightmares for days; she finds it doesn’t bother her so much anymore. She knows that Arthur, Morgana, Leon, and Gwen would never let anything happen to him, and the new stories of his apparent great power certainly helped ease her mind as well.)

Finally, Leon spoke about what he had learned from the elders; all bout how they keep camps running, their democracy, and how knowledge is preserved and passed on. It was a little boring, if any of them are being honest, but the bright grin on the knight’s face kept them from interrupting him.

Eventually, it came time for everyone to head to their respective beds and sleep. There was no denying that they’d had an amazing few days, but it was also a few days of constant activity and sleeping rough... they were all exhausted. 

As Arthur and Merlin curled up under the covers, grateful for the slightly chilled night making cuddling easier, they let out simultaneous breaths of relief.

Arthur ran a hand through Merlin’s hair softly as he quietly spoke, aware of Hunith asleep in the next room:

“You think we’ll be alright?”

Merlin sighs and Arthur tries not to let the anxiety in his stomach swirl too violently at the lengthening silence. Finally, Merlin turns over to face his soulmate, shuffling even impossibly closer and giving Arthur a small smile. Arthur doesn’t comment on the nerves in the younger man’s eyes:

“There’s all this pressure on us to fulfil our destinies, to save the world, it’s a little... overwhelming. My whole childhood I tried to forget the fact that being Prince Arthur Pendragon’s magical soulmate would mean... everything, in one way or another, some day. And now that day is fast approaching, I can feel it, and I still have no clue what I’m doing. And that’s not even considering Morgana.-”

Arthur’s hold around Merlin tenses at the mention of his sister, and Merlin presses a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw before continuing:

“-I would give up all of it, everything, to save her. To see her happy. But... do I really have the right to make that decision? My people are counting on me, but you and Morgana and Leon and Gwen, you come first, and you always will.-”

Merlin rolls onto his back again, staring at the ceiling with furrowed brows as Arthur watches him mournfully:

“-I’ve spent so long being terrified of the fact that I know you would give up your crown if I just asked you to, and now I’m close to making the same decision myself; giving up everything for one person, to the detriment of the world.-”

He turns his head to face Arthur again, tears in his eyes:

“-I don’t know what to do, Arthur.”

The Prince clenches his jaw, having to push down the swell of anger at... everyone really. Kilgharrah, the Druids, the Gods, whosever idea this whole destiny shit was. Arthur often thought of himself as a fully matured adult whose place in the world was clear, but at times like these, he’s reminded of how young he is, and how Merlin is even younger.

He pulls the Warlock into a tight embrace, tucking his dark hair under his chin and running a soft hand over his back:

“I will stand by you, always, and we’ll figure it out, we always do. The future is fluid, Merls, we just have to keep an open mind and push through. We’ve all been through a little bit of hell, but that day? That you can feel approaching? That’s the day we change the world. I’ll force my father from the throne if that’s what it takes,-”

Arthur feels Merlin tense to argue, but rushes on before he can say anything:

“-not just for you, but because it will be the right thing to do, one day. This Kingdom, and then the world, will be golden, and the five of us, and Gaius and your mum, will be together every single step of the way. Ok? You don’t have to do anything, Merlin, not alone, not ever.”

Merlin relaxes again, and Arthur can feel his sigh of relief across his collarbones. The room goes silent for a while, and Arthur only just hears Merlin’s quiet words before he slips into a sleep filled with peaceful dreams full of meadows and flower crowns and golden eyes:

“Yeah... I think we’ll be alright.”

~

THE END!!

After thinking about it for a few days, and re-reading the series, I’ve decided that I actually like the ending here!

I hope y’all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, thanks anon for sending the idea to me all those months ago! :)

[bunkernine]

Do you have more to say about your seven of the prophecy in your recent post? Like dynamics between each member?

yeah sure let's go!!!!!! so the seven is: drew, travis, malcolm, clovis, dakota, gwen, lavinia

they're an older group, leaning on that 17/18 age. they're just chilling most of the time, any time they argue it's over dumb things getting blown out of proportion because of drama queens drew and dakota 🙄

anyway this is how it goes:

drew: she mostly thinks about the war she was in and how she's being thrown in another when all she wants to do is just go to school and bitch. she and the rest of the chb kids have been going to camp together for years, so she's familiar with them but isnt really that close. malcolm is apart of her friend group tho and they just whine and snark everyone together. she hates dakota's attitude and respects gwen

travis: he was supposed to be going to college, but after years at being in chb, he found it very hard to adjust. most of his arc is trying to figure out that he needs to grow up, but also he's struggling without his brother. i think siblings in pjo should've been explored more, and the stolls are excellent cause they're so tied together and share both parents. so that separation after years is a huge impact... also he did grow up with luke, so that must be explored too!!!! knowing luke vs drew's knowing silena is very touchy and causes a lot of internal/external anger between those two

malcolm: my dude doesn't even care about athena, he thinks annabeth should've been here instead, and he just thought everyone would die in 5 minutes. that said, he's building more physical skills and just growing more confident. despite him and drew bitching together, they still butt heads a bunch. people tend to think he's serious but he just has an annoyed looking face and he's used to navigating the hectic-ness of the athena cabin by ignoring it

clovis: idk i think he def has the potential to be one of the most powerful characters, hypnos is so sick. his cabin is the ones who's been communicating with the romans via dreams to bring them together. after that he didn't care but his cabin pushed him into the prophecy and so he sighed and went. pretty okay guy, but pisses off people when he wanders into their dreams. his apathy actually makes them dislike him more, but one-on-one he gives vry good advice

dakota: literally always just trying to have fun, camp jupiter is so bad that this world-ending quest is the biggest vacation for him LMAOOO. he feels a bit free but his too lax attitude can be both good and bad. he and gwen hook up all the time 🙄 they're so obvious it's embarassing. but like ultimately, he has so much baggage from cj that he just doesn't know how to handle it. gets along fairly well with everyone

gwen: similar to dakota. both were supposed to go to college this year too, like travis, but to new rome. she literally said "i am NOT missing a semester' and brought all her work with her, but then travis used it in a prank so now she just bickers with him and keeps referencing it. she and lavinia get along very well, but she doesn't like drew or malcolm much. she's the most hesitant about this quest. i toyed with her having like, villain backstory or family. there's no reason, i just think it's funny

lavinia: she's the newest demigod around, and shes always running away to flirt with her gf on iris message or sending messages via the trees. being jewish seems like a big part of her character as well so seeing how that intertwines with being a demigod is interesting. drew is picky about her hair and always shows up with colors to redye. other than that, she and travis gets along well and she finds clovis funny because he helps her talk to poison oak. malcolm bores her, and gwen babies her. dakota is a bad influence

actually it's kinda interesting cause i just chose side characters who amuse me, but like almost all of them were in leader positions when they didn't want to be. they've all experienced the war from different viewpoints except for lavinia, and that most impacts them despite them pretending it doesn't. dakota acts like he's chill but he essentially has military training behind him and it comes out at bad times. i think for the most part they just bicker or mess around, but there are moments when they need to make a serious decision and they're too stubborn and pissed off to treat each other nicely.

ultimately what they have is that the seven do not, is history and deep knowledge of their world. drew knows travis is weird and has been victim to his nonsense before, but also she hasn't seen him operate alone. that kind of thing. they all could have memories from way back, and that sort of thing matters