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nicoline1998enilocin · 9 months ago

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Love at first sight

PAIRING | Prince!Tony Stark x Civilian!Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT | 9.7K

SUMMARY | Howard and Maria Stark, the current reigning king and queen, are planning on retiring, but they aren't able to until the heir to the throne is married. Their only son, Tony, feels like it isn't the right time for him to get married, nor does he have anyone he would even think about marrying in the first place. This all changes when you walk into his life and turn his entire plan for the future upside down.

RATING | Explicit (E)

WARNINGS/TAGS | Modern royalty AU, a few mentions of 'Y/N', referenced arranged marriage, use of nicknames (Darling, Baby, Angel, Gorgeous, Babydoll)

SMUT | Virgin!Tony, Virgin!Reader, size kink, daddy kink, breeding/pregnancy kink, dirty talk, lots of praise, fingering, handjob, oral (F receiving), unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!), cream pie, implied aftercare.

A/N | I want to wish the happiest of birthdays to @ccbsrmsf1 today! I'm so grateful for you, your love and support! Getting to know you has been the best thing that has happened to me the past couple of months, and without you I know I wouldn't be where I am today! This is one of your birthday presents from me, and I cannot wait to see what you think of this! I love you 3000, bestie! ��

A/N 2.0 | This one-shot is written based on this request from @ccbsrmsf1 and this Instagram post featuring the amazing artwork of @petite-madame! Thank you so much for the request, @ccbsrmsf1; I hope you enjoy what I did with this because writing was a lot of fun. This story is beta-read by @mrsbuckybarnes1917, for which I'm very thankful. 🩷

A/N 3.0 | Please note that the header for this fic has been changed as of March 10, 2024. If you see any reblogs with a different header, please note that those have been reblogged before this day, and I, unfortunately, cannot change those headers.

EVENTS Masterlist | @marvel-smash-bingo | Royalty AU

Banners: Yours truly | Divider: @firefly-graphics | Photo: Source

Main Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist

~ Tony's POV ~

Tony sighs softly as he looks at himself in the mirror, currently getting dressed to attend a ceremony he's not entirely sure he understands. He knows the point of the ceremony - to find a suitable woman for him to marry. The current King and Queen - Howard and Maria Stark - have been looking to retire due to their age and for Tony to take over the throne, but he can't do that without marriage.

And that is just about the last thing on his mind. It's not that he doesn't want to take over their position because he does, but he knows he's not ready for marriage yet. Tony knows that if he enters an arranged marriage, he will resent the woman he is supposed to rule the Kingdom with, and he doesn't think any woman deserves to be treated like that.

Just as he closes the last button of his shirt, he hears a knock on the door, and with a simple 'come in,' he allows the person to enter.

"Are you ready to go, Darling?" a woman asks softly and gently, and Tony meets her eyes in the mirror. Long, blonde hair flowing over her shoulders and her floor-length silver gown makes her look angelic to Tony.

"Almost, Mom. I need a moment to put on my tie, and then I'm ready to go," he tells her reassuringly. She nods before leaving the room and letting everyone know the ceremony can start. In the large ballroom, about 25 women from the Kingdom have gathered with their parents to give their daughters a shot at getting married to the heir to the throne.

Not long after, Tony can hear the loud music from the ballroom. He knows his parents are introduced, so he must prepare for his grand entrance.

His tie is quickly tied, and with one last look in the mirror to fix his hair, he is out the door and ready to head to the ballroom. However, just before he can turn the corner to lead to the ballroom, he finds a woman wandering the halls and feels he needs to help her.

"Are you looking for something?" Tony asks gently, and the woman snaps her head up at him. With big, round eyes, she looked at him, and that one look had a warmth spreading through his chest like he had never felt before. Is this what love at first sight is like? Tony wondered, and a soft pink blush appeared at the thought.

With a soft smile and a voice like an angel, she tells him she got lost on her way back from the bathroom, where she had gone to freshen up before the ceremony. She got lost on her way back to the ballroom because the palace was like a giant maze.

"If you go through that door on the side, you can get back into the room without anyone noticing; that way, you won't draw too much attention to yourself," Tony tells the woman, and she does after a quick thank you. As soon as she slips through the door, Tony feels an almost empty feeling in his chest. The woman is gone, and the warmth she brought along went with her.

Now, all he wants is to see her again. In whichever capacity that may be.

~ Reader's POV ~

Since leaving the bathroom, finding the way back to the ballroom has been a maze. Just when you were about to give up all hope and maybe sit somewhere in a corner until someone came along, you ran into a tall man with dark curls, the most beautiful dark brown eyes you've ever seen, and a suit that perfectly displays every inch of him, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"Are you looking for something?" the man asks in a deep, smooth voice, and for a short moment, you're not sure what to do. You stand there as you get lost in his eyes before your mind snaps back to the moment, and you tell him what you are doing.

"I-I got lost, actually! I'm here for the ceremony, and I went to freshen up in the bathroom for a moment, but on my way back, well- I guess it's pretty clear I got lost," you tell him with a nervous chuckle, and he gives you a reassuring smile as an answer. Aside from the smile, you noticed the soft, pink blush on his cheeks, giving him a boyish charm that made him look beautiful.

"Oh, that happens all the time! If you go through that door on the side, you can get back into the room without anyone noticing; that way, you won't draw too much attention to yourself," he says, and you turn around to look at the door he's talking about. You whisper a soft thank you before turning around and going through the door, your heart racing a mile a minute as you look for your parents.

"Where were you?! The ceremony has already started!" your mother said to you, and you apologized before sitting next to her, waiting for the King and Queen to be introduced, followed by their son, Prince Anthony Edward Stark.

As soon as he walks through the large doors that lead into the ballroom, your eyes go as wide as saucers because you immediately recognize the man you have just been talking to. You just told the Prince his palace is like a maze. However, you only get to think about that briefly because as soon as the ceremony officially starts, all you can think about is what will happen.

One by one, every daughter is brought forward by her parents, and they give a speech to the King, Queen, and Prince about why their daughter should be the one to marry him and why they are the perfect fit to rule the Kingdom. This ceremony has taken place for years and years, and it is how King Howard and Queen Maria got married, too. But it's not what Tony wants.

When they are about to call you forward, the Prince gets up from his chair and wants to make an announcement. He clears his throat before announcing to everyone in attendance that the ceremony will be over, and everyone can go home.

"I want everyone to know that this is unnecessary to continue. I have made it clear to my parents that I am not ready to get married, and even though I respect our royal traditions, this is one I can not get behind," Tony declares, and a murmur rises throughout the room.

"And the reason for that is because I have met a woman who I would like to get to know better," he finishes, and that's when a roar flies through the room. A few parents are upset that they didn't even get a chance to introduce their daughter, let alone allow them to be chosen by Tony.

His eyes are searching for yours in the crowd, but you're already ushered away within the large group of people, quickly getting lost. Your heart sinks into your stomach at the idea you didn't have a chance to get introduced to him, even though you feel the same about marriage as he does. But since you're of age, you had to join, whether you wanted to or not. And now you're rushed outside, but your life suddenly doesn't seem complete without him. Without the man who made you believe in love at first sight.

~ Tony's POV ~

Since the ceremony, Tony has been walking around with a heavy feeling in his chest as he tries to find out more about you. But there appeared to be no trace of your existence wherever he looked. From asking everyone who could know about you to even going out on the streets to see if he could find you, it was all to no avail. That all changed one afternoon when he finally ran into you in a place he never expected.

He has been looking for you throughout the town and has worked up quite an appetite. He enters a small bakery with a simple yet beautiful sign saying 'Y/L/N Bakery.' The smell of fresh bread is spread out onto the street as he walks by, and as he feels his stomach rumble, he goes in to try one of the delicious pastries on display in the case.

"Good afternoon! How can I help you?" the woman behind the counter says, but she doesn't recognize Tony as he's dressed, so no one will recognize him. For a moment, he feels a little sting that you don't remember him, but that's gone as soon as it comes when he looks into your eyes again.

It's all there: the eyes he's been dreaming about, the hair he's been longing to run his fingers through, and the lips he's been dying to kiss. The woman he had been thinking about ever since running into one another in the palace.

Before his mind has caught up to what is happening, he stumbles out something unexpected, making you laugh in response, his cheeks heating up instantly.

"I want to go out with you," he said, and as soon as the words left his lips, he could feel the embarrassment flooding his body. This was not how he wanted to approach this; he didn't even know your name for crying out loud!

"Oh! Uhm... Well-" is all the woman on the other side of the counter can say, her hands rubbing together nervously.

"Y-You seem very nice and all, but I- I don't even know your name," she tells him, and Tony nods in response. She's entirely correct, and he is making a complete idiot out of himself in this bakery. He's secretly thanking every God he can think of that there's no one else in the bakery alongside you two.

"Tony. My name is Tony," he quickly says.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Tony. I'm Y/N." Tony allows himself to let her name swirl throughout his mind, and it is by far the most beautiful one he has heard.

"Y/N," he whispers, letting the name roll off his tongue to taste it.

"Yeah, that's me! But to return to your earlier offer, I'm taking my break in about 20 minutes. If you want, I can sit here in the bakery and have a little chat with you. It's not exactly 'going out' like you asked, but I hope it's okay with you," Y/N tells him, and he nods. He'd love nothing more than that.

~ Reader's POV ~

As soon as Tony walks into the bakery, there is something familiar about him. You can't quite pinpoint what that exactly is, but something about how he moves is like you've seen it countless times before. You watch as he takes his place at one of the small tables in front of the window. His movements are graceful despite his broad stature.

The 20 minutes fly by in the blink of an eye, and your Dad walks in to take over your duties for the next 45 minutes so you can take a long break.

"I'll just take a few pastries and go sit with him," you tell your Dad as you point at Tony. He's a friend who swung by, so I figured I could spend my lunch break with him," you say with a smile. After an approving nod, you take four croissants before putting them on two plates and bringing them to Tony.

"I hope you're hungry, Tony. I brought you something to eat," you tell him as you set the plate before him. He looks up at you. He has taken off his sunglasses, and that's when you realize who's in front of you—the Prince you were supposed to be introduced to during the ceremony a week earlier.

"Thank you, Y/N. That's very kind," he says as he looks at you, drinking in every inch of your face. You're wearing less make-up, and your hair is in a messy bun, but Tony likes something about how you look now even more than when he first saw you. You look more like yourself; he can tell you're in your element here.

"So, how long have you been working here?" Tony asks you just as you're about to take a bite out of your croissant.

"I grew up with the bakery. My Dad, who is behind the counter now - has owned this for almost 40 years, and I will take over somewhere in the next few years if everything goes according to plan! I have always been here, and since my sixteenth birthday, I have worked here," you say proudly. You love talking about the family bakery because it is your true happy place.

The rest of your lunch break is spent discussing your work inside the bakery and what you like to do in your free time. All too soon, however, the time has passed, and it's time for you to return to work.

"Y/N?" Tony asks, and you look at him as you're standing up. "Do you want to go out with me? You know, on an actual date?" He's wringing his hands nervously, and a blush is on his cheeks as he looks at you with a hint of nervousness.

"I'd love to, Tony. How about you pick me up on Saturday at 1? For a picnic in the park?" you ask, and he agrees. With one last goodbye, he leaves the bakery and returns to the palace. All you have to do is get through the next three days, and then you'll be able to see him again. Until then, you have the memory of him and his sweet words to keep you company.

The day of your date with Tony has arrived, and you're just about to step out the bakery door, so you can wait for Tony to meet you there. The sun is shining, and the temperature is very comfortable but not too hot, so you wear a red summer dress with white sandals and sunglasses to finish it off.

"Have fun on your date, Baby," your Dad says as he closes the container where he puts some pastries for you to take. He sends you off with a kiss on your head, and you're very grateful that your parents understand the situation. However, you didn't mention that you are going out with the Prince because you didn't want to put too much pressure on your picnic.

"Thank you, Dad. I love you," you say before walking to the front door, ready to meet Tony. You're a few minutes too early, so you sit on one of the tables on the little terrace, letting the sun warm your skin as you wait. Luckily, you don't have to wait long because before you know it, Tony walks your way, and he looks like a God in the outfit he's wearing.

Tight, beige shorts that reveal his legs perfectly, spanning over his thighs and hips just enough to frame his bulge nicely, too. The light blue shirt he's wearing spans tight over his upper body, the buttons looking like they're about to pop with one wrong move. Topping that with his neat facial hair, a pair of sunglasses, and his messy curls, he looks like he walked right out of the romance novels you've been known to enjoy now and again.

"Good afternoon, you look beautiful!" Tony says as you kiss each other on each cheek as a greeting. The smell of his cologne invades your senses almost right away, and it is so manly yet very clean at the same time, and there's a bit of him in there to finish it off. You have opted for a light, floral smell, which Tony takes a slight whiff of, and he immediately knows it's his favorite scent and wants to smell it every single day from now on.

"Shall we, Gorgeous?" he asks, and you look at him as he calls you that. Butterflies in your stomach go crazy as you nod before hooking your arm through his, allowing him to lead the way to the picnic. The pastries your Dad gave you are in a bag hanging over your shoulder as you two make your way to the park at a slow, comfortable pace.

"So, I know this is a bit of an odd question, but what is it like to be a Prince?" you ask, deciding to get right into it. The question has been swirling through your mind since your first conversation, and you couldn't wait to ask him.

"Going for the deep stuff, are we?" Tony asks with a chuckle, the butterflies in his stomach going crazy this time. You hum in response, looking up at him, smiling as you listen to his story.

"Well, where do I start? There's nothing extraordinary about it if you ask me. I attend some events with my parents; I am preparing to take over the Kingdom one day, and things like that. It's not as glamorous as everyone might think," he shrugs, but you don't believe him for a second.

"I'm not sure I believe that for even a second! Your life seems much more interesting than you make it out to be. Constant parties, fancy dinners, and things like that, I feel like that must be a dream!" you tell him in a teasing yet enthusiastic tone, and he can't help but smile as he listens to you talking about your perspective of his life.

"You know what, if it weren't for the ceremony, we wouldn't have met, and that would have been a real shame," he says after thinking for a moment.

"Speaking of which, were you there as a guest, or...?" he lets his question trail off, the rest of it implied as you know what he's about to ask. He wants to know if you were one of the candidates for the arranged marriage.

"I was one of the ladies who was supposed to be introduced to you, but right before we could get up, you decided you didn't want the ceremony to continue because you had already met someone. And that's kind of why I was surprised when you asked me out, to be honest. If there is someone else, why would you be going out with me?" you ask, shyness creeping in as you ask the last question.

Tony chuckles as he shakes his head, and his curls bounce playfully when he does.

"Gorgeous, the only reason I said that is because of you. You're the woman who I saw and wanted to get to know. You're the woman who caught my eye, and ever since we ran into each other, I knew none of the women in the room would compare to you and your beauty. You're the one who made my heart beat faster, and I was quite sad I never caught your name that night," he says, and that's when the two of you come to a halt.

"Do you- I mean- Really?" you ask him with furrowed brows.

"Yeah. I know it's probably way too soon to say this, but I never believed in love at first sight until I met you, Gorgeous. The moment I walked into the bakery and saw you again, it felt like my entire life fell back into place again, and I knew I wanted to get to know you better," Tony tells you as he looks into your eyes.

Even though his are hidden behind sunglasses, you know they're focused on yours as he says those things. Your gaze flicks down to his lips as you bite yours before you stand on your tiptoes, reaching for him. Your lips make contact with the facial hair on his cheek, the feeling of it scratchy against the softness of your lips.

"Thank you for finding me, Tony," you whisper as you watch his cheeks turn red. A smile tugs on the corners of his lips as you move to be flat on your feet again.

The picnic was like one straight out of a fairytale. Everything felt so natural between you, from cracking jokes and laughing constantly to some of the most amazing foods you've ever had. At one moment, Tony moved to interlace his fingers with yours, and you two have been seated like that ever since.

"Your hand is so much larger than mine, look! Mine is completely dwarfed when it's in yours," you tell him as you raise your hands, and Tony can feel himself twitch in his pants as you say that. It's something he's been dreaming about: you're so much smaller than he is, and in his dreams, he can't get enough of telling you just that and how much it turns him on.

Lucky for him, you then change the topic, and he goes to sit a little differently, so you won't be able to see the fact that he's pitching a tent already like a horny teenager.

The rest of your date goes by smoothly, and you're back at the bakery right before dinnertime, just as you promised your parents.

"Thank you for the amazing date, Tony; it was an honor to be taken out by the Prince," you tell him as he pulls you in for a hug. His strong arms pull you against his chest comfortably, and you never want to leave his hold if you can help it.

"You're welcome, Gorgeous; I'll be looking forward to seeing you again soon," he tells you before moving down to place a kiss on your cheek, and you turn red at the feeling of his facial hair - wondering what it would feel like to have it scratch the same way between your thighs. You quickly push the idea away because you've only ever been on one date with him, and it is inappropriate to think about him that way.

After your last goodbye, you walk into the bakery before letting out a small sigh, and your Dad immediately knows what's going on in your head.

"So? Did you two have fun?" he asks with a quirked brow, and you nod.

"We did. Tony's very kind and funny, and he invited me to a party in a few weeks as his date, so I think I can consider it a success!" you tell him as you walk to the back, and he nods. It warms his heart to see you this happy and to know it's the Prince making you feel like that secretly feels like a cherry on top for him. Though you don't know that he knows, and he would like to keep it that way for now.

Since the two of you shared your picnic in the park, Tony has been by the bakery a few times during your lunch break, and it is definitely the highlight of your day each time he did, but now he's dropping by for an entirely different reason.

The bakery is empty, as it's right before closing time, and you're just cleaning up. The bell above the door rings, pulling your attention to the man you're slowly falling in love with.

"Hi, Tony! What are you doing here?" you ask curiously as you see him walking in.

"I just wanted to give you a little something for our date tomorrow," he says as he holds up a large bag with what you can only assume will be very fancy and expensive.

"A little something, you say?" You walk around the counter, take the bag from his hands, and peek inside. Inside is a stunning dark blue evening gown, a pair of shoes, a matching set of silver earrings, and a necklace to finish the look.

"You got me all this?" you look at him wide-eyed. You had gotten a beautiful dress from a small boutique in town, which is nothing compared to the silky gown in the bag you're holding. It would have been fine for the gala Tony invited you to, but this will make you look like you fit right in.

"I don't even know where to begin with thanking you," you whisper as you look up at him. He has a warm, inviting smile on his lips as he looks back at you.

"There's no need to thank me, Gorgeous. As long as you wear this tomorrow, you will be the most beautiful woman there, and I know for a fact I won't be able to keep my eyes off you all night," he tells you with a wink before placing a kiss on your cheek, leaving you with a warm spot there as he turns around and heads out the door.

The next evening came all too soon for your liking, but you're very fortunate Tony was waiting for you in front of the palace, ready to escort you into the large building. As soon as you get out of the car, you see him, and the suit he's wearing fits perfectly and has a matching color to your dress.

"Wow, you look magnificent tonight, Gorgeous," Tony says as he helps you out of the car, ready to be escorted in.

"You look amazing too," you tell him with a shy smile as you look at him; his hair is slicked back neatly this time, and even though you miss his curls, this makes him look like a true gentleman and the boyish charm you fell for has never left his face.

"Shall we?" he asks, and you nod, allowing him to guide you into the palace and lead you through seemingly countless hallways and doors. Eventually, you reach the hallway where you two first met, and Tony can't help but draw attention to it.

"Remember this? This is where you told me you got lost in the 'maze' of this castle," he chuckles.

"What do you think? It's hard to forget! But secretly, I'm delighted I ran into you here. Otherwise, I most likely wouldn't have been here tonight," you tell him, but he shakes his head.

"I am sure I would have picked you even between all those women. There's something about you that feels like I'm coming home, and I cannot get enough of your presence. You make me laugh without a single effort, and I feel butterflies whenever you smile or even look at me. So yeah, I think I would have picked you that night, but I'm also glad we took the odd route here and did it this way," he says as he bends down to kiss your cheek, his facial hair tickling you again.

"I'm glad we did it this way too, Tony, but I also think we should go in because I don't want to make the King and Queen wait for our arrival!" you tell him, and he nods. The two of you walk in through the large doors of the ballroom, and he quickly guides you to the large table at the back of the room, where they are currently seated.

"Oh, Darling, it's wonderful of you to join us tonight," Maria says warmly as she looks at you, stretching her hand to introduce herself.

"I'm Maria Stark, and this is my husband, Howard. Anthony has told us all about you already, and we're honored to welcome you tonight," she says, and you feel a little chuckle bubble up as you hear her using Tony’s full name. He smiles in return as he hears your chuckle, and the butterflies in his stomach go wild at the sound. He can listen to that sound for all eternity and never get sick of it.

"That's my official name, but I usually go by Tony in casual settings," he whispers in your ear, and that's when it clicks. He has given you his nickname, which makes perfect sense.

"I'm Y/N Y/L/N, and it's an absolute honor to meet both of you tonight. Thank you so much for inviting me along," you tell them, and they nod in response. After that, Tony guides you to the chair on his left, and you look into the ballroom, which feels odd.

"Do you ever get used to being seated here? Because I feel a little awkward sitting here, knowing I'm just one of them," you tell Tony, and he gently shakes his head.

"You'll get used to it eventually, but there's no need to feel awkward about sitting here, Gorgeous. You belong here just as much as everyone else sitting at this table," he says, and you choose to believe him. Even though it's still a little bit awkward at first, you're quickly getting used to it, just like he said, and before you know it, the dinner is over, and it is time to dance.

"Did you want to share a dance with me on this wonderful evening, Gorgeous?" Tony asks as he stretches his hand for you to take, and you take it as you get up from your chair, ready to be led onto the cleared space that will now function as the dancefloor.

For the better part of an hour, you and Tony have been enjoying yourselves there, doing everything from silly dances to slow dancing. You two have done everything, and now it's time to take a little breather. Tony grabs your hand before pulling you through the large doors, the halls, and a balcony, where you have a beautiful view of the city.

"How are you enjoying yourself so far, Gorgeous? Are you having fun?" he asks as he stands beside you, his elbows on the balcony railing as he looks at you. Like Tony's, your face is flushed from the warmth and dancing.

"It's so much fun! I never knew dancing would make me so happy!" you tell him excitedly, and it works wonders for Tony, too. That's precisely why he gathers every last bit of courage before standing up straight and taking your hands.

"Can I ask you something? There's no pressure for you to say yes or to give an answer now, even, but there's something on my mind, and I have to ask you before I feel like I'm going insane," Tony tells you with a breathy laugh, casting his eyes up as he takes in a deep breath.

Your heart starts beating faster, and the butterflies in your stomach go crazy as you look up and into beautiful, deep, dark brown eyes.

"From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You make me feel normal in a world where I never used to fit in, and you bring a smile to my face without even having to do anything. And because of that, I want to ask you something significant."

With that, he lets one of your hands go in favor of placing it on your waist and pulling you close to his body, ready to seal the deal.

"Y/N Y/L/N, will you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" he asks, and you answer him with a breathy yes, your arms flinging around his neck and shoulders as you pull him close to you. His facial hair scratches nicely against your neck, and that's when you get the sudden urge to kiss him.

You pull back just enough to face him, leaning in to capture his lips with yours. His lips are soft and gentle as he kisses you gently, his hand touching your cheek as he deepens the kiss. Even though he isn't your first kiss, this is by far the most memorable one, and it feels like it goes on forever.

His tongue against yours feels like velvet, and you two can't stop exploring each other's mouths as time goes on until the need for air becomes more prominent than the need for each other. This time, it's his turn to pull away, and you look at him as the realization sinks in. You're officially the girlfriend of Prince Tony Stark, and it feels damn good to be in this position.

The past few years have been fantastic as you have been by Tony's side as his girlfriend and learning everything there is to know about taking over the throne together with Tony. At first, you still worked at the bakery, but once you talked with your parents about being by Tony's side instead of taking over the bakery, you moved into the palace for good.

It has been quite a change for them, but they have always supported you. After officially meeting Howard and Maria, they were sold on the idea. Now that a few years have passed, Tony has been working on preparing a beautiful yet straightforward proposal because he wants to give you everything you want and more, but he also wants to keep it small.

And that's how you find yourself on a beach in Hawaï with the love of your life, sipping on a cocktail in the sun. Here, no one knows he's a prince, and it is a nice change of pace for once. The ring Tony has chosen is handmade by the best jewelry maker money can buy. It is a stunning silver band with a single diamond in it. Simple but perfect for you.

"Gorgeous?" Tony suddenly asks as you're in the middle of reading a romance novel. Your attention is pulled away as his voice calls out for you, and you look up at him with a small smile.

"I had something very fancy planned for tonight after dinner, but I have ultimately decided that I want to keep this very small and intimate, so here I go," Tony starts as he gets up from his chair, the ring clutched in his hand.

"I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Over the past few years, you have shown me what true love is like, and I am grateful every single day that you have walked into my life because it wouldn't be the same without you here today," he tells you as he goes down on one knee, and you quickly discard your book without a second thought.

"Y/N Y/L/N, will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?" he asks, and you give him a loud and enthusiastic 'YES!' before swinging your body forward and pulling him into a hug. The two of you fall over together and laugh loudly as you let everything sink in that just happened. He proposed to you, and it's all you could have asked for.

"I love you so much, my Angel; of course, I will marry you," you say as you kiss him passionately, officially sealing the deal before moving away to allow him to put the ring on your finger. From that moment on, you're officially getting ready to become Y/N Stark-Y/L/N, and you can't wait for that day to arrive.

The rest of the vacation is spent enjoying each other's company and discussing what life will be like as an engaged couple.

"We have to tell our parents as soon as we're home. They deserve to be the first ones to know. And after that, I don't care who knows because I want to shout from the rooftops that I'm going to be your wife," you tell Tony as you're cuddled in bed together on the last night in Hawaï.

"I want that too, Gorgeous, more than you know," he whispers before kissing your head. And with that, you fall into a deep sleep, the ring on your finger and your hand on your future husband's chest. Right now, life couldn't possibly be more perfect.

Not even six months have passed since Tony proposed to you, but tomorrow is officially the big day. You will become Mrs. Tony Stark and marry the man you fell in love with after an accidental meeting when you got lost. It is safe to say he saved you that day and has never let you go since.

Now, you're gearing up for your last day as an engaged woman and the last night away from your husband-to-be. As per tradition, the bride and groom sleep apart on the last day before their wedding, and now it's time for the two of you to say goodbye because you won't see each other again until you're at the altar.

"I can't believe the day is almost here, Gorgeous. I'm marrying the woman I love, and I feel so lucky to have you by my side. Going through all this with someone as amazing as you feel like an absolute godsend," Tony whispers, his forehead touching yours. Tears stream down your face as he tells you that, and your eyes are shut to take in the moment.

"I can't believe it either. But the moment you and I met happened for a reason, and that's exactly why I'm so happy to be here with you today. You have turned my life upside down, but I'm glad you did, Tony. I know my life wouldn't have been half as fun without you. And to call you my husband tomorrow is the cherry on top," you tell him, and he agrees.

"And tomorrow, I finally get to see you naked for the first time," he whispers, making you laugh in response.

"And tomorrow, we finally get to see each other naked," you whisper back. You two have both been raised with the belief of waiting until marriage to have sex, which will make your wedding night even more special. Tomorrow, your life together will officially start, and you're celebrating it by giving your virginity to each other.

"I should go, Tony. I love you so much, and I will see you at the altar," you say before locking your lips with his for the last time until tomorrow. The kiss is bittersweet as it is goodbye for now, but the wait will be worth it. The two of you stay together for as long as possible, but when you officially have to go, you say your last goodbye before heading to your room.

Since you two started dating, you have barely been apart, so it is always challenging to be away from him, but it's almost unbearable on this night. You only want to crawl into your huge bed and under the sheets, ready to warm your cold feet on your fiancé's legs. His arms envelop you in a comfortable hug as you feel his facial hair scratch your face gently with the kisses he places.

All of that would have to wait for one night. Rationally speaking, you know you'll be fine, but it is still a little challenging to be away from him. However, as soon as you step into the room, that is all forgotten, as an entire team of women is on you.

They're taking last-minute measurements to ensure the gown is perfectly tailored. The last things are discussed for tomorrow, and Tony is going through the same thing in his room. Once it is all done and the dress and the suit are perfect, you're left alone, and it is time to sleep.

The next day arrives way sooner than you thought it would, and you feel well-rested as you sit up in bed, looking at the dress on your closet door. The white lace is made from the finest materials and perfectly suits your body, and you can't wait to show Tony what it looks like.

Breakfast is waiting for you, and you dive in immediately, needing to be well-fed to have the energy to go through today. Royal weddings are always a spectacle; yours won't be any different. However, the fact that you will see your parents again on this celebratory day makes it all worth it, because they have always dreamt of seeing you get married one day.

You hear a few knocks on the door before it swings open, and the entire team of women in your room yesterday is back again, ready to make you look perfect for your wedding day.

"Are you ready to be transformed for your special day, Ms. Y/L/N?" one of the ladies, Olivia, asks you. She's the one who made the last-minute additions to your dress and is seemingly the group's leader. She's very kind and tells you everything that will happen today as you're seated in the chair.

"First, we will do your hair and make-up, after which you will put on your dress and shoes. When you're fully ready, Anthony has requested a private first look with you, so that has been scheduled first. After that, it is time for the official ceremony and the party afterward. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," you tell her, and everything is set. It takes a few hours to get you completely ready from head to toe, but your breath is taken away when you look in the life-size mirror against the wall. You barely recognize yourself, but simultaneously, you look beautiful and exactly how a royal bride should look.

"Now, we will escort you to a different room where Anthony is already waiting for you so you two can have your private first look," Olivia says. You nod before letting her guide you to the room where Tony is. Before you knock on the door, she wishes you good luck, and now it's time to see your husband-to-be again.

You knock on the door, and as soon as you hear his 'Come in!' the butterflies in your stomach go wild. The door opens slowly, and you see Tony standing in the middle of the room, with his back to you, so that the surprise won't be ruined yet.

"Hi," you say as you walk into the room, and Tony immediately gets a huge smile, though you can't see it.

"Hi, Gorgeous. How're you feeling?"

"Better now that I'm seeing you again. Your suit looks beautiful," you tell Tony as you look at the black fabric of his suit, every inch of it tailored to the Gods around his broad physique.

"Can I turn around? I am dying to see how beautiful you look in your dress, as well," he says impatiently, and you can't help but laugh at his impatience.

"Yes, Angel, you can turn around," you tell him, and as soon as he does, his mouth falls open. You can also see tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he drinks in every inch of you, from your hair to your face and the white lace to the smooth silk adorning your body. He has never seen you be more beautiful, and he can look at you like this for the rest of his life.

"Wow..." he whispers before stepping towards you, your hands immediately grabbing his when he's close enough.

"I'm the luckiest man on earth today," he says before kissing your lips softly and ensuring your make-up doesn't smudge.

After a moment of comfortable silence, you ask him, "Are you ready to get married?" He nods, and after one last kiss, you leave again. It's finally time to marry the man you love. Everything goes by in a blur, and before you know it, you're standing before your soon-to-be husband, Tony.

"Ready?" he asks you. "Ready," you tell him.

"Dearly beloved and honored guests, we are gathered here today to join Anthony Edward Stark and Y/N Y/L/N as they unite to become one. This contract is not to be entered into lightly but thoughtfully and seriously, with a deep realization of its obligations and responsibilities. Please remember that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundations of a happy and enduring home," the officiant says, and you nod along in response, unable to take your eyes off Tony for even a second.

"Do you, Anthony, take this woman, Y/N, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you shall live?''

"I do," Tony says, and the butterflies in your stomach are doing constant somersaults as the words slip out of his mouth, followed by a large smile.

"Do you, Y/N, take this man, Anthony, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you shall live?''

"I do," you say with confidence. A smile tugs on the corners of your lips as you look up at Tony, knowing it won't take long for you two to be officially declared husband and wife. The moment you've been looking forward to for months is here, and it cannot happen soon enough for your liking.

After a short vow exchange followed by the exchange of the rings, it is time to seal your marriage for the rest of your lives.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the officiant says before stepping to the side, and Tony doesn't hesitate for a second as he closes the gap between you, his lips feeling perfect on yours. Your first kiss as husband and wife is soft and unrushed, making it the most amazing one you've ever shared.

"I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Stark!" the officiant says, and Tony grabs your hand in his as he walks you down the aisle again, ready to celebrate your union and the beginning of the rest of your lives together.

"I love you, Gorgeous," Tony says before carefully grabbing hold of your waist and dipping you back at the end of the aisle before his lips descend on yours again, and the reaction from everyone in the room is overwhelming. The happiness is palpable, and you're feeling happier than ever now that you're officially married to the man you love.

The party thrown in your honor after the ceremony was impressive, and you shed your fair share of tears during the night. From the speeches to the father-daughter dance, not a single moment will be forgotten, and you're thankful to have shared it with your closest family and friends.

But now, it's time for your first night as husband and wife. It will be your first time for each of you, and it is soothing to know that you go into it without expectations and with the same level of experience. You can get to know each other's bodies and find out precisely what the other likes at a slow pace, which eases your nerves tremendously.

"Let's get out of these clothes, Gorgeous. I've been fantasizing about what you're hiding underneath all these clothes, and I'm dying to have my first taste of you," he whispers in your ear, with goosebumps erupting on your neck. His hands glide from your shoulders to the zipper on the back of your dress, pulling it down slowly.

When it's fully opened, the fabric slides down your body, and you're left in your heels and the delicate white lingerie you wore underneath it. Tony's breath hitches as more of your skin is revealed, and he can't stop looking at the perfect globes of your butt.

"You're perfect," Tony growls as his hands wander, touching every inch of your body he can reach as you lean back in his touch. Your back is plastered against his chest as his hands glide from your hips and stomach over the soft cups of your bra, your nipples instantly hardening at the feeling of him.

Your breathing slowly intensifies as he takes his time gently playing with your nipples through the cups of your bra, kneading and tugging on them to give you the perfect amount of stimulation. Your panties are ruined as you keep getting more and more aroused.

"That's it; you're doing so well for me right now," Tony says as he lets one of his hands glide down over your stomach and to the front of your panties.

"Hmm, so wet for me already, Babydoll," he says, and you nod, spreading your legs a bit as he slips his fingers underneath the elastic of your panties, his fingers gliding through the warmth and wetness between your thighs.

"Fuck, you're drenched," and with those words, he pulls his fingers back before putting them into his mouth and moaning at the taste of you. After just that one small taste, he knows he's hooked, and he can't wait to get to taste your sweetness straight from the source.

"Lay down on the bed for me, Gorgeous," Tony gently orders, and you do as you watch him strip down to nothing but his underwear, which is when you can see a clear outline of his hardening cock. He's about half hard, but it's already impressive, and you're starting to wonder if it'll fit inside you. Tony can read it on your face, and he is quick to soothe you.

"Don't worry, Gorgeous, we can take it slow. It's okay if we don't go all the way tonight, and if we do, I will make sure I will do anything in my power to make sure you're comfortable and not in any pain," Tony says between the kisses he places from your ankle to your thigh and the edge of your panties.

"But first, we have to take these off you." It's all the warning you get before he rips the panties off your body with a force that has you gushing right away from how much it turns you on, and Tony is looking at your pussy as if he's looking at the Eighth Wonder.

"You have a beautiful, perfect pussy, Gorgeous. Dripping wet and so tight, I bet it'll taste and feel amazing," Tony says, and you nod as you sit up on your elbows, wondering what he's doing.

"Lay back, Babydoll; right now is all about you, and I want you to think about nothing but me," he says before diving into your pussy headfirst. If you didn't know better, you would think he had done this countless times before because, with every movement of his tongue, you can feel your orgasm building inside you.

Your moans become uncontrollable the closer you get. When Tony moves to pay every bit of attention to your clit, he has to hold your legs open with his arms as you keep rutting up against him and trying to close them from the overwhelming amount of pleasure.

"That's it, Babydoll, doing so well for me!" he tells you as you're on the edge, and the second he wraps his lips around your clit and sucks you fall apart, writhing in his hold as he works you through your first orgasm. Your entire body is trembling as Tony lets you go, but it is one of the best feelings you've ever experienced.

"You taste even better from the source, you know that?" Tony says as he crawls over you before kissing you deeply, the arousal on his tongue now coating yours, too. It is hotter than you ever thought, and you enjoy every second.

"How're you feeling so far, Gorgeous?" Tony asks as he tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear.

"Good," you tell him with a dopey smile, and he can't help but fall in love with you even more now. This was only your first orgasm, and he is planning on pulling at least one or two more out of you tonight.

"I'm glad about that. But before we move on to the next part, I want to tell you that you can stop me anytime, okay? If anything doesn't feel right, we can stop and readjust or stop altogether, okay? Nothing is more important to me than your comfort, so I want you to tell me if anything is off, okay?" he asks, and you nod.

"I will, Tony. But... May I touch you first? There?" you ask as you point to his now fully hard cock, and he nods in response before moving to take off his boxer briefs.

"Of course, Babydoll," he says, and soon the fabric is on the floor, and Tony is fully naked, too. You swallow thickly as you look at his size, which you estimate to be around 10 inches long, if not more. It's looking like an absolute monster cock, and your mouth is watering at the sight, but at the same time, you're very worried it won't fit inside you.

First, you bring your hand to him, wrapping it around gently before starting with gentle strokes up and down, earning yourself some groans as you repeat the same motions. Precum starts to leak from the tip, and you're getting more confidence as you go on. Tony is almost at the point of orgasm when he suddenly stops you.

"That's it for now, Babydoll; if you keep going, I'll cum already, and I was hoping I could save that for when I'm buried deep inside that delicious pussy of yours," Tony says before grabbing the back of your neck and pulling you in for a deep kiss.

"Let's get you comfortable by taking off this bra," Tony says as he unclasps it before throwing it away, revealing your beautiful breasts to him. His hands immediately start to knead them, and his mouth descends onto one of them, sucking and licking it as your hips buck up to gain some friction too.

He keeps this up for both of them until he's finally moving up your body, his cock lying between your thighs as he looks into your eyes.

"Remember what I said, Gorgeous. You can stop me whenever you want," he tells you again, and you nod. With that, Tony grabs hold of his cock before letting the tip slide through your folds, your body jolting each time it rubs over your sensitive clit.

"I love it when you're so responsive for me," he tells you with a big smile, and you smile back up at him. After teasing you for a few minutes, he finally lines his cock up with your entrance, just leaving it there for a moment before pushing in.

"How're you feeling now? Do you still want to continue?" he asks, and you look deep into his eyes.

"Yes, Tony, I want to continue. Make me yours, please," you beg softly, and he shushes you with a kiss. His eyes are constantly trained on your face as he slides in the tip carefully, a moan already leaving your lips at the feeling of it.

"Oh, fuck! You're so tight for me, Babydoll, such a tight, warm pussy for me to slide into," Tony breathes into your ear as he slowly slides more and more of his cock in, pulling back before thrusting in just a little more each time. With constant time to adjust and gentle thrusts, he is slid in completely, and you're both moaning and groaning messes at this point.

"Oh my, fuck! You're perfect for me, Babydoll, nothing but perfect," he groans as he starts thrusting, building up the pace slightly. After a few minutes, he carefully adjusts his position, and with this, he has you seeing stars and moaning even louder, your sweet spot being hit with every stroke.

"D-Daddy! Harder!" you beg him, and that's when Tony stops for a short moment. His cock twitches in your heat as the word keeps swirling through his mind. A deep red blush appears on his cheeks, and for a moment, he's a little unsure if he likes it, but that doesn't take long.

"Say that again, Babydoll, call me Daddy again," he begs of you this time, and you comply immediately.

"Please, Daddy! Fuck me harder," you ask him as you're getting impatient, and that's precisely what he does. He keeps building up the rhythm carefully, but eventually, he is fucking you with so much force the mattress creaks loudly and the bed bangs against the wall, but neither of you cares for even a second.

"That's it! Such a good girl for Daddy; you gonna let me cum in this pussy of yours? Huh? You're gonna let Daddy fuck a baby into you? That's what you want, isn't it, me fucking a baby into you so you're beautiful and pregnant, carrying the baby that Daddy fucked into you," he growls at the end, and all you can let out are a string of broken moans.

"M so close, Babydoll, so close and I'll fuck a baby into you, Daddy'll give you exactly what you want," is all he says before you're both falling over the edge, and Tony can feel you clenching down onto him as he spills his cum inside of you, releasing every drop of it deep inside you until there's nothing left.

Tony quickly rolls off you and to the side so he won't crush you before pulling you against his chest to ensure you can both come down from your highs comfortably. The silence in the room is more than welcome as you're both catching your breaths and enjoying the moment.

That night officially marked the beginning of your lives as a married couple. Three months later, you and Tony have officially been crowned the new King and Queen, while Howard and Maria are enjoying their well-earned retirement.

It only took nine months after your coronation for you to become pregnant with your beautiful baby boy, the heir to the throne. And his name? Anthony Edward Stark Junior. He is a carbon copy of his Dad and the sweetest boy you have ever met. When people say they don't believe in love at first sight, it is clear they have never looked into the eyes of their own baby because when you do that, you instantly know it's true.

There is such a thing as love at first sight, which brought you to this moment. Your amazing husband and beautiful son are creating a wonderful family with you, and in this formation, you know you will be able to rule the Kingdom effortlessly, and you can't wait to give the crown to him.

But for now, Little Anthony can stay as small as he can be for as long as possible. He has all the time in the world to grow up, and you only have a short time to enjoy him as a baby. And that's precisely what you plan on doing with your fantastic husband, King Anthony Stark.

#marvelsmashbingo #tony stark #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark fanfic #tony stark one shot #tony stark request #tony stark imagine #tony stark x female reader #tony stark x reader #tony stark x y/n #tony stark fluff #tony stark smut

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twohearts-hs · 1 month ago

Text

Defying The Odds: 5 - Michael Scofield x Reader Series

Words in Total: 5.4k

Pairings: Michael Scofield x Reader: afab x reader

Synopsis: Y/N was a victim of the mob since the age of fifteen, however, falling in love with the wrong guy and having an argument got her 25 years in prison for murder. She had a plan to get out in faith of her husband until she met Michael Scofield, who, despite his plan, fell in love with her. Now she has the mob and Michael Scofield's escape to worry about.

Warnings: Swearing, Prison, Intimacy, Murder, etc. you know the deal...

A/N: this is a complete series of ~105k words. Based on Season 1 & 2.

Hope you enjoy :)

Masterlist

Y/N slipped into Michael’s cell, the soft clink of the door echoing in the dimly lit space. Sucre, who was sitting on the bottom bunk, gave her a nod and a knowing smile before standing up. “I’ll give you guys some time,” he said, patting Michael on the back before slipping out into the hallway.

It’s been a few days since the shower situation and the tension between Y/N and Michael was palpable, but it was not just attraction. It was a shared understanding of the pain and weight of the world that seemed to settle heavily on both their shoulders. Y/N sat down on the edge of the bunk, resting her elbows on her knees, while Michael leaned against the wall across from her, arms folded. The flicker of a weak overhead light cast long shadows on the cell walls.

“So,” she began, her voice soft but carrying a hint of exhaustion. “Tell me something about your life before this place.”

Michael’s gaze softened as he thought back to a time before prison walls, before the plan to break out. “Before all this,” he began, his voice low and thoughtful. “I worked and,” he began to tell her about missing the phone call of Lincoln and how if he did answer it, they could be in a very different position. He talked about his regret and how he owned Lincoln for all of this. “He’s innocent, Y/N. Like you,” he said. “Wrong person, wrong time. All a scheme. Caught in the crossfire.”

Her heart changed a little because she did lie. She was not innocent. She killed those men. However, Y/N listened quietly, her eyes fixed on his, sensing the deep bond Michael shared with his brother. There was a rare vulnerability in his tone – one that didn’t often surface in the harsh environment of prison.

Michael continued, his voice steady but laced with determination. “Now it’s my turn to do the same for him. He’s innocent, Y/N. He didn’t kill that man, but they’re going to take his life for it. Breaking him out – it’s only the way I can replay him for everything he did for me.”

She could see the weight of responsibility Michael carried, the depth of his loyalty to Lincoln. It was impossible not to admire the way he was willing to risk everything for his brother.

Michael came and sat next to her on the bunk, taking her hand in his and squeezing it.

“I get it,” Y/N said after a pause. “It’s funny how people we care about the most can put us in these impossible situations.” She let out a humourless laugh. “I hired a divorce lawyer, but Sebastian keeps pushing back, delaying things. He’s trying to control me. I just want to be free of him, but every time I take a step forward, he drags me back.”

Michael looked at her intently, his eyes narrowing in thought. “He’s using the legal system to keep you under his thumb.”

“Exactly.” She sighed. “I just want to be done with him. The more I think about our relationship, the more I realise how fucked it was. I was groomed. I was manipulated.”

“How did you meet?” he asked.

“I ran away from the foster home and,” she looked down and bit her lip, “I was an addict. Dilaudid and he was the boss of my dealer. I did a favour for my dealer, and I got sucked in. I was fifteen. I got married at twenty-one and he was thirty-five. However, we lived different lives if that made sense. We may have lived together, but we had separate bank accounts, separate hobbies, separate lives. I was there for a fuck or to run a job for him. It was not love, it was control.”

Michael listened. “What kind of jobs did you do for him?” he asked, looking in her eyes and Y/N glanced away.

“Michael,” she whispered.

“Y/N,” he responded, squeezing her hand.

“You will never look at me the same way,” she whispered.

His finger tucked under her chin and he dragged it up for her to look at him. “Did you kill those men?”

Y/N had tears in her eyes, but his hold on her was firm and all he needed was to see the vulnerability and seeing the tears in her eyes.

“They were bad men,” is all she whispered. “Rapists, murderers, torturers,” she continued. “I had to.”

His hand dropped and he stood up and pinched his nose.

“Michael,” she tried, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“How many men have you killed in your life?” he whispered.

“Michael,” she whispered.

“Tell me. We are about honesty, Y/N.”

Y/N got up and wrapped her arms around her chest. “It’s better for you to not know,” she said with confidence. “Better for all of us.”

Michael paced back and forth in the small cell, his mind racing. The gravity of Y/N’s confession hung heavy between them, thicker than the walls that kept them trapped. She watched him with a mix of guilt and fear, her arms wrapped protectively around her chest if to shield herself from his judgement.

“Michael,” Y/N repeated softly, trying to close the growing distance between them. Her voice wavered slightly, but she stood tall, her gaze locked on him.

Michael stopped, his hands still pressed to his face as he processed everything she’d just told him. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “I don’t…I don’t know what to say.”

Y/N swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her own secrets bearing down on her. She had known this moment might come – when her past, as murky and violent as it was, would surface between them. And yet, seeing Michael’s reaction, the hesitation in his eyes, it hurt more than she’d expected.

“Do you hate me?” Y/N asked, her voice barely above a whisper, vulnerable.

He looked at her then, and in his eyes, she saw something other than disgust, yes, there was sadness, but also understanding. “I don’t hate you,” he said quietly, his voice strained but sincere. “I could never hate you, Y/N. But I…” he trailed off, shaking his head, lost in thought.

“You don’t know how to look at me anymore,” she finished for him, a bitter smile pulling at her lips. She felt her stomach twist painfully, a feeling she’d grown too familiar with – rejection, isolation.

“It’s not that,” Michael replied quickly, his hand dropping from his face. He took a step closer to her, though the tension between them still cracked in the air. “It’s just…everything’s complicated now. I didn’t know you were carrying that. And I don’t want to pretend it’s easy to hear.”

Y/N nodded slowly. “I didn’t want to burden you with it. But…”

“But we promised honesty,” Michael finished for her, his voice softening. He reached out, gently taking her hand again. Despite the whirlwind of emotions between them, the physical connection was grounding. “I’m not judging you, Y/N. You did what you had to do. I’ve been in this place long enough to know that survival sometimes means doing things that…you’re not proud of.”

She let out a small, shaky breath of relief at his words. “I just didn’t want you to see me as a monster. I did terrible things, Michael, but I did it to protect my life. I did it out of love and out of anger. I was controlled to the point I became someone I did not recognise.”

Michael’s thumb brushed over the back of her hand, the touch comforting despite the weight of their conversation. “We’ve all done things we regret. You were a victim too, Y/N.”

Y/N looked up at him, her eyes still shining with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She had spent so long carrying the guilt and shame of her past, it felt foreign to be met with empathy rather than scorn.

They stood there in silence for a moment, the air between them settling into something more familiar, more understanding.

“You said Sebastian’s still controlling you,” Michael said after a beat. “You want a divorce, but he’s stalling.”

“Yeah,” Y/N replied with a sigh. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows I’m stuck here, that I can’t fight back from behind bars. He’s using every legal trick he can to keep me tied to him.”

Michael’s mind whirred, and he leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. “What if we find a way to hit him where it hurts? Use his own system against him?”

Y/N blinked, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

“You know his weaknesses, right?” Michael asked, his eyes sharp with focus. “There has to be something – financial leverage, hidden secrets. We can use that to push the divorce through. If he’s playing dirty, you can too.”

A slow smile spread across Y/N’s face. “You always have a plan, don’t you?”

Michael smirked in return. “Always.”

Perhaps Michael can help her escape more than just the prison walls…

The moment stretched between them, their connection deepening as their shared trust grew. Without thinking, Y/N leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a soft, fleeting kiss – one that spoke more of gratitude than passion. When she pulled back, Michael’s eyes met hers, filled with quiet intensity.

“I can’t stop thinking about the shower we shared,” Y/N admitted with a small, nervous laugh, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Michael raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. “The shower?”

She nodded, biting her lip. “I just keep imagining…touching you and how your skin felt against me. Soft and warm,” she whispered. “I like this, Michael. Us. Whatever this is.” Michael came and sat her down next to him. “I like us too. I want us, Y/N,” he admitted. “Whatever this is.”

She nodded. “I liked showering with you.” Michael smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her lips. “I want to do more than shower with you,” she whispered.

He pulled away and his brow furrowed, but Y/N held his cheek.

“I mean…if we ever do this. You know…actually be together…I’m on birth control.” She shifted awkwardly, feeling vulnerable. “The government makes me take it. I thought you should know.”

Michael blinked, taken back. “Wait…they make you take it?”

“Yeah. A woman in a men’s prison…with rapists and…you know. The pill. It’s strange, but I guess they want to control everything, even that.” She let out a half-hearted laugh, but it was clear the while situation weight on her,

Michael’s hand tightened slightly around hers, his gaze softening. “That’s messed up. But I get why they do it. They don’t care about anything but maintaining control.”

“Exactly,” Y/N agreed. “But I just wanted you to know. If – when – the time comes…”

Michael’s expression grew serious, though his eyes held a softness that reassured her. “I want that too, Y/N. I think about it, more than I should in this place, But we’re never really alone, not truly. Except for the shower which is–“

“–gross,” she finished.

“And not very romantic,” he chuckled.

“It’s my first time on the pill as I’ve always had IUDs,” she admitted. “But, I did not have a choice. So, I’ve been moody as hell and so tried. My breasts are tender all the time,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he responded, squeezing her hand.

She shrugged. Sucre came back and she glanced up to see him at the cell door. “I guess I go back.”

Y/N got up and as she was leaving the cell, Michael grabbed her hand. “I adore you,” he whispered, and she simply smiled.

“I adore you, too.”

Michael got Y/N on PI and it sounded like a dreadful affair, but she knew she needed to help with the escape. The jumpsuit was awful. The blue was adorable, but it gave her zero form, however she could not care.

She trailed behind Michael as they made their way to the storage room. A fire happened a day prior all thanks to Michael and Westmoreland. The more this plan was panning out, the more she realised how thoughtful Michael was with this.

As they walked to the break room/storage room, T-Bag ran up to the fence.

“Hey, hold up a minute. Hold up here. Seems to be a bit of confusion. I’m supposed to be on this detail,” T-Bag expressed, holding onto the fence.

Abruzzi turned to CO Patterson and then looked back to T-Bag. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, John. You can’t be serious. Not after our long, illustrious history we shared together. All those nights in New York City,” he taunted, and Michael looked over to him. “In California. In St. Louis.” His hand clasped the fence, rattling it a little. “They were good times, weren't they, John? Tell the badge here about 'em. 'Cause if you don't want to, I certainly could.”

Michael than glanced over to Y/N and she instantly recognised those eyes before he glanced over to Abruzzi.

When they got to the break room, a CO opened the door to see T-Bag dressed in PI gear walking in. Y/N shook her head in disbelief as she leaned against the door.

“I want this place gutted. The drywall’s gotta be torn out. The studs gotta be removed,” Bellick said, glancing over each inmate.

Abruzzi cut in, “Boss, we’ve got some toxic issues here. Asbestos to start with.”

Bellick rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Take it up with the union. All I'm saying is, this room's your only priority now. It better be brand spanking new when you're done. If anybody's thinking about getting cute, trying to trunk one of these tools out here, Brady's got the outline of every single piece of hardware in here. And at the end of every day, every single piece better match up or you're all going to the hole.”

Then the COs walked out and door closed.

Michael glanced over everyone before saying, “Let’s go.” Then they moved the table and pulled the carpet to reveal the small drain.

Y/N went to go to the washroom during the PI time in the breakroom. Lincoln was curious because the way Michael reacted to Y/N made him curious. He walked up to his brother and pulled him to the side.

“You and the girl. What’s up with that?” Lincoln asked, voice strong.

Michael glanced down to his feet and then back at his brother. “Private.”

“Michael, tell me. Do I need to worry you’re infatuated with not just the only girl in prison but a mobster’s wife? She’s just some girl, and I bet she’s using you to escape. She killed men. Rumours spread,” Lincoln stated, voice filled with emotion.

“The thing between Y/N and I is private,” he responded. “I will say there’s a plan.” He glanced down. “She’s the governor’s daughter that was abandoned. She has some pull. But, I do like her. I really like her,” Michael whispered. “She isn’t some girl.” Then he pushed away from his brother to back to work.

The steam from the shower billowed around them, thick and warm, cocooning Michael and Y/N in a hazy, secluded space. The low hum of water pounding against the tile echoed throughout the room, drowning out the noise of the prison beyond. Y/N’s back was pressed against the cold, wet wall, her skin contrasting with the heat radiating between them. Her breaths were ragged, her lips swollen from Michael’s heated kisses.

They haven’t had sex. She was too grossed out with the bathrooms and additionally, she fears someone walking into them. However, she allowed him to touch her in the shower.

His hands roamed her body with desperate intent, trailing from her waist to her hips, then slowly, tantalizingly up her sides. His hand grasped her breast which made her moan.

“Are they still tender?” he whispered against her lips as her hands held his shoulders.

“Yeah, a little,” she responded. “But you can still touch them.”

Michael nodded, cupping them before running his finger down her naval. Every inch of her was on fire beneath his touch, their bodies slick with water, skin glistening and his tattoo shone brighter than ever. She pulled him closer, as his mouth captured hers again in a searing kiss that left both of them breathless.

Their connection was primal – suppressed emotion and tension finally coming to the surface. Michael’s lips moved with fervour against Y/N’s, his tongue tracing her lower lip, making her shiver against the cool tiles. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him, and for a moment, it felt as though nothing else existed outside the steamy haze of the shower.

Y/N’s nails raked down his chest, her heart pounding in her throat as she clung to him. Her back arched slightly off the wall, pressing their bodies even closer. The heat between them was electric, charged with a yearning that had been simmering for far too long. She let out a soft moan as Michael’s lips left hers, trailing kisses down her neck, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

Then, suddenly, a sound broke through the fog of their passion – someone clearing their throat.

Y/N’s eyes flew open instantly in shock, her body tensing beneath Michael’s touch. She instantly tried to cover herself, reaching for her towel but before she could react fully, Michael moved quicker He spun around, placing himself between Y/N and the intruder, shielding her naked body with his own. His muscles flexed, standing protectively in front of her as if ready to defend her from the world.

Seth stood there with a worried expression on his face. “Help me. Please,” he muttered.

Michael looked at him then across the room where T-Bag came through, clearing his throat while Seth walked away. Y/N quickly grabbed her towel and wrapped her body with it as she grasped onto Michael’s arm. He took a step back, shielding her further.

“You’ll have to forgive my boy. He has the propensity to be a bit gregarious when he shouldn’t be. Fraternising in the prison showers, come on, but then I spot this,” he mocked. T-Bag’s eyes gleamed with twisted amusement as he took in the scene. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and a smug grin tugging at his lips. His gaze flickered between Michael and Y/N, savouring the sight of their vulnerability.

“Maybe you oughta cut the kid a break,” Michael said, grabbing his own towel.

“Fraternizin’ in the showers. Y/L/N and Scofield. If I were to come out about this…this little relationship. So cute,” T-Bag drawled, his tone mocking. “Ain’t that sweet? Though, I gotta say, Scofield, if you think you can go around meddlin’ in my affairs, then maybe I oughta start meddlin’ in yours.”

Michael’s eyes darkened, his entire body rigid with tension. He took a small step forward, keeping Y/N hidden behind him, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t.”

T-Bag tilted his head, his grin widening as he pushed off the wall and swaggered closer. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. But it’d be a damn shame if word got out that you’ve been sneakin’ around with the pretty lady here. The guards might not take too kindly to that. And who knows what kind of attention it might bring from the other fellas…”

Y/N’s heart raced in her chest, the weight of the situation crashing down on her. She felt exposed, vulnerable, but Michael’s presence in front of her was solid, unyielding. She could see the tension rolling off him, his fists clenched at his sides, ready to fight if necessary. Y/N squeezed his tattooed arm.

“You lay a land on her,” Michael growled, his voice low and steady, “and you’ll regret it.”

T-Bag chuckled, the sound slithering through the room like a snake. “Big words for a man with a lot to lose. Especially now that I am fully invested in your affairs. But I’d be careful, Scofield. In this place, everyone’s got somethin’ to protect. And if you start messin’ with what’s mine, well…let’s just say I won’t be the only one sufferin’ the consequences.”

Michael took a step forward, his face inches from T-Bag’s, the air between them crackling with tension. “Stay away from her,” he warned.

T-Bag’s smile faltered for a brief second, but then he shrugged, his grin returning. “We’ll see,” he said simply before turning on his heel and sauntering out of the showers.

The moment he was gone, the tension in Michael’s shoulders eased slightly. He let out a breath he did not know he was holding and turned back to Y/N, his hands reaching out to cup her face, his thumbs brushing gently over her cheeks.

“Are you ok?” he asked softly, his protective instincts still on high alert.

Y/N nodded, her heart still pounding from the encounter, but the way Michael looked at her – full of concern, of love – made the fear fade. “Yeah,” she whispered, “but that pervert as seen me naked now and I can’t imagine what he will do with those thoughts.”

Michael’s jaw clenched at Y/N’s words, his hands dropping to her shoulders, squeezing them gently. He hated that T-Bag had seen her vulnerable like that, that someone as vile as him now had ammunition to hold over them. His protective instincts flared up even more, every muscle in his body tensing at the thought of T-Bag’s twisted mind working through what he’d witnessed.

“I’ll make sure he stays away from you,” Michael said firmly, his voice a low promise. His thumb brushed over her damp skin, trying to ease the tension that still lingered in her muscles. “He won’t touch you. He won’t get near you.”

Y/N swallowed hard, trying to believe him, but the fear gnawed at the edges of her mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his lips quickly before pulling away. However, with his hand on her lower back, he guided her out from the showers to the changing area, but Seth stepped in front of them.

“You’ve gotta help me,” Seth expressed, however as Y/N glanced at the young boy to Michael he simply just led them on.

“Michael,” she whispered.

“We can’t,” he responded.

Michael walked up to the storage room for PI. He pasted T-Bag who stared at him and Michael glared back…the tension from that morning still high from him catching Y/N and him together. Bellick was inside, watching the team while Y/N stood with a hammer in her hand. Never in her life she had ever done manual trade work – she always hired people, but oddly she was quite good at it. Michael came in and saw her looking at him and he sent her a curt nod.

“Hey! What do you think this is, a siesta?” Bellick said to Sucre who was sitting on the table. Y/N watched as Bellick pointed to a wooden board on the wall which showed he was the Fox River CO of the Month with Bellick’s photograph being the biggest, in the middle at the top, showing his importance. “You see that? Any idea how it got there?”

Sucre glances at Abruzzi then to Y/N who smirked and scoffed lightly.

“Work ethic. Those two words mean anything in your country? You’re on PI, so quit slow-walking me. I’m not gonna warn you again,” Bellick barked then looked at Y/N. “What are you lookin’ at, girl? How’s it feel doin’ a man’s job? Didn’t even know women could handle trade work.”

Y/N met his gaze without flinching. “I’m quite enjoying it, actually. Breaking things, fixing things…never underestimate a woman.”

Bellick’s smirk grew as he stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. “Getting cocky on me, sweetheart?” he mocked.

“No,” Y/N replied evenly, her voice calm but firm. “Just answering your question. I’m here to do my time and get my job done. No trouble.”

She glanced briefly at Michael, her tone measured. “Didn’t mean to offend.” With that, Y/N turned back to the drywall, hammering away as Bellick lingered for a moment longer before stalking off.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Michael wasted no time. He quickly moved to the hole they’d been working on, covering it with the carpet and pressing down to ensure everything stayed hidden. Y/N paused for a moment, watching him, but her attention was quickly pulled elsewhere.

T-Bag.

He was leaning casually against the wal, his eyes locked on her, but it was not just a glance. His gaze roamed over her body, lingering in places that made her skin crawl. It was the same look he had given her that morning in the showers, when he’d seen her naked…with Michael. The perverse smirk playing on his lips now told her he was replaying that moment in his mind, savouring it.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Disgusting bastard…

Sucre’s voice broke the tension. “The bulls find this stuff they’ll know we’re digging.”

Michael nodded, standing up. “That’s why we need to ger rid of it. One piece at a time.”

The group moved ot the yard, each of them quietly discarding bits of concrete and dirt into the soil. Y/N stood next to Michael, her hands full of debris as she leaned against the fence. The weight of everything that happened today hung heavy on her shoulders.

“Michael,” she whispered as she dropped the chunk of concrete to the ground, covering it with her shoe. “I feel…violated.”

Michael’s jaw tightened. “T-Bag?” he asked softly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he tapped his foot to bury his own stash.

She nodded, her voice low. “He’s been staring. Ever since this morning…I can feel him undressing me with his eyes. I can’t shake it.”

Michael straightened up, his gaze hardening as he looked out over the yard. “Don’t let him get in your head. He thrives on that – on making people feel powerless. But you’re not. He’s just trying to mess with you.”

Y/N stepped forward, her expression serious, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “Look, I don’t know what kind of woman you think I am, Michael,” she said, her voice carrying a weight of vulnerability. “But I’m not the type to flaunt myself or be exposed like that. I don’t just…let people see me that way. So, the fact that I’ve been this vulnerable with you – it means something. But T-Bag…I never wanted him to see me…us that way.”

Michael turned to face her fully, his eyes searching hers. He could see the anger and discomfort swirling inside her, and it made his own blood boil. “I know,” he said softly, his voice gentle but firm. “I know you didn’t ask for this. And I promise you, I’ll keep him away from you. He won’t touch you.”

“But, he has seen us, Michael. What if he tells the guards or the warden? What if this goes back to Sebastian, Michael? We might get sent to the SHU or separated or they send me away.”

Michael stepped closer, his hands gently resting on Y/N’s arms, grounding her as he spoke. “Hey, look at me,” he said softly, his eyes locking with hers. “I’m not going to let that happen. T-Bag runs his mouth, but he’s not going to risk tipping off the guards. He wants out just as much as you and I. We will finish the plan to get out of here. He won’t do anything that jeopardises that.”

Y/N bit her lip, her brow furrowed in worry. “But what if he does? What if he’s just waiting for the right moment to use it against us? Or worse, what if this gets back to Sebastian? You know he will hurt me…and you.”

Michael’s jaw clenched at the mention of Sebastian. He knew how dangerous her husband was, the kind of power he held outside these walls. But inside this prison, Michael could protect her. He would protect her.

“If T-Bag tries anything, we’ll handle it,” Michael reassured her, his voice firm, though his mind was already calculating the possible risks. “As for the guards, we’ll make sure they don’t have any reason to suspect anything. We’re careful. We’ve been careful. Trust me.”

Y/N nodded then heard the announcement of new prisoners arriving. She rolled her eyes and sighed. New people…new ways of establishing power. Y/N turned around to see the bus arriving with Michael as T-Bag came up beside her.

“Hi, pretty lady,” he mused bending down to sniff her hair.

Y/N turned to him and rose a brow. “Fuck off,” she barked walking around to be on Michael’s other side.

“Freshman,” T-Bag purred as they stared in front of them. “Mhmmm.”

Y/N gagged internally as she stared in front of her. But Michael squeezing her wrist before walking away.

All the inmates were walking back to their cells. Michael was a little bit ahead while Sucre was beside her. There was a chuckle from Sucre before he muttered, “Looks like I gotta find something else to call you now.”

“Why’s that?” Michael mused, looking down as they walked.

“’Cause you ain’t a fish no more. You ain’t the newest con in the tank…”

However, Sucre could not finish his sentence as they stood in the middle of the room, looking up and spotting Seth with sheets wrapped around his neck, trailing behind. He was climbing over the railing.

“Oh my God,” Y/N whispered. She watched as the man took his own life. Her eyes shifted to Michael who was focused on the man hanging there.

He cried for help that morning. However, they chose not to. They did not realise how serious this was. Y/N’s heart dropped and all she could do was walk off to her own cell.

Y/N walked with Michael and the group down the street to the corner of the storage room. They were just kicked out by Patterson, the CO and had no idea why. Y/N leaned against the wall as Michael leaned next to her. Anxiety filled her as they had barely any time to cover the hole up.

“What the hell’s going on?” Sucre said as they walked.

“I don’t know,” Y/N muttered as she leaned against the wall. Michael leaned next to her before walking over to Sucre.

“You gotta give us more of a warning next time,” he told him.

“I’m sorry. He just showed up,” Sucre responded

Y/N sighed, running her hands through her long hair before pulling it into a ponytail. Michael leaned over. “It’s going to be ok,” he muttered, mouth close to her ear.

“I know,” she responded, however, then Y/N heard something coming from inside. “Oh my God,” she whispered looking over to Michael.

“What?” he quickly muttered.

“Do you hear that?” she responded, pointing behind her. “The man is having a way more joyous time than you and I are having,” she joked. “I mean he’s getting one ticket to pound town,” Y/N chuckled.

Michael looked at her, mouth slightly open before looking behind her to try and concentrate on the sound. “Oh,” he muttered then smirking. “I guess he is.”

“I don’t want to be this person,” Y/N started, “but if you’re having sex in a room, where there is a table. You aren’t sex against the door or the wall because they’re broken,” she whispered to Michael.

“He is doing it on the table,” he responded.

“Yeah, and he is gonna fall in,” she admitted.

Then the noises got louder and Y/N put her hand over her mouth. “She is putting quite the show on,” Y/N said. “She is having a lot of fun.”

Michael leaned closer before whispering, “Jealous much?”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “In your dreams, Scofield.” Then she pushed away from the door and walked a little further away.

Eventually, the doors to the storage room opened and two individuals – one a male CO who kicked them out in the first place and a woman walked out, adjusting her skirt.

“The sneaky son of a bitch,” Lincoln muttered.

“You think he found the hole?” Sucre muttered.

The group of them walked back into the storage and Michael went straight to the hole and crouched down before shaking his head. “Another inch and he’d have found it. We need to find something to cover this hole A.S.A.P.”

Everyone agreed in that moment.

I hope you enjoyed! I had so much fun writing this.

Let me know your thoughts, opinions and comments! :)

Lots of love,

Ava <3

Taglist:

(let me know if you want to be tagged)

@enha-stars @wonuskie @believeinthefireflies95

#michael scofield smut #michael scofield fanfiction #michael scofield #michael scofield x reader #michael scofield series #michael scofield imagine #michael scofield fluff #prison break imagine #prison break fanfiction #prison break x reader #prison break #lincoln burrows x reader #lincoln burrows

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theworldvsyoshiko · 2 months ago

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So, as I settled in today to prepare for succubus things, I decided that I should take a look at the Steam workshop to see if any weird new Rimworld mods have come out in the past month or so. There were a few mods that probably merit checking out sooner or later, but nothing immediately applicable.

And then I found this.

This ideology addresses two of the biggest issues I had when I was playing Yoshiko. It gives you an on-demand source of new children (via ritual rewards) and it lets you banish them once they become adults. Mood changes are reflected in all of this as you'd expect. After some testing, it also seems pretty reliable to keep an 'older' character around by resetting their age with various methods such as dark rituals. I can have my main character hit 18, eat somebody's youth to reset her age to 13, and she's happy again and exempt from banishment.

But, I did have to do that testing. This is a new mod, so I needed to make sure it wasn't gonna implode. I set up a scenario that starts you off with 13-year-olds, picked out my starting location and stuff... and then started with the wrong character. Like not even on a full run. The wrong character for testing. I wanted somebody with a bazillion skill ranks so they could set up a little base without me having to mess around in godmode. I was trying to get a hyper-competent Succubus or Nekomata.

Instead I got this weird chicken:

Harriet here isn't bad by any standards. She's got decent proficiencies and her traits are great. She's awful at Construction and Plants, which are a real slog to start a settlement without, and also Medical, which is only a nice-to-have until somebody gets an eye shot out. With Very Diligent Student and Great Memory, though, she can pick up just about anything long-term. In the short term she kinda sucks, but she's a little better off than Yoshiko. ... on a personal level, at least. Yoshiko had robots helping her out, which counts for a lot. Harriet's gonna have a lot less food poisoning though, which also counts for a lot.

Harriet's a Lilim, which is... mostly to her advantage.

It's kinda a much more low-key version of succubus. Still unaging past 18, still ridiculously pretty, still delighted by violence, but no blood-drinking, no soul-eating, and no giant demon form henshin. A bit more combat-focused otherwise, though. On the other hand: while Talons means they're better at unarmed combat, it lowers their Manipulation, which is probably the second-most-important stat in the game. (Although I think CE offsets that a bit.)

Since I was testing the ideology anyway, that's safely in place.

Adults have fucked this world up, and it's gonna take a team of teenagers with attitude to fix it.

Features of this ideology include:

Anybody over 18 is fucking dead to these kids. Anybody over 25 has a -70 social modifier with them. They would rather hang out with a 17-year-old who just murdered their best friend than somebody in their late twenties.

Anybody over 18 will be expected to leave the group in short order. There's a ritual for this. If the ritual goes poorly enough, the newly-minted adult might get pissed off and start attacking children. This goes by physical age, not chronological age, so Harriet herself can cheat with a Biosculptor Pod or the Chronophagy ritual. And she will. She starts off with the former, because she's probably gonna hit 18 before she can research either of these.

They have five different styles: Childish, Bushido, Steampunk, Corsair (pirates), and Ocular. Who has time for a cohesive aesthetic when you're going through puberty. let's be fucking steampunk samurai pirates. There are overriding priorities on this stuff, so I might have to shuffle them around to get more than the first one or two to show up.

They have rituals that can summon other children to join them, cause a transport pod with a baby to crash nearby (don't think about it), or enrich the learning of all the kids who participate. I can pretty much recruit kids on demand.

Apart from their intense distrust of adults, these kids are generally pretty moral. However: I twisted the usual ideology rules to give them a gladiator duel ritual. You can't tell me that a settlement of vindictive children wouldn't make adults fight to the death for their own amusement.

#harriet's happy home

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wifeofsnowbaird · 10 months ago

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You put a spell on me

[A/N: I was too lazy to wait for the end of the poll. also i haven't watched the show and wikipedia is kinda holding me up so don't get mad at me for messing smth up, i'll go on the fan wiki tho, they always have everything.]

[EDIT: guys I forgot about the civil war 💀💀💀 I finally fixed it tho so yay]

Part 1/Part 2

Masterlist

[Billy the Kid (Tom Blyth's version) x desi!oc]

Warning: description of blood, slight violence, flogging, racism, flogging, slaves, smut in maybe part 6?

Summary: Sheila was a slave taken by a British couple at the age of 12 for her singing. She was brought to America even though they had the 13th Amendment where slavery was abolished. She saw a friend of hers, who was brought with her, getting flogged and that was her last straw, proceeding to run away. Until she sees the most notorious outlaw in the South, then she settles to free her friends from the British couple that came to America for money.

It was July.25, 1878, Lincoln County, New Mexico. Sheila woke up to nothing but harsh screams coming from one of her friends as she was beaten and whipped. She felt worried because the girl was new…Unlike Sheila who had been with the owner since she was twelve, merely because his wife liked her singing when they had come to visit British India.

Her friend, Catherine, was a sad sixteen-year-old, mourning the death of her parents. They had threatened the owners of telling law enforcement what was happening but they knew that they wouldn't do anything about it.

The other slaves ran to her screams but were faced with fear and did nothing besides revel in their powerlessness. Sheila sat there, her damp brown skin and greasy raven hair clinging to her shell of a body. She knew how this would end, knew that they would be feeble against the man–Edward J. Mason– but she was ready to clean Catherine’s wounds and reassure her that she would be alright.

“Oh, look at my slave, Sheila, so obedient! You never have to hurt her, Edward!”

The sadistic gray-haired man chuckled, kissing his wife.

“ And aren’t I glad, Penelope! We chose her when she was twelve, it has been seven years since, of course, she’d love us, this is why I love Indians! They always gift us with beauty and trust.”

They both glanced at the gaunt, starved girl before chuckling. The Mistress patted Sheila’s head and reached for a rake beside her, beckoning to the other slaves.

Penelope Mason was a woman no different from her husband. Many wives were afraid of their spouses but Penelope was a wife who had nothing but pride in her bones. The rake in Penelope’s hand was covered in blood, meant to whip the slaves that threatened their control and most times Sheila could willing block out the screeches and screams, but now she just felt angry, ready to beat the couple with no morals.

But she was stuck being useless to defend them.

Fear is a burden that was attached to her like a drug, and only withdrawal held her back from screaming her heart out.

Until she found a boy with the brightest blue eyes.

From what she’d heard, he was an outlaw.

Billy the Kid was infamous because he was the man who killed a sheriff months ago, and chased out of the state. It was a mystery how he gained the courage to return to New Mexico.

“ Who’re you?” The man questioned, his vibrant cobalt eyes gazing at her with hostility.

Sheila didn’t want to think more about the dominant color in his entire posture and frame. His clothes were darker than sin and brighter than the sun, but his eyes were the only thing she could pay attention to, causing her to ignore their proximity.

“ I am a slave, belonging to the Mason family.”

He tilted his head, shocked eyes analyzing their surroundings.

“ I didn’ ask what you were forced to be, I asked who you are.”

“ My name is Sheila, is that what you want?”

“ Huh, I’m Billy, but considerin’ the poster you were starin’ at a min’ ago, you already know that. But...how did you...No, how dare they have slaves!”

The dividers were made by @wandanatromanova

#billy the kid #tom blyth imagine #william h bonney #billy the kid imagine #tom blyth #billy the kid smut #billy the kid 2022 #billy the kid fanfiction #billy the kid x fem!oc #billy the kid x oc

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distracteddaintydemon · 11 months ago

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Sometimes I think the most important text of culture in my life was Magic Knight Rayearth anime.

Imagine this: you are 9 years old. You will develop your first depression episode in 4 years, and all the seeds of your personal apocalypse are already in place. You're learning that if the world shatters, your only path to survival is learning what is your heart's true desire and being honest with yourself.

You're learning that there are climactic battles and it's tough and you have to give it your everything, but there are also occasions for trust and kindness and they are far more important and far more difficult than battles. You can botch a battle, the kindness will save you. You can deny the kindness, no battle will fix it but only the acts of honesty and trust. You're learning that sometimes your kindness will be betrayed, but it's still worth it.

Imagine: you're 9 years old. You learn that fear and distrust and despair can literally shatter the world and that the realm of the soul always has a dark side. You learn that courage, loyalty and virtue are messy things and it's actually okay to be true to your heart's desire, even if this desire is selfish, because the alternative is lying to yourself and lies cannot grant you strength, they can only shatter the world further.

You learn that duty and morals can send you in the journey, that romance and friendship can aid you in the way, but at the end you have to meet yourself and whatever is waiting for you there, is the only thing that can grant you the true indomitable strength.

You learn that the sword of your soul can be broken, but it also can be reforged, given that you'll hold out until the soulsmith come your way and you'll never ever ever fucking give up. Imagine being 15, 19, 25 years old and waiting in the darkness, helpless and broken, knowing for sure - because you learned it so so many years ago - that it's a normal part of the process and you can be whole again, you can be stronger than ever, if only you catch your chance to be helped and never, ever, ever fucking give up.

Imagine learning it all in advance, years before your world starts shattering.

Imagine re-watching your childhood comfort story as an adult and realizing that first, it's a crossover of fairytale, RPG, and jungian psychoterapy handbook, and second, the reason why the most of jungian psychoterapy felt obvious to you was probably because you learnt these things in the age of 9 and then exercised them fighting for survival.

Sometimes I think it's good everyone seemed to be unaware what that story was about, because if they knew, they would never let 9 years old kid watch this.

#magic knight rayearth #jungian psychology #psychotherapy #tw mental health #tw depression

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lulaypp · 1 year ago

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Lulaypp's Foliage of Lost Fics #2: Aren't We All Fluffy

A/N: This was my first fluff. From 2020? Pure fluff. I remembered it being a bit of a pain to write XD This was inspired by the lovely Gem, who shared several polar bear images and captioning them as Batfam. Somehow that gave me the great idea to write pure fluff with polar bear-ed Bat boys. And I never finished it until now (even so I think I intended for it to cover the next morning? But I thought Nah). Among the stuff that I will be putting here, this might be the oldest? A close second otherwise. Up there among the earliest fic I have written (even if incomplete).

Details of Fic: 3.5k words, Batfam Fandom, Pure Fluff, Characters Magically Transformed into Animals, Potential Touches of OOC (I wrote this ages ago so... :P I tried fixing those too glaring)

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Dick woke up from his sleep fumbling with his newly acquired furry paws. He blinked at the clock by his bed. 11:25. Everyone else should already be awake at this time.

Dick dragged himself off his seemingly ginormous bed, padded his way to the door and nosed it open. Bruce had insisted that they left all the doors to their rooms slightly ajar for convenience and emergencies, as the door handle might prove difficult for their paws.

It had been an accident of sorts. All the boys of the Bats had been chasing one single magical villain. All of them had been zapped. And before they knew it, they were all not just polar bears, but polar bear cubs.

Luckily, it was winter. Their thick coats would have been unbearable in the summer heat.

Dick scanned the hallways for any signs of his brothers.

The door opposite to his was wide open. Tim's. He crawled over to it and peeked inside. The room was empty. He turned to Damian's room beside his own; also empty. Then, he turned to the last one, the door still left just slightly opened.

He pushed through it with his head and looked around. Despite being occupied, the room was relatively barren. The cupboards were empty and the walls a normal standard cream colour, the duffel bag on the floor being the only sign of life aside from the bundle of fuzzy fur, curled up on the bed. Jason was bent on not claiming the room as his even though he occupied it every time he stayed at the manor and no one else ever used it. Dick didn’t know whether it was some stupid Jason-being-stubborn-thing, or was it born of something else.

He carefully climbed onto the bed and approached his sleeping brother. In the dim light, his coat appeared grey, highlighting the white clump of fur on the top of his head (no one understood why that part of him retained after the transformation). He looked so peaceful and, admittedly, adorable.

But sadly, Dick needed to wake him up. Alfred and Bruce had apparently let them oversleep.

He nearly used his voice before he remembered that he was not human. So instead, he pawed at Jason's leg. No movement. He did it again, harder this time. Still no response. Dick did a bear equivalent of a frown. He remembered Jason being someone who woke up easily. Changing tactics, he tried gentling batting the other bear's ear— in a way he had always seen animals do. The ear twitched a little before the Jason made a small sound, curling up further. Dick tried poking next, softly prodding his paw into his brother's fuzzy chest, while nosing his head.

That got him a response. Jason's eyes slowly opened and blinked at him sleepily. Before they turned alarmed. He jumped back, flopping on the bed, paws flailing.

Dick laughed. Or it would have been if he wasn't a bear cub. Instead, it sounded like a light, stutter high pitched growl. Jason though, was not amused. He gave Dick a glare before standing up on his paws and jumped off the bed. Dick followed.

Together, they crawled out of the room and headed towards the stairs. He was about to start a conversation before he was reminded of his lack of ability to humanely do so. He frowned.

Beside him, Jason seemed to drag his paws across the carpet, his eyes half closed. Dick's mind supplied him with a brilliant idea. With what could have been a mischievous smile, Dick let himself fall behind before crouching, coiling his hind legs. Then he pounced, tackling Jason, who could only let out a startled yelp.

Unfortunately, Dick chose to do this at the top of the manor's long flight of stairs.

The two polar bears tumbled down, and Dick let out a squeal of glee, clearly enjoying their fall down the carpeted steps. Jason on the other hand was mildly terrified. His untrained paws attempting to find something— that was not his brother— to hold on to.

Before long, their decent down the stairs came to a halt as they finally reached the ground floor. Dick quickly got up and started to run in small circles, wearing an expression resembling a wide grin.

The other bear was not really angry with their tumble down the stairs, but that didn't mean he was particularly happy either. He struck at his brother, sheathed claws softly batting the other's nose with a growl.

Dick was taken aback, joy disappearing from his face as he stepped back. He looked up, expecting to see rage. But, while Jason was snarling, there was mirth in his eyes.

The younger bear slammed into Dick before they ended up playing a game of chase all the way to the dining room.

While he did adore animals, that never meant he wanted to be one. Sure, there were times when he wondered what it would be like, but that had only been a mere thought.

Damian marched into the dining room and saw Alfred pouring coffee in a mug and Father flipping through today's newspaper. This would have been a normal sight if there wasn't a small polar bear seated at one of the chairs, seemingly contemplating the cutleries. Drake. Damian crawled until he reached his chair before standing up and climbing onto the seat with as much grace as a tiny polar bear cub could muster.

"Damian," Bruce greeted him, swiftly snatching his mug of coffee away from Tim's reach.

Damian supressed the urge to reply vocally, instead just giving a nod. He refused to talk while still in this form. He had tried it yesterday and the result had been horrendous.

Alfred placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Drake, and one filled with chickpeas masala and bread for him.

While Damian tried to figure out the best way to eat without the use of cutleries— for he knew he would only end up making a fool of himself— Drake was trying to manoeuvre a single spoon of eggs into his mouth, clutching the silverware with both front paws. Damian was confused as to why Alfred would provide them with the silverware, as they clearly would have problem using them.

"I have contacted Zatanna," Father spoke up, folding the paper and placing it on the table.

Drake paused his activity to look up at Father questioningly.

He seemed to understand as he promptly replied, "She would be arriving tomorrow evening."

Drake gave a nod before getting back to his task, the spoon clumsily clanging against the plate repeatedly.

Damian looked down at his food. Unlike Drake, he knew that he would not be able to use the cutleries with his new paws.

Some minutes later, Damian had decided to tediously eat using his claws and paws while Father, who already finished his meal, was watching Drake still attempting to scoop up the scrambled eggs—he managed two mouthfuls so far, which was impressive. Alfred was just coming towards the table to retrieve the empty dishes, when there were sounds.

Thudding, quick heavy footsteps and low, muffled growling.

It didn't take long for them to figure out where did the noise come from as a bundle of light grey tumbled into the dining room. Richard and Todd; hopping, swiping at each other’s faces, teeth snapping at fur. Playing. The two of the seem to notice where they were and started to untangle themselves from each other. Richard immediately bounded over to the chair next to him leaping and falling half on top of the seat, his hind legs hanging down.

Todd walked up to the table, climbing onto the chair several spaces after Tim's as Alfred brought out two plates of eggs.

Todd didn’t hesitate to shove his face into his food, jaws snapping what he could into his mouth before chewing.

Richard on the other hand merely took one sullen look at his meal before turning to Father, who happened to be looking at him. He then used his puppy eyes, fore paw pushing his plate in Father's direction.

For a moment, Damian thought his oldest brother's actions were based on the difficulties of eating with their paws.

That was until Father spoke, "Alfred is the one who cooks and serves, Dick. If you want cereal, you are going to have to ask from him."

After breakfast, Bruce had to go to the Wayne Tower to attend some meeting that Tim was initially supposed to go to and the cubs, minus Tim, gathered in the living room. Damian stood on his hind legs in front of the window, watching Bruce's car driving away. Dick was on the coffee table, attempting a handstand. Jason was settled on the arm rest of the sofa, thinking whether he should try seeing if could read a book. He didn't want to accidentally ruin his books while flipping the pages with his furry, clawed paws.

Yet, he was growing bored. One could only watch Dick Grayson fall on head over heels so much before it stopped being funny. As minutes pass, Jason was starting to doubt his previous conclusion, maybe Dick was not trying to do a handstand. Falling off the table seemed to be the goal.

Suddenly, Tim came running into the room, tripping over his paws and crashing into Dick. Damian looked part horrified part amused and Jason wished he had a camera to capture the scene that had just unfolded.

Dick picked himself up, shaking his head, while Tim seems totally unfazed, perking up with a cheerful expression and looked at all of them before pointing at the window. The three other bears blinked and stared at him in confusion. Tim ran to the window, stood on his hind legs and tapped the glass pane with one paw while the other makes a circular motion.

They really needed to come up with a way to communicate effectively.

Tim seemingly rolled his eyes. He walked back to them, pointed individually to each of them, including himself, before he made what Jason could only interpret as a running motion then pointed at the window. Jason looked at the window, trying to get a clue. It was snowing outside. The four of them are polar bears.

Then he understood. Tim wanted them all to go outside into the snow.

With that, he gestured Dick and Damian to follow him with his head. He led the to the front door and pat on it with a front paw. That somehow manage to finally make the others understand, Dick grinning excitedly before disappearing back into the hallways.

It didn't take long for him to return with Alfred, who unlocked the front door, saying, "Now young masters, I know that you are all now more than prepared for the freezing temperature, but do be careful. Stay safe and try to not lose each other."

The door opened and Dick dashed out into the snow followed by Tim. Damian ran after them.

Jason launched himself on top of Tim, paws batting his ears, while the younger bear tried to nip at his leg. They rolled about in the snow for a while before a white ball of Damian crashed into them. They landed in a heap before Dick belly flopped himself on top of them.

After playing in the snow for some time, the boys were called in for lunch. It started out as rather uneventful. Bruce was still at WE and Tim knew that the second meeting he needed to attend would probably finish at three.

They all ate silently at first. Or he would be silent if he could get the fork to move right.

Damian was daintily plucking his salad with his paw while Jason decides to just bite into his steak, his plate occasionally shifting about.

Dick had managed to convince Alfred to cut his into smaller pieces and was chewing on them individually.

Tim was still struggling with his fork when suddenly a white paw pulled his plate away. He looked up in surprise and saw Damian reaching over— tiny body half on top of the table— and pulling the plate towards himself, giving him what resembled an exasperated look. Using his claw, he cut Tim's piece into smaller parts before pushing the plate back to Tim who was still stunned (and really, why didn’t he think of doing that?). He was barely aware of Dick making a happy proud noise as Tim look from the food to Damian, who was wiping his paw on the napkin. In the end, he let out a sound that hopefully sounds like gratitude and used his fork to finish up his lunch.

Not long after, they all converged into the kitchen, initially to just wash their paws and mouth. Due to reasons that was difficult to pinpoint, what Dick and Damian almost ended up doing was a full-blown circus act in the middle of the kitchen causing Alfred to immediately shoo them out.

"I heard that Miss Cassandra is coming over today," Alfred told them while as they tumbled out of the kitchen doorway. "She should be arriving at any moment. Why don't you all greet her?" And with that, he turned back to the kitchen.

Dick looked at them as they all head to the den, eyes glinting at the idea.

Jason's scowled and shook his head. The elder cocked his head to one side questioningly but did not push, instead turning to his two younger brothers.

Tim gave a shrug, not seeing a problem with the idea while Damian nodded. Having Cass over had never not been fun.

Dick grinned, which really could look like a snarl in their condition, as they reached the den.

Jason shook his head again, causing Dick to frown, his right eye twitched in what looks like a raised eyebrow. Jason gestured his forelegs wildly, at all of them, at himself and at the doorway, which Tim honestly felt like brought more questions than answers.

Damian somehow seemed to understand as he gave a nod before pointing at Jason then upwards.

Tim got even more confused as Dick joined in the non-verbal conversation, shaking his head vigorously, doing some incoherent flailing of his own.

It was cut short however as suddenly someone landed on the table behind him, startling everyone. Tim turned to the newcomer and saw that it was Cass, her mouth pulled into a grin.

"Brothers," she said simply.

Dick let out a strange, excited sound as he jumped over to tackle her. Catching the cub, Cass gave him a hug as she jumped down from the table.

"Brothers, bears. Adorable."

Damian let out a half growl while Jason only huffs a breath, rolling his eyes and crossing his forelegs. Dick on the other hand seemed to take it as a compliment, excitedly wiggling in Cass's hug.

She placed him on the floor and waved them all to follow her. They followed her to Bruce's study and down to the Cave. After a few quick glances around the Batcave, probably to check for their father's presence, Cass continued further until they reached the training mats and turned to them with a wide grin.

"Practice," she spoke.

Dick and Jason perked up (the latter seemingly have lost his earlier hesitance) while Damian seemed to back away. Tim gave him a questioning look which was responded with a shake of his head.

In front of them, Jason and Cass were already in a hand to paw battle, with Dick occasionally jumping in to give playful swipes to either of his siblings.

Tim looked back at Damian, who still appeared uncertain. After several years of back-and-forth squabbling, they seemed to have gone past the point of mutual understanding and respect to where they are now. Knowing that his brother's hesitance came from not wanting to make a fool of himself during training, due to him being an entirely different creature, Tim didn’t push him.

Instead, he shoved.

While Damian was distracted by Dick successfully doing an impressive summersault to a avoid Cass's kick, Tim walked a little bit behind Damian before running at full speed and ramming into his brother. Damian let out a squeak as they tumbled into Dick. The eldest sat dazed and confused as Damian turned to him, teeth bared into a snarl, and pounced onto him, attacking with sheathed claws.

And that was how Bruce found them as he entered the Cave after an impromptu quick dinner. All five of his children, tumbling and fighting on the training mat. He pulled his phone out and sneaked in a quick picture, before he approached them. Cass already met his eyes when he appeared but chose to ignore her father in favour of pushing Jason off Tim.

Bruce could feel his heart melt just by looking at all his children having fun together. It had been a while since that had happened. While they all were in good terms with one another, they also had varying and shifting schedules and lived in separate places. The only times he could actually be sure to see them all together was during Alfred's birthday. Even then there were times when things went wrong.

It took a minute and a lull in their playfight for Dick to notice the new presence and he let out an excited noise before running to Bruce making unintelligible sounds, which Bruce assume that his eldest is trying to tell him a story of sorts. He responded with giving Dick's furred head a pat and turned to the rest of his kids.

"I take it you are having fun," he said. "I hope I am not interrupting but Alfred wants me to tell you that dinner would be ready in an hour and that he would prefer it if you hit the showers before that."

They all picked themselves up from the mats and were about to rush to the stairs when Bruce called for Cass. She motioned her brothers to go on upstairs as she headed back to Bruce, a question in her eyes. "You are staying home tonight."

Her eyes widen slightly but he continued before she could protest.

"Your brothers are all currently benched until they are reverted back to normal, and I need someone to make sure none of them heads out into the streets. You are staying to supervise them."

Cass frowned, "Have case."

"I am sure I can look into it for you. Please?"

She didn’t seem keen with it, but she nodded anyway.

"Thank you, Cass." Bruce gave a nod and a squeeze on her shoulder before walking to the computer.

Dinner went well. Other than several snappy growls from Damian, Tim's cutleries clattering to the floor and Dick trying to convince Cass to feed him.

Just as everyone cleared their plates, “Movie night!" Cass declared.

Dick let out an excited rumble of agreement and when no one disagreed, they all went to the den.

It took a while for them to agree on a movie, but they ended up with Ice Age— Tim insisted on it out of irony. The movie started as they settled down on their chosen seats. Dick squeezed himself beside Cass on the sofa, followed by Damian who fit himself between his brother and the armrest. Jason and Tim shared the large armchair, the thing being the perfect size for them.

And it was several hours later when Bruce peaked around the corner and saw his children asleep in the dark den. Dick was curled up on the sofa with Damian sprawled on top of him. On the armchair that was usually reserved for Bruce, were Tim, head hanging of the edge of the seat— it looked painful— and Jason, who had his chin perched on his brother’s shoulders. Cass had a blanket wrapped around her and one hand nestled in Damian’s long fur. She was the only one awake, shooting a smile at Bruce when she noticed his presence.

He approached silently and gave a kiss into Cass’s hair. ‘Thank you,’ he tried to convey.

His daughter immediately pushed into it in an almost cat-like manner before settling in under the blanket again. Damian, head in Cass’s lap, let out a little rumble, burrowing his face into the fabric.

Bruce gave all his sons a gentle stroke on the head— after deciding not to fix Tim’s position as it might jostle him awake— before leaving for his own room upstairs, the image of his children snuggling together safe (even if not quite themselves) warming his heart.

(Deleted Scene)

They spent the morning running around, play fighting, pouncing on each other and even tried to have a snowball fight at one point.

It was a bit after noon when they heard the sounds of a car crunching the snow on the driveway. In unison, they all turned and saw Bruce's car. They ran to it. The car stopped not far from them, and Bruce stepped out, a concerned frown on his face as he eyed the crowd of bears in front of him.

"Is something wro-"

He was cut off by Dick launching himself at Bruce head, causing him to fall into the snow. Damian followed suit as Jason and Tim joined in as well, piling onto Bruce.

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mielwriting · 1 month ago

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Natlan Archon Quest Act 1, 2 Reaction

Had to split it into multiple parts cause it's so long...

That empty expanse between Sumeru and Natlan that doesn’t have any people or wildlife is jarring. I only realized AFTER I got there that there was a teleport waypoint past all that that had automatically unlocked, but I couldn’t see it cause it was hidden by the archon quest symbol.

Can’t believe the Traveler and Paimon didn’t wanna ask how the Echoes’ Chief suddenly recognized us.

Love the cutscene of the Traveler switching between elements.

Kachina reminds me of Bennett. I expect us to learn about his origins in 5.X

There are fantasy giraffes?!

Nice to see them calling him Dvalin, not Stormterror

*running away from the researcher guy cause I don’t want to be forced into a conversation and he literally starts chasing when you get too close*

Oooooooh so when Neuvi said “Natlan is plagued by wars” waaay too many of us assumed wars between the humans, not wars vs the abyss.

So if someone who isn’t an Ancient Name Bearer makes it to the Night Warden Wars, does their name become an Ancient Name for future generations to potentially receive?

“Danger is the nature of war” Mualani says. But Kachina told us all ancient name bearers are required to compete - even kids like her. I can see how this mentality might have been manipulated by others to force Vennessa’s tribe into oppression.

Also what the fuck? Not sure I’m buying the whole “not a single Natlan person wants to leave” after hearing they force people to fight like this. Mondstadt (& Liyue to a lesser extent) continues to be the only nation I’d feel safe in. What the hell.

And yeah sure the archon can resurrect them. But like. That doesn’t fix the trauma. It’s still fucked up.

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE REVIVING

Citlali was introduced in the trailer by her strong insistence on not participating in the Pilgrimage. I can see why. I already like her.

This whole situation sounds like the recipe for burn out (literally too. Death).

Kinich cannot be older than 25. And he’s just casually stating he’s died before…

You people need therapy

Also what’s up with Ajaw? He’s such a bully. What the hell man.

I say that now but I assume his situation of “I am mighty and I will conquer the world!” (and everyone treating them like a kid) is like King from Owl House.

Though of course, I only started sympathizing with King from Owl House because of character development. Something that Genshin Impact rarely gives its playable characters.

Anyway, this whole “ancient names are forgotten if the bearers fail”. Is that a conscious effort to erase these people from records, or is it more like an Irminsul erasure?

“Feast until the bill gives the Archon a heart attack” finally, an archon with mora!

Kachina “I can’t keep using my age as an excuse”. If only Lisa or Alhaitham or Venti were here to teach her the importance of giving yourself grace and letting yourself rest.

“I have to prove I’m not trying to avoid the wars” babygirl you are 9 years old

Kachina you have a 7 or 8 Pilgrimage losing streak?! Do these things happen once a year? How young were you when you first participated…

Kachina always prepared with her backpack… she’s like Dora but with gifted kid issues…

All these other playable characters with their “trauma” from “near-death” experiences”. Try actually dying a few times; then you can cry PTSD!

But of course, being raised in the US, I recognize this is partly the influence of a very individualistic culture.

And about the whole revival thing. That’s Chekov’s Consequence-Free Traumatic Death Scene! Place your bets now; who’s gonna die in the archon quest, and then be revived?

So, what if someone with a (not pyro) vision wins the competition? Do they become pyro archon, overriding their previous elemental vision?

Does this mean Mavuika has 3 names: her regular name, her Goetic name, and her Ancient Name?

Is it possible for people without a vision to be gifted an Ancient Name?

Oh my god you send a team of FIVE to fight the entire abyss?!

So you CAN have a vision that doesn’t match your tribe’s element. Atea, of the Peoples of the Springs, has a pyro vision.

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kristal · 2 months ago

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Scared Shirtless (A illustrated Legacy of Kain OC origin story)

A origin story for Cambriel, my Legacy of Kain (Zephonim) OC. Also Crossposted to Archive of Our Own for easier viewing.

Mature rating and setting written in First Person (Cambriel's POV) until the end, where it swaps to 3rd.

Content tags:

Violence, Blood, Death, Horror, Don't trust vampires. Mention of bugs/insects

Characters:

Cambriel (OC) , Zephon, Raziel (for a bit), unnamed Zephonim

SUMMARY:

Being a human in Nosgoth during Kain's crusade is suffering. Being a human tailor no less. Supplies are low, your family's prized source of sericulture is dead and gone. Things are starting to get desperate... But this lonely tailor suddenly gets a mysterious benefactor one night. And Cambriel quickly learns that this becomes the one client he wishes he *never* agreed to.

My name is Cambriel. I’m a tailor and a weaver. Sericulture and tailoring been my family’s trade for centuries even before the vampires came. It is a delicate art that was passed down to me, and… i'm the last. My family and my apprentices I had trained years prior had all been killed long ago by those monsters.

I’ve been told that I should train another…but i’ve already lost 3 of them in my 25 or so years of business in this village to those blood sucking vultures. It’s honestly been a miracle that i’ve made it this long. As life is fleeting in this world. Making it to the age of 35 and not being horribly slaughtered or enslaved is a miracle…But I rather not talk about my losses and instead focus on my stitchwork... It helps me keep my mind at ease between all the chaos outside.

Materials have become harder to come by for my village. Deliveries are rare due to vampire raids outside the village’s walls. Cotton is scarce as more and more crops fail each year. It’s gotten so dire that we’ve started to use scraps of older clothing. A tear along the seam? An easy fix with a needle and thread. A hole? I’ll patch it. I’ll try to make it match, but beggars can't be choosers.

I wish I could get my hands on fabrics other than cotton…but it’s become impossible. My loom has been collecting dust for about half a decade now. And my family’s trade secret of farming silk moths had failed twenty years ago. I tried my best with what I had. I tried to keep their favourite food alive, but all it took was a disastrous crop failure to seal their fates.

When the last of my silk brood died, many did not make it to pupation for me to harvest their cocoons or even breed them. The last of my moths died mid metamorphosis. They were so small… It had created it’s cocoon, but it never emerged. I tried finding more in the wild, but it was impossible. They were wiped out decades ago along with their food source. I just had to accept it. So I placed that small silk cocoon inside of a glass jar. Sealing it shut to keep its remains away from the elements and potential scavengers as a memento mori of my family’s history.

I hate to admit it; But their sudden loss hurt me more than losing my apprentices.

So I was left all alone to my own devices. The sounds of my sewing machine stitching together patchwork patches. I was at ease in my home, my monde.

Every night I had a strict regimen. I locked my doors, shut my windows with shutters and locked them from the inside as soon as the sun started setting in the smoke filled skies. Vampires lurked in the night and I refused to answer my door. I’ve heard the yells and screams of unfortunate victims who had fallen prey to them. I’ve even had one slam against my own door as I covered my ears in my bed or pushed the pedal of my sewing machine harder. Hoping the noise would drown out their screams. I wished that the nights were not full of such terrors.

But everything changed after that one night.

It was just after 10 when I heard a loud knock upon my door. Such knocks at this hour only spelt trouble. I ignored it at first until they knocked again.

And again

And again…

“What is it?!” I yelled at the stranger on the other side of the door as I walked over to my desk and grabbed my sharp shears for protection.

“You’re a tailor, are you not?” The stranger spoke.

“I'm closed. Come back tomorrow morning.” I replied with a yawn.

“No. It’s urgent. ” The stranger interrupted me. “My lord requires your services. I need it by tomorrow night.”

“ Tomorrow night?! Do you realize that ill need–”

“I brought the materials.” They interrupted me again. “It is in this parcel. Along with the commission fee.”

I raised my brow. They caught my attention with the mention of a commission fee.

“Fine. Leave it hidden by the door.” I demanded the stranger. “I will take a look at it in the morning, and it will be done by dusk tomorrow. Just get out of here, before they arrive.”

“Of course, of course…I’ll watch my back. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” I listened as the stranger dropped the supposed parcel onto the ground and walked away.

-----

I awoke at dawn and opened my door…This stranger was true to his word. There was a small wax paper parcel wrapped with twine thread. A small letter slipped underneath the twine as I took it into my home. I placed it upon my work desk and carefully opened it. Cautiously peeling back the wax paper as my eyes widened in shock at the sight.

It was silk.

My eyes and my hands couldn’t believe it. It was perfect. I’ve never seen silk this perfect…It had no imperfections and it had a golden sheen when it was caught in the light. Inside was also a spool of white thread and some gold coins. Who the hells was this mysterious benefactor? I thought as I eagerly opened their letter, which contained their request.

“Please embroider my master’s coat of arms onto this silk.”

That was it. Nothing else was written except a drawing of this mysterious benefactor’s sigil. I didn’t recognize it at all. Was this from another colony far away in Nosgoth? I shrugged as I got to work.

I didn’t complain. Embroidery was a simple task I missed doing. I had to stop to conserve my threads as it got harder and harder to get materials. I was finished by mid day as I placed that luxurious silk back into the wax paper and tied it back together. Just before dusk, I placed it back outside of my door before I locked everything away.

The clock struck 10, and once again there was a knock again at my door. I grabbed my shears and held it tight.

“It’s by the door. The parcel.” I yelled at the stranger as I heard them pick it up and unwrap the package. As I heard them let out a gasp.

“It’s perfect! Your stitches are so clean…my sire would be impressed at your work”

Sire? How odd.

“Hey.” I asked the stranger outside. “Where did you get this silk…?”

There was a long pause.

“Would you like to know?” the stranger’s voice seemingly changed at such a question. I felt my heart skip a beat and sweat between my fingers holding my shears.

“My master has a whole collection of fabrics, threads and silk. Would you like to see? ” The stranger asked me. “ I can bring them to you. My master has been looking for a tailor after all.”

“Has he?” I was still on edge with this stranger and his master. “…then bring them. If he pays as well as he did yesterday. I will do any of his requests.”

I wish I didn’t say that. I wish I could take that back.

“Perfect!” the stranger giggled with glee as I heard their heel turn in the dirt and begin walking away from the door. “I’ll return tomorrow night with his requests, Cambriel.”

Wait…

How the hells did he know my name…?

-------

Every night for two weeks straight at 10, they would knock bringing more silk, cotton fabrics and precious thread for his projects. Their master’s requests got more and more complicated as the deadlines grew closer. My hands ached. My eyes twitched at the lack of sleep as I tried to keep up with their demand. I tried to take small rests, but my anxiety was running wild.

Whatever this….person was. Or their master…I wish they would let me rest. As i’ve caught a glimpse of them–or someone peeking through my window rafters in the night. Watching me sew for their master or toss and turn in my bed. Whatever it was, it was watching my every move at night. It had gotten to a point where I was beginning to hallucinate. Days and nights weaved together as the clock ticked away. I’d see bugs on the side of my vision or a crawling spider on the fabric. I’d try to swat it away but it never leaves.

Shirts, coats, pants, garments, drapes, some capes… the list goes on and on as I place my head down on the kitchen table, between my arms only for a moment’s rest.

Only a moment…

I still have 5 hours…

---------

“...Cambriel.”

SLAM!

“Cambriel, this is highly unprofessional of you to not talk to us.”

SLAM!

“After all we’ve given to you, I thought we were friends.”

Huh…?

I raised my head, blinking in confusion as my blurry vision finally made the connection of the noise of splintering wood to my front door being bashed in.

It’s 10 at night. It was them.

Adrenaline shot through my veins in panic as I reached out and grabbed a sharpened pair of scissors–my only way to defend myself as the door was finally breached. Falling to the ground with a thud as the moonlight poured into my home. I finally saw who this mysterious stranger was.

“Oh, Cambriel. it’s not smart of you to avoid us.” The stranger stepped into the room. He was lithe, had short, jet black hair and stood tall. His ears pointed and his hands only had 3 digits. Oh gods…

It was a vampire.

I was dealing with vampires.

A second one walked in standing taller than the other and barely wearing some strange type of armour. It barely covered his skinny chest and connected to a shoulder plate.

“I’d even brought my sire–”

Fight or flight. I didn’t dare listen to that vampire or let him finish. I dashed towards the staircase, knocking down anything in my path to potentially slow them down as I ran into my room and quickly shut the door.

I began pushing my drawer over to the door when a voice was heard right behind me.

“You don’t need to do that, Cambriel.” The mysterious voice laughed. As I turned around. watching that second vampire from downstairs easily open and crawl through my window. How the hells did he get up here?! I thought I locked it. I–

“You’ve just trapped yourself in with me. Human.” The vampire smirked. “You should be proud to get my attention. It’s rare for you human cattle to show talent.” He teased me.

“Step back!” I threatened weakly with my scissors. The days without sleep had taken a toll on me as I watched him walk closer towards me. I blinked and he was suddenly in front of me, grabbing my wrist and slamming my body towards the wall as the scissors fell towards the floor.

“Do you really think a pair of scissors would hurt poor old me, Zephon? One of Kain’s sons?!” He hissed. “Come now, you’re a smart human. You should know better than to threaten your patron, and your savior.”

“What the hells are you talking about, vampire?” My eyes narrowed at his words.

“Oh! Good, I must have arrived early. Lucky you.” Zephon smiled. “This village is going to be razed to the ground. And all you humans who can still function will be used for blood letting, breeding and if you’re lucky, slavery.”

“How the hells is that lucky?!” I hissed at him as he rolled his eyes and grabbed my neck. Pinning me to the wall with a ‘shush’ like one would to a troublesome child or pet.

“But that’s with the other clans. I see your potential, Cambriel. The others do not and would waste it. You would make an excellent tailor for my clan; the Zephonim. And we have all the tools, fabrics and threads you need…” His spare hand reached beside my head to ‘pull’ something from behind my ear. Like a child’s magic trick. “...and some friends.”

He opened his palm to reveal a white silk moth. Fully formed and healthy. My eyes were wide in shock, tears forming at seeing one alive after so, so long. The sounds of glass breaking and screams outside my window shook me back into reality. The other vampires like Zephon had warned have finally arrived, and began their carnage in the village.

“Time is running out, Cambriel. What will it be?” His claws are still holding my neck in place.

“You can either die here, become a slave to the other clans…or join us Zephonim. We will take care of you. Your every whim and request granted. I will promise you protection and that you will be a slave no longer. I will elevate you.”

It was a deal with the devil. I bit my lip in frustration, peeling some of the dried skin as I debated internally on my lack of choices.

“....I’ll go with you.” I mumbled. Resigning to my fate to a vampire.

“Excellent choice, Cambriel.” Zephon applauded as he finally let go of my neck. “To get out of here, you must believe in me with what I'm about to ask of you next.”

“What is it?” my voice hoarse as I rubbed my sore neck, now marked by Zephon’s claws as I watched him carefully.

“Put this on as a blindfold.” As he pulled out a familiar piece of silk from a pocket. It was the same one he first worked on weeks ago. That cursed piece of silk that damned him into this situation. I grit my teeth as I put it on to block my eyesight. The rest of the loose silk covered the rest of my face.

“It has my sigil on it. The other vampires will know not to touch you, unless they want me to execute them for killing his new favorite.” I stood still. Listening to him as he placed his clawed hands upon my shoulders. Leading me forward towards something.

“One. Two. Three paces forward Cambriel.” Zephon whispered close to my ear as I followed his words. I felt a breeze hit my chest. “Now turn.”

“Where are you moving me towards?” I asked him.

“Hush.” He placed one of his claws upon my veiled lips to silence me. The lieutenant looking towards the window. “Remember what I told you, to trust me for a moment? Well…”

He shoved me back, the back of my legs tripping and–

Oh gods!--

FWUMP!

“I lied.”

----------

The sickening noise of a body hitting the ground caught Raziel’s attention as he looked over to his left towards the tailor’s home. …It was indeed the poor tailor’s. Cambriel’s head had cracked open and blood pooling out from his fatal wounds after hitting the cobblestone path leading to his home.

“Did you really have to do that?” Raziel groaned as Zephon crawled out of the home's window to look down at his handiwork.

“Well yes , and no.” He laughed as he crawled his way down. “He barricaded the way out. I'm not going to show him the way with a blindfold on–or have him whine or complain as I take him home. So having him temporarily dead is just easier to carry back.”

Raziel rolled his eyes at his brother, pinching the bridge of his nose as he exhaled loudly. “Right…May we begin with the rest then?” looked over to the village below.

“Of course, brother dear.” Zephon looked down at Cambriel’s broken corpse as he grabbed the tailor’s arms and hauled him up. “I held my part of the promise. The rest of those humans I don’t want. So you can keep those and do what you’d want with them. As i'm sure you’d like more blood for your banks.” The skinny vampire chuckled as he inspected the tailor's fatal head injury, fresh blood still dripping down from his crushed skull as the Zephon patted down his bloodied hair.

"As for you.." Zephon mumbled to the corpse. "You're going to have a bit of a headache, But you're going to one of my star fledglings~" He giggled as he began dragging Cambriel back towards his new home.

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#ao3 fanfic #legacy of kain #legacy of kain OC #cambriel #origin story of sorts #cross posted to Ao3 last night to archive it #First fic for LoK I just love the setting of Nosgoth #Zephon #cw: blood #cw: violence #zephonim #cw: bugs #lmk if i missed a tag im new to this

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ronearoundblindly · 1 year ago

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The Stark Legacy (25)

Tony Stark's daughter (OC) x Bucky Barnes epic slowburn

Compound, part of Book III: Power (see previous or series)

Summary: Samantha wakes to find new friends at Avengers HQ, but her uncontrolled abilities make things...awkward.

Warnings for illusions to nudity/suggestive language and some cursing. A/N: Tandy and Tyrone are around Samantha's age in this, so that's way younger than canon-MCU, but their backstory is closer to the original comics. Rated Teen/15+ ONLY, please. WC 3.7k

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE—April 2039

“They called it Regulating,” Bruce announced, rewinding the faint footage from the second floor of the Wakandan Annex Lab, “according to the recovered video research from Aldrich Killian—well, the military, really.” He smirked, looking quickly back at Bucky, adding, “Tony thinks I wasn’t listening, which I wasn’t for part—you get it, he’s very long-winded.”

“He’s not the only one,” Bucky grumbled, eyes fixed on the screen. Bruce played it again.

Two grainy figures in the corner of the frame, Bucky and Samantha, scuffled as she tried to avoid riding the motorcycle. The light Sam emitted grew brighter until his own figure was blotted out and smack—the video fell gray. The moment passed, and the absolute white that replaced it lasted much longer. Eventually, the white faded to reveal Sam standing with her arm out, legs apart and planted. She remained standing only a few seconds longer before collapsing. Her body tumbled in the receding water, covering her in mud, Bucky’s legs slid into the top of frame before catching against the earth. The picture went blurry as the fog of the freshly evaporated sea descended. There was, however, a clearly visible, irregular line where the thick glass of the building’s window had melted in the bottom corner near Sam.

Bruce stopped the footage. “Except when Extremis soldiers couldn’t Regulate, their bodies incinerated themselves and anything around them. This—” he waved his arm through the projection, “—she’s controlling—well, aiming it, I think. And she survived obviously, which means this is something new.” The doctor, jumpy with unanswered questions, uneasy since Bucky first told him they were coming back with ‘complications,’ shuffled over to another desk to pull up a different file. “I keep trying to get a signal to Tony’s suit, but it’s always garbled so far. Shuri didn’t seem to know much about Sam’s physiological alterations.” Banner rubbed his temple. “We are gonna need more than a little—I mean, the bullshit this girl did to herself…”

Bucky turned towards Banner’s ominously lowering voice. He had not heard Hulk’s deeper octave come out of Bruce in years. Bucky watched his friend hold his breath as he willed the sickly green hue to bury itself deep inside again. Bucky could relate to the bloom of anger and the sting of helplessness when faced with the problem of Samantha Stark.

Banner slammed a flesh-colored fist down, rattling some equipment. “I shouldn’t have sent her to Wakanda.”

“Doc, I think she did part of this before we left.” And the rest is probably my fault, he added internally. “It’s not something you could control.”

Bruce peered up at Bucky over the thin rims of his glasses. “In which case, biologically speaking, Sam Stark has been gone for a while.”

Bucky swallowed hard.

He knew that to be true, deep down, but he couldn’t shake Tony’s face, resigned to walk into an ocean with a king out for blood, all for hope that his daughter would remain safe. Bucky had already failed him because there was no Sam to protect, not the Sam Tony knew. Someone, something else lay in the infirmary, and it was his fault. It was Bucky’s choice to take her out before Shuri could come up with a plan. He took advantage of Sam’s interest in replacing his arm instead of her own health. He paid so little attention to her when she needed to be pulled back from the edge; Sam thought it more important to fix her scars then to live, thought fixing Bucky’s scars and self-confidence was worth what was left of her life. How could he have missed it? Bucky Barnes, the King of Self-Sacrifice, the epitome of a life forfeit, overlooked the signs of giving up.

His gut coiled uncomfortably remembering his life after Hydra before Steve found him in Romania. Bucky spoke to no one unless absolutely necessary. He bartered to live in a shitty apartment by doing maintenance for the landlord. He helped tenants move their furniture and heavy boxes in and out for a little cash in order to buy food. He rotated between food stalls at different markets so that no one saw him enough to recognize him. Most of his downtime was consumed by writing in notebooks, writing everything he could remember about who he was and what he had done since. At night, he planned his escape if Hydra should find him. He even had three plans for his own termination, if the choice was be captured again or die. That life was what he had ‘woken’ up to, and it was barely a life at all.

Bucky tasted acid at the memory. Bruce remained hunched over the metallic table, steadying his breath.

“So,” Bucky tossed into the silence, “we wait until she wakes up?”

“Yeah,” Bruce threw up his hands, “then what?”

Bucky had no answer for the doctor this time.

Sam heard music in the darkness. Her mouth was unbearably dry, the fibers of her skin and muscle braided tight down the length of her throat. It wasn’t just her head that throbbed, but her whole body felt shrunken, clenched against her skeleton. Her brain was filled with fog and fire.

Sam opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. This was not the Palace.

“Hey,” Sam heard off to her right, turning to see a young blond woman rise from a chair against the other wall. “You’re ok.” The infirmary of New York Headquarters was quiet, as it was when she came to wake Sam Wilson, as it was when she recovered from glass cuts and electric burns when she was four. The music was much faster than those times, heavier, full of angst and screaming but at a low volume.

The air in the room: she could feel it flow across her forearms. The sheets beneath her calves: she could feel each fiber of thread. The input of feeling overwhelmed her, and Sam didn’t realize she was squirming until the voice put a firm hand against her stomach.

“Calm down,” the blond girl leaned over her to say, trying to catch her gaze as Sam’s focus shot to place after place in the room. “Samantha, I’m Tandy, and you’re safe here.” Her other hand touched Sam’s forehead.

“Why—” was all Sam could push through her desert mouth. She gently tensed her abs to hint that she wanted to sit up. She kept looking around until staring only at each tiny feature of the new face. He used it, didn’t he? The words wouldn’t come out. Missy knew I would need it. Sam mimicked sticking a needle in her arm and pressing the plunger, hoping the question in her eyes made it clearer.

“Sam, slow,” Tandy tried, corralling her with skinny little arms. “Do you want me to get the nurse?” The girl stopped Sam before she could hop off the bed, trying to swat the restraining arms away before two lights stopped her.

Her own arm was red-orange and glowing. So he did use it, and I don’t feel sick anymore. Why do I feel so heavy? Why are her hands shining white? A gentle peace flowed from Tandy’s arms into Sam. The razor cuts of air and the scratch of her throat dulled.

“Are you Extremis, too?”

“No,” Tandy smiled, “something else did this to us.”

Sam’s mind went blank of her questions, filled with the warmth. How long has it been? A few days? How long did the proliferation take? Where’s my tablet? Phone? Where’s Missy?

“What do you remember?” Tandy asked calmly, her white hands growing brighter while Sam’s returned to beige.

“I—I fell in the forest.” The soothing touch smothered the fire in Sam’s mind and body, but the fog persisted. “I think…”

“You fought a ts-tsunami and won. That’s the coolest shit I’ve ever seen.” This was a different voice, deep and forceful, from a young man Sam hadn’t realized was in the corner by the door. He had dark skin that appeared to suck light from the air, out of focus; he smiled, eyeing Tandy and Sam in amusement. He reminded Sam of Lucas for a moment, but then, when the light faded from Tandy, he approached, and Sam saw genuine kindness.

“That’s Cloak,” Tandy said smiling.

“Tyrone,” the boy corrected, and his face came into focus without the odd bending of light. “She’s-s Dagger.”

Tandy stepped back towards the door, pausing her music. “Would you like to move to your room now? Or you wanna get some food with us?”

Without Tandy’s soothing touch, Samantha felt her throat squeezing, parched. “Water,” she croaked out, “would be good.”

At a table in the large atrium outside the small, residence kitchen, Tandy regaled Sam with a slew of stories the rigorous training from Parker, Rogers, and Maximoff. They were nervous about training with Romanoff now that Nat had returned from China. Sam, for her part, noticed that the tables were no longer as shiny white as when she was very young, when the plastic was new, and there were some chips in the paint around the tall windows. The light seemed harsher, piercing. She sipped, gulped, then chugged four glasses of water before uttering a word.

Tandy could control emotions with direct physical contact, which is what she did to Sam in the infirmary, and was working on throwing, aiming, what she described as Light Daggers. Sam could practically hear Uncle Peter’s exclamations of awe; he still called things ‘lit’ from time to time, so he was likely having a field day commenting on his young protege’s power. ‘Cloak’ referenced Tyrone’s ability to teleport inside a cloud of darkness, absorbing light and energy from around him. This was why he appeared darker and out of focus in a well-lit room; he could legitimately hide in the smallest shadow. Tandy described him as ‘the ultimate stealth operative.’ Tyrone said nothing of this himself and watched Sam for a long while before turning to listen to Tandy, a girl alive with excitement.

When they started discussing ‘the wave’ and what that meant Sam could do, however, his interest became apparent with his sudden focus on Sam’s response.

“I don’t remember,” Sam shrugged, aware of Tyrone deflating in disappointment. “I’m not kidding. The last thing I remember is falling over in the woods. Pretty sure that was…March first?” She didn’t say why she was in the woods, or what she did to Bucky’s arm on February 28th to sear the date in her mind. She thought she could see a sunset, or a sunrise, when she closed her eyes to think about it, but beyond a flash of sky behind leaves was a horrible ringing in her ears. Sam wanted Missy, who would have wiped her drives by now and scattered. She had to find her.

“Well, today is the sixteenth,” Tandy bubbled.

“Jeez, was I in a coma? Did my body try to reject Extremis?” There was a general clearing of throats in response, as if Sam’s dry mouth had spread.

“Of April.”

Tyrone assessed Sam again. It made her feel as if she were expected to break apart in front of him. Sam defied Tyrone’s expectations by remaining calm on the outside. She blinked but didn’t speak right away.

After her pause, Sam took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, I��m in wild need of a coffee then.” And a couple of shots of whisky couldn’t hurt…

Tandy laughed, jumping up to get Sam whatever she wanted.

These new friends were like nothing Samantha had ever known. They were close to her age, closer than any of the Bartons; they were being trained as Avengers, so they didn’t need Sam’s name to gain anything; and they never judged her for what she didn’t know. Because this whole ‘world of the professional Avengers’ was new to all three, everything was a bonding experience. Sam didn’t recognize most of the music they played or movies and shows they loved, but she was open to whatever they wanted to do. She knew zero celebrities, except for her obvious uncles and aunts.

After that first day, they never mentioned Tony Stark unless Sam did first, which was rare. Sam usually went very quiet when she was about to recount a story involving her dad, a mixed look rolling over her features then vanishing. She wanted to talk about him, but when she tried, Sam suddenly became a twelve-year-old girl again, the great Iron Man awkwardly standing over her, uninterested in anything she said. Sam wanted to feel good when she spoke of her father which meant she didn’t speak of him.

Luckily, Tandy and Tyrone favored making new memories, too, so her jealous, aging beauty queen mother, and his best friend shot by a Boston cop were also not discussed, nor how they became…special. Sam only found out those tidbits of their pasts while she searched for traces of Missy online. She searched as secretly and thoroughly as she could but had found nothing after weeks. It was a long process to hide what she was doing amongst genuine searches related to her training.

Sam was tentatively mapping server locations where Missy may have pinged when her friend blurted, “can I cut your hair?” Tandy idly messed with Sam’s unkept regrowth. She hadn’t touched it since waking on the floor in Massachussetts after first injecting herself. “You’ve got a ducktail going back here, and it’s not exactly flattering,” the blond coaxed.

“Whatever you want, Dee,” Sam mumbled, lulled by the gentle touch in her hair. She hadn’t had a haircut in over a year, back when Annie insisted on a salon day for her bridesmaids. The incessant, high-pitched laughter, the gossip, and the roar of a dozen dryers had taken all of the pleasure out of someone massaging her scalp.

“Hear that, Ty? Sam trusts me with her hair.”

“You’re s-s-still not touching mu-mine.” Tyrone flipped through some news articles while eating cereal, his favorite afternoon snack. They also didn’t discuss his stutter.

Tandy’s frown was audible, even from behind Sam’s head, and Sam smirked. She enjoyed their banter, all day, everyday.

“Sam, you wanna wet your hair for me? I’ll get scissors,” Tandy said to perk herself back up. “Come on.” Her gaze shot back playfully to Tyrone. “Don’t choke on your Fruit Loops while we’re gone. No one will save you.”

Tyrone brandished his middle finger on his spoon hand. He didn’t look up.

The girls headed off to Sam’s room, since Tandy’s was farther down the hall.

“Not that you have to,” Tandy started as they bounced along, “but you might want to take a full shower. You’re a bit ripe after today’s training.”

Sam laughed anyway. Only Tandy could critique her while making Sam happier. “Yeah, you don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“But you’re a punk who needs my help,” Tandy saluted Sam and excitedly trotted down the hall.

The door took her handprint, a newer feature. The tiny twin bed inside cradled the same watercolor blotched comforter Sam slept under since she was four. She took it to the Barton’s originally, but by eight years old, she abandoned it here at Christmas. Thirteen, the year after Sam chose Mistress as a present, that was the year Nat stopped decorating her room with lights. True to form, no one had touched it but her since. The comforter was worn thin, the corners threadbare, but it felt familiar when nothing else, not even her own body, did.

Sam kept the habit of owning little clothing from her time in Wakanda, though the clothes were not as baggy on her now that she ate whole foods.

She’d never exercised so much in her life.

Since no fighter in the building trusted her to attempt using her new abilities, Bruce proposed Samantha’s more ‘human’ strengths be developed and tested. She spent her mornings running while Big Sam watched and timed her increasing speed and endurance. It didn’t matter that she could do it; she hated running all the same.

Afternoons were hand-to-hand combat with Natasha, a particularly humbling experience since Sam could not think of anyone she was more afraid to hit. Nat may have stopped visiting her in the hospital three years ago, but that anger did not translate to stupidity. They don’t name you Black Widow for nothing.

Sam flopped a change of clothes onto the bed and popped into the shower, leaving the bedroom door open for Tandy to come back in. She hap hazardously scrubbed and rinsed, never much caring about the relaxing effects of washing. Sam had spent so many hours ‘relaxing’ in a regeneration cradle full of nutrient gel, she could do with never relaxing again. She was quick to throw on a towel and swing open the bathroom door simply to move on to fun with Tandy, but she was no longer alone.

It wasn’t Tandy who’d come in though.

“I knocked, but the door…” Bucky Barnes stood looking around her room, and while she’d seen him since waking up, he had never been inside her personal living space.

Sam stumbled over the small lip at the bathroom threshold, knocking her shoulder on the doorframe. A corner of her towel fell, and in her attempt to grab the falling fabric, she clenched the wrong end, lifting the bottom of her towel up high enough for half of her backside and chest to hang out.

“Holy shit,” she exclaimed, shutting her eyes as hard as she could pinch them, awkwardly hunching to push as much fabric over her as possible.

She thought she heard him say “you’re okay,” but the damage was already done.

Sam’s glow of shame spread to her left arm—the only appendage not reinforced with vibranium—igniting the terry cloth towel she held tight. She tried not to pay attention, to hum something soothing and back into the bathroom with some semblance of dignity, but to no avail.

Her unexpected guest ripped the smoking fabric from her body and started stamping it out on her bedroom floor.

Bucky pressed something silky against her shoulder. Sam clamped her arms across herself and cracked a single eye open, hoping she wouldn’t light the whole room on fire.

“Brought you something. Figured you’d need it.” Bucky’s eyes were glued to the floor. He held out a slinky looking jumper of navy blue material. It touched her skin but still felt cool.

Sam snatched it, slamming the door between them.

“Banner found this fabric in the Baxter building after the Four…” he yelled through the wall before clearing his throat. “Human Torch needed clothing that wouldn’t burn up, and Bruce figured so do you.”

She took the time she spent squeezing into the legs of the leotard to calm down. “Does this mean I get to train for real? Seriously?” Excitement replaced embarrassment until she had a thought. “Wait—you knew I’d burn my…”

“Yes, but I didn’t see anything.” When Sam threw open the door again, he rushed to the hallway door, eyes still turned down.

“What?” The elephant sitting on Sam’s chest shifted pressure to her stomach. She felt a little sick.

Bucky didn’t turn around but must have felt guilty enough to offer his best attempt at an explanation. “Bruce knows the temperature you can reach when you—he calls it Deregulate, but I—you were covered in mud. I saw nothing in Wakanda. Promise.”

In her terror, Sam sensed more was required to embarrass the Winter Soldier. “But…”

“But…I had to carry you back,” he softly admitted. Then Bucky changed the subject abruptly, adding, “your training starts with me tomorrow, and we’re going out. We’re starting slow.”

Sam’s cheeks caught fire, or might as well have. She was grateful Bucky still faced away. The tall, dark haired behemoth at her bedroom door just admitted to carrying her around naked while she was unconscious, then he chose the worst possible wording for his follow-up statement. She couldn’t process all the implications at that moment.

“Meet at the garage at six,” Bucky said, opening the door. “I know you’re not a morning person, but we have a ways to drive.” With one last look directly at Sam, he added with a smirk, “no bikes. Promise.”

Sam vaguely recognized the Boy Scout’s honor sign in the hand he raised but was too shocked to care. Tandy stood outside, eyes indiscreetly wide.

The blond giggled before she shut the door. “Oh, there’s a story there,” she squeaked, eyes landed on Sam’s new outfit, adding, “and this is…hideous.” Tandy’s immense disappointment released in a dramatic sigh. “At least Ty has some fashion sense. He would never give you this to wear. Why the hell would you need something so unflattering?” Tandy tossed her own hair back in distain before brandished her comb and scissors, smiling.

Sam stood slack-jawed, unable to answer. Her mind raced to recall any poorly worded comments she might have let slip in subsequent conversations she and Captain Barnes had since their return stateside, but nothing stood out. He was perfectly friendly, he never looked at her strangely, and so it seemed to matter very little to Bucky personally that he had…done that. Sam concluded he was mostly sparing her the embarrassment of flaring off her clothing again, this time in front of people who might not be as indifferent. That’s…nice, I suppose. He’s a nice guy…to everyone.

“Sam, you ok? You look pretty pale.” Tandy handed her the fresh clothes she’d set on her bed, subtly nudging her to get out of the fashion faux-pas of the tight onesie.

Certainly not alright. “Yup, just tired from the run.” She strategically layered the regular clothes over the flame-retardant fabric. She no longer questioned why they had babied her interactions so far; Sam was a hazard until she could properly control herself.

“Sit down,” Tandy demanded happily, “we’ll get coffee and show you off after.”

Not nearly as much as I just showed off. Sam lamented no longer having Missy as her personal security system. Missy would never have let this happen.

[Chapter 26: Capacity]

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

#the stark legacy #tony stark's daughter #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fluff #slow burn #slow build #epic tale #avengers fanfiction #tony stark fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #cloak and dagger

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