#and this bitch want me to wake up at 6 IN THE MORNING TO JOG | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

snelbz · 4 years

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Lovely {6}

@tacmc x @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty collaboration

A/N: Hello, you beautiful people. That’s right, it’s back. We love to see y’all’s reactions to our stories so please reblog and comment and let us know what you think! Enjoy!

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SHELBY’S ASK BOX // SHELBY’S MASTERLIST

TARA’S ASK BOX // TARA’S MASTERLIST

Azriel opened his eyes, enjoying the comfort of his bed. He assumed it was fairly early, considering only the faintest stream of sunlight had peeked through the curtains, and Asher wasn’t crying to be released from the confines of his crib yet. Until then, he would lay and relax.

There was a shift on the other side of the mattress and Azriel cursed himself, silently, for waking her; but, when he rolled onto his side, Elain was still fast asleep.

Her hair had come undone at some point in the night, and the brown curls were sprawled out across Azriel’s dark gray sheets. Her plump, pink lips were parted, her breathing even. His comforter laid just below her breasts, and it took a hefty amount of self control not to reach out and brush his fingers over her peeked nipples.

The night before had been incredible. They’d made love twice, and every other second was spent in drunk kisses and soft giggles. He took his time exploring her, and she with him, and he’d never experienced anything so wondrous and enthralling.

He was falling in love with her, and the thought was terrifying. It was one thing to like someone, to even like them a lot, but now he was falling, head over heels, at full speed. He had never fallen in love before, not like this.

He came with way more baggage than most men his age, and that was just the messy custody battle with Ianthe. He was dreading the conversation they’d have when she asked about his parents.

Draeven was not his father’s last name. No, he’d taken his mother’s maiden name as his own when the bastard was officially sentenced to prison. His name had never been formally released, always redacted in every story and news segment, so very few knew the truth, the notoriety of his childhood. He didn’t want to see the look of pity in her eyes when she found out.

He rolled over, pressing soft kisses to Elain’s shoulder, and just as she was starting to stir-.

A cry came from the baby monitor.

“Thanks, little dude,” Azriel groaned quietly as he pulled his discarded boxer-briefs on from the night before and hurried across the hall. Asher was sitting up in his crib, eyes wide as he gazed around the room. “Good morning,” he cooed, lifting his son from his crib and carrying him to the changing table. “We have a guest this morning, so we can’t be screaming this early, yeah?” Asher just chewed on the pacifier Azriel had popped in his mouth and stared up at his father while he put a fresh diaper on him. Azriel pressed a kiss to his belly and said, “Glad we’re on the same page.”

A cute onesie was a necessity and after getting Asher as adorable as possible, Azriel carried him back to his bedroom. Where he found the bed empty.

He glanced towards the bathroom, seeing the light was off and it was empty. Then he heard a noise from down in the kitchen. He crept down the stairs and found Elain in front of his coffee maker, his shirt skimming her thigh. He could tell she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it.

On quiet feet, Azriel stepped up behind her and pressed a kiss to her neck. “Good morning, beautiful.”

She jumped as she spun around, and for a second Azriel thought that she might curse him for scaring her, but her eyes were on Asher’s. She took the giggling baby into her arms and said, in a perfect, high-pitched voice, “Good morning.”

Asher clapped his hands together, his toothless grin wide as Elain set him in his highchair. Azriel was already mixing his cereal together, which was a good thing, because Asher was obviously hangry. His angry little voice filled the air as he banged on his highchair tray.

“I know, I’m coming,” Azriel promised, grabbing a little spoon from the drawer and pulling a chair up in front of the highchair. After putting a bib around Asher’s neck, he was chowing down.

Before he could even ask, Elain had set a cup of coffee down in front of him. Azriel smiled as he put Asher’s spoon up to his little lips. Most of the cereal trailed down his chin.

“Thank you,” Azriel said, looking at Elain, who had sat on the opposite side of the table. “It’s going to be a coffee day. Someone kept me up all night.”

Her cheeks turned pink as she sipped from her mug. “Pretty sure it was the other way around.”

Azriel’s grin widened. “Fair enough, I’ll take the blame.”

Elain sucked in her bottom lip, and Azriel was just about to say something when Asher blew a raspberry and Azriel got splattered with cereal, all over his face and his chest.

He slowly set down the bowl and the spoon before looking at his giggling infant and saying, “Thank you. Thank you, so much.”

Elain’s hands were covering her mouth as she laughed. “Go clean yourself, I’ll take over.”

Azriel couldn’t help but laugh at Asher’s joy, and as he stood up, he kissed Elain, softly, before she took her place in his chair and started to feed Asher.

Azriel had only just made it to the sink when there was a knock on the door. He blinked, then looked to the clock above the stove. It was only just after seven.

He wiped off his face, but when the knock came again, he was hurrying toward the door. After pulling on a pair of sweatpants that were hanging over the back of the couch, Azriel opened the door, and stilled.

Ianthe was there, in her jogging attire - which didn’t amount to much. When she saw Azriel, bare-chested and hair still a mess, a wide, feline grin spread across her lips. “Well, good morning, baby daddy.”

He gaped and finally said, “What are- Ianthe, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here for my baby. Where is he?” She tried to peek around him into the house, but he angled the door where only his entryway could be seen.

“It’s seven in the morning. On a Saturday.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the frame, becoming a veritable wall blocking her view.

“Well, we have plans this morning and I have to get him ready,” she said, taking another step up his porch stairs.

Before he could say anything, Asher’s happy giggle could be heard echoing through the house. And then Elain’s voice was floating towards him. “That’s not very nice, Asher. You can’t spit your breakfast on daddy and on me. No, you can’t. No, sir.”

Azriel had tensed and when he turned back to Ianthe, she had an eyebrow raised and her eyes were like ice. “Who’s that, daddy?”

“None of your concern,” Azriel said back, his voice calm. “And I have him until tonight. I’ll drop him off at six, like we agreed on.”

“Plans changed,” she snapped. “Now get my baby away from the whore or I’ll go in there and grab him myself.”

Azriel’s jaw locked as he stepped out onto the porch and shut the door quietly behind him. “Watch your tongue.”

“Or what?” she asked, intrigued. “What will you do, Az? As of right now, you have to do what I say, legally, and I’m telling you to get your pretty little ass inside, grab my son, and bring him to me so we’re not late.”

Azriel didn’t move.

Ianthe took a step toward him. “Or it’ll be awhile before I let you have him again. Understand?”

Azriel crossed his arms. “I don’t like threats.”

“Too bad,” she said. “I have the power, and you’ve already pissed me off by letting my son around that skank. As you’ve said, it’s seven on a Saturday morning. Now, why would a woman be in your kitchen so early?”

“Oh, fuck off. How many men have you been with this week alone, Ianthe?” The words came out of his mouth before he could think better of it. He pressed on before she could bite back. “Nothing in our agreement stipulated that I wasn’t allowed to be in a relationship.”

“Consider it added now,” she said, a wicked smile on her face, pulling her phone from her leggings, the gods knew where there was room. She typed out a quick text message and Azriel stared at her, in absolute shock.

He breathed, “You vindictive bitch.”

She smiled up at him again and was about to say something else that was meant to wound him, but he gripped her wrist with far too much gentleness considering the conversation, and turned it over.

Because that crazed look in her eye, it wasn’t only delight at fucking him over once again. There was a reason she was so chipper at seven on a Saturday morning.

The words were deathly soft. “Are you using again?”

Her arm was jerked from his grip before he could react. “Get your hands off of me. That’s none of your fucking concern.”

Azriel chuckled, humorlessly, as he shook his head. “You’re not taking him. You’re on a high, and you’re not taking him.”

“Don’t fu-.”

“You didn’t even drive here,” Azriel began, exasperated, his hands shaking from the pure anger radiating throughout his body. He looked behind her to find the street nearly empty, her car nowhere in sight. “What was your plan? Jog him on your hip back to your parents house? Fuck, Ianthe-.”

“Give me Asher.”

“No,” Azriel said, firmly. “I’ll drop him off, at your parents, at six tonight, so that I know he’s safe. And that was our agreement.” He’d have a talk with them, too, Ianthe’s parents.

Because he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Asher go with Ianthe. Not if she was back on drugs, not again. He would fight it, and if he lost his parenting rights in the process…

No, he wouldn’t let himself think that way, wouldn’t let his mind wander to the horrid, unfair possibilities. The world couldn’t be that cruel.

Then again. As a child, himself, the world was that cruel.

Ianthe hadn’t said another word. She stared at Azriel, venom igniting those teal eyes.

“Go home, Ianthe,” Azriel warned.

There was a small list of things he had expected her to do in response, but spitting in his face wasn’t one of them. His body tensed as her saliva smacked him in the face, right between his eyes. But then she was walking back down the porch steps, all while saying, “You made a big mistake, Azriel.”

He didn’t move, not until she was down the street, jogging around the corner.

Azriel stepped back into the house, heading straight for the kitchen sink. He took a paper towel off of the holder and wiped Ianthe’s spit off of his face. When he turned around, he froze.

Elain was sitting in the same chair, still in his t-shirt, and Asher was asleep in her arms. She was watching Azriel, though, her eyes full of concern.

All he said was, “Did you give him his bottle?”

She nodded. “Burped him, too.”

His smile was tired, but he said, “Thank you.” He sighed and let his head fall. “Elain, there’s something I have to do today, but I don’t think I can do it alone.” He swallowed hard. He’d never once taken anyone with him to meet with Helion, nor had he ever wanted to. But today, he needed someone there to steady him, to keep him grounded.

Because he’d never been so angry in his entire life. He’d seen red and couldn’t allow himself to do so, but the fact that Ianthe had actually intended to take their child while she was…

Elain stood, cradling his son as if he were the most precious gift, and walked to him. She took his hand in her free one. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

___

Rhysand had given Feyre a cup of coffee, but she couldn’t drink it. All she could think about was Tamlin, still lying on her couch. All through the night, it was all she could think about. No, she and Rhys hadn’t had sex, and every time they got a little too hot and heavy, she pushed him away and looked toward the doorway of her bedroom, thinking that Tamlin would be standing right there.

But he hadn’t moved, all night, and now that morning had come, she wanted him out of her fucking house.

“Do you want me to wake him up?” Rhysand asked, for the tenth time since they’d rolled out of her bed.

Feyre didn’t answer. She had told Rhys no so far, thinking that if Rhysand was to wake him up, there would be an instant fist fight, and that was no way to start a Saturday morning. So, instead, although she was unsure how it was any better, Feyre went to the cabinet by the sink and opened it up, retrieving a glass. After filling it up with water, she walked to the back of the couch and dumped it on Tamlin’s face.

With a shuddering gasp, Tamlin was sitting up and looking around. “What the fuck?”

“Time to go,” Feyre said, setting the glass down on the side table, with a little more force than necessary. He flinched at the sound, but she couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad about it.

He groaned as he leaned forward, water dripping from his hair.

She sighed and said, “Come on, Tam, I’m serious. I need you to leave.”

He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say a word. He just stood and turned to leave, but when his eyes fell on Rhysand, he froze. “You always have to win.”

Rhysand rolled his eyes, but he remained silent. Feyre stared at the floor as she listened to his heavy footsteps walk through the foyer, and out the front door.

For a moment, the small townhouse remained silent, but then Feyre looked up to meet his gaze. “What did he mean by that?”

“I don’t know, Feyre-.”

“Bullshit!” she yelled, exasperated. She was annoyed, angry, and sleep-deprived. She didn’t have the time or patience to be dancing around the subject any longer. “I have to know what happened between you two, Rhys. I like you, I really do, a lot, but I can’t deal with secrets, not anymore.”

His lips snapped shut, and for a moment, she thought that he would tell her he didn’t want to, that he wasn’t in the mood, yet again, but then he sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Fine.”

As if she wasn’t expecting it, which she truly wasn’t, her body stilled. Then, before he could change his mind, she was slowly sitting in the chair next to him at the kitchen table. She didn’t push him, didn’t rush him, only sat perfectly still, her anger turning into nerves. The possibilities of what he was about to say had her stomach churning.

He took a deep breath and said, “I’ve known Tamlin pretty much my whole life. We went to the same elementary school, played on the same teams, and we were… we used to be friends.”

Shit. Feyre had known there was history, but she didn’t know it went that far back.

Rhys continued, “I don’t exactly remember when we had our falling out, but Tamlin’s dad was always pushing to be better, by using me as an example. He’d talk to my dad at work, find out how I was doing in my classes, and then he’d go home and berate Tam about how much better of a son I was.”

Tam. The familiarity of the nickname made Feyre’s heart hurt.

“In short, somewhere in middle school, he started to hate me, and I understood it,” Rhysand continued, shrugging. “His dad was an asshole, and he had to have someone else to blame it on. Considering I was a part of the equation, it made sense that it was me.”

There was something sad, something regretful in Rhysand’s eye, but Feyre didn’t question it. She remained quiet, and she listened.

“Anyway, middle school went by and then high school began,” Rhysand went on, staring at his intertwined hands. “We didn’t talk much, only when we had to. We’d drifted into our own groups of friends, found our own places where we belonged, even though we still played on all the same sport teams yet. Anyway, that’s just kind of how it was between us, at least for a while. Things were tense, but they were never bad, you know?” He didn’t wait for Feyre to answer before he went on. At this point, it was like he was talking mostly to himself. “Our junior year, my parents were out one night, coming home with my little sister from a dance recital. They got in an accident, and none of them made it out alive. My parents died instantly, having gotten hit head on. And my sister, who was only thirteen at the time, was in a coma for two days before they made me make the decision to pull her off of life support.”

His voice had become a deadly quiet, and Feyre couldn’t breathe. Rhysand wasn’t looking at her, he was still staring at his hands. His eyes had lined with silver, those tears nearly about to fall, but he only cleared his throat.

“It, uh,” he started, then shook his head, sending those tears that had held themselves in down his tanned cheeks. “It was Tamlin’s dad that had hit them. He was drunk, behind the wheel, and swerved in his lane, going way too fast, hitting my parents and my sister.”

Every thought in Feyre’s mind faded away. She had never met Tamlin’s dad, and Tamlin wouldn’t talk about it, only told her that his dad was gone. She didn’t understand, not yet, but as Rhysand went on, all the pieces came together.

“He hated me after that, blamed the fact that his dad was in prison for life on me,” Rhysand said, a humorless laugh loud in the quiet of the townhouse. “And I hated him for that. I hated him for blaming that shit on me, just because he needed someone to blame it on.”

Feyre stood, rounding her table and taking his hands in hers. She knelt in front of him.

“Rhys, I’m so sorry.”

He smiled at her, it was sad, but it was a smile nonetheless. “You have nothing to apologize for. You had every right to ask, I just… It’s a part of my life that’s still painful to open up. I’m glad Rayn doesn’t remember any of it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss our parents everyday.”

Feyre’s phone rang from the kitchen counter, and she glanced at it, but Rhysand said, “Go ahead, baby.��

She hurried to catch her phone before it was sent to voicemail, but when she saw her father’s name on the screen, she hesitated.

With a sigh, she answered, “Hello?”

“Feyre? Hi.” Isaac sounded far too cheery for such an hour. “Busy today?”

Feyre looked over at Rhysand, who was watching her with furrowed brows. “I’m...not sure. What’s up?”

“I was going to meet your sister for lunch. Was wondering if you’d like to join us?”

Feyre blinked. “Which sister?”

Isaac laughed quietly into the phone. “Nesta. Elain says she’s busy.”

Of course, I’d be the last one you call.

“I don’t know, dad, I-.”

“Come on,” Isaac begged, and the sincerity in his voice was overwhelming. “I haven’t seen you since I’ve been back in town. Hell, I haven't seen you in six months. It’s just lunch. To catch up.”

Feyre leaned back against the counter, nibbling on her bottom lip as Rhysand continued to watch her, intently.

“Okay,” Feyre breathed. “Fine. What time?”

“Nesta told me she’d be at the diner at noon, will that work for you?”

She nodded, regardless of the fact that he couldn’t see her. “Sure, dad, I’ll see you then.”

Isaac sighed, “Thank you, Feyre, dear.”

She cringed. She hated it when he called her Feyre, dear. It felt so...formal. “You’re welcome, bye.”

As soon as she hung up, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the cabinets, which gently banged with a soft thud! Feyre groaned. The last thing she wanted to do, especially after a night of little to no sleep, was go sit through a forty five minute cold shoulder contest between her father and eldest sister.

But then she smelled jasmine and nightshade and citrus, and she felt fingers skimming up the outside of her thigh. Rhys breathed, right by her ear, “Don’t tell me I took the day off of work for no reason.”

Feyre tilted her head down until her eyes met his. He lifted her up onto the counter, stepping in the space in between her legs. She let her arms drape around his neck and said, “I’m afraid so. I have to meet my dad and sister for lunch.”

“What time?” He asked, leaning down and pressing kisses to her jaw.

His fingers dug into her bare thigh, her shorts having ridden up. She said, “I’m meeting them at noon.”

He glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the microwave. “We’ve got about five hours, don’t we?”

Feyre groaned. “It’s that early? Why aren’t we in bed?”

Rhysand leaned back and met her gaze. “Are you inviting me back to bed?”

Feyre grinned, tilting her head as she pretended to think on it. “If you carry me there.”

Rhysand didn’t have to be told twice. He lifted her off the counter and slowly carried her up the stairs, his lips never parting from her skin. Feyre closed her eyes and dwelled in his touch, in the way the touch of his lips set her on fire.

Rhysand carried her back into her bedroom, where they’d spent their night tangled in each other’s arms, and dropped her on her mattress.

They kissed for a little while, but due to her night full of worry and anger, Rhysand didn’t pressure her for anything at all. Instead, he pulled her back into his arms and rubbed her back until she fell soundly, peacefully asleep.

_____

Lunch had been horrible, just as Nesta had expected it to be. Nothing too eventful happened, but it was horribly awkward. She got a free meal out of it, she supposed, so that was a plus; but, she was grateful that it would be another six months before her father asked her out to lunch again.

There had always been that pattern.

Nonetheless, it was over and done with and the day was still fairly young, which meant she got to spend it at Cassian’s.

His apartment was on the other side of town from the diner she had met her dad at, and by the time she had gotten there through the busy city, she had nearly lost her mind. She hoped Cassian had wine, and that he didn’t judge her too much for starting to drink so early in the day.

He’d given her a key, just in case he was asleep when she arrived back, as he’d claimed that the previous nights’ activities had completely exhausted him. He’d even said that without a nap, he’d have no energy to please his girlfriend all night again. She’d rolled her eyes and kissed him goodbye, before smacking him in the face with the pillow she’d been sleeping on.

True to his word, when Nesta called Cassian when she was about five minutes away, he hadn’t answered. She laughed quietly, debating on the ways she could wake him up. She parked and let herself into his apartment, careful not to let the door slam. But Cassian wasn’t sleeping.

A gentle melody floated through the apartment from down the hall. Nesta froze in the doorway as the music grew louder, and slipped off her shoes and put down her purse before quietly tip-toeing down the hall. He was in his office, across from his bedroom, facing the wall where a small, wooden piano sat. It was old, but finely tuned. He said it had belonged to his grandmother who was a music teacher for young students back in the day.

He constantly thought about getting a new one, but he’d always said there was something about the piano that made him love to play even more.

She couldn’t see his face, but she knew by the way his head was tossed back that his eyes were closed. He wore sweatpants and an old t-shirt, his hair tied up at the back of his head. He obviously hadn’t heard her come in, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment she’d caught him in.

As his fingers danced gracefully across the keys, Nesta leaned against the doorway and watched.

She closed her eyes, listening as the melody flowed around her. It made her heart want to dance, when so many things these days didn’t. Her soul felt like it could breathe and as she listened, she imagined the dance she would craft to his songs, the stories they could tell together.

Nesta hadn’t realized she was crying until she sniffled quietly and Cassian’s hands slowed and stopped on the ivory keys.

He looked over his shoulder, surprised to see her standing there, and hesitated when he saw she was crying. “What’s wrong? How long have you been standing there?”

He was up on his feet and walking toward her when she answered, “Long enough to get emotional, apparently. You play beautifully.”

His eyes softened as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her, softly. “You used the key.”

She nodded, her forehead falling into his chest.

He was quiet for a moment before he said, “You should keep it.”

Nesta kept her head pressed into his chest as she stilled and said, “It’s… Cass, are you sure? You don’t think it’s too soon?”

He shrugged and she finally looked up at him. “I want to spend as much time with you as possible. If that means giving you a key so you can come see me, so be it.”

Nesta could feel her walls rising, could feel every instinct she had telling her to run, that it was too soon, that she couldn’t get attached. But regardless of all of that, regardless of the pit in her stomach, she nodded and said, “Okay.”

He could tense the tension in her body as he ran her hands down her arms. “You don’t have to always use it,” he followed. “Just when I’m lost in my music, or sleeping.” She chuckled and then he added, “Or, you know, when you miss me.”

She pushed back from his chest and lifted a brow. “And what makes you think that I ever miss you?”

He pulled her back toward him by her waist as he grinned. “Oh, you miss me. Judging by all the noises you were making last night-.”

She pushed him in the chest, trying to suppress her laughter as she did so.

#lovely 6 #lovely tacmc toab #toab tacmc collab #throne of ashes and beauty x tacmc collab #tacmc x throne of ashes and beauty #elriel #nessian #feysand

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your-local-bnha-writer · 4 years

Note

Headcanons for Bakugou, Sero and or Shinsou where they go to their crush's room for whatever reason either super early or super late and they're greeted with a super cute sleepy crush at the door, half asleep in a shirt thats cut too wide so it's fallen off one shoulder and they're hlding a pillow/stuffed animal maybe their pjs had a cute caption on it too

sleep time

characters included | bakugo, sero, shinso

warning | swearing

genre | fluff

a/n | sksuwhushd this was such a cute scenario i’m sorry if i didn’t do you justice 😓i hope you still enjoy!!

bakugo gif @giorno

sero gif @shishouss

shinso gif @kusomatsuboys

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Bakugo:

- you had training with bakugo in the morning 7am sharp

- yes,, 7am bc bakugo has a 5am jog and working out at 6

- he’s on that grind 😤

- so he’s walking up to your dorm and bAngs in the door

- “get uP dumbass we have training!”

- sksnudhkeidjfi 😳

- you bolt up from your bed bc you’re not used waking up to someone threatening to blast down your door

- and so you open the door

- and oMG BAKUGOS FREAKING OUT

- how could he not??

- his crush, was standing there in the most adorable pair of pyjamas along with a stuffed bear that had your name imprinted on it not to mention your shirt said “donut disturb”

- “something wrong?”

- katsuki snaps back to reality and you’re looking at him with the cutest expression 🥺

- “wE have training! get ready!” and with that he walks off with a blush

Sero:

- aight so tape boi had some fresh memes he just hAd to show you

- so he saunters off to your dorm room at like 9:40 pm

- you should still be up right??

- expect you weren’t

- school was exhausting thus leading you to an early slumber

- but sero doesn’t know that

- so he knocks on your door

- but after that he calls your phone effectively waking you up

- “wake up i’m outside your door” “sero what the fuck—“

- so you go to open the door but stop when you realize you’re still wearing pyjamas

- “y/Nn imma break it down if you don’t open this door right now”

- and you’re like shit okay

- so you open the door and sero’s shooketh

- 1. you were asleep 😳

- 2. you looked adorable

- he took in your form

- you were wearing a lowcut shirt that showed off your shoulders

- and stuffed bunny with a little bell around its neck

- “sero?” you yawned

- BAM! instant KO on sero

- “iM sorry I wanted to show you memes!”

- you just stand there

- “okieyoulookreallycuteimgonnagobye!”

shinso:

- poor bby couldn’t sleep so he walked over to your room

- he calls you at first bc knocking on your door and yelling was just ridiculous

- also he would wake up other ppl

- at first you didn’t answer thinking your phone ringing was just a dream

- except,, it rung again and you were like okay who tf

- but once you saw Shinso 🥺😸 on your phone you answered

- “y/n” “why?? toshi it’s like 2 am” “i couldn’t sleep”

- you paused

- “come to my dorm” “already here”

- alrighty then

- so you drag yourself off of your bed along with your cute stuffed dog in your arms

- opening the door you saw hitoshi and how tired he looked

- “come in”

- but he just stood there

- how the fuCK CAN SOMEONE LOOK SO CUTE

- bitch—

- you looked so sleepy and adorable

- your matching strawberry pjs do not help along with the caption “you are berry cute”

- hell yeah you are

- skUisudu and you’re stuffed dog 🥺🥺

- “toshi come in and cuddle with me”

- you might as well just kill him on the spot damn

- you have to drag him in bc he’s actually so shooketh he’s never seen anything more adorable

- not even kittens 😳😳

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ssa-daddyhotchner · 4 years

Text

Undercover - Chapter 6

Chapter Selection

Everyone had the weekend off, we had just finished a case in New Hampshire. A man was killing couples in there cars.

He was a spree killer we tracked him with the type of gun he used and the rounds. It was relatively easy.

Hotch and I wanted to spend the weekend together so I could meet Jack.

I woke up and rolled over. Aarons side of the bed was cold, I smelt bacon from the kitchen. The smell made my stomach grumble, I got up and walked down the hallway.

I walked past Jack's room and his door was open; I peaked in and his bed was messed up.

I heard faint laughter coming from the Living room. I turned the corner and saw Jack laying down on the couch watching cartoons. While Aaron was making breakfast.

I walked up behind him and put my hands over his eyes.

"Guess who", he laughed. "Mom?", I put my hands down and smacked his arm. He grins and chuckles' turning to me.

Jumping onto the counter he uses his knee to separate my legs standing between them. His hands on my hips, and my arms wrapped around his neck; "Morning princess."

"Morning", I nod my head towards Jack who hasn't noticed my presence yet. "He got here early this morning...maybe a few hours ago.

I looked at the clock, "Its 8:30."

"Hayley had an early morning, I don't know.....all I care about is spending my weekend with my two favorite people.

I raise my eyebrows at him, "I'm one of your favorite people?"

Aaron nods, "Well I guess your my favorite person too." He smiles and kisses me; breaking it to flip the bacon.

"Jack, I want you to meet someone." Jack glances and jogs over.

"Who are you", I jump off the counter and kneel down to his level. Aaron putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Well....I'm your dads...", I look at Aaron and he nods letting me know I can tell him the truth. "I'm your dads girlfriend."

Jack stares at Aaron with an unsure look, I stand back up. "So you make my dad happy?"

"Yeah she does, and she's gonna be around more often so try not to be so hard on her okay." He pats Jack on the back, and he runs to his room.

We quickly eat the food and I walk away going into the bedroom.

Getting into the shower letting the hot water relax my muscles. I hear Aaron walk to the bathroom and get in with me. I close my eyes letting the water wash over my face.

He goes to wash my hair with his shampoo. "I'm not good at reading kids was that a good interaction?", He huffs. "It went well."

"Didn't look like it to me." I wasn't good with kids, they had a tendency to not like me. "Y/n he's 4 it's gonna take a bit to get used to you that's all...okay", I hum in agreement.

Washing Aaron now, "So Mr. Hotchner what are we doing today."

"Jack has to practice for his 'soccer' team, they don't keep score but I don't want him to be terrible."

I chuckle knowing that even though he's on a team that just plays for the exercise, Aaron is still gonna push him. He's a great dad, I though to myself.

Finishing the shower we step out getting changed for our day, I walked over to Aaron; giving him a long and deep kiss then I pull away.

As I was walking he grabbed my hand spinning me back to him. He pushed his lips to mine putting a hand in my hair. My hand running down his toned chest.

We jump away form each other when we hear pattering on the floorboards coming towards to bedroom.

Jack ran into the bedroom and jumped on Aaron. "Dad, I'm ready to go."

"Ok buddy." We walked to the car and drove to the field. Jack talked the whole time about school, his favorite food, and tv. He asked me if I also caught bad guys; when I told yes his face lit up.

It made me have the biggest smile on my face. Aaron noticed and smiled back putting a hand on my thigh.

We arrive to the park and Jack grabs the soccer ball running straight to the field. As me and Aaron take our time we watch as Jack places the ball down before taking a running start; kicking it into the goal.

We throw our hands up and cheer; Jack turning and flashing us a smile.

Aaron grabs my hand and we jog over. Jack wanted to have a practice game; there were only three of us.

I was up against the Hotchner boys luckily for me I knew my way around the game, but they didn't need to know that.

They kick the ball my way I spin around Aaron kicking the ball from between his legs launching it into the goal.

He looked at me with surprise, "What... Agent Hotchner there are a lot of things you don't know about me." I laughed and tapped his chest walking past him.

Jack ran towards me to congratulate me on the goal. I pick him up putting him on my shoulders cheering for myself. I set him down and we play another game.

I kicked it towards them and they kicked it to the end of the field. I ran from behind them; I dove and kicked it into the goal...again.

Aaron walked over to me out of breath, "You're cheating." I had a smug grin on my face and I walked away from them to catch my breath.

Aaron stepped away when he got a phone call, we had the weekend off we shouldn't be getting called in. He hung up the phone and walked over to us, "We need go now." I shot him a look.

He put Jack in the car and went to me. "Reids in the hospital...", he lowered his voice so Jack couldn't hear. "He overdosed", he could read the emotions on my face when he reassured me.

"They're trying to stabilize him, but we need to get over there."

Team POV

Morgan, Garcia, and JJ wanted to check on Reid. It had now been a week since his mom passed.

They were trying to check up on him but he wouldn't answer their calls. When they called the phone would go straight to voicemail.

It had been a few days since that last talked to him. They heard no movement inside the apartment; it was still. Morgan decided he was gonna pick the lock.

They walked in to find the apartment was in good condition. No books everywhere, there were no dishes everywhere, the trash was taken out; but there was no sign of Spencer

Garcia walked into his bedroom and saw a foot by his door in the bathroom. When she walked closer she called out for Derek.

Reid's skin was pale, he was cold, his lips were turning blue, pulse was weak, and he was barley breathing.

As Garcia and Morgan took Spencer to the hospital JJ called everyone else to let them know what happened.

Y/N POV

We dropped Jack off with Hayley; Aaron and I rushed to hospital. We were met with the team outside of his room.

The doctors had stabilized him but he just barley made it through. If Garcia didn't find him when she did he would've died.

He was unconscious for the time being. All of us sitting in the waiting room; there was still no word on how he was doing so far.

We only left the hospital to go get food or maybe some sleep. He was family to us and we were gonna get him through this.

The doctors finally let us into his room, they informed us it still might be awhile till he wakes up.

Reid's mom was all he had. When she passed a piece of him died along with her.

The team was in his room scattered around; when we heard something.

Reid had opened his eyes, "Where am I."

________________________

We all looked up at a confused Reid. He looked pinker but we was still pale. His lips were chapped, and he was sweating.

His voice was small like he was embarrassed, "Y/n, can you get me a trash can." I nodded. When I came back I gave it to him.

He sat up and held the bucket for a moment; then he started vomiting. It had been around 4 days since his overdose.

He was starting to withdrawal... again. We should have addressed his addiction the first time he started using then maybe he wouldn't be here.

My head started to fill with what ifs. Reid looked at around the room and we all frowned at him. JJ walked over and sat next to him; holding his hand.

"Spence... what happened", he avoided our eyes and looked down. He tensed up and pulled his hand away from JJ.

His voice was breaking, "I just wanted to fe- better, I didn't know I had taken so much. My vision blurred, and I hit the floor."

"Spence you could've talked to us." He didn't say a word; he laid back down, closing his eyes and going to sleep. We took the hint and left but JJ stayed behind not leaving his side.

Knowing that he was going to be fine physically helped a lot; mentally Reid was fucked up and all we could do was be there for him.

Aaron and I were going to leave and go get Jack. When we got to Hayley's she wouldn't let him leave the house.

"Aaron he's not a game that you can pass back and forth whenever you want, he's a child and I don't need him to feel overwhelmed."

She shouted at him sparking an argument, I stayed in the car not wanting cause any other problems. Hayley didn't even know I existed and that was an argument for another time.

She was furious at this point, there was a moment I thought she was gonna hit him; I would've gotten out the car but I left it alone.

Aaron came back without Jack; he was clearly frustrated. As we were driving to his place, I saw him gripping the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white.

His gaze was dead set on the road ahead. I reached my hand out and put it on his.

He broke his gaze and looked at me. "Baby it's going to be okay", his face rested and he dropped his hand into mine on the center console. His breathing slowed as he took deep breaths.

I didn't blame him for being so upset; his coworker almost just died, and now he couldn't see his kid because of his bitch ex wife. When we pull into his driveway he turned off the car but didn't get out.

He shifts towards me, "I'm sorry."

"For what?", his face dropped slightly. "We were supposed to be with Jack. It was your first time meeting him and we had to leave. Now I can't get him back until next weekend."

I held onto his hand and squeezed, "Aaron it's ok....for the time we did spend with him I'd say he enjoyed himself while he could. Especially when he made that goal."

That got him to grin a bit, he chuckled and I did with him.

"Yeah that was pretty good wasn't it."

"Somethings just happen that are out of our control. Best we can do is try harder next time." He looked at me.

"Thank you", I shrugged my shoulders. "What can I say", He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it.

Then we got out the car and went inside, closing the door behind us. "I'm ordering, what do you want." He sat on the couch; took a few breaths, "Pizza." I nodded and placed the order.

Aaron was watching tv when I walked over; curling up with him. I sat next to him putting my head on his shoulder; he kissed the top on my head and grabbed my hand. I ended up falling asleep and when I woke up Aaron was gone.

I walked into the kitchen and he was eating. "I didn't wanna wake you." He was still upset about the whole situation.

I went up to him and tightly wrapped my arms around him. He nestled his head into the crook of my neck. I pulled away when I heard sniffling.

I rested my hand on his neck and cupped his cheek. "Baby....", I said softly; he avoided looking in my eyes.

I used the hand that was on his cheek and used my finger to lift his chin. When he finally did look at me his eyes were red and there were tears brimming.

"Honey... what is it", he didn't have any words. He hugged me tightly without warning. I returned the hug; I wasn't gonna question him.

I knew he wasn't in the mood to talk, Aaron wasn't one for getting emotional but with me he was so different. I understood to not push him, that he'd tell me in his own time.

"Let's go to bed... okay", he nodded and walked to the bedroom. I put the food away and turned off the tv.

When I walked into the bedroom he was laying on the bed curled up with some sweatpants. I took off my pants and put on a pair of shorts and laid down.

I laid next to him; his head on my chest, my hands on his back and running my hand through his hair. His hands gripping my waist and thigh.

He was still crying; I could feel the tears going down my stomach. "Shh... baby it's okay."

He kissed above my heart and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

I felt him drift off but I stayed awake the words "I love you" repeating in my head. That was the first time we had said it and honestly I wasn't scared or mad, I was elated.

He was the reason I wanted to get up in the morning. The man laying down with me brought me so much joy.

I had a hard time trusting after what me ex had done but he made it so easy. Aaron would never hurt me like he did; with my whole heart I do love him.

____________________

When I woke up Aaron was still holding on to me; breathing deeply. I felt fluttering on my chest. "Hey." I said and he hummed; he was awake.

"I don't wanna push you but.....can you tell me what made you so upset last night." He huffed and sat up and was staring at the bed.

"Everything." I had an unsure look on my face. "What do you mean everything." He took a breath, "First it's just work I have so much I need to do, it's so stressful. Second it's the overdose, I knew he had a problem and I should've addressed it when we was addicted the first time.

You know try and help him but I didn't, I ignored it. I should've seen this coming. Especially when he said his mom wasn't doing well."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Third is fucking Hayley", he started to raise his voice. "She goes and tells me that I can't see my own fucking son. She acts like I don't exist sometimes, like I don't need to have a relationship with him!"

I wasn't surprised to see he had a lot bottled up. All I could say was, "I know." I put my hand on his.

"Come on", he tugged on my hand; he brought us to the door and I stopped him.

"Okay one, its like 40 degrees outside; you only have sweatpants on and I have shorts." He jogged and got a me pair of pajamas and a quarter zip, he put on a sweatshirt and we went on a walk.

Holding on to my hand the entire time we walked into a park. There was a trail that went into the woods and we went down it.

We arrived at a clearing; nothing but trees surrounded the area. There was a view of the city, it was 4 in the morning; nobody else was around and the light illuminated the sky.

We didn't say much during the walk; just enjoying the others company. He sighed, "I needed this."

"Needed what." He looked around at the trees and the view, "A breather, just be alone for a bit."

"You're not alone." He threw his arms around me resting his head on my shoulder.

"I mean alone from everyone else, there's no way I'd leave you behind."

My heart fluttered; we sat down close to the edge. I sat in between his legs, my back to his chest. His arms around me keeping me warm.

_________________________

@marie1115 @appleblossoms-posts @mac99martin @donttellanyoneireadfanfiction

#aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotchner #reader x aaron+hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron #hotch x y/n #hotchner x reader #reader insert #fanfic #criminal minds #writing #story #hotch #hotch smut #smut

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rhysismydaddy · 4 years

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365 Days: Part 3 (Feysand)

Alrighty, then! Here’s the last part of the Feysand mob fic. When I started this fic, it wasn’t really going to be like this, but I need a laugh because the world’s a shithole.

I’m releasing a couple oneshots because multichapter fics take it out of me, so send asks/requests if you want something specific or a certain troupe

Part 1 | Part 2 | Masterlist

________________________________________________________________

Day 14, 8:19 AM

~Feyre~

Feyre looked down at the man sleeping next to her and grinned at how peaceful he looked. Why are men so damn attractive when they’re asleep?

She was hardly ever awake before him, so she took advantage of the situation and studied his face.

That full, sarcastic mouth was curved into a soft smile, his hair was shooting in all directions from where she’d pulled on it last night, and there was a light dusting of stubble on his jaw. He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

Not to mention the fact that he was naked.

She brushed his hair back from his forehead, and he leaned into her touch.

“Stop staring at me,” he murmured.

Feyre shook her head, and even though his eyes were closed, he smiled. He tried to say Come here but was apparently too tired. “Commere, baby.”

Her chest constricted painfully at how soft, how sweet he was with her. The world was convinced he was Satan in disguise, but they never saw sleepy Satan.

And sleepy Satan melted her fucking heart.

Scooting down further in the bed, she wrapped herself in his arms, her hands running over the smooth skin of his back. He made a deep humming sound that made her grin.

Rhysand was warm against her, the smooth muscles of his arms somehow more of a home to her than the house they were in.

Today was only the thirteenth day of their marriage, but she already felt like he was her home. She felt... too much. She’d never been this torn up about anyone in her life.

And she had no idea if he felt the same way.

She was confused. They were already married, but besides being cuddly in the morning, didn’t make a whole lot of indication of potential feelings.

Granted, they had a ton of sex, which should be an indicator, but it wasn’t always what Feyre would call “making love.”

Sometimes it was; sometimes he was sweet and tender and so slow it made her eyes cross. But other times his grip on himself would slip a little and he’d make her beg, then scream, then mumble all kinds of nonsense.

He made her entire body come alive, took her on dates, made her feel special... but didn’t tell her how he felt.

And Feyre really, really wanted to know.

She poked his forehead, then his cheek, laughing when he tried to bite her finger. “Wake up. I want to know something.”

“Something tells me to stay asleep.”

Feyre smacked his forehead, and he laughed, fully awake now.

He rolled them over, pulling her on top of him, and looked up at her with a smile. “What do you want to know, Feyre darling?”

Part of her begged her not to voice the question, but she gathered her courage and ignored it. “Is this a real marriage to you or is it still just a publicity save?”

His eyes widened slightly, body going a little stiff. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I want to know. And you don’t exactly volunteer information.”

“That’s not true,” he said, trying to change the subject. She shook her head, silently telling him to answer the question. He gripped her shoulders, sliding her off his chest, and sat up. “I don’t see why it matters. We’re married. I’m not miserable.”

His tone was tight, eyes anywhere other than her face.

It took a few moments for his words to sink in, but once they did, it was like they were tattooed on her brain.

Not miserable.

Not miserable??

Feyre laughed humorlessly and covered herself with the sheet, practically ripping it off the bed. “Okay. Thank you. Have a nice day.”

Then she marched into the bathroom, locked the door behind her, and started the shower. She was so...

She didn’t know what she was.

Confused. Upset. Pissed.

Embarrassed.

She’d started to rely on this man’s company, started to develop feelings for him, and all he could say is that she doesn’t make him miserable? Is he serious?

She scrubbed her face, and the pissed part of her feelings started to take over.

Of course I don’t make him miserable! I sleep with him! Who the hell would have a problem?

She laughed again, mind spinning with possibilities. Oh, miserable isn’t even a word for what I’m going to do to you.

Day 16, 6:46 PM

~Rhysand~

There was something wrong with his wife.

Not in the traditional sense. Physically, she was perfect. More than perfect.

But emotionally? There was something wrong.

For the past few days, Feyre had been driving him fucking crazy.

She avoided him almost all the time, which was mildly impressive, considering they lived together.

She still slept in the same bed as him, but she practically hung off the edge trying to not touch him. And she came in well after he was asleep.

Plus, everything he said seemed to be the wrong thing. He said something nice, she told him to fuck off. He tried to joke, she just sighed. He tried to bait her into a fight, she stared out the window.

It was driving him insane.

The wonderful, sarcastic woman he’d once known had been eaten alive by a harsh little beast whose sole purpose in life was to irritate him.

And he wanted her back.

After last night, he doubted it would be easy.

He may or may not have lost his cool. To be fair, it was completely her fault.

He’d come home after a long day, trying to subtly hide the blood on the cuff of his shirt, and had almost thrown something when his once-lovely wife said casually, “I got asked on a date today.”

“By who?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s exceptionally handsome, though.” She’d leveled a look at him. “I think I’ll go.”

To say he’d seen red would have been an understatement. “You go on any sort of date with another man, and I’ll string him up from the fucking rafters.”

She’d just laughed, flipped him off, and taken a swig straight from a bottle of wine, muttering about being miserable.

Rhysand sighed, leaning on his desk. He was in one of his offices downtown, looking over financial reports, and even though they good reports, he couldn’t focus.

The only thing he wanted to do right now was track his damned wife down and find out what he’d done to piss her off.

The last time he remembered having the normal Feyre around was a couple of days ago, when they’d been laying in bed, talking about-

Realization dawns over him, and he leans forward to smack his head against his desk.

I am so fucking stupid.

She’d asked what the marriage meant to him, and instead of telling her the truth, he’d said... what had he said? I don’t see why it matters.

Ah, shit.

Then he’d probably made matters a hundred times worse and told her he wasn’t miserable.

He had to fix this. Now.

After slapping himself a couple times, Rhys jogged down to his car and sped home.

By the time he got home, he had a whole speech planned. A nice apology. A confession.

But when he pulled into the driveway and tried to go in the front door, the lock wouldn’t budge. His key didn’t even fit in the hole. Which didn’t make sense, considering-

Holy shit.

She changed the locks.

His jaw was so tight he wouldn’t be surprised if a tooth popped free. He’d been locked out of his own house. By his wife.

The sweet little apology he’d rehearsed went straight out the window.

He got out one of his knifes and went to work on the lock. And deadbolt.

It took a few minutes, but he eventually jimmied the door open and marched inside, adrenaline coursing through his body.

He stomped all over the house before spotting her in the backyard, sitting on a chair next to the pool, reading a book.

And smiling.

Something about the genuine happiness on her face--probably from locking him out--drove him up the fucking wall.

He threw the doors open and said, “Hello, wife.”

“Rhysand,” she sighed, smile dropping off her face. “You’re home. How wonderful.”

“Sorry I’m late. My key didn’t work.”

She tilted her head, biting her lip. “I changed the locks. Didn’t feel safe. Something about living with a criminal will do that to a woman, I guess.”

“You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met,” he said, and she shot out of her chair to start pacing in front of him.

“Oh?” she yelled back, shoving his shoulder. “That’s so upsetting! Let me have a moment to cry about how miserable you’ve become!”

He gave into anger and growled back, “You know, I didn’t know I married a goddamn psycho-”

He was cut off by her tiny, beautiful hand slamming into his face. He jerked back, more in surprise than hurt, and looked at her head to toe.

Even now, when he was two seconds from strangling her, he couldn’t stop from thinking about how beautiful she was.

She swung again, and he stepped back. Then made a mistake.

He laughed.

Feyre’s blue eyes looked like frost as she narrowed them, then put her hands on his chest, growled, and shoved him straight in the pool.

Unfortunately for him, he liked this suit and was about to ruin it.

Unfortunately for her, he had quick reflexes and dragged her with him.

As soon as they hit the water, his wife was pushing on his head, seemingly trying to drown him.

He grabbed her wrists in one hand, waist in another, and threw her halfway across the pool.

“Stop trying to kill me,” he yelled at Feyre, who was already swimming back towards him with a dangerous look in her eyes.

She refrained and didn’t try to drown him again, but she splashed water in his face and shouted, “I cannot believe I ever agree to marry you!”

This was not how he imagined this conversation going.

Feyre rolled her eyes and splashed him again. “But it doesn’t matter now, anyway, right?”

“Oh, right. You’ve been acting like an madwoman because I said it didn’t matter what I thought of our marriage.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You have the worst temper I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“I seriously doubt that’s true, considering you almost shot someone for calling me a bitch, you hypocrite!” she shouted back, water dripping off her like rain.

The memory of that night made him snap. Fuck this. He wanted her to know this was her fault, not his. “That was because I love you!”

She paused, mouth hanging open.

He didn’t think she was breathing.

“No, you don’t,” she said finally, moving to get out of the pool. He grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. “You literally told me the marriage doesn’t matter, so-”

“I freaked out, okay? You were looking at me all happy and trusting, and I didn’t want to ruin what we had by making it complicated.”

Feyre pinched the bridge of her nose, and he forced his smile down at how much it reminded him of himself. “You didn’t want to complicate our marriage with feelings?”

He nodded, and it suddenly seemed stupid.

She confirmed that thought.

“That is the stupidest, most deranged thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”

Rhysand splashed water at her, not able to help it. “No, the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard is a woman changing the locks on her husband because he pisses her off.”

“How did you even get in, by the way?”

He smirked. “Baby, like you’re so fond of point out, I’m a criminal. You think I can’t pick a lock?”

That earned him a wave of water in the face.

He asked, “Why did you get so mad about what I said?”

“Because I love you, too, you idiot. And I was embarrassed that I have feelings about someone who doesn’t care.”

Rhys smiled. “So you’ve been acting crazy because...”

“I was pissed off that I had started to actually like you, and the best thing you could say about being married to me was that you ‘aren’t miserable.’”

She glared at him, and he held his hands up. “That was shitty. Let me amend my statement, Your Honor.”

Her eyes softened just a fraction, and she grinned. “Proceed.”

“The marriage matters to me. A lot. I know it started because of publicity and both of us needing to save our asses, but I don’t want it to end. Ever.” He took a deep breath. “And I love you. So much I’m willing to overlook how bat-shit crazy you are.”

“Okay.”

He raised his eyebrows and gestured to her. If he was sharing, she could bet her pretty ass she was, too.

She sighed. “It matters to me, too. And I love you. So much I’m willing to overlook you being the demented Son of Satan.”

He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

“Next time, just tell me what you’re thinking about, okay? I’m not going anywhere.” Feyre pressed her forehead to his. ��And I’d hate to have to do something really terrible to you to push you over the edge.”

“I’m curious,” he pulled back to ask, “What was next on the ‘Make Rhysand Miserable’ agenda?”

She smiled and blushed. “I had a few ideas, but I was planning on getting Cassian and Azriel to kidnap you and leave you naked in the middle of the mountains.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Cassian probably already had the spot picked.”

She wrapped her legs around him, both of them smiling like idiots. “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

Feyre kissed him. “I love you, too.”

He pressed his lips to her cheek. “Can I have a key to the house, please?”

“Only if you teach me how to pick a lock.”

Rhysand smiled and wondered how the hell he’d gotten so lucky. “Deal.”

________________________________________________________________

This is probably my least favorite fic ever, but it was fun to write. Thanks for reading!

@rapunzel @bamchickawowow @wesupremeginger @theoverlyenthusiasticwriter @hizqueen4life @exciting @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @sleeping-and-books @negativenesta @burritowithfeels @sis-it-dont-add-up @mockingjayusa @aelin-is-my-heart @awesomelena555 @thekeytohappiness-is-you @keshavomit @a-bit-of-a-cactus @aesthetics-11 @b00kworm

#feysand #rhysand #feyre archeron #feysand fanfiction #acotar #acowar #acomaf #acofas #a court of mist and fury #a court of thorns and roses #a court of wings and ruin #a court of frost and starlight #acotar fanfiction

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yamithediaperdork · 3 years

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My Cousin is CRAZY! (Ben10 alien force)

My cousin is crazy

It was Saturday morning in Bellwood and 15 year old Ben Tennyson was slowly waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs. It was strange because his parents were on a vegan kick at the moment but he decided to roll with it and opened his eyes as he went to sit up. And then groaned out loud as he took in stock of his attire and what he was sleeping in. Not for the first time since Gwen had started working out hardcore last year the girlish Ben had found his cousin perv'ing on him and deciding he should be her sissy baby wife. Despite making his lack of interest in such plans clear MORE then once, It hadn't of stopped Gwen from snagging him up at random times and dressing him up. Case and point, he was currently in what he estimated as 5 princess reaz's diapers (he'd sadly become familiar with the different brands because of Gwen) and a dark pink top with lighter pink puffed out shoulders and a semi skirt that didn't even cover half of the diapers. The top also had a red heart on the front with white writing in cursive declaring 'i wove my mommy' going along with the top and diapers his hands were in locking mittens meaning any attempt to use the omnitrix was doomed to fail and his feet covered in booties with slick bottoms so Ben would end up having to crawl unless he wanted to fall on his ass every 12 steps. 'At least she didn't put the paci in my mouth this time.' Ben thought with a sulky though a pat on his head told him she had put the silly over sized bow in his hair again, the damn thing pink with white poka dots. As for what he was in, again this wasn't a shock to him as it wasn't the first time but he was still less then pleased to have gone to sleep in his own bed in a pair of boxers and wake up in the hot pink crib Gwen had built just for him during her wood shop class. And of course since she wasn't shy of telling people who it was for Ben had been forced to endure even more teasing at school though ironically just verbal, no bullies had darned to lay a finger on him and have to deal with Gwen's almost super human power and bulk. The last bully who had tried had been found hanging from a flag pole by a pair of Barbie pants. Struggling to get to his feet on the purple sheet covered queen sized mattress and ignoring the fuzzy white and pink blanket and pillows in the crib with him (not to mention a dolly or too) Ben took in a deep breath and then hollered at the opened door frame of Gwen's room. "GWEN YOU SICK BITCH! YOU'VE BEEN TOLD TO STOP KIDNAPPING ME AND DRESSING ME IN DRAG AND HUGGIES! COME IN HERE AND LET ME OUT OF THIS OUTFIT BEFORE I GET YOU IN SHIT WITH YOURS AND MINE PARENTS AND GRANDPA MAX TOO!" It was the only threat that normally worked as while they're parents thought it was mostly cute, they all agreed that Gwen kidnapping Ben crossed a line. other then that though it was fair game if he was out of the house. Grandpa Max was nicer about it in Ben's view as he made the rust bucket a official safe zone that even Gwen respected and so Ben found himself hanging out less with Gwen and Kevin and more with Gramps. Kevin for his part was all too happy to stay out of it, treating the whole thing as a bullet dodged when him and Gwen had never hit it off and a better Ben then him. Ben didn't have to wait long as he swore he could almost feel the food steps of Gwen as she made her way towards the room.

Between the insane amount of weights she worked and the reps she put into and a unexpected growth spurt Gwen looked like she could of been a WWE at her 6'10 height and 320 pounds of mostly muscle. She kept her Orange hair short and was wearing a pair of grey jogging pants and white under shirt that showed off her girl abs. "Awww is my darling widdle wife to be awake?" She coo'ed, cupping her hands together and flashing Ben a big smile. "Gwen, for the LAST time, I'm not going to marry you. I'm not going to be your sissy baby, now PLEASE let me go. I'm not joking, I'll call Grandpa Max over and get you in SO much trouble." Ben huffed, trying to look intimidating but his outfit made that all but impossible. "Awww such a silly widdle gurl! Did widdle Benny forget that this is our parents couples retreat weekend? And gramp's is off on Plumber work! That means I got widdle Benny to myself allll weekend." Gwen gushed and came over, lifting him out of the crib with ease and holding him up so she could give his padded rump a sniff. "Ah crap baskets..That was THIS weekend?" Ben whined, not even bothering to point out he would of said something if he had used the diapers. He'd tried to make plans to hang out with cooper for that weekend but had clearly gotten his dates wrong and was capital S screwed for the next 48 hours. "Hmm Doesn't smell like Benny has made me a present yet..but I know you will soon enough. you just love to make presents for your hubby don't you?" Gwen coo'ed and moved him down enough she could give him a Eskimo kiss. "Oh yeah. highlight of my weekend, fudging a diaper." Ben said sarcastically. "Now now, I know you're just grumpy because you didn't get to play with me last night, but I had to take care of a few things. But we have allll weekend sweetie. And if you promise to be a good little gurl for me I'll be nice and spoil you with all the junk food you want. After all you need to put on some baby fat." Gwen chuckled and kissed his cheek. Ben groaned, Gwen was always trying to chub him up, but given the fact he'd been subjected to the 'wonder's' of a baby food and formula weekend before, and the fact he was trapped regardless he just hung his head. "Fine, I'll play along. but for the record, you need help." Ben huffed. "Oh please, I can handle my widdle wife for a weekend!" Gwen chuckled and carried Ben off towards the kitchen.

Strapped into a wooden but painted light pink high chair, Ben played along with his crazy cousin and held up his arms so she could remove his top and replace it with a hello kitty bib. "Now Benny, if I remove your mitten's and let you feed yourself, you're not gonna do something stupid and try and use your silly little watch now are you?" Gwen asked. Considering between her bulk and her magic Gwen out classed most of Ben's aliens anyways and she always made sure he was sorry for trying to go alien on her after he timed out, Ben decided that having the freedom to feed himself was worth playing along. "Yeah I'll be good.." Ben said and held up his hands. She studied his face for a second, as if deciding whether or not to trust him then smiled. "I believe you. I really hope we can have a nice weekend together and I don't end up having to spank you. it hurts me then it does you when I have to." Gwen said then moved to free up Ben's hands. 'Bullshit on that one!' Ben thought but wisely kept his thoughts to himself and just flexed his fingers, and looked at the watch. "I'm not going alien, I'm just checking to make sure no alien got primed to go while the mitten on so I don't accidentally go alien and get my cheeks tanned." He said, and then after getting a smirk and a nod from Gwen checked the watch. Thankfully nothing was primed and he made sure to show the psycho and then wiggled in the high chair as he waited on her to plate up some num nums for him. Everything else aside, Gwen really was a excellent cook and she didn't hold back as she put the piled high plate of scrambled eggs and Bacon and some pancakes down in front of Ben and handed him a baby fork and knife. She had also poured on the maple syrup and set down a one liter baby bottle full of chocolate milk for him and kissed his cheek. "Eat up little lady.Oh, did you want me to put a show or something on for you while you eat up? I think Sumo slammers is having a marathon on channel 6 today." Gwen asked, nodding to the Kitchen TV her mom had had put in back during the 90's. "..That would be agreeable yes." Ben said, trying not to break out into a silly grin before he started to dig into the food, watching as Gwen was proven right. 'you know.. the huggies and drag aside, I could get used to being spoiled like this.' Ben thought.

Gwen smirked as she watched Ben chow down and kick his legs ideally in the high chair. while she would of preferred he watch something a little less violent she had changed up her usual plan for weekend sessions with her soon to be sissy bride. Trying to enforce the baby food and sissy programs only made him fight it more so she was gonna meet him halfway and try to ease him more into baby gurlhood. One added bonus though she noticed with a big grin while she had her normal bowl of high protein gruel was that Ben was even more of a messy eater then normal as he watched his show, getting syrup all over his face and bib and eggs and bits of bacon were all over the place. 'He's such a big baby! I love it!' She mentally squealed. It only got better as halfway though his plate, he reached for his his ba-ba and held it with BOTH hands like a good baby gurl and she was fighting the urge to squeal out loud. Anytime she tended to praise him for his babyish behavior he always tried to cut it out. Finishing her gruel she washed it down with a protein drink and noted that Ben was squirming around lots in his high chair, with most of his food gone and the little sissy had packed away HALF of his milk already. "Doing alright over there baby gurl?" She asked. Ben seemed to snap out of his show induced trance and blushed. "I uh..I gonna potty..and I think I got a gas bubble stuck." He said, poking two fingers together. '..Is he asking me to burp him?' Gwen wondered but was ALL grin's "Well that's no good! here, let me help you out. whats a little gas between husband and wife?" She said. Coming over she grabbed a dish towel and a wet dish rag, putting the towel over one shoulder and then moved Ben's num num's and ba-ba over onto the kitchen table and removed his bib. washing the big baby's face and chest down she removed the tray and lifted him up, swooning as his legs wrapped around her and he helped her get his head over the towel. Rubbing his back she gave it all of three firm but gentle pats before Ben let out a massive belch over her shoulder and spit up a little bit of milk. "Uh...T-Thanks Gwen." A sheepish Ben half coo'ed and then switched shoulders and nuzzled into her. "Do you want me to set you down so you can go and hide while you make potty?" She offered, clearly trying to meet him half way was working wonders. "I..I Uh..no." Ben Mewed into her shoulder, which of course muffled his voice but she got the jest of it. "You wanna use your diapers while your bride to be holds you tight and praises you for being a good girl?" Gwen asked, grinning ear to ear and holding Ben close and rubbing his lower back. "I..I dunno..Maybe..I mean..If I can't use the potty..I guess it's.." Ben Mumbled into her shoulder, She could tell he'd of rather used the bathroom, which was a touch disappointing to her but still, with him willing to go in his pampers while she held him being his second choice that meant she was making headwind. "Do you wanna keep your face in my big strong shoulder or be turned around facing away from my?" She asked, then leaned down and kissed his neck, knowing from Julie (who had dumped Ben mostly because she shipped the pair) just how much he loved having his neck kissed and nibbled on. Case and point Ben didn't even really reply, just snuggled into her harder. Taking that as a answer Gwen made her way over to a kitchen chair and took a seat, Ben's legs on either side of her lap and his arms hugging her, while one of her strong hands rubbed and patted his pampered bottom. Her other hand was rubbing and pressing on certain spots on Ben's back and it didn't take loud before her efforts were rewarded as a muffled poot came out his backside, then anther and anther and she could feel him starting to push and grunt. "That's it baby gurl, let it all out. make me a nice big present." Gwen coo'ed sweetly in his ear and follow up with giving him a gentle start of a hickey on his neck as he began to fill his pretty pink diapers. "G-Gwen! Dun! N-Not while I'm pooping!" Ben meekly whimpered, though he tilted his head in such a fashion that he was offering her a even better shot at his neck. "Heh, Somebodies gonna be a tsundere diaper sissy for me huh? That's ok. I think it's adorable." Gwen chuckled, feeling the lumps of Ben's 'present' to her fill up the back of his diapers and mentally giving thanks to whatever mage had made the spell that allowed her to only smell strawberries in cream as Ben loaded his huggies. 'Maybe if he's a good gurl at our wedding, on our honeymoon I'll cast it on him too.' Gwen thought. Food for thought later, She had a good little gurl dumping his guts in his pampers for her and whimpering for his reward and as such, she leaned down and started to gently nibble and suck away on Ben's neck, smirking as the little sissy let out a soft "I love you.." as she did so.

The end

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lozzypoz321 · 4 years

Text

Word count: 3.8k!

A/N: this is one of my favourite things I’ve ever written and I’m super proud of it, also the biggest word count I’ve ever done, hope you enjoy and pretty please leave feedback!! <3

Warnings: brief mentions of underage sex, calling of child services, brief mentions of an anxiety attack

Avengers college AU

Bucky: Guys I’m really desperate

Bruce: what?

Steve: wdym?

Bucky: does anyone have the first period free tomorrow? Can’t afford a babysitter for Riley :/

Tony: nah can’t, I’ve got a busy schedule

Clint: economics man

Bruce: science m8

Nat: same as Clint I’m afraid Jamesy

Clint: wbu Steve?

Steve: library club and I can’t skip

Bucky: >: I

Bucky: I think I may be having a midlife crisis.

Tony: okay 1. You’re 20 and 2. You shouldn’t have gone an’ knocked up a woman at 17

Nat: Tony!

Bucky: You’re acting like you didn’t get some at 17 Tony

Bruce: he has a fair point.

Nat: and anyway Riley’s too pure for your insults Tony

Bucky: uwu

Tony: you have officially turned into every teenage girl Barnes

Nat: anywayyyyyyy, Thor how’re you coping with your brother’s “phase”

Tony: I am starting to think Loki’s goth phase isn’t just a phase Natalie, I caught him walking around in a skull T-shirt with chains this morning

Clint: oh daym

Steve: what are you going to do?

Thor: I am going to show that I respect him by buying him some flowers!

Clint: What abt a chain tho?

Nat: wait, does anyone wanna go to laser tag at some point?

Tony: oooh yes!

Bruce: yeah I’m down! :)

Steve: I’ve got time yeah thanks

Bucky: I never back down from a laser tag game

Nat: great! I’ll book it with Tony’s card

Tony: wait what?

Bucky: oh shit, I’ve gotta go, Riley’s just run away somewhere brb

Clint: oh damn.

Bucky shoved his phone hastily into his pocket and looked around, desperation filling his eyes as they searched for any sign of his daughter. The bushes swayed with the evening breeze and very few people strolled around campus, either going on a walk, meeting up early with friends or getting food. The young adult heavily sighed out of relief when he caught sight of Riley, excitedly chatting to a man, who James quickly identified him as one of his other friends, Sam.

Braking out into a light jog, he made his way across campus to the pair while also trying to avoid bumping into the other students that were now staring at him, in college he was basically known as the fuck boy. Not that he was, the only reason behind it was that he had a daughter at 17 and everyone apart from his friends never saw past that.

“What’re you doing here munchkin?” He asked the small girl who was now shyly smiling at her father. Sam chuckled at the duo and turning his attention away from Riley, “wasn’t her fault dude, just telling me how she’s going to chemistry class tomorrow, can’t wait to see that” he said with a sly smirk on his face.

Bucky mentally sighed, yes it was going to be very tough tomorrow. Not only was she very restless, but she also was very talkative and wouldn’t put a filter on around people older than her, which most of the time could be very offensive. “Yeah! I promised him I’ll be good!”

“Oh really? Well I kinda hoped you’d have something to say to Professor Demon”

“Sam,” he groaned and ran a hand through his hair “his names Damon, if he caught you sayin’ that then we’d get suspended so quickly dude” Riley giggled and looked up at her dad innocently “and then we’d go poor because you suck at getting jobs”

“He sucks at everything” Sam mumbled, earning a glare from the other man. “We better go get some food now, there’s literally nothing in the fridge except a can of tuna, some ketchup and packets of sour sauce from takeout awhile ago”

“Oof man”

The walk to the diner that he had decided on going to after he couldn’t be bothered going grocery shopping was a long one. Riley insisted on stopping for every dog they saw, to ask to stroke it. “Ri’ baby, we can’t keep stopping, we gotta get back to the dorm before it’s your bedtime”

The pout she sent him instantly melted his heart before he realised she knew exactly what she was doing and he readjusted his grip on her hand so she didn’t end up running away again like she did earlier.

“Ri’ what do you want?” He asked the child once the waitress had come over asking for their orders. She gave a nonchalant shrug and turned her attention back to the video that was playing on Bucky’s phone that he had given her for the wait. “M’kay so, can we get a,” he took a pause to take a quick glance at the kid’s menu on the table “chicken nuggets and chips please with… chocolate milkshake?”

Riley nodded and the waitress, who from the name tag on her apron, was named Elizabeth, began to write down both his and her order but halfway through gave a quick glance up to Bucky, but when he caught her cheeks flooded red that made his daughter snort.

“Is that all sir?”

“Riley shut up” he quietly told the girl as Elizabeth walked away with her head down. “She was flirting with you dad” she laughed making him jokingly nudge her across the table “Oi, and anyway she’s not my type munchkin”

“Well don’t be too loud, the creeps staring at you dad”

He didn’t mean to, but without thinking his head whipped round to instantly make eye contact with the woman who was biting her lip, her eyes now as big as plates. His cheeks heated furiously as he immediately turned back around to face his adorable giggling daughter. “You better like those chicken nuggets munchkin cause I’ve got to go through this to get them”

“I will dad, I like chickens”

“Riley, come on you gotta get some sleep” he groaned once she’d slid onto the sofa where he was writing his assignment last minute for the fifth time that night.

“But dad,” She whined and pulled on the sleeve of the college logo sweater he had pulled on without even thinking about it once they’d got home as he had only just realised he had a paper to write, “I’m not tired and I don’t want to be alone”

His eyes softened at the pleading look on her face that would get him to do anything she wanted him to “m’kay baby, how about we go into into the bedroom and you try to get some sleep while I finish this up”

She nodded enthusiastically and he picked up the study books and paper in one hand and Riley in the other, deep eye bags could be found on his face from the lack of sleep that he had spent pulling all-nighters working on college work and began to make his way into the small room that had a single bed pressed up against the wall with a mattress next to it, an abundance of blankets on both.

He set the small girl onto the single bed and lowered himself down into the smaller one, using the bed frame to press his back against and using a hardback book underneath the paper to rest on.

“Why do people stare at you?” Bucky only just heard Riley mumble as her eyes struggled to keep open. He stopped writing but kept his hand in the same place while grinder his teeth, wondering what to say. “Cause baby… people don’t really think that I should have you this young,” he struggled to find the words as he felt his daughter roll onto her back to listen “but they don’t understand that I love you a lot, don’t I munchkin?”

Riley giggled behind him and uttered a small yes. “At least they haven’t tried to take me away again”

The young man's breath hitched in the back of his throat at the memory flashed through his mind. They’d been watching a movie with Steve after their classes and a knock had sounded on the door.Apparently, Child services had been called by one of the students and they tried to take her away but he wouldn’t let them, they had threatened to take him to court because the living settings were not meant for a child but 17-year-old Steve had calmly spoken to them outside the room while James had been on the edge of a panic attack inside.

“Yeah, scared me Ri’” his horse voice answered back making her eyebrows scrunch in confusion “I’m not going anywhere dad. Well, unless I die but y’know”

He sent her a bitch face look over his shoulder which made her uncontrollably giggle. Bucky chuckled and set his attention back to the essay while absent mindedly talking to her about random things.

“Is Loki gonna be at the laser tag place?” She asked and added on excitedly “oooh can I come dad?!”

“Sure doll, let me tell the guys”

Buck: we got plus ones on this laser tag thing?

Bruce: whyyyy??

Thor: oooh if that is the case I would very much like to take my brother!

Nat: oh are you bringing Riley then?

Buck: yup

Steve: I don’t see why not

Tony: I’m off to speak to this really hot girl

Clint: what that spice girl?

Buck: do you mean pepper?

Clint: ah yes!

He chuckled at the screen and chucked his phone to the side while looking up to his daughter on the bed above him, going to tell her they approved before stopping and smiling to himself as he caught sight of her peaceful, sleeping form.

Without waking her up, he got off the mattress and tucked in the blankets, quietly laughing as he retrieved the earbuds she had borrowed in the diner from her pocket. “Night munchkin”

Bucky groaned as the ringing of his phone awoke him, the technology next to his ear from when he had fallen asleep sat up. “Wha’?”

It was so early in the morning that he didn’t even have the energy to think of a proper sentence, never mind say one.

Steve: hey guys make sure your ready, it starts an hour after school

Clint: Steve. School. Finishes. At. 6. Pm. What. Tf. Do. You. Mean. It. Starts. In. An. hour. After.

Nat: we thought you could do with a late start

Tony: fuck you Romanoff

Clint: ten bucks says she’s smirking rn

Buck: ughhh

Bruce: I feel exactly the same way

Buck: no you don’t. I spent up until 6 am doing that English essay I forgot about

Tony: oof

Bucky: I will physically be running on caffeine this morning so be ready

He took a look around the messy room before deciding he would clean it another day and raised himself onto his feet before making sure Riley was still on the single bed asleep. He made his way to the tiny kitchen that held a mini-fridge, microwave, kettle and an oven with two counters on one side to make himself a cup of coffee that he was depending on if he had to spend an hour of his day running around in sweaty gear and a fake gun while making sure his daughter didn’t run away to get some sort of snack.

“Fuck” he mumbled as the loud whirring of the kettle started, sure to wake Riley up. “I’m tired” he heard a voice groan behind him, making the man whirl around, instantly making eye contact with his daughter. Sighing out of relief and returning back to the drink he was previously making. “So am I doll, yet you can’t have coffee”

He made her go get dressed and brush her teeth while he had a mental breakdown over what he was going to do about the paper he didn’t manage to finish before he fell asleep last night.

“Dad,” Bucky looked up to find Riley once again dressed in a pair of Joggers and a baggy T-shirt that she’d dragged out of the very few clean clothes in her draw “someone’s messaging your laptop”

She struggled to hold up the open device that showed multiple emails from one of his professors questioning his performance in class for the recent weeks. He inwardly cursed and took the laptop from her to begin emailing her back, choosing to ignore the insults she had thrown at him and his daughter in the middle of it.

“She is so full of-“ he stopped halfway through the sentence, noticing that Riley was sat next to him, quietly playing a YouTube video on his phone. “Whatcha watching Ri’?” He asked, his attention still focusing on trying to be professional in the email back. “c- c-“ she struggled to pronounce the word so she passed it to him.

“Commentary channels?” The man asked with a laugh, thinking about how most parents wouldn’t even let their 4 child near a video like that but yet again he wasn’t like most parents. He was 20 and had to do this alone.

“Oh yeah”

“Come on munchkin, we gotta get to first period before we’re late” he told her and grabbed his backpack to quickly shove his college things in before glancing at the digital clock on his phone and scooping Riley up so they could get there quicker.

Halfway through the panicked running across campus, the small girl decided she needed a nap and fell asleep against his shoulder, making Natalia laugh as they passed.

As soon as he arrived in the classroom he knew it was a bad idea when 11 pair of eyes fell to his, heavily panting and holding an asleep 4-year-old.

“Sir he’s late” a girl, younger than him moaned to the teacher who was now shrugging his shoulders “I don’t care”

“But professor, why’d he bring the baby?”

Bucky had enough of everyone staring at him, he readjusted the bag on his back before making his way to the back of the class, sitting in an empty seat in between Sam and Tony and placed Riley on his lap.

“That’s a good question Jaimee, Barnes?”

“Couldn’t find anyone to look after her professor” he mumbled in response, making sure to be loud enough to hear. “No babysitter?”

“Can’t afford it sir”

He didn’t once make eye contact with anyone in the room, instead putting his attention on the books that he was bringing out of his bag. “You alright man?” Tony whispered across the desk and flicked a pen at him, “Oi” Bucky hissed as the metal came in contact with the side of his head making Sam laugh loudly at him.

“Dad,” a mumble was heard quietly, making the older man look at his daughter, eyes that were previously closed were now looking up at his wide with pleading “I’m hungry”

If he was anywhere else in the world he would have sworn loudly, but right now he was in a class with 10 other students and his daughter. “Okay baby, but you're gonna have to wait for a while, we’re in my class but I’ll get you something after okay?”

She nodded and rested her hair back against his chest, making him smile slightly as he went back to taking notes of the class. “I’ve got skittles,” Sam held out the family-sized packet of sugary sweets making Riley do grabby hands towards it. Without asking Sam gave her it, earning a goofy smile from the girl. “Thank you dude but she’s literally gonna get the biggest sugar rush possible now”

“Aha, can’t wait to see that”

By halfway through the period Riley was already rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, on the spot next to Bucky’s chair, his hand holding hers to make sure she didn’t run up to the front and distract everyone. “Dad, are you going to work tonight?”

“Yeah munchkin, not for long though, you can stay with Stevie. How about that?”

“Yeah, m’kay”

Suddenly the professor spoke up, directing his attention to Bucky “Barnes, the symbol Sb stands for stibium or stibnite. What is the modern name of this element?”

“That doesn’t sound like English dad” Riley loudly whispered to him, making the class laugh, “and what do you think the answer is?”

The girl pondered for a second and looked at her dad with seriousness drawn upon her features “...tell me,”

“Laser in the house!” Clint exclaimed in excitement once everyone had found their way to the front of campus where they’d agreed to meet.

“I like lasers,” Riley gushed while smiling brightly making most of the young adults chuckle, Loki however, did not. “Why did you have to bring me?” The man grumbled, sending a death glare towards his brother.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“Riley no-“

“Did you go through childhood trauma to endure this?”

“Ri’ you can’t ask-“

“Why is there a child?” Loki asked as if he had only just noticed she was there. “She is Barnes’ daughter brother” Thor said and gently patted her head, making her scowl.

“You have a daughter?”

“I’ve had her for 4 years dude”

“Oh”

Steve grabbed his phone from his pocket and glanced at the time “guys we’ve gotta be there in half an hour we better get goin’”

“Alright Rogers, you really do like to keep track of time don’t you?” Tony asked and rolled his eyes making Nat nudge him in the ribs. “Tony, I’m not that old”

“You're 21, everyone else is 20 punk” Bucky teased him but stopped when he sent him a death glare. “Erm, I’m not 20.” The young girl pointed out while everyone else started making their way to the entertainment place. “Smart girl Ri’”

“Wait, do we need to decide the teams?” Bruce asked everyone once Bucky and Riley had caught up with the rest. “Ooooh,” Clint exclaimed with wide eyes “dibs on Natasha! She’s got good aim.”

“I’m gonna stick with you. Power team” Bucky whispered down to the stupidly smiling girl as she nodded furiously. By the time everyone had chosen their teammates and managed to agree, the group had arrived. “This’ll be great” Bruce sighed once they’d caught sight of the room of light-up vests with attached laser guns.

“Rules,” a middle-aged man who looked like he’d given up on life, walked into the room with a clipboard in hand “No Running, No Physical Contact, Hold Laser with Both Hands, No Climbing, Players must be careful when manoeuvring around interior arena walls, Please let us know if any of your guests suffer from the following: Asthma, epilepsy or suffer from seizures caused by fog or strobe lights.”

Everyone was quiet for a second before Steve quietly spoke up with a blush “I have asthma, sir.”

The worker took a pause and pondered for a moment, as though this had never happened in his whole 68 years of working there, “just… don’t start a fire alright?”

They all nodded in agreement, just happy that he’d been let in, and began to enter the massive room where the game was about to take place. “Right, so, let’s not rugby tackle people like you did last time,” Steve said and mostly directed it to Thor who smiled sheepishly “cause- err, there’s a kid, yeah, Riley, that’s it”

Bucky chuckled and picked up the fake laser gun as the lights began to darken, “let’s get this party started”

As soon as the words left his mouth, chaos ensured, young adults setting off running to find a place to set-up camp. As he wanted to be fast, Bucky quickly picked up Riley and began to run towards a pillar so he could hide behind it, so he’s able to get a good view of people.

“How does it work?” Riley whispered from the spot of her back pressed against his chest so she could also see and indicated towards the gun. “Gotta put your finger on the trigger” he instructed and took ahold of her index finger and brought it over to the weapon, placing the rest of her hand on the handle while her other one held the underneath of the top part, trying not to drop it.

The whole room was silent for a good 5 minutes before Bucky decided to make a move, taking hold of the collar of her jacket to gently pull her up with him. Not holding Riley’s hand as she would have ended up dropping the laser gun if she didn’t have two hands on it.

The two of them scouted out the place trying to be quiet so they didn’t get caught. Suddenly, making them jump, a loud zapping sounded in the distance, indicating that someone had found an enemy. He began to run away from the sound, after making sure his daughter was following and attempting to find somewhere to hide again but this time he didn’t find a deserted place.

“Aha!” Nat yelled and jumped out from behind a pillar while aiming the laser at Bucky’s chest. His panicked yelling and screaming filled the air as he made a run for it, completely forgetting about his teammate left behind and the rule “no running”. Suddenly, before he could brace himself his body went flying, his foot getting stuck on a stray shoe that belonged to Thor. At the same time Steve had jumped out, meaning to get the man in the chest, but instead Bucky had landed on him, using him to muffle the landing, earning an “ow man...” in return.

Bucky wanted to move, he really did, but he just couldn’t. He was in a trance, his and Steve’s baby blue eyes made eye contact, without knowing what he was doing, Steve’s body involuntarily leant up: closer to the younger man. His lips never looked more inviting, but all of a sudden a yell broke out in the room.

“Dad! Help! Nat nearly got me!”

The father scrambled up off the floor, his mind going a million miles an hour about what just happened and why it was wrong. He was his best friend. He should only see him as a friend.

Without meaning to, he ran away from him, not bothering to even spare Steve a second glance in search of his daughter, who was now cowered in one of the room's corners, trying not to get shot. Bucky chuckled slightly at the tactic and crossed the room, luckily not being noticed by Tony and Nat who were having a shoot off at each other from their opposite ends in the room.

“Nat nearly got you Ri’?”

“M’ yeah and you weren’t there.”

Guilt coursed through the mans veins as he remembered that he’d left her, but before his mind could go wondering to the events after it, he stopped himself, “sorry munchkin”

“Is’ okay, just don’t do it again dad”

He silently laughed at the sincerity in her voice and grabbed her hand to lead her away from the battle scene so they could get somebody else in the laser tag game. In quiet discussions they settled on Bruce, the one who was most likely to not be paying attention, and if he was it would still be easy to take aim without him seeing.

“Come on Ri, we got this.”

@donutloverxo @xolovegrace @rooskaya-yelena @deephideoutmilkshake @kidney9-9 @marvel-ous-hobbit @snarky--starky @rae-is-typing @stargazingfangirl18 @canadianhufflepuffavenger @herecomesthewriterwitch @every-marveler-ever

#bucky x oc!daughter #bucky x oc #bucky x daughter #Avengers college AU #college au #bucky barnes x daughter #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky oneshot #bucky barnes x oc

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weeklyfangirl · 5 years

Text

Frat Boy Pt. 17

https://weeklyfangirl.tumblr.com/post/188826127780/frat-boy-pt-18https://weeklyfangirl.tumblr.com/post/188826127780/frat-boy-pt-18part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 (1), part 7 (2), part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13 , part 14, part 15, part 16

hi loves, s’been a while :) I’ve been working harder on the frat boy world than you know!

I had the nightmare again.

I woke up washed in relief that bodiless entities weren’t hanging over my head- but before the perturbed feeling completely vanished, it snapped back like a rubber band, stinging me harder.

The nightmare had gone further this time.

The gray crusting wallpaper was, at least, the same. There was a paper house, falling apart as it peeled, and me, trying to outrun the collapse and the ominous beings down its empty corridors. The Watchers, I’d decided to call them, came closer this time as if emboldened by my subconscious inability to dispel them. They’d survived my past dreams, growing stronger with it. And the all-encompassing dread that filled my body sprung each weighted step forward.

But before, I hadn’t known what I was running towards.

This time, my dream-self knew. There was someone beyond the wall whose animalistic cries weren’t just for anyone. They were for me. I needed to reach them.

I ran to the door, just barely ahead of the Watchers. It was barely open, a slight crack to a dark room - but still, it was open. I could kick it further and with a satisfying swoosh, I’d see what - or who - lay beyond it. I could reach them then.

It should’ve opened.

But it didn’t budge.

With impossible dream-logic, it was locked a stubborn two inches ajar. Hopelessly, I tried wedging my body through the opening. A dark shadow appeared at the end of the hall, drawing closer, closer. Slowly, though. It knew I had nowhere left to run.

My motions grew frantic, scraping myself against the door as I tried to jam my body further inside. The darkness expanded, trembled, delighted its prey was so easily trapped.

There was a flash of the knife from the shadows, the cries grew louder. But I couldn’t reach it, I couldn’t reach him.

Darkness stabbed me.

I woke up drenched in my own sweat.

The ghost of the sliding metal lodging between my skin felt hot. My fingers trailed along the dry skin, just below my ribcage, almost certain I’d find a bleeding gouge. Typically, didn’t people wake up before feeling pain?

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

Dull thuds filled the room. I blurred my vision, imagining the swinging mass to be the thing of my twisted imagination. I socked the punching bag until I felt my fingers were going to fall off. Which was about two minutes.

“YOU’RE ALL DOING GREAT! ALMOST DONE GUYS, YOU’RE GETTING STRONGER... besides Y/N!”

It was true. My arms were weak noodles. It didn’t stop me from scowling when Renny jogged over in tip-top cheer captain shape. “Come on! Let’s go!! You were doing great!!!”

She’d harassed me into coming to the gym tonight screaming “if you don’t show up, I swear I’m going to drag you with me.” Nobody can say she wasn’t true to her word. She’d subbed in for the usual kickboxing teacher, and honestly, she was a natural. A true prodigy. Give a girl a pair of Lulu Lemons and a kickboxing class and she’d… kick its ass?

“It’s a free form of therapy eh?” she reasoned, squatting while she spoke.

I scowled deeper, hitting the bag weaker than before.

“I’m tired,” I managed to moan. So. Incredibly Tired.

“Okay I hate to do this, but…” She paused, making sure I’d hear whatever she’d say next. “Think of you-know-whose face.”

By sheer Dwayne-The-Rock-Johnson-level will power, I threw my weight against the bag.

“There you go!!!” she encouraged, jogging back to the front.

I did it once more, in good faith. But my efforts were short-lived and I stopped, breathless, as soon as she was distracted. A droplet of sweat ran down my cupid’s bow. I tasted salt. Anger. Frustration at how weak I was. How helpless I seemed to be.

Where was the legendary endorphin high I’ve been promised all these years???! I turned out to be a sweaty sasquatch of a human being, collapsing on the floor as Renny picked up the abandoned towels around me.

“You are so dead,” she chuckled.

I half-huffed, half-laughed, wholly aware that her statement wasn’t a complete stretch.

“So it worked, huh?” Renny asked, driving us out to the free parking lot across the street. Three cop cars whizzed by. No sirens. Non-emergency.

“What worked?”

“Picturing Harry’s face.”

“It wasn’t Harry’s face I was picturing.”

“Oh?”

She waved her hand to the car waiting to turn in front of us. “Hello? Let’s go fucker!!! Ugh, stupid bitch.” The car moved, begrudgingly, and Renny bee-lined it for the lot. Her tone turned from deadly to friendly in a flip of a switch. “Also, you know there’s a parking garage next to the gym, right?”

“Oh, really?” I feigned ignorance. I knew there was a parking garage next to the gym. I just couldn’t afford to pay.

“Yeah.” We idled at the entrance, and I realized I hadn’t told her where my car is. “Wait, so who were you picturing if it wasn’t Harry?”

“You know in my nightmares there’s this… dark figure?”

Her face fell. “Oh my God, you’re still having those?”

No matter how much I considered Renny the sister I never had nor asked for, I couldn’t help but feel an odd distance. It was a distance that’d been building over the past weeks, and one that I’d been ignoring, but now, the task seemed impossible. I shrugged, not sure how to explain the unexplainable. I’d dizzied myself all morning trying to figure out what my dreams meant. But in the end, I was too tired. Too tired, too tired, too tired.

“I’m telling you dude, you should seriously try therapy. I did it after my parents split. Best thing I ever did. It’s something that’s... ugh, it’s stigmatized you know? Therapy is healthy.”

“Just like hating yourself in the gym for two hours?”

“IT’S HEALTHY!” she shouted at me for the tenth time that evening. I cracked a smile so she knew I didn’t hate it completely.

A notification blipped on her phone. She smiled, typing a reply. “Want to hang out with me and Niall tonight?”

I half-smiled even though she wasn’t looking at me.

“I can’t, I have dinner.”

“Oh shit that’s tonight?” She looked up, brows raising. The clock on her dash said 6:48pm - I was definitely late. “Fuck dude, good luck. Tell me how it goes.”

“I will,” I said. The bluetooth in her car suddenly screeched Timberlake’s “Sexy Back.” We jolted, hands covering our ears as she rushed to turn it down. Her phone glowed - incoming call from Niall - and she looked at me in question. I nodded.

“Heyyyy boy,” she drawled.

His laughter on the other line made me smile. It was crackly through the speakers, somehow making it even more likeable. “Hey beautiful. Where you at?”

I got out absentmindedly, closing the door behind me. Her car idled, waiting as I pointed to my car just a stone’s throw away. Nodding, she suddenly laughed at something funny I couldn’t hear.

I dug for my keys and slid in the driver’s seat- but my hand paused on the ignition. What in the hell?? My dash was black. Completely black.

Did somebody throw a blanket?? Was there a homeless person who’d decided to rest their stuff atop my car?

I got out, completely confused, looking at my dashboard covered in a thick liquid. Paint?

I smeared a finger through it, trembling, a familiar scent, a sick consistency running between my fingers. Knowledge fought against logic just as I caught the tail-end of Renny’s VW disappearing around the corner.

There were maybe four other cars in the otherwise deserted lot, dark houses lining the perimeter across the street. The world spun. Saliva bubbled up. Yellow fluorescent street lamps lit my surroundings, but the hue it cast was sinister. I was alone, they told me. Nobody else could see me.

Breathe.

The nausea that ran through me at the sudden knowledge of what I’d touched made me convulse.

“STOP IT!” I cried, to whoever could hear. “JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW, YOU FUCKS.”

I hurried into the car, locking the doors. My fingers were still wet as I ran the windshield wipers. They weren’t going fast enough. It spread, making it worse. Air vents blew metal.

I didn’t care. The tires squealed as I tore out, sticking my head out the window to see. My car swerved on the road as I involuntarily twitched. The blood was drying on my hands. I just needed to leave. We needed to leave.

My nightmares no longer lived in the confines of imagination.

-----

I called Renny first. It went to voicemail.

A man exited the convenience store, eyeing me curiously as he went back in his truck. Renny texted -

With Niall bb. Call you later

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Fuck fuck FUCK.

I didn’t think when I dialled. I didn’t notice my hands were shaking until my phone knocked into my cheek.

The dial tone blared in the air. Voicemail. If I was going to die at least one person should know about it.

I forgot to speak for a moment. “Oh, hi. Harry, uh… they found me. There’s b” - I covered my mouth. Bile rose in my throat. - “...there’s blood all over my car. I’m at the gas station off PCH and Harbor. But you didn’t answer so… never mind. I’ll be fine. I’m fine- fuck.”

I hung up. The free windshield squeegee they had stationed at each gas pump was the only option. And their murky water were about to get a lot thicker. My dad used to do it all the time for my mom, just like my grandpa always got my grandma gas. Old school chivalry. Father would do it for me now. He’d take care of this. A part of me wanted to call him, but another part didn’t know how in the hell I would explain this. He was busy. Probably already eating with the rest of them or waiting for me. Oh, that’d be awkward. There wasn’t time.

I scrubbed with all my weight, pretending the blood wasn’t blood at all. It was thick paint. I just wouldn’t breathe. I wasn’t breathing.

The squeegee smeared it to a dull red now, the stains lessened but still very much there.

My phone rang before I could try scrubbing the other side.

“Are you hurt?” the familiar gruff voice asked. Just hearing his voice slightly calmed the mania.

“Hi,” I whispered. Why was I whispering? How did I even begin to explain- “Fuck.”

Wow, I was eloquent.

“Y/N, answer the question,” he rushed.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt,” I stammered. “I’m fine.”

“Stay where you are.”

“I’m sorry, I tried calling Renny but she didn’t answer and now I’m late-”

“Just stay where you are. Keep to the lighted area. I’ll be there in ten.”

It was less than ten before the grumbling of a motorcycle grew louder, peeling around the corner. It slowed at the entrance, but its rider saw me and the engine roared, only stopping ‘til the sleek machine was propped next to my car.

He hopped off with ease, muttering something incomprehensible.

“I can’t hear you,” I said.

He pulled off his helmet, irritated that it didn’t come off easier. Curls in disarray made the worry etched across his face all the more soft. Each time, I forgot how beautiful he was, and the sight of his tall body rushing towards me hit me straight in my unsettled gut.

“I’m sorry.” He pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

His body held me tight, an influx of Harry and warmth and protection embodied in the steadfastness of his grip covered every inch of me. If I wasn’t so shocked, I would’ve hugged him back.

I breathed. For a second, the slow electric buzz spreading down my spine was all I could sense. “Y/N,” he breathed. For a second, I didn’t think about why he was holding me. Nothing else processed.

He held on a moment longer than I thought he would. His gaze passed me to the car. He was so tall in comparison to it, he didn’t even need to walk around to see the mess.

“Fuck.” His words echoed mine from earlier, and he ran a hand down his face. He shook his head, for once, speechless.

“I’m okay,” I offered.

He shook his head, backing up only a step. He took my buzz with it. “This isn’t okay, Y/N. I didn’t think they’d do this again.” But the last bit was spoken to himself. His eyes filled with something treacherous, a darkness I’d only caught fractions of before suddenly bore itself to me tenfold. The muscles beneath his black sweater tensed as everything about him tightened.

“Again?” I squeaked.

“It’s pigs blood. An outdated scare tactic.” The obvious came out sharp between gritted teeth.

“Well it worked.”

His glare locked on me, and I tried not to flinch. He bat his eyes, lessening the sting, and I watched as he tried to return to the present. “You said you were going to be late.” He was trying his best to sound casual, but I heard the strain in his voice. He caught a glimpse of my car and I saw the darkness begin to return before he turned his back to me.

“I’m beyond late.”

He walked to the motorcycle, and I watched as he swung his leg and kicked the stand up in one fluid motion.

“Hop on then,” he said, urging me forward with a toss of his head. I walked forward cautiously.

“But-”

“I’ll move your car later tonight.”

“-I don’t have a helmet.”

A ghost of a smile traced his lips. He handed me his helmet. “Don’t fall.”

We rolled down PCH, the harbor on one side, the hills on the other. Our coastal city looked different at night. More peaceful. The glitz and the glam more subdued, the orange hues of street lamps shining in a mirrored reflection of the deep blue waters surrounding us. Everything was more approachable and tranquil with everyone tucked away into their homes by 9 PM.

Which made it all the more unbelievable that I’d just abandoned my blood-stained car at a gas station.

He stalled as we crossed the bridge over our beach town’s harbor, and I tugged his jacket to the right - the system we’d established of how I’d give directions.

Harry turned his head, the sharp planes of his face stunningly close with how tightly my arms were wrapped around him. Every so often, he’d let an arm fall to rest against mine, letting it warm my own and fastening it tighter around him before we took off again.

I nodded. He turned. Cruising down Bay View Drive, we passed megamansions of all varieties - tropical Tommy Bahama gated villas with imported plants, Grecian marble fortresses with columns and underground garages. The steep hill to our left held the flower street homes atop them. I rested my head on Harry’s back, wondering what he must be thinking. The girl who always shuns me about money lives here? A nice neighborhood? She clearly doesn’t have the right-

He paused at a fork in the road. I tugged his jacket left and we reached the top of Petunia Park’s hill, the entrance to the flower streets. Just above Bay View Drive and the megamansions that were on the water, we were now surrounded by quaint $2 million two-story homes. He paused, the engine rumbling, gently quaking our bodies.

I lifted my helmet just enough. “I’m on Carnation.”

He remained still, looking out. From the hill, we could see the harbor and the peninsula creating its barrier from the ocean. The houses were twinkling safehouses against the abyss of black horizon. Our little seaside community. In another life, there weren’t as many lights. Traders and fishermen lived in simple homes with simple lives and returned from the sea to sit down at their modest table to have a simple meal and to be simply… happy. If I squinted, I could almost pretend this were something different. That we were in a different time. Time.

“Harry, I’m late,” I said, as gently as I could.

His gaze tore, ripped from reverie. Without saying a word, he adjusted my hands tighter around his waist. Further up the street until there was no view of the ocean, smaller cottages were sprinkled in between the contemporary beach homes. I pulled his jacket hard and he stopped before an earthy gold Provence-inspired home - quaint blue shutters and balconies overlooked an impressive rose garden.

I hopped off, handing him his helmet.

“S’this it?”

“No.” Next door, I walked to the dark-shingled home half its size. I took a deep breath, salty air and dried grass hit my nose. The scent of my childhood. I smiled. “You don’t have to come in. Thank you so much for picking me up-” But when I turned around he was already walking past me, hand reaching back to tug me forward.

“Woah, Harry-” I dug in my heels.

“I’m not inviting myself. Just let me walk you to the door.”

Voices drifted to us from the kitchen, the windows probably open. His black BMW was there in the driveway. It blended with the other cars on the street, but to me it looked strange. I’d never get used to it here. I looked to the boy whose black ensemble blended with the night, but whose tall stature made him rise above it.

“Okay,” I huffed, because the way Harry’s body was cemented to the ground, I knew that even if I’d said no, he'd walk with me anyway.

Three knocks was all it took for chairs to scrape along the floor.

An excited “She’s here!!” came from beyond the door.

“Well thank God, I would’ve eaten the last steaks.”

My mom’s eyes brightened as soon as she opened the door - then confusion, then recognition to the boy stood beside me.

“You brought your friend.” Her smile grew warmer, opening up her arms. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

If the BMW in the driveway was a bizarre sight. This, this right here, topped it all. Harry dwarfed my mom, but he effortlessly leant down, letting her scoop him up.

Over his back she mouthed - Nice, then winked.

“Where have you been? Dad tried calling a thousand times.

“We were…”

“At school,” Harry finished. “Her car wasn’t starting.”

I shot Harry a look, casually tucking a hair behind my ear. The less they knew the better.

“We can have dad look at the car- oh my Gosh, what’s all over your hands?”

I looked down - blood. Blood was literally on my hands.

“Paint,” I said, ignoring the nauseating fact that pig DNA was stuck beneath my nails.

“I thought you dropped the art class-?”

“-It’s a friend’s project.”

“She’s alive?” a voice called. For once, he was saving instead of berating. As if suddenly realizing we hadn’t even made it through the door before her interview, she turned to Harry with a smile only a mother could give. “Would you like to come in, get some dinner too?”

“Oh…” Harry looked at me, almost bashful. “I don’t know,” he settled on.

He leant a bit to the side, crossing his arms, then stuffed them in his pockets. It was the only time I could say I’d seen Harry look… awkward. A selfish curiosity wanted to see what he’d look like in my kitchen, in my room, in other parts of my life I’d never thought I’d be sharing with him. He looked like a lost little boy.

He must be nervous.

“You should stay.” I placed a hand on his arm and he almost flinched at the contact. He looked confused. I couldn’t blame him. Originally I was telling him not to walk me to the door, now I’m saying meet the family! “Stay,” I repeated, softer this time.

His eyes searched mine, looking for any hesitance, any joke. He didn’t find any. “Okay,” he said, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

My mom flipped around, hands in the air. “Yay, perfect! There’s two steaks, one’s a little smaller. Y/N, you can have that one...” She continued walking away, heading for the kitchen.

I waited for Harry to walk through the door, but he stuck out his hand. Me first.

If only he knew what he was walking into.

part 18

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what-is-your-plan-today · 5 years

Text

Stark Spangled Banner Ch 13: On Your Left

Summary: Ex- SHIELD Agent Katie Stark and Captain Steve Rogers have been dating for almost a year now, things are going pretty smoothly for once. A chance morning jog introduces them to Sam Wilson, before Steve is called away on a mission which doesn’t go quite according to plan...

Warnings: Smut (NSFW), no under 18s. And they say some bad language words.

A/N: Bonus additional scene- On Va Voir available...

So we are into the Winter Soldier Storyline. I've had LOADS of fun writing this.

Please re-blog if you like and send me any tag requests or suggestions you would like to see (as one shots or part of the main story) going forward by Ask.

End of March/Beginning of April 2014

"Turn it off," Katie’s voice was muffled from the pillow she had buried her face into. He moved slightly, but it wasn’t fast enough for her liking. "Steve!"

With a huff he leaned over and slapped the offending item with his palm, hitting the snooze button.

“Why is it even set?” she grumbled “It’s not like you don’t normally wake up at the crack of dawn anyway…and who uses an alarm clock when they have a phone?”

“You know, no one makes you stay here…” he teased, with a chuckle moving so that his front was pressed to her back.

“You’ve been away for 5 days…I never sleep as well when you’re not here…” she mimicked his line from the night before in a baby voice.

“And that’s why the alarm is set, because I do sleep better with you…” his arms circled her waist and he grinned to himself as despite the fact she was grumpy and tired she melted into his arms as he nuzzled at her neck, revelling in her smell, her warmth.

“Jerk…” she said. “I mean what time is it anyway?” there was a pause as he continued to simply breathe her in and she glanced at her phone giving a scoff as she saw the ridiculous time on the screen “5:30? In the morning. Five. Thirty…”

“You said you wanted to go running.” He murmured, his eyes still closed.

“No, you said you were going running and I said I might tag along because I’ve eaten nothing but shit whilst I’ve been in New York, which, by the way is your fault…”

“My fault?” Steve laughed, cracking an eye open “I wasn’t even there.”

“Exactly” she muttered “No one to stop me.” “I wouldn’t stop you anyway. You’re a big girl, you make your own decisions...” “Big girl…You calling me fat?” she teased as she rolled onto her back and turned her head to face his, just about making out his features in the dark room. He rolled his eyes, God she was a pain in the ass at times.

“Yeah… you’re huge…” he deadpanned, his hand travelling over her flat stomach and coming to rest on her hip. “Enormous…”

"Ok, well now that we’ve established I need to run, you know on account of me being a hippo, that still doesn’t answer the question why we have to go so damned early anyway. It’s not like we have to be anywhere…” “It’s less crowded.” he shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s because it’s a ridiculous time…”

Oh fuck this for a game of soldiers…if she was that moody about being woken up Steve was going to do something to remind her exactly why she chose to stay in his bed.

“I love how full of sunshine and happiness you are in the morning…” he muttered as he dropped his head so his lips could gently trail a few lazy kisses down her neck before landing at her collarbone and giving a quick nip, his hand tightening on her hip.

She sighed, her body already starting to respond to his touch, the way it always did, betraying her. Damned him and his fucking bastard sex appeal.

“OK, if you want to actually get up now…” she muttered, as his mouth travelled back up and she rolled her head back to give him access to the spot on her neck that drove her wild every time he found it. “I suggest you stop…” “I hit the snooze button…” he muttered, lips brushing her ear as he spoke. “We got about 8 minutes left.”

“8 minutes?”

“Reckon I only need 5…” he shot back

“You have a very high opinion of yourself…” she replied, tilting her head so she was looking at him, smirking.

Oh, challenge accepted Doll! He said nothing, just cocked a single, mischievous brow at her before his lips met hers, his hand running down from hip to thigh then across, parting her legs slightly. They were still naked from the night before, clothes strewn all over the apartment after he’d been so desperate to get his hands on her.

She moaned gently into his mouth as he slowly sank two fingers into her and her hips instantly bucked upwards, drawing a grin from his mouth.

“Easy, baby…” he whispered, his mouth returning to her neck…

4 minutes later she lay beneath him, a quivering wreck and he was right behind her, 2 shallow thrusts later as he tumbled over that edge with a low groan, eyes fluttering shut as he fell forward onto her. He smirked into her neck when she had finally regained her senses enough to quip that he’d beaten his proposed time by a full 60 seconds. And 60 seemed to be the flavour of the day as it was almost another 60 minutes before they got to his favoured running spot, the National Mal thanks to the fact it had taken Katie almost 30 minutes to locate her trainers which she’d eventually found in her car. Steve had seized the opportunity, as always to lament her for the fact she was messy.

“I’m not messy.” She scoffed indignantly as they walked the 7 blocks. “I’m just not as OCD about everything being in its right place, all the time, like a neat-freak Soldier”

The good natured jibing had continued until they reached their destination and walked through the park to the reflecting pool

“How many laps did you do last time?” Katie asked, as Steve stretched his arms upwards, cracking his back.

“6.” he said.

She looked at him, frowning. “You did 6 laps…that’s like what? 20 miles?”

“Nearer 22.” He grinned. “You want me to keep your pace?”

She laughed “No way, you’ll just bitch at me for being slow.”

“I do not bitch…” he said, giving her a look. “You bitch like a 14 year old girl…” she said, gently shoving him in his back. “Now go, go on!”

He smiled again, jogging backwards for a second before he set off at a rate of knots. Exercise always made him feel good. Running, boxing, sparring…fucking. Pushing away the dirty thoughts that had arisen to the forefront of his mind, he was quick to find a comfortable pace, his trainer clad feet slapping the concrete.

It didn’t take Katie long to find her rhythm either. Despite not being with SHIELD anymore she had kept her fitness training up, sparring 3 times a week with either Natasha or Steve in the local gym. She was technically still an Avenger after all, Tony having now fashioned her another Supernova suit which was basically a version of his latest Iron Man suit but in Silver and Blue, the Nova shaped star sported in the chest where the mini arc reactor powered it. She'd given it a trial run whilst she had been back in New York and was just as impressed with it now as she had been with the prototype he had blown up.

Her feet gently slapped the ground as she ran, the sun was rising on the last day of March and it was promising to be a sunny, bright spring morning.

"Hi." a voice greeted her as another jogger she hadn’t seen before caught up with her and fell into step with her.

“Nice day for it!” Katie smiled.

"You normally run this early?" he asked "Haven't seen you around before."

“That’s because I don’t normally run here!” she smiled “But I just spent 5 days in New York eating crap so…!”

He laughed and held out his hand. "Sam Wilson."

I took it and gave it a shake. "Katie Stark.”

“Well I’ll be damned!” Sam grinned “I didn’t recognise you. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

As Steve was about to lap Katie for the first time he noticed she was running with another jogger, a black man wearing a grey sweater with short, cropped hair. At one time this would have sparked the green eyed monster in his chest, but not now. Not only did he know she wouldn’t stand for it, but he knew she was just sociable in general. She would talk to anyone given the chance and moreover, she was his girl, he knew that. As he approached them he breathed out an "On your left." as a warning as he sped past into his second lap.

Sam frowned, looking round and Katie smirked, trying not to laugh at the look on his face as Steve’s frame whizzed off into the distance.

"I never tire of looking at these." she commented a short while later as they rounded the monument.

Again the sound of heavy footsteps came. "On your left."

"On your left."

"Uh-huh. On my left. I got it." Sam called after him as he entered his 5th lap.

Katie didn't even try to stop herself this time and she laughed at the slight look of frustration on Sam's face.

Not long after they were making a lap around the pool at the base of the memorial. Sam gritted his teeth at the wholly unwelcomed sound of footsteps behind him once again, he looked over his shoulder "Don't say it. Don't you say it!"

"On your left."

"Come on!" Sam shouted and Steve allowed an amused smile to spread across his face.

Sam tried his hardest to pick up his speed to match that of Steve’s but failed miserably after only a few moments, now completely gassed out.

"Are you alright?" Katie asked laughing as she approached his hunched over figure, catching her own breath.

"Oh, here he comes…Superman himself…" Sam said gesturing to where Steve was now walking towards them, hands on his hips. He paused at his girl’s side and looked down at Sam.

"Need a medic?" he teased.

"I need a new set of lungs." Sam chuckled breathlessly. "Dude, you just ran like thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

"Guess I got a late start." He shrugged, shooting Katie a pointed look. She responded with her best innocent stare, batting her eyelids at him. Rolling his eyes at her, he turned his attention back to the stranger who began to talk again.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap." he scolded jokingly. "Did you just take it? I assume you just took it."

Steve smiled, he couldn’t help but like this man. As he looked at him, he noticed the military symbol on his grey sweater.

"What unit were you with?" Steve asked changing the subject and motioning to the man’s shirt.

"Fifty-eighth, Para-rescue. But now I'm working down at the VA. Sam Wilson." He said motioning for help up.

"Steve Rogers." Steve held out his hand and pulled Sam to his feet.

"I kind of put that together." Sam says as he tried to catch his balance. "Must have freaked you out, coming round after the whole defrosting thing."

"It takes some getting used to. But I’ve had help” he said, looking at Katie who smiled. “Good to meet you Sam.”

“Yeah, bye Sam!” Katie smiled as Steve gently placed his hand on her lower back to steer her away.

"It's your bed right?" Sam called out from behind him.

Steve paused and they both turned back around. "What's that?"

"Your bed, it’s too soft." Sam went on to explain. "When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground and use rocks as pillows. Like cavemen. Now I'm back home, in my own bed, feels like-"

Steve cut him off. "Like lying on a marshmallow, feels like I'm gonna sink right to the floor.”

"How long?" he asked Sam

"Two tours." Sam responded. "You must miss the good old days huh?"

"Well, things aren't so bad.” He folded his arms, taking a quick glance at Katie who raised her eyebrow at him, teasingly. “Foods a lot better. We used to boil everything. No polio that's good.” He paused before making a gesture with his hand “Internet so helpful, I’ve been reading that a lot tryna' catch up."

Sam nodded and then moved his right hand from where it had been folder across his chest and held it, fingers extended. "Marvin Gaye, 1972, 'Troubleman' soundtrack.” He said, returning his arm to its resting position “Everything you've missed jammed into one album."

“Ohhh man!” Katie groaned “I love that film.”

Steve nodded, smiling and pulled out the notebook she had bought him the previous year, "I'll put it on the list."

“We can download it later…” she said. He smiled as he closed his book before he reached into his other pocket for his phone which was going off. It was Natasha.

'Mission Alert. Extraction imminent. Meet you at the curb :)'

He showed the message to Katie who read it whilst he looked over at Sam.

"Well Sam, duty calls. Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running." He joked extending his hand.

"Oh that's how it is?" Sam says amused shaking the offered hand.

"That's how it is." Steve responded, laughing slightly.

"Okay, anytime you two wanna stop by the VA. Make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know."

"I'll keep that in mind." Steve said as Natasha pulled up in her black chevvy sports car.

"Hey guys, anyone know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil." she quipped.

“Hey Nat!” Katie waved at her and she nodded whilst Steve simply shook his head.

"That’s hilarious." he commented dryly as he turned to Katie. “I’ll call you as soon as I can, ok?” She took a deep breath. Ever since quitting SHIELD he knew she felt uneasy when he was away.

“Be careful.” she said, as she leaned up to give him a kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He made his way to the car, opened the passenger side of the car and dropped into the seat.

"How you doing?" Sam called with a smile as he squat down to get a better view of both Natasha and the car.

"Hey." She responded with a small smile.

"Can't run everywhere." Steve joked smugly, looking back at the man.

"No you can't." Sam said and Steve shot one last look at Katie who waved as Natasha surged the car forward.

Katie watched them go before she turned to Sam.

“Military girlfriend huh?” he teased and she laughed.

“Something like that.” “Fancy a coffee?” Sam nodded to one of the stands parked over on the square and she smiled.

“Sure, why not?”

********* Turns out Sam was a pretty interesting character. He told Katie about his time serving in Afghanistan and how he had chosen, post the loss of his partner, Riley, to leave active service and focus his attention on helping others through work at the VA.

Katie had never really dug into the VA much, but it seemed like it did some pretty good work, helping those Soldiers who needed help adjusting to life post discharges for medical or mental health reasons. Sam confided in her that the DC branch was under threat due to lack of funding, and she made a mental note to speak to Tony about it being something that maybe the Stark Relief fund could look into partnering.

When they both realised they had been sat on the bench chatting for almost an hour and a half the pair of them both, knowing we had other places to be, exchanged numbers and she promised to pass his onto Steve.

The rest of her day went pretty quick, in a flourish of telephone conferences and various other ad-hoc emails to deal with, talking to the editors and Business Development team about potential authors to target. By the time she logged off for the evening it was gone 8pm. She leaned back in her chair, glancing up at the photos that decorated her office, her eyes being drawn to the one on the shelf of herself and Steve which had been taken at the New Years Eve gala last year.

Picking up her phone she debated texting him, but she knew better than to bother him. From personal experience, STRIKE missions were heavy going. Instead she decided she was going to break with their usual routine whereby he would come to hers if it wasn't too late post mission, and she was going to wait for him at his.

******

Steve’s day had been far less enjoyable. The mission, as a whole, had been a success. It had started well, Natasha doing her usual jibing, this time she was ribbing Steve about whether he was going to ask Katie to move in. He had batted off her teasing and told her to concentrate on her job first, and she had. Only it wasn’t the job he had given her. Turns out she had a different mission. One given to her by Fury. He’d been that mad about it all that he hadn’t spoken to the red head all the way home and yes, he knew it was childish, but he was getting seriously pissed off at the secrets and lies that seemed to be part and parcel of any goddamned mission Fury sent him on.

It was just before midnight when he got home, and as he pulled his bike up into the designated space allotted for his apartment, he noticed Katie’s car was in one of the guest spaces that lined the street. He frowned slightly, she never normally waited at his for him. Not for any particular reason other than he normally spent the hours or so after a mission debriefing before heading home to decompress for a few hours and then if it wasn't too late he would head to hers. But the more he thought about it now he realised that he had no idea why he did it that way. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand what it was like being a SHIELD operative, or that he didn’t want her at his.

Knowing that she was there made him smile for the first time since that damned mission and, despite his various aches and bruises, he found himself taking the steps to his apartment 3 at a time, his eagerness to see her wiping all other thoughts from his mind.

She was on the couch, bare denim-short clad legs spread out besides her, and she looked up from the TV as he walked into the living area and leaned in the doorway, smiling softly at the sight of her, hair tousled slightly from where she had been leaning her head against the arm of the couch.

“What are you doing here?” he asked gently as she sat up.

“Decided I’d wait for you.” She shrugged “You complaining?” “No.” he said, turning away as unzipped his jacket and hung it over the back of one of the stools by the breakfast bar before he crossed the room.

“You had a good day?” he asked.

“Yeah.” she called back, “Vanity Fair have written the article already, if I’m happy with it tomorrow then it’s going to be published this month.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile at her tone. She was proud, and she had every right to be. So was he. Stark Independent Publishing LTD had taken off like a rocket, and their first book that was launched little over a month ago had shot off the shelves, selling out in record time. Katie had been overwhelmed and the glossy magazines were queuing up to interview her. She had declined all of them until the Stark Board had suggested she do one interview for Vanity Fair, along with a photoshoot in her office. She’d reluctantly agreed, but had confided in Steve she’d kind of enjoyed it.

“That’s fast.” he said, heading back into the room.

“Yeah they’re really pushing for it.” she said as he dropped besides her with a groan, lifting her legs up so they crossed his lap. As he did so he jostled the bruised ribs and muscles he’d obtained on the Lemurian Star and let out a hiss, rubbing slightly at his torso. Katie spotted this, as always, and frowned, moving her legs so she was sat up, scooting over to where he was and gently tugged at his t-shirt. He didn’t stop her as she examined the large bruise over the side of his ribs and gently ran her fingers over it.

“Ouch.” she said softly, looking up at him and then tilting his face round. He knew there was a small cut on his temple but other than that and the bruise to his side he was uninjured. “Is this it?” she asked, her eyes on his.

He nodded “Got blown through a window.” Because that was a perfectly normal thing for Captain America to do, Katie merely rolled her eyes and dropped a kiss to his cheek as she stood up “I’ll get the arnica and fix you something to eat”

He loved this, the way she just wanted to take care of him, but he was aware of what time it was too, and he didn’t want her to feel like she had to play the dutiful housewife.

“Kitten, you should go to bed, its late.” he grabbed her hand. “Once I’ve patched you up and fed you I will.” she said stubbornly, tugging gently on his hand and he allowed himself to be pulled up “Go take a shower, I’ll sort your dinner…”

This time he didn’t protest, simply smiled, dropped a kiss to her head and headed to the bathroom.

He stepped under the hot water and let out a groan as it hit his body, allowing it temporarily to soothe his mind and his aches. He still couldn’t shake his annoyance at how the mission was gone. Suddenly he was distracted by his stomach grumbling and he realised he was actually really hungry. He quickly washed off before cutting the shower and stepping out, grabbing a towel. He could hear Katie in the kitchen as he walked down the hall towards his bedroom where he dried himself off and dressed in a pair of sweats and a grey T-shirt.

The smell of food hit his nostrils as he walked into the kitchen, making his mouth water. Her food was always good, he had no idea what he was in for tonight but he didn’t care. As he approached where she was stood, both his hands dropped to her hips and he placed a soft kiss on her neck, an easy sign of affection before he let out a heavy sigh and reached into the refrigerator.

“What happened?” she asked, turning to look at him as he downed pretty much an entire bottle of water before he slumped down at the breakfast bar and explained everything to her. She listened, asked questions, shook her head, and when he reached the bit about the ransom she whistled slightly through her teeth, coming to the same conclusion he had when he heard the demand.

“That’s steep.” she frowned and Steve snorted.

“That’s what I said. Turns out its SHIELDS. And it wasn’t drifting. It was trespassing."

The microwave finished and Katie moved to open the door, stirring whatever was in there before removing it and placing it down in front of him, along with a plate of his favourite loaf. He was silent for a moment as he stirred the hot stew, Ghoulash, before taking a small mouthful to test the heat. Damned she could cook. He nodded appreciatively.

“It’s good.” “You sound surprised.” she teased.

“Not at all.” he shook his head. “You know what I think about your cooking.”

He continued to eat as she stood up and fished about in the cupboard he kept the bottle of Arnica gel she’d insisted he keep to hand. As he ate she settled next to him and hitched his shirt up, gently and carefully applying the ointment to his side, the bruise extended from the middle of his rib cage to an inch or so beneath the band of his sweats.

It was relaxing, and he relished her touch and her gentle tone as she continued to talk.

“So did you get the hostages?”

“Yeah.” he nodded, in between mouthfuls. “That bit was pretty easy all things considered…”

“So what’s wrong, love?”

She could tell there was more to his mood than what he had told her, and her instincts were proven right when he let out a soft sigh as she continued to rub at his side softly.

“I’m just annoyed Sweetheart.” He sighed eventually “At Fury, at Romanoff.”

“At Nat? Why?”

“She was given a separate mission, she was tasked with saving SHIELD data off the ship, which meant the task I gave her to back Rumlow up with the hostages wasn’t done…”

“More secrets” she sighed, feeling a flash of anger “You know this is exactly why I got out…legacy or no legacy.”

“Tell me about it.” he said, dropping the spoon into the empty bowl. “We were lucky no one was hurt, or worse. I mean, Rumlow was great, got everyone out but…how can I lead a team when half of them are lying to me?”

“Nat was just doing as she was told.” she said, softly, trying to deal with each issue one at a time.

“Since when is retrieving Intel more important than people’s lives?” he shook his head

“I’m not saying it is. I’m just saying don’t be so hard on her.” she reasoned, her fingers still tracing shapes on his skin “She has a job to do, same as you, and as for Fury then…well, call him out.”

“Oh I intend to.” Steve said, “I’m seeing him tomorrow morning. After de-brief…”

“He will have a reason, might not be what you wanna hear but at least you’ll know.” she said.

She was right, of course. Pushing it from his mind he concentrated on her touch as she was still gently rubbing his side. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of contentment, and was disappointed when she finally finished and let his t-shirt fall down and then stood up to put the ointment away.

“You want anymore?” she asked, once she’d washed the arnica off her hands.

“Is there any?” he looked at her, hopefully. He did want. He was still hungry.

She smiled, nodding, and then gave a small yawn which she tried to stifle, but Steve noticed it.

“Ok, I’ll warm some more up and you’re gonna go to bed.” he said, standing up “And that’s an order baby doll.”

“Bossy bastard” she retorted. He replied simply with a raised an eyebrow and stern glare as he crossed towards her. She held her hands up, “Ok, I’m going…” She leaned up to kiss to his cheek.

“Won’t be long” he smiled.

Steve had another bowl of food before he slipped the dishes into the dishwasher and headed to the bathroom to clean his teeth. He turned off the lights, headed into the dark bedroom and pulled off his T-shirt, sliding into bed behind her. His arm curled over her waist, surprise surprise she was in one of his shirts, which did nothing to ebb his growing desire and the twitching in his groin. Hoping she wasn’t asleep, his nose gently nuzzled at her neck, and he was pleased when she responded. He needed this. Wanted this. Wanted her.

“When you told me to go to bed…” she murmured, as his lips gently started their assault on that spot “I thought you meant to sleep.” “Want me to stop?” he practically purred into her neck.

“Didn’t say that” she replied, rolling her head to catch his lips as his hand crept down her inner thigh. She let out a contented sigh and he smiled against the side of her neck as he traced over her hip, hand flattening as he crept down and round to the top of her panties, his fingers slipping inside, where he found her hot, wet, ready for him. It was enough to harden him completely as he started to gently tease her, causing her to groan at the pleasure, her back arching. He continued to kiss and caress her neck.

“Steve…” she moaned softly, her tone pleading “I want you…”

Fuck, he would never get tired of hearing that. Ever.

“Yeah?” he whispered.

“Yeah…please Stevie…” He didn’t think he’d ever be able to say no to her. His hand moved up and he gripped at her hip, gently rolling her so she was lay on her back, using his leg to part hers. He gently guided his shirt over her head, pulled down her panties, before he stripped off his boxers, fingers lacing in between hers, as he crawled over her pinning both hands above her head as he worked his way into her. They both groaned as he stretched her, and she looked up at him, those eyes locking onto his as he leant down to kiss her, starting up a slow, gentle pace. He continued slowly, again and again, lips caressing hers, then her jaw, then her neck, all the time his hands pinning hers to the pillow above her head, causing her to surrender to him completely.

He kept up that soft, gentle pace, loving her gently. He could tell she was close, he knew the signs well enough now and as she groaned in delight, tightening around him he coaxed her “That’s it baby girl…” whispering in her ear.

And then she came, shuddering underneath him, her head tipping back, as she let out a gentle, low, broken moan of his name. It sent shivers down his spine and he continued to thrust through her orgasm, the tale heat spreading across his belly and then he tipped too, jerking and groaning slightly before he fell forward, burying his face in to her neck.

“Love you.” she said softly into his ear as her hand ran up his neck, into his hair and he gave a hum of contentment as he regained control of his senses.

“Love you too, so damned much…” he said, rubbing his nose up against hers and she chuckled slightly as he rolled off of her. She scooted closer so she could lay her head on his chest. His arm curled round her, his hand tracing shapes on her skin at the bottom of her back as she tossed her leg over his.

“What time are you in tomorrow?” she asked gently, hand tracing absentmindedly over his chest.

“Half 9…” he said, fingers still caressing her back.

“We can have breakfast together, I made cinnamon rolls.” she said through her yawn.

“That so?” “mmmhmmm”

“You know, you’d make a good little housewife…” he said, thinking back to his thought before. He knew her response before she had uttered it. “Fuck you.” He chuckled, dropping a kiss to her head and they both fell silent. And his last thought as he drifted off to sleep was just how her being here had made him almost forget that clusterfuck of a mission…

Katie lay still, listening to the sound of his breathing which grew even as he fell asleep, clearly exhausted. He always needed food and rest after missions, his metabolism drained him. She stole a glance up at him, long eyelashes lay against his cheek as his head lolled to the side slightly, facing her.

“Night soldier.” she whispered softly, placing a peck on his lips before settling down and succumbing to her own tiredness. ********* Katie woke the next morning, tangled in Steve’s arms, his face pressed into her neck. As gently as she could she moved to check her phone for the time, and found it to be 25 past 7, 5 minutes before her alarm was due to go off. Cancelling it, she glanced back over at Steve who shifted onto his back, the arm that had been thrown around her gently resting on his chest. Smiling, she climbed out of bed deciding to leave him to sleep as long as she could. Considering what a light sleeper he normally was, he didn’t stir when she returned following her shower and was still out of it when she was dressed and unset the alarm on his bedside clock and headed to the kitchen. She made a fresh pot of coffee, threw the fresh rolls she had made then previous day ready to bake in the oven and settled down on his couch, flipping on the TV whilst she quickly scanned through her phone, looking at her schedule for the day. She only had one meeting in the afternoon, and it wasn’t important so she fired an email through to her PA asking her to reschedule.

At about 8:15, there was still no sign of Steve so she decided to go and wake him up. Any longer and he would be late for his debrief. He was lay side on, facing her side of the bed so she dropped next to him…

Something was tickling his nose, right on the bridge. He gently sniffed, and then soft lips met his. Again, again…Steve made a completely involuntary noise that was halfway between a groan and a sigh as he realised his girl was kissing him awake, before her lips met his and this time he gently responded.

“Hey…” that soft voice greeted him and he smiled, gently cracking an eye open and meeting that emerald green.

“Morning” He said groggily and she smiled.

“It’s almost 8:15.”

He frowned, that was late. “My alarm didn’t wake me?” “I turned it off, sorry-not-sorry” she said so blasé it made him chuckle “You needed the rest.” She gave him a soft kiss again “Coffee in the kitchen and breakfast is ready.” “You know I could get used to this” he smiled, rolling over so he was on his back as she rose from the bed. “Coming home to a ready-made dinner, waking up to ready-made breakfast before I go to work. And you.” “Nice to see which one of those is your priority.” she teased over her shoulder as she left him to it.

“Always you doll.” he murmured. But as he lay still for another few minutes, he thought about it more and more. Over the past 4 months, other than when they were away either on missions or business trips they had spent every night together, either at his or hers but last night, something had felt different to him, more intimate. She’d taken care of his mission injuries, cooked for him, made love to him, and now here she was making him breakfast before she would wave him off to work later on…it was almost normal, what people with normal 9 to 5 jobs did. He wanted that all the time, he wanted to come home, find her there, wake up with her, every single day.

“When you gonna ask her to move in?” Natasha’s voice popped back into his head.

If he was honest, he hadn’t given it a lot of thought, it wasn’t something people did back in his time before marriage. But times were different, hell he was different, and as he lay there thinking about it, he realised, it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Katie was sat at the kitchen table, laptop fired up, mobile glued to her ear when he walked in.

“I know!” her tone was one of utter excitement “I mean I didn’t think they would turn out so good…or they’d be done so fast but they’re pushing for this month’s edition…”

He dropped a kiss to her neck and glanced at the screen, pausing when he saw the image. It must have been one of the photos done whilst she was in New York. He felt his mouth drop open at the image in front of him. Katie was stood, against a wall in her office in the tower, one leg bent, high heeled foot resting against the wall, palms splayed either side of her thighs as she looked to the right. Her hair was pulled back in a slick, high pony tail, her make-up was heavier than normal and utterly flawless, and she was dressed in a grey charcoal pinstripe suit which cinched in at her waist, and a low cut white blouse.

“Yeah, I know Tony…” she was speaking into the phone as she glanced up and saw the expression on his face. She pressed a button on the keyboard and it flipped to another picture, this one of her sat in her chair, legs apart as her elbows rested on her knees, as she looked beyond the camera, laughing at something. She looked absolutely fucking stunning. His eyes roved the image on the digital copy of the article and he began to read the writing that was next to it.

There are a lot of things you might absolutely hate about Katie Stark. Aged just 29 she has more money than anyone could possibly wish to spend in a life-time, looks and a figure that you would kill for, and a Super Soldier Boyfriend with a jawline that seems to be carved from marble. However, after 30 seconds in her company despite wanting to hate her for all of the above, it was simply impossible not to like her.

Unassuming, accommodating, and with a smile that you simply can’t help but return, she welcomed us into her office and was remarkably humble about the entire thing, admitting that she still wasn’t quite so sure why we were so interested in her. We took the time to grill her on how the first 3 months of Stark Independent Publishing LTD has gone and what we can look forward to in the future.

Katie stood up and gestured for him to sit down and carry on reading the article. She headed off into the living room, continuing her call, so he read as he ate a hot cinnamon bun. The article ploughed through a load of questions about the book that had launched the business when they published, the fact the company had already registered over 50% first quarter turnover, where she thought the business was going, future pipeline projects, her favourite authors, genre, books, previous role in Stark Industries before she had spent a few years working for a Government Agency following the Battle of New York (no mention of Supernova or SHIELD…) and then the final paragraph took a personal turn.

When asked if she would indulge us a personal question she sighed slightly before grinning and telling us to ask and see if she answered. So we did…

We know that you’re a notoriously private person, in comparison to your brother anyway, but most of our readers are dying to know…what’s it like dating Captain America?

“No idea, I’m dating Steve Rogers.” she replied immediately, a faint flush hitting her cheeks as she spoke, all the time fiddling with a delicate yet gorgeous antique looking emerald ring which sits on her right hand, a gift we suspect from the man in question. When asked to elaborate slightly she bit her lip and simply smiled before explaining; “Steve isn’t just Captain America. There’s more to him than a shield. He’s the kindest, gentlest, most caring man I’ve ever met and he makes me unbelievably happy.” she said, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears “And that’s not down to the Serum or outfit, it’s just who he is. The fact he’s 6ft2, drop dead gorgeous with a smile I’d happily die for is a bonus”

Steve felt himself grin as he read the words and glanced at the small photo they had framed the paragraph round. It was a shot of them together that had been taken at the Stark Industry’s New Year’s Gala. Katie was in that red dress he loved, laughing at something and he was simply pressing a kiss to the side of her temple. A soft, understated PDA, but a reminder to everyone (in particular Mr Wandering Hands) who had eyed her up and down as they had entered the room that she was his. His eyes continued to the final part of the article, this one complete with a picture of Katie and Tony. Katie sat at her desk as Tony leaned over, looking at something on the computer screen.

When asked about the other man in her life, her brother Tony, she smiled again, another genuine smile, the love she has for her elder sibling evident on her face and in her voice.

“I owe everything I have to Tony.” she said, simply “he brought me up from the age of 7, gave me absolute, unconditional love and opportunities I know I was extremely fortunate to have. People have a pre-conceived image of what he is like, and sometimes he can play into that, but to me he’s been nothing but loving and supportive, my father and brother rolled into one and I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done and given me. He backed my decision to open SIP from the off and believed in me and has always pushed me to be the best I can be.”

We couldn’t resist another personal question, so we asked her a little cheekily how Tony had reacted to news that she was dating one of his fellow Avengers, who had served alongside their Father Howard in WW2. Hesitating slightly, she flushed before smirking and answering, a grin on her face.

“How he found out wasn’t ideal…” No shit! Steve found himself snorting as he continue to read “But once he had read Steve the Big Brother riot act, he was fine about it. I think deep down after my last car crash of a relationship, he’s just happy I’m with someone who puts me first.”

Do they get on? She laughs “They have a love-hate relationship. In that they hate the fact they love one another. Tony has these ridiculous nicknames for Steve and he can be an absolute nightmare at times, but to be fair Steve’s quite sarcastic himself too but I know full well that they have each other’s 6 and even though they would probably deny it, they are quite close and would miss one another if they weren’t around.”

Steve, grudgingly, had to admit she was right. Tony could be a pain in the ass at times, but he would miss the billionaire if he wasn’t there. Underneath all his bravado he knew that he thought the world of his sister and, despite their initial meeting whereby Steve frankly thought the guy was a dick, he’d fast learnt during the Chitauri Battle that underneath that persona he had a heart of gold and was more like his father than he would care to admit. A fact that Steve was even more convinced of having gotten to know him much better on a personal level over the last 2 years or so.

Whilst the siblings certainly share a lot of attributes, both good looking, tough, hard-working, Katie has a certain softness to her edges and we challenge anyone who spends more than 30 seconds in her company not to warm to the youngest Stark. Stark Independent Publishing has, in our opinion, a very bright future ahead of it whilst it is spearheaded by such an astute and shrewd business woman and we wish her all the best.

“What do you think?” Katie watched as Steve read the article, leaning against the wall, nibbling at her thumb, nervous to see his reaction.

Steve jerked his head round and smiled at her. “I think its fantastic. The photos are stunning, the article is well written. Are you happy with it?” “Yeah.” she nodded as she walked over to his chair, standing behind it and slipping her arms round his shoulders from behind “They wouldn’t drop the whole So you’re dating Captain America angle though, so our PR department told me to answer a few personal questions to shut them up…are you ok with it?” Steve smiled and turned side on in his seat, pulling her into his lap. “Seeing as I’m the kindest, gentlest, most caring man you’ve ever met how could I not be?” “I meant every word of that.” she said, rubbing her nose against his as he smiled.

“I know baby.” he said, giving her a peck on the lips. “Now I need to go or I’m gonna be late.”

Sighing she stood up as he did the same, grabbing a final cinnamon bun from the plate.

“I’ll be back at mine” she said as she walked to the door with him, “I have a few calls to do this morning.” “I’ll come over when I’m done.” he smiled “And we can do something this afternoon.”

She smiled “Sounds perfect”

*********

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nightskyhoseok · 4 years

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Éternel: Wings of Fire [BTS Dragon!AU]

Pairings: BTS x OC Genre: Fantasy, Angst, Drama Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, lowkey hate it but lowkey proud of it at the same time???

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CHAPTER TWO: VANISHING GRACE

Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Word Count: 9.7K

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I awoke with a strange warmth encasing me. Curious of the source, I opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the bright morning sun. I peeked over my shoulder, only to see Yoongi sleeping directly behind me, his lips dangerously close to my neck and his hands gently holding my waist, pressing me close to his body. With the immediate flush of heat to my face, I attempted to move and stand up, but I was quickly pulled back down, causing me to scream from the sudden action.

“I was sleeping just fine. Why did you have to move?” Yoongi muttered in his trademark sleepy, grumpy voice, probably pouting as well. I turned my head to look at him and my eyes met with his, although they looked like they were about to close any minute.

“Yoongi, come on, we’ve gotta get up,” I said, trying to stand again when Yoongi unexpectedly moved on top of me, pinning me down to the mattress, but still in a sleeping position. My face was probably hotter than a furnace at this point.

“Mmm, better…” The way he spoke was so seductive I swear I was going to explode right then and there. I eventually was able to wriggle out of his grasp and roll over onto the floor, and as I scrambled to my feet, Yoongi spoke up again, this time sounding more like a whine. “Ahh, you’re no fun, Princess.”

“W-What did you just call me?” I stuttered, my mouth slightly hanging open, but I quickly shook my head and regained my focus. “I’m serious, get your ass up.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Don’t act like a child. It’s an important day today.”

“If it’s so important, then let me sleep in so I have more energy.” Yoongi slowly pulled the covers over his head, only for me to yank them off, revealing his bare, milky chest.

‘When did he take off his shirt?!’ I thought, trying my hardest to look at anything else other than the faint outline of his abs.

“You’re so annoying. Get up before I bring the boys in here.”

“That the best you got, Princess?”

“Min Yoongi!”

“Yes?” He looked up innocently, flashing a small smirk with a discreet wink.

“I don’t have time for your shit!” I threw a pillow at him, yet he laid there, unfazed.

“Too bad. That’s what happens when you wake up the devil inside of me.”

“I’ve already tamed that son of a bitch a long time ago. Now get up.”

“I’ll get up if you gimme a kiss.”

“I swear to god, I’m going to kill you.” I sent him a death glare, and he returned an equally scary look, one that almost made my knees buckle beneath me.

“It’s just on the cheek.” He raised an eyebrow at my clearly unimpressed expression. “I guess I’m not getting up then.” He rolled his eyes, turning his back to me, snoring obnoxiously loud just to irritate me.

“God! Fine, come here.” I sighed in defeat and made my way over to the bed as Yoongi turned over with the smile of a champion. I took a breath and leaned in close to his face, ready to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek when he suddenly grabbed me and flipped me over onto my back and climbed on top of me, pinning me to the bed by my wrists as he carefully straddled my waist.

“I win,” He smirked, leaning just close enough that I could feel his breath on my lips.

“Maya! Good morning-“ I heard a voice say as the door to my bedroom swung open, revealing Hoseok who was standing in the doorway, the rest of the boys lurking behind him. As soon as their brains comprehended what was happening, both Namjoon and Seokjin scurried to cover Jungkook’s eyes, while Hoseok screamed and Jimin and Taehyung just giggled at the scene.

“Don’t you know how to knock?!” I yelled, my heart running at a million miles per hour and my face fuming with heat. I quickly pushed Yoongi off of me once his grip loosened from shock and stood up, wanting to bury my face in my hands in embarrassment. While I was busy getting all flustered, Yoongi just shrugged and picked his shirt up from the floor and threw it on.

“Namjoon-ah, I told you it’d be a bad idea to go to her room!” Seokjin argued, punching Namjoon’s chest, causing him to uncover Jungkook’s eyes and chase after Jin, who was now running away like a maniac.

“If anyone ever brings this up again, I’m throwing you out with Balki’s Nightmare,” I muttered, grabbing Yoongi’s hand to yank him out of the room and down the hall, the other boys following until we eventually caught up with Namjoon and Seokjin, the whole group now together.

“Uh, Noona, I wanted to ask earlier, what’s Balki’s Nightmare?” Jungkook asked curiously.

“Oh, well, how do I put this… it’s a dragon with nine heads.”

“Nine?” Jimin gasped, his mouth hanging open in such an adorable way.

“Don’t worry about it, there’s only one and she lives all the way up in the mountains. Anyways, forget that. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us. My servants left clothes in your wardrobes in each of your rooms. Please wear long pants and boots, but still choose something comfortable. We’re going to be traveling quite a bit today.”

With that, the group broke up and each of us headed back to our rooms to pick out our own clothes and change into them. As I changed, I found my pair of sturdy, metallic fans in my closet, and decided to bring them along, placing them in a matching holster. I met back up with the boys in front of my bedroom, as I instructed. I led them to the kitchen, where, surprisingly, breakfast was already awaiting us. A familiar dark-skinned woman with hot pink hair was standing in front of the sink, washing some dishes when I suddenly jumped onto her from behind, laughing from excitement and joy.

“Oh my god, Maya! You’re back!” She said, immediately recognizing me as she embraced me.

“It’s so good to see you, Fawn,” I smiled, pulling back to see her equally bright smile.

“Oh, who are these men?”

“Fawn, meet BTS. Boys, this is Fawn Potter.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Fawn greeted politely, bowing to the boys.

“Likewise,” Namjoon said, returning the gesture. After Hyunae, Samantha, and Minjun came down to join us, we all sat and ate breakfast, first thanking Fawn for going out of her way to cook, of course. We talked and laughed, even Minjun, who was now acting normally and more cheerful than the last time I saw him, and the boys appreciated that. Once we finished eating, Samantha and Minjun offered to clean up so I could get the boys moving, and I thanked them then led the seven outside to the nearby stables.

“Woah,” Jimin gawked in awe at the gigantic barn standing before him. I softly laughed at his reaction and headed to the door, grabbing the chain at the side to pull it down, the door slowly rising up to reveal at more than two dozen stalls lined up, a soft yellow light illuminating the inside of the barn, shining on the animals that were stationed in their stalls.

“Horses?” Taehyung pondered, looking at the animals, their coats shiny and their spirits high.

“We use the horses when we need to lay low. Plus, I don’t want you to get on dragons just yet. Might as well get you used to riding on the ground first.”

“Aw, no fair, hyung has a head start,” Jungkook pouted as he pointed to Taehyung, referencing to the past lessons he took.

“We’ve got the whole day ahead of us, Kook, don’t you worry.”

“Mistress! You’ve returned,” A familiar, fair skinned woman exclaimed as she quickly exited the tack room, jogging over to me to give a polite bow.

“Ah, Zenobia, no need to bow. It’s good to see you. We’re just gonna go for a ride.”

“I am always here for assistance,” Zenobia said as she turned to the boys, bowing deeply once again as she returned to the tack room. Castilla, the other stablehand, peeked out and greeted me and the boys, quickly returning to her task.

“Such strange names…” Seokjin commented, walking up to one of the stalls as he gently ran his fingers over the metallic nameplate screwed onto the stall door.

“Sorry about that,” I said, fumbling with a strand of my hair.

“No, it’s cool. Eros sounds beautiful,” He replied, glancing back at the nameplate to make sure he didn’t completely butcher the name. “A beautiful name for a beautiful horse.” The tall, noir horse peeked his head out and looked towards Seokjin, nudging his head against the boy’s body, practically shoving him, but in a loving way.

“He likes you.”

Seokjin smiled as he rested his hand on Eros’ muzzle, gently rubbing it while the young stallion perked his ears and flicked his tail in joy.

“I would say he’s more handsome than me, but I just don’t think that’s possible, don’t you agree?” Jin said cheekily, striking a confident pose, earning groans from the entire group.

“Oh, you two will definitely get along,” I sighed, face palming myself as I turned to the others to see which horses each of them gravitated to. I walked over to Jimin, who was petting a gray, speckled Arabian horse. “Zeta has a strong spirit. She kind of reminds me of you, Jimin.”

I could see his cheeks flush into a light tint of pink at my words, and couldn’t help but giggle at his flustered reaction. Ruffling his hair, I flashed a small smile and headed off to the others. Jungkook was entranced by the muscular horse in front of him, who was resting at the moment, but still full of grace and beauty. As I spoke to Jungkook about Gene, the horse resting right in front of us, I decided that I might as well just let them choose their own horses. After all, I probably would have chosen the same for them anyways.

I made my way over to Taehyung, his eyes wide but his smile bright as he locked his eyes onto the beautiful Azteca standing in front of him, the horse busy grooming itself to notice the gawking boy. I grinned and placed my hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, keeping my eyes locked on the horse, Juno, as I spoke up.

“He’s the pretty boy of the group. You two even have the same hair,” I commented, Taehyung gasping as he realized that in fact, both he and the gelding shared the same wavy, silver hairstyle. Eventually, Juno raised his head and stepped over to Taehyung, resting his large head on the boy’s shoulder after nuzzling his hair with his muzzle. I left them alone and headed over to Hobi, who was practically throwing heart eyes at the buckskin mare. “Hoseokie, I see you’ve chosen Vente.”

“She’s so beautiful,” Hoseok cooed, scratching behind Vente’s ear, earning a cute nicker from her, who was clearly enjoying the special treatment.

“Maya! Can you come here?” Namjoon shouted, my body traveling towards his voice immediately. “He’s a Thoroughbred, right?”

“Yes, Rani’s a Thoroughbred. He’s strong-willed, like you,” I confirmed as I subconsciously pet Rani’s dark muzzle that was poking out from the stall. “And unfortunately, he spooks easily and is also a bit of a klutz.”

“I guess that’s something we can bond over together, then.” Namjoon flashed a quick smile, turning his attention back to Rani, giving me the chance to wander off to Yoongi, who was standing in front of the Clydesdale’s stall, motionless.

“What’s wrong, Yoongs?”

“I just wanted a proper introduction with you around. Someone has to make sure this big girl won’t bite my hand off,” He chuckled as I rolled my eyes, but I was still happy he wanted to wait for me. I clicked my tongue, catching the Clydesdale’s attention. She turned towards us and stuck her head out, briefly sniffing me just to focus entirely on Yoongi, nudging him and playing with his pale blue hair.

“Wow, I’ve never seen Rhoda this affectionate.”

“What can I say? I have that effect,” Yoongi smirked, and I couldn’t help but groan at his cocky remark.

“Aren’t you the charmer? Wait here. Let me get Agro.”

“Agro?” I jogged over to the stall with the nameplate which was engraved with the word Agro in gorgeous cursive letters. Without warning the boys, I opened the stall door and began to walk down to the tack room, the gigantic Gypsy Vanner exiting the stall to follow me.

“Noona! You left the-“ Jungkook began to warn me, but I interrupted him before he could finish.

“It’s okay, I do this with her all the time,” I explained as I lifted up her tack, quickly walking to her side to raise it onto her back. As I adjusted the girth, Taehyung decided to speak up.

“So, should we get the saddles?” He asked.

“Sure. Just put it on with the pommel facing forwards and pull it up slightly behind their withers.”

“Uhh…” Namjoon droned, obviously very lost at the foreign language I was using.

“Their shoulders, Joon.”

“Ah, okay.” With that, the boys went to get their saddles and returned to their designated stalls, tacking their horses, with the help of Zenobia and Castilla, and I showed them how to bridle, which they did as well, not afraid to receive assistance from our stable hands. I grabbed Agro’s reins and tugged her outside, the rest of the boys following me. After we all gathered outside, I took Agro’s reins and threw them over her head, positioning my foot in the stirrup, proceeding to mount her perfectly from the ground. I looked up after checking to see if everything was secure, and all I could see were the boys’ shocked faces.

“You never cease to amaze me,” Yoongi laughed as Zenobia dragged a nearby mounting block to Rhoda, allowing the snowy haired boy to quickly climb on. The rest of the boys followed in his steps, and in a matter of minutes, we were all mounted and ready to go. I went over the basic riding rules, and after they all verified they understood, we set off into the forest, our horses clumping close together so we were traveling as a group.

As we leisurely trailed through the forest, we all messed around and had a few laughs, talking about normal things we’d always talk about - at least until Hoseok practically screamed when a dragon came into sight, his shrill nearly scaring me right off of Agro, even though the dragon was barely bigger than my hand.

“For god's sake, Hobi! My ass is going to go into cardiac arrest one of these days!” I scolded, turning to glare at him.

“I think I might join you,” He whimpered as he pointed forwards, hiding his face in his jacket while I looked in the direction he was pointing to. Only a few yards away from us was another multicolored dragon, resembling a dragonfly, but of course, larger and more ferocious. Tranquil jade eyes sat high within the dragon’s thick, plated skull, which gave the creature a truly frightening appearance. A slim neck ran down from its head and into a wide body, its wings standing high and proud. Its eyes bored into the boys’, but they softened once they came across the sight of me. I nodded towards the dragon, and it skittered off somewhere deeper into the forest, an eerie clicking sound following, becoming more faint as it strayed further away from us.

“I think I just wet myself,” Taehyung said jokingly, wiping off the sweat from his forehead. He leaned over to Hoseok, who was frozen still, poking him and waving his hand in front of his face, yet no response was elicited. “And Hobi-hyung passed into another life.” We laughed at his comments as we ventured deeper in, Hoseok eventually loosening up, his fear turning to joy every time we passed by a dragon. Our conversations continued as normal, until Jungkook noticed the fans on my hips and changed the topic.

“Noona, what are those?” He asked, pointing to the golden weapons holstered on either side of me with one hand, his other still holding the reins.

“Oh, these are my weapons, Kook,” I explained, causing all of the boys to widen their eyes at my confession.

“What would you need weapons for?” Seokjin asked curiously.

“As you know, every fairytale has a villain. Usually it’s just one person, but sometimes there can be pairs, groups, or even armies. And they will do everything in their power to get what they want.”

“I-I don’t understand. Why are you talking about fairytales?” Taehyung questioned.

“This life of mine is like a fairytale. My villain, Magister Mortalis, is constantly after me, but it’s not one person. It’s a whole team, and they all have one goal: to assassinate me and burn this island to the ground. Because of this, I’ve learned to fight and defend myself, and, more importantly, the island. Almost every dragon has some sort of defense mechanism, and they’re ready to fight at all times. For myself, I’ve only had to use these fans a few times in the past few years, but not for anything too serious.”

“Does that mean you’ve…”

I pulled back on Agro’s reins, the other horses shortly stopping behind her. My breath hitched and my body shriveled as I realized there was no avoiding the truth anymore. Without looking back at them, I answered coldly.

“Yes. I’ve killed,” I revealed as I lightly kicked Agro’s sides, urging her to walk, the rest of the horses automatically following.

For a moment, we all rode in silence, not daring to look at each other the entire time. I sighed quietly to myself and ran my fingers through my hair, noticing the weight being pressed on my chest. Eventually, as we neared closer to our first destination, I spoke up, my voice surprisingly quiet and reserved.

“Jungkook, can you dismount?”

Hesitantly, the young boy removed his feet from the stirrups and slid off of Gene, slowly walking over to me as I got off Agro. Before us was a small opening, leading into a cave.

As I stepped into the cave, I could feel Jungkook’s presence behind me, and I immediately stopped, turning around to gently push him all the way back to the horses.

“I need you to stay back here,” I ordered, the boy only being able to nod and gulp nervously, unable to produce any words. “Listen. Please, no matter what; don’t speak, don’t move, don’t intervene.”

I gently patted his shoulder, returning to the cave’s opening as I withdrew my fans, hitting them against each other, the sound echoing through the vast walls. Within a matter of seconds, a loud snarl replied to the sudden intrusion, which was my cue to step back into the sunlight, hold my fans in front of my body, and prepare for the creature to approach me.

An albino claw emerged from the darkness, piercing red eyes glowing as the dragon stepped out, its muscular frame and vicious appearance elevating the hair on my skin, and undoubtedly, also the boys’, who were standing by, watching as I came face to face with the ferocious beast. I stepped back as the dragon neared closer, its shoulder movements resembling that of a lion’s, ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

“Jungkook, meet Quinn,” I said bluntly, causing the youngest to widen his eyes, coming to the realization that this would be his dragon. My words provoked the dragon, a loud roar erupting from its chest as it came closer to me, baring its teeth, still stained with blood from its last meal. Its wings stood proudly, spreading unconsciously as it roared again, with more ferocity than the last. “The Red-Eyed Ravager, one of the best hunting dragons in The Claim you could ever hope to find.”

I stopped in my tracks and dropped my fans, letting them clatter on the ground, prompting a questioning look from Quinn, but nevertheless, he continued to pursue me, with more caution. I dropped to my hands and knees, stretching my left leg back out as I bent my right, planting one hand on the ground, by my waist. With Quinn only a few feet away from me, I closed my eyes and reached out with my free hand, closing the distance between us as I gently placed my palm onto his snout, the steam rising from his nostrils filled with rage, but it quickly transitioned into tranquility. I fluttered my eyes open, and there the beast was, his eyes closed with a certain softness that assured me he was calm.

“Jungkook, it’s okay. You can come now,” I insisted, standing again to face him, a perplexed but intrigued expression on his face. Noticing his hesitation, I patted Quinn as I walked over to Jungkook, the beast following me over to the boy, who was now more stiff than a metal post.

“He won’t hurt me?” Jungkook questioned suspiciously.

“Of course not. That whole thing just now was for respect because I woke him up from his sleep.”

“Reminds me of someone else,” Namjoon joked, eyeing Yoongi, who was looking at the dragon with enriched eyes, but only when I shifted my gaze to him I realized he was now staring at me.

“Yoongi-ah, you’re staring.”

“Hyung’s got a crush~” Taehyung teased, earning a smack from Yoongi who then swiftly returned his attention to me.

“You have such a way with the dragons… it’s amazing,” He said, a small smile creeping onto his lips from the impressive show.

“I grew up with them, Yoongs. It only makes sense,” I smiled, gently rubbing Quinn’s head, earning a low grunt in return.

“Noona, can I?” Jungkook queried, reaching out to the dragon, prompting his question if he could pet him.

“Go ahead, he’s yours.”

Jungkook cautiously placed his hand on Quinn’s snout, a friendly purr returning from the action, causing a wide smile to appear on Jungkook’s golden face. He gently kneeled and continued to shower Quinn with love and adoration, sounds of affection eliciting from the dragon due to his actions.

“Oh, wow,” Jungkook whispered, taking in the sight of the creature before him while I grabbed my fans and secured them into my holsters.

“Quinn might seem scary at first, but once you get to know him, he’s a real sweetheart,” I said as Jungkook stood up, his smile unable to leave his lips, my eyes wandering back to the dragon. “Gyon au.” Quinn happily obeyed and ran back into his cave, disappearing into the darkness as Jungkook and I mounted our horses again, continuing on the path to the next dragon. Not even waiting a second for us to depart from the cave, the boys began to bombard me with questions. I laughed as I tried my best to listen and answer all of them.

“How many dragons are on these islands?” Hoseok asked.

“About 13,000.”

“What other hunting dragons are there?” Namjoon joined.

“Eurasian Rubyhides, Frostbiters, Japanese Vipermuzzles-“

“Don’t these species fight a lot with each other?” Jimin questioned.

“Sometimes, but they know there’ll be consequences if they do.”

Before I knew it, I had answered at least a million questions and we were standing right in front of Taehyung’s dragons’ territory, a large burrowing hole right beneath my feet after I slid off of Agro, calling Taehyung to join me.

“Jesus, how big is this thing?” Taehyung babbled, intimidated by the size of the gaping tunnel standing at his feet.

“She’s a Titan Wing - still pretty small compared to the others - but I think she’ll be good for you,” I replied, leaning into the tunnel to let out a sharp, short whistle, urging Taehyung to step back immediately after the ground began to shake. From the tunnel erupted a gigantic, white, snake like dragon, covered in frills and spines with blank, hostile red eyes jutting into the boys standing underneath her as she rose into the sky. She opened her mouth, ready to let out a deafening scream, when I suddenly yelled out for her, notifying her of my presence. Her expression softened and she landed beside me, curling her body around my figure to hug me. I laughed and gave her a little pat before turning to Taehyung, who she had now noticed and was creeping towards.

“Uh, Maya, help me out here!”

“Hold out your hand.”

“Do what?!”

“Just do it Tae!”

Reluctantly, he tightly shut his eyes and followed my advice, but it turned to his favor as the dragon gently bowed her head, pushing her head so Taehyung’s palm was now resting against her scales. He peeked with one eye, and let out a loud sigh of relief, realizing he was safe.

“I think I wet myself again,” He groaned, earning a chuckle from the rest of us, even the dragon.

“Taehyung, meet Phaedra,” I introduced them to each other. “Phaedra, em ste Taehyung.”

The dragon gently nodded and blew a puff of smoke in Taehyung’s face, chuffing shortly afterwards at his awe stricken face.

“I can’t believe you can actually communicate with dragons,” Taehyung marveled, stepping back to look at me as I tended to Phaedra, brushing dirt and such off of her scales.

“Eventually you’ll have to as well,” I lied, immediately bursting out into laughter at his terrified expression. “I’m kidding, Tae. Unless one of you wants to learn Draconian.” I turned to eye the boys mounted on their horses, all of them jokingly whipping their heads away, whistling innocently and ignoring me. “Alright, alright, I get it. Languages are hard and I’m a buzzkill.” I gently pat Phaedra to let her know she could go. She nodded and slithered back into the tunnel while Taehyung and I mounted our horses, trotting off to the next dragon.

“Am I next?” Jimin asked, raising his hand politely with a small smile.

“Ah, you’re so cute, Jimin. Yes, you’re next. Come on, let’s see how well you guys can ride.” With that, I squeezed my knees together, prompting Agro to start trotting, swiftly transitioning into a canter as the boys yelled and hurried to catch up to me. Exiting the forest, we cantered into the connecting grasslands, nearby dragons whizzing their heads towards us or jumping away to avoid the path of the horses. I stood in my stirrups and grabbed a good portion of Agro’s mane, using my free hand to quickly pull out the slim whistle I had used previously to call Toothless.

As soon as I heard the familiar roar growing closer, I jumped out of my stirrups and stood on Agro’s back, holding the reins as Toothless soared in from the clouds, flying next to me, giving me a clear path to jump off of Agro and onto his back. I quickly positioned my feet and we rose into the clouds, leaving the boys and their horses to continue cantering, with Agro leading the way. As soon as Toothless broke through the clouds, my eyes landed on a Cloudjumper resting atop a cloud, stretching gracefully having just woken up from a morning nap.

“Indra, mafta ai op!” I shouted, catching the dragon’s attention fast enough that she was able to follow right behind Toothless after he looped and dived back down to the ground. I pointed to the boys, and Toothless flew down with Indra following on his tail to stop and land in front of them, of course, giving them enough space and time to react. The Cloudjumper stayed hovering in the air, twisting her head much like an owl when she noticed Jimin’s admirable stare towards her, his eyes not leaving hers even as he dismounted his horse. She softly landed and crawled over to him as he walked over to her, almost as if they were being attracted to each other by some sort of magnetic force.

“What’s her name?” Jimin beamed, showing his signature eye smile as he studied the dragon’s features.

“Indra.”

“She’s so pretty.”

Indra chirped happily at his words, slowly encasing him with her warm body - in an affectionate way of course. We laughed as she tried to snuggle up against him, but I pulled her back and sent her on her way after letting Jimin pet her for a few more minutes.

“So, are we going to talk about what you just did?” Namjoon gushed, cupping his own face in his hands, his mouth hanging wide open.

“What, the jump?”

“‘What, the jump…’ aish, this kid is going to kill me,” Seokjin groaned, burrowing his face in his palms as he let out a loud, fake sob. “It was amazing!”

“Really?”

The boys instantaneously nodded like their lives depended on it, bright smiles appearing on their faces.

“So modest,” Yoongi laughed, shaking his head.

“Hyuuuung-“ Jungkook tried to tease him, but was abruptly shut up with a pale hand over his mouth.

“Say one more word and I end you.”

“Don’t kill him, Yoongs,” I chuckled as I whispered into Toothless’ ear, sending him off to bring back a dragon. “Hoseokie, you’re up next.”

“Oh my god,” He whimpered, anxiously sliding off of Vente to stagger over to me.

“Hey, don’t worry. I chose the calmest dragon I know.”

“Well, at least we won’t need a medic on standby,” Seokjin snorted, teasing the dancer over his fears. However, I embraced him and wrapped my arms around him tightly, whispering a few words to encourage him.

“Don’t listen to him. You’ll be fine.”

After a few minutes, Toothless returned with Hoseok’s dragon, her vibrant yellow and violet scales standing out from the pale blue sky. The two landed in front of us, waiting for one another to move when I suddenly grabbed Hoseok’s hand, causing him to scream. The dragon flinched and cowered, instantly causing Hoseok to calm down and drop to his knees to comfort her, the reaction tugging at his heartstrings.

“No, no, don’t be scared! Here, look!” Hoseok cheered as he stood up, doing his usual silly dances and routines. The Skyburst, now intrigued, lifted her head and chuffed when she saw his movements in an attempt to cheer her up. She purred and rubbed her head against Hobi’s chest, pushing a smile onto his lips. “Wah~ So cute.”

“Her name is Leia. She’s pretty shy, but I think she’s already warmed up to you,” I said.

“Do all dragons have names?” He instantly face palmed himself at his question and apologized. “Sorry, that was a stupid question.”

“No, it’s not. All dragons have names, but they’re assigned by me when hatched. Maybe you guys could help me name some of the newcomers, hm?”

“I’m naming one Kumamon,” Yoongi cajoled, his lips rising into a sweet gummy smile.

“Oh, for the love of god,” I mumbled as I sent Leia and Toothless off, mounting up with Hoseok and Jimin to continue our travels, this time, heading back to the castle, but on a different route, following the largest river, The Trail Of Tears.

As we passed by the wild dragons, I noticed that the boys were no longer scared, and were now pointing out the dragons they wanted to meet, naming them as we rode past, and even interacting with them on their own.

“Namjoon, you ready?” I suddenly spoke up, prompting a surprised but soon steady expression on his sun-lit face. An explosion in the distance, but not too far away, indicated that his dragon was nearby. “All-Mother help me,” I whispered to myself as I kicked Agro’s sides, urging her to trot forward to the source of the explosion, the boys leading their horses to trail behind me.

Through the thick canopy of trees, we turned and came across a young, rocky dragon, ember glowing from its crevices as it continuously fired at the mountain’s feet, little specks of dust and rocks flying everywhere with every blast. I groaned and dropped my head in frustration, hopping off of Agro to lecture the dragon, now caught red handed.

“Phelan, krei? Nodotaim? Yu get klin mou beda.” I scolded, placing my hands on my hips. The dragon whimpered and backed down, bowing deeply to me in an attempt to ask for forgiveness. I sighed, resting my hand on his skin, made entirely out of rock, then called Namjoon over, who gleefully bent down to the dragon.

“Seems like a troublemaker,” Namjoon chuckled, turning his head to me while staying crouched in front of Phelan.

“Oh, definitely, but it can actually be useful sometimes. Just try not to destroy the entire island when you’re together, yeah?”

Phelan chuffed at my joke, but ultimately knew he had to be responsible or he would have to face the consequences. Namjoon nodded and stood up while I dismissed Phelan, lecturing him one last time to not blast any more mountains.

“Jinnie, you’re the last one!”

“Is my dragon a boy or a girl?” Seokjin asked as we began to travel along the river, the horses now in a single file formation.

“Kira is a girl, but to be honest, you can’t even tell because she acts completely different than most female Riverside Serpents.”

“Riverside Serpent? Did you come up with all of these names?” Namjoon wondered.

“Oh, no. I only named the species I discovered during my rule.”

“I still can’t believe you’re a queen, Noona,” Jungkook sighed, a shy smile creeping onto his lips.

“It all feels like a dream,” Jimin commented, observing his surroundings as he spoke.

“Ah, there she is,” I said, pointing to a white and green serpentine dragon kneeling by the river, drinking from the fast stream.

“She looks more traditional,” Seokjin observed as he quickly slid off of Eros to stand by me while I caught Kira’s attention, asking her to come closer. Her eyes roamed and scanned each of the boys until they came across Jin’s face, and an immediate purr followed, along with a gentle head butt.

“Wow, she loves you,” I snorted, surprised that she instantly took a liking to him. After a few moments of playing with Kira, Jin replied.

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Alright, Casanova, let’s get moving.” I sent Kira back to the river as Jin and I mounted up again, riding back to the castle as a group, now in a more scattered formation, with the younger boys lined up behind me, Yoongi and Namjoon on either side of me, and the other two slightly ahead, as they didn’t need me to lead since the castle was already in our sight.

“Yoongi doesn’t get a dragon?” Namjoon suddenly asked, tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention first.

“He already got one yesterday, after you boys went to your rooms,” I explained, Namjoon nodding in acknowledgement. Yoongi began to move further ahead, now out of earshot between me and Namjoon, who decided to take advantage of this opportunity.

“Soo… you and Yoongi-“

“Joon, don’t even start. It’s not like that.”

“I see the way you look at each other. What you two have is special, and I think you’d be good for each other.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, pressing my palm on my forehead in an attempt to relieve some of the pain forming in my head as I tried my best to gather my thoughts.

“Even if he did like me, I couldn’t let that get in the way of my duties. If something happened to him…” I began to express my concerns, but Namjoon simply smiled and replied in a gentle voice.

“Baby, I get it, but just think about it, okay? I promise, I’m not lying when I say that you two were made for each other,” He reassured me. Before I knew it, we had already arrived at the gates of the castle. I led the group back to the stables and we all dismounted, putting away our horses after untacking them, with the help of Zenobia and Castilla.

As we walked up the stairs of the castle, I heard distant footsteps that surely didn’t belong to either me or the boys, so with caution, I gripped onto one of my fans and discreetly unholstered it. Without warning, I turned around to whiz it at the area of the sound, the metal clanging against stone, just mere inches away from Minjun, who was hiding behind a stone pillar to protect himself. I gasped and rushed to pick up my fan, running to check if he was hurt.

“God, you’re fast,” Minjun laughed, looking over his slightly bruised hands.

“Jun, what happened?” I questioned, rubbing my fingers over the bruises.

“Agh, I ran into some assholes from the Northern Markets. They taunted me with shit about Hyunae, I couldn’t stand it.”

“Those motherfu-“

“Woah, love, watch the language,” He chuckled, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry.” I looked down sheepishly, embarrassed of my sudden, minor lash out.

“Oh, and by the way, kids, the Tramplers brought back your stuff from Seoul. They’re on your beds.” Minjun cocked his head towards the boys, a clearly insulted expression falling onto Yoongi’s face.

“What did he just call us?” Yoongi fumed to Namjoon.

“Minjun, can you check on Luthais to see if he needs any more Dreamwillow?” I asked, quickly changing the subject as Minjun nodded and left for Luthais’ hut for his task. “You’re welcome, Yoongi.”

Yoongi simply stood there with his jaw tightened as I walked past him coolly, his body trailing behind mine soon enough once he had snapped out of his shock. It was quite rare for me to perform favors for him, especially for ones he never asked for, but the ones I knew he needed.

“Hey, so, quick question. Are we getting weapons soon?” Seokjin asked suddenly, causing me to trip and fall backwards, conveniently into Yoongi’s arms, that were quick to catch me.

“You okay, sugar?” Yoongi said, concerned as I looked back at him, still in his grasp.

“Yeah, thanks,” I mumbled, clearly embarrassed as I continued walking, more carefully this time. “What the hell makes you think you’re getting weapons?”

“We are, aren’t we? I overheard your servants talking about having to give us weapons soon,” Seokjin explained.

“You are one sneaky little-“

“Don’t curse!”

“Ugh, fine. You caught me. Yes, you’re getting weapons. Armor, as well - but don’t even think for a second that’s going to be within the next 48 hours. You boys have to take flying lessons.”

“Flying lessons? As in flying on dragons, thousands of feet in the air?” Taehyung worried, his voice wavering.

“Tae, I know it seems scary, but I’m confident you boys will get the hang of it.”

“I’ve got a head start, by the way,” Yoongi bragged.

“Really? No fair!” Jungkook whined, throwing his head back in frustration.

“Suck it up, kid,” Yoongi scowled, rolling his eyes.

“Well, you guys can go explore or something, I’m heading to the studio,” I said abruptly, turning on my heels only for the boys to follow after me, all the way to the studio, tired and waiting to be used after months of neglect.

“Hell yes!” Hoseok preached, dropping to his knees to perform a fake prayer at the sight of the glorious dance studio.

“Noona, you dance?” Jungkook wondered, tilting his head slightly along with his question.

“Of course. Maybe it’s good you didn’t know - now we can have dance battles,” I smirked, winking at Hoseok as I ran over to the stereo to select a song. “What do you think I should do? No Limit by G-Eazy?”

“What about Mic Drop?” Namjoon suggested jokingly.

“Never heard of that,” I teased as I set up the music and jogged back to the middle of the room, taking my jacket off to discard of it, flying to who knows where in the room.

As the song began, I performed my best moves and let the rhythm of the beat move for me. I danced with certainty, speed, and agility. With my movements fluent and confidence sharp, I couldn’t help but smirk at the boys’ sudden shocked expressions, Yoongi’s intense stare making me unconsciously bite my lip in anticipation. They gazed at me, completely captivated by my undoubtedly sensual movements to the music, and even though the song had soon ended, they stayed speechless with their eyes wide open and jaws dropped.

“That’s it. Let’s do this,” Jimin said quickly, rushing to play Dionysus as the dance line hopped in and began to move with me to the music, all of our bodies perfectly coordinated with one another, the bass of the beats vibrating off of the walls of the studio. Within just a few minutes, the four of us had sweat dripping down our bodies, causing us to shed more layers as we continued to dance.

Once we had unanimously decided to stop for the day, I threw a water bottle to each of them after grabbing them from the conveniently placed mini fridge, sitting under the shelf holding a few white towels.

“Maya, I would have danced with you a long time ago if I knew you were that good,” Hoseok smirked, screwing the cap off of his bottle.

“Well, thanks, Hobi,” I smiled, chugging the half full bottle of water in my grasp. “You okay, Yoongs? You haven’t said anything or moved for a while.”

I glanced over at Yoongi, who was leaning against the wall, holding his jacket nonchalantly in front of his abdomen, looking off somewhere into the distance.

“I think hyung has a-“ Taehyung snickered, but was quickly shut up by Seokjin, who slapped his hand over the younger boy’s mouth.

“Don’t even say it, V,” Seokjin groaned, hiding his face in his other palm in embarrassment. I laughed and took one last sip of my water, tossing the bottle into the trash can, hidden in the far corner of the studio.

“Let’s go,” I said, slinging my jacket back over my shoulder before exiting the room, the others following me.

“So, where to next, Mistress?” Yoongi suddenly whispered in my ear, rightfully earning a kick in the shins from me.

“Shut up! You don’t speak for an hour and the first thing you say to me is that?” I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks as I scanned his face, full of pride with a cheeky smirk to compliment it. “Wipe that stupid smirk off of your face.”

“Maybe if you give me a kiss-“

“Yoongi!”

The boys laughed as we continued to bicker back and forth, until I realized we reached where I had planned to go next. With Yoongi’s constant teasing, I needed something else to focus on before I went completely insane.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, the long chandeliers hanging from the ceiling immediately blinding me. I adjusted to see the light illuminate the cases of books built inside the walls. The royal blue couches rested on every side of the room, overlooked by the second floor, a gorgeous golden railing standing to protect the above level. Sunlight shone in through the windows, flexing across the linoleum floors, intricate floral designs softly carved into the material.

“Go crazy, Joon,” I whispered to Namjoon, who smiled brightly and stepped in, gravitating towards the bookshelves lined with old but beautiful books.

“What a nerd,” Seokjin muttered, but Namjoon had heard.

“If we’re going to stay here, we should learn about the dragons and history as much as we can,” Namjoon argued.

“He’s got a point, you know,” I agreed, shrugging slightly. “Do you guys want to check out the Book of Dragons? It’s got information on all the species - even though it’s a little outdated.”

“Yes!” The boys instantaneously replied, a small smile creeping onto my lips at their enthusiasm as I quickly stepped over to a special showcase, opening it to remove a large, leather book. I was about to sit down when someone grabbed my waist from behind and pulled me down onto their lap. I gasped and tried to move, but they kept me pinned down.

“Really, Yoongi?” I groaned, glaring back at him.

“I want the best view,” He simply replied, leaning the both of us back as he rested his chin on my shoulder, the rest of the boys gathering around me, standing, sitting beside me, or on the couch armrests. Yoongi snaked his arms around my waist as I opened the book to a random page, landing on the bio of the Night Fury, coincidentally.

“‘The Night Fury is the fastest, smartest, and rarest of the known species of dragons, commonly described as the ‘Holy offspring of lightning and death itself,’” Jungkook read aloud, his eyebrows cocking up as he read the last part.

“It says it’s trainable here,” Taehyung said, pointing to the written factors of the species, one of them informing that the Night Fury can, indeed, be trained. “Are there dragons that can’t be trained? Like, ever?”

“Yes, but I’ve found a way to work with them,” I answered.

“Which ones?” Hoseok asked.

“Exterminators, Frostbiters, and Venomtails are good examples. Those are just a few I can think of right now off the top of my head, sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to know what dragons I should avoid,” He grinned, sticking his tongue out playfully.

“Don’t be worried. The dragons will come around to you, eventually.”

“What does this mean?” Yoongi questioned, moving his hand to point to the words that printed Strike Class, however, I was rather focusing on how he dragged his fingers back across my thigh, waiting for an answer. “Maya?”

“Hm, what? Oh. Sorry, I got distracted, uhh… that’s the classification. Every species is placed into a class based on their characteristics or abilities.”

“So, what class is Aenaes in?” This time, alongside his question, he tightly squeezed my thigh, traveling closer to where my legs parted. I had to bite my lip to suppress a soft moan from coming out.

“H-He’s in Strike Class, too.”

“And that is…”

I quickly flipped to the page that had displayed information about the subject.

Strike Class dragons are characterized by their blazing speed, vice-like jaw strength, and extreme intelligence, as well as pin-point accuracy, powerful attacks, explosive firepower and a unique ability to allow them to navigate in their respective environments/atmosphere. The dragons in this class are some of the rarest of all dragons, some are close to extinction. They are also the most difficult to train but the most loyal once they have been trained. They are also generally among the most powerful dragons.

“Mm, cool,” Yoongi mumbled, pulling his arm back to rest around my waist. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued to read to the boys, informing them of the behavioral patterns of dragons, their senses, and habitats. After teaching them about a dozen species, I placed the book back and called it a day. Honestly, it was because I couldn’t stand Yoongi’s teasing anymore, so I needed to break away. I muttered a few things as I left them in the small library to escape to my room, one of the few safe havens I had here.

I groaned and pushed my messy hair back, my fingers running through the strands as I closed my eyes, throwing my head back in frustration. With a defeated sigh, I fell onto my bed and laid there, my arms spread and my knees crossed as my chest rose and fell quickly, bringing me to the realization that I was practically begging to breathe all this time. My chest tightened and my guts churned, both with embarrassment and excitement.

‘Get it together,’ I thought to myself, lifting my hand to rest my palm on my sweaty forehead. I rose from the mattress and made my way over to the double doors, pushing them open to step out onto the cool marble platform. With a deep breath, I stepped forward until I was close to the edge, and looked down, the distance between me and the ground almost immeasurable.

I pushed my hand in my pocket, pausing for a moment even though I desperately wanted to call for Toothless. I honestly didn’t want to bother him, but I did need to escape from the mess my emotions were. Hesitantly, I blew the whistle and Toothless came quickly, hovering by the platform, allowing me to leap onto his back and let him lead me wherever he desired, something I only ever did when I had too much on my mind.

Soon enough, I had come out of my thoughts to realize that Toothless was just landing on the soft sand of Talon’s Shore, a large beach just west of the castle. I smiled as I dismounted Toothless and slid off my shoes before running over to the shoreline, the waves slowly rolling in as the water parted between my toes, completely flooding my feet.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a blue and white speckled dragon emerge from the water, its wings folded neatly and its frills cleanly defining its elongated face. With a tired yawn, it shook off the water like a dog would after a bath, and turned my way, finally noticing me, now sitting in the dry sand. As it came closer, I recognized it was an adolescent female Thunderdrum, probably returning from a weary journey. She waddled over to me with her stubby legs and plopped down beside me, burrowing her way underneath my arm for attention. I laughed and gladly rested my hand on her snout, a happy chitter returning from her throat.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and allowed my other senses to overtake me, the sound of the waves crashing and the feeling of the Thunderdrum’s soft skin calming me down over time. As Toothless curled his body around us, I spoke to him, obviously not expecting an answer, but I did it anyways.

“Bud, I think I’m going insane,” I sighed, leaning back onto the black dragon’s body. He simply snorted in response, resting his head on his arm, his eyes leisurely shutting as he quietly rested. “I think I love him…”

The Thunderdrum chirped at my words, a cute smile accompanying her now perked ears. I huffed and gave her a small pat as I spoke up again.

“So, what do you think I should do, Yvette?” I asked, the young dragon tilting her head at my question in confusion. I giggled and translated for her, and she simply blew a puff of her hot breath in my face, proceeding to stand up and head back into the sea, her warmth leaving my side. With an exhausted sigh, I stood up and woke up Toothless, initiating a walk on the beach with him once he fully awoke. Every couple of minutes, he nudged my hand, checking to see if I was okay. I halted in my path and kneeled, rubbing his chin with affection, a sweet rumble eliciting from his throat.

After about ten minutes, I decided to head back. Toothless dropped me off on the same marble platform connected to my bedroom before soaring off into the distance, a proud roar following. I fell face first on my bed, closing my eyes as I audibly screamed out my frustration into the mattress.

There was no denying it - I loved Yoongi - yet I didn’t even know how to go about it. Knowing that he only recently broke up with his near 2-year girlfriend Sunmi just last month, even if it was forced by their companies, I couldn’t just jump on him right away. He was probably heart-broken, and I doubt he had any similar feelings to mine, so there was no point, really. It would have just gone horribly, so why bother?

I rolled over to the other side of the bed and changed out of my clothes, slipping on a mere oversized tunic that met my thighs mid-way and a pair of boy shorts. As I dragged myself to the bathroom, I flipped on the light switch and looked at myself in the mirror, almost gagging at the sight of my revolting appearance.

“God, I look like a fucking mess,” I mumbled to myself, trying to fix up my hair and wipe off the remaining smudged makeup that I had applied from yesterday. When I stepped back into my bedroom, I heard a gentle knock on the door, almost making me trip over my own feet at the sudden intrusion.

“Maya? It’s Namjoon. I wanted to talk to you,” The outside voice said, relieving me of my stress as I opened the door to reveal Namjoon, smiling sweetly to showcase his beloved dimples.

“What’s up?” I yawned, trying my best to sound more unbothered than I currently was.

“Here, sit down.” Namjoon entered and closed the door, turning the lock prior to grabbing my wrist to lead me to the bed, where he sat me down. He crawled onto the bed and laid down, his back resting comfortably against the headboard, supported by pillows, with his arms crossed in his lap.

Due to my stillness, he decided to take matters into his own hands and turned me around, pulling me back to sit in between his legs, my back now against his chest and our arms linked. I hummed and gently rested my head on his chest, turning slightly so I was more curled up than lying straight. His arms slowly moved around my waist to support my body as he spoke up.

“Where were you?”

“Down by the beach with Toothless. I needed some time alone,” I answered.

“So, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Nothing much,” I said, shrugging my shoulders slightly.

“Baby, how many times do I have to remind you what a terrible liar you are? Something’s bothering you.” I clenched my jaw at his words, trying to find the best way out of spilling the truth.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then why did you run out of the library like it was on fire, especially after Yoongi was getting touchy with you?”

“You saw that?!” I whipped my head back with my eyes wide in shock. He simply nodded and pulled me back down in the previous position, raising one hand to play with my hair.

“I told you, he loves you.”

“Very funny, Joon.”

“Baby, I’m serious.”

“So what, are you going to tell me I can shapeshift into a dragon now?”

”Maya, I’m-“

“No. I’m sorry, but I refuse to believe that. He literally broke up with Sunmi last month, his girlfriend of 2 fucking years, and you want me to think he’s now in love with me? You’re crazy,” I snapped, stumbling to my feet as I headed for the door. Namjoon grasped my wrist and pulled me back, ceasing my movements.

“Do you hear yourself right now? Yoongi was miserable with Sunmi. He never loved her,” Namjoon explained, a glint of frustration in his obsidian eyes.

I yanked Namjoon’s hand away, walking out of the room, slamming the door behind me. My feet began to move for me, elevating from a fast walk to practically a sprint down the hall as I heard the door open again, Namjoon calling out to me, footsteps soon following. My glance whipped back at him as he chased after me when, suddenly, I bumped into someone, causing me to stumble backwards, but whoever it was had caught me before I could fall. I shifted my gaze forward, almost screaming when I saw Yoongi standing right in front of me, holding me by my waist in a dip position, protecting me from falling.

“Woah, you alright? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Yoongi said, concerned as he brushed my bangs away from my eyes. I really wanted to swat his hand away and storm off, but I couldn’t even bring myself to move or speak, which ended wonderfully for me as Namjoon finally caught up to me, now hunched over and gasping for air.

“You… you are fast,” He huffed, straightening his body as his eyes wandered to Yoongi, obviously worried. “Hyung, can I talk to you?”

“Uhh, sure,” Yoongi hesitated as Namjoon led him off into another room, of which I eventually recognized as the lounge. I groaned and headed back to my room, locking the door, softly closing it behind me. I tore off my shirt, throwing it into the corner of my room, then fell onto my bed, once again yelling out my frustrations.

‘I really can’t take this anymore,’ I thought, mentally sighing. I rolled over to lie on my back when my thoughts drifted back to what Namjoon had said. I didn’t want to believe it, but maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe Yoongi never liked Sunmi. Maybe he was just pretending. Maybe he was actually in love with me all this time. Maybe.

Before I could even notice my weariness, I closed my eyes with my body still hanging off the edge of the bed and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, my mind finally blank.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

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hookedontaronfics · 5 years

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Honky Dancer series - Chapter 8

Chapter title: Consequences Read the previous installments here: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 Rating: M Pairing: Taron x OC Warnings: Trigger warnings for a subtle mentions of an eating disorder and some medical drama A/N: A lot happens in this chapter, and it’s quite dramatic. The chapter bears its name well; you cannot outrun the consequences of your actions, as our beloved Juliette will soon find out. I hope you enjoy this emotional ride! X

Night shoots, I quickly learned, were a special sort of experience. Most of us had tried to nap before the call time, and we were all standing around clutching cups of coffee, full of caffeine and running on adrenaline. The choreography for “Saturday Night’s Alright” required every dancer that was hired, and a cast of extras simply to fill the background too. The amount of crew and the rigging required to give the number an expansive feel also added to the sheer number of people on set at the moment. The volume level was almost too much, with everyone chatting excitedly.

I was standing with my usual group, minus Markus, who was giving me an extremely cold shoulder by not acknowledging my presence at all. I couldn’t blame him, though; I’d told him to never talk to me again, after all. But now that it was the next day and my simmering anger had dulled, and I’d managed to smooth things over with Taron, I wondered if I hadn’t acted out too irrationally. Blame the baby hormones, I thought ruefully to myself.

Being on that carnival set, amongst the twinkling lights and magical atmosphere, made us feel like we were transported somewhere else. And I certainly hoped that effect would come across on film when it was all said and done. My favorite part was the massive Ferris wheel, ablaze with color. I spotted Taron, talking animatedly with Dexter, and when he looked over I gave him a small wave, which he cutely returned.

“Ugh, adorable,” Leah commented, making me smile behind my coffee cup lid as I took another sip. After what felt like a waste of an hour, we were finally called into place. We discarded our coffees and dumped our jackets and bags and went through last-minute costume checks, the costumers nit-picking over the littlest details, adjusting collars here, snipping stray threads there. We had already been walked through some preliminary blocking, but now that the cameras would be turned on, we all wanted things to be as perfect as they could be. The less takes we all had to do for each beat, the better.

Still, that constant ripple of excitement and thrill ran through all of us and kept us going as the nightly hours wore on. Watching Taron in his element really felt like a treat though. How he managed to turn that energy on and maintain his performance level take after take after draining take was mind-boggling, really. And whether he was tired or not, he never showed it, and he stayed positive and kind to everyone around him. But even though the work itself was exhausting, I still loved everything about it.

The track itself was phenomenal, and Taron’s vocals were strong. I never got tired of listening to it no matter how many takes we did. Giles Martin was a genius, keeping the original integrity of the song but building segments of the different musical influences that Elton had been exposed to and incorporated into his music over the many years, and those flavors had also been used in our dance styles. The choreography was engaging, energetic and exciting, and being a part of this musical number certainly felt like being a part of something much larger than ourselves. The sequence was a crucial part of the storytelling, and needed to feel as youthful and adventurous as Elton’s life was during that time.

I had to admit that I was more than happy when they finally called that night’s filming to a close, as the first creep of dawn was just beginning to tinge the sky. I felt the exhaustion and soreness in every fiber of my body, and blearily changed out of my costume, located my bag in the pile, and wearily made my way off the set and toward the tube station before realizing someone was calling my name. I whirled around, nearly knocking myself off my own feet as I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Juliette! Hey, wait up,” Taron said, jogging over to me and sweetly brushing his fingers over my cheek, still somehow not looking exhausted. “Clara’s with her dad and your mum has Troy. Can I just drive you over to my place?” he asked, and I was so tired I didn’t bother arguing, and nodded instead, letting Taron slip his arm around me supportively.

“How are you not completely exhausted?” I grumbled.

“Well, I’m not pregnant, so that helps,” he quipped lightly. “But I’m also just used to it, I think. Not exactly the first night scene I’ve ever been in.”

“I can think of a few,” I smiled. “Bit of a fan of your work, here,” I teased lightly.

“Well you nearly have to be, now that you’re dating me,” he smirked back, and I cracked a smile despite my exhaustion. I sank gratefully down into the plush of the car seat, fighting off falling asleep right then and there. The last thing I needed was Taron taking it upon himself to carry me to bed, as sweet of a gesture as that would be.

“I think today went well,” Taron spoke into our tired silence.

“Really well, at least on our part. It’s always one thing to rehearse a dance. It’s another to see it in the place, in the world so to speak, the lights and colors and costumes. Something about that just made everything feel much more real today,” I replied. “And you… You totally killed it.”

“I don’t know if I killed it, but I wager I gave it everything I had,” he smiled, looking over at me.

“Well, I think, from what I’ve seen, you’re carrying this whole damn thing.”

“I don’t know about that,” he said, running his fingers through his hair in the way he did when he felt humbled by something.

“Well I do,” I smiled, more to myself than anything.

“I am so ready to crash,” he yawned when we finally pulled into the drive and parked.

“You and me both,” I sighed wearily. We made our way inside, and I realized oddly that I hadn’t been in his home for a fair bit. It felt just as cozy as before as he led me to the bedroom, pulling me to him for a couple of sweet kisses before we both got ready for bed, too tired for anything more. He did his best to try and block the morning sunlight creeping across the floor, able to darken the room a bit, and we curled up together and were sound asleep within minutes, my brain for once too worn out to keep me awake.

The baby, on the other hand, had other ideas, waking me up a few hours later. I stumbled to the bathroom and wretched, hardly anything in my stomach to get rid of. I groaned slightly and splashed water on my face before returning to my slumbering boyfriend. I checked my phone briefly, scrolling through social media mindlessly, waiting for sleep to find me again, but hunger found me first instead.

I got up and, still too exhausted to make anything else, popped some bread in the toaster oven, rapping my fingers on the counter as I waited for it to be ready. I smeared some butter on, then took a few bites, chewing slowly, my hand resting on my belly. But then the part of my brain that worried about calories kicked in, and I found I couldn’t eat another bite. I tossed the rest of the toast in the trash and reminded myself I needed to stay away from carbs as I returned to the bed, not entirely satisfied but at least my stomach had stopped gurgling uncomfortably.

“Mmmm,” Taron murmured next to me, turning over and sliding his arm over my waist and nuzzling into my neck. “Can’t sleep?” He asked, cracking his green eyes open and looking at me.

“I got sick. And then I got hungry,” I smiled, as his eyes drew down to my stomach, his fingers splaying out under my sleep shirt and caressing my skin there sweetly.

“This will be worth it in the end,” he said gently, kissing my forehead. “Try to get some more sleep. Tonight will be difficult if you don’t.” I nodded at that and tried to let him soothe me back to sleep, and I eventually did end up drifting off again.

We woke with enough time to shower, make some dinner, and watch a little telly together before heading to set and doing it all over again. The second night seemed a little easier, but maybe it was just because I knew more of what to expect, the lag between scenes, the flurry of activity, the massive rigs swinging around and being readjusted constantly, the dead space where we had to try and keep our bodies warm, the constant makeup and costume retouches, the attempt to keep our energy up through the slog of what felt like a 14-hour night. We had fun with some bumper cars and there might have been more horsing around than actual dancing during that sequence.

The next two nights felt a little more laid-back, as a bulk of the large group shots were already done. The transitions into and out of the scene, with the bar and with Kit Connor, who played the mid-aged Reggie, were the focus of those days, so I spent more time sitting around than anything else, but that also gave me time to be curious about the behind-the-scenes machinations of putting a movie together. I found it completely fascinating, so different and removed from what I did on the stage when I danced professionally, a completely different set of lingo I didn’t quite understand. What was a grip? A racking focus? A polarizer? I had no idea, but hearing people talk casually about the technical aspects made me feel curious to know more.

Needless to say, I was grateful when night shoots, at least for that sequence, were done. It was kind of saddening to see the carnival get dismantled, but of course it had only been put up for the film and I knew that. I had to return to my own crazy schedule, my daughter and my own students and trying to balance that with further rehearsals for “Bitch is Back” and time with Taron as well, though the next few nights he spent at my home with me. It wasn’t even a conversation we had, he just showed up every evening, joining me in making dinner and helping Clara with her homework and walking Troy and just generally filling a space in my home I hadn’t realized had been empty. Eventually I thought it was high time he had a key, so I made it a point to make a copy and give him one.

“You’re in the special group of people who gets one of these,” I giggled as we cuddled on the couch together, long after Clara had gone to bed.

“Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And just how many people get a key to my girlfriend’s abode?” he chuckled.

“My mum, of course. Zayn, just in case something came up with Clara. Now you…” I smiled, as Taron flipped the key around in his palm slightly. He seemed a bit reserved about it, but then he’d been a bit reserved the past few nights. I chalked it up to just being knackered from night shoots until he sighed slightly and spoke my name in a hesitant manner.

“Juliette. I really need to ask you something,” he said, his eyes focusing somewhere just above the crown of my head.

“Anything, T,” I replied, even though a cold knot had formed in my stomach.

“Markus pulled me aside the other day and um, he wanted to pass along a few… things.” It was just like Markus to try and fuck everything up for me, even if we weren’t together. Even if I’d thoroughly ended things. Why could nothing in my world stay perfect, ever? I swallowed past the lump in my throat, willing my voice to not shake.

“I’m sure he wasn’t doing so out of the kindness of his heart,” I said coldly.

“Of course I took things with a grain of salt. We haven’t exactly had the best history, Markus and I, all things considered,” he said, finally focusing on my face, but the look of hurt that knitted his brows caught me off guard. “But he told me that you two were still together, that you slept with him again, when you had told me you wanted to be with me. When you were supposed to have broken up with him. And you never told me about that, and your nonadmission might as well have been as good as lying to me,” he continued, his voice cracking slightly.

“I… I’m so sorry,” I tried, my brain still processing what he was saying to me.

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a few days, whether to ask you about it or not. Whether to strike a divide between us or not. I’m forgiving, but relationships have to be founded on trust and communication, neither of which you’ve given to me, and that hurts.”

“I tried to break up with Markus. I tried to tell you that I failed. I felt so...humiliated and… ashamed. Of my history, of my weakness, of this shitty pattern I’ve never been able to get myself out of. I never meant it to hurt you, so I thought I could protect you from… me,” I said, stumbling over the words, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. “You have to believe that, please.”

“I believe you, it’s just a misguided principle, really. Relationships sometimes hurt. Sometimes you have to be raw, and open, and vulnerable, and ugly in front of the other person, and sometimes that makes them hurt for you, because they love you. I want to accept your flaws, your imperfections, but I can’t do that if you won’t open up to me. I can’t do that if I can’t trust you to be honest with me. I can’t do that if you try to protect me from the difficult, painful bits. I can’t do this, if you won’t extend that to me,” he said into the dead silence of the room. My heart was near pounding out of my chest and I felt the need to get sick.

“What are you saying, Taron? Are you breaking up with me?” I asked softly, tears already threatening in my eyes.

“I just need...some time. To think. To know where I stand. I am hurt, and you’ve got to learn that there are consequences for your actions. But I’m not leaving you, no,” he said as evenly as possible. “I told you I loved you, through the hard times too. I stand by that. I just need you to try and earn my trust back,” he said softly, brushing his fingers lightly over my chin.

“Okay,” I sniffled slightly, feeling the shame burning in my chest.

He leaned over and set the key on the coffee table, the clink of the metal against the wood top making me cringe slightly, before he stood up and turned to me.

“I’ll see you around at the studios. We’re not going to be strangers. But there is this wedge we need to deal with, and I hope you can understand that.”

“I created it,” I said, a couple of tears rolling down my cheeks. But I couldn’t pity myself; I had done this. I had turned Taron away from me, yet again. I had made a muddled mess out of something that should have been good and pure.

“Hey, no need to cry. We will work through this, alright?” he said, tipping my chin up to look at him, but his face was fractured into a thousand tiny pieces through my tears.

“Why would you want to? Why aren’t you pissed off at me?” I asked, pulling away from his touch, his arm returning to his side awkwardly.

“I was, at first. But I try incredibly hard to not act out in anger. It never leads to anything good; it tends to cause more problems than it solves. I also know that even while you had promised to choose me, you really hadn’t, not yet. I wanted to believe I’d be enough to convince you...” he trailed off.

“Fuck, of course you are, T. You’re the best thing that’s ever really happened to me. And I keep trying to ruin it, so maybe you’d be better off without me dragging you down,” I said harshly.

“Stop, stop. I won’t let you talk about yourself that way,” he said, kneeling down in front of where I sat on the sofa, directly into my line of sight again. “Your self-loathing won’t help anything. Please see that.”

“Maybe I’m one person you can’t fix. Maybe no one can,” I said shakily, and Taron sighed deeply.

“I hope this feels better in the morning, but going around in circles on it with you all night won’t help either. I’m going to take my leave, and you should get some sleep, and we’ll figure out how to move forward together. That is, if you still want to.”

I couldn’t give him an answer so the silence between us yawned open until he stood up and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before gathering up his jacket and letting himself out the door. I’m not really sure how long I sat there, staring at nothing, thoughts whirling around my head. Time passed me by unnoticed until Clara padded barefoot into the room.

“Mum?” she asked, and I startled back into reality.

“Yes dear?” I asked, trying to push back the edges of darkness I felt threatening to overcome me.

“I got sick in my bed,” Clara said, starting to cry.

“Oh, honey,” I said, instantly sweeping up off the couch and going to attend to my sick daughter, cleaning the linens and giving her medicine and crashing in my bed with her that night, her feverish little body shivering next to me as I held her tight. At least I had this; I could look at my bright, inquisitive, beautiful daughter and know I had a hand in bringing her up in this world, hopefully teaching her how to avoid the pitfalls I’d fallen into in so many ways. I was grateful she was still young, that boys still had cooties and she was still years from her first kiss, her first love, her first heartbreak.

By the time the morning rolled around, neither Clara nor I had gotten much sleep, as much from Clara’s illness as from my dark thoughts. I called my mum to see if she could watch my sick kid while I went to teach classes and later Rocketman rehearsals, and of course my mum was all-too-kindly available to come over. I tucked Clara in her own bed, glad that her fever had come down overnight, and called school to tell them she wouldn’t be in that day while I waited for my mum to arrive. I made some coffee, desperate for the caffeine boost, and when my mum finally made it across town I blearily stumbled through my day.

I couldn’t help glaring daggers at Markus’ back during rehearsals every time he wasn’t looking, which was most of the time, but I knew that was petty. It certainly wouldn’t make him apologize for ratting me out to Taron, and it wouldn’t take back what happened between us either.

By the time I got home I was completely exhausted, but Clara was feeling better and I couldn’t just crash out, even if my mum offered. I shook my head, telling her she’d done enough already for me, and sent her home with a thank-you pound note she tried to protest but I slipped into her purse anyway when she wasn’t looking. I ended up tossing a frozen pizza in the oven, but found it difficult to choke down the calories, while Clara didn’t seem to notice how little I ate as she chowed down on her slices. We watched a movie together, and I admittedly might have nodded off a few times, the Disney songs drifting in and out of my dreams.

I was so happy once Clara was tired enough to put to bed; I even skipped a shower just so I could faceplant in my bed that much quicker. I missed Taron’s warmth next to me as I pulled the blankets tightly around me. He promised we’d be okay, but what if he found more reasons to stay away from me in this temporary absence? What if he didn’t really miss me all that much? What if I was the one that was unlovable? I shivered slightly under the covers, the darkness creeping even closer than it had before in my mind, threatening to take over as I sank into a restless, dreamless sleep.

That darkness that resided inside my brain manifested itself in my attempt to control my calories; every little thing I put in my mouth had to be accounted for, and controlling my diet seemed to help me calm my nerves. Even when everything else felt like it was spiraling out of control, this one thing I could have total control over. I had exactly one scrambled egg white and 8 ounces of a protein shake in the morning, a 150-calorie protein bar at lunch, a handful of plain unsalted nuts for a snack to sustain my energy, and usually made some fish and vegetables for dinner. Eating for two was an absolute myth; I was religious about my prenatal vitamins and making sure the growing baby inside me was still getting the crucial building blocks it needed. But overeating wasn’t going to help either of us so I stuck to my routine, obviously varying things up for Clara so she wouldn’t be bored or wrinkle her nose up at my dinners.

Over the next couple weeks of classes and rehearsals, I started to see an instant change in my arm and leg tone, and that made me at least happier. I had been needing to lose that unnecessary weight for years, and even if I couldn’t stop my belly from getting bigger, I could stop the rest of me from following suit.

As we headed full on into the summer months, the weather grew hot and sticky, as London weather was wont to do. We’d been rehearsing the Broadway musical-style choreography for “Bitch is Back” for a while in the studio, but were finally taking rehearsals outside, into the back lot to do some initial blocking. Taron was of course there, sporting some mockup cardboard wings that looked completely ungainly to manage. But somehow he did, as we danced our way through the piece and Dexter showed Taron and Matthew Illesley, who played the youngest version of Reggie, how the scene would operate.

I could feel the sweat trickling down my back, down my arms and legs, dripping off the edge of my nose. We were all allowed to wear our sunnies since it was a rare bright day in London and we weren’t officially filming yet. But when the production was able to secure the Pinner Street location, we would all need to be ready to go, so putting in this work now was important. They made us take a lot of breaks, providing Gatorade and water in massive jugs to keep us all hydrated, but I was beginning to feel rather sick to my stomach and had to fight through the nausea for the rest of the rehearsal.

Seeing Taron there, being so close to him and yet feeling far away, was painful. He acknowledged me, but it was mostly in a professional manner, and I could feel the difference in my bones. I wanted nothing more than to have him scoop me up in his arms and hold me to him, but that reality had been shattered. There are consequences to your actions, Juliette, the words popping into my brain and making my heart ache. I couldn’t run from those consequences; the only way to move forward was to accept them and move through them.

But how was I going to be able to prove to Taron that he could trust me, when we weren’t even spending time together? What grand gesture could show him how much he meant to me? I wasn’t really sure, and these thoughts hounded me throughout the day.

The next few days were much the same, the temperatures staying sticky hot and making me feel worse for wear. Pregnancy and heat did not go well together, and I found myself taking a few more breaks than everyone else, coming up with some lame excuse as I hadn’t told anyone on set I was pregnant. Only Taron and Markus knew that, and well, we all know who actually did his part to check in with me, concern written all over his face.

But then rehearsals suddenly ground to a halt, and we were left in a strange holding pattern as the production moved onto other scenes, keeping to its schedule and of course keeping Taron very busy. We had a couple short rehearsals to keep the choreography fresh in everyone’s brains, but there wasn’t much else for us to do. I focused more on teaching my classes, texting off and on with Taron when he’d ask how Clara was doing.

<She’s got a recital next week, if you’d like to go. She’d probably like that; she’s been wondering why you haven’t been around as much. I just told her it was because of work.> I responded one evening.

And be there he was, dressed in a sharp navy suit coat, a white shirt underneath, and pressed slacks, looking as handsome as he ever did. Sitting next to him was almost intimidating, stealing glances at each other, sharing awkward smiles with each other as we waited through student after student, some well-practiced, others not so much, waiting for Clara’s turn.

When she got up on the stage, I could hear a bit of an audible gasp from the crowd; my opinionated little girl had chosen to don a sequined, sparkly pink jacket over her recital dress, and she had on a pair of star sunnies too, “just like Elton!” she’d declared when I’d tried to convince her otherwise.

“That’s our Clara,” Taron grinned over at me with a chuckle, before looking down at my hand and slowly taking it in his. I sucked my breath in slightly, still staring straight ahead as Clara took a seat at the piano. “You look beautiful today,” he whispered in my ear, taking in the light summer dress I’d chosen.

“Thank you,” I said, glancing over at him, those dimples of his causing my heart to flutter again. That special thing we had, it wasn’t gone by any means. We sat through my daughter’s songs, Clara gamely making it through Bach and Debussey with only a few stumbles, before getting to play a chosen song. And of course she’d chosen “Your Song,” playing it with gusto to much applause and appreciation from the audience. She gave an enthusiastic bow after her performance and skipped off the stage, returning to us excitedly as we were still clapping for her.

“Lovely job, sweetheart,” I said happily, giving her a huge hug.

“I think Elton himself would be very proud,” Taron added, making Clara grin so big she was showing off her toothless gaps.

“Yeah, if only he’d been able to watch it,” she sighed, making us both laugh.

“He’s a very busy man, but maybe some day you could play for him,” Taron said, as I playfully slapped his arm.

“Don’t promise her that!” I hissed slightly under my breath, but Taron waved it off.

“I’m sure I could get it arranged,” he said, as Clara fairly begged Taron to stay around for dinner. He obliged, and it turned into a really decent evening, the first one I felt I’d had in a bit, even after Clara commented “ewww, fish again?” when I served us dinner. He stayed long enough to tuck my daughter into bed, but said he probably shouldn’t wear out his welcome, though we lingered too long at the doorway, unspoken words and feelings passing between us.

I was actually at the academy when I got the phone call that the Pinner Street location had been secured, and that we’d be needed on set within a few hours. I scrambled to get my afternoon classes covered and made sure mum could pick up Clara from school before heading over to the studios, arriving just in time to get through hair and makeup. We changed into our costumes and were all boarded onto a shuttle and driven across the city, dropped off on a suburban street where crews were already busy setting up rigging for the cameras.

The place was an absolute blur of activity as us dancers huddled in the shade of some trees, trying to stave off the bright sunlight. We used each other to stretch and warm up, a steady hum weaving through the shimmering air as directions were shouted loudly, people running frantically to and fro. I hadn’t imagined this much chaos as the rest of the production had always been incredibly orderly. But I supposed this could happen with locations in the streets; it probably was a pain in the ass to secure city permits to shut entire blocks down for filming. When the city gave you a window of time, you had to spring into action; there would be no dragging feet here.

This sequence, of course, was an important element of the story that brought Taron into the picture as a sort of segue from rehab into his childhood years. It involved the other patients in rehab and the counselor, a brass band, and Taron in a bright orange neoprene Elvis-inspired devil costume with massive wings. The first time I saw him in it I nearly tripped over my own feet. The costume left very little to the imagination, but it was also somehow fitting to the vision of Elton that Dexter and Taron had created for the film. Elton at times played the devil, but he could also be the angel, and in many ways he was neither and both at the same time in his own story.

I loved the energy of this part of filming; the heat, not so much. The makeup crew constantly had to step in and powder us all between takes, and I’m sure our costumes weren’t going to smell very nice by the end of it. The filming day was kept short, as there were heat advisories and the production certainly didn’t want anyone to pass out. The heat sapped the strength right out of my body, and I wondered at how weak I felt as I made my way home, knowing I’d have to fight through the next few days in the same way.

The weakness in my body didn’t really abate the next day, and was joined by more nausea. Even if I didn’t get sick, I still felt turned inside out. I could barely stomach water, but I made myself push it down nonetheless. If my performance suffered for it, no one said a word to me. The third day, the dizziness hit me like a sack of rocks, making me stumble into another dancer and completely ruining the take. I mumbled my apologies and tried to concentrate the best I could. My muscles knew the motions; my brain couldn’t keep anything straight so I tried not to think too much and let my body do the work it knew by memory.

But some things you cannot win against, no matter how hard you fight. Weeks of undereating had caught up to me, leaving me emptied out; spots began to dance across my vision, my skin flushed cold despite the heat, and I found it difficult to breathe. I vaguely thought someone was calling my name, but I couldn’t hear them over the rushing in my ears. The music continued on, but my body did not; I dropped to the ground and stayed there. I don’t remember hitting the pavement, but I came to with my face burning, pressed against the hot surface. I was dimly aware of people gathered around me, and I thought I heard Taron yell at someone to “get these bloody wings off” before bright orange swam into my view.

“Juliette, can you hear me?” he asked as he knelt down beside me, the material of his costume stretching taut over his thighs. I don’t know why my brain focused on that, but I couldn’t move my head enough to look up at his face. The crystals glittered almost painfully bright in the sun as my vision went in and out of focus.

“She’s probably got heat stroke,” one voice said.

“Give her some space,” another added.

“Where’s the fucking medic?” someone else in the throng of voices shouted, my brain picking these out amongst the murmurs.

Did I really look that bad? I wondered, unaware of how crumpled I must have looked. Someone brought over an umbrella and at least shielded me from the sun; someone else tried offering water but I could neither hold the bottle nor swallow when it was poured into my mouth, vomiting onto the pavement instead, a strange thought that I should be embarrassed weaving its way through my brain, too wispy for me to grab onto.

I felt my body being moved as my pupil reaction was checked, my pulse taken, my body fussed over. Words were said that I didn’t understand and then I was being lifted through the air on a stretcher and pushed into the back of an ambulance. I flicked my eyes around at the faces staring down at me, the hands pushing IV lines into my arms, everything blurry and strangely in slow motion.

And then I felt the sharpest pain in my abdomen, making me cry out. I instinctively tried to curl into a ball but the straps held me down, and I started to feel panic rising in my chest as another sharp pain wracked my body. I clutched at my stomach, gasping out something incoherent; this wasn’t right, and I knew it could only mean something terrible was happening.

“Oh god, the baby,” I heard Taron say, his voice sounding too loud and tinny to my ears, my secret spilled out for everyone within earshot to hear.

What was happening to my baby?, I thought, as more hands poked and prodded me, more needles stuck into my flesh, more words were said I couldn’t make sense of. All I could understand was the shivers that shook me, the pains that tormented me, the blackness that threatened to overtake me. The noise was too loud, the siren, the beeping machines, the medics’ voices, the rattling of wheels over roads as we sped toward the hospital, the hush of the cast and crew we left in our wake, growing in a cascading crescendo inside my brain until, mercifully, there was silence.

I began to float into the void, the absence of noise, of feeling, of the physical realm, detached from what was happening to my body. The darkness came up to meet me, soothing me, warming me, easing me into slumber, the medicine working through my veins, easing the fire in my body. And then everything, everywhere, went black, and I was gone.

This is not the end of the story. Read Chapter 9 HERE.

#taron imagine #rocketman fanfiction #taron egerton #taron fanfiction #taron x reader

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itsanerdlife · 5 years

Text

It’s Complicated 3/25

Pairing: Clint Barton x Fisk Niece!Reader

A/N: Reader is Wilson Fisk’s Niece. I’m tired of the same old villains so keep your eyes peeled for who just might be the one lurking in the dark.

Warning: This is very match and lighter fluid type of burn. Feels of abandonment. Talks of Psychopaths. Overprotective male. Lies. Secrets. Language. Kidnapping. Violence. I think that’s about it.

Sometimes in life there are just certain people worth breaking the rules for. No matter the hell that may rain down. Is it possible to fall in love with someone in just a matter of one conversation? To be utterly and completely obsessed with someone in a matter of weeks? But what if they aren’t who you think they are? What if one day the person you love, they just disappear? Learning to live again is a bitch. Specially just when you think you’re doing fine, he shows up on your doorstep. Wanting to explain his secrets. But now you’ve got your own secrets but do you really ever just get over that type of love? Can you really just move on and pretend it never happened? Even when you’re carrying around proof inside you?

Tag List Is Open

Faintly you could hear something vibrating. Over and over. You peek one eye open, Clint’s arm tucked around you, your head on his chest. You were on the inside of the couch on your side, curled up to him. You feel him stir, as you untangle your legs from his. The vibrating starts again, you and Clint exchange a look, a little confused. His dirty blonde hair rumbled with sleep, how did someone look so damn good just waking up?

“What time is it?” You grumble sitting up. You pull your phone off the back of the couch, Nine in the morning. “Shit.” You laugh.

“What?” He sits up.

“It’s after nine.” You look at him.

“Fuck.” He scrambles, looking for something. Finding his phone next to his shoes. “I’m late.” He groans, looking at his screen hitting silent.

“Oops.” You giggle. Someone knocks on your front door. Clint looks from you to the door. “MJ.” You explain. He nods standing up, he’s grabbing his things. He laughs as his phone starts to vibrate again.

“I hate to run.” He chances a glance at you. “That was not my intention.” He admits.

“Leave Clint.” You laugh, the knocking continues. “Work is the only reason you get to run out on me. Maybe your sisters too.” You shrug, smirking at him.

“I’ll stop over tonight.” He leans in kissing you quickly. He jogs towards the door ripping it open. MJ looks confused. “Morning.” He laughs, answering his phone.

“I’m alive, stop calling me.” He laughs, disappearing. MJ stands there looking from you sitting on your couch still to Clint’s door.

“So a sleep over?” She lifts a red eyebrow at you.

“Well, it’s a long story.” You admit.

“Ah huh.” She smirks, stepping into the apartment, closing the door behind her. “I brought coffee, start explaining.” She walks over, handing you the To Go cup. She takes a seat in the arm chair.

“It wasn’t like that.” You admit, taking a long drink.

“What was it like then?” She sips her own coffee.

“Ninth grade, make out session.” You laugh, she inhales her coffee, coughing as she laughs.

“You kept your pants on, I’m so proud.” She laughs, wiping coffee off her chin.

“Wasn’t easy.” You snort, sipping your coffee.

“You’re being smart right?” MJ asks.

“What do you mean?” You look up at her.

“He just ran out of here like someone lite fire to his ass, he was also late last night.” She points out.

“He had a good reason. He was dealing with his sister and her boyfriend, they had a fight.” You explain, she nods slowly. “And he works for the government. He’s late to work.” You smirk at her.

“Oh.” She pushes her mouth together. “He’s excused than.” She nods.

“Honestly, I’m not playing this smart, MJ. Not at all.” You swallow, a small smile plays on your lips.

“I don’t understand.” Her head tips and her magnificent, bright red hair drapes down her shoulder.

“I can’t explain it. I don’t have words for it.” You sigh. “But when I saw him, in the hallway.” You blush looking down at your cup in your hands. “I knew he was dangerous. I’d let him destroy my life and thank him. It’s fast and it’s reckless, but I’m going to fall in love with him.” You admit with a small shrug.

“Just from one date?” She blinks at you.

“Just from one conversation. The date just set it in stone what I already knew. I feel like I’ve been drowning since I laid eyes on him.” You run your teeth over your bottom lip.

“Wow, did you lose your mind from a make out session?” She smirks.

“No I lost it when he kissed me the first time.” You smile at her.

“Think he’s got a brother? Cousin? Young looking uncle?” She laughs.

“He has two sisters.” You laugh.

“Well fuck.” She sighs, with a grin.

“You’re not going to judge me?” You eye her.

“Y/N, you are not irrational. You always know what you’re doing. You study human behavior for fun. You know you’re moves, your plan before most people realize they’re in a situation. If you get hurt, I’m here, I’ll hold him down while you beat on him.” She winks at you.

A random knock on your door, makes you and MJ exchange a look. You slip off the couch, quickly pulling the door open. Nobody stood there, but you hear the main door of the complex shut. You glance around, confused. A purple post it is stuck to your door. In hurried scrawl, a phone number. Text Me with a crooked and sloppy heart next to it. You peel the post it off, shutting the door again.

“Wow, that’s a hell of a grin.” MJ comments. You look up confused. “Maybe he has it just as bad.” She nods, sipping her coffee.

“He left his number.” You explain, moving towards the couch again. You show her the post it.

“Little heart and everything. Maybe you aren’t the only one falling fast.” She comments, nodding slowly.

“I need a shower. Get breakfast with me?” You ask, pressing the post it to your phone screen.

“Oh yes.” MJ perks up. “Than you can give me all the extra details on Mr. Hot Neighbor.” She grins.

“I can, I can do that.” You blush, shuffling towards your bathroom. Wondering if you should just wait to text him. You stood in the bathroom, waiting for the shower to warm, tapping your fingers against the back of your phone. “Screw it.” You mutter, typing in his number. You thumb out a text, hitting sending. You’ve barely set your phone down when a text comes through.

Y/N: Have a good day. Clint: Not much can top waking up with you.

You blush, setting your phone down. Undressing you get into the shower, wondering just how you ended up this deep in with someone you’d only just met. Did things like this really happen? How was it you were already missing him? The feeling in your chest, that coursed your body, it was a bigger feeling than you’d ever had for anyone else in all the years of dating you’ve had. You were in so much trouble, but in the end you’d thank him even if he stepped all over your heart. It would be an honor, a battle scar you’d flash off with pride, to be destroyed by Clint Barton.

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Everything Peaches 2/6/19: @xmtd5 @mo320 @all1e23 @courtmr @avxgers @eliza-kat @izzy--lee @irepeldirt @dumblani @crist1216 @a--1--1--3 @alyssaj23 @allyp1023 @joannie95 @nishanki1 @bugalouie @kolakube9 @rileyloves5 @sarahp879 @sea040561 @sexyvixen7 @pcterpvrker @pigwidgexn @doctoranon @tomhardy41 @abschaffer2 @justrae9903 @bookluver01 @teller258316 @callie-bear15 @nickimarie94 @wandressfox @amandab-ftw @carostar2020 @henrietteoaks @nea90sweetie @circusofchaos @itsagalaxystar @bettercallsabs @miraclesoflove @lucifersnipnips @queenkrissy11 @this-is-mycrisis @sadyoungadult @destiel-artemis @xrosegoldwolfx @paintballkid711 @isabelcrichards @iwillbeinmynest @sweet-honey15 @chanelmadrid13 @mellxander1993 @killerbumblebee @spookygrantaire @geeksareunique @supernatural508 @sammysgirl1997 @itzmegaaaaaaan @booksbeforebois @optimistic-babes @childishhoebinoo @elizabethaellison @aspiringtranslator @mariekoukie6661 @pure-princess-97 @capsheadquaters @samanthasmileys @nerdypinupcrystal @atlas-of-the-world @youclickedthislink @futuremrsb-r-main @lovemarvelousfics @notyourtypicalrose @petersunderoos96 @loving-life-my-way @buckystolemyheart @booktvmoviefangirl @supernatural-girl97 @thefridgeismybestie @dumbbitchenergytm @abbypalmer14-blog @fanfictionjunkie1112 @meganlikesfandoms @awkwardfangirl2014 @supernaturaldean67 @xqueenofthecraziesx @queenoftheunderdark @writingaworldofmyown @supernaturallover2002 @daughterofthenight117 @mustbeaweasleyginger @mcuwillbethedeathofme @sprinklesandsugarcubes @whothehellisbucky-1930 @verymuchclosetedfangirl @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @ocaptain-mycaptainmorgan @wonderlandfandomkingdom @crazy-little-thing-called-buck @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @stupendoussciencenaturepanda @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @supernatural-strangerthings-1980

Marvel Tag List 2/6/19: @lumelgy @dottirose @jcc04220 @rockagurl @mizzzpink @jade-taillia @coley0823 @widowsfics @bookluver01 @thelostallycat @shield-agent78 @dtftheavengers @ilovetvshowsblog @capsheadquaters @iamwarrenspeace @thefridgeismybestie @whenallsaidanddone @deanwinchestersrifle @fandomsstolemylife00 @daughterofthenight117 @lilmissperfectlyimperfect

Clint ‘Destory Me, I’ll Thank You’ Barton: @ml7010 @coley0823 @yavanna80 @lakamaa12

@boltsgirl919 @feelmyroarrrr @mrsseizetheday @honey-bee-holly @marvelfansworld @mybarnesmyhero @the-real-mary-jane @dumbbitchenergytm @agentsinstorybrooke @x-whyareyoureadingthis-x @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

It's Complicated: @capandbuckylvr @optimistic-babes @jennmurawski13

@bradfordbantams @natromanoffsboys @thosesexytexasboys @thebitchiestnerdtowalktheearth

#Marvel #Clint Barton x Reader #Avengers #Clint x Reader #It's Complicated #Marvel Fanfiction #Clint Barton Series #Avengers Fanfiction #Hawkeye Series

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stark-web-warriors · 5 years

Text

Stark Contrast [Chapter One]

Masterlist | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Word count: 6,557

Warnings: N/A

Chapter Summary: Y/N is trying to settle into her new life while attending her first day of school at Midtown School of Science and Technology, where she is bombarded for being Tony Stark’s daughter. She is overwhelmed, but finds solace in the kindness of her dad’s intern Peter and the open arms of his friends Ned and MJ.

A/N: I’m so excited to finally get this story started!!! I really wanted to make things still unknown and uncomfortable and to introduce characters slowly so we really get to see the relationships forming. If you want to be added to the tag list for this fic, reblog this with “Stark Contrast Tag List” in the notes and I‘ll add your username. Members of the tag list MUST reblog. I look forward to your feedback, friends!

Chapter One The brilliant lights came on automatically as she woke up. Y/N still wasn’t used to that. She opened her eyes to watch as the curtains rose up and revealed the beautiful morning sunrise on the horizon. “Good Morning. It is 6:30 am. The weather is 74 degrees with scattered clouds,” Jarvis began the morning protocol as the tired teen began to slump out of bed, making her way toward what, to Y/N, was the largest wardrobe ever. It wasn’t full. Not even close, but it had expanded from her modest 5 favorite tees to be a bit more well rounded since moving into the Avengers Facility. It had only been a couple of weeks, but Tony had been restlessly trying to make things as normal as possible for Y/N. He just didn’t necessarily know what “normal" was.

She’d gone to public school her whole life. It wasn’t as rough as everyone seems to think, but it wasn’t exactly glamorous either. She told Tony she’d be fine going to Midtown High with all the public school dwellers, but he insisted on sending her to the Midtown School of Science and Technology, a private STEM school. It wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, but Stark’s intern, Peter, whom she had seen in passing only a handful of times, attended the organization and Tony seemed to think they could look out for each other. It seemed like a strange arrangement. Peter was a scrawny 16-year-old kid, Y/N was 17 and incapable of completing a push-up drill. What could they do to protect each other that the school wouldn’t already be doing? Still, it was nice knowing there was someone with an incentive to be on her side if things did go horribly awry.

“Road conditions are normal. Mild traffic. I suggest leaving by 7:20 to get to school by 7:53,” Jarvis continued as Y/N pulled her best sarcastic t-shirt out alongside her leather jacket. It was as good as anything for the first day at a new school in which she’d be completely out of her element. “And miss Y/N,” Jarvis continued. It was an addition to his normal wake-up protocol and slightly jarred the girl as she struggled with her skinny jeans. She was surprised that he was still going. “Have a good first day of school,” Jarvis finished. Y/N smiled at the corner of her mouth. The idea that Jarvis, a mere computer program, had enough personality to want to wish her well was absolutely crazy. Some might even find it frightening, but Y/N found it endearing and appreciated the sentiment.

After lacing up her red converse, an item that would always be a staple in her closet whether they were in fashion at the time or not, Y/N hurried to get breakfast. The metal hardware on her trusty old jacket clinked as she jogged down the empty hall to the kitchen. It was an open design, so she supposed it was a dining room, too. Overall, the inhabitants of the tower just called it “the mess hall” as a reference to the number of people who use it during the day. Of course, one tiny kitchen wasn’t enough to house an entire team of Avengers. They all had kitchenettes in their individual rooms, so if they were in the mess hall, it was usually a social appearance. And like always, when she entered the wide open room, there was Steve Rogers making his, as he sat at the breakfast bar with his nose buried in a giant newspaper and a steaming coffee within an arms reach.

Y/N hadn’t really spoken to any of the Avengers yet, which was understandable. They all kept busy schedules and she was kind of irrelevant to the work they did, but Steve Rogers was a creature of habit. He went for a run at 5 am every morning. At 6:30 he’d pick up the daily paper he insisted get dropped off, which was a work out in itself to jog all the way down the drive to the outside of the security perimeter to get something he could have just pulled up on his tablet. Then he’d come to the mess hall, make himself a no-nonsense black coffee and read the paper front to back. So it was purely situational that Steve Rogers was the Avenger Y/N had spoken to most. It was like having your super young, super hot grandpa at the breakfast table, talking about the news articles he read in the paper, occasionally complaining that there were too many pictures these days and that in his day they wouldn’t have insulted the writers with such showmanship. It was usually at that point that Tony would lean across the breakfast bar and make a shady quip about Cap being old.

Behind the wide open newspaper, Y/N could see Pepper and Tony in the kitchen making a waffle breakfast. Seeing a literal billionaire making a modest meal was a sight to see, but Pepper said it kept him humble. For that matter, it seemed like they enjoyed it. It meant they got to spend time together. Not a CEO with a company to run and a superhero with responsibilities to fulfil. In these moments, they got to be Pepper and Tony, a complex and often confusing but ultimately loving couple. The way Tony smiled at his love as they moved about caused Y/N’s heart to flutter as she entered the room. From what she could tell, they really brought out the best in each other, especially Pepper. She had been so encouraging in these first rocky weeks of Tony and Y/N figuring out what their relationship is and how it should be, and such great emotional support in their struggles. If there was a hero of heroes in this entire Avengers Facility, it was Pepper Potts.

“First day of school!” Pepper exclaimed as Y/N sat down next to Steve, doing some oddly unexcited jazz hands beside her head. Pepper had been trying so hard, and as far as Y/N was concerned, she seemed to have the whole “awkward mom” thing down to an art. Still, it put a smile on Y/N’s face. “How are you feeling?” Pepper asked as she opened the steaming waffle maker before her. It was strange to Y/N to just walk into a homemade breakfast before school, but she found it charming and appreciated it all the same.

“Indifferent,” Y/N stated after a beat of thought. Pepper seemed unsure what to respond and instead chose to smile and nod while shoving a plated waffle in front of Y/N. It was a strange state of mind Y/N found herself in. She felt like she should be nervous to be starting a new school where she didn’t know anyone, or the area, or anything a private school student probably should know, but at the end of the day, it was just school. She’d done school before and she knew the game. It’d come to her naturally.

Tony, in an attempt to not acknowledge the uncomfortable exchange, interjected, “Hey Steve, you want a waffle?” He jutted out another waffle across the bar toward the well-postured gentleman. Slowly Steve lowered the newspaper until his eyes just peeked over it to stare down Tony. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. This one fell on the floor anyway, so…” Tony trailed off as he lowered the plate to the tabletop. Suddenly he looked back up, quizzing Cap, “What’s so interesting in that paper anyway?”

“You,” Rogers replied nonchalantly, folding the paper and turning it around to reveal a photograph of a young, clearly intoxicated Tony Stark under a headline that read, ‘Scandal, Disgrace, Sex: Tony Stark’s Illegitimate Daughter Exposed’. It was clear Steve had done this as a favor, and still, Y/N choked on a bite of waffle.

“Well, shit!” Y/N exclaimed as she both struggle to breathe through the food in her airway and struggle to speak around the rest of the bite. Before she could examine the piece, Tony had snatched the paper out of Steve’s hands. His eyes flew through lines of text, and he muttered as he skimmed.

“Son of a bitch,” Tony muttered as he continued to glance through the article. As he completed the column he threw the paper down on the table, looking up at Y/N directly. She furrowed her brow as she testy looking man tapped his finger on the table. his face was turning red and she could tell he was trying to keep his composure. It agonized her. Her curiosity and her own anxieties made her want to ask what it was right away, but her gut said to give Tony a moment to compose himself. Tony suddenly looked down at the paper on the table and gave a long exhale before looking back up and speaking. “Goldberg. Seems he was really desperate to get his name out there.” Tony turned the paper around and slid it toward Y/N, gesturing to the text as he claimed, “It’s all there. Your mother, the party we met at. Against all confidentiality laws, your name, age, location… The only thing he doesn’t have is a picture. And worst of all, he makes it out like he is the hero of the story.”

“I pretty sure Y/N’s leaked identity is worse,” Steve interjected seriously, setting the coffee he had neglected to sip back down on the table. The man adjusted his legs and leaned forward onto his arms. “We need a plan to keep Y/N safe,” he insisted. “She’s been exposed, and by all practical purposes she’s a civilian.”

“But she’s not just a civilian,” Tony argued, “She’s a kid—my kid—and I’ll be damned if anyone does anything to her as an attempt to get to me.” Y/N was shocked to hear Tony calling her ‘his kid’ is such a protective manner. He’d only known her for a couple of weeks at this point, and it felt weird, uncomfortable even. Still, she had never dealt with the notion of being Avenger bait, so she felt it best to let the man go through his process. “Fine!” Tony yelled, shaking his head and throwing his hands up in the air. As Tony Stark wordlessly ran out of the room, Y/N felt it best to just finish the damn waffle.

By 7:17 am and Y/N was beginning to worry she would be late. Which for embarrassment sake, she really didn’t want. She was glad Steve was trying to distract her, telling the story about the time he punched the real Adolph Hitler. It was extremely embellished and was comparable to listening to your grandfather tell the same story from Vietnam for the quadrillionth time, but it was charming coming from the spry man with the perfect teeth. He was just explaining his brilliant getaway involving a bottle cap, a toothpick, and some explosive fertilizer when Tony walked by, hollering, “Follow me, kid,” without so much as a glance toward Y/N. She looked at Steve with a slightly confused glance before hopping out of her chair and jogging to the hall to catch up with Tony. She felt like she was trotting to keep up with his brisk pace as she began to follow beside him. “This,” Tony began, clumsily pulling a mysterious item out of his inner jacket pocket, “is a standard issue Stark wrist communicator.” He held out an item that looked like an Apple watch if an Apple watch had been knocked up by the iron man armor and given birth to the future. “It is a touchscreen,” Stark explained, “but I also uploaded Jarvis to the mainframe. I’ve set it up to notify me at any hint of distress. If your vitals spike, I’ll know. If you send a distress signal I’ll know. If you need to contact me, all you have to do is smack it, just make sure you completely cover the face. Think of it like speed-dial.”

Tony paused for a moment in the main lobby where Y/N had waited anxiously that first day. He held out his hand and Y/N complied by setting her wrist on his open palm. The man pressed the square watch face to her skin and before her eyes, it expanded into a full-fledged metal brace. The face was surrounded by anodized gold hardware that led way to the armor-like plates of red metal that telescoped out of each other and encased the girl’s wrist. She was now in possession of one of the most advanced devices on earth and had virtually no idea how to use it. She wasn’t even sure how to take it off, but Tony was in such a hurry that he had already moved on, rushing toward the main entrance. Y/N took one last moment to admire the strong looking tech on her arm before taking off out the front doors with Tony. As the two exited a silver sports-car bearing the Audi rings across the grate pulled up the drive and stopped right in their path.

“This is my 2008 Audi R8. She might be old, but she’s got plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Jarvis can connect to the vehicle from your com-link, you don’t even have to drive. It’ll take you anywhere you want to go and automatically take the best route possible. You can hail it from up to a mile away using your wrist communicator.” Tony stopped, pulled an expensive looking key fob out of his pants pocket and tossed it at Y/N. She almost missed it in her shock but snapped out of it fast enough to catch the small black object.

The man smiled and started jogging back inside, causing Y/N to turn around and call back, “Can I drive it?” Among all the features of a self-driving, completely automated car, he neglected to mention the most important part to any teenager: the freedom factor.

“Are you licensed?” Tony asked before slowly stepped behind him, moving backwards.

“Yes,” Y/N called back uncertainly. Tony simply raised his eyebrows and shrugged in response before he spun around, trotting to the large glass doors. Y/N carefully looked down at the small black object in her hand and turned it over to see the logo imprinted on the side. The attached key jingled and she was overcome with a smile. Turning back up to the vehicle that, although was old enough to not be the most sought after model, still looked like pristine money. “Yes!” The teen exclaimed as she ran around to the driver’s side and slid into Tony’s old car, of which she was sure he had many. The interior was dark leather, and the console had clearly been redone by Stark. Lines of thin blue lights detailed the edges of the console, and the after-market touchscreen display lit up with Jarvis’s systems when she got in.

“Preparing to take you to Midtown School of Science and Technology, Miss Y/N,” the computer notified her through the aged speaker system.

Eagerly, Y/N responded, “Just get me the map, Jarvis. I’ll take the wheel on this one.” She was switching gears before she had even finished speaking, so excited to take off in this ageless car she had seen so many times in movies and being driven by celebrities. It was a privilege she had yet to know, having her own car. She may have had her license, but never sole ownership of her own vehicle. She could go anywhere she wanted to in that thing, with full control over the radio, and for Tony’s sake, Jarvis as her only passenger. It was an escape plan first and foremost, she knew. Tony wanted her to have a fast and reliable way out if she was ever in trouble, but the fact remained as she floored the gas down the long drive of the Avengers Facility, he had simultaneously handed her independence in the form of a coupe.

Y/N violently swung into an open parking spot, flaunting the rich-looking car for no one but herself. Stark could have given her an old, barely working Toyota and she would have been just as happy. The Audi though, it was just old enough to be out of style, which she liked, and still screamed that she was a force to be reckoned with. Y/N pulled her heavy backpack from the passenger seat and flung it over her right shoulder and took a deep breath. She had no idea what awaited her, but against all social rules, she felt prepared for anything. Y/N tugged on the door handle and pushed her way out into the sunshine. The warmth immediately brushed her cheek. She glanced around at all the student groups in the parking lot sharing their summer stories. At least she was starting at the beginning of the school year. The teen confidently strode toward the front door of the school, passing by all the social circle. Many paused to look at the strange girl as she strode by, speaking low in their voices, but Y/N elected to ignore it. She had gotten to the front door when she realized her focus was so much on maintaining her composure that she forgot to lock the very expensive vehicle. “Shit,” She muttered, turning around to run back close enough to use the key fob.

“I’ve got it, miss,” Jarvis mentioned from her wrist, making Y/N jump and causing the judgmental looking teenagers who were loitering around the entrance to perk up attentively. There was a quiet chirp from across the parking lot, like hearing a cricket during the day.

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Y/N mumbled, thankful for the ease of having the AI’s help. She glanced at the group of girls to her left whispering and looking, but ultimately turned around and kept pushing into the building.

It was loud inside. All the excited students seeing their friends for the first time in three months from across the hall, yelling to each other. It felt chaotic. She just wanted to find her class as soon as possible and not be late. The starting bell rang as Y/N turned down the first hall she saw parting off from the lobby. She had 5 minutes of passing time to find her first-period class and no knowledge of the building. It was bleak and littered with grey lockers under fluorescent lighting that seemed to be just above spooky hospital lighting, but the windows were a nice touch. They let the natural light do all the heavy lifting in lighting up the place. So Y/N wandered off through the wedges of sunlight that bled up the walls, reading numbers to the left of every door. She was thankful to find they were in numerical order all through the building, making it very intuitive to get from one place to another. After a few minutes of following the door signs, she finally came across room 108-C, AP Literature and Composition. It seemed like a good place to start the day. A large woman with brown curly hair and a high, mousy voice greeted the steady flow of students excitedly as they filtered into the dim classroom. The oppressive fluorescent lights had been turned off, opting to operate on the natural sunlight coming in the windows at the back of the classroom. Y/N slid into a desk in the middle of the classroom. She wasn’t the person who needed to be at the back, she wanted to be engaged, but there was a certain comfort to not being on the first lines when it came to open questions from a teacher.

As the final bell rang, the round woman bobbled happily toward her desk, exclaiming, “Welcome to AP Lit!” The slide on the smart board at the front of the class changed to a purple title slide that looked like a third grader had done it, but you could tell there was thought put into it. The class was still chattering with side conversation between the excited students as the teacher announced, “I’m going to go ahead and do roll call right now just to get it out of the way, and then we can get to the fun stuff!” Y/N tried to remember the names as the teacher ran down the list, thinking it would help level the playing field. It wasn’t practical, though. She ended up forgetting each name as soon as it came. It was just too much information at once. She couldn’t even hear half of them over the continued summer recon chitchat. “Y/F/N-Stark?” The room went silent like they’d heard a school shooter in the hall. Y/N knew they’d heard the rumors from the paper this morning, and it didn’t help that Tony registered the teen with a hyphened name. He did it for clarification reasons so that when he did have to act as a guardian there would be no confusion that he held that role, and Y/N had agreed at the time. Now, she just wanted to bury her face in the textbook she hadn’t even received yet and become a mass of hair. She had no idea what that response would mean in trying to establish herself at a new school. It’s not like she was about to be isolated, except perhaps, by extremists who disapprove of her “illegitimate” existence. “Y/F/N-Stark,” the teacher called out again. Y/N hadn’t realized she’d been too distracted to answer.

“Here,” she claimed apathetically as all the eyes of the classroom shot to her at that dumb middle desk. It was as if to say, ‘If there was any confusion before, yes, this is Tony Stark’s daughter here in your classroom. Now don’t be shy.’ The next name, “Flash Thompson” was well heard, and well ignored as the students continued to process how they could use this to their advantage. Y/N felt like she was in a lobster in a tank, with nowhere to go and 30 curious eyes glancing between her and their friends. Still, she tried to keep calm and remind herself that they were in class, the teacher had control, and they couldn’t so much as find an excuse to talk to her without being reprimanded for not paying attention. With that in mind, Y/N fixed her posture to exhume confidence as she focused her mind back on the kind looking woman, who was moving on to the next slide.

“I am Mrs. Winterhalter and since you’re going to be hearing me speak a lot about English this semester, I figured I’d share some things about myself.” She clicked to the next slide, which displayed a photograph of the tubby woman with a silver-haired man, who near doubled her height, and a young girl with the same mop of curly brown hair atop a sporty physique. “This is my husband Ryan and my daughter Gwen,” the woman explained, “Ryan and I met when we were in college, and have been together since.” This earned a brief ‘Aw…’ from the room as Winterhalter continued, “Gwen is 14 and she’s a very talented lacrosse player.” Y/N appreciated the vulnerability of the teacher sharing her personal life with the class. Most people wouldn’t do that, and it really started the course off on the right foot.

After she concluded introducing herself, the class knew that Mrs. Winterhalter was an opinionated activist who loved her family and her dogs and indulged in the occasional mountain biking trip. At this point, she decided to give the class a quick 5-minute mental break before breaking down the course syllabus. She seemed kind and like an engaged teacher who didn’t take things too seriously, but would still get the job done. Y/N thought this would be a fun class to be in for the teacher alone. A good sense of humor and strong ideals were the way to her heart, and Mrs. Winterhalter checked those boxes easily. The large woman sat down at her desk but remained engaged in a conversation with the four students closed to that corner. Meanwhile, the honey-skinned girl beside Y/N leaned over, her long and straight, glossy, black hair spilling over the side of the desk. Y/N turned to meet her haunting hazel eyes that were so bright you’d think they were contacts. “So you’re like, Tony Stark’s daughter, right?” The beautiful girl asked.

Y/N had to take a moment to remind herself that not everyone in her life had malevolent intent, and she should give this girl who was trying to connect with her a fair chance. Just because things had changed in Y/N’s life, didn’t mean it was wrong for people to ask about it. “Yeah,” she responded nervously. “What’s your name again?”

“Pavitra Prabhakar, but people call me Pai,” the girl responded with a smile that Y/N could swear glittered in the sunlight. This girl was the millennial beauty standard and then some and it was intimidating. “So are you really living with the Avengers?” Pavitra asked. “I mean, that’s what J. Jonah Jamison said on the news, but it just seems so strange.”

Y/N felt a relief at that last part, letting down her guard and fully involving herself. “It is!” she exclaimed as her rigid shoulders dropped to a casual slouch. “It is so weird and I don’t think I could compare it to any other experience.”

“What are they like?” Pai inquired, dreamily resting her head on a hand. Nearby, people were starting to pay attention to the conversation taking place between the two girls. It was unusual, but Y/N felt a relief wash over her as she finally got it through her head that these kids were just curious, and more importantly they were willing to listen to her talk genuinely about how strange the last two weeks of her life had been.

“Well, I haven’t met most of them yet,” Y/N began. “They’re all people with lives outside of work, you know? They have homes of their own, individual projects. Some of them have jobs. the Avengers Facility is mostly intended to be a headquarters for when there is a team mission, or for the heroes who can’t or don’t want to live out in the world, so I really haven’t met anyone. Steve’s around, but we haven’t really talked much, and obviously Tony-”

“You call your dad by his first name?” a small blonde girl interrupted from a couple seats behind Pai. She looked like the kind of goody-goody that made you want to snap her bird-boned neck.

It was hard not to take offense at the subtle judgement, but Y/N turned to the fragile-looking girl with a scowl and turned back to Pavitra. She was ready to change the subject. This was supposed to be a get-to-know your classmates moment, and Y/N wanted to learn more about the girl who had engaged her, rather than spend the entire time being bombarded with questions about people she hadn’t met. Taking a deep breath, the teen attempted to return to her conversation, inquiring, “So Pai, are you in any clubs?”

“Just one,” Pai mentioned. “MISA, the Midtown International Student Association. It’s sometimes hard to balance identity and ambition in this place. It’s a private school with an unsurprising economic and race demographic. My family is from India, and I got here on a partial scholarship while my mother is struggling to pay the rest. It can be discouraging to navigate a sea of pasty white skin. I like knowing there is a place I can go where other people have untraditional backgrounds like me.” She gave a shy smile as she finished speaking that warmed Y/N’s heart. Clearly, MISA was a second home to Pai and it obviously meant a lot to her, and that gave Y/N hope.

“Alright, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the syllabus,” Winterhalter claimed excitedly.

Y/N found the same story happened in all her courses. The cat was out of the bag; Tony Stark’s daughter goes here now. Better ask her about all the Avengers she doesn’t know and obtrusive personal questions that are just uncalled for. It wasn’t malicious, and Y/N was trying to focus on that, but between the boredom of syllabus day and the constant bombardment of questions, she was burned out by lunchtime. As she wandered the cafeteria looking for a comfortable looking place to sit, she sat Pavitra send a smile and wave her way, but Pai had so many friends and Y/N wasn’t ready to meet any more people. She smiled politely at the kind girl but ultimately continued to the back of the cafeteria where she saw a vacant table, opting to sit alone and isolate herself from the intrusive gossip that was out of her control.

Looking down at the food was unappetizing, but Y/N had been in worse situations. The fact that the school provided food, and worked hard to make it healthy and nutritious was something she wouldn’t take for granted the way so many of her American peers did. She stabbed her fork into a piece of steamed broccoli and spun it around as she meditated. Would it always be like this? Could people just get used to Y/N the person and not the Stark? She shoved the green vegetable into her mouth and tasted the earthy flavor of mass-produced food. It may not be the broccoli florets from Costco that she grew up with, but then again nothing would ever beat those. Y/N popped another in her mouth when she noticed a figure approaching her right shoulder. She turned to see the boy she recognized as Peter Parker climbing into the seat next to her.

“Hey,” the boy said kindly, glancing at Y/N for only a brief moment before turning back to his half-eaten tray of food nervously.

She hadn’t thought of this as an option. Peter Parker was Tony’s intern with no reason to ask dumb questions. This caused her lips to curl into a half-smile at the corner of her mouth as she responded, “Hey, Peter.”

The socially strange boy seemed to take this as a cue and looked back up. “I saw you sitting here all alone and I thought you might want someone to sit with,” he explained innocently. Y/N turned to look at Peter. She’d seen him in passing, but they’d never really spoken or stood together long enough in a room for her to really understand what he looked like or how he acted. He was cute. Kind of like the lost puppy you find on the street who is hesitant to come along with you but has these big hopeful brown eyes that beg you to be something safe, but the moment you give them some kind of positive interaction they start wagging their tail and running around in circles. That was Peter. All it took was for Y/N to say hello to him and now he was smiling and brushing back his hair as he excitedly continued, “Ned and MJ wanted to come over here, too, but I thought maybe they should wait for me to see if it was okay. You know, we didn’t want to impede on your alone time or anything, and-”

“Which ones are they?” Y/N interrupting, knowing she wouldn’t get a word in if she let him continue. Peter gestured a few tables down to a hefty kid in a zip-up hoodie and a small girl with her unruly hair tied back. Both were watching the exchange intensely from the empty table and smiled when Y/N looked over. If she didn’t know any better she’d say the two looked suspicious, for what she didn’t know. She could tell they were trying and it was sweet. Gently, Y/N smiled and waved them over, watching as the two clumsily struggled their way up from the table and speed walked over to where she and Peter sat like they’d just been invited to the “cool” table in a 1960’s comic book.

“Hi Y/N,” Ned greeted cheerily as he plopped down across from her, his tray making a loud sound against the table.

MJ carefully slid in next to Ned and uninterestingly asked, “You get asked about anything not Avenger related yet?” Peter’s head swung around with big scared eyes and furrowed brow as if to say, ‘I told you not to bring that up’, but MJ simply leaned forward with intrigue.

Y/N simply answered, “No.” To which MJ responded by laughing like a sociopath. It sounded like she was disinterested and even perhaps a tad condescending with her mocking laugh, but the smile on the girls face and her friendly posture told Y/N that this was MJ’s version of bonding, and honestly, Y/N didn’t mind.

“Yeah, people at this school are dumb,” MJ continued in her humorous way, nose crinkling in her amusement as Peter exhaled in relief that he hadn’t just facilitated a cat fight.

“Do you like Star Wars?” Ned inquired earnestly. He didn’t even waste time to wait for an answer, immediately continuing, “Because I just got this really great mold of a Count Dooku figure—Hang on, it’s in my backpack. I’ll show you,” Ned insisted as he turned to dig through his very full book bag. Y/N glanced at Peter who smiled nervously at her and then turned back to his friend. “Here it is!” Ned exclaimed, holding up the small vinyl figure victoriously.

“Nerd,” MJ scoffed amiably.

“Look at his face!” Ned told Y/N eagerly, handing over the treasured action figure so she could get a closer look. It really said a lot that Ned would let her handle something that clearly meant a lot to him when he barely knew her. It felt good to be given a chance.

Y/N carefully turned over the figure in her hands, looking at the intricate details and appreciating how it looked artistically. The truth was she liked Star Wars, but not enough to really know who Count Dooku was. Even so, she was glad Ned shared it with her. It made her feel like she was actually getting to know someone for the first time that day, and that gave Y/N hope. “That’s really cool, Ned. Thanks for sharing it with me,” Y/N offered kindly as she handed back the figure to its rightful owner. Ned took it from her hands while looking excitedly between Peter and MJ, and Y/N was pretty sure she’d received his approval. “What about you, MJ. Any big exciting news to share?” Y/N teased, trying to get the quiet girl to speak honestly.

Instead of answering, MJ simply shrugged and mentioned, “I like your leather jacket.” It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Somehow, in the time it took for the girls to converse those two lines, Peter and Ned were engaged in their own silent conversation. Y/N turned back to catch a glimpse of the two silently arguing with each other while making frantic faces before they quickly broke off and attempted to act normal. “Wow, you two are lame…” MJ judged, causing the two boys to drop their façade.

“Hey, so um…” Peter began awkwardly, turning toward Y/N. “Ned and I were thinking, you know you don’t know a lot of people here yet, but there’s this party, and you totally don’t have to feel like you have to, but like, we thought maybe you might want to go to meet people. I mean, we’ll be there, too-“

“When is it?” Y/N asked as a means of begging Peter to stop rambling.

“It’s Friday,” Ned piped in eagerly.

“I have a thing with Tony on Friday, but I’ll ask him if we can reschedule tonight,” Y/N explained. She and Tony were trying to implement a system that every week they do a bonding activity to get to know each other better. They’d only done it once before when Tony brought Y/N to his favorite shawarma joint. It didn’t seem like anything typical to the Stark lifestyle, just a small hole-in-the-wall type place. Then Tony explained how the Avengers came there after their first battle together, and it put things in perspective. Y/N couldn’t really take Tony to anywhere she knew as it was all too far away, and she honestly didn’t know what she was going to choose to do for her week anyway. She really did want to go to that party, if for no other reason than to have a shared experience to talk to people about so they’d stop asking the same 3 questions. She figured Tony would be fine with it. If there was something he understood, it would be a party, wouldn’t it? Y/N moved to brush a lot of hair out of her eyes while she said, “You know what? Plan on me being there. I think I’ll be fine.”

“Woah! You have a com-log, too?” Ned suddenly burst out, much to the confusion of Y/N.

“It’s called a com-link, Ned,” Peter groaned in embarrassment as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t get it,” Y/N admitted, looking between the two. After stressfully running a handful of lean fingers through his thick brown hair, Peter pulled up the sleeve of his blue sweater to reveal his own Stark Communicator. It was the same build, same red armor-like band, the only difference was the frame. Where Y/N had the Ironman gold detailing, Peter’s comm had bright cobalt. It was such a rich combination of red and blue it seemed impossible to make metal look like that. “So is this one of those ‘you show me yours, I show you mine’ moments?” Y/N joked. She heard MJ, who had moved on from being a part of the conversation to sketching in her notebook, snicker to herself. Smiling at the fact that she got a reaction out of the individualistic MJ, Y/N shimmied one shoulder out of her jacket and held her com-link next to Peter’s.

“I mean, I just have it for the Stark internship. You know… so Mr. Stark can get a hold of me and I can send him files. Just a bunch of boring stuff like that.” Peter had awkwardly shaken his head and pushed his lips up as he emphasized boring. There was no denying, he was an awkward kid, but Y/N had a feeling if he could put up with Tony there was more to him than the bumbling, nervous boy she was seeing.

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