#anyway. thank u to everyone who read it i hope u enjoy this little epilogue chapter!!! ❤️

[artemis-pendragon]

I FINISHED SYNERGY AND ENTROPY ARE U GUYS PROUD OF ME 🥳

AO3 link to Chapter 21 (final chapter!!) here: CHAPTER 21 BABYYYY

Now I'm gonna get back to writing Logan and Wade Meet the Godkiller because by god it's been MONTHS lmao 💀

OKAY LOVE U GUYS BYE

[masonmyluv]

University and Goals - Epilogue

A/N: and with this, the story about Fermin x uni!reader ends 🥺 I hope you enjoyed the story and let me know if you are interested in more stories about Fermin. Thank you to everyone who read the story and left comments, they were super motivating ❤️ I wish you a Merry Christmas 🎄 and see you next year 🫶🏼

Warnings: noneeee

Read the whole story here

ferminlopez

ferminlopez I want to share with you my little ray of sunshine 💞 I've never been happier. So, all I'm asking all of you is to respect our privacy 🫶🏻

pablogavi This made me cry 🥺

↪️ ferminlopez Cabron...

lamineyamal Fermin scoring on and off the pitch 👀

↪️ ferminlopez 😉

pedri 😍😍

RobertLewi happy for the both of you 🙌🏻

↪️ ferminlopez Gracias 🙏🏼

yourusername Babe 😭😭😭 this is so cute

↪️ ferminlopez  you weren't supposed to be here

↪️ yourusername stfu THIS IS MY BOYFRIEND❤️

↪️ ferminlopez ❤️

ferminfan NOOO!!! My dreams are crushed now 😭

↪️ pedrixgavifan we have Gavi and Pedri

↪️ gavimylove exactly! Who needs Fermin anyways

↪️ gavixxxlove yeah! He's ugly af

yourusername

yourusername If you think this is ugly, you should get your eyes checked 😉

pedri 😳

pablogavi I need a gf like her 😭

↪️ yourusername Awww 🥹

alebalde muy guapo

↪️ yourusername SÌ

ferminlopez um baby, what's this? 😅

↪️ Pablogavi it's your gf standing up for you, puta

↪️ pedri don't you ever let her go or 🔫🔫🔫

↪️ ferminlopez okay guys got it 😃

gavifanpedri Still ugly

↪️ ferminfan stfu

↪️ ferminnnlopez32 go touch some grass

↪️ gavixxxlove Gavi >>> Fermin

↪️ ferminfan trash >>> your opinion

yourusername

yourusername Movie date nights with my fav person 🫶🏼

ferminlopez ❤️

pedri you don't like horror movies 🤨

↪️ yourusername I know, but I think he wanted to cuddle all the time yk

↪️ pedri oooh Fermin 😳😼

↪️ ferminlopez I hate that she's smart sometimes

↪️ yourusername you'll pay for it 🙂

pablogavi he was scared too 😂

↪️ ferminlopez no, I wasn't

↪️ pablogavi that's why you asked me to come with you to turn the lights on in the bathroom 😂

↪️ yourusername I'm dying 🤣

↪️ ferminlopez thanks Gavi 🙄

ferminlopez

ferminlopez My little witch 🩷 the Hermione to my Ron ❤️

pedri that's why you were tired today at training 😶

↪️ ferminlopez she made me watch all of them bro 🥲

↪️ yourusername and we'll watch them 1000 times 😁😁😁

↪️ ferminlopez nooooo

ferminfan can he be more perfect? 😭😭😭

↪️ yourusername Idk we'll see

yourusername Pedri Potter 🪄

↪️ pedri 😁

↪️ ferminlopez 🥲

yourusername the Ron to my Hermione and the Harry to my Ginny ❤️

↪️ ferminlopez 🩷🫶🏼

yourusername

yourusername Surprised him at practice 🥰

pablogavi he just wanted to impress you

↪️ marcosalonso he's not even that good (jk)

ferminlopez best surprise ❤️

↪️ pedri Xavi doesn't agree

↪️ pablogavi yeah, he was distracted all the time

↪️ fcbarcelona we were happy to have her there 🩷

↪️ yourusername Awww 🥹

yourusername

yourusername Vamos Barça 💙❤️

fcbarcelona ❤️

ferminlopez my lucky charm 🫶🏼🩷

↪️ yourusername 🥺

pedri petition for Y/N to come to every game 📃

↪️ pablogavi ✍🏼

↪️ marcosalonso ✍🏼

↪️ robertlewi ✍🏼

↪️ frenkiedejong ✍🏼

↪️ fcbarcelona ✍🏼

↪️ ferminlopez ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼

↪️ yourusername ✍🏼🥺

mikky welcome to the wag group 🤍

↪️ yourusername thank youu 🥺🩷

ferminlopez

ferminlopez end of an era 👨🏼‍🎓🎉

fcbarcelona Felicidades!

Pablogavi if it weren't for Y/N...

↪️ lamineyamal he would have failed each class 🤣

↪️ ferminlopez go to school Lamine 😒

↪️ yourusername guys...

yourusername so happy to share this moment with you. Love u 🤍

↪️ ferminlopez love you too ❤️

↪️ pablogavi too cute I'm dying 🥹

yourusername

yourusername That's a wrap! 🧑🏼‍🎓 Uni taught me some things and the most important would be to be grateful. I'm grateful for the opportunity to study here, I'm grateful for the friends that I made, I'm grateful for my boyfriend with whom I got to spend this wonderful moment 🥰 HATS OFF WE'RE FREE

ferminlopez so proud of you ❤️

↪️ yourusername so proud of us 🩷

pablogavi congrats amigaaa 🥳

↪️ yourusername 🥹

pablogavi the smart girl and the .... guy

↪️ ferminlopez hey! 🤨😑

↪️ yourusername and the smart guy ❤️ siempre

↪️ ferminlopez see who loves me 🥹

↪️ pedri Gavi seguro que no 🤣

yourmom 🥹❤️

↪️ yourmom btw I have to meet this boy

↪️ pedri 😳😳😳 good luck man

↪️ yourusername ofc mom 🩷

↪️ pablogavi things are getting serious here 😏

↪️ yourusername shush you

yourusername

yourusername One year with you ❤️ Feeling loved and blessed 🥰🤍

ferminlopez love u 🩷

pablogavi isn't he the cutest?🥺

↪️ yourusername he really is 🥺🥺🥺

pedri he loves the beach as I can see

↪️ yourusername it's so romantic 🥺☺️

↪️ pedri good thing he doesn't love the other word read the same 😶

↪️ ferminlopez 🔫 pedri

gavixpedri he made that card by himself? 😩

↪️ yourusername yes he did 🥰

↪️ gavixpedri omg 😭 queen

mikky so cute 🩷

ferminlopez

ferminlopez One year with you, the best year of my life and hoping for spending every year from now on together ❤️ Thank you for always being there for me

pablogavi you didn't make a post about our 10 years of friendship 😒😒

↪️ ferminlopez I talk about you in every interview 🙄

↪️ pablogavi not enough 😑

yourusername te amo ❤️❤️❤️

↪️ ferminlopez ❤️

↪️ yourusername wanna spend my whole life with you 😭🥺🥺🥺

↪️ ferminlopez me too 🫶🏼

↪️ Pedri this is so disgusting

↪️ yourusername stfu Gonzalez 😑

Hope you liked it ❤️

[pantoneyoongi]

the sun & the stars | epilogue | kth

title ; the sun & the stars pairing ; taehyung x you

word count ; 3.3k

masterlist | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | epilogue 

description ; 

taehyung’s known you almost his whole life - his sister’s best friend, the girl who invades his home and his life on the daily. you’re the one who gave his sister the nickname ‘sky’ to begin with - and also the one who relented when he whined about it at age five and said okay, you can be the stars, then.  it’s funny, because to him, you’re just the petty, mischievous neighbor from across the street with a penchant for stealing his snacks. but over the years, you’ve somehow landed yourself a reputation that stretches beyond the 1.5 year age gap he has with you - for someone who generally likes to keep things low key, you sure have a way of drawing attention.  sky’s friendly, teasing best friend is known for being cold, impassive, and immovable. which is weird, because when he’s around you, all he sees are unabashed grins and terrible jokes. until he realizes maybe he doesn’t know you like he thought he did. maybe they’re right - it just so happens that the walls you throw up around him look a little different from the walls you throw up around everyone else. 

tracklist ; willow - taylor swift, give me your forever - zack tabudlo ft. billkin, limbo - keshi

notes ; 

it’s all fun and games until taehyung starts flirting anyway we are at the end for this one !! thank u for reading, i hope u enjoyed 😊 i think i’ll be trying to do the prequel next - pls look forward to that one too !! ❤️

tags ; college!au, best friend’s little brother!au, childhood friends to lovers, fluff (finally!!), just taehyung being a sweetheart the literal entire time 

spring semester starts cold, mid-january, which is your excuse for still holding onto taehyung’s scarf. he doesn’t seem to mind - exact words, “it’s yours now,” - but for the sake of your sanity, you continue to make up reasons for why it’s still in your possession. 

for now, it’s tucked around your neck, bundled up against your chin and keeping you warm. taehyung walks beside you, like he does every day lately, having gotten ahold of your work schedule after some degree of coercing (read: taehyung asked nicely for it and when you hesitated, he - whether consciously or not, you’re not sure - gave you a look equivalent to that of a kicked puppy, and you caved within the next half-second). 

you feel hyper-aware of his presence. it’s not entirely out of the ordinary for taehyung to walk you home - he showed up randomly plenty of times before just to do so - but now that he has your schedule, he waits outside whatever workplace you’re at for the day, every chance he gets. 

you should be used to taehyung being beside you all the time. from begging to hang out with you when he was little, to simply materializing next to you now that you’re older, taehyung is always near you. but this feels far more intentional, and now you can’t not think about how close he is, the back of his hand brushing against yours as you walk back to your apartment. 

it’s just not good for your heart. it’s racing much too fast considering the steady, slow pace you’re walking. you chance a glance at taehyung, but a seconds-long glance turns into minutes turns into you staring at him, studying all the features he’s grown into over the years. 

taehyung really has gotten handsome, lately. 

you know. objectively speaking. 

strong eyebrows, kind eyes, a pretty curve to his lips. between the broad shoulders and the dark hair that falls over his forehead, taehyung looks straight out of a manga. it doesn’t help that he has a teasing smile on his - wait. 

shit. he caught you. 

you jerk your head away, but it’s too late. he smirks, leaning down slightly. “heard pictures last longer.” 

you deadpan. “shut up.” he knows he’s pretty. 

he invades your personal space, gets closer. you’d think someone who knows you and your cranky personality would know better than this, but that’s what happens when he also just knows you. you’ll never harm a hair on his head. 

“why are you staring, sun?” you can hear the amusement in his voice. this is the taehyung that you know you’re entirely out of your depth with. you might’ve grown up with him, but even with all the time spent together, you know there’s parts of taehyung you don’t have an influence on. the parts that make your heart pound, the taehyung that you’re secretly thrilled by. he’s confident, maybe even a little cocky, and you’re certain this version of taehyung knows. he knows that if he pushes past the sarcasm and the facades and everything else you’ve layered on just to hide, that he has every bit as much an effect on you as you do on him. 

he just lets you get away with it, most of the time. 

“who’s staring?” you mutter defensively. “nobody’s staring. there’s nothing to stare at.” 

he sidles in closer, but he never touches you. just gets close enough for you to feel all of his warmth. he’s teasing you, reminding you that he’s the only one who’s allowed to get this close - closer than people who are ‘just friends’ would normally be allowed. 

in a poorly calculated decision, you make the mistake of whipping your head to face him, only to feel your breath cut short when you find his face barely a centimeter away from yours.

even taehyung seems to realize he maybe misjudged how much he can handle, too. ‘cause you’re definitely close enough to feel his breath, but he doesn’t seem to be breathing, either. 

his eyes dip down. you press your lips together, inwards, shy at the way he looks at you. but the movement only draws his attention more, eyes focused on your lips. 

“come over tomorrow,” you blurt, stumbling back a half-step. taehyung snaps out of it, straightening back to full height immediately. 

“t-tomorrow?” 

“tomorrow,” you say, resolutely, glad that you’re the one with the steady voice. “we can… eat together.” 

taehyung’s eyes fall to your lips again, but quickly snap back up to your eyes. he smiles, and you feel yourself relax at the boyish look. “sure,” he agrees. “i’ll come over.”

.

.

.

what you forget to consider every single time you invite taehyung over is that you generally invite only him. 

as in, you and him are generally always alone, because your roommates, unlike you, are much more fond of their social lives and are usually out and about. 

this doesn’t normally pose a problem, except taehyung has been more daring recently, eyes sparking with mischief and affection, a lethal combination for you. it makes you nervous - excited - but now you’re left fidgeting as you wait for him to arrive, wondering which version of taehyung you’ll get today, while you’re alone in your apartment, with no other plans for the evening, and your roommates more likely than not to stay out for the night. 

to your surprise, taehyung shows up with bags of groceries, beaming at you. confused, you let him in, and he drops them all over your counter. “i’ll cook today,” he announces, and you let out a short, hesitant laugh. 

you do adore taehyung. in many ways. maybe the most well-known affiliation you have is with his sister, but the people closest to you know that your fondness for taehyung is unmatched, with or without your budding feelings for him that you’ve been trying (and failing) to keep in tight control of. 

but regardless of how you feel, you know taehyung. and he is undoubtedly the definition of a younger sibling. you’re not even sure taehyung knows how to turn the stove on. 

“do you even know how to cook?” 

he looks mildly offended. you raise an eyebrow. 

the shy, sheepish smile that forms slowly on his face gives you all the answers you need. “no,” he scratches the back of his neck. “but i’ll figure it out.” 

“my god, taehyung,” you mutter, rubbing your forehead. still, you make zero effort to stop him as he shuffles about your kitchen, organizing groceries and locating pots and pans. “please don’t burn down a university-owned apartment building.” 

he points a spatula at you. “no one else has burned it down yet. i probably won’t be the first.” 

you should probably tell him that ‘probably’ is not a very convincing argument. 

but he looks so earnest, and you don’t have the strength to keep him from at least trying. he’s at least researched a recipe beforehand, and taehyung is admittedly pretty adept at following instructions. 

he scutters about the kitchen, recipe pulled up on his phone screen. when you peer at it he locks the screen, turning his nose up at you. you narrow your eyes at him. he tilts his chin in the direction of the seating at your kitchen counter. you study him for a minute longer, trying to gauge the probability of taehyung committing accidental arson. but he doesn’t relent, and you cave, settling into the chair to watch him closely. 

satisfied that you’re seated, taehyung carefully sets about chopping scallions and whisking eggs. there’s rice cooking in a pot, and he looks deeply concentrated, eyebrows knit together. you smile fondly, watching him. “you sure you don’t want me to help?” 

he responds only with an insistent shake of his head, so you settle for the time he’s granted you to just look at him. taehyung in the kitchen doesn’t exactly entirely put your heart at ease, but taehyung’s presence in your apartment does relax your shoulders, slows your breaths. you don’t have to think about anything else - your future, your finances, your grades - nothing else matters when taehyung is here. he grounds you, washes away worries that have felt so constant that you didn’t even realize how heavy they weighed on you until taehyung nudges them all away with a sweet smile. 

every so often, taehyung breaks his concentration to look at you. he doesn’t ask, but the excuse you have for getting caught staring every time is that you’re just making sure he doesn’t cause injury, either to himself or to the apartment. you both know you just like looking at him, judging by the spark in his eyes, but he says nothing regardless. 

there’s a memory yet to be made unfolding in your mind. it has taehyung wrapped around you in your kitchen, head tucked over your shoulder, a meal halfway done. it has content written all over you, a version of you that’s happier, without any of your demons still lurking in the corners. 

you want to make it a reality. you want to feel his chest pressed against your back, want to lean into his touch and know that as long as taehyung’s around, you’ll be okay. he’ll take care of you. you’ll let him take care of you. 

but you don’t have the confidence to find your way into his arms, not yet. you keep your distance, settling for memorizing the shape of taehyung bustling about, quietly humming as he plates things up, presenting you with a dish that looks altogether too familiar. 

a simple dish. eggs, spam, corn. a sprinkle of scallions on top for color. absolutely not the recipe he looked up, and he looks pretty proud of himself, biting his lip and waiting for your approval. 

“that’s not a recipe off google,” you accuse, though you’re sure there are versions of it online somewhere. but sky and taehyung’s parents make it on lazy days, and in many ways it’s become comfort food for the three of you. 

“it could be,” he shrugs, then grins. “i asked my mom for the recipe last night.” 

he piles rice into a bowl for you, then sits across from you, bright eyes watching as you take a bite. you sigh into it, satisfied. “kim taehyung, you didn’t burn the building down,” you tease, instead of giving him the praise he’s looking for. 

his face does a thing it rarely does since he was eleven, eyebrows pinching in and lower lip jutting out, and you giggle, the sound immediately wiping away the look. you lean towards him. “thanks for cooking,” you say, sincerely. “tastes just like your mom’s.” 

he mumbles something incoherent and ducks his head, but you catch the pleased look on his face, the pink on his cheeks. you make conversation about anything and everything, just to get those eyes back on you. it doesn’t take much effort, honestly. 

the night ends with the two of you on your living room couch, you asleep on his shoulder, your roommate’s tv playing in the background. 

taehyung doesn’t put his arm around you, doesn’t tug you in close, but the feeling still lingers. 

that as long as taehyung’s around, you’ll be okay. 

.

.

.

you stretch your arms over your head, cracking possibly every joint in your back and shoulders in the process. being hunched over a computer for four hours starting 8am to noon is not ideal for your posture. 

“you should sit up straight when you work,” you hear, and you look around to find taehyung pushing himself off the building’s wall, a paper bag in hand. 

“i should do a lot of things,” you counter, and he gives you a disapproving look but doesn’t press you. he shakes the bag instead. 

“lunch?” 

you bite your lip, eyeing the bag hopefully. you flick your eyes back up to his and nod rapidly. he grins. 

he walks with you to the student center, unpacking the bag while you slide into your seat. he takes off the lids for you, hands you wrapped plastic utensils, doesn’t sit down until everything’s ready for you. 

“where did you learn to do this kinda stuff, huh?” you tease, but he looks genuinely confused, blinking back at you. 

“from you,” he states plainly, like it’s obvious, and you’re taken slightly aback. now you’re the one that’s confused, and he tilts his head. “you always do this for us,” he explains. “well, sky, mostly, but for the rest of us, too.” 

“oh,” you mutter. flustered by his simple explanation, you jerk your gaze away from him and start digging through the food. his lips tug upwards into a smile, watching you pretend to be preoccupied. 

all the years you spent taking care of your friends, you’ve never let anyone reciprocate. but taehyung wants to give it all back tenfold, wants you to feel every ounce of his affections, wants you to feel the same love you give out in boundless amounts to the people around you. he wants to give all of it, just to you. 

he reaches over, brushes your hair over your shoulder. you look up at him, eyes round and large, and it feels like all the love you’ve ever poured into him is overflowing in his chest in this exact moment, decades worth of all the ways you cared for him without uttering a single word. you did it all without hesitation. like second nature. 

taehyung is still learning, still figuring out how to do the same, but there is something he knows. 

he loves you. without hesitation. like second nature. 

.

.

.

maybe it’s just your soft spot for taehyung, but he has a way of convincing you to come home with him. sometimes, he uses sky as an excuse - come hang out, sun - sometimes he bribes you with food - i have dinner for you at home. come over, sun - and sometimes, he just looks at you hopefully, and you find yourself in the apartment he shares with his sister. 

the first time you fell asleep over at their place was an accident. by the fifth time, you’re not sure it exactly qualifies as an accident anymore. 

most nights you fall asleep on the couch together. it started with just your head on his shoulder, but somehow, you found yourself more and more often waking up with the two of you laying down, taehyung’s arm thrown over your waist and his face buried in your hair. on the days you have early shifts or classes, you wake alone, in time to catch taehyung emerging from the kitchen with a packed breakfast and a gaze so intensely affectionate, you have to look away from him. 

he’s no longer hiding the way he feels about you, and it has your heart running double time in your chest. 

when you wake up this time, you realize you’re not on the couch. sleepily, you peer around and realize you’re in taehyung’s room, in taehyung’s bed, with taehyung still pressed close, one arm slung over your waist, as usual. 

it’s quiet, still early, judging from the dim light filtering through taehyung’s curtains. the last memory you can recall is being on the couch again, so you’re not sure how you wound up here. 

you have absolutely no idea what to do. 

taehyung is still fast asleep, so you try to subtly shift out of his arms. maybe you can go back to the couch and pretend you were never in his bed and then you don’t have to ask nor answer any of the questions that come with it. but taehyung’s arm around you tightens, and he makes a small, discontent noise. you freeze. 

slowly, you turn your head towards his. mussed hair, closed eyes, and pretty, pretty lips. taehyung looks impossibly younger when he’s sleeping, and he’s so warm, the gentle pressure of his arm across your body so comforting. it wouldn’t be so bad, falling back asleep like this. with taehyung next to you. 

that’s the excuse you make. you’d make any number of them, really, just to stay here. but they all drift out of your mind as your eyes flutter back shut, taehyung’s steady breaths lulling you back to sleep. 

.

.

.

the second time you wake up, it’s to the sound of taehyung cursing under his breath. 

“shit,” he mutters, sounding mildly panicked. “shit, fuck, shit.” 

you stir. taehyung isn’t the type to curse often, so you blink your eyes open, one hand blindly reaching out for him as you try to wake up enough to focus. “tae?” 

he stares back at you in alarm. he’s halfway up by the time your eyes finally land on him, but when he sees how your hand searches for his, he catches your wrist in a gentle hold. “right here,” he murmurs. 

you smile, still half-asleep. “what’s wrong?” 

he stills. “i-” he flounders a bit. “i didn’t - um. i swear i meant to go sleep on the couch last night, i just - i wanted you to take the bed for once, ‘cause the couch isn’t really comfortable, but i guess i fell asleep too - i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have even - i was just really tired-” 

you let him babble for a couple more minutes, amused. admittedly, not all your brain cells are firing right now, still drowsy, but flustered, rambly taehyung is a rare, endearing sight you’d like to indulge in for just a bit. 

when you start to see the pink dust his cheeks, you decide to take pity on him, pressing a hand to his cheek. he quiets immediately, leaning into your touch. “sorry,” he mumbles one last time. 

you breathe out a laugh. “don’t tell anyone,” you try to tease, but you mean it a little too much. “but you’re my favorite, my star.” 

he looks at you. you don’t know what changes in this moment. maybe it’s because it’s so quiet, with the world still waking up; or maybe because you both know sky isn’t home, having gone over to namjoon’s the night before, so the apartment is empty, just the two of you; or maybe because you’re both still sleepy and warm and so, so close, but taehyung shifts, the hand holding your wrist pressing it gently to the spot beside your head, so taehyung can hover just above you. you stare up at him, everything moving in slow motion. his nose brushes against yours, and you tilt your head up, searching for him. waiting for him to meet you in the middle. 

there’s sparks, all over. tingles down your spine, the way taehyung kisses you slowly. the hesitance in the beginning, then the soft press of his lips against yours, like he can’t resist you. drawn to you, the hand holding your wrist moving to tangle with your fingers. the hand you had cupping his cheek slides into his hair at the nape of his neck, tugging him closer. 

it might be cliché, but you don’t care: kissing taehyung feels like coming home. 

when he pulls away for air, he lets out a sort of disbelieving huff of laughter, like he can’t believe you let him kiss you. there’s a happy light in your eyes, your grin spreading from cheek to cheek, and his heart stutters in his chest like he hasn’t seen that smile almost every day of his life. 

he ducks his head next to yours, hair tickling your skin. ever so close, you can hear the smile in his voice when he whispers, “you’re my favorite, too, sun.” 

.

.

.

you’ve never told anyone before, but there’s a reason taehyung is your star. his sister remains the sky, your whole world, but taehyung is your star because you learned long ago that the sun, too, is a star. and if you’re so lucky to be considered the light amidst the sky, then you’ll be shameless enough to wish to always linger amongst the stars, too. because you want to always be next to him. 

beside him. your star. 

masterlist | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | epilogue 

[consumedkings-archive]

ancient names, epilogue

A John Seed/Original Female Character Fanfic

Ancient Names, epilogue: goodbye

Masterlink Post

Word Count: 3.7k

Rating: M for mature themes, mostly T though.

Warnings: just sad feels, my guy.

Notes: One last and final thank you to everyone who has read, kept up, commented, popped in to say hello to me on Tumblr. You really made this an incredible experience. ♡ I can’t wait to get started on the sequel, and I hope you enjoy this little interlude!

Everything hurt.

Or, rather, everything that he could feel hurt—which wasn’t much, or was hard to categorize, considering that opening his eyes felt impossible and thus his brain couldn’t register whether or not all of his limbs were attached or not.

“.... ohn. John, wake up.”

No thanks, he thought, tiredly, as pain splintered up his spine and radiated through his skull. No, I’m really quite good right here where I am.

“John,” and it was Joseph’s voice, muddled with the sound of steady rain. “Wake up.”

John felt the groan, rattling somewhere deep in his chest, as he pushed his eyes open. Then, and only then, did the agony really fucking hit—real, pure body-pain, the kind that sank straight into the marrow of his bones and stayed for a good many days. Struggling, he forced himself into a sitting position, hands flat against cold, wet pavement.

Hands flat. Free. Not cuffed.

“Good,” Joseph said, sounding relieved, “you’re awake.”

When his older brother extended his hand out, John took it; with a surprising amount of strength, Joseph hauled him to his feet, and he finally got a good look around him.

Carnage.

The highway was littered with bodies and blood and the mangled metal of crashed vehicles. He saw dark figures; it was night, late, and his eyes burned, and his body ached, and when the low snarl of one of Jacob’s judges echoed in his ears, he thought, ah, that’s it, then.

Jacob was there too, with Faith glued to his side. Her palms skinned and her dress torn, and the blood from Jacob’s gunshot wound seeping through dark-crimson. A steady sheet of silver rain had begun to fall, drenching them all; the chill seeped straight into his bones.

And, of course, there was Joseph. Relatively unscathed. Not an open wound in sight.

“How did—” John started, his brain still foggy from pain and, presumably, being unconscious. Joseph gripped his shoulders. There was a kind of look in his eye; fervent, urgent, and John realized that it had been there all along—that his brother had always looked like this, and maybe he had just gotten used to looking into different eyes as of late.

“Our followers have stayed true,” Joseph told him, his voice low. “The Collapse remains on the horizon. Perhaps—”

His brother stopped, as though to gauge himself.

“Perhaps,” he began again, “not as close as I thought. I prayed, John. I prayed for us—for you, and for your child, and even for...” Joseph’s mouth twisted viciously for a moment. “Even for that Delilah of yours.”

Elliot, he thought, a wave of sickening, burning fury washing over him even when the venom in Joseph’s voice doused him like gasoline. Liar. Lied to me, lied to my family, lied—

Wretchedly clever and cruel. More devil than woman. He had always known it, had loved her for it, and he couldn’t be surprised when his hand had come back from the fire burned. You can’t have both, she’d said, and she’d meant it; of course she had. He wouldn’t love her if she wasn’t the kind of woman who meant what she’d said.

“We have much to do,” Joseph plunged on, as headlights turned around the corner of the road. “God is going to speak to me, I know it. I can feel that we have so little time left, John.”

“Okay,” John said, feeling a little dazed, trailing after Joseph when he began to move to one of the nearby trucks idling. “Okay, yes, we’ll—what do we do about—”

He stopped, opening the door to the car automatically for Faith to climb in. Of them all, he thought maybe he was the least fucked up—outwardly, anyway. Inside, his body felt like it had been jumbled around, tossed like a fucking salad at Olive Garden. The ache in his head didn’t dull as the seconds ticked by.

Jacob paused. The redhead’s mouth twisted, like he was biting back the things he wanted to say; John knew it had to be something like I fucking told you, I told you the situation wasn’t under control, I knew you couldn’t control her, but the words didn’t come out.

And in his own mouth, words sat, too: I’m sorry, I know I fucked up, but I know I can get her back.

Not can. Would. Would get her back, no matter what. By any means necessary.

“John,” Jacob barked out, and he realized that moments had passed—maybe minutes—of him standing in the rain, the door of the truck open. He moved on autopilot, hauling himself into the back seat of the truck and slamming the door shut.

The air inside the truck was humid, fizzing and popping with a strange energy. He could taste it on his tongue, electric; ozone; vibrating in his mouth and in his skeleton. Some of it the storm outside, and some of it the fury in his mouth, so potent it had become tangible.

Mine, he thought, shifting as pain splintered up his spine and shoulder. My wife. My baby. She thinks she’s done with us, huh? Not even fucking close.

“We have much to do,” Joseph murmured as the truck pulled a u-turn and began its route back to the compound. “Now, more than ever.” Through the rearview mirror, his gaze met John’s; lingered for a moment, and only a moment. “We will find her, John. Her, and your child.”

John felt his eyes flutter. Exhaustion was already beginning to try and take its toll on him. “She traded us in.”

“Yes,” Joseph replied, and his voice was terse, sharper than normal. “But God is ever merciful. And are we not to liken ourselves in his image, so that we may be as holy?”

He didn’t know if he wanted Elliot back to be holy. He thought maybe he wanted her back because she belonged to him—because they belonged to each other, two wretched creatures, and she owed him, and he would have what was rightfully his. What he was owed.

“Yes,” John agreed hoarsely. “Just as holy.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Nothing like dry-heaving over a toilet with your mother standing by.

“You know,” Scarlet said, “us Honeysett women have always taken well to childbearing. You were the most perfect baby, Elliot.”

Her mother was perched on the edge of the sink, a glass of rosé (chilled glass, of course) in her hand, golden curls perfectly pinned and coiffed and the floor-length maxi dress pressed to perfection—in stark contrast to Elliot, gripping the edge of the toilet in her sweats, stomach somersaulting and trying its best to achieve Olympic level gymnastics.

You’re not a Honeysett woman, she thought exhaustedly. You’re a fucking Graves woman. She managed to spit, taking in a long-suffering breath. “You said I was colicky.”

“Well, yes. But I never got morning sickness.”

Elliot gritted her teeth, eyes fluttering shut at the hot wave of nausea rolling over her, prickling sickly heat along her spine in warning. “That’s awesome, mama. Good for—” She swallowed. “Good for you. So glad. Really cool.” She exhaled. “Thank goodness it’s five in the afternoon. What’s that, then? Afternoon sickness?”

“Mm.” Her mother sipped at her wine, setting it on the counter with a little clink that somehow managed to sound three thousand times louder in her wretched state. “Yes, we’ve always been excellent vessels for our children.”

“That’s lo-uuh—” She closed her eyes tight. “Lovely.”

Scarlet’s fingers brushed her hair back from her face, cinching it in a ponytail. “Must be the father.”

You don’t fucking say? Elliot wanted to spit, but there was no room. Scarlet Honeysett tolerated a great many things—poor weather on the day of her events, a lukewarm glass to transport her alcohol, the repeated and systematic abandonment of her by her husband—but a mouthy child she did not.

“Educated inference,” is what she said instead. “I think I’m done.”

“Well.” Scarlet looked at her, arching a manicured brow. “Stay here for a while longer, then, just so you don’t go puking on my carpet.”

“Thanks, mama.”

“Mmhm.”

When her mother swept out of the bathroom and took with her the scent of her perfume—normally familiar and comforting, now only nausea-inducing—Elliot closed the door with her foot and leaned back against the wall in the bathroom. Her chest was burning; the strain of dry-heaving while the skin on her chest was still tight and healing was enough to have probably broken it open if she hadn’t been meticulously taking care of it.

And thank God her mother hadn’t seen that yet.

After a few more minutes of questioning whether or not she was going to actually puke, Elliot pushed herself to her feet and rinsed her mouth out with Listerine. It had not been easy, the last two weeks. Not only was she acclimating to living with her mother again—a thing which she had not done since she was in high school—but she was doing it pregnant. Pregnant, and with the child’s father nowhere to be.

Her arrival at the ancestral Graves home—a meticulously kept two-story historic building that had not only been in their family for so many years, but was planted on twenty acres of premium real estate in what was otherwise a small town named Weyfield—had been a tumultuous one, to be sure. Though her mother seemed inquisitive about what had occurred, she wasn’t even aware that anything had been happening at all.

Because she hadn’t been there.

“What do you mean?” Elliot had asked, incredulous.

“Well, I always come down here when the weather is starting to turn,” Scarlet had replied idly, squeezing her lime wedge dry into her glass. “I left In July.”

“The weather is not turning in July.”

“Some of us, Elli,” her mother had snipped, “are sensitive to changes in the weather. It’s not my fault you couldn’t feel it. Nor my fault that you didn’t answer my phone calls.”

It provided, at the very least, a bit of leeway when it came to explaining what was going on. Her mother had, of course, been aware of the Seeds in some capacity; but only in the kind of capacity that she thought them a zealous nuisance, and a little slimy—“Except for the oldest one, he seems like a good man,” she’d said, much to Elliot’s disgust—but nothing more than that.

This meant that Elliot didn’t need to tell her anything she didn’t want to. For now. Until the news broke, if it ever did; it seemed like headlines these days were more preoccupied with what was going on overseas than what was going on within the States’ own borders.

“Here,” Scarlet said, planting a pill bottle in her hand. “Take one of these thirty minutes before you go to bed.”

“What are these?”

“Sleeping pills,” her mother explained.

Elliot’s mouth twisted. “I sleep fine.”

“If you slept at all, I might believe you. I know you, Elli, I birthed you from my own womb, and you’ve never been a good sleeper.” The blonde paused. “And I hear you at night, you know, moving around. You and that hound.”

Boomer was fairly good at being stealthy, but perhaps not so much so in a house that was almost exclusively hardwood flooring. She’d have to remember that the next time she decided to go on a walk at three in the morning.

Elliot looked at the label. Eszopiclone, it said. S. Honeysett. “I probably shouldn’t take your prescription, mama.” And why are you giving me sleeping pills you should be taking, anyway?

“You need to sleep,” Scarlet said firmly. “For you and baby.”

It took a concerted effort to swallow back bile that tried to surge up her throat—for some reason, the knowledge that there was now a she and a baby, that she was both herself and vessel, made her nausea want to kick in. She hadn’t been sleeping, it was true. Not for lack of trying, either. She’d drink some kind of stupid sleepy-time tea, settle herself into the bed, and lay there. And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

But every time she’d close her eyes, she would be assaulted by images; Joey, jaw snapped and hanging loose from her face. Kian, face a bloody pulp. The blood seeping down her chest from the WRATH scar John had left. And John, of course.

He was always there, too. His eyes on her, his hands on her, his mouth on her.

So good, hellcat, it’s gonna look so good on you.

I’m all yours, just take what you need, I’ll give you anything, anything.

I’m fucking it for you.

I love you, Elliot.

“... listening to me?”

Elliot blinked. Her eyes burned, stinging with the threat of tears, and she swallowed thickly again. It felt like choking. Things often felt like choking, nowadays—things like breathing, swallowing, sleeping. It all felt too much for her to take, sometimes. Like she was deranged.

“I’m sorry,” she managed out, her voice barely breaking a whisper, and the second she felt the slip of a tear down her cheek she quickly wiped it away and sniffed. “I’m sorry, mama, I wasn’t.”

Something in her mother’s expression shifted for just a moment. Her eyes swept over Elliot, like maybe she thought she could see what it was that was really ailing her. Scarlet had tried to pry about John; she’d tried to figure out who it was that had left her daughter destitute, like this. What she didn’t know was that Elliot had left him destitute.

He deserves it, she thought through the heavy wave of exhaustion. Whatever they do to him, he deserves it.

“Maybe you should take a nap,” her mother suggested after a moment. “Dinner in an hour.”

“I’m going for a walk,” Elliot replied, tucking the bottle into her pocket for later. “Boomer gets crazy if I don’t.”

“Well, can’t have that. Back in an hour, then, bunny.”

She slipped past her mother, snagging the dog leash by the door and calling for the Heeler. He came sprinting down the stairs delightedly, and Elliot opened the door so he could go racing out. He’d certainly gotten less time running than he had prior to this, but he seemed in better spirits, anyway—new smells, friendly people. It was a dog’s dream.

“Don’t forget you have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow,” her mother called after her. “I’m taking you in at nine A.M. sharp.”

“Yes, mama.”

The afternoon had passed by in a blitz, as it was wont to do in late Autumn, and now Elliot found herself with so little golden daylight left; but she thought maybe she liked it best like this, walking with Boomer darting around ahead of her, watching the sky wring the last little rays of light out of the sun before it dipped fully behind the mountains.

I love you, Elliot.

She stopped walking, closing her eyes for a moment. A low, dull headache had begun to bloom behind her eyes. Lack of sleep, probably. Lack of sleep, and now she had a—

A fucking baby, she thought, with no absence of despair.

Boomer had doubled back when she stopped moving, and for a moment Elliot felt a vicious sting in her chest. Cry, it said, when the dog nosed her hand with a cold nose. Cry, it said, when she struggled to sit down in the damp, chilly grass, and Boomer could push his face into hers.

She had been alone, before. Alone in all the world. But not anymore.

Boomer tucked his face against her neck and stayed there, panting his hot doggy breath down the collar of her shirt. And as dusk fell, and the first speckling of stars started to make their appearance, Elliot felt herself come undone.

Just a little bit; just for now, while she could bury her face into her dog’s fur and cry, she would come undone.

And when she was finished, she would get up and walk back home. She would sit down and have dinner with her mother, and listen to her complain that while the doctor they were going to see was quite new but supposedly very nice, and she’d take a sleeping pill so that she could hopefully get some peace of mind for one night. In the morning, she would get up and out of bed, and she would keep living. That was all she could do.

For now, though—for a little while, she would let herself grieve. And every time she thought she couldn’t do it anymore—every time she thought she’d reached the absolute bottom—she’d keep fucking digging. What would she do with grief, if not lug it?

She would never heal otherwise.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Where the fuck is Weyfield?”

Jacob’s derisive tone did nothing to help John’s mood. Hunched over a map, the scattered papers of the file he hadn’t thrown away, eyes stinging, he thought he’d felt shittier only once before—long before his reuniting with Joseph. Back before he’d been cleansed.

He’d read every paper three times over. Stared at her photo for hours. Nothing felt any better than it had two weeks ago, when she’d been screaming that she would kill him.

“Some nowhere corner of Georgia,” John muttered, passing a hand over his face. “Her file says she was born in Weyfield, but that can’t be right—that shit is so small. Like, population three hundred, maybe? And her mom’s rich, which means—”

“Probably some kind of old money, then,” Jacob suggested. “Historic home. Lots of farmland surrounding it. Didn’t you say her grandfather was a racing jockey, mom never worked, or something? Gotta have room for horses and big fancy homes to go with those horses.”

Oh, John thought absently. Oh, of course. Of course her mother is a trust-fund baby. They would have an ancestral home, wouldn’t they?

They’d been back at the compound for a few weeks; Joseph had been secluded, alone, ruminating and marinating or whatever else it was he had to do to really hear God, and that meant John had been free to figure out what his plan was. So far, it was pretty bare bones.

Find Elliot and baby. Bring Elliot and baby home.

Joseph did not have a timeline, yet. He didn’t even know what it was that had delayed the Collapse—not quite. He had fervently insisted he be left alone to himself and God, to ensure that there were no interruptions—“Interruptions,” he’d said, “interfered with it last time, I won’t have it again,”—and so John, Jacob, and Faith had been left to rebuild what they could.

What members of Eden’s Gate remained after the veritable slaughter the Family had brought upon them were run ragged, but the nice thing about having an enemy meant that they were bound together by the same hatred.

“So that’s it, huh?” Jacob asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Weyfield, for the little hellcat?”

“That’s it.” John sucked his teeth and came to a stand, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. “I should head out to Atlanta as soon as possible. I’ll need—”

“That’s a big city,” his eldest brother cautioned.

“That city has resources I’ll need. As much as I’d like to think that I could just track her down and we’ll kiss and make-up, I get the feeling that if I don’t do this the right way, it’ll be dragging her back kicking and screaming.” He paused, his voice tightening. “And I will be getting her back.”

Jacob watched him for a moment. He exhaled out of his mouth before he reached over, planting a hand on John’s shoulder. He half expected his brother to say something like, just forget it, Johnny, or it’s not worth running the risk of getting recognized, but he didn’t.

Instead, he said, “Be careful, keep in touch. And get my nephew back, yeah?”

John swallowed thickly. There was a lot wrapped up in those words; a lot that he had yet to parse through. Blinding, insatiable fury, that he had been tricked and lied to and deceived, but above all else—above all of that, he missed—

No, he thought, hands shaking and jaw clenching as he pulled his coat on. No, above all else, Elliot belongs to me, and that’s the beginning and the end of it.

“Don’t know it’s a boy,” he managed out, with all of those whispers rattling incessantly in his head. Jacob smiled.

“Joseph does.”

“I suppose so.”

A moment of silence stretched between them, and for the first time in a long time, John felt closer to Jacob than he did to Joseph—and maybe that was because he hadn’t seen his brother’s face in weeks, or maybe it was because he knew that for some strange reason, Jacob was pleased to have Elliot come back, and Joseph might not be.

Not if he was being honest, anyway.

“Off I go,” John blurted out, worried that he would get stuck in an infinite loop of trying to parse out things that weren’t meant for him to understand. “I’ll call when I get there.”

“Take someone with you?”

“It’ll just slow me down. Besides, I’m trying to not draw attention.” He paused, hesitating at the doorway of the church. “You’ll tell me when he knows, right?”

When he knows how much time I have?

Jacob’s expression hardened. He nodded once, short. “I will.”

“Thank you.”

John pushed the door open, stepping out into the night. It was chilly; soon, it’d be snowing, if it didn’t do so that very night, and the compound’s courtyard was bustling with sleepy life. As he climbed into the truck and took a breath to calm the rapid, unsteady beating of his heart, he closed his eyes for just one moment.

Just for now, he thought tiredly. I’m going to take a breath just for now, and then—

And then one more breath, and then another, turning the key in the ignition and shutting the radio off and throwing the car into drive, and then one more breath, until he was breathing all the way to fucking Georgia. He was going to get his wife back.

One way or another.

[gojaimas]

Chapter 35 Comment Replies

csgt: “Oh, I forgot to mention it in the past chapter, but I definitely got the feeling that Ben having a new normal watch and Gwen replacing the charm with a normal locket means the definitive end of the ‘hero’ part of their story”

Yeah, pretty much. They’re moving on to new stages in their lives as they grow up.

csgt: “So Lucy is now developing real feelings for both Ben and Gwen? Ohhh, that complicates things… Maybe she will find someone else and get over them? Even though now I’m seeing the chances of ‘Bwenucy’ happening raise a little (maybe 5 percent now instead of 1 percent?)”

Things are a little more complicated now. People have been noticing for a while that there is a chance of the story going in the Bwency direction, so this probably made it seem more likely to everyone. You’ll just have to see how it plays out over the rest of the year.

Davidscrazy234: “If this was made into a live action show, like Arrow and The Flash which cast person would u choose for Ben, Gwen, and Lucy?”

Ooh, there’s a fun question! Let’s see…

For Ben, I’d go with David Mazouz, AKA young Bruce Wayne in Gotham. The scenes where he’s partying and pretending to be a spoiled rich kid makes me think he could totally pull off Ben, plus beating the crap out of bad guys is right up his alley.

For Gwen, I’d say Sadie Sink, AKA Max from the second season of Stranger Things. I’ll admit it’s mostly because she’s a fierce redhead, but she seems talented enough to pull off a character who’s pretty much the exact opposite of Max as well.

And then for Lucy, I’d pick Elsie Fisher, AKA the voice of Agnes in the Despicable Me movies. She did a live action film with Bo Burnham recently too. She’s such a sweet girl and just seems like a constant ray of sunshine, I think she’d be perfect for Lucy.

These actors are 15-17 years old now, so I guess it could only work as a sequel to my story at this point, but they would’ve been perfect for it if the series had started like 4 or 5 years ago.

Guest: “I have a question- is Gwen shorter than Ben in this story? Otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to lean into his chest without having her butt stick out awkwardly.”

Haha, yes, Ben is the taller one now. Gwen used to be taller than him, but he hit his growth spurt and surpassed her, which I sort of eluded to a couple times in Year 3. I remember Ben Ten Thousand being really tall, so I figured this was how they would turn out. The drawing I did of them for the story image is a little closer to what I imagine their current relative heights are now.

Guest: “I’m like the track you’re heading with. Lucy was only featured in one episode in the original and she had so much potential, I always kept an eye out for her. Her characteristics stood out. The wedding when Ben danced with Gwen and then Lucy were really sweet moments. Came for a Bwen fanfic but I’m also in love with Lucy.”

You and me both, my friend. Lucy wasn’t even in the character list for Ben 10 fanfictions until I started this story. If nothing else comes from it, I hope people start to like her a bit more.

Jagcity: “Just a little side inquiry, it seems that Frank loves his daughter (or at least checks up on her) more than Natalie does; I guess Gwen’s mom is simply the stern and frowny type.”

Gwen’s dad is a softie, sort of a typical doting father. Her mom is much more strict, but she’s definitely the one who pushes her to succeed more, which Gwen is mature enough to be thankful for. Ben still finds Natalie mean and scary, and it confuses him that Gwen doesn’t seem to see her that way at all.

Guest: “that bathroom scene was the first time we’ve seen Lucy expressing her true intentions and emotions behind her cherrful happy go lucky mask and she seems to be conflicted… she cares for others which is why she wants Ben and Gwen to be there for each other but at the same, even though I can’t say she’s human, she’s got emotions. She’s just better at hiding it like Ben.”

We have seen her “mask” slip before, which I think is a good way to put it. Back in the summer of Year 2, she broke down because Joel and Camille were missing. That was an unrelated matter, but I hope it effectively foreshadowed how Lucy might not always be the cheerful, happy go lucky girl she appears to be.

Guest: “This was a really effective chapter and it only was that way because of the events and progression leading up to it.”

THANK YOU! Yes! Now you all know why I had to write a story the length of a Harry Potter book before reaching this point. I hope the payoff was worth the wait.

Guest: “I don’t know how to root for right now, it’s like Toradora all over again.”

I’m really glad you brought up Toradora, which is hands down one of the best romance anime out there. It wasn’t one of the biggest inspirations for my story (which would probably be Oreimo in addition to Little Moments), but I can definitely see the similarities.

Guest: “Since you mentioned you’re in college, what’re your aspirations and plans for the future? You’d do great as a author, writer for animes, characters and novels judging by what I’ve seen from you. You seem to have an interest in gaming so you could have a certain paths on that or just take it as a way to kill time. Whatever you’re gonna be in the future you sure as hell are gonna be successful”

Thank you for saying so! I actually graduated about a year ago, but I started writing this story while I was still in college. I’m currently working as an engineer at a medical device company. I have no real training or experience as an author, so I’ll probably just stick with fanfiction as a hobby for now. I’m also learning to draw in the anime art style, so maybe I’ll try making a fan manga at some point as well. In the past, I’ve competed in really low level Super Smash Bros and Magic the Gathering tournaments, but I couldn’t see myself making a career out of it. In about a year or two, I plan to decide if I wanna stick with what I’m doing or go back to school for a bit to transition into something else. I have a friend who got into the game design industry after he graduated, which is something I would love to do as well. Becoming a teacher is another option since I like working with kids and I used to tutor other students in math, science, and programming, plus my aunt is a middle school math teacher. I also have a friend who got into writing for television after he graduated. I was mostly joking, but I already made him promise that if he ever somehow makes it big and gets his own cartoon, he’ll let me voice the villain since I’m “basically already the villain in his life.” I know a lot of my readers are in college, so I just wanna say to all of you that life can be pretty cool after you graduate, and I hope you all do as well as my friends and I have.

Guest: “Do you think Joel is dead in the Last of Us Part 2”

I don’t think so. Wasn’t he in the trailer? Either way, I know I’m gonna play the shit out of that game the second it comes out.

Guest: “God. Been reading from December and this story’s at the TOP of the Ben 10 fanfic section, well deserved. Gosh bless”

Is it really? Awesome! Also, I thought it was funny how you start the comment with “God” and then switch to “Gosh bless” at the end. Lucy prefers “Glob” because she’s a fan of Adventure Time.

Guest: “‘Shut up and put your hands around me’ Gwen is such a tsundere lmao”

Haha, absolutely! I love tsunderes. Totally my type.

Guest: “Since you haven’t seen Alien Force... did you by any chance check out Omniverse since some flashbacks involve the friendship Gwen, Lucy and Ben.”

I only watched a few episodes of Omniverse. I even specifically sought out the episodes that had Lucy in them because I wanted more of her. The show didn’t really appeal to me, but I enjoyed the episodes I saw and the Lucy ones were helpful for crafting her character in my story.

Guest: “We all know Ben and Gwen are gonna end up together and you also mentioned you might write epilogue one shots would it be possible to also write a optionn B) alternative ending where Ben and Lucy got together or would that not fit with the course of the story you’re taking in? Just like how they did Amigami SS, in each 5 episodes, they pair the MC with a girl in alternative ways and timelines of course to see how it would’ve played out. I feel bad for Lucy to be left out and as much as I love Bwen as she does, wish she had her chance too.”

The Bwen ending and the Bwency ending are the only ones that are really on the table right now. I will say that the ending is one of those two options, but I am willing to write an alternate ending for the other one. It’s hard to imagine a Ben/Lucy ending that wouldn’t be completely soul-crushing for Gwen, but I might consider giving it a shot.

Guest: “‘Beeeeeeeen! You...you...You're doing it wrong!’ ‘Give it a rest Dweeb, I'm doing the best I can.’ ‘Ahhhhhhh...Ouch! Wrong hole, Doofus! Do you even know what you're doing down there!?’ ‘Maybe I should've just asked Lucy for help...’”

Hey! How did you get my manuscript for Year 5?? I mean, uh...get this filth out of my Christian Minecraft server.

Guest: “Just wondering, but is this a purely Bwen fic? It seems kinda sad that I read 200K words thinking that Lucy doesn't really stand a chance. I was wondering how much of a jump it would take for all three of them to get together but it doesn't really matter anyways since you already finished writing this work. I just found this piece about 3 days ago and I gotta say I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I look forward to reading what kind of ending you have in store for these characters.”

It’s not purely a Bwen fic. It was my intention for everyone to know Ben and Gwen were going to end up together from the start, but for it to be unclear at this point if Lucy will be involved with them as well. Some of my readers are more convinced it will happen than others, but like I said earlier, I am willing to write both endings. Only one of them is written right now though.

[blissfullylostinarabbithole]

Kiss Me Better (Epilogue)

Pairing: Bucky x Reader, Loki x BFF!Reader

Word Count: 740

Summary: Some time down the line, Loki’s still looking out for you.

A/N: Omg I can’t believe this is the end! I’m so sad! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and the encouragement you gave me throughout! I hope you enjoyed it!    ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

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You never expected to find many similarities between Steve and Loki, but when you asked Loki to be your man of honor, it was like when Bucky asked Steve to be his best man all over again. He stared back at you, speechless as his eyes grew shiny with emotion.

You gently took his hands in yours. “Are you alright?”

“You wish me to be it?”

“Of course!” you assured. “You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t even be getting married if it weren’t for you.” You went silent for a moment, the words sinking in once again. “Oh my god, I’m marrying Bucky,” you whispered, your own eyes pooling with tears.

Loki engulfed you in his arms and placed a kiss on your forehead. “It would be my privilege, Darling.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks to Loki, your engagement party went better than you could have hoped, much to Tony’s annoyance. Neither you nor Bucky wanted anything extravagant, but Tony insisted there could be no such thing as a small Avenger wedding, so everything had to be big.

Loki played Tony like a fiddle, and got him to pay for lavish decorations which were strategically placed to serve as hiding spots for you and Bucky when you needed a moment to yourselves. He also frequently interrupted the orchestra to play a song that meant something to you, giving you a chance to dance to something fun.

It went well until he introduced the first song you ever danced together to. You and Bucky exchanged worried looks, wondering aloud if he’d actually do what you thought he was going to do. When the singing mice started playing, Bucky roared with laughter before sweeping you into his arms as the others either laughed or looked around in confusion.

After the toasts from the bride-to-be’s escort (Tony), the best man, and man of honor, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Suddenly, bubbles began floating all over the place, meant to entertain you as well as thin the crowd. Some guests began to complain about ruined suits and dresses, making their way to the exit, while the rest laughed it off. You and Bucky spent the rest of the party soaked and sneaking off to exchange soapy kisses.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

You stepped into the common room, having just returned from a date, to find the rest of the team staring open mouthed at the muted television.

“Hey guys, what’s got you so…” you froze at what you saw on the screen; CCTV footage of you and Bucky. You and little Bucky. “Shit,” you squeaked.

“What’s everyone lookin’ at?” Bucky’s voice called from behind you, gaining the attention of every person in the room.

Sam started to snicker, earning a glare from Steve.

“So,” Tony began. “At your disastrous engagement party, I spoke to a guest who had a rather interesting story. Apparently she had a run in with an Avenger and her child. I thought, ‘that’s odd, none of us have children. At least, I hope not.’ So I called in a favor and asked for all surveillance footage of the city for that time and,” he bit his lip in an effort to keep from laughing. “you wanna take a guess at what I found, Barnes?”

Bucky swallowed hard, eyes briefly shifting to you. “I’m uh, guessing it’s me but… a lot smaller.”

Sam couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing, followed by Tony and Nat.

“No wonder you wanted to kill Loki when we got back from that mission,” Clint commented, starting to giggle himself.

“I can’t believe it!” Natasha gasped for air. “You had a little arm and everything!”

Bucky groaned, muttering a ‘Crusty old bitch’ under his breath.

“Hey Y/N,” Tony wheezed. “was he as rude and grumpy as a Buckling a he is now?”

“Oh, oh! Can we please call him Sergeant Buckling from now on?” Sam begged.

You pushed Bucky back into the elevator, away from the taunting of the others.

“I’m so sorry,” you cupped his cheeks. “When I asked Loki to get rid of the footage, I didn’t think about public cameras.”

Bucky sighed, relaxing into your touch and pulling you closer for a kiss. “It’s not your fault. Anyway, they can call me whatever they want, as long as I still get to call you my wife.”

The elevator door opened and you stepped out of his grasp, prepared to make a run for your bedroom. “So, Mrs. Buckling then?”

~ ~ TAG LISTS ~ ~

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Avengers - @majd943

Bucky - @cassandras-musings

KMB -  @winter-in-wakanda​ @fuckmewintertucker​ @ihaveanobsessenproblem​ @the-wintergirl​@ek823​@learisa​  @hardboiledegg21​ @rishlo​ @annie-are-u-ok​ @sebstanwassup​ @winter-prime@LIBUSGRACE@GYPSYCAT111 @xchaoticbloodx @magellan-88​@debbielovesbucky​ @sjt2510 @dairyfarmher9​@frackinawesomeninja​ @just-another-fanfiction-writer​ @barnes-toddpartnersinheartbreak @the-witching-hours12-3​  @rachelle-on-the-run​ @evra-von-what​@socialheartbreak​ @bexboo616​

[whopooh]

Play it again, Jack – fourth and final post of MFMM fics you love to reread

There is no thing as reading too many times, Dot. And of course I can read this on a public transportation if I want to! 

This post is the fourth and final of “Play it again, Jack” – posts that collect the fics we love to go back to and reread.

It has been so fun to hear about your thoughts and to put these posts together. Thank you to everyone contributing!

First I want to start with a comment from @bumblemama that fits perfectly to the spirit of this collection:

Aaaaand another thing... despite having read literally every story on ao3 with the mfmm tag, I realised I couldn't actually remember them all. So I've just gone back to the very start and am working my way through again. There are some lovely gems, and it's really cute to see requests for a season 3, or even a few 'wonder where s2 will go' comments. A good reminder of how perspectives change and stories evolve. There would be plenty that would fit into one or more of the year of tropes, but they somehow seem less consciously trope-ish, I guess because they hadn't been done in this fandom before. Anyway. No specific recommendations just the generalized advice to find page 82 (!!!!) of the fics and work forwards!

@chrismarieisme sent me several lovely recommendations I felt I couldn’t cut up and mix, so here they are all together:

This was difficult because I love so many of the fics, but here we go:

“Be still” by @flashofthefuse – very sweet glimpse of a moment between P&J the night before she leaves for England. It's exactly how I'd hope that moment would be.

“He Calls Her Beautiful” by @ladyroxie – simply exquisite.

“A Perpetual Feeling” by @missingmissfisher – so romantic! The intuitive connection between P&J.

“The Actor” by @ollyjayonline – Jack & Jane, Pride and Prejudice. What more does one need?

“Merciful Powers” by @scruggzi – Jack, tights, Shakespeare. Ngggh.

“The Wager” by @soupsouffle – fun, witty, deliciously, steamy URST.

@soupsouffle, “The Wager”. Reread by @kanste

A wager between Phryne and Jack about who gives into seduction first makes for great banter and flirting. I love how they both use every trick in the book to seduce the other. This fic has some of the best flirting/banter and some of the hottest smut scenes ever. Do I need to say more?

@omgimsarahtoo, “A Thief in the Night”. Reread by @rubycaspar

This story is just so much fun. I love the beginning, told from drunk!Phryne's POV, and then the lovely moment when Jack wakes up and finds her there in the morning. I love the characterisation of both of them in this fic, and the concept is so cute and so well-executed.

@ladyroxie, “The Sweetest Fruit”. Reread by @kanste

Can I just say I love Peach and this fic has a lot of it. It has no smut but it is sooooo sexy. I love to imagine Jack in the garden, especially on a hot day like today. The banter/feeding is just like them and turns up the heat some notches.

@jackphryne4eva, “Cafe Blend”. Reread by @omgimsarahtoo

I adore the meta nature of this fic – the story is of a female MFMM fanfic reader who needs to find a quiet place to read the latest chapter of a smutty fanfiction. Her anticipation is delicious, as is the small French cafe she finds! There's an element of all of us in how she is struggling against her impulse to hide her obsession with MFMM and its fic, and how she decides to read on, working to smother any shame she's been made to feel. It's got a million tiny moments that evoke the show, and so many spots that could be any one of the Phrack fangirls we know. I just love it!

@aljwritesphryne, “and stealing my heart...”. Reread by @rithebard

.... Sweet story. Jack takes Phryne home to escape her mean father and it is just such lovely touching story.

@evendale, “Finally”. Reread by @scruggzi

Set after “Unnatural Habits”, this was one of the first fics I read and I was fascinated by the exploration of phrack's developing relationship with a much more inexperienced depiction of Jack than in many other fics. Phryne in this is very much the teacher, ushering him into the modern world through their developing relationship. Their characters take on this nice point and counterpoint dynamic, with her representing the age of modernity and him a traditional approach that he's fairly eager to leave behind. It's mostly a very gentle story with some lovely banter and very sweet moments between the two of them and it's very much a comfort fic for me. Something I tend to re-read when I'm grumpy. Although I think I lean towards a more experienced version of Jack's character now, with its setting at the end of season two I think this one works as an interpretation and it fills me full of the happy feels whenever I go back to it.

@firesign23, “Grasping at Shadows”. Reread by @rithebard

Phryne and Jack go back to Paris after the war and are haunted by their past and have a hard time sharing it with each other. This is sweet and special because it touches on their vulnerabilities. And how their love bridges it. It is a lovely tale.

@aljwritesphryne, “A Collingwood girl for an Abbotsford Man”. Reread by @kanste

Phryne and Jack return to the footy field and it turns out very different then in the show. I love the flirting and how determined Phryne is to "win over" Jack.

There is desk sex too.......

@omgimsarahtoo, “The Power of the Feminine”. Reread by @kanste

Another series of fics. I love all the different aspects Sarah put into the fics. There is young Jack having sex for the first time and Sarah manages to make the life of the woman with whom it happens come alive. She also introduces us to all the different women who made Jack the man and lover he is today. Of course there is Phrack sexy time. She gives us a new family member whom I like very much and I hope makes a return sometimes.

What made me especially happy is the Happy End Concetta is getting after Jack. It is such a wonderful heart-warming story for a lovely minor character.

@phrynesboudoir/Sassasam, “Mirrors into Windows”. Reread by @scruggzi

This fic combines all my favourite elements of undercover phrackvestigation and resolved sexual tension. Phryne and Jack have been estranged since her return from London although Phryne doesn't know why Jack's not sought her out since she's been back. After being thrown together on a case involving slaughtered academics they renew their friendship and try to navigate a big change in Jack's life and what it means for their partnership. There are lots of lovely things I could say about this fic but basically Phryne as a professor was a kink I never knew I had and it made me spectacularly happy.

@promisesarepiecrust, “City that works” and "A Whole World in Here". Reread by @balticprincess

These are two of my special favourites. Unusual, but great!

There are three things that I love best in fics I like: Angst, Modern AU and a happy ending. And while the first two are not mandatory, I enjoy other fics as well, the last one is. As I watch only movies with happy endings, of course this goes for reading fic, too. "A Whole World in here" by @promisesarepiecrust is written as a play. Nevertheless you can suffer and rejoice with Phryne and Jack in this one. It is full of suspense and romantic. And angsty. So angsty. The epilogue is lovely AND it is M-rated, as I like it. So, an unusual one, but so good and well written.

"City that works" is a modern AU. Total AU: Jack is the free-spirited rich guy and Phryne the divorced policewoman with PTSD. It works so well, that one. Romance, suspense, will-they-won't-they, sex, love, misunderstandings, fun: all there. So, also unusual, but so worth reading!

lefaym, “Locked Rooms”. Reread by @whopooh​

I have probably read this fic more than ten times. It’s fun and lighthearted, and it captures awkwardness in such a wonderful way. Phryne is sure she is about to die in a cellar together with Jack, and she decides to kiss him, because she “had no intention of going to her grave without ravishing Jack Robinson at least once”. When they are saved by Dot and Hugh, they are found in the most compromising situation, and from this moment on the fic is all about delicious awkwardness, and Phryne not wanting to admit she feels awkward. She tries to push it away as not important but fails spectacularly. Here comes one of the funniest lines I’ve read: “Phryne was not going to be defeated by a small masturbatory lapse in judgment“. Finally, the people around her decides she needs a push in the right direction, and we meet the lovely concept of Aunt P ex machina. 

@omgimsarahtoo, “The Female Gaze”. Reread by @kanste

Why do I like that fic? Well, it has Jack in a shower (a lot). But that is not all. Every single reaction to Jack is spot on and lovely. Especially Elsie has a soft spot in my heart

YouknowmeasJ, “Before the World”. Reread by @scruggzi

I'm am absolute sucker for a fluffy reunion fic and this is one I especially like. Jack catches up with Phryne before she leaves Australia and they scheme together to get the Baron home without Phryne having to fly him because he's driving her up the wall. Some lovely funny banter, a little bit of smut and that nice 'you and me against all obstacles' aspect of their partnership really comes to the forefront.

@phrynesboudoir/Sassasam, “The Nearness of You”. Reread by @rithebard

I love pretty much everything Sassasam writes but I chose this one because it really touched my soul. Jack dies in 1929 on the way to meet Phryne and his ghost finds it attached to her home but no one can see him for years till her a new Phryne Stanley comes along. I love this story because you love Phryne's decedent and you feel so deeply for both Jack and Phryne Fisher's sadness and loneliness. Incredibly touching.

@gaslightgallows, “Creatures of Stillness”. Reread by @rithebard

Again I really love gaslightgallows's stories. But this one just really touches me. Jack becoming a merchant seaman to get to Phryne in a beard and dirty peacoat all he wanted to do was get to Phryne and she was delighted. She loves taking care of Jack and it is a very sexy story but it was what they discover about their feelings that really touches me.

@jeneenp/ CollingwoodGirl, "A Man in Need”. Reread by @kanste

This fic has so much going on. I love the PhrackAngst, how everyone works together to get our two idiots together, and the little glimpse in Jack's live. It has some of my favourite Phrack scenes in it. Phryne convincing Jack to let himself touch (in the train), Phryne being her goddess self and bathing in the forest lake and Phryne teaching Jack how to use his tongue. As a plus you have Dot in detective mode.

@olderbynow , ”Smoke and Fire”. Reread by @zannadubs23

According to my reading history it’s around five hits. I love this for a couple of reasons. It’s light and sweet, but still smoking hot. Phryne who is normally so wonderful at everything, just can’t handle the baking of the biscuits. I like that she wants to try, not because she’s goo-goo eyes for Jack (well, not only that—thought that’s clearly part of it) but because he challenges her. That’s it right there. It hits the essence of what makes them tick and lights our imaginations on fire with these idiots. He challenges her and she loves it. She challenges him and he loves it.

@ollyjayonline​, “For Fox’s Sake”. Reread by @whopooh​

This fic is such a happy place, it’s a fic that kind of sparkles with fun and companionship and teasing and love. Phryne and Jack are bailing out from a fox hunt to instead first save the fox and then ravish each other in a folly. The way they interact has such energy and at the same time lightness in it, Phryne’s teasing about Jack’s slightly higher levels of embarrassment is lovely, and it’s a delightful fic.

@omgimsarahtoo, “Romantic Overtures”. Reread by @kanste 

This is not a single fic but a whole series worth reading. I'm really, really fond of letters and Sarah writes some of the best letters out there. I love how Jack and Phryne get bolder with the letters and how in the later fics they keep up with the letters. I would love to have something like that in my relationship

Comeaftermejackrobinson, “Method in their madness” & Miss Templeton, Twelfth Night series (starting with “A Willow Cabin”). Reread by @rithebard

Reunion in England, "Method in their madness" is another favorite, so lyrical and poetic. It is really a story for romantics which I am and exploring the inner lives of our heroes. I also love Miss Templeton's Twelfth Night series on ff.net. She creates a fascinating arc in their romantic relationship while they professionally solve case after case. Also it is fun. And they both have their vulnerabilities with real understanding and though they don't say it out loud love.

DivineMissP,  "Impact" and "Pure Bliss". Reread by AnonM

Dark, well written hurt/comfort. Jack gets to be a reluctant hero without taking anything away from Phryne's strength.

@omgimsarahtoo, “The Breathings of Your Heart". Reread by @kanste

This is Sarathoo's take on the soulmate trope and one fic I've turned to many times. The concept of one soulmate is troubling but Sarah did it beautiful. I love that Phryne and Jack aren't really convinced of the concept (Jack marrying Rosie, Phryne is doing Europe) but when they need comfort turning to each other.  The picture of Phryne writing over her bruises without the ink gives me so many feelings. To balance it out, the conclusion and especially her last message made me laugh out loud.

@firesign23, “When I Sorrow Most”. Reread by @omgimsarahtoo

This is one of those stories that I go back to when I just need a moment to cry. It's short, but saturated with emotion, and just perfectly painful to read. It's like those movies you watch, knowing that they're going to tear your heart out and you're going to love every minute. It breaks my heart every single time.

@heavyheadedgal​, “Queen’s Gambit”. Reread by @whopooh​

This is only a ficlet, but I have found myself coming back to it agfain and again. Although Phryne and Jack are only playing chess in this fic, there is still so much happening and so much understanding flowing between them. I love the way they talk about themselves and their possibly developing relationship while they seem to be talking only about the game in front of them.

This was all.  Here are the earlier posts in the series: I ; II  ; III.

I hope I managed to include everything that has been sent to me -- if I missed something, please let me know and I’ll remedy it!