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megs-readstoomuch · 4 years ago

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Newest installment in my “Shadowhunters: Parenthood Edition” stories. The rest can be found on AO3 HERE!!!

Happy Birthday Reesa!

Jace woke up earlier than usual. He stretched and immediately turned his head to check on Clary, as he always did when he awakened. She was still asleep, red hair fanned out on her pillow and the quietest of snores coming from her mouth. Jace grinned. She never believed him when he said she snored, but honestly, he found it adorable, so he didn’t complain that much. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering for a moment to breathe her in. He smiled and gave her one more quick, light kiss.

Jace slid quietly from the bed and went about his morning routine of shaving and dressing. As he sat to put his socks and boots on, he heard her. She was humming the lullaby Jace had played her last night before bed, as he did every night. The song his Mom had sang to him and his siblings when they were young. With a smile, Jace went into the nursery and found his daughter standing in her crib, the morning sun slowly turning the room a warm gold. Reesa’s strawberry blond curls were wild from her night’s sleep and stood out like a cloud around her head. She had a thumb in her mouth and was still humming their song, but broke into a smile when she saw Jace.

“Hi Dada!” She waved her hand excitedly as if they were seeing each other again after a long journey. Jace lifted her from the crib, kissing each cheek. She laughed and patted his face.

“How is my girl?” Jace said as he proceeded to change her sleeper. He picked out one of the bright, colorful rompers Magnus and Clary kept her closet filled with and started dressing her. She wiggled as she waited on him to finish the snaps and buttons. “Guess what Reesa?”

The little girl blinked at him in response, as he tried to tame her curls a little with the tiny hair clips Clary bought. “Today is your first birthday. It is a big day. You’ve been here with Mama and Daddy a whole year. You are one.” He surveyed his work. Dang, he was getting good at this hair thing.

“I’m one.” Reesa said, watching as he proceeded to put her shoes on. He let her fasten the Velcro tabs herself. “All done!” She held her hands out.

“Excellent work.” Jace complimented her, lifting her down off the changing table and stood her on the floor.

“Where Mama?” Reesa asked as Jace careful put her favorite old stele of his in the pocket of her romper.

“Mama is sleeping. It’s just you and me this morning.” Jace answered her. “Shall we have breakfast?” He held out his hand. She slipped a tiny soft hand into his callused, scarred one and Jace felt his heart swell again with joy over having this little girl in his life.

“Mama sleeping.” Reesa said. “Ssssh.” She twisted her face into a comical shush and pressed a finger to her lips. Jace grinned at her.

“Exactly.”

———

There were only a handful of people in the dining hall this early, as it was barely 5 o’clock. Jace liked it this way though. Mostly those present were coming in late off of patrol, bleary eyed and exhausted. But despite that, each one perked up a little at the sight of the toddler in her bright pink romper, with the butterfly clips in her hair. She always waved at everyone as she and Jace moved through to find a table to sit at.

Reesa refused a high chair on the grounds she was “nota baby”, instead kneeling in the chair next to Jace, happily eating her bacon. Jace nursed his cup of coffee and just watched her. He couldn’t believe it had been a year since she arrived. He still remembered it, he had never been so scared and happy. And now look at her. One year old.

He pushed away the ever present worry about her “Angel gifts” as the family called them. She was just one, but she functioned more like a 2yo. She was quick and smart, speaking in small sentences already. She could jump and run faster than your average child, quick with all her reflexes and motor skills too. She was also taller than average. Aside from all this and a predilection for being found constantly leaping off of the top of Jace’s baby grand and landing perfectly every time, she had yet to exhibit any other manifestations of her pure Angel blood inheritance. Jace still wondered if she would have any of Clary’s gifts. Tessa often hinted that there would be more to Reesa than she had shown them so far.

“More please.” A tiny voice cut into Jace’s thoughts. Reesa had finished her bacon and eggs and was looking expectantly at Jace. “More bacon.”

“Alright, but just two more, ok?” Jace answered her, raising up from his chair.

“Okey doke,” she said, picking her orange juice up with both hands. He chuckled.

———

Clary found them in the office after she had woken and had her own breakfast. Jace at his desk and Reesa on his lap, as usual. He was flicking through night patrol reports on his tablet and Reesa was concentrating on drawing runes on a notepad, her tiny tongue stuck out in concentration.

“Hi Mama!” Reesa cried, wiggling off of Jace’s knee to run around the desk and into Clary’s arms.

“Hi, my baby,” Clary kissed her on the cheek and then blew a raspberry against the soft skin. Reesa giggled. “Happy Birthday!”

“I’m one!” Reesa held up one finger proudly.

“Yes, you are! And we are going to have a party for you,” Clary kissed the outstretched index finger.

“A party?” Reesa crinkled her forehead in confusion.

“A party?” Jace made the same face.

Clary smiled at the resemblance. “Uncle Magnus is planning a party for your birthday. With cake!”

The one year old’s eye lit up. “CAKE!” She yelled, wiggling to be put down so she could run around her mother in a happy gallop while continuing to yell about cake.

“It will be at 5 this evening,” Clary told Jace over Reesa’s yells. “I already asked Underhill to cover your patrol so the whole family can be there.” Jace frowned a little. He hated to ask favors of the other Shadowhunters, even if he was the Co-Head of the Institute. Clary walked around the desk and sat on the arm of his chair. “It’s for Reesa’s birthday. Underhill was happy to do it. And you can cover his next patrol to make up for it, he said.”

Jace’s brow smoothed out. “Well, that does seems more fair.” Clary kissed his cheek and then leaned against him as they watched their daughter dance happily around the room.

———

“I think Magnus made the apartment bigger to fit everyone,” Alec whispered to Jace as they walked into the living room from the kitchen.

“You think? Because I don’t remember there being two bathrooms in the hallway,” Jace pointed out. “Or that hatrack. Tell me that’s not anyone we know, by the way.”

“Dang it, you’re right,” Alec agreed, ignoring the query about the hatrack and sipping from his plastic cup. He made a face. “What is this?”

“Something called punch,” Jace eyed his own pink drink warily. He didn’t like pink drinks in general . “Jocelyn insisted it is what mundanes drink at birthday parties.”

“By the Angel, why?” Alec muttered, quickly dumping the rest of the drink in the ficus behind him (that he was pretty sure hadn’t been there this morning).

“No idea,” Jace said, tossing back the last dredges in his cup and swallowing.

“You still drank it?”

Jace raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever known me to reject food or drink?”

“Fair enough,” Alec said.

Clary came over with two bottles in hand. “Here. Have some water. That punch is as gosh-awful as it was when I was kid.” The two men gratefully accepted the drinks.

A crash came from the kids’ room. The parents all turned, waiting for any cries of distress.

“Everything’s fine!”shouted Rafe. Alec raised an eyebrow.

“I think I’ll check anyway,” he shook his head and went down the now extra long hall to his sons’ room where Rafe and Max were “fighting demins”, according to Max.

Clary slid her arms around Jace’s waist and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. They looked around the room.

Jocelyn, Kadir, and Maryse were chatting in the corner, the every present dried paint visible on the back of Jocelyn’s hand and around her nails as she made a gesture in the air. Maryse nodded to whatever was being said and politely sipped from her cup, making no face but Jace knew his mother enough to see in her eyes what she thought of “punch”. He bit his lip to keep from smiling. Kadir was very focused on Jocelyn’s story, his own hands suspiciously empty.

Luke and Simon bookended the sofa, a 4-month pregnant Isabelle with the start of a baby bump sitting between them. All three were discussing a new weapon the Iron Sisters had sent to the Institute this week. Simon was particularly excited, waving his hands about. Isabelle rubbed her bump and watched him in amusement.

Tess and Jem were sitting on the loveseat, Reesa sitting on Tessa’s lap and talking with them. She was making some of the same gestures with her hands that Jocelyn was making and Tessa nodded encouragingly at her. Mina was sitting in the floor, leaning against her father’s legs with a surprisingly content Chairman Meow on her lap, bedazzling his fur with sparks of magic from her fingers.

Magnus was busily waltzing around the dining room, flashes of magic visible as he finished placing copious amounts of purple, pink, and blue streamers and balloons around a banner that said, “Happy Birthday Baby Biscuit”. Alec had gently pointed out no one else called Reesa that but Magnus had merely kissed him firmly and said, “I make the party rules.” Alec had said nothing more and left him to his decorating.

“You know,” Jace mused. “I never had family around for birthdays until I my 11th. And that wasn’t even my birthday, as we now know. And really by the time you get your first rune, it’s downplayed. Shadowhunters don’t do parties much. Just a cake if everyone is around. But the Institute was always empty. And of course I didn’t have anyone else...before. I got a gift or a wish as you know, but it wasn’t the same as this. I like this. Except maybe the punch.”

“I do too. I like birthdays. I had my first kiss on my 16th birthday, you know,” Clary gave him a saucy grin. Jace shot her a look that made her stomach flip. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“You better stop, Mrs. Herondale. I’m not a well-behaved man.” Clary giggled.

“Alright you two, stop it,” Alec rolled his eyes at them, coming down the hall with his son’s following behind him like baby ducks, each carrying a fake weapon of some sort, the two boys in their miniature gear jackets that they played in. Both their cheeks were red from their “battle” but they looked pleased with themselves.

“And the crash?” Clary asked.

“Bookshelf. Magnus will have to sort it,” Alec shook his head. Rafe and Max looked properly contrite, although Clary knew them enough to know they weren’t really. She winked at them.

“Time for cake!” Magnus announced and everyone gathered in the dining room. Reesa was given the seat of honor and a rounding chorus of “Happy Birthday” was sang. She sang along, much to everyone’s amusement.

She carefully blew out her candle, and Max relit it so he could blow it out too. Reesa found this hilarious, so Max and Mina kept relighting it until everyone had blown out the candle and Magnus finally had to remove the stub from the cake before a second round of candle blowing was started.

The cake was, of course, delicious. Magnus hinted strongly that it had came from France.

“I left money in the till,” He hastened to add before anyone said anything. “But our babies have to have the best cake.”

Clary watched as Reesa picked up her plate and licked the frosting off. “I think you chose well,” she said. Jocelyn shook her head in amusement and cleaned the chocolate off of Reesa’s nose and eyebrows.

“Bapak! Present time! Present time!” Max was bouncing in excitement as Rafe carried in the gift.

Magnus placed the brightly wrapped present in front of a wide-eyes Reesa who looked at him expectantly. “Magic?” She asked.

With a smile, Magnus snapped his fingers and the paper and ribbon unfurled to reveal a tiny gear jacket of her own. Reesa squealed. “On! Now!” She demanded.

Clary complied, slipping it over her bright pink romper and zipping it up. Reesa rubbed her hands over the jacket in amazement. Jace squatted next to her chair and adjusted the collar.

“Can you say thank you to everyone?” He prompted her gently.

“Thank you Unca Alec and Unca Magnus,” she whispered, still in awe. “And Nana and Papa and Gran’ma and Kad and Unca Simon and Ant Izzy and Max and Rafe and Jem and Nonna Tessa and Mina.” The adult all smiled as the little girl listed her whole family.

Alec smiled and knelt next to Jace. “Look,” he showed the little girl the pocket for her stele, tucking it in for her.

“You’re ready to fight now, Baby Biscuit,” Magnus said.

Max and Rafe bounced around her. “Yeah, we are all ready now!”

“Me too,” Mina cried, sending golden sparks through the air as she jumped down to dance with the boys.

“Well then, how about you all go train outside,” Magnus directed, snapping his fingers to cover every surface of the spacious balcony with large soft training mats, a low balance beam, and wooden swords. Reesa gave a suspiciously high jump off her chair and landed next to Rafe. He grabbed her hand and the four children ran outside.

———

The grownups sat down to enjoy decent, less sugary food (courtesy of Simon’s sister Rebecca’s restaurant, which Magnus used as often as he could) and watch the kids through the large windows. The punch had mysteriously disappeared (Jace wasn’t going to point fingers, but he suspected his mother had instigated a punch-removal directive to Kadir), so Magnus produced “adult drinks”.

Jace stood next to the window, watching the children play. Reesa was observing Rafe, who was showing Mina how to balance on the balance beam while holding her hand. When they were done, Reesa tried too, but refused assistance. She managed to walk it as easily as if she were on the ground and even did a large jump at the end.

“She’s good.” Jem had come up beside him, his eyes on his daughter who was comparing magic colors with Max. They were shooting little sparks in the air, and Reesa was laughing as they landed on her hair and arms.

“She is,” Jace said, a mix of pride and worry in his voice.

“Having a child with a gift you can’t exactly understand, it’s not easy,” Jem admitted. Jace looked at him, realizing Jem was a former Shadowhunter, with a half shadowhunter-half warlock wife and a child with an odd mix of warlock and shadowhunter blood.

“I don’t care about her gifts so much anymore, I just want her to be happy,” Jace said quietly. “I wasn’t, as a child. I want her to be more than just her gifts.”

“I remember you,” Jem mused. “You were the quietest, most composed, well-trained, and polite 10 year old I had ever met.”

“The ship. The attack by the werewolves on that ship the night I came to live with the Lightwoods.” Jace looked surprised. “I had forgotten, that was the first time we met, wasn’t it? I used your staff. The one with WH carved on it.”

“Yes. Your gifts were very visible that day, I just didn’t see them clearly. I’m sorry you weren’t happy, though.”

“I was later. I found part of my happiness with the Lightwoods. And the rest,” Jace’s eyes searched out Clary, laughing with Tessa and her mother near the fireplace. “The rest with Clary. And now with Reesa.”

“I understand,” Jem replied. And he did. He knew the fulfillment of happiness that came with love. With Will, with Tessa, with Mina and Kit. He saw that same completion in Jace now, what had been missing all those years ago when he had been the solemn and determined child with those golden eyes and that Herondale recklessness that had reminded Jem of Will even then.

The two men watched as Mina and Reesa joined hands to run away from Max and for a moment, it seemed like Reesa’s eyes glimmered and Mina’s fingers sparked a brighter gold and they seemed to be moving faster than they should have been. He blinked and it was gone. Jace’s brow was slightly furrowed , as if he had seen something as well.

“I think...those two may be trouble together,” Jem said.

“A Herondale and a Carstairs? Definitely. I’ve heard the stories from Tessa.” Jace laughed and Jem joined him.

“Oh yes. Will and I.” Jem smiled at the memories. “Will and Tessa’s daughter Lucie, her parabatai was also a Carstairs. Their son’s was a Fairchild.”

“Herondales, Carstairs, Lightwoods, and Fairchilds. Chaos and mayhem since the beginning, is what you’re saying?” Jace queried.

“Yes,” Jem confirmed. The two men stood in silence for a moment, watching the children play.

“Mundanes have gifted children too, you know.” Jem murmured. “But I think it means they are better at things like math and reading.” Jace looked bemused at this. Reesa turned and saw him watching her. She waved. He waved back.

“I can’t wait to see what they do,” Jace said softly. Jem nodded in agreement.

“I think,” Jem paused as Reesa and Mina joined hands again, their black and golden-red heads bent together to listen to Rafe and Max. “I think they’ll change the world.”

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purplesurveys · 4 years ago

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1195

survey by n0b0dysp3rf3ct

—:: Who ::—

... was the last person you saw face to face? I passed by my brother last night when I had to go to the kitchen to fill up my tumbler.

... was the last person you texted or messaged online? Angela; I was just asking her for the difference among A4/A5/A6 since I’m now planning to buy a binder and sleeves for my rapidly increasing collection of photocards and postcards. It really frustrates me that A4 is the biggest one and A6 the smallest :((((

... was the last person who asked you for a favour? Kata, my manager. She filed a half-day leave last Friday to get herself and her family vaccinated in her town, so she had sent me over a very long to-do list of deliverables that she asked me to fulfill while she was out. Eventually she ended up filing a whole-day leave since she felt feverish after being under the sun all day, and also possibly from side effects of the vaccine, so I ended up carrying the entire workload for the day. I like Kata and she’s a very easy person and superior to work with, so I honestly couldn’t complain about it.

... was the last person you lent something to? Ooh, I don’t remember. I don’t really lend people things.

... was the last person who told you a secret/confided in you? Andi was just sharing to me their worries about taking the LAE (scheduled for today) and how they’ll be okay if they don’t pass.

... is the tallest person you know? Jo is like 5′7″ and we all look like beans when standing next to her. One of my uncles is also very tall; around 5′10″ or 5′11″ if I’m not mistaken.

... the shortest person you know? I think Aya? That’s just a smart guess, though; I haven’t seen most of my friends in more than a year.

... your oldest (in years) friend? Mik is turning 28 this year. Sometimes I forget just how much older he is than me since we vibe really well together during the rare times we did get to hang out. I’m still bummed we never got that smoke break we wanted to have.

... is the oldest (in length of time) friend? Angela.

... is your youngest friend? Hannah was born in 2000. Peter was born in 2001 but we aren’t that close yet.

... is your newest friend? I haven’t made any new friends recently. Stan Twitter is lonelier than I thought it would be; everyone is already friends with everyone so it’s hard to break that space. Not to mention everyone is also grossly younger than I am – I keep seeing profiles with ‘2004′ on their bio :/ I should start making an effort to look for older ARMYs lol, I definitely feel like I’d have more fun that way.

... is your closest relative? My eldest cousin on my mom’s side, my Kuya.

... was your favourite teacher? My music teacher from high school. I neeeeeever liked music as a subject and it was never a priority of mine, but she always kept our classes something for me to look forward with her advice and the way she was always able to make lessons interesting.

... was your least favourite teacher? Those who made it clear they didn’t like me, even though I didn’t do anything to deserve such hostility.

... did you spend the most time with when growing up? My siblings and cousins since we all lived together at one point.

... knows you the best? My two best friends.

... always beats you in games or sports? Andi would probably be able to beat me in any game. They just let me win because they know I can be a sore loser.

... who is the most creative of the people you know? My family is pretty artistic and I have a lot of talented relatives - my sister and my cousin Maggie paint and draw; my mom can make any kind of craft she wants, with her hnds; and one of my grand-aunts regularly does paintings. I think all of them are amazingly creative in their own way.

... is the funniest person you know? Probably Andi. Hans makes me crack up too.

... is the most organised that you know? My mom.

... that you know has travelled the most? My dad. Both our fridge doors are filled from top to bottom with magnets from places he’s travelled in due to his line of work. He’s toned down quite a bit in the last few years and has taken to staying within Asia, but back then his traveling history was super expansive – Germany, Jamaica, Italy, Belize, Aruba, Italy, France, Monaco, Denmark, Norway, the UK, US, Estonia, Portugal, etc.

... has always been there for you? Angela never left my side.

... has given you the most personal gift? I can’t possibly pick, my friends are pretty good at giving me gifts...like Andi getting me a Petals For Armor CD and a Punk shirt that hasn’t been produced in a while, and Angela giving me a personalized Friends mug because she knows I like my coffee and she knows I like Friends.

... has an annoying laugh? I don’t think anyone I know has an annoying laugh.

... never forgets a birthday? That would be me.

... do you live with? My parents, my two siblings, and our two dogs.

...,do you have the most in common with? I’m not so sure about this one, actually. I share bits of my personality with a lot of people - like me and Jo liking BTS, me and Andi liking wrestling, Blanch and I having similar personalities, me and Laurice being super meticulous when it comes to our work, etc. - but I haven’t met anyone who’s virtually a duplicate of mine when it comes to my traits and interests.

...is the sportiest person you know? I’m also not sure. Most people I know are into watching a bunch of sports, but none of them actually play.

...was your last missed call? It was an unknown number that I kept ignoring because THEY WOULDN’T TEXT WHO THEY WERE. If you have enough load credits to call me multiple times, then surely you can text me and introduce yourself first, and maybe then I can pick up the phone.

...did you last open your door for? My sister knocked last Friday because someone wanted to talk to me via landline. It was weird since no one calls via the phone anymore, but I have a gut feeling it was that ^ same person who had been trying to call me through my phone but never texted me. Eventually I learned it was one of the bloggers I’m talking to for work who just wanted to ask a few questions about our ongoing engagement.

... has your heart? Kim Taehyung. Expect the same answer for this type of question moving forward.

... has your respect? I gotta hand it to Tina for consistently doing well in her studies and excelling in every subject while doing photo and video editing for two orgs, working on her thesis, and being a board member in our mutual org, all while living alone. She does so well I wish I can tell her to give herself the occasional break to avoid burnout.

...do you share a special song with? I don’t think I have that with anyone.

...do you miss right now? Literally allllllll my friends.

...last made you angry? It’s been a while since I’ve directed my anger towards another person. When I get pissed off these days it’s usually over a situation that goes awry or out of my control.

...did you last buy a gift for? So this was not technically meant to be a gift, but what happened was I accidentally secured two orders of the same poster set, which was a part of this new BTS photobook coming out later this month, from two different shops. One of the shops merely posted an ‘interest check’ for the poster set so I signed up for it thinking it was harmless, but when they got back to me they already attached an invoice :/ I ended up having to pay for it just so things won’t get complicated between myself and the shop anymore; and I told Angela she can just keep the extra set I bought and that she can consider it a gift.

...did you celebrate your last birthday with? My family and technically my workmates since I didn’t file a leave that day. I also had food delivered to their house so I guess that can count as my ‘celebration’ with them.

...have you gone to a concert with? I went with Angela for my first Paramore show.

...can make you laugh? Anyone can tbh. It’s not very hard to make me laugh.

...has taught you how to do something? Nina taught me how to embroider and do basic needle/thread skills back when I was still getting into the hobby.

...has lost something of yours? I am almost certain my ex never kept the handwritten letters I used to write her. She never seemed to remember or bring up the things I wrote.

...has broke your heart? Gabie but I’m over it.

...has stood you up? Hasn’t happened to me before.

:: What ::

Is your favourite colour? Pastel pink.

Can you do that most your friends can’t? Type fast, apparently.

Is your birthday? April 21.

Colour eyes do you have? Dark brown/black.

Form of transport do you take to work/school? I work from home. But under normal circumstances I would drive my car.

Music do you like to listen to in the car? I connect my Spotify to the car’s Bluetooth and listen to whatever artist or playlist I’m into at the moment. The music I put on could also depend on my current mood for the day.

Languages can you speak? Filipino and English. I’ve also been able to pick up looooots of Korean phrases and expressions because of the amount of content I watch. I’m nowhere near fluent, of course, but I’m increasingly able to pick up what people say based off a few Korean words I’ll hear in a sentence.

Was the last thing you drank? Continued from idk. I finished off my glass of water from dinner.

Was the last thing you ate? My mom made pasta.

Time did you wake up this morning? Depends on how late I slept the night before and how tired I was, but it usually ranges between 5:45–7:30 AM.

Colour are your bedroom walls? They’re white.

Drink do you usually order when eating out? I never order drinks unless I’m at La Creperie, in which case I always get their San Gines hot chocolate; for everywhere else that isn’t a bar, I just get water.

Food can you cook well? ...I can’t cook.

Animals have you had for a pet? Dogs, rabbit, lovebirds, goldfish, and technically a cat but she was mostly Nina’s.

Are your initials? RC.

Kind of activities do you like to do on the weekends? I’m still kind of stuck at home during the weekends :/ so I can’t do much, but I’m not complaining since I actually prefer staying in these days. Anyway, most recently I’ve taken to catching up on BTS content I’ve missed over the last 8 years, so I like watching shows they’ve done like Bon Voyage, Run BTS, etc.

Movie do you know line by line? Two for the Road, TITANIC, and probably most of White Chicks.

Band(s) have you seen in concert? Paramore, One Direction, a bunch of local bands.

Do you buy/get to treat yourself? It’s usually food - I like giving myself a feast every Friday night - but I’m putting that in the backseat for now as I’ve realigned my money to be spent on BTS merch. My big purchases are saved for the albums for now, but every now and then I’ll see a postcard or photocard I like and buy them. Once I complete the albums I’ll be moving on to the concert DVDs, then the special packages, then probably BT21 plushies. Needless to say I have a longggggg way to go haha.

Colours your phone cover? I have a clear case.

Part of the world would you love to visit? Another continent would be nice.

Question do you dislike being asked? Even though I know people mean well, I don’t like being asked “How are you?” but tbh it’s more of a me thing because I just never really know what to say.

Subject were you good at in school? History.

Careers do your parents have? They both work in the hospitality industry.

Brand of clothing do you buy most often? For clothes clothes I’m not really loyal to a particular brand; I buy from different brands and shops all the time. But for shoes, I like sticking to Nikes.

Chocolate bar is your favourite? Not a big fan of chocolate bars. I love Reese’s Cups, though.

TV show have you watched every series of? Friends, Perfect Strangers, Breaking Bad.

Radio station do you listen to the most? It’s a little hard to tell at this point considering I haven’t driven regularly in over a year. But back when I used to do it, I usually flipped among 93.1, 99.5, and 87.5.

Podcasts are you subscribed to? I’m not the biggest fan of podcasts. Find them a tad bit boring.

Is your favourite dessert? Macarons or cheesecake.

Can’t you do that most around you seem to? Ride a bike.

Are 5 qualities you value in a friend? Loyalty, thoughtfulness, honest, sensitive to my needs and those of others, and intelligent.

Are 5 qualities you value in a partner? ^ Pretty much the same thing.

Size pizza do you usually order? Family size usually.

Cuisine do you like to order or cook? I’ve been getting Japanese so many times recently. I rarely go outside sushi.

Colour(s) dominate your wardrobe? Black and white, and colors that were in at one point like mustard yellow and pastel pink.

Toothpaste brand do you use? Colgate.

Sounds can you hear right now? My insanely loud aircon.

Is the weather like today? Like hell. I believe we’re reaching a heat index of over 50ºC every day now, so...that’s fun. It gets absolutely difficult to work in the afternoon when the temperature is at its most brutal, and its times like this I wish I got to work in the office so that there’s aircon and I could at least work comfortably :/

Are your plans for tomorrow? Just work and have tons of meetings, the usual.

:: Where ::

Do you keep your phone when not using it? I keep my phone near me even when I’m not using it since I could always get an important notification.

Were you born? Manila.

Do you go to unwind? Most days it would be the rooftop, but under normal circumstances I like staying at a coffee shop somewhere to escape life and my responsibilities for a short while.

Is your best friend right now? I believe they’re both at home since they have no reason to be out anyway.

Can you go nearby to have a good time? Personally, I would just go to the Starbucks near our village lol. If I’m feeling a bit more adventurous I’d head to Katip, which is prrrretty close by but not quite.

Is the nearest restaurant? We have a McDonald’s literally right beside the village. Then besides that is a Shakey’s, and right across that is a Burger King, then the aforementioned neaby Starbucks. Just makes me realize how urbanized my town has gotten in the last few years.

Is the nearest beach? If I had to guess, the nearest beaches would be in Batangas which is 2-3 hours away, but it really depends on how fast you can drive lol. I’m not too good with long car rides so in both times I’ve driven there I had always taken 4 hours.

Did you meet your closest friend? I met Angela in grade school, and I met Andi at a local rally in my university.

Did you go for your last vacation? Tagaytay, though it was a staycation more than anything else.

Is the nearest mall or superstore? It’s like a 3-minute drive away from the village.

Did you last get an injury? I have loadsssssss of new scratches and gashes all around my wrists from playing with Cooper.

Is the most extravagant place you’ve stayed at? It’s a toss-up between Aids’ or Gian’s house. Gian would probably win since I never actually got to go inside Aids’ place, and his was the first house I’ve been to that was able to literally take my breath away. OH and Shaun’s house was pretty fucking swanky as well.

Do most the local kids play? I would have no idea since I’m neither a kid nor a parent.

Have you been with your family? This is a very vague question lol...what do you mean where have we been? We’ve been to different towns around the country and several countries together, if that’s what you’ve been asking.

Did you spend Christmas last year? We visited a couple of relatives, and we also spent it at home.

Did your parents grow up? My mom grew up within Metro Manila; my dad in a city a little outside of it.

Did you buy the shoes you’re wearing? I’m barefoot at the moment and always am at home.

Would you like to go right now if you could? If life had still been normal I would probably be having after-work drinks at a bar near the office.

Do you miss the most from your childhood? I’m not sure how to answer this with where.

Is the best restaurant you know? I’m still searching for it.

Will you never go again as it was so bad? It’s not that it was bad, but I’d probably never dine at 8Cuts again because their burgers are not worth the hype and are very overpriced for their size.

:: When ::

...was your last vacation? My family’s last legit vacation was in August 2019; but we did have a quick escape to Tagaytay in January of this year.

...did you graduate? I officially ‘graduated’ from college in August, if you could even call it that.

...did you decide what career you wanted? Somewhere between my 2nd and 3rd year of college. That was when I decided I hated journalism and preferred PR, but since PR is under journalism’s umbrella there was no need for me to shift courses.

...did you have your first kiss? Continued. Like WHEN when or how old was I when? In any case, it was in January 2015 and I ws 16.

...did you learn how to swim? Idk, pretty early on. My parents liked taking us to water parks when we were younger, so we had a lot of exposure. I’m not sure if there was ever a time where something just clicked and I learned how to swim; I believe it had just come naturally.

...did you have your first relationship? By the end of 2014.

...did you meet your best friend? I met both of them in school, but at different points.

...do you feel the most at peace? Probably when I’m able to stay at the rooftop all alone.

...do you usually fall asleep? I’ve readjusted my body clock now (I used to want to be in bed by 9 or 10 PM, lmao) and I stay up until anywhere between 12-2 AM on weekdays.

...do you usually wake up? Ranges between 6-7:30 AM.

...did you last watch a movie? September.

...did you last go to a party? Around Februaryish, 2020.

...did you last cry? I can’t really recall. The last moment I can remember was crying over Life Goes On sometime last month, when I heard it for the first time. I’m just not sure if that’s accurate or when exactly in April that happened.

...did you laugh really hard? I always have a good laugh at least once a day.

...did you buy something pricey last? Idk what you would count as pricey but I bought the new BTS photobook set when it dropped back in April. Cost me around ₱3750. I wasn’t able to buy from the first press (it sold out in like 7 minutes lol) which included an exclusive poster set, so I had to look for a local shop that was already offering the poster set separately, and ended up shelling out another ₱2200 for it...which means all in all I spent around ₱5950 for it or roughly $125.

...did you have an argument last? Earlier this evening but I don’t want to get into it as it made me cry from sadness and frustration for the first time in months.

...did you last have a sick day? May last year.

...did you last recieve a hug? I have no idea. February, I think? when I hung out with my friends.

...when is your best friend’s birthday? July 22 or September 15, depends on which best friend.

...did you learn how to drive? I started getting lessons when I was 17, but I didn’t start feeling comfortable with it until I turned 18.

...did you last receive a surprise? Around a couple of weeks ago when my dad came home with Jollibee for us.

:: How ::

Many pets do you have? Two.

Many houses have you lived in? Three that I can remember, but I know my parents moved around a bit when I was a newborn.

Often do you shower? Every morning before my shift. I hate feeling sweaty and icky when I report for work.

Well can you cook? I can’t at all.

Many close friends do you have? I have two people I count as my absolute best friends, but I have a handful of close friends as well.

Many Brothers or sisters do you have? One of each.

Often do you go swimming? I don’t swim much at all, really...I haven’t done it since 2019, so that should say enough. As relaxing as it is, I feel like the clean-up afterwards can be such a challenge lol. Like if you swim in a pool you have to rigorously wash the chlorine off of you; and if you swim in the sea you have to also be thorough about making sure you’ve removed all the sand from your body.

Many times have you texted today? I don’t think I texted today but I did spend my whole day on chat platforms.

Do you like your toast (colour, topping)? I don’t have super particular preferences; I just like mine on the burnt side.

Do you like your tea and/or coffee? My coffee has to be sweet for me to enjoy it. I can take black coffee/Americano; I’ll just wince a lot with every sip. No tea for me thanks.

Do you like to celebrate your birthdays? With a lot of food.

Are you feeling today? A little frustrated because of an argument incident this evening. But I’m shaking it off and just focusing on the release of Butter tomorrow. My first BTS comeback!!!

Serious are you about your career goals? Very.

Many rooms are in your house? In total, 9.

Many bedrooms in your house? 4.

Did you do in your school exams? I was never consistent. I slacked off a looooooot in grade school; couldn’t give less of a shit about my classes then. I got a bit more hardworking in high school, but I still was a bit lax and I allowed myself to not put a lot of effort in subjects I didn’t care a lot for and that I know I would never have to use in real life, like chemistry or accounting, so there were exams I really excelled in and others that I would fail. It was only in college I started taking my studies incredibly seriously and I believe that showed in the grades I eventually got.

Close do you live to your parents? They’re like, five steps away.

Close do you live to your siblings? My sister’s literally in the room next to mine.

Sensitive to criticism are you? I know it’s something that can never be avoided, so I’m always open to hearing them, especially if it’s meant to help me. It doesn’t mean I enjoy it as it is being given.

Motivated to make changes are you? Depends on my mood and mindset.

Creative are you (1-10): -0.5.

Hard working are you (1-10): Probably a 22 if I really put my head into a task.

Sporty are you (1-10): I dunno, maybe a 6? I do like playing table tennis, but I’m pretty meh at any other sport.

Musical are you (1-10): 0.

Do you prefer your eggs? Runny yolk; scrambled; or a really packed omelette.

Often do you go out to eat? Before the pandemic, I liked eating out 2-3 times a week.

Would your best friend describe you? Not sure, I never tried asking them this. I hope it’s all nice things, though.

Can someone cheer you up if you’re sad? Send me photos of V. Hahahaha

Often do you meet up with your friends? ...What do you think? D:

Important is religion to you? It is not a part of my life whatsoever.

Old were you when you first stayed overnight from home? 15 or 16, I can’t really remember.

Old were you when you got your first pet? I was maybe 6.

Tech savvy are you? I know enough to survive my own, but I obviously can’t hack into other computers or things like that.

Do you show you appreciate those you care for? Buying them food.

Often do you cut your hair? I only take a trip to the salon once a year.

Often do you paint your nails? Never.

Many countries have you visited? Six.

Boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? Just one.

:: Why ::

... did you choose your username? Because it was straightforward.

... did you take this survey? I like surveys made in categories, and this seemed interesting and varied enough.

... did you choose the career you did? I found that I enjoyed it MILES more than journalism.

...did you last leave the house? I had to go to a local LBC for a work errand.

...did you last give up on something? She wasn’t worth the effort anymore. She hadn’t been for a while, but it took me forever to realize.

...did you search the last thing you searched? I wanted to sing along to the song but it was in Japanese, so I had to look up its lyrics.

...would you give up on someone completely? Oof, I guess you can refer to one of the previous questions. ^

:: If...::

You could live in any country which would you choose? Canada.

You could choose any animal as a pet which one? I’m perfectly content with dogs.

You could be famous for something what would you like? Being known for a funny tweet would probably be enough lol. I have no desire to be famous.

You are sad, how do you combat it? I don’t really get sad anymore these days, so I can’t super remember the go-to tactics I depend on...I guess I like listening to sad songs and allowing myself to wallow in the sadness, because I know I have to accept and process my feelings first before I can be able to calm down.

You can drive when did you learn? I learned shortly before I started college, when I was 18, because no one was going to be able to take me to university when the school year started.

You could have any job what would it be? Idk, I like the one I have now.

You could go anywhere for a vacation where would you go? Somewhere with a completely different feel and atmosphere, like Norway, Sweden, Finland...that part of Europe, basically.

You could eat anything right now what would it be? Samgak gimbap :/

You wrote a book what genre/topic would it be? It would be a book of essays or maybe a memoir.

You had a theme song what would it be? Idk I don’t really think about this.

You could meet any band/singer in person which one? Billie Eilish seems awesome and easy and fun to talk to.

You could act in any movie which would it be? No thanks.

You get married what venue would you like? Hotel.

If you have kids do you have names picked out? I have one name picked out for a girl but that’s it.

Could describe your dream home what would it be like? Brutalist and minimalist, with large windows, cove lights, and a lot of white space.

You could go back in time what would you change? Break up with Gab earlier.

Could use 3 words to describe your childhood which ones? Could’ve been better.

Could get the answer to any question which question would you choose? When I would die and how, just so I can have peace of mind.

You could have an endless supply of something what would it be? Money, because of course.

Meet anyone who no longer lives who’d you choose? My great-grandfather, mom’s side.

:: Can ::

... you ride a bike? No, never learned.

... you ski? I’ve never even seen snow, so no.

... you bake a cake? I can try but it will probably be very clumsily made as I don’t bake.

... you sing well? I wouldn’t say that. I like singing when I’m alone, but it doesn’t mean I’m any good.

... you do your own taxes? I’ve never tried haha so I guess not.

... you remain calm in a crisis? Depends on how serious it is.

... you do first aid? Let’s just say I wouldn’t volunteer if it comes down to it because I feel like I’d commit one fatal mistake that would make the situation graver.

... remember your best friend’s family members’ names? Both of their families, yes.

... you fire a gun? I’ve never tried so I doubt it.

... your parents drive? Yep.

...your best friend dance well? They’re not ‘dancers’ per se but sure, they can bust out a move or two.

...you make people laugh easily? Not everyone, but sure.

...stand up for yourself? That’s what I’m trying to learn these days.

...you do a martial art? No.

:: Would ::

You like to learn a new language? That’s always a welcome opportunity.

Save the life of a stray animal? Absolutely.

Know what to do if there was a hurricane? We have several ones come in the country every year so yeah, I can definitely say we’ve long been well-prepared for them.

Try a new cuisine? I do this as often as I can.

Risk your life for anyone? Yes.

You like to get back in touch with someone? No, I’m good now.

You drive in the middle of the night to get a stuck friend? Ina heartbeat.

You Know how to perform CPR? In relation to the first aid question, I wouldn’t volunteer myself in case I make a wrong move.

You likely win in a game of chess? I don’t even know how it works, so no.

You stop talking for a day for $100? Easily.

#survey #surveys

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dcnatural · 4 years ago

Text

Delicate

Word Count: 1697

Pairing: Reader x Bruce Wayne

Rating: General Audiences

Synopsis: Your life has been a downward spiral since your parents died. In your worst moments, you discover that the only one you can rely on Bruce Wayne.

It had been a shitty couple of weeks for you. To be honest, your problems had began years ago, when your parents passed away in mysterious circumstances that the GCPD had never been able to figure out. Ironically, it was your tragedy that had made you famous. Being from one of Gotham’s wealthiest families had made the case seem interesting to the public, especially since it had been less than a year from the Wayne’s murder. The shares of your company went on the rise and thanks to your uncle’s administration, it soon became the most important electronics industry in the country.

But even though you had money, those years were hell. You hated living alone in your big penthouse; you hated going to school; you hated your uncle, who only wanted the money and didn’t even take care of you and you hated the cops for not discovering what had caused your parents demise. Those were lonely years, the only friend you had was Bruce Wayne, another young orphan, only two years older than you. But then he went away and you were left utterly alone.

With nothing else to do, you threw yourself into a life of alcohol, parties, drugs and sex. You build a fame of being a party animal, Gotham’s craziest socialite; you began to hang out with the wrong crowd and didn’t have a care in the world other than to get drunk. You left the company to be administered by others and bought a nightclub, which quickly became the most exclusive one in the city.

None of that mattered to you. You were happy with the life you were living. But then Bruce returned to town. You didn’t want to let him back into your life, afraid he would leave again. Truth be told, you always liked him as more than a friend and when he disappeared to travel around the world, you were heart broken. Of course he made his way back into your life. You frequented the same parties, went to the same restaurants, talked with the same people, you couldn’t just pretend he didn’t exist. Especially when he was so damn charming. You weren’t as close as you once were, but he was the closest friend you had. And that’s why you worried what he would think of it. Would he believe it? He couldn’t, could he? He had known you for a long time, he ought to know that you could never do it.

* * *

It had been a real nightmare from the moment you woke up. Your phone was filled with notifications of missed calls and texts, everyone aching to be the first to get your statement. Not that you knew what they wanted from you. No, you discovered that when you picked up the newspaper.

“The truth behind Silver St. Cloud’s death” , said the headline. Near it was printed a photo of you with Silver in a party last year. Then, the article proceeded to detail how you had been the one to kill Silver and covered it up as an OD, all because you owed her about half million dollars.

You couldn’t finish reading it as tears began to cloud your vision. You had befriended Silver around the same time Bruce left. Together, the two of you were the life of Gotham’s nightclubs, you had loved her like a sister, until she overdosed two months back.

How dare they accuse you of having killed her? Bullshit. That’s all bullshit. No one will buy it , you though as you sipped your coffee.

You were wrong. Before midday, the police was already knocking on your door, asking questions. Apparently, that journalist had written a pretty convincing article.

“No, I didn’t borrow any money from her.”

“No, I wasn't with her that night.”

“Yes, I have an alibi.”

“No, of course I didn’t hire someone to kill her! She was my friend.”

By the end of the day, you were tired of answering the same things over and over again.

The days passed, but the press was obsessed with that story, and you couldn’t even leave your building without having ten microphones shoved on your face and reporters asking questions, trying to distort every word you said to make you look guilty.

* * *

You were watching TV when you heard the doorbell. You opened it grumpily, sure it was the detectives with more pointless questions.

“What do you want now?”, you said as you pulled the door open, not even checking who was on the other side, lately all visits you got were from the GCPD.

“That’s how you say ‘hello’ now?”, Bruce asked, cracking up a smile.

You exhaled sharply. It had been a week since you were accused of murder, and this was the first time you even heard from him. You were happy to see him, but you were mad it had taken so long for him to show up. “Bruce”, you stated flatly, careful as to not show any conflicting emotions.

“Can I come in?”, he asked and you nodded, moving to the side to allow him to enter your apartment.

“Want a drink?”, you offered, following social protocol. No matter how mad you were at him, you still had your manners.

He declined politely and sat on your couch. The TV was still on, showing, for what felt the millionth time that week, an old episode of X-Files. You poured yourself a glass of whiskey, which you quickly drank in one swallow, before sitting by Bruce’s side. He stared at you, thinking of something to say, those blue eyes piercing your soul and unveiling your deepest secrets.

“I know you are innocent”, he said, after what felt like a long time.

You were taken by surprise. “You do?”, you exclaimed, your voice so low it was almost a whisper. He smiled, nodding softly. You felt a sudden urge to throw your arms around his neck and kiss his handsome face. He was the only one who believed in you.

“But that’s not why I came by”, he continued. You raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he wanted. “I’ve been thinking, and uh…”, you had never seen him stutter before, whatever he had to say, it was really important. “Would you like to go get some drinks one of these days?”

What? Was he really asking you out? Before, you would have said yes without hesitation, but now everything was more complicated. “This isn’t the best time”, you began to tell him. Your reputation had never been worse, you didn’t want to ruin his too.

“I don’t care. I should have asked this long ago”, he interrupted you mid-sentence. “So, I’ll text you the address, then?”, he asked, getting up and straightening his suit. You nodded, too surprised to do anything but agree. He flashed you one last smile before leaving your apartment.

* * *

You arrive late. It wasn’t your fault, you had to take long routes to avoid all the paparazzi. You had decided to meet in a dive bar on the East End, the last place on Earth anyone would think to look for Bruce Wayne and Camila L/N, all to avoid publicity.

Even with the bad lighting, you quickly spot him in the far back of the bar. He has taken the “undercover date” idea very seriously, dressing up in jeans and t-shirt, something you had never seen he do before. He could wear anything and still look gorgeous.

“Hey, sorry I’m late”, you call, nearing the table. He waves and get up to greet you.

“I’m glad you came”, he says, pulling out a chair for you to sit. You thank him.

“Yeah, of course I did. It was hard get rid of the press, but I managed to do it.”

You chat about everything. He tells about his travels. You talk about your nightclub, which, incredibly, seems to have become more popular. You drink and eat greasy chips, and much for your surprise, he seems to actually enjoy the food. Around you, clients come and go, and by the time the bar is about to close you two still have much to talk about. He invites you to his place, and you accept.

The alcohol makes you lightheaded, and, as you lay on the backseat of the car, your head on his shoulder, you kiss him. He is a good kissed, better than you would’ve imagined.

“I love you”, you whisper. “I’ve loved you for a long time. It hurt when you left without telling me. You were my only friend, you were my first love.”

He pulls back, putting a little distance between your bodies. Just a little, but enough for you to wonder if you might have said the wrong thing. You know these kind of situations are delicate, to say the least.

“I’m sorry”, he says finally. “I should have told you I was going to travel. It wasn’t planned, it was more of an impulse. I never meant to hurt you”

“So it’s cool?”

“What?”

“That I said ‘I love you’ .”

“It’s perfect”, he tells you, before diving in for another kiss.

You don’t remember much of the car ride. Only that soon you were on his manor, going up three flights of stairs. There were hands and mouths everywhere, and you were sure that by the time you two decided to sleep, it was way past sunrise.

* * *

You wake up first, his naked body besides you. You tiptoe to the balcony, not wanting to wake him. The sun is high on the horizon, casting a beautiful glow on the tree line. You stay out there, enjoying the view for a while, before going back inside. Bruce’s still sound asleep, you lay back on the bed, thinking of how you wouldn’t mind waking up next to him every single day. You wonder if behind his closed eyelids he’s dreaming of you.

“Morning honey”, he says with an yawn.

“I think it’s afternoon already”, you laugh. He smiles and kisses you again.

And, in that moment, you know that no matter what happens, he’ll be by your side, and that is all that you need.

#bruce wayne #bruce x reader #batman x reader #batman imagine #bruce wayne imagine #reader #dc

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athingthatwantsvirginia · 4 years ago

Text

Andy Warhol Arguments

PART TWENTY-NINE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: vomiting, periods, mentions of parent death, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 5.9K

Summary: Ella feels the stress of her new life in Philadelphia.

Rubbing at his eyes, Jess shut the alarm clock off and furrowed his brows when he saw Ella wasn’t next to him. Her side of the bed was cold and didn’t look nearly as disheveled. But the anxiety at her absence quickly subsided as he walked out into the living room. With papers strewn around on the coffee table in front of her, Ella had spread out on the couch with no blanket, despite the Autumn chill in the air. She was still in her dress from the day before, and it was twisted around her form, riding up her thighs. Mascara was smudged around her eyes. Jess smirked, then went over and began shaking her shoulder gently. The light was soft through the gray curtains, and the sky was overcast. Even still, she squinted as she stirred awake, confused at her location.

“Elle? Wake up,” Jess said, coaxing her out of her groggy state. “Jeez, how late did you stay up?”

She sighed, sitting up and gathering herself. “I don’t know. I was grading essays for at least a couple more hours after you went to bed. But I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I was just gonna rest for a little while. Obviously, that was naive of me.”

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her cheek before going to put on the tea and coffee in the kitchen.

“What time is it?” she asked, stretching her arms high over her head as she stood up, her skirt falling around her knees again. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to wake herself up and shake off the throb pulsing behind her eyes.

“Seven,” Jess replied, filling the coffee pot up with water.

Ella nodded, relieved. Her first class wasn’t until nine. At least she would have time to shower off her makeup from the day before, and brush her teeth. The taste in her mouth made her grimace; she couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep without brushing her teeth. It was almost time for midterms at school, and the students in the art history class she was a teacher’s assistant for had just turned in their first major essays. Overall, they were pretty decent. But, she was also never one to shy away from the red pen. Shuffling the stacks of paper on the table into neat rectangles, she stifled a yawn.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” she said, coming to lean against the island. “I’d probably scare the undergrads if I showed up like this. Thanks for waking me. I would’ve slept forever if I could.”

“I know.” Jess turned on the tea kettle and faced her. “You gotta take it a little easier. I think that vein in your forehead is bound to pop, the way things are going.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Mariano. The concern is appreciated but not necessary.”

“You’ve slept a total of, like, seven hours in the past three days,” he argued.

“Hypocrite,” she scoffed, making for their bedroom again to get fresh clothes.

“Nihilist,” Jess retorted, calling after her. He would’ve worried about the volume of his voice so early in the morning, but he could already hear Matthew and Chris talking through the walls.

Ella chuckled breathily, half-heartedly. “I’m not the one who hung Nietzche above our bed.”

. . .

Despite Ella’s time at Luke’s, she had never mastered making breakfast. Or cooking in general. Baking came natural and easy, her pies a hit at every single holiday and gathering she brought them to. But she burned the toast, didn’t fry the bacon long enough, couldn’t get the pancakes just right. Jess, however, had somehow picked up cooking skills between sighs and snide remarks. He and Chris took turns making breakfast sometimes, when everyone didn’t just resort to cereal. It was common knowledge in the apartment, though, that both Ella and Matthew were best away from the kitchen in the morning hours.

As Ella reemerged from the bedroom, her hair damp and braided, her simple black dress loose and comfortable, the smell of the scrambled eggs Jess was making hit her in the face. Pepper and butter and orange juice mixed in, Chris on the couch flipping through the news channels on the TV sat opposite, Matthew at the counter talking with Jess. With everyone up so early, it made sense Jess would make something. She wondered sometimes if it was nostalgia which drove him, serving them food as Luke did his customers. And, of course, he lived above the business he owned just like his uncle. Ella had pointed out the irony to him more than once. After all, Ella knew just how much Jess looked up to Luke, even if he would never admit it in so many words.

Her stomach did a flip instead of growling as it usually would have, as the ache in her head pounded with the beat of her heart. It made her want to sigh audibly, but she bit it back. The only silver lining of the morning had been not bleeding through her dress and onto the couch, her period having shown up at some point in the night. Cramps were already twisting her insides, nauseating her.

“Did you hear what Bush did last night?” Chris asked, head perking up when he saw her enter the room. He held a coffee in one hand, the liquid pale from copious amounts of milk and sugar.

“Please don’t tell me,” she said tiredly, hopping onto a stool next to Matthew. “I can’t handle his idiocy this morning.”

“I’ll spare you, then.”

“Thank you so much.”

Matthew chuckled breathily at them, sipping from his own mug. He was clean-shaven again, having stayed at the apartment for the first time in several days. Still, they did not know the name of the mysterious girlfriend.

“He’s never that nice to me,” Matthew said, his words a joking sigh.

Ella shrugged. “He owes me for covering his ass when he pissed off that spoken word lady last week.”

“Not my fault,” Chris chimed in from the couch, defensive.

“Right, so when you told her she wasn’t as important as the other woman, that wasn’t your fault? Someone else said that?” Ella prodded, eyebrows raised skeptically.

Chris sighed heavily. “I didn’t say that. She just heard me wrong.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Ella chided.

Scoffing, Chris turned his eyes back to the TV and said nothing more. Ella snorted at his petulance, facing ahead where Jess stood over the stove. With a spatula in one hand and the handle of a frying pan in the other, she was reminded again of their days at the diner. Of a lonely morning when Luke had an appointment and Ella had gotten into a fight with her father. It was the first time Jess had made her breakfast. A wistful look crossed her face, and she was lost in thought when Jess put her tea down in a mug in front of her.

“Earth to Eleanor,” he said, waving a hand in front of her face. “What, thinking about Emily Dickinson again?”

“Close, but no,” she replied, blinking herself out of her daze and taking the mug with both hands. She blew steam from the top and shot him a small smile. “Thanks, cutie.”

Rolling his eyes, Jess went back to the stove with a flushed face. He didn’t have to look back over to know she had a teasing grin on her lips. Since their ride to California, she’d been poking at him with the nickname. He thought she would let it go, but then he remembered who he was dealing with. And though he wouldn’t admit it, as he blushed, it was growing on him just a touch. Besides, he knew it was due retaliation for ‘honey,’ which he still used on a daily basis.

“You want toast with these eggs?” he asked, hoping his face would cool down sometime soon.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Ella shook her hand. “No thanks, actually, I’m good without either. Just tea is fine.”

Jess’s brows furrowed immediately and he looked up from his work, tilting his head at her. “Really? You sure?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I’m not hungry.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. Getting a good look at her, he thought she was paler than normal, though it could have just been his imagination. Lack of sleep probably wasn’t helping her pallor, anyway.

“You might be hungry later.”

“Well, I’ll come back here for lunch. Four hours isn’t so long,” she said, her tone light against his puzzled gaze.

“Okay, Stevens,” he said suspiciously, but then let the subject drop. It was strange for her to skip breakfast, sure. But it was also strange for her to stay up half the night grading papers; perhaps she was just having an off day.

Her eyes lingered on his a little longer, but she kept her emotions masked beneath a complacent smile. Eventually, Jess focused back on the eggs which he was apparently making for himself. Matthew had a plate in front of him, and Chris had already scarfed his down.

“Oh my god, guys,” Chris piped up from the couch again.

Ella suppressed a groan; he updated them on various happenings from the news every single morning. The information was rarely relevant to anything.

“What?” Jess asked flatly, putting the eggs on his own plate and setting them down across the counter from Ella. He leaned against the tiled surface as he ate.

“There’s like three people in Berkeley with mad cow disease,” Chris answered, a shocked look on his face. Ella had no idea how he kept up so much energy, and could be so consistently amazed at the world around him. It was a little exhausting, but endearing nonetheless.

She scoffed. “Good thing I couldn’t afford it, then.”

Jess nodded knowingly as he chewed.

“What?” Matthew asked.

“Oh,” Ella said casually, taking another sip of the tea. She wished it was green, but Jess would almost certainly have more questions for her, about whether she was getting a migraine, if she drank that. Already, she could see him trying to get her to stay home. And she simply couldn’t flake so close to mid-terms. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to go to Berkeley. Maybe because it was the farthest place I could think of. But I’d never been there. And after finally making it to California, I’d say it’s a good thing the tuition was too insane for me to handle.”

A bark of a laugh came from Chris. “Yeah, you’re too pretentious for anything but the East coast.”

“I am not,” she retorted, not even turning around to face him again. “Maybe I’m just too much of a realist for that hippie bullshit.”

“More like a stick-up-your-ass killjoy, but sure, I guess realist is another way to put it,” Chris said, with self-satisfied lilt in his tone.

“Fuck off,” she shot back lazily. Both Jess and Matthew watched on in amusement, as they had grown accustomed to doing, while she continued. “You’re just pissed you’re not deep enough to understand true art. All you can wrap your brain around is ABBA and Andy Warhol.”

“Andy Warhol was an American treasure!”

Ella finally turned around to see Chris shooting daggers at her. “Andy Warhol was a sellout! I have a whole book about him; you can borrow it!”

“Oh, well, if a book says so,” Chris mocked, feigning belief.

She laughed. “It’s too early and there’s just not enough time for me to explain to you how wrong you are. I gotta get to class. Professor Stanton wants me to go over her presentation with her before.”

Getting down off the stool, she rushed behind the counter and gave Jess a long kiss goodbye. Her feet felt heavy in her black oxfords as she went over to the door, donning her peacoat from the rusty rack and grabbing her bag.

“See you for lunch at noon?” she asked, throwing one last look at Jess.

He nodded, gave her a reassuring smile. She seemed frazzled and uneasy. “I’ll be here, Daria.”

“Just checking, James Dean.”

“Bye, Ella,” Matthew said.

Ella gave him a little wave and rolled her eyes when Chris was silent from the couch, pouting over her slight to his god, Andy Warhol. “Fuck you very much, Chris.”

He yelled an cheerful obscenity back to her as she raced out the door, the old bronze clock down in the main room of Truncheon chiming half past eight.

. . .

By lunch, her headache had progressed to a full-on migraine, but she still had one more class and office hours to attend to, so she was pressing on. The day was chilly, a faint drizzle misting her as she trudged up the sidewalk back to Truncheon. She made a note to herself to grab an umbrella before leaving again; at least it hadn’t started pouring on her walk. Her old shoulder bag was dragging on her tired frame, packed to the brim with books and papers. The green fabric was faded to almost gray, as she had been lugging the bag around since high school. But it had yet to rip or fray, and she’d added a few patches to the front at some point during college. What wasn’t broken, she didn’t intend trying to fix. Why waste the time?

She was glad to be met with the familiar smell of old books as she reentered the small publishing company. Matthew was reorganizing shelves to his preference, silent and analytical. Hanging her bag and coat on the hook by the door, she ran her hands up and down over her own arms in an attempt to warm up. The tights she wore were thin and cheap. Chris was nowhere to be seen, which Ella was almost grateful for. As much as she enjoyed the two guys, Jess was the only one she wanted in the moment. And though what she really wanted was to lean her head on his shoulder and fall asleep, an hour for lunch up in the apartment, as they had every day, would have to do.

Sluggish as she ascended the stairs, Ella felt a gnawing hunger in her stomach, but was nervous to eat. With the cramps ripping up her insides, she knew whatever she downed might just come back up. Jess was already upstairs, reading at the counter, when she opened the door to the apartment, and he looked up with a tiny smirk as she walked in.

“Hey, Daria,” he said, marking the place in his book and tossing it aside.

She shot him a weak smile of greeting and made for the fridge, scanning the various homemade leftovers and takeout boxes. Jess came up behind her, peering in over her shoulder. At his closeness and his aroma of pine, she breathed a sigh of relief and stopped what she was doing. Just having him near made her feel better instantly, knowing she would come home to him at the end of the day. A mixture of emotions welled inside her, rising up in her throat. Shutting the fridge door and spinning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and enveloped him in an embrace. His arms twined around her waist instinctively, but he let out a surprised chuckle.

“Hey.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt and when she pulled away, Jess thought he saw a fond sorrow in her eyes. She pressed a kiss to his lips.

He tilted his head at her when their lips were separated again. “What was that for?”

Ella shrugged. “No reason.”

Soon, they sat next to each other at the island with a container of cold lo mein split on two plates in front of them. Breaking the comfortable silence, Jess set his fork down and turned to her, a hesitant look on his face. He had held off telling her as long as he could stand; he could rant about it forever, but still didn’t want to say a word.

“Liz called me earlier,” he began, watching her glance up from her plate, where she pushed her food around, noncommittal.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Um...she’s pregnant.” Jess ran a hand over his mouth and sighed lightly.

Her eyes perked up in surprise. “What?”

“Unfortunately, it seems TJ’s incompetence in everything else didn’t extend to his reproductive skills.”

She snorted a half-hearted laugh and trained her eyes on him carefully. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, chatty Kathy,” she said, taking a sip of her water and then facing him fully. “But, how do you feel about it?”

“Honestly, Elle?” he asked, his tone dejected. He didn’t quite meet her gaze. “I don’t know. Jimmy’s got a stepdaughter. Now, Liz is gonna have a new kid. It’s...I don’t know. I just hope she doesn’t binge-drink quite as much as she did with me.”

Ella furrowed her brows.

“I was five weeks early and I weighed something like four pounds. She says she doesn’t remember most of being pregnant,” Jess explained, a bitter tinge to his words.

“Jesus Christ,” Ella muttered, shaking her head slightly, not in disbelief but in simple sadness for him.

Jess shrugged dismissively. “But, hey, now she’s gonna get a second try. I’m sure the next one won’t be as much trouble as I was.”

“Hey,” she said firmly, bringing a cold hand to his cheek, stroking his skin affectionately with her thumb, “it was her fucking fault.”

“I know,” he said quietly, suddenly struck by her blunt tenderness. It filled him up, but made his insides flutter. “I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”

“Alright,” she whispered, waiting a moment longer before she dropped her hand back from his face. “But if you do-”

“I know,” he repeated, light to disguise the pit in his stomach.

“Good.”

. . .

Bowie played softly on the record player and Ella sat up against the wall behind the bed. She was still in her black cotton dress, though she had let her hair down from its braid, hoping to relieve some of the pressure behind her temples. A dull ache was constant in her lower stomach, occasionally tightening to a sharp burst of pain. Her breath was slow and steady, as she hoped to relax her muscles. She wrote against the thick stack of paper in her lap, only a few essays left. Maybe she could actually get a chance to sleep a sensible amount. She’d been at it since the moment she got upstairs at three in the afternoon, and her eyes were dry and hot in her skull. Rain pattered against the window on her left, the pane fogged up from the cold day.

A creak sounded in the room as the door opened, and she peeked down at her watch. It was nearly six; she hadn’t realized how much time she’d spent sitting in the same position, staring at the endless pages of Times New Roman. Jess walked in with socked feet, a crease of concern between his brows as he strode over to the bed.

“Hey, you almost done?” he asked, sitting down on the end and running his hand up and down the back of her calf.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she finished scribbling a comment on the side of a page. Then, she looked up at him with an exhausted, pale face. “Sort of. I’ve still got a few to go.”

“Why don’t you take a break?” Jess asked. When their work day had ended at five-thirty, he’d come up to find her pouring over the assignments. It was clear she was concentrating hard, and he’d silently come over and placed a kiss on her forehead in greeting before leaving her to her work. The worry had not left him in the hour he’d been sitting on the couch with a Barker novel in his hands and an old sitcom on the TV. “We ordered pizza. Half mushroom.”

A smile formed on her lips, less strained than it had looked all day. Mushroom was her favorite on pizza. “Maybe in a little while. I don’t finish what I need to, and they could definitely replace me with another TA.”

Jess scoffed in disbelief at her unfounded fear. “Where else are they gonna find a Lily Briscoe nihilist who dresses like it’s 1994?”

“Same place they’d find another Kerouac wannabe who knows close-up magic tricks,” she quipped coolly, going back to her work. Her patience was wearing. No matter how much her mind was screaming for a reprieve, she simply needed to finish. Some strong fire burned within her, forcing her to be productive or suffer intense guilt.

He gasped in mock offense. “Low blow, Stevens. The magic phase was not my best, I will admit. But, it was really only to impress a certain waitress.”

“Well, when you talk to her, tell her I think she should raise her standards,” Ella replied, not looking up from the paper.

Jess sighed in frustration, taking his hand from her leg. When she got into her working zone, one he recognized well from high school, it certainly took some effort to get her out. But rarely was she quite so irritated. “You’ve barely eaten anything all day, Eleanor.”

“Didn’t realize I was under surveillance, Jess.”

Rising from the bed again, Jess rolled his eyes. “The pizza’s gonna be here in fifteen minutes. You don’t come out, and I’ll tell Chris how much you hate jazz. You’ll have to face his wrath.”

“I think I can handle him,” Ella said flatly. Still, she didn’t lift her eyes from the writing.

“You’ve been warned,” Jess chagrined, shutting the door behind him gently.

. . .

The growling of her stomach ultimately forced her out of the bed, the stack of papers left on the nightstand with the red pen neatly atop it. She decided she didn’t need anymore arguing with Chris for the day. And the hungrier she got, the worse her headache was. Searing pain radiated all the way through her brain, but she tried to quiet it the best she could. She hadn’t experienced a migraine in a long while, but remembered how to power through it. It was better to at least attempt to eat, she decided. She hated the odd dichotomy of the nauseating cramps and the intense hunger.

A smug smirk formed on Jess’s face when she opened the door, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.

“Oh, look. Judas,” Chris said from his spot in the armchair, still offended from the morning’s Andry Warhol argument.

“Not my fault you can’t handle the truth,” she replied, going over to the fridge and grabbing a ginger ale. She didn’t know whether the ginger ale soothing stomach trick worked with period cramps, but it was worth a shot. She popped it open and took a few sips before placing it on the end table near the windows and flopping down on the weathered green couch next to Jess.

“Your stomach okay?” he asked, an eyebrow raised at her choice of drink.

She shrugged dismissively, her face wan. “I’m fine, Mariano.”

“You sure you’re not pregnant?” Chris teased, glancing at Jess. “Apparently it’s in the water.”

Jess swallowed dryly at the reference to his mother’s news. Both Matthew and Chris had overheard snippets of the phone conversation.

“Believe me, I’m not,” Ella answered, running her hand through her hair and sweeping it over one shoulder. The back of her neck was hot beneath it.

“But how could you know?” Chris continued, a mocking twinkle in his blue eyes.

As she shot him a withering stare, Ella’s lips turned up in a thin, sardonic smile. Her tone was cold and venomous. “One guess. I’m sure it’ll come to you, Einstein.”

After a moment with furrowed brows, realization crossed his features and his eyes widened. Chris blushed and said nothing more. Jess snickered at him and brought an arm around Ella, unphased.

Goosebumps rose on her skin at his touch, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. A slight sigh escaped her lips as she allowed herself to slacken against him, seeing the Frasier rerun playing on the grainy television across from them. Matthew sat on Jess’s other side, working on something which looked like an inventory sheet. She could certainly identify with his workaholic side. He leaned over and told her the pizza would be there any minute. Nodding, she put a hand on her anxious stomach and shut her eyes. She hadn’t felt the fatigue weighing her down fully until she gave into it, suddenly worried she could fall asleep at any moment.

Jess looked down at her, a crease of concern reappearing between his brows. Frowning, he took in her flushed face and placed his hand to her forehead. Though he couldn’t be sure, he thought she seemed feverish. “You feel warm.”

“The heat’s on. Our room is stuffy. I’ve been in there a few hours. Really, cutie, I’m just tired,” she said shortly, not opening her eyes and shifting to get more comfortable. His skin was cool against hers. It wouldn’t have surprised her if she was running a slight temperature. Sleep deprivation and her period both sometimes caused a tiny fever for her separately; it would be less than a shock if together they’d had a bit of an effect.

His eyes lingered on her doubtfully, but a knock then sounded on the door. Jess dug in his pocket with a free hand to find a few crumpled bills, handing them to Matthew, who went to greet the pizza guy. In a few minutes, they were back in their respective spots with grease-splotched paper towels, holding cheap pizza. Matthew and Chris were deep in a debate about the acts to book for the following week, and were throwing around the idea of an open mic night. Jess didn’t have much to say on the matter, instead watching as Ella ventured a few bites of her slice and kept her eyes on the TV, trying to ignore his watchful gaze. Not even Luke had ever been so concerned over her well-being, insofar as whether she had something she could potentially spread to customers. Only her mother stuck out as a caregiver in her life, and of course, no time in recent memory. It was just Jess.

“You’re staring, Romeo,” she snapped after a while, realizing he wasn’t going to quit.

“Thought I was a Mercutio?” he asked through a mouthful of pizza.

Scoffing, annoyed, Ella felt the mixture of both hunger and discomfort mingling in her stomach again. “Not tonight. Remember how much Romeo stared?”

“It rings a bell. But I also haven’t read that since ninth grade English.”

“You did reading for school?” she asked doubtfully, snorting a laugh.

He nodded. “I had gold stars plastered all over my forehead.”

“Oh, yeah, I can just picture it,” she said, taking another bite, almost finished with her piece. “Romeo and Juliet sucks anyway.”

“Once again,” he said, shaking his head at her in feigned disappointment, “so blasphemous.”

“And still, you can’t keep your eyes off me.”

He shrugged. “Sad but true.”

She chuckled, about to retort in the easy way she always could, but instead there was a shift in her features. Her freckled cheeks drained completely and tinged to a slight green. Saying nothing, she put the back of a hand to her mouth and she hopped up, rushing towards the bathroom. Not running, but definitely rushing. Her movements were silent but swift as she shut the door behind her with a slam. Chris and Matthew didn’t even notice until the sound rang out in the apartment. Jess sighed heavily, going after her. Pressed up against the door, he could hear her gagging.

“Eleanor?” he asked, knocking.

Knees grounded on the blue tile of the bathroom floor, Ella found she couldn’t reply through her breathless retching, bent over the toilet bowl. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and her nose began to run.

“I’m coming in,” Jess said resolutely.

Ella would’ve cursed at herself if she’d been able, realizing she had forgotten to lock the door in her race to make it to the toilet. Before she could protest, Jess took her hair in one hand and began rubbing circles on her back with the other. His touch was deliberate and gentle, and almost made her want to cry harder than she already was, her entire body radiating embarrassment.

“Fuck, Jess, get out,” she pleaded through bouts of vomiting. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I can see that, Linda Blair,” he deadpanned, not moving from his spot.

Eventually, the swirling in her stomach stopped, and her breathing became regular again. She flushed and immediately went to the sink to splash cold water on her face, rinsing her mouth out and brushing her teeth thoroughly. Jess watched carefully from where he sat on the edge of the blue tub. She wiped her face with the hand towel and threw it back down next to the sink in frustration. Her body was strained and tired, and she sat down heavily next to him when she was finished. She brought her elbows to her knees, holding her chin in her hands.

“You okay?” Jess asked, tucking some hair behind her ear to expose her cheek. He pressed the back of his hand against it, noting how hot she still was. The puking probably hadn’t helped, though.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry over,” he replied lightly. “I mean I’m sorry for getting on you about not eating. I just thought you were working through meals like you used to in high school. I didn’t know you felt sick.”

“I’m not sick, Jess.”

“Eleanor, you were just puking your guts out like two minutes ago,” he said, eyebrows raised. “And I’m pretty sure you have a fever.”

Ella sighed, sniffling though the tears had stopped involuntarily streaming down her cheeks. “When I was a kid, I used to run a temperature when I didn’t sleep enough. And the whole Exorcist routine is because of my period.”

“Really? Usually, you seem like you feel okay when you’re on your period.”

She chuckled. Most of the time, they had sex every night when she was on her period. The hormones were often a pleasant experience in her case. Such bad cramps hadn’t afflicted her since before she’d started the pill at age fifteen, either. “I usually hardly even have cramps. But I got on new birth control this month and stress can also make things way worse. Sleep deprivation, too. I don’t know. The perfect storm.”

His face softened sympathetically. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re insane.”

“Oh, well how could I possibly take that the wrong way?” she quipped through slight laughter.

“You’re working so hard, you’re literally making yourself sick,” he explained. “Not that you’re gonna listen to me, but I really think you should ease up if you don’t wanna have a stroke before you’re thirty.”

Again, she sighed, straightening up and averting her gaze. “I just...if I’m working as hard as I can, I’m not worrying as much about losing my spot in the graduate program.”

“Why would you lose your spot?” he asked, his brow crinkling. Maybe he shouldn’t have laughed her off so easily before.

“I don’t know. I just worry about it. Anything’s possible,” she said.

And he could see her mind was off somewhere other than Philadelphia. It was back in Stars Hollow, on the night when her mother had died and she’d lost everything out of the blue. Pieces fell into place, and all of a sudden he understood. Why she had been staying up late and editing papers more heavily than she needed to and running herself ragged only halfway through the semester. To Eleanor, nothing was permanent, nothing could be counted on. The feeling wasn’t lost on him, considering he had a new fake daddy pretty much every year as a child, but he hadn’t even seen a semblance of stability in his life until moving to Luke’s. He remembered how different it was not having to worry about losing the apartment for unpaid rent or having all of his possessions stolen by some deadbeat his mother had inexplicably allowed into their lives. But Ella had lived in a home that had a least a decent amount of security for fourteen years before the rug was pulled out from under her. That was the difference, and it was an important one.

“Elle?”

“Hm?” She lifted her eyes, slightly glassy, up to his.

“No matter what happens with this grad school thing, or after, anything is not possible with me,” he said in earnest. “Because I was yours the first time I saw you five years ago. At this point, I can say with complete certainty that’s never gonna change.”

Breathing out a long breath through her nose, Ella couldn’t help the smile which bloomed on her face. Before, he’d said he fell in love with her that night in the gazebo. Maybe he had been holding back so he wouldn’t scare her, though the time he’d asked her to run away with him and told her he loved her hadn’t exactly been his most restrained moment. She didn’t know. And, the idea that it had actually been the minute when they’d met all those years ago in the diner was so preposterous in her realist mind, she had to tease him at least a little. “Love at first sight, huh? Time has really made you soft, Mariano. The Hemingway, too.”

“I’m serious, Stevens,” he continued, though a smirk tugged at his own lips. “And, for the record, there’s no way in hell they’re gonna kick you out of that program. They’re lucky you even accepted their offer. Please, just take a fucking sick day tomorrow. Watch Stephen King, and drink green tea, and eat peanut butter out of the jar.”

A moment passed between them, and finally she gave a slow nod. “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely. And because this is the most disgusting I’ve felt since that time I drank my dad’s tequila.”

He chuckled, bringing an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “Good. By tomorrow night, you’ll feel like one of the living again.”

Leaning into his side again, she was so utterly relieved. A weight she didn’t know she had been carrying lifted from within her. The nerves and the worry weren’t gone, but for the first time, perhaps ever, she truly believed Jess. She trusted him so completely it shocked her. They weren’t the same people they had been when he’d run away to California. But they still fit together exactly right. And it wasn’t going to change. She pulled away from him, placing a hand on the back of his neck and running her fingers through the ends of his hair affectionately.

“I love you.”

For a moment, Jess’s breath caught in his throat and he thought his heart would explode from joy. But, instead, his grin grew more genuine. “That’s nice, but I kinda figured.”

She rolled her eyes, giving his shoulder a playful shove. “Such a jackass.”

“So I’ve heard,” he replied easily, then took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I love you too.”

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vaguekiwi · 4 years ago

Text

Under a Violet Rain: Chapter 4

Silk Curtains

Read on AO3

Chapter Warnings: Brief non-con (about a thousand words in, it's a dream, all in italics, and separated by break lines if you want to skip/skim.) Some symptoms of anxiety/long-term stress.

Full Text Below:

It took three full days for Peter to be satisfied with the contract Tony’s scribes produced. Being in his uncle’s office with Tony and a handful of aides from Ferrum left Peter feeling drained and uneasy. It didn’t help that Peter felt so alone; for every inch he eked out for himself, Tony was able to negotiate a mile. And Peter wasn’t stupid, at the end of the day all of this was given to him by his -

By his fiancé.

God.

If Tony really wanted to, he could flaunt some steel and put an end to any of Peter’s whims. But it seemed to satisfy the man to let Peter retain just a bit of control. So while Peter struggled to show he was smart enough to keep up with legal jargon, Tony sat on the other end of the desk and pulled the strings and dictated what was finally written down, all the while his own men whispering in his ear. No one was on Peter’s side, that was a reality etching itself into his chest and exhausting his stamina.

The long days meant Peter didn’t get back to his nook in the library until late the night the contract had been finalised. He was surprised to mount the steps and find Bruce there, mulling over two books and glancing repeatedly out the window.

“Still studying the rain?”

Bruce jumped but smiled warmly when he recognised Peter. “I probably seem like an idiot now,” Bruce laughed, “but I don’t suppose the Prince of Arachne has any light to shed on the subject.”

Peter shook his head and sat down, pulling his own stack of books and quills from underneath the bench. “My uncle used to say there’s no shedding light on the whims of dark clouds,” he said. Bruce smiled at that, seeming to repeat the phrase in his head, mulling it over.

“That’s not a bad answer,” he conceded.

“It was never quite good enough for me,” Peter answered and Bruce nodded at that too, a silent claim to understanding, a mental kinship between them.

“Did Tony come around to your terms?”

“The ones that mattered,” Peter admitted, wondering how much he should say about Tony around this man. But Bruce didn’t press the subject of the man in the castle.

Instead he asked, “how are you - umm - holding up, with everything that’s happened?”

Peter’s tongue lodged in his throat and he hesitated, shocked that anyone form Ferrum would bother to ask this question. He must have looked offended because Bruce hastily added, “I don’t mean to pry, it’s just - our invasion was so fast. So I was thinking, in just a couple months you’ve lost your family, your country, probably some friends.”

“Right,” Peter nodded and swallowed. He thought of his pillow, always damp in the morning where his cheek had been. And the negotiations of the past couple days, how flushed and ill he felt through it all. But what was he supposed to do? Tell this - this foreigner - this friend of Tony’s - I’m crying myself to sleep at night and constantly think I’m going to throw up but mostly I’m fine.

No, that wasn’t an option.

“It’s been as hard as you would expect,” Peter answered evasively. Lit by a dozen candles and the moon outside, the light shifted in the library and Peter turned his eyes out the window. It was drizzling, but he couldn’t tell what colour it was. Thinking about his uncle and his lost kingdom, the power he had never appreciated when he’d had it, Peter felt grief climbing in his throat. For a moment he cursed Bruce’s presence, because otherwise he would have felt comfortable weeping alone in the library. But then, Bruce had as much right as anyone else to be there. Bruce was the first person to ask of Peter’s welfare, something had to be said for that.

“Peter?”

Bruce sounded genuinely concerned, and that made everything worse somehow.

“I’m sorry,” Peter stood up sharply, throwing his books away in haste, “I’m just very tired, I’m going to bed.”

He didn’t say goodnight as he hurried back down the steps. Bruce didn’t call after him. He sprinted between the library and the castle and to his rooms, slamming the door shut and collapsing onto his bed.

Only then did he see the citrine splotches on his sleeves, it was a yellow rain. That always felt strange to Peter, it made the world feel tired and pallid. But Michelle had loved yellow rains - yellow and black. She always thought black was nice because if there were unsavoury or mixed stains on their clothes, they could use black to blot it out.

Peter could imagine the black of her armour and the damp spots, the violet rain had not shown up but the red of blood was thicker than sweat or water. Blood stained different from rain. There had been blood on her stomach and trickling down her temple. A wound to the gut must have been incredibly painful, but still she used her final moments to get to Peter.

Had his uncle been in pain?

Peter didn’t know; he hadn’t been there. Uncle Benjamin had left to negotiate peace, armed with an offer to let Tony keep the half of the country he had already sieged. The king had just wanted Arachne, the remainder of it at that point, to be left in peace. It was Peter’s understanding that his uncle had died that day; seeking an end to what he deemed senseless violence.

Peter sniffled and put a hand over his mouth to smother his sob, not wanting to cry too loudly. He couldn’t let this become a habit. It would not do to let himself cry at night because soon even the bedroom would not be his alone.

—

Peter cried out and arched his back to seek a relief that didn’t come. Tony’s mouth stifled his shriek of pain as the man pushed in merciless, hard, too fast.

“Plea -!” Peter whined and panted for breath, “s-slow down,” Tony’s grip on his hips just became tighter, pressing splotchy bruises into his thighs.

“Don’t deny me what’s mine,” Tony whispered against his neck and bit down until Peter sobbed, “you belong to me, right? In sickness and health. To love, cherish, and obey?”

Peter ached and shuddered but didn’t argue. He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded.

“Yes,” he whimpered.

“Good. Now shut up and let me finish.”

—

Peter woke up feeling cold and sick, dawn slanting through silk curtains he hadn’t bothered to draw. The nausea wasn’t new; the nightmare was. Peter swung his legs over the bed, chest heaving for air. He winced as clenched muscles loosened and his body untangled itself from the bed.

He changed as quickly as he could because of the cold. Peter hesitated with the closet door open, his eyes darted to the window and a cloudless sky. Then he picked out a woollen grey cardigan and drew it tight around his shoulders. Ned and Michelle had bought it for him a few years ago. Putting it on now felt cosy and soft, and it had a smell that he couldn’t place - the smell that his home was meant to have, maybe.

Peter went sluggishly to breakfast. Tony was halfway done when he arrived, and didn’t say anything when Peter entered. Peter took his seat, thinking about the Tony in his dream. It felt like there was a new current of energy between them, something unfamiliar and frightening. What was that, fear? Did Tony feel it too?

“Peter?”

Peter tore his eyes from his plate to look at Tony, whose eyebrows were raised. Peter didn’t like that look, the curiosity without any of the anger or ferocity. It felt too playful for such a monster.

“I’m sorry,” Peter said, “what did you say?”

Tony’s cheeks fluttered, half a smile.

“I asked how you slept … I take it not well?”

“Looking forward to keeping me up all night?” Peter snapped and Tony’s eyebrows flew down, drawing together tightly.

“I’m sorry?”

Peter’s head throbbed, a sharp pulse right behind his eyes that made them water.

“I’m sorry - I didn’t - I just meant -” Peter’s voice faltered in his throat.

“Are you feeling ill?” Tony asked, ostensibly offering a way out, an explanation for such an inappropriate outburst. But Peter just shook his head.

“No, I’m sorry I just - uhmm …” Peter felt heat flushing his cheeks even though he had nothing to apologise for between the two of them, “could I go into the city today?” He blurted out.

The request must have caught Tony off guard, because he ducked his chin a little bit to focus on his plate.

“Into the city,” he repeated, he drank a big gulp of coffee, “for what?”

So I can breathe! Peter wanted to gasp but he just said, “I think it would be good for me to … exercise a bit more.”

Tony didn’t seem satisfied with that, he sat back and folded his hands in consideration. Peter supposed he couldn’t blame him, it was a flimsy justification and there were plenty of potential risks, with Tony not knowing what was going on in Peter’s head these days.

Peter was resigning himself to a day of feverish writing in the library - anything to get his energy out - when Tony clapped and stood: “okay, you can go.” Tony held his hand out and Peter took it, letting Tony pull him to his feet. He tried to ignore the way touching Tony’s hand made his palm flare and prickle in pain. Tony steadied him and looked straight into his eyes, almost like a challenge to see if Peter would look away.

“You want to get out for a while, away from me? Fine, I understand.”

Peter’s protests faltered on his lips when Tony went on, “but you’ll bring one of my men with you as an escort.”

Peter nodded hurriedly, an elation setting into the back of his head at the freedom of the day ahead. Surely once he was out of Tony’s presence, once his stomach wasn’t coiled at every turned corner, surely he would feel better then.

Peter was about to suggest maybe Bruce could come with him but Tony was already waving to someone at the door.

“Beck, can you accompany Peter?”

Peter’s eyes flickered to the blue-eyed soldier; he was with Tony often. Had been at the library a few days ago and often in the office. He was someone Tony trusted. Beck inclined his head in agreement, and turned his torso slightly to face Peter.

“Have fun, Prince Peter.” Tony’s hand squeezed his shoulder a bit too tightly, “don’t do something you’ll regret.”

#fanfiction #fic #fic update #under a violet rain #starker #starker fic #magic #medieval fantasy au #magic au #dark tony #non-con #rape #anxiety disorder #anxiety #stress

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michaels-blackhat · 5 years ago

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a first christmas

day 21/31 of my massive holiday project

for @bialiencowboy, who is wonderful and keeps this fandom in positivity and massive amounts of fic prompts. Forever ago we started an au where Isobel and Noah adopt a trans boy who adores his uncle mikey. Um, that has changed for obvious reasons but here is a first christmas. <3.

Michael looked at the pile of gifts, all wrapped in red and black plaid paper with matching red ribbons, and suddenly felt like everything was wrong. It was his first holiday with a nephew- the foster-to-adopt nephew that Isobel brought home six-months prior. The pile of presents felt inadequate to him. When he was 15, was this really what he wanted? A pile of present would have been nice sure, but was that really what he had wanted at that age?

“You’re overthinking it,” Maria had told him when he unloaded on her at The Pony the night before. “This isn’t some kid you guys took off the street, he’s your family now.”

Michael had nodded in agreement and promptly left to buy another present- a wrench set to match the one Michael carried around everywhere. Matt had mentioned once or twice how cool it was that Michael knew how to fix a car, maybe that was a thing they could do together, nephew-uncle bonding in an appropriate way that Isobel couldn’t complain about. Their previous attempts, primarily in the lab, had not gone over well.

Matt had stumbled into their life, round-faced and defiant. Michael hadn’t been there for the deep emotional stuff, but he knows what Isobel had told him- how she had met Matt on one of her visits to the group home after she got her foster approval, how Matt had been aloof and reluctant to talk, how Matt’s long curl, dirty-blond hair had reminded her so much of Michael’s. Michael knew about the conversation after Isobel had used the name the group home had called Matt by, and how no one in the family ever used it again.

Michael remembers the glare on Isobel’s face when she had stormed into the high school and demanded that her son be treated with dignity and respect, the same as every other student. Michael remembered the grin on Matt’s face when they had come home, the joy every time Michael or Max called him their nephew.

Michael looked down at the pile of presents again. Did this feel too much like he was trying to buy Matt’s affection?

In the grand scheme of things, Michael knew this was probably nothing compared to what Isobel had bought her son. Isobel had no fear over extravagance. It wasn’t buying affection if that was how she treated everything: see something for someone, buy what is seen.

Michael heaved a sigh before he heaved the armful of presents into a bag to be delivered in the morning. Isobel insisted that everyone come over for brunch and presents before they left for their own celebrations, though the majority of them would end up at Max and Liz’s house for Christmas dinner. Michael suspected that Isobel wanted to pose in her carefully picked out pajamas with matching robe, mug of coffee in hand, as she gazed at her family, like a mom out of a Christmas movie.

Michael was not about to ruin her dreams of domesticity, not when he kind of wanted that for himself if not a little rattier. Flannel pants, worn from overuse, a blanket around his shoulders as he watched his nephew have their first Christmas together. Really, that sounded a little bit like heaven to Michael.

He looked at the pile of presents one more time before he went back to the Airstream and sent Isobel a text. Her reply was prompt. Michael packed a bag and headed over to Isobel’s house late on Christmas Eve.

The next morning he sat on the couch in his ratty flannel pants and Isobel’s fleece-lined throw blanket over his shoulders. Matt sat on the floor in front of him, wearing newer flannel pants that matched Michael’s perfectly and a t-shirt that said “Make the Yuletide Gay”, a gift Michael strongly suspected had been from Alex.

Isobel handed him a cup of coffee before she moved to grab a gift from under the tree.

“Ok Matt, this is your first one. And here’s one for you Michael.” Isobel smiled before she sat on the couch next to Michael. “And this one is for me.”

“Ready?” Matt asked, watching for his mom and his uncle to be ready to open gifts when he was. They nodded and Matt ripped into his first gift: a miniature lab kit.

“This one,” Isobel said with a smirk, “is actually for high school students and not their over-grown child uncles. But, you have to actually follow the safety guidelines. I don’t care what Uncle Michael or Aunt Liz do in the lab. Proper safety, ok?”

Matt nodded eagerly as he read the content list on the back. “This is going to be awesome.”

Michael couldn’t argue with that. He looked down at his gift and held back his tears. Inside the box was one of those generic word mugs, but this one very clearly labeled him as the ‘Best Uncle Ever’.

“I love it Matty,” he said, voice thick with emotion. When he looked over Matt was unwrapping his second gift, the last minute gift Michael had bought last night. Matt had a grin on his face and his eyes looked just as misty as Michael’s.

“Uncle Mikey, are you going to teach me how to fix up the Chevy?”

Michael grinned at him before he ruffled Matt’s curls, despite knowing how much both of them hated when people did that.

“Of course I am Matty. Before you know it, we’ll be fixing up a car for you.”

“You know,” Matt said as he ignored the rest of his presents and sat between Michael and Isobel, “this is everything I have ever wanted?” He doesn’t look them in the eyes as he speaks, and Michael understands why. It’s hard to be that honest. “You stop dreaming about a family after a certain point. I did. People want cute little kids, not someone like me. And, this means everything. That I have people who love me and care about me, no matter what. People who pick out the perfect present and love the dumb things they get in return. I never thought I’d have this.” He looked over at Isobel. Both of them were crying. Isobel wraps her arms around Matt and Michael doesn’t hesitate before he joins in. “Thank you,” Matt whispered. They stay in the hug until the arrival of Liz and Max, who join the hug before they settle and get back into presents.

As Matt unwrapped his gifts, Michael drank from his ‘Best Uncle Ever’ mug. He had to admit, he didn’t have to buy the kid’s affections.

He already had them.

#rnm fic #Isobel Evans #michael guerin #roswell new mexico #my fic #holiday fic gifts #bialiencowboy

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mikeoliveri · 5 years ago

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Your “Good Ol’ Days”are Bullshit

I keep seeing these “good ol’ days” posts on Facebook, and it’s driving me nuts. So let’s break this shit down:

I am from Central Illinois ,when I was 10 yrs old the area code was (309) for every phone number.

What’s the point of these “only one area code” comments? That the poster is too fucking stupid to remember their friends’ phone numbers, or that they have no friends outside of their shitty little town?

We wore clothes our parents bought us .You thought your parents were rich if you went to JC Penney's.Shopping at K-Mart for a blue light special while eating the popcorn and drinking a Cherry Icee, and maybe stopping in the KMart cafeteria for a meal and an apple dumpling.

First, apparently back in your day, they didn’t teach you how the space bar worked. Second, I have no idea if this is supposed to be a shot at rich kids or if it’s bemoaning bankrupt stores.

Eating ice cream was the treat on a hot day.

Do you really think it’s not anymore? Or are we taking a shot at millennials and iced coffee?

Riding anywhere in the car with no seat belts on, riding in the back of a pick up truck and drive in movies, the popcorn in a brown paper bag with so much butter on it you could see it seeping through.

Yes, because it’s stupid to give a shit about safety and your health. Ever consider there’s a reason highway fatalities have dropped significantly since then? And you can still get popcorn with that much butter, dumbfuck, but why not just save yourself some time and have them fill a soda cup? Pop a straw in it and drink up without the mess.

25 cents got you 25 pieces of penny candy

Where to start. Maybe we developed a taste for something besides a congealed lump of sugar? Also, a part-time job got you a car and a college education. How deep into this “siddown, boomer” rabbit hole do we want to go?

You took your school clothes off as soon as you got home and put on your play clothes.

Let’s not pretend everyone can afford two sets of clothes per day, mkay? And if my generation is the product of your generation, I never had separate school clothes and play clothes, either. How is that our fault?

We had to do our homework before being allowed outside to play.

You don’t get to make this complaint and complain that kids never go outside anymore (below). Furthermore, I’ve been working in education for 20 years now. The percentage of students not getting their homework done (and the percentage of parents who just don’t give a shit about their kids’ homework) has been a constant.

We ate dinner at the table as a family.

I can point to a lot of families who would love this opportunity, but when both parents have to work, kids are being thrust into six different activities, and student athletes are desperate for scholarships to be able to afford school, it gets a little difficult.

And even then we’re only talking the families who can afford it.

We walked to school. There was no taking or picking you up in the car lol!

Yeah? Which generation started the helicopter parenting? Here’s a mirror to help you figure it out.

TVs didn’t have remotes, we had to actually get up to change the channel.

I guess this is a positive because it helped you walk off the calories from the popcorn butter and penny candy?

We played Mother May I, Hopscotch, Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers, 1,2,3 Not It, Red Light Green Light, Red Rover, Hide & Seek, Truth or Dare, Tag, Baseball, 4 square, Kick Ball, Dodge Ball, rode bikes, played flashlight tag, spent the night outside in sleeping bags on the front lawn!

No, you’re right, kids have never heard of these games. They go out to recess and just stare at each other. At the park, they sit and watch grass grow.

Girls could spend hours roller skating in the driveway, playing Barbies or house.

*sigh* Let’s just agree you’re a sexist fuckwit and move on.

Boys and girls played football in the yard , or shot baskets. Staying in the house was a punishment, the only thing we knew about "bored", "You better find something to do before I find it for you!"

Have you not driven through a neighborhood in the last fifty years? Or do you just not see them because you’ve called the cops on them for playing basketball too loudly, too late at night, or both? (Has happened twice in my town within the last year.)

We ate what mom/dad made for dinner or we ate nothing at all.

I’m going to say this is one more example of a boomer seeing one parent allegedly spoiling a kid and assuming all modern parents spoil their kids. Do all boomers think this way? No, but it’s definitely a trend I see in my parents’ generation and many of the grandparents who visit the school. They see some crazy-ass story about something stupid one parent or school administrator has done, and they assume it’s a universal truth about all parents and schools.

It’s also possible you were just a shitty cook.

There was no bottled water; we drank from the tap or the water hose (hot).

Now we know there’s lead in our pipes, and we’ve actually read the list of contaminants in the local drinking water. There are also people who can set their hose water on fucking fire thanks to fracking. Shut. The. FUCK. Up.

We watched cartoons on Saturday mornings,

My kids can watch their TV shows whenever they want, and I wish I had the same capability when I was a kid rather than having to schedule my free time around advertisers’ wishes.

Also, their TV shows are more than just thinly-veiled advertisements for toys. Their shows have both better writing and better production values, and my kids can pick and choose the shows they like rather than just what happens to be on.

and rode our bikes for hours without a cell phone.We weren't AFRAID OF ANYTHING.

But you sure as shit made us afraid of everything because, again, you assumed the scary story the TV man told you about a kidnapper in California meant any one of your neighbors could snatch us off the street at any moment. You had zero knowledge of statistics and demographics, much less about the relationship between the two. In my town, it’s your generation who is afraid to go into the two nearest cities because you saw a black man’s mug shot on TV.

If someone had a fight, that's what it was and we were friends again a week later, if not SOONER.

It’s also your generation that screamed bloody murder when your kid got in a fight at school, and you demanded the other kid be suspended because your kid is harmless and was minding his own business.

We played til dark, sunset was our curfew.

Now it’s our kids’ curfew, too. Not because it’s dark, but because you call the fucking cops when you hear kids playing outside past your bedtime.

School was mandatory

HAA! Yes, because truancy laws are totally not a thing anymore.

and teachers and police were people who you could TRUST and respect.

Despite what Fox News would have you believe, they still are. There absolutely are neighborhoods, schools, and police departments where you can’t trust the teachers or the cops. We have plenty of examples of police murdering, abusing, or raping citizens. We have plenty of examples of teachers abusing children, physically and sexually. In many cases, we have this shit on camera.

The difference between our generation and yours is we understand what we see on TV or on Facebook is not a universal truth. We want criminal cops held accountable, but we support law enforcement as a whole. We’re totally okay with abusive (or incompetent) teachers being removed from the job, but we also understand tenure is an important incentive for schools to retain teachers long term (especially given the current situation for teachers in the great state of Illinois).

We watched our MOUTHS around our elders because ALL of our Aunties, Uncles, Grandpas and Grandmas were also our PARENTS (they COULD & WOULD WHOOP Y'ALL!,) and you didn't want them telling your PARENTS if you misbehaved.These were the good ole days.

And there were no long-term consequence for any of this physical abuse ever.

Kids today will never know how it feels to be a real kid. I loved my childhood...!!!Kids these days will never understand how we grew up!!!

There are a lot of differences between my kids’ childhood and my own, and you know what? I’m okay with it. I’m actually interested in their points of view. They have a much broader view of the world than I was ever given, and as a whole, this generation is far more tolerant, open, and empathetic than my generation was--or was allowed to be--at their age.

Take your “good old days” bullshit and shove it up your ass. Maybe if you made an effort to connect with your grandkids rather than shouting at them, you’d actually learn something.

#good old days #golden years #boomer bullshit #boomers #okay boomer #sit down boomer

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sarakuper · 5 years ago

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New York, New York

Stop #28, Sept 28-Oct 6

We arrived in Connecticut to meet my dad and Denise, his parter, who graciously offered to keep our truck and trailer on her property while we spent time in NYC. My dad gave us a ride into the upper east side of Manhattan to stay with my mom for the night. She came downstairs with my childhood dog, Rocky, so we could introduce him to Jaxon and get them comfortable with one another. While walking them together up and down the block Mikey and Laura arrived and the 5 of us had dinner together. It been so long since we were all together for something as casual as dinner. It was so nice to all be together! Mikey and Laura slept in Inwood (upper Manhattan) that night at my Aunt Frema’s while me Sean and Jaxon got comfortable at my moms place.

Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast together, then my dad picked me Sean and Jaxon up to head to my Bubby’s in Queens for the first night of Rosh Hashana. Aunt Frema was preparing chicken soup and side dishes while also panicking about the caterers who had yet to arrive with the food they ordered for our meal. We helped set the table and get organized, meanwhile everyone else started to arrive. Denise and her son, Mikolo, Michael and Laura, and then Aunt Alane, Uncle Lew, and my cousins Aaron and Jack (who are like brothers to me). We were a total of 14 in my Bubby’s apartment and she couldn’t have been happier to have everyone there, although we missed Shelly who flying back to the states from Israel. By 6:30pm the food had finally arrived only 6 hours later than they originally called for.

Rosh Hashana was always one of my favorite Jewish holidays growing up. It celebrates the new year and we get to dip apples and challah in honey to represent a sweet year ahead. Not to mention, the main food is always delish! To our surprise, even though we catered this year, everything still tasted home made. There were FOUR types of kuggel, which is not surprising considering this is a Kuper gathering. But seriously, four!? My dad made the classic potato kuggel in addition to the cauliflower, broccoli, and noodle kuggels. There was also chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped liver (which sounds totally gross but is SOO delish), brisket, chicken cutlets, and way more dishes that I couldn’t begin to name.

I haven’t been with my family for this holiday since I moved to Colorado, and quite honestly it was so great to be together again for a happy occasion. We drank lots of wine, yelled conversationally across the table, and ate until we were stuffed. We could have had a second seating with the amount of food that was left, but again, this is typical for our family. We have major portion control issues!

As the night came to a close Bubby handed out goodie bags to all the “kids”. She usually bakes for everyone, but with her current health and age she decided it was time to buy the cookies to give out. Everyone left one at a time leaving me, Sean, Jaxon, and Aunt Frema; we all slept at Bubby’s.

On Monday morning I woke up to join my Bubby and Frema relaxing on the couch. My Bubby has the most comfortable couch in the world and I take a shloof (aka nap) on it almost every time I’m here. So, as per usual, I made myself comfortable with them.

An hour or so later my Dad arrived to go to shul (aka synagogue) at Young Israel, my Bubby’s local soul. After he gets back we have a “lighter” Rosh Hashana lunch with the many leftovers from the previous night, but before we that Aunt Frema and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood with Jaxon. My dad got back and we had a late lunch that ended around 4pm. We were so full, and I couldn’t believe that Sean and I were going over to Lew and Alane’s for yet anther Rosh Hashana meal with Alane’s side of the family. We were having ANOTHER massive meal only 2 hours later. I found Sean laying down on the couch in the room we slept in and he stared at me as he said “I… can’t… do this… again” referring to the large amounts of food we’ve eaten in the last 20 hours. Well, we did!

By the time we got to Alane’s, also on the upper east side, Sean and I decided to go very slow. Eventually we were able to eat another full meal of chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, and lots of side dishes leaving our bellies stuffed once again. Most of the Jewish holidays are like a marathon of eating, and Sean certainly got to experience it first hand.

We slept in the next morning, still totally full, and hung out with my 13 year old cousins Aaron and Jack who actually look 16. We brought over pizza and then walked to the park to play basketball. I love these boys so much, they are like my brothers! They are also my favorite people to hang out with when I come to NYC.

Our dinner plans with friends got canceled, and so Sean and I decided to have a night downtown to ourselves. Sean also wanted to stop by Soho Ink, a tattoo shop not far from Chinatown where we planned to eat dinner, and at the last minute decided to get the tattoo right then and there! He has lots of gaps between his current tattoos that he “needs to fill” and so this time he got an axe. It turns out the artist who was available to tattoo him was a finalist on the most recent season of Ink Master, a TV show.

After the tat Sean and I walked through Little Italy and Chinatown to get our “must eat while in NYC” soup dumplings. Usually we eat at Joe Shanghai for soup dumplings, but we wanted to try something new. We headed to Tiny Shanghai and ordered 2 rounds of soup dumplings, cold sesame noodles, scallion pancake with sliced beef, and chicken broccoli with white rice. Overall the food was delish but way less authentic than Joe’s. Since we were in the neighborhood we went to some of my old stomping grounds like Whiskey Tavern and Ryan’s daughter. At both places, to my surprise, someone who worked there when I still lived here still remembered me and welcomed us with free drinks and a good time. It was a fun date night for me and Sean! I kind of got the feeling Sean would like to live here for a little bit, maybe just a year or two. I would never do that again! But, I really do enjoy visiting.

Wednesday morning was a lazy morning until my mom got out of work early to spend the rest of the day with me, Sean, and Jaxon. We walked around the upper east side en route to a nearby park, but it was so hot walking on the streets we decided to sit in the shade at an outdoor table for coffee and ice cream. The rest of the late afternoon was spent prepping my favorite dish that my mom makes, fried pork cutlets with sweet cabbage and potatoes. Sam came over to join us for dinner before heading out to meet her friends. Theres nothing like a home cooked meal from my mamma <3

Thursday was meant to be spent hiking with Sam somewhere upstate but because of the cold rain we decided to skip it. Instead Sean and I met her downtown and went straight to Joe Shanhai’s for a soup dumpling lunch! Yes, soup dumplings again… we could never eat too many of those. We ordered 5 rounds between 3 of us for a total of 40 dumplings. Sean only had about 8 and the rest were split between Sam and I…. yeah… :) We continued to walk around downtown heading to the lower west side and got ice-cream at a Japanese style ice-cream spot called Tayaki on the way. Sean and I had a war of throwing shredded coconut at each other.

^^ This is what the entrance to Joe Shanghai’s looks like ^^

We walked to a place in the west village called Uncommon which had coffee, drinks, and snacks but offered endless games! I immediately thought how much the Elser’s would love it here! We paid for an “all day” pass which was $10 each or $5 if you have a student ID which Sam does. Sitting for almost 2 hours we played Ticket to Ride and Phase 10. Eventually Sam had to leave to head to class and Sean and I went uptown to take care of the puppers at my moms place. Almost immediately we all went back downtown to Uncommon to spend the rest of the night gaming. This time Tomo, Sam’s partner, met us and we started a new game of Phase 10, which really is so similar to Kaluche. For the first time in what feels like forever I won!!!! :) AND I whooped everyones butt. FINALLY! It was killing Sean, which gave me so much joy. He was trying so hard to get everyone to come after me so I would win, but Sam has been reading my posts and while she didn’t help me win, she definitely wasn’t going out of her way to try to make me lose. What a friend!

Friday morning I had brunch catching up with my friend Sarah, whose getting married just before Thanksgiving! In the evening Sean and I went to Hoboken to go to visit my life long bestie Toni and her husband of 1 year, Ross. They have a lovely apartment and welcomed us with a beautiful Shabbat dinner. After dinner me and Tone spent the rest of the night watching youtube tutorials of how to do the shuffle (dance moves) and were sad by the realization that we don’t have the same dance skills we once did. Ross and Sean were watching sports but were totally amused by our efforts to nail these dance moves. Sweaty and tired, we did not reach our goal, but we did laugh our butts off. After saying goodbye and being sent off with a bunch of goodies we headed back to my mom’s apartment for a short night of sleep; we were waking up at 4:30AM to go on a fishing trip with my pop and two cousins.

4:40AM quickly came and me and Sean got ready for a long morning on a boat. We walked to my cousins place only 15 blocks south where my dad picked us all out to head to Sheepshead Bay. We fished from 7-12pm and had such a blast! After I took a quick nap on the boat I woke up with enough energy to fish and caught 5! At one point I caught 2 at once, and in total only 2 of them were keepers. Sean caught more than 10 fish, 1 being blowfish which was so fun to see!!! My dad and cousins caught a few too, and the ones we kept were filleted on the boat and packaged to take back for my aunt and uncle to cook for dinner. On our way back to the city we stopped for lunch at Roll and Rooster, an old school place thats been around for a long time! On the drive back in me and my cousins all fell asleep in the back seat, and of course Sean snapped a picture.

The rest of the day was spent napping before one final dinner out with my dad and Denise. Being exhausted from the long day we didn’t stay out long and went to bed shortly after. Both Rocky and Jaxon put us to bed that night. I think they had the best time together! And Jaxon certainly loves his grandma Annette (my mom) because maaaaan did she give him a lot of food and treats!

Sunday morning my dad gave us a ride back to Denise’s house in CT where we packed up our stuff, prepared the trailer, and hit the road to head back to Colorado for Taylor and Ej’s wedding! It will take us 4 days to get back to Colorado, but we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the love and marriage of two of our best friends!!!!

Thanks for reading fam, love you all!

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zutaralover94 · 7 years ago

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How about a mix of number 7 and 45 for zutara? Love your writing btw!

Wow thank you! I loved writing this one. A fake relationship and pretending to hate each other au! It’s so classic! So I hope you enjoy!

“It’s only for a weekend, Kat.” Suki’s voice rand over the cell phone. “Just go meet the last guy. And I swear this one will be perfect for you to bring back home.”

Katara sighed and looked around her. The Jasmine Dragon was slightly busy with customers. Katara sat at one of the lone tables near the window. “I’m only giving him 5 more minutes.”

When Katara lied to her “dying” grandmother four months ago about a serious boyfriend, Katara hadn’t thought Gran Gran would actually make it through the surgery. Don’t get her wrong, she was hoping her grandmother would pull through. But now she had to bring home her boyfriend. The big problem: Katara didn’t actually have a boyfriend.

Now with Gran Gran feeling much better and wanted to see her favorite granddaughter and her boyfriend. Katara was at a lost cause. Instead of telling her grandmother the truth like she knew she should have, she now sat in the Jasmine Dragon on her third blind date set up by her sister in law.

“Tall white chai.” The waiter sat down a large white cup. She smiled and said thank you but listened to Suki talk about the third guy.

“Seriously, he is like this all around good guy.” Suki paused. “Hold on, I think Sokka just dumped out a whole packet of chili powder into the stewed sea slugs.” There was muffled talk on the other end of the phone. “Kat, I got to go your brother…”

Katara sighed, “I get it. Go.”

Katara drummed her fingers on the table top. She picked up the cup and took a large sip. If she wasn’t going to get a date at least she was going to enjoy this delicious drink. She looked around the Jasmine Dragon one last time. Hoping all-around-good-guy-Jet would be there. No such luck.

Katara looked down at her watch again. She was going to be late for her flight if she didn’t leave soon. She drank the last of the latte, before standing and taking the empty cup to the counter. “Thanks.”

“One to go?” The dark haired male stood behind the counter. “On the house.” He shrugged and began to fill out the order without her consent. “You look like you could use it.”

Katara smiled slightly, “I really could.”

“So,” The guy turned his back and pumped in the white chocolate syrup. “How late is he?”

“I’m sorry?” Katara raised an eyebrow at the barista.

“Your date.” He nodded to where she had been sitting.

“Oh,” Katara ran a tongue across her teeth. “Too late…”

“Mmm.” The barista nodded in understanding. “Too bad. Looks like he missed out.”

Katara gave a small laugh, “Yeah, on a paid trip, to the coldest place on earth, to be my fake boyfriend. He sure missed out.”

The man laughed and turned back to her. “Paid? Fake boyfriend? Now that is a story I’m willing to listen to.”

“‘Dying’ grandmother, her favorite granddaughter lying to her, grandmother recovers and pleads for her most honest grandchild to bring home a non existent boyfriend.” Katara laughed at her own antics. She ran a hand down her face. “And I leave in an hour. Without a boyfriend.” The barista added an extra amount of whipped cream on top. “Such a wonderful granddaughter I am.”

Golden eyes crinkled in a smile. The red scar over his left eye only now really catching Katara’s attention. The black shag of his hair and thick rimmed black glasses doing an excellent job of hiding the large scar. Katara let her eyes wander down the clad in black man. He was cute. Coffee shop kind of guy cute. And not real-cubicle-paper buried-accountant grandmother was expecting. Katara bit her lip as the barista slid her drink to her. “Maybe this will give you the boost you need to tell the truth.”

Katara smiled and took a sip of the warm drink, “Thanks.”

“You know,” The guy smiled, “You could tell her that you two broke up?”

Katara’s lips turned down and she sucked air through her teeth, “So that boyfriend… He actually proposed to me…”

The golden eyed man laughed, “And you couldn’t say no to an imaginary boyfriend.”

“Exactly! I would hurt his feelings and he would never stop calling or texting,” Katara smiled and shook her head. “And then he would try to get into contact with my friends trying to figure out what he did wrong. Just a messy breakup all around.”

The guy was now laughing with her. “Poor guy.”

“Poor him? Poor me! I have to explain all of this to my grandmother.” Katara raised a hand to her chest in mock offense. “In all honesty, thank you, for the coffee.”

“Free coffee to anyone who can come up with a good as story as that.” The guy tipped his head and turned to scrub the counter behind him.

Katara nodded and turned to leave. She had her hand on the door, then turned back to the counter. “Are you busy this weekend?”

The barista looked surprised and up to her, “Just the normal 10 hour shifts. You know running this coffee shop.”

Katara sighed in defeat. “And there is no one else who could help you here?”

“My uncle who owns…”

“I’ll pay you triple for what you make here.” Katara interrupted him. The barista opened and closed his mouth a few times. “Please, I’m desperate. And I already have the plan ticket. The whole entire trip is paid. Just bring yourself.”

“I don’t…” Black shag swayed over the glasses as the guy shook his head. “Triple?”

“Would it make you feel better if I gave you half upfront?” Katara bargained

The guy ran a tongue over his bottom lip. He stood there thinking for a few moments, looking between her and the sign on the door. “I’d have to stop and grab a bag or something.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Katara waved it off. “We can buy whatever you need when we land.” The guy looked around one more time. “Please.”

The guy slammed his hands on the counter and turned. He began untying his apron. “Fine. You know what… this is crazy.” Black started to walk away from her and into a back room. Katara followed along until the end of the counter. She could hear him mumbling about how he really shouldn’t do this, but it was an adventure. Plus a few days off won’t kill you.

Katara leaned closer to the door as she heard the guy yell for someone about leaving and the shop was theirs for the next few days. Katara let out a deep sigh and practically melted down the wall.

The guy slammed open the door and pointed to her. “This is damned near insane. Why the hell I have convinced myself to do this…” The guy shook his head and started for the door. He held it open for Katara to walk through.

He continued to grumble all the way to the airport. “It’s Zuko by the way.” The guy, Zuko said, as he flipped his phone over in his hand.

“Katara.” Katara pulled into a parking spot at the airport. She turned and looked at Zuko. “Well Zuko,” She closed her mouth and sucked her lips between her teeth. “If you want out of this. Now is your chance. Seriously, I won’t blame you for getting out of the car and…”

“Katara, no, I’ll do it.” Zuko held out a hand to stop her words. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I could kind of use the extra cash.”

“Oh.” Katara gave a breath of relief. “Good. Okay. Then let’s go.”

Katara and Zuko quickly checked Katara’s bags, went through security and all but ran to the terminal. They stopped just as they began boarding the first passengers. Katara quickly pulled out the tickets for their seats. “Just in time.”

They boarded and sat down, Zuko taking the window seat. “So, maybe we should start about who you are?” Katara pulled out a notebook. “You can read over these notes. It’s just the few things. Things I know I told my grandmother.” Katara buckled in and rummaged through her purse quickly for a pen. “We can write out a few more. You know if you need…”

“An accountant?” Zuko scratched back of his head. “Beach house in Gaoling?” Katara bit her lip and nodded.”How did you not give away a name?”

“Well…” Katara laughed, “We only talked about my boyfriend.. You… a handful of times. You know since she was in the hospital she couldn’t talk long. So details were very vague.” Katara looked down the airplane’s aisle as it began take off.

Zuko laughed and looked over to Katara. “I sound like a take-home-to-your-mother type of guy.”

“Well not mother.” Katara took in a deep breath. “It’s only Dad, Sokka my brother, then there is Suki, Sokka’s wife and my best friend. She is the only one who know the truth.” Katara pulled out her phone as she felt the airplane even out. She pulled up a picture of the last family holiday photo. “Then there is Gran Gran, my grandmother.”

“Ah, the famous grandmother.” Zuko laughed and leaned over to look at the phone. “Well you are all definitely related.”

Katara laughed, “Thank you?”

“So this is it?” Zuko looked down to the scribbled notes in his hand. “Okay. It’s not too bad. Though we might have a problem with the baking. Everything I touch in the kitchen turns to ash.”

Katara laughed at this, “But you work in a coffee shop.”

“Yeah?” Zuko shrugged his shoulders. “I work with coffee. And any pastries we have we buy off the bakery three doors down. All I have to do is microwave them.”

“Well now that explains why I thought that muffin tastes familiar.” Katara joked, elbowing Zuko.

Zuko chuckled, “Ha, sorry to disappoint.” Katara only shook her head. “So, my soon-to-be bride, tell me about you. If I asked to marry you, I had to have a good reason.”

“Picky are you?” Katara’s face was starting to hurt with all of this real smiling. “You mean you don’t walk into a random place and beg for someone to propose to you? Shame.”

Zuko laughed, “Glad I’m marrying someone with a sense of humor.”

Katara blushed slightly at the compliment. She locked down at her grey pencil skirt and brushed out the wrinkles. “Well, I am a psychiatrist. I mainly work with children who have been abused.”

“Wow.” Zuko sobered at that. “That’s kind of surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are so…” Zuko scratched the back of his neck. “You just look like a receptionist or some sort of secretary to a man in a big tower.”

“Oh, no. I used to,” Katara folded her hands in her lap, “But then I got my own practice and i moved on.”

“So why psychology?” Zuko asked now turning some what in his seat to look at Katara.

Katara blew out a breath, “I once knew a kid who was locked in a closet for ten years.” Katara peaked over to the barista. “And his thoughts and the things he did, well they surprised me. I wanted to know more. I guess so much so, I ended up working for him. In a big tower.”

Zuko smiled, “Well, I think I could marry someone who helps others. What else?”

“Um, I’m 26. I live alone. And I give my grandmother reasons to believe that I actually had someone interested in a workaholic.” Katara ticked off the things on her fingers.

“Ah, well, I’m 28. I traveled for quite a while before settling and helping out my uncle. And I have a sister who runs a family business, because my father knew I wasn’t cut out for that type of work.” Zuko mimicked Katara’s motions.

“As an accountant. I’m impressed.” Katara smiled. “So what were you looking for in all of this traveling?”

“An adventure,” Zuko chuckled. “Little did I know, I would just need to work for my uncle a few months to get it.”

Katara laughed at this. “Well thank you. For helping me with all of this. Seriously.”

“How could I say no?” Zuko folded the piece of paper and stuck it into his pocket.

The two talked the rest of the way, constantly bringing up the fake relationship. But they truly got to know each other before they landed. Katara was in slight surprise at how relaxed she was beginning to feel around Zuko.

Zuko called a cab as Katara picked up her bags from the baggage claim. Zuko helped load the cab as they made their way to a supercenter. “Get anything you need. I’ll go find a suitcase for you to put it the stuff in.” Katara pointed in the direction she was going to go, giving him time to himself. Zuko nodded and headed towards the clothing section. Katara called Suki immediately as soon as she was out of hearing distance.

“Judging by the time, are you almost here?” Suki answered on the second ring.

“Not quite.” Katara bit her lip. “We had to stop and buy a few things.”

“Why?” Katara could practically hear the eyebrow raise. “I told him to bring a bag.”

“Right…” Katara smiled. “Jet wasn’t the one to come with me.”

“Oh my gah!” Suki stage whispered in Katara’s ear. “What did you pick up the first male you came across?”

“Kind of?” Katara walked down the aisle of suitcases. “He was the barista. And I just… kind of asked him.” Katara looked around, like mentioning Zuko would make him appear. “He laughed at my misery and well… He came with me.”

Suki was laughing so hard she had snorted. “Oh my gah’d this is actually working.”

“Shut up!” Katara pulled down a plain black suitcase. She tilted her head as she rolled it through the aisle. “I need to go though. Have to make sure my fake fiance didn’t run off.” Katara ended a call to a still laughing Suki.

When Katara found Zuko he had only a handbasket half-full of things. Katara could see a pair of jeans and a few tshirts, a phone charger, toiletries and a few other small items. Katara looked Zuko over. “That’s it?”

Zuko looked down at the basket confused. “Uh yeah. It’s just for two days right?”

“Yes, but…” Katara looked through the basket.

“Then I don’t need very much.” Zuko kept the basket held out to her. He looked down to the suitcase she had picked out. “That’s too much…”

“We can go pick out a different one. I didn’t know you wouldn’t need this much stuff.” Katara bit the side of her lip.

Zuko followed after Katara as they went back and pulled out a duffle bag instead of the suitcase. Zuko grabbed Katara’s hand after he hand thrown the duffle bag strap over his shoulder. “Let’s go find you an engagement ring.”

“Zuko that’s not.” Katara started but he waved her off.

“It’s on me.” Zuko led her to the small jewelry section. “No fake or real fiancee of mine will be walking around ring less.”

Once they both agreed on a small rose gold band with a single topaz jewel. It was simple but Katara loved it. “My grandfather gave my grandmother a necklace he made himself.”

“I’m sure he had a little more time than I did to propose.” Zuko joked as they rang up the items. “Next time I propose to you I’ll make you whatever you want.”

“Mmm… Another one of those white chias?” Katara’s mouth watered thinking of it.

Zuko laughed and nodded. He grabbed all of the bags and they headed out towards the cab. They quickly pulled off price tags off the clothes and stuffed the duffle bag. When they reached the house it was well past midnight but there was movement behind the curtains of the living room.

“This is us.” Katara paid the driver and Zuko began unloading Katara’s bags from the trunk.

“It was only for two days right?” Zuko laughed as he slung the small of the two bags over his other shoulder. He pulled the rolling bag along behind him.

“Yeah?” Katara gave a small grimace. “Thanks for carrying.”

Katara walked up the steps of the small white house. She turned to look over her shoulder to Zuko one last time before she reached and opened the door. “I’m home.” Katara called out.

“Katara!” Suki was the first to stand but Sokka beat Suki to hug Katara.

“Sis! Spirits, I’ve missed you.” Sokka pulled Katara tighter to him. Katara returned the hug. “And who is this?” Katara looked over her shoulder to Zuko who stood awkwardly in the doorway. “Is this the guy?”

Katara smiled and nodded. She bit her lip as Zuko pushed the thick rims farther up his nose. “Sokka this is Zuko my fiance.” Katara purposely showing off her new ring to a bright eyed Suki. “Zuko, this is my brother, Sokka and his wife. Suki.” Katara watched as Zuko gave a small wave.

“Let me show you guys to your room. Gran Gran and dad are already asleep.” Suki pulled Katara away from Sokka. “Honey, why don’t you help Zuko with those bags?” Suki and Katara walked side by side down the hall to the guest room. “Kat, that guy is gorgeous.”

“I know.” Katara whispered back to her sister-in-law. “And he’s cheap. Plus did you get a good look at this ring?” Katara held it out for both to gaze at. “I don’t want to give it back.”

“I wouldn’t be.” Suki giggled, she held onto Katara’s hand tilting it different ways to catch the light. “You guys will have to sleep in the same bed though. Uncle Bumi ended up coming in and crashing in the den.”

“You serious?” Katara wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure it will be fine…” Katara looked over her shoulder to see Sokka knocking arms with Zuko. Zuko only gave a half smile and nodded to whatever her brother was telling him.

“Well, here you are. If you need anything.” Suki opened the guest bedroom door. “Katara can get it for you. And due to an unexpected guest. We have to ask you guys to share a room. Sorry.”

Zuko looked to Katara with a small shrug. “It’s okay. I slept on many floors before.”

“What too cheap, Mr. Accountant?” Sokka jokes.

Zuko looked confused for a half a second before blinking and letting out a quiet chuckle. “Funny. No, I actually traveled a lot before going to university.”

“We’ll see you in the morning.” Suki grabbed her husband and pulled them down the hallway to their room.

“Right.” Katara began opening her bags and laying out items for bed. “The bathroom is the last door on the left down the hall if you’d like to change.”

“Yeah thanks.” Zuko dropped Katara’s other bag by the door and quickly made his way down the hallway.

Katara listened to the creaky boards as he walked and listened for the door to close before changing into a pair of shorts and old tshirt. She slid into the bed and far against the wall giving Zuko plenty of room to slid in next to her.

When Zuko came back wearing a red tshirt they had bought and his black jeans from work. He swayed from foot to foot for a minute before grabbing the pillow next to Katara. Katara was quick to sit up. “Zuko. Just get in the bed. I may be paying you to be here but I’m not paying for your chiropractor bill.” Zuko looked from the space on the bed to the floor beside it. Katara patted the bed twice, before Zuko gave in and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Is it okay if I sleep in my boxers?” Zuko whispered. “I didn’t think to grab…”

Katara blushed and turned towards the wall. “That’s fine.” She listened as Zuko moved around and clicked off the light. Katara felt the bed move slightly as Zuko slid under the covers. And even though Katara’s heart had sped up. She was quick to realize how it seemed to slow and as the warmth of Zuko washed over her, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Katara woke to still feel that warmth. Except now closer. There was a nice weight slung over her waist and warm breath blew on her forehead. Katara briefly contemplated moving or just staying there for the rest of the day. Zuko took a deep breath in and Katara felt the arm over her waist twist slightly and pull her body closer to Zuko’s. When he released his breath, it tickled the baby hairs of her ear.

Katara hadn’t ever remembered a more relaxed morning. She opened her eyes and watched Zuko for a moment. The red scar almost beautiful against the sea foam green sheets. He should really ditch the glasses. Katara’s heart stuttered as Zuko slowly opened his eyes. Dark gold greeted her. His eyebrow furrowed slightly in confusion. “Morning.”

“Mmm.” Zuko closed his eyes again. Then as if she were fire he pulled back. A chill ran over where his arm had draped over her waist. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. But we should get up.” Katara said as she began to push away the covers.

The two changed quickly, taking turns in the bathroom. They made it to the dining room table hand in hand. The a perfect couple. “Morning!” Suki called from the kitchen.

Katara could smell pancakes and her mouth watered. “Morning.”

Zuko sat down in one of the empty chairs and before Katara could pull away he tugged on her arm. Katara looked down to him confused. Zuko looked slightly confused too. So he let her hand go and shook his head.

“Hey lovebirds!” Sokka called out. “What do you want to drink?”

“Orange juice?” Katara looked to Zuko, who only shrugged. “And make it two!” Katara turned to the newspaper. “Morning, dad.” The newspaper folded down slightly. Her dad nodded and folded the paper back up. Katara leaned in close to whisper to Zuko. “Don’t ever interrupt dad during his morning paper.”

Zuko watched a sneaky smile slide on to Katara’s face. Zuko was surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere was around here. Zuko couldn’t remember the last time he had ever felt home. But here he sat in a stranger’s home, getting paid to be in a fake relationship.

“Where do you plan on taking your beau today, Kitten?” A voice rang out from down the hall. There was a soft shuffling before Zuko saw the older lady.

Katara quickly moved to hug her grandmother. “No idea. Maybe a little bit of everywhere, Gran Gran.”

Katara moved alongside the older lady and helped her into the chair beside Zuko. The lady reached over and patted his hand. “You two should go to the rose dome. It’s beautiful this time of year.”

Katara looked down sadly at her grandmother as she stood beside Zuko. Katara looped an arm over Zuko’s shoulder leaning in to him. “Gran Gran, the rose dome closed.”

“Oh?” Gran Gran blinked and smiled slightly. “You know this old head of mine, it just doesn’t remember like it use to.”

Katara leaned over and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “I’ll take him to where it use to be. I promise.”

“Breakfast is served.” Sokka called out as Suki and him laid out multiple plates piled with pancakes.

The day went as promised to Gran Gran. Katara took Zuko out to all of the places she loved to visit when she stayed here. Katara was yet again surprised at how easy the conversation flowed between them.

“So,” Katara bumped Zuko’s shoulder with her own. “Not to put a downer on the conversation but…” Katara licked at the blueberry ice cream in her hand. “I was thinking… we could stage a little break up in tonight before we go to bed.”

Zuko’s eyebrows shot up, “What?”

“Yeah,” Katara shrugged. “You know so you don’t have to fake marry me and be here for every holiday for the rest of your life. I figured we could figure out something?”

Zuko nodded and bit into his ice cream. Katara wrinkled her nose at the action. “Okay then… And we are suppose to just sleep in the same bed? Oh gauds… I’ll have to face your brother… and your dad… Can’t we just break up after?”

“No!” Katara shook her head. “Don’t worry about Sokka or my dad. I’ll get them to calm down. As for the bed thing.” Katara reached into her bag and pulled out a credit card. “You can find a hotel and I’ll give you a plane ticket when we get back. You’ll get mad and leave. I’ll cry a few tears. And bang. We are broken up. You’ll be 875 dollars richer and I’ll be back to single.”

Zuko bit into the cone with a hum. “So what do we argue about?”

“Well lucky for us the walls aren’t too thin, so we could argue about how you eat ice cream.” Katara nodded her head in the direction of his half eaten cone.

“What’s wrong with the way I eat my ice cream?” Zuko took another bite of the sugar cone.

“You actually eat it!” Katara licked at a drop of the melting ice cream in her hand. “How do you not get a brain freeze?”

Zuko laughed. Katara joined him. She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed this easily with someone. They slowly made their way back to the house. The sun was beginning to set and dinner would soon be on the table.

When they walked in they were surprised to see the others just now sitting down to the table. “Just in time.” Gran Gran called out.

Zuko walked behind Katara with a hand on her lower back. And went behind her as she leaned to give her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, we were out so late. Zuko seemed it really enjoy it.” Katara looked over to him with a smile.

“I did.” Zuko nodded and pulled out the chair next to Gran Gran for Katara to sit. “Maybe I should trade in that beach house for a place around here?”

“Bro, no.” Sokka piped up. “Trust me, keep the beach house.”

Suki slapped her husband playfully on the shoulder. “Zuko, I would love to see more of my sister in law. With her big city practice, we don’t nearly see enough of her.” Suki looked over to Katara.

Katara rolled her eyes and sat down beside Zuko. “Yes, but then we would never have a reason to go the city?”

Zuko automatically reached over and took Katara’s hand. Katara looked down at their joined hands with a small shock. Her eyes finding Zuko’s quickly. He only smiled. “Yes, that big city.” Zuko gave her a look to go along with it and a slight shrug that was almost non-existent.

Katara glared slightly but pulled on a fake smile and took a deep breath. She picked up her glass and whispered, “Don’t push it.”

“Right.” Katara’s dad called out. The dinner started and with a few purposeful bumps in the conversation, the dinner went just as planned.

“Katara can I talk to you…” Zuko said as he wiped off his mouth. “Alone.”

“Alright, we get it. You two don’t have to do dishes…” Sokka started and Hakoda raised an eyebrow at his son.

Katara ran a tongue over her teeth. “Sure. We’ll be back.” Katara pushed back her chair in faked irritation. She grabbed onto Zuko’s arm and tugged him from the dining room. The entered the guest room with smiles. “That went way too well.” Katara closed the door loudly.

“I’m still afraid I’m going to find a shotgun to my forehead when i leave this room.” Zuko laughed quietly. “Something about HOME.”

Katara took the hint, as Zuko shrugged. “You have EVERYTHING?” Katara looked over to the duffle bag Zuko was stuffing. “I have the plane tickets and my card.”

“SO THIS IS HOW IT’S GOING TO GO?!” Zuko lifted his voice as he took the ticket and card. “You sure this is okay?”

“Yes,” Katara looked up to Zuko with a smile. “ZUKO PLEASE, be safe and thank YOU. For doing this. SERIOUSLY saved ME!”

Zuko stepped forward and hugged Katara. “I’M SORRY, that I CAN’T stay longer. This was fun.”

Katara stepped back, something in her chest giving a twinge. A sadness she didn’t know she would feel settled in. “Just shred the card when your DONE!”

Zuko nodded and picked up his bag. “THIS IS IT!” He leaned into whisper to her. “Will I not see you tomorrow?”

“No.” Katara shook her head. “I’ll take an early flight. It’ll be FINE!”

Zuko nodded, “FINE!”

Zuko took his que to leave and stormed out. Katara heard Gran Gran call out for Zuko and ask him what was the matter. Suki was the first to Katara’s door. Her mouth opened but a smile tugging at her lip. Katara winked then burst into tears. Suki took the hint and wrapped Katara in a hug.

Thirty minutes later and many tears later, Katara laid in her bed. The blankets tucked around her and a fresh Gran Gran kiss placed on her head. “Don’t worry too much sweetheart. They come and they go. Look at your grandfather. He was a very stupid man.”

Katara smiled up sadly to her grandmother. “Thanks, Gran Gran.” She turned over and faced the bedroom wall. Katara listened as her grandmother shuffle out. She sighed a turned over in the darkened room. Loneliness setting in.

When Katara woke the next morning, she was cold. Instantly missing the heat of Zuko. She sighed and quickly got up to change. Her plane was to leave at 6 and she still needed to pack since she didn’t last night.

Katara sluggishly got around. She cringed when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her reflection looked horrible. Pink puffy eyes and hair falling completely from her top knot. Katara quickly ran through her morning routine and walked into the living room.

Gran Gran was sitting in her arm chair with a small tea cup. “Morning. Early flight?”

Katara gave a small smile, “Yeah, I actually need to be leaving now.”

Katara’s grandmother stood and walked to her favorite grandchild. She pushed Katara’s chin up, “Keep smiling child. Maybe one day he will realize his mistake. Hmm?”

The younger nodded and wrapped Gran Gran in a hug. “I love you. We will talk as soon as I land.”

Her grandmother and a groggy Suki walked her out to the cab. Suki gave her a hug. “Tell Zuko I said hi and that he is welcome back anytime.”

Katara smiled to her sister in law. “Ha, I’m not stepping a foot into that coffee shop ever again.” Katara’s shoulders slumped, “Which is a real shame. That was some of the best coffee.”

Suki laughed and said one last goodbye to Katara. Katara waved to her family as the cab pulled away.

Katara checked her bag into security and walked to the nearest coffee vendor. She pulled out her phone as she sat in one of the seats of her terminal.

“One to go?”

Katara jumped in her seat, nearly spilling the coffee. She turned to see Zuko sitting a few chairs down behind her. Happiness instantly flooded her. “Sadly, I had to pay for this one.”

Zuko laughed and made his way to sit beside her. “So how late do you think this plane will be?”

Katara smiled and looked to Zuko over her cup, “Mmm, at least long enough for you to give a fake proposal.”

The smile never left Zuko’s face as he pulled her left hand to him. Zuko kneeled down in front of her with the fake engagement ring between his fingers. “How about a real proposal? Not for marriage!” Zuko quickly pointed out when midnight blue eyes got wide. “But… A girlfriend proposal.” Katara tilted her head in confusion.

“Katara, I have spent a total of 36 hours with you. And there was never a dull moment.” Zuko chuckled to himself, “I traveled this whole world looking for an adventure. I also hoped to meet someone. Someone who would make me smile and laugh. Someone who would take me on an adventure. Someone who I could take on an adventure. Someone who when I look back in thirty years I’ll instantly remember all the fun we had. And these past few hours have been exactly that.” Zuko took a deep breath in, “So, I am asking, Katara, will you be my girlfriend?”

Katara felt a burst of over excitement in her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she started nodding. “For real?”

“Well, we’ve already done the fake relationship.” Zuko smirked and raised the ring to her finger. “So a real one now would be nice. “You know, if you’ll say yes?”

“Yes!” Katara blurted out. Zuko slid on the ring and Katara all but tackled him to the ground in a hug. People around them clapped and a few called out their congratulations.

Zuko slowly helped Katara to her feet. “Is it bad luck that I used the same ring?”

Katara laughed and never in her whole laugh had she ever felt as happy as she did in that moment.

Well until of course their wedding day, when they would re-encounter all of the memories during their vows.

Thanks for the prompt!

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #short fic #thanks for the request!#zutaralover94 answers #germex #fake relationship au #pretending to hate each other au #super fun to write #zuko x katara fic

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ardynium · 7 years ago

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What is this? Can it be? A new part of Three’s Company? (<this way to AO3) Still full of Dad!Cor, mad Uncle Ardyn and little Prom-Prom? Still by @bluespikycreature and little old me? Oh yessss.

This time Ardyn meets up with another one of the merry bunch. One who is all but delighted to see him, even if he might come up with a new recipeh in the end.

This part is called...

The cake is a lie

Ignis was early, as he always was, even though he knew that Noctis would very likely be fashionably late, as he often was. They were meeting in a small café halfway between the school and the charity event the prince was supposed to show his face at, to go through a few of the more important points of the night. Neither of them minded. The coffee was good, and there was no salad on the chicken sandwiches.

“Would you mind helping me with a decision?“ The hobo - no, not a homeless person, too much mohair and silk and finely spun cotton among the layers he wore, an eccentric - smiled at him. “It is of some importance to me, but rather easy for you to make, since it is of none to you, and you seem a man of good taste.“

"Not at all. How may I help you?" There certainly was no harm in doing this, and Ignis had some time to pass.

“Do we feel like classical chocolate today or like the rather promising strawberry tarte? Or something completely different?“ He managed to sound more serious about this question than Regis in some political things.

Ignis kept a perfectly straight face. "I'd say that it's not quite the right time of the year for strawberries yet. I doubt they will taste as good as they look."

“Which one would you choose if you'd had to choose?“ A little nod to the local selection of cakes.

"It's on the simple side, but the chiffon cake here is excellent."

“Then it will be two slices of chiffon, a cup of black tea for me and one Ebony for my young friend.“

“Of course, Sir.“ The server nodded and went to get his order, and the stranger sat down with him. “You don't mind if I do?“

"Thank you." Ignis nodded. "I am waiting for company, but it will be a while."

"Oh, I know, but the fledgling just sent me a message they will be late." Ardyn was rather proud of himself that he had learned to decipher those rather cryptic texts Prompto sometimes sent. For a whole while, the boy had tried, had really tried, but when he was in a hurry, he started to shorten and scramble things.

"Fledgling? Oh, you mean Prompto?" The nickname had been mentioned here and there. "I take it you are his uncle Ardyn, then?" Ignis had seen a few pictures, but they had been few and far between for him to only now be sure who the other man was.

"And you are Ignis Scientia, the princeling's chaperone. Ah, thank you, love." Cake and drinks were served.

Ignis thanked the waitress and adjusted his glasses. "I'd like to think that my duties go a little beyond that."

"Do they, now? And where do they go? Not on little journeys now and then, even though you could need those, to prevent the inevitable ulcer for a little longer." A friendly little wink as the uncle arranged the things on the table in just the right way.

"I appreciate the concern, but I am quite content with my position as it is." Even though yes, it meant that he had never had a proper vacation. "You are waiting for your nephew?"

"That, too, but I'm trying my best to meet those affected by the prophecy before things get even more serious. Have some cake with them, if it can be managed." A wide smile. Yes, this was perfect. Time to eat.

Other than with Noctis and his father, Ardyn only saw the moment Ignis' jaw became tight and his expression blank. The young man nodded and drank some coffee, used the time between picking up the cup and setting it down again to think and to assess . "Please, go on. You have my attention."

He was ruining his foreplay . How impolite. "I suppose you already have an opinion about the whole affair?"

"Just a cluster of assumptions, concerns, and wishful thinking, as most of us do." A tight smile. "Noctis has been adamant about not telling me what you talked about during his Majesty's visit. He has been a little out of sorts since then. It would be quite interesting to know why."

"He has? Oh my. That was truly not what I intended." Ardyn seemed mildly worried. Tried the cake. Allowed himself to get lost in the cake, at least for a little while.

Ignis let him, and busied himself with his own cake for a few bites. It didn't taste like much today. "I have helped him with some of his research. I am entertaining a few hypotheses that I would have considered absurd a few weeks ago."

“Indulge me, will you? I might be the person with the most, well, first-hand experience there is at the moment.“

"It does seem like it, yes. Especially if you are as old as what we saw indicates. You're him , aren't you?" It looked like Ignis wanted to add more, but he faltered, and finally only asked, quietly, "He's going to die, isn't he? Sooner than he should?"

"And you are going to suffer a fate worse than death. According to prophecy, that is. And yet we are sitting here and having an indeed rather delightful piece of cake. I'm rather sure this wasn't augured anywhere, and I would very much prefer the next, say, sixty years to be like that. More cake, less blood and tears."

The young man being so detached about the whole thing made it easier for Ardyn to talk about it.

"I think we can agree on that, yes." With the color his face had turned, warnings about stress related stomach issues came a little late. "If Noct's reaction is anything to go by, you don't know how to achieve this goal, either."

"It is rather hard to know such things. That's why humans went with praying and hoping for the best for so long. I do have ideas, but alas, not really a plan. Yet. I'm still in the 'meet the other parties'-phase."

"I suppose cooperation is a rather good starting point." Ignis nodded. "Whatever we do next, Noct's safety is my first priority. I'm sure you understand."

“I have heard this before, indeed. From pretty much everyone, as these things are to be expected.“ He dipped a bit of cake into the tea and ate it gracefully. “It is rather frustrating, you know, how much a title changes. Even the fledgling seems to prefer companions his own age, no matter how long we know each other.“ That was only half true and mainly the product of the teenage wasteland that was Prompto's brain, but it hurt a little nonetheless.

"Just to be clear: Noct is my friend. The title is secondary in this. That being said, I would very much prefer it if everyone got out of this mess unharmed."

“Oh, I very much hope he is in your heart, my dear Ignis. It is important to have good people at your side in any position, but especially in his. Those who are lacking them...“ A sad little headshake. It was clear he was thinking of somebody , but wouldn't say until someone asked nicely.

"Are rather unfortunate." Ignis frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

Ardyn pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I would like you to take a guess. You seem wise enough to give an interesting answer."

"I'm fairly sure that you are not talking about yourself, because if you were, I would have to remind you that if anything were to happen Prompto would come to your aid first, and that would put us in a rather awkward situation. Aside from the fact that we are having this conversation specifically so no-one will have to choose."

"And I have Cor. Who does try his best to keep messy ideas out of my head, even though allowing him sometimes needs a certain amount of good will on my part, with him telling me Don't and letting myself fill in the blanks." A slight smile that showed actual fondness.

Ignis returned the smile for a moment. At least something was already working out well. He sobered up quickly, adjusted his glasses. "There are some parties involved in this whose status I honestly don't know. Lady Lunafreya comes to mind, though. I cannot imagine her to be happy with her brother's involvement in the Niflheim forces."

“A wise man, as I thought. Where do you see the problems with little Luna, other than her brother dearest?“

"Her confinement," Ignis replied. He turned the cup in his hands, coffee now cold. "And the constant surveillance that comes with it. Securely communicating with someone who is basically a political prisoner isn't an easy feat."

“Mhm.“ A slow nod for this very human answer. “And you do have suggestions what to do to work around this?“

Ignis frowned. "I would have to think about it for more than a few minutes, to be honest. A misstep could lead to serious consequences on a large scale."

Ardyn briefly wondered if he could provoke a heart attack in a boy his age by just telling him what he already did, but decided against it. That would just be mean.

“Please do.“

A nod. "I will." He took a look at his watch and sighed. "They are running quite late." There was more than just a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“It gives us some more time to speak, which may not be the worst thing. You're the first of them I can speak to without...“ A fork full of cake. Not completely without.

Ignis, too, pulled the plate closer again. Much longer and he would have to go and pick Noct up, but for the moment, he might as well. "Without...?"

“My past stirring too much. It is rare, and I thank you for it.“

Ardyn had a vague idea why. A sense of nostalgia that woke deep within, a half-lost memory of an old familiar.

"I can hardly take credit for that, but I'm glad to hear it." His face relaxed a little, a conscious effort to come across a little less stern . "I certainly don't mean to cause discomfort."

A raised fork waving away his words. “You have every right to cause it, and every right to feel it yourself. You are as much part of this as the boys are, and are supposed to bleed even more. I find it very undeserved.“

Now that his expression was a little less guarded, Ignis’ discomfort was more obvious, drawn lips and evasive eyes. "Usually I would ask for details, and I probably should."

“The prophecy speaks of one wise man who will give the light of his eyes for the King of Light. The illustrations... point to you, and they are rather accurate about the other three.“

"That they are." Those pictures had been the garula in the room between him and the prince for the last two weeks. "And I'm afraid they are correct in assuming that it is something I would give to ensure Noct's well-being. But a wise man?" A wry smile. Ignis shook his head. "Not much wisdom to be found if I already know that it won't save him."

“Why do you think such horrible things if your worst enemy is not willing to think them?“

The boy - and a boy he still was - was better at playing down his emotions than his liege, and far better than the fledgling. One almost couldn't see the shiver running down his spine. "I'm not saying that it is impossible to save him at all. We already established that the prophecy is off the mark, and we are actively working against it as we speak. All I am saying is that there is no point in a sacrifice that I now know is playing into our common enemy's hands."

"The wisdom will come, sooner than later, prophecy or not." Piece of cake into his mouth. Not satisfying. "They might try to make you fulfill the words written by themselves by any means necessary. Oh, how they hate being in the wrong." Ardyn laid down the little silver fork, folded his hands to hold onto himself.

Ignis set his jaw and nodded. His response was tight, and he might as well have been talking about a particularly petulant child. "They will have to deal."

The Accursed’s smile was wide, and Ignis felt the older man's cold hand around his own for a moment, squeezing it in sudden sympathy. " Thank you ."

A short moment of hesitation, and another nod. Once Ardyn let go, Ignis used his free hand to pull something from his jacket pocket. A card. He handed it over like it was a matter of course for a teenager to carry those. "Thank me by keeping me updated. The more I know, the more helpful I can be."

The old man took the calling card with both hands and took a good look at it. "I will thank you for working together when things worked out, until then I will only thank you for your sensibility. It is rather liberating not having to be the most reasonable in this undertaking anymore."

"You may be giving me too much credit. I understand His Majesty is on board as well?"

"I'm giving you the fair share of credit you deserve. Yes, Reggie seems indeed to be rather happy with the idea of ending all this peacefully and without unnecessary deaths. The boy shares his opinion with little Lunafreya in this." There. He said it, as nonchalantly as he managed, just as Ignis had taken a sip of his coffee.

Somehow, Ignis managed to cover his mouth and keep the spitting to a minimum. He still needed a moment to get the coughing under control.

Honey-colored eyes looked at him innocently. “Are you alright?“

"Well," he replied, dabbing the coffee off his shirt as much as possible, "we are not currently under attack, so I suppose I am. Given the circumstances, that is all I can reasonably ask for."

The tiniest pout on Ardyn's lips. Dry as hard tack, that one's humor, and very much not what he had been hoping for. For once, he was proud of himself for doing something actually good , and now the only one who wouldn't pass out from the information had to do something like this. Life was mean.

"Also seeing that we are not, I take it your line of communication with her is impressively secure. Which makes enquiries on my side rather unnecessary." Ignis looked up. "I'm so sorry, did I get coffee on you?"

“You could try to be nosy, you know? Just the tiniest bit.“ Had the boy been born that way? And was he even a real boy? More composure than all of the adults together, this one. Rather scary.

"No need for further enquiries into establishing contact." Still with that calm voice. Also still dabbing away at a stain that was all but dry already, keeping his hands busy and his eyes down. "I was going to ask how you did it, and so quickly."

"As soon as your heart stopped screaming because all of this is way too much, that is." Ardyn's voice was soft. "You don't have to keep up your face, child, not with me. Be strong for the princeling all you want, but I promise I won't tell if you allow yourself to be weak once in a while. It's the same offer I made little Lunafreya, and it's the least I can do for causing all this trouble."

Ignis stopped and looked up. He took a deep breath, and the shudder running through him when he exhaled was obvious. "I--" Another breath like the one before. "I sincerely thank you for the offer. It is, however, not that simple. You should know that better than anyone."

"I know a thing or two about old habits, indeed. Would you fancy a drink instead? It seems the adult thing to do to regain composure." Again, the old man's hand on his, and it was only thanks to the table that he wasn't in a proper hug now.

"I still have to drive." Ignis pulled his hand back, slowly. "I should also be on my way."

Ardyn nodded, equally slowly. “Inappropriate. I'm sorry.“ His hand lay forlorn for a moment, then held onto his cup of tea. “Tell them my best regards and that I just wandered off somewhere, completely forgetting about the meeting. If you would do that for me.“

"I'm sure they will understand." Ignis stood to leave. "Thank you for all of this." His time, his honesty, his offer, Ardyn could take his pick. "It was good to finally meet you."

"That it was. And thanks for your recommendation of cake. It is appreciated."

"You're quite welcome. I hope we can repeat this under less... pressing circumstances."

“Probably never, considering your job. Off you go.“ A regal wave. He still could do that .

#dad!cor #cor leonis #ardyn izunia #prompto argentum #ignis scientia #ongoing #ffxv fanfiction

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manyothermusingsofmine · 7 years ago

Text

Loyalty || Drabble

Listen I’ve been trying to write this fucking thing for like a month I’m just done with it now on every conceivable level of the term. Shout out to this songtrack for finally helping me finish this thing Summary: Things get a little more feels-y when Reid and Cleo have to subdue an unsub on Cleo’s hometurf of Connecticut.

Warnings: Gun violence, bruising mention, discussions about the aftermath of losing a love one, death

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”

― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

“Are these movies ever going to explain why these people only seem interested in murder on the night of the purge?”

Rolling her eyes at another scene in the movie, Cleo popped some popcorn into her mouth and settled back into the couch. She turned to look at Reid, who seemed equally confused at the movie. Truth be told; she was happy that she convinced him to have a movie night with her, even if most of the night was spend critiquing the movies for their decisions.

“I find it hard to believe that having a Purge somehow ensures that people reign themselves in for the rest of the year. They don’t take spree killers or escalation into mind; that just doesn’t go away because these people get a wild card once a year.”

“I’d go for the “get out of jail free” card but I suppose you play poker more than you do monopoly.”

Spencer couldn’t help but chuckle at that, shaking his head as he turned back to the movie. It felt good to be out of his own home but not necessarily dragged away to some public location; he was grateful Cleo seemed to understand that better than anyone else. Probably because she was just as introverted as him.

“I mean really; no theft, no looting, no fraud… it’s like the entire white collar division of the FBI is obsolete in this world. Nor are these murderers as diverse as they are in our job so I guess in this world the BAU could do their job with like, two people at most?”

“Considering crime is at an all-time low throughout the rest of the year these people don’t even really have a need for a lot of first aid responders. Just a couple for accidental injuries and the like.”

They commented on a few other scenes, joking and laughing among themselves before the movie ended and Cleo went to pop in another movie in the dvd player. She sat back down on the couch as Reid was staring at a wall, thinking to himself.

How much time?

Recalling the conversations he had had with both Hotch and Rossi, Spencer let out a sigh. Neither of them had really given him a satisfying answer, and he turned to look at Cleo who was messing with some settings of both the dvd and the tv.

Was it weird that she was really the only one he had let in throughout the whole ordeal? Logically he would’ve turned to JJ or Morgan, but nothing about the situation was logical. It was all raw emotion; and he had never been good at dealing with that. Cleo on the other hand had had her fair share of it. Was that why she seemed to be the exception to the rule?

“Cleo? When did the death of your uncle stop hurting?”

Silence brewed between them as Cleo thought about how she could best explain the situation, moving back to the couch as she did. Death and grief would always be a difficult subject, and Cleo more often than not didn’t like to bring up her uncle’s death. But then again, Spencer was looking for her advice, wasn’t he?

“It didn’t. Memories like these don’t just stop hurting, Spencer. I wish I could give you some definitive timeline of when things faded and became more… tolerable, I guess, but it never really goes away. I don’t really know when it became more bearable to be without him; I still miss my uncle. His death definitely left its scars, but it’s the missing that hurts the most. It’s almost like a bad, permanent bruise. Something hurt you enough to leave a mark; it doesn’t hurt all of the time, but then you move wrong, press or brush against it and it hurts again.” “So losing Maeve is always going to hurt?”

“I’m afraid so. To some degree.”

They sat there silently, with Spencer looking back at the wall and Cleo studying her nails; the movie long forgotten and unimportant as it only functioned as background noise. Yet in this silence they almost seemed to agree on something, something unspoken but very real. Being in law enforcement, FBI no less… Both of them had seen enough to fill horror movies and educational books. Each and every one they considered colleagues could, too.

“I…. I don’t know about you, but it’s part of the reason I wanted to be in law enforcement. Not with the idea to take away pain, we… we generally arrive too late for that. The pain has already been inflicted when we get called in,” Cleo said softly, breaking the silence.

“But… I always wanted to have that pain not be worthless, or unsolved. Justice doesn’t bring people back, and I don’t know how much it truly helps those who have lost someone in such violence. To me, Justice is about having that pain acknowledged. It’s having other people look in and say; this shouldn’t have happened, but it did, so we’re punishing the one responsible.

It doesn’t.. fix anything. When a mirror breaks, you can put the pieces back together and forever be reminded of the cracks, or replace it. Things break, and they can be replaced. People can’t be replaced, so the only option is-“

“To be reminded of the cracks.”

Spencer turned to Cleo, giving her a careful and unconvincing smile as he did. She returned it, much in the same gesture, before they both turned to the tv screen.

It was then that Cleo’s phone signaled that she had a text, not long after that Spencer’s phone announced the same. They both reached over the couch to grab it, quickly coming to the same conclusion.

“New case.” “Yup. Guess we have to catch people who would like the Purge to be an actual thing.”

Sometime later they arrived to the FBI building, calmly taking their place in the bulletin room where Garcia immediately explained what was going on.

Apparently six people had been found dead in Middletown, Connecticut; half of them gunned down while the other half was beaten to death. The victims were found in couples together spread throughout the city, and Garcia definitely didn’t want to look at the pictures as she made eye contact with Cleo. “Say, aren’t you from there?” “No, I’m not. I’m from Meriden,” Cleo said casually, frowning at the casefile on her iPad as she did. Rossi saw a perfect opportunity in this and took it;

“Well then, let’s bring the Nutmegger back to her natural habitat.” “Don’t make me fight you with an I heart NY shirt, because I will.”

Once again they were reminded that there was no such thing as an easy case. Instead, Reid and Dewitt found themselves in a Mexican standoff with the unsub later in the investigation. Both of them had their gun pointed to this man, both trying to figure out a way to defuse the situation they had on their hand as the unsub was making wild allegations at the both of them.

“And how dare you betray your state and run off to Virginia, huh, miss perfect?!” the unsub roared at Cleo, only having gotten more agitated when he found out she would be on the case as well. They knew each other, vaguely, after having been to the same school but in different grades.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t get the memo where I should have been at your feet for doing the bare minimum,” Cleo casually remarked, moving closer to somehow try and distract the unsub from Reid; which he seemed to notice.

“Why the Las Vegas boy? What does he have that I don’t, aside from a gambling addiction?! I’m sick of girls like you protecting guys like him-“ “And I’m sick of guys like you shooting girls like me in the chest because our taste dares to be different from “explosive alpha male on steroids”!” Cleo barked back, getting fed up with the situation.

“I don’t owe you my life, my career, and I’m not going to back away from someone you decided to google and make the most basic assumptions on just because you want me to pick a man from my home state; Oh but not just any man, you, right? My preferences be damned on that!”

“Listen, this has to end now,” Reid chimed in, knowing fully well that Cleo was getting irritated.

“We’ve got the building surrounded, there is no way you can go. If you come with us quietly, however, the world will know what a hero you are. How undefeated you are, isn’t that what you want?”

Tension hung in the air as the unsub looked from one FBI agent to the other, before finally settling on Reid.

“Not from the likes of you, desert snake.”

Two shots rang out through the sky, alerting the troops outside to come rushing the door with Morgan in the lead; especially after Reid called for medical back up. He found them both sitting on the floor, the dead body of the unsub some feet away from the both of them.

He could only conclude that Reid had shot the unsub after Cleo blocked the path between the two and took a hit from the unsub’s gun into the protective padding of the bullet proof vest.

Cleo sighed softly, overlooking the familiar landscape of her home state as she quietly sipped her tea, wincing a little as the bruise she gained from the whole thing chafed. So much for “bullet proof” vests, it much more felt like she’d taken the hit of a baseball bat to her ribcage.

She could hear someone approach, the door to the police station shutting and footsteps coming closer.

“You know, aside from getting shot, I don’t really understand why you didn’t want to come back here.” Spencer’s voice was as soft and gentle as it usually was, while he took a place beside his friend as he drank some of his coffee.

“The people are nice, the view is amazing…”

“I know,” Cleo agreed softly, her gaze seemingly a million miles away over the plains of the city.

“But I had to go. I wanted to be an FBI agent, and my uncle moved mountains to make that happen. After losing him, I couldn’t find the comfort I once did in my home state.”

She took another sip of her tea before pushing her hair behind her ear, needing a moment to gather her thoughts.

“I found family within the BAU, Reid. Connecticut is beautiful in its own right, and I’ll never deny the roots of my life that lay here. But I lost my mother when I was very young, I’ve never known my father, and when my uncle died…. There’s nothing left for me here, family wise.”

Spencer just looked on as Cleo finished her drink, momentarily debating whether or not he should give her physical comfort, but he decided against it as she tossed the empty, plastic cup into a nearby trashcan.

“I’ve been told Connecticut is beautiful in fall.” “It is.” “Will you show it to me, someday? I’ll give you Vegas in spring in return.”

She looked at him, a smile on her lips as she nodded in quiet agreement. In a second it dawned upon her; this being the perfect time and moment. The perfect opportunity. “Spencer… I-“ she stopped herself as she saw JJ approaching, quickly turning her gaze away as she fiddled with her hair.

“Just wanted to let you two know that we’re leaving in thirty minutes,” JJ announced, seemingly unaware to anything she may have interrupted as she was honestly just send to remind everybody of the time they had left to pack everything up and go home. She left her coworkers when they both nodded in understanding, waiting for her to go back inside.

“What did you want to say before we were interrupted?” “…. I look forward to having you as a tour guide through Vegas,” Cleo decided, internally kicking herself for not fessing up right there and then.

“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.”

― Rudyard Kipling, The Collected Works

#drabble #adjustment required (Cleo Dewitt)#fandom: criminal minds

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continuitygains · 7 years ago

Text

Road Trip

Lovely art by the absolutely amazing @zacktopus93!!

Also beta’d by the beautiful Lucie, who is Cliophilyra on AO3 <3

(Written for the Spideypool Big Bang, organized by @spideypoolfanfic)

Summary: Peter goes on a cross-country road trip during the summer to scatter Uncle Ben’s ashes, and ends up being joined by Wade, a hitchhiker who is actually a mercenary on the run from a job gone bad.

Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Minor Violence, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping (turned ok??)

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 14k (I know, it’s a monster)

Read on AO3

It wasn’t until after Peter’s sophomore year of college that he finally decided to do it.

The little box of ashes had been sitting on the mantle for over three years. Every time Aunt May walked past it, she would stare sadly at it, running her hand over its smooth, black surface and the small brass plate engraved with Uncle Ben’s name.

When his uncle had first died, Aunt May had told Peter numerous times that they would go and scatter the ashes.

“We’ll do it soon, I promise,” she would say. “When you graduate high school. We’ll do it then.”

The promises continued until Aunt May collapsed only a couple of weeks before his high school graduation, clutching her chest. The heart attack didn’t cause any lasting damage, but the doctor told her that she would have to keep an eye on her heart rate, and that any travel was not recommended for the near future.

“Maybe after you’re done with college, honey,” Aunt May had told Peter softly from the hospital bed. Peter squeezed her hand without replying.

He missed his high school graduation, and spent most of the summer with Aunt May at home, taking care of her and getting ready for college. Gwen was there when she could be, but she was busy in California with her own life and college work.

And then college was a whole other demon. The constant work left him ragged and barely eeking by with the grades he needed. After a grueling first year, he wasn’t able to slow down. He continued to care for Aunt May and along with his photography he took a job at Starbucks to help pay the bills.

The next year of college was when he felt himself nearing his breaking point. After he was put on academic probation in the fall semester, he tried to pull himself together, but everything continued to spiral, and just as the spring semester ended, he withdrew in a last ditch effort to not be expelled and save his own sanity.

“It’s alright, Peter,” Aunt May had said soothingly, running a hand through his hair as he sat next to her on the couch. “These things happen. Don’t worry about the money, we’ll figure something out.” She held his hand as he choked back sobs.

A couple of weeks after that incident, as he drank his morning cup of coffee and watched television, the epiphany hit him. Aunt May didn’t even get out a ‘good morning’ before he blurted out his idea.

“I’m gonna drive out to Utah and spread Uncle Ben’s ashes.”

***

And that’s how he ended up here--in a gas station attached to a diner, right off of the interstate, with no other signs of civilisation for miles.

“Yeah, I’m just taking a break right now,” he said, balancing his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he picked up a bag of chips. “I’m gonna have breakfast, and then I’m hoping to drive at least another five hours before calling it a day--no, I’m not speeding, Aunt May. Yes, I’m being careful.”

He continued to try to allay his aunt’s fears as he checked out with his snacks and made his way into the diner connected to the convenience store.

“It’ll still probably take about ten days to get all the way there,” Peter continued as he sat down. He mouthed a ‘thank you’ at the waitress as she poured him some coffee. “Yes, I’m still doing fine--Aunt May, I’m not sixteen. I know it’s dangerous, but--who was supposed to go with me? No one else could… No, Gwen’s still in UCLA, finishing up her research.”

“She would’ve come and driven with you,” Aunt May huffed down the phoneline.

“It’s kind of too late now, Aunt May,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. “Listen, I’m fine, I’ll get to California safe and sound, okay? I’m about to eat, can I call you back later?”

“You better. Stay safe, alright?”

“I will.”

“And don’t pick up any strangers.”

“I won’t, Aunt May.”

Peter shook his head with a fond smile as he slid his phone back into his pocket. He couldn’t stay mad at Aunt May for long; she was all he had left, and she just wanted what was best for him. This was the first time he’d been gone for a long period all by himself, it was understandable that she was concerned.

“Yo.”

The voice was way too close to his ear, and Peter startled, jerking around. The man in the booth behind him had turned around, giving him a friendly grin. The man was probably a couple of years older than Peter, and was wearing one of the most hideous shirts that he had ever had the misfortune of seeing. It was floral print, some horrible mockery of a Hawaiian shirt, with neon colors and dolphins printed on it. He was also wearing a cowboy hat, the brim lowered to cover the majority of his face.

Peter frowned. “Can I help you?” he asked slowly.

“Actually, I was hoping you could.”

Without waiting for an invitation, the stranger stood up from his table, picking up his plate of pancakes and orange juice and sliding them onto Peter’s table before plopping down onto the seat opposite.

“I’m Wade,” the man said, jutting his hand out. It was calloused and covered in dozens of scars. Peter shook it cautiously.

“Peter.”

“Well, Petey, I hate being one of those assholes who eavesdrop, but I really couldn’t help hearing that you’re heading to California, too.”

Wade grinned ruefully, and jerked a thumb out the window. Peter followed where he was pointing, and saw a man hooking a car to the back of a tow truck. It was dented and rusty, with little holes punched into the doors that Peter couldn’t identify but which likely came from the same accident that had crushed the side panels in.

“Some a-hole totaled my car, and now I’m kinda stuck in the middle of nowhere,” the man said ruefully, looking around the diner.

Peter quickly picked up on the unasked question, and he tensed in discomfort. “Oh,” he said awkwardly. “Uh, do you need to call someone? You can use my phone…”

“Nah, I already bothered the waitress until she let me use the phone in the back.” As if to prove his point, the nearby waitress sent an annoyed glare in Wade’s direction. “Look, I know this is sudden and seems really sketchy, but I was hoping I could hitch a ride with you to California.”

Peter’s chest clenched up. Everything about this situation was uncomfortable: it was obvious he had to say no, even if Wade was staring at him with big eyes and seemed to have good intentions. (If they’d met in any other situation, Peter wouldn’t have minded even taking him out for a coffee). He opened his mouth to respond, but only managed to croak out a barely human noise.

“L-look, I’m sorry, man, but I don’t think I should,” Peter said awkwardly, tripping over the words. “I just--yeah.” His brain couldn’t move fast enough to think of a good excuse, and he felt the tips of his ears turn red.

“Ah, that’s a bummer,” Wade said with a deep sigh. “I mean, like, I could try to chat you up more and use my manly wiles, but that might get the cops called on me.”

Peter couldn’t help but chuckle, even though there was a surprising amount of guilt growing inside of him. “I-I can call you a taxi or something, though,” he offered. “Or help you find a bus?”

“Hey, it’s all good, don’t worry about it, dude,” Wade said, holding up his hands and giving Peter a charming grin. “It was a total shot in the dark, and I get why you wouldn’t want a total weirdo in your car. Thanks for listening to me, though.”

As Wade got up to go back to his table Peter was gripped with the sudden urge to do something really, really stupid.

“Hey,” he called after him. Wade turned around, a questioning look on his face.

Peter stared at him for a second, and swallowed heavily. “Is there a specific day that you need to get to California? Because I’m going a really long and roundabout way there.”

A slow grin spread over Wade’s features. Peter could see that he was practically vibrating with excitement. “Nope,” he said, popping his lips. “I have a completely open schedule.”

Peter nodded. “You’re welcome to come with me,” he said. “I mean, as long as you pay for gas money and chip in for the hotel rooms and stuff.”

“Done and done,” Wade exclaimed. Peter grunted as he was pulled into a tight hug, Wade bending down awkwardly so Peter didn’t have to stand up. “Don’t even worry about the money--I’ll pay for everything. It’s the least I can do. You’re the man, Petey-boy.”

Peter stared after Wade as he grabbed the duffel bag that was sitting in his abandoned booth, whistling as he went, and felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in the back of his throat. Well, this trip was meant to be spontaneous and this definitely counted as spontaneous. He could already hear Gwen and Aunt May’s voices ringing in his ears, telling him how stupid he was.

It might be good though, he thought, trying to persuade himself that he wasn’t an idiot. It’d be nice not having to pay for the gas and everything else by himself. And technically, it would keep him more alert, right? He’d be less likely to nod off and crash into a ditch after hours and hours of driving. (At least, that’s what he told himself).

Wade chatted and drank coffee while Peter continued eating. Within minutes Peter was in complete awe of the way the man seemed to be able to talk constantly yet not say anything at all. He silently hoped that Wade wouldn’t be able to keep this up for the hours of driving they had ahead of them.

***

Back outside of the diner, Peter opened the car doors and popped the trunk. Wade dropped his heavy bag in before jumping into the passenger seat. Peter shook his head in bewilderment as he climbed in on the other side, fumbling for the keys in his pocket.

“If you’re planning on robbing me, I should probably tell you I’m actually really good at fighting,” Peter blurted out.

Wade heaved a heavy sigh, and went to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Guess I might as well leave, then,” he said casually. “You’ve figured out my plan. The cat’s out of the bag.”

Peter froze, the key poised over the ignition. He stared with wide eyes at Wade.

“Kidding, I’m kidding.”

Peter made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, but couldn’t stop the grin that was spreading over his face. “I try to be a good samaritan, and this is where it gets me,” he complained. “Stuck in the car with a weirdo.”

“See? Be heartless. It’ll stop situations like this from happening.”

“Are you telling me to kick you out?”

“Nah, it’s too late now.”

Peter snorted, shaking his head fondly. He reversed the car smoothly out of the parking spot and was soon back onto the open road.

“So, where ya from?” Wade asked casually, watching the scenery zip by.

“Queens.”

“Ooo, you’re far from home!” Wade chirped. “What’s got you heading all the way to Cali?”

Peter hesitated, his gaze darting from the road to the rearview mirror, where he could see the box of ashes sitting on the backseat. He thought about just giving a vague answer, but he figured it’d be better to answer honestly before his passenger caught sight of the box and got freaked out.

“To spread my uncle’s ashes,” he said.

“Oh. Shit.” Wade was startled, looking like a deer in the headlights. “Fuck, I’m sorry. Were you close? Uh, don’t answer that. Obviously you were, or else you wouldn’t be driving out here. What happened?”

Peter’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, remaining silent.

Wade also didn’t speak for awhile, but he seemed completely unable to be quiet. “...Alright, uh, I see that was a bit of a shitty question, so don’t answer that either.”

Peter huffed angrily, and reached down for his phone, unlocking it. “Here, play some music,” he said tersely, tossing it into Wade’s lap. “Make a playlist or something.”

Wade hummed thoughtfully, and quickly started tapping away. Peter occasionally glanced over, making sure that he hadn’t opened a different app or something, but the man stuck resolutely to Spotify. After what felt like an eternity, music suddenly blared through the speakers, and Peter burst out laughing.

“Did you just un-ironically put on Steely Dan?”

“You bet your butt I did.”

“Oh my god, what is your problem? I’m leaving you at the next gas station if you don’t change it right now.”

***

“So when you say roundabout way, how roundabout are we talking?” Wade said as he put the finishing touches to the playlist.

Peter grimaced. “I was gonna swing by New Orleans to see a friend and then just straight shoot it from there,” he said. “Probably stop by a couple of other places that sound cool, too. And then I’m gonna spread the ashes at Zion National Park in Utah. After that, it’s off to LA.”

Wade gasped excited. “N’awlins?! I haven’t been there in so long. And lemme tell you, the last time I went there, it was wild.”

“Really? You don’t strike me as the partying type.”

Wade laughed. “Well, I mean, there was a party, but I didn’t have time to join in on the fun, since it ended real quick.”

Peter hummed, sitting up a little straighter when he felt a twinge of pain in his back. “What happened?”

“I was workin’ a job there,” Wade said flippantly. “The mood gets kinda soured when you’ve been paid to kill the dude hosting the party.”

Peter blinked a couple of times. “Can you repeat that last bit?” he asked, his attention completely focused on the man in his passenger’s seat.

“Yeah, it was meant to be just a clean one and done kinda thing, but it seems like Lady Luck stepped out on me. So rude. So the person who hired me apparently wanted to catch me as soon as the job was done and off me too so he’d look like the hero for taking me out. I had to go running around New Orleans like a nutso--okay, like more of a nutso than usual--before I managed to shake ‘em and head back up north.”

Peter didn’t respond for a second. “Oh my god, there’s a crazy person in my car,” he announced calmly. He could already sense a stern talk between him and Wade regarding cracking jokes about murder to people Wade barely knew. “You sound like the script of a bad action movie.”

“Now that you mention it, I did actually try to write a movie once.”

***

They fell into a rhythm with shocking ease. It didn’t take long before Peter was comfortable enough that he was actively engaged in the conversations, not just giving a few sarcastic words at what Wade was saying.

When they settled in for the first night, Wade’s snoring definitely kept him up for a while, but in the end Peter was able to drown it out. And when Peter woke up in the morning, it was to Wade reentering the room with two coffees and a bag full of donuts hanging out of his mouth.

(And on the one time that Wade got blueberry muffins and found out Peter was allergic, he was almost inconsolable. He interrogated Peter and wrote down a list of all of his allergies and then his favorite foods and made sure to only get things Peter actually liked).

“Listen, I don’t care what your taste in music is, you have to admit that Cascada created a legendary banger with Everytime We Touch.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to listen to it on repeat, Wade.”

Wade had taken the time to make a ridiculously long playlist that had music to suit everything from seventies disco to early-2000s teenage girl’s room. He would belt out the lyrics, and more often than not Peter found himself singing along.

The best part, though, was that Wade didn’t seem to mind the dozens of times Peter suddenly stopped the car or did a U-turn to get out and take pictures. It always happened without any warning, just a sudden exclamation from Peter followed by a quick swerve and a stop. Peter would hop out of the car with his camera and photograph whatever had caught his attention at that moment. Wade would leave the car as well, stretching and admiring the view.

“So you’re a photographer?” Wade asked, toying with a dried branch he’d picked up on their last stop.

“Yeah, kind of,” Peter said. “I’ve done pictures for the newspaper before.”

“Damn, I’m in the presence of a celebrity,” Wade exclaimed. “Gimme your autograph at the next stop. Do I get to see the pictures, or are they top secret?”

Peter shook his head fondly. “I’m really not that special,” he chuckled. “It was just pictures of local events and other little things. But yeah, you can look through them. Just press that button.”

Wade started flipping through the pictures on the little screen on the camera, gasping and cooing at every picture.

“I want this one printed out and hung on my wall. Wait, wait, no, this one. No, actually these four. All of them. Just give me all of them.”

***

The sun was barely starting to set, and the car was in a comfortable silence. The music was playing lowly, barely audible over the engine, and Wade was staring out the window at the sunset.

“Okay, here’s a question,” Peter said after taking a drink from his water bottle. “What’s something you like that no one else likes?”

“Is this from one of those ‘ice-breakers for first dates’ books?” Wade said, scrunching his nose.

“I mean, it is meant to be an ice-breaker. Just answer the question.”

Wade hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin. “Well, you made it clear that liking Steely Dan is unpopular in this car.”

“You’re definitely right with that one.”

“Heathen. Alright, what about you? What do you like that society deems unacceptable?”

Peter thought for a few moments, biting his lip. “I really like that show Rock of Love,” he said with a barely suppressed laugh. “It’s stupid, I know. My Aunt May hates those kind of shows so much. If I told her that, I’d be shot.”

“What? That’s so poopy of her! I would take a bullet for your right to like Rock of Love, baby boy,” Wade said dramatically, throwing his head back and holding his arms out.

A bitter laugh bubbled out of Peter, his good mood abruptly vanishing. “Then you’ll end up in a little black box being driven to Arizona, too,” he said, more forcefully than he intended. But the floodgates had already opened, and Peter couldn’t stop himself. “That’s how my uncle died. We got into a fight over...something stupid. I don’t even remember it now. It wasn’t a big deal. Me, being the dumb teenager that I was, ran off, even though it was the middle of the night, and him, being the goddamn responsible adult, went after me.”

Wade stared at him with wide eyes, but didn’t make a move to interrupt as Peter charged forward.

“And because of that, he found me about to get mugged, and he got in the way and ended up shot. I had to sit there with him until the ambulance came, but it was already too late, and it was all my fault.”

Peter’s voice cracked, his throat too tight with emotion to continue. He gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, taking deep breaths, willing himself to calm down.

“Uh, wow, dude,” Wade said, clearing his throat. “That’s some deep shit.”

Peter deflated, flopping back in his seat. “I’m sorry, that was...inappropriate,” he said haltingly. “I shouldn’t have gone off like that.”

“Nah, dude, it’s chill,” Wade said, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder. “It sounded like something ya needed to get off your chest.”

Peter didn’t comment, staring ahead at the road. “I don’t...really talk about it,” he confessed. “I feel like everyone around me wants to forget about how it happened. Aunt May always look sad, and none of my friends are helpful. I don’t have the time to see a therapist regularly.”

“So you decided to go on a getaway road trip,” Wade surmised. “Trying to find yourself? Or some clarity or acceptance in the great outdoors and the wide, open road?”

“I--yeah, I guess.” Peter gave him a strange look. “That was deep, dude.”

Wade snorted, leaning over and tapping his forehead. “I’m smarter than I look, baby boy,” he stage-whispered. “But don’t tell anyone, ‘kay? I like it being a secret.”

Peter nodded. “Only if you don’t bring up, uh, anything I just said.”

“My lips are sealed.” Wade made a great show of pretending to lock his lips and throwing away the key. “But, if you ever need someone to hunt down the dude who did the thing-that-shall-not-be-named, just drop me a note. No one will even know it was you.”

“You just had to make it creepy, didn’t you?”

***

“Want some cashews?”

“Sure.”

“So, uh...you enjoying my nuts?”

“Don't talk to me.”

***

“You never told me why you’re going out to Cali,” Peter said absently as he fussed with the exposure on his camera.

Wade hummed, not moving from where he was sprawled out on top of the car. He had on a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses and a baseball cap with a cartoon bear on the front of it. “I quit my job,” he said.

Peter turned around to try and say something witty, but the words died in his throat. He swallowed reflexively at the sight of Wade lounging on the car, looking so relaxed and perfectly poised. He brought his camera up and snapped a picture, but whipped around when Wade turned to face him.

“Ah, so you’re tryin’ to make it in the City of Angels?” Peter joked loudly, aiming his camera and taking a picture in an attempt to hide his flustered . “That’s a dangerous move.”

“Eh, I’m more retiring than looking for something new,” Wade said, sliding off of the car and landing silently on his feet. “The business of killing people and destroying lives gets to be not fun after a certain point. Surprisingly, no one wants to be friends with someone like that.”

“I don’t know. I mean, even lawyers have friends, so there’s gotta be some niche of people who’d be into it,” Peter said. Satisfied with the pictures he’d taken, he went back to the car.

“Yeah, like you,” Wade laughed, and got comfortable in the passenger’s seat again. Peter glanced over at him and gave him a small smile, a flush dusting his cheeks.

***

As they entered New Orleans, Wade seemed to get...antsy.

He was fiddling with the dog-tags that hung around his neck, and seemed uncharacteristically pensive, staring out the window. He’d adamantly refused to take off his hat and sunglasses, even though the light was fast fading.

“Okay, Wade, you’re starting to freak me out,” Peter finally burst out. “Are you feeling sick? What is it? I never thought I’d actually be wanting you to talk, but here we are.”

“I’m trying to make sure those people I told you about earlier don’t find out I’m here,” Wade said, not looking at Peter. “That clusterfuck should be avoided at all cost.”

“So is that, like, code for an ex or something?” Peter asked. “I know you like to talk in riddles and stuff, but I need a clue here.”

Wade was about to respond, but Peter interrupted him by quickly swerving into the exit they needed, followed by a cacophony of honks from the other cars and a stream of curses from Peter. He quickly lost track of their conversation as he focused on trying not to crash.

It was dark by the time that they finally pulled up to the apartment building.

“Uh, yeah, this is the place,” Peter said, hunching over the steering wheel and squinting up at the building. “I can see MJ’s stuff in the window.”

He parked the car out in front of the apartment building. The two of them moved slowly as they grabbed their things--Peter only grabbing a change of clothes, while Wade took his entire duffel bag--and blearily made their way into the building and up to MJ’s apartment, using the code and key she had given Peter.

MJ’s apartment was small but cozy, with a nice view of the city and tasteful decorations. Both she and her roommate were off visiting friends in another state. MJ had felt terrible about missing the one time Peter was in New Orleans, but he promised that he would come back through on his way back to New York.

“Oh thank god, cleanliness,” Peter moaned, pressing his forehead against the back of the couch. “I don’t feel like I need to keep my shoes on the entire time we’re here. This is luxury.”

Wade snorted with agreement, dropping his bag onto the island in the kitchen.

After taking a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the apartment, Wade’s hunger let itself be known, his stomach growling loudly, and Peter’s quickly followed. They snooped around the kitchen but it was relatively barren, since MJ and her roommate hadn’t been there for the past couple of days.

“We could go out for some burgers?” Wade offered. “I know a place that’s a couple blocks away from here. My treat. We’ll be like father and son.”

Peter glared at him. “I don’t even want to know why those words left your mouth, or how your thoughts got there.”

“Well, that’s no fun, baby boy.”

“Stop calling me that!”

***

Dinner was the most fun Peter had had in awhile. It was nice that they had time to actually sit down and relax; all of the places they had eaten for the past few days were generally just greasy fast food. They might still be eating burgers, but at least these didn’t make Peter feel like his heart was going to kill him.

It also helped that Wade had been laying on the flirting much heavier than usual. He was all goofy jokes and fumbling pick-up lines that had Peter almost snorting his drink out of his nose. Halfway through his burger, Peter had plucked up the confidence to flirt back, his heart hammering in his chest when he successfully got Wade to let out his raucous laughter.

It was late by the time they left the restaurant. They chatted as they walked, their hands occasionally brushing, but both refusing to acknowledge it or actually hold hands. It was shockingly peaceful, the same contentment washing over Peter that he felt during their drives. The streets were relatively quiet as they strolled down the sidewalk, getting closer to MJ’s apartment.

Wade whirled around abruptly, eyes shining in the streetlights.

“Let’s go dancing,” he said excitedly.

“What? How are you not exhausted?” Peter said, but his words lacked any real conviction. Excitement was already fluttering in his stomach at the idea of staying out with Wade and spending more time with him. “We’ve been driving for two straight days.”

“Exactly!” Wade stressed. “We’ve been cooped up in a tiny, crappy car.”

“Hey!”

“So we should go and stretch our legs, do something fun!” Wade continued, ignoring Peter’s interjection. “C’mon, just for a bit. Pleaaaase? Wait, are you even legal? Is that why you don’t wanna go, because you’ll get kicked out?”

“I’m twenty-one!” Peter said defensively, crossing his arms.

“Um, alright, Mr. Babyface. I’m sure that fake ID in your pocket says so too, right?”

Peter knew that Wade was trying to rib him into going, and damn him, if it wasn’t working. He hated that he was a sucker for Wade’s puppy eyes. He grumbled angrily as he started marching back the way they’d came, Wade cheering next to him.

***

Okay, dancing was more fun than Peter had been expecting. He’d been ready to stand in the corner, holding a beer while Wade danced like a maniac. He was right about the second part, but Wade was able to coax him into the floor after a few songs.

If Wade wasn’t such a horrible dancer, Peter would have felt even more self-conscious. But when the man was literally doing the sprinkler on dance floor, Peter didn’t feel as bad about his subpar moves. If it were any other person, Peter would’ve thought that he was playing it up, but Wade seemed so genuine in his flailing arms and legs.

And then Wade was twirling Peter closer, making him let out a startled yelp, but he was quick to catch himself. Wade was grinning widely, panting slightly from exertion and eyes alight with excitement. Peter’s heart fluttered, and he smiled back at him as they started dancing together, Wade’s goofy faces making it impossible for them to do any moves smoothly.

It ended with them being pressed against each other, giggling like mad as they swayed from side to side, not particularly caring about the tempo of the song or the other people around them.It ended when a drunk person ran into Wade, effectively ruining the mood.

The two blushed, but neither made a move to reinitiate the intimacy they had shared.

“I think we should head back,” Peter said, clearing his throat. Wade nodded.

They walked back together in relative silence, shoulders brushing against each other. Peter berated himself for not making a move like he wanted to, not reaching out and grabbing Wade’s hand or stealing a kiss like he so desperately wanted to do. And he couldn’t get a reading from Wade; his cheeks were flushed, but he wasn’t making any kind of move, either, so maybe it was some kind of fluke.

All of a sudden, Peter felt Wade’s arm wrap around his waist. His eyes widened and his cheeks reddened, but before he could process anything, Wade spoke.

“Don’t look behind you,” Wade said, his lips barely moving as he urged Peter to keep walking. “We’re being followed.”

“Wait, what?”

Peter immediately tried to turn around, but Wade gripped his hip warningly.

“We’ll lose ‘em down that alley,” Wade said, glancing ahead at the space between two buildings.

“Are you kidding me? That’s the dumbest idea--”

There were suddenly strong hands around Peter’s arm that yanked him into the alley. The air was forced out of him as he was harshly shoved into a wall. He stood dazed, his head spinning as he fought to catch his breath. He could hear the sounds of a scuffle, and when he looked up, Wade was surrounded, fighting off three men.

Watching Wade move would have been awe inspiring, if it wasn’t also so terrifying. Everything seemed perfectly calculated--every punch, every kick, every snapped bone. The three men didn’t stand a chance against him, especially not after he pulled out a knife from his pocket and threw that into the mix.

Within a span of barely a minute, all three of the men were down. Only one was alive, and he was gasping for breath and holding the bleeding knife wound in his side. Wade casually strolled to the survivor, glancing over to where Peter was standing, frozen to the spot.

“You good, honey?” Wade asked, looking him up and down.

Peter managed to croak out a yes, still staring wide eyed at the man cursing on the ground.

Wade nodded in satisfaction before crouching down next to the man. “Didja guys really have to come and interrupt my date?” he whined, poking the man in the shoulder.

“F-fuck off, Wilson,” the man spat, any venom in his voice drowned out by fear.

Wade hummed, leaning closer and peering at the man’s terrified face. “Hey, your face looks familiar,” Wade said. “How do I know you?”

“I-I--”

“Wait, wait! Don't tell me. I love this game. Hmm.” He scratched his chin with the barrel of the gun thoughtfully. “Oh, right! Montreal. Coupla years back. You begged me to let you live because you had kids. How’re they doing? Are they in school yet?”

“Y-yeah, one’s in high school,” the man gritted out, holding his side and glaring up at Wade.

“Aw, congrats, dude. Those are some shitty years, but hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing for them. Do they have any college--”

“Jesus, just get it over with!” the man shouted. “If you’re gonna kill me, just kill me!”

Wade heaved himself into a standing position, wiping his bloodied knuckles off on his T-shirt.

“No, I’m trying to turn over a new leaf here, ok?” he said, holding his hands out for emphasis. “And it seems like you airheads haven’t gotten that yet, so I’m gonna leave you to tell everyone, while we continue on our glorious road trip to LA. I’m excited to go stop in Vegas, too. That Beatles show is still going, right? I’ll drop you a postcard and tell you how it was.”

Wade strolled over to where Peter was still pressed against the brick wall, eyes wide and jaw slack. He gently took Peter’s hand and the man was too shocked to even think about fighting or asking what the hell had just happened.

“Listen,” Wade sighed as they reached the apartment building. “I know it’s kind of sudden, but I don’t think he’s gonna be nice enough to let us finish up our stop in N’awlins, baby boy. Let’s get our things and skedaddle. We’ll find a nice hotel outside of the city.”

***

Peter wasn’t able to break out of his daze until they had repacked the car and were driving again.

“You killed them,” he finally said.

Wade looked at him with a frown. “Well, yeah,” he said, as if he were stating the obvious. “Didn’t you see they attacked first? Oh wait.” He turned a bit more and gave Peter a sympathetic look. “That was your first dead body, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, I thought you were hardcore, since you lived in Queens and stuff. If I knew I’d taken your dead body virginity I would’ve...actually probably nothing would’ve changed.”

Peter didn’t say anything. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Wade didn’t seem to notice, too busy putting on music and observing his bruising knuckles. Peter tried to make sense of what he’d just seen, but his thoughts were sluggish.

Okay. He had to think facts. Wade had apparently been telling the truth when he’d been spouting all that stuff about being a killer, and not speaking in crazy metaphors or just using his overactive imagination.

He saw Wade move out of the corner of his eye, and bit back a high-pitched shriek when he saw Wade had unzipped his bag and was pulling out a knife and two handguns. Inside, he could see glimpses of other weapons of all types.

“I was hoping not to bring out these babies out this trip,” Wade grumbled, putting the knife in his pocket before struggling to put on the gun harness he had also pulled from the bag. “I was really hoping it was gonna be all nice and peaceful, but, well…”

That was when Peter finally snapped.

Without any warning, he swerved onto the exit ramp, ignoring Wade’s questions. His tires screeched as he turned into an abandoned lot and slammed on the brakes.

“Peter, what the hell?” Wade shouted as Peter got out and slammed the car door behind him.

“You’re asking me what the hell?” Peter yelled, whipping around. “You just killed a man--multiple men! And you didn’t even bat an eyelash! You’ve--you’ve had guns and a goddamn machete with you this entire time and you didn’t tell me!”

“What? C’mon, baby boy, you saw that they started it,” Wade said, sounding confused. He climbed out of the car too, stuffing one of the guns in his waistband. He moved toward Peter who dodged to the other side of the car, putting the vehicle between them.

“If I hadn’t killed them, they would’ve killed us!” Wade insisted, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“But--they knew you! The weren’t random thugs!”

“Because he part of a gang I was hired to kill. I told you this before.” Wade said slowly, as if explaining it to a toddler.

Peter screamed in frustration, clenching his hands in his hair. “I can’t take this right now, Wade, I really cannot. I thought you were joking when you were talking about all of that stuff! Oh my god, I’ve been driving around a goddamn murderer next to me.”

Wade pouted. “Petey, baby, I’ve been telling you the truth the entire time,” he whined. “You can’t be mad at me because of that.”

“Yeah, okay, I think it’s time for you to leave,” Peter said, attempting to make his voice hard but failing spectacularly. “I’m--no, I am not getting into this with you. Find another ride.”

He faltered slightly, but kept his head high as he turned away from Wade.

Wade heaved a sigh behind him, but Peter refused to turn around. He pulled out his car keys and opened the car door.

“I really hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but…”

Suddenly there was a strong hand holding his upper arm in a vice-like grip, yanking him harshly backwards. He could feel the point of a knife digging dangerously into his side. Peter squawked in shock and flailed his arms. By pure luck, the back of his hand smacked Wade straight in the face. It wasn’t a particularly hard blow, but it was enough to make the man grunt in shock and loosen his grip.

Seeing his opportunity, Peter shoved Wade away and made a sprint for the road. If he could just get to the road, then he could flag someone down, and get away—

He let out a startled yell when Wade was suddenly behind him again. He wrapped an arm around Peter’s waist and lifted him bodily out of the car. Peter kicked at him in a futile attempt to dislodge the man, but Wade’s muscles were clearly not just for show.

“Jesus H tap-dancing Christ, would you calm down?” Wade hissed, dragging Peter away from his potential salvation. “I’m not trying to kill you, I’m just trying to get you to listen—“

“Oh, really? Are you seriously trying to tell me to shut up when you just had a goddamn knife against my back?” Peter shrieked, fighting against him.

“Okay, listen, I know that probably gave you some mixed signals, but—“

“Shut up! Let go of me, you asshole!”

Wade let out a frustrated grunt as Peter landed another hit with his wild flailing, and stopped trying to grab at his arms in order to pull out the handgun from his waistband.

“Alright, see now I’m holding a gun to your head,” he snapped as Peter immediately froze. “Is that better than the knife in the back?”

Peter didn’t move, eyes wide as he stared straight ahead. He held his hands up in surrender as Wade set him down on his feet, and released the grip he had on his waist. Peter slowly turned around, dropping his gaze to the gun nervously.

“Are we done fighting now?” Wade panted, lowering the gun.

“I mean, I can’t exactly tell you no, can I?” Peter said slowly, brow furrowed and heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears.

“Aw man, can we not—gah, can you stop making me feel like such an asshole?” Wade whined, face scrunching.

Peter made a disbelieving sound. “No, I won’t, because you are an asshole. Asshole.”

Wade let out an angry sigh, and when Peter glanced at him apprehensively, he saw that he looked genuinely upset. “I really didn’t want for this to happen,” Wade said earnestly. “I was just--I really was just looking for a ride to Cali. I wasn’t trying to get you involved in any of this.”

Peter gave him a look, responding only with a grunt. It didn’t matter how genuinely upset Wade seemed by this situation--he was keeping Peter prisoner. He refused to feel any sort of sympathy for the man.

“Just—get in,” Wade muttered, pushing Peter back towards the car, still with a steel grip on his arm.

Wade shoved Peter into the driver’s seat from the passenger side and got in after him. “Get back on the road, pretty please,” he instructed. “We’re gonna keep going on to LA.”

“I should’ve known not to give you a ride,” Peter seethed from behind gritted teeth. “My aunt had just told me not to trust people like you, and what do I do? Ignore her.”

“Yeah, you should really be careful about who you let into your car,” Wade nodded. “You’re lucky that, like, I don’t want to hurt you. I could actually be a jackass, y’know?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want you looking like a jackass in this situation.”

Wade made an affronted noise, but didn’t say anything, and that just added to Peter’s frustration. He slammed his palm on the steering wheel, startling both of them, but didn’t say anything. He was afraid his voice would break if he spoke, and that would just be the icing on the cake.

And then another horrible realization struck him: was Peter even going to get the chance to spread Uncle Ben’s ashes? Was this entire trip going to end in him having to go home--that is, if Wade even let him go home--with his tail between his legs, a bruised ego, and a depressingly full box of ashes? For some reason, that thought was the one that hurt the most, not his possible execution at the hands of a hitchhiker. He’d be doing Uncle Ben yet another disservice, letting him down even when he was dead.

He couldn’t be quiet about it. Even if it annoyed Wade and put Peter’s personal safety in danger, he was going to fight so he could spread the ashes. He had to.

“Do I at least get to stop at Zion and spread Uncle Ben’s ashes?” he managed to grind out, biting back tears of anger.

“Of freaking course!” Wade exclaimed. “I’m not gonna stop a grieving man from spreading his uncle’s ashes over a glorious national park. That’s too much, even for me. Especially for me. I am actually trying to get better at this ‘not being a criminal’ thing, y’know.”

Peter’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. That...that was it? He’d been prepared to fight tooth and nail with Wade, but apparently he didn’t need to.

“A-alright.”

***

“Are you gonna keep pouting all night?” he asked.

Peter gave him a scathing glare that made Wade whine in protest.

“Look, can I at least explain my side?” Wade pressed. “I just...You can keep hating me, I just want you to know everything, okay?”

“Explain all you want, but you still kidnapped me. At fucking gunpoint.”

“Fair enough.”

Wade twisted his body so he was facing Peter, his head resting on the door, and started . He explained his service in the military, his honorable discharge due to the injury that had lead to the scars that crisscrossed his entire body, and the chronic pain that came with them.

He explained how, after sitting around for less than a month, he had been bored to death, and a friend had gotten him into the mercenary business. It had been easy for him, and it brought in good money. It had helped that he was his own boss, able to work when he wanted and only kill people he felt were deserving. Of course it also got him into a lot of trouble, but he finally had something to do, a purpose, an outlet.

But then someone--one of his clients--had attempted to stab him in the back. He had wanted Wade to kill his business partner but, unbeknownst to Wade, had also planned to immediately capture him and turn him over to the cops, making himself the hero. Wade had caught wind of it, and skipped town off before they could get him and promptly execute him.

“So that’s why I’m here,” Wade said, gesturing around the car. “Trying to get the hell away from everything, and hopefully disappear, get a new life on some tropical island.”

Peter hummed sympathetically. “Sad story, but you can’t Stockholm Syndrome me that easily.”

Wade groaned loudly, head banging against the window. “I wasn’t trying to make you fall for me!” he whined.

“Of course not.”

“Look, when we spread Uncle B’s ashes and I get everything cleared up, I swear you’ll never see me again,” Wade said earnestly. “But for now, since you’ve been seen with me, you’re in trouble, too. Seriously, you’re safer with me right now than on your own.”

“I’d be safer in a pool full of sharks,” Peter growled, hunching down in his seat.

“Hey, sharks are sort of friendly!”

***

“Wade, I have to take a break,” Peter said weakly, rubbing his hand over his eyes. His eyelids valiantly fought to stay closed, but he didn’t let them. “We’re gonna crash if I don’t get some sleep.”

Wade didn’t respond, and for a second, Peter thought he wasn’t going to answer at all.

“Yeah, we can take a break,” Wade finally agreed. “Stop at the next rest stop.”

By this point, the next rest area they came across was almost completely empty, save for a lone parked car that had been more than likely left by hikers. Peter immediately stepped out of the car, stretching his arms above his head.

“What’s the likelihood of me being able to run away?”

“Not great. Sorry, baby boy.”

Peter sighed and wandered over to a bench, the farthest that he dared to go without Wade getting on his case. He just needed some distance, even if he knew that the man was still watching over him like a hawk. He flopped down heavily on the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him.

God, this sucked.

He knew he had been stupid. He put himself in this entire situation, something that could have been very easily avoided. He was such an idiot. It was this kind of dumbness that had ended up with Uncle Ben getting shot. Peter knew that it was just his brain piling all of his mistakes on him at once, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see the glimmers of truth in the insults.

Peter sat hunched over on the bench, his head in his hands. After a second, Wade came and sat next to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Peter recoiled, his heart pounding as he tried not to look too scared. Wade quickly held up his hands in a gesture of peace, and moved so there was a bit more space between them.

“It’s gonna be alright, baby boy,” Wade told him, his voice soothing. “Just take some deep breaths.”

Peter grumbled angrily, but lapsed back into silence. He tried his best to ignore Wade, which was made easier when the man didn’t bother him again.

When he had finally pulled himself together, he looked up at Wade. The man was staring at the sunset, sad lines etched into his forehead, mouth drooping in a frown that was completely out of place on his normally goofy face.

“Do...do you wanna take some pictures?” Wade asked sheepishly, holding Peter’s camera out to him. Peter hadn’t even been aware that Wade had unpacked anything. “There are some of those weird prickly things you love over there…”

Peter stood up to tell him a curt ‘no’, but then he saw the plants growing in on the other side of the road.

Goddammit.

He grabbed the camera from Wade and stomped across the road to take some pictures.

After he was done, Wade motioned for him to get in the backseat.

“We’ll stay here for a bit longer,” he explained. “You look like you’re about to keel over at any second.”

Peter obligingly climbed into the backseat, lying down with a sweatshirt as a pillow. Wade climbed into the driver’s seat, pointedly putting the keys in his pocket and turning on the child lock. Fucker.

Peter fought valiantly to stay awake, glancing out the window for any signs of people, especially the drivers of the only other car at the rest stop. But the only other living thing he saw was a raccoon scurrying into the bushes, and the crooning oldies that Wade had put on was dragging him closer and closer to sleep.

Sighing heavily, he finally gave up and fell asleep.

***

It was inevitable that they had to stop again. The gas tank was dangerously close to empty, so they pulled into a gas station. It was late at night and the place was deserted, save for a bored looking cashier inside who didn’t spare either of them a second glance.

Wade paid for the gas while Peter stood on the other side of the car, eyes darting around, desperate for somewhere to go or someone to flag down. He knew there was no point in just blindly running. They were in the middle of nowhere, the cashier clearly didn’t care and even if he did Wade could take him out before he could do anything.

Just as he was trying to decide what to do, another car turned into the station and pulled up to the pumps. Peter’s heart pounded, and he tried to gesture at them subtly while Wade continued whistling through his teeth and looking at the pump.

Moments later, Peter nearly screamed with relief when a cop car slowly pulled in as well, rolling to a stop only a few yards away. Wade abruptly stopped whistling and turned to stare intently at the car, but Peter didn’t care. This was it. This was his chance!

“Petey, baby you need to get back in the car,” Wade said, voice calm but eyes hard.

Peter scoffed and gave him a disbelieving look. The cop was getting out of his car, a few more people were getting out of the car that had parked earlier. Some part of Peter was waving a red flag, but he ignored it.

Taking a deep breath, Peter shouted as loudly as he could. “Hey! Help me, this dude’s kidnapped me! Plea--”

He didn’t get his last word out before Wade grabbed his arm and yanked him behind the car as bullets started flying.

“Stay down!” Wade barked, pulling out his gun and firing off a few shots back. He was rewarded with a shout of pain and more bullets raining down on them.

While Wade was distracted, Peter looked wildly around and spotted his escape route: an alley next to the gas station that disappeared into darkness. With his arms thrown over his head, Peter awkwardly tried to scuttle away from the firefight on his knees from the firefight. Wade was a freaking magnet when it came to psychos who wanted to shoot them--

He almost couldn't believe it when he rounded the corner of the alley, away from Wade and the other guys. Suddenly all the fear caught up with him and his muscles locked before he was able to shake off his shock and bolt down the alley, away from fight.

He heard footsteps behind him and his blood ran cold for a moment, Seconds later relief washed over him as a figure emerged from the gloom of the alley. Another cop. Peter took a deep breath and forced himself to his feet. He raised his hands and stepped forward. “Officer! Please, you gotta help me--”

The words stuck in his throat when he saw the hard look on the officer’s face. Peter’s eyes widened as the officer drew his gun and aimed at him. He opened his mouth to shout, to point in the direction of Wade, but the man didn’t seem to care, eyes hard and locked on him. If it wasn’t for Wade literally jumping on top of the man with a knife, Peter knew he’d be already full of bullets.

It felt like a repeat of the last time as he watched Wade wrestle the gun away from the man before using it to shoot at the other men as they ran into the alley. Peter finally shook off his shock and managed to dive behind a trashcan, hiding from any errant bullets.

Or apparently not errant, because that cop had definitely looked Peter right in the face and definitely been ready to kill him. Apparently, Peter was now guilty by association.. The police saw him as enough of a threat that they wanted to shoot him on sight. Or were they even the police? Were they just more mobsters? His head was spinning.

Wade was still struggling against the cop, spitting out curses even as his face was turning purple. He scrabbled against the man’s hands around his throat, but the bloody

Peter glanced around desperately, searching for some sort of weapon in the trash around him. He grabbed a plank of splintered wood that had fallen out of one of the trash bags, and brandished it in front of him like a club. Peter hesitated for only a split second, before he gripped the piece of wood tight and whacked the cop on the side of the head.

The man let out a startled grunt before going limp and dropping to his knees, pulling Wade down with him. He was groaning and moving slightly, but was incapacitated for the moment.

Peter and Wade didn’t move for a bit, both of them panting and staring at the man. Finally, Wade wiped the blood off of his chin, and looked up at Peter with wonder in his eyes.

“You really can fight,” Wade huffed, giving him a half-smirk.

***

Once they’d gotten their breath back, Wade suggested they find somewhere to sleep and hope that things looked better in the morning. As freaked-out as he was, Peter was also seriously exhausted and Wade’s plan sounded suddenly appealing.

Fortunately for both of them, the room was cleaner than the outside. The carpet was slightly sticky and the thin walls offered only a modicum of privacy from their neighbors, but the sheets seemed clean and the bathroom lacked any obvious mold (even if there was a weird, stale smell that hung over the room).

“Alright, you take that bed,” Wade said, dropping his bag onto the bed that was nearest to the door and pointing to its twin at the back of the room. “You wanna shower first?”

Peter shrugged, sitting down on his designated bed and hearing the springs squeal in protest. “You’re, uh, bloodier than me. You go ahead.”

Wade didn’t fight him, instead going straight into the bathroom, leaving the door partially cracked. Peter could hear him humming and the sound of his clothes dropping onto to the tiled floor. The shower curtain slid open and shut and, as if a switch had been flipped, Wade started to sing, nonsensical and offkey lyrics that sounded vaguely like one of the songs that he had played in the car, but it was so distorted that Peter couldn’t quite tell.

He came back out with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one around his bald head. He whistled cheerfully between his teeth and pulled on his pajamas--for such a small bag, the man did seem to have quite a lot of pajamas. Wade had worn a different pair every single night they’d been together. These ones had cartoon monkeys and bananas on.

“You go on and sleep, Petey,” Wade said, settling down at the small table by the window and opening his bag.

“Do we need to, like, be on watch?” Peter asked. What was the protocol for these situations? Should one of them always be awake? Were they gonna switch off sometime in the middle of the night?

“I’ll take care of it,” Wade said, interrupting Peter’s thoughts. He didn’t look up as he started going through the bag and pulling out weapons. “I can sleep in the car, you can’t. Unless you want me to drive?”

“I think that’s a hard no,” Peter said immediately. He hesitated. “Why did the police shoot at us?”

Wade finished laying the guns out on the table, a sight that unnerved Peter. “They were either fake cops or were workin’ for someone,” he said casually, as if he was discussing the weather.

Peter nodded. “Huh. Okay.”

“Y’know, I gotta say you’re taking this all pretty well,” Wade commented as he started loading up magazines with bullets.

“Oh no. Inside, I’m screaming bloody murder and having a complete meltdown. I’m just good at hiding it at this point.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. I wouldn’t want to take you for some sort of emotionless psycho.”

Peter let out a laugh that was more than slightly hysterical. Wade stopped what he was doing and watched Peter warily, but didn’t move as Peter went and crawled under the covers, huddling into a tight ball.

“You wanna talk about it, baby boy?”

“No,” Peter’s voice filtered through the pillow. “I just wanna go to sleep and pretend it didn’t happen.”

“That’s not a healthy coping mechanism, Peter.”

“Good night.”

***

Peter woke up to the sounds of sirens with a start, jerking upwards and pushing the blankets off. He expected to see Wade asleep in the bed next to him, but the man was still sitting at the desk, the curtains pushed back a bit to let in a stream of neon light from the motel’s sign.

“What’s going on?” Peter said, urgency tinging his voice.

Wade turned to look at him, his face unnaturally solemn. He looked surreal and almost terrifying with the scars on his face and torso highlighted in fluorescent orange and green.

“It’s just passing by,” he rumbled, voice deep. “Go back to sleep.”

Peter swallowed and laid back down, but his eyes were still wide open. His heart was racing in his chest. He knew that the attackers hadn’t been actual police officers, but that didn’t mean the law wasn’t still after Wade and, by extension, Peter. And that they wouldn’t shoot at Peter, too.

God, the stress of the what-ifs were going to kill him before any bullet did. How did people do it? A few days of being on the run and he’s practically a nervous wreck. Wade had done this for years.

“What’s goin’ on in that big head of yours, Petey?”

Wade came and sat down on the edge of the bed, leaving a respectable amount of space between the two of them.

“It’s just...a lot,” Peter finally muttered, rolling over onto his side so he could face Wade. “I don’t know how you do it. Did it. I haven’t had half of the experiences you had, and all I wanna do is hunker down in some cabin in the woods where no one’ll find me.”

Wade gave him a sad half-smile, but didn’t respond. He shifted so he was sitting with his back resting against the headboard. His hand came and rested on Peter’s head, soothingly running through his unruly hair.

“Go back to sleep,” Wade repeated. “I won’t doze off anytime soon, you’re safe.”

Peter didn’t pull away or comment on the fact that Wade had ignored what Peter said. He forced his eyes to stay shut, and the rhythmic motion of the petting finally had him falling into a deep sleep.

***

“So, I guess people are actually after me now.”

“Yup.”

“And they want me dead.”

“They can't want you dead if they're already deader than dead.”

“You can't just kill all of your problems, Wade. Or mine.”

“Doesn't mean I'm not gonna try.”

***

“I’m gonna catch some z’s.”

Wade pushed the seat back after fiddling with it for a bit. He pulled his ballcap over his eyes to block out the desert sun and within seconds, he was snoring softly, barely audible over the music.

Peter sighed, leaning his arm against the open window and propping his head in his hand. The road was almost completely straight, and would be for a while yet, so he put on the cruise control and allowed himself to relax slightly. He tapped absently on the steering wheel along to the song, not paying too much attention to it.

His gaze drifted over to the passenger’s seat, and he felt his heart speed up. It was weird to see Wade without his wide, goofy grin, and his bright eyes. Peter would admit that Wade was cute--okay, very cute--but with his muscles and sharp jawline highlighted by the bright Arizona sunlight, he was...handsome, despite the scars. More handsome than Peter had noticed before. If it weren’t for the gun Peter could see bulging at his waistband, it would feel like a proper road trip, one he might have with a friend or a boyfriend.

The car shook as it drifted over the rumble strips on the side of the road. Peter quickly righted the car, face flushed as he ignored Wade’s angry grumble and curious gaze peeking from under the hat.

No, no, he couldn’t think like that, not at all. He couldn’t even think about daydreams involving Wade being his boyfriend, or about the way the light twinkled in his eyes, or of them spending lazy summer days together cuddled up--shit.

Peter made a pained noise, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. God, he had to get ahold of himself.

“You, uh, doin’ okay, bud?”

He shook off his thoughts and glanced over at Wade. His cap was raised and the sleep was gone from his eyes.

“I can drive, if you need me to,” Wade offered, straightening his seat.

Peter let out a tight breath. “No, I’m fine. I just got distracted for a second.”

Wade grunted in acknowledgement, his gaze lingering on Peter’s flushed face. “You’re lookin’ a bit peeky,” he pressed. “Sure you don’t wanna stop somewhere air-conditioned that has food?”

“Jesus, I’m fine,” Peter hissed. He slapped at the A/C, turning the fan up to its highest setting. This man was like a dog with a bone.

“I mean, obviously you’re not. You’re red as hell, and I know it’s not a sunburn, because you were fine just a couple minutes ago, and you slather on the sunscreen like a soccer mom. Good for you for fighting off skin cancer, but still. Are you getting that road hypnosis thing? Look! You’re getting redder--oh. Ohhh.”

Peter gritted his teeth. Indeed, he could feel his face getting hotter, despite the cool air blasting him. He stared stubbornly at the road, but Wade leaned forward so Peter could see his shit-eating grin in the corner of his vision.

“What’s got you all flustered?” Wade drawled, elongating the last word.

“None of your business.”

“Aww, don’t be like that! Let’s gossip!”

“I said drop it.”

“Were you thinking of a cute boy? A cute girl? Me shirtless?”

Peter rolled down all of the windows, and the whipping wind effectively drowned out Wade’s babble. He couldn’t escape the sly looks Wade gave him, though.

***

At this point, the universe apparently decided that things had been going too smoothly for them.

They had stopped in a town for gas and a late lunch at an old-fashioned diner (“Look at it, Petey! It’s got neon signs! We have to go!”) and were eating in relative silence when there was a sudden explosion outside.

They stared out of the window, wide eyed as a plume of smoke and flames rose from Peter’s car. People in the diner were yelling in shock, and someone was frantically calling the police.

“And that’s why we bring our bags with us wherever we go,” Wade said, taking a sip of his coffee. He threw down a fifty and started ushering Peter out of the diner, giving the car a wide berth.

***

“But who just blows up someone’s car?” Peter raged, throwing his hands up. “Like, we weren’t even in it! They didn’t stick around to try and kill us! They didn’t even leave us a note or anything!”

“They were probably just trying to piss us off,” Wade said, absently kicking an empty soda can on the ground. “Y’know, toy with us. Lower our morale.”

“Well they sure as hell were successful with that first part! Are you kidding me?!”

Peter let out a scream of frustration and sat down hard on the curb, letting out a quiet wheeze when he misjudged his speed and ended up hurting his ass.

“Look, I’ll figure something out, okay?” Wade said, scratching the back of his head. “There’s gotta be a used car place somewhere around here. Or someone selling an old truck. Just...you stay here, I’ll deal with it.” He slung his bag over his shoulder.

“No, I should go with you,” Peter huffed, making a move to stand up. He squawked in disbelief when Wade pushed him back down.

“It’ll be less suspicious if it’s just one of us,” Wade said, already strutting away.

“But you’ll just end up getting in more trouble!” Peter shouted after him. Wade cheerily waved back at him in response.

Peter let out an irritated growl before trying to get more comfortable on the ground. He had no clue how long it would take Wade to be back, and whether the man would come back with the police hot on his tail.

***

“Wade. What is this.”

Wade grinned widely and threw his arms open proudly. “Do you like it? It only cost me a single hundo. It’s amazing what a lil’ threatening can accomplish.”

Peter didn’t respond, staring in growing horror at the RV.

“Wade, I don’t know how to drive this thing,” he said tightly.

“C’mon, it can’t be that hard! It’ll be a new experience for both of us!”

Wade was already climbing inside. “And we’re turtles now!” he called out, his voice muffled. “We carry our home around with us. How awesome is that? And we don’t need to stop to go to the bathroom. It’s gonna be so much fun.”

Peter took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes. “When I crash and die, you’re paying for my funeral.”

***

Peter grimaced, deleting the last picture he’d taken before raising the camera up to his eye again. This time, the preview on the little screen was satisfactory, and he was quick to snap a few more before heading back to the RV.

Wade was hanging out of the window, wearing his sunglasses and a dopey smile.

“What?”

“Nothin’,” Wade said. “You’re just cute as a button.”

Peter attempted to splutter out a response but Wade was already back inside the RV with the window shut.

***

There was only one lofted bed in the RV plus a lumpy couch. Wade insisted that Peter have the bed, since he was the one that actually needed the sleep, but Wade barely fit on the sofa.

Peter had been listening to Wade toss and turn on the sofa for the past half hour. He stared at the ceiling, his irritation at the squeaking of springs and Wade’s frustrated noises growing more and more unbearable by the second. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Just--get up here,” Peter huffed. “This is stupid, it’s cold, and there’s no point for you to be stiff.”

Wade didn’t even argue.

He awkwardly clambered up the ladder, nearly elbowing Peter in the nose as he got situated on the bed. He eventually settled on his back, his arm pressed against Peter’s. Neither of them said anything, making an effort to get to sleep.

“I really appreciate how nice you’re being about this whole thing, baby boy,” Wade said softly. Peter glanced at him in the darkness, but the man had his eyes closed. “I know it’s...probably not what you were expecting and I just--thanks. You’re a good dude.”

Peter hummed. “Well, you’re not such a bad guy,” he relented. “I mean, you kinda are, but you did save me and it seems like you’re trying to move on from the mercenary stuff. Which is kinda great.”

“I don’t...I don’t like who I am. Was. Who I’m trying to not be,” Wade swallowed hard, stumbling over his words. “I was a major dickbag. I didn’t really think about it before but now I can’t stop thinking about it. I just...I wanna be better now, y’know? Not do any of this stuff anymore.”

Peter reached out and squeezed his hand. Wade stiffened but then relaxed, entwining their fingers.

“You’re still a dickbag,” Peter informed him with a teasing smile. “Last time I checked, kidnapping someone definitely falls under the ‘dickbag’ category.”

Wade started to protest but Peter hushed him with a laugh, unconsciously leaning further into Wade’s side.

***

They reached Zion National Park with no more troubles, paid the entrance fee, and were soon driving through the hills.

It hurt Peter to be there. The fun times they had had here on every summer break Peter had--there was a photo album in the attic somewhere that only had pictures from these trips.

All he could think of was driving here with Uncle Ben, how excited his uncle was to be taking Peter there. Aunt May had leaned against the car and laughed as Uncle Ben and Peter climbed up some of the rocks, the older man holding Peter’s hand the entire way so he wouldn’t fall. Aunt May and Peter poised with their arms thrown around each other as Uncle Ben tried to take a picture, fiddling with his camera and muttering about it not working the entire time.

“So, uh, where are we planning on doing this?” Wade asked, looking out the windows and inadvertently drawing Peter from his thoughts. “I’ve never done anything like this before. What’s the protocol? Can we just throw the ashes in the air, sing kumbaya, and be done?”

Peter snorted, shaking his head fondly. “We’ll park and walk to a cliff or something. Somewhere nice.”

It took awhile, but they finally found a pullover area that overlooked the beautiful scenery. They parked the car and finally got out, Peter carrying the box. With great care, he opened it and pulled out the sealed bag filled with ashes as he walked closer to the edge.

Peter paused, staring down at the bag. Then he started laughing.

Wade gave him a quizzical look, leaning in. “Uh, what is it?” he asked uncomfortably.

“I...I can’t open the bag,” he wheezed, almost in hysterics as he bent over, laughing until tears ran down his cheeks. The bag was sealed tightly, with no indication on where or how to open it. Wade stared at him in disbelief before he suddenly snorted and started chuckling as well, running a hand over his eyes.

“If you happen to have a machete on you, I won’t kill you if you let me use it,” Peter managed to gasp out, wiping away a tear from his eye. He wheezed when Wade’s whole face lit up and he did exactly that.

When he gathered himself, Peter held out the bag and Wade made a careful cut into it. Apparently he wasn’t careful enough, though, because the tear widened exponentially and soon the ashes were pouring out. They both screeched, jumping out of the way, and barely managing to escape a faceful of ashes.

Peter couldn’t help but smile as he caught Wade’s eye, and suddenly both of them dissolved into giggles, which quickly became full-bellied laughs, helpless at the ridiculousness of the situation as the wind whipped the ashes out into the canyon. Gradually, their laughter faded and Peter gave a small, bittersweet smile as he stared out into the canyon.

“Do you want some time alone?” Wade asked quietly, his voice shattering the sudden silence.

Peter hesitated a second and then nodded. Wade reached out and squeezed Peter’s hand. “Take all the time you need.”

Wade walked away. Peter didn’t look away from the view, even though all of the ash had long disappeared.

***

They finally reached Las Vegas, and spent almost half an hour driving in circles, trying to decide what hotel to go to. Wade was dead set on staying at the most expensive, over-the-top room they could get (“C’mon, Petey, it’s not everyday you get to be in Vegas!”), while Peter wanted something more inconspicuous and under the radar, like a crappy motel that wouldn’t ask for IDs and took straight cash.

In the end, they flipped a coin. Wade cheered in victory as Peter sourly drove into the valet area of his chosen hotel.

Peter wasn’t sure how he did it, but Wade managed to book them a suite in one of the fanciest hotels he’d ever stepped into. He felt completely out of place in his grimy clothes and scuffed shoes, but he was still ushered into the elevator and into the room, which wasn’t actually a room, but almost an entire floor of the building.

Peter spun around the room, jaw dropped. “Holy crap, Wade, this is amazing,” he said.

“And you wanted us to stay in a literal shithole,” Wade teased, draping himself over the back of the leather couch. “Isn’t this better? Look, there’s a hot tub right next to the living room--also, our fucking hotel room has a living room, baby boy. But if that hot tub isn’t some rich person swingers BS, then I don’t know what is.”

***

“I’m gonna go find some ice and scope the place out,” Wade called as he walked towards the door, carrying an empty bucket.

“You can probably have room service bring it to you,” Peter replied sleepily from the couch.

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t get to snoop around, silly.”

Peter snorted, smiling fondly as he pushed his face further into the pillow. God, it was so comfortable.

Wade came back with a very different attitude, his whole body tense. “Go enjoy the hot tub, really quick,” he practically shouted, pulling off his clothing.

Peter looked up at him from the couch in alarm. “Wh--calm down, I don’t wanna get in right now,” he complained. “What’s wrong?”

“Bad people definitely know we’re here right now, but they won’t be able to get their people together for at least another hour,” Wade said. He was down to his boxers as he hopped into the hot tub. “And listen to me, I refuse to leave this place without getting the chance to chill out a little bit in this swinger’s sex tub, okay?”

“Wade, what the fuck.”

“When I went to find some ice, I ran into an old friend who was nice enough to help me out. Never let it be said that Neena doesn’t have your back when she owes you. People know we’re here, and we have about an hour before they come and try to shoot up the place. Now, will you let me have a few minutes of relaxation before we go find a new hotel that doesn’t have a private hot tub?”

***

The motel was dingy, the polar opposite of the hotel they had been staying at only an hour ago. The lady behind the desk didn’t even look at their faces as she took the cash and handed them a key. The couple in the room next door were arguing loudly, but they didn’t pay attention to them. Wade was busy lying out on the bed the most guns and knives than Peter had ever seen in his entire life.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Peter asked.

His cheeks flushed at how inadequate the sentence felt. He might as well should have come out and said, ‘hey, how do you feel about most likely dying tomorrow?’ Wade didn’t seem to particularly mind the clumsy word choice, though.

“I should be,” Wade said with a crooked smile as he kept flitting around the room, putting on a Kevlar vest he’d magically pulled from his bag. Jesus, how big was that thing? “I’m very hard to kill, y’know.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a difference between invincibility and being a cockroach,” Peter countered.

Wade gaped at him, putting a hand over his heart. “Did you just compare me to a cockroach?”

“Be offended later, Wade. I’m trying to be serious.”

“You’re the one that started it, not me.”

“Wade. Stop trying to distract me.”

Peter reached out and firmly grabbed Wade’s arm, stopping him from pacing. The man made a move to try to escape, but Peter held firm. Finally, Wade let out a heavy sigh, his head lolling to the side.

“I should be alright,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I’ve done this stuff hundreds of times before. It’ll be a helluva fight, knowing those bastards, but I’ll pull through it. I always do, y’know?”

Peter hesitated for only a second before he took a step closer and met Wade’s lips with his. It was only a few seconds, nothing more than soft skin on scarred tissue, but it made Peter lightheaded, his heart thumping in his chest madly.

When he pulled back, Wade’s eyes were shut, and he swayed slightly. He blinked dumbly, mouth agape. Peter’s face was bright red, but he refused to let his nerves get the best of him.

“You gotta promise me that that wasn’t a dramatic goodbye kiss,” Peter demanded, poking him roughly in the chest. “I’m not gonna be the love interest in some angsty romantic movie.”

“Does that mean that this was a romantic movie and not some buddy movie?” Wade asked with awe in his voice as he reached out and took Peter’s hand.

Peter chuckled fondly, resting his head on Wade’s shoulder and moving forward to hug him. “It can be both, you know. But I think any movie involving you is gonna be a rom-com, hands down.”

Wade didn’t respond right away, choosing instead to bury his face in Peter’s hair. Peter could feel the handle of a gun pressing into his side from where it was hidden in Wade’s jacket, but he was surprised to find it didn’t bother him as much as it should. They stayed like that for a while, neither of them saying anything, until Wade finally pulled away.

“If I’m not back by morning, take the van and leave,” he said, looking down, his grip tightening briefly on Peter’s hand. “You see that handgun on the table? That’s for you to use if anything somehow gets back to you. Do you need me to show you how to use it?”

Peter shook his head. Uncle Ben had taken him hunting a few times when he was kid, and he remembered some of the basics. It helped that ‘hunting’ had actually been their codeword for shooting at targets in the woods after Peter had cried for days when he got close to shooting a deer.

“Ya gotta promise me you won’t do anything dumb,” Wade continued. “Just go back to Queens and keep being a total badass, okay?”

Peter bit his lip hard and refused to respond as Wade put on his shoes and left the apartment.

Once he had left, Peter flopped onto of the bed, the springs screeching in protest. The neighbors were fighting again, and he wasn’t in the mood to put up with it. He opened his phone and pressed play, not knowing what song would come up.

He felt like crying and laughing at the same time when the first song that played was Steely Dan. He stared at the ceiling for a while before he felt tears welling up. He threw an arm over his eyes, and let himself choke out a sob. Wade had better make it back in one piece.

***

It was nearing morning when there was a feeble knock at the door, so quiet Peter, half-asleep, thought he had imagined it. But after a few moments, he heard the knock again.

He fumbled out of the bed and grabbed the handgun that Wade had left him. His heart thudded in his ears as he made his way to the door. There wasn’t a peephole that he could look out of, making him mutter a curse.

“Who is it?” he called, cursing the lack of a peep-hole as he desperately tried to keep his voice from wavering in fear.

“Your knight in not-so-shining armor.”

Peter fought with the lock and threw the door open, breath catching in his throat when he saw Wade.

Wade definitely looked like he’d been put through the ringer. His clothing was ripped and stained with blood and dirt. His skin was covered in scrapes and cuts from where he no doubt had wrestled with people. Half of his head, including one of his eyes, had been wrapped somewhat haphazardly in gauze and he was swaying dangerously, as if he might fall over at any second. Peter rushed to hold him up, keeping a careful arm around Wade’s waist while trying to avoid his injuries.

“Jesus, you look like hell,” Peter blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Yeah, well you should see the other guys,” Wade said, his laugh breathy and unconvincing.

Peter made to maneuver him to sit on the bed move towards the bed so Wade could lay down, but Wade pulled back a bit, shaking his head.

“We need to go,” he said. “I think I got them all, but better safe than sorry, I think. Don’t wanna have gone through all of that shit only to be killed by some little man with a vendetta.” He spat on the ground, and it was filled with blood.

Peter nodded quickly. “Okay. Okay. Do...do you need to go to a hospital?”

Wade hummed, leaning his head against the doorframe. “Probably,” he said. He shifted and winced in pain. “Alright, yes I do. But I took care of this”--he tried to gesture at his face and ended up almost losing his balance--”which...which was the worst of it. We can’t go to the hospital in Las Vegas. Too risky.”

Peter made sure that Wade was alright to stand on his own before rushing around the room, stuffing things back into his bag. He was done in record time and was back to supporting Wade.

“We’ll find a hospital on the way to my friend’s house,” Peter said, helping Wade towards the car. “She lives a couple of hours away. Do you think you can hold out for that long?”

“Yeah, I can make it,” Wade croaked out, wincing when he sat down on the seat. “Gwen?”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “Huh. You actually listened to me when I was babbling while driving,” he said teasingly, pushing the seatback down and helping Wade buckle in.

Wade let out a wet laugh. “I always listen to what you say, baby boy,” he said, head lolling to the side as he gave Peter a warm grin. “I know a guy near here that can patch me up, no questions.”

Peter swallowed as he started the car. “Just gimme the directions and I’ll get you there,” he said. “Consider me your personal chauffeur. And this time, you don’t even need to have a gun pointed at me.”

Wade snorted. “You’ve been my driver this entire time, you silly man. Didn’t you pick up on that?”

“Did you just call me a silly man? This from the man who wears pajamas meant for children and has a goldfish tattooed on his ass?”

“Listen, I thought we promised not to bring that up.”

Peter couldn’t help but let out a hysterical laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re the only person I know who could still be cracking jokes at a time like this,” he said.

Wade shrugged, his shoulder barely moving. When Peter glanced over at him, he saw that the bloodstain on the bandages was starting to spread. Peter swallowed, and forced himself to pay attention to the road, fighting to stay below the speed limit. The last thing they needed to do was get stopped by the police.

Wade touched the bandages on his face, moving slowly. “‘M not gonna be pretty anymore, baby boy,” he murmured. “Not that I was that pretty before. But it’s gonna be ten times worse. Infinity times worse. I’m gonna look like the hellspawn of Jason and Freddy Kreuger. Maybe I should just go ahead and find a group of teenagers to harass. Or just get a tacky mask to hide it all.”

They pulled up to a stoplight and Peter turned in his seat to face Wade. He gently pulled Wade’s bloodied hand away from the bandages. When Wade turned to him, Peter leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“You’ll still be cute to me,” Peter promised, stroking the back of Wade’s hand with his thumb.

Wade’s mouth dropped open in shock before he hissed and closed his jaw. “You can’t say cute shit like that to me when I’m hurt,” he complained loudly. “It hurts to move my face, damn it. How am I supposed to show my astonishment if I can barely talk?”

“Oh, I think you’re fine with talking,” Peter snickered, moving the car forward when the light turned green. “You could be half dead and still be jabbering away. Exhibit A: you right now.”

“Alright, smartass,” Wade grumbled, but there was a small, content smile on his lips. He interlaced his fingers with Peter’s free hand. “Let’s get going, baby boy.”

#spideypool #peter parker #wade wilson #spideypool big bang #my writing #zactopus93

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makemydayvn · 7 years ago

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#kindness #collection What's your story of the kindness of strangers? ================================== #1728 "I'm in 11th Grade and a girl. My History teacher is a very beautiful lady and loved by many students. Unfortunately she doesn't teach my class. So I asked to be in her academic selected team *actually I don't really like history huhu* So I got to spend more time with her and hang out several times too :3 Lately I have lots of exams to prepare for so I've been given permission to take extra classes off and don't see her much anymore. Today, on my way to the schoolyard during break time, I passed through the office and saw her looking at me. But I didn't get to say hello as my friends kept pushing forward. As I took a few steps pass the office, she ran out to me from the room, shouting my name !!!! I turned around around to see her opening her arms saying "Let me gimme a hug! I haven't seen you for so long I miss you!"~ I turned really red, and ran to hug her without thinking. I didn't care how everyone was looking at me, I only knew I was very happy, I have never been so happy." #1729 "So I went on a long trip with my bestie that day, but we only realized we forgot our cameras once we got to the place. Our phones were broken and couldn't take photos either, so she insisted on going back home to fetch the cameras. We got home, took our stuff, and our bikes ran out of gas so we visited a gas station near my place. I remembered that I had 50k with me, refilling her bike took 30k so I should only have 20k, yet for some reason when the staff lady asked me how much I wanted to refill, I said "50k". Naturally I was 30k short. I was so embarrassed and was telling her to wait for me to get more money from home, when someone suddenly said "here, take this". I turned around and saw a guy, probably a student, handing me some money. I was so shocked - I just took it and thanked him. He then turned his bike around and just sped away, while I was left dumbfounded. I even turned to my friend, after having paid and everything, "Who was that??? Why was he so nice?" She smiled and said she thought he knew me. That made my whole day. There really are still kind people in this world. I was so shocked I didn't get a good look at him then, I wonder if I'll ever meet him again to return the favour." #1730 I sneaked off to Ho Chi Minh city for a FC meeting last year. The money I put away in my backpocket got dropped somewhere, and my phone was out of battery. So I was wandering around at an intersection, worried, flustered, not knowing what to do, when a man, who probably just got off work, stopped by and asked if I needed a ride. His bike was quite old, his bag worn out. My mind was already a mess, and I was so scared, my face was probably showing all sorts of emotions. I eventually got on his bike after he persuaded me some more, since I honestly didn't have enough time for a ticket back to Vung Tau anyway. He talked to me on the way and gave me a ride to the station, and even got me a ticket home. He even gave me an extra 100k to spend on the way (I refused but he kept insisting). When I got on, he waved goodbye and even cried, like I was his family. I cried too, for some reason. It still warms my heart to think of it now. This world still has lots of kindness to it. #1731 "I have just been to Saigon for a few days, I have so many things to deal with, from getting a flat to getting a job. When I applied for a job in Long An Province, near Route 50, I could barely find a bus to get home in the middle of the countryside. Out of nowhere came an old dark man with thick eyebrows. He rode a Honda toward me and said: “Come on, I will get you home”. Dunno what I was thinking, but I jumped on without hesitation. After a while though, I got scared and thought “How can I live now if I lost a kidney to him after this ride…” so I begged him to stop and drop me off. He scolded me “I saw you applying for a job in that factory so I decide to give you a ride home. I won’t ask for money, my wife takes good care of me already” The old man gave me a ride all the way from Can Giuoc to Fifth District, enough for a lot of chatting between us. I wanted to thank him with some money and a cigarette pack but he refused. Oh Saigon, you melt my heart." #1732 Today I and my grandma visited Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum. Since grandma is old, there was a guard accompanying us. At first, my grandma asked him and got to know he is from Hung Yen. While talking with my grandma, he used a lot of body gestures and I started to think “wow, how can a guard look so much like a child, just so carefree”. When we came to the stairs to go up, I turned back to take my grandma’s hand to help her but instead, I saw the guard already did. Now his actions made me think he was so cute. Later, on the way out, there was someone riding a motorbike on the pavement and while I was finding a way to avoid it, he suddenly dragged me inside. Dear Mr. guard, I was going to say thank you but I missed the chance when you left so quick. If by any chance you read this message, please comment so I could know where to send my gratitude. #1733 It was a terrible day for me, as if it couldn't get any worse! When in Vietnam, I could have called my bestie and ran to her so we could eat some duck eggs to get rid of bad luck. Now I am now halfway across the earth from her, I have to deal with it by myself on days like this. After a football match that evening, I got sad and lonely seeing people going home together with laughter, while I was there by myself, waiting for my host to pick up, when it was 4 degrees outside. I have been waiting for my host for almost an hour, was on the verge of tears when this car pulled over. A man inside shouted out “Hey! Do you need a ride?”, he only left once he knew for sure that I had anybody to drive me home. It was so cold that I could not think straight - I only realized I was laughing like crazy after he had left fot a while. All the sad things in the evening were all gone somehow. #1734 That day I went to get some banh mi for breakfast, and the store was super crowded. Just when I thought I'd be late for class, a lady called out to the store owner: "Make one for this kid first please, needa get to school"; the others in line also stepped aside for me. The best banh mi I've ever had ^^. #1735 "At the end of the year Sai Gon was so crowded. People kept honking. Cars kept taking over motorcycle lanes. Usually it takes me 20 minutes but yesterday it took me an hour to get home with countless times having my bike's tail bumped, being yelled at for suddenly stopping at red lights, being cut.. god it was so tiring. Then in the evening when I was going to buy Hue beef noodle soup and struggling to back my bike because it was heavy, all of a sudden my bike felt so light and I could pull it out easily. I turned around to see an uncle with a big belly helping me - he must have just got back from exercising since he was wearing sport clothes. He looked at me then smiled and left. I don't know if he even heard my thank you. There, one doesn't need to have six packs to be a hero :)) During one's most tiring hour, a kind little gesture is enough to save one's soul, my friends :)" #1736 "That afternoon, I got to Math class and realized I forgot my notebook at home - I even did my homework in it. Afraid that the teacher would check our work I hurriedly asked my class president to excuse me while I went home to get it. While running down I saw the teacher walking up with other teachers. I came up and told her what happened, she suddenly said: "Ẅhere is your house? Don´t go then, the streets are dangerous, what if something happens to you?" I didn´t agree because I had already done my homework in there TvT I told her my house was nearby, and I had my homework in the notebook. But she insisted that I not go, told me to just write the work on another note then hurried me to class :¨>" #1737 "I usually visit a Ministop near my school to buy breakfast. Because my weekly allowance is only 100K, sometimes I'd only buy a can of coffee if there´s a Math class or a 10K rice ball on a normal day. That day, the beautiful short-hair staff said to me while I was buying the 10K rice ball ¨Why don´t you buy more to eat, that´s not enough to fill your stomach. How can you focus on your studies without enough nutrition?" when she said so I really wanted to buy more too but I only had 1K left for the parking ticket." #1738 He and I both work at a cafe. I'm a new employee and have only started here a few weeks ago, while he has worked here for a year. There was once I worked at night shift and hadn't eaten anything for a whole day. I was really tired but my shift was almost done so I tried to finished everything. Suddenly he came from the bar, placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of me and said: "Drink it, otherwise you would have hypo-tension". Then he just stood there to watch while I drank all the hot chocolate, then he took the cup to get more for me. Aaaaaaa my face felt hot, it was so embarrassing!! After that day I suddenly have this passionate love for hot chocolate, may be it is because I like the one who gave me the drink? #Submit https://goo.gl/forms/AseDSsrHPRAXiKnz1 #Tumblr http://makes-my-day.tumblr.com/ #Support https://www.patreon.com/makemyday

#makemyday #confession #ENG #strangers

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valkirsif · 6 years ago

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Unthinkable CH 24/???

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Warning SMUT

Word 3200

"Tommy welcome home," Diana said fondly, hugging her son,

"It's nice to be home," said, holding her tight, "Mom, she's Y/N" said, loosening her embrace and turning to take the woman by the hand, Y/N made timid steps forward

"Pleasure Madame" she said in a breath,

"Nice to meet you," said welcomingly, shaking her hand, "Come in, the kids are uncontainable since Emma warned you were back," Y/N followed the others home in Tom's hand, breathes ... breathes ... she kept on repeated, the dark wooden parquet was covered by a red inlaid carpet and welcomed guests at the entrance,

"Y/N you can take off your shoes, we are used to being barefoot" Diana said kindly, the woman nodded and leaned next to Tom's, heard shouts come from the room, "What they will have combined this time .." said disappearing into the next room,

"Darling all right?" Tom asked, raising her face, "You're so silent," Y/N stared at him, did not know what to say,

"I think so," she replied softly, "You could have told me that we would have come to your mother's dinner.." looked down, "I do not think I'm ready for that,"

"I apologize, I took it for granted that you would like it," he said sweetly, "I wanted them to see how happy I was, after what happened they were worried about me," continued seriously, "If you feel uncomfortable we can go away" concluded, clutching her, the woman paused to think a second and shook her head,

"Sorry I had not thought about how you were when I met you, we never talked and Rice just told me you were having a bad time," she looked at him feeling guilty for thinking only of herself, "Let's go do not wait for your family" said smiling and kissing him,

"Oh Darling I love you", took her by the hand and led her to the hall where the women of his life were waiting for them, two children ran towards them jumping and laughing,

"Uncle uncle" they shouted happy, Tom picked them up laughing

"Here they are my favorite monsters!" there was joy from all the pores, the smallest leaned towards Y/N to touch her hair, the woman picked him up naturally,

"She's Poppy .." Tom said introducing her with nickname, he stared at her questioningly,

"..but you can call me aunt if you want.." she said smiling at the man, the children burst out laughing and the tension faded, it was his family and she was happy that he wanted to introduce her,

"Guys go wash your hands is almost ready," said Sarah, coming out of the kitchen, "And you have not yet greeted me properly," she laughed, going to meet his brother and holding him,

"Darling, she's Sarah the oldest among us," said cheerfully, introducing her,

"Pleasure and welcome to the family Y/N" Sarah hugged her, Y/N was starting to relax, Tom's family was expansive and affectionate, that's who had taken that part of the character,

"Tommy do you think about the aperitif?" Emma asked as approached, the man nodded to the bar,

"Darling what do you take?" asked smiling, Y/N approached hugging him

"What you're doing is fine Thomas" smiled, resting head on his arm, "I feel so good right now" whispered, the man passed her a glass,

"Try it is Scottish sherry," he said, turning around and bringing his women a drink, Y/N had never drank anything like it. the sherry was sweet and spicy and warmed it in a moment,

"Do you like it?" Diana asked, the woman nodded

"That's great, thank you," Sarah called for dinner and the group moved to the dining room, they chatted like any family, it was almost 11 when they said goodbye,

"Thanks for tonight Thomas," Y/N said, turning to of him and kissing while he fastened her belt,

"The children love you but I had no doubts and my mother liked you a lot," he smirked putting in motion

"I had a great time, I'm sorry to have reacted by closing when we arrived"

"It's all right, I have to remember that some surprises make you anxious" laughed putting a hand on her knee, "said that tomorrow shopping, Sammy arrives at 9 to abduct you, probably will make you try all the clothes atelier but you will not be alone" the two laughed heart, arrived home collapsed exhausted.

Y/N opened eyes at 8 o'clock the previous day had been long and full of emotions, went down into the kitchen and made coffee while running the family chat, even the others had come home safe and healthy Rice was traveling to the Sweden for a job, told them about the evening and how she felt, Sammy's voice blew her up,

"Good morning, you're an early morning Y/N" chirped, hugging her, "Where is he? Will not be sleeping yet!” she said coming out of the kitchen like a fury, "TOMMY..TOMMYBOYYY" heard her screaming as she climbed the stairs, Y/N was astonished, as soon as she woke up it was deadly to have Tom's best friend buzzing around her luckily she had put on a dressing-gown before going down, heard the scuffle coming from the hall and went out drinking coffee, she saw something very familiar Tom in boxers with Sammy on his shoulder, she reminded her of the awakenings with Rice at the sea and a half laugh escaped her,

"Little banshee annoying" he said laughing, throwing her on the sofa, "Someone warned poor David ..",

"How unkind you are, just because I woke you up.." Sammy laughed, "I would never have burst into the room if I had not seen Y/N in the kitchen, you know that I respect your privacy.." said innocently, a little too innocent, Y/N thought as carried a coffee tray for everyone,

"My King morning" she said smiling leaning on him and rubbing face on his neck, "While you punished the bride I made coffee, breakfast is in the oven," laughed winking at Sammy,

"My Queen's" he answered hugging and kissing her, "I start to taste coffee in the morning"

"I..sorry but it's really too strong for me.." Sammy said, "How do you drink more than one a day?", Y/N laughed, passing her milk and settled on the sofa,

"We should also take the decaffeinated, I do not want to give the tachycardia to all your guests" laughed at the man, now very awake, "Thomas you mind checking breakfast while I take a quick shower and I get dressed, I would not be late"

"I'll take care of Darling", Y/N went up and threw herself into the shower, sighing, in her mind the morning would start with coffee and hot sex in the shower but the arrival of Sammy had sent her programs upstream, did not pretend to warn before arriving, she and Rice had never done it, but ringing the bell would have been a good idea, wiped herself off and put on t-shirts and pants and got out, the scent coming up the stairs made her hungry, she found Tom and Sammy in the kitchen and stopped to look at them, if had not known they were just friends their intimacy would have bothered her,

"Darling the muffins are delicious, come before they get cold" Tom moved the stool and served it,

"Thank you," she said kissing it, "Oats and chocolate love each other" laughed,

"Would you give me the recipe? David would like a lot," Sammy said with a full mouth, she was a very good woman despite her heels and perfect hair was starting to like her,

"Of course, one evening we could organize a dinner together and I'll give you some tasty recipes" Y/N answered, "Is David too grown up child?",

"I see you understand" Sammy winked at her, "You're really crazy about him," Sammy said seriously as soon as Tom got up to get ready, "Sorry if I look overprotective"

"I understand you I'm like you when it comes to Rice," Y/N said expected a similar conversation sooner or later, "And you're crazy about him, is that so obvious?"

"I'm surprised he did not notice it," she laughed. "From what I saw in the hotel, you did not notice anything, it was so bright he looks at you like I've never seen him do with any other", Sammy was right if only he had noticed it right away..but you know when you're in it you do not notice the details,

"You're right, after we talked to the hotel and the thing came out I started to see how he looks at me, I'm starting to see me as he sees me" he answered seriously, "I understand every day more than a wonderful man"

"What a tender," Sammy laughed, mocking her, the women burst out laughing, they understood each other instantly, they were chatting pleasantly,

"I'm here, I wanted to leave you a little 'to know you but from what I see you understand very well" smiled happy to the two women, "If you're ready let's go" said giving his arm to both, "Sammy you have the car or take my?" churches,

"I have mine, you notice too much and I do not really want to waste time with fans and autographs", Y/N laughed, even she would have done without it on her first outing, she was already quite nervous.

They parked in the basement and took the elevator that led them straight into the studio, they were greeted by two employees who made them sit in the living room,

"Would you like something to drink?" they asked carrying a tray of sweets, nodded, thanking,

"I could have some water, please," Y/N asked,

"Are you okay Darling?" Tom's tone made her smile,

"Do not worry, I'm sick," she smiled, between the street in reverse and Sammy's guide.

"I did not think about it, it must be deadly for you, it happened to me in France" said Sammy, the dressmaker arrived and took measurements to Y/N before letting her assistants in with their clothes, a blaze of pastel tones of green and blue one more beautiful than the other,

"I would exclude the greens with her complexion," said the dressmaker putting a dress in front of her, Sammy gave her reason and started to make her try on one dress after another,

"This is perfect!" rejoiced in the tenth outfit, "What do you say Tommy?"

"With the band on her breasts it will be beautiful" the man answered looking at her, Y/N felt relieved after hours of dress, bare and measures was saturated and the shopping day had just begun,

"Thomas, are we very far from the shopping area?" the woman asked once in the parking lot,

"If you feel like facing the risk of fans we can take a walk, we are not very far" laughed hugging her,

"So as not to climb a car willingly affront your armies" said close to him, greeted Sammy and walked hand in hand through the streets of London, Y/N observed all fascinated by the chaos and the multitude of different humanity, was struck by different perfumes, she was getting hungry, they passed a pub and stopped,

"Thomas if we ate something?" she asked in front of the entrance,

"Darling willingly, I love pub food" he smiled making them way into the room, they were greeted by the innkeeper who recognized Tom and made them sit in a booth, the waiter took the order and disappeared behind the counter,

"There is a beautiful atmosphere here, just as I imagined" it felt great, the food was delicious and also appreciated the dark beer that served, ended the lunch and reached the first store that Tom had chosen to redo the wardrobe.

"Mister Hiddleston welcome, follow me Miss Dita comes immediately" the assistant escorted them to a living room and served champagne before going out,

"Wow what a service" Y/N always amazed at that kind of treatment, "Is it normal that there are no other customers?" asked not seeing other people in the shop,

"At the moment the atelier is all for us, for you.." Tom answered, the woman stared at him shaking her head, "I want you to have fun",

"You're amazing, when you said you had made appointments I did not think I meant this.." he was about to say more when the door opened and Dita Von Teese reached them in all its splendor,

"Wonderful creature thanks for the availability" Thomas said getting up and kissing her hand,

"You're the usual seducer Thomas, I'm glad you thought of me to dress your mate," she replied smiling and turning to Y/N who had sat too low to move, "Ben come darling, I can see you standing please "said to the woman who blinked and moved,

"Excuse me, Miss Von Teese, I was dazzled, I did not think I would have had the pleasure of knowing her," Y / N answered, getting up, with the corner of her eye she saw Tom smile,

"It's lovely," said Dita, smiling. "Give me somebody and you should take off your clothes," she asked, turning around, she nodded undressing without problems, Dita looked at her taking notes before giving her a dressing gown,

"Sabine clothes," said to the intercom, "While we wait we choose the underwear, Thomas told me that you like corsets"

"It's true, they make me feel beautiful," she replied, "If it were available I'd like the model that Gaultier created for you," said almost embarrassed, Dita laughed, calling the assistant,

"Do you want to try it?" she asked with a nod to Sabine, Y/N nodded happily, Dita helped her to tighten the laces, "It's enchanting, from the face I would say that Thomas also appreciates"

"Darling you're an attack.." smiled slyly making her blush, she spent the next two hours choosing clothes for various occasions and more or less daring linens,

"Are you having fun?" Tom asked as they went out to go to the next appointment,

"Seriously I'm in seventh heaven," she said, euphoric, close to the man,

"If I had not booked I would take you home just to be able to look with that corset" he whispered warmly, the woman smiled savoring the return, the second atelier was sportswear Y/N chose several pants and lost between t- colorful shirts and blouses, Tom was the person patience and helped her in the choice of wardrobe, had insisted to spoil her

"Thomas, please tell me we're done," sighed the woman, it was late afternoon when they left the store and wished to get comfortable on the sofa,

"Darling you're the first woman I know who does not like to go shopping," he laughed, stopping a taxi, giving directions to the driver and holding the woman to him,

"It's not that I do not like to go shopping but it's 9 o'clock I feel I'm not used to it" laughed relaxed beside him.

"I listen to the voicemail messages I'll meet you in the hall," said the man fumbling with the keyboard, Y/N took the opportunity to go up to the room and undress with only the corset on, returned to the room, closed the curtains and got comfortable on the couch waiting for him by zapping, after 10 minutes Tom had not yet seen, the woman got up to get a drink, opened the cellar and chose a sweet wine, opened the bottle and returned to the hall through the hall to see that he had done, found him talking on the phone, she clinked glass to get his attention, the man turned and glared at him,

"..can I call you back?" he said to his interlocutor before attacking, "..you.." he imperiously aimed, Y/N laughed, making the innocent,

"I did not want to bother you ..." she said walking backwards slowly to return to the room, ".. if you want to finish the call I can always start to..", she could not finish the sentence Tom's arms trapped her pushing against the wall, he took the bottle and glasses out of her hand, resting them on the table and kissed her, putting hands on her ass,

"Darling .." he snarled, "..this dress.." he said, running his fingers over the feathered silk of the corset, turned her face to the wall and unzipped his pants, the woman moaned when bit her neck, scratching her bare shoulder blades she opened legs as impatiently as he, penetrated her hard, moving quickly inside, hands slipping on the fabric and creeping under the feathers to tighten her breasts, Y/N cried tarnished by lust,

"..you could not wait to bang against the wall, right?" he growled, planting nails in her hips to keep grip, "You like being treated like a cat in heat," laughed, enjoying her moans and her warm body, "Do you want more Kitty?" whispered on her neck, "Do you want me to do it?", "What do you leave a new mark?",banged her hard at every question, "Did you lose your tongue?" “You need me stop? "

"My lord..fuck me..I want more.." the woman mumbled out of her, "I'm yours ..", the man laughed maliciously on her skin brought a hand between her legs and played with clit increasing the blows, Y/N was shouting followed by Tom who was panting leaning against her shoulders,

"I'm starting to think that taking you with me on the set is not a good idea if you think I welcome you dressed like that" he laughed, putting hands on the wall and letting her turn, "Not counting the screams" the woman smiled and kissed him,

"I promise to be good, just flannel pajamas and socks, and I will try to turn down the volume but it will not be easy, it's not my fault if you're so good" answered back to his chest, the heart still running fast,

"I can always gag you little temptress" he looked at her as if he liked it, "Now if you allow me to end the call while you wear something less dangerous" he kissed her and gave a spanking making her laugh,

"Ok do not put too much Thomas" Y/N put her oversize t-shirt and got comfortable on the couch, took the phone that was still off and looked at the messages,

§ Poppy I hope the restiling went well .. that shirt does not make you absolutely justice§ did not understand what you were reading,

§Simo of what you are talking about? §

§If you did not keep your cell phone off you would know it§ answered Marco sending a picture in the chat, there were Thomas and her as they entered the pub,

§Damn I did not notice anything, we stopped to have lunch§

§With so many beautiful places, have you had lunch in a pub? §

§I wanted to try something typical, it's not always all champagne and oysters Simo§

§Contact how high-class shopping is!!§ , even Niko was curious, like everyone, knew her and knew that shopping was not among the things she preferred, she laughed to herself

§What to say, beautiful when you have the store at your disposal and an army of assistants§ answered vague just to intrigue them more

§A little detail and give !!!

§Ok ok .. first atelier to try the wedding dress, we have put a lifetime on it§

§What did you choose? § asked Roby

§I did not choose anything I was Sammy's barbie:) §

§ From a photo we had lunch and went to my personal paradise..met Dita Von Teese !!! § , let them unleash with questions before continuing,

§ I literally slaughtered clothes and corsets, even in the second store I have been unleashed in more casual clothes every day.

§Have your man's account dried up? §

§Sincerely I have no idea, I did not see the bill, we just went in and out, the clothes will be delivered tomorrow§

§Just because you know it, since you live in your pink cloud, on your social networks your photos with Tom are depopulating§

§You are officially one of the most hated women I hope you are ready§ concluded Gian, the woman opened the social she used more and had no trouble finding the photos, so many pictures, she got up the anxiety did not notice anything did not read the captions and the comments did not want to know what the strangers thought of her, the only comments she read were those below the engagement announcement, some were positive others much less but tried not to notice "they" did not know her, Tom reached her cheerful, giving her a toast,

"Thanks Thomas I was really hungry" smiled taking the plate and placing the phone down,

"Please Darling, I assume you have seen the pictures .." he said quietly, "What effect do they make?"

"I do not know, see me so beaten on social is strange because I have not noticed anyone click" sincere answer, "I'll have to get used to it like all the rest" laughed putting on the lap of the man who squeezed caressing her back,

"That's the spirit" he smiled kissing her, "They do not teach you how to handle these things at school" laughed, "Now let's relax and think about tomorrow's dinner with Chris, do you have any idea?"

"Since you love them I thought lasagna and roast with potatoes, you like the menu," said the woman,

"Approved! We'll have to do the shopping, as you noticed the fridge is semi-empty, tomorrow morning we get up early so I'll walk around the neighborhood "

"It seems like a good idea," she said finishing the toast, spent the rest of the day on the couch watching old movies and flirting.

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