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rebelliousstories · 1 year ago

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Cranberry

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: Pete “Maverick” Mitchell x Reader

Fandom: Top Gun

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, Mentions of Death, Light Angst

Word Count: 2,100

Masterlist: Here

Summary: A certain unusual flavor that has held a special spot in the Mitchell and Bradshaw family every Christmas.

Christmas 1985

“Alright! I’m here! I’m here! I’ve got the goods!” Pete’s loud voice rang out into the government issued housing known as, the Bradshaw abode. A two foot tall blur came barreling towards his knees, and it was only a split second decision that still kept them in tack. He grabbed the youngest Bradshaw and hoisted him hip on to his hip.

“Uncle Pete!” Bradley exclaimed, hugging his favorite uncle. The man hugged him close, never once letting go of the boy or the bags in his hand.

“Hey bud! Oh, I missed you.” His words were music to the woman’s ears as a certain blonde haired lady rounded the corner.

“Pete!” Carol exclaimed, piling on to the hug that was started without her. Maverick took one arm and wrapped it around her, while pressing a brotherly kiss to her cheek.

“Hey Carol.” Pete took a deep breath in, finally enjoying being able to relax a bit with his closest friends.

“Oh, so this is where everyone went.” One more set of arms piled on to the group hug and encompassed them all.

“Hi sweetie.” Pete teased at his taller friend.

“Hiya hun.” Nick threw back at him. The one great thing about their friendship, is that each one could give as good as they got. But they were there to enjoy time as a family. Slowly but surely, each layer peeled away to reveal the bags that were still in Pete’s hands.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Should’ve taken these first, Pete. Here let me get those.” Carol tried to reach for the bags, but Maverick went head and stepped towards the kitchen to set them down. As he did, he felt Bradley being pulled from his arms by Goose, allowing him to move freely.

“I got it, Carol. Just tell me where you want stuff.” He offered, watching the woman fight every bone in her body not to take over.

“I just… well, alright.” While Carol and Maverick were busy in the kitchen, Bradley and Goose were busy playing with each other in the living room. A huge tree sat in the corner, complete with lights, ornaments, garland and other pretty decorations. It provided endless hours of entertainment as Bradley was still so little. He was amazed by the lights and colors coming from the tree.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Pete and Carol were having a blast doing the last minute preparations for their big Christmas dinner. Turning the giant turkey in the oven and basting it, toasting up some Hawaiian rolls, making the side dishes, and most importantly making the cranberry sauce. It was the one thing that Carol always insisted on making from scratch herself. An old family recipe that had been passed down for generations. It had become a staple of any holiday meal, or even one made on special occasions.

The family sat down for their meal, and Carol set the cranberry sauce delicately down on their table. For the rest of the night, there was conversation, laughter and entertainment in general. The cranberry sauce was always the highlight of the meal. No one was allowed to know exactly what or how much of anything was put into the sauce, but none of them cared. No one cared what she put in the sauce, only that it was delicious and a staple of their table.

Christmas 2020

“Babe! I’m back from the store. I got everything you needed.” A feminine voice rang out, carrying bags into the home. Pete wiped his hands down on a rag before stepping out into the foyer to help her with them.

“Thank you for getting these, dear. It really helped.” Maverick grabbed majority of the bags and pressed a loving kiss to his partners lips, before moving to the kitchen to prepare the very last thing they had to make. An old, and worn recipe card laid on the counter amongst all the ingredients that they needed for this particular dish.

“You’re welcome, Mav. Do you need or want any help?” She wrapped her arms around his body and pressed another kiss in between his shoulder blades. Maverick pressed his hands to her arms, yet shook his head.

“No, I got this. You go ahead and get ready for company. I’ll take care of this.” And with that, Maverick stayed in the kitchen while his lover went off to go get ready. He tried to follow the recipe as closely as he could, but these were written in not quite so accurate measurements. Finally, he understood when she used to say, “southern measurements.” It confused him to no end. A pinch, a smidge, a helping; these did not make sense. How much were each of them? By the time he finished the batch, his lover appeared from their bedroom, looking refreshed and festive in her brilliant red sweater.

“Mav, you okay honey?” Her hands trailed up his arms while he was standing over the pot on the stove.

“Will you taste this?” Pete gave the spoon with a small helping of the sauce to her lips. When she tasted it though, her face scrunched up in displeasure.

“How is it both too sweet and too salty?” She questioned, staring at the offensive cranberry sauce.

“I don’t know. I can’t understand these measurements so it didn’t turn out like I had hoped.” Maverick admitted, thrusting the card in front of her eyes. They scanned over the card and turned to her partner with a certain mischievous grin.

“Would you like me to help?” She teased, already getting to work on restarting their work station.

“If you think you can do better, be my guest.” He waved his arm to the mess he had made. She worked to first clean and dispose of the cranberries that had been used already, before setting up to try again.

As she read the recipe card, and followed the corresponding instructions, Pete was suddenly thrust back to all those years ago. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving where he watched Carol move around the kitchen to make this simple dish. He had a hard time shaking the memories of Carol and her loud, obnoxious singing that would inevitably bring him and Goose into. The way she would dance with Nick in the kitchen as she finished up their meals, or after them.

His mind blended them together, unable to discern one from the next. It brought him a sense of comfort that he had not felt since her untimely death. She seemed to understand the writings on the small piece of paper, as her movements never slowed preparing the dish. Turning off the stove, she set the pot off to the side to cool and grabbed a new spoon to scoop out a bit of the sauce to try. She blew on it to cool it down even faster and after several attempts to eat it, it was finally the perfect temperature for her to sample. Letting out a pleased hum, she grabbed another spoon and gave it to Maverick. He, too, stuck it in the cooling pot, and blew on it a few times before bringing it to his lips to enjoy. But he could not enjoy it. All that he could do was keep tears at bay. Noticing her lover bent over the counter with the heels of his palms in his eyes, she set her spoon down and wrapped her arms around the pilot.

“Mav, what’s wrong?” She asked, and he heard, but he could not bring any words to his lips.

“Pete?” She pried once more, and got an embrace in return. The man had turned around and brought her into his arms, while placing his head into the crook of her neck. There was no noise from the man, but there was a wet spot slowly forming on her sweater from where his head laid. She did not try to get him to talk anymore, just stroked a hand through his hair and over his back as he worked through whatever he was feeling at the moment. His tears slowed, as did the shake in his shoulders, to a point where he felt comfortable enough to pull his head from her neck. Pete wiped his hands across his face, trying desperately to remove the evidence of tears, however her hands caught the few stragglers that were still falling.

“I’m sorry. That just… that tastes exactly like how Carol made it every year. And your mannerisms are so similar in the kitchen. I’m sorry.” Tears welled up in Maverick’s eyes, but none dared fall. That was until she returned her hands to his face to cup it so gingerly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Mav. It’s okay to miss her. It’s okay to still hurt when you think about her.” She assured him, stroking gently over his cheeks. Pete grabbed her hands in his, and turned to place a soft kiss to each palm, before taking the hands from his face and holding her close.

“Thank you.” He whispered, leaning in to steal a kiss straight from the source. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, and enjoyed the feeling of closeness with her lover before they both were drawn away by the sound of a door opening. Turning in his arms, the couple watched a young mustachioed pilot walk through the door, taking off his boots, and removing his sunglasses.

“Mav?” He called out. The couple turned back to each other, and disengaged to go greet the man. Bradley stood in a Christmas patterned Hawaiian shirt, which Maverick was shocked he could even find but he guessed anything was possible with the internet now. Once the couple came into view, the woman ran up and greeted him.

“Bradley! So good to have you here.” She hugged him close, and he allowed himself the small bit of affection.

“Good to be here, Mrs. M.” He responded, only drawing back when she did.

“Bradley.” Pete now greeted, with a handshake, but that quite got drawn into a hug as well.

“Uncle Pete.” Both men knew what he said, but neither dwelled on it for too long. They pulled away as well, and went to the table. Both men grabbed plates of food, and set them down on the table. However, Bradley was stunned to notice the homemade cranberry sauce on the table. It looked so similar to-

“Alright, boys. Dig in.” Everyone went to work plating and serving themselves the bountiful feast before them. The couple placed a little bit of cranberry sauce on their plates, but when Pete passed the dish to Bradley, he refused.

“Sorry. I don’t like cranberry sauce.” He dismissed the plate that was still in the older pilot’s grip.

“Just try it, Bradley. Trust me.” Thy stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, before the younger pilot took the dish from Maverick, and dished some onto his plate. The couple watched Rooster as he tore off a chunk of bread and reluctantly ate the cranberry sauce on his plate; wanting to get it out of the way to hopefully wash down the store bought taste with the rest of his food. But this did not taste store bought. This tasted homemade. This tasted exactly like the cranberry sauce he ate growing up when his mom was still alive.

He could not believe what was in front of him now. In disbelief, he stared at Pete, who simply nodded his head with a wide grin plastered on his face. Turning, Pete’s lover was staring nervously at the man, hoping she did it justice.

“Did you make this?” Rooster whispered, fearing if he raised his voice even a little bit, that he would break whatever spell this one little dish had over him.

“Mav found an old recipe card that your mom had when she would make this. He tried to make it but he can’t read southern measurements like a woman can.” She joked, jabbing her eyes towards said man teasingly. Bradley vaguely heard a, “they’re so confusing,” and “not real measurements,” from the man, but his ears were rushing, drowning out all sound. Eventually, he took another bite, and another, and another, till there was no more sauce on his plate. It tasted like home. A home he had lost and never found his way back to yet.

“Thank you.” Bradley looked the woman in the eyes, hoping that his sincerity came across as much as he felt it. She rubbed his shoulder from here she sat, and everyone turned back to their meal.

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seenoversundown · 1 year ago

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It's The Most Wonderful Time Of Year

Warnings: Mentions of minor injury, Fluff otherwise!

Word Count: 2.2k

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams It's the most wonderful time of the year There'll be much mistltoeing And hearts will be glowing When loved ones are near

Daniel POV:

“Ah, YEP. There it is,” I practically growl as the breaker trips, shrouding my apartment in darkness.

I should have known better than to try to mash potatoes with a hand mixer when I already have three crock pots plugged in, warming side dishes.

“Fucking ancient wiring,” I mutter to myself as I rip the plug from the wall before heading into the laundry room to flip the breaker back on.

The breaker is just the latest bit of misfortune that has derailed my plans for a traditional Christmas dinner.

First, I severely overslept. Melody and I wanted to wake up at 7:00 to do presents with Iris. Imagine my shock when she strolled into our room at 9:30, questioning why Santa came and we didn't wake her up.

Then, after we opened our presents and Iris was sufficiently tuckered out and down for a nap, I started preparing for dinner.

Because I wanted to be fancy, I obviously bought fresh vegetables, which led to me nicking my finger while cutting the green beans.

After Melody played nurse and left me with one gloved hand, I managed to grab the handle of a pre-heated cast iron skillet with my other hand. Melody was not happy with me when she had to play nurse for a second time in under an hour.

It had been smooth sailing after that, up until the breaker issue.

I’m pulled out of my reverie by a tiny hand tugging at the hem of my shirt.

I look down to see a freshly awoken Iris rubbing her eyes. She lets out a big yawn before meeting my eyes.

“Can I have juice?” she signs.

My heart melts as I nod and rush to pull down a Big Girl Cup from the cabinet. I opened the fridge and pulled out the super-special organic apple juice that Uncle Sammy bought for Iris. The glass bottle slips in my hand, but I catch it before it drops.

HAHA! Not this time!

I pour her juice and hand it over.

“Be careful,” I ruffle her hair, “Now go play.”

I look up and see Melody standing in the doorway, watching on with a fond smile on her face as Iris skitters past her.

She walks into the kitchen and wraps her arms around my middle, “You’re a good dad, Daniel,” she presses a soft kiss to my chest as she nuzzles into my sweater.

I breathe out a sigh and drop a kiss on the top of her head.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I chuckle, “If stuff keeps going the way it is, I might not even be able to feed our kid tonight.”

“You’re being a bit dramatic, babe,” she pinches my side, wiggling out of my arms, “It’ll all work out.”

I pop the turkey in the oven and check my watch. 2:00pm

Perfect! Everything is back on schedule, and I finally feel like I can take a breath.

I lean against the counter and feel a smile creep over my face. My dinner is coming along. I can hear the tinkling giggles of my girls coming from the living room. I haven't made too much of a mess in the kitchen.

I start to put away the dishes I’d left on the drying rack and spot the crystal wine decanter on the top shelf.

Bingo!

I pull the decanter and two glasses down and glance over the bottles of wine sitting out on the counter, trying to determine which varietal Melody would appreciate most right now.

Settling on a Merlot, I pour the bottle into the decanter and leave it to open up before venturing into the living room.

Melody has her back to me, helping Iris change the dress on one of her new dolls, and I tiptoe up behind her. I catch Iris’ eye and bring a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet.

She flashes me a toothy grin and tries, poorly, to hold back her giggles.

Melody stiffens almost imperceptibly, and I already know she will be faking her reaction for Iris’ benefit.

Regardless, I continue creeping up and grabbing Melody’s shoulders, gently shaking her in the process.

“AHHHHH,” Melody drops the doll and lets out an exaggerated shout, “YOU SCARED ME, DANIEL!”

She whips her head around and gives me a little wink.

Iris giggles again, “That was funny.”

I grin and waggle my eyebrows at her, “More juice?”

She nods, holding her cup out for me to take.

I squeeze Melody’s shoulder again before heading back into the kitchen.

I fill Iris’ cup with more apple juice, diluting it with water. I can’t have her getting an upset tummy on Christmas. Then, I pour some wine into one of the glasses and carry both back into the living room.

“Thought both of my girls might be thirsty,” I say as I pass the wine to Melody.

“You thought right, my love,” she grins.

Iris’ eyes flit between us for a moment, “play with me?”

And how can I say no to that?

An hour and a half later, I’m back in the kitchen checking on our slowly progressing dinner.

Turkey is coming along perfectly. The sides are looking good. I’m incredibly proud of the way I’ve turned this day around.

Since we’re in the home stretch, I finally decided to pour myself a glass of wine.

As I reach for the decanter, it slips from my grasp and shatters into a million little pieces. Merlot paints nearly every kitchen surface: the walls, the floor, the fridge, everywhere.

“FUUUUUCK,” I scream at the top of my lungs. I’ll be shocked if we don’t get a noise complaint from one of the neighbors.

I hear footsteps walking up the hallway.

“Please stay out of here. There’s glass everywhere,” I grind out through clenched teeth.

“I’m slipping on shoes, then I'm coming to help you,” Melody replies.

We clean up silently; I’m on sweeping duty while Melody comes behind me with the mop.

I finally set the broom down, confident I had swept up all the tiny crystal shards.

“This day keeps getting worse,” I sigh, and Melody pats my arm, “I’m going to text Josh to see if he wants to come get Iris until dinner’s finished. At this point, I’m worried that my bad luck will rub off on her, and she’ll be the next victim of some inexplicable accident.”

“Okay, big guy,” Melody lets out a small laugh, “I’m sure Josh would be happy to hang out with her solo.”

Thirty minutes later, I let Josh in. Iris has practically been vibrating with excitement since we told her Uncle Josh wanted to see her.

“Where’s my favorite little girl?” is the first thing out of his mouth as he steps over the threshold.

“Well, hello to you too,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Oh, forgive me. HELLOOOOOOOO DANNY!” he claps back immediately, “Now, where is she? Quinn and I have a whole afternoon planned for Iris, and that's more important than your ego.”

“Jesus, dude,” I say, rubbing my chest in mock hurt.

“I’m just being honest,” he flashes a massive grin at me.

“Well, thank you so much for your honesty,” I roll my eyes again, “Melody’s helping her get ready. Now, I know I don't need to tell you how to take care of her. Buuuuut, bad luck has been plaguing me all day. So, be extra careful with her.”

“Gotcha, gotcha. I’ll be on the lookout for any falling pianos or trap doors,” it’s Josh’s turn to roll his eyes.

“I know you're making fun of me, but with the luck I’ve had today, nothing would shock me at this point,” we share a laugh that’s interrupted by a bundled-up Iris rocketing herself into Josh’s legs.

I watch as he quickly scoops her up and spins her around before setting her back down.

“Ready to go, Petal?” he asks Iris with a cheesy grin.

The second she nods her affirmative, they're out the door.

Unfortunately for me, not even a minute after they’ve left, the smoke detector starts going off. I sigh for the trillionth time today and head back to the kitchen.

Walking through the doorway, I see Melody standing in front of the open oven. She’s using an oven mitt to fan smoke away from the turkey.

“Babe, stop. It's fine,” I start, “we both know that Christmas dinner is pretty much fucked at this point. Just turn the oven off.”

I lean against the counter and hang my head in my hands, ultimately defeated.

“It’s okay, babe. I have a plan!” Melody says as she takes my burnt Turkey out of the oven, trying to keep my spirits high.

I fight the urge to scoff as I watch her open the freezer and pull a Pyrex dish out.

“What's that?” I eye the dish in her hand.

“It's a lasagna, Daniel. I always keep one on backup,” she grins at me, dimples on full display, “I know it's not traditional, but who’s gonna be mad about pasta?”

“You’re a genius, dear,” I gently kiss her temple.

She shrugs off my praise, “HA! No, not a genius. Just a mother. Moms always have to have at least three backup plans ready.”

Melody greets our first guests at the door as I put the finishing touches on everyone’s place settings at the table.

I vaguely hear them laughing together as I walk into the kitchen to add one final layer of cheese to the top of the lasagna.

“Please make yourselves at home,” I can hear the genuine smile in Melody’s voice, “Daniel is likely in the kitchen if you want to go harass him.”

The goofiest laugh follows her statement, and I know it’s Sam and Willa.

“Oh, Daaaaaaaniel,” Sam calls out as he pops his head in the doorway, “it smells phenomenal in here, but nothing like turkey.”

“Yeah, yeah. Last minute change of plans,” I reply flatly.

“Josh texted me earlier and told me you were being a ‘Drama Queen,’” he adds air quotes before quirking a brow, “but I didn't assume you’d throw in the towel, buddy.”

“Oh, get bent, Sammy,” I threw the towel draped across my shoulder at him.

He whips his head around, facing Willa, “Did you see that, Birdie? The fucker proved my point.”

“I think it's lovely that you were able to solve your own problems, Danny,” Willa adds before smacking Sam across the chest with a smirk, effectively shutting him up.

They make their way to the living room as our other guests show up.

Jake and Charlotte show up next, popping in for a quick hello, not wanting to distract me.

Obviously, Josh, Quinn, and Iris are the last ones to show up.

“Oh, Iris just got so distracted playing. Sorry, we’re late.”

“That line doesn't work on me, Josh,” I let out a laugh, “I know you. You can't blame my kid for your chronic lateness.”

“I resent that, Danny. I always arrive precisely when I mean to,” Josh scoffs indignantly.

“Well, why don't you arrive in the living room and tell everyone dinner’s almost ready?”

I lock eyes on Charlotte as I set the final dish on the table.

Her eyes flit across the table, and the confusion on her face grows as she mouths the name of each dish she sees.

Mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, LASAGNA?

Jake is patting her thigh comfortingly as he holds back laughter.

I see her confusion mirrored on everyone else as I look around the table.

Jake pulls himself together long enough to break the silence, “Wow! What a delightful array of food you have for us, Danny Boy! You even have rolls!”

“Hey! I put garlic butter on them, asshole.”

“Oh, then, by all means, they belong. Not a single thing out of place here.”

That gets a round of laughs from the entire table.

“Yeah, Danny,” Quinn starts, “I’m not trying to be mean, but wasn't this supposed to be a traditional dinner?”

“Now, Bug, who can really say what ‘traditional’ means,” Josh ponders.

“Ya know what, thank you, Josh,” I nod in his direction.

“Oh, I’m not trying to help you, Danny. I’m just getting philosophical.”

“Okay, everyone,” I pinch the bridge of my nose, “After the day I had, I’d like to see you come up with something better.”

Melody nods with me as she opens a bottle of wine and passes it to Sam, “He really did have the most unfortunate string of luck. You all are lucky we even have dinner at all.”

I grab her hand and gently kiss her knuckles in thanks as everyone finally tucks into their meals.

“I do have a question,” Charlotte whispers, setting her fork down.

I nod for her to go on.

“What happened to the decanter we got you for your engagement party? This seems like a perfect time to use it.”

I let out the loudest groan, “I love you, Charlotte, but please never ask me that question again.”

“It’s a sore spot for him,” Melody pats my hand, “I’ll tell you later.”

“So, on that note,” I say, gesturing for everybody to start eating, “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

Masterlist | Taglist

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itsjustmyfantasyroom · 4 years ago

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Cabin fever

Warnings: just flirty and fluff.

WC: 590

Enjoy x

Torrential rain had been falling around Manhattan for nearly a week and you had been stuck in your apartment. The roads were blocked, the subway was flooded and it was lucky you took your work laptop home the weekend before so that Liv could give you stuff to do so that you were still working. Everything had been done over zoom, meetings with the squad and meetings with Rafael. Nick knew you were getting cabin fever, you only being able to go to the corner store to get essentials in the pouring rain.

Nick had been face timing every night when he could after work so he could do a work out with you, which then ended up with the two of you eating a microwave meal over the screen, chatting and having a great time. The flirting had stepped up on both sides and somehow the night before the conversation lead from some dirty talk to you both pleasuring yourselves over the screen watching each other. You didn’t know what was going to happen now you had both taken that step, but Nick had messaged goodnight and had messaged you good morning so things seemed too still be ok and not been a mistake.

Even though you had been working from home your day was overly busy, Rafael had been sending you paper work to type up and Liv had been sending you different things for you to research for a possible case that had come in. Liv let you clock off at five and you still weren’t hungry so you sat on the couch with a hot chocolate to see what was on the TV when there was a knock on the door. You jumped up thinking it was one of the neighbours needing something. You looked through the peep hole and frowned to yourself swinging the door open,

“Nick” you smiled brightly as your eyes ran over his slightly wet hair, wettish cloth’s that clung to his body, his soaking wet umbrella and wet shoes sitting next it near the door and a bag from your favourite Italian restaurant. You jumped on him wrapping your arms around his neck getting up on your tippy toes, one of his arms wrapping around your waist pulling you into him,

“Hey Amor” Nick said into your ear kissing your cheek.

You pulled back grabbing his hand pulling him into your apartment,

“How did you get here? The roads-”

“Amazing what a badge can do” Nick winked at you “These may need to go in the oven” he walked over to your oven turning it on to warm up.

While Nick did that you walked to the bathroom to get a towel so he could dry off. You walked back in and Nick was just standing back up from the oven closing the door. You walked over to him putting the towel on his head and started to dry his hair, his arms going to wrap around you again,

“Little wet there” you chuckled.

“Not as wet as I made you last night” Nick smirked back. You giggled and blushed.

“Or as wet as your making me now” you whispered back.

Nick’s hand’s ran down from your middle, down to the back of your thighs lifting you up, your legs going around his waist and he walked you to your bedroom, your fingers going up into his hair and he looked up at you with hooded eyes and a grin,

“Let’s get that work out in before we eat”

Tags: @beccabarba @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo @alwaysachorusgirl@amorestevens

#nick amaro #nick amaro x reader #nick amaro x you #nick amaro smut #nick amaro and reader #svu x reader #law and order svu #law and order criminal intent #law & order svu #detective nicolas amaro #nicolas amaro

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lilyofthestyx · 4 years ago

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Fighting for Tomorrow

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I still haven’t raised enough cash to own AOT, so I... don’t... own... it. For now

Reiner x Fem!Reader, eventual Captain Levi x Fem!Reader, Sasha x Sister!Reader

Word Count: 9.3k!!!

TW: gore/blood/violence/death, adult language/swearing, loss/grief

AN: It is finally time to get into the juicy stuff >:) Or... at least hint towards it lmao. The real juicy stuff happens later BUT it’s still a juicy one today folks!

You can read parts one, two, and three just by tapping the lovely numbers!

I can’t see.

I can’t move.

Move, _________. You have to move.

I try moving my hand. I just want to lift it. Small steps.

It twitches upwards.

Swallowing, I try to open my mouth.

...nothing.

Move, dammit. You have to move.

I can feel myself pushing through the darkness surrounding me. It’s thick and heavy and something is sucking me back down into it. Tendrils wrap around my arms and legs as I push on, dragging me back down.

I have to move. Sasha, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Reiner- everyone. I need to find them.

Slowly, my tongue lifts and presses up against the back of my lips. They part, sticking together slightly as my tongue pushes through.

“...awake,” I whisper. My eyes peel open. Everything’s blurry and hazy as I stare up at the sky, ceiling, whatever is above me. “Awake.” I say again, firmer and a bit louder.

“_________?”

Footsteps hurry over to me and I feel myself being lifted up. Someone hovers over me. Fingers brush my face, delicate and soft. Blinking slowly, my vision is cleared up.

“Hey there, softie,” I say quietly.

Reiner scoffs, tears pricking the edges of his eyes. I smile softly, letting my eyes slide to the others surrounding me. Connie, Jean, Sasha, Bertholdt, Marco. “Seems… like most… of the gang… is here,” I mutter, sitting up.

“You should take it easy,” Reiner mumbles, rubbing my shoulders. “You lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m alright,” I say gently, running my fingers over the bandages wrapped around my entire torso. My shirt’s gone- cut up to get to my wounds, I’m sure.

“Have you guys seen Armin? Or Eren?” I ask, looking up to them. The group goes silent and rigid. My stomach churns as I look at each of their faces. “...what’s happened?” I ask quietly, my hands shaking at my sides.

“...we’ve only found Armin,” Connie answers, “And he hasn’t said anything.”

“Where is he?” I ask, getting to my feet. The group protests, urging me to sit down. “Where is he?” I ask, more firm with my words as I stand up straight.

Sasha points across the rooftop. Armin’s head is lowered, his fists gripping his hair. I take a step forward and stumble. Reiner catches me before I hit the tiles and I laugh softly. “...for some reason, this reminds me of something,” I mumble as we walk across the roof.

“You scared me,” he says, “They said that you lost too much blood- I thought-”

“I’m here,” I smile. “I’m here and I’m walking and I’m breathing. There’s nothing to worry about right now.”

Reiner nods. “Just… don’t do that again,” he says firmly, “You understand me?”

“Yessir.”

We stop just a few steps away from Armin. I tap Reiner’s forearm- silently telling him I can go on by myself. Slowly, I walk up to Armin. “...Armin.” I call softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He looks up at me. Shadows make his eyes look like empty caves, all barren and dark. “..._________,” he whispers. Tears brim in his eyes and his whole body shakes.

“Where’s the rest of your squad, kid?”

The trembling in his body causes the tiles beneath him to clink together. His fists in his hair tighten and I can see his jaw clench. Tears are now pouring down his face- hot and fast. “Armin, are you hurt-”

“Mikasa!”

My eyes turn to the whirring above us and hear footsteps running on the tiles above us. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I smile. “Mikasa’s here. Do you…” I trail off, staring at his eyes.

They’re even wider, filled with fear. Genuine and pure fear.

“Armin, what is wrong?” I ask, kneeling back down in front of him.

“_________! Armin!” Mikasa calls, running to us. “Are you okay?”

“Just a bit of a nasty scratch,” I hum, smiling as I take her into a hug. “But I’m okay.”

Mikasa nods and looks down at Armin. “Armin, are you…?”

Armin starts to choke, heaving every breath like he couldn’t get it in fast enough. I reach out to touch his shoulder but he ducks away, his head snapping up to look us in the eyes. “We… the Cadets of Squad 34… Thomas Wagner, Nick Tius… Millius Zerumiski… Mina Carolina- Eren Yeager! These five carried out their duty and put up a heroic fight!”

“Armin… What are you-” I’m cut off by the look he gives me. I shake my head. “No… No.”

“I… I’m so sorry.”

“No, no,” I shake my head, getting to my feet. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” A wail rips out of my lips, branching from the very pit of my stomach and stemming into every vein inside of me. My hands clutch my chest, gripping the bandages wrapped around me.

Tears choke me at the base of my throat, only allowing mangled sobs out. He’s dead. The kid I looked out for, watched over like he was blood- he’s dead and I didn’t stop it. I broke my promise. I lied to Carla.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

My baby brother is dead.

Another scream shreds through me, echoing around the buildings.

And all at once, everything stops- the pain, the screaming, the crying. It just. Stops.

My eyes are fixated on the sky. Cloudy and grey. Unblinkingly, I stare at the sky.

Wake up.

_________.

Wake. Up.

It’s time to wake up.

--.--

My eyes shoot open.

I’m back in my old house in Shiganshina. Something’s cooking in the oven. It smells like some pastry- I can’t put my finger on the exact one. My hands tremble as I stare at them. There’s no scarring, no bruising. Just perfect, smooth skin and long nails- not bitten or torn off from the constant anxiety.

It’s so warm and soft and gentle- like the days before…

Before what? Nothing’s happened. I’m home and the wedding’s tomorrow. The ceremony is planned out just like it has been. I’ll be married and the debt will be paid off. And a few days after that, I have that appointment to go to with Mister Becker and his family.

Something tugs at the very base of my being, urging me to remember something.

What was it?

Something was supposed to happen today... right?

A knock resounds around the kitchen. I freeze, staring at the door. Another knock. Slowly, I get to my feet and open the door. Three kids. My three kids. Mikasa, all tucked away behind her scarf as she gives me a short- still warm but short- hug. Armin, already eagerly shoving a new book into my hands and opening it to his favorite page. And then-

It’s Eren. His black hair is plastered to his face with blood and sweat and dirt. His body shakes and there’s a gaping hole where one of his eyes is supposed to be.

“You let this happen to me,” he says quietly, his eye wide and unblinking.

“I would… I would never let this happen to you,” I whisper, shaking my head.

Eren looks down at himself. My eyes follow his gaze. Red starts to seep into the middle of his shirt, blossoming outwards and growing in intensity. Slowly, Eren looks back up at me.

“Yes,” he says quietly, “you did.”

Without another word, he crumples to the floor in a puddle of his own blood. I scream, running towards him but something shackles itself around my arms and legs- holding me in place. My body thrashes in its hold. One arm manages to tear out and I reach for him. His eye closes as my fingers graze his forearm.

As I’m pulled back I can hear his voice.

“You let this happen.”

--.--

“..._________!” Sasha’s in front of me, gripping me at the shoulders and shaking me. Her eyebrow furrowed, she stares into my eyes with concern. “_________!”

“I… I’m… I’m here,” I whisper, grabbing her wrists. “I can hear you.”

“We’re gonna take back HQ,” she says, helping me to my feet.

Nodding, I follow her to the edge of the roof in silence. Something grabs my wrist and tugs me back. The familiar warmth and solidity of Reiner’s chest almost brings me to my senses.

Almost.

“_________, you’ve lost too much blood for this,” he says, “If you’re going, you’re letting me carry you.”

A smile creeps onto my face as my arms snake around his neck. Lips brushing together, I can feel his gaze- concerned and harsh. “...I love you,” I whisper, pressing my lips to his.

“...but no.”

And I fall.

The wind flutters through my hair, running up my skin. My fingers click the triggers and I’m shot through the clouds. Various clicks and whirs follow after me. Annie, Bertholdt, Jean, Reiner, Sasha, Connie- they swing and arch at my sides.

“Listen, _________-” he says, arching back upwards. “I need t’tell you something.”

I nod in acknowledgment, shifting a bit in my harness as the leather digs into my side slightly.

It’s not a harsh pain, something I can’t take but… It should hurt a lot more than it does. If they weren’t exaggerating the amount of blood I lost, I should be in much more pain than I am. And I shouldn’t even be able to stand- much less walk and use ODM gear.

Adrenaline. That’s what it is. Adrenaline and delusion. Even as I’m physically here, physically present and seeing and hearing and feeling- I can feel myself slipping.

The grip on my controllers is tight but the grip on my reality is faltering.

Rei groans, “This isn’t something I can just say-”

“If you’re going to say something, just say it!” I snap, rolling my body beneath my bandages. I can’t take this cushioning bullshit.

I can see him sigh and take a deep breath in. “_________, listen… I’m the-”

“Titan!” Connie yells. My eyes dart to my left.

“Three meter!” I call out as my eyes land on the smaller Titan weaving through the alleyway. “Avoid it! We don’t have enough gas!”

The group on my left starts to break off into two different directions- even further left and slipping just behind me. “Make sure no one falls behind,” I call, eyes darting to Reiner beside me.

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Reiner, please,” I say just loud enough for him to hear. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

“Then send Jean- or Annie, _________!” He snaps. Frustration is blatant on his face- all trenches in his skin.

“I’m choosing you because I know you’ll make it back to me.”

The trenches leave his face; his eyes soften. Slowly, he nods. “...okay. Just…”

“I know- be safe.”

“And make it back to me.”

“I will… I love you.”

“I love you, too, forest girl.”

--.--

“Brace!” I scream as the wires of my gear launch into either side of the window. Wind whips around me as I curl into myself, waiting to burst through the glass. My body collides with the windowpane- sending shards cutting into the exposed skin around the bandages.

I let out a long huff of breath as I slam against the floor. “Shit…” I mutter, gripping my side. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“_________!” Jean hurries over, helping me to my feet. “You al-”

“Ask me if I’m okay again and I will not hesitate to cut your nose off,” I hiss. My eyes turn to the rest of the windows- all intact. “...are we the-?”

I’m cut off as figures hurl themselves through the windows, shattering glass flying in different directions. Jean and I wrap ourselves around each other to protect each other from the shards. Boots slam against the floorboards as more and more cadets pour inside.

As we pull apart, I give Jean a smile and ruffle his hair. “Thanks, kid.”

“Sure thing, Mom.”

My name is called and I run to its source. Reiner’s arm wrap around me, tucking me into his chest. “You’re okay,” I breathe out as I run my hand up and down his chest. I pull away and look up at him. He’s staring at me with those gorgeous eyes, a small smile on his lips. “You made it back to me,” I whisper, laying my hand against his face and rubbing his cheek with my thumb.

“And you are letting me check your wound,” he says firmly, laying his hand over mine. “That’s an order.”

“I’m higher up than you,” I laugh softly. “Got a whole squad ‘nd everything.”

“I’m going by Top Ten rules,” he teases. Reiner’s hand slides down mine and wraps around my wrist. “Now… Let’s go.”

--.--

We sit in the darkened storage room- away from the prying eyes of the others. Reiner’s hands are soft and gentle as they unwrap the bandages around me. The two of us are silent in waiting. Nervously, I twirl the ring around my finger. It’s covered in blood and I can barely see the glint of the moonstone beneath it but… That’s fixable. I can always clean it.

As the last of the bandage is pulled away, Reiner hands me his jacket. I drape it across my bare chest and wait for his reaction to the wound. “...how is it?” I whisper. The maneuvers I was doing on ODM and bursting through glass should’ve torn it more or something.

Reiner ‘tsk’s his tongue. “...maybe not.”

“‘Maybe not’ what?” I ask, looking slightly over my shoulder. The movement sends a single shock of pain up from the wound. I hiss and go back to facing the wall opposite us.

“I just… I thought something but maybe not,” he mumbles, fingers prodding the sore muscles around my wound.

“What did you think, Rei?” I ask, worriedly spinning my ring around my finger again.

“I thought... maybe it was infected or maybe it was deeper than we thought before.” Reiner says gently, “But it’s not. It’s actually a bit shallow. I think most of the blood we found wasn’t yours.”

“And no signs of infection?” I ask, eyebrows furrowing together.

“No, darling,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the back of my head. “You’re gonna be okay.”

I instantly relax under his touch. There’s no reason he would lie to me- not about this… not about anything. I know I can trust my bumbling mountain man.

Taking a deep inhale in, I close my eyes and feel his fingers slide up along my spine and back down towards the wound. “...you’ll need to stitch me up,” I murmur as my skin tingles in the wakes of his fingers. “See if you can push the edges of the wound together with some pressure.”

“You’ll need to lay down… Here, hand me your jacket.” I grab the blood-stained jacket off the floor and hand it to him. The fabric rustles around a bit for a moment. “Now, lay back,” Reiner says quietly, one hand snaking up to the base of my neck while the other holds me at the base of my back. A goofy smile plays his lips as he hovers over me. Pink dusts his cheeks as the hand at my back reaches up and brushes hair from my face.

“Hi there, Doctor Braun,” I coo, kissing the inside of his palm.

“My favorite patient,” he hums. “...now, c’mon, let’s get you on your side.”

Slowly, I roll over onto my right side and tuck the jacket beneath my head, crossing my arms over my exposed chest. His hand clamps down on the wound and a jolt of pain runs up my spine. “I can’t get the edges to stay together.”

“And the edges- they’re jagged?”

“...yeah.”

“Stitch me up, Doctor Braun.”

“On it, Miss Braus.” Reiner rustles around through the medpack behind me. His fingers ghost my skin, swiping my hair from my neck before placing a kiss there. “This may sting,” he whispers in my ear before pulling away. I take a deep breath in and feel him pierce the top layer of skin, weaving the jagged ends together.

“Not so bad,” I mumble, wincing only slightly as he strikes a particularly sore area.

“Always was a tough one,” Reiner laughs quietly. “Makes no sense as to why you fell for me.”

“I think it was your way with words,” I hum, remembering that night in the woods. “Or maybe your way with kids.”

Reiner scoffs a laugh. “Really? You? Falling for someone based on how good they are with kids?”

I laugh, “Yeah, I know… What a softie I’ve turned out to be.”

“...I mean… Over half the squad calls you ‘Mom’... and the other half calls you ‘Nurse Kickass’.”

“...you’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“Yes, you are- don’t play with me.”

“Ask Marco when we get back,” he laughs, “I’m telling you- I wouldn’t make that up.”

“Alright, fine, I will… Also, what did you want to tell me earlier? Before I sent you to make sure no one gets left behind?”

Reiner’s hands still against my skin. The air around us goes stale. “I just… I don’t know how to say this.”

I turn to look over my shoulder. His eyes are wide, unblinking- gaze turned down towards the floor. “Hey…” I whisper, pressing a hand to his cheek and smiling gently. “Are you okay?”

Slowly, his eyes peel from the floor. As he looks up at me, I can see the haze of unfamiliarity clouding his eyes. Even his skin flinches under my touch.

“...Reiner, are you okay?”

“W-who…?” His eyebrows furrowing, he places his hands on mine shakily.

“Reiner, please- you’re scaring me,” I mumble, my eyes searching his for any trace of warmth, of recognition, of him.

And then all at once, the haze is gone.

A smile crosses his lips. Reiner leans into my touch, “What’s wrong?”

“You were… You were acting strange…” I mutter, “Are you okay? Did you see something out there?”

Reiner coughs a heartless laugh. “...yeah… It wasn’t pretty… I guess I’m just…”

“Tsk…,” I sigh, “After this, we’re going for a swim in our lake, okay? Just me ‘nd you. We need it and you deserve it.”

Reiner hums in appreciation. “Sounds like a plan, Miss Braus.”

“Good… Now, Doc- can you stitch me up before some idiot stumbles in on me half-naked?”

“I’ll get right on that,” he says as I lay back on my side. “How’re you holding up?”

“...Franz is dead.”

“I heard,” Reiner mumbles as he tugs the needle through my skin. “Was he-”

“Yeah,” I whisper, “Bitten in half.”

“Shit…”

“Hanna- she wouldn’t leave him… she just kept… she kept trying to bring him back with CPR. It was… it was like… it was like she couldn’t accept it. That she wouldn’t, Rei.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he says gently, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck.

Tears slide down my face as I remember the fear in her eyes, the frantic way her hands trembled. “...I left her,” I whisper, twirling the ring around my finger as a desperate attempt to bring me back to reality. “I left her behind and there were Titans coming- Reiner, what if she-”

“You can’t think like that.”

“Reiner, she wanted our help and we just-”

“You survived. There wasn’t another choice... You were low on gas, you were severely wounded, she was trying to bring half a dead body back to life- you couldn’t have done anything.”

I’m silent now as I take a deep breath in.

He’s right. Hanna was gone. There was nothing I could do.

“...all done.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, hand snaking over my waist to entwine with his. “For everything.”

“Of course,” he says quietly.

“I mean it, Rei. For everything.”

“I know, darling,” Reiner chuckles as he kisses my neck again. He lowers his voice as he speaks into my ear. “Now… as much as I love seeing you without a bra on, I’m also waiting for some asshole to walk in here and see what’s mine.”

I laugh and sit up, “Possessive today, aren’t we?”

“I thought you died when you collapsed on the roof- I have a right to be overly protective today.”

--.--

“...it’s… fighting… them?” I ask, eyes flicking between Jean, Armin, and Mikasa. “The Titan…? Is fighting the other… Titans.”

“I know it sounds insane,” Jean blurts, “I didn’t believe them either- but I saw it. It was fighting them.”

“You’re sure it’s not like… territory defense or competing for food?”

Armin shakes his head. “It didn’t have an interest in us at all. It was just focused on fighting-”

“And killing,” Mikasa cuts in.

“And killing… the other Titans.”

I laugh in disbelief, running a hand through my hair. Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any weirder. “Armin, do you think we can… ‘use’ it somehow?”

Armin nods hesitantly, “I don’t think it has an interest in us so… maybe?”

I sigh. “We can discuss that later… More urgent matters, right?” I ask, gesturing to the room of nervous Cadets. “You ready to tell us your plan?”

“It’s not as much a plan as it is an idea-” Armin starts.

“It’s more than anyone else has,” I mutter, “So get going.”

Armin nods once, leading the rest of us to a schematic sprawled out on the stone floor. The rest of us huddle around him- smooshing together to peek over his shoulder. I can hear the others murmuring to each other. Doubts. Concerns. But also awe. Awe in how the small, quiet blond kid from Shiganshina could have a strategy so well thought-out.

As he’s explaining, his soft blue eyes dart to me and to Mikasa for reassurance. And we give it to him. Armin continues- still unsteady but quickly gaining confidence. As he finishes, he runs a hand through his hair. “...we’ll be needing the seven most athletic for this to work.”

My lips part, ready to offer up my services.

I’m cut off. Six speak at once, all the same word. ‘No’.

“You’re wounded,” Mikasa states, gesturing down to the bandages that wrap and cover my torso. “Those bandages won’t allow for much movement, either. It doesn’t matter if you are one of those seven- we need this to be perfect.”

“_________,” Armin says quietly, “I… I wanted you in the lift. Even if you weren’t injured. You’re a great leader. These people trust you.”

A chill runs down my spine. People trust me? With their lives? What have I done to deserve that? Being a Squad Leader- it was more of a title. It didn’t mean much but this? These people don’t have to trust me. They just… do?

“...I… Okay… Okay… I can… I can do that.”

“Are we sure this is the way to go?” Armin asks.

“Time’s running out and no one else has a plan,” Marco mumbles as he looks down at the schematic. “Let’s just suck it up and do it.”

--.--

Breathe in. Look down the sights. Breathe out. Breathe in. Adjust angle. Breathe out.

Footsteps march closer.

Thud.

...Thud.

…...Thud.

Heartbeat or footsteps- can’t tell.

Who cares, just focus.

Breathe in. Adjust and tighten grip. Breathe out. “Steady,” I whisper as the others around me whimper. “Wait for my signal.”

Thud.

...Thud.

Rush of wind.

The Titan looks at us, dead-eyed and not blinking. Its breathing floods into the lift and pushes me back just a bit. Adjusting my stance, I tighten my grip on the gun in my hands. “...steady…” I mumble as the Titan approaches.

The man just below me trembles horribly. The gun rattling around in his quaking hands, he lets out a single whimper. “Steady your gun, soldier,” I snap, “You aren’t the only one that’s terrified.”

The man nods, frantically adjusting his grip as the Titan gets even closer to us. “Marco…” I call softly, not taking my eyes off the Titan in front of me. “...what’s your count?”

I can hear him swallow. “...three.”

Another Titan slides into the corners of my vision. “That’s five…”

“One more here,” Marco says, the shudder evident in his voice.

The Titan in front of me looms closer. Its eyes are fixated on me, staring right into me. Shudders are now running rampant through my skin. Taking a deep breath, I steady my hands as my legs fidget beneath me. The Titan’s eye comes to look up the barrel up at me. The lens of its eye scrapes against my gun.

“Seven,” someone hisses next to me.

Something shifts in the darkness. I risk a quick glance to my left at the shape. The last Titan. “...too far,” I mumble, rolling my shoulder back and staring at the Titan just at the end of my gun. “Wait for it to get closer.”

“_________, the others are-”

“If we miss, we’re all screwed,” I snap, “...wait for my signal.”

More footsteps stumbling closer. “...Freckles,” I whisper, not taking my eyes off the Titans in front of me. “How far off?”

“...gun’s length.”

“Ready…,” my hands tighten around my gun. “Fire!” I scream, pulling the trigger back. All at once, guns explode as a single unit and the lift is jostled. The Titans stagger about, clutching their eyes and groaning in pain. Whirs come from the ceiling- glints of blades in the shadows just behind the Titans.

One by one, the bodies fall.

Except two.

“...Sasha and Connie missed!”

My body kicks up- that jolt from earlier back again. My hands are on the last blades I have and I’m over the lift, jumping out to the Titan in front of me. I can see Sasha stumbling backwards, staring up at the Titan before her. “Sasha, get out of there!” I scream, pulling the blades out of their containers. “Run!”

Landing on the Titan’s neck, I plant my foot on the back of its head and lift the blades above my head. I bring them down, slashing through its nape. The slab of skin slides off the Titan in red ooze. The other Titan falls as well, Annie and Mikasa jumping down from its shoulders.

Something moist branches out from my side- a dull pain stemming from my back.

Shit.

Must have popped some stitches.

The Titan’s body shudders beneath me as it collides with the floor. “Sasha,” I mutter, waving her to me. Eyes wide, she takes hesitant steps towards me. “Today!” I snap, clutching my side as my words create more pain from my wound.

Sasha hurries over. “...I… I… I failed!” she screams, hands flying to her hair and tugging. “I failed in front of everybody!”

“Shh,” I mumble, placing my free hand on her shoulder. “You can’t beat yourself up about it. There’ll be other times to prove yourself.”

“But-!”

“I am begging you to please just… Shut the hell up about this for a second,” I wince, the pain steadily becoming more intense. “Just… help me walk. I need more stitches.”

--.--

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Reiner mutters, stitching up my back again.

“What should I have done, huh?” I ask as I tuck my arms tighter around myself. “Let her die?”

“Annie and Mikasa-”

“She’s my sister. It doesn’t matter who else can help- I’m always going to be there for her.”

“I know and that’s what the problem is!” Reiner hisses, his voice raising slightly. Sighing, he lowers his voice back down to a strained mutter. “You put everyone- especially her- above yourself. It’s going to get you killed.”

“...I just…” I shudder- from the cold or from the realisation, I can’t tell. Tears prick my eyes. I shut them and tuck my body into itself even more. “I’m… I’m so terrified of losing her, Reiner… Of losing any of you. I… I already lost Eren. And Hanna. And Franz. And Carla and Grisha and… I’d do anything to keep anything from happening to you.”

The needle clatters into the medkit. I can hear Reiner sigh behind me. Slowly, his warmth gets closer and he snakes his arms around my body, tucking me into him. “I understand,” he says quietly as his head rests on top of mine. “But just… try. Try to be more careful. I… I don’t know what I’d do without you. What any of us would do without you but… I’d lose my mind without you...”

“I can do that.”

Reiner presses his lips to that spot just under my ear. “Thank you.”

A small smile graces my lips as I turn to look at him. He’s got that shine in his eyes again. All gentle and soft as his hand wipes away the tears on my face. “...there,” Reiner hums, “All better.”

“You’re so soft,” I tease, pressing my lips against his.

“Yeah, yeah,” he huffs a laugh, “Pop another stitch and-”

“You’ll punish me?” I finish, my eyes sliding over to him- half hidden beneath my lashes and lids. A coy smile graces my lips as I look up at him.

Reiner’s face turns bright red. Words fail to stumble out past his lips as they open and close. “U-uh…”

“It’s so easy,” I roll my eyes and reach into the medkit, taking out the roll of bandages. “Hurry up and wrap me up before your brain fizzles out.”

--.--

“Mikasa!” I call, launching up onto the roof beside her. Armin, Reiner, Jean, Annie, and Bertholdt follow me. “What’re you-”

“That Titan…” she mumbles, gesturing to the scene before us. The rampaging Titan from earlier- it’s pinned up against a building, thrashing and roaring as other Titans tear into its stomach. Handfuls of flesh are ripped from its torso, shoved into eager mouths. “If we could’ve unraveled the secrets of that Titan… I thought maybe we might find a way to get out of this situation.”

“I agree,” Reiner states from behind me. “If the bastard gets himself torn to shreds, we’ll never learn a thing... let’s drive the Titans around it away and keep it alive.”

“Are you crazy, Reiner?!” Jean snaps, “We finally have a way to get out of this place and you want to risk it all for a Titan?”

“What if there’s a possibility that Titan becomes our ally?” Annie suggests, her words cold as she stares straight at me.

“‘Ally’?! Are you insane?” Jean scoffs and turns to me. “Tell them, Mo- _________! They’re insane!”

I swallow, eyebrows drawn together as I look from the Titan to Reiner. “I… I dunno about this, Rei. It’s… It’s a Titan. Whether or not it’ll attack us is still up in the air.”

“Think about it,” Annie continues, her eyes still on me with a somehow even greater focus. “Wouldn’t that be a more powerful weapon than any cannon we have?” She tilts her head to the Titan as it tries to shove one of the others off of itself.

“...it did manage to fight off more than a few on its own,” I mumble, “Maybe…” I stop and groan, running a hand through my hair. “Maybe we can-”

The Titan roars. The ground beneath us quakes as it pushes through the others eating away at its stomach, running for another Titan walking just in front of HQ. The Titan’s arms are ripped from its body as it continues charging. Its maw opens and, with another loud roar, the rampaging Titan sinks its teeth into the other’s neck.

We all watch in stunned silence as it flips the Titan back and forth, shaking it until the neck rips and the body is flung down the street. It’s like… A wolf breaking its prey’s neck. Deliberate and precise. Not an accident.

Murder.

“...I guess not,” I mumble, watching as the Titan stands up straight and lets out another roar.

“Save it, my ass,” Jean says, chuckling breathlessly.

“Do you think-”

I’m cut off as the Titan falls to the floor. After the collision, it stays still. Not breathing. Not moving. Nothing.

“...guess it doesn’t have anything left,” Jean says, walking to the other side of the roof. “C’mon… haven’t you seen enough?”

I peel my eyes away, starting to turn when Mikasa’s hand shoots out and grabs my arm. I turn to face her. Her eyes are stuck on the Titan, mouth open slightly. “What’s wrong?” I ask, turning back towards the Titan.

And I see it.

In the smoke. The nape of the Titan’s neck. Something stirs in the skin before bursting through. The muscle and bones are quickly evaporating, disappearing around it.

Around him.

--.--

“I just…” I mumble, staring at the plate of untouched bread in front of me. “I don’t understand…”

“He’s still Eren,” Annie states. “Does any of this change that?”

“I guess not?” I groan, running hands through my hair and letting my head hit the table. “I dunno…”

“It’s Eren,” she presses. “The same kid you protect like he’s your kid. You just gonna give that up because he’s a Titan?”

I go quiet. She’s not wrong- even if he is a Titan, he’s still Eren. He’s the same little boy I’ve been looking after. It’s just…

Titans- they’re destructive and ugly and filthy- abominations. How could Eren be like… them? Hunger-crazed, carnivorous beasts that steal and destroy and murder so many of our comrades, so many of our families? And now Eren is one of them? He’s just…

“...I don’t. Know.” I mumble, staring up at Annie. Her eyes are still as they focus on me. I can tell she wants an explanation.

Sighing, I sit back up. “Look... Our whole lives we’ve been taught to hate Titans... Shiganshina and Wall Maria? They taught us to fear them. The last three years, we’ve been taught to fight them… It’s a little hard to come to terms with the fact that my kid is the very thing I was told to fear and to fight.”

Reiner’s hand slides to rest on my lower back. “And no one is expecting you to leave that behind. Annie’s just… feelin’ ya out.”

I nod, giving her a small smile. The corner of her lips curve upwards in return. Turning to Reiner, I press my lips to his cheek. “I should… I should go check on my sister…” I whisper.

Reiner nods and lets me get up. A throbbing pain starts to resound through my head. Another stress headache. Fantastic. My fingers rub circles in my temple as I walk to where Sasha sits.

“...hey…” I say quietly, sitting down beside her. “How ya feelin’?”

Sasha only groans in response. Her hands are clutching her stomach, her face pale. She looks like shit.

And so I tell her.

“You look like shit,” I scoff, “You need’a take one?”

Sasha’s eyes flick over to me as I smirk, staring out at the street. She lets out a breath and nudges me. “...shut up…”

“I’m serious! If you need t’go, go. No judgement here.”

“You’re bein’ gross.”

“I was a doctor’s assistant,” I laugh, “Gross was normal for me.”

The two of us laugh quietly before it quickly dies down into concerned silence. “...but seriously,” I mumble, turning to look at her, “Are you okay?”

She can’t even look at me. Her whole body trembles. Sasha’s eyes brim up with tears and her jaw clenches as she lurches forward. “I… I… I submitted! To a Titan!”

“And?”

Her eyes fly back to me. “Whaddya mean ‘and’?! I submitted to a Titan! I failed my squad- they were countin’ on me and I-!”

“We all survived,” I cut in, “And yeah- we were lucky to all survive but that doesn’t change the fact that we did survive... So why are you so freaked out about the fact that you messed up if everyone still survived?”

“Because my comrades… they can’t trust me anymore and they-”

“They’re better off alive without trust in you than dead with trust in you, first off. And second, look around!” I laugh, gesturing to the bustling street filled with soldiers and cadets alike.

“These people are just happy to be alive… Your little screw up? ...it’s not on their minds right now- it may be later but that just means you have to earn that trust back. Prove yourself or... keep freaking out about it and screw up even worse next time.”

Sasha shoots me a glare. I shrug. She sighs, arms coming undone from around her waist. “...how’re you holdin’ up?”

“...well… I got a horrible headache, my back feels like shit, three’a my kids are bein’ questioned by the Garrison because one of them is a Titan, and…” I trail off, my sarcasm dying on my lips.

Flashes of memories with Hanna and Franz play in my vision. Teaching Hanna how to wrap wounds in the lamplight. Giving Franz advice on how to impress Hanna- and giving him bad advice to mess with him. Talking to Hanna about seeing the outside world and breathing real air. Franz teaching me how to open windows from the outside, so I could sneak in and out whenever. Hanna excitedly asking how Reiner and my first date had gone.

And then Franz, laying in a pool of his own blood and bitten in half. Hanna’s eyes- wide and trembling and filled with betrayal- staring at me as she screams for me to help. Just the look she had… gods… It was like… It was like she was drowning and all she wanted was for someone to snatch her arm and pull her out but…

But I left her there.

“..._________?”

I take a shaky, deep breath in and force a crumbling smile. “...and I led half my squad to their deaths.” My smile trembles and falters as my eyes turn to the sky. Breathing wavering, a cold laugh passes my lips. “I sent them to die and I didn’t even go back to help them.”

“You’re wounded,” Sasha says quietly, her fingers gently resting against the bandages beneath my Cadets jacket.

“That’s not good enough,” I sniff, still staring up at the cloudless sky. “That’s not nearly good enough… I went to HQ- I was just behind Jean. I could’ve-”

“Died,” Sasha states firmly, “You could’ve died. You were bleeding out- you passed out. You needed stitches and couldn’t even walk without Reiner or me or Jean! So don’t say ‘you could’ve saved them’ because…”

Sasha trails off. I turn to face her. Tears are streaming down her face and her fists are clenched in her lap. “B… Because… Because you couldn’t have. Because you would’ve died and left me here. Alone... Again.”

Her words cut into me like blades.

All this time, she told me she blamed Tobias for taking me away. But I never realised… I didn’t even think… I didn’t know she was…

“Sasha, I-” the words get caught in my throat as I look at her. My baby sister. All teary-eyed and breathing raggedly. Because of me. Because I left her alone with our parents, starving and burdened with so much responsibility. Because I left her alone after caring for her and looking out for her for her whole life- just up and left one night.

I wasn’t even able to see her- for three years, she had to imagine us meeting through letters and daydreams.

And I was prepared to do it again. Forever.

What have I done?

I swallow thickly and take Sasha’s hand. Gripping it tightly, I look into her eyes as tears flow from mine. “Sasha, look at me,” I mutter, “...I… promise I’m never gonna leave you again. Ever. I’ll always be with you… by your side.”

Sasha’s eyes widen slightly before her grip around my hand tightens. “I won’t leave you, either. I’ll stay with you.”

Smiling, I wrap my arms around her. My fingers run up and down her back as I press my lips to her temple. “I promise,” I whisper softly.

“I promise, too.”

--.--

“...if I’m going to die in this mass suicide, I want to at least…” I trail off, watching my finger trail down the leather strap across his chest.

Reiner chuckles, his fingers sliding up my neck and lifting my chin. “At least what?”

Heat rushes into my face as I stare up at him. The lamplight flickers onto our bodies as we lean against a stone wall. And it makes him so much more handsome. Chiseled and perfect- like a god, I swear it. He could be a god and I wouldn't be surprised. And yet… Here he is… Staring at me like I’m the one that hung the sun in the sky.

“Why the hell did you choose me?” I blurt. My eyes widen as I realise what I’d said. Even my fingers touch my lips- as if they were shocked by my outburst.

Reiner’s eyebrows furrow over his golden eyes. “Are you kidding?”

Gnawing on the inside of my lower lip, I shake my head. “...you…,” I laugh, rolling my eyes at myself. “I used to always think you had a thing for Christa. Or Annie.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “...you’re serious?”

I scoff, punching his chest slightly. “We’re about to go back into Hell itself and you think I’m joking?”

Reiner shrugs. “Always did have a strange sense of humor.”

“Yeah and you still chose me so why?”

He sighs, looking up towards the ceiling. “I guess it was…,” Reiner trails off and sighs again. “It wasn’t just one thing.”

“I’d hope not.”

He rolls his eyes, hands sliding down my sides. “...I think it was how gentle you could be,” he mumbles, “And then how… fiery you could get a few moments later.”

“...you’re joking.”

Reiner scoffs and shakes his head. “Nope. You wanted seriousness so you’re gettin’ it.”

I groan, laughing as I let my head hit his chest. “I can’t believe you fell for my mood swings.”

“...and your hands… and your lips… and those eyes.”

Blush creeps back into my cheeks and I press my face further into his chest. “...you’re such a sap.”

“Oh, gods-,” Reiner groans and laughs. “And your ass. Gods, your ass.”

I pull away and slap his chest. Giggling slightly, I peek around the corner of the wall. Everyone’s still gathered in the street. Garrison soldiers weave around the perimeter of the group, barking orders at trembling Cadets.

“...your boobs aren’t bad, either.”

“‘Aren’t bad’?” I scoff, shaking my head as I feel his hand rest at the base of my back. “I have excellent boobs, thank you.”

Reiner’s lips press up against my temple. “Then you'll have to remind me after all this.”

“...if we make it,” I whisper.

“When we make it.”

--.--

“I’m spending humanity’s last days with my family!” Someone screams over the clammer of the soldiers. People push past me, hurrying away from the walls. A murmur of panic spread through the crowd as more and more start to pull away.

Deserters.

“...gods,” I mutter, eyes glued on a soldier as she screams and tears out of the crowd with her hands clutching her hair. “Can you believe these people, Sasha?” I scoff, turning to face her.

She’s sheet-white and staring at the floor. Beads of sweat snake out of her hairline and down her face. “Sasha?” I call softly. “You okay?”

She doesn’t even look at me. Her eyes are stuck on the floor, fists clenched at her sides. I place my hand on her shoulder gently. As I touch her, Sasha’s body reacts. Her eyes shoot up from the ground, darting from me to the others leaving. Mouth opening and closing, she turns to the others and looks back at me.

“...let’s go.”

“What?”

“...let’s go. Let’s go home. And see Ma and Pa and go walk in our woods,” she says, grabbing my shoulders. Her eyes are flicking between mine, wild and wide. “Please, _________. Let’s just go.”

I pull away slightly, only for her grip to get tighter. “Don’t you want to see them?” She asks, shaking me slightly. “Don’t you want Reiner to meet them?”

I can’t lie.

It’s tempting- to leave here and go see Mom and Dad. To have Reiner meet them. To be safe and to have a safe life.

But that’s not what I really want.

I want justice. I want eternal peace, not peace for just a few days.

And I gave my heart to this. To the Corps. To fight Titans. I won’t- I can’t- take that back. I want to fight. Gods, I need to fight.

“..._________,” Sasha says quietly. Her eyes are locked on mine.

They look just like Hanna’s.

...I promised her, too. I said I’d never leave her but I can’t… I can’t leave.

“I… I can’t,” I shake my head and pull out of her touch. “Stay with me.”

Sasha shakes her head, sweat and tears streaming down her face. “...I thought you promised.”

“I did!” I snap, “But this?! This is… I’m not abandoning my values-!”

“This is me!” She yells back, “I’m your sister!”

“I know that!” I stop and sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I just… This is what we signed up for. To fight for humanity.”

“To die for it,” she snarls, shaking her head.

“So I’ll die!” I scream, fists clenched as I stare up at her. My muscles twitch and squirm beneath the tightness of my skin. “I will die before rolling over and allowing Mom and Dad to see what it’s like- to have your house destroyed, to have your family torn away from you… To have the last few memories of what life was like when it was simple and young snatched away from you,”

I shake my head. “And I’m not letting Mom or Dad or anyone go through that. Because that… is what I signed up for. To protect them,” I point towards the town. “And to fight them.” I add, pointing towards the wall towering over us.

Sasha opens her mouth, only to be cut off by the voice from the wall.

“Anyone that leaves shall be pardoned!”

...what?

“Those who have lived and seen the horrors of Titans shall not be required to do so again! They must leave!”

The crowd starts to stir even more. More and more soldiers pull away from the group, running down the street away from the wall. Heart beating in my ears, I freeze. Sasha tugs on my sleeve and urges me to go with her. My eyes flick over the crowd.

Where is he? Where is Reiner?

“...As should those who want their parents, siblings, friends, and lovers to witness the same horror!”

I watch as Sasha’s eyes glaze over. It’s the same look the Scouts had when they came back that day, when I took Eren and Armin and Mikasa to go see them return. All wide and open like windows. So clear you can see their memories on their lenses.

“...Ma… Pa…” she whispers, her eyebrows coming together.

The General continues, all background noise as I stare at Sasha. “Love,” I whisper, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes slide up to me, all watery and glazed. “I’ll fight beside you.” My fingers brush a strand of hair out of her face. “I’ll always fight with you.”

Slowly, Sasha’s mouth closes. I can see her swallow as she stands up straight. “...for Ma and Pa,” she whispers, grabbing my wrist.

“For Ma and Pa,” I smile, “and for our future.”

--.--

I press my blade to my lips, breathing in shakily. My back is pressed up against a wall, I stare at the sunlight pouring in from the windows on either side of me. I risk another inhale.

I don’t know where it is.

I don’t know where my squad is.

I don’t know where I can go.

My whole body trembles, shaking the ODM gear at my sides. Footsteps shake the walls and floor beneath me. A quiet scream leaves my lips as the footsteps get closer. My hand slaps over my mouth as I continue to whimper.

If I’m not already whimpering like a brat loud enough, my heartbeat is loud enough to give me away.

I’m going to die alone.

Without seeing the outside world.

A shadow looms, blocking the sunlight streaming in from the windows.

The Abnormal chased me and my squad down. Sasha and the others should be back at the wall. I was just behind them, making sure no one got left behind.

Dammit.

I hiss, looking down at my leg. The fabric of my pants is torn from the impact. The son of a bitch got my wires- dragging me down and slamming me onto the rooftop. I slid off the side and shot myself into the windows upstairs. The Abnormal barely missed grabbing me as I dragged myself downstairs.

I thought it left after that.

Gods, why didn’t it leave?

The shadow keeps moving, footsteps echoing down the street as it walks away.

A breath leaves my lungs.

With trembling fingers, I reach out and touch the largest wound in my thigh. A jagged piece of the tiles from the roof sinks into my skin- a deep red pouring down my leg onto the floor. My fingers tug on it slightly. It squelches, sending jolts of pain through my body.

My head slams up against the wall, my jaw clenching as a hiss of breath snakes through my teeth.

I can’t run with this.

I slam my head against the wall again.

Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!

I look back down at my leg.

Even if I could somehow fix the wound on my thigh, the area around my ankle is swelling and turning a faint shade of purple.

Goddammit.

Footsteps thud just outside of the building again. Sunlight disappears- drunk up like water and replaced with ink-like darkness. Dust trickles down from the ceiling above me and I can hear the Abnormal shifting through the debris upstairs.

Why does it want me so badly?

There are others outside- and the group on the wall. Why does it keep coming back to find me?

Something drags along the ceiling, more dust following its trail. The Abnormal’s footsteps trudge away once again.

...is it… looking for something?

I shake my head.

Who gives a shit? I just need to get out of here, not debate the intelligence of Titans.

I look around the room I’m in. It looks like an abandoned store- emptied of food and stands overturned. Wood and glass litter the floor around me. Shredded pieces of rope hang from the ceiling across the room.

...I have an idea.

I press up against the wall, pushing myself to my feet with my good leg. My right leg relaxes slightly, letting my foot touch the floor. A small pain shoots up from my ankle, circling the wound on my leg. My eyes flick up to the ropes swinging just across the room.

I have to do this if I want to see them again.

With each lopsided step, pain shoots through my body and my muscles scream at me to stop. My hands reach out and tug the rope down from the ceiling. It comes down and my body falls to the floor with it. Hissing in pain, I grab three pieces of wood and place one piece on either side of my ankle. Tucking the other under the arch of my foot, I tie the rope around my ankle and under my foot, bringing it back up to tie just under my knee.

It’s crude but it’ll do.

The wound in my thigh sends another jolt of searing pain through me. Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. “...think, _________,” I whisper, eyes flicking around the room.

They settle on a ripped banner hanging above the door. Faded, dusty letters spell out ‘F RM R’ MAR T’. It looks like it’s made out of something like a tarp. Not good for bandages.

But good enough for a tourniquet.

I get back to my feet, clutching the area surrounding my weeping gash. I stumble towards the banner and tug on the hanging section. It doesn’t budge. I try again, letting my body lean back as my hand grips it.

It rips and I’m sent backwards, landing on my back. “Gods,” I mutter, rolling onto my side. “When I get back… I’m gonna… take a nice... hot bath… with candles… and tea…,” I continue, wrapping the banner around my leg. “And then- when I’m all healed… I’m gonna… have some mindblowing se-”

Something crashes through the front door. Debris goes flying from the gaping hole, slicing my face as they speed by.

My eyes open. Body frozen, I stare at the giant hand just centimeters from my foot. It starts to move, snaking back out into the street. I scramble backwards and tie the banner around my thigh.

It’s time to go.

I get to my feet, inching around the corner back into the main part of the store. There has to be another exit.

Something passes by the windows.

My eyes catch it as I move further away from the hole in the entrance.

Through the dirt-stained glass, two eyes staring back at me.

My blood stills and everything goes by so fast.

Another hand punches through the walls in front of me. It reaches towards me and grabs my good ankle, pulling me back into the street. Kicking and screaming, I reach down and grab my blade, bringing it down on the fingers wrapped around my body.

The fingers fall away and I fall backward, hitting the cobblestone street with a huff. The Abnormal- its hand steaming from the bleeding stumps- turns to look at me.

My legs push me back, flailing and scraping against the stone as they try to get me the hell out of here. My back scraping against the stone, I scream and tighten my grip on my sword.

If I go down, I’m going down with a fight.

“Get away from me!” I scream as the Abnormal’s other hand grabs me by the torso and lifts me in the air.

Oh gods… this is it, isn’t it?

“Let go!” I yell again, thrashing as the grip around me tightens. “You let me go, now!”

Sasha. Eren. Mikasa, Armin. Reiner. Jean and Connie. Was that the last time I’ll ever see them?

I’m lifted even higher until I’m at eye-level with the Abnormal. My eyes lock with its own. A chill runs down my spine as I do. Such a deep shade of brown they look like black pools of water. And I’m so terrified I’ll drown in them.

“Put me down,” I say quietly.

It’s weird. All those days and nights in the woods with my dad and with Sasha. The animal we were hunting- the deer, the squirrel, whatever- it would always lock eyes with me. I never thought much of it but…

I understand now what it’s like.

To stare at the thing that’s going to kill you. To plead with your eyes.

And to be engulfed in darkness.

...right?

But we stand in the street, staring at each other. It’s frozen. I stare at it and it stares back.

...shouldn’t I be dead already?

Slowly, it lowers me. My feet touch the ground and the hand pulls away. It straightens back up and keeps its eyes on me.

They changed.

Its eyes.

They were… they were brown before, weren’t they?

They shine an almost neon red now- glowing and piercing in the sunlight.

What the hell is going on?

The eyes are glazed over, staring blankly at me. My fingers dance along my blades, ready to fight if this is some… trick? I don’t know- I’m just ready.

But it just sits there. Waiting. Watching.

“...get the hell out of here!” I yell, waving my blade above my head.

It turns around.

Did it just-

Listen?

It walks away from me, leaving me alone in the street.

I shake my head. No, no… It didn’t listen. It’s an Abnormal. Maybe it just…

I don’t need a reason. I’m free and I can get the hell out of here.

----------

You can read parts one, two, and three just by tapping the lovely numbers!

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spiltscribbles · 4 years ago

Note

ADFFASFDSFG DO THE SWITCHED LUGGAGE WITH WOLFSTAR

Notes: LEGITLY I DO NOT KNOW!!!! STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK DAMN IT RJ!!!! Big BIG love goes to @kattlupin and @justtoarguewithyou for the Beta help<3 Please don’t hate me RJ!

~Hour 0

Remus focuses on the chill that’s beginning to frost the window of the quaint, Edinburgh coffee shop that’s tucked into a dark corner of the large block of the tube station, appreciating the glittering blankets of snow coating the ground and the melodic holiday tunes playing from above. The scent of cinnamon wafts through the air and his phone’s pressed between his ear and shoulder while one hand toys with the tassel hanging off the reindeer trinket lining the counter, and the other’s clasping onto his luggage.

“I can’t wait to show you! My mum’s bought Harry the cutest little Saint Nick babygrow, and Mrs. Potter’s sent me her recipe for the samosas James especially likes. And—”

Remus laughs through his nose, pressing the phone closer before accepting the hot chocolate handed over to him by the barista who winks his way before going back to start up the next round of drinks.

“Lils, I’ve bought the ticket, and I’m about to board. No need to continue on trying to convince me. I’ll be in London for Christmas.”

“Oh, Remus, I can’t wait!” Lily crows delightedly, and Remus can just pick up on the sound of a bowl clacking to the ground, inwardly praying that she doesn’t burn down her entire cottage before Remus’s even gotten the chance to see it. “I’ve missed you, it’s positively ridiculous how long we haven’t been able to visit! Criminal, really!”

Remus drags his bottom lip between his teeth, flushing slightly at the dig considering that the absence from his closest friend from childhood was almost entirely his doing. “Well you know, with Fabian’s research and all, we were constantly out of the country, over to the States one week, and then Asia the next.”

This time, it’s effortless catching on the sound of harsh stirring accompanied by Lily’s unimpressed cluck at the sound of Remus’s ex’s name. “Well good riddance. He was never good enough for you Remus, a total self righteous prat.”

“Is that right?” Remus smiles wryly, taking a sip of his coco before wrapping his scarf around his neck once more to brace for the cold. “I thought he was mighty fancy-able considering the degree and being fit and all.”

“Dry as Petunia’s skin in the winter,” Lily sniffs airily, and Remus studiously does not mention the mountain of moisturizers that Lily stored away in an unused closet in the old flat they shared during six form when she thought Remus wasn’t looking. “Now I get to have my fun and set you up with a proper bloke, especially since you’ll be moving back to London after the semester officially closes. Ooo! We can start a double date night! There’s this cooking class they’re holding down the street for couples but I didn’t wanna join because James would only get all obnoxiously cocky when he ultimately does remarkably and I end up burning water.”

Remus laughs, remembering the occasion she’s referring to, which had led them to pressing together their measly savings to buy an electric kettle like good and proper adults, rescuing their pots from getting burnt to a crisp thanks to Lily’s forgetfulness. “Least if you come along with whichever bloke, I’ll know I definitely won’t be the worst one there.”

Remus twists up his mouth, displeased. “Unwarranted slander.”

“Your french toast chipped my pug’s tooth before he spat it out.”

“Maybe Snuffles just has a bad gag reflex.”

“His gag reflex is perfectly adequate,” she sniffs.

“Well I’ve never spat out my own food.”

“Hmm, I bet you get all the boys in the yard whenever you talk about how skillfully you’ve trained your gagging.”

“Stuff it, Evans.”

“Potter now actually, Ta so much.”

“Gone off and married yourself a posh Londoner and now you’re sounding like you’re meant to be on an episode of Downton Abbey, is that right?”

“Innit brilliant?”

“Bloody exhausting is more what I was thinking, love.”

Lily’s answering laugh is light and tinkling and it’s the happiest Remus’s ever heard her all year, and it’s like a punch to the gut when he all at once realizes just how drastically he’s missed her.

“Don’t pout Re, I’ll still be able to tolerate your lowly, Welsh vowels.”

“Sod off.”

“Mean.”

“You started it.”

“Oof.”

“Did you break the eggs the wrong way again?” Remus asks, single brow cocked as he finally retreats into the actual underground and ambles to the queue waiting to scan their tickets.

“You can’t break eggs the wrong way Remus Lupin!” Remus stays silent. “Don’t give me that look!”

“What look?” Remus asks owlishly.

“Don’t think I can’t picture it right now, with the slanted mouth and your left eyebrow raised with pure condescension.”

“I don’t like this picture of my character that you’re painting, Evans.”

“I don’t like your insinuations of my egg cracking skills, Lupin.”

“But I’m right, aren’t I? You did break it?”

“Well yes, that’s the general idea of cracking an egg.”

Remus scoffs. “The wrong way I mean.”

The silence coming from Lily is positively fuming and Remus thinks that if they were in some sorta old-timey Disney cartoon she’d be steaming smoke from her ears right about now. “’S just a singular shell, it’ll melt right in the pan once I pop it into the oven.”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you’re trying to poison us. And right when I became single and ready to pull again.”

“Oh speaking of pulling,” Lily squawks, and Remus absolutely despises that tone of voice—flashes of young, drunken escapades bubbling to the forefront of his mind, twinging when he thinks of the flower he’s got tattooed onto his arse to match the crescent moon on Lily’s own.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Oi, you haven’t even let me explain myself, you berk! I just wanna help.”

“You’re an evil, evil Femme Fatale, and you shouldn’t even have this much power over me considering how rudding gay I am.” He screams that last part perhaps a bit too loudly, garnering amused glances from most of his fellow patrons, and a couple curious ones. Including a pair of disarmingly lovely gray eyes. And holy christ above does he hate Lily right now.

“But Remus,” she says in a distinct sulk through the line. “It’s just that James’s brother also recently just got out a relationship with this bird from work, and it wasn’t nearly as long as you and Fabian, but I thought you two would just be so cute together. He totally fits that crush you had on Stubby Boardman all through A levels, and I just thought it’d help you so much with getting over that ginger-haired bastard.“

“You are the only ginger-haired bastard in my life,” he tells her glumly, wincing when the ticket holder smirks at him as she scans him through, mouthing a ‘Good Luck’ with a smirk.

Damn Remus’s very existence.

Keep Reading

#WOLFSTAR #REMUS LUPIN #SIRIUS BLACK #MARAUDERS #THE HARRY POTTTER SERIES #HARRY POTTER SERIES #SIRIUSXREMUS #REMUSXSIRIUS #NYWB #Spilt INk #I'm such a mess #truly #love you RJ babe #!!!

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saiilorstars · 4 years ago

Text

Dare To Forget Me

Ch. 27: Shock-worthy

(Previous chapters)

Fandom: Law & Order SVU

Pairing: Rafael Barba x OFC

Warnings: Due to the nature of the series’ plots, I do have to rate this as ‘mature’ for constant mentions of rape.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel [If you’d like to be added to this specific OC’s stories/edits, send me a message!]

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ` 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: The case SVU has going on is a particularly terrifying one. It has a few of the detectives feeling sick to their stomachs. Meanwhile, Sonny comes to a shock-worthy realization that might hurt a few people...

"So you guys didn't really...get anything, did you?" Montserrat couldn't help ask Amanda as they walked down the corridor of Riker's. At Murphy's command, the two detectives were supposed to visit Gordon and extract more information on Wilkes.

Amanda's bob of head said exactly what she thought about their undercover job. They hadn't really gotten anything from Wilkes directly, so now they were supposed to get Gordon to talk again. "We tried. Murphy tried."

"Hm…" was all Montserrat had to say.

They stopped at the front desk where they had to sign and relinquish their guns.

"I get that you don't like him, but he is trying to do his job," Amanda leaned against the desk while Montserrat finished writing her last signature.

"Oh, I can't say that I don't like him this early in the game," Montserrat looked up with an expression that read 'But I'm close to saying it'. "I just feel like he needs to sit back and let us show him how we do things. He should be taking notes from Olivia. She's practically a Lieutenant already."

"Well, as long as you don't say it this early," Amanda's light sarcasm made Montserrat roll her eyes.

The two detectives were allowed into the visitor's ward a short moment afterwards. Gordon was brought out and immediately had something to say to them.

"Can you get me into solitary? Everybody's looking at me all the time."

Montserrat so badly wanted to respond with 'Why do you think?' but knew it would hinder their investigation. So, she kept her mouth shut until she had something better to say.

"Might be able to do that, but you gotta stop holding out on us," Amanda was the one to respond. "Your pal Erastes, did he ever talk about actually hurting boys?"

Gordon shook his head. "No, I'm not a part of that, okay? I-I-I just like to watch. He is into things that I would never do."

"Hm, like what?" Montserrat gave him a hard, levelled look warning him he better not lie.

"Well, there was this live-streaming Webcast from Estonia a few months ago. Erastes kept sending messages to the master asking him to hurt the boy...make him bleed. Now, I-I turned it off, but then later, Erastes bragged that he had watched the boy die. And then he said to me that we should find a boy that nobody would miss."

Montserrat exchanged a glance with Amanda. This could be exactly what they were looking for.

"Listen to me very carefully," Amanda leaned forwards, "What was the name of that webcast?"

~0~

Once they had gathered sufficient information from Gordon, Montserrat and Amanda reported back to Murphy about what they learned.

"Gordon told us about a Webcast for something called 'damage groups'", Montserrat said, though the more she explained the more uncomfortable she looked. And that was saying something considering what they worked at. "They take live requests to torture young kids. The darker the skin, the worse they get it. Bruises don't show."

"Okay, any way to access it?"

"It streamed live three months ago," Amanda replied. "And everything's been turned over to interpol."

"That won't help," Murphy turned to the other detectives in the office. "Take over Gordon's chat room accounts. Keep fishing."

The detectives filed out of the office with their new tasks. Though at the end of the day, they really didn't come up with much to work with except for another UC job.

"How about tonight?" Nick was asking the others as they left the precinct.

"Tell me where," Olivia agreed.

"No, I got to head uptown, going to a meeting," Amanda said as she backtracked in the opposite direction.

"Okay. Safe home," Olivia waved her off.

"She's really working her program," Montserrat was happy to see. It wasn't too long ago that Olivia was threatening to transfer Amanda and now here she was doing better than ever.

"Least someone's doing good around here," Nick shrugged, though his attempt at being casual failed miserably.

"Jesus Nick, you could at least pretend to be civil with Murphy," Montserrat turned to him. "You know, like the rest of us do. Right?" she glanced at Sonny, but the detective just shrugged.

"He's alright," his choice of words prompted Olivia to make a 'thank you' motion at him.

"Guys, I think you all just need to give him a chance," Olivia felt tired of having to repeat herself. Everyone just seemed on the plan to hate Murphy.

"You should be C.O. now," Nick said, "He comes in and…"

Olivia was not interested in hearing the same thing again tonight. She guessed why Nick seemed more on edge today. "Maria and Zara are in town, right?"

Nick knew where she was going and shook his head at her. "Yeah. I'm not crossing the line. Maria asked to see me. She got a job offer in California and wants to take Zara with her."

Now it was really easy to understand why and Nick was so on edge.

"And she brought up the idea of me going with them."

"What?" Olivia blinked.

"Yeah, I know. I mean, a month ago, she's calling you, telling me to back off. I do, and then…"

"Are you thinking of going?" Montserrat had to wonder. It wasn't easy separating from your child, much less when that child would be going to the other end of the country.

"My life is here," Nick said without a moment's thought. "I don't want to fight, but Maria's not taking my daughter away from me."

"We're here if you need anything," Sonny said. Nick thanked him and the others. "Hey Montse, Kara just texted me saying you weren't answering her."

"My phone's dead,"Montserrat shrugged.

Sonny gave her a look that indicated how irresponsible that was, but all the ginger did was shrug. She was going home anyways, what was the point?

"She's having dinner with her brother and wants you...and me…there…"

Montserrat gave him an amused look. "You, uh, don't sound so excited about it."

"Having dinner with your girlfriend's brother isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked her to have dinner with me," he said in a straight face, one that made it incredibly hard not to laugh.

"Damian is nice and you're going unless you want to die by Kara's wrath."

Before Sonny would answer that, he briefly looked to Olivia and Nick. "Now you know who did it if I ever disappear."

Now Montserrat had to laugh. "C'mon!" she grabbed him by the arm. "I wonder what she made for dinner? I hope it's not pasta again. She's the one dating the Italian, not me." Sonny rolled his eyes while Montserrat dragged him away then waved goodbye to the others.

When the two got home, they found Kara in the kitchen, taking something out from the oven. She was dressed in a nice sleeveless, purple jumper. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and when she turned around they saw her light make-up.

"Don't you look nice," Montserrat remarked. She began to take off her blazer. "Making me feel underdressed."

"Makes 2," Sonny said rather self-consciously as he fixed the collar of his button shirt.

Kara set down the tray of casserole on the table and smiled. "You guys are fine. It's just a casual dinner."

"It's never casual for me," Sonny said with a frown on his face.

"Jesus, you are so dramatic," Montserrat patted his arm and went straight for the table.

"Ah! Don't touch!" Kara smacked Montserrat's hand away from the food.

It was always the rule: don't touch the food until every guest is there. Lucky for Montserrat, who happened to be starving, Damian arrived only 5 minutes of waiting.

"Oh thank God, sit down!" Montserrat gave Damian a quick hug then yanked him towards the kitchen.

"Hello to you too," Damien said with a laugh. "Guess we're not giving hugs to anyone else?"

Kara stood by the table with her hands on her hips. "Guess not." Her disapproving look on Montserrat didn't faze the ginger at all.

"It's fine. She gets a pass," Damian smiled at Montserrat.

"I do? Why? Just so that I know how to use it when I need it," Montserrat pushed her chair in and signaled Kara and Sonny to do the same.

"Because you're you," Damian looked at her with type of expression that almost made Sonny do a double-take.

Was he seeing right? Was anyone else seeing right?

They started eating together and having conversations. It started with Kara's day which, as it turned out, had been stressful.

"This lady was just so difficult to work with! She asked for a bob and I gave her a bob but then she started saying it wasn't!" Kara huffed angrily. The mere reminder of the frustrating woman made her blood pressure go up. "How do you not see what a bob is!?"

"You want more to drink?" Sonny asked her, making Montserrat and Damian laugh on the side.

Kara pointed but nodded her head. "Yes, please. I really hope I never see her again."

"If you pissed her off that bad then she won't be coming back anytime soon," Damian pointed his glass at her. "Drink up, little sister." Kara all but drowned her glass that Sonny had just filled up.

"Dare I ask how was your day, then?" Damian looked to Montserrat.

"Eh, I don't think you would want to know," Montserrat crossed gazes with Sonny. Wilkes was quite the man and his doings weren't something you'd want to talk about at the table.

"Gloomy, got it," Damian nodded. "I don't know how you guys do it, honestly. Seeing all that stuff…"

"We do it for the victims," Sonny said without a second thought.

"So what do you prefer doing?" Damian asked Montserrat. "Homicide or SVU?"

Montserrat bobbed her head while she thought about it. Each time she did, though, she always came up with the same answer. "SVU. Homicide gave me the luxury of not having to deal with live victims, but SVU gives me the ability to get full justice for victims. They're here to see it be done."

"And I guess you get to talk to them and make them feel better?"

"Well, gotta admit sometimes it feels like there's not a lot of words we can say to make them feel better," Montserrat said with a small sigh. "Though it does get better when they get to hear the guilty verdict."

"But you're there, helping them through the process," Damian gave her a soft smile. "I'm sure you give them a lot of comfort."

Montserrat automatically smiled back. "Thanks."

Whether or not he planned to, Sonny looked over to Kara. He wondered if she saw the same thing he was beginning to, but Kara looked none the wiser. She ate and laughed along with them. But another thing Sonny saw was that Montserrat didn't even appear to notice anything.

Maybe I'm overanalyzing things, he thought after a moment. This was meant to be a dinner, after all. Just a casual night with his girlfriend and friends.

But then Damian pointed out the watch Montserrat was wearing around her wrist - it'd been his gift for her on her birthday. It was a beautiful Kate Spade watch with light pink crystals over the hour the glass. Sonny, as well as the others back at the precinct, had remarked over the elegant watch when they first noticed it. Montserrat absolutely loved it.

When Damian remarked he'd gotten the watch on a good deal, as a joke of course, Sonny went into shock with his realization.

~0~

Thanks to the latest UC job Murphy conducted, SVU had been been led straight to Wilkes' torture room that turned out to be quite supplied.

"Oh, this is horrendous," Amanda was just one of the people completely stunned by Wilkes' "torture room" and what it consisted of.

Montserrat felt like she wouldn't be able to walk further into the bright, white room for fear that something might snap her ankles. Every part of the room seemed to be part of a torture instrument. Who's to say there wasn't anything on the floor ready to capture their ankles and keep them still?

"Well, that's the view he talked about," Fin stood in front of the small window that gave the perfect view to a school across the street. "Right out onto the school yard."

"Gordon was right," Sonny said with a scowl.

"Luminol every inch. Check all film and storage spaces," Murphy was busy giving orders to the incoming forensics. "Pull up the floors. Knock out the walls."

"This place is pristine," Nick stopped by Murphy and gestured to the cleanliness surrounding them. It could almost sparkle from how clean it was. "He brought boys here?"

"So he scrubbed it clean. He's careful," Murphy moved past him.

"So what does he do with the bodies?" Olivia dreaded to think the more she gazed around the room.

"Open up the drains and test for chemicals," Murphy called to the nearest forensic. "I want a drop of blood, a shard of bone, something, anything."

"Lieutenant," another forensic's walked up with several pictures in hand, "CSU found these hiding behind a fake wall."

Murphy all but snatched the pictures from the woman. He flipped through them in disgust. "Sick son of a bitch. Pick him up, now."

And that was one order none of the detectives minded following.

~ 0 ~

Wilkes had his face buried in his hands, rubbing from his forehead to his chin while he listened to Olivia's and Amanda's findings in the interrogation room.

"It was all fantasy!" he tried arguing for the tenth time since he was brought in. "Nothing happened."

"Nothing?" Olivia gaped at the blight lie being thrown her way. "Found your little…" she scrambled to find the right pictures for him to see in case he'd forgotten he owned a torture room. "We found your room! Photos of boys being tortured in that room? Who are they?"

"What? No, I photoshopped those," Wilkes tried to reach for the pictures but Olivia snatched them from his reach. "I'm an art photographer. I took photos off the lnternet and manipulated the images."

"Yeah, stop lying now," Olivia let the pictures fall back to the table. She felt Amanda's hand on her arm and was overly confused to see her not appearing to be as frustrated as she was.

"Let's hear his side."

Now Olivia was convincing herself she was hearing wrong, but Amanda looked dead serious. "His side?" she repeated, almost tapping her ear so she could see what she was doing. "We have him on tape, negotiating to buy a boy that no one would miss from Mexico, El Salvador." She settled a death glare on Wilkes. "Does that ring a bell?"

"That was just a game-"

"-A game? Do you think it's a game to torture young boys, huh?" Olivia practically slammed her hands on the metal table, creating a loud clang that made Wilkes flinch in his seat. "You like to be in control? Well, guess what, that game's over. New game, my MY rules, not yours." Amanda knew that the closer Olivia got to Wilkes' face, the less willing Wilkes would be to speak without a lawyer but Olivia seemed hellbent on making Wilkes realize his situation.

Outside, on the other side of the glass, were the others watching keenly.

"If she keeps this up, we'll have nothing," Rafael warned Murphy, practically telling the man to pull Olivia out already. He was already on edge from this difficult case considering there was, so far, no concrete evidence except for those pictures.

"I know," Murphy said, his hand already nearing the door. He just wanted to give Olivia a chance to reclaim her control...but it didn't look like it was coming back anytime soon.

She was face to face with Wilkes, spewing out some hard threats. "How about we play this game? You start talking now, or I'm gonna take you back into that room, and I'm gonna strap you into that chair, and I'm gonna slice you open until your blood runs out-"

Murphy flung the interrogation room's door and shouted for Olivia, "Sergeant!"

Olivia basically ignored him and continued with Wilkes. "How about that game?"

"Hey!" called Murphy again.

"I need a minute!"

"Take a break!" Murphy commanded and left no room for arguing, especially in the vicinity of a suspect.

Olivia withdrew from the table and turned away, storming out of the room. At Murphy's second order, Amanda was brought out as well. The blonde might have been a bit pissed Olivia went overwhelmingly head-on with their suspect that now she too was being pulled out of the interrogation.

"I've been here for 15 years. And you've been here for two minutes, and you're pulling me out of an interrogation?" Olivia was right in Murphy's face, much to the surprise of the others.

"You weren't asking him questions. You were yelling at him," snapped Murphy. "You do know the goal is to align yourself with the suspect, not to judge him?"

"Yeah." Olivia released a small breath, probably the way to begin calming down. She crossed glances with the rest of the squad and realized they were all giving her strange, startled looks. She might have gone a little overboard, but had Wilkes not done enough things to provoke it?

"Then what the hell was that?" demanded Murphy.

Olivia wouldn't bother answering because no matter what she said, it wouldn't be right. "I'm going to take that break," she muttered and turned to leave.

"Don't be hard on her, it's not like the guy doesn't deserve it," Montserrat folded her arms over her chest.

"You better not show that type of feeling when you get there," Murphy's subtle order startled Montserrat. She blinked and even pointed at herself, asking if he really meant her. "Go in there and align yourself."

"Are you kidding? I go in there, I cannot guarantee I won't follow in Liv's footsteps."

"I can go back," Amanda volunteered but Murphy shook his head.

"No, I need someone fresh. Someone he hasn't seen yet," Murphy pointed at Montserrat to go. "Amaro, you too."

"Fine, guess we can kill him together," Nick mumbled under his breath, though not as quiet. Still, he didn't look so bothered by the disapproving looks.

"Detectives," Rafael's warning voice stopped the two in front of the door.

"We'll tone it down," Montserrat promised but then mouthed a 'maybe' at Nick. They shared a smile before going into the interrogation room.

It irked Rafael how close those two were acting lately. And he was going to be sticking to the 'irk' description because there was no way in hell he would be admitting to anyone, even himself, that it was more jealousy than annoyance. Just...where did that closeness come from? When - You need to stop, Rafael berated himself when he realized he was letting his thoughts get to him. He wasn't even paying attention to the interrogation happening in front of him.

The irony is that this was one of the reasons why he told Montserrat they couldn't be together, because their jobs would be affected. If they clashed before, then who knows what could happen if they got together? And yet here they were, not together, and he still couldn't focus on his job. Great.

Inside the interrogation room, Montserrat and Nick weren't exactly getting much from Wilkes. And it was a real struggle to keep trying to bond with Wilkes over his "Photography".

"It's true," Wilkes kept insisting over his photography. "I have images in my head, and I try to re-create them, but it's digital trompe I'oeil. I don't expect you to understand."

"I don't think we do," agreed Montserrat. She sat across Wilkes but, probably like Olivia, she would really like to climb over it and slam Wilkes' head against the table.

"I imagine your jobs-" Wilkes made a gesture at her then Nick, "-often times put images in your head...from everything you've seen. I just get those images...and I watch videos at night...as an outlet."

Nick wanted to scoff but if he did that then his 'bonding' would end there and then. So, he kept it cool. "That's what you're saying this is, a release?"

"Yes, I swear!"

"But you crossed over when you started talking about buying a boy," Montserrat snapped. Her hands on the table started gripping the edge of the table, something Nick caught. "Literally... buying…" she struggled to say the sentence in one go, "...a boy."

"Your guys were talking about that!" Wilkes argued. "There was no boy. There never has been one. I didn't give any money!"

"Yeah, but, Simon, that chamber…" Nick reminded, but Wilkes shook his head and refused it to be true.

"That's...My meditation room. I'm the only one who's been in there. Tear the place apart. You won't find anything."

Montserrat's lips curled into a humorless smile. "It's a meditation room," she repeated sourly. "Sure."

The door flung open to let in a woman who made a beeline for Wilkes' side. "Mr. Wilkes, I'm Minonna Efron. Your wife's waiting right outside. She's retained me as your attorney. Detectives-" the woman gave Montserrat and Nick a look, "-give us the room."

Montserrat figured it was better to give space before she lashed too. She left the room first and glared directly at Murphy. "Cannot believe we had to bond with that guy."

"Nothing you haven't done before," Murphy said. "It's called doing your job."

"Hey, I've got two kids," Nick reminded. "A ten-year-old son. I want him gone."

And for that, Montserrat turned to Rafael. "Get him gone."

Suddenly Rafael's irkness - that was not jealousy - disappeared. There was a certain feeling that usually came when Montserrat laid her absolute faith in his prosecuting abilities. "I'm going to need evidence," he warned, but Montserrat didn't care. She needed to see Wilkes behind bars.

"I'll get it done," she promised and took off.

#ocappreciation #svu #rafael barba #svu fics #rafael barba imagines #svu imagines #rafael barba fics #svu imagine #fd: svu #oc: Montserrat Novak #fic: dare to forget me

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spookyblackwidow · 5 years ago

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Sweet Confessions

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for this adorable request!! I’ll admit that fluff isn’t my strong suit, but I still really like the way this turned out! I’m so sorry for the delay, I immediately fell in love with the concept but wasn’t in the right head space to be able to write it. But here it is! With some mild language, and, as always, a touch of angst

Warning: brief child abuse mention

Sweet Confessions

2091 words

“Romanoff, there’s an incoming storm, extraction will have to wait. Grab Barton and head back to the safe house, I’ll send you a new flight plan in the morning.”

“Nick, we’re more than capable enough pilots to avoid—”

“That’s an order, Romanoff. Stay grounded,” Nick grumbled and terminated the call.

“Hear that, Clint? Time to turn around.”

They trekked back through the narrow streets outside Lom, the Norwegian air brisk with a mid-March chill. The wind had noticeably picked up, swirling the powdery tops of snow piles. Years of Russian winters had taught Natasha enough to know Nick was right, the weather was about to get a whole lot worse, it was far too late for takeoff.

The safe house was a small cabin situated near the base of Skarstind, a mountain in the Jotunheimen range that could potentially provide some relief from the gathering blizzard, if the wind would be so kind as to shift. As it was, Nat and Clint had to fight their way through nearly a foot of snow and harsh winds in order to take refuge in the cramped building they thought they had seen for the last time.

The majority of the space was the kitchenette and living room, an open area paneled in dark oak. Off the back wall was a small bedroom and a bathroom, sparsely furnished, but functional. Natasha’s request for two queen beds had gone unheeded, but Clint had been gracious enough to allow her the full-sized bed to herself, opting to sleep on the tattered couch instead.

They dropped their bags by the door and set off to warm the cabin again, to stave off the chill that had permeated the building in their absence. Clint turned on the oven and rummaged through their food reserves as Nat lit a fire.

“Whoever packed our supplies is an idiot,” Clint muttered under his breath, pulling out a couple measly slices of bread and a nearly empty jar of peanut butter. “Who the hell sends two full grown adults on a mission in a remote area with so little for emergency food? What if we’re stuck here for a few days?”

“We’d have more if you didn’t eat so much of it earlier.”

“Can you blame me for not wanting to carry it five miles to the hangar?”

“You’re such a child,” Nat laughed dryly.

Their meager dinner was far from satisfying, but they’d both survived on less, and Nat was grateful Clint hadn’t managed to eat quite everything before they had left. The wind howled outside, the snow piling up along the windowsills, disguising just how much had fallen. It was still early yet, but with nowhere to go, they lounged across the couch, counting the knots in the ceiling beams.

“Hey Nat?”

“Mmhmm?”

“How well do you think we know each other?”

“About as well as I let anybody know me. Why?”

“I’ve got an idea. Want to play a game?”

“What kind of game?”

“We make claims about each other, something we believe to be true, so no easy shots like, ‘You’re one half of Strike Team: Delta.’ Guesses only, no prior knowledge.”

“And if you’re wrong? Are we drinking?”

“Oh no, I know better than to challenge you to any competition involving alcohol. I think I still have some M&Ms.” Clint dug through his duffle for a few moments and triumphantly held up a crumpled bag. He poured out the few remaining candies and divided them into two piles. “If I’m wrong, toss me an M&M. Whoever runs out first wins.”

“You’re giving yourself four guesses?”

“You’re assuming I’m going to be wrong?”

“Maybe.” She smirked. “Alright, I’m game. You avoid talking about family because one of your parents, most likely your father, was abusive.”

“Damn, Nat. There’s no easing into things with you, is there?”

“Is that your claim?” She rolled a blue M&M between her forefinger and thumb.

“Only if I’m right,” he smirked, settling into the oversized chair opposite her.

“No cheating.” She tossed the candy, which he deftly caught. “Okay, easing in… If no one’s looking, you’ll drink straight from the coffee pot.”

“Wait, did you hack into Fury’s cameras?”

“I will now,” she laughed.

“If that’s how this is going to go… You love bad jokes, especially puns.”

“And if you tell anyone else, you’re dead, you hear me, Barton?” Nat narrowed her eyes, as if having a sense of humor beyond sarcasm and biting remarks would tarnish her reputation.

“Fine, this is all confidential, we’ll keep it out of the mission reports.” Clint laughed, certain including their secrets, no matter how small, was never part of the game plan. There was a lot to be said, a lot to admit, and Natasha was the only person he was willing to open up to. Of course, she’d only get out of him what she wanted to discover, which could be anything.

“Good. Are we still easing in?”

“Please.” A part of him already regretting starting this game.

“You’re far too lazy to bother matching your socks, even if we’re not on a mission and you have plenty of time to sort your laundry.”

“That feels like pre-existing knowledge.” Clint narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hey, I may have the blueprint to your apartment building, but I haven’t had a reason to break in yet.” Nat raised her hands defensively and smiled as innocently as she could manage.

“…I’m going to choose to ignore that for the sake of our friendship.”

“Good choice.” Nat winked. “Now’s not the time to give you a rundown of all the information I compile on my associates.”

Clint was never quite sure if she was exaggerating about her surveillance, but given her intense and guarded personality, he knew better than to doubt her; between her various shady contacts and heavily detailed notes, she’d saved their asses on more than one occasion.

“You always give me shit about pets, but if I had to venture a guess—”

“Which you do.”

“—I’d say you’re a cat person.”

“Guilty as charged.” She flashed him a tight smile, her lips pressed firmly together.

“Wait, have you never had a pet?”

“First of all, that was a question, and second, it’s not your turn. You put off washing dishes until you’ve completely run out of clean stuff.”

“Paper plates exist, you know.” He tossed an M&M her way, but she didn’t move to catch it, so it bounced quietly off her lower lip and landed in her lap. “Nat?”

“Sorry, I got a little lost in thought for a second.” She gently shook her head, ate the candy, and forced a smile. “Easing in, let’s go.”

“You’re afraid of spiders.”

“…You’re serious?” A genuine smile spread across her face before she erupted in laughter. “I’m Black Widow, the Slavic Shadow, the Red Death. You really think I’m afraid of an arachnid?”

“Admittedly, no,” he chuckled, “but it’s all I’ve got right now.” It was a lie, but he had no intention of letting her know; all he cared about was keeping her happy.

“Take your candy, idiot.” Nat rolled her eyes and held out a green M&M. She placed it in his extended hand, her fingertips lingering on the flat of his palm for a second or two longer than usual. “You cry at weddings, don’t you?”

“Truthfully, I can’t remember the last wedding I went to that wasn’t for a mission, but if you’re including television and movies, yeah, I guess I occasionally cry watching them. Some of us are human, you know.”

“Hey! I’m human! Emotions just aren’t my thing.” She shrugged.

“They could be, and no one would judge you for it. You know that, right?”

“I’m well aware that you would be fine with it, but most of the world is far less forgiving. This is who I am, it keeps me safe. Now please, take your turn before I run out of patience.”

“You would leave this life behind at a moment’s notice and never look back.”

“Hell no. I’m good at this. I’ve done so much bad in my life; this job—dangerous missions in foreign places to stop whatever villain of the week, no matter how small—is my chance to make it right. Sure, retirement sounds nice sometimes, but I can’t see there being a point where I’ve done enough.”

“Nat, you’re a good person.” Clint instinctively reached across the table for her hand, hoping to offer reassurance in whatever way he could. “I see you, not your past, not—”

“But enough about me,” she shook her head and set an orange M&M in his palm, “it’s my turn to guess. Let’s see… Your favorite kill—and before you interrupt me, don’t—was that fucker in Prague that preyed on kids.”

“I’ll admit, he deserved it, but not all of them do.” Clint shrugged. “The world’s a better place with him gone, I’m glad I had a hand in removing a predator from it.”

“See, I knew you enjoyed at least some of the damage we cause!”

“Aren’t we supposed to prevent more damage? I think you forget that sometimes,” Clint teased, giving her a knowing look.

“Oh, whatever,” she laughed. “Can’t a girl have a little fun? We’re assassins, after all.”

“Yeah, fine, you win, I’m an idiot.” He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling.

“An idiot that’s almost out of chances.” Natasha smirked as she picked up the solitary red M&M in front of her. “Ready to lose, Barton?”

He tried to hold his smile, he really did, but nerves were getting the better of him. He’d waited months for an opportunity like this, for all the pieces to fall together just right. This wasn’t supposed to be the trip—the snow had moved in faster than predicted, he wasn’t as prepared as he would’ve liked—but there was no doubt in his mind that what he felt was real. He took a steadying breath and met her eyes. This was it, no going back.

“You love me.”

A deafening silence hung in the air, neither of them daring to so much as breathe. The candy slipped from Nat’s grasp and bounced off the edge of the table with a dull thunk. She blinked and looked down, tracing its path along the wooden floor until it rolled to a stop near the fireplace. No one moved.

“Nat?” He just needed her to look at him, he needed to see the truth in her eyes, in the lines of her face, but she just stared at the heat from the fire turning the candy shell glossy and thin. “Did I just lose?”

Finally, she turned back around, her expression blank, but her eyes revealed warring emotions beneath the surface.

“You love me,” she echoed quietly.

“With every fiber of my being.”

She searched his face for signs of deceit, but all she found was genuine earnestness; this was real, and she was expected to process it.

“You’re such a sap,” Nat smiled, laughing slightly, “but okay, let’s test your theory.”

She reached across the narrow table and grabbed his shirt to pull him in, their lips meeting in the middle. Clint slid a hand to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangled in her loose curls. Her grip on his shirt softened, and he felt her hands wind around to his back before twisting the fabric in her fists once more. All thoughts about the uncomfortable positioning ceased, just how close he was to falling off the edge of the chair no longer mattered. He’d imagined this moment countless times, but even his wildest dreams couldn’t live up to reality. He fully lost himself in the moment; all that existed were urgent kisses and racing hearts.

Eventually they parted, their breathing heavy, faces flushed, neither sure when the cabin had gotten quite so warm. Natasha laughed breathlessly and smoothed her hair, grinning like an idiot. For years, passion had been her business, but love? Love was new and exciting and wonderful.

“I guess we were both right,” Nat beamed, joy radiating from her, somehow making her even more beautiful than usual. Clint’s response got caught in this throat, all he could do was smile back. “Should we continue playing or…?”

Clint moved around the table to sit beside her and took her hand, their fingers automatically entwining, a perfect fit, as if this was how it was meant to be all along. “Forget the game, I’ve already won.”

Tag List: @romanoff--natasha @clintashaotp @baker151910 @unsociable-hobbit @thexploress @unholyromanoff

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fanfics4all · 5 years ago

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First Thanksgiving Alone

Request: Yes / No

Requests are open only if you have a cute thanksgiving/ fall activity request! <3 Have a nice day/night

Harvey Kinkle x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1170

Warnings: Mentions of family death

Y/N: Your Name

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

A/N: I will have some more free time soon so I’ll be able to write more!

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you!

Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Thanksgiving was today and my boyfriend Harvey and I were hosting at his place. This was going to be the first year without his brother and my first year without my parents. Harvey was the one that suggested we host for our friends and their families, as well as ours. His father agreed to our idea, which wasn't surprising since Sabrina gave him a weird elixir thing to make him better. The two of us were in his kitchen finishing with the seasoning and having a really fun time with it.

"Okay, I think this butter ball is all seasoned up!" I said with a smile. Harvey laughed and shook his head.

"I think so? How long did it say it needed to cook for?" He asked placing it in the oven.

"About 5 hours." I said setting a timer on my phone.

"Okay so everyone is getting here at about 3, so what should we start on first?" Harvey asked with a smile.

"Umm, maybe the green bean casserole?" I suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." He said and we started getting the stuff to make it. We set the large mixing bowl down and put in the green beans, mushroom soup, garlic powder, pepper, a little bit of salt, some French fried onions. While I was mixing it together Harvey was getting the pan ready. It only took a couple of minutes for the mixture to come together so I poured it in the pan once it was done. We put the rest of the fried onions on top then we put it in the fridge till everyone came since it was best served right away.

"Okay next is the cranberry sauce?" Harvey asked and I nodded. I washed the cranberries while Harvey zested some oranges into the saucepan. I placed the berries into the pan and helped Harvey juice the oranges. Once the juice was in the hot pan we put the brown sugar cinnamon and nutmeg into the pan and mixed it together. We let it boil a bit then turned the heat down so it would simmer. We wanted it to thicken up so we could pour it in a container and set it in the fridge for about two hours. Once that was in terms fridge and finished we got to work on the sweet potato casserole.

"Okay, I'll work on this, you work on the normal mashed potatoes?" I suggested looking at the time. We only had two outs before people started coming, luckily we set the table already.

"Sounds like a plan baby." He said and kissed my cheek. We both placed out potatoes in the pots and then decided since that would take a bit we should work on other stuff.

"Since you pre-made the deserts, how about we make the cornbread quickly?" Harvey asked and I nodded. We put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, a little salt, and baking powder into the mixing bowl and stored them together. Then we added the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil in and stored till it was all combined. Harvey poured it into the pan and we readied before and put them in the oven to bake. There was a knock on Harvey's door and his father answered it.

"Spellman family! Welcome." He said and we walked out of the kitchen to greet our friends.

"Brina, hey." Harvey said and gave her a hug.

"Hi Sabrina." I said smiling at her.

"Hey guys, I hope it's okay that I brought Nick along." She said and motioned to her boyfriend.

"Not at all, the more the merrier." I said smiling at him.

"Kids the potatoes are boiled." Harvey's father said walking back into the room.

"Shoot! Okay you guys make yourselves at home, we have to finish cooking." Harvey said.

"I could help if you want." Sebrina offered and moved her finger to suggest she could use her magic.

"No Brina, we want to make it ourselves." Harvey said with some disappointment in his voice.

"But thank you for the offer." I added and we went into the kitchen.

"How can she even think about using magic? Doesn't she know she's done enough damage with that?" Harvey asked draining the potatoes.

"Harv, relax hun." I said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I understand that you don't like that she's half witch, but she's still our friend." I said and he sighed.

"She used her magic on me…" He said, I knew he still wasn't over what she did to him.

"I know hun, but it's over. Past is in the past." I said and he sighed again.

"Besides, if that didn't happen we'd never be together." I said and he turned around with a smile.

"True." He said and pecked my lips.

"Okay, now let's get cooking." I said and he nodded. We took the cornbread out of the oven and placed it on the table, more of our friends were here. Just about everyone was here except for my brother. Harvey and I put the green bean casserole in the oven and finished up the potatoes. We placed them on the table with the other sides and then there was a knock on the door. I went to open it and I opened it to see my brother.

"Matty!" I said happily to see my older brother.

"Hey Y/N/N." He said pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my head.

"I hope I'm not late." He said and I shook my head.

"Not at all, everyone is in the living room, dinner is almost ready. Harvey and I and just finishing up a few things!" I said and he nodded.

"I'll go socialize, you go finish." He said and I nodded. I walked into the kitchen to see Harvey pulling the casserole out and looking at the turkey.

"Think it's ready?" He asked and I nodded.

"Should be, check with the thermometer." I said and took the casserole to the table. I walked back into to see Harvey taking the turkey out with a smile.

"It's perfect babe." He said and I smiled. He put it on a plate and we took it to the table as well.

"Dinners ready!" Harvey called into the house and everyone rushed to the table. We all sat down and everyone was smiling looking at all the food.

"Before we eat I think it's only fair we give thanks to the two people that made this happen." Roslind said.

"Agreed, thank you Y/N and Harvey for this lovely looking food." Ambrose said.

"Thank you very much you guys." Theo said and we smiled.

"It's wasn't a problem guys, we had a great time making it." I said.

"And Y/N made some great desserts too." Harvey added.

"Now that we're all thankful can we eat now?" My brother asked making everyone laugh.

"So who wants light meat and who wants dark?" Harvey asked standing up getting ready to carve the turkey.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @xrosesareredx @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs @schisbro87 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @alex--awesome--22 @teenwolfbitches2 @genius2050 @drw0301bieber @pharaoh-of-time-and-space @marveloverdcsstuff @lady-of-lies @simonsbluee

#the chilling adventures of Sabrina #the chilling adventures of sabrina imagin #harvey kinkle #harvey kinkle x reader #harvey kinkle x fam!reader #thanksgiving #fanfic #Fall

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years ago

Text

Catching Up Part VIII

A Joe Mazzello x Reader Story

Summary: Reader is a writer for an entertainment news network and after Joe comes in to do an interview, they reconnect. Unexpectedly, they’re having a child together.

Word Count: 3K

Tag List: @crazylittlethingcalledobsession @jennyggggrrr @somethinginthewayiam @grandaddy-roger-trash @rogerloveshiscar @hopefully-aesthetically-pleasing @danamaleksworld @mrsmazzello @reedusteinrambles @rexorangecouny @caborhapch @kurt-nightcrawler @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls @queendeakyy @hotttspace If you’d like to be added, let me know!

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII

Part VIII here we go!!!

Joe was able to stay for the rest of the month. You insisted he didn’t miss all of the promotion tour for Bohemian Rhapsody, but he didn’t want to miss anything regarding the baby. He also wanted to be there in case Nick got any more ideas. You had a restraining order on him now, but Joe felt like you couldn’t be too careful. With Joe there, he was able to go with you to your next appointment with your OB/GYN and he was going to see the baby for the first time.

You could feel Joe’s excitement as you walked into the exam room hand in hand. Your doctor, Dr. Jones, smiled at him and extended her hand.

“So, is this the lucky father?” she asked.

He nodded, shaking her hand. “I am!”

“I’m so glad you could join us today,” she told him. “Come on back, and we’ll check on your baby.”

Joe squeezed your hand and grinned at you. You returned it and followed her in. Slowly, you laid back. She prepared you for the ultrasound and before you knew it, you saw the baby on the screen. It looked more like a baby now. You could just barely make out the outline of a head. Joe gasped beside you and you looked over at him.

You wanted to etch his expression into your memory forever. He gazed at the screen with the wonder of a child on Christmas. His mouth curved upward into the sweetest smile. His eyes shined with tears that he didn’t even try to stop. One rolled down his cheek and your heart just melted. You couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect man to be your baby’s father. It said so much about him that this meant a great deal to him. You knew now that even if you and Joe didn’t last (though you hoped you did), he would love your baby forever.

“Joe,” you sighed, cupping his face and wiping his tears with your thumb.

“Y/N,” he returned, placing his hand on top of yours. Normally, he would have closed his eyes, but he couldn’t tear them away from the sight of the baby. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you replied.

“Looks like baby…?” Dr. Jones trailed off.

“Mazzello,” you told her.

She smiled. “Of course. Baby Mazzello is right where they should be.”

“That’s amazing,” Joe said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before.”

“Well, now we can tell people,” you reminded him. “At least, the people who didn’t already know.” His face lit up some more.

“And how is mommy Mazzello doing?” Dr. Jones asked.

“I’m alright,” you told her. “Still have morning sickness pretty frequently, but it’s manageable.”

“That’s good to hear,” she said.

The appointment went on, but Joe’s eyes remained fixed on that screen. When Dr. Jones brought you a print out of the sonogram, she handed it directly to Joe. He held it as tenderly as he might hold the baby itself. He leaned over so you could see it too.

“I can’t believe it,” he cooed. “That’s our baby.”

“That’s our baby,” you repeated warmly, rubbing his arm. “You wanna keep that one?”

He nodded.

“Would you like me to get you another copy?” Dr. Jones offered.

“Please,” you said.

You were pulling your pants back up when she came back and gave you a picture as well. She smiled at you as you helped Joe to his feet.

“Thanks so much,” you said. “If you can’t tell, he’s very excited to be a daddy.”

Joe finally looked up and shook Dr. Jones’s hand again.

“I noticed,” she laughed. “You two will make fine parents. You can make your follow up appointment up front, and I’ll see you guys in a couple weeks.”

You said goodbye, made your next appointment, and left. You drove so that Joe could keep staring at the picture. You thought it was the sweetest thing. When you got back to the apartment, he was talking animatedly about the baby and how excited he was. You could hardly take in a word of it. All you could do was look at Joe and feel the wave of affection wash over you. What originally felt like such a mess was now your greatest blessing.

“Hey, babe, can I put this on Instagram?” he asked as you took a seat on the couch.

“You can put it anywhere you want, honey,” you replied.

“I want you in the picture too,” he said.

Your heart skipped a beat. “Y-you do?”

While Joe was around, he worked with you every day to conquer your fear of cameras. It usually meant taking a selfie, or just him getting a shot of you when you were out somewhere. But he always asked for permission and he never posted them to social media. You trusted Joe, and slowly, you were getting to a place where he could take a photo without you having an anxiety attack.

“Your face won’t be in it,” he said when he saw your expression. “Just you, holding the sonogram over your belly. All you’ll really see is your hands.”

You smirked. “That’s artsy.”

“Please, baby,” he said. “You can say no.”

He looked eagerly at you and you sighed. “How can I say no to that face?”

He beamed. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” you said with a nod. You were too happy to deny him this. And you felt easier about a photo that wasn’t of your face. “Get over here.”

He bounded over. He handed you the sonogram and you held it delicately over your tummy. He squatted in front of you with his phone, coming in close to get the shot. You heard the soft click of the camera and then he stood, turning the phone around to show you. It was exactly what he had described - your fingers on either side of he sonogram, with just your shirt as the background. It was actually a nice photo.

“I like it,” you said. “You can post it, but please don��t tag me.”

“You got it,” he promised.

You watched him post it to Instagram. His caption read, “Baby Mazzello hits planet Earth February 2019.” You approved and he put it up.

Within minutes, there were tons of comments. Gwilym wrote, “Congrats, mate!” Ben wrote, “Can’t wait to meet the little bugger,” with a heart emoji. Lucy just had an emoji with heart eyes. Even Brian May wrote a sweet comment that read, “Congratulations, Joe. The world needs more spirits like yours. Hope he or she is happy and healthy -Bri.” Roger Taylor commented, “Misfire? Hahaha, congrats!”

“You got responses from Brian May and Roger Taylor?” you gasped as Joe read them aloud to you while you cooked dinner. “That’s so cool!”

“You’ll meet them when you come to the premiere with me,” he said.

“You should have led with that,” you joked. “I would have agreed to go a lot sooner.”

He smirked. “Well, you didn’t take a whole lot of convincing anyway.”

“Shut up,” you said, and threw a piece of onion at his face. It hit him square in the cheek since he wasn’t paying attention.

He sputtered when it made contact but then threw it back at you. You squeaked and dodged it before laughing.

“Oh, hey, even Rami commented!” he said, stopping your onion war. “He just said ‘awesome’. God, he’s terrible at social media.”

“Let him live,” you returned. “Will you finish cutting the onions for me, Joey? I’m getting too watery eyed over here and I need to put the tomatoes in.”

You passed him the chopping board and knife, and he got to work, putting his phone on the counter. You put the tomatoes you prepared into the oven to roast. Joe whistled as you bent over. You rolled your eyes as you closed the oven and set the timer.

“I can’t wait till you start showing,” he said.

“I’ve already gained some weight,” you told him. “And my boobs have gotten bigger.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna say anything,” he teased. “I’m just enjoying the view.”

“I really should be offended by stuff like that, but I love how sexy you make me feel,” you said bluntly.

“I love when you tell me exactly what you’re thinking,” he returned.

“We do communicate well, huh?”

“That’s love, baby!” he cried, holding up his hand for a high five, which you happily gave him. “Whoo!”

He glanced at his phone again. “Oh Dexter and Allen chimed in,” he said. “Dex says, ‘Well done.’ Whatever that means. Allen says congrats.”

“Tell them thank you.”

You continued with dinner. You hummed to yourself as you went, soaking some already dirtied dishes before wiping your hands on your apron. You felt Joe’s eyes following you each way you moved. You smiled at him.

“What is it?” you wondered.

“I just love you so much,” he said. “I don’t want to leave again.”

“I don’t want you to go,” you returned. “But you have to. It’s your job.”

“There’s another thing I wanted to talk about,” he said. “After the movie’s all taken care of.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to move in with me,” he said. “I’m getting a new place in Brooklyn. I want you to move in with me so the baby will have a proper home to come to.”

You blinked. You hadn’t really thought about moving. You had lived with Christy your entire adult life. It felt so normal to have her around. Not to mention all the times she came through for you.

“What about Christy?” you decided to point out.

“What about her?” he replied. “I mean, at some point you two weren’t going to be roommates anymore. When you got married and all that. And she probably doesn’t want to live in a house with a baby.”

“Well, you’re forgetting one thing,” you said.

“What is it?”

“I love her.”

He chuckled. “I know you do, baby. And believe me, I’m glad she was here when everything happened with Nick. But I want to start our lives as a family. In our own place. And she can come and visit any time, I promise.”

You considered it. It was a big step to take in a relationship. But you looked down and thought about your child. What would be best for them? To grow up in a tiny apartment? Or a cozy house a little outside the city.

“We don’t have to go full on suburbia,” he said. “In fact, I’d prefer we didn’t. I’m saying it’s not like I’m asking you to move to Staten Island or anything.”

You giggled. “Joe,” you said, reaching over the counter to take his hand. “I’ll move in with you. Even if you did want to go to Staten Island.”

He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it gratefully. “You’re so good to me, Y/N.”

“Only because I love you,” you said.

You had dinner together and he told you some more about the house he’d found. He showed you the listing on his phone and you adored the pictures. It really was a beautiful home. You told him you couldn’t wait to see it in person. He promised to take you next time he was in town. He’d be leaving in the next week or so. But he’d back sooner, so you weren’t too sad to see him go.

On Joe’s last few days in town, you’d taken time off of work. When you returned, you knew you had to tell Don you were pregnant so you could ensure maternity leave after your delivery. You knocked softly on the door and he called you in.

“What’s up, Y/N?” he asked.

“There’s something I need to disclose to you, since you’re my boss,” you said.

“Very well then,” he said.

“Well, um, this is unexpected, but I’m pregnant,” you told him. “I’m due in February so that’s when I’ll be taking maternity leave. I’d like to go over those benefits with you again when you’ve got some time.”

Don just blinked at you, stunned. “Y-you’re pregnant?”

“That’s what I said.”

“And...Joe’s the father?”

You frowned. “No, actually, it’s Brad Pitt,” you said sarcastically. “Of course it’s Joe. Jesus, Don, what kind of girl do you take me for?”

“I didn’t take you for one to get knocked up,” he said.

“Are you doing that thing where you’re rude to me again?” you wondered. “Because it’s not cool, Don. That’s a pretty offensive thing to say.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just shocked is all.” He opened his desk drawer and searched around before grabbing a packet of papers and holding them out to you. “Here’s the benefits package. Look it over and if you’ve got any questions, just ask.”

“Will do,” you said.

“And, Y/N,” he said. “I am actually happy for you.”

“Thanks, Don,” you replied. “Are we becoming friends now?”

“I hope so,” he returned with a smile.

You smiled back and left, heading to your desk a littler happier.

The weeks went by, and your tummy bloated with the baby inside you. It began with a small bump, like you usually only got after Thanksgiving dinner. Joe was gone when you saw it, so, feeling brave, you took a photo in the mirror and sent it to him. He sent back about a thousand hearts.

You also began talking to the baby. According to the book you were reading, it could hear you, so you talked to it all the time. When you were hungry, you’d look down at your tummy and say, “What are you in the mood for, Baby? Chinese? Sounds good to me.” And you’d get yourself some take out.

When Joe and his castmates returned, they gushed over you. It felt more real now that you were showing a little. Joe was consistently rubbing it, even if it was absentmindedly. He just would rest his hand there during dinner or while you were watching a movie. It felt reassuring when he did so. Like a constant reminder of how much he loved and supported you.

“You look so beautiful,” he said one night as you lounged together.

“You certainly make me feel that way,” you told him.

“Good, I’m doing my job then,” he said.

You smiled and relaxed against him. His phone dinged on the coffee table.

“Who is it?” you wondered.

“It’s a text from Gwilym in the group chat,” he said, and you frowned at his expression.

“What did he say?” you asked.

“He told me to check my DMs on Instagram, but for Rami and Ben not to,” he explained, his brow furrowed. “I wonder what’s going on.”

“Do you mind if I look?” you asked.

He lowered the phone so you could both see the screen.

“Is your group chat really called ‘the band’?” you teased.

“Of course!”

You chuckled together as he opened up his Instagram app. When he checked his messages, the top one was from a weirdly anonymous looking account. The name was just random letters and numbers, and they had sent Joe some photos. He opened it and you felt like everything around you froze. There in his messages were the old photos of you that Nick had. They were vulgar and horrifying to see again. Your body went cold with fear and humiliation.

“What the fuck…” Joe muttered.

Your stomach lurched. You wanted to speak but were afraid you’d throw up.

“Oh my God,” you finally managed.

It came on quickly this time. Your heartbeat was so fast it actually pained your chest. Your hands were immediately numb. You couldn’t breathe. Tears came to your eyes, so large your vision was blurry until you blinked and they slid down your cheeks.

Another text popped up and it was from Ben in the chat. He said he’d already opened the message but closed it right away when he saw what they were and deleted it. Rami said he hadn’t opened it, but Lucy had gotten one too, and she told him to delete it without looking.

“Joe - uh - please, please, please,” you said. “Don’t look.” You cleared your throat. “Don’t look. I - ahem - I can’t…” you couldn’t form anymore words.

He promptly got out of the message, swiped it, and hit delete.

“How could this happen?” he wondered.

“I - I don’t know,” you said through deep breaths.

Joe wrapped his arms around you. You were shaking so violently, he had to hold you tight to keep you still. You’d never felt like this. Your chest felt so tight. Like you were having a heart attack or something. You couldn’t believe Joe had seen the pictures. And Ben, Gwilym, and Lucy as well, however briefly. Who else had gotten them? Who had sent them? Nick was supposed to be in jail until the court date next week.

You phone rang, buzzing loudly on the table. Joe picked it up. He showed you it was Christy. He answered and put it on speaker.

“Y/N is having a hard time, but she can hear you,” he said. “Did you get the pictures?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I did some research, too. On Nick’s Facebook. He’s out. His mom paid his bail. I’m willing to bet he created a fake account just to send these.”

You and Joe locked eyes.

“The timing is convenient,” Joe said. “The court date...”

“I know,” Christy agreed. “This is just a tactic to scare you, Y/N. He’s trying to make you back down.”

You had to admit it was working. You never wanted to leave your apartment. You wanted to crawl inside yourself and disappear. You detached yourself from Joe, feeling unworthy of him. He watched you curiously as you trembled on the couch, pulling your knees into your chest. You choked out a sob.

“I want to die,” you whimpered.

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timelordthirteen · 5 years ago

Text

Killing Time 17/?

Detective Weaver/Belle French, Explicit

Summary: A Woven Beauty Law & Order-ish AU. Written for Writer’s Month 2019.

Chapter Summary: Weaver and Belle's frustration with the case and their feelings reaches a tipping point.

Notes: Okay, two things. 1. Please don't hate me. 2. I'm sorry this took so fucking long to get done. Work has been...special, and my health has been shitty. The next chapter is already 50% done so hopefully it won't be long before I can post more.

Warnings: Please see AO3 for complete warnings and tags.

[AO3] Previous: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

The days had become routine.

They worked in Belle’s office during the day, struggling to piece together the identity and history of a woman who seemed not to exist, and to find who killed her and buried her in a vacant lot. The latter they were certain they already knew, though it was hard to tie either Branson brother to Eloise Gardener in spite of the gut feeling everyone had and the fact that Nick had all but lead them to the body. They had reached out to every agency they could think of, and spent a dusty afternoon at the county records office. It was frustrating to know a connection was there, but not be able to prove it.

All that, combined with their current living situation, had put Weaver on a tenuous edge. Belle was sleeping better, and had only had one short lived nightmare. She seemed to be moving past what happened, though she had not gone back to her apartment for longer than it took to collect more clothes or personal items. Weaver’s apartment was full of them now. Her suitcase was a near permanent fixture in the bedroom, and several of her suits were hanging in the closet.

Every day for the last two weeks, they worked together and went home together. Together, except not; not in the way he wanted them to be. A couple of nights he slept on the sofa, but most of the time he lay next to her, in the bed that used to be theirs, torn between wanting to be there for her in whatever way she needed and wanting to demand answers as to where he stood.

Weaver sighed as he pulled open the door to the apartment, the rolling of the metal loud in the corridor. He wanted to sink into the sofa with a glass of scotch and zone out to whatever was on TV, alone with his thoughts. But there was Belle, following him inside, and while he was more than happy to have her there, he couldn’t think about things with her so close.

“Hungry?” she asked as he slid the door closed and flipped the lock. “There’s leftover fried rice, and some chicken from last night.”

“Whatever’s fine,” he muttered, dropping his leather jacket over the back of a bar stool.

She shrugged and went around the island on her way to the fridge, pulling it open to peek inside. “You can have first pick, I don’t care.”

“Just...whatever you want, okay?” He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. Space and time was what he needed, but it was in short supply. “I’m gonna shower.”

Belle frowned at his back as he cut across the living room and then shut the bathroom door hard. She startled a bit at the sound, almost dropping the takeout container as she pulled it out of the fridge. Catching it with her other hand, she sighed and set it on the counter, pausing to lean over it. Something was wrong with Weaver, but she didn’t know what.

They’d both expressed a feeling of irritation at not being able to progress the case, or solve the riddle of the identity of Ms. Gardener. She’d vented it earlier in the afternoon rather childishly, flinging a dry erase marker in his direction after he made a snide remark, but that was hardly the kind of thing that would make him upset enough to want to be away from her.

She popped the container in the microwave, and blew out a breath. The sound of the water running in the shower mixed with the hum of her dinner reheating, and she zoned out for a minute, startling again when the beep sounded out. She shook her head and pulled the container out carefully, blowing across the top before she set it down. Normally she loved leftover fried rice, especially the good stuff from Chen’s, but her appetite was nil now that she’d started over analyzing Weaver’s mood. With a sigh, she slid onto one of the bar stools and poke at the rice with a fork halfheartedly.

Weaver rubbed the towel over his hair, avoiding giving his reflection more than a passing glance in the mirror. He’d started to feel so much older in the last couple of years, his hair far more gray than brown now, and the lines around his eyes less from laughter and more from the weight of everything.

The shower had been as hot as he could stand, but he didn’t feel any better. He did feel resolved to confront the situation with Belle, however, but he wasn’t sure when or how. Not talking, not addressing his concerns and feelings had done him no favors in their marriage, and it had caused nothing but turmoil in the last few weeks. His neck was stiff from all the tension he was holding in his body, from every time he forced himself away from her in an effort to remain suitably distant.

Dropping the towel in the hamper, he nearly walked out into the apartment stark naked, before catching himself and retrieving it to wrap around his waist. Belle was sitting at the counter when he came out of the bathroom, and he paused for a long moment to watch her idly picking at her food. Her shoulders were slumped, her head was propped on her hand, and her whole body seemed so...defeated.

Closing his eyes, he resisted the urge to cross the space and start rubbing at her shoulders, her neck, to offer her whatever comfort he could because it pained him to see her like this. Instead, he hurried into the bedroom and put on fresh clothes.

Belle turned around as Weaver came out of the bedroom, and gave him a small smile. He was wearing a soft black t-shirt and his favorite jeans, the ones he couldn’t wear to work anymore, or really anywhere outside of the apartment. The cuffs were frayed, a seem pulled across the left knee, and a hole in one of the back pockets. He looked so comfortable, and she bit her lip as she looked away, sliding off the bar stool to dispose of what was left of her dinner.

He moved around the other end of the island and pulled open the door to the fridge with a loud exhale.

“Hey,” she said tentatively. “Feeling better?”

Weaver sighed and removed a small tupperware of deli meat from the fridge, setting on the counter to the side. He kept his back to Belle as she proceeded to ask him if he was hungry, if she could help. She was rambling, a usually endearing trait that happened when she was nervous, but he was already on edge and in danger of snapping at her.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, fumbling in the drawer for a butter knife.

“Hey.” She came around to stand near him, one hand on her hip. “Would you at least look at me?”

He huffed and turned around, his eyebrows lifted in annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’ve been weird since we left the office.”

He swallowed and ran a hand through his damp hair, reluctant to have this conversation now, despite its necessity in the long run. “I’m not - I’m...” He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Ian...” He could hear the irritation in her voice, and his jaw clenched. “Talk to me. Is it the case? Is it Rogers?”

It was all happening against his will and his better judgement. “No, it’s not - just - just leave it alone.”

Belle bit her lip and stepped closer. “Is it - is it me?”

He shook his head and moved away as she reached for him. “You have to decide,” he managed, his throat suddenly tight. “You have to decide what you want, Belle.”

She blinked and frowned at him, feeling like she’d missed a whole other part of the conversation. “What?”

“I can’t keep doing this.” He sighed as her fingertips brushed his arm, fighting the urge to take her hand. “Not - not every night. Not after everything.”

She pulled back her hand, confusion giving way to surprise, tinged with anger. “So, two weeks ago I could stay here as long as I liked, and now you want me to go?”

Weaver turned, and she drew away from him, her arms folding over her middle. “No - no that’s not - that’s not what I’m saying.”

He sighed and leaned back against the counter. His thoughts were too jumbled to come out properly, and seeing the way her face fell pulled at emotions that were too raw. He didn’t want her to go, ever, but he needed answers, even if that made her leave in the end. Maybe it was better if she did.

“Belle,” he continued, “I - I would hold you every night. For the rest of my life if you’d let me. But not like this, not when I don’t know how you feel, or where we stand.”

She let out a humorless laugh and looked away, her eyes settling on the clock on the oven for a moment. It was strange to have her words repeated back to her, especially after so much time. It had been in a moment almost exactly like this, a quiet, rainless night after weeks of uncertainty.

“I think I said that to you once,” she said softly. “About two years and eight months ago.”

Weaver rolled his eyes. Somehow he’d know it would go this way. It always did. “Oh, here we go,” he lamented. “Yeah, turn it around on me.”

Belle whirled on him. “I am not turning it around on you! You weren’t there!”

His eyes went wide. “What? You were the one who left. One last shag and then you packed your things!”

Her mouth flattened as she glared at him. “I asked you not to go that night. I - I needed you!”

He blew out a breath and put some distance between them, moving to the far side of the island. “There was a bloody body at pier five! What the hell was I supposed to do?”

Belle’s eyelids closed for a moment, and she shook her head. His bitter mood was making her angry, and she could feel a sharp pain in her chest as old wounds reopened themselves. Her face felt hot and her skin itched. She swore she could feel something on the inside of her leg, and she feared that if she looked down she’d see blood again, trickling down her leg, puddling menacingly on the floor.

“Last I checked,” she snapped, “James Rogers, was not only a decorated detective, but also a grown ass adult who can probably handle yet another dead body washing up on a pier!”

“I was on call!”

Her teeth clenched as she stalked towards him. “You. Weren’t. There!”

Her palm swatted at his arm on the last word, hitting him hard. He hissed in pain and stepped away from her, but she didn’t care. The trousers she’d worn to work, her underwear, her blouse, all felt sticky and wet to her, stained red in her memory. She blinked and her eyes stung as tears spilled over her cheeks.

“I lost our baby!” She screamed. “And you weren’t there!”

He couldn’t do this. She was angrier than he’d ever seen, her eyes wild and her face flushed, hair sticking to her face where it was wet. His body physically hurt, head to toe, as he forced himself to back away and not reach for her like he wanted to. He wished he could hold her and make it all go away, take back all the bad decisions and wrong choices, but they would probably have ended up here anyway. He turned and snatched his jacket off the back of the bar stool, flipping it around as he moved, and shoving his arms in the sleeves.

Belle swiped her hands over her face and followed him as he moved towards the door. “What are you doing?”

He paused and looked back at her, his voice resigned. “Leaving.”

She scoffed, her arm rising and falling, letting her palm slap against her thigh. “Right, of course you are. Running away when shit gets hard.”

Weaver’s mouth opened, ready with a biting retort, but then he sagged and pressed his lips together. “Yeah, whatever.”

He stopped, facing away from her, and she made herself stay put, resisting the desire to fling something at him. This was how it had gone before. She pushed, he pulled, and when things got bad he shut down and ran.

She crossed her arms, watching as he picked up his wallet and keys from the table by the door. “Just like your father after all. Things get tough, and you cut corners, you bend the rules, and you run away!”

He turned slowly, his face twisted in a mix of pain and rage like she’d never seen, not even when he hauled off and punched Nick Branson in the face. His eyes were bright, shining and dark, and she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, as he yanked the door to the apartment open.

“Fuck...” she breathed, scrambling to close the distance between them. “Ian, no, please! I'm sorry I didn't mean that.”

Weaver stopped, his gaze turning dark as he flashed his teeth at her. “Oh, I think you did.”

The harsh slam of the door echoed off the high ceilings, and Belle startled. She stumbled back, her hand going out to catch herself and finding the back of the sofa. A gasping sob slipped out from between her fingers as she pressed her hand to her lips, her body shaking. The last few minutes had been like a terrible nightmare, one she’d had often after their divorce, but somehow the reality of it was so much worse. A strange cry escaped her as she made her way around the couch, all but collapsing onto it, her head in her hands and her palms wet with tears.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #woven beauty #woven beauty fic #killing time #fic #my woven beauty fic

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cela-astral-projection · 5 years ago

Text

Celeste Stuff

Basic Character Questions

First name? Celeste

Nicknames? Cela

Date of birth? September 23rd

Age: Thirty-three

Physical / Appearance

Height? 5'

Build? She's got a soft build. Wide hips and full, heavy breasts. No real muscle tone, except for her legs and backside.

Hair color? Dark brown at the roots, fading to a lighter tone at the ends. Shock of dark blonde at the front of her head.

Hair style? It's just...so much hair. She keeps it pinned up for the most part, but if she let it down it would fall to the tops of her thighs. She twists it up like a crown at the top of her head, framing her face with what can't be contained, tucking the strands behind her ears.

Eye colour? Green, like seaglass

Distinguishing facial features? A heavy smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

Which facial feature is most prominent? Her lips. The top lip has a sharp cupid's bow, the lower lip is full and pronounced.

Which bodily feature is most prominent? Her hair. There's just so damn much of it. Second would be her chest. A lot of that, too.

Hands? Long elegant fingers with short, manicured nails. She pays a lot of attention to her hands, as often as she has to scrub for examinations and deliveries, her skin dries quickly. She loves a luxurious lotion or oil.

Makeup? Not a fan in day to day practice. If she's invited to the palace for a formal affair, she has no qualms about a dramatic eye with lots of violets and a bold brow, soft lip. When the mood takes her, she'll wear dark red lipstick.

Scars? A few burns on her arms from miscalculating the angle of removing things from the oven.

Type of clothes? She tends toward linen and cotton dresses when she's home in gem tones. She likes to "borrow" Asra's tunics. At work, she wears a structured uniform of Julian's choosing, with a lot of piping, high collar and long skirt. If it's cold, she's usually sent out in massive furs.

What are their feet like? Her feet are as immaculately manicured and kempt as her hands. She wears short, ankle-height leather boots with a pointed toe and thick, short, sensible heel.

Are they in good health? When she's making good choices and not draining all her magic, generally.

Personality

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Optimistic. Or, rather, stubborn. She can get in her head about somethings but knows that if she goes at it at the right angle she'll usually succeed, even when it's hard.

Are they introverted or extroverted? Introverted. She decided to live with the hermit, after all.

Do they ever put on airs? When Lucio is around. It's not even conscious, she just hates him so very much and wants him to know that she's superior in every way. Pretty much the only person she has that strong negative opinion of.

What bad habits do they have? Giving too much of herself and not knowing when to take a step back.

What makes them laugh out loud? So many things.

How do they display affection? Acts of service and physical touch.

How do they want to be seen by others? As someone that can be relied on. A healer, putting others first.

How are they seen by others? Trustworthy if a bit strange. Townspeople can never quite figure out what's going on with her and her men, so she has been a source of gossip. It hasn't hindered anyone from coming to her in their time of need.

Strongest character trait? Boundless love and devotion.

Weakest character trait? Not knowing when to quit.

How competitive are they? There's a little streak of it. Maybe more than a little.

Do they make snap judgments or take time to consider? A little from column a, a little from column b.

How do they react to praise? She loves it. It gives her warm, tingly feelings. Unfortunately, it all comes out a little "Shut up, baby, I know it."

How do they react to criticism? Poorly. Not the person to offer criticism to, constructive or otherwise. She will shut down.

What are their biggest secrets? Her private "birthday parties" for Julian. She sees it as a necessary evil, but not one that will be particularly well-received if word got out. Hence, wiping his memory the next morning.

When was the last time they cried? All the damn time. She's got a lot of feelings, okay?

What are their political views? That there's always more that can be done to improve the lives of the people, and when that gets clouded, society suffers.

What will they stand up for? Justice, Equality, Love.

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? Outdoorsy.

What quality do they most value in a friend? Knowing when to intervene on her behalf.

What do they consider an overrated virtue? Temperance.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? Not a damn thing.

Friends and Family

How big is their family? Growing. She has Asra, his parents, Muriel, and Julian. She will have the babies, too, soon.

What is their perception of a family? It's the most important thing. Even if it isn't blood, you can forge your own family.

Describe their best friend. How do you describe Julian Devorak?

Do they have any pets? Inanna and Faust. She hasn't found a familiar that truly suits her.

Past and Future

What is their greatest achievement? Arguably, beating the devil. Getting Muriel to accept that they were just going to be in love forever and that he needed to calm the hell down is a close second.

What was their first kiss like? The first one she remembers was like fireworks and rainbows, which seems silly and childish, but that's what kissing Asra is like. Pure, childlike innocence and all-encompassing passion. But, there have been a lot of first kisses, and they are all magical.

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? Gave up and moved on after holding on for too long.

What advice would they give their younger self? It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

What past actions are they most ashamed of? She has a lot of pain surrounding Julian and not being able to just fully let him go, and it leads to her making some questionable choices.

Has anyone ever saved their life? Too many times.

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight? Absolutely.

Are they in a relationship? Oh, yeah.

When did your character last have sex? This morning. Twice.

What sort of sex do they have? Um...What kind of sex doesn't she have?

Has your character ever been in love? A lot. Too much.

Have they ever had their heartbroken? Yes. Badly.

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat? It depends on how immediate the threat is.

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Magic first, fists next.

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? Anything can be replaced. But, if pressed, the ring that Muriel and Asra created for her when they wed.

What is their choice of weapon? Magic.

What living person do they most despise? Lucio. Depending on your definition of "living".

Where do they go when they’re angry? Bed, or to the waterfall.

Work

What is their current job? Midwife and healer.

What do they think about their current job? It's important, necessary work that she feels passionately about.

What are some of their past jobs? Royal magician, shopkeeper.

What is their socioeconomic status? There's a lot of bejeweled shells to go around. She doesn't accept payment for her services.

Favorites

What is their favorite animal? All the animals.

Which animal to they dislike the most? Not big on spiders, but she leaves them to their own devices.

What place would they most like to visit? She would like to go back to Nopal once the babies are born. Possibly to the steppe, if Muriel can manage it.

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? Muriel and Asra tangled up in each other in the moonlight. It is heartbreakingly, achingly gorgeous.

What is their favorite song? I'll just say her "theme" is Crystal by Stevie Nicks from the Practical Magic soundtrack.

Music, art, reading preferred? Reading.

What is their favorite color? Greens and Purples.

Favorite food: She loves seafood, but enjoys most food and loves to cook.

Possessions

What is in their icebox: Fresh Eels, black ale, blue-tongued skink, lots of fruit and vegetables, cider, cheeses.

What is on their bedside table? A vase with belladonna and forget-me-nots.

What is in their pockets? Gems and shells. A gold compact with a mirror. Extra hairpins.

What is their most treasured possession? Her heart.

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel? Asra.

Do they believe in the afterlife? Yes.

What do they think heaven is? 3 am, half-awake, in the arms of her lovers, one at each breast, snoring softly.

What do they think hell is? Absence. Separation. Emptiness.

Are they superstitious? Yep.

How would they like to die? At home, with her family sending her on.

What is their zodiac sign? Libra.

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? She firmly believes there are no ambitions great enough to justify the breaking of someone's heart.

What is their view of ‘freedom’? Choice.

When did they last lie? March 12th.

What’s their view of lying? Fairly intolerant. She has been known to make exceptions.

Daily life

What are their eating habits? Love eating. Love cooking.

Describe their home. A cozy cabin in a clearing, built by Muriel when he realized she really wasn't going anywhere.

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? She's a minimalist that lives with hoarders. It can be a bit trying.

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? She pulls herself out of bed and goes to get ready for work.

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? Spends all day making dinner, then all evening laying around, snuggling up.

What do they do on a Friday night? She might sneak off to Portia's for a girl's night.

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? Moscato or a nice spicy hard cider.

Miscellaneous

If they could save one person, who would it be? Too hard to answer. Save everyone or die trying.

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? Asra.

What is their favorite proverb? Love is blind.

What is their greatest extravagance? She has some lovely jewelry. Delicate gold pieces with rare gems.

What is their greatest regret? Failing Julian.

What is their favorite fairytale? The Little Mermaid. The original version, where she has to do good deeds to earn her soul.

Do they believe in happy endings? How could she not?

What would they ask a fortune-teller? What time will you be home for dinner?

If your character could travel through time, where would they go? Before. Just to fully understand.

#apprentice oc #apprentice #arcana #the arcana #mc #celeste #character development #asra x apprentice #apprentice x julian #apprentice x muriel

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monster-addict · 5 years ago

Text

Unexpected

Orc x OC Multipart Fic - Part 1

Coming to university was a different experience than I thought, overall it was great. I had been going to my local college for some time until I got enough scholarship money to attend wherever I wanted. My friend Aria, had managed to convince me to come to her.

"Yes! I knew you'd come, I already told you about my roommate, bitch." She mumbled the last part.

"Yes, I remember, so you're living in the co-ed dorms right?" I asked her.

"No, considering I'm not a freshman anymore, I'm finally able to rent out one of the houses they have on campus. I asked the two dudes that were my bunkies to move in with me. It's like 5 bedrooms in the house so we all can have our own room."

She informed me on a lot of stuff as she helped me take my things in my room. I guess because they were orcs, everything was bigger, which I was glad about. She told me about how the two males orcs in the other rooms are really nice, and sometimes she hangs out with them. The great thing about this university is that no classes take place on Saturday or Sunday. Looking at my class schedule, most of my classes are in the morning, I'm not complaining about that.

"Oh Sky come here, this is one of the dudes I was telling you about. Skylar this is Orlov, O this is Skylar." She introduced us.

We shook hands, and they got to talking about class.

"What are you majoring in Skylar?" Orlov asked me.

"Umm, Biochemistry." I said.

"Oh, that's what Nick is studying, you two may get along." He said.

"Where is Nick?" Aria asked.

"At study hall, although I don't get why he goes there when no one else studies with him, he just sits there." He said.

I let them talk and I headed back to my room and pulled out my laptop, checking to see if I had any surveys to complete. That's one of the ways I try to get a little extra money. It was already a little late in the day. Aria came to my room and told me that they ordered some pizza. I ate then went back to my room, not really socializing that night.

I went to sleep, but I heard Orlov playing the game all that night. I was used to hearing that type of noise, so I went to sleep fairly okay.

When I woke up the next morning, no one else was up yet. I bought some groceries yesterday while me and Aria was bringing my stuff to the university. So I found everything I need and started to make breakfast for everyone.

Considering the fact that Aria and I have been friends for a pretty long time, I know how much orcs eat. I turned the oven on and made the bacon and sausage. I already had the coffee pot on, I was glad It was one with two pots. I made coffee on one side and tea on the other. Once I started to hear movement coming down the stairs I started on the eggs.

"Oh man, breakfast is being made." I heard a gruff voice, it was Orlov.

"Yeah, morning. How do you like your eggs?" I asked him.

"However is fine, same as Nick. He should be down soon. Aria is still sleep." He yawned and sat at the island.

I continued to cook and I heard someone else come down, Aria this time.

"I'm surprised you're up." I looked over my shoulder.

"And miss your breakfast, I think NOT." She stood beside me.

"Where's Nick?" She asked.

"He's upstairs, I thought he was going to be down before you." Orlov said.

They continued talking and I made the plates, we took them to the living room when Nick finally came downstairs.

"Hey man, what took you so long? Your plate is in the microwave, come on hurry up." Orlov said.

He didn't really seem to be that focused on what he was saying but he came into the living room with his plate.

"Nick this is my friend I was telling you about, Skylar." Aria said.

"Nikolai, but everyone calls me Nick. You got here yesterday, yes?" He asked me.

"Yup." I said.

The TV was on, but you couldn't hear it over Nick and Orlov talking. That's when Aria turned to me, and started talking.

"So, because I knew you were coming back, I got us some studio time for about an hour and a half." She told me.

"That's great, but I feel a 'but' coming." I said.

"Yeah, it's at 8 tonight." She said.

"Oh, that's fine, my first class isn't until 9." I told her.

"Oh god, you have that early bird schedule too, you and Nick are TERRIBLE." She said.

"Hey, Nick!" Aria called out.

"What's up?" He said.

"You mind taking Skylar to class with you, I'm pretty sure you guys have the same schedule." Aria rolled her eyes playfully.

"You're a biochem major?" He asked me.

"Yup." I said.

"Let me look at your schedule later." He told me.

"Sure thing." Then me and Aria get back to talking about dance.

I'm not sure how long we were in the living room talking, but Nick was the first to leave, talking about how he had to go meet up with his girlfriend. I got everyone plates and Orlov helped me clean them up. I heard Orlov say something about playing the game some more.

"Hey, you mind if I join you?" I asked him.

"What, to play?" He asked.

"Yeah." He looked at me in disbelief.

"Okay." He said.

I walked to his room, and it wasn't as messy as I'd thought it would be, he had a little sitting area to sit down.

"I planned on playing Fortnite a bit, but I'll put on Black Ops for your sake." He said.

We played multiplayer for a bit, then he switched it over to Blackout.

"You're pretty good at this." He looked over at me.

"I used to play all the time, I'm a little rusty." I say.

"I typically play with Nick, but I think I may need another controller." He said.

"Or I could by my own TV and console, that way we can just play like that, without having to compromise too much screen space." I said.

"Yeah, Nick has his own, but it depends on what we're playing, we just play in the same room." He said.

"Yeah, I get that." I say.

We played a few more games until I left the room and made me something to eat. I just made a sandwich, and drank the last bit of my tea from this morning.

Aria came in with some shopping bags, and I already knew what it was.

"Bitch, no you didn't." I looked at her laughing.

"If I get any time with you in the studio, AND if we get to record, bitch we gonna look good. Plus I picked you up your regular class attire in the school spirit." She said.

I followed her up to her room and she dumped all the clothes out on her bed.

Most of it was strappy tops and bottoms, our typical stuff we wear in videos. She showed me the sweatshirts and joggers she got me with the school mascot on them. Purple and gold, with the tiger mascot. She gave me every variation of color and style of sweatshirts and sweaters that were in the school shop.

"You do too much, but thank you." I gave her a hug.

I took the stuff back to my room and put it in the dresser.

It was nearing the time for our studio time, so I took a very quick shower and but on some jean shorts, fishnets, a black strappy sports bra and a white cropped hoodie. I finished the look with my black heels that looked like combat boots. I had my hair in box braids, so I just put them into a high ponytail with a struggle. Last minute, I put on my shade of dark red liquid lipstick and left to go to Aria's room.

"Let's go bitch." I said.

"YES BITCH! Snatching all the wigs tonight." She said.

She had on some white short shorts, and a red halter crop top with matching heels. I had my bag packed with a frozen bottle of water and two different sized towels, as well as some baby wipes.

We headed out and we walked to the studio and we checked in and got to the studio. She had her camera with her, and she lived streamed us dancing. She often posted videos on her YouTube, which is her main source of income outside of her parents. We just went over all the old dances we knew, and decided that the next time we come to the studio we'll create something new.

When you only have an hour and a half for studio time, it goes by really quick. By the time we were finished, we were sweating, but not drenched in sweat.

"It feels good being back in the studio." I tell her as we walked back to the house.

"Yes, it always feels good, especially dancing with you." She said.

"What do you want to eat when we get in?" I asked her.

"If you're cooking, it doesn’t matter." She said.

We walked to the house, to hear two orcs upstairs yelling, playing the game.

"I'm going to ask them if they ate yet." I told her.

I went upstairs, and followed the curses and grunting.

"Hey guys, do burgers and fries sound good?" I asked them.

They both turned their heads quickly towards me, but only Orlov replied.

"Yeah, thanks." He said.

I laughed at them and went to my room, taking a shower and cleaning my face. I put on some leggings and a tank top.

I went to the kitchen and started cooking. It didn't take too long to cook, so I made everyone plate. I figured Orlov and Nick weren't going to come down, so I took them their plates.

"Oh man, you're an angel." Orlov said as he took a bite.

"Haha, no problem." I said as I closed the door.

I went to Aria's room to watch some YouTube before I crashed for the night.

//Masterlist//

#orc x human #exophilia #gxf #unexpected

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beanfic · 5 years ago

Text

New Roommates-Ch.2

Word count: 1838

Warnings: Talk of parental death & language

Author’s note: Here is chapter 2 of my YouAU for Kansas’ writing challenge! As a reminder, this series is in first person from MY perspective so it is not a reader insert fic, but I hope you still enjoy it! :)

I felt strange right as I stepped foot into my new bedroom. It was still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I have officially moved out and moved in with strangers I met off the internet.

My suitcases sat in front of me. It seemed as if they were mocking me. I knew I should start unpacking but I could slowly feel myself getting more and more anxious. I stood up from the bed that the movers had installed and stretched my arms. Maybe if I had some company I would be able to unpack quicker and stay motivated.

I opened my bedroom door and peeked my head out. I could hear Kae’s voice in the kitchen, and that was exactly who I needed to help me. Usually, I felt anxious around people who I do not know, but they made me feel so comfortable, it was nice.

“Hey Kae! Do you want to help me unpack? I felt like it could be an easy bonding experience,” I joked as I walked into the kitchen.

“Hell yeah!” They stood up from the stool and walked back to my bedroom with me.

The next hour was spent with me explaining my past to Kae while folding, hanging, and putting away clothes. Kae was easy to talk too, but I also wanted to know more about them.

“Looks like the clothes are all done!” Kae announced. I nodded and held my hand up for a high five.

“Let’s make my bed next since I need to sleep in that tonight,” I chuckled. Kae and I grabbed both ends of the black sheets and tucked them over the mattress.

“This comforter is so pretty!”

“Thank you! My mom got it for me as a moving out gift!” I smiled. The black and white striped comforter matched well with the white furniture that I had picked out. The colors I chose for the room were black, white, and rose gold!

“This blanket is so soft,” Kae wrapped her body with a fluffy rose gold blanket you had found at target.

“Right?”

“I think I might steal this.”

“Maybe I will just have to buy you your own!” I giggled.

“I can just buy myself one! Target trip!” Kae clapped excitedly once again.

“Yes! I love target! That is where I got most of my rose gold decorations to go on my dresser and desk!”

“I love it! Your room is so cute.”

“Thank you, Kae!”

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation that we were having. I went over and opened it up to reveal Tyler.

“Kae don’t you have work at 6?”

“Oh fuck!” they screamed. “I lost track of time! Sorry, Y/N, but I’ll be over lots!!” I waved goodbye to Kae who rushed out of my room. Tyler shut the door leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I continued unpacking tiny nick-nacks that had sentimental value. Small, nostalgic memories flooded my brain everytime I picked up an item.

I missed Oregon. I missed the trees, the rainstorms, the beach, the mountains. Columbus isn’t bad, it’s just not the same.

The smell of a seasoned chicken being cooked in the oven wafted into my room, filling my nostrils. My mouth started to water, and my stomach began to rumble. I had such a hectic day that I really didn’t eat that much. I was starving.

I opened the door and was greeted by Josh also coming out of his bedroom. His eyes matched with mine and we both just awkwardly stared at each other for a second too long.

“Hey, Sav,” Josh broke the eye contact as he looked away. I blinked a few times. Why was that such an awkward encounter?

“Hey, Josh. Why didn’t you help me move in?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm to my tone of voice so he knew that I wasn't actually upset. I even crossed my arms and leaned into my hip for added effect.

“As the boys probably told you I was busy!”

“They said you were taking a nap?”

“Yeah, busy taking a fat nap.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away towards the scent of dinner. My heart started to speed up as I realized this would be my first dinner at my new apartment with my new roommates.

“Hey, Sav! Good morning, Josh!” Mark teased as we both sat down at the counter. He was wearing an apron that had ‘Chef Mark” embroidered into it

“It smells delicious!”

“Thank you! We are having rosemary lemon pepper chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes! It should be done in about five minuted and then you can help yourself!” Mark explained.

I smiled towards him before turning around to see what Tyler was up to. He was sitting on the couch heavily involved in a Mario kart race.

“Does he usually play alone?” I turned back around asking Mark and Josh, not wanting to disrupt Tyler.

“Usually when I am cooking, or when Josh is busy.” Mark put air quotes around the word busy.

“Shuddup,” Josh mumbled. He was busy on his phone and I took a peek over. I recognized the app almost immediately.

“You’re on tinder?” I practically laughed in his face.

“Jesus,” Josh locked his phone and glanced up at me. “Why yes I am.”

“For some reason that surprises me.”

“Why?” Josh furrowed his brow.

“I don’t know, I feel like you could just find dates naturally.”

“Because I am naturally handsome?” Josh winked.

“No,” I rolled my eyes once again. I quickly looked away from Josh once I started to feel my cheeks get warm. There was no way I was letting Josh see me getting flustered. Even though I did think he was naturally handsome and pretty, and cute. I had to stop. He was my roommate.

“Dinner is ready!” Mark called out. I stood up from the stool and followed behind Josh. Tyler slowly made his way over to the kitchen from the couch.

“How is Mario kart going?” I asked him.

“Not too well, I keep on getting third and I am no third placer.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Josh laughed as he scooped a pile of potatoes onto his plate.

“You lose to me literally every single time we play, Josh. You have no place to talk.”

“I’m not as bad as Mark though.”

Mark looked up from his own plate with his mouth wide open, “You guys are just rude.”

I softly laughed to myself as the boys continued to bicker. It was probably going to be something I need to get used to. I grabbed a few pieces of chicken, asparagus, and a scoopful of mashed potatoes, it looked and smelled delicious.

I noticed that all the boys hurried over to the couch with Josh and Mark planting down on the bean bags. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to sit, as I wasn’t fully comfortable eating on a couch so I decided to walk over to the kitchen table.

“Sav!” Tyler yelled as he turned around. “Come sit with us!”

I smiled, “Okay.” I took a few deep breaths as I shuffled over and sat on the far left of the couch next to Tyler. The couch made a pfft sound as I lowered down into the cushions.

“So, Sav, let’s use this as a bonding experience! Tell us more about yourself!” Mark asked.

I shrugged my shoulders as I finished chewing a piece of chicken that I had in my mouth. “I don’t really know what you guys even want to know! I’m not interesting.”

“Let’s start why you moved to Ohio! You mentioned something about your grandma?”

“Oh yeah.” I rubbed my arm. “My grandma isn’t doing too well, she has stage 3 breast cancer, and my mom felt guilty that she was all the way in Oregon and not here helping her own mom.”

“So it’s your mom’s mom?” Tyler clarified.

I nodded, “Yeah, it’s just me and my mom. My Dad passed away when I was 11 from Leukemia.”

“I’m so sorry, Sav, I had no idea,” Tyler said softly.

“That must have been really hard,” Josh chimed in. He looked up at me with his large chocolate eyes and I found myself getting lost in them.

“It’s okay, it was such a long time ago but I still have those days where I miss him a lot.” I looked down at my plate, not wanting to be caught staring into Josh’s eyes. I don’t know what it is about him, but he just mesmerizes me when I look at him.

“Let’s change the subject to something happier! You graduated college right?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, from Portland State University! I majored in Psychology but I can’t really do anything with that degree unless I go back to school for a masters program which is why I am hoping to make extra money from the photography job I found.”

“You already have a photography job?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah! I had an interview about a month ago, and I just found out last week I was hired!”

“What is it exactly?” Mark questioned. He was a videographer himself so he was also familiar with cameras. I was actually hoping he could give me some camera tips.

“I’m working with the Olentangy Local School District with photographing their sporting events!”

“That’s where my Mom worked!” Tyler laughed.

“Just sporting events?” Josh looked up from his meal with his left eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, why?”

“What about the band? Theatre? Choir? The arts?”

“That’s true,” Tyler agreed.

“The sports are just more important I guess,” I shrugged and smirked over at Josh. “Plus I don’t get to choose what I photograph.”

“I think that’s exciting! I knew you liked to take pictures but I didn’t realize you were a photographer,” Mark announced.

“I wouldn’t call me a photographer, but thank you!”

“Can we see some of the photos that you have taken?” Josh asked. I was surprised that he wanted to see them out of all the boys, but it made me excited.

“Sure, I have some of my favorites saved on my phone.” I pulled out my phone and opened it up to the album titles ‘favs’. I clicked on the first photo, which happened to be of the sunset at a beach with a couple holding hands. I handed my phone over to Josh and Tyler and Mark were quick to look over his shoulder.

“Sav, these are amazing!” Mark said.

I smiled, “Thank you!” It means a lot coming from Mark since he was really into cameras and all that sort of stuff. I still consider myself to be new to the photography world.

“Yeah, you’re super talented,” Josh whispered as he handed me the phone back. His fingers brushed against mine as I grabbed my phone. I quickly shoved my phone back into my sweatshirt pocket and looked away. A shiver ran down my spine.

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

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper

#ks youau wc #tyler joseph #josh dun #twenty one pilots #tyler joseph fanfic #josh dun fanfic #twenty one pilots fanfic #tyer joseph fanfiction #josh dun fanfiction #twenty one pilots fanfiction #twenty one pilots fic #tøp fanfiction #tøp fanfic #new roommates #beanfic #josh dun fluff #josh dun angst

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justlostinautumn · 5 years ago

Text

Playing House 8

Clint Barton x OC (Alexandra Knight)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Fury calls in help on a long hall mission that requires Clint to play house with someone he doesn’t know and has never met. Alexandra likes to work alone and isn’t one to play well with others. Nick and Alex have a past together and now Nick is asking his old friend to help out with the monitoring and infiltration of some HYDRA agents. But, not everything is as simple as it seems. Nick isn’t the only old friend Alex has on the team.

I woke up to the feeling of Clint holding me close, even after everything he saw yesterday he still wanted me. I picked up my phone and saw that it was almost 3am, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep so I managed to disentangle myself from Clint and crept out the room. I notice I was back in one of his shirts and panties, I tiptoe back into the room and snatch my bra a slip it on under the shirt and I sneak down the hall.

“FRIDAY?” I look up.

“Yes, miss.” The AI responds.

“Is anyone up?” I sigh trying to figure out where everyone is.

“Mr Barnes is in the gym do you want me to tell him you are looking for someone?” The Ai asked.

“No!” I whisper shout. “Can I access the roof?”

“Yes, miss.” She confirms.

“Thank you.” I smile.

“You are very welcome.” I can hear the smile in the AI’s voice, I will have to congratulate Stark on his brilliant AI.

Once I got to the roof I sat there and looked out to the city watching it lighten as the sun began to rise. By 6am I realised yesterday could have been worse, they could have pinned me down and thrown me in a cell in the raft or worse. I decided I wanted food so I headed down to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets pulling out ingredients for pancakes, fruit salad and waffles. Making the batters for both the Waffles and Pancakes, I decide it’s been a while since I have baked and found the stuff for a chocolate cake, victoria sponge and coffee and walnut cake.

I loved baking because it kept my mind on track, kept my focus as I let the batter rise in the fridge and I put the last of the cake batter in the tin and into the oven I notice it is about 8am and I get to work quickly cutting up the fruit. All while doing this I was singing Dreams by The Cranberries, You Will Be Found from the play Dear Evan Hansen, Woke Up Late by Drax Project and many more, dancing around the kitchen.

“Do you think she knows we’ve been watching her for the last hour?” Sam asked.

“Yes.” Bucky and Nat said together.

“Pancakes or Waffles?” I ask looking over my shoulder and smirking at them.

“I thought Fury told you about being considerate of others?” Clint smirks at me.

“I put a bra on.” I smile at him batting my eyes and I can see him soften.

“I don’t think that’s what he meant Princess.” Nat cooed at me.

“Oh well! He’s not here.” I smile at Nat.

“Whos not here?” Nick asked as he walked in.

“Give me your shorts!” I point the spatula at Nat and she laughs.

“Kitten,” Clint calls and throws a pair of my gym shorts at me and I slip them on quickly.

“Nice to see you clothed,” Nick smirks at me.

“Are you doing unannounced drop-ins to make sure I am clothed at all times?” I turn around and put my focus on the pancakes and waffles which are stacking up.

“Maybe.” He laughs and I knew he was. He was worried I would distract them enough so I can slip out and disappear, yesterday must have thrown him. I put breakfast on the table with a pot of tea and coffee and I lean against the counter with an apple and coffee in each hand.

“I’m not going to disappear this time. Stop frowning you might actually start ageing.” I stare him down and he looks surprised.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave.” Nick looked at me like a wounded puppy.

“Are you giving me an out?” I tilt my head and frown. I notice that Nat and Bucky stiffen in their seats with looks of worry and sadness on their faces and Clint is now stood next to me with his arms wrapping around my waist.

“Yes.” Nick nodded and several hisses are heard in the room.

“I had time to think about it Nick, if I was going to disappear I would have left this morning at 3am when I was on your roof.” I pull out of Clint's arms and bent over to take out the cakes from the oven and let them cool on the rack, preparing the icing to go on each one.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know, I normally do it to the point that I can do it without thinking... it was apart of my training. If I couldn’t do it they punished me and then I kept doing it until I did it without error. I still work that way minus the punishments for mistakes.” I smile at Tony as he looked shocked I was so open.

“Why be open now?” Steve was curious.

“Because you’ve seen me at my worse and you sat and ate the breakfast I made you.” I raised an eyebrow at them.

“Poisoning doesn’t seem like a you kinda thing to do,” Sam spoke up and Nat and Bucky gulped.

“You clearly don’t know me, but I didn’t poison the food there would be no guarantee I could keep the ones I care about alive.” I shrug.

“Then why not eat the pancakes?” Peter was nervous.

“Because I wanted some cake.” I look at him like it is obvious.

“You know you can have both.” Clint brushes some of the hair from my face.

“Overindulgence makes you spoilt if you are left wanting something you’ll work harder for it.” I smile at him.

“You're not going to have a slice of cake?” Clint frowned.

“Delayed gratification, it can drive you to do your best. Think of something you really want and hold back until you achieve your goal. It’ll make it so much more rewarding, love!” I smile my lips brushing his as I talk and I pull back and walk out of the kitchen leaving perfectly iced and decorated cakes.

I changed into some gym clothes and I walked through the kitchen they noticed the bag and Nick knew what I was about to do.

“What you doing?” Steve asked as he watched me walk to the lift.

“Training.” I simply said stepping into the lift, the lift went down to one of the training rooms and I knew I had Marcus to thank when I walked into the room with all my beloved equipment. There were mats for sparring and tumbling, a range of gymnastic equipment, usual gym equipment, punching bags and my favourite things aerial silks. I drop her bag and walk over to the material to get a feel of it and it’s soft and water-like, it is purple in colour and I smirk.

I hear the ding of the lift indicating they have made it to the training floor and their heavy footfalls sound down the hall as they run in my direction. My lycra shorts and sports bra allowed me maximum movement. I walk to the mats and started to stretch ignoring the prying eyes, after loosening up my muscles I opt to work on my dancing form. Walking to my bag I pull out a pair of well-loved point shoes and strap them up my calfs flexing my foot once on I test out the feeling by going onto my toes and I sigh, it’s almost like relieving in a strange way. Going to my phone I put on Can You Hold Me and let the music take me away.

I forgot about the world and I just let my body move on its own, I didn’t have to think about where I needed to move next. I had done this so many times I didn’t have to do anything. I felt a hand grab me and I opened my eyes to see Bucky and he spun me continuously around him. I spun away and I nodded at him and ran at him and he grabbed my waist and lifted me above his head and spun us around bringing me back to the floor where I finished the dance opposite him slightly bent down in a bow. I looked up from my lashes as the song began again. He smirked at me and I shake my head walking over to the silks, I peel off my slippers and wrap my foot at the bottom and climb up and start my dance with the silks. Gasps are heard from below as I spin down and am left hanging upside down arching around the room in a slow circle. I pull myself up and unwrap myself from the rest of the silks and slid down until I land on the floor softly.

“That’s new,” Bucky smirks.

“Well, Barnes I didn’t have someone to jive with.” I laugh as I pull on my trainers.

“You can jive?” Tony looked shocked.

“Oh yeah he can, but maybe next time.” I laugh patting his chest and I look over to Clint.

“But, we wanna see Barnes dance.” Sam pouted and I laughed.

“I’d love to see if he can still move, but I need to see how Clint moves,” I smirk at him.

“He has two left feet.” Nat giggled and Clint gives her a dirty look and I laugh.

“We can work on that, but I’m thinking more combative.” I walk over to my bag and pull out two blades and unsheath them and spin them in my hands.

“Are those...” Bucky started.

“Had them since I was eighteen, parents gave them to me.” I inspect the blade, it was the first Vibranium weapon I was given. It was a gift from Wakanda to my parents a peace offering they were more than happy to take.

“How? They are Vibranium.” Tony looked at them in amazement.

“Wakanda wanted nothing to do with Project Zero and what it would bring so they made a deal with my parents. It’s how I know T’Challa and Shuri so well, I helped train them when they were younger and still to this day.” I smile at the fond memories I have with them.

Jailhouse rock starts to play and I laugh and look over to a smirking Natasha. I shake my head and continue playing with my swords.

“I may be passible with swords but I am not going up against you with those,” Clint spoke up I put them down and walked over to him patting him and then over to Nat taking my phone and put HandClap on.

“Don’t worry you have your own.” I pulled a bag out of a cabinet and threw it to him. He pulled out the swords and spun them in his hands.

“I could get used to this,” Clint smirks.

“Hang around with me more often you’ll get all the good toys.” I laugh as I bring my sword down quickly and he was just fast enough to block me.

“That was rude.” Clint pouted.

“Sorry, did you want me to announce I was going to attack you because I hope you know the enemy won’t” I smirk at him leaning in and putting more weight on the blade he brings the other one forward in a stabbing motion and I deflect it. I pull back as I feel him lean more weight on the blade and I sidestep pulling my blade away and allow him to stumble forward.

“Does anyone ever win against you?” Clint asked.

“I don’t remember the last time I lost a fight,” I smirk at him raising both eyebrows.

“I think you need to be knocked down a peg or two Kitty.” Bucky laughed from behind me.

“If you join Barnes, I will still whop both your asses. I may even let Tasha join in.” I laugh and I can sense Bucky’s hesitation.

“Two on two after you test Barton’s abilities with a blade,” Nick shouts and I can help but laugh.

“Bring it, Barton! I may even let you be on my team to beat both Barnes and Romanoff!” I smile at him and he laughs. He brings it that is for sure his movements more precise and fierce, he definitely knows his way around the swords. Against anyone else, I am sure he would win but I manage to disarm him and have in a hold that would ensure his guts would be on the floor and his throat would be slit.

“I’m impressed, Barton.” Marcus clapped.

“I don’t think she’s had a work out like that in a long time.” Nick laughed as I sheathed the two blades and gulped down some water. They were right this was the first time in a long time someone really pushed me to be better... well besides Barnes.

“So... I passed.” Clint looked at me hopefully.

“Yeah, you did amazingly. To be honest, better than I thought you would have Darling.” I smile at him as I walk over to him with some water and pass it to him.

“What else do you wanna see Kitten?” Clint smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smirk and bite my lip as I racked my eyes over him and hum.

“I’m warning you now.” Nick’s tone was serious and I looked over at him with Puppy dog eyes.

“I want to see everything you can give me.” I look up at Clint through my lashes and he grabs my hips dropping the bottle and pulling me close and growling in my ear.

“Behave Kitten.” He nipped at my earlobe.

“But this is more fun,” I whine as he pulls away.

“Nick and Marcus look ready to lock you in a room until the mission.” Clint laughs and I look at Nick and Marcus stern faces. I then look over to the Team who looked uncomfortable other than Bucky and Nat who was smirking and a plan formed in my head.

“Okay.” I shrug walking away from Clint and over to the team. I walk over to Nat and Bucky and take each of their hands.

“What are you doing?” Clint growled.

“Going to have some fun,” I smirked at him.

“You’re mine,” Clint states firmly and I can’t help the giggle that escapes my lips.

“Nick said I couldn’t kiss, nothing about anything else.” I knew I was grinning, I heard the gasps of the other Avengers and felt the hands of Bucky and Nat on my body.

“Hands off,” Clint growled and pointed at the two with one of his blades and I couldn’t help but smirk. I felt the firm grip of Bucky’s metal arm shift me behind him and I knew what was happening and the smirk dropped.

“Stop!” I growled loudly, Bucky froze and everyone looked at him even Clint stopped.

“Threat,” Bucky growled.

“No. We are okay, I promise. Clint, is a friend remember, he’s Bird Brain or is that Sam?” I tilt my head looking at him and see him relax.

“That’s Sam.” Bucky grits out taking a deep breath.

“Soldat, you need to stand down... please.” I rest my head against his chest and feel him hug me.

“I don’t know what happened. It’s just the whole thing triggered something.” Bucky squeezed me and I let out a shaky laugh realising what he was talking about.

“A memory. It triggered a memory, I didn’t think that would happen. I am sorry.” I pulled back and looked at Buck and everyone else dropping my head and walking out the room and get into the lift.

“Where to?” FRIDAY asked.

“The roof, please don’t tell them where I am,” I speak softly feeling guilt wrap itself around me.

“Yes, Miss.” FRIDAY answers.

“FRIDAY please call me Alex.” I look at the ceiling.

“Okay, Alex.” I smile and nod.

Once we get to the roof I walk to the edge and sit down and look out to the busy city. The memory of Bucky protecting me flashes to my mind, I knew he would ask questions... questions like why did he protect me? Who was it from? When? I didn’t want to think about it let alone have an audience when telling him.

“I didn’t think that would happen.” I sigh as Clint comes and sits next to me, I knew they would figure it out where I ran to.

“We know.” He looks out on the New York skyline with me.

“I’m not going to talk about it, if that’s why you are here you may as well leave.” My voice is cold.

“Will you tell Bucky?” Clint looks at me I can feel his eyes on me, as well as the rest of the Team. I knew Nick, Marcus and Maria was here too.

“I don’t even think I could tell my own reflection.” I finally look at him and he sees the brokenness in me.

“It can’t be that bad.” Clint goes to touch me and I flinch back losing balance and fall backwards away from the ledge and I stand up quickly.

“I may have said my parents were worse than HYDRA, but I meant in what they made me do. What HYDRA did to me was worse than anything my parents would ever dream of doing to me.” I growl at him.

“What did they do?” Clint growled I could see his rage at the thought of them doing something to me.

“You can’t make me talk about it,” I shout at him and turn my back to him and I was faced with Bucky and I couldn’t stop the tears as the memories flash in my mind.

“Kitty...” He spoke softly.

“Please don’t make me.” I sniffed and shook my head. I turned when I heard Clint heading my way and he wrapped his arms around me and I let go and sobs wracked my body.

#playing house #the avengers #the avengers x reader #the avengers imagine #the avengers x oc #avengers imagine #avengers #avengers x reader #clint barton #clint barton imagine #clint barton x ofc #clint barton x reader #hawkeye #hawkeye imagine #hawkeye x reader #hawkeye x oc #marvel imagine #marvel

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