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hopelesshunny · 3 years

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the love languages part ii: physical touch (f.w.)

pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader

summary: fred has always felt the need to touch y/n and after a drunken night he realizes he can't sleep without her.

warnings: very, very light profanity, drinking/underage drinking, kissing, bed sharing.

word count: 2.4k

a/n: my second instalment is here - i did in fact say i would wait until monday but i was really excited to write this one!! i am so grateful for all the love i have received on this series so far, i cannot thank you guys enough. i still feel like i have a ways to go in improving my writing - but as always my ask is open if you have comments, questions, concerns, luv or just wanna chat:)

*all photos are from pinterest*

series masterlist // part i // part iii // part iv

For as long as Y/N had known Fred he had always been touchy. Fred’s need to constantly touch her was never unwelcomed, she relished in the way he’d wrap an arm around her shoulders when he’d walk her to class or how he’d lean into her when he laughed uncontrollably. However, she had always assumed that he was like this with everyone he was friends with, that he just needed to touch people in some way in order to feel close to them. This was very true but Y/N never knew that it was her touch that he craved the most, that as soon as he saw her, he longed to feel the soft skin of her cheek, the way her shoulders shook when she laughed or the rise and fall of her chest while he laid on her stomach in the common room, gentle sighs leaving her mouth every so often.

Fred couldn’t count on two hands the amount of times he almost told Y/N his feelings for her, the words sat on his tongue so often that he was starting to believe that they felt more comfortable in his mouth which is why they never launched themselves into the air. He didn’t know why he couldn’t force the confession out, there was always just a cloud of doubt and fear that swarmed his mind whenever the thought presented itself. But alas, here he was sitting across from her watching her flip her hair over her shoulder and let out a light laugh as she found whatever George was saying quite amusing.

“Y/N! You have to come, you literally can’t miss a party like this!” George practically shouted, a shocked look on his face.

“I’m so behind on my studies.” Y/N started, resting her chin on her hands. “I’ll be practically chained to the library all weekend as is, I can’t go to a party.”

“Y-You’re not coming tonight?” Fred questioned, his eyes hopeful as if he had heard the conversation wrong.

“Sorry Freddie.” She pouted. “You can tell me all about it at breakfast tomorrow.” At that Fred reached across the table to run his finger across her knuckles, relishing in the way her skin felt under his calloused fingertip, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to how they would feel against his lips. However, he was pulled out of his daydream by the sound of George making gagging noises to the side of him as Y/N giggled.

“In that case I’ll have to drink a little extra.” He threw a wink her way. “To make sure I don’t bore you back to sleep tomorrow morning.”

“You never bore me, Trouble.” She smiled before saying her goodbyes to the rest of the table and making her way to the library. The nickname brought a gentle smile to his face, it was the first thing she’d ever called him. During her first year Y/N had been studying in the common room when the twins busteled in, laughing and hollering about another successful prank. When she asked what they were so excited about, the two boys were more than happy to explain, Fred wildly acting out the look on Snape’s face before George asked her name and introduced himself in response. Before Fred even had the chance to open his mouth to follow suit she stopped him.

“You sound like trouble, that’s what I’ll call you.”

George laughed at his twins new-found nickname but it made Fred’s heart swell - the fact that she had specifically given him a special name, the smile on her face when she said it and the way she never left their side since that day, produced a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. Now, here he was, years later, with the same girl, same nickname, same smile and the same butterflies.

Fred kept his promise to Y/N, he was drunk, very, very drunk. He stumbled through the Gryffindor common room, his feet feeling like they were trying to carry him off in different directions until he finally found an armchair to ground himself with. Plopping himself down into the chair he looked out into the crowd of people, some laughing others whispering, couples hanging off each other, it made him miss Y/N. If she was here she’d be sitting next to him, his arm slung around her shoulder as she giggled over the way he slurred his words and she’d always made sure he got to bed safely before finding her way to her own room. Fred groaned as George sat in the chair across from him, pushing a glass of water towards him, causing his twin to chuckle at his annoyed state.

“At least you’ll have something funny to tell Y/N in the morning.” He laughed. “Tell her all about how your drunk ass could barely walk straight.” Fred leaned his head back on his neck.

“I should go see her.” He spoke quietly, just loud enough to convince himself of the idea but hopefully not loud enough for George to hear. He knew that his drunken state failed him however, when his brother quirked an eyebrow at him.

“And do what? Spill your guts?” George chuckled. “Either by finally telling her you’re bloody in love with her or literally?” This earned another groan from Fred as he shot daggers at him.

“That’s it.” Fred started, chugging the glass of water that was placed in front of him. “I’m going.”

“Best of luck mate.” George spoke as he watched Fred stumble his way through the crowd.

“Where’s he going?” Ron asked, suddenly appearing by his brother's side.

“On a death mission.” George responded.

Fred let out a sigh of relief when he finally made his way out of the common room and began the trek towards her dorm room. But his mind was running rampant, what if George was right? What if he was just better off going to bed? Maybe she wouldn’t want to see him, she was probably tired from studying all night and the last thing she wanted was him keeping her up. But despite his doubts his feet still carried him towards her, the walk was sobering, which he would need if he planned on getting a coherent sentence out when he finally made his way to her.

“Y/N?” He called softly when he opened her room door, trying his very best to keep quiet to not wake her roommates. He recognized her frame immediately, bundled under bed sheets, her hair messy and lips slightly parted. He stood over her, watching the way her chest rose and fell as soft breathes left her mouth. “Y/N.” He spoke again, shoving his hands in his pockets, fearing her reaction to his sudden visit. Her eyes shot open but when they found his, her face softened, a small smile forming.

“You scared me, Trouble.” She laughed lightly. “Are you okay?” She asked, the concern that laced her voice made him have to restrain from kissing every square inch of her face.

“I’m okay, just a little drunk.” He hiccuped, his response earning a bright smile from her as she scooted to the side and patted the bed, signially for him to sit next to her. He graciously accepted her offer, his hand immediately finding her knee, needing to touch her. She leaned into his touch as he slurred on about how Ron tried to flirt with Hermione but failed miserably and how red Harry turned when George dared him to kiss Ginny. Neither of them could remember falling asleep, they were too caught up in each other's whispered stories and soft giggles.

When Fred woke the next morning, his head pounding, his legs feeling as if they had carried him across the entire country, he looked down to find his best friend fast asleep on his chest. Y/N’s arms were wrapped tightly around his middle with his hand tangled in her hair as she shifted slightly on top of him. He felt like he should panic and apologize for last night’s antics but she looked so peaceful and he was so close to her that he couldn’t bring himself to worry about barging into her room at who knows what time.

“Mornin’ Trouble.” She spoke, her voice groggy and flooded with sleep. “How are you feeling?” She asked genuinely, pulling herself from his embrace to stretch her arms above her head, making him curse himself for ever moving and waking her.

“I’ve been much better.” He groaned, sliding his hands down his face. “Guess I don’t have to fill you in on last night's events at breakfast anymore.”

“No, you did a sufficient job of that last night.” She giggled. “But we can still go to breakfast, you need to eat something.” Y/N pulled him out of her bed, still fully clothed in what he was wearing the night before.

He grumbled his way through breakfast as George and Ron cracked jokes about how drunk and lovesick he was, Fred throwing warning looks their way as Y/N laughed seeming unbothered by the way they were pulling her into they’re jokes, taking it all as a way to poke fun at Fred. But his head was still swimming, the feeling of her weight on top of him and her hands pressed against his chest, all he wanted was to be back in that position again. He couldn’t get it out of his head for the rest of the day and no matter how many times he attempted to distract himself from her that night as he lied in bed his mind kept travelling back to Y/N. He lay awake staring at the ceiling thinking about how empty his arms felt without her in them - she was addicting, he had always known that, since the moment he met her he had not been able to pull himself away from her. But now he was in too deep, he needed to be there with her.

So, here he was, in his pyjamas, on his way to her dorm room once again, all shame and guilt left long behind, just needing to be near her. Fred padded into her room, his hands rooted in his pockets once again, fully expecting to have to wake her just as he did the night before. But she was wide awake, sitting on her bed, a novel clasped in her fingers, a smile forming on her face when he came into her line of vision.

“Did you miss me?” She teased, as he ran a hand through his hair, rocking on his heels.

“Can’t sleep.” He mumbled. “Was wondering if you were still up.” He said, offering her a grin.

“Well then Trouble, you’re in luck.” She smirked, moving to allow space for him to lie next to her. Fred laid his head in her lap as she turned her attention back to the book in her hand while the other snaked its way into his hair. All the trouble sleeping that had been previously plaguing him melted away with her nails lightly scratching his scalp.

Over the course of the next week Fred and Y/N fell into this routine, he would lay away in his bed before eventually giving into the knowledge that he could not sleep without her any longer before he would make his way to her room, crawl into bed beside her and fall into the soundest sleep that has ever graced him. In the beginning, he was apprehensive, worried that she would reject him at some point and tell him that she wanted to sleep alone. But she never did, every night she shot him a warm smile and opened her arms to him. As the week went on his worries morphed themselves into something new however, he was no longer concerned about her rejecting his company but that she would instead reject his feelings for her. That she would eventually realize that he was in love with her and tell him that she never felt that way about him and was just trying to be a good friend.

“I don’t think I can sleep without you anymore.” Fred spoke into the darkness of the room, his voice audibly shaking, the silence that filled the space causing his stomach to turn.

“Mhmm.” Y/N started, tightening her grasp on him. “I can’t complain, you’re a great pillow.” He let out a light laugh, rubbing small circles in her back.

“It’s true.” He spoke, more seriously. “I haven’t been able to sleep at all lately, but as soon as I get into your bed, I’m out.” She sighed. “They must have better beds in the girls dorms.” He added, which earned a giggle from her.

“I don’t know about the quality of the beds, maybe it’s who's in it.” She spoke, her voice quiet as she bit her lip now regretting her sudden burst of confidence. Fred was silent for a moment before he spoke, a deep breath filling his lungs before he had the nerve to confess to her.

“I always thought that the reason I always had to touch you was because I liked to feel close to people. But it’s different with you.” He shifted to look at her. “I need to touch you, need to feel your skin. Fuck Y/N, I just want to hold your hand in front of everybody and kiss you in between classes and fall asleep next to you every night.” He searched her face looking for any sense of emotion but all he could find was her typical soft smile. “It’s just that I-I-” He started.

“I love you too Fred.” She cut him off, placing her palm against his cheek, he turned into her touch despite the shock that was lacing his features.

“You what?” He said, a giggle falling from her mouth as she clasped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to save him some pride.

“The first night you came to my room, after you left the party, you kept saying you loved me in your sleep.” He groaned at her confession. “I was worried it was just drunk babbles but-”

“But I do love you.” He finished. “I’ve loved you for years.”

“I love you too, Trouble.” She giggled, placing a long awaited kiss to his lips.

taglist (join here!!)

@onlyfreds @fandomhideout @lilypad-55449 @youngblood199456 @thanxxskz

#fred #fred weasley #fred weasly x reader #fred wealsey fic #fred weasley one shot #fred weasley series #fred weasley x y/n #fred weasley x you #fred weasley fluff #hp fic #hp

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disneymiraculousefandomsblog · 3 years

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Hey everyone! So i have been really wanting to write a one shot of Tadashi and Hiro having a bonding moment since we didn’t get to see much of it in the movie or series.

So i decided to write about the time Tadashi taught Hiro how to ride his first bike, just like the first scene we say in the Series. Hiro is 7 and still in school in this timeline, plus I think it would be a super wholesome scene that we really needed to see in the show, but I’ll let you all decide.

This my first time I’ve ever written a BH6 Fic so I apologize if the characters are “out of character”. Ive never written Baymax or Hiro so i do apologize if its not exactly how their characters are in the show. anyway Enjoy!

Bike Day

It was a beautiful day in San Fransocyo, Tadashi was happy that it was the weekend. He had been working hard on a special project at school, that he missed spending time with his little Brother Hiro.

“Hey Little Bro! Time to get up sleepy head.” Tadashi said waking up his little brother.

“Tadashi, it’s Saturday and it’s 7:00am, we sleep in remember.” Hiro moaned sleepingly.

“Come on, we can’t get anything done if your asleep. Plus Aunt Cass and I have a surprise for you, but we can’t give it to you if your asleep.” Tadashi said turning around to leave gazing back at Hiro.

“Wait you said a surprise!” Hiro said excited shooting up from his bed.

“Yeah, but your not ready. So i guess I’ll just have to return it, what a shame.” Tadashi said giving a sad pout.

“No, No, I’m up!” Hiro said putting his shoes on.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Hiro said walking towards his brother.

“Alright, Aunt Cass said we have to eat Breakfast first.” Tadashi said ruffling his hair.

Hiro let’s out a small laugh “Okay, but can i get my surprise after?” Hiro asked fixing his hair.

“Yes, but you know Aunt Cass requires us to eat breakfast before we start the day heh.” Tadashi said with a chuckle.

“Okay.” Hiro answered walking down the stairs.

Tadashi and Hiro walked to the dinning room of the cafe and saw Aunt Cass cooking.

“Good Morning Aunt Cass!” Hiro and Tadashi said in unison.

“Good Morning Boys!” Aunt Cass said giving them a big hug.

“Take a seat, Breakfast is ready.” Aunt Cass said putting the Pancakes, Eggs, and bacon on the plates and putting it on the table.

“Thanks Aunt Cass.” Hiro said his Aunt.

“Yes thanks Aunt Cass, It’s delicious.” Tadashi complimented.

“Aww thank you! You two are so sweet!” Cass said with a thankful smile.

“Ohh did you tell Hiro about his surprise yet?” Cass asked Tadashi.

“Not yet Aunt Cass” Tadashi answered.

“Ooh I’m so Excited! Hiro i know you’ll love it!” Aunt Cass said picking up a few plates.

Hiro began to think what this special surprise was as he continued to eat his breakfast “I wonder what it could be, it could have been anything. A new video game, or some cool machine his brother invented just for him, or it could even be something I’ve been wanting for a long time, a bike.” Hiro thought to himself.

After a few moments Hiro began to eat a bit faster, Tadashi began to notice Hiro eating faster than he usually did.

“Whoa Hiro slow down, you keep eating like that and your going to get a stomach ache.” Tadashi said finishing his breakfast.

“I just really want to know what my surprise is?” Hiro answered finishing the last bit of food on his plate. Tadashi let out a small chuckle as he saw his brother finish his breakfast. He began to pick up his plate when he heard Hiro “I’m done! Can i go see my surprise now?!” Hiro asked excitedly.

Hiro noticed his excitement and composed himself, “I mean, I’d like to see my surprise now if i can? Not that I’m super excited or anything” Hiro said with a grunt.

Tadashi let out a small chuckle as his brother tried to act cool “Alright Hiro, but pick up your plate and put it in the sink.” Tadashi said putting his plate in the sink.

Hiro nodded and picked up his plate, he made his way to the sink but was to short to reach it. “A-almost g-got i-it..” Hiro grunted trying to reach the sink by stepping on his tippy toes.

“Here let me help” Tadashi said picking up his brother and putting him on his shoulders.

Hiro let out a small laugh as his brother picked him up and put him on his shoulders. He gently put the plate in the sink, “Thanks Tadashi” Hiro said.

“No problem bro, now you ready to see your surprise?” Tadashi asked holding onto his brothers legs making sure he doesn’t fall.

“Yes!” Hiro said excitedly.

“Alright lets go!” Tadashi said as he began to bounce up and down and moving side to side making airplane sounds as he took Hiro outside.

Hiro laughed and wrapped his arms around his brothers neck making sure he didn’t fall as his brother took him outside. Aunt Cass smiled as she saw her two nephews having fun, she knew it was hard for them to adjust to this new life when their parents died. Aunt Cass grabbed her camera and began to follow the boys outside when she passed the hallway and stopped in her tracks and turned to the side of the wall to see a picture of her sister and her nephews together. “If only you could see how much they have grown, you would be so proud of them. Especially Tadashi, he’s always there looking out for Hiro.” Cass said with a sigh gazing at the portrait. Aunt Cass turned back looking forward and saw Tadashi and Hiro opening the door, she looked back at the portrait once more and smiled as she began to walk to the door.

Hiro and Tadashi made it outside “Alright little bro, you ready?” Tadashi asked as he gently put his brother down.

“Yes!” Hiro answered.

“Okay I’ll be right back” Tadashi said as he went to the back of the house.

Aunt Cass came outside and stood next to Hiro “I think your really going to like your gift Hiro” Aunt Cass said with a smile.

“Really? Is it something I’ve been wanting like a new video game or a bike?” Hiro asked curiously.

“Well you got one of them right, but I’ll let you see for yourself” Aunt Cass said with a smile.

Hiro smiled back and stood close to his aunt as they waited for Tadashi.

Tadashi opened the garage and saw the present Aunt Cass and he bought for Hiro covered with a tarp.

“There you are!” Tadashi said as he grabbed the bike and rolled it out with the cover still on.

After a few moments Hiro and Aunt Cass saw Tadashi coming with a weird shaped present that looked familiar to Hiro “Ta Da!” Tadashi said as he pulled the cover off revealing a white bike.

Hiro’s eyes widen with excitement as he see the bike in front if him “It’s a bike! Wow thank you Aunt Cass!” Hiro said giving his Aunt Cass a hug.

Aunt Cass smiled and returns the hug, “What do you think Hiro? Do you like it?” Aunt Cass asked gently pulling away.

“I love it!” Hiro answered excitedly.

“Come on, stand next to your brother and the bike so I can take a picture” Aunt Cass said as she ready her camera.

Hiro stood next to his brother and smiled looking at the camera, “Say Cheese you two!” Aunt Cass said as she put the camera close to her face.

“Cheese!” Hiro and Tadashi said in unison as Aunt Cass took the picture.

“Perfect!” Aunt Cass said.

Tadashi looked at Hiro “You ready to get your first bike lesson?” Tadashi asked as he ruffled his hair.

Hiro let out a small laugh and playfully moved his brothers hand and fixed his hair, “Yes I’m ready, what do we do first?” Hiro asked.

“Well the first thing you need is your helmet and knee pads, Safety first.”Tadashi said putting the helmet on Hiro’s head.

Hiro closed the chin strap and began to put on his knee pads, Tadashi helped put on the last knee pad and stretch out his hand to help Hiro stand.

“You look cool bud.” Tadashi said playfully elbow bumping Hiro’s arm.

“Heh Thanks!” Hiro said with a smile. Hiro looked back at the bike and began to feel nervous, his mind began to flood with thoughts “What if i can’t do it? What if i fall and get hurt? Will i get made made fun of if I’m the only kid that doesn’t know how to ride a bike?” Hiro said getting lost in his thoughts.

Tadashi saw Hiro dazed and quiet “Hey you okay? What’s wrong?” Tadashi asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

Hiro snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his brother “I’m not sure I can do this Tadashi?” Hiro answered nervously.

“Why would you think that?” Tadashi asked confused

“I- what if i fall and hurt myself? Or what if I’m not good at riding a bike? I’ll get laughed at in school.” Hiro said with a sigh.

Tadashi took a moment to process what his brother just told him, after a few moments Tadashi went in front of Hiro and kneeled down to his level “Hey I know you’ll do great.” Tadashi said softly putting a hand on his little brother shoulder.

“Do you wanna know how i know?” Tadashi asked.

Hiro nodded.

“I know your going to do great because your a smart kid and no matter what problem or task comes your way, you don’t ever give up.” Tadashi said

Hiro gave a small smile at his brother, he was thankful to have a brother who loved and supported him. “You really think I can do this?” Hiro asked.

“I know you can.” Tadashi said with a soft smile.

Hiro sighed and gave his brother a hug, “Thanks Tadashi, i think I’m ready now.” Hiro said.

Tadashi retuned the hug, “Alright, will start off easy okay?” Tadashi said retuning the hug.

“Okay” Hiro said gently pulling away from the hug.

Tadashi gently picked Hiro up and put him on the bike, “Okay Hiro, all you have to do is grab the handles and put your feet on the pedals” Tadashi instructed.

Hiro followed his brothers instructions and grab the handles and put his feet on the pedals “Wait!” Hiro said hesitantly and put his foot back on the ground.

“How will the bike stay balanced if my feet aren’t on the ground?” Hiro asked.

“The gravity is what helps the bike stay stable and upright, once you grabbed the handles you have to hold it straight so the bike doesn’t tilt or lean to the side while your trying to get it moving.” Tadashi explained.

I’ll be okay Hiro, I’m going to hold onto the bike while you put you feet on the peddles so you don’t fall. Then I’m going to need you to start peddling slowly while i push you to get wheels moving okay?” Tadashi asked with a tender tone.

“O-Okay” Hiro answered.

Tadashi held onto the bike as Hiro put both his feet on the pedals, “Alright Hiro, go ahead and start peddling slowly” Tadashi instructed.

Hiro did as his bother instructed and began to peddle as best as he could. It was hard at first, he had to put a lot of effort and strength to move the pedals. After a few seconds of peddling the bike began to move slowly “Haha! Tadashi look I’m doing it!”Hiro said excitedly as his brother held on to the bike while he peddled.

“Great Job Hiro! See told you there was nothing to be afraid of.” Tadashi said with a smile.

Tadashi helped Hiro practice riding his bike, they went around the block and rode around the cafe. After a few more tries Tadashi knew Hiro was ready to do it once his own. “Alright Hiro, I think your ready to do this ride on your own.” Tadashi said.

“You really think I’m ready? You think i can do this turn on my own?” Hiro asked.

“I know your ready, you can do this little bro!” Tadashi said encouragingly.

Hiro smiled and nodded “You’ll still be here though right? Like if i fall you’ll be here?” Hiro asked nervously.

“Hiro I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.” Tadashi said reassuringly.

“Thanks Tadashi, I think I’m ready” Hiro said with a smile.

Tadashi and Hiro did their fist bump and went back to the bike lessons. Hiro grabbed the handles and put his feet on the pedals as Tadashi held onto his brothers shoulders.

“Okay Hiro, I’m going to let you go now. You ready?” Tadashi asked

Hiro felt a little bit of fear rise up inside of him, “No, no, no, Tadashi, wait!” Hiro said fearfully as he felt Tadashi let go.

“Don’t be scared, little brother. Just pedal harder! You can do it!” Tadashi said cheering his brother on.

“Go, Hiro! Yeah! Woo-hoo!” Aunt Cass cheered as she recorded the whole thing.

“Yeah, yeah! You got it!” Tadashi said with a proud smile.

Hiro felt that fear he had disappear as he saw himself riding the bike all on his own. “Haha, yes! I’m doing it! I’m riding a bike!” Hiro laughed proudly as he went back to his brother giving him a hug.

“See, I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you Bro!” Tadashi said proudly returning the hug.

“Aww group hug!” Aunt Cass said as she hugged both of her nephews tight.

Hiro and Tadashi laughed and smiled embracing their Aunt Cass hug.

~8 years Later~

Hiro opened his eyes and sat up from his bed, He gazes at the bike that his brother had given him and hie eyes begin to glisten with tears as the memory floods his mind once more. Hiro walks over to the bike and puts a hand on one of the handles as the memory continues to play in his mind.

Baymax wakes up from his sleep mode when he hears Hiro getting up. He turns to see Hiro standing near his bike “Hiro is everything alright?” Baymax asked scanning him. My scan indicates high levels of sadness, what’s wrong?” Baymax asked walking over to him.

“Nothing Baymax, I was just.. remembering something that happened a long time ago” Hiro said wiping away a few tears from his eyes.

“Hiro, it is good to talk about your feelings, and if something is bothering you. Whether it be with a loved one or a close friend, it would help you feel better.” Baymax stated.

“Thanks Baymax, I guess i was just remembering the day Tadashi taught me to ride this bike.” Hiro said sniffing.

“I miss him Baymax, i wish he was still here with us.” Hiro sighed sadly.

“It is okay to morn and miss a loved one” Baymax said giving Hiro a hug.

Hiro felt tears fill his eyes as he returned the hug.

“Thanks Baymax” Hiro said with a sigh wiping his tears away.

“I know Tadashi would want me to keep going, I know he is still with me” Hiro said sniffing.

Hiro’s phone began to ring with a txt message, “Momakase just stole something from Krei Tech, meet us there.” ~Gogo

Hiro looked back up and looked at the bike once more, “Tadashi wanted to help people and that’s what were going to do Baymax.” Hiro said determinedly.

The End

I really hope you all enjoyed it? I know it’s probably not as best as my other stories but I really wanted to write a BH6 fic and I really wanted to see this scene in the show. Sorry If some of the txt or story is a bit rushed or random, it’s been sitting in my notes for like 5 months and I haven’t touched it till yesterday heh😅 Likes, Comments, Reblogs, and constructive criticism is most welcomed and encouraged✨ I love hearing feedback from you all, it makes my day better and makes us writers feel good that something we work hard on is appreciated by our readers✨💛

I also want to thank @whitecatindisguise for helping me with the idea of giving it a little of angst ending✨ I also want to thank @bighero6dreams for the idea of writing this fic because I love the brotherly relationship these two have and we definitely should have seen more of it✨ also big shoutout to @baymaksu because I’ve read their fics and it’s what inspired me to write my own BH6 fic☺️

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heyitsyn · 4 years

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Keeping Up With Seijoh Ep. 6

a/n: DKFJSLDKFSJ OMG YOU GUYS IVE LTR BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR SO LONG AACCKKK!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also, omg im screeching bc BAHAHAHA THERE IS GOING TO BE A SLIGHT PLOT TWIST YOU GUYS!!!!!

for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!

anon:

- Ever since yn got lost during a trip to another school, the team made the rule that she has to hold one of their hands. Its probably so small compared against the boys. She got lost cause babie saw a cat

SKDLFJLSDKFJ EWWWWWWWW IM SCREECHING IN DISGUST RIGHT NOW LIKE THATS SO DIS COS TANG OIKAWA TOORU LIKE LEAVE MY GUY ALONE!!!!!!! #LETMAKKILIVE

lmao yep this is really happening

okay so anyways

you guys know how seijoh is like known around the prefecture right?

and we all know that nekomata and old ukai are like besties so they were talking over the phone right

and nekomata was complaining that his players were already fed up with playing against the same people and they wanted to be challenged and wanted new exposure to other players and all that jazz

old ukai was cackling at the other side bc haha youre actually begging me to find you new teams now?

but anyways

theyre like besties forever so ofc old ukai would help

and by help, he turned to poor zaddy keishin and told him to look for teams that could be sent up to tokyo and play against nekoma

‘what?! im already busy and i dont have time to scout-’

‘YOU WATCH YOUR TONGUE BOY! I CREATED YOUR FATHER AND WITHOUT HIM, YOU WOULDNT BE HERE TODAY!’

‘BOLD OF YOU TO ASSUME I WANTED TO BE ALIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!’

family goals 😍😍😍

but keishin still listened to his grandfather and recommended seijoh as being the one to go as they are one of the hardest to beat opponents in the preferecture

but its more like he wants to hear about nekoma being destroyed by oikawa’s service aces and grovel at their feet since naoi always made fun of them saying country boys arent as good as city boys

LIKE PLEASE

anyways!!!!!!

nekomata got word of it and immediately phoned aoba johsai and talked to the coach

‘yes, i heard from an old friend of mine that you are quite strong’

nekomata praised, wanting and desperate to have them come up

‘and do you think your team is good enough to beat us?’

LMAO YESSSS GRANDPA IRIHATA!!! DRAG THEM KITTIES!!!!

WAIT NO THAT SOUNDS WRONG

but they settled on their disagreements and decided yep they were going to go up there and have a practice match

however

irihata and nekomata wanted their boys to be kept in the dark about who this team is as knowing them, they have sources to find them tapes of old plays

they wanted it to be a fair match

even the managers were being kept from it as they could easily be influenced by the players for that information

irihata walked into the gym and announced a team meeting to which they stopped

you sat down next to kyotani, who pulled you beside him and wrapped a protective arm around your waist

‘we have a practice match against a prominent team up in tokyo in 3 days. make sure you have your plays right and pat down as they are known to be quite an opponent’

the boys shouted a determined cheer and they all hussled back to practice

you were running around, tending to everyone with towels or medical tape

once you finally sat back down on the bench, you noticed your phone screen light up, indicating someone sent you a message

it was natsu

you swiped open and smiled softly at his picture

it a selfie of him in front of his school as you told him to send you a picture that he arrived safely

‘got here in one piece since im not ready to meet daddy satan yet’

i hate him you guys

after receiving news of his mother gaining custody of him, he cheered and was able to go back to tokyo without his father in the picture

lets just say,,, hes not nice

anyways

you were sad to let him go but you understood he missed his friends and his almost-boyfriend so you were able to say goodbye easily at the station

‘gross but im pretty sure katsuki would blow satan to smithereens’

‘hehe ;) he would’

‘N A S T Y’

you cringed but giggled and the team noticed so they tried hard to gain your attention back on them

‘aaa!!!!! y/n-chan!!! my leg!!!!’

‘i think i chopped off my finger!!!!’

‘my head snapped off my body!!!!!’

you rolled your eyes and placed your phone down before walking over to mattsun to help him snap his head back on his neck

finally, it was the day of the match

you were arranged to stay the night at tokyo to have a few practice matches with this unknown team

the team was arranged to meet at the train station at 9:45 since the train leaves at 10

you arrived the earliest to keep track of everyone and just because you were actually kinda excited

theres this weird feeling in your stomach that isn’t exactly bad but its,,, giddy

you sat on the bench, waiting for the team

they all started arriving one by one and you were doing a headcount for everyone but you were missing one

you checked your phone and you noticed he was getting late

it was already 9:54

you hate it when people are late to meeting time so you were slightly irritated

you dialed up your captain’s number and you stood up, pacing around

‘hello~~~~ y/n-cha-’

‘oikawa-san! do you know what time it is?! you were arranged to come here at specifically 9:45 but its 14 minutes passed that so where the hell are you? you better have a good excuse you piece of-’

‘aww y/n-chan oikawa-san is sorry’

someone whispered in your ear from behind and you flinched, surprised at the sudden person

oikawa wrapped an arm around your waist while his other hung up the call and you turned around, arms crossed while pouting at him

‘sorrysorrysorry!’

he apologized and you rolled your eyes

‘i swear, oikawa-san. if i find out it was because of your hair again-’

‘oi shittykawa! your sister just called me and you left the curling iron on, you stupid bastard!’

iwaizumi’s shout made oikawa sweat and pale

your eyes glinted dangerously

‘this is the last straw, oikawa-san’

you growled and he shot down to his knees and was about to start praying to you when the coach decided he had enough entertainment for the day and called everyone to gather around

‘heres your tickets. this train will get us there around lunch time so dont worry about getting hungry’

the shinkansen train had 2-person seating so everyone fought secretly amongst each other to sit next to you

literally, their private group chat was blowing up until early this morning at the shouts and yells of everyone caps locking their arguments as to why they deserve to sit next to you

the only one who didnt was mattsukawa issei

bc quite frankly, he didnt care who he sat next to and although it sounds nice to be next to you, he isnt exactly the comfiest to sleep on due to the obvious size difference

lmao like your head probably wouldnt reach his shoulders bruh

now youre not oblivious

or blind

so you noticed the glares of everyone as you all stood for the train to come

and you also noticed mattsun just standing there, bored, so you sneaked over to him, wrapping your arms around him

‘arent you excited, mattsun-san?’

he gasped quietly at your sudden appearance but he smirked

‘its nothing special. just another team that we’re going to beat’

you giggled at his confidence and you walked in front of him so you could properly be held by him

it was practically second nature now by the way he just opened his arms and you crashed into them, his own wrapping around your shoulders to hold you tight

‘i love your confidence so much mattsun-san’

he flushed red and furrowed his eyebrows, head turning to the side to hide the obvious effect you had on him

‘whats the point of playing when you cant be confident’

‘aaaa why are you looking away mattsun-san!!!’

lmao when the team saw you sitting next to mattsun, they all felt so betrayed like bruh

ltr kyo and iwa were about to go feral

oikawa was like ready to screech his ass off but one look from you made him shut up

‘i sincerely, really, truly hope youre just complaining about the seat hurting your flat ass, oikawa-san’

KDFJLSDKFJSDL Y/N NO STOP IT

it was kinda funny actually bc everyone was all pouting and sulky while you just have mattsun who’s smirking like ‘beat that’

SDKFJLSDKF I LOVE MATTSUN’S SMIRK LIKE PLEASE OMG

ofc he let you sit at the window bc you love window seats

like iwa, he also pulls up the arm barrier thingy and you shuffle closer to him and mattsun practically combusts

the ride isnt expected to be very long but you still found yourself sleeping during it

mattsun has his arm around your shoulder while your head is leaning against his peck man boobie

omg its so cute like he actually slides lower on the seat to help you reach his shoulder and hes slouching and back is hurting just for you

;’)

he was awake the whole time bc he couldnt sleep with his heart beating so hard it might rip out of his chest

ew thats kinda gorey

your hand was gripping his own and to pass time, he found himself fiddling with your fingers

an unknown smile appeared on his face at the obvious size difference between yours and his

a finger traced different and foreign shapes just to feel the softness of your hand and he combusts again when you unconsciously squeeze his hand

mattsun couldnt help but bring your linked hands up and kiss the back of yours

it was soft, gentle, and his lips lingered there for more than a second

then a sudden feeling of fatigue washed over him and he leaned his cheek against the top of your head

the last thing he remembers is the smell of your f/s (favorite smell) shampoo

then you guys arrived in tokyo

irihata had to personally wake you all up because even naoi fell asleep and everyone fell asleep

irihata gently shook mattsun awake and when the boy opened his eyes, the older man nodded over to your form

‘gently wake her up’

as if mattsun didnt already know

thats why he softly ran the pad of his thumb on your cheek that was exposed to the air

‘y/n~~’

he coos and your nose twitches, in between the border of dreams and reality

‘darling, wake up, baby bear’

FSDKLFJSDLKSDJKFJDSKLFJSDLFKSJDLF YOU GUYS I CANNNNTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also im listening to kataomoi by aimer so that kinda influences the ‘darling

his deep voice that surprisingly reaches a level of quietness made your eyes flutter

your whole face scrunched at suddenly being woken up but the sight of mattsun’s genuine smile made you mirror it and cuddle closer for an extra dose of warmth

‘hmm, is my baby tired?’

he teasingly whispers and you nodded, snuggling even further and he gently cups your face

his hold had made your cheeks squeeze slightly together and your pout increased the cute factor

‘nwoooo dont skweeze demmm’

you slurred and he chuckled

‘hai hai’

‘kwiss it better’

you demanded and he full on laughed before moving his hands to your jaws so he could plant many kisses on your cheeks

the repeated kisses tickled so you giggled and squirmed

‘aaaaaa mattsun-san it tickles!!!’

your playful protests forced him to stop and allow you to actually sit up

as usual, your hair was a bird’s nest and mattsun attempted to settle it out

‘hah, y/n-chan your hair is like another being itself’

he choked out and you pouted at him

‘so mean! mattsun-san is so mean! baba-san! rescue me!!’

yahaba was known in the team to be the one who fixed your hair and you trusted him the most with it

hearing his name being called, the pretty boy dashed towards you and mattsun’s seats

‘is senpai giving you trouble again? come, honey, come to baba-san’

mattsun gave him a look for the younger’s passive agressive tone

oikawa immediately dashed over right next to yahaba

‘oh? y/n-chan! oikawa-san is here!!’

iwa and kyo growled

‘SHUT UP SHITTYKAWA!’

meanwhile irihata and naoi were just done

they just wanted to get off the train like is that such a big favor?

finally!!!!

seijoh was able to actually make it to the city and ngl, despite living in sendai, you were actually overwhelmed by the bustling city of tokyo

there were people all over the place and many cars and you were being pushed around

it didnt help that it was ltr lunch hour and a flurry of business people just flooded out of their buildings

you unconsciously gripped your bag and focused on just not tripping over people so your eyes were trained on your feet

then in the corner of your eye, you saw a tiny animal that was in danger of being stepped on so you ofc had to go chase after it

you shouted at some people to watch out and to not step on it

but then it disappeared

the moment you looked up, everyone was gone

you panicked and your head was turning from side to side

‘MATTSUN-SAN?! IWA-SAN?! KYO-SAN?!’

you shouted but it seems your voice wasnt loud enough

GIRL YOU GOTTA MANIFEST THAT BULLHORN VOICE

worry and dread bubbled inside of you but you stopped, just trying to calm down and think

then you saw the flash of white again so you hurriedly ran after it, not knowing that you were straying away from the city and towards the suburbs

you noticed you were now lost at the less amount of feet walking and this wasnt the city and you were now away from the team

taking yoru eyes off of the cat, you looked around to confirm your fear and that gave the cat an opportunity to disappear again

yoo crookshanks

huffing a curse, you pulled your phone out of your bag and dialed each

your phone wasnt reaching the boys and no one was picking up

what the heck

you ended up at some quieter and less crowded spot

like a neighborhood

you contemplated calling natsu as he lived in tokyo but tokyo was a big city and you were at some neighborhood so its highly unlikely he would know where you are

so you just walked around, looking for a place to sit and think like a park

then you heard a distressed meow

you were just walking and hearing that loud cry of help made you stop and immediately follow the sound

‘kitty? kitty?’

you called out even though you knew fully well they didnt understand you

but the cat cried even louder and you heard another cat

it was less higher pitched and honestly, you just felt like there was another cat

as you looked around, you saw the same cat you followed after and it bobbed its head at you as if asking you to follow him

‘you want me to go with you?’

the cat blinked then turned around and started walking

‘okay then’

you took the time to inspect the actual color of the cat

it was dominantly white furred but it had multiple colored spots, mainly yellow and brown

you eventually ended up at a large tree with a cat shivering on the biggest branch

it was black and had some fur sticking out at the top of its head and it looked young so its probably a kitten

you tutted and reached out your hand but it recoiled, hissing at you

BOI SHE TRYING TO HELP YOU WHAT

‘hey, i want to help you’

you softly said and maybe youre just doctor dolittle?

bc it stopped hissing and started whining instead

‘kenma-san! i swear i saw it just now-’

a sudden foreign voice made the black haired cat hiss again and this time, even you were counted as a threat

the appearance by the corner of two boys made you glare at them

one was freakishly tall with grey hair and scary green eyes while the other was shorter and had bleached hair that grew out

they both wore running shorts and black shirts and they looked like they were on a run or something

then you had a thought

this guy was tall

he could help

‘hey! you!’

you waved and the boys stopped, eyes wide

they pointed to themselves and you nodded

‘yes, silly! especially the tall one!’

the other had a flash of a glare that disappeared almost immediately but the ‘tall one’ happily skipped over

‘oho, hello chibi-chan’

KDFJSLDFKSDJLFDKSJ YES IM CONDENSCENDING

you puffed your cheeks out in anger at the nickname but this was not the time

‘that kitty up there is stuck. and i cant help it because its scared. and its all the way up there’

you pointed and he nodded

‘i followed that cat here too but i needed someone else. thats why i brought kenma-san’

your eyes shifted to ‘kenma-san’ who was focused on the other cat who also stared back at his spot by the tree

hmmm, they look kinda similar

‘well! we need to help it,,,,,, grandpa-san!’

taken aback by the nickname, the tall guy gasped while the blonde boy choked out a sudden laugh and you giggled

‘GRANDPA?!’

‘yea. you know cus you have gray hair’

you reasoned and he was about to retort when he stopped himself

‘no. we have more important matters in hand. kenma-san, come stand on my shoulders. chibi, use my jacket to catch it if it falls’

you scrambled to do your task but you heard kenma-san mumble

‘you cant tell me what to do’

‘oh hey! whats your name?’

you asked and the tall guy waved

‘im lev. haiba lev. first year’

‘kozume,,, kenma. im a second year’

‘oh! then nice to meet you! im l/n y/n!’

introductions had to be cut short as you all assembled

kenma wobbled while lev cringed at the obvious pain but they gritted their teeth and kenma lunged to grab the cat

but the cat jumped away, falling to the ground where it was caught safely by you

thankfully the jacket saved you from scratching but after a few soft whispers of reassurance, the kitty calmed down and it resulted in just shaking

‘its okay. we’re okay. i got you’

you were completely oblivious to the fact that kenma and lev were on the ground, bleeding after falling, or the shout at the distance

‘kenma! lev!’

‘Y/N-CHAN!’

you three turned to see two groups of boys coming from two directions

on the right had a guy with black hair similar looking to the cat on your arms

while the left had your familiar looking captain

‘oikawa-san!’

you shouted and he ran up, eyes wide with worry

‘where were you?! why did you run off?! you shouldn’t-’

he rambled but your eyes stopped at the appearance of your familiar pink-haired cousin

‘natsu?!’

you shrieked and he had an equally surprised expression

‘y/n?!’

he shouted

‘what-!’

he started but you beat him to it

‘why are you here?!’

you pointed to the people behind him

‘im,,, a manager. im a manager for my volleyball team’

‘volleyball,,,’

you trailed off

‘VOLLEYBALL?! NEKOMA?!’

you knew of your cousin’s school but you didnt think you guys would meet here

‘shes your cousin?’

someone piped up from the back and natsu nodded, still looking at you

‘oya? the apple doesnt fall far from the tree, then. hello gorgeous, the names kuroo tetsurou’

KSLDFJDSK I HATE THIS LIKE PLEASE HES JUST A NERD YET I WRITE HIM LIKE THIS I HATE MYSELF

‘HAH?! YOU BACK OFF!’

kyotani started but you caught him in time, holding him in your arms

‘nooo,, calm down, kyo-san’

natsu’s nose crinkled and his mouth curled

‘ugh, nice to see you too, brat’

‘BRAT?! YOU BASTARD!’

‘IM A THIRD YEAR, YOU BASTARD!’

kyotani was held back by oikawa and iwa while your cousin was with that kuroo guy and lev

you hurried back to the rest of the team and they each glared at you but they had an obvious expression of relief

‘do that again y/n-’

‘i know, makki-san. youll use a leash backpack’

lets just say its not,,, the first time youve been lost

‘new team rule. youre holding someone’s hand at all times. no matter what, always hold us’

yahaba scolded and watari nodded

meanwhile, mattsun grabbed your hand and gripped it tight

‘youre never leaving my sight again’

his tone was different from his usual playful and teasing voice

you knew he was very worried and that made you feel really guilty

‘im sorry’

you whispered and he pulled you to him, hugging you tightly

‘its okay. youre here right now and thats all that matters’

you nodded and you turned your head, leaning on his chest to watch oikawa yelling and shouting at this kuroo guy while your cousin and kyo were arguing and you chuckled

this was,,, chaos

‘dear god, you shouldve let me be lost for a few more hours’

you mumbled, smiling lightly when mattsun’s chest vibrated as he laughed

‘take me with you next time’

‘i will’

you hummed

‘Y/N-CHAN! YOU ARE NOT GOING NEAR THIS-THIS MONGREL!’

oikawa screeched, stomping his way over to you

you smirked

‘oi kuroo-san! lets hang out after the match!’

oikawa screamed

a/n: now that my nekoma manager is out, i can finally have a manager x manager interaction and uwuwuwuwu just wait until i finish the others and ill do that req anon sent in ;) if you sent it in, you know what im talking about ;)

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ifmywishescametrue · 3 years

Note

hnnng, could you please do either “you’re sick and you need to rest” or “you could’ve died” for stevetony? Worrying about an SO is a soft spot for me🥺

thank you for sending me this prompt! hope you like it :) (warning for mentions of torture, btw, but nothing graphic)

In that cave in Afghanistan, Tony keeps seeing flashes of things. Moments from life before all of this come to him in between the shocks of electricity when his head is forced underwater, while he’s sputtering and gasping for breath and can’t understand the words being screamed at him.

He sees Steve more than anything. Sees blue eyes and a bright smile and if he tries hard enough he can almost hear the laugh that comes with it. Sometimes it’s that first day again, with roaming hands and a rush to get off in the bathroom of some party he didn’t want to be at, followed by an easy grin and the promise to do that again sometime. He sees Steve on his couch surrounded by take out containers and the reassurance that absolutely none of it counted as a date. Morning pancakes that supposedly meant nothing, and Steve sneaking under the desk in his office. Pencil scratches on sketch pads that used to wake him up, cold feet pressed against his calves, his favorite muffins from that bakery downtown that used to just appear out of nowhere when he was having a bad day, and the way that Steve would never admit that it was him doing it.

It’s that last night he remembers the most. He can almost hear the words whispered in the dead of night and remembers the ones he held back, because Tony has never known how to be completely honest. He didn’t know how to say that this casual friends with benefits things was starting to feel less like friends and more like love, but when he lays down with his aching chest and bleeding fingers on the poor excuse for a cot at night, he wishes more than anything that he could have found the words before.

So he builds the suit and practices the right thing to say for when he makes it out. If he makes it out. If this ridiculous plan of his doesn’t result in him dying somewhere in the middle of the desert, just another body added to the pile of deaths he’s caused.

He almost doesn’t believe it when he lives. His knees hit the scorching sand, and Rhodey’s arms are right there, and still all he can think about is whether or not Steve mourned at all when they all thought he was dead.

In the plane, after the hospital at the army base and all the IV lines to fix the three months of dehydration and malnutrition, he works up the nerve to ask about it.

“Steve,” he starts, voice hoarse enough that he pauses to clear his throat, unwilling to sound so affected. “Is he - did he -” He stops, settling for asking, “Have you talked to him?”

Rhodey leans forward on his elbows, closing some of the distance that the aisle between them created. He pulls out his phone and taps for a moment before turning the screen to face Tony. Steve’s name is at the top, and Rhodey scrolls through the string of messages with enough speed that Tony can’t actually read any of them, but he gets the point anyway.

“This is just the last couple of weeks,” Rhodey says. “Never stopped asking for updates, especially when we found you. Called so much I told him I was going to put a virus on his phone to redirect him to random strangers if he kept it up. He didn’t listen.”

Tony swallows around the lump in his throat and looks away towards the window.

“We weren’t supposed to be anything,” Tony murmurs, watching the way the sky is fading from orange into blue, clouds obscuring the ocean below them. It’s still a few more hours until California, where he hopes that Steve is still waiting for him. “We said it was nothing.”

Rhodey hums, both noncommittal and suggestive at the same time, and Tony turns his head back to look at him. “What?”

Rhodey shrugs, “I didn’t say anything.”

“But you want to.”

“I don’t spill secrets that aren’t mine to tell.”

Tony’s brow furrows. “What does that even mean?”

“It means he’ll be there when we land, and if you try to pretend that it’s still nothing, I’m putting your ass back on the plane until you find your common sense somewhere.”

Tony bites his lip and shakes his head, staring down at his hands, “I wasn’t going to pretend. I just - I didn’t know if he cared anymore. It’s been a few months, and we weren’t… There was never a promise for commitment. He could’ve found somebody else. Anyone else.”

Rhodey gives him a look, that fondly exasperated one he does so well. “Nice to know you’re still a dumbass.”

It startles a laugh from and makes his abused lungs twinge, but it feels good to laugh again. “Takes more than a few months to knock the dumbass out of me.”

The topic falls away after that, because Tony can’t say what he feels, and Rhodey knows anyway. He switches the conversation over to the start of the baseball season that Tony missed, complaining about the Phillies like Tony’s heard every year since he was fifteen. It’s easy and passes the time until Tony ends up falling asleep for the rest of the flight.

His muscles are stiff and uncomfortable when he wakes with a start a couple of hours later, heart racing and on edge when he doesn’t immediately recognize his surroundings. Rhodey puts a hand on his knee, and Tony jumps initially before calming. It makes Rhodey’s eyes turn sad for a moment, then it’s hidden away again.

“Come on,” Rhodey says softly, gripping Tony by the elbow of his good arm to help him up. “We’re here.”

There’s still a slight limp in his step when he walks off the plane from bruises and scars that are still healing. He sees Pepper first, with her red hair shining in the sun, but his gaze gets stuck on the person next to her.

Steve straightens from where he’s leaning against the black car, and Tony wishes he was in better condition so he could run to him. It would have been romantic, he thinks, like something out of one of those movies he’d never even seen before Steve came into his life. There would have been some grand, sweep-him-off-his-feet moment with declarations and pretty words and violins coming from somewhere.

Instead Steve meets him halfway, with a quivering chin like he might start to cry. There are dark circles under his eyes, and his hair is too long, and his five o’clock shadow is almost an actual beard now.

He’s the best thing Tony’s ever seen.

“Hey,” Tony says, because he can’t remember a single one of those things he planned before.

Steve smiles, and it’s only a little shaky, “Hey yourself.”

Rhodey and Pepper disappear with the shutting of the car door, leaving the two of them standing there in the middle of the empty runway. Steve takes the first step, but Tony takes the second, and then Steve’s chest is beneath his cheek, and his arms are around his shoulders.

Tony holds on to him like a lifeline, fingers clutched in his t-shirt, and he can feel the warmth of him seeping into his skin. Steve’s hands are all over, as if checking to make sure he’s all actually there and in one piece.

Steve steps back a little, a small frown on his face. He reaches his hand up to Tony’s chest, and Tony tenses at the first light press against the reactor case.

“What…” Steve trails off, eyes flickering between Tony’s chest and his face, and Tony undoes two of the buttons on his shirt to show him.

The scars around it are marred and red, with raised edges that serve to make it look even worse than it is. Steve makes a sound like a choked back sob, and Tony grabs his wrist to put his hand on the reactor. It’s a little terrifying to let him touch it, but if there’s anyone he knows would never hurt him, it’s Steve.

“It’s okay,” Tony murmurs. “It keeps me alive.”

“You could’ve died,” Steve whispers, fingers spreading out over the light of the reactor. “I thought you - I didn’t want to think it, but it was hard not to. Rhodey kept saying that you wouldn’t let yourself go out like that. You’d be all or nothing, and it wasn’t big enough. And Pepper, well, she basically said exactly what did happen. That you’d find a way out. I tried to believe it, too, but I just kept thinking that you could be gone, and we’d never - I’d never get the chance to make this real.”

Tony looks up at him, breath catching in his throat. “I thought about you every day, you know. I almost told you how I felt about you on that last night. Came so close to saying it, but I just -”

“I know,” Steve says, and with his other hand he cups Tony’s cheek. “You don’t have to say it. I already know.”

“Yeah?”

Steve nods, leaning in closer, and his lips brush against Tony’s when he says, “Yeah, sweetheart, I know.”

#stevetony #prompts #i literally love you for sending me this #asks #my writing #my fic #stony #superhusbands

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musecharm-writes · 4 years

Text

Curiosity Killed the Cat Burglar (Tony Stark X Reader)

ANONYMOUS: You write for marvel? Awesome! Ive always wondered ehat would happen if someone tried to reverse engineer one of Tony's suits just for curiosity instead of evil or money... could you write something where Tony finds reader doing something like that? Thanks!!

Summary: You’ve been training yourself for months for this mission (not even counting the time you’d spent learning all the skills you would need in order to even make it a possibility), and now you’re finally here, so close to what you’ve been waiting for for so long…it almost feels too easy.

You’ve been training yourself for months for this mission (not even counting the time you’d spent learning all the skills you would need in order to even make it a possibility), and now you’re finally here, so close to what you’ve been waiting for for so long… it almost feels too easy.

You’d spent weeks perfecting the software that let you into the Stark Industries mainframe so you could access the blueprints of the ventilation system. You’d taken great lengths to memorise the layout; you could recreate the map flawlessly if called upon to do so. You’d made a backup plan for absolutely anything and everything that could possibly go wrong.

And now that it’s working, it just doesn’t feel right.

As you slip into the elevator, pressing the button that will take you to the floor housing Stark’s workshop with a gloved hand, you have the distinct sensation of being watched. You send an uneasy glance around the elevator and are unable to detect any cameras, but you’re well aware that means nothing; there could be thermal scanners, pressure pads, or even something as simple as hidden cameras in the walls or ceiling. Stark is as sneaky as he is clever, and you’re the last one to underestimate him.

He is your hero, after all.

The elevator doesn’t make a sound as it reaches the workshop floor, nor as the doors open with a smooth glide, and it’s equal parts unnerving and impressive. You don’t waste time studying the elevator, though; you leave the elevator car, creeping down the hall until you come to a wall of glass.

All that’s between you and your goal now are a keypad and a shatterproof glass door.

You pull the hacking device you custom built and programmed from your belt and attach it to the keypad. Numbers scroll across the screen until, finally, the security code is displayed in blinking green.

You grin in satisfaction and press the appropriate numbers. The door opens.

You’re in.

You stalk into the darkened shop, padding across the floor without making a sound. You reach up and pull down a pair of homebrew infrared goggles.

Let’s see. If I was a super-genius, where would I keep a high-tech, flying suit of armour?

You see some display cases on the other end of the room -- you’re unsurprised to see that Stark preserves his old suits, considering how attached he seems to be to them -- and are preparing to search for the mechanism that will open the cases, but it’s not necessary; there’s a half-assembled suit laid out on one of the work benches, as though its owner left in the middle of performing repairs on it.

Jackpot! You hadn’t dared hope you would get this lucky; the newest model of the Iron Man suit, just laying there in the open, completely unguarded? This is better than anything you could’ve dreamed of!

You approach the workbench, stepping over and around other half-complete projects that Stark has left scattered around. There are what you assume to be deactivated automated assistants, too, arm-like structures with claw shaped grasping appendages on the ends.

Under different circumstances, you would love to stick around and see what this place looks like when it’s up and running at full capacity. You bet it’s amazing.

You shake those thoughts from your head. Focus on the task at hand, you remind yourself. Your window is incredibly small.

You carefully open the faceplate of the helmet and search for a data upload terminal. Once you’ve found it, you pull your scanner from your belt and attach it to the terminal, activating it. Your heart flutters giddily. You’re so close.

And then, a voice says, “Right, I think I’ve let this go a little too far. JARVIS, lights.”

The lights slowly start to come up. You hastily remove your goggles and turn to find none other than Tony Stark standing at the far end of the room.

He smiles and waves shortly. “Hi. I’d introduce myself, but,” he swirls his finger in a circle, “seeing as we’re here, I’m pretty sure it’s not necessary.”

You’re completely dumbfounded. You have no idea what to do, what to say -- how do you explain yourself?

You came up with a plan for every scenario, except for the one where you got caught.

“Uh,” you begin, “I… I don’t… I mean, I’m not-- It’s not--”

“You, on the other hand, have some serious explaining to do. You could start with who you are, for example, and why you’re in my house, and how in the hell you managed to build a bunch of shit that neutralised my security measures.” He points an accusatory finger at you. “You hacked me. Nobody does that, nobody has ever done that. How did you do that?”

You open and close your mouth, at a total loss for words. “W-Well, um, I… I just did?” It’s a terrible explanation and you know it. You kind of want to dissolve into the floor; this was not how this was supposed to go, not at all.

Stark looks incredulous. “You… just did. Huh. Okay. Well, I just thought I’d let you know I went along with this little charade because, if we’re being honest, I found the concept of someone smart enough to hack Stark Industries enticing. I figured I’d just wait and see where you were going with it. But, since you were just after the suit -- totally boring motivation, by the way, that’s been done like a thousand times by now, what is it, money or power? -- I’m gonna have to see you out now.” He pulls out a wafer-thin, see through card and taps on it. “Jay, let Happy know we have an interloper on sublevel--”

“Wait!” You cry out. “Wait, please don’t kick me out!”

He looks at you, quirking a brow. “And why should I not?”

You fidget awkwardly, feeling a little stupid in your thief getup. “I… I didn’t want the suit to sell it, or weaponise it, or whatever. I just wanted to see if I could… If I could make one better,” you admit, your face reddening.

Stark is silent for a moment, which you aren’t sure is a good thing. Then, he says, “Huh. Okay,” and the way he says ‘okay’ turns it into a four-syllable word. “So, you broke into my house, disabled all my security, and entered my private workshop without permission… because you were curious?”

You nod, a little embarrassed. “Yeah.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” he says, with a hint of a smile. “Not so sure about the cat burglar.”

“But satisfaction brought it back,” you retort.

“And you’re feeling satisfied with yourself, are you?”

You shrug, starting to relax as you settle into the rhythm of the banter. “I could be. Depends whether or not you’re planning to call the cops on me.”

The hint of smile turns into an outright grin. “And ruin this thing we’ve got goin’ on? Now, why in the world would I do that?”

You laugh. “...Does this mean I get to look at the suit after all?”

Stark makes a show of considering your request. “We can work up to it,” he says. “After you show me what you’re really capable of.”

You spend what must be hours down in the workshop -- Tony Stark’s workshop! -- shyly explaining how your devices work, and then you move upstairs to the living room and spread out schematics across the table, trying valiantly not to explode on the spot when the guy you’ve had a crush on since you were, like, ten tells you your craftsmanship and code are just about as good as anything he’s ever seen, which is really saying something.

You’re so focused on trying to seem like you don’t care that much about his approval that when he says, “So, hey, how about next week, we meet up somewhere for a little intellectual conversation over coffee?” you nearly miss it. (‘Nearly’ being the operative word, of course.)

“I… What?”

“Unless you don’t like coffee. We could do lunch,” he continues, and somehow, he almost seems as nervous as you were just a moment ago.

The idea of Tony Stark being nervous to ask you for coffee or lunch -- you, of all people -- is laughable, so much so that it sends all your nerves running for the hills.

“Yeah,” you say. “No, I mean, coffee’s fine. I love coffee.”

He nods. “Good. Good, I’ll see you then. Hopefully this time you won’t break into my house beforehand.”

You fluster immediately at that, stammering, and he waves it off.

“Kidding,” he says. “I let you get in, remember? You’re fun, you’re a good,” he waves his hand as if trying to summon the words from nowhere. “Conversationalist. You grok me.”

You nod.

He slaps his knees and clears his throat. “Welp,” he says, standing up, “it’s been fun, but as everyone in my life loves to remind me, I have a company to run, so as much as I would love to spend the rest of the day talking about fun stuff, I sorta can’t. Walk you to the door?”

“Sure.”

He sees you out, reminding you not to forget about your “little rendezvous next week, I’ll pick you up and take you someplace swanky, my treat.”

You don’t feel nervous about it at all. You just met your idol, and all you had to do was break into his house and try to steal the plans for his top-secret superhero suit.

You can’t wait to find out what he wants to talk about next week.

#marvel x reader #marvel reader insert #marvel fanfiction #marvel #iron man x reader #iron man reader insert #iron man #tony stark x reader #tony stark #writing #writing blog #reader insert blog #x reader blog #breaking and entering #burglary #cat burglar #swearing

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n7inky-fanfics · 3 years

Text

Lost

CW: Injury, blood, alcohol

The crew of the Normandy loves Shepard. She is different than any other Commander in the Alliance. She took the time to deeply know every member of her crew. While her name may inspire equal admiration and fear in others, it inspires warmth and loyalty in her crew. Everyone trusts her with their lives, and even on her worst days they never fear her.

That being said, the ship is now uncomfortably quiet and tense. For the first time ever, the crew is walking on eggshells around Shepard. Her own shell has cracked, and to avoid vulnerability she is lashing out at pretty much anyone in her path.

When the shore party returned from Thessia, Shepard maintained silence and a cold demeanour until she had finished her call with the Asari Ambassador. She managed to use the last bit of her usual grace to comfort Liara. Then, she broke. She snapped at Joker and the two of them had it out on the bridge. The argument ended with both parties shaken, but it was clear that they would forgive each other once they had calmed down. The crew had never seen Shepard like this, and it worried them.

It's the end of the main dinner shift, and no one has seen Shepard for hours. James, Garrus, and Kaidan have done their best to reassure the crew. Now, Kaidan is making his way to Shepard's cabin with a dinner plate. He doesn't think she'll eat it, but he has to try. EDI informs him that Shepard's door is currently set to lock out everyone, including him. When he arrives outside the door, he knocks gently. "Hazel, it's me. Please let me in. I just want to help." The red glow of the locked door turns yellow and then green as it is unlocked. It slides open to reveal Shepard's room.

Broken glass and puddles of alcohol cover the floor. The desk chair is upside down in the middle of the floor. A large, bloody dent mars the wall. Shepard sits in the floor, on the right side of her bed, with her head hung low. She's wearing her Alliance t-shirt and a small pair of shorts. Her short, pink hair is a ruffled mess. Her right hand is bloodied and bruised. Pieces of glass from the alcohol bottles stick out of her knees and shins. Despite the strong presence of alcohol, she seems sober. She must have destroyed every bottle she had without drinking a drop.

Kaidan stands in the entrance. "Hazel, you're injured. We should really get you to the med-bay."

"No." Her voice is steady and cold.

"Can I at least get a kit and start getting that hand cleaned up?"

"No. Leave it."

Kaidan sighs deeply. "Fine, but I'm coming further in." She says nothing as he makes his way to the couch, careful to avoid the broken glass. He sits on the couch, hoping she might get off the floor and sit with him. Instead, she remains still. "Shepard, we're worried about you."

"Fuck..." she whispers.

"Hey, it's not your fault. It's Cerberus. You know that."

"Like hell it's not my fault!" She looks up at him, her eyes puffy, red, and furious. Dark energy begins to glow around her. "I should have anticipated this. Fucking Cerberus has their nose in everything. Of course they'd be there, and of course they'd try to use me to lead them to what they wanted. I was a fool and Thessia was lost for nothing! Now, everyone is screwed and we're all going to die because I couldn't get the damn job done!" Her biotics glow brighter, and the field around her swells.

"It's not over yet, Shepard. We'll find them, we'll get the VI back, and we'll end this for good." Kaidan says gently.

"Don't you get it, Kaidan? I failed! The whole galaxy is relying on me to save their asses again, and I failed! I can't do this! I can't save them!" Her voice is raw and strained. She clenches her fists and screams "Fuck!" A wave of dark energy shoots out from her in all directions. Kaidan throws up a barrier, protecting himself from the force of the blast and the bits of glass that flow with it. He can't help but be a little grateful that Cerberus equipped her room with reinforced glass. If they hadn't, the fish tank and model ship display would have exploded. The coffee table, which had flown towards him and bounced off his barrier, settles upside down in front of the bed. Shepard's eyes widen with shock and fear.

"I... I haven't lost control like that since... since I left the Reds... Kaidan, I'm so sorry." Her nose starts to bleed slightly, and tears begin to slide down her cheeks.

Kaidan makes his way to her and pulls her into a tight embrace, leaving just enough room to avoid brushing the glass still embedded in her legs. "It's okay, Hazel. I understand." He holds her close and gently strokes her hair. When she seems to have calmed down some, he pulls back just enough to look at her face while he wipes the tears from her cheeks. She's pale and shaking. Her nose bleed hasn't stopped. She must be exhausted. After all this and the battle on Thessia before, even the best biotic would be. When was the last time she ate?

"Hey, let's get you sitting down." He guides her to sit on the bed and retrieves the food he had brought for her from the couch. "Eat this while I get Dr. Chakwas up here to have a look at you."

"Kaidan, I don't want anyone else to see this." She looks around at the mess she made.

"It's either that or I carry you down to the med-bay. I think you'll collapse if I let you walk it yourself."

She sighs deeply. "Okay, bring her up here."

Kaidan activates the direct link to EDI from Shepard's terminal. "EDI, can you please ask Dr. Chakwas to come up here with the necessary equipment to support an exhausted biotic and remove shards of debris from a person? And please, keep this on a need-to-know basis."

EDI confirms the request and Dr. Chakwas arrives minutes later with a large medical kit in tow. If she's surprised by the state of Shepard's room, she doesn't show it. She follows the mostly cleared path that Kaidan has made with a broom from the supply closet in the bathroom. Shepard is slowly eating the dinner Kaidan brought. "I'm going to get you an IV with fluids and nutrients, then I'll take care of your legs." Dr. Chakwas says.

As Shepard recovers, Kaidan cleans the mess. By the time Dr. Chakwas has gotten all of the glass out of Hazel's leg, the glass has been safely disposed of, the alcohol has been mopped off the floor, and the furniture has been set back where it belongs. "Thank you, Karin. I'm sorry about all this."

"It's my pleasure, Commander. " Dr. Chakwas replies. She places a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Take care of yourself, now. Remember that I'm here to help. Come see me if you need anything." She packs up her kit and leaves. The room falls silent. Shepard stares into her lap and Kaidan wonders what to say to help her.

Finally, he says "Hey, you should get some sleep." She nods, still looking at her lap. "Goodnight, Shepard." He kisses her forehead gently, then turns to leave.

"Wait..." Her voice comes out barely above a whisper.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"At least until I fall asleep. Please." She's still staring into her lap.

"Okay, Hazel." He says. He climbs into bed and gently guides her to lay next to him. She curls into him and he wraps his arms around her. She drifts off to sleep faster than he had expected. She must be so exhausted. He, too, falls asleep shortly after her.

In the morning, Kaidan awakes to an early alarm and an empty bed. He finds her in the war room, mulling over data for answers. He brings her a coffee before he starts his day. He's sitting in the observation deck, coffee in one hand and data pad in the other, when Dr. Chakwas comes in, locking the door behind herself.

"Kaidan, I'm glad you got me last night. How is she doing this morning?"

"She's back at work, trying to find a solution. She was up well before her alarm, I think. She's stressed, and I doubt she's okay, but she's functional. I'll keep an eye on her, try to make sure she takes care of herself."

"Yes, please do that..." Dr. Chakwas trails off and looks away from Kaidan.

"What is it, Karin?"

"Shepard has always had it rough. You and I both know this to be true. She's always hid her emotions and buried them deep. But dying... it broke her in ways I can't fix. In ways she hasn't recovered from. Then, she lost people. Good people. Hell, she lost Earth. Now she's lost Thessia as well. It's all piling up. She struggles, and I fear that she's reaching a point where all those bottled up pains will all spill out. When she does, we need to be there for her. Please, make sure you're there for her."

She doesn't say it, but Kaidan knows what she's thinking. Be there for her this time. Don't abandon her like you did on Horizon. Be there for her this time. He nods. "I've got her back, Karin."

"Good." Karin nods and takes her leave. Kaidan stares out the window and sighs deeply. This war won't be won without a great cost. He just hopes Shepard doesn't have to pay the bulk of it.

#fanfic #mass effect #commander shepard #female shepard #kaidan alenko #shepard x kaidan #f!shenko #shenko #shepard #fshenko

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sukifans · 4 years

Text

PET • RI • CHOR

[n] a pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather

ZUKO X OC SERIES

SUMMARY: a captured waterbender and the fire prince may sound like an unlikely pair, but kena never much cared about others’ expectations and zuko, well… he was just along for the ride

⏎ MASTERLIST // PART II « PART III » PT IV

Zuko was starting to enjoy his life in Ba Sing Se a lot more now that Kena was a part of it. She liked to visit him during his shifts to sit and do her coursework. Even though they didn’t get to talk much while they were both busy, he liked just knowing she was nearby. She radiated a calming energy from her table in the corner that seemed to make difficult customers and broken teacups a thousand times more bearable. In slower moments he found himself studying her — how her brow furrowed in concentration, the way she chewed her bottom lip, when she tapped her pen against the table as she read, and (his favorite) the small smile that her lips quirked into whenever she looked up and caught him staring at her. Uncle teased him mercilessly and almost always wore a knowing smirk, but it was okay because it made Kena laugh. Hearing her laugh after all these years was his favorite sound in the world and he tried to hear it as often as he could.

Kena liked to coax him out of the apartment when he wasn’t working. She claimed he still looked a little worse for wear after his travels and sulking inside certainly wouldn’t help with that. He complied easily, of course — she didn’t know it, but he thought he’d do pretty much anything for her. He was firmly wrapped around her little finger and, honestly, he didn’t mind all that much. That particular day they were both free and she had decided to take him up to the Middle Ring to visit one of the nicer parks. They sat in a large open field, leaning against a tree trunk in the shade of the foliage and relaying their stories from the years apart. She was trying to teach him how to weave a flower crown like she’d learned from a group of singing nomads but he was pretty miserable at it.

“Don’t laugh at me,” he muttered when he caught her grinning at his lopsided attempt that looked nothing like a crown, even by the loosest definition.

“You’re tying them together wrong. Look-“ she said. She leaned over and slowly showed him the proper knot. His brow furrowed as he watched her nimble fingers wrap and pull at the stems, resulting in a perfect two-piece chain amongst his many attempts.

“I don’t think this is salvageable, Kena.” He looked irritated, dropping it in his lap. She picked it up and pulled it over her head, setting it on her shoulders.

“Maybe not as a crown, but it makes a very lovely necklace, I think.” He smiled at her.

“That’s not saying much. You could make a rice sack look good.”

“Oh, uh... thanks, Zuko,” she responded, taken off guard by the compliment. She looked down at her hands as her cheeks warmed. They sat quietly for a bit, enjoying the gentle breeze on the warm day. She was surprised when Zuko shifted to lay down and set his head on her lap. When he noticed her wide eyes, he sat up again.

“Sorry, was that okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it just... surprised me, is all. Lay back down.” She put her hand on his shoulder and guided him back down. Grinning, she set the intricate crown of white and yellow flowers she’d made on top of his face. He squinted up at her. “A crown fit for a prince,” she declared. He rolled his eyes.

“I don’t think this is how crowns are meant to be worn,” he said.

“Forgive me, my liege.” She bowed her head dramatically. “Us common folk know not of such things.” She laughed when he groaned and closed his eyes, moving the flowers to sit on his chest instead. He sighed contentedly when she started playing with his hair, twisting the short strands between her fingers. Cautiously and delicately as one would handle a butterfly’s wing, she ghosted her fingertips over his scar, sending a not-unpleasant shiver down his spine. He cracked one eye open to be met with her questioning gaze.

“My father,” he said in response to her unasked question. He closed his eye again as she frowned and moved her hand back to his hair. “Uncle let me sit in on a war meeting and I spoke out of turn. I questioned one of the generals’ tactics and got challenged to an Agni Kai for my disrespect. I thought I’d be fighting the general, but since I had spoken out in the Fire Lord’s war room, it was my father. I refused to fight and begged for his mercy. He... did not forgive so easily, and- ow, Kena.” Zuko opened his eyes fully when she tugged too hard at his hair.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, dropping her hands. “I just- hmph.” She clenched her fists and sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. “I’m fine. Keep going. How did you end up in Ba Sing Se?”

“Well, I was banished after the Agni Kai. Uncle came with me — thank Agni, I think I would’ve been dead ages ago if he hadn’t — and we’ve been... traveling for the last three years. I think Uncle got sick of being on the move all the time, so now we’re here, I guess.” He carefully avoided mentioning his hunt for the Avatar. He didn’t want Kena to know that side of him because it might push her away. He desperately wanted to be the person she thought he was and he was terrified of losing her again. She was the best thing to happen to him in a very long time. Kena could sense wasn’t telling her something, but she knew better than to push him. He’d obviously been through a lot, and she wanted to be a positive force in his life. Positive forces don’t pry. He would tell her when he was ready.

“What about your mother?” She felt him tense up and she slowly began carding her fingers through his hair again, weaving small individual flowers into the inky black.

“What about her?”

“Did she try to stop the Agni Kai?”

He squeezed his eyes shut again and sighed heavily. “She left when I was eleven. I haven’t seen her in years. I don’t know why, or what happened, or even if she’s still alive, but I know she’s gone because of him.”

“And Azula?” She frowned at his scoff. “I know you two never got along, but she’s still your sister.”

“She only got worse as we got older. She was practically jumping for joy when I was banished because she could be Father’s little pet in peace without her failure of a brother around.” His voice was filled with bitterness as he spoke about his sister, mouth twisted into a deep frown.

“You’re not a failure,” Kena said gently.

“Only you and Uncle seem to think so.”

“Well, that’s because we’re smart. I’m quite proud of you, actually.”

He looked at her suspiciously. “For what?”

“For not going back. It’s very brave of you. You grew up sheltered in the palace and then were thrust out into the world with nothing after losing everything you knew. It’s admirable, how you kept going.”

Zuko felt his stomach churn uneasily. She was too confident in him, too ready to believe that he was as good and strong as he pretended to be. He felt sick lying to her but he knew he would feel much worse if she left.

When he was silent, she continued. “It’s difficult to go through all that and still make an effort to be kind.”

“I don’t think that’s how many people would describe me.”

“You’re a bit grumpy and gloomy, sure,” she laughed at his offended look, “but I think you’re very sweet.”

He ignored the warmth flooding his face. “It’s easy to be nice to a person like you.”

She smiled. “Kindness, compassion, empathy — they are all choices you have to make. If they were easy, the world wouldn’t be in a century-long war.”

“I’ve done a lot of bad things in the past.”

“We all have. We are products of our circumstances. Your whole life you’ve suffered and yet you’re still a good person.”

“I don’t think I’m a good person.”

“Well, I do. Good people make bad choices, too. Being good doesn’t mean being perfect.”

He avoided her eyes, focusing on ripping up the blades of grass. “You sound like Uncle.”

“Like I said, we’re smart.” She used the pad of her finger to smooth the lines between his brow, rubbing away his anxious look. They were silent again for a few minutes while he mulled over her words. She could tell he was deep in thought, so she just continued her ministrations on his hair while she waited for him to speak again.

When he did, his voice was soft. “My father used to say that Azula was born lucky, and I was lucky to be born.”

“What an idiotic thing to say,” she said simply. His eyes snapped up to her. He’d forgotten just how blunt she could be.

“Excuse me?”

“I think you’re luckier being you than her.”

“She’s a prodigy. She’s always been his favorite.”

“Yes, and where has that gotten her? Azula is still a child and yet she’s been driven to the brink of insanity trying to be good enough for your father but she never will be.”

“She was loved.”

“She was used. You were loved, Zuko. What about Iroh? Your mother? Me?” When he didn’t answer, she shook her head. “What your father gives her, that’s not love. You have both suffered at his hands, but you have people who love you. Azula doesn’t have love, she has fear. I feel bad for her. I hope one day she finds peace within herself. I hope she learns to love and be loved.” She propped her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands, leaning over his face as her hair fell around them and shielded them from the rest of the world.

“You loved me?” he asked quietly, staring up into her eyes in amazement. Her heart broke a little at the shock in his expression.

“Of course I did. I’ve always loved you.”

His pulse raced at her words and he leaned up on his elbows to get closer, examining her face for signs of deception. All he saw was the gentle smile that graced her pretty mouth, the raised white scar stark against her brown skin, her soft grey eyes that beckoned him in. He could stare at her until he went crosseyed, memorizing every detail. She’d been cute when they were kids, sure, but now... he thought she might be the most breathtaking person he’d ever seen. His gaze flicked down to her lips and he thought about kissing her.

Before he could move she was shifting to stand, grabbing his hands and pulling him up to his feet as well. She propped the crown she’d made him onto the tangled nest of black hair and tiny wildflowers on top of his head before dragging him out of the shade and into the bright afternoon sun. She sighed happily before flopping down in the grass again to lay on her back, stretching languidly like a cat in the warm rays.

“Come on, fire boy; you need some sun. You still look sickly.” She patted the ground next to her and bent her other arm behind her head.

“That’s just my skin... water girl,” he muttered, rolling his eyes as he laid anyways when Kena laughed at his weak retort. She slid her hand over his and laced their fingers together. His palm radiated warmth into hers. She smiled and closed her eyes, tilting her head into the sunshine. His eyes devoured her, admiring the way the light bounced off her high cheekbones and silhouetted the slope of her nose and the gentle curve of her lips. She felt his stare and opened one eye.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

Like you love me, she wanted to say. “Like a weirdo,” she joked instead, poking her tongue out at him playfully. His huff of annoyance was betrayed by the small smile he couldn’t fully hide. They laid there for a while, just staring at each other and basking in the other’s presence with their hands still clasped between them. She scanned his face unabashedly. Anger still bubbled in her core when she saw his scar, only to be assuaged by the way his honey-colored eyes seemed to glitter and glow in the sun. There were no words in any language sufficient to describe how they felt being together again, but they didn’t need words. All that mattered was that it was the best and most content either of them had felt in years. Her heart felt remarkably full when he kept her hand squeezed tightly in his as they made their way back to the Lower Ring in the orange glow of the setting sun.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the news,” he said suddenly, stopping in his tracks. She looked back at him with raised eyebrows, signaling him to continue. “Some men came by the tea house yesterday afternoon and offered Uncle the chance to start his own shop in the Upper Ring.”

She frowned. “What’s the catch?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “but they offered him total creative control and a new apartment for us. He agreed.”

“Oh,” she said hollowly, “that’s nice.” She dropped his hand and turned to keep walking, looking troubled. Surprised at her reaction, Zuko jogged to fall back in step next to her. He hadn’t meant to upset her.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to hear that. It’s just like we used to talk about as kids, remember?” She sighed.

“I am happy. It’s just... I won’t be able to see you in the Upper Ring.”

“What? Why not?”

“People down here need a passport and approval to get up there. I don’t have either.”

“Oh,” he echoed her from earlier.

“Yeah.” They stopped outside her apartment and Kena avoided meeting his eyes. “But I am happy for you and Iroh. You both deserve better than this.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want it unless you’re with me. I can’t lose you now. Not again.”

She ignored the way her pulse jumped. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know you will, but I won’t. I- I need you, Kena,” he admitted, voice soft. “Finding you here is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Zuko...”

“Come with us,” he said suddenly, standing in front of the entrance to her building and taking both her hands in his. She sent him a sad sort of smile.

“I can’t just up and leave, even though I want to stay with you.”

“Why?”

“What about Fera? She’s been with me since my mom died. I go to school, I have friends, a job... I’ve been here for years. I had to make a life for myself.” She felt bad when the excitement fell from his face, but she couldn’t just give up the little illusion of normalcy and stability she’d built here in the Lower Ring. It was what she’d craved after a life as a political prisoner and on the run with her mother, on her own, or with Fera.

“You’re right,” he finally said. “I’m sorry, that was selfish. I understand.” She stepped forwards and hugged him, burying her face into his neck and soaking in his warmth like she’d done in the sun earlier. Though he’d tensed at first, he slowly wrapped his arms around her in return and held her tight. He’d buried his craving for friendly, loving touch after his mother left and now that she was here again and offering it so freely, so genuinely, he felt the walls he’d built around himself crumbling. It scared — no, it terrified him to sense himself becoming more vulnerable again (something that had for so long felt all too much like weakness). If he had to be weak for someone, though, he was glad it was for Kena. She was one of only two people in his life who had never hurt him or lied to him or left him (she didn’t leave him, he’d rationalized long ago; she’d been taken away).

“You can still come see me down here,” she mumbled into his skin. “People of the Upper Ring can travel as they please.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. I’ll come see you every day, even if it’s just for a little while.”

“Zuko, you don’t have to-“

“I know, but I want to. I don’t want to go another day without seeing you ever again.”

“So dramatic.” She rolled her eyes as she pulled back but beyond her teasing tone he could sense her gratitude.

“I’ve been told,” he chuckled.

“I’ll miss seeing you at Pao’s, though. You always looked so cute in your apron.”

His face went crimson. “I am not cute,” he muttered as she giggled.

“Are you hungry? You can come up for dinner, if you’d like.”

“I promised Uncle I’d help him make roast duck tonight to celebrate the new shop. Thanks, though. Another night,” he said as he stepped back from her. She smiled.

“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I want to come by in the morning to see you and Iroh off before you move up the social ladder.”

He nodded in agreement and started to leave, but not before she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him close again to kiss his cheek. She giggled when he flushed again, just as red as the day he gave her that fire lily. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then mumbled something about seeing her tomorrow and hurried away as she laughed. She loved how easy it still was to get him flustered.

A sense of guilt gnawed away at his stomach as he walked back to his apartment. He felt bad about lying to her again, but he couldn’t exactly mention his plan to steal the sky bison as a means to capture the Avatar without admitting what he’d done over the last few years. He felt so conflicted as the two sides of him tore further apart — the side that wanted to be who Kena and Iroh thought him to be, and the side that still wanted to prove everyone wrong by bringing the Avatar back to the Fire Nation. Maybe he could make Kena understand; maybe she’d even go back with him. If he fulfilled his destiny, surely his father would let her stay.

When Kena made her way up to Zuko and Iroh’s apartment early the next morning, she found it already deserted. She frowned as she left, wandering into the street outside. Had she missed them already? Did they leave the night before for some reason? She couldn’t imagine why Zuko would lie to her about something so silly. All she wanted was to say goodbye, whether or not they were actually moving to the Upper Ring.

She walked to Pao’s and asked if he had seen them. At the mention of “Mushi,” the man went into a long-winded spiel about loyalty and betrayal that left her regretting her decision to ask. As politely as she could manage, she excused herself and left the premises. She desperately wished she could talk openly to someone about everything going on. At this point, she’d made up so many fake identities and backstories that it was sometimes hard to keep straight what was real and what was false, and who could know what about her various personas. At one point she’d considered writing it all down somewhere but that would be difficult to explain should anyone stumble across it. Only Fera knew what was happening, and even she was still in the dark about some things. Feeling a familiar sting of loneliness, Kena resigned herself to returning home to wait for Fera to get back from work so she could vent for a while.

Iroh sat by Zuko’s side for the entirety of the day, unable to sleep despite being awake through the night at Lake Logai. He watched his nephew twitch and sweat in his feverish dream state, pressing cloths soaked in cool water to his forehead through the hours. He could hardly even enjoy his tea as he waited for the prince to awaken. Every time his breathing changed, the older man would sit up at attention, watching with baited breath. It now neared sunset, and Zuko had still not opened his eyes.

Watching the sky change color through the window, he thought about rumors he had heard amongst the peoples of the Lower Ring about a benign spirit that visited at night. If one left a white candle burning in the window with a strip of blue cloth hung nearby, she was said to appear and heal the sick and injured. The people called her Tui’s Daughter. The stories reminded him vaguely of the legend of the Painted Lady from the Fire Nation. As he lit the candle, he hoped she would happen through the Upper Ring this night. Perhaps a visit from a spirit is exactly what the prince needed to help along his inner turmoil.

No matter what she did, Kena seemed entirely unable to fall asleep. She tossed and turned in her cot for what seemed like hours to no avail. Something still felt wrong about Zuko’s sudden disappearance, even after talking with Fera about how flaky and dishonest men could be. It was like an itch in the back of her skull that she couldn’t scratch and it her made her antsy and restless. She sighed in resolution and abandoned her attempts at sleep to dress in the bright moonlight pouring in through the window. She had to know he was alright, even if that meant he’d abandoned her.

As she came to the wall that closed off the Upper Ring, she kept to the shadows. The area was crawling with guards and surely Dai Li agents to keep the elite of Ba Sing Se secure and comfortable. She’d snuck into the Upper Ring only once before, and it was the closest she’d ever been to getting caught. She hoped the blind spot that opened during the shift rotation hadn’t been remedied yet, otherwise she’d have to take more drastic measures. Patiently, she waited for the opening.

The spirits must’ve been on her side that night because she was able to slip through into the Upper Ring with relative ease. That, or the Dai Li were occupied elsewhere. Whatever it was she was happy for it because now she was running through the pristine empty streets, searching for some sort of indication of where Zuko and Iroh may be. She didn’t know exactly what it was she was looking for, but her gut told her she’d know when she found it.

A flicker in her peripheral caught her eye and she whipped her head around. A few buildings away, a white candle burned in a window on one of the upper floors. She had to admit she was curious; The people of the Upper Ring rarely called on Tui’s Daughter because they could afford the best doctors Ba Sing Se had to offer. The spirit tended to stay in the poorer areas, especially in the refugee ghettos, because they needed her the most. Despite her desperation to find her friend, she moved towards the apartment with the candle.

Iroh immediately tensed when he heard a creak from the stairs leading up to their apartment. He hoped it was the spirit, but was ready to defend himself if need be. He hid himself from sight when the knob rattled and the front door slowly cracked open. Relief flooded his body when he saw the intruder donned a long, flowing white dress and a black smiling koi mask exactly as the rumors had described.

“Thank you for coming,” Iroh said as he emerged from his hiding spot. “My nephew is very ill, but I’m afraid it is not a natural sickness.”

The spirit had jumped into a defensive position when he spoke. Now that they stood facing each other in full view, she lowered her hands. As he looked on, the realization dawned that this was no spirit at all.

“Iroh?” the woman whispered and the old man hummed thoughtfully.

“I’ll admit I was doubtful about the rumors, but I can say I never expected you to be Tui’s Daughter.” Iroh moved closer and bowed his head in greeting. She ripped her mask off to reveal her face and Iroh smiled when he recognized her. “Hello, Kena.”

A/N: was originally going to end this at crossroads but this is long enough and also seems like a good stopping point for now. thank you all for the lovely response to the last part, yall made my heart uwu and i hope you liked this one just as much!

TAGS: @beifongsss @the-lva-way @lammello @llorom6nnic @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @royahllty @mamooska8 @bucky-blogs @youneedmemanidonotneedyou @eridanuswave @rosetheshapeshifter @fantasticchaoticwho @bwndito @dancerslovelife @justab-eautifulmess @whalerus

#petrichor #mine #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fic #atla fanfic #zuko #prince zuko #zuko x oc #prince zuko x oc #atla zuko #zuko fanfic #avatar fic #zuko fic #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #the last airbender

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nimsajlove · 4 years

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Moments (III/VI)

I think I will do some more, maybe the darker sides of the story? All of this is clearly at the beginning of the war, so I will move on to the end of it.

Brothers-AU Ao3

Part II , Part IV

*~*

"Can you do me a favor?", Rex asked without looking up from his work. Droidbait waited, as if he could turn down an order. To his surprise, however, the captain gave him no work, but a packaged ration and cutlery. “Make sure she eats. I can't always run after her.", he grumbled and Droidbait grinned, then nodded. "Consider it done."

His search began in the hangar, sometimes she was still there, repairing minor damage to the small ships herself. But he only found the usual cleanup work here, so he went on. She wasn't in the canteen either, and the opposite would have surprised him a little. Rex wouldn’t send him off, if he found her here. But when her bunk and quarters were empty too, he was puzzled. His last stop was the medical bay, he let his gaze slide over the beds. Most of them were occupied, the medics wandered among the injured and only looked up briefly when he entered. He took a few steps and looked around. Before he could turn around to leave, as she wasn't wandering between the beds, he saw her. She crouched between two beds, Jesse and Fives. She was slumped against the wall, her face on her knees and wrapped in a dark coat. General Skywalker must had surrendered his robes to her... Kix hurried past him and glanced at the ration in his hands. "Finally! I thought Rex hadn't thought about it.", the medic huffed and stopped briefly to look at the togruta on the floor. "Should I maybe take her out of here?", asked Droidbait and Kix shook his head. “Then she'll be back sooner than you can imagine. Just make sure, that she finally eats something."

It was easy for Kix to say that, he had a few months more experience with the young girl than he did! He wasn't known for necessarily being the best at comforting either, but he would try. She was one of them after all! His vod’ika. So he crouched carefully next to her and shook her shoulder, she was instantly wide awake and pulled the hood off her face. "Not my fault!", she exclaimed before looking around and blinking in confusion. Then her gaze fell on Droidbait and she relaxed. "Sorry.", she mumbled and rubbed her face, Droidbait sat down next to her on the floor and offered her the meal. "I'm not hungry.", she said immediately, but he still stuffed his cargo into her hands. “We know full well, that you haven't eaten since moving out. Do Rex this favor, okay?”, he muttered, watching her pout. "I'm not a youngling.", she grumbled, but still unpacked the cold ration and began to eat slowly.

There was silence for a few minutes and her eyes kept going up to the beds. "They won't go away.", Droidbait tried to calm her down, instead her look became even more gloomy. Damn it! Somewhere he must have taken a wrong turn... He hastily brought out a set of playing cards from a small pocket on his belt and offered them to Ahsoka. They had played many times before, she wasn't bad. "How about one game, we can stay here too.", he offered and to his relief she gave in, her eyes softened and lighted up a bit. "But only the simple variant, please.", she mumbled and picked up her cards, Droidbait watching her.

For the first time she realized how attentive the gaze of the clone in front of her really was. And how easily he got her to play a game. Losing to Droidbait wasn't a bad thing for her, he played for calm and not for profit, even if they sometimes lost their dessert. Like most clones, he would do almost anything for something sweet. "Headache?", he asked quietly and took his own cards, unlike the deck of Cutup, his was much simpler and made it possible to play several variants of sabacc. Cutups were also marked and that often made it frustrating to play against him. "Yes…“, she nodded and rubbed her temple briefly, then her fingers ran up her Montreal with light pressure. "Don't worry, just a single game."

One game turned into two, three, even four games. By the end of the fifth her headache was gone and she was leaning against Droidbait, full and warm, it was not often that they were so near to each other. She was already napping again, when the door to the medbay opened and someone came in looking. "Down here, general.", the clone stated in amusement and the jedi peered around the bed, his gaze softened when he saw the two figures on the floor. "How nice to know, that she listened to someone.", he muttered and rubbed hia hands lightly together, Droidbait was always impressed by how well he could read the jedi's body language. Maybe because Ahsoka resembled him in so many ways? "Thank Rex for it." "Okay... But thank you anyway, Droidbait."

*~*

The loud growl echoed through the training hall and froze all clones for a moment. The laughter that followed moved most of them to return to their own business. A few shinys, however, moved to the spectacle that one of the clones and the young girl were offering.

"Come on! Or was that it?”, Hevy grinned and wiped his hands once on his pants before turning back to Ahsoka. She was cursing on the floor and rubbing her ribs, unlike her combat partner, she was covered with bruises. Her arms shimmered in green and blue under the reddish skin tone, her hands were bandaged for protection and she had also wrapped up her bare feet in a similar way. Puffing, she picked herself up again and looked for a firmer stand. "Attack from above commander, remember?", Hevy scoffed and the togruta immediately rushed at him again, her otherwise carefully hidden fangs bared. With a jerk she landed on his shoulders and clutched at them, she only stayed there for a few seconds. When Hevy threw her off again, however, it left red marks on his bare shoulders, it was proof of her strength. Because actually, she should have been stronger than him! Damn she was a jedi, for forces sake!

When her back hit the mat this time she stopped and covered her eyes with one arm, somehow the world turned a little. Steps retreated before coming back. With a puff, Hevy sat down next to her and pressed a bottle into her hand, that raised without a word. Like every time she let Hevy beat her up, the refreshment tasted better than ever! And like every time he got up after a few sips and pulled her back to her feet. "Let's go through that again slowly, the idea wasn't bad.", he encouraged her and she slipped into the defense stand next to him. “Without weapons, your hands have to end up somewhere else. More like here.", he explained and pointed once to his neck and throat, she resisted with all her strength to attack one of her brothers there. "Are you sure?", she asked and he nodded. "Of course, when it comes to survival, I'm not joking.", he explained to her seriously and then added: "And you have teeth, use them against opponents. Just maybe not against the droids, it'll just break your jaw.” Against her will, she had to laugh and tensed again before she was back on Hevy with one jump. Her hands immediately landed on his neck, but when he tried to shake her off again, she clawed his shoulders instead. She stayed there for a full three seconds before landing back on the ground. "How did you kill an akul with such thin arms.", the clone grinned after leaning over her a little. Her growl was as loud as the last one and the few spectators backed away, the shinys had never seen the little laughing girl so dangerous. "I have teeth, remember?", she mumbled and got up again. Every bone hurt her. "Maybe it's enough for today?", suggested Hevy and she nodded.

It was frustrating to know, that Hevy was actually right. She was average in strength and size for a togruta, but compared to the war she was tiny! Puffing, she hung from the climbing unit and stared at her hands, which were clutching the shiny pole tightly. She was one of the few who used this scaffolding under the ceiling. After training, she usually joined the others on the way to the canteen, but today she was the last one to stay. "Dinner?", someone called up to her and she looked down, Hevy was standing under her and holding up a plate. The rations never looked particularly tasty, but they were warm and richer than the temple food. Her stomach growled loudly and she hastily swung herself down to her brother, instantly practically ripping the food out of his hand.

While she ate, Hevy sat down next to her. "You really need a shower.", he commented as he tugged at her tight top. It was soaking wet. The short shorts didn't looked any better either, they stuck to her in the same way and from the knees down they revealed the padawan's green and blue calves. She quickly swallowed the last bite, and Hevy immediately gave her something else. "Kix will kill me, if you don't use that.", he protested and with a quiet laugh she began to rub the balm into all the aching limbs. There was silence for a brief moment. "I didn't meant that… with the tiny and weak.", the clone suddenly mumbled softly and she looked up, so surprised that she forgot the cream that was still stuck on her fingers. She looked at his embarrassed expression and fought for a few seconds, before she snorted and kicked his thigh with her foot. "I know that, thank you."

*~*

Ahsoka stood a few meters away from the group and tried one last time to memorize the map on her datapad. She was infinitely grateful that her memory was better than her strategic skill, otherwise she would probably never have been able to remember this tunnel system! As steps approached, Rex or Master Skywalker probably, she turned the pad off and stuffed it into her backpack. "Don't worry, I remembered it.", she muttered without looking up. "I hope so, because the captain might be a little distracted.", the person next to her muttered and she looked up, Fives. Now she looked around, Echo looked in her direction and grinned broadly. “What are you doing? I want to take part!“, laughed the girl, if Fives and Echo planned a prank it could only be good! Besides, this mission was a bit of a boring routine, so any variety was welcome. "Do you want to get in trouble?", the clone teased and she stuck out her tongue before she swung the backpack onto her back and draped her lekku, so that not one of them rubbed anywhere. "Oh well, if we get caught I'll blame you two anyway."

Fives snorted in amusement at her side, before holding out a hand and opening it. Googly eyes, lots of googly eyes. She paused for a moment, then enthusiasm overcame her. Helmets with googly eyes, weapons with googly eyes, medkits with... "What have you already done?", she asked, taking a handful of the small plastic parts. Fives shrugged. “Not much, a couple of guns and two helmets. But we haven't gotten to him yet.", he grumbled and gave her a challenging grin. Of course, that's what he needed her for! "Oh, I know how to solve this."

The tunnel was dark, that was good! Carefully she stuffed her googly eyes into a side pocket of her rucksack, she kept two in her hand. She then threw a look over her shoulder, Fives was just patting a shiny‘s helmet and, with the movement, left two little googly eyes on the side. Then he turned his face to her, despite the helmet she could guess the grin from the tilt of his head. All right, her turn.

"Rexter!", she shouted, took a run and landed on his shoulders. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough. "Hey, get down kid. You can walk yourself.", he grumbled under her and pouting she leaned forward, propped herself up on his helmet and pressed her googly eyes onto it. "Spoiler.", she sighed and swung down again, Rex shook his head and walked on. She waited for Fives to catch up. "Done?", he muttered and she grinned broadly at him. "Right on the mark."

"Fives!" Fives, Ahsoka and Echo sat up in their bunks. "Damn it.", Echo sighed, Fives just looked disgruntled. "I'm impressed, it took more than 12 hours.", laughed the togruta and pulled her legs into a cross-legged position, she did not intend to leave her seat. Fives gave her a sharp look, she just grinned wider. "That was the deal!", she reminded him and watched him and Echo leave the quarters.

She had her rest for 10 minutes, then the door opened and someone grabbed her arm. It took her exactly one second to identify the attacker as Rex. "Get up.", he growled and shooed her into the corridor. "What did I do this time?", she asked as innocently as possible, he didn't took it. "You didn't really believe, that you would be spared. Right?", replied the captain and showed her the way to one of the storage rooms. There, Echo and Fives were already dismantling and cleaning weapons. "Besides, he told me.", Rex smiled and left the small group alone during the detention.

"Traitor.", Ahsoka muttered as she sat down next to Fives and began to take apart a blaster herself. That was the first thing the clones taught her. The reason was simple, everyone should be able to use a blaster correctly. "He figured it out by himself anyway.", he growled and then nudged her lightly in the side. "That belongs there.", he muttered, she started to assemble the blaster again. "Your way of taping up the eyes wasn't exactly subtle.", Echo added and there was silence for a while, then Fives offered her his forearm. Grinning, she bumped hers against it. "But in the middle of his jaig eyes, that was worth it!"

#best teachers ever #star wars #clone wars #ahsoka tano #clone trooper fives #clone trooper droidbait #clone trooper hevy #brothers-au

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hopelesshunny · 3 years

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the love languages part iii: words of affirmation (f.w.)

pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader

summary: y/n thinks fred is losing interest in her after he catches another girls eye so he makes sure she knows just how much he loves her.

warnings: kissing, mentions of cheating, misunderstandings, mentions of a breakup, insecurities, mentions of marriage, mentions of pregnancy, very brief joke about a physical fight, ANGST but with a happy ending!!

word count: 1.7k

a/n: this is late and i'm very, very sorry but i started writing it and kinda hated it so i had to take a step back and come back to it! i kinda struggled with this one bc words of affirmation is the farthest thing from my personal love language but i hope i did it justice.

*all photos are from pinterest*

series masterlist // part i // part ii // part iv

The warm sunlight washed over Y/N’s skin as she stepped into the courtyard, a smile etched on her face at the thought of seeing her boyfriend, after spending the entire day in class away from him she couldn’t wait to revel in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. She scanned the sea of students before her eyes finally found him, her smile slightly dropped when she saw two Hufflepuff girls standing in front of Fred as he leaned against a bench on the ground. The two girls were older than Y/N, they giggled as they spoke to him, one of them twirling her hair around her finger. She could feel jealousy pooling deep in the pit of her stomach coupled with an overwhelming sense of guilt as Fred looked very uninterested with the conversation the two girls were attempting to initiate, constantly looking around in search of her.

“There she is!” Fred spoke when Y/N made her way to him, the smile on his face was so genuine that she almost forgot about all the anger that previously possessed her.

“Hi, Freddie.” She greeted, giving into his outstretched arms to let him pull her into his lap. He placed a sweet kiss to her temple. “Hi.” She spoke softly, turning her attention to the two girls, irritation lacing their features.

“Maybe we’ll see you around Fred.” One of them piped up before leaving, whispering to one another as they retreated.

“Your friends seem nice.” Y/N scoffed, biting the inside of her cheek as Fred’s arms tightened around her, sensing her discomfort.

“Not my friends.” He chuckled, littering the side of her face with kisses which earned a giggle from her. “Just some girls in my Herbology class, they won’t leave me alone.” He added.

“Can’t entirely blame them.” She joked, attempting to make light of the situation. “I don’t leave you alone either.”

“Mhmm.” He started, turning her head to face him so that he could place a kiss to her lips. “But your company is more than welcomed, princess.”

She giggled at his soft demeanor, taking his hand in hers whilst she leaned back against his chest as she listened to him babble on excitingly about some of the new products he and George were working on for the shop. She felt content here in his arms but her mind kept wandering to the girls that were obviously attempting to flirt with her boyfriend.

Y/N knew Fred loved her, knew that no matter how many girls flocked to him he would always politely excuse himself from the situation in order to find her, knew that he wouldn’t even think about cheating on her but was he losing interest in her? What if he was looking at all these other girls and thinking they were prettier than her, smarter than her, better than her? She pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to think about losing Fred to someone else, she could hardly stomach it. But truly, it plagued her, Fred had come into her life and made it completely different, he forced her to live in colour after so long of feeling like she was one of those sad black and white Hollywood starlets. He made her feel special, made the rain seem like a gift instead of an inconvenience, made the sun feel warmer and the moon feel like he hung it in the sky just for her.

Fred noticed that Y/N had something on her mind and spent the next few days constantly asking if she was okay but he knew that she was far too stubborn to tell him what was bothering her. Because of this Fred tried a little harder to make sure she knew how much she meant to him, Y/N knew what he was doing but she wasn’t ready to confess to him that she was jealous of all the attention he was getting from the girls at school, worried that her insecurities would push him away. But that was never something that crossed Fred’s mind, he had assumed that other people flirting with him would upset her which is why he always rejected the advances, always made sure she knew that there was no one else walking this earth more perfect for him, he truly wanted nothing more than to slip a ring on her finger and spend the rest of his days with her. Hell if he had a ring right now he’d propose to her no questions asked.

“Alicia, do you know who that girl is?” Y/N asked as she sat in the library, textbooks littering the table in front of the two girls as they poured over their homework. Alicia spun around in her seat to get a look at the girl in question.

“The Hufflepuff girl?” She asked to which Y/N nodded. “I think her name is Jessica, why?”

“It’s nothing.” She lied in reply, gritting her teeth. “Just asking.”

“No you’re not.” She spoke casually, seeing directly through Y/N’s facade. “You don’t seem like yourself lately, what’s wrong?”

“She was talking to Fred a couple days ago.” Y/N sighed. “I just can’t shake it, I’ve caught her staring at him at dinner a few times and she was so adamant about talking to him that day.” Her voice shook as she spoke, Alicia looked to her with a soft smile.

“Y/N.” She started. “Fred loves you so bloody much, so much so that it's kind of gross sometimes. He’d never even think about pursuing another girl, he looks at you like you have a halo hanging above your head.”

“Thanks.” She sniffed, giggling at her friend. “You’re a good friend, Alicia.”

“And if all else fails, you could probably take her in a fight.” Alicia added, earning a loud, genuine laugh from Y/N earning stares and shushing from those in the library.

She felt lighter after her conversation with Alicia and was excited to see Fred at dinner, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his entire face. Her warm and fuzzy thoughts of Fred were interrupted when she saw Jessica running her fingers up his arm, a devilish smile playing on her lips. Y/N could hardly process the sight in front of her, it was making her sick to her stomach so much that she couldn’t bear to look at Fred’s face not wanting to see his reaction to the pretty girl in front of him trailing her hand up his arm. She didn’t even realize that her feet were carrying her body away from the sight in front of her until she could hear him calling after her.

Tears spilled from her eyes, tracking down her face as she ignored Fred’s desperate calls to her, practically running through the common room and up to her room. She slammed the door, sliding down it as she pulled her knees up to her chest, sobs now freely leaving her mouth.

“Y/N, angel-” Fred started, outside her door, he was audibly out of breath from chasing her through the castle. “Open the door please.”

She sat there for a minute, contemplating never opening the door, never speaking to him again, just simply forgetting that she never ever heard Fred Weasley’s name. But she knew she couldn’t, knew she could never forget about him and she also knew she shouldn’t just shut him out, he would never purposely hurt her. With a sigh she lifted herself from the ground and opened the door to find her very disheveled boyfriend, his hair messy from running his hands through it, his face flushed. As soon as she saw him her legs collapsed beneath her, choked sobs making their appearance once again.

“Hey, hey, none of that.” He whispered, taking her into his arms on the floor. “She just came up to me love, I told her she had to leave me alone, that there was never going to be anything between us because I was in love with you.” He rubbed circles into her back as she sobbed into his chest, placing barely there kisses into her hair.

“Are you-” She started, another brutal sob racking her body. “Are you losing interest in me? I-I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay with me if you don’t want to be.” Freds heart was aching listening to her, he cursed himself for the way she was feeling. He should have told her he loved her more, he should have woken her up every morning by telling her she was the only girl he ever thought of, that he ever wanted.

“I love you Y/N.” He began. “H-How-”

“You can love someone and get bored with them.” She spoke quietly. Fred sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her back to look at her.

“I will never get tired of you, you will never bore me and there is not a chance in hell that I will lose interest in you.” Her eyes found his for the first time since she first opened the door. “I think about you all day, everyday, from the second I wake up with you in my arms until I get to fall asleep next to you, all I think about is you. You’re everything to me.” He let a deep sigh leave his chest as he took her face in his hands. “I’m going to marry you Y/N, in the backyard, back home with everyone there and then we’re gonna have a bunch of little red-headed babies, send them off to Hogwarts and argue over what house they’ll be sorted in.” He said, pulling a giggle from her which he reciprocated with a relieved smile.

“You want to marry me?” She asked as he wiped a stray tear from her eye with the pad of his thumb.

“I have since the day you agreed to date a bloody git like me.” He joked, pulling her into his chest. “It’s only you Y/N, it’s always been you, it’ll always be you, you’re it for me.” She buried her face into his jumper, forgetting about Jessica, forgetting about her doubts, just breathing in his scent, just feeling his lips on her hairline, just her and her Freddie.

taglist (join here!!)

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if your url is crossed out i could not tag you!!

#fred #fred weasley #fred weasly x reader #fred wealsey fic #fred wealsey one shot #fred wealsey series #fred weasley x y/n #fred weasley x you #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley angst #hp fic #hp

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 4 years

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Flatbush & Atlantic: part viii

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi part vii

Here’s part viii! Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your dog, tell the nosy woman who lives in the apartment above you. Remember to reblog, it helps the series reach more people, and as always - tell me what you think! I haven’t gotten much feedback so far and would love to know everyone’s thoughts, even if it’s only a few words.

part viii

April 19 (sun)

Cass was the most nervous she had been in her entire life. Okay, well maybe that was an overstatement. That honor probably went to the night law school acceptances went out, or when she sat with Alejandra — a friend from back in Texas — as they thought DACA was going to get rescinded, or when her dad lost his job when she was in middle school and their family was living paycheck-to-paycheck. It was Game 6 of the first round, the Islanders leading the series 3-2. The score was tied 1-1 halfway through the second period, a beautiful tip-in by Nelson that managed to just squeak past Mrazek. They had been up 3 games to none at the start of the series, with every intention to sweep the Hurricanes in Game 4 at home. But then they dropped two in a row — needless to say, tensions were running high coming into the night.

She was sat up in the club box with the WAGs and some other family members who had flown in for the occasion, in hopes that they’d be able to celebrate a win and a move to the conference semifinals. The team probably could have used with tightening up their backcheck, but the passes were spot-on and Cass didn’t see much room to complain. Lauren on the chair opposite, she sat next to Paige as the clock hit eight minutes left, clutching a glass of white wine as her foot nervously tapped the carpet. Paige placed a steadying hand on her arm. “They’re going to pull it off, you know.”

Cass ran a hand through her hair. “That’s what I keep trying to tell myself. And I know they’ve got the talent, and these guys are some of the hardest workers I know, but—”

“It’s hard trying to rationalize it,” Paige finished.

“Yeah,” Cass nodded, “and especially knowing how long the team’s gone without a cup, like it’s been, what,” she glanced at the banners in the rafters, “38 years since they’ve won?. That’s 13 years before I was even born.”

Paige looked down at the ice thoughtfully. “I guess there’s really not much you can do in these situations but have faith that all the training and all the effort’s going to eventually pay off.”

“I guess you’re right,” Cass said, though if she was being honest she didn’t like the subjectivity of the statement. Shitty things happen to good people all the time, bad people get away with terrible things all the time, and people who have worked their asses off don’t always get what they’ve spent their entire lives working toward.

There were just under six minutes left on the clock, and the first line had just gone back on. Anders took the faceoff, and Cass was so focused on the puck that she didn’t notice the gloves dropping on the other side of the ice until Paige let out a gasp, gently shaking her out of her trance. She was thrown for a minute; sure, fights were more uncommon since the league started cracking down on penalties, but they weren’t uncommon, so why did it matter that she paid any attention?

Five seconds later, and she understood. It was Mat. It took Cass a few seconds to really grasp it — Mat wasn’t a fighter by any means, she had never seen him in one even before they got together, so what had finally set him off? They traded punches as the refs struggled to get a handle on the situation, jerseys riding up as Cass’ hand squeezed like a vice grip on Paige’s knee. She was too anxious to even figure out who the other player was, just that he was tall and blond and had one fist gripping Mat’s collar as he dodged one of his blows. Mat tried to steady himself, tried to realign his center of gravity, but then the other player threw a punch at the side of his face and it clipped his cheek as he tried to avoid it and he couldn’t get his balance back and he fell. Hard. Helmets had gone off before the fight had even started, so there was nothing in between his head and the ice.

Cass’ hands flew up to her mouth, and Lauren had to stop her from sliding off the edge of her lounge chair. There was blood, and it was coming from his head, and if there was one thing her mother’s 30 years as a nurse had taught her, it was that blood from the head was never a good sign. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she whispered, feeling the bile rise up in her throat. Scratch anything she had said before, this was hands-down the most scared she’d ever been in her life. The love of her life was bleeding from his head down on the ice, and he wasn’t moving.

You could have heard a pin drop in Barclay’s Center as the whole crowd waited for Mat to get up. And waited. And waited. Cassidy barely noticed him being helped up by Jordan; she was already running through the halls, Paige right beside her, frantically pressing the down button on the elevator to take them to the dressing room. She didn’t pay any attention to the usher who was telling her that they were private elevators because Mat was hurt and he was bleeding and oh God oh God oh God I need to get to him I need to get to him.

She leaned her head against the cool metal of the side panel, long since having abandoned her efforts to control her tears as Paige tried desperately to comfort her. “The team has really good doctors, and if he needs a hospital, we have the best ones in the world right here in New York,” she said, but her words fell on deaf ears. Cass’ head jerked up. The elevator had dinged, indicating that they had finally reached the underground level. She turned left, headed straight for the locker room. There was no way he would have been left on the bench. Cass knew enough about hockey and enough about injuries to know that a hit that hard and blood that bad meant that he’d be taken right back.

By this time, she knew the way as good as anyone, and didn’t care who would try and stop her from getting in the room. Come hell or high water, she was going to see Mat. She passed the handful of puzzled arena staff, bursting into the locker room. “I’ll be out here,” Paige had said, but it barely registered. Mat was in a room off to the side, and thank God the trainer was one who recognized her, because he nodded at her as she lingered by the door, unspoken permission that she could enter. Cass rushed to Mat’s side, his eyes screwed shut in pain as the trainer — Carter, was it? Nick? She really couldn’t remember much of anything at the moment — held a pad of gauze to his head with a gloved hand.

“Doctor should be here any minute, Mat, just hang on,” he said.

Cass knelt down, hands shaking as she laced her fingers through his. “It’s going to be okay, Mat. You’re going to be okay.”

Mat opened his eyes just a sliver. “Cass?”

“Yeah, babe. I’m here.”

The door opened again, a man with a medical bag walking through the corridor and into the side room. “Dr. Khan,” he said to the trainer as he set the bag down, unclasping it. “Nick,” he responded. So it was Nick, Cass thought absentmindedly.

“I was watching from a box when it happened, got down as soon as I could. So, his head hit the ice? No helmet?” Nick nodded as Dr. Khan snapped his own pair of gloves on. He turned to Cass. “Are you the wife?” For a moment, Cass was thrown. He may have been a doctor, but this man really couldn’t have known much about the team if he thought one of their star players was married. If Mat Barzal was married, everyone would know.

After a moment, she shook her head. “No. Girlfriend.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’m fine with you staying as long as you keep out of the way, it shouldn’t take too long.” He turned to Nick. “A/O questions?”

“Knew his name, knew the year, knew where we are, knew who she is,” he tilted his head over at Cass.

“Good, good,” Dr. Khan said, moving over to take his place at the head of the table. “Head wounds bleed a lot,” he said reassuringly, looking over at where Cass stood, her nails bit down to nubs. She thought she’d quit the habit in fifth grade. “It shouldn’t need more than a staple or two.”

True to his word, fifteen minutes later the bleeding had subsided substantially, and Mat was sporting two very shiny, brand-new staples. “I’m sorry we had to shave a little, your lovely girlfriend was telling me how much pride you take in your hair. It’ll grow back quickly,” the doctor said.

Mat let out a groan. “I’m going to lose all of my millions of adoring fans. The hair’s all I got, you know.”

Dr. Khan chuckled. “I’m glad to see you’re in good spirits. I’m going to diagnose you with a moderate concussion. It could have been a lot worse, but you got lucky this time.” He turned to Cass. “Would you be able to stay with him for the next few days? He should be able to manage, but it’s always better safe than sorry and it would be good for him to have someone around in case anything comes up.”

Cass nodded. “Yeah. I’m in school, but outside of that. Yeah. I can stay.”

Nick walked back through the door, handing a few printouts to Cass. “Just some concussion stuff for you to know. Activities for him to avoid, symptoms to be aware of, what to do if things get worse. That kind of thing.”

Cass took the sheets. “Do you think things will get worse?” She asked worriedly.

Dr. Khan shook his head. “It’s not likely, seeing as how he’s relatively aware and the concussion could have been much more severe. But it’s always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to any medical situation.”

She nodded, nervously rubbing Mat’s thumb. “Should I...take him home now?” She asked, trying to think of how she was going to take him back to Manhattan on the train when lights and loud noises were the exact thing he was supposed to be avoiding right now, or how much an hour long Uber would cost.

“I’d like to keep him for a little longer, an hour or so, just for observation to make sure symptoms don’t get any worse.”

The next hour seemed to inch by, dotted with visits from Nick and Dr. Khan and one from Trotz during the second intermission. Mat was going to be out for somewhere in the vicinity of two weeks; everything was dependent on him being medically cleared and a slow return to training and team practices. The news gutted him. It wasn’t just that Mat loved hockey, he loved being out on the ice and in the thick of the action and with his team, his brothers, and it just seemed so patently unfair that he wasn’t going to be able to do that when they needed him the most. Doing the math, he had realized with heart-wrenching certainty that that meant he would maybe be able to make the last few games of the conference semifinals, and that was only if they made it that far. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in his team, but the knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to do anything but sit on the bench in a suit and hand out waters ate away at him.

Someone, maybe one of the equipment managers, had taken the liberty of packing up Mat’s things, and Cass was poking around trying to find his keys. He was pretty coherent by then, but still in no state to drive. She slung the bag over her shoulder, trying not to groan at its weight — she’d definitely be sore tomorrow — and helped him out of the locker room and back to the players’ parking lot, half-heartedly waving goodbye to the handful of players and staff that were still trickling out. The ride back to his apartment was quiet, and Mat barely acknowledged the news that the team had eked out a win with a powerplay goal late in the third. They were going to the second round, and it killed him that he might not get to be a part of it.

She parked in the underground lot, taking the bag once again despite Mat’s insistence that he could carry it himself, their ride up the elevator accompanied by a strangely specific playlist that was mostly comprised of late 2000s pop. “I slow danced with my first boyfriend to this song at our freshman year homecoming dance,” Cass said.

The corner of Mat’s mouth twitched up. “I Won’t Give Up?” She nodded. “What was his name?”

“Justin. He played varsity basketball, I did lacrosse and field hockey. We were the jockiest couple at school for the all of four months we dated,” she said wistfully. “He was a good guy, but I should have known things weren’t going to work out. He had a lot of growing up to do.”

Mat hummed in acknowledgement as she opened the door. “I didn’t know you played field hockey.”

Cass let out a laugh. “Wrong surface, I know. But yeah, I did, through junior year of high school. Dropped it senior year to focus on lacrosse and college stuff.”

“But you still did lacrosse in university,” he said, more like a statement than anything.

She nodded. “Club, yeah. It would have been cool to be on the school team, but D1 sports are super competitive, and I didn’t have time between A Phi and the Mexican Student Association and honors stuff there would have been no way I could have made it all work.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Anyone ever told you you’re a bit of an overachiever?”

She glared at him. “You’re lucky you’re injured, or I would have slapped you.” Heading over to the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, “I’m getting some water, do you want anything?”

“Water would be great.” Cass came back a minute later, handing him his glass. She looked at her watch. Past midnight. Then she looked at her phone, which she hadn’t checked since the middle of the game and which had understandably blown up since then. She responded to texts from Paige and Lauren and Kerry, sent Chris a message that she’d need tomorrow off to look after Mat, reassured Noah that Mat was fine and would be back on the ice as soon as humanly possible. Her brow furrowed. Three missed messages from the apartment’s group chat, The Fantastic Four, named largely due to the fact that Cass may or may not have had a not-so-little crush on Human Torch as a middle schooler; once the girls had gotten the story out of her, they never let her live it down.

10:44 - Ryanne: When do you think you’ll be back? Made spaghetti and wasn’t sure if I should leave it out for you or put it in the fridge.

11:17 - Stella: Were you taking the subway home?

11:39 - Alicia: I saw on Twitter Mat got hurt, is everything okay? Do you need anything?

11:55 - Alicia: Cass? You good?

“Shit,” Cass breathed, shutting her eyes for a moment.

Mat looked concerned, scratching at an itch under his gauze. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Cass said, typing a response. There was almost nothing she hated more than worrying people. Oh my gosh I’m so sorry guys! Yes, I’m good, Mat’s okay too. It’s a concussion so he’ll be out of play for a few weeks, but thank God it’s not worse. I hadn’t checked my phone since he got hurt, I’m so sorry to worry y’all!! I’m over at his, the doctor said he should have someone watching him for a few days just in case. I might come pick up a few things tomorrow, but I’ll be back Wednesday :)

Mat stuck his tongue through his teeth and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry you have to deal with all this,” he gestured at his head, “it shouldn’t be your responsibility.”

Cass smiled softly at him, leaning gently into his side. “It’s okay, I don’t mind it, taking care of you and all. Plus, acts of service are my number one love language.” He laughed. “But,” she started hesitantly, “I’ve got to ask. You’re not really a fighter.” His arm tensed around her, knowing what was coming. “So what made you drop the gloves? You don’t really ever let these things get to you.”

“Yeah,” Mat sighed. He really should have expected the question sooner, it wasn’t like it was an avoidable situation. “Um, he had just been chirping me for most of the game, just stuff about how I’m all talk and no talent, about my points drought earlier in the season, stuff like that.”

“And?” Cass pressed, knowing that there was something he was holding back. She wanted to help him, and she couldn’t do that without the full story.

“And you,” he admitted. “It’s not really that unusual for guys to chirp each other about girlfriends, but he was just saying some pretty nasty stuff about you. Just sexist, gross stuff. No one should say that about a girl, doesn’t matter who she is.”

As unfortunate as it was, Cass was pretty sure she knew exactly what had been said about her. She was a woman — a young, attractive woman — living in New York City, which was practically the world capital of catcalling, and her earbuds could only drown out so much. But still, Mat’s response had her heart skip a beat. “Thank you for defending my honor,” she said sweetly, turning her head to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He blushed. “If I could go back? I’d do it all over again.”

April 27 (tues)

Cass scrolled through her Twitter feed as she waited for Mat to arrive at the deli for lunch. It had been a week and a half since the injury, and things were definitely progressing — though not as fast as Mat would have hoped. She had stayed with him for a few days until he was feeling back to his old self, and though Mat hadn’t exactly been thrilled by Cass having to wake him up every three hours to be sure that he wasn’t, you know, dead, he had been a pretty good sport overall.

Reading and excessive screen use was on the no-no list she’d been given by Dr. Khan, so Mat had taken to a lot of listening to music and trying valiantly to pick back up his guitar skills once he was feeling up to it. Skills was perhaps a generous word, Cass thought, since the only song he had been able to play with any confidence by the end of the week was Rockstar by Nickleback. “It’s not that bad,” he had said defensively. “They get a bad rep.” Cass wasn’t so sure about that, but thought it would be a bit of a dick move to criticize his music taste, so she refrained.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by Mat, who greeted her with a bright smile and a kiss on the forehead. “How was your day, babe?”

She shrugged. “Pretty good, nothing special. Just got out of a Contracts seminar. Nothing quite as thrilling as debating the precedent set by Supreme Court cases from the 1980s.”

Mat barked out a laugh. “I’m sure. I don’t think I’d understand a single word of what they said, but that just proves what I already knew.”

“Which is?”

“That you’re ten times smarter than I am.” Cass laughed, and he opened the door. “Now, I’m starving. I want food.”

“Good thing we came to a deli, then,” Cass said dryly.

He snickered. “Guess I walked right into that one.” The couple stopped in front of the menu. “What’s good here?”

“Besides everything?” Cass asked. “Roast beef sandwich, grilled chicken’s pretty good too. And obviously the pastrami.”

Mat shifted from one food to another. “I’ve never actually had one,” he admitted.

Cass turned to look at him slowly, eyes wide. “You’ve never had a pastrami on rye?” He shook his head. “You’ve lived in New York for, what, almost four years now? And you’ve never had a pastrami sandwich?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Mat mumbled.

“Oh, it is,” Cass said, as they reached the counter. “I take my sandwiches very seriously, Mathew, and you’re about to find out why.” She waved to the man behind the counter. “Carlos!” Jabbering in rapid-fire Spanish as he assembled the sandwiches, she pulled out her wallet to pay before Mat even got the chance. “Él es mi novio,” she said, answering Carlos’ unspoken question and tapping her card on the reader. “Gracias, te veré pronto!” She grabbed the bag of sandwiches, Mat following her out the door as they walked down the block, peeling off to a side road with a small park. Cass shifted her backpack off, setting it on the ground beneath a small table that had become one of her go-to lunch spots since she, Les, and Fiona stumbled across it in their first year.

“So it seems like you’ve known Carlos for awhile?” Mat asked, unwrapping the sandwich.

Cass nodded, biting into hers and letting out an almost-euphoric moan.

Mat raised an eyebrow. “You usually save that for the bedroom.”

Almost choking, she swallowed the bite, leaning over the table and lightly slapping his arm. “Mat! But yeah, he started working at the deli sometime in spring of my first year. He moved from Puerto Rico, so that’s why we were speaking Spanish.”

“What was that you called me back there, anyways? Nuevo?”

Cass snorted into her coffee. “Nuevo means new. I called you my novio. It’s the word for serious boyfriend. Or fiancé, really. The language doesn’t make much of a distinction.” Cass sipped slowly, deciding to hazard a question. “How has your recovery been going?”

Mat perked up. Anything relating to hockey and he was all ears. “It’s going well, yeah. I was cleared to start working out the other day, they did some scans and said that everything looks like how it should, which is a relief. I’ve been a little dizzy but nothing serious,” he quickly added, seeing Cass’ nervous glance, “and I go back in two days to see if I can get back to training with the team. A day or two of that and fingers crossed, I’d be ready to play a game if we’re still in it.” The team was down 2-1 to the Capitals, and Mat had been tearing his hair out the entire week, frustrated beyond belief that he couldn’t do anything to help. He was a hockey player, a damn good one at that, and there was nothing he could do but sit in front of his TV and watch his team fall behind in the series. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be out there, scoring and making hits and making a difference, not cooped up like some toddler with a list of things he couldn’t do and couldn’t touch.

Cass could see that he was starting to retreat a little bit, so she reached out, squeezing his hand. “Hey, chou, listen to me.” He looked up. “I know it’s frustrating for you. Believe me, I know how much you want to be out there and how useless you might feel right now, but that’s all bullshit, you hear me?” Her eyes softened. “The best thing you can do for the boys right now is work out when you can, listen to your doctors, and focus on getting better. The city wants their golden boy back, and as cute as your pout is,” Mat’s lips twitched, “it doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all you.”

Cass was nearly done with her sandwich when Mat spoke again. “Graduation’s coming up fast, huh? What is it, a month from now?”

She nodded, picking up a napkin and dabbing at the mustard by the corner of her mouth. “Yeah, it’s the 22, so a little under a month now.”

“Is your whole family coming down?”

“Yeah,” Cass said, bounding her head. “Everyone’s able to make it, which is awesome, and so much more than I expected. Eliana gets out of school the week earlier, so it’s not a problem for her, and it’s on a Saturday so it’s a non-issue for Noah and my parents. My nana’s driving down with my family, and my mom’s parents are flying from Hermosillo.”

Mat gave her a confused look. “I thought they lived in Texas?”

“They started splitting time after they retired, they were the only ones who immigrated so all of their relatives were still down in Mexico,” Cass explained.

“Got it.”

She continued. “Yeah, so I’m really lucky that everyone’s able to make it, it’s been forever since the whole family was together. Which reminds me,” she said, pulling out her phone and sending a quick text, “I need to get their flight info. I promised to pick them up from JFK.”

“Why don’t I come with you?” Mat asked quickly.

Cass was confused. “What if you’re still playing?”

He waved his hand. “Obviously not then. But if we’re not, I’d love to come. I could drive around so you wouldn’t have to pay for parking, and it would be nice to meet them before your graduation.” The unspoken addendum was if I’m able to make it. Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals was scheduled on the day of Cass’ graduation; Mat knew that realistically, the chances of making it that far were slim, but the thought of not being able to celebrate with her, celebrate her, caused a pang in his heart.

Her smile could have lit up the sun. “I’d love that, I really would. And you’re going to love my grandparents. I’ve told them so much about you and they’re excited to finally meet you in person.”

Mat beamed. “I’m glad. Hey,” he added, treading lightly. “Have you heard back from any of the places you’ve applied yet?” He knew of at least a half-dozen firms and nonprofits she’d interviewed with, but if any of them had resulted in an offer yet, she hadn’t told him.

Cass looked down at her hands. This was the conversation she had been dreading ever since last week. “Cass?” Mat asked again, more hesitantly this time. He could tell something was up. “Uh, yeah.” She said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Yeah, I have. You remember that tech company I interviewed with the other week?

“Yeah, the ones that do computers and stuff?” Mat asked, confused. If she got the job, then why did she seem so nervous?

She nodded. “Yeah. They got back to me a few days ago...and they offered a position.”

Mat stood up, ready to walk around the table and wrap her in a massive bear hug. “Cass!” He exclaimed. “That’s awesome! You said it sounded like really interesting stuff, and the company’s in New York so you wouldn’t even have to move—”

“That’s the thing,” Cass said, cutting him off. “They’re headquartered in New York, and I thought I was applying for a position in New York, but it turns out everything was ‘space available,’ whatever that means.” She finally looked up at Mat. “The job’s in Hong Kong.”

He feels like he’s had the wind knocked out of him, and sat back down in his seat hard. So hard, in fact, that he almost knocked it over, but he barely noticed. Hong Kong? That’s a whole country and the world’s largest ocean away, and the thought of losing her to a whole different country wasn’t something he ever could have anticipated. He’s finally gotten something so good, someone so good, and the thought that it could all be taken away in the blink of an eye was a possibility he hadn’t even allowed himself to consider.

Mat swallows. “Are you...Are you going to take it?” He asks thickly. She looks down at the coffee cup in her hands, the same speckled white-and-blue one Mat gave her back in the fall. God, October seems like a lifetime away from where they are now. “I don’t know,” she admitted, and he felt a weight lifted off of his chest. “I don’t even know if I want it, and I didn’t want…,” she tapped her fingers on the scratched stone table, “I didn’t want to decide anything without talking it over with you first.”

His head felt like lead when he tried to nod. “Okay, yeah. That makes sense. So, let’s talk.”

“It’s not something I ever saw myself doing,” Cass said.

“The moving to a foreign country part or the job itself?” Mat asked.

Cass scrunched her nose. “Both, I guess. Sure, I applied to places all across the country, but that was more for job security than anything. I needed cash flow to start paying off my loans, and as much as I love nonprofit and pro-bono work, it doesn’t really pay well. That’s sort of the whole point.

Mat reached behind himself to throw the sandwich wrapper into the trash can. “Do you like what they’d be having you do?”

“It’s contracts and negotiations, so it’s interesting enough. I like the topic and I know I’m good at it. But it’s not what I originally imagined for myself,” she conceded.

“What did you think you’d be doing?”

Cass let out a strained breath. “When I first got to law school, I was convinced I’d do immigration law. I’m passionate about it, feel like I’ve got a stake in the matter, and Spanish fluency is a really good skill to have in the field. And I loved getting to work in the clinic on deportation appeals. The day I got a stay for my first client was one of the happiest days of my life,” she added. Mat couldn’t help but smile. Even with mountains of uncertainty threatening to topple over on them, Cass had such a good heart and he’d always be proud of that. “But I’ve loved what I’ve gotten to do with Chris in the office. If I’m being honest, I didn’t think that I’d like it.”

Mat’s curiosity was piqued. “How come?”

“I think part of it had to do with how rushed and nervous I felt about the whole thing. It was pretty much my last chance and I really just threw my application together without thinking. I didn’t have time to worry if I’d actually like what I was going to be doing. It might just be my Rangers bias coming through, but I think I thought it would just be Scandal-type dealing with dumb shit players did, getting them off the hook for drunken escapades or finding contractual loopholes to save the team money on the salary cap.” She shrugged. “I’m glad I was wrong.”

“So,” Mat said said slowly, “if this isn’t the kind of work you wantedto do, why are you thinking about taking the job?”

“Couple of things,” Cass said. “The company culture is really good, by all accounts they hanuinely care about their environmental impact and worker’s rights, they make sure everyone on the supply chain is given a living wage. Good upward mobility, and there’s a half-dozen offices around the world that you can apply to transfer to after five years. Benefits and salary are are some of the best I’ve seen for new hires.”

“But would you be happy?” Mat asked, so softly that she almost missed it.

Would I? Cass thought. It was never the plan for her to move so far away; she’s never lived further than a few hours from home and as much as she hated to admit it, the prospect of not being in the same time zone as her family terrified her. What if her abuelo has another stroke, and she’s halfway across the world? What if she’s not able to hold her brother when he goes through his first heartbreak? What if she isn’t there to kiss Mat when he hoists the Stanley Cup for the first time? But what if she hates herself because she never took the chance? She finally looks back up, feeling like Mat’s hazel eyes are boring straight into her soul. “I don’t know.”

#hockey imagine #hockey smut #nhl imagine #nhl smut #mat barzal #hockey #hockey imagines #hockey writing #nhl #nhl writing #nhl imagines #nhl fluff #hockey fluff #mathew barzal #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal imagines #New York Islanders #new york islanders writing

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artificialqueens · 4 years

Text

I Have Loved You (Crygi) - Leda

A/N - Hi there ! i wanted to put a little note here , please read the trigger warning before reading , other then that i really hope you enjoy this one shot!

ao3 link here

Methyd, Crystal. Another hospital band to add to the ongoing collection when she gets home. It’s not a small collection either; in fact, in the last 2 years of collecting them, the box began to overflow. 103 hospital visits and 72 overnight stays, 3 diagnoses, 2 years, 1 best friend through it all. Gigi Goode had been her best friend since they met at a college party when they were 18. When Crystal got sick, everyone would come to visit her. But as time went on people slowly stopped coming. Gigi, however, always showed up.

They were inseparable. Gigi visited every day, and when Crystal wasn’t in the hospital they spent all their free time with each other and their families.

However, lately, Crystal had been getting worse and worse. Her speech was impaired whenever she was tired, and she had trouble walking. She had been in the hospital for 132 days now - Gigi's been counting. Crystal doesn’t seem to be getting any better either, yet the girl is nothing but positive.

“Geege, I’m o-kay. Whatever he sa-ys I’m okay.” Crystal explains, struggling on a few words but managing to articulate after a moment. Gigi was nervously pacing around the room. They had run more tests to try and see how long she had left, or if she was getting better. They both knew she wasn’t, but Gigi insisted they test her and Crystal couldn't say no to Gigi.

A small knock on the door startles Gigi enough to sit on the bed with Crystal. The doctor walks in with an apologetic face. “Crystal, I am very sorry to say you aren’t getting better. Your heart is getting weaker ever time we see you” The doctor kept speaking, but Gigi had already tuned him out. She isn’t getting better. If she isn’t getting better, she’s dying.

“There has to be something you can do!” Gigi practically begged the man. She was on the verge of tears, the cracking in her voice making it evident. Crystal places a hand on her knee, signaling her to breathe.

“I’m sorry girls.” he sighs and turns on his heels, padding out of the room. Gigi couldn’t turn to look at her best friend. She knew that if she did, she would break down in tears, which isn’t fair. She isn’t the one dying, and yet it feels like a piece of her is. In fact, Crystal is a piece of her. A piece of her IS dying.

“Gigi, look at me” Crystal murmurs out, reaching down and grabbing Gigi’s hand. “I’m here still, I am alive.” she says and smiles softly. When Gigi won’t look, she puts her hand on her cheek and turns the other girl's face to meet hers. “Babs, I’m alive”

“Crys, I don’t want to lose you.” Her voice breaks and the first tear slips. Crystal sighs and pulls her into a warm embrace. Both of them crying into each other for god knows how long. Love. Love is the word anyone who could see them would use to describe them.

“Crystal, oh my god!” Gigi squeals as Crystal sprays her with water in her backyard. It was the middle of summer and a hot LA day, but Crystal didn’t have a pool. Gigi did, but they were already at Crystal’s house and didn’t want to leave. So Crystal got her hose. “You bitch! That’s cold!”

“Oops,” She says simply and shrugs, spraying her again. Gigi continued to squeal and run away, Crystal chasing her quickly. 18, they had no worries. The world was theirs. They had just graduated and they could do anything they wanted. 18.

“We’re 24 Georgina, get me a fucking beer,” Crystal said, jokingly. Gigi laughs and sighed, handing Crystal a beer from her fridge. Crystal was finally out of the hospital and it felt like she was getting better, they couldn’t be happier. “Thank you m’ lady” the redhead joked, making Gigi snort.

“You’re such a fucking dork!” Gigi giggled and sipped her wine cooler. Crystal was about to say something when their song came on. “Cryssie! Our song! Dance with me?” she asked and stood up, offering the girl in front of her a hand. Crystal smiled softly and took her hand, slowly standing up and placing her hands gently on Gigi’s hips. They danced as the song played loudly through the speaker in Gigi’s house.

“So kiss me where I lay down, my hands pressed to your cheeks, a long way from the playground” Crystal sang quietly to the other girl. Little did the shorter girl know, Gigi felt the lyrics on a deeper level.

Gigi was sat next to Crystal’s hospital bed, her guitar resting on her knee as she listened to Crystal’s song requests.

“Can we sing our song?” Crystal asked, her voice was hoarse. Gigi smiled proudly at her and strummed the opening lines. “I’ve got a heart” she opened.

“And I’ve got a soul” Gigi sang back. They both knew their parts by heart.

“Believe me, I’ll use them both” The two girls sang in sync. “We made a start, be it a false one, I know, baby I don’t want, to feel alone” They continued to sing. However, Crystal’s breaths became shallow and she struggled to sing. Her solo for the ending had been approaching and they both knew she couldn’t sing it.

“To be loved and to be in love” Crystal tried, but she couldn’t take in enough air to continue.

“And all I can do is say that these arms were made for holding you, And I want a love like you made me feel, When we were 18, I want a love like you made me feel, When we were 18, I want a love like you made me feel When we were 18” Gigi sang effortlessly, a few tears glistening in her eyes at the thought of her best friend not even being able to finish her favorite part of their song.

“I love you Geege” Crystal struggled to get out. The taller girl stood up and handed Crystal the oxygen mask next to her bed.

“I love you to Crys” The blonde spoke quietly, a single tear falling down her cheek, unbeknownst to the other person in the dimly lit hospital room. “I love you more than you know” She adds with a sigh, but Crystal had already fallen asleep, snoring quietly.

Crystal was still in the hospital today, but she seemed to be doing much better, and Gigi was sat in her room giggling and joking with her when she got the sudden urge to tell her something, rather serious.

“Crystal, I, I need to tell you something.” Gigi rushed out in a panicked voice. The sick girl tilted her head and smiled at her friend, urging her to continue.

Do I tell her? If she lives and doesn’t feel the same it could ruin our friendship. But, if I don’t tell her and she dies I’ll regret it forever. Fuck it.

“Crystal Elizabeth Methyd” she breathed in deeply before continuing. “I like you. I mean like, I like you, more than in a friend way. In a ‘I want to kiss you’ way” she finally let out a breath of relief when she realized she had said it completely. Now all of her feelings were out on the table.

“Gigi Goode, stand up” Crystal demanded. Gigi swallowed hard and obeyed, not sure what the girl was about to ask of her. “Walk your ass over here” again, Gigi did as she was told, slowly and nervously padding over to the shorter girl sitting in the hospital bed, the cheesy one direction blanket laying on her lap. As soon as Gigi was hovering her Crystal, the girl below her reached up with her hand, the IV poking out of her wrist, it all caught Gigi’s eye as her hand balled in her own shirt, pulling her down as Crystal crashed her lips into Gigi’s. The blonde froze for a moment, feeling as if she had been dreaming. She was snapped back into reality as Crystal pulled her closer, and she allowed herself to kiss the smaller girl back. The kiss felt like fireworks were going off in her stomach and someone held burning coals to her lips at the same time, in the best possible way. After what felt like hours, but was most likely only a few seconds, they pulled apart, forehead resting on forehead, Crystal, hand still balled into her shirt, Gigi’s planted on the wall behind them, holding herself up. “I like you too. In an ‘I want to kiss you’ way” Crystal admitted, a light blush appearing on her tan cheeks.

“You have my heart” Gigi breathed out quietly, causing Crystal to giggle.

“Mi Cielo” Crystal hums and moves over, making room for Gigi to lay with her, the taller girl gladly laying next to her. Gigi hums as she holds the girl with messy red hair in her arms, hearing the quiet snores after a few moments. Slowly, she stands up, careful not to wake her sleeping partner and grabs her bag, blowing a kiss in Crystal’s direction before leaving for the night.

“Dulzura!” Crystal shouted, calling Gigi over towards her from across the beach. Crystal was in the water, Gigi had been laying on the towel in the sun. The blonde stood up reluctantly and made her way over to the freezing ocean where her best friend was floating happily. “Come in with me”

“Nope, it looks freezing” Gigi shook her head, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Crystal, however, was not taking no for an answer. She walked over to Gigi and picked her up, throwing her over her own shoulder, causing the taller girl to squeal. “Crystal Elizabeth put me down!”

“Okay” Crystal said with a smirk, tossing Gigi into the water in front of them.

“I’m going to kill you” The 19 year old cried out as she was now soaked by the icy cold water.

The next day rolled around, Gigi waking up an hour before visiting hours started. She applies light makeup and throws on her boots, quickly heading out the door. 30 minutes until visiting hours. Gigi arrives at the store, buying a bouquet of colorful flowers and a little stuffed puppy. Visiting hours were now open. She quickly arrived at the hospital, walking in with a smile on her face that nothing could take away. Or so she thought. That’s when she saw Crystal’s mom. She was crying. She was crying.

“Miss Methyd, are you okay? Is Crystal okay? Can I see her?” Gigi asks many questions very quickly.

“Gigi, honey, Crystal, she didn’t... she passed away late last night”

Those words hit Gigi like a truck.

“Her last words were for you. She said ‘Tell Gigi, I have loved you since we were 18, long before we both thought the same thing, to be loved, to be in love. All I can do is say that these arms were made for holding you, I wanna love like you made me feel, When we were 18:”

#rpdr fanfiction #crystal methyd #gigi goode #crygi #angst #lesbian au #leda #tw degenerative illness #tw major character death #tw hospital

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ophiexb · 4 years

Text

Chemical Reaction

It has been such a long time since I’ve written for fandoms. But hello yes here I am, please enjoy.

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“Shhh.” The quick almost forceful whisper was followed by laughter that filled the halls, before being stifled again the sound of feet stumbling and followed by keys. “You're going to wake the others.” A voice hissed before they were stumbling into the small apartment. They really had no way of knowing who was or wasn’t home right now, constantly having a flow of people in and out of the place during filming. However it seemed blessedly empty right now.

“See empty.” Charlie said brightly a smug grin across his face gesturing to the empty apartment a bit before Owen was pressing him back against their apartment door. His fingers found the lock between them before his lips were on the others. A mess of hands and clothing falling around them as they stumbled through Owen’s open bedroom and into the bed.

Owen woke to the sound of music playing the house, the sound of pans and pots being moved around the kitchen and he rolled slightly. Yawning as he rubbed at his eyes slipping from the bed to find some clean boxers. They didn't have filming today meaning they were completely free to take their time doing whatever they wanted, no rush to eat and get dressed before heading to set, no need to leave before the sun was even up. Owen wandered slowly into the kitchen, his bare feet padding on the floor as he found Charlie making pancakes in the kitchen. Two plates stacked nice as he moved to turn off the stove. “Really?” He teased his voice hoarse.

“What?” Charlie asked grinning as he turned to hand the other the plate of food.

Owen raised an eyebrow at him and the brunette simply grinned climbing up to sit at their bar. “An apron is not sufficient cover your lucky the others are filming today.” He teased getting settled with his own food. Running his hands through his blonde hair to push it back before digging in.

“So what do you want to do today?” Charlie mumbled around the mouthful of food, crossing his leg a bit as he ate.

“Let’s get out for a bit; do whatever and then stay in for the rest of the day? We’ve got tomorrow off with everyone else..” He shrugged. “Maybe have them come over tonight.” Sometimes there could be weeks between their shots, and sometimes they could be shooting everyday for months. It just never was consistent and he wanted to use the time while they had it.

“Want to rent some bikes again and race around the park?” Charlie asked excitedly, Owen had learned quickly the option of only staying in all day wasn’t there. Charlie was basically a dog, you had to take the guy for a walk or do something active or he’d be bouncing off the walls for the whole day and get into some type of trouble or mess.

“Yeah that sounds fun.” Owen said warmly. “We can grab lunch at that sandwich place by the pier.” He suggested happily “Maybe see what else is going on. I’ll text the others to come over after filming, see if Jer wants to hang today.” He was already climbing up to go and grab his phone, sending a few texts out while they finished up breakfast. His feet propped up slightly him and Charlie just brushing against one another while they finished up.

They weren’t a secret. They refused; there was nothing to hide and no reason to hide it. Plus more often than not Charlie couldn’t keep his hands to himself so keeping it a secret wasn’t going to last long. They didn’t necessarily have a coming out but they didn’t keep anything hidden. They did inform Kenny formally, and went through the whole up and down of making sure he was reassured it wouldn’t ruin the show if something happened to them.

By now, a few months into what they we’re, Owen didn’t think anything really could happen to them, it just didn't seem was possible. Charlie was the definition of positive attitude and confidence. He really couldn’t be shaken, they talked so well with one another it seemed like theyd always flow smoothly.

“Jer said he’d come later with pizzas and snacks, no one else really; they’ve got to film tomorrow.” He shrugged, setting his phone down to finish up his food. “Seems like a solid crew, the three musketeers.” He laughed.

“You text B?”

“Yeah he’s got another filming for his other show. He won’t be back until next week.” Owen climbed up from the table gathering up the dishes to toss into the sink and be washed later. Yawning as they moved slowly to go and get ready for the day out. Their lives were oddly domestic, they spent so much time just laying together on their phones, or exploring the city together. It wasn’t crazy, or overwhelmingly exciting. It was simple, it was perfect.

Though life with Charlie was never...boring. He’d never say that. Ever. Charlie truly made his life exciting in his own unique way.

They’d spent the day around town like planned, grabbing sandwiches and ice cream from the shop; riding around and racing one another in the beautiful Vancouver sun. Something so beautifully exciting about the way Charlie would laugh when they’d skid around corners and nearly crash into bushes. Almost a fun chaos to it all that couldn’t help but make Owen laugh. Eventually they called it, knowing Jeremy was heading over as they returned the bikes to the shop and got an Uber back to the apartment.

Owens' phone had a plethora of photos and videos today that he hoped to cherish forever, it seemed like every day during filming this show they were making really great memories. “Jer!” He beamed catching sight of the dark haired man waiting for them outside of the apartment, despite the fact he had a key, before pulling him into a hug.

“I ordered pizza, it should be here in a bit. And I brought snacks!” He wiggled the bags at the boys laughing as Charlie snatched one on their way inside.

“We could play some games, or watch a movie.” Charlie suggested skipping up the steps, but moving aside for Owen to unlock the door as they headed inside. “Owen and I just got a bunch of new games from the PlayStation store. A lot of nonsense.” He snorted dropping down onto their couch as Jeremy shrugged his coat off and hung it up. Joining them both on the couch as they booted up the tv.

They’d settled for some split screen games taking turns on who went when, taking bites of pizza in between and busting out the snacks only a little while after. Owen had way less stamina for the games then the other two, tilting his head a bit as he passed the controller off and moving to scroll through his phone.

“It’s because he’s a sore loser.” Charlie whispered loudly making the blonde roll his eyes and kick at the other a bit.

“It’s because I don’t play for hours on end multiple times a day.” He mocked sticking his tongue out.

“It’s okay to lose O.” Jeremy joked playfully knowing he was safer at the other end of the couch, but the distraction allowed Charlie to get him making him shout as they got drawn back into their game the two chasing one another through the map.

Owen swallowed roughly, untangling himself to go into the kitchen. Skipping the soda for a glass of water that he drank slowly watching the tv. Only the sensation doesn’t go away, that strange tingling that sends alarms off in his mind and he nearly drops the glass as soon as it clicks. It burns, quickly spreading over his face, all over his skin and continues to only get worse and tighter. Only more and more painful spreading down his skin and it feels like there’s acid in his stomach. “Char.” He forces out in a tone that has the brunette whipping around so fast he’s almost a blur. His bright eyes went wide as he leapt over the back of the couch into their kitchen.

“Hey; where is it? Where’s your bag?” He asked calmly. Jeremy already pulling his phone out calling for help. Owens' fingers strained, keeping himself up as he feels that sensation spreading across his body and skin. “O where’s the bag?” He asks firmly and he points shakily by the door. Hanging on their coat hooks before his knees give.

Charlie’s arms wrap around him lowering him onto his side before he was leaping up to grab the black bag hanging in the door and drops hard onto his knees back near the other. Jeremy is next to him now helping to get Owen propped up as he strains. It’s a bad one, it’s coming on to fast that they skip some of the usual steps as Charlie follows the familiar motions before slamming the pen down into the others leg. He waits, massaging over it a moment later before his eyes fly to the others face. There’s always that hesitation and doubt of what if it doesn’t work, what if this time it doesn’t do its job.

Owens got tears running down his cheeks, his eyes clenched shut, his lips parted as he struggled to pull in any kind of breath. Charlie’s heart breaks, it does every time they have to go through this. It’s not something he can stop, not something he can ever protect Owen from. Even if they are careful, even if they read labels. This still happens. He finally pulls in one shaky but full breath. Charlie’s hands gentle as he pets over him and gets the sweaty strands away from his face. “I’m here.” He soothed softly. “I’m right here Owen.” He comforted gently. “I’ve got you.” He slowly moved to uncurl the others hand and grasp his fingers tightly. Tears in his eyes that he pushed back for the other. Owens' breaths are coming now, slow and stuttered but slowly getting strength. He grabs the inhaler from the bag, bringing it to his lips and gently guiding him to take a few breaths of the steroids to ease some of his breathing.

“I’ve got you.” He soothed gently, kissing the sweaty forehead as the breaths came in more calmly and controlled. Jeremy was climbing up to let the paramedics in; they were quick asking the usual questions and hooking up the machines and tools to the other to get the readings. Getting a list of his allergies and medications from Charlie. There shifting him to lay out on the stretcher getting the IV in before moving.

“I’m coming.” Charlie said firmly, grabbing up Owens' bag as he moved, looking at Jeremy who nodded.

“Alright then come on.” The man said firmly as they asked Owen a few routine questions heading out of the apartment building and into the ambulance. He let Jeremy handle notifying the crew and everyone else and thankfully; there was no filming tomorrow so it shouldn’t conflict but they always deserved to know.

“His mom,” Charlie reminded softly, his voice tight as he looked at the oxygen mask being placed over Owens face. Jeremy nodded moving to message her next, always keeping in contact and reassuring her. Letting her know how he was doing with everything. His fingers gently brushed over his hand, his thumb rubbing against his hand as he watched him.

This had become a horrible routine; as they took him into emergency making sure they got all the right medicines into him, that his airways were open, his breathing was okay. They checked his blood pressure and a variety of other tests. Jeremy stayed with him the whole time. Right by his side as they thoroughly ensured everything was good and discharged Owen.

He was exhausted, he always was after these kinds of things. There really was no getting him to talk, or do much of anything. You had to help him move around and walk, everything leaving his body the moment the attack hit. Jeremy helped him get him comfortable in their Uber, Owens head laying against him his eyes only slightly open showing he was still conscious but he wasn’t doing much else. His fingers laced with Charlies giving him a soft squeeze now and again. They worked together to get him back up into the apartment and to their room.

Charlie gently tucked him in, making sure he was fully out before wandering out of the bedroom slowly. “Sorry tonight went a different way.” He whispered, looking at all the snacks.

“I’m sorry man...I checked all of them.” He admitted. “I did. Every single one was good. I read all the labels. Not even processed near any of his allergies.”

“It’s not your fault….it was probably a cross contamination with the pizza. Maybe some pesto or something got in it who knows. We can’t prevent them all.” Charlie relented, sadly moving to clean up with Jeremy's help. “That...that was a bad one.” He finally vented a bit, his chest hurting as he sank down he never could vent these kinds of things to Owen. He went through enough as it was having to worry so much about this kind of stuff.

“Yeah...yeah I could tell...I’ve never seen it happen so fast.” Jeremy admitted.

“He.” Charlie swallowed. “He had this really bad one a few months back. When we first started-yanno. I didn’t know if I’d eaten something it could spread to him if we kissed and stuff. He ended up-it was bad.” He forced out. “And then like-the next day I guess there can be a secondary trigger and it happened again. He hadn’t even done anything, just his body freaked out. I was so scared…” He breathed out slowly.

“I’ll stay? Okay? I’ll crash in your old room…” Jeremy said softly. “That way I’m here if it happens again, or at least to just...be some help tomorrow I know second days are always really rough.” Charlie couldn’t help but pull the other close, squeezing him tight. Tomorrow hed wake up with a smile on his face and not a care in the world. He’d put on that face and that positivity Owen needed more than anything. Because it was all he could do, and it would be okay. He’d rest up and be back to himself in no time.

Charlie kept those thoughts close as he climbed into bed, holding Owen close and curling up with him when he finally went to bed. Smelling that distinct smell of the others shampoo, and feeling that rise and fall against his chest as he was lulled to sleep the sound of the others breathing filling his ears with the sensation of his heartbeat against his chest.

#chowen #charlieowen

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heli0s-writes · 5 years

Text

IV. A Commitment*

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes Summary: Natasha teaches you how to kiss. Tony gives you an opportunity. A/N: Part 4 of Mystery of Love. . (*) denotes NSFW!!

At 23, you were struggling to have a conversation about … it.

It was almost three weeks since your moment on Steve’s couch with him and Bucky. Their touches on your skin haunted you day and night, and it made your work at the compound significantly more difficult than you could have ever imagined. It was hard to find clarity under such zealous and watchful eyes, and the distance you continued to keep them at would eventually be thwarted. You had to ask Pepper for an extension on your assignment mid-May before it got too out of hand. She happily obliged, very understanding of your predicament. The deadline was extended indefinitely, but having no schedule threw you further off course.

In an effort to control at least your personal life, you allowed yourself to spend time with Steve and Bucky in small bursts, intent on not repeating another couch-event. They each had very different approaches of being in your presence, you found out. Steve was happy to accompany you to galleries and the store if he was already in town- which he often was whether it be by coincidence or intention.

You took walks with him through the park, had coffee together, read the paper, and laughed at the comic strips. You’d go to bookstores where he’d browse non-fiction and history while you showed him some of your favorite art books, teaching him about famous artists and their vision. Your conversations were light and full of laughter.

Once, he met you at a local bar and you discovered his passion for sports- one you didn’t share but were happy to appreciate. You didn’t even know the championship game was going on that day and in the middle of it it’d become so rambunctious (someone recognized him!) that the two of you had to run out before it could conclude.

Physically, Steve was rather indulgent of your reservations. He’d hold your hand in private and brush his fingers over your knuckles in public. More than the touches, it was his gaze that sent your blood rushing. He perfected that slow lingering sweep with his eyes. There was no fervent message to be analyzed behind those blue-green gazes—only a simple feeling. And that feeling he held for you was incomprehensible. It swept you away.

It wasn’t like you didn’t want to be physical or intimate because you loved the feel of the pads of his fingers and his callused palms. Or that smooth line of his winning smile, tilting upwards on one side. You constantly thought about those rough edges of Steve Rogers on your body.

It was rather that you were so fearful of crushing all the eggshells under your feet labelled “Steve and Bucky’s Tentative and Healing Friendship”.

Oh, you knew about The Winter Soldier and HYDRA. You’d gotten the quick and dirty version from Steve after your initial meeting with Bucky; the wipes, the assassinations, the complete and utter control they had on him for 70 years. The image of him in ice seared itself into your brain, the thought of them putting him up when they were finished using him killed you.

You weren’t just heartbroken, you were livid. You couldn’t help but take it so personally and you couldn’t quite explain why to Steve as you sobbed uncontrollably in the kitchen that morning except rasping breaths of goddamn it, oh god, Bucky. By the time Bucky returned from his run, your eyes were swollen and pink, bottom lip nearly chewed through.

You buried your face in his chest and whispered that you were happy to have him in your life and nothing else. There couldn’t be anything else yet. He was still raw, and you couldn’t tear him open any more.

Spending time with Bucky was significantly different, and a much more delicate task than Steve. He was hesitant to go into the city, a choice you understood completely so you never asked. Instead the two of you spent lots of time on separate sides of couches with tea and a book, careful not to sit too close. He’d gladly sit with a movie on while you worked on editing your many files.

After travelling for so long, you wanted to pick up your old hobbies again, so you started to make small meals at the compound. Bucky was hardly a cook by any means, but always seemed to know when you needed an ingredient from the cupboard and before you could fumble to reach for it, he’d have already set it next to your hand.

The conversations were short, and as you expected, he never divulged anything meaningful. After you had the talk with Steve, Bucky often sent you precarious glances, worried you might lash out because of his past. When you carried on as usual, the weight lifted from his shoulders.

Bucky was more physical, to say the least. He tried to respect your boundaries, but it wasn’t unlike him to push them from time to time. Unlike Steve’s tender gazes, Bucky stared intensely and openly. There were many a time when you’d look up from your book to see him on the other side of the sectional, staring straight through the pages and right at your face. His fingers would be tapping on his knee. When you’d finally see it and swallow nervously, he’d smirk and look back to his book.

Or you’d sit on the floor with your laptop open on the coffee table and Bucky would have silently moved from his supposed area on the couch to directly behind you. He’d lean over close, so that his breath would tickle your ear and ask you innocently about the picture you were working on. It never failed to send shivers up your spine and elicit wide, devilish grins from him.

It was his favorite game. It set you on fire.

And so it was that you attempted to balance your time with both men, as they navigated their own schedules of work, training, and rehabilitation.

You also tried to retain any semblance of your employment to Stark Industries.

You snapped pictures here and there, trying your best to maintain the illusion of your contract. There were some exceptional ones of the interior but photographing the Avengers themselves was challenging. Especially when it came to Bucky. He could sense any time you were in the room and strictly refused to ignore your presence. There were no candids taken of Bucky Barnes; he simply did not allow it. He never stopped staring at you.

At the end of May, you put the assignment on pause and decided instead to focus on the photos from your travels. Pepper kindly put up a room for you so you didn’t have to make the trip to and from the compound, but you were afraid that being in such close(ish) quarters with Steve and Bucky would lead to complications. She was very understanding at your hesitance and careful not to pry but left the offer open if you had any questions. You contemplated asking her, but in the end decided to save your queries for someone less motherly and more straightforward.

When you turned up at Natasha’s room, she hardly seemed surprised. She had two Irish Mules set on coasters on the small coffee table. You took a sip, licking your lips at the lime and ginger beer; she could really make a drink. It would have been bad to get drunk quickly and spill all your secrets, but there was something about her presence that was tossing out all pretense. You supposed the phrase, “You can’t bullshit a bullshitter” was especially applicable with Natasha.

The first query slipped out before you could catch it.

“Does it hurt?”

The right corner of her lips lifted, but her eyebrows raised in sympathy at your innocent question. It was a valid one, of course, and it was right of you to ask it. Natasha assured you that discomfort is normal at first since you’d never experienced it before- but that they both should be treating you respectfully, kindly, and lovingly. She restated that there was nothing wrong with taking it slow, finding your own pace and easing into it, and doing what you feel is comfortable.

When you told her you’d never kissed anyone before and that Bucky sucking on your finger probably didn’t count, she sputtered up a bit of her cocktail mid-drink. She didn’t specify whether it was because you’d never been kissed or if it was the... other thing.

“I don’t even know how it works. There’s two of them.” You’d been stuck on it all month. You’d have to decide in the end, and sure, maybe Bucky wasn’t jealous when Steve kissed your hand or when you’d go out with him but what if they started fighting about who got to do what with you. It wasn’t like they were each others’ soulmates. You complained to Natasha more freely at the end of your mug.

What if they didn’t like how you looked?! What if you were bad in bed? What if they got bored after seeking the physical aspects? What if that was all that became of your relationship?

She had listened to your rambling briefly but became determined to put a stop to the madness and set down her drink.

“You have to stop being so crazy, those two are closer than you or I can imagine. You might need to be convinced about the validity of being Soulmates, but those old boys do not. They have committed.”

There was that word again, you thought.

“And, if you’re so worried about your first kiss...” A single red brow raised itself high up her forehead, “I can show you. No more worrying about who kissed you first.” Natasha set her copper mug down with a definitive clink.

It might have been the drink that was making you brave, or the desperation of wanting some relief to your constant distress, because you eagerly said yes. Natasha had brushed back loose strands of your hair with her hand and propped herself up on her knees. She hovered over you, letting her locks fall over your face.

“Is this okay?”

You nodded, captivated. You could feel your eyes fluttering as she lowered her lips to yours in a single tranquil movement. Her warm breath pleasantly caressed your mouth as she kissed you. Natasha’s lips were soft and full, velvety with every parting and descent. One hand came to cup your jaw, pulling you closer and deeper into her motions. You didn’t expect the sound your mouths made against each other- the smacking was half disturbing, half arousing.

She had seemed like a good kisser, but it was almost a clinical experience, whether it was because it was a learning moment from a friend, or if it was because you were so concentrated on memorizing Natasha’s actions, that made it not quite enjoyable as the movies tried to portray. There were no string quartets harmonizing in the background or doves flying, only the lax pulse of your heart in your own ears.

When she finally pulled away, you were expectant for another one; you wanted to learn. She cocked her head at your silence.

“How was it?” You had thought about it for a second before answering truthfully, “Noisy...”

Natasha howled with laughter. When she gathered herself enough to speak again, her raspy voice was slightly a little more hoarse than usual.

“Kid,” she gasped, “The noises are the best part, trust me.”

The unexpected statement made your abdomen clench. You vaguely wondered what kind of noises Steve and Bucky might make, but hurriedly squashed them. Linger on that one for too long, and you’d burst.

After another half hour of fielding questions, she finally sent you back to your quarters with a flash-drive in hand, disclosing to you that it was her personal collection of “friendly” pornography- which made your entire body flush crimson. It was for you to watch, explore, fantasize about, and maybe get some ideas before the day arrives. Before opening the door, Natasha called your name sternly.

“Remember when I asked you if it was okay before I kissed you?”

You nodded.

“There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, they should be asking you. Porn does not capture all the real-life shit that happens during sex. There is nothing embarrassing about asking questions, voicing your needs and desires, and talking to each other. You’re not going to be awesome at it the first time. But you’ve got the rest of your life to practice.”

You thanked her sincerely. There was nowhere else that you were going to receive this kind of lesson and you really wanted her to know. Natasha shooed you out of her room, pointing to the flash drive gripped tight in your fist.

“Go rub out some good ones for me, okay?”

With a wink and playful slap on your ass, she promptly kicked you out but not before deftly tucking a flask of whiskey under your arm. You shoved the deviant things as deep into the pocket of your jeans as possible and wandered to the guest room Pepper had set up. You often took naps in there, and it would have been a better idea to go home, but you were strangely eager. Bucky and Steve were in the shooting range this evening, so you hoped they’d be fully distracted with loud gunfire and not sniff you out with 100 gigabytes of porn in your pocket.

Once safe in the comfort of the room, you tentatively launched a window on your laptop, headphones jacked in, one bud hanging loose. Your door was locked all the way, and you had wiggled the handle thrice just to be safe, satisfied when nothing budged.

Natasha’s files were categorized into multiple folders and subfolders. You made a mental note to thank her for such thorough and thoughtful placement of the videos, sorted and titled by extremely efficient keywords. She had a deliberate folder of multiple threesome videos, just for you, and you promptly decide to never bring it up any of it. Reading the titles alone made your legs tingle; your mind couldn’t help but automatically fit Steve or Bucky in the fantasy.

You fired up the first video, reaching over to the small nightstand to inhale two fingers of whiskey for good measure. It burned your insides going down but became a relief when it took your mind off the fire in your cheeks at the performance unfolding on your dim screen. Once again, your brain replaced the two male actors with your respective soulmates, and yourself as the woman sitting in the middle of the bed.

Of course you’d masturbated before, you weren’t a nun, for crying out loud; some bodily tension could only be relieved in a certain way. And it just so happened since the Binding, you were in the habit of doing it much more, anyway. It was difficult to spend all day with Bucky’s burning gaze and Steve’s feather light touches and expect yourself to immediately fall asleep...

Your phone lit up as two large hands caress the actress’ shapely thighs.

Tony’s face blinked on the screen. You ignored it, concentrated on thick fingers peeling the flimsy material of a lacy bralette down. Open-mouthed sloppy kisses begin between the woman and the man on the left as the one on the right cups the breast closest to him in a firm hold. You imagined a ghostly touch on your own chest and shuddered. One hand imitated the actions between the woman’s legs: feather-light touches interspersed with solid grips. The tickle creates chills that crawl all over your skin.

Tony face blinked again on your phone.

You fixed your posture against the headboard of your bed and flexed your legs, straightening them for a more relaxed pose. Your palm traced over the slope of your thighs as they dipped into a valley in the middle, slowly you brought your other hand to your chest, following the line of Steve’s Words. Bucky’s eyes flashed in your mind when one of the men catches the woman’s fingers in his mouth in a hard suck. The woman’s free hand and palms the opposite man’s crotch, rubbing slow circles around the tent in his jeans. He sucks in a low hiss of air and groans lightly, a profane word wiggling its way out of his mouth. In your left ear, it sounded like Steve.

F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice filling the room sent you into shock.

“Mr. Stark is requesting your presence in the living quarters.”

In a panic, you slammed your hands down on the keyboard of your laptop multiple times, silently screaming when the headphone jack falls out and there’s moaning repeatedly being paused and played in the darkness of your room.

“How does he--”

“Mr. Stark had me do a sweep of the rooms to find you.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.!!”

“Mr. Stark does not know what you are watching.”

You grumbled, accepting the interface’s comment. Sometimes it was hard for you to remember that she wasn’t an actual person since she so often responded in very human ways, including predicting your source of embarrassment. You flopped down on the bed, muffling your face in the soft comfort of your pillow, catching the smell of your whiskey-sour breath.

“Please tell Mr. Stark I’ll be coming,”

“That's an interesting choice of words, ma’am.”

Another scream was muffled in the pillow before you trudged your body out of the guest room.

As soon as you stepped foot into the gathering space, a tiny firework was popped in your face, colorful confetti flying from it into the air and scattering itself in your hair. You shrieked, naturally. There were some cheers and whooping from those in the room: Steve, Natasha, and Pepper. Your heart was pounding in response.

“Hey kid! Congrats! I got some news for you.” Tony beamed widely, slapping both hands firmly on your shoulders, “What is that, whiskey? Do I smell whiskey? Good shit, too. What is that? You drinkin’ Yamazaki?”

You cleared your throat and pressed your lips together firmly, hoping Tony would get the message, eye catching Natasha’s cat-like grin in the process. He clucked his tongue before pointing to the wall to your left where an e-mail was being projected. You briefly glanced it over as the room watched on, flicking bits of neon plastic from your head.

The e-mail thread was between Tony and Kristopher Byrne, the former director of the Museum of Modern Art, singing your praises. Your eyebrows raised higher and higher the further down the e-mail chain you went, and eventually it felt like they might fly off your face altogether. Byrne was pushing meeting you, possibly having a dinner together, possibly a position of employment with a local university or being a permanent fixture at one of his private galleries.

There was a choking noise you were vaguely aware of coming out of your mouth- and it wasn’t from excitement.

There was a reason you didn’t pursue a higher degree in the Fine Arts. There was a reason you only gave phone interviews, hardly showed your face, never entered your work in museums, and ran all over the world instead. You hated the attention and the culture of rubbing elbows with the upper crust. Yes, having a secure and stable income is nice- but that was already fulfilled by being employed by Stark Industries, and you never really needed more than that.

“I really appreciate it, Tony,” you began gesturing to the screen, hoping to not offend him, “But you don’t have to do this on my behalf.”

Tony put a hand over the ACDC logo and dimly glowing light on his chest, “I love nepotism as much as the next guy, trust me, but I did not schmooze him, he schmoozed me. He schmoozed me a lot, kid, and it was to get to you. He’s been asking about you for years.”

“Can you stop saying schmooze?” Pepper called, raising her hand primly, “You make it sound so gross, Tony.”

“Look, he just wants to have dinner. With you. And some friends.” Tony shrugged, as if the lift of his shoulder could so easily discard the rest of the statement hanging in the air. You knew that Kristopher Byrne did not just want to have dinner.

“What kind of dinner?” Bucky piped from the background. You turned your head to him, lingering in the back; he must have just come in after a shower. His wet hair was tied into a low knot at the nape of his neck, a few strands hanging loosely. You tried to hide a smile at his protective questioning.

“And what kind of friends?” Steve added, arms now crossed as he sat down on the couch.

Natasha gave a knowing look to Pepper as if to communicate that Tony couldn’t hide his agenda with both Bucky and Steve at his heels. Throwing his hands up he rolled his eyes with a histrionic lament, “Wow. You overprotective geriatrics really suck the fun out of my life, you know that? Great. Cover’s blown, F.R.I.D.A.Y.! Give me the real deal.”

The projection against the wall was hastily replaced with a different e-mail chain, one that very specifically requested a formal show of your most recent work post-travels, as well as a special request for never-before-seen Avengers portraits. You released a loud, disappointed groan, taking two big steps to the wall and jabbing your finger at the mass of text.

“This is why.” You ran your pointer under the phrase “black tie event” and shook your head. “This isn’t my life, Tony. It’s your life.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.” You felt set up. His abruptly somber tone meant that he was about to drop some shit on you that would change your perspective.

“This is my life,” Tony began, pausing for effect before taking two fingers and waving it broadly over the room, making sure to catch Bucky and Steve in his radius. “And it’s their life, too. You think Cap’s not obligated to formal events? He’s a national treasure, kid. And Winter Dead-Eyes over there is America’s new Redemption Sob Story.”

Bucky growled, but was quickly silenced by the outline of Steve’s turning profile.

“You’re Bound to them; you can’t wander the world at your whim anymore. This is a golden opportunity dropping into your lap. One black-tie event with Byrne gets your foot in a lot of doors. He’ll make you a permanent faculty member at Tisch in two years if that’s what you want; you’ve got the clout- whether you like it or not.”

The whiskey was making you a little agitated, and it felt like Tony was cornering you into a pocket you weren’t ready to face. These types of decisions required time and deliberation, and twenty minutes ago, you were barely choosing when you were going to have sex in the next week.

“And if you’re so adamant against nepotism, how do feel being employed by me?”

“Are you saying you continue to employ me because we’re friends?”

“Aren’t we?”

He really did corner you. If you answered no, it would have been too cruel to everyone. If you answered yes, then you’d be a hypocrite, and there would obviously be no reason for you not to take the offer other than the fact that you didn’t want to. Regardless, Tony had a valid point: you couldn’t keep floating. You needed to settle permanently in New York.

You put your face in both hands, feeling the heat rise from your neck.

Steve stood up from the couch, “That’s enough.” The edge in his voice meant he was serious. He didn’t like seeing you distressed, but you waved him off, eyes still closed.

“I’ll need… time.” You thought your voice might shake, but it didn’t. Your brain was pumping out information that your mouth was glad to blather about, “I need at least a month. I need to work. I need to set up a studio space, I need equipment, need to find my printing guy… Where are we hanging them?” When your eyes opened, Pepper had her hands clasped together over her chest and Natasha gave you two thumbs up. Steve and Bucky, on the other hand, looked concerned.

Tony was grinning like a child in a candy store.

“Leave all of that to me, kid. Date’s set. Last Saturday in June, we’re doing it. Mazel tov! I love a good black-tie event, especially if I’m throwing it.”

You went home that night and slammed yourself into bed, tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. Your stomach was churning wrathfully, already expectant of the party. Everything felt like it was falling apart again. You had just barely come to the physical terms of having soulmates, taking small steps to ensure that you were treating them fairly and meeting their needs, yet it seemed like once again, the reality of being Bound was eclipsing your independence.

Steve’s words echoed in your head. It was a commitment. You needed to stay in New York and commit to him. You needed to commit to Bucky.

You picked up the phone when it vibrated and lit up with Steve’s face. A concerned murmur of your name passed through the receiver.

“Hey,” You replied, face pressed into your pillow.

“You okay? You left in a hurry.” He sounded relieved to hear your voice.

“I’ve got a lot on mind, I think.”

In the background was Bucky’s distinct mumble of “What’s she doin’?”

“Did ya get that?” Steve laughed, “Buck’s on edge.”

You shuffled yourself around the bed and snuggled deeper down, imagining the crinkle on Bucky’s forehead and matching crease of Steve’s eyes as he smiled. You suddenly missed them. There was something about the image of them sitting together purposely, talking to you, concerned about you, that opened the floodgates.

You let go.

Steve listened generously as you expressed your hesitations about presenting your work to Kristopher Byrne or any other elite art critic or connoisseur. The thing you dreaded most about art school was the jargon of “artspeak”, the constant performance of socializing with the right people in the right way to get an opportunity. After your solo exhibit of the Soulmate Series, you were so exhausted and disenchanted by the questions and feeling the need to defend yourself that you refused to enter any more exhibitions. It was why you chose to travel instead of pursuing a Masters or making your mark in New York.

Interviews were strictly phone-only for independent magazines or social media websites and you never showed your face. You didn’t want any attention that was not on your work, which was why you were so glad that Pepper was not only a great resume opportunity, but that she was extremely professional. The photos you took of the Avengers were posted for the public relations needs and you were credited only by name.

“I just want to be a photographer,” you said, “I want to make images and talk about them in way that is digestible for ordinary people. I think photo is a great medium for that because it is so commonplace. Why is necessary to then jumble it all up with pretentious terminology? I want to take photos that are meaningful but even your grandmother could enjoy.”

Steve laughed.

“Okay, maybe not yours, specifically,” You chucked, “But you know what I mean. Photography is ubiquitous, I just so happen to have had also an education and know the theory and mechanics. And I’m lucky enough to work with you guys. But I’m not them. I don’t want to sell a picture for thirty-thousand dollars and have it put up in some guy’s house and never shown again.”

“Give ‘em hell!” Bucky’s voice rang in the background. You were surprised he was still there, listening. It made you happy that he was.

Steve paused, “I think you can do both.”

You sighed. He didn’t understand.

“No, no, listen to me. You can fight it, but you’ll need to be a part of it. You can’t change anything about the system if you’re running from the system. As much as you hate elitist jargon, you know it, and you can participate in it.”

Your brow furrowed, but Steve went on, “Get the faculty position, exhibit in galleries, gain that platform and then you make changes on that platform. Even if you just teach- imagine having 100 students a year that you can pass this to. What were the students like in your college classes?”

“Uppity.” You admitted. “We took such dumb photos and then would critique them in such meaningless ways. Sometimes a sink is just a sink. Sometimes it’s not, but when it is, it really is."

Steve laughed again; the example was lost on him. “Okay. Now what if your professors felt the same way you did?”

“We’d probably hate each other less and experiment more without second guessing ourselves.”

“Don’t you think you want to do that for other students, sweetheart? Even if it means that you’re in the thick of it yourself?” A smile was slowly forming on your face. It only made sense that Steve Rogers was such a revolutionary. It really was such good advice.

“Buck’s right, sweetheart. Go give ‘em hell.” In the background was a satisfied huff and a “Damn right!” for good measure.

“Anything else on your mind?” Steve quietly asked after a moment had passed between you, as if he’d forgotten his friend in the room, highly alert and intently listening, “Anything ‘bout us?”

You breathed a deep sigh, careful not to blow into the phone as you thought about your next words carefully. The anxieties for the show colluded with your anxieties for your future here. Steve knew that; he was only asking to be polite. “Mmm… It’ll keep me close,” You murmured, “That’s good, right?”

“I can’t decide that for you, sweetheart. That’s up to you.” There was a pause, the sound of something hitting the wall softly like a pillow, some fuzzy scratches telling you the phone was moving around, and Bucky with an irritated reprimand: “Wrong answer, punk!”

You laughed mirthfully, feeling your worries rolling off your body as you listened to Steve and Bucky quarrelling on the other end. It felt so natural that you couldn’t help but think maybe this was another good step in the right direction.

More and more each day you could imagine yourself having morning coffee with Steve, watching a movie with Bucky, cooking together, eating dinner, working side by side at the compound. Maybe you didn’t have to settle for brief fifteen-minute walks in the park, and maybe one day Bucky could talk to you about his demons. The three of you could exist together, as you were intended to.

At 23, you made up your mind to stay in New York with Steve and Bucky.

Next Chapter

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers x bucky barnes x reader #self insert #fanfiction #mcu #marvel #stucky x reader #soulmate au #Mystery of Love heli0s

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capricornus-rex · 4 years

Note

Hiii!💖 I hope that you are doing well! I just wanted to request a little something with Cal if you don’t mind or aren’t busy. I just failed an exam and I’m feeling really bad an dumb so uh I guess I would want something to make me feel better. This request sucks lmao I’m sorry, I am in crisis🥺 i’ll stop crying now hahaha you can ignore this ily

Oh no sweetie, I hope you’re doing okay! Sorry if the fic is a day overdue and I couldn’t help but consider this as an emergency—no one gets sad on my watch! ÙωÚ I hope this fic can make you feel better. And no, sweetie, you’re not dumb—YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!! 💖💖💖

I know I’m knee-deep with requests but if someone is sad and relies on me to cheer them up, I can’t simply ignore that~ :”) I hope sooner or later, I’ll hear from you smiling already~ :3

Oh and little fun fact, I took inspiration from your previous profile icon—the one with Rapunzel—and listened to I See The Light while writing this for an extra personal touch *finger guns* 😉 I also referenced a festival that we usually celebrate here in my country UwU

“Festival of Flowers” | Cal Kestis x Reader

Tags: Flower Festival, Inspired by Tangled

Also posted in AO3

Masterlist

Cal noticed that you have been awfully quiet the whole day ever since you two got back from Dathomir. You couldn’t help but keep recalling the moment where you flunked a move that allowed the Nightbrother to strike you with his mace. You feared that you’ve lost your touch, your skill, and grace and lost to someone with a crude fighting style.

Asking you if you’re okay didn’t exactly do much, whenever Cal looked away, you’d go back to skulking; now, you’re whiling away your time reading BD-1’s databank entries uploaded to your datapad at the couch. He pretended to go to the galley, fixed himself a glass of water, and peered over your shoulder and found you reviewing lightsaber combat forms.

He didn’t say anything, he finished his glass and marched back to the cockpit, leaving you in the solace of your privacy. Cal went to the holotable and typed the coordinates of a planet. It was a planet that he had heard from Master Tapal as a child.

“Setting course for…” Cal shushed Greez before he could say the name of the planet out loud. The captain got the hint. “Aggio? Never heard of it.”

“It’s a planet my master told me about, I’ve never been there myself,”

“And we’re going here because?”

“It’s a surprise,” Cal smirked. “For her.”

Cere and the captain exchanged glances as soon as Cal stepped out of the cockpit to join you at the couch. He casually settled himself next to you on the sofa, propping his foot over his knee and slouching his back against the backrest.

“Hey,”

You turned to face him and parroted his greeting.

“What are you up to?”

You stammered, “Oh, um, studying… reading…”

“That’s a new thing I’ve heard from you,”

“I was a bit of a study bug when I was a Padawan whenever Master and I are back at the temple,”

You heard the humming of the ship and saw the flash of blue light through the windshield.

“Where are we headed?”

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” he cooed.

Now that he has piqued your interest, the first phase of his plan is proceeding accordingly. You took his statement with a grain of salt and continued studying. Hours later, you have completed the learning modules of the lightsaber forms from Form I to Form IV—all that time you spent studying and figuring out if one form is compatible to mix with the other was the exact travel time the Mantis needed to get to Cal’s secret planet.

When you felt the suspension bounce against the surface, you put the datapad away and joined Cal by the cockpit. The Mantis landed in a high forest clearing, in the north, a town can be reached with just a short trek. Cal abruptly grabbed you by the hand and dragged you out of the ship, clearly, he was excited to show you everything there is to see about the planet.

You stand at the edge of the small rise of land that overlooks the town. Even in broad daylight, the town radiated a certain kind of brightness around it—as if its aura pooled and then burst for everyone to see.

“Where are we?”

“This is Aggio, it’s a planet that I’ve only heard from Master Tapal, the stories he used to tell me about this planet was something straight out of a fairy tale,”

“Oh?” you cooed, your curiosity obviously more piqued than earlier.

Not once did Cal ever let go of your hand as he brought you into the town. Left and right, colors flooded your vision—the sparkling blue of its lake, the vibrant colors of the flowers that are too many to name, even the most neutral of colors like white and beige pop out just right in the spectrum! All the townsfolk—diverse as they are—were in all sorts of cheer, it was the contagious kind and you can’t help but smile as well.

All of a sudden, you forgot all of your worries drowned by the colors and the music.

Street musicians filled with the air with their instruments, artists joined by children color the streets with paint and chalk, and vendors offered you their trinkets. For each and every thing the two of you pass by, BD-1 was there to scan everything he could get his lenses on.

“Slow down with the scanning, buddy! I don’t want you overworking your processor!”

“Boo! Bee, trill woop!”

“This place is so beautiful,” you gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

The two of you came across what ought to be the town’s main plaza, you were separated when a group of children tugged you by the hem of your shirt and asked you to join them in painting the road. You drew the Shyyyo Bird and told its story to the children, enamored with the fantastic beast, they decided to draw their own versions of the bird in different sizes and colors.

Meanwhile, an elderly vendor has been noticing Cal fawning over you as you play with the children; he then offered Cal a bright-colored flower and spoke in his native dialect, it was a foreign one that Cal wasn’t fluent in. Luckily, BD-1 was there to translate it word-for-word.

“Give it to the person with whom you share a deep, special connection to,” Cal repeated. “Since when did you have a translator?”

“Bee, woop!”

“[y/n] did that, huh?”

He stared at the flower and then spotted you sitting with the children, continuing to draw pictures on the street, this time you were drawing BD-1 for them and then explained to them what it is. He smiled to himself and the elderly vendor spoke to him again adding more bits to the lore, shortly after, a woman approached the two of them.

“My apologies, my father is not used to Galactic Basic,” said the young woman. “He said that it is in Aggio’s culture, especially during the Pabena Festival, for a lover to give a flower to their beloved. It’s what makes the celebration all the more special—it deepens the lovers’ relationship.”

“I see, I’ve only heard much from someone. I didn’t know about this one until now,”

“I see that you are a traveler, this is my first time seeing you,”

“Frankly, I didn’t know there’d be a festival. I only decided to bring her over,” he returned his attention to you. “Though, I do know that this place was very festive. Please, let me pay for this.”

“No, no need. It’s a gift. My father likes giving them often. Besides, we have enough from this month’s harvest!”

One child walked up to you and tied a ribbon strewn with flowers on your hair. The woman spotted you as she glanced past Cal’s shoulder and she got the hint.

When the parents from the crowd began waving their hands at their children, beckoning them to come to them, they towed you along. The children were so small that you had to lean a bit lower so you could understand them when you’re spoken to.

“It’s time for the parade!” the little boy chirped as his tiny hand held onto your three fingers together, but his mother snatched him up and settled her boy on top of his father’s shoulders.

“I’ll watch it, don’t worry!” you cooed.

You found Cal in the crowd. He showed you the flower that he had been hiding behind his back. It was a pleasant surprise to you, Cal’s heart fluttered when he saw your smile.

Your eyes lit up as you held the flower close to you, “I’ve seen this flower before, but only in pictures at the Jedi Archives. It’s so much more beautiful in person.”

“They said it’s part of their culture to give flowers to their beloved. It gets extra special when they do it during the Pabena Festival,”

“Really? That’s such a beautiful tradition, perhaps the best one I’ve heard by far!”

The entrance of the parade began with a rhapsody of trumpets, drums, and whistles. A chorus of singers marching in the frontline of the band. A column of dancers brandished their colorful costumes and lithe movements on both sides of the marchers.

You held onto the flower as you hooked your arm around Cal’s, the two of you continued to watch the parade until its last segment. When the energy from the town subsided after the performance, Cal decided to be your tour guide and strolled along the town. BD-1 is still having his fill of scanning everything you pass by in the town. The three of you came across a mosaic mural depicting the first dwellers of the planet, possibly hinting how the festival came to be.

You were enjoying your time in Aggio so much that you didn’t realize that it was already dusk. Although the sky was still so clear, hints of golden sunlight began to deepen in color as the sun sank.

Cal leaned closer to your ear, “Come on, there’s another thing I want to show you.”

He led you to the docks by the town’s vast lake and bought a candle fixed in front of a water lily on a pad.

“They said these candles and flowers are offerings to keep the land fertile so they can still grow more crops and flowers,” Cal explained as he inched it closer so he and you hold it on both sides. “And we have to make a wish before we set it out to the water. Ready?”

The glow danced about in your faces as the candlelight flickered.

“Yeah,” you beamed, even in a whisper.

There was brief moment of silence between you and him. He peeped his one eye open and watched you solemnly saying your wish in your mind. It was only a few seconds’ worth and then you’re ready to sail it to the lake. Carefully setting down the lily pad on the water, you and Cal gently push it at the same time so it flows along the current with the others.

You and Cal sat down by the shore, he wrapped his arm around you as the sky began to darken and the candles illuminated the lake. You snuggled close to him with a smile that you can’t seem to take off of your face even if you wanted to.

“This has been the best evening I’ve ever had, Cal,”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Thank you,”

He inched closer to you until your lips met, he shifted in his seat and caressed your face as he locked lips with you. He’s certain that he felt your smile in between kisses, your heart fluttered, goosebumps pelted your skin, and your hand wandered to his cheek. When you pulled away, you kept your gentle hands on his face, nose-to-nose with each other, the two of you exchanged smiles while watching the night drift by the sea of candlelight with your fingers intertwined.

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langdxn · 5 years

Text

salvation part ii: giving me direction | outpost!michael x fem!reader

SUMMARY: Michael’s pregnant wife discovers the dark secrets hidden within Outpost 3.

WARNINGS: Fluff, angst, deaths, pregnancy, sorta implied breeding kink, mention of sex toys, soft!Michael and a slight timeline meddle.

WORD COUNT: 2.9k

A/N: Salvation was originally just a oneshot but you lovely lot asked for a second chapter so here we are!

part i // part iii // part iv // part v

Softly closing the stiff oak door behind you, desperate to make no noise to alert anybody to your presence on the other side, you froze stiff.

What happens now? Is Michael going to be okay? What if they’re going in there to kill him?

He instructed you to run to his quarters, but deep down he knew you wouldn’t obey instantly, at least not until you had any signal that he was safe. You took one glance down the corridor ahead of you, winding and dark compared to the golden-lit passages you’d hovered through on your way to his office, and settled for staying by Michael’s side in case he needed you.

Planting a flat palm against the weary portal you just closed, you rested your ear against the keyhole to hear inside. Gulping as quietly as you could, the clink of a cane purposefully smacking the wooden floorboards reverberated around the room.

“Ladies, I’m a little busy right now formulating my selections,” Michael muttered nonchalantly, his steely demeanour pouring through every syllable as he had somehow regained his composure in the fleeting moments before the people entered.

“This won’t take long,” a stern female voice snapped as you heard his laptop gently tap shut and Michael shuffled in his seat.

“What’s this?” He enquired with faux innocence. He already told you who was at the door, his powers let him see everything ahead of time. The only uncertainty was how much he let on to his visitors.

“We’re making the selections now, Mr Langdon. And I’m afraid you didn’t make the cut,” the female snarled as your husband’s infectious laugh interjected.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to let you have your moment but I just couldn’t hold it in.”

———

“Congratulations Mr and Mrs Langdon, you have a beautiful, healthy baby,” the kind Outpost nurse chirped, a soft-featured lady with her chestnut hair scraped back into the cleanest ponytail. Tapping buttons on the keyboard to her side, she froze the image on the screen as she removed the pad of the transducer from your abdomen.

Michael gently squeezed your hand, his strong fingers laced between your delicate digits. You’d been staring at the sonogram screen without blinking ever since the nurse pressed the sensor against your stomach, soothing the icy sensation of the gel smearing across your albeit small bump.

With another more forceful squish of your hands, you tore yourself away from the screen to meet his expectant azure eyes, both mirroring each other’s warm smiles.

“This is it, baby girl,” your husband beamed, “it’s really happening.” You felt his palms becoming increasingly clammy against yours, the reality of his imminent fatherhood starting to settle into his headstrong mind. He leaned over to place a loving, thankful kiss on your lips, much deeper than his usual pecks he reserved for situations where you had company.

Michael’s drawbridge had lowered for the last time. From here on in, he didn’t care what anybody thought. He had his wife and his child, the petty thoughts of the chosen few populating Outpost 2 faded into insignificance.

As the practitioner allowed you both your moment to process your thoughts, she rose from her chair and made her way to the door.

“Is — is it too soon to find out the sex?” You shyly perked up as a pang of regret hit you. It was an innocent enough question as you never actually planned on having children, so you never took on board any information about pregnancy, but you had absolutely no idea what to expect at what time. You were walking into this pregnancy blindfolded, both you and Michael were treading new ground. Together.

“I can certainly tell you if you’d like to know,” the medic looked expectantly between you and your husband for the go-ahead.

“As long as he’s okay, that’s all that matters,” Michael sighed.

You spluttered a nervous laugh. Cocking your head to one side and widening your eyes as you analysed his utterance, Michael nervously burst into a chuckle, a cheeky grin plastered on one side of his face.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to let you have your moment but I just couldn’t hold it in.” He jokingly rubbed his free hand over your entwined hands, desperately seeking a signal that you weren’t positively fuming that he’d spoiled the surprise.

The nurse chuckled nervously under her breath, leaving the room with a curt bow in your direction and clicking the office door closed behind her.

“We’re — we’re having a boy?” You stuttered through blissful tears, sitting up to embrace Michael and carelessly wiping the gel on your bump onto his oxblood velour dinner jacket. You couldn’t spoil the moment for you both so you simply hoped he wouldn’t notice.

“I can see him already. A son and heir. The Langdons endure, my father’s plan is working.”

Michael smirked, the gravity of his actions suddenly dawning on him. The childhood he had would be a far cry from what he would provide for his own son, determined to show the world that a Langdon man could raise a family properly. With love. With devotion. With care.

The blissful glint in your eyes snapped him out of his nostalgia, pulling the Antichrist back into the room with the mother of his child. You reached for the paper towels the nurse had left at your side and wiped the remaining gel from your stomach, making gentle circles around the delicate home of your child. Your boy. Your prince of darkness.

“We have a new life, Y/N, our own new life,” Michael beamed. “That’s it, my darling. Death doesn’t give me as much joy as this has.” He reached up to turn your head towards him with two soft fingers beneath your chin.

“No more shall die by my hand.”

His hand dropped to meet yours, cradling your stomach and drinking in the precious moment between you. Trying his hardest not to weep in front of you, he settled for leaning his forehead to meet yours with a tender bump.

“Ave Satanas.”

———

A sudden gunshot pierced the silence, dragging you back into the room so sharply that you smacked your forehead against the door. Your heart sank, thoughts bolting through your mind of those women aiming at your husband’s heart and pulling the trigger.

Your head and heart quickly initiated a war zone between them: one side urging you to stay hidden until you have a signal that it’s safe to reach your husband; the other telling you to screw the cover and dive through the door, your concern for your husband’s life far greater than whatever threat lay beyond the wooden portal.

Your breaths sharp and your eyes popping out of their sockets while subconscious tears of abject terror coursed down your cheeks, you tried your hardest to stay quiet while your eyes darted across the door’s surface hoping to find a chink in its woodwork to peek through.

“You can come in now, Y/N,’’ you heard Michael sigh softly, reassuring you from the other side of the door.

Fumbling for the handle with a clunk, you nearly tumbled back into the room as you’d rested your entire body weight on the door. Your breath caught in your throat as your sight fell immediately on the body of a female flat out in the doorway, a redhead with a flowing dark purple coat scrunched around her and a pool of blood flowing around it.

“What the— Michael?” You gasped, spotting your husband's expensive boots stood beside the woman’s body. As your eyes crept up his body, you noticed his hands were clasped together behind his back.

“Michael, I know this woman... wait, isn’t she from — Kineros Robotics? That’s the lady from reception, the one who always wears purple, the one that threatened to kill me if I so much as looked at her!” You dropped to your knees beside her, clawing at the blood-stained white lace draped across her chest in a frantic yet vain attempt to help her.

Michael failed to respond with anything more than an emphatic breath with his hands behind his back. You looked up at him with panic-stricken eyes, desperate and lost.

“Michael, we need to help her. Do they have a doctor here?” You searched his face for any reaction whatsoever and failed. “Why aren’t you helping?”

“It’s too late, Y/N. It was her or us,” he projected, reinstating his rigid demeanour he usually reserved for everyone except you.

“But why? What did she do—“

You were cut off by Michael gesturing his hand toward the doorway, toward the stout figure of Ms Mead frozen in motion, a small gun shaking in her hand still pointing where the woman once stood.

“I don’t know why I did that,” she stuttered, staring into the distance as if she didn’t even notice you’d come in. “I was always loyal to her.”

Instincts kicking in that you didn’t even know you had, you stepped over to shield your husband with a protective arm in front of him. Michael placed a reassuring hand over yours telling you to lower your guard as Mead dropped her arm to her side.

“Y/N, I believe you and Ms Mead have met before.” He stepped forward and ushered you with a hand pressed into the small of your back.

“Yeah, we met in Kineros Robotics a couple years back. I was there when Michael had to... you know.”

———

“Whadda you mean, that doesn’t turn you on?”

You and Michael leered over a robotic arm rigged up to a desk in the Kineros Robotics laboratory. You had hours to kill while Mutt and Jeff reprogrammed Ms Mead, so you settled for entertaining yourselves with the inventions on display.

“It’s just so... crude,” Michael stifled a disapproving tut as you both gazed at the disembodied hand, balled into a loose ‘O’-shaped fist, gliding up and down with a languid motion.

“I wonder if it gives better handjobs than mine,” you tilted your head to one side, taking in the full sight of the obscene device. Michael’s inherently sharp elbow playfully jabbed you in the ribs.

“Darling, not even a machine could surpass the talents of those lips,” he pressed a sincere hushing finger to your mouth, giggling as he curled an arm around you.

———

“I — I’m having trouble with this,” Ms Mead stammered, dropping the gun from her hand causing an empty bang to echo through the room. Michael turned to hold you by both of your elbows, his cerulean irises meeting yours with intent.

“I think it’s best I help Ms Mead with this alone. We don’t have much time, the witches will be here soon. Please, darling, find someplace to hide. Ms Mead and I will be along soon, if anything happens beforehand, you know what to do.”

Comfortingly stroking your hands with his, Michael smiled his assertive grin that told you he had things under control. You wrapped your arms around him tightly, grateful for the chance to say a proper goodbye this time.

“I love you,” you softly whispered into the shell of his ear.

“I love you too, baby,” he cooed, taking a deep inhale of your scent as you separated for the second time this evening before you turned on your heels to swing the wooden door open.

Your stilettos clacked with purpose along the floorboards of Hawthorne. These weren’t exactly the ideal choice of footwear for sneaking around an echoing former school building with more creaking floorboards than the Haunted Mansion, you thought to yourself.

As you passed door after door down a seemingly endless passageway, you heard the faint notes of slow music calling from an adjacent room.

Michael said the witches weren’t here yet, so where was the rest of the Outpost? Were they wandering the halls like you? Were they safe? That Venable woman could have done anything while Michael’s back was turned, he was too busy talking to you when you arrived.

Surely looking to see if they were okay wouldn’t hurt, right? You could tell them you’re no threat to them and you could reassure them that Michael would protect them, you could warn them to hide just like you in case the witches came.

Taking a deep breath, you paced tentatively toward the direction of the sounds. Soft rock, you deduced. Mutt and Jeff insisted on playing slow rock for the Outposts, you were there not days ago pleading with them to play something less miserable. According to the two Kineros mega nerds, Slayer weren’t appropriate to sing the Outposts to sleep after the apocalypse.

Baby I’m-a want you, baby I’m a need you, you’re the only one I care enough to hurt about

Following the lullaby led you down a straight path to a balcony above a dimly-lit hall, a roaring fire glowing in the hearth, bookcases stacked to the high ceiling. Grasping the bannister to look down on the room below, your eyes fell upon bodies scattered across the room. Pools of bloodied vomit spewed from each and every one, their Victorian attire splattered with foam and blood. Some holding hands, some propped up on the leather couches, some laying alone. You choked helplessly.

Your feet couldn’t move fast enough to reach the tight spiral staircase leading down to them, stumbling your way down in a blind panic and risking your unborn child’s safety to get to them as quickly as you could. Reaching the floor, you dropped to your knees and grasped at the nearest body, a blonde-haired man in an elegant suit sprawled in front of the fireplace. Tugging at his cravat to uncover his throat, you felt for his pulse but found nothing.

I just can’t live without your loving and affection, giving me direction

You stumbled frantically over to the next bodies, a woman and a man younger than her, perhaps her son, laid flat beside each other. No pulses. Breaths sharp and desperate, you cried out in anguish with all the energy you had left in your lungs. Distraught tears pursued searing paths down your cheeks as your legs gave way underneath you, collapsing in a heap beside the bodies.

Steady footsteps echoed above the room at the doorway where you entered, Ms Mead’s figure appearing leaning over the bannister.

“They — they’re all dead, Ms Mead,” you screamed up to her. “Wha—why? Why can’t I help them?”

Your hands desperately grabbed at the soaking fabric on the bodies, pleading for a reaction.

“Th—this woman, I recognise her. Dinah Stevens, she’s from TV! Why? What happened?”

Lately I’m-a praying, that you’ll always be a-staying beside me

Your eyes darted around the room for any clues until you caught sight of a dark red apple in the hand of a dark-haired boy next to a leather couch, his other hand entwined with that of a girl draped over the chair.

“What the — the apples? But, but they were safe, I picked them myself from our tree in the Sanctuary. I sent these here,” your eyes widened as your thoughts skittered through all the possibilities that your fruits could have killed every one of these people.

You looked up at Mead for an answer, but she stood emotionless, braced against the bannister looking down upon the carnage in the hall.

Used to be my life was just emotions passing by

“They had to die,” Mead replied matter-of-factly. “Satan’s plan is to eradicate people like them and rebuild the new world. Michael planned it all down to the last detail. We just needed something to administer the poison, your apples were divine providence.”

“Wait, Michael did this?” You spluttered, your eyebrows knitting together and tears poured viciously from your eyes. “This, this cant be right, Michael wouldn’t do this, not anymore, not without a reason!”

“He’s the son of Satan himself, he brought about the apocalypse,” Mead reminded. “What makes you think he wouldn’t bump off a few more so our Sanctuary wouldn’t be overrun with these oxygen thieves?”

Nothing made sense anymore. You clutched your bump protectively, your eyes straining to see a way forward through this disaster, apparently arranged by your husband. A mere few months ago, he swore to you that violence would never enter his life again.

Then you came along and made me laugh and made me cry, you taught me why

You scrabbled to your feet, stumbling over the bodies to leave the hall before you threw up. Ending up in a maze of unfamiliar corridors, you battled to return to relaxed breathing, knowing full well the witches could be here any moment now.

“Find our sisters,” a female voice burst through the silence, causing you to break into a run as far away from the voice as possible.

You’d taken so many right hand turns down identical passageways, you were certain you had escaped the sight and hearing of whoever called out.

It wasn’t Ms Mead and it certainly wasn’t Michael. The witches.

Retreating down a near pitch black corridor as fast as you could without clacking your heels on the cold floor, you placed a hand flat on your bump.

“Just you and me for now, little lady. Us girls have to stick together to help Daddy with something,” you looked down as you spoke in a hushed tone, somehow comforted by the fact you had company with you on this journey.

As you stepped cautiously down the alleyway, you noticed the faint outline of an unlit sconce in a nook indented into the corridor wall. Raising a hand toward it, you muttered softly.

“Ignis.”

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

A/A/N: Tagging the wonderful @codyfernmorelikedaddyfern @psychobitchtess @theinevitableprophecy @leatherduncan @abbyjforman @melodylangdon @shadyrindt because I love you all! Drop a comment/message if you’d like to be tagged in future!

#ahs apocalypse #michael langdon #michael langdon x you #cody fern #michael langdon x reader #michael langdon fanfiction #michael langdon imagines

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