#but its not relaxing if u have to stay vigilant all the time

[skyfulloflilac]

ok im too scared to go im not in the mood for avoiding gross drunk moids. i hate that in the city u cant just go out alone whenever u want unless ur willing to risk ur safety

[kanene-yaaay]

Vulnerable

Author’s note: 

Thank you all very much for all the support, reblogs, heart and kinds words that you give to me. I can’t call this a christmas gift, but I really hope that you like it and this small oneshot is able to light up your day! ‘w’)s2

Just like all the random ideias this came when I was doing chorus, because, of cooooourse my brain wouldn’t give me a plot when I’m free and with time to write. xDDD

Just a bunch of fluff with all the Light Sides atke caring of Virgil. I love to write these scenarios. sorrey words. No angst today. xP

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* Lee!Virgil and Ler!Logan. However, tickling isn’t the main plot this time. xP

* Hmmm… This is a fluff fanfic with liking for tickling. If you don’t like this kind of stuff, please look for another blog, there are plenty of lovelys and fantastic arts in this site!! ‘u’).

* Something around 4000 words. -w-)b.

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! Any advice is very very welcome!

* Fanfics em português brasileiro (Portuguese Version) ! Thank you so much for reading, my lollipops! Have a wooooonderful day regardless it’s festive or not! Take care of yourself and of your family, friends... Everyone who is dear for you!  Byeioo!~

                   [~*~]

Vulnerable.

 This was a bittersweet word. Maybe a little too much bittersweet. It was that set of letters that provoked a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. That kind of set that if he asked to Logan to define it, would receive a very different answer from the one that he really felt to be the real one.

 Weak.

 He remembers his first days living with the others on the Light Side: spending a lot of time in his room, crackled his fingers with worrying frequency every time he got out from his place and ended up interacting with someone; was always fearful and, when this fear became almost impossible to maintain or hides and someone addressed him a word, the purple lover showed his personality abruptly, with rough and sharp words. The feelings beating, counting the seconds to see how much time it would last until they expelled him from there, because one thing was extremely certain:

 “ – I-I can’t understand. – His voice came out in a mix of tiredness and anger, sparkling almost as hard as his sharp, frustrated look. – Why do all of you still doing this? Why are keeping me here? Why don’t you kick me out? Why pretend that I never did anything wrong?? – His voice stuck in his throat before he could release the main question, that one which made his heart hurt for keep it for so long.

 ‘Why do you treat me like family?’

 - You are an essential part for Thomas’ welfare. – The voice from the logic aspect echoed in the room occupied only by the two sides. In truth, initially it was only for Virgil to be there. However, Logan just settled down a few inches away from the first one, a book in hands and deaf ears for the growl that came from the mouth of the anxious aspect. – Your vigilant and awareness about the reality’s state helps him to keep his two feet on the ground. Something that I am grateful.

 And then he elevates his glare, taking by surprise the pair of brown eyes, which quickly deviated his attention to the wall, before hearing the phrase that let out from the other lips, in a definitely softer tune.

 - None of us is perfect. We never were.

 Virgil felt his body relaxes with relief. Absolutely against his desire.

  He was not like any of them.

 It took a few days for these first reactions to fade little by little. The urge to flee decreased and the frequency he went out increased. He stopped to throw out sharp and rough words to speak less often. He would let himself fall in the steps of the stair and stayed there watching his phone and listening music. Much because it was his favorite hobby, and part because as this he could easily observed (and mot of time unnoticed) the Light Sides interacting.

  “- Hey, easy there. – Warm, loving hands gently held his own, and Virgil controlled his first instinct to retreat and flight, quickly recognizing Patton’s voice and gestures. Was it weird that in such short time he already could recognize each of them? By their voice’s timbre, way to walk, the position they had around him… Would it be weird if some day they knew that he already was aware about of all this? – You will end hurting yourself, son. – As the one who wears glasses spoke, he untangled Virgil’s fingers, since the purple lover was crackling them in five different ways since the beginning of the movie, when he was called to join the Family Movie Night.

 The paternal side has a special skill to utter more than words said, and Virgil felt his ears burn with the blush that hit his face when he realized how deep, delicate and affectionate that phrase was.

 - I am not your son. – Complained in a mix of grumbled and growl that only could be researched and pronounced with a lot of training. Patton laughed and intertwined one of their hands, the other one being free to ruffle the hair strands of the anxious side, who falsely angry puffed, breaking free from the touch.

 - Sure you’re not, Hamilson! – Roman smiled brightly, extremely happy and proud for the reference utilized by the heart’s representation. Logan seemed be the only one who really was paying attention on the movie, and soon Virgil joined him.

 Partly because the plot was really interesting and part because he wanted to ignore the sense of comfort emanating from his hand, which would be totally separated from Patton’s one if it wasn’t for the two little fingers that still tangled. Again, absolutely against his desire.

  And, with the pass (a little more) of time (his own time) he changed from the stairs to the couch and started to do the chores by the morning and not just at dawn, when the others were away or asleep. He also began to smile more from Patton’s dad jokes and the little fights between a Logan without coffee and a sleep-drunk Roman, who didn’t stopped to summon the most eccentrics possible (and impossible) things in the kitchen.

 Virgil began to feel equally comfortable listening to his songs even when he forgot/lost/gave up to find his headphones, and, as a thank you, didn’t complained about the 150 stories and/or performances Roman created based in each one of the lyrics. Even if those didn’t have much of that bitter taste from angst that makes the whole climax even more interesting, in his opinion.

 Just as he felt free to lean against the back of Logan’s armchair, reading over his shoulders when realized that the one who wears tie enjoyed some book about astronomy, since the theories about of how the Universe and everything with it emerged, were too precious to leave the shame kept him from reading.

 The sporadic jumpscares from the logical side as he became suddenly aware about the other’s presence were equally appreciated.

 And, in the end, Virgil relaxed and lowered his guard enough to take a nap when Patton sat at besides him on the couch, either to try ‘just one more!’ of the thousands of handworks that he so much loved, or just to lay down his legs after a particularly hard day on the kitchen. Sometimes he would woke up when the paternal side softly pulled him to rest his head in his shoulder or lap (depending on how much both were sprawled out in the furniture), running his fingers through his purple hair from time to time. Sometimes humming something while working or sometimes let himself lean on Virgil for a small nap, too.

  “Thomas yawed and it might seem, to anyone who watched from the outside, that he covered the other’s mouth, due how suddenly his voice stopped to excitedly fulfill the air.

 - You are tired. – It wasn’t a question. Virgil could not detect the very tone of voice that stuffed his sentence. – You should go to sleep.

 The bed where both were resting shifted a little as the human turned to see the hours before undoing the action until he could stare the purple lover aspect.

 - It’s still early. Logan said that I should stay away from the cellphone for half an hour before bed.

 No answer.

 - Come on… - Thomas replied, his supplicant voice mingled with that puppy eyes that should have been considered a cheating so scandalous until the point to have laws to forbidden them. Virgil began to feel his barriers falling. Damn it. – You know you’re the only one who has enough persistence to keep me from picking up my phone and start to watch animals being cute.

 The one on the hoodie growled.

 - Logan also told me that the yawning is a sign that the body is attempting to stay awake, which means that your theories are so interesting that I am really trying hard to hear any and every bit o-

 - Okay, okay!! – He prevented the other from completing his phrase, covering his mouth and rolling his eyes to the laughter that hit its moments later. – Just, stop with this… sentimental stuff. Urg. – And then withdrew his hand, both turning to face the ceiling of the room, seeing more than could actually explain. – So, where were I? Oh, yes. And that is why, if the aliens remained in the area 51 and it really was in Earth, the time travel…

 …

 And for some time they slept, but, as always, Virgil found himself slightly waking up when he felt the other’s arms wrap him in a firm and affection mixture that had probably taken training and time to research; and, even more surprisingly, the side on hoodie didn’t felt himself pushing him away or sinking to his own room, and yes relaxing and sighing comfortably. Soon allowing his eyes to close and both fall back into the Dream World.

 It took a little longer to feel that he really could lower his guards. Talked more, without fear of being inconvenient, wander by the entire Mental Palace like a lost soul (he was really proud of the amount of jumpscares he manage to get from the family), sporadically visited the others sides  to chat (but only when he was sure that they were in their room and in rare moments, just as he wished it were visits to his own room); and, finally, starting to realize, step by step, memory by memory, fight to fight, discussion to discussion and intern joke to intern joke which Patton’s card, the debates with Logan, the pranks with Roman and the conversation with Thomas mean.

 Which meant being in a famILY.

 Which meant being able to be vulnerable, to be himself, to allow himself to be attacked at any time, by acts or words, just for the simple and liberating fact that none of them would do so, and vice versa. Perhaps happened to exists some bruises, however never really wanting to.

 “- You never showed me your room before. – Virgil uttered, part afraid to bring this subject up, but the other part, the most insistent, being too much curious to let the doubt arrested himself. His feet played, submerged in the water of the small river that crossed this part of the room belonging to the creative side.

- Maybe because you never seemed like a nature lover…? – The prince answered with a touch of doubt, as he wasn’t very sure about his own statement. In the end he shrugged, which was a little weird, since he was floating and keeping himself in the same place between the river flows by an only vine tangled in his wrist.

 - Fair. So, you’re the type that is carried away by the appearances, huh?

 - What!?? – With the fright, Roman almost lost his balance, trying to sit up before remembering that he was in the middle of water and not on a solid surface. For a moment everything became a mess of water being splashed to any and every possible direction, something that would worries the purple side, if it didn’t took more than a few seconds to the creativity side stabilize himself again, staring him as he has been slapped in the face.  – Pardon me?? I am the romantic side! Nothing to me is more important than the soul, the essence, the heart! ~

Virgil was almost sure that it was some flirt in this sentence, which wouldn’t be such a surprise, since it was almost countless all the times Roman flirted with every side who simply happened to pass for him.  The battle between him and Deceit remained as a historical mark in the Mind Palace.

 - Mh hm. – Virgil replied, the sarcasm flying from his tongue with an incredible facility, something that the member of royalty was plenty used to. – Just a sec that I’m gonna be right back after fake that I believe in you.

 - Take the chance and give me my cellphone to call and cancel that intimacy that you think you have with me. – The sharp look released by the one using eyelashes matched with his royal teasing smile. It took a while, as everything else in life, but both finally had researched a point where they knew the limits to play and teasing. Not everything was always clear as water (Ok. Maybe he needs to decrease his time with Patton.) however, one day the two would get there.

 Roman began to suspect when, instead to answer with acid words; the purple lover really got his phone and started to type something. He swam closer to the margin.

 - Hey, Roman. What does “Aqui esta mi numero” mean?

- … Heres my number. – Virgil gave what would have been one last click on the screen of his device, and then, from the prince’s pocket, a sound exploded echoing through all the room.

 - SO CALL ME BABY!!! HEY, I JUST MET YOU, AND IT’S CRAZY!

 The representation of creativity probably would jump something around five feet from the ground if he wasn’t in the river. With clumsy hands and several incoherent half-curses, even more inaudible amid the song and Virgil’s laugh, he took some great time before finally refuse the call, stopping 90% the sound, since the one on hoodie stilled laughing.

 - Ha! Jokes on you, Stormcloud! I do adore ‘Call Me Baby’!

 The purple lover pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, before staring at him with a smirk shining in his face.

 - So, why all the fuzz to hush i- WOW! HEY! – The currents protests was due the vines wrapped his sides, seconds before drop him the water. The prince knew about the other’s swimming skills, so, his only concern was just laughing at his mate.

 - ROMAN! – He emerged, a dangerous look glooming and leading a shiver rand down Roman’s spine and a nervous smile spread over his face. All his expression has an only message: - Run.

 Survive Advice: If the aspect of Fight and Flight tells you to run, you run. Even if you’re in the water.”

  It was about this same time he began to have these dreams, that sweet dreams, which, when you woke up, don’t feel a heavy feeling in the chest but a peace. Those dreams which he would wake up happy, refreshed, ready to open his eyes and feel joy for liking his reality. That kind of dream that was important enough to remember. Most of this kind of dreams involved the three light sides, along with Thomas.

 Due this, there was no way he would leave his room is if he was sleepy. Remus had once confirmed to him that he really did speak in he sleep, and Virgil didn’t wanted to risk the others obtained this knowledge in the most cliche and weird way possible.

 Which would be soooo much easier if Thomas wasn’t going back to the habit of sleeping at F I V E   AM in the days he considered himself on a break.

 Nevertheless, sure, nothing in his existence was easy, was it?

 So, the second the purple lover opened his heavy eyes, he was aware of four thing in the exactly same time:

 1º - He wasn’t in his room.

 2º - A blanket covered him.

 3º - His mouth was dry.

 4º - He had no idea about what time it was.

 Trying to remove the remnants from the nap rubbing his eyes, the representation of anxiety went into the kitchen, soon coming back with a glass of water and sat on the couch, thinking how pleasant his dream had been and that he should soon write down all the details to not forget the butterflies in tummy, which still persisted until now.

 - You talk in your sleep. – It was not a question. It was a statement. Virgil almost dropped his phone, his body paralyzing for a second, the memories running fast and clear through his brain. Soft touches, smiles, that unbearable and yet so good sensation in his skin…

 Laughter.

 His face automatically burned as if he was making a tomato cosplay. With little struggling a look, part relaxed and part nervous, took over his expression.

 - Is that so? Did I said something? – Took a sip of water. It wasn’t cold enough to soothe the heat that still covered his cheeks and not hot enough to dispel the cold in his belly.

 - Affirmative. – Logan adjusted his glasses; putting the bookmarker before close the book and delicacy sets its aside in the coffee table. – Interesting, indeed; and enlightening.

 Curse the day that the one who wears tie began to love mystery books and now liked to talk in codes. Who does he think he is? Yoda?? Virgil almost frowned for irritation, but wouldn’t let himself be carried away by the other’s, who carefully observed Virgil calmly lay in the couch with his phone (turned off, that’s true) in hands, game.

 - I wouldn’t define a dream like that. – Retaliated with a grin. – They aren’t the best example of logic, you know?

 - I do not believe it is more about the dream itself, and yes, what it represents. – It wasn’t his impression, Logan did approached some inches. Virgil’s muscles tensed. – Many times, due being from the human’s subconscious, the dreams can capture things that usually the own conscious mind don’t even realize. Unnoticed memories, ancient facts that seemed been forgotten… - Little break. The representation of Fight and Flight felt the blush increased. He knew. He knew, he knew he knewheknewheknewheknew!! And even worse, he knew that Virgil knew. The purple lover felt a smile starting to struggle to open in his mouth. – Unvoiced wishes.

 The aspect on hoodie jumped from the couch in a millisecond, his mind clouded by the nervousness and euphoria, which started to took over his being just for the unspoken words. Logan knew about his dream. His secret desire that, even being relaxed and adapted and feeling loved around them, he wasn’t told to anyone yet.

 Tickling.

 The aspect of ‘Fight or Flight’ does not trip, Virgil was sure, however, the quickly approaching ground questioned his belief and, when his body collapsed on it and he turned to prevent Logan, realized too late that the said already has sat on his legs, an atypical smile in his face.

 - Don’t. You. Dare. – Half smiling, half defensive. The one on hoodie attempted unsuccessfully to break free, until when those words came out from the other’s lips:

 - Only if you are comfortable with that.

 Maybe it was for the certainty with which this sentence was said, or the affection it represented, or the worry that showed, or even the dream he had before and the chase that made each one of his ticklish spots euphorically tingle with just the thought of fingers wriggling on them.

 Maybe it was even for the sincerity and calm in his glare, as if he had said nothing much. Virgil opened his mouth for some seconds, but no sound came out. His eyes met with the hand on his ribs, the sensation to feeling they still being more unbearable than imagining them moving. His entire face blushed, which he tried to hide on his shoulders.

 - Whatever.

 An amused puff was the only answer from the logic side before his fingers scratched Virgil’s neck, leading the purple lover released a light squeal and pulled his face out of the hiding place, trying to protect the attacked spot. The tickles stopped, which made him open his, almost frustrated, eyes just to find Logan simply wriggling his fingers meticulously in the air, right above his skin, going from a spot to another while spread amount of electrics shivers through his nerves

 - I wonder where I should start the experiment… Should I go up and down? Focus in just one spot? Maybe one per time should be the ideal, since you seem be too ticklish in everywhere… - Virgil began to squirm, stopping in the last second with as a frustrated grumble pushed from his mouth. Knowing the representation of the knowledge and curiosity, these wonders were true. However, the smirk growing in his expression make him doubt about that.

 After sometime, Virgil opened his mouth, ready to ask for him do something (anything!), which showed to be a bad choice, since in that very minute the fingers met his ribs and a quick giggle let out his mouth, didn’t finding any barrier to stop it. The struggle from the purple lover (and, as it seems, tickle lover, too) to escape becoming a little stronger.

 - Nahahahahaha!! Lohohohgan!! – The fingers were making circular motions in the upper ribs. First giving attention to just one, then two, then three then... This before his mind get completely messed and he felt the tem fingers hiking his ribs. – NAHAHAHAHA – Uuuuup. – Wahahahahahahahait! – Dooooown. – NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT– Up it goes. – TheheheheheHEHEHEheheHEHEHEheHEHE!! – And now he went up and down and in random patters, focusing in just one side before presenting the same treatment to the other. Virgil hugged himself as tightly as he could, seeking prevent his arms to stop the feeling.

 - This sounds like a good place. – The logical aspect continued, his calm and stable voice being betrayed by his playfully (and a little bit crazy, it’s important to mention) painted grin. His hands stopped, moving away from Virgil and giving him time to take some sips of air and struggle to not melt in giggles that escaped from his lips. Logan held one of his hands, delicately pushing it up. – Nevertheless I ask to myself how it going to be with this so well hidden spot.

 - Lohohohohohgan! Nohoho! W-wahahahahahahait! – His face was bright by how huge was his smile, almost as luminously as the sparkle in his glare. The one who (always)  wears tie (and sometimes a unicorn onesie) slightly ned his head, his free hand entering under the hoodie and giving small light squeezes in each one ribs where he slowly walked by, generating a series of laugh intercalated by squeaks and quick jumps. He tried to free his wrist from the other’s hold.

 - Yes, Virgil? Is there something that you want to tell? – The purple side, who had the blush spread to his neck, just shook his head, without being able (or not wanting to) pronounce anything. His nose winkled and his eyes were lightly shouted down, maybe having the conciseness that the dark made him even more sensitive. ~

 Logan began to trace with an only finger irregular patterns in his armpits, happily watching him curl up a little and put even more effort to lower his arm.

 -Plehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehahahahahahase!!

 - Do you want me to speed up? Alright.

 And then all the five tickler fingers attacked all at once. Scratching, poking, wriggling, drumming and exploring every little piece of researchable skin to tickle from the other.

 - LohohohoGAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahaHAHAhaha!!! – Now, the laughter danced more freely and in a higher flow. Logan keep the tickles for a few more minutes, switching between armpits and upper ribs. Since not know the next step seemed essential to get more shrieks and high-pitched laugh.

 The logic side retreated, letting the representation of ‘Fight or Flight’ finally lower his arm and curl up, the laugh coming back to little sporadic giggles. When he opened his eyes again, Virgil faced a long dark-blue feather millimeters away from his bellybutton. His glare met Logan’s, noticing how equally his expression was with that crazy scientists, and wondering, for that brief moment, how his own expression looked like.

 “Like a light.” Logan would answer if he had the ability to read the other’s mind. “Because it looks like capable to light the darkest night.”

 “And…”

 - NononononO!

 He wriggled the feather into Virgil’s navel, who practically jumped with the sensation that hit without any warning his body.

 “He certainly would be a warning to a thunder, or even the coming storm.”

 All his nerves and instincts were laughing. Virgil was absolutely sure about that while his mind became a messy cloudy of laugh and happy tears accumulating in his eye’s corner. His smile went ear to ear and it was really impressive that Logan haven’t been hurled by the strength which he squirmed. The laugh reverberated in his chest and filled him with enjoy.

  “An adorable storm, indeed.”

 He stopped, because the loud sound could attract the others and the most rational side doubted this was something that the one on hoodie would like to. Give him some more to breath.

 - My gohohohohohohohohohosh… - He still squirming slightly, wiping some small fallen tears. – Yohohohou arehehehehe ruthlehehehehehess, right?  

 - I believe that I was quite carried away by the experiment. – He lifted up the feather, unaware about the electric shivers running Virgil’s spine just by this movement. – I suppose that you enjoy light tickles as well, am I right? Would the neck be a good spot for this?

 Virgil didn’t answered for a few moments, ultimately agreeing with a quick nod, and feeling the other rise from his, now numbs, legs. Logan readjusted himself by his side, letting the feather softly dance on his neck, tracing his jaw, which trembled for the small chuckles that escaped from the said, until this spot behind his ear, which made him release gaps of laughter.

 In the end, Logan got up, going towards the coffee table to recall his book, before coming back together with the glass of water in hands, quickly handing over to the purple side, who still couldn’t erase the euphoric wobbly smile from his face. Seconds of comfort silent permeated between both. Virgil fight against which its representation before breaking it.

 - Thank you.

 Logan blinked, a bit surprised, before nodding, putting the feather in his pocket and letting a small smile took over his mouth.

 - I’m glad for we share this… bounding moment. It was quite pleasant.

 - Seriously?

 - Sure.

 - Well it was… pleasant for me, too.

 Quick smiles. Happy glares.

 - Don’t ever talk about this with anyone! Not even about the dream! – Sibilated.

  - I’m afraid to not know what you’re talking about. – And the one who wears tie left the room, his amusing sentence still floating in the air. Virgil couldn’t help but smile one more time, absolutely against his desire, sure.

 Vulnerable.

 Now he understood the sense that this word could assume when surrounded by the right people.

 Trust.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Banner Ch17: I'm Not Going Anywhere

Summary: Katie keeps vigil at Steve’s bedside and in full protective ‘dad’ mode, Tony engages the Stark Industry lawyers when the UN Senate comes calling. But the Winter Soldier has gone back into the shadows, taking one of Steve’s only living ties to his past with him. And no one has a clue where he’s gone...

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings:Violence, bad language words, angst and smut (NSFW) NO UNDER 18s thanks.

Tag list is open- ping me an Ask

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist

 “He’s panicking…let me talk to him.” her voice was soft but full of authority.

Then a familiar hand closed over the one that he held over the mask on his face and she gently spoke to him.

“Shhhh…” her other hand ran over his forehead. “ Baby, you’re in an ambulance. Try and stay calm, ok?”

And then his eyes focused, just for a second. The panic that had hit him dissipated as her face filled his vision and he gripped her hand, not wanting her to leave him.

“I’m not going anywhere…” she said gently, “I promise.”

And he believed her. He felt himself relax and fell back against the bed and his eyes closed again, the last thing he heard and felt was her…

Steve’s hand was still tight around Katie’s when they arrived in the emergency room. She went in with the paramedics taking Steve in charge and as they escorted Steve into the operating room, the realization that she finally had to let go of him crushed her. The same doctor who had taken care of Fury and her in the warehouse approached her with a nod, and she was suddenly extremely thankful that Nick Fury had as many fingers in as many pies as he did. It was an overwhelming relief to see a face she knew she could trust.

"Miss. Stark, I need you to leave the room, please. I'll take care of him from here." He put his hand on her shoulder to support his point and dropped his voice. “I promise. Fury’s orders”

Ignoring the urge to argue she let go and took a step back, her eyes still focused on the body of Steve lying on the stretcher.

"Heart's rate climbing, doctor!" Announced one of the nurses. Katie could still see her soldier’s face disfiguring and the slight raising of his eyebrow and clench of his hand if he were trying to hold on to something. She let out a sob as she realised he was looking for her because she had left him, after promising she wouldn’t, and then the double doors of the operating room closed. Finding herself now alone and completely helpless, her limbs began to clench and she was suddenly very aware she was trembling. Then, it was as if someone had tightened a band around her chest, leaving her panting for air as her vision became more and more obscured by tears of panic. She caught herself against the nearest wall before feeling her legs give way. She managed to lift them into a bent position, before bringing her arms around them so she could hide her head on her lap as her throat felt like it had completely closed. She concentrated on Steve's images floating around her brain, his touch, his kisses, how he held her, made love to her, the feeling of his laughter, his eyes, all their moments together.

We could get married if you want…

His face as he had spoken those words, the look she hadn’t been able to place suddenly registered in her brain. He had been hopeful. She closed her eyes trying to hold on to that memory. Eventually, she felt her throat begin to open again allowing her to take a deep breath, then the tightness in her chest and lungs eased and finally her brain. The hiss of silence in her ears was replaced by the usual murmur of a hospital and she could once again feel the sensations coming back along her limbs. She loosened her arms around her legs and lifted her head to lean against the wall.

She had no idea how long she sat there. Minutes, hours…it all blurred into one as she focussed her attention on the doors he had been taken through. Eventually, her little bubble was invaded by a familiar figure hovering over her before Natasha slid to the floor, legs lying in front of her.

“Any news on how he is?" she asked.

"They're still treating him, as far as I know." Katie said, sighing impatiently and anxiously.

Natasha nodded briefly in acknowledgment before turning to look at her friend. "And you? How are you holding up?"

Katie turned to face her, but didn’t answer as Sam's familiar voice cut across the corridor.

"Katie! Natasha!" Sam hastened to join them, letting Katie take in his civilian change of clothes. He was bruised too, but overall, he looked ok. "How is he doing? Any news?"

Natasha took it upon herself to answer Sam. Meanwhile, Katie finally decided to get up from her position against the wall. The sudden movement and the long time spent in an identical position made her stagger a little. Sam hastily raised his hands to catch her.

“I brought you a change of clothes.” Nat spoke gently as she too stood up. “…but I can’t stay…I’m already being summonsed for questioning, but Hill and I are going to do our best to keep your names out of it, both of you.”

“Frankly Nat, at this moment I couldn’t give a fuck about what my name is dragged into.” Katie said, a little more harshly than she had intended. She sighed “Sorry…”

“It’s ok.” Nat said, her green eyes catching Katie’s “Look, call me as soon as there’s news.”

She nodded “Can you call Tony for me? He’s already tried ringing but I can’t bring myself to try and explain.”

“Sure.” She nodded. In a rare sign of affection she pulled Katie into a hug, before she headed off up the corridor.

“Katie…”  Sam said gently “There’s a waiting room down there...”

She shook her head “No, I’m staying here…”

“Look.” Sam reasoned “You need to get a proper rest. You got shot yourself yesterday, remember? Come on, you’re no good to Steve if you aint in top fighting form.”

Katie gave in and let Sam escort her to the waiting room where the two of them sat in silence. It was around four o'clock in the afternoon, some 4 hours after they had arrived when the SHIELD doctor made an appearance. Katie was currently half-lying with her head against Sam's shoulder as Sam was changing the annoying channels of the hospital TV every ten seconds.

"Miss. Stark?”

Sam turned off the television almost immediately while Katie was already on her feet in impatience.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry it’s taken so long but there was a few complications...”

“Complications?” Katie frowned “He’s got the damned serum coursing through his DNA, it’s supposed to help him heal...” “And it did, meaning the wounds had started to heal over which caused us a bit of an issue but he’s  of theatre and the surgery was a success.”

“So he’s gonna be ok?” Sam asked and the Doctor nodded.

“He lost a lot of blood but he should be fine.”

Katie let out a sob and covered her face with her hands, relief flooding every cell in her body as Sam wrapped an arm round her.

“We’ve moved him into his own room and it will be a while before he regains consciousness, how long we can’t say.” the doctor continued gently, before looking round and then back to her, his voice lowering “We have an armed guard on his door, Fury’s orders, but you two can stay with him.”

He beckoned for them to follow him through the corridors of the hospital. "He's doing very well, all things considered." He said stopping in front of a door.  “He is heavily sedated to ensure he rests as he was quite agitated but now it's just a case of letting the serum work its magic.”

“Thank you…” Katie said to him before she turned to the door and a hand gently touched her arm. She looked up and did a double take as she saw Evans stood there.

“Hey Nova…”

“Evans…” she said, her voice a whisper as he pulled her into a hug. “You…”

“No, I’m not HYDRA, probably the only one in STRIKE who wasn’t.” he said, and she stepped back to look at him noticing the shiny fresh bruise adorning his right cheek and the split in his upper lip. “I swear I had no idea…it all started smelling a bit funky when they told us Cap was public enemy number one, and then when I heard his voice on that PA…I’m sorry I didn’t try to find you, help sooner…”

Katie shook her head as the ginger Texan man wiped at his eyes with the heel of his palm.

“None of us knew Paul.” she said softly, and the use of his first name made him look at her, and she was swept back into his arms again.

“How is he?” he asked as she stepped back, nodding to the room.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep ya.” he smiled and she gently squeezed his am.

“I don’t want anyone in here without my say so.” she said. Evans jerked his head to show he understood and she gave him a tight smile as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room, Sam following.

The sight in front of her made fresh tears spring into her eyes and she swallowed as she silently took in Steve's condition. He was lying, asleep, in his bed with whilst IV's and monitors recorded his vitals. He had stitches in several places on his face, nasty bruises around his left eye and jawline, and a huge swelling along the same eye that was likely to prevent him from seeing properly for a while. Overall, he was a mess.

"Katie-"

"I'm fine." she interrupted Sam quickly in a hoarse voice, slightly tinged with her desire to cry. She took a shaky breath as she could hear Steve's steady heartbeat reaching her ears. "I just need a minute."

She slowly made her way to one of the chairs by the bed, settling down without looking away from Steve as she reached up to take one of his hands. It was colder than she could ever remember him being.

"Hey, Soldier." she breathed in a shaking voice before pressing her lips to his bruised knuckles as she held his large hand in both of hers. For a moment, she thought she felt his hand contract in recognition but when she looked down he showed no signs of being awake. "I don’t know if you can hear me but I’m here, like I promised."

The next few hours Sam and Katie stayed in the room with him and eventually Katie had to concede she really needed to clean up. She looked around for the bag which Nat had brought her some clothes in and stood up, grabbing it from where it sat by the door.

“I’m need the bathroom.” she said to Sam. He nodded “I won’t be long.”

She headed down the corridor and entered the ladies restroom, leaning over the sink. She glanced at the mirror, her eyes were red, face was dirty, hands still full of Steve’s blood and she looked all in all like a right mess. She set about washing her hands, her face and anything else that she could before she stepped into a cubicle and peeled off the SHIELD cat suit she had been wearing under her Nova Suit. Dressing in the jeans and top that Nat had packed, she was also touched to the point of more tears to see she’d packed her some deodorant, a set of face wipes, dry shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and a hairbrush. By the time Katie had finished she looked almost normal.

Katie pinged Nat a message to thank her and fill her in on the news that Steve was going to be ok and one came back almost immediately

Thank God, and you’re welcome. I just spoke to Tony. He’s on his way back from Australia as we speak, he’d already set off after seeing the news. He told me to tell you to call him, ASAP.

So she did.

“Jesus Kiddo!” he exclaimed when he answered, “I’ve been so worried…how are you? How’s Cap?”

“He’s stable…still out of it but...” she said, tears at hearing her brother’s voice trickled down her cheek.

“I’ve had Pepper call the hospital, anything you or he needs…anything…” he said gently “and she’s working to keep the press off your back.”

“Thanks. Where abouts are you?” she asked

“Approaching Singapore airspace. I’ll be there as soon as I can, I promise sweetie .

“’kay…” she said gently

“Love you Kiddo, he’s strong…he’ll be fine.”

“So everyone keeps saying.” she said, the sob catching in her throat.

Tony sighed "Look, this is Rogers we’re talking about. He’s as stubborn as you are."

“I know.”

“Chin up, see you soon. Call me if there’s any news, ok?”

But there wasn’t. Katie sent Sam home in the early hours of the morning but her vigil never wavered. Doctors and nurses bustled in throughout the night. Steve’s vitals were improving but he still didn’t wake up.

It was around 10 am when Sam returned. Steve had been moved into a bigger, nicer room courtesy of Pepper’s discussions with the hospital. The new guard who had relieved Evans for a shift stopped him immediately until Katie popped her head out of the door and told him it was ok. After he had frisked Sam he walked in, holding out a bag containing a sub.

“You’re an angel.” Katie said as she tore into it, unaware how long it was since she had eaten something.

The two of them ate as they watched the news reports on the TV in the corner of the bright room. They spoke of the Helicarriers, HYDRA's plot having integrated the governmental organization as well as the impending investigation. Katie watched the footage of her and Sam whizzing around the sky, and listened as they had even rebuffed Steve's message for more effect. The attack was all the world was talking about and all the news was focused on Steve’s recovery and the repercussions of his actions.

“The identity of the Avenger Supernova has until today remained a mystery but the rumours are beginning to amass than it is none other than Katie Stark…” one of the news readers was saying “the sister of Iron Man and girlfriend of Captain America…”

Katie didn’t even flinch. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t find out anyway, as soon as those files they had dumped on the internet became common knowledge it was going to blow up, plus, it was pretty obvious now anyway. What was annoying her however, was that it was as if they blamed them, in particular Steve, for doing what was right.

4 hours later just as Sam had left again, Katie heard a commotion outside the doors to the room and she stood up.

“You know me right? Tony Stark, my sister is in there…”

“Sir, I’m under instructions not to…”

“It’s ok Davies…” Katie stepped out of the room and spoke to the guard “he’s good…”

Davies sighed “Mr Stark…I’m gonna have to search you then…” he relented.

Tony shrugged and held his arms out, once he’d been patted down he shot Davies a contemptuous look and he entered the room. No sooner had he done that Katie was in his arms, sobbing.

“Shhhhh Kiddo…” Tony gently stroked her hair as she pressed her face into his chest, his familiar aftershave and touch reminding her of all the times he’d soothed her before when she was upset.

“I’m so glad you’re here…”

Tony stepped back to look at her “Nat said you got shot.”

“I did, but I’m ok, see.” she shifted her top to show him the patch that was over her wound, which was healing well.

 “Sounds like you’ve been having a bit of fun without me.” Tony sniffed, “Its ok, I’m not really hurt. Well, maybe just a little. JARVIS  is in a whole heap of trouble for not telling me by the way…”

“I told him not to, you were in Australia, Tones.” Katie said gently “Besides, this was all a bit crazy. There wasn’t really time, if we had waited for you to get back it would have been too late…and you could have been in danger and…” She looked over at Steve, his face was still a mess “look at him Tony…”

Her brother placed his arm around his sister and squeezed. “He’s gonna be fine.”

Katie lay her head on Tony’s shoulders as they sat down, his hand gently stroking over her hair, not once trying to get her to leave as he knew she wouldn’t. She’d burst randomly into tears again when she’d told him her car was now buried in the wreck of the Triskelion. It was a lump of metal, not something that mattered, but Tony understood. She was letting everything out, and he simply sat with her and soothed her, informing her that the car was ready for being changed anyway.

 “But I like my car.” She sniffed.

 “Kiddo, it’s almost 9 years old. I got you that for your 21st.”

 “And that’s why I like it.” she said.

Tony had to chuckle, that’s what she was like. Sentimental. It was the gesture behind gifts that mattered to her, not the value. He’d brought her up that way to value money, even though they had it in abundance, and he was fiercely proud of the woman she had grown to be. Humble in many ways that he wasn’t.

“You know he asked me to move in with him.” Katie spoke again, breaking the silence after a minute or so. 

“Before marriage?” he teased, “Well, well, well.”

She snorted a laugh “That’s what I said. And he turned round and told me we could get married if I wanted.”

Tony stiffened slightly before he looked down at her.

“And do you want?”

She nodded “Of course I do. Only I told him to ask me again with a big diamond.” she sniffed again before sobbing “We both laughed but why did I say that? I don’t need a fucking ring, or-”

“Hey, hey…” Tony gently took her face in both his hands “You just said it yourself. You both laughed. That’s what you two do. You know each other inside out, he won’t have taken it as anything but what it was, a joke...he knows you love him. Everyone does. Frankly it’s hard not to, it’s sickening”

She gave a wet laugh and Tony wiped at her cheeks with his thumbs.

“He’s gonna move into mine.” she said, smiling, as they both settled down again, her head on his shoulder. “His place is too small and full of bullet holes and…blood.”

 “Sensible” he smiled, pulling her closer.

At one point during the night Pepper called, filling them both in on the fact that Natasha was to be summonsed to the UN for a hearing and that they wanted Katie there too, her secret identity as an Avenger was well and truly busted.

“Get the lawyers onto it.” Tony said simply, glancing at Katie who was now asleep, across a makeshift bed consisting of 4 plastic chairs from around the room, head laying on his lap  As his hand gently smoothed her hair, his need to protect her boiled fiercely within him. “She’s not going anywhere…certainly not yet. Oh, and I need you to get hold of Happy. I have a couple of jobs for him…

The next morning Sam arrived back at 9 am, as did Evans. Tony headed off to Katie’s apartment to check no one had been there, and to take the opportunity to get changed, cleaned up and make a few business calls, promising to bring her another change of clothes back when she declined to go with him for fear of missing Steve waking up. She had noticed that morning the bruises were starting to fade from an angry red/purple to a bluey green purple already. The doctors checking his vitals told her that his recovery was progressing rapidly as expected, but still, she wouldn’t be happy until he was conscious. She’d long since turned off the TV, the reports pissing her off so, instead Sam produced a set of speakers and plugged his Iphone in, the pair of them listening to music. Katie felt her eyes going heavy again, due to the lack of sleep, and she apologised to Sam right before she drifted under...

*****

Every single inch of Steve’s body hurt. His mouth felt like sandpaper, his head was full of cotton wool, his eyes hurt as the colours flashed in front of them. He screwed his eyes further shut against the painful light that still assaulted him through his closed eyelids. as he took a moment to breathe, steadying himself as soft music flooded his ears. It wasn’t something he had heard before but it was pleasant, soulful, jazz-like. His head stopped spinning and he felt brave enough to crack an eye open. He glanced round the room, puzzled slightly. He was in a hospital. Then he remembered. The Hellicarriers, Bucky, and the last thing he had seen before blacking out, his girl.  He rememberd being very cold, and wet, but she had been there.  And she still was, at the side of his bed, head laying against Sam’s shoulder.

 "On your left." he managed to croak out. Katie’s head jerked up from its resting place and they both glanced over at the bed where Steve was led. He smiled groggily before his head rolled to the side, flush back against the pillow and he closed his eyes once more.

 Katie jumped up, and settled on the side of his bed, gently stroking his face.

“’M so tired sweetheart…” he managed to mumble as she dropped a kiss to his forehead. He managed a small smile, but his eyes stayed shut.

“Then sleep.” she said softly, the relief flooding her system that he was with them, albeit not totally, but he was with them. She gently smoothed his hair, and kept that up until she could tell he was back asleep.

 She turned to Sam who gave her a smile. “Lazy bastard.”

A few minutes later a nurse popped her head round the door. Katie smiled and told her about him waking up briefly and she nodded, checking the readings. “That’s a good sign.” she beamed, “His body will be drained, serum or no serum so him resting is part of the natural recovery process. When he comes round fully, come find me and we’ll get the doctor back.”

An hour or so later, the mood in Steve’s room was considerably lighter given his waking up before. Katie, Sam and Evans, who was leaning in the open doorway, were mid a playful discussion as to whether or not Voldemort could take Darth Vader in a fight. (Katie had started this whole thing after calling Evans “Ron Weasley with a rifle” on her way back from the bathroom) and were just about to dive into the whole schematics on Magic vs The Force when a voice spoke from the bed.

“What the hell are you 3 talking about?” Steve grumbled playfully and Katie’s head jerked up to see his eyes watching her and she was beyond happy to see they were full of their usual warmth, the warmth he had whenever he looked at her.

"Hey!" Katie breathed in relief as she stood up and moved closer to him, settling on the edge of his bed.

“Hey Doll.” he smiled as she took his hand, her fingers snaking into his. His eyes flickered to Evans, taking in the man’s various bruises and he frowned.

“Got in a bit of a fight with Rollins.” Evans drawled with a nod, and Steve let out the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding. He wasn’t HYDRA. “He didn’t take kindly to me threatening to test out the whole ‘cut one head off, two more shall take its place’ theory on him.”

Steve gave a small huff of a laugh before he winced slightly at the movement and Evans nodded to him once more, before allowing the door to shut, returning to his post. Steve’s eyes fell on Sam who raised an eyebrow at him.

“You know, having a building dropped on my head wasn’t part of the job description” he said drily.

Steve’s smile spread a bit further before he gently lifted his head up off the pillow, looking around before grimacing at the throbbing that filled each bone in his body "How long was I out?"

"43 hours and 37 minutes if you don’t count the last hour you’ve been resting." Katie said gently, glancing up at the clock on the wall as she settled on the side of the bed. Ah, yes, Steve’s brain vaguely registered he’d woken up before, made some quip of some sorts… “Not that I’ve been counting…” Katie finished and he smiled again, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Which isn't that bad considering how you looked when you got here." Sam added jokingly.

"Sam." Katie reprimanded gently, looking at him.

"Alright," He relented standing from his chair and holding his hands up, with a smirk. "I'll go get that hot nurse, give you guys a minute."

"Utter dog." she said, the pair of them watching as he left the room and she turned to face Steve, tears in her eyes.

“You scared me…” she said, gently.

“Sorry.” He said, looking at her, and he was. He hated seeing her upset. There was a moment’s pause before he decided he had to know. "What happened after… did we?"

"SHIELD’s gone, Alexander Pierce is dead. Fury shot him. And as far as Hydra, everyone major that was involved at the Treskellion is either captured or dead.” she paused, not sure if she should be telling him the full scale of what had gone down. Not whilst he was still recovering.

“What is it?” he frowned and she knew she wouldn’t be able to fob him off.

“Nat dumping the files on the internet means my identity as Nova is probably blown wide open. There goes our quiet life.”

“Nothing about our life is quiet.” he said a soft chuckle rising in his chest.

She grinned “True. Gonna be a lot of other shit to mop up though, The Treskellion was the tip of the iceberg. All the main SHIELD bases fell. America, Canada, Europe.”

Steve nodded along then asked the question he was almost afraid to hear the answer to. “Any news on Bucky?

"He's gone." Katie told him sadly. “I’m sorry Steve."

She looked down at the bedsheets and Steve frowned. What did she have to be sorry for? So he asked her.

“I know how much he meant to you.” she answered. “And I think he remembered you. He pulled you out of the river, told me to get help.” she continued to explain about their short exchange on the river bank and Steve listened, unable to stop the hopeful feeling spreading in his chest. Maybe there was a chance for Bucky after all, they just needed to find him. Katie watched him, and he smiled at her.

“I’m glad you spoke to him.” he said, and then a cheeky glint flashed in his eyes “Still think all the girls in Brooklyn were dumbasses for hanging off his arm and not mine?”

She gave a bark of a laugh and leaned down towards his face, rubbing her nose against his “Always.” she whispered, before giving him a soft quick peck on the lips.

******

Tony arrived back an hour or so later. He was genuinely pleased to see Steve awake and after gently grasping the soldier’s hand between both of his in a friendly, brotherly, gesture he sat down and delivered some interesting news.

“So Goth Pirate called me.” He said, leaning back in his seat “He sounded amazingly well for a dead guy.”

“Fury called you?” Steve frowned

“Yeah. He’s laying low, you know, on account of being dead and he wants to hand control of the Avengers over to us, Cap.”

Steve frowned, before he lay his head back on his pillow. He knew the Avengers would be needed again, especially now with SHIELD gone. He turned to Tony who nodded.

“I think that’s the right thing to do, for us to take control” The billionaire spoke and Steve nodded.

“I suppose, but there’s something I gotta do first.”

“Yeah, recover.” Sam said, drawing a faint smile from Steve but Katie knew full well he didn’t mean that. He was intending to go after Bucky.

They spent the rest of the afternoon making idle chit chat with Tony, who was already planning on further renovating the tower to house the Avengers full time in the wake of Fury’s news. Steve, Katie was pleased to see, was enthusiastic about the plans and listened, looking at the various ideas Tony showed him on the tablet. However, now that Steve was awake, the nurses seemed to be a little more reluctant to allow everyone to stay and at about 6pm one of them politely suggested that Sam and Tony should be making their way home.

“You do know I’m paying for this, right?” Tony quipped at her. She shot him a look which made him visibly recoil and he turned to Katie pulling a face as he stood up.

“I’ve gotta get back to New York anyway.” He said gently, pulling his sister into a hug “lawyers to speak to…new suits to build seeing as you blew yours up…”

“I needed to send up a signal.” she shrugged as he looked at her reproachfully.

“And I gotta tidy my flat.” Sam groaned “Someone trashed it.”

“You’re welcome to stay at mine if you want, for as long as you need “ Katie said, as Steve let out a sigh and began to mumble an apology which Sam waved away.

“It’s fine man, I was thinking of moving anyway.”

“Speaking of moving…” Tony said, looking at Steve then Katie as he fished in his pockets for something “I’ve had Happy organise to clear your apartment Cap, now you two are shacking up together. He’s gonna have it sent to yours Kiddo, save you a job. Oh and I figured you might need this.” he tossed Katie a set of keys. She glanced down at them, her eyebrow raised.

“Brought over from my personal collection.” he said, looking at her and she smiled at her brother “It’s the Q5. Try not to bury this one under a sky-scraper.”

“Thank you.” she whispered, giving him another hug, slipping the keys into her pocket. “I love you Tone.”

“Obviously, because I’m the best big brother in the world…” he said, hugging her tight, and Steve nodded to him, thanking him with a look which Tony acknowledged with a sharp incline of his head in the soldiers direction.

 As the two men left, Steve raised his right arm to bid them goodbye and the pair of them headed off down the corridor, chatting away animatedly. Katie watched them go before turning to Steve, who was yawning like a lion.

“You ok?” she asked.

“I just don’t remember the last time I was this tired…or in as much pain”

"Do you want me to get the nurse, up your pain relief?"

"No." he yawned again, he hated how it made the room spin "Think I'm gonna sleep."

She teased gently. “Again?”

He smiled and looked at her, he didn’t want her to go. He needed her. “Will…will you stay?” he asked, tentatively “Until I fall asleep, that is?”

“I’m not leaving you.” she said, cutting him off and dropping a kiss to his forehead as she climbed onto the bed next to him “I’ll be here when you go to sleep, and here when you wake up.”

 “You don’t need to stay all night. You must be exhausted, you should go home and get some sleep.” 

“I’m fine…” she said, looking at him, before her body betrayed her and she too let out a huge yawn which she tried to stifle. He raised an eyebrow.

“Please honey, you need some rest too remember?” he looked at her

“No.” she said, simply “I’m not going anywhere.”

 Steve shook his head. She really was obtuse at times.

 “What?”

“Nothing…” he said, laying his head back on the pillow a grin flashing across his face. “Just remembering what a stubborn, pain in the-“

“If you wanna get out of here any time soon, then I wouldn’t finish that sentence…”she said, her eyebrow raised.

“Miss Stark is that a threat?” he looked at her, a smile curling further across his face

“It’s a promise…” she said, leaning over to kiss him gently. “Now go to sleep.”

*******

Steve was discharged from the hospital the next afternoon, the doctors having no reason to keep him any longer since he healed so quickly, though a cheeky nurse did warn that it wouldn't be wise for him to engage in any strenuous activity, with a pointed look in Katie’s direction who merely rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing on her face.

They arrived back to Katie’s, no theirs, a little after 4 in the afternoon. Steve was dying for a hot shower, and a shave, despite Katie’s protests that she liked the stubble he had sprouted, and whilst he was under the scalding hot waterfall, Katie headed into the kitchen to grab a drink. As she opened the fridge for a bottle of water she wasn’t surprised it was fully stocked including a few bottles of expensive pinot grigio and some beer. There was a note stuck to one of the bottles, in Tony’s handwriting.

Couldn’t have you both coming home to an empty fridge now, could I?

Whatever it is he’s ‘got to do’, I know you’ll follow. So keep safe, stay in touch, and if you need help…you know where to find a good team.

T xxx

She read the note over again and smiled to herself. It was times like this that her brother always came through for her. She fired him a quick text message to thank him before she headed up to the bedroom to see if Steve was hungry.

“Hey love, just wanted to know…” the words died in her mouth at the sight of him, his upper body was flecked with droplets of water from the shower. The knife wound on his shoulder had faded to nothing but a fresh, pink scar and the bruises he sported were all starting to turn yellow now apart from one stubborn one on the right side of his ribcage that was still a mass of purple. But it was the round circle of scar tissue that stood out, on the left side of his lower abdomen, angry and red, where the bullet that had done the most damage had exited that caught her attention. Her mouth went dry and suddenly her eyes were misting over as it hit her exactly how close she had come to losing him. Quite simply, she wasn’t sure she could cope without him now, which scared her as she’d always been fiercely independent.

 “Hey…” he said, swiftly stepping forward, his hands cupping her face as he saw her face crumple “Sweetheart, I’m fine…”

“I know, I know but…” she said, sniffing. “I almost lost you and I couldn’t bear it if that happened…”

 “Well you didn’t.” he said, gently, “Gonna take more than that to get rid of me.”

His lips brushed hers, the lightest of touches but it set every single nerve end she had into over drive with desire. As her breath hitched she felt him grin against her mouth before he kissed her, slightly harder this time, parting her lips with his tongue. He pulled her close, moving his hands up to the small of her back, pressing her into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running the fingers of one hand through his hair while the others lingered at the base of his skull, holding him to her. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, the kiss growing in intensity, hunger, until Katie felt him hard against her stomach and her face was raw from the stubble that he hadn’t shaved yet.

 “The doctor said you had to take it easy…” she whispered into the space between them as they each worked to steady our breathing

 “Yeah…” he said, slowly moving her backwards, "But, what do they know?”

“Ermm a lot.” she snorted.

“You need proof that I'm all healed?"

“Depends on what proof you’re talking about…” she grinned as he dropped his hands to her ass, reaching down as if to lift her but she stopped him, hands on his wrists.

“Steve, your ribs…”

“For once in your life will you shut up and just do as you’re told…” he said, looking down at her. She was about to argue, about to tell him no, but as he looked at her, his eyes alive with desire she knew it was pointless.

“Yes, Captain…” she murmured as his lips crashed onto hers, but he didn’t try and lift her again, instead he backed her up the short few strides, before the back of her knees hit the side of the bed and she dropped back onto it.

"I’ll take it easy…" he whispered as he crawled over the top of her, sliding his hand up her jersey dress and into the waistband of her leggings and knickers, slowly sinking two fingers into her warm, wet depth. She let out a soft moan, open mouth grazing his neck as he felt her clench around him. "Easy," he repeated before her mouth hungrily claimed his again. He moved his hands to reach down and they parted just long enough so he could pull her dress up over her head. His eyes automatically darted to the bullet wound on her left shoulder, that hadn’t healed half as fast as his, the stitches weren’t due out for another week

“I hate that you got hurt…” he muttered, slipping one bra strap down, then the other, before she arched her back allowing him to reach round and undo the clasp before he discarded it to the floor. His lips travelled across her collar bone and up her neck, drawing a soft groan from her lips as his stubble scraped her skin and once more his fingers claimed her. She writhed with pleasure at his strokes and he groaned gently, his lips working on the spot under her ear. He moved away for a second, to rid himself of the towel and crawled over her so that she was led flat, his hands pulling at the side of her black leggings, removing them along with her panties easily. He positioned himself over her, his tongue dipping into her mouth before he pushed into her, making her shudder slightly. His hands were on either side of her face, caressing her cheek and jaw as he kissed her again, rocking his hips as opposed to thrusting, the contact not breaking for a second. He dropped his head to her neck, his lips gently brushing her ear as he let out a groan, his hips grinding against hers.

It was soft, it was gentle, it was intimate, not rushed and she cried out his name loudly when her orgasm took her, her thighs closing around him. He was consumed completely by her, and he followed her over the edge, a loud moan rumbling in his throat. God he loved this woman with every single inch of his body.

“One day…” he mumbled, his lips brushing her ear. “I’m going to ask you properly.”

She understood what he meant. Smiling she looked at him, not a shred of hesitation on her face as her lips met his and she whispered into the kiss, “One day, I’m going to say yes.”

He couldn’t help the huge grin that spread across his face as he kissed her again, noses sliding carefully against one another to avoid aggravating any bruises before he rolled over pulling her to him, her words reverberating around his head.

 I’m going to say yes.

 His hand gently carded through her hair as he felt her relax into him and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

 I’m going to say yes.

 *****

The flashes of the photographers and the hustle and bustle of the audience were invasive. 4 days had passed since they had taken down SHIELD/Hydra and despite the best attempts of the lawyers that Tony had instructed on both hers and Natasha’s behalf, they had been summonsed to Capitol Hill.

What pissed Katie off the most wasn’t the attention (that she hated) it was the fact they were being held accountable when they had done the right thing. Natasha felt the same, but the pair of them remained professional and unaffected by the staging of the conference before them. They both moved to the fingerprint reader before returning to their appointed places to answer their questions. Nat’s hair was as usual smoothed and perfectly capped on her shoulders, Katie’s was twisted back in a bun. Katie's face still bore the bruises she had gotten from Rumlow, which were turning and fading and she probably could have covered them better but she’d chosen not to, simply to make a point.

“Miss Stark, you know Captain Rogers the best out of anyone in this room. Why do you believe he felt the need to take down our intelligence service?"

Katie wanted to laugh; it was such a stupid question to open with. But the serious look on his face told her he was serious.

"Taking down SHIELD was the morally right thing to do. If we hadn't stopped that launch over twenty million people would be dead." she said seriously. The congressman eyed her before jotting down something on his notepad.

The questioning continued from there. Not many people in the room were sympathetic to all that they had been through. In fact, Katie would go as far as to suggest that most were trying to find a weak spot or a way for them to trip them up. An hour in and it felt like they were going round in circles. Katie was getting pissed off. Besides her Nat shifted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest, the two women resisting the urge to look at one another.

"Why is there no news from Captain Rogers?" asked one of the men of the congress.

That was when Katie lost it. She turned to the front taking a deep breath as she looked up at the ceiling with annoyance, the eye roll she had been fighting came fully as she glanced back at the moron who had been speaking “I don't know what else to say.” she spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Maybe the fact he almost died might have something to do with it. That said, I think the new rock in the middle of the Potomac speaks for him in this case."

"Perhaps he can explain to us how he hopes this country will ensure its national security because you have dismantled our intelligence services." The Congressman insisted reproachfully.

This time it was Natasha that spoke, her attitude ringing across the room, she was pissed as well.

"What information?" She asked angrily. "Hydra sold you lies."

"Lies that you took care to spread." The Congressman reminded, pointing at her with a knowing look. Natasha narrowed her lips to his allusion but it was Katie that answered, the final threads of her self-control finally snapping.

“Ste- Captain Rogers, sacrificed everything to save the lives of millions of people when he took that airship down into the ice over 70 years ago.” she leant forward “Not to mention the fact that my dad, Howard Stark, the co-founder of SHIELD also worked against Hydra in the war.” she took a breath and looked at Natasha “Agent Romanoff was almost killed by Hydra’s most deadly assassin on a mission 5 years ago. And more to the fact, 2 years ago we fought, side by side as part of the Avengers to keep the world and its people safe. And you’re seriously suggesting now that we would knowingly put those same people in danger?”

“Passionate speech Miss Stark, or should we call you Nova…” he said, making her snort and look away “And perhaps you’re right, maybe you didn’t know…but Agent Romanoff…” he turned to Natasha “It happens that a few in the commission have the feeling that, given your state of service for our country and against it, your place is more in a penitentiary than in a senatorial commission."

Katie looked at Nat who took a deep breath, clearly collecting her thoughts before answering with confidence. "You’re not gonna put me in jail." She paused for the dramatic effect before letting a small smirk curl the corner of her pink lips as she glanced at a Katie before looking at the front again "You’re not gonna put any of us in jail." She arched a mocking eyebrow as she kept eye contact with the congressman. "You know why?"

"Please enlighten us." He replied snidely.

"Because you need us." Katie answered for her. “With SHIELD gone, the world needs the Avengers more than ever.”

Natasha smiled gently and continued “Miss Stark is right. Yes, the world is vulnerable. And we're partly responsible, but we're also the most qualified to defend it. So you want to throw us in prison? Go ahead” she shrugged “You know where to find us."

With that she gently touched Katie’s shoulder and she rose gracefully from her seat, Katie following her. The pair of them turned to face the hordes of press, all of them were shoving microphones and cameras into their faces whilst they moved to the doors and pushed their way through the throng of people.

“Move aside please…” Happy was in his element, arm round Katie as he cleared a path to the SUV, where he opened the door to allow them to slide in. He pulled away from the kerb and sped off.

“We’ll head to Miss Romanoff’s first… then I’ll drop you home Kiddo.”

“Happy, what would I do without you?” Katie smiled at him. She turned to Nat who was looking out of the window.

“You ok?”

She shrugged “Could be worse.”

“So, what’s next for you?” she asked.

“Gonna take a bit of time out.” she said vaguely, shrugging “You?”

“Steve wants to track Bucky down.” Katie sighed “Although I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.”

She didn’t reply. They rode in silence until they reached her condo and Katie turned to her.

“Nat.”

She looked at Katie, her green eyes locking onto her friend’s.

“Don’t be a stranger. Come over this week, we can get takeout and make fun out of Steve, just like normal.”

She smiled and reached across the seats, giving her a hug. “I’d like that.”

****

The days following the hearing were peaceful as Steve and Katie mostly lounged at home, unpacking some of his things that Happy had sent over. They binge watched shows, cooked, went for walks and then one night Sam and Natasha dropped in for take-out and a few beers. Sam made sure he congratulated Katie and Natasha on them both basically telling the Government to kiss their asses.

“It was the best thing I’ve seen on TV in years!” he gleefully said, as Steve dropped a kiss to the side of Katie's head. In contrast, Steve had hated seeing both her and Nat getting grilled. He’d offered to go himself but both girls had insisted they could handle it, and he should keep his head down for the foreseeable. It was the one thing that Katie knew she could do to protect him.

It was as Natasha was leaving that Steve pulled her to one side and asked her if she could get any of her old contacts to dig up any information on Bucky. Katie pretended she wasn’t listening to the conversation, but she heard every word as Natasha tried to warn him that it wasn’t a good idea, but, stubborn as ever, Steve insisted so she nodded, and promised to do what she could.

And now, almost 2 weeks later, they were stood in a graveyard. Katie supposed there were stranger places to meet up with your dead-not-dead ex-boss…

“Funny, most people need a Medium or a Ouija board to speak to dead people.” Sam quipped as Fury approached them.

“I see dead people…” Katie replied in an almost perfect impression of the Kid from The Sixth Sense, causing Sam to snort and Steve to chastise the pair of them for acting like a pair of school children in a graveyard.

“Sorry Dad…” Katie rolled her eyes and he shot her a disapproving look which she met with an equally sassy one of her own, and Steve looked away before he laughed at her.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before." said Fury, drawing up behind the 3.

"You get used to it," said Steve, looking down at the grave stone with Fury's name on it, placed over an empty, buried coffin.

Katie slipped her hand into his, gently squeezing it.

"We've been data mining Hydra's files. Looks like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship," said Fury, He was standing by Katie’s side, staring down at his own tombstone, with sunglasses on and a hoodie over his head and he looked up at Steve "I'm headed to Europe tonight. Wanted to ask if you'd come."

"There's something I gotta do first," Steve responded, simply.

“I assume you gotta do it too?” Fury looked at Katie. She shrugged.

"How about you, Wilson? Could use a man with your ability," said Fury, turning his gaze to Sam.

"I'm more of a soldier than a spy," responded Sam.

"Alright then," he said instead, shaking Sam's hand before going over to shake Steve's. "If anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here." He said shaking Katie’s hand last.

"You should be honoured," said Natasha's voice from behind the three of them, making them turn around to see her walking up to them while Fury himself was already walking away in the opposite direction. "That's about as close as he gets to saying 'thank you'."

"Not going with him?" Katie asked.

"No," she sang coming to a stop, keeping her hands behind her back.

"Not staying here," Steve concluded.

"Nah…" she drew out the reply. "I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one."

"That could take some time," Katie raised an eyebrow.

"I'm counting on it.” She smirked, turning to Steve. “That thing you asked for; called in a few favours from Kiev."

As she removed her hands from behind her back, she revealed a brown folder, which Steve took staring down at it with a contemplative expression.

"Be careful Steve," she added, repeating her warning and he looked at her, nodding. "You may not want to pull on that thread."

"Take care of yourself." Katie said, looking at her, before giving her a quick hug.  "I think I'm going to miss you, just a little bit." 

"Only a little?" Natasha teased right back. "I'll miss you too."

She turned to leave and Katie gently reached over to tilt the file down so she could see it, wincing at the photo of Bucky in some kind of cryo-stasis. Steve looked at her, his eyes giving away his sadness and she gently ran her hand up his arm.

“I’m not sure I want you involved in this.” he looked down at her and she rolled her eyes.

“We live together you ass.” she said sternly “And we’re in this now, the both of us. I’m not going anywhere.”

She felt like she had been saying that a lot recently, and she had. But she wanted him to understand, nothing that happened could and would ever tear them apart.

 As Sam approached Steve closed the folder, but the man had already seen it. He shot a look up to the sky, his eyes locking on Katie’s and she gave him a quick look which was almost sympathetic as she registered Sam’s frustration. It didn’t go unnoticed by Steve either, he knew this could be opening a whole can of worms, or a ‘bucket of vipers’ as Katie had said the other night, but he had to try. He owed it to Bucky.

"You're going after him aren’t you?" Sam asked.

"You don't have to come with us." Steve responded

“I know.” Sam said, before a smirk crossed his face. "When do we start?"

 Tags

@the-omni-princess

@momobaby227

@geekofmanythings16

[in-tua-deep]

Responsible Luther prompt/concept I can't get off my mind: Luther taking care of sick Five and Klaus (one of them got the other sick?) and ends up catching it from them but acts like he's fine/denies it and won't stop obsessing over them and then he ends up getting worse from overworking himself and then they return the love and take care of him

okay okay okay the way i have decided to interpret Luther’s powers are strength/durability combo because getting slammed by a chandelier and then just casually walked it off ?? and he came back from the moon with seemingly no real ill effects?

so what i’m saying is Luther does not get sick often. never. his siblings get taken out by the flu when they’re kids and Luther doesn’t quite lord it over the rest of the family but he certainly prances around with an extra spring in his step while his siblings with stuffy noses glare at him with murder in their eyes

so when Luther does get sick it hits hard

but that’s okay because by the time the virus sneaks its way past Luther’s considerably fortified immune system it’s well after the rest of the family has already gotten through with the others so there’s that at least so for a few snotty terrible weeks it’s everyone else who is sick while Luther plays nursemaid

so it’s actually Vanya who gets sick first, caught from someone in the orchestra who came to practice while contagious. Vanya gets sick, and the family collectively comes to the agreement that someone needs to be there to get her some soup and tissues and stuff while she rests. 

Diego is elected to be the One. Mainly because, as Luther points out, Five is a child, Luther has work, and Klaus would just end up bringing it home and infecting everyone. Diego protests that he doesn’t want to get sick either, Luther challenges him about his whole body-is-a-temple nonsense and says that if Diego is really the picture of health then surely his body can fight off a little cold long enough for Vanya to be feeling better. But, Luther supposes that he can take care of Vanya if Diego is really afraid of - 

and of course Diego takes the bait because despite everything Luther and Diego still have their dumb little rivalry going on. Though, admittedly, it’s much more lighthearted these days since Luther stopped being their dad’s loyal dog and finally bit the hand that abused them

except Diego’s immune system doesn’t even last a whole day (probably because someone from the gym already infected him and not because of Vanya) and he’s just completely flat out and dead. tbh luther’s all for leaving them to sweat it out in Vanya’s apartment but Five and Klaus insist on being family and Allison gives him a disapproving look over the phone somehow so Vanya and Diego end up on the couches gently dying

“I am not responsible if you get sick.” Luther says, crossing his arms and staring down his whole family. “I am not responsible for this disaster in the making. And if you get sick I am not looking after you.”

“You say that.” Klaus says, grinning where he’s dabbing at Diego’s forehead with a washcloth far too enthusiastically to actually be of any use (and just enough to be entirely a nuisance). “But we all know you totally will.”

and Klaus is absolutely right

and look Klaus’s immune system isn’t great, and Five’s isn’t that much better since being somewhat scarce on food isn’t great for general development and health (actually food scarcity during formative years/pre or during pubescence can really fuck u up just check out some research on people surviving famines and the later effects) so yeah they’re both out for the count after a little while

so it’s Luther who ends up grudgingly making soup (and maybe burning it just a little) and making sure all his idiot siblings get plenty of fluids and rest

(Five is a miserable sick because he’s even more spacey and prone to mixing up his timeline and is way more prone to panic attacks and flashbacks and Klaus is equally miserable because he has,, pretty much the same problems tbh)

(Diego is a whiney sick who complains bitterly and Vanya is a responsible sick who is the one who makes everyone tea even though she’s still all gross and stuffed up)

it’s miserable but they all manage to pull through it despite the fact that someone is murdered on at least half a dozen different occasions (Diego is almost smothered with a pillow on the first day because he wouldn’t shut up about the achey feeling he had all over, to name but one occasion) and everyone is getting over it 

and that’s when Luther feels the tickle at the back of his throat. He ignores it, of course, because it’s nothing. It’s nothing. This was old news, his siblings getting sick and him being just fine. It’s normal.

So he steadfastly ignores when that tickle turns into an actual sore throat. He probably just yelled at Diego too loudly or something. He ignores it when he wakes up aching all over. 

It’s a little more difficult to ignore when that sore throat and achey feeling turn into the snottiest nose in existence, if Luther does say so himself. It seems like one of his nostrils has decided it’s new job is to turn into the niagara falls of snot. 

“You’re sick, Luth.” Five tells him over breakfast, looking very judgey. 

“No I’m not.” Luther denies thickly. 

Five and Klaus share a look that Luther steadfastly ignores even exists.

Of course it’s much more difficult to ignore when he’s hacking up a lung and spitting phlegm into the sink. 

“If you say anything I will disown you both.” He swears to the two individuals lurking in the door to the kitchen. 

“My lips are sealed.” Klaus says, loudly, miming zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. Of course, the effect is ruined by the fact that he immediately opens his mouth back up again. “Not a word shall be spoken about the fact that you are undoubtedly, woefully, ridiculously sick and in denial about this sad, sad fact.”

Luther would absolutely punch Klaus if there wasn’t more than one of him, and the fact that he might hit Five if he missed. Which, given the general stuffed up feeling of his head was not only likely but probable. 

“You could just let us take care of you.” Five drawls, looking incredibly unimpressed. Even more so than normal, which was quite the feat considering that Five was the only siblings left still coming off the tail end of his own sickness. Pale and a tiny bit shakey with a hand firmly planted on Mr. Pennycrumb’s head to take comfort in the dog’s steadfast loyalty. 

“I’m not sick.” Luther denies again, begrudgingly taking the tissue that Klaus offeres with knowing eyes. 

“He’s hopeless.” Klaus tells Five sympathetically. He pats Luther’s shoulder just a little bit condescendingly as he does so, which Luther would smack his hand off but he’s just a tiny bit dizzy right now, thank you. 

“You know.” Five drawls again, “Vanya brought around all those disney movies that Klaus has been yelling about catching up on. I was thinking maybe we could start on them?”

Luther absolutely does not trust the glint behind Five’s eye, but he can’t actually think of a good reason to say no. So he just nods and blows his nose noisily into the tissue with a mildly miserable expression.

And if Luther falls asleep before the movie even really begins, and if Klaus and Five gently drape a blanket across him and turn the volume down several degrees to watch over him. Well, that’s neither here nor there.

If Luther wakes up in the middle of the night to the opening menu of WALL-E, with Klaus leaning back against the couch with his head tilted back and snoring like a skinny lawnmower and Five and Mr. Pennycrumb spooning on the floor - well Luther might try and deny the warm feeling in his chest even as it ached from his sickness but he does his best to commit the soft and admittedly domestic scene to memory.

They never got to do this, as kids that is. They would sneak into one another’s rooms under the cover of night and offer what comfort they could, yes. But always watchful and vigilant and careful of the eyes of their father coming to punish them for their kindness and compassion. They were weapons. Tools. And tools were not meant to be soft. 

Hate sweeps over Luther with a suddenness that steals his breath away and brings tears to his eyes. Because Five is sprawled out, and Klaus is snoring, and Mr. Pennycrumb is twitching as he dreams of chasing cars and other such things. They’re all relaxed and carefree, and Luther just needs to take a second to realize that it took twenty-nine years for the Hargreeves children to be able to let down their walls for even an instant.

They could have had this, they should have had this, all along. They should have been able to fall asleep on the sofa watching disney movies, staying up late and cracking jokes and laughing as loud as they want without the fear of their father swooping in and stealing it out from under them. 

Five shifts a little in his sleep, and Luther realizes that his fists are clenched too tightly in the blanket he doesn’t remember falling asleep under. He unclenches and allows the wrinkled fabric to fall from his grasp, face softening at his littlest brother. He’s so small when he sleeps. It’s not the first time Luther has thought that, and it won’t be the last. But each time it takes Luther’s breath away.

(Or it would, if said breath hadn’t already been stolen by the congestion in his sinuses, ugh.)

Luther lays back down and closes his eyes, not quite willing to take himself off to bed and leave these doofuses by themselves. So he closes his eyes, and thinks of sheep.

He already knows his family will be there in the morning. 

[odissey061]

Motonari's route

Chapter(s) posted:

1. This freak won't have me

2. Kick him in the teeth

Please, teach me a better way to create link because I can't do it by myself

Chapter 3: This trick never worked at human's memory

Tag: @towa-no-yume @r-f-a-journalists

When I open my eyes the first thing I feel is an acute headache: the hands run through the hair until I discover a bump. I press it to see if I feel the pain and then I whimper like a baby: it hurts a lot. Why I'm so stupid? I take a look around me and I notice I'm in a cold and empty cell. The room is surrounded by three wooden walls and before me there's an iron grille. Here and there on the floor against the wall there are spooky chains that make me chill and smile nervously. At this moment I heard the rolling waves and I understand I'm on a ship.

Where I am? How many time has passed since my kidnap? I must return to the Oda right now! A lot of hours passed since I left Azuchi castle: I told to Hideyoshi I'd come back after lunch, so probably they have already noticed my absence.

I try open the door but, obviously, is locked and I look around to find something to force the look, but the room is empty, except the chain on the wall. Then I took a clip from my hair and, holding it tight in the hand, I pray:"At human memory this trick never worked, but, please, if there's even the littlest chance, make it happens". Great, now I pray to objects like they were gods!

I plug the clasp in the door lock but, as I expected, it doesn't work. Pushed by despair, I retry again and again, but after a large number of failed attempts and swears, finally I give up and I lean my back on the wall. A man appears in front of me: he's very tall and his body is made by tons of muscles, his eyes shining with malice. With a look I understand this man is a brute and he doesn't hesitate to use violence and if I had to fight against him, I'd probably die. "Who are you and why I'm here?" I demand, but he laughs dryly:"I'm the one who makes the questions here, little girl" and he opens the door. As he spoke, I recognize him as the man who kidnapped me. He enters in the cell and leaves open the door. I try to gain more time:"I understand why you kidnapped me: I'm very close to the Oda commanders and your boss wants information about them", Well, at least you are not stupid, that makes easier my work. So little girl, talk about your friends" he comments. "The problem is exactly about this: you see, I'm only their maid and I don't know anything about their future moves, so keep me here is useless" I lie and I walk towards the door. But the man grabs my hair, making me moan for the pain and yells at me:"You think I'm so stupid to believe you? I'm not a fool! In Azuchi people say Nobunaga brought you to battle on his horse  His voice becomes lower, still being threatening:"If you don't tell me spontaneously all you know about them, I'll make you confess with the bad manners". And when he shows a bag full of torture instruments and I'm terrified. I don't know very much about torture, but I can imagine how much they'd hurt my body. I want to scream for help, but I know nobody will save me. My face gets paler. I know already how this will finish: this man will torture me until I speak, but I don't know anything, so he'll kill me for nothing. I'll die for anything!!

"I'm not his lover: I'm his maid and I have been staying in Azuchi for a few days. I don't know anything about them and if I knew something, I surely won't talk to you" I repeat using a quiet voice to not make him angrier. "Bad answer" he smiles sadistically, almost happy about my resistance and slaps me so violently to turn my head. "Try again, little girl, but the next time I won't so merciful".

"And if I don't confess what are you going to?" I bravely provoke him. The Oda forces helped me a lot and I won't betray them for my own safety. "I'll break all of your bones and if you won't talk, then I'll cut the tendons of your hands and your feet. If you still won't confess I'll remove your eyes, then I'll tear your ears and finally I'll cut your tongue" his threats scare me a lot, but I won't give up my loyalty. He takes from the bag a strange object and he places it near to my nails.

No no no no. Please, somebody help me!

I close the eyes too scared to watch, but at that moment I hear a new voice:"Yoshitoko, what are you doing here? I'm sure the captain hasn't told you to torture this girl since he is out to collect information with a few men. So I wonder: whose order are you following?". I open my eyes and I see a young man who's throwing diggers with the glare at the man in front of me. The newcomer is younger than this man, but somehow the eldest has to obey him. "The captain is still a child, quartermaster: if all of us wait for his command, we'd have alredy died. He doesn't know what to do and he's not able to keep the promise he made" he growls, "He's the captain, not you: he knows what's the best for us better than you. You are only able to hurt people and torture them, for this reason you won't be a captain. Now leave, Yoshitoko" The man speaks with a rough voice and I can feel the subtle threat he silently implies. I except a Yoshitoko's reaction, but he obeys whispering something.

Left alone, the young man is more relaxed walks towards me and I step back, so he reassures me:"I don't want to hurt you. I want to check your wound". I let him check my arm. I groan for the pain when he tries to move it. He looks more friendly than his colleague, so I try to ask:"Can you tell me who are you and how many days passed since my kidnap? Will you torture me again to seek information I don't have?". He sighs: "The arm is broken, now I call a doctor so he can help you better. Now you are on a pirate ship and you were kidnapped by Yoshitoko yesterday, following captain's order. Now the captain is away, but in a short time he'll be back and will decide what to do about you". "Earlier I said the truth: I don't know anything about Nobunaga's future plans. Keep me here he's useless" I whisper, "Even if you don't know anything you'll probably stay here as a political hostage to be used against your friends" the man explains my situation. The sadness overwhelms me to the thought I'll be used against my friends: I can't do this to them. "But as I told you is the captain to decide, so he could even release you" he tries to reassure me, but I have no illusions: if I were in his position I'll do the same. I even realize probably I won't be able to go back to my time. No way this will happen! The man says they wait for their captain, so it means the ship is still in the port: that makes my escape more easily. The man is inside the cell and the grill is open: all I have to do is run and don't be caught. But the pirate in front of me is still vigil even if he's more relaxed, surely is ready to catch me and even I'd beat him he'll give the alarm. No, escape at this moment is too risky but if I don't do it right now later would be impossible.

The only thing I can do is talk with the captain: I'm even ready to beg for my release, it's necessary. "The captain will be here in a few hours, so be more patient" he ends the conversation. "What kind of man is your captain?" I wonder, "The captain? Is an edgy man. He treats with respect his subordinates, but he doesn't trust anyone except me on this ship. Is the type of person who can be your friend but he stabs you in the back some minutes after" he responds. So he's a bastard and the possibilities he'd let me go are very low.

* * *

It's almost evening and Hideyoshi is worried: y/n told him this morning she'd have gone in the city until lunchtime, but she didn't come back. He asked around but nobody was able to tell him where y/n was. He alerted Nobunaga who decided to hold a war council to find her. Hideyoshi expresses all of his worry and Mitsunari takes word with a stern look on his face:"I'm quite worried as well, Lord Hideyoshi. We should look after her". 

"Maybe she escaped after she went to war, after all, was her first time on a battlefield. I won't be surprised" Mitsuhide suggests with his cunning tone, but a more careful eye can see a glimpse of worry. In the past days, he went to some places with a very horrible reputation and in a red light district and he noticed a lot of Portuguese men who acted too much secretive for being simply merchant. They were really cautious: they gazed around before speaking with someone and once Mitsuhide risked revealing his true identity. Just today he succeeded to talk with a man after days of failures, but what he discovered was suspicious arms traffic. He didn't discover anything about y/n's missing. And the possibilities she's been kidnapped are not low. "My lucky charm is not a coward, Mitsuhide: she proved it during the war"       

Nobunaga scolds him, "Then I suppose we should look after her" snorts Ieyasu. "As if you hadn't done it before, before" teases Mitsuhide: Ieyasu's contrarian reactions are always a delight for him.

"Lord Ieyasu is always so kind" Mitsunari praises him. Ieyasu scolds him:"I told you I wasn't searchi-", "Enough! Each of you will send your own scouts in the city to collect information" Nobunaga stops the discussion. Once the council ends, all the warlord obey to Nobunaga orders, sending men in the city and its surroundings with the order to search for y/n and arrest everyone look suspicious. But as time passes, nobody finds y/n.

[peakytoms]

NSFW ABC’s ~ John Shelby

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

So things with John boy never get too wild so aftercare is not really necessary. He likes to just lay in bed and talk to you about his day while you two share a few cigarettes .

He also loves eating after sex because he expels so much energy during the deed—so he will usually go downstairs and drum up some bread and jam and bring them back upstairs for you and him.

The bed always gets crumby but you don’t care “that’s what the maids for” says JOhn

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He is obsessed with you butt—he’s a butt guy. He loves backing that ass up against his hips anytime of the day, loves you sitting on his lap when he’s at work or at home in the office. Big time butt guy.

Hes so much of a butt guy, he even likes his own ass. He knows he was sculpted by Michelangelo himself and he has likes to show off what god gave him.

When the two of you are home without the kiddos—the both of you are always naked, beauty should not have to be covered up

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

We all know our dear boy john has a massive impregnation kink—he loves knowing his woman is around carrying his seed and making it into a human baby. As such, his favorite thing to do is cum inside of you. He also loves to watch himself spill out of you when its all over so he likes to make sure his woman is filled 😉

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

John is one dirty dirty boy (you’ve seen him smirk right? That smirk is LOADED with dirty filthy secrets)

At dinner with Polly or the rest of the fam—he sneaks one of your hands down to his already hard cock. He thinks hes so suave and that no one notices (but because of that infamous smirk—everyone always knows what is happening but lets him have him moment)

When the two of you were younger, you had sex on Pollys bed (she had a bigger bed so it made sense at the time—it’s a secret you two will keep til your DEATHS)

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

John Shelby mates like a bunny rabbit…plenty of experience has been had

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Given how many times you have probably been pregnant (John has like 3 million kids? 3 billion? Ive lost count) Johns fave position is anything from behind (plus that way he gets a perfect view of your tush which as discussed he is obsessed with. Plus, taking you from behind is super convenient

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)

He is a goofballTM and sex usually is goofy as well. Because of all the kids you two have had, you cant take time for granted and you often need to be creative because children are literally everywhere and sometimes you don’t even realize it. So sometimes things just get goofy (kids walk in, gotta make quick worl to cover up—and the eventually get them out so yall could finish)

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

John is practically bare down there. He thinks the hair just covers up all that god given beauty so he doesn’t like to keep it around.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

He tries his best to be romantic. He loves you and all that you have done for him so he wants to do his best to make sure he treats you like a QUEEN TM but ya know…life happens and god bless him for having good intentions and ideas but John is not the best at executing them. He tries to be romantic and sweet, but when the time actually comes around there just isn’t any time for romance (all the kiddos running around remember?). But it’s the thought that counts

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

You ALWAYS walk in on him while hes jacking his willy.  The man has got a thousand and 3 kids, and you get busy, he gets it—but he has needs and if hes stressed (because idk…Tommy wants him to kill his teacher or something) he just needs to release some tension (in his balls) and get on with his life

If you catch him in the moment though—you usually throw those kiddies out and help out your man

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Getting you pregnant

ou being pregnant (your tits get almost as big as your ass and as discussed our boy john is a man of the tush)

Fucking you while pregnant—he one kinky guy and he likes the idea of filling you with his seed even when you are currently growing his seed into a human child

He likes doing it in public spaces (especially if Polly is around—he likes to think hes outsmarting her even though she knows everything…she is omniscient…omg shes a godTM  

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

The Office because there are no kids at the office, or in the car on the way to the office because that man just has no patience

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Seeing you pregnant, seeing you be a mama, stress because his brother is a dick, having a really good meal, getting drunk, a really calming cigar, bashing someones head in, blinding someone, winning some money at the races… basically Johnny is always a horndogTM and everything gets him going.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’s too needy and desperate at most times to ever be picky with things to try

That being said, you two have tried some rougher sex but it just wasn’t his thing. Even though hes a blinder and a savage man with his enemies, he doesn’t really like hurting people (especially someone he loves a helluva lot)

Also for some strange reason, you getting close to any of his brothers or blinders just rubs him the wrong way and he does not like it (I wonder why…)

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Giving

Youre a good mama and are nearly always stressed and tired because of all the billions of his kids running around small heath  so Johnny boy likes to take care of his girl and do all the work to show his appreciation

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Because yall never really have that much time, things are usually fast and rough—but not rough rough, just rough because he has like 3 seconds before a kid starts crying and he just gets very vigorous. If the kids are away at Pols, he will tgry his best to make it special—all romantic and slow and sensual and wooowwwwweeeeeee im feeling john rn what is this?

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Pretty much the only way he has sex is with quickies because he has like 651360176 children somewhere

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He is always down to find new and creative ways to get wit chuuu—he needs it because when you have kids you need to get creative and inventive

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Because he usually has so little time, he has trained his body to last as quickly as possible (relax though guys he doesn’t cream in like 0.05 seconds, but it usually takes him less than 7 minutes). BUT he is still a shelby and a frickin horse (not a cavalry horse though mind) so he can go for many many rounds (he just hopes he has the time)

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Before the kiddies he liked very much to use toys on you, especially blindfolds (he really liked to play up the name “peaky blinders”)

But now that kids are a part of your reality, being blinded just isn’t practical because one of the 6142782 kids could sneak in and see any second and you must remain vigilant

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Like I said, John has had to get very creative and that includes a lot of teasing. And in turn you tease him right back

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He is naturally just a very loud and boisterous individual and its hard to contain himself. Given the position you two are usually in during the deed (your back to his chest and he rams you from behind) he usually muffles his moans and groans and screams into the skin of your shoulder or neck.

Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

So we know how John is a massive horndogTM and gets especialluy aroused whenever he sees you be a good mama, but you are the same way with him. John boy is a great dad (your fave pet name for him is Mr. Daddy since he likes to pretend to be a big manTM who can be a dommydaddy even though he really cant bless him)

Seeing John be a great father always gets you reared up and ready for another little Shelby baby

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

He thinks he was gods gift to women and there are very visible and anatomical receipts for that belief. He is not only the tallest Shelby brother, but also the biggest

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

So incredibly high because he is a horndogTM and you constantly do things that excite him

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He always stays up just in case you wanna go for another round

[leaughrilke]

what was pregnancy/childbirth/going home for the first time like with finn vs. maia? how about what it was like to take stella home for the first time? how did each kid adjust to their new sibling(s) when maia/stella came home? i'm such a sucker for Brand New Baby headcancons lol

me, rubbing my hands together evilly bc my friend u dont understand, i have been waiting for a sucker just like u bc I AM SUCH A SUCKER FOR BRAND NEW BABY HCS AS WELL, HERE ARE MINE FOR THE SUPERBABIES

so like the pregnancies were highly planned, no surprises or anything and results were waited on with equal excitement bc like????  holy shit theyre doing this????  and HOLY SHIT IT WORKED?????  

but like……once the initial excitement died down a little, lena starts to worry a lot??  and i mean this is particular to finn, bc like with maia it was more??  ok i kind of know what im doing, but with finn she had no experience, nothing to go off of.  like she can hardly remember her birth mother and lillian was terrible so like….its not as if she has any model for how to be a mother and she’s not sure she’s really thought this through.  like she likes kids well enough??  thinks theyre cute and isnt uncomfortable around them, actually is quite good with them and babies love her almost as much as they love kara, but this will be different, this isnt just holding jess’s niece when they’re at the company picnic, this will be a baby that comes home with them, this will be their baby, their kid to screw up and that’s terrifying???  holy shit

meanwhile kara is like??  so excited oh my god.  she’s so pumped and so loving and she feels like she’s overwhelmed in the best way, where her heart feels really full and she knows that when the baby gets here it’ll just spill over in the best way and she cant wait for it.  and she fusses over lena, moves her schedule around specifically to allow her to drop by l-corp a couple times a day to bring lena lunch or a snack, and she’s like the ultimate partner u know like she keeps the fridge stocked with whatever lena’s craving, always goes to every doctor appointment and childbirth classes, never grumbles when lena wakes her up bc her back is aching or she’s starving all of a sudden or she can’t sleep and the baby is in a weird position.  she puts together all the furniture for the nursery, is That expectant parent that spends a lot of time in the baby section of target, brings home probably more clothes than a single baby can wear.  she’s so excited???  like……how to explain this hmmm…  okay so we know how much kara loves her family, right??  bc she loves them a lot, she rlly does and its not at all that she wishes for biological family or something but theres like a certain…..pull??  i guess??  like this baby is equal parts her and lena, and she has this image in her head, like what if their baby looks like her or more like lena, what if their kid has her mother’s eyes or her father’s strong chin.  like?  she gets to see krypton live on, is what it boils down to.  she gets to see her family and her community and her planet alive and well in the little heartbeat they hear, in the grainy image on the screen at the ultrasound

the pregnancy itself is actually rlly smooth??  and like, when lena’s not terrified, she rlly enjoys it and like knows how lucky she is, like her morning sickness is p tame and only lasts the first couple months.  and like??  its not that she dislikes being pregnant or doesnt want the baby, she very much does, she already loves this little thing growing inside her so so much, just on the basis of it being a piece of kara, she’s just worried she’s not good enough, that she wont ever be able to be good enough to be this child’s mother.  but she just tries not to think about whats going to happen at the end of this, focuses on the way her heart skips when she feels those first flutters of movement or the way the tension slips out of kara’s shoulders the moment she gets home, the moment she can hear their child’s heartbeat.  they were never rlly an out on the town sort of couple, spent most nights tucked up at home, but now even more so bc lena gets tired at like eight at night, so most nights they’re on the couch or lying in bed, kara resting her head on lena’s lil bump, talking to the baby in her mother tongue, telling them all about this great world they’re going to get to see.  when lena’s lil bump turns into a big bump, then its usually them cuddled up on the couch with lena leaning back against kara’s chest, head on her shoulder as she dozes and kara’s tracing out the kryptonian alphabet on lena’s belly and its warm and the cats are snoozing nearby and there’s a stack of baby clothes in the laundry basket on the floor and a half assembled rocking chair in the nursery and its just??  good????

overall its rlly good like there’s some bad moments, some breakdowns along the way.  like it kind of scares lena a little how much she loves this little thing that??  doesnt??  even???  exist yet????  like she cant hold them, cant see them, but god, she already knows she’d do anything for them.  and kara has a few moments where she breaks down as well, where she cant remember a kryptonian word or the details of something she thought she remembered are a little fuzzy and god, what if she cant??  what if she isnt able to pass along her history, her culture?  what if she has this opportunity and she fails, again?

and they’re both so soft with each other, kara picks up on lena’s worry and lena picks up on kara’s and they try their best for each other, they do their best to help even when they’re struggling with their own things and lena tries to learn kryptonian and like….listen, she’s not great at it at first (particularly with pregnancy brain making everything a little fuzzy), but her accent isn’t terrible and she learns the basic vocabulary, enough so that she can confidently say she’ll be of some use in teaching their child to speak the language along with english.  kara buys all the parenting books lena glances at, sits up at night with her to read them, finds a mothers day card even though it fucking january and tucks it into lena’s bag for her to find and tear up over, talks about how lucky their kiddo is that they’ll have lena as a mom as if its the most natural thing to say

towards the later part of lena’s pregnancy, when they’re getting closer to the due date and lena’s getting uncomfortably pregnant and nothing’s fitting very well, not even the maternity dresses that kara finally convinced her to buy around month seven, kara kind of becomes a worrywart.  like she’s been v protective of lena the entire time but now??  anytime lena shifts or sighs or rubs her back, kara’s like WHAT IS IT, IS IT TIME, DO WE NEED TO GO and has like most of their stuff loaded up into the car, ready to go before lena’s has a chance to be like ……kara im ridiculously pregnant, im just uncomfortable, love its fine i promise

that said,, then she’s overdue and even more uncomfortable but the fear has set back in??  and she goes into labor p early in the morning, doesnt say anything abt it bc she doesnt want it to happen, not now, but kara seems to sense it, sticks a lot closer to lena than normal, even for overprotective post-due date.  and then lena’s water breaks???  and she’s crying????  and kara’s like holy shit okay but they dont have time to rlly do anything to talk through it, barely have time to get to the hospital before lenas like……in Active Labor, like ready to push active labor and there’s no time to get an epidural, but luckily she doesnt rlly need one??  she’s in pain, but its not as bad as some things she’s endured, but she’s still crying, begging for this baby to stay put, dont move, i’m not ready and kara’s crying bc she’s split between being heartbroken for her wife and being so so excited to her their child

and then finn’s there, crying loud enough to be heard over lena’s sobbing, kara’s assurances and kara looks at him and is so in love???  she’s so in love, he’s so beautiful, she tells lena as much as she gets to cut the cord and some little part of her knits back together when she helps lay finn on lena’s chest, watches as lena’s eyes clear, brows relax, watches as that same love kara feels dawns in lena’s eyes and its so much???  its too much, but its so good????

and everything is still so good for a while!!!!!  like the few days in the hospital, they’re just kind of in a blissed out stage where nothing is fazing them like......family comes to visit, theres four emails from snapper sitting in kara’s inbox, clark comes by and is visibly uncomfortable but they literally dont give two shits like look at this thing we made!!!!!!!  look at him, he’s beautiful and he’s got all ten fingers and all ten toes and look, he looks bald but he’s just rlly blond!!!!!!!  like.........they are just so in love???  

but then they go home and its different bc there isnt anyone to help them and for kara its like....idk its sort of like she’s super duper aware of her powers when she’s out in the world, like hyperaware and vigilant, but she’s used to being able to relax a little at home??  and now there’s this tiny fragile nonpowered as far as they know baby that is depending solely on her and lena for everything and suddenly she’s like shit i’m going to hurt him oh my god i Did Not think this through and then she like refuses to hold finn except under very specific conditions like sitting down, pillow in her lap to support him from below and lena’s a bit too wrapped up in finn to rlly like register this fact, a little too tired and sore and in love to do much more than notice her wife’s hesitance 

and its not as if kara’s like......//avoiding anything to do with finn.  like she’s still v much in love and wants to be around him, she just doesnt trust herself??  so she’ll still get up when finn’s crying at night, sits up with lena when she nurses him, gets lena whatever she needs during the day and overall does her absolute best 

lena brings it up to alex finally, one night when she and maggie come over to coo over finn and kara’s run out to pick up dinner.  lena and alex have grown a lot closer since lena started hanging out with the superfriends, alex sort of spotting that quiet sadness within a few minutes of having an actual conversation with lena and subconsciously sorting her into the same category of annoying psuedo-sibling that she had winn.  and by this point??  alex is basically as much a big sister to lena as she is to kara, defends her as vehemently as she does kara.  so lena goes to her with this, asks if kara’s said anything about not feeling comfortable or being afraid and alex is like ??  no, whats going on and then lena tells her everything she’s noticed, tells her the guilt she feels for not knowing how to help but she’s exhausted, like that new parent bone deep exhausted 

so alex corners kara just a little, calls her down to the deo for a fake emergency and then locks them into one of the training rooms bc she knows kara, knows she wont admit to anything when lena’s around, knows that she’ll keep trying to uphold this facade that she’s doing okay bc she doesnt want to stress her wife out.  and karas been sitting with this feeling for nearly two weeks??  basically since they went home, so there’s not much prodding alex has to do to get it out of her bc she’s exhausted too, is crying within a few minutes of talking tbh

alex hugs her for a long time, until she stops crying eventually and is like??  i dont have easy answers for you and i wish i did, but kara, you’re not going to hurt him and she keeps repeating it, keeps telling kara that she knows her probably better than anyone and she knows that she’s never going to do anything to hurt the people she cares about and kara’s thinking about red k and alex knows it so she just tightens her hold on kara’s shoulders and leans down a little to catch her eye and she’s like kara, this is your son and its like oh.  my son.  i have a son.  and suddenly kara’s crying again but more from good emotion??  like i have a child and i haven’t been holding him 24/7????  I GOTTA GO ALEX

so kara goes home and lena’s just getting up to get finn bc he’s starting to fuss a little and kara just gently pushes her back into bed and goes to get finn, picks him up and feels something settle when he quiets, looks up at her with big blue eyes that aren’t her color, not exactly, is something closer to her mother’s.  finn settles against her, one of his little hands sort of grasping at the fabric of her shirt, holding on and kara’s so???  overwhelmed???  and she promises him that she’ll be the best she can be for him, promises that she’ll never let harm come to him, that she’s going to keep him so safe and at some point she switches from english to kryptonian (kryptonese??), starts promising all sorts of things, starts promising that he’ll never be alone, that he’ll never be scared and lost and left on his own in a strange place, that she’ll never send him away, not without lena, not without her

lena hears it over the baby monitor but doesnt say anything when kara comes back into the room, having lulled finn back to sleep with a lullaby her mother used to sing to her.  she just pulls kara closer and they doze like that for a while and everything feels calm, settled for once

and then !!!!!  they’re just deliriously happy like finn is a rlly easy baby, doesnt fuss a lot, basically sleeps through the night from the beginning and is essentially the Perfect Newborn.  like they’re just??  so? ??  happy ?????  like lena has what is essentially unlimited maternity leave considering she can conduct a fair amount of work from home and catco gives rlly generous leave for all new parents so kara’s able to stay home for a long time, so they get to just sort of live in this wonderful little bubble for basically the first 4-5 months of his life and even after they sort of start transitioning back to work, its still rlly great??

like they do the mommy and me yoga and switch off weekends, kara takes him to swim lessons, they do walks in the park when it starts getting warmer out and like.......love showing finn off.  like he’s adorable and chubby and is rlly calm and smiley and like??  they’re so proud of him, they love him so much oh my god

UNDER THE CUT bc i always keep crying, im such a sucker for new babies

everything is a little harder with maia??  like it takes a little longer for it to work and when it does its immediately a completely different experience.  later on theyll think its probably bc maia manifests her powers a lot earlier, so maybe that’s what it was??  like she’s drawing more nutrients and stuff so that’s why lena’s so exhausted through the pregnancy but basically lena’s essentially bedridden for the first four and a half months with maia, either napping or feeling too nauseous to do anything.  once she hits five months, things get a little easier??  she’s still v tired a lot, but they think that that might just be bc they’ve got more to juggle, like she’s keeping up with a toddler and l-corp is acquiring a new subsidiary halfway across the world that she’s having to oversee from national city

kara worries abt her a lot in a different way from how she worried during finn’s pregnancy??  like this pregnancy takes a bit more of a physical toll and there’s a few complications, like lena develops gestational hypertension (her blood pressure, while achingly normal usually, stays high from the beginning) and her ankles just fuckn disappear and she just feels Bad through most of the pregnancy even though there isnt that emotional angst like there was with finn.  so bc of that, kara sticks p close through the whole pregnancy, is a lot less willing to take assignments that keep her away from home v long, gets v efficient when it comes to supergirl duties

but like??  stress aside, its a rlly cool experience for them bc finn’s around two and understands enough that he points to lena’s belly and says baby, likes to hug and kiss her tummy and its the Cutest thing in the world, like they have so many pics of finn being so sweet and like reading one of his picture books to lena’s belly.  and like??  lena gets to enjoys the pregnancy more bc she’s not as scared, not as petrified that she’s going to fuck up somehow, now that she kind of knows what she’s doing, now that she has a shining, grinning little boy that is like proof that she’s sort of good at this motherhood thing

so u know how lena’s blood pressure is high through the whole pregnancy??  well.  that’s not a throwaway fact pals.  she develops preeclampsia and gets induced nearly three weeks before her due date and like in the lead up to that, it’s rlly chaotic and scary like lena gets a migraine (and she usually gets those??  like that’s not uncommon but she didnt have any during her pregnancy with finn and she hasnt had any leading up to this one with maia) and goes to sleep it off and wakes up short of breath and like??  it just feels wrong, something feels off and calls kara at work and is like something’s not right and kara just flat out panics, drops all her shit and races home and lena’s kind of out of it and its terrifying??  its fucking terrifying and kara’s like fuck this, flies finn to the nearest superfriend for babysitting (it happens to be winn, who startles out of dozing at his computer screen to see little finn danvers grinning from the chair next to him, with a fully packed bag and a note pinned to it telling winn that kara will call soon) and she flies lena to the hospital, giving zero actual fucks about anything other than whether lena and the baby are okay

and it gets kind of crazy after that???  like kara barely has time to call the rest of their family and friends before things are like Moving and, again, there’s not enough time for an epidural but this time lena’s in a lot more pain, like this birth is awful, it rlly is, like lena’s out of it and in way more pain than she was with finn and kara’s scared shitless and their baby comes out quiet??  like no crying, no screaming, just utter silence and lena sort of collapses back on the bed and starts crying and kara’s not even able to get a good look at their kiddo with all the nurses working over em

and then the baby’s like screeching and one of the nurses hands her to kara with a smile and says here’s your little girl, mama and kara’s just like.......entranced and this little baby is so much like finn but so different already and she looks over at lena and beams and lena relaxes immediately, lets out this deep breath and kara’s like we have a daughter, lena and lena sort of sighs happily well let me see her and kara puts maia on lena’s chest, helps lena unbutton the top of her gown and unswaddle maia so she can rest against lena’s skin, feel her heartbeat and they’re so immediately happy???  like all the scary stuff, all the pain is immediately written over with this feeling, with maia’s little hand pressing right over lena’s heart and her eyes locked on kara

and then when things calm down and they’ve had a little time to collect themselves, for lena to get cleaned up a little, finn comes in and is so immediately taken with his little sister, like his eyes get wide and he’s got this small little smile and he’s so gentle without being told, sort of reverently reaches out to hold maia’s tiny little hand in his own and he goes my baby in this soft little voice and he crawls up in kara’s lap and asks if he can hold his baby and kara helps him and lena asks a nurse to grab her phone bc like.......why not get this moment on film.  why not capture her family all tucked into one chair like the most adorable nesting dolls

it’s maybe her lock screen for like six months

when they go home, it’s a little bit of an adjustment period??  not in the same way as it was with finn but in that now they’ve got two little kids with wildly different needs, like finn sleeps through the night mostly but has nightmares that he’ll need to be comforted from and maia wakes up a lot but more just??  wants to be near her moms???  like she doesnt cry so much as just stay awake until one of them check her and pull the bassinet closer to their bed

and for lena there’s a bit of worry over having a daughter??  bc its not that its all that much different than having a son rlly, she knows that and she’s the first to advocate raising children the same, but as a daughter of lillian luthor, as a daughter who lost her birth mother when she was young, but not young enough to completely forget her, as a daughter that has never had a solid maternal figure that supported her in her life, lena’s a little terrified of having a daughter??  worried that somehow, someway, she’ll ruin her

but it fades quickly??  like she and kara have always been v attuned to one another but since having finn, it’s just deepened??  so kara catches on quickly, talks to her about it one night when the kiddos are asleep and reminds lena that she’s a good mom, that finn adores her and so does maia already, its obvious 

mostly the adjustment is about just juggling the two kiddos, making sure finn doesnt feel left out and they work out a p good system, make sure to include him in basically everything

and finn!!!!  loves his baby sister so so much oh my god, he likes to drag his coloring pack into maia’s room when she’s napping.  like his moms will go looking for him and he’ll just be curled up in the comfy rocker in maia’s room, quietly coloring and he’ll shush them if he thinks they’re making too much noise and its the cutest thing ever, like he doesnt have the words for it but he just loves maia so much, wants to protect her and make sure she’s happy all the time

so its kind of wildly different with stella, bc like???  they thought they were done having kids??  mostly bc the experience with maia’s birth was so terrifying, like when they finally had a minute to process what all had happened it was like.......shit, lena could have died, maia could have died and it made them p hesitant to try for another kid, like??  they’re happy with two!!  and if they decide they want to expand their family, they’re v strongly pro-adoption so that’s probably the route they’ll go and that’s all nice and settled but then, well

kara gets a supergirl call at like six in the morning and she rolls out of bed, handles the issue and is on her way home when she glances down and sees something a lil shady down on the pier.  it’s probably eight or nine by now??  the sun’s up, but its winter so its still gray in the city, still feels pre-dawn and kara flies a little closer, sees a man on a pier and hears two heartbeats, his and one that’s weaker, faster, quieter, so she alerts alex and touches down and the man seems almost relieved to see her even as he moves closer to the edge and she tells him to stay, for his baby--because it has to be a baby, kara’s gotten too good at recognizing little heartbeats for it not to be, but the man just smiles sadly, says she’s not like me, i can’t love her right and just as the deo pulls up, the man jumps off into the bay and kara flies after him but he’s just......gone??  just gone.  nowhere to be found.  his heartbeat is indistinguishable from the roar of the ocean, kara can’t see him anywhere but kara can still hear that smaller one, and she hesitates for a moment before flying back up, touching down by the car and opening the door before the agent nearest her can tell her not to.  and theres???  this tiny little baby????  like barely strapped into the carseat, in just a diaper and kara’s like?????  immediately protective.  like the diaper’s obviously been put on by someone that’s never changed a baby before and she fixes that first, unclips her cape to wrap the baby up second, holds the baby close and turns around with this wide eyed look at alex third and alex’s like......well this is happening huh

and she’s?????  so small????  god she’s so small and kara’s heart twists and twists and alex calls out an address to her and it’s not far from the port and kara’s flies low, flies fast but she doesnt even get to the little apartment before she can tell, before she can hear the utter lack of life.  she lands just outside, looks up, looks through, sees the body in the bed, not moving not breathing and she looks down at this little baby in her arms, still sleeping and she just??  has a minor blackout tbh (metaphorically ofc) like she’s not sure what her exact thought process was but suddenly she’s at l-corp and the baby is still sleeping and she touches down, opens the balcony door gently and steps in and lena’s looking up, eyebrows raised until she notices the bundle in kara’s arms and like???  she doesnt Know, but she knows whats happening, knows its big and important and so she drops the papers she was working on, pads over and looks up at kara for a breath, then down at the baby and its like oh.  shit.  this is our baby now, isnt it

and kara starts explaining, starts speaking, rambling, falling over her words bc the gravity of what’s happened has just sort of landed??  it’s taken a beat but god she just watched a man kill himself, just watched this child be orphaned and its like??  she needs lena to understand.  she needs her to know why this is so important, but like??  lena’s already there, same page.  she’s looking at this little tiny child and deciding that she’ll probably be able to actually get some use out of maia’s newborn stuff, considering maia outgrew the clothes within a month.  like???  she looks nothing like finn or maia did as babies, is so much smaller and has this head full of dark hair, these dark eyes when she blinks them open to look up at lena, at kara, but she fits, you know??  its like kara and lena look at her and just like.....recognize her.  like she’s always been meant for them

and then kara’s just.......out of things to say, like she’s said everything she can and she’s just sort of looking down at the baby and so is lena and then lena’s asking can i hold ....her? and kara’s nodding, her, she confirms, letting lena slip the baby out of her arms and she’s just like lena, she’s and breaks off, throat closing and lena’s just nodding, smiling down at the baby and smoothing down the little cowlick in her hair.  i think maia’s old bassinet is still in the basement, she says and that’s that

the kids dont even question it??  like finn was young enough when maia was born that he doesnt even remember her coming home, she’s just sort of always been around as far as he remembers and maia doesnt have any sort of context for it, and rlly it doesnt matter??  like they crowd around lena when kara calls them over and finn promises then and there he’s going to be the best big brother and maia’s just staring all wide eyed at this little baby, decided that she’s going to keep her so safe bc she’s her little sister and the only other big sister she knows very well is aunt alex and aunt alex helps keep mama safe every day so.  logic, ya know

there is a bit more jealousy tho??  more from maia than from finn, bc she goes from being the baby to the middle child and like kara and lena are rlly good abt splitting their time equally, but there’s like??  more to do with stella, like they dont know anything rlly abt her background and they dont know why she’s not putting on weight and they dont know whether she’s just colicky or if there’s something they need to be worried about??  and its scarier too bc its all so normal ???  like they did all the tests for finn and maia, knew they had kara’s immune system, knew they didnt have to worry abt shit like whooping cough but like they do have to worry abt that with stella, its sort of like having a first baby all over again??  like there’s a lot of new experiences they’ve never had to think about before so there’s a little bit of jealousy from maia, but literally just a little, just like a couple temper tantrums bc kara says they cant play uno unless maia uses her inside voice, or bc lena can’t come see the picture she drew right that second bc she’s trying to get stella down for a nap

but they handle it rlly well??  like they each take a day with maia and finn, separately so they dont feel like they’re just getting lumped together, go and do whatever they feel like doing and do that ridiculously Good Mom thing where they each explain that, yeah, they’re having to spend a little more time with the new baby but they love them all the same, all equally and that they can pick something to do with their moms each month

that tradition actually sticks around!  like each kiddo picks a Thing to do with their moms, like finn favors the aquarium and maia likes to go to movies and stella usually just asks to go out to breakfast at noonans tbh (listen she is.........so much like kara sometimes)

so while finn and maia adjust p well, its not all smooth sailing.  like??  finn and maia were such easy babies!!  like SUCH easy babies, they rlly lucked the fuck out with them but stella???  oh god stella is such a difficult baby.  not like??  not like super-difficult??  but she cries a lot and the only time she rlly calms down is when kara or lena holds her and sometimes it not even full screaming crying, just quiet little whimpering that just like........breaks her moms’ hearts.  she also gets sick a lot??  lots of colds and stomach bugs and she doesnt put on a lot of weight for the first several months, like consistently on the low end of healthy.  like??  its all new territory for them, bc they never??  rlly??  worried abt finn and maia like this??  they never rlly had to

listen they heave a collective sigh of relief when their doctor tells them that she’s moved into the fortieth percentile for her age range like what????  she’s doing okay???????

anyway.  i’m crying

[sweetcatmintea]

You sink

Flash Fiction Friday! (But not officially. If I have time, I’ll do the official prompt when I wake up)

This is an attempt at a creepy ocean story as requested by @kainablue! It’s supposed to be more an atmospheric dread style of creepy but I don’t know if I landed it XD (If you want some real dread and aw, watch this video I found while looking for inspiration) I hope you like this Kat! Thanks so much for all of your support!  💜 💜 💜

I hope you all have fun in the water! Feedback is super appreciated ^u^

Prompt: This beautiful picture and the genre Creepy

Words: 1600

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You’re falling.

Falling asleep. Falling through clouds. Falling into water. Salt licks your lips as you shield your sun blinded eyes, blinking bleary colours into shapes. Cool ocean water soaks through your pyjamas, brushing your back and ensnaring your outstretched limbs. Float like a starfish. That’s what your mother had told you. Your steady heartbeat is easily drowned out by waves gently crashing against themselves, rocking your floating body. Your eyes have cleared. The sky above an endless blue spotted haphazardly with white wisps. The sea below and endless blue spotted hazardously with mysteries. Even so, you are calm. The ocean has always been a place of peace for you.

You sink.

Back, then shoulders, then cheeks. The water consumes you, drawing you to its core one lapping wave at a time. You relax into the motion, letting yourself be taken. A natural reflex, you take one last gulp of air as the water closes over you. Noise distorts immediately, liquid filling your ears and pressing against your skull from within. You open your eyes, immediately squinting for the oncoming sting. It never comes. You open them gingerly, slowly widening them enough to look around as you continue the descent. Light sparkles at the surface, glittering and beautiful as the ripples capture it in a dance. You consider turning over, enticed by the allure of watching where you’re falling to. But you stay on your back as you are. You don’t know how deep the water is here. You’re not sure you want to.

You continue to sink.

You’ve been holding your breath for so long now. Your chest aches, longing to release its now unwelcomed guest. You don’t want to. Something tells you that it will be okay, to let go. The shuddering in your lungs exacerbates the urging. A string of air escapes you. You panic, just for a moment. There are no bubbles. You release more air. No bubbles at all. You let it all out, deflating yourself as far as your body allows. A tentative inhale. You can breathe.

You continue to sink.

A low, haunting note splits the water’s rumble. Clicks and whistles melding together in an other worldly melody. A currant rolls you off course, affording you two overwhelming sights at once. Below you, deep, deep, below you, there is nothing but murky darkness. Beside you, all around you, there were giants. Gentle grey and white whales gliding as though unaware of their unbelievable mass. You weren’t prepared for their appearance. The sight captures your breath and your heart. They arc and curve in playful rings, so much more agile than you ever imagined. It doesn’t look like they notice you. Not even the smallest tempted by the curiosity of the mouse in their midst. You feel safe, if not a little lonely.

You continue to sink.

Fish swim around you, flickering more colours than you can name. You are engulfed in schools of tuna bigger than your dog. You dare not touch them. No matter how much you want to trail your cold fingers across their smooth, silvery scales. It’s not worth the risk. Sunlight filters through the water in rays. But it’s getting darker. You keep your mouth clamped shut, saltwater having already proved its character against your tastebuds. Your hair tickles your skin, moving in time with the ocean.

You continue to sink.

Sharks slide out of gloom, joining you as they stalk through the blue. They come so close, you can feel the power of their bodies as they pass by. Their black eyes never linger on you. They don’t stay long, the prey is elsewhere today. You try to avoid looking down. It makes your stomach roll. Alone as you are, there is nothing around but water. You strain your eyes. As above, so below. Nothing but ocean. You are so very small. A grain of sand in the wind. There is nothing you can do to change this. Somewhere, in the world you once knew, people are praying for rain. There are deserts, so savaged by the surface, the inhabitants have not even a drop of water in their memories. It is hard to imagine. For you, here, right now, water is all there is. Miles and miles of endless sea.

You continue to sink.

Finally, a semblance of broken infinity greets you when you peek over your shoulder. Long stretches of dark stone column rising out of the nothing. Sand dusts the impromptu sea floor while skitters of creatures are gone too quickly for you to identify. It is too far away for you to reach. Your limbs are heavy with the weight of the water, the weight of the clothe. You aren’t sure you even remember how to move them. You watch as the slabs grow larger as you draw closer. If you were to move, your descent, as slow and calm as it is, is still too fast. You’re too small to reach the shelf before you sink below it. It disappoints you that there are no corals there. The sun is too week to feed them. There is little more than grey, white, black, and blue. So much blue. You pass the top of the stone, sinking lower and lower. Its massive figure looming over you as you go. In some time, you pass another ridge jutting out below the shelf, then another, and another. Each taller than you, taller than anyone you know. Three steps down and your house was dwarfed. They spread further, the deeper you sink. A god’s stairway stolen by the ocean. It’s getting much colder. You shiver but can do little to soothe the ache spreading through your hands. The shadow of the stones saps the heat prematurely from your surroundings. Your jaw is cramping from your determination to keep your lips sealed. You want to let out a shuddering breath into the water but the needle prick on your mouth is warning enough. If nothing else, you can keep your teeth from stinging.

You continue to sink.

In the dim light, you begin to make out the outlines of still, grey, pillars. They are pebbles to the stone fading beside you, whales to you. Sperm whales standing solemnly in the deep dark nothing, a graveyard of living tombstones. They don’t move as you pass, continuing their sombre vigil. You wonder what they are trying to accomplish. You want to tell them you understand. To convey in some meaningful way that you can see them for what they are. You can’t. Because you don’t.

You continue to sink.

The blue, long since navy, then velvet, fades darker still. Soon enough you can no longer see the shadow of the heavenly stairs, nor the outline of the silent whales. You might as well have fallen into the sky, drifting deeper into space than man has ever dreamed of. It’s vast. It’s endless. You are alone. Not even clouds of cold breath to keep you company, to remind you that you exist. Is this death? Your thoughts echo in your head. They’re too loud noise has no place here. Pressure wraps around you, making its presence known against your skull. It doesn’t hurt. The pain passes through you easily, hinting at what it could be, given the chance. Too cold to feel, your limbs are detached. Only the pull of the water to remind you they are yours.

You continue to sink.

Maybe you found the seafloor hours ago. An unknowing passenger in your own skin, you’re not sure. You feel like you’re sinking, if nothing else. Like the illusion of spinning as you fall asleep. You don’t know which you would prefer. Movement darts overhead. The water presses against you in response. A pinprick of sunlight blinds you once again. You squint, trying to make sense of the glowing orb. To have something smaller than you was a foreign feeling. Your eyes struggle to adjust. It is too bright. The light begins to dance, bobbing and wiggling. A shimmer of scales. A fish draws closer, mesmerised as you are by the light. Snap! The fish is gone. A mouthful of broken glass shards closes millimetres from your eye. There is no controlling the shudder convulsing down your spine as you leave the dead-eyed angler behind.

You continue to sink.

Long stretches of isolation. There is nothing but the tiny you in the vast, unending liquid night. You wonder how anything else can exist. How there can be anything other than ocean.  If you are lucky, flickers and glows temporarily accompany you. If you are unlucky, you see their faces.

You continue to sink.

You no longer lament your loneliness. Pale forms shift around you. Big. Glassy eyed. Mostly teeth. There is purpose to their movements. They brush past you. Never touching, but teasingly close. Milky pupils settle on you. The creature’s mouth curves into a natural grin. It looks through you, staring beyond what you know. Beyond what you could hope to understand. You feel small in a whole knew way. A terrible way. The long, long, long bodies writhe around you. Achingly precise, they circle your arms, your torso, your legs. Weaving lazy figure eights into your space. They glue their awful, unseeing, all seeing, eyes into yours. They don’t touch you, only grin. Rows upon rows of too many teeth so white they glow despite the ink. You want them to go away. Paper frilled gills laugh at you. Deep, deep, floating in the void, there are things so much worse than loneliness.

You continue to sink.

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Tag list

@inkovert, @snobbysnekboi, @kainablue, @i-rove-rock-n-roll, and @goblin-writer

[marsupial-tapir]

☾ voltron crew

sleep headcanons for the space kids LETS GO

pidge: Sleep Is For the WEAK. pidge asserts they’ve optimised their sleep schedule into a complex system of power naps, which produce maximum mental output for minimal sleep time and thus skillfully eliminate the need for “”beds””. the fact that they fall asleep in the middle of the day on inconvenient semi-perilous surfaces is an unfortunate side-effect, and one that will be WORKED OUT if u just give them time to TEST THEIR HYPOTHESIS,, shiro,, listen,, its an unperfected theory,,, theyre still mapping out their circadian rhythm but theyve nearlly got it now….  they donnt need to go to bed rig htnow they DONT they can stay up a litlle… longer… nno theyre not falling asleep on their keyboard theyre just… powernapppign… shiro lissten,,., 

oh um also when they were kids pidge and matt shared a room (byproduct of their parents putting them together for convenience when they were tiny, and as they grew up they liked it too much and protested whenever their parents tried to give them their own rooms) and theyd stay up late into the night talking abt science or trying to outdo each other with dumb made-up stories about aliens or making intricate structures out of bedroom items (piece of cake during the day; much more fun in the dark). pidge stopped sleeping properly the day matt disappeared. one day theyre gonna get him back and theyre gonna stay up late again and probably set up prank traps on the ship at 2 in the morning and give shiro grey hairs together and its gonna be great

shiro: u know nobody’s gonna sleep well after 3 years as a prisoner on a galra ship. im sorry space dad. i wish u could rest too. luckily after a few weeks of sleepless nights coran or allura probably notices and then altean tech steps in to help. (theyve got stasis pods or brain-calming alien fruits or something). also helpful are his Pidge Retrieval Missions. some nights when sleep is bad he does a top-bottom search of the ship and the pidge-sized nooks therein. carrying a weakly-protesting 14-year old back to bed is aq surprisingly calming activity. he is lulled to sleep by the fulfilling sense of Dadness

keith: hasn’t had a full night’s sleep since he came out of the galra womb. poor kid. i would like to say that it’s because peaceful sleep messes with his Constantly-Vigilant Cryptid-Spotting Tortured Fashion Icon aesthetic and that he stays up all night watchign illuminati confirmed videos and trying to replicate shiro’s eyeliner technique while listening to mcr albums on repeat,, and not because he lived alone in a freezing shack in a hostile desert,, probably angsting abt whether shiro was alive,, and where his family was,, and how old and isolated he was gonna get before he found out whether bigfoot would ever love him back,,, but regardless of the cause he’s a fitful sleeper and has lived his whole life pretty much getting short snatches of rest here and there throughout the day. he’s never really felt safe enough to know what deep sleep feels like. UNTIL, of course, he boards the castle of the lions, and then suddenly.. its like…. he has a bed?? a?? roof?? the comforting ambience of noises from people who arent gonna try to eat him in the night?? shiro right next door and not in need of rescue?? i mean he still keeps his knife under his pillow but as time goes on he starts getting this weird like. unconsciousness. its kind of like napping but it involves almost no nightmares and goes on for HOURS. he can feel this happening and he is UNCOMFORTABLE like nnO i cant rest i gotta stay VIGILANT i gotta.. i gotta… until he is lulled soundly to sleep by the sound of hunk snoring and coran singing space opera on some far corner of the ship and pidge tapping on their laptop as they perch on the end of keith’s bed (handy hiding place from meddling shiros). he feels safe. its weird. 

lance: i mean the first thing that comes to mind is that scene with lance swanning out of his bedroom draped in a silk bathrobe, nourishing facemask and custom blue lion slippers, glittering with the otherworldly radiance of the ultra-rare Well-Rested Youth, and based on this evidence youd think lance would be the World’s Number One Beauty Sleep Expert. HOWEVER. u remember that post that zoomed right in on lance’s sleep earmuffs and they had green on them?? and looked suspiciously like pidge’s nerdy headphones from episode 1?? ya pidge gave him their headphones because lance has trouble sleeping. hashtag confirmed my dudes. certainly back home lance could sleep 11 hours through the apocalypse in the middle of a storm with a dance party happening next door (when u have to juggle 6 siblings, hunk as a roomie and an obligatory 12 hours beauty sleep u learn to Adapt) but now, lightyears away from home, sleep doesnt come so easily. the ship is quiet in unfamiliar ways, and when ur supposed to be sleeping u cant fill those weird silences with ur own comforting noise. he doesnt talk abt it to anyone, of course. that would be Lame. (but pidge notices him sleeplessly fidgeting one night and quietly lends him their headphones. just to shut him up, of course. sleep well, you fucker.) also important: lance keeps up with a strict nightly skincare routine and adorns himself with luxurious sleepwear each night, partly because u have to look fab to have good dreams,, obviously,, but also bc this doubles as a comforting bedtime ritual. facemask, nourishing space spa-bath, tai-chi before bed, smooch each lion slipper on its little nose. just little bedtime things. he’s not great at going to sleep at first but every night he drops off a little faster. its getting easier.

hunk: sleeps like a log. takes 30 seconds for him to fall asleep and then he’s out like a light for 9 hours. even when he’s anxious. he’ll fall asleep like “oohhh man im so far from home what if we dont MAKE IT BACK what’s zarkon gonna do oh ma - [snoring, 10 hour version]. oh ya he snores. i think this is canon probably?? if it’s not it should be. the depth of his sleep is too profound to be contained within his body. also, hunk is at the nucleus of every communal sleep pile. this works because 6 people can pile onto his huge soft belly and he doesn’t feel a thing. first sleep pile happens because hunk falls asleep in the middle of the training deck; lance drapes himself over him in a show of theatrics and just forgets to get up, probably; shiro tries to extract them but is ambushed by hunk’s remarkable Sleep Hugging reflexes; keith meets a similar fate, not entirely unvoluntarily, and makes a very unconvincing show of protest; pidge pretends to use them all as a comfortable backrest while tapping away at a tablet and promptly falls into the deepest calmest sleep theyve had since they were 6. even when he is asleep hunk spreads wholesomeness and love. god bless my sweet son

coran and allura: i put them together because?? do alteans even need sleep??? have they evolved beyond simple biological constraints?? was 10 000 years of stasis enough and now they’ve stored up enough rest to stay awake for years?? somehow i cant imagine either of them sleeping regularly. HOWEVER coran enthusiastically jumps on the new paladin trend, which “reminds me of viskralian bio-stasis!!” (this he demonstrates by flopping into a gracile position with one eye squeezed shut, humming violently in the key of F). allura remains baffled and slightly disapproving of all the wasted time, despite the flood of positive reviews (HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM JOIN IN PRINCESS HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ITS VERY RELAXING) but one time she walks in on the paladins collapsed in a pile together and shes like… u know what. im gonna let this one slide. this is also the day she learns of the remarkable comfiness of hunks. 

[sweetcatmintea]

Fluff Prompt

@ragethegemini, thanks for the request! I hope you like it ^u^ (I’m very rusty <.<;;)  Too be honest I only skim read the prompts, not realising how romantically inclined they were. It made an interesting challenge XD 

It’s longish, there’s more after the cut. 

Feedback welcome!

Prompt Request: Don’t get up, I’ll do it.

Character: Echo

Words: 1352

Water lingered, tracing the raven ringlets of Echo’s long hair, dripping to the floor as she hung the monochrome tight-walker’s costume to air before the next show. Tammy had berated her time and time again for poor hair care but spending any longer coaxing the moisture out was out of the question. Sure, she could have heated it until the droplets evaporated but pyro stuff took energy, a current scarcity. (Plus, she didn’t want to steam it straight. She liked it with a mind of its own.) She shuffled towards her shared room, grateful for the soft plush of her pyjamas after the stiff corset-styled toto. The costumes were remarkably comfortable thanks to careful design on Tammy’s part, but nothing compared PJs at the end of a long day.

Reaching the room and peeking through the doorway, there was her pink-haired roomie, dead asleep. Good. Tammy deserved a rest. Although the girl remarked constantly about her preference for laziness, she always seemed to be so busy. Not to mention how she bounced about on stage, tumbling dramatically for laughter.  Echo changed her trajectory, heading instead to the kitchen. A sudden desire to wander about, checking on things one last time, overcame her. Although the weariness of her bones pleaded she take refuge in her bed, her mind proclaimed movement was necessary. Besides, the time she decided to rest didn’t do any harm. Tammy’s ability to disregard the world after the sun had set was impressive. Hopefully a trip for water would sate the loud ‘I’ll just-’.

The house murmured quietly with its inhabitants prolonging the peace before dawn, just as she was. If it wasn’t for her velvet cat ears, sensitive and precise, she would likely be no wiser to her housemates’ activity. One note was absent from the familiar harmony. Several minutes passed before she realised she couldn’t hear Marcos humming faintly to himself to pass his nightly vigils. His quiet wasn’t unusual, and yet it was.

Padding as quietly as the floorboards would allow, Echo approached the living room. The man had claimed it as enough for him. He probably hadn’t intended to stay so long. It was quiet, save for soft breath falls. Holy Stars. Nearly tripping over herself, she realised he was asleep. Somehow the urge to poke him and ask if he was awake niggled traitorously at the back of her mind. His feet, furred and hare-like, were propped over the mushroom-brown fabric arm of the too small couch. One hand danged over the side, the other braced his neck as an impromptu pillow, auburn curls spilling over his arm in all directions. Unintentionally, she leaned closer, fascinated by the rare sight of her slumbering companion. The bags permanently framing his eyes were as dark as ever, but barely visible in the night spilled ink. The scar splitting the bridge of his nose was just a faint impression of uneven skin. His face held a remarkable calmness, the like of which Echo had never seen on it.

She could almost feel his breath on her face. Suddenly, his long ear twitched. Abruptly acutely aware of their proximity, Echo threw herself back a good two feet, nearly toppling over in the process. Tired amber peered out from a crack in his eye lids. Oh no. A statue now, she willed him back to sleep. The endeavours futility cemented when his eyes rested on her figure instead of closing. His face scrunched up momentarily, before relaxing once again (sadly, not like before).

“Oh, it’s you.” The usual gravel of his voice was softened with sleepy huskiness. “Ev’ry thin’ ok?” Frantically swiping her in-turned palm in front of her jaw, it would have been easy to mistake her apologies for a peculiar wave. [I didn’t mean to wake you! Everything’s fine!] Her hands flew about, oblivious to the already limited visibility. Marcos squinted, but finally received the message on the third iteration.

“You didn’t. Don’t worry, go back t’ bed.” His whisper broke the fourth apology halfway through. When her ears remained lowered and eyebrows pushed up, he clarified. “I remembered somethin’ I forgot t’ do.” [That woke you up?] “Brain’s funny like that.” He rubbed his palm under his eye, couch creaking under him as he adjusted his weight. Echo tilted her head at him. [What do you need to do?] He sighed. “I’m on kitch’n duty. Just forgot about it.” He made to get up, but Echo pressed her fingertips to his shoulder, shaking her head, a pretty little smile on her lips. [Don’t get up. I’ll do it.] He stared at her, the offer was not surprising. How did it catch him off guard? A yawn bubbled out of his chest, suffocating his refusal. Instead, he returned her smile. “Thanks. I owe you one.” Marcos settled back down, fists bumped together, and Echo headed for her original, er, amended, destination.

Oh boy. In order for so many people to live and work together, nearly everything was scheduled. Turns were taken to prepare meals (except Echo who, despite her best efforts, remains a danger to herself and everyone else in the kitchen and is thus perma-banned from cooking), clean dishes, do the washing, sweeping, mopping, all of the chores required in a household. The benefit of such an arrangement was that no one was stuck to the same job day after day. The drawback was that some tasks were bigger than others. Dishwashing, for a relevant example, was done every day to reduce the work required, but even after that, feeding eight people always leaves copious dishes requiring attention. The mess that greeted Echo could attest to that. Usually, everyone would make an effort to wash what they use as they go. Sometimes, like today, the day is just too busy for that. Gravity increased tenfold as Echo’s weariness protested her generosity. She sighed to herself but steeled her resolve, rolled up her sleeves, then got to work.

Someone had courteously left the ceramic dish from breakfast’s hodgepodge casserole to soak, making it much easier to scrub.  Unfortunately, the sweltering heat had done no favours to the water, creating a lingering stink throughout the room. Emptying the drain meant putting her hand in the gross water to undo the plug. The greasy residue sent shudders crawling over her skin. Lots of soap and a little time later, she had the crockery and cutlery sorted into piles, the sinks cleaned and the drying racks empty. Hot water gushed, mixing with soap. Echo leaned her forearms against the cold metal of the sink as she waited. Her tail swayed lazily. A few morning birds, ever confused, chatted outside of the window. Moonlight filtered through, creating enough illumination to leave the light off.  Marcos shifted around in the living room. The couch moaning with every movement. Did he really wake up because of the mess? It wasn’t impossible, but still… Echo resolved to be more careful in the future, just in case.

One by one, dishes were scrubbed, rinsed, and set to dry. Although the rack was steadily becoming more and more full, barely a dent was made in the dirty pile. At some point, Marcos appeared beside her, a tea towel in hand. She attempted to shoo him back to bed, of course, but he remained stubbornly helpful. Soon, they fell into a silent ritual. She washed, he dried and returned each item to its home.

Eventually, eventually, they finished. Marcos thanked her again for her help. She assured him she was happy to do so. He needed his rest too.

Lips upturned cheekily and eyes still half-lidded, Marcos ruffled her hair. “Now go t’ sleep or you won’t grow up.” She huffed in mock offence. So what if she didn’t even reach his shoulder! He was the one who was freakishly tall. And for his information he may be 8 years her senior but 16 was technically (almost) an adult! Blah old people. Turning tail, she waved goodnight and crawled under the covers, asleep before the blankets had settled. At least she wasn’t going to bed with wet hair anymore.