#cause I miss uploading fics now that I’m in the middle of writing one

[romanscool]

just found the password to my old Wattpad account and I’m horrified at the shit I used to write…

[izlaria]

Someone you like (part 1, updated)

After uploading the first part of my plance fic here, I ended up writing more on that same period of time. It’s not much, but I thought I would add it anyway.

This fic is based on the “Someone you like” animatic by honestlyprettychill. Their work is super bomb, so I ask you guys to go check it out and give the artist some love. With this update, I’m hoping to have wrapped up on the pre-Garrison time period, and I have already started writing Pidge’s pov of their time as students, so you’ll have that to look foward to, if you end up enjoying this fic. My other post has more disclaimers, so you can find it here. This story is also available on AO3.

The part I added comes after the -- that I used as a page break.

Thanks to everyone who has liked and reblogged this verse. Feel free to add comments in the tags or to straight up come talk to me. I love feedback.

Spanish to English translations at the end.

14 and 12 years old

The truth was that Lance went to Space Camp because Veronica could be a little pest. She knew their parents wouldn’t let her go alone and so had enticed her younger brother with the promise of travel and foreign girls and no parental supervision.

Veronica had obviously left out the fact that they were essentially going to school on steroids for a month, smack in the middle of their summer break. Cool as Miami might seem, Lance wasn’t exactly excited for all the extra work the camp would entail.

“No es un acampamiento,” his sister repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. He wasn’t listening anymore. “Tú sabes que el campo de explotación espacial no está muy desenvuelto en Cuba. Si realmente quieres trabajar con eso, entonces simplemente cállate y no insultes a nadie.”

“¿Cuando he insultado a alguien?” he shot back, defensive. Veronica didn’t dignify that with an answer.

As much as Lance might like to think himself very smooth, there were still times when he stumbled over his words, especially in English. More than once he’d meant to pay someone a compliment and had accidentally started an argument of some kind.

Veronica looked impatiently at her watch. “Mira, tengo una reunión con mi orientador. Y tú tienes por lo menos dos artículos para leer para las clases de mañana, ¿por qué no vas a la biblioteca para trabajar un poco? Prometo comprarte una hamburguesa después.”

Lance pouted at her, arms crossed over his chest. “Me debes más que una hamburguesa y lo sabes, Ronie.”

His sister snickered, but it was as much of an acknowledgement as he was going to get. Veronica pressed a quick kiss to his hair, already turning to go into the main building.

“¡Gracias, hermanito! ¡No te arrepentirás!”

In all honesty, Lance wasn’t as irritated as he made Veronica believe. He knew that a summer program in Miami was a really good opportunity, especially if he wanted to get into the Garrison in the following years. It was just difficult.

He was diligent and studious, but not as naturally gifted as some of the other kids. Besides, he hadn’t been to the US in a couple years, since his parents had mostly settled down in the family farm, which meant he still had to fall back into his English, a task made even more frustrating by the xenophobic comments from one of the boys in his AP geometry class.

The teacher had put an end to it right away, but the words stuck with Lance, for some reason.

With how much humanity had progressed in terms of technology, one would think they would be able to get past petty rivalry between nationalities and usually that was true, but the influx of foreigners following the establishment of the Galaxy Garrison in the US desert still annoyed some people, despite its existence as a multinational center for space exploration. It irritated Lance to no end, especially when so many of these scientific advances came from international collaboration.

If only he could shrug off the inadequacy that now grew in his chest.

Straight ahead, there was a path that led to a green area in the middle of the campus. The other students had taken to calling it the Woods, though it was more of a middle-sized park, with benches and picnic tables where anyone from the Institute could go to relax. That’s where Lance went, mind too full to really focus on homework.

He wondered if people would react that same way if he ever made it into the Garrison. He didn’t know how Veronica dealt with it all, especially when she was alone in Arizona most of the time. Barely a week had passed and Lance already missed his parents, the tenderness of home-cooked food and well-intended lectures.

No, he had to believe that Billy Underwood was an exception. The other kids hadn’t joined in on his taunts, even if no one had moved to defend Lance. It was still too early to make conclusions on his colleagues, especially when everyone had seemed so charmed by him before then.

Lance was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize he had been standing in front of one of the benches until a new voice broke through the peace of the park.

“Are you just gonna stand there?”

The words were somewhat harsh, but when Lance lowered his eyes to their source the girl winced, grimacing. She seemed to have spoken impulsively.

“Hmm, yeah.” Lance blinked at her for a moment, before finally sitting down on the bench. He made sure to leave space between him and the girl, not wanting to make the situation even more awkward.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” the girl said after a moment of silence. She looked at him sideways and her brown eyes seemed almost golden in the sunlight. There were freckles spread across the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks, and the green ribbon in her hair swayed in the wind. It was a soft sight, a contrast to the steeliness of her posture and gaze.

“It’s fine,” Lance hurried to assure her. She looked young, but so did he, and talking to complete strangers never failed to make him nervous. “Nothing like a little girl yelling at me to bring me back to earth.”

He gave her his best grin, the one reserved for first impressions and fancy parties. It was supposed to project confidence and kindness, even though Luis said he ended up looking a bit smug.

“I didn’t yell,” the girl pointed out with a light frown. Then her eyes shifted into a more calculating look. “You’re a bit of a goofball, aren’t you?”

“I prefer the term good-humored,” he replied jokingly.

She continued to stare. Lance got the feeling that the girl did this a lot. She had an untamed intelligence to her that Lance couldn’t completely understand. It was the sort of air that teachers sometimes carried, as if they could see something deeper in you if they looked long enough.

“It didn’t seem like you were feeling all that good-humored just now.” She tilted her head to the side, letting the words hang between them.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true,” Lance found himself saying.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” She looked so doubtful that it almost made Lance laugh. The feeling, however, was overcome by the relief of finally having someone who would listen.

He had spent the week trying and failing to explain to Veronica what was truly making him feel down. She was too busy or too happy for Lance to tell her the truth, especially when it left him so vulnerable. After all, Veronica had taken to her work on the Institute like a fish to water. Lance was supposed to be more adaptable than this.

With the rest of his family away in Cuba, he felt unbearably lonely.

“Yes! Thank you!” Lance shifted in the bench to face the girl. She was taken aback by his enthusiasm, but didn’t move away. “There’s this cabrón in my class, who thought it was a good idea to mess with me, just ‘cause I said fábrica instead of factory in our first day here. He hasn’t really left me alone since…” he whined. “I speak two languages but somehow I’m the uneducated ass here!”

The girl nodded, eyes downcast. “I know what you mean.”

“You do?” He eyed the fairness of her skin and the almost ginger of her hair. “Sorry, but you look white.”

Lance’s comment must have taken her by surprise, because she actually laughed.

“I am white. I’m also Italian.” She rolled her eyes, but there was amusement in the tug of her lips. “I can be both.”

“That’s true.” Lance grinned sheepishly. It was good that she wasn’t offended by his lack of filter. “You don’t have much of an accent, though.”

“Neither do you,” the girl bit back, no real animosity in her tone.

He shrugged. “My family spent a lot of time in the US when I was younger. It used to be second nature to me. Now, I keep feeling like I have to hold back the instinct to roll my R’s.”

“I get that. My parents moved here right after I was born, but we used to speak Italian in the house.” There was a pause here, something that she couldn’t bring herself to say. “I think it’s cool that you can speak Spanish. It’s useful.”

“Yeah?” Lance sat up straight, feeling suddenly boastful.

“Sure!” she continued, encouraged by his interest. “The Bouman Aeronautics Research Institute really values multiculturalism! It is a hob of different nationalities and perspectives, created to foster new minds from around the world! Or that’s what my brother says, at least, and he is rarely wrong.” She gave him a smirk that quickly shifted into a grimace. “Don’t tell him I said that or he will never let me forget it.”

“Older brother?” At her nod, Lance smiled. “I got older siblings too. Sort of the reason I’m here in the first place, actually. One of them was accepted as a researcher and she tricked me into applying too.”

“Same, actually.” She seemed startled for a moment, pulling out her cellphone. “Freak, I have to go! I completely lost track of time while reading.” She got up to go, collecting the book she’d apparently put down to talk to him. It was a thick volume with numbers on the cover, but it didn’t look like math.

Another green ribbon fluttered to the ground, having escaped the pages of the book. Lance bent down to pick it up.

“Here.” He stretched it out to the girl. “Wouldn’t want to lose its pair,” he said with a wink.

“Thanks for reminding me!” She grabbed the ribbon hurriedly, then paused, turning back to Lance. “And for the conversation, I guess.”

Lance grinned at her. She was a little awkward but in an endearing way, like she wasn’t used to having the attention of others on her. Given she empathized with his circumstances in the Institute, it wasn’t that big of a leap to assume that she had trouble making friends.

“Bye bye, Italian girl.” He waved, glad that he could spend these few minutes with her.

“Farewell, Spanish boy.”

Lance meant to correct her about his nationality, but she took out running, clearly late for something. He laughed at the way she stumbled across the uneven ground, careless like a little kid. It was a strange juxtaposition: the thoughtfulness of her earlier words and the childishness of her smile now.

He settled back into the bench, feeling much more content than he’d been earlier. It was nice to talk to people outside of class, for a change.

And, well, Italian girl was pretty. A bit young-looking for him, but he thought guys her age should be tripping over their feet for a chance to talk to her.

“Hey, you’re Lance, right?” A boy had approached while Lance observed the girl disappear from sight. He was tall and robust, with shortly cropped hair, but his expression was friendly. “You’re in my Analytics class.”

It took Lance a second to place him. Analytics was one of the classes Lance struggled with the most, so he hadn’t had as much opportunity to joke around there.

“And you’re Hunk!” Lance snapped his fingers, smiling. “Sit down, man! What can I do for ya?”

--

“No, I promise you, she’s a cutie!” Lance exclaimed, hands waving around in the air. Hunk chuckled at his exuberance.

“I believe you, Lance.” His friend’s tone was fond and amused, which brought a smile to Lance’s face. “You’ve told me about Italian girl a hundred times already. Why don’t you just approach her again? You said you saw her on campus.”

It was true, he had seen her: running across the woods with her arms full of books; sitting by the big windows in the cafeteria, papers spread across the nearby seats; standing under an oak tree with her face turned towards the wind, her long hair escaping from where she’d tied it back.

Lance pouted at Hunk. “She hasn’t spoken to me since…” he mumbled.

“Well,” Hunk scrunched up his brows in thought, “you did say she seemed younger than us. She’s probably just embarrassed about venting to a stranger out of nowhere.”

Lance threw himself onto his bed so that Hunk wouldn’t see his face contort in a grimace. He hadn’t meant to twist the story so badly, but he had already started talking about Italian girl before he realized he didn’t want to share his insecurities with the other boy. Hunk was almost excessively easy to talk to, but they’d known each other for too short a time.

“She didn’t seem like the shy type,” he retorted, arms spread over his head. “Too snipy.”

Hunk had gotten up from his place at the desk and moved to sit on the bed, shaking his head at Lance. He had kind eyes, something that Lance hadn’t really noticed on that first week in the Institute. Some things just got lost amid the noise, he reasoned.

“For someone who feels no shame hitting on random girls, you sure are hung up on this one.” Hunk poked him on the ribs and Lance recoiled, twisting away.

“It’s not like that!” Even as he said it, Lance could feel his neck grow warm. He wasn’t really attracted to the girl, but there was something pleasant about her that did leave him faltering. “Seriously, dude, she’s probably the same age as my little sister!”

Hunk hummed in acceptance. “If you say that’s not it, then I believe you. You just talk about her a lot for someone who you only met once.”

Lance sat up to look Hunk in the eyes. It was true that his mind kept drifting back towards that girl, but he didn’t think the emotion she awakened in him was romantic.

“I’ve just never clicked with anyone like that,” he confessed, bringing his knees up to his chest. “And maybe that’s also why I haven’t talked to her again. ‘Cause what if it was a hoax?”

“So you don’t want to ruin the memory of it?” Hunk put a finger to his chin in a considering motion. “That’s fair.”

There was more to it, but Lance didn’t feel like explaining himself further. Several times he had gone by Italian girl in the library, even stopped to look at her, considering, but whenever she raised those amber eyes to meet his, Lance froze. He blushed and blustered and eventually left.

It was nice to see her smiling, though, even if it was at his expense. She was always alone when Lance saw her and it reminded him of how isolated he’d felt before befriending Hunk.

Italian girl was clearly smart, probably smarter than almost anyone in the institute, given how fast she went through those complicated-looking books. She also spent a lot of time in the library, because it was where Lance most ran into her. It was always her and her astronomy books and her ribbons.

Maybe he was projecting. Luis said he did this a lot.

“I just hope she found a friend here,” he said, more to himself than to Hunk, “someone who will also end up a little late just because they want to hear her out.”

Hunk studied his face, making Lance shift his position in discomfort.

“Who could have known?” the boy started teasingly. “You’re actually a good guy behind all that arrogance.”

Lance used his elbow to push Hunk off the bed, complaining more dramatically than was truly warranted. His friend laughed as he got up, only to throw himself back onto Lance to mess up his hair.

“What the hell, dude? Going for my hairdo?” He tried to free himself from Hunk’s arm around his neck. “Friendship over! We are no longer rooming when we get to the Garrison!”

Hunk didn’t let up and the two continued to laugh well into the afternoon.

Their time in the Institute would end in a little over a week, and Italian girl would drift to the back of Lance’s mind to become a lovely memory, just the afterimage of someone who could have meant more to him.

Translations:

“No es un acampamiento.Tú sabes que el campo de explotación espacial no está muy desenvuelto en Cuba. Si realmente quieres trabajar con eso, entonces simplemente cállate y no insultes a nadie.” - “It’s not a camp. You know that the field of space exploration is not very well developped in Cuba. If you really do want to work in this area, then simply shut up and don’t insult anyone.”

“¿Cuando he insultado a alguien?” - “When have I insulted anyone?”

“Mira, tengo una reunión con mi orientador. Y tú tienes por lo menos dos artículos para leer para las clases de mañana, ¿por qué no vas a la biblioteca para trabajar un poco? Prometo comprarte una hamburguesa después.” - “Look, I have a meeting with my coordinator. And you have at least two articles to read for tomorrow’s classes. Why don’t you go work for a bit in the library? I promise to buy you a burger later.”

“Me debes más que una hamburguesa y lo sabes, Ronie.” - “You owe me more than a burger and you know it, Ronie.”

“¡Gracias, hermanito! ¡No te arrepentirás!” - “Thank you, little brother! You won’t regret it!”

Cabrón - Bastard

[arcadiangalaxywrites]

The Edge of Time

Here is my first ever fic! I posted this a few days ago on Fanfiction.net and I wanted to upload it here as well! It is centered around Lucy, tho many of the rest of Fairy Tail gang will make appearances as well. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, and this is a work of fiction. I also want to give a quick TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of death and suicide. Without further ado!

Chapter 1

           As dusk continued to fade into the darkness of night, the sound of the birds disappearing until another morning dawned, Lucy dragged herself away from the fantasy novel she had been reading. Blowing out a puff of air, she assessed the dishes that lay in front of her. It wasn’t like her to leave dirty dinner dishes lying about for as long as she had, but there was no way she could ignore the burning desire to continue reading. The book had been about adventures in a foreign land, with mystical creatures who possessed what could only be described as magic. As Lucy gathered and scrubbed at her dishes, the only thing that filled her head was where the book would take her next.

           Once the dishes had been thoroughly washed, rinsed, and dried Lucy moved to her bedroom and set about her nightly routine. First, she brushed the knots from the wind out of her hair, before moving onto her face. Her shoulders began to relax as she removed the dirt and makeup that had built up over the day. After brushing her teeth, she quickly hopped into her pajamas, and turned back her covers, but there was one more thing that had to be done before she could get comfortable.

           Lucy hummed lightly as she went to turn on the motion activated floodlight in her yard, hoping that tonight the only things that would trigger it were wild animals. There had been a lot of activity recently, and she was worried that tonight would be no different. The full moon shone through her window as she raked her eyes over the large expanse of grass outside her house.

           Her house was small, but very charming. The stone kept the elements and animals out, and the fire she had stoked kept the interior warm and cozy. It was all that Lucy needed, but it came with a responsibility she had never anticipated when she purchased the abode. As she watched the nearby forest line, she recalled her first encounter with the nearby cliffs unexpected guests.

           Lucy had finished bringing the rest of the boxes in today and had even made a large dent in the unpacking that needed to be done. She had just moved to a new house outside of the city, and she was LOVING the seclusion so far. It was so peaceful and quiet, and the calm was already starting to seep into her bones allowing her shoulders to become relaxed.

           The first few nights were great; she had gotten excellent rest and was making progress on the novel she had been writing. She had been so immersed in the latest chapter she was working on that she didn’t even notice the darkness growing outside. If her hand hadn’t gotten a cramp, she may have missed the shadow that passed by her window.

           Suddenly wary of why a figure tall enough to be human would be passing by her window late at night, Lucy slowly peeked out of the side of the curtains covering the glass. The person she saw was hunched over and appeared to be crying. They didn’t appear to be a threat to Lucy’s newfound freedom and home, however that didn’t give her any explanation as to why they were nearing the cliff edge under the cover of darkness.

           Worried, Lucy quickly shrugged on some slippers and a light jacket before she quietly made her way outside. As she approached, she made sure to shuffle her feet so that she didn’t spook the person, who had now made it within a foot of the very edge. As she called out to them gently, they crumpled in on themselves, a single sob the only thing Lucy heard before they were out of her line of sight.

           After putting herself back together, she had gone out to purchase the floodlight for her yard, and ever since had kept a cautious eye out her window. She wasn’t always successful, and it tore her to bits that there was nothing she could do for the people who wouldn’t let her close enough to pull them away. It wasn’t often that she would find people out on the cliff, for which she was grateful, but recently there had been an increase. More and more people were showing up at the cliff, to the point that there was one almost every other week.

           Lucy looked to the stars as she sent out a silent plea for a peaceful night. Finished with her tasks before bed, she turned from the window. Slowly, she made her way back to her room where she turned off her light and crawled under the covers.

________________________________________________________________

           Wind was rushing past her face, pushing her hair away from her neck and then pulling it back to snap at her. Clouds were passing by as she covered greater and greater distances. The only way she could track how far she was going was by watching the landscape below her. Before her eyes the scenes kept shifting, first from the house where she lives, then to a lush forest with a cave set into a rock wall in the distance. The trees fell away to water, and then to ice before they circled back to her house. It was beautiful, but so confusing. How was she moving so fast? Why was she looking down at the land? As more questions started to arise, Lucy felt herself losing altitude. Panic began to set in, and suddenly she was free-falling, the wind rushing past her face even harder. Her eyes began to water, whether from the force of the air or fear, she really couldn’t tell.

            Lucy started suddenly; her mind groggy as she gasped for breath. Her body shook like a leaf, adrenaline coursing through her. The dream came back in pieces, and it felt so real. Like she had really been moving through the sky. She shook her head, the notion so silly she couldn’t pay it any more mind than to shudder and be thankful she had woken before she met the ground.

           Lucy sat up slowly, feeling the beads of sweat on her body cooling in the night air. It felt nice and allowed her to shift her focus farther from the dream. As she pushed her hair back, she noticed that her room was illuminated from the light coming from outside, but it was too much. Even a full moon wasn’t this bright, so that couldn’t be the cause. Lucy stiffened: the floodlight. Cautiously, she rolled out of bed and moved lightly to her window. Scanning the area, she realized there was someone at the cliff’s edge. Thanking the stars for waking her up before it was too late, she threw on a nearby jacket and slippers as she hurried out.

           Approaching the person as quietly as possible, Lucy took in the person’s appearance. The man stood around 6 feet tall, his dark hair moving slightly in the breeze. He wore baggy pants, and a tight white tank top (that looked like it could use a good wash) revealed muscular arms. With his height and his build, there was little chance Lucy would be able to pull him back from the edge of the cliff if he decided to go over. Once Lucy was close enough, she shuffled her feet a tad to make her presence known before she spoke up. She didn’t want to startle the man, so she used the quietest calming voice she could.

           “Excuse me, are you okay? Is there any way I can help you?”

           The man remained silent as he stood there, and Lucy started to become worried. Something seemed wrong. Usually, people would yell and scream at her to stay away or choke out sobs while they stood on the cusp. But this man stood there silently, his shoulders pushed back in a confident set. Lucy took a step backwards.

           “Why are you here?” she said coldly, suddenly aware of how close she was to the cliff. Her gut was reeling, her mind racing trying to figure out why someone was here during the middle of the night for any other reason than what had become the norm for her.

           “We’re here to see who keeps stopping people from going over that cliff in front of you.”

           Lucy’s eyes widened as she whirled around to look behind her and found a group of men all standing there. Standing slightly in front of the rest was a man with blue hair who had a strange sideways X tattoo over his right eye. He took a step toward her as he gestured.

           “Grab her,” he said as the man behind her wrapped his arms around Lucy’s arms and torso. Lucy let out a scream as she was lifted from the ground, and struggled wildly to get her arms free, her legs swinging.

           “Now, Miss Life Saver, I want to know exactly why you keep stopping the people who come out here to take a flying leap. You see, they’re kind of a pet project of ours, and you’re really getting in the way of our deadlines.”

           Lucy glared at Bora and struggled more as she screamed at the man holding her to let her go. The man’s grip only tightened as she continued to struggle.

           “Let her stand on her own,” the man let Lucy down, and shifted his grip to her upper arms as Bora continued. “Look, I’m willing to overlook your past transgressions as long as you cease your activities here at night.”

           “Why are you trying to kill people?” Lucy shook as she looked at the group of psychopaths. “And what makes you think I’m just going to let these people kill themselves without trying to intervene?”

           Bora shook his head and let out a sigh as he rubbed his temple. The group behind him all exchanged looks and whispers as they waited for instructions. Taking another step closer to Lucy, Bora looked at her with cold eyes.

           “I was really hoping to get through to you, but I don’t like it when people question my motives. You seem a bit too strong-willed to allow you to stay in the way of our operation. It’s a pity, really. But I think you’re going to have to be finding a change of address, effective immediately.” Looking to the man behind her, Bora jerked his head. “Send her to her new home.”

           Lucy screamed as the man behind her suddenly dug his fingers into her arms and swung her around. With as much force as he could gather, he threw Lucy over the edge of the cliff, her feet scrabbling as she tried to keep her balance before they went over the edge; her body dropping suddenly.

________________________________________________________________

           Lucy screamed as hard as she could, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Still, there wasn’t exactly much she could do as her limbs and hair whipped around in the air flying past her as she hurtled towards whatever lay at the bottom of the cliff. Adrenaline was running through her veins, and memories were flashing before her eyes in a kaleidoscope of colors and feelings. Tears started to stream from her eyes as she gulped down her last breaths, realizing this was what all the people she couldn’t help had experienced in their last moments. More terrified than she had ever been before in her life, she closed her eyes and screamed out the only words she could think of.

           “Someone, please save me!”

           Suddenly a pair of strong, warm arms were wrapped around her body, her head being tucked tightly against a shoulder. Her eyes shot open to gaze through her hair and tears to catch flashes of…pink? That couldn’t be right, none of this could be right! Lucy’s mind swirled; surely this was her brain just trying to protect her in its last moments before she went splat? Or maybe she had already hit the ground, and the last few minutes of brain activity she had left was being used to trick her into thinking she had survived the fall?

           Unable to take the stress any more as her descent slowed, she closed her eyes and let her consciousness fade.

[ohheyalex]

the phone calls that never came//a dickkory fic

A/N: Hey so I was supposed to post this fic a couple weeks ago but tumblr was being annoying so i just uploaded it onto my AO3 account. And I kinda forgot to post it here too lmao but here it is. Also this was supposed to go on my titans blog but the gif wasn’t showing up and uh I wasn't willing to give that up lmao This does have some angst to it and I may be writing another part. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it.

Summary: Kory and Dick are both on the same path to self discovery even though their journeys are separate for now, they can't seem to let go of each other completely.

She hadn’t heard from Dick in months and she doesn’t know how to feel about it to be honest. Her memories had begun to come in quicker since the fight with Trigon. Sometimes, she was fortunate enough to see the whole memory and other times Kory would just see flashes of her home planet. With each new thing she remembers, Kory seems to become more sure of herself. One thing she isn't set on is when or if she’ll go back to Dick and the kids. Kory hasn’t reached out either. Guilt slowly eats at her with each day that goes by that she hasn’t talked to Rachel, Gar and even Dick.

The mere thought of hearing his voice again makes her feel two things; fear and want. Fear of what the conversation could lead to or reveal and she isn’t ready for that just yet and want because she can’t help but be needy for him. Kory will probably never forget their first time, how gentle he was with her even though she’d seen him go postal on a guy a day prior. It shouldn't have been a shock to her with how mysterious he’s been since she’s met him but Dick was always finding ways to surprise her.

Kory isn’t sure of what she wants right now and that’s why she didn't go with him and the kids. She needed time to figure out who she is and what she had been through that past month since waking up in a totaled car left her at a complete loss of self. But she can’t say that she isn’t getting there.

“What are you thinking about?” Donna’s voice pierces through Kory’s thoughts.

Oh right they were looking over footage from surveillance cameras around the city. Kory brushed a hand through her hair but stops in fear of messing up the curls. That worry leaves as quick as it comes when she remembers that she no longer has her curly hair. It's now straight with a slight wave at the end for some oomph.

“Earth to Kory.” Donna waves a piece of beef and broccoli in her face.

Kory recovers fast, “Yea. So I was thinking we should look over the footage from 25th street until Sycamore Drive.”

The former Titan snorts, “Not what I asked but noted. Now tell me what’s going on in that alien head of yours.” Donna smirks. And Kory rolls her eyes at that quip but she knows it’s out of love. This friendship they’ve been able to forge has become the one thing Kory is certain about right now.

Kory pulls her hands from her lap and places them on the wood table in front of her. She starts to fiddle with the gold ring on her middle finger, she can’t help it.

Donna steals a piece of Kory’s orange chicken and plops it into her mouth while she waits for her to talk. She's learned that with Kory she’ll speak when she’s ready, there’s no need to push it out of her plus Donna wanted her to trust her. They ended up bonding over making fun of Dick when Donna pulled out some pictures from when he was a teenager.

“I don’t know I guess I just miss the kids.” Kory doesn’t have to see Donna’s face to know that she’s waiting for her to finish that sentence because even she knows that Kory has been thinking about him too. So Kory decides to vocalize it for the first time in three months, “And I miss Dick too.” That’s all she says and it doesn’t even touch the surface of what she’s feeling right now.

Donna nods while taking a sip of her beer, “Have you tried calling them?” And Kory just gives her a deadpan look. “Look there’s no shame in being the first one to call.” She offers thinking maybe that’s why Kory hasn’t gotten in contact.

She shakes her head, “No it’s not that. I’m just scared I guess of what the conversation will lead to. I don't know if I’m ready to talk to him. He hasn’t called either so maybe he doesn’t want to talk.” Kory shrugs, she’s trying to mask how she truly feels now but it doesn’t work. Donna sees right through it, “I doubt that. Don’t forget when I told you how whipped he sounded when we were following you to your ship a few months ago.” Kory can't help but laugh fondly at that, it made her happy to know that he had her back.

“Yea well I don't know if I’m ready to talk to him yet.” She stares at Donna and her eyes say everything for Kory. Donna takes another sip of her beer before giving Kory the best advice she could think of, “The only way you're going to get the answers to your questions is if you go to the source.”

Kory knows she’s right but it doesn't mean she’s going to do it.

San Francisco. 1 AM. Titans Tower

Dick can’t sleep.

He keeps tossing and turning every hour since he laid down at ten, he’s been trying to get into a routine again but it’s harder this time around. He thought about going into the training room and working out until he felt tired enough to sleep but then he runs the risk of waking up one of the kids. And he doesn’t want them worrying about him when they need to be focused on the lessons and what could come next.

After the tenth time he’s rolled over to a different corner of the king sized bed, he moves up to the headboard and plops down on his side. Dick’s thoughts are a jumbled mess of worries, fears and he’s started to think about her. He doesn’t want to, Dick doesn’t even want to delve into that part of his mind. He’s not ready to. Instead he focuses on how he walked into the kitchen a couple days ago and it was a complete disaster. The three teenagers had been laughing seconds prior to noticing that Dick had come back home early from the store.

Gar was the first to notice as he turned around to look into the reflective surface of the microwave, he caught sight of Dick. “Uh hey Dick!” He whipped around causing Rachel and Jason both to turn as well finally noticing him as he places a couple of bags onto the counter. He stacked three brooms and mops so that they’re leaning against one of the bar stools.

All he can do is laugh lightly at them, “Is my cooking that bad?”

“No it’s not that bad.” Raven says while flicking a piece of an egg shell off of her shoulder. He can tell she’s just being nice but of course leave it to Jason to be the honest one.

“Not bad? Rachel that cauliflower pizza wasn’t fucking edible! Look Dick I can’t do this, we gotta hire a chef. I can’t do anymore of your healthy cooking shit man.” Jason huffs and it makes Dick laugh.

“Here.” He gives Gar some cash, “Go get some lunch but not before you guys clean this place up.”

The three of them rush to the bags he brought as he goes to his room.

His phone buzzing on his side table brings him back to reality. It’s a text from Bruce, it’s about Jason of course. Just the usual question of how he’s doing and Dick let’s him know the young Robin’s progress. He’s still to quick to react with his fists but he’s trying is all Dick can really say. He knows that Jason just wants to go back to Gotham, he understands that he probably feels Bruce just dumped him off with Dick and maybe it seems that way. It doesn’t matter anyway Dick has learned that when Jason sets his mind on something, it’s hard for him to change it. He’ll still try though.

Dick sends out one more text before looking at the time. It’s been an hour and a half since he gave up on trying to sleep. He needs to fix this, he can’t be off his game right now because of the kids. They’re relying on him and Dick doesn’t want to let them down, he already did with Rachel and Gar. He shakes his head and forces his mind to not think about his previous failures, he has to move on and make amends.

His mind drifts again and this time he allows himself think of her. He rarely does, Dick knows it’s complicated for them both. He’s still trying to figuring out who he’s going to be now that he’s not Robin anymore. And she’s still remembering who she is and who she wants to be.

He wanted to give her space, if she wanted to come back then she would. It didn't mean that he didn't miss her. He does, he thinks about Kory every day. Dick just doesn’t say it out loud and who would he even talk to about Kory and his feelings for her? He’s not talking to the kids, that's out of the question. Dick hasn't spoken to Donna either, he knows what the Titans tower means to her and he doesn't want to burden her. Again, if she wanted to come back then that would have to be her decision. And Dick finds that his thoughts are just cycling each other because even though he misses the hell out of his best friend and this fascinating woman who he has developed these feelings for, he doesn’t want to pressure them.

So Dick decides to give them space because they need it and so does he. His emotions are sometimes hard to talk about but he’s getting better at it.

But then again maybe one phone call couldn’t hurt. His thumb clicks on the contacts icon on his phone and he scrolls until he gets to her name. Dick taps the contact and his thumb hovers over the call button. He can’t fucking do this, what is he even supposed to say?

'uh hey kory it’s dick, sorry for not calling you for three months, dick move huh.’

Dick rolls his eyes at his own awkwardness and his attempt at a joke. He’s glad that happened in his thoughts and no one was there to witness it, especially Kory.

He keeps his thumb over the call button for what seems like hours but is only fifteen minutes. Dick tosses his phone to the side and throws himself on the bed deciding on letting his fear of what could happen win for now. And funny for some reason now he feels like he can sleep, so he finally does and he hopes his dreams are only of a curly red haired beauty because that's the only way he's going to see her.

Chicago. 1 PM. Donna’s House.

Kory couldn’t sleep last night. A couple new memories had come back to her earlier that night and ever since then she’s been wide awake. Kory had the TV on with no sound on, she was content on listening to the rain just outside the window.

She had been going back and forth in her head on what she wanted to do. She missed the kids and Dick but she didn't know if she was done with exploring just yet. Plus if she went back, what would that mean for her and Dick? Kory takes two seconds before snatching her phone from the end of the bed and she scrolls through her contacts effortlessly landing on Dick’s.

Her thumb is inches from the screen, she’s almost there and all she has to do is push down. But she doesn’t, whatever courage she’s worked up vanishes as soon as it appeared and she throws her phone to the side. Kory crosses her arms and she can’t help but be upset with herself why can’t she just call him? A knock interrupts her next thought and before she can say come in, Donna walks in with a coffee cup in hand. “I found Shimmer. Well I got intel on where she’ll be. Come on, let’s go.” Donna starts tossing random pieces of Kory’s clothes that she just bought the other day at her.

Kory doesn’t move from her on spot on the bed, “Where are we going?”

Donna walks back to the entrance of the room and before she turns to leave she says, “A stake out.” She winks before leaving Kory to get dressed.

Yea maybe she’d call Dick after her and Donna caught Shimmer.

//

[rmg91]

The Woes and Antics of Living Together-13

This chapter has emotions and I'm gonna say sorry now for what happens. Also I cried while writing said emotions and it's really hard to write when you yourself emotionally compromised XD I still hope you enjoy this though! (And don't worry, I don't end it on a bad note ;3 )

ALSO Just another big Thank you to all the lovely reviews you all have given this fic. It's means a lot to me!

Previous Chapter/Next Chapter; Ao3/FF.net

@writerofberk-FEEEELS in this chapter but also fluff.

@hair-in-the-air-....There may be some more couch cuddles in this X3

                                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure you don't want to come with me? It'll be fun~”

It was late one Thursday afternoon about two weeks post-Poppy tattoo and she was currently standing by her car having just tossed her bags inside. She was heading home to Trollington for the weekend to see her dad and to show off her tattoo in person, she might even go see a few of her other friends that stayed in town. She had a box of presents for her dad that she previously set in the car, alongside some new feather toys and treats for Fuzzbert. Branch honestly couldn't tell if she was more excited to see Peppy or her cat. However it really didn't matter at the moment as she was currently still trying to convince him to come with her.

Branch crossed his arms and shook his head, “Still no. I'm going to stay right here and you wanna know why?” He smirked at her, “Because with you gone it'll be quiet for once.”

Poppy gave him a look that was cross between a glare and a pout before sticking her tongue out at him, “Rude.”

Rolling his eyes, Branch crossed his arms, “Just make sure you have a full tank of gas on your out. I don't want to hear you got stuck on the side of the road. Do you know how dangerous that could be?!”

“It's a three hour drive, Branch. I'll be fine.” She hopped over and smiled up at him, “But I'll be sure to text you when I get there alongside everyone else. Try not to worry.”

Branch scoffed and turned his head away, he always worried it was practically his middle name.

Poppy giggled before suddenly springing a hug on him and squeezing him tightly, “Oooh~ I'll miss you! Try not to miss me too much!”

“Hey! Get off! Poppy!” He pushed her off with a glare, “What have I said about hugging?! And you'll be gone for like a day and a half, I'll hardly have time to appreciate you being gone let along do something crazy like miss you.”

“Sure, sure~” She sang before skipping back over to her car, “I'll text later and see you Sunday. Water the plant while I gone~!”

Branch rolled his eyes again and waved halfheartedly at her as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he started wandering back to the apartment wondering what he could do without the having the constant whirlwind there. Maybe he'd actually have time to finish a book since she wouldn't be around to ask what he was reading or what was happening or just plain distracting him with the way her eyes sparkled with curiosity and the way she'd clasp her hands together as she begged him to tell her-He groaned. She hadn't even been gone five minutes and somehow was still distracting him. This was possibly gonna be a long weekend.

                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Early Sunday morning came and found Branch nursing a hot cup of black coffee as he sleepily read through some new theories on how anyone could be a sociopath. Saturday had been uneventful, just as he thought, without his crazy roommate around to cause havoc. Although after sometime the peace and quiet he had been craving since moving in had gotten a little too much even for him and he blamed Poppy for that. He had gotten use to the noise she made, singing, humming, crashing in through the door with some newest scheme and he was loathed to admit it, even to himself, that he missed her. Even having some of his own music tastes playing hadn't been that same comfort as it once had been.

Sighing, the raven haired man switched apps on his phone, wondering if maybe there was something new from the woodcarver he liked to watch on Youtube, only to find a brand new vlog by Poppy uploaded only five minutes ago. He would never admit it, especially to Poppy, but he did follow her and he actually liked seeing some of the things she got up to, mostly for her gorgeous smile and her unbridled joy at whatever it was she was doing. However he was surprised to see this new one up, titled 'Adventures in Troll Town', so soon, he would've thought she'd upload later after she was home.

Selecting the video, Branch waited for it to load and a stupid ad to pass before seeing what she had done yesterday.

“Hey there, my cupcakes~!” Poppy greeted cheerfully as she always did, grinning bright as she held the camera up to capture both her and Peppy in the lens, “It's ya girl, Poppy, here and I'm back in my hometown for the weekend to spend some time with my dear old dad!” She gestured to him as he grinned.

“Hello there, Internet people!” Peppy greeted, amber eyes he shared with Poppy twinkling with mischievousness and silver tinged red-orange hair still wildly untamed as Branch remembered. His mustache hadn't seemed to change either, still full and long, “It's great to have my little girl home again.”

“Aww, Dad~” Poppy cooed, side hugging him, “I'm happy to be back. And you all-” She said to the camera, “Stay tuned for all the adventures we'll be taking you on. Okay?”

Suddenly there was a loud meow and Poppy turned the focus on the bright orange, fluffy cat sitting on the table, green collar contrasting brightly. Poppy reached out and started petting it, causing a loud purr to emit from her pet, “And Fuzzbert says hello too~”

The scene then changed and Branch unconsciously smiled as he watched Poppy play with her cat with a feather toy, her tinkling laughter filtering through the phone's speakers. Fuzzbert jumped and leaped after the toy as Poppy flicked it away before suddenly grabbing it. Poppy tugged gently, Peppy's own laugh coming from behind the camera, before she let it go and the feline ran off with it. Branch couldn't help the chuckle as he listened to Poppy playfully act offended to Fuzzbert for running away before she took the camera back from her dad and made to transition to another scene.

“Hey all!” Poppy said brightly as she walked down the street, Peppy beside her, “We're here in downtown Trollington and it hasn't changed a bit!” She panned the camera around, showing off the brightly colored shops of downtown. Branch remembered walking down the street Poppy showed and thinking everyone needed to tone down their siding colors. He still thought that, some were just way too bright for his taste but his thoughts on that were interrupted as his roommate starting talking again, “I can't tell you all how much I've missed this place and everyone but I suppose that's for most people who move away from home, huh?” It wasn't for Branch, not really, Trollington hadn't been home for a long time. “Dad and I are actually heading to see some shops before stopping by our favorite cafe for lunch. And here's one now!”

She turned the camera to show the store front of 'Sky Toronto's Party Supplies' before Peppy opened the door for her. Inside were shelves full of streamers, balloons, plates, cups, napkins, table clothes, candy and other various things one might need for a party. It was indeed a place Poppy loved, especially the confetti aisle. Branch watched as she toured around, exchanging comments with her dad and laughter at his jokes and as she was greeted happily by the few other people inside with hugs and smiles. There was even a brief interaction with the stores owner, Sky Toronto himself, the straight laced, stoic man saying it had been awfully quiet without Poppy coming in all the time and how wonderful it had been.

After that there was a montage of Poppy and Peppy playing around in various other stores. Dress-up in the local costume shop, some window shopping, there was even some browsing at one of the thrift shops and Poppy finding some things she deemed treasures. Next they were entering a little cafe, decorated with floral décor and tasteful pictures of scenery and the family that ran the business. A red head stood at the counter, which held lots of yummy looking sweets and snacks and smiled brightly as Poppy and Peppy entered.

“Poppy!” She greeted joyfully, “Long time no see!”

“Hey, Mandy!” Poppy called back, “I'm here for the weekend. You don't mind if I film here do you?”

Mandy smiled, “Nah, go ahead. You want your usual?”

Poppy laughed as she and her dad started toward a table, “Yes, please! And whatever the special is today too~”

“You got it! And for you, Mayor Peppy?”

Peppy chuckled, “Surprise me!”

The local woman giggled and gave a thumbs up before making to gather the ordered food. Meanwhile the father and daughter duo sat down and Poppy adjusted her camera to stand on the table. The pinkette talked to both her dad and the camera as they waited for their food. Soon enough Mandy arrived carrying a tray full of delicious looking food. Poppy got a large glass of what looked like raspberry sprite and a plate of chicken salad, full of chicken, tomatoes, cheese and dressing. Peppy got large mug of coffee and a plate with a large turkey and bacon sandwich. After thanking Mandy, the two dug in.

As they ate, Poppy gushed about how good the food was before recommending that anyone should come and try it. After a little more conversation with her dad, she announced she'd be back after they ate.

The next scene had Poppy standing in the park's gazebo as she explained her dad had an emergence call to take care of so she was going to do something she hadn't had the chance to since moving. Bringing her old ukulele out from behind her back, she giggled before taking a seat and starting to strum a known and famous tune.

“I can show you the world~ Shining, shimmering, splendid,” Poppy's vibrant voice began filling the apartment and since she wasn't here, Branch allowed himself to get lost in it. He didn't actually hate it when she sang, he adored it really, it was sweet and melodious and had a strange way of calming him, at least when she sang more softer and calmly like she was now.  But it was easier to tell her to stop than to let himself get pulled in and accidentally forgetting himself enough to let his true feelings for her show...or even worse, sing with her.

“A whole new world~” Poppy continued, “A new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us 'no', or where to go, or say we're only dreaming,” Branch could see she was starting to gain a small audience as she played, kids and adults alike stopping to listen to the mayor's daughter. A few kids even came to sit next to her, “That now I'm in a whole new with you~”

“Unbelievable sights! Indescribable feeling!” The kids started joining in. One of the little girls had her braided hair up in a ponytail, a gap in her teeth and headphones around her neck. The other had strawberry blonde hair in pigtails, glasses and was wearing a pair of lavender coveralls. The other kid, the only boy, had dark hair and purple shorts and was singing off key with everyone else.

“A whole new world! A hundred-thousand things to see~! I'm like a shooting start, I've come so far, can't go back to where I used to be~” The quartet sang, Poppy grinning at the kids before leaning over and rubbing noses with the headphone girl. That was when Branch realized that was probably the niece Suki was always gushing about. Soon enough the kids tapered off and let Poppy finish the song by herself.

“A world new world~ That's where we'll be~ A thrilling chase, a wondrous place~ For you and me~”

After she finished the last note, the kids promptly jumped on Poppy with happy cries, hugging her as she laughed and hugged them back, the rest of the audience chuckling and clapping at the scene. Poppy starting to talk to kids was the last thing heard before it was cut off and replaced with Poppy smiling at the camera, now in the kitchen at her childhood house.

“Dad and I are about to make some Meadows Family Specialty Chili and Cornbread. Mm-mmm~! I haven't had it forever and I can't wait!” She exclaimed, dancing in place as Peppy chuckled off camera.

“Well come help me so it'll get done sooner, since you're so eager,” He teased lightly, placing a pile of ingredients on the island counter, “You do remember the cornbread recipe, don't you?”

“Dad, please,” Poppy said, popping a hip out and waving her hand in the air, “I never forget a recipe. Especially one of Moms.”

Peppy chuckled again, “Just checking~”

The two started to work in tandem, Peppy starting to chop onions while Poppy began gathering together the things she needed. Taking a large bowl from the cupboard, she easily measured flour and cornmeal into the bowl before adding in a bit of sugar. She began to tell the story to the camera of how her mom had created the recipe to complement her dads chili since he had a tendency to make it a little spicy. Peppy laughed and replied he hadn't made it that spicy since he was first creating the recipe in the first place.

“Did I ever tell you the story of how I came up with this?” He asked, going over to cook the ground beef at the stove.

“Yes, Dad.” Poppy replied, rolling her eyes at the camera because she knew he'd tell they story anyway.

“I was entering a chili cook-off, The Great Chili Cook-off of 85', and I was determined to win. Now by the twentieth batch my best friend was sick of trying my experiments. Told me I had to find someone else to try it and that he would never touch of another bowl of chili in his life because of me. And he never did.”

Peppy continued his story, Poppy smiling happily as she mixed the batter and before the climax of the story could be told the screen went blank. Branch tilted his head and was about to poke his phone to see if it had died but then a sleepy, hair down, Poppy appeared on screen. She giggled tiredly before a large yawn came out of her mouth.

“Sorry about that, Cupcakes,” She said, “Camera battery died during that I didn't notice till now. Suffice to say the ending of Dad's story is since he added too many habanero peppers into the chili, Mom, who he'd only just met a week before, offered to make cornbread to help cut the spice of it. It soon became a tradition between them and the two dishes were never made without the other.” Another tired giggle escaped, “Dad actually stopped adding so many peppers about the time I came along. He still makes it a little spicy for my taste though.”

She yawned again before flashing a smile, “Anyway, I've got the rest of the video edited and ready to upload so you're probably already seeing this. Any morning fun Dad and I have will posted on my other social media.” She giggled once more, “Night, My Cupcakes~ Stay sweet.”

Then the video closed and the screen showed recommended video's for Branch, mostly more of Poppy's blogs, and he sighed before a large yawn ripped it's way out of his mouth. He supposed he should start brainstorming some ideas for dinner as she'd most likely be home sometime that afternoon. Draining the last of his coffee, Branch turned off his phone and got up to rinse his mug, while he had sort of enjoyed having the apartment to himself there was a part of him that was almost...eager to have Poppy home. Which was a new and funny feeling for Branch to have as he never thought, as much as he loved her, that he'd be eager for her wild and crazy antics.

                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~

It was later in the afternoon than she'd thought she be home, that Poppy finally parked in her parking lot. She really hadn't wanted to leave but after her dad had reminded her college was important and that he was only a phone call away, she had hopped in the car. Well she hopped in after an extra long hug time with him and getting some extra cuddles from Fuzzbert. Then after a quick stop for some snacks, the pinkette had headed home to Bergenville.

Now back, Poppy stretched as she got out of her car before grabbing her bags and the thing she had for Branch. She had already texted the Pack, telling them she'd call once she was settled and that she'd see the tomorrow for coffee before school. Humming, she swayed in place as she waited for the elevator and wondered if her Branch had missed her at all. Although a part of her knew if she asked he just deny it, the grump. It wouldn't be that bad if he admitted he missed her, they were friends after all.

Then again, Poppy thought as she selected her floor number, maybe he'd show a little emotion besides sarcasm with what she was bringing him. It hadn't been a planned thing but maybe, just maybe, it would be something that he'd appreciate. And then he'd open up to her and they could be close like they used to be when they were kids! Poppy giggled at the thought as images of her and Branch singing together again entered her mind.

Skipping to her door at the end of the hallway, she opened it with a flourish, “Braaaaanch~! I'm hoooome~!”

“You don't have to yell,” He said as he came out of the bathroom, “I'm right here.”

Poppy stuck her tongue out at him, “Would it kill you to play along just once.”

“Yes.”

Rolling her eyes, she came around to the table, “My trip home was great and it was amazing, thanks for asking.” She grinned cheekily at him, “And I brought you something.” She then placed a medium-small box on the table.

Branch looked confusedly at it, not expecting her to bring something back for him, but more importantly it didn't look like some random snack or knick-nack one would bring for someone else. “What is it?” He asked wearily.

“Well...um..” Poppy fidgeted with a piece of her hair, “It's some stuff of your grandma's my dad had. Said he saved it after the accident and was keeping it safe so it didn't get lose in the shuffle of all the foster homes you went through.” She bit her lip when Branch didn't really respond besides now staring wide eyed at the box, “He would have given it to you sooner but I guess you never responded when he asked to see you?”

“I-” Branch didn't know how to feel. Here was supposedly a box of his grandmother's things, things he had be sure were gone forever and that he'd probably never see again, but had actually been kept by Peppy. Things he could've had sooner but never got as he always avoided the mayor, and Poppy when he could, as he just wanted to be left alone. “I...” He gulped, trying to fight the sudden lump in his throat, “I'm...going to my room.” He then grabbed the box and rushed to his room, closing the door firmly behind him and leaving a confused Poppy behind.

                                         ~*~*~*~*~*~

Branch wasn't sure how long he sat on his bed after running away, just staring at the box. Here was pieces of his dear grandmother, someone who had been a constant well of support and love, who he lost, sitting in front of him when he never thought he'd any sort of memento of her. He wanted to know what was in it, wanted to know what Peppy thought he should have of hers but he just couldn't bring himself to open the damn thing. There was too much guilt in his heart at having ignored the help of the mayor, over how he could have these things sooner, over how he never went to see her grave or leave flowers, over how he never allowed himself to think about her!

Closing his eyes in distress, Branch shot his hand out, intending to just push the offending box away but knocked the lid off instead. He stared at the now open box, still unsure if he could even look at the things inside before taking a shuddering breath and reaching blindly for the first thing he could grab. His hand found what felt like a picture frame and he brought it out, eyes still closed. He fingered it lightly, tracing the edge before, after what felt like ages, opening his eyes to find his grandmother's picture staring up at him through the glass. Her hair was done in her signature bun, she was wearing her favorite heart shawl and her smile was the same soft and loving one she always ready had for him.

Memories of his grandmother swirled in his mind then, bringing up those feelings of sadness and despair he tried to repressed with them. His eyes burned as he couldn't help but regress to the thoughts he had when he lost her as he looked at her picture, how he'd never have her home cooking again, never feel her hugs again, never hear her sweet singing voice or her gentle chiding ever again! Branch clenched his eyes closed, unable to look at it anymore but it didn't matter, his grandmother's face was always in his mind and he whimpered without realizing. He missed her so damn much!

A sudden knock on his door had him snapping out of his spiraling guilt and he glared as Poppy shyly poked her head in, “Branch? ...You okay?”

“Leave me alone.” He growled. He was in no mood for her and her nonsense right now.

Poppy frowned, it didn't feel right to her to just leave him alone when he was upset, “But-”

“I said-Go Away!” Branch yelled, curling up into himself as he clutched his grandmother's photo.

Poppy nodded, not that he saw, and started to close the door before stopping. No. She couldn't do that. Branch was clearly hurting and she couldn't leave knowing that. Pushing the door back open, she rushed over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, “No. You're upset and I can't let you go through this alone.” She missed Grandma Rosie too, she had always been like the grandmother Poppy never had and her death had been so sudden, “I miss her too.”

Branch growled and tried to push Poppy off of him, he didn't care, she didn't know what happened and what he gone through, “Get off! Leave me alone!”

“No!” The pinkette held tighter, “You need to talk about this! You can't bottle it up forever! I know you miss her but that's no reason to hide your feelings!”

“I don't care! Go away, Poppy!” Branch cried, why wouldn't she listen?! He wanted to be alone!

“Let me help!”

“No!”

“Why?! Why not?!”

“Because you don't understand!” Branch felt tears threatening to fall but he tried to fight them, not wanting to do this in front of Poppy.

“Understand what?!”

Branch hiccuped before suddenly years of pent up emotion broke free and he sobbed, “It's all my fault!!” He then doubled over his grandma's picture as Poppy's grip loosened and cried, “Now leave me alone...”

Poppy stared in shock as Branch broke down in front of her and felt her own tears prickle in the corner of her eyes but she blinked them back before slowly wrapping her arms around Branch once more. She sniffed, “That's not true, Branch. I-It was the drunk driver that ran into her....”

“It is! It is my fault!” Branch cried, shoulders convulsing as he bawled, “Had I only listened!”

Poppy slowly rubbed his back, trying to make sense of what he was talking about, “What-What do you mean?”

Branch tried, really tried, to rein himself in but that made him cry harder. It took a few false starts before he was finally able to choke out what happened. He and Rosie had been walking home one night from the store and he had been singing. Lost in song had been more like it as he had been dancing in and out of the street. His grandmother had told him multiple times to stay on the side-walk but he hadn't listened. Then when they had been about to reach the crosswalk, Branch had jumped back in the street, performing a spin and not seeing the weaving car approaching much too fast. The next thing he knew he was laying flat on his back with his grandmother's scream ringing in his ears and the smell of burnt rubber. When he had sat up, he saw the car, front smashed in from a light pole and his grandmother's motionless body a few feet away, groceries littered around her.

Poppy let a few tears escape as she continued to rub his back, she had never heard the full story story, just that a drunk driver had hit her, “Oh Branch...”

Branch heaved in, before more sobs racked his body, the years of repressed grief pouring out, “It should've been me...!”

As Branch's words registered with Poppy, she gasped, “Branch, No! Don't say that!”

“But it's true!” She just didn't understand, if it had been him then his grandma would still be here.

Poppy felt her own tears fall but tried to keep it together, “No! It is not!” She sniffled and hugged him again, burying her face in his hair, “Please.... Please don't say that! Ha-Had it been you then-” A sob of her own escaped then, “Then you wouldn't be here and I-I-” A whimper and gasp, “I can't imagine a life without you, Branch. You're my best friend.” She finally broke and started to cry.

Branch finally snapped out of his own sorrow at the sounds of Poppy sobs, “Poppy...”

“Please, Branch,” She pleaded, “Please don't say that again! You-you're so-so important to me and I-” She gasped, “I can't even think about you-you being gooooone!!”

It took a few seconds for Branch to respond, he...hadn't really thought about that. Of course he knew Poppy cared for all her friends, but for her to cry over the thought of him being gone when he certainly didn't feel worthy of that kind of privilege from her... He didn't know how to feel, “Hey...Hey, Poppy. It-It's okay...”

“No, it not!” She cried, tried to bury her face farther into his hair, “I-You-” She whined, unable to find the words she wanted, “You shouldn't talk like that! It's scary and-!”

“Hey, hey, come on...” Branch wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close in a one armed hug as he laid his forehead on her shoulder, “Don't cry, please? I'm sorry.” He was still trying to wrap his head around her being so torn about him being gone because he was just a pathetic piece of crap that didn't deserve this ray of sunshine caring about him like that but he wasn't about to let her cry over him.

She pulled away from him and held his face in her hands, “Please, Branch,” She sniffed, “Please don't talk like that! You're important and special and-and you-you” She choked back another sob, “You deserve to be happy. Not to-to wallow in guilt. Please. Please promise me, you'll never think or say it should've been you again. And talk me, please. We're friends, Branch, and I'd like to help however I can.”

“I-” He didn't if he could promise that to her, not when he still felt so guilty about it but...but the thought of Poppy crying about him again made his stomach turn, “I'll try.”

Poppy sniffed and stared at Branch before nodding, seeing in his eyes that he meant it and was satisfied that he'd at least try. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, “Good.”

It took another few moments for Branch to bring himself to hug her back but when he did, he buried his face in her shoulder again and took a shuddering breath, he had already made a fool of himself already with all the crying he'd done, so what was a little more? “I miss her so much...”

“I know,” Poppy squeezed him before rubbing his back, “It's okay.”

They stayed like that for a while, hugging on his bed, until Branch finally pulled away to wipe as his eyes. He kept one arm around Poppy and she didn't seem to mind as she rested her head on his shoulder, her own arms still wrapped around him. He picked up and held the picture of his grandma, feeling....feeling surprisingly lighter than he had.

“You okay?” Poppy asked quietly after a few silent moments of observing the photo.

“...Yeah...” He sighed, “Yeah, I think I am.” And he meant that.

She smiled and hummed lightly, “Good. I'm glad.”

They sat in silence again before Poppy shifted, “Mind if I peek at what else is in there?” She pointed to the box still sitting innocently at the end of his bed.

Branch took a deep breath, still feeling the effects of finally letting some of the guilt out and nodded, “Go ahead.” He'd eventually look, he told himself, but maybe having Poppy beside him would help the hurt still searing his soul.

Stretching over and reaching inside, Poppy pulled out a large photo album decorated with large roses. Settling back beside him, Poppy leaned against him as she started to flip through it. Pictures featuring a young Branch and Rosie were prominent at first. He held her arms as a baby, as a small child sitting on her lap with a huge grin as she told him a story and as a kid not too long before he lost her. Eventually a certain pinkette, then blonde with fake pink hair streaks started creeping into the pictures. Sleepovers and eating ice cream on the porch, swimming adventures and a copy of that science fair he'd won. Poppy giggled at some of the amusing ones, like his poor attempt as a dragon costume when he was eight and smiled at the memories of the two of them hanging out all the time. Branch laid his head on top of hers and commented here and there.

“Oh my gosh!” Poppy giggled, “Look! Isn't that talent show we entered?” She pointed to a picture featuring them on stage, dressed nicely, microphone's in hand and singing proudly.

Branch snorted, “Yeah.”

“Oh geez...What was the song we sang?”

“'September' and we were teased about it too.”

“Oh yeah~” She giggled again, “And it wasn't so bad. Plus, if I remember correctly, we came in second, right?”

Branch chuckled, “Yeah. Would've come in first but we lost to Moxie's ballet routine.”

“Right. Oh!” She pointed to another photo, this one featuring Branch with two stuffed animals, a walrus and a blue crocodile, “Look! It's Gary and Croco! Whatever happened to them?”

“Hmm,” Branch hummed taking the album and he looked at the picture, “Croco, I think got lost during all the shifting I did through foster homes. Gary...I'm not really sure.” He hadn't seen the walrus in years.

“Hmm...” Poppy sat back up and moved to look through the box again, thinking she may have seen an answer to the missing walrus as Branch continued to flip through the album, smiling softly at all the pictures of him and his grandmother. “Aha!” Poppy exclaimed, pulling out a faded and slightly dusty plush walrus, stuffing seeping out from a few seams, “Look who I found~”

Branch blinked before taking the old plush and gazing at it, he never thought he'd see Gary again, “Huh.”

Poppy smiled at Branch, happy he hadn't slipped back into his usual default mode and was allowing her to be here with him as they looked through these old things. She then glanced at the photo he had pulled out first and took it gently in her hands, “Hey...” She said, breaking him out of whatever thoughts were going through his head, “I have a place we could put this...if you don't mind that is?”

Branch looked at her for a moment before shrugging, “Go ahead.”

She grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him up and out of his room, “Come on.” She led him back out into the living room and over to her shelves of photos, or rather one particular shelf. One it sat only one photo alongside a few candles and fake flowers. Said photo was of a beautiful, blonde woman with a single streak of strawberry blonde, sparkling amber eyes and freckles across her cheeks, the same eyes and freckles her daughter had. Branch watched as Poppy shifted a few things and set his grandmother's photo next to her mom's.

“There.” She stepped back to gaze at them before turning to Branch, “That okay?”

Branch nodded after a moment, shocked but honored Poppy felt his grandmother special enough to be sat beside her mother, “Yeah.”

She grinned and bounced on her heels as she placed her hands behind her back, “What do ya say we order takeout for dinner? Maybe watch some movies? We've been on...one emotional roller coaster and I don't know about you but I'm starving.”

Branch chuckled, trust Poppy to try and smooth anything over with food, “Sure.”

                                       ~*~*~*~*~*~

Some hours later, long after eating and watching movies, Branch found himself gazing drowsily at Poppy, once again asleep on him as they laid on the couch. He smiled at her, now that he'd had time to process everything, he was actually sort of glad she hadn't left him alone. He didn't think he could fall even more on love with this woman than he already was but she proved him wrong. And he hadn't felt this light in years, the guilt that had plagued him for years finally had let up. Of course he knew there was still some there, one explosion of feelings couldn't fix years of telling himself he was responsible for what happened but for now, he was okay.

And it was all thanks to the beautiful woman in his arms.

“Thank you.” He whispered before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

Poppy merely sighed and snuggled deeper into his chest as Branch let himself fall asleep.

                                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Wow this chapter was a bit of a roller coaster huh? First off, yay! Character cameos of Sky, CJ, Priscilla, Keith and of course Peppy! Then of course there was the whole scene with Branch breaking down, which as I said may be a little off in places (to me at least) but it's hard to write when you make yourself cry with your own content XD

Hope you all enjoyed!

Song Credit:

'A Whole New World'-sung by Yuna on the 'We Love Disney' collection.

[poetrisworld]

List of haikyuu!! fanfiction anyone?

Okay... so I’ve been absent from tumblr for a while (my bad 😓 school’s got me jacked.) Anyway, I’m back now, and so far, I’ve posted a quite a few more fics on ao3. So to make up for my neglect, I’m providing the links and descriptions to all of them here. (Links are in the titles.)

One Hour and Then...

(Rated: M. Multichaptered. Status: Ongoing)

“We have fourteen kids with us, and one dead adult. Two of them are females. For every twelve hours that pass, one of them dies, and for every twenty four, we rape one of the girls. I advise that you guys comply with our demands, before we run out of kids to kill. My friend over there’s been wanting to test out his new knife. You have six days to respond. Do so quickly. The time starts… now.” … On their way to a remote training camp with Nekoma and Fukorodani, the Karasuno bus gets hijacked by a dangerous group of terrorists. With one of the adults missing, and the other dead, the remaining teens have to find out a way to survive against time, as their lives count on the speed of the clock, and their safety on the speed of response.

#Hostage situations #kidnapping #Injury #Torture

(I’m already a few chapters into this story, but though this isn’t my favorite, I love it to death, and it happens to have the best reception and is the most popular out of the rest of my other fics. The summary says it all, basically, they all get abducted by a group of terrorists. Interesting cause I got to explore the bonds of the team and how they survive together against a life-ending threat.)

Taken

(Rated: M. Multichaptered. Status: Ongoing )

“KEI!!!” Akiteru screamed, his legs taking off as soon as he’d spotted them heading in the direction of a lone, black car parked haphazardly by a tree. One of the backseat doors was opened, and it looked like there was someone else inside the vehicle. He’d left the freckled boy behind, hoping the kid was smart enough to call for some help, maybe the authorities.

His legs burned as he struggled to close the distance between him and Kei’s abductors, eyes locked dead-on onto his frightened amber orbs, his heart racing and increasing in rhythm and pace as he raced against the odds of him reaching them before they would have already taken off.

His panicked voice called for his niichan once more, until Denim jacket decided to quieten his cries with his hand pressed roughly against his face, mouth and nose covered by harsh, unforgiving palms. They were already too close to their car.

He wasn’t going to make it.

Come on legs, move.

Move faster.

Please…

Kei was shoved into the backseat before he could cross the line of cars separating them, the door was shut, and Denim jacket was already sliding into his seat and starting the engine.

No.

Contains heavily implied rape, abuse and trauma. Proceed with caution.

Strongly inspired by the movies 'Kidnap' and 'Gardens of the Night'.

(Now this is one of my firsts and favorites - though with not as much reception as One Hour And Then. This is because of its heavy topics and play on the effects of psychological trauma and how it affects the minds of its survivors. I’m not a psychology student, but I absolutely love exploring the human mind. Kei is stationed as the main character, playing the role of a child who’d been abducted at a young age and forced into child prostitution for a significant amount of time before he was rescued and brought back to his brother. Before that, they’d lost their parents and had to live with a bitter, abusive aunt before his older brother finally moved out and begun taking care of him on his own. Apart from being inspired by ‘Gardens of the Night’, I love this trope especially because of Lilo and her big sister’s relationship from Lilo & Stitch. Though rape and trauma is heavily featured, I threaded lightly along it because it’s just that heavy. Trust me, I cried while writing this. It’s my own writing so I can’t say it’s fucking amazing, but I’m sure it’s enough to incur some sort of emotion from the reader. Hope you read it!)

And We Finally Reached The Stars

(Rated: T. Multichaptered. Status: Ongoing )

He jumped, and Hinata could have sworn he flew. With the pull of gravity, he landed against the heavy villain with a punch, and pummeled them to the ground.

The hero won.

The people cheered.

...

Hinata Shoyou, a junior in middle school, after getting inspired by a hero on screen, sets out to become a hero himself by attending UA Academy, the school where the greatest heroes were born. There, he experiences friendship, teamwork, heartbreak, and what it truly means to be a hero.

A bnha AU set over a hundred years into the future where the haikyuu!! cast exist as future heroes attending UA academy.

(Okay, this was made just because I’m a die-hard bnha stan, and I couldn’t stop my brain from filling my head with ideas of how HQ characters would exist in this world and how their Quirks would correlate with their characters, personalities and roles in the series. It’s not complete yet, but since it’s a concept I can’t get out of my head, I doubt I’ll leave this fic incomplete.)

Stay Away While The Clowns Play

(Rated: E. Multichaptered. Status: Ongoing )

Purge AU drabbles- A multichapter.

In which I hurt every team in Haikyuu.

Warning: Gore, blood, whump, torture and general suffering. (It’s The Purge. What else do you expect?)

(Uh... I don’t know why I wrote this? I just watched The Purge recently and I honestly just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Originally it was supposed to be a drabble fic, but it has actual plot and timeline-- though I layered it to look like a drabble book filled with scenes of suffering and all the general shit you might find in your regular Whumptober fanfiction. It’s the only Rated E fic I have, and with good reason too because it get’s bad as it progresses. Does it have a happy ending? Who knows. It’s The Purge.)

Aiit, that’s about it. (You can already sense the kind of genre I like to write, right?) Hopefully I’ll be able to upload the other fics I have in stock in my documents folder. Hope you enjoy reading any of this? Not doubting my own writing but I’m literally full of trash and I just spouted that out in the form of eloquently written words.

[barbika1508]

Hidden agendas (Peter Pevensie x Reader/ Slight Angst)

Word Count:  3,8k

Type: Drabble, Modern AU

Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Bit of angst

Pairing: Peter Pevensie x Reader, Lucy Pevensie x Reader(Friendship)

Authors note/ Summary(Kinda): This is another type of fic I’ve wrote a year ago and it has been left unfinished as it has been sitting in a folder somewhere. So, I decided to post some parts as again, I got missing bits in between. I think my idea back then was that Y/N was related to the royalty of Narnia, the previous kings and queens before the Pevensie’s and Jadis (The long winter in this story lasts 10 years), and she was summoned to Narnia by the letter that her late parents sealed for 21 years. So, she turns into a princess overnight with a choice to become a queen. And this is the period in between, of her getting to know Narnia and her developing relationship with the Pevensie’s…I guess…something along these lines.

 ‘’Do you need that alarm clock?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’That one, the red simple one.’’

‘’Am…not in particular it was a gift.’’

‘’It doesn’t work.’’

‘’Yeah, Ed took out the batteries and suspicious looking “gadgets”. It’s from a country we’re not on a friend level with, and getting something simple as this for a gift, it leads into suspicion.’’ Lucy explains rotating the small square simple alarm clock in between her delicate fingers.

‘’Welllllll…your brother is in the right mind for precautions. Despite how annoying he might appear to you at those moments. Or others.’’ I smirk by the end of my sentence to which she shakes her head but still looks amused but makes her way across the room to me.

‘’Here, it’s junk either way. Like most of the stuff in my room.’’ She hands me over the small device and lets out a deep sigh, turning ahead and starts to approach her bed once more.

‘’Those are not your words.’’ I point out, eyes trained onto the clock as I spin around on her desk chair, to her desk. But I take a moment and glance up at her, as she sits onto the middle and edge of her bed, now the big lights turned off, and the camera momentarily turned off as well. She smirks but tiredly.

‘’They are starting to become.’’ She says as she picks up the few piece of papers that hold the script she wrote for herself. Not only is Lucy the youngest of the Pevensie’s and a Queen running a whole country at the age of 17 but she’s also a youtuber. Popular one too.

‘’Your sister can be a pain in the ass do you know that?!’’ I point out turning forward to the many screws and small wires that I’ve displayed over the clean and clear table that I’ve messed up and created chaos upon. Lucy chuckles while I feel her eyes on me, as I unscrew the small screws in the gift given alarm clock.

‘’What makes you say that?’’ she dares me instead to which I shrug.

‘’She’s controlling.’’ I reply ‘’Too much if you ask me. If I was in your shoes…well then…’’ I click my tongue pulling off the mainframe from the device. Edmund did a good job on pulling out the main power source from it.

‘’Then it’s a good thing you’re not in my shoes.’’ She says ‘’Not yet at least.’’ She adds to which I glance up at her. But she’s smirking at me, the gentle and genuine smile that she always offers me. Unlike most of the royal family, and counselors. I smirk mischievously instead shaking my head as I look up and start to remove pieces of the alarm clock by hand.

‘’What do you think my decision will be?’’ I ask her honestly. And then silence settles. Which I’ve expected. By the time I’m done remodeling the alarm clock, she speaks up.

‘’You’ll stay.’’ She says to which I glance up at her standing up and flattening the front of her dress as she stalks forward ‘’I know you love Narnia. I know it means a lot to you, I know you relate to certain things. Even remember some from when you were younger.’’ I raise an eyebrow up at her to which she nods as she stops on the edge of the white table and looks at the many pieces ‘’I’ve seen you listen to a song once and then singing it already in the next time around of listening it.’’

‘’What if I have excellent memory, or how do you know that I just don’t calculate the estimated words that would appear in the song?’’ I raise both eyebrows at her but she laughs instead shaking her head, which causes her long hair to fall around her face, before she tilts her head looking up at me.

‘’I do consider you a close friend Y/N. Please don’t doubt me.’’ She says now to which I laugh and look at her shyly.

‘’Aw Lu.’’ I reply, raising my hand up ‘’High Five for friendship!’’ I exclaim. She rolls her eyes at me but chuckles and meets my hand ‘’Oh yeah.’’ I add on and turn forward to the wires that I’m braiding together.

‘’I do hope you will stay.’’ She breaks another moment of silence, which makes my head snap up.

‘’Why? So far you’re the only one tolerating me.’’ I add her face turning sadder but the smile remains on her face.

‘’You know by know how my brothers and sister are. And you’re an artist and all Y/N so try to think out of the box a bit. If not try.’’ With that she turns around and walks to her set up, now turning on the lights and camera. Think outside of the box?

I frown slightly as I look across the many pieces on the table.

‘’Can you look if the camera is focused?’’ Lucy calls preventing me from falling into a brainstorm about her words. I nod turning around and tangling my legs together I almost fall forward, but only stumble. She laughs amusedly from across her room, settled on her bed, as I shake my head and smile at myself as I walk to the camera. A few moments alter and press of a few buttons she’s focused on the screen. I press play and place my pointing finger over my mouth, then give her a thumbs up as I back away, my bare feet not making any noise as most of her floor is carpeted.

But sitting down, the chair squeaks making me frown. But Lucy only laughs instead eyes focused on me, as I turn around and hunch myself closer to the table as she grins widely. I reach for my headphones and place them over my head. Another thumbs up she mimics me to which I show her my tongue while she still giggling turns to the camera instead. Music starts playing through the headphones dulling out the sounds in the background as I get to work.

My mind travels down, into the work I’m making, my fingers moving faster that my train of process but I’m used to it. I know what I’m doing. It’s fun. This is like I’m building a puzzle. I imagine it as a puzzle. Which makes it all the more fun, when piece after piece it falls together.

I don’t even know how much time passes but when a cool breeze hits the back of my neck, I shake my shoulders hating the weird cool shiver that runs up and down my spine, it causes my concentration to break. I hate the feeling following because it’s a feeling like I’ve just woken up. I examine the half finishes chip I’ve assembled. Looking up I immediately notice the extra person in the room. I turn around to see the blonde High King with a smirk watching his sister as she talks into the camera. He’s in simple sweats today, a simple t-shirt.

His eyes dart to me, the smile slightly disappearing from his lips. I don’t give him another minute of my time and turn forward instead. Glancing towards Lucy she’s grinning widely as she shrugs at the camera, looking adorable. I can’t help but to smile. With that I know my concentration is messed up for now as he entered the room. We haven’t seen each other properly since the argument a week ago. I’ve saw him and the girl passing, my room and I’ve stumbled on them leaving a trail of clothes in their wake in the middle of the night. I was hungry. Doesn’t explain why he turned on me suddenly stopped talking and started to hold up a cold demander.

So, now I start to pick up all the small pieces and throw them into the trash bin that I pulled to the chair, in between my legs. Its effective like this the pieces don’t go nearly everywhere. Finishing up I lower my headphones down the music automatically lowering down until it stops playing. I glance up at Lucy again that’s saying her outro, but I feel the High King now close behind me, his curiosity or cautiousness brining him here.

I push the almost finished chip and Lucy’s old camera to the side, ready for me to tinker with them next time. The alarm clock is already working thanks to me, no spying gear on sight.

‘’…see you next time. Byeeee!!!’’ she greets happily as I turn forward and give Peter a stare as he’s looking suddenly like he’s being caught. But I quickly look at Lucy and get up walking towards the camera. She gives me a nod as I press the button, stopping the recording.

‘’By the sound of the outro, a job well done.’’ I state smirking as she jumps to her feet.

‘’Yeah I think I did good today.’’ She grins and turns back ‘’What do you think Pete?’’ she asks as she walks and stands next to me. I don’t waste my time, and put distance between us, pretending to get busy with turning off the giant lights that actually warmed up the whole room.

‘’From what I’ve seen it’s going to be amazing Lu. Good job.’’ He praises her to which she grins ear to ear but then turns to look at me.

‘’The software is uploaded and ready for you, so you can give it a try.’’ I say turning off the last light and turn to her completely ignoring her older brother, his eyes burning holes into me ‘’I set up also a tutorial so you won’t get lost. If you need anything, text or call me.’’

‘’What, where are you going?’’ she frowns while I pull my phone out of my pocket and just on time my uncle is calling me, to which I show her my screen and she immediately nods

‘’Business meeting.’’ I point out smirking but look down at myself. I’m wearing a simple iron man shirt and some sweats ‘’Yeah damn, I need to change.’’ I frown to which Lucy giggles and rushes past me and Peter who has a small smirk on his face.

‘’Good thing you have me.’’ Lucy points out marching into her walking closet, while I quickly write down a message to my uncle telling him I’ll be 5 minutes late.

‘’Company meeting?’’ Peter asks me as Lucy’s yelling is muffled from the other room. I nod my head furrowing my brows ‘’You know we have conference rooms, that you could use.’’ He points out standing there with his arms crossed while I lock my phone and look at him, neutrally.

‘’Yeah Lucy offered already.’’ I reply neutrally and turn forward to Lucy that rushes out, holding a blazer and a fancy white blouse ‘’That looks expensive!’’ I point out raising my hands up in defense but she pushes the two piece of cloth right into my hands and pushes me gently, stepping behind me and properly uses some force.

‘’You’ll be great; I’ll stop by later to check on you.’’ She rambles and opens the door for me.

‘’Lu it’s not really necessary…’’ I start but we’re already out of her room.

‘’Knock them dead Y/N!’’ she exclaims giving me a half hug before she giggles, and waves and then rushes back to her room, closing the doors behind me. I shake my head and look down at the clothes, and think of how ridiculous this girl is. Until my phone rings; then I’m rushing like crazy forward instead the previous moments monetarily forgotten.

Peter’s P.O.V.

‘’…by the power invested in me by Aslan, I…’’ the giggles coming from the video keep on interrupting and breaking my concentration. My fingers continue to write forward, but my eyes dart to my side and the other laptop. I can see both girls my sister and Y/N laughing like crazy, before my sister disappears from the frame and the older girl remains sitting there, eyes focused away at something behind the camera.

Lucy giggles next to me, making me roll my eyes as I sigh and stop typing and turn to her laptop now curiously watching the girl on the screen, pulling ridiculous faces at the camera, while Lucy is dying from laughter behind the camera and next to me. She pulls her headphones out so the sound is clearer which makes me look at her.

‘’I never knew Y/N could be this funny. She’s funny we know that but she has that comedy streak.’’ Lu explains as we watch the said girl trying to make a certain pose on the edge of the bed but then, her hand slips and she goes tumbling to the ground accidentally. This time we both laugh as well as Lucy did back on the video with small giggles leaving Y/N’s mouth.

‘’Funny or clumsy?’’ I say when we calm down and see the girl picking herself up, but lie down across the bed sprawled comfortably her eyes darting up towards the half of the glass roof that’s above us.

‘’Both.’’ Lu says sighing as we watch on the video Lu joining the girl, and start explaining the legend of the lion, that she has in the glass roof. I don’t pay much attention as I know the story by heart, and it’s one of my favorite ones. I watch Y/N instead that’s listening to it. Her face just lights up, and every time before she tells a joke she gets extra giddy about it, then pleased when she manages to make Lucy laugh.

‘’You like her don’t you?’’ Lucy suddenly states which makes me jump a bit as I look up at her fond expression.

‘’What?’’ I ask a bit with too much rush and sharpness ‘’No I don’t!’’ I add but even I hear the obvious high pitch in my tone and the obvious denial. I sigh after my words as she giggles, while I sag back against the headboard and lean sideways laying my head onto her shoulder, while she reaches for my hand and pats it.

‘’There, there big brother, maybe one day you’ll grow up actually.’’ She teases me to which I roll my eyes, and pinch her side making her squeal.

‘’You’re the one who needs to grow up.’’ I snap back playfully but her smirk turns smug as I think quickly and recap the words that just left my mouth ‘’No don’t never grow up you hear me?!’’ I exclaim to which she only breaks into a fit of laughter and lies sideways resting her head onto my lap as I pushed my laptop to the side of the big queen size bed, that she sleeps in. I can’t help but to smile down, and rest my hand on top of her head a she calms down her matching blue eyes looking up at me, as I settle back comfortably against the headboard.

‘’I still don’t know why you’re going along with Susan with this whole…things. It’s stupid.’’ She states while I pick up her laptop and place it down onto my knees.

‘’Because she is right. We need to be logical about this.’’ I reply the words coming now easier to my mouth as I’ve repeated them multiple times. But I can’t hide the irritation before my sister, that is growing inside me every time this theme comes along. She snorts rolling her eyes and turns forward to her computer, deciding to ignore me.

‘’By doing so you appear very cold as well. Douche-y.’’ she states to which I raise an eyebrow as the last term I know from who it originally is.

‘’Douche-y?’’ I ask her as she makes herself comfortable letting the video play, while she doesn’t want to look at me. That much she’s stating obviously.

‘’You heard me.’’ She replies and falls silent. I frown to myself knowing if I press this matter further she will get angrier and defensive. She has made up her mind about Y/N that much she made clear already when Susan stated and warned us to stay away from her. Which Lucy didn’t and they’ve became closer despite Susan’s tactic to keep Lu as busy as she could. Our younger sister is very resourceful, and went up against worse “enemies” than our sister. And me.

But on one hand I can’t help but to agree with Lu.

I know myself enough to admit that I like the strange girl with a mysterious past that happens to be related to the real royalty of Narnia. The true heir. She’s smart, well a genius to be precise which makes her at times wacky but in a good way. She’s brutally honest most of the time I’ve discovered myself. We did talk a lot when we hung out together. She’s a nice girl that has seen hell in her life. We aren’t so much alike from her. But my sister doesn’t see it that way.

And yet I know her logic is in the right place, this whole ‘true heir thing’ just came out of nowhere. So, did Y/N. It’s not her fault that’s obvious, nothing of this is her fault and she doesn’t deserve it. I know that. Lucy knows it better than any of us. She believes in Aslan and she believes in his Y/N honesty despite knowing her only for 5 months. But lots can change during that kind of time. A lot changed in a week too.

And it was my fault. This whole thing…I hold some of the blame in this whole situation. Which its eating me alive at time. Especially these past few days, whenever Y/N she stumbles upon me and…

I don’t know what drove me to act this way. To call up Madeline just like that after I’ve broke everything between us. The girl is delusional till a point. But I’ve been acting even more since the day Susan told us off and made an order. I’m blindly following a cause I don’t believe in for a second. It’s not fair not to myself let alone to Y/N.

My phone brings me back from my thoughts, making me look sideways and the screen, Madeline’s name flashing on the screen. I notice Lu glancing at it and with a disgusted expression for a moment she gets up and sits by herself taking her laptop back while I pick up my phone and just turn it off.

‘’Aren’t you going answer it?’’ Lucy asks showing me her back, as I fall to my side, and wrap am arm around her while with the other I prop my head and look up at her despite her refusal to look at me.

‘’I’m spending time with my favorite sister. No one is allowed to interrupt it.’’ I reply, earning myself a glance from her.

‘’If you have work to do, don’t let me interrupt you.’’ She states which breaks my heart even more. She’d never says something like this in the past. Because whenever I took my time or she arranged for our schedules to align, our time together was precious. She’d get very angry at whoever interrupted us for any small detail. It was always funny to see her fuming over someone just asking if we needed anything. But now it was the complete opposite. It was as if she didn’t want to spend time with me anymore. Like I’ve offender her.

‘’I’ve cleared my schedule, I’m here to help you edit. You know the usual.’’ I say but she stands up from the bed instead.

‘’I’m fine Peter don’t need your help.’’ She stalks over to her table instead leaving me just sitting in her bed.

‘’What did I do?’’ I ask going straight to the point now getting irritated at her behavior ‘’You don’t even want to look at me!’’

Now she turns around jaw clenching. She is mad ‘’That’s a very stupid question right there.’’ She snaps at me ‘’You’re a jerk. You’ve been acting like a complete jerk some time now. And it’s not fair!’’

‘’I’m the same as always!’’ I point out glaring back at her, as she shakes her head.

‘’You’ve all been acting like jerks not just you, but you’ve been the biggest one jet! Susan at least ignores her, Edmund is over analyzing her, and she’s only a human while you…’’ she points her finger at me standing up from her chair at the table ‘’You’re playing with her heart with her emotions which is very low, coming from you.’’

‘’I’m not playing with her emotions! She doesn’t even like me Lucy! If she would she’d be a crying mess by, because she caught me and Madeline. She doesn’t care.’’ Her eyes widen at me, before the blue in them turns ice cold.

‘’Not everyone shows they’re emotions so freely like some Peter. She doesn’t need to cry to show she’s hurt you idiot!’’ she shakes her head, hands in fists as she’s shaking with rage ‘’We’ve been through a lot, you are the only one that know what it’s like to have to hold back your fears and emotions. Not to cry in front of anyone! What makes you think it’s any different for her?!’’ she points out in which her words click in my mind ‘’She’s here in a foreign land for the first time in her life, with strangers surrounding her 24/7. She doesn’t know what we want from her, she doesn’t know her past or Aslan. Her picture of him is not all that sprinkled in flowers and smiles like ours is. And yet she is doing her best to stay strong to simply smile back and be polite!’’

She rants walking up and down ‘’And you three are being jerks for bringing her down. She’s hurting alright?! She doesn’t have to say anything or cry for me to know that she’s hurting bad. Just like I know you like her, because you still do she likes you okay?! I know for a fact she doesn’t go around and admit that to whoever.’’

She pauses and takes a deep breath ‘’Now if you please I have work to do.’’ With that she shows me her back and goes back to sit on her table.

‘’Lu.’’ I say wanting to defend myself back but she puts her headphones on instead ‘’Lucy!’’ I call but she ignores me, glaring at the screen as she taps the mouse in an angry manner. I sigh as I fall back onto the bed, watching my sister angrily continue and do her thing, while I feel like the biggest piece of shit for the moment.

I know everything she said, she is right about. Which makes this all much worse. I need to fix this.

Copyright 2018© by barbika1508. All rights reserved.

[wolfypuppypiles]

Hi! Firstly I want to say that I love your writing so much and i get excited when you upload a fic. I was wondering if you could write a fic where tony and peter go to somewhere really really cold on a mission and peter somehow manages to fall into the freezing water and tony has to keep him warm until help arrives or something

Awww thank you that;s so wonderful to hear! Absolutely, I can! As usual, I’m sorry this took so long, having so many prompts is amazing but it means people have to wait a bit longer. Thanks for this prompt! As soon as I saw it I was like ooh I’m going to have fun writing that one, and I did! I changed a little thing, so they weren’t on a mission cause otherwise with the suits it would have been too easy for them to get out of trouble and thats just no fun lolol also it gave me the opportunity to have a cute little themes through it of why they were out there.

Anyway, here it is I really hope you like it, please let me know. It’s called “Father’s day blues.” (Lol cause hes so cold he turned blue but also hes kinda sad. puns are such fun.)

Peter frowned down at the lake, watching the end of hisfishing line bob in the water.

“So, what exactly are we doing here?”

Tony looked over at him, sitting beside him in the canoe.“You don’t like fishing?”

The kid shrugged, but Tony could tell he was bored. “I’venever done it before.”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, me neither.”

The trip had been planned so that Peter and Tony could havesome time away from everything in the city. Peter could have a break fromtraining, and school, and they could bond a little. Tony said it would be fun,but Peter wasn’t buying it.

“I know why you’re doing this, and you don’t have to.”

Tony wiggled his fishing line, wishing something would bite,so he didn’t have to have the coming conversation. “Of course, we don’t have tofish, we could just buy some, but I heard it’s supposed to be relaxing. Aren’tyou relaxed?”

Peter’s voice was quiet, sad, and Tony couldn’t bringhimself to look at the kid. “I miss him, but you don’t have to do this. I knowyou’re busy, so just drop me off the library, or at Ned’s for however long youtold May you’d have me, and I’ll tell her we had a great time.”

God, this kid made it difficult to do the whole ‘ignore realfeelings at any cost’ thing that Tony had going. He wasn’t ready to throw offthe ruse just yet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would May wantme to take you out? Maybe, I just wanted to spend time with you. Why are you sosuspicious?”

Peter kept his head down low, sounding miserable. “Becauseit’s Father’s Day.”

Tony sighed. “Yeah.”

The kid was right, May had asked Tony to take him out, todistract him, and for some reason he’d thought ice fishing was a good idea.What an idiot.

“Look, your Aunt was worried about you, and she asked me totry and distract you-“

Peter tried interrupting, frowning and grumpy. “I’m not somekid that can’t handle one-“

But Tony wouldn’t let him sulk. “I know you aren’t! But youweren’t the only one that lost your Uncle; today is hard for her too, Pete.She’s spending time with her Dad, and she didn’t want you to be alone.”

Peter was silent for a moment, and Tony finally looked athim. Somehow, he managed to look even more miserable.

“She was so sad this morning, I could tell, but I didn’tknow what to say to her. Father’s day has always been hard. My real parents aregone, but I always had May and Ben…and now Ben is gone too. And I thought thepain had started to go away but…seeing everyone with their dads, and seeing allthe ads about the happy families just makes it more obvious that there’s onlyme and May. I love her but…it hurts.”

Tony’s tongue always seemed to turn to lead in thesesituations, but when he saw the kid sniff and wipe his eyes with his sleeve, hecouldn’t say nothing.

��It’s not just you two.”

Peter looked up at him, surprised. Tony gave him a smallsmile. “You got me too, kid. And, I don’t exactly know what you’re goingthrough; my dad wasn’t the best, and we were never close, but he diedand…today’s always hard. I never really know what to feel. So, I was actuallyglad that your Aunt called. I didn’t really want to spend today alone either.”

Peter sniffed again, before surging towards Tony andwrapping an arm around him. Tony laughed and hugged him back.

“Hey, careful with your rod, don’t drop it.”

Peter smiled as he pulled back, and Tony felt something burnin his chest, at the sight of that smile. He’d never really understood peopleslove for kids, especially teenagers with all that angst and rebellion, butdammit if he wouldn’t do anything to keep that smile on Peter’s face.

The canoe rocked a little, and they both readjusted theirfishing poles. Tony cleared his throat.

“So, do you want to keep fishing or can we do something alittle more exciting?”

Peter let put a breath as he groaned dramatically. “Oh,thank god. This is so lame, and…this lake really smells.”

The canoe and fishing rods were put away, and the two, piledback into the plush car, starting their drive back to where Peter had seen anold observatory he wanted to check out.

“You know, if it’s haunted I’m not going in. I can handlealiens but not ghosts.”

Peter laughed. “You’re scared of ghosts but not aliens?”

“I never said I wasn’t scared of aliens, I just said I don’tfight ghosts. You can’t touch them!”

Peter’s gaze fell out the window, eyes quickly findingtrouble. “Well, yeah but they aren’t even – Tony stop!”

His sudden yell, and thrust hand to Tony’s shoulder almostgave the old man a heart attack, and he quickly stopped the car in the middleof the mostly deserted road.

“What?!”

He followed Peters gaze out the window, only seeing what itwas, as the kid started undoing his seat-belt and throwing open the door. Therewas a family out for a play on a frozen lake, except their harmless fun hadturned into a nightmare, and the ice was beginning to crack.

Peter ran for the lake, as Tony called for him and followedafterwards. There was a kid, around eight years old, in the middle of thecracking ice, his family trying desperately to rescue him.

Tony raced over and watched as Peter offered his help. Thefather of the child, along with the mother, were standing on the snow and dirtsurrounding the lake, trying to throw a rope across to the kid.

The parents were distraught, crying but trying to look bravefor their son. “We’re too heavy for the ice, we can’t get near him!”

Tony knew immediately that Peter would volunteer, and hisheart began screaming at him.

“No, Peter! It’s too dangerous.”

The teenager turned to him, face serious and unafraid. “I’mthe only one light enough to get near him, and if I don’t he’ll fall in. I’mdoing it.”

Tony knew it was dangerous, but he also knew that it had tobe done. He couldn’t look those parents in the eye and tell them no, that theywouldn’t help; and it was Peter, he would always be the willing hero. It waswho he was. And Tony couldn’t stop him.

He watched him tie the rope around himself, and grab anotherfor the kid. Tony tried to remember all the dangerous things that Peter did ona daily basis. He swung from buildings, he fought bad guys, and ran into gunfights; he’d be fine, because he always was.

He put on a smile and patted him on the shoulder. “Okay, yougot this. But be smart about it, stay low to the ground and-“

Peter smiled, relieved to have Tony’s support, because Tonythought he could do it, and Tony was always right.

“Spread out my weight, I know. I passed my physics classes,remember? I know how to redistribute weight and force.”

Tony nodded. “Like the polar bears and wolves do. Go gethim, Pete.”

The parents looked so relieved, they were practically cryingall over again. The mother waved her arms around. “Oh, thank you so much! Wedidn’t know what we were going to do, there’s no service out here to call forhelp.”

Tony frowned at that. “What?” If something went wrong, hewouldn’t be able to contact anyone for help? But, no it wouldn’t go wrong. Itcouldn’t.

Peter tightened the rope around his waist, and startedcrossing the lake. He kept his body low, crouching, and spreading out his bodyweight so as not to crack the ice. Because of his senses, he could feel everyshift of the surface beneath him, and hear the cracks and fissures running throughit. It was terrifying but also helpful, and he crawled to the kid on his tummy.

Once he was close enough, he called out to him, smiling atthat terrified, crying boy.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’m going to bring you back toyour parents. What’s your name?”

The poor kid was so scared, he shook all over, trying not tomove. “T-tyler.”

Peter smiled. “Hey, Tyler. My names Peter. I know yourscared right now, but everything’s going to be fine. I just need you to stayreally still. Can you do that?”

The kid nodded, and Peter felt the ice rumble just a little.He feigned calm, as he studied the lines in the ice beneath Tyler’s feet. He’dhave to be quick, and do his best not to disrupt the surface any more than healready had.

“I’m going to give you this rope, and you’re going to put itaround your waist, just like my one, do you understand? But you can’t move toomuch when you do it.”

The kid nodded, and Peter carefully handed him the rope.Peter could hear the ice shifting, as Tyler’s weight moved slightly, and hisheart raced in his chest. They needed to hurry, but he couldn’t risk rushingthe kid, and having it mucked up.

Tyler got the rope around himself, and Peter let out arelieved breath. Now, even if they did fall in, they could be pulled out. Now,for the tricky bit.

“That’s good buddy! Now, we need to move across the lake toget to your parents, but we need to be careful. Did you see the way I crawledover on my belly?”

The kid nodded, a little less scared now that Peter wasthere, and seemingly calm. “Like a penguin.”

Peter could hear the fissures in the ice running across thesurface, getting bigger. They needed to move.

“Yeah, just like that! So, slowly, get down on your tummyand we can crawl back to your mom and dad like penguins.”

It would have worked, had the kid known about spreading yourweight, and distributing force. But he was eight, how was he to know?

He crouched down, carefully, and started moving across theice, towards Peter, on his tummy just like he was supposed to. But he wasn’tslow, and he wasn’t really spreading his weight out, he was pressing it allonto his hands and knees, and the ice couldn’t take it.

Peter heard the groans and snaps as the ice began to crackand crumble, and he quickly pushed Tyler across the lake with all his strengthas he called out to the parents, holding the rope.

“Pull him in!” The kid slid across the surface of the lake,and his parents began pulling his rope to reel him in, but Peter didn’t get thechance to save himself, because before he could take another breath, the icegave way, and he fell.

The water was like a thousand tiny needles in his skin, andthe shock of cold made him gasp out all the air in his lungs. He wasmomentarily blind, bubbles exploding all around him, as his limbs instinctivelyflailed, trying to swim to the surface.

Amid the sounds of the water, ice, and his own heartbeat,thundering in his ears, he could hear yelling.

“Peter!”

“We’ll pull you out!”

The rope around his waist began to tighten and tug, dragginghim upwards, to the surface of the lake. Peter was so cold his limbs weresimultaneously numb and on fire, but he did his best to kick and drag himselftowards air.

The light was so bright, as Peter surfaced, and he pulled ina deep breath of air, only for it to be forced out again as he startedcoughing.

He could hear Tony yelling for him, but Peter was so cold,his body wracked with shivers and coughs, that he couldn’t do much more thancurl into a ball and drag in air.

“Peter! We’ll pull you in, but you need to spread yourselfout and crawl, so you don’t fall in again! You can do it!”

He didn’t want to move, he didn’t know if he could, he wasshaking so badly, his body curling in on itself to conserve heat. But he neededto; if he wanted to get back to safety, he had to move.

Peter lifted his head, and looked towards where Tony wasstanding on the shore. He was holding Peters rope, as was Tyler’s father, whilethe mother was holding her child. They were all waiting for him, he could doit.

His muscles screamed at him, and his skin burned from wherethe cold air struck it, but he moved. He uncurled himself and rolled onto hisstomach, stretching out his arms and spreading out his weight. Tony and thefather started pulling, helping him crawl to safety, and it felt like foreverbefore he got there.

Tony was rambling nonsense encouragements, repeating thingsover and over, to try and urge Peter forward, when all the teenager wanted todo was curl up into a ball.

When he finally reached the shore, Tony let go of the ropeand dragged him up into his arms, as Peter dripped water everywhere.

The father of the kid pulled the rope off from around him,and frowned at Peter’s blue lips.

“You need to get to a hospital.”

Tony nodded, cursing the lack of phone service, and begandragging Peter to the car; the poor kid’s legs were numb beneath him and hishands wouldn’t open to let him hold onto Tony.

“I can’t drive and take care of him at the same time.”

The father looked to the mother, the woman nodding as sheheld her son, and the man turned back to them. “I’ll drive your car with you,and my wife will take ours behind.”

Tony nodded gratefully, as they all began hurrying to thevehicles. Once there, Tony pulled himself and Peter into the back, while thefather took the driver’s seat and started the car, turning up the heat as faras it could go.

Tony lay Peter down on the back stretch-seat, but the kidwas curling up, and he lay a hand on his chest as he looked at him. “Pete, weneed to get you out of these wet clothes and warm you up.”

The teenager nodded as much as he could, but was too cold tohelp. Tony was just grateful they’d thought to bring extra clothing, andquickly began pulling at Peter’s jacket.

It was slow and difficult to pull Peter’s clothes from him,while he was shaking so badly, and his skin was so sensitive that it felt likesandpaper every time Tony tried to dry him with a spare towel. Little noises ofdiscomfort slipped past Peter’s blue lips, and Tony felt his heart break witheach whimper.

“I’m sorry, kid, I’m sorry. I have to.”

He did his best to be quick about it, and soon had Peter ina pair of comfy sweat pants and a hoodie, talking softly to him while rubbing atowel over his hair.

“You’ll be okay, you’ll start to feel better soon.”

Once his hair was as dry as it was going to get, Tonyslipped his arms under the teenager and lifted him into his lap, holding him tohis chest. Peter was still shivering so violently, that it started shakingTony, and he hugged him close.

The kid looked awful, face pale, with his dark loops of hairstuck back on his forehead. His lips were still blue, as was the tip of hisnose and his fingers, and Tony was getting increasingly worried.  

“Everything’s going to be all right, we’ll get you to Bruceand he can take care of you. We’ll get you into bed and warm you up, and thenwe’ll watch any movies you want okay? Just hang on.”

Peter didn’t reply, unable to with his jaw clenching so hardfrom the shivers, and he simply blinked up at Tony, trusting him completely.But his eyes were drooping, and the shivers were slowing down. Which, as coldas he was, wasn’t a good sign.

It meant that hypothermia was setting in, and the body hadstopped shivering to conserve energy, Peter was fading, and if he fell asleephe may not wake up.

“Peter? No, no, no stay awake, kid, come on!”

He cradled Peter withone arm, and used the other to place two fingers at his throat, feeling theslowing thump of his heart.

“Shit, Peter, stay with me.”

But he wasn’t warming up, his body couldn’t get rid of theice that invaded his bones, his core too cold to thaw out.

Tony quickly unzipped Peter’s hoodie, and opened his ownjacket, hastily pressing the kids bare, pale chest, to his. He used one arm topull a blanket from the ground, wrapping it around the two of them as best hecould with one hand, to keep the warmth in their little blanket burrito.

Peter lay limp in his arms, as he pressed him close, Peter’scurled hands laying between them. Tony picked up one of the ice cold hands andbrought it to his mouth, breathing on the curled, blue fingers, and pressingthem to his cheek.

“You’re okay, I got you. I’m here Peter, focus on me andkeep those eyes open. I’m right here.”

Peter’s tired eyes watched him, blinking slowly, and doingeverything he could to stay awake. He was scared, and in pain, and he felt likehis bones were made of ice, but Tony was there, and that meant he was safe. Hewould be okay, because Tony told him he would be.

It was a long drive to the nearest hospital, too long, andPeter’s eyes were getting heavier and heavier, his breaths slowing and becomingshallower.

Tony noticed the way Peter’s chest rose and fell in short,uneven, bursts, against his, and held the kid closer, pressing his face toPeter’s hair and whispering to him, his breath warming him just a little.

“I’ve got you, kid. Just stay with me. Please, Peter, stayawake, keep breathing. You can do it Spider-man.”

Tony held the kid so close, he never wanted to let go, neverwanted to let anything hurt him again, but when he pulled back he saw Peter’seyes had slid shut.

“No! Peter, wake up! Don’t do this to me!”

The little boy’s father stopped the car, announcing theirarrival to the hospital, but Tony didn’t even notice him get out and call forhelp, he didn’t notice the change in scenery, because Peter wasn’t moving.

The kid was so pale, and his lips so blue, Tony had to placea hand on his chest to be sure he was still breathing and alive, because hecertainly didn’t look it.

He held his breath as he spread his fingers over Peter’sbreastbone, hoping, begging, that he would be okay. He almost didn’t find it,almost died inside, but finally there, under his fingertips, was the faintbeating of a stubborn heart, and the stuttered rise and fall of his chest.

He barely had time to be grateful before the doors of thecar were opening and people were reaching in to pull Peter out. Tony’s firstinstinct was to hold him closer, to protect him from the oncoming harm, but hequickly realized he needed to let go.

He didn’t want to, Peter looked so vulnerable and small, buthe reluctantly handed him over to the medical professionals, watching them setthe boy down on a gurney and wheel him inside.

Tony sprinted behind them, unwilling to leave Peter, even asnurses urged him to wait outside.

It was a bustle of movement and noise, and he stood backagainst the wall, as he watched them work. They yelled things, and placed anIV, putting a ambu bag over Peter’s mouth and nose to encourage him to breathe.

“I need warm saline, and heating blankets!”

“His oxygen sat’s too low.”

“Heart rate is too.”

Tony didn’t know what it all meant, all the numbers andacronyms they rattled off, but he knew Peter was in good hands. Still, therewas someone who could do better, and Tony silently apologized to Peter forhaving to leave for just a moment.

He found a nurse at a desk, and wiped a hand over his faceas he spoke to her, tired and worried. “I need to organise a patient transfer.”

The hospital staff were happy, insisting that he shouldn’tbe moved, especially not to a hospital that they’d never heard of.

“I told you, it’s a special facility that is better suitedto his needs. He has a lot of…health…issues…that you won’t be able to handle.His doctor has already set up everything he needs there, and he’s going to meetus on the jet to take care of Peter during the transfer.”

The woman frowned and shook her head. “I can’t authorisethat. He’s a minor, and without a parent or legal guardian’s permission, I can’tlet you take him anywhere. Are you his father?”

It didn’t take Tony long to answer. He would have saidanything in order to get Peter to where he needed to be, but it wasn’t really alie anyway. Peter was like a son to him in every way that mattered, andalthough blood and…legally, Peter wasn’t his kid, Tony sure damn loved him likeone.

“Yes, I’m his father. Now, let me take him home, where hecan receive proper treatment.”

It didn’t take Bruce long to arrive, and Peter was quicklyloaded onto the private jet, and brought to the compound. Tony held his handthe entire way, watching closely over him as he lay unconscious, and refused toleave him once they got back to the Avengers base.

Bruce was a lot calmer than the nurses had been, and quicklyhooked up the all necessary equipment. By the time he’d finished, Peter wasbreathing better, with an oxygen mask of warmed air, a line of heated saline,and heating blankets over him.

Tony sat beside his bed and brushed the teenager’s hair backon his forehead, thanking Bruce profusely for the fact that Peter was no longerblue.

“The nurses at that hospital did their best, but they justdon’t know Peter like I do. Regularly the hypothermia wouldn’t be quite sosevere, but because of Peter’s powers, especially where he got them from, itwas more aggressive, and they wouldn’t have been able to warm him up withnormal means. For one, they wouldn’t usually use such high heat with him, butPeter always runs warmer than other anyway.”

Tony looked up at his friend. “Wait, what are you talkingabout? What does it matter where he got his powers?”

Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose and looked a littleembarrassed. “It sounds sort of ridiculous, but spiders typically don’t do sowell in the winter. They tend to die pretty quickly in colder temperatures, soPeter may not have been able to warm up after his core temperature was soquickly brought down to that level. But you acted fast, and did everythingright. You saved him, Tony.”

The mechanic looked back down to the teenager in the bed, unableto chase away his concern.

“Is he really okay?”

Bruce swiped at some screens, showing x-rays and scans.

“His chest is clear, so he didn’t swallow any water, and he didn’tsustain any injuries from the fall, other than some minor bruising. He’s okay,Tony, I promise.”

But he couldn’t be, Tony was still feeling shaky and sickwith worry. “Then why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

Bruce was about to answer, when Peter’s hand curled in Tony’shold. Those, now thankfully, pink fingers were weak but they squeezed Tony’s,and he held his breath in anticipation.

“Peter? Open your eyes bud, let me know you’re okay.”

He watched closely, leaning in as he waited, until thosebright eyes blinked open, and Peter let out a groan.

“hmm…I’m o…kay.”

Tony’s breath left him in a rush of relief and he pulledPeter into a careful hug. “Oh, thank god, I was so worried. When you disappearedinto that lake, I felt like my heart had fallen out of my ass.”

Peter let out a small laugh and hugged Tony back, begincareful of the needles still in his arms. “Gross.”

Tony squeezed him for a second longer, closing his eyes andjust relishing in the fact that his kid was safe. “Don’t ever do that to meagain.”

He gently lay Peter back down, as the teenager smiled, voicequiet and tired. “I don’t plan on falling into anymore frozen lakes anytimesoon. How’s the kid? How’s Tyler?”

Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because of coursethat would be Peter’s first concern; not where he was or whether he himself wasokay; nope some stranger he met for twelve seconds.

“He’s fine, they had some nurses check him over, back at thehospital, and he doesn’t even have a scratch on him. You saved him, Pete, andhis parents are so grateful they were calling you a hero and telling anyone who’dlisten. But I almost don’t even care about them, because you almost died. I’mjust glad you aren’t blue anymore. You seriously scared the crap out of me. Wecan’t even go on a boring fishing trip without you saving someone.”

Peter smiled softly, his eyes bright and innocent as theyalways were. “I thought this year’s Father’s day would be horrible, since it’s myfirst without Uncle Ben-“

Tony made a face and waved a hand in exasperation. “It washorrible! You almost died!”

Peter laughed again, before his tone grew more serious,although it never lost its sweetness.

“Yes, but I didn’t. And, Father’s day might kind of suckmost of the time, but I really liked spending it with you.”

Well, fuck. Tony’s heart melted into a puddle in his chest,and he smiled, brushing Peter’s hair back.

“Me too, kid. But next year, let’s go somewhere warm.”

[littleladysongbird]

Feeling Slightly Overboard: A Gwenvid Fic

Hey! I’m back from the dead! While I’ve been busy at work with papers and other really cool writing projects, I realized I missed Gwenvid week and decided to write something to make up for it. So, inspired by @zippybot‘s wonderful Gwenvid art for Day 5 & 6, here’s a very short fluffy fic!

(Oh yeah and I don’t own Camp Camp)

-xoxo Diana 

***

It had always been a really bad idea at its core.

After all, despite having free reign over the camp with Campbell off and gone to god-knows where, it was still...inappropriate to be in a public relationship with one another. Technically they were employees of the local government, and inter-department relationships were absolutely out of the question.

But the kids had passed out early and it was way too hot to stay in the cabin and watch a movie. So David and Gwen stole camp supplies and a canoe and literally pitched themselves a date in one of the isolated coves of Lake Lilac.

Camping and late-night canoeing was David’s idea from the get-go,  though he certainly didn’t expect to be taking her out in the middle of camp season. She was determined to make it work, though, and all but physically dragged him out the door in order to enjoy some peace and quiet together outside the confines of screened windows.

And he wanted to.

Lord, he wanted to.

But even two hours in without a single mishap, his stomach was tripled knotted with anxiety, and he wanted nothing less than to be back at the cabin fast asleep on his own cott, even when Gwen was relaxed and happy in the opposite end of the boat.

It had already been a few weeks since they had made the relationship official, and he was still as nervous as he was the first night they had kissed. He tried to chalk it up to the threat of being fired, but deep down, even David knew that there was really no reason to worry about getting discovered.

Mostly because it still felt like they weren’t even a couple.

The initial decision was quickly decided, and despite a consistent pattern subtle flirting and stolen kisses and late-night conversation, there was little to show for them as a couple. For the first time, David had begun to look forward to the end of camp, since it meant he and Gwen could spend time together as a couple. And yet, in the hollow of his chest, the fear of losing her before summer’s end continued to strike him with a sharp, brutal blow. It was frustrating, and despite all his attempts to-

“David?”

He snapped his head up, hair flouncing in the breeze as he focused his gaze back at the woman sitting across from him. She was frowning, slightly biting her bottom lip as she reached out to grab his hand.

“Hey,” she smiled, “you okay? You look super stressed.”

“Nope!” he laughed through a strained smile, “I just...I haven’t been on a proper date in a while, you know?”

“Don’t worry; it’s going great so far.”

“Thanks,” he blushed, giving her hand a squeeze before grasping the paddle in hand to guide them back to shore.

Their temporary campsite was tucked out of the way, hidden from nearly every angle and shaded by small limestone formations and tall pines. It lacked proper starlight and the shoreline was a slightly unforgiving bed of pebbles, but it was a good sanctuary from the outside world.

“So,” Gwen yawned, letting her hand dip into the clear water as the boat floated on the edge of the cove, “how exactly did you find this place?”

“I can’t remember, honestly,” he sighed, leaning back to look up at the rim of the moon, “I think it was during district training; I was taking a summer class at the community college while also doing my training, and I just needed a quiet place to study. As far as I can tell, nobody ever comes over here since it’s kind of rocky and the tide can flood camp if you don’t know where to pitch it.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thanks.” David sat back up, watching Gwen lazily draw patterns on the cold surface of the lake. For a moment, everything was calm.

Then a tree branch snapped.

Anxiety blew him backwards like a bullet to the face, causing the canoe to dip and toss both Gwen and David into the freezing water.

“Jesus!” Gwen gasped, her entire body turning a stark shade of white as she scrambled to her feet in the freezing water, “what the hell David?”

“I’m sorry!” He choked, “I thought...there was something.”

“Did you see someone?”

“N-no,” he avoided her gaze, pushing the boat onto the shore as quickly as possible, “I just...it scared me. I’m sorry.”

“David-”

“Just, go dry off.” He mumbled, skin burning with humiliation. “There’s some blankets in the tent if you want.”

He braced himself for what she has to say, but she was silent, quietly moving past him and ducking into the tent. David sighed, peeling off his own shirt and trousers and laying them by the fire before sitting by the flames himself. He was the very definition of humiliation: drenched in cold water, red-faced, and wearing nothing but his boxers and make-shift bandanna.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and losing himself to sound of nature until the sharp scratching of a zipper drew his attention.

“You okay?”

David looked over his right shoulder, surprised to find Gwen beside him with a gentle smile on her face. Her hair was down, a blanket draped across her waist to avoid the complete exposure of her undergarments. David turned back towards the fire, dropping his gaze to the ashes that burst before him.

“...I’m sorry, Gwen,” he sighed, “this was supposed to be a fun date.”

“David-”

“But I ruined it.”

He let the words fall into the open, his own heart heavy with self-loathing and doubt. His chance with her had been slim, and he had completely ruined it. He could hear her awkward breathing and apologies in the back of his imagination, and felt tears boiling under his eyes.

“David-”

He shook, breathing sharply as he prepared for the impact of her words.

“No you didn’t.” He blinked, turning to find her gazing up at him, leaning against his shoulder and taking his hand in her own. “I’m having fun.”

David stared at her, turning a vivid shade of pink as her fingers began to trace along his wrist.

“You’re not...mad at me?”

“Come on, David,” she snorted, rolling her eyes and tucking herself under his chin, “I know we haven’t exactly been the most romantic couple with all these little shits running around, but it’s gonna take a lot more than falling out of a boat to get me to actually break up with you.”

“Oh.” He bit his lip, trying to prevent the stupid smile sprouting on his face. “So...you still, like, want to do this with me?”

“Of course you idiot,” Gwen laughed, “it’s been killing me that those little shits won’t shut the fuck up till one am! Why do you think I’ve been so adamant about you sending those fuckers on an eight hour hike to God-knows where?”

David chuckled under his breath, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Thanks, Gwen.”

“No problem, David!” She snorted, locking eyes with him. David dug a little tighter into her ribs, eyes unflinching from her own. He was feeling jumpy and anxious again, but this time it made him feel...good. With a deep breath, he gently pushed her hand a bit farther behind her, hovering over her with a slight hesitation.

“Hey, Gwen?” He blushed. “Can I...kiss you?”

To his surprise, she laughs, leaning in until she nearly brushes her lips on his own.

“Hell yeah!”

Their lips are locked within seconds, his arms winding themselves around her waist as her own hands knotted behind his head. It was a lot...rougher, than what he was used to, but it was by no means bad. He quite liked the feeling of her tongue pressed against his own, weight shifting ever so slightly and heat rising with the friction between their skin.

“G-god,” Gwen moaned, rocking back on his lap ever so slightly to catch her breath, “that’s...that felt good.”

David bit down on his entire bottom lip, trying to ignore the sudden rush of warmth to his hips. But the bulge began to grow, and, to his complete humiliation, she began to snicker.

“You good, David?”

“J-j-just fine,” he gulped, “sorry, I-”

“It’s not a bad thing. That is, unless you don’t…” she looked up, leaning back to support herself on her own arms, “do you...want to?”

“Want to what?”

“You know; do it? With me? You know...right now?”

“Oh.” David froze, slightly flustered and unsure. “I mean, I want to, but I’m not...I haven’t…”

“Oh, well, we don’t have to-”

“No, I want to!” David grasped her waist, pulling her back into his arms. “I just...I might not be good at it.”

“David, nobody’s good at it. We just...we do it.”

“Okay.” He nodded, kissing her deeper and deeper until she was sprawled out below him. He smiled at her, sheepish and still slightly nervous.

“Is this okay, Gwen?”

Gwen looked up, trying to keep her eyes focused on his own instead of the discrete trail of freckles that crawled down his body. Sweating slightly, she grinned. 

“Perfect.”

***

(PS: In case you were wondering my other CC fics, reader; yes, I’m still working on Bastard Valley. I have a personal project I need to complete in the next week, but then I will get to work and probably upload chapters 4 and 5 relatively soon)

(PPS: PLEASE FOLLOW @zippybot THEY DESERVE THE BEST!)

[overwatchimaginations]

I love your writing! Could I request a fic please? Where McCree has a secret fiancé, living somewhere safe and reminding him that he has something to live for? But the remaining Deadlock members find her and kidnap her? And she's terrified when she realizes how much they hate Jesse and how they're willing to do anything to her in order to hurt him.

((A/N - I did this in Blackwatch era if that’s okay! It made more sense as Deadlock was more recent and oh my goodness gracious me I got so carried away with it I love writing McCree as a hero oosh. Might have to upload to AO3!))

—

“Please be safe.”“I always am, doll.”

You stood on your toes to be able to press your lips against his. His rough, chapped lips that you were forever telling him to put lip balm on. You saw Jesse out the door, waving to him as set off down the road towards the Overwatch base. You twirled your engagement ring on your finger, a thin gold band that had a set of three diamonds with the middle one being slightly larger.

Jesse had proposed to you last year. You had known him since his days in the Deadlock gang, only because he used to frequent the diner you worked at. On more than one occasion he had bought you a strawberry milkshake or paid for your favourite song to be played on the jukebox. You were always careful though. You never became too close for the fear of doing something wrong which might anger him or the gang. You always accepted his compliments with a smile, and politely refused his requests to go dancing after work. It was only ever him that visited, saying what you had was a little secret, sealed with a wink.

Overwatch had then infiltrated Route 66, tearing apart the gang and luckily giving Jesse another chance at life to do good in the world. Knowing that neither of you were in any more danger, he proposed to you then and there. He constantly complimented you on your accent, your style, your pretty eyes. You had only moved to the little town a couple of years prior. He had of course sweetened you up and you accepted. You were his rock, and he was your charming cowboy.

***

“Honey, I’m home!” Jesse jokingly sang out as he sauntered through the front door.

You greeted him with a smile and a peck on the cheek. With what Jesse was earning working in the Blackwatch division under Overwatch, there was no need for you to carry on working at the diner. You had your own little ranch on the outskirts of town. You spent your days cleaning, cooking, sewing, ironing, being kept hidden..

“Did you tell them today, sweetie?” You held your hands in front of you, an expectant look on your face.

Jesse’s furrowed brow and sigh told you everything. Your engagement was a secret. A secret from your family, friends, and Overwatch.

“That’s.. fine.” You turned away from him, heading back into the kitchen to finish up the stew.

“Darlin’, it’s not fine.”“So why can’t you tell them? Why can’t I tell them? Why can’t I tell anyone?”

You span on your heels to look at him and crossed your arms. Jesse’s eyes widened at your sudden anger. He understood your frustrations, he really did. It just seemed for however long you two has known each other everything between you had to be a secret.

“There are… Complications.”“Such as?”

Jesse sighed and took his hat off, moving round to sit on the sofa and patting the seat next to him. You precariously followed suit, back stiff and perched on the edge of the seat.

“Deadlock.”“Yes? What about them?”“With Overwatch being close by, they’re gettin’ a bit antsy. Since they, well, arrested half o’ their men they didn’t take too kindly to it. Doll, the base isn’t even the direction that I head off to in the morning. I have to do that in case I’m bein’ followed.”

Your shoulders tensed slightly.

“Being followed..?”“They’re not the nicest o’ gangs and they try to keep tabs on people. Whether they know that I was given’ a second chance.. I don’t know.”

You looked at him. He was staring at the carpet, eyes drawn to a particular out of place thread. He fiddled with the hat in his hands.

“Which is why I have to keep us a secret.” Jesse slowly said.

You nodded, taking the hat from his hands and walking around the sofa to place it on a coathook. You hadn’t realised he was following you until you turned around and bumped into him.

“(Y/N), you are my home. You always have been. If anythin’ were t'happen’ to ya..”

You leant forwards onto his chest, him then covering you with his arms. He of course smelt like cigars, gunpowder and coffee. You were his home, and he was yours.

You pulled back slightly so you could look up into his chocolate eyes, etched with concern.

“I love you, Jesse McCree.”

He broke into a smile and picked you up, twirling you around.

“I love you too, (Y/N).”

***

The next day went off without a hitch, you said your farewells and began preparing food for dinner.

Knock. Knock.

You frowned. Wiping your hands clean on a teatowel you lightly stepped over to the front door, peering through the peephole. Two young men dressed in black stood cockishly on your porch. You weren’t supposed to have any visitors today. You weren’t supposed to have any visitors, full stop.

You hooked the metal chain onto the door, so when it opened there was only a tiny crack you could see through. Better to be safe than sorry.

“May I help you, at all?”

“Is McCree here?” The one on the right spat.

“Erm, who? I think you may have the wrong ranch.”

Your heart was racing. Jesse had prepared you for this, to feign ignorance if anyone came asking for him.

“Your fiancé?”

You blanched. You tried to slam the door closed but one put their foot in the way. You grunted, and ran towards where you kept your shotgun in the cupboard under the stairs. You’d never had to use it before, but being so far out in the open you constantly had wild beasts and trespassers roaming your lands, you had to threaten them somehow.

You aimed it at the door, preparing for the worst when a crack shot through the air and your front windows were shattered. You held your hand up to your face to shelter from the flying glass, a few shards managing to scrape across your palm.

“Don’t come any closer.” You threatened. You inwardly cursed yourself at how weak you sounded. You emphasised by jabbing the shotgun in the direction of the window.

“Why, miss, we don’t want to hurt you.”

The two intruders stepped through the shattered pane, pointing revolvers at you and grinning wolfishly. Your breathing quickened. Your eyes scanned around the room, while slowly stepping back. You needed an exit route, and you needed one now.

“Just tell us where McCree is and we won’t have to put a bullet between your pretty eyes.”

They were stalking towards you, every step you took back they took one forward. The gun in your hands was shaking. You cocked it and aimed at their feet, firing which sent a whirlwind of wood splinters into the air.

This gave you a few mere seconds to sprint out of the living room, into the kitchen and out the back door. You heard cursing from the strangers and then heavy footsteps of them chasing you. You rounded the corner and pressed your back against the warm wooden slats, gun poised to whack the butt into one of their heads as they came round.

They never came round. You were sure they were following you. You frowned, peeking out to see if they were still there. They weren’t.

Treading carefully and aiming your shotgun, you stepped around the corner to look by the back door.

“Checkmate, princess.”

Something cold and hard pressed against the back of your neck. You shuddered out a breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. You stared blankly ahead into the desert, dropping the gun on the ground and raising your open hands to shoulder height.

Gravelly footsteps made their way so the one that had originally spoken to you was standing in front of you.

“Wild one, she is.”“No wonder McCree went for her.” The one behind you sniggered.

You narrowed your eyes at the one in front, who was now pointing his gun at your chest.

“Don’t try anythin’ funny, sweetheart.” He smiled sickly sweet at you, and then nodded at the one behind you.

A rag soaked in something sweet and alcoholic covered your nose and mouth, making you cry out. You scrabbled at the man’s hands by your face, hearing him wince from where you cut him with your nails. He was relentless. Trying to struggle made you breath in more sharply and quickly, which you didn’t realise was helping their cause. Your hands became fuzzy, knees weak and vision blurring.

“Sleep tight.” They chuckled.

Everything went black.

***

“Why ain’t she pickin’ up..”

Jesse scowled at his burner phone, the number he had been ringing going to voicemail. He wanted to let you know that he was going to be home early today, as he’d managed to get a half day off and he could help you cook dinner as an apology for yesterday.

He scuffed his way through the long grass, the heat forming sweat droplets on the back of his neck.

He frowned. Tyre tracks by the front of your ranch. You weren’t supposed to have visitors. Feeling uneasy, Jesse unholstered his peacekeeper. Before he had made it to the front of the house, he could see that the front window had been smashed in and the door was slightly ajar.

Oh no.

“(Y/N)? You home, doll?”

He peaked in through the window and saw glass everywhere. Two pairs of dusty footprints by window making their way towards- blood? He stepped through the wooden pane on high alert for any signs there’s someone still in the house. It was deathly silent.

Jesse crouched when he made it to the doorway to the kitchen, picking up a shard of glass that definitely had blood on it.

Well, shit.

He quickly put his earpiece in and channeled it to the base.

“McCree to Watchpoint 66.”“McCree. Reyes here.”“I need your help.”

***

Your head was pounding. Your palm stung. Your breathing was rattling, as though you were dehydrated. Your neck ached from where it was hanging awkwardly, a stray hair tickling your nose. You tried to reach up to brush it out of the way and scratch your nose. You tensed your arms when you realised you couldn’t, something rough had bound your wrists together behind your back. Your eyes shot open. Your vision was blurry, trying to adjust to the dim lit room. You looked down and realised you had been bound to a wooden chair. Trying to cry out for help, you realised a cloth of some sort was drawn tightly across your mouth. Glancing down, even your ankles were tied together from what you could see with rough hemp rope. You tried to regulate your breathing, air heavily leaving your nose.

Your head shot up when the rickety door swung open, a dark figure standing in the doorway.

“She’s awake.” The voice rumbled, nodding to someone else in the hallway.

The figure stepped over the threshold towards you. You tensed up, drawing in a sharp breath and head held high.

He wore dark leather trousers and a billowing cream top, almost like an old fashioned pirate. He grabbed your jaw with his calloused hand, forcing you to look up towards his shadowed face.

“So you’re the one that Jesse McCree has fallen for. A pretty lil’ thing, huh.”

He had the same southern accent as Jesse, albeit more menacing. He turned your head to the side, losing eye contact. Only spending a minute with this savage and he’s already made you feel like a piece of meat up for inspection. He leaned in close, lips hesitating over your ear.

“Do ya love him, sweetpea?”

You shut your eyes, tears squeezing out the corners and you drew in a shuddering breath.

“Answer me.”

You nodded your head, him only being satisfied when he let his grip go off your face and moved back. You bowed your head, wondering how you got into this situation. Wondering what Jesse’s reaction would be when he saw how ransacked your house was. Wondering about Jesse.

“Don’t cry. I di'n’t mean to make ya cry.”

He gently wiped away a streaming tear, his touch as soft as a lover’s. You glanced at his tan hand that was so close to your cheek. He took his hand back and thwack. His right hand struck your cheek, snapping your head to the right and hair falling over your face. The pain brought a fresh batch of waterworks, sobs choking in your throat.

A dark chuckle escaped from your captor. He pulled up another wooden chair from the darkness and sat down.

“D'ya know how long we’ve been lookin’ for that mutt?”

You shook your head, learning quickly it’s better to play along.

“Too long. After that darned Overwatch took half o’ my men we wanted to fight. Obviously we didn’t have enough manpower. When we learnt that ingrate was alive and workin’ for them? Hoo, that’s a whole ‘nother story.”

He leant back in the chair, his right ankle coming up to rest on his left knee.

“I had my men follow him. That Overwatch weren’t pretty smart to keep an ex-Deadlock member livin’ on Route 66 were they? He tried to be clever. Sent them on a fox hunt, he did. Until one day we finally caught him going back to ya nice lil’ ranch out back. Seein’ you greet him at the door warmed my heart, I must say.”

Your eyes widened.

“He had a lil’ missy and he was keepin’ her secret from the world. Well, I wonder why that is? That Jesse McCree had snagged himself somethin’ real nice and didn’t wanna share her. We thought we could do him the favor. We could let him know how much he hurt us, at the same time hurtin’ him.”

You frowned at this. They wanted to hurt him? By hurting you?

The stranger leant forwards placing a hand on your knee.

“Don’t worry, doll. We only want to let him know how big o’ a mistake he made when he betrayed us."  He stood up, stalking around to the back of your chair and placed his hands heavily on your shoulders. "You are the key.”

You shuddered under his grasp, your entire body shivering at the thought of what they, or he, were going to do to you.

***

“Jesse, you need to calm-”“I am calm.” Jesse seethed. “Well then get your hand off of my desk.”

Jesse looked down, his nails digging into the wood creating splints on Gabriel’s desk. He grunted, flumping himself into the chair opposite Reyes and hiding his dark eyes behind his hands.

“She’s out there somewhere and we’re sittin’ here doin’ nothin’. She could be hurt or dyin’ or-”“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it. Jesse, we will find her. I promise.”

***

You don’t know how long it had been. They would occasionally bring in water and sludge for what they called food. They had to feed you, this being the only time they would ungag you. Your wrists were chafed from being constantly bound, your ankles only released when you needed to relieve yourself. You had lost all energy to fight. It didn’t help that every now and then they would rough you up.

Your head ached, there was dried blood crackling by your nostril and you were sure your ribs were either cracked or majorly bruised. Breathing became a struggle, it was all you could focus on.

They didn’t seem to care about information about Jesse. All Deadlock wanted to do was hurt you. Hurt you so they could hurt him.

The door creaked open, you flinching at the light that shone through the doorway. You were tired and you wanted to give up. It was the man that you had first seen when you were taken.

“Looks like he’s given up lookin’ for ya, doll.” He smirked. “There’s been no word for.. Oh. Four days now.”

You stared blankly at the floor by his feet; you wouldn’t have given him a reaction even if you could. He walked over to you, holding something in his hand that glinted against the light.

“I think it’s time to.. Up the pace. Don’t you think, sweetheart?”

Only then did you look at him properly, studying what he had in his hand. A knife. You tried to shrink into your chair, worried eyes passing between the knife and his shadowed face. A swift strike and the blade was plunged into your thigh, blood seeping out from around the edges. You shut your eyes and let out a muffled cry, pain blinding your vision.

“Good girl. I made sure t'record that one. I’ll send it to ya fiancé and let him know how ya doin’.”

You breathed in deeply through your nose, tears now running freely down your cheeks and you trying to hold back sobs. You’d never known pain like this before.

He pulled the knife from its warm confines to wipe on his trousers, your blood running down onto the floorboards. He twirled the knife in his hands, looking like a predator wondering where he was going to make his next strike. You pleaded with your eyes as much as you could, you couldn’t take much more. You’d fantasized about being back at home, in your bed, with Jesse.

You didn’t know how strong your threshold was for pain but you knew you weren’t going to last long if they started torturing you for the hell of it.

“Com'ere, doll.” He grabbed your throat, leaning in dangerously close.

He passed the blade down the side of your face, making a deep cut down your cheekbone. You could feel blood trickling down, just adding to the list of injuries you had. He tightened his grip around your neck, digging his fingers in which would no doubt leave some lovely purple splotches.

An earthy rumble echoed through the building. Your captor looked at you in concern then span around to face the doorway. He moved around you, behind your chair and pulled your hair so your neck was on show. A loud crash and then suddenly there were three people all in dark clothing looking through the doorway where a rickety door has once stood.

“Long time, no see, McCree.” The man said, now pushing the blade against your bare throat.

“Get your dirty hands off of her, Max.”

Jesse.

You whimpered, struggling in your bounds on the chair. The grip in your hair tightened, making you take a short breath and changing your view so all you could see was the ceiling.

“You ain’t in a position to tell me what to do, Jesse. Unless you want your sweetheart’s blood spewin’ everywhere. Say, how does it feel? To have somethin’ you love taken away from ya?”

“Let her go.” A voice you didn’t recognise said.

“Uh uh. Not until the lil’ rat here understand what Overwatch did to my gang. And how betrayed I felt when I learnt he’d gone off gallavantin’ with ya.”

You could feel the blade dig in deeper, droplets beginning to form. The pain in your leg was excruciating.

“She’s got nothin’ to do with that.”

Your breathing was becoming heavier, the tightness by your throat and the general aches and pains from your leg, ribs, cheek and hair were becoming too much for you. The room became incredibly warm, your hands and feet becoming tingly and limp and eyes drifting shut.

“Looks like she’s already given’ up, Jesse. You’re too late.”

You heard a muffled crack in the air before you let yourself drift off.

***

“(Y/N)?”

You leaned into the touch of someone stroking your hair back from your face. You stirred, eyes shooting open and breathing increasing from what you last remembered.

“(Y/N), it’s okay. You’re safe.”

You quickly scanned the area and all you could see was white. White ceiling, white walls, white bed. Bed. You turned to where the voice came from and there was Jesse. Your Jesse that had come to save you, perched on the edge of the chair waiting anxiously. You leaned back onto the cushy pillows and let out a sigh. You glanced him over. His beard was more scraggly and under his eyes were dark. You held out your hand towards him, him instantly taking it in his grasp and holding you tightly. His thumb rubbed over your engagement ring.

“Jesse..” You croaked.“Stop. (Y/N), I’m so sorry.” His voice sounded gravelly, broken. “I thought I could protect you.”

You squeezed his hand in reply, trying not to say anything which could damage your throat.

“I should'a been more careful. I should'a done what you said and told them about us. They could’ve protected you more than what I could.”

You frowned at this.

“No, Jesse-”“I did this to ya. I wouldn’t be surprised if you up and left me.” He covered his face with his free hand, rubbing his forehead.

You retreated your hand slightly before slapping him on the wrist.

“Don’t you dare. You rescued me. What’s done is done but we’re here now. Safe.”

He peeked at you through his fingers, brown eyes meeting yours. A small smile formed on his lips before darting around your face and taking in what Deadlock had really done to you. It faded.

“Wounds heal, Jesse.” You reassured, catching on to what he was looking at. “I never doubted for a second you wouldn’t come for me.”

“Could'n'ta done it without Reyes.”“I’m sure he’s lovely.”“He’s the one that took me in after Deadlock.”“Even more so.”

Jesse relaxed a bit, glad to see that you had woken up and hadn’t changed a bit.“So I’m guessing Overwatch know about us then, huh?”

He nodded.

“I had to.”“Not under the best circumstances.”“I wish it could’ve been better.”

You turned your head towards him so you were facing him fully. You grabbed his hand that was still laying on your pristine sheets with both hands, bringing it up to kiss his knuckles. You hesitantly glanced down at your wrists, ropeburn clearly showing.

“I love you, Jesse McCree. Don’t you ever forget or think that anything will come in between that.”

“I love you too, (Y/N).”

[littlecarowrites]

~ Make A Wish ~

Request: Insomnia fluff with Bones -  @bkwrm523

Words: 2347

Warnings: //

Beta’d: No and I’m terribly sorry for that, but it took me so long to write this fic (I had way to many ideas and like three different stories I had to put into one) and I just finally wanted to upload it for you. I hope that there aren’t too many (or at least not really bad) mistakes.

A/N: I hope you enjoy! I never actually suffered from insomnia, so I don’t not if the methods I mention here would work for someone who does suffer from it, but it works for me when I’m not tired enough to go to bed.

Tags: //

Annoyed you huffed out as you turned onto your back again and stared at the ceiling. You've been laying there for a long time, trying to fall asleep but weren’t able to do so. You weren’t even able to close your eyes. You thought that they would’ve grown accustomed to the darkness by now, but you still couldn't see your hands in front of your eyes. Even if they were, the table and the vase you thought you saw weren't actually there. They couldn't be.

The table and the vase belonged to the interior decor of your quarters on the Enterprise, but you were at home right now, on Earth, which was probably the reason for your insomnia. You missed the constant humming of the machinery on the Enterprise, the hushed voices that sometimes passed your quarters and you missed being able to open up your eyes and look out of the windows to see the stars so close and beautiful.

Something you didn’t miss, because you weren’t lacking it at that moment, was his warmth. On the Enterprise he had to sleep near the med bay in case of an emergency and you, as a bridge crew member, were stationed a few floors above him, so you rarely got to sleep together. Right then though, you were almost ready to kill him. You weren’t really sure as to why you never noticed it, but boy, that man snored! Pinching his nose or shaking him a little only caused him to scrunch up his face or move a little bit, but he stayed asleep and snored on.

With a big sigh you threw the duvet to the side, carefully not to wake him up and swung your legs out of the bed. You shivered when your feet touched the cold and unfamiliar wooden floor and you slipped immediately into your slippers, before slowly opening the bedroom door.

You didn’t bother to turn on the lights, not wanting to risk waking up Len as you knew how much he wanted and deserved to finally sleep in for once. So you wandered quietly through the house, slightly disoriented without the lights on and the notions of where what was, as you had just arrived yesterday and this wasn’t your house but Leonard’s. And finally, after some excruciating minutes of following the walls with your hands and almost falling to your death after you missed a stair step, you reached the kitchen.

Silently humming to yourself you rummaged through it, looking into all the cupboards and drawers. “We really need to go shopping, there’s only light in the fridge”, you mumbled to yourself. After a while you finally found all the ingredients you were looking for: A mug, a little bit of milk, which you hoped was still good and chocolate powder to make yourself a hot chocolate.

Putting the mug into the microwave you looked at your mobile phone and sighed: 3am. “Great. No way in hell anyone is going to be awake at this ungodly hour. Searching for random facts it is then.”

Grabbing a blanket from the couch in the living room, you took the now steaming mug outside and sat on one of the chairs on the porch. Cautiously and slowly sipping the hot chocolate so you wouldn’t burn your tongue, you looked into the night sky, searching for some familiarity.

It was weird to think that not even a day before you were among them, planets away from Earth and would’ve been able to touch them, if you had just exited the ship. “Do Vulcans call them stars too? Do other planets call them stars? Are they as important to them as they are to us?” And just like that you had found the perfect random topic to research about.

x-x

Time passed quickly as you were sitting there, slowly sipping your drink and typing furiously on your PADD, staring from time to time into the night sky. Hours could’ve passed or just a few minutes, but suddenly you were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Why are you awake darlin’?”, a sleepy Leonard asked through the screen door. After he had woken up without you in bed and had seen you through the screen door, he had grabbed the next best zip hoodie and had thrown it over his shirtless body before heading out to you.

“Can’t sleep”, you said matter-of-factly without moving or looking at him. “You snore too loud. I never realized that on the Enterprise, I guess her humming was louder.” You took a big gulp from the chocolate, relishing the warmth that spread through your body, as the liquid disappeared behind your lips.

“Very funny.” He lifted you up, which took you by surprise and you yelped while holding onto the mug, as he slid under you to sit down and put you on his lap, spreading the blanket over you both.

You put the mug carefully on the floor, turned around and leaned in as if you were going to kiss him. “I’m being serious, you snore and breathe too loud”, you whispered, still leaning closer and when he finally closed his eyes you quickly grabbed the cords of his hood and pulled at them. He grumbled in protest but was too slow and when only a little bit of hair, his mouth and the tip of his nose was sticking out of the hood, you tied the cords up to a knot and quickly pecked his nose. “Yes, that’s better.”

“I can’t breath Y/N. Open the knot!”, he said toneless.

“Breathe through your mouth and not your nose, maybe you’ll the realize how much you snore and feel guilty”, you sassed back, picked up the mug and cuddled yourself into his bare chest.

It took him a while and lots of moving until you could hear him taking a big breath and sliding the hood back down. Then, as if it took him a while to figure out if he should be angry at you or not, his hands circled around your waist and his face pressed into your neck. “What are you drinking? Please don’t say it’s coffee, because then you’re for sure not going to sleep anytime soon and will do even dumber things”, he hummed.

“Pfff! It’s hot chocolate. Chocolate doesn’t ask silly questions, chocolate understands”, you spoke into the mug, letting the remaining heat of the liquid reach your face.

“I understand too”, he said and grabbed your hands that were around the mug to take a sip too.

“Yeah, I know, but I rather talk to my boyfriend than to a goddamn tree saw.”

His chest shook as he laughed, clearly still tired but very amused. “Well darlin’, you’re mean when you’re tired. Give me that.”

You pouted and quickly took the last gulp out of the mug before Len could take it away, folding your arms in front of your chest to protect it. “Excuse you? I’m always mean! Roses are red, violets are blue, I’ve got five fingers and the middle one is for you.”

“Why thank you”, he answered and took your hand that wasn’t holding the mug in his, pressed a little kiss to the back of your hand and then the tip of your middle finger, “what a beautiful finger that is. But the hand...”

Shocked you gasped and pulled your hand away from his. “Len! I told you already that I’m not going to visit you in the med bay just because I have some scratches and bruises. I know that my hand may not be the prettiest of all, but at least the scars show that I work hard.”

“No, no, no!”, he said appeasing. He lifted you up by holding on to your waist, turned you around to face him, throwing the blanket off during the process and helped you straddle him. “That’s not what I meant darlin’!”

“Hmm… sure. That’s why I heard you talking to Jim that one day, complaining that you could’ve fixed my hand a long time ago if I wasn’t so stubborn.” You folded your arms, the mug still in your hand, in front of your chest again and looked at him expectantly, wanting an answer.

“No… oh god woman!”, Len sighed and messed his already messy bed hair even more up, when he scratched the back of his head. “I wanted to say that it looked lovely but oddly bare and I wanted to change that.” He took a deep breath and paused for a moment. “You know, I watched you for a few moments through the screen door before I spoke and I saw a shooting star passing by and I made a wish that only you can fulfill.”

“You’re not allowed to tell me your wish or it won’t come true, Len”, you reminded him of the old saying.

“If I don’t tell you, it probably will never come true”, he mumbled under his breath while fiddling with his pyjama pants and pulling out a velvet box. “So... Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, do you want to make my wish come true and become my wife?”

You didn’t have to think about the answer, so you just kissed him and nodded, holding out your hand so he could put the ring on your finger. “Did you plan on snoring to loud so I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight?”

He shook his head and laughed. “I actually ate, slept and showered with the ring near or on me the last few days, waiting for the perfect moment, when neither Jim nor the Enterprise where around so that nobody would interrupt us or try blow us up.”

You giggled and leaned your forehead to his, staring into his beautiful hazel eyes and caressed his cheeks, admiring him, while he enjoyed feeling the cold metal of the ring on his cheek. He really did it!

You both sat there in silence after that, forehead to forehead, listening to each others calming breaths. After a while you turned around again, leaning back into his chest and he wrapped his arms around your middle, holding your hands in his and started playing with the ring on your finger. While you stared at the sky, that was gradually becoming brighter as the sunrise approached, Len sometimes pressed little kisses to your neck and shoulders, tracing simultaneously along the freckles and scars, that you had on your shoulders, neck and upper back.

“What were you exactly doing before I came out?”

“Since I couldn’t sleep I searched for some random facts on my PADD. I did this when I was little too and couldn’t sleep. I’d make myself something warm, tea or hot chocolate and sit somewhere quiet and read. It’d make me tired and I’d be always so excited to tell my friends about it in the morning. Chekov was always the first to ask me if I knew something new about Earth or the galaxy. Did you know that ‘yel’ means star in Vulcan? I’m not exactly sure how to pronounce it, but how funny would it be if I went to Spock and said: ‘Look at that, there’s a yell in the sky!’ He probably wouldn’t understand what I mean and would ask Uhura if she found any unanswered distress calls.”

Leonard groaned and buried his face into your hair. “Did you have to destroy the wonderful moment we just had by mentioning the green-blooded hobgoblin?”

You yawned and cuddled yourself amused farther into his chest, if that was even possible. “You were the one who asked me! I just answered”, you mumbled sleepy into his hoodie.

He chuckled, brushed away some of your hair and started to massage your head. “Sleepy, huh? I didn’t know my voice had such big impact on you.”

“Shut up”, you said weakly and tried to tweak him, “I was already tired! You’re not always the hero, but you’ll always be my hero.”

“Isn’t that somewhat contradicting?”

You nodded, to weak to say anything and even clearly understand what he just said. His steady breath and rhythmic heartbeat were calming and your eyes closed automatically. You felt him lifting you up, felt how the mug slid out of your hand and crashed to the ground, probably breaking into a million pieces, but you didn’t hear him curse and you didn’t hear him say: “Goodnight darlin’.”

x-x

You were woken up by a shrill ringing. “I thought we’d sleep in today! Why would you set your alarm?” You reached out to give Leonard a soft punch to his shoulder, but he wasn’t there anymore. Groaning you heaved yourself onto your elbows and blew a hair strand out of your face. It wasn’t the alarm clock that was ringing, it was your communicator.

The ringing ended before you were able to get a hold of your comm, but you saw how the door opened slowly and quietly out of your field of view and when you turned your head there was Leonard with a tray full of pancakes, bacons and eggs.

“Bollocks, I thought you’d still be asleep. I saw that we hadn’t any food in the fridge so I went and bought some, but wanted to let you sleep in since you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Aww that’s sweet Len! Thank you, it smells amazing, but you should’ve slept in too! We could’ve gone shopping together! Anyway, I would’ve slept in, but my comm just rang. According to the number I think it was the captain”, you said while studying your comm.

While balancing the tray of food in one hand and closing the door with a foot, Len pulled is comm with the other out of his back pocket and flipped it open. “Damn it, that kid. He called me too, apparently there’s a problem with the Enterprise. Can’t even spend some quality time with my soon-to-be wife anymore. Well then”, he said and gave you a quick peck on the lips. “Good Morning and let the stress begin!”