#cursed Pinterest t-shirts are such a gift

[burntbagelvibes]

My favourite cheese slut

[tkwrites]

Our Heroes Meet - Quinn Hughes x ofc

Photos from Pinterest

Title: Our Heroes Meet

Author: Tory / @tkwrites 

Relationship: Beginning: Quinn Hughes x Original female character 

Warnings: None? First dates, first meetings, so many firsts. 

Summary: When Quinn and Sarah meet, they’re pulled into each other's lives in a way neither one expected. 

Word count: 4,300

Comments: This is the beginning snapshot of Quinn & Sarah. 

I posted this earlier, and took it down less than 4 hours after. I felt that the ending, while cute, wasn’t true to character. After re-working it, here it is again. 

It’s so cute and earnest and I just love it so much. 

Thank you so much for all the support and love for these stories. I really can’t say it enough. 

Our Heroes Meet

A Quinn & Sarah Snapshot

On a rare free afternoon with the prospect of the following day off as well, Quinn found himself wandering Stanley Park. He hadn’t really set out with the park in mind, but after being home for a few hours, playing an hour or so of Call of Duty with Jack and Luke before their pre-game naps, he needed to get out of the house. Long stretches at home alone didn’t suit him anymore after COVID, when he'd been contractually stuck inside anytime he wasn’t at the rink. It reminded him too much of those long, lonely days.

The Park was touristy, but he liked it. He liked the water, and all the trails, and there was always something new and interesting going on. 

It began to drizzle as he wandered. Within minutes, as it so often did in Vancouver, the rain picked up, pounding into the pavement in sheets. 

Cursing himself for not checking the weather before leaving his apartment, Quinn darted under the awning of the aquarium to keep from getting soaked to the skin. His first thought was to turn away and run back to his car. He didn’t need to be with big crowds of people, especially when everyone was rushing to get inside. On the other hand, he'd never been to the aquarium, and the thought of returning to his empty apartment made him squirm more than the thought of a crowd. 

So, he bought a ticket and wandered into the building, keeping his distance from others, hat pulled low so less people would recognize him. 

He was wandering the BC exhibit when he stumbled upon a pretty young woman speaking to a group of school aged children, explaining to them how octopus camouflage worked. He'd missed most of her talk, but she had several graphics attached to the tank. A little girl in the front was holding a plastic model of an octopus like it was the best gift she'd ever been given. 

The woman's dark hair was pulled up into a bouncy, wavy ponytail. Something glinted in her ears, but she wore no other jewelry. She had a curvy figure, highlighted by the jeans and t-shirt she wore. She looked put together, but not overly so. 

The thing that really made him pause was the light in her eyes when she talked. She was obviously passionate about her work and it was infectious to watch. She answered every child with the same thoughtfulness and enthusiasm. From deeper questions about how the changing environment was affecting marine life, to the little girl holding the model, who asked why octopus have eight arms. 

“You know, we haven’t really figured out why eight is the magic number for them, but they use all of them, so I guess they got to eight and decided they were done.” 

Quinn found himself chuckling while the kids giggled. 

The classes wandered away,  and she began cleaning up her display, putting models and diagrams into a bucket before easing the graphics off the tank glass.

Something pulled him to her as if he'd been hooked in the navel and reeled in. Maybe it was because Millsy had just been chirping him about being too quiet to get a girl. Maybe it was the longing he felt wandering the park alone. Maybe it was fate. Whatever it was, he couldn’t seem to talk himself out of it. 

Standing there like a fool, he watched her work for a few heartbeats too long. 

Quinn didn't like to talk to strangers if he could help it. It’s not that he was scared, necessarily, but he was quiet and often just didn't know how to break the ice. Talking to someone when he didn’t have a middle man to bridge that first interaction made him nervous.

“Can I ask you a question?” he finally said. Lame. Lame. Could he be any more fucking lame? 

“Hi there,”  she said with a bright, friendly smile that took him off guard with its forced cheerfulness. It was such a different look than she’d just been wearing that he found it unnerving that she could flip that quickly. “Where can I direct you?” 

“Oh, no,” Quinn gestured at the place he’d been standing, “I missed part of your talk,” he said, feeling his cheeks begin to blaze. “I wondered if you could tell me more about their camouflage?”

The light that had been in her face came rushing back, as if someone had flipped a switch. She met his eyes and smiled. Something twisted in his stomach. 

He was even a few inches taller than her. More boxes checked off his list.

“Sure, what would you like to know?”

Mostly, he wanted her to keep talking. Finally, his brain came up with something semi intelligent, “do they have all those colors in their skin and just bring them up to the surface when they want to?” 

“Sort of. Their skin is full of chromatophores, which are basically specialized cells that have an elastic sac that’s filled with one of a few pigments, and as they expand and contract the muscles around those cells, more or less pigment is visible. Octopus, and other cephalopods have a nerve attached to every one of those cells, so they can change almost at will. Some scientists are trying to understand if they even need to think about changing, or if it’s just an autonomic nerve response.” She stopped abruptly, “I’m sorry, that’s probably more information than you were looking for. ”

“No, it’s really interesting,” he assured. “How do you know all this? Are you just in charge of the octopus tank?”

“I'm getting my masters degree at  UBC in marine zoology. I do research with one of the octopus we have named Walter, so they ask me to do these talks while I’m here working on that.”

He laughed, “Walter? That's quite the name for a fish.”

“Right?” she agreed, resisting the urge to correct him that Walter was a cephalopod, not a fish. They were two very different categories of animals. “I didn't choose it, but it suits him. He's kind of a curmudgeonly old man sometimes.” 

His phone buzzed, reminding him it was nearly time to eat lunch. 

“Hey, I swear I don't usually do this,” he said, more for his own benefit as he silenced the vibration on his phone, “but do you want to grab some lunch?” 

She glanced at her watch and he felt his face flame as the reality of what he’d just said sunk in. He'd asked her to lunch? While she was working? How out of touch was he? Not everyone worked in the morning for a few hours and basically had the rest of the day free. 

“I have a break coming up at 1, but I'm giving another talk at 2:30, so we couldn't go very far,” she said apologetically, hoping it wouldn’t put him off. 

Quinn felt like he'd won the lottery. He just wanted to keep talking to her. It didn't matter how far they went. For all he cared, they could go to the aquarium cafeteria. “That’s fine.”

A relieved smile spread over her lips. 

Pulling out his phone, he checked the time. “So, I’ll meet you out front in twenty?” he suggested, gesturing vaguely to where he thought the front of the building was.

She nodded. 

As Sarah headed backstage, Rick, one of the aquarium staff, saddled up beside her, waggling his eyebrows, “he was cute.”

She went to scoff and wave him away, but found that she couldn’t. Her mystery man was cute. Lovely brown eyes, a few inches in height on her (which if she was being honest, wasn’t all that difficult), dark hair along with a dark shadow of a beard on his jaw, and a prominent, interesting nose that was somehow distinctive and at home on his face all at once. On top of that, he came up to her, obviously interested in what she did, and that in itself was incredibly attractive. 

He hadn’t even paused when she threw out her graduate degree, a kind of douche litmus test she’d devised to tell right away who would be too intimidated by her education and who would be cool with it. 

“I know,” she said, a little surprised by her own sincerity.

“Did he get your number?” 

“No.”

“Please tell me you got his. It’s the twenty-first century, girl. You don’t let a man like that pass you by.” 

“He invited me to lunch,” she said, feeling that overwhelming sincerity wash over her again. It was a bold move on his part, making his intentions known right away. She wasn't sure she'd ever been asked out so quickly or decisively. 

“Well, I guess that works,” Rick shrugged, as if to say it wasn’t the route he would have taken.

Twenty five minutes later, Sarah rushed to the front, dodging the local hall so she wouldn’t be pulled away to answer a question, which happened more often than she’d ever anticipated after taking this research position.

He was standing near the entrance, looking at his phone with a kind of studied practice. Like he was trying hard to seem absorbed in whatever he was looking at, but the set of his shoulders made him look like he was bracing himself.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, halting her progress, “I got stuck talking with my research supervisor.” 

He smiled, finally lifting his head, “It’s cool. Glad you didn’t stand me up though.” 

A relieved smile took over her face. “I’m Sarah by the way, I didn't get your name.” 

“Quinn,” he said, extending his hand. 

He’d forgotten to introduce himself. He'd been so caught up in keeping her talking that he forgot the most basic part of polite conversation. Internally, he rolled his eyes. 

A small spark raced up her arm when their hands touched with the formal shake. 

“So,” he shoved his hands in his pockets, unsure of what else to do with them, “where do you wanna go?”

“Oh, I…” she paused, looking out to the park, “do you have a favorite place?” 

“I'm not down this way much, so I don't really know.”

“Do you like bao?” she asked. 

He just looked at her, so she continued, “they're like dumplings with different things inside. They're Asian. There's a great place just up the street I go to sometimes.”

“I've never had it, but sure?”

Leading the way, Sarah started out of the building in confident strides that spoke of someone who had little time to waste in getting from one point to another. The rain had let up to a light mist that would do little more than dew the grass. 

“So… are you from Vancouver?’ she asked, glancing over at him. He kept pace with her easily. 

“No, I'm kind of from all over, but mostly from Michigan.” 

“Oh, cool. I'm from Nevada.”

“That's a long way for school.”

“Well, it's a bit hard to study the ocean there,” she teased, “being landlocked and all.”

He laughed. “So, you're a student and you do research, what else do you do?”

“I honestly don't have a whole lot more time. Grad school is kind of a joke that way. I hang out with my roommates,” she added, feeling incredibly lame. “What about you? What do you do?”

He cleared his throat. This conversation always went one of two ways. “I play hockey.” 

“Like, for a job?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting up into her hairline. 

“Yeah. For the Canucks.” He gestured around himself, acknowledging the city as a whole. 

She looked at him, and he held his breath, hoping his gut reaction wasn’t about to be proven wrong. 

"That must be a wild job.”

A sigh let go in Quinn's chest. “It is. I feel really lucky.”

“So you're what, 20?”

“I hope I look older than that!”

"Sorry," She laughed. "I'm so bad with age. Especially with dudes. The facial hair always throws me off, so I usually aim low.” she said, gesturing to his jaw.

He grinned at her and her heart did a pitter pattery little jig against her ribcage. 

“In any case,” she said, flipping her hands, “aren't all the guys in the NHL really young? Like, you have to be drafted before you're 20 or something?”

“21, technically,” he said, looking very impressed. “Do you follow hockey?”

“Not really, but my roommate is obsessed with the Canucks, so I've picked up a few things." 

Quinn hoped she was the good kind of obsessed. 

“So how old are you then?”

“24. You?” 

“Twenty-six.” 

The guys were going to give him so much shit when they found out he took out another older woman. 

He couldn’t help it. He liked older women. They were more likely to have their lives together in the way he did. It was easier to be himself - a little more serious and quiet than his peers - with older women, who seemed to appreciate those qualities more. 

It seemed he was naturally drawn to someone older, even when his basic instincts took over.

After 10 minutes of walking, they were seated in a cozy little restaurant, and Sarah made sure he was facing the middle, where the chef was assembling the dumplings. 

Quinn looked over the menu, feeling instantly overwhelmed. There were so many things he didn't know here. “What's good?” he asked, trying to calm his nerves. 

Truly, what the hell was he doing? He felt so out of his element. He dated, but never like this. Usually via set up and occasionally from an app, but he always knew something about his date before they met in person. 

This was all his least favorite parts of getting to know someone in a situation that felt too high-stakes. He wasn’t even sure why. Sarah was pretty. Not in the overly stunning instagram pretty way Jack usually favored, but more girl next door kind of pretty, in a way that made him interested to know her more, but he didn't feel intimidated or uncomfortable around her. Something about her tilted him off his axis enough to make him go out of his comfort zone enough to ask her to lunch. For the first time, he found himself thinking, this could really go somewhere, and that scared him shitless.

“Everything I've tried is good. You should at least try the rainbow dumplings. Then you can try all the flavors.”

He nodded and set the menu down. 

“We could split an entree too?” She suggested, sensing his unease. “The dumplings aren't really a total meal.”

“Sure. You pick.”

“Anything you don't like? Any dietary things?” 

Quinn shook his head, “no, I’m off tomorrow, so I’m not watching what I eat.”

They locked eyes over her menu, “do you have to do that a lot?” 

He nodded, “it comes with the territory. Gotta stay in peak condition, you know?” 

She didn’t, but she nodded anyway. 

He took off his cap and nervously ran his hand through his hair before replacing it. His hair was thick and a little wavy, she saw. It made her like him even more. 

After holding eye contact for a beat too long, she tore her eyes away to look at the menu again. “Do you mind if I do something a little weird?” she asked. 

When she dared to meet his eyes again, he was looking at her like he was bracing for something that was going to ruin his whole reputation. 

“I mean with ordering,” she said, laughing. 

“Oh,” Quinn felt his whole body relax, “sure.” 

“Were you worried I was going to ask for pictures of your feet or something?” 

Laughter burst out of his mouth, splitting his face into a natural, easy smile that suited him. The childish scrunch to his nose coupled with the wide, sure-of-himself smile made him look somehow younger and older at the same time.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “I’ve seen a lot of weird shit.” 

“I can’t even imagine,” she said, laughing. 

The waiter came up to the table then. 

Sarah glanced at Quinn, a smile still playing on her lips.

“You order,” he said, feeling childish. 

“We’ll have two orders of the rainbow dumplings, and whatever main dish you want to bring us.” 

Quinn choked a little on the water he was drinking. 

“Just no seafood.” 

The waiter nodded, like this wasn’t an unusual request, “spice level?” 

Sarah looked to Quinn for guidance. 

“Mild,” he said. 

“Mild, then.” 

“No allergies?” 

Sarah shook her head, and the waiter walked away. 

“Do you do that a lot?” he asked. 

“Sometimes. I have a friend who does it every time we go out. It’s a great way to try new things.” 

“And no seafood?” he asked, “has your work turned you away from it?” 

“No, not really, but I only get it if it’s sustainably sourced, and I didn’t want to have a whole conversation over who their seafood supplier is, and most waiters don't know that stuff anyway, so it’s just easier to say none.” 

Their conversation slipped into a silence that wasn't completely uncomfortable. 

“So,” she said, starting to fiddle with the things on the table, a soy sauce decanter and a square ceramic container with a tiny spoon in it. “Tell me more about yourself.” 

“Like what?”

“Like,” she paused, filtering through the questions that raced through her head, “what's your favorite movie?”

“Star Wars.”  

“Which one?”

“I like all of the original trio, but probably The Empire Strikes Back most.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Why?”

“Oh, I dated a guy a while ago who told me his favorite Star Wars movie was The Phantom Menace and I almost broke up with him on the spot.”

Quinn laughed. 

“What's your favorite?”

“Oh, I have so many,” she said, “For Star Wars: A New Hope. Overall, it kind of depends on the day, but I have some go-to comfort movies, like any of the original Marvel movies, Lord of the Rings, and this chick flick called In Her Shoes I used to watch a lot with my mom.”

Feeling more and more like he really had won the lottery, Quinn smiled at her. It was strange to think a girl like this existed and had been existing in the same city as him for some time. A woman that was cute and curvy and had so many of the qualities he always said he was looking for. Passionate about what she was doing, didn't take herself too seriously, was a bit of a nerd like he was, but not too nerdy, didn’t want to date him for clout or money.

People in his life had often wondered if the list was too long to find in a real person. He'd started to wonder the same thing over the past few months. Part of it was that it felt easier to have a long list so he didn’t have to worry about looking for someone while he was so busy. He'd always figured he'd meet someone later on in his career or even after it was done. Then he would have the time to dedicate to dating and marriage. 

Despite all that, here Sarah was, smiling at him over a lunch table like fate had just dropped her into his life. 

Their food came and they continued talking. Sarah could tell he was a quiet guy, always taking time to think before he spoke. Despite that, she didn't feel like she was carrying the conversation. It was a pleasant surprise for a first date. 

At one point, Quinn looked so lost at how to eat the dumplings that she took pity on him and gave him the instructional card from the table. “I was lost when I first came here, too,” she assured. 

When they finished, and Quinn had shut down her offer to pay for half of the food, she glanced at her watch, surprised to find that it was already 2:05. Their conversation had been so consistent and comfortable, she hadn’t realized how much time had passed. 

“Oh, shit,” she said. “I’m sorry. I have to get back.” 

“I’ll walk with you,” he said, standing and putting  a cash tip on the table. 

Sarah felt a little dizzy. Everything felt so sudden, like Karma had finally noticed all her pain and delivered her something good for a change. She’d gotten so used to slogging along, enjoying what she was doing, but not really looking forward to the future with any big hope or optimism. The sudden change had her reeling.

When they got back to the Aquarium, Quinn stopped at the entrance, tucking himself behind one of the pillars to provide a little more privacy. 

“I, uh,” he found himself saying. How did you end a date with a woman you were beginning to feel might just be your soulmate? 

“I had a really nice time,” she said. 

“Yeah, me too.”

He leaned in, trying to gauge if she wanted to be kissed, or if a hug would put him too much in the friend-zone. His brothers probably would have chastised him for not going in for the kiss right away, but the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable. 

They did a short, awkward dance, neither knowing what, exactly, to do. It struck Sarah as the most uncomfortable thing on their date thus far. 

Finally, she took charge and wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace. 

 Quinn sighed as he gathered her against him. 

His willingness to wait for her to dictate the level of physicality they shared ticked another box on her list. She wouldn’t have minded kissing him, but the fact that he respected that boundary right off the bat had game show-winner bells ringing in her mind. 

“I know you have to go, but can I get your number?” he asked, stepping back from the embrace, letting his left hand linger on her hip.

She giggled a little, thinking what a weird formality it was that he had to ask at this point. She gave him her number and he texted to make sure it was right. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, showing him. 

“I’ll see you later?” she asked. looking up into his face. She wasn’t surprised to find the same hope she felt reflected back at her. 

He glanced at her lips before meeting her eyes again, “yeah.”

Another glance at her watch had her stepping back from him. “I’m sorry, I’m late,” she said, turning away before turning back at the last second and brushing her lips over his cheek. “See you later.” 

He watched her run down the hall before turning around and heading back home, feeling like he could stomach an evening alone with Sarah on his mind. 

Later that night, studying in her room, Sarah finally pulled her phone from her backpack and typed out the message that had been pulling at her thoughts all day, making it impossible to really focus on anything else.

Some of her friends, she knew, would tell her she was putting too much out there too soon. Perhaps she was, but losing her mom had given her a fuck that attitude to many things - not expressing her true feelings being one of them. If it scared him off, that would tell her all she needed to know. 

She hit send, hoping she wasn’t wrong. 

Quinn was in his own apartment, not really paying attention to the Devils-Hurricanes game playing, mostly trying to figure out when it would be okay to text her. With the way everything had gone that day, he felt like any time would be the right time. The anxious part of his mind battled against that thought, worried about coming on too strong or seeming needy and messing things up. 

He pulled his phone out, finally deciding that he should just say something. 

It dinged in his hand, and her name flashed across his screen. Shocked, he dropped the phone and had to fish it out from under the couch before he could read her message. 

Thank you for today. You were such a welcome surprise. 

It was so heartfelt, he sat on the floor between the couch and coffee table for a while, re-reading their conversation.  

This is Quinn. 

Thank you for today. You were such a welcome surprise. 

The embarrassingly earnest part of him wanted to tell her all he was feeling, but he knew it was too soon to tell her he thought they could go the distance. It was too soon for him to be voicing those things to himself. He didn’t really even know her. Yet.

Sarah watched his text bubble appear and disappear several times before she clicked off her screen, unable to watch.

Her heart was rioting in her chest. Yes, fuck that, but also if he proved her wrong, she knew she would be crying herself to sleep. 

Finally - finally her phone buzzed. Hands shaking, she struggled to unlock it, eventually having to put her code in twice before it worked. His message slid onto the screen, and she released the breath she’d been holding. 

I feel the same way. I can’t wait to see you again.

Want more Quinn & Sarah? Check out the Snapshots Masterlist

To read all my fics, check out the Fanfiction Masterlist

[chlocxli]

“The future is always in motion, like a great river dragging us all to our inevitable ends. There are some who can raise themselves above the surface to see what awaits us, looking into a future both unclear and terrifying. These oracles are blessed with the sight…and cursed by what they see.”

basics

NAME: chloe héng li (li héng, 李恒)

NICKNAME(S): chlo

DOB: december 9th, 1996

AGE: 26

SEXUALITY: bisexual

GENDER: cis woman

PRONOUNS: she/her

ZODIAC SIGN: sagittarius

HOMETOWN: camden, maine

SPECIES: clairvoyant, human

OCCUPATION: card dealer at la fortuna

TRAITS: firey, strong, cunning, impulsive, flighty, intelligent, compassionate, adventurous, loyal

appearance

HEIGHT: 5′4

HAIR COLOR: black

EYE COLOR: brown

TATTOOS: patchwork tattoos across both arms, and a sternum tattoo. the collection continues to grow

PIERCINGS: double lobes (both), helix (right)

FASHION: denim, cropped t-shirts, jeans, doc martens, hiking boots. pinterest board can be found here.

background

triggers: death

Chloe grew up in a small town. A sleepy place in New England that could bore anyone to tears. The only thing that made it interesting was her. Generation after generation was granted the gift of sight, since the earliest days in the Tang Dynasty as the Li family was formed. It was a gift granted to the first born Daughter of each family line, passed to her by her Grandmother after her Father was the only child born to her. 

It was a gift her Father and Mother would have rather not been bestowed to her. Mostly her Father, who saw what the gift had done to his Mother, and her Mother before. He knew that it was a burden too much for any one child, but his Mother insisted that it needed to be passed on. Without it, family legacy would be lost with him. So, regardless of her Parent’s feelings, Chloe was bestowed with the sight. 

It started simply enough, being able to sense and see small incidents before they happened. Someone falling off their bike, the narrow miss she’d have with the school bus one morning— all things that would concern a little girl. 

But, as she grew, so did the severity of her visions. They started to become more dire, violent even. It came to a head when she saw the death of her best friend at the time. It was the first time Chloe had tried to truly interviene, and force a change in fate. But, she was quick to learn that changing the outcome of someone’s fate was not so simple. Her friend, despite always being impressed by Chloe’s foresight— as she so affectionately referred to it around others who did not know the truth —she refused to budge on attending some stupid party. 

Chloe was already grieving her friend by the time the news broke the morning after. 

It was that incident that motivated Chloe to leave home. She knew she was not destined for life in a small town, anyway, but with the knowledge that she couldn’t even protect the people she grew to care about? She had no choice but to leave, if only to protect herself from learning their fate before them. 

She joined a troupe of other humans like her— gifts and awareness of something beyond themselves. It was the only time she’s felt quite secure, but security is scary. Chloe still fears that closeness that she gets with other people, worrying what she may begin to see. So, when the group landed in Vegas, she chose to stay. Staying, while potentially irresponsible, felt like the best possible choice for her. 

The Midnight Underground is the new place where she dips her toes in the water. And, well, she would leave it if things got too hairy. But, there are claws in her now. Leaving is not an option until her debts are paid.

headcanons

Chloe always loved the idea of travel, ever since she was a kid. She could seldom do much about it as she wasn’t brought up rich enough for regular travel, but she read every book she could get her hands on, and would make her own adventure

The choice to leave home was almost too easy for a lot of reasons. She wanted to get away from her parents because of the fact they didn’t support her and because she didn’t want to somehow hurt them with her powers. Either through learning something she shouldn’t, or accidentally pushing them towards a fate she wanted them to avoid

When she left home after High School, she joined a traveling group of people not too dissimilar to her. There were some other oracles, and some other humans with power, too. She learned a lot about her powers from them. A lot of her control and focus comes from tricks she got from them 

During her time on the road with them, she started exploring her identity more. She started getting tattoos and piercings, and now has patchwork tattoos all over her arms, hips, and sternum 

She also rides a motorcycle cause it’s a thrill. She also figures she’ll have some vision if she’s meant to crash, so it’s safer for her than most people that ride

When she landed in Vegas, she split from the group once hse learned about the Midnight Underground. She’s not sure what about Las Vegas called to her, but something did. She has no intentions of leaving yet

She has a hard time making connections with people. She’s too scared to see something bad about the people she loves again, and knows there’s a chance she can’t stop it. It causes her to be brash with people at times, and push them away if they try to get too close to her. It’s easy to perceive her as mean or rude because of this, but she’s really just scared.

[rosemary-morgan]

Josiah Trelawny x F.Reader: You deserve better - Part 6

(pictures found on pinterest)

Good day to all of your wonderful people 🌹💗 Here comes the new chapter of “You deserve better” I would like to thank everyone for the feedback and likes 🤗💗 

Special thanks to @gangofgunslingers​  💗😘

If any of you wants to be tagged so as not to miss the latest chapters, let me know 😉

Warning: domestic violence, abusive husband, hurt and angst 

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /Part 5 / Part 7

(¯`v´¯)                                                      (¯`v´¯) `*.¸.*´                                                        `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) (`’·.¸(`’·.¸  ¸.·’´) ¸.·’´)  (¨*•.¸ (¨*•.¸`•.¸ (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•               •`¯¨• ¸¸ `•. `•.¸) `•.¸) `*.¸.*´                                                       `*.¸.*´

You deserve better - Part 6

You slowly walked up the stairs. Every step felt so wrong, knowing that you didn’t belong to this place. No word came over your pretty lips as you made your way to your bedroom. You could only guess what would await you there. Henry had made it clear what he would expect from you tonight. But he was so drunk, that you hoped he would just faint and leave you alone. Henry laughed all the time while he was trying to climb the stairs. This situation annoyed you a lot. "Darling, oh my darling! Pretty, pretty liar!" He sang with a ripple of laughter. Henry was especially irritable in this state, which is why you didn't say a word to him. You arrived before Henry into the bedroom, where you immediately sat down at your dressing table. You wanted to take off the jewelry that had annoyed you the whole evening. Jewelry that Henry once gave you. You wanted to burn these damn things. All of his gifts were meaningless to you. No man would ever be able to buy your love. As you took off your jewelry, you felt the intense looks of your husband. You tried to ignore them, so you didn't dare to look at him. You pretended not to notice. But who did you want to fool? You knew Henry would take what he wanted. However, this time you wouldn't let him abuse you. As soon as you had finished this thought, you heard Henry approach you and when you felt his strong hands on your tender shoulders, you swallowed nervously. His hand stroked gently through your hair as he looked at you with hungry eyes. "You are mine, Y/N." You said nothing but looked at the necklace on the wooden table in front of you. Henry was tender at first, but as soon as he noticed that you didn't want to be touched by him, he became aggressive. Of course, you were afraid, yet you wanted to be strong. "I am a human being, Henry! I am not your property!" You instantly rose from your seat to move away from Henry. You knew that he would soon lose his patience. Then you heard him growl. Deep and long. Your heart was pounding with fear, yet you looked back at him with the same contempt. "Enough, Henry! I will leave you!" But Henry didn't take you seriously. He didn't believe you dare to leave him. "Where do you want to go, Y/N? You're worthless without me!" You bite your jaw hard while looking at him with scorn. "You are the worthless one, Henry! You are a miserable drunk who abuses his wife!" Henry knew you were telling the truth about him, but he didn't want to hear this. Your words made him angrier and he slowly approached you. "What did you say?" "You heard me, Henry! You´re a bastard!" He slapped hard your face and burning pain filled your eyes with tears. Henry grabbed you by the arms, growling like a wild animal. "Watch what you say, you beast!" "YOU ARE THE BEAST!"

With all the strength you could summon, you pushed Henry away from you. He was very surprised and shocked at the same time that you dared to oppose him. You didn't know where you suddenly got the courage to rebel against him, but you did and it felt damn good! Maybe the thought that you would soon be with Josiah gave you this strength. You are visibly frightened when Henry threw the chair from your dresser to your feet. He kept throwing objects around to intimidate you, which often worked. You knew Henry was strong. You also knew that he could kill you with little effort if he wanted to. You hoped that he wouldn´t go that far... "What are you going to do, Henry? Do you want to hit me again? Do you think you can keep me with you this way?" "SHUT UP!" Henry became more and more furious. His eyes were full of anger, his face was completely red. When he tried to attack you, you jumped to the side. Henry fell to the ground, growling. This man was not even able to stay on his feet at the moment, as drunk as he was.

You looked down at him with a cold expression in your face, while you shook your head. "You are miserable, Henry. How does it feel to lie on the floor? Do you feel humiliated? Yes?" The anger in Henry was beyond words. How dare you to talk to him like that? He cursed himself for drinking so much. He would happily punish you now, but he couldn't. "You damn whore! When I'm done with you, you won't be able to leave this house for the next few weeks!" His words were to be taken seriously, but right now you had the chance to end this all by leaving this house. "Goodbye Henry!" You had no words left for your husband. You would leave him. You hope that you would never have to see this man in your life again. "Where are you going?! Y/N! I'm warning you!" But you ignored him, turned around. But suddenly Henry grabbed your ankle, even brought you to your knees. As drunk as he was, there was still some strength in his body. His hands grabbed the fabric of your skirt to pull himself up to you. "You will stay here! WITH ME!" "NO!" You managed to free yourself from his grip. Immediately, you got up and ran out of the room. It was important not waste any time, even if you were sure that Henry wouldn´t be able to do anything against your decision for the next few hours. Finally, you had the opportunity and the courage to leave him. You hurried down the stairs with quick steps, holding on to the railing to avoid tripping over your long dress. But before you left, you wanted to get the money from your hiding place - In a storeroom under the stairs. Your money was in a small box, which was hidden behind old garments and towels. You reached for the box, took out all the money before you were ready to run. You ran to the door, finally leaving this horrible man. You didn't take anything with you. You left everything behind to escape to your new life. Josiah would be visibly surprised to see you tonight. For the first time, you were thankful that Henry was so drunk. Otherwise, you wouldn´t have been able to escape. The streets of Saint-Denis were really dangerous at night, but the greater danger lurked in your own house. You couldn't believe what you were doing. You felt so free and so happy. Even the thunderstorm that suddenly broke over Saint-Denis couldn't take that feeling away from you. The rain fell on you, soaking your clothes and your whole body with cold water - but you didn't care. Now there was only one thing left to do. You pulled your wedding ring off your finger, carelessly threw it on the wet, muddy earth. Now you were free...

Josiah found no rest that night. He felt that it was a mistake to let you go. The magician walked restlessly through his living room. His thoughts were only about you. He thought about getting you out of your home. He was aware that this would reveal the affair between the two of you. But Josiah wanted to beat up Henry anyway. Just because Josiah was a gentleman didn´t mean that he had never joined into a fight. A few months ago, when he was with Arthur in Valentine, they had got into a fight with two men. In the end, he and Arthur had ridden back to the camp with bloody faces. Josiah was taken out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang. The attractive magician was visibly surprised that someone was standing at his door at this time. But he instantly remembered that it could be you. Josiah's heart was pounding wildly and he hurried to the entrance of his house to see if you had come. When he finally opened the door, you stood in front of him - completely soaked. "Y/N!" Josiah couldn´t put into words how happy he was to see you. A big smile was on his lips and you were smiling too. You could finally be with your loved one. You didn't hesitate for long. You pressed your body against his and Josiah put his strong arms around you. A deep, slow kiss made your reunion even more beautiful. A kiss which was as sweet as honey. Josiah's hand slipped into your hair while you kiss and a lustful sigh came over your lips, as Josiah deepened this pleasure. Your delicate fingers clawed lightly into his white shirt while your torso pressed against his. When you slowly release the kiss, you opened your eyes, smiling at him. "Maybe we should go in. It's not raining there, my dear." You chuckle quietly as he said that and you followed Josiah when he took your hand. He led you into his house. It was a small, cozy house and you already loved it. Josiah looked at you worried. You were drenched from head to toe. You had to get out of these wet clothes otherwise, you would catch a cold. He walked up to you after closing the door and he cupped your cheeks, gently stroking your cold skin. "I'm going to prepare a bath for you, darling." With a satisfied sigh, you closed your eyes for a moment. "Thank you, Josiah." The tears that gathered in your eyes were visible and Josiah could only guess what you had to go through. "It's okay, darling. You're here now. He can't hurt you anymore. I will never let that happen." "I know", you whispered as your face leaned into his touch, which you enjoyed so much. You weren't used to so much tenderness. "Come, my dear." Josiah led you to his bedroom so you could take off your wet clothes. When you got there you already saw that Josiah kept his things in order. Everything had its place. The bedroom was decorated in blue and brown colors, which you found very pretty. While Josiah went to his closet to give you one of his clean and dry shirts, you couldn't wait to take this dress off. The fabric stuck to your skin, which felt very uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, you were not able to open the loops of your dress on your own, since they rested on your back. "Josiah? Can you help me please?" Josiah turned to you, saw the problem. "Of course." Josiah approached you and when you took your long, wet hair aside, the magician admired the delicate skin of your neck. Your skin was still a bit damp and fine water pearls made their way down your body. This was a very erotic sight which made him swallow nervously. His warm hand caressed your shoulder lovingly, which made you smile. You felt Josiah's breath on your neck when he started to open your dress. Every slightest touch, every breath of him that tickling your skin, aroused you deeply. When Josiah discovered the scar on your shoulder blade, he was speechless. A deep, long mark ran across your skin. He carefully ran his fingers over the scarred area and he asked himself why a man tortured a woman like this. "Did he do that?" Josiah took a deep breath since he was very angry with Henry. God, how he loathed this monster. It was time to pay him a visit. But that had to wait until tomorrow. Josiah didn't want to let you down now. You needed someone on your side. "Yes..." You wouldn't tell him the story behind your scar tonight. You were too exhausted and you just wanted to relax. It's been too long since you had a good night's sleep. Josiah leaned over to kiss your shoulder. While he was doing this, you felt how good this was for your soul. "I'm so sorry.", whispered Josiah and he put his strong arms around your stomach. You leaned against his chest, knowing that nobody could hurt you anymore. Josiah buried his face in the crook of your neck, closing his eyes to displace the images that were taking place in his head. Pictures that showed you desperate and crying. You turned in his arms to look at him. You wanted to see his beautiful eyes while he was holding you. When your eyes met, Josiah cupped your cheeks and he covered your face with tender kisses - every single touch made you smile. "I'll prepare the bathtub, darling. So you can undress in peace." "Sounds good.", you said. You were looking forward to a cozy, relaxing bath which would assure that you will fall asleep peacefully.

(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´

"The tea is delicious, Josiah. Thank you." You and Josiah are sitting on the couch in the living room. You felt much better after bathing and this warm chamomile tea calmed your nervous stomach. You wore one of his white shirts which were too large for you, but you didn't mind. But on the contrary. It felt so good to be able to wear one of his shirts. The feeling of safety embraced your whole body. You didn't wear anything under this white shirt that was clearly visible, but it didn't disturb you. This was the last thing that bothered you at the moment. The fear that Henry would find you were bigger. Josiah saw the concerned look on your face, which he could understand. He knew you were afraid, but Josiah would never let Henry touch you again. When you didn't take your eyes off the cup you held between your hands, Josiah caressed your cheek tenderly and you looked up at him. "You should rest, my dear." "You too," you reply as you smiled at him. You hadn't noticed his disheveled hair earlier. "That suits you very well, Josiah." At first, Josiah didn't know what you meant, but when you reached out for his hair and stroked through his thick strains, he knew what you meant. A slight chuckle came over his lips. "You think so?" "Yes.", you replied with a smile. He looked much younger with his unkempt hair. Not that you didn't like his perfectly pomaded hair, but this was just more natural. He was such an attractive man.

"Y/N... what happened?" Josiah asked carefully. After all, he didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation, but he was restless. Josiah wanted to know what had happened to you in the past few hours. A long sigh escaped from your lips when Josiah asked you. The grip on your cup tightened as the images of the past few hours spooked through your head. "Henry was very drunk. And, uhm..." With a trembling voice, you tried to explain to Josiah what had happened and how you got here. Immediately, Josiah took your hand, stroking your knuckles with his thumb, knowing that this had to be a difficult situation for you and he wanted to show you that you weren´t alone. "It's okay, my dove. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." But you shake your head gently, placing your cup on the table next to you before you continued talking to Josiah. "Josiah, this monster tortured me for years. And it had to end tonight." Josiah swallowed hard when he heard your words. The fact that you had been living with Henry for a long time was terrible. What did you have to go through? Josiah listened to you carefully while telling him your deepest secrets. "Gladly, that he was so drunk. Otherwise, I wouldn't be with you now. He would have beaten me up. Maybe raped too..." "Good lord! Y/N!" Josiah's stomach contracted painfully as you said that. "He threatened me, insulted me... called me a whore because I dared to oppose him. To tell him what a beast he is!" Suddenly, you burst into tears as you told Josiah about the things that had happened to you. "He sees me as an object, Josiah. I am nothing more to him than his property. And with his property, he had done what he wanted." It was painful to think about it. For years, you had hidden these negative feelings in you, never told anyone about the violence. "Why did I let that happen to me? I forgave him so many times, I thought he would change. I was so stupid." "Y/N, please! Don't say that!" He gently stroked your long hair as he looked at you with concern. "He is responsible for his actions! HE hurt you and I won´t allow you to blame yourself!" Henry was your tormentor and you were his victim. So this guy was to blame! Mistreating a woman was just shameful and evil. For such men, Josiah felt nothing but deepest disgust.

"He kept trying to tell me that it was my fault if he hurts me." You had come to a point where you tried to do everything right to prevent Henry from getting angry and hitting you. But in the end, it hadn't worked. The violence got worse until you realized you could never satisfy Henry. He had always found a reason to hurt you. Josiah pulled you carefully into his arms, as you hid your face in your hands while sobbing. Your fingers immediately clawed to his shirt as you snuggled into his chest. You had cried so many tears because of Henry, but this time you didn't have to cry alone. Josiah was with you and he gave you so much love. "You're not to blame for anything, darling.", Josiah whispered as he stroked your hair to calm you down. Soft kisses covered your temple, and it didn't take long for you to calm down. What was left now was terrible tiredness. You were no longer able to keep your eyes open, which Josiah noticed. The magician looked down at you, gently brushed the strands of hair from your face. Your cheeks were flushed from crying, and he noticed that your skin was so warm, as he caressed your cheek. Josiah looked at you for a while, caressing you as he thought about what he could do for you. How could he take that pain away from you? He would do anything to see you happy. But there was another problem. He hadn't told you the truth about his life yet. How would you react if you found out who he really was? This question has possessed Josiah's mind for days, but he knew that one day, he would have to tell you the truth. He was afraid, he was really afraid of it. Would you tolerate his business? Would you want to live with a man who finances his life with theft? With a member of the Van der Linde gang? Sighing softly, Josiah stroked through his black hair, and he closed his eyes while these worries almost prevented him from breathing. You were such a wonderful woman and he didn't want to lose you. "Oh, my love...", he whispered as he saw how peaceful you fell asleep in his arms.

Josiah would take care of Henry soon. It was time for a social call. Josiah would do it in his own way. And it would be better for Henry if he keeps his dirty hands off you. Otherwise, Josiah would tear his rotten heart out of his chest. But at the moment, it was more important to take care of you. Careful not to wake you up, Josiah took you in his arms to bring you to his bedroom. After all, a cozy bed was different from a couch. You should have a good rest and the tiredness also had overcome him. It had been a hell of a long day and Josiah couldn´t wait to lie down in soft sheets...

(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´

The next morning you were still sleeping next to Josiah. Josiah assumed that you must be very exhausted, but he hadn't been able to sleep last night. The thought of what this monster had done to you hadn't let him rest. With a small sigh, Josiah stroked through his hair, knowing that it would take him a long time to process everything. But when he turned his face to you and saw you sleeping peacefully, he smiled. He was glad that you were with him now. Josiah ran his fingers gently across your cheek, before leaning forward to kiss your temple. A deep sigh escaped him as he did so. His eyes closed for a moment, ready to meet Henry. He wasn't going to be around with this bastard long, after all, you and Josiah had been robbed of enough time. Josiah quietly left the bed, took fresh clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up. The whole thing took about twenty minutes. Afterward, he left the house, immediately made his way to Henry and Josiah couldn't wait to face this pig personally.

The way to your old home was within a ten-minute walk. Once there, Josiah was not surprised that the front door wasn´t locked. You had already told Josiah how drunk your husband had been and he was probably still lying around somewhere in the same condition. Josiah entered the house, looked around carefully. Who knew if this psychopath was not lurking behind a corner with a loaded weapon. Suddenly, Josiah heard a tormented moan coming from the living room. Josiah frowned, slowly moving towards the noise, already knowing what to see there: A sack of shit that melted into self-pity. Henry seemed to have already heard that someone had entered his house. However, he assumed that you had returned to him. "Y/N! Is that you?" Josiah didn't say a word, he just slowly approached his target. He wanted to hear, what this bastard had to say. But Henry's giggle was enough to provoke the magician. "You whore! I knew you would come back!" Josiah took a deep breath, his anger growing until he finally revealed himself. "I have to disappoint you! She won't come back!" Henry startled when he heard a male voice. Confused and exhausted from his nighttime booze, Henry was visibly having trouble getting up from his couch. When he saw Josiah, his eyes narrowed, not knowing what this guy was doing in his house. "Who are you?! Get the fuck out of here! NOW!" But Josiah wouldn't go. He had something to do, so he approached this man. Slowly and with a calm appeal. But it was clear to see that Josiah was very pissed off. However, this didn´t intimidate Henry. "You know I could kill you! For breaking into my house! Get out of here, boy!" Henry went up to Josiah, ready to throw him out of the house by himself, but he underestimated this man. Josiah grabbed Henry by the collar and threw him against the large glass cabinet in the corner of the room. The cabinet broke, pieces of glass dug in Henry's flesh. "What the...?! YOU SON OF A BITCH" Josiah didn't say anything, walked up to him, grabbed this monster again. It was time to pay him back his crimes. Josiah punched him in the face several times before Henry managed to push him away. However, the alcohol still worked very well in Henry, so he failed to hit Josiah. He just fell to the ground, growling deeply. "Damn son of a bitch! What do you want from me?!" "I want you to leave Y/N alone!" When Henry heard your name, he gave Josiah a venomous look. So you were with this man? Jealousy boiled up in Henry. "What does my wife have to do with you?! Where is she?!" "In a safe place, you piece of dirt!" Henry rose again to knock Josiah over this time, but he had no chance. Josiah grabbed his collar again and threw him across the sofa this time. The magician gasped hard, for this man was a heavy chunk. "I'm warning you, you bastard! Leave her alone, or I swear I'll kill you!" "She is my wife!" Shouted Henry, looking up at his rival with a dangerous glance. "I'll get this whore back!" Henry's words made Josiah crazy. How dare he insult you in this way?! "Pray that we'll never meet again!" With these last words to Henry, the magician left this godforsaken place. "You'll have to pay for that, you bastard! You and that WHORE!"

[loki-laufeyson233]

The Gold at Dusk

Chapter 2 unedited

I woke early in the morning, still wearing the clothes from the night before, my phone in hand. Sitting up, my back pops, and I walk to the bathroom. Someone knocks at my door and I wave them away, even though they can't see it. The person knocks again and I groan, walking to the door. I open it and see Steve standing there. I groan again and go to shut the door; he slips into my room and grabs my arm. I jerk in his grip.

"Let go." I state firmly and groggy. He doesn't let go and I get angry. I shoot some electricity into his hand, forcing Steve to let go.

"Then listen to me. I know I'm not your father. But I am in charge here. And you will listen to my instructions. We could have needed you last night and you weren't here." I turn around sharply, pressing my face to his like I did last night.

" you have never let me help on a mission. Last night would have been no different. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go to the bathroom. " I turn sharply again and walk into my bathroom, relieving myself quickly. I walk out after swiftly washing my hands to see Tony where Steve was.

"Where's steve?" I notice we were the only two on the room.

" not important Nikole. Are you ok? " I look at him, confused. Did he just ask if I was ok?

"What do you think? I never had a family. And you're new to me. I was fine out with Xaviar." I try to push past Tony, only for him to grip my shoulders.

"No you weren't. We were told of what you were doing." I look up at him, starting to shake with anger and some sadness.

" get out. " I order tony.

"You ran every night. You exposed yourself to the public. And you made friends with normal people. All before you were allowed to. Must I go into what you did AFTER you were allowed to?" I lean against him, shaking with sadness.

" I just wanted to find my family... " Tony hugs me and pats my back, clearly unsure of what to do. I push against him and storm from the room. I opened up. The last time I did that- I make it down the hallway before slumping against the wall, crying. I can't do that again. Tony must have followed me as he pulls me into another hug, right there on the floor for anyone to see if they just walked past.

After I stop, Tony pulls back and looks at me.

"Better?" I nod and stand again, wiping my face from tears. Tony stands as well and leads me into the kitchen. I sit at the bar part of it and reach over, searching for the vodka bottle.

"No. It's too early for that." Tony swats my hand away and calls for Steve. And I'm too young for it. I stand and walk from the room the moment Tony calls. No. Not today. I walk swiftly, no idea where I'm going. I collide with someone in the hallway, and they instantly put their hands around me. I look up to see Loki again. I smile and lean against him.

"You seem like the only one who understands..." I mutter to myself. He pulls back, looks around, then leads me to the elevator.

" they don't understand the unique and gifted. People like us. " Loki speaks once we get to the elevator and punches in a combination I know so well. The top floor.

"I'm not gifted. I'm cursed." I look at the ground as the elevator goes up. I hear Loki shift to face me.

" and I am not? Nikole, look at me. " I look up slowly. Loki had switched from his Asgardian form to his Jotun one. I knew I couldn't touch him without getting hurt, but I suddenly had the urge to hug him. Loki smiles and returns to Asgardian. I hug him softly once he returns. The elevator doors ding and open to the floor, Loki pulls me to the roof and we sit on the edge again.

"Go on. Tell me everything." I shake my head and lean against him, starting to shake again.

" I-I cant... " he wraps a hand around me.

"You will one day." He smiles and we watch the cars drive past the building. I nod again.

" Maybe. " I lean forward, testing my limits. Loki pushes me back, eyes wide.

"Hey. It's ok. It'll be ok. We got the dinner tonight." I chuckle softly.

" Yeah. The dinner. I know you don't care, but I invited Cierra. " Loki messes up my hair.

"Of course you did." He smiles and I look at him, laughing a little.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

I sit in my room, thinking about wearing a green t-shirt and black pants, when my phone buzzes.

Cierra

Headed over. Hope it's casual dress.

:)

Yeah. It is. See you in 25min.

DELIVERED

I throw the outfit on, deciding to go barefoot, and walk to the main floor. I keep my phone out and go into Pinterest, scrolling through the pins. Ugh. This dinner can't come fast enough. I shift my position on the couch and hanging my legs over the back, sitting upside down. I get out of Pinterest and text Cierra.

Come on, C. It's been 20 minutes.

DELIVERED

I sigh out of boredom and start to count the window panes. Over and over again. The same eight panes. It seemed like years passed before my phone buzzes again. I jerk and grab it, quickly opening the message.

Here. :D

I fly from the couch, Steve and Tony start yelling from the floor above me, the kitchen level. I chuckle and go to the main entrance. I open the door to see Cierra. Holding rolls. I smile.

"Welcome, my dude." I place an arm on her shoulder and walk to the elevator, Loki appearing seemingly out of nowhere. I jump a little and look at him.

" This Cierra you speak so much about? " He speaks smoothly and I feel Cierra prob my mind a little. God, Loki, stop doing that. You're too hot to do that without making me blush. I hear Cierra chuckle, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Damn it, C. Yeah this is her Loki." I feel my cheeks heat up. Wanna walk with us? I shake my head at myself .

"Hey, Loki, my dude, wanna come with us?" Cierra asks Loki. I glare at her and bump her shoulder, a little frustrated.

"Of course. I'm headed to the kitchen to see the fail between Tony and Steve." He winks at us and opens the elevator. Cierra and I walk in, followed shortly by Loki. We stand, with me in the middle, as the doors shut.

" So, how's life N? " I groan internally.

"Wonderful." I keep my answers short. Loki looks down at me and places and arm on my shoulder. I blush again and Cierra bumps my shoulder a little.

"Loki, how's hanging with my bud here?" I suddenly wonder what's going on in Loki's mind. Cierra chuckles at me.

"If only you knew." She whispers in my ear.

" if only you knew the adventures we go on. It's amazing. " He speaks gently and Cierra leans to me.

"Just like her." She whispers, forcing me to blush harder. The elevator doors open and the room is covered in smoke.

"Tony?! Steve?!" I call and Sprint into the room, quickly opening windows and using another ability to get rid of the smoke. The room clears and a pan filled with burned items sits on the table, both Tony and Steve standing with pans and towels in their hands.

"Oh my god. Don't do that!" I slap them both then give them a hug; I try to hide my emotion. I can't loose my family today. I think while hugging tony, a little longer than a normal hug, which causes Steve to join in and make it a small group hug with me in the middle, again. I release Tony and push from the two of them. I turn around to see both Loki and Cierra staring at us. Cierra looks sympathetic and Loki looks like he's calculating everything.

"Don't do that again." I whisper sternly. I walk from the room and to mine, tears starting to fall.

I call down the hallway, "introduce her please loki." I shut my door and sit against the wall, crying into my knees.

After about 30 seconds, a knock comes from my door, and I call them in. Loki enters and sits next to me, after closing the door. I lean on him, forcing my tears to stop.

"Nikole. Let them go." He places an arm around me again as I shake my head.

"I told Steve last night that he's not my father, but he's the closest I've had. Besides Xavier. I-I couldn't loose them." I look at Loki.

"I know. I know." Loki presses his lips against my head and then rests his chin there. I smile softly, not really registering the action.

"We should go back." Loki sighs and nods, standing up. I look up at him and stand as well. We walk back to the kitchen and there sits Steve on a bar stool, sitting next to Cierra. Tony standing across them, drinking a bottle of alcohol. Thor had joined, along with Natasha and Clint. I smile at everyone and subconsciously side hug Loki. He tense for a second before returning the action. That's how we walked into the room. Cierra was the first to notice us, followed shortly by Steve and Tony. Thor gazes at his little brother fondly as Natasha and Clint talk without noticing us.

I smile a little before realizing Loki's hand is on my waist. I blush and step away from him and to the bar. Loki walks to his brother, everyone having their own conversations. I look around the room before my attention is brought back to the bar group.

"Good thing you brought those rolls, Cierra. We had burned ours..." Steve chuckles and shakes his head. Tony glances up at me and I make eye contact, nodding to show that I'm ok. Cierra laughs and brings me back to her and Steve. I smile and nudge her before thinking to her, knowing of her ability. You two look so cute together. She looks at me and I wink at her, making her blush. I chuckle softly and reach over to grab a bottle of vodka. Tony shakes his head and slides over to me, leaning on the counter. I open the bottle and drink a few gulps.

"Hey, you ok kid?" I smile softly and look around the room before back at him.

"Yeah. You guys did scare me with all of the smoke and stuff." I take in a few more gulps, a hand places in my shoulder and I look up to see Tony reaching at me.

"I'm sorry. Steve had said seven more minutes. I disagreed. We kept them in for another 15." Tony chuckles and finishes his beer. I laugh with him and drink more of the vodka.

" I just wasn't ready to loose you guys. And if you tell anyone this, I'll deny I ever said it, but you're my family. I don't know what I'd do without you. " I whisper softly. Tony smiles and pats my shoulder a few times.

"Love you too, kid."

" I'm 18. Not a kid. " I smile any way. Tony messes up my hair and calls for everyone to gather around, standing up. I keep facing Tony as everyone gathers around, a hand places themself on my shoulder, causing me to jump and look up. Loki! I smile at him then look back as Tony starts to speak.

"Ok. This is our monthly family supper and we're all glad to be here. Family," Tony nods to me, " and friends. " he gestures to everyone else. "Well. You all know I don't do speeches, so I gue-" Tony stops as the elevator doors open and Peter walks in, his arm wrapping around the waist of a fair skinned, long black haired female. She looks nice.

"Peter! My boy!" Tony grins and walks towards him.

"And who is your date?" Tony wraps his arm around Peter's shoulder and guide him to the bar, where everyone is at.

"Emily." Peter grins and kisses her cheek. A shot of jealousy shoots through me and I look up at Loki. Why can't I have a relationship like her? Loki gently squeezes my shoulder and I smile at him, looking back at Tony as he begins to speak again.

"With all that said, let's eat!" We all cheer and Loki helps me up.

" You didn't need to do that. I can stand on my own. " I smile at him.

"I know you can." He smiles back and we all walk into the dinner room.

We all walk into the room and sit. Tony at the head of the table, Steve to his right, Sierra next to him, then Thor. Peter on Tony's left, Emily next to Peter, Clint then Natasha. Loki sits down next to Thor, leaving me to sit on the opposite end of the table from Tony. I look around the table and take in the sights of everyone talking to different people. A smile crawls on my face as I look at the fried chicken on plates, the green beans in a bowl with a touch of butter on top, mashed potatoes covered with brown gravy. I notice a slight shift in Loki's position and his hand slides under the table. I feel a small warmth as his hand finds my knee. I look at him, finding that he is already looking at me. The smile fades a little as I tilt my head. Loki shakes his head a bit, removes his hand, and starts talking to Peter. I keep smiling and rest my head against my hand. Thank god my family's here. I wish we could do this more often. Tony breaks my thoughts as he tells everyone to begin eating. The chicken starts down with Peter and Emily. The potatoes with Cierra and Thor. And the green beans with Natasha and Clint. I look over at Loki and levitate some chicken, potatoes and green beans, enough for both Loki and I. I set them on our plates and look at the shocked faces around the table.

"Nope. You get to guess my power. I'm not going to tell you." A few groans escape from the people around me; I smile and take a bite of the chicken. Ha. Tony cheated again. Kfc. I keep eating and glance quickly at Loki, to see him eating happily.

"So, Tony, where's Banner?" I ask.

" He's doing some research and new developments. He sends his apologies. " Tony responds and fills his mouth with chicken.

We eat swiftly and sit around the table, nothing much was going on. Or that is until Thor accidentally flings some potatoes at Tony. Which opened a new jar of pickles. Tony flings potatoes back and Steve throws green beans at Natasha. I catch Loki's eye and he rolls them, both of us chuckling at their childlike behavior. I notice movement and look at it to see Thor pick up the bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. Loki looks at Thor, just in time for the bowl to dump on Loki's head. Everyone stops. We wait. Loki slowly wipes the potatoes from his eyes and glares at Thor. Oh, shit. We're screwed now. Loki begins to laugh a little, clearly not in humor, and uses magic to tie Thor up and dangle him from the ceiling.

"You can continue now." Loki states smoothly and everyone decides not to. Good choice.

After a few minutes, Loki turns off the magic and Thor comes crashing down with a loud thump. I look at Loki and signal for him to go to the kitchen. He nods and walks silently into the room and I follow shortly. I smile at his potatoed hair and his confident position.

"May i?" I ask calmly and gesture to his hair.

" of course. " He smiles gently and sits on a stool, bringing it to the kitchen sink.

"Lean back." I speak gently and turn on the sink. Loki places his head down and looks up at me. I keep smiling and get some of the non scented soap Tony buys and place it next to me. Nerves hit me as soon as I begin to wash the potatoes out. I don't touch Loki until I have to; I work in small circles, rinsing the hair clean. I grab some soap, wash it a little before rinsing again, and turning off the sink. Loki looks at me again and I blush lightly.

"Thank you." I nod and find a towel. Loki's gaze burrowing into my neck, causing the hairs to prick a little. I walk back to him and hand Loki the towel. He dries his hair a little and places the towel on his shoulders, to catch any excess water. I shuffle my feet a little and point with my thumb to the diner room.

"So you want to go back." Loki nods again and returns the stool, walking back; I follow suit and walk in to see everyone just lounging around and talking to one another. I don't sit again, but instead, I look at Tony before clapping my hands together. All pairs of eyes fall to me and I grin a little.

"Ok. That's it. Let's go to a room with couches and play a game." I walk from the room quickly and to the elevator.

[pvcked]

s u r v e y :       d a r b y    b e l l e    m o n t p e l l i e r

written in purple gel pen. it be like that.

basic information

FULL NAME: darby belle montpellier PRONUNCIATION: DARH-bee bell mAHnt-pell-yer MEANING: without envy REASONING: darby belle was named after a beloved family dog who was tragically killed by an automobile the night before she was born. how… quaint. her mother insisted on adding “belle” to match her older sister, elody mae’s, “name flow”. her father never really approved, but he his second army deployment began just before her birth, so her mother went ahead and did it anyway. NICKNAME(S): darby, darbs, darby belle, belle, fruit loop, the singer from pelagia, dee, db. puck ( only by her late father ) PREFERRED NAME(S): darby, darby belle BIRTH DATE: march 3, 2001 AGE: 18 ZODIAC: pisces GENDER: cisfemale PRONOUNS:  she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION:  biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual NATIONALITY:  american. ETHNICITY: american. there are some french roots, way back, but they’re bastardized: her family pronounces their surname the southern way, not the french.

background

BIRTH PLACE: jonesborough, tennessee HOMETOWN: jonesborough, tennessee SOCIAL CLASS:  upper-middle. FATHER: eric montpellier. deceased march 2, 2014. suicide. gunshot wound to the head. ptsd resulting from military duty. MOTHER: kenna mae montpellier. deceased february 22, 2007. housefire. SIBLING(S): elody mae, legal guardian. 25. artist and interior designer. faceclaim. BIRTH ORDER: youngest of two. elody mae is 7 years older. PET(S): none. she gets the sniffles! OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES:  n/a. PREVIOUS/CURRENT RELATIONSHIPS: she’s been in a long-term relationship with clark beecher since the fall of sophomore year. ARRESTS?: nope! PRISON TIME?: nope!

occupation & income

SOURCE OF INCOME: darby’s band, pelagia., has paid gigs around town and in neighboring towns. they sold copies of their first ep, too. CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: yes!! between her and elody mae, they make things work. darby loves music; she practially lives and breathes in song. PAST JOB(S): she delivered papers for a lil’ while in tennessee. tagged along while elody mae biked. SPENDING HABITS: darby knows how to find herself a bargain! MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: her dad’s dog tags, which she keeps hidden under her pillow. some of his old navy blue sweaters. she throws ‘em on days when she misses him a little extra.

skills & abilities

TALENTS: musicianship. performing. songwriting. agile skating. playmaking. interpretive dancing. making her friends laugh. going cross-eyed for long periods of time. rolling her tongue. SHORTCOMINGS: she can’t say no to anyone she loves. quick to blame herself for things she can’t control ( like her parents’ passings ). elody mae rubs her wrong a lot and it’s not her sister’s fault, but they’ll go several days at a time without talkin’ when things get tense. swallowing her pride: she’s stubborn. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, enough spanish to get by ( acquired from high school classes, but her southern accent kinda bleeds through? so kids in class always kinda smirk when she tries out the speaking exercises  ). DRIVE?: no. never learned. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: no. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: no. RIDE A BICYCLE?: nope. her dad never got ‘round to teachin’ her. SWIM?: no. they never had a pool. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: countless. she sings, plays guitar, piano, drums, banjo. PLAY CHESS?: she prefers checkers. BRAID HAIR?: is the sky blue? yes. TIE A TIE?: mhm. PICK A LOCK?: nope, but that’d be cool!

physical appearance & characteristics

FACE CLAIM: natalia dyer. EYE COLOR: bright baby blue. HAIR COLOR: light brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: down to her shoulders, curly. typically up in a ponytail or some kind of quick style. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: nope. DOMINANT HAND: right. she plays right wing. but she likes to cut food with her left. HEIGHT: 5′0 even. WEIGHT: 108 lbs. BUILD: very, very thin. surprisingly muscular, though. not built like a typical hockey player but boy, does she command the ice. her strength, like… bewilders everyone. recruiters came to see her play this spring and fuckin’ lost their shit. this girl ?!  captain ?!  right wing ?!  does she disintegrate when she’s checked ?!?! EXERCISE HABITS: always movin’ and groovin’. darby loves going for runs. weight-lifting. playing pickup games with her boys. SKIN TONE: very fair. freckled. TATTOOS: none.  PEIRCINGS: she has her ears pierced but almost never wears earrings, due to rink rules. MARKS/SCARS: some burn scars from the housefire that killed her mom in 2007, on the back of her left forearm/wrist and across her stomach. she’s really insecure about them and almost always wears long sleeves because of it. she also has a birthmark shaped like canada on the arch of her left foot. when they were alive and darby was very young, her parents used to joke that god put that mark there because he knew their daughter was going to be a hockey star.

NOTABLE FEATURES: her eyes. her tiny size. her laugh. USUAL EXPRESSION: smiley, vibrant. CLOTHING STYLE: long sleeve sweaters, jeans, vans. graphic long-sleeve tees –– she really likes the nature designs on patagonia ones, or cool/eclectic designs. converse. timberlands, leggings, and oversized sweatshirts. denim jackets. in the winter, she’s always bundled up because she runs cold. honestly? she’d sooner wear a hoodie and shorts in the summer than throw on a t-shirt. she does wear short sleeves, but mainly for team workouts and runs. JEWELRY: she wears her father’s wedding band around her neck on a thin gold chain, always tucked under whatever top she’s wearing. her sister does the same with her mother’s. ALLERGIES: strawberries. peanuts. bees.  BODY TEMPERATURE: she runs real cold. are you using that sweatshirt? DIET: when elody mae cooks, darby eats well –– lots of pinterest recipes and plant-based meals.  left to her own devices, she reverts to ease: poptarts, protein bars, almonds. sunflower butter and jam sandwiches. she typically skips lunch at school to write, or free skate, or sneak into the weight room with whatever team’s rented it out that period. she always snackin’ on pretzels. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: insomnia, since her mother’s death. worsened with her father’s passing. i imagine it’ll get worse with her sister disappearing, too. her mild dependency on painkillers.

psychology

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic good. TEMPERAMENT: sanguine. ELEMENT: air. MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: insomnia. SOCIABILITY: she’ll talk to anyone and anything! she flits around west ham’s social sphere like it’s nothing. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: sensitive. doesn’t hide things well. PHOBIA(S):  snakes.  being stung by a bee.  never being loved  /  never having the wherewithal to find it.  not getting a hockey scholarship.  emptying the medicine cabinet.  not being able to call her dad’s cell to hear his voice.  losing elody mae.  losing everyone. ADDICTION(S): painkillers. but she’s in denial. DRUG USE: a little here ‘n there. if others are doin’ it. ALCOHOL USE:  about as standard as you’d expect, from a varsity athlete dating another varsity athlete. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: if provoked. she’s got a hockey stick and she’ll use it, if you threaten anybody she cares for.

mannerisms

QUIRKS: bites her bottom lip and rolls it between her teeth when she’s thinking.  squints directly at the sun despite being scolded for it for years.  latches on to friends’ arms as if the universe might tug them apart at any moment, and navigating the school parking lot is exhaustively complex –– like she might get lost; like she might lose them.  calling instead of texting.  sniffing peanut butter: she can’t eat it, but she loves how it smells.  sleeping all curled up in a ball, on her left side, with the blankets tugged up tight against her chin.  wearing beanies and baseball caps indoors.  waking up early enough for church each sunday: getting dressed, beginning the walk across town, only to turn back halfway.  running drills at the rink instead of attending lunch hour.  jotting down lyrics on standardized tests.  humming in school stairwells, when she thinks she’s alone.  tapping her locker dial three times with her index finger before putting in her combo. wriggles her nose when she’s trying not to laugh. gaze always, always drifting to the nearest window.  funky patterned socks.  she has a pair with picasso. HOBBIES: hockey. guitar, banjo, piano, drums. singing. songwriting. running, weightlifting. elody mae tried to get her into yoga, but her headspace is far too cluttered.  making late-night ice cream runs to the local parlor, because she knows the owner and he’s always ready to give her a free scoop.   HABITS: tapping her fingers on flat surfaces.  skipping meals when she’s stressed.  texting thumbs-up emojis to avoid having to give an actual answer to “ how are you? ” .  masking darker thoughts with game suggestions and silly jokes.  deflection.  wearing her father’s old army tees to bed, and sniffing them each time as if the laundered clothing might still hold onto even just a whiff of his cologne.  falling for the wrong people.  believing.  letting her nail polish chip and chip and chip until all that’s left is a silhouette of pigment.  biting her nails.  midnight runs.  pressing leaves into notebooks to capture moments for which she lacks the words.  over-gifting outside her means, arguing with her sister about it later. NERVOUS TICKS: biting her lip. not making eye contact. rubbing together her left index finger and thumb. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: honoring her parents’ memories. standing by elody mae. getting that hockey scholarship locked down, so her sister won’t have to give up more for her. making clark smile. oh, that boy’s smile. FEARS: the dark. heights. being stung by a bee. losing everyone.  elody mae might find out she kept their dad’s dogtags. POSITIVE TRAITS: saccharine, musical, virtuosic. NEGATIVE TRAITS: diaphanous, dewey-eyed, naive. SENSE OF HUMOR:  bubbly, giggly. she can find most things funny. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: no! her parents used to wash her mouth out with soap. CATCHPHRASE(S): “ well, golly ! ”  &  “ i’ll be darned ! ”  &  “ who’d have thunk ? ”

 favorites

ACTIVITY: making music, playing hockey. ANIMAL: she loves bees. even though she’s terrified of ‘em! BEVERAGE: water. BOOK: twenty-thousand leagues under the sea by jules verne. her father used to read it to her at night, chapter by chapter. it inspired her band name: pelagia .  it means the open sea. CELEBRITY: david beckham. adam mcquaid. COLOR: army green. DESIGNER: she likes thrifting. FOOD: pretzel sticks. FLOWER: daisies. GEM: amethyst. HOLIDAY: new year’s eve. she loves getting to blow party kazoos in everyone’s faces. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: walking or running. MOVIE: he wedding date. she’s a sucker for those stupid rom-coms. the mighty ducks. slap shot. MUSICAL ARTIST: cigarettes after sex, stevie nix, amy winehouse, the band camino, daniel caesar, etc. QUOTE/SAYING: “ honey, you got a big storm comin’ ! ”  SCENERY: big open fields with bright green grass, wildflowers. SCENT: she doesn’t like candles, open flame. but she likes those lil’ air fresheners. eucalyptus, lavender, and peppermint calm her down. SPORT: hockey ! SPORTS TEAM: the west ham centurions, varsity girls hockey. she’s biased. she also likes the bruins. TELEVISION SHOW: bob ross specials. she used to watch ‘em all the time with her sister. WEATHER: warm ‘n breezy.  VACATION DESTINATION: ontario, it looks so calm.

attitudes

GREATEST DREAM: make it big in the music industry. have that be her career. GREATEST FEAR: she’ll lose more people she loves. MOST AT EASE WHEN: she’s with clark. or making tunes. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: she’s alone in the dark. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: selling out toad’s place for pelagia’s biggest show. BIGGEST REGRET: the last she said to her dad wasn’t i love you. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: she punched a boy in second grade for calling her a wussy. and then his crying made her cry. BIGGEST SECRET: she prayed to make a deal with the devil to bring her parents back and bartered anything he wanted. she feels like her father’s death is her fault. TOP PRIORITIES: spending all the time she can with clark. lookin’ after tess, making sure grizz knows he’s being watched. taking care of elody mae, at least, as much as she can. securing that hockey scholarship for college. winning states. being a good captain. making music, and using that to help... mend.

[joanmarkov]

hey there everyone!! i’m zoe ( she / her, 20 & cst ) and i’m playing joan markov, eighteen year old daughter of of nike. she’s got a playlist and a pinterest  ---  as well as some general info under the cut. please feel free to hmu here or on discord if you want to plot!! 

joan never had much a need to think about greek mythology; she had friends growing up who were obsessed with the ancient histories, who devoured tales of greek monsters or roman legions or egyptian pharaohs and norse heroes  ---  but joan simply never had time for stuff like that. she’d been raised a loose mix orthodox catholic and roman catholic, due to being raised by her grandparents, but neither were first generation immigrants themselves; they never pushed the faith on joan. she had vague notions of a christian god and too much on her own plate to bother thinking of others. had she, it wouldn’t have been a leap to picture nike as the mother who’d left her on her father’s doorstep, a few weeks before the rising major league baseball star saw his shoulder ruined forever and his future deemed over before it began. he ran away from his failures and his daughter both, leaving them at his parents doorstep before rushing out east, good riddance. joan didn’t even see birthday cards from him ‘til she was seven, and that was fine. by seven she was already deeply in love with gymnastics, and a few years after that saw her tearing up track and cross country both. she was a phenom with enough energy that she felt like she had to burn the candle at both ends. she didn’t know what she’d do, otherwise. her grandparents wondered if it’d be a problem with her school, this excess of movement, but with how easily joan honed it on her own they didn’t question it too hard. all her winning felt incidental. she loved the harmony she found in her body when she was lost in the physical pleasure of pushing her limits, become better and better until she was the best, and only had herself to beat. when the judges’ have eyes only for her, when the finish line is the only thing in sight, she felt unstoppable. though joan’s father had turned tail and run years ago, she saw a lot of his sister and her husband and their kids, always coming by her grandparents’ and to joan’s meets. she never felt like she was missing much, with her father only a vague shadow on the edge of her life. she knew what was wrong with him  ---  it didn’t leave much room for her to question the whereabouts of her mother. when she was fifteen, she started to do really well in cross country. she was winning an award or medal at nearly every meet, and it came to a head after three wins in a row; her and her team were staying overnight in some small town in-between the meet and home,  and joan and the three girls she was rooming with were heading out to grab dinner with some people from the boys’ cross country team. they were outside a waffle house when joan suddenly found herself faced with  ...  well, a monster. she threw the medal still around her neck at the things eyes, aimed a sweeping high-vault kick for its chest, and ran back inside to hide out. it was a waffle house, so no one inside seemed fazed, but joan couldn’t shake the encounter. nor could she shake the sudden influx of other monstrous creatures lurking at the edge of her vision. they were outside her gym when saturday gymnastics practice wrapped, waiting in the woods behind the newest cross country route, seen running alongside the bus to team meets or her grandpa’s car when he was driving her to a competition. she tried, but she couldn’t outrun them, not really. a student teacher saw her trying to throw her change of clothes at them before practice, one day, and then joan had answers she’d never asked for. sure, it explained things. but joan thought she was better off not knowing.

once she knew, she knew. apparently, this changed things for joan’s mother, who had been hoping she could stave off her daughter finding out her true parentage for a little longer  ---  forever, if she had things her way. a few weeks after that student teacher helped joan decapitate a monster with a sword they’d pulled out of nowhere, joan swore, she had the most awful dream and a face to put with the idea of her mother. it was nice, for all of five minutes. and then it wasn’t anymore. joan had never wondered or worried about her mother so this payoff was not worth what it cost her. suddenly this woman was speaking to her, voice a familiar combination of tough, and proud, and sad, that she’d only heard in coaches before. the things she was saying with it weren’t at all what she’d have expected from her mom should she ever find the woman. apparently, joan had been intended as a gift to her father, and him running off after ruining his winning-career to boot was an insult to the highest degree for a goddess of victory. nike hung her head and held out her hands like there was nothing she could do. but there was a fierce glint to her eyes; and joan wondered when she woke if her mother had wanted to do anything else, or if it was just something to say to weaken the bite of a rule she’d created herself. one minute, joan was the most shining star anyone in her town had ever seen. and the next her own mother was placing a dream-curse on her  ---  as goddess mandated penance for the sins of her father, joan would be a child of victory who would win no more. it had pretty instantanous results. she was falling off the beam, sliding across the mat, leading face first into the uneven bars. she’d run a few minutes and find her feet so bloody and bruised it hurt to stand; she’d try to power through and find everything in her path working to trip her. she even sucked at her meager monster fighting attempts; her thrown objects missed by a mile and any hand to hand combat was a joke. it was hard to even buy time to run the other way. it was hard to even stay on her teams, never mind lead them. another dream gave her the path to a place for people like her  ---  confirmation with the student teacher told her it was real, and worth a shot. she was no longer an assured champion and was liable to get herself killed in her current state. monsters no longer looked at her as a formidable opponent, and with that went her last shred of protection. she told her grandparents and was relieved that the old catholics took the news so easily. it wasn’t hard for them to imagine their son messing up his daughter’s life so severely without even being present; it wasn’t hard for them to assign heavenly blame to all the changes in joan. they loved her, and they’d talk when they could, but the three of them agreed camp half blood was the best course of action for her. a month after she turned fifteen, she packed up a beat up suitcase filled with old running shorts and worn out shoes, sweatshirts and t-shirts bearing the logos of meets and competitions, all the things she felt like a liar wearing, and followed the poetic path her father had laid for her straight to new york. she kind of hates her mom for not trying harder. it seemed like such a bullheaded, sore-loser thing to do  ---  surely the goddess could tell that joan was as far from her father as she could get? joan had lost some, sure, had injuries that laid her up for a few weeks and seemed frightening. she’d still loved her family during those scares. she’d never run away. joan never deserved the curse now resting on her shoulders. and yet, her mother seemed to have taken some pleasure in the act of revenge. someone should have told her that joan’s father would have been pleased to see his daughter’s every victory snatched from her, too.

when joan first arrived at camp, she’d have been the first to admit she was a little pissed off at the world. before finding out what she was, who her mother was  ...  how much of a raging bitch her mother was  ...  joan had been pretty level-headed, pretty calm. she was still as excitable as ever, prone to bursts of energy she needed to act on then and there, but she’d always been driven by tasks more than anything, and powered by passion above all. she loved her body, the things it could do, the records she could break. she loved her family; her aunt and uncle, her cousins, her grandparents. for being there when her father wasn’t and looking after her so much she scarcely minded his stubborn absence.   she was a force to be reckoned with, sure, but more a mountain than a tidal wave  ---  stable and ancient over wild and vicious. the camp never saw a mountain in joan markov. when she arrived, fifteen and angry, fifteen and furious, lost and broken and ruined, she was ready to fight anything that stepped foot in her path. this seemed decent questing energy for a girl with something to prove  ...  until the realization of her curse fell across the camp like the best piece of gossip in months. joan could try and try and try and still find failure waiting for her. she trained for hours with a sword and could only land a hit one out of every ten attempts. she did fine on a punching bag, but give her a person and it was like her fists slid right off their skin. she was part of the home-front when disaster and tragedy swept the world of half-bloods and monsters she was suddenly faced with. she hated that she was sidelined because of her father’s cowardice, hated her mother even more for not knowing the man well enough to see that this curse did nothing to him, nothing at all. it felt cruel to live among heroes when she was just the tossed aside daughter of victory destined to lose forever, or until something more powerful and more benevolent than her mother stepped in and fixed her. clearly, she was broken without either of her passions to guide her, when she was so ruined she couldn’t find anything else to fill her time and take her energy. joan was as task driven as ever, but now that she knew she was destined to lose at any task she tried, she had no need to play it cool or calm. she turned herself into a wildcard, filled with passion and surging strength and no permanent outlet. let her quite strength fall away,  replaced by defensively sharp wit and challenge laced in every word, futile though she knew those challenges were.   she was decent at constructing battle strategies, for she still knew how to win  --- she was just incapable, literally, of doing it herself. she helped others with their quests and went on one minor one herself, as the brains only, when in the years before she’d known she would have been the star. it was fine. she was fine, with things. after all, it was fine for a fifteen year old to rage at the world and search for a cure that would never come. but joan was grown now, as useless as ever, and that was  ---  fine. in any case, she turned herself into the sort of person no one ever thought to question. even if she knew she could never win again, there was no reason people had to see that in the slope of her shoulders or the jut of her chin. since she’d long lost any invincibility she’d had in battle, she’d have it in spades standing still.

[im-way-too-many-fandoms]

Heavenly Father´s Gift (Kevin Price x Reader)

Chapter 1: “Two Missions”

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Chapter  1  //  Coming Soon...

TW: Disappointed/Screaming Parents, Unplanned Pregnancy, Crying, mentions of premarital sex, inaccuracy of the Mormon belief (if there´s anything else, please write me!)

Description: You, your best friend Charlotte Brown, your boyfriend Kevin Price and his mission partner Elder Cunningham get sent to Uganda, which is also the beginning of an adventure for you and Kevin.

Words: 2783

Y/N … Your Name

Y/L/N … Your Last Name

Today is the day. You´ll finally find out where your mission will lead you. You, your best friend Charlotte Brown and the other new Elders will be sent to their new districts, to their mission for the Mormon Church. You knew that you´re mission companion would be Charlotte because you were the only girls. Not many families allow their daughters to become missionaries; you were two of the few. Your boyfriend Kevin was more than happy to hear that you would become a Sister for your Church. Well, mostly because he could see you more often, which you enjoyed too. The mission president´s voice rang across the room through the old microphone, screeching a bit before you are able to understand him completely.

“Elders and Sisters, form a line and step forward when your name is called!”

Everyone quickly stepped into line, you looked to Kevin´s spot and you see him smiling at you. You can´t help but smile back and your heart flutters, both from the excitement and for Kevin. The first name called is Elder Young´s and his partner Elder Grant.

“And your mission location is… Norway!”

They seem to be very excited about going to Norway and you´re happy for them, they´re going to the place they wanted to go. You hope for yourself and Charlotte it´ll be the same. The next names are Elder White and Elder Smith. You can´t help but grin when you hear Elder Smith shout: “I knew we´d get paired together!” This whole ordeal continues through all the names when the mission president finally says:

“Elder Price!”

You knew it was his dream to be sent to Orlando, he was there once with his family and loved it so much, he didn´t want to go back. You pray for him and his partner, whoever it´ll be.

“Your brother will be… Elder Cunningham!”

Suddenly a loud, obnoxious voice rings from behind you as someone pushes you to the side.

“That´s me! That´s me! Hello!”

“Oh- hi!”

That´s Elder Cunningham. Nobody really likes, which you don´t understand. Yea, he wasn´t the best Elder, but he was a caring, loving person who just wants the best for his friends. Kevin didn´t seem excited, but at least he tried to be polite, while the other Elders just sneer.

“And your mission location is… Uganda!”

Your eyes open wide and you can´t believe what you just heard. Your eyes turn to Kevin, disappointment written in his eyes, though nobody else notices. He is very good at hiding his feelings, but you can read him like an open book.

“…U-Uganda?”, his voice shaking slightly.

“Uganda? Cool! Where is that?” Arnold asks which leads to a few groans and even a facepalm from the other Elders.

The mission president looks confused but shakes it off, saying into the microphone: “Africa.”

“Oh boy- Like ‘Lion King’!” he laughs.

Well, at least Kevin has a partner who also loves Disney, the other Elders used to make fun of his passion for Disney and Disney World. Kevin looks devastated but finds his way back in line.

“And last but not least, Sister Y/L/N and Sister Brown. You´ll also go to Uganda, District 9 with the Elders Cunningham and Price.”

The mission president walks away from the podium and makes his way out of the room. You don´t know how to feel, you´re ecstatic to go with Kevin together to Uganda, but you´re disappointed that Kevin won´t be able to go to Orlando. Yesterday he was still gushing about Sea World and how he would play golf every weekend. Now, he just looks, well, sad. But, when he hears that you will come with to Uganda, light returns to his eyes again. His pout turned into a smile. He walks towards you and hugs you.

“At least you´ll be there with me…” He starts caressing your hair and rests his head on yours. Your arms snake around his torso and you pull him closer, if even possible. “I know you´re disappointed, but we could go to Orlando once we´re back, okay?”, you whisper to him, hearing his heart beat through his dress shirt. “Mmh-okay. But only with you.” He kisses your forehead and the other Elders catcall and whistle, to which you roll your eyes. Kevin bursts out laughing and you hold his face, kissing the tip of his nose. “Of course. Just me… and well, the baby…” you whisper with a shaking voice. Kevin´s eyes widen, his jaw drops.

“The- what?!”

After you say your good-bye´s to everyone, Kevin takes you by the hand and drags you outside. He checks if nobody followed you and turns back to you.

“What do you mean, the baby? Y/N, if that is some stupid joke then… I mean… we were careful and- and we only…”, Kevin´s voice breaks and tears glisten in his eyes.

“Kevin, please… just breathe, okay?”, You rub his shoulder, but he flinches back, as if your contact burnt him.

You sigh, sitting down on the park bench. You bury your face into your hands as hot tears make their way down your cheeks. You didn´t want to make him upset, but you couldn´t keep this a secret. This is, after all, his and your child. Kevin notices you crying when a sob shakes your body. He collects himself immediately and rushes to your side, stroking your hair and shushing you quietly.

“I´m sorry. Everything will be alright. I´m sorry, I didn´t react how I should´ve. I didn´t even think about what this means for you. But, whatever happens, I´m right by your side, okay? I´ll never leave you.”

He holds you in his arms for what seems like an eternity. You rub your eyes and hug him.

“I´m sorry…”, you whisper to him.

He tilts his head and narrows his eyes. His hand moves to hold your face, so you´ll look at him.

“Sorry for what? Being pregnant? It´s not your fault! If anything, it´s my fault, but I think… maybe Heavenly Father wants this, maybe he wants us to bring a child into this world- unless, of course, you don´t want it! I-I totally understand if you d-“, you cut him off with a kiss. First, he´s a bit shocked, but he melts into the kiss.

“You said you would be here for me and support me. Would you really do that?”, you ask after you break apart, avoiding his eyes.

“Y/N, look at me.”, he bids you, “Of course I´ll stay with you, I will stay with you every step of this journey, I will stay with you when you tell the church and your parents.”

“Tell us what?”, two voices say in behind you.

You freeze and stare with wide eyes ahead of you. Kevin clutches your hand firmly and is the first one to turn around. A slightly irritated smile is set on Kevin´s face before he says:

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N.”

“You are WHAT?!”

You flinch when your father raises his voice. Kevin stands next to you, his eyes on the floor. After your parents got you home, you told them about your pregnancy. They obviously didn´t like the ‘good’ news.

“How could you be pregnant? You didn´t even have se- Oh.” Your father’s furious eyes flicker from you to Kevin. His suddenly calm voice felt like horror to you and Kevin could feel it too.

“Kevin, did you have sexual intercourse with my daughter?”

Kevin glances to you, fear in his eyes. He turns back to your father and clears his throat before answering.

“Um… yes…? And I´m really sorry! It was my fault, I should´ve been more careful! I will stay by her side and support her of course and-“

Your father turns away from him before Kevin can finish his ramblings, his cold stare landing on you.

“You are a disgrace. To our family and to the church. Why did Heavenly Father curse me with such a whore as a daughter?”

Every single word is spat into your face; his eyes are filled with hate. You can´t hold the tears back anymore. Your father had never said anything like this to you. You break down and bury your head in your hands; silent tears are rolling down your cheeks.

“How can you say something like that to your own daughter? She is the most wonderful person on earth, she is beautiful and intelligent! Every time I look into her eyes I see a whole universe and so much hope. She always sees the good in the people and I love her. It´s not her fault she´s pregnant! It´s mine!”

There´s a fire burning in Kevin´s heart while defending you. His heart aches to see you hurt like this. He just wants to hold you and tell you everything is going to be alright again.

“Mr. Price, get out of my house.”

Kevin doesn´t move an inch and just glares at your father, but your father doesn´t budge.

“This is nonsense!” Kevin shouts.

He picks you up and carries you outside, into his car. You feel relief washing over you. You don´t have to hear your father screaming anymore or your mother crying. The last thing you hear before Kevin drives away from your house is your father, shouting:

“I don´t have a daughter anymore, so don´t come back!”

Tears spring back to your eyes, both of relief and sorrow. Your father was often like this, but not this bad. You are happy to leave, finally getting away from him, but you don´t want to leave your mother alone with him. Who knows what could happen? You convince yourself that it´s better like this, since you have to protect another life from that horrible man. You wipe your tears away and drift off into sleep when you reach the Main Street.

After you reach Kevin´s house, you and Kevin explain everything to his parents. They aren´t quite excited hearing that their nineteen-year-old son impregnated his girlfriend, but they soon warm up and offer to support the both of you, which you gladly accept.

You sit with the Price family in their living room as they try to convince you to stay in the USA instead of going for a mission for two years.

“You would have to give birth to the baby in Uganda. Doesn´t that sound a bit, well- how do I put it- unsafe? And there´s no one you know.” Kevin´s mother reminds you.

“I won´t be alone. I´ll have Kevin and he´s everything I need.” You smile and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Kevin takes your hand in his and smiles at you.

“Whatever you do and wherever you go, I´ll be there right by your side to support you and love you.”

The moment is ruined by Kevin´s younger brother, Jack, making fake gagging noises. Kevin just laughs it off.

“Y´know little brother, one day you´ll be saying the same things to your future wife.”

He gives Jack a little hair-ruffle and doesn´t notice the blush rising on your cheeks. Since you were together with Kevin, you wanted to marry him, but hearing him say it out loud is a whole different feeling to you, even though it feels right.

Your hand wanders to your stomach, your heart is fluttering and you can´t help but smile. Kevin turns back to you, the doubt and fear in his eyes from before is gone. He takes your hands and kisses them.

“So, what are we going to do? Should we go to Uganda, or should we stay here together?”

Kevin squeezes your hands slightly and waits for your answer. Without any doubt you tell him:

“Let´s go do this mission!”

The next day you meet Elder Cunningham and Charlotte at the airport. They seem to be engrossed in a deep conversation.

“So, the doctor is an alien who saves the world from other aliens? How does that make sense?” Charlotte asks the Elder next to her.

He looks so small next to her. You admit, Charlotte can be very intimidating, but her heart is strong and she´s loyal to her friends. Cunningham stutters,

“We-W-Well, it doesn´t make sense if you say it like that, but-“

Arnold gets cut off by Kevin clearing his throat.

“Oh! Hi, best friend!”

Arnold is relieved that he doesn´t have to talk to Charlotte anymore and quickly waddles over to you, where he starts to cuddle Kevin. Kevin gets into his defense-mode and tries to push Arnold off, but isn´t able to do so. You can´t help but smirk a bit, holding your hand in front of your mouth to hide your grin, but Kevin notices and sends you a pleading glance.

“Mission-Partner-Bonding-Time!” Arnold yells, which makes some other people on the airport look at your tiny group of four.

Arnold finally let´s go of him and Kevin wipes his shirt. You are about to go over to Charlotte, but a hand grabs yours. You look back and see Kevin there with a small smile on his face. He pulls you against his chest and presses a kiss on the top of your head. You cup his face in your hands and pull him down to peck his lips. He sighs in content and whispers,

“I´m so happy and I love you, you know that, right?”

His hand moves to your stomach and rubs it lightly.

“I know that it didn´t seem like that yesterday, but I am so incredibly happy to have this baby with you!”

His hand cups now your face and he kisses you again. He hugs you tightly and whispers another ‘I love you’. He kneels down and kisses your stomach.

“And I love you too.”

This simple sentence makes you gasp; tears are rolling down your cheeks.

“YOU ARE PREGNANT?!”

Arnolds voice echoes through the airport, by which Charlotte turns around as well. They are both by your side as soon as those words come out of Arnold´s mouth. Charlotte´s eyes show hurt but also happiness. They´re both bombing you with questions so fast, you can´t answer them all. First, you try to concentrate on Charlotte.

“Why didn´t you tell me? Am I going to be an aunt now? Is it going to be a girl? Oh, I hope it´s a girl! Then, I coul-“

“Okay, Stop!” both you and Kevin cry out.

They fall silent and wait eagerly for you to continue. Kevin takes your hand and squeezes it, giving you courage.

“Okay, so… We didn´t tell you, because I didn´t know for very long and Kevin literally found out yesterday. Charlotte, yes, I guess you would be the baby´s aunt and we don´t know yet what gender it will have. Does that answer your questions?”

Arnold hesitantly raises his hand. You sigh and rub your eyes.

“What is it Arnold?”

“Um, well… how did you get pregnant?”

Heat rises to your cheeks and the memories of that one night appear in your mind, making you swallow. You look over at Kevin whose eyes are wide opened, but seem to be looking somewhere far away; his whole face is as red as a tomato. He blinks and looks at you, his gaze wandering over Charlotte and finally lands on Arnold, who seems to shrink again.

“You know exactly how babies are made, Arnold.” Kevin growls.

You´ve never seen him like this and are slightly scared, before squeezing his hand to calm him down.

“Kevin, don´t be too harsh on him! He´s just curious.”

He continues to glare at Arnold before taking a deep breath and looking back to you.

“It just happened…”

Silence settles around you.

“Weellll… anywayyy… The plane should start boarding soon! What are your seat numbers?” Charlotte tries to distract everyone from what just went down.

“I have E25. What do you have Kevin?”

You tap his arm; he takes his ticket out of his front pocket and searches for the seat number.

“Um, E24, we´ll sit next to each other.”

A smile spreads on his face, which you missed. The Boarding begins and you go towards the correct gate with your hand luggage and get on to the plane.

You soon sit in your spot next to Kevin, right next to the window, your favorite spot to sit. You love it because you can see all the clouds; you can see the big cities that seem so small when you fly over them and at night, you´re able to see every little star.

The plane takes off. You rest your head against Kevin’s shoulder and doze off. You don´t notice Kevin taking a picture of you sleeping as soon as you are in your dream land.

A/N: Hey! I´m back from the void which is called stress! Straight to the point, this is going to be a multiple-chapter fanfiction and I´m super excited for it! I have pretty much everything planned out, I even have a Pinterest board for the story! If you´re interested, the link is on the top of this post!

Anyway, have a wonderful morning/day/night! You´ll get through with whatever your going through right now!

Love, Mia <3

(PS: On the Pinterest board there are all the different chapters, so of course, everything has a chronological order. If you start with this chapter, you can read “Prologue” and “Chapter 1: “Two Missions””. All the other information is written there)

[jmejambbc]

In High School I had a vision of designing and producing my own clothes. Everyday wear; comfortable, stretchy and of course cute. It was athleisure before ATHLEISURE became a thing. 🙋🏽‍♀️ had the original idea. I would scroll through fashion magazines and keep up with the latest trends and colors. Pinterest was my best friend and the digital catalogue my Soul needed. Problem was – I had no idea where to start, not so great drawing skills, and had no clue where or how to make patterns. The idea I so wanted which blossomed into it’s own brick & mortar where custom t-shirts with motivational quotes were made in the back. … Three years ago, broke AF I found a work around. It was called DROPSHIPPING! A gift and a curse and far from what I envisioned. It worked for a while, I made a little bit of money but I wasn’t confident on the process and I didn’t really like the system. I was slowly putting a pause on the project and with the Pandemic hitting everything was completely SHUTDOWN. … It was time for a restart and COVID-19 afforded me the chance to pivot. Confidence thru comfort & style. The original thought The original idea. I am creating & curating products that I love, that I enjoy and that I know women just like me will enjoy too. The chick who will lace up her sneakers, go for a 3 mile run, and would not dare to skip her bedtime Oreo. No because it’s been a rough day and she’s “earned” or “deserves” it, but because she’s f*kn feels like it. ... PRO TIP: 1. Don’t let anyone make you believe you can’t RESTART or PIVOT 2. You are enough, don’t dim your light for anyone 3. It’s ok to take a pause. 4. Did I mention YOU ARE ENOUGH?! #lovethyself #happylife #lift #squat #curvyfit #latinx #latina #dominicana #runnersworld #womensupportingwomen #nycfit #fitforlife #curlyhairdontcare #weightlossjourney #cakelover #latinaentrepreneur #lafemmesporta #lafemmesportashop #onlineshop #believeinyourself (at Westchester County, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCe_p0gHy9e/?igshid=1a131pg21zbg

[hockey-writings]

Baby Shower | S. Crosby

Words: 1,314

Who: Sidney Crosby

Warnings: A few curse words, mentions of nakedness, pregnancy Requested? No

Author's Note: I wrote this weeks ago, like way before the Finals. Just some cute baby fluff because, honestly, Sidney + kids is my weakness.

The baby shower had been in full swing for a few hours now and, as much as you hated to admit it, it was becoming harder and harder to mask the yawns that escaped your mouth. It had been such an amazing day, though, that you hated to admit to anyone, including yourself, how tired you were.

Catherine and Veronique had practically organized the whole thing with the help of your sister, booking a private room at your favorite restaurant and decorating it with beautiful flowers and soft pink decorations. They had even supplied you with a dress that matched the hue of the streamers and bows. Even the artisanal cupcakes and cookies (which were, in your opinion, extremely delicious) were various shades of pink. Everything had been perfect. You had been so thankful for the women that surrounded you - fellow wives and girlfriends of various Penguins players, as well as your own friends and family - to help you celebrate the upcoming birth of your baby girl. The pregnancy had been, well, unexpected, to say the least, and neither you nor Sidney had really talked about starting a family anytime soon. Hell, the two of you had only been together for two years, so parenthood wasn't at the forefront of either of your minds. Still, family and friends had supported you both, helping to navigate the treacherous waters that was pregnancy. Your mother was usually the first person you called whenever you had a question; she had birthed four children, after all, and so you knew that she was like a fountain of knowledge when it came to three a.m. cravings and mood swings. Catherine and Veronique accompanied you to children's boutiques to help pick out items for the nursery, even giving you several outfits from their clothing line on the condition that your daughter model them for their website, of course. Your sister had practically moved into the guest room, citing the need for there to be someone around 24/7 since Sidney was always away due to hockey. You argued that you were, in fact, capable of taking care of yourself but still she remained. It was easy to believe that things had been sunshine and rainbows for the last seven months, but that wasn't entirely true. Pregnancy was often times a nightmare; some days you lost control of your emotions, crying over absolutely nothing, and other days you ate an entire jar of almond butter while sitting naked on the couch and watching re-runs of Law & Order. Sidney had long since stopped questioning your weird behavior and even enjoyed the instances when he came home to find you sprawled naked on the bed because the thought of anything on your skin made you itch uncontrollably. No, the pregnancy had not been easy, but you had soldiered on and made it through the worst of it so far. Being tired all of the time, however, was something you dealt with on a daily basis. "Uh oh!" Veronique laughed, patting your head as you leaned against her shoulder tiredly. "I think mama needs to go home." You opened your mouth to protest but only managed to yawn, causing all of the other women to giggle and urge you on your way. The idea of getting out of your dress and into one of Sid's old t-shirts before you curled up in bed and fell asleep to whatever terrible movie you could find on Netflix was practically euphoric. The sooner you got out of there the better. You thanked everyone for coming, hugging them and kissing their cheeks, rolling your eyes at your mother who insisted on kissing your belly goodbye, and then you helped load the plethora of baby gifts into your car. Your sister drove you back to Sid's house and you fell asleep in the passenger seat. *** You had planned on going upstairs and changing, but the sound of Sid talking on the phone diverted your plans and you headed into the kitchen. The sound of your heels on the tile caught his attention immediately and he whirled around, surprised. His eyes went wide, taking in the sight of you, his gaze lingering on your belly for a moment as it was on proud display in such a form-fitting dress. "I gotta go, Duper. I'll call you later." He barely even waited a second for Pascal's response before he ended the call, his attention focused solely on you. "You look--" Sidney licked his lips, trying to find the right words as you continued to stand there, smirking. "You look amazing, babe." You preened a little due to his words; this had been the first time in a long while that you had gone the extra mile with your appearance. "Thank you." "How was the baby shower?" He wondered as he strolled over and pressed a kiss to your forehead before wrapping his arms around your waist. "It was... Great. Everything was so beautiful and perfect. Cath and Vero did an amazing job," you told him, leaning your head against his chest, "but I'm so tired." Sidney chuckled. "Well, it's almost eight o'clock. You're usually passed out by now." You smacked his arm playfully. "Hey, I'm sleeping for two here, Crosby." At the mention of your daughter, Sidney stepped away and placed a hand on the beach ball that was your belly, "how's she doing today? Still skating around?" "Sid," you chided, smiling, "she's not skating, she's kicking. And yeah, she's been killing my back all day." He smiled sheepishly and then leaned down to kiss your hair, "let's get you to bed, eh?" "Please, Captain." *** Later, after you had stripped out of your dress, washed your face and pulled on one of Sid's t-shirts, you crawled into bed beside him and busied yourself with the Pinterest app on your phone. "Oh!" You winced, feeling the baby start kicking again. "There she goes again." You pulled your shirt up and Sidney immediately sat up to watch, a look of pure wonderment on his face as he noticed random parts of your belly twitching. That's when you realized he was crying. "Sidney?" You wrapped your fingers around his elbow, hoping he might look at you. "What's wrong? What did I say?" "I should've asked you to marry me the second you told me you were pregnant," he admitted, wiping at his eyes furiously. "Sid..." "I knew I wanted to marry you anyway. I was going to ask you this summer... Or right after we won the Cup again..." "Sidney..." He looked over at you sadly, shaking his head. "And now playoffs are happening again and I'm never fucking here and--" "Oh my goodness, please, shut up, Crosby!" Sidney furrowed his brows at you, confused at your outburst. You pushed yourself up, crossing your legs and resting your hands on your stomach, looking at your boyfriend pointedly. "I didn't expect you to ask me to marry you just because of the baby. None of this is happening in the right order, but guess what? I don't care. Ring or no ring, I love you. I'm always going to love you." He grinned down at you, leaning over to press a loving kiss to your lips. "I love you, too. So much." Tears welled up in your eyes and you laughed, frustrated, "damn it, now you've made me cry, too!" Sidney laughed and the sound was like music to your ears; his laugh always made you smile, no matter what. "I'm sorry?" You sighed and encouraged him to lay back down on the bed, doing your best to curl up beside him when he did but the size of your stomach made it nearly impossible to be flush against his side like you used to be. "Can we go to sleep now? I'm exhausted and your daughter is practicing her slap shot against my spine."