#exaggerating a little with that last part to get my point across

[weltraum-vaquero]

I get what you're saying, but you're also reaching a weird fine line situation by implying that disabled people can't be portrayed with big penises.

I fully agree it’s a fine line, and I’m not saying it’s wrong to portray him as such. I’ve portrayed him w a big dick in some of my fics, too, and it’s absolutely okay (and fun) to do so. It’s less about the concept, and more about the execution, I think. It becomes a little strange when his size is a very big focus of the fic and it’s pretty much done in the tone of “who would have thought poor little Viktor had such a shlong!”.

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Faking It | Jeon Jungkook | Chapter One

Summary: Being divorced by the time you're thirty isn't the best feeling in the world but what happens when your parents find someone from your past that's in a similar boat? Pairing: f!reader (30) x Single Dad Jungkook (33) (Arranged Marriage Slow Burn?) Word Count: 11.3k (oh man holy shit) Warnings: Troubles with conceiving/seeing pregnancies to full term, Jungkook's first wife passed away in childbirth. (These themes will be spoken about throughout the fic and I will add extra warnings when need be in future chapters) a/n: Okay this one is gonna be a long one (in terms of chapter length, idk how many parts there will be) I'm really really in love with this story line so I hope you'll come along this cute, silly, awkward, heartwarming and heartbreaking journey with me 🥰 p.s. I've been brainstorming with @kkusadmirer (ofc 🤭) about this fic for a while now and I've just fallen in love with these characters too much that I had to get at least one part out. Okay okay enough from me. I hope you enjoy! (barely edited per usual I'm sry 😅)

"You should start dating again" my mom says to me, a dinner with a table for two this time since she said she wanted to talk to me about something important. If I would've known it was to nag me about something like this again I would've declined the invitation.

"Mom I already told you, I just got divo-" "You got divorced last year" she cuts me off and I sigh, knowing I'll probably get no where with this argument but continue on nevertheless.

"Point being, it hasn't been that long since Robert and I got divorced. I need time and space to figure out what I want out of life. I'm not interested in rushing into another marriage just for it to fail again" I explain and she simply downs the rest of her champagne in response, polishing it off in record time.

"You don't want to end up an old maid who didn't give me any grandchildren do you?" she says, repeating the same old argument again. "Mom I'm thirty, not forty five. I still have plenty of time to worry about babies and getting married again" I argue and she rolls her eyes before asking for another glass when the waiter passes by.

"You should at least try. Don't you like going out on dates?" she asks and I sigh, hating having this conversation over and over again.

"Dating was fun in my twenties but now that I'm more interested in finding someone to settle down with, it seems like all the guys that are remotely my age and happen to be decent human beings are already married" I explain and watch how she immediately takes her glass of champagne off the table once it's placed in front of her.

I'm glad she's drinking because having this conversation with her when she's sober is even more painful.

"You're exaggerating honey. I'm sure there is a fine young man just waiting for you around the corner" but before I'm able to respond to her, her eyes suddenly light up and she quickly gets out of her seat.

"Is it really you?" she says and another woman around her age that I've never seen before comes up to greet her. "How are you? It's been so long!" the mystery woman says and they quickly share an embrace before she turns to face me.

"And who is this beautiful young woman here with you?" she asks, making me shy away from them. "Oh this is my daughter y/n. Y/n this is Mrs. Jeon" she introduces us and tells me all about how they used to go to college together.

"Oh wow I think I remember my mom mentioning you before. You used to come over when I was little right?" I question, now remembering seeing her face in some of the pictures in my baby album.

"That's right! Little Jungkook and I used to come visit you all the time when you were just a teeny tiny little thing. You were the easiest baby I've ever come across, always sleeping and when you woke up you were as happy as can be" she rambles and I get a warm feeling in my chest, loving to have met someone who clearly cared so deeply for my mother and I.

"Who's Jungkook" I ask, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Jungkook is my son, he's just a few years older than you. I remember he was so fascinated by you, always wanting to come over and would watch over you as you slept, never causing a fuss as long as you were around" she says and I blush at the fact that her son would care about me just as much if not more than she does.

"How is he? Is he doing alright?" my mother asks and Mrs. Jeon gets a somber look on her face eyes fluttering to the floor before responding.

"Actually, he lost his wife a few years ago. She passed away after she gave birth to their daughter" she mumbles and I feel my chest tighten up at the thought of someone so young losing their life to something that is supposed to be so beautiful.

"My condolences to you all" I say, my eyes going glossy and she smiles in return, the memory bringing a tear to her eye as well. "Thank you love, that's very kind of you" she says, placing a hand on my shoulder before she clears her throat and blinks back her tears, wanting to put on a brave face in public.

"Why don't you come visit us at our home tomorrow evening? I would love to catch up and it would be good if the kids got reacquainted again" my mother suggests and I glare at her, knowing exactly what she's doing but also knowing there's no way I could stop her. 

"I would love that! Our husbands might enjoy catching up too since they used to get along so well" Mrs. Jeon points out. "Then it's settled! How would you feel about making it a dinner instead?" my mother questions, digging us deeper into this evening we'll all be spending together. "I think that sounds perfect!" she agrees and I tune out the rest of the conversation, already trying to mentally prepare myself for the scheming I know my mother has planned.

~~~~

Kicking off my shoes and walking into my apartment I'm greeted by the serene sound of silence. 

My black tuxedo cat meows as he jumps down from his cat tower and stretches for a second before coming over to greet me. "Hi Salem" I say, scooping him up and carrying him with me into my bedroom where I plop him down in the middle of my bed. "Mom only invited me to dinner because she wanted to tell me to start dating again" I relay to him, while I walk around my room, grabbing all the things I'll need to get ready for bed.

"I should've known she was up to something when she decided to invite me out on a random Wednesday night to go to my favorite restaurant. If the previous glances I had of the totals on those receipts didn't clue me in enough I don't know what would" I say in disbelief, having convinced myself hours earlier that it might've been about something good instead of another chance to nag me about something.

"I don't know why I even bother sometimes. She just has this worst case scenario mindset that I'm going to die alone and not leave a legacy. I understand that I'm their only child but with the way she talks, you would think I was well into my forties already" I say, verbally processing to him while he curls up into a ball, his eyes watch me walk back and forth until I walk into the en-suite bathroom to turn on the shower.

"Thanks for always listening to me Salem" I say, walking back over to him and scratching his head, "Don't know what I would do without you" I mumble before walking back over to the bathroom and closing the door.

Looking in the mirror I study my features, my hair styled just how I like it, my brows perfectly shaped but when I get to my eyes I notice it. I notice why my mother has gotten so worried about me.

It's as if the light's gone out of them. It's more than just 'Hey it's been a long day and I'm tired' no it's 'I don't even know what I'm doing here anymore' and for the first time, I admit to myself that I truly feel that way.

I reach for my cleanser and quickly wash off the little makeup that I still have on, lips completely plain and gone back to their natural color and some how my cheeks don't seem to be as rosy anymore after I had made sure to put on some more blush today to bring some color back to my face. Maybe it's not the makeup that's been washing me out, but the way that I've been living.

I will admit my days consist of going to work and coming home and doing that same thing over and over again. I don't really go out much and I only have a few friends but ever since I got divorced I just end up politely declining any sort of invitation I get from them. Doesn't matter if it's dinner or drinks or clubbing or even just a shopping trip.

I just can't get myself wanting to do anything anymore.

I step into the shower and I flinch slightly at the burning sensation the hot water brings to me but adjust it and step further under the stream once it's just to my liking. While going though my shower routine mindlessly I start trying to get to the bottom of what has got me living like this.

Robert wasn't the best husband in the world, mainly because he cheated on me but before that things were good between us. He made me laugh and was a perfect gentleman that always made me feel special and when we got married I swear I thought I couldn't be happier. 

It felt like my life was falling into place, our life.

Until it wasn't.

I'm knocked out of my train of thought when I hear Salem pawing at the door and remember now that in my whirl winded state of mind I forgot to feed him. "Sorry Salem I'll be right out!" I call out for him and he meows in response. I swear that cat is more intelligent than I am most days.

I finish up my uninteresting night as I always do, turning out the lights and cuddling up with Salem until I eventually fall asleep but it took a little longer tonight. Thoughts full of what my future might look like if I don't start living instead of just existing. 

As the 'what ifs' plague my mind they eventually drown themselves out as that same welcoming feeling of calm finally lulls me to sleep. 

~~~~~~

"Hurry up they're almost here" my mother says, yanking me inside the house before I even have a chance to knock on the front door. "Nice to see you too mom" I say under my breath and she's wound up so tight it doesn't even phase her. I can tell she's been working hard to make sure everything is perfect once the Jeons arrive.

"Did you get that wine I told you to get?" she questions, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the wine bottle carrier in my hand, quickly taking it and rushing into the kitchen. "Yeah no problem mom you're welcome" I say, talking to the air in front of me still waiting for her to show any sign of gratitude.

"Go place your things in your old room so they're out of the way" she call out, leaving me sighing and trudging off to do as she says.

Once I retrace my steps and walk past the door to go to join her in the kitchen I'm stopped in my tracks when the doorbell rings.

"Oh honey can you get that? My hands are tied here" my mom yells and I take a deep breath in and out before doing just that.

"Hello y/n! It's so nice to see you again" Mrs. Jeon greets me as I step aside and let them in, soon after her is her husband who holds out his hand in greeting. "It's been quiet a long time hasn't it? I remember when you use to be-" "Grandpa! Grandpa! I wanna meet the pretty lady too!" a little girl no older than five years old says, walking around her grandfather's legs to get to me, greeting me with the most adorable bunny smile.

"And now who might this be?" I ask, already melting into a puddle from seeing how absolutely adorable she is. "I'm Juni" she laughs when I go down to her level. "Well it's very nice to meet you Juni and how old are you?" I ask and she lights up when I continue taking an interest in her. "I'm four! Well Daddy says I'm turning five soon but it feels like it's taking forever. Right Daddy?" she says and looks back towards the man now left standing in the doorway.

"That's right Juni" he responds and the deep tenor of his voice sends a slight shiver down my spine, so full of love and admiration that is obvious to anyone who might come across the pair. "Oh!" I say, quickly straightening back up to meet this mysterious Jungkook and my throat goes dry once I've laid eyes on him.

Tall, strong build, dark brown hair that's well taken care of and styled perfectly, strong jawline accompanied by the contrast of the softest look in his brown almost black galaxy eyes that are still focused on his beautiful daughter.

"I'm sorry" I say but he shakes his head before he turns his head in my direction, taking in the sight of me as well before speaking. "That's alright, Juni kind of grabs everyone's attention right away" he says giving me a soft smile. "I'm Jungkook" he says, holding his hand out to me. "Y/n" I say shyly and shake it, his hands being much larger than mine is comforting in a way.

"My mom told me we used to come see you when we still lived here" he says once we let go, Juni now quietly watching our exchange. "Used to?" I question, curious to know more about why our mothers had lost touch. "We went back to our hometown for a while and then moved back to the city soon after Juni was born" he says and I nod my head, accepting that as an answer for now but wanting to know more.

"Sounds like I was just an infant though so I don't really have any memory of it" I admit while rocking back and forth on my heels, a nervous habit I've picked up over the years. "It's alright, I didn't expect you to remember" he chuckles, "I was only three so I don't remember much of it either" we laugh at his returned confession and a more comfortable air settles between us.

"Well it's nice to finally meet you" I say and he nods his head. "Likewise" he replies and we stand there for a moment, not really knowing where to go from here then, thankfully Juni breaks the silence.

"Daddy I wanna talk to the pretty lady" she says and grabs my hand and pulls me away from him. "Be nice Juni" he warns and she pouts, leaving me crouching down to her level and tilting my head to meet her gaze. "There's enough of me to go around little one. Don't worry" I say, booping her on the nose and making her giggle again.

Jungkook walks in a bit more and closes the door behind him, watching our little exchange before my mother comes out to check on us.

"Y/n why don't you take Jungkook and..." she says trailing off, not having learned his daughter's name yet. "Juni" Jungkook says and my mother smiles at the sound of the adorable name. "Jungkook and Juni outside. I'm sure she'd love to run around a little bit before dinner is ready" she suggests and I agree while Juni starts jumping up and down, excited to explore an unfamiliar place.

Jungkook follows closely behind as I lead the way but I ultimately end up getting dragged along by Juni who is surprisingly perceptive and has already mapped out the door that we'll be going through. "Come on Daddy keep up!" she calls after him once we've reached the door, looking back and seeing that he's fallen behind.

"I'm right behind you Juni" Jungkook chuckles and once we step outside Juni lets go and runs back and forth all around the yard, looking at anything and everything she can find.

"Be careful!" I say, worried that she could hurt herself but Jungkook comes over and stands next to me and reassures me she'll be fine.

"It's alright, if she gets hurt it'll be a little reminder to pay attention to what she's doing next time. That's the only way kids really learn right?" he says turning towards me, granting me with a soft smile, almost as if he's looking for validation on his parenting choice.

"Of course," I respond, returning the smile, "even some adults need to crash and burn before they learn their lesson sometimes" I point out and it makes him relax a bit more, thankful to see that he's right in his dealings with situations like this.

"She's a good kid" I say after leading him over to the patio set we have out here so we can sit down and watch her. "Thanks, it's been difficult raising her on my own so I'm never really sure if I'm doing a good job or not" he admits and I nod my head, taking a second to think about my response since it's a sensitive subject.

"I can tell that you love her very much so I have no doubt in my mind that you'll always do right by her" and I can tell that my words bring him a sense of comfort. Being a single parent can be extremely difficult especially when you lose the love of your life as soon as you become a father. 

I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.

"Y/n?" I hear him call out and realize that my mind had drifted off for a second. "I'm sorry what did you say?" I say, my cheeks heating up from having been caught daydreaming. "I asked if you had any children of your own" he chuckles and I again try to figure out the best way to word this but figure the best way to go about it is to be honest. 

I've got no reason to hide from him.

"No, I got divorced last year and my ex husband and I were never able to have children" I say, looking down at my lap, embarrassed to have admitted it but also feeling a certain weight lifted off my shoulders.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know" he trails off and I panic, realizing I might've made him feel uncomfortable, telling him something so personal so soon. "No don't be, I honestly dodged a bullet with that one" I chuckle, hoping to lighten the situation a bit which thankfully it does as I see his body relax a bit.

"Our relationship had been on the rocks soon after we got married and I don't think we were a good match for each other so I think it was the universe's way of doing me a favor in making us somewhat biologically incompatible" I chuckle and he softly does the same.

"Biologically incompatible" he questions, a deeper meaning obviously hidden behind those words. "We both got checked out and everything looked completely fine but I guess it wasn't meant to be, thank God" I sigh, sincerely thanking whoever might've been in charge of making that executive decision for us.

"I'm not exactly sure what to say to that but I'm glad it worked out?" he states almost as if it was a question and I laugh, in response hoping I can recover this incredibly awkward conversation. "I'm sorry, that was a huge overshare that I probably should've kept to myself" I say, clearing my throat in hopes it would aid in clearing the peculiar air that had settled between us.

"You have nothing to apologize for, I asked and I feel honored that you felt comfortable enough to be so transparent with your answer" he says, the warmth in his tone giving me an ache in my chest. How could someone be so kind to someone they've just met? It's as if I could tell him anything and he would listen to me as if I was the only person in the world.

"Daddy!" 'Well me and Juni', I say to myself and watch as his attention now shifts to his daughter who is running up behind me. "Daddy look!" Juni says, holding out her hands that are now thoroughly caked in mud but hold a rock that is almost a perfectly shaped heart in the center of her palm. "Oh Juni" Jungkook chuckles, the ends of her dress now matching the state of her hands and neither Jungkook nor I can hold in our laughter.

"That's a very beautiful rock Juni! You're so clever" I say and I can see a sense of pride straighten her posture a little bit. "Juni your beautiful dress" Jungkook chuckles, clearly not minding but also trying to figure out what to do. "I'm sorry Daddy" she say, that pride slowly dwindling after seeing the mess she's made of herself.

"Hey Juni" I say, turning her attention back to me and I can see her spirits lift a little. "Would you like to see some of the clothes that I used to wear when I was your age?" I ask and her eyes light up at the thought. "Did you wear pretty dresses too?" she asks, clearly excited about seeing more new things. Her childlike wonderment makes my heart ache. Must run in the family.

"I did, but none of them were as pretty as yours. If you like, you can borrow one of mine while we wash this one" I suggest and the way her head nods up and down so fast makes me chuckle.

"Let's go to my room then! Hopefully we can find something you'll like" I say, standing up and straightening my dress while Jungkook reaches out for Juni's foot.

"Let's take your shoes off before we go back inside baby. We wouldn't want to track any mud into the pretty lady's house right?" Jungkook says, flashing a soft smile at me before looking back down to complete his intended task and Juni complies right away. 

My breath hitches as he purposefully uses the nickname Juni had given me and I quickly walk past them and open the door to go inside, trying to clear my head for a second, willing myself to keep it together.  

"Are you coming with us?" Juni asks and he nods his head, "I gotta go clean your shoes off first though" he says and I walk all three of us over to the bathroom so Jungkook can do just that as well as wash Juni's hands off.

"Wow!" is the first word that comes out of her mouth when we walk into the butterfly themed bedroom, mesmerizing her from the first glance. "Your room is so pretty!" she says, quickly running around here and there, being careful not to get too close since we haven't gotten a chance to change her dress yet.

"You like it?" I question and she's quick to nod her head again. "I wish my room looked like this" she says, spying all of the little butterfly details from the dainty embroidering on the bedspread to the knobs on the dresser, all of them working in harmony.

"We can go look for some butterfly stuff next time we go to the store if you'd like" Jungkook says while he walks into the room and right up to her while she stares up at the ceiling where there are a couple scattered across it. Nothing is too over the top but there is clearly a theme going on that she is captivated by.

"Really?" she asks, confirmation of what he's said being important to make sure she's hear him right. "Promise" he says holding out his pinky that she quickly wraps her's around as best as she can with her little ones being so tiny in comparison to his. She looks at the two of us before beckoning Jungkook to come closer so she can whisper something in his ear.

"Can the pretty lady come with us too?" she 'whispers' in his ear almost as loud as her speaking voice and I try to hold back my laughter, pretending like I didn't hear a thing. "Why don't you ask her?" he whispers and when he leans back she looks him in the eyes and he nods to further encourage her.

"Um, would you like to go shopping with us to get butterflies for my room too?" she asks, walking up to me shyly. Jungkook looks at me with a soft smile and I notice how the tips of his ears have almost gotten a little pink, his expression soft and charming but his body still showing tell tale signs of nervousness.

"Sure Juni, I'd love to go shopping with you" I say and she giggles in response while running back to her Daddy. "Can we go right now?" she asks jumping up and down. "We'll go another time don't worry baby, we've gotta set up a time so the pretty lady can go with us too right?" he reminds her and although she's sad she has to wait she nods in agreement. "Good, now let's get you out of this so we can make you all nice and clean again" he says, unzipping the back of her dress and revealing the cute little white tank top and tights that she wore under it.

I focus my attention on opening up the closet and grabbing a couple of dresses out for her to choose from. "These ones should fit. Which one would you like to wear Juni?" I say and her eyes flitter back and forth between all of them before giving her a Daddy a devious smile and hugging them to her chest. "I want all of them" she giggles and my heart melts, thinking about how fun it would be if I had a daughter just like her.

"Pick one Juni" Jungkook chuckles and she pulls back flipping through the selection I've made before her eyes light up and find the one she's dying to wear. "This one, this one!" she says, lightly holding onto the skirt and jumping up and down. I shift my grasp on them and hold out the one she chose for Jungkook to take and once he does there a static jolt of electricity that shocks us leaving the both of us pulling away slightly.

"Sorry it's probably from all the fabric of the dresses" I explain and he smiles in response. "Don't worry about it. A little spark never hurt anyone" he says and it's almost as if his voice had dropped a bit with that remark, leaving me widening my eyes a bit before turning back around and placing the dresses back in the closet. 

Why does he make me so nervous?

"Lady, lady look!" I hear from behind, and watch as Juni turns this way and that once Jungkook has finished putting the dress on her. "My goodness Juni don't you look adorable!" I say and she runs up to the the mirror in the corner of the room, watching the skirt swish this way and that. "Say thank you Ms y/n" Jungkook says, correcting Juni and finally telling her my name. She sounded too cute calling me 'the pretty lady' I just didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.

"Thank you Ms y/n!" she says, running up to me and wrapping her arms around my legs since she is still  too small to reach anywhere else. "You're welcome Juni" I say, smiling down at her and smoothing her hair down. "Remember Juni, we're just borrowing it so we can wash your dress. We have to give it back to Ms. y/n before we leave" Jungkook says and I can see her excitement dwindle a bit but is no less thankful for being able to wear it tonight.

"Thank you for letting me borrow it Ms. y/n!" she says and I smile again, falling more and more in love with this adorable little girl with every smile she graces me with. "You're welcome" I say and she lets go of me and twirls around in it before stopping.

"Oh! I promise to be really careful and keep this one clean" she says holding out her pinky to do just as she had done with her father moments ago and I kneel down to her level and do just that before booping her on the nose causing another fit of giggles to spill out of her.

"Y/n, dinner is ready" my mother says while poking her head around the corner and I can tell she is completely satisfied by the scene that she's walked in on. "Oh Juni what a beautiful dress!" my mother says, noticing it right away, remembering it was one of my favorites. "Ms y/n gave it to me!" she says, swishing around in it again before doing a full twirl for us.

"Well aren't you the most darling little girl I've ever seen! Are you ready to eat? I heard that mashed potatoes are one of your favorite foods right?" my mom says, holding out her hand for Juni to take and she gladly does.

"Did my grandma tell you that?" she asks, clearly surprised that this complete stranger already knew something about her. "Yes she did. I hope you like them!" my mom says and Juni rushes down the hallway dragging my mom behind her. "Juni be careful!" Jungkook calls out to her but my mom just laughs it off.

"Why don't you show Jungkook where the laundry room is so you can put her dress in the washer" my mom offers up and I nod my head and look up at him. "That's okay I can just wash it when we get home" he says, politely declining the offer. "It's alright, it's best to wash it right away so it doesn't stain" I say, holding out my hand for the dress and he smiles before handing it to me and following my lead.

"You have a lovely home" he says shyly, looking this way and that taking notice of the small details just as Juni did. 'Like father like daughter' I think to myself. "It was my childhood home as you could probably tell from my old room" I say and he hums in response as I stop at the door to the laundry room.

"I know Juni is never going to stop talking about it" he chuckles and I smile at the loving tone that is always present in his voice whenever he speaks about her. We stand there in silence for a bit while I gather the various cleaning products I'll need.

"If you like, I can show you how to get stains like this out? If there was ever a day when I was her age that I didn't get some sort of dirt, mud or grass stains on my clothes my mother would write that down as a national holiday" I say and he laughs at that before accepting the offer.

"Sure, I'd like that" for some reason I can't seem to find the right words so I simply turn around and rinse off the mud in the little sink we have in here. "Do you think you could get that one for me?" I ask, nodding toward one of the stain removers. He wordlessly does as I ask and helps apply a drop or two of it to each of the areas I point out.

"I could've done that" he says now realizing how he's just standing there watching me clean his daughter's dress. "No, that's okay I offered!" I say, reassuring him that I don't mind. I wordlessly ask for the next stain remover before rubbing it in and ringing out the excess water. He opens up the washer lid for me and I toss it in and look this way and that for the laundry detergent.

"Looking for this?" he asks, pulling it off the shelf above the washer. "See, that's a perk of living on my own now. I don't have to worry about things being up too high for me anymore" I chuckle and quickly scoop in the appropriate amount and start the washer.

"Well let me know if you ever need anyone to get something that's out of your reach, it's one of the perks of being tall" he jokes and I laugh but almost shy away from the fact that he expects to see me again. "So I've heard" I say and try to put the detergent back on my own but it soon tips back over and is close to crashing down until he catches it, which in turn ends with him trapping me between him and the washer.

He slides the detergent back in it's spot and takes half a step back, giving me the smallest bit of space. "Why didn't you let me help you? I was standing right here?" he asks, tilting his head at me. "I don't know, I guess I'm just used to doing things on my own now" I chuckle awkwardly. "Well hopefully you'll get used to letting me help you soon" he says, finally taking another step back and giving me a bit more space to breathe.

"Sorry about that" I apologize awkwardly, leaning my back against the washer now with him leaning up against the wall directly in front of me and giving me a crooked smile. "Don't apologize, there's nothing wrong with being independent" he says and quickly scans my body but he does it so fast that if I would've blinked I would've missed it.

"Daddy it's time for dinner" Juni says, her soft steps not having been heard by either of us over the sound of the washer, breaking us out of the little moment that we had been having. "Okay Juni we're coming" he chuckles and holds out his hand for her to take but she giggles and dodges it, reaching for mine instead.

I squeeze past Jungkook as this little room is only wide enough for one person to walk through and the front of our bodies brush up against each other only for a moment until she's tugged me halfway out the door. "Let's be a train Daddy! Grab onto Ms. y/n's hand so you can be the caboose!" she says, turning this trip down the hallway into a game.

"Oh that's okay sweetie why don't you-" he starts but I hold out my hand for him to take, him only having refused for my sake, not wanting to make me uncomfortable with any unwanted skinship. "Grab on Daddy!" Juni giggles and I look up at him and see that he's looking down at me. He chuckles before grabbing onto my hand and the both of us are soon trailing behind Juni as she drags us to the dining room.

Once we get to the dinner table Juni lets go of my hand and runs back to where Jungkook's mom is so she can continue to help her eat her mashed potatoes. 

When everyone notices that Jungkook and I have arrived, we're greeted with four sets of eyes, all of them extremely happy to see us. It's then when I realize that we were still holding hands so I gently slide mine out of his, almost wishing I didn't have to.

He looks down at where our hands had been connected when I do and I can almost see that he's also disappointed that I let go but his expression is quickly replaced by an awkward smile aimed at our parents. 

When I look at the table I see that Jungkook and I are meant to sit directly across from each other. Which I'm sure is another one of my mother's ploys to get us to keep glancing up at each other, this time though I don't really mind.

When I go to walk to one side to sit down next to Mr. Jeon, Jungkook follows right behind me. 

"Oh did you want to sit on this side?" I ask him and he shakes his head, "No, I just wanted to pull your chair out for you" he says and I feel butterflies in my stomach. "Oh, okay" I say quietly and watch as he does just that and slides the chair in behind me once I've sat down. "Thank you" I reply, smiling up at him and he does so in return before rounding the table to take a seat in his place.

"So y/n, your mother told us that you work in photography, is that right?" she asks and I take a drink of water before responding. "Well not really, I've done a few freelance jobs here and there. Enough to keep me afloat so to say but I hope to do it full time soon!" I say and I see Jungkook perk up at that.

"Jungkook has always loved photography as well! He's always been tinkering away with cameras since he was just a few years older than Juni" his mother says while Jungkook cleans off Juni's face as it seems like she's gotten more food on her face than in her mouth.

"What subject do you usually shoot?" I ask, curious to see where his interests lie. "Mostly editorial, but I tend to enjoy the shoots a lot more when they have to do with nature. I believe beauty can be found in almost anything so I tend to just capture whatever inspires me at the moment" he says, his answer being very similar to mine.

"I feel the same way" I respond simply before shying away from the topic as I feel our parents are studying our interaction.

Once they notice the silence they decide to pick up the conversation just throwing facts about Jungkook and I back and forth, pretty much doing the getting to know you game for us without giving us much room to get a word in edgewise. Which leaves the both of us to just follow the conversation and occasionally making eye contact when either side makes a slightly embarrassing comment.

"Hey Dad" Jungkook calls out to his father over the never ending conversation they're having about us. "How's that new project at work going?" he says and I can already tell that it's one of those kinds of topics that once you get him started on it he won't stop and that's just the case as we now watch the conversation take a turn that is thankfully so far off from the two of us.

As time ticks by and the subjects change a few more times I notice that Jungkook has started to get up and clear the table to which I jump up in response to help him.

"Oh Jungkook don't worry about that I can do it later" my mother says but he shakes his head. "It's the least I could do after you've provided this wonderful dinner for my family and I" he says and I can almost see my mother swooning from his response. "Well thank you very much, sweetie can you show him where to place them, just next to the sink is fine" she says to me and I nod, looking up at him and nodding my head towards the direction of the kitchen.

Once we've gone there and back from the table a few times I decide to just start loading up the dishwasher, trying to escape that mortifying conversation for as long as I can. "I brought your glass for you. Wasn't sure if you were planning to finish it or not" he says, walking over and placing my wine glass on the counter next to me. "Thanks" I say quietly, neither of us having said a word to each other since the very beginning of that dinner.

"Your parents are really sweet" he says, breaking the ice and clearly acknowledging how obvious they all were about their motives. "Yours too. I'm sorry about tonight" I say and his brows furrow, clearly not understanding why I would need to apologize. "I knew my mom would end up doing something like this but once her mind is made up there's no stopping her" I admit and he gives me a crooked smile in response.

"Don't worry, I knew what all of them were up to too. My mother was praising you so much and telling me how beautiful and smart and respectful you are so I had an inkling that this was their plan all along" he says and I turn away from him, trying to hide my flustered expression.

"She's right you know" he says, coming around to stand next to me, leaning against the counter while I face it, cleaning up the inside of the sink and grabbing the towel next to me to dry my hands.

"Right about what?" I question, now turning to face him and noticing just how close he's gotten. "About how beautiful you are" he says and I have to blink a few times, trying to figure out why this incredibly handsome man in my kitchen is flirting with me.

I just wanna thank past me because whatever I did in my last life must've been incredible if I'm being offered up a man as remarkable as he is.

"I-" I start but am soon interrupted by my mom walking in on us. "Y/n could you- oh! I'm sorry, as you were" she says, taking small backward steps out of the kitchen, keeping hers eyes on the two of us before turning around to walk back to the living room that they had moved to.

"I'm sorry about her" I say, taking a drink of my wine but he laughs it off. "It's alright, I don't mind" he says watching me with curious eyes as I polish off the rest of it. "Juni has taken a real liking to you" he says and my heart melts at the sound of her name.

"Really? She's probably the happiest child I've ever seen. I really like her too" I say and he smiles, no doubts memories over the years flashing through his head.

"You've done a really good job raising her Jungkook" I say, and his eyes flutter back to mine, this time being the first time I've spoken his name and it looks as if just that alone brought him so much satisfaction. "Thank you y/n" he says, and I feel my heart flutter, the deep baritone of his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

"Daddy can I have some cake?" we hear as Juni walks into the kitchen, "Can I have some cake..." Jungkook says, trailing off and waiting for those magic words. "Please?" she says, realizing what he had been getting at.

"Sure baby, Ms. y/n and I will bring it out in a second okay?" he says making her smile as she runs out of the kitchen "Thank you" she calls out over her shoulder leaving the two of us laughing at her enthusiasm.

"That's probably what my mom was coming in to ask us for" I say and he nods in agreement, helping me carry everything out so we can all have a slice of the small cake my mom had gotten for tonight. "How much you want to bet that they sent Juni looking for us earlier too?" he whispers to me as we make our way over to where everyone else has gathered. "You might be right about that one" I whisper back, quickly catching onto all of their little games.

After setting the cake and all of the plates and forks down on the coffee table my mom takes on the task of cutting it up and serving it, with the very first piece going to little Miss Juni. "Thank you!" she says, eyes wide as saucers leaving all of us cooing at her. "Eat slow Juni" Jungkook reminds her, no doubt having troubles with her eating her desserts too quickly.

I take on the task of helping my mother hand out the slices and once I give one to Jungkook I finally notice that the only empty seat is right next to him and he looks down at it before looking back up at me in a silent invitation to sit down and I take it cautiously.

The couch that we're sitting on is kind of a love seat ironically, seeing as the whole theme of tonight is trying to set us up with each other.

Once I've sat down I realize that I've sat right next to him to the point of where my shoulder ended up bumping into his. "Oh! I'm sorry" I say, scooting away from him but with the size of the couch I don't really end up moving all that much. "It's okay I don't mind" he says, before taking a bite of his cake and turning to face the rest of the group.

The seven of us continue talking and talking until we notice that Juni has fallen asleep in her grandma's lap. "Here mom let me take her" Jungkook says, standing up but both my mom and his stand up and wave him off. "That's okay, we're just gonna go put her down in y/n's room" my mom says and before he's able to say otherwise they've disappeared down the hallway.

"Does she have school tomorrow?" I ask once he's settled back down. "No, she's on spring break right now until next Monday" he relays and I nod my head. "And what about you? Do you work tomorrow?" I ask and he gives me a shy smile before responding. "I had a shoot scheduled in the morning but we went ahead and pushed it to the afternoon so I don't have to worry about going home anytime soon" he says and my heart skips a beat.

"No, I mean, well I don't want to keep you for too long. You probably have other things you'd like to get done tonight?" I ask and he shakes his head. "No, this is the only thing I have planned for the night so I guess you're stuck with me" he chuckles. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I wanted you to leave I just-"

"It's okay I know what you meant" he laughs and I now take notice that we're the only ones left in the room. "Oh! Where did my dad go?" I ask, my eyes darting this way and that, not even being able to hear his voice.

"I think I heard something about them setting up the fire pit? I'm not sure but he's outside with my dad right now" he says and I spy both of them looking through the glass door before quickly ducking out of view once they realize they've been spotted.

"Maybe we should head out there" I say but he cuts off that thought by asking me a question that keeps me frozen on the spot. 

"Is there a reason why you don't want to be alone with me?" he asks, arm now having been draped around the back of the couch a while ago, completely unknown to me making this all seem a lot more intimate than before.

"Who said that?" I chuckle nervously, clearing my throat before sinking back into my seat. "You just did" he says, nodding towards me and I feel like I want to crawl in a hole and die. I thought I could escape this night without being awkward like this but I guess not.

"You trying to get rid of me?" he teases and I shake my head right away, "No I'm sorry I just-" "It's okay, I'm only joking" he says and I laugh nervously. "So why don't you tell me about yourself?" he says, giving me the most open ended question ever and I scramble to find something but I just can't seem to come up with anything interesting enough to mention.

"Well, my parents pretty much said everything there is to know about me over dinner earlier" I say and he shakes his head. "I want to hear something about you from you. Like what are some of your hope, your dreams, something you're passionate about" he says, being a little more specific this time.

"My dreams?" I trail off, thinking for a second and he watches me as I wrack my brain for something notable. "It's kind of silly" I admit once I've settled on something. "Good thing I've got a sense of humor" he replies, trying to encourage me to continue. 

"Well, I've always wanted one of my photos to be on the cover of TIME magazine" I admit and see his eyes light up. "I have a similar dream" he says and my eyes widen in surprise turning my body to face him, wordlessly asking him to share his too. 

"I'd like one of mine to end up on the cover of National Geographic" he relays and I smile in turn. "That would be perfect for you! Well, since the subject you love to capture the most is nature I could definitely see your work fitting right in!" I say, excited to see someone else who's trying to aim as high as I am.

"And I could see yours being a shoe in for TIME as well" he says, and I shy away from his praise. "Okay and what's something you're passionate about, and don't say photography" he says, interrupting me causing me to slump down, having to take another second to come up with an answer. 

He chuckles a bit at my reaction and I glare at him causing him to smile at me even more so look up to the celling as if it had the answers to something interesting about me. 

"Well, I really love reading. I know it might not seem like a passion but when I read a really good book and I find someone who has read it or will at least let me talk about it it's as if I gain a boost of energy and can't contain my excitement. That's definitely the nerdy side of me showing but that's all I can really think of at the moment" I say honestly and when I look back at him it's as if he thought I was the most fascinating thing he's ever seen. 

"Sorry, I think I got a little carried away there" I say, getting shy from being looked at like that, his soft gaze an expression I'm not used to, especially from someone I just met. "Um, your turn" I say, hoping to get some of the spotlight off of me. 

"I know this might be cheating but I do enjoy taking video and editing them. Even if it were as simple as filming Juni for an afternoon, it's something that if given the chance, would be something I could be extremely passionate about" he says and although it is cheating since it's somewhat similar to photography, I'll let it slide. 

"Have you thought about switching up your profession to include video as well as pictures?" I ask and he nods before answering. "I have but I haven't taken enough time to seriously consider it. Juni is still young and I want to make sure I have a stable income in order to take care of her and if I'm being honest I feel almost as if a career change could jeopardize that" he says and I watch him with the same intent that he had given me and he too seems to shy away from it. 

"It's silly since it would probably be a seamless transition but I can't help but feel reservations towards it" he says and I place my hand on top of his that's in his lap. 

"It's normal for a parent to worry about providing for their child. I don't think it's silly at all and it shows how much you truly care about Juni and her well being. She's lucky to have you as her father" I say and he cringes only for a moment before his expression goes back to a softer one. I want to ask what would've warranted a reaction like that but I leave it alone. 

"Okay your turn, what is something you hope for?" he asks and I already know the answer to it but I'm hesitant to say. I take a second to try and figure out how to formulate it properly but decide to just go for it. 

"I hope to be a mother and have children of my own someday. Doesn't matter if it's naturally or through adoption, I just hope to have someone I can love and care for unconditionally and watch them as they grow and change and pray I'll receive that love and care back from them" I say and he gives me a wary expression and I quickly try to backtrack, not knowing if I've messed up or not. 

"I'm sorry that was probably extremely insensitive of me" I say, pulling away my hand but he holds onto it and gives me a sad smile before responding. "I think you would be a wonderful mother. If you were to give your children even half the time and attention you've given to Juni today they would still be incredibly lucky to call you their mother" he says, reassuring me that it's okay to talk about these topics around him. 

"Last one?" I question, seeing if he's up to telling me something he's hopeful for. "I just hope that no matter what my family and friends stay happy and healthy. It might be simple but I enjoy the simple things in life" he says and I smile, seeing how truly kind and compassionate he is just from his simple answer. "That's a good answer" I say and we both chuckle a bit before we're broken out of yet again another moment by the sound of our mothers stumbling into the room. 

"Oh don't let us bother you we're just going to head outside with your father" Jungkook's mom says to him and I can see now from the warm glow shining through the glass door that they've finally started up the fire pit. 

"Oh we'll come outside too!" I say and try to get up off the loveseat. I'm able to stand but immediately lose my balance and feel a strong set of hands on my hips and end up falling into Jungkook's lap. "I-" I start, turning towards him and trying to get out an apology but stop short when I see how close his face is to mine, our noses almost touching. 

I hear our mothers head outside quickly and close the door but neither of us pay any mind, both focused on each other to the point where neither of us move for what feels like forever but was only a matter of seconds. When I do try to get up I feel his grip on me tighten. 

"I'm s-sorry, this couch is always difficult to get off of" I explain and he smiles. "Like I said before, you have nothing to apologize for" he says, his voice a bit deeper than before and it takes every fiber of my being to stop myself from looking at his lips but when I see his flutter down to mine I can't help but do the same. 

"Daddy, why is Ms. y/n sitting on your lap?" we hear Juni say and I immediately get off of him and throw my face in my hands, trying to hide the embarrassment written all over me but Jungkook handles it like a champ. 

"Ms. y/n just fell down Juni and I caught her. You know how I catch you sometimes before you fall?" he offers and she walks over to us, rubbing her eyes and immediately climbing onto Jungkook's lap. "Oh okay" she says, yawning again after Jungkook places a kiss on the crown of her head. 

"Do you wanna go see the fire that grandpa and Ms. y/n's dad made?" he asks and she hums in approval, still half asleep but wanting to go outside with everyone. "Okay let's go" he says, standing up with Juni in one arm and holding his hand out to help me up. I glare up at him and he smiles, knowing he's added to my embarrassment but I take his hand anyways and he makes no moves to let go once I'm up on my feet, walking us all towards the back door. 

Once we're outside though that's when he lets go so he can hold Juni properly while he walks down the patio steps so we can get to the fire pit. 

"Juni woke up?" his mother asks and Jungkook nods. "Yeah she wanted to come outside with everyone even though she is still very very sleepy" he says, talking in a silly sweet voice that makes Juni pout although her eyes are still closed. "I'm not sleepy" she says mid yawn causing me to coo at her and when she realizes I'm still close by she sits up off of Jungkook's chest and reaches towards me. 

I look between her and Jungkook for a second and he nods his head in approval and hands her to me, grabbing a chair afterwards for me to sit on and pulling up another one next to mine and looks over at Juni to see she's practically sound asleep again. "Are you okay with her?" he asks and I hum in approval leaving him placing another kiss on Juni's head before leaning back in his chair. 

"So Jungkook, what do you think of my daughter?" my mother asks and Jungkook chokes on air, not expecting the straightforward question. "Mom!" I scold and she chuckles, "What? It's a simple question. No need to give a complex answer, unless he wants to" she teases and I swear I can even hear Jungkook's dad chuckling at my mother's antics. 

They couldn't make it more obvious that they're trying to set us up even if they tried. 

My dad luckily somewhat comes to Jungkook's aide and hands him a bottle of water to hopefully help him stop coughing which it does thankfully.

He takes a second to clear his throat and I would be lying if I said I wasn't on edge, waiting to hear what his answer might be. "I think she is a very kind hearted and very intelligent young woman" he says simply and the echos of him calling me beautiful earlier on tonight attach to the end of that. 

"And would you like to see her again?" she continues and he then looks over at me, giving me a soft smile and glancing down at Juni before looking me in the eyes again. "We've already planned to see each other again" he says, memories of Juni's invitation to the butterfly shopping trip fluttering through my mind again. 

"Did you hear that? Jungkook has already asked to see her again" my mom says, calling over to Jungkook's mom as if she hadn't been listening the whole time. "Well technically Juni asked if I could go shopping with them" I explain and Jungkook chuckles. "Juni is a very smart girl" my mother compliments and Jungkook and I can't help but laugh. 

The rest of the night flies by and before I know it we're already standing in the doorway saying goodbye. "It's was so nice seeing you again y/n! I hope to be seeing you again soon" Jungkook mom says, winking at me. "Oh come on honey leave the girl alone" Jungkook's dad says, coming to my aide and saying his goodbyes as well. 

Jungkook's parents say a quick goodbye to Jungkook and Juni as well since they came in separate cars and I notice after that my dad pulls Jungkook aside and says something that I regretfully can't make out. Luckily he doesn't seem bothered by it as they smile and shake hands before my dad pats him on the back, sending him off with I can only assume is well wishes. 

Jungkook says goodbye to my mother and I can tell how much she's praising him, he thanks her for everything and makes his way over to me a few moments later and it's almost as if it was a ghost town with only Jungkook and I in the entryway now, with him holding a still very sleepy Juni in his arms. 

"Thank you for coming, I know this was probably a lot for you" I say, rocking back and forth on my heels and he smiles before answering. "I had fun, and I know Juni did too" he says and I can feel my heart skip a beat, "I did too" I reply shyly. He reaches into his pocket and unlocks his phone before handing it to me.

"Do you think I could have your number? You know, so we can set up that shopping day soon? I know Juni won't be able to stop talking about it until we go" he says, turning into what I could only describe as a shy teenage boy, asking his crush for her number. "Sure" I say, putting it in and calling my number so I have his too. 

"Let me know when you get home safe" I say and place my hand on Juni's back and whisper a quick goodbye which regrettably stirs her awake and I mouth a quite sorry to Jungkook but he smiles in response. 

"Wanna say goodbye to Ms. y/n?" Jungkook asks and she nods her head before opening her eyes and leaning towards me to give me a kiss on the cheek leaving me speechless. "Goodnight pretty lady" she mumbles before laying back down on Jungkook's chest. He chuckles after seeing my reaction and gives Juni a kiss on her head in response. 

"Goodnight y/n" he whispers to me and I send him the same sentiment, walking him to the door and watching as he walks over to his car while he puts Juni in her carseat. He looks back to see if I'm still watching and smiles at me again before getting in his car and driving off. 

"So should I schedule an appointment with the caterers tomorrow or...?" I hear my mother say behind me, making me jump before taking a few steps back into the house and closing the door. "Very funny mom" I say, walking over to the living room and plopping down on the couch Jungkook and I had been sharing a couple hours ago. 

"What's wrong? He's a nice man isn't he? Plus his daughter seems like she loves you! Why don't you give it a shot?" she asks and I sigh, sinking further back into the couch. "I don't know, I just don't want to get my hopes up" I mumble and she sits next to me, placing a comforting hand on my thigh. "What makes you say that?" she asks curiously.

"It's almost as if he's too perfect. He's handsome, charming, charismatic, a great dad and I don't know, he just seems too good to be true" I admit and she nods her head, understanding my hesitation. "Everyone puts their best foot forward when they're meeting someone for the first time. Just go out with him and Juni in a few days and keep an open mind. It's not the fact that he has Juni that's holding you back right?" she questions, trying to figure out what exactly has got me doubting. 

"No not at all! If anything Juni is an added bonus" I say truthfully and she smiles at me. "Good, because I think she's already become very attached to you" she says and I nod my head. "Yeah I think I have too" I mumble and she claps her hands, jolting me out of my train of thought. 

"Now all we have to do is get a ring attached to that finger and the three of you can live happily ever after" she says, getting up to clean up the cake plates that sit on the coffee table in front of us. 

"Mom" I groan and she laughs, "I want some beautiful grandchildren and if that handsome young man can't help you give them to me then I don't know who could" she continues leaving me sighing, not bothering to argue back since she is definitely right about that one. 

I hear my phone chime in my purse moments later after I walk into my bedroom to gather up my things to go back home and see a message from an unknown number but check my call log and see that the numbers match up from when I called myself off Jungkook's phone. 

I quickly add him to my contacts before opening up our chat and see a short but sweet message from him. 

'Home safe and sound. Thanks for having us tonight. Hope to see you soon?' he sends with a question mark at the end, clearly still wanting to double check on if I'll actually want to see them again. I wait a few seconds, my thumbs hovering over the keyboard before finally composing a message and hitting send before I chicken out. 

'See you soon Jungkook. I really enjoyed getting to know you and Juni. Looking forward to shopping for butterflies together!' I say and cringe once I reread it. 'Ugh could I possibly sound more desperate?' I say to myself and toss my phone on the bed, sitting down at the computer chair across from it. 

A minute later I hear another message come in and I practically lunge for the phone, praying I didn't weird him out but moments later I feel heat rushing to my cheeks and have to will myself into not squealing.

'We're counting down the minutes until we can see you again. Let's talk tomorrow and set up a date and time'  he says and I rush to respond. 

'Sounds great! Goodnight Jungkook'  I say, ending the conversation before I end up embarrassing myself even more but before I can even lock my phone his message pops up. 

'Goodnight y/n, sweet dreams' the message is so simple but it still makes me smile. 

"Is that Jungkook texting you?" my mom asks, poking her head into the room and I quickly lock my phone and grab my purse. "Yes it is, goodnight mom" I say, walking past her and straight to the front door with her trailing after me. "Oh come on sweetie you know I'm just teasing you. I really think he's going to be a good match for you" she says and I turn to face her before I leave. 

"I really hope so. Say goodnight to dad for me" I say giving her a kiss on the cheek and getting in my car to drive home. 

~~~~

Once I walk in I'm greeted again by Salem and he walks up, waiting for me to pick him up. "You're such a little baby you know that?" I chuckle and he meows in response. 

I follow the same routine as I always do, carrying him with me into my room and rambling off to him about my day before hopping in the shower but this time I have a lot more to say, leaving me wasting half the hot water and causing me to have to finish up the last bit of my shower in a freezing cold stream. 

After finishing up and finally settling into bed I lay down and Salem curls up next to me. "Things might be changing around here boy. I only hope they're for the better, what do you think?" I ask after having told him everything and I'm met with the feeling of him purring and if that isn't a good sign then I don't know what is. 

"I hope he likes cats" I say, giving him one last pet before turning off the light and for the first time in a very long time I can finally say I've gone to sleep feeling content. The last thought that runs through my head is one that helps me fall asleep with a soft smile on my face. 

I can't wait to see him again...

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sunday morning

✩‌ logan howlett x reader x wade wilson | fluff | suggestive | 1.1k

SUMMARY | autumn weather begins to roll in one sunday morning. you greet your boyfriends in the living room, finding wade matching you in one of logan's signature plaid shirts. // part of the home sweet home series

WARNINGS | making out, touching, s*xual jokes, morning s*x on the couch implied

RATING | teen+

Warm streams of sunlight pour through the slitted window shades and onto the bed, draping over your eyes and waking you from your beautiful slumber.

With a content smile, you savor the fact that it’s Sunday and that sunlight, rather than an obnoxious alarm, is your wake-up call. You prefer it this way over any day.

Despite the sun’s warmth, you find it chilly, more so than usual, especially in contrast to your t-shirt and shorts-clad body. Fall approaches and it’s one of your favourite times of the year. The beginning of cozy drinks, crisp air, and the city blanketed in vibrant orange leaves. 

But for now, you’re not quite ready to embrace autumn, tugging the blanket up and covering your shivering self up to your neck to ward off the chill. 

Reaching behind you in the king-sized bed, you hope to find one of your boyfriends for a little extra comfort and warmth, but your hand only meets empty space. Your ears catch the familiar hum of your more talkative partner, along with the TV and satisfying sounds of morning coffee being made. 

Blinking the sleep away, you spend a few more moments nestling in your blanket. When you finally decide to get up, you instinctively step towards Logan’s side of the closet and grab one of his brown plaid shirts to cover-up. Given his taller stature, the ends of his shirt easily cover your thighs. 

The bedroom door creaks open and Dogpool immediately welcomes you with a happy wag of her tail. Squatting down to her level, you pet her on the head and give her some loving scritches. 

Glancing up, you spot Logan sprawled on the sectional sofa, watching TV with his legs draped over the extended part. He’s wearing a simple white tee and plaid pajama pants and adorning a bit of messy hair.

Across the room, in the kitchen, Wade’s whistling as he makes drinks, decked out in one of his many Spider-man shirts, pink and white striped pajama bottoms, and another plaid shirt from Logan’s extensive collection. 

Your smile widens at the sight of him in Logan’s clothes, fawning how handsome he is, almost rocking it as much as Logan does.  

Standing up, you catch Logan eyeing you up and down, gaze lingering on how the oversized shirt fits you. There’s a glint in his eye, reminiscent of how he looked at you last night. 

“Mornin’, beautiful,” he says with a small smile, his voice still carrying the raspy edge of waking up early.

“Good morning, sweet cheeks!” Wade sing-songs. “How are the holes this fine—” 

His face lights up as he sees what you’re wearing. 

“Oh, my God! We’re totally matchy-matchy, babe,” Wade says, raising his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise.  

You stroll into the kitchen and touch his chest from behind. “We are, indeed, babe.” 

Initially, you plant a chaste kiss on his cheek, but he turns his head after, diving into a deep kiss. Post-kiss, he gently rubs his nose against yours, holding you by your waist. You giggle at the affectionate gesture. 

“Who pulls it off better, Logie Bear?” Wade asks, still tenderly holding you with locked eyes.

“You know the answer to that,” Logan deadpans from the living room. 

“It’s me,” Wade mouths, pointing to himself dramatically. Although you shake your head in disagreement, you beam in response. 

Reluctantly, you pull away from Wade’s body, but still keep contact in the form of hand-holding. You grab the cup of tea he made for you. 

“It’s cool this morning, huh?” you comment, blowing your tea before taking a sip. 

“Yeah, fall’s officially here to eat our ass out,” he mirrors you, drinking some of his coffee. “Not that I’m complaining—you know I love me some PSLs.” 

You glance at the color of his coffee. 

“Wade, I’m not sure pumpkin spice lattes can even compete with how sweet and creamy you take your coffee.” 

“What are you talking about? I add just a teeny, tiny pinch of cream and sugar,” he protests. 

“You drink coffee the worst way, bub,” Logan pipes up, surprisingly listening in on the pointless conversation. 

“Okay, Mr. I-Drink-Coffee-As-Dark-As-My-Empty-Soul,” Wade retorts with a roll of his eyes. He jerks a thumb toward the living room. “Get a load of this guy, am I right? Actually, on second thought, you did get a load of him last night. And me, of course.” 

He winks at you and all you can do is shake your head, indulging in Wade’s humor. You gather your tea and another cup, then walk towards the couch. Setting a cup of black coffee on a coaster in front of Logan and placing your tea beside it, you settle next to him. He drags his attention away from the TV and reaches out for you, touching the back of your bare thigh. 

“Thanks, baby,” he says, rubbing his thumb tenderly over your skin. You squeeze his hand in response, a silent “Of course” conveyed.

“Did Wade wake you up?” you ask. 

Logan shakes his head. “No, I was up before sunrise. Had a hard time fallin’ back asleep.” 

“Was it really bad last night?” you ask in concern, reaching out to stroke his face.

“No, it was fine,” he assures. “Sleep’s been better since we started this.” 

This obviously implying the unconventional relationship you three share, but it works, even if Logan’s not keen to admit how he has a soft spot for Wade. Logan leans into you for a kiss, his grin spreading as he does so. It’s hard not to mirror his smile. 

The kissing is innocent, but only for so long.

“You look so fuckin’ good in just my shirt, y’know that?” he murmurs, tugging you flush to his body. His calloused hands trail up your legs and underneath his shirt that you’re wearing. A low moan follows. 

“Hey, invite me if you’re gonna be fucking on my couch without me!” Wade exclaims, suddenly flopping across Logan’s lap and your body. You groan, trying to support the weight of your two muscle-bound boyfriends. 

“It’s Al’s couch!” you and Logan chorus, barely managing to keep your balance.

“And don’t you forget it!” Althea suddenly says, her voice muffled behind her bedroom door. 

Logan shifts to press closer against Wade while still holding onto you. Your other boyfriend dips his head, kissing you fervently. His coffee breath is unmistakable, but you couldn't care less, especially when you feel Wade pressing his rising hardness against you.

“Also, besides my usual warning about keeping it down, if you’re gonna fuck on the couch again, please wipe it down after,” Blind Al calls out, still behind the door.  

���Yes, Al,” all three of you respond in unison in your tangled harmony. 

Before long, plaid shirts are tossed aside, along with the rest of everyone’s bed wear. You keep your moans and whines to a minimum for Al’s sake (or at least you try to).

You welcome the oncoming weather of fall with your bodies pressed up against each other, exchanging warmth in the chill morning. 

And of course, besides sleeping in, you remember why Sunday mornings are your absolute favourite.

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Yes please! Part 2 of the brothel scene

This is part 2 of this request

Red hair is mentioned as she is to have a resemblance to Alicent…to go with Aemond’s mommy issues

Warnings: Aegon being a bully

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

‘’You would take me on your dragon?’’ 

Aemond nodded. You were the part of his day he looked forward to when he woke up. If the war came to a point where he had to flee, he would take you with him. 

‘’I would take you somewhere safe. Maybe Essos? Have you ever been to Essos?’’

You shook your head, your red hair splayed on the pillows. Smallfolk like you never travel, especially across the Narrow Sea. ‘’I have not.’’ 

‘’Neither have I, unfortunately, Aemond said. I’ve been told it is quite beautiful though.’’ He traced your bottom lip with his thumb, slightly red from your last kiss. He moved a strand of hair out of your face to get a clear view of your expression. His gaze roamed over your face, studying your features as if he was trying to commit every inch to memory. ‘’But not as beautiful as you.’’ 

You blushed a deep shade of red at the prince's words. You were surprised, though not at all opposed to this soft and less guarded side of him.

He slipped closed to you, his lips finding their way to your jaw and neck, leaving a trail of gentle kisses down the sensitive skin. You let out a soft moan as Aemond's lips made contact with your skin. His touch sent a shiver down your spine, and you felt yourself relaxing into his arms. You tangled your fingers in his silver hair, pulling him closer. 

Suddenly, the curtain was pulled open, taking away the privacy and exposing you and Aemond to the eyes of the King and his goons. A laugh snapped Aemond from the kisses he was giving you and turned to look over his shoulder, seeing Aegon — drunk — with four young knights. His laughter continued, but no one joined in the amusement. 

Aemond quickly shifted away from you, settling into a sitting position. He was silent, waiting for Aegon to make some crude comment or laugh at his expense.

You covered yourself with the fabric of your dress, pulling it up over your chest. Although you were used to being naked in front of people, you didn’t feel comfortable under the King’s eyes. 

‘’Aemond the fierce!’’ Aegon mocked in an inebriated tone, pointing at his younger brother. He stepped in the room, his balance a little off, and sat on the bed to further taunt Aemond. ‘’You’ve come so far, and…and yet you still lie with a woman from a pleasure house. You could have anyone from a noble house, but you come here and fuck the cheapest whores.’’ 

The younger Targaryen was not responding, choosing to stay silent. You thought it was a tactic to make Aegon stop, but you realized that this was Aemond accepting his fate and letting Aegon make fun of him during a vulnerable moment. 

‘’Did you fuck her like a hound?’’ Aegon laughed again, then made barking noises. 

The sound made you jump slightly, coming a few inches from your ear. You had never been more uncomfortable and disgusted since you started working here. The sympathy you had for the King when he lost his little son evaporated when you saw he was still the cruel brat who enjoyed tormenting his younger brother. 

You glanced at Aemond, who had not moved a hair from where he sat. He inhaled slowly to calm himself, knowing once Aegon found something to pick at, he never stopped until he was satisfied. You wanted to tell Aegon to leave, for he was making your customer uncomfortable, but he was the King. Any words against him could get you in trouble, or killed.

The King turned to the knights, who were still standing outside the ‘door’, visibly uncomfortable. 

‘’You see, I do not exaggerate such are the whores’ prowesses that even now my brother comes back for them. This one is a fine whore; sweet lips and great tits.’’ Aegon pulled your dress from you, showing off your breasts to his friends. He grabbed one roughly, pinching your nipple just for fun. ‘’Ah, yes, that’s great tits!’’ He looked at his friends again. ‘’Her cunny might be a little loose, after all the cocks who got in but she’s still good to fuck.‘’

This specific comment made Aemond's jaw tighten. God, he wanted to punch Aegon.

For a short second, you thought Aemond would defend you, but he did not. 

Instead, he stood on the bed and faced the knights. ‘’Your squire is welcome to use her as he pleases. One whore is as good as another,’’ he said before stepping down the bed and walking away, not bothering to get his clothes. 

His words stung your heart. You didn’t think Aemond would say that about you. Not after all the time you spent together, getting to know each other. Not after the promise he just made you. You thought there was something between you. But maybe you interpreted your relationship wrong.

—

House of the dragon taglist: @khaleesihavilliard @domoron @ididliquorice  @lover-of-helios @lover-of-helios  @shine101 @tanyaherondale @mikariell95 @serrendiipty @lantsovheiress @gilliananderfuckme @shine101 @tetgod @clayzayden @memeorydotcom @tnu-ree @futuregws @blackravena @winxschester @mysteriouslydelightfulchaos @xxlaynaxx @secretsthathauntus @pilarxxxaguayo @emmavan39 @stargaryenx @erylilly @bbblackmamba @rainedrop97 @dreamer087 @gothicgay14 @ashlatano7567 @superkittywonderland @justaproudslytherpuff @evesolstice @buckysmainhxe @padfootsvixen @scarletmeii @evesolstice @dkathl @kaywsworld @tetgod @padfootsvixen  @domoron  @weird-addiction @angeliod @xjennyx2 @adaydreamaway08  @mymultiveres  @secretsthathauntus  @puffycreamcakes @thirsty4nonlivingmen @naty-1001 @katiepie67 @moshpot24x @hc-geralt-23 @lovelynerdytraveler @saturn-sas  @zgzgh @sssjuico10 @tabloidteen @timetoten @deekaag @wondxrgurl @aerangi @strmborns @astridyoo15 @daemonslittlebitch @queenbeestuffs @severewobblerlightdragon @agentstarkid @msliz @vane1999-blog @fairyfolkloresposts @todaywasafairytale07 @otomaniac @zgzgzh @thebeardedmoon @golden-library @kikyrizuki @hnslchw @camy85 @winxschester @armstrongscommentsection @withfireandbl00d @randomstory56 @JudgmentDays-Girl @darylandbethfanforever9 @darylandbethfanforever9 @aegonswife @dakotapaigelove @jays-bullshit @blublock404 @Icefyre19 @paulilvsremus @mfedits @aemondwhoresworld @angrybirdxx @YarianyIrizarry

All and more taglist:  @kenqki @hawkegfs @gillybear17 @black-rose-29 @fudge13 @cece05 @laylasbunbunny @gemofthenight @beautyb1ade   @mellabella101 @vxnity713  @bisexualgirlsblog @queenofslytherin889 @thatbxtchesblog @softb-tterfly @ethanlandrycanbreakmyheart  @xyzstar  @graceberman3   @mikeyspinkcup @jackierose902109 @daisydark @laurasdrey @mischieftom @fanatic4niall @peterholland04 @idkwhattonamethisblogs  @lexasaurs634  @notasadgirlipromise @zoeynicolas @thejuleshypothesis @multi-fandom-bi-bitch @lexasaurs634  @notasadgirlipromise @thejuleshypothesis  @katherinejess  @rafesgirlstuff   @lafleshlumpeater @iamluminosity  @Anouk nani-2305 @books0fever @papichulo120627 @qardasngan @ghostlyvoidydragon @M0rgans1nterlud3 @dahlia-blossom21 @Spacexdrago

[silkscream]

bullfight of love

ੈ✩ choso x reader

ੈ✩ tags: flirting, masturbation, porn watching, vaginal sex, riding, soft sub!choso, 2000s au, coworkers, workplace relationship, film bro stuff

ੈ✩ wc: 4.7k

ੈ✩ a/n: i wanted to write choso being a weirdofreak pervert boy that's all. this is part of my fics for gaza <3 there will be a part two for this. do not ask me about a part two because it's already being made

Maki could kill you for being late again. Five missed texts, the final exaggerated with periods and exclamation points – and she never used proper spelling, let alone punctuation. It wasn't serious the way she made it out to be. 

Toji never cared about your track record. The bastard was never in the shop anyway, probably high off his ass in whatever shed of a place he lived in. Maki already hated her cousin enough for the rest of the crew, running that stupid video store like it was a real family business. It was a summer job to you and nothing else.

She sighs when she sees you walk through the door, handing you your name tag without a word before fucking off to the storage room to look at the new shipments.

“Don’t give me the silent treatment!” you yell after her. In response, you only get a middle finger, chipped black nail polish with half a skeleton decal hanging on.

It’s always slow on Mondays. Considering the new cinema that opened across the street, it's slow every day. You should’ve taken a job there, scooping buckets of buttered popcorn instead of telling off porn-stached men who continually mistook the shop as the old adult video store. 

You mindlessly watch Reservoir Dogs on the CRTV, shaken by the sudden flood of middle school students paving their way to the used video game section. Fumbling with the remote, you meet a hard-faced Maki once again. 

“You can’t put on Tarantino, dude. Kids are in here.”

“It was already on,” you shrug. 

Maki rolls her eyes and points to a small stack by the register – some John Hughes VHS tapes. Sixteen Candles. The Breakfast Club. Most shit that both of you hated.

“Gotcha.”

“Can you deal with the new kid, today? Toji didn’t scan all the new shit in like he was supposed to last week.”

“New kid?”

“Uh, yeah. Goth-ish. Like he got spit out of a Hot Topic or something,” she snorts. “No hazing.”

“I should be saying that to you.”

She scoffs at you before rushing back. You’d had a crush on her when you started working there, back when she still had an eyebrow piercing before she let it get infected. She had that Silent Hill look about her for lack of better words. Resting bitch face with a raspy pout. 

Your head swims a little, pounding from dehydration. The morning joint didn’t help, either, nor did the fact that you had to train a newbie today. 

It’s quiet after the kids leave, snatching up some forbidden R-rated movie that’ll traumatize them during a basement sleepover. You nearly doze off once the clock hits three, but loud footsteps bring you back to life. 

A boy that couldn’t be much older than you stares into you, narrowed eyes boring into your soul. You see the dark birthmark across his nose first, as if someone had slashed him with a blade in one straight swoop. He smells like cigarettes and his eyes are decorated with some reddish eyeshadow. Either that or he had the complexion of a sickly Victorian child. 

“Hey,” you deadpan. “Can I help you?”

“I’m the new hire,” he says. His voice is low. He reminds you of the goths that would hit on you at high school parties. He's prettier, though. 

You give him a once-over quickly – he’s taller than you expect, for some reason, and you notice the blooming swirls of abstract tattoos peeking from beneath his sleeves.

“You don’t sound so sure about that,” you smirk. 

He rolls his eyes and introduces himself. Choso. You repeat his name, tasting it on your tongue. He has half a mind to shake your hand but pulls away awkwardly. You take note of the silver rings adorning his fingers.

You tilt your head. “I like your, uh, space buns…”

“Uh, thanks,” he narrows his eyes.

“Okay, so… have you ever used a cash register?”

“Yes.”

“Great. That’s basically half the job.”

You show him the ropes – how to make sales and deal with teens. Cash drops and tracking inventory. You ask him what attracted him to the idea of working at a run-down video store and he says he likes movies and easy money. His brother liked the place, too. 

“You got the Human Earthworm series, boss?” he drones, bored.

“Yeah, think so. You like romance-horror or just terrible practical effects?”

He snorts. “My little brother likes it. Wants to have a marathon with me.”

“Cute.”

Hours pass and he’s gotten the hang of it. If anything, there are more customers than usual today, because you suppose that Choso is conspicuous in appearance and the teenage girls that hang around at the food court need something new to play with. 

It stirs something uneasy in your gut, the waft of saccharine perfume in the air. Girls with tongue piercings, lollipops staining their lips as they bend over the counter to talk to Choso. Ripe girls.

They probably thought he could buy them alcohol, take them for a joyride. He’d only offer them an aloof, blank stare in return. It makes you almost giddy. By the time night comes around, you tell them to fuck off like flies.

“Closing time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Choso mock-salutes, an amused smirk on his lips. Half-lidded eyes like a cat, maybe a stoner, though he didn’t smell like it. You saw him on his break anyway, sipping down an Asahi Super Dry in the back as if you weren’t looking.

He already knew his place, knew that you wouldn’t rat him out. It was the way something flickered in his eyes when you caught him. A taunt, a quiet challenge. 

You watch him count cash. Chipped black fingernails looked odd on his veiny hands like they were painted in a rush by a child. You notice scrawled pen on his pale skin. Smudged phone numbers.

“Getting hit on already?”

He glances at you and shrugs, hiding a smile. “Half were just from bored teenagers. Other half bored single mothers.”

“Any takers?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

You narrow your eyes. 

“Ha. Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not,” you snort. “As long as we get customers I guess.”

“Oof. You’re cold. You don’t care how I get these people to buy these movies as long as they buy ‘em, huh?”

“You’re not whoring yourself out by being a cashier. Relax.”

He shrugs on his jacket. Crumpled leather, the kind that held the smell of smoke over generations. It made him look like Takuya Kimura in that way, maybe if his hair was down.

He grins when he finds you staring.

“We done for the night, then, boss?”

You roll your eyes at the nickname. “Uh-huh. Night, newbie.”

He smiles sardonically, looking out and noticing the rain. He curses inwardly, knowing that skating home would be a bitch, and the next bus to his side of town wasn’t for another half hour. He clears his throat.

“Leaving already?”

“Yeah. What, don’t have a ride home, kiddo?”

“Fuck off. I’m not a damn kid. I’m just not someone with a car,” Choso mutters dryly. “I work at a movie rental place for a living. I take the bus everywhere.”

“Sucks to suck then,” you smirk, saluting him goodbye. You throw him the keys. “I trust you to lock up then, yeah? See ya.”

He lets out a frustrated scoff but doesn’t bother to convince you, opting to watch you go. Once you’re out of reach, he sighs and turns, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking around the dim store. 

Yuuji was probably out with that sea urchin–haired punk again. He had to remind himself to save up for a car instead of constantly having to share their parents’ beat-up Toyota.

He could take advantage of the shitty TV in the office, maybe. Watch a stupid re-run while he waits, because he sure as hell isn’t going to wait out in the rain. He walks in and settles on the black leather couch straight out of an amateur porno. He snorts and looks through a fat stack of DVDs in the corner. 

His mouth twists when he picks up something with a racy title. His eyes widen when he realizes it’s an adult film.

“Holy shit,” he mutters, scoffing. He lets out a low whistle, glancing around the office as if someone’s out there, ready to jump him. It’s eerily quiet. He can’t even hear the pitter-patter of rain from in here.

He skims the back cover. It looks crude, but Choso has never really been one to turn down something raunchy. He liked stupid movies, gory ones, art films with weird unsimulated sex. He’d gotten off to In the Realm of the Senses when he was thirteen. Skimming through something this cheap shouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t arouse him — it would be as entertaining and silly as watching a sitcom for him.

He inserts the disc into the DVD player and waits for it to load. There are no cameras in the office, he notices. Figures. The way you talked about the owner made it seem like the place was barely being held together if not for you.

And then, he thinks of you. He immediately thought you were pretty, not that he’d ever let you know that. Plainer than his usual type, but something was alluring about the curve of your mouth, the way you spoke. He liked that you didn’t take shit most of all. It was probably the hottest thing about you.

He knew better than to fuck around with a coworker, however. It never ended well and resulted in petty drama. He was too old for that shit, wasn’t in high school anymore — he was a man.

When the intro to the film finally loads, a woman in a skimpy, barely-there dress appears on the screen. It’s something vintage, for sure, given the grain. She’s in a love hotel. 

Choso fast-forwards through blurs of messy kissing, colored lights illuminating a heart-shaped tub. He pauses on a frame of the girl riding, her mouth wide open in ecstasy. He presses play.

After about ten minutes, he finds himself in a trance watching with rapt attention at the way the actress moves. His cock twitches when he realizes that she looks a little too much like you. 

She moans particularly loudly and his mouth parts. Something snaps inside of him. 

He has to pause it again. Jesus.

Choso feels like a pervert. No, he’s a man with urges, needs. It’s a pure coincidence that the actress in the porno looks like you of all people. It’s not like he sought her out himself. A movie like this shouldn’t even be in here.

He grits his teeth, hands clenching around the couch leather until his knuckles are white. He takes a breath before pressing play again and his eyes widen when the girl gets even louder.

Ah, fuck it.

He mutters under his breath, shifting on the couch. Glances at the blowjob lips on the screen, soft and plush. He thinks of you and swallows. He bites his cheek, conflicted.

Maybe he shouldn’t.

Then again, no one has to know.

He lets out a shaky exhale, trying to resist the pressure building inside him. It feels like trying to contain a geyser with a cup, and he hasn’t even touched himself yet. 

After contemplating for a beat, he sighs and unbuttons the fly of his jeans, using his other hand to press play again. A gasp escapes his lips as he watches the girl on the screen. The curve of her back, the bounce of her tits. She looks soft. He wonders if you’d be as —

No. No. He’s not doing that.

He spits in his hand and strokes himself, his breathing starting to come out in short, uneven pants. There’s a rush of heat in his gut as he watches. His head tilts back slightly, eyes roaming the ceiling before closing them as he attempts to calm himself down. It’s no use.

His breath hitches, eyes glued to the screen. He’s memorized by the slick flowing out of her. Fuck, he hasn’t gotten laid in a long time. It’s killing him.

It’d be okay if he pretended it was you. It’s not like you would find out. He could imagine fucking your face the way the guy was doing right now in the video, making the bitch gag and moan. Whimpering at being called a good girl. 

“Oh, god–” he mutters, his voice a strangled gasp. She really did look like you. Disturbingly so. When he’s done, he’ll have to wash his hands for five minutes straight from the shame. 

He pants, his grip on himself firm as he squeezes his shaft. Precum smears over his tip and he groans at the sound of the woman’s whimpers getting louder and louder. It makes his lungs seize. He’s getting close.

He doesn’t even register the jingling of the doorknob.

Choso’s head jerks up, his eyes widening in shock as his head turns to see you in the doorway blinking at him. 

“Oh.”

His throat’s dry. What a cruel fucking joke from the universe. There’s no coming back from this. Not when the video’s still going and he’s still half dressed, hand on his fly in mortification.

You tilt your head, smirking. “Nice cock.”

Choso’s at a loss for words, staring at you with embarrassment and utter daze. What the fuck?

“I, uh…” he chokes out, his voice rough and more high-pitched than usual. Face burning. 

He’s going to get fired. No – he has to quit before you even get another word in, save the little dignity he has, maybe convince Yuuji to move to another shitty town with him so he never has to see you again —

“Forgot my wallet,” you say, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

You walk into the room, peering at him. Your eyes fall on the TV, which is still going. The moans feel cheap and tacky now that he’s back in reality. 

Choso scrambles to press the stop button on the remote, his other hand moving to put a pillow on top of his leaking dick. His eyes flicker wildly between your face and the screen.

“You find that in here?”

“Uh… yeah… I, um—”

You snort. “Forgot to tell you that this used to be an adult video store.”

“That explains the selection,” he mutters sheepishly. 

You eye him carefully. He blushes. “Didn’t finish?” you taunt.

He feels too fucking humiliated to say anything, so he mutely nods instead. He fumbles with the zipper of his jeans underneath the pillow.

“Need some help?”

He gapes at you for a moment before looking away. You look amused as you scan his face. Was he hearing you correctly? Was he dreaming?

“Are you— are you offering?” he gasps out, dumbfounded. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something like that in here.”

Choso’s jaw drops. 

He stares at you for a moment at a loss for words. Curiosity begins to win out over embarrassment.

“With… who?”

“None of your business,” you chuckle.

He doesn’t like that answer. His jaw clenches, knowing that it’s stupid that it hurts his ego a bit for no reason at all. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t press the issue as his gears turn back to your previous offer.

“Then you… uh… want to…? With me?”

“You want to, right?”

He swallows nervously, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. He looks at your body shamelessly for a bit. He’s still so fucking hard. Finally, he nods shyly.

“Okay. Take your clothes off, then.”

For a moment, he wants to protest. This is the last thing he expects from you. Maybe it was a blackmail situation — if he doesn’t let you fuck him, would you fire him? 

He realizes that he doesn’t care either way if he gets to fuck you.

He pushes his jeans down with his boxer briefs, shoves the pillow in his lap away with a blush. Slowly, he strips off his t-shirt, leaving him completely exposed. He can feel your gaze on him, raking his chest and arms, the tattoos on his skin. He looks up at you again almost desperately. 

“I meant it,” you drawl. “You do have a nice cock.”

“Th-thanks…” he croaks. 

“Why so nervous?” you tease. “You were flirting with me all day.”

“Yeah, but–” he mutters, huffing defensively. “I didn’t think you’d actually—”

“Wanna fuck you?” you finish for him.

You say it so bluntly that it catches him off guard. He hadn’t really given it too much thought. You were somewhat receptive to his advances if he could call it that. It was mostly him being himself. His sarcasm was meant to be flirting, but none of it was that serious. He found you hot and interesting. He liked that you could keep up with him. 

When he started touching himself with you in mind, everything was thrown out the window. He wanted you, and would probably dream about you when he got home, but the guilt and shame of doing something so depraved in his place of work made him embarrassed. He wouldn’t have been able to face you on his next shift, and then you decided to barge in and ruin everything. 

And now, you’re offering yourself to him on a silver platter. It was absurd.

He narrows his eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

“I think you’re hot. Isn’t that enough?” 

“You… you actually wanna… uh–”

“Yeah, Choso,” you roll your eyes. “I wanna fuck you.”

He shifts on the couch, eyes roaming hungrily over your body as his breaths grow labored. He swallows a lump in his throat.

“Then… do it,” he mumbles.

You grin, moving to straddle his lap. His hands flex and he has to remember to not appear so eager. This is just a casual hookup with a coworker. One born out of bizarre circumstances, sure, but he needs to play it cool. He grips the edge of the couch.

“Don’t wanna touch me?”

He feels even more meek, if that was possible. He hesitates, throat bobbing as he swallows. He’d had girls in his lap before. Bouncing them on his cock until they cried. For some reason, he feels like the submissive one here just because you’re on top of him. 

“Uh,” he stammers. His voice is quiet, nervous. You think it’s cute. “I didn’t know if I was, uh, allowed to—”

“Go ahead.”

He holds back from kissing you. Instead, he smoothes his large hands over your hips, the curve of your waist. He lifts his hands to the edge of your shirt and hooks his fingers into the hem, slowly tugging it upwards. The reveal of skin is tantalizing, makes his mouth water like a man stranded in a desert. 

Sparks jolt the length of his spine as his fingers brush over the bare skin of your stomach. Fuck, you’re soft. He knew you would be. He pulls the shirt over your head and ogles stupidly at your chest. 

“Someone’s worked up,” you tease, playing with his hair. You undo his buns, leaving his hair down.

“Of course I am,” he mutters, his voice strained. “You’re sitting on my lap, looking like that—”

“Can I kiss you?”

His eyes widen. 

“Please,” he breathes. It almost comes out like a desperate whine. “I mean— yeah—”

You raise a brow, laughing. It makes his face heat up down to his neck. 

“Begging already? Thought you’d be more of a dominant type.”

You’ve thought about me?

“I— I am,” he grumbles. 

“Uh-huh. I’ll let you prove it later.” You lean in.

“Promise?” He looks at you with something eager in his gaze and your eyes soften. 

“Mhm.”

Finally, he captures your lips with his. You sigh into it and it makes his cock throb underneath you. He takes that as an invitation, his tongue immediately pushing past the plush of your lips. He reaches up to grab the back of your head and tangles his fingers in your hair as if he’s done it all before. It makes you moan a little in his mouth.

He moans back, pulling you flush against the hard planes of his chest. You pull back slightly, leaving him to chase your lips for a moment as he lets out a small huff of protest. When you look at him, his eyes are half-lidded, lips slightly parted and shiny with spit.

“You’re pretty,” you say without thinking. “Real pretty.”

He flushes, unable to form words. His expression immediately floods with disappointment when you get off his lap to stand. 

“Where are you going?” His voice would be whiny if it wasn’t so gruff from desire. 

“Relax, idiot.” You unbutton your pants, sliding them down slowly. He assumes you’re teasing him, which he doesn’t particularly mind. You’re a sight to behold. His cock twitches as his eyes look at your smooth thighs. 

“Get over here,” he huffs. You laugh, moving to straddle him. 

He doesn’t have time to react before you lean in to immediately nip at his neck. He lets out a moan, hips bucking involuntarily. You can feel his pulse quickening, the vibration of his moans underneath your lips. 

“Fuck,” he gasps. His fingernails dig into the meat of your waist. 

He can’t stay still. It takes him everything in him to not rock his hips up into you. It doesn’t help that he can already feel your wet heat hovering over his cock. His brain nearly short-circuits. He preens under you, grabbing at you like you’re going to fly away. 

“Be patient. Wanna play with you first,” you mumble.

Choso’s eyes flutter closed as you speak. You sound so fucking sexy right now, he can’t stand it. It’s better than the stupid filler plot he scrubbed through in that damn porno. Miles better. 

“Play with me,” he grits. “Fuck — later.”

“Oh, yeah. Forgot you were pregaming this before I walked in.”

He glares at you. It’s entertaining watching the expression melt off his face when you lift your hips and immediately slam down on him. The moan he lets out is guttural. His hands immediately find your hips.

“Hah – fuck,” you breathe. “You’re bigger than you look.”

Choso lets out a strangled chuckle, head falling back on the couch. It makes him look even hotter, the way his tattoos flex with his collarbone. 

“Told you I wasn’t a kid.”

Your laugh tapers off into a moan when he gives a small, tentative roll of his hips. Testing the waters. You’re so fucking tight that it’s making it hard for him to even think. When he hears you gasp at being filled by him completely, his eyes widen.

“Shit,” he gasps. “Wanna make you do that again—”

“H-Huh?”

His eyes lock on your face as he grins, grinding into you slowly. 

“That noise–” he groans, his throat taut and dry. “You made this little gasp—”

“Ah–”

“There it is,” he snickers. His eyes gleam. “Just like that.”

Your eyes roll back, mirroring the roll of his cock inside you. Your cunt clenches around him and it feels like fucking heaven. He can feel all your wetness drool into his lap. He had the urge to push you into the leather, cant his hips up like something rabid. 

It feels like his brain was going to fall out of his nose, the head rush in tandem with the blood pumping into his cock. Impossible tightness. Snug cunt, petals closing into a bud. 

When you wrap your arms around him, it almost feels romantic. It’s dangerous.

He kisses you, then. Quivers when he feels you getting lost in it, tasting nicotine in your swapped spit. He whimpers as you start to move your hips with more intention. You smile wryly at his reaction, pulling away, eyes fixed on where your bodies meet.

You’re a fucking wet dream while you’re riding him. The way your hair brushes messily over your jawline, the way your mouth parts with a gasp every time he feels you pulsate on his cock. Choso grabs your ass greedily and kneads it, mesmerized at the softness of your flesh. 

“God, you look so fucking good right now—”

His eyes flash as he watches you move. He tries to match your tempo, rutting up into you with frenzied effort. His cheeks are flushed as he nearly unravels himself for you, his expression raw and hungry. He leans in to suck on your tongue, descending his wet mouth down to your jaw, your tits. Oral fixation.

You can feel him deep in your stomach, buried in you. It’s as if he could pierce you through the throat. You’re sure that you’ll ache everywhere by the time you get home. You’d never taken a cock quite this big, never been this wet, your insides swirling around like a washing machine. Your guts all muddled with something that felt too warm for just lust.

“So fucking hot,” he mumbles, hands pressing into your bare thighs. 

All his preoccupations with you had disappeared. He didn’t care if you thought he was a pervert, since you were one too, in a way. Letting him fuck you like this when he barely knew you at all, yet a repressed part of his brain made his heart flutter at the thought of you. It didn’t help that he could practically feel your heartbeat with his cock.

It isn’t romance — it has to be the sex. He can’t think about it too much right now. Not when he’s in a state of delirium inside your cunt.

“Choso, I’m close,” you whine.

“Yeah?” he rasps. “Fuck, me too.” 

His hair is tousled and sticky. Eyes glazed, chest rising and falling rapidly.

He grabs at your hips, guiding them to grind on him faster. Your wetness makes it all so smooth — all buttery, no resistance. You feel full.

He feels like he’s being squeezed to death, to heaven. It sends him over the edge at the same time he feels your pussy clench around him. You tremble in waves as you gasp out a moan. It’s more like a choked breath. He can’t stop watching you as you come, the way your eyes roll back. 

A whine escapes his throat as he cums. Everything that seeps out is slick, feels like something new and primordial at once. Seraphic, he’d say, if he happened to be drunk. He certainly feels drunk.

Choso doesn’t expect you to kiss him so sweetly after such a vulgar affair. He lets out a long exhale into your mouth with eyes closed, letting his head fall back a little while your hands cup his cheeks. His body is all melted limbs, languid sex. 

“Jesus,” he mutters. 

“Hey.”

He opens his eyes and gazes at you through sleepy lids. He lifts a hand lazily, brushing the hair away from your face.

“Yeah?”

“Did you pick an actress that looked like me on purpose?”

He freezes. His hands tighten around your waist as he looks away.

“No,” he scoffs. “Just thought she was hot—”

You chuckle.

“I didn’t pick it, I found it,” he gruffs. “I’ll admit that… she looks like you… I guess.”

“Was I as good?” 

He scoffs again, his eyes flashing with a mix of playfulness and irritation. You were as much of a little shit as he was.

“You’re better,” he rolls his eyes. “I already told you what I think, dumbass. Real pretty.”

“Oh, did you?”

There’s a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “I’d be pretty pissed if you weren’t better than some stupid video—”

“Idiot. Those girls are probably like, Olympians at fucking. Porn isn’t like real sex anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he grins. He pauses for a moment, suddenly looking timid. “It’s just… a decent placeholder for when I… y’know.”

“Just call me next time.”

Choso’s eyes widen slightly, unable to hide his surprise. He sputters for a second.

“What? I’m, uh— not gonna call you every time I—” he groans, “That’ll be way too many times.”

You raise a brow.

“Wait, no— that came out wrong. I’m not some horny freak or something—”

“I mean, given how I found you…”

“That’s—” he stammers, unable to complete a sentence without his brain completely blacking out every millisecond. “That was a one-time thing.”

“Hope so. I don’t wanna fire you, newbie,” you grin.

His pulse quickens at your smile. 

“Like hell, you will. You’re too understaffed to fire me.”

PART TWO

[aeongstarss]

jealousy - somun x reader

warnings: drinking

genre/type: fluff, comedy, slight crack, jealous somun!! y/n

wc: 1k

synopsis: you and the counters get a new teammate, but he seems to grow a liking to you quickly. a liking that somun doesn't seem fond of.

title track: teddy bear - kim sejeong

a/n: hi all! since I made you guys wait forever for my last fanfic (go check it out) I decided to write a quick little one shot! I hope you all enjoy!

You and the counters scramble around the noodle shop preparing to welcome your new teammate. While Somun and Hana bicker about whether or not the decorations are centered, you help Ms.Chu and Motak set the table. 

You feel your phone vibrate and check the notification, “Guys! He’s one minute away!” Everyone drops what they’re doing and you all stand in front of the door, wanting to make a good impression on your new teammate. Somun notices that you’re feeling nervous, so he calms you down with a quick kiss and a smile. The counters are so desensitized to you and Somuns PDA at this point, so they continue shuffling around and straightening their clothes. 

The chairman walks in with your new teammate. He is tall with curly hair, but the most eye-catching part about him was the pore strip sitting on his nose. 

“This is your new teammate!” the chairman exclaims happily. You all bow and smile at him. He bows, “I’m Jeokbeong! It’s an honor to be a part of your team!” he says through a stutter. You all smile awkwardly, introducing yourselves. 

You bow again, introducing yourself. “I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you Jeokbeong!” you say through a smile. Jeokbeong stares at you and Hana with his mouth open. The chairman laughs trying to shift the awkward energy until Jeokbeong exclaims that you two are beautiful. 

You and Hana laugh and thank him. Somun has never been the jealous type, so he pays no attention to this; he knows you are beautiful. 

Once everyone has introduced themselves, Ms.Chu motions for everyone to take a seat at the table to begin eating. You sit down first, waiting for Somun to sit next to you like he usually does, but the person who sits next to you tonight is not Somun. 

Jeokbeong sits right next to you and stares at you with a smile. You awkwardly smile and move over a bit since he was too close for comfort. Somun sits across from you, not paying mind to Jeokbeong once again. 

Secretly, you wish Somun was more possessive. You want to sit with him, but he’s too worried about the food in front of him to say something. So you allow Jeokbeong to stare at you while you all eat. 

With the 4 hours of talking and drinking, it’s safe to say everyone is pretty drunk. Jeokbeongs attention has been off and on between you and Hana, so you just assume he wants a new friend. 

He has made a few moves on you, and you have noticed Somuns patience running low. Jeokbeong has played with your hair, tried to feed you, and continuously complimented you the whole time he’s been here. 

You thought Jeokbeong was just being friendly, until he puts his arm around you, using the fake yawn method. You jump and go to punch his arm off, but before you make contact with him, he’s already laying on the floor wincing in pain.

You look at him with wide eyes, covering your mouth in shock. “Jeokbeong! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard!” you say through panicked laughter, finding his situation funny. 

He sits up and stares at Somun. You turn to Somun, but he is sitting there eating like nothing happened. “It was him!” Jeokbeong yells, pointing his finger at Somun. Somun looks up from his bowl, trying to act innocent. You laugh, hitting his arm from across the table. “You didn’t have to try and kill him babe! I thought we agreed not to use our powers on each other.” you yell through laughter. Jeokbeong stops his whining immediately and stands up. “Babe?” he asks with an exaggerated rising tone. 

Hana laughs, pointing at you and Somun. “They’re dating” she explains to Jeokbeong. He continues his whining, crawling on his knees to hug you. Before he can touch you, he freezes. Somun is staring at him like Jeokbeong is asking to be flung again. 

“Do you want to die this time?” Somun asks in a serious tone. Even his seriousness scared you. A childish “Oooo” comes from Motak while he sits back enjoying the tension. 

Jeokbeong frantically shakes his head no and apologizes to Somun. “I’m sorry I didn’t know!” You all laugh, as all of this is happening while you’re all intoxicated. 

“Somun, I didn’t even know you could use your powers while drunk!” Ms.Chu speaks up. Somun chuckles softly and continues eating. 

Jeokbeong stands up and hesitantly sits next to you again, this time with a 14 inch distance between you two. Somun shoots him a playful wink, clicking his tongue. 

After about an hour and a half of everyone laughing and talking, it’s time for everyone to head to bed. Ms.Chu stands up, signaling for everyone to go to their rooms. While Jeokbeong stands up, she grabs him by his collar. “If you’re going to be a part of this team, you help me do the dishes.” Jeokbeong whines, watching everyone walk off to their rooms. 

“Goodnight Jeokbeong!” you say through a drunk slur; Somun closing the door behind you two. 

You sit down on the bed sighing. “So... what do you think of him?” you ask Somun. “I think... I don’t like him.” he responds while changing into pajamas. You laugh, knowing exactly why he feels this way. 

“Somun! You were so happy this afternoon. Plus Jeokbeong is drunk, I’m sure he’ll forget about it tomorrow.” you explain to Somun. 

This seems to irk him as he walks up to you. 

He grabs your face and places a kiss upon your lips. He pulls away staring into your eyes. “You’re mine, okay? You better hope he forgets tomorrow!” he whines. You laugh at his cuteness, nodding your head. 

“and if he doesn’t forget. I’ll kill him!” he says through a pout. You continue laughing, standing up to hug Somun. “Don’t worry,” you say reassuring him. “If he doesn’t, I can ask Hana to erase his memories.” 

“Hey, weren’t you the one saying we shouldn’t use each other's powers on each other?” he asks. “I’ll allow it this time” you say. 

Somun smiles, giving you another kiss. He grabs your hand dragging you to bed. He exhales, “Okay okay, let’s forget all about this,” You nod in agreement. “Goodnight, I love you.” he says. 

“Goodnight, Somun. I love you too” you respond, snuggling into his warm chest; falling asleep.

[frost-fells-ramblings]

Sandcastle Masterclass

I had three papers due last week… need I say more? Nevertheless, here’s part two of my last post; I'm sorry it took so long to get here 😭.

Special congrats to Ephrael, you finally touched grass (unlike me)!

Previous --   Next

TW: Mentions of a previous death

BOLD = Gothic

BOLD ITALISCISED = Baalfloran

Summary: Ephrael finds his bonded at the park. She teaches him the art of building sandcastles.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ •••• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

Ephrael stifles a cough as he strolls through the park. The late spring breeze rustles the leaves of trees, shaking off the last petals of Terran spring. The sun's warm rays lift a light layer of humidity off of the grass, signaling summer’s inevitable approach. By all accounts, it is a beautiful day. He casts his gaze lazily around, passively observing everyone who’s out and about today. Ephrael nods to a few marines that he recognizes and dodges the occasional dog or child that runs across his path. The longer he wanders, the more he feels himself relax; even with the itching pain in his chest. 

“Ephail!”

His ears prick up at the sound of Jade’s voice, his body whipping around immediately as his hearts swell with hope that his bonded may be with her once again. Ephrael comes around to see Jade running hand-in-hand with Kaia towards him, waving as enthusiastically as she can the whole way. His soul frantically tears at his mind and hearts in a disorienting frenzy, begging with him to fix his fraying bond; but despite his inner turmoil, he manages to hold himself steady. 

Both girls stop just short of him with big smiles, panting heavily from their short sprint. Ephrael drops down to one knee, greeting them with a small smile, “Hello again, little ones. Are you out here having fun again?”

Kaia nods enthusiastically, and Jade echoes chatters alongside her, “We’re building sandcastles!”

“Oh? Now that does sound like a good time.”

Kaia fiddles with her shirt slightly, then gives him a hopeful, doe-eyed look, “Do you want to come see them?”

Ephrael feels his hearts seize at her adorable expression, and a small smile creeps onto his face, “I would love to.”

As he stands to follow them, he locks eyes with a woman sprinting to meet them. He clocks the similarities between her and Jade almost immediately, from the similar facial structure down to her braided, dirty blonde hair. She comes to a halt in front of them, huffing air as she gives the trio an exasperated sweep of her gaze, “I am so sorry if they’re disturbing you, sir. They’ve been excited about Astartes all week, but I didn’t expect them to go running up to one so suddenly.”

“Momma! This is Ephail,” Jade exclaims, bouncing up and down as she points up at him.

“Ephrael,” he gently corrects, disguising it as an introduction to Jade’s mother with a slight bow of his head.

“Ephrael?” Jade’s mother stares at him bewildered for a second, then lets out a laugh. “You’re ‘Ephail’? I thought the girls had just been exaggerating about some random dad they met!” She holds out a hand to him, “I’m Mable; Jade’s mother.”

He gingerly takes her hand and gives it a small shake, “It is nice to meet you.”

“Can we show you our sandcastles now?” Jade tugs on his hand insistently.

“Oh,” Mable shakes her head, “Let’s not take up his time, sweetheart. I’m sure he’s busy.”

“It is alright,” Ephrael quickly interjects, “I have already agreed to. I came out here to take a break from my work, so they are not interrupting me in any way.”

“Yay!” Jade throws her arms up in triumph and charges back to the sandbox. He feels a gentle tug on his fingers, and glances down to see Kaia smiling up at him. She starts tugging him along with a giggle, leaving Mable to trail behind them.

The girls happily make their way back to the sandbox with Ephrael in tow, each taking a seat on the sand within. Jade pats a spot in between them, “You can sit here!”

“I am a bit too big to sit there,” he shakes his head, “but I can sit just outside of the box.”

Ephrael takes his place between them on the outskirts of the sandbox, watching intently as they show him their creations. He couldn’t exactly call them sandcastles, more like mounds of sand by the way they have collapsed coming out of their molds. Small twigs and leaves are dotted throughout the misshapen structures, marking flags at the tips of “towers”.

Eventually, he interrupts the girl’s showcase, “Have you tried getting the sand wet? It will make the sand stick together, and your castles might come out of the molds better.”

Jade and Kaia share a look for a moment, before the former jumps from her seat with a spray of sand, “I'll fill the bucket!”

As Jade scurries off to the water fountain with the pail, Kaia tugs once again on Ephrael, “Do you want to make a sand castle too?”

He hums, thinking for a moment. If Raphine happened to see this, he and Sevram would coo at him incessantly for weeks. “I think I will simply watch.”

“Oh…” Kaia looks down and away with a frown.

Ephrael feels his hearts recoil at her reaction as sudden guilt burns through him, welding him in place. Relentless scouts be damned, he would not be a source of sadness or disappointment for his bonded. “I… said no because I do not know how to build a sandcastle, I have never made one before… Would you like to show me how so I can make one on my own next time?” This was not entirely a lie, though that was mostly because the deserts of Baal weren't exactly sandcastle making friendly.

Whatever the case, Kaia perks up immediately at his offer. She smiles wide at him, “ I can show you how!”

With the most energy he's seen from the girl yet, she begins intricately detailing the two steps it takes to make a sand castle. Apparently, there are rules to this process, molds to pick, and most importantly, “pretty” decorations to place on top. Far more than just, “put sand in a mold, then take it out.”

Kaia has him hold his molds as she fills them with sand and water, then helps choose where to place them. Before he can unmold them, however, she stops him. Handing him a small shovel, she says, “You have to tap the tops; for good luck!”

“Good luck?” Ephrael quirks his brow at her.

“Good luck that they’ll come out right,” she smiles.

Ephrael takes the comically small plastic shovel with his gauntleted hand, and gives one of the molds a light tap. Kaia protests once again, “No, you have to tap them more.”

Her small hands take his, not even big enough to wrap around two of his fingers, and starts guiding him through tapping each mold. He suddenly becomes aware of Mable snickering close by, catching her recording the whole exchange. Hopefully, that doesn't make it onto the internet. The base cannot know.

The three of them finish their castles, followed by much celebration from the girls. The construction of the castle could make an Imperial Fist proud, and their subsequent destruction by the hands of their tiny makers could bring a seasoned Iron Warrior Siegemaster to tears.

“Jade, Kaia, would you two like some snacks? I have them ready for you,” Mable says as she points back to the bench. Both girls immediately halt their celebrations, trotting happily over to the prepared juice boxes and oranges laid out for them.

Ephrael instinctually moves to follow them, but Mable motions for him to stop, “Ephrael, can I ask you something important really quick?”

He nods at her, bidding her to continue. “I was just wondering,” she looks back at the girls, “Kaia and Jade… You’ve been quite kind to them from what they’ve already told me; even going so far as letting them pull you away to play today. And Kaia, I haven't seen her smile the way she has today, or the way she did when she told me about you last week, in almost a year. I apologize if this is rude to ask at the moment, but is she your bonded?”

He eyes her cautiously for a moment, caught off guard by the mix of emotions behind her eyes and inquiry, but eventually nods in response. “I am Kaia’s bonded. I found out last week while I was helping her.”

Mable nods slowly, then goes over to the bench to retrieve a pen and paper from her purse. She quickly begins to scribble down notes. “These are the days the girls come to the park. Either my husband, Kaia’s mother, or I will be with them; so you won't have to worry about constantly reintroducing yourself to babysitters-”

“Wait.”

Mable stops and looks up at him expectantly. He continues, “Why? I would not be surprised if you were Kaia’s mother; but you are her friend’s mother. Why are you so invested in this?”

She glances back at the girls, checking to be sure they’re not close enough to hear her, “I have been friends with Malia, her mother, for a long time. She lost her husband, Kaia's father, last year. His death has devastated both of them, and unfortunately, it has made Kaia extremely withdrawn. My family and I have been doing our best to be there for them, but you have made more progress with Kaia in a week than we have in months.”

Mable’s brow knits with determination and absolute certainty, “I would do anything for that girl, as I'm sure you would. So, if you lift her spirits just by being around, I will make it as easy as possible for you to find one another.”

Ephrael nods slowly, “I understand.”

“I can even tell her mom for you, if you'd like. She'll probably want to make a proper introduction.”

“I appreciate it, but there is no need for you to do that for me.”

“It's okay, it's really no trouble at all,” Mable smiles at him, handing him the slip of paper with dates.

Ephrael stares down at the paper for a moment, conflict once again bubbling up inside him. Incaro’s words sit at the back of his mind as he memorizes the schedule. “Let her know I will be here again when it is her turn to bring the girls to the park.”

“Will do!”

Ephrael shifts his gaze from Mable to the girls. Maybe his brother is right; maybe he can allow himself this one happiness.

[clownetomb]

♡ "My Angel.." ♡

♡ Buggy x Fem!Reader ♡

♡ ~10k words ♡

! Warning: Drunken arguing, yelling, overall angst !

Buggy sat at a table at the bar with his crew, eating lots of food and drinking alcohol by the mug. You, Buggy’s wife and the mime in his circus, sit at the table, as Buggy talks about his adventures with his crew. You watch and listen in as he drunkenly rambles to his crew, a drunken blush painting his cheeks.

He finished eating his food, letting out a big burp as he did so.

"Well, you see, lads, that's exactly what happened when we went and fought that evil warlord on the Grand Line! And, well-  we did it easily, too. We defeated his entire crew all by ourselves. And, well- I defeated him in a one-on-one duel with my bare hands and feet. Yeah! That's how it went down!" You giggle at his grossness and listen to his story that was clearly exaggerated for shock value. He smirked and burped again. "And then, after wiping the floor with that punk of a leader, I went on and defeated every single one of his followers all by myself. Just one-on-one combat against all of them. So it's true, lads. I am the fastest and strongest man the Grand Line has ever seen! Ha!” You stifle a laugh and roll your eyes at your husband's antics. He began laughing as well, drunkenly as he continued his story. "And then, I did what any self-respecting man like myself, would do after defeating all those tough opponents! I, uh... I took the beautiful, young lady they had as their captive, and we had a night we would both never forget” That comment caught your attention as you finally joined the conversation: “Good lord, for the last time I wasn't a captive!” You say laughing, rolling your eyes. He laughed. "Hehe, oh, that's right... that's right. But the part about how we had an amazing night after is true, right? Heh. Hehe...." You pause, thinking. “Yeah Yeah, sure we did.” "Heh, you know it, my little angel! What a night that was, right? Eh?" Buggy said drunkenly laughing again. “...” You remained silent, blushing a bit at his oversharing habits. "Oh come on now, honey! Don't you want people to know just how amazing we had it that night? Hehe..." “You're so gross…” you say, quietly laughing and looking away. "Hehehe - hic - I know I am, but I'm *your* gross husband, aren't I?"

“I guess you are..” You roll your eyes and laugh. "And I suppose you’re my gross, and rather annoying wife, eh?" He says teasingly as he laughs again. “Wooooow.. I see how it is Cap'. I guess you won't get any physicality from me tonight.” You say sarcastically teasing him.

Buggy laughed and pretended to pout. "Oh nooo.. What would I do without my little wife's cuddles on a night like this? Eh? What a tragedy....." You thought of another teasing comment, but you didn’t realize where it would take the night. “I mean I wouldn't be shocked if you didn't care. I've heard tales of you being a manwhore.”Buggy's drunken face instantly looked angry, and he narrowed his eyes and pointed at you as if he were looking for a fight.

"Hey, watch what you're saying, lady! That's just false rumors started by my enemies because I am such a great pirate. A manwhore?? Yeah right. I only have eyes for you, my little angel, haha... Heh...." You roll your eyes teasingly, letting out a sarcastic “Mhmmmm.” His face softened and he laughed. "Hehe, yeah... yeah, you're right, honey. I would never lay eyes on another woman other than you. Even if I was out and about searching for treasure and I came across a gorgeous, young woman who looked absolutely delicious...." Your eyes widen as you begin to overthink about his comment. Throughout the night, he continues to make “jokes” about finding another prettier woman on his voyages. Eventually, you sigh, getting up from the table begin to walk away looking slightly panicked and hurt. Buggy suddenly stood up from his seat and came up behind you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and laughed as he spoke again. "Hehe, why you…! Are you jealous? Heh, why would you be jealous over my eyes for another woman, hmm? You know I would never have my eyes on anyone other than you, right? Heh..." You yank away and keep walking, ignoring him. He followed after you, holding your arm tightly as he began talking again and laughing in an annoying manner. "Oooo, oooo... you're so upset! That's hilarious! You're jealous, aren't you? Well, don't worry about it. I just want to tease you a little bit. But, rest assured. I could never love anyone as much as I love you, little angel...." The drunk clown didn’t realize that his comment earlier had heavily impacted you. You let out a quiet, “Don't touch me.” as you pause in your tracks, saying sternly. Buggy scoffs and laughs drunkenly as he pulls you into an embrace and holds you tightly against him. "Ooh, are you getting so angry at me that you don't want me to touch you? Hehe, but... why? I'm just trying to flirt with my wife. Is she getting jealous at the possibility of another woman stealing my eyes away from her?” You push him off, refusing to turn around to face him. “Don't. Touch me.” You said slightly louder as you began to briskly begin walking away. Buggy follows behind you.

"Hehe, why not? Are my husbandly gestures too much for you, little angel? Perhaps I am getting a little too affectionate, aren't I? Heh.... hmph.. I'll just go back to my buddies then. They'll appreciate me better than you do..." You sigh, losing your patience. “Cool. I really don't give a shit. I'm sleeping on the balcony tonight. Sleep by yourself, or the other women you claim to have.” Buggy scoffs, pretending to look hurt by your words as he sighs. "Oh... Oh, is this how it's gonna be? After all the lovely words I've said to you just now and you're gonna reject me like that? Heh, well fine. You can go sleep on the balcony. I don't care. I'll just find someone else that may appreciate me better..." You snap. “You know what” You grab your bag and look at him. “I'm going home.” Because the ship is stopped somewhere on land, you begin to walk towards the exit of the ship. Buggy's face turned red and he looked pissed. "What?! Do you think that bothers me or something?! Why would I care if you go home, huh? There are plenty of other girls that would love to see me and my amazing self! Yeah..." He took a step towards you and smirked. "But you wouldn't wanna be missing out on all the fun activities I have planned for the rest of the time on land.. Right?” You start to become blinded by your rage. “This! This is my fucking reason, Buggy! I can't do this shit with you anymore. You never fucking care cause you "never do any wrong". Go find another fucking woman 'cause I quit,” and you walk off the ship. As you walk away, tears form in your eyes from the pent-up emotion being held in. Buggy froze where he was standing. His breath hitched as he took a couple of deep breaths, and he stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. Then, in a drunken and angry rage, he burst out laughing and followed behind you. "Haha... Haha - you don't really think you can leave me without me coming for you, right? My baby... my little angel... where are you going?"

“I'm not yours anymore.” You said stoicly. “‘There's plenty of other girls that would love to see me and my amazing self’ is what you said, right? ...Go fuck yourself, clown.” Buggy suddenly grew upset and enraged, and he rushed up to you to grab you as he began yelling at you. "You can't just leave me like this! You hear me!? I don't care what we've been through! I'm still your husband and you're still my wife! We're married and we're gonna make a family together! Remember..?" You ignore him, not moving from the spot you’re standing. His grip on your arm tightened as he spoke again, with more fury and anger in his voice. "So you're just going to abandon me like this!? After all we've been through together?! What about all the years we've been together and all the adventures we've shared?? I've given everything for this ship and for you and for our crew, and you just abandon me like this and you don't even care at all?!" “I DON'T FUCKING CARE? YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD FIND ANOTHER GIRL ‘BETTER THAN ME’ AS SOON AS I STOOD UP FOR MYSELF.” you yelled back as the situation became more intense and heated. "WELL, THAT WAS JUST A BLUFF! I DIDN'T MEAN IT, OKAY?! I ONLY SAID THAT TO GET A RUSH OUT OF YOU! I WOULD NEVER REPLACE MY LITTLE ANGEL FOR ANYONE ELSE!" You finally turn around to meet eyes with him, your eyes full of tears and your face makeup running down your cheeks. “..Well, you still said it.” Buggy looked back and saw your beautiful, tear-streaked face, and he couldn't help but feel some empathy for you in this moment. His expression softened as he suddenly realized how much he hurt you. "I'm... I know you're right. I did say that... but, honey.. baby.. just know that I would never, ever, replace you for another woman. You will always be my beloved angel. You drop to your knees and start to sob. “I don't want to leave.” you sobbed out. The drunkenness and anger left him as he saw how much you were sobbing. Buggy immediately dropped to his knees next to you as he moved his arm around you, holding you tightly against him, and put his forehead against yours.. "Shhh... It's okay, baby. I'm here. I'm here. I'm sorry for everything. I- ... I'm sorry for what I said.. I just spoke out of anger. Please, just shh... please, angel.." As you process his words, you mutter out “I want to forgive you.. but I shouldn't. I can't.” "But... I'm really sorry! I'll never say I don't love you again! I swear! I'll stop being such a drunk. I'll stop letting the alcohol control me like this! I promise! And- and I will change my flirtatious ways, too. Please, I'll change! I promise you! Just... Just don't leave me... I don't want to live without you... I can't stand this life without you... who'll brush my hair? Or.. Or make me brush my teeth? Or nag me to clean my cabin? Or.. love me?” You sigh. “Buggy..” He rubbed your back as he felt your heartbeat calm down, and he sighed warmly.

"Hmm... I don't know what I'd do without my little angel. Come on, let's go back to the cabin, and I'll give you a proper apology. Yeah? I'll be fully sober in the morning, I promise..." You decide that maybe.. He deserves one more chance. “..Alright.” You say, letting out a sigh, standing up and looking up to the taller man. Buggy also stood up and wrapped his arm around you as he began guiding you up the stairs and back inside the ship. "See? All better now. I'll never let anything happen to you. I won't let anything get between us ever again. I love you, my angel."

..”I love you too, Captain.”

[lum13]

My feelings, like puzzle pieces.

Shapeshifters are seldom found across the world. Though scattered in numbers of people’s every-day life, it is a rare case to realize who they really are.

Who knows, they might be right under your nose, too.

Wednesday Addams x fem! Reader

“It’s you again.”

Muffled meows drew the raven haired girl’s eyes away from her typewriter. Her lashes fluttered down for her dark pupil to find your slit ones. chilly moonlight traced your silhouette, complementing the vibrant hue of your eyes. 

The girl found her footing on the floor, before bending down to unlock the window that was separating the pair. You jumped into the room seamlessly, settling yourself beside her ankle, rubbing your face onto her affectionately. She watched as you purred pleasantly, your eyes closed with bliss.

“Why must you come back every night? There’s nothing enjoyable here.” Wednesday muttered, making her way back to the chair. You followed her trails, jumping up onto her lap once she had sat down. You curled up into a ball, warming her cold legs up with your heat.

She eyed you for a moment, before getting back to her novel again. After a while, she rested her right hand onto your fluffy back in an uncertain manner – though her touch was stiff and cold, you hummed in delight. You yawned sleepily, soon losing yourself to a deep slumber.

It had always been like this— with you visiting every midnight, seeing Wednesday at her most vulnerable times. But somehow, she didn’t mind it as much.

Maybe because you’re a cat.

She shuddered at the thought of you being a human. What an unpleasant thought.

“It’s cool that your mother calls you a deathtrap, though. I think it’s a pretty nickname– it’s what viper’s mother calls her, right?” You said, making Wednesday halt in surprise. How did you know about viper? 

Her confusion went unnoticed to you, who were busy scrolling through the playlists on your phone, squeezing in the right part of your earphone while offering her the other. “Want to hear some?”

The girl shook her head no, still engrossed in her thoughts.

“How do you know about Viper?” She asked. You shrugged like it’s not a big deal. 

“I saw some parts of your novel when I was in your room.” 

But you have never been in my room, she wanted to say. 

With her eyebrows pulled together, she gave you a puzzled look, to which you looked back innocently. 

It must be a coincidence, a voice rang in her head.

Unfortunately for you, she doesn’t believe in coincidences.

Rave’n is one of the most attractive festivals amongst Nevermore's numerous events. packs of students go in and out of the clothes stores at least a week before, trying to find the dress that best fits themselves. 

It was an unspoken tradition to keep your dress a secret before showing up in the event. Wednesday didn’t put much care into it– but she also spoke nothing of her dress. She thought it wasn’t necessary to bring it up– so she never did.

“I really, really hate this year’s theme.” You whined, frowning as you looked at your reflection in the mirror, twirling around to study the crimson velvet dress, jewelries swaying with the flow of the fabric. 

Wednesday looked at you with her eyebrows raised, signaling you to continue.

“It’s red! I mean– I’m fine with red, but last year made me a bit uncertain about wearing red dresses at parties.” You confessed, huffing. “I can’t believe those normies ruined the night of the year!”

“You’re exaggerating.” The girl pointed out. You sighed, crossing your arms while pouting childishly. “I know– but it still makes me angry!”

The raven haired girl rolled her eyes at your remark, crossing her arms. 

“Should I just ignore the dress code and go with black like you did for this year?” You muttered, bringing your thumb to your chin while pondering on the subject. Wednesday widened her eyes, bewildered by how you knew what her dress was. Sure, she only wore black clothings, but you spoke as if you knew what she’s bringing– and she couldn’t help but be a little suspicious of you. 

how did you know?

Wednesday woke up to rough scratches on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find your cat figure very close to her face, licking her softly. Slowly sitting up from her desk, she winced at the sharp pain from her neck. 

She must have fallen asleep doing her assignments.

You let out a soft cry at her pained expression, nudging her arms softly. For a brief moment she gave you a glance, before turning to her bed. Her mind was too muddled for her to think correctly, so she decided to give up on her assignment and sleep. 

The bed tilted from your weight as you hopped onto the mattress, circling around before finding the right spot. The raven haired girl took a quick glimpse of the clock on her nightstand before drifting off to sleep.

It read, 5:37am.

“All these assignments are driving me crazy!” Enid whined, throwing her arms in the air in despair. “I stayed up till three in the morning! And still couldn’t finish it all!”

You patted the blonde’s back with sympathy, letting out a tired laugh. 

“I barely managed to finish it by five-thirty.” You said, “I honestly feel like I’m half dead right now.”

“That’s crazy.” Enid exclaimed, looking at you with wide eyes. “And I couldn’t  even do half.”

You chuckled, before glancing at the raven haired girl, who stayed silent throughout the whole conversation. 

“Anyways, how are you Wednesday?” You asked, trying to bring her into the conversation. 

“My neck is killing me.” She replied, earning a knowing look from you.

“I bet it is. Sleeping on your desk is not a great position for your neck.” You said in a teasing manner, failing to notice Wednesday’s startled look.

“You ended up sleeping on your desk?” Enid gasped, “I told you it would happen— yet you did not listen.”

Wednesday, however, did not respond. Her mind was racing with millions of thoughts. How did you know all this stuff?

“You okay?” You said, resting your hand on her shoulder, making her jolt, whipping her head to see you.

“Yes.” She said swiftly. You gave her a doubtful look, before nodding understandably.

“Alright.” You shrugged, before rambling off to Enid. Wednesday furrowed her eyebrows, eyeing you cautiously.

There were too many mysteries that lingered around you, and she will figure them all out.

“You’re a human.” Wednesday said firmly.

The cat didn’t give any reaction to her statement, only continuing to groom its own furs with its tongue. For a moment, she doubted her own thoughts, but she remembered the gaze you held in your eyes. She knew immediately in that moment that the cat wasn’t just a cat– but a human.

“I’m not someone who falls for your trickery.” The girl stated, “I know you’re a human.”

The cat only brought itself closer. Brushing your cheek against her hand, you plopped down on the desk, exposing the fresh scar that was just above your paws. Wednesday squinted her eyes, as if to get a better look.

A scar?

“Not a fan of parties?” You smiled, sitting beside the raven haired girl. Wednesday grunted out in a response, settling her drink on the table. 

“I thought you’d be partying all night. What happened to that?” She questioned, earning a laugh from you. 

“I was going to, but my ankle is killing me, so I just decided to rest for the rest of the day.” You shrugged, bending down, hovering your hand over the bandage wrapped around your ankle. 

A wound? Wednesday furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. 

“Show me.” She demanded, “Now.”

“Oh– um, okay?” You said, unwrapping your bandage with uncertainty. The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of your fresh scars, the very same scar that had been on the cat. puzzle pieces finally came together in her head. Of course it was you, she realized. Why didn’t she notice it sooner?

“It’s you?” Wednesday asked, “The cat. It was you.” 

She could see the way you fell into an alarm, your face going pale in horror. You took a step back, then another. Just as you tried to turn away, she clutched onto your wrist, making you gasp from the cold contrast between your skin and hers. Goosebumps were sent all over— she had never touched you like this before.

“It’s you.” She repeated, waiting for your confirmation. You bit your lips, trying desperately to come up with something, something that will get you out of this situation.

But your brain had turned blank the second you felt her cold fingers around your wrist. You casted your eyes down, sighing in defeat.

“Yes.” You admitted, “It’s me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Wednesday asked eagerly for an answer. A beat of silence passed until your voice broke it again.

“I was scared, I guess. I didn’t know how you’d react if you knew I was.. you know. I was aware of how much you value your privacy.” 

The girl frowned. 

“You should’ve told me.” She said, an odd feeling stirring up inside her chest.

“I should’ve! But.. I don’t know, I felt like committing crimes and felt like I’m knowing stuff I shouldn’t.” You confessed, your hand forming a fist as you rambled on.

“I can stop coming to your dorm if you–”  

Heavy emotions filled her heart at your remark. Wednesday wasn’t sure what it was, but it was unpleasant, and the idea of you not being there beside her every night just felt.. wrong.

“No.” She cut you off, “Don’t stop your visits.”

“Oh.” You said, your eyes round in circles as you failed to hide your surprise. “Okay.”

Another silence followed. The sound of muffled laughter echoed through the room, the beat of the music sending soft waves on the floor— the sound of the swiftly footsteps, the sound of the students cheering in the background.

Wednesday’s eyes traced over your face— your eyes, your nose, your lips. Fragments of the cat’s features flashed in her mind, making her realize— you really were the cat all this time. She looked at you in awe, unable to tear her eyes away.

It was a mystery how she felt nothing about this. She should  feel uncomfortable, or even a little betrayed by the fact. Yet she felt the contrary— it just felt right.

Your cheeks adorned with red, you fidgeted under her intense gaze. 

Maybe it was because it was you, she figured.

Maybe because it’s you.

-

Hi! <3

[clxja16]

Since Day One

Part 4

Arthur Leclerc X Reader

Genre: childhood friends to lover

Warnings: none

Word Count: 2.6K

Author’s Note: okay I am done, there’s not gonna be a part five regardless. I seriously don’t even know what I would do with this story if I would continue it. Also I don’t know if Charlotte gets endorsements in real life from being an f1 wag, but like I would think she does. I just put that in the story because it fit in that moment. Also this is so late because I wasn’t gonna do a part four but ay wth. Nevertheless enjoy guys.

Part one, Part two, Part three

————————————————

“Auntie Pa,” you called out, as you entered the Leclerc home. “I brought the fish for dinner.” Arthur, Charles, and Lorenzo were expected to return to Monaco by tonight for the summer break.

“I’m still in the kitchen dear,” you could hear auntie Pa, shout from across the home. “May you set the table dear?”

“Of course,” you answered, as you put the fish down, and picked up the stack of plates. “Who’s coming tonight?”

“Just us,” Auntie answered nonchalantly, “the boys, you and Charlotte.”

“Auntie I didn’t know it was a family dinner, I don’t wanna intrude…”

You could hear Auntie Pa sigh, “nonsense, you are family y/n, I don’t know how many times I have to remind you that you are family.”

You blushed at her words, “once more,” you said as you went about setting up the table for everyone while Auntie finished her cooking. You peaked over at the dish she was making, the boy’s favorite. They always had one request when they came home from traveling, Auntie Pa’s cooking.

“I heard,” Auntie started off, “you attended a couple races.” Auntie gave you an eye, as she watched your reaction to her words. Even when you were a little girl auntie always knew everything.

“I did,” you confirmed, “I wish I didn’t stop. I…” you paused trying to get her your thoughts, “I didn’t realize how I hurt all of you, I’m so sorry I never…”

Auntie raised her hands stopping you from continuing on, she had her eyes shut, and it appeared as if she was biting her tongue. “You need not apologize for protecting your sanity and safety.”

“But I should’ve talked to…”

Auntie raised her hands again, stopping you once more, as she stared straight into your soul. “You did what you had to do, we understand that.”

“Thank you,” you said. Auntie Pa always knew what to say to make it better.

“It’s not your fault, that sometimes, my sons can be idiotic at times,” Auntie threw up her hands in exaggeration.

You couldn’t help but giggle at her reaction, “what happened auntie, Charlotte never gave the details.”

Auntie Pa sighed further, shaking her head, as she stirred the pot. “My baby, Arthur, is so much like his father. So protective over you,” Auntie said, as she pointed at you. “Last season, you canceled your Monza trip,” you nodded your head at Auntie’s words, recalling that time. “Then you didn’t go to Russia…”

“Right,” you said to confirm the details. At that point in the season the amount of harassment was overwhelming that you didn’t want to leave your home.

“Then you didn’t go to Abu Dhabi with the family, as soon as we got home from Abu Dhabi, Arthur hit the roof. He told Charles, It was because of Charlotte that you didn’t come to Abu Dhabi.” Auntie explained to you.

“Why would he say that though, I never told that to him,” you asked as you remembered, making it a point that it wasn’t because of Charlotte that you stayed away.

Auntie Pa sighed, “Because at Abu Dhabi, Charlotte had said some things that were only meant for Charles.” You looked at Auntie confused, not fully understanding what she meant, “Charlotte is a darling, but she’s not you y/n. She’s not gonna have those childhood moments with Charles like you, and that’s unsettling for her. She was explaining to Charles that sometimes you make her insecure, your connection with Charles and the rest of the family. Arthur overhead and he assumed that Charlotte told you this, so you stayed away to make things easier for Charles without considering Arthur’s feelings.”

“I didn’t, I wouldn’t,” you started off, trying to explain your side quickly, “that wasn’t…”

“I know dear, don’t worry.” Auntie reassured, as she went back to explaining, “Arthur refused to talk to Charles for the entire off season, even during their trips to Maranello together. It wasn’t until we were having dinner together right before the boys left for Bahrain, and Charlotte asked you to come to the race, herself and you declined it. After you left that night Arthur finally spoke to Charles, and Arthur got one hell of a scolding from Lorenzo for acting the way, he did.”

You sighed, as you recalled that night, “I did wonder why it felt awkward that night. I’m so sorry Auntie, I didn’t mean to cause that…”

“Don’t even worry about it dear, it’s not your fault that my boys are idiotic at times,” Auntie shocked her head with a chuckle. Just then you could hear the front door open, signaling their arrival.

-

“Are you gonna come to Spa?” Charles asked you during dinner.

“Summer break just started and already you’re talking about the races,” you sighed, shaking your head.

“Come on, you’re gonna come to Spa right?” Arthur asked, as he turned in his seat to face you.

“I don’t know, I’m gonna have to think about it,” you answered, looking at Arthur. Your head swirling with thoughts of just how handsome he was, and you couldn’t believe he was yours. You realized you could get lost staring into his eyes. And Arthur thought the same about you, as he stared back. He thought of you, and he couldn’t believe he could call you his.

Lorenzo and Charles took note of how both yours and Arthur’s demeanor changed in that moment. Granted, Arthur always acted a little more carefully when you were around. Constantly trying to impress you, however both Lorenzo and Charles could tell this time was different. It wasn’t Arthur trying to impress you, it wasn’t Arthur trying to gain your favor. Arthur looked at you with pure love in his eyes, there wasn’t a yearning, a pining, a longing look. Just pure, unfiltered, raw love.

Lorenzo and Charles exchanged a look, they both knew you guys finally got it.

-

After the food was put away, the table cleared, the dishes washed, and the kitchen cleaned, did you guys sit in the living room together. As Arthur looked around the room to see everyone together, he thought of his childhood. Of the moments after a long day of karting when you guys would come back home, and then proceed to playing video racing games.

“Super Mario Kart?” Arthur asked the room, knowing you wouldn’t back down from a challenger.

“You’re going down Leclerc,” you answered, as you began to help Arthur set up the game.

“Excuse me, I’m winning this,” Charles responded back.

“Charlotte, are you gonna play with us?” You turned to ask Charlotte.

You watched her smile grow just a bit, “sure.”

The four of you found good seats around the living room as the game started. And when the first round ended, there was only one happy person, so obviously you guys had to play again. You don’t know how many rounds you ended up playing, but there was lots of shouting, lots of laughing, and lots of cheatin going on. Lorenzo and auntie Pa, laughed at how competitive you all got. It was truly an enjoyable time.

After a while it was just Arthur and Charles playing. You took a seat with Charlotte, watching the two boys play their game. Charlotte spoke first, in a low whisper, “how’s you and Arthur?”

You couldn’t help but blush slightly, “we’re good, it’s nice, taking things slowly.”

“I’m happy for you guys, took you both long enough to get it,” Charlotte said with a smirk.

“Yeah it did.”

-

It was about a week into the summer break, when Charles had invited you out to his yacht for the day. Although this wasn’t the first time, Charles invited you out to the yacht, you still were unsure how to dress. Charles said it was an all day thing, so you packed warm clothes for the evening, as well as more, because well a girl can never be too prepared.

When you arrived at the dock, Arthur and Charles were already waiting for you. “You boys didn’t need to wait for me, I would’ve called when I got here,” you said, as the three of you loaded onto the yacht.

“It’s fine, we’re still waiting for more people, so we weren’t planning on setting sail yet.” Charles said, as he carried your bag in.

“Who’s here already?”

“Just us, Lorenzo and mom, Charlotte should be here soon though,” Arthur answered your question.

After getting your things stored away, you followed Arthur out onto the deck where everyone else was. You all sat together for brunch before setting off for the day. It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to arrive, and you guys were off.

You watched Arthur play games with his brothers and a few of their friends. They all took turns shoving each other into the water. You were perfectly content sitting on the side with Charlotte and auntie Pa. That was until Arthur decided that you sitting on the side wasn’t good enough.

Arthur made quick work of pulling you up by your wrist, “no, no, no Arthur,” you protested as he dragged you to the edge. “Arthur don’ t,” you protested once more, while everyone else cheered Aruther on. Arthur bent down, wrapping his arms around your thighs, before throwing you over his shoulder, and jumping into the water.

When the two of you came up back to the surface, it was full of you splashing Arthur. While he had a huge grin on his face, “I’m sorry mon amour,” Arthur said. If you were paying closer attention you would’ve caught his mistake, but instead you got lost in his eyes and his smile. Arthur pulled you close in the water, pecking your lips as an apology. As more cheers erupted from the group.

-

“So you just weren’t planning on telling us?” Lorenzo asked Arthur, as you guys all sat together at dinner. Arthur held your hand, with interlaced fingers, under the table.

“I was going to tell you guys,” Arthur relented, “I was just taking it slow.” Arthur leaned back, now looking at you instead of his brothers.

“Slow? How much slower are you guys planning on taking this, it’s been 16 years,” Auntie Pa said, causing a ripple of laughter through the table.

“As slow as she wants,” Arthur said with a little drawl in his voice, as he stared at you. You felt the red creep up your cheeks and your smile widened at Arthur’s cheesiness. Arthur would really do anything for you, and you were the luckiest girl alive to be with him.

“Are you happy?” Charles’ voice cut across the table, “y/n, are you happy?” You tore your eyes away from Arthur to look at Charles. Charles sat across the table from you, Charlotte sitting next to him.

While you looked at Charles, you thought about what could’ve been. What would have happened if he said yes, years ago? Would you be in the Ferrari garage cheering his name, at every race? Would you be the F1 wag that everyone talked about? Would you have the endorsement deals that Charlotte has? Would you still be in love with Charles? Would you even still be in a relationship with Charles?

As you looked at Charles and Charles looked at you. Charlotte looked at Charles. She wondered why Charles had asked if you were happy. She wondered if Charles wanted you to be unhappy with Arthur. She wondered if Charles was secretly, quietly, jealous that you chose Arthur in the end. She wondered just how much did Charles regret saying no, those years ago.

When you were looking at Charles, Arthur was looking at you. Arthur wondered what was going through your mind. If you thought that Charles was the better choice. If you were thinking about getting stuck with the second-best Leclerc? Or maybe the third-best Leclerc. If you were thinking that you weren’t that happy with him.

“I am,” you answered, earnestly, honestly, and wholeheartedly. “I am very happy,” you said, now looking away from Charles and back at Arthur. Looking at the person you are truly in love with.

“Good,” Charles smiled at you and Arthur, then looked towards Charlotte. He picked up her hand, kissing the back of it, whispering a small ‘I love you.’

-

“I won’t be gone long, just a few days,” Arthur said, as he packed his bag, preparing for another trip to Maranello.

“I know, but you’ll call and text me right?” You asked, sitting on Arthur’s bed, watching him pack.

“Of course mon amour,” he said, smirking playfully at you.

“You know, I thought the point of summer break was to take a break.” You said sarcastically.

“It’s just some contract negotiations, and media duties,” Arthur smiled as he continued to pack.

“Why a few days then and not one?”

“Because I want to actually sign a contract my dear, sometimes negotiations takes days,” Arthur smirked as he pulled you up from the bed, closer to him.

“I will see you when you get back?”

“You’ll be the first,” Arthur smiled, placing a soft kiss upon your lips.

-

“I signed with Dams racing for next season,” Arthur spoke through the phone to you, and even though you couldn’t see his face, you could hear the smile.

“You deserve it,” you spoke into the phone for Arthur.

“Do I?” Arthur asked softly, you could hear the insecurity starting to creep in.

“Of course you do,” you answered quickly. When Arthur and Charles were still karting, Charles was set on pursuing racing as a career, while Arthur was a little more indecisive. So when money started to get tight, Arthur’s career was put on hold. And at the time, one or two years off didn’t seem so bad. It gave Arthur time to appreciate racing, especially since he couldn’t do it to the fullest. Then Arthur turned 21 and he was still in formula 3. When Charles turned 21, he already won Formula 3, and 2. Charles already made his formula 1 debut, he already scored points.

Arthur was already so far behind his brother that every time he made a step forward he wondered if it was because of his ability or because of his name. Every opportunity he got, he asked if he deserved it, or if it was a favor for his brother. Every moment in the spotlight, he wondered if they were there for him or his brother.

“Where are you right now?” You asked to change the focus of the conversation.

“I’m still at Maranello, waiting for Lorenzo right now,” Arthur sighed, you could tell he was still bothered, still insecure.

“Arthur, you worked hard, you deserve this,” you did your best to reassure him.

“Charles was already in formula 1 at my age,” Arthur sighed, you could hear him take a deep breath, “maybe I should stop while I’m ahead.”

“Arthur, Charles has…”

“Hold on,” Arthur cut you off before you could finish your thought, “Lorenzo is here.” Vaguely from the other side of the line you could hear Lorenzo's voice.

“Y/n,” Lorenzo’s voice came through the phone loud and clear, “guess who’s moving into formula 2…”

“I told her already,” you could hear Arthur’s voice, although faintly, through the phone, as he spoke to Lorenzo and not you.

“Oh,” Lorenzo said through the phone to you, “well he’s moving up making big boy steps.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the excitement in Lorenzo’s voice, “when’s the announcement?”

“Well if no rumors come out, maybe the end of the year, at the very least Abu Dhabi.”

“I’m so proud of him,” you spoke earnestly, “and of you too Lo.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Lorenzo said, you imagined him doing a little bow as he spoke, “here’s your boyfriend back.”

“I’ll call you back when we get to the hotel, I think I have some more media things to do,” Arthur informed, his voice sounding lighter than earlier.

“Alright,” you acknowledged, “I’m proud of you Arthur.”

“Thank you.”

————————————————————

@annoyingsaladstrawberry

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Broken Things (Resident Lover)

Pairing: Very much platonic Mia and Miranda (I am rotating them and their dynamic in my head) Rating: G for General Audiences Warning: HEAVY SPOILERS for Miranda's route, mostly implied but this won't make much sense if you haven't finished it. I recommend also getting the cult ending for maximum clarity. Summary: For two people that hate each other, Mia and Miranda have more in common than either of them want to admit. The night before an important (but heartbreaking) ritual, they share a few moments together. Alternatively: do you think they ever talk about being the only two to really know the MC? I think it hangs over them, equal parts comforting blanket and burial shroud. Exploring their dynamic a lil bit. Also, this is probably the longest thing I've written in one sitting in ages, so... cool. Noice. Just over 1.2k words.

------ ------

If she had bothered to knock, there would have been no answer at best, and a flurry of feathered rage at worst. No point in entertaining that formality; not tonight, the eve of another undoing. Few things had any point tonight. But Mia had never been one to overthink things, never one to bother drawing up reasons for her behavior. That was what made her so charmingly irritating. Or just plain irritating, if you asked the headmistress whose office is now being invaded.

“I’m not in the mood for company,” Miranda warns from where she sits at her desk, the barest hints of exhaustion bleeding into her normally veiled expression. Even Goddesses get tired, it seems. Cruelties stir in the back of her throat, vile words and heavy hexes, but she doesn’t waste any energy on letting them spill out. Simply swallows, hard, and crosses one leg over the other. A stiffness occupies her bones this evening.

“I know,” Mia answers, without any snark, carefully setting down a couple glasses where there’s room. The bottle in her other hand has already been opened, the contents mixed with other things, and hastily sealed again. For once, Mia bothers to wipe the condensation off the bottom before setting it down. “Neither am I.”

This time, her lips curl up at the edges, but the downturn of her eyebrows betrays the bitterness she feels. Another thought dances on her mind, and her mouth makes it halfway open before she discards it, playing the movement off as an exaggerated sigh. Pushing Miranda’s buttons is easy… achieving anything else is Herculean. Part of Mia wonders how far she’s already pushing things, not because she cares about the consequences, simply because she can’t tell.

Leaning her weight against the desk (avoiding the side table like a single touch would kill her), Mia grabs the bottle again, popping the cap off with a flick of her thumb. Almost immediately the smell of strong whiskey drifts around the room. Miranda’s nostrils flare, briefly, the purse of her lips growing tighter. But she says nothing as Mia pours drinks for the both of them, eying them closely to make sure they’re filled evenly. A moment passes, then two, before Mia nudges one of the glasses closer to Miranda.

“I don’t know why I keep you around,” the headmistress says, bringing a little bite to her words to show dominance, her posturing a sad show of deflecting vulnerability. They both know exactly why Mia is still alive, why she’s here, in this town, in this day, in this life. Why she doesn’t slip out the door without a word and disappear forever. All the same reasons keep Miranda here, urging her hands to continue pulling strings, weaving and undoing and weaving and weaving and unmaking with the same heart that compelled Penelope to do the same.

Mia chooses not to point it out. Bites her tongue, nurses the mixed whiskey like it was her last. Lets the burn linger on her tastebuds. Breathes in deep, turning her gaze to the dark sky beyond the office window. A few tiny figures move across the campus grounds, returning from parties or maybe more clandestine affairs, utterly unaware that everything was going to be reset tonight. None of them have even an ounce of worth in her eyes, nor in Miranda’s.

“Nobody else has a clue, do they?” Mia muses, somewhere between a sneer and a giggle. Both halves sound forced. For a moment, she basks in the silence, only to remember she wasn’t one to find comfort in such things after all. A glance towards her companion reveals a raised eyebrow, Miranda not yet parsing her words. The details of the reset were a closely guarded secret, to prevent dissent, but most of her flock understood that something important lay past the dusk. What they didn’t understand is all the more fundamental, built into the very cause they pursued. “They all think they know what we’re missing.” More bitterness in her voice this time, acidity on a slow-drip to her veins, a scoff kicking out some of the weight from her chest.

Something clicks, then, an idea alongside Miranda’s tongue. Dimitrescu imagines her daughters. Beneviento’s grief haunts everything she makes, but the feelings fold into different shapes. Followers flood their senses with Mother’s goals, with her purpose, but they are driven by their devotion to her. Not to her. All the lives in the world, vast and uniquely faceted, and only the two in this room have a clue.

“You don’t love her the way I do,” Miranda whispers, nail guards finding places to pinch her own flesh. Slowly, she uncrosses her legs, and finally reaches for her glass. If there’s any fragility to the way she holds herself now, Mia is kind enough to ignore it, and uncaring enough to leave the pain without relief.

“Mmm, and you don’t love her the way I do,” she breathes. Neither of them are lying. Oddly enough, nor are they challenging each other. Just declaring their surviving differences in this moment of alikeness. “Salut,” Mia adds, ignoring the huff (of irritation or amusement, she cares not to differentiate) from Miranda, but cracks a smile when their glasses raise in sync. A toast to the heart of their shared world, to the central victim of the reset.

There’s no hiding the way Miranda recoils at the concoction, almost a snarl with glinting teeth, the strength of the cheap whiskey hardly diluted by whatever was added to it. Hardly her drink of choice. Yet she runs her finger around the rim of the glass, mirroring the way her tongue flickers across her teeth, savoring the misery of it all. Hauntingly familiar, the closest Mia had ever come to recreating a cursed relic from their past. At least it will get us drunk fast, she had once said, with this same grimace, the icon of their love cheering on the words. Teasing gently about her obsessions with efficiency.

By the time the memory moves beyond her eyelids, the glass in her hands is almost empty. Mia hums a halfhearted tune, pouring another round for Miranda, before pushing herself up from her perch. A few wrinkled papers get left behind, without anyone batting an eye. Everything was pointless tonight, remember? Beautiful nothingness, even stale blood gushing like ichor, almost all things rendered equal.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some poor decisions to make,” Mia suddenly chimes, face twisting up into a visage of mischief, brushing the last of the dust off of her mask. One hand snatches up the bottle, the other smoothes over her leather jacket, subtly ensuring she could still feel the presence of her switchblade in one of the pockets. WIth unabashed glee, she waltzes through the doorway, off to draw blood and make merry with the worst of what the university has to offer.

She only hesitates for a microsecond, as she goes to close the door behind her. Glances back to meet Miranda’s gaze, all-knowing and piercing as ever, the two of them exchanging silent assurances. Their beloved would be remade, eventually, no matter how long it takes. No matter how many times they have to start over. A determination only matched in each other, as universally true as it is unspoken.

[unchained-hound-dog]

jack not being able to hide the fact that he’s clearly in love with reader the first time he saw them at one of his concerts👀🥲

Here you go love!

----

Jack was performing in your home town and it had taken very little convincing from your friend to get you to go with her. She'd found tickets last minute and you agreed to go; you'd both been fans for a few years.

You'd managed to get front row, it was a tight squeeze but you needed to see this man up close and personal. The show had started and Jack was singing bop after bop, you and your friend singing your little hearts out. It got to the segment where Jack came down to the barrier as he sang first class. He'd started the other end to where you and your friend were, making his way over slowly. You held out your hand and he brushed his fingers across yours as he passed, stopping after your friend and turning around.

He continued singing as the two of you held the most intense eye contact you've ever had with someone. Butterflies errupted in your stomach as he took your hand, bringing the mic away from his mouth as the instrumental part of the song played.

'Hey' you just managed to hear him over the screaming girls around you.

'You may be the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on' you were cheek-to-cheek at this point as he was leant over the barrier whispering in your ear.

'You're not too bad to look at yourself' you smirked as he pulled away, shooting you a grin before leaning in again.

'Give my guy your number' and just like that he was gone, you watched as he briefly spoke to a guy standing by the end of the barrier, the same guy who walked over to you and took your number before leaving again.

'Sorry everyone, think I just met the love of my life' Jack's voice echoed through the arena as he shot you a wink, the entire place erupting into screeches and cheers as he continued onto the next song.

-

'I did not say it like that, you're way over-exaggerating it' Jack's voice was playful as he sat beside you on the sofa, your three daughters sat on the floor infront of you as you cuddled your yougest in your arms.

'Daddy was in love with mommy at first sight' your eldest daughter grinned.

'Oh there's no denying I loved your mom the second I laid my eyes on her but I'm not sure I proclaimed it to everyone in attendence' Jack's eyes met yours, your brows raised at him in a 'don't lie' way.

'It's not good to lie to your children Jackman' you tutted, readjusting your daughter on your lap.

'Yeah daddy, musn't tell lies' your second oldest daughter grinned, jumping up from her spot and onto Jack's lap, he let out a huff as she giggled.

'Mommy I hope I meet someone who loves me like you and daddy love each other' your daughters comment made your heart swell, you knew you'd hit the jackpot with your husband, he was incredible in everyway and each one of your daughters had a characteristic in them of his that you adored.

'Yeah well you girls aren't having no men until you're at least 80 years old' Jack watched as the girls' faces turned to him, the two youngest pulling a disgusted face.

'I already got a boyfriend daddy, Uncle Urb' your eldest grinned.

'Oh god help us all' you teased, admiring your beautiful family, so thankful of your friend getting you those concert tickets all those years ago.

[grizzersmamma]

Son of Zmei | Fae AU | Nikto x F!Reader | Part 2.

Overview: Nikto confronts Mr. Petrov & Reader gets a visitor who drops some new information.

A/N: Second part babyyyyy! I’m on a roll now. Shorter than the last part, but the next one should be a bit longer. Continuation of my little Nikto fic based on the Fae AU by @ghouljams​

Warnings: Murder, Arson.

Series Masterlist: Here

CoD Masterlist: Here

Prev Part | Next Part

The man kneeling at Nikto’s feet is quivering like a leaf in the breeze, head pressed to the floor in a deeply exaggerated bow. It does little to quell the simmering rage that burns just under his skin, leaving him to huff out a plume of smoke in his agitation. Clearly, this pathetic excuse for a human doesn’t understand what kind of situation he’s in.  

“Mighty Zmei, forgive me for failing you,” the irritating cretin pleads, “allow me to try again, I can do better!”

He can’t help the growl that rumbles out of him, one of his lips curling to show off his pointed canine. “You offered a life, willingly given, in exchange for your own,” he hisses, starting to circle the human, “you think I cannot take a human if I desire one?” Petrov jumps at his sharp tone, mouth opening and closing silently.  

“O-Of course not, I-”

“You think I am a fool? You would try to deceive me? To break your word by offering the life of another who has not agreed?” His words get louder with each passing syllable, sharp teeth now on full display in a horrifying snarl.  

“Never, All Powerful Zmei! I could never hope to trick someone so wise!” the coward grovels, stinking of fear.  

The black shepherd dog snaps it’s jaws at the man’s face and the raven, perched on one of the chairs, caws angrily. The animals are growing restless at the clear disrespectful behaviour of the human, goading Nikto into action. “We have given you a chance to repay us, the deal is off.”  

It seems Petrov has some spine, for the man straightens, “merciful Zmei, to throw away the years of work I have dedicated to you, it would-it would be foolish!”

The heads of all three dark figures, man, bird and dog, all snap to glare at the human. “We are no fool!” their voices join together, speaking as one entity. Their bodies have begun to shift, twisted and drawing together, the lines between the three different creatures growing blurred. “We require your services no longer.”  

Minutes later, Nikto, the dog and the raven stand together in the street. They watch as the house belonging to Petrov burns steadily, flames casting dancing shadows across the nearby houses. The smoke does not bother them, nor the heat.  

Eventually, they turn to leave.  

The raven flies off ahead, while the man and dog walk. “Return to the female. She is oblivious, too fragile to be near so many Fae,” he spits the word in disgust.  

“Would such a weak creature be a suitable mate?” the dog replies, an exact copy of Nikto’s voice.  

He simply snorts, “we are strong enough for the two of us,” he says simply. The two part ways, Nikto to return to their home and the dog to return to his duty protecting their newest prize.  

When the sun rises, you wake with a large, furry body pressed up against you. It startles you, until you recall the events of yesterday. You had been exhausted after returning home, emotionally and physically drained from needing to walk so far back to your home after enduring such a terrifying encounter. The dog had refused to leave when you’d tried to shoo it away and, reluctantly, you decided to allow the canine into your home.  

It would be wrong for you to abandon the poor dog after it had followed you all the way back to your house. The man who owned him was a creep, but you couldn’t find it in you to leave an innocent dog out in the street where anything could happen to it.  

The dog in question wriggles about slightly to get comfortable, kicking you with big paws while whining loudly. Clearly, he was unhappy with you disturbing his rest, because he rolls over, putting his back to you with a rather dramatic sigh. It’s admittedly rather adorable, even if you don’t recall inviting the animal into your bed. The blanket you’d put on the floor for him is untouched, clearly not good enough for the massive ball of black fur.  

“You need to go home, buddy,” you mumble, stroking the animal’s silky fur. You know it’s not safe to have an unknown dog in your home at all, let alone sharing your bed, but you get the feeling you aren’t in any real danger.  

This thought is confirmed when the dog turns its head to try and nose at your fingers, offering them a small lick.  

When you finally gather the strength needed to get out of bed, the dog is more than happy to follow after you, hopping down from the mattress and onto the floor with a loud thump. It treks through the house, patiently watching while you complete your morning routine.  

You don’t have any dog food in the house, so you offer him some leftovers from your dinner a few nights ago after ensuring there isn’t anything poisonous to dogs in it. He doesn’t seem to mind the food, snapping it up at rapid speed.  

Not needing to be at work (and not planning on going back), you’re sitting comfortably on the living room couch, a warm drink in hand, while your canine companion takes up the rest of the couch. You had attempted to tell him not to climb on the cushions, not wanting dog hair shedding all over everything, but your words fell on deaf ears. So now, you sit on the furthermost cushion with the dog resting its huge head on your thigh.  

After a little bit of Googling on your phone, you believe you’ve figured out what breed the dog is. He’s huge and fluffy, clearly built for a cold climate and likely a livestock guardian dog of some kind. It took a while, but you managed to narrow it down to a Caucasian shepherd thanks to the abundance of pictures on Google Images.  

He’s sweet, but you’re not sure you’d be able to afford to feed such a huge dog, especially now you’re abandoning your job. It would be best for you to drop the dog off at the local vet. He’s probably microchipped, and if not, you’re sure they’ll be able to track the owner down. Such a huge dog is probably fairly memorable to someone who will know how to find his owner.  

You’re startled from your peaceful morning by a knocking at your door.  

The dog leaps to his feet, scampering to the front door with a snarl on his face. He starts barking, pacing back and forth. You’re a little anxious to try and get between the dog and the door, but he thankfully seems to back off once you draw close.  

When you pull the door open, you’re met by a police officer. “Good morning, miss,” the man seems anxious, glancing warily at the massive dog growling at him from behind you.  

“Hi,” you greet slowly, unsure, “is there something I can help you with?”

After confirming your identity, the man sighs softly, offering you a sympathetic smile, “I’m very sorry, but I’m here to inform you that your employer, Mister Petrov unfortunately passed away last night.” You blink at that, swallowing nervously, but the man must not notice, for he continues, “there was a fire at his apartment block.”  

“Oh... that’s horrible...” you’re not sure how to respond to that, stunned.  

Were you responsible for what happened? Was the strange, masked man, Nikto, responsible? A nervous sweat breaks out across your forehead.  

“A lawyer will be around shortly to discuss the assets afforded to you.”

“The assets?” you asks.  

“Ah, yes, it appears Mister Petrov left you some of his assets in his will, miss,” the officer smiles, oblivious to your internal battle. He offers you a brief farewell that you numbly return before leaving you once more to your own devices.  

The dog offers you a bark, nudging at your side when you continue to stare after the officer’s retreating form, snapping you out of your stupor. With a deep sigh, you step back into your home and close the door. You gently lean your head against the door, taking a moment to collect yourself.  

When you turn around, the dog is staring at you intensely.  

“What?” you ask him with a snort, as though he could actually respond to you.  

“You are a strange human,” the dog says.  

You faint on the spot.  

[writingintheshadowsforever]

The Angels Brought Me Back to My Loves

"Can you run it back for me one more time?" You asked the young boy sitting across from you.

His name was Diego, and his loyalty to you was undying and unwavering. You don't remember doing anything to earn such devotion. But that was the problem, wasn't it. You didn't remember a single thing when you woke up from a six month coma.

Not your name.

Not your profession.

Not your powers, which seemed to be dormant since you awakened. Considering you haven't been unable to summon even a spark of electricity. No matter how many times Diego and the other kids tried to motivate you.

Not any friends, family, or significant others you might have.

You couldn't remember a single thing about your life, and the only information Diego could provide you with was. The brave and daring chronicles that began with you breaking into an evil scientist's base of operations to rescue them. And ended with you taking down their number one solider with the power to move the earth itself.

You were pretty sure he exaggerated certain parts of the story, but you never tired of hearing it. Hoping it would somehow help restore a memory or two. If you were lucky enough, all of your memories would come back.

He recounted the story again, breaking down every single detail. No matter how big or small, even throwing in little things he had forgotten about. Or just didn't think were that important watching you carefully. To see if any of it was doing any good and brought a memory out.

But nope, there was no surge of images flashing through your mind. Like you hoped for, you listened with intent, but nothing came back. It was pointless just like the last seven times.

You expected him to grow frustrated at some point with repeating the same tale over and over. He never did, though. Instead, Diego got to his feet to walk crouch down beside where your head was buried in your hands. He placed a comforting hand on your knee and said the same words over.

"Don't worry Avenger, we'll get there somehow or someway. I can feel it."

And there it was that one word that did seem to resonate with something. Deep buried inside of you, the key to bringing it all out. But as soon as you tried to grasp it. It vanished out of your reach.

Avenger the one word that meant everything to you. Whenever someone spoke it or referred to you with it. Your heart beat a little faster. It meant something. There was purpose behind the title, and it was the one thing that you focused on. You might not remember who you were and what your life was. But you were sure of one thing, and it was going to have to be enough for now.

You were an Avenger.

Two Months Later

The rest of the story goes as follows after the three kids lugged you back to the small town. The townspeople became worried the evil scientist would return to take vengeance upon them, and this time you would be in no condition to stop them. With that fear lurking in the back they came to the decision it was best to flee while they had the chance. The only problem being getting you back to the Avengers.

Reaching out to the Avengers was no easy task like it used to be back when the team was actually put together, and had their own system of answering distress calls. Things never really got back to normal after the Avengers disbanded over the Sokovia Accords, and the aftermath of the Battle of Thanos just made things worse. The remaining heroes were scattered and really just doing their own thing these days. If countries outside of the U.S. wanted to get in contact with an Avenger for help. They were forced to go through the government and sometimes the letters were just thrown in random pile by an agent. And it wouldn't be handed off to an Avenger until one of you came by looking for an assignment, or when Sam would go there to pick up all the Avenger mail.

The townspeople didn't have the luxury of waiting around for months for the Avengers to come to the rescue this time. So they took you with them into hiding, and a few weeks later they found an abandoned village to settle into and call home. While Chloe's healing powers might've been enough to bring you back to life. The little girl wasn't strong enough to heal your injury completely, so the small team of doctors, and one surgeon had to work around the clock to keep you alive. Apparently you had coded at least two more times, but they were able to resuscitate you.

When you finally woke up from your six-month coma the entire village rejoiced. Even though you were suffering a serious case of memory loss they were just happy to see you awake, and moving. Although the moving thing was limited to just lifting your arms and turning your head by yourself. A few weeks went by before you were able to ditch the wheelchair, and even then you still had to use a cane to walk.

During it all, Diego was a Godsend staying by your side through it all, and constantly challenging you to push yourself to get better and better everyday. When you were at your lowest wanting nothing more than just to give up. You were still waiting for the day where he finally gave up, and moved on with his life. The other two kids and his mother laughed whenever you made a comment about him growing tired of you one day. All of them insisted Diego looked up to way too much, and felt in your debt even if he had saved your life. Oh and then there was the other reason you had to keep trying no matter how pointless it all seemed. Kai and Chloe neither of them were from this country instead both were relying on you to get them home back to their families. The most frustrating thing about recovering your memories is how random ones pushed their way to the surface caused by the smallest hint of familiarity. The scent of your favorite food hitting your nostrils as you limped past a random home. Suddenly you were sitting at a circular table stuffing your face with a sandwich, so messy the meat inside was falling out onto the wrapper below. The person next to you with his head propped up on his own fist took the time to chastise you from such sloppy mannerisms.

Diego convincing you to spar with him one day, a friendly practice fight ending with him pinned face down to the ground. Your knee digging into his back, and his arm wretched upward at a painful angle. The sparring session was all fun and games until you pulled some lethal move the boy had no chance of dodging from muscle memory.

But while those occurrences had you wishing for your memory to come back. It was one memory in particular that left you longing for the feeling of it long after it was gone. It happened on a hot and humid day the rising temperatures so dangerous not even Diego was willing to risk the heat stroke to get you out of the house. But what the heat in his home so much worse was his mother's decision to bake some goodies. The activity had both you and him seeking solace at the neighbor's house. A nice family who were familiar with you for they were the ones to house you for the duration of your mission.

Once the pastries were done and cooled off his mother was kind enough to drop some off to both of you with a wide smile. While making a comment about the two of you leaving her to suffer in a hot kitchen alone like a servant. Diego planted a kiss on his mother's forehead before shoving the sugary cake in his mouth. You took a tentative bite, savoring the rich and sweet flavor as the white powdery sugar coated your tongue and sides of your mouth. Diego pointed at the mess with a chuckle, and in that moment another person's laughter flooded your brain along with an unfamiliar voice referring to you with a tone of endearment. Both voices belonged to that of a different woman, but your body had the same reaction regardless. Your heart started beating a little faster as your grip on the funnel cake loosened so much. It fell from your fingertips to the floor while you did your best to hold onto the fleeting sounds that had already faded away back to the deep crevices of your mind. Where all your memories were awaiting for you to find a way to unlock them. You grew so desperate to summon those voices again you didn't think twice about eating another sweet, but nothing happened.

No soft laughter this time, or woman calling you something other than your name. But the way she said it told you whatever the word stood for. It wasn't anything bad but the opposite if anything she said in such a loving way you yearned to her say it again. You needed to hear her say it again the way you needed air to live. This was the first memory to hint there was someone out there thinking you were dead. Someone who saw you as the most important person in the world. Someone who's entire world fell apart when you didn't come back from the mission. Someone who might still be waiting for you to come home holding out hope that despite the fact. Its been more than eight months since you disappeared somehow you were still out there. And you were with newfound determination to make it back to them no matter what.

Another week passed filled with more random memories coming out of blue triggered by the simplest of actions, or anything related to smell or taste. One of them did do some good helping you remember your name finally.

Thanks to the physical therapy Diego put together with the help of the doctors. You were able to get rid of the cane and was back to walking on your own without any assistance. This encouraged both of you to start taking your training a bit more serious hoping to get your powers to come back out. But unfortunately any attempt to use summon your powers failed no matter what the two of you tried. The danger tactic failed. The believe in yourself and go for it speech got you nowhere. Even you touching a faulty wire hoping the connection would spark something did nothing. The frustration over the lack of progress continued to build to you finally hit your breaking day. You stormed off right in the middle of a session with Diego.

The kid let all the random items floating high up in the air waiting to be shot down by your electricity fall back to the ground. He called out your name begging you to come back, you were tired mentally and physically. Not wanting to let the kid down, but knowing if you pushed yourself any harder for the day only to come up empty-handed. Would lead to a inevitable meltdown that neither of you would escape from unscathed from. You kept going not sparing him another glance.

Eventually nightfall came bringing quite the thunderstorm along with it, and while most of the townspeople let the sound of the pounding rain with the rumbling thunder lull them into a deep slumber. One determined little kid did the opposite, sneaking out of his home to make the journey to yours. The storm was so powerful you weren't able to tell the difference between the knocking at your door, and the raindrops slamming into the roof. It was his familiar disgruntled yelling that made it possible for you to distinguish the difference finally, and then you were dragging yourself out of your warm and cozy bed to. Yank the door open and drag the young boy into your home with a firm hand on the back of his neck.

"Diego what the hell are you doing outside? Did you not see the mini hurricane raging on out there?" You scolded him throwing in a smack upside his head for good measure.

The action didn't faze or kill his mood in the slightest. He looked up at you with a massive grin plastered on his face. "Yeah and do you know what that means?" He countered your question with one of his own.

The tone of excitement in his voice bewildered you just as much as his presence here. "Usually it would be a great night of sleep for normal people."

Diego shook his head. "Well you're not exactly normal and this is your chance."

"My chance to what? You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

He groaned, rolling his eyes as if it should be obvious. "This is the perfect opportunity to reawaken your powers. A thunderstorm like this means giant lightning bolts if you get struck by one. It could be the jumpstart they've needed to come out all this time."

Now you understood his excitement. the process of trying to your electricity powers to activate again hadn't been easy, and ended in failure more than once. The most you were able to do these past couple of weeks was generate a few sparks in the palm of your hands. "Didn't we already try that?" You reminded him thinking back to the faulty wire he had you touch. The only thing it accomplished was a brief flickering of lights in the house while you were hit with a tiny jolt of power. It was very anti-climatic and kind of embarrassing if you would say so yourself.

"Oh come on, comparing that tiny shock to a lightning bolt is like comparing a candlelit flame to a raging inferno." Diego scoffed following you into the living room where you flicked on the switch. "If anything can give your powers that jumpstart its this" he insisted almost pleading at this point.

Even if you wanted to argue with the kid it wasn't possible while you might not be able to summon or generate electricity beyond a few playful sparks. You could still feel the hum of it, and how it powered every little thing in the village. But tonight everyone had their electronics turned off in fear of a attracting a stray lightning bolt. So the hairs on the back of your neck shouldn't have been standing up the way they were, and the powerful hum that had your entire body tingling with anticipation should've been way less stronger. Instead it was one of the strongest pulls of electrifying power that you felt since waking up. Your body craved it more than anything so what were you waiting for?

"What if it doesn't work? What if it fails like everything else?" You asked aloud realizing it was the fear of failure holding you back. The fear that you were going to stuck like this forever.

"It won't" Diego exclaimed with nothing but confidence.

"You don't know that it won't" You argued unsure.

Diego stared at you with disbelief and for the first time since you woke up. He looked at you with disappointment, releasing a huff in frustration. "It doesn't matter y/n its worth the risk" he said, standing his ground with his hands placed on his hip.

"Damn it y/n if you're not willing to do it for yourself then do it for whoever has you walking around here like a lovesick puppy. They have to be worth it, right?" Diego pressed you even more when you didn't answer fast enough for his liking. His comment at the end got your attention as your head snapped upward with your eyes zeroing in on him.

He held up his hands to keep you calm. "I've noticed a change in your behavior since that day my mom baked those funnel cakes. I don't know what memory it brought up, but I know whatever it was you've been trying kinda hard to make it come back. The key to unlocking your memories might be connected to your powers y/n."

It turns out Diego was more determined to help you get your powers back to full strength than you knew. The kid had a plan just in case this exact opportunity ever presented itself. He already scoped out the area finding the perfect vantage point for you to try and call down a lightning bolt. The strong winds and blinding rain slowed the two of you down on your way, but about forty minutes later. You stood perched on the edge of the cliff with quite the view below of a wider and more dense forest. But tonight in this raging storm the trees before were bent from the force of the gales. Leaves were ripped free from the branches swirling throughout the air. Some of them forming a tornado of leaves it created a haunting sight.

Your eyes drifted up to focus on the darkened sky that casted nothing but shadows upon the land. Every now and then it lit up with a flash of lightning, and with every bolt you felt your heart pull towards it. Diego stayed back hiding behind the trees hoping it would shield him for the wrath of the storm. It didn't matter if the lightning bolt did splinter them you weren't going to let anything happen to him. Either this plan was going to work or you were going to shocked with enough bolts to put you back in a coma.

You took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly preparing your mind and body. The lightning bolt shouldn't be able to hurt you, but then again you couldn't be to sure of your immunity with the majority of your abilities laying dormant inside of you. But it wasn't fear that you felt as the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, or when your hair started to frizz. You were filled with excitement and a sense of impatience as if this is exactly what your body had been craving. This was going to work. It had too.

Deep down inside the connection was still there buzzing with a low hum. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky grazing the forest below, and you were sure the strike took a tree down. Another one followed not too far behind, and the only difference was this one was a bit closer. It was as if the storm felt your presence and was challenging you to tame it. It raged on with the winds picking up greater speeds your hair flowing behind you, and your jacket along with your shirt was lifted from your body letting the cool air hit your skin. The rain started coming down a little harder, clouding your vision. The storm had turned into a ferocious beast intent to knock you down, but you stood your ground. Planting your feet on the edge of the cliff determined to not give it a single inch. The elements weren't going to bend to your will.

Good thing that wasn't your intention because you knew all too well some power just couldn't be tamed. Instead you wanted to become one with it again, and with you let out an agonized cry spill out of your mouth. A plea you were so desperately hoping would be answered. Digging deep down inside you searched for your power urging no commanding it to come back to you. Lightning flashed in the sky overtaking you with its strength. Teasing you with how close you were to colliding with it. You felt a small surge of electricity and sparks of it began to dance in your fingertips. Grabbing a hold of that power you refused to let it go. Expanding your connection to it focusing on the immense source of power in the sky above.

A white hot bolt of lightning shot from the sky colliding with your body. This time lighting you and the ground beneath your feet up as well. For a solid two seconds your were encased in a tomb of three hundred million volts. Diego watched from the distance amazed but still fearing for your well-being. Your body wasn't convulsing or anything, but instead remained still. He continued to hang back in the safety of the trees honoring his promise to you. To not get involved no matter what, and to not attempt to pull you out of the pathway of the lightning. This was his plan after all.

And it was working because yes for a mere second you were in unimaginative pain. It felt as if the volts of electricity was seeping into your skin, worming a path throughout your entire body to destroy you from the inside. Then the pain faded away and you became more alive since waking you from the coma. When the surge hit your brain the flush of memories hit way too fast dropping you to your knees. As you watched your entire life playback like a movie, only for it to stop short. You growled in frustration trying to push more power to the circuits in your brain to summon the rest, but the lightning bolt had served its purpose, and seemed to just evaporate into thin air.

The once brown and rocky ground you were standing on was now charred black. A circle of small flames danced around your form, and the sound of Diego calling your name reached your ears.

You lifted your upper body upright remaining on your knees taking deep breaths in and out. Sparks of blue electricity were now crackling around your entire body. Your powers were no longer dormant, and now you had the majority of your memories back.

It worked.

"Do you really have to go right now?" Diego asked, hovering by the entrance to your bedroom watching you stuff what few belongings you possessed into a duffle bag.The two of you returned from the journey into the mountains not too long ago, and the night was still young. It was going to be at least another three to four hours before sunrise, and while it would've been more ideal to wait until then to depart from the village. You found yourself unable to wait any longer to get back to your life, and your friends. No your family because while none of them weren't related to you by blood.

The bond you shared with the Avengers was an unbreakable one, and you knew without a doubt that Sam and Bucky spent the past eight months. Blaming themselves for your disappearance, and presumed death, especially Sam considering this was exactly the type of mission. He would've done everything in his power to convince you not to go on alone. Oh and that was another thing while the lightning bolt managed to restore your powers somewhat, and awaken the majority of your memories. Not all of them had returned, and there were still blank spaces you needed to fill.

The people in this village had your gratitude and you would be forever in their debt, especially Diego's, but if you were going to get back to full strength, and recover all of your memories. It was time to go back home no matter how hard it might be to say goodbye.

"Yeah kiddo, the faster I get a move on the faster I get back home plus I need to make a quick stop on the way." You told him slinging the duffle bag over your shoulder, the action caused a burst of agony to shot through your body. Somehow you managed to mask it with a tight smile, not wanting to give him anymore ammo to convince you to stay.

"Fine but just promise me one thing" he said, straightening his body to make himself look taller.

You quirked an eyebrow at him with a grin. "Yeah go ahead."

"One day when the Avengers are like looking for new prospects to join the team. You'll remember me, and come back." Diego said, trying to keep his usual confidence, but you noticed the worry in his eyes. Worry that you were going to move on with your life, and forget he ever existed.

"Awww Diego" You chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Of course I'm coming back for you, and I promise its not going to be like twenty years from now or something. It'll be soon after all I still got to get Kai and Chloe back home."

"And what about the bad guys?" "I wouldn't worry too much about them the Avengers probably took care of them sometime after I disappeared."

Eight Months Earlier.

The alert didn't come from you instead it came from Wakanda.

The crazy thing about it was Sam had been thinking about sending Bucky in after you to just to make sure everything was going smoothly. The super solider finally got Valentina off his back, agreeing to join her little anti-Avenger squad. As long as she promised not to interfere with his life, or more like personal vendettas. There were still plenty of names on his list that he planned on crossing off.Just as Sam reached for his cell phone to reach out to him, the giant screen sitting in front of him came to life on its own. On the other side of the screen was a face he knew all too well, and she didn't look happy. Nor did she have her usual calm and focused demeanor about her.

He could see the distress on her face and was on his feet in seconds. "Ayo what's wrong?"

"Y/N do you know her location?"

"Not exactly she's on a mission in Costa Rica." He answered, a sense of dread coming over him.

"I'm sending you her coordinates now, we need you to get moving at once. You can reach her faster than we can" Ayo replied.

Sam threw his hand out to get her to pause before hanging on. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"She's in danger" was the only thing she would tell him before hanging on.

A few hours later the part of forest where your kimoyo beads were still pinging from was swarming with a small team of government agents led by Sam and Bucky. Ayo and Aneka touched down just thirty minutes after them accompanied by Okoye and Shuri the Black Panther herself. Together it didn't take them long to search the area, and the only trace they could find of you was the beads. Laying in a puddle of water with a large pool of dried up blood next to it, and no one needed a DNA test to know who it belonged to.

A few feet away was the body of a large male, and his injuries told a story. They just wished he was still breathing so he could tell them what happened to you. Your body was nowhere to be found, but with the amount of blood loss you suffered. There was no way you could've gotten far on foot, so everyone scoured the surrounding area and beyond in hopes of finding at least. A sign of what might've become of you, but they had no such luck. After failing in the search for you, Sam and Bucky turned their sights on the guys you were sent to take care of. Locating the main base of operations wasn't hard at all with being only a few miles away from your final location. Ayo and Shuri tagged along with them just in cased any of the soldiers were left.

Between the Black Panther, The General of the Dora Milaje, A super solider with a vibranium arm, and Captain American armed with wings, and the ionic vibranium shield. It took literally no time at all to make quick work of the small army of goons armed with machine guns. The man in charge was in trying to sneak out the back, and disappear into the depths of the rainforest. Instead the door was ripped from its hinges when he reached it, and before he could turn around to go back the way he came.

A shiny black metal arm with lines of gold running down its length reached out to take a fistful of his shirt. Bucky lifted him off the ground, and carried him back into the building. Where he proceeded to slam him into a wall. One, two, three times, and on the last one his head connected with hard material. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and suddenly his vibranium arm disconnected from his body. He stepped back as it fell to the floor at his feet along with the near unconscious man.

"What the hell Ayo?" He growled already knowing who was responsible.

She came up to stand beside him with nothing but disdain in her eyes for the man below. "You weren't restraining yourself" was her explanation.

It took all of five seconds to pry the metal arm off the short and stocky man. Sam hauled him to his feet by his white lab coat, and half-drug him to a random office. Where he was tossed into a office chair the momentum sent it spinning out of control. Until it slammed into the wall, and turned over dumping him back on the floor.

"For Bast's sake can you two not be so rough. We need him conscious if we're going to question on y/n's wherabouts" Shuri scolded the Avenger.

Sam and Bucky grunted out a fake apology. Shuri went over to help the leader back to his feet with a firm grim on his forearm. She led him back over to the chair that Ayo had picked up from the floor waiting on the side with handcuffs. As soon as he was seated and his hands were secured to the arms of the chair. Bucky threw a bucket of cold water on him drenching his entire body.

"Ahhh" he gasped shooting up from his slumping. His eyes widened and his hands strained against the bonds when he tried to wipe the water off his face. A second later he started to realize just what kind of predicament he was in. When his eyes settled on Shuri positioned in front of him in her signature Black Panther suit. The mask was still covering face to set the tone, and evoke more fear into him. Ayo stood on her right side just a few inches behind her with death grip on her spear. If looks could kill the man would drop dead in an instant from the way she glowered.

Bucky sat perched on top of a desk closer to the door with Sam leaning back against. Arms crossed over his chest deciding it was best to let the Wakandans handle the interrogation. The rage built inside of him was too strong for him to trust himself to question the man responsible for your disappearance. Especially considering the thing fueling his anger was the thought that all of this was his fault. You would've never been put in this position if he had just listened to his instincts. In the first place and waited until Bucky returned from dealing with Valentina to give you the mission. Instead he let you go alone and now you were gone.

"Where is she?" Shuri asked her voice so calm it was eerie.

"Where's who Princess? You're going to have to be a little more specific." The man said letting just a drop of sarcasm seep into his voice. It earned him a blow to the jaw courtesy of Ayo with such speed. He didn't even realize he'd been struck until the stars cleared, and he spat blood onto the floor.

"The Avenger who was sent here to bring your operation down" Ayo seethed.

A knowing look came over him and there was no way for him to hide it. When grin stretched across his face to match the pure delight in his eyes. Shuri moved with inhuman speed to encase her General in her arms, and pull her back.

"Lula Ayo lula cinga ngesithandwa sakho" She whispered into the enraged warrior's ear.

"I assumed your Avenger was successful in her mission, and would've returned to you by now. You're telling me she hasn't?" He asked out of curiosity and disbelief.

"No she hasn't and her last coordinates puts her about a mile or two away from this place. We went there but there was no sign of her only some dead burly dude." Sam explained walking forward to take over as Shuri took Ayo out of the room.

"Ahhh so she did kill project Earth" the man said his tone emotionless as he shrugged his shoulders. "I figure as much when he didn't return after I sent him after her and my other subjects."

Sam glanced over his shoulder to see Bucky's eyebrow twitch, and he sighed wishing the guy knew how to hold his tongue. No doubt he was referring to the missing kids. He stepped out of the way knowing his strength didn't even come close to matching the super solider. Whenever his eyes darkened the way they were now, and he moved nearly matching Shuri's pace. He wrapped his human hand around the man's throat, and squeezed until it got to the point that every time the man tried to gasp for air. The end result was him choking even harder.

"Those subjects have names and so did that man who died for your heartless endeavors. They were human beings and you stole their life away from them." Bucky snarled dropping to one knee so he could make eye contact with terrified scientist. "The least you can do is remember their names. When this is over I'm going to make sure you know every single last one of them." It wasn't a threat but a promise.

The interrogation went on for a full two hours with Okoye coming in, and taking over after the first hour was up. She had years of experience under her belt witnessing some of the most proven methods to get someone to talk. She had no sympathy for this man, and saw no need to show him an ounce of mercy. But once it became obvious he knew nothing of your whereabouts, and had no useful information on the abandoned town.

Okoye broke the news to everyone and called the interrogation a waste of time to keep it going. Of course Ayo and Aneka who were holding onto breads crumbs of hope right now argued.

"He is lying let me speak with him" Aneka demanded stalking towards the door.

Both Sam and Okoye blocked her path, but he hung back letting the former General attempt to calm her fellow Midnight Angel down.

"Aneka brute force will not work I've tried both manipulation, and torture. He just doesn't know" Okoye insisted.

"He's a demented man who used people as test subjects to give them powers. He would've saw y/n as the perfect specimen." Aneka argued.

"Maybe but that doesn't change the fact she's an Avenger which makes her liability to someone like me." The man's voice came from the doorway. His hand were now cuffed behind his back, and even though there were no tell-tell signs of physical torture. His face twisted in pain when Bucky forced him to continue to humble along beside him. Bruises were littered around his face from the few blows he suffered early-on coupled with the strangulation.

"In case you didn't notice my operation was built off subtlety. I targeted a small town with little to no police force, and hidden away from civilization. I knew no one would come rushing to these people's rescue, and the few kids who I did have brought to me from other countries were low-risk. Runaways with parents who gave up on them a long time ago, and children from a broken home. That's how I stayed off the radar taking an Avenger captive would put on the map, and it wasn't worth it. I ordered project Earth-arghhhh" his speech was cut off in a painful groan.

Bucky had tightened his grip on his shoulder past the point of being just uncomfortable.

"Todd I ordered Todd Jenkins to kill her" he cried in distress. Bucky loosened his hold with a death stare. "His orders were to kill her and bring the kids back. You can torture me all you want by my story won't change."

When no one else opened their mouth to argue Bucky moved along shoving the scientist forward. Aneka turned back to Ayo searching for answers neither of them had. If you weren't taken captive then why were you. Both of them replayed your last words to them in their head having memorized the message by now. And how defeated you sound the horrible coughs mixed in with your words. You were on the verge of death, and the last update Griot gave them on your vitals was anything but good.

He told them you had sustained fatal injuries, and he lost a pulse about five minutes after you sent the message. And that was another mystery why did you take your kimoyo beads off. Aneka had found the beads lying in a puddle of water with tiny drops of dried blood on them. Her heart filled with dread at the sight of them not being on your wrist. You'd never just take them off none of this was making sense.

"Someone had to move her right? She wouldn't of gotten that far in her condition" Aneka said. Her and Ayo returned to the spot where your last fight took place. Bucky took charge in removing Todd's body, so the area was empty now surrounded by trees, and the noises of various animals creating a symphony.

"Maybe an animal got to her" Ayo suggested hating the words as they left her mouth. She hated what the theory implied, and it earned her a glare from her lover.

"You're suggesting a predator took her for dinner, but left behind the man the size of a bull in one piece." Aneka scoffed turning around to walk away.

Ayo caught her by the wrist making her pause. A single tear slipped free rolling down her cheek. The others were still combing through the town, and the forest looking for any sign of what could possibly happened to you. But at this point most of your friends had accepted a dark and ugly truth about your fate. No one wanted to say it aloud though especially Ayo herself, but eventually they were going to have to call the search off. Eventually they were going to have to return back to Wakanda, and resume their daily life. The country needed the Black Panther and its protectors right now more than ever.

Sam was going to have to hold a press conference as well, and speak on your behalf. He knew he could only put it off for so long you were more dedicated to the cause of the Avengers than any other hero. After the aftermath of the final showdown with Thanos unlike others who either went on a break, retired altogether, or went back to their own purpose. Your disappearance was going to be noticed and felt all across the world.

There was going to be tears, memorials, flowers, heartbreaking goodbyes, and three funerals. A public one for the world you fought so hard to keep safe. A private one for your friends who had become family at this point. A secret one for Ayo and Aneka as a piece of them were going to die along with you. The second they were able to admit the truth.

You was gone forever.

Stop One: Clint's Farmhouse

All the down time that came with being a retired Avenger must have been paying off. Because the house along with the barn had some major upgrades between now, and the last you'd been here. When Clint brought the Avengers to his home to lay low and hide from the aftermath of the second showdown with Ultron. You were overcome with a wave of guilt after realizing that had been more than a decade ago. It piled on top of the gut feeling you were already feeling since the majority of your memories returned.

The large two-story home had what looked like a fresh new coat of paint, and the porch was larger more open with a white swinging bench. A set of rocking chairs were aligned along the rest of the space. A flowerbed was blooming with daisies and lilies all around the front of the house mixing in nicely with the perfect cut grass. You got the feeling most of this was Laura's touch with Clint doing the heavy duty work.

Thunk.

"There we go Katie alright sweetheart just do what she did." A familiar voice said. Drawing your attention to the right side of the yard with a considerable distance from the house.

Clint was losing his edge not sensing your presence right away you decided. As you resumed walking in his direction where the archer was holding a archery class from the looks of it. With two younger girls in attendance one of them you recognized as a much older Lila, but the other tall and dark-haired girl's identity was a complete mystery. She was the first one to notice your approaching your figure her grip on the bow in her hand tightening. While the other one inched towards the quiver of arrows resting on her back. For a second you thought she was going too take the shot, but once you got a bit closer. Her grip on the bow loosened till it fell from her fingertips to the soft grass below. As both of her hands flew up to cover gaping mouth. She made the connection.

Clint on the other hand was too busy correcting Lila's aim to pay either you or her any attention. The dark haired girl reached out to smack Clint on the shoulder in repeatedly. A ghost of a smirk appeared on your face as you watched him glance over his shoulder too snap at her. Time slowed down as Lila released her hold on the drawstring letting the arrow fly towards the wooden target board. In the same instant Clint finally turned around too see what the other girl was making a commotion about. You paused your advance a few feet away, and the two of you locked eyes. Tears flooded his vision in a matter of seconds.

"Y/N."

The arrow struck the center of the target board embedding itself. Lila let out a cry of joy jumping up and down clapping her hands together. Clint closed the short distance with one long stride too sweep you off your feet, and into his warm embrace.

"You're alive" he breathed into your ear. "Its really you I'm holding you."

"Yeah Clint its me back from the dead" You reassured him with your arms constricted around his neck. He held you tighter if it was even possible, almost like he was afraid. You'd disappear into thin air if he let go for even a second. The two of stayed like that for what seemed like forever. You weren't going to rush him knowing that while seeing you alive after believing you had perished was a big relief for him. At the same time his brain and heart needed time to process this. But after five minutes or so Clint finally pulled back to get a good look at your face. His thumbs rubbing soothing circles into both of your cheeks.

"I thought I lost you" he whispered.

"You almost did" you replied. Eight months ago you would've said never to that statement, but now you knew all too well how fragile life truly was now.

Clint introduced you to the dark-haired girl. Her name was Kate Bishop and she was definitely a fan. Unable to contain her excitement finally getting the opportunity to officially meet you. Of course she wished it was under better circumstances. You went on to repeat the same tearful emotional reunion with Laura and the kids. Afterwards once the sun had set, dinner had been survived, and everybody was tucked into bed.

You and Clint were finally able to sneak away from the farm. The archer telling you there was something special he wanted to see you. The two of piled into an old school red pickup truck to go on the twenty-minute drive.

"You're really going all out on the whole rancher lifestyle huh." You joked tapping the outside of the passenger door letting your arm hangout the open window.

"Hey be gentle with my baby, and don't mock her." He chided you softly. I'm going to be teahcing Cooper how to drive in this in just a few more months you know" His tone grew softer as his eyes did when he continued. Clint couldn't wait for that day. His family meant the world to him.

The night sky was lit up with thousands of bright stars a sight you presented that much living in a big city. It reminded you of those nights spent in the village sometimes training with Diego. You wondered if the young boy was back home moping around because of your absence, but then buried such thoughts. He was probably working harder than ever preparing for the day you returned to make him a honorary Avenger. The thought made you chuckle a little bit as you followed Clint into a wooded area.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going? You asked eyes scanning the tall and skinny trees that were too thin to hide any real threats. Although you were still on high alert, while you weren't going to admit it. This expedition did trigger some bad memories some that were still buried.

"Don't worry we're almost there." He told you reaching out behind to take your hand into his giving it a gentle squeeze. Clint knew PTSD when he saw and heard it so the change in pitch of your voice was a sign he couldn't miss.

Not even two minutes later Clint pushed back some brush blocking his path, and pulled you ahead of him. It It led to a wide circle clearing that had obviously been cleaned up by someone. The grass that didn't manage to grow out here in the dirt was cut evenly. The ground was clear of all sticks, pine needles, rocks, or anything else that would take away the aesthetic. On the edge of clearing were three tombstones setup a few feet apart from each other.

You let out a gasp realizing what this place was. His whole little private cemetery for his fellow Avengers who were now deceased.

"It might sound crazy but I needed my whole spot to visit them, and just be with them in private. Sometimes to talk or feel some sort of connection other times to have a good cry."

It didn't sound crazy at all when Tony and Natasha died. One had public funeral while the other had a private one. You understood why Tony's was the televised event with only the heroes, and his family allowed to attend in person. But it still felt weird having the cameras there and you found yourself holding back the ugly cry because of it. Not to mention it was practically impossible to visit his grave later on, and get some alone time in with him.

You and Clint walked over to the tombstones. Of course you already predicted two of them belonged to your fallen friends, and you had a feeling who the last one belonged too. And indeed your name was engraved into the top of the gravestone. The other two had a few specks of dirt on them, and some vines shaping around them. He wasted no time in dusting the dirt off, and ripping the vines away. Your gravestone still fairly new and was in perfect condition.

"While I'm not upset you choose to pay me a visit first y/n. I do have to ask why?" Clint finally asked the burning question.

The one you were kind of hoping wouldn't be brought up. Because now things were about to get real for you.

"How did you do it Clint?" You asked lifting your head to stare up at the sky. "How did you walk away from the Avengers? This life fighting the good fight, for the greater good that's all we've ever known." You had this feeling in the pit of your stomach that before you left for the mission. That costed nearly costed you your life had costed something way more important. And it only got worse when you watched Clint interact with his family today.

"It wasn't easy y/n but ultimately I came to the conclusion that my family was important, and I owed it to them to start being there a hundred percent of the time. Instead of giving barely thirty percent of me."

You lowered your head to look at him in the eyes. "But what changed because you didn't give up the hero life until after Ultron. You had a family before that."

"I almost died if it wasn't for Pietro I wouldn't be here y/n, or are you forgetting?"

You shook your head that was one memory embedded deep withing your brain. The look of devastation in Wanda's eyes when Vision swooped in with her in his arms.

Clint took a seat on the a patch of grass, and patted the spot beside him. You did the same but got even more comfortable laying down on your stomach.

"Later on it really hit that if Pietro wasn't as fast as he was. I would've died and my baby boy was going to be born into a world never knowing his father. Nathaniel would've only had the stories told to him by Lila and Cooper. The pictures Laura kept around the house to know what I look like, and that's if she were able to keep them up. If the sight of her dead husband didn't destroy her all over again. That's if the kids hold onto their memories of me instead of burying them in their attempt to deal with the grief. I realized then I couldn't do it anymore the Avenger life wasn't for me anymore. Because the thought of dying to save the world, and leaving my family alone. It broke me y/n it became my biggest fear."

His words resonated with you now more than they would've if you asked him. All those years ago when you had the same question for him, and you understood it.

He could see you were through your own little dilemma, and decided to switch the focus onto you. "They came here you know."

"Who?" You asked a little too fast sitting up on your knees.

"Your lovers asking me if they were any safe houses in that particular area where you went missing. That you would go hideout to wait for help. I gave them the location of all known places I thought you would go. They love you y/n" Clint said.

They so there was more than one someone in your life, and you still couldn't remember either one of them. Yet you could somehow feel the effect of their love. "I feel like I love them too, and I think I screwed up big time."

Clint shrugged his shoulders. "You probably did you suck at relationships almost as bad as Nat did."

"Shut up" you shot back crawling forward to shove him backward. He recovered with a heartfelt chuckle as you settled in beside him. "When fighting is all you ever known its hard to imagine a life without. Its harder to imagine giving up that life for something like love. I know that better that anyone y/n." He said after a minute or so of silence as the two just gazed up at the stars.

"Love, peace, family those are foreign concepts to people like us" Clint continued. "We don't think its in the cards for our life even if we crave it more than anything. And when we do find it there's this fear its not going to workout. That's the thing that keeps you from walking away. You're afraid your little paradise will fall apart the second you go all in, and you'll be right back to fighting."

He paused to turn his head towards you. An emotion on his face you couldn't exactly place. "But when its real y/n its worth it. God the real thing is worth everything." he said unable to hold back the tears. He cried for you. Knowing you almost died because you refused to take a chance upon love.

"I know it is Clint but being an Avenger is in my blood too. I still want to fight to protect that very same love." You argued feeling horrible at the disappointment that washed over his face at your response.

"That's the adrenaline talking and now that you survived a near-death experience. No you actually came back from the dead its going to be ten times worse" He commented in exasperation. As if he were talking to a toddler who never learned his lesson when it came to touching a hot surface.

"Clint I-" you tried to defend yourself, but he held up a hand cutting you off.

"I use to be just like you y/n in case you're forgetting. People have two different responses when they have a brush with deal. He held up one finger. "One it spooks them and reminds them just how precious life is. Most of us know its the most fragile thing in the world because we take the lives of others on a daily basis. But we survive the majority of those situations until one day death comes knocking. Laura walked away from Shield long before I did for that very reason."

Your eyebrows shot upward as you let out a slight gasp in surprise. No one ever really knew why she decided to turn her back on being agent for the white picket fence life. All there was rumors and assumptions.

Clint put up a second finger. " Two it makes you even more reckless because now you feel invincible. You start to wonder just how far can you truly go, and not die. You start to tempt fate." He fixed with stern gaze before continuing. The way a brother would to his sister dating the wrong type of guy. "Fate gave you a second chance at life y/n don't take it for granted, and don't tempt it again."

"I don't think it was fate that brought me back Clint. I think it was the Angels." You replied the hymn replaying in your head from right before you succumbed to your injuries.

"Well thank them and be more careful with your decisions. They might not do it again."

With that the discussion came to an end. Clint knew you was going to hit the road again soon. After all the entire world believed you were dead you needed to clear the air on that. Plus you still had about a few months worth of memories to recover, and you knew exactly who could help you with that. He did tell you if you need another perspective on giving up on the life of an Avenger to talk to Scott Lang. Another retired hero and father who still resided San Francisco, California. It was out of the way of your original destination, but why not you decided. It gave you more time to avoid a major scolding from Sam.

Stop Two: San Francisco

Scott had the same reaction to seeing you turn up on his doorstep, but unlike Clint who shed tears for you with no shame. The former thief turned hero put on a tough guy act only exerting happiness. You felt his tears soak your shirt when he hugged you laughing. When Scott pulled back complaining of allergy season. But when you asked him the same question his usual goofy and happy demeanor was replaced with a hardened face. His eyes as serious as you ever saw them.

"Well for one its not like I asked for this life. I was basically tricked into by Hank who set me up."

"Maybe you shouldn't have broke into his home" You quipped playing along with his joke. Even though it technically was true unlike you and Clint. Scott never signed up for this instead a serious of weird circumstances brought him into this life. But he was more than eager to help Captain America fight during the Sokovia Accords era.

"From day one I got accepted this because I thought it would make me a better man. A better father to Cassie, and it did until it didn't eventually being a hero drove us apart."

You didn't know if he was talking about getting stuck in the Quantum Realm as a result of Hope, Hank, and Janet being a victim of the Blip, or him being locked up after getting captured by the cops. Steve came for him but he did have to plead out for his limited freedom.

"Time is the one thing you can't get back once you lose it. I missed out on so much of her life in prison. Then Thanos cost me another five years, and I couldn't even be upset the way I wanted to. Because me getting trapped in the Quantum realm was the key point to saving the world." Scott sounded genuinely angry about it.

"Death isn't something you can usually reverse once its done. That's it you're gone, and the person is only left with memories. After we defeated Thanos I retired because all I ever wanted was to be able to spend time with my family, and I was losing out on all that putting my life in danger for what."

You raised an eyebrow at his last statement. Saving the world was no small feat.

"Calm down" Scott said immediately when you opened your mouth. "What I mean is there will always be guys like Yellowjacket running around you know."

You frowned. "Who and what is a Yellowjacket?"

"He was my first nemeses I took him down by myself" He stated a bit proud. "You know the small guys there never going to stop showing up. No matter how many of them I take down one will always replace the last. But time with my daughter isn't something I can get back y/n, and those precious moments I missed out on I can't go back and experience them. So I don't care if she's in her teenage rebel phase, and giving me hell. I want to be there for all of it and more. If another Thanos comes along I got your back, but until then I'm retired."

You see now why Clint told you to talk to Scott. The way he put it couldn't be argued with you lost out on almost nine months of your life. And those nine months were frustrating as you tried to piece it all back together.

"Plus there will always be guys like us too you know" he added in bumping your shoulder with his own. "Last I heard Sam had found some pretty good prospects for his new official Avenger squad. The world will always have heroes to count on."

Stop Three: New York

"So Tony created this thing to restore your memory." You mused studying the contraption before with interest and worry.

"Yeah back when I was on the run and Steve started looking for me. Apparently he wanted to help, but said he was no help in playing detective, and did't have the time to hunt down another 80-year old virgin. So he designed this instead" Bucky explained holding a circular crown-like object. You figured it was supposed to go on your head.

"And this was before he found you murdered his parents right?" You winced realizing there was probably a better way to ask that question.

Bucky shot you a dirty look before letting a small smile grace his face. "You're lucky you just came back from the dead y/n" he said running a hand through his hair. Which had grown out a bit more since the last time you'd seen him. Nearly the same length back during the first battle with Thanos. You wondered if it was on purpose or was a result of him grieving your supposed death.

"Yes he finished long before the Accords came into play around the time he and Bruce started working on Ultron" he reassured you.

"And you're sure he didn't modify this thing to erase memories after finding out the truth about his folks." You continued to press on.

"Y/N" Bucky snapped in irritation. "You're making me start to wonder why I missed you in the first place."

"Okay first of all ouch" You feigned like his comment actually hurt your feelings. When in reality it did the opposite amusing you at the most. "Second I gotta make sure Tony could hold a grudge, or are you forgetting?"

Bucky didn't need you to finish the statement to know exactly what grudge you were talking about. The one caused when Steve chose Bucky over Tony, and the two heroes went on to not speak to each other for years. Even when the world needed the Avengers to reassemble at full strength. Tony was still hesitant to make the call.

"I don't think he did" Bucky admitted sheepishly. It was a possibility he never considered until now.

"Did you ever use yourself?"

"No.

"Why not?"

The majority of my memories came back naturally overtime, plus the museum dedicated to Steve really helped."

"But did you ever get all of them back?"

"No but I got the important ones back and that was all that mattered in my opinion." Bucky told you his tone apologetic. He knew that wasn't the answer you were looking for. You wanted him to tell you with a little more time the rest of your memories would just come back. But in reality this machine was your best bet to get them back in a timely manner, and possibly in general.

"Do you think its worth it? Bucky asked when you remained silent.

You nodded. "I have to remember them. I need to remember them. They're worth it." The ghost of the memories haunted you way too much. A laugh here. A smell there. You needed to remember all those moments again. It was the only way you were ever going to feel complete again. You spent your entire life thinking love was never going to find you, but then it did. And you screwed up in a big way, and how were you suppose to fix things. If you couldn't remember them, let alone your last moment with them.

"Alright then let's do this" Bucky encouraged you clapping you on the shoulder.

He helped you get hooked up in the lounging chair which was surprisingly comfortable. Despite how intimidating it looked, and proceeded to place the metal round thing around your head. It fit perfectly, and then Bucky pressed the only red button on the control panel. At first nothing happened you just laid there with the thing connected to your brain. Then the machine roared to life lighting up with power. For once you were grateful your control over your powers hadn't returned fully. Because if it. had this machine might be in pieces as your brain was hit with a surge.

It was nothing you could handle but this surge hit you with one purpose, to find the wiring in your brain in charge of your memories. And when it did the floodgates were open your body spasmed as a tidal wave of images slammed into your head. You gripped the arm rests in a death grip. It didn't hurt but the feeling was equally unpleasant, and your stomach began to do flips as you tried to keep up with everything. Then it was over as quickly as it began and you leaned over to the side throw your lunch back up.

Bucky hung back with a disgusted look on his face watching you rip yourself free with a groan.

"Can it Barnes I know you want to laugh" You grumbled climbing out of the chair.

He ignored your comment only focused on the end results. "Did it work?"

You held your stomach making sure nothing else was going to come back up. Once you were sure the puking was a one and done side effect. You answered him.

"Ayo and Aneka are going to kill me aren't they?"

Bucky pulled you into a bone-crushing hug with a cheer.

Two Hours Later

All they wanted was to spend more time with you. Your loves only wanted you to be safe and sound to proceed with caution. Maybe Ayo went about discussing it in the wrong way, and maybe you should've stayed to listen when Aneka wanted to work things out. Instead of storming out like a angry teenager and going on a dangerous mission alone. There truly was no maybe about the later you were wrong, and it cost you basically nine months with them. Not to mention all the grief, pain, and guilt your death has put them through. Had they found a way to heal from losing you? Did it cause the two of them to fall apart? You knew Aneka was partially upset with Ayo for pushing the topic. That morning while she went out to get breakfast.

The only way to fix things was to confront them meaning it was finally time for you to make your last stop in Wakanda. If Sam ever let you go.

"Sam seriously you've hugged me like seven times, and lectured me for a whole thirty minutes. I need to get going" You pleaded.

He had called your name making you stop in your haste to reach the hangar. Where a quinjet was waiting for you fueled up and ready to go. "I know but there's one more thing I wanted to run by you before you go."

"What is it?" You asked dialing back the attitude. Your interest had been peaked.

"I know you're feeling some type of way I found new recruits for the next Avengers lineup without consulting you. But in my defense you never stuck around long enough to hear me out. You were always trying to be one woman army. It was impossible for you notice the potential in heroes on the rise."

As much as you wanted to argue with his observation. You knew it was true thinking back to your conservation with Scott.

"Just remember in the future the world isn't going to fall to pieces if you take just a small break." He told you as parting words.

"Go on" You demanded.

"You know Clint got Kate as an apprentice, but he's not really in this business anymore. Scott's kid is pretty passionate about the superhero stuff. Rumor has it Cassie never lets him hear the end of it about his early retirement. I got this kid named Eli who's grandfather was a super solider. It turns out he might've passed on the serum to his grandson, and now I'm the only keeping the government off his back. Then Dr.Strange-"

"Have all of us been taking in younger and stray heroes?" You exclaimed cutting him off at Doctor Strange. The arrogant sorcerer was the last person you thought would take on the responsibility of being a mentor.

"You got one too."

Yeah there's a kid named Diego back in that village. He's telekinetic and got a lot of heart. I don't know about Chloe and Kai let them get settled in with their families again."

"Cool well I was just thinking with all these young heroes on the rise. The next generation of Avengers is shaping up nicely, but the only problem is they're going to need. Someone to show them the ropes, and prepare them for this life. They're going to need a real teacher you know....." Sam let his voice trail off staring at you with hope filled eyes.

You picked up on what he was putting down and held back laughter. "You want me to teach them."

"No its just an idea and I don't know Clint called so I know you're on the fence about the superhero life. So I was just offering a healthy alternative. You don't have to run off on missions all the time, but you're still in the game."

It was more than an idea at this point, but you needed time to think on it. Your main focus right now was getting back to Ayo and Aneka. "Ask me when I get back" you told him.

Sam nodded failing at suppressing the grin forming on his face. Both of you knew it would be a while before you returned, and with that you were free to go.

Last and Final Stop: Wakanda

Night had fallen when your quinjet entered Wakandan airspace. No doubt their security systems picked up on your aircraft the second it crossed the border. One of the tribes was monitoring your travel route right now to make sure you moved on to another country. So you knew when you landed in a field near the rhinos habitat. It was only a matter of time before someone came.

You just hoped a certain warrior in a blue vibranium suit found you first. Was she even on patrol tonight your tried to practice exactly what you were to say to them. But any planned speech vanished from your memory when you picked up on the slightest of movements behind you. A soft whoosh sound filled the air the wild too silent for her to keep her mask fading away quiet.

"I don't know who you are but you've made a grave mistake coming here" Aneka warned you in a low and dangerous tone.

Your heart started to beat a little faster and it was a miracle you didn't drop to your knees to beg for forgiveness. Instead you somehow found your voice and replied. "Well I would've use the front door but I knew I wouldn't make it that far, and my last entrance didn't end too well for me. So I decided to take this approach this time."

Her breath hitched as she came to an abrupt stop when you started speaking. Aneka was silent for a long time so long you were beginning to worry. You made a silent prayer that your girlfriend didn't blast you, or bury her spear in your abdomen. You were still healing after all.

You slowly turned around peeling off the hood to reveal your face.

"Stop moving I demand you cease all movement at once" Aneka demanded. But her orders fell flat as her voice lacked any authority, or seriousness. She sounded hopeful and unsure. A hundred thoughts were running through her brain at the moment, but it all came to an end when her confused eyes met your soft ones brimming with tears.

"Hey Aneka" You greeted her softly throwing in a quick wave. Her entire world came crashing again when her name left your mouth. Here you were her lover. Her heart. Her everything standing before her when you were supposed to be long and gone. Aneka and Ayo attended your funeral nine months go. They grieved you. It took all their strength and endurance to keep going with each other after your untimely demise. For the longest time Ayo blamed herself for your fate, and at first Aneka did nothing to reassure her it was anything but her fault.

In all honesty for a while Aneka did blame Ayo needing someone to blame, and take her anger out other than you. Because you were gone and the opportunity to yell at you for being so stupid and reckless was never gong to come. She didn't want to admit you had played a hand in your own death. Aneka wanted to be angry at the world but not you.

Until now in this very moment and you saw all the different emotions overtake her features. Pure shock at first followed by disbelief as she opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Then anger and her before she could stop herself her fist slammed into your gut. Agony tore through your stomach as she struck the fatal injury that was still in the healing process. You let out a cry hunching over to hug your stomach as the pain spread everywhere else.

"I guess I deserved that' you wheezed lifting your head to glance up at her.

Aneka's mouth dropped as it finally hit her you were indeed real, and not some illusion her brain conjured up. It had happened many times in the past couple of months with her dreams. They were so vivid and real whenever she woke from them. Ayo had to remind her you were gone and wasn't coming back. She relived your death every single time breaking down in her lover's arms.

'Y/N" she said your name like a prayer. You stood up straight again ignoring the lingering pain. There was only an inch of space left between your bodies now, and it still felt like she was miles away. You wanted to wrap your arms around her, and kiss her deeply. But it wouldn't be fair to her after everything she'd been through. You had to let her decide the pace of things.

"You're alive" Aneka whimpered a hand hovering over your cheek wanting to caress you. But she hesitated out of fear you would disappear again. You leaned into the hand nuzzling it.

"Its me Aneka I promise this is real."

"You promised me that forever and it never was" she shot back.

"Whatever I have to do to convince you name it. I'll do it" you told her.

"Kiss me like you mean it, and don't ever stop. Please don't ever stop" she begged. Just like that your willpower was gone and you granted her wish closing the distance to press your lips to hers. The kiss ignited something in both of you, and then Aneka started going down.

You followed her on the way down to ground not letting her lips disconnect from yours for even a second. She leaned back into a laid position, and you hovered over her. Lips sealed together in a dance of desperation, and love. She moaned into the kiss coiling her arms around your body like a snake pulling your ontop of hers fully. Your hands rested on either side of her head.

"Tell me you're real" Aneka murmured against your lips.

"I'm real" you assured her.

She pulled back. "Tell me something only you would know."

"When you first me you insisted we were meant to be together even though you weren't suppose to yet. Because I still hadn't warmed up to Ayo yet." You said thinking it back to the early stages of your relationship with them. How you held a grudge against Ayo for flipping you over her shoulder onto the hard cold floor in the lab. "You also offered to give me a butt massage that day to make up for what Ayo did" you threw in for good measure."

"My love its really you" Aneka whispered guiding your head into the crook of her neck. So she could bury her face into your shoulder breathing in your scent. "I'm never letting you go again. I will handcuff the two of us together if I have too."

You chuckled pecking her shoulder. She shivered at the feel of your lips on her body tightening her hold on your hips.

"Aneka are you here? Answer me sithandwa sam" Another familiar voice spoke up only a few feet away. Her footsteps approaching fast and you lifted your head right as Ayo appeared over the two of you. She must have not gotten a good look at your face, because her hand reached out to grip the back of your neck in a tight grip.

Ayo hauled you to her feet with vengeance because the General hadn't known anything else since your death. She took out her anger on her enemies at any given opportunity. You deserved her wrath as much as Aneka's, but the utter hatred in her eyes terrified. Your injury wouldn't survive a blow from her especially if she didn't recognize you.

"Ayo no don't" Aneka cried out in alarm on her feet in flash yanking you out of harm's way with an arm secured around your waist.

"Why are protecting the intruder? Have you lost your mind?" Ayo went off but her eyes settled on you, and just like Aneka. The General went through a multitude of emotions, but she came to her senses quicker. Because she knew her eyes weren't deceiving her with the way her lover stood protectively in front of you.

"Stand aside Aneka let me see her" Ayo said a bit breathless. Aneka listened stepping to the side. Tears pricked at her eyes as she opened her mouth to say something, but a sob ripped itself free from her throat.

"How?" she whispered launching herself forward and you caught her body in your arms ignoring the pain once again. Ayo didn't care how truly she was just happy to see you alive. She was happy to be able to touch you again, and wanted nothing more than to take you home. Crawl into bed with you sandwiched between her and Aneka falling asleep together. She wanted morning to come to wake up with you sprawled out before her in some weird position. Ayo wanted to wake up to you to make sure this really wasn't a dream.

For now she'd accept resting in your arms. Eventually Aneka hugged both of you, and the three of you stayed like that for a very long time.

The Next Day

"Its her alright DNA doesn't lie that's our y/n." Shuri announced to everyone waiting around in her private office in the lab. You were still outside resting on the sand table fast asleep. You had been in go mode for the past couple of days, and exhaustion finally caught up to you.

"She is a bit malnourished and out of shape, but other than that she's relatively healthy besides that nasty abdomen injury. I'm assuming that's the one that took her out. Whoever healed her did the best they could, but it'll cause lingeirng problems if not taken care of properly. She'll need probably need physical therapy as well-" Shuri was rambling now while her hands shook.

Nakia was the one to waltz over placing her hand over the tablet in her hand. Shuri looked up at her ready to protest. "Y/N is alive and well you can turn off doctor and scientist mode for five seconds sister.

"I'm fine" Shuri insisted.

"Come here" Nakia told her opening her arms wide for the Princess to step into them. She released a shaky breath keeping the sobs at bay unlike. Okoye who broke down at sight of Ayo and Aneka walking through the doors last night with you in tow. That's when the tests began.

The rest of the day was a bit blur as you slept through most of it. Ayo would move you to a bed in the infirmary after a while. Where her and Aneka took turns cuddling with you. Neither wanted you to be out of there sight for to you long, so later on when evening came and you were finally awake. They hovered on the balcony below where you could see them while talking with Shuri.

The Princess had requested your audience, and who were you to even think about turning her down.

"I will take care of your injury, and Okoye will be in charge of your phsyical therapy to get you back to full strength. If you want her too" Shuri said staring out at the Golden City. The sight never got old as you followed her gaze.

"I'm sensing a but" You pushed her.

"On the condition you promise us you attempt to run off on any missions. Until you're cleared by both me and Shuri" Okoye declared walking up the three steps to the balcony. She gave you a brief hug.

"So no more Avenger stuff until you two say so basically."

"Yes for you and their sakes" Shuri answered jerking her chin towards Ayo and Aneka. The two women stood side-by-side to each other shoulders pressed together. You wouldn't be surprised if they had some ear tech to eavesdrop.

"When I told them not to break my favorite American's heart. The same went for you as well you know" Okoye stated taking up position on your other side. She leaned forward on the edge of the balcony.

"What's it going to be y/n?" Shuri asked trying to keep the hint of fear out her voice. You could say and she'd still heal you not being able to leave in pain, and there was plenty of other heroes capable of helping you recover.

"Guys I can barely throw a decent punch, and I'm at the baby stages of controlling powers again. My death hit reset on everything I wasn't going on a mission anytime soon regardless, so hell yeah I accept your terms" You finally said.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief causing you to laugh. Shuri let you go to be with your girlfriends, and when you attempted to leapt down from a story up. Just to give them a heart attack Okoye reminded you she could make physical therapy absolutely unbearable. You disappeared with an apology taking the elevator.

Ayo and Aneka were finally able to take you home again. Leading you to the bedroom and you took everything in. Nothing had changed even the alarm clock you fried while in bed with them remained on the nightstand.

"Hey we have something for you by the way" Aneka said.

You sat down on the bed. "You guys didn't have to get me gifts. My birthday didn't pass, and we still have two months before Christmas."

"No its something that already belonged to you. An item that would've made finding you a whole lot easier saving us all this time and grief. Ayo said walking into the room with a small black box in her hand.

You knew instantly what she was referring to, and let out a nervous chuckle. She sat on your left and Aneka on the right. The box was placed in your lap.

"You can do honor of opening it."

It was your kimoyo beads.

For the first time since getting you back neither of them looked too happy. You slid them back onto your wrist and the bracelet came to life lighting up with a chirp.

"Y/N it is good to have you back" Griot greeted you.

"How did you lose them in the first place? Aneka finally asked.

"Its a long story" You told them.

"We have time" Ayo replied.

You grinned in happiness knowing you were right where you belong. You glanced over your shoulder to catch the sight of two lone stars in sky by themselves through the window. You thanked the Angels for bringing you back to your loves deciding that y'all did have time.

All the time in the world because you weren't going anywhere for a long time.

Tag List: @kofforever @darkwitch192 @deliciousfestsalad @unsatisfiedanddisappointed @mbakuetshurisprincess @justariellove @purple-nugget @shuris3leg @riribabymomma @wandas-nose-scrunch @ceaseanddecease @someobliviousgirl @marsfunzon22 @urfavvmiyahh @chatitajens @greek-freak101 @takeyaki @naslt @princesscharmingnoir @kiwiana145 @como731 @unsatisfiedanddisappointed @sopaintercrown @sweettea32 @alistair-mooncrest

[bow-of-aros]

Day Twenty-Eight: Spooked

Summary:

Peter is determined to finally spook the unspookable Stephanie Lauter. It doesn't go quite as well as he hoped.

Hey folks!! I'm actually in love with this fic they're all so fucking CUTE! Need me a friend group like this immediately. Just alksdjajsljkdajksk THEM <33 Anyways hope that y'all enjoy!!

“Boo!”

Steph glanced over her shoulder at Peter, eyebrow raised in amusement at his disappointment when she didn’t so much as blink.

“Hey Pete. What’s up?”

A smirk was playing across her lips as he slumped down next to her with an exaggerated sigh. Still, he leaned forward a bit when she went to wrap an arm around his shoulders and leaned into her in their little booth at Beanie’s with a smile.

“Do you just have no fear?” Peter asked, “Is that what it is? Because I have it on good authority that I am very sneaky based on how Ruth and Richie both scream every time I ‘appear’ beside them.”

“Guess I’m just too tough. Sorry, babe.”

Steph couldn’t help but laugh at Peter’s groan, something that did not distract from the faint blush creeping up his face. Honestly, sometimes Steph thought that her boyfriend was too cute and she’d explode with the strain of not squeezing him until he popped.

Mercifully, she refrained from doing so, settling for tweaking his ribs and melting a bit at the giggly little shriek he let out.

Too fucking cute.

“It’s my new mission,” Peter said, cautiously uncurling from around Steph’s hand after she reassured him that she was done, “In the spirit of Halloween, I will spook Stephanie Lauter if it’s the last thing I ever do!”

The last part was proclaimed with a grave determination that had Steph laughing.

“Yeah, alright Squeak-offski,” She fluttered her fingers against his neck and, yep, there it was, “Whatever you say. But, every time you try and fail, I get to tickle you. Sound fair?”

Peter’s jaw dropped as he started stuttering, “I, uh—”

Steph cut him off gleefully, “Great! I look forward to your next attempt.”

Before Peter could protest, the bell jangled and Richie and Ruth walked in, bickering as usual, and slid in next to them. Peter was soon roped into the argument and the previous conversation was dropped.

But it wasn’t forgotten.

Peter was determined to see his mission through, even with Steph’s threat looming over him should he not succeed. What it really meant was that he just had to make every attempt count to minimize damage.

It didn’t exactly go to plan.

His first attempt, he’d waited two days after their declaration of battle so that Steph would have let her guard down. They were all supposed to get together for a horror marathon at Peter’s place, so he’d asked Ted to let her in and send her to the basement.

Everything had been running smoothly, he’d stayed quiet, the lights had been off, and there had even been some eerie music playing in the background for dramatic effect.

Except, when he’d jumped out at her from behind some streamers, Steph hadn’t even flinched and Peter was cackling under her hands within seconds.

And then Ruth and Richie had decided to show up, and it had all gone downhill for Pete from there.

Since then, he’d made his plans less elaborate, hoping to be lucky enough to just catch her off guard for a seconds, but it had never happened.

Peter’s days had been filled with a lot more laughter lately, and that’s how he got his idea.

Well, it was that and watching Ruth tickle Steph nearly to tears to get her to admit that headgear was the hottest new accessory, but that’s beside the point.

He waited until one day after school when Steph was distracted by Ruth and Richie who had, once again, dragged some innocent bystander into one of their arguments. Then, he started silently creeping up behind her, catching his friends’ eyes and holding a finger up to his lips.

Their eyes darted back to Steph and they kept talking like nothing had happened, and that’s why Ruth and Richie are his best friends.

And three… Two…

“BOO!”

Peter dug his fingers into her sides, revelling in the shriek of surprise before Steph started laughing and tugging frantically at his hands.

As her knees buckled and he lowered her gently down, wriggling his fingers all the while, he proclaimed his victory, “Aha! I have felled the fearless! My reign shall be long and prosperous!”

Peter took a step back, grinning at the sight of Steph giggling up at him.

“Yohou are a fucking cheater Spankoffski!” Then she turned her accusing finger on Ruth and Richie who had been thoroughly enjoying the show up until this point, “And you two knew what was happening and you betrayed me!”

It was silly and everyone was feeling ridiculous, so maybe that’s why Richie said, “Yeah, well, we had to help Sir Peter slay Steph the Fearless! It’s our sworn duty!”

At that, something in Steph’s expression changed and she slowly rose to her feet and faced them.

“Well, maybe you should’ve checked if I was really dead, because now Steph the Fearless is going to get your asses! Starting with you!”

And she launched herself at Peter, clawing at his ribs as he toppled over with a shriek.

“Wahahahait! Steph nononono!” His gaze shifted up to his friends, “Ruth! Richie! Hehehehelp!”

They exchanged a nervous look before Ruth straightened her shoulders, “I’ll save you Sir Peter! RAHHHHHH!”

Her battle cry rang as she threw herself into the fray, dragging Richie in with her as a human meat shield.

Man, Peter thought, tangled up and laughing with the people he cared about the most in the world, my friends are fucking dorks.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

[stellamancer]

notes: in before the end of tanabata lmao. uh very messy because I was rushing and definitely unoriginal. I'll make fixes tomorrow after work or something.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

Gojo smiles down at you as he pulls the pink slip of paper from your grasp. Immediately, you lunge at him, trying to steal it back before he can look to see what you’ve written on it. Your attempts are, of course, futile as Gojo holds the tanzaku high above your head, weaponizing his absurd height to keep it out of reach. 

“Makin’ a wish?” he asks. 

You frown. “Obviously.”

“For what?” His grin widens, amused. He’s paying you a courtesy by asking when the both of you know that he could just peek at the paper containing your wish himself. 

Your brain spins the mental roulette of dialogue choices and the one it lands on comes shooting out from your mouth. "For you to get hit by a truck." 

Gojo snorts and you think that it's because the mere thought of it is not only laughable it is most definitely wishful thinking. He flashes another grin at you. "Liar. Can't blame you for trying though." 

He starts to turn the slip in his hand and in one last move of desperation you jump up and manage to grab part of the slip and—

It tears in two. 

You crumple the part you have tightly in your fist as you're trying to absorb your wish into your very being. 

Gojo frowns a little and flips his half of the slip over, lifting his blindfold just a bit to try and read it. You manage to catch sight of bits and pieces of your writing and there's no way he'd be able to figure out what you wrote, even with that brain of his. 

"Guess you're only getting half a wish," he says nonchalantly, pocketing the torn piece of paper. 

You shrug, "I'll just write it again."

"Or! You can just tell me your wish," he beams at you and gestures toward himself in an exaggerated kind of way. 

"...the street's over there," you deadpan, pointing. 

Gojo's lips pucker out as he starts to pout. Like this he looks like an overgrown monster of a child. "Come on. I promise I won't make fun of you."

"Don't lie."

"Okay fine. I won't make a lot of fun of you." 

You roll your eyes. "No." 

"Please?" He pauses to give you a moment to respond before asking again, this time sounding even more pathetic. "Pleaseeee?"

You sigh. "Why should I? You gonna grant it?"

"Sure. I'll grant any wish your little heart desires," Gojo replies without missing a beat. He grins and you feel a skittering in your chest at the sight. There's something meaningful about his expression right now, his words embedded with some other meaning but you don't want to give any of that too much thought right now.

"What about you?" you ask, deflecting as you try to ignore the heat spreading across your chest. "Aren't you going to make any wishes?"

"No," he answers simply and something about it annoys you. "Only weak people make wishes." 

You scowl. "Are you calling me weak?" 

He doesn't answer. Asshole. 

"Must be nice being so strong," you say, making no effort to hide your mocking tone. 

He smirks, shrugging. "What can I say? It's just part of who I am." 

You roll your eyes. 

"I don't need to offer any wishes to some would-be gods when I have the power to get whatever I want with my own two hands."

"You say that, but…" You hold up your hand, half your wish stilled crumpled up in your balled up fist. You don't dare show off the ball because you have no doubt that Gojo will swipe it from you, "you still don't know what I wished for.  You could wish for it, though, if you really wanted to know."

"Nah."

"Don't care that much?" You ask, tilting your head to the side, wondering if Gojo's bored of this topic already. 

"No, it's not that," he says, dismissing your guess with the wave of his hand. "It's just I don't need to; I'll get you to tell me yourself one day." 

"You think so?"

He flashes you that cocky and confident grin that never fails to send your heart into a frenzy. "I know so." 

You choose not to respond as you try to pretend that maybe, just maybe he's wrong and you won't tell him.

At least, not today.