#fic: love ours

[saiilorstars]

Love Ours | Ch.9 Birthday Mania

Fandom: MCU • Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC

Summary: Seren plans Steve's birthday and it doesn't go according to plan at all.

Story Masterlist • Seren’s Masterlist 

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag​ @arrthurpendragon​ @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet​ @averyhotchner @foxesandmagic @kmc1989​

[If you’d like to be a part of any OC’s works/edits, let me know!]

The moment that Steve opened his eyes, Seren was right beside him holding a cupcake with a lit candle in her hands. He closed his eyes again and let out a light chuckle.

"Straight to the point," he mumbled in the midst of his laugh. He cracked one eye open and looked up at Seren. "Good morning."

Seren was grinning from ear to ear and was quite loud when she wished him 'happy birthday!'. "You'll of course have a decent birthday cake later but for right now, how's about an old fashioned birthday cupcake?" she said and offered him the cupcake.

"For breakfast?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her as he sat up. "Breaking the rules…"

"Mm, I'm willing to make an exception today — it is your birthday, after all. Happy birthday, lovey. May you have plenty more years in your life." She leaned over and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. "And I mean like hundreds more…"

Steve's expression at the number was priceless and he was very clear afterwards that he was not looking to live for hundreds more. "I'm 106 already, sweetheart. It's not about the quantity but the quality of life instead and without you, there's not much quality in my life." He took the cupcake from her hands, blowing out the candle.

"You didn't make a wish," Seren pointed out, her cheeks still flushed from his words.

"I did in my head," Steve said, taking a bite of the cupcake. "This is delicious, by the way."

"Thanks, I made them earlier," Seren said, and at his look she explained she had gotten up much earlier than him. "I couldn't sleep," she shrugged. She wiped a finger over the cream of the cupcake and popped it into her mouth.

"I hope you're not sleep depriving yourself for me," Steve said. "I don't need anything today, Seren, I told you."

"Why must you be oh-so-high-and-mighty about a simple birthday party?"

Steve chuckled at her disgruntled face. "I'm not—"

"Yes, you are!" she exclaimed. "What is so wrong about wanting to celebrate your very existence!?"

"Nothing, sweetheart, but I just don't want you stressing out over something that doesn't have to happen. I don't need anything," he said and reached a hand on her cheek, "But I do very much appreciate your intentions. So, what can I help you with?"

Seren hummed as she thought for a second. "Well, I pretty much have everything ready, just some last minute pick-ups in the afternoon."

"Of course you do," Steve playfully rolled his eyes. "Then I guess all I have to do is make myself look presentable, right?"

Seren nodded at him. "Make yourself look very pretty, please. Not that I think you'll have a lot of trouble with that."

Steve threw his head back and laughed. If he ever needed a boost of confidence, Seren would always be the one for the job. She had absolutely no trouble with it.

~ 0 ~

Throughout the whole day, everyone in the compound was wishing Steve a happy birthday and making comments about the upcoming party in the evening. Seren had been planning it for weeks now and had roped each member into doing certain tasks for her. Chloe, Wanda, Pietro and Vision were in charge of decoration considering they had probability, telekinesis, speed and flight on their side. Natasha and Thor were to supervise them because they were more than likely to get into arguments on the job — they were also meant to blow balloons somewhere along the way. Tony was in charge of music — a self proclaimed position, unfortunately and something Seren couldn't persuade him to leave alone. Bucky had the job of distraction, and he wasn't very good at it (Steve thought this because he had told him 5 minutes into a conversation that was his intentions for the day).

"So where the hell is my girlfriend?" Steve demanded to know when four o'clock hit and he hadn't heard a peep from her. She was small, yes, but still explosive. She should have been in communication with him at some point already.

Bucky, who had also self-proclaimed himself in charge of the alcohol at the party, was deciding between two wine bottles. "I think I should get the most expensive one, right? I mean, it doesn't really matter for us but it would be funny to see Chloe get drunk and make a fool of herself."

Steve rolled his eyes at the grinning face his best friend had on. "I'm gonna go find Seren." He was only halfway towards the door when Bucky called him back.

"C'mon, Steve, let her do whatever she needs to do. She's put her whole little hybrid heart into this shindig." Bucky set the wine bottles on the island and motioned Steve to pick one. "Personally, I think beer is better but apparently we need to have a variety of options for the guests."

"Who is even on this guest list, anyways?" Steve asked out of curiosity. He walked back to the island and looked over the two wine bottles.

"Not a lot of people," Bucky said honestly. "Seren said she was keeping it small for you."

Steve smiled to himself. She knew him so well.

"So, which one?" Bucky presented Steve with two more bottles for him to choose from.

Before Steve answered, a gust of wind blew in and suddenly Pietro Maximoff was ransacking the fridge.

"Which one of you took Wanda's lemonade? She'll kill whoever took it." He shut the fridge door with a huff and turned around, his face lighting up at the sight of the wine bottles. "Never mind!"

"Hold it," Bucky pointed at him. "Last time I checked, you're not 21 so go get a juice box."

Pietro rolled his eyes. "But I will be soon and I should be compensated for my troubles back there. Between my sister and Chloe, it's a miracle I haven't lost my mind already."

"Yeah, yeah, back to work," Bucky shooed him off.

"They're horrible," Pietro reiterated. "Especially Chloe and her bossy—"

"I'd watch your words about my girlfriend," Bucky cleared his throat and pretended to examine the ingredients of a wine bottle.

"Just take a water bottle, Pietro," Steve suggested kindly and sent the speedster on his way. He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna go—"

"Do I need to tie you up or something to keep you here?" Bucky put the wine bottle down and stared at his best friend sharply. "If you go and mess up Seren's schedule, she'll come for my ass and I don't feel like dying today. I feel like wine tasting, actually…"

Steve rolled his eyes and raised his hands in defeat.

~ 0 ~

He made himself look very nice — pretty — and was downstairs at the prompted time, according to Bucky. The party got started very smoothly and it was honestly fun, but Steve was worried. Seren had not shown up and what's more, she hadn't sent him any message nor called.

That wasn't like her.

Steve couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Nobody else seemed to think the same. Bucky's selection of drinks was a hit and so was the music — it was a party. The food was good, the drinks were good, the people — his friends — were all so kind and well wishing. Steve really appreciated everything they all had done for him but he couldn't enjoy any of it until Seren arrived.

And she didn't.

An hour turned into two.

Finally, Steve decided he had to do something. He went to find Chloe and cut her dance with Bucky short.

"No, I haven't heard from her," she told him. "Is she — is she not here?" She looked around the party, her senses slightly off with her amount of drinks.

"No," Steve shook his head. "And I know Seren would message me — or you, even — if she was going to be late."

Chloe thought the same. "Maybe she texted Nat or something."

"Or Stark," Bucky suggested. "Stark told me Seren had called in a favor from him for something for, uh, you?"

Steve went to go find Tony while Chloe and Bucky went for Natasha. When Steve found Tony, he cut straight to the chase. His heart was starting to hammer in his chest as the minutes went by and he knew nothing of Seren.

"No, she hasn't called me," Tony said. "She was supposed to be in about an hour ago."

"Where did she go?" Steve said urgently.

"I can't tell you, it was a surprise," Tony shrugged. "She made me swear it."

"I don't care — she's not answering anyone's calls! Where is she, Tony?"

Tony was still hesitant to answer. "I…look, if she finds out that I ruined the surprise—"

"Stark!" Steve snapped. "I don't care, alright? I want to know where she is so that I can go to her and make sure she's okay! Damn everything!"

"Steve!" Chloe exclaimed as she rushed towards him. "We found her! Well, Bucky found her, but we got her!" Steve immediately went to look for her in the party but Chloe told her she wasn't with them. "Don't freak out — Seren's okay — but she sort of, may have, had an accident…"

But of course, Steve's first instinct was to freak out. "What!? Wh-where is she? What — what happened!?"

Chloe once again reassured him that Seren was okay, but her words meant nothing to Steve until he could confirm with his own eyes that Seren was okay. She dragged him out of the party and into the hallway where Bucky was waiting for them.

"Bucky, where is she?" Steve went straight to his best friend, his face filled with anguish. "Where's Seren? Please, where is she?"

"Calm down, calm down," Bucky said, grabbing Steve by the arms. "She's fine! She's here — well, she's coming here. She'll be here soon."

Steve looked at Chloe, confused. "I thought you said she had an accident?"

"She did," Bucky re-confirmed. "But she's totally fine. I don't know exactly what happened, Seren wasn't very specific. She's being brought over by the medics — she literally forced them to discharge her and she's being brought over so calm down."

"I-I gotta go pick her up — I gotta go—!" Steve made two steps forward before Bucky blocked his way. "Buck, I need to see her!"

"I get that but there's no point! She's already on route here! She'll be here in 15 minutes, man! You're gonna miss her if you leave!"

Steve begrudgingly stopped pushing against Bucky. "What happened?" he demanded again.

"I don't know, Seren didn't tell me. She was quick — she was scared of the whole medic thing so she told me to be ready."

"Why did she call you?" Steve asked all of a sudden. "Why didn't she — why you?"

Bucky knew better than to fall for the jealousy trick. "She didn't. She called the compound and FRIDAY patched it through. I answered the call. You need to calm down before you see her. You're gonna scare her more than she already is."

The idea of adding more fear to whatever Seren was already feeling made Steve finally stop and take a breath. He needed to make sure that she was okay but he couldn't do that if he was going to make it so that she wasn't okay.

Fifteen minutes later, they were at the entrance of the compound waiting for Seren to finally arrive. Thankfully, in a few minutes, they saw a car pulling through the entrance and met it halfway.

Seren was trying to push her way out even before the car had stopped. She really didn't want to be anywhere near the medics. She practically fell into Steve's arms jumping out of the car. Steve took the chance immediately to check her out. She was dressed to the nines for the evening but there was a large gash running down her right leg.

Steve picked her up bridal style and left Bucky and Chloe to tend to the people Seren had come with. He ignored her assurances that she was fine and her pleas to calm down, bringing her straight to the medbay.

"I'm calling Helen," he said firmly and with no room to argue. Helen was the only medic in the world whom Seren could trust in. Luckily, she was one of the attendees of the party and so it was fairly quick getting her down.

"I'm fine," Seren told Helen as the woman examined her leg. "Just a small accident."

"Doesn't look small," Helen hummed. She was cleaning out the lingering blood on Seren's skin. "What happened?"

"Yes, what happened?" Steve waited impatiently to hear the answer. "And don't lie, please."

Seren groaned and explained that she had been struck by a car trying to push someone else out of the way. "All I did was fall — I've had much worse and you two know that!"

"It doesn't mean I can't worry," Steve told her, frowning. "I didn't hear from you all day. I knew something was wrong."

"Well, it looks superficial," Helen remarked, "But definitely something that'll take a few hours to heal even with your super healing."

"Why is it so big?" Steve said, his voice no longer angry but filled with concern.

"It was the car," Seren told him. "The license plate hooked on my skin. Hurt like hell but definitely not something I needed to go to the hospital for. It took me forever to get to my phone. That's why I couldn't call and even when I did, I just had to call the quickest number. I thought you would be having fun at the party so I didn't want to ruin it. I failed, obviously."

Helen smiled at the couple. "I think this is where I leave. Seren, the stitches will fall out when your skin starts closing on its own but you should be fine."

"I am fine, Helen," Seren reiterated.

"But you still won't be dancing tonight, I'm afraid. And no getting off the bed either, except for the restroom and even then you're going to need help."

"I got it," Seren sighed. "Thank you, Helen."

"Of course," Helen nodded and left the two alone.

Seren leaned her head back on her pillow. "As far as birthday parties go, I am the worst at planning them. I ruined your day, Steve. I'm so sorry."

"You're joking," Steve said flatly. "You have to be joking."

"What?"

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say any of that stuff because you did make an incredibly great party and you got hit by a car." Steve pulled a chair beside her bed and sat down. "But I was so worried when you didn't show up and you didn't answer my calls."

"I'm sorry, lovey," Seren sighed. "I swear it was supposed to be something quick."

"What were you even out doing?" Steve asked.

"Getting you your present, what else?" Seren reached for his hand and curled her fingers around his. "It was the last thing on my to-do list and by far the most important one." No sooner had she said that when she gasped and started looking around urgently for her bag. "No, no, no, no, no! Where's my bag!? Where's my — your present was in there!"

Steve was quick to push her back down when she made to get off. "Absolutely not!"

"Steve, I left your present in that car!" Seren struggled with Steve's hands gripping her wrists.

"I don't care about any present—"

"It was important!"

"Well, this is a promising sight," Chloe's voice froze the couple in their spots. She looked up at Bucky beside her then. "If you ever fight me like that, know that I'll blast you."

Bucky rolled his eyes and pushed her a few inches to the side. "Anyways, we came to deliver." He held up Seren's bag in his hand. "You left it back there."

"Oh my goodness," Seren breathed out in relief. "Bucky, I love you, thank you!"

"Hey now," Chloe flashed Seren a faux sharp look, "That's my line."

Bucky handed Steve the bag who then handed it over to Seren. She thanked him all over again.

"Should we tell them upstairs that the party's over?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Steve immediately said, gazing at Seren. "I won't be going back anytime soon."

"No, you totally should," Seren said, frowning. "It's your day."

"And you're my girl. That's way more important. Besides, how can I go to a party that you made without you?"

"He's got you there," Chloe shrugged. "Tell you what," she reached over for Bucky's arm and tugged him back with her, "We'll go back and keep the party going in honor of you."

Steve snorted. "Oh, really?"

"Chloe's got the right idea," Bucky nodded very seriously. "We'll save you some wine. Let's go!"

They could hear Chloe's laughter even as they disappeared into the hallway.

Steve went after them and closed the door. "No more interruptions. You need to rest."

Seren smoothed out her dress as best as she could and lamented the way their evening turned out. "I am so sorry, Steve."

"Sorry for getting hit by a car? You have to be joking," Steve chuckled and walked back to her bedside. "I'm just glad that you're okay. You have no idea what I was feeling earlier. Please don't disappear on me like that ever again."

"I wasn't planning on getting hit by a car but you know how 4th of July is. It's full of crazy people — even crazier than on regular days." Seren scooted on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "Speaking of, the fireworks will probably be starting soon and it's no balcony but the window's pretty big."

"That it is," Steve agreed and gazed at the windows. The sky was already being lit with fireworks from a good distance, only leaving soft noises of the cracks. Soon, they would be much closer. He sat down beside her and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I did love your party, by the way. Thank you."

"I'm glad you did," Seren said, "I wanted it to be perfect for you. I'm sorry you can't enjoy it anymore. I really don't mind if you want to go back, you know."

"I know, but I don't want to go back. You're here and I always want to be next to you. And you know what? My wish that I made this morning was to spend my evening just with you."

"Well…how about you at least open my present, then?" Seren reached inside her bag to pull out a wrapped present for him. "I think you'll like it."

"I think you're right," Steve said and took it from her. He was careful to unwrap it and soon found the makings of a frame. He expected it to be a picture of them — he wouldn't mind one more for their bedroom — but he found something very different instead. The picture was old from Time but the face was young…

"I, uh, I got Tony to help me out with all the permissions and stuff," Seren explained during the silence. "I thought you should have it."

"It's a picture of my mother…how did…how did you even find one?" All Steve had from his mother were his memories and a few sketches of her that he had made. As far as he knew, there was no tangible proof that his mother had ever existed.

"With a lot of work," Seren admitted and smiled. "But worth all the work to see that face." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday. I owe you one birthday cake."

Steve was very, very, careful with the frame as he set it down on a table beside the bed. There were no words to encompass all the feelings in his chest. Even now as he gazed at the frame, he couldn't believe he was actually staring at a picture of his mother. His sweet and beautiful mother.

"You will never have to buy me another birthday cake," he said and turned to face Seren. "Not with this kind of gift." He cupped her face and tilted her head up to kiss her. "You are officially given a pass for the rest of my birthdays."

Seren chuckled. "You don't have to exaggerate, lovey. I'm glad you liked the present. It was totally worth getting hit by a car."

Steve's face fell flat and yet she giggled like it totally hadn't happened at all. Thankfully, the closer fireworks started and they cuddled to watch them through the windows. It was then that Seren admitted she had also had some doing in the fireworks for him.

Steve couldn't believe it and yet at the same time he did because it was something very her — trying to make him feel so special. "You're amazing," he murmured against her hair and peppered a few kisses, earning various giggles from her.

A/N:

Happy birthday to my boy ^.^

[tadfools]

You guys are commenting on the fics you read right? You’re at least leaving kudos on the Astarion smut and the pairs that have less than 20 fics for them too? You’re bookmarking stories you really like that are still being updated and ones that haven’t been touched in over a year right?

You know that even the smallest interactions are like cocaine to fic writers right? You understand how important a string of emoji hearts left behind on a chapter at three am is right?? Right????

You’re treating AO3 like a community and not a content factory….right?

[housederiva]

Oh my god porn bots have moved to ao3

[transformativeworks]

Australian Social Media News

Australia has passed a law that bans anyone under age 16 from using social media starting late 2025, fining tech companies up to A$49.5M for non-compliance. While intending to address mental health concerns in kids and teenagers, the law raises significant risks for privacy, digital access, and the freedom of expression, raising questions about the boundaries of digital censorship.

With that being said, we don’t expect this decision to affect the OTW or any of its projects, including AO3. However, as the OTW, we are against all forms of censorship and will be releasing a detailed statement about the matter soon.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-passes-social-media-ban-children-under-16-2024-11-28/

[deepspacenova]

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐒

4500 words | Dragon!Sylus. Banter. Sexual tension. Smut. (aka the holy trifecta)

Note: Basically written based on headcanons and vibes. Because no, I am not okay about this myth card. Let’s all be not okay together xx

The icy air prickled on her skin as she scrambled her way through the rocky terrain that led down to the cavern system. 

She couldn’t help but feel a thrum of adrenaline-infused excitement as she crept into the darkness, the fissures in the rock overhead illuminating the tunnel with speckled moonlight as she slipped through the silent shadows. 

She paused for a moment, her breath curling into silver mist in front of her. The stars were high, and the cave ahead was quiet and blissfully unaware of her presence; she had time for a moment of indulgence. She took a deep breath, the intense chill of the night air revitalizing her. 

She had certainly seen worse.

Once upon a time she’d loathed heights, but she’d experienced far worse things over the years than being a few extra metres from the ground. After the war she’d thought it would be easy to fall back into her life, thought it would feel like being back on solid ground, but she’d been wrong, so caught up in changing the world that she didn’t even realise that she had changed too. Now…

Now she had to get back to work.

She hugged the jagged rock walls, her boots crunching softly against the gritty floor of the cave as she crept deeper into the shadows. Overhead, the roof of the cavern became higher and darker, glittering with faint streaks of quartz that caught the dim light filtering through unseen cracks above. 

What would her younger self think of this? Sneaking into a monster’s lair to pilfer his treasure? She imagined that naive girl, horrified beyond belief, clinging to ideals about honor and fairness. But those ideals didn’t pay for food, for shelter. The truth was simple: wealth changed the world. And if she had to steal it from the claws of a monster, then so be it. 

The path curved sharply, and just ahead, the faintest glint of gold sparkled in the dim light. Her heart skipped, her pulse quickening. 

Something was wrong. 

The chamber’s massive iron door, usually sealed tight, was cracked open, its hinges groaning faintly as a draft stirred the cavern air.

Damn it. She’d been so close. So close she could taste it. But now—

The faintest sound reached her ears—a low scrape, like claws dragging across stone. It was so subtle she almost missed it over the hammering of her heart as she gripped the dagger at her side.

Carefully, she tilted her head to peek around the corner.

The chamber opened into a vast expanse of shimmering treasure. Gold coins, goblets, gems, and gilded weapons spilled across the cavern floor in glittering piles. But her attention wasn’t on the wealth — it was on the hulking figure sprawled atop the stone mound.

The dragon. 

His massive form was sprawled on the pedestal, onyx scales glinting in the faint light like shards of obsidian. Smoke curled lazily around him as he rested its head on a palm, like a domesticated creature in repose.

Her stomach twisted. She’d expected him to be there, of course, but seeing him in the flesh was another thing entirely. The beast was impossibly large, his spiked wings resting behind him like folds of a midnight curtain. His tail swished idly, the tip flicking lazily as it held his prize, her prize. The Thread of Celestia, the sparkling necklace she’d set out to retrieve.

The very sight of him irked her. The sheer arrogance of him. No disguise, no armor, no clothing, he wasn’t even sticking to the shadows, the cocky, brutish– 

“Your stealth skills could use some work.” He called, his voice low and resonant, cutting through the quiet night like a blade through silk.

She rolled her shoulders, cracked her neck and gripped her dagger. 

She stepped out into the moonlight, allowing the glow to illuminate her silhouette. His massive form shifted, but he didn’t move to hide. No, he continued to lay upon his perch insolently, as if daring her to try something. His gaze narrowed as he took in her figure fully. 

A few moments of silent stalemate, then, a long-suffering sigh.

“Again, little one?”

“Apparently.”

“How have we ended up here again?”

“I don’t know.”

“Who sent you this time? I doubt we move in the same circles,” he said with a pretentious little sniff.

“No one hired me, Sylus.”

“Oh?” he inquired, eyes glittering like rubies. “Just for the fun of it then?”

“This isn’t for fun.” She lied. It wasn’t just for fun anyway… “Just because you don’t care about anything but yourself–”

“You know that’s not true,” he said, sitting up. The Thread of Celestia disappeared somewhere on his person with a smoothness that made her wonder just how many secrets his body held. 

Sylus continued, “I don’t believe for a second that you don’t have a little giggle to yourself thinking of the look on your master’s face when he realises his favorite… toy is being played with.” His gaze sluiced like warm water over her body and she knew he didn’t mean the necklace. She took another step toward him, palm tensing around the dagger behind her back. “And before you start waxing poetic about causes, I’ll remind you that last time we were in this position, you told me that cretins like him get what they deserve.”

“They do,” she said lightly, taking a few more steps forward.

“If you’re waiting for me to fall prey to the dagger behind your back, little one, you’re going to be disappointed.”

She shrugged, using the action to subtly shift her stance.

“I’m always disappointed in you.”

“Careful, sweetie, you’ll make me cry,” he drawled, his lip curling. “Shall we get on with it, then?”

She stopped less than a foot away from him. “I think we should.”

“Then, we don’t have all night.”

“No we don’t.”

There was a moment of perfect stillness, perfect silence. Then the tension snapped.

She sprung forward like an arrow from a bow, lunging towards him through the thin gap between them, and at the very same instant he leapt off the ledge, conjuring a cloud of thick smoke that swamped her vision. She expelled it with a slash of her arm and as the fog cleared she tried to glimpse him to no avail. He’d disappeared.

She may well have changed a great deal over the years, but she still hated losing.

She prowled around the cavern, her lungs burning as she fought to catch her breath each time she felt a claw poke her back, a tail stagger her step, or his melodic chuckle reverberate through her chest. She was fast but so was he, and in terms of size, strength, and supernatural ability he had her beat tenfold. 

He was almost close enough to grab now, but still an elusive flash of body parts her blasted human eyes could barely make out. It was now or never, though. With a grimace and a grunt of exertion, whipped around, hands outstretched–

And caught nothing but air.

She heard the soft thump of his tail behind the gold pile next to her and, not one to be easily deterred, she followed. 

This wasn’t over until she said it was over.

But she felt his heartbeat too late, alarmingly close, and she didn’t even have time to turn around before the tip of his claw was denting into the delicate flesh at the side of her neck.

“Found me,” he whispered into her ear as his arm came around her. He chuckled under his breath as she shuddered involuntarily against his front. “I forgot we’d added ear-whispering to the list of dirty tricks. I know how much it… affects you.”

“Fuck you,” she spat, cursing her treacherous body.

“Really? Here?” he said, and she could practically hear the arrogance in his grin.

Well. One dirty trick begets another.

Angling her hips just so, she pushed her arse backward until she heard the sharp intake of breath she knew so well. Then she snapped her head back, and heard a satisfying grunt as it connected with his face.

She spun around as his tail replaced his arm when the tip of his middle finger brush a small drop of blood from the corner of his lip — ideally, she’d have aimed for his nose, but he was at least a head taller than her so she’d take what she could reach — and drew her fist back.

“Oh no you don’t,” Sylus growled, grabbing her fist in his hand and twisting her arm toward the small of her back. “Don’t you dare give me another black eye, little one.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered, drawing her dagger with her unrestrained hand and aiming it at his face.

Sylus released her fist from his grip, then used her moment of unbalance to tighten his tail around the back of her knees, but she was still fast and trained. She dropped her entire weight onto his tail and tackled him to the ground while he was still regaining his balance.

“If you don’t want a black eye, then you should be faster,” she panted, wriggling on top of him as she attempted to pin his arms to his sides with her knees. “Now where is it?”

“You don’t already know?” he asked silkily, with an utterly shameless grin and a roll of his hips. And yes, of course she could feel the effect the friction was having on him, of course, she knew she was squeezing him with her thighs so it was hardly an unexpected outcome, of course, his ridiculous leather ensemble really did leave very little to the imagination, but–

“I’m not interested in that,” she said coolly. “Where’s the necklace? And don’t you dare tell me to search for it.”

“Why should I tell you anything, sweetie? I’m rather enjoying myself if I’m honest.” She felt his erection twitch beneath her as if it was agreeing with him.

“So help me, Sylus, I will search for it, and depending on which crevice you’ve stashed it in, that could be quite uncomfortable for you.”

“Why are you so damn insistent anyway?” he asked blandly. “This thing is a novelty at best.”

“An expensive novelty,”

“Well obviously, but surely a rock that supposedly prevents hangovers is beneath your exalted notice?”

“It just means I’m selling something harmless,” she said with a shrug, “Now where-”

A loud crack of thunder above them split the quiet of the night, startling her.

Sylus immediately bucked his hips up, destabilizing her just enough that he could pull his hands up from where she’d been pinning them. He grabbed the back of her thighs and flipped them over, managing to catch one hand but she was too quick for him to catch the one that mattered, and then they were still again.

Her dagger under his chin, his claw digging into the space above her heart, tail pinning her in place, their chests heaving.

“Now why do we always have to solve our problems with violence, little one?” he purred, his voice barely more than a wisp of air. “Can’t we act civilized for once?”

“Maybe.”

“Fancy moving your little blade then?” he murmured, leaning forward a touch so she could feel the soft vibration of his voice humming through the length of her weapon into her hand.

“No,” she said stubbornly, “Why don’t you move your- your talon?”

“Because if I move mine you’ll cut my cheek, take the jewelry, and leave me,” he bit out, scowling, “Like last time.”

“Last time was different.”

“I wouldn’t have cared, you know,” he whispered, moving a fraction closer. She kept her blade against his throat, and he pressed his a little harder into her ribs. “I would have let you take that amethyst too, but waking empty handed and alone? That did sting a bit, sweetie.”

“So sorry,” she muttered sarcastically.

“No you’re not,” Sylus growled.

“No,” she said, almost breathless now, “I’m not.”

He let out a huff of exasperation, and they surged together. The kiss was hot and hard and vicious, and it stole the air from her lungs. She could taste the blood on his lips, and resisted the urge to bite it harder, oddly proud she was the one who’d put the mark there, who made the great beast bleed in the first place. He had no such qualms, and he nipped sharply at her lower lip, grunting in satisfaction when he felt her shudder beneath him.

“We can’t,” she gasped as he turned his attention to her neck. 

“If you want to leave then move your damn knife out of my face,” he rumbled into her jaw, and she realised that she had instinctually kept her weapon stuck firmly under his chin. His claws had moved to wrap around her throat. 

“Fine.” The sound of metal hitting metal echoed around them as the blade landed into a small pile of gold. 

They lay there, their faces a hair’s breadth apart for several seconds before she yanked the silvery-white hair at his nape and kissed him as if she wasn’t expected to be back in the city soon. 

Sylus didn’t complain. On the contrary, he growled into her mouth and his tail constricted harder around her hips, keeping her flush against him. Gods, she really did wish he wasn’t quite so attractive. She could feel every muscle through her clothes, smell the comforting scent of smoke on his warm breath, see every piece of white and black that covered this man who lived in the grey. 

“Every time,” she murmured as he kissed and nipped his way down her chest. “Every time I say it's the last time.”

“You did last time.” He hummed. 

She flicked her tongue against the pulse point she’d wanted to press her dagger into a few moments ago, “That’s why I left.”

He roughly shoved his thigh between hers and smirking at the way she gasped and tightened her grip on his shoulders, she could feel every wrinkle of fabric brush against her sensitive skin. “I’m sure that’s why,” he whispered in her ear sardonically.

“Dirty tricks,” she managed to pant out.

“Have I missed something, little one?” Sylus asked, pushing his thigh harder into her so she was practically rocking on his leg, “I thought we were well into the list? My lip’s still healing by the way.” 

“I need to get out of here, you beast,” she said, uncomfortably aware of how thin and unconvincing her voice sounded. “You can have all the dirty tricks you want once I–”

“That a promise?” he asked with a wolfish grin. 

She couldn’t help but smile back, even as she felt her cheeks heat. “Just a few hundred metres to the exit of the cave”

“Hm, winner keeps the necklace?”

“Wait, that’s not–”

He silenced her with a searing kiss, all tongue and teeth, then pulled away with an unbearably arrogant smirk, getting up and vanishing from her sight.

“Sylus!” She shouted in frustration before sprinting after him.

That confusing, adrenaline-fueled joy was back as they chased each other around the cave. 

She had no clue if she was really gaining on him, or if he was letting her for the fun of it, but in that moment she didn’t care a bit. When she spotted his tail from the corner of her eye she leapt forward and this time she caught more than air. She barreled into his chest like a warrior. Her light build was mitigated by the sheer momentum and together they tumbled onto the stone-cold floor.

They tussled clumsily for a few moments, rolling over and over without either one getting the upper hand. 

She saw a tantalising glint in her peripheral vision.

He was dangling the Thread of Celestia over her head from his tail — she didn’t even want to know which unholy nook or cranny he’d produced it from — and even in a gilded room it glittered, almost as if it was producing its own light. 

Then she realised that while she had been staring at the jewel, Sylus was staring at her, eyelids lowered, gaze soft. He cocked his head, questioning, and she couldn’t help but smile.

She reached out and gently closed her hand over the necklace, removed it from his tail, and flung it away from them.

“The usual rules?” Sylus murmured.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t wake me last time.”

“Last time we’d already agreed on the course of action.”

“You mean you’d agreed on the course of action,”

“Don’t pout, dragon. It’s not my fault all your attention had rushed south.”

“You were half-naked, sweetie.”

“So were you. That’s how I know where all your attention was.”

“Just… promise you won’t do it again,” he said, more serious than she’d heard him tonight.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I promise.”

“I’ll make you pay if you break this one,” Sylus rumbled, his voice low and dangerous.

She opened her mouth to retort, but he surged forwards with a low moan, their lips met, and her brain went blank for several wonderful seconds.

They were panting when they broke apart, but there was only a split second of stillness before they were back at each other, fingers and claws tearing at their garments between kisses. Eventually the clothing battle was won, and Sylus pressed his naked torso to hers as he brushed her hair over her shoulder with one sharp finger.

She ran her hands indulgently down the length of his back and he shuddered under her fingertips, sinking his teeth into the soft skin between her shoulder and neck.

She gasped and he chuckled. “Tit for tat,” he murmured into the crook of her neck, running his hands down the outside of her arms all the way down to her hips, where he hooked his thumbs inside her underwear. 

She tore them down her legs, the tease of real touch not nearly enough.

“So impatient,” he tutted, his lips brushing her jaw with every syllable.

In answer she slid her hand back up to palm him and grinning smugly to herself when she felt him shudder.

“You are always so-” he pulled one bra-strap down off her shoulder, “-demanding-” he slipped the other strap down, dragging his tongue over her collarbone, “-and greedy.”

“Tease,” she managed, trying and failing to disguise the growing desperation in her voice.

He pulled back and smiled slowly, the dusting of pink on his cheekbones and the soft grinding into her palm the only signs he might be as overwrought as she was. 

He dragged a fingertip across her lips, just barely grazing her tongue for the smallest second, and then it was too late to stop herself. She sucked it into her mouth, and for that moment every shred of composure vanished from his expression.

Apparently all his patience vanished too, because he let out a hoarse groan and grabbed her, flipping her around so her front was pressed against the gold-splattered floor. She longed to feel his heated skin against hers, so when he flicked open her bra she scrambled to shrug it off, gasping when her nipples brushed the cold metal of his treasures.

“You know how I know you like me here?” he growled into her ear, running his sharp finger down her spine. 

“How?” she panted, and he laughed quietly, a soft vibration against her neck.

“Because, little one,” he purred, “You’ve already headbutted me once this evening. I don’t believe for a second you wouldn’t do it again if you wanted to,” he nuzzled the nape of her neck, an oddly tender action given the way he was gripping her hips hard enough to bruise, “So logically I have to conclude that you’re letting me do this… but why is that, sweetie?”

He trailed off and his tail lowered around her thighs, leaving her exposed but still constrained. He swept his hand down her arse and the inside of her thigh, and then back up again to dip one finger into her. She tried to arch into his touch, but he’d already pulled away, and she huffed in frustration.

“Tell me why you’re letting me do this,” he commanded softly.

She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. How was he so good at this?

The first time it happened it had been a fight from start to finish, brutal and frantic and without the smallest trace of softness, and she’d screamed so loud they’d had very nearly brought the cave down. The second time was more of a negotiation. He’d trapped her here for a few days, and after the first time had been so successful, it seemed like there were certainly worse ways to pass the time.

Every time they both agreed it was the last. Sometimes she told him to shut up, wrestled him to the floor, and made him shut up. Sometimes it was the other way around. But every time it became just a little harder to convince herself that this time really was the last.

“Tell me, little one,” he breathed, grinding each ridge of his cock slowly against her backside.

And every time, they would get to this point, the point where her resistance would evaporate, she’d say fuck it.

“Because I love it,” she gasped.

“Hmm,” he hummed, leaning forward again to reach between her legs, cupping her but not pushing inside. She groaned and arched into him again, and the arrogant bastard laughed. The worst thing was that his brazenness only riled her even more. “Now, are you going to be good for me, sweetie?”

“Don’t push it,” she snapped, and he laughed again.

“As you wish,” he said smoothly, and as much as she was enjoying this, his hand between her legs and his warm weight pressing her bare front against the floor, it didn’t do to let his ego run amok.

She moved to turn around, and surprisingly he didn’t try to stop her, just pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. For once there was no fight for dominance, no semblance of a struggle, just a frenzy of movement as they both scrambled to devour each other.

She traced his scales with her tongue. He stamped hot, open mouthed kisses on the bruises that were beginning to bloom from their escapades. Skin to skin, it was like a moment out of time, a bubble where nothing outside this underground cavern existed.

A sigh of satisfaction vibrated from his chest, when he slid a finger inside her and choked on a gasp of pleasure. His tongue swirled around her nipple and his thumb found her clitoris, and suddenly what she’d thought would be a marathon became a sprint.

“Sylus, I- I’m-”

He withdrew his hand and she groaned in disappointment, but her thighs were already cradling him and his cock was already teasing at her entrance. She ground down, desperate for friction, but he tightened his tail around her and before she could even blink he had flipped her over again. She had wanted to watch him unravel above her but now he was pushing her knees apart, and pushing further and further into her and- well, actually, this was fine too.

The moment the tip of his cock bottomed out she arched up into him as if she’d been electrocuted. Even so, it wasn’t enough. She squirmed for more.

“So demanding,” he purred, his hot breath torturous against the curve of her cheek.

“Stop stopping!” she growled, grabbing his hair to push his face into her neck and pushing back into him.

He chuckled against her and flexed his hips once, just once, and she was so close she felt like a live wire, her skin buzzing with the anticipation of it. Without warning he punched her clit and she screamed into the top of her own hand.

Sylus caught her wrist and pinned it to the ground.

“Don’t you dare,” he grunted, pushing in further, “I want- fuck- I want to hear every single sound.”

She moaned loudly. Much as she hated to admit it, she really did love his voice like this.

“Just like that,” he groaned, and she clenched around him involuntarily as he began to move. “Oh fuck- I fucking love-”

“Gods, I’m going to-”

“Yes, come on my cock,” he snarled, thrusting harder and tightening his grip on her wrist.

Her other hand fisted around his nape, her whole body clenched, and her awareness narrowed past this room, even past him, and all she could do was hold on for dear life as her orgasm claimed her.

In the fuzzy edges of her perception she heard her name, his voice low and rough, almost reverential, and finally he came with a wordless moan, his body shuddering against her. As the waves of pleasure began to recede, she thought distantly how strange it was that this was so good. It didn’t make any sense at all. They didn’t make any sense. This couldn’t ever work.

But there was something profoundly, sinfully delightful about taking something you were never meant to have. And in that moment, she thought she understood this dragon more than she ever had.

There weren’t any more words. This part was always oddly quiet for how much they both loved to talk. They just silently curled their exhausted bodies around each other. There wasn’t anything left to say, they both knew that, all too quickly, dawn would arrive, and reality would catch up with them once again.

As the tendrils of sleep coiled around her mind, the last thought in her head was that maybe she would quite like to do this one day without any of the usual shit. Maybe they could fall asleep together and wake up together. Maybe they would… maybe……

When she awoke, she felt unusually comfortable. She hummed in contentment and stretched, and let out a little sigh of disappointment when she realised that she was alone. Then the context caught up with her, and all the sleepy indulgence evaporated.

She bolted upright, ignoring the twinges of protest from her limbs and the rush of lightheadedness at getting up so quickly. She’d half expected him to be lounging there next to her, waiting for her with the necklace dangling from his tail like an insolent bastard, but no. The cave was as empty as the silks she’d been lain on, and her heart sank.

She should have known this would happen, especially since she’d done it to him last time. She shook her head in exasperation at herself. This couldn’t keep happening, it was-

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a small package on the bedside table, a leather pouch with a folded note propped up in front. She reached for the pouch, undoing the drawstring and peering inside.

And there it was. The necklace. The very thing that had brought her to him in the first place.

She pulled the drawstring tight, as if looking at it too long might make it disappear, and reached blindly for the note. It was just a few scrawled words.

Just this once, sweetie. I have a monstrous reputation to maintain. -S

[vitreouspositive]

when old friends turn into strangers and when "i thought you were dead" turns into "you should've died"

[demaparbat-hp]

The Crew is boisterous and loud, full of traitors, inside jokes, and secrets. The scum of the Fire Nation. The forgotten tiles on the Empire's Pai Sho board. The ones who change the game.

But most importantly—they're a family. And no matter how much they complain about their boss (teenage menace that he is), they'll do anything for their Prince.

Anything.

.

The Crew is the heart and soul of my fic For the Spirits. No one really knows just how important they will be to the story...how important they already are.

[petricorah]

scenes i loved from Real Enough to Get Me Through by @marriedzukka <333 [ids in alt]

[ricochetyears]

oh how i hate that headcanon where sirius is a total whore who’s super experienced with sex. like, okay, sure—humor and flirting might be his coping mechanism, but i’m dead convinced the bastard knew as much about sex as a cow knows about discord. fr, growing up in that household? zero sex ed. sex was probably treated as purely for making heirs, and anything about pleasure was seen as shameful. so yeah, sirius might’ve been all talk, shouting about sex like he knew everything, but in reality? no real experience, no real understanding. just vibes and bluster

and that’s exactly why i love wolfstar intimate connection so much. in my mind, remus has a healthy, grounded understanding of sex—like, he actually gets it. he knows that it’s not just a physical thing but something tied to connection and emotion and he definitely understands how to give and receive pleasure

he’s the one who shows sirius what pleasure can actually feel like, how it’s nothing to be ashamed of. he teaches him how to enjoy it, how to feel good both physically and emotionally with someone you care about. remus is the one who shows sirius how to kiss someone when you love them, where and how to touch to make it feel good—no rush, no pressure. just feelings, just connection

[arcanegifs]

Three CaitVi fics I've read over the holigays

be but sworn my love (E) by antant616

This fic is literally the trope of: slow burn but they're fucking the entire time. Also, CaitVi here are exes who are forced to play Romeo and Juliet in a play and ooooo the drama! I'm HOOKED.

Dear Stranger, (T) by becasbelt | tumblr

If you want to cry, read this. Absolutely beautiful canon-compliant fic. And for real, just read all of Anne's works. They're amazing ❤️

lucid dreams ‘bout you (M) by rosetattoos

Oh GOD I've never been so happy to see an update for a fic before. The last time this librarian!cait fic updated was like two years ago, and I gave up waiting for it. But lo and behold, what a GIFT for the holidays!!

[saiilorstars]

Love, Ours Ch. 9: To Those Left Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC, ft. baby!oc Story Summary: One-Shots/AU collection of Seren and Steve outside of their fics (Darkest Before Dawn, Alignment, etc.).

Story Masterlist ○ Seren’s Masterlist 

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

taglist: @ocappreciationtag​​​​​​​​​​​​ @arrthurpendragon​​​​​​​​​​​ @anotherunreadblog​​​​​​​​​​​ @maaaaarveeeeel​​​​​​​​​​​ @stareyedplanet​​​​​​​​​​​ @gloryekaterina​​​ @averyhotchner​​​ @foxesandmagic​​​​​​​​​​​​i @kmc1989

[If you’d like to be a part of any OC’s works/edits, let me know!]

He'd always remember the first night they met. It was rainy outside but after a long mission, Steve couldn't see himself getting any kind of rest until he had his favorite pastries. Traffic was hell, it would be a lot longer in the rain if he took the motorcycle so, with an umbrella clutched in his hand, he walked all the way.

He opened the bakery door and shook the umbrella outside before quickly rushing inside. He closed the umbrella and started towards the counter. There was another customer at the front, her baggy green jacket drenched from the rain.

"C'mon, put it on my tab or something!" She was saying to the young cashier.

"Seren, you know well there's no tabs," the cashier smiled apologetically at the woman. "I can't give you your order."

'Seren' let out a groan, shaking her head. The hood of her jacket fell back slightly, revealing brown hair at the top of her head. "C'mon, you know I would never do this. It's the rain — I got caught in the middle of it — literally dropped my stuff — I'm sorry!"

The more she went on, the more it sounded like she went through actual hell so Steve decided to step in.

"I can pay for the order, Mary," he said to the cashier, someone who knew him very well as he was, of course, a regular there.

Seren immediately pulled her hood down and fixed her wide green eyes at Steve. "That's not necessary!" Her long brown hair was wet and strands were sticking to her face so she started pulling them off. "That's really not necessary! I know I look like a mess but trust me I'm usually on my stuff!"

Steve was amused with her alarm; at least she seemed genuine. Besides, he felt bad enough that she was soaking wet. "We all have those days." He looked at Mary again who seemed to be waiting for a final decision between the two. "I'm paying. And could you get my usual too, please?"

"Sure," Mary said and started inputting the order on the cash register. "To go as well?"

"Yeah." Steve said but he took a second glance at Seren and, on a whim, added two cups of warm coffees. "For here." It seemed like Seren's eyes were permanently wide. "If that's alright with you, of course, just while we wait…" Steve decided to say to lessen the pressure. He wouldn't want her to feel like she had to sit with him just because he was paying for her order.

"Y-yeah," Seren said nervously and while Steve went ahead and paid, she quickly combed her fingers through her hair in hopes that she could appear a little more presentable.

Mary chuckled as she saw the woman's panic. She sent Steve to the pick up side of the counter then whispered over to Seren. "You look fine."

Flushed, Seren went to go find a table…which wasn't that hard considering the terrible weather outside. Most people were doing take-out. She took off her coat and draped it on one of the empty chairs beside her. She grabbed a few napkins to pat dry her face then set them on the side as well.

A few minutes later, Steve came by with the coffee. He set her coffee in front of her then sat down across from her. "I didn't add anything," he warned her and reached for the sugar packets.

"It's totally fine, thank you," Seren offered her best grateful smile because it's literally all she had tonight. Not even a sad dollar was in her pocket. "Like I said before, I'm usually a lot more put together than this. It's a fluke, I promise."

Steve chuckled at her. "And like I said too, everyone has those days."

Seren ripped open a sugar packet and dumped the whole thing into her coffee. "It's Seren, by the way, and I'm very thankful for what you did for me."

"Steve," he introduced himself as he too dumped sugar into his coffee, "And you're very welcome."

"I will pay you back," Seren promised, stirring her coffee gently. "I swear."

Steve chuckled again. "It's fine, really. Not richer nor poorer because of a few dollars."

"Except it was a big order so it wasn't a few dollars at all."

"It's still fine. Were you having a get together tonight?" As soon as he asked, he saw a faint flush on her face.

"Not really…" she said quietly, though very embarrassed. How could she say that the whole order was just for her without sounding like…? "But I mean it. I will definitely be paying you back."

Now matter how many times Steve said it wasn't necessary, Seren insisted that she would.

"I just wouldn't feel good about myself," she said, and took a sip of her coffee. She hummed as the warm liquid traveled down her throat. She didn't usually get cold but tonight the rain was a nightmare.

Steve smiled at her again, taking in her pretty features. The rain hadn't done her wrong in any way.

They talked for a while, neither one bothering to check in with Mary about their orders. Steve found that it wasn't that hard forgetting about dessert as he got to know Seren more. She was sweet and funny and for some reason everything just felt comfortable. It turned out it was a small word because once upon a time, Seren had been a SHIELD agent like him. When it went down, she switched gears and entered the CIA.

"Not really as much fighting as before but it's better than a desk job," she gave a nonchalant shrug. She silently noted that she was almost done with her coffee. "Though I guess you really wouldn't know about that, huh?"

Steve knew what she meant and sheepishly looked at her. "So you did recognize me?" Seren nodded. "You didn't mention it in the beginning…" Usually people recognized him on the spot as Captain America and were never quiet about it, nor shy.

"Why would I?" Seren said, confused. "It wasn't pertinent to the moment."

A pleasant smile crossed Steve's face at that. "It wasn't?"

"No." Seren brought her coffee to her lips and flashed him half a smirk.

Mary finally called them about their orders, breaking their moment. Steve took a look at his watch and realized half an hour had gone by. The orders were definitely done long before now. Still, half an hour seemed so short. He looked at Seren as she placed her coffee cup down on the table, empty like his. Something in his stomach twisted. He needed at least another half hour with her...

But that wasn't possible and he knew it.

Seren started getting out of her seat and reached over for her jacket. It wasn't that much dry but it wouldn't matter as she was about to go through the rain again. "Thank you so much, Steve. Seriously. And you know I'm gonna pay you back."

"Yes, I know," Steve said with a playful roll of his eyes. "So if you're that determined, why don't we meet tomorrow then? If you're able to, I meant…"

Seren hummed as she considered the idea. In reality she was just joking because she knew what she wanted. "It's not going to rain tomorrow so…yeah, that sounds nice. Want to go to Central Park?"

"Sure," Steve said when in reality he had been about to blurt 'anywhere' instead.

They settled for lunch time then headed to pick up their orders at the counter. Mary handed them their respective bags and wished them a goodnight.

It was still pouring when they reached the entrance doors. Steve offered to take Seren home but she was adamant that she would be fine.

"I literally live like three blocks down," she said. "And I'm fast. Trust me."

Steve didn't feel right about it but he couldn't force her to let him come with her. He opened the doors and then opened his umbrella. Seren pulled her hood up and stepped out with him.

"Here," Steve moved the umbrella's handle into Seren's free hand before she could refuse.

"Steve, I said I'm fine—!" Seren laughed at his insistence and tried to give it back to him.

Steve's hand wrapped tighter around the handle, and over Seren's hand in the process. Now Seren was laughing nervously. His hand was super warm, not to mention strong, but it was the gentleness in his eyes that captivated her, the charm in them.

"Please, take it," Steve insisted. Seren found herself nodding at him like she was in trance. He was hesitant to let her hand go but he didn't have any other excuse to prolong it. He was still slow about it, letting their fingers brush against each other until finally it was just Seren holding the umbrella.

"Goodnight, Seren…"

"Goodnight, Steve," Seren said with what she would think was nothing but a dorky smile. God, everything about her that night had been such a mess.

But Steve hadn't thought so. To him, the night had been perfect.

Present Day

Steve woke up to the sound of a toddler's cries. Without a second thought, he got up from bed and went into the adjoining room where the cries resembled more like screams. A toddler with a beet-red face was sitting in the middle of his crib, crying his head off.

"Okay, c'mon up, bud," Steve reached inside the crib to pick the toddler up into his arms. He then grabbed the little blue blanket with bright yellow stars; Noel would want it as soon as he calmed down.

He returned to his room and tried soothing Noel with gentle bouncing before getting back into bed. But while Noel stopped screaming, he still continued to cry. And what was worse is that he was crying and calling for his mother. It was the same constant 'mama, mama, mama!' that Noel often cried when he was in-between naps and sleep, because that was of course when he needed his mother the most.

It broke Steve's heart just a little bit more than it already was. He was Noel's father, and he loved the little boy so, so much but even he knew that at the end of the day, every child needed their mother more. There was something that a mother provides that a father just couldn't. And this had been Steve's reality for many months now.

Steve brought Noel to bed with him, wrapping him up in his favorite blanket and setting him to rest on his chest. These days, Noel no longer wanted his pacifier. Every time Steve gave it to him, Noel would spit it out and if it didn't land far from him, he would reach it and then chuck as far as his little arm could throw it. Steve wouldn't put it behind Noel to have given up the pacifier as his form of retribution for not keeping his mother with them.

Noel's cries gradually lessened as he tired himself out and gained some kind of comfort from his father's heartbeats and then finally fell asleep. Instead of putting him back in his crib, Steve kept him with him. Just like the night before, and the one before that.

Past

One innocent meeting at Central Perk turned into another "get together", and then another one and then suddenly they mutually agreed they were going out on dates. There was no denying from either side that they needed to keep seeing each other. So whenever Steve wasn't on some Avengers mission and Seren wasn't on a CIA assignment, they were seeing each other.

It ultimately led to Steve's friends hassling him to make it official. He saw Seren all the time and when they couldn't, they did video calls. Seren was delighted with his old fashioned way of asking her if she wanted to be his girlfriend — his girl. But before she would fully say 'yes', because she wanted to with all her heart, she came clean to Steve about her true self.

"I'm not entirely human," she had whispered to him with heavy fear in her eyes. She explained her lineage to him, how her grandmother was from another planet and had sought refuge on Earth, how her mother was born on Earth to a human father…how she was then born…and that at the end of the day she was still part alien.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," she said, swallowing thickly. "I understand if you're angry with me and don't want anything to do with me."

But of course Steve was not angry. He simply wrapped her up in his arms, bringing her on his lap and kissed her, softly reassuring her that everything was fine.

"I mean, it would be slightly hypocritical of me to say anything when I'm Captain America and I work as an Avenger…" He said as a means to humor her and bring a smile out of her fearful face. It did, even though it was a small one. She nestled closer to him on the couch of her living room. "We're going to be okay," Steve promised her and pressed a soft kiss on her temple. "But I'd still like an answer to my question, you know, whatever it was going to be."

Seren's smile spread at the reminder. "I think you already know…"

"Maybe," Steve kissed her temple again, "But I'd still like to hear it."

Seren playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes — obviously."

After that answer, it was very hard to separate them both. If they weren't working, they were together. Even if it was early or late. In no time, Steve was bringing her to the Avengers' compound to see the place and meet the team.

"This place is so big!" Seren laughed throughout the tour. Steve had brought her into one of their training rooms where two Avengers were currently training. She recognized them immediately, having previously worked with one of them.

"Long time no see, Soul," Natasha said as they greeted her.

"You two know each other?" Tony Stark eyed the two women curiously.

"SHIELD," Seren and Natasha replied.

"It wasn't that small of an organization," Seren said with a shrug.

"Ah, so where were you when it was all going down?" Tony asked, prompting Steve to shush him.

Seren felt his arm wrapping around her waist. "She's here to visit, Stark."

"Well then, what do you think of the place so far?" Tony asked.

Seren hummed as she looked around the training room. "It's okay…" She set eyes on the targets set across them. "Oof, whoever made those shots…yikes."

Steve and Natasha laughed while Tony went into a ramble about his targets. Sure, the blasts were a little off but they were still good.

Seren seemed bemused and chuckled. "I'm happy to help you with target practice."

Tony scoffed. " Really ?"

"I'm good, I swear." And to prove her point, Seren raised a fist towards the target Tony had been practicing on and fired star matter. The entire target went up in dangerous star fire.

Tony deadpanned her for a long, hard minute while both Natasha and Steve did poorly hiding their laughs. "Nice girl, Cap," he muttered and took off. "I'm gonna bill you for that!" He called to Seren just before disappearing.

Seren made a face and looked up at Steve. "I don't think he likes me."

"Funny, because I'm liking you more right now," he remarked and dipped his head to kiss her cheek, earning a giggle from her.

Present Day.

Noel was in a full blown babbling moment and Steve had no idea what on earth the toddler was saying. Every once in a while he heard coherent words — among them mama, dada, no…but then he heard 'mon-mon' and he knew exactly what Noel wanted then.

In about an hour, he'd taken the toddler out with him for a quick pastry trip and returned home. He sat with Noel on the couch, giving him small pieces of his favorite treat: cinnamon rolls. Noel was delighted with each piece his father gave him, squealing for more whenever Steve happened to be too slow for his liking.

"Just like your mother…" He said with a dim smile as he wiped some of the crumbs off Noel's chin.

At the mention of his mother, Noel began to call for his 'mama!', clapping his hands together. "Mama! Mama, mon-mon!"

Steve's smile softened and he gave Noel another piece of a cinnamon roll. "Guess I'll have to finish teaching you how to say that. Noel, cinnamon roll?"

"Mon-mon!" Noel squealed again.

Steve shook his head. "Noel, try again. Cinnamon roll?"

With a giggle, Noel repeated his version of the word.

"Noel—"

The toddler let out a playful shriek and lunged towards Steve, quickly reaching for the rest of the cinnamon roll in his hands. He then attacked it with his new teeth. Steve laughed at the sight and pulled Noel on his lap.

"Yeah, alright, we can take a break…" He kissed the top of Noel's head then smoothed out his blonde hair.

Past

Steve gently pulled Seren's body closer to his. She rested her head on his bare chest, her fingers absent-mindedly making circles over his skin.

"You know, I should be going now…" Seren said for about the fifth time now without actually moving an inch.

"Stay…" Steve kissed her hair.

"I've been here all weekend, lovey. I'm sure your friends are so tired of me by now."

"Thor and Natasha love you."

"Mm, and what about Tony?"

"You know, I don't particularly care about his opinion, especially when they're always wrong."

Seren chuckled. She tilted her head up to see Steve. "I love you, but I do have a home to go to. My stuff is all there."

"I know that, I do, but why?" Steve seemed genuinely confused, which just made him look adorable to Seren.

She laughed again. "What do you mean 'why'? Because I live there?"

"Sure, but, what if you didn't live there?"

"Then I would be homeless, Steve."

Steve rolled his eyes and gave her a soft pinch on her side. Her body jerked and she yelped.

"What if you brought your stuff here so you could live here?" Steve said slowly and clearly. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about going back to our homes. Doesn't that sound appealing?"

Seren nodded without making opposing reasons. "But I mean…what about the others?"

"Seren, c'mon, if you're worried about Stark, he doesn't actually hate you. He just likes messing with you. He always messes with me, trust me."

"Oh, he better not," Seren said immediately, frowning as such. "I'll kick his ass right now."

"Not precisely right now, please," Steve said, giving her a look for her less than clothed situation. She rolled her eyes at him. "Seren, please? What do you honestly think?"

Seren sighed lightly and started to smile. "What do you think? I would love it. I would love to stay here, be with you, and wake up in the morning with you again and again. You don't seem to understand, I love you."

Steve did understand, but he liked getting reassured every now and then. "So, are you staying tonight?"

Seren nodded at him. "I called into work sick tomorrow. Told them I had a fever."

Steve chuckled. "A fever?"

"Real nasty one. Got the shivers and everything."

"Liar, liar, Miss Soul…"

Seren began to laugh as he gently tugged her off his body and turned on her so that he was hovering over her.

"We don't lie," Steve wagged a finger at her.

"Then I guess I'll have to go back to work tomorrow morning…" Seren warned him.

"The lie has already been said, the day is marked off…"

"Oh well!"

"Yeah, oh well…" Steve flashed her a smirk before diving down for a kiss.

Present Day.

Noel squealed with laughter as someone threatened to catch him down the hall. His running was at best a penguin's waddle and he'd almost fallen several times but his stamina was of course, super, so he ran across the whole compound without missing a beat.

Finally, Steve snuck up on him and swept the toddler off his feet. "Gotcha!"

Noel's laughter echoed through the building. "Mon-mon! Dada, mon-mon!"

"Oh," snorted Steve as he settled Noel on his side, "because you won?"

Noel nodded like he completely understood the question, and maybe he had. To this day, Steve wasn't sure exactly how far developed Noel was with both the serum and Celessian blood running through his body. Before, when Seren was still with them, they would often get curious and talk about it…but now it was the least of Steve's concern. Noel was healthy and developing fine and that was all that mattered. That was all that Seren would care about.

"Dada!" Noel slapped a small hand on Steve's cheek to get his attention. "Mon-mon!"

"You are your mother's son," Steve shook his head playfully, "You'll make up any excuse to get a cinnamon roll."

He started heading towards the kitchen with Noel. There was a box of leftover cinnamon rolls from the previous night and of course Noel recognized it the moment he spotted it on the aisle.

Steve set Noel down on the aisle and grabbed the box. Noel excitedly sucked breaths as he watched his father break a cinnamon roll in pieces. He could hardly wait for one when Steve offered him a piece.

"What, no dinner first?" drawled a voice from the threshold.

As soon as Noel heard her, he looked back and grinned. "Asha! Asha!"

Natasha walked into the kitchen and smiled at the toddler. "Look at you getting dessert before dinner…" She crossed gazes with Steve, her smile becoming a teasing one. "You are and have always been a sucker for Celessians, huh?"

Steve deadpanned her but not as much as he would've liked because soon Noel had started yelling for another cinnamon roll. Natasha smirked, her point proven.

"So, shouldn't the munchkin be asleep by now?" She checked the time on the clock. It was well past nine.

"Yeah, uh, he wanted to play and…like you said…I can't say no…" Steve watched Noel fondly while he chewed on his piece of bread.

"Mm, you know I only kid," Natasha said, "But it wouldn't be bad if you didn't feel guilty all the time."

"I'll stop when you stop," Steve remarked and looked at Natasha with the same smile as the one she wore.

There was a reason why out of the remaining Avengers, they were the only ones who decided to return to the compound and live together. They were the only ones who couldn't move on. They were the only ones who still sought to work and…just try to help…make things a little better.

"You still have this little guy," Natasha said, reaching over to tickle Noel's stomach, earning a giggle from the boy. He tried swiping her hand off and lucky for him, she stopped so he could keep eating.

Steve agreed. Noel was the only thing keeping him from losing it altogether. Every time he woke up, he had a reason to stay awake and not let the darkness swallow him up. For every giggle that Noel let out, Steve felt some comfort. If he could make his baby happy, then he wasn't a complete failure.

Past

Seren was in tears, her face red from both anger and frustration. Steve wasn't listening to her. He was so close to the stupid door, about to open it, all in the name of doing the  right thing .

"Screw the right thing and listen to me!" she yelled at him.

"Seren, believe me, I am!" Steve exclaimed. "But you're the one who doesn't want to hear me out!"

"Because you're telling me that you're not coming back! You're telling me that you're going to leave me behind!"

"Because I have to!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do! I have to leave you because then otherwise, they'll be coming after you too! And that is the last thing I would ever want for you!" Steve said, doing his very best not to raise his voice. The last image of her should not be of her face after he screamed at her for something that wasn't her fault. This was all on him. He was the one who made the choice to help Bucky, condemning his friends to the life of fugitives.

He'd been very weak and couldn't let go of Seren then. For the past months, he'd been sneaking back to see Seren, having to be extra careful so as to not get caught but most importantly to not to get Seren caught.

"Seren, this is just getting too dangerous," Steve said. "We have to stop, as much as it hurts us. I can't drag you down with me. I love you too much to do that to you. Please. I have to go."

But Seren shook her head fervently, remaining hard on her stance. "You can't leave me. I can't let you. Because if you walk out right now, I don't know when I'll ever see you again���"

"Seren, I'm sorry. I really am, but I gotta do this. I have to go."

"Then take me with you," Seren said determinedly.

Steve started shaking his head at her. "No, you have a life. You have a job, you have a family—"

"None of it matters anymore!"

"What—?"

"It's not just about me anymore," Seren said, visibly gulping as she brought a hand over her stomach. "I understand what you want to do for me but it's not about me right now. I'm pregnant, Steve."

As she expected, there was a long,  long , pause in the argument. Steve had practically gaped at her, mouth hanging wide open. He'd expected an argument from her, tears, and maybe even words that they would later regret…but not  this . This was the last,  very last , thing he ever thought would happen.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you — God I never pictured telling anyone this kind of news like this," Seren let out a humorless laugh as she wiped some tears off her face. "But it's better than having you run off before knowing the truth. If you walk out that door and don't come back, you'll be walking out on your child too. I would never threaten you and I know I wouldn't ever have to because I know that you love me as much as I love you. That's why this happened." She rubbed her stomach. "Please don't leave us. We need you."

Whether it was the news, or her frail voice, or the tears in her eyes, it was unclear, but Steve left the door and strode back to Seren. He pulled her into a tight hug, to which she basically clung to.

"I'm sorry," he heard her whisper in her arms.

"No, no, you're not apologizing for anything," Steve said, cupping her face and tilting her head up. "You're so beautiful, and I love you. I love you so much." He leaned down and kissed her. "And I love this baby already so, so much."

"You believe me, then?" A few more tears threatened to spill from Seren's eyes. Steve wiped them off with his thumbs.

"I believe that we are about to have one very unique little baby…at a less than prudent time…" And at that, Steve couldn't hide his nerves. The news didn't change his circumstances. He was still on the run. "Seren, if you come with me…you'll lose everything…" He leaned his forehead on hers.

"I have everything I need right here," Seren whispered, closing her eyes with his touch.

There was nothing left to say. That night, Steve did not return to his team alone.

Present Day.

No toddler could have been happier than Noel when he smashed his birthday cake. Steve, Natasha and Chloe all laughed. Once cake bits started flying into Noel's mouth, the decision to smash or eat the cake became more of a struggle.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," Chloe I'd and helped Noel with another piece of cake on his face. "I won't be the one cleaning you up later."

Steve rolled his eyes at her but did take a look at his cake-covered son with some wariness. If there was one thing Noel loved, it was bath time and if there was one thing Steve didn't like, it was bath time. It was chaos, to say the least. But the everlasting giggles coming from Noel each time he smashed his fist against the cake and the wide grin on his face made it all worth it in the end.

Steve smiled at his son.

"What flavor even is that thing?" Natasha wondered as Noel joyfully shoved some of it into his mouth.

"Cinnamon," Steve replied.

"Of course," went Natasha and Chloe together with similar knowing smiles.

A little later, Noel has finally gotten his fill on cake and was now taking real notice of just how sticky he'd gotten in the process. What was fun and giggles had quickly turned into fuss and calls for help. It took a lot of wiping but they got Noel semi-clean enough to be held. Steve was now in charge of feeding him small bits of cake while Natasha and Chloe offered the toddler gifts.

Noel loved his new toys, and Steve truly appreciated the loud ones. It was Chloe who offered Noel a present that Steve took to heart.

"I changed the frame and everything so it can't be smashed," Chloe said as Noel and Steve tore the gift open.

As soon as Noel saw it, he let out a happy squeal. "Mama! Mama!" He recognized his mother in the picture. His not-so-sticky fingers hit the picture frame in his joyful screeches.

Steve was stark quiet as he held the frame and stared at it. For a second Chloe regretted her decision.

"I found it in my, uh, things and I thought you guys might want…" she sighed, "I'm sorry, I just thought—"

"Thank you, Chloe," Steve said, lifting his eyes from the frame to meet her gaze. She visibly relaxed with his words. "We love it. Thank you."

That night, when Noel was bathed and nestled comfortably in his father's arms, the two sat in bed with the frame of Seren's picture in front of them. She was younger than when Steve had met her in that bakery shop, with shorter hair and in a pretty flower dress. She wore her star pendant around her neck, the same one that had disappeared with her. Her star birthmarks were very visible on her neck and shoulder, two things she had always been so reluctant about.

From a glimpse, Steve saw the same birthmark on the side of Noel's neck peeking from his onesie. The toddler was idly rubbing his stuffy under his nose, an old habit from when he used to do it with his pacifier.

"Mama…Mama…" he said every once in a while, less enthusiastic unlike earlier. It was night now, and Steve knew that this is when Noel needed Seren most.

"I know buddy, I miss her too," Steve whispered and kissed the top of Noel's face.

Past.

Exhausted and worn out, Seren held her newborn son in her arms with such love and joy and bewilderment. Steve couldn't figure out what was so confusing in the beginning and chalked it up to the fact the birth of their son had not been the easiest nor the shortest. Seren had done everything and now it was his turn to do everything for her, and now their son. He wanted to.

"Seren, sweetheart, you should get some rest," he said as he gently sat on the edge of the bed. "You can hand him over to me and you sleep."

"I know but I…I don't want to…" Seren said, watching her son yawn in her arms. "He's so small…"

"He is," agreed Steve with a fond smile on the newborn.

"I love you, Steve," Seren looked up at him with matching smiles. But the same bewilderment came back to Seren's face, pushing the smile off her face.

"Seren, what is it?"

"Nothing bad, I just…" Seren gazed at her son again, "I love you, Steve, I do, and so much…I just didn't know that there would ever be someone else that would tip the scales." She adored her son so much, the words failed to describe the intensity of her love. "He's like a little extension of our love…"

"And that's why you're so confused?" Steve smiled, amused. He was sure Seren was still in dire need of sleep.

Seren shrugged lightly. "Call me crazy, I just never thought I'd experience something like this. I would rip the world apart for this little thing in my arms...with absolutely no hesitation."

"I'd never call you crazy for that. Truth is, you're right. I feel the same way."

"I thought of a name for him," Seren said abruptly. With all the mess of the birth, they had yet to make any name official. She motioned Steve to come closer and took his hand with one of hers. "What do you think about Noel?"

"Noel…" Steve tested the name out several times before deciding that he liked the ring of it.

"Yeah?" Seren smiled as Steve came around.

"I like it, yeah. Noel. What do you think, Noel?" Steve peered down at the newborn and swore that Noel had smiled at him.

"Noel Steven Rogers," Seren said and Steve's head snapped up at her. Her lips spread into another smile. He was adorable too. "What do you think?"

"I don't…are you sure?"

They never talked about how they would name their baby; their main priority had always been a full-term pregnancy, no complications, and most of all giving birth to a healthy baby.

Seren chuckled. "If I wasn't so sore, I'd be pulling you over."

Steve laughed and winced when their son made a fuss. "Sorry, bud," he leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"So? What do you say?" Seren still waited for his answer.

"I like it," Steve nodded. "But the next one will be named after you."

Seren chuckled. "Let's give it some time, okay?"

"I'm in no rush." Steve took his hand out of hers to cup her face. He leaned over and kissed her. "Now how about that rest?" He murmured against her lips.

"Don't…" Seren pouted. "I don't want to let him go."

Steve laughed lightly then. "Honey, you need to rest. I'll be here with you and Noel."

"I know that…but I still want to hold him…" Seren shifted Noel so that his head rested over her heart. She gently soothed his back and kissed his head. "Now you can come over here—" — she told Steve and nodded at the spot beside them, to which he quickly obeyed and came to sit next to her, "—and everything will be just fine."

Present Day.

Noel was fast asleep on Steve's chest, his small hands gripping his blanket. Steve held the picture frame of Seren in his hand. He glanced at the empty spot beside him on the bed.

'And everything will be just fine…'

[frownyalfred]

“This fic would be better if—” babe this isn’t your high school English class and my fic isn’t assigned reading. it’s something a stranger wrote on the internet without an explicit request for constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement. you are not grading my smut fic on a rubric (I hope).

if you cannot consume writing without needing to criticize it, that’s a you problem. stop leaving me these kinds of comments — and if you DO: for god’s sake, please make sure you’re actually objectively correct about the criticism you’re leaving.

[bizarrelittlemew]

PROUDLY PRESENTING:

The Unofficial OFMD AO3 Wrapped 2024

sponsored by my love of fandom community, a passion for data presentation, more hours in photoshop than I am willing to admit, and inspired by the Good Omens AO3 wrapped

images used are either official stills or screencaps from episodes and the Vanity Fair lie detector video. everything edited by me :)

a few additional stats:

79 works had more than 100k words, with an accumulated 16 million words, meaning 1% of works accounted for 21% of words

At a reading speed of 300 words per minute, it would take 174 days and nights to read all of the OFMD fic from 2024 - or, if you read for 11.5 hours every day for a year, you'd be able to get through it all!

The most tagged sex acts for explicit fics were (in order): Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Oral Sex, Anal Fingering, and Hand Jobs

271 works were tagged "Art"

details about data collection and analysis ⤵️

All data was collected on January 1st, 2025. I limited search results within the fandom tag to works updated between 2024-01-01 and 2024-12-31. Works started earlier but updated in 2024 are therefore included. Works added and deleted again during the year are not accounted for.

I manually typed data from the AO3 search into Excel, so there may be errors and inaccuracies due to the limits of the AO3 search function, authors' tagging choices, and typos (sorry lmao). There is probably an easier way to do this but idk I was bored and didn't mind. Graphs were made in Excel.

For the total word count estimate, I collected the exact word counts of all works above 100k, then gathered data on the number of works within pre-selected word count intervals and multiplied the number of works with the average of the interval (for each interval). The total sum and cumulative graphs for both number of works and word counts are presented above.

I made posts on tumblr and bluesky asking people to nominate their favorite tags from 2024, and included as many as I could.

This is just how I chose to present the data - I hope it makes sense and I'm open to questions!

[starkspi]

From "Unadulterated Loathing" in which Charlie chains these two idiots accidentally together by @otsmosis (who made this comment at the end of the last chapter and inspired me to do whatever this is above)

[mimiscappinisideblog]

Me throughout 2020-2021-2022-2023:

Me the moment AO3 has been down for more than ten hours: