#he’ll allow Kats to be someone he tells his kids about

[pazolahr]

So uh let me snowball an idea.

Tears over beers - Modern baseball krbk —> bkdk

Kiri mourning his and Kats relationship (not just romantic ) after the war. Katsuki starts pulling away from him. He and izuku attached at the hip wanting to make up for years of lost time. They all hang out like normal as a class but Kiri can’t help but feel something is missing.

He leaves space for him everywhere, still tries to push his way into his life but he notices Katsuki’s eyes linger a little too long on his childhood friend’s freckled face.

He knows he can’t give Kat what he really needs after everything they’ve been through but he’ll always have his heart open to the blonde. Everything becomes a bittersweet memory to be told around a campfire, laughing and smiling.

[ulv-bie]

Alrighty (headcanons below)

+ firstly note: I headcanon them as silly roommates who sit 4 feet apart or less

Starting with the basics, SCC.

Sweet:

- Real/Full Name : Bitmap Byte Rorator

- He/They

- 16

- 4’2

- Has an older brother named Modem, hasn’t seen him or their parents in years

Sweet is a hide and seek champion. They used to hide in small places as a kid just for the fun of it.

He’s friends with the Addisons. He and his brother used to volunteer in their shops during school breaks

Sweet likes to take walks and cook, but they also enjoy making things. Little gadgets, full on machines, anything that can assist their day to day life.

As a kid, his house wasn’t fully functional. The lights barely worked and there were loose wires everywhere. He and the Blue Addison worked together to fix it one day, and that’s how they discovered his interest with electronics.

They met Cap’n one day in the trash dump. Cap had tripped over some boxes that he didn’t notice, and Sweet helped him up. They immediately became best friends, and Sweet helped them navigate the city.

The two met K_K after he fell through their roof. They were hiding from Queen and the Swatchlings, so Sweet and Cap’n let them stay.

Sweet’s favorite food is cookies. His favorite colors are orange and purple

Born and raised in Cyber City

Cap’n:

- Real/Full Name: Captain Ykate-Bridge

- He/They/It

- 15

- 4’10

- He doesn’t have ‘parents’, but the people who raised them are named Kat and Chell-See.

Cap’n isn’t good at typical games. Most board games, card games, etc. He always manages to get unlucky, and has never won a game against Sweet or K_K. They are good at logic puzzles, however. They’re great with numbers and riddles. Trivia games, sudoku, scrabble, and more. K_K and Sweet dread the days Cap’n gets to pick what game they play.

They aren’t that social with the citizens of Cyber City. It’s less a fear of socialization than it is ‘what if they tell my parents I’m here?’. It would probably be friends with Ambyu-Lance if they tried to hold a conversation.

Cap’n likes to write. Sometimes he’ll spend all day writing short stories and poetry, and sometimes they’ll even share them with Sweet. Other than that, they enjoy fixing things. He knows how to sew and use tools properly, which is useful for a clumsy trio.

With two scientist ‘parents’, he was often left alone. Out of boredom, Cap decided to learn how to fix various things around the house (door hinges, floorboards, etc.) through trial and error. It had a natural talent when dealing with wires, thankfully.

[Edit: forgot to add this in before!] Cap, new to the city, was looking around for a place to stay. With blurred eyes he saw someone. Whoever this was, they were intent on meeting them. It tripped over boxes that it couldn’t see, but still managed to make a friend.

K_K saved Cap’n from losing Go-Fish against Sweet. It was a small thing, but Cap is extremely thankful. (Don’t tell the others, but sometimes cap gets a bit jealous of k_k.)

Cap doesn’t have a favorite food, but he has a favorite color. (It’s blue. They’ll write an essay on why, they’ll even bring up old history about the color just to convince you it’s the best.)

Born and raised in Techno Town, moved to Cyber City at age 14

K_K:

- Real/Full Name: Cakes Pop-Swatch

- They/He

- 16

- 6’0

- Made by Queen, but raised by Swatch and the Swatchlings.

K_K is great at card games specifically. They’re decent at board games, but an absolute legend with cards. They end up with the best hand, the best luck, and they always have the best strategy. He’s no longer allowed to play War.

K_K gets along very well with Tasques. Sweet and Cap’n are still trying to figure out how and why.

As their name suggests, yes, they like baking. Cookies, cake, bagels, and sometimes even pie. They also bake jello. You’re not supposed to put it in the oven, but they do. Other than that, they love making short tunes.

Among the many skills the Swatchlings taught him, cooking had to be the most useful. Mostly since no one really needs to know how to make a Jenga tower out of shoes..

One night, K_K gathered up all of their courage. They hopped out of a window and ran as far as they could. They were determined not to let the following Swatchlings catch up. K_K hid on a bridge type thing a bit above ground, but slipped and ended up gaining two best friends.

K_K likes any baked food, but they also enjoy food that Cap n Sweet make. It doesn’t have to be good, but they’ll eat it anyway. His favorite colors are red, yellow, and blue.

Born and raised in Queen’s Mansion, Cyber City.

Various Headcanons:

Cap’s hat and bandana were both gifts from Sweet. In return, Cap’n have him a hat as well. Now they match.

K_K is the one who made the basic design for Cap’n’s glasses, but Sweet is the one who made it (with the help of the Addisons)

They live in Sweet’s house, their shop is a separate building. That being said, the house has very small door frames. Poor K_K.

K_K has a slight British accent, but it changed which specific part it’s from constantly.

Cap’n has a heavy country accent. When he was introducing himself to Sweet, they said the simple “My name is Cap’n.” Sweet, confused, went “..Captain?” (It actually is Captain, but they’ve never been around anyone who pronounced it fully.)

There’s.. a lot of secret crushing going on between these guys. Cap’n is the most obvious. Sweet is the most oblivious. K_K is the complete opposite of both.

Handwriting and Drawing analysis section:

Sweet’s handwriting is very curled/loopy and ‘sweet’. It copies a few letters from cursive handwriting, and the ‘i’s are inconsistent. Sweet doesn’t write a lot, nor do they try to. They’re more of a ‘think, then do’ than ‘think, plan out, then do’ guy.

He does not know how to draw. It’s all stick figures. A single square box with a line.

Cap’n copies a lot of letters from K_K and Sweet. They like the curled letters from Sweet, he thinks it makes him sound fancy. The bold letters are taken from K_K because he wants to stand out a bit. It also writes letters close together and just almost curls their ‘g’s. (Also note: Cap writes large to make people think he writes a lot.)

He can only draw headshots. He’s tried bodies, but they always look wonky. He always draws themself with a smug smile.

K_K has very bold and ‘silly’ handwriting. Bold, bouncy letters, circle ‘lollipop’ ‘i’s, smiles in the loops and circles, etc. K_K writes a lot, they just have a lot to say! And they want people to read it, so he spaces the letters out a bit.

K_K is very expressive with his way of drawing. Adding little emotes to their sentences and inside their letters is a habit of theirs. He draws himself with eyelashes (..which he does not have.).

[imlostinsantacarla]

Anonymous said: Hi! What do you think the Outsiders(including Tim & Curly) ideal girl would be like personality-wise and/or looks-wise

(a/n: heya lovely! i’m just letting you know that i wasn’t comfortable writing about the ideal looks they went for as i’ve seen a lot of these types of imagines posted and most of them are blonde haired, blue eyed white girls. i really want to begin ensuring that my writing is inclusive to as many people as i can, and i also don’t think the boys would be too knit-picky on their partners looks. so, i’ve mainly focused on the “ideal” personalities instead, which btw are just my own opinions on how i view the characters, as well! - admin kat🌙❣)

DISCLAIMER: i would like to give an ENORMOUS shoutout to @the-outsiders-blogg for their help in creating this piece! they helped me come up with some initial ideas (which i used) for what each of the boys would find ideal in a partner personality wise, as well as editing this piece and helping me add some new parts in. this is especially the case for steve, whom i find the most challenging to write for! but now i feel like i have a better grip on his character. so thank you so much for all of your help hun! also you all need to follow them bc their imagines, gifs and memes are just the most spectacular! ❤

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The Gang + The Shepard Brothers Ideal Types Personality Wise Preferences:

Darry Curtis:

° I think that it’s a no brainer that Darry would date someone who’s got a more mature outlook on life and mindset in general. He doesn’t really have time or energy to invest into a relationship with someone who’s going to throw tantrums and storm out like a child. Darry has two kid brothers and a gang of friends who are pros at that, he needs someone who can keep their cool.

° He’s also going to be looking for someone who is much more grounding and soothing since he’s stressed 25/7 from raising two kid brothers, paying the bills on time and having his buddies crash at his house almost everyday.

° I believe as well that Darry would be looking for a more stable relationship, particularly one that’s long term. Darry doesn’t have the time to invest in something short term that doesn’t go anywhere. If he’s going to be with someone, he’s going to be very serious about it.

° He needs someone who’s good at communicating. Sometimes he holds in all of his emotions until they explode out messily. He needs someone who can communicate their points of views in an adult-like fashion. Also, by you speaking about your emotions it tends to open the door a crack to allow him to open up emotionally to you also, which is initially quite challenging for Darrel to do.

° Darry will need to be with someone who isn’t too sensitive. In his eyes there’s nothing wrong with sensitivity, it’s just that his words can come out rather brashly, especially when he’s high with emotion and often he’ll say things in the heat of the moment that he truly did not mean. So in other words, he needs to be with a partner that won’t take what he says to heart and will take things with a pinch of salt.

Sodapop Curtis:

° With all of the listening and diligent advice giving that this boy hands out, he’s going to need a significant other that can also do the same for him. I mean, the poor boy is only a human, he has troubles, insecurities, fears, worries, hopes and dreams just like the rest of us. He’ll also need them to be a bit patient with him because he’ll often feel guilty when he comes to you with his issues, it makes him feel weak. So all in all, he is looking for a partner in which he can develop a strong emotional connection to.

° Sodapop is definitely an adventurous and spontaneous young man and is eager to find a partner that is up to having fun with him, at least some of the time. This could be when you sit on his lap during a drag race, attending rodeos with him, going to parties and having a blast of a time by dancing the night away, the list goes on! As long as you’re up to doing some fun things with him, he’s down to be with you.

° Introversion, ambiversion or extroversion really doesn’t matter to Sodapop. He will love his partner to their very core, warts and all! As long as you’re a good person, Sodapop doesn’t really care. He’s understanding of everybody and will ensure that you’re comfortable no matter what when you’re dating him. 

° Obviously he’s going to want to be with someone who’s both trustworthy and honest, for obvious reasons regarding his ex Sandy. There’s also going to have to be some patience coming from your part. I mean, he’s over her now, but the insecurity of someone breaking his heart again like she did is a pretty intense fear of his. But that’s okay, because you naturally help soothe that insecurity of his: When you say you only have eyes for this dreamy guy, you mean it!

Ponyboy Curtis:

° Ponyboy would definitely lean towards being with someone that is more in touch with their femininity and their sensitive qualities. This is surely due to the fact that he too is quite sensitive. He wants to share sunrises and sunsets, along with his thoughts of movies and books with his partner, since he can’t exactly share that much with anyone else in the gang.

° Ponyboy also loves creativity and sports, so he’s going to look for someone with either a passion for creativity or sports, maybe even science. He enjoys practicing your sport with him and bouncing creative ideas off of you. You two would make the perfect study partners!

° He’s also going to look for someone who’s a good listener because he has a lot of intense thoughts swirling around in his noggin most of the time. He’d be super grateful for it and shyly thank you, returning the favor tenfold. Pony believes in making sure that what he receives he puts out back to you just as handsomely.

° Ponyboy is definitely an introvert and that’s awesome! I feel that he’d be down to be in a relationship with another introvert, but he’s also going to need someone that will bring him out of his shell a little. He’s going to be with someone that he feels he can trust and fully relax around, which is why he’s able to share his interests and thoughts with you so fluently. So, regardless, his emotional connection to you needs to be strong in order for him to speak more and open up.

Johnny Cade:

° Johnny has a whole host of issues mentally and emotionally, so it’s incredibly important that he is with a significant other that displays qualities of compassion, patience and support. Having someone he can go to is an important step in him allowing his walls to slowly break down. If he’s talking to you without having to be forced to, you know that he’s comfortable around you.

° Again, Johnny is going to need someone who is an excellent listener. It may take some time for him to open up to you, but when he does he’s honest. And you best believe that he’s incredibly grateful to have you. Just like Ponyboy and Sodapop, he’ll also listen to you. He believes that a relationship is a two way street as well.

° Johnny is pretty introverted and shy, there’s no doubt about that. I personally feel that he would be with someone who’s much more independent and enjoys making the decisions in general. It’s going to take some time for him to be comfortable enough to communicate what he wants and why. But your patience comes in handy and eventually he’ll tell you he wants to go see a new movie at the drive-in, etc. Yet initially he’s going to let you make most of the decisions.

° Like Ponyboy, he’s definitely ecstatic to be around another introvert, vibing off of each other would be amazing for him. Silences wouldn’t be awkward and things would just be over all chill. But, I still believe that Johnny needs a partner who can get him to relax in any situation and bring his feisty nature out a little more, since it’s definitely there and we’ve all seen it! The gang find it endearing that Johnny speaks more when you’re around, it makes them happy to see how joyful he is, because that beating from those Soc’s had really left him jumping at the sight of his own shadow. Poor baby!

Dallas Winston:

° Dallas Winston is going to be into someone who is more care-free. Being with someone that’s constantly anxious leaves him feeling on edge and he wants to feel on top of the world, all round relaxed. Especially when it comes to respecting his boundaries. The whole idea of someone attempting to change who he is makes it difficult for him to take them seriously as a partner. He’s Dallas Winston, he’s going to do what he wants!

° Like Sodapop, Dallas is looking to be with someone who likes to have fun and bend the rules. Dally is a rule breaker himself, often going out of his way to break the law. He’s not asking for his partner to start shoplifting or pulling crazy stunts like he does, but even minor things will get his adrenaline pumping. Although, he’s not opposed to dating a goody two shoes either!

° In Dally’s eyes, he doesn’t care whether you’re a tomboy, a girly girl or somewhere in between! He picked you because he loves your style and the person that you are, despite how mushy that sounds. He’s never going to admit it though. Maybe he’ll tease you endearingly about it, but that’s about it. There’s something about you that caught Dally’s eye and he knew he just had to have you all to himself.

° Dallas often prefers girls who are confident, headstrong and know what they want, even if they cuss him out in the process. Just take Sherri Valance for an example! She was having none of his crap and her feisty nature really sparked interest in him. So there has to be something personality-wise from you that he also feels he connects to. However, he also has no issue with being with someone who’s quieter and less confident, Dallas is going to make you feel like the luckiest and most breathtaking girl in the world when you’re with him. His louder nature will coax you to relax over time and you’ll start to blossom a little in confidence. He’s not looking to change you, just to get you to relax, because he finds you swell just the way that you are!

Steve Randle:

° In Steve’s books, he prefers individuals with a more masculine energy, regardless of whether they’re male or female. He’s not opposed to being with someone with a more feminine energy to them. It’s just that he really wants to be able to share his passion for both automobiles and sports with his partner. He’s kind of a dork like that.

° This teenage boy is most likely going to need someone who’s able to calm his highly intense energy down. He’s in a constant state of tension, itching to let out his emotions in often brutal ways such as fighting or drag racing. He’s hyperactive and finds it a challenge in itself to soothe that high energy he’s feeling most of the time. So someone who’s more grounding and calming is a sure way to help him unwind. Obviously, you’re not looking to change him because that’s not your job! It’s just that your aura tends to level out the high emotions that pulsate throughout his entire being at full throttle.

° Yet also, it’s very important for Steve to have a partner that he can also have fun with. Much like Soda, he enjoys participating in rodeos, drag races, attending parties, etc. Doing fun activities with his significant other helps them to bond with one another and creates particularly fond memories, this is also vital because it makes him want to be around his partner more. Family and home life is genuinely a drag for Steve, which is why he spends a lot of his time at the Curtis house. To have a partner that will also do spontaneous activities with him, it helps him move beyond his broken family life, and into a space where he can really flourish as a person.

° Once again, this young man will need someone who’s good at listening to him. He’s got a lot of daddy issues, considering he fights on nearly a daily basis with his father, getting kicked out too! This obviously creates a lot of anger inside him, which is why he’s so smart mouthed and quick to jump the gun and invest in a fist brawl, instead of talking things out with someone or letting it go. He feels that he needs to be tough in order for people to not only take him seriously, but also not to step on him. His father steps on him and his emotions too much which has erected a sturdy wall that he let’s few people through. It’s like his defense mechanism.

° This boy is going to love someone who smiles brightly at him. It’s cheesy I know, but there’s nothing better on this planet than his partner being happy. When you smile, all of his worries dissolve!

Two-bit Matthews:

° It’s a no brainer that Two-bit will flock to blondes. They’re his favorite! But what really makes him a sucker for someone is their ability to laugh right along with him. Yes, even at his crummy puns and terrible jokes! The sound of your laugh is genuine music to his ears, he’d do anything and everything to hear it a thousand times a day. The only time he enjoys you crying is when you’re crying of laughter.

° This boy is a bundle of the finest chaotic energy™ known to man, so he too will need someone more grounded to keep him down on the ground. Otherwise, he’d be on Mars by now! His partner would definitely teach him that it’s perfectly okay to feel other emotions that aren’t joy and excitement, and that it’s equally just as important to face those feelings.

° He strives to be with someone who is passionate about something. Anything really! He may not be the brainiest out of the bunch, but he’ll listen to you for hours on your passions. It makes him grin silly and honestly, he likes to at least attempt to learn some things about your interests. For him, a big passion of his is Mickey Mouse! He’ll talk to you about it for hours whilst he watches the television show with you.

° Two-bit also values honesty in relationships. Yes, he’s a grade A liar, but he feels crummy when he lies to his partner or is lied to by his partner. So he always does his utmost finest to ensure that he’s being as honest as possible. This is especially the case when a joke of his upsets you in any way, shape or form. If it goes too far then he wants to know. He can be a bit scatterbrained and may forget, but he wants you to be comfortable with and around him. He won’t settle for anything less.

Tim Shepard:

° Funnily enough, I believe that he would go for someone a lot softer than him since he likes the contrast. He’s all about that opposites attract trope, even sometimes his own gang have to bat their eyelids to make sure they weren’t imagining who they were seeing with their gang leader. They don’t necessarily have to be a goody-goody, just not as harsh as he is. It makes him hopeful in the world when he can bag someone kinder than him.

° Nevertheless, Tim wants to be with someone who has a mind of their own as well as having the capability to stand up for themselves. He loves protecting them, but he also wants to breathe easy when he’s not around you, comforted silently in the fact that you can handle your own. I mean, it’s a turn on for him when his partner can run their mouth, despite looking innocent. Like hands down, it’ll probably get him in the mood asap!

° Although Tim isn’t sold on expressing many emotions, he’s aware that they’re there, bubbling under the surface. So, Tim will definitely be with someone that he feels he is able to emotionally connect with. He doesn’t even have to vocalize this, it’s just something that he knows inside of his head and can feel when he’s around the person. It means that you’ve both got a strong connection together, which he’s not really got with many people in his life, considering how brutal his home-life really is.

° He also wants to be with someone who is trustworthy and honest. Tim doesn’t have the time to waste on two-timers. Usually when he settles into a relationship, it’s for the long term.

Curly Shepard:

° It’s canon that Curly Shepard isn’t the smartest kid out there in the world, so he probably seeks out someone who sees past that and can really get him as the person that genuinely cares deeply about him and wishes to get to know him. Because Curly is actually quite fun to be around, he’s always got some sort of idea to kill the time!

° In all honesty, Curly’s going to be most attracted to an individual that will be prepared to cause at least a little bit of trouble with him. You’re usually the one who ensures that you both don’t get caught. The whole experience is such a rush that you’re both grinning widely at each other afterwards.

° He’s most likely going to go for someone more extroverted or at least someone who is an ambivert as Curly would have a challenging time when it comes down to understanding someone who’s more introverted and shy. It’s not to say he wouldn’t like them, he just will assume that they’re quiet and withdrawn because they don’t like him, even if they do. But he definitely doesn’t think that there’s anything wrong with introverts! I mean, Ponyboy Curtis is one of his good buddies, after all.

° Curly is quite spontaneous himself, enjoying it when he switches things up. He becomes bored with little effort, so he needs to keep himself busy, and what better way to do that when he can cause all sorts of trouble! You low-key do have to remind him that climbing a telephone pole again would result in another broken arm, but he does it anyway!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

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[trueromantic1]

The Myth of Me and You Is Fiction Turned To Truth

Summary: After the events of both seasons (SVU 22x16 and OC 1x08), Olivia and Elliot find themselves in the unique position of knowing where there love story will end up, but having no idea what exactly will transpire to get them there. One thing they do know? Their love can only grow deeper, and that they’re bound to enjoy the journey.

Author’s Note: For the purposes of this story, SVU 22x16 ended on May 28 (canon) and OC 1x08 ended on June 4 (not canon). This picks up on June 7.

Title comes from Great Ones by Maren Morris. It’s definitely an EO song.

Rating: M, possibly Explicit eventually

ff.net: here

AO3: here

Her phone beeped, drawing her distracted gaze away from the paperwork in front of her. Seeing the text message notification lighting up the screen, Olivia took off her glasses and put her pen down, picked up the phone, and leaned back in her chair with a sigh as she unlocked it.

Can I buy you dinner? There’s news.

She frowned, trying to tell his mood from those few words. Realizing it would be impossible, she glanced out at the nearly empty squad room before hitting the call button instead.

“You didn’t have to call. I know you’re at work still Liv.” Judging by the voices she could hear in the background, he was still at work as well. She knew they’d been dealing with the lawyers and IAB ever since Morales turned out to be a mole and decided suicide by cop was the best way out.

“It’s fine El. I needed a break from the paperwork for a minute anyway. The one thing they never prepare you for is just how much paperwork you do when you’re in charge of a squad. So, what’s going on?”

He chuckled, and she could hear the creak as he leaned back in his own chair. “That’s what dinner is supposed to be for Liv. If I tell you now, what would be the point of dinner?”

She smiled, recognizing his tone as the slightly flirty one she’d been hearing more of ever since what was supposed to be Fin’s wedding. Neither one of them was ready to jump into a relationship, but they’d come to a silent understanding that night by the water. “I don’t know Elliot. We’ve never needed a reason for dinner before. Why don’t you just tell me the news now, and then you can come over to my place later and we’ll get Chinese. Noah’s taking advantage of it being summer vacation and is at a sleepover so his friend’s mom can take them to an early show of a ballet she worked on costumes for. Apparently, they allow friends and family to come for free on Tuesdays, but it’s normally during the school day.”

“Oh, I bet he’s excited. Sleepover during the week and going to a professional ballet performance?”

“Yes, he’s thrilled. It’s all he talked about all weekend. Now quit stalling Elliot. What’s going on?”

“I never could get one by you, could I? Okay. Well, Angela Wheatley woke up earlier today, and is expected to make a full recovery. Bell and Washburn went over to the hospital once they cleared her for visitors. And we’re finally supposed to be done dealing with IAB and the lawyers over this. We still have to wait for IAB’s official report, but I got the feeling none of us were going to get in trouble for what happened. They told Bell they’d already spoken to you as well, so you should be done with them for now too. And then on a more personal note, you remember I told you I was looking at apartments in the city? At Fin’s not-wedding and then that I had some more appointments the rest of that weekend? Well, I found one, and I went down and signed the lease today during lunch.”

“El, I’m glad things are working out with the case, and that IAB will be out of all of our hair. It’s still bothering me what exactly Richard Wheatley was planning with that fake text sending me to the hospital. But I guess we won’t know unless he decided to tell us. But way to bury the lead! El, that’s great! I can’t believe you found a place in just a week. You didn’t just settle for something did you? You need a good place for you and Eli to make a home.” She knew he’d been anxious about getting out of the one bedroom short-term he’d rented after Kathy’s death, so she hoped he’d taken his time to find something he really liked.

“It’s nice, knowing you worry about us. And thanks. Don’t worry, it’s actually a great place. Rent’s a little higher than I’d planned, but I can make it work. It’s about halfway between here and the one six actually. About two blocks from the school Eli will be going to, assuming they’re back to in person by then. And it’s a three bedroom two and a half bath, which I figure will come in handy if any of the kids decide to visit and don’t want to drive home ever. And it’s near a park, in case anyone else wanted to visit. I take possession this Sunday, and Bell gave me Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off so I can get some stuff moved in. I’ve got some furniture scheduled for delivery on Monday.” The calm she’d been hearing more and more in the last few weeks shone through, which she knew was at least in part because he’d finally started talking to someone. But she thought a lot of it had to do with settling back into the city, since he’d confided that as much as they’d been happy in Italy, the energy had just never been exactly right to him.

“I’ll always worry El, you know that. I’m glad though. Now you and Eli have all summer to get settled in. Hopefully he’ll meet some of his future classmates, so he won’t fell so new when school starts back up. And you know, it just so happens, I might know someone who could come help you get things set up. You know, if you were interested.” She made sure to infuse her voice with a hint of suggestion, upping the playful flirting they’d been indulging in just a bit. She mentally patted herself on the back when she heard the hitch in his breath followed him clearing his throat. His next words, voice lowered and with a hint of a growl, proved he hadn’t lost a step either, as she felt herself flush with arousal and a corresponding dampness between her thighs that she was fast becoming reacquainted with that caused her to cross her legs and shift in her seat to try to alleviate the pressure.

“Is that so? Well, far be it from me to turn down someone willing to work up a sweat with me. Why don’t we discuss it more over dinner? I should be able to be to your place by 7, if that works for you.”

She checked the time, then the stack of papers she needed to finish, then glanced into the squad room. Seeing her people were now at their desks, folders open in front of them, she quickly calculated it’d be at least another hour before she could even think of leaving, especially if she planned to take three days off next week. “Make it 8?”

“8 it is. Want me to pick up our usual on my way over, or are we having it delivered?”

“Hmm, better pick it up. You know how busy they get. If you call it in when you leave, it’ll probably be just about ready by the time you get there.”

“Sound good. I’ll let you go so you can finish up all that paperwork. See you in a few hours Liv.”

“Alright. Bye El.” Hanging up, she pressed the phone against her chest a moment, savoring the warm feeling she always seemed to get when she talked to Elliot these days, before standing up and walking out into the squad room.

“Anything you guys haven’t finished by 7, you can leave until tomorrow. Short of a new case, you can all clock out then, since we’re currently between cases.” She turned to head back to her office and the stack of paperwork, but turned back around when Amanda spoke.

“Are you clocking out then too Cap? I know Noah’s at that sleepover. You shouldn’t stay late finishing paperwork anymore if we aren’t.” Her detective’s voice was concerned, and she realized just how much her stress and worry over the last three months must have shown, despite how hard she tried to hide it.

“Yes, he’s already called me to say goodnight, because apparently they will be too busy the rest of the night with sleepover stuff to worry about me. But don’t worry, I’m clocking out then too. Even if that pile of paperwork is only going to grow when you all turn in your paperwork.” She turned again, hoping to make it into her office before anyone thought too hard about her clocking out when she didn’t have to, but Fin’s teasing voice told her she was too late.

“You? Clock out early when you don’t have Noah waiting at home? What’s up? You got yourself a hot date or something?”

She was a Captain. Had been a police officer for over twenty years. She’d had to keep her cool when being questioned on the stand by lawyers all the time. But she knew, she knew, that she couldn’t hide the hitch in her step or the slight wince as he asked his question. Even as she turned back around, her face carefully blank, she knew he’d caught her. “Date? No, I don’t have a date. Who would I even have a date with?” Internally, she winced again as she heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Elliot Stabler tell her that asking that many questions just made her sound defensive, and therefore all the more suspicious. Registering the varying degrees of shock on the three’s faces, she smirked to herself for surprising them at least.

“Oh, I don’t know. A certain Detective, maybe? I saw you two together at the ceremony, off in your own little world by the water. Almost like old times, ‘cept the flirting was a little too obvious.”

Trying to control the embarrassed flush she could feel, she internally cursed. She’d hoped everyone had been too preoccupied to pay attention to her and Elliot, but knew that had probably been too much to hope for. She knew the rumor mill had picked right back up when he’d returned, and people realized they were talking again. “Alright, yes, I’m meeting Elliot for dinner. But it’s not a date. We’re just going to do some catching up over Chinese. We haven’t really had much time to just talk since he came back.” She ignored the pointed look he shot her, and appreciated that Amanda and Kat at least pretended not to be interested, as she finally made it back into her office. She heard his footsteps though, saw him shut the door behind him as she sat down behind her desk.

“You sure about this? I just don’t want you getting hurt. Don’t forget, I was here when he left.” She could see the worry clouding his face, and resigned to give him the truth. After all, he’d been there for it all.

“I’m sure. We’re…Taking things slow. We’ve talked, and while neither one of us is ready to just jump straight into a relationship, we’ve discussed it, and have agreed that’s where we’re heading. So we flirt some, and we spend time together, and we talk. We’re not defining it yet. I know it sounds like dating, and maybe in a way it is. But what’s important to us is rekindling our friendship, first and foremost. We’ve already talked about why he left, how he left. And I’ve told him not only what it did to me, but I’ve told him what he missed. He was…Devastated. It turns out the whole family was in France at the time, and by the time the kids came back, it had already become old news. He swore he would have come back had he known, and I believe him. I’d always wondered if he’d just stopped caring, but if you’d seen how he looked, you’d have had to believe him too. So yes, I’m sure about this. We’re going to take things slow for now, but we know where we’re going to end up, even if we aren’t sure when that will happen. Speaking of Elliot though, I’m going to take a few personal days next week to help him get moved into his new place. He gets the keys on Sunday, and his furniture comes Monday.”

He still looked a little worried, but she could tell he would take her at her word. “If you say so. I have to say, I’m surprised you guys already talked about that. But I’m glad. You deserve to be happy Liv, and I think he’ll make you happy. And don’t worry, I’ll cover next week for you. And I’ll let the others know you’ll be taking some time, and make sure they don’t ask you any questions.” He turned and left the office, leaving the door open behind him as he went back to his desk, stopping to talk to Amanda and Kat on his way.

Putting her glasses on and picking up her pen, she smiled to herself as she went back to her paperwork. She still had a lot to work through before it was time to head out, though she was hoping the anticipation would make the time pass faster. Afterall, it wasn’t every day she got to head home to a hot meal and an even hotter man, not that she’d tell him that. His ego was already inflated enough.

[firstdegreefangirl]

EOY Fic ask - #6

6. What’s your favourite piece of dialogue you wrote this year?

OK, first of all, this was cruel of you to ask. Thousands upon thousands of words I’ve written this year, and you expect me to choose ONE set of favorite dialogue? Impossible. So, here’s my top five, three from released fics that I’ll link accordingly, and two from things I need to get edited still. Presented in no particular order:

1. “You and … you and Officer Bradford are close, right?”

“Eh, when he’s not being a dick.” Angela shrugs with one shoulder and chuckles. “Why? What’s up?”  

This comes from a Chenford fic I finished up writing not too long ago, and just feels like such a perfect summation of Angela’s friendship with Tim, her friendship with Lucy, and how carefully Lucy looks out for Tim. Also, it just makes me laugh every time.

--

2. “OK, well, first of all, don’t say it again. Or in front of your dad. Or that you heard it from me first. Second, that’s a grown-up word. It’s not nice, and I shouldn’t have said it, no matter how much the coffee hurt. And third, buddy, I cannot stress this enough, your dad does not need to know. Now,” He raises his eyebrows expectantly. “What are we not telling your dad?”

“That I said ‘shit!’”

From an unreleased Buddie fic (another Buck Day, for those following that series!), I remember tossing this idea around with @elisela back over the summer. It was so much fun to write, and I can hear Buck’s line(s) so perfectly in Oli’s voice; this just had to make the list.

--

3. Eddie?!” Buck stares at him incredulously. “He’s running away?!”

“Seems that way.” Eddie peers out the kitchen window, watches Christopher make his way down the driveway and past the mailbox.  

“And you told him to get in a van?”

“He doesn’t like it when I tell him to take a snack.” Eddie shrugs. “He’ll be good. Kid’s independent.”

“What?” Buck is practically shouting now, staring over Eddie’s shoulder. “You’re just letting him go?”

“He just needs a minute to walk it off. My guess is he’s mad about having to do his homework. Give him some time, he knows he’s allowed to be as dramatic as he wants down to the end of the block. If he gets out of sight, we’ll go on a recovery mission.”

This comes from a Chris Week fic, and got such great feedback when I posted it a few months ago! I love the idea of Buck being all overprotective of Chris, and Eddie trying to strike the balance between fostering independence and just letting his kid roam the neighborhood. And again, it’s funny and makes me laugh, and I love it.

--

4. “You know, Boot, you really can’t just expect people to show up and take care of you.” He cuts her off.

“I don’t, I was fine. You ju--”

“I can’t believe I’m going to be taking care of you for the rest of my life.”  

And that’s one Lucy has never heard before. The rest of his life? Does he have a month to live? Is someone going to kill him? Lucy thinks it might be her, if he doesn't leave her alone so she can go back to sleep soon.

“You … don’t have to.” It’s not half as snarky sounding as she’d hoped it would be, but at least she managed to get through an entire reply this time.  

“No, I’m going to. You’re my rookie.”

So this fic inspired a whole thing between me and @stargazerdaisy, now known as “no, I’m gonna.” The chatter surrounding this fic is the first known instance of this trope we’ve started using all over the place. I’m a sucker for sickfic, and I’m a sucker for Tim just inserting himself in Lucy’s life and then pretending he doesn’t care half as much as he obviously does.  Tim is going to take care of Lucy, whether she wants it or not. So it’s a good thing she does, I suppose. ;)

-

5. “Fine. Just … eager to hit the streets, go fight some crime!” The words sound wrong to his own ears, and he can tell Lopez hears it too, can see her roll her eyes.

“Who put the crack in your Cheerios?” She fastens her seatbelt and starts the engine.

“Crack in my Cheerios!” He barks out a sharp laugh and claps his hands together once. “Good one!”

“Seriously, you’re not on drugs are you?”  

I love Jackson, we all know I love Jackson, and this fic is some of my finest Jackson content. It reminds me of 2.08 Jackson – my favorite version of Jackson, as is basically public knowledge at this point – and his interplay with Angela. He’s always such a delight to write, but this one took the cake because it tapped into the comedic relief side of Jackson that I absolutely love playing with.

And that’s five! Because I have no self-control and can’t make decisions to save my life, but I’ve written so much this year that it doesn’t feel fair to boil it down to just a couple of lines. Thanks for the ask, Kat, and thanks for putting up with my antics long enough to get to the bottom of the post. Love youuuuuu!

[gagmebucky]

thank you to taylor @blessedbucky​, mia @theamericanfalcon, liz @marvelous-mr-stark, raechel, shayla, lauren, courtney, em and tina for allowing me to write this content as well as my beta reader kat @angel-fire​! love you all!

read the full synopsis and excerpt // read chapters snippets here.

o. in which you accidentally send your nudes to your brothers’ best friend. (includes reader’s pov, bucky’s pov, mentions of sexting.)

—

Initially, taking the photos—exposing yourself in such an intimate state to another—you were hesitant. It wasn’t the possible repercussions, i.e. revenge porn, that gave you pause but more-so an insecurity in your own body. Having never done something like this before, you briefly dithered between whether you should or not. 

Ultimately, however, you do. The guy had spent money on you, went through the trouble of finding something you’d like and shipped it discreetly. And when you slip the racy number on, your insecurities wash away and leave excitement in its wake. Everything about it you love, and it has you preening in a solo photo shoot you’re eager to show off. 

After a good time of selfie shutters bulking your phone’s storage—positions of you scantily-clad standing, sitting, a cross of both—you finally relent. There’s too many pictures to pick from, but you do. Three poses that optimize the best aspects of the outfit and that you think he’ll like the best have you buzzing in anticipation of his reaction. 

Giddy, you tap them directly on the album app and click the share button; you input the letter B in the ‘To:’ slot. Since there’s only two contact names under that letter, his name shows up immediately, the first with the nickname Bucky beneath it. You gloss over that and in quick succession, you quickly hit the contact and press send. 

For a split second, you’re proud: you’ve taken this e-relationship to the next level like he wanted, and he’ll be happy with you. Then it hits you like a brick through glass. A replay of your actions travel to your brain, and you belatedly realize what your eyes saw—your thumb smearing too low on the screen, so instead of Brock as the recipient, it’s Bucky. 

“No, no, no!” you whisper as your heart hurtles like a jackhammer stuck in your rib cage. 

A part of you insists it’s your paranoia playing tricks on you, and that’s a valid rationale because this whole thing does worry you about getting caught. Except, upon checking its legitimacy, you confirm what you accidentally did. There’s no mistaking it, now, because with your brightness turned up full, your partially nude figure stares you in the face underneath of a thread between you and your brothers’ best friend. 

James Bucky Barnes—the man who’s nicknamed you bambi because the numerous times he’s seen you face-plant over your own footing, the twenty-four year old who still ruffles your hair when he greets you, the soon-to-be business owner who dates certified models—has a trio of your attempts to be seductive; bottom lined with text you hope comes off likewise seductive.

Mortification swallows you. Your skin burns hotter and hotter by the second. Sure, you’ve embarrassed yourself before: you fall a lot, and you’re awkward conversationalist. But never something of this magnitude, not something that makes you seem so desperate and pathetic. 

You can imagine him opening the messages. He’d immediately assume, understandably, it’s a come-on; a girl trying to be a woman’s failed goal to enthrall a man like him, his best friend’s kid sister’s pitiful effort to be anything other than just that. As if you could ever measure up to the types of women he dates. 

And, yes, there’s been a time where you had a crush on him. But it’s not your fault when he looks like how he does, a rugged example of masculine sex appeal, and treating you the way he does, teasing but with a twist of kindness, and the fact that he’s the only non-blood related man allowed near you. 

But that time has passed. Even then, you knew the one-sided attraction was delusional to have. You were—still are—so sure about it that you never even dared to fantasize about him and the rumors that used to trek behind him about his sexual escapades. There’s no hidden desire to be with him, and that worsens it because it’s not like you’d feel any relief in knowing his reaction. You don’t care about his reaction in the first place!

Now, no matter how much you will insist it’s an accident, there will always be a dubiousness about it. With how close your families are, things are going to be tense. Because there’s no forgetting he’s viewed you like that, and there’s photo evidence of it. 

It hits you then. The extremity of your fuckup douses you in ice, and your muscles freeze because you register that since he knows about your family borderline patriarchal values concerning you, he has to tell them you’re taking nudes, and it will be over for you. 

It has taken you twenty years of your life to finally venture outside what your family has allowed, to sate your curiosity of what exactly your fathers and older siblings have kept so strictly from you: sex and all the goodness it entails. 

It has taken you an additional six months to explore in-depth and build the courage to start something tangible, to wander the depraved side of the internet where strangers did things to each other that made you want to do things with someone of your own: stirring foreign but oh-so amazing feelings in your nether regions. 

For twenty-six weeks you carefully treaded across in order to ensure your family had no clue what you’re doing, clearing your web history and using incognito mode, all your accounts anonymous, keeping your notifications on silent in case anyone becomes suspicious of who’s continuously contacting you. 

One hundred and eighty-two days later—in the middle of which you started your sex-based communication—of preparing to lose your virginity, your family will find out what you’ve been up to, and your life will be hell. 

Everything has been going so perfectly. You found a guy enough distance away he isn't affected by your family’s influence, middle-aged so he’s experience and doesn’t mind handling a virgin, and is willing to drive an hour to meet you at a specified hotel when the time comes.  

All that hard work down the drain. 

You toss your phone and jump to your feet. Panicked, your bare feet pad back and forth on your rug-covered wood floors. Your teeth gnaw at your thumbnail as different scenarios of how everything will transpire flit through your head. Each one is more terrible than the last, and your anxiety heightens. 

Somewhere in your disquietude, it occurs to you. Your brothers are downstairs and so is Bucky, but it’s ten o’clock at night, and that means they’re gaming. That particular activity coined a rule that all players have to stow their phones in the guest room. The specifics are blurry but it was something about Bucky interrupting the session due to excessive texts. 

It’s an opportunity. A chance that you can creep downstairs, swipe his phone and delete your mistake—hell, you’ll break his phone if you need to—before he’s any the wiser. 

“And—” Bucky Barnes drawls out the vowel as the rough-textured ball hurls through the air and swishes sharply into the hoop. “—nothin’ but net.” He relaxes from the perfected basketball follow-through stance, hands dropping to his sides, while he regards his old friend with a cocky smile. “Beat that, Rogers.” 

Steve snorts and catches the ball when it bounces onto the concrete. Palming it in one hand, he dribbles it twice and trades positions so instead of being stationed next to the hoop, he’s descended to the driveway curb where the established three-pointer line is. 

“You still got it, Barnes,” the blond admits, loosening his shoulders and spreading his footing to be a width apart. His right hand balances the ball from below, elbow tucked underneath, while the left splays against the side as his knees bend, and he springs up. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he releases the orange sphere at the top of his jump. It catapults in a flawless arc and drops through criss-crossed netting with a similar swish. His lips curve with satisfaction as he adds, “But, so do I.”

Bucky laughs and seizes the ball as it falls free. “Callum and Henry have no idea they’re going to get obliterated,” he says, coming to slap his palm in an affable embrace. “Fair warning, they’re still as sore losers as they were five years ago so be prepared for that.” 

Steve Rogers chuckles. The former fourth to their high school cliquè, he’s aware of just how bad sports they are. 

After graduation, he left out-of-state to pursue a degree in technological engineering, which he acquired last month in May, prompting his return back to New York. Between the four of them, Bucky and Steve are the level headed ones so he’s glad to have the support to handle the wild children his childhood best friends are. 

“Speaking of,” Steve starts, dirty blond eyebrows knitting as he glances around the neighborhood’s cul-de-sac. “Where are they? I thought Henry was supposed to be waking up Callum? If we aren’t starting yet, then can I get my phone back?” 

Bucky clicks his teeth. “Yeah. They’re probably stuffing their faces right now. Their sister went grocery shopping and got a cake so. . .” He waves his hand in gesture before continuing in vehement passion on the second point, “The whole phone thing is bullshit, though. I miss a few winning shots ‘cause I was busy with some pretty little thing texting me, and now there’s a ‘no technology rule’.” He scoffs and folds his arms. 

Now that he thinks about it, he could totally have his phone right now. And he’s more interested in having it than usual. There’s this girl he’s been seeing frequently at local parties—six feet tall with gorgeous brown skin, always done up in intricate eye makeup, silver tongued (he’s very interested in her tongue) when she speaks—and he’s finally gotten her number. She could be texting him, and he doesn’t even know it! 

“You know, yeah, we should get our phones back if those assholes want to take all day,” Bucky decides, agreeing with steps toward the closed storm door, but opened front door until he hears the inquiry:

“How is Y/N, anyway?” Steve’s voice is genuinely and harmlessly curious behind him, and he stops in his tracks because Bucky remembers the poorly hid crush he harbored for you. “I saw her instagram the other day, and she must be quite the heartbreaker.” 

Spinning around to face him, Bucky lifts a brow. “Huh?” Then he processes the implication that you’re out dating and such. The mere prospect has him surprising laughter. 

With their dad and his girlfriend on a tour of the world, the three of them are the only ones in the household. Given you’re the baby of your siblings, despite being an independent twenty-year-old, your older brothers have taken it upon themselves to ensure you focus solely on school work. Callum and Henry know exactly how to threaten their message across that you are not to be bothered, and anyone who tries will end up battered and bruised. 

He shakes his head. “Nah. She’s not with anyone, hasn’t been ever,” he tells him. “If you thought Callum and Henry were overprotective back then, you should see them now.” 

Gunmetal blue eyes blink surprised at him, and there’s a faint battle between delight and disappointment. “Really?” He shoves his hands in his sweats and falters somewhat. “It’s gotta be hard considering the way she has grown up,” he says but Bucky’s face scrunches in confusion. “You can’t tell me you don’t see how cute she is.” Before he can respond, Steve adds, “Obviously I wouldn’t ever see or be with her in that way—I wouldn’t betray Callum or Henry like that—but objectively, you can admit she’s gorgeous, right?” 

Bucky has to take a moment and genuinely consider it—consider you—because he hasn’t before. (Other than noticing the genetic similarities to Callum, who shares your eye and hair color but is a shade lighter than you, and Henry, who shares your complexion and eye color, but his hair is darker than yours.)

There’s no denying your looks are better than most: the structure of your face works beautifully, dazzling eyes framed by your lashes and occasionally accentuated by mascara, lips usually adorned in gloss or anything that keeps them hydrated which could be described as alluring, and your hair is almost always done, sometimes switched up in style. But there’s an inherent innocence there, a sweet and clumsy awkwardness, and maybe because he’s watched you grow up, four years your senior, but it just doesn’t do it for him. 

You’re his best friends’ baby sister, for God’s sake. He’d never at you like that in the first place. Especially not when he’s been aware, in the past, you harbored a schoolgirl crush on him. It was painfully obvious, to your chagrin, but he found it adorable—flattering but unsurprising considering girls flock to him like seagulls to boardwalk french fries. 

Currently, he’s sure you know he won’t ever pick you—under principle, under the lack of attraction. Other than pleasant smiles and occasional small talk mixed with teasing, you don’t gaze at him with starry eyes anymore, at least it’s waned significantly as you matured. 

Back to the question: “Uh, no, not really. Even if Callum and Henry didn’t care, I don’t think I’d be attracted to her,” he answers truthfully. Your purity doesn’t provoke his sexual attraction although it does invoke a duty of protectiveness. “She just isn’t my type.” 

Steve arches a brow, a surprised playfulness in his expression. “Oh? Then what is your type, then?” he asks, nudging him with his elbow. ‘Cause from what I remember you’re up for anyone and everyone.”

“That makes me sound like a whore,” he feigns offense but digresses into a fit of chuckles as he thinks back to all his various sex-capades and Steve flashes him a look that says aren’t you? “Yeah.” He nods with a prideful chortle. “But I’m into more frisky girls, y’know? Ones who’ve been everywhere and done everything. They’re brass and loud and just do whatever the fuck they want. I like to be one of those things.” 

Behind him, his best friend, Callum’s orotund voice rings out between the pressurized shh of the storm door, “Buck’s into slutty girls, Steve.”

He cringes at the diction. “Don’t call ‘em slutty. Sounds degrading when you guys say it like that.” Most of the time, he agrees with him—and his brother—but when it comes to women, there’s usually a dissent and a need for correction. “But yeah. I prefer girls with experience,” he declares strongly. “They don’t get attached like girls with... less experience do.”

Callum rolls his eyes, bounding down the porch stairs to the recently pressure-washed driveway, and he plucks the basketball out of his hands. “Here we go again. Bucky and his ‘I hate virgin’s’ campaign,” he mocks, shaking his head. “Doesn’t make any sense to me ‘cause everyone knows virgins are the tightest.”

This time, Bucky is the one to roll his eyes. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense considering tightness isn’t dependent upon whether it’s their first time ‘cause, y’know, vaginas stretch, you morons.” Sometimes he has no clue how Callum passed sex education (then he remembers that he bribed the health teacher). “Meaning a girl can have sex, then after a period of time, her virgin ‘tightness’ eventually returns. The only reason virgins may seem tighter is because they’re usually nervous.” 

The look on Callum’s face says that what he just said went right over his head. “Whatever.” He shrugs and starts dribbling the ball half-heartedly. “I just know the woman I end up with better be a virgin.” 

“Right!” Henry’s likewise orotund voice, a pitch higher, speaks after he pushes through the glass door. He presses to the court-slash-driveway, wiping icing off his mouth. “That’s marriage material. I’m not fucking around in a relationship with no woman that’s been fucked already, y’know?” 

Bucky’s eye twitches, jaw locking for a millisecond. “But you guys aren’t even virgins yourself,” he points out their hypocrisy. When they look at him to rebuttal, he automatically knows it’s going to run his blood pressure up and it’s not worth it. “You know, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. You guys have fun with your conversation.” 

Swiftly, he whirls around and heads for inside. The last thing he hears is Steve’s ambivalent, “I get the appeal of virgins. But you know, I don’t think it really matters. I think it just matters if you’re into them, and if they’re into you. I wouldn’t care either way but. . .” 

The air conditioned air greets him coldly, and he revels in it. The June sun is killer, though perfect weather for playing a game outside, and the chill dries the sweat beaded on his forehead. He pads down the foyer, turns the corner to the bathroom and enters to take a much needed leak. 

Bucky has so much brotherly love for your brothers: neighbors since being in diapers, his mother the female figure in their life, and becoming and remaining best friends for over twenty years. There’s only one thing that grates his nerves when it comes to them and that’s their view of women is somewhat skewed. Sometimes—most of the time—went the topic comes up, he’s always one second away from throttling them. 

Hopefully after he pisses, they’ll be talking about something else, and finally they all can play basketball. It. 

Flushing the toilet, he goes onto wash his hands. He lathers up in orange antibacterial soap and rinses the suds off with hot water. There isn’t a towel, at least not a clean one, so instead he just lets the remaining droplets drip onto the floor. 

Emerging from the bathroom, James pauses and absentmindedly wipes his hands dry on his mesh-polyester shorts. His attention automatically draws to the guest room’s closed door adjacent to his position. A decision strikes him, and he steps forward and casts a curious glance down the corner. 

When boisterous and distracted laughter filters through the front door and down the empty corridor, it springs him into action. He figures there’s no harm in checking his phone while he’s here. He’d been especially resistant to giving it away because he’s engaged in a particularly stimulating conversation with a particularly titillating woman—popular in her own right, he can’t afford to miss his shot with her. 

His fingers turn the knob, and he shoulders through. The furniture is decorated and accented in yellow and white, condition otherwise pristine, save for the phones littered across the king-sized poster bed’s fluffy duvet. He strides across gleaming light oak floors and hones in on the only golden-colored, rubbed encased titanium. 

As he grips it, long digits curling around the back, pinkie supporting the bottom, thumb tapping the screen to life, he can hear the dwindling of high-spirited jesting through the en-suite’s rectangular horizontal slider window; a wondering of where he’s gone has him speeding up. 

Although he’d been gone for under an hour, his screen is bright with various notifications, social media accounts and text messages. He ignores the former and searches for the latter, specifically the contact, Val 😛💦. Scrolling quickly, he comes to a stop but not because of his original intent. 

His head cocks, and he knits his brows when he sees your name instead; formally nicknamed, bambi, due to your penchant for clumsiness and general fragility. You don’t text him—except for that one time you needed to be picked up from the library—and considering you know he’s just outside, his baffled curiosity is further spurred. 

With a sideways swipe of his thumb, your thread enlarges on the high-definition display. He isn’t sure what he expected, but this? Oh, this, definitely is not it. His eyes widen as the content loads, and reveals you, in all your half-naked glory. 

“Shit,” he breathes out raggedly, blinking multiple times because he has to be seeing things. But, nope, it’s still you—looking like that, wearing that. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

Your brothers are beginning to call his name, demanding his attendance, and he froze in shock, unable to tear his stare away from the girl who’s tripped over her own feet more times than he can count; the wallflower who spends all her time studying in her room; the forbidden fruit who’s innocent has always stirred a vigilant feeling inside him—now stirring something hard between his thighs because there you are. 

Like always, your hair is done prettily, wispy-lashed eyes big and inviting, a saucy pout to your glossed lips. Your flawless complexion seems to glow in the reflection of the mirror, and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the warm lighting, or if it’s the confidence you exude in your faux-innocent expression from where something so sinfully sexy. 

Three photos, and every single one is like a punch in the gut; displaying your usually hoodie-hidden figure in its bare, exquisite form. The skimpy white two-piece caresses your breasts in a lace halter top, leaving a teasing amount of cleavage. Your navel exposed, he becomes aware of how soft your skin would be. Moving lower, your untouched flower is wrapped in a thin thong with a bow on the center of the waistband. 

A million things flit through his head; a million disgusting things he never thought he’d think about you. 

The main one is every sort of attraction these snapshots arouse. A laser slices down his center and sears him to the core. The multiple poses calls every hungry part of him to attention, the curve of your breasts, the contours of your hips and the jut of your ass. And he shoves to the darkest recess in his mind because that’s just an innate reaction to lingerie. (Right? Right.)

He combats your images with that of Val: knows-what-she’s-doing and equally promiscuous as him Val. The anthropology major who downs beers within seconds and tongue kisses the first person she sees afterwards. 

The next is the one he focuses on, that you would take these and send them to him—as if he’d betray your brothers like that. Second-hand embarrassment strikes him because he knows if you’ll send something as risky as this, he’ll have to formally reject you and break your unreciprocated pining heart. 

He grimaces at the thought. This is why he doesn’t do virgins and the less experienced in general. The inherent strings are a killer, and he resents the drama; and it’d be ten times worse with you because of the added complications of your siblings. 

In fact, he hears something beyond him, coming down the hallway, and it’s probably them, but he can’t stop rereading your text accompanying the photos, partially imagining how it’d sound in your delicate voice: 

bambi (4:21PM): is this as pretty as you imagined? did i do good? just tell me what you want, and ill do it. i want you. soon, please - and yes, ill beg. i promise itll sound even better in person. 

[read it in its entirety on my patreon - one time fee of $5 to access!]

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

Hey! Thank you so much for writing that last thing for me! Still haven't read it lol, but I got so excited when I saw it was canon era! Could you do "Merry Christmas, motherfuckers" or maybe "well, there are worse ways my Christmas could have ended?" Thank you so much, and have the best day ever!

There are cuss words in this. Hospital stay, IV, stitches, staples and surgery are also warnings in this!

“You doing okay, Racer?” Spot asked, running a hand through his hair, before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Well, there are worse ways my Christmas could have ended?" Race looked up at him, a wide grin on his face, despite the pain he was in.

Christmas this year wasn’t what they had anticipated but when did things go according to plan. Race had been in excruciating pain for most of Christmas Eve into the very early hours of Christmas morning. Spot had dropped their twins off at Jack and Kat’s before bringing Race into the ER, only to discover his appendix was inflamed and close to ruptering. The only time things had gone as expected was their wedding day, three years ago. Even their twins’ birth didn’t go according to plan - getting a call just as they were supposed to jump on a plane for a quick get away before becoming dads.

Spot smirked. “You’re not wrong; at least you’re not dead, yet. You’re going to have a simple surgery and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

“Stupid piece of skin that doesn’t have any use for anymore.” Race glared at his appendix, or where he thought it was located. “Stupid thing that got infected on our twins first Christmas and is close to busting.”

Spot shook his head. “It’s alright. Amelia and Beau won’t know the difference if we’re there or not. They’re safe with Jack, Kat, Ellie, and Aaron and probably have much more fun than we are.”

“It’s the semantics, Spottie. I’m a horrible parent because I’m not watching them play with their new toys and discover all the joys of the day.” Race threw his head back against the pillow, sighing loudly.

Getting out of his chair, he climbed into bed with Race, pulling him so his head landed on his chest. “Don’t beat yourself up, Race. There will be plenty of time for that as they get older. They’re 9 months old . . . they would’ve been playing with the boxes anyways. I’m sure they’re sound asleep right now, not a care in the world.”

Just as he said that, his cell phone dinged with an incoming text message. Pulling open his phone, he smiled at the photo Kat had sent over. “Hey, look at this.”

Kat had sent them a photo of the twins laying on the floor sound asleep, cuddling the stuffed animals Jack and Kat had gotten for them. “See, they’re fine and they don’t care that we’re not there.”

Nodding, Race ran his finger over the phone screen, smiling slightly. “Still it’s hard.”

“I know it is but like I said, at least you’re not dead.” Spot pressed a kiss to his head. “You’re going to kick this surgery’s ass and be back on your feet in a few days. Just think, you can order me around and wait on you hand and foot.”

Race flashed him a smile. “Something to look forward to.”

Spot smiled at that as a knock sounded at the door. A nurse poked her head in with a kind smile. “Mr. Higgin-Conlon?”

“Tony, please.” He nodded as she pushed open the door.

She smiled at the pair of them as Spot slid off the bed and stood beside it, gripping Race’s hand. “Tony, then. My name is Lina and I’m going to start preparing you for surgery.”

Spot turned her out as she started asking him questions about his health and medications. Every now and then he would feel Race squeeze his hand, and he would squeeze it back. There had been plenty of trips to the hospital in the seven years they had been together but this would be the first surgery for either of them. Logically, Spot knew Race would be okay but there was a tiny piece of him that was scared shitless that something would happen and he would be alone, living a life without Race.

The nurse finished quizzing Race and told them she would be back in a few minutes to take him down to surgery. Once the door was shut, Spot turned to Race, putting his forehead to his. “I need you to listen to me for the next few minutes okay?”

“O-okay.” Race’s voice was hesitant as he had never heard that forced voice that Spot currently had before.

“I love you, I am over the moon, batshit crazy about you. You need to pull through this because if you die, I will not be able to carry on. You’re my saving grace, my wide eyed soul and you give me so much strength. I cannot live in this world without you so Anthony Racetrack Higgins-Conlon, you kick the appendix’s ass and come back to me, you hear?” Spot’s chest heaved as he spat those words out.

Race reached up, hand behind his neck, putting his lips on Spot’s. A searing kiss was shared between the two of them before Race pulled back. “I love you too, pooks and I’m going to beat this. I’ve got too much life left to live and I’ve got at least two kids to watch grow up. You can’t get rid of me that quickly, Sean. I’ll see you in a few hours, handsome, and I expect you to give me a searing kiss, like the one I just gave you.”

Chuckling, Spot pulled him back in for another kiss, this time much more gentle. “I love you, snookums and I’ll be here as soon as they tell me I can come back.”

“Love you too.”

Just as the words left Race’s mouth, the door opened and the nurse came back in. “I apologize but it’s time for us to take Tony down. You can come down with us until we hit the last door.”

As they maneuvered the gurney out of the room, Spot kept pace with them, holding onto Race’s hand, squeezing it as they walked down the hallway. “I’m sorry but this is as far as you can go. We’ll give you a few seconds.”

They walked over to the side, giving them a bit of privacy. Spot leaned over to Race, leaning over to kiss him. “I love you and I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Love you too Spottie. Don’t fret too much.” Race kissed him once more, squeezing his hand before they pushed him beyond the doors.

The doors closed behind him with a loud slam as another nurse came up and smiled weakly at him. “You can wait in the surgical waiting room if you would like. Someone will come talk to you when Tony’s out of surgery.”

He flashed her a smile before following her down the hallway to the waiting room. She motioned inside as he pushed open the door. His eyes scanned the waiting room, another couple waiting along with an older lady. He took a spot in the corner, away from the door, pulling out his cell phone. He opened the text message with Kat, letting her know that they just took Race back.

Within seconds, his phone was ringing. “Hi Kat.”

“Hi Spot. How are you?” He could hear the tiredness in her voice.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’m alright. They just took him back.”

“Do you want me to come down? I could leave Jack here with the kids and come sit with you.” She offered, as he heard something in the background of her phone.

“No, no you stay with the kids. Don’t leave Jack all alone - he might kill you if you did that to him.” He chuckled. “They said the surgery would be about an hour and half so I won’t be here long. I’m going to go down to the cafe and grab something since I’m not sure how long it’ll be before Race can have any food.”

“The kids are alright. Please don’t worry about them.” Kat said. “Let me know if you need anything and I can bring it up to you.”

He smiled. “Thanks Kat. Keeping the kids is more than enough. I’ll let you know when he’s out of surgery.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t stress . . . he’ll be alright.” She said as they hung up.

He tapped his toes as his eyes swept the room. The door opened as a doctor came to talk to the couple, guiding them from the room, leaving Spot and the older lady alone in the room.

Opening his phone, he went to his photos, starting at the beginning. The album had over 1,000 photos in it, everything from photos of them on dates to their wedding to newborn photos of the twins, and every moment in between. He smiled, as he flipped through every one of them, letting himself get lost in the memories.

He stopped on a selfie of the two of them and laughed, thinking back.

“Spot, come on Spot!” Race whined, giving him a look.

Returning his look, Spot looked at his boyfriend. “Why does Kat want us to take a selfie again? And who came up with the ridiculously stupid name - selfie?”

“Uh . . .” Race rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepishly. “Kat didn’t really specifically ask for a selfie . . . I just kinda wanted one of us.”

Spot looked amused, grinning at Race. “So you use your friend to get something that you initially want? Way to go.”

“So you’ll do it?” Race’s eyes lit up at the prospect.

Spot didn’t say anything, but pulled Race closer to him allowing him to take the photo. At the last minute, Race turned and kissed Spot’s cheek as the photo was snapped.

Swiping through a couple of new photos before stopping on one that made Spot smile brightly.

Tugging on his untied tie, Race needed something to do with his hands. Spot came over and grabbed his hands, pulling him closer to him. Spot made quick work of the tie, before pushing to his toes kissing Race. “Can you believe we’re getting married?”

“No.” Race grinned. “Seems like we’ve been waiting for this day for so long and now it’s finally here.”

Spot smiled, kissing him sweetly. “I’ll be at the end of the aisle waiting for you.”

Their photographer has snuck in and snapped the photo without either of them knowing it until they got all the photos back. He glanced at it once more before locking his phone. Pushing himself to his feet, he headed out of the waiting room, walking in the direction of the elevator. Pushing himself in the back corner, he watched as others joined them on the descend.

Getting off at floor two, the scent of food hit his nose as he followed it. He leisurely walked through the cafe, looking for anything that at least sounded good. He grabbed a sandwich and a bag of chips, checking out before finding a table by a window. Collapsing into the chair, he took a bite of his sandwich before looking out the window. The falling rain captured his mood perfectly - he felt like half of him was gone, and in reality that was true. He and Race had been joint at the hip since the day they became friends, people rarely saw one without the other.

He finished half of his sandwich, opting the throw the rest away. Grabbing the bag of chips, he headed back upstairs, hoping he hadn’t missed the doctor. Slipping back into the waiting room, he looked around realizing he was the only one in there. Settling back in his chair from before, he let his head drop back against the wall. He hadn’t gotten much sleep that night due to the pain Race was in. He was up, soothing Race and giving him pain medicine trying to ward off whatever was happening.

He let his eyes slide shut, sighing. He heard the door open, cracking open an eye as he saw the nurse from earlier coming closer to him. “Sean?”

Sitting up, his eyes were wide as she looked at him. “I just wanted to let you know that Tony is out of surgery and in the recovery room. He did really well and he has a couple of staples in his stomach that will dissolve within a couple of weeks. We’ll come get you soon and you can see him. Do you have any questions?”

Shaking his head, Spot let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He smiled at her, watching her walk from the room, leaving him alone once more. Pulling out his phone, he quickly texted Kat and Jack giving them both an update.

The door opened once more, the same nurse poking her head in. “Sean? I can take you back to Tony now.”

Hopping to his feet, he noticed a pep in his step as he followed her back through the winding hallways to the recovery room. Pausing at the door, the nurse gave him a look. “He was awake a few moments ago when I came to get you but he’s groggy. He may not remember a whole lot from today but in a couple of hours he should be good to go.”

“Will he be able to go home tonight?” Spot asked, hopeful at having a little piece of Christmas with the family.

She bit her lip. “Though the surgery went well, we’ll have to see how he is. The doctor is hopeful that he’ll be discharged tonight but we’ll have to see.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for Tony.” Spot smiled.

“You’re welcome. Please let us know if either of you need anything.” She pushed open the door. “Also, when he fully wakes up, please press the red button on the remote on his bed - but we’ll be around in the meantime.”

He nodded, walking into the open door and heading to the only bed in the room. His eyes swept Race’s as his chest raised and lowered. Other than the IV in his arm, Spot would’ve never thought anything was wrong. Well, until he looked at his stomach and saw the white gauze taped there.

Sitting in the chair, he laced his fingers with Race’s, squeezing them gently. “Hey you. You made it through surgery with flying colors. They’re not sure if you’ll be discharged tonight . . . guess they’re going to watch you and make sure you’re alright.”

Laying his head on the bed, he relaxed for the first time since late the night before. He listened to Race’s even breath and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Some time later, he felt something in his hair but his arm was too tired to swat it away. Groaning, he cracked open an eye, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Closing his eyes once more, he felt something in his hair. Pushing himself up, he looked over at Race, who had a big grin on his face. “Hi.”

“Hi yourself. How are you feeling?” Spot pushed himself to his feet, pressing a kiss to Race’s forehead, before sitting on the edge of the bed..

Shrugging, Race yawned. “A little sore but mostly groggy.”

Spot reached over and pressed the red button as he smiled at Race. “The nurse said you did really well. They’re not sure if you’ll be released tonight but we’ll see.”

Yawning again, Race hummed. “Okay. You doing okay?”

“Better now that you’re awake.” He smiled.

“Sap!” Race flashed him a smile as the door was pushed open.

The nurse came in, checking over Race as Spot stood back, allowing her to pass between them. She flashed them both a smile before telling them the doctor would be in before seeing about getting Race some food.

Spot sat in the chair, sighing quietly, keeping an eye on Race. He was glad he was going to be okay but just wanted to be home with his family. It would definitely be a Christmas they wouldn’t forget for a long time.

Thanks @deliciouspeachpirate for sending this in!!!

[consultingsister-aa]

Seb and Cee for the ship thing!

A SHIPPY THING ... ACCEPTING 

1) did your muse fall in love with mine quickly, or was it a long process? Early on in the dating process, Cee knew she wanted to be with Seb for a while. She possibly thought she was in love before she actually was, but the more Seb opened up, the more she loved him.  2) have they ever asked my muse to dance? do they even dance with my muse at all? Only every single day of her life.   3) are they the type to steal food from my muse’s plate? Cee will usually steal chips from Seb, a classic theft. Only he has started combating this by order her fries even when she doesn’t want them. She continues to steal from him however; they taste better when they’re off his plate.  4) does your muse ever cook for mine? if so, is it good – or does it suck ass? No. Staight up no. She tried once because Seb cooks a lot and she wanted to thank him but it was terrible. They both tried to tough it out but Seb couldn’t manage a third mouthful and Celia had to spit it into the sink. She is the wine tester most evenings.  5) what’s something they do when my muse is down? It depends on how Seb is down. Usually, he’ll pick a fight. Cee tries her best not to engage with it, but sometimes she wants a fight too and then it’s a three hour yelling match. They’re cruel but it gets out the frustration. If it’s more of a blue mood than a fighty mood, beers in front of the telly, a hand in his hair, a quiet nudge to talk about if he wants to. Just be with him as he rides it out.  6) what’s a topic they’re scared of talking about with my muse? For a long time, it’s family and the past to a certain extent. Things are kept vague; need to know. After Jim comes along and fucks it up though, they sort of realise there does need to be a basic level of understanding and honesty if they don’t want to die. Only takes them five years.  7) are they the type who’s affectionate? if so - how do they show their affection? if not, is there a reason they’re not affectionate? When drunk especially, Celia will cling to Seb and tell him over and over how much she loves him, how pretty he is, how nice his hair is. They’re not super into PDA, an arm around the shoulder usually keeps them bot happy.  8) are they the type to go on dates? if so, to where? Cee likes dates. She likes fake dates too. Pretending not to know each other in a bar? Very hot. It’s like cheating but you’re cheating on your husband with your husband. Bar dates and dinner dates are fun and she’s not against a good old fashioned movie but she likes dumb kid dates too; laser tag, paint ball, crazy golf. She knows how to keep things dumb and fun.  9) would they stay in bed with mine all day? if so, doing what? Sex, movies, talking. If she can get a good long day in bed at least twice a month, she’s pretty happy. Usually it’s after one of them have been on a work trip for a while. Phones off, lights low, just them.  10) what’s a typical night between our muses look like? Cee has a pretty strict no phones or laptops at the dinner table rule, mostly for herself or she’ll never stop. So Seb will cook, she’ll sit on the counter, drink and gossip, then they sit down to have dinner. Often they’ll go off to do some more work, or maybe Seb will head out for a job or to plan a job. If he’s out, Cee will work in front of the TV until about eleven, although won’t sleep until he gets home. It’s a bad habit. If he’s not out, she’ll still go to bed about eleven but she can sleep if he’s there.  11) do they read together? if so, what? Not really, sometimes Cee will read out passages of the book she’s reading if she think Seb will like it or find it funny. However their genres don’t really cross because Cee has little to no interest in Russian sci-fi.  12) who washes the other’s hair in the shower? Not in the shower but Seb washes Cee’s hair in the bath. It sort of started as a bit of a joke, like Cee leaning back and demanding he wahes her hair, him saying no, it becoming a THING but over time it’s just something he does now, without really being asked; it runs shivers down Cee’s spine and she loves it.  13) who is the driver? or do they switch places? or do none of them drive? Usually Seb, although they don’t drive that much.  14) who likes to smack who’s ass for no reason other than laughs? or are they both well-behaved? Both. It can sometimes become a thing of who can slap the other harder but then Seb does it too hard and Cee gets upset and he has to be very sorry.  15) do they like movies? if so what movies would they watch with mine? Cee watches a lot of classic black and white films, although often ones than she’s already seen so she doesn’t really watch them, she likes them on a back ground noise. They tried to keep up a movie night where they weren’t allowed to check their phones and they would watch all the Best Film Oscar nominations but they kept getting fidgety or falling asleep.  16) do they communicate their problems or are they the type to hold everything in until someone becomes upset? Seb and Cee communicating issues of a pretty major issue in their relationship. Seb will just start fights instead of telling her he’s not doing great and Cee tends to keep it inside and taking it out on him with snarky little remarks. She reads a lot of self-help books on how to have good communications in a marriage but it’s not much use. 17) do you see them as the marrying type? It takes killing a guy but sure. And as much as Celia likes to tell Seb she’s going to divorce him, it’s not happened yet. Actually, she’s a big fan of being married to Seb.  18) if they had kids, who would be the fun parent? Probably Seb. But the danger is that they’re both the fun parent and there are no rules, which is why they don’t have kids. Instead, they are the fun uncle and aunt and that works for them.  19) do they get along with my muse’s parents? Cee did get along with Kat until she told Seb to kill her rabbit over his stupid name. She likes Thomas just fine. 

[itsanerdlife]

Come Back to Me 5/20

Pairing: Clint Barton x Coulson’s Daughter!Reader

Warning: Angst. Drama. Struggles. Violence? Lying. Anger. Soul shattering ache in your chest. Self hate. Doubts. Plot twist!

Everything slips right through his hands in the blink of an eye. Clint Barton can fix anything. World Ending? Save it. Bad Guys? Take ‘em out. The love of his life, his soul mate, forgetting their whole relationship? Fight even harder. She might not remember what they have. She might be confused, lost, scared, but it’ll be a cold day in hell if she thinks he’ll give up that easy. He’ll do anything he has too. Help her remember, or make her fall in love with him, all over again. But what if it’s not him that she’s getting close to this time? What if it’s a losing fight? Is he supposed to watch the woman he loves, fall for someone else? Like hell, is he letting that happen.

Tag List Is Open!!

“In coming!” Someone yells as the elevator opens. Cho and her medical team rush off with the gurney. Covered in ash, small cuts and a gash in her head, Y/N hasn’t woken still. Buck stumbles off after them, mumbling to Cho.

“Buck!?” He calls, catching his attention when the medic team cuts him off.

“Barton!” Bucky looks back, rushing towards them. Nat’s wrapped around him quickly.

“What happened, Buck?” Steve asks.

“They fucking blew the building. Whatever they were doing, they didn’t want us to know about.” He runs his hand through his hair. It’s a tangled, knotted, unkempt mess. “I took the blunt of it. I tried to keep her from getting to hurt.” Buck swallows, looking down at Nat.

“Just walk us through it.” She nods.

“It’s so stupid, Nat.” Buck shakes his head. “I had her. I swore it was the right thing to do. We were sliding across the ground. I put my fucking hand out.” He holds up his metal hand. “Her head bounced off it.” He swallows.

“She hit her head on your arm?” Sam lifts a brow.

“It made a nasty noise.” Buck shakes his head.

“You were trying to protect her.” Nat assures her husband.

“I tried, and I broke her.” Bucky’s voice shakes.

“Bucky.” Clint sniffs, lifting his head. “It could be so much worse if you didn’t do what you did. She’s still breathing. There’s a chance. If you hadn’t, I can’t imagine what it would be like. She’d be dead.” He grips Buck’s shoulder. Sucking in a deep breathe.

“I’m so sorry Clint.” Buck breaks first, dropping his head to Clint’s shoulder. He does the one thing he can, hugs Bucky. He nods, feeling the welling in his own eyes.

“Stark.” Cho stands in the opening.

“What do you need?” Tony steps forward.

“Neuro specialist.” Cho swallows. “She’s got swelling. It’s not my specialty.” She admit.

“Strange.” Peter blurts out.

“What?” They look over at him.

“He, he’s a neuro specialist. His ah that other girl, Palmer. She’s his prodigy.” Peter nods.

“FRIDAY, call Strange. Tell him it’s a medical emergency. Open a fucking portal into the damn Med Bay if he has too.” Tony demands.

“Yes Sir.” She complies.

It’s minutes when they sit down, waiting. Sparks and gold lights cut into a wide opening off to the far side of the waiting room. Strange steps through with a woman. She looks a little confused, he was going to assume that was over the portal.

“Tony what happened?” Strange looks around.

“Y/N.” Clint swallows.

“Christina.” Strange nods, she moves away. Heading down the hall, meeting Cho. “How bad?”

“She hit her head on Bucky’s arm.” Peter explains.

“Trip and fall?” Strange lifts a brow.

“Explosion.” Nat swallows hard.

“I’ll go help Christina.” He nods, jogging after the doctor.

“I’ve read they’re the best. She is, Strange, doesn’t practice anymore. But she’s world renowned. When Strange stepped down, she took his place. She does miracle work.” Peter nods, trying to bring them some form of comfort.

“Thanks Peter.” Clint nods, dragging his hands down his face.

“I just mean, she’s in the best hands.” Peter shrugs.

“We know kid.” Tony assures his child.

“What if the damage is too bad?” Buck squeezes his eyes shut, pain ripping through his expression.

“She’s a good person. Good solider.” Steve spoke softly. Suddenly sitting up quickly. Buck’s head comes up, with wide eyes.

“Steve, Bucky. To my lab.” Tony jumps up. Clint watches them go, unable to even ask for an explanation.

“There is someone, I need to, make a call.” Peter slips from his chair, leaving as well.

“Should someone call Coulson?” Banner asks.

“I will.” Nat nods. She too stands and leaves the room.

“We need to do some testing and want to give her something for the pain. Is she allergic to anything?” Strange is standing in the opening.

“No, not medication.” Clint shakes his head.

“Any medical information we need?” Strange asks.

“Ahh. Yeah, she can’t be on heavy pain meds without making her sick. She’s got low iron, she takes a pill for it.” He rattles it off quickly.

“Good, I can make sure she gets the iron supplement, we’ll give her a nausea med to balance the pain meds.” Strange explains. Sam pats him on the shoulder, reminding him he wasn’t alone. Wanda laces her fingers with his. 

“Thank you.” She speaks up, when he can’t get his mouth to open again.

“I’ll keep you updated.” Strange nods, leaving once more.

“I jinxed it.” Clint whispers to himself. Nat is stepping back into the room.

“How?” Sam looks confused.

“I bought a ring, planned to ask her to spend her life with me.” He shakes his head, tears wetting his cheeks. “I jinxed it. Now she’s slipping through my fingers.” He sniffs.

“I did it. I pushed you. If anyone jinxed things, it was me. I’m at fault.” Nat speaks up.

“Nat. No.” He swallows.

“If Buck was here, he’d say it was his fault.” Sam adds.

“We’re all at fault.” Wanda’s voice the strongest. Her head held up. “We all fucked up. It should have been more than the two of them. I could have gone.” She looks between them. “You should have asked her a long time ago. Nat shouldn’t have tricked her. We all suck.” She shrugs. “But that’s family. We fuck up, but we stick together.”

“Coulson is flying out.” Nat explains, coming to take a seat.

“Guess calling him was premature.” Clint nods. Remembering the phone call with Coulson only hours before.

“He thought I was calling with her answer.” Nat admits.

“Damn.” Sam whispers.

“I’m going to see if there is anything I can do to help.” Banner stands, leaving but he doesn’t head for the Med room, he heads for the elevator like the others.

“I feel like,” Clint shifts in his seat, panic rising in his chest “like I, I can’t breathe.” He pulls at the collar of his T-shirt.

“Want to climb up into the rafters?” Sam offers. Wanda and Nat give him a dirty look. “It was a serious offer.” Sam huffs.

“Come on.” Nat grabs his hand, pulling him up.

“We can’t leave.” He tries to tug back.

“We’ll stay. FRIDAY will page you the second Strange is coming towards us.” Wanda nods.

“Come on.” Nat leads him towards the elevator.

“Nat I don’t think, I can’t breathe.” He swallows, taking short breathes. Feeling like he can’t get a good deep breathe.

“Shhh Barton. Focus on taking slow breathes.” She mummers softly. The elevator moves up, he tries to focus on breathing, but it just feels like he’s being slowly suffocated. The doors slide open and they’re on the landing pad. The breeze hits them, Nat pulls him from the elevator. “Deep breathes.” Her voice soft. “Marc, you see best from a distance. You breathe just the same.” She nods.

He sucks in a shaky, uneven breathe. He crumples, slumping back against the side wall. Deep breathes, the clarity he needed, was his undoing. Nat wraps around him, dropping down beside him. Allowing him to sob into her shoulder.

In coming alert warns them, someone was landing soon. His head comes up, Nat looks over. A quin jet hovers as it slows it’s landing on the pad. The jet slowly being pulled in under the cover of the tower. 

They exchange a look as the jet turns on the pad. The ramp beeps loudly, before slowly lowering. Standing in the opening, waiting for the ramp to come down. Phil Coulson.

“Sorry I took so long.” He steps down the ramp.

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

Everything Peaches 9/3/19 @mo320​ @courtmr​ @avxgers​ @eliza-kat​ @irepeldirt​ @jordan-ia​ @jcc04220​ @dumblani​ @nishanki1 @allyp1023​ @joannie95​ @rogvewitch​ @rileyloves5​ @sarahp879​ @sexyvixen7​ @doctoranon​ @queentoffee

@abschaffer2​ @tony-stank3​ @tomhardy41​ @bookluver01​ @drayshadow​ @teller258316​ @wandressfox​ @cutekittybast​ @amandab-ftw​ @carostar2020​ @thelostallycat​ @henrietteoaks​ @nea90sweetie​ @circusofchaos​ @bettercallsabs​ @miraclesoflove​ @queenkrissy11​ @shield-agent78​ @elite4cekalyma​ @sadyoungadult​ @destiel-artemis​ @isabelcrichards​ @iwillbeinmynest​ @sweet-honey15​ @scooby-doodoo​ @chanelmadrid13​ @killerbumblebee​ @spookygrantaire​ @geeksareunique​ @supernatural508​ @itzmegaaaaaaan​ @optimistic-babes​ @elizabethaellison​ @rainbowkisses31​ @aspiringtranslator​ @mariekoukie6661​ @pure-princess-97​ @capsheadquaters​ @youclickedthislink​ @futuremrsb-r-main​ @lovemarvelousfics​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @petersunderoos96​ @loving-life-my-way​ @itsy-bitsy-spidergirl​ @buckystolemyheart​ @booktvmoviefangirl​ @thatpeachybandgirl​ @supernatural-girl97​ @thefridgeismybestie​ @eggingamazinglove​ @deathofmissjackson​ @awkwardfangirl2014​ @muffininahandbasket​ @queenoftheunderdark​ @laneygthememequeen​ @writingaworldofmyown​ @death-unbecomes-you​ @shann-the-artist-moon​ @supernaturallover2002​ @daughterofthenight117​ @mcuwillbethedeathofme​ @verymuchclosetedfangirl​ @for-the-love-of-the-fandom​ @ocaptain-mycaptainmorgan​ @crazy-little-thing-called-buck​ @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​ @stupendoussciencenaturepanda​ @supernatural-strangerthings-1980​

Clint ‘Destory Me, I’ll Thank You’ Barton: @ml7010​ @sfreeborn​ @tanelle83​ @coley0823​ @xxloki81xx​ @boltsgirl919​ @carissime72​ @katpatrova17​ @honey-bee-holly​ @marvelfansworld​ @badassbeckettswan​ @fallinginlovewithqueue​ @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​

CBTM: @lakamaa12​ @alina-barnes​ @one-of-castiels​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @thedoctorlivesthroughbooks​ @jamesbarnesappreciationclub​

[cupidmarwani-archive]

Conspiracy (7/10)

Marjan is already calling 911 behind Carlos as he processes the scene in front of him. Tamin is on her feet with a bloody nose, gun extended out in front of her, shaking a little with the adrenaline and pain. But it’s TK who needs help, splayed out on the street in a pool of blood, the back of his shirt soaked with it on the shoulder. As Marjan talks to the dispatcher, kneeling next to TK and putting pressure on the wound, Carlos pushes Tamin’s arms down. 

“Put down the gun, officer,” he orders. “Lower your weapon.”

He helps her sit down and takes the gun from her before radioing dispatch himself.

“Detective Reyes, Homicide, to dispatch.”

“Go ahead, Reyes.”

“I’m at 1517 Union Street, code 444. Male, mid twenties, GSW to shoulder. I have an off-duty paramedic attending to him now, and she’s already called 911, put a rush on that call. I’ve disarmed the officer involved. She has a possible broken nose.”

“Copy that, sending a unit and a bus to you now.”

As much as he hates to do it, Carlos has to cuff Tamin until he knows what happened. She doesn’t look to be in any real medical distress, and there’s no weapon to be seen. Just to be sure, he pats down TK’s body- something Marjan doesn’t appreciate. She shoulders him out of the way. 

“He’s unarmed. He didn’t do anything.”

“He did something if my partner shot him.”

Marjan scoffs and puts more pressure on the wound, even as TK groans in pain. “Yeah, sure.”

Within minutes, the ambulance is there, and Carlos is torn between going with TK and staying with Tamin. In the end, he chooses Officer Tamin, who keeps staring at the blood on the pavement where he was laying. “Hey,” he says. “What happened, Kat?”

“He elbowed me in the face,” she answers. Her voice sounds hollow. “Then he tried to run. I told him to stop and he didn’t.”

“He was running away when you shot him?”

She doesn’t answer. 

Her union rep arrives with the unit to officially arrest her- Carlos can’t, not when they’re close. They take her away, and Carlos is left to go to the hospital, having gotten the address from the paramedics before they left. He has to talk to TK about this. Find out why he was running. Why he hit Tamin. Where he was going. But when he arrives, it’s not shocking that the whole 118 is there. Except Mateo. That’s worrying. He texts one of the other homicide detectives to keep an eye on Mateo before going into the hospital room.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Judd tells him. He stands protectively between Carlos and TK. “You’re the reason he got shot.”

“I’m not the one who did it.”

“Doesn’t make it not your fault.”

Carlos doesn’t have a response to that. Luckily, he doesn’t have to, because TK makes a distressed noise from his bed and all the focus is back on him. He’ll probably be fine. It was a clean shot through, hit no vital organs. Nothing to worry about. Carlos has been shot like that before, and within a few months, he was back at work without a problem. 

He bullies his way past Paul and Michelle to get to TK’s bedside, which makes his face curl up in anger despite how exhausted and pale he is. “You tell her to shoot me?”

“What? I wouldn’t-”

“You need to leave,” Marjan says firmly and shoves him hard enough to make him stumble.

This isn’t the place. It isn’t the right choice. He’ll only make things worse. But this is the chance Carlos needs to get some serious leverage against someone who was actively involved in the murder as opposed to a bystander like Mateo. Carlos does what he thinks is best. 

“Put your hands behind your back.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Judd shoves him too. “Leave her alone, man. Get out of here.”

In answer, Carlos radios for security and grabs Marjan by the shoulder, pulling her closer to him and wrenching her arms behind her back. She stands there and allows it, staring at her teammates as though she’s telling them something.

“Marjan Marwani, you’re under arrest for assaulting an officer. You have the right to remain silent…”

He finishes reading her her rights and then turns to Judd. By now, security has arrived, and happily provides him with an extra pair of cuffs to arrest him on the same charge. They even help him take the two down to his car for a ride to the station. Finally, he might be getting somewhere. Finally. But that doesn’t negate the look on TK’s face or the way they keep whispering to each other behind him no matter how many times he tells them to be quiet. This has to work. If he doesn’t solve this, TK was shot for nothing, and Tamin’s career could be over. 

A couple of uniformed officers bring Judd and Marjan in for him, placing them in separate interrogation rooms. Carlos sends another detective in to talk to Judd while he goes to see Marjan. She’s still. Watching him. Waiting for him to make the first move, like this is a chess match and not a murder interrogation.

“You can go to jail for a year,” Carlos tells her, “for putting your hands on me.”

“You deserved it.”

“Like Captain Strand deserved to die?”

She tilts her head to the side. “He did.”

“And you were part of that, right?”

“I’m not confessing.”

Carlos wishes he could just make her admit it. Admit she did something wrong. Admit she planned and carried out murder. Admit that she did something. 

“I know you want to protect your family, and you want to protect yourself. I get that. I do. But this isn’t going to go away, and I promise, it will be so much easier on all of you if you just tell me the truth about what happened. I know that Captain Strand did awful things to Mateo and TK, and that’s- that’s grounds for a good defense. You don’t have to get the death penalty, or even life in prison, Marjan, if you just talk to me.”

“I’d rather die.”

He sighs and tries a different approach. Something has to get through to her. It has to. 

“We know Michelle is the one who cut him open.” 

Marjan raises an eyebrow at him. 

“And we know you’re the one who castrated him. Did Captain Strand ever do anything to you, Marjan?”

“Not to me.”

He’s not getting anywhere with her. “But you know he abused Mateo and TK. Didn’t that make you mad?”

“Of course it made me mad. I wanted to kill him for what he did to them! There’s no excuse for that, I mean, he just- I can’t believe anyone would do that, especially to their own son, and he- he deserved everything he got. He deserved it!”

When she’s finished, Carlos just stares at her. It seems to register what she’s just said, and she sinks back in her chair, defeated. She knows what she’s said. But she’s not going to let someone else take the fall for it, Carlos can see it in her eyes.

“I did it by myself,” she says.

“No you didn’t. The forensic evidence shows there were at least two other people involved, and TK had to have given you his key. It’ll be easier if you tell me who was with you. I already know, but it’ll be better if you tell me.”

“Rot in hell.”

Carlos slides a notepad and pen to her across the table. “Write down everything that happened. How you got into Captain Strand’s apartment, how you killed him, how you got the blood off you. Everything.”

She picks up the pen and mouths a prayer, but before she puts the ink to paper, the door of the interrogation room opens. “Reyes.” 

He steps out while she begins to write, and asks what’s going on once the door is safely shut. 

“Ryder just confessed. Implicated Marwani, TK Strand, and the paramedics in the murder. You should talk to him.”

That’s a shock. But it’s a good thing. It means this case is almost over. “Stop Marjan from writing her confession until I hear his side of the story. She’s trying to take the fall for it.”

The other detective takes his place in the interrogation room, and Carlos goes to look through the window at Judd. He has a lawyer with him, a public defender, and he’s staring at the wall with a wet gleam on his cheeks. This can’t have been easy. But it’s a good thing.

@smileofthesun27 @skylark50 @heartofmarjan @chiefsheepbird @ebug2002 @proceduralpassion @cauldronbornkid

[imagine-loki]

Gifted

TITLE: Gifted (Sequel to Giftless)

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 1/?

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine that you are Stark’s niece and you secretly share a strong relationship with Loki since he entered the crew. One day you get hurt so bad during a mission that you are about to die.  Loki knows a spell that will save you and share his immortality with you but you and he will be linked forever sharing thoughts, pain, emotions…

RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS:  Also on AO3 click here

Days and weeks passed and Loki didn’t return. There were no notes, no visits, no contact at all. You returned to your life immediately, determined to keep your word to yourself that you wouldn’t become a useless depressed lump over your boyfriend, no matter how much his absence hurt.  You still missed him deeply and your world was lonely without him, but you kept your word. You went on patrols with Tony. You kept up in all of your classwork easily because of the soulbond. You spent time with the other supers.

It was hard, but you managed your life.

You never took the ring Loki had given you off, choosing to hope that one day he would return.

You searched and searched for the spell-book with the portal spell in it, but it was gone. Vanished like it had never existed in this world. You tried to pull the memories of it from the soulbond, to figure out how to open the portal and follow him, but it wasn’t there. 

You were cut off.

Your 19th birthday came and went. You allowed yourself tears that day when Loki didn’t come back for you. You had hoped the trouble would be over by then.

You graduated from high school top of the year, which was no surprise since you had access to all of Loki’s memories and knowledge thanks to the soulbond. You and Tony went to take your graduation pictures by your parents’ graves in the cemetery. You even used magic to hold the camera so you could get some shots of yourself and your uncle.

You started college across town and moved into an apartment off campus in Tony’s name. They wouldn’t let a freshman live off campus otherwise, but since it was in your uncle’s name, and he was Tony Stark, they made an exception. It had taken a lot of negotiations with the school and Fury to finally sort your college experience away. Fury wanted you to work full-time for the Avengers. You told him you would after you earned your PhD. You had wanted to be a doctor for so long when you were powerless that you didn’t want to give up on the dream now. You got to test out of most of the classes because of your soulbond with Loki, so you only had a few classes and clinical hours to complete to finish your degree. You could probably do it in a year if you really wanted to. Especially since the school was willing to use your hours healing the Avengers toward your clinical hours. It was a completely illogical plan and there were so many rules broken with it, but in the end, all three parties were happy.

You got an emergency call halfway through one of your lecture courses one day nearly a year after Loki had left. You shut your phone off and stood. You gave a small bow to the Asian professor and an apology. She nodded and the entire class turned to look at you. You had permission to leave all of your classes for emergency calls from the Avengers. You had found out quickly, though, that your disappearances were taken better if you gave them a show when you did. You vanished your bag and sent all of your things back to your apartment. You then used magic to change your clothes to your superhero costume, including the cape you never actually wore as part of it.

“Sigyn!” came the roar of the lecture class. With a bow to them, you teleported back to the compound where the Avengers lived. You actually teleported directly into the infirmary. A safe teleportation spot had been created for you there, and it was extra important now that you lived on your own. You vanished the cape, changing back to normal clothes, and rushed to the emergency bay to find the super who needed your help. It was a brand new kid, one you’d never met before.

“He jumped off of the Metropolis building trying to get his powers,” one of the junior healers told you as you rushed into the room.  Since magic was reintroduced to the world, kids tried stupid things to get latent powers to manifest.  Like jumping off the Metropolis building. 

“I really wish someone would put a stop to that,” you replied as you went over to the kid. You placed your hands on him, your hands glowing blue as you healed the broken bones and put the poor kid back together again. Your powers had grown over the last year and you could do this big of a healing now without being useless for the rest of the day. You finished the healing and smiled at the junior healer. “He’ll be ok. Make sure Fury gives him hell for jumping off the Metropolis building,” 

She nodded her agreement. “Will do, Healer Sigyn,” she replied. You were still getting used to being called that.  You were so used to just being Kat.  It had been a year of having powers and you still hadn’t really adjusted.

While you was home, you checked in on the other patients and healed a couple who needed it. After that, you went upstairs to see if Tony was home. “Kat!” he called the moment you opened his door. You let him wrap you in a hug, even though Uncle Tony wasn’t really a hugger.

“Uncle Tony, you just saw me two days ago.” you had been called out on patrol with the team just the other night.

“I know, but that’s the only time you ever see you anymore, imp,” he whined.

You smiled and grabbed the other video game controller on his coffee table. “Up for a game?” you asked. He laughed and you settled on his couch to play for awhile. 

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. The next Avengers movie is being filmed here next week. Didn’t know if you wanted to stop by.” 

You nodded enthusiastically. “Of course I do!” you replied with a grin. You were friends with a couple of the actors and hadn’t seen them in awhile.

“I worry about you, imp,” Tony said after awhile of kicking his ass at video games. 

You rolled your eyes. “Why on Earth for? I’m one of the most powerful supers in existence, and the only time I even go on patrol it’s with you,” you reminded him as you proceeded to kill him in the game.  

Again.

“You’ve isolated yourself from everyone,” he explained.

“Have not,” you replied stubbornly.

“Name one friend you have at school,”

“That doesn’t mean anything. I’m only going to be there for a year, two tops. It doesn’t make sense to get too attached to those kids,” you replied. It didn’t matter that you were younger than everyone in all of your classes. They still acted like kids.

“And when was the last time you went on a date?” he asked. 

You glared at him. “Do you really want to know about my love life?” you demanded, hoping that would get him to drop it.

“No, but you worry about you enough to ask.”

“You know very well when my last date was,” you snarled at him. It was uncalled for to be so mean to your uncle when he was just being nice and asking about you, but it wasn’t nice of him to bring it up either.  He knew that you hadn’t moved past Loki.  

You wouldn’t move past Loki.

Loki had promised to return.

And you were soulbound.

He would return.

“That’s what I thought,” Tony rolled his eyes.  “Kat, you can’t just keep waiting around for him to come back. He’s not coming back. It’s been a year.” Tony told you, gentling his tone.

“He will. He promised,” you told him firmly, though your words sounded like a little girl’s dream instead of the words of the strongest super in the world. You set down the controller and touched the ring Loki had given you the night he left before tracing the patterns of magic that went up your arm, marking you as soulbound. Loki had literally bound your souls and lives together to save your life.

“Kat…” Tony said gently. 

You just glared at him. “I’m fine, Uncle Tony,” you told him firmly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around as often, but I’m in college now and living on my own.” 

He wrapped you in another hug. “I know. Sorry, Kat. I just worry about you,” 

You nodded and hugged him back.  “I know. I don’t mean to worry you.  I really am ok,” you reassured him.

The lie felt hollow in your own mouth.  

And no wonder Loki wrinkled his nose at lies. They smelled terrible.

[bbyboybrock--archived]

Serendipity (C.B) | Chapter 20

Summary: Serendipity: (n) the chance occurrence of events in a beneficial way

Popular youtuber Isabella Hart, known as Bella to her audience, bends over backwards to separate her youtube life from her private life. Known for her overall clean content and her bubbly attitude, Isabella has a wild side to her that only those inside the youtube community know about. When Bella meets Colby during one of the trap house parties she finally meets someone she can be her genuine self with. When trouble arises after their meeting, will Bella be able to hand the pressure or will she destroy her relationship with Colby as well as herself in the process. [This starts in 2018]

Written: 2019

Word Count: 2,069

Warnings: swearing and fluff

Serendipity Masterlist

"Holy shit, what happened to you?" I turn around and see Jake staring at me.

I woke up this morning and Colby was gone. I had to use the bathroom and after a bit of hobbling, I made it. But then I got bored just waiting upstairs. How I made it downstairs with a broken leg and crutches is a mystery. I made it down and just decided to just chill on the couch, where Jake found me.

"Exploring a haunted forest gone wrong. Turns out I'm a bigger dumbass than you." I finish sending a text to Colby asking him if I should order breakfast or if he was going to bring something back.

"Someone's grumpy," Jake disappears into the kitchen and then returns with some snacks.

"You know, just because my leg is broken it doesn't mean I won't fight you."I kick Jake with my good leg causing him to drop his chips on the floor.

The front door opens and a few seconds Colby walks in. He walks into the kitchen without saying anything. A few seconds later be backs up and then locks eyes on me.

"Please tell me Jake helped you down here." He looks between the both of us hoping that he's not imaging what we both know happened.

"Uh... No, he didn't. I managed to get here myself." I grab a pillow and try to hide behind it.

Colby mutters something under his breath and walks back into the kitchen. Jake looks at me and gets up to leave. I try to grab his shirt but I miss. Jake runs back upstairs to his room, probably to hide from the awkwardness between Colby and I. Nothing is going on with us. Last night we aired out a few things in the hospital room. But there are things that I wanted to talk about and I know there are things that Colby wanted to talk about.

I guess that's what we do. Both of us pour ourselves into our relationship and yet we both bottle things up until the bottle burst. The first time the bottle broke was when Colby got drunk and accused me of cheating. The second time was after I got disowned by my family. The bottles aren't broken again, but they're both overflowing. One of us is going to crack, and if I'm correct, it might be Colby.

We still haven't talked about what happened when he got arrested. That was over a week ago. I asked Kat if she and Sam talked about it and she said they did the night he got back. I'm trying not to push, I'm hoping he'll talk when he's ready. I've seen how Colby gets when people make him uncomfortable. I don't want to be one of those people. If I do I honestly don't know what will happen between us. I don't want to think about it but it keeps me up at night.

"Here," Colby walks back in with a bag of food and two drinks. He hands me the bag and a drink. He sits down next to me and takes a sip of his drink.

"Thank you. Where did you go this morning?" I dig in the bag and take out two breakfast burritos. I hand Colby his.

"Thanks. I went to fill your pain pill prescription. How do you feel?" Colby pulls the pill bottle out of his pocket and shows me.

"I'm fine. I'm sore and my leg hurts but not enough to need something. Listen, can you take me home? I have to call my manager to postpone a few projects. Also, there may or may not be a party tonight that I wanted to go to?"

"Yeah, I'll take you home in about an hour. You really want to party tonight? You literally just broke your leg."

"It's not a party, party. My manager wanted me to go to network. It's a work thing really. Can you take me please?"

"Okay. Eat your breakfast, you dork. And no more going up and down the stairs by yourself. I mean it." Colby kisses my cheek before going back to eating.

****

Colby and I barely got home from the party five minutes ago. I feel bad for having Colby driving me around all day today. I know he has things to do. He's extra tried because he woke up earlier than he normally does, and considering we got home super later the night before doesn't help. Because he insisted on dropping me off at my apartment, I convinced him to spend the night. It's safer and he won't have to worry about me hobbling around on my own. It's a win-win situation. After this morning, he doesn't trust me to be in the trap house where I will go up and down the stairs on my own.

However, because of the pain medication, I'm also exhausted. Honestly, I'm so tired that I don't care about taking off my make up. I mean, I do but it'll be too much work. Colby, being the lovely boyfriend that he is, offered to do it for me. I think he feels bad still that I got hurt during his video. I had to keep telling him throughout the day that it wasn't his fault. But he had this sad look on his face every-time I winced in pain or he looked on my leg, so I just let him do whatever he wanted to make him feel better. I'm the one with a broken bone and I'm comforting him. I'm so headass in love with this idiot.

"Hey guys, long story short, I am heavily medicated on pain medication and too tired to take my make up off. Colby here has offered to do a nice thing and do it for me and I thought it would be funny to film it." We set up a camera in the bathroom too, might as well kill two birds with one stone and get next week's video out of the way. My whole video planning schedule is off because of my leg. I have to plan some sit-down videos for a while.

"You just want people to see me fail," Colby says as I grab my makeup wipes from under the sink.

"Or, you know, maybe I want you to be everyone's boyfriend goals."

"Goals? More like boyfriend standards." Colby jokes. He changes quickly off-camera and tosses me an extremely large shirt. I'm going to have to wear these to sleep every night now until I get my cast off. I can wear shorts if the leg hole is wide enough. I somehow manage to take my dress off and slip the shirt on. For the life of me, I can't manage to unhook my bra.

"Baby, can you—" Before I could even finish asking, Colby's hand snakes around my back and he unhooks my bra in one fluid motion. He didn't even look up from opening my wipes.

"See? Boyfriend standards," He says while looking at the camera after realizing what he did.

"I can feel the demonetization that's going to happen just because you unclasped my bra with one hand." We both laugh for a few seconds before going back to the video.

It's suddenly tense. Colby gently turns my face towards him and pulls a makeup wipe out. He scans my face, trying to figure out where to start. His eyes stop on my cheek and starts clean it.

"Wait! I know you've seen me without makeup loads of time, but I'm actually really nervous." I grabbed Colby's hand to stop him.

"Baby, I don't care if you'll look like Fiona under your makeup. I still love you. Besides, if I haven't broken up with you after seeing you when you've just woken up, nothing will scare me away."

"Cole—"

"Kidding! I'm totally kidding. I'm sorry, I saw an opportunity and took it. But on a serious note, you're beautiful. So let me take your make up off so I can see your face and we can go to bed."

Colby goes back trying clean my face. He moves gently at first. So gently that I'm positive he hasn't taken a single particle of makeup off of my face. I put more pressure on his hand to let him know that he won't hurt me.

While Colby works, we talk about everything that happened last night in the forest. I don't know how the final edit of their video is going to come out. I told Sam that they can use my footage, including the part when I got hurt. After we got out of the hospital we filmed little updates. Even though I said that they can use everything, I know that Colby has half of the final say and on this matter, Sam won't argue with him about it. It's not like Sam is dying to use the clips of me getting hurt in the video. It'll be fine without it. Even if he just uses that parts before that when I got lost. Even if Colby allows me getting hurt to be a part of the video, they have to consider how the fans might look at the situation. The part that could make the video even more interesting, could backfire on them. Regardless of what they put in their video, it doesn't mean we can't talk about it on my channel.

Colby stops for a second, "Oh wow," he mutters under his breath.

"What?" I turn to the mirror to see what could have made Colby stop. Most of my face is bare. The only place with makeup on it is my eyes.

"You have freckles. I can't believe that I've dated you for so long and didn't realize that you have freckles." My hands fly up to my face and cover my face.

"Oh shit, I forgot,"

"You forgot you had freckles?" Colby pries my hands from my face and forces me to look at him.

"Of course I didn't forget that I have freckles. I forgot that you didn't know. You never noticed because I would cover them up with makeup. I would wake up a little earlier and hide under the covers before bed. I hate them. My brothers and I are the perfect mixtures of our parents. The best features from our Haitian dad melt with our very Irish mother's best features. But I was the only one to be genetically cursed with my mom's angel kisses. Except, on her, they actually look like angel kisses. On me, they just plague my nose and cheeks."

"Isabella, calm down. I love you and your freckles. You're perfect and if I hear you put yourself down one more time, we're going to fight." Colby kisses my nose before going back to wiping my make up off.

After a few eye-poking mishaps and Colby's fascinating discovery of my false lashes, he's finally done. I take the wipe from his hand and clean any parts that he missed; which isn't much. I throw away the wipe and turn to Colby. He has a dopy look on his face. His mouth smiling but his eyes look dazed.

"I prefer this Izzy. You're beautiful. You should go without makeup more often. Or at least wear less if you do have to wear it." Colby strokes my face and kisses my forehead.

"I-I legitimately don't know how to respond. T-thank you? Look what you're doing to me. Let's wrap up the video and go to bed." I quickly peck Colby on the lips before going back to face the camera.

"Wait! What about your nighttime face routine?" Colby goes under the sink and grabs all my face washing stuff.

"Colby— No, you're tired. You went to bed late and woke up early. I don't even think you took a nap when you said you were. We're going to bed."

"Trust me, a few more minutes of being awake won't kill me. I'll even sleep in tomorrow if that makes you feel better." I stare at Colby for nearly a minute. He already has all of my things out and he looks excited.

"Fine, but if you wake up before me, you're in trouble," I say as I put my hair up. I look annoyed but on the inside, I'm screaming at how cute this all is.

[everlarkficexchange]

The Virgin (Social) Suicides

WRITTEN BY: @ally147writes

PROMPT 85: Katniss makes unsettling discovery that everyone in her close and extended group of friends has dated at least once and sometimes even each other. Except for her. The “late bloomer” teasing (b/c she’s never even been kissed) stings. Older boy Gale crosses paths with group, finds he shares common interests with Katniss, they get together to hunt, leads to him casually inviting her out for a real dinner date. Not feeling desire but pressure to “get it over with,” she accepts. Peeta has regrets. [submitted by @567inpanem]

NOTES: I desperately wanted to have this complete, but uni conspired against me. A million thanks to our angel mods, @xerxia31 and @javistg for holding this exchange, and allowing the extra week 😊

This is parts one-and-a-half (ish?) of a (probably?) four-part story. I won’t be posting to AO3 or anywhere else until the rest of it is complete. Parts 2, 3 and 4 are all between 30% and 75% complete already, so hopefully it won’t take me too long to wrap up.

Unbeta’d. All errors are my own.

Rated M for swears and discussions of sex (or lack thereof)

Thom and Lavinia’s engagement party is a sedate affair, which Katniss never would have guessed. Whenever Thom or Lavinia were left in charge of planning anything, it always started with them drowning themselves in cheap beer at Abernathy’s, got a bit muddy somewhere in between, and ended in a trip to the hospital for someone to get their broken wrist or dislocated shoulder set.

And once, to the police station, to face indecent exposure charges.

The doing of their mothers, Katniss supposes. (Probably a smart move, considering the alternatives; no one’s engagement party should end in a holding cell). They’re perched by the string quartet, amongst a cluster of white rose bushes, their oversized, feather-trimmed hats knock against each other’s with every exaggerated, bird-like nod and squawking laugh they release, while their husbands make awkward small-talk by the fence overlooking the golf course.

How they’re out there like that in the sun, in dark suits and all, Katniss has no idea. She dabs a napkin across her damp hairline and peels her sticky skin away from the plastic of the chair. An afternoon in the sprawling gardens of the Snow estate, when it’s pushing a hundred degrees out, isn’t exactly her idea of a good day — if she weren’t part of the bridal party, Katniss would have skipped out hours ago. Add that to the cocktail dress she all but shoved her body into and the hair that’s falling out of her braid and sticking to her glossed lips, she’s about ready to revolt.

But, she concedes, Thom’s parents are loaded up to their eyeballs, and they’ve made sure there’s free — mercifully cold — booze everywhere, so bottom’s up.

The happy couple don’t seem to mind the heat, or the change in pace too much. The groom-to-be dips his laughing bride over his arm and kisses her square on the lips, swaying along to the soft tones of the violin strings, the intimate connection between them somehow the simplest thing in the world. The scene should inspire at least a smile — she’s happy for her friends, right? But it tugs somewhere deep at Katniss instead, unrelenting and unrepentant, leaving behind an odd sort of hollowness, demanding more yet leaving her starving for… something.

“They’re sweet together, aren’t they?” says Madge as she sips her champagne.

Katniss shakes her head, but she can’t stop the nagging in her gut. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a little sickening, actually.”

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?”

“What? They’re hunting for each other’s intestines through their mouths.”

“You are absolutely disgusting.” Madge swipes a celery stick from their shared crudité platter and nibbles at it like a rabbit. “Please stop speaking.”

“I’m still not wrong.”

“I guess it is kind of funny, though,” Madge goes on, chomping through the celery. “You’d never guess he could be so doting. I mean, when I dated Thom, the nicest thing he ever did for me was give me the olives off his pizza.” She sighs and smiles an odd little smile as Katniss’ hand freezes with a cherry tomato halfway to her mouth. “I guess it really does change everything when you meet the right person.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” She drops the tomato, and it bounces off the table and lands on the floor, where someone will slip on it later, probably her. “You dated Thom? As in, Thom, Thom?”

Madge arches a plucked brow. “Well, yeah, a while ago now, not long after we first started college. Well before Lav was in the picture, if that’s what you’re worried about. I thought you knew about it; we were all friends then.”

Katniss frowns and tries to dredge the memory — what would Thom have looked like then? Was this during his mohawk days, or after? “For how long?”

Madge quirks her head to the side, and not a single strand falls out of her intricate up-do. “I don’t know. A few months, maybe? Not a long time.”

Katniss taps her index finger — unadorned with polish, to Prim’s everlasting dismay — against the pristine surface of the timber table. “Is it… weird? Being friends with him now, I mean?”

Madge laughs. “Kat, if it was weird to hang out with someone I’d dated before, I’d have to find a whole new group of friends.”

“Why?” Madge smiles that weird little smile again, and the urge to slap it off is overwhelming. “How many of them have you gone out with?”

“Uh…? Let’s see.” Madge counts them off on her fingers, like there’s a real need to keep track of them. “Thom, Darius, Gloss. Leevy a couple of times, too, but that was over pretty much as soon as it started. Oh, and Peeta once, as well.”

Katniss chokes on a piece of cucumber. Oh, god. “Peeta, too?”

“Yeah. What’s the matter, Katniss?” Madge flashes another grin as Katniss knocks back a hearty sip of her drink. “Jealous?”

“No!” she exclaims. But without even meaning to, she finds Peeta across the courtyard, where he’s entertaining Lavinia’s many nieces and nephews with embarrassing Dad-style magic tricks. The sleeves of his starched, pale blue dress shirt are pushed up around his elbows, and there’s a rogue curl stuck with sweat against his forehead. He meets her eyes and smiles at her, as warm and tangible as a touch. Her cheeks flood with heat and she tears her gaze away. God, it’s like they’re in school all over again.

Madge shoots a grin Katniss can only describe as shit-eating, and it’s all she can do not to throw her remaining champagne in Madge’s face.

“No, of course you’re not,” Madge says, like she’s talking down a screaming child. “That would mean you had a soul or something.”

There’s nothing she can say now that wouldn’t incriminate her further. Katniss turns to the dripping glass of ice water at her elbow and drains it.

“Well…” she says, once she’s certain the nuclear blush on her cheeks is under control. “Why’d you only go out with him once?”

Madge smiles that stupid little smile again. The secret one Katniss has no insight to or context for.

“Peeta’s… very sweet. He’ll make the girl he’s got his eye on extremely happy.”

The words are innocuous, but something in Katniss seizes urgently. “Peeta’s got someone in mind?”

Madge nods and adds solemnly, “Has done for years now.”

“Years?” There’s no good reason why this information should make her want to break something. None at all. “Why won’t he make a move?”

Madge snorts, and the sound is weird coming out of someone so refined. “Honestly?” she says, as she flags down a waiter for another class of champagne. “I’d say he’s terrified. The girl isn’t exactly one who’ll take his declaration with open arms.”

She shouldn’t — she knows she doesn’t want to — but she prods anyway. “You know who she is?”

“She was pretty much the basis of our one and only date. He didn’t think he had a chance, needed someone to wallow with, that sort of thing.” Madge smiles a dreamy sort of smile and tips her eyes closed. “God, we got so drunk.”

“…And?”

“I’m not going to tell you!” Madge nudges her with her bony elbow, but the effect is ruined by the draping, bell-sleeves of Madge’s deep-aubergine dress. “Ask him yourself if you’re that curious.”

Yeah, there’s not a prayer in hell of that happening.

“So,” Katniss says instead. “Have our friends always been so… incestuous?”

Madge rolls her eyes and, for the first time since this awkward line of questioning began, looks vaguely annoyed. “Katniss, what’s the problem? I’m pretty sure Annie and Finnick are the only other completely monogamous people we know. Johanna’s dated pretty much everyone, too. Cato made the rounds too, before he got his shit together with Clove. Darius dated Lavinia, too, when he and Thom were roommates. That’s how she met Thom in the first place.”

“So… yes?”

Madge laughs and sighs at the same time. “It’s people in their mid-twenties being people in their mid-twenties. Honestly, I’m surprised you never noticed before — it’s not like Johanna’s discreet about it or anything — but I guess you’ve always been a bit…”

“A bit what?”

“A bit… I don’t know… pure, I guess?”

“Pure?” She spits the word out like poison and leaves it in the air.

Madge pats her arm. “There’s nothing wrong with pure, Kat. It’s just… we’re twenty-five now, you know? You don’t need to be so embarrassed about anyone else’s love life. Hell, maybe we should get you a nice date of your own, so you’ve got something else to focus on.”

Heat crawls up her chest and settles in her face. Her fancy cocktail dress feels way too small and way too hot.

“Uh…”

“Kat…”

“… Yeah?”

“You have gone on a date before, haven’t you?”

“I… uh… no?”

She’s not sure why it comes out as a question. She sure knows about her complete and total lack of love life; no need to have other people confirming it for her.

Madge’s jaw drops. “You’re kidding.”

“Why would I joke about that?” she retorts. “And we’ve been friends for how long, now? How didn’t you notice?”

“I don’t know! It’s just that…” She scrutinises Katniss like she’s a wayward science experiment. “Really?”

Katniss rolls her eyes. “Yes, Madge. Really.”

“Not even in college? No one? Nothing?”

“Is it so hard to believe?” Katniss snaps. “No, Madge. I have never, not once, ever gone on a date.”

 “Well, you’ve… you’ve at least had sex before, right?”

Heat fills her cheeks until she’s sure she’s about to melt from the pain of it all, though she’s got no idea why it embarrasses her so much. It’s normal, right? Or normal-ish, at least. And it’s not like she planned on it happening. Or not happening. Whatever.

Her virginity isn’t some sacred, precious jewel she’s carting around in a bubble wrap-lined basket. And it’s not something she’s hoarding, just so she can get down on bended knee and present it to The Right Guy when The Right Moment comes along. It’s not a personal choice, a feminist statement or even a religious one. The opportunity to do so just hasn’t… come up, so to speak.

And it’s fine. She guesses. Most of the time, it doesn’t even bother her. She’s had enough going on in her life that it isn’t something she’s missed, or even had time for. And it’s not like she’d be any good at any of it, anyway. The hand-holding. The intimacy. The kisses.

The sex.

The mere idea almost makes her shudder. She’d suck. And not in the sexy way.

It might be nice. Maybe. One day. When she’s good and ready to make it happen.

Until then, though…

“Uh…”

Madge’s bright blue eyes blow wide. “Katniss!” she shrieks.

A hundred people turn and stare at them, Peeta included, not even slightly helping her blush to fade faster.

“For the love of God, Madge, would you keep it down?” Katniss swats at Madge’s arm and hisses down at the table, “No, I’ve never done… anything.”

Madge lowers her voice to a harsh whisper. “Not even kissed?”

Right on cue, Thom kisses Lavinia again, long enough for it to get awkward. Katniss scowls and looks away. “No, Madge,” she mumbles. “Not even kissed. Or held hands. Or hugged or by someone who wasn’t an immediate family member.”

“What about yourself? Do you masturbate?”

“Fucking hell, Madge, really?”

“Okay, sorry. I just…” Madge gives a tight laugh and shakes her head. “I… You cannot be serious right now.”

“What part of this is so hard to believe?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you’re gorgeous, for one. A great person, kind, generous, brave, loyal to a fault. Anyone would be lucky, you know?”

Katniss snorts and drags a carrot stick through a warm bowl of hummus. Why couldn’t they have held the party indoors, like normal people? Yeah, maybe she’d still be getting the third degree, but at least the condiments might be cold. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so.”

“Well,” Madge starts, leaning in so they’re a hairsbreadth apart. “Have you ever… you know, wanted to?”

There’s no right way to answer that question. If she says yes, she’s as doomed as if she answers no. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Are you…” Madge stops, starts, opens and closes her mouth like a fish blowing bubbles. “Have you ever thought that you might be ace or something?” She holds up her hands and all but yells before Katniss can say anything, “Not that there’s… it doesn’t matter if you are or anything like that, I just thought… maybe you’re —”

“— No,” Katniss cuts in, before Madge can hurt herself. “I’ve had… you know, crushes and stuff before, I’ve just never been in a relationship, and I wouldn’t have rejected one if it came along.” She shrugs. “It just never did, and I’m okay with that.”

But, is she? God, and she’s always thought of herself as an enlightened, modern, don’t-need-no-man sort of woman, too.

“Honestly, Kat? You’ve probably been hit on a thousand times, but it never registered in your head that it was even happening to you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that… I don’t think you’re aware of the effect you have on people, that’s all.”

Katniss frowns at the wilting crudité platter. “You’re making me sound like a heartless bitch.”

Madge rolls her eyes. “Of course, you’re not a heartless bitch. I’m just saying you should… I don’t know… open your eyes a little, take a second look, you know? Someone might really surprise you one day.”

Again — completely against her will, she swears — she finds Peeta across the courtyard. This time, he doesn’t look up from pulling a coin from a little girl’s ear. “I’ll think about it.”

“You definitely won’t, but I’ll give you a pass for tonight.”

Katniss cringes. “You’re not going to make it your mission to get me laid, are you?”

“This isn’t a shitty eighties movie, Katniss,” Madge says as she pushes her seat away from the table and stands on her ridiculous four-inch heels. “So, no. I’m not going to try and get you laid. Now, let’s go dance or something; it’s a party, for God’s sake.”

XXX

The next time they’re all together, at a reasonable temperature and in normal clothes, Katniss surveys her friends with a strange, acute sense of awareness she didn’t possess before. Annie perched on Finnick’s lap, feeding him pretzels like coins in a slot machine; Cato and Clove with their arms wrapped around each other so tight it looks like it should hurt; Johanna and Bristel with their tongues so far down each other’s throats that they’re probably going to leave and do God knows what before their next round arrives. All of them know a sort of intimacy Katniss can’t even begin to fathom. All of them… except her.

And it’s… weird. Like she’s on the outside of a joke that’s been going on for years.

How are they all still friends? How is it all so… natural for them? Granted, it’s not like she’s got any insight to what’s going on in their brains, but it must be awkward on some level, mustn’t it? How can you share so much of yourself with one person, then pretend like it never happened? And then, how can you do it with four or five or maybe even more of the people you hang out with the most? Katniss can’t wrap her mind around any of it.

Only Peeta, sitting beside her, seems to notice her out-of-body experience.

He nudges her ankle with his foot beneath the table and leans in to whisper, “Are you all right, Katniss?”

She shivers at the warmth and scent of him, of cinnamon and dill and all kinds of other delicious things. He’s never smelled bad in all the time she’s known him. “Yeah. Just, uh… weird day.” She tips back her gin and tonic and almost chokes on it.

He nods, thoughtful, and takes another sip of his own drink, the only one he’ll have for the whole night. “That sucks,” he says, and she can tell he means it, too. He smiles, and another shiver races through her. “Wanna talk about it?”

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Just the usual.”

“Another drink, then?”

“I think I’m done for the night, but thanks.”

He shrugs and takes another sip. “No problem.”

“Hey… is it true you dated Madge?” She wants to punch herself in the face as soon as the words leave her mouth.

He almost spits out his drink. “What?” He coughs and thumps his chest with his fist. “She told you about that?”

“She just mentioned it. I had no idea.”

“It was… uh, a while ago.” He drags a hand through his curls and surveys her with something almost like worry. “What else did she tell you?”

“Not much. Just that you guys went out a couple of times —”

“— Once,” Peeta cuts in, a tendon in his jaw twitching. “We went out once. Years ago.”

“All right.” She holds up her hands in surrender. “Sorry for mentioning it.”

“No, Katniss —” He breaks off with a sigh and twirls the last of his beer around in the bottle. “Yeah, Madge and I went out. It wasn’t a big deal. We were both dealing with… I don’t know, shitty personal lives, I guess?”

“Madge said it was to forget a girl.”

Jesus fucking Christ, would someone please, please, cut out her tongue?

“I… uh…” He chugs back the rest of his beer in one feel swoop. Awesome, now he doesn’t have to watch her tear at her hair. “I guess it was kind of like that. I think Madge had just stopped seeing that Blight guy? It was… a while ago, that’s for sure.” He looks at her critically. “Why do you ask?”

She lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I don’t know. Just, she mentioned it and I was… curious, I guess.”

His lips quirk into a hint of a smile. “Curious about what, Katniss?”

Yeah, her brain taunts her. Curious about what, Katniss?

Even if she knew, she’s got no clue how to go about admitting it to Peeta, of all people.

“I don’t know,” she mumbles at her empty glass. “Nothing, I guess.”

Now, the concern is back full-force. “You sure?”

Not really, but she’s not so sure why or what or how anymore. “Yeah. I’m sure. But I think I’ll take that drink now, if you’re still offering.”

He flags down the nearest server and says, “Yeah. I think I might, too.”

[the-quiet-winds]

Never an Honest Word

welcome back to the ward au with the only oneshot that exists. who is ready for pure fucking fluff. @ichlugebulletsandcornnuts and i wrote this in probably about an afternoon. 

enjoy

it had taken a lot of convincing to get katherine welcomed back into court, and even then henry was distant, not that he had ever been especially kind to her in the first place. but neither katherine nor jane particularly cared. they had each other, and edward was growing into a strapping young boy...even though he was just barely touching towards eight months.

“you’re so good with him,” jane comments as she watches katherine lightly rock the boy in her arms. “he really does love his sister, huh?” she jokes lightly.

as if to emphasise jane’s point, edward reaches out his tiny arms towards katherine and babbles happily. the boy had a fascination with katherine’s hair, although he wasn’t quite old enough to work out how to do anything except pull it so he wasn’t allowed to play with it.

“and i love him,” katherine grins, adjusting edward’s position to sit more upright. “i can’t believe how big he’s getting.”

“it really does seem just yesterday that he was the tiniest little thing.” jane watches her children, letting the unspoken words at how much they’d both grown up run through her mind; edward was getting bigger and more capable every day, and katherine had now surpassed jane’s height and was practically fluent in french.

katherine must have somehow heard jane’s thought about the french, because she looks down at the baby boy in her arms and starts to sing a lullaby, one she had picked up from a quick spot in france they had done.

her voice is soft, barely reaching jane’s ears from across the room, but it makes her heart simply swell with love. katherine was a wonderful big sister; she just knows that someday, when edward is older, he and his sister will be inseparable, even as turbulent as time in court can be.

edward babbles along as if he too knew the song and was joining in and jane notices the beaming smile on katherine’s face.

“you’re so clever!” katherine laughs softly, cooing at the boy. “are you clever?” edward babbles happily and katherine grins, kissing his forehead. “he’ll be smarter than me, soon,” she tells jane.

“he’s got an excellent teacher,” jane chuckles. katherine looks at her slightly questioningly and jane continues. “you, kat. that’s how he learns, copying his big sister.”

katherine blushes her trademarked red, even as she smiles and continues the song. her voice is light and quiet, and jane herself finds some soothing comfort in it. she only hopes she provides the same comfort to kat when she needs it.

katherine, meanwhile, kisses edward’s forehead again as he falls asleep.

“mum?” she asks hesitantly. “can i ask you something?”

jane cocks her head. “of course, love, what’s on your mind.”

katherine swallows. “what are we going to tell edward about...me?”

jane still looks confused. “what do you mean, kat?”

katherine shrugs slightly. “about how i’m...i don’t know i’m just- not really yours?” she asks extremely trepidatiously.

jane thinks for a moment. “well, kat, this is what we’ll tell him. that even though i didn’t give birth to you, i love you so much that i asked you to be my daughter, and you love me so much that you said yes. and that you are really mine, love,” she adds softly. “just as much as he is. you’re my real daughter and his real sister. that’s what we’ll tell him.”

katherine, had she not been holding edward, would have thrown herself into jane’s arms. instead, she gently sets the baby in his crib, then throws herself into her mother’s waiting embrace.

“i love you too,” she mumbles above jane’s shoulder, but just barely.

“i love you, my little seymour,” jane says. she runs a hand down katherine’s hair. “always.”

jane holds katherine close for a few more moments before pulling back and looking into her daughter’s eyes. “i’m so proud of you,” she says softly, and katherine blushes again.

“why?” she asks, and jane takes her hands gently.

“you’ve just... you’ve come so far, love.” jane begins to feel a lump forming in her throat. “look at you. you’re so bright and sweet and intelligent, and just the best sister to edward.” she blinks back the tears of pride and smiles. “you’re the best daughter i could ever ask for.”

katherine smiles shyly, looking down. hearing someone say all that makes her feel so loved, something she felt starved of her whole life. “you’re the best mum,” she offers. “i was so scared and alone before you took me in...i don’t want to feel like that again,” she finishes lamely. jane strokes a thumb over her knuckles, then over the ring.

“if i can help it, love, you never will. not with me...” she looks over at the crib, “and not with edward either.”

katherine smiles and goes to reply, but as if on cue edward wakes up and begins fussing.

“he’s probably hungry,” jane sighs, standing up. edward was old enough to be eating slightly more solid foods and in particular he seemed to really love porridge. jane crosses to the crib and lifts edward up, soothing him gently. “are you hungry, my sweet boy?”

“should I run to the kitchens?” katherine asks, eager to help. jane smiles but shakes her head.

“why don’t we take a walk down there together, all three of us?”

katherine grins and takes to her side. they don’t particularly rush down, taking their time and talking in hushed voices.

they reach the kitchens just as edward begins to fuss again. some of the kitchen staff hands jane a bowl of porridge, which she begins to slowly feed edward in spoonfuls.

katherine approaches her side a moment later, two wrapped pieces of chocolate in her palm.

“thought you could use some sugar,” she admits, somewhat bashfully.

jane smiles gratefully. “thank you, love. would you like to take a turn feeding edward?” jane certainly wouldn’t make katherine do it if she didn’t want to, but she knows just how much katherine loves helping look after edward. indeed, katherine lights up and swaps the chocolates for the bowl of porridge. she feeds edward exactly how jane taught her to, slowly and evenly.

edward babbles happily between spoonfuls of porridge. he sputters and giggles around the food in his mouth, and jane and kat both find it endearing. jane leans in, placing a hand on katherine’s back and moving it, slowly and steadily, up and down.

katherine continues until the bowl is empty. as she sets it down, edward’s miscellaneous sounds formulate into a single understandable word:

“mama!”

jane and katherine both freeze. “did he just...” jane whispers, and katherine slowly nods.

“i think he did.”

“mama!” edward says again, and a smile slowly grows on katherine’s face.

“mum, he’s speaking! he said ‘mama’!” she turns to edward excitedly. “did you say ‘mama’?”

“mama!” edward repeats, kicking his legs happily.

jane is half in shock, not being able to properly register what just happened.

“his first word,” she says faintly. suddenly everything hits her and she starts tearing up. “oh, edward! say it again, say ‘mama’.”

“mama!” he squeals again, obviously recognizing the positive reactions from his mum and sister. “mama!”

jane can’t take her eyes off of edward, so amazed and full of love. katherine puts her arm around jane’s shoulder, curling into her. “he’s talking about you, mum,” she says quietly.

jane bursts into happy tears. “he’s talking.”

edward repeats his new word a few more times, squealing and babbling and reaching out to jane and katherine. jane pulls edward close and presses kiss after kiss to the top of his head, unable to keep her emotion in.

“he’s growing up so quickly,” katherine says, almost in awe. “aren’t you, eddie?” she leans down and kisses edward’s cheek, and then halfway through changes to blow a raspberry instead. edward giggles and claps his hands excitedly.

jane laughs lightly. it warmed her heart to see edward and katherine together - her kids. both of them.

she leans over and kisses katherine’s cheek. “so are you love,” she whispers.

katherine grins. she tucks her head on jane’s shoulder. “you’re the best mum,” she says definitely. “i hope you know that.”

“and you two are the best children i could possibly ask for,” jane says softly. this was her family. her two loves, and as long as she was around nobody would ever be able to hurt them or tear them apart. her mind goes to the future, of katherine teaching edward how to read, the three of them singing songs together, her children inseparable and their mother proud. there were bound to be some difficult times, she was sure; she could only imagine edward hitting the terrible twos or annoying katherine in ways only a little brother could, but she was sure their bond would be stronger than any petty fight between siblings.

edward seems to be so proud of his new vocabulary, he doesn’t stop repeating the word for the next five days. every time he sees jane, he splutters our ‘mama’ six or seven times in his excitement. jane can’t help but smile, katherine too.

“just you wait, kat,” jane says knowingly, seeing katherine staring at edward in amazement.

two days after she said this, katherine and jane are tending to edward, katherine holding him, when is babbled words take form again.

“mama! mama!” he takes a breath. “kat!”

katherine’s jaw physically drops and she looks at jane, then back at edward with wide eyes.

“he means... me?” she breathes. “not like, an actual cat, right?”

“i don’t think he’s ever seen a real cat before, love,” jane grins, light filling her heart. “he’s talking to you.” she leans down to edward. “who’s kat, edward?”

“kat!” edward repeats, pointing his little baby arms at katherine. “kat, kat!”

katherine hugs him tightly, a beaming smile forming on her face.

“mon frére,” she whispers, kissing his forehead.

jane can’t help the massive smile on her face, out of love, of pride, of pure happiness. she leans in and kisses the heads of both of her children.

“my little eddie,” she coos to edward, who babbles some semblance of ‘mama’ and ‘kat’ together.

“my kitty-kat,” she murmurs to katherine, pulling her close.

[jinterlude]

My Own Special Heaven

↳ header is made by yours truly. I do not own the rights to the image used.

➳ Pairing: Park Chanyeol x Reader (female OC)

➳ Genre(s): Superhero!AU,Romance, Angst, Slight-Fluff, & Slight-Humor

➳ Words: 1.6K

➳ Summary: You have once again saved the city, so your team decides to celebrate. In amidst the celebration, you sneak away towards the beach, wanting a moment of peace of quiet. Well, for a certain someone, he saw that as an opportunity to lay everything out there. But will you do the same? 

Soft waves crash against the boulder. The cool breeze brushes your hair as well as fanning your face. The corners of your lips lift slightly as the memories of today’s events flood your mind. Pulling your legs towards your chest, you rest your chin on top of your knees as you continue to stare absentmindedly at the ocean. Watching the waves form one right after the other as they close in on their destination.

You honestly feel at ease with how tranquil the scenery is. The moon nice and full, illuminating everything and anything on this Earth. The stars taking turns twinkling as if it’s a fun little game that’s to be played. Sounds of lively chatter can be heard in the background but to be honest, you’re too lost in your thoughts to focus. Too busy enjoying your own slice of heaven.

Moments like these are ones to cherish – especially as the country’s number one protector. You always find yourself caught up in rescuing every single civilian or figuring out ways to keep the city safe that never once have you given yourself some downtime. A moment to relax and just simply breathe.

That’s a luxury you aren’t allowed to have.

Depressing, huh?

Slowly, your eyes flutter shut, inhaling the soothing salty air and exhaling. Before heading back to the gang, you decide to enjoy the peace and quiet for a few more seconds. Or – that’s until someone decides to join you.

           “Penny for your thoughts?”

You glance up, humming in response. You register the deep voice, questioning why your dear friend, Park Chanyeol, is doing all the way out here.

           “You didn’t have to leave the celebration on my account.” You say as you notice him taking a seat on the cold sand right next to you.

He flashes his signature 100-watt smile as he begins to speak. But you don’t really pay attention. That one smile is enough for you to be distracted. Oh, God how you have grown to love it. His endless amount of optimism. His odd but amusing sense of humor. How his eyes light up like fireworks on a major celebration whenever he passionately talks about his hobbies. Oh, how you love him. But, sadly, being in love is something that’s not written in the stars for you.

The last time you’ve fallen in love, his soul has been taken away from you too soon. That heartache…that brokenness…is something you refuse to feel again.

And you will keep burying all your pent up adoration towards Chanyeol until the day you die.

           “Are you listening to a word I’m saying?” You hear him ask, forcibly removing you

           “Huh? I’m sorry. What was that?”

           “Oh, I was asking if you wanted to elope and have three of my kids.”

           “Why only three of your kids? Do you plan on having more with other women?”

           “Fuck no. I want my own soccer team, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. Hence, me only saying three kids.”

You gawk, deciphering if he’s being serious or not. Scratch that. You know he’s being serious because he’s – well – he’s him. Since day one, he has dropped “subtle” hints of the two of you becoming a thing. An item. A couple. And every time he does, you turn him down. Though, you’re starting to run out of reasons for rejection. You could tell him that you don’t love him, but that would be a big fucking lie.

So…

You just don’t say anything anymore or you indulge in his little fantasies.

Maybe in your fantasies you can be together with him…

Rolling your eyes, you give him a slight nudge, unaware that he isn’t well-balanced, causing the poor man to topple over.

Chanyeol feels the cold impact from the damp sand. He silently thanks the fact that he’s wearing jeans instead of shorts. He honestly doesn’t want to spend his precious time with you looking like a gigantic idiot and shaking his leg to get the annoying sand out. No. He’ll save that if his original plan fails miserably.

Speaking of which…

He stands up, dusting himself off, and offers his hand to you.

You lift an eyebrow, eyeing his hand confusedly.

           “What? Do you want a high-five or something?”

           “Actually, I want your hand in marriage, but I’ll save that after we save the world and go on a few more dates after this one.”

You fight back the smile that threatens to form. This kid is really testing your resolve. But you know he’ll win in the end. He’s stubborn like that.t

           “What makes you think that this is a date? Huh, Park Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol smiles softly, “Because…” He trails on, reaching towards your hand, “Something tells me that you’ll think it is one after I do this.” He finishes, purposely causing more confusion in you. But before you can demand him to explain himself, your body is forced into the standing position. Then, you feel his left hand grasping your right hand while his other hand is placed on your lower back. Your eyes widen; a faint gasp leaves your lips.

Suddenly, your bodies start to sway slowly. Your eyes remain glued onto each other’s.

A pinkish hue appears on your cheeks as does this warm sensation the more the two of you remain close like this.

Your mind screams at you to push him away and run back to the others. Yet your heart demands that you allow yourself to enjoy this intimate moment.      

           “Just submit to your happiness” It tells you.

And so you shall.

           “You do realize that we look silly slow dancing on the beach with no music whatsoever.” You point out as Chanyeol starts to turn your bodies.

           “Or we look rather magnificent dancing with no music and people are jealous that only us geniuses can do this.” He playfully argues with a teasing grin.

You scoff, shaking your head.

           “What are we doing, Chanyeol?” You ask after moments of silence went by.

Chanyeol, surprised by your comment, peers down at you. His lips thin as a tiny hum emits from his lips.

           “Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m absolutely in love with you, and I hope after tonight, you’ll finally tell me that you feel the same.” He says seriously. His gaze pierces your own. The intensity of his stare makes you feel vulnerable. It’s as if he’s taking a hammer and getting ready to break down your walls.

Out of panic, you forcibly untangle yourselves and create some distance between your bodies. Though—you already miss his touch—his warmth.

           “You can’t do that.”

           “Do what? Pour my feelings out to you for the hundredth time? Honestly, he would want you to move on. He would want you to be happy, Y/N.”

You scoff and just as you open your mouth to retaliate, Chanyeol silences you…with a kiss. You feel his hands cupping your cheeks as he presses his sweet lips against yours. At first, your eyes widen from it. Then, as the two of you continue to indulge in this innocent yet loving kiss, you eyes flutter shut. You hands raise up to his neck and lock around him as if you want him closer than he already is.

You can feel all of his pent up romantic feelings for you in this kiss. And quite frankly it both frightens and excites you. Which side do you allow to win? Your fears or your happiness?

Slowly, you break the kiss, but you feel his forehead rest against yours as you look into his eyes. Sparkles of love and happiness are displayed along side another emotion. Fear? But he has no reason to be afraid.

Well…not anymore…

He’s right. Your deceased lover would want you want to move on. He would want you to be happy.

So…

Happy you will be…

           “I love you too, Chanyeol” You say softly, finally returning the love he has for you.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. His heart pounds against his chest as the corners of his lips curve upward.

He’s heard correctly, right? You saying that you love him. Oh, my God.

Without a second thought, he lifts you up and twirls you around, causing you to squeal, as he utters the phrase, “thank you”, repeatedly.

           “Put me down!”

           “Sorry! Sorry!”

He gently sets you down, though, his arms remain encircle around your waist. If this is a dream, he doesn’t want to wake up.

Wait, is this a dream?

He peppers your face with kisses, causing to you to laugh and push his face away.

           “What are you doing?”

           “I’m making sure this isn’t a dream.”

You shake your head with an amused smile on your face. Then, a devious idea pops into your mind. You hold up your right hand and focus your attention into gathering the moisture from the air.

Chanyeol eyes you strangely, wondering what you’re doing. Though, he has an inkling.

After all, you’re graced with the power of lunar manipulation and all things associated with it.

           “At least give me the chance to brace myself before you—” But before he can finish his sentence, he sputters. His tastes a huge amount of salt. Yup. You’ve thrown an ocean water bubble at him.

Why does he love you again?

           “Now, are you sure that this isn’t a dream?”

Chanyeol nods, “Crystal.”

You practically beam, “Good.” You then reach up placing your thumb against his lips to wipe away any remaining drops of sea water.

           “You’re lucky that I love you.”

           “Or else what?”

           “Nothing. I would probably just fall in love with you even more and enjoy your constant tormenting.”            “I didn’t know you were secretly a masochist.”

           “If I’m a masochist, then you’re a sadist. Which means we complete each other!”

           “How about no, and that the fact that you’re you is the reason why we complete each other.”

Chanyeol laughs softly and pulls you closer; you find relaxation from the steadiness of his heartbeat.

           “I like that. You’re you and I’m me, and that’s why we complete each other.”

           “Now, you get it.”

A/N: I’m amazed with how fast I whipped this out and now I can’t wait to expand this and make it longer! Originally, this was meant to be @yeoltidecarol, Kat’s, Christmas present, but today is her birthday, I honestly in good conscience not do anything for her! So, Kat, MRS. PCY, I hope you like this small one shot, and I will upgrade this into something more soon! I hope you that you got everything you’ve asked for on the day of your birth. I also hope that your husband finally allowed you to wreck him ;) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAT! I WISH YOU ALL THE LOVE AND HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD! 

[importantmommybusiness-blog]

On parenting with 'extra' kids.

In my first ever blog "Let me introduce myself" I mentioned how we have kinship foster kids, which is basically family members that are in the foster care system and have been placed with Matthew and I. They are a nephew, Brady - 17, and a niece, Kat - 9. I also mentioned that we want to adopt Kat. But days like today make me question that, because when they lived with their parents all of the kids fought, like physically. A lot. Apparently sometimes cops got called. Once we had to call the police because Brady and Brice were fighting here at our house. (Long story.)

And now Kat has taught some of that to my little boy. My almost-3 year old is almost always in trouble for hitting, kicking, throwing things, etc.

And I know that this is a little bit things that his age group does. You know, things like "someone stole the toy from me so I hit." Or, "you were sitting with mommy but I wanted to so I hit."

But that's not what's happening here. Not most of the time anyway. Eli will walk up to Kat and just... hit. Or poke her in the eye. He does not do this to anyone else but Kat. She will literally just be sitting there. Or playing by herself. Not even looking at Eli. It's extra frustrating because Eli is NOT violent kid. He is soo sweet and loving. All he wants is to cuddle and love on people, me, Koehn, everyone! Even Kat. But then he'll just... hit her.

Here's another thing, Kat will just SIT THERE. She will see it coming, and LET IT. He's 2, a few weeks from 3. SHE'S ALMOST 10. She can block it! Instead she let's it happen, then hollers "OW!" literally so loud. It's all very dramatic. I'm thinking of putting her in a drama class.

Now here's the thing. I know that Kat started it. Kat hit, kicked, or whatever else to Eli and now he's doing that to her. She's admitted it. But what do I do about it?! I mean, she never hurts Eli in the view of an adult.

Just today we were at my mother-in-law's, and Eli was playing in the living room with a plastic bucket, swinging in circles and such like boys tend to do. Kat was laying in the middle of the floor, saw him playing, and decided not to move. So when Eli inevitably got close to her, Kat ended up with a bloody nose. According to my MIL, Eli slowed down but seemed to decide to hit her anyway. So Kat started crying, Matthew came to hug her so she cried harder, and when she saw the drop of blood come off her nose she started screaming.

So I took Eli to another room and asked him was it on purpose or an accident? He said on purpose. I asked why and Eli eventually was able to tell me that Kat pushed him into the cabinet of the laundry room at my in-laws. So I guess he remembered that and decided to get back at her. Or maybe he thinks that's how the two of them are supposed to play together? I really am not sure.

Now after all the bleeding, Matthew ended up having a conversation with Brady. Brady said that Kat has always been this way, very "anything for attention." Even starting things behind the scenes in order to get the attention in the end.

I'm ashamed to say that it took me way to long in the beginning when Eli started the hitting to ask Eli if Kat had ever hit him. I kept having that "mom feeling" that something was not right. Honestly I am still having that feeling sometimes. Now though I try to ask fairly often, especially on days where Eli seems to be particularly violent "did Kat hurt you?" And always Eli says yes and tells how. The story has never been the same 2 days in a row. Today was being pushed into the cabinet, and tonight he said she poked him in the eye when he was sitting in a chair here at our house. I have a tendency to believe him, especially because he doesnt know about lying yet.

Now, I'm not unsympathetic to the situation. I know she was not raised right. But she has lived in my house for 7 months. And while I know that 7 months cannot undo 9 years of life and learning, Matthew and I have had MULTIPLE conversations with her about hitting. One time she was even grounded for hitting a cousin (it was witnessed by Matthew, so at least I know I'm not crazy thinking shes hitting Eli.) So I know that she knows violence is wrong and not tolerated in this house.

I just dont know what to do. I mean, she's family, and a little girl, and it's not totally her fault, because she was raised this way, even though she does know at this point that we don't allow hitting here. But also, shes hurting my baby, my sweet Eli. How do I know that she won't also try to hurt Koehn, who is totally defenseless? How do I get her to stop this violent circle with Eli? What if the violence (and the getting in trouble for it) is hurting Eli/changing his personality?

I'm so confused. What does God want me to do? When the call came that Child Protective Services was taking these kids from their parents and they (CPS) wanted us to take custody, Eli was 2 years old, and I was 4 months pregnant with Koehn. God has given me 2 perfect boys to have, to raise and teach His ways. These are my babies, given to me to protect, love, and cherish for all of my days. And then it seemed that God was calling us to be foster parents sooner than we had planned. Being foster and adoptive parents was always in our plan. Well, you know what they say, the plans of the Lord may not match up with the plans we lay. So I thought that these kids were also given to me to love, protect, and cherish. So much has happened that I am confused about God's plan for my family. And I know that God does not always make His plans clear. But my son is hurting, and I am hurting for him. So now the questions are, what do I do? How do I protect ALL of my kids? What is God's plan?

All I know is that God will prevail, so I know that in the end His plan will succeed. I just want the hitting to stop...