#henrys reassuring grab in the second one it makes me wanna scream

[yrsonpurpose]

It's just… Who's gonna do what? Because I'm… I've never...Oh, my God. I'm so not playing this cool right now. I went to an English boarding school, dear. Trust me, you're in good hands.

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Too Smart for Your Own Good: Part 8

Pairings: (Past) Machine Gun Kelly x Reader, (Past) Henry Cavill x Reader, Chibs x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, PTSD, abandonment, another dick move on Henry’s part.

Word Count: 6,114

A/N: Doesn’t have a completed end yet, but just giving you more content to try to get myself out of a writing funk.

A/N 2: Yea, I had fun with this one. Sorry, not sorry.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Negan had seen you pissed before, hell, he’d seen you down right livid. But he had never, ever seen you so furious you refused to even talk to him. He looked over at you with a small, tight smile as you walked into your messy kitchen, but you didn’t even glance at him as you bee lined past him to grab two coffee mugs from the cabinet.

“Morning, princess.” He dared, but he instantly shut up when you shot him a look that spoke volumes. “(Y/N)...”

“Save it.” You grumbled as you grabbed two K cups from the box on the counter and picked up the entire Keurig as silent punishment. He sighed loudly as you walked back out of the room past Simon, who took one look at the coffee maker in your arms and over at the spot it lived in on your counter, before shaking his head.

“Does the other house have a coffee pot still, or did she take that, too?” He asked with a glance to his boss, who was watching you walk up the stairs back to your room without a second glance.

“I fucked up with her, didn’t I?” You heard Negan ask his second in command before you stepped into the room and closed the door behind you.

“Ye took the whole damn thing?” Chibs whisper yelled as you headed into the bathroom to set the Keurig down.

“There’s a pot in the carriage house.” You said back with a shrug as you plugged your machine in. “I don’t feel sorry for them.”

“Cold hearted.” He chuckled as he made sure the pillows were all around the co sleeper and that Celeste was OK before coming into the bathroom. “No cream?”

“You get it black, or you can go down and deal with my father to get it, your call.”

“Yea, I’m no’ goin’ down ta flaunt the fact tha’ I stayed ‘ere over nigh’ to ‘im anytime soon.” He sighed as he partially closed the water closet door to use the bathroom.

“If it helps at all, he now knows better than to lay so much as a finger on you.”

“It does not.”

“Well you don’t have to see him for a week anyways, so it’s fine.” You said as you stepped over to turn on the shower while the first cup was brewing. “Besides, I need an escort through IRA territory and I’m not trusting my daughter’s life to a prospect. I have a lot of errands to do in the next couple days...”

“Luv...” You looked over at him with your eyebrow raised before following his gaze down to the tattoo on your rib cage that no one but him would know the true meaning of just by looking at it. He smirked as you moved your arm out of the way, and shook his head. “Ye did say ye’d never let me live it down...”

“You tore apart my garden for those lilacs, Filip.” You giggled as you looked at the bouquet of purple flowers in a metal milk can with a tartan patterned bow around it that represented his last name.

“Couldn’t show up empty ‘anded now, could I?”

“No, that wouldn’t have been right.” You whispered even softer as he stepped forward to brush his thumb across the bow.

“Does yer da’...”

“No one knows what it means.” You said with a shake of your head as you shivered from the goosebumps racing across your skin. “Negan asked if it was for my mom when he first saw it because lilacs were her favorite too, and I just nodded and walked away.”

“It’s beautiful.” He said with a glance up at you. “Much more elegant than mine.”

“You got a tattoo for me?”

“Subtle.” He said as he held up his left hand and stuck out his ring finger. “Black band, but your name wore off the side.”

“You’re so cute.” You giggled as you ran your fingertip across what was left of your name. “Who did it? Because that would have gotten back to Negan...”

“I did.” He said as he looked at the left over ink. “Did a stint in prison for possession seven or eight years back. Anniversary’a the last time I saw ye. Took all nigh’ bu’ I needed the pain.”

“We’ll get it re done soon if you want.” You promised as you turned on the water and stepped inside. “Coming? We have a lot of things to do today.”

“So no time for a quickie?” He teased before taking a sip of his coffee, starting yours, and stepping out of his boxers.

“What kinda girl do you think I am?” You teased as you shook an old, nearly empty bottle of shampoo to finish it off. “I wasn’t that easy back then, and as a mother and a woman of class...”

“Oh, shut it.” He laughed as he wrapped his arms your waist and pulled you into his chest. He kissed you gently as you went from washing your hair to washing his, just appreciating being together again. You couldn’t stop your mind from racing in a thousand different directions as he gently lifted you up and pinned you against the wall to slide into you, but by the time you both came, you realized that for the first in twelve years you truly felt safe. You felt at home.

“I still love you.” You said softly as you laid your head down on his chest. “I never stopped…”

“Was I supposed ta stop lovin’ ye?” He asked as he ran his fingers through your hair. “‘Cause even after all the shite I went through, I’d do it all over ‘gain to ‘ave ye in m’life.”

“You can protect me from the big bad world.” You said with a smile as you looked up at him. “I’ll protect you from Negan.”

“I may actually let ye do tha’, lass.” He said as he quickly washed his body off and stepped out of the way for you. “Yer da’s terrifyin’ when it comes ta ye.”

“My dad may think he’s a hard ass, but that man knows that I’m the one in charge no matter how much he doesn’t want to admit it. And he also knows at this point, now that he knows I know what he did, if he so much as lays a finger on you, I’m done... permanently. So being with me is as safe as you’ll ever be when it comes to my dad.”

“Tha’s somethin’ I’m really nervous ta test.”

“I can solve it today.” You said with a bob of your head as you turned off the water. “Because while I know he will never, ever admit it to anyone, possibly including me, he regrets what he did now that he’s been busted for it. And he didn’t feel shame for it until he saw the look in my eyes. Because it’s a look that instantly reminded him of my mom, and I know he can hear her freaking out at him in his memories.”

“It’s so strange ta see ‘im through yer eyes, my luv.” He huffed as he grabbed his coffee and went out to throw his clothes on from the day before. “Instead of as m’President.”

“Yea, it’s still entertaining to see him try to be ‘big bad Negan’ all these years later when I know the softie he can be since I actually remember it from when I was a kid… shit, I really don’t wanna wake her up…”

“Rip off the bandaid.”

“But she’s so cute…”

“Rip off the bandaid.” He repeated as he fastened his belt. “Ye said ye had a lot ta do, an’ tha’ ye wan’ed ‘er on Belfast time.”

“Son of a bitch.” You grumbled as you threw on a nursing tank, and a big, loose sweater over your leggings. You grabbed something cute for Celeste, that would keep her warm through out the day, and pouted at her as you kneeled on the bed and simply picked her up. “Oh, Mommy’s sorry.” You cooed as she instantly started to whine in sheer exhaustion. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know.”

“She’s cute until she screams.” Chibs teased as he sat down on the bed to put his boots on. “Then she just reminds me of you.”

“Fuck you.” You said in a sing song voice. He chuckled and threw on his kutte before putting her car seat on the bed for you. “Yes, I know, Mommy’s mean. But you can sleep in the car, baby girl.”

“I’m guessin’ yer kidnappin’ me like old times?” He asked as he took the dirty diaper from you and got up to toss it in the diaper genie you had put in your bathroom the night before.

“Well obviously, I’m a defenseless first time Mommy that needs a big strong man to protect her and her adorable little girl.”

“Well now I jus’ ‘ave ta protect such a beautiful woman, and this cute little screamin’ bundle’a joy.”

“Oh, we are as much of a morning person as Mommy is.” You said as you grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach so you could pack your diaper bag for what you needed for the day.

“Oh, we’re jus’ no’ ‘avin’ a good mornin’.” He said as he picked her up and walked over to your bedroom window. He talked to her like he had known her throughout your whole pregnancy and her whole, short existence, instead of only a few hours. He got her to sniffle her way to a comfortable spot on his shoulder as you took out what you didn’t need and replaced what you needed to. You silently glared at him as his humming put her right back to sleep, and he moved at nearly a glacial pace to lay her down in the carseat. “I’m good wit’ kids.”

“Fuck outta here.” You huffed as you threw on your boots and grabbed your diaper bag and coffee. “Alright, you carry her. He’s less likely to hit you if you’re holding her.”

“No’ reassuring.” He muttered as he checked his pockets to make sure he had everything, before putting the car seat down just long enough to put his gun in the holder under his kutte. “Safety’s on, don’ worry.” With a roll of your head, you threw your bag on your shoulder, and lead him out the room with a sigh.

“Telford!” Negan yelled the moment you walked out the door, but you could see the flash of fear in his eyes when he realized you were headed straight for him.

“You have two choices here.” You said where only he could hear you as you stopped directly beside him, but looking out at the lake behind him. “You have the choice to try to take him out of my life for whatever fucking reason you could come up with. Or you have the choice to be my fucking father and fight for me to be happy with someone with as good of heart as he has to step up and protect my daughter the same way you protected me after everything I’ve been through. And we both know he wouldn’t have patched if he wasn’t a good person.” You glanced up at him with tears in your eyes, and you could see your dad, the man that only you really got to see looking back at you. 

“Just know, I won’t stop fighting for him this time. You got lucky with Henry falling in my lap at just the right time and my research taking off the way it did. But you won’t be this time. And keep in mind, he and I both have to live with the physical proof of what you’ve done to us for the rest of our lives which is exactly why I can honestly say that if you try, you will lose everything. So you make the choice.” You looked back out at the lake with a sniff as you put your sunglasses on, while Negan took barely a half second to weight the options of loosing you, or seeing you with Chibs before he straightened beside you.

“Telford, get that baby outta the fucking cold. The fuck you standing there for, huh? And make sure my kid doesn’t get lost in some Goddamn throw pillows or whatever shit she’s got planned in that fucking head of hers for this place. Or better yet, make sure that she doesn’t lose her damn kid in throw pillows.” You nodded your head and went to walk away, but Negan quickly grabbed your arm and held you in one spot. You met his eyes for a few moments, letting him apologize ten times over in a simple look, and you choose to partially let him off the hook.

“Get the fucking prospects to return those vans before you get charged another day’s rental. We’ll talk later.” He nodded his head and leaned over to kiss your forehead, before letting you go to yell at the prospects and regain his control of his men.

“Wha’ did ye say ta ‘im?” Chibs asked softly as you set your diaper bag on the floor board and peeked in the back to make sure the only thing that was back there was your stroller frame.

“I told him to make a choice.” You said as you carefully shut the back door, and pulled open the passenger door. “And he made the right one.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This place looks like it fucking threw up Christmas.” Your dad grumbled to you with a shake of his head as you walked through your professionally decorated house after spending a week on the road dealing with some club shit you didn’t even care to ask about.

“It’s Celeste’s first Christmas.” You started as you looked at the sparkling entry way proudly. “And our first one not spent in a portable in years. And you know I love Christmas. Oh, and I finally got confirmation that Colson, Casie, and Emma are coming for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so it had to be even more perfect. Ash and Ashton, too.”

“You got the fucking prospects to do all this shit?”

“Fuck no.” You laughed with a shake of your head. “I hired a company. The prospects are wrapping gifts in the carriage house because fuck knows I hate doing that shit. Paper cuts.” You said with a smirk as you looked over at him. “Not pleasant. They can do the bitch work.”

“Where’s Telford?”

“Why?” You asked as the smile fell from your face.

“Need to talk to him... and you, since I know you will never trust me in a room with him again.”

“With good reason.” You said as you gestured to the stairs. “Setting up my baby monitors in the nursery while Celeste tries out her new crib for nap time. Oh, Ash is heading over to the house later today to send me some shit I need to hang out here a while longer. Do you need anything?”

“I’m heading back day after New Years.” He said with a shake of his head and a heartbroken sigh. “I lost you because of this, didn’t I?” You hesitated for a moment and sighed loudly with a small nod of your head.

“You changed my whole life with your actions, Daddy. And his even more so. You may be the president of an MC, but you are still my father. And whether you liked it or not, you had no right to do what you did, no matter what the reason. Whether it be to keep ahold of your image, or to keep me closer to home, it doesn’t matter. You had no right. So yes, in a sense, you lost me- my trust is gone. But you are still my father, and I will always love you. So in that sense, I will still be here. You’ll see me, and Celeste, and I will always be here if you need me... but we will never have the same relationship we did because of this.” You looked over at him as a few tears fell from his eyes, and his sighed as his whole body sank with the weight of his actions.

“Your mother would be so proud of you.” He started as he looked over at you with a shake of his head. “But I would have lost her over this, too, so I understand.” As gently as he could, he reached out to pull you into a hug. “I’m sorry, princess. I’m so, so sorry.”

“I know, Daddy.” You whispered back as you started to tear up as well. You both stood there for a moment, completely ignoring Simon, and the Belfast charter’s president, Jax when they walked in to talk to him, but they turned right back around to give you your space as Negan pulled away and nodded his head.

“Can I go talk to him?” He asked as he wiped off his face. “I’ll leave my gun with you, if that makes you more comfortable.”

“I’ll come up with you.” You said as you wiped off your own face with your fingertips. “You can use my room while I get Celeste up from her nap so we can go find a caterer last minute for Christmas Eve. And the gun can stay in the hall.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He agreed before gesturing you toward the stairs. You headed through the new baby gate, and up the right side of the split staircase toward the only two rooms on that end of the house, before telling Negan to wait in the hall so you could pre-warn Chibs.

“Hey, my dad wants to talk to you.” His head whipped away from his phone where he was adjusting the views of the cameras, but you nodded at him, reassuringly. “It’s OK. His gun’s staying in the hall. It’s not a bad talk, I promise.”

“‘S’more the knives tha’ got my concern.” He said as he picked up a piece of paper with the app information. “Username is yer email, password’s Celeste123107.”

“You think you’re slick.” You laughed, since the date was the day you two met.

“I thought so.” He said with a small smile as he headed out of the room, stepping over the hand gun that was laying just outside the doorway. You added the app to your phone and signed into your account to check the cameras yourself while the two men went into your room to talk, before walking over to the bed to wake up your baby girl.

“Hello, punk-a-pie.” You cooed as you gently rubbed her back. “Hi, good morning. It’s time to join the world of the living so we can go for another fun adventure. Yea.” She actually grunted at you in protest when you picked her up, and you smiled at just how adorable she was. “Oh, I know it. It’s just so hard to be a baby with such a mean Mommy. Waking you up from naps, and feeding you, and changing you all the time. How could I be so thoughtless, hmm? But that means I get to eat these chunky little thighs. And theses cute little toes-ies.” You smiled as she burst into a fit of giggles on the changing pad when you playfully ‘bit’ her toes. “Oh, I could just eat you up! Yes I could. Fuck, I’m glad you got Mommy’s chunky thighs. They are just so damn cute.”

“I second that.” Chibs said as he walked back into the room a lot faster than you expected, while Negan simply headed down stairs to find out what Simon and Jax wanted. You looked over at him questioningly as you pushed the dirty diaper into the diaper pail, but he shook his head. “Nothin’ bad. Apologized for everythin’, gave me direct permission ta go Nomad a’while ta be wit’ you. Told me ta take care of his girls.”

“He knows he lost me.” You said with a nod as you re-buttoned the long sleeve onesie and put your daughter’s jeans back on. “He knows there’s no coming back from this now. He made his bed, and he has to sleep in it and what are you doing?!”

“I bought this for ye 12 years ago.” He said as he stood beside you at the changing table where you were now frozen half way of putting Celeste in her jacket to look at a gorgeous ring in a black box. “An’ the day aft’a ye came back, when I knew ye still luved me, too, I ‘ad the prospect start puttin’ t’get’a the legal paperwork for the courts. Because I lost ye once, an’ I’d rath’a die then lose ye ‘gain. So on New Years Eve, at the exact stroke of midnight, 12 long fuckin’ years aft’a it shoulda ‘appended in the first place, will ye please, please make me the luckiest son’ov’a bitch in the entire world an’ marry...”

“Yes.”

“Can I fuckin’ finish the...”

“No.” You laughed as you leaned over and kissed him roughly. He smiled against your lips and held you in place for a moment, before pulling back with a shake of his head.

“I was gon’ wait until the day of.” He said as he pulled the ring free while you finished dressing your now impatient daughter. “But wit’ yer dad’s blessin’... shockin’, I know.” He laughed as he took your left hand and slid the ring in place. “But we ‘ave it. An’ I wasn’t waitin’ another moment.”

“I don’t blame you.” You laughed as you looked at the ring that felt so much more right than the last one that was placed there, before showing Celeste with a smile. “Look at that, baby girl. Mommy’s getting married. And if he wants to, Chibs can become Daddy all in the same swing.”

“I’d be honored.” You nodded over at him with a laugh as you put on Celeste’s ear warmer headband bow.

“We’re just gunna wait until after Christmas to let her birth father know that all the same.”

“Aye. Don’ feel like havin’ ta fight for both m’girls in the same month.”

“What would you have done if he had said no?” Your fiancé smirked as he checked your diaper bag for you and put it on his shoulder.

“We would’a eloped. But now, ‘e can bear witness, ‘long wit’ Jackie boy, an’ this little chubby thighed cutie.”

“Well now you’ve just sent me into overdrive.” You laughed as you buckled Celeste in her car seat, and wrapped her in the car seat blanket you had. “Because now, after the caterer, I need to find a dress, and a location...”

“I’ve it all figured out.” He interrupted as he took the car seat from you. “Except the dress. My club may be loyal ta Negan, but I’ve broth’a’s a’ the table tha’ want ta see a broth’a happy ‘a the end’a the day.”

“Well then you can come with me to the caterer, then I’ll drop you and Celeste back off so you don’t see me in the dress. We’ve finally got some good luck going for us here.”

“Sounds like a plan ta me, my luv. Sounds like a plan to me.”

——

You had always imagined that you would be nervous on your wedding day, but as you stood in a private room in a church of all places that meant a lot to your future husband, you didn’t feel anything but excited. You tried to keep everything simple, but still put the prospects and your decorating company through the ringer to pull off a dream shared across cotton sheets that Chibs insisted you deserved, and had already been planning as long as he had the paperwork to pull off, even if it was for the ranks of the Sanctuary’s unwashed heathens.

“You know, I never thought you’d actually get to this point.” Ashleigh said as she adjusted her silver dress around her hips. “I figured when you got engaged to Henry, you were gunna get to the actual planning of the wedding and just… not. And I definitely didn’t think you’d do it this fast.”

“Henry isn’t my Filip.” You said with a look over at her as you finished a braid of your updo and pinned it on to place. 

“Yea, but don’t you think this is a little fast?”

“Ash, I really wish I could explain this… Look, I loved Henry. I did. He was smart, and, funny, and kind. He supported my work, and didn’t mind my eccentricities… but he tried to change me. He tried to pull me away from my dad, to get me away from my club. He wanted us to move to England… and all of those things I would have considered because he made me feel comfortable. But then he took it upon himself to join the Army without a single word until the day he left, and he made that choice because he needed space to think things with me through. Yea, the things you learn after the fact. That was a nice ‘good to see ya after six years’ message.

But Filip, my Filip, the one that got away… He makes me feel safe. He makes me feel safe to let my guard down, and to not be this… always put together Nobel prize winning, Ph. D. three times over doctor all the time. He brings out an innocence that I’ve never gotten to experience because I was looking out for my dad, or drowning myself in my work, or because I was more focused on being the best astrophysicist this world had ever seen. He makes me laugh harder than anyone ever has in my life. He doesn’t just mind my eccentricities, he embraces them, and shows them off like a badge of honor. He doesn’t just make excuses for those times I have my ‘moments’ as Henry called them in public. He sacrificed being truly happy in life to make sure that I had the best life that I could. And I can’t lose that man from my life again. I can live without Henry. I can’t live without Filip.” You smiled as you picked up your silver and ice blue snowflake hair piece and turned in the mirror to see what you were doing to put it on. “And besides the fact, he hasn’t batted an eye over Celeste. Henry literally ran, and put her in the NICU for a month.”

“OK, he didn’t put her in the NICU.”

“He put me in a position that put her in the NICU.” You said as you glanced over at the clock. “But it doesn’t matter. None of that matters anymore. What matters is that the man that I was meant to be with years ago, is somewhere in this church, putting on a tie for me, and a suit that he wouldn’t be caught dead in otherwise for me, and has me excited to get married in a church of all places, without even questioning ‘God’ and all that entails. What matters is he is the love of my life… and after today, he will be mine.” Ash nodded her head slowly as she fixed your hair the slightest bit and tried to avoid eye contact in the mirror.

“(Y/N), I think...”

“Hey, Princess. You’re runnin’…” Negan interrupted as he knocked on the door while he pushed it open, and he stopped and smiled as he looked at you. “Well Goddamn.”

“You’re in a church, mister.” You reminded him, teasingly as you turned and pulled the mostly white, with a double layer of light blue tulle skirt around so it was straighter behind you. “Not supposed to swear in a church.”

“Yea, yea.” He grumbled. “Old, new, borrowed, blue, right?”

“I’ve got ‘em all covered, Daddy.” You said as you watched him walk over with something in his hand.

“Well I’m still replacing your old with mine.” He said as he held out his hand to you. Your brow furrowed until you saw the glimpse of a silver heart locket on a chain. “I don’t have to even ask if you know what it is…”

“It’s mom’s.” You said with a smile as you flipped it over with your thumb. “She wore it on your wedding day.”

“Always said she’d pass it down to a daughter. Nearly made Ash miss her fucking flight looking for it. You know I can’t remember where I put shit for shit.”

“Will you quit swearing and put on the damn necklace.” You laughed as you held it out to him. “Racing a clock here.”

“Yea, yea.” He chuckled as he put the finishing touch on your wedding day outfit. He took a step back and huffed with a small shake of his head. “You make a beautiful bride, baby girl.”

“Thank you, Daddy. Now Ash, what were you saying?”

“Oh, it’s... it’s nothing.” She said with her own smile as she handed you your bouquet of blue roses that had a dark blue bandana you borrowed from Chibs wrapped around the bottom stems. With a nod, you looked at yourself in the mirror one last time, before looking back at your dad.

“You ready?” Negan asked with a small smirk.

“More than.” With a nod, he held out his arm and led you out of the back room. “Damn it, can we just speed up the clock.” You joked as you carefully and subtly kicked out the front of your gown with each step so you would trip or rip it.

“Quit fuckin’ swearing.” Negan laughed as Ashleigh walked a little faster to get next to you.

“(Y/N), I think I made a huge mistake.” She repeated, timidly at the same time you watched Henry looking up from your sleeping little girl in her snow queen dress and a giant blue bow you prayed would muffle the noise so she could stay asleep next to Ashton in their winter wonderland decorated wagon, and over at you. There was only a moments hesitation as you ran through the list of women from the club that had come to see you as you were getting ready to wish you the best before you reacted.

“Daddy, go get Frankie.” You asked, simply as you let go of his arm for a moment. “She’s got on black and silver, so she won’t clash with the colors when she pulls the wagon.”

“(Y/N)...” Ashleigh choked as you simply ignored your ex standing there and stopped in front of the back doors.

“You are dead to me.” You said to her as you fixed your own dress and forced yourself to remain calm. “Get your son, the prospect will take you back to the hotel for your things and you can go.”

“(Y/N)...” She and Henry said at the same time, which made you round on both of them with fire in your eyes.

“I don’t know what either of you thought you were trying to accomplish here, but I’m not in the fucking mood. You, Henry, I can sort of understand because we were together so long, and you’re just hoping that maybe, just maybe I’d be willing to give you a third chance after every thing you have put me through, but Ash...? What the actual fuck. Seriously, how did you think that calling my ex in on my fucking wedding day was going to go over, huh? Good? Simple? Not likely to royally piss me the fuck off?!”

“I was just trying...”

“Well now you can just try to get the fuck out of here before I fucking strangle you on my fucking wedding day. And Henry, I have nothing more to say to you. You’ve made it perfectly clear that I am not the person you want to be with. And I am sick and fucking tired of compromising my integrity to fit into your perfect wife narrative when I met someone 12 fucking years ago that never wanted anyone but me in the first place and still does all these years later. So you both can leave. Frankie, I need you to pull my flower girl down the aisle for me.” 

“(Y/N)...” Ashleigh said as she carefully picked up Ashton.

“I said NOW!” You roared with a glance back at her. “Now! I will get you home, but you are dead to me. Frankie, it’s fine, just pull her down behind you, put her in front of my dad’s seat so you can take my bouquet, and when it gets to the count down, bring the wagon back here to try to keep her away from the noise.” You told your new Maid of Honor as you fixed your dress again. You didn’t look back as the prospect that had been watching the kids escorted Ashleigh and Henry out of the church despite their protests, but your dad stopped in front of you with a look of concern.

“You need a minute?”

“I need Filip.” You said as you searched his eyes with barely a hint of tears in yours. He nodded his head and told Frankie to go, as he walked around behind you and helped you pull out your ball gown so it made the perfect bell shape.

“What have I always told you about writing off family?”

“Fuck them if they don’t understand.”

“Exactly.” He said as he laced your arm with his. “Fuck ‘em. Now quit swearing in a fucking church.”

“Daddy, we’re both going to hell anyways.” You giggled with a glance up at him. “But I’m pretty sure we just gave ourselves the best seats on the bus.”

“Fucking right we did.” He laughed as you both took the first step down the aisle. You found Filip instantly, and watched as his eyes shifted from anger directed at Henry’s back, to concern when he saw your face. You tried to tell him that you were alright, but you could tell he didn’t believe it until you were directly in front of him with your hand finally in his.

“We’re getting married today.” You whispered with a smile as you reached up with your free hand to cup his cheek. “I’m OK. I’m finally where I’m meant to be. With you.” With a nod of his head, knowing that you would never lie to him, he leaned forward and gently kissed your forehead with a sigh of relief. The ceremony was kept short by design, since it was nearly midnight, and while there was talk of God, you barely noticed it because of the man who could not stop smiling in front of you with matching tears of joy in his eyes. You stuck with generic vows, because neither of you would have made it through writing your own, and your first attempt at saying ‘I do’ came out as a choked whisper, which made his smile grow even more.

“By the power vested in me by God and man...” The priest said as the club counted down the New Year for you. “I pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. You may now kiss the bride.”

“I told you I’d marry you one day.” You whispered softly in the last few seconds.

“Finally.” Filip whispered back as he wrapped his arms around your middle and kissed you like it was the first time at exactly midnight, just like he had the night you first met in the shadows of the Belfast clubhouse. The club erupted in cheers as you held your husband’s cheeks between both hands, while the priest presented Mr. and Mrs. Filip Telford over the noise and left to get some sleep before his morning church service. You both pulled back with smiles, and you took your bouquet from Negan, who’s face read happiness and sadness at the same time.

“Congratulations, baby girl.” He said softly as he kissed your cheek before you left, since you agreed to do the reception the next night when you could get a sitter for Celeste and so the club could still celebrate the New Year. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Daddy.” You responded with a smile. With a nod of his head, he stepped out of your way so you could head out the back to collect your daughter and spend your first night as husband and wife making love until the sun came up.

[extremelyblackandwhite]

Hey, if you’re will, would you write something where Bucky or Seb and the reader are at a gala or red carpet event and the reader just seems off and later when they’re home she confesses someone grabbed her ass and it made her comfortable. And he’s reassuring that her feelings are valid and she’s allowed to be upset that that happened. And lots of cuddling

A/N: to everyone and anyone who has been groped, cat called or suffered from any sort of sexual harassment, your feelings are valid, you are valid don’t let anyone tell you otherwise xx

Sebastian was over the moon that Y/N had finally agreed to go with him to one of his public events. She had always been a bit of a stranger to the spotlight working normally with the composers for various movies. That was how she’d met him back when they were filming the Winter Soldier and the composer, Henry Jackman, brought her along to help her write a theme for the winter soldier. Sebastian remembered the first time he saw her when visiting the sound studios, he knew from that instant second that he was the one. Now, she was no actress and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t prefer to date someone in the same profession as him but she was caring, she was a forgiving person and the only girl in the world that he wanted to get back home with. However, she was not one for premieres or public events even if she or her team were nominated, she’d rather stay at home alone from the spotlight and let Sebastian, who was. a veteran of dealing with the cameras, deal with it. Nevertheless, as the relationship progressed and became more serious, he found himself wanting to bring her along and show her off to the world. 

After having a pretty bad time at the last premiere due to a reporter teasing him about the fact that his girlfriend was not by his side, Y/N decided to join him in the UK premiere of his new movie. She had even contacted one of her old famous friends to help her get a stylist for the occasion and she had to admit it was fun to get all dressed up. 

Sebastian finished getting dressed in the suit he’d ask her to pick and walked into the bathroom to check his hair to find her finishing getting ready. She was putting her earrings on but it wasn’t her earrings he was interested in, it was the dress she was wearing. It was a long vibrant red dress with a sash wrapped around her waist, showing off her very beautiful figure, and a deep décolletage cut that made him want to skip the premiere all together. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the cheek to hear her moan about him ruining her makeup. 

    - You look stunning, babe. - he kissed her exposed shoulder but she shook him off, lightly stabbing him in the chest with her makeup brush. - It was just a kiss. 

   - I know what your “just a kiss” mean. - she walked from the bathroom and into their hotel room to grab her purse and coat. - We are not gonna be late. 

   -  Can you blame me for being excited over that dress? - Sebastian chuckled, offering his arm for her to wrap hers around. They took the lift to the hall where they got into the car which would drive them to premiere. Y/N was scared yet excited and that feeling only grew as they got close to the flashlights of the cameras. 

Sebastian was the first to leave the car, going around to open the door for her and offering her hand to help her out. They both stood in line to walk the red carpet, various people including Sebastian’s friends came by to compliment her and congratulate her on coming. Their turn finally came to walk the red carpet and she held onto him for dear life as he whispered in her ear where to look and what to do as the fans and reporters screamed for her name. 

   - I’ll have to go and do some interviews now, babe. - he whispered against her ear and she nodded. One of the men working the event took in to help her walk out of the red carpet to where she would wait for him to finish his press. 

   - Don’t you look hot, lass. - he brought his hand downwards, leaning it against her bum. She was about to complain about the closeness when she felt the unknown man grab her ass which made her stop breathing for a few seconds. The noise and flashlights suddenly became to much and she joined the other stars’ patterns, putting her coat back on and holding it shut. 

Sebastian took at least half hour to return from the press, half hour Y/N stood in her spot, clutching onto her coat, disassociating from the environment around her, only thinking about that moment. 

   - C’mon, let’s find our seats. - Sebastian took her off her plane of thought, placing his hand on her back to lead her. She instead jerked at his touch, moving away from him. He found it odd, Y/N was pretty much a PDA person, she adored cuddling. He shrugged it off as maybe her being uncomfortable by the new environment however once they got inside the theatre to watch the movie and he tried to put his arm around her which she denied was when stuff started to look iffy for him. Y/N spent the whole movie with her head lowered which was another surprise for him. Their common friends always seemed to say that Y/N was Sebastian’s biggest fan but right now she seemed to be a bigger fan of her shoes.

The no touch policy continued even when they got into the car, her face going to face the window instead of him, avoiding all conversation he tried to start and every kiss he tried to give her. 

   - Y/N, are you alright? - he asked once they got inside the hotel room. He didn’t want to ask in the car, he didn’t need to have the driver know about her or his life. She just nodded, bitting onto her lips and that’s when he noticed her eyes starting to water. He rushed over to her side, cocking his head a bit. - You are not alright, you’re about to cry.

   - They grabbed me. - she mumbled, playing around with her nails which she normally did when nervous.

   - Who grabbed you? - he cupped her face, trying to make her look at him.

   - After the pictures, when you went to do press, the man who took me he grabbed my ass. - she said breaking down in tears. He held her against his chest, his blood boiling at the thought of someone touching her and guilt raising due to leaving her alone. - And it’s my fault.

   - How is it your fault, it’s not your fault, Y/N. - he was angry. Not once in his relationship had he seen her this distraught.

   - It’s the dress, it’s too revealing. - suddenly the constant clutching of the coat made sense to him, she was trying to hide. 

   - Even if you were naked who the fuck is he to fucking touch you without your permission. - he held her hand, the grip on the coat loosening up. - Y/N, no one has the right to touch you without your consent.

   - I’m just being silly. - she cleaned her tears away with the hand he wasn’t holding. - I ruined your big night. 

   - You’re not being silly and you didn’t ruin my big night. I shouldn’t have left you alone, I’m so sorry. - he sat her down on the bed. - Would some cuddling and Mad Men make you feel better?

   - I just wanna get out of this dress. - she took her jacket off and walked into the bathroom. Sebastian got off the bed and walked over to his suitcase taking off the NASA sweatshirt that pretty much belonged to her as she was always walking around the house with it. He knocked on the bathroom door, opening it slightly and handing her the garment. 

She came out the bathroom a few seconds later wearing the sweatshirt, face cleaned out of makeup and he still thought she looked stunning. She plopped down on the bed by his side and Sebastian pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead. As per usual, she put her leg over his waist, something he’d name “Y/N’s lovelock” much to her dismay. He felt her relax onto him as he turned on the TV to show her favourite tv show.

His thumb caressed her cheek, head tilted ever so slightly to look at her. He didn’t really care much for anything when she was upset. 

   - I love you, baby. - he softly whispered to her. - I’ll make sure I discover who he is and then I’ll fight him. 

   - We’ve had this conversation before, Sebastian. Just because you play Bucky Barnes, doesn’t mean you can fight like Bucky Barnes. - she tilted her head to stare at him, her characteristic sly smile appearing on her lips. 

   - I’d fight anyone for my girl if they upset her or try to touch her. 

   - Aren’t you mad that I ruined your night?

   - No, being here with you is what makes my night. Not some premiere. You make my night. 

   - You make my night too.

[the-silentium]

#17 & #18 🙈

17. “Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while…”

18. “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

Masterlist

Pairing: Eddie Brock x Reader / Venom x Reader

Warning: Angst, fluff, swearing

Words: 3025 words

A/N: First off, a big thank you to the anon who gave me my first prompts ♡. I literally wrote this at 3 a.m. and I thought it would be a good idea to mix someone new that lives in the city! Please, give me comebacks!

Gif is not mine, credits to the owner.

A light breeze made you tighten your grip on your jacket. Finally, your favorite time of the year showed its nose and replaced the excruciating weather with a more tolerable one. The new bright colors decorating the trees and the sidewalk gave a new life to the dull streets of San Francisco. The pumpkin spice smell lingering in every café in town, the kids smiling in the perspective of the sweet holiday coming soon and the monsters showing themselves after a year of hiding.

The darkness surrounding you put you at ease while the cold air sharpened your senses. You perceived every movement on the street below and all the sounds carried by the wind invaded your ears.

From your position on the roof of a 15 story building, you had a perfect view of the mugging of a young lady by a guy twice your size. You watched the scene, your legs swinging over the void, a smile creeping its way on your lips. A young raccoon made its way onto the edge and waddled to your side. At that moment, the lady let go of her purse, probably choosing her life over a few bucks and some pads. She lost her balance and fell onto the sidewalk. Her cries reached your ears just when you reached for the little thief and cradled him into your arms.

You couldn’t stop yourself but started to coo at the little furry ball. A few gunshots, a very piercing scream and some wet noises characterizing a beheading later, you were now tickling the little mammal. His squeaking melted your heart and made you once again question your decision of moving into town. You missed the countryside, but you were very not welcome there.

Suddenly, the young raccoon tensed, all senses in alert. A shock on the side of the building accelerated his heartbeat and a wide toothy grin scared the shit out of him. In a flash, he had reached the other side of the roof and found shelter in the gutter.

Sighing, you turned your attention on the alien taking a seat next to you. You had met him a few months ago during one of your nights out. You were stealing some antibiotics from a drug store and at your exit, he intercepted you. He gave you the fear of your life, threatened your organs and licked every inch of your face. In your panic, you had used what you had sworn to never use again. Your mind called to anything within your range and soon enough, 4 stray dogs ran to your rescue and attacked the black monster. You had dropped the meds and ran off. Surely, you could try again and right now, those few pills weren’t worth it.

Of course, he caught up to you. A black mass scotched you to a wall and before you appeared a very good looking guy. His right arm was engulfed in the black mass and the left one shoved the pill container onto your face. He screamed at you, accusing you of being a junkie, insulting you for stealing drugs that could A. kill you and B. help someone else and lost his temper because you weren’t responding.

You were there, watching him blankly like everything he said was stupid.

“Now that your little tantrum is done, can I talk?”

Your tone shut him up immediately. Clearly, he had overlooked something. You explained how these pills weren’t drugs, but antibiotics. How you needed them for your little brother who had pneumonia. You were his only living family and you couldn’t afford the meds. After some time, Eddie let you go. The black mass dissolved and he gave you back the meds.

“Don’t do it often or you’ll have trouble.” He had told you before you ran off and never looked back.

“Still looking for trouble?” Eddie’s voice put a smile on your face. For quite some time, the mere thought of him managed to make you happy.

“You know me.” You turned your head to face him. “I’m always looking for trouble.” You continued with a wink.

Eddie’s laugh broke the silence of the night. You were grateful for the cold breeze that hit you square in the face and hide the blush that colored your cheeks. You shuddered from the sudden cold that infiltrated your clothes. Bringing your legs up, you wrapped your arms around them in an attempt to keep yourself a bit warm. The streets were empty again. The lady must have run off, a body was lying in a dark alley and no one else wanted to face the cold night. In this neighborhood at least.

A warm spot on your arm caught your attention. You could do nothing but watch as your limb disappeared under some liquid-ish darkness. It was the second time that Venom touched you, the first time being when he threatened you to eat your heart, lungs and some other vital organs. That first time, you weren’t paying attention to the warmth radiating from him but now, all you could think of was how wonderful it would be to sleep enveloped in this black mess.

At this thought, you frowned. You clearly weren’t normal. Eddie misunderstood your reaction and distanced himself from you, pulling the symbiote with him. He scratched his neck and kicked the ground to dissipate his embarrassment.

“I erm- I have to gather some information on a doctor. Wanna tag along? I reassure you, it’s far from legal.” He smirks.

At the mention of something illegal, you scoff.

“Only if you are there to keep me out of trouble.” You turned to him, hiding your smile in your shoulder.

“We’ll always have your back darling.” He smiled with his hand extended for you to take.

Scoffing, you wrapped your fingers around his hand and before you knew, you were in the air, flying toward your target in the arms of an alien.

*****************

It took 9 minutes and 43 seconds for trouble to find you. You were currently crouched in a corner of a lab, trying to not touch anything and more importantly, not receive anything on you. Because you see, after 9 minutes and 43 seconds of Venom searching through files and document about someone named Henry Pym, a size-shifting man appeared out of no-fucking-where and started to piss off the black alien.

You didn’t know much about Pym Technologies. Scratch that. You knew nothing about them, but your instincts told you that a lab like this must contain stuff that you shouldn’t touch. Basics really. If it glows in the dark? Don’t touch. It’s red? Clearly a no-no. Don’t even think about the big kind of portal toward Star Wars Land.

Shattering glass caught your attention. Venom just threw the red costumed man through a window to what you think is a command room. Venom’s milky eyes met yours and he joined you in a heartbeat. He checked you over for a second before half his face morphed back to Eddie.

“Play the hostage.” He simply said, causing a frown to deform your features.

“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had.” Seriously. Other than guards, there was no one in this building, so why a civilian like you would be in there? Clearly, Eddie hadn’t thought this through. The guy would be a bit hard to trick, but you hoped you could be convincing. “Of course, I’m in.”

Venom was back in his entirety, grabbing you harshly by the throat with a clawed hand and lifting you to show the other guy. Damn, at this rate, you wouldn’t have to fake anything. The pain, the missing oxygen, they were all real. Even the thrashing around. Your eyes shot daggers at him and he must have gotten the message because his hold on your throat eased a bit.

You whimpered and grabbed Venom’s hand. You tried to get free from his loose grip, not to avail. Fortunately for you, your opponent wasn’t known for his deep thinking.

“Let her down.” His voice was ragged and didn’t impress you much. Now imagine Venom.

The alien laughed and put a claw from his other hand across your stomach. He made a slow movement on the side like he would open you vertically.

“Her organs would be too delicious to waste.” Well, thank you? For the second time in your life, the biggest tongue in the universe licked its way across your face. This time though, it seems like there was more pressure on your lips than anywhere else. Maybe you were imagining things… It could have been accidental. His eyes shifted from you to his opponent, two slits scrutinizing the hero for any weakness.

“But maybe I could eat you first.” He dropped you without warning, causing you to fall onto scattered papers and lose your balance. You fell onto your wrist, screaming from deep within yourself when a net crunch resonated through your ears. Pain flooded through you in waves while tears invaded your eyes and stained your cheeks.

Then, the fight continued. You cowered away from all the action, choosing to nurse your sprained wrist instead. You could barely touch it and the swelling process already started. At this moment, you made yourself a promise. Never again will you follow Eddie’s stupid plans.

Now, desks were destroyed, more papers scattered the ground, some odd liquid was dripping on the ground and ants were crawling up your arm. Great. Just great. You didn’t fear ants, but insects definitely weren’t in your heart.

You tried to rub them off, but they were really persistent. They would climb on your finger and avoid being crushed. You didn’t notice the lack of fighting noise, but the giant flying ant that landed on your nose, this one you didn’t miss. Screaming, you tried to hit it off, but a hand caught your good wrist just before you did. In a millisecond, the guy had stuck something onto your chest and suddenly, the room became bigger. Like, you were a tiny lego in a motherfucking big room.

You wanted to scream, but at the same time, all you could think of was oh my god, that’s fucking awesome! But when you saw the big ants and the even bigger flying ant, your reflex was to finally let your vocal cords express themselves.

You couldn’t have the satisfaction to scream for long though, because two hands took hold of your cheeks with care and it shut you up instantly. The guy in front of you was cute. He had lifted his mask, showing all the concern written on his face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here.” With a smile, he presented you a hand to shake. “Hi, I’m Scott Lang. E-eh, I mean, Ant-Man.”

You chuckled and shook his hand, giving your name. The gentle squeeze he gave your hand made your heart skip a beat. It has been a while since a guy tried to flirt with you and you would be lying if you said it didn’t feel good. True, he wasn’t the one who you wanted the attention from, but it felt good nonetheless.

A guttural roar got you both out of your little moment. Ant-Man grabbed your waist, guiding you toward the flying ant and lifted you on its back, positioning himself in front of you. Your arms instinctively wrapped themselves around his waist and locked there. Saying you were stiff was an understatement. If you were to receive a hit somewhere, you would break in half.

To distract yourself, you tried to focus on Venom, who was currently rampaging the room. You didn’t know if it was because you had disappeared from his view or because he had lost his fight -for now- but he really looked furious. Poor Scott Lang.

If you once thought that the symbiote was tall, it was nothing compared to how he was right then. He was a giant terrifying murderous being that was waiting for the second that your companion returned back to normal.

After a moment, you lose your sight on the symbiote. The ant had entered what looked like some air conduct. Your arms tightened a bit when the complete darkness of the conduct started to weight on you. Where were you going? Will you be stuck as a tiny version of yourself? Will there be an enormous rat living in these conducts that will attack you and kill you like in the movies? Your breathing accelerated at the same time your head found support on Scott’s back in an attempt to find comfort in his presence. A small pressure on your tight and some calm reassurances from Ant-Man later, the cold air of an October night hit you like a ton of brick. You started shivering but soon you hit the ground and Scott helped you down.

“Are you okay?” You simply nod. After your little panic moment in the conduct, you didn’t trust your voice. For sure, it would be broken and weak.

“Okay. I’ll get us back to normal and you’ll run as far from here as you can. You think you can do that?” Again, you nod.

A wave of nausea hits you when you grow back up. You seriously need to puke but hands are hurriedly pushing you away. You don’t understand his haste until a loud crash near you both made you jump. Never before have you seen Venom so pissed.

“You’ll pay for taking something of ours.” He growled.

*****************

After kicking Ant Man’s ass, Venom took you home. Not your home, but Eddie’s. You had had to bargain Scott’s life for a day at theirs. You saw glitter on his face when he removed his mask, so you deduced that he had a family to go back to. Plus, he has been sweet and caring with you all along. You did owe him that. Even if he did start all the trouble.

When you finally made it to Eddie’s, he quickly got you a bag of ice for your wrist and proposed you a shower, which you gladly accepted. He let you borrow some clothes and started acting really weird.

First, he would stare at you on your way out of the bathroom. You weren’t naked, nor were you in a simple towel. You had clothes on, for god’s sake. Then, it was like he went brain dead because you took his hoodie to keep yourself warm. His apartment was as cold as the room where you get cold beer at the store. That room was a pain for everyone, right? How in the world could he live in this cold?

“Do you happen to know what heating is? This place is freezing.” Suddenly you were happy that you accepted only a day. You liked a fresh environment, not the north pole.

The lack of answer made you turn toward the brunette, who was blinking at you, mouth slowly opening. You started to move your feet up and down repeatedly against your legs to try to keep them warm, but the lack of socks didn’t help. Noticing your problem, Eddie seemed to suddenly revive.

He walked to you, took you in his arms bridal style and carried you to bed. You blushed but tried to hide it by hiding under the covers.

“Eddie?” He shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.” He got under the covers too, his face telling that this wasn’t him once again. His arms pulled you to him and kept a firm grip.

As much as the movement surprised you, you couldn’t stop from melting in his arms. One, because of the heat emanating from his body, two, because you had low-key fell for this guy a while ago and three, a black goo engulfed every inch of your body, minus your head.

You tried to move an arm just to test the black mass, but just as you thought, you were stuck.

“Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while…” Eddie trailed off, avoiding your eyes. You giggled, catching his attention and his gaze.

“Can I ask you something?” You placed your cheek on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

“Anything.”

“Why was Venom so pissed?” You felt a change in his heartbeat. It quickened and caught your interest.

“He wasn’t pissed, Y/N.” He made eye contact with you before continuing. “We were scared.”

You laughed causing Eddie to frown.

“You guys were scared of this guy?” You closed your eyes, trying to remember Ant-Man and really, even to you he wasn’t scary. If you had met him in another scenario, surely he would have become your friend in no time.

A hand moved and took hold of your chin, tilting it up. Eddie’s handsome features were deformed by a frown and worry.

“We weren’t scared of him. You really don’t see it? We were scared we had lost you.” His eyes confirmed his words. They were truly scared for you. “We have- kind of- grown attached to you.” Again, his gaze focused somewhere else.

It was just now that everything made sense. Your current position in his bed, the fear in Venom when you disappeared from his view, the warm blanket on the roof and the-

“So I wasn’t imagining it when Venom licked my face and put more pressure on my lips!” At that, Eddie turned bright red and his eyes widened.  

You laughed wholeheartedly and tried to lean in to kiss those perfect lips of his but you couldn’t move an inch thanks to your symbiotic restrains. Groaning from frustration, you turned your head so that your mouth was below Eddie’s armpit. You murmured some promises to Venom and his grip loosened on you. You were still recovered but your movements weren’t restrained.

You surprised Eddie by moving your legs so that you were now straddling him and crashed your lips on his. His stunned state lasted a second. He answered your kiss with as much fervor and passion and soon enough, you were flipped on your back, marking the beginning of the most exhausting night of your life.

Tag List: @slither-in-a-half @a-frozen-bag-of-corn​ @noshi-chan

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Wizard of Oz Queen x pre-teen reader Chap. 4; Meeting the sweet Tinman

*Author’s note*

With the meeting of the Scarecrow now complete, we move onto the next person that came on, the sweet and lovable Tinman. Secretly I’ll admit this was a no-brainer (Haha see what I did there? No Brainer. Scarecrow has no brains. No? Okay yeah that was bad forget it) for me on who I wanted to be the Tinman out of the boys of Queen.  So I hope you all like this casting choice for the Tinman as much as I did.  

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@psychosupernatural​

@waddles03​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@queensdivas​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@platawnic​

@kairosfreddie​

@queendeakyy​

@geek-and-proud​

____________________________________________________________

When morning finally arrived, I woke up to something tickling my nose.  I twitched in my sleep but didn’t really respond to it.  I felt it happen again, this time I felt it stroke across my cheek. I moaned tiredly and turned away from it but the next thing I knew, I felt it stroke down my neck and even felt slow shapes being drawn on my neck.

Being that my neck is my most ticklish spot, I giggled and opened my eyes to see Scarecrow smiling down at me, holding a piece of hay in his hand.

“Good morning (y/n).”

“Scarecrow what was all that about?” I asked him as I rubbed my neck trying to rid of the ticklish feeling.

“Sorry I couldn’t resist. Has anyone told you that you look adorable when you sleep? You look like a tiny….little chipmunk.” I softly laughed as I sat up and stretched my arms out.

“My uncle Henry used to always call me that when I was little.”

“And the name suits you. Cause chipmunks are cute, tiny and sweet. Just like you.” he teased as he teased the tip of my nose with the strand of hay he still had in his hands.  I brushed it away as he chuckled at me but soon his chuckles turned to laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’ve got some hay in your hair.” He said through his laughter.  I felt around my hair and soon enough I pulled out on strand of hay.

“Don’t laugh it’s not that funny.” I laughed along with him.

“No, no, no. Of course not. Just—never did I think you were secretly a scarecrow too.” He laughed as he scooted closer to me. “Here, let me help you.” he then carefully began to pick off any strand of hay that had gotten tangled up in my hair.

Most of it was pretty easy to get out but some were twisted so deep into my hair that it hurt trying to get them out.  Any sign of discomfort or soft whine of pain I made, he apologized before finally getting the last strand of hay out of my hair.

“There all done.”

“Thanks scarecrow.”

“No problem, best to always get hay out as soon as possible otherwise it just becomes a mess. But if I’m being honest I would’ve left them in. It made your cuteness level just go even higher.” I blushed and said.

“So shall we continue to Oz?”

“Yes, let’s.” he quickly grabbed the pile of hay and stuffed it back into his shirt and we proceeded to continue down the yellow brick road.

It must’ve been another hour or so till we finally reached some sort of apple tree farm.  All around us were apple trees with the most richest and bright red apples. My stomach grumbled loudly and I giggled softly.

“Guess I’m hungrier than I thought I would be.”

“Well there’s hundreds of apples to choose from. Pick whichever one calls out to you.” said scarecrow.  We stepped off the road and onto the farm soil and I went up to the closest tree and picked off the first apple.  Suddenly the tree grabbed my hand just before I could take a bite and slapped my hand.

“Ow!”

“What do you think you’re doing?!” a deep, raspy voice snarled at me.

“We’ve come such a long way and I was hungry and…..wait. Did you just speak?” the tree soon moved again and spoke out in snarky tone.

“She was hungry!”

“She was hungry!” the tree behind me spoke proclaiming loudly for all the other trees to arose and wake.

“Well little miss Hungry. How would you like it if someone came along and picked something off of you!?” the tree in front of me spoke again.

“Hey lay off alright!? She’s only a kid and she didn’t know!” Scarecrow soon came up behind me and defended me.

“It’s okay scarecrow. I—forgot that I’m not in Wales anymore.”

“But still that gave it no right to hit you. Come along (y/n), you don’t want any of these apples.”

“You implying there’s something wrong with my apples?” the tree snapped at Roger.

“Oh no. Just the fact she’s looking at a rotten apple tree.”

“Oh that’s it!” Soon the tree grabbed a hold of me. I screamed but just before I could be picked up, scarecrow grabbed a hold of me and pushed me back towards the road while he distracted the tree.

Using his nimble movement, he managed to get away from the tree and he stood beside me once again.

“You wanna see how to get these guy’s apples?” he whispered to me.  Before I could even respond, he then proceeded to tease and mock the trees who then began to throw their apples at scarecrow.  He skillfully dodged each apple until one hit him in the face and he went falling backwards.

“Scarecrow, you okay?”

“Fine, fine. But see, that done it. Help yourself to as many as you like.” I shook my head at him.

“You’re insane, do you know that?” he shrugged with a boyish grin then the two of us went around to gather the apples.

As I came out of a few bushes and grabbed an apple, I saw the most peculiar thing.  A tin foot.  I lightly knocked on it and slowly looked up to see a tin leg attached to it.  I banged on the shin until I finally saw that this was actually a man, a tin man!

“Scarecrow. Scarecrow come here!” he quickly came over to me and he quickly said.

“What is it? You alright?”

“Yes I’m fine. Look at this. I found a tin man.” He came over on the other side of the tinman.

“Wow. I’ve—heard about these tinmen but never did I think I would see one in real life.”

“Are—they aren’t dangerous are they?” I asked worriedly.

“Some but not all. From people who have passed by my fields some have said that one of them in particular is only dangerous when someone tries to harm the animals of the forest.” I turned towards the tinman and got a better look at him.

He was rusted right in his spot wielding an axe in his right hand.  He sure was tall that’s for sure, and lean.  I was also perplexed by this tinman’s hairstyle.  It was…..curly. Like really curly and poofy, kinda like a poodle’s fur.  He was also covered in leaves and his arm was wrapped around with vines and weeds.

Suddenly we heard a muffled voice crying out. Both scarecrow and I looked around trying to see just where it came from till we both looked at the tinman.

“Did you say something?” he muffled out two words. I leaned closer and he muffled out the two words again. “He said oilcan.”

“Oilcan what?” asked scarecrow.  I looked around until right there on a nearby tree stump I found the oilcan.

“Here!” I raced over and grabbed it and came back to his side. “Where do you want it first?” he muffled out what sounded like ‘my mwomh.’

“He said his mouth.” Scarecrow said.  I handed him the oilcan and he proceeded to oil both sides of the tin man’s mouth.  With a loud rusted squeak, the tinman began to try and move his mouth around. He slowly began to open his mouth and speak.

“Mah—mah—mmah. My goddess, I can finally talk again. Ohh. Oil my arms please, oil my elbows.” Scarecrow handed me the oil can and I oiled up the tinman’s right elbow before getting his bicep and forearm area.

I passed the oilcan back to scarecrow and as he oiled up the other arm, I helped the tinman lower his arm back down.  He let out a groan and I asked him.

“Did I hurt you?”

“Oh no my dear. That felt so good, I’ve held that axe up for ages.”

“How did you get like this?” I asked him as I shook his arm up trying to loosen it up even more.

“Well about a year ago; I was trying to stop some poachers from hunting a mother badger and her pups, and right before I could say a word to them, it began to rain. Been rusted in this spot ever since.” I looked just ahead and soon enough I saw what looked like a badger’s den.

“So you’re the famed tinman guardian of the forest animals?” Scarecrow asked.

“In the flesh. Well figuratively speaking” The tinman responded. “Oil my neck please.” Scarecrow proceeded to oil up the tinman’s neck while I worked on shaking his other arm.

“Well don’t you worry. Soon you’ll be as perfect as ever Mr. Tinman.”

“Thank you my friend.” He muttered quietly before speaking out loud to me. “Perfect? Bang on my chest if you think that.” I looked at him hesitantly but he reassured me, “Go on, bang on it and have a listen.” I banged on his chest and soon heard the echoing sounds of the bangs gradually get lower and lower.

“Wow, what a beat!”

“It’s empty.” The tinman stated solemnly. “The tin’s man who built me forgot to make me a heart.”

“No heart?” Scarecrow and I both asked.

“No heart.” The tinman solemnly as he shook his head.  “I mean he gave me a brain, a voice, but he died before he could complete my heart.”

“I’m so sorry.” I said to him.

“It’s alright my dear. It wasn’t your fault, he was very old and sadly getting sicker as the days went by. As selfish as it is for me to wish that he had completed my heart before he died, at least he’s no longer in pain.” I smiled softly at him.

For a tinman without a heart, he sure showed some great signs of compassion.

“Hey (y/n), can I talk to you for a second?” Scarecrow asked me.  I nodded and said to the tinman.

“We’ll be right back, okay?” he nodded to me and I followed Scarecrow who walked a few yards away from the tinman so that he couldn’t hear us.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“What do you say if we add one more person to our little adventure? I mean if the Great Oz could get you home and me a brain, surely he should be able to get tinman there a heart.”

“What a wonderful idea! Let’s see if he’ll want to come with us.”

We quickly raced back towards the tinman who was now oiling up his legs and knees.

“Tinman.” He looked up at us. “We were talking and we figured what if you came with us to the Emerald city to see the Wizard of Oz and ask him for a heart?”

“You want me to come along with you to the Emerald city?” he said in shock.  We nodded. “Oh that’d be wonderful but…..”

“But what?” asked scarecrow.

“But—suppose the Great Oz wouldn’t give me a heart when we got there?”

“He has to. I mean we’ve already come such a long way.”

“YOU CALL THAT LONG!?!?” a familiar haunting voice exclaimed.  We looked up and right there on top of the abandoned house was the Wicked Warlock of the West.  “That was hardly even a miles walk! So, helping the lass out are you my fine gentlemen?”

“Why don’t you go pick on somebody your own size you witless worm!” Scarecrow cried out as he stood defensively in front of me.

“I’m with scarecrow on that. You’ve gone a new low Warlock and threatening children is one rule I will not tolerate in my forest. Now leave!” the tinman spoke up as he stood beside scarecrow.

Wow.  These two guys whom I’ve known one for barely a full day and the other just a few minutes were willing to protect me without a second thought.

The wicked warlock growled before saying.

“Fine. I know of your laws tinman, but you won’t stay in your part of the forest forever. And once you’re in the clear I’ll use you for a mattress,” he said pointing to scarecrow. “And you, I’ll use you for a beehive.” He turned around but before he left, he turned around with an evil look in his eyes. “Oh and scarecrow, think fast!” suddenly flying right towards him and landing right at his feet was a ball of fire.

Scarecrow let out a terrified scream as he fell backwards.  I quickly dragged him away from the flames, while the tinman to stomp down on the fire to diminish it.  All the while the warlock was laughing manically before disappearing in red smoke once again.

Both scarecrow and tinman stood beside me and that’s when scarecrow said.

“Don’t you worry (y/n), I’ll see that you get to the Great Oz, whether if I get a brain or not. Stuff a mattress with me will he? I’d like to make a skin rug out of him!”

“As well I. I’ll see that you get to the Wizard whether I get a heart or not. Beehive huh? Bah! Let him try to make a beehive out of me.” The tinman said.  I smiled at both of these guys and I said.

“Oh, you guys are the best friends a girl could ever ask. It’s strange though but it feels like I’ve met you both before. But I—I couldn’t have, could I?”

“I would say no. I mean after all you weren’t there when the farmer had me sewn and stitched together, right?” I shook my head no.

“And I’ve been standing over there rusting for the longest time, there’s no way you could’ve been there.” I nodded in agreement.

“Still I-I wish I could remember. But I guess it doesn’t matter. We know each other now, right?”

“Right.” They both smiled warmly with a smile.

“To Oz?” said scarecrow as he held his arm out..

“To Oz” replied the Tinman as he held his arm out.

“To Oz!” I answered as I looped my arms through theirs and we went along our merry way deeper into the forest.

[carumens]

When Valba left the school and a troubled Tom inside it, the plaza was still brimming with students, but it was easy to spot Gerah because he had decided to wait for her in the Romello Public School’s part of the square so that there was a wide empty circle of students surrounding him, sending him side glances as if he were a rare animal inside a cage.

                                         [full excerpt under the cut]

Valba stormed past them with elbows and stomps. “What are you looking at?” she snapped at Daniella Johnson and Fred Galindo.

Gerah was talking to Violetta Quillers, who was apparently oblivious to the expectant audience around them. Valba supposed she was already used to stares, what with her crazy attires and chameleonic hair.

“Let’s go,” said Valba when she reached them grabbing Gerah sharply by the elbow and leading him to one of the side alleys that branched from the square without even acknowledging Violetta’s presence. She heard her chirpy voice call after them: “Good day to you too!” Valba rolled her eyes and kept walking.

“Hey,” said Gerah, who kept pulling at the restless sleeve of his uniform jacket. “Hey, Valba, what the hell!”

She let him go, but didn’t stop her single-minded route.

“Valba! Valba, where are we going?!”

“The basketball courts.”

“What?” Gerah ran to catch up to her. “Why?”

“I wanna talk to Henry.”

“Oh,” said Gerah. “Henry?”

“Sanders.”

“Oh, uhm, I don’t―”

“He’s a cousin of Tom and Senka.”

“Oh.”

Gerah looked like he wanted to ask more questions but was too lost to find one to begin with. Valba couldn’t understand how he’d survived all of his life in Romello without knowing the first thing about it. Now again, rich people didn’t really need to survive.

“He’s the one who hit Mark.”

“What?” Gerah said, stopping dead in his tracks. “How do you know?”

“Gerah,” she said over her shoulder. “In Romello, it’s easy to know everything.”

The basketball courts were near the town hall, a couple of intricate streets further, and it was the place of reunion for most of Romello’s youth. People didn’t really play basketball there ―that activity was reserved for the courts inside the school. The asphalt was cracked and the field lines almost completely erased by time and the drag of feet. What young Romellians really did there was play mus, drink cheap beer and smoke cigarettes and spliffs from Cristian Bahnmann’s very own harvest. Valba thought he really ought to drop out of high school and start selling seriously. It would definitely help his family’s economy.

“But I thought you said Mark was looking for it,” said Gerah. He sounded slightly out of breath, and Valba slowed down her pace.

“Well,” she said. “I was wrong.”

Gerah didn’t answer, but Valba could feel him gaping at the back of her head. The thing about rumors travelling fast in Romello was that they often got distorted in the process, so sometimes it took some time to get to the real happenings behind them. Valba had seen Mark’s war wounds. Valba had assumed without knowing and she hadn’t stopped to think that because something happens often, it doesn’t mean that it will happen always. Valba had heard the whispers in the corridors and had only been reassured in her belief. And then Valba had heard Henry Sanders goading and had had to force her rage down not to crack Mrs. Barsau’s water bottle against his head.

The basketball courts came into view. The fences that surrounded the red and white surface were rusty and holed, and only one of the four baskets conserved its hoop. The fastest and most eager students were already lounging in the corners, cradling beer bottles and chatting loudly.

“There he is,” said Valba.

Henry Sanders looked the same as most of the members of the Sanders family. Tall, thin, blond and white as a lime wall. He was also, of course, a Catholic, which wasn’t a bad thing per se but was a horrendously easy shield to wield for those who hated everything that was different from them.

Valba entered in the court through one of the big holes in the closest fence, and ignored the startled looks falling upon her as she crossed the space to where Henry and his entourage of mindless apes loitered.

“Henry,” she said, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing him to turn.

“What the―” the annoyed look in his face changed into something akin to respect when he registered her presence. “Oh, Barsel.” He frowned when he saw Gerah standing nervously behind her, but didn’t say anything about it.

“You have ten seconds to explain what happened with Mark.”

All trace of respect was gone when Henry heard Mark’s name. His face twisted into an ugly sneer. “That faggot got what he deserved.”

“Excuse me?” There was something hot and stingy simmering in the pit of her stomach.

“You heard me,” he spit out. “I saw him the other day in Uncle Roger’s carpentry, he―”

“He what?”

“He was molesting Tom!” Said Tobias Galindo, sticking his head behind Henry’s. He was pulled back by a wiser hand and a don’t get in there, man.

Valba limited herself to raising an eyebrow at Henry.

“You heard him,” he said with a jerk of his head.

“Okay,” she said. She breathed in and out slowly. Two times. And a third. “Time’s up.”

Valba grabbed Henry by the shoulder and smashed her fist against his nose. He doubled up with a shout and a very unholy string of curses. He looked up at her. There were tears forming at the edge of his eyes but Valba could not see blood, so she gripped his hair to bring him closer and crashed her forehead against his nose. It hurt, but from the loud scream he let out and the crunching noise she heard, it must have hurt him more. When he raised his head there was bright red stream falling from his nose, he wiped it uselessly with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Fucking bitch.” Someone grabbed him from the back, but he shook them off easily and lunged for Valba. She stepped to the side and tripped him with her foot. He fell to the floor, ripping his jeans at the knees and the skin of his hands. Valba wasted no time in jumping over him, a hand around his neck and her knee sinking in his stomach. Through her peripheral vision, she could see a mass of violence-horny and slightly stoned teenagers. Some of them cheered on, some other tried to establish peace with words Valba couldn’t even make out through the rage pounding inside her head, none of them stepped closer to try to prise her from Henry.

She could feel his throat straining under her hand, his windpipe uselessly trying to expand to let some air in. Valba found that it was enough, that he had got the message, that she wanted to release him, but couldn’t. Then there was a hand on her shoulder, a touch so gingerly that she almost didn’t feel it. She breathed out and open her fingers. Henry took in a noisy mouthful of air. Gerah helped Valba stand up, she left a blood smear on his hand that looked extremely dark against his tanned skin. She was trembling all over; Henry too, but for completely different reasons.

“Next time that you dare lay a single of your filthy fingers on Mark,” she said, the words coming sharp and strained through her teeth. “It won’t be just your nose that I break.”

She wiped rest of Henry’s blood sticking to her hands in her rough jeans and turned around to leave the basketball courts. Gerah fell in step beside her.

“Let’s go see Mark,” he said. “Shall we?”

Valba couldn’t speak through the knot in her throat, so she simply nodded.